//------------------------------//
// Epilogue 
// Story: Harmony Undone: The Rise of Order 
// by Zodiacspear 
//------------------------------//

It had slept for so long. For millennia, it had remained in a deep, quiet sleep, undisturbed as the world continued without it. The passage of time meant little, but that had ended as the balance of the world shifted violently. Slowly, a set of serpentine eyes opened to the darkness of its prison. An intake of breath signaled the creature’s awakening as it peered ahead at the massive stone slab that served as the door to its cell.

With a shriek, the creature threw itself at the door, the sweetness of freedom waiting for it on the other side. A sigil appeared on the slab, and the magic forced the creature back, tossing it to the dirt floor of its prison. The creature hissed in pain and rage as it was flung backward.  It tried many times to break through the sigil with no more luck than the first.

It’s rage and spite tempered, the creature settled down to consider its options. Clearly, the magic that bound it still held, and it would not be breaking out by force anytime soon. The beast then considered that if force would not work, subtlety would have to be its next option. Large incisors dripped venom as a wicked smile inched across its face. It might have been imprisoned, but that did not mean it was completely bound. It could feel the living souls that surrounded its prison. Pony souls, each of them blissfully unaware of its reawakening. If the ponies still existed, then it would find its way out.

Its smile took a gleeful turn at the thought of once again bringing about the plague to the world danced in its mind.


-0-


Outside of Trottingham, a sole wagon approached its outskirts. The mare pulling the wagon could barely contain her glee as she imagined the reception she would receive. For a certain showmare, she was ready to get back on stage to entertain the masses after her jaunt in a realm of darkness. For surely, Trottingham would be the start of her grand return to fame.

She was unaware of how the hands of fate were guiding her to her ultimate destiny.