Dark magic surged its way into Twilight's mind. When her eyes snapped open, she did not see Canterlot. Instead, she stood in the middle of a ruined village, a former pony settlement burned to the ground.
Looking up, Twilight saw a group of pegasi flying toward her. They panted heavily, their wings in an erratic, unsynchronised rhythm. They all sweated profusely, but still they carried on, driven on by draconic slave masters under threat of incineration.
But for two pegasi, even this was not enough to keep them going. After countless hours of work, their wings gave out. They dropped from the sky, crashing to the ground at Twilight’s hooves, limbs twitching with muscle spasms.
Twilight gasped. They were completely emaciated, despite the abundance of food around them. They flew back and forth across the ocean to collect rain clouds for crops they would never eat.
In a flash, the scenery shifted. Now she was inside a volcano, watching earth and crystal ponies work in large chain gangs. Mindlessly, they trudged onward, pulling ore-laden carts, invoking the image of King Sombra’s terrible reign in Twilight's mind. Others were on crude machines, turning the wheels that ground up the rocks prior to smelting.
Though she was not physically there, Twilight could still feel the searing heat that radiated from the forges. It was almost unbearable to watch, but no matter how her instincts pushed her to help, she could not. She was not in control of her journey.
Worse still, she spotted a familiar face among the slaves. She almost didn't recognise her, the crystal pony's mane flat against her face, her once green coat now dulled from despair. It was Peridot Pop, chained to a wheel with a dozen other ponies, endlessly walking in circles as one of many cogs in Torch’s war machine.
Like the pegasi, they were lathered, white foam dripping off their swollen joints. Little care was given to the working conditions. The ground was littered with shark rocks and pieces of scrap metal, and with undead dragons constantly barking orders to keep the slaves moving, injuries were common. Open wounds quickly became infected with putrid sores and a shade of gangrenous green – an inevitable by-product of the disease-rich undead. The sight made Twilight want to throw up.
As If this wasn’t grotesque enough, now Twilight got to see the dark fate of slaves who inevitably collapsed. Whether dead or alive, the result was the same: if they couldn’t work, they were disposed of, dragged away by their hind legs and thrown into the lava pits.
Twilight was stunned. She had never seen such cruelty. It made her whole body shake with both fear and rage. She had to escape, to return to Canterlot and figure out a plan to end the great evil she'd witnessed.
But the Necromancer was not done. Once again, the scenery shimmered and changed, transforming from the steaming pits of lava to a wide, circular chamber. The room was pitch black, save only for the light of dark sorcery streaming from the Necromancers’ horns. It took a moment for Twilight's eyes to adjust, but when they did, the sight before her took her breath away.
The kidnapped unicorns, all sitting in a wide circle, staring into space with blank, pupil-less eyes. It was only down to their shallow breathing that Twilight knew they were alive. Likewise, the Necromancers also looked to be catatonic, a thin stream of purple magic connecting them all together.
Then, a violent shudder rocked the earthen prison, snapping Twilight’s attention up toward the ceiling. Two pairs of huge claws dug into the rock, effortlessly tearing off the roof as a single slab of rock shifted away. Daylight flooded into the room, forcing Twilight to cover her eyes – an action not replicated by the Necromancers.
Before she could question what was going on, the same, scaly hands threw something in with her. Only when Twilight dared to peak from behind her hooves did she see what it was: the rotten corpse of a huge dragon, twice the size of the one Fluttershy rebuked years ago. At first it looked looked like it was falling on top of her, but upon phasing straight through her, Twilight realized why the cultists had kidnapped unicorns specifically.
The Necromancers’ eyes shot open. Their sockets were empty, filled with the same unholy power that Night Light had cast. Chanting an unholy curse in unison, magic shot through the stream to each unicorn. The more they chanted, the more magic they unleashed.
Slowly, the unicorns began levitating off the ground, their bodies unfolding as their anchored chains pulled tight. Soon the spell reached its climax, the unicorns screeching such a loud, blasphemous crescendo, Twilight felt her ears might burst.
Magic spewed forth from their horns, filling the dragon’s corpse until, seconds later, it awoke, rising to its feet and bellowing an even louder, triumphant roar. The Necromancers ceased their chants, closed their eyes and let the slaves crumple to the ground.
Now, bathed in daylight, Twilight could see just how degraded the undead dragon’s flesh had become. It was even worse than the infected slaves she'd seen earlier, with festering wounds full of wriggling maggots, and with some patches of skin missing altogether.
None of this made a difference to its movement. Spreading its decrepit wings, the undead dragon took to the skies with ease, flying as if restored to the prime of its youth. Once it was out of sight, the oubliette’s roof closed.
“This is your fate…”
The voice made her jump.
“Those who oppose Lord Torch, shall end up like this…”
It was in her head, coming from every direction at once.
“No!” Twilight screamed. “This isn’t real! It’s… it’s all an illusion, made to scare ponies into submission.”
“What you see is very real,” replied the voice, its words tinted with an insidious venom. “These are the dragons that will destroy Equestria.”
“I… I…” Twilight collapsed to her haunches. Never had she seen such horror, such cruelty. Even the nightmarish visions of King Sombra couldn’t match this, all at the command of Lord Torch. Could she really stand up to creatures she once thought impossible?
Just as she felt herself slipping into despair, a fresh ray of light caught her attention. At first, she thought it was the ceiling opening again, but this was different. The earth didn’t shake, and no dragon came falling from above.
This light was not a sudden, harsh glare that stung her eyes. Rather, a soft, gentle glow. The images of slavery and suffering were slowly erased, replaced by the vivid colours of Canterlot.
“Twilight? Twilight, are you okay?!”
Spike stood over her, tears staining his cheeks as he shook her awake.
“Ugh, what…?” her friends stood around her, all sharing the same worried look. It took a moment for her to wake up fully, but when she did, the realization of what just happened hit her like a ton of bricks. “Oh no, where’s Night Light? What happened to her spell?”
“She vanished through the portal.” Stepping into view was Stellar Shine, and he looked to be prepared for war. Not only was he wearing a gold-coloured breastplate, he also carried a large, two-headed war-hammer slung over his back. “Starlight and Trixie sent for me with dire news.”
Twilight gulped. “Steller, did something happen while I was out?”
He nodded. “Yes. I’ll give it to you straight, Twilight. You know that cultist you tried to catch? She summoned a dragon before vanishing through a portal. The Crystal Paladins are already fighting, but we can't finish it without you and your friends.”
“Wait, why do you need us?” Dash cocked an eyebrow. “Aren't you Paladins strong enough already?”
“It's not about that,” Stellar retorted, trying to keep an even tone despite her frivolous question. “The citizens of Canterlot need to know they aren’t being abandoned by harmony. As such, we need Twilight to make a show of force, along with each of you, the element bearers.”
“It's bigger than that,” Twilight rose to her hooves. “Equestria is on the cusp of war. We need more than harmony, we need unity. I'll go with you, Stellar. But I want you to deliver the finishing blow.”
Stellar did a double take and blinked at Twilight. “Are... are you sure, Princess Twilight? I don't want to usurp your position.”
Twilight shook her head. “Forget about ranks of authority for now. Just trust me, okay?”
Stellar bowed. “Alright, I'll trust your judgement. But we must hurry. My Paladins cannot hold out for long without fully retaliating.”
“We're with ya, General Stellar,” Applejack beat her chest.
“We all are!” added Twilight to a round of confirmations.
“Don't forget about us!” added Spike, gesturing to Smoulder, who cracked her knuckles.
“We'll show that freak of a dragon whose boss,” she snarled. “And that Ember's followers won't take betrayal lying down!”
“Thank you, all of you,” Stellar smiled, beaming with pride. “Follow me, we haven't much time to lose.”