//------------------------------// // Chapter 1: Djinn // Story: The Villain: Darkness Unbound // by Gear Spring //------------------------------// “Okay, just move it a little to the left.” Mayor Mare motions her hoof in the same direction as two construction ponies struggle under the weight of a large sign. Sweat drips from underneath their yellow hard hats while their knees quiver. They look back to the mayor for guidance, but now her hooves are motioning backwards. Stepping carefully, the pair follow her request and move back a few steps. When Mayor Mare nods in approval, they drop the heavy wooden sign. The pillars pierce the earth from the sheer weight of it. Both let out a sigh of relief, wiping the sweat from their manes. “Excellent work gentle-ponies,” she thanks them. “Now, I believe that Sugar Cube Corner is in need of some assistance.” “We’re on it, mayor,” one of them says, as the pair trot off. Mayor Mare looks at the clipboard she holds in her hoof, then turns her attention to the town. Ponyville had been rebuilt much larger than three years prior. Many of the little shops have grown into structures that could once rival the palace of Princess Twilight Sparkle. Such flimsy households of the past are replaced by strong buildings made of stone and wood. The dreary gray of the rock most houses are made of are vibrant in paints. In the distance a great tree seems to have sprouted from the earth, but it is no mere marvel of nature. The great oak is in actuality the new palace of the Empress of Friendship. While standing dauntingly over the town, it manages to blend in harmony with the forest that has magically sprouted around it. “How are the preparations coming, mayor?” Mayor Mare turns to see Twilight Sparkle happily trotting up to her. “Y-Your highness,” the mayor stammers, bowing her head. Twilight rolls her eyes, “Please, mayor, there is no need for such formalities.” “But, but you are the empress,” the mayor does not lift her head. “That is only an empty title,” Twilight puts a hoof under the mayor’s chin to make her look up. “I am just regular Twilight Sparkle.” When the mayor looks, she sees that it is true. Twilight Sparkle looks like the young alicorn she had been for many years. Of course, this was only a façade, as the great power of the elements had warped her body into something else. The mayor is a shade of red as she pulls herself back onto all four hooves, “If you insist, Twilight Sparkle. As for the preparations, everything is on schedule.” “Excellent,” Twilight says with a smile. “I want to make the dragon dignitaries as welcomed as possible.” “Yes, I wanted to talk to you on that matter. A great number of the citizens are wary about dragons coming into Ponyville.” “I know that ponies and dragons have not gotten along in the past,” Twilight speaks with a sorrowful look. “However, Dragon Lord Ember has requested an audience with me.” “Yes, I know,” the mayor looks wary. “But…” “Twilight!” Apple Jack rushes toward her friend, interrupting the mayor. The bucking pony digs her hooves into the dirt to skid to a stop. Sweat is drenched on her face, mixed with the panic in her eyes. “Apple Jack, what’s wrong?” Twilight asks. “You have to come with me,” she answers. “Better you see it for yourself.” The two ponies race off to the part of town that is near Sweet Apple Acres. Other ponies have gathered around a strange pit that has materialize in the middle of town. Twilight and Apple Jack stop at the edge, looking down into the hole. A strange black substance bubbles like tar. It ripples, sloshing against the sides of the ground. “When did this appear?” Twilight asks. “About a minute ago,” Apple Jack explains, “Tarnation, I think it got bigger.” “Whatever it may be, I doubt it is good,” Twilight answers. She looks around at the rest of the citizens of Ponyville, “Listen, every pony, I would advise to go to another part of town, for your own safety.” Ponies look at one another, but do not leave. Suddenly, the ground starts to rumble, which really gets a number of them fleeing from the scene. Twilight turns to the pool of black sludge as it bubbles as if being boiled. The quaking get fiercer, as the black ooze shoots straight for the sky. Spiraling out of the pit is a large creature. A blackened tail of smoke wisps about as the creature floats off the ground. Four arms sprout from its broad chest. From its round head, two red eyes glow off its featureless face. “What in the name of Celestia is that?” Apple Jack gasps. The creature looks down at her and Twilight, only to laugh. “Who are you?” Twilight demands, stamping her hoof. Teeth and fangs appear on the featureless face as he smiles, “My name is Djinn. I will be new ruler of this land.” “Not if I have anything to say about it,” Twilight scowls. Djinn throws back his head and gives a hardy laugh, “Pitiful ponies are weak. No pony can defeat me.” “Apple Jack,” Twilight Sparkle speaks with a coldness to her words. A thin veil of light emanates from her body as magic swirls about her. “I need you to leave.” Without a word, the earth pony hightails it out of the area. The magic around Twilight Sparkle grows as her body also changes shape. She becomes taller, her hair is draped in an unending current, flowing majestically as it is peppered with stardust. Her wings are aglow in a wash of colors. Djinn puts his hands together, creating twin balls of what appear to be black energy. A smile greets his face as he hurls the magic at Twilight. The empress bats them away with a magical barrier. The balls of energy pass by a roof of a nearby house, and seems to pull at the roof tiles before harmlessly flying off into the sky. The fiendish creature folds his arms close to his chest, and then starts to spin about. His whirling body creates a vortex that pulls at Twilight, but the empress stands her ground. He seems to spin faster before launching upwards, arcing, and coming down on Twilight like a spiraling drill. Twilight throws up yet another barrier, but it shatters by the rotating horns digging into it. Just before it hits, the empress leaps out of the way, allowing for Djinn’s head to burrow into the dirt. He pulls his head out, “Pony is stronger than she appears. I am surprised.” “Enough of this,” Empress Twilight Sparkle shouts, “I’m putting an end to this, Djinn.” Crushing her front hooves against the ground, Twilight Sparkle begins to shine brightly in a rainbow of magical energy. From her body, gems begin to materialize. They take the shape of the six Elements of Harmony, which floating about her. As they spiral, beams of light shoot from the elements and converge at the tip of her horn. Djinn appears to wave his hands as if to conjure a spell of his own, but stops when he sees the elements appear. He merely gawks at the sight of them. “You,” he speaks slowly, “You have the Elements of Harmony?” “Yes!” Twilight shouts as a beam of rainbow shoots from her horn. As it flies at him, the fiendish Djinn smiles, “Excellent…” His hands meet the beam, and catches the magical attack. The force alone pushes him back a few feet, but he manages to hold himself through the air. It requires all four of his hands to keep the magical attack from reaching him, but even he struggles to hold it back. A smile reaches his face as he opens his maw. Flames spiral like a small sun just inches from his mouth. It builds to the size of his own head. Letting go of the beam, he counterattacks with his own magic. Twilight Sparkle’s rainbow attack hits the fiery ball and explodes. A pillar of smoke rises as dust sprawls about the town. When it settles, Twilight is ready for another attack, but Djinn is nowhere to be found. Reverting to her smaller self, she scowls, “Just who, or what, was that?” *** In the dangerous mountains to the south, a rift in space is thrown open as Djinn tears back into reality. Smoke sizzles from his hands, as his claws seem to have dissolved. He appears weary, but he throws his head back and laughs. “The seal is gone,” he shouts triumphantly through the endless canyon. “The seal is gone!”