Their battle shakes the sky. Long ago, the two alicorns forgot to raise the sun and moon. Long ago, the stars stopped shining and the sky went dark. Long ago, most lost hope. Blasts of bright light fill the sky as they have for nearly five whole years as the titans do battle with each other. As sister fights sister in a battle to escape their prison, it seems like one might finally win.
Crouched in the grass below are several lesser monsters. Flying Foxes, or Magic Thieves, will steal the magic from whoever manages to win. And soon that winner will be announced.
But not today. Today, the alicorns fight like they do every day, slowly getting weaker and weaker. The magic that they have is all but spent, and they can barely keep themselves from falling into the electrified forcefield surrounding them. They have no strength left to curse the one who forces this battle, no will left to fight the spell causing them to hurt each other. They can only fight. And hope that they don't kill the other.
A day later, or as close to a day as you can get with no sun to mark the passage of time, one alicorn finally gives way. She falls, both in the sky and into unconciousness. For the first time since its creation, the forcefield splits open, allowing her the loser and winner to drop to the barren ground below.
The winner feels relief wash over her as the spell is lifted, then dread as she realizes what she's done. "Sister..." is the only word she's able to get out before the Flying Foxes swarm the two, each of them hungry for a bite of alicorn magic.
Among those is the first fox, the one known for aiding in the destruction of Ponyville and the beginning of this nightmare. Five years feels like a long time. For five years she's been trying to survive and figure out her place in this hellscape like all others.
Of the twenty or so Flying Foxes who came to watch the battle today in hopes of finding a meal, only five manage to take a piece of magic for themselves. And once the two sisters are drained dry, one spends their last moments looking at the other's closed eyes. Five years is a long time to have survived this. They were among the lucky ones.
Lucky. Nothing feels lucky about this. Xena, as she calls herself, for she feels like a stranger in this world, slowly left the site of the princesses' death. Since as far back as she can remember, Xena has been running. First from Ponyville's ashes, then from the machine, and finally from Magnum's twisted ideals. And now she breaks into a run, running from the deaths she was a part of causing.
She runs for as long as she can before slowing to a jog, then finally a walk, then when she feels as though she can't go any longer and the sight of the dead alicorns is way past the horizon, she collapses.
Barren earth beneath her fur and feathers, Xena breathes, trying to summon enough strength to find shelter. Nearby is a blackened and burnt copse of trees, and she drags herself over there, laying down in the darker shadows. She curls up into a ball and shivers. The world is always cold, but today it feels colder than usual. After a short nap, I'll find a better resting place and plan my next meal, she tells herself.
She falls asleep and dreams. But without Luna to moderate them, almost all dreams turn to nightmares.
An azure blue Voidwing pegasus slowly trots across the blank earth. She passes ashy tree stumps, scorched rock, and crumbling black grass. Her eyes see perfectly in the obsidian black environment, and so it is no surprise that her vision catches a Flying Fox resting in a copse of trees.
Flying Foxes. The bane of all magical creatures. One of the more dangerous species in the apocalypse, fighting one was a sure trip to the afterlife. You'd exhaust yourself fighting them, they'd drain your magic, and you'd be left to die, miles from the nearest friendly face.
But this one didn't seem dangerous. No, Comet! Don't let its appearance fool you! She internally chides herself. She was on a mission, to find a new place to live. Maybe one where she could meet ponies who could cure her. And a Flying Fox's head might help with that goal.
Slowly Comet creeps over to the fox-eagle hybrid. She raises a hoof, preparing to bring it down and strike, when the fox's eyes suddenly fly open.
Xena lets out an involuntary yip. "Who are you?" She asks in surprise, jumping to her feet. She's slightly shorter than the Voidwing, her black eyes narrowing at her attacker.
"I don't have to answer to you, fox. Now tell me who you are and what you're doing out here." The pegasus answers, bringing her hoof down on one of Xena's claws.
"Jerk," she mutters, pulling her claw away before Comet can stomp on it. "I'm trying to find a place to live, for your information. However, I am getting hungry. And you look like you might make a good source of magic." While this may not be true, Xena could always use a meal. Especially since she didn't know when the next one might arrive.
Comet's eyes widen and she backs away. "Okay, okay, I'm going. No need to-" her words are interrupted by a loud thud and a growl behind her. Turning to look, she sees a massive blood-red dragon. "D-dr-dragon!" She exclaims.
"You're sharp," Xena mutters. "Now run." She turns and sprints across the copse of trees and out the other side, Comet hot on her heels and the dragon close behind. There aren't many obstacles she can use to distance them from their pursuer, but she runs anyways. The dragon is slowly catching up, and she's slowly tiring out, and-
Without warning, the two go tumbling headfirst off a cliff.