The One True King

by JDPrime22

Chapter 32 – Pillars for the World

An aura of light turquoise was Starlight Glimmer’s brilliant torch, illuminating the streets of Ponyville with a bright, hopeful glow. It was her horn that led the way, broke the crowds, and ensured everypony was watching as the two ponies made their way to the heart of the quaint, little town.

A dark storm was growing mightier and mightier, threatening to break deeper into Ponyville’s airspace. Ponies were shivering, clutching their jackets, their cloaks, and each other in the damp, muddy roads. Unicorns kept their horns bright, while others held lanterns to brighten the night and give them the needed clarity of vision to see the two ponies approaching their crowd. Families huddled close together as the chilling wind and droplets of rainwater struck them slowly at first, but quickly began to strengthen as the storm grew more ferocious by the minute.

And it all came from further north, from the capital city of Canterlot, where even from miles away they could see the burning lights of the fires consuming the mountain. It was a fire so bright that even the glow of the moon could not compete, for the storm itself swallowed the light of Twilight’s moon and cloaked the land in a perpetual, nightmarish hour of darkness.

It was unusually quiet and somber in the town of Ponyville, where panic had passed and resolutions were met quickly and efficiently. Distant thunder made its presence known, but it did not stir the populace as it once had when they heard the first roar. The wind chilled them to the bone, but it did not make them falter. The rain was cold, and damp, and had no intention of ending, only worsening. But they did not fall away. They merely stood closer, and taller, together through the storm.

For they turned to the ones meant to brighten their darkness, bring to light the answer and hope they sought. They cleared appropriately from the burning torch of turquoise light, shimmering brightly from the horn uncovered by the hood. Beside the unicorn, the stallion dug through the mud, fought through the wind, and never left her side. Not even a second. Not through the expectant stares they received. Not through the overwhelming weight suddenly placed upon him once in the heart of the crowd. Never.

Starlight and Sunburst earned every eye, silenced every voice, and caught every breath. And still they marched on.

The swaying lanterns hanging from hooves and the dull lights from unicorn horns lit their path. Starlight bore a lengthy cloak, the wind tearing at it rapidly from her back, but unable to rip it from her withers. Her hood shielded her mane, her face, everything except for her horn, which burned bright enough to dampen every single unicorn’s horn and faint lantern she crossed. Sunburst’s own starry cloak accompanied him, the stallion keeping close to Starlight, shielding his face from the rain and wind.

Darkness had settled in appropriately, transforming the once colorful and vibrant town into a seemingly desolate, lifeless husk of its former self. But that would soon end. Once they reached the front doors of Town Hall, climbing the steps, and pausing appropriately, they lifted their eyes to the pony waiting for them. As for Mayor Mare, she allowed them inside, having received orders from Princess Twilight herself to allow Starlight to do whatever was necessary to defend Ponyville.

Whatever that entailed, Mayor Mare would allow. She had already received horror stories from the letters Princess Twilight and neighboring cities and villages sent their way. Something terrible was coming one way or another, but they still had time to stop it. They still had time to defend themselves.

With no more time to waste, Starlight and Sunburst proceeded inside and climbed to the top balcony of Town Hall, where there was no rooftop to shield their heads. They didn’t need it anyway. With minimal rain pelting them both, Starlight reached the edge of the balcony and lowered her hood down to her neck. The wind was instantaneous, tugging at her mane and blowing the violet locks in front of her vision. The rain was cold, but not cold enough to stop her.

She took a moment just to simply take it all in. They both did.

Down below, they could see the patient and fearful faces of Ponyville gazing up at them. Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo with many other fillies and colts, still so young but forced to live through a crisis such as the one they now faced together, whether they wanted to or not. Cheerilee, along with her students, as well as Diamond Tiara and the Rich family. Big McIntosh and Sugar Belle, with Granny Smith struggling to stand well in the rain. And through it all, through the many faces and lights and shadows, she somehow managed to spot the pale blue mane and brilliant azure coat.

Trixie melded within the crowd almost seamlessly, being pushed and shoved and pushing and shoving right on back. Having followed the crowd, listened to the hushed voices, they all led her to that moment. Where Trixie stared up expectantly at Starlight, eyes wide with worry, confusion, and concern. A daring and horrifying mixture of all three. Starlight gulped softly, knowing full well the many lives that rested within her hooves. Knowing the safety and security of an entire town was at risk lest she did nothing.

And resting assured when she felt the soft hoof grace her shoulder.

Meeting the hoof with her eyes, Starlight lifted her gaze and couldn’t help but smile, relief flooding her veins the second her vision was filled with her fillyhood friend. She found comfort knowing she was never alone. Sunburst was still with her. Never backing down. Never leaving her side. Ensuring they would achieve this together.

And together, conjoining their magic, they fired a pair of magical beams into the darkness of the night sky. Dual beacons shimmered brightly in the heart of Ponyville, exploding once they reached the peak of their reach. The crowds gasped, stood in awe, with eyes illuminated by the turquoise and yellow lights from the magical eruption.

The eruption spread like a comforting blanket, washing from one end of the town to the other, to every corner and every last inch of land that Ponyville had claimed. Then and only then did the shower of lights finally cease, and the beacons died. The magic, however, remained. The blanket was still there, hovering over every head and showering every life with light and protection and hope.

Because that was the goal all along. That was all Starlight and Sunburst sought to achieve.

And lowering their smoking horns, dipping their gazes just slightly, Starlight and Sunburst stared to the flow of yellow and turquoise encompassing every last space surrounding the town. They stared to their work and managed a pair of soft sighs. Gentle, accomplished, knowing what they had done would ensure Ponyville’s protection ten times over.

For a dome of pure, raw magic was no easy feat. But together, nothing was too difficult for the two of them. And it wouldn’t be forever, either. It would be Ponyville’s shield for now. It would keep every life safe for now. From the storm and whatever beast wielded its strength.

All that was required of them now was to simply wait. Wait for Twilight, the armies of T.I.T.A.N., or a miracle. Preferably all three.

Chaos erupted in the heat of the day, where a tremoring presence grew only more ferocious the closer it approached. There was an expulsion of the earth itself, where a titanic force of nature emerged into the village and utterly crushed it beneath its shadow.

Under the blazing sun, casting its shadow, the monstrous Methuselah gave a great roar and laid siege to Sire’s Hollow.

His horns dug into the earth as he bent low, flinging boulders and slabs of earth to and fro, impacting and shattering any unfortunate housing or building caught in his wake. The populace of the town fled in terror, panic fueling their actions as they abandoned their homes, their livelihoods, and each other just to grasp a chance at survival. Firelight and Stellar Flare did their best to calm the ponies of Sire’s Hollow, but their efforts were fruitless. They, too, fled as the creature’s monstrous claws impacted the center of town.

They simply had no choice. As the creature swung its head and shouted its horrific cry, its claws ripped apart the foundations of Sire’s Hollow. Buildings crumbled and fell, clouds of dust washing across the dirt roads and nearly consuming Firelight. Methuselah raised his jaws to the sky, moments before driving his horns into the earth once more with enough force to birth a small earthquake. It was enough to knock out Stellar Flare’s hooves out from under her, the unicorn collapsing in the street as fragments of earth rained over her.

Firelight froze and backpedaled, twisting his neck around to see Stellar struggling to stand. He made the attempt to rush out and grab her, and he nearly did, had it not been for the Titan ripping its head out of the ground once more. And once more, he ripped free several chunks of rock and earth, the shower of terrain falling over them both in a slew of overwhelming shadows.

One particular boulder fell too fast, and was far too massive to evade. Firelight was caught, as was Stellar. With his instincts run raw, Firelight reactively shielded himself, covered his head with his hooves, knowing it would do nothing to save him. Stellar gazed onto the coming darkness, jaws agape, eyes wide and petrified as the shadow fell and…

Shattered.

The boulder erupted into a thousand fragments that sprayed across her vision, pelting her body but otherwise not leaving a mark. Catching her breath, hoof over her heart, Stellar was pulled to her hooves at last when Firelight came to her aid, the two exchanging a glance before their eyes were eventually drawn to the one who had saved her life.

Twirling the shovel with renowned skill and prowess, planting it firmly into the dirt beneath him, the Element of Strength Rockhoof stood tall and proud against the living mountain that dared to attack Sire’s Hollow. Built like a mountain himself, his valor earned him the awestruck stares not only from Firelight and Stellar Flare, but from the fleeing townsfolk. All of them knowing of his legend, all of them feeling a leap of hope fill their hearts by his mere presence.

But he wasn’t alone. Emerging next to Firelight and Stellar, Mistmane stood with a steadfast glare in her eyes. The elderly mare, with mane like a flowing brook, turned to the ponies on her right. They turned right on back, witnessing the Element of Beauty flash them a small but comforting smile. One that spoke volumes. One that needed not a word to know.

Help had arrived.

Pressing forward, Mistmane’s horn shimmered a bright, alluring gray, and her magic made its threat known to the beast. She ripped out hulking boulders and slabs of earth from the ground, creating a vast array of tremendous rocks above her head. She continued onward, only gaining more and more, both from the ground and from Methuselah’s ferocious devastation. It was only after she reached Rockhoof did the ponies of Sire’s Hollow realize what she was doing.

By then, it all made sense. They watched on in awe and wonder as the strength of Rockhoof was unmatched, unbeaten, as he drove his shovel into the rocks Mistmane held out for him. He struck them with enough force to send them hurtling across the sky, flying so far and so high that they managed to reach their target with shocking precision.

Each boulder struck the pale white eye of Methuselah. They struck his horns, his skull, and earned the Titan’s fury with a bellowing roar in return. He ceased his destruction and turned to the disturbance.

Rockhoof and Mistmane stood before him. Not once backing down. Never turning away so the innocent could suffer from their absence. They stood tall as they once did in the days of old, protecting the land against the forces of darkness that threatened its peace. Today, however, the days of old returned with a vengeance, bringing with it a god.

And so, they charged the God of Old, Methuselah meeting their valor with his rage.

The night was alive with blinding flames and petrifying shrieks of terror.

And Flash Magnus and Somnambula could do nothing but walk into the smoke.

Yet they strived for more, knowing what was needed of them when they were called into action. Their duty, above all else, was the safety and preservation of their home. Of their people. They needed to do more than walk. They needed to do more than what was asked of them. For even the Princess of Friendship had called them for a purpose, brought them out of retirement to face an evil Equestria could not fight alone.

They strode into the depths of the city named for her, an honor to her heroic actions made hundreds of years ago. Equestria may have been their home, but Somnambula was the land of her birth. Seeing the homes, the buildings, the markets, everything crumbling in a horrific display of ash and fire earned a sharp pang of guilt in her heart. Somnambula wasn’t there for her people, not like she was before so very long ago. Not when they needed her the most.

Passing across a vast crevice in the heart of the city, the two ponies eventually came to a halt. Together, in the minimal silence shared between them, they turned and stared to the chasm. It had shredded both the city and the earth, as if some horrendous beast had burrowed through it all and left nothing but death in its wake.

And yet the terror was still waged. Ponies still cried and fled. Sometimes as shadows in the distance. Sometimes right on past them, not even giving Somnambula a passing glance. Not even recognizing their hero amidst the fire and smoke. Somnambula could not even blame them. She let them run, listening to their screams as her eyes gently fluttered to a close.

She could remember the odes sung of her in this city, in the very streets they walked and froze within. Now, the only song she could hear were the cries of torment echoing from every building surface, the wails of destruction thundering across the desert city to impact her again and again. The ash burned her coat. The smoke filled her lungs and made her cough, made her wheeze, but she kept her eyes closed. Unable to witness. Unable to have the courage to see the truth. Flash Magnus kept his eyes wide open to it all, and he couldn’t blame her.

All while Somnambula blamed herself. She should have been here. She should have been with her people when they faced the great evil that rose up to claim their home. Now, all that was left were the fleeing masses, trying desperately just to escape with their lives and nothing more. Everything else had burned to ash and cinder, where every building was littered with fire. Where every street was filled with ponies, both the ones that moved and the ones that laid. All mixed together to form a canvas of horror Somnambula couldn’t bear to witness.

And what could she do for them? How could she, the Element of Hope, ever offer that same hope to her people like she had before?

Standing in the crumbling ruins of her birthplace, Somnambula felt a tremble in her heart, a shatter in her spirit that finally broke the dams and forced her to relent. Her face contorted, her forelegs quivering until she finally fell. Flash was there for her before she ever had a chance to strike the dirt and ash, holding her up as he heard and felt the cries slip from her lips.

The tears fell freely now, Somnambula unable to hold them back, every shriek and wail assaulting her ears having finally pushed her over the edge. Flash could feel her shaking against his foreleg, Magnus lifting his eyes to the burning embers floating against them, the nightmarish hellscape of her home becoming reality to him at last. Knowing what she had lost. Knowing what she believed made her a failure. Unlike her, he glared to the fires and dipped his head low, resting his chin atop her neck, gently gripping her tighter.

Silently telling her she was not alone. She was not who she believed herself to be. Even if she didn’t hear it, or refused to, he was still there for her. He stood and held his friend with as much strength as he could offer in that moment of burning agony, caught in the storm of shredded flames.

Then, the silence was torn by a roar they both heard. Flash darted up like an alert canine. Somnambula lifted her tear-streaked face, mascara joining the rivers against her cheeks, and stared to the source.

Her heart broke when Behemoth shattered the pyramid with a swinging strike of his tusks.

Raining fragments of stone and rubble fell across the city, crushing what remained of the charred houses and slamming against the dirt roads. Where the ponies screamed and ran. Behemoth turned to the fleeing masses, and for a moment, Somnambula could have sworn the beast stared right at them. Through the billowing smoke, flame-streaked night skies, and the floating embers, the Titan stopped and stared.

Her pain slowly turned to fury. The agony she felt had burned into something much more ferocious, something she had never once let get the best of her. Yet the evil they faced did not feel, did not care, did not think twice if the chaos they caused tormented countless lives in the process. Relenting once more, only this time to the fury, Somnambula stood straight and seethed at the beast with righteous judgement. Her chest rose and fell, her teeth were bared, and her eyes burned fresh with tears.

Burned away the tears to unveil the rage.

Behemoth snorted, ramming his fists into the earth before he released another devastating war cry. Then, he charged them. Crushed and tore through the flaming husks of the city to reach the street of innocent, fleeing lives.

Flash pulled forth his fireproof shield from his back, tightening it across his foreleg, exemplifying his element by staring down the face of pure wrath and devastation and never once bending the knee. So he stood, the Element of Courage, the Pillar of Equestria Flash Magnus and his ally, his friend, Somnambula. They stood their ground as her people galloped past them.

So they spread their wings and flew off to meet the beast for battle.

Planting his staff upon the top of the hill overlooking the bay, Stygian led the small pack to an eventual end. An end that brought forth Star Swirl the Bearded atop the hill, with Mage Meadowbrook beside him every step, and the city of Baltimare resting behind them.

The night was calm save for the sounds of madness unfolding across the ocean. Stars blinked and shimmered high above while the moon cast its glow across the surface of the sea. Throughout the bay, numerous ships were stationed by the docks, many traders and many merchants in ships large and small, vast and quaint. The road to Baltimare was closed unfortunately, with the remaining Pillars of Equestria guarding the city and her people.

Across the bay, out into the eastern ocean, all they could see were countless T.I.T.A.N. ships engaged in a heated battle. In the many wars Star Swirl had seen in his long, long life, the one they faced today was unlike any he had ever imagined. There was no fight for land, or for resources. The enemy had come to their home for one purpose only, and that was for the simple act of conquest. But they would not live as slaves under the enemy’s rule.

They would be eradicated. They would be extinguished. This war was not like any war Star Swirl had seen. This was a planned extinction, a colonization of their world from the beasts that once ruled it. Mere legend and myth had become their foes in warfare, and a mighty foe was delivering its swift sword of wrath upon the T.I.T.A.N. fleet.

The creature swooped low and fast, with speeds that were unable to be tracked, unable to be targeted. Winds caught up with its wings, shredding the ponies across the decks of each naval ship and flinging them off into the deep, black waters. To every ship it flew across, the creature would tear it apart, slicing at it with its talons and capsizing the vessel so it could sink along with the ponies upon it. Flames coated the ocean surface. Sirens wailed and ponies cried out, caught in the war and unable to escape.

The shadow of the Titan blurred across the night sky, just for a moment before swooping back down and finishing off the remaining fleet.

Beasts and creatures seeking nothing but death was not an uncommon foe to the Pillars. It was not the first time they had faced one, and today proved it would not be the last. But they stood strong. For even as the wind pulled at Star Swirl’s beard, at the scarlet locks from Mage’s mane, and the cloak adorned across Stygian’s back, nothing could push them aside from what mattered most of all. They were the shield of Equestria. The first heroes, but never the last. Brought forth by the genius and ingenuity of their scholar friend Stygian, and called once again by the Princess of Friendship.

He could very clearly see the remains of the T.I.T.A.N. vessels sinking into the depths of the eastern ocean. Star Swirl knew of sacrifice, just as well as Mage Meadowbrook. They had given their lives to trap their own friend in Limbo, and that friend now stood with them in what could very well have been their darkest hour. The night they faced seemed to be a fitting welcome to the end of the world, but Star Swirl knew better.

Even as the Titan shrieked overhead, entered into Horseshoe Bay where a fleet of T.I.T.A.N. aircraft awaited it, Star Swirl the Bearded knew better than to accept defeat so easily. He wouldn’t accept defeat either way.

Baltimare and every life within the city wouldn’t accept it.

“Hold fast, my friends…” Star Swirl gently uttered, his gaze narrowing. “We are not done yet.”

The Titan landed upon the largest merchant vessel in the bay, the only ship that could ever hope to sustain the creature’s immense size and weight. Even momentarily, the vessel already began to tremble and sink, but the Titan did not rest long. It lifted its towering neck and shook its multicolored and green feathers, opening its beak to exhale a quiet hiss.

Then, the Titan saw them.

The Pillars saw it.

Quetzalcoatl glared down the three Pillars with his fiendish, yellow eyes. Moments before shrieking and kicking off the ship, destroying it with a simple gust of his wings. All four wings extended, the Titan breaking off across the bay to meet the last foes that stood in his path. The airships engaged.

The Element of Sorcery refused to move, choosing instead to ignite his horn under a brilliant glow of piercing white. The Element of Healing held her potions and steadied herself. Stygian gripped his staff and held on, finally ready to join his friends into battle. Even if it would be for the first and last time.

“FIRE!”

Tempest Shadow’s cry was drowned out by the cannon blasts, which were then drowned out by the thundering explosions piercing the blackened coat beneath them. And then they were drowned out by the nightmarish screech spewing from the agape jaws of Baphomet.

In all the horrors of the night, nothing was quite as vibrant or real as the battle unfolding in Manehattan. The beast came in the blackness of the deep, signifying its presence with a piercing shriek that bloodied the eardrums of any unfortunate pony within the immediate area. The Pony of Liberty was devastated once the Titan passed her by, driving itself into the folds of the cityscape.

From there, madness was the sole ruler of Manehattan’s domain. Baphomet drove himself through several buildings, slashing at the sides of skyscrapers with his dagger-like claws and sending debris scattering across the streets. His hooves sent tremors throughout the city, his screech shattering windows and eliciting screams from every corner of Manehattan. The fires burned bright. Buildings collapsed in rising mountains of dust and embers. Ponies screamed and ran. Bled and died. Baphomet bathed himself in the destruction, his eyes coiling with the madness of Sombra.

Madness, however, did not rule forever, as order swept forth in a thundering fleet of power. A power that brought a storm of its own when Manehattan needed help more than ever before.

And so, help arrived by order of Princess Twilight Sparkle. From an enemy turned ally.

From a friend.

Breaking her own storm, Tempest Shadow led her fleet from the top deck of her airship. She stood tall and valiant over the edge, the fierce winds licking at her jagged, rose-colored mane. The same could be said for her pudgy copilot Grubber, the hedgehog waving small flags to bring forth the rest of her fleet. Numbering in over two dozen airships, the armies of the former Storm King now rallied solely behind Tempest Shadow, each ship filled to the brim with an impressive armament, controlled by a loyal and fierce team of Storm Creatures.

Once they entered Manehattan’s airspace, the looks of shock consuming the expressions of Tempest and Grubber were shared among the many Storm Creatures. The distress letter from Princess Twilight made sense now. Giant monsters attacking Equestria. Defend the cities at all costs.

Do what you do best.

So, she did.

Jamming her hoof out to her far right, she ordered the fleet into formation. She did the same to the left, bringing her airships above the city and surrounding the flailing Titan. Baphomet only just now noticed the ships within the storm, tilting his skull to the skies to witness the immense army glaring him down from the dark clouds. Before he had a moment to react, the airships opened fire upon Tempest’s order to do so.

The cannons pelted Baphomet’s hide relentlessly, striking every portion of his body from his bone-white skull to his lengthy arms and legs. The blasts were fierce, explosive in their destruction. It nearly consumed Baphomet’s body in fire from the sheer onslaught of cannon fire he received. He thrashed and screamed, crashed against the nearest slew of buildings, and almost collapsed into the street. Instead, he picked himself up and made a run for it.

Tempest’s army gave chase.

It was a hot pursuit, the airships chasing down the Titan running and weaving and slamming into various buildings, across winding streets and through several LED screens. All while they continuously kept up the fire, beating Baphomet further and further with relentless cannon fire raining down from above. The populace did their best to avoid the conflict, but those who were unable paid the price once Baphomet’s trail turned down their road.

The Titan clawed the rooftops to push himself forward, ripping shreds of the buildings loose and tossing the debris across the streets and the ponies below. Their screams were drowned out by the cannons, by the raining buildings falling on top of them in a cloud of darkness. Baphomet screeched as more cannons struck his hide, the Titan swiping madly at the skies and managing to rip through an airship that flew too low. His claws turned the ship into a ball of fire, the aircraft hurtling down only to impact a nearby building, spewing flames and glass all across the road and screaming equines.

Seeing the monster take down two more of her airships, Tempest ordered her fleet to follow her, the remaining airships zeroing in on the Titan’s left side. With all the ships in formation, she gave orders to commence with the bombardment.

Her army thundered. Her fleet turned the night sky into a blazing firestorm.

Baphomet felt the wrath of her full armament, the Titan suffering an array of explosions consuming the left side of his body. The buildings and skyscrapers were also struck, being a necessary sacrifice if it meant ending the battle quicker. Tempest could only hope nopony were in those buildings. It wouldn’t have mattered anyway. Baphomet thrashed and cried, screeched and trembled. The cannons beat him senseless until he couldn’t even run anymore. Until he finally lost his footing and collapsed into the buildings on his right, bringing them and himself down in a cloud of dust and fire.

He rose and shook off the flames licking at his coat, but it was no use. The fires would not be doused if he still remained in the city. He screeched back into the storm, retreating in an attempt to escape. Seeing such an attempt managed to earn a short smirk of victory from Tempest and her crew, Grubber even offering an early victory cheer. Their mission was met with mild success, with some hiccups along the way, but the goal achieved nonetheless. That being, ultimately, pushing the beast away from the flaming hellscape of Manehattan.

And finally, successfully, Baphomet was pushed back into the ocean.

Until their horror revealed to them the creature emerging onto dry land once more, and this time onto the mainland. He reached it in no time, the flames doused and the Titan that much closer to his real end goal.

With one final, unyielding screech, Baphomet turned and fled to the north, all while Tempest and her fleet pursued him.

Under the glow of Twilight’s moon, the Pegasi of Cloudsdale heard the sirens and immediately knew what it meant. They had received the distress letters. They knew what was coming. They were ready.

With a target set on the world below, the trumpets sounded and the flares shot out into the darkness. Several legions and fleets took the leap of faith and jumped from the city in the clouds, following the flares down, down below to the blackness of the awaiting earth.

The wind tore at several Pegasi’s faces, their manes pulled back on their skulls, their wings shivering against the onslaught of wind in their descent. Dozens and dozens fell, numbering close to a hundred. Maybe two hundred. Both military and civilian, everypony taking up the courage when their princess called them to defend their home. From an enemy that sought only for their complete annihilation. For everything Twilight had done for Equestria, for everypony, this was what they owed her. There was no shortage of volunteers.

No shortage of heroes.

They descended with the light of the bright red flares, all of them falling in unison. All of them diving deeper and deeper into the wild, black world below their city. Until the clouds finally passed away. Until the earth came into view and the titanic, swaying stinger nearly took out half of their fleet. Thankfully, they all avoided it to the best of their ability, returning quickly to formation and staying on target. Many terrified eyes turned back to the towering stinger, lightning shooting out and illuminating its image high above their heads.

It was then that Sargon lifted his emerald and violet eyes to the clouds, witnessing the bright, crimson lights descending upon him. In the blinding light, an army of the skies came in thundering pursuit upon him, dive-bombing the mighty scorpion in a wave of several hundred Pegasi.

They pelted him with unrelenting winds and blinding clouds, the Pegasi proceeding to kick each cluster and send a volley of lightning against his armored hide. Growling in agitation, Sargon raised his pincers and stabbed at the equines with his stinger. He snapped at them, swung his pincers to and fro, but the Pegasi were too quick, too small, too much for him to capture or strike.

Numerous Pegasi unsheathed their swords, swooping low and dragging the ends of their blades across the scorpion’s tremendous hide. They didn’t even leave a mark, but that didn’t deter them. They tried again and again, using everything in their arsenal, everything they had, everything they were to ensure the Titan did not take another inch of ground.

It was a fruitless hope, for Sargon proceeded onwards, unfazed and unshaken. Even with a swarm of insignificant Pegasi invading his vision, the scorpion did not stop in his quest he was called for. He swatted them aside, roared out at their attempts to force him to yield, and struck them with his stinger again and again. They didn’t stop. Neither did he.

His destination had never changed. He was always following his king. And his king now called him north.

All the world felt a familiar sting, but Equestria most of all. For all the creatures moved to the singular continent. All the Titans pushed onwards to the land of the ponies and left a trail of rage and destruction behind them.

They couldn’t be stopped. No matter what was done, no matter the size or strength of the defense, it was never enough.

After crossing the ocean, the Queen MUTO proceeded to tear through the nearest civilization that stood in her path. Hakoda and its populace of zebras stood no chance against the MUTO, the beast rampaging and decimating and leveling the city on her way to the mainland of Equestria.

Escaping the fierce cold of Bone Dry Desert, Scylla had reached the closest civilization, that being Appleloosa. Braeburn stood in defense of the town, with many ponyfolk doing the same, but they stood no chance. The six-legged menace leveled the town in minutes, slashing at the miniscule buildings with her towering legs and leaving Braeburn and the survivors with next to nothing. Then, she just kept on moving north.

A different war was waged in the Las Pegasus Bay. Na Kika, the Titan of the deep, met the fury of the T.I.T.A.N. fleet defending the city, but the creature paid them no heed. It was only until the beast realized it was unable to proceed any further, for the call of the alpha came from dry land. Wailing in torment, unable to continue following the call, Na Kika stirred the ocean and filled the bay with a retaliatory attack.

The T.I.T.A.N. ships were torn apart, both from the waves and the slithering, gargantuan tentacles falling down and severing the fleet. The blackness of the sea was filled with sinking ships, and Na Kika only continued to slaughter. It took out its aggression and anger on the fleet, on the city, and every life that fell into its waves.

Swarms of locust infested the city of Fillydelphia, attacking and terrifying the populace but not killing them. Not yet. Not until Abaddon arrived and crashed into the city with tremoring power and speed. Retracting his wings, the mighty insect Titan turned his reddish glare to the forsaken city beneath him. And the many insignificant lives that all fled beneath him. With a chittering cry, his locust swarm proceeded to maim, proceeded to sting, proceeded to cluster and kill as many ponies as they could find.

He then proceeded to rip the city to shreds while T.I.T.A.N. did all they could to defend Fillydelphia. But so very little could be done. Airships were swarmed by locusts and brought down to the city. Abaddon crushed their tanks and sliced their ships to pieces. Nothing stood in his path and Abaddon proceeded forth like the many hundreds that did the same.

Those that could, they were all moving through the cities, across the vast, empty lands, into the endless skies, all headed in one direction. To the heart of the nation. To Canterlot. Where their king demanded their presence for one final revolution.