Tranquillitate Ante Tempestas

Still gazing down upon those poor ponies? You really are something else aren't you.

Yes. I'm something else entirely.

I can't deny it any longer. In mere seconds I've become stronger, more proficient in my magic skills, more intelligent. I had proved that by vaporizing Rarity and her friend and her boutique. But now that I had my vengeance what was I to do? Simple. I was the only pony fit enough to lead Equestria. I could bring all of pony kind into a better society.....a perfect society. Considering the nature of my...decision; it was the least I could do to repay them. I looked back down from the mountain towards Ponyville. This is exactly how Princess Celestia sees Ponyville. She views it's inhabitants as weak and unworthy, while she is above them all. This isn't true of course. Its a blatant lie. She and I are equivalent in power. But I am the superior. I actually care about other ponies unlike her. I crave equality, while she desires segregation. I am a messiah, she is the anti-Christ.

Since when did you care about these ponies? Since when were you a revolutionary leader? You have no cause.

I knew that wasn't my voice, nor was it my thoughts.

I know you can hear me.

That voice....it couldn't be.

Yes it's the "anti-Christ". I've been watching you Heatstroke. I've seen life through your very eyes.

Sick bitch.

Call me as many names as you want. You can't even touch me.

As if I would want to touch her filthy body.

If I might ask you, where do you think you can run hm? I will find you. You have no supporters, and no one even shares your beliefs.

I didn't know what to say to her. She was right in that respect. I was alone in my belief of revolution.

Everypony here....they see you as a killer. Somepony who just barged in, thinking they can right the non-existent wrongs.

She was right again. She had seen every event I had experienced she knows how I think now.

You're a hopeless foal who has no chance. Goodbye.

I could only hope she was gone. It was true. I would be caught and killed for my crimes...... There is no escape. Maybe that book has a suicide spell.... wait. There is no need. Oh Celestia...you have given me the key to escape. As you said in your book of failed ideas....nature favors discord. I started to grin....and my grin turned into a sadistic smile. I pictured the castle garden, and warped there with my magic. There was no pony in sight. But there would be other creatures very soon. All those statues around me...all those hate filled creatures. They all wanted freedom. And I would be their savior. My horn began to glow with it's newfound intensity, and I smiled. Princess Celestia herself was outside in front of me. Before she could even lift a hoof to stop me I cast the spell. The statues began to rumble and illuminate and the shells they were imprisoned in began to crack. Princess Celestia looked slightly distraught, but she was still calm and composed. I was unsure if what I had done was an egregious error, or my ticket to survival. Using my magic once more I vanished in a burst of flame.

When I reappeared I was in Twilight's library. To my shock she wasn't there. I was only partly shocked however, as I would assume with one of her good friends being killed and all she would be there. Not to mention the Princess would undoubtedly call Twilight to find me. I wonder....what Twilight would think of me if she knew all I had done in Ponyville. All the killings. Even though it was a measly two ponies who I officially killed. But that didn't matter. Whether you killed one pony or a hundred you were still treated like a murderer. It wouldn't be long before the Princess found me here and I was well aware. I just need to stall until the time is right for me to try and find her. Then I make my move.

Just what would that move be? Kill the Princess and assume control?

Luna was next in line for that position not me. Unless I could convince her to believe otherwise. A partnership would be extremely useful; particularly considering Luna's social status and influence. But was it far to take Celestia down from the throne? She hadn't done anything wrong that I've personally seen. Except her execution of Pinkie Pie of course. Hmf. So getting rid of the Princess was justified after all. I was doing Pinkie Pie a favor. And ultimately, I would be doing all of Equestria a favor...making the whole land a better place for ponies of every size and race. Making Equestria a perfect society.

"Heatstroke?" Twilight had appeared seemingly out of nowhere.

"What are you doing here? Princess Celestia...she told me you were responsible for things.... Tell me she's lying."

As much as I wished I could tell Twilight that Princess Celestia was lying I couldn't bring myself to lie to her. She would find out sooner or later what I had done anyway.

"No Twilight. She's right. The Princess is right for once." I said calmly.

The poor mare started to shake and break down right in front of me. apparently the truth was too much for her.

"Heatstroke...tell me....tell me this is a sick joke right?"

She was vibrating even more as the tears were running down her snout. Instead of saying anything more to her I simply shook my head from left to right.

"No.......NOOO!" She was screaming between the tears.

She really couldn't believe it was me who was responsible. I sincerely felt badly for her now.

"Get out....get the fuck out right now." She told me. I just sighed heavily.

"I'm sorry Twilight but I can't exactly do that."

"But you can kill my friends without a problem right?....ANSWER ME!"

Her extreme sense of anguish was starting to turn into anger.

"Now relax....don't do anything stupid Twilight." I warned her.

I was honestly hoping she would calm down, but she had to make things much more difficult of course. Her mane and tail burst into flame and her coat turned into a darker white while her eyes became blood red. Right away the heat from her transformation filled up the room, and I began to sweat. Was Twilight really going to fight me? She has no idea of what I'm capable of. What a foalish decision. Twilight charged at me with her horn aimed right for my skull, and I simply dived out of the way. She hit one of the bookshelves in her blind rage and books fell all over the floor. To my surprise she teleported right next to me and using her back hooves, and kicked me into the wall. I was severely winded, and before I could even recover I saw one of the bookshelves rocketing toward me. Teleporting out of the way the bookshelf impacted the wall with a mighty crash and broke into splinters. I really didn't want to use my magic on her but now I had no choice. My horn glowed with its new intense strength and I turned the ground below us into quicksand. I levitated myself above it with my magic and Twilight was looking incredibly dumbstruck. Without a thought I telekinetically hit her in the ribs and she doubled over. I ended the quicksand spell and the floor turned back to it's original state. As Twilight slowly floated towards me, I could see the look of fear and sadness in her eyes.

I was considering....killing her at that point but.....Twilight was one of the few who didn't deserve it. Instead I would spare her. Gathering my magical energies again, I decided not to end her life, but I would still control it. I forced her eyelids open and cast a hypnosis spell. Her eyes soon became black and white swirls, and her mouth started to drool.

"Twilight Sparkle, your job is to protect me. Do you understand?" I said this with a heavy heart.

"Yes......I understand." She said in the trance.

Good.

I dropped her on the floor, while I gently floated down. Despite what I had done to her I smiled. It was much better then blowing her to bits. Besides, she was happy now. Her new duty was to protect me and it now brings her great joy to do so. Even if that joy is purely synthetic. Still having morality issues eh? I doubt it matters now. What does matter however, (I had a sudden epiphany) is what happens to her other friends. There was still the problem of Rainbow Dash and Applejack.

Yes....what to do with them indeed....

No matter. Neither of them have even bothered to confront me so why should I confront them? I'm sure they would have something to do with me eventually. Just wasn't sure whether or not that would be a good thing. For now all I would have to do is wait. I've done all I can do, I've made all the key moves I needed to make. But now of course there were some other entities that should have my attention. All those statues that I released, what would become of them? The elements of harmony won't work with half of its users. What were those statues anyway...hmm.

"Twilight, who or rather what are those statues in the Princess' garden of?" I asked her, my curiosity getting the best of me.

"Well, from what Princess Celestia told me, the statues are of six different ponies and one draconequus. However, only four of those statues were at some point alive."

"Could you tell me which ones?" I knew I needed to find out what I may be dealing with.

"Sure. The draconequus is the bearer of chaos, one pony is the bearer of logic, one is the bearer of strife, and the last one or ones technically, are the twin bearers of harmony." She said pleased with her knowledge.

Discord I had heard of obviously (everypony did after that recent incident) the other three bearers I had no idea about. Perhaps if I did a little research on it I would be able to know what their intentions could be. Twilight would have to do that, for I can't step outside the library. Quite ironic really. I free the five trapped "bearers" but lose my own freedoms. My loss of freedoms was my doing of course but at least it shows I still have control over my own destiny.

But what sort of control do those bearers posses? Time to ask the expert.

"Twilight Sparkle, do you have any books on these five creatures?"

"Uh, yes. It's right here too. I'll get it for you now."

It was almost pathetic seeing Twilight like this. I almost wished I had killed her instead of virtually removing her free will. Her life of servitude would be more useful to me then her death; I suppose that's why I decided to spare her. She levitated the book off the floor from the mess that was our battleground, and dropped it in front of me.

"Thank you Twilight." A thank you was the least I could say to her now.

She just blindly smiled back in my direction. I used my hooves for once and placed the book upon her desk. I didn't bother to read it's title as all I need is it's contents. The book was divided into sections, one section per statue I inferred. But there was one last section, not for the statues as the previous sections mentioned; but to exemplify the apparent connections the statues had to each other. I started to read from the beginning, the first section mentioning the draconequus.

This creature represents chaos, as noted by its form which is composed of many different animals, and by it's name; Discord.

I knew this too well. After his failed attempt to turn Equestria into a playground there wasn't anything truly new I could learn about him. He was chaotic, plain and simple. Its those other three ponies I've never heard of. I skipped several pages until I landed on the following section, dedicated to the bearer of logic.

This bearer represents intelligence and reasoning. He is an intellectual, and is fully confident before engaging in an action. It leaves nothing to chance and is a very crafty foe. It was stopped 200 years prior to Discord's release.

Interesting. Logic governs it's actions. I suppose it's gonna be pretty damn unemotional then. I flipped a few more pages, and the next section was on the bearer of strife.

As this bearer's name implies, she is focused on battles and competition. Simply put, might makes right for this mare. She was beaten by the princess and her sister ten years after Discord was sealed away.

I flipped through all the other pages on the mare, and these pages had much longer details on the creatures but a simple synopsis would do for now. I skimmed through the brown colored book again and landed on the penultimate section.

These two ponies are twins, and much like Princess Celestia and Luna; they were Alicorns. Not much is known about these two, not even when they were defeated.

Impossible! Nopony knew when they were defeated or even an approximation of when they were defeated? Or anything else about them for that matter? Blasphemy. I turned the books tired pages one more time and was on the final section. I was very curious as to what the connections between the statues would be.

While each of these creatures have been turned to stone at different times, they are still connected beyond that. At some point in time, these creatures worked with Princess Celestia; instead of working against her. In addition, they all have played a key role with the elements of harmony.

Typical. Princess Celestia would turn on her former teammates. Selfish fucker. As the book floated back to a proper shelf (courtesy of Twilight) I wondered what those former statue would want with the Princess now. I'm sure they each had their own personal agendas but considering they all worked together once perhaps they would show some sympathy..... Well regardless of their past history, now was the most important time of all. Princess Celestia will have to divide her attention among her "friends", making her unfocused. It would be a cakewalk for me to take her down and bring Equestria to it's new glory. But what about those statues? That said, I would have to see for myself whether their intentions are useful to the new Equestrian society. Although considering all but one of those creatures were ponies...I would have to accept them nonetheless. No matter. Having them as members of a pure society is far more preferable over Princess Celestia "leading" again.

Well now that you have you plan together you can try to get some rest now. Sun won't rise for another ten hours maybe?

I slowly walked to my bed and imagined what the new, almost holy society would look like.

"Oh you're going to sleep? Goodnight then." Twilight said cheery as ever.

"Goodnight Twilight. You should get some rest yourself." I closed my eyes assuming she would take my advice; and fell asleep with my plan of action and good intent. The topic of my dreams. Someday those dreams would be fulfilled. I would make sure of that.

As I started to awake I felt different. Not different in a bad way, but different in a good way. I didn't feel stronger.....just more confident. I don't know what it is. Couldn't have been anything I ate. Don't even recall the last time I had the liberty of gorging myself with food. That spell then? The ace up my hoofs. My way of leveling the playing field. More power does lead to more confidence. It's just a natural thing I suppose.....

"Ahem." I opened my eyes and turned to see a dark star like glow before me.

"You are supposed to bow are you not?" I was very perplexed as to why Princess Luna would be here instead of the elder sister, but I did as she said nonetheless. After all, if she was going to capture me now she would have done so already. Right?

"At least you follow orders. You didn't have to bow that's just tradition; as well as a test."

"Test?" I sounded as if all I could give was one word answers. I wouldn't be startled if she started talking slower for me. She didn't of course.

"Yes," She continued. "To see how arrogant you are." I was even more now then I was before.

"Now lets put those formalities aside. You're quite the violent unicorn aren't you? Freeing political prisoners, murder, destruction of property and conspiracy. All in the name of revolution as my sister puts it. And to be honest...I support you."

I answered with another puzzled look.

"Well....I hope you have time for a story." I had no other choice really. Where was Celestia now? Waiting to come and torture me?

She took a deep breath and cleared her throat. I looked at Twilight and she was still fast asleep. I have a feeling this is going to be a very, very long story.

"Long before Ponyville was conceived" She began, "Equestria was still a fresh land. As I'm sure you know there were the unicorns, pegasi and earth ponies who inhabited the land. We alicorns did not exist yet of course. I know it seems like I'm getting distracted but trust me, the history of the alicorn race has a lot more to do with this story then you think. In this "fresh" Equestria time period, Starswirl the Bearded was nearing the end of his life. You know who he is correct?" I shook my head like an idiot yet again.

"Most ponies would be glad to accept death at his old age, but he still wanted to use his knowledge and contribute to society. He had lots of unfinished business as he put it. (She met him I suppose...) He knew he would need more time before he was ready to go. He didn't want immortality specifically, but an extended lifespan would do. He began to obsess over this....extension. He was devoting every waking moment he had into the development of this...miracle. And one day....he did it. He had finally broken the boundaries. He had been able to conjure this spell. The only problem with it was that it required such a magnitude of magical energy even with his secret amplification spell (That spell was his doing?), it still required more then one unicorn. He visited the Equestrian counsel, and told them about his findings, and himself and his assistant were to demonstrate the spell. Starswirl and his pupil performed this spell and after they were done.....it was truly something to behold. Starswirl was taller, leaner younger, and his horn was longer too. And despite these marvelous changes there was still one last thing. He had grown wings."

I was awestruck by her story. All this time I thought alicorns were natural....

"Starswirl had become the first alicorn in Equestria. This was unheard of at the time. The spell was a combination of his life's work; in that new form disease, hunger mental illness, ignorance it all disappeared. He had created the perfect form. With the counsel's approval he shared the spell with all the other ponies, and Equestria was comprised entirely of alicorns. Everything changed then. Agriculture, weather management, the very foundations of magic...they were all changed. Everypony lived in harmony. So much harmony, that he even got rid of that amplification spell. With the new magic they had learned and shared with each other there was no need for it and the spell was lost in time. Many years after my sister and I were born. (How many years after exactly?) As I was growing up my sister always was a bit....power hungry."

I can see where this is going.

"She always wanted more. When we played games she wanted the more dominant roles; and in school she tried to learn everything about magic. It seemed harmless my sister's ambitious approach. That would change. Years after our foalhood we were mares, and elected officials. My sister, Discord and I... (Ah. So Discord wasn't as chaotic as I thought.) we decided amongst ourselves that Equestria wasn't advancing as rapidly as it once was, and we....we were going to change that. The three of us agreed to take care of Equestria to the end, and with our combined magic; we became true immortals. Alicorns were already immune to disease and such but would eventually die at some point in time but us....we couldn't. It is possible to kill us, but that would require and incomprehensible amount of magic. Such a young and brash decision that was. Over the years we began to reshape Equestria and things turned out for the better. Technology rapidly advanced and it dawned among us that we should search the stars for other beings, and help them. Discord was to stay here in Equestria and manage things (The spirit of chaos? Young and brash indeed!) while Tia and I would do the traveling. We searched for centuries and eons. All to no avail. We had gone to every corner of this vast universe but there was nothing. We were about to give up hope but then we found a new planet. It was like a blue pearl almost...."

Life outside of Equestria? Why haven't I heard of this then? Or anypony else for that matter? What else are they hiding from us?

"My sister and I decided to explore it and what we found was miraculous. The creatures there, they somehow understood our language!" Her ears were starting to perk up now. Clearly this was a very exciting and important discovery.

"They were not like us however, but they too had advanced technology. They used it to make up their lack of magic or natural ability of flight. They called themselves humans. These creatures even knew what we alicorns called ourselves, yet we knew nothing about them. They were the missing link. Our predestined connection to them was a mystery to both myself and my sister, but we knew it would yield groundbreaking results. Over time we taught them the ways of peace and harmony, while they had mostly known war and destruction. They killed each other over trivial matters, but we helped them change. This sight of change, it also affected Celestia. She wasn't the power hungry mare she was before. (Then how did she become so corrupt?) But one fateful day... a dragon with seven heads and ten horns appeared. This creature started to kill the the humans, but we fought alongside them to protect them. In an act of selflessness Tia used her magic and absorbed the beast. And the humans were saved and peace had returned... or so I thought. You see, my sister still hadn't given up her thirst for power. She had made a deal with a spirit known as the leviathan, who created that dragon to be absorbed. And with this absorption my sister had all the power she needed. She eventually saw the humans as inferior; and began to kill them herself. I tried to stop her but couldn't bring myself to attack my own sister. I watched as billions of lives were ended in mere flashes of light. It was a genocide."

.........That monster........ To exterminate a whole race? My hatred for you can only grow Celestia.....

"Eventually the humans had been wiped out, and their home planet was left hurdling into their sun. When we returned to Equestria I immediately told this to Discord as well as dozens of other ponies. Only Discord, my closest friend, believed me; as well as four other alicorns. The six of us....we confronted her about it and she didn't deny it. Then there was the war. My sister had an army while we had a crude version of the elements of harmony. It was a horrendous experience. We had to kill our brothers and sisters, our friends and family. All of them had become her slaves..."

She was almost in tears I could feel it. After all she's seen in her years, and she still cries at the thought of the past. Regaining her composed nature, she started to tell the rest of the story.

"I wished for death many times then. Eventually our war had ended the lives of all the alicorns, other then the four who fought for justice, and my sister. I wish....I wish I knew how long we fought. How long it took for all of them to die."

Seeing Luna like this, in such a raw state... it was having a slight impact on me. Shy was she telling me this if it caused so much pain to her?

"The six of us, we knew as long as we were around there would be no end to the war. We gave in, surrendered and faced our fates. She petrified every single one of them systematically... I was forced to watch it all....to hear their screams. Soon I was the only one left. My sister still had a type of....remorse for me. Instead of turning me to stone, she decided to let me live. It was worse then death. She beat me constantly...mutilated me, and when my wounds healed she would do it all again. Whats worse is that she forced me to...to pleasure her." She said that with a heavy sigh. She was staring down at the ground now, which was as equally cold as Luna's sense of emotion.

"If I didn't do as she said she threatened to destroy the statues of my friends, and she always....always blamed me for the deaths of everyone. She would show me the bodies, the skeletons. I was mocked about it as well." She smiled.

"I could have fought back. I should have. Instead I turned my back on my friends. All of this....for trillions of years.....I suffered. But nature has its course, and eventually life came back to Equestria as you know it today. But all you know... is a lie."

The regret she had for her inaction spread like a disease. It clung to the air, and this emotion had replaced her tears.

"My sister has met up with my old friends....and she has been able to persuade them. My sister has changed over the years, and instead of killing every other pony; she sees the benefits of making them suffer. She plans on purging out the weak and worthless creatures of our world. Heatstroke..." She paused. "If you can't manage to stop her history will repeat itself in ways you have yet to see. I've stood idle for too long and watched many good ponies die. I promised I wouldn't let that happen again. I need to leave...now. I can tell she will be here soon."

I wasn't ready to face Celestia now. Not after what Luna said she was capable of.

"If you are to stand a chance, it lies in the elements of harmony. I wish you luck." And with that she teleported off.

Last I heard from Twilight you need a team of six to operate those things. I'm sure if Twilight heard this she would help. The same for Applejack and Rainbow dash. Just need two more and we stand a chance. But whom? Everypony here wants to kill me for what I've done so where could I get these recruits?

Perhaps...I wasn't the only outcast....

Then I felt a strange sinking feeling in my stomach, and I vomited on the floor. Pure blood. I heard Twilight wake up and she looked at me in shock.

"Heatstroke are you alright?" As much as I would like to be my bloodstained coat begged to differ.

She walked out of her bed and tried to approach me, but she started to convulse erratically. It was as if she was having some sort of seizure. But this wasn't any ordinary seizure. Moments later she screamed and...one of her bones flew out from her stomach. I wasn't sure if it was one of her ribs but I didn't have time to think. I could only watch. She winced, and a large gash appeared on her back. I could start to see her spine. Before I even had time to think whether or not that hypnosis spell was still active I vomited again. This time twice as much blood as before. And to make matters worse, the mighty Princess Celestia appeared before us, along with Rainbow dash and Applejack. But they were not their normal selves either. Rainbow Dash was a motionless heap on the floor. She was wingless, the blood starting to crust on her sides. She did appear alive however....I sensed it. Applejack was standing but barely. She was shaking from her head to her toes, and her hat was replaced with what appeared to be a bloodstained bow. There were no wounds that I could spot on her, even thought she was drenched in blood like me. I examined the bow once again, and noticed it was Apple bloom's. I could only assume the worst for that foal....

"These two," Princess Celestia said with an air of superiority. "Attempted to resit capture. They failed obviously and unless you want to end up like them," She looked right at Twilight and myself. "I suggest you submit now."

By the smirk she had on her face, I knew it was the end. Luna was wrong as was I. There would be no perfect society, no return to the alicornian age. We were going to be systematically executed. Twilight managed to get off the floor along with Rainbow Dash, and gave me an I'm sorry look. I pretended I didn't notice. The Princess opened the library door and ushered us out. None of us spoke. We just aimlessly walked to our deaths. As we were lead like pigs to slaughter, I could hear the buzzing of a crowd. And what a crowd it was. They filled the town square both in presence, and their unison chanting of "kill the traitors!". If only they knew what would become of them.....foals. We were approaching the stage and I was able to spot Luna, Discord, and the other five alicorns. There were dozens of guards, as well as an ax and a basket. The way we were going to be killed....it just screamed reign of terror coming soon. But how could these ponies not see it? It didn't matter now. Soon this world would fade away....

As we walked up on the stage we were bombarded by boos and hisses. I looked back at the crowd and scoffed. I turned to Twilight and saw that her friends as well as her, were far to broken to notice. We were finally up on the stage and Princess Celestia silenced the crowd.

"Before these pitiful ponies are executed, they will be required to recall one thing they regret, and announce it to atone for their sins." She said with her authority.

The guards took Applejack first, and she was held down by two ponies.

"I wish...I could have protected my family..." She said. So they were gone. Every last apple family member.

A third guard came and lifted the ax. He stopped right away, and Princess Celestia gestured for him to sit back down.

"Let's have Luna do this. She enjoys it much more then I do." Celestia glanced in her younger sisters direction and Luna did as she was told. Even now she couldn't bring herself to rebel. The ax glowed with a deep blue and as Applejack closed her eyes the blade fell and hit it's mark. Her head fell in the basket and the crowd cheered. I wonder if they'll be cheering when they're the ones up there. Princess Celestia walked up to Rainbow Dash and smiled. Quick as a whip, she impaled her horn into Rainbow, and lifted her up to the sky. She tossed her to the basket, and the guards lifted her up. She spoke as well, like nothing even happened.

"I wish I could have helped that kid Scootaloo..." Her words came out flatly, and she started to cry.

"What a surprise! We have a cryfoal here!" Celestia was beginning to sound like an entertainer now...and to the crowd she was just that. Luna raised the ax, and dropped it. That rainbow mane fell to the ground, and the crowd cheered again. Princess Celestia looked in my direction, and called her faithful student over. I sighed heavily. She was saving the best for last. The guards set her up in the same position as Applejack, and Princess Celestia asked, "Well my faithful student....what lesson have you learned today?"

I wanted to rip all the skin from her face. As I imagined my fantasy Twilight started to shake.

"I wish...I could have protected my friends......" She didn't even cry, she just trembled. Princess Celestia walked up to her as she was having her nervous breakdown, and kissed her on the cheek. Twilight whimpered in response. "Good mare."

Celestia turned to Luna again and nodded. The ax fell down, and with that another head. The crowd went ballistic. I wasn't nervous before, but now I started to sweat. Twilight's death didn't cause my physical reaction, and neither did any of the deaths I had seen today. I guess its just the feeling one gets before they die. Time began to slow as I walked to the guards. My heart rate did the opposite. After what felt like the most grueling hours of my life I reached the basket, and turned to Princess Luna. I accepted it, what she was going to do to me. She had to do it. I looked straight into the audience, and there wasn't a single remorseful face. I had given in then. Death was coming for me....and I was ready. I was prepared to pay for what I had done.

"Well?" Celestia said.

I smiled.

"I wish I had killed you sooner." I said smugly.

I hoof came out of nowhere and slammed me in the stomach.

"Have some respect eh?" It was a gruff voice, but I didn't know where it was from. I would never have an ounce of respect for her. I looked at Luna. She was standing by again. Letting her big sister control her. I sensed the ax float up and I waited for the last moments of my life. I felt it drop and closed my eyes. The first thing I heard was the crunch of flesh and bone. But it wasn't mine. I opened my eyes and saw a decapitated guard laying in front of me. The crowd was still cheering mindlessly. All they wanted was blood. And then something inside me....it wanted blood too. I crushed the metallic helmets of the guards around me with my magic, their screams egging me on. The blood streamed from their temples, and their skulls began to crack.

"Luna get out of here!" I shouted. I had no fucking idea what I was doing, but I'm glad its something.

As Luna flew away I sent a piercing beam of magic and the Princess and her alicornian friends. They ducked like cowards. What happened next was beyond my understanding. A circle of flame engulfed the stage, and the crowd started to panic like the rats they were. Then with a primal scream, the stage around me exploded in a fiery blast and ponies were sent in every which way. Then without another thought, I disappeared in another burst of flame. Before I could grasp what I had just done I saw I was in the forest, and Luna was standing in front of me. Everything started to go by in flashes. Luna told me she had gathered the elements before she left, and we had to find others who could use them. She warned me about the new boundaries that Celestia would enforce. She had me contain my magic and did some sort of ritual. I don't recall much honestly. My wings....they still ached....but as Luna said...we're on a journey now.

End of Part One