“Staaaarbuuuurrrsttt~”
The unicorn shot upright in her bed, glancing around the darkness that filled her room.
“Over heeeerrrreee….”
It was almost like the song was singing to her from the hall. She felt herself…compelled to follow it. Shuffling out of bed and onto the floor, she wandered in the direction of the voice.
It was still dark. Much too dark for her house, and she knew how dark it could get in it. Her horn flashed and a hovering light appeared at her side, sticking by her with every step as she tried to find the source of the voice.
“No, not there.”
Starburst whipped her head around as the voice spoke again, its breath warm upon the back of her neck. Yet, there wasn’t even a hint of a pony being there. As Starburst continued through her house, every passing second felt like a cold force was approaching her from all angles, her hair standing on end as mist began to creep in through the windows, its tendrils licking at her hooves as she was backed up further against the wall.
Starburst looked up from the creeping cold that had covered the floor to be met with a pair of rich magenta eyes staring right into her very soul. They just…stared for a moment before the voice returned.
“I’ll see you soon.”
And the moment it stopped talking, the room was illuminated with a large burst of sunlight. Starburst yelped and quickly covered her eyes from the blinding light, growling as a multitude of colours flashed amid the darkness. As she lowered her leg and opened her eyes, she looked out the window to see the sun just rising over distant mountains…yet it had been the middle of the night when she woke up.
“Ngh…” Starburst huffed, rubbing her eyes “Mystee-“ She stopped herself short “Oh, right.”
Staring to the floor as she walked to the kitchen, the solemn expression didn’t leave Starburst’s face as she simply just took a slice of bread and walked back out, slumping into her seat by the fireplace.
Starburst looked out to the sky once again, glancing the few spires of Twilight’s castle which she could say just creeping out into the skies from behind the rest of Ponyville. Hungaar hung very clear against the clear blue sky, its trail now spread out much further.
“Eyes up, Starburst.” She sighed to herself, rolling up the slice of bread before stuffing it into her mouth, pausing before she even began to chew “Comet ain’t gonna blow itself up.” Her thoughts echoed in her head as she stood up, her horn lighting up once more as an image of a crystal ball appeared before her. She just nodded before it vanished in a puff of smoke, slinging her saddlebags onto her back.
A knocking came from her door only a few steps before she reached it, to which Starburst took a long, deep breath and pushed her head up before her magic swung the door open to show Luna waiting for her on the other side “Oh, hey Luna.” Starburst greeted the princess.
Luna nodded before she spoke, “Good morning, Starburst Nova. Are you well?”
Starburst was quiet for a beat longer than she should have been before answering with a sigh “It was a little lonely without Mysteeri, I won’t lie…wait.” Her eyes met Luna’s “Why are you up, aren’t you asleep by now?”
“I should be, yes.” Luna confirmed, “But with the current situation, I felt I should…” She was interrupted by a yawn “My apologies. I felt I should be present.”
Luna moved to the side to allow Starburst to exit the door, the unicorn glancing around, seeing a few ponies going about their early morning routine, a few of them looking up to the comet “No guards?”
“No.” Luna shook her head “I request I be allowed to make a visit on my own for this. I checked with the Elements, they will be gathering at Twilight’s castle shortly. I assume your weapon is prepared?”
“Mhm.” Starburst responded “I’m going to teleport it in.”
As Luna opened her mouth to speak again, she and Starburst had their attention gripped by an a loud groan filling the air, which soon turned to an almost blaring alarm as darkness covered the village, leaving it consumed by a dark blue light “W-What the…?” Luna muttered “What is this?”
“Oh no…” Starburst breathed “They’re here.”
From the moment Starburst stopped talking, dozens of creatures made of swirling darkness burst forth from the shadows, screams and chaos erupting throughout Ponyville in mere moments.
Luna was quick to impale a black creature that lunged for them on a magical spear in an instant, tossing their limp body to the side before her horn ignited with a dazzling glow that ejected itself from her and shot into the sky, leaving a trail of coloured smoke behind it.
“The guard will get here as soon as they can when they see that.” Luna said, bucking away another creature, which Starburst vaporised with a blast of magic “With me!”
The duo galloped through the streets of Ponyville as fast as their legs would let them, blasting away the black creatures as they went until Luna came sliding to a halt as a member of Celestia’s guard rounded the corner before them, the princess stopping mere inches from him “Oh thank heavens, I nearly forgot about the detachment stationed here.”
The stallion nodded “We’re doing everything we can to drive out the invaders, princess. Do you have any orders?” He said after glancing Starburst at Luna’s side.
“I’ve sent an emergency flair, members of the Canterlot guard should be arriving soon. Meet with them when they arrive and secure the village. I have a matter I must attend to myself.” Luna instructed, a single kick from her hind leg shattering a black creature into dust.
“Of course, your majesty.” The stallion bowed before running off, the mares heading down the street he just came from, being met with Twilight’s castle reaching into the sky before them…and dozens upon dozens of black creatures between them and it.
“Where is she…?” Starburst muttered, her ears pricking up as the wind rushed around them, yet instead of the black pegasus she expected, Gael dropped in from the sky, standing between them and the horde “Gael!” The unicorn couldn’t help but smile.
“Morning, princess Luna!” Gael replied, digging his hooves into the ground “Need an escort?”
Luna chuckled “That would be most kind of you, Sir Gael.”
Gael shot back up into the air, grey streaks appearing in the air around him before he blasted a wall of wind forward with his wings, scattering the creatures into the air like bowling pins. A flash of magic followed from the ground, Starburst and Luna turning the black creatures into dissipating sparkles with blasts of magic.
“Starburst! Behind you!” Gael called out from above.
Too late, Starburst found herself slammed into the floor with an immense weight pressing down on her back, a claw digging into her as it ran down the back of her neck with blood drenching the tips of it. Before the creature could follow up on it, they were lifted off her and crumpled into an unrecognisable mess of life by blue magic before being tossed aside as Luna helped the unicorn back up “Are you alright?”
Starburst grunted before her horn lit with a green glow that soon vanished “I’ll be fine…that spell should at least stop the bleeding.” She hissed through gritted teeth “C’mon.”
More black creatures were crawling out of the woodwork, even with how many the trio were sending back to wherever they came from, two more took their place. It didn’t take long before some sprouted wings, Gael ducking and diving between charges at him, slamming his hind legs into some of them as they passed, yet even he found himself forced onto the ground.
“Where’s Mysteeri!?” Gael yelled as he shoulder tackled a larger one of the horde.
“I-I don’t know!” Starburst replied in a panicked yell as she swung a bat of magic into the side of a black creature’s face, stood back-to-back with Luna as Gael darted around the small circle of room they had. The ponies flinched as the horde suddenly let out a deafening screech, turning into a wall of black ink that came crashing down upon the group.
Yet mere inches from Luna’s horn, a blast of white magic shot over the group and through the conjoined wall of darkness, shattering it into splinters of darkness. All three heads turned in unison to see Celestia stood a dozen feet from them, magic swirling around with a holy radiance.
“This way!” She called out “We’re gathered in the castle!”
Even with Luna and Gael immediately rushing off after Celestia, Starburst couldn’t help but hesitate before her legs effectively forced themselves to run from another encroaching horde.
“What are you doing here, sister!?” Luna yelled over the chaos.
Celestia swatted away a large fly-like monster before answering “I could say the same for you! You’re usually asleep by now!”
“Touché, I guess.” Luna admitted as they ran into the castle. Celestia turned as Gael sprinted past them, magic illuminating the door until she saw Starburst still running with the horde hot on her heels.
Not a moment passed before Celestia shot back out into the open, a thin beam of white drawing across the floor from her horn, with large, yellow explosions of magic following where it went.
“Could…could she always do that?” Gael commented to Luna, the princess of the night merely shrugging in response.
Starburst bounded into the castle, staggering slightly as she landed. Celestia was quick to follow after smashing one of the creatures with a block of magic, the doors slamming shut behind her, followed by magic chains covering her. The white princess let out a long breath, her head lowering as she did “Thank goodness.” She then looked back to the trio “Are you all alright?”
“Nasty gash, but…” Starburst began before pausing. The look she gave Celestia was very noticeable to the princess before she quickly dropped it “I’ll be fine.”
The other two simply nodded in response to Celestia’s question.
“Good, follow me.” Celestia said, beginning to walk down the hall “We’ve gathered in the throne room, we’re just waiting on you, Starburst.”
Gael walked to Starburst’s side as they followed Celestia “This is it, then. You sure you can handle it? That…lens, if you can even call it that, sounds ridiculous.”
Starburst grunted as a jolt of pain shot through her nerves “I’m sure I can take it.”
Gael gave the unicorn a look of concern before nodding “If you say so. Don’t push yourself too hard. With all that magic, your horn might end up shattering.”
Starburst hadn’t considered that possibility.
Before she had time to think about it too much, they were in the throne room, six large thrones surrounding an equally large table, with each of the holders of the elements sat in their respective thrones. Twilight was quick to get up when she saw Starburst entering behind the two princesses.
“Ready?” Twilight asked.
“…Ready.” Starburst nodded “Mysteeri said she’d be here, but…”
Twilight carefully placed a hoof on Starburst “She’ll be here.” She said, her voice quite soothing to Starburst “I’m sure.”
Twilight smiled, then headed back for her throne “Well, it’s your plan, just tell us what to do!”
“Brace yourselves.” Starburst said “That’s all I can guarantee you should do. And…just go with it.”
Silence fell as the group of six friends exchanged glances. Starburst shuffled her hooves on the spot, her horn now lighting up with a multitude of colours. Purples, golds and whites flickered like small fireworks around it. A small light began to form high up in the room, followed by the sounds of cracks and something straining.
A large crystal ball, its underside covered in white gold, erupted forth from the air in a flash of light, its appearance blasting the roof clean off. Starburst grunted as the orb shook in her magic grip, briefly glancing to Twilight and mouthing a quick “Sorry.”
A jolt of magic sent a static shock through the fur of the ponies, the crystal orb being set alight with the same mixture of colours that surrounded Starburst’s horn. It began making noise, otherworldly, loud noises, with a deep rumbling underneath it all.
As the magic storm continued to swirl inside the orb, the group of six ponies felt themselves being lifted into the air as the aura of their elements surrounded them, wind beginning to stir through the room. Celestia looked to the purple unicorn for a moment, a blaze of fierce rebellion in the mare’s eyes.
Fluttershy yelped as a loose stream of pink magic suddenly erupted from the orb, yet it stopped a small bit away from her. Strands of magic burst into existence which connected the orb to the other bearers of the elements, each appearance being introduced by a loud bang with sparks flying from the orb.
Starburst grunted as the force of it all pushed her back, yet dug her hooves firm and stepped back forward, her mane and tail blowing as the small breeze circling around the room turned to a gust. Finally, another stream of magic, this one as large as the orb itself was, erupted out of the top of it, spreading out at its end as it seemed to push away at the very darkness that encompassed Equestria, loud whirring and crashes sounding as the magic pushed back against the consuming black.
The orb began to let out a loud whine before the room was drowned in a blinding white light.
“WAKE UP!”
Mysteeri’s eyes shot open in an instant. Her room was dark…too dark. With just a look to the clock, she could easily see it was morning, yet a look at the window revealed...
Oh that wasn’t morning.
A thick layer of black clouds blotted out the sky, stretching out to the far horizon. Mysteeri threw off the bedsheet and rolled onto the floor. She crashed into it face first, groaning to herself, but soon found her footing and stood, pushing the window open. She was immediately greeted by a cold, screaming wind, quickly slamming the window shut once more.
The transformed witch poked her head out the door and into the large hallway…nothing, dead silence. She yelped as a loud CLANG sounded, the entire hallway being filled with a red light as it echoed through. Mentally punching herself for making that kind of noise, she slid back into her room, eyes darting about in the darkness.
Her ears twitched as she saw a flash of light from the window. Looking out it once more, she could just about make out Ponyville in the distant shadows, beams of magic and light erupting out of it and into the sky. Mysteeri took a look behind her, then just shrugged.
The window was nearly flung off its hinges with the sheer force it was met with in combination from Mysteeri shoving it open and the might of the wind that raged outside. The pegasus clambered onto the windowsill, grabbing onto a nearby ledge by the window and swinging out, her mane and tail blowing wildly in the wind to the point her entire face was revealed as her mane went wild behind her.
A brief glance down revealed a terrifying drop to the train tracks far below. Mysteeri’s whistle was muffled by the wind, like every other sound “No time to waste.” She thought, looking up, the roof not that far away from her “Guess there’s no better time than the present to see if these wings work.”
The doctor from the day before burst into the room “Miss-“ He stopped short as the wind hit him, his horn glowing blue as he forced the window shut before looking to the bed.
The empty bed.
“Doctor?” The nurse asked from the hall “What’s wrong?”
“She’s not here. And the window was open.” The doctor replied as he stepped back out into the hall “…She wasn’t lying when she said she can’t sit still in hospital.”
Mysteeri growled as she pushed herself up onto the roof, a worn down ledge crumbling under the weight of one of her hind legs, the pegasus scrambling to put it back on solid footing before getting that leg on the roof, too.
The spires of Canterlot Castle were still visible through the swirling storm, like a knife of light through the darkness. Mysteeri stared at them for a moment before turning her attention to the edge of the roof she was now stood on, her usual frown remaining steady on her face as the near dizzying drop stared back at her.
She let out a yell as she stomped her hind leg into the roof, cracks shooting out from where she stomped, followed by dust shooting up from within them. Mysteeri’s frown turned to a confident smirk as she looked away from her leg and back to the drop.
Her wings shuffled and her tail flicked, then with a gust of wind of her own, she leaped off the roof and the screaming of the air filled her ears an instant. Windows she passed by glistened in the dim light before shattering into dozens of pieces.
The shrieking wind was joined by odd cackles before dozens of white eyes burst from the darker shadows. Mysteeri was quick to react, spinning into a kick which tore through multiple black creatures that came for her from below. As another dashed for her, she slammed her forehoof into its skull before gripping onto it with her teeth and tossing it into another horde, scattering them to be smashed into outlying rocks.
Dozens more suddenly came flowing out from seemingly thin air, swarming the witch in moments to cover her in a thick layer of darkness.
That darkness was soon pierced by a flash of a purple light, then slashed away into dozens of pieces as Mysteeri turned to a blurring drill with the sword forged from Deimos’ soul in her mouth, the screams of the black creatures vanishing in the wind as Mysteeri continued to plummet down.
“And spin it this way!” Mysteeri shouted as she stopped her spin and chucked the sword forward, turning it to a spinning wheel of death that bounced off of and shredded through any of the black creatures unfortunate enough to be in its path. One of them looping past the death blade didn’t escape Mysteeri’s gaze, as it opened its jaws beyond any physical limit, the witch wound up a kick that punched right through the back of the creature’s mouth, slamming it into a wall where it exploded like the rest.
The tracks weren’t too far now, the sword coming to a halt in its spin before vanishing into the air “Alright, wings, let’s see what you’re made of- Huh!?”
Mysteeri’s thought was interrupted by a train whistle and a bright light piercing the darkness from a nearby tunnel. That same train she had been on just previously was rocketing down the tracks, and right for her! Mysteeri scowled, focusing on her wings as they twitched and shook against the force of the wind “Come on, open up!”
The wings of sheer black finally shot open and a clap of thunder echoed through the mountains as Mysteeri pulled up mere feet from both the tracks and the train itself, blasting off over the countryside and toward the distant village. Even above the howling wind, the passengers could hear her yells of excitement.
As the blinding light slowly faded from the castle, the ponies in Twilight’s castle found themselves drenched in shadows. Starburst’s orb flickered in and out of life, the streams connecting it to the elements slowly fading into thin air.
Starburst gasped for breath as her legs partly gave way, the aura around her horn barely maintaining itself to even hold the orb in the air.
“Starburst, you’re insane!” Gael yelled over the howling winds “You try that again and you’ll blow yourself up! There has to be another way!”
Starburst scowled before pushing herself back onto her hooves “IT’S DAMN WELL WORTH A TRY!” She bellowed back.
The elements and the princesses all exchanged uneasy looks as Starburst took on a much more rigid stance, the magic surrounding her horn flaring to life once more before erupting into a tornado of colour that blasted the orb. In an instant the streams smashed back into existence with crackles of magic lightning flittering across the surface of the orb.
The beam of light once again burst out of the top of the orb, piercing the sea of darkness that hung above them like an arrow, shooting into the distant abyss, its streak soon merging with the comet that still stood out among it all. Further small streams then crept out of the light and vanished into the clouds, spreading a golden light among them.
“She’s insane…” Luna thought as Starburst’s magic tornado began throwing out small firework-like blasts. Before the princess could intervene, Starburst let out a roar that muted out even the wind as the orb once again let out a blinding flash.
“Guh-!” Mysteeri gasped as a tsunami of light came rushing for her. She brought her forelegs up to shield her eyes, the roar of the wind being drowned out by sheer silence, as if all her senses had been drained by the light…
And it all came crashing back with her as she hit the dirt, ragdolling as she skimmed across the grass numerous times before coming to a loud yet drawn out stop as she left a large gash in the earth in her wake.
When she finally came to a stop, she opened her eyes to find herself caked in dirt, mud and grass and above her…a clear blue sky. Hungaar still hung in the air, suspended perfectly while a beam of light that seemed to come from the planet vanished into glistening sparkles.
Starburst’s orb vanished in another flash as she fell to the floor, desperately for breath. In an instant she was surrounded by the rest of the ponies in the room, Twilight leaning down to her side “Starburst, look at me.”
The unicorn slowly opened her eyes and smiled “We do it? You girls OK?”
“Bit of a shock at first, but we’re fine.” Applejack responded “And, yeah, looks like ya did it.” She looked to the exposed sky.
Starburst chuckled, slowly rolling onto her stomach “It worked. I can’t believe it, I thought it would explode.”
“For a moment, I thought you and it both were-“ Gael was interrupted by the orb suddenly reappearing where it once was, filled with a purple cloud “Starburst?”
“That’s not me doing that.” Starburst stared up at the orb. It began to shake and groan, small chips of crystal and white gold clattering against the table that it was suspended above as cracks formed across its surface “No…”
“BRACE YOURSELVES!” Celestia’s sudden yell alarmed the entire group as they were surrounded by a thick magic shield as a thunderous boom rocked the village, the once liberating sky being consumed by an even thicker darkness that erupted out of Twilight’s castle, the walls of the room being blasted to smithereens.
Mysteeri stared at the castle as the clouds flooded out of it, everywhere she looked was already consumed by the darkness once again. Yet through it all, the appearance of a rich orange glow from behind her caught her attention. Slowly, she turned to see it.
And her face went white.
“Is everyone alright?” Celestia asked as the shield vanished. She breathed a sigh of relief as the ponies confirmed their safety “Thank Faust.”
“Uh…” Applejack froze up as her eyes met the horizon “Y’all, this is gonna sound ridiculous, but…look at the sun.”
“Hm? What’s wrong with the…” Twilight’s eyes shrunk to pinpricks as she followed Applejack’s gaze “…sun…”
Where once was a sun now stood a screaming void surrounded by a roaring blaze with a white streak dropping from the bottom of it all and vanishing under the distant horizon.
THE LAST JUDGEMENT DRAWETH NIGH…