//------------------------------// // Chapter 83 – It Came from the Earth // Story: Infinity Era // by JDPrime22 //------------------------------// 83 Equus Above the World 3:45 p.m. Tempest Shadow jolted up from the mattress, gasping for air and crying in pain. Her horn was on fire. Whatever was left of her horn was burning with agony. In an attempt to calm it, Tempest tightened her jaw, seethed through clenched teeth, and gently prodded the wounded horn. It wasn’t just the horn when she finally felt it. Her forehead, her mind, her entire skull was practically splitting open. If Tempest had no other purpose in her life, she would have wished to die right then and there to stop the pain. But she did have a purpose. Instantly, ancient memories flushed throughout her boggled and thumping mind. She remembered seeing Panthera burn as her airship left the thousands to perish and cry. She saw the city of Hippogriffia under siege, the seas filled with corpses and the skies blotted with fire and darkness. The Dragon Lands were torn by a fierce invasion straight from the clouds, the scorched lands only further resembling the molten face of Tartarus itself by the time they had saved it. Even Griffonstone, a city under siege, Tempest leading the charge with dragons, Hippogriffs, and the whole lot that followed as she drove her magic straight into the bottom of the erupting warship. Then the light showered over her. Not even able to light up the darkness. But that purpose was still there, still as evident as the day the Storm King betrayed and attempted to kill her. At that moment, Tempest knew she would undo every wrong her old master had committed upon the world, and that led her and her new allies towards several subjected and enslaved locations. Each one worst than the last. And each one they freed. What little good that mattered now considering the circumstances. Nevertheless, Tempest Shadow was nothing short of relentless. And stubborn. Allowing her eyes to adjust to the darkness, Tempest instantly noticed her surroundings. The bed she was in belonged to her. The poorly-lit room was the captain’s quarters. Her room. The constant shake and shiver and bounce and turn of the floor beneath her allowed Tempest to realize she was still on her airship. Looks like they somehow made it out. That gave Tempest some semblance of rest, though it didn’t aid the ripping pain in her skull. As the ship continued to rock against the heavy winds outside, the convulsions really didn’t help Tempest recover any faster. She groaned, trying to push the blankets off of her and take the first steps to recovery. The moment her hoof was pressed to the wooden flooring, however, Tempest instantly buckled, like all the strength she thought she had recovered just vanished. Crying out, Tempest fell to the floor, hooves outstretched and catching her the moment her muzzle nearly connected. She breathed where she lay, feeling quite utterly small and defeated but nonetheless still alive. Her body ached and her mind quaked, but her heart still beat. She was still alive. The door opened and Tempest lifted her eyes to it. There stood Grubber with a fresh washcloth and a bowl of hot tomato soup. Of which was practically launched into the air when Grubber spotted Tempest prone on the floor, the bowl flipping and landing perfectly on his dome. The steam from the red-hot soup radiated off of Grubber’s face, the pudgy hedgehog screaming even louder than Tempest had when she fell. He pried the bowl from his face, quickly applying the washcloth onto his head, face, and eyes. It provided minimal recovery, but it helped. Kind of. Of all the times Tempest didn’t need a headache… She groaned, trying to stand and only shakily rising to all four hooves. She was surprised to say the least to see Grubber instantly arrive by her side, offering his aid and bringing Tempest back to her bed. Taking a seat and collecting herself, the unicorn was about to nod appreciatively Grubber’s way, but only found herself cringing to see the red burn marks left from the soup on his face. He didn’t seem to notice, or the pain was so severe that he already lost sense of feeling in his face. He offered Tempest the soup-painted washcloth—which she politely declined—and just dropped it on the floor. Instead, he told her, “You really shouldn’t be up and movin’ like this, commander, ma’am, sir. They always say that sleep is the best medicine. Don’t know who says that, but they’re probably smart.” His usual lisp was a pleasant sound. Tempest made that evidently clear with the heavy groan that escaped her, a steel-plated hoof rising to caress her forehead. As Grubber fluffed her pillow, Tempest held out her free hoof and said, “Griffonstone.” Turning back, staring quizzically, Grubber asked, “Wha…?” “What happened in Griffonstone?” Tempest reinforced, finally opening her eyes and turning the bleeding veins towards the flinching hedgehog. “Oh… Oh, that!” Grubber exclaimed, pushing away from Tempest’s bed and taking a firmer stance directly in front of her. Tempest sat and stared silently, eyelids drooping further and further as Grubber continued to drone on. “… Then you were like, ‘BOOM! What’s up now, alien bugs!’ Unfortunately, as cool as your magic was, it didn’t really destroy the warship. Yeah, we needed Ember’s help for that last part.” “I know that, Grubber,” Tempest groaned, recalling clearly past torment as vivid visions flashing like lighting across her bloodshot gaze. Practically snarling at that point, Tempest said, “What about after I passed out?” “Oh, that? We won.” Tempest pulled herself back an inch or two, her mouth falling slightly open. “Just like that?” Grubber nodded. “Just like that.” “Then we need to plot our next course,” Tempest hissed, rising once more off of her bed, catching the hint Grubber laid by fluffing her pillow but denying it anyway. She didn’t need anymore rest. They had a war ahead of them and were currently down one soldier. With Grubber’s help—though not wanting it but accepting it anyway—Tempest limped forward towards the exit doors. Sighing to catch her breath, still trying to recover her own footing, the unicorn wobbled like a newborn, like a filly still trying to learn how to walk. Tempest narrowed her eyes hauntingly at that fact. She asked, “How long was I out of the fight?” Shrugging, Grubber responded, “Oh… not long. Just a few several days.” “Days?!” she shouted, already finding that hidden strength within her and leaving Grubber falling in her own dust. With enough speed, she rammed the door with her own armored shoulder and stumbled out into the near-freezing wind. Almost instantly, her spiked mane started blowing softly against the frozen breeze. Her coat kept her moderately warm, but there was still that chill that slipped in and broke through her armor, causing her bones and teeth to shiver. Tempest’s eyes were wide, darting in every possible direction on the deck of her airship. The deck was covered in fog. The mere sounds of rope swaying in the wind, wood and metal creaking and crying out as the engines of the airship roared and tore through the skies over some unknown country. Some unknown world to Tempest. As for the unicorn, the freezing air felt somewhat comforting against her horn, but it didn’t help the headache. It especially didn’t help to feel the rising panic in her veins, merely spotting a few silhouettes of some certain parrot pirates further off on the deck. Other than that, no one. No other sound within the fog, the white clouds curling over the deck and filling the air like slithering serpents circling its prey, just so happening to be the lone unicorn feeling so completely lost. Like she once was many, many years ago. Like when a small filly felt utterly abandoned in the world. Not a friend to trust. Nothing to believe but herself. That’s how she almost felt until the cloud faded away. Then the light of the sun broke through and unveiled the truth hidden within the veil. Tempest’s jaw fell, her eyes widening and not a gasp of air able to leave her. She was awestruck, truly taken aback by the scene laid out before, above, and all around her. As they passed out of the cloud, the army of Equus’ strongest species filled the skies. A battalion of dragons both young and old, experienced or not, flew alongside the likes of griffons, something that hadn’t been seen in over a thousand years. The Griffon Army consisted of soldiers straight from the rest of the Griffon Kingdom, even including numerous civilians who took up arms during the invasion of Griffonstone. Those civilians were Gilda, Greta, Gallus, and several others. Smolder flew alongside her closest ally in the war. The Hippogriffs still remained a dominant force out of the army that filled the air. Their ten naval ships flew alongside the dragons, the massive wings on each one batting up and down and the engines on the sterns keeping the ships afloat on the clouds. Out of all ten ships, there was one dominant one, one larger than the others that flew directly next to Tempest’s airship. The unicorn could already tell it was General Seaspray’s. But even then, the sight before her was awe-inspiring. A sight unlike any other. One united species coming together to fight the battle the rest of the world couldn’t. Not alone, that is. Somehow, Novo’s “official” name for them didn’t sound like total bullcrap anymore. One United Species. Tempest breathed a humorless chuckle, a tiny smile cracking against her lips as she gazed onto the mighty army she helped build. More than a thousand strong and only growing. The name was growing on her, too. It grew even larger just by gazing to the legendary sight that filled the skies above Equus. A sight Tempest could proudly say she was alive to witness herself. “Well, wakey-wakey! Looks like someone had a nice, long rest!” Turning accordingly to the familiar squawk, Tempest almost continued to smile to see none other than Captain Celaeno piloting her airship. If there was anyone she would want doing that… “‘Nice’ is being too generous,” Tempest groaned as she limped towards the parrot captain. Celaeno chuckled at that, not even turning but feeling Tempest’s presence on her right. Cracking her neck, Tempest stared into the oncoming clouds and said, “Get me caught up.” Holding the steering wheel steady, Celaeno focused ahead, but still opened up to the unicorn. “Well, you didn’t miss too much. After the Battle of Griffonstone, the Griffon Army informed us of the rest of the invasion occurring in the Griffon Kingdom. So, we saved a few more cities and moved on to the next nation. Not too difficult with the army you practically built.” Ignoring that—knowing better that they all aided in the construction of their army—Tempest nodded wordlessly. A nod that fumbled when Celaeno sighed. Even through the heavy engines, dragon roars, and whipping wind, Tempest heard that. She heard, “We traversed the world for days, seeing destroyed cities and fallen nations. There were a few alien motherships we were able to take out, but several more got away. Almost in unison. Looks like that hive mind theory Sky Beak came up with wasn’t completely insane, huh? Anyway, it’s been quiet the past couple days. We’ve been trying to get word out to any nation needing assistance, but got nothing back. Novo and the other leaders are readying their forces for the next course of action back in the lead naval ship.” Tempest’s head swiveled back on that statement, spotting the massive Hippogriff naval ship right next to their airship, a squadron of Hippogriffs, dragons, and griffons patrolling around and guarding it. The other nine naval ships flew in the distance, consumed by fog and shadow. Tempest furrowed her brow. It had been quiet for days. The war had left their front and not a single cry for help heard. Cities and nations had fallen in their absence. Their next course of action pointed… somewhere. At least that’s what Celaeno told her. Whether or not that was completely accurate was up for debate. But there was something she needed to know for certain. Just one thing. The next fight. If there even was one. “Get us closer to their ship,” Tempest ordered, Celaeno almost taken aback by her abruptness. Turning to the unicorn, she witnessed Tempest Shadow staring down the mighty naval ship and its even mightier wings beating against the wind, fighting through the clouds and leading the Hippogriff navy through the storm. And Tempest stared it down. And said, “I need to speak with Novo.” Captain Celaeno realized quickly who’s ship she was piloting. She had no other say in the matter other than to follow her word. Turning the steering wheel appropriately, Tempest’s airships made a safe and slow journey across the waves of clouds and stopped a securing distance from the lead Hippogriff naval ship. Several Hippogriffs awaited their arrival on deck, watching as the ramp of the airship fell and settled itself on the naval ship. And out came the airship’s leaders. The Hippogriffs gasped, stepping aside to see Tempest Shadow awake and trotting forth. Back from her near-coma. Practically back from the dead. Alongside the unicorn strode Captain Celaeno, the parrot captain leaving Boyle in charge of piloting the airship. Tempest didn’t even give Grubber the chance to want to come. She left him and every Storm Guard back on the airship, assuring them she didn’t need their help even in her winded state. She didn’t need their protection. She didn’t even need to protect herself. The Hippogriffs saluted her the moment her steel-plated hoof touched the naval ship’s deck. Though somewhat hesitant on that, Tempest was only further awed to see Celaeno salute back, the Hippogriffs breaking away and returning to their own menial duties. The days that passed were better suited to have been months or even years, because the amount of communication and training between the separate species was impressive to say the least. Almost like they were born to congregate and work together. Tempest was quickly broken from her stupor when Celaeno waved her forward. Shaking her head, Tempest picked up the pace despite her recovering joints crying out to her in protest. She kept in the stress and soreness flooding her muscles, focusing only on the approaching bridge of the naval ship coming into view. Absolutely massive, even larger up close and personal. They were let in without hesitation, the Hippogriff, dragon, and griffon guard stepping aside to allow the parrot and pony though to the inside of the strategic command center. And it was near-silent. Despite every leader, every general, every form of royalty present. The moment Tempest and Celaeno entered through the doors, they took notice to the interior design. Windows lined the walls that weren’t occupied with steering and mapping navigation, engine control consoles, and any other Hippogriff fancy doodad. Something probably not even designed by them but more so their Equestrian neighbors aiding them in the reconstruction of their navy. The windows showcased the bridge of the naval ship and a large majority of the outside world. It was clear for miles, approaching clouds in the distance but nothing they should be worried about in terms of weather conditions. They all seemed to have their hooves, claws, and whatever else full. Those present were Queen Novo and Sky Beak, the two receiving letters from one of Ember’s messenger dragons. Speaking of the Dragon Lord, she stood with her back pressed firmly against the bridge’s wall, Bloodstone Scepter nearly resembling her posture and state of mind. Furious. Not knowing where to go or do next in the middle of a war would do that for someone practically birthed for it. As for General Seaspray, he and Stratus Skyranger stood over the massive map of Equus, plotting their next course, but not really doing anything without word from their queen. They stood and babbled military jargon while the griffon generals by their sides did the same. Never did Tempest imagine Seaspray would be standing with griffons of his stature. Last she recalled, Seaspray wouldn’t dare sacrifice a Hippogriff to save a griffon. Yet there he stood, practically brothers in arms with the species of another nation as they planned and coordinated their forces on the map. The griffon general must have come from the rest of the Griffon Kingdom they saved. Celaeno’s explanations from earlier helped clear the fog still residing on Tempest’s mind. Queen Novo was currently engrossed with a letter from none other than Princess Skystar. The dim light of the lantern high above the command center’s ceiling gave her enough light to read each word carefully, but she didn’t need its warmth. A warmth filled her when she read that Hippogriffia was safe. More so, her daughter was safe, she and her sister leading Mount Aris quite fine while in Queen Novo’s absence. Even Sky Beak was relieved to receive word from Ocean Flow, informing him that all was well with Hippogriffia. He sent a letter in return affirming his current condition, and to tell their kids that he loved them and would be home soon. Novo sighed with relief and leaned back in her chair, settling the letter on the table before her, other scrolls and letters from very few nations responding to their calls lying in disarray. There were no other attacks on Mount Aris while they were gone. That much gave Novo enough ease to press forward with the mission, to continue the fight until all of Equus was freed from the sickness of the alien invasion. The virus had nearly been cleansed, not a single sighting of an alien warship for days. And they reached out, to every corner of the globe, every kingdom and every nation within their reach. Ember’s dragons sent out the messages, but they received very little. Worse, one of their strongest allies refused to respond. Either they were too focused on their own war or something terrible had happened. No letters sent magically to Canterlot ever returned with a response. Equestria was silent. And they were soon to find out why. Bringing her eyes back down to the letters on the table before her, Queen Novo’s gaze latched with the entrance, actually widening alongside her smile to see Tempest Shadow standing before them once more. And with her, Captain Celaeno still as well since their last excursion. The rest of the room reacted appropriately. “Tempest!” Novo called out, heads swiveling to the Queen of the Hippogriffs and then suddenly shifting in the direction Her Majesty’s eyes stared. Several Hippogriff guards instantly saluted, griffons more hesitant to do so, probably due to their lack of interaction with the former commander of the Storm King’s army. Sky Beak and Skyranger smiled and nodded her way in a show of companionship and comradery, Tempest returning them with a simple bow of her head and a firm nod to Seaspray. He closed his eyes and bowed his head to her. Turning to the other end of the room, Tempest’s eyes connected with the Dragon Lord’s. Ember stood with her back against the wall, arms crossed, a complete lack of armor on her body and lack of distrust in her eyes. She smirked Shadow’s way, nodding slightly to the broken unicorn. Tempest barely responded, offering a simply nod as her only response to the dragon she hardly held a connection with, and instead turned towards the only creature she wanted to see at the moment. “Queen Novo.” She arose from her seat, wings extending before shortly returning to curl by her sides. She looked like a mess, but Tempest didn’t dare say that out loud. She may have been brash, but she wasn’t stupid. Novo’s light fuchsiaish gray feathers were ruffled and unkempt, slightly burnt in various places, showing her war scars and proudly donning it. Her forelegs were bandaged in a few spots, dried blood seeping through and sending enough of a message to Tempest of Novo’s battle wounds. Her eyes were heavy, bags large under her eyes and showcasing her age and lack of rest. Tempest felt all the worse for feeling rather well-rested, knowing they all fought the war she vowed to continue while she was trapped in the darkness of her own mind. Her own brokenness. No one seemed to blame her but herself, all smiles and respectful expressions sent her way as she and Celaeno finally stood before the Queen of the Hippogriffs. Novo held out her claw, asking, “How are you doing, dear? Does anything still hurt? Our medics did all they could for you, but if there’s anything…” Tempest tried her hardest to ignore the shocking pain reverberating within the shattered horn, pulsating every excruciating second within her skull. It hurt even more to try and conceal it from their watchful eyes, Tempest holding up her hoof and silencing the queen. “You don’t need to worry about me anymore, Your Highness. I appreciate all of your help.” She didn’t necessarily just mean Novo’s help when she said that. Everyone was quiet listening anyway, taking the hint she laid out for them and responding in kind. Dropping her hoof, Tempest stared into Novo’s aging eyes and asked, “What’s our next destination?” Just the war with her, then. Novo sighed, accepting that and bringing herself back into that dreaded world of warfare. Or lack thereof in their current case. Settling herself by Seaspray’s right and griffon general’s left, Novo laid her claw on the map of Equus, pointing to the nation of Equestria circled in bright red ink. “We’re finally ready to take the fight to Equestria,” Novo explained, the room silencing for her. The Hippogriff queen stared silently at the map for a second longer, the rest of the lands blotted in fire and desolation before she returned to reality. “With the invasion halted for the time being, we’ve decided that now would be the best time to aid our Equestrian allies in this time of silence.” “We haven’t received word from Celestia nor Luna for days now… not even from Canterlot, despite all the letters we sent,” General Seaspray took over letting that grave silence fill the void. As for Novo, she stared sullenly where Canterlot resided on the map, the rising metropolis upon the mountain side a shining beacon to the rest of Equestria. Its fate unknown. Novo was growing more and more worried for one of her oldest allies… and closest friends. Clearing her throat, Novo continued, her claw rising and stopping further south on the Equestrian front. “To start this new campaign to retake Equestria, we need to head to the Equestrian Badlands. But not for a war just yet.” Tempest furrowed her brow. Celaeno crossed her arms and remained quiet, eyes wide and latched onto the queen’s claw fall from the map. “Then what for?” Tempest asked. Confused, she looked to Ember. The Dragon Lord finally moved, finally fully smiled and pulled the Bloodstone Scepter with her away from the bridge’s wall. And she finally joined them, her fellow leaders of the One United Species Army, and smiled. Smiled to Tempest especially when she gripped her scepter tighter and said it. “Paying a visit to an old friend.” Badlands, Equestria Changeling Empire 4:31 p.m. They traveled to the Changeling Empire in hopes to rekindle an old flame nearly doused by the darkness of war, of the invasion that plagued their world. They traveled to the Changeling Empire in hopes for repairs to their war machines, their naval ships, Tempest’s airship, their armor and weaponry. They traveled to the Changeling Empire in hopes for pure necessities they had run dry of, such as medicine, food, water, and even recovery from the war effort to retake Equus. But when they finally arrived to the Badlands, there was no Changeling Empire. Not anymore. It was just… gone. Once a recovering landscape surrounded by the horrors of the wastes that was the Badlands, the Changeling Empire was practically reduced to rubble and cinder. The mighty castle that was only growing day by day, appearing more and more beautiful with the regrowth of vegetation and actual plant life to the Badlands lay as a shattered structure with its pillars scattered and its foundations crumbled. The outer lands inhabited by growing changeling families were scorched by a fire that seemed to burn forever. All hope for a rebirth of the earth in the Badlands had faded away alongside the rising plumes of burning ash and smoke, joining the rest of the wasteland, and daresay, appearing just as when Queen Chrysalis was still in power. But somehow worse. Because now it looked like a fallen empire. Surrounding the burning remains of the castle, hundreds of changelings flew and scattered about in dying hopes of rebuilding what once was. They tried to recover and recapture that blissful slice of heaven King Thorax brought them to, families working hard to rebuild the castle, rebuild their homes, and come together as one species yet again. And with King Thorax and his brother Pharynx leading them, then they shouldn’t feel lost. They shouldn’t… When the skies broke apart and the Hippogriff naval ships descended from the clouds, nearly every changeling dropped what they were doing and gazed in awe to the might and majesty of it all. They were actual witnesses to history playing forth before them, the sun finally shining on them and the warmth even greater than they could have imagined. They watched as dragons flew with Hippogriffs and griffons, all of them descending to their fallen empire and… helping. Actually helping. It was them who came for help in the first place, but it was the One United Species Army that arrived to aid them in their time of need. When all seemed hopeless in their fruitless struggles to rebuild that perfect image of their society, there came the Hippogriffs, the griffons, and the dragons to join them in their cause. And leading them were famous figures across many nations, some even Thorax hardly believed arrived to help them of all creatures. Queen Novo of the Hippogriffs. Dragon Lord Ember of the dragons. The leaders of the Griffon Army. Tempest Shadow and the late Storm King’s forces. From upon their airship, several parrot pirates waved down to them, squawking and cheering as aid finally arrived from the heavens. And Ocellus gazed onto it with eyes showered under the light of the sun, the young changeling losing her breath as she was tackled to the dirt by two very familiar bodies and laughs. “Ocellus!” Smolder exclaimed excitedly, pulling the changeling to her hooves and bringing her in for a tight hug. Gallus did the same, not even caring if others were looking. He was just glad to see another one of his friends made it out of the madness. Another piece of his family lived and breathed. “Smolder?” Ocellus gasped, seeing the dragon smirk her way. The changeling’s jaw fell, turning to the griffon on her left. “G-Gallus?” Gallus winked her way. Ocellus couldn’t hold it back and pulled the two in for an even tighter hug than before, squealing with delight, “Oh, I’m so glad you guys are okay! I was so worried that something happened to you! All the news from Thorax, f-from across the entire world—!” “It’s all right, Ocellus!” Gallus said, interrupting her. Breaking the hug, the three stood together in the dirt, stuck in their own reunions as the rest of the species congregated and united to help one another. In the distance, Ocellus’ family smiled at the sweet sight of their kin reuniting with her friends. Holding out his claw to the skies and the armies that filled it, Gallus concluded with, “We’ve been kinda busy just saving the world!” Ocellus’ eyes shot open, her jaw falling and refusing to close. They were saving the world. The army that filled the air, the army that consisted of species Ocellus never imagined to stand together other than her own group of friends were joined together to save the world. Any prejudice, any claim, any falsehood tossed at them from ponies in the past saying such things that creatures like them could never find that bond that ponies shared… well, that didn’t mean anything anymore. Though she only imagined it to be true with her own friends, the undeniable proof was all around her. Hippogriffs helping changelings. Griffons helping Hippogriffs. Dragons helping all of them. All of them coming together. It was almost enough to make Ocellus burst into tears right then and there. And she nearly did, but fell silent alongside her two closest friends. Fell silent alongside every changeling, every dragon, every griffon, and every Hippogriff and watched as the leaders of each faction came together on the mounds of what once was… of the Changeling Empire. Thorax and Pharynx met them halfway, stepping forth on their pillar of stone and rubble to meet the eyes of Novo, Ember, the griffon generals, and Tempest Shadow. And all of them bowed to one another. The crowd of various species crowded together and around the leaders, silent as ever as their home burned and the Badlands howled. Rising up, Queen Novo smiled respectfully to King Thorax. He responded in kind, smiling even wider to see Ember give him a firm but helpful wink of assurance. It hardly eased the dreaded news he needed to give them. Nothing but the truth of what they were up against. What they saw destroy their empire in one wave of fire and death. He didn’t even hesitate. “While we appreciate the help, I’m afraid you’re all too late.” Novo sighed, the eyes of Ember and Tempest falling onto the shattered remains of Thorax’s castle. Ruffling her feathers, Novo offered her sincerest eyes, regretful in every sense of the word. She said, “I am so sorry for your loss. We all are. If we had known what you were up against sooner, we would have left Saddle Arabia as soon as we—” “We’re not talking about the Changeling Empire,” Pharynx interrupted. The leaders froze on the spot, all gazing up with somewhat haunted expressions at that. Thorax and Pharynx gazed down to them, no sense of humor in their glazed and colorful eyes. It looked so colorless from where they stood, completely lacking that life. “What?” Novo breathed. Thorax had to force himself to say it. It hurt just as much as the day he saw it for himself. And what he said—what he painfully uttered was, “Canterlot is gone.” Not a word. None able to form. The crowd was so unconditionally shaken that even the slightest cry of the wind could be heard, the snap and crackle of a far-off burning fire filling the air with sound. The only audible sound. Everything else was dead. Their hopes, their spirits, their voices. Everything. So, Pharynx brought life to that. The only changeling with enough strength to say, “A meteor right from Luna’s moon fell and destroyed the entire mountain and city. Canterlot fell alongside the mountain… and our scouts have found no signs of either princess in the remains.” “At least there was some semblance of explanation for Canterlot,” Thorax continued for his brother, struggling after Pharynx mentioned the grim fate of two of his closest allies and friends. Nevertheless, he put on the bravest of faces and tried not to quiver. “But whatever destroyed our kingdom came from deeper within the Badlands.” While Novo and Ember were still reeling on the fate of Canterlot and the two Royal Sisters with shared, horrified silence, Tempest Shadow was in an entirely other world. A world cloaked in shadow and death, uncertainty and the soft glow of molten inferno. A world separated by miles of sprawling desert and wasteland, hidden within the mount peaks and dust storms raging deep within the wastes that lied ahead. The world she saw was the Badlands. Several miles of fog and darkness filled it, so completely unlike the rest of the Changeling Empire. Far worse in every sense of the word that Tempest could ever know. It was a darkness far deeper and more horrifying than the dark that consumed her after she unleashed the full force of her power on her foes. A darkness that looked to be that of a dust storm ranging in the size of tsunamis, so thick and deep that not even the darkest ink could compare. But even then, she said, “Show us.” Northern Valley 8.7 Miles Away from the Womb 4:58 p.m. They showed them. They showed them all of it. King Thorax and his brother Pharynx, trailed by numerous other changeling scouts and soldiers led the leaders and various other members of the One United Species Army towards the land of the event. The event that led to their affliction, their pain, their torment, their suffering, and their loss. When the massive group of various species stood on the edge of the Northern Valley, they gazed into the heart of darkness itself, the wind so fierce and so unearthly it nearly pushed them all back, away from it, away from the truth. Like the greatest magical bomb that had ever gone off, the remains of Mount Tartarus were just that: remains. Hardly anything that even resembled a mountain survived the eruption. Even then, not even the caldera survived. Canyons deeper than any crevice throughout all of Equus—even deeper than those in the oceans—were scattered about in wicked webs across the Badlands, where the caldera was birthed and further spread an unknown, earthly sickness across the landscape. Deep within the darkness of the canyons, smoke rose from the rivers of magma flowing across the surface. That smoke, that darkness, that sickness filled the skies and burned it. A storm that never ended swirled over the remains of the caldera, now above the gargantuan canyon where a hellish fire burned forever. Fires straight from Tartarus itself. Due to a lack of inhabitants following the Ultron Offensive, there were no demonic screams nor entities escaping it. Instead, the sounds of thunder raged overhead, the cry of the blood red lightning shooting out and striking the earth every several seconds. The land was devastated beyond repair. No amount of care, affection, or rebuilding could ever fix the unworldly damage brought upon the Badlands. While others gazed in shock and awe, Tempest Shadow stared with a furrowed brow of thought. While others saw the canyons for wicked designs brought about by nature, Tempest saw an intricate and specifically-designed earthquake, forming something within the earth. Something distinct… Her eyes widened when she finally saw it. Finally saw the claw prints and marks near the edges where the canyons ended. Finally saw the seven distinct canyons all lined up perfectly with one another, facing north. Finally knew what to do. “We need to find Princess Twilight,” Tempest Shadow fearfully uttered.