//------------------------------//
// Chapter 27: The Hour of Twilight 
// Story: Death Cometh 
// by Dracthul 
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Sorin hummed as he chiseled away at his work. Happy little notes of song floated from his mouth as he started to whistle. An uplifting mood was in the air as he continued to work away. He slowly made a motion, taking his time to make sure the precision was perfect. Such intricate designs took time to complete, so he made sure he went as slowly as possible. Finally finishing the first part, he picked up his tool and got it into position before starting again.

One slight move here, another there…

He ignored the bloody screams since he was so focused on his work, moving his instrument with such precision while carefully peeling away at the soft red flesh. He pulled off a thin little strip, the sunlight coming from the lone barred window just shining through it. He was too distracted to hear the cries for him to stop. He let out a little content sigh, setting down the strip next to the others just like it.

“I have to say that of all the hobbies I’ve come across—between Azeroth and Equestria—carving has to be my favorite.” He walked over to Celestia’s weeping form. “Such detail that can only be achieved by absolute precision.” Lifting his knife, the layers of red blood on it glinting, he started again. His gentle tune resumed as he heard the interrupting screams.

“PLEASE!” Her white fur was stained crimson from how much immortal blood she had bled. Her flesh started peeling away again. “STOP!”

He ripped the chunk off, stepping back to admire his craft. “Not my best work, but it’ll do.” He waved his hoof, freezing water splashing all over the alabaster alicorn and washing the blood away. Now feeling the full pain of her wounds and the chilling cold mix, her tears flowed freely as her throat swelled up. The chains bound around her ankles and neck prevented her from even falling to the floor. Instead, she was suspended in the air, forced to look at her torturer as he worked.

He continued, already carving away at her precious flesh. As he did, she brokenly asked, “W-why?”

He stopped, removing his blade and taking a step back with a scowl on his face. “You locked me away for what would have been eternity if I had not escaped from your little prison. Even then, I spent a thousand years in that accursed cell. I felt only pain as my body slowly broke down, decaying from the lack of food and water.

“I could not move. I could not speak. I could barely even breathe!” He went back over to her, lifting her head by the back of her neck. “What drove me to take this world, was you.”

“What… do you… mean?”

“I hate you, Celestia. During my imprisonment, all I felt was hate—hatred of you. Over the years, I thought of how to avenge myself. The number of fantasies I had about tearing out your heart is immeasurable. I thought of twisting you into a mindless abomination of nightmares. I imagined tearing your sister apart, forcing you to watch it over and over again as I reset time. I envisioned all the ways to hurt you, but I settled upon one.

“I realized I could break your little ponies and consume this world in one murderous swoop. That, would bring you to nothing but a quivering pile on the floor. It would show that you are nothing more than a figure of a kingdom past.” Clapping his hooves together, he said, “So that is what I will do.” He started to turn, and then she yanked on her chains.

“N-no! Take me in exchange for Equestria! I’ll let you do whatever you want to me. Just spare my ponies!”

Seeing him still moving without pause, she gulped hard. “You can do whatever to me… and my body…”

Sorin froze, slowly twisting his head around. His legs followed as he trotted towards her, a sick grin forming at the corner of his lips. She tensed as he bent down, putting out a hoof and softly caressing her cheek. She clenched her jaw, repulsed by his very touch. He turned his head, moving in towards her. She accepted her fate as he closed the distance—but he paused a hair’s length away from her.

“No.” He dropped her head, pulling away and getting to his hooves. “I’m sorry, but the time for bargaining is over. Your ponies are coming to a trap. I let them go for a reason. They have hope, and that hope will let them think they can win. When they arrive at my gates, I will show them the cataclysm of my fury.” He picked up his knife, eyeing where to cut next.

“Please, you can’t do this!”

“And why not?” he asked. “I am only settling the score—a score you started.”

“Twilight and her friends will stop you,” she said as he put his blade into position.

“I doubt that. The Elements could only turn Discord into stone. What makes you think they can destroy me?” He swiftly stuck his blade to her neck, drawing a drop of blood. “How does it feel knowing that you were the one to bring about the fall of Equestria?”

Before she could answer, Vultrax came down the hall. Sorin withdrew, turning around to face him.

“My liege, the Equestrians are approaching. The time has come for you to reveal your true form.”

Turning back to Celestia, he politely said, “I’m afraid our little chat is over.” He wiped off his knife and set it down. “Good. Let them come.” He walked over to his commander. “Prepare the armies to meet them at the border. This war ends today.”

Vultrax nodded. He spun around, trotting away with his master at his side.

“Wait!” Celestia shouted, trying to get Sorin to stop—but he continued. “Wait! WAIT!” She continued to sob, only able to watch as he trotted away.





An icy gale whipped over the landscape that would soon become a battlefield. Tiny flakes of snow blew through the air in a frigid flurry that coated everything in a layer of white. Typically, it would be a beautiful sight, but not this time. The layer covered the dried blood of the numerous dead. Grey clouds drifted in the sky, casting an ominous glow over the Crystal Empire and its surrounding area. The sun was high in the sky, but the extreme conditions dimmed its light. The light fog that hovered over the terrain made it even harder to see.

The smell of decaying bodies was still in the air from the battle that had taken place in the same area a little over a week ago. It was a sickly smell that churned the stomach of every living thing who smelled it—all except him. White specks collected on his coat, contrasting its color. His piercing eyes burned with a blue fire that defied the cold around him. They sifted through the thick cloud of fog in the distance, scanning the land. His wings were tucked to his sides, unmoving as he waited.

Sorin stood atop the balcony of his dark castle, looking over his new empire. His supernatural vision allowed him to see the distinct outline of a handful of far-away ponies. He heard the faintest thump with his raised ears. He listened closer, his heartbeat resonating through him as he heard another thump. The sound repeated, thump-thump, slowly getting louder and louder. Squinting, he was still unable to see. He moved his hoof, the foggy cloud covering his prize obeying his command and dispersing. As the cloud cleared, he saw legions of ponies marching forward.

Their movements were uniform, all exact copies of each other. Their forceful steps merged as one, making it sound like only one of them was marching. Each motion brought them closer to the frontier that awaited them. Every one of them was protected with magically enhanced armor. Those in the front were earth ponies with more substantial plating and heavy weapons. Behind them were rows of unicorns with their weapons levitating in the air. Near the back were the pegasi, who had spears and other long armaments that would be devastating with enough speed. To the side of the main ranks were the archers.

Despite their numbers, they gained ground in quick time. Within only a short time, they would descend upon the empire. Not caring, Sorin continued to stand atop his balcony, watching them tread through the wasteland. By now, they were far enough into the Frozen North that they could not get supplies for a decent while, which meant that they were expecting a swift victory with no need for retreat.

Just as I wanted. Celestia and her sister would have actually tried to prepare to face me, but Twilight—in her naivety—thinks defeating me will be a simple task. Her army does not know the extent of my power, and they think I am like the other excuses for villains in this realm.

He glanced beneath him, the streets of the Crystal Empire completely barren. No pony dared to walk outside under the eye of Sorin. They feared him more than they ever feared Sombra, especially since he destroyed the former king right in front of them. The ease he had done it with filled them with more dread than they thought possible. Currently, they were huddled inside their homes as they waited for liberation. He let out a laugh at that thought.

“Ponies always have been overly optimistic,” he said to himself. “Even in the face of death, they still think they can win. I admire their tenacity, but it is a foolish and pointless sentiment.”

He continued to wait atop his balcony. His castle finally came into the view of the ponies, and they felt the temperature drop just slightly. They were surprised to see no force awaiting them, instead finding the empire seemingly bare.

Sorin watched as the ponies suddenly stopped, halting at the empire’s border. He took one last breath of the air before it would be tainted further.

His body turned black as he went into his essence form. Spilling from the balcony like a flood, his wave-like body went through the air, falling towards the ground. The ponies looked up to see the sea of dark liquid gracefully land a little distance away from them at the base of the castle and compact into the shape of Prince Sorin. Now he could see who was at the front, leading the charge. They all looked so stoic in their stances.

“Stand down, monster!” Cadance shouted at him, clearly still upset about him stabbing her. He did not know what all the fuss was about, considering she had already been healed, thanks to her husband’s magic. He let out a laugh from her comment. She sounded so defiant that it was quite humorous to him. The ponies looked at him with a confused look as he collected himself.

“Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Twilight Sparkle—the Mane Six,” he said while glancing between them. “Discord, supposed Lord of Chaos; Cadance, the Princess of Love; her love, Shining Armor; and of course, I can’t forget, a little whelpling.” The dragon in question shrank from his words.

“You have gone through many challenges to get to where you are: Nightmare Moon, Discord, Chrysalis and her changelings, Sombra—and yet you have faced nothing like me.”

Growing tired of his speech, Twilight, with a scowl, yelled, “Release the princesses, or we will make you!”

“But I thought we were friends,” he mocked, enjoying himself at their expense.

“We were never friends because you were tricking all of us!” Cadance spat back.

Sorin frowned, his fun spoiled. “Have it your way then.” Sighing, he waved his hoof. A flash of light revealed Luna by his side, not chained or held captive, simply standing. She seemed almost lifeless in her emotions, as if she was merely watching the events unfold.

Cadance gasped upon seeing her aunt in such a state. She paused as she heard whimpering. Sorin slowly stepped to the side, revealing Celestia. Interconnecting chains wrapped around all four of her ankles, one bound around her neck as well. Her horn had a ring on it that prevented her from using her magic. Her wings were stiff along her sides, and her tail was between her hindlegs. Tears rolled from her eyes and down her face as she whimpered, looking like little more than a frightened filly.

“They are already breaking, as I said,” Sorin said, drawing the attention back to him. “She of the night is already mine, and soon her sister shall succumb to me as well. Soon, you will all be mine.”

Twilight stood with her mouth agape, completely shaken by what he had done to the princesses. She turned to Cadance, who looked just as disturbed. When she looked at Discord, she saw a look of rage on his face. Behind his back, he clenched his talons, a ball of energy forming in them. He quickly threw the destructive ball towards Sorin, but the prince easily caught it in his hoof.

“Discord, how long it’s been since I’ve seen you—” He crushed the ball, the deadly Void magic nullified. “—brother.”

“Brother?” Twilight questioned in baffled shock.

“Oh, yes,” he snickered. “He and I are of the same species, but I am far more powerful than he. All he did was manage to cause a little mischief on this planet, parading around as a draconequus.”

It was Discord’s turn to stand with his mouth agape. “It can’t be…” he mouthed. How had he failed to realize what Sorin truly was?

“I, on the other hand, have brought civilizations to their knees and caused entire empires to fall. Kings bent to my will, and my name inspired terror in the hearts of those who know what I am. I am Death incarnate; I cannot be defeated, foolish ponies.”

His eyes turned black, smoke rising from them as his horn glowed. “Even if you strike me down now, it will only be a matter of time before I manifest once again. It may be a thousand years or ten thousand years—but I will return.” The energy he gathered shot into the ground, spreading out and forming a massive circle around him.

“I am inevitable.”

Everything around the circle started to rot, its life force being absorbed into the ring. The pony army stood uneasy as they saw the dark magic take its effect on the land.

Everything suddenly made sense in Discord’s mind. The strange creature that caused him to be turned to stone had to be his brother. No other being would be strong enough to render his magic useless. His face contorted, reflecting the genuine concern he felt. Noticing his expression, his friends all felt his fear. “Yogg-Saron…” he whispered.

“You do remember me, brother!” Sorin yelled after hearing what he said. “We were born from the same power, but you pursued Chaos when you could have held true power—and you still can. My bonding with the world has heightened my senses, and I know what you feel for Fluttershy. You limit yourself, brother, for she will die, and you will have nothing. You traded power for the promise of finite friendship.” A tendril extended to Discord. “Join me, and you will gain true strength.”

“No,” the trickster firmly stated.

Sorin genuinely frowned. “If you do not join me, then I will have to hurt you if you get in my way.”

“Fluttershy and her friends showed me that friendship is something worth fighting for.” Discord turned to his friends. “And that is what I intend to do.”

“So be it,” Sorin coldly answered. The decay around the circle stopped, the energy all flowing into his body instead. His coat’s shade deepened as his entire body became darker than any night. His armor melted away, dropping into the pool of his blood. His eyes and tail burned furiously as he prepared.

“I am the Lucid Dream, the Monster in Your Nightmares, the Master of Fate, the Beast With a Thousand Maws, the Fiend of a Thousand Faces, Hope’s End—” His shadowy body started to come apart, sinking into the pool below him. “—I am Death itself!” he shouted, his head falling below the surface.

There was a short moment where no pony moved. They all wondered what was happening, but their thoughts were quickly silenced. The ground utterly shook as it prepared for his arrival. Twilight and her friends tried to brace themselves, but they lost their footing and collapsed to the ground. Just as soon as the shaking began, it stopped. They got to their hooves.

A rumble washed over them as something exploded from within the Crystal Empire. They stared in horror as a titanic tentacle rose from the ground, the ground splintering from where it erupted. A second quake came as another tentacle rose. The shaking grew more rapid as limb after wicked limb rose from the ground, at least a dozen of them forming within the empire. They realized the center of the tentacles was the dark circle brimming with Void magic.

A deep, wicked voice rolled over the landscape, the planet submitting to his words as he spoke. The very sound of it sent a cold chill over everypony.

“Yrr n’lyeth shuul anagg…”

And then his true form was revealed.





Celestia lost all sense of composure she had held. She had tried to stay strong for her ponies, but her body gave in to its weakness, collapsing to her knees at the sight of the horrible beast being revealed. Even though her chains had broken from the earthquakes, she could not move. She was petrified by the fear she felt of it, true fear.

Its jaw was the size of a small mountain. Its crude, jagged teeth were the size of trees. Two long fangs sat at the front, disgusting brown and green ichor dripping from them and burning whatever it landed on. Its fleshy brown hide covered the rest of its rounded body, but sets of smaller maws extended from the skin.

They looked wrong. Where there should have been eyes, there were only jaws. All there was on its body was mouths with rows of teeth.

Its many brown tentacles waved around wildly, their blue crystal plating shifting as they did. They were thicker than buildings, and some of them ended with a giant mass of sharp crystal that formed a mace. The others were slightly longer and ended in pointed tips. Its face, if you could call it that, was utterly petrifying.

It sent deep terror into the hearts of the ponies who gazed at its twisted form. Those who had been steadfast only moments ago were now breathing heavily and hoping that they would be able to win against it. His cold, calm, unyielding voice only cemented their deepest fears.

“Bow down before the God of Death…”

So distracted by his form, the ponies did not notice as creatures started to emerge from the pool around him. It was only when his army began to charge did the Equestrians see them. Ranks of Shadowstrikers, changelings, and windigos all raced towards the intruders.

Steel Bastion saw the creature before him and knew his soldiers would need every bit of strength they could muster. “Ready yourselves to defend Equestria!” he commanded.

Trying to grab hold of themselves, the ponies started to ready themselves as the enemy drew closer. They gripped their weapons and steeled themselves, the waves almost upon them.

Steel Bastion turned to Shining Armor, awaiting his signal. The captain drew his sword and pulled it back. Even though he stood in defiance, he felt dread throughout his entire body.

“ATTACK!”

The front lines moved forward and clashed with Yogg-Saron’s forces, all while he deeply chuckled. Absolute carnage broke out as the two sides began to war. Shadowstrikers ripped out the organs of their foes, literally eating the innards in front of their owners as they collapsed to the ground. Unicorns unleashed deadly spells upon the changelings, but the insects held firm. Volleys of arrows fell over the battlefield, but the windigos simply phased through them.

Yogg-Saron watched as his forces tore through the Equestrians. The ponies managed to put up a decent fight, he gave them that, but they would fall before him.

“Give in to your fear…”

His voice cascaded over the battlefield, shaking the ponies to their core.

“Hope is an illusion…”

A stallion paused at the whispers long enough to delay him. He desperately tried to raise his sword, but a changeling jumped onto him, tearing away at his exposed flesh.

“All that you know will fade…”

A pegasus looked around after pulling her spear from a dead changeling. Everything seemed to blur, all fading into a grey mass. In her distraction, she did not hear the sound of beating wings. She snapped around too late, a shadowy griffon slashing across her chest, cutting through her armor and into the soft tissue below.

“You will be alone in the end…”

A stallion fended off a windigo, barely dodging his attacks. He slashed the ghostly creature, turning around to help his comrade. He saw no pony, only a desolate landscape around him. The windigo got to its hooves, charging towards him. He spun back around, facing it. In his weakness, he let himself be taken.

Yogg-Saron swung his tentacles around madly. The ones without spikes at the end unleashed devastating spells onto the land. He let one fly, watching as it impacted at the center of a group of ponies. The ground around them buckled, exploding in a fit of rock and snow. The ponies standing there were thrown into the air. Those who could fly were able to right themselves, but the others fell, screaming, to their deaths.

His attention rested on a dozen or so stallions who were fighting off multiple enemies at once. They worked together, forming a wall to fight off their foes. He turned to them, sending his tentacles into motion. At the center of them was Shining Armor, still valiantly fighting.

“You resist. You cling to your life as if it actually matters.”

The captain spun around, staring into the face of the demon. Seeing his approaching limbs, he started to run, trying to get his soldiers to do so as well. Sadly, they were too occupied with their adversaries to escape

“You will learn…”

A crystal mace slammed onto the ground around them, the sound of countless bones shattering making Shining Armor sick to his stomach. He had just narrowly avoided the same fate as his friends, and he could hear the mocking laughter of Yogg-Saron in his head.

The God of Death continued to swat his enemies into the ground like nothing more than mere bugs.

“It is standing right behind you.” A stallion heard the sound of talons on ice behind him. “Do not move.” The steps grew closer, a low growl reaching his ears. “Do not breathe…” The griffon pounced upon him, making him thrash around as he tried to fight it off. His blood curdling screams rang out as his chest was torn open, the griffon eating away at his remains.

“They are coming for you…”

Vultrax commanded his brethren, unleashing the full force of the windigos upon the fragile ponies. They stood no chance before his ghostly legion. The general himself, in his enlarged form, was sprinting through the enemy lines with such force that he was knocking anyone in his path to the ground. He fired dark magic randomly, killing dozens of ponies. His attack broke the front line apart, scattering the forces. His brothers swept in, taking advantage of the division.

He slowed down, punching a stallion hard enough to smash his helmet and skull in. He kicked another hard enough to break his ribs. He heard a war cry from the sky, looking up to see where it came from. He could not find it.

Cadance was enraged that she had failed to stop such evil when it was literally right next to her in the Crystal Empire. So, as she flew towards Vultrax from behind, she thought that she would protect her ponies this time. She formed a spell, letting it fly as she flew right past him. The bolt rocked his body, making him roar out.

He reacted so quickly that he almost swatted her out of the sky with a hoof. Growling, he stared her down. “My master impaled you upon his horn once, but this time it will be forever!”

He shot into the air, chasing after her. She pushed herself harder, flying away from him as hard as she could. He was slowly gaining on her, prepared to punish her for her stupidity. She turned around, shooting a beam towards him. He quickly moved out of its way, continuing to barrel towards her. She dove down, gaining speed and soaring away. As she looked back, she saw him on her tail. A dark hoof formed in front of his, wrapping around one of her hindlegs. She gasped as he pulled down, hurling her toward the snowy rocks below.

She let out a scream as she slammed into the ground, her shoulder numb from the impact. She groaned in pain as she tried to force air into her lungs. A deep rumble hit her ears as one of Yogg-Saron’s tentacles was hit by a massive magical blast. It started to fall towards the ground. She looked up to see it falling in her direction.

Vultrax’s hooves clicked onto the ground as he landed. He slowly trotted towards the fallen princess. She tried to crawl away, but he only continued towards her. His grin showed how triumphant he felt, his steps full of cocky confidence. His dream of killing one of the princesses ended as a large shadow appeared before him. He looked up to see one of Yogg-Saron’s tentacles coming down upon him. Before he could turn ethereal, the limb slammed into the snow, crushing him into the rocks he had just been standing on.

His furious roars let Cadance know she did not have much time. She struggled to get to her hooves, finally standing up. She tested her wings with a flap, finding them intact. She went into the air, retreating to the rest of the ponies.

Yogg-Saron lifted his tentacle, finding Vultrax’s battered form beneath it. He lowered a tipped limb to him, filling him with his blood. The windigo’s body healed as he grew larger. Soon enough, he would return.

Yogg-Saron looked back to the front lines, seeing the ongoing battle. The ponies were… retreating? He scanned the scene, watching as the front lines fled. It was only when they slowed down and formed a wall around the Elements did he realize their plan.

Twilight lifted into the air alongside her friends, a rainbow parting the skies and crashing down upon them. They were wrapped with the powers of Harmony, their bodies glowing with a shiny radiance as they descended to the ground.

The ponies readied themselves again. The Elements stepped to the front, preparing. As Yogg-Saron’s forces came close, they let out a wave of energy, destroying some of his minions. The Elements were almost unstoppable in their empowered state, able to rip his lines apart. Snarling, he fired a volley of spells at them with his tentacles. They were able to put up a magical shield around themselves in time, but the ponies surrounding them were reduced to nothing more than smoldering piles of ash. They continued to push forward, starting to turn the tide of the battle.

Two can play at that game, he thought, beginning to make the skies churn. A purple streak in the air lit up the battlefield, but no one paid it heed. Another flash went unnoticed, and then another. The sparks became more frequent in the dark clouds looming over the empire. He sent his order to his armies.

Shining Armor dodged the deadly talons of a Shadowstriker, sidestepping and slicing his sword through its abdomen. The creature screeched and spun around, but he had already driven his sword deep into its chest. He pulled it out, the creature’s eyes sputtering out. Its blood dripped onto the ground, melting everything it touched like acid.

As he looked back at the opposing army, he saw them running with their backs turned. They were racing towards their master. Bolstered by the upturn in the battle, Shining Armor rallied his troops.

“The enemy is fleeing! Chase them down!” The Equestrians let out a unified war cry, swiftly beginning to charge as one unit towards the fleeing enemies. They readied their weapons and got their spells ready, about to deliver the crushing blow to Yogg-Saron’s forces. Once they fell, only their dark master would remain.

The God of Death waited patiently for the ponies to fall into his trap. In their arrogance, they thought his troops were running. Their false hope only brought them closer to their deaths. He chuckled as his forces neared his body.

Celestia could do nothing as she watched the conflict unfold. Noticing a bright light coming from above, she looked up to see a flash of lightning. The lightning became more and more frequent as if it was leading up to something. She looked back at the horrid behemoth, seeing him laugh in the face of defeat. His minions sprinted towards him, but their physical forms shifted into ethereal ones before they could reach him. They all transformed in the same way, his forces seeming to disappear in an instant.

“Death is eternal.”

Celestia looked back to the clouds, seeing the flashes intensifying to the point of constant flickering. Directly above him, they converged at the center into a purple torrent of sparks. She saw her ponies continue to charge towards him—and then she realized his plan. The lightning cascaded from the sky, connecting into one single bolt.

“Death,” he said after seeing all of his forces vanish, the ponies about to reach him, “IS MY REALM!”

“NO!” Celestia screamed, the bolt coming down upon his titanic form. His flesh did not burn from the current but instead glowed with electricity as he conducted the flow. All of the lightning exploded outward from his body in a fit of utter force. The shockwave thundered through the ground itself, upheaving everything in its path as it spread over the land. A blinding light engulfed the empire.





Twilight groaned. Her senses were numb, and she did not know why. One second she had been running. The next, she was awaking on the ground in pain.

Muffled sounds filled her ears, but they sounded like only a faint whisper to her. There were so many of them that she could not understand what any of them were. Her eyes burned from the light in front of her. She tried to force them open, cringing as she felt just how dry they were. She used her hooves to rub them, and then she took her first look.

She realized she was lying on her back because she was staring directly at the sky. She saw little flakes of snow falling from above, these ones much calmer than the ones in the blizzard she was in only moments ago. She felt how incredibly dry her mouth was, and she stuck out her tongue in hopes of getting a little water. As one of the flakes landed on her taste buds, her face contorted.

The taste was utterly sickening. It was sweet, but the distinct flavors of flesh and blood racked her mouth. She spat, trying to purge the taste from her memory but finding it still there. The shock of the taste sent her body into overdrive, returning her senses to normal. She gagged as she smelled the sickly scent of charred skin. She then heard the “muffled sounds” from before. They were screams, countless screams of agony.

Twilight rolled over and forced herself to her knees. She panted as she tried to regain her fortitude. She looked to her left, finding the ground stained black with ash. She could see some ponies wailing in torment, most of them missing limbs or covered in burns, and others still lying on the ground unconscious. She quickly had the horrid realization that almost all of the ponies had been wiped out. Only a few hundred were still alive. She got to her hooves, wobbling a little.

The coarse sound of slow laughter drew her attention. Looking the other direction, she saw Yogg-Saron. His forces started to blink back into the physical plane. An uncontrollable rage rushed through her, her teeth clenching as she stared down the one responsible for the deaths of thousands of ponies. She stepped forward, about to draw his attention, when she heard somepony do it first.

“YOGG-SARON!” Celestia shouted. The Old God lowered his gaze, looking down upon the white alicorn. She was hard to see before, but the snow had been burned away, leaving her to stick out in the rocky landscape. She put a sword to her sister’s throat, holding her in a chokehold. “I will kill her, you monster!” Yogg-Saron cocked his head after hearing what she said.

“Have you gone mad?” he asked, wondering if he messed with her mind just a little too much for her to handle.

“You may have been evil, but Luna cared for you. If I have to kill her to save Equestria… I will do it without hesitation…”

“You would kill your own blood?” He could not believe what he was hearing. “This is pathetic. You truly expect me to surrender simply because you are threatening to kill Luna?”

Celestia faltered. “Y-you love her. Of course you will!” The outright mocking laugh he gave her made her stomach twist.

“You are mistaken. She may have loved me, or Sorin for that matter, but I never loved her. Even if I did, do you truly think I would sacrifice everything for her?” He reared his tentacles as he prepared to strike the princesses down. “Either way, I win.”

His non-existent eyes widened as he saw a rainbow barreling towards him. In his foolishness, he had gotten distracted by Celestia. He had not noticed Twilight waking up her friends and gathering them. He had not seen them float into the air and activate the Elements. He threw up his tentacles in an attempt to shield himself.

“Clever.”

The blast burned at the one tentacle he had managed to block the way with. Meanwhile, Cadance poured her magic into the rainbow of Harmony, powering it with Love. Celestia, her bonds destroyed by the lightning, mustered her strength and gave her energy as well. Luna, with the last of her resolve, unleashed her magic. Discord fired a bolt of Chaos from his paw, mixing it into the beam. Shining Armor gave his signal and all the unicorns who were standing added their power into it. The magics mixed, forming one ray of incredible power.

Yogg-Saron let out a chilling screech as the overload of magic melted a hole through his limb. The beam slammed into his face, wracking his body with searing pain. The minions directly around him were reduced to dust. The others watched as their master fell.

His body collapsed to the ground, a massive scorch mark etched into his face. His tentacles crashed down, crushing everything in their way. He let out a slow breath as his jaws closed.

Watching Yogg-Saron’s army step back in fear brought a smile to Celestia’s face. Her ponies got back to their hooves, finding their courage once again. She stretched her wings, flying over to Twilight and her friends. They were relieved to see the princess was still okay.

“At last, it is finished,” she said upon her landing. “All that remains is his army.”

“Shall we begin the charge?” Shining Armor asked.

Celestia nodded firmly, and he gave the signal. Everypony let out a roar as they sprinted towards the baffled enemy.

“A lot of us have fallen, but their sacrifice is not in vai—” Celestia started to say when Discord appeared next to her. He had a look of great worry on his face.

“Something is wrong. I should have felt his magical signature fade, but it’s still—”

“Your impudence has been your downfall.”

He snickered as he lifted himself back up. His forces looked on in awe at their master, who had taken a blow from the most powerful ponies in existence as a mere stagger. Their magic had only winded him, and it was just a minor delay in his dominion. Invigorated by his unyielding power, his armies ran forward to meet the ponies. Around his body, dozens of black tendrils of his tainted blood formed, rising into the air like a sea of serpents. They reared back before lurching towards the Equestrians.

“There is no escape—not in this life, not in the next…”

As his blood spread over the battlefield, the remains of the fallen ponies were enveloped by his essence, causing them to come back to life. Their bones reconnected, using his blood as joints, and the skeletal abominations formed. They stood onto their rough hooves, a black fire in their eye sockets. They sprinted forward, joining in on the charge toward the Equestrians.

Twilight had watched in horror as he raised the fallen ponies into mindless fiends that now served his will alone. With the combined might of the windigos, changelings, Shadowstrikers, and resurrected equines, his forces were more powerful than ever before. His army numbered nearly ten thousand, and each and every one of them was more formidable than the most skilled Equestrian.

The Armies of Death closed in on the ponies, who were now filled with justified fear. They knew that in death, they too would be brought back and bent to serve Yogg-Saron’s will. Still, they would fight to protect Equestria until the end.

“How? How did he withstand all of our powers combined?” Twilight stood with her close friends in utter shock. She was motionless, consumed by doubt. His will seemed inevitable. Even now, she could feel him saturating her mind.

“H-he is too strong to be stopped,” Celestia sputtered.

“No!” Cadance yelled in disbelief. “T-there must be something we can do to stop this monster.”

“Yeah,” Rainbow Dash said. She looked at Discord, who shrugged. “Come on, you're the Lord of Chaos. You have to have somethin’.”

“I’m afraid not. I may be the same type of creature as him, but he is far stronger than me. There is nothing I can do,” the mismatched creature said with a surprisingly sad tone. His usual arrogant demeanor was gone, replaced with genuine sorrow as his head drooped. “T-thank you for showing me the greatness of friendship.”

Twilight heard the grim tone he used. If he was afraid, then their fate seemed all too real.

“I’m so sorry, my little ponies, that I failed to protect Equestria,” Celestia cried. “I love you all.”

Everypony began to cry as they saw his army closing in. Twilight hugged the princess, bringing a small smile to her face.

“We know, princess,” she whispered, her friends humming in agreement.

“Please, call me Celestia. You have earned that at least.”

“Celestia,” Twilight began, her voice shaky, “it has been an honor to know you and be your student. We know you did all that you could.”

Her friends joined in on the hug, Cadance, Shining Armor, Spike, and Discord all doing the same. In the freezing cold, they felt an undeniable warmth that filled them with joy. They all looked at Yogg-Saron, a massive grin on his face.

“For Equestria.”

Her words inspired the others, and they felt newfound courage within them.

“For Equestria,” they all stated somberly. There was great pride in those words. Even in the face of death, they were all proud to have experienced such beautiful friendship together, and they could not have been happier with whom they would spend their last moments with.

“At long last, this world is mine. At long last, I will consume this world.” Yogg-Saron watched as his minions were about to clash with the remnants of the Equestrian army. “Your families will be slaughtered, your friends broken. Those of you I spare will be forced to watch the horrors I unleash. I will raise your corpses from the grave, only so that you may serve me eternal! In the end, nothing will remain but MY LAUGHTER!”

He broke into a fit of insane cackles, his victory finally assured. His forces fell upon his enemies, and he unleashed destruction upon them, whispering the final words Equestria would ever hear.

“Death Cometh…”