*CRASH*
“Ms. Dash! Please get down from there!” The rainbow-maned pegasus glared down at the doctor from her position hanging from the lights. Her blackened wings dangled lifelessly below her as she swatted a hoof at a broom reaching for her.
“No way you quack! There is no way I am letting you anywhere near my wings now!” The unicorn doctor sighed as he rubbed at his head with his hoof while the nurse tried to get the mare down.
“Ms. Dash, there is no other option but to amputate. This infection is spreading and if something isn't done soon then you could end up like your friend or even die.” The pegasus only shook her head rapidly, her eyes wide in fear.
“And I said no! I would rather die than lose my wings!” The nurse frowned at the pegasus as she reared back for another swing with the broom. Before she could get a chance to though it was grabbed away in a pink aura.
“I would have to agree with the crazed pegasus. I don't need you making my work harder than it already is.” Before they could react, both the doctor and nurse were snatched up in the aura and flung into the nearby bathroom. Once the door slammed shut a chair was quickly wedged under the door followed by the spare bed and other furniture in the room being piled in front of it. Rainbow Dash watched in shock as this happened and was even more-so when a young filly walked into the room.
“Whoa, uh, thanks for the I guess, but what is a filly like you doing here and why would you even do that though?” Rainbow Dash slowly climbed down from the ceiling, landing on her bed, which allowed the filly to approach. As the pegasus tried to clam down, the filly began running her hooves over her and muttered to herself.
“Hmm, this looks bad, but I think I can work with it. Though...” The filly reach up and plucked a shriveling, black feather from the cyan mare's blackened wing, causing her to yelp in pain.
“Ow! What the hay was that for!?” Angelic Chorus ignored her as she examined the feather.
“Hmm, as I thought, the nerves are still working, but it's gotten into the roots. Oh well, I guess they'll just have to go.” Rainbow Dash's ears perked up at this and her pupils shrank to pinpricks.
“Wait what!? You just said that you weren't going to... Wait, that magic..!? No! Not again! Anything but my wings!” The filly didn't give the mare a chance to flee as she wrapped her magic around the pegasus and kept her paralyzed as she focused on her wings. Rainbow Dash could only stare in helpless horror as she watched her wings begin to melt away before her eyes rolled back in her head as she fainted.
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“Ugh, what happened?” Twilight shook her head as she awoke from her unconscious state. Her whole body ached, which reminded her of just what she had gone through before she had passed out, and who she was with.
“Rarity! Spike!” Her head shot up as she looked around for the other two. She quickly spotted them a short distance away with Rarity facing away from her looking down at something in her hooves and Spike standing next to her. The young dragon slowly turned towards her with wide eyes and waved the alicorn over.
“It... it's Rarity.. she...” Twilight's hoof came up to her mouth for a moment before she slowly made her was over to the two. As she neared, she noticed that Rarity was holding her silver mask in her hooves and it looked as if she was staring into her reflection in it. Lifting her hoof, Twilight was about to place it on her friend's shoulder when she suddenly turned to her.
“T-twilight? I-it's gone!” The alicorn could only stare dumbfounded at the picture presented before her. Where once she remembered a blistered field of blackened skin, was now the pale pink-tone of healthy skin that the unicorn always had. Needless to say, the newly minted princess was confused as to what happened, especially with just what had attacked them.
“But how?! I thought that that... thing got you. Why would something like that heal you? It just doesn't make any sense!” While Rarity was still in shock over her healed, if still slightly marred, appearance, Spike was still mostly aware of everything.
“I don't know Twilight. After she finished swallowing whatever t hat stuff was she drained out of you she just shoved your magic back into you. Then she turned and went after Rarity. I tried to stop her but she just pinned my to the wall before using her magic to rip that black stuff off of Rarity and swallowed that as well. After that she just walked away further into the hospital.” Twilight was confused as to just what the objective of this creature she suspected as a necromancer was. Not only once, but twice now it had the chance to kill ponies that were helpless in the face of its powers, but both times it did something unexpected and even healed one of them. In fact she only then realized that the headache she had been suffering from was now gone, though she had trouble connecting to her magic still.
“Oh my, is everypony all right in here? Twilight! Rarity! Did either of you see a little filly come through here and... Oh my! Rarity your face!” Twilight turned to the hospital entrance to see Fluttershy making her way in. She did a double-take as she only then remembered that the pegasus had been blinded due to her actions, yet now she seemed perfectly fine except for a familiar area of missing fur around her eyes.
“Fluttershy!? But I thought...!? Wait, filly!? You mean that thing found you as well!? Does that mean your eyes are...” Fluttershy frowned at her friends wording, but slowly nodded as she lifted a hoof towards the one that was now red.
“Well, I think it was the filly that did this. I didn't hear any other voices or feel anypony else at my home, and I fell asleep before my eyes were fixed.” Rubbing a hoof at the side of her head, Twilight tried to figure out just what the angle was of that creature in pony form. Suddenly her head shot up as she realized just what Spike had said about where it had gone.
“Oh no! Rainbow Dash and Applejack! If its still here then it must be after them as well! Come on!” In a panic, Twilight took off towards Rainbow Dash's room followed at a slower pace by her friends. Yet when she arrived she found that things were once again not what she was expecting, and in fact was even better off than she had any right to believe.
“I told you I'm fine! Now do something to fix this, will you!” Twilight wasn't sure how to react to finding Rainbow Dash completely unharmed while the doctor and nurse swarmed all over her wings. She knew she should be relieved that her friend still HAD her wings since she had heard about the plans to amputate, but a part of her almost wanted to laugh at the sight of the fur-less, plucked limbs that poked out from the cyan mare's body.
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“Well one more to go before I have to worry about getting out of this town. Hopefully there aren't any more distractions to slow me down though, especially if what I've heard about her being the worst off is right.” With a sigh she pushed open the door to the final room and walked inside. Her hopes were dashed when she found herself face-to-face with an old, green mare staring her down, causing her to sigh once again as her eyes were stared into. The old mare hummed as she examined the filly before nodding her head.
“Well it's about dang time ya showed up ta fix all this. Ah had been calling fer days so it's about time that ya got yer kiester here.” Whatever reaction the filly was expecting from the old mare, being shoved towards the bed containing the injured pony was not anywhere close to being on the list. She wasn't sure if the mare was senile or actually knew something about her, but she made on note to keep an eye on the mare as she felt something off about her now that she had a moment to focus on her. Still she glad that she didn't have to worry about her getting in the way as she examined the pony in the bed.
At first glance, she had to wonder how the pony was even still alive. Her entire body had been blighted by the creature that had attacked the town except for a small area around her eyes and muzzle. On deeper examination she could sense that same feeling of off-ness she felt from the older mare, and deduced that they were related in some way. At the same time she could see that same web of connections that she had seen on the earlier mares and wondered how much of her survival was due to that. Looking up she let out a whinny of surprise when she found the old mare on the other side of the bed, leaning over the injured mare to look at her closely again.
“Well? Ain't ya gonna work yer fancy mumbo jumbo magic and fix mah granddaughter or not? She don't got all night ya know.” Shaking her head to clear her head of the slight scare, the filly focused once more on the blighted mare before her. She had never seen a pony survive this much of an infection before so she knew it was going to take all of her concentration to make sure that every bit of it was removed.
Granny Smith watched on as the filly's horn lit up in a pink aura before it slowly turned black as she focused on healing her granddaughter. With the filly's concentration off of her, the old mare shook her head sadly as she stroked a hoof over Applejack hat that was on the bed next to her. Suddenly her ears perked up as she heard the sound of galloping hooves heading towards the room and she sighed as she turned towards the door just as it burst open.
“VILE FIEND! STAND DOWN OR BE-!” Princess Luna's entrance with the Royal Canterlot Voice was interrupted be a pillow striking her in the face as it was thrown by the old farm mare.
“Settle down there ya loudmouthed old foghorn! Ah didn't go and chase all those quacks out of here just so that ya could interrupt just as mah granddaughter was finally getting the help she needed! Now sit down and wait yer turn.” Luna wasn't sure how to react to the old mare and glanced towards her sister who had entered the room behind her. Both Luna and Celestia were garbed in full armor that hadn't seen the light of day in centuries but had been pulled out as soon as they received word from Twilight about the necromancer.
“Mrs. Smith, it is imperative that you let us-” Even Princess Celestia was cut off as the mare turned and shot a hard glare at them and spoke in a tone that brooked no argument.
“Ah said, SIT!” Multiple thumps rang out around the room as all the ponies in hearing rapidly took a seat, from the princesses, to the four Bearers of Harmony that had followed behind them, to the filly standing next to Applejack even though the voice wasn't directed at her. Not many could withstand the voice of a parent or grandparent protecting their young, not even the princesses, though Celestia realized that there was something familiar about Granny Smith that was brought to light by her voice, something that she couldn't quite grasp.
With them being thoroughly chastised, the group sat and watched as the necromancer worked her magic over Applejack, though many of them itched to stop her. Yet before their eyes, the black blight started to draw away from the downed mare into a ball between her and the filly. With wide eyes they watched as the one they thought as an enemy put forth all of her effort to heal their dear friend and they had no clue as to why. Soon Applejack lay in the bed, peacefully slumbering, completely nude as not a bit of fur or hair remained on her barring what was untouched by the blight. Several gasps rang out, as well as two pairs of narrowed eyes, as the filly's mouth opened and the ball of blight was placed into it and she swallowed.
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Once again Angelic Chorus saw the scene which caused Applejack's injuries, but at the end of it came a voice.
“Everything shall be done as you ordered Lord-”
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The group watched the filly as the blight light faded from her eyes and she just sat there. Suddenly they heard a growling from the cloak-draped filly as she raised her head to the sky.
“That's it?! All of this and that is all I find out?! Lord who?! Of all the-!” What followed next was one of the longest streams of cursing that most of them had ever heard, with four sets of hooves darting to cover Spike's ears. Even the two princesses had to be impressed as many of the swears had not been used in centuries, some even from far before Luna had been banished as Nightmare Moon. After looking over her granddaughter to make sure everything was in place, as well as covering her with a blanket, Granny Smith turned to the filly with a huff.
“Now cut that out ya little whippersnapper! Don't ya see that ya have important guests waiting fer ya?” The filly turned to glare at the old mare, nose flaring, before looking over at the ponies she had missed entering the room. On spotting the Solar Princess she just snorted in her direction.
“Oh great, the Hypocrite Princess is here. What? Finally got tired of letting somepony interfere with the plans of your precious pet necromancer in your city?” The pure bile in her tone surprised the ponies, though the challenge in her voice was quickly answered.
“Hey! Who are you to talk about the princess like that!?” Rainbow Dash made to charge forward, looking comical with her chicken wings, but was stopped by a raised wing of Celestia.
“Explain yourself, necromancer! I will have you know that I do not condone any of your kind to exist, yet for your actions today I will give you one chance to explain yourself!” The filly's look of disdain morphed to one of disgust at the princesses words.
“What? You didn't know that the one that murdered my home town lives right under your nose?! Are you that blind?! The town that not even days later you burnt to the ground?! You didn't even leave so much as a grave to remember them by, you just forgot that they even existed! My mother, Crystal Song! My father, Evening Light! My-” Once again she was cut off, but this time by this youngest princess.
“What are you talking about, Princess Celestia would never do anything like that! It has to be a-” Twilight gave pause as she noticed that her mentor was mumbling something and paused to listen in. What she heard was a list of names that meant nothing to her.
“Iron Hooves, Morningstar, Holly Wood, Petunia, Evening Rose...” As the list continued on and on, tears began to fill the filly's eyes as she recognized each and every one of them as friends and neighbors. Years of pain and loss began to catch up to her as all of the strength went out of her legs and she collapsed to the ground. Eventually, after hundreds of names, Celestia finally came to the end.
“...and Angelic Chorus... That is you is it not? I remember the name of every pony that I failed to save as I sought to stomp out the vile art that claimed their lives. But how is it you are still alive? Sunnydale has been gone for over five hundred years?” Her question was met with gasps as all eyes focused on the filly who looked no older than the Cutie Mark Crusaders yet was somehow older than all of the Element Bearers combined, three times that even. By this time the filly's sobs had quieted as she listened to the litany of names, each one bringing up a treasured memory. At the question, she slowly collected herself.
“He came and rescued me minutes before your sun burned down, turning my home into yet another piece of the Badlands. Your ponies never found my hideaway where I was hidden, yet he managed to. Everything I know, I learned from him, all so I could hunt down the one that started it all and did this to me.” With a shaky hoof, the mare threw her cloak off of herself, revealing her form to the mares who gasped in horror, barring the eldest three who looked on in pity. While much of her front half had healed back to it's usual purple color, as well as her mane and tail to their silver and gold, the rest of her was still blackened with blight. Twilight could only stare on in shock at what she was seeing, and to a filly no less, in form if not in reality. Something about how the necromancer's rear half was twisted bothered her though. Princess Celestia on spared all this a glance as something else caught her attention.
“Who is this 'He' that you refer to? Necromancy has been outlawed for centuries and there should be none left that can teach it. So how did 'he' teach you a forbidden and lost branch of magic?” The filly only glanced up at the princess with tired eyes before shaking her head.
“That I shall not say as he told me that I was not to tell you his name.” This answer irritated the princess as she stood up and stomped a hoof, causing a spiderweb of cracks in the floor.
“Do not give me that! As the Princess of the Sun, I demand to know who taught you!” The filly only raised an eyebrow at her.
“I don't answer to you princess, but to a higher power. If you want to know, I will not deny you if you truly want to know but you will come to regret it if I answer.” Her words should have been a warning, but instead angered the solar princess even more as heat began to be emitted from her body, pushing the ponies around her back.
“Tell. Me. Who. He. Is.” The filly's smirk only grew as she looked between the two princesses.
“Don't say that I didn't warn you princess. His name is __________” The non-alicorns looked at her in confusion as it sounded like her voice just cut off, while Twilight rubbed at her ear for a different confused reason. All of that paled in comparison as Princess Celestia, Ruler of Equestria and one of the longest lived creatures on the planet paled in absolute terror, even her mane going completely white. Everything she was feeling was summed up in her next two words.
“Buck. Me.”