//------------------------------// // Chapter 18 - Closed Curves // Story: Tartarus Infernum // by Sunderbraze //------------------------------// ********** “Cowards?!” Dash repeated weakly, her cheeks reddening in anger. “Oh… He’s askin’ for it!” Celestia raised a hoof authoritatively, silencing Dash with an intense glare. “Haakon’s armies have surrendered,” she said quietly, turning and addressing the entire team. “And now he challenges us directly…” “I don’t suggest we keep him waiting for long,” Starswirl piped up. “Doesn’t sound like the most patient fellow.” Celestia looked over at Cadance, who was still carrying a dizzy Pinkie on her back. “Pinkie,” she said, enveloping her with an aura of golden magic and lifting her. “We haven’t much time... Please, rejuvenate us as best you can!” “Yes sir, ma’am sir!” Pinkie said diligently, puffing up her chest and activating her Element. Azure energy flowed from it, enveloping the entire team. It particularly coalesced around Dash, Ashton, and Pinkie—it unfrazzled their hair, and restored much of their energy. "Hoo-eee!" Ashton exclaimed, sitting up on Rarity's back and looking around. "S'like havin' a nice cup'a coffee!" Rolling her eyes, Rarity bucked him off of her back, causing him to land on the step below. “…Good call,” Dash admitted, testing her wings and bending her knees as Applejack giggled at Ashton. “PERHAPS EVEN THE GODDESS HERSELF FEARS TO FACE ME?!” Haakon bellowed, startling the Elite. “COME, COWARDS! THE BLOOD PRINCE HAS CHALLENGED YOU!” “Seems to think you’re some kind of deity,” Starswirl chuckled to Celestia, floating to her side and elbowing her in the shoulder. “We could use that for our advantage, you know.” “Deception would accomplish little,” Celestia replied firmly. “He seems eager to do battle, regardless of his beliefs. Misrepresenting myself would do nothing but make all of us look foolish…” “Who cares what the loudmouth believes?” Ragehoof interjected eagerly. “Let’s go shut him up.” “For once, I think I agree with that guy,” Dash thought, raising an eyebrow at Ragehoof. Celestia took a deep breath. “By my lead, then,” she ordered, turning towards the top of the great staircase. She began ascending it, followed closely by the rest of the Elite. As soon as she crested the top, she immediately locked eyes with Haakon. The towering centaur prince stood in the very center of the citadel, with an enormous silver mace in his right hand. He was surrounded by the six Trask Hierophant—upon seeing Celestia step into the citadel, Maelon and the five others averted their eyes to the ground shamefully. “The goddess,” Haakon scoffed, observing Celestia carefully. “I thought you’d be bigger.” “Call me what you wish, Haakon,” Celestia replied fiercely, stopping across from him—the Elite took formation behind her. “Your armies have been defeated! Surrender, and leave these lands forever.” “So it would seem…” Haakon uttered. “…You have triumphed over the Blood Legion…” The prince shot a furious glare at the western sky, though there appeared to be nothing there. “Had my spies mentioned that a goddess was among our foes,” he continued angrily, turning back to the Elite. “I would have spared the useless gesture of sending such fodder against you…” “Fodder?” Celestia asked, raising an eyebrow. “…Is that all your subjects are to you?” “I do not speak only of the Legion,” Haakon replied, his burning orange eyes falling on Dusky. “The mutated phoenix... The gargantuan magnataur... The necromancer, the mercenaries… I could have destroyed them easily, but instead, I sent them against my enemies... A pox, turned into a plaguing swarm.” “You… you are responsible for the Nighthawk and Lagos?” “I know not their names,” Haakon replied fiercely, looking back to Celestia. “And I could care less what they were. They were conveniently-placed fodder, sent to test the strength of the kingdom I would soon conquer.” “He isn’t the one that hexed Lagos or the Nighthawk,” Starswirl whispered to Celestia. “He couldn’t have... He was sealed away in Tartarus when they first appeared!” “It seems you were mistaken,” Celestia continued loudly, showing no outward indication of listening to the wizard. “You shall not conquer Equestria, nor any other land. Instead, you will surrender...” “Mistaken?” Haakon replied, matching her volume. “No… It is you who is mistaken. Perhaps you have bested my armies, but not even a goddess can stand before the might of the BLOOD PRINCE!” “Keep him talking!” Starswirl whispered. “Why do you insist on calling me a goddess?” Celestia pressed without pause, wondering what Starswirl was up to. “I am no such thing…” “You truly do not know?” Haakon asked, his angry tone shifting into a mocking one. He laughed heartily, placing his left hand on his chest. “Hah, I can see it in your eyes… You have no clue!” “Know what?” Celestia hissed. “Explain!” “Do you know?” Haakon laughed, looking over at Luna—she said nothing. His amused eyes traveled to Terra, and then Cadance. “Do you? Does the half-breed? Do none of you know your divine origins?” “What are you rambling about, fool?” Terra said angrily. “Are you trying to delay us with your nonsense?” “Hah!” Haakon scoffed. “Delay? No, this is entertaining... Three goddesses of the old world stand before me, clueless of their origin…” He grinned menacingly. “…When I slay you, I will cease to be the Blood Prince... I shall become THE BLOOD GOD!” “Cease your longwinded delusions of grandeur!” Luna suddenly boomed, her royal voice overpowering his victorious speech. “The circumstances of our origin are irrelevant! Your reign will end today!” “WORDS!” Haakon bellowed, halting his laughter and slamming his mace into the floor—several orange sparks flew from the impact, bouncing before disappearing. Seeing Haakon's fury building, the Trask Hierophant teleported away fearfully. “You have ceased to amuse me... The time has come for action! The time has come, for you to DIE!” “Very well, then!” Celestia boomed, her volume matching Luna’s. “Equestrian Elite, assemble!” The team rushed into formation around her, but they were distracted when Haakon suddenly dematerialized with a CRACK of orange energy—he reappeared in front of Celestia, his jet-black face inches from hers. Their noses were practically touching. “And you fall first,” Haakon seethed, lifting his weapon. ********** Celestia had no chance to react—he swung his weapon impossibly fast upwards into her armored chest, producing thousands of sparks and sending her flying into the air. She collided with Soarin’, who had been hovering above and behind her—they began tumbling down the great staircase. Rainbow Dash and Spitfire quickly swooped at Haakon in retaliation, but they only bumped into each other—he had teleported away immediately. “He’s blink-porting!” Starswirl shouted frantically, looking around. “Spread o-AUH!“ Haakon had reappeared directly above Starswirl, swiftly striking the wizard in the back of his head—he slammed into the citadel floor with a horrifying crunch—the blue aura around him disintegrated, and he did not move. The Elite began to panic, but Luna quickly jumped into the air and fired a jet of indigo magic at Haakon’s throat in retaliation. He blocked the beam with his mace, causing the energy to melt into a molten blue fluid—as soon as she cut off her attack, he dematerialized again, appearing in midair on the opposite side of the citadel. Before Luna could turn to face him, Haakon threw his mace directly at her head. It seemed to explode on impact, sending her black crown flying amidst a shower of orange sparks—Luna started falling towards the ground, a column of smoke concealing her face. “Why isn’t my Element working!?” Rarity screeched frantically—she had been focusing all of her power onto Luna, but she had absorbed nothing. Haakon’s strikes were ignoring Rarity’s Element completely. Twilight fired a powerful jet of purple magic at Haakon, but he had already teleported again—reappearing below Luna, he caught his mace and batted her before she reached the ground—she slammed into an opposite wall, becoming forcibly embedded into the stone. She did not move. Dash and Spitfire were preparing to charge Haakon from behind, but a white blur flew in front of them, blocking their advance. “Don’t!” Aeon ordered hurriedly. “Take evasive action! Don’t let him hit you!” Spitfire nodded in acknowledgement—she jerked to the left and swooped upwards, but Dash bared her teeth angrily, zipped around Aeon, and charged Haakon from behind. “RAINBOW!” Aeon shouted. "STOP!!" Dash ignored him. Without turning around, Haakon lifted his weapon high into the air. Less than a second before Dash collided with him, he swung downwards and dematerialized, reappearing in the same place less than a second later and forcefully striking her from behind. His mace buried into her neck, colliding with the Element of Loyalty—an earsplitting shockwave of crimson and orange energy burst from the impact. Everyone in the citadel was knocked backwards by it, including Haakon himself. Uninjured but disoriented, Dash scrambled to get up. Before she could take flight again, Haakon hurled his mace at her from where he lay—the impact on her left wing sent her flipping backwards, dislocating her entire wing bone. Haakon teleported off of the ground, caught his mace, and charged at Dash as she flipped through the air. With a bloodcurdling impact, he struck her downwards, smashing her into the stone floor and forming a crater. His menacing eyes scanned the remaining Equestrian Elite, daring them to attack. Infuriated by Haakon hurting her friends, Twilight was prepared to fire a powerful spell at him, but she held herself back. “He’s just going to teleport away again!” she thought wildly. “....There's got to be… Wait!” “Shining Armor!” Twilight frantically shouted over her shoulder—Haakon’s eyes locked onto her as she spoke. “Your shield! The one you used on Discord! HURRY!!” Haakon lifted his mace and swung diagonally, teleporting in front of Twilight. “TWILIGHT!” Armor shouted—he watched in horror while Haakon’s blow struck her shoulder, hurdling her through the air. Sparks flew from her steelweave tunic as she skidded across the stone floor. “The one you used on Discord!” Realizing what Twilight was talking about, Armor dropped his polearm and closed his eyes—he hurriedly conjured a sphere of magical energy around the entire citadel, surrounding it with a bright magenta shield. Haakon turned menacingly towards Armor, lifting his mace and preparing to swing. Orange energy crackled around him, but he did not dematerialize. “Clever,” Haakon spat, clearly unable to teleport. “You have managed to inconvenience me…” Applejack, Terra, Ragehoof, and Ashton galloped into formation between Haakon and Armor, assuming defensive stances and preparing for the worst. Pinkie, Cadance, and Fluttershy had already dispersed among the injured, and were attempting to heal them. “That was some downright dirty fightin’!” Applejack yelled, digging her armored hoof into the stone floor and kicking up several sparks. “But what’cha gonna do without yer fancy teleportin’?” Out of nowhere, a crossbow bolt zipped past the Elite and struck Haakon’s jet-black neck, exploding into metallic fragments. A second bolt hit the same spot seconds later, successfully embedding into his neck. “…VERY CLEVER!!” Haakon roared furiously, seizing the black bolt with his opposite arm and ripping it out. Instead of blood, a brightly glowing orange liquid spurted out of his neck, splashing onto the floor. Before Ironmane had a chance to reload, Haakon hurled the bolt back at him with an explosion of orange magic—it collided with the sergeant’s golden Chinobi crossbow, forcefully shattering it and sending him flying backwards. Haakon jumped into the air, spreading his leathery black wings and lifting his mace threateningly. He started to spin around, rapidly gaining speed—his weapon left bright orange trails behind it, creating a whirlwind of orange energy. In a blur of orange and black, he suddenly spun towards Applejack like a top, striking her, Terra, and Ashton—they were knocked into different directions—Ashton collided with Fluttershy, who had been trying to heal Dash. “Sergeant!” Armor shouted, breaking his concentration for a moment. He kicked his large polearm off of the ground in front of him towards the reeling Ironmane, who managed to catch it. Ironmane clenched the weapon in his hooves, and it pulsated with a flash of violet magic—Armor’s enhancing spell still coursed through it. Boldly leaping into the cyclone of orange energy, Ironmane forcefully parried Haakon’s mace and caused the prince to stagger backwards. The orange energy dissipated, and the sergeant swung at him again—Haakon parried. For a moment, the two of them glared at each other. “You really think a bigger stick is better?” Ironmane growled furiously. “Sit down, punk!” Haakon and Ironmane drew their weapons back at the same time, striking them together again—they parried each other’s attacks continuously, buying the rest of the Elite a moment to recover. Pinkie resumed pouring magic from her Element into Starswirl, healing his terrible injuries, but failing to wake him up in the process. Shrugging, she bounced over towards Twilight and Ashton. Fluttershy had continued healing Dash, but the process was slow and painful. In addition to a dislocated wing, Dash also had a mind-numbing concussion. Near the entrance to the citadel, at the top of the stairs, Cadance had been steadily healing Celestia and Soarin’, but neither had recovered enough to fight—they had fallen halfway down the great staircase before being caught by Cadance. “Hold steady…” Aeon told Spitfire. The two pegasi were hovering above Haakon, watching carefully for an opening. They weren’t noticing any—he and Ironmane were clashing with such speed that a strike from above was almost sure to result in someone getting hit by a stray weapon swing. Haakon parried one of Ironmane’s attacks with enough force to send him staggering backwards. Pausing for a moment, the prince bellowed furiously. “HAH!” Haakon roared, laughing. “PITIFUL! THE MORTALS STANDING WITH THE GODDESSES LAST LONGER THAN THEY DO!” “This mortal is about to break your jaw!” Ironmane roared. “I’ve seen foals with foam swords fight harder than you! My grandmother’s got better form, maggot!” “YOU DO NOT SPEAK TO THE BLOOD PR-“ Ironmane jumped into the air, lifted his polearm over his head, and brought it down with a powerful vertical slash, interrupting Haakon’s shouting. The prince parried his attack, but wasn’t so lucky with the follow-up—Ironmane’s polearm grazed his chest, leaving a glowing orange cut. “He can’t keep this up much longer,” Ragehoof told Armor, carefully eyeing Ironmane’s faltering attack stance. Though it was ferocious, he was fighting on pure adrenaline. Armor muttered something unintelligible in response—keeping his shield active against the anti-magic enchantments of the fortress was taxing him greatly. “I can take over,” Ragehoof continued, drawing his cutlass and holding it in front of Armor. “But he’d break my sword in half… Can you use your magic on it?” “Shield… gotta… concentrate,” Armor hissed through his teeth. “…t-Twilie!” Twilight lifted her head and turned towards him. “Wha-OW!” she replied, trying to walk—Pinkie hadn’t finished healing her front legs, and they buckled painfully under her weight. “My sword!” Ragehoof shouted at her, holding it into the air. “Use your magic on it!” Ironmane’s attacking flurry had ceased, and he had gone completely defensive—he was now frantically blocking Haakon’s blows, which were becoming faster. “Weapons,” Twilight thought, running through a mental list of spells that she knew. Armor had casually shown her his weapon-enhancing spell many years ago, but she hadn’t had a use for it since. “Hurry!” Ragehoof yelled—Ironmane failed to fully block an attack, and Haakon’s mace grazed his armored forearm. The sergeant recovered and blocked the next attack, but he was running out of energy rapidly, and Haakon only seemed to be gaining more. Closing her eyes and recalling the spell to the best of her ability, Twilight charged the Element of Magic and fired a stream of purple magic at Ragehoof’s sword. Seconds later, Ironmane took a direct blow to the chest, sending him flying into the air—he dropped his weapon and tumbled across the stone floor, skidding to a halt dozens of yards away. Though he was clearly defeated, he started crawling defiantly towards Armor’s polearm. “A valiant effort,” Haakon spat, cricking his neck. “But none of you will best me!” “Huh,” Ragehoof muttered, curiously observing his sword for a moment—it was shimmering with violet magic, and brilliant purple flames began reaching from the blade. “Not bad…” Before Haakon had a chance to charge at Ironmane and finish him, Ragehoof jumped to intercept, lifting the burning sword over his head and slicing downwards with great momentum. Haakon reacted and blocked the attack sloppily—molten energy flew from his mace as the weapons collided. Wasting no time, Ragehoof reeled back and entered an intense flurry of sword attacks. He quickly forced Haakon into the defensive—each time the prince parried him, globs of molten orange energy were flung in every direction, leaving burns on the citadel floor when they splattered. “…He’s really gonna get it now,” Dash growled bitterly, as soon as Fluttershy had finished healing her painfully dislocated wing. Ignoring her friend’s pleas to take it easy, she took flight towards Aeon, angrily glaring at him and Spitfire. “Why are you guys just waiting here?!” “Hold on, ace,” Spitfire said calmly, pointing a hoof at the furious swordfight. “If we jump in now, we’ll get sliced, burned, smashed… You name it.” “Gah!” Dash threw her hooves up in defeat and watched from above. Ragehoof managed to stagger one of Haakon’s strikes—he followed up with a quick horizontal slash, cutting into the prince’s thick black skin. He roared in pain, batting Ragehoof’s sword away and starting to back up. “Ragehoof!” Ironmane yelled suddenly, from somewhere behind him. “...Catch!” The downed sergeant bit the grip of the polearm in front of him, lifted it, jerked his head to the side, and tossed it through the air towards Ragehoof—he caught the weapon and curled it around his left forearm, gripping it forcefully and holding it along with his own sword. Haakon lunged again, but Ragehoof immediately parried his attack with the polearm, quickly counterattacking with his sword and slicing horizontally across the prince’s chest, leaving another orange cut across it. Ragehoof repeated this process twice, blocking the prince’s attacks with the polearm and counterattacking with his sword, leaving several glowing cuts in the prince’s front legs and upper body. ********** “ENOUGH OF THIS!” Haakon bellowed, tossing his mace aside and jumping into the air—he spread his leathery wings and hovered in place, far out of Ragehoof’s reach. “I am finished amusing myself with you pathetic mortals!” A powerful aura of orange magic began building up around his black hands. “MY TURN!” Dash shouted furiously, charging at him from across the citadel. Haakon quickly rotated and slammed his wrists together, aiming his glowing hands towards his approaching foe. Moments before Dash could reach him, he fired a powerful wave of orange energy at her, slowing her advance to a halt. The wave of destructive magic washed over Dash, slowing her to a halt and blasting a hole through the citadel wall behind her—it also blew a hole in Armor's shield, but the interior of it continued to prevent him from teleporting. Dash bared her teeth and squinted at him, beating her wings furiously. Her eyes started turning white—the Element of Loyalty was going into overdrive, shielding her as though she were going hypersonic. “…Not… gonna… stop… me…!” Dash hissed—the heat and force of his attack pushed her backwards slightly, but she increased her wing speed, trying to power through it. Haakon reinforced his attack, again forcing her to a halt in midair. Spitfire and Aeon suddenly darted around and struck Haakon's leathery wings from behind, causing him to falter. Dash seized the opportunity and plowed through his destructive attack, crashing into his chest and sending him flipping backwards. The three pegasi pressed their advantage, swarming around the disoriented prince and striking him from all angles. “BAH!” Haakon yelled, slamming his fists together and emitting a shockwave of orange energy—it knocked the pegasi backwards, and staggered the Elite on the citadel below him. Before anyone could collect themselves, Haakon pointed one of his hands at Spitfire and the other at Aeon, firing a powerful stream of orange magic at each of them. They immediately burst into flame and spiraled downwards, crashing into the citadel and writhing in pain. “Weaklings!” Haakon spat—he darted over to the recovering Dash and grabbed her by the face. She tried to punch him away, but his black bony fingers had a firm grasp upon her, carrying her downwards. “NOT AGAIN!” Dash thought wildly, watching the floor get closer and closer. "I HATE it when they do this!" Producing another shockwave that left everyone’s ears ringing, Haakon slammed Dash's head into the middle of the citadel, creating yet another small crater in the process. Ragehoof charged and swung his polearm at the prince, but he quickly took flight again, firing a beam of orange magic and setting his attacker on fire. Ragehoof dropped both of his weapons and started writhing around, engulfed in the same orange flames as Spitfire and Aeon. “YOU FOOLS!” Haakon bellowed at the Elite. “You will fall before the might of the Bl-“ Twilight cut him off by firing a powerful stream of magic at his chest—he lifted his fist and punched the stream away, deflecting it into the sky behind him. “Don’t let up!” Celestia called out from behind Twilight—she pumped everything she could into an attack of her own, which whizzed over Twilight’s head towards the prince. He deflected it as well, but steam rose from his hands afterwards. ********** Inspired by her injured mentor’s persistence, Twilight poured everything she could muster into another attack, firing a wide beam of violet energy at Haakon's chest. Realizing he would be unable to deflect a beam of that size, Haakon fired a massive jet of orange energy back at her—their attacks collided in midair. “FALL… BEFORE… THE MIGHT… OF THE BLOOD PRINCE!” Haakon bellowed, starting to push Twilight’s attack back towards her. “You can do this, Twilight!” Celestia shouted, firing a small jet of magic at Haakon’s hands. Though it seemed to have little effect, steam began to rise from his hands. Haakon glared at the princess furiously—the orange glow of his blazing eyes began to intensify, coalescing into two globs of magic. He projected them at the princess, setting her ablaze. “No!” Twilight cried helplessly, hearing Celestia collapse to the floor with a thud. “PRINCESS CELESTIA!” “BURRRN!” Haakon bellowed, redoubling his attack. His stream of orange energy nearly reached Twilight with a sudden burst, and she was keeping it at bay by mere inches. “Hang in there, Twilight!” Cadance shouted—she fired a stream of azure magic at Celestia, extinguishing the flames and slowly soothing her burns. “If Ah could help ya, Ah would!” Applejack added, standing by Twilight’s side and placing a hoof on her shoulder. “Do yer best, ‘Twi!” “Yeah!” Pinkie agreed—she had just finished healing Ragehoof, Aeon, and Spitfire. “He’s not your boss! Don’t you let him fire you!” “Push!” Terra shouted furiously to Twilight, from somewhere off to her left. “PUSH, CHILD!” Amidst the overwhelming support from her friends, Twilight stood firmly against his attack. Their cheering started to meld into one, loud chant of "TWI-LIGHT! TWI-LIGHT!" “That’s it!” Dash cheered weakly from where she lay. “G-get’em, Twilight... Take’em down!” “You’re a hero, Twilie!” Armor shouted. “I believe in you!” Twilight’s purple eyes faded to pure white—the Element of Magic started to vibrate, flooding her body with more power than she had ever felt before. She channeled it directly into her attack, causing it to widen and brighten. Haakon’s stream began to get pushed away. “NOOO!!” Haakon yelled—he had already given everything he had into his attack. “I... AM... HAAKON… I AM THE BLOOD PRINCE!! I… A M… T H E B L O O D G O D!!” “Not today!” Twilight shouted, pushing his attack past the halfway point with increasing speed. “NO!” Haakon yelled frantically, desperation overtaking his voice. “NO! NOOOO! NOOOOOOOOOO!!” Twilight smiled triumphantly. Her violet magic completely drowned his attack—it slammed into his chest and exploded forcefully. Haakon screamed wildly, flailing his wings, arms, and legs against the overwhelming attack. It pushed him several yards backwards, and his body to burn with brilliant purple fire. ********** Seeing that had been defeated, Twilight cut her attack off. The Blood Prince fell from the sky, crashing into his enormous throne and shattering it. He rolled off of the crumbled rock beneath him and landed on the stone floor of the citadel, spitting a mouthful of glowing orange liquid. The glowing cuts on throughout his black body suddenly darkened, and he breathed heavily, muttering strange words under his breath. He tried to crawl forwards, but he could barely move. “Let’s lock him up, girls,” Twilight said calmly, walking towards Haakon. He was trying to reach his mace, but Ironmane reached it first and kicked it away, grinning triumphantly at the prince. Rarity and Applejack galloped to Twilight’s left, and Pinkie bounced to her right. Fluttershy carried the injured Dash while she healed her, and the six friends stood together across from the dethroned prince. “You… you are… you are nothing,” Haakon growled. “I… I am the Blood Prince…” “A prince conducts himself honorably,” Rarity told him firmly. “You are no prince.” “Princes have statues of themselves too!” Pinkie giggled. “We should make him one!” “Y’know, Ah reckon we can find a nice spot for ‘em in the Cannerlot Gardens,” Applejack agreed, grinning. “Foolish… f-foolish mortals,” Haakon shudderd, spitting another mouthful of orange liquid. It no longer glowed—it was just thick, orange blood. “He’s in a lot of pain,” Fluttershy said quietly. “…W-we should hurry...” “She’s right,” Twilight declared, powering her Element. “Let’s finish this, girls.” Smiling in acknowledgement, her friends surrounded Haakon. The Elements of Harmony began to shine brightly—several crackles of rainbow-colored magic jumped between the girls, and their eyes began to glow white. “This is it, then…” Haakon breathed, lifting his head weakly and staring at the late afternoon sky. His eyes stopped glowing as well—his orange irises no longer blazed. “Seven hundred mortal lifetimes… Perhaps my time has finally come.” The Blood Prince's eyes fell onto Twilight, and he narrowed them defiantly as she exploded with power. “…Discord wins.” A brilliant harmonic wave enveloped Haakon, blowing away an orange tear that was forming at the corner of his eye. The multicolored magic spread through him, illuminating him and engulfing him with a flash of light. It subsided moments later, leaving his body in a stony prison. His face, frozen in time, was gazing at the floor sadly. ********** “…Discord?” Rarity asked, her eyes fading back to normal. “...I don’t know,” Twilight replied curiously, gazing at Haakon. A chilling gust of wind blew through their manes, and the Tartarus citadel fell silent. Shining Armor lowered his bright magenta shield, and the rest of the Elite began walking towards the Elements. “Girls, I am so proud of you,” Celestia sighed, limping over while Cadance finished healing her wounds. “…Do you realize what this means!?” “WE WON!” Dash exploded into cheers, jumping into the air. “Save the celebration for later!” Ragehoof shouted, galloping over towards Luna—she was still embedded in the wall, and was gravely injured. Golden blood was running down her burned face, and it also streamed down the wall below her. “Princess Luna!” Fluttershy cried, gasping in horror. “Oh no!” Terra cantered weakly to Ragehoof’s side, and they worked together to pry Luna from the wall. Fluttershy swooped over and started healing her desperately. “I don’t understand, why won’t they wake up?” Cadance asked, indicating Luna and Starswirl—they had been out cold for the duration of the fight, despite the healing they had received. “Haakon's mace had strange and powerful magic in it,” Celestia explained, looking at his weapon in the middle of the court—it had turned to stone as well. "I believe Starswirl was trying to analyze, it before he was struck down..." “Your highness,” Ironmane grunted, forcing Maelon up the stairs at bow-point. “What about the Legion?” “Sssspare ussss your wrath, goddessss…” Maelon hissed fearfully, holding his crimson hands into the air and keeping his eyes on the floor. “…We ssssurrender…” “Silence,” Celestia commanded, slamming a hoof into the ground. “You are never to refer to myself or my sisters as goddesses again… What is your name, creature?” “Orator Maelon, of the Trassssk Republic,” he replied, further bowing his head. “At your sssservice…” “Orator Maelon, I am making it your personal responsibility to remove yourself and every single one of Haakon’s troops from Equestria,” Celestia demanded. “Leave immediately, and follow the instructions of any Equestrian as though it were my command.” “Yessss…” Maelon hissed, lowering his hands and lifting his head, keeping his eyes on the floor. “We sssshall never return…” “See to it personally, Maelon,” Celestia ordered forcefully. “Now be gone!” Maelon turned and slithered hurriedly down the steps, hissing several unintelligible orders to the other Trask. They disappeared with a CRACK and started teleporting around the fortress, hissing furious orders to the defeated Blood Legion. “Anypony else need a visit from the doctor?” Pinkie gushed. She bounced around the citadel, flooding the area with azure magic from her Element. “…Doctor who?" Aeon chuckled, smiling weakly at her. "Doctor Pinkie? Do tell me where you got your degree…” Pinkie giggled, focusing her magic on him—his burns slowly faded away. His undamaged flight suit had ablated some of the fire, but the heat transfer had still burned him painfully. “C’mon, Swirly,” Terra muttered, nudging the fully-healed Starswirl in his cheek. “Get up…” “Mmm,” Starswirl mumbled, brushing her hoof away weakly and rolling over. “…Good dream…” Terra rolled her eyes and walked away. “Can we really trust them to leave peacefully, princess?” Twilight asked, approaching Celestia’s side. They gazed down the great stairwell at the mobilizing army in the fortress below—several teams of raptors had already exited, and were marching through the crater. “They fear me as though I am some kind of deity,” Celestia sighed. “I do not know why… but if it will to inspire them to leave, then I shall not complain…” “They’re carnivores, you know,” Ragehoof reminded them quietly, walking up to Celestia’s opposite side. “Every one of them is still gonna eat many innocent creatures… Maybe even ponies.” “...That is the way things work outside of Equestria,” Celestia sighed again, gazing towards the south. “I will protect my kingdom, but where they come from, I cannot intervene… I cannot subject the entire world to my will.” “There’s another option,” Ragehoof continued. “We could kill them all, right now. Don’t tell me you don’t have the power, I’ve seen what your magic can do. You could make it quick, and painless… You’d be saving ten times as many lives as you’d be taking.” “Actually, Haakon’s armies mostly eat each other,” a mischievous voice replied. “Wait, wh-“ Celestia, Ragehoof, and Twilight jerked their heads towards the stairs, where an image of Discord was lounging. ********** “I’ve seen it myself,” Discord grinned toothily. “When food's hard to come by, the Trask thingys pick five'a the weakest wyverns, panboars, ardenhounds, and raptors, and pit them against each other in a battle royale! The last one standing gets to live, and the rest are eaten!” “That’s even sicker than you,” Celestia spat in disgust. “Make this easy on yourself, Discord, and surrender. Now. You can’t hide for long once we start tracking you.” “You’re right, of course,” Discord sighed, snapping his fingers—a black and white striped bowling suit appeared on his body, and a ball and chain appeared on his right leg. “I am your humble prisoner, Celestia,” he continued, bowing at her. “Take me away.” “What are you planning?” Twilight asked, narrowing her eyes at him and ignoring his silliness. “What ever do you mean?” Discord asked innocently, holding his arms together. “Clap’em in irons!” “You’ve got something planned,” Twilight pressed. “If you didn’t, you’d already be running away!” “Agh, caught me!” Discord laughed. The ball and chain on his leg suddenly lifted off of the ground like a balloon, rising from the stairs and pulling him into the air by his leg. Upside down, he giggled at Twilight from above, continuing to float into the sky. “You see, I’ve got an old friend who’s coming to pay you a visit,” Discord laughed. “Don’t worry, he’ll be ready soon! He’ll take care of you for me.” “Who?!” Ragehoof yelled angrily. “Get back here, you piece of trash!” Discord laughed heartily, fading from view into the sky. ********** Starswirl had recovered enough to float over to the others near the staircase. “…Ugh, not him again!” he moaned, hearing Discord’s cackling. “What’s he up to now?” “He said someone’s coming,” Twilight replied nervously, walking towards the wizard. “And he was being vague, as always,” Celestia clarified, following along. “Tartarus is clear,” Starswirl replied, rotating his head and rubbing the back of his neck. He paused for a moment. “…Trajo and I carefully took inventory of the fortress, from space, as soon as it was opened. Everything we observed been accounted for—the Nighthawk, Lagos, Darkstar, the Zentnor Collective, and Haakon’s armies…” “Discord still seemed confident,” Twilight sighed. “…I know he’s arrogant, but still…” “…Tell me exactly what he said,” Starswirl replied curiously. Twilight closed her eyes and recalled Discord’s words. “I’ve got an old friend who is coming to pay you a visit… Don’t worry, he’ll be up soon…” she repeated carefully, opening her eyes. “Do you know who he could be talking about?” “He could’ve just been bluffing,” Ragehoof suggested. “Trying to distract us from going after him right away...” “Hmm…” Starswirl pondered, stroking his beard musingly. “Believe it or not, everything he says is intentional… Old friend… Who has he called that before?” “I recall the term…” Celestia said slowly. “But… I cannot recall who he was referring to…” Twilight racked her brain as well, but couldn’t come up with anything. Several others from the team approached them from the middle of the citadel, concerned by Celestia’s expression. “Is everythin’ all right, princess?” Applejack asked curiously. “Everypony else’s gettin’ healed up... Is it really over?” “Discord still roams free,” Celestia explained—Applejack narrowed her eyes in concern. “Not for long, right?” Dash asked from above, having been fully healed. “We can find him! …Right?” “I’ve been studying his comings and goings,” Starswirl explained to the semicircle that had formed around Celestia. “But he uses a very different type of magic; it’s quite elusive, and difficult to trace… Don’t let his appearance fool you, he’s a skilled magician. More so than myself, even.” “…He sometimes defies everything we know about magic and science,” Twilight thought to herself. “…Just like the Elements, and necromancy…” “In all honesty, I’m more concerned about this old friend of Discord,” Starswirl continued. “Why don’t we wait here and keep an eye on Haakon’s armies while they leave? And, you know, stay alert?” “That will work well,” Celestia replied, turning towards Twilight and her friends while Rarity, Pinkie, and Fluttershy joined them. “Girls, I must ask… do you miss Ponyville?” ********** Surprised by the question, the six mares looked at each other, thinking of their hometown. Having the comfort of each other through the past few days, they hadn’t felt very homesick. “…I miss Spike,” Twilight admitted, being the first to reply. “I worry about him… Taking care of the library is a pretty big responsibility…” “When I have to leave, Angel takes care of my little friends for me,” Fluttershy added concernedly. “But sometimes he forgets to feed the chickens their lunch, and that makes them very cranky…” “Oh, Sweetie Belle,” Rarity sighed dramatically. “We had planned to spend time together yesterday… Before all this crazy fighting started, of course…” "Really, you guys?” Dash laughed at her friends. “It’s been what, like, three days? And you’re already getting all sappy for Ponyville?” “What about you, Rainbow Dash?” Celestia asked, smiling up at her. “You didn’t say you don’t miss home…” “Well, I guess,” Dash admitted, rolling her eyes and folding her forelegs. “But it’s not like… I mean, I don’t…” “Ah sure hope Sweet Apple Acres didn’t get too far behind without mah help,” Applejack piped up. “Last time Ah was gone, Big Mac didn’t stop Granny Smith from tryin’ to help with the apple-buckin’! Darn near threw ‘er back out!” “Pinkie?” Twilight asked curiously, turning towards her. “Yeah, Twilight?” Pinkie replied, grinning; Twilight raised an eyebrow at her. “We’re talking about Ponyville. Don’t you miss it?” “Hmm,” Pinkie though, reaching over her shoulder and producing a calendar. She studied it for a moment. “...Nope, I don’t have to babysit for the Cakes again until Monday!” “Uh, Monday was yesterday, sugar cube,” Applejack told her. The others started giggling. Pinkie’s jaw dropped in terror. “Oh no, oh no, oh no! Not good, not good!” Dash couldn’t take it anymore—she fell on her back, rolling on the citadel floor and laughing at Pinkie. “Everything we’ve been through, and she doesn’t get worried until she’s late for foalsitting,” Dash gushed, pounding the floor. She stood up and imitated Pinkie's voice. “Hold on, Haakon! Wait just a day or two, I have to foalsit tonight!” "You wouldn't be laughing if you had such a big responsibility," Pinkie pouted. “Heh, why do you ask, princess?” Twilight giggled, looking back at Celestia. “Well, I could send a letter or two to Spike, if you’d like,” Celestia explained, smiling warmly. “I was going to send one to Canterlot, and share our success with the newspaper.” “Oh my gosh,” Twilight replied anxiously, conjuring a quill and ink. “Did you hear that, girls? We can write home!” The others crowded around Twilight while she conjured papers for them. “Lemme write one!” Dash said, seizing a piece of paper and almost ripping it. “Who do you plan on writing to, Rainbow?” Rarity asked curiously, using her magic to jot down an affectionate letter to Sweetie Belle. “You never said…” “None’a your business!” Dash replied secretively, placing the paper on the ground and biting down on a quill that Twilight handed her. Rarity giggled and turned back to her own letter. “Uh, princess?” Soarin’ said cautiously, walking over to the group with Spitfire. “Could we…?” “Of course,” Celestia smiled—she conjured another quill and paper for them. “I’m sure the Wonderbolts will be happy to hear of your safety!” ********** “There’s so many of them,” Luna said, gazing in awe at the thousands of exotic creatures that comprised Haakon’s army. They marched in an orderly fashion towards the forests in the western horizon, above which the sun was slowly setting. Celestia had given Maelon explicit directions to go around the Tarus mountains, head south through the Badlands and Mulecico, and continue heading south until they were far from Equestria. She had also sent all of the letters, including one to the City Guard of Fillydelphia, Baltimare, and Mareheim, asking for volunteers to follow the Blood Legion and ensure they continued to leave Equestria. As a result, several golden chariots were circling the army at a high altitude. “Such great power stands with us,” Celestia told Luna, watching her raise the moon. She had returned it to its proper cycle; it was now a waxing crescent, leaving a thin strip of moonlight shining from its edge. Terra approached her two sisters. “...You've done well,” she admitted, standing by Celestia’s side. “Cadance stands much stronger than I, and I have you to thank for that...” “It wasn’t just myself,” Celestia replied humbly. “She stands surrounded by her friends and loved ones—they give her great strength…” “You would do well to do as she does,” Luna added, looking at Terra from the corner of her eye. “Perhaps someday,” Terra sighed, gazing into the sunset. “…Perhaps…” “That’s it, just like that,” Starswirl coached enthusiastically. Twilight focused intensely—a large pebble floated in front of her, suspended by an aura of purple magic. “Feel the spin of every single particle,” Starswirl continued. “Reach out to all of the others like it!” Twilight scrunched her face and closed her eyes—a bolt of purple lightning ejected from her horn, connecting with the rock briefly before disappearing. “There you go!” Starswirl cheered, his eyes widening while she fired a second bolt. The pebble then launched several bolts towards the ground, lifting other small fragments of rock as well. Without warning, they each exploded into thin air, leaving no trace behind. “Oh no!” Twilight cried out, looking dejectedly where the pebbles once floated. “They’re gone…” “Not to worry, happens all the time,” Starswirl said. He floated next to her and patted her on the back. “That’s why we practice with inanimate objects first. If you lose track of the particles while you’re manipulating them, they can, well, go flying...” “…If that had been something alive…” Twilight pondered worriedly. “Inanimate,” Starswirl reminded her cheerfully. “Let’s take a break, shall we?” Twilight shrugged, walking along with the wizard while he floated towards the others. Out of nowhere, another pebble struck her in the back of the neck. “Ow,” Twilight snapped, turning around. There was nopony behind her, and the other pebbles were nowhere to be found. She started to rub her neck and turn around, but something gleaming in the corner of her eye caught her attention. “What in Equestria…?” ********** “Princess!” Twilight shouted in panic. “Something’s coming!” “What is it?” Celestia whipped her head around and looked at the sky where Twilight pointed—there was a shimmering ball of light in the southeastern horizon, and it looked like it was on fire. “It’s a meteor!” Terra called out—the rest of the Elite nervously looked at her and back to the fiery ball—it was increasing in size rapidly. “Can you stop it?” Luna asked quickly. “It is no stone of this earth,” Terra replied, turning to Shining Armor. “Boy, raise your shield!” Armor nodded, conjuring a dome of purple magic around the Elite. They stood at the edge of the citadel, near the stairwell, worriedly following the growing projectile with their eyes. “It’s comin’ straight for us!” Ashton stuttered. “Sh-shouldn’t we run for it?” “We won’t get far,” Twilight told him—the meteor was rapidly growing in size. "The shield will be safer!" “...This is no coincidence,” Ragehoof declared angrily. “This must be from Discord’s old friend!” “It's only stone,” Starswirl informed him, his hat glowing as he watched it carefully. “But it is going to strike the citadel!” Armor pumped more energy into his shield, and Rarity powered the Element of Generosity, preparing to protect the team should his barrier break. “Hold on!” Celestia shouted, bracing herself—the Elite ducked for cover. The meteor struck the center of the citadel—the mountainside rumbled violently, and the team shielded their eyes, but the rumbling stopped as soon as it started. “…It went right through?” Luna asked, dumbfounded. The rest of the Elite opened their eyes and stared at the hole in the citadel—the stone floor it had broken through was only several feet thick. Beneath it, an endless dark abyss was below. ********** “It landed somewhere way down there,” Starswirl commented, floating through the shield and gazing down the hole. “There must be an entire cave network beneath Mount Tarus!” A small flicker of light, thousands of feet below, signaled the crash spot of the meteor. The mountain rumbled again, but stopped moments later—its impact was hardly noticeable. “Whoa,” Dash gasped, hovering over the hole. “That goes down forever!” “...Allow me,” Terra interjected, walking to the edge of the hole; the rest of the team followed her cautiously. Her horn began to glow a very faint red, and she closed her eyes. Nearly a full minute of silence elapsed while she probed the pit’s depths. “Just over a mile down…” Terra said quietly. “The cavern is massive…” “Could you not tell it was there before?” Celestia asked curiously, igniting her horn and shining a ray of golden light into the abyss. It didn’t come close to reaching the bottom, but it illuminated several low-hanging stalactites protruding from the ceiling near the hole. Terra shook her head. “The cursed stone of this fortress blocked my magic… Though it has weakened, it still interferes with me greatly. I cannot tell just how deep it goes…” “Sorry if I’m interrupting,” Aeon said nervously, after a few seconds’ pause. “But, um, am I the only one who vaguely thinks this could be a trap?” “Not at all, professor,” Starswirl agreed enthusiastically. “…Anypony in favor of springing the trap?” “What could possibly be worse than that Haakon guy?” Dash asked, pounding her chest. Several others in the team nodded at her. “I w-wouldn’t ask that, if I were you…” Fluttershy said quietly. Perched on her left wing, Dusky suddenly cawed at her, and her eyes widened. “…You what?” “What is it, Fluttershy?” Twilight asked curiously, being one of the few to notice her concern. “…No, that’s way too… Well…” Fluttershy said to Dusky—the phoenix chirped at her again, and she turned to Twilight. “…Um, Dusky says she wants to check it out for us…” “The bird… is gonna check it out for us?” Ragehoof scoffed. “Oh, this is rich...” “Actually, that’s a pretty good idea,” Aeon commented, raising his eyebrows in surprise at Dusky. “She can see very well in the dark, and she’s in little danger—if anything harms her, she can simply burst into flame and regenerate!” “You truly wish to do this, Duskwing?” Celestia asked. Dusky nodded at her vigilantly, placing a wing over her chest and bowing. “…That is very brave of you. Thank you...” “Fate of Equestria, in the claws of a bird,” Ragehoof muttered dismissively, walking away and sitting down several yards from the edge of the hole. “Unbelievable.” “Be safe!” Fluttershy called out nervously, waving at Dusky as she swooped into the hole. “Good luck!” Dash added. The Elite cheered Dusky on enthusiastically, but they quickly fell silent when Dusky’s violet, glowing figure disappeared into the darkness. “Staring into the dark won’t make her come back any faster,” Twilight said encouragingly, patting Fluttershy on the back as she refused to break eye contact. It was becoming increasingly darker outside—the sun was halfway set into the horizon. “What if she gets hurt? Or sad, or scared?” Fluttershy cried. “Oh Dusky, please come back!” “Can you sense anything?” Starswirl asked Terra—she had remained motionless at the edge of the abyss since Dusky had entered it fifteen minutes ago. “...Besides the bird, I mean...” “She continues to search,” Terra replied, her eyes staring blankly as though she were in a trance. “The fire of the meteor has suffocated… The caverns are large, and old… Very old… Parts of them must have taken millions of years to form…” “Any life signs?” Starswirl asked curiously. “The phoenix is not alone… I cannot make out what it is, but something is there… And it is very strange…” “You know, ever since that hole opened up, I’ve sensed something odd myself,” Starswirl mused; Twilight walked around the edge of the abyss and stood next to him. “…You feel it too, don’t you Twilight?” “I… I thought it was just me,” Twilight agreed, nodding at him. “It’s… peculiar. Yet there’s something about it that feels strangely familiar… It’s some kind of residual magical radiation. I know I’ve felt it before, but I can’t remember where…” “Then I am correct,” Starswirl muttered in concern. He turned over his shoulder. “Luna dear, c’mere...” “Swirly?” Luna asked, immediately teleporting away from her conversation with Cadance and appearing next to him with a soft CRACK—she could tell from his voice that something was wrong. “Ever since the meteor struck, have you been feeling an odd… Warping sensation?” Starswirl asked, his yellow eyes peering into the abyss. “…Spatial warping, specifically?” “Infinitesimally,” Luna agreed, staring in the same spot as him. “I hadn’t considered it a point of concern…” “It’s not the warping itself that bothers me, it’s the type…” Starswirl said quietly. "Or rather, types..." Twilight gasped, realizing what was he was referring to. “Space and time,” she said worriedly. “I’ve only felt this once before… When I went back in time, to warn myself not to-” “You what?!” Starswirl and Luna interrupted simultaneously, their jaws dropping open. “…I, uh… I borrowed a time scroll from your wing in the Canterlot Archives,” Twilight replied nervously, unsure why they were so surprised. “…I just went back a week to try to tell myself not to freak out about, well, a disaster that wasn’t going to happen…” “Only you saw yourself from the past, right?” Starswirl asked her—his voice suddenly sounded extremely serious. Twilight gulped, nodding at him. “Whew,” Luna sighed in relief—Starswirl did the same. “…Twilight, manipulation of time is meant to be done for observational purposes only… Did you not read the scroll before using it?” “Uh…” Twilight started, thinking back to that fateful Tuesday morning. “Well…” “I did!” Pinkie gushed, popping out of nowhere between Starswirl and Luna. “It said it would take you back in time for just one minute!” “Did you read the warning labels?” Starswirl asked, widening his eyes. “Or any other books about time travel before you just hopped into the past?!” “Nope!” Pinkie gushed, bouncing away obliviously. “I don’t understand, what’s the problem?” Twilight asked, clueless. “Causality is a fragile thing,” Starswirl explained hurriedly. “Going back in time and changing past events can cause all kinds of time-shattering paradoxes! Events that have happened are not supposed to be changed!” “W-what happens if they’re changed?” Twilight gulped. “Things just… Go wrong,” Luna replied somberly. “It has happened before… Unicorns obsessed with fixing problems in their life have attempted to do so…” “Have you ever seen a tear in the fabric of space and time swallow an entire building?” Starswirl asked. Twilight fearfully shook her head. “Please, Twilight, take my word for it… It wasn’t pretty. Time has a way of fixing itself if major things are changed..." “Do you think I have not dreamt of going back in time, and stopping myself from succumbing to the curse of Nightmare Moon?” Luna asked, gazing at the moon across from the sunset. “Perhaps to simply spare myself an entire millennia of being shunned and forgotten?” Twilight looked at the ground sadly. “I had to watch Terra deal with the death of her husband and two hundred innocent townsfolk,” Starswirl added. Twilight’s eyes started to tear up. “If I could have gone back and stopped Darkstar before he reached the town… But had I attempted such a thing, I shudder to think of the consequences...” “Y-you have my word,” Twilight replied, trembling. “I’ll n-never do it again, promise!” Starswirl paused, taking a deep breath. “I’m sorry we scared you, Twilight dear… Just please keep in mind; those spells were locked up for a reason—they’re meant for observation only…” “I understand,” Twilight said, taking a deep breath as well. “...Dusky!” Fluttershy suddenly cheered, embracing the phoenix as soon as she swooped out of the hole. Twilight, Luna, and Starswirl immediately approached her, followed by the rest of the team. “There’s what?” Fluttershy asked—Dusky cawed several times at her. “Oh no, is he hurt badly?” “Who?” Rarity asked, echoed by several others. “Somepony is injured at the bottom of the cave,” Fluttershy translated worriedly. “He’s a young unicorn, and Dusky says he’s hurt badly!” “Well then!” Starswirl replied enthusiastically, floating over the entrance to the hole. “Shall we investigate?” “We will proceed with caution,” Celestia declared. “Starswirl, will you lower us?” “Step right up, folks,” the wizard chuckled, creating an aura of blue magic around the hole and hovering over it. “I’ll lower us in a jiffy!” “Uh, mind if I just fly?” Spitfire asked mistrustfully, eyeing his hazy blue magic. “Suit yourself, girlfriend!” Pinkie gushed, hopping onto the translucent aura. “I’ll take the elevator!” “Come, friends, let’s investigate,” Celestia told them, stepping onto the aura. She was followed by Twilight, Rarity, Applejack, and Ragehoof. “Ain’t there any other way down?” Ashton asked nervously, watching Armor and Ironmane pass him and step onto the aura. “…S’gotta be a mine shaft or somethin’ ‘round here!” “If there were, I would know of it,” Terra said dismissively, pushing the fearful earth pony onto the aura and walking along with him. Ashton stood on the very tips of his hooves, sweat pouring from his face. “Lead the way, Dusky!” Starswirl cheered, starting to lower the ponies around him. The phoenix soared through his aura harmlessly, almost disappearing into the darkness. “Whoa, wait for us!” ********** The passengers of the aura lurched nervously as Starswirl increased the speed of their descent. The airborne team, along with Luna and Cadance, flew behind the glowing aura and matched their speed. “It’s so dark!” Dash exclaimed, feeling Fluttershy nervously cling to her right forearm. Celestia ignited her horn—the Elite squinted as their eyes adjusted to the sudden burst of golden light. It revealed much of the cavern around them, and everyone paused to gaze at their breathtaking surroundings. Stalactites draping from the ceiling reached for hundreds of feet into the darkness below. Little straw-sized formations hung from the larger ones, as well as the glittering ceiling itself. The larger stalactites were all brown or cream colored, but the smaller ones were white, pale green, light blue, and even some were red, yellow, and purple. “It’s so… beautiful…” Rarity sighed, her eyes traveling across the cave around them. “So many gems are hidden in here, too… Where's my Spikey-wikey when you need him?” “Look y’all, we can almost see the bottom!” Applejack observed, gazing through the bottom of the aura. Stalagmites were starting to reach up from the bottom, and several of the formations from above were revealed to be large columns, reaching all the way to the floor of the cave. “A-are we almost there, D-Dusky?” Fluttershy squeaked, keeping her eyes shut as Dash pulled her along. “Fluttershy, look at this,” Dash sighed, forcing her friend’s eyes open and pointing her at all of the brilliant-looking cave formations. “Isn’t it awesome?” “Um, awesome, yes,” Fluttershy replied, her teeth chattering. “And dark…” Dash rolled her eyes. “I’ll set’er down right here,” Starswirl informed the team, maneuvering the aura between a pair of columns and landing on a very smooth section of rock. “Eugh, it’s slippery!” Twilight commented, stepping on the ground and almost losing her balance. “We stand upon a flowstone formation…” Terra informed her. “…I will clear the way to where Duskwing flies.” All eyes diverted to Terra as she closed her own, sending a slight vibration through the cave. The flowstone beneath their hooves flattened out and started forming a winding path towards the purple glow emanating from Dusky, which was faintly visible through a forest of thicker stalagmites. “…You’ve got a lot of power,” Ragehoof said quietly to Terra, walking by her side while the rest of the team continued to chat about the cave’s beautiful formations. “The earth and the skies obey your command... Why have you used it so little?” “My sister does not wish for me to crush our enemies with overwhelming force,” Terra replied, looking at him out of the corner of her eye. “There is great risk of collateral.” “Yeah, I can see her saying that,” Ragehoof replied, rolling his eyes. “She hardly has the spine to do what needs to be done.” “We have gotten this far, have we not?” Terra asked, her eyes traveling to Dash. She shook Fluttershy off of her leg, and the nervous pegasus landed and stuck close to Twilight. “Would’ve been easier to bury them all in the dirt, if you ask me,” Ragehoof replied dismissively. “…What's your name, boy?” Terra asked him curiously, having paid little attention to him previously. “Ragehoof,” he muttered. “And don’t call me boy.” “What is your real name?” Terra persisted. “Nopony of this soft era names their offspring Ragehoof...” “Noticed that, did you?” Ragehoof scoffed. Terra continued to stare at him—he sighed and looked away. “…My given name is of no concern any longer.” “Cherish the knowledge of your real name,” Terra replied quietly. “I do not remember mine...” “Wait, you don’t even—?“ Ragehoof’s reply was cut off by a sudden squawk from Dusky up ahead. Through the darkness, she began circling in place around a large clearing. “The bird has found something,” Terra observed, extending her path into the open clearing below the phoenix. She turned back to Ragehoof curiously. “…We will speak of this later, Ragehoof…” He nodded at her briefly, increasing his pace to join the front line with Applejack, Ironmane, and Armor. “Hello?” Celestia called out, increasing the brightness of her horn and looking into the clearing. “Is anypony there?” Her light revealed a lone figure in the center of the circular clearing. It was a young unicorn lying on his side, but he looked very strange. His navy blue pelt was riddled with glowing white scars; each of them seemed to be emitting a fog-like haze. His eyes were covered by a small black cloth tied around his head, and his cutie mark wasn’t distinguishable. “Hey!” Twilight called out, galloping to the front of the group. “…Are you okay?” The colt gave no response. His chest slowly moved up and down—he was breathing, but otherwise he lay motionless. “Are you injured?” Cadance added, following the rest of the group as they approaching him slowly. Celestia’s light finally revealed his cutie mark—it was a clock, its top melting and its hands twisted. “The space-time distortions,” Starswirl whispered to Luna—she nodded in acknowledgement. The scarred colt suddenly stirred, scrambling to sit up. “H-hello?” he called out. His voice echoed in a very strange way—it sounded like it was echoing before he opened his mouth and after he spoke as well, all before the greater echo of the seemingly endless cavern. It sent chills down the spines of all who heard it. “...Wait,” Celestia commanded, halting the team’s advance. “…What is your name, colt?” “H-hello?” he repeated again, looking around, despite the blindfold on his head. Rarity’s heart dropped. “…H-he can’t hear us,” she observed carefully, noticing his complete lack of reaction to Celestia’s loud voice. “He must be deaf…” “But he knows we’re here,” Twilight replied curiously. “And he can’t see…” “His head was against the stone—he was not lying in pain, he sensed the vibrations of our approach,” Terra explained curiously, trailing off. “...But why? What disables him so?” “D-Discord?” the blind and deaf colt called out fearfully. “Is that… is that you?” “Discord!” Celestia gasped, mortified. “What has he done to this pony?” ********** “Discord!” he cried out again. “Discord, is that you? Please be you, please!” “Fluttershy, wait!” Twilight said worriedly, magically holding her friend back. “It could be a trap!” “You poor thing,” Fluttershy said softly, her Element beginning to glow. “Maybe I can help you…” “Stay back!” the colt shouted, suddenly jumping to his hooves and baring his teeth. “I-if you were Discord, you would’ve said something by now!” “We’re not Discord!” Twilight told him, suddenly unsure of his deafness. Fluttershy scrambled away—he looked extremely intimidating all of the sudden. “Get away!” he yelled, oblivious to what she was saying. “I’m warning you!” Celestia motioned for the group to back up, nervously watching the unicorn’s face turn red with anger. “…I’m here, old friend,” a familiarly mischievous voice echoed through the caverns. “DISCORD!” Celestia bellowed into the darkness. “WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO THIS POOR COLT?” “Discord!” the deaf unicorn cheered, responding only to his voice. “It’s you!” “Yes, old friend, it is I,” Discord replied. “…It seems some more mean ponies want to hurt me. Can you help?” “Sure can! Where are they?!” “Right in front of you…” “No,” Luna whispered, her wide eyes fixed on the colt. “This… This is Tre’zan!” “Tre’zan?” Twilight asked—the rest of the team turned to stare at Luna. “Discord’s old friend,” Starswirl clarified. “…The one who froze Tartarus in time!” “Right-o!” Discord’s chilling voice confirmed, sounding much closer. An image of him manifested between the team and the colt, who was now staring at them through his blindfold. “What… DID... YOU... DO!?” Celestia spat furiously. “Brainwashed and incapacitated? This is an all-time low for you… you… you monster!!” “Calm down, Celestia, I didn’t do any of this to him,” Discord sighed, turning around and looking at Tre’zan. His expression was entirely serious, a chilling shift for the normally comedic draconequus. “…I found Tre’zan in the ruins of an ancient island city, alone and starving to death…” “A likely story!” Twilight shouted. “You’re using him!” “Well, that part’s partially true,” Discord said, grinning mischievously. “I’m a cruel monster, I know… Sheesh, I make chocolate milk rain from the sky, how can anypony do worse?” Receiving no response from the Elite, Discord grinned and continued talking. “I saved his life,” he explained, his grin fading away as quickly as it had appeared. “How do you think a blind and deaf colt would have fared, alone and starving in the ruins of a city? He was the only one on the entire island!” “So you saved him from starving, big deal,” Dash said angrily. “That doesn’t explain why he’s-“ “Discord?” Tre’zan called out, interrupting her. “Discord, is it safe yet? I'm ready when you are!” “Just a few more minutes, friend,” Discord replied, turning back towards the Elite. “Look, it’s nothing personal. If I don’t trap all of you here, I get trapped in stone for the next thousand-something years. It’s either you, or me… Who do you honestly expect me to pick? It's your fault for leaving me so few options...” “Oh no,” Celestia gasped, her eyes widening at the scarred colt. “Tre’zan didn’t just create the time field around Tartarus… He trapped himself inside of it as well!” “Ah, finally Celestia is the one having revelations,” Discord laughed, but his expression faded back into a serious one. “Seriously though, he doesn’t know how to control his own power. He’s got a universal remote control, and he’s pushing the buttons at random…” “There are other solutions,” Starswirl interjected quickly. “I see what you’re saying… I could feel it the moment the caves opened up—he’s bending time and space, probably without realizing what he’s doing!” “And if he traps himself in a dilation field, he won’t accidentally bend it until it breaks,” Discord explained dismissively. “Don’t tell me it’s safe for Tre’zan to walk around, after giving Twilight that little speech earlier. He can do much worse than a couple of little time spells…” “Discord?” Tre’zan asked again, breaking the ensuing silence. “Don’t worry, old friend, I’ll tell you when it’s safe,” Discord replied, grinning mischievously at the Elite. “So you taught him how to lock himself away in a dilation field,” Starswirl sighed. “And now you’re going to use him to lock us away, too…” “He’s just returning the favor,” Discord laughed. “I saved him from starvation, I taught him how not to destroy the fabric of reality, so he doesn’t mind helping me out.” “...You’ll never get away with this!” Celestia seethed angrily, firing a jet of magic at his projection. “Oh, I’ve been waiting a long time to be able to say this,” Discord said, disappearing and reappearing in Celestia’s face. “…Yes, I will…” Her eyes widened as he snapped his fingers, disappearing. “On my way out now, old friend,” Discord’s voice echoed throughout the caverns. “I’ll come see you again in a few thousand years, don't you worry! Cheeri-o!” “Goodbye, Discord!” Tre’zan called out cheerfully. The warmth in his voice unnerved the Elite—he truly believed he was doing the right thing. “Tre’zan, wait,” Luna’s voice boomed at him, echoing through the cavern. “Can you not hear us?!” "...Discord was using telepathy..." Starswirl muttered quietly. “I don’t know who you are, but Discord is my friend,” Tre’zan said angrily, looking in the direction of her booming voice—he had felt its vibrations. “He saved my life, and you want to hurt him?! You’re terrible!” “No!” Twilight shouted—the rest of the Elite started shouting as well. “Discord tricked you!” “You’ve got it wrong!” “He’s just using you, dude!” Tre’zan did not reply to anything that was said. “I’ll never let you get to him!” he shouted. “I’ll stop you!” “Enough!” Terra shouted, activating her powers. "If none of you have the courage to do what must be done, I will!" A huge stone stalagmite began to jut out of the ground beneath Tre’zan, threatening to impale him, but before it reached his body, it began to slow exponentially. It came to a complete stop inches away from his stomach. Ironmane fired his crossbow at Tre’zan, but the black bolt eerily began to slow down as well. Warping the air behind it, it halted in midair between Tre’zan and the Elite. Twilight screamed, hearing her voice deepen and slow down. "...NOO O O O O O O O O O-" The golden light emanating from Celestia’s horn began to darken, and everyone blacked out. Tre’zan had frozen the Equestrian Elite in time. ~* ~* ~* ~* ~* ~* ~* ~* ~* ~* ~* ~* ~* ~* ~* ~* ~* ~* ~* ~* ~* ~* ~* ~* ~* ~* ~* ~* ~* Dozens of things happened at once. Twilight felt as though a bucket of freezing water had been splashed onto her face, though she was not wet. Illuminated once again by the dim light of Celestia’s horn, she saw Tre’zan get struck in the shoulder by Ironmane’s crossbow bolt, and get launched into the air by Terra’s ground attack. Simultaneously, a dark figure descended from above, slamming into the ground where Tre'zan once stood. It created a shockwave of pale green energy, which washed over everyone, sending them flying backwards. Twilight’s heart skipped a beat when the shockwave struck her—it was powerful magic, and it sent chills up her spine as she slowly recovered from it. She thought her vision was giving out, but it was just Celestia's horn flickering as she recovered from the sudden burst of horrible energy. “Sh-Shining Armor?” Twilight mumbled, disoriented. Her brother, who had collided with her while being knocked back, did not respond. “…Shining Armor?” she repeated, rolling over and shaking him. “Are you okay...?” His head leaned backwards, and Twilight gasped in horror—his face was locked in a horrified expression, and the color of his widely open eyes had drained completely, leaving them a pale grey. “Shining Armor...?” Twilight repeated again, her eyes widening. Her heart began to race. She shook him several times, pausing to check for a pulse. He had none. ********** “It’s over, he said,” a chillingly demonic voice echoed through the cavern. “IT’S OVER, HE SAID!” “That voice…” Twilight thought. “No…” “C’mon, get up,” Dash muttered, nudging Soarin’. “Up'n at'em! Bad guy, right there! Let’s get ‘em! C’mon…” “Rainbow…” Twilight trembled quietly, her glistening eyes fixed on her brother. “…r-Rainbow…” “Up and at’em, boss!” Dash continued, lifting Spitfire off of the ground. She flopped back down like a ragdoll, completely unresponsive. “No…” Celestia’s voice cried, from off to Twilight’s right; she never heard her mentor cry. “You’ve… No… NO!” “MINE!” Darkstar the Crazed cackled. “IT’S OVER, HE SAID! YOU’RE NOT A GOD, HE SAID!!” Twilight turned towards the dark figure in the center of the clearing. Darkstar was lifting himself off of the ground triumphantly, suspended by a pale aura of green magic. The remaining Equestrian Elite looked at him in horror. “DON’T KILL US, HE SAID! YOU REALLY ARE A GOD, HE SAID!” Darkstar’s rant was interrupted by a sudden hysterical cry from Twilight’s left—Cadance had just realized her husband was dead. “SCREAM!” Darkstar cackled maniacally. “SCREAM, SCREAM, SCREAM! FEEL IT! FEEL M Y P O W E R !” A bolt of purple lightning suddenly streaked through the air—someone had fired a powerful arcane spell at Darkstar, sending him flying backwards. “GET HIM!” Starswirl’s voice roared vengefully, as he fired several bolts of blue energy in rapid succession. Celestia and Luna jumped to his side, but they were joined by nobody else. Twilight stared at her brother. Her big brother, best friend forever. Cadance’s bawling screams and the disorganized cries of battle began to meld into unintelligible noise. Shining Armor was dead. “He’s gone,” Twilight breathed, her heart racing. “He’s gone…” Taking her eyes away from her brother was a decision she immediately regretted. To her left, Rainbow Dash was furiously trying to perform CPR on Soarin’, whose colorless eyes stared blankly at the ceiling. Fluttershy was crying over a pile of ashes—Dusky had burst into flame, and she was not regenerating. Twilight looked over to her right, dreading the scene before she even saw it. Pinkie seemed oblivious to what was going on—she was pouring azure magic into Ragehoof and trying to wake him up. “I think I see a smile,” Pinkie giggled. Her obliviousness sent chills down Twilight’s spine—Dash seemed to know the truth, but she was stuck in furious denial. A sudden flash of green magic from above blinded them—Celestia had been slammed into a stalagmite formation, and Darkstar had begun draining power from her via a bright green stream of energy from her horn. I T ’ S O V E R, H E S A I D! Darkstar cackled wildly, blasting Starswirl away and knocking his hat off. Twilight caught a glimpse of his faded blue horn, but the unmasked wizard was the least of her cares right now. Everyone on the team that was not an Element or immortal had been slain. Professor Aeon and Sergeant Ironmane lay off to the far right, mourned by none. “You murderer,” Applejack’s voice mumbled tearfully from behind Twilight. “Dirty… rotten… murderer…” Twilight turned around, gazing hopelessly at her friend. Applejack removed the hat from her head, placing it over Ashton’s lifeless eyes. “Ah…” Applejack cried, trying to swallow her tears. “…Ah couldn’t even tell’em... How Ah felt…” “Seriously, you guys, you can get up now,” Pinkie said, raising an eyebrow and looking around. “THEY’RE DEAD, PINKIE!” Dash screamed hysterically, lifting her forehead from Soarin’s chest and glaring at Pinkie. Her eyes were soaked, and she could barely breath. She turned towards Spitfire, sniffling. “...They’re all… dead…” Dash was interrupted by another blinding flash of pale green magic. Luna had been forcefully, and Darkstar had begun absorbing her power as well. He was now powered by both Celestia and Luna. “THEY’RE DEAD, PINKIE!” Darkstar cackled, mocking Dash’s hysterical scream. “THEY’RE DEAD, PINKIE!” "They always tell ya to wait," Applejack shuddered. "Pa made me promise I'd be sure before Ah ever said it..." “I don’t know w-where you g-go when you die…” Dash growled, standing up slowly. “BUT THEY’RE GONNA BEAT YOU UP WHEN I PUT YOU THERE!” Darkstar ignored her completely. “Ah-ah-ahh,” he chided, giggling demonically and firing a green flash of light at Starswirl. Chains made of green energy coiled themselves around the wizard’s legs, dragging him towards Darkstar and holding him in midair. “So nice of you to drop in, brother dear,” Darkstar snickered at him, forcing Starswirl to sit up and stare at him. Widening his eyes and jerking his head sadistically, he snarled, “IT’S OVER, HE SAID!” “Well, it was,” Starswirl chuckled bravely. Darkstar flailed in rage and slammed a hoof across his face. “YOU’RE DEAD!” Dash screamed, taking flight and charging vengefully at the necromancer. Cackling, he tossed Starswirl aside and prepared an attack. The powerful stream of green magic connecting Darkstar to Luna and Celestia suddenly flashed brightly, and he fired a powerful bolt of necromantic magic at Dash. Rarity screamed in pain as she tried to absorb the magic, but it was too much. The small emerald necklace beneath her Element of Generosity shattered into a million pieces. ********** “YOU’RE DEAD!” Darkstar cackled maniacally, mocking Rainbow Dash’s final words. Her powerful wings went limp, and she tumbled across the clearing, stopping and lying motionless a hundred feet away. Twilight stared at her friend. She was gone. Rainbow Dash was gone. “No more lightning rods!” Darkstar raged, firing a bolt at the weakened Rarity. Twilight watched in pure shock as another one of her friends’ lives was taken. The beautiful blue pigment drained from Rarity’s eyes, leaving them a blank grey. Her knees gave out, and she collapsed to the ground. Her mane covered one of her eyes, but the other stared icily into the darkness of the cavern. Twilight closed her eyes, but she couldn’t stop seeing it. “Cat got your tongue?” Darkstar giggled demonically at Terra—she had completely frozen in fear. “…You… Oh, you’re mine, too! …FINALLY… MINE!” Twilight didn’t even pay attention as Darkstar started draining power from Terra. Rarity was dead. Rainbow Dash was dead. Shining Armor was dead. Ragehoof, Ironmane, Aeon, Ashton, Spitfire, and Soarin’... Darkstar couldn’t be stopped. “Oh, don’t worry, you’re next,” Darkstar chortled amidst his insane laughter, grinning ominously at Pinkie. “Just one more drink! ONE MORE!!” Darkstar fired a blinding flash of light at Cadance, but Applejack suddenly charged past Twilight, slamming into the necromancer and knocking him several feet backwards in the air. “MONSTER!” Applejack screamed wildly, trying to jump up to Darkstar’s height—he had floated out of her reach. “Interesting,” Darkstar said, not even paying attention to Applejack. "Hmm..." Realizing she couldn't reach him, Applejack's rage quickly burned out. She collapsed into a sitting position, looking over her shoulder where her hat lay. "Ah... Ah lov-" Without even looking at her, a bolt of green lightning shot from Darkstar's horn and into Applejack's body, ending her life. She fell onto her side, her face locked in a tearful expression. Darkstar tried to fire another sapping attack at Cadance, but it had no effect. “What’s wrong? This one doesn’t like me! YOU ALL WILL LIKE ME! FRIENDS! NEW FRIENDS!” Darkstar started wildly firing bolts at Cadance, but she ignored them—she couldn’t feel anything anymore. Shining Armor was dead. “It’s okay, Dashie,” Fluttershy whimpered quietly, tears streaming from her eyes as she held her motionless friend tightly. “…We’ll be together again soon…” “SOON!” Darkstar bellowed angrily, turning and firing at the yellow pegasus. Twilight closed her eyes, but she couldn’t stop herself from hearing the scream. She didn’t just hear it, she felt it. The high-pitched cry echoed in her mind endlessly, long after it had faded into the silence of the cavern. “Aw, what’s that, Swirls?” Darkstar laughed, looking over at the wizard. “Got something to say?” Starswirl was dragged along the ground by the chains that bound him—Darkstar looked into his eyes and started cackling again. “My… turn… to say…” the wizard breathed painfully. “Not… over…” “IT’S OVER, HE SAID!” Darkstar burst out laughing again, playfully tossing Starswirl aside and hovering towards Pinkie and Twilight. "WHADDYA SAY, MY LITTLE PONIES?! IS IT OVER?!" “Well, for the record,” Pinkie shuddered, her voice still vaguely cheerful as she clung to Twilight’s leg. “This was lots of fun… Maybe we’ll do it again sometime!” Twilight closed her eyes again, feeling her hair stand on end as a bolt of energy surged through Pinkie—she didn’t scream—the noise that came out of her sounded like a yelp, but it was reminiscent of a laugh. The grip on her foreleg loosened, and she heard a faint thud. Opening her eyes, Twilight stared weakly at Darkstar, who was now directly above her. His horn began to glow a pale shade of green, and Twilight started to black out. She could see her life flashing before her eyes—shapes and images, of many bright colors, started to dance across her vision. “Twilie!” an excited voice cheered—it was her brother’s voice. “It’s him,” Twilight thought, smiling weakly. Dying didn’t feel like such a bad thing—blood rushed to her head, her visions subsided, and she stopped feeling her body. She exhaled blissfully, almost relieved to not have to inhale again. “I’m coming to join my friends…” “Twilight!” “We’ll be together, and everything will be better…” “TWILIGHT!” “I’m gonna open my eyes, and we’ll be all together again…” “TWILIGHT!!” “We’ll be back in Ponyville, and this will have never happened…”