He had been known as many things: The Dark Lord, The Great King of Evil, The Master Thief, Ruler of the Garudos, a feared swordsman, and a terrifying sorcerer. Titles such as these were bestowed upon him due to his dark deeds, and his overwhelming malice and lust for power. He was the darkness that engulfed the light, and he was the terror that loomed in the shadows. He... was the great Ganondorf.
And he had been defeated.
He held the triforce of power... he controlled Hyrule like his plaything. He captured the princess and brought the world to its knees. He burned through forests, smashed through mountains, cleaved through seas, and he became the symbol of all the fear in the land.
And he was beaten by a simple boy and a princess. A boy who was barely a man, yet still a child. A princess who he had taken away and had escaped his clutches. He could still feel the cold steel of the sword cut into his face, his life and ambition disappearing before his eyes with every slash.
And now he was fated to drift in the cold, dark, empty abyss... he had been sealed away, his power gone and his evil deeds forgotten.
Yet his conscious remained.
"How long must I suffer... " His voice cackled in the dark, "How much longer will I remain frozen in this never-ending sea of nothingness?!" Time had been lost to him. He knew not how long he had been trapped... it could be just simple days. Or it could have been years...
But it didn't matter. The dark king was only feeling one thing: hate. His hate for the green-clothed boy... his hate for the princess... his hate for the entire land of Hyrule... his hate for the world. He wanted to consume all of it into a blazing inferno, with him at the top, bellowing in laughter. The people would kneel before his feet and acknowledge his ruthless rule... they would obey him for eternity, and he would be unopposed.
But that was a far-off dream. He was doomed into oblivion, even when he cursed the future incarnations of the two that had forced him into his black prison. There were no means of escape... and there were no means of death. Here, he would remain, expelled from reality and from the outside world.
Unless...
It all suddenly came to him... he still held the triforce of power. And as long as that emblem burned into his hand, he couldn't be beaten. He would return, more powerful than before, and he would shadow the world in his presence.
But he couldn't return now... not in his current state. He was too weak. He would have to seek out more power, and he would once again reach near-immortality.
There were many worlds out there... many worlds that held such different and strange magic... they were all seperate, being from different universes or dimensions. But they were linked by one thing.
The dark abyss that Ganondorf was sealed in.
As his mind reached out, his hatred and malice began to gather... he concentrated every ounce of power that remained within his bones, every powerful emotional thought that ran throughout his mind. He pulled all of his evil, his ambitions, and his ruthless ideals and combined them, creating pure dark magic born from him and him alone.
As he channeled this power, he reached out to the other worlds. He could feel the presence of magic within many of them... he could taste their energy, hear their music. He went through world after world, universe after universe, searching for the perfect place... the perfect place to send the offspring of his own darkness.
And he had found it.
"When it has been discovered, and the evil awakened within, " He chanted, "Then the land shall be taken... and I will have risen again..."
He then sent the powerful deity of evil straight for the world, the magical seal of the sages ineffective in stopping his attack on another world. Oh, but they would know of it... and he knew that they would try to stop him. Perhaps they would send a warning to the other world, or perhaps they themselves would appear. But ultimately, he knew that somehow the tri-force of courage would once again stand to face him. The boy would charge fearlessly into battle, his sword raised to once again strike down the dark king.
But by that time, Ganondorf would be ready.
When his evil energy would enter that world, it would seek out the closest powerful source of magic. Once it had found what it had been looking for, its shape and body would bend, shifting into a form that would be convincing and provocative. And when the moment it had been discovered, the very instant his evil would be released...
He would be there.
In the never-ending dark, Ganondorf laughed.
Twilight didn't remember ever having that book. The library had been reorganized numerous times, and every single book had a valuable place locked away in Twilight's brain. One could read the first sentence of any of those books, and Twilight would be able to recall the name, author, and date of publications as though she was reading it right in front of her. Each had their own spot on the shelf, and she was quite aware of the new books that came in.
But this particular book found itself lying on the the table in the center of the library. All the spaces on the shelves were filled (except for those checked out of course) and she had triple checked the stock list of all the books.. and none of them had the image of a creepy, single red eye etched onto the front cover, with no words being found anywhere on its body.
Twilight stared uneasily at it as Spike hummed a nameless tune, rinsing off dishes in the sink. Twilight hadn't moved from her spot since breakfast, and she hadn't touched it ever since she set it down with her magic. Something was off... it was as though she felt her magic had been... disturbed by just the contact. That alone made her afraid to even touch it... she had been contemplated writing a letter to the princess about it, but she didn't want to worry her. Besides, it was probably nothing... right?
"Um, Twilight?" Spike called, wiping his claws dry on a towel as he stepped up behind her, "You okay?" Twilight didn't respond at first, her eyes not leaving the black tome. Spike blinked, a little concerned as he reached over to touch her.
"Twilight?" Spike called again, her shoulder coming into light contact with his scaly purple claw, "What's wrong?" Twilight jumped slightly at the contact, looking back at her dragon with wide eyes. Realizing it was just the dragon, she breathed a sigh of relief and frowned.
"S-Spike!" Twilight huffed, "H-how long have you been standing there?!" She had a hoof over her chest, her heart beating like a drum.
"Long enough to know that something's off," Spike snorted, his own eyes casting a nervous glance over at the strange book, "What's with you? You haven't let that thing leave your sight ever since this morning. Somepony probably brought it here to read and then just left it... maybe they'll be back to pick it up today."
"I... I don't know, Spike... " Twilight said softly, finding it difficult to pull her gaze away, "It's... frightening. Don't you feel even a little nervous just looking at it?" Spike looked over at the book, shrugging.
"Nervous?" Spike repeated, frowning at the strange black tome. As he stared into its single red eye, he felt as if sharp shadows reached out and gripped into his heart. But what dragon would admit that he was growing frightened of a stapled stack of papers?
"Not really," Spike snorted, looking away, "it's just a book, Twilight. Lighten up." He gave Twilight a little pat on the back before humming to himself against, making his way over to the doorway, "By the way, I'm going to head on over to Rarity's. She needs help shopping for a few more supplies!"
"Okay... " Twilight replied absentmindedly, her gaze once again focusing on the book. Spike let out a sigh and left out the door, looking forward to meeting the mare of his dreams while leaving Twilight by herself.
With the book.
Now that she was alone, Twilight was starting to feel the intimidating presence of that tome. As she stared into its single, red eye, she felt something envelope around her. It was as though invisible arms wrapped around her, a cold, icy grasp engulfing her body. She swore she could feel somepony's hot breath next to her ear, whispering strange words...
Open it...
Twilight gulped standing up from her seat as she slowly made her way over to the book.
Open it...
Twilight stopped in her tracks, panting softly as her hairs stood on end.
Open it...
Twilight slowly reached her hoof over to the black book, her body trembling like an earthquake. Her hoof hesitated, hanging in the air just inches away...
OPEN IT!
Twilight shrieked abruptly, drawing her hoof back, tripping onto the floor as she scrambled away, her back hitting the wooden wall of her library. She was breathing like a dog, her chest moving with her heavy intakes of air. Her hooves were still shivering, her eyes dilated as she stared in complete fear of that black book.
"What... " She gasped, "...what is that?... " She stood up from the floor, her trembling ceasing as the heavy atmosphere dissipated. She stared at the book for a few more silent moments, her eyes not leaving its dark body as she trotted over to the door of the library. She swore that its blazing, red eye was watching her every move... and once again, she could feel something move around her, invisible tendrils drifting around her body as a small voice echoed in her head-
"I need a breather!" She interjected, turning quickly to leave out the door as fast as she could, her magic quickly making it swing open. When it shut behind her, the warm rays of the sun and the soothing breeze of the summer wind soothed her in a heartbeat. The purple mare took in a deep sigh in relief, her mane swaying softly. Her mind jumbled up, the young mare took off toward the center of town, looking for something to occupy her time, smelling the wonderful scent of cupcakes from the ovens of Sugarcube Corner. She would deal with it after a nice cupcake!
However, in her eagerness to leave, she forgot the lock the door to the library.
And the book was still sitting on the table... waiting.
Luna gasped loudly, her body jolting awake as her head swung up, from the pillow. Panting, she stared straight ahead, sweat coursing down her lovely dark-blue coat. Greeted with the light chill of her dark room, the alicorn sighed in relief, small pinpricks of light shooting through her black curtains.
"Just a dream?... " She shook her head, the images still visible completely in her mind, "What was...? " The princesses royal jewelry, including her crown and necklace, sat silently on the nightstand beside her bed. Her room was nearly dark, just how she liked it, along with a few colorful pictures of her with her sister sitting on a nightstand not too far away. With a light yawn, the pony got out of her bed.
While she was princess of the night and could peer into the dreams of others, it didn't mean that she didn't have them herself. And when she did have them, it was like the dreams of normal ponies. Except this one was noticeably different...
Glancing up at a circular mirror on her dresser, Luna took a quick look at herself. Because of that dream, she woke up hours earlier than intended. Small black bags hung below her eyes, and her mane was in a tangled mess, and wasn't in its glorious flowing form quite yet. She took in a deep breath before putting her hooves into little black bunny slippers, a secret kept from the Canterlot castle staff. They were a gift from Celestia, and she had to admit that they were super warm and comfortable.
"First things first, " Luna said to herself, "a bath.. then straight to Tia."
Luna, much to her embarrassment, had quite a difficult time adjusting to the invention of the shower. So instead she had a bath built just for her down the hallway beside her room. It was a quick trot, and she was determined to get out of the bath quickly to inform her sister of the strange dream she had. Although she was ruler of the night and could enter the dreams of other ponies, her own dreams were just like the others. But no such dream had woken her up with a cold sweat, and never had she remembered every single detail.
When she was finished, Luna looked as glorious as usual; her dark crown shined upon her head, her brilliant mane that resembled a starry sky flowed like a stream, her eyes looking lively and intelligent.
"There we go, " She nodded, turning around to walk out the door, "Now to find her."
As she made her way down the hallways, the guards saluted and stood at attention like always. However, instead of the golden armor of Celestia's royal guard, these ponies wore armor crafted from obsidian and dark metals. Their coats were a dark grey instead of a bright white, and their wings were more bat-like then bird-like.
"Good afternoon, your highness?" One of the guards greeted, obviously surprised. An officer's insignia blazing on his chest-piece, "You're awake early. You're not expected to take on your royal duties for still some time."
"I would like to speak with my sister, " Luna stated, "Do you know where she is?"
"In the royal throne room." The guard spoke, lifting a hoof to salute her, "I believe she was asking for you as well." Luna looked a bit puzzled and then nodded her thanks, making her way back down the halls to find the throne room.
Upon her entry, Luna noted that the guards who were normally present were gone. Celestia sat alone upon her throne, and Luna noted that she looked rather distraught, her playful look replaced by a stoic, commanding look of a ruler. Concerned yet wary, the darker alicorn approached Celestia with a glimmer of uncertainty in her eyes.
"Celestia?... " Luna asked, her ears flickering before folding behind her head, "Is something the matter?... " Luna approached slowly, blinking, "Tia?... "
"Luna..." Celestia looked at her sister, her head high above her shoulders, "I bet you already know that something is... wrong... " Celestia didn't change her posture, the royal look of a queen about her.
"Something is wrong, alright... " A male voice resounded behind Luna, "Something that's even making me nervous." Luna turned around, a frown on her face as her ears twitched in annoyance. Discord floated in the air behind her, his body hovering as he stayed in a sitting position, his arms folding behind his head. He looked as lazy as always, lifting a single nasty claw as a strange glass of unknown liquid "poofed" into his gnarled grip.
"What do you mean?" Luna asked forcefully, staring hard at Discord, "What's wrong?! Tell me?!"
Discord sighed, jabbing one of his claws at Celestia, "I came here wanting answers as well... but marshmallow over there wanted to wait for you." Luna growled lightly to herself, still not quite used to this 'reformed' Discord. With a huff, she turned her attention back towards her sister.
"Luna... " Celestia cleared her throat, "You... you had that dream. That... that vision."
"Y-You know?" Luna gasped, cocking her head in curiosity, "W-What do you mean? How do you know?... "
"Because I had it too... " Discord added in, floating downwards so that he fell onto his feet, "And since Celestia also had this 'vision', it was almost certain that you would have it too.... " He strutted up to Celestia with a frown on his face, "Do you know anything about it? I'd rather not wake up in the middle of the night again." He yawned, the glass of strange liquid in his claws being replaced by a steaming cup of coffee.
Celestia's ears twitched, "Patience, Discord, " she began, "This... this may be a very serious matter. I've called you here for a special reason."
"It's a serious matter if I can't get my beauty sleep!" He huffed, his arms crossing over in front of his chest, cocking his head as he eyed Celestia, "Out with it, princess. I don't want to be here any longer than I should." He took a sip of his coffee, watching her with his trickster eyes, "And how did you guess that I even had the dream as well? You're not going to just say 'magic' are you? I'm getting tired of that excuse."
"I would've called you here whether or not you had the vision, " Celestia stated, "That vision... it worries me..."
"Fine, " Discord grumbled, "Then out with it, you white puff ball."
"You!" Luna snarled, her feathers becoming ruffled from her rising emotion, "When one speaks to Celestia, they speak to her in the utmost respect!" Discord rolled his eyes, snapping his fingers in the air. A square of ductape suddenly spawned onto Luna's lips, making the dark alicorn shriek in surprise.
"There we go... " Discord smirked, "I love the sound of silence in the morning." Luna growled, the ductape literally burning into a blaze of black flames, her teeth gritting angrily.
"Enough... both of you." Celestia sighed, lifting a hoof as she rubbed at her temple, "We cannot afford to fight with one another now... now sit still and listen well." Discord and Luna quit their talking, forgetting their small feud for the moment to hear what Celestia had to say.
"Thatdream, " Celestia began, "I'm beginning to worry that it is actually a glimpse of the future... perhaps somepony or something is trying to send us a message, trying to contact us. This isn't the first time something like this had happened, but the last time was centuries ago."
"But why us?" Discord asked, shrugging, "I can understand you two getting the messages, but why me? I'm technically not even a citizen! Well, I used to be a ruler, but that was a long time ago." He scratched the back of his head sheepishly.
"Because we can prepare for it, " Celestia responded, "We've all seen how the dream starts... dark clouds rise from the horizon, devouring the blue sky and casting powerful shadows upon Equestria... "
"Cities begin to burn, and strange monsters spawn from within the darkness, " Discord continued, "Ponies are thrown into a world filled with fear and fire... "
"But out of all that malice and darkness, there is a single, glimmering ray of light, " Luna nodded, "And out from it steps a figure... a figure wielding a mighty sword dressed in green, a shield with regal markings etched over it. " The three figures sat in silence, contemplating what they had spoken of.
"So, " Discord spoke, finally breaking the awkward silence, "We need to find this... 'hero'?" The draconequus frowned, "Sounds too troublesome... "
"It may be our only way of stopping the evil, " Luna stated, "You've seen the ray of light. With that figure... lies our hope."
"Oh, please!" Discord rolled his eyes as he thumbed towards Celestia and pointed at Luna, "We've got two immortal princesses, " He jabbed his thumb at himself, "The spirit of chaos, " He then put up six of his claws, "And the six elements of harmony that has defended and saved Equestria multiple times over the past couple of years! What could possibly happen that we couldn't take care of ourselves?"
Luna's ears flickered, slightly annoyed at Discord's outburst but also considering it. It was true that the elements of harmony were incredibly powerful, and with the two princesses with the spirit of chaos on high alert there wasn't much she could think of that could possibly harm Equestria.
"What if its something that we haven't met with before?" Celestia brought up, "It could very well be a being from another world... a monster with a power none of us have ever seen before. We could either take our chances by ourselves, or seek our visions. We are powerful, Discord, but there could be something even the elements of harmony could not defeat alone... "
"Hmph!" He snorted, "Well, I'd like to see it... is there anything else you need to tell us today? If not, I'm leaving!"
Celestia looked at Discord hard in the eyes, her stoic expression never leaving her face. She then turned to give Luna the same glance before taking in a small sigh, "There is... something I must show you."
Discord glared back before mumbling, "Yeah, fine. Even if there is any trouble, you can probably throw Twilight at it like you usually do."
"Twilight?!" A high pitched, girly squeal called as a small filly opened the door to the library, "Are you here?! Me and the cutie mark crusaders are just wondering if we could check out a book on boat building!" The white little pony slowly made her way inside, looking around in the library, "Helloooooo? Twilight?"
"I don't think she's here, Sweetie Belle." Scootaloo stated, not that far behind her friend, "Actually, I think I saw her at Sugarcube Corner not that long ago. You think we should wait for her to come back?" Scootaloo took a quick glance around before making her way to the shelves.
"Ah don' think she'd mind if we took one of them books and wrote her a note!" Applebloom exclaimed, prancing up to one of the shelves with great interest, "In fact, ah'm sure that'd she be thrilled that we actually took one back with us!"
"I don't know... " Sweetie Belle hummed, tapping her hoof on her chin, "Maybe we should go get her? I mean, Sugarcube Corner isn't that far away." Sweetie Belle watched her friends with a touch of uncertainty when they pull off random books from the shelves.
"Nah, it'll be okay!" Scootaloo chipped, her orange hooves hovering over the names and titles of the books on the shelves, "I'm sure nothing bad will happen! Now, let's see... what would the book be under?" The orange filly hummed a nameless, very shrill tune to herself as he gazed upon the letters.
"Ah don' know!" Applebloom replied, looking at the books from the other side of the shelf, "B, maybe? Or aqua... aquato?" Her face contorted slightly, trying to think of the word that kept escaping her mind.
"Aquatics." Sweetie Belle finished, looking around the empty house, "It's probably either there or in some construction section." The white filly made her way over to the center of the room near Twilight's table... when something caught her eye.
"Hey!" Sweetie Blinked, "What's this?" She made her way over to the end of the table where a scary, big black book sat with a freakish red eye scorched onto its front cover. She stopped right before it, an eery chill slowly knocking down her spine, causing the bottoms of her hooves to give out a little tremble.
"What are you going on about?" Scootaloo asked, casting a curious glance at Sweetie Belle as she trotted toward her friend, "What are you looking- whoa!" The filly froze, her tail dropping onto the wooden floor.
"What's going on over there?" Applebloom blinked, "Y'all look like you've seen a ghost or somethin'!" The yellow filly walked up next to her friends just to see what was having them so interested.
"Look at this, Applebloom... " Sweetie Belle blinked, her hooves on the table to help elevate her so she could look at it, "It's... a really freaky book... " As Sweetie Belle's eyes stared into that red blazing abyss, she felt something cold creep up throughout her heart. She shrunk back a little, not able to pull her gaze away.
"I'll say, " Scootaloo gulped, "Is... is it like some sort of horror novel or whatnot?!" The orange filly backed away, not wanting to be anywhere close to that thing. The other girls didn't notice it, but her hind legs were just a tad shaky.
"Where... where did Twilight get this?" Applebloom asked, "And why did she just... leave it on the table?" She felt uncomfortable as well, but her nervousness wasn't even half as bad as Scootaloo's.
"I... I don't see any name on it... " Sweetie Belle said quietly, trying to peer at it," M-Maybe one of us should... open it up to see?... " The two other fillies immediately drew back.
"N-No w-we definitely shouldn't!" Scootaloo shook her head, "T-That thing is p-probably cursed or s-something!"
Applebloom blinked, watching the scene before a small, nervous smile crossed her lips, "What's wrong, Scoots? You gettin' scared?" She teased, "I don't blame you... its a pretty freaky inanimate object!" Scootaloo stared straight ahead, still frightened... but a few seconds later she shook her head, an expression of determination crossing onto her face.
"N-Not at all!" The orange filly declared, puffing out her chest as she made hesitant steps towards the dark tome, "I-I'll show you guys! Here, I'll o-open it!"
"What?!" Sweetie Belle blinked, her mouth dropping as she took a few steps away from the table, her eyes finally moving from the book, "What are you saying?!" Sweetie was thinking about blocking the distance between Scootaloo and the book with her body... but something seemed to be holding her still.
"It's... it's just a book, guys... " Scootaloo laughed nervously, her eye twitching as she ever-so-slowly crept up to the table. She placed her hooves at the top, pulling herself up so that she was on her hind legs as she leaned against the table.
"S-See?" She stuttered, "I-I'm not afraid at all!" Scootaloo attempted to laugh triumphantly, but it turned into a weird high-pitched cackle.
"Uh, huh... " Applebloom said, cocking her eye, "I don't believe you! And ah ain't gonna till you open it up!"
"Um... girls, I don't think that's a good idea... " Sweetie Belle cleared her throat, "Maybe we should... leave it alone?"
"Y-You're on!" Scootaloo replied, ignoring Sweetie Belle's utter pleas. With a trembling hoof and a racing heart, the orange filly reach her hoof over to the black book, her fur gently touching the black cover. She reared it back suddenly, noticing that the strange book was... hot.
"U-Uh... " Scootaloo blinked, "Um... "
"C'mon!" Applebloom insisted, "What are you?... chicken?"
That did it.
Scootaloo growled, "Don't ever call me that, Applebloom!" The orange filly then extended her hoof completely, pulling the cover of the black book and heaving it open.
The three fillies screamed in unison.
It was a painful thing, having your entire existence sealed away into oblivion. Strangely, Ganondorf found his body being torn from the dark abyss just as, if not, even more excruciating. It felt as though his flesh burned, melting away as his bones shattered and crunched inside of his body. His organs felt as though they twisted and burst, his eyes turning into two hot coals in his head. He felt his form being shot through the blackness, homing into the waypoint into other world.
And then, once again, he started coming into existence.
His body burned into reality, his bones rising from the ashes as though he was a phoenix. His red blood pooled and flowed like a river, his muscles and inner organs ripping into their rightful places. His skin weaved itself through the dimensions, his hair sprouting its crimson color from the top of his head. His regal armor, crafted from his ego and will, placed over his body in its dark and menacing colors. A black cape soon draped over his back, and his eyelids finally lifted.
He was back.
He lifted his hand to his face, the triforce of power burning horrendously near his knuckles. He clenched his fist, a wide, toothy smile crossing over his face as he let out a loud, bone-chilling laughter. His chest rumbled, his back arching as he reveled in his moment of revival.
He was back!
When the last shouts of his laughter left his throat, Ganondorf finally took a moment to glance around at his surroundings. Everything was... bright. There were dozens of bookshelves on the walls with hundreds or thousands of books. He was in a house, or a library, of some sort. There was a kitchen nearby, and he could see the rays of sunlight coming in through a few windows near the entrance.
Strange, Ganondorf thought, My magic was supposed to find the most powerful source of energy and find it... I expected a castle, or a place of great magical origins; this place leaves much to be desired. Hearing the soft, pathetic noise of whimpering in his ears, the tall humanoid gazed at the ground before his feet.
There sat three little fillies, hugging each other with wide-teary eyes as they stared up at him, shaking violently.
Ganondorf knew that this world may have strange inhabitants... he was expecting a race of creatures he had never seen before. But here he was gazing down upon three baby horses... were these the dominant species?! Ganondorf took a closer look at them, sneering as he let out a low growl.
As the three huddled even closer together, he noticed significant physical differences; one had a pair of wings, one had a unicorn horn, and the other was just a normal filly. He was intrigued by this, his eyes lingering on the little white pony's horn protruding from the top of his head... he could sense magic within her, even if it was nearly too small to notice. Sure, he absorb the magic and life-energy from them, but where was the pride in that? His power may be weak at the moment, but he wouldn't stoop so low to murder younglings. Well, at least he wouldn't do it personally.
"Girls!" A female voice shouted from outside, "What's going on?! I heard screaming, and then- Ganondorf heard the door swing wide behind him. He heard the creature take in a sharp, nervous gasp upon seeing his form towering in the building. A crooked smirk was on his face as he turned his head, his glazing eyes falling upon a purple mare.
His pupils dilated slightly, sensing the magic she held from within... it was incredible to say the least. She was indeed very powerful, and he could feel that she had much more potential locked away farther and deeper inside of her... it was her that his magic had found... and he was pleased. It would take him quite a long time to gather up his power on his own... but if he took it from her...
"Get away from them." The purple pony growled, a magical aura shrouding around her violet horn, "Or I'll force you to leave." He thought he had been hearing things the first time she spoke outside, but now he was certain; these ponies spoke the same language as him. He was curious about the reason, but now was not the time to dig into it.
He approached the pony, feeling the need to test her.
His first stepped creaked loudly on the wooden floor, the boards bending under his weight. The purple mare looked unaffected, but he could see her twitch sharply.
"Not another step... " She hissed, her horn beginning to burst with magic.
Ganondorf grinned, his other foot moving and landing hard onto the floor.
"I'm warning you!" She stated, her horn literally blazing with furious spells, "STOP!"
Ganondorf took one more step, his eyes locked onto hers as he maintained his terrifying smile.
Her magic hit him like a wall, smashing into his body with enough force to send him across the room and straight into the bookshelves. The entire building shook, the books behind him snapping and breaking into pieces as his back left a decent crater in the wall. His body ached with the impact, his back feeling like it nearly broke in two.
And it reminded him that he was still alive.
Ganondorf let out his loud laugh once again, pulling himself from the remains of the bookshelf. His appearance of being physically unharmed shocked the mare, and he watched a visible sweat-drop pour from her temple.
"Girls!" She called over to the three fillies, "G-Get out of here! Go and call on the elements of harmony... and get Spike to send a letter to the princess!"
Princess?
Whatever what was going to happen, he knew that he needed to take quick control of the situation. He didn't wish to risk the chance of getting attacked in his current situation... his power was steadily growing, but he needed to act quickly. He couldn't risk the chance of getting beaten now.
When the three small ponies were just beginning to make a run for the door, Ganondorf went into action. A glowing, blazing magical orb formed in his hand, his triforce burning intensely. With a yell, he slammed in onto the ground, a powerful shockwave erupting and quickly firing across the ground.
The ground snapped beneath the hooves of the three fillies, immediately knocking them into the air screaming. The purple mare's eyes widened, her attention moving over to them as her magic went into action, catching them safely in the air. They levitated harmlessly, each of them panting in fright as they hovered out of the doorway.
But Ganondorf had already taken his chance.
Nearly faster than the eye could see, Ganondorf dashed straight up to the side of the violet pony. The hand that was emblazed with the triforce lashed out, gripping tightly onto her horn. At the the contact, her magic went haywire, bursting into a powerful magical aura that fired like an explosion. The objects around them were thrown, the floorboards snapping and breaking away, the glass on the windows shattering. Violet fire consumed the two, lightning bolts going loose from the horn, striking everything, igniting what it touched. A powerful force knocked Ganondorf back into the room, his grip still tight on the mare's horn.
They slammed into the bookshelves again, flames bursting all around them. The pony was screaming in extreme pain, her eyes shut as her body writhed and attempted to pull away, her magic constantly erupting from her horn with absolute violence. As Ganondorf was hit with wave after wave of attacks, he took in her power, feeling the streams of her magical energy flow straight into him. He laughed, no matter how immense his pain was.
He eventually snaked his other hand onto her throat, bringing her up and shoving her into the bookshelf. The pony continued to scream and writhe, her throat becoming hoarse. The building around them was already practically on fire, yet her magic continued to go on a rampage. Ganondorf couldn't believe how strong she was! He was absorbing more and more, and yet she continued to give... at this rate, he could be back to normal in no time.
"Fear me, little one... " Ganondorf growled, "You will come to know me as the ruler of this land... the dark king... the great Ganondorf!" As the flames around them grew hotter and bigger, her magic finally began to simmer down. The bolts of lightning ceased, the burst of power growing weaker until only a dim glow of purple encased their contact. Ganondorf laughed loudly, pulling the unicorn of of the wall. She had lost consciousness, her eyes closed as very few breaths came in.
Ganondorf walked through the building, the fires around them not even touching. His body was nearly leaking with magical energy, his strength now almost unstoppable. As he passed through the flames, he finally heard voices screaming on the outside. With his trademark maniacal grin, he walked through the door, still dragging the unicorn behind him.
He was greeted with gasps and screams from a large crowd before him, each of them horses. They were all different colors with strange symbols on their flanks, with them either being normal ponies, pegasi, or unicorns. Ganondorf found this world quite strange... but it was baffled by the power that it held within.
With a chuckle, he tossed the purple mare's body aside. She landed onto the grass outside of the building, just barely alive. He made sure that he didn't take her out... in truth, he wanted to see if she could recover. He wanted to see what her true power would be at its best...
And then he would take it... like he just did.
Ganondorf laughed once again, a magical aura encasing his body. He wanted them to know his name, to feel fear at the very mention of him... but he needed to retreat into the shadows. He needed to learn about this strange world, and he needed to plan... plan for his domination. He was sure that he already burned a powerful symbol of fear into these pony's minds, and that thought alone satisfied him.
And with a bright, powerful magic flash, Ganondorf vanished.
"Where are you taking us, Celestia?" Discord asked, his arms crossed as he hovered slowly behind the white pony, "We've been going down these steps for ages, and I wasn't even aware that the Canterlot Castle went this deep into the side of the cliff. Well, I guess you do learn something new everyday." He grumbled, making his way down the dark spiraling stone staircase with the two princesses.
"In the vision, I recalled the a glimpse of a beautiful spring, " Celestia stated as she led the trio, "I recognize it, and I believe Luna does as well."
"These stairs lead to the old spring in the center of the mountain, " Luna stated, fluffing her wings as she brought up the rear, "While we were building the castle we managed to stumble upon it. It's purpose was to be a secret shelter during times of crisis or war... I haven't even been down there since we built these stairs."
"There hasn't been a pony down here since the days of Nightmare Moon, " Celestia added, "Including me."
"I can see that... " Discord rolled his eyes, "We had to pass through six hidden doors just to get here... not to mention the build up of cobwebs and rodent filth." He snapped his fingertips together, a feather duster popping into existence that swept the dirty floor in front of him.
"I don't see how you have to worry about stepping in it since all you've been doing is floating around!" Luna huffed, "Honestly sister, couldn't we just teleport down here to save us the trouble?" Celestia gave out a playful laugh.
"But Luna, its a part of the adventure!" Celestia smirked, "Besides, we're finally here." The small group finally dropped off the last step and were met with a set of large, very ornate doors. Despite being surrounded by old, dirty stone walls, the doors themselves appeared to be untouched by time and dust. A beautiful design of birds, trees, and rainbows were carved onto its surface along with strange runes and writings etched into its center.
"How odd... " Luna blinked, taking a closer look at the writings, "I don't remember any doors being placed down here... "
"And I found it weird that I don't recognize the writing, " Discord frowned as he scratched his chin, "Are you sure that there is a spring behind it?"
Celestia's brow furrowed as she leaned in, "Odd... the stairs should have led straight to the spring... " She lifted a hoof, touching one of the strange inscriptions, "Wait... these runes... are these the work of Starswirl?..."
Luna approached the strange doors, "You're right... these are some of Starswirl's most ancient and secretive writings... and some I've never seen before! " She stepped back, "...But these doors must have been built only recently... they don't appear to be aged at all."
"Either somepony managed to find the way down here and construct these doors, or Starswirl did something without informing us..." Celestia frowned, "But he disappeared thousands of years ago... there's no way. These doors have to be at least a decade old."
"I don't like this, Tia..." Luna stated as she took a few more steps back, "Nopony but Starswirl could have etched such perfect magical runes and writings... what's going on? And why didn't he tell us of this? Nothing is making sense."
"How about you two quit dawdling and just open it already!" Discord grumbled, tapping his foot impatiently, "I have a massage planned later today, and I plan on not being late! Who cares if this Starswirl fellow was the one that put this thing here? I'm more concerned with what lies behind it." Celestia and Luna grew silent, quietly acknowledging Discord's point.
"...Right, " Celestia nodded, "Whatever may lie behind these doors may possibly be a key to understanding our visions... " The princess took in a deep breath as she pressed her hoof against the door's hard surface. As she exhaled calmly, she pushed them open.
They were met with the wondrous sound of water and life.
The spring itself was in quite a spacious little cave, with large enchanted crystals casting bright gorgeous golden light. Soft, bright green grass covered the ground along with smalls sprouts of flowers and small bushes. The large spring sat in the center of the room, flowing with crystal clear water that gently steamed up through the air. The water sparkled like gems, combining with the vibrant green plants to give the entire room a mystical glow.
"Oh wow... " Luna gasped, "This is... beautiful... "
"A little too serene for my tastes... " Discord yawned, stretching out his neck, "But its pretty, I guess."
Celestia, also taken back by the sure beauty, finally recovered, "Now... what are these doors trying to hide from us?" The alicorn took a few steps onto the soft grass, searching for something out of ordinary or something that didn't belong in the spring... something much different from the gorgeous scene around them.
She didn't see it... She heard it, right behind her. A small, shrill voice that spoke directly into her ear.
"Hey!"
