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Today, on the verge of utter annihilation all who remain in Ponyville stand aghast at the specter that now stands just outside the barrier. A cloaked hooded figure whose very presence is felt in the air and all around as unforgiving cold.
"Celestia, what is that thing!?" Twilight for just a brief moment lost her composure confronted by this direct feeling of dying all about and through their very being. Her dear mentor also stands agape for a second or so and drops her head. It is larger than most they have fended off this day. Something different and terrifying. Ice and fear.
"The creature before us is an ancient representation of death. The Grim Reaper, harvester of souls." She sounded sad.
Death itself? She had never heard of this.
"I don't know anything about such a thing." Twilight said, more calm again already as she took a breath.
"You wouldn't. The idea was abandoned a millennia ago. The original intention behind it was not to instill fear, but confidence that there is no loneliness in dying. A comforting presence. Once more and again a formerly good thing was turned twisted and left behind. That..thing there is not the reaper. If the represention is true, we must avoid being touched by that scythe at all costs." Celestia stood looking out defiantly as it raised that terrible weapon and swung.
As it struck the barrier a great clanging sound like a horrifyingly out of tune bell sounded and the entire barrier nearly fell.
"One strike!?" Even Luna was surprised. Getting such a response out of her was a truly rare occurrence. Another hit like that and it would be done. The commander ordered all others to avoid fighting that one. They would stand no chance against that kind of power.
"How can a physical weapon contain such immense energy?" Twilight knew of enchanted items, but nothing like this.
"There is only a single material that could." Luna knew what it was? Twilight found interest in this, even now.
"Starbless metal. The method of its construction is lost to history. Even we know little about it. They say the metal fell from the stars themselves. I have never seen anything made of it. It was rumored to be over sixty-thousand times stronger than any metal we know how to make." Luna was nervous, it could be heard in her voice.
"Sixty-thousand times!? It can't be. How would it even be forged? Where could they have got that?" Twilight was aghast to hear such an incredible piece of information. Along with the creeping cold there felt to be a terrific wall of sad feelings coming from the ghastly thing about to strike the barrier down.
"Tell me you feel that.." Twilight mumbled. Both sisters nodded in unison.
"Can it really be coming from it?" She asked aloud. It still had not raised the weapon again. Perhaps that kind of jolt needed a little time to recover from. When it did the shielding would surely be destroyed and they would face it.
"I do not know, but there is something very wrong with a few of these creations. I do not know what it is, but it is most distressing to sense." Luna was a master of understatement. They were literally facing death or a close facsimile. It could not be the real thing? No, that was impossible. It was just another of these disgusting toys he made, surely? If he did.
To now they still knew nothing of what this entity claiming to be a former lover really was, or who. Only that he was incredibly angry and savage in a way that defied words. Several hundred already lay dead on this unwanted field of battle. Ponies and their allies were strewn about like so much debris without a second thought or care. Blood-soaked and wrong as everything else. The dead sent marching against their own were stronger in general than the wooden constructs for some reason, but this thing held aloft a thing of such power it was unbelievable. Something from a dream, it should not be here. It did not belong, but the terror it brought was real as the wind and sky above.
"Do not be intimidated, Twilight Sparkle." Celestia broke the silence.
"If fear is what they want then we must not give it to them." Celestia walked close as she dared to the barrier and spoke.
"Begone from here. You are not death. How dare you pretend to own that mantle, you monster!" She nearly spat as she spoke. So rarely had anyone seen her like that. Her own sister was taken aback.
"Sister mine, come back. There is no reasoning here. Don't let them do that to you." Luna chose her words carefully.
Celestia visibly relaxed. The apparition before them slowly turned that hidden head towards her, just as slowly it raised a skeletal looking hoof and pointed it at her as if in silent accusation of some unspoken crime. For some reason this seemed to hurt her more than any words exchanged thus far. It held this position for some time. What was the meaning? The scythe glinting in the light of fire and destruction behind it gave some air of purpose and menace far beyond anything words would convey. Twilight more felt this silent accusation was meant as some form of insult.
"Celestia, come. He is playing a game which you know there is no winning." Luna asked her sister back.
Celestia gently shook her head side to side and moaned as though in pain, then returned to Luna's side. The ghastly thing lowered it's hoof and stamped the ground as though in punctuation of this accusation. It made a thunderous clap as it did. Was that just theatrics or something else? Just as slowly it once more raised that rusty ancient blade. Pulling it back to swing with such incredible force. This time when the metal made contact with the barrier a terrible screech of grinding metal could be heard for a mile and the barrier was no more.
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When the Reaper comes to call, words are just too small.