"Watch out!"
As if to emphasize the dire straits that they are in, the masonry that comprises the ceiling of the White throne exploded and and starts to collapse on them and Amanar's bark causing the ponies to snap out from their stunned state and started to run for their lives. The equines attempt to avoid the falling mass of marble and stone that are crashing down upon them, but they are doing so just barely. Indeed, given that the entire room is collapsing upon them it is something of a futile effort. Suddenly, a large slab enough to slam upon the group dislodged itself from the structure and falls down upon them with breakneck speeds. Such was the speed of the falling masonry that the group could not bolt away in time.
"SLAAAAAABBBBBBB!!!!!" Nurse Redheart is screaming her lungs out , while Vinyl took the young filly into her arms as a reflexive action to shield the filly.
"Buckkkkkkkkk!!!" Vinyl howled, realizing that she had used the word more often that she would have liked during her time in Saddle Arabia. Big Macintosh and Amanr could only watch in horror as the slab is about to end their lives.
*********************
In the personal sanctum of Emir Shaddam Khalifah the Fourth, an old figure could be seen the large balcony sitting upon a rattan chair from the royal chambers, an almost whitish grey stallion standing under the moonlight. His heavily lined face with a long mustache that is white as the moonlight is looking upon the city with glazed pale greyish eyes, though its eyes glowed with a slight tint of crimson. Suddenly a sudden but constant glow emanates the chambers. Seeing the ghastly glow, the figure's attention turns inwards towards the room, slightly displeased by the interruption. It went on to sit on the bed and lied down looking upwards to where the red glow is emanating from.
However, the wizened old stallion is soon smiling and suddenly a dark apparition escaped from the mouth of the stallion and formed into the an eldritch being comprised of six wings sprouting from its back, and a body resembling those of a minotaur, but with arm and legs akin to those of an ape but disturbingly elegant and graceful. Where a face would be, there is nothing but two eyes and within its eye, there are several golden pupils which defies logic each one contracting and pulsing in its own accord while its facial feature is similar to that of an ape, but it is much more beautiful, while its jet black mane flows in the wind, divinely beautiful with an unearthly, unnatural and disturbing beauty.
What is lost can always be found indeed...
A dark glow emanates the dark appparition and before long, the apparition disappeared into the red orb.
*********************
However to their utter surprise, the large slab of marble stopped short of their faces, and as they wondered, their eyes started to pick up on their surroundings; It appears that all stopped in mid-air. As their mind attempts to understand the unnatural situation, all the debris were sucked upwards into the whirling storm of debris and sand. The only debris that really dropped on anyone is a speck of rock that hit Vinyl's mane. However as the marble disappear from their sight, they are now greeted by another ridiculous sight.
"What. Pray.Tell.Is.That." Redheart said in a rather uncharacteristically monosyllabic manner, unable to disguise her somewhat near-death experience and also her utter incomprehension of what it is that is before her. It does not help that she is so pale that if somepony really looked at her, she would appear near translucent. Amanar jaw dropped as he watches the two storms, for wanting of better words, spin around and duke it with each other in the air. The silver and white storm pushed the black and red storm towards the walls of the White Tree, causing the surface of the White Tree to be eroded by the winds.
In turn, the red and black storm spins even harder and causing the other storm to be lifted off the ground before the red and black storm slams the silver and white storm into the White Throne. It soon came to the attention of Big Macintosh that one of these entities is the happy-go-lucky elemental that they had somewhat adopted, and now Big Macintosh makes a mental note to never piss off the elemental ever again.
As the pandemonium unravel before their very eyes, the mortals realized that they are somehow escaping the worst of the damage despite being directly in the center of it all. As the winds howled with such ferocity that the mortals could barely hear their own thoughts, only Vinyl could muster the words that describe the scene happening before their very eyes.
"That's...so...awesome." As she watched, every debris and sand rise up into the ongoing vortexes, one of silver and white and the other of black and crimson. The sound of howling winds reverberated in her ears and Vinyl thought that this is perhaps the most awesome thing she saw in her life. She swears that she will write all of this experience she is absorbing into her body into a song and she shall call it Sandstorm. Little did she know that it will become one of her greatest hits along with "Love Is In Bloom Vinyl Remix", but that is a story for another time.
Suddenly, a large bolt of lightning entered into the eye of the black storm and shattered the storm from within, separating the silver and white storm away, and causing the debris that was sucked into the dark storm to scatter indiscriminately around the area. The equines each dodged a piece of debris shooting at their direction, though just barely.
"+Valorous grief, what didst our enemy alloweth loose upon us this time? +" Nurse Redheart immediately recognized the baritone voice of Djehuty and turned around to see the purple sorcerer giving her his best attempt at a smile. His hoof holds an electrified orb of blue lightning and eldritch energy, and the sorcerer looked behind the red stallion with a questioning look. Big Macintosh was wondering what does the sorcerer unicorn want, until he felt several tremors underneath him. Big Macintosh felt the burst of flame and heat from his back before a deep metallic booming voice rattled the bodies of all the living being within the broken sanctum
"+T doest not matter, for it hath bee a valorous while in a long time that I has't not fought against a foe this stout. +" . Big Macintosh turned to the source of the booming sound and realized that it is the big bronze statue that he had fought against alongside Amanar. Even though Big Macintosh knew not of what the giant said, but he knew instinctively that the colossus is here as an ally.
"+At each moment with the fighting with thee, thee brute. However, since the beast is ere us, alloweth us receiveth rid of t shalt we? ?+" the winged mummified body known as Anput joined them once more in physical form. The mummified corpse gave its best effort at a grin, but all it did is to unnerve the living beings within the sanctum, especially Fatimah.
"+Mine Swords, alloweth vanquish this evil from our sight.+" the apparition of Asar said with all his regal bearings. Noticing the new opposition against it, the dark tempest turned upon them and the tempest reconstitute itself into an elemental form with the head of a crocodile, the torso of a wild cat, and the hindquarters of a hippopotamus. The dark elemental did a rumbling sound that resembles a growl, and it lowered its body as if ready to pounce. However instead of it attacking the Emir and his guardians, it spoke to them instead.
+Is this how you welcome a guest?+
The sudden chillingly cold voice froze the equines in place as it echoes psychically, and its sickening serpentine nature slithers behind each one of their backs causing a chill down their spine and draws them to look back at the abomination. Within the swirling winds of the elemental, a dark red orb materializes and as it glowed itself into existence the dark elemental dissipates. The glow soon dissipated with the orb, revealing a robed figure wearing an alabaster white death mask painted with two red eyes, crowned by a striped headcloth of black and red with a red cobra where the elemental was standing. The height of the figure is utterly imposing and immediately the Big Macintosh and the Janissary knew that this being is malice incarnate. Its oppressive aura fills the hearts of all the living beings within its presence.
Always with the cold shoulders. I guess I am not welcomed at all..and I took the trouble of appearing before everyone in person.
The figure gave a fake sob as it tilts its head sideways, further chilling the spine of everyone beyond mortal comprehension. Fatimah took the presence of the eldritch being the worst and immediately falls upon her legs and her eyes are filled with a mix of fear and realization of what is before her. Realizing the little filly's presence, the being laughed hysterically.
Ah, the little foal from that fateful night...oh, how time flies when you let it go. And look what we have here... The being turned its attention to the Emir and his guardians. All of them reacted defensively against the creature's advances. Emir Asar looked at the figure with great disgust and apprehension.
"Setesh."
+Ah a name I has't not hath heard in an age. It hath been a while Asar... At forsooth that thy three motley-minded squires has't all hath changed since the last time we hath met.+
"+Quiet thy fiend, thou has't no lodging among us nor those with a soul!+" Emir Asar spat back at the abomination.
+Is thither no hospitality in thy heart?+ The being jested.
A lightning bolt soon darts towards its face, but all it did is a slight tilt of its head to avoid the lightning bolt. Djehuty, the source of the lightning bolt is visibly surprised by its unnatural reflexes. Suddenly a dark red bolt, with a jet black core hits the sorcerer square in the chest and throws him into the rubble. Big Macintosh notices that the being is pointing at the direction of the sorcerer with smoking fingers.As it fans away the smoke from its fingertips, it turned its attention towards where the sorcerer was flung.
+Didst not thy mother toldeth thee that tis rude to interrupt someone at which hour those gents art speaking to another?+
The voice of the being is that of a person mildly annoyed by a slight interruption, before changing tones once more to its affably evil tone. As it went on conversing, Big Macintosh knew that this being is far too powerful to be trifled with, and for the time they will need to figure out how they can defeat the being.
Do not waste your time, you are visibly weakened from the trials. We will buy you the time that you need.
Big Macintosh hears the voice of Anput within his mind, but before he can protest, the Swords of Asar along with their master have spring into action against the elemental. The bronze colossus rams into the dark being, but was stopped halfway by the being's extended arm. The storm-like being lifts the colossus and throws it back to the other assailants. Anput dodges the hawk-like golem with an unnatural grace and throws out several discs from nowhere and it all hit the being with a loud explosion. As soon as the smoke clears away, the purple sorcerer throw several lightning bolts at the being, causing the storm-being to momentarily lose its form before it recomposed itself. It was then that the apparition of Asar brandishes an apparition of a blade and sliced the being at its ankle. The storm-being buckled a little before several more lightning balls and explosive discs slams into the being. As the battlezone is engulfed in smoke and dust, Big Macintosh wasted no time and barked to Vinyl knowing well that every moment is precious for their next course of action.
"Vinyl, check on Zephyr!"
"On it Big Red!" Vinyl immediately makes a very sharp whistle, and another sharp whistle replied. The elemental rises from the rubble, and all the dust surrounding the ruins allows Big Macintosh to see the outlines of the elemental clearly. However the red stallion realized that the figure's outline is not consistent, and it is a tell-tale sign that the elemental is weakened by its struggle.
"Can it get us out of this place ?!?" Big Macintosh asked. Vinyl whistled back at the elemental, and thought the reply is weak Vinyl is able to understand the meaning of the whistle.
"It sounds like a yes to me." Big Macintosh heard Vinyl's reply, and have to decide if the group will have to take their chance. The decision, fortunately is a short one.
"Good, 'cause that thing ain't gonna wait for us! Let's move!"
As Amanar, Vinyl, Redheart, Fatimah and Big Macintosh looked at each other, they nodded knowing full well what they need to do. They immediately galloped towards Zephyr's direction. However all it did is to turn the attention of the abomination towards the sprinting group and several red lightning bolts rained in front of them and sundering the ground below them to dust. As the dark red electricity coursed through the crater where the red bolts landed, a chillingly cold sight could be heard.
Stopped in their tracks, Big Macintosh and the others turned around and amidst the dust blowing at them, the red painted eyes of the abomination's mask appears to be glowing and its pointing finger is how engulfed in ghostly crimson. The figure spoke to them in a rather fatigued and slightly annoyed voice which has all the bearings of a regal and overwhelmingly ruthless tyrant.
Why do you still run where there is nothing more that you could do? Return to me, I will allow you the gift of seeing my rebirth before you die.