//------------------------------// // Chapter eighteen: Return to Ponyville, resurgence of an ancient evil. // Story: Season 10: Dawn of a new generation of Harmony // by xombiekilla //------------------------------// As Twilight and company returned to Canterlot, everyone there was waiting for them with open arms. "Welcome back, Twilight. I made sure to let everypony know to get ready for when you came back." Fluttershy said to Twilight. "Thanks, Fluttershy. So everyone's ready then?" Twilight asked as they all nodded to affirm that they were. "Alright then, Celestia, Luna. Will you join us, or do you want to watch over the castle?" "We'll join you, Twilight. We need more action and not be reminded of how hectic our work used to be." Luna stated as Celestia agreed. "Yes, Luna. I'd like that, too." Gallus then spoke up. "So then, what will I be doing? Guarding the ruler is my job, you know." "Gallus. Today is your lucky day. You'll be watching over the whole castle with Lieutenant Tempest." This made his jaw drop in shock and awe. "A-Are you serious, Twilight?" "Yup. I trust that you'll have everything under control with Spike as well. The three of you will be fine in my absence. I'll be helping Hero to defend my kingdom and home." Twilight proudly proclaimed as she and her company set off to the Canterlot Train Station and got tickets to Ponyville Central to check up on the place and get Hero back into the academy. Once they boarded the train, Luna suddenly got a terrible feeling racking through her body- like a premonition of what was to come. "Are you okay, Luna?" Twilight asked her out of concern. "No. I just had a terrible feeling all of a sudden. Something big is about to happen." Once they arrived, the whole team headed towards the Town Hall to regroup. "Now is the perfect time to begin our plan." Chrysalis and Grubber were at Town Square next to its hall. She tapped her horn onto the Box as its lock opened up partially; dark and misty evil was oozing from it, giving them cold chills. "U-Uh... are you sure this is a good idea, Chrysalis? It's like opening up an oyster, but an evil one." "Do not question me, Grubber. We're going through with this plan as is. Am I understood?" "Y-Yes, Your Highness. Although, I've got a horrible feeling about this thing all of a sudden like opening it up was a terrible idea." Grubber said as he visibly shook just by being near Pandora's Box. "That's because it was. You two are in a lot of trouble. Now close that Box right now and come quietly!" Twilight said as they finally caught up to Chrysalis and Grubber. "Well, now, you look different. It has been far too long since we've seen each other, Twilight Sparkle. I don't think you quite understand who's in charge now. I had to be trapped with those two imbeciles for many years while you had your lovely little friendship reign. Well, now, it's payback time!" "Chrysalis. Do not open that Box. You cannot even begin comprehending the evil that dwells within it." Luna warned her. "You do not order me around. I will have my vengeance on you lot. All of you will regret making me your enemy." Chrysalis opened that Box completely as a massive plume of darkness shot out from it, forming into a giant pillar of nearly a hundred Tainted Pawns. "O-Oh no... we're doomed if we cannot close that creature inside that box!" Luna proclaimed as they all got ready to fight. The weight of its darkness was overbearing; this thing was compelling as it looked like a swirling tide. "I think I'll call this thing The Demon Tide. The perfect name for permanently wiping away my foes off this world's surface." The queen cackled with glee as she saw the swirling vortex drift upwards as it dove down after the group of alicorns, elements, and heroes. "Holy.. this thing is fast! We'll have to scope out its weakness, but where?" Hero muttered to himself as Grubber took this as an opportunity to run away from Chrysalis for his safety. "Well, frankly, My dear, I'd rather run!" Grubber, with a panicked breath, then got as far away from the swirling tide of darkness as he could, breathing more straightforwardly as he did so. "Coward. I suppose I shall have to do this myself." Chrysalis was then holding the Box as she guided it towards the princesses. Hero dodged the way and managed to latch onto the Demon Tide, taking everyone by surprise. "Hero! That's incredibly risky. Are thou sure that you can hurt this vile thing?" Luna shouted up to Hero. "I don't know. But something tells me its weakness is on its head- the top of it." Hero was climbing onto the swirling mass of Tainted Pawns as they all looked at him with their beady red eyes. Hero then made it to the top and then split the top open. As his hooves began to dig into the top, they flayed open like an open wound, and a red pulsing orb was in place. "Oh... I hope Hero can do this." Celestia looked up at Hero, a pang of worry in her heart as if one mistake could be Hero's last. Hero then yelled a warcry, stabbing into the pulsing-red orb that throbbed like a heart. Repeatedly stabbing into it as it shrieked in pain. Hero then guided it into a nearby wall as it slammed into it and collapsed onto the ground. Leaping off of the beast, Hero made the landing. "Oh yeah! That was awesome!" Twilight said as she saw Hero dominating the fight. "You... found its weakness? Wow." Celestia was taken aback for a moment. Just then, the sheer darkness was enough to act as a beacon to those sensitive enough to feel it. "I'm not done with you yet, Tainted." Hero shouted. He then jumped back up to deliver more swift stabs into the top of its still-exposed head. The more the top was stabbed, the smaller the tide was getting. The dark mist was oozing out like blood as the beast was thrashing in place. It wasn't long until Starswirl and the pillars arrived to assist. "What's going on here? Is that? Pandora's Box?! What is the wide world of Equestria? Is she doing with it?" Starswirl, with widened eyes, had asked as he approached Celestia. "She got Grubber to steal it from Mount Aris to weaponize it for vengeance against us." Celestia then looked over to Starswirl as he responded. "Hmph. Of course, she would be petty enough to do this. Excuse me, Chrysalis. But do you know what you have done in your vie for vengeance? Pandora's Box was meant to seal away the greatest evils that Grogar himself created. You're a fool, Chrysalis, and now we'll all be doomed if we cannot stop that evil; this would include you and your lackey, too." "I'm not the fool here. All I have to do is seal it back by closing it. Observe!" Chrysalis then tried to close it with her hooves... it didn't budge. With a raised eyebrow and a look of brief confusion, she tried to push her weight into it... still nothing. "What is the meaning of this? I do not understand." "You want to know why it's so easy to open up but never to close? Because it takes a wicked heart to open the Box up and a pure one to close it. Still think that this idea of yours was a good one?" Starswirl said tersely towards the queen's rashness. "Oh... buck. Well, this is no longer my problem. You guys get to take care of this. Grubber! To me, your queen calls for you." "Yes, ma'am. I'm on my way." Grubber then dived into the lime-green swirling vortex Chrysalis summoned as they teleported from Ponyville Central. "Bucking cowards! Both of them." Twilight then huffed in an irritated tone. "Well... gees, look at Hero go on that thing. If I didn't know any better, I'd say there's something special going on." Flash Magnus said as he saw Hero going stab-happy to the slowly shrinking Demon Tide. Hero's body glowed a faint blue as he worked the monster over. "Well, many don't realize that inside of Pandora's Box is also a glimmer of hope within it- like a safeguard for it, were it ever to be opened up," Starswirl explained. "Hope is attracted to the bravest heart closest to its reach; that must have been Hero." "Well, it's hope energy that I'm feeling off of Hero. It's practically radiating off of his body." Somnabula said with a stoic yet relieved tone. "Indeed. The heroes placed that safeguard before myself and the pillars. A very long time ago, to be sure. It's magically engineered to sense the source and the weakness of the evil it keeps detained." Starswirl said to the princess and alicorns. "So, does that mean we're in the clear then?" Twilight asked Starswirl. "Not exactly. Defeating the monster in it is only step one; pulling it back into its prison is the other part." "That shouldn't be a problem because look. It's dissolving away into the Box." Rockhoof stated as he pointed to the darkness seeping back to whence it came. "Oh good, most of the work is already covered. Let's help Hero to seal it away!" Starswirl said as all the alicorns and pillars present channeled their magic to the Box to force The Demon Tide back in. It was shrieking and desperately trying to claw its way out, but to no avail. As the darkness was being pulled back into Pandora's Box, so was that glimmer of hope as it drained away from Hero. Pandora's Box then got sealed up and firmly closed as the chest locked with a click sound. "Y-Yeah... I showed that thing up. I'm the best... I-I'm the" Hero then collapsed onto the ground as Twilight rushed to his aid. "Hero!? Is Hero going to be okay?" After Twilight said this, Mage Meadowbrook chuckled and walked up to inspect Hero. "Hero's just exhausted, that's all. Rest and a bit of warm tea is my prescription for him." The pony of courage was calmly snoring away, stuck deep into the throes of slumber, as Twilight sighed in relief. "Oh, thank Faust. Everything is going to be okay. We need to get that Box back to Queen Novo immediately!" A dark pillar formed as Cozy Glow surveyed the situation from a safe and unnoticeable distance. "Oh dear me. It looks as if Chrysalis had failed in her plan for revenge. That isn't very good. I wish I could have done something about it, but my hooves are tied with his master plan. She didn't have what it took to be as evil as she wanted. Golly, that's too bad." Cozy giggled as she turned towards the Friendship Academy and used her magic to bypass the safety seal that magically protected the school until Starlight could deal with it so she could enter the building. "It'll be time soon for me to test them. I hope this new blood doesn't disappoint me." Cozy then closed the door, and the academy resealed itself as she entered the school, ready to proceed with her assignment. Queen Novo was nervously pacing back and forth until she saw a large portal opening up, and Starswirl, who led the group, minus Hero and Meadowbrook, had entered her Throne Room. "So then, is it done? Did you all close Pandora's Box up? I felt it opened up, and then I feared the worst." Twilight then approached her and presented the Box as she sighed in relief. "Oh, that's such good news." "Chrysalis and Grubber managed to slip away; they let us deal with the monster while they got away to plan another day again." "Cowards," Novo spoke under her breath. "Thank you. That's what I called them, too." Twilight spoke to Novo happily as they both agreed. "I'm good on my word; you should know that by now, Novo." "Indeed, you're Twilight. Now that the Box is safely back with us, we'll ensure that it's safeguarded, round-the-clock security to ensure this never happens again!" Novo said sternly as she provided a defensive shield around it with her magic to contain it so it would never be opened again.