//------------------------------// // The Monster That Knows Us // Story: The Elements of Chaos // by Petchricor //------------------------------// Celestia bolted upright in her bed with her blankets tangled around her body. The encounter with Omega had been haunting her and she figured these nightmares were going to go on for a while. The last time she saw Omega he had tried to kill Luna and she had never forgotten that encounter either. "Sister?" Celestia lifted her head to see Luna standing in the doorway, giving her a concerned look. "You yelled out in your sleep, is everything ok?" Celestia heaved a heavy sigh and tossed her blankets to the side, stepping down onto the ground. Luna stepped into the room with the look of concern still on her face. "I am fine Luna, just a bad dream is all," Celestia assured her with a smile. Luna nodded slowly in response but it was obvious she didn't believe her. Celestia sighed. "Omega and his goons are back." Luna gasped and backed up a bit. "I just wished that it wasn't true, but it is." The two sister stood in silence after that, both terrified of what might happen next. AΩ On the very edge of Equestria six beings stood in pony shape without physical being, two slipping passed the barrier into the land and each looked up at their leader, the Omega AI, as he looked over the land with an evil grin. The sun rays shown right through their figures that stood on the edge of the mountain covered in snow and they did not feel the chill in the air. "Ya hear that boys?" Omega spoke with an evil smirk. "It's the sound of them bending to our will." The group behind him snickered in agreement. Although entitled the Elements of Chaos by Princess Celestia the group got along quite well, it's everyone else they hated and wanted to spite. Omega's wings spread and silence covered the mountainside. "Let's go." All of them floated into the air as Omega flapped his wings and began to rise into the air. His horn stared to glow and he gave an evil smirk as a bright light surrounded all of them. "Time to take over the world boys," he remarked before they all took off in a bolt of light together, heading towards where the Elements of Harmony were being kept. AΩ Twilight trotted through Ponyville with her saddlebags full with books and scrolls she had found, most of which were still unread, and smiled at everyone she passed and said hello. On the outside she did her best to appear calm and normal, but on the inside she was nervous and terrified. She didn't know what was going to happen or how this would end up and it scared her to death. She had just gotten back from Sweet Apple Acres where she and the others had gotten together and discussed what was going on, she as only able to explain what she had been told and they were baffled. They had said that they'd gather their stuff and meet her back at the library in an hour or so, and she looked forward to having the company. She opened the door to the library and walked inside. She set her saddlebags down and took out the scrolls and books, looking them over one by one to pass the time until Spike got back from his errands she had sent him on before she left. She gave a small yawn and opened one of the scrolls to see a photo of both the Elements of Chaos and Harmony together with their names. Alpha, Delta, Theta, Zeta, and Iota were the Elements of Harmony and Omega, Sigma, Lambda, Omicron, Gamma, and Beta were the Elements of Chaos. But those were all greek letters, why were they being used as names? Twilight sighed and decided that it didn't matter, names were names and it wasn't important. At that moment the door opened. "Oh, I was wondering when you'd get here. How'd your errands go?" Twilight asked. When she didn't get an answer and looked over her shoulder slightly. "Spike?" She yelped as a pair of wings went to engulfed her. Her first action was to flee and she nearly rammed into a wall. She turned around and gasped. "No, Spike isn't here at the moment, may I take a message?" Twilight felt her knees shaking at the sight. The Alicorn was even larger than Celestia and his wingspan was obviously much larger. He gave an obviously fake expression of sorrow. "Oh, did I startle you? Too bad, I meant to terrify you!" His wings bolted outwards and he lunged towards her. "Get away!" Twilight hollered and bolted passed him, gasping in surprise as she ran right through his wing. He started to chuckle and she turned to face him as his chuckle turned into all-out laughter. "You can't harm me if you can't touch me." "Oh, that's not true. You can't touch me, but I can touch you!" At the last word and hit Twilight across the face, sending her to the ground in pain. "You don't know how we work small one, so don't assume you know anything anymore." He stepped over her and headed towards the Elements in long strides. "No," Twilight groaned, getting to her feet and charging up her magic. A bolt of light shot out towards him and hit him, making his entire body light up as he hissed in pain. He turned towards her and snarled, walking towards her threateningly. "Bad move missy," he hissed at her. He reared up as high as he could and his front hoofs came crashing down on Twilight's back. There was a terrible snap! and Twilight fell to the ground in agony. He huffed and punched her in the face. "That should teach you something little bitch." Twilight tried to stand but found it impossible. "Try all you want, nothing will happen." He watched for awhile as Twilight continued to try and get up, failing again and again in her attempts, until finally she gave up and lay on the ground panting from the exertion. Twilight could only watch as he walked over to the Elements of Harmony and broke the glass. He smirked evilly and raised Twilight's Element with his hoof up to eye level. "Hello, father," he hissed lightly, looking down at the other Elements. "Brothers, sister. How lovely it is to see you again, and in such venerable state, aren't I just the luckiest son of a bitch ever?" He gave an evil laugh. "Well, I can't destroy you, but I can made you disappear!" He knocked them all over onto the floor and his horn started to glow brightly and the Elements did the same in turn, then they started to disappear. "NO!" Twilight screamed, struggling to her feet. His eyes widened at the sight as she stood up on her wobbly legs and took three steps forward, but smiled in the end as she screamed out in agony and fell to the ground. She looked up as they started to disappear and reached out a hoof, trying to grab them, but there was nothing she could do to save them before they were completely gone. "No! No no no!" He laughed. "I must admit, your persistence is admirable, but completely ineffective. You're Elements are gone and there is nothing you can do to stop us, we will take over your world!" he gave out one last evil laugh before he was gone, leaving Twilight laying on the ground with both of her front legs broken and her face bruised badly with the knowledge that this was all her fault. AΩ "Twilight Sparkle, correct?" Twilight raised her head to look up at the owner of the voice that spoke to her. She gasped at the sight. Before her stood an Alicorn the same size as Omega, but blue instead of white. He smiled and helped her to her hooves. "Don't worry, you're safe. Your friend Spike found you unconscious in your house and you are now in the hospital. Don't worry, you'll live." "Ok, but where am I?" Twilight stood and looked around at the blankness around her. He smiled and gestured with his wing to follow him. Without question she did, though she didn't know why. "It's strange, I've never seen you before and yet I feel like I've known you for years." Twilight was surprised as she spoke her thought aloud. He chuckled. "That's because you have. Some ponies call me Alpha, but you may know me better as the Element of Magic." Twilight gaped at him and he laughed a little at the sight. "I know, I was hidden away and you're wondering why I'm here. He merely hid me, he did not destroy me. I may be far away but I am connected with you Twilight Sparkle, and I always will be. Even if someone else wields me in a few years." "That-that's amazing! I don't believe this, I never thought of you as living beings! And even after Celestia told me I didn't really grasp the concept, but here you are talking to me! You're alive!" She couldn't help but smile as he laughed at her, though it was with kindness and not mocking. "I don't have much time before you wake, but I need you to tell Celestia something for me," Alpha told her, his voice going low. Twilight's ears perked up and she listened closely, hoping for some hope. He gave her a worried eye and her hopes fell and she felt terrified again. "She's going to need him, she's going to need the monster that knows us all the best. Tell her, that she needs the Meta." The dream faded. "She's waking up! Twilight, Twilight can you hear me?" The voice was muffled but Twilight could clearly tell that it was Spike who was speaking. She groaned and shook her head lightly as she opened her eyes to see her friends surrounding her. "You're ok! Oh, thank Celestia you're ok!" "Twilight, what happened?" She looked over as Luna stepped up to her, looking very serious as she did so. Twilight started to shake at the memory and looked away from Luna. She felt Spike lay his hand on her right hoof as she shook in fear. "Twilight Sparkle?" "Omega, he came," she said slowly and she could tell that Luna tensed. "He attacked me, broke my front legs. And he made the Elements of Harmony disappear, I don't know where they are." There was silence and Twilight looked down at her lap in sadness. "I'm sorry I couldn't protect them, I failed." "No, you didn't." Everyone looked over as Celestia entered the room. "There was no way you could have defeated Omega, no one can. I should have warned you but I didn't, I'm sorry." Twilight watched as Celesta stood by her, giving a sorry look. That's when Twilight remembered. "The Alpha, I spoke with the Alpha!" Celestia and Luna both stared at her, waiting for her to continue. "He said that you need the monster that knows all of them the best. That you need-oh, what did he call it?" Twilight tapped on her head, trying to remember. When she did she put her hoof down and looked straight at Celestia. "He said that you need the Meta." "WHAT?!" everyone jumped as Luna screamed, backing up until she ran into the wall. "Is he crazy? We can't let that thing out, it'll kill us all just like it tried to do last time! He must have gone nuts from being locked in there so long, we can't do that! It'll murder all of us, we might as well just let Omega take over Equestria, that would be better than-" "LUNA!" Celestia snapped at her sister. "Get ahold of yourself!" Luna's mouth snapped shut and she looked straight at the ground in shame. "Alpha knows more than either of us, if he saws the Meta can help us then he can help us, and we'll have to leave the rest to destiny. Twilight, you'll have to stay here, the others can accompany us." Twilight nodded and watched as the others all walk out. "Get better soon Twilight, and don't worry, we'll fix this mess up before you know it," AppleJack assured her friend with a smile as she and the others walked out the door. Twilight nodded in response. If anyone could stop Omega and his brothers from causing havoc it was her friends. AΩ "What exactly is this Meta thing?" Rainbow Dash asked as she trotted down the hallways of Canterlot's dungeon with her friends and the Princesses. "The Meta is a creature that can only be described as a beast, it came here many years ago in search of the Elements and tried to steal them for power and power alone. It did not care about got hurt or what it destroyed, it only cared about getting power and that was it, nothing else mattered. It would kill to get them, it is an awful brute," Luna answered, getting everypony to shiver. "Sounds awful," Flutter Shy remarked, shaking with each step. "D-do we really have to free it? C-can't we make do without its help?" Celestia sighed as she unlocked a door and they all walked through into a room filled with cages built into the walls were only a few ponies sat inside them, glaring, hissing, and snarling as they walked by. Flutter Shy yelped and stayed in-between Rainbow Dash and AppleJack. "I'm afraid not, if the Alpha says we need him than we do, no way around it," Celestia answered Flutter Shy's question. The came to the end of the long room and walked through another door into a round room with an entire wall made of bars showing into a dark cage. "Stay where you are, I will approach him." Everyone nodded instantly in agreement. "You go right ahead, we ain't in no hurry," AppleJack remarked as the Princess approached the rusted metal standing between them and the darkness ahead, standing in front of it a few moments in silence before knocking on the bars. A low growl echoed through-out the room and Flutter Shy simpered as she hid behind Rainbow Dash, who spread out her wings as if she expected to be attacked. Celestia backed up and everyone gave a light gasp as a large stallion practically stalked up to the bars. His body was covered in old scars and bruises from who knows what and it was obvious he had been here a long time from how messy he was. He was very well built and he was extremely tall for an Earth pony, even tall than Big Mac. He snarled in a funny way, hitting odd notes as he glared over at Celestia with his brown, blood-shot eyes. "We need your assistance. Omega and his brothers are back and the Alpha says we need your help," Celestia told him. The Meta tilted his head back and made a noise that sounded like laughter. He tilted his head forward again and snarled angrily at them. Celestia sighed. "I understand that, but the Alpha says we need your help and I stand by his opinion." "I don't," Luna muttered, but Celestia ignored the comment and turned back to the Meta as he huffed and walked back into the shadows, being barely visible as he curled up on the rocky ground and growled. Flutter Shy poked her head out from behind Rainbow Dash and looked at him a long moment before slowly walking towards the bars. "W-why do you think that you won't be able to help us?" she said nervously, not coming within more than five feet of the bars. The Meta opened one eye and looked up at her, thinking a moment before letting out a long growl with many notes. "Oh, b-but just because you've done bad things in the past doesn't make you a bad person. Discord did plenty of awful things, but he's good now. Why should you be any different?" Everypony tensed as Flutter Shy came closer to the bars and lay down with a smile. The Meta got to its feet and slowly walked over towards the bars, ignoring all the pointed looks the others were sending towards it. He stood right in front of the bars and leaned his head down towards Flutter Shy and he let out a soft, low growl. Flutter Shy looked confused but before she could say anything the Meta's eyes went blood red and he roared. "No!" Celestia yanked Flutter Shy away from the bars with her magic and everyone gasped in surprise as the Meta rammed into the bars, his legs kicking in-between them as her roared in anger. He glared at them all and paced by the bars, snarling at them and pounding on the bars every so often. "He is a monster, I'm afraid that Alpha was wrong this time." She sighed and everypony followed her out, but Flutter Shy gave the Meta one last sad look before she did so. "What's that guy's problem? One minute he just looked indifferent and then suddenly he looked like he wanted to rip us apart piece by piece," Rainbow Dash commented. Everypony nodded in agreement, but no one say a word. They were too startled by what had just happened that they didn't really know what to do. But not to far behind them a certain monster was being freed.