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// Ch. 24 Heart Attack (Part 1) 
// Story: Strange Yet Wonderful 
// by Bionic Slime 
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Chapter 24: Heart Attack (Part 1)




2 weeks.

It had been 2 weeks since Rarity severed any romantic inklings or ties to Spike the dragon. This inevitably came to the attention of the other 5 ponies. Each one handled the news differently, but all experienced the same, suffocating awkwardness that came to pass. While Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie and Rarity continued to socialize with one another, Spike naturally avoided their company when Rarity was present. The young dragon became more and more reclusive; shutting out everyone around him and avoiding interaction as much as possible…even with Twilight. The princess of friendship barely spoke to Rarity when the girls got together. They hated seeing two of their friends at odds like this, but then again, they knew all too well this was not a matter that was going to settle painlessly.

It didn’t help that Hearts and Hooves day was just around the corner; a day Spike and Rarity both used to look forward to. Now, it only feels like a black spot on their hearts.

Celestia’s sun shined beautifully in the sky. Clouds casually passed across the golden star; offering glimpses of shadows amongst red and pink colored decorations. Since so many new ponies had moved to Ponyville, Hearts and Hooves day had become a much bigger, more celebrated holiday that captured the attention and investment of more ponies than ever before. Everywhere you looked, banners with pink and red hearts could be found. Ponies were selling heart shaped boxes of chocolates and the flower mares always made a killing with bouquet sales this time of year.

Pinkie Pie was scurrying across town in a pink blur; bouncing on her tail like a pogo stick. The party mare blasted lamp posts and mail boxes with decorations from her party cannon. “That’s right! You get streamers, and YOU get streamers,” she shouted; showering ponies passing by with colorful streams and heart shaped confetti. “And you get a balloon, and you get confetti, and you guys too and you get-HEY FLUTTERSHY!” she squealed enthusiastically.

The shy Pegasus smiled sweetly at her cheerful friend. “Oh hello there Pinkie, how are the Hearts and Hooves day decorations coming along?” she asked; shuffling bags of groceries in her hooves.

“Just great thanks! I’m just about done here. All I gotta do is deliver an order from Sugarcube corner, then I get to go to Cranky and Matilda’s and eat all the cake that’s stuffed in their chimney,” Pinkie beamed brightly.

“Oh…I see…that does seem like an odd place to put cake” she mused.

“Weeeeeeeeell I couldn’t put the mega-super-jumbo-chocolate-coconut cake I made for them in their mailbox now could I?” Fluttershy blinked in confused silence. The animal loving pony didn’t know how to begin processing Pinkie’s rationale. “Putting it down the chimney was the next logical step, silly,” Pinkie teased.

“Couldn’t you just have delivered it to them in a box on their front porch?”

“Not if I wanted it to be a surprise, and oh boy, were they surprised. They were so surprised, they were speechless.”

Pinkie’s curious eyes searched the contents of the large grocery bags Fluttershy was carrying. Most of the items were basic cake ingredients, but she also heard something clanking and crackling inside; like shifting glass shards.

“So, what’s with all the stuff Fluttershy,” the yellow Pegasus tried to answer but Pinkie quickly cut her off, “you making something special for your some pony special?” Pinkie nudged her friend’s side. The pink mare’s eyebrows rose suggestively. “Huh, huh, say no more, say no more, nudge-fudge, wink-sink?”

Fluttershy blushed furiously. She tried to hide her rosy red cheeks behind her oversized bags, meeping sheepishly. “Gg-g-g-goodness no, I d-d-d-d-don’t have anyone special in my life right now,” she whimpered wistfully, “though that would be nice…if no pony minds that is.” The gentle Pegasus tilted the bags down and revealed there were multiple gemstones amongst the cake supplies. “I decided to bake Spike a jewel cake to try and cheer him up. The poor little guy, he’s been so crushed since Rarity…oh…well um…y-y-you know.”

Pinkie’s bouncy mane deflated slightly. She nodded; sighing with a twinge of sadness. The Earth pony knew all too well how miserable Spike had been feeling. She tried to cheer him up for days; working as hard as she did when she welcomed Cranky to Ponyville for the first time. Unfortunately, Spike refused to smile once. Nothing she did helped the heartbroken dragon. Pinkie felt like she failed as a friend and as a party pony, she wished she could do more but didn’t know what more she could do.

“Hey, why not stop by Sugar cube corner after I’m done setting everything up? I’ll help you with the gem cake. It’s the least I can do for Spike since nothing else I came up with worked,” Pinkie kindly offered.

“Sure Pinkie, that’d be great. Oh um, by the way, w-w-what about your special plans with your special some pony?” Fluttershy asked; quickly trying to keep the cheerful pony’s spirits up. “Is he able to make it?”

“Oh! You mean my main squeeze; Cheese? Absolutely! He’s coming to Ponyville to help DJ the Hearts and Hooves dance tomorrow night. Plus, he’s got some great new party tricks to show me and I can’t WAIT to do the Mango dance with him,” she replied with a giddy giggle.

“Um isn’t that actually called the Tango?”

“Not the way we dance it!”

Before Fluttershy could ask Pinkie for further clarification on her strange new couples dance, a second Pegasus approached the chatting ponies. It was Rainbow Dash. The colorful mare slowed her flapping wings so she could land next to her friends. She was out of breath, sweating profusely. Pinkie and Fluttershy noticed she was wearing the cheerleader outfit she wore when she danced for Arrowhead.

“Hey guys, have any of you seen Arrowhead? It’s really, really, REALLY important I talk to him,” she wheezed breathlessly.

“Sorry Dashie, but we haven’t seen him,” Fluttershy said regretfully.

“I think Applejack said she saw him,” Pinkie mused; scratching her chin with her hoof.

Rainbow quickly thanked her Earth pony friend and zoomed off in search of her other Earth pony friend. Fluttershy looked down at the ground. The sweet mare was dismally depressed; sighing heavily.

“I hate to sound greedy but, sometimes, I feel so jealous all of my friends have someone special in their lives. Even Rarity and Rainbow managed to find guys that they liked…despite how things turned out for them. I really want them all to be happy together, really I do; but it would be nice if I could have something like that. Sigh looks like it’s another lonely Hearts and Hooves Day for me.”

Rainbow felt like she was going around in circles. First, she spent hours searching for Arrowhead, and now she was searching for Applejack just so she can go back to finding Arrowhead. She knew he was avoiding her like the plague…and she also knew she had given him every reason to keep his distance.

“No one wants to spend Hearts and Hooves day with a horrible, awful pony like me,” Rainbow groaned miserably. She hung her head and let her colorful locks flap between her eyes. “I’ve just got to make it up to him, I’ve just got to. I don’t care what it takes!”

After a few minutes of sky searching, Rainbow successfully spotted Applejack in the market place. She was speaking to a light blue male Earth pony about buying ingredients to make homemade chocolate candy. Two large baskets rested on each of AJ’s sides.

“Yo AJ, I need your help and like super-super-fast,” Rainbow shouted impatiently. Applejack looked up; halting her conversation with the grocer pony and turning towards Rainbow. The cyan Pegasus dashed down to meet her, her dark blue skirt flapping from the winds. “Pinkie said you saw Arrowhead last. I need you to tell me where you saw him so I can go talk to him and fix this mega mess I made, it’s really important I settle this before Hearts and Hooves day,” she said insistently.

Applejack had a gruff, indifferent look to her cyan friend. She tilted her hat over her eyes and turned her head to the side. “Ah wish Ah could help Rainbow, Ah really do but frankly,” she leaned against the stand; crossing her fore hooves, “Ahm not so sure that’s such a good idea.” Normally AJ would never greet her friend with such a lukewarm response, but this situation had rubbed Applejack the wrong way. Rainbow’s jaw nearly dropped. “Ah wreckon you’ve done wrecked enuff of that pony’s life and Ah think anythin’ you do now is only gonna make it worse,” she said bluntly.

“WHAT?” she shouted indignantly. Applejack winced at the shrieking; rubbing her ears. “I’m trying to do right by Arrowhead, not cause him more pain. This is totally not fair AJ! No pony stopped you when you were trying to patch things up with your boyfriend,” Rainbow fiercely argued.

“And Ah was plum lucky Hopeful took me back, but none of that would have happened without lettin time pass between us first,” the southern mare countered. “If Ah had gone right up to him after our spat, he would’ve turned me away and ignored everythin Ah had to say,” she said.

Rainbow frowned bitterly. She was racked with frustration. Every fiber and bone in her Pegasus body told her she had to fix this right now, but deep down, she knew Applejack was probably right. Unfortunately, patience was never one of Rainbow’s strongest traits.

“It’s like churnin’ butter: ya gotta give it time until everything is smoothed out nice and soft. Tastin it before its done is just gonna give ya a tummy ache.”

“But I hurt him REALLY bad and the longer I wait; the farther he’s going to slip away from me. I know I was a total monster to him,” Rainbow confessed. The speedy mare’s eyes sparkled with heart crushing sorrow. “I hate feeling like this, but more importantly, I hate seeing him like this; knowing I caused so much pain to someone I care about. Hearts and Hooves day is only going to hurt him more; just another nasty reminder that he’s alone…and it’s all because of me,” she said mournfully.

“Ah…Ah don’t know…this still seems awfully fast if ya ask me.”

Rainbow leaned closer to her friend, placing her hoof on AJ’s shoulder.

The southern mare almost couldn’t take her friend seriously in that ridiculous cheerleader costume. She never thought she’d see her wear that thing again. But then she saw Rainbow’s eyes, those wounded, pain soaked eyes that trembled with misery. Rainbow was the toughest mare she knew, but now she looked so fragile and hurt; like she could break to pieces at any second.

“Ya know this won’t be easy, right? This is gonna be the hardest thing you’ve ever done, and no offense partner, but Ah don’t rightly blame Arrowhead for makin things this tuff neither,” AJ confessed.

“I know and believe it or not, I totally agree,” Rainbow nodded; smiling weakly. She removed her hoof from AJ. “I deserve everything that’s coming my way. Arrowhead deserves better, he deserves true happiness and I’m going to give it to him,” Rainbow proudly asserted, “I’m going to love him the way he loved me…it’s what I should have done in the beginning. This isn’t about my pride or ego; I don’t care how bad I look from all of this…I just want him to accept my apology and maybe, just maybe…if he lets me in…I can love him right this time.”

Applejack smiled warmly. Those were the right words she was hoping to hear from her friend. “Now that’s more like it partner,” the blond mare said approvingly.

The Earth pony pointed Rainbow in the right direction; detailing where she last saw Arrowhead. Rainbow eagerly thanked her and blasted off at mach speeds to find the grey colt of her desires. Applejack returned to her shopping. She approached a fruit and vegetable stand; run by a chubby mustard colored Earth pony wearing a pale blue chef’s hat.

“Something I can help you with miss?”

“Ah certainly hope so. Ah need a little bit of everythin’, only the freshest goods ya got. Ahm plannin’ a mighty special supper for my man and Ah want to give him the finest Apple family cookin’ this side of Equestria,” she replied.

Though Hearts and Hooves day wasn’t until tomorrow, Applejack knew that she’d need every minute to prepare all the cooking she had planned. A warm smile painted her face as she shuffled the various groceries into her baskets.

“Ah always loved cookin’ for others, but somethin’ bout cookin’ for Hopeful just makes it feel extra special, heh. Ah can’t wait for old Sugar to see this spread, mah man’s gonna be in hog heaven! Ah ain’t as good with all them fancy words like he is so Ah figure doin’ what Ah know best will be the perfect way to say Ah love em,” she thought to herself.

“OW! OW! OW!”

Applejack’s serene dinner day dreams were interrupted by a series of familiar sounding grunts. She turned towards the source of the pony making them.

“What in tar nation…Rarity…is that you?” she asked; slightly alarmed. Her glimmering emerald eyes almost couldn’t believe what she saw.

Rarity looked like she got run over by a buffalo stampede. Her hair was wildly twisted; matted and mangled into a disastrous mess. Her eyes were swollen from crying with dried running mascara marks striping down her cheeks. Rarity’s tail dragged limply on the ground; it was knotted up and frayed. Rarity’s movements were slow and sluggish. Her back was arched higher than normal, as if it was causing her tremendous amounts of pain with every step she took.

“This is nuts! Rarity looks more haggard than a yeti belly flopping into a mud pie. She’d NEVER step one hoof out of her home lookin’ like that, and what’s with the hunchback stance?”

After several more excruciatingly painful steps, Rarity finally hobbled over to Applejack. She quickly paid the vendor for the ingredients and turned back to her frazzled friend.

“So glad I OW bumped into you Applejack, I was OW hoping I could have a word OW with some pony,” Rarity said shakily. Her body was visibly racked with pain. The fashionista looked fearful of moving or doing anything that would cause the pain in her back to worsen. “I tried talking to Rainbow first but OW she-she was moving too fast to be stopped,” Rarity winced and motioned to her back “and I’m clearly in no shape to chase her down.”

“Yeah…about that…mind tellin’ me what the heck happened to ya? Ya’ll look like some pony ran you over with a burnin’ stage coach,” she bluntly exclaimed.

“I’m afraid ever since the incident with Spikey Wi-uh I mean Spike, I just haven’t been myself,” Rarity woefully explained. “Lately I can’t do anything right. My muse has abandoned me! All of my orders are suffering from such poor quality that my clients have sent them back for re-stitching or cancelled them outright. I haven’t been sleeping right, I’m eating my own weight in ice cream, I haven’t been able to stop crying so my mascara is constantly running, and no matter how many times I visit the spa; my hair still looks like THIS!”

Applejack flinched. Rarity dramatically flashed her scrambled locks to the Earth pony; forcing her to get an eye full. She laughed nervously and tried looking elsewhere.

“Gee Rares, Ah had no idea things were that rough for ya,” Applejack said. Rarity nodded; sniffling loudly. She lifted her head back to AJ’s eye level. Another searing spark of pain surged in Rarity’s spine, she whimpered miserably. “And the searin’ back pain?”

“Oh that, well it turns out carrying such large bags of gems all on my own didn’t do my spine any favors. OW! I forgot how often Spike helped me with hauling gems…apparently I didn’t realize how much he helped me around the boutique as well. It’s like I don’t know how to work without his assistance anymore,” she mused drearily.

The blond mare felt even more awkward than before. None of Rarity’s friends had spoken much about the “Spike issue” since it happened. They figured this was her business and they had no right to offer any opinions on the matter, despite how much it pained them to see what Rarity and Spike are going through.

“So…uh…what was it ya’ll wanted to talk about?” the southern mare asked; nervously. She wanted nothing more than to change subjects and avoid discussing the “incident” any further.

“I was hoping you could….if it’s not too trouble…perhaps….possibly,” she fumbled with her hooves nervously, “you could tell me…how is Spike doing these days…if-if you happen know that is of course.”

“Why don’t you just ask me?” a cold voice hissed.

Rarity and Applejack’s heads darted towards the intrusive voice. Like a jagged scar from the past, Twilight stepped forward from around the corner. Her eyes were scathing; full of bitterness and icy indifference. Applejack gulped nervously and faintly tried to hide behind her Stetson. Rarity never thought she would look at her friend and feel such crippling dread; it paralyzed her from horn to hoof.

“Twilight…darling…I uh didn’t know you were here,” Rarity squeaked nervously.

Twilight stared blankly at the quivering unicorn. Her face was devoid of emotion or sympathy.

“A-a-a-actually, Ah asked her to meet up with me here to get some cook books Ah need for makin’ Hopeful’s special dinner. In fact, w-w-w-why don’t Ah just get started on that right now?!?” Applejack babbled anxiously. She grabbed the books from Twilight and bolted back to Sweet Apple Acres before this tense scene got any more intense. This was one problem she couldn’t help her friends with.

Eerie silence drifted between the two wayward ponies. Twilight’s expression remained as silent and shallow as a grave; no trace of a smile anywhere on her scowling lips. Rarity knew running into Twilight was a possibility; the princess wasn’t avoiding Rarity like Spike was. She had no qualms about making things as uncomfortable for Rarity as possible.

“Twilight, I know you’re angry at me; reasonably so too. But I just-just wanted to let you know I didn’t want to ask Applejack or any pony else behind your back about Spike. I just knew you wouldn’t speak to me if I asked,” she said.

Twilight stared flatly at the unicorn; still no hint of emotion or reaction visible on her stone cold face.

“T-t-t-t-this wasn’t an easy decision for me, you know? I wracked my brain out trying to decide what was best for me and best for Spike. I thought of every possible scenario of how it could work, I tried my best…but in the end it turned disastrous all the same. I didn’t want it to turn out the way it did.”

Again, Twilight remained silent.

“For Celestia’s sake Twilight, will you please say SOMETHING?!? I’m in pain too you know? This hasn’t been wine and roses for me! W-w-would it make you happy to know that I haven’t been able to sleep peacefully for 2 weeks straight, would it?!?” Rarity shrieked. Her body rattled with anxiety, she felt like her flesh was crawling from that penetrating stare of Twilight’s. The silence was maddening and it was driving the fashionista to the deepest, darkest depths of madness herself.

Rarity groaned in frustration. She walked past Twilight and proceeded to head home; too enraged to even bother purchasing another ineffective spa treatment.

“You haven’t been able to sleep, seriously? Did you honestly just say that?” Twilight mercilessly asked.

Rarity’s hoof steps stopped suddenly. She turned around, slightly perturbed by Twilight’s morose tone. Rarity blinked curiously at Twilight. The Alicorn princess slowly turned around and faced Rarity with, quite possibly, an even more deathly glare from her violet eyes. All the warmth and cheerful inquisitiveness in Twilight’s usual voice was gone, empty. She stood and spoke as if her loving heart had been savagely corroded into a bankrupt shell; a pain soaked shadow of its former warmth and wealth.

“If you had even an inkling, a single, solitary inkling of what you did to Spike; you’d have thought twice before telling me how bad you’ve been having it,” Twilight snapped.

The fashionista found herself tongue tied. She didn’t know how to respond, Twilight’s furious display had sapped her will to speak. Rarity’s lips fumbled trying to compose a proper rebuttal but Twilight refused to let up.

“I stayed up that night you two had your talk. I told him that no matter what the outcome was, I would be there for him. And you know what he said to me when got home?” she sharply asked.

Rarity slowly shook her head.

“Nothing…he said absolutely nothing! Spike hasn’t said a single word about what happened between you two, for 2 weeks I have been left in the dark about what you said to him. Truth is, I don’t need to know, that look on his face was all I needed see,” Twilight hissed.

“Twilight, please, there’s more going on than you know. I was trying to-”

“NO! I don’t need to hear what you said to break him, because that’s what you did Rarity: You. Broke. Him! He barely says two words at home. He just eats, does his chores and then sleeps. He doesn’t go out, he doesn’t laugh or smile,” Twilight whimpered. The more she spoke, the more distraught her voice became. Tears welled up in her glimmering, violet eyes. “It’s like everything good in him died, I-I don’t even recognize him anymore! He’s an empty shell, an unfeeling shadow that is just there…he…he won’t even talk to me anymore.”

Now Rarity’s eyes were drowning in sorrowful tears. Her heart ached with agony. It felt like her very soul was drowning in a river of sadness. Rarity didn’t think she could feel any worse, how easily Twilight had proven her wrong.

“There was no way this was going to end without someone getting hurt. I knew he’d be in pain, I knew it would feel like he could never come back from this, but I…I had to do this. I’m sorry for what I said Twilight…but I’m not sorry for what I did,” Rarity said solemnly.

“Don’t you DARE try and tell me that! You only made it easy for yourself, not easy for him or for me,” Twilight shouted back.

“No offense Twilight, but my relationship with Spike is none of your business!”

“Of course it is; I’m his MOTHER! HIS LIFE IS MY BUSINESS! How can you just-” Twilight stopped herself before going any further. She rubbed her hoof between her eyes. The princess took a deep breath, sighed and looked back at her unicorn friend. “Your right, what you and Spike do or don’t do is none of my business. But what you do to Spike is my business. I may not be his biological mom but I raised him, educated him and treated him as if he were my own child. Not every pony will see it this way but for all intents and purposes, Spike IS my son and as his mother I have every right to try and keep him from harm. And when he mentioned wanting to be in a relationship with you, that’s all I ever wanted from you as my friend; to keep from hurting him…and you couldn’t even do that.”

“Have you looked at me lately?” Rarity blurted out. She gestured to her mangled mane and aching body. “Spike’s heart isn’t the only one with wear and tear here. I can’t tell you what this has done to me, how this has affected everything I do and everything I am. I’m hurting Twilight, I’m hurting just like Spike is and it’s tearing me apart.”

“Then why did you do it, Rarity? Why did you crush his heart like that?”

“I was just trying to save off a worse pain from coming. Let-let’s say I do love him, what’s more, let’s say we became a couple…what good would that love be if it would always be surrounded by judgment and scorn? What kind of happiness is that?” Rarity asked, her voice cracking with raw emotion.

“I guess we’ll never know,” she sighed bitterly, “because while Spike tried his hardest to show you love; you never even tried to love him.”

Rarity’s fur turned ghostly white; even paler than her usual color. Twilight’s words erupted in Rarity’s mind like land mines. She felt so certain of her position and yet completely unsure and lost at the same time. Rarity wanted to prove Twilight was wrong, she wanted her to see that she made this difficult choice because of how much she cared for Spike. But every time she opened her mouth, no sound came out. Twilight’s words felt like the final stitch across her lips.

The Alicorn princess silently stepped past the voiceless fashionista. All this talk of her adopted son had made her concerned for his well-being. She wished to head back home to check up on him.

“Twilight, wait!”

The purple mare stopped in her tracks.

“Does this…does this mean that we’re not…are we still…friends?” she asked timidly.

“Rarity, you will always be one my closest and most dearest friends. Ours is a friendship that I don’t think will ever tarnish or fade away,” Twilight replied. A brief moment of happiness sparkled on Rarity’s sullen face. “However,” the princess turned to look back at Rarity; specks of tears shimmered from her stern eyes, “for the time being, I don’t think we should see each other for a while.”

As much as it pained the fashionista to hear that from one of her best friends, she understood and reluctantly agreed. Twilight continued on her way home. Rarity sighed miserably and was left with nothing but the dreary silence of her tormenting thoughts.

Meanwhile, Rainbow had succeeded in locating Arrowhead.

The beefy colt was carrying his mail in his teeth; grumbling “can’t believe she can never get my mail right” under his breath. Arrowhead had been seen with a familiar snarl ever since Rainbow ended things with him. Few ponies saw him socializing with anyone outside of Hopeful, some even looked at him with mild signs of fear; afraid his temper would erupt at any moment.

Rainbow Dash, without the slightest bit of hesitation; zoomed down in front of the white haired colt and plopped her rump on the ground. An audible groan emanated from Arrowhead. The sight of that accursed cheerleader outfit was almost as infuriating to him as the pony who was wearing it.

“H-h-h-hi there handsome, long time no see,” she said; smiling apprehensively.

“Whatever you got to say, I don’t care and I don’t wanna hear it so will you just scram? I’ve got things to do,” he curtly replied.

“You’re still mad huh? That’s cool, I expected as much. If you want you can totally say whatever nasty thing you want to me…it’s not like I don’t deserve it,” Rainbow moaned shamefully. She hung her head, closing her eyes and preparing herself for whatever verbal jab may come. “I know it doesn’t mean much but…I’m still sorry…and…and I still really, really miss you; like a lot.”

“Your right, your apology DOESN’T mean much. In fact, it doesn’t mean a damn thing so now that we’ve gone over the obvious; are you done here?”

Rainbow looked up and shook her head. Her gaze was strong, rigid as steel, but also empathic and loving. It was the same look she had when she planted herself in front of Arrow’s front door and wouldn’t budge until he accepted her apology.

“Were not done big guy, not by a long shot; you hear me? I’m through making the same mistake again. My pride, my ego, none of that junk is worth all the Wonderbolt medals in the world if I don’t have someone as amazingly awesome as you to share it with,” Rainbow declared.

Arrowhead scoffed at her boldness. His eyes told her every negative thought he was thinking: that she was lying again, blowing smoke up his flank; just another sad stunt to trick him into being with her again so she can hurt him again.

“I know you think this is all a big pile of pony feathers but it’s not! I don’t care how long it takes, or what I have to do. I’ll sit in front of your house until my hair turns grey and I’m racing ponies in a nursing home in a wheel chair if I have to. Mark my words, I WILL make this right between us and you will see what I should have seen all along…you’re the only one for me.”

“Pretty speech; tell me, did you practice that in front of the mirror? Did you have one of your Wonderbolt uniforms on or holding one of your trophies when you did it? Would have made the lie all the prettier, because that’s all these are Rainbow: pretty lies. We’re done here,” he said mockingly.

Arrowhead moved around Rainbow and headed towards his house. Unwilling to give him up without a fight, Rainbow cried out and leapt onto the ground; clutching one of his hind legs. He grunted angrily at her desperate act. The Earth pony started shaking his leg vigorously, Rainbow held on as tightly as possible; refusing to let go.

“Are you out of your rainbow plastered mind?!? Let go of me right freaking now,” he barked impatiently.

“NO, I WON’T! I was too stupid to let you slip out of my hooves before. I’m not making that mistake again. Unless you got a crowbar handy, I’m not letting go until you talk to me,” Rainbow shouted defiantly.

“What do you think you’re doing? You’re making a scene. All of Ponyville is looking at you in that embarrassing cheerleader outfit,” he said; sounding angrier as he struggled against her vice like grip. “You’re gonna be a laughing stock!”

“I don’t care! Every pony in Equestria can flush my reputation down the toilet for all I care, I’m not losing you again,” she pleaded; still clinging to his leg. Arrowhead started walking again; dragging Rainbow across the ground.

“Don’t you get it Rainbow? You already lost me,” he murmured gloomily.

Finally slipping his leg through her hooves, Arrowhead stormed off leaving Rainbow alone in the dirt. He never looked back. Rainbow sat miserably on the ground, her cheerleader costume covered in dirt; her skirt torn in a few areas along with the bow behind her rainbow locks. She stared longingly at the ghost that was once her boyfriend. He had vanished from view; only the silent wind and the howling pain of his rejection could be seen.

“Okay Rainbow…this sucks…this sucks really big time but you know what? I’m not giving up. I’m not quitting on you big guy. Not every pony in the world is worth this kind of aggravation…my friends are though…and so are you, and that’s why I’m not leaving you alone. No colt that awesome deserves to be alone,” Rainbow said firmly.



“Spike, Spike? I’m home,” Twilight called out; stepping into her home. Her eyes looked up the stairs towards the bedrooms. “Are you feeling any better Spike? Do you want me to whip up some gems, or-or we could take a trip to your favorite comic shop if you like?”

No answer came from their room.

Twilight didn’t know what to do anymore. She tried everything to cheer Spike up, trying to get him involved in something so Rarity wasn’t always on his mind. He spent the last couple nights eating alone in his room; refusing to talk to Twilight. Each day the young princess grew more and more worried for her assistant.

“Come on Spike, I’ve let this go on long enough. We need to talk. I know Rarity hurt you, I know it was devastating but I can’t take you shutting me out like this…not anymore,” she said.

Again, Spike remained eerily silent.

It was at this time that Twilight realized that she couldn’t hear anything coming from their room. No snoring, no yawning, no footsteps; nothing. Her voice became dry and shallow. She panicked and teleported into the bedroom.

“Spike?” she whispered softly.

Spike was gone, completely vanished. Twilight looked over the entire library for him; checking every closet, looking under every bed and in the basement as well. During her panicked search, Twilight noticed that Spike’s belongings were gone as well.

“Oh my gosh! Where is he, where is he, WHERE IS HE?!?”

The familiar sound of hooting broke Twilight’s panic attack. She found Owlicious, standing on his perch and holding a rolled up scroll in one of his talons. Twilight levitated it front of her face and quickly read it.

“Dear Twi-err Mom

    I’m sorry to have to do this to you and the others but…I need to leave Ponyville…for how long, I don’t know. I know this is all confusing and you’re probably freaking out right about now…

“You bet your scaly butt I am!” she shouted at the letter; as if it could answer her.

“But you know the reason why I have to leave. I can’t live in the same place as her, it’s just too painful. Despite what you’re thinking; I’ve actually thought a lot about this and I’m going to stay with Princess Cadence and Shining Armor. They don’t know about any of this. I know it’s a crummy thing to just drop this on them; guilt them into taking me in and dragging them into this whole mess…but I just can’t do this anymore. It hurts too much. With Hearts and Hooves day coming up; staying here with Rarity would have been unbearable. The Crystal Empire ponies see me as a hero, so I figured that would help cheer me up or something…get my mind off holidays about love.

I’m well aware you’re just going to come up and try and talk me out of this. You could always just force me back with a spell…but…I don’t think you would do that, and we both know I’d keep trying no matter how many times you teleport me back. I don’t know when I’m coming back, or if I even want to; it’s just too much right now. I just want you to know that you’re the best mom I could have asked for. Please tell Applejack, Pinkie, Rainbow, Fluttershy and the Crusaders I’m sorry and I’ll miss them. As for Rarity…just tell her…I hope she finds happiness.”

Love your son, Spike

Twilight’s tears dropped down onto the letter; slightly smudging the ink on the word “son.” She shook her head and quickly regained her focus. She teleported outside and looked around for any sign of Spike; despite the fact she knew he was long gone by now. Twilight flapped her wings into a furious frenzy. She propelled herself into the air and began her search for her scaly son.

Twilight needed to get her friends help as well, including the one pony in their group who would be instrumental in getting Spike back.

“RARITY!”

The princess shrieked that name across the sky; blaring thunderously like a tornado alarm. Several ponies popped out of their homes and windows due to the sudden outburst. Rarity was spotted shopping for hats in the market place; hoping to cover up her untamable mane.

“What in the-Twilight?!?”

Before Rarity knew it, Twilight zoomed down like a purple and blue bullet and tackled her. The mares rolled into blurry blobs before finally skidding to a halt. Twilight was sitting on top of Rarity; wings still flared up.

“Sweet Celestia Twilight, what do you think you’re doing?!? I know you’re still mad at me but that’s no excuse for you to just-”

“Rarity, you’ve got to listen to me. Something horrible is happening and I need your help!”

Rarity opened her mouth to speak but stopped half way. She had a puzzled, pondering look on her face. She wiggled her snow white body under Twilight’s weight.

“Why, there’s no more pain. My back feels just fine now. Twilight darling, I think you just fixed my-”

“SPIKE RAN AWAY!”

Rarity felt like the world stopped moving after she heard those words. Any argument or bad blood between the two ponies became a distant memory placed on the back burner. Twilight assisted her back onto her hooves and quickly explained what happened; showing her the letter Spike wrote.

“This is terrible, absolutely dreadful. What are we going to do? We know where he’s going but we haven’t the faintest idea which means of travel he’s using. He could have left hours ago; taken an early train to the Crystal Empire or via balloon,” she whimpered frantically.

“No, I don’t think so. I saw Spike before I left to give those cookbooks to Applejack, which means he could have only left during the time I left the library. More than likely; he’ll be trying to board a train or fly on out of here as we speak,” Twilight deduced.

“I can check the train station and you can fly to the balloon service and see if they’ve seen Spike,” Rarity proposed.

“Good idea. I’m going to zap over and get the other girls in on this too. One more thing Rarity, I know this is the last thing you want to hear right now but, I have a feeling that you’re going to be the only one who can talk him out of this. He has to know that you still love him,” she pleaded desperately.

“W-w-w-wha…b-b-but I just…how can I…but Spike…I just…I JUST CAN’T! I’m the last pony he wants to see right now. I’ll-I’ll just make things worse. I don’t think I can do this,” she moaned dramatically.

The thought of seeing Spike, having to try to talk him out of this whole running way business was downright terrifying. Rarity felt a wave of nausea crashing over her body. She wanted to help him, truly she did, but if that’s what it was going to take to bring Spike back; she’s not sure she has the heart to do it.

“It’s too much Twilight; I just can’t. If I do this then I’ll be forced to go through those 2 weeks of crying and wallowing in my misery all over again. I can’t relive all that. Things are going to get better…they have to.”

“But your still doing that now, you’re still miserable. You act like this was the difficult choice you had to make, but no matter how much you tell me or yourself, it’s still the wrong choice.”

“How could you possibly know that?”

“Because look at what it’s doing to you! This isn’t going to get better, I see it in Spike and now, I see it in you. The reason you don’t feel better is because, deep down; you know you made the wrong choice. Just give him a chance, or at the very least; give this a chance.”

Rarity blinked in confusion. She didn’t have the foggiest clue what Twilight was referring to.

“I didn’t want to have to do this but we don’t have much time,” Twilight muttered; searching for something she brought along. “I know what happened between you and Spike is your business but before you make up your mind about this, there’s something you need to see.”

Twilight hoofed something to Rarity. The item was a rolled up scroll, a letter that Spike himself had written…but not the one he left for Twilight. It was the letter that Spike wrote in secret and Twilight hid upon discovering it.

“Wha-what is this? Spike left a second letter?” Rarity asked. She levitated it in front of her eyes, flipping it in circles; curiously examining the scroll. She eventually placed the letter in one of her hooves.

“No, this is a private letter Spike was writing to Princess Celestia. He fell asleep while writing it. I took the letter and hid it after I read what it said. Spike thinks he dreamed the whole thing up. I thought about giving it back to him but…I just can’t let these…feelings and thoughts resurface in him; now more than ever,” Twilight said brokenly.

“What feelings? What thoughts? Darling, what is it that you read?” Rarity achingly pleaded.

The Alicorn princess merely shook her head and motioned for her friend to read for herself.

Curiosity finally getting the better of her, Rarity felt frightfully compelled to uncover the truth of this mysterious letter. Her sapphire blues carefully scrolled down each line. As she got further and further into reading the letter, her oceanic eyes started to widen. Something she read caused her heart to swell. Tears started to fall, more and more as she neared the end of the letter. Rarity’s lips gasped in sorrow. She held a dainty hoof to her trembling jaw; her voice reduced to babbling sobs.

Twilight levitated the letter from Rarity’s hoof. The fashionista didn’t even notice; still too stunned by Spike’s alarming words.

“Sweet Celestia…I…I….I had no idea he was suffering so much. To think, all this time he was living with this-this ugh! How could I have been so blind?” Rarity wept; sobbing miserably into Twilight’s shoulder.

“Rarity, I’ve been asking myself that same question ever since I read that,” Twilight said. She patted her friend’s shoulder with a comforting wing.

“We-we must find him. I have to tell him…tell him how wrong I was,” she said; partially muffled by Twilight’s feathers. Rarity lifted her head up and looked towards her friend. Mascara flavored tears no longer flowing down her cheeks. “I just hope I haven’t missed my chance to set things right. I can’t lose him Twilight…not now…not knowing what I’ve done.”

“We won’t lose him. I promise you’ll get your chance, but first, we have to find him before it’s too late. Go to the train station as fast as you can. I’ll head to the balloon lifts after I’ve gotten the girls. Now move!” Twilight commanded.

Twilight and Rarity quickly dispersed and head to their designated areas. The two mares were worried they weren’t going to find Spike in time. Even if the girls found Spike and dragged him back to Ponyville, they still ran the risk of losing him; in more ways than one.

As the ponies of Ponyville continued to set things up for Hearts and Hooves day, they remain blissfully unaware of the turmoil befalling the princess of friendship. The ponies were also oblivious to a far more deadly and dangerous threat creeping upon their quaint little town. The silent, growing darkness that has been troubling the princesses has finally arrived.

Chimera Khan and his army of monstrous creatures stood at the border of the Everfree Forest and Ponyville. The savage pack of snarling beasts stood imposingly, menacingly; awaiting their master’s command.

“Wait here, there is something I must attend to,” Khan ordered.

The 3 headed Chimera nodded all 3 of its heads obediently.

Khan approached Fluttershy’s cottage. The animals that surrounded Fluttershy’s home recoiled in fear; terrified beyond belief at the armored villain. He looked into each available window, trying to spot any sign of the pink haired Pegasus. The villain sighed contently.

“Good, it appears she heeded my warning. I cannot tell for certain if she left town like I suggested, or if she merely is out at the moment. I can only hope the former is true…I do not wish for her to see what I am about to unleash,” he muttered to himself. The villain’s eyes suddenly flashed from orange to red and green. Purple smoke briefly sizzled from the changed eyes. “It doesn’t matter. Nothing will stop me from obtaining my vengeance…not even her.”

The monsters looked curiously at their master. They remain standing by; perplexed by his odd behavior but remaining loyal and obedient none the less.

“Who do you think he’s talking to?” the tiger head asked her sisters. The snake and goat head shrugged.

“Enough prattling you stupid beasts! It’s time to bring Princess Celestia’s era of peace to a violent and bloody end. We shall begin with the total annihilation of Ponyville, and Princess Twilight. You all remember your orders, correct?”

The swarm of monsters chuckled in unison. Every one of the creatures gathered there remembered their orders, and they were all too eager to get started. The monstrous army consisted of the Chimera, a Manticore, a trio of Cragadiles, a Bug Bear, twin Phoenix’s, the Cockatrice, vampire fruit bats, Star Spiders, Fliders, Twitter mites and a massive pack of Timber wolves.

“Remember, the witch has linked all of your minds to my armor’s magic. I shall see everything you see and you will hear everything I command; via through your mind. We are linked and therefore one, unified force that cannot be stopped. Once we are down there, you have one sole mission: kill them all! Stallions, mares, foals, you will exterminate every last one of them. Do not hesitate, show no mercy. But most importantly; no one, I repeat, NO ONE is allowed to touch Princess Twilight Sparkle,” Khan sneered; green and red eyes still flaring with purple smoke.

The monsters roared in acknowledgement; stomping their claws, tails and wings together.

“She’s mine.”




Without warning, the monsters stormed down upon the citizens of Ponyville like a plague of locusts. By the time the Pegasai noticed what was coming, it was already too late. Fliders spewed webbing into the Pegasai’s wings; crippling them and grounding them with ease. The parasitic insects engulfed the ponies on the ground; biting them and leaving them covered with swollen, red marks. Mares and colts ran from the streets towards their homes; screaming and flailing as more creatures attacked.

Star spiders climbed along the sides of ponies homes and webbed their doors shut; preventing them from escaping. The twin Phoenix birds rained fire down upon the frantic streets of Ponyville. Lampposts and benches were being smashed to pieces by the monstrous muscles of the Manticore. The beast stung any pony foolish enough to try and escape or battle him with his scorpion tail. Café ponies eating outside were assaulted by the trio of Cragadiles. The stone hard reptiles munched café tables and chairs into bent heaps of metal. They snarled and snapped their bone crunching teeth at the waiters as they fled.

GONG! GONG!

The school bell alarm rang, its clanging chimes echoed across the carnage. The hope was the bell would warn any pony that heard it of the invading creatures. A crackling swarm of Twitter mites buzzed ominously above the school bell. Blue electricity sparkled along the cloud of mites like icy veins.

KABOOM!

The Twitter mites unleashed a colossal bolt of lightning. The bell and most of the tower was instantly destroyed, fried chunks of metal and wood crashed into the school’s roof like death from above. Cheerilee rushed out of the school with the school ponies.

“Every pony just stay together. Remember our emergency buddy system, stick to the pony closest to you and head straight out of Ponyville as fast as you can,” Cheerilee frantically instructed.

Among the ponies trying to flee, Lyra and Bon-Bon were scrambling to make it out together. The minty unicorn and vanilla Earth pony stayed shoulder to shoulder. Neither would leave the other’s sight nor take one step out of this town unless they were together.

A monstrous roar bellowed from the heavens. The two mares, though still running, were compelled to look up. A nightmare in the flesh emerged; one that Bon-Bon was all too familiar with. It was a black and white bear with insect wings and a massive stinger. The Bug Bear swooped down upon the ponies like a ravaging vulture. Lyra screamed as the panda like creature clasped across her horn and hair and dragged her into the sky.

“BON-BON!” Lyra screamed; vainly extending her hoof to her lover.

Bon-Bon looked like a vanilla colored ant; growing smaller and smaller as the monster flew higher.

“NO, I WON’T LET YOU HAVE HER! YOU HEAR ME BUG BEAR?!?” Bon-Bon shouted.

The colorful Earth pony reached into her silver suitcase of tricks, the same she used long ago in Princess Celestia’s secret service. She pulled out her grappling hook and was preparing to snare her beloved and snatch her free from the Bug Bear’s grasp.

ROAR!

Before Bon-Bon could fire a shot, the Chimera lunged at her and pinned her to the ground. She gasped at the horrid sight of 3 twisted heads snapping at her face. Bon-Bon tried to lift her grappling hook but the Chimera slammed her hoof down with her tiger paw.

“You’ve goooooot bigger problems to worry aaaaaaabout,” the goat head snickered.

“Oh look sisters, we bagged ourselves some Earth pony meat: our favorite!” the tiger head said; drool oozing from her saber tooth like fangs.

Bon-Bon cringed in horror. The drool from the Chimera dripped onto her eyes; mixing in with her fright filled tears. The mare was terrified beyond belief. Not only was she about to become some twisted monster’s lunch, but her beloved Lyra was being carted off by the one monster she had been tasked with capturing. She would never see her beloved’s golden eyes ever again, or enjoy flirting with her at cafés. It was all going to end and there was nothing she could do about it.

“Hey, stop me if you’ve heard this one.”

The Chimera’s triple heads halted their attack on Bon-Bon. They looked up at the new voice that had addressed them; blinking in confusion.

ZAP!

Twilight Sparkle blasted the monster off of Bon-Bon with a single beam. The creature snarled in pain as its 3 heads skidded across the ground. Twilight walked past Bon-Bon; glaring down at the fallen Chimera.

“Heads up!” she joked. The mare’s horn still sizzled with powerful magic. She fired it again, but this time the target was the menacing Bug Bear. The blast struck the beast along its winged spine. The Bug Bear was forced to drop Lyra from its claws. “Go on and help Lyra, I’ve got things under control here.”

Bon-Bon quickly thanked the princess and went off after her beloved. The Earth pony secured her grappling hook around a structure, ran up along the walls of nearby houses and performed a spectacular dive and catch before her girlfriend hit the ground. The two smiled joyfully; happy to be in each other’s arms again but quickly turned and ran out of sight before the Bug Bear or any other monster decided to attack them again.

“Now then, you’re the only creature I’ve seen that can actually talk, which means I got questions and you’re going to answer them. You can start by-”

The Chimera hissed scornfully at the Alicorn princess. Before she could finish interrogating, the monster bolted out of sight. Twilight was left flabbergasted at this strange behavior. She knew her magic and title were intimidating, but she figured the monster had more tenacity than to just run away without putting up a fight.

“Great! Now how am I supposed to figure out what’s the cause of all of this?” Twilight groaned.

“Ask and ye shall receive,” Khan thunderously replied.

Twilight turned around in response. Her eyes widened in surprise, mouth dropping agape in awe. Chimera Khan stood before her; lording over Twilight with a menacing, predatory glare in his eyes. The sunlight glared annoyingly off the twisted designs of the silver and blood red armor of the villainous pony. Khan’s iron hooves rose up high. He slammed them into the ground with a crackling crunch, the ground and dirt caved inward from the massive weight from his anvil like hooves.

The princess shook off her stunned reaction and immediately took a defensive stance. She didn’t have the slightest clue who or what this thing was, but there’s one fact she was sure of: this guy is responsible for the monsters attacking all of her friends! He has to be stopped.

“Hey! I don’t know who you are but I’m betting you know who I am. So, knowing that, I’m giving you one chance to take all of your mind controlled critters and leave Ponyville and my friends alone. Otherwise, things are going to get rough,” Twilight barked aggressively. Though intimidation and violence were not the princess’s favorite tactics, she knew that some ponies needed an extra push in order to listen to reason.

“Well, well, well, the princess of friendship comes to greet me in person. I’m flattered,” Khan replied; his tone ripe with mockery and scorn.

“There’s too much going on. I can’t waste time fighting an epic battle with this guy, I need to take care of him fast so I can help my friends,” Twilight thought to herself.

The princess summoned a colossal surge of magic from her horn. A bright pink ball of energy formed; growing larger and more powerful. Khan stood there; emotionless behind his lifeless mask. The villain remained unintimidated by Twilight’s show of force.

SHRAKKABOOM!

Twilight blasted Khan with the full force of her magical energy attack. She held nothing back, pouring as much force into her attack as possible. The hot pink energy swirl consumed Khan’s body completely. Twilight couldn’t believe he didn’t even try to dodge the attack, or put up a defensive barrier or anything. She immediately worried she may have put too much magic in that attack. However, her concerns were quickly diminished as she noticed something strange was happening.

The circular shaped explosion from the spell started to implode. All of the magic Twilight dispelled was disappearing, vanishing directly into the heart of the explosion sphere. Before she knew it, the magical attack disappeared completely; sucked directly into the chest plate on Chimera Khan’s armor. The villain didn’t even have a single scratch on him. In fact, his armor glowed as if it had become even more energized than before.

“But hardly impressed,” he cruelly replied.

“W-w-w-what…h-h-how did…but you couldn’t…t-t-t-that’s impossible. How did you-ARGH!”

Twilight cried out as Khan retaliated with a devastating, crimson red lightning strike from his Sombra horn. She skidded to the ground; wings painfully grinding against the dirt. Chimera Khan looked upon the fallen princess with gross disappointment. She stared back at him, still baffled at how he absorbed her attack.

“You’re quite slow for Celestia’s star pupil. I would have thought someone as supposedly smart as you are would have noticed why your magic attacks won’t work on me,” Khan said with a dry droll.

Twilight took a longer look at the amalgamation of magical items protecting Khan’s body. She noticed something familiar about his chest plate. It was right on the tip of her tongue, but she just couldn’t place it. Suddenly the realization hit her. Twilight’s eyes bulged in horror.

“That-that can’t be! That’s Starswirl’s indestructible magical absorption plate; said to be capable of absorbing any kind of magical or energy based attack, no matter how large or what type. But-but there’s no way! Princess Celestia has that locked up back in her private vault; I saw it with my own eyes.”

“Are you really sure you saw what you saw?”

Twilight’s mind raced with a million questions: who was this masked pony? Why is he attacking Ponyville? What does he want? And more importantly, how in the world did he have Starswirl’s indestructible plate? The answers to all of these and more would have to wait though. Her top priority was stopping this fiend before he and his monsters hurt any pony else.

Khan blasted a green and orange uni-beam from the skull emblem on his armor. Twilight formed a purple barrier and barely managed to deflect it. He lunged forward; drilling into the barrier with his blood red horn until the barrier was destroyed.

“That looks like King Sombra’s horn, and if I’m not mistaken, he’s wearing the Alicorn amulet Trixie wore. How did he get that one? No one knew it was locked up in Zecora’s hut, no one,” she thought.

Before he could attack again, Twilight launched herself into the sky with her wings. She used her magic to uproot large chunks of dirt and stone from the ground, Twilight then hurled her makeshift boulders at Khan. He reared back his hind legs and smashed through the boulders like they were made of tin foil. Khan’s armored hooves clanged loudly with each hit. Twilight fired another beam; hoping to catch him off guard, but Khan flipped around and absorbed that attack into his chest plate.

“Pathetic! I can’t believe that back stabbing cow raised someone as incompetent as you,” Khan snapped.

The spiked tail shell on Khan’s backside launched from his flanks. The tail club flew like a cannonball; connected to a jagged chain that lead all the way back down to Khan’s body. Twilight gasped as the spiked chain wrapped around her neck like a noose. Khan’s armor burned brightly with intense, growing magical energy. He roared like a berserker; slamming Twilight down into the ground with his tail chain. She cried out, crashing into one of the craters she created when she made her makeshift boulders. The crater expanded due to her body’s sudden impact.

“Killing you is going to be easier than I thought!”

Khan rushed towards Twilight like a rampaging bull. The silver markings and jewelry started to glow on Khan’s armor, while his horn sparkled with thunder like energy. He barreled towards her like a freight train and looked as if no force in the world could stop him. Twilight forced herself back onto her hooves. She powered up her horn to cast another spell.

“Don’t you ever learn? It doesn’t matter what you-”

Twilight blasted her spell into the ground before Khan could finish, it turned the ground into a sheet of slippery ice. Khan’s clanking hooves fumbled on the icy ground and lost his footing. He skidded towards Twilight, heading right for the large crater she created. The young princess flew into the sky; allowing Khan to fall right into the crater. She used her ice beam once more, this time freezing Khan inside of a large cluster-like iceberg.

“Whew…finally…that should hold him for a second…at least until I catch my breath,” Twilight panted heavily. Her wings slowed down and eventually returned the Alicorn back to the ground. “Can’t take too long though, I’ve still got to help every pony else. Just because their master is frozen doesn’t mean the monsters will stop.”

Much to Twilight’s surprise however, there were no more screams of fear and panic. All of the fighting simultaneously stopped. The Bug Bear, the Twitter mites, the Manticore; all of them had ceased attacking. The creatures looked around Ponyville as if they were lost.

“Or does it? Fascinating! It seems that the creatures are somehow magically linked to this armored pony; whoever he is. They must have stopped attacking because he’s frozen and can’t control them anymore. That means we can still fix this! All we got to do is round up the creatures and-”

FASCHOOM!

The ice cluster violently exploded. Twilight screamed; thrusted to the ground by the force of the fiery blast. Icy mist surrounded the area like a miniature fog. The princess rubbed her head, it was throbbing due to an ice chunk smacking against her temple. Chimera Khan emerged from the fog; cloaking himself in the dwindling mist like the shadow of death. Two colossal wings made of pure fire sizzled blazingly on each side of his back.

“Well, at least now I know what happened to the Phoenix gauntlet,” Twilight grunted. She stood back onto her hooves, feeling a bruise already forming on her aching forehead.

“That was quite the stunt you pulled off there, princess. You may make this interesting after all,” he chuckled sinisterly. The fire wings dissipated back into the gauntlet.

“All right, I’ve had enough of these games. Tell me! Who are you? What do want from me and everyone in Ponyville, and how did you get all those mystical items? Some of those should have been impossible for you to get.”

“My name, princess, is Chimera Khan and I’m not actually here for you or for Ponyville. I’m here to deliver a message to that traitor you call a teacher.”

“Princess Celestia? Why, what did she ever do to you?”

“It’s more what she didn’t do that demands my vengeance. Let’s just say I’m an old friend of hers, and I’ve come a long way to see that two faced face of hers again.”

Twilight shook her head. She didn’t understand anything Khan was saying or how Celestia fits into any of this. Her wings flared up, horn fully charged; ready to take on anything Khan would throw at her.

“All right then. If that’s the case, why don’t you just tell me the message and I’ll deliver it to her myself? That way, you can leave right NOW and this doesn’t have to go any further, and you can free those twisted critters from your hold while you’re at it.”

Khan laughed at Twilight’s proposal. Hearing his cackle sent all kinds of shivers down her spine. His laugh was cruel, disturbing; like a nightmare that consumed every bit of happiness from your dreams.

ZAP!

Chimera Khan swung his horn as it were a samurai sword. A crimson lighting blade came hurtling towards Twilight, she teleported out of the way just in the nick of time. The lighting blade continued soaring through the air until it collided with the top of Sugar Cube corner. The tip of the roof and ceiling were sliced completely in half in a sideways fashion. The cleaved roof top crumbled to the ground; smashing into even more pieces upon impact.

“You are the message! I’m going to kill everything and everyone Celestia loves in this world, until there is nothing left for her to protect. Her precious kingdom will be a graveyard without end. Everything she’s ever built will burn before her very eyes. Everyone she holds dear will turn to ash in her arms, and you, you my young little princess; you and your friends will be the first to fall. The end is already upon us, just look around and ask your friends.”

Even as they spoke, Khan’s monsters were already spreading out to eliminate Twilight’s friends, family and anyone else in their path. They had resumed attacking now that Khan was no longer frozen. An endless horde of Timber wolves and Vampire fruit bats were swarming over Sweet Apple Acres, Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy were locked inside Sugar Cube Corner by the Cragadiles, the Bug Bear and the army of insects were shooting down any fleeing or attacking Pegasai, Rainbow was being chased by the Phoenix birds, and the Chimera and Manticore were hunting the ponies in the streets like prey. Every pony was surrounded, every pony was under attack.

“Come Princess Twilight, it’s time you paid the price for your teacher’s sins!”



To be continued…