//------------------------------// // Chapter 5: Boast-Busters // Story: Death Cometh // by Dracthul //------------------------------// The ground quaked beneath the furor of his armies. Dust stirred, rising high over the horde of creatures that marched, watching as they drew ever closer to their destination. The green hills of Elwynn Forest were on both sides of his minions, trapping those inside the city. The tintinnabulation of the majestic bronze bells of Stormwind’s cathedral rang throughout the capital city. The citizens were rushing through their homes, desperate to gather their family and valued belongings so they could flee. The harbor was overflowing with a mass of people as they practically stormed onto the few ships leaving the city. Everyone prayed that another ship would reach them before the army that was coming. At the other end of Stormwind, ranks of Alliance soldiers stood in position, preparing to clash with the oncoming forces. While their military training made them hold firm, they felt fear gripping their hearts. “Warriors of the Alliance!” their king cried out. “Stand with me as we allow time for our citizens to escape!” This king was none other than Anduin Wrynn, son of Varian Wrynn. His father had gone to the frozen continent of Northrend to fight against the restless Scourge and their dark master, but they had stumbled across something far more sinister. While on Northrend, they had found the prison of Yogg-Saron, something they would all come to regret. The Old God had laid waste to the champions that dared to disturb him, only using them to break free of the prison the Titans had left him in. The Scourge became his servants, even The Lich King himself siding with The God of Death to conquer Northrend—and that was what they did. The time had come to claim all of Azeroth. Anduin Wrynn strode between the lines of his loyal guards as he looked out at the enemy. It was a sight he had hoped to never see in his homeland. The horrid offspring of Yogg-Saron, the Faceless Ones, were only a dozen yards away. They were beings of diseased flesh with a mass of flailing tentacles for a face. Their limbs were also tentacles, and their height made them tower over the humans they were about to battle. Rows upon rows of them all moved in unison, their army stretching as far as the eye could see. Every step they took was synchronized as if one mind controlled them all. Suddenly, the Faceless Ones stopped. The sudden halt was mirrored down the ranks as they all stood in silence, awaiting commands. Anduin and his men tensed as they expected them to charge at any second. A black substance formed on the ground in front of the Faceless, and it twisted and morphed into a… pony. It was about the size of a horse, but with far less muscle and thickness. Oddly, a horn protruded from its forehead. “The Boy King sits at his father’s table,” the pony spoke in a voice too unnatural for even a talking equine. The pony stepped forward. “You see now my minions marching on your front gates, and yet you resist.” He snickered. “Serve me, and I will spare you all of a horrible death.” “We will never serve you… whatever you are!” an armored soldier shouted from somewhere in the crowd. “Do you not know who I am?” His eyes began to pool with black, wispy fire. “I am Yogg-Saron, murderer of Varian Wrynn, Tormentor of the Living, The God of Death!” “You killed my father, monster, and I will strike you down,” Anduin screamed at the stallion. “Ready yourselves men, we must buy time.” His fist raised into the air as he unsheathed the sword of his father. “Have it your way…” The Faceless Ones moved forward, this time in a sprint. They avoided the stallion who commanded them, making sure to stay far away from him. They raised their disgusting limbs and threw them down like hammers upon the armor of the knights. The two sides clashed, the humans slicing through corrupted flesh and blocking blows in every direction. Bodies of Alliance soldiers were thrown into the air as the Faceless rammed into them in rage. Anduin rode on his horse, lashing at anything he could as he charged through the battlefield towards the stallion. “Come to me, whelpling,” Sorin whispered to himself. The king let out a warcry as he raised his sword. He swiftly brought it down upon the head of the pony, only for him to roll out the way just in time. Anduin jumped off his horse and swung his sword, tearing into Sorin’s bosom. The pony grunted in pain, but his eyes seemed to burn brighter as blood gushed from his chest. He fired a purple beam at the king, barely hitting his shoulder. “I will not go down so easy, Yogg-Saron.” “Are you sure of that?” Anduin felt his shoulder tense. Every muscle froze and his sword dropped to the ground with a loud clang. With a gasp, he felt his arm go limp. The stallion slowly trotted towards him, but he suddenly could not run. Panic flooded through him as the stallion sat there, only looking at the king. “You are nothing, and neither was your father. I will enjoy watching you die, for I will strip all that you love from you and watch as that last bit of life seeps from your body and into my jaws as you perish.” Sorin grabbed the king’s head in his hoof, forcing him to look back at his city. “Look, boy. Your men are falling, and they cannot stop me from breaching Stormwind.” The Faceless Ones began to slam into the metal gates, denting them ever so little. “Soon, my minions will break through and feast upon the flesh of your people. The only trace of humanity left in the city will be the smell of their rotting corpses.” “Some will… escape,” Anduin said, feeling his whole body was now stiff. “They will defeat you.” “You can’t truly believe that, can you? It does not matter, though, none will escape me. The Scourge dragons are flying towards the harbor now to destroy any ship that makes it out to sea.” His horn began to glow again, this time black energy came from every Faceless and into his horn, creating a swirling vortex. On the harbor, creatures made of shadows formed from nothing and began to attack the people. Their bodies were formless, constantly shifting as they tore through human flesh. Some leaped onto the ships that were beginning to sail, ravaging the people onboard. Within seconds, the evacuation had become a bloodbath. “There is no escape.” The Faceless Ones ripped through the gates and poured into the city, the screams of the families within rising into the air. Yogg-Saron smiled at the decimation, and the king looked on in dread. Sorin stabbed his horn into the king’s back, piercing through his armor and deep into his body. He lifted the human into the air, further impaling him, while his sardonic laughter boomed. A scream of torment came from Anduin as his spine was completely severed by the pony. “Pathetic.” He threw the man from his spear, tossing him to the ground like nothing more than a plaything. “Now,” he began, “I am king…” With a loud gasp, Sorin awoke. He felt sweat covering every inch of his fur coat, so he threw the covers off of his body. He stood up and looked outside to see the sun just clipping over the horizon. “How interesting,” he whispered to himself. “Equus has a very… tangible dreamworld. Azeroth’s was not nearly as concrete. This may serve me in spreading strife through Equestria when the time comes. For now, I must keep up my charade.” He went through his morning routine to make himself presentable before putting on his usual silk cloak. He would need to talk with Twilight soon about magic to keep her happy, but he would also like to learn some potentially useful spells in the process. A simple exchange of knowledge just as he liked. One of his ears perked up as he heard something from downstairs. He exited his room and leaned over the wooden railing of the balcony, watching the comedy going on below. “Come on, Twilight. You can do it!” a draconic assistant said with wide eyes. “Okay. Here it goes,” the unicorn said as her horn lit up in a bright purple glow. She closed her eyes in concentration, sparks flying from it. The area around Spike’s mouth had the same effect, and a black mustache appeared that drooped from his chin. “What in the Void?” Sorin mumbled to himself in puzzlement. Spike went over to a propped-up clipboard and grabbed a red marker, making a big red checkmark. “Growing magic; that’s number twenty-five.” He turned back to Twilight with a proud expression on his face. “Twenty-five different types of tricks and counting. And I think this is the best trick so far.” He faced the elegant mirror set up next to him and straightened his body into a pose. He began to stroke his new facial hair and spoke in a failed posh accent. “Hello, Rarity. What's that? Aw, it's nothin', just my awesome mustache.” “Sorry, Romeo,” she started, her magic flaring again. “As attractive and enticing as you look, it's just for practice, and it's gotta go.” Spike tried to raise his hands in protest, gripping onto his mustache in an attempt to save it, but it disappeared in a blaze of glory, so to speak. His face turned defeated as Twilight lightly chuckled. “I find the mustache overbearing,” Sorin spoke from atop the stairs, now making his way down them. “It covers too much of your face, and it hangs to your stomach.” Twilight tried—and failed—to stifle a laugh from his comments. “And good morning to you too,” Spike flatly said. He took one last look in the mirror before heading over to Twilight. “Good morning, Twilight. I hope you slept well.” “Thank you, and I did! We were just writing down the different types of magic I could do—just to prepare for our meeting that I’m looking forward to. Spike and I were going to head into town, do you wanna join us?” Sorin did not have much to do for now, and learning the culture of modern-day Equestria would no doubt be invaluable. “Sure, why not.” The three finished up their things and left the library. They quickly found themselves walking through Ponyville’s streets, greeting the occasional pony they passed. The simplistic houses of the ponies that called the small town home reminded Sorin of the dwellings of the humans on Azeroth. The walls were mostly made of wood, as were most of the houses. The cheaper ones had thatched roofs, while the others had wood, stone, or tile making up the roof. The main difference was that these houses were considerably smaller, and had much smaller doors than the ones humans would use. That was because only Sorin and Celestia were equal in height to humans, but the average pony was about the size of a medium dog. The group was nearing the center of town when Spike addressed them again. “Twenty-five, Twilight! Twenty-five different kinds of tricks and counting.” He scrunched up in thought for a second before adding, “ I thought unicorns were only supposed to have a little magic that matches their special talent.” “True,” Twilight countered, “for ponies whose talents are for things like cooking or singing or math, but what if a unicorn's special talent is magic?” “Like you, Twilight, and you know a ton of magic.” “Oh, Spike, stop,” she humbly said. “ I'm sure there are lots of ponies right here in Ponyville that know just as much magic as me. I mean, look at Sorin.” “Are you kiddin'? I don't think there's another unicorn in all of Equestria with your kind of ability, Twilight.” “I think,” Sorin inserted, “a pony whose talent is magic will be able to do spells far beyond the average unicorn. And, I must say that you have quite the bit of talent for the arcane from what I have seen.” He saw Twilight blush from his kind words. “I see great potential in you, Twilight Spa—” he tried to say, being cut off by two sharp and rapidly approaching voices. As he turned to look what it was, two ponies slammed into the group, causing Sorin to stumble just a little. “What is the meaning of this?” he demanded of the two odd, young colts in front of him. “Yeah, Snips, Snails! What's goin' on?” Spike added. “What, haven't you heard?” the orangy-brown pony he guessed to be Snails said to the dragon. “There's a new unicorn in town!” The other pony, Snips, joined in, saying “Yeah! They say that she's got more magical powers than any other unicorn ever!” If so, I would like to meet this pony. “Really?” Twilight asked in an almost depressed way. Sorin noticed her visibly deflate from their previous comments, which he found odd. “Aw, no way, that honor goes to Twilight here.” Sorin would unquestionably say Spike was loyal to the unicorn that cared for him, apparent by his near-constant admiration. “Where is this unicorn?” “She's in the town square. Come on!” Snails said, already starting to head off. His partner followed him, to which Sorin raised an eyebrow to his two friends. Spike shrugged, and they all went after the two. It took less than a minute to reach the large, open area that was the town square. At least a hundred ponies had gathered around a raised stage to see this new unicorn in action. Sorin, Twilight, and Spike spotted the other Elements and went over to them at the front of the crowd. The set stage was accompanied by bulging trumpets, celestial cutouts, a blue curtain, and a banner with a crescent moon and a star on it. The strangest part was that the stage looked like it folded into a small cabin. As the group settled in next to their friends, a booming feminine voice came from the stage. “Come one, come all! Come and witness the amazing magic of the Great and Powerful Trixie!” A giant flash of smoke appeared at the center of the stage, and sparks bounced around as the figure of a mare was outlined. The smoke parted, revealing a light blue mare clad in a traditional wizard’s hat and cloak with a stoic pose and expression. Her clothing had various stars scattered on it like the banner of her stage. The crowd gasped in awe at the pony’s entrance. “Watch in awe as the Great and Powerful Trixie performs the most spectacular feats of magic ever witnessed by pony eyes!” she boldly stated, waving her hooves around to add emphasis. As she finished, fireworks burst into wild explosions of color, something Sorin and the Elements found unamusing. “My, my, my. What boasting,” Rarity said, clearly not impressed. “I agree,” Sorin replied to her. “Come on, nopony's as magical as Twi—” Spike tried to say before stammering the last part. “H-hey, Rarity.” His cheeks became flushed as he continued to trip over his words, and then he called out, “Mustache!” before bolting away. Odd. Rarity looked at where the dragon had once stood as Twilight came up to her. “There's nothing wrong with being talented, is there?” “Nothin' at all, ‘cept when someone goes around showin' it off like a school filly with fancy new ribbons,” the country mare answered. The symbolism was mostly lost on Sorin, but he was able to get the message. “Just because one has the ability to perform lots of magic does not make one better than the rest of us.” Rainbow Dash perked up at the mention of ponies being better than others. In fashion, she said, “Especially when ya got me around being better than the rest of us.” When everypony looked at her in annoyance, she quickly added, “I-I mean, yeah, uh… magic shmagic. Boo!” Apparently the Great and Powerful had heard the comments about her because she turned to them with a look of disapproval. “Well, well, well, it seems we have some naysayers in the audience,” she snapped back, literally neighing on “nay.” “Who is so ignorant as to challenge the magical ability of the Great and Powerful Trixie? Do they not know that they're in the presence of the most magical unicorn in all of Equestria?” Sorin and his friends clearly did not know. He was beyond surprised to see Rarity trill her lips and stick out her tongue and tell Twilight, “Just who does she think she is?” “Yeah! Since we all know that Twilight here is—” Spike said after appearing out of nowhere, being cut off by the unicorn in question. She pushed him away from the others and said something to him that Sorin could not hear. He turned back to Trixie, still questioning if she was all talk or if she held true power. He entertained himself by imagining magicking a spear that was headed towards her heart to see if she would stop it with magic. If she did, he would know she had magical reflexes, if she did not, well, he would have to explain why he so casually murdered somepony. It made him happy to see Rainbow Dash bolt up to her in an attempt to challenge her. He sat down and put his hooves together as he waited in anticipation. “So, ‘Great and Powerful Trixie,’ what makes you think you're so awesome, anyway?” Trixie only chuckled. “Why, only the Great and Powerful Trixie has magic strong enough to vanquish the dreaded Ursa Major!” The horns on the cart fired a blast of neon dust into the air that took the form of an animated bear. “When all hope was lost, the ponies of Hoofington had no one to turn to, but the Great and Powerful Trixie stepped in, and with her awesome magic, vanquished the Ursa Major and sent it back to its cave deep within the Everfree Forest.” “That settles it,” Snips commented. “Trixie truly is the most talented, the most magical, the most awesome unicorn in Ponyville,” his partner added. “No, in all of Equestria!” “How do you know?” Spike angrily said. “You didn't see it! And besides, Twi—“ His words were cut off as his mouth literally zipped shut from Twilight’s magic. Trixie laughed. “It's true, my enthusiastic little admirers. Trixie is most certainly the best in Ponyville.” Silence. “Don't believe the Great and Powerful Trixie? Well then, I hereby challenge you, Ponyvillians. Anything you can do, I can do better.” I doubt that. “Any takers? Anyone?” She looked around the crowd, no one challenging her. “Hmm? Or is Trixie destined to be the greatest equine who has ever lived?” More fireworks shot into the air as she concluded. Spike went to Twilight, getting onto the ground and begging her to do something. He pleaded for her to show up the showmare. “How about you?” Trixie pointed directly at the lavender unicorn, who shrunk at the attention. She stammered on, trying to come up with something to say. “Well, little hayseed?” “That's it. I can't stand for no more of this!” That had triggered Applejack, greatly. She trotted forward and went onto the stage, taking the spotlight. “Can your magical powers do this?” She then began to spin a rope around herself in a display of countless hours of practice. She then upped the act, raising the rope and turning it before walking through it. This evoked cheers from the crowd, one of them being from Sorin. To finish the show, she let the rope fly, the end wrapping around a red apple on a nearby tree. With a strong tug, she pulled the apple towards her, opening her mouth and crunching down on the sweet treat. The crowd cheered even louder this time. “Top that, missy.” “Oh ye of little talent. Watch and be amazed at the magic of Trixie,” the blue mare fired back. Her hat went into the air, revealing her blue horn. The purple glow around it spread to the rope Applejack had been using, the thread coming to life in an instant. Like a serpent, one end of the rope swayed in the air, drawing in the attention of everypony. Another end came to life, encasing another apple from the same tree and plucking it from its branch. The first end wrapped around Applejack’s legs, trapping her and flipping her, the second head shoving the apple into her mouth. “Once again,” Trixie taunted, “the Great and Powerful Trixie prevails.” Rainbow Dash appeared in front of her in a fraction of a second, upset spread all over her face. “There's no need to go struttin' around and showin' off like that.” “Oh?” “That's my job!” With the speed of lightning, she shot into the sky, spinning around a windmill before ascending. She burst through a cloud, tearing a hole directly through it, before hitting another, then another, and then another until she had gone through six clouds. Basking in the sun, she then shot back down, going through the passages in the clouds, siphoning the rain held within them. As she got closer to the ground, more water trailed her. She spun around the windmill again, in the opposite direction this time. With a glorious skidding stop, she returned to the stage, the water quickly reaching her. She flapped her wings, causing a small rainbow to appear over her posing body. “They don't call me ‘Rainbow’ and ‘Dash’ for nothin'.” The crowd burst into approving cheers, as did Sorin. He could see Trixie whispering something to herself as her horn activated. A beam hit Rainbow Dash, mid-pose, and engulfed her in energy. She began to be wrapped up by a cyclonic force, causing her to spin around rapidly. The sheer force caused her to lift into the air in a rainbow of color. After flailing randomly in the air, she landed on the ground, on the verge of vomiting. “Seems like anypony with a dash of good sense would think twice before tussling with the Great Trixie.” After her play on words, she summoned a small dark cloud above the pegasus, and blasted her with a violent shock. “What we need is another unicorn to challenge her. Someone with some magic of her own,” Spike said, clearly meaning Twilight by nudging her. Finally back to normal, Rainbow Dash added, “Yeah! A unicorn to show this unicorn who's boss.” “A real unicorn to unicorn tussle,” Applejack contributed. Before Twilight could reply, Rarity butted in with, “Enough.” She drew everypony’s eyes. “Enough, all of you. I take your hint, but Rarity is above such nonsense. Rainbow Dash and Applejack may behave like ruffians, but Rarity conducts herself with beauty and grace.” Trixie took the opportunity to poke the bear. “What's the matter? Afraid you'll get a hair out of place in that rat's nest you call a mane?” Rarity’s face turned to stone, and a deadly cold glare shot toward her enemy. “Oh, it. Is. On.” She took the stage, prancing around her opponent. “You may think you're tough with all of your so-called powers, but there's more to magic than your brutish ways. “A unicorn needs to be more than just muscle. A unicorn needs to have style.” Part of the curtain flew from its hanger and wrapped around her, somehow turning into an elegant gown. Her mane had also been raised and stiffened. “A unicorn is not a unicorn without grace and beauty.” Sorin watched as the showmare once again used her magic to counter Rarity's display. With a flash, the purple-maned unicorn had been vandalized. Even I detest such a hair color. Rarity knew something had changed. She could feel it in her hair. “Quick! I need a mirror! Get me a mirror! What did she do to my hair? I know she did something terrible to my hair!” She nervously shifted her hooves, knowing that she had been wronged. Her friends tried to usher her assurances that her hair was fine, but Spike decided to be truthful. “It’s green.” She gasped in horror. “Green hair?!” Tears welled in her eyes, causing makeup to smear. “Not green hair! Such an awful, awful color!” she shouted, racing down the street to hide herself. Attention fell on Twilight as her assistant nudged her. “Well Twilight, guess it's up to you. Come on, show her what you're made of.” “What do you mean?” she asked too humbly. “I’m nothing special.” “Yes, you are. You're better than her!” “I'm not better than anyone.” Her ears dropped, for she did not want to appear as if she thought she was superior. An Azerothian would have killed for a chance to prove themselves. “Hah!” Trixie audibly mocked. “You think you're better than the Great and Powerful Trixie? You think you have more magical talent? Well, come on, show Trixie what you've got.” She gestured to the crowd. “Show us all.” Twilight shrunk. She didn’t want to be seen like Trixie, so she acted as if she was nothing. “Who, me? I'm just your run-of-the-mill citizen of Ponyville. No powerful magic here. I, uh,” she said, coming up with an excuse to leave. “I think I hear my laundry calling. Sorry, gotta go!” With that, she bolted away, headed towards her library. The pompous unicorn on stage chuckled to herself. She turned to the last pony standing, Sorin. “And what about you? I suppose you think yourself to be better than me as well?” He only snickered at that. A small grin spread across his muzzle. “I know I’m better than you. But, I cannot be bothered to engage in such pointless shows of parlor tricks.” Trixie held a hoof to her chest in feigned hurt. “Clearly you are just jealous. If you had any real magical power, you would do something.” He had not been impressed by her “feats.” They were nothing but entertainment, not actual prowess. She did not deserve to witness his strength. I could crush you like the bug you are if I so wished, he thought to himself. “Once again, the Great and Powerful Trixie has proven herself to be the most amazing unicorn in all of Equestria.” She turned and started to trot towards the curtains. “Was there ever any doubt?” she muttered to herself. She went behind the curtains and started to fold the stage into her cabin home. The gathered ponies began to disperse, heading back to their homes, jobs, or friends. Sorin headed back to the library to check on Twilight. He also needed to unwind from witnessing such disgraces to magic. The front door sealed shut, Sorin turning towards Twilight. She was sitting at her desk, an open book in front of her. Her head whipped in his direction as she had heard him come in. “So,” he started the conversation, “why’d you come back here?” She sighed. “To be honest, I don’t want to seem like a show off to my friends and all of Ponyville.” “I’d find that hard to do when the ‘Great and Powerful’ makes up for ten show-offs,” he teased, throwing up air quotes for added humor. With a laugh, she replied, “True, but I can’t risk losing them as friends.” Sorin opened his mouth to reply but stopped himself before he did. Why should I assist in keeping them friends? He closed his mouth for a moment before speaking again. “Anyways, what are you up to?” he asked, going up to her desk. “Trixie said she vanquished an Ursa Major, so I’m trying to research how that’s even possible.” She closed the book in front of her, that one proving unhelpful. “Wanna help?” With a nod, he went to the rows of bookshelves in the room. He quickly found a section on mythical creatures, seeing a couple of already empty places. He skimmed through the titles, grabbing one called On Mythic Creatures. He opened to the first page, spotting the table of contents. Turning a lot of pages, he found himself in a section with the Ursa Major. A drawing of one was on the page, and the creature was disgusting. Made of translucent material, the Ursa Major looked like a bear but was many times larger. The measurements in the description made it sound like it would be as large as all of Ponyville. He was surprised to hear of something quite that large in Equus. “I found something,” he called to Twilight. She came over to him, taking the book from his grasp with her magic. “Interesting and horrifying.” They both read how they tended to stay in their dens, but the cubs would sometimes venture out on their own. Twilight wondered just how powerful Trixie was if she defeated an Ursa Major as she claimed. Sorin thought the same thing, but he doubted she had done such a thing. He could only fathom one of the royal sisters doing something like that. But still, he left his mind open. It was then that the door opened, and the other resident of the treehouse came in. “Twilight, you’ve gotta show Trixie that she isn’t so high and mighty, because I can’t handle hearing more about her ‘greatness.’” She only sighed at his demand. “Didn't you see how they hated Trixie's bragging, Spike? If I go out there and show off my magic, I run the risk of losing them as friends.” Sorin digressed, moving away from the two and deciding to stay out of the argument. “It's not the same thing, Twilight. You'll be using your magic to stand up for your friends.” “No, Spike, it's exactly the same.” Spike went over to the clipboard from earlier in the day. “Come on, Twilight, any one of these tricks—even the teeniest—would be enough to show up Trixie.” “I don't want to be seen as a bragger like Trixie,” Twilight said, forming a door in front of Spike, blocking him. He opened the door and stepped through. “But you're the best!” he argued. Now thoroughly annoyed, Twilight turned to him with an impatient sigh. “Please, Spike, I said no!” “If that's the way you want to be,” Spike started, backing into the door, “then fine.” The door slammed shut. Realizing his mistake, Spike opened it and walked away. He left the library, heading off to contemplate and calm down. Sorin returned to Twilight, and they continued their research. “Twilight!” Spike screamed as he burst through the door. “You've gotta come! Quick!” Ready to scold, Twilight’s head rotated so that she was shooting daggers at him. Sorin had also raised an eyebrow at the imposing dragon. “I already told you, Spike, I don't wanna show up Trixie!” “No, you don't understand, it's—” A loud, bestial roar rang through the town, startling Twilight and Sorin alike. “Uh, is that what I think it is?” she sheepishly asked, hoping she was wrong. “Majorly.” Sorin discarded his book and steeled himself for battle. Twilight did the same, instantaneously getting on her hooves and racing out the door. Just as they exited, another deep roar sounded from the nearby beast. The ground vibrated in a rhythm of what Sorin identified as footsteps. They looked around, but they did not see the creature. Then, it emerged from behind a building, its jaws closing on an entire roof of a house. Screams rose into the air as ponies began to panic in the streets. It was like a bear, but this one was blue and far larger. Upon its head was a star, and its body almost seemed like a constellation. The three spotted Snips and Snails, going over to them and hoping for answers. “What's going on?” “We brought an Ursa to town,” Snips proudly said. “You fools!” Sorin bore down. “Don't worry, the Great and Powerful Trixie will vanquish it,” Snails said. The Great and Powerful Trixie looked back at them with a nervous look on her face before looking away. She let out a deep and pitiful sigh. “I can’t.” Just as I predicted. “I can't, I never have. No one can vanquish an Ursa Major. I just made the whole story up to make me look better,” she confessed, lowering her head in shame. Just then, a throaty sound came from behind all of them. Whipping around, they all saw the Ursa Major raising onto its hindlegs and taking a large breath above a building. The loudest roar yet came raging from its mouth, this one filled with anger. Saliva flew from its mouth as it continued its cry. More screams erupted from the town as it showed its massive claws that were the size of chariots. The crowd began to run in every direction. Twilight slowly stepped forward, still cowering before the beast. “Must I do everything myself?” Sorin muttered to himself in annoyance. Making sure to keep his magic only visible to the Ursa, he lit up his horn as he concentrated on a type of spell he had used once before on an arrogant stallion he had seen in Canterlot’s halls. The Ursa Major stared directly into Sorin’s eyes, letting the pony know he was about to be devoured. Instead, the creature’s eyes widened at the sight before it. An abomination of flesh rose from the ground around the stallion, encasing him in what appeared to be fangs—rows upon rows of them. A thick, brown fluid dripped from the multitudes of jaws gazing at the Ursa Major. The creature grew in size until it was as tall as the Ursa, but this creature was far more terrifying. Without having eyes, the Ursa could feel it boring into its soul. The Ursa Major lowered back onto its feet as it tried to avoid the attention of the demon in front of it. Feeling unable to move, it simply cowered before the beast. Twilight grunted in exhaustion as her magic began to take effect. A gentle tune was carried on the wind, coming from the very grass of Ponyville. The notes of the song entered the Ursa’s ears, calming its heart to a still rapid pace. Its eyes became heavy as the image of the creature became blurry. A giant water tower top floated next to the bear, filled up with warm milk. The Ursa collapsed, and Twilight's magic suspended it in the air, putting the bottle of milk into its mouth. It quietly sucked on it, drinking the milk that lulled it to sleep. Sorin was impressed by Twilight's unorthodox methods of dealing with the Ursa Major. Musical magic combined with some levitation was effective in quelling the creature. The ponies all looked in amazement as Twilight moved the creature through the air and off into the distance, where she returned it to its cave. As her horn dimmed, she collapsed to the ground, panting heavily. The ponies burst into applause at what Twilight had done, and they bounced in the air they knew was safe again. Words of astonishment came from them as she started to stand up. “Heavens to Betsy!” Applejack exclaimed. “We knew you had ability, but not that much.” Looking ashamed, Twilight's posture dropped. “I'm sorry. Please, please don't hate me,” she tried to beg from her friends. “Hate you?” all of her friends asked at once, clearly seeing their friend’s sadness. “Why, whatever do you mean, darling?” Rarity asked out of concern. “Well, I know how much you all hated Trixie's showing off with her magic tricks, and I just thought—“ “Whoa, whoa, whoa,” Rainbow Dash had to interrupt. “Magic's got nothing to do with it. Trixie's just a loudmouth,” she pointed out. “Most unpleasant.” “All hat and no cattle.” “A fraud,” Sorin added, now returned to the group of friends. “So, you don't mind my magic tricks?” Twilight asked, feeling as if things were going for the better. “Your magic is a part of who you are, sugarcube, and we like who you are. We're proud to have such a powerful, talented unicorn as our friend,” the country mare replied. “And after whippin’ that Ursa’s hindquarters,” the pegasus started, “we're even prouder.” “You are?” They all hummed in an approving response, cementing Twilight’s joy. Twilight's frown shot upside down and into a smile as she felt said joy again. “Wow, Twilight, how'd you know what to do with that Ursa Major?” Spike wondered out loud. “That's what I was doing when you came looking for me. I was so intrigued by Trixie's bragging that I was compelled to do a little reading up on them, and Sorin helped me.” “So it is possible to vanquish an Ursa Major all by yourself?” “That wasn't an Ursa Major,” she stated, drawing looks from everypony. “It was a baby, an Ursa Minor.” This shocked everypony, even Sorin. His questions about the size of the Ursa were answered, though. “That was just a baby?” Trixie blurted out in part fear and part bewilderment. “And it wasn't rampaging. It was just cranky because someone woke it up.” Twilight's glare shot directly at Snips and Snails. “Well, if that was an Ursa Minor,” Spike asked, “then what's an Ursa Major like?” “You don't wanna know.” It was best left at that. Trixie snorted in displeasure. “You may have vanquished an Ursa Minor, but you will never have the amazing, show-stopping ability of the Great and Powerful Trixie!” she practically shouted as a flash of smoke consumed her. As it faded, she could be seen running into the distance. Sorin began to zone out as he returned to the sanctum of his thoughts. This was a waste of my precious time. I learned little of pony culture except that they care for their friends—which I expected. Trixie was nothing but a charlatan, not worthy of my attention. At least Twilight trusts me more. Upon entering reality again, he saw Twilight and her friends going their separate ways, and so he joined her. The walk to the library was short, but it had gotten awfully late. This was something he did not like; days were shorter than those on Azeroth. He found himself inside the treehouse once again, only this time he was upstairs and in Twilight’s study. She had begun writing a note to Princess Celestia about how she was afraid of appearing as a show-off. “You should be proud of your talents, Twilight Sparkle,” Sorin told her, to which she wrote almost the exact same words in her letter. Reading the last line aloud, she let out a breath of content. Sorin had been listening along the way, suggesting any improvements he thought could further her message. His advice had been helpful, according to Twilight. Spike came into the room, a mustache on his face again. “So, you finally admit that you're the most talented unicorn in all of Ponyville?” She turned to him with a happy look. “Well, yeah, but it's nothing to brag about.” She remembered where her little assistant had been before asking, “So, how did it go with Rarity?” “Eh, she didn't go for the mustache,” he dejectedly said. “You know, Spike, that mustache has nothing to do with who you really are. Maybe you should just try being yourself,” she reassured him. “Or,” he started, clearly missing the message, “maybe the mustache wasn't enough. Maybe if I had a mustache and a beard?” Sorin laughed out loud as Twilight commented. “Okay, imagine me with a nice, long, Fu Manchu-type beard. Or maybe a goatee. Oh, no, a soul patch right on my chin!” The list of facial hair would continue for a while, but Twilight would do anything to ease Spike’s worries. Sorin had continued to chuckle from the requests, earning the occasional “What?” from the baby dragon. It slithered across the ground, searching for its prey. Its sole purpose was that, and it would accomplish its purpose. Without ears, it listened to the sound of hooves striking the ground over and over again as guards marched through the halls of Canterlot. Clip-clop. Clip-clop. Clip-clop. It had managed to make it into the royal living quarters of the castle without being seen. It had adapted to the patterns of the wardens, sometimes scaling the walls to avoid them entirely. Obstacles had become child’s play to it. It would have wondered what a child was, if it was a child, or what the phrase even meant if it could question. Like instinct, it knew only one thing, one commandment. As it slipped under another door, it found itself in a promising area. A long hallway extended to the left and right of it, and it spotted two similar yet opposite pairs of doors. The first was black, likely obsidian, and had stars painted onto it. It realized the stars formed groups called constellations in perfect detail, but it did not know what a constellation was. At the center of the doors was a moon. Half of it was on one door, and the other half was on the other door, the two connecting into the orb that seemed to glow in the dark of the hall. The second was the whitest white on the spectrum, designs of ponies, flowers, and other things it did not understand were covering most of the two doors. Like the other, a large celestial body was etched into the center, half on one door and half on the other. This one was a yellow sun that had flares radiating off of it. It had never seen the doors before, yet it knew which one to go to. Its movements were unnatural as it crawled to the base of the two, giant, heavy doors that blocked its way. The feeling of an intense barrier washed over it as it encountered the warding placed on the entrance. It spotted the tiniest of spaces below the stone doors, something only a fly could logically fit through. That did not stop it, for it knew it could fit in virtually any sized space due to it being a liquid. Flushing against the cold floor, it squeezed itself under the gates, slowly seeping into the chamber. Now fully through, it heard the rising and falling of breathing. Its nonexistent eyes shot towards the source of the sound, spotting its prey. There, laying atop a lavish bed and wrapped in blankets, was its target. Her white fur mirrored the color of her doors, and it knew she was its prey. It quickly came to her bedside, climbing the posts of her nightstand and spilling onto her bed. It went under the covers, carefully avoiding her fur. With some form of night vision, it could clearly see her Cutie Mark. A yellow sun. Instantly, its instincts kicked in, and it knew what to do. A blob rose from its main mass, almost like a head, and hovered above her Cutie Mark. It latched onto the sun, feeling inner peace as it seeped into her fur and then into her body. More and more of its body went into hers until the last drop had gone into her coat. A second later, the darkness on her flank had disappeared, now having gotten into her muscles and quickly reaching her bloodstream. It felt complete. Its one job had been finished. Its purpose, fulfilled. The words repeated in its body as it nestled into its new home. Find Princess Celestia.