//------------------------------// // Chapter 6 (The Reckoning) // Story: A Perfect Key // by Jonnydash //------------------------------// A Perfect Key Chapter 6 (The Reckoning) By Jonnydash   As i stood there i noticed the door was not fully closed and was leaning a bit off the hinges on both sides. it was almost as if someone busted through the door in a hurry. We pushed the door open slowly to reveal an elegant main common room. The high ceilings held an impressive crystal chandelier and strung about the hall where purple and pink banners that sort of glistened through the light of the windows. The trail of red we quickly realized that it was blood, this trail of blood we followed led to the bottom of the steps located at the farthest wall. these stairs led to a small stage which held a pedestal with the crest of Equestria embroidered on it. The crest was broken in half and partially burnt hanging half off its original place. The source of the trail we followed led us to look below the pedestal and there lying in an awkward position was Princess Celestia. She laid half curled half sprawled on the edge of the stairs, she looked up at us when we entered the room almost with a sort of dread and fear. Twilight ran to her, tears welling in her eyes. we all followed behind her and came closer to the princess. "Princess.... what...what....what happened here?" twilight asked tears rolling down her cheeks. "I was so worried i didn't know to do!" she was no longer able to hold it back and she gripped the princess in a sort of hug and cradle, now sobbing uncontrollably. The princess responded as if she was out of breath but we all knew she was in pain. "twilight... im so happy to see you and your friends........ i was almost afraid you didn't get my message" she said trying to move but twilight held her head still. "but i can see you found what i needed you too..." She looked directly at me when she said this. A smile crept across her face before she winced in pain. "what do you mean princess?" twilight looked at her when she said this with tears still rolling down her cheeks. "Listen Twilight we need to get her some help." Rarity said standing next to Twilight, she looked right in twilights eyes and turned to face Fluttershy. Fluttershy was watching almost frozen on the princess, she didnt return the gaze and rarity cleared her throught with a loud "mhmmm" and said "Fluttershy darling, what are you waiting for?" she said almost matter of factly. This perked Fluttershy out of her dreamy state and she quietly said "oh. right I'm sorry.." Fluttershy looked over the princesses wounds carefully assessing each and every wound with care just like all of her animals. She had a gaping scrape across her left flank that exposed some red tissue this was the most serious and Fluttershy bandaged this first. The princess had more cuts across her midsection and her right wing appeared to be broken. Around her wounds she was stained a dark red and she had the appearance of losing a fight with bruises and a blood soaked mane stuck to her forehead and around her elegant horn. I stood there watching Fluttershy work and began to feel something, it was a weird feeling like i was being watched by something. I looked around once more through the room and was unsuccessful to notice anything out of place except turned over table and busted glass from the  rear set window. The window was busted from the inside out, as to show someone or something jumping through from our side of the glass. The princess Spoke with a shaky and elegant voice. "I see you brought him here... i was hoping you would and I'm very glad you did" she looked at me as she said this. "Princess he said he was from another world, and doesn't know how he got here." Twilight said this rubbing her eyes trying to hold back her tears. "ahh so it is you." she said as she winced again in pain. "yes i asked him to come to our world, i had it set up to bring him here." she moved on her side again this time to better see us and give Fluttershy room for her wing. "I knew he was coming back, he seemed darker this time and too much for us to stop him." she explained. "wait, who is coming back?" Twilight asked puzzled, she appeared to have calmed down some now that applejack was rubbing her back. The princess looked down and said with a wavering voice "he is already back and i was right he is worse then before......it's Discord." I was stunned at this, this whole time i was planned on being brought here like i was a plaything or as if it was written to bring me here all before. Discord almost brought down Equestria in one of the episodes and the elements of harmony had defeated him. This was different i didn't think he was capable of doing this kind of evil and it scared me, what could i do? i was nothing more then a mechanic and a pony for heavens sakes. The princess continued, "He is trying to destroy this world and create his own, he has started here trying to kill me..." she looked at her wounds and said "I knew he was coming back and that's why i brought Monkey here, he has the power to defeat him." she looked up at me when she finished. "h......how.... how can i be any help?" i said blankly i had no idea why it was me that was chosen over anyone else and how i could help fight a creature that could rip an alicorn to shreds. Fluttershy had finished bandaging the princess when Celestia spoke "you have the key to defeat discord, you have to discover your power and strength." she turned to Fluttershy and thanked her before returning back to me. I remembered i had the key still and now i think i understood why she needed me. this key had something to do with unlocking not only doors but myself and saving Equestria from discord. i knew i couldn't tell her no and she had brought me here and she could help me return back home. all along i was destined to come here and it was fate that i was here. She could see the puzzled look on my face and she stated "we need your help monkey, you have what you need to help us you just have to look inside your self." "i.....i can give it my best to help.." I responded unsure of what else to say. i wasn't 100% sure about my decision but i knew they needed my help, even if these ponies were not real they sure felt like they did. All the ponies in the room looked at each other and i felt better about not only my decision but myself. Out of the corner of my eye Applejack gave me a big smile and rainbow ruffled my mane saying "Great! Now we got to get back at him for what he did!" she exclaimed.  Princess Celestia moved to better look at us, still in pain she said, "please get my sister she is down the hall in her room she doesn't know what happened. I would like to talk to her." "Ill go i know where her room is." twilight exclaimed and took off down the main common and out the wooden door towards Luna’s room. The rest of us stayed in the main common and helped Celestia to her feet. she thanked us and applejack walked up to me. "hey, how ya feelin'?" she asked with a smile. "I'm alright" i laughed "Its a lot to take in and im just a little overwhelmed about everything." "yeah that's kinda expected ya know?" she responded "But we will get through this and defeat discord jus like last time." She seemed confident and happy and that really calmed my nerves. i was glad to have friends like her around. A little bit later a tall dark blue alicorn trotted into the room and rushed beside Celestia as soon as she seen her. They hugged and Luna cried as Celestia explained what had happened. luna cried out "We should have been here to help!" tears streaming down her cheeks as she clutched Celestia. "We are just glad you are ok sister." We all felt a little guilty we couldn't come sooner or have helped but there wasn't anything we could do. i sat down on the steps as the sisters conversed. Twilight looked over at me with a puzzled look and came over and sat. "well now we know what we have to do. Find discord and defeat him to save Equestria." she stated. "i hope we can....... I'm not exactly sure what to do." "yeah i think we need to find discord, he must have run off after the fight." I looked over at the busted window. "Yeah i see what you mean, we should be on our way soon if we want to catch up to discord." Twilight said getting up from her seat. "i will let the others know and we will leave soon" she ended with a smile as she turned away to tell the girls our plan. Soon after the princesses had thanked us for helping and Celestia stopped to talk to me. "Thank you again for helping us and my kingdom." she smiled and said "the farther you go the more you discover about yourself. Good luck Monkey Wrench." "Thank you Princess Celestia." I said and we all walked out of the main common to a back way that led out of the castle and out to her luscious garden and fountain. We continued our journey through her garden, a path was cut from the broken window to a tree that had been knocked over. past this tree led us to a dark forest, it was just lit enough for us to see the path ahead and we continued on for as far as we could until a soft growling noise stopped us in our tracks. we happened to stop in a clearing of trees, red dots darted two and from each tree all around us as the growling got louder. From behind us a gray blur jumped between the trees. The blur darted around us and moved in a speed i had never seen before,  in just a second it had leaped from the trees and in a split second later it had Rainbow Dash Pinned to the ground. The beast looked like a wolf but much larger, with glowing red eyes and sharp grey claws and teeth that seemed to be too big for its mouth. The beasts claws suck into the ponies arms and angrily snarled down at her, as she cried out in pain the forest glowed red with eyes all around us. Rainbow Dash yelled out “GO! I CAN TAKE THEM.... RUN NOW!”  We looked at her and ran without hesitation, we darted back through the forest running through the dark trees and limbs slipping deeper and deeper into the blackness..