“L-Luna? How close is he?” Celestia stammered, fearing for the lives of everypony in the room.
Luna’s entire form shook with fear. Her legs quivered, her cloven hooves rattling against the hardwood floor beneath her. The bull was close, and getting even closer with each passing second. Ever since she was informed of Amalthea’s presence in the land, she experienced countless nightmares every night; sometimes during the day even. Every night for the past few days, she would awaken in a cold sweat, shivering in Celestia’s arms, eventually told that she was screaming in her sleep. Her nightmares were mere figments of future events; things that she knew would eventually come true, and when they did, Equestria was going to need a miracle.
“Luna?” repeated Celestia. “How close is the bull?”
...
“Very close...” whispered Luna.
Suddenly, as if a thousand banshees wailed with a force greater than any other, the library windows, both up high and down low, shook violently with the walls before cracking and splitting apart, sending shards of glass and wood splinters flying through the air like throwing knives. The girls screamed and ran for cover, ducking behind tables and chairs just as the projectiles came near. The three equine sisters dropped to the floor and covered their heads and faces with their hooves.
Amalthea winced in pain as she felt the harsh sting of several wooden barbs cutting into her skin from high above. She could feel blood trail down from the open wounds, dying small parts of her coat an unpleasant crimson color. She panicked, cringing with each attempt made to stand up straight, only to fall to the floor again to wallow in pain.
Just as quickly as it came, the wailing ceased. The walls stopped shaking just as the dust began to settle over the terrifying event. Chilly winds whistled through the open, windowless pores in the woodwork, blowing in flakes of snow every so often with each new surge.
Danger was coming, and in full force.
“Is everypony alright?” stammered Celestia, scrambling to her hooves in a panic before moving to assist Luna.
The girls moved out of cover, rubbing their ears and moaning in agony.
“Argh, geez that was loud!” moaned Rainbow Dash, rubbing her temples.
“You can say that again...” said Applejack, picking up her hat from off the floor and dusting it off before putting it back on.
“Aaargh! Geez that was loud?” questioned Pinkie Pie playfully as she bounced out from behind the cover of a bookshelf.
“Whatever...” mumbled Applejack, rolling her eyes.
“Girls! Amalthea’s hurt!” Fluttershy cried, leaning over the battered body of the sacred unicorn.
Luna was the first on the scene, having scrambled out of Celestia’s helping hooves and sliding her way across the floor to the aid of her secret sister.
“It’s alright,” said Amalthea, somehow finding the strength to rise to her hooves. She stumbled twice in doing so, only to be caught in Luna’s embrace and helped to her hooves again. “We have bigger problems to worry about,” she continued.
“She’s right, everypony,” said Celestia, turning to face the girls. “The Red Bull is very close. If he finds us, then there is very little chance that we would be able to stop him.”
“Wait, what?! What do you mean, princess?” exclaimed Twilight, baffled by Celestia near-will to flee from the danger. “If the girls and I were able to take down something as chaotic and powerful like Discord, then what makes you think that we can’t stop something as simple as a bull?”
“You have never seen the bull, Twilight,” Luna snapped angrily as she inspected Amalthea’s cuts and bruises, magically cleaning and mending each one she found.
“But that’s just it. Seeing the bull is the problem,” implied Celestia. “The bull’s gaze is what drove the unicorn’s into a state of fear. It would be nothing but pure terror; a horrifying experience unlike any other.”
“If anypony were to so much as glance in his direction, the unicorns of Ponyville would suffer the same fate that Celestia and I have been through,” Luna finished.
“Nopony else save Amalthea, Luna, and I know about the Red Bull and its capabilities. We need to drive the bull away from the town, making sure to get it as far away from here as possible!” exclaimed Celestia.
“Then let’s get out there and show him who’s boss!” yelled Rainbow Dash, leaping into the air and making an immediate streamline flight for the door.
“No!” everypony yelled, stopping Rainbow Dash mere inches from the handle.
“Look girls, the longer we stand here, the closer the Red Bull gets to Ponyville. We need a way to stop him, and fast...” warned Celestia.
“Banishment, maybe?” suggested Rarity. “Pardon my brash suggestion...”
“Turn the big guy in a big statue?” suggested Pinkie Pie, cocking her head.
“Neither of those will do,” said Celestia. “I would need to confront the bull to do such things, and confronting him is the problem.”
“So, we can’t use magic, nopony in Ponyville except for you three knows what he can do, and, to top it all off, we don’t know how to stop him. Great...” Twilight groaned.
Amalthea bit her lower lip, feeling trapped in a bubble of hardships. The bull was a creature of pure hatred. Nothing stood in its way. It didn’t matter how powerful or magical her sisters were. So long as the bull could see, no magical creature would dare stand against it. If you had a horn, then you were his sworn enemy.
But then, a thought came up in the satin unicorn’s mind.
If she managed to stand against the bull once before, then what’s stopping her from doing it again? She fought against the bull’s evil stare once before, and locked it away in its own watery prison, freeing the entire unicorn species in the process.
If she could do it in the past, then why not now?
“I have an idea...” spoke Amalthea, inciting the attention of her two sisters.
“Tell us, Amalthea, please,” begged Celestia.
Amalthea paused for a moment, breathing in deep before speaking. “Long ago, I defeated the bull and freed the unicorns, including Celestia and Luna, though this I can barely remember. The bull uses fear as its weapon of choice, but all fears, no matter how large or how small, can be conquered through willpower and courage...”
“What are you suggesting, Amalthea?” asked Twilight.
“We need to confront the bull, head on, and prove it to him that we do not fear him. From there, we can be rid of him for good...”
Luna huffed a hard breath through her nose, bearing a tough, hearty look on her face.
“She’s right,” said Luna, standing high and mighty. “We must confront the bull and drive him away from the land. It will not be easy. We just have to be brave, and never give in.”
The girls smiled, nodding their heads to each other in approval of the plan. Amalthea and Celestia turned and shared a smile with each other, feeling proud for their sister and her new coat of bravery. The nightmares that once troubled the dark alicorn were a thing of past, soon to be vanquished completely under the might of solemn bravery and kinship.
“Yeah!” yelled Rainbow Dash, pumping a hoof into the air. “We’re not afraid of some tub of lard with horns! We can take him!” Rainbow Dash leaped into air and hovered for a moment before kicking the door open, blowing in a wave of sheer cold air.
“Dash’s right, everypony!” exclaimed Applejack. “I ain't’ gonna sit around and let some big mother hubbard tear up mah’ town!”
“I’m with ya, Dashie!” shouted Pinkie Pie, leaping to Applejack’s side and forming up in a ready pose.
“As am I!” said Rarity, following suite.
“I-I’ll come along, if that’s ok...” Fluttershy whispered, smiling sheepishly while slowly moving to Rarity’s side.
Celestia and Luna smiled, feeling hopeful knowing that they wouldn’t have to step into such a difficult conflict unassisted.
The three sacred sisters led the excitable party out into the snow, stopping just a few feet away from the door. Off in the distance, faint screams followed by bared roars could be heard through the whistle of the snowy wind, coming from the center of Ponyville and echoing off the surrounding hills and mountains, sending a cold chill down everypony’s spine. So much for bravery.
“He’s here...” whispered Amalthea.
“Then we don’t have much time,” said Celestia.
Twilight sighed. “Splitting up isn’t going to work out. We’re just gonna have to hope that he finds us before we find him.”
“The bull is searching for me,” said Amalthea, starting off on a slow trot before looking over her shoulder and coaxing the others to follow. “I’m the reason he is here. If we do not find him, and fast, then more souls than mine would suffer...”
~~~~~
The screaming.
All around him, he could hear nothing but the screams of hundreds of panicking souls as he moved blindly through the cobblestone streets. The whiteness of the snow ahead of him impaired his vision, making his trek arduous but worthwhile. The snow beneath his massive body melted into pools of cool, clear water before boiling into a steamy vapor. He enjoyed the chilling effect of the hot steam rising around him.
Suddenly, he stopped, feeling the presence of another pest in his way.
He could feel the pest’s hate and need to defend the town. He could also feel the magic that emanated from its form before eventually driving up to a strong focal point.
Another unicorn; another pest.
He could hear the unicorn bark orders into the havoc surrounding him, keeping his magic charged for use on the defensive before releasing control of it, sending a bright, fiery ball of energy his way.
The energy slammed into his midsection like a swing from a broadsword, making him stumble in his walk. The pain was intense. His whole form cringed under the might of the force, but he didn’t care. He wasn’t going to let yet another pest stand in his way.
Ignoring the pain the snow brought on, he opened a single, fiery eye and gazed deep into the unicorn’s soul. Within seconds, the one-horned creature turned tail and fled, just like all the others.
Out of the corner of his eye, he could see the silhouettes of what he figured were tiny horses quivering the in the dark alleys between the damaged homes and shops, cowering in fear after watching several of their own beaten down by such a mighty, powerful being. It made him feel like a truly feared force again.
Through the clouded vision of his eyes, he could make out the tree home and the streetlamps next to it in the distance. With each step he took, the scent of his enemy grew stronger; guiding him; showing him the way.
He was so close to his prize, he could almost taste it.
~~~~~
“It’s worse than I thought...” said Celestia, baffled by the extent of the damage on the town as dozens of ponies ran through the streets, passing them by left and right.
“The bull’s getting close,” said Luna, taking a step forward. “Come on, he can’t be far...”
Luna led the party into Ponyville town square. All around, dirty snow covered the streets and clouds of dust peaked into the air, setting a thin layer of musty fog reaching up to everypony’s chest. It was like a ghost town. Shops and homes were vacant of all light, the available only light source coming from the street lamps above.
“I-is he...h-here?” Fluttershy stammered, shaking in fear.
Before Luna could open her mouth to reply, a low roar sounded out nearby, and a large, flaming wooden cart hurled out of a nearby alley and slammed into a nearby building, smashing into pieces upon impact. The ground shook beneath their feet as their worst nightmare stomped out of the alleyway into the open, snarling like a rabid dog. The girls could practically feel Celestia and Luna’s bodies quiver in the midst of the fire and ice.
As soon as the beast stepped completely out of the alleyway, a horrified mother and her equally frightened foal bolted out of the same alley, speeding away on swift hooves.
The bull must have noticed their fear. He swung his massive body around to look at them, only to stop halfway at the sound of a soft voice; a voice filled with both shock and hurt.
“It’s you...” said Amalthea, bravely stepping forward towards the bull with Celestia and Luna at her side.
The bull turned back around and furrowed its flaming brow, flashing his horns in the chilly open. With what looked to be a great pain to him, the bull widened his eyes, darting them left and right. Celestia and Luna cringed, but held their ground. They could see the fear of thousands of precious souls swirling the bull’s red, rougious eyes.
It was all coming back to them. The unicorns, the separation, their imprisonment...
“Enough!” yelled Amalthea, stamping her hoof, pulling the bull’s menacing gaze away from her sisters. “I’m the one you came here for, not my sisters!”
The beast gave little response to Amalthea’s outburst, brushing it off as if he knew about the secret sisterhood between the white unicorn and her similarities.
“Your gaze will have no effect on me. I have seen evil before, and it’s standing right in front of me.”
Amalthea dug a hoof into the snow and lowered her neck, pointing her horn directly at the bull. She stared up at the bull’s fiery back, resisting all temptation to look at the bull square in the eye.
“I have defeated you before, and I will do it again,” exclaimed Amalthea boldly. Celestia and Luna smiled at each other, feeling proud for her sister’s bravery to confront such a horrid monster.
“Then I will be at your side,” said Celestia, stepping up next to Amalthea.
“As will I,” said Luna, following suit.
“Don’t forget us!” exclaimed Twilight, crawling up behind the three sisters with her friends in tow, bearing the same menacing looks and poses as Amalthea.
The bull raised its head, looking over Celestia’s shoulder at the crowd of young mares behind her. Everypony before him stood ready and without fear. His fiery gaze would have no effect on them so long as they stood as one.
The bull sneered at the formation before lowering his head to the ground, hiding his eyes away from the magical legion.
“It’s over for you,” said Celestia. “You’re outmatched, and underpowered. I am giving you only one chance. Leave now, or face eternal banishment...”
Luna shook at the sound of Celestia’s final word. For a split second, she became sympathetic for the bull. Banishment wasn’t exactly a friendly retreat, and the time you spent in banishment all depended on Celestia’s mod. She felt relieved to have only received a thousand years in banishment, but there’s no telling how long the bull would suffer in solitude for the things he has done.
Suddenly, off in the distance, a clap of thunder sounded off in the cold air, heightening everypony’s senses.
“Thunder?” questioned Rainbow Dash, looking up towards the cloudy sky. “Since when do you hear thunder during the wintertime?”
“And what’s mister big and scary laughing at?” asked Pinkie Pie, pointing to the red hot beast who was releasing gasps of breath that sounded very much like laughter.
“What’s going on? Why are you laughing?!” stammered a wide-eyed and worried Luna, taking a few precautionary steps backward.
“That’s an interesting thing to ask, Selene...” spoke a low tone, demonic voice. Everypony gasped, and Amalthea stumbled back in surprise as the bull lifted its gigantic head again.
In an instant, the heat that surrounded the bull’s body exploded into a roaring inferno, shooting white-hot jets of flame several feet into the air, scorching the rooftops of nearby buildings. The girls leaped back to avoid the immense heat. Celestia, Luna, and Amalthea however stood their ground, shaken but remaining vigilant.
As the flames died down, the glow in the bull’s eyes shifted from red to an ironically angelic off-white, radiating and intermixing with a vibrant hue equal in strength to Celestia’s sun.
“So,” spoke the bull. “Here we stand after so many centuries...” said the bull as he scanned his vision across the three sisters, taking note of how much they have changed since the last time he saw them.
A bolt of white lightning flashed in the distance, followed by yet another clap of thunder. The girls were starting to get worried as a chilly wind picked up, throwing snow from the rooftops and onto the beast’s back, only to vaporize immediately into a fine steam.
“I-It t-t-talks?!” Fluttershy stuttered, cowering in fear behind Applejack’s mane.
“Did you really think that bravery was going to save you in this hour, that it was going to get me to leave this wretched place and never return?” asked the bull, slowly making his way towards the equinal triumvirate.
“Get back, girls,” whispered Celestia over her shoulder as she, along with Luna and Amalthea, backed away in direct proportion to the beast’s movements.
“I am not here for them, dear Alectrona. I am here for her...” grunted the bull, turning his gaze to Amalthea.
“Well good luck trying to get through us, pea brain!” insulted Rainbow Dash after she leaped off the ground high into the air.
“Insolent pests, the pegasi...” the bull snapped, baring his teeth at the ambitious rainbow mare. “There’s a reason why the unicorns are better than you in every way! You’re nothing more than pests, brown smears of weakness on the face of the earth...” Rainbow Dash growled at the bull’s last words, holding back the sheer temptation to fly down there and punch the annoying, snot --or flaming rather-- nosed bull square in the jaw.
“And just how do you plan on herding every unicorn in the world to your prison in the sea?” said Amalthea, putting on a smug, but serious grin.
“Herding them? Prison?” the bull chuckled. “Oh no, Amalthea, that would be too much work for one such as I.”
Amalthea reared back, looking to her sister’s with a shocked expression. “W-what? What do you mean?” she stammered.
Celestia and Luna looked to each other, confused.
“You see, I’ve learned something during my thousand year imprisonment,” said the bull as he began to pace from left to right. “If a weakling such as Amalthea managed to lead me into my own prison, then what do you believe went wrong? If I were to imprison the unicorns again, then somehow, someway, another spiteful creature will rise and attempt to free them. This, I cannot allow...”
The bull ceased its pacing before continuing with his speech. “I must rid this world of all unicorns forever! And there’s only one way to do that...”
Suddenly, it clicked.
The three sisters went wide-eyed with sudden realization. Why didn’t they see it before? The mad soul of the Red Bull would never rest until the world is free of unicorns, but over the course of a thousand years, the bull stirred with his thoughts. His motives must have changed, dramatically. Herding them to the sea would never work, and the nearest ocean was much too far away. His only option was, ironically, clear as day.
“W-what’s he talking about, Twilight?” asked Rarity, shivering.
“I-I...” Twilight could barely get the words out, her mind having been petrified with fear upon realizing the bull’s intentions.
“He doesn’t want to imprison the unicorns...” started Amalthea. “He wants to--”
“Kill. Them. All. And make them suffer, just as intended...” said the bull, growing impatient. The bull huffed a jet of blue flame through his nostrils before turning to glare at Amalthea.
“You were once the last...” said the bull, digging a forehoof into the ground. Celestia and Luna poised and readied themselves to strike at a moment’s notice. “But now...you will be the first!”
On those words, the beast broke into a furious charge, running faster than even the most dexterous of ponies. Heavily underestimating the bull’s speed, the three sisters leaped out of the way just in time, missing his horns by mere inches. The girls scattered as the mighty beast came barreling towards them at great speed.
The bull skidded to a stop, nearly running into the front face of a shop. It whirled around, readying itself for another hard charge.
From high above, a very close, but extremely loud crack of thunder resounded in the sky, bringing with it flashes of white, jagged streaks that stretched across the grey sky as far as the eye could see.
Just as the winds began to pick up, a deep, powerful moan echoed through the streets, curving and twisting in pitch in tune with the wind.
“Can you hear him, Amalthea?” taunted the bull. “He is crying out to you, warning you of the horrible fate that awaits you...”
“What is he talking about, Amalthea?” asked Luna, worried for her distressed sister.
“Your little wizard friend won’t be around to protect you this time. I made sure of that...”
Amalthea bared her teeth, narrowing her brow at the smug creature as her frustration boiled into intense, violent anger.
“I’ll make you pay for what you’ve done to him!” Amalthea shouted, lowering her horn in the bull’s direction. Her eyes threatened tears having been forced to pull back to old memories. The sights, the sounds, and the flames above all painted a picture in blood in her eyes. She began to worry deeply for those around her, but the most tearful thought of all, was the fate of her relations back home. If only she could have done something about it. If only, just for once, her emotions would not get the better of her, forcing her to take a guilt trip to hellish places still buried deep in her memory while the world outside wreathed with danger.
She was the reason why the bull was released from its watery prison. She alone doomed Equestria to a horrible fate.
“He can not save you, and you know it!” shouted the bull. “Your fate is sealed, one way or the other. You, your friends, and every unicorn in this world will burn by my sight!”
Another crack of thunder came around, this one being much closer. The winds started to gain speed as the low moaning grew louder. Dust and snow from the low ground started to kick into the air, dampening everypony’s vision in a white blanket of discolored ice.
“No matter what you do, no matter what sort of trick you play, nothing, and I mean nothing can save you now,” growled the bull as he lowered his horns for his next charge, digging one hoof into the ground to ready itself once again.
“Amalthea, don’t listen to him!” said Celestia, coaxing her sister out of her sad stroll down memory lane. “We can do this. Luna and I are by your side!” she finished as Luna stepped up next to Amalthea with a smile on her face. Amalthea smiled back, feeling content knowing that her sisters would be there to help her through and through.
“It matters not,” said the bull. “Even through this, you must realize that you are doomed...”
Suddenly, a surge of cold wind slammed into the bull’s midsection, making him cry out in pain as the flames on his skin hissed and flickered. All around, a fierce snowstorm blew through the streets, knocking everypony save the three sisters to their knees. With frightening speed, the storm grew in ferocity, running wild without the presence of a team of pegasus ponies to stop it. Not even Rainbow Dash’s strength could keep her on her hooves as the winds blew her down with the rest of her friends.
From high above, like it were an angel descending from the heavens, the black snow clouds began to shift and break apart, leaving a large, gaping hole in the sky directly above the drastic scene. Bolts of lightning flashed and thunderclaps resounded everywhere as a beam of bright green light shot out of the gaping maw and struck the ground in front of the bull. The bull stepped back, watching the mystical act with flaming eyes of anger.
Within the space between the sisters and the bull, something spectacular was taking shape. Flares of white light grew in intensity as the green light within formed an astounding shape, bending into rounded curves to form what appeared to be a head and legs.
Everypony watched in awe as the green silhouette of the incoming entity formed into a body unlike anypony had ever seen before. Its pose was like a dragon’s, standing high and mighty, two legs and tail, with its forelegs positioned just right. In its left paw, it carried a long, bumpy stick with a spherical endpoint at the top.
“What is that?” uttered Amalthea, stepping further back for safety.
“You should know me, dear friend, and I am here to put an end to this...” spoke the booming, elderly voice of the glowing apparition.
On those words, all light surrounding the apparition faded away, taking the dark silhouette along with it, revealing to everypony a being that they completely misinterpreted before.
Standing boldly before the bull stood none other than the roving wonder himself, Schmendrick the Magician, clothed in elegant burial robes with a long, grey beard running down his chin. He had no hair, save a few grey streaks across the top and whatever scraps of hair existed behind his ears. The great man stood tall; a good seven feet from the looks of things. Amalthea was stunned.
“Amalthea?” whispered Fluttershy nearby. “Is that who I think it is? Is that the friend you were telling us about?”
“I thought this guy was supposed to be dead!” exclaimed Rainbow Dash.
“What are they talking about, Amalthea? What is he?” asked Celestia, looking to the white unicorn for an answer.
“Will you just stay quiet?” yelled the old bag in raspy breaths, looking over his shoulder before turning back to face the bull. “Now, what do we have here?”
The bull staggered back, awestruck at the sight of a living, breathing creature from the species of his memories, long forgotten. He had only seen such a creature one other time; his master, or rather his majesty, King Haggard.
“I take it that you remember me?” questioned Schmendrick, smiling a coy, wrinkled smile while bringing his staff to bear in both hands.
The beast snarled, baring his teeth. “You were supposed to be dead!” he growled. “I was sure of it!”
“Death works in...mysterious ways,” said Schmendrick, rubbing his chin all the way done to the end of his epic beard. “But for you,” he started, lowering the business end of his staff in front of the bull’s face. “Well...for you, death will be the least of your worries,” said Schmendrick with a chuckle.
Keeping his staff pointed at the bull, Schmendrick looked up to the sky, where the gaping maw of the hole still stood wide open. From the far edge of the hole, bright rays of sunlight began to shine down upon them as the sun started to peek over the practical horizon. It was breathtaking to say the least.
When the sun came out in full force, everypony turned away to shield their eyes from the light, but Schmendrick just kept on staring without a care in the world. The heat felt from the rays was intense, and everypony save the three sisters backed away to a cooler patch of ground, but Schmendrick just continued to stare, seemingly scanning his eyes across the white-hot solar surface. Any daring pony who did that would have his retinas crispy-fried by now, but the old man paid no mind to his vision.
“No, death is too good for you...” whispered Schmendrick, looking back at the bull. “You need...time. Hard time.”
“H-he’s not considering what I think he’s considering, right?” said Luna, shaking in her hooves having put two and two together in just a few seconds. In her eyes, the solution was both painfully obvious, and mortally feared.
“You wouldn’t dare...” growled the bull, making a move to stand again.
“You belong within a cell; your own dungeon more like!” yelled Schmendrick, lifting his staff back up to his side. “No earthly prison could ever hold you or your anger! There is only one punishment meant for a beast such as you...”
Schmendrick lifted his staff a few inches off the ground before ramming it down to the hard. Sparks flew out from the base of the staff upon impact, and the earth beneath the two hot-headed beings began to shift, pushing away clumps of snow and dirt until only the cobblestone of the streets remained. Tension built up high as the bull found himself bound by the magician’s whim.
The spherical tip of the great magician’s staff began to glow a bright white as another fierce wind picked up from behind, howling through the narrow alleyways nearby as more cracks of thunder came and went like the echoes of war drums. It were as if a grand ritual were taking place, summoning forth the strongest of the elements. Amalthea, though still shaken, was getting a bit excited, anticipating what the roving wonder would do next.
It was over for the bull. He had nowhere to run. He was doomed, and by the looks of how he was backing away, he knew it. No prayer nor piece of black magic could save him from his fate long overdue.
“To the sun with you...” uttered Schmendrick, bringing his glowing staff to bear in both hands again.
Light and magic gathered all around the fiery beast, constraining the bull and muffling his desperate roars. Fluttershy, even with her likeness for animals, could hardly watch as the helpless creature was catapulted into the sky in a cocoon of white light before vanishing in the midst of the sun’s flare, never to be seen again.