//------------------------------// // Despair. Resurrection // Story: Hour of Twilight // by -Brutus //------------------------------// //----------------------------- // Story: Hour of Twilight // Chapter: Chapter 4: Despair. Resurrection // Author: Darth Femto //----------------------------- ############################################################################ Chapter Four Despair. Resurrection ############################################################################ Applejack and Soarin' were laying in bed, some distance between them to allow their fillies to rest in a more comfortable position. They couldn't have been prouder, and Applejack was the happiest of them. She never knew being a mother brings such a feeling of power, of true happiness like she never had before. Soarin' noticed his wife dreaming with her eyes open again, leaning in for a quick kiss to 'wake' her up. She blinked and suppressed a giggle, a bright smile on her face. The Moon was making its descent, its current position suggesting it was somewhere around three o'clock in the morning. The tranquility of the night was broken suddenly, startling the slumbering ponies. Deep into the night, throughout the wind the echo of blaring sirens was heard in the distance, followed shortly by the sirens of Ponyville. Something was terribly wrong. Applejack rose from the bed and looked around the room, running on spot, sweat starting to pour from her face. Eventually, she shot her frightened husband a glare. "Soarin'! Get the girls and get to safety!" she said in a flurry, her heart beating harder by each passing second. "W-w-what's going on?!" Soarin' was freaking out completely. Applejack said nothing, instead tucking in her fillies in their saddlebags, stirring in their sleep from all the comotion. She then lifted the bags and placed them on Soarin's back. "Ah don't know... look, ya have ta head south, towards the edge of the forest. That's where the entrance to the safety bunkers is. Don't ever leave the girls alone. If ANYTHING happens to them, Ah will beat yer flank, understand what Ah'm saying, partner?" she said, fear evident in her voice. "But... what about you? Aren't you coming?" Soarin' asked with genuine concern, a frown upon his face. "Sorry sugar cube, but there is something I have to do, something we should'a done all those years ago. Take care of my angels, Soarin'. Look... if *sniff* if anything happens to me, tell them-" Soarin' interrupted her sentence, embracing her in a powerful hug, nuzzling her neck. "Don't you talk like that, AJ, you will come back and the fillies will be happy to see you again. Don't ever forget, we are waiting for you. Me, the girls, Applebloom, Big Mac. We are all here for you," said Soarin'. "And besides, it might just be a test. Y'know, to test the civilians response?" He kissed her passionately. Applejack broke the kiss and stared into his eyes. "Ah don't think this is a drill, sugar cube. Ah'll go search my friends, you get the girls to safety, ya hear?" "Roger that, boss," he replied with a wink. "One more thing..." "What?" "Pick Applebloom from Rarity, will you?" "Sure thing, catch you later," he said, as he flew outside the house, towards the center of Ponyville. Only then did he notice something strange. Guards. Many Royal Guards were marching in Ponyville, directing the villagers south. "Oh boy..." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Rainbow Dash woke up to the sound of the blaring sirens, panic installing in her system. She got up from her cloud mattress and headed outside her cloud home. She could make out the lights of Ponyville far below her home, staring in confusion at the large number of flickering lights. "What the hay," she muttered to herself, still very confused. She covered her ears, scrunching her eyes in frustration. "Will somepony turn off those things, my ears are BLEEDING!" she shouted to no pony. The sound of wings flapping caused her to open her eyes, revealing a very exhausted yellow pegasus with pink mane struggling to reach her. "Rainbow Dash!" she tried to yell, but only a squeak came out. "Hey Fluttershy, what's up? What's going on, everypony went crazy down below," Dash added without delay. Fluttershy landed beside her cyan friend and panted heavily, trying to catch her breath. "S-s... Spike received a ... a *pant* a letter... earlier... *pant* Celestia needs *cough* Celestia needs us! Right now!" Fluttershy finally said. However the cyan pegasus was still not convinced. "Can't it wait? I mean, I was sleeping perfectly fine until those bucking sirens screwed up my perfect dream!" "RAINBOW DASH!" the yellow pegasus yelled at Rainbow, startling her. "Oh, I'm sorry, I just... What I am trying to say is that Celestia told us to gather the Elements and head straight to Canterlot right away. Apparently it has something to do with... um... ah... Twilight." Rainbow rolled her eyes and sighed. "Fluttershy, I didn't understand anything. Again, please, and this time, with more volume?" "PRINCESS CELESTIA THINKS TWILIGHT IS COMING BACK!" Fluttershy screamed in her friend's ears, frustration evident on her face. "Eep!" Rainbow ducked back in her cloud home and shut the door behind. Fluttershy sighed. "To think you consider yourself brave... scaredy cat," she giggled, knowing that any sentence containing words related to courage would bring the sturdy pegasus out. "I am brave! I will save Equestria! Let's go, Celestia is waiting for us!" the cyan pegasus posed dramatically as she left her home. Fluttershy rolled her eyes and giggled playfully. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Applejack, wearing her necklace arrived in the center of Ponyville, searching for her friends. She quickly noticed her pink friend bouncing around a royal carriage, waiting for them. She sighed and trotted up to them. Pinkie noticed her and slammed her to the ground in a near-death embrace, squeezing the life out of her orange friend. "Puh-puh... PINKIE! I can't breathe!" the orange pony stammered, finally released. "Oh you silly, hugs can't kill, especially those made out of love!" Pinkie Pie beamed at the panting cowmare. "Oh oh, there's Rarity with Spike! Hey Rarity!" "Hello Pinkie, and hello to you *yawn* Applejack. I really wonder why Celestia is summoning us at such an early hour, I haven't gotten even half of my beauty sleep! I look... HORRIBLE!" Applejack snorted and laughed at her fashionist friend. "Oh, Rarity, you will never change!" The white unicorn growled at the orange mare, wanting to say something un-ladylike, but was interrupted by the arrival of Rainbow and Fluttershy. "Hey guys. Whoa, what's with this cavepony here?" Rainbow pointed at Rarity, laughing. "Why you, little, miserable-" "Hold it guys, save your muscles for later, Princess Celestia needs us right away. Come!" said Spike, motioning at his friends to embark the carriage. After they all got in, the pegasus guards started pulling and went skyward, flapping their wings as hard as they could, granting the carriage a very swift and bouncy ride. Rarity looked like she was about to spill her stomach's contents while Pinkie bounced along with the carriage, giggling. Applejack was worried sick, knowing she left her daughters in the care of her featherbrained husband. But for some reason, she knew she could trust him. He would protect them with his life, if it ever came to that. As they approached the castle, the sirens slowly died out, the only sounds audible were that of flapping wings, breathing and shouts of despair from down below. Looking over the edge, the six friends looked with mixed feelings towards a horde of Royal Guards guiding Canterlot's populace to the safety bunkers, in some cases the ponies being dragged by the guards. It was shocking, to say the least. "Excuse me, sir, but why are the guards acting so... barbaric?" One of the pegasi did not turn to face the unicorn, but answered her question nonetheless. "Special order from the Princess. We were tasked with taking everypony in close proximity to Canterlot to safety. My squad was tasked with overseeing the evacuation of Ponyville and the recovery of the bearers, namely you folks." "That sounds... strange," said Fluttershy. Glancing below, she gasped silently and turned to the two pegasi flying the carriage. "Excuse me, sirs, but why are we flying away from Canterlot? Shouldn't we meet the Princess?" The same pegasus shook his head. "Negative. We are to take you to Dragonblight. And please, no further questions. You will be debriefed upon arrival. Princess Luna will be there within hours as well." Everyone in the carriage was completely confused. Rainbow growled in frustration and adressed one of the guards. "Hey featherbrain, why exactly are we taken to the land of NOWHERE?! What's going on?! Is... is that monster really coming back?" she asked, her last words barely audible. "I have no idea... miss. Now please, be patient," the guard replied, silently cursing the stupid cyan pegasus. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Somewhere else, at the Institute of Advanced Magic and Applications, a white unicorn mare with a silver mane was about to explode in rage. Her office mate spilled his coffee all over her bright white coat, infuriating her to the point she was desperately trying not to choke that stallion to death. "LYRIC!! Why can't you be more careful, you clumsy, stupid idiot! This is the third time this week! What the hay is wrong with you?!" Silverghost yelled at the top of her lungs, the thin walls shaking slightly from the sheer volume. Princess Luna would be proud. "OUCH! I'm sorry, how many times do you want me to tell you I'm sorry! Just please stop punching me! I get bruised up easily, please stop!" A wild wave of laughter followed his filly-like screams, his co-workers laughing heartily at his punishment. Nopony realised the new presence in the room towering over them. "Ahem." Everypony turned and yelled in surprise, finally noticing the night alicorn glaring at them. Amongst the storm of furious bowings and apologies, she sighed tiredly and dismissed everypony except the silvery unicorn. "Silverghost, why are you molesting that stallion? You should know better than to abuse your subordinates, especially sexual abuse," the night alicorn said, successfully hiding her smirk. "WHAT?! NO, I was just punishing him for spilling coffee over me for the third time in a week! He's so clumsy!" Luna snorted and laughed out loud. "He is a perfect husband for you, my dear student. However, that is not why I came all the way here," her expression becoming grim. Silverghost swallowed nervously. "Then, uh, what is the reason you honor us with your presence, your Majesty? Especially at such a late hour..." Luna sighed and stared at the ground intently for a minute, before meeting the gaze of the white unicorn, visibly shaken, even though she had yet to deliver the news. "Follow me, we need to talk in private." The white unicorn nodded and followed her teacher, arriving outside of the institute, climbing next to her in her black carriage. She could not get this feeling that something wrong was happening at the moment. "Silverghost, I want you to come with me to Dragonblight," the night alicorn whispered her student. "Dragonblight?! But, that's like, a million miles away! What's going on, Princess?" the white unicorn asked in disbelief, shocked by the request. "My sister and I have reasons to believe that The Crimson Dawn shall return soon. We must make preparations to defend Equestria, and we need a unicorn whose special talent is magic, to try and wield the Element of Magic against her. The fate of Equestria might depend on it. So, are you in, or not?" Silverghost was stunned. 'Crimson Dawn, Magic, Equestria, what?!' She shook her head and took a deep breath, trying to put everything together. Luna was getting impatient. "I will not take any action against you, should you refuse to aid us. But know that it might mean the end of the world..." Luna tried her best at mimicking a world-ending scenario. It seemed to work. "Alright, Princess, you can count on me! When are we departing?" "Right now." "What? Wait-" she was interrupted as the carriage suddenly pulled and was airborne within seconds. Silverghost glanced uneasily at the ground below. "My, this is quite... *gulp* high. I wouldn't want to drop from here!" she silently prayed for her safety, while Luna was barely containing her laughter. After a few minutes of flight, Princess Luna rose from her seat and faced the Moon, her horn shimmering with magic. Withing a few minutes, the Moon descended from the sky, allowing the Sun to rise from the east. She sighed internally and sat next to her student. 'I hope we are wrong... if she returns this early...' ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The carriage containing the Elements of Harmony was already flying for hours, the sun already up in the sky. Rainbow and Pinkie Pie were sleeping together, keeping themselves warm, as frigid winds howled. The fact that it was heavily snowing did not help. In the distance Rarity could make out a summit, a bleak mountaintop, the sight of which gave her a sense of uneasiness, a sense of stark terror. The very peak of Dragonblight. Eventually a glint of light drew her gaze: a stone dragon carved with magical symbols that resembled Twilight's cutie mark, with a citadel beyond it. At last! She woke her friends hurriedly. The carriage started losing altitude, as they were approaching the base camp which, to every pony's surprise, wasn't anywhere in sight. They looked at each other questioningly, until the sound of a heavy trap door opening startled them. The carriage slowed down and landed withing the compound, which was significantly warmer. Upon climbing down, the six friends were met by a large pegasus guard, bearing a golden armour. He eyed them carefully before motioning them to follow. "Welcome to Dragonblight, heroes. I am Captain Valiant Heart. Princess Luna will arrive shortly, so let's get going. I will offer you the grand tour of the compound, so don't go too far away from me, or you might get lost in these ancient caverns," he said, a polite smile on his face. The six friends nodded and followed the huge guard down the halls. Captain Valiant Heart led them through a number of tunnels that took them far beneath the earth. At last, the group and its guide emerged into a vast castle-like structure. From its architecture, the building was another ancient product, possibly thousands of years old. The first chambers the captain showed them were populated by ponies, ranging from chefs to gardeners, even though no plant grew anywhere near. Rarity stopped for a second. "Um, Captain Valiant? What are these ponies doing here?" "They are here to help us set up the base. We have everything we need, thanks to the waygate our unicorns were able to create. This is but one wing out of four. Let's get going." The second wing was everything a bookworm such as Twilight could have hoped. Magical artifacts, laboratory equipment, and other supplies that put Canterlot's old laboratories to shame. Huge rooms that could hold a veritable army of assistants. Several unicorns were developing powerful combat and shielding spells, preparing for the worst. A chorus of 'ooh' and 'aah' filled the room, drawing the gaze of the scientific team to the group of ponies. The six friends grinned sheepishly and ran away, exiting the room. Next up, the captain showed them an armory and an area for combat training. A large amount of ponies were training at the moment, attacking their respective targets with everything they had available, spells, kicks, bites, sword slashes. Rainbow Dash looked around, very impressed by their training. Spoting an unused training dummy, she asked the captain to allow her to practice aswell. The captain sighed. "Very well, miss Dash. Once you're ready, ask one of the guards to bring you back. You can get lose easily in here. Have fun," Valiant gave her a smile and trotted away, followed by the rest of the group. Dash started fighting the dummy as if it were real. "Ha! Take that, and that!" she cried out, as she was victorious over the lifeless dummy. After some time, she eventually got tired and took a break. Her jaw dropped when she noticed she was the only pony remaining in the room. She glanced uneasily at the dummies in her vecinity. "Uhh, guys? Guys? Where are you?" she perked her ears so she could hear an answer, but she only got her echo. Growling in frustration, she started flying around the compound. No sight of any pony. She was starting to panic, sweat pouring down her face. She flew and flew. No pony. "Where the hay are you?!" she cried out. She got an answer, one that made her blood run cold. Faint laughter. Her pupils shrinked as her eyes widened in fear. "P-puh Pinkie? Is that you?" she asked nopony in particular, gnawing at her hooves, her body shivering. She hovered around the endless tunnels, until she heard it again. That evil laughter. "Who's there?! Come on, I can beat your sorry flank to a pulp! C'mon!" "Over here... Dashie... tehehehe," a strange voice, resembling Pinkie's was heard from behind a large metallic door. Dash approached the door cautiously, panting heavily. It was as if some kind of invisible force was pushing down on her, forcing her to land out of exhaustion. Taking a deep breath, she opened the door, trotting inside very slowly. It was empty, save for some stairs leading up a tall snow-covered spire. Rainbow gasped loudly when she noticed her necklace starting to glow a soft magenta. Glancing around furiously, she didn't see anypony, or anything for that matter. She sighed in relief, approaching the stairs leading atop the room. Glancing upwards, she noticed a faint blue glow atop the spire. "Pinkie? Is that you? Hellooooo..." "Yes, Dashie, come up, it's super fun!" the ghostly voice giggled. The cyan pegasus gulped and began her ascent. Her heart pounded with excitement and dread. What if a monster came out of nowhere and ate her?! She shook her head and gave a weak chuckle. When she realized that her steps were slowing, she sped up again. Her resolve didn't last long, however. It felt as if a weight was pulling at her. She was obviously more tired than she'd thought. As she got closer to the top, the air was becoming foul and suffocating, causing her to pant heavily. "Pinkie, come down, I'm tired..." Dash tried to plead with the strange voice. More laughter filled her ears. "Aww, c'mon Dashie! I found something uber super duper cool up here!" a faint image of a pink pony was waving from above, causing Rainbow to redouble her efforts, despite being very tired. After several more minutes of overexerting herself, Rainbow finally reached the top of the spire, only to discover that nopony was here, except for a large chunk of ice that emanated a misty blue aura. She noticed strange black figure within the ice, but the longer she looked, the more it seemed to devour all light, hope, and sanity. Glancing towards the ceiling of the cavern, she noticed the light growing weak as the minutes passed. 'The Sun is already setting? Wow, I spent more time than I had intended...' she gave a weak chuckle. Eventually all of the light vanished, the whole cavern now in complete darkness, the only source of light being the chunk of ice. CRACK Rainbow turned her gaze towards the block of ice, a significant crack in the front. She yelped in surprise when she noticed the objects trapped within. Armour. The armour of the monster. But, somepony, or rather something, was wearing it. Narrowing her eyes, she gasped when she notice the shadow of a pony looming inside the ice, grinning at her, staring at her with crimson eyes that resembled dragon eyes. "NO! It's impossible!" Dash cried out, her heart beating so fast she could swore it would come out of her chest. She started whimpering in fright when she noticed the ice cracking in several other places. She had to warn the others. Turning around very quickly she hit something and fell backwards. Rubbing her forehead, she opened her eyes to look at whatever she hit. Her heart stopped instantly. A dark purple unicorn towered over her, staring into her magenta eyes with its own red dragon eyes. Rainbow was paralyzed in fear. A pure evil grin formed on the unicorn's face. "Y-y-you... y-you m-monster..." she was able to mutter under her ragged breath, struggling to breathe. She now realized. This wasn't fatigue. It was stark terror. "Time to reunite with your daughter, my dear friend..." the dark figure spoke to the cyan pegasus in a voice that was dripping venom. Before Rainbow could react, several black spikes impaled her from behind, crying out in pain. Blood streaked down her cyan coat, her breathing becoming erratic as she went full panic mode. Twilight approached her dying friend and sat in front of her. She grabbed Rainbow with her hooves and pulled her into a long, passionate kiss. Rainbow was shocked by this and tried to fight back, only to flinch in pain as every move she made shot up a fierce pain up her spine. Eventually the kiss broke, Twilight having a wry smile on her face, as she licked her lips, dripping with blood. Rainbow shuddered, her life fleeting. "You know, Rainbow, you could have been a veeeery good mate. Too bad you won't live to see anypony anymore. Look at the bright side, though, you can meet your daughter in the Void!" she cried out at the pegasus, her horn litting up in a hazy black mist. "Oh, and by the way, give my regards to Luna and her student, should you come across. Good bye, Rainbow." Rainbow felt her skin twist and burn, finally noticing that her body was transforming into a cyan mist, and was being inhaled by the demonic unicorn. She was fading away, and fast. Drawing in what was her last breath, she let out a blood curdling scream, loud enough to echo throughout the entire compound, and into the world. Eventually, she was completely consumed. Rainbow Dash was no more. Twilight's eyes were closed in pleasure. Devouring souls was something she enjoyed alot. She opened her eyes once again and glared at the figure standing in front of her. "It is time... to complete the circle." Twilight came closer to the icy prison, and with a mighty blow, shattered the ice completely. Everything went black for a few seconds, seconds in which more than a thousand lost souls cried out in anguish, before fading out. Twilight leaned over and donned her armour. Her body changed once more, her dark purple coat turning completely black, growing tall as the Princess of the Sun herself. Mystical wings of mist and shadow formed on her back, while her mane grew very long. As she fitted in her helmet, the world shook with vigor. She was complete. A smile crept on her face, before breaking out in a maddening laughter, the walls of the cavern collapsing on itself, allowing the spire to emerge to the surface of the island. Far above the world, the Sun was completely covered by a red Moon, showering the world in a suffocating darkness. The Eclipse had begun. Gazing over the frozen wastes from atop what would be her throne, far above the world, the Crimson Dawn grinned to herself. She had succeeded. Her age of darkness was beginning. The Hour of Twilight had fallen over Equestria. [img] http://i287.photobucket.com/albums/ll144/arthazs/CRIMSONDAWNFULL.png[/img] Artwork by Giuliabeck.