//------------------------------// // They fall before "IT" (lost chapter) // Story: Rise of the Dark Age // by Broadway Sweetie Belle //------------------------------// Concord sat in the middle of a crowd of young alicorns and draconequi. He watched as they all  laughed and played with each other; no diversity whatsoever. While all their parents were gone, sir Cyclone had stayed behind to watch over the children. Concord stayed right next to him; too shy to play with the others. Cyclone scanned over the many younglings, keeping them all in check for when their parents returned. Lord Conjure told him he would  leave to fight the thing that took his mommy and daddy away. He told him he would be back, but Concord didn’t know how long that would be, and as time passed on, he became anxious. Concord glanced back at Cyclone. On his back, curled in a ball, resting, was a young female draconequus. She had a cream colored mare’s head, a thin tan dragoness body with a pale underbelly, the right arm of a diamond dog and the left arm of a white cat, a changeling hoof for a left leg and a doe hoof for a right leg, the tail of a fox, and wings of a griffin and flamingo. Like her tail, her mane was orange with a white tuft. Concord knew she was Cyclone’s daughter, but couldn’t remember her name. It started with a P he thought. Cyclone caught Concord’s wondering eyes. “Is there something wrong, Concord?” he asked. “uh, n-no, sir. I-I was just thinking of lord Conjure is all.” Concord fuddled with his words. The draconequus nodded. “I can understand your fear for lord Conjure. He taking you in and all.” Concord remained silent, but gave a small bob of his head. “Have faith in lord Conjure, young one. I have faith for sir Gladhoof, too. They’re idea was outlandish, but when they returned, everyone knew there was something powerful inside them. I could feel my essens tingle when Conjure approached us. He said it was the magic in us responding to him. He never did explain much what happened.” Concord felt that too. It was a funny feeling that went all over his body. Everyone looked at Conjure and Gladhoof differently, almost like they were all hesitant. They never admitted it, but the look in their eyes told a different story. Lord Conjure said when he returned he’d tell him everything that happened to him. Concord heard a new voice from the younglings, the whining of a filly. “But Tia, I want to go play with Silverline!” Concord turned around to the source to see a blue filly pout at an older white filly with a pink mane. She looked down at the foul with disappointment. “No, Luna. You can’t play with her when she’s with them.” Concord had no idea who the filly was referring to by them. The group she was glaring at had five alicorns and six draconequi, so she could be referring to any of them. “Why not? It doesn’t make sense that everypony gets to play, but I can’t!” The filly named Luna plopped herself on her flanks. The filly referred as Tia said, “Because mom and dad said we can’t. They’re mean and nasty. they’ll hurt you when they get the chance.” “No they won’t! They don’t look mean, and they’re not hurting anypony! Stop making things up!” Concord frowned. Why wouldn’t that alicorn let the filly play with the others? He turned back to Cyclone. “Sir Cyclone.” The draconequus shifted his gaze back to Concord. “That pony won’t let that younger pony play with the others. She can’t do that, can she?” Concord said while pointing towards the two. Cyclone followed Concord’s finger to the fillies that sat aways from the rest of the younglings. “Them? They are Nightshade and Starlight’s daughters. I was advised to not bother them, who knows what their parents will do if they find out that I as much spoke or came near them." "Why?" "Let's just say they don't like us. I can't answer everything, Concord. My knowledge isn't infinite. But I do know that once lord Galactica, and the others return from the battle, it will mark a new and better relationship between our kinds." He gave a reassuring smile. Suddenly, a light caught their attention. It was followed by two more small balls that unleashed bright beams into the realm. "Ah, they've returned." Cyclone said. "Let's go welcome them, little one." He stood up, and careful not to disturb his daughter's rest, levitated her onto the ground, and walked over to the lights with Concord following behind. The ball exploded in a flash of light, and in its place stood the bloodied and bruised form of Conjure. The other balls revealed Nightshade and Starlight, looking just as bad as Conjure. One of Starlight's wings was drenched in blood from an arrow that impelled it. And finally, the last couple was Gladhoof supporting lord Cosmoe who had his horn broken in half, and looked spooked out of his mind. The site made both Cyclone and Concord gasp. "M-My lord! Wh... What happened?" Cyclone said. Conjure kept his gaze to the ground, taking in every breath as if it was his last. “There were thousands upon thousands of those serpents. They were no match against us. But… after hours of fighting off those beasts. It finally revealed itself.” A shiver ran through Conjure’s body. “In that moment, I remembered what fear was.” “My lord. Where is Galactica? Where are the others?” Conjure remained silent. Then he broke out in uncontrollable sobs. Cyclone took a step back. Both astounded and concerned to see his lord weep in front of him. Concord, however, came closer to Conjure. He went up to Conjure’s leg and wrapped his arms around and hugged him. Conjure ceased his sobs, and looked down at the youngling. The affection was welcoming, but it couldn't bring a smile on his face. “My lord… what about the others?” Cyclone dreadfully repeated the question. Conjure pinched his eyes shut, and gritted the word, “Gone.” Cyclone’s mouth hung loose. He tried to speak a hundred questions at once, only having it all sound like gobble. But finally he said, “Lord Galactica?” “Gone.” Conjure repeated. “Lord Umbrage?” “G-gone.” “My lord!” Cyclone trembled as he came closer to Conjure. A look of absolute dread on his face. “Please. Tell me that River is—” “Dead! They’re all dead you fool!” Gladhoof shouted after he laid Cosmoe down. Seething anger filled Gladhoof as he stomped over to the stunned Draconequus. “Your wife! My wife! They’re all dead! Every last one of them! We are the only ones left! Don’t you get it! “Gladhoof!” Conjure exclaimed. Gladhoof looked back at his friend with sheer rage. But Conjure returned the look with only pity. Gladhoof's rage melted away. He turned back to Cyclone who looked terribly pale. "Oh, lord. Oh, lord! River! Why!" Cyclone crumbled to the ground in a fit of tears. "I-I told her she didn't have to go. She could stay here with me and our child, but she didn't listen. Why, River? Why! Cyclone choked on his own sobs. He covered his face with his hands, and was lost in despair. "Mom!" Cried the young filly sisters as they ran up to Starlight and hugged her legs. "My dears." Starlight said. She bowed her head to nuzzle her daughters. "Mom." Celestia looked up with her eyes full of tears. "What happened to you? Your wing!" Starlight tried to fold her wing, but flinched at the extreme pain. "Don't worry about that, my dear. The important thing is now we're safe.” "SAFE!?" Yelled Cosmo. The alicorn tried standing up, and weakly started walking towards the couple. “Y-You think this place can keep that thing from getting to us?” Gladhoof held back Cosmo who seemed to not even notice Gladhoof at all. “It has taken so many lives. There bodies diminished to nothing! Our powers drained till we seize to breath! It will come for us. It won’t stop until we’re all dead!” “Have you lost your mind!?” Nightshade stepped up to face the crazed alicorn. “You dare say such things in front of my daughters!” Cosmo didn’t react. He looked like he was debating something. Then he said, “We must give ourselves up to it. If we ever want to survive we must give up our free will to it.” Everything became awfully silent, aside from Cyclones moans. “What did you say?” Conjure said in shock. Cosmo glared at Conjure. “Your plan has failed, kirin. Even with your new powers you and Gladhoof weren’t able to stop that thing. What good can we do now to stop it!?” “We’ve only just begun to understand our powers, Cosmo.” Gladhoof said. “We still have a chance if we can muster enough magic to—” “THERE IS NOTHING WE CAN DO!” In that moment there was a howl so deep, it could have been confused for thunder. Every living being in the realm froze. The younglings all stood still, and looked in every direction for the source of the noise. "Impossible." Conjure said with a shudder. "It's coming..." Cosmo whimpered. From behind the survivors came the roll of thunder. What they saw could only be explained as lightning shooting in every direction from an orb in the eternal void, from there it expanded, growing into a ring of light, it grew to consumed the sight of all the beings. A mass of thick black clouds appeared within the ring, and began flowing freely into the magical realm. The cold touch of death trickled its way up their legs, immobilizing them with fear. Cyclone’s daughter had woken and trotted over to her father. “Daddy. What’s happening?” Cyclone swing his head down at his daughter. “I’m sorry, my love.” Without a moment of hesitation his horn glowed and his daughter vanished out of sight. Without a moment to lose, Starlight turned and kneeled down to her daughters. “Celestia, my darlin, I’m sending you two to the castle. You have to watch over your sister,” her tone was anxious and shacky. The filly’s eyes were blinded by tears. She smothered her face on her mother’s leg. “I don’t want to go! I don’t want to leave you!” Starlight comforted her eldest daughter by rubbing her head against hers. “It’s not the end, my love. We will be together again.” Starlight turned to the sobbing Luna and did the same with her. “Be good, Luna, for your sister’s sake.” Luna couldn’t respond, she could only hug her mother’s muzzle. “I love you both so much.” Her horn glowed and the two sisters disappeared in a flash of light. What came next from the portal was an unrecognizable sound that crawled through their minds and spoke unnatural words. Then from the depths of the smog slithered out giant tentacles. They crawled to the floor, and their very touch of the surface caused the beautiful galactic realm shroud into sickly fog. The alicorns and draconequi fallback as if the floor would burn them if they touched it, which was not the case when it did pass over them, yet it did feel cold. Without warning, more tentacles shot out of the fog, they flew over their heads and coiled around several younglings, both alicorn and draconequi, then recoiled back into the fog with the screaming children. “NOOOO!” Conjure and Gladhoof cried. The tentacles returned for their second round, but this time the kirin and alicorn were ready. The two shot a blazing beam of magic towards the pursuing limbs then stopping midway and spewed outwards like liquid and created a dome shaped wall. The tentacles slammed against the shield. The recoil went down the beams and almost knocking the two creatures off their legs. However, their shield did not cover the entire realm, so the tentacles quickly dove under their defences. The two friends abandoned the shield and went on the offence, firing beams directly at the tentacles. Their magic did harm them, but were only able to attack one at a time, while the others snatched more foals; ignoring the other alicorns and draconequus whose magic were neither harmful nor of any concern. Three arms grabbed two draconequi and one alicron who all cried out in fear. “Not this time!” Conjure summoned all his strength and locked the three tentacles in place with his magic. “Gladhoof! Save them! I can’t hold on!” Conjure’s face showed must strain when he said each word. Gladhoof froze when he saw the alicorn was his own daughter, but with a heavy heart he teleported her daughter and the other two draconequi away from the realm. Conjure seethed and gritted his teeth, trying to hold the beast’s arms at bay when one of the unfrozen arms swung and smacked him across his face, knocking him into the air and landing with a boom. “Lord Conjure!” Little Concord gasped and ran to the unconscious kirin, tears flooding his eyes. “Please get up!” He pleaded. “You monster! That was lord Conjure!” Cyclone shouted in rage, and flew in the air to combat the on coming tentacles, only to get himself wrapped up and pulled into the fog like the others. The tentacles continued their job in collecting the last of the children before the alicorns could teleport them to safety. Nightshade threw his body over the last children that were left. His horn ready to teleport the children away, but the tentacles got to him first and cut off his flow of magic. Starlight screamed in agony but knew it was too late. Before she could escape the realm she too was caught by the tangling arms and was brought into the hungry clouds along with her husband and remaining children. Then lord Cosmo went into a full gallop towards the portal. “Lord Cosmo! What are you doing!” Gladhoof cried. Cosmo trembled as he walked past the tentacles that rested on the ground, now coming to life and slithering towards the passing alicorn, but before they snathed him, Cosmo kneeled forward and bowed his head meekly. “I yield! I submit to your power! I give you my being, but I beg you, spare me; allow me to serve you!” Gladhoof could not believe what he was seeing nor hearing. His lord and leader bowing before the very thing that they tried to defeat; the only one who truly was defeated was Cosmo. What shocked Gladhoof even more was the sight of the tentacles that were crawling up Cosmo’s legs stopped dead in their tracks. For that moment there was no actions, no fighting, just silence. And then the dark mist came forward and picked the submissive alicorn off its feet and lifted him in the air until he was right near the center of the portal. Deep within the columns of black thunderclouds came two sun like orbs. Gladhoof shuddered, knowing fully well that those were the same flaming eyes he saw earlier. They stared unblinking at the terrified alicorn. There was a sound like a roaring hurricane that came from the creature, and from Cosmo’s broken horn his magic escaped and was pulled towards where the beast’s mouth should be. Cosmo’s eyes rolled in the back of his head, his mouth hung loose, and his coat grew pale; it all came falling off his skin, and the flesh crew thin and blackened like a corpse. Gladhoof tore his eyes away from the horrifying scene taking place and looked to the only living beings left. He trotted over to his passed out friend and the little draconequus who looked up at him with pleading eyes. Gladhoof looked back up to see Cosmo’s body hanging loosely in midair, slowing being consumed by the darkness. The sun like eyes then turned their attention onto him. An earth shattering roar came forth, followed by a swarm of tentacles to claim the only creatures strong enough to stand against it. Gladhoof placed the tip of his horn onto Conjure’s and looked right at Concord. “This is not the end, Concord,” he said before the three escaped the grasp of the arms of the world eater.