//------------------------------// // Chapter 10 // Story: Silent Ponyville 3 // by SamRose //------------------------------// Edited by: Cool Story Brony The repeated sound of a hoof slamming against metal echoed through the empty void. Twilight’s hoof fell sharply against the metal barricaded door of the farm house. She was desperately begging for it to open up. She didn’t care if some horrific abomination in the distance heard, all she wanted was to know that Applejack was okay, that she had made it safely into the barn before the world had shifted around her. Somewhere in her mind she had already known that trying to find Applejack here would be futile, and yet there she was, slamming her hoof against a metal door, praying for some kind of response from inside. Clang Clang Clang Clang With that final strike of her hoof, the metallic door gave way. The empty air echoed loudly with a groaning creak, followed by the hollowed crash of steel hitting steel. Twilight panted as she turned to look at her work, the farm house now open for her to investigate. Her hooves throbbed with pain, most likely now bruised from just how hard she had been striking the metal door. A part of her didn't care how damaged her body became anymore; it didn't really matter in this strange world anyway. But the other half of her mind, the part still desperately clinging to logic and hope, told her she shouldn't hurt herself too much. With a deep breath, she turned and slowly walked into the darkened farm house. No light slipped through the covered windows or from the door, just the desolate remains of the house that once belonged to the Apple family. Twilight tapped the pendant around her neck and it lit once more up with light, revealing just how much damage had actually been done to the house. No longer were the walls made of wood and wallpaper, delicately hanging pictures of the beloved Apple family and friends. The house was no longer filled with the simple wooden furnishings that lined the hallways and rooms that gave it a warm, lived in feeling. No rustic charm, no simple decorations, absolutely nothing left that belonged to the Apple family that once lived there. There was nothing but cold, harsh, rusted, metallic walls lining the hallway. Thick sheets of steel lined the floor, layered with ash, rust, and what looked like spatters of blood. The house was now deadly silent, any remnants of ponies having been there even moments ago long gone. Her hooves echoed dully against the thick slab of metal beneath her as she headed for the living room. The comfortable furnishings of the house were also gone, now replaced with either absolutely destroyed remnants of tables and chairs, or horrifically designed structures meant to cause great harm to a pony. Grim chains hung from the ceiling, blood splattered various parts of the floor, and the walls were lined with sharpened objects. Applejack's living room had turned into a torture chamber. The only thing that eased Twilight’s mind was the simple fact that no pony actually appeared within any of the devices. They were empty and unused. Her dim light swept across the room, looking for even a partial trace of the ponies who might have been there before that horrific siren had blared, but all she found was ash and blood. Leaving the awful room behind, she headed for the dining room next, hoping that what she would find wouldn't churn her stomach any more than this world already did. The dining room was as empty and silent as the rest of the house, but it was free of the horrific imagery that stained the rest of the world. The table that spanned its length only had empty plates scattered across it, signs of a meal having been prepared but long since forgotten. "Why doesn't this make any sense!?" Twilight let out a growling, frustrated cry. She raised her hoof up and swung at the long-since grayed dish on the table, sending it flying straight into the wall. It crashed violently into the wall, splitting into several tiny pieces that scattered across the ground. "Why!? Why do you keep separating me from my friends? Why do you keep showing me these horrific scenes followed by these calming scenes!?" Her horn lit up and the table before her became enveloped in the glow of her magic before being tossed across the room. Plates went flying as the wooden table splintered and cracked, crashing with immense force into the wall. Twilight panted heavily, her body shaking as her mind tried to find a single thought to concentrate on. She fell, sitting on the cold steel as her back hooves ached and throbbed. Her mind ran circles in her head, and the cold air cooled her heated skin. "I just... I don't get it..." Twilight closed her eyes, trying hard to think about what was happening. "Is there something I'm missing? Something that ties everything together? The monsters, the scenery, this whole world itself... am I just MISSING something!?" She hated herself for not knowing the answer, but she hated the world even more for not giving it. She'd lost count of how many times she'd nearly been killed this day, how many times she'd just been hurt or lost, how many times she thought she was reaching the end of this insanity only for her to be dragged deeper into it. "Someone... anyone... please... I just... I need a clue..." Twilight's tail curled around her legs as she sat there, eyes shut just trying to keep back the tears once more. Every time she'd given in to believing, in to hoping that things would be better, they were just as quickly tossed away. She'd just lost count of how many times the world had made her break down, to question everything that she was doing. Anger still boiled down inside of her gut, pushing at the depression that was trying to take her over. The memory of what Magus had showed her in the barn surfaced in her mind once more, and she felt a new wave of anger reach her. Her resolve was settling back in. It was just a small reminder that she couldn't give up now, she had to continue. The sound of something striking the metal floor made Twilight nearly jump out of her skin. She was instantly on her hooves and looking behind her, expecting yet another one of this world's abominations to emerge from the shadows. But the air was as silent as ever. Only the shadows were looking back at her. Twilight stood there, frozen, unsure if it was a distraction or something coming to attack. Her medallion was still silent, so whatever the sound had been it didn’t seem like it was an enemy. Her eyes shifted to the floor, noticing there was something new behind her that hadn't been there a moment ago; a small golden key placed on top of a folded piece of paper. Twilight examined the key, not noticing anything of importance, before opening the piece of paper. I know things are hard right now, but I believe in you. You only have a little further to go and you'll save everypony. I found this key; follow this map to the door it most likely unlocks. Don't wait too long, this world doesn't like waiting for long. Your friend- "Pinkie..." Twilight mouthed aloud at the end of the note. Right below the note was a crudely drawn layout of the town, with a line going through it leading to a circled X. "Pinkie left me this note?" Twilight pushed thoughts of what the note said aside for the moment and looked down the hallway where the broken back door still lay in pieces. She quickly ran outside and looked around; however, the darkness that covered the town now only gave her a limited view. If Pinkie was somewhere out there in the dark, there'd be no guaranteed way of going after her. "What does this mean? Why did she give me this but not even stop to say hi?" Twilight asked aloud, more just airing the question than seeking an answer. She hovered the paper in front of her once more, reading it to herself once more. "...This world doesn't like waiting for long." Those words felt ominous to her; they said a lot with so little. Somehow Pinkie knew the laws of this world, something that had managed to elude her all this time. Everything made no sense, and yet Pinkie had made some sense of it. Somehow the idea didn't seem all that ludicrous. What baffled her the most, or perhaps scared her the most, was the idea that Pinkie Pie had found a way to save everypony here, perhaps even bring an end to this horrid world. But if such a place existed in this world, then why hadn't Pinkie already saved everypony? Why hadn't she gone there herself and brought everypony to safety? Was it because she needed Magic in order to save everypony? Was it something only Twilight could do? Twilight hadn't focused on it too much, but the thought and idea that everypony else that was trapped here, going through the horrific mazes and monsters that she was had crossed her mind. Which if that was the case, then she wasn't very special at all. There were plenty of unicorns in town that could provide magic, there were plenty of ponies who had the strength or knowledge to fight and save everypony. If they all fought together, even this world would seem small in comparison to the veritable army. It was an idea that was quickly dashed away as it had come, just from the realization that everypony she had met today had been alone. Alone, separated from the others, and traveling through this horrific world on their own. Despite how many ponies were in Ponyville, every single one of them was alone right now. And anytime she had met anypony, in a matter of minutes she had been separated from them. That seemed to be the one constant in this world... You had to be alone. Perhaps that was why Pinkie Pie hadn't said anything. She just came, dropped the key for Twilight, and then left as quickly as she had come. If that was truly the case, Twilight wished she had at least written a little more on the note. Perhaps an explanation as to 'why' Pinkie couldn't save anyone, or 'how' she'd managed to find Twilight so easily, or even just a simple 'I'm okay, just keep going'. All she knew was that Pinkie somehow gave her the note, written in that usual jumbled mess that Pinkie called writing, and that she was now gone. Twilight let out a soft, frustrated sigh as she looked at the map that Pinkie Pie had scribbled onto the note. It took her back into Ponyville. This time it had her heading for the center of town. The area circled with an X on it had to be City Hall. "That's half way across town from here..." Twilight murmured to herself, remembering the route back to town from Sweet Apple Acres. However, getting across town was bad enough just trying to avoid the soldiers that seemed to surround anypony anytime one spotted them in town before the transformation. Not to mention there was the looming possibility that the dragon flying around town could come down and start attacking her as well. But now the world's look matched the hell it created. There was no way of knowing how safe it would be to get to the center of town. "Pinkie's note said that if I go there... I can save everypony... I can only trust that she knows what she's doing." Twilight said, taking a deep breath to help reassure herself. She then began to walk away from the abandoned farm that was once Applejack's home and headed for town. The cold steel beneath her hooves let out a dull thud with each step. No matter how far she walked, the ground was the consistent rusting metal that seemed to stretch out into the darkness around her. Her only light came from the pendant glowing around her neck, extending her view to a short distance in front of her. She passed by what used to be the apple trees Sweet Apple Acres was famous for, which were now they were twisted poles of metal covered in what looked like slowly pulsing skin. It was stretched almost unnaturally taught around the tree with what appeared to be a bit of muscle underneath that would occasionally break through the skin. At the top of every tree, the jagged metal pole seemed to turn into a cross. Twilight stopped and stared at one of the trees, examining the oddity of it. The way the trees were placed seemed odd, even for an apple orchard. They were all uniformly placed around, the same distance between each of them. The cross at the top of each tree was very similar to the ones she had seen Winter Withers attached to, only these felt difference. As though they were placed there in remembrance instead of as a warning. A cold shiver ran down Twilight's back and she turned away from the tree she was studying. She continued her trek back towards the town, trying to push the thoughts to the back of her mind for now. She needed to focus on getting back to town alive, and from there getting to city hall alive. Her gut shifted uneasily, knowing the new key inside her magic reservoir would only lead her to more trouble and she no longer had any of those magical 'Health Drinks' to help her. The only thing she had for self-defense was the last remaining book in her reservoir, and she wasn't about to rely on it for bashing away monsters. She stopped as she noticed the path in front of her suddenly coming to an abrupt end. She blinked as she looked down what she could only see as a bottomless chasm where the floor had once been. The direction she had been walking in was the most direct way back into town, but it looked like the ground just gave out halfway on her trip back. Had the town been swallowed up by the infinite abyss? Was there no way to get back to Ponyville? The note had said she needed to get to town... but there was no path that was going to let her head that way. For all she knew, she could very well be on the only piece of land left, floating above a sea of nothingness. Furrowing her brow she looked to her left and right. Either direction could possibly lead to an answer or just lead to her being more confused and lost. Something in her gut was telling her that the town was still there, but the world was going to make it difficult for her to get back there. Letting out an annoyed sigh and turning to the left, she started walking that way on a guess. She followed the edge of the bottomless pit, occasionally looking back at it, wondering how far down it went. It was a distraction from the fleshy metal trees that surrounded her on the other side. Her mind kept wondering about the bottomless chasm, about things like what could have caused it, or how it had affected the town, or why it was there in the first place. Beneath the surface should be more earth and rock, but she couldn’t even see anything way down below. She stopped for a moment to ease her curious mind. Lighting her horn up she grabbed hold of the end of a nearby metal branch. She tugged on it for a moment before the rusty metal snapped away from the flesh tree. Holding it over the empty chasm, she let it dropped and opened her ear to listen. A moment passed, another moment passed, followed by another, and yet another. No sound what-so-ever came back letting her know that the metallic twig had hit some kind of bottom. It was either too far down or the sound wasn't loud enough to echo back up out of the emptiness. If she was back home, back in the normal world, she figured she might've wanted to study this phenomenon more. But the only thing she wanted to do now was get the world back to normal. Continuing to follow the edge of the chasm, she noted that her medallion hadn't buzzed in quite some time. She wondered if somehow, just maybe, in the transition from the fog world to this Otherworld, that she had entered one that had no monsters in it. The town was far too quiet for its own good, and it was starting to grate on her mind. There was no wind, there were no bugs, even the trees that looked like they had a pulsing beat going through them didn't make a sound. The only sound she could hear was the clopping of her own hooves against the metal ground. She was alone. She felt desperately alone. Like there wasn't even a single soul anywhere nearby. She picked up the pace of her walking, wanting to find a new path. A path to the town. She wanted the comfort of seeing Ponyville again, even if it was the lonely, boarded up remains of Ponyville. She wanted to feel wind; she wanted to know that the world still felt like it existed. She was alone. All that returned her was the silent loneliness of the trees. She stared at them as she passed them, the perfectly aligned trees passing by without a word. Each one marked with that cross at the top, each one just pulsing in time. If she turned her gaze away, all she would see was the bottomless empty pit, where absolutely nothing could be. She was alone. Her hooves struck against the metal loudly, but the sound barely echoed. She was alone. She picked up into a run, trying to escape, trying to find something. She was alone. She had to escape, she had to get somewhere, she had to escape, she had to get somewhere. She was alone. "GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Twilight's terrified cry rang out as her hoof hit a metallic root that had sprung up through the rusted metal floor. Her body hit the ground hard and she tumbled forward a bit before landing hard on her side. She let out a stifled groan, feeling the twinge running up the side of her body. She groaned as she tried to sit up, her mind wondering just how many times she'd just been crippled over in pain since she'd been here. She took a deep breath, closing her eyes, trying to calm her racing heart. The soundless air around her was playing tricks on her mind and she just needed to keep focused. Get to city hall, that's all she needed to do. Her eyes opened back up and instantly she noticed something that hadn't been there before. Right next to her was a metal bridge that crossed the bottomless ravine that had appeared between the farm and the town. "A way across?" Twilight asked, speaking into the void. She got up to her hooves and began to examine the bridge. It didn't appear to be held up by anything from the ravine, extending forth from the metal floor she was already on. It certainly hadn't been there when she fell over, but there it was clear as day. She looked at it suspiciously before carefully placing a hoof down on it. The metal gave a small creak but seemed to hold steady. She put one hoof at a time down the bridge, going slowly and carefully across the creaking metal. It wasn't very wide, only wide enough to fit maybe two ponies, and there were no side-rails. She took several deep breaths to keep herself calm, maintaining the rhythmic one-two-three-four of her hooves across the bridge. One wrong step and she could easily plummet into the abyss, and who knows what might happen to her then... Twilight felt pressure brewing in her throat and swallowed it down, just concentrating at the task at hand. She looked forward and continued her slow trek across the bridge, hearing the creaks and groans of it bearing her weight as she walked. She only blinked once she saw the sight of the end of the bridge, land that connected the bridge from Sweet Apple Acres to Ponyville. Relief slowly washed over her, but she maintained the slow walk. Her hooves landed on the other side and she let out a deep sigh, tension leaving her muscles. She was closer to getting to city hall now; all she'd need to do was head into town. That's what she kept telling herself, just focus on getting to city hall. With her composure regained, she stepped forward again, only for her light to illuminate a pool of blood right before her. Frozen at the site of the crimson liquid, she quickly looked up to find the source. Another large wooden cross was impaled into the metallic floor of the world, oozing blood from the owner nailed to it. A unicorn with a snow white coat and fiery red hair. It was once more her childhood schoolmate. "Moondancer!?" Twilight yelped, running forward. "No! No not again! Moondancer!" She cried out, looking towards the nails that were driven through the unicorn's hooves, looking for a spot to grip with her magic and bring her down. "...Twilight..." A quiet murmur spoke, and Twilight nearly froze. Her head turned to look up at Moondancer's face, seeing the girl with eyes barely able to stay open but a gentle smile on her face. "Twilight... you've made it..." "Hold on Moondancer! I'm going to get you down from there! It'll be alright! I promise!" Twilight's horn lit up as she grabbed hold of the spike's holding Moondancer to the cross. She pulled hard, slowly removing them one by one. Moondancer didn't seem to flinch at the pain of the item's being removed. She just let her hooves fall limp as they were removed, before collapsing off the cross and into Twilight's hooves. "I've got you! I've got you..." Twilight said, laying Moondancer on the ground so she could rest. Twilight ran her hoof across Moondancer's face, moving the hair out of her eyes and wiping away some of the blood that stained it. "Twilight..." Moondancer spoke quietly, "I'm glad you made it here... I didn't doubt you would, you always managed to achieve what you set out to..." Moondancer coughed violently, her whole body shaking. "Don't talk! I-I'll get you medical help!" Twilight lifted her head and looked around, seeing nothing but the rusted metal and darkness as far as her eyes could see, "I-I-I... somewhere! I know there's help somewhere! You just have to hold on!" "Twilight..." Moondancer wheezed. Twilight could only stare at her childhood friend who was gently smiling back at her, despite how much pain she must be in. "It's alright... sometimes ponies die..." "No!" Twilight yelled, feeling the tears forming at the edge of her eyes, "No, they don't HAVE to die! Not like this..." Twilight's shoulders shook as the hot tears began to stream down her cheeks, "Not like this... not... not as a WARNING for me... you didn't have to die like this..." "Heh... look at you..." Moondancer chuckled softly, "Crying over little old me. And here I thought you didn't like me." "What!?" Twilight stared shocked at the unicorn that was withering away in her hooves, "Why would you think that!? I never hated you! You were my friend!" "Because... you were always by yourself Twilight." Moondancer gently shook her head, closing her eyes and keeping them closed, "I would invite you to parties, try to spend time with you, try and introduce you to more friends... and all you did was stay in that dorm of yours. You always studied, you never spoke to anyone unless it was a question... you never seemed to have time for 'fun'..." Twilight's mouth hung open for a moment. She closed it and tried to speak again, but no words came out. She gritted her teeth, feeling her tears continue to stain her cheeks. She shook her head, lowering it closer to Moondancer's. "I didn't hate you though... I... I just..." Twilight sniffed, trying to hold back her sobs, "I just thought it was more important... I... I had responsibilities... I had things I HAD to do... and if I didn't, I'd disappoint everypony..." Twilight looked at Moondancer's face, as Moondancer slowly opened her eyes once more. Twilight could see the dulling blue color in her eyes, she was fading and fast. "I NEVER hated you! At school you were one of the only ponies I thought of as a friend, no pony else even came close... but... but I kept myself alone... because I thought I had to..." "You were never alone Twilight," Moondancer whispered. Twilight stared at Moondancer, watching as Moondancer smiled a little wider. "And you never will be alone. Even if you don't see anyone around right now, even if it feels like no one cares..." One of Moondancer's hooves slowly began to rise, though it shook as though it took great effort. She raised it and gently placed it against Twilight's chest, "They'll always be here... your friends..." Twilight stared at Moondancer as her eyes closed once more and her hoof went limp. Her eye's widened as she watched her friend give her last breath, before finally turning still. "No... No! Moondancer!" Twilight shook her shoulders a little, trying to get her to move. "Moondancer! Moondancer!" Her friend was as silent as the air around her. Twilight grit her teeth and closed her eyes, pulling her friend closer to her. Her tears fell faster down her cheeks, just letting herself mourn the loss of her old friend. This vile world had taken away not just her closest friends now, but even the ones from her childhood. It wasn't fair. She'd never done anything to deserve any of this. Sure she had been a lonely child, but she’d found friendship later in life. All she'd done since then was be happy and try to make her friends happy as well. She’d never hurt anyone, she’d never committed any severe crime, she'd done everything anyone had ever asked her to do. So why did this happen to her? Twilight let out a few more quiet sobs, her breathing slowly starting to normalize. She remembered the note and the key that still lay tucked away inside of her and realized she still had a mission to accomplish. She still had to go save everypony. She rubbed her face and opened her eyes, being greeted to a pale orange mane. Twilight's eyes shot open as she stared down at the mare in her hooves. Her mane was a curled pale orange with a paler orange streak going through it and a yellow-green coat. She was stained with blood the same way Moondancer had been and the evidence of her having been nailed to the cross was still present. This wasn't Moondancer. "J-Junebug?" Twilight murmured, shock still settling in that the mare she was holding wasn't Moondancer. "Does... does that mean Moondancer wasn't real? An illusion?" Her mind felt turbulent once more, the world was messing with her mind once more. But that time felt so different from the others. The world had screwed with her by changing the land, horrific monsters, or just strange visions. But this? This had felt real. It felt like Moondancer had actually been right there with her. Twilight gently placed Junebug's body onto the floor, taking a step back from it. Though Moondancer had felt real, it didn't change the fact that now Junebug was there before her, dead. Killed the same way Winter Withers had been killed, the same way that Sparkler had been. Twilight remembered Junebug well. While she didn't sell flowers, she maintained them all around town. She made sure the insects weren't ruining them, made sure they had proper water and soil, replaced them when the old ones started to wither, and was more than willing to help ponies as well as plants. She was also a mother. Her little girl Peachy Pie would be turning 9 in the fall. The two of them would often be seen during the weekends walking around town together as her mother did her rounds. Then the two of them would settle down for lunch, and Peachy would tell her mom all about how school was during the week, and the plans she had with her friends, and how much she was couldn't wait to grow up to be just like her mother. Twilight gritted her teeth, lowering her head as the memories of the wonderful mare filled her head once more. "I'm sorry Junebug..." She whispered sorrowfully, "I'm sorry you were used this way. Used to get to me. Used just to hurt me..." Twilight stared at the harsh, rusted metallic ground before her. Her eyes stared at the rotting brown and red color that saturated the surface. "But I'm going... I'm going to save everypony else. I'll save your little girl, don't worry. Just..." Twilight swallowed a little, "Just rest in peace..." With those words Twilight turned to face the cross. The wooden structure stared back at her, almost mocking her. The words of Merlin she had read sprang to her mind once more. If you broke their laws, invaded their land or offended their nobles, the fate of death was brought to you. You would be seen by those you knew and loved, by your enemies and by your Goddess, that you were an example of their power. The loud crack of the wooden cross echoed loudly through the darkness. In the emptiness that surrounded her, she figured that something so significant would be the loudest in this world. Her magic brought the heavy wooden structure crashing down hard into the metal floor below, the splintered wood scattering from the forced break. Twilight panted as her magic faded once more. It exerted a lot of magic to break such a thick structure, and she needed to be careful of how much she used. In this world being without magic was as good as a death sentence for her. She stepped over the fallen cross and continued ahead. The warning the execution gave didn't cross her mind. She knew she was walking into danger, possibly death itself. But too many ponies had already died; too many had been made to suffer at the hands of this world. If Pinkie's message really meant she could save everypony, then she was going to do it. As her mind found its determination, she noticed that the outskirts of town had finally come into view. She slowed her pace a little as the metallic structures rose from the ground, barbaric reconstructions of what the town looked like in the normal world. No building had signs or billboards, no windows or cardboard, no signs of life having lived in them. Just giant buildings made of rusting metal, stained with spots of blood. All of them felt more like cages than houses. Twilight felt a shiver run up her spine. The town just felt wrong. Ponyville was never meant to look like this, never meant to BE like this. She had to make her way to city hall, and fast. Walking down the street, she wasn't entirely sure which one she was on just yet. Normally she knew Ponyville like the back of her hoof, but in this twisted world she could be anywhere. She tried to remember the way the town had been arranged, the pattern the buildings were in. She tried to remember, but it felt like her home was so far away from her now. This world filled with harsh brown and red metals that barely echoed just wasn't her home. The empty streets carried the clunking of her hooves against metal as she continued on, looking for something recognizable. She turned the corner on a nearby street, hoping that this one would have more signs she could follow. Pinkie's map would've worked just fine if she had been able to head straight from the farm to the town, but the world had to be difficult for her. "Huh?" Twilight murmured as a breeze of hot air passed over her coat, which caused Twilight to stop for a moment, "There hasn't been a breeze in this world..." Her head turned to the direction that the breeze had come from, trying to find its source. The light of her pendant fell upon a large, black mass of rotting and disconnected flesh that appeared to be slowly rising and falling. Her whole body froze and her heart seemed to stop as her eyes traced the outline of the creature's body. The jagged edges of its jaw and neck, the sharp teeth that glowed in the light, the large wings that extended from its back. She felt her body begin to shake as she stared, not being able to see it's pitch black eyes, nor was it moving just yet. Perhaps the dragon hadn't seen her yet, it appeared to be sleeping. She stared at it, feeling her heart pounding against her chest. She could swear the sound of it was echoing through the world around her. Her mind was telling her she had to run, to get to city hall, but her body wasn't moving. She already knew just how terrifying this creature could be, she didn't need a reminder. Suddenly, the dragon shifted in its sleep. Twilight felt her eyes widen as the large head began to make its way up off the ground. Her eyes followed its head as it opened its mouth and let out a low, rumbling growl as it seemed to yawn awake. It lowered its head and she watched as its eyes opened, revealing the glossy black orbs underneath its eyelids. Its head tilted a little, and then the dragon was staring right at her. There was a moment of silence as the two of them stared at each other. Twilight couldn't so much as breath, while the dragon seemed curious as to her presence. That was when she heard it. The low rumbling from the dragon’s throat, the simple vibrations that only meant one thing. The dragon opened its mouth and she could already see the flames licking at the back of its throat, rushing forward to burn her asunder. Her body finally unfroze, adrenaline coursing through her veins now. She'd come too far to just let herself die now. Her legs kicked in and she leaped, just barely avoiding the blazing flames that spewed out where she had just been standing. She could feel the roaring heat singing the hair on her tail and heating the back of her legs. She winced in pain, knowing full well if she stopped she was dead. The loud, ground shaking roar erupted through the silent town nearly knocking her off balance. She stared ahead, running as faster as her legs could carry her as she heard the loud flapping of wings. The dragon was taking off, and there was no doubt in her mind it was going to be chasing her. "Where is city hall!? Where is it!?" Twilight cried out, her breathing growing ragged as she continued to run. She turned down another street, hoping to confuse the dragon about her whereabouts, but the sounds of heavy beating wings continued to be right behind her. Her head desperately looked left and right, looking for some kind of sign that she was going the right way. The rushing of building going by her didn't help, she didn't have any time to stop and observe. Another ground shaking roar bellowed out right behind her and she felt her skin crawl with thoughts of being burned alive. She made another sharp turn down another street, the wings unleashing a large gust as they passed by behind her. She knew she wasn't going to get away for long. "Where is it, where is it!?" She berated herself for having gotten so lost. This was her home; she should know it better than this. A stream of fire suddenly rained down from the sky in front of her, forcing her to skid to a halt. The inferno just a few feet in front of her was melting the metal that made up the floor, causing it to drip and ooze down into an infinite abyss below it. Twilight instantly turned on her hooves and ran down a street next to her, panting and heaving as her legs worked as hard as they could to get her away. The powerful beating wings seemed to be coming from every direction now, that roar reverberating through the town with every passing moment. Another stream of fire appeared before her, and her hooves instantly made another turn. She didn't know where she was going, her head frantically still searching for some kind of clue. Was she going to just be lost forever? There was no way she was going to be able to run away from the dragon forever! It was too fast, it was able to keep up with her and its senses meant it should be able to find her easily. Was this really as far as she could go? From the corner of her eye something appeared. She turned her head to try and look at it, but it was gone as soon as she had noticed it. Whatever it was, it had turned down the next road ahead of her. It wasn't the dragon, that's all she knew. She mashed her hooves against the metal floor and turned down the road she had seen it run and followed it down the street. At the end of the street she saw the movement again, making yet another turn. Was it leading her? What could still be there to lead her? She already knew the other monsters were just as afraid of the dragon as she was; it killed everything in its path. If whatever was running away too knew how to get away safely, all she could do was follow it. Another bellowing roar told her that she didn't have time to think any more on the matter. A stream of fire spewed forth and melted the road in front of her, forcing her to turn down the path that other creature had as well. The large flap of wings told her the dragon was still close, wind whipping her mane everywhere. She ran down the street, a particularly long one. Her chest began to burn, her limbs straining from the stress of the sudden exercise. Her eyes caught glimpse of the object again, though this time a little clearer. She could've sworn that she saw a blur of pink turn the corner. Twilight nearly jumped out of her skin as the dragon landed hard on the metal before her, roaring loudly as it stood directly in her path. It swiveled its mouth down, fully intending to devour its meal instantly. Her hooves jumped and the mouth came inches away from making her the dragon’s next meal. Her body tumbled, rolling from the sudden jump to escape from the dragon. She quickly got to her hooves and ran down the road the pink blur had traveled. The dragon's roar shook the earth once more before the heavy wings set it off into the sky once more. The fast rhythmic thudding of her heart played in her ears as her breath threatened to drown her. Her lungs were bursting, demanding to have a chance to calm down. But the moment she stopped, she would be dead. Her eyes caught glimpse of the pink blur once more, discerning it was a tail. It had to be the tail of a pony. Was a pony leading her through this? Leading her away from the dragon? If so, she couldn't have been more grateful. She turned the corner once more and almost came to a stop. "That... that's impossible..." Twilight gawked. Right in front of her, imposing down on her, with the large walls that she was so familiar with, was Canterlot Castle. "This can't be here!" She almost shouted. However, her words were drowned out with the loud roar of the dragon that was still right behind her. Without taking another moment to think about it, she ran straight for the front door of the castle. She slammed body first into the doors, hoping they would just burst open for her, only to find herself bouncing backwards to the town. She stared at the doors, before rushing up and pulling on the handle, trying to force them open. The loud thud of the dragon landing came from right behind her, the doors refusing to budge open. The dragon roared loudly, shaking the ground beneath her hooves and causing her to slip and land on her stomach. She shook her head and stared at the door, suddenly noticing that there was a keyhole there for her. Without thinking she pulled out the key that Pinkie had given her from her note and jammed it into the lock. With a twist the door gave a loud 'click' and the key disappeared into ash. She jumped to her hooves and swung the door open, just as heat began to prick at the back of her neck. She jumped inside and turned, summoning her magic to grip the doors. Just as the dragon's blazing flames began to spew, she slammed the doors shut on him. She heard the mighty impact of the flames hitting the door, the light from the blaze creeping through the cracks around the door. She took several steps backwards, watching as the fires blazed right behind the door for several moments before finally dying down. She held her breath for several moments as she heard the thudding of his footsteps through them, the loud huff of the dragon smelling the door for any sign of her. Twilight swallowed hard, just standing as still as she possibly could. Then, almost as though it was a miracle, she heard the sound of the dragon's large wings beating as it took off into the sky once more. She stood frozen to her spot for several minutes, waiting till the wing beat was long gone. Once she was sure, she let out the heavy sigh that she had been holding inside of her body out and felt herself collapse. Her heavy panting and beating heart was all she could hear now. She was just thankful to be alive. She laid there for a minute or two, just letting her breath catch up with her. The throbbing of her heart moved from her head to her hooves, aching pangs telling her she'd run too hard for too long. She groaned as she tried to sit up, not knowing what to expect. After all, Canterlot Castle had just magically shown up in the middle of Ponyville. On top of that, the key Pinkie had given her had opened its doors and saved her from being burned alive. "Wait... Pinkie!" Twilight said, suddenly remembering the blurry pink tail she had followed to get here. She twisted her head around, looking for any sign of the pink mare. But all she could see around her was blood-stained steel walls that surrounded her, decaying portrays hung askew along the walls. Where the windows had been were now steel bars held together by a chain-link fence. Twilight blinked in confusion, rubbing her head. "I feel like... I've been here before..." She murmured quietly to herself, looking down at the floor. They were the normal gray tiles of Canterlot, only gray and rusted, with grime forming along the cracks. "Did Pinkie make it inside?" She asked, turning around to look at the door she'd come in through. However, the door was now gone. In its place was a large steel wall, the same that made up the sides of the castle. The missing doors told her one thing. There was no turning back now. Just as that thought crossed her mind, a sound began to echo through the castle. Her ears perked up and she tried to listen closely to it. It was a strange harmonic sound just winding its way through the castle. It was music. The melody was quiet, but she was able to hear it well enough. It was almost as though the melody danced through the air, dulled beats dragging from chord to chord. The instrument sounded like it hadn't been played in years, and was picked up just to be played at that very moment. It sent a chill down her spine, though she wasn't certain why. "If there's music, there's got to be a source. If there's a source, maybe I'll find a pony..." She thought for a moment, before her ears flattened against her skull, "Or I could find another monster... which is more likely..." She swallowed hard, "But... I have to move forward. Pinkie said if I got here I could save everypony... just... how do I do that?" Twilight shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts and focus on what was important. The haunting melody was slowly crawling through the castle and she had nowhere else to go but forward. She was thankful that she was in Canterlot Castle though, rather than the malformed streets of Ponyville. Even if Canterlot was twisted, transformed, and designed like a cage, it was still Canterlot. She knew this castle like the back of her hoof. All she had to do was figure out where she needed to go. Stepping down the hallway, she knew exactly where the entrance led. The main hall opened before her eyes, transformed and shaped the same way the rest of the castle had been changed. Its open space that would normally be filled with ponies going by to their various appointments or jobs was as barren as everything else. Though the entire castle was built like a cage now, it didn't seem to contain a single soul inside it aside from her. Twilight's eyes wandered up the stairs, where Princess Celestia would normally stand upon greeting guests or royal visitors, to gaze at the mural that adorned the wall. The normal depictions of Celestia raising the sun and bringing grace to the land had been replaced. In its stead was a picture of Celestia, large and towering in the center of the picture. Only one of her eyes were visible in the picture, colored a deep red as it stared down at the carnage taking place. Below her houses and ponies were being engulfed with flames, some burning alive, some running away and losing everything they'd ever held dear. Above her head the moon was eclipsing the sun, creating a dark halo above her mentor's head. To the left of her mentor was a black circle, depicting a triangle within with strange, twisting lines, and runic lettering around the circle. And to the other side of her mentor, was a symbol she'd seen a few times now throughout the town, a symbol that she'd seen Magus drawing to create safe havens in town. A red circle had 3 smaller circles within it, surrounded by runic writing. "I've seen that one before... but what does that one mean?" Twilight wondered curiously to herself. She stepped closer to the mural, trying to get a better look at it. As she reached the center of the room, she heard the sound of metal hitting metal as her medallion began to buzz. She froze in her spot and heard the metal clash together again, this time the sound came from directly above her. Her head snapped to look up and saw what looked like a giant chandelier moving on the ceiling. A loud 'snap' echoed through the main room and the large decoration came rushing down to greet her. Twilight jumped out of the way, covering her head, expecting the device to come crashing down. However, the sound of something heavy being yanked with chains announced something had stopped it from hitting the ground mid-air, and a shrill screaming whine came from behind her. She turned her head to look at what had just happened. What she had thought was a chandelier was actually a giant set of royal ornaments that seemed to have been welded onto a fleshy creature. A giant circular crown consisted of its back, with the fleshy back of the creature arching into the empty space the crown left. A tiara hung from one side, while a pendant hung from the other. The creature appeared to have regal armor welded to random parts of its body, while the rest of its skin was decaying. Its front arms hung loosely to the sides, as if wanting something to grab hold of and latch onto. Its back legs were broken and malformed, curled painfully into the crown. Its head looked like a pony, but with the eyes missing, and its mouth was full of what had once been flat teeth that were now jagged and broken. The grotesque creature swung its head, letting out that whining screech of pain, trying to twist and contort to find something to grab hold of. Twilight's ears flickered at the sound, as it really didn't sound like the creature was only in pain. It sounded like the creature... was crying. The creature snapped its mouth close and then let out another pained cry. It knew someone had been there, but it couldn't see them, it couldn't sense them. It was almost as if the creature was alone, looking for a companion, but didn't know how to treat them right. It'd hurt anything it got into its grips. Twilight just stared at the creature for what felt like minutes, before the rattling of its chains pulled the creature back up towards the ceiling. It calmed down; ceasing it's wailing and curled up into the regalia that covered its body. When it reached the ceiling it 'clicked' back into position and remained silent once more, her medallion ceasing its buzzing. She swallowed her nerves down once more and got back on her hooves, starting up the stairs to the mural. She stared at the depiction of Celestia for a moment, then at the ponies burning to death at her hooves. It didn't seem like anything Celestia would ever have in her castle, nor did it seem like something that praised her. No, it reflected something more like she'd see for one of the many villains that destroyed Equestria's lands, hurt its citizens, and wanted the downfall of the Kingdom. But instead of any of them, it depicted Celestia. "But... Celestia would never hurt her citizens... would she?" Twilight wondered aloud. She had seen many times as a foal Celestia doing everything in her power to help her people, to do what was best for everypony, even sacrificing her free time and duty just to help somepony less fortunate. The depiction here didn't seem like something she'd ever see Celestia doing. "It must be this world," Twilight surmised, "It's playing tricks on my mind. Showing me things that aren't real again." She took a deep breath and looked to the stairs that branched off to her right and left. She knew that the throne room was to the right. Something in her gut told her that it was the right way to go, that if there was a chance of saving everypony from this town that it was in that direction. With a deep breath for resolve, she stepped up the metal stairs that would lead to the throne room. At the top of the stairs, she was greeted with a new, long hallway that seemed to stretch out farther than she could see. The hallway looked the same as the one she was familiar with, only metallic and rusted over with blood and grime, but she couldn't be sure if it led to where she wanted to go. "Only one way to find out..." She muttered softly to herself and began walking. Her hooves echoed loudly around her as she walked. The steel bar windows only showed the pitch black darkness that lurked outside. The further she walked though, the more the windows began to change. Soon they changed from the steel bars and chain link fences, to stained-glass depictions of ponies. There were several different ones and she stopped just long enough to view what was being depicted. One depicted a pony being burned to death on a stake. Another showed two ponies clashing, each with a different weapon and set of armor. Another portrayed a pony being hanged from a cord held by the moon. Another depicted a mother throwing her child to hungry alligators below. Another showed a pony standing over the corpse of another, a bloody knife in its mouth. Another presented a dead angel being carried in the arms of a crestfallen pony. "I swear, I've seen these before..." Twilight murmured, furrowing her brow at the images, "But where?" Her mind thought it over as her hooves carried her forward. Her thoughts mulled over until the hallway suddenly came to an end. Her hooves stopped as she stared at the large open room she had just found herself wandering into. It was Canterlot's large ballroom. "The ballroom is here? But... it shouldn't be..." She murmured quietly. She walked deeper into the malformed ballroom. The stage where bands once gathered was now just a giant cage, metal bars forming a circle around where the bands would play. Along the edges of the room were a few long since discarded tables that showed their age. The windows around the room were filled with stain glass depictions of ponies being burned alive, suffering at the hands of their almighty ruler. "...Is there supposed to be something here?" Just as those words left her mouth she heard the rattling of metal echoed around the room from behind her. She swung her head around to stare at the hallway she had just exited from, as a metal door slammed shut across the hallway entrance. She was now trapped inside the ballroom. Her head turned back to look in front of her, as sparks of electricity suddenly emanated from the air before her. Twilight stepped backwards, as the electricity intensified and the air seemed to grow dense. Suddenly the electricity stopped and the small portion of the world appeared to twist and turn, almost as if it was being sucked into a single point. A black dot formed in the air and began to grow in size, distorting the world around it. "Oh no..." Twilight gasped, her heart dropping as the orb grew into a size she was familiar with. The shadows of the black orb seemed to pulse in and out of the center of it, eminently a dull throbbing through the air. From the middle a head emerged, pulling away from the shadows and distortions. A black-skinned pony, with a long snout and white eyes emerged before her. It cracked open its sewn shut mouth and let out a guttural growl as two chained hooves slammed down into the floor behind her. It was the very same monster that had taken Lance from her and chased her through Sweet Apple Acres. Twilight turned on her hooves and ran. The cries of the black orb creature seemed to shake the very air around her, the sound of its hooves slammed against the metal once more. Twilight skidded to a stop as she remembered that her exit was now blocked off. She turned to face the creature, only to have the absurdly large ribbon sudden in her face and hitting her hard. She felt her body get flung, slamming down hard against the metal floor as it rolled to a stop. Groans escaped her lips as she shakily got herself back to standing. She looked up at the creature; the two black ribbons that extended from the shadowy darkness that composed its body snaked around in the air before her. It took slow, calculated steps as it dragged its body closer. Its growls seemed to shake the air right before its face. Twilight frantically looked around; she needed something to defend herself with. Of all the times, she wished she still had her sword. Her eyes fell to the abandoned table to the side of the room and she ran for it. The creature let out a bellowing roar and one of the ribbons lashed forward, slamming down right where she had been. When she reached the table she slammed her body up against it and knocked it over, revealing the wooden legs underneath it. She raised her hoof and slammed it down on the leg in the air, the leg splitting off with a loud 'crack' from the table. She levitated the broken leg with her magic and turned to face the creature, just as a ribbon came slamming down on the table. Wood and splinters flew everywhere and Twilight covered her face as the table exploded. She stared at the abomination inside the black orb slowly drawing closer to her, the ribbons withdrawing for the moment. A thought kicked around in her head and she looked at the broken table leg she was holding on to. It wasn't very sharp, most likely she wasn't going to be able to do a whole lot of damage with it and if she hit a ribbon she'd just lose the weapon. No, she had to aim for the head, it was her only chance. She held the table leg in front of her, steeling her determination. The creature let loose another roar and the large ribbons shot out to attack her. This time, Twilight was prepared. She ran forward, the first ribbon smashing down hard where she had just been standing. The second ribbon was right in front of her, about to snake out and strike her directly. With precision she jumped to the side, narrowly avoiding being struck by the leathery material. Her goal was in sight, she could take the shot. Her hooves hammered down on the ground and she closed the gap between her and the head of the blackened creature. She raised the table leg up over her head, and with a loud cry she slammed it down into the creature's forehead. It raised its head back as the damage soaked in, letting out a loud roar of pain. Twilight grinned, realizing she'd dealt a successful blow as she stood just a foot away from the creature. She stared up at it as it wailed in pain, wondering if she'd hit the brain. The fight would be over then and there. Then the creature's head came back down, the sewn parts of its mouth broken and the mouth open. A large fanged mouth came crashing down and bite down. Razor sharp fangs bore down into Twilight's sides, pain rocketing through her mind. Blood instantly burst from her mouth, air no longer reaching her. Her hooves left the ground as the creature picked her up in its mouth. Its teeth bore its way into her body; she could feel every inch of them piercing straight through her organs. Blood oozed from her mouth and body, pain rocked her every thought. The creature let out a triumphant growl as it then began to sink back into the darkness, dragging her along with it. Her body became consumed, swallowed by the pulsing darkness as it seemed to be crushed by the very essence of its being. She was drawn into the darkness. She felt free suddenly, like she was floating. The world felt like it was spinning, and she saw something in her vision. It was her body. Her body was drifting away from her, being chewed on by the darkness. But she was moving away from it. She was just a head. The world spun and her body disappeared, and then she saw something else. A long, black sword just sitting there in the darkness. For a moment, something in her mind told her that she had to get it. That she had no choice but to get it. And then the world came rushing back. Images of the darkness rushing away, the ballroom and the creature in the black orb returned to her vision. She took in a powerful gasp of air, as though just moments ago she had been drowning and she'd surfaced for air. Her body shook and her breathing was heavy and ragged. The broken wooden table leg still floated in front of her, ready to be smashed into the creature's head. She stumbled as she took a few steps backwards, her mind still reeling from what she had just felt. The black ribbon came rushing forward, striking her and slamming her directly against the wall. The back of her head struck the metal wall before she fell, collapsing on the ground as she whimpered in pain. The black creature let out a growl as if in triumph. "Why... why did I..." Twilight shook on the ground, her bruised hoof reaching up to touch her head. Her head had been detached from her body; there was no two ways to look at it. She'd been decapitated, punctured several times by sharp teeth; by all means she should be dead. And yet there she was lying on the ground, battered and bruised from the beating she was receiving. The black ribbon swung down again and she found herself flying through the air. Her body came crashing against the steel bars that lined the stage, air escaping her body once more before hitting the ground hard. Everything hurt, everything was bruised. She coughed and felt blood escape from her mouth, the bitter iron taste filling her mouth and senses. That feeling of coming back, of needing air, of seeing something that happened but then didn't... she'd felt it before. It was just like when she had about to be roasted, or when she saw Spike torn to pieces in her library. The same feeling of she had experienced it first, and then something changed. She had seen what happened. She'd glimpsed into the future. The roar of the creature snapped her out of her thoughts once more, the air reverberating around her. Her whole body ache but she had to shove that to the side for the moment, she couldn't just lay there. She turned her head and rolled onto her stomach, staring at the creature as it slowly raised each of its legs up and slammed it down, drawing itself closer to her. The two ribbons flicked back and forth in the air, ready for their next strike. She had seen it. She had seen the black sword inside of that creature's body. The one the broken alicorn had used to stab Rarity, the one she'd used to kill the bloody abomination in the pool of blood, it was inside that thing. She had to get it. Her life depended on it now. If she could get it, she could win. One of the black ribbons whipped itself around and came swinging down for her once more. This time she jumped out of the way, landing on her aching legs as it struck hard down where she had just been laying. The creature let out another bellow as it began to turn, chasing her with its ribbons. Twilight ran, beginning to run a circle around him. The ribbons pulled back and whipped forth, always just missing her. Its body couldn't move as fast her running, the turning allowing her to get around the creature. As far as she knew, she only had one chance at this and she had to make it count. It might not even work, but she had to try. The creature roared as it lost sight of her, Twilight running around to its back. She skidded to a stop and ran straight for the creature, knowing full well she was running straight into that orb of darkness. The creature tried to turn, to let its head see her, but she was already on him. With a jump, she pressed her hooves into the dark body of the orb and clung. The creature roared, shaking the very air around them as her hooves began to sink into the darkness that surrounded its body. She screamed in pain as it felt like the darkness was sucking her limbs away from her body, crushing them into a single point at the creature's center. But she couldn't stop now; she had to get that sword. She grit her teeth and pushed her body closer to the black abyss before her and shoved her hoof inside of its body. The darkness felt like it was eating away at her flesh as her hoof reached around desperately for its target. She shut her eyes tight, trying to focus all thoughts she could away from pain. She was slowly sinking deeper into the darkness, more of her body being consumed the longer she took to find the item. The creature was flailing about, trying to shake her off of its back, and letting the world know this was just as painful for him. Her hoof struck something hard and thin, her eyes opening wide. Without hesitation she grabbed hold on it and pulled like she had never pulled on something before. Her back legs sunk into the darkness further, but her body and forelegs were escaping. She withdrew her hooves and along with them came the regal black sword, shooting out of the darkness. Bending her legs and jumping off with as much force as she could muster, she broke free from the creature's darkness and tumbled backwards, landing on her side once more. The sword came to a clattering stop next to her as she weakly stood. The creature shook and shuddered before slamming it's hooves down and finally facing Twilight once more. She gently put a hoof down and stopped her body from shaking, just for the moment and stared the creature in the eyes. The white featureless orbs stared back at her, the ribbons whipping back and forth in anticipation of their next attack. She had hurt the creature by pulling the sword out and it wanted to hurt her back. Her magic grabbed the sword, pulsing with energy as it held it right in front of her. The creature's sewn mouth roared, the air distorting more than it had before and crossing the room. The stench of its breath passed over her body as it shook her mane, but she stood firm in her spot. The creature then lashed out, the ribbons heading straight to take her out. The sword flew almost like it was cutting the air itself, blurring through the very realms of reality with its slice. Blood flew through the air, as a thick portion of the leathery ribbon crashed to the ground. The creature howled in pain before withdrawing the severed ribbon, it finally disappearing back into its body. Twilight began to walk towards the creature, the creature's eyes widening in realization. It threw its head back and launched the remaining ribbon towards Twilight. Black flew the air, just a haze of darkness bursting forth, and another ribbon was sliced in half. The creature howled desperately as the ribbon withdrew, sinking into the black orb of its body once more. The head turned and stared at Twilight, it's method of attacking exhausted. Then, with a burst of speed, Twilight ran forward, straight at the creature. The creature raised its head and bellowed a roar, only for it to be swiftly silenced. The black steel of the sword pierced through its chin and through its skull, the world seeming to freeze around them at that very moment. Twilight stared as the sword remained glued to its position, the creature not moving either, not even drips of blood coming from the wound. Deciding that was enough, she pulled the sword free from the creature's head. The beast fell forward, slamming hard against the ground as blood began to pour freely from its wound. It didn't shutter, it didn't shake, it didn't cry, it didn't move. It was dead. She had killed it. Her breathing was heavy, her mind in an almost trancelike state now that she had her hooves on her sword. It had taken everything out of her to take the creature down, but she had done it. She had saved her life; she had saved anyone else's life from this abomination. Just as she was about to walk away, the creature shuddered and she raised her sword up ready to defend herself quickly. However, it began to be pulled back inside of its dark body, as if the orb was sucking in the leftovers of the fight. Bit by bit the leathery pony-like figure was pulled inside of the darkness before it once more had vanished. All that was left was the pulsing darkness of the orb. She stared with confusion as the orb began to shrink down in size, wondering if perhaps it was going to disappear once more. But as those thoughts crossed her mind, the orb began to grow again. She took another step back, wondering if that thing was just going to come back once more and she'd be stuck in an endless fight... but the orb grew past the size it had before. It kept growing, starting to fill up the room. Twilight swung her sword, hoping to cut the dark orb from consuming her, but her sword just sailed right through it. Her eyes widened as she realized she couldn't stop it, and shut her eyes tight as the darkness washed over her body and filled the room. But unlike before when it felt like the darkness was consuming her flesh with every second she was in it, she just felt like she was swimming through thin water. Her eyes opened slowly and all she could see was darkness, but she could breath and it didn't hurt. She could even feel her magic still having a tight grip on her sword. With a flick of her magic, the sword vanished into her reservoir for safe keeping. She wasn't about to lose her best weapon so easily this time. But now she didn't understand what was going on. Why had the orb expanded that way? Why was she standing in darkness? In that instance a blinding light appeared and Twilight squeezed her eyes shut. The bright light burned harshly, her eyes having been in the dark and gloomy world for so long she had almost forgotten what light that bright was like. "My, my, my... so it actually works..." An elderly voice spoke up. Her eyes instantly shot open and she turned her head forward at the source of the voice. Before her was a pony, glowing brightly despite the darkness. His coat was a dulled light blue, with a graying mane that looked like it had once been blonde, with a scruffy beard to match. Around his shoulder and back was a worn in blue cloak that looked like it had seen many years of use. "Hello there, I know this might be a surprise, but I'm-" "Merlin?" Twilight asked confused, her body collapsing into a sitting position as she stared at the apparition before her. As she stared she noticed that she could see through him slightly. This wasn't Merlin in the physical flesh, but some kind of manifestation of him. "Ah, so you have heard of me. I wasn't too sure you would have, considering how long from now it must be." He scratched the facial hair on his chin, "Though I suppose for you it is 'now'. Spells involving time can be such fickle things." "Wait, wait, wait... you mean... you're the real Merlin?" Twilight gawked for a moment. She went to raise her hoof to her head, but realized a very sharp, stabbing pain sensation coursing through her body. The shock of seeing one of the greatest magical unicorns of all time had distracted her from the fact that her entire body was now covered in deep, darkening bruises and likely fractured bones. Her body was a torn up mess and her head was growing light. "Whoa, I can't have you passing out now." He spoke, his horn lighting up in magic. She felt her body suddenly being wrapped with a warm glow and consciousness was returning to her slowly, though her body still felt achy. "By no means am I going to be able to heal you with the limited magic this spell has, but I should be able to transfer enough magic into you to keep you conscious for the duration of our chat." "Merlin... but how? How is this possible?" Twilight stuttered, confusion coursing through her mind. "Well, you should know better than anyone that magic is all about studying beyond what we know. You are Celestia's personal protégé correct?" Merlin smirked softly. Twilight opened her mouth to speak, but Merlin cut her off, "Though I can explain in a bit more depth. You see... what you're seeing now is nothing more than a recording. I set this up specifically to speak with you Twilight Sparkle. I know of you because I have seen you in my studies. Studying time travel, studying how to foresee the future, and studying the Elements of Harmony." Twilight blinked in confusion before lowering her head a little, remembering what she had read about Merlin and his works. She had read he had studied in all those fields, but by no means did she remember any of them being truly successful, not like this anyway. "You seem confused. Well, normally these kinds of spells don't work as well as most unicorns would like. I'm sure at your point in the future you know this. But they take on another meaning when amplified by the Elements of Harmony. I've been studying with them, specifically the use of the Element of Magic." Twilight's ears perked up at his words, realizing what he was saying. "And I've discovered something with the Element of Magic. It truly is just that, Magic. It flows through its user and encompasses them full of energy that would normally never be attainable through normal means." "Wait. Wait, wait, wait..." Twilight murmured, trying to slow Merlin down, "You're saying way too much way too suddenly.... why are you here? ...Well, this recording of you... why?" "Because I have to give you something." Merlin spoke seriously, the small smile he had escaping his face, "When I studied the Element of Magic I saw into the future. I saw you, being trained by Celestia, and that the world was going to meet a terrible fate one day. And I knew the last thing I had to do in my life was give you the means of saving everypony." "You..." Twilight's mouth fell open a little, "You mean... you're going to help me save everypony?" "Yes, but only by giving you this." Merlin raised his head and closed his eyes as his horn glowed once more and another light appeared in front of Twilight. His magic formed into a circle, a triangle being placed into the middle of it and runic symbols circling its outline. "T-This is..." Twilight stammered, remembering the symbol from the mural of Celestia. "This symbol is a spell I've been working on all my life, but I've made sure to destroy any copy of the notes or research on it, as it's far too dangerous to be in just anypony's hands." He spoke clearly. He raised his hoof and gently placed it against it, before pushing it towards Twilight. Twilight watched as it floated towards her, before pressing up against her chest and fusing into her body. She let out a gasp as the knowledge of the spell filled her mind. "This spell is so powerful that it contains a seal just in order to use it. The seal requires the user to be under great emotional duress in order for the spell to be accessed. Then, you just channel your magic into the spell and call forth its name." Merlin smiled, "This is my last gift to the world. Handing my greatest spell over to you." "B-But wait..." Twilight panted, rubbing her head lightly, "How did this recording get here? What did you see of the future? How do I save everypony!?" Merlin just smiled at her. "I left this recording inside of Celestia, as I knew it would reach you one day. She was unaware of its presence, just lurking inside of her these last thousand years. It could only activate at this very moment, with you accessing Celestia's memories." "What? Her memories? But I've only seen a few of those..." Twilight murmured, remembering the few boxes she had found along the way that showed scenes of Celestia's life. "Then you will find the rest very soon, of that I am sure. With this, I'm certain you will save everypony. But it'll be up to you for that to happen." Merlin smiled as his appearance flicked, "And that's all the magical energy this memory can muster. I'm sorry I couldn't answer more questions." "W-wait! You can't go just yet!" Twilight stretched her hooves out, trying to stop him from disappearing. "Go forth and be brilliant Twilight. I believe in you." Merlin smiled as his figure then vanished. Twilight felt the darkness surrounded her rush forward along with him, the darkness soon receding and returning the world back the rusted, metallic hell that had become of it. The orb was once more in her sight as it shrunk more and more before disappearing into nothingness. In its place a bottle appeared, falling to the ground and landing with a soft 'click' before rolling onto its side. Twilight stared dumbfounded at the bottle, before picking it up with her magic and turning to read the label. It was a Health Drink bottle. The world around her thought it was funny, and this was its idea of a joke.