Prologue: Equestrian Doomsday
"Alert! Prisoner escape! Alert! Prisoner escape!"
Sirens blared throughout Canterlot Castle as a lone unicorn stallion charged through the hallways with robot guards hot on his trail. Not for the last time, he cursed the fiendish device strapped around his horn that prevented him from using magic to teleport out of harm's way or return fire on his pursuers. For now, he was forced to simply flee for his life, knocking down any guards that tried to cut him off.
He didn't have a specific target in mind. He just had to get out of this infernal place. Find help somewhere. There had to be some distant land that the madman who had imprisoned him and his sister had neglected to conquer. For now, however, he ran.
Busting through another door, the stallion saw a green-cloaked figure up ahead, and instantly realized his short-lived moment of freedom was over. The figure raised an arm, and a violet aura surrounded his outstretched hand. The stallion braced himself for the inevitable as a bolt of magic impacted him, sending him flying back into the hallway at the feet of the robots still chasing him.
"Foolish, Armor," the figure intoned, "very foolish. Surely you know there is no place to run to when I control your entire world?"
His forelegs burning from the magic, Shining Armor was in too much pain to reply.
"Take him back to his cell. And tie him down this time."
"As you command, Lord Doom," the robot guards responded.
Persistent.
They are very persistent.
Much as I admire that in an opponent, it does tend to make the process of regime change take longer.
This must have been the fifth time Shining Armor had attempted to escape, and still I felt the lesson had not sunk in. Tying him down would lengthen the timespan until his next escape attempt, but there was no doubt he would try.
Closing my eyes, I prepared a teleportation spell to the castle gardens. There was always a chance that these animals might start plotting diversionary escapes to take my attention away from valuable targets. If that was the case here, I needed to make sure the world's former rulers were secure.
As the magic cleared, everything seemed to be in order. Two great statues stood before me, pain and anger apparent in their lifeless eyes. The larger of the two had its stone horn pointed directly at a spot I had occupied a month ago. The second was sprawled out on the ground, having been struck down by a powerful magic blast. Surrounding the two statues was a small army of Doombots, bristling with weapons. They saluted my presence.
Good. Everything was secure.
As I returned to the throne room, I considered opening the gardens up to the public again. Seeing their two goddesses humbled would certainly serve to remind the public of my power and may deter escapes like the one a few minutes ago. On the other hand, it would give the foolhardy a chance to see if they could break the spell that bound the goddesses to their eternal prison.
Perhaps as part of a special holiday, I decided. With increased security.
I hastened to the dungeon, intent on making certain my other valuables were safe. Teleportation was not an option this time. The dungeons had been encased in a magic dead-zone, ensuring no one would enter or leave except by conventional means. After all, this was no ordinary prison.
This was the current home of my most honored guests.
My maximum security wing.
As I strode down the dark corridors, I spared a glance in at each of the five major cells to make sure their occupants were still harbored within. While these five prisoners, individually, would be a great deal of trouble if they were liberated, it was the sixth I was most concerned with keeping captive.
"Open primary cell door six," I commanded the guards. "Security clearance: Omega. Password: Cynthia."
"Clearance granted," the Doombots replied.
The lights flickered on as I stepped inside. A seven-foot tall glass canister stood in the center of the cell, wires running from the top. Inside was a small, violet-colored equine body, levitating three feet above the ground. Her eyes were shut, but the electronic beeping coming from the equipment indicated that her life signs were still stable. Her mind, however, was not here.
Walking across the room, I knelt down to bring my gaze to a small panel installed in the wall. Green lasers traced across my eyes, and the wall opened up, revealing a hidden chamber. A stone pillar lay in the center of the room, atop which was a glass bottle. The only light source in the chamber shone from inside the bottle, where a fist-sized ball of violet light floated to and fro. As I approached the bottle, a young female voice rang out.
"My brother tried to escape again, didn't he?"
"You saw," I stated, already knowing the answer.
"I can see through your eyes every time you use my power," the voice said, "I know everything you've done to my world."
"As long as your body is safely contained, you may know as much as you wish," I answered. "You can do nothing while your power is still mine."
"And how long do we have to remain like this? You have everything you wanted! The whole world is yours! You've had your fun, or imposed your order, or whatever you wanted to do after taking over!"
"No, my simple-minded girl. I don't yet have everything. There is still one thing that eludes my grasp. One man who must know the power of Doom. And while he lives, your world will remain mine."
"It's been a month since you took over. You've spent every waking moment trying to find a way back to your world. There is no way back! It's impossible!"
"Impossible?!" I shouted. "Nothing is impossible for Doom! You animals thought it impossible for me to bring your kingdom to its knees, but Doom achieved it! You thought it impossible for me to stand against the Princesses, but Doom achieved it! The very embodiment of chaos thought it impossible for me to conquer it, but DOOM ACHIEVED IT! If it takes me a thousand lifetimes, if I have to reduce this entire world to ashes, I will return home, and Richards will know that Doom is lord! NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE!!!"
Silence reigned in the cell as I recovered from my outburst. Turning on my heel, I departed, sealing the chamber behind me. Striding up to the canister that contained the impudent girl's body, I grasped two handles jutting out of the glass. Bolts of energy surged through the room as more magic flowed into me. As soon as I finished recharging my power, I thought I heard her voice echo in the back of my mind.
"Maybe nothing is impossible, Doom. If that is the case, maybe you better be careful, because the impossible might just come true."
