Turmoil Rising

by JFT


Chapter 34: At the Heart of Fear...

A full moon hung in the night sky, yet even though it illuminated the land below, the darkness did not fully disappear, in fact, it only enhanced the terror. Twilight levitated the whole group over the sky, away from Fluttershy’s cottage, landing on the road in the distance. But the night horrors would soon crawl out of the house in hot pursuit of them, their red eyes being visible.

“Everypony, quick! Into the bushes!” she ordered.

“No! Not the bushes!” the yellow pegasus protested.

“Why not?”

Just as the princess stuck her hooves into the bushes to part them, hundreds of tiny eyes lit up and then flapped away, while letting out ear-wrenching screeches.

“Then we go up the tree branches!” the wonderbolt urged, and she started to climb it.

“No! You can’t go up the tree either!” was the response that came out.

All of a sudden, a pair of branches on the tree bent and warped around Rainbow Dash, holding her up, being unable to do anything as she watched how the bark on the tree began to shift about, until it twisted and opened red glowing eyes, part of the trunk split open, creating a snapping maw, about to devour the pegasus who could do nothing but flail about. A pink beam shot from Twilight’s horn, burning off the tree’s hands and having her friend fall on her hooves, but it didn’t end yet. The animated plant roared, and the remaining trees surrounding it also sprouted glowing eyes and maws, their roots began to move as the trees uprooted themselves and started to crawl after the group of ponies. They ran; that’s the only option they had, to run as fast as possible from the increasing number of pursuers, that kept growing each time they tried to lose them through concealment, as the local flora and fauna came to life and began chasing them.

They eventually stopped in front of a sinister dark cave. “NAH!” they all collectively reacted.

“I hate to ask the obvious,” Tempest stated, “but is there ANYTHING your friend here ISN’T afraid of?”

“Tempest darling, I think that’s the wrong question to ask,” the fashionista said before turning to the yellow pegasus. “Fluttershy, is there any place at all where it’s safe?”

She was silent for a moment before speaking. “Well… emmm… under my bed…”

Rainbow Dash’s brow rose. “Fluttershy, did you just use self-deprecation? I might have laughed if the situation wasn’t serious.”

“But I am serious,” the timid equine urged, “it’s my safe space! That’s where I’ve been hiding from nightmares until you girls came.”

The alicorn gave her a surprised look. “Wait… Fluttershy, if that’s the case why didn’t you say anything when we were back at the cottage?!”

“Well... you told us to get together and then pulled us all through the window before I could say anything…” she explained, causing the princess to bury her face in her hooves.

“Fat thing that’s gonna help us now!” the wonderbolt complained. “Those creatures of nightmare are infesting it now and there’s no way for us to get back in.”

“Not sure how that helps, considering a whole lot of the creepers are chasing after us, Dashy,” the party planner pointed out.

That’s when Twilight realized Pinkie Pie had a point. The entire nightmare world was at their heels, meaning that the animals also left the house, a moment of opportunity they could not waste.

Just then, the noise of the incoming monstrosities could be heard approaching fast. “Everypony,” she commanded, “back to the cottage!”

They ran as fast as they could, the sound of darkness that stalks the night fast approaching. At this point, the group had already gone full circle, which became apparent when Fluttershy’s cottage came in sight once more. In a matter of moments, they ran through the front door, with Applejack shutting them close.

“That’s not gonna stop them, AJ!” blue pegasus yelled when she was on the other end of the room, about to go upstairs with the rest.

Sure enough, loud banging followed, and the country pony ran after the rest, while the creatures broke down the door. They got upstairs, with the entrance into the bedroom being broken down, and everybody stopped at the only supposed “safe place”.

Fluttershy quickly slipped under the bed, while the others waited outside before she came back. “Quick, everypony! Get under here!”

They looked at each other confusingly and then one after another crawled under the bed, even Zecora didn’t bother to think twice about it. However, …

“You’re not being serious about this are you?” Tempest questioned their decisions. “What in the world makes you think they’re not gonna look for us under there?”

A roar was coming up the stairs, the broken unicorn quickly turned and her horn began to spark, yet before she could even use it, the yellow pegasus popped her head out from underneath the bed, grabbed her hind hooves, and dragged her in. Pulled through the dark, narrow, yet soft corridor, she finally saw the light at the very end, and the pegasus let her go. Tempest was about to make a very serious complaint with what she’s just been put through only to notice everybody else just staring with dropped jaws, and she would soon join them. Fluttershy wasn’t kidding about her “safe space”; there was an entire room existing under her bed, walls made of giant stuffed toys, a giant lantern sat in the middle, generating a light source, and the side was stacked with all sorts of food, from carrots to peanut butter.

A sigh of relief came from the group’s side. “We should be safe now, everypony. Make yourself at home while we wait for all of this to blow over,” Fluttershy said, as she flew to a giant teddy bear and snuggled up to it for comfort, only to realize that everybody else was still just standing in place with open mouths and confused looks. “What’s wrong, everypony?”

“F… Fluttershy… what is all this?” Rainbow Dash finally spoke, with a noticeable confused tone.

“I told you: it’s my safe space,” she reiterated, “I stay here so the horrors outside can’t get me.”

“B-b-but that’s not possible, Fluttershy! We were all trapped in our worst nightmares, with King Sombra using them to torment us all!” Rarity stressed out.

“Yeah, how are you able to escape to some quiet place where the nightmares can’t hurt you?” Applejack inquired.

She shrugged. “I don’t know. I just wanted to retreat to a safe place where nothing could scare me, and this is the place to where I always went for Nightmare Night.”

The shaman rubbed her chin. “Fluttershy, if I understand you right, by thinking about it your safe place appeared in sight?”

“I… I guess?” she answered.

Twilight thought for a moment and then gasped at the realization. “Fluttershy, that’s absolutely good news!”

“It… it is?” the meek pegasus asked.

“Of course! The only way for you to escape this nightmare world is to know that it’s just a nightmare and it doesn’t hold control over you!”

Fluttershy was quiet for a moment. “But Twilight… I already know this is a nightmare… It’s a nightmare I have to live with every day…”

“But you just said that you wanted to be in a safe place and you made it happen.”

“Yes, but I can’t affect things that are…” she paused. “Out there.”

“You’re wrong, Fluttershy,” Rarity chipped in. “If you already know this is a nightmare, then instead of fleeing from it, you should embrace it.” Everybody turned to the fashionista, confused by what she was saying. “Don’t give me that look. Surely you recall the time when Fluttershy chose to step out of her comfort zone and be a part of the Nightmare Night?”

“Oh yeah,” the country pony recalled, “Ah remember you’ve given us all a darn good scare, Fluttershy.”

“Yes,” the yellow pegasus replied, “and I said I would never participate in it again because I don’t like seeing my friends be in danger.”

The fashionista approached her side. “We know Fluttershy, but I fear this is the point where you’ll have to step out of your comfort zone again. Because if you don’t, not only will you forever have to live in this nightmare, but we can’t leave this place either.”

Pinkie Pie hopped to her side. “And who knows what nasty things Chrysalis and Grogar will do if we’re left forever trapped here.”

Soon the rest of the group joined her side, and she began feeling pressured. “But I don’t even know what I’m supposed to do…”

“I told you Fluttershy, if you become the very thing that’s causing you to be scared, then the thing that frightens you won’t be there anymore. So, instead of fearing the nightmare of this world, you should BECOME the nightmare of this world,” the white unicorn explained.

“Yeah,” Twilight added, “just think, the same way you did to make your safe space appear, and it will work.”

There was a visible unease in her expression, but with the look of desperation on her friend’s faces, Fluttershy quickly gave in. “Okay… I’ll try…” She closed her eyes. Some time passed and everybody waited, looking at her, noticing a strain on her face, before she finally stopped. “I… I’m sorry everypony, but I just can’t do it. I can’t imagine myself becoming something dark and sinister as… whatever is out there…”

Things have turned troublesome; she was the one person who could make the whole thing come to an end, and she couldn’t muster the will required.

Zecora finally stepped out of the circle of friends. “Then perhaps you need some assistance, to lift the block that’s causing you resistance.” The shaman opened her bags and pulled out a small vial filled with strange powder. “Fluttershy, close your eyes. Breathe in deep, and let my voice in you seep.” The rest of the gang backed away, while she followed her orders, and after she did, the zebra sprinkled the powder across her and her surroundings, while she spoke. “‘See the moon which hangs in the night sky, looking down upon the world as an eye. Feel the wind move the trees back and forth, flowing softly through your mane as it travels north. Listen to the water rushing, like avalanches’ might do its crushing. Your hooves trample the soil, mixing dust into rivers and making them roil. Embrace the embodiment of what this world provides, and realize all might to command it in you resides.”

Something strange happened. The color of Fluttershy’s fur began to darken, along with the rest of her body, until she looked like a shadow standing in the room, and then it began to shrink until she finally disappeared.

“Fluttershy?” the alicorn walked to where she stood and tapped at the empty ground. “Zecora, what did that dust do to her?!”

“No need to pout or frown,” she tried to reassure her, “only some incense to calm her down.”

“Sooooo… where did she go then?” Tempest asked.

They looked around the room, but in the end, their eyes ended up at the exit, that was the only way for them to go and look for her. They crawled through the narrow corridor and one after another popped their heads out from under the bed, realizing too late it was a bad idea, as the terrors have been waiting outside for them to turn up. They flipped the bed, and the “safe space” in which they had taken refuge had disappeared. The party planner shrieked and everybody huddled together, forcing the broken unicorn to climb on top of the pile, as she was determined not to go down without a fight. Her horn flickered, but just before she shot, the ground began to tremble.

“ENOUGH!” a loud booming voice echoed across the sky, causing the creatures in the dark to freeze in place out of fear.

Suddenly, the roof of the house got torn off, and the walls collapsed. A huge line of trees surrounded them all, rustling in the strong wind that blew, the sound of rushing water from the nearby stream deafening out all sound, and finally, the moon in the night’s sky… blinked. It suddenly turned to the side, revealing another moon, and the land extended to the sky, the treetops reached for the two celestial bodies, fusing together on their sides until it began resembling a mane, the stars arranged themselves into a line until they looked like a mouth and snout.

“Fluttershy…?” Pinkie Pie slowly said, too taken aback.

The dark creatures surrounding the group and those lurking outside the house were silent, and the booming voice spoke again, the stars resembling a mouth moving in tandem with the words that were spoken. “YOU’RE BEING VERY MEAN!”

The lumbering trees and bushes that had not turned into her mane quickly went still, their red glowing eyes going dark. The quake followed and the creatures surrounding the gang were lifted by a huge mount of earth that rose into the sky right in front of the gigantic face, its judging eyes peering directly at them.

“YOU ARE BEING SELFISH, ARROGANT, RUDE, AND EXTREMELY UNPLEASANT!” The creatures huddle together in fear on the far end of what was once a cottage. “AND ON TOP OF THAT… YOU’VE FRIGHTENED MY FRIENDS!” As the angry voice echoed, their dark colors began to fade away, their red eyes dimming, all of them returning to their original state, whimpering in complete terror. “YOU! ARE ALL! MEANIES!!!”

The ground quaked again, as the mound of earth rose further, raising the creatures and the gang to her face and at a high speed, seeming as if they were about the crash into the giant face.

“FLUTTERSHY NOOOO!” Twilight cried out in one last attempt, and she and the rest of the girls screamed in panic, covering their faces.

And then there was silence. They finally opened their eyes realizing they stopped only a few hooves away from the face and it was gently rocking back and forth for some reason, which became apparent when they looked to the far end of the house’s remains, where the creatures stood, and the surface of the face was slowly and gently rubbing against them, as they covered in fear.

“BUT REGARDLESS… I still love you all… even if you are meanies…” the booming voice in a matter of moments turned into a silky whispering wind.

And then the loud noise followed, as the animals began to cry loudly, from being shown kindness even after what they’ve done. A happy giggle escaped the giant amalgamation resembling the meek pegasus, and slowly the light began to break through the darkness, as the stars in the night’s sky expanded, eventually consuming everything around.


The veil shattered, turning into a shadowy horned equine, roaring loudly, and then it disappeared. As the light faded, the gang found themselves in the middle of the icy pegasus city of Ptolemya, discovering that their movements have been restricted, as the animal caretaker had her hooves wrapped around everybody’s necks, only to open her eyes and gasped, releasing them all.

“You did it, Fluttershy!” Applejack cheered.

“I gotta tell ya, you had me worried for a second there.” The wonderbolt wiped her brow in relief.

“Trust me, Rainbow Dash, I’m sure you’re not the only one,” the princess quipped.

“Are you feeling okay, darling?” Rarity asked.

“I… I think so…” she answered. “But I don’t ever wanna do something like this again.”

“I speak for all of us when I say none of us do,” Tempest answered.

“Still, I’m glad you all managed to get here,” the meek pegasus said in a brightened-up tone before she looked about inquisitively. “Where’s Discord?”

They all looked at each other awkwardly, before Twilight spoke. “Fluttershy… I’m afraid he’s not with us… and sadly… neither is Spike…”

“What?!” she raised her voice. “Where are they?!”

“We don’t know,” the country pony said, “that’s why we’re here, we’re hoping to find them in this city.”

Fluttershy was confused. “City? What city?”

That’s when she realized her surroundings. They were sitting in the middle of a large acropolis, which, much like the clouds that were seen in the distance, the ones from which this city was formed, were completely frozen solid.

“No need to fret, Fluttershy,” the party planner tried to cheer her up, “we’ll find Discord and Spike before you know it.”

The sound of hooves against the ice got their attention, as they saw the zebra walking away from them, and stopping on the edge of the building, looking over the land below. “If that is the case, we should spread around, going separate ways will help us cover more ground.”

They didn’t wait much after the shaman spoke. They split up throughout the ancient grounded frozen cloud city, combing it top to bottom. It was no easy task, however; Fluttershy and Twilight were the only ones who could fly, which gave the latter enough time to bring the former up to speed, but for the rest, they had to advance slowly as to avoid slipping on the unending frozen kingdom.

“DISCORD!” the yellow pegasus called above. “SPIKE!”

That’s all they heard throughout the entire time. Yet despite their best efforts, by the time they finally came around, turning up back at the acropolis, they all had the same thing to show.

“Nothing?!” the animal caretaker exclaimed. “None of you found anything?!”

“Whoa, calm down, suga’ cube,” Applejack tried to reason with her. “Ah know you’re worried, but losin’ your head over this won’t do you any good.”

“You don’t understand, Applejack! After what Grogar did to Discord… He’s so small, vulnerable, and weak he may not be able to survive in this place on his own, he’ll freeze!”

“Never mind Discord, what about poor little Spikey-wikey?” Rarity pitched in. “And I doubt Twilight would just sit idly by while he’s suffering.”

“Speaking of,” Pinkie Pie said, as she trotted about, “where is she?”

That’s when they all realized that the princess was nowhere in sight.

Near the entrance into the frozen kingdom, the sound of a stream could be heard. That’s what caught Twilight Sparkle’s attention, as, by all accounts, the whole place should have been frozen solid, but at this point, she was suspecting that the sound did not belong to water. Running through a dish-like canal, instead, was a familiar green liquid substance. The alicorn pulled out an empty vial from her backpack and drew some of the liquid. She then pulled out a vial that was already full and compared the samples. No matter how she looked, what was in both of them was the exact same thing. By now it’s become clear that the elements had no effect on it, since it was magical in nature, and it helped one of Turmoil’s aspects manifest. But the question still remained, where was it coming from?

“Twilight.”

The voice staggered her, nearly getting her to slip on the slippery ground, managing to get her balance back at the last moment. She turned her head and noticed the group gathered behind her.

“Twilight, what are you doing?” the wonderbolt inquired.

“I was looking for the boys, but when I couldn’t find anything I decided to check on what Radiant Hope mentioned in her journal,” she explained, levitating the vials before her. “See? It’s the same green substance. And it’s running in a stream even though everything around here is frozen.”

“Your confirmation aside, we’re still no closer to finding Spike and Discord, Twilight,” the fashionista pointed out.

“What other place is there left to go?” Fluttershy frantically urged. “They need help!”

Rainbow Dash put her hooves around her. “Fluttershy, slow down. Take deep breaths.”

The party planner raised an eyebrow. “Wow… if Dashy’s the one who has to say “slow down”, then things are really dire. Twilight, is there’s some other place that we can still go to check out?”

She rubbed her chin, then pulled the journal, and flipped through the pages, thinking perhaps the writer had some further clue on what happened next. The group watched then, as she turned the page one last time and then went still.

“Twilight? What’s wrong?” the country pony asked, noticing the concerned expression on her face.

She didn’t answer and instead read it out.


My exploration has yielded little so far, but one thing is certain: the kingdoms of Monoceria, Soiliana, and Ptolemya, all three cradles where the three pony tribes came from were here in the Frozen North, buried under a mountain of ice for years. I’ve heard windigos have devastated them, which caused the exodus that founded Equestria, and as result the Crystal Empire, but to such an extent, was something beyond my belief. Now there’s only one place left for me to go.

I returned to where my original trail led me, but this time around, the sound that was trying to turn me away before went silent. There’s this thought beginning to stir in the back of my mind that it was trying to turn me away on purpose, to force me to see everything else before this. But why? I honestly don’t know. My supplies are running low, but at this point, I’m confident that whatever awaits me next at the end of the last tunnel, will surely bore answers.


“And?” country pony awaited the answer.

“And that’s it.”

“Wait, what?” Rarity stressed. “There’s nothing else?”

“This was her last entry…” the alicorn answered. “The journal comes to an end after that…”

“But now we don’t know what happened next!” the party planner pointed out.

“Uh oh.”

Everybody’s head turned to where the voice came from, noticing that the wonderbolt was looking uncomfortable.

“Rainbow Dash, why did you just say that?” the yellow pegasus next to her asked.

“Because, Fluttershy, we both came to the same conclusion: we know where Radiant Hope’s trail met an occlusion.”

“You know about this other tunnel, Zecora?” Twilight inquired.

“Of course, it’s where we awoke. After the umbrum king brought us below, it’s where we found what remained of her, once alive long ago.”

“So, we all know where she ended up now,” the fashionista looked at the blue pegasus and the zebra. “Though I shudder to think what Radiant Hope has seen in her final moments.”

Applejack stepped in. “An’ since we searched this whole area top to bottom and found nothing, that means that both Discord and Spike can only be in that place now.”


The alicorn didn’t waste any time. She used her magic and levitated everybody up to the top of the broken entrance to make sure nobody would slip on ice while trying to scale up the decline. They would soon find themselves back at the all-too-familiar crossroads, and on their left, they finally saw the final tunnel, the same one from which the shaman and the wonderbolt retreated initially. The descent began, but soon the princess noticed somebody was staying behind, as the broken unicorn leaned against the edge of the icy wall.

“Tempest, what are you-?”

She shushed her, waving her hoof to the side. The alicorn pressed herself against the wall as well, as she approached her, and just like her, she waited. Then there was a tap as if a pebble had just landed on the ground, followed by heavy thuds and rocks being crushed, and then suddenly, it sounded as if there was a scramble, and the quiet followed. There was a tapping sound again, somewhat lighter this time, and it was slowly coming closer. Tempest gritted her teeth, her broken horn began to spark; whatever was following them, she’s going to catch it this time. She dashed around the corner, the lightning flickering from her head stump. The shadowy figure appeared around the corner and it screamed in fear. The former lieutenant stopped in her tracks, sliding on the icy ground for a few more hooves, enough for the light from her sparking horn to reveal the rainbow-maned pegasus.

“Rainbow Dash?” Twilight looked confused. “What are you doing back here? I thought you were already ahead of everypony.”

“M-me? No, I was just…” she yawned. “I was just feeling a bit tired and I decided to slow down a bit, you know?”

The two horned equines exchanged glances. “You’re procrastinating,” the taller one said.

“What?! No, I’m not!” she argued. “When did you ever know me to procrastinate?!”

She got enveloped in a pink aura and slowly levitated before them. “Look Rainbow Dash, I get that you’re not yet over what happened back in the Everfree Forest, but we can’t really wait on you to get over the fear of ice in this of all places.”

“No Twilight, I swear, it’s got nothing to do with that!” she cried as she got carried away into the tunnel.

Both purple mares rolled their eyes as they walked away, knowing they got worried for nothing and descended into the final tunnel. In the shadow where the wonderbolt was hiding, however, there was movement, a large black hulking bipedal mass of rocks slowly stepped out, a single teal glowing eye peeking from under the hood, around the corner.

“Well… talk about a close shave.”


“Where've you guys been?” the country pony asked, as the whole group waited further down the tunnel.

“Somepony got cold hooves,” the broken unicorn quipped, as the pony in question got levitated to their side.

She glared at her. “Not funny, Tempest!”

“Aww, don’t worry, Dashy,” Pinkie Pie got to her side, tossing a large blanket over her and squeezed her tight, “aunt Pinkie’s gonna make sure you’re all warm and toasty for the rest of the way.”

“Pinkie, knock it off! That's not it, it’s…!” the wonderbolt complained and then went silent.

She recognized where they were waiting, since, on the frozen floor, there was a patch of snow by the side of the tunnel wall, and the shaman stood next to it.

“We came to here, from our base, and dashing back we found Hope’s resting place,” Zecora announced. “We wouldn’t have strayed, had the whispers in the dark our direction not betrayed.”

“Whispers in the dark?” Fluttershy asked. “Like the one that Radiant Hope mention?”

“The same,” the zebra confirmed, “but much like she stated, the voices we heard back then dissipated.”

“Just like for her…” Twilight stated. “It seems the voice was driving her away as well until she came back full circle. But why?”

“Well, we’re not gonna find out by just standing around,” Tempest said as she began moving in front of the rest of the group. “And we still have the dragon and the dragon-esque guy to find.”

“Errr… Tempest, it’s draconequus,” the shy pegasus corrected her as she passed by.

They finally started moving again. They had expected to reach their destination soon, as it was the case last three times, but such was not the case, as the path seemed to extend far longer than they had expected, and soon, what little light there was, completely disappeared, forcing Twilight to conjure a light source. As they made their way further, they began noticing something strange was going on, however. The cold surrounding them had started to disappear, and the darkness was beginning to wane, yet in turn, a strange red hue was replacing it.

“Hey, anypony else feeling a bit warm right now?” Pinkie Pie pointed out.

“Ya know, now that ya mention it, it’s not as chilly as it felt earlier,” Applejack concurred.

“How’s that even possible?” Rainbow Dash looked confused. “I mean look at all the ice around us.”

Rarity stopped and approached the glistening wall, gently tapping on it. “Rainbow darling… That’s because this ISN’T ice… It’s all crystal.”

Everybody finally managed to take a proper look at their surroundings with that knowledge. The entire tunnel before them was made completely out of red crystal, one that looked suspiciously familiar. Suddenly, a sound followed, a cry of panic and terror echoed from the far end in the distance and it hit them like a gust.

“Discord!” the animal caretaker immediately recognized it and dashed down the corridor ahead of everybody.

“Fluttershy, wait!” the fashionista called and ran after her along with the rest of the gang.

But soon something else could be heard. It was a low weeping sound, and in the stampeding racket it escaped everybody else’s hearing, but one…

“SPIKE!” the alicorn yelped.

Her horn began to glow, the pink aura enveloping both her and her friends, her wings began to flap, and at a high speed, she dashed forward through the crystalized tunnel, dragging everybody else with her. Soon enough there was a strange glow visible in the distance, and the princess landed, making a squeaking sound as she slid on the crystalized flor, straight through the tunnel’s exit, the rest of the group sliding on the ground beside her.

“Ugh… Twilight, what’s gotten into you?” Rarity groaned as she poked her head out of the pile, her hat missing.

The rest finally righted themselves, but the yellow pegasus noticed something. “Oh my… Rarity, what happened to your-“

An elbow jab from the wonderbolt interrupted her. “Khm, Fluttershy! Ixnay on reygay anemay!”

“Rainbow Dash, I heard that!” The fashionista gave her a mean look.

“YOU GUYS!” Twilight yelled, silencing everybody. “Look…”

A great cavern made completely out of red crystal opened before them, and in the middle of it was a pond made out of the recognizable glowing green substance that the group was more than familiar with now, with a pair of pillars sticking out of it, almost touching the ceiling.

Feminine laughter echoed throughout the cavern all of a sudden. “Congratulations, children. You’ve reached the end of the line.”

The group stirred, their attention focused on the voice that rang all around the walls of the cavern.

"Twilight, what's that voice...?" the wonderbolt asked, her hooves making a low clattering sound as fear started to seep in.

"It's her, Rainbow Dash," the princess explained, remembering that the blue pegasus and the zebra were absent from what had happened. "The one that brought Sombra back... his mother."

"But do you know what I am, child?" the voice spoke ominously since it clearly heard her speak.

“Mother of Fear, that's the only name I know you by,” the princess stated before proceeding to ask. “Where are Spike and Discord? I know Sombra has them trapped in the veil of nightmares just like we were. Where are they?”

“The dragon and the draconequus?" the voice responded. “Oh, my child is overseeing their torment… personally.”

The pair of pillars suddenly got lowered, almost to the pond’s surface, allowing its glow to illuminate the two figures on them. On the left one was a small curled-up ball of purple scales and green spines, desperately struggling not to weep and failing, while on the other, a serpent-like amalgamation of various animal parts, twitching and twisting, while making incoherent noises.

“SPIKE! DISCORD!” the alicorn and the pegasus were first to react.

“YOU MONSTER! RELEASE POOR SPIKEY-WIKEY AT ONCE!” the white unicorn yelled.

“Sorry… But what’s happening to them now is out of my control,” the voice spoke. “The wicked child is especially invested into these two, who have caused him the most grief imaginable. One an infant of two worlds, yet fitting in neither, and the other, an abominable creation who lives in constant dread of his maker’s spite. And he’s going to make sure that their eternal punishments are especially fitting.” The room suddenly shook and small pillars began to rise from the pond until they connected between the two platforms and the bank where the group was standing. “However, you know how the game is played by now: break into one nightmare and free the victim, while the other will only get more difficult. Do not worry, I’ve suppressed the child’s nightmare veil range so you won’t immediately get enveloped by it, but what follows next is all up to you… which one will you save first?”

It was toying with them. The Mother of Fear saw this whole thing as just a game. But that made Twilight wonder why was it doing this. Wasn’t the one who created Sombra supposed to help him? Why were they given a chance to save them in the first place? Something didn’t add up. But it didn’t matter at the moment why, a far more serious decision stood before them, and it was clear that the rest of the mares were in the same predicament. How could they possibly pick one over the other? The alicorn, however, already knew where she had to go, she instinctively moved in the direction of her little companion.

“Twilight?” the meek pegasus was the first to respond.

She stopped on the pillar line above the pond. “I understand this isn’t an easy choice. Regardless of who we choose, not only will Sombra’s hold over the other one get stronger, it will also prolong the suffering of the one that’s left…” Her head turned, and everybody noticed the expression of distress on her face. “But I can’t just watch Spike be like this…”

Nobody said a word, letting the princess proceed on her trail, and soon the rest of them lined up to follow her. Fluttershy was the last one remaining on the bank, her gaze trailed back to draconequus who was still twitching and turning; all she could do was let out a suppressed whimper, and then slowly followed the rest of her friends. They waited patiently for her to join them on the lowered pillar, but it was difficult to simply stand by and watch the little dragon curled up in a fetal position and crying. Twilight was determined to put an end to it.

“Everypony ready?” she asked, awaiting a response; they all nodded. “Alright… Don’t worry Spike. We’re coming.” She walked forward, disappearing into the veil of shadow, the rest of the mares following her.


The sun was shining and the birds were singing, everywhere around, ponies were happily going about their business without a care in the world. The group recognized the place they ended up at - Ponyville.

“Okay, let’s start the countdown…” the broken unicorn said, everybody else giving her a look of confusion.

“Countdown? To what, Tempest?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“We all know how this works: it’s all rainbows and sunshine, and a few seconds later it turns dark and dreary.”

“Tempest darling, I understand that the last few hours have been moody, to say the least, believe you me, but you can’t just predict how things will… play… out…?” Rarity voiced her disbelief, but it would be quickly shut down as her attention was grabbed by a sudden appearance of shadow above her.

Giant winged bodies cloaked the sky in perpetual darkness, turning the atmosphere black, and then they descended, crashing into the town below.

“Thanks for jinxing it, Rares…” Applejack responded.

They watched as a multitude of huge dragons descended upon the settlement, grabbing hold of structures, ripping them off the ground, and taking them along.

“AIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!”

Ponies were panicking all around, but that shriek was unbelievably loud. “Jeez Rarity, I know this is unpleasant to watch but there’s no need to raise your voice. It’s just a nightmare, remember?” Pinkie Pie pointed out.

“Pinkie darling, that wasn’t me…”

“That was clearly your voice, so who was it then if not you?” the wonderbolt wondered.

The same shriek repeated itself, causing everybody to look in the air. One of the dragons was carrying the Carousel Boutique in his clutches, and a white, purple-maned unicorn was sticking out of its windows, flailing about and screaming.

“Okay, I have to say this feels really surreal…” the said mare commented, watching herself being taken away.

The mares watched across the sky, seeing the winged beasts pass by, all the way to a familiar-looking mountain peak in the distance, where they all seemed to be disappearing. “Talk about a déjà vu,” the country pony commented.

“Where are they taking everything?” Fluttershy questioned.

Twilight’s horn began to glow. “We’ll find out soon enough.”

In a flash, they all disappeared and reappeared on top of the mountain with which they were familiar, yet the moment they rematerialized they lept into cover behind a pile of rocks as they saw dragon after dragon land at the mouth of the cave and entered it, carrying their freshly acquired loot. The princess motioned to follow, as they sneaked inside. Dragons were gathered here; those emptyhanded stood by the side, while those carrying things walked forward and then stopped in front of a wall. A strange sound was in the air as if something was being ground above them, only to notice that the ceiling inside the cave was full of black clouds. The grinding sound stopped and a pair of red eyes with a green glow appeared from the impenetrable dark. Suddenly, huge black armored claws reached down to where one of the dragons stood, holding what looked like Sapphire Dance Studio, and it snatched it from his grasp, pulling it all back into the clouds.

The grinding sound resumed, and soon after a deep dark voice spoke. “Tasty…”

The dragon bowed and moved to the side with the rest. The next dragon came forth, holding one of the spires of the castle of the Crystal Empire, raising it before the wall, the black claws reached from the clouds and pulled it up again, followed by a grinding sound.

“Delectable…” it said, and the dragon moved to the side.

The mares hid behind the rocks, watching the ceremony play out. “What in tarnation are they feeding all that junk to?” Applejack wondered.

The shaman listened to the grinding sound and watched the remains of the structure fall to the ground. “I’ll be honest with you, without harshness, I shudder to think what’s hiding up in the darkness.”

“I know making a joke at a moment like this would be most inappropriate, but you’ve got to admit, whoever or whatever it is, seems to have a good taste,” the fashionista spoke.

“Oooooooooh… That would explain why your house is next, Rarity,” the party planner spoke.

Her head turned at the drop of a word, and she saw a large purple dragon come next in line, holding Carousel Boutique in his grasp. He lifted it above his head, and the giant dark claw reached for it from the obscure area, clutching it in his grip, causing the part of the shop’s exterior to break. The white unicorn was about to shriek at the sight, but at the last moment, her friends quickly silenced her by putting their hooves over her mouth. The structure was dragged into the clouds above, and the grinding sound proceeded… then it stopped, a cough followed, and all of a sudden, the building fell through the clouds and crashed against the floor, almost fully destroying it in the process.

“You,” the sinister voice ordered from above, “come closer.”

The dragon nervously rubbed his claws as he stepped closer before the wall. In a quick motion, the large black armored claw reached through the dark clouds and swiped him, sending him flying a few feet back. The dragons that stood by the side quickly burst into laughter.

“I am the most powerful creature in all of the land,” the voice boomed, “I ordered that I was brought the most desirable looking things for my enjoyment… And you bring me DRESSES?! WHAT KIND OF A PATHETIC EXCUSE FOR A DRAGON ARE YOU?!”

He crawled on the floor, and the mares saw on the expression that the dragon in question had - he felt shamed and belittled. Something was off though, he looked familiar for some reason. It wasn’t until Rarity finally managed to get back up from being piled on by everybody else, that she noticed it too. She remembered a giant purple dragon with large green spikes that once kidnapped her, a creature born out of ravenous insatiable greed, the only difference this time was that he had wings. Yet she knew exactly who it was.

“Spikey-wikey?”