Princess Twilight Sparkle found dragging herself out of bed that morning to be more difficult than usual. It wasn't that she didn't want to rise to the challenge of ruling Equestria—okay, maybe part of her didn't—but it was mostly the fear of doing so. She couldn't stop her brain from kicking into overdrive, thinking of how she could possibly screw up ruling of an entire country, and how that would lead to disaster for all creatures across Equestria, and how it would be all her fault. She loved the land of Equestria, and she wanted every creature to live in safety and happiness. She just didn't know if she could ensure that.
Twilight groaned as she trotted down the halls of the Palace of Friendship. Her eyes were heavy from staying up late, re-reading every book she could think of that might've been helpful in running a kingdom. Not to mention all the checklists she'd been making, trying to arrange things so that everything would be just right when she did end up leaving. Starlight would run the School of Friendship, naturally, and would care for the Palace of Friendship. Her best friends would all have their lives to continue with, but she'd be certain to establish them as a council that advise her in hours of need. Plus, there were arrangements to be made concerning Spike's status. He would be her closest confidant, as he always had been.
With a sigh, Twilight pushed open the door to her dining room with her foreleg, not wanting to even use her magic. She hoped Spike had made breakfast already, because she was starving, and it would be—
"SURPRISE!"
Twilight nearly fell onto her rear at the blast of the confetti cannon in her face. She managed to catch herself by waving her forelegs and spreading her wings out, before slowly settling down onto her hooves once again. Mentally, Twilight chided herself for not being ready, but not too much. Even after all these years of knowing her, Pinkie Pie remained unpredictable.
"Really, Pinkie, you didn't have to go to all the trouble of throwing another—" she began, but stopped upon actually looking in the room.
As expected, her best friends were all there. Pinkie stood by a large cake, alongside Rarity, Applejack, and Starlight. Spike, Fluttershy, and Rainbow Dash were all flying above the room, holding up a massive banner. However, Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, Princess Cadence, Shining Armor, Flurry Heart, and Discord were all there as well. Plus, the banner didn't read "Happy One Day Closer to Becoming the Ruler of Equestria Party," like Twilight had expected. Rather, it said "Happy Coming Closer to Becoming the Ruler of Equestria and Also We're Sorry Party." Twilight, after briefly wondering how Pinkie had managed to fit that all on one banner, stared in confusion.
"Um, not that I'm ungrateful for the party, but this is more ponies here than I would've expected. Also, what are you sorry about? Nopony here has done anything bad recently."
Most of the others blinked repeatedly. Clearly, they hadn't expected this reaction.
"See? I told you she wasn't angry about it," said Discord, helping himself to a slice of the cake. "Twilight's the epitome of 'It was my fault, not yours.' If anything, she probably thinks she should've been more accepting."
"More accepting of what?" asked Twilight.
"Well, sugar cube," Applejack began, "the thing is, we got to talking to each other after what we said when we found out you were gonna be the sole ruler of Equestria soon. We started to realize that we basically told you your concerns were...well, meaningless, even though we just meant to be encouraging. We feel like we might've pressured you into more Twilighting, which is pretty rude, to be honest. So we wanted to apologize for that."
"And we wrote to the Princesses about it," Fluttershy added. "After they thought it over, they decided they might've sprung this on you a bit unfairly."
"Fluttershy is correct, Twilight," said Celestia. "We do intend to retire, but we're concerned that doing it right away, giving you only a few days to prepare yourself to take over, was unfair. After spending so much time with you, we know how much you like to plan ahead. So we came over to ask if you want us to change our arrangements."
"Would you like us to wait longer?" asked Luna. "I promise, it won't be any trouble. We haven't announced our retirement to anypony not in this room."
"We're just here for moral support," said Cadence, as she levitated Flurry Heart over.
"I'm just here for the food," said Discord. Upon the resulting glare from Fluttershy, he hastily added, "I mean, to provide more support! Yes, that's it!"
Twilight took her niece in one leg, giving Flurry a small nuzzle, as she mulled over their words. It was true, she would like to get more time. But did that mean she was abandoning her duties to Equestria? After all, Celestia and Luna had ruled for over one-thousand years, they deserved a break. Was it really fair to make them wait longer just because she was nervous?
However, this time Twilight shook those doubts away. Both princesses had promised they had no problem with it, and they wouldn't lie to her. There was nothing to be ashamed of in waiting until she was truly ready for the task of ruling Equestria. And it wasn't like she would use the extra time to just Twilight (she really didn't like that verb) some more, she'd use it to make the changes that were needed before she left.
"If we could maybe push it back just a week or so?" she asked. "I want to be certain everything is all nice and organized before I take over." She took a moment to look around at all her friends. "I'm not afraid to run the kingdom, I know I can do it with all your help. And I'm not mad at anypony in this room for what they did, especially when they were trying to be nice. But I accept the apology anyway."
Spike visibly sighed with relief. "Thanks, Twilight. It's good to know we didn't just brush you off again." He shivered, clearly thinking about the want it, need it incident.
Discord, currently doing the backstroke through the air, let out a big yawn. "Well, at least I'll have more time to pick out exactly what I'm going to do for Twilight's coronation."
Rarity shot a rather annoyed look at him "And what, pray tell, were you considering?" she demanded.
Discord held up his mismatched hands innocently. "I was just trying to decide what kind of firework display I was going to add. What, did you think I was gonna pull some crazy stunt like suddenly turning evil again, forcing you to defeat me, then revealing it was all a ruse to boost Twilight's confidence?"
"That would be pretty rude," said Pinkie.
Twilight gave Flurry Heart another kiss before passing her back to her parents. "I know, I get nervous over a lot of things, but in my heart, I know for certain that I can do this as long as I have my friends by my side." She ignited her horn, pulling her six best friends from across the room to her and they all shared in one big hug. "There's nothing we can't overcome if we don't work together."
Celestia, Luna, Starlight, Cadence, and Shining Armor all let out a big "Awwww" at the display. Discord actually found himself blowing his nose.
"The cuteness...it burns!" he whimpered, collapsing to the ground like a limp hose.
Twilight felt truly content where she was right now. Surrounded by loving friends and family, about to settle into the role Princess Celestia had seen her fit for. It would be hard to manage all of Equestria, and she was certain she'd miss Ponyville, but it wasn't like she'd never see her best friends again. She knew they'd adjust, and their friendship would last forever.
"I'm glad to see you're doing well," came a familiar voice from another entrance.
Twilight opened her eyes, searching for the source, until she found it. A tall, rather imposing looking, orchid-colored unicorn, with a scar over one eye, and a broken horn. She no longer wore the armor she once had, merely settling for a black one-piece draped over her back, and a grey scarf around her neck.
"Tempest!" exclaimed Twilight, rushing over to her former enemy and hugging her as well. "Or do you prefer Fizzlepop?"
The larger unicorn shrugged. "I've gone by Tempest so long, you can call me either name." She looked over Twilight, making eye contact with Pinkie Pie. "Sorry I'm late. Celaeno had to take a detour to get me back here."
Pinkie shot her a wide smile in return. "It's okay, Fizzlepop! You made it here, and that's what matters!"
Starlight Glimmer approached Tempest. "So, you're the Tempest Shadow, huh? We've never had the opportunity to be introduced. I'm Starlight Glimmer."
"Oh, you're Twilight's first friendship student!" said Tempest, shaking her hoof. "I've heard a lot about you. I assume you've heard some...not so great things about me."
Starlight waved it off with one hoof. "Hey, whatever you've done, I probably did worse."
Rainbow Dash flew over to the grouped ponies. "So Tempest, how'd your travels go? I heard you were spreading word of the Storm King's death to the lands he conquered."
"About as well as I'd hoped," said Tempest. "I still have a lot of work to do rebuilding some places he abandoned, so I'm headed back out right after Twilight's coronation. A lot of people aren't willing to forgive me until I help them put their lives back together, but I don't exactly blame them."
"Well, darling, before you leave, you simply must allow me to design you some new clothes," Rarity insisted. "I know black is your color, but I believe we could bring out your eyes with a nice shade of green. Perhaps chartreuse."
Tempest chuckled to herself. "You don't have to do that, Rarity, but thanks, anyway." She looked up at all the decorations and refreshments for the party. "It's been so long since I've been to a celebration like this. Especially considering I helped ruin your Festival of Friendship."
With a sudden popping sound, a plate with a clean-cut slice of cake appeared before her. Tempest blinked in surprise, before Discord suddenly wrapped the length of his body around her neck.
"Just dig in, Fizzlepop Berrytwist," he announced, happily sipping his drink. "If there's one thing I've learned about friendship, it's to always take part in one of Pinkie's parties."
Tempest laughed again, this time joined by the other ponies.
Once upon a time, the Typhoon had been the greatest in the Storm King's fleet of airships. Heavily armed and crewed by many of the Storm Creatures who'd sworn their loyalty to the king, it was a deadly transport and a fierce symbol of the Storm King's conquering crusade. Creatures trembled in fear of its approach, as it cast its shadow over the land.
Nowadays, it was the only ship left from the once massive fleet. The Typhoon had been the flagship for the attack on Canterlot, headed by Commander Tempest Shadow. Now that Tempest was no longer with the Storm King's armada, and the Storm King himself was dead, the chain of command had collapsed, leaving the scattered Storm Creatures who controlled the ship blindly flying across the land. The group had barely managed to flee Canterlot in the wake of the invasion's failure, but they knew the Equestrian government was looking for them. All they could think to do was flee further and further away from the ponies' eyes, and hope they'd remain undetected. With the armaments they had onboard, they could wreck some havoc, but nothing that would last.
At the moment, the Typhoon was busy hovering over a desert canyon not far from Klugetown. The Storm Creatures had managed to restock some supplies at the town, reasonably sure that the citizens wouldn't bother to inform the ponies they'd been here if asked. Of course, that left the task of getting the stuff actually on the ship.
"Move the rest of the cargo below deck!" barked the de facto leader of the creatures in their native language. "We have to move on from this spot before the day is out!"
The one who held the position of second-in-command for the day, exhausted from hauling the crates around all day, collapsed to the ground with a thump. "This is pointless," he groaned. "Why not just turn ourselves over to those ponies? They let Commander Tempest get away with it, maybe they'll be nice to us?"
His superior slapped him across the face. "News flash! Unlike Tempest, we didn't turn on the Storm King at the last second! We go back to the ponies, they lock us up and throw away the key! Now shut up and do your job!"
The second Storm Creature groaned in frustration, but moved to follow the order, until something caught his gaze above the ship.
"Uh, boss?" he ventured, poking his superior.
"What is it now?" came the annoyed grunt.
The second creature pointed. Looking up, the leader saw what appeared to be a small, white and grey object falling towards the Typhoon. What was even more shocking, of course, were the bolts of electricity coming off the object as it approached faster and faster.
"COVER!" screamed the leader. "EVERYBODY DIVE FOR COVER—!"
While they weren't the brightest bunch, the Storm Creatures knew the signs of danger when they heard them. They scurried away from the object's estimated impact site, whipping out their anti-magic shields to protect themselves.
The object slammed into the Typhoon's deck with a burst of electricity, stray bolts zipping off of it and electrifying all metal objects onboard the ship. Fortunately for the Storm Creatures, their shields were strong enough to protect them from the magical lightning. They cautiously poked their heads out, looking at their new arrival.
And promptly fell into bows.
The Storm King rose to his feet, electricity arcing across his body and lighting up his eyes. He promptly groaned, lifting up each leg with his arms, rubbing his calves.
"Oh, boy, you guys were right about that landing!" he complained, as he felt the bones of his legs for damage. "Terrible for your knees. At least it looked cool."
Grogar, Cozy Glow, Tirek, Sombra, and Chrysalis all floated up alongside the ship, sitting on a chunk of land levitated up by Grogar's magic.
"We tried to warn you," Cozy Glow noted, rolling her eyes.
The Storm Creatures noticed the new arrivals for the first time. With a roar of "For the Storm King!" they all drew their weapons, preparing for battle.
"Whoa whoa whoa!" yelled the Storm King, snapping his fingers and creating an electrical pop. "No! Bad minions! Did I order you to attack?"
The Storm Creatures immediately stood down, bowing before their king once more.
"Okay, glad to see we all know who's in charge here," said the Storm King. "Now, my loyal subjects, these are our new business partners. You obey them as you would me. Understand?"
All the Typhoon's crew hastily nodded. A few quiet grumbles were heard about taking orders from a tiny pony like Cozy Glow, but everyone present already knew that they would lead to nothing.
"Excellent. You there!" Storm King pointed to the leader of the creatures. "What do ya got on this ship?"
"We're thirty strong, Your Excellency," the creature replied. "We've got a couple of obsidian grenades left, and the ship's weapons are fully functional."
"Wait, you can understand those growls?" asked Sombra.
The Storm King shrugged. "Had to learn how when I hired these goons," he replied. He turned to Grogar. "That gonna be enough for your plan, boss?"
The ram nodded. "These will do nicely. Order them to hand over the obsidian grenades, just in case. Besides that, tell them to turn this ship around and begin heading for Canterlot, but to stay out of sight. Then have them standby for further orders. Tell them to prepare the ship for combat."
Storm King relayed the orders. Soon, the grenades were retrieved and passed the Grogar. The Storm King then jumped onto the floating chunk of rock with the others.
"So now what?" he asked.
"Now," said Grogar, "We must acquire the next item needed for my plan." He lit up his horns with black and gold light, creating a portal of darkness in the air. "Come. To Hollow Shades."
He trotted through the vortex, and the others followed obediently.
The Well of Shade, the dark cistern in which the evil Pony of Shadows had been banished, was a foreboding location. Even with the beast of darkness long gone, no ponies dared to venture to the dark shrine, as they were understandably fearful. The air around the well made one's hairs stand on end, feeling as though they were being stalked by a fearsome creature that would like nothing more than to consume them. Fear was in the atmosphere around the shrine, and no creature liked it.
Grogar was an exception.
The ram strolled down the halls of the cistern with a smile on his face, passing by the columns carved with the words of ancient ponies, as his five allies followed in his wake. The group did not share their master's confidence, nervously glancing from side-to-side, even behind them, feeling nerves begin to creep down their spines. Even the mighty Tirek found himself shivering, probably wishing Grogar had granted him more power just for safety's sake.
"Um, Grogar?" asked the Storm King, as his tail quivered back and forth. "Could you...remind me why we're here again?"
"Because this is where the last portal to Limbo was opened up," Grogar answered, not even bothering to turn his head. "Thus, this is where the connection is strongest."
The Storm King opened his mouth to ask another question, but Chrysalis shot him a look. One that said "Stop talking before he gets angry." The Storm King grumbled, but nonetheless said nothing and kept walking.
The group continued their journey in silence, before finally reaching the mural at the end of the chamber. Grogar looked up and ignited his horns. He could feel the remnants of the Harmony Magic that had cast the Pony of Shadows into Limbo. As he probed the atmosphere, faint sparkles of rainbow light appeared, along with what looked like a white crack in the air. Grogar smiled wickedly.
"Master Grogar, sir?" asked Cozy Glow. "If we open a portal to Limbo, won't that mean that the Pony of Shadows will return?"
"The darkness is weak without a host," Grogar replied. "If it does make an appearance, I am prepared to deal with it. Now..." He levitated up five of the Elements of Disharmony. "Prepare to use your Elements as we practiced. Remember to focus on the aspect of your particular Element."
The other five nodded, as the stones latched onto them, transforming into black, spiked necklaces with grey gems in various shapes embedded in the center. The Storm King's was a lightning bolt, Cozy Glow's was a rook piece (like her Cutie Mark), Tirek's was a clenched fist, Chrysalis' was a dragonfly, and Sombra's was a diamond. The final Element levitated up to Grogar's head, before suddenly morphing into a black, jagged crown, complete with gem shaped like a bell.
Each member of Grogar's legion then closed their eyes, each of their Elements glowing with black light. They began to levitate off the ground, and a line of solid black swerved out of each necklace, connecting to the other Elements. Once the line was established, all five Elements fired into Grogar's. Pure dark magic swirled around the Element, and Grogar closed his eyes, firing a thick, black blast into the white crack.
The crack in reality split open with a thunderous blast of noise. The resulting shockwave knocked the other five out of the air, but Grogar remained standing. Inside of the crack was a large vortex, leading to a world completely covered in black, with only the vaguest of lights to illuminate it. Grogar lit up his horns again, casting a probing spell.
"Ah, there it is," he cackled. "So careless, Gusty. You really should have hid it better."
The studs on his necklace began to glow again, forming a ball of gold light at his throat. Grogar gestured with one hoof, and the orb darted forward, suddenly transforming into a pair of thin, golden arms and hands of pure light. The fingers then inserted themselves into the black hole, poking around inside of Limbo, until they found what they were looking for.
Grogar beckoned towards himself, and the hands pulled back, carrying with them a small object. As the fingers came into view, the object was revealed to be a bell, colored dull green, with various arcane markings adorning its surface. Several cracks ran down the length of the bell. Grogar eagerly raised one hoof, accepting the bell into his grip, and attached it to the hook on his necklace.
"Finally, it is returned to me," he mused, an evil smile gracing his features. "It could never be destroyed, and now I shall—"
"Uh, maybe save the evil speech for later?" interrupted Tirek. "Because we've got a problem!"
He pointed at the still-open vortex leading to Limbo, prompting everyone else to follow his gaze. A giant mass of darkness, like moving liquid, was beginning to slither out of the hole, and take on a cohesive shape. The form it took was that of a giant, pitch-dark alicorn with glowing white eyes, and a maw full of jagged teeth.
"Finally!" roared the Pony of Shadows. "I shall be free once more! This land shall be shrouded in darkness and—"
A black and gold bolt of magic from Grogar's horns cut it off, forcing it backwards. Grogar advanced on the Pony of Shadows, horns and necklace flaring with pure power.
"I have no use for you at the moment, beast," growled the goat. "And without a host, your power is negligible. Return to Limbo, and remain there."
The Pony of Shadows' only response was another howl of rage. It reached forward with both front legs, pushing against the ground as it attempted to pull its entire body out of the portal. The other five villains assumed fighting poses, but Grogar held up his hoof, signaling them to stand down.
Grogar's horns lit up once more, along with the studs on his necklace. The magic coalesced around the tips of his horns, before firing a pair of black and yellow beams at the Pony of Shadows. The beast responded with a powerful blast of pure darkness from its maw, and the two attacks collided in midair. The two magic attacks struggled against each other for a minute, but soon, it became clear that Grogar's power was winning. Soon enough, his attack punched through that of the Pony of Shadows, hitting it directly in the chest.
"NO! I WON'T BE TRAPPED! I WON'T—" was all the creature had time to scream before it was forced back into Limbo by the sheer power of Grogar. With another pulse of magic, Grogar sealed the portal shut, cutting off the Pony of Shadows' only escape.
"Did he...just crush the Pony of Shadows...without half-trying?" Cozy Glow whispered to Tirek.
"I think that's what just happened," replied the centaur.
Grogar turned on his hoof, strutting past his minions as though he didn't have a care in the world.
"Now that we've completed the groundwork for my plan," he said, nonchalantly, "I will instruct you on what we must do. We will bring down all of Equestria."
"Master Grogar?" asked Sombra, as the Legion began to follow their leader. "If you don't mind me asking, what does that bell actually do?"
Grogar chuckled to himself. "The bell, King Sombra, is a key. The key to Tambelon."