The Sun was shining bright in the sky. Twilight Sparkle, was enjoying the moment. After the impromptu visit to King Sombra, nothing very important happened. As expected, their sudden escape freaked out most of the ponies guarding the exit, but at least, Sombra didn't try to stop them. It was a good turn of events, since if they needed to fight him off while trying to find a way to deal with the Entity, the whole process could have taken far longer. But fortunately, it wasn't necessary. When Spike finally managed to get rid of his group of fans, all the agitation has long since ceased. The little drake tried to express his extreme disappointment about the fact he wasn't able to take part in the expedition, but he wasn't a very good actor. The relief was quite obvious in his voice and gestures.
First, Twilight felt rather pleased by the fact Sombra wasn't behind all this. She sent a letter to Celestia as soon as she could, notifying her of this "good" news. Then, this impression died out and was replaced by worry. She didn't really think about it before, but one thing became obvious: she would have preferred fighting Sombra rather than a strange being the nature of which wasn't even known yet. At least Sombra had his weaknesses, and they knew these weaknesses. This Entity however, was something else. Its weak points (if it possessed any) or even basic things such as its origin were completely mysterious. And despite all of its supernatural traits, this being still somehow felt familiar. How was this possible? Those alien eyes, this unearthly starry sky, these foggish clouds... All this resembled Equestrian evil so much while simultaneously being totally different from it.
Lost in her thoughts, the purple alicorn didn't notice the sudden changes occurring to the sky. Only the disappearance of the Sun's comforting glow managed to get her attention. It was back. However, the Entity wasn't the same as during their last encounter. Its basic traits remained, but a thing has undoubtedly changed. The Eyes, they were everywhere! New ones were continuing to appear somewhere in the distance. This was a truly horrendous sight.
Only one thing in this whole metamorphosis was welcome: the Eyes weren't looking at her. The oculars' collective gaze was directed at something far away... This was such a relief. But then, what where were they watching? The answer to this question was no longer needed, as the Eyes stopped observing their new objective and returned their gloomy attention to Twilight. Slowly all of their pupils turned towards the poor mare, forcing her to shiver.
Meanwhile, another event was occurring in the sky. In the midst of the dark clouds and gloomy eyes appeared a strange light. Although it was similar to the inhospitable glow coming from the clouds and eyes themselves, this glare was much stronger. At first, it was just a single dot. Then, this dot stretched into a thin line. The line took a curved shape and the radiance it produced intensified. Soon, its form became intelligible: it was a wicked smile.
The Entity was about to talk.
"PITIFUL MORTALS! WATCHING YOUR TURMOIL IS QUITE ENTERTAINING. YOUR FUTILE EXISTENCE SHOULD HOWEVER COME TO AN END. KNOWING THAT YOU COMPARED ME TO YOUR LESSER VILLAINS IS HIGHLY INSULTING. MY POWER IS FAR BEYOND YOUR IMAGINATION. AS YOUR PATHETIC WORLD CRUMBLES, NONE SHALL STOP ME. ABANDON ALL HOPE AND RESISTANCE AS IT IS AS WORTHLESS AS YOUR LIFE. IN TEN DAY, YOUR PLANET WILL BE NO LONGER."
This message was undoubtedly heard from all around Equestria and even beyond its borders. Even though the celestial grin mimicked all of its words, the unearthly sound was coming from all sides simultaneously. The air vibrated with the power of each syllable and nothing other than the Entity's speech could be heard. This ethereal voice, so disheartening that no living creature was able to move or even think properly, had the faculty to invade ones mind and remain in its darkest corner for the rest of his life. The earth itself appeared discouraged by the news of its incoming destruction.
Soon, the panic has arisen amidst the streets. The incoming doom that all feared was confirmed by the very being that would make it happen. Some ponies still stood motionless, paralyzed by the shock or by the uncontrollable fear that has crept into their minds.
Twilight however, knew she couldn't just wait, or surrender her psyche to this overwhelming terror. Trying to calm her mind and to convince herself that everything would be alright wasn't an easy task. But when she finally managed to clear her thoughts and to think rationally, a solution came to her mind. A solution so obvious that the fact she didn't think about it before was rather bizarre. Why didn't they use the Elements of Harmony right away? Now, this Entity has only become stronger and is planning to destroy their world. How could they have been so stupid? Of course the origin of the Entity shouldn't have been a priority, defeating it was far more important. Now, something needed to be done. She needed to return to Canterlot, to meet her friends and stop this monstrosity.
Resolute, the purple mare decided that the sooner she departed, the sooner all this would come to an end. Rushing onto the castle, she informed Cadence of her plan. The latter seemed to agree. She gave Twilight the access to her personal train and helped her to pack her bags as much as she could. Spike didn't seem very happy about their sudden takeoff. However, he understood that the situation was critical and that no delay was acceptable.
As all this agitation went on in the Crystal Castle, the Eyes relentlessly held their target. Even though Twilight wasn't aware of this at the moment, she was constantly being observed...