One
It was pitch black dark, there was nothing to see and only the sound of heavy breathing could be heard. Then, a sudden yelp from deep in the dark depths of this place, that smelled of sewage and filth. A young unicorn mare lit up the darkness with a soft illumination with her horn. She was laying down near the sewer water and breathing frantically. A pregnant belly on this dirty mare, her tail in-depth in sewage water and blood seeping out from her birthing place.
She took a deep breath and made a blood-curdling cry as she pushed the incoming foal. No sounds of help, or any ponies to come to her aid. This mare was on her own and barely able to keep the light spell on from the overall pain. Yet, she stood her ground and kept it on, just so she could see her little foal for herself. Another scream, much higher than ever before and out the foal went into the cradle of it's mother's hooves. It cried as it entered the world, and the mother began to cry in return.
The mother hugged it close away from the filth and for a second, lost her focus and returned to darkness from her magic turning off. She heard splashing that sounded like something was coming quickly. Quietly hugging her child and staying motionless to hear whatever/whomever it could be that had come. For a while, it seemed the splashing had vanished, must have been some animal flushed down here. Breathing a moment of reprieve and her foal burbling, she decided that she wanted to see it some more.
As she returned the light from her magic. She was surrounded, four black cloaked and hooded creatures that covered their entire bodies. The mare jerked her legs back towards the upper pavement of the sewer and shook as she held her foal against these assailants.
"Is this the child?"
"It should be, the specifics match."
"Poor thing, it seems confused by how we are dressed, Cranky! You should do the honors!"
"Fine, but I'm not for foal napping, "sigh" lets just get this over with"
From the surrounding group, came one of the hooded up front. It uncovered it's face to be a donkey, although it's eyes were yellow and had a young face.
"Excuse me miss, my name is Cranky Doodle Donkey, or Cranky for short and we've come for that little foal of yours, now just be a good pony and..."
The mare lit her magic up and teleported away, catching the four by surprise before they looked around and saw the unicorn running away deeper into the sewers..
They began to run after her before Cranky gave a loud, "No!"
The group paused to look aback at him.
"I'm the one who startled her, I'll be the one to catch her."
He started walking past them in a casual way towards the mare's direction.
"Don't wait up."
The mare kept running as if her life depended on it, keeping her foal as close as possible with what strength she had left. She continued running until she met a dead end. She screamed a forlorn cry as she turned to escape before seeing something emerge from afar.
"Now now, I don't have all day. If you value your life you would give me that child."
The mare looked around herself for any chance of escape. Without any way to go, she only had one choice.
She raised her magic and readied herself.
"Poor choice."
The mare fired a homing Magic Missile, a cool blue beam of concentrated energy at her opponent. Cranky caught the magic with one hoof and compressed it before dispersing it like smoke.
"Impossible! How can that be done!?" she said surprised.
Cranky smiled at her disdain.
"Nothing that you need to know, anymore at least, Checkmate."
The mare stood motionless as she felt her right arm become sliced-off. Blood bled out like a waterfall down her body and onto the sewer water. She fell down slowly, her surprise met with her dropping into the pool of filth and her child being caught in the embrace of her blood. It cried it's little head off as it was covered in its mother's own red juices. She lay asleep, floating forever lost.
Cranky walked towards the corpse and the foal floating on the sewer water and picked up the little one with care.
"Hmm Hmm, you're coming with us little filly, Oh she has her mother's eyes." He said with an evil grin.
He started to laugh, as if chaos filled up his soul. From his laughter, came the other three cloaked figures, chortling their hooves off behind him. Each one taking of their hoods. Derpy Hooves, her mane completely cut off to a bald smooth and her lips seemingly gone showing her horrifying teeth. Pound Cake and Pumpkin Cake, both half of their faces cut off and seemingly stitched with the others to display their bond as brother and sister. And, Cranky Doodle himself, so young looking, but with a smile that stretched to the end of his cheeks.
They all laughed like madponies.
"Alright that's enough, we need to deliver this wittle bwuddy to you know who." said Cranky while holding the crying foal close to his face.
"Aww, can't we play in the sewers a bit more, that would be so much fun!" said Derpy while jumping head first in the watery nastiness.
"Hey that sounds kind of fun!" the pound sibling then head first into the sewer water and splashed around.
"Hey! We don't have time for this! We need to get this to HER." said Cranky.
With a raised hoof, Cranky created a portal out of nowhere. you could see a large, black sarcophagus sitting in a dark tomb far in the portals opening.
"Put on your hoods, and lets go."
The three splashing in the sewage got up and put on their hoods and entered the portal quietly. Cranky covered himself and went into the portal, where it collapsed into thin air.
Cranky emerged from the darkness of the little portal he created. He looked around the surrounding area and found the only light source, standing with the perfectly preserved corpse of Pinkie Pie. He smiled, his teeth and eyes shined in the black and he approached his lord.
Who has come...?
Cranky trotted up closer to the corpse, holding the small filly as it burbled joyously.
"We've brought the child... Pinkie Pie."
From the shadows of the tomb, smoke gathered and circled into a form of a pony, before the creature emerged in full power. It looked like Pinkie Pie, but had jester clothing and horrifying flesh, corroded and decayed. Cranky quickly put down the filly to the ground and backed up the monstrous spirit before him.
This is it alright
The entity grasped the young filly into her arms and shuffled something in her pockets. Out from there, she pulled out a white orb, it shown brightly and lit up the room a little.
I won't be needing this anymore
She then applied the orb into the young fillies body. And smashed it deep into the foal's flesh. A sudden flash of light and then, the darkness in the room swarmed over. Blinding the other ponies standing near. As they found their bearings again, they found the entity was gone. Cranky went up to the child, it still burbling. Then, it noticed nothing much had changed about the little earth foal.
"Derpy, come here." said Cranky.
She went up the pedestal, uncovering her hood to show her fearsome teeth and the child itself seemingly unfazed.
"You will be taking care of the child, she will be doing great things."
Derpy searched around before guiding her attention to the foal.
"Why me? I'm too scary for raising it."
Cranky looked at her and smiled.
"You're the nicest pony here, compared to the rest of course. Sorry Derpy, specific orders."
Derpy looked down and tried her best to hide her confusion.
"What was the point of taking this baby away? It seems odd to send us on this mission for one lousy foal."
Cranky laughed, seemingly ignoring Derpy with the foal giggling its cuteness into his heart.
"This foal will do great things, you're just going to have to wait and find out in the end..."
Cranky carefully brought the baby to Derpy's hooves. Where she held it with a confused expression.
"Alright everypony, meeting over, back to your stations."
He then opened up a few dark portals for the rest of the prophets to transport easily to their lands.
As Derpy watched the others leave their portals, she continued to hers before being interrupted by Cranky's voice.
"Make sure to take care of her, we're going to need her to fix this broken land."
Derpy continued away, it still squirming in her hoof.
Things are going to finally change
Cranky watched the corpse of Pinkie Pie intently, he couldn't have felt better than all his life experiences combined.