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// Chapter 2 
// Story: Stallions of the Apocalypse 
// by BronyWolfGuy 
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Twilight and Applejack reached Zecora’s hut as Applebloom did before them.

“I told you, I am not a fool!”.
“Zecora? It’s me, Twilight Sparkle”.
“It’s you Twilight, you’d be a nice sight. But I’m afraid I must stay behind this door, what did you come for?”.
“Applebloom told me you were sick, and that Ponyville might end. Now tell me, what cough do you have, is it a light cough or a  tickly cough?”.

Zecora give out a burst of awful coughing.

“Twilight, terrible danger is brewing, which is causing my spewing. Four stallions of Nether, that leaves place by a tether”.
“Stallions of Nether? And if we can sort them out, you will be cured?”.
“You are correct, but I must interject, these stallions are tough, they handle rough”.
“We’ll be careful, we’re hoping you get better”.

They head back of to Twilight’s house to look through the library about the ‘stallions of the nether’. A lot of hard book searching had made the place, again, a mess, as it has been so many times before. To Spike’s dissatisfaction for having to clean it up. This time was even worse with so much on the line, both Spike and Applejack have had to duck and dodge the flying hardbacks, sometimes to no avail, to which Twilight, not even lift a eyelid, apologising hastily then return to her zen-like study through the books.

“Here we go, ‘the stallions of the nether’, also known as the horses of the apocalypse”. 

“In a terrible time, long ago, near the birth of Equastria itself. Ponies, pegasi, and unicorns alike, were suffering terribly. Some were fighting each other for more land, food grew ever more and more short, disease and sickness had befallen many and many, with much pain and infection. And all around these terrible inflictions, death was plenty. 

Celestia, shocked by the shear strength and magnitude of famine, war, pestilence and death, using the elements of harmony, locked away most of the apocalyptic inflictions away, not strong enough to lock the entirety away, looked them away into the darkness. 

Leaving the remnants of what was left, but, she was pleased with what she could, as the ponies were now more happy, and grew to accept that illness, food shortages, fighting, and morality was just everyday life, and we too, also joyous about the mass decrease of the inflictions.

Unfortunately, as the years grew, so did the strength of the inflictions in the darkness, transforming into dreaded stallions of the nether. Brutal War, Scattering Pestilence, Consuming Famine and Untimely Death. These stallions laid colonies it past in ruin, forever seeking to restore their influence, and bring forth the end of all”.

Twilight closed the book, the slam breaking the dead silence of what seemed the entirety of Equastria. She did not say or look at the others, only ahead from her book in deep thought.

“… Damn … That doesn’t sound good … If what Zecora said was true.. We can’t let them near Ponyville”.
“This ain’t just about Ponyville anymore, this is about the whole of Equastria. They will destroy everythin”.

Twilight stood dead still. Possibly unable to move from what could happen. Spike jumped on her back and patted her head until she ‘woke‘ up.

“Snap out of it Twilight. We got to do something and standing about isn’t going to go anything”.
“Your right”.

With some new found courage she turned to her friends.

“If Celestia had sealed away them with elements of harmony, when that is what we have to do”.
“But, as the book said, she could she them away for good, we still get food shortages, we still get sick, ponies still die”.
“But she sealed them away at full strength, remember they said they want to be whole, to have their full influence before Celestia sealed them away. In their weaker forms, we could seal them away from good”.
“… Wait, if we can seal them away completely. That means, no food shortages. Our apple tree will never stop bearing their sweet, sweet apples, we will always be able to make our apple cider”.
“No pony will fight with each other!”.
“No pony will ever get sick … and”.
“… And no pony will ever die”.

Twilight looks out at the window. The mares and stallions, living their lives, lovers gazing into each others eyes, worker enjoying their work, children playing with each other. Living their lives. Living.

“We need to stop them, if we do, there will be eternal happiness in Equastria”.


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