Twilight reappears at the tree's base in a flash of a purple bubble with a stumble, along with Pinkie in tow, hovering limply beside her. On and on, the two were surrounded by massive green foliage covering the city street, vines crawling up the sides of houses, thick, gigantic roots digging themselves around, ripping through pavements and forging an uneven terrain.
"Where are they?" Twilight thought to herself.
All around the princess, green reigned supreme. Towering vines, some as thick as ponies themselves, strangled lampposts and buildings. In comparison, the behemoth of a tree was towering behind the two.
A crash from atop a distant building shattered the uneasy silence. Twilight flinched, her eyes darting towards the sound. Through the building's moss-riddled side and falling debris, a portion of the roof caved in. A plume of dust billowed upwards, momentarily obscuring a flash of movement just beyond the crumbling edge. Dust clouds rose from several rooftops further down the lonely street, their swirling forms bouncing and skittering from one building top to another.
Suddenly, the silhouettes detached themselves from the skyline, plummeting from the edge of a building with a shriek and landing with a sickening thud in the royal gardens.
Fortifying Pinkie's bubble, Twilight galloped towards the fallen figures, her coat glistening with sweat under the flickering illumination of the street lamp. As she grew closer to the garden, biting winds tickled her fur, sending a chill down her spine as she exhaled a foggy breath.
"Was The Crystal Empire always this cold?" She shudders.
Crossing the junction, Twilight vaulted over a particularly aggressive vine, its thick, green tendrils lashing out at her. With a huff, she shoved through the ornately wrought-iron gates of the royal gardens, the wrought-iron twisted and choked by a curtain of thick vines. Scanning the flowery surroundings, Twilight saw nothing but beds and rows of crystal flowers, well, except for two giant roses sticking out of the ground, binding the sleeping Somnambula and Meadowbrook in a knot of thorny stems.
Beside them stood Rarity, her usually pristine coat lined top to bottom with multiple scratches, lacerations, and branches and twigs entangled in her mane. A few paces away stood Mistmane, her horn cracking in residual magic.
"Rarity!"
Rarity turns to face Twilight, relief washing over her face.
"Twilight! Oh how glad am I to see you! Mistmane here just came in the nick of time. Can you believe I was almost forced to fend off Somnambula and Meadowbrook by myself?"
Twilight giggled, "I guess you do have Mistmane to thank for that."
Rarity gasped. "What happened to Pinkie!?"
Twilight winced, the throbbing pain behind her eye intensifying momentarily. "She... she got caught in the attack I had to use to subdue Starswirl and Flash Magnus. They were... under some sort of mind control. Since Mistmane's here, I'm guessing Applejack and Rainbow Dash are busy with Rockhoof…?" Her voice trailed off, a question lingering in her eyes. "Speaking of, do you know what happened to them, Mistmane?"
Mistmane nodded grimly. "Sombra ambushed us on our way to see Princess Cadance. Before I could get caught in his spell, Starswirl teleported me away from them."
"I see. I had a vague feeling it was him. This just confirms it..." Twilight muttered, clenching her jaw. "Wait, where's Fluttershy?"
Mistmane gestured with her hoof towards a vibrant bed of crystal flowers nestled amongst the encroaching wilderness. Ther laid an unconscious Fluttershy, her chest rising and lowering slowly from the breaths she took. "She's over there," Mistmane explained. As she did, the flowers grew more protective, entangling the defenceless pegasus in glowing thorns. "I'm using my magic to protect there as of the moment."
Twilight turns to Mistmane. "Right, we need to get Pinkie and Fluttershy to safety. Mistmane, is it alright if I leave them under your care?"
"Of course, Princess," Mistmane replied with a brisk nod. "I'll gather Starswirl and Flash Magnus as well."
"Thank you. Rarity, can you move?"
Rarity grimaced, rotating a hoof gingerly.
"As fine as I can be, considering the day I've had."
"Great," Twilight said, placing the sleeping Pinkie beside Mistmane. "Then let's get Applejack and Rainbow Dash before—"
Boom!
Looking up, Twilight sees a Sonic Rainboom not too far from her. Its rainbow streaks across the sky, painting the dull black in vibrant hues. The alicorn snaps her head back at Rarity, eyes sharp and a frown creasing her lips.
"Let's get going."
"Argh!!" Gallus bellowed. His frustrated cry echoed through the clearing, the air thick with the scent of dirt and disappointment. Slamming his fist onto the grass floor with a silent thump, he snorts. "Why won't Princess Twilight let us come with?! We can take care of ourselves perfectly fine!"
Smolder landed beside him, calming him with a claw. "Punching the ground won't get us anywhere," she said with a sympathetic sigh. "We gotta look for another way there if these ruins are a no-go."
"Smolder's right," Sandbar added, joining the two of them, his brow furrowed in thought. "There has to be another way for us to get to The Crystal Empire."
A flurry of suggestions filled the air.
"Maybe by train?"
"No, Yona," Gallus dismissed with a shake of his head. "That'd take too long. The empire would be in ruins by the time we get there!"
"What about flying over?" Silverstream chimed in, her wings twitching.
Smolder rolled her eyes. "That'd take even longer than the train, Silver! We wouldn't get there any faster than Twilight did."
The Young Six devolved into a flurry of debate, each creature advocating for their preferred method of reaching the Crystal Empire. Just as the bickering reached a fever pitch, Ocellus sneaked over to the stone ruins and padded over to the consumed circle in the centre of the chamber. The inscription etched around its perimeter held her gaze as she analysed its meaning.
Tilting her head in concentration, she extended her horn and focused her magic on the faded markings. The tip of her horn flickered, pulsing with a soft, internal light as it seemingly scanned the magical residue left by Twilight's teleportation spell.
"U-um guys?" Ocellus's voice was barely a squeak over the din of arguments. She strained, trying to get their attention, but the debate raged on, oblivious to the subtle shift in the ruined circle. As their frustration mounted, a strange thing happened. The ancient inscription etched around the perimeter began to glow with an ever-brightening inner light, pulsing in rhythm with the growing intensity of the Young Six's voices.
Ocellus watched with wide eyes as the magical residue left by Twilight's spell seemed to resonate with the inscription. It was as if the circle was reacting, awakening from its slumber.
"G-guys???"
Desperate to be heard, Ocellus opened her mouth to call out again, but it was too late. In a burst of blinding light that erupted from the circle, Ocellus got swallowed up. The air crackled with raw magic, momentarily deafening the ponies and leaving them blinking away spots.
A gust of wind shook the five from their stupor, shaking them where they stood. Sandbar was the first to recover, taking a cautious step back but two brave steps forward upon seeing his friend gone.
"Ocellus!" he cried. Silverstream, wings flaring, reacted next.
"What happened?!" she shrieked, her eyes darting around the circle, also seeing no signs of Ocellus anywhere.
"Everyone! Run into the light!" Sandbar shouted. Without waiting for the others to react, he bolted towards the swirling light.
Silverstream quickly followed suit, diving headfirst into it.
Gallus, however, remained rooted to the spot. "So we're just gonna dive into some rays of light that ate our friend?" he squawked.
But before he could finish his protest, Yona surged past him and disappeared into the vortex with a loud "Yona follow Sandbar!"
Smolder hesitated for a fraction of a second longer. She glanced at the swirling portal, then at Gallus, who stood frozen with indecision. With a sigh and a flick of her tail, she, too, plunged into the swirling mass of light, leaving Gallus all alone in the rapidly fading glow of the inscription.
"Okay then." Gallus rolled his eyes, swooping in after them.
The six ponies tumbled out of the swirling vortex in a cacophony of shouts, yelps, and the unmistakable thwack of creature-on-creature action. Sandbar, the first to regain his bearings, groaned as he disentangled himself from the heap of limbs that was his friends. Dust motes danced in the frigid air, swirling around them like miniature snow devils.
He winced, the throbbing pain in his head competing with the unfamiliar chill that had instantly sunk its icy claws into his skin.
"Ugh," he muttered, shaking the dust from his mane. "Where… where are we?"
Sandbar looked around, taking in their surroundings. The first thing he felt stepping or dropping into The Crystal Empire other than the ball of mess he and his friends got tangled in was the biting cold. Each breath they took always came accompanied by a foggy exhale.
Aside from the dry coldness, the acrid stench of smoke and iron hung heavy in the air and crystal buildings were now fractured and chipped, their surfaces marred by soot and ash.
But what truly sent a jolt of terror through Sandbar was the sight that littered the streets. Bodies of ponies lay scattered across the cobblestones, blood pooling underneath their limp bodies, some looking like with fear-stricken expressions in their final moments.
A metallic tang hit Sandbar's tongue as he noticed something even more gruesome. Several bodies bore the unmistakable marks of a monstrous predator. Deep gouges raked across flanks, and limbs ripped away with savage force – the specific residuals of curses. In contrast, others were crushed under boulders and the like, a much more merciful fate.
Fires raged out of control, consuming buildings and spewing thick, choking smoke into the already tainted air. The ground itself seemed scarred by explosions, craters filled with debris with scorched earth.
The air in Sandbar's throat dropped down, his throat expanded, and his lips parted as his eyes widened and trembled. Words are unable to escape him, but thoughts flood into him. Death, after death after death. Every direction he turned, his gaze met with more and more carnage, more and more death.
A wave of nausea washed over him, a sickening echo of his failures back in Cloudsdale. He blinked, and flashes of blurry memories swarmed him, Bow Hothoof.
He blinked again, and now Windy Whistles. Their eyes seemed so sad in their last moments—
Just then, a worried hoof nudged him gently out of his daze. Turning to see Yona's concerned face, Sandbar stared at the yak, the bags under his eyes doing nothing to ease her concerns.
"Is Sandbar okay?"
Sandbar forced a tired smile, the taste of ash acrid on his tongue. "Y-yeah," he stammered, his voice barely a whisper. "We... we need to help any pony we can. Everyone, let's start looking for the injured."
The five young creatures exchanged worried glances, a silent agreement passing between them. They were scared, yes, but the idea of ponies perishing before them without them doing anything was much worse.
Silverstream, wings twitching nervously, scanned the area. "Let's stick together," she said, her voice high-pitched with barely controlled panic. "We can cover more ground that way."
Smolder was quick to snort a plume of smoke upon hearing her suggestion. "Great plan, Silverstream. Let's just become a giant target for whatever nightmarish curse left this mess."
Just then, a distant scream ripped through the fast-approaching night, shutting the six of them up. It came from further down the block, a cry howling with insurmountable terror and pain. A guttural screech followed it. Whipping his head towards the sound, Sandbar caught a breath.
A flock of monstrous curses, their forms vaguely reminiscent of griffins but with their intestines exposed and dangling free in the open air, its purple blood dripping from the open wound, soared towards the source of the scream. Their enormous wings beat the air with a thunderous boom, and their razor-sharp talons glinted in the moonlight.
"Let's get moving!" Sandbar yelled.
The Young Six plunged into a desperate sprint, their hooves and wings pounding a frantic rhythm against the blood-stained crystalline marble floor. The griffin-like curses circled overhead like hideous vultures. Their obsidian feathers shimmered with an unnatural sheen, and their bloodcurdling screeches resonated throughout the entire block.
They weaved through the debris-strewn streets, tailing behind the flock. Buildings loomed around them like skeletal giants, their fractured facades threatening to topple at any moment. The air grew thick with the stench of smoke and burnt flesh, a suffocating shroud that made each breath a struggle.
Their frantic dash took them past harrowing sights. A fallen pony lay sprawled across the street. Its horn shattered at an unnatural angle. A once-renowned candy shop lay in ruins, its shattered window plain glittering, and piles of candy spread amidst the rubble. Every corner they rounded, every pile of rubble they navigated, held the flickering hope of finding a survivor. But as the seconds stretched into minutes, that hope began to dwindle, replaced by a gnawing dread. However, among the destruction, a slight movement, along with fresh, bloodied hoofprints leading to overturned carriages and broken stalls, caught Silverstream's gaze.
"There!" Silverstream cried out suddenly. She pointed towards The wrecked stalls. A tiny hoof wiggled desperately under the weight.
With a mighty heave of her broad shoulders, she slammed into the heavy wooden beam off the pinned pony, or rather, two pinned ponies. The splintered wood creaked in protest, then finally gave way with a sickening snap.
The mare, her coat dusty and matted with blood, lay sprawled on her side and above the colt. It seemed to them the mare had used her body to shield the colt from the fallen rubble. Her eyes stared blankly into the distance, seemingly oblivious to their arrival. The colt, however, was a different story. Relief flooded his features as he peeked out from under his protector.
"Don't worry, Yona here to help!" Yona boomed,
"Help is here, Mom! You don't have to nap anymore!" the colt whinnied excitedly.
Sandbar and Ocellus, a wave of relief washing over them, rushed forward. Ocellus, her horn glowing softly, cast a quick diagnostic spell on the little pony as Sandbar began checking the colt for any immediate injuries.
Meanwhile, Yona and Gallus worked together to clear the remaining debris from the mare. Gallus, surprisingly gentle despite his initial nervousness, nudged away smaller pieces of rubble with his talons. Yona, grunting with effort, carefully lifted another heavy plank.
A gasp escaped both their lips. The mare's neck bore the brunt of the fallen wood. A large, ugly black and blue bruise marred her flank and neck, and a shard of bone protruded from each of the nasty gashes, threatening to tear through the already taut skin. The sight sent a shiver down Sandbar's spine.
The colt, blissfully unaware of the gravity of the situation, trotted over to his mother's side. His eyes not registering the sight of the fatal injuries beneath the debris.
"Mommy! Wake up! We're saved!" he chirped, nuzzling the mare's cheek with his nose. "Help is here! You don't have to nap anymore!" His words hung heavy in the air.
She didn't respond.
A flicker of hope died in the colt's eyes as he tried again. "Mommy? P-please wake up! You don't have to nap anymore. Y-you're scaring me..." His voice trembled, his whinny morphing into a choked sob. He nuzzled her once more, desperate to elicit a response, any response.
She did not move.
Sandbar watched, a cold dread pooling in his stomach. Ocellus, tears welling in her eyes, stifled a sob by pressing a hoof to her mouth. A suffocating silence descended upon the group, broken only by the whimpers of her grieving son.
"Again." Sandbar thought, "I won't allow it to happen again, I won't let it. I'll make myself useful."
Walking over to the colt, Sandbar knelt beside him, offering a comforting presence.
"Hey there, little one," he said softly, his voice gentling. "What's your name?"
The colt, startled by the sudden voice, looked up at Sandbar with tear-filled eyes. "I-I'm Night... Night Dancer" he stammered, his voice barely a whisper.
"Night Dancer," Sandbar repeated, offering a comforting smile. "Your mom is… she's very brave. She protected you from that falling wood."
Night let out a fresh wave of sobs, nuzzling closer to his mother's side.
Sensing the colt's need for comfort, Sandbar nudged him gently. "Listen, Night," he said, his voice low and soothing. "We can't stay here for long. Those big bird things might come back. But we can find you somewhere safe. Do you have any other family in the Crystal Empire?"
"Dad's busy helping other ponies over there," Night sniffled, gesturing vaguely with his trembling hoof. "Mom and I were supposed to meet them there, but we got trapped by these stalls when the monsters chased us here."
A flicker of hope sparked in Sandbar's eyes.
"Your dad's helping other ponies?" That meant there might still be survivors. "Can you tell me where your dad is?" he asked gently. Night pointed with a trembling hoof in the direction he had indicated earlier – the same direction the source of the screaming came from and the same direction the curses were flying towards.
"Okay, let's get you to your dad," Sandbar said, picking up the colt. "Is that alright?"
Night Dancer gave a teary nod.
A horde of curses encroaches onto the countless families of surviving ponies, and Several guards lay scattered around the group, their lifeless forms decorating the brutality of the battle. A violent azure blaze ripped through the opening, forcing the curses back a step. The caster, Prince Shining Armor, took a steadfast breath.
Multiple dents and scratches embellished His violet armour, and the plume on his helmet was sliced and cut at different angles. At the same time, splashes of purple and red blood that were not of his own painted his white fur all across his body. A deep gash ran along his flank, the wound sending a rhythmic pulse of pain with every breath. The only ones left standing were him and one other cadet.
"Star Dancer!" Shining yelled through the magic. "We can't hold out any longer! We have to get the remaining ponies to safety! The Crystal Castle is just a couple of blocks down. You guide the survivors there, understand?"
"No! You go on ahead, Prince! I'll stay behind!"
"That's suicide, cadet!" Shining Armor roared back,
"I'm not abandoning my family, sir!" Star Dancer defied.
"That's an order!"
"I'm sorry, sir! I'm not budging!"
With a defeated sigh, Shining slumped slightly, the weight of the battle and Star Dancer's defiance pressing down on him. As a father, he understood firsthand the pull of protecting your own, the fear that made a simple soldier like Star Dancer defy his order.
Just as Shining opened his mouth, a cry pierced the air.
"Daddy!"
Star Dancer's head snapped towards the sound, his heart leaping into his throat. There, breaking through the destroyed houses and fallen lamps, was Sandbar. But it wasn't Sandbar alone that stole Star Dancer's breath. Nestled securely in his arms, a tear-streaked face etched with a mixture of joy and exhaustion, was Night Dancer.
Star Dancer's rigid posture faltered. Relief washed over him, so intense it almost knocked him off his hooves.
"Night Dancer?" Star Dancer stammered,
Upon stopping before the two militants, the little colt jumped out of Sandbar's hooves and into Star Dancer's. as the father embraced his son.
Taking a deep breath, Sandbar forced himself to speak. "Star Dancer," he said, his voice low, "we found your son, but…" his voice trailed off, unable to meet the guard's gaze.
"W-what about my wife?"
"She… she didn't make it. She protected Night Dancer from the falling debris."
A wolf-like curse interrupts their reunion as it lands near them with a cratering bend of the earth and launches itself towards them, only for Shining to intercept its path, piercing its head with a magically conjured spear from the ground, shish kabob-ing it in place. The inertia sending its legs forward slightly before coming to a stop.
The resounding impact sent a jolt through the battlefield and ripped Star Dancer from his grief. He looked at Shining Armor, then back at Night Dancer, his face hardening with resolve.
"Get your family to safety, Star Dancer!" Shining Armor bellowed, his voice filled with urgency. "Now! Guide them to the Castle!"
Star Dancer gave a proud salute to the Ambassadors.
"Thank you," he rasped before gunning to the crowd, ushering them in the direction of the Crystal Castle.
"You go too, Prince Shining! We got this covered!" Smolder says,
"Yeah, We'll buy you time!" Gallus added.
Shining's jaw clenched tight. "No!" he roared, eyes narrowing at Gallus. "There's no way I'm leaving kids alone to fend for themselves while I make a run for it!"
The exchange was cut short by a sudden, terrifying clamour. A series of metallic screeches ripped through the air, followed by thunderous slams that echoed from deep within the Crystal Castle. Shining Armor whipped his head towards the shimmering dome protecting the refugees.
The sound of slicing metal and thunderous slamming ripped from the castle. Shining turns to the castle. Through the giant forcefield, he sees multiple explosions coming from the base interior of the castle.
His heart skipped a beat. Through the distorting effects of the force field, he saw flashes of light and what appeared to be explosions erupting within the base of the castle – the exact location where the refugees were huddled together.
The sudden spikes in cursed energy coming from the castle caused the forcefield to flicker and Shining to bite his lip as trepidation surged through him, momentarily eclipsing the battlefield before him. He darted his gaze across the remaining curses, their grotesque forms shifting and churning against the blue fire.
There weren't many left. With a heavy sigh, Shining finally spoke, his voice hoarse but resolute.
"Alright, everyone, listen up! I know this is unconventional, but I have to prioritize the safety of the Crystal Ponies. I'll put my trust in that you can hold these remaining curses at bay for a short while."
He swept his gaze over their faces and stopped at Sandbar, his young features grim, and gave a curt nod.
"I'll be back as soon as I can," Shining promised. "If, at any point, it becomes too much to handle, fall back!"
The six young heroes exchanged a look, a silent understanding passing between them. They understood the weight of his words. Protecting the refugees was paramount, even if it meant retreating from this battlefield.
With a final, resolute nod, Shining raised his hoof in a hasty salute. Then, in a flash of blinding light, he vanished.
A tense silence followed Shining Armor's departure. The remaining curses, emboldened by the apparent shift in power, surged forward with renewed ferocity, baring their fangs at the youths.
"Alright then," Gallus cracked his talons, eyeing the crowd of curses as the flames began to die down. "I call dips on ugly!"
Yona thumped her chest with a hoof competitively. "Yona wants the big one!"
Smolder snorted, a plume of smoke curling from her nostrils. "Then I'll take the griffin wannabes. Looks like they could use a good scorching."
"Me too! Let's turn up the heat on these creeps!" Silverstream joins, pumping a fist.
Ocellus, however, remained rooted to the spot, her voice barely a whimper.
"I'll just stay here."
Sensing her fear, Sandbar stepped forward. "Ocellus," he said gently, "we need you out there. Your healing magic is vital. Besides, we'll protect you."
He turned to the rest of the group, his voice firm. "We can't stay here and wait for them to attack. We need to create a diversion. I'll bring their focus to me, on my signal—"
Just as Sandbar was about to formulate a plan for his diversion, the ground trembled beneath their legs. The remaining curses, impatient, charged at them with a deafening roar. Growls and snarls, their stampeding hooves kicked up dust and debris, snuffing out the already-smoldering embers left behind by the prince. Some curses even tumbled and fell over in their pursuit, causing the other curses to stomp over them in a wave of bodies. The winged creatures among the curses screeched, diving towards them with razor-sharp talons outstretched. Sandbar's carefully laid plan evaporated in the face of the immediate threat.
"Forget the plan!" he roared, his voice barely audible over the din of the approaching chaos. "Everycreature charge!"