//------------------------------// // Horrifying Revelations // Story: The Cycle Anew // by ManeWriter //------------------------------// She would never be rid of it. The bone chilling, gut wrenching nausea that engulfed her body as she ripped and writhed through the spectral plain was a sensation she would never grow accustomed to. No matter how many times she had experienced it, she would always hold her breath and wish the journey to end. Only the soothing emptiness of the Endless Unknown could deliver her the reprieve she desperately craved. And so it was delivered in full. Twilight Sparkle fluttered her eyes open; realizing she had reached her destination. Her body weightless and free now, the lavender unicorn released her tension unto the perpetual void, and floated idly. She needed not to ask for clarification. "Discord... I guess this means you've made a breakthrough?", she inquired astutely. Coiled around the darkness behind stupefying auroras of light, the Spirit of Chaos turned his head to the floating mare. Only upon a few seconds of thoughtful silence, did he break into a proud grin. "Was there ever any doubt?", he answered. Relieved that she had gotten the hang of Discord's unpredictable Archive, Twilight swam through the darkness with grace and relaxed delight. "You could've have at least warned me, you know.", she calmly chastised. "Couldn't wait, my dear. This is too important.", Discord flatly assured, "You might wanna take a look at this." Suddenly on edge at Discord's grave tone, Twilight swiftly soared to him and his new project. "What have you got?" "Its the damnedest thing, Twilight. Observe." One of the hundreds of tomes flashed into existence with Discord's paw, and Twilight levitated it toward her. "Page 40; Article 17. You're not gonna believe this." As she diligently read the article word for word, she was slightly confused. "These are the notes you took on the Artifact at Canterlot.", she observed with a furrowed brow, "Why is this so important?" Collecting a stash of notes beside him, Discord floated toward the young protege. "The item you gave me is a Reaper Artifact, my dear.", he informed. "What?! And Trixie just carried that thing around?! There's no telling what kind of damage that thing might've caused!", Twilight bellowed. "Buckle up, Baby, 'cause it gets better." "Of course it does..." she dead panned. "The Artifact at Canterlot isn't the only thing that resonates. As it turns out, so does Beatrix's little toy.", he said before giving his notes to Twilight, "I've cross-referenced the energy patterns and chronological outburst of both of them. Crazy as it sounds-" "They're an exact match...", Twilight whispered in amazement after reading the notes, "That's... hilarious." "I KNOW, right?!" Despite her obvious sarcasm, the nagging and daunting fear of the unknown began to bite at Twilight's conscience. What could this have meant? Was there some inconceivable variable that was over looked all this time? Was there a detail that may have been crucial in the light of this new discovery? "I don't get it. If the Artifacts resonate with the same energy, then what does that mean?", she asked herself more than anyone else. "And that, my dear, is the other reason I summoned you here. Though this is merely a theory of mine, its possible that what resides in Canterlot is also Reaper tech. What puzzles me is that despite sharing similar energy signatures, this little bugger just kinda... sits there, being all shiny. But if they were in the same proximity..." Though she was exceedingly good at depicting incomplete statements and hidden meanings, Twilight was eager to clarify what the draconequus was getting at. "What are you trying to-" "No doubt those hopeless nimrods locked the Artifact away in the Canterlot Study by now. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to take this new piece and see where it fits in this puzzle of complications." In a weird way, Twilight could see where Discord was going with his statement. If there were similarities between the items in question, then who was to say that they didn't hold significant meaning in a union? As Twilight glared unto the Reaper Artifact, it seemed only capable of provoking her thoughts with one aggravating question. What if? "What say you, Twilight Sparkle?", Discord patiently asked. "If there's even a chance... even a possibility that a union between the two could-... I'll do it!", she readily declared. Discord smiled proudly, and snapped his talons. Before Twilight knew it, a saddlebag fell onto her flanks. "Then you haven't a moment to lose. Take this to the other Artifact and see what you can learn.", Discord said as he swiftly tossed the item into one of the bags. "You can count on me!" Her determination was now brimming from her eyes as she held hope of finding a way to utilize this new information. It, alone, may have concealed a way to understand the Reapers. Maybe even stop them. It was too good an opportunity to pass up. As she gave Discord a look of readiness, her excitement was suddenly deflated by his hesitance. "Twilight Sparkle? Did you tell them?" That was definitely the one question she had hoped to avoid during their entire meeting. After all, it was only a few hours ago that she was ostracized and shunned by all but one of her so-called friends. "I did... They didn't listen.", Twilight bitterly answered. "Surely you were able to convince at least one of your friends?", Discord suggested. Twilight could only scowl at the nonexistent ground. One of her friends was nowhere near enough to make a difference. Though she was unrelentingly grateful for Fluttershy, the frustrated unicorn knew that she needed all of her companions by her side, or her campaign would mean absolutely nothing. Or, at least, that's what she thought at first. "I'll be fine, Discord. I'll do this on my own.", she nearly spat. At this, the Spirit hastily glided to the young mare's side and lifted her chin to establish eye contact. "Had this been my crusade to destroy anything that could've solidified your friendship, I'd be smiling at your resolution.", Discord chimed, before flatly adding, "I'm not smiling..." Now growing frustrated, Twilight tore herself away from the draconequus' grip with an airy huff. "It doesn't matter anymore. I... I-I don't need them." Discord was silent for but a few seconds. He had stared hard unto Twilight; sensing the doubt and dejected grief in her. He had seen this somewhere before, and it wasn't when he had terrorized the Mane Six a year ago. No, it was somewhere else, and he just couldn't finger it. But the time for meaningless speculation was over. The time to act was now. "Very well, Twilight Sparkle. The choice, and the consequences... are yours.", he said with a snap of his talons. The sudden and jarring reentry into normality zapped the strength of Twilight's limbs as she materialized onto solid tile. Mentally kerfuffled and dizzy, Twilight collapsed to the floor before she could even collect what was going on. "I really... really wish there was a better way to travel.", she complained. In a sudden snap of remembrance, however, the lavender unicorn lifted her head and steeled her resolve. She had a job to do. "Oh! Well, that's convenient.", she smiled as she laid her eyes on the very object of her mission, "Very precise of you, Discord." Her relief was soon replaced by an edge of concern as she saw her old project, however. It was pulsing and resonating more than it ever had before. Constant waves of strange tingling energy ruptured throughout the containment room in the Canterlot Study, second by second. Determination filled the young mare as she tossed off her saddlebag and levitated her other item from within the folds. To her amazement, it emitted the same amount of energy during the exact same time. Soon enough, the power produced by these two relics began to overwhelm Twilight, and she strained herself to keep from crumbling over. Something wasn't right. "Whats-GUH!... Whats going on?!" Her concentration was shattered into a million pieces as her levitation spell was crushed by an abnormally powerful wave. Twilight felt her body being hurled through the air, and cringed at the sharp impact of her back against the door. Shaky and rattled by the sudden impact, Twilight struggled to her hooves for a time, but was struck back down by the brunt of her shock. "What in all of Equestria..." There, happening before her very eyes, was an anomaly she had never seen before. Twilight witnessed in awe as the smaller Artifact unraveled and unhinged itself, and connected to the larger one. It was a union of mechanical beauty, a merger that teased the imagination with every click, clang, and clock. With one final explosion of power, the intertwined Artifacts were engulfed in a beam of white light that shone skyward; hindered only by the ceiling of the Study. Having witnessed this spectacular display first-hand, Twilight could safely assumed that a breakthrough had indeed been achieved. "This... This is incredible.", she whispered. She picked herself from the floor and approached this new anomaly with caution and keen observation. She soon found herself only able to get a few feet closer, however, as the energy it gave off was near insufferable. "This power... I can't believe such a thing existed for so long, and we had no idea." "As it shall remain for the next Cycle..." Twilight's ears lifted to the sky as she was struck by an unnerving familiarity. "That voice... There's no way!", she yelled. But, as if to contradict her denial, another blinding flash of light erupted from the beam itself, followed by a stiff landing of hooves on tile. When Twilight opened her eyes, her ears leveled with animosity. "Trixie?! What are you doing here?!" She was answered only by a fit of triumphant laughter. "Twilight Sparkle! Thank you so much for reopening the Conduit! It was such a pain trying to find a way to do it all by myself!", Trixie thanked in a mocking tone. The now nervous protege scowled at her fellow unicorn, and fell into a threatening defensive crouch, her horn aglow and ready for combat (and payback). "What the hay are you talking about?!", she demanded. "Why, didn't you know?! The Artifact, the Ancient Beacon, had been a part of our history for eons! Yet nopony could even hope to crack it's mysteries! Why do you think that is?", Trixie asked rhetorically. "Stop playing games, Trixie! If you know something about this, then SPIT IT OUT! What beacon are you talking about?!" Again, Trixie laughed. "So demanding! Fine, I'll indulge you, Twilight Sparkle. You see, long ago, before the Equine rose to grace, the Humans had once used the Beacon as a means of sharing information. How ironic that they were as blind to it's potential just as much as we are! The age that spans the existence of this relic is beyond what any of us can comprehend! Millions of years, maybe even more!" Twilight clinched her teeth, and hardened her position all the more. "And?! Whats this history lesson all about?! And what does it have to do with what you're doing here?!" "It has everything to do with why I'm here! Once the Humans had been wiped out, the Reapers found a more... prominent use for these beacons. Beforehand, the only purpose they served was common place. However, they had been technologically enhanced, re-purposed to suit the Reapers' needs! Only within range of Reaper technology can the Beacon's true purpose be achieved, and thanks to you, Twilight Sparkle, IT HAS!" "What?! I-I don't understand! What have you done?!" "Isn't it obvious by now?! They set a trap! A trap that had lied undisturbed for 50,000 years, and you sprang it gloriously!" Twilight's features subtly dropped as a horrifying revelation dawned on her. "Wait... No! You can't possibly mean-...!" "This is the beginning of the end, Twilight Sparkle! Canterlot will fall! And from the ashes will rise the Flames of the Apocalypse! I couldn't have done it without you!" With an indignant roar, Twilight charged at Trixie, who smiled mirthfully and cast a powerful binding spell; constricting all movement. To say the least, it was unbelievable that the azure unicorn could cast a spell that potent. Twilight couldn't even weaken it. But in light of this new development, dwelling on Trixie's new potency was pointless. "Damn you, Trixie! DAMN YOU! I should have let Discord finish you off!", Twilight howled in contempt. "The Conduit is Sovereign's call to War! The Cycle Begins Anew!" With a swift flick of the horn, Trixie vanquished her nemesis; transporting her to a location that served both irony and hilarity. All the same, nothing could stop it now. Its amazing how a troubled mind could enlarge the small and magnify the mundane. Such was a subconscious realization of a distraught Princess Celestia as the spell book she flipped through landed on the floor with an overly loud 'thud'. Even Applejack could feel the brunt of the Sun Goddess' disbelief as she stumbled back from her. "This... This can't be.", Celestia quietly denied, "She really did it... She stole the Incantation." Ever since Applejack had enlightened her Princess of Twilight's unacceptable choice, her mind started running Olympic track-races. Given Celestia's reactions, Applejack was in the clear to assume that she probably should have waited. "Uh, Princess? I don't mean to pry, but what Incantation are ya talkin' about?", she asked. "It is an incantation that was to be used only when ready to teach Discord the virtues of Harmony.", Celestia explained with a shadow of a grimace, "The page containing that spell is missing from this book." Applejack was downcast when she heard that. She had never really pegged Twilight a thief. Were things really as bad as they- "No! If she used that Incantation, then that means-!" Celestia's eyes flashed with wrathful recollection as she transported Applejack and herself in front of the vault that contained the Elements of Harmony. The alicorn hastily inserted her horn into the jewel-crested lock and cast her spell; opening the vault and relinquishing the chest that contained the Elements. Though her own dread threatened to dissolve her haste, Celestia pushed forward and opened the chest. And as Applejack gasped in shock, Celestia's fears were realized. "Gone... The Element of Magic is-...", she didn't even have the nerve to finish her sentence. Disbelief consumed the regal monarch as she stared jarringly at the chest's contents. Whispers of constant denial began to resonate in her mind, and she could only grieve at the sudden pain of truth. "Princess? What's this mean for Twilight?", Applejack asked, suddenly in a fit of worry. Celestia's words nearly brought both mares to tears. "I didn't want to believe you Applejack. I... I thought-no... I was certain there had to have been a mistake. But what Twilight Sparkle has done is...", Celestia almost dared not use the word and the name of her most beloved student in the same sentence. By now, Applejack was biting on her Stetson; wishing she had waited to tell the Princess what was happening. But she had to know. She had to understand what this meant for Twilight. "What? Please, Princess, I have to know!", she pleaded desperately. From solemn to fierce, Celestia turned to Applejack; beckoning a light tremble from the orange farm pony. "She has committed Treason. If she is working with Discord, then she... she is a traitor to her Kingdom." No amount of protestant cries would've been enough to counter that line of thought. In fact, Applejack was so beside herself with fear, she could no longer speak. She merely stood there, petrified at what had happened. At what she had done. Now overcome with regret, the blond farm pony immediately attempted to alleviate the pressure that was sure to come. "B-But Princess, I'm sure there's gotta be a darn-good explanation for all this! I-I mean, maybe she's sick! O-Or, maybe, she's been studyin' that little project o' her's too much! Maybe she's just not right in the head, but she can't be a-... She just can't!", she defended. Celestia bit back an anguished sigh, and turned toward one of the enormous decorated windows of the Royal Hall. Not even the beauty of Canterlot could detour her muse from this travesty. Nor could it help her forget her responsibilities as a ruler. "Tell me, Fair Applejack, do you know the what becomes of ponies who commit acts of Treason against their Kingdom?", Celestia's voice was a basket-case of dejected sorrow. "Please, Princess Celestia! I reckon if she just had a chance to explain herself-" "She will have her chance... Be certain of that." Suddenly, an abrupt flash of magenta erupted from the center of the Hall. Both mares whipped their attention toward the sudden disturbance, and were in a blatant stroke of disbelief, to say the least. As the light faded, a flushed, sweaty mass of lavender smashed into the polished floor with an indignant grunt. "T-Twilight?!", Applejack exclaimed before instinctively dashing toward her friend. Celestia, willfully shoving her previous situation away for another time, trotted briskly toward the two Elements. After a brief moment of stirring and groaning, Twilight's eyes flipped open, and she launched to her hooves, full of rage. "TRIXIE!" Taken aback by her friend's outburst, Applejack stumbled back, and glanced worriedly at Twilight. "Trixie? What are-" "No! I shouldn't be here! I have to stop her!", Twilight continued to shout. That is when Celestia made her illustrious presence known with a gentle call to her troubled protege. Feeling a sudden, albeit, short-lived wave of relief, Twilight leaped before her beloved Monarch. "Princess! The Artifact! We have to destroy it!", Twilight frantically griped. Surprised by her students sudden outbursts, Celestia raised a wary eyebrow, encouraging Twilight to continue. Applejack was also curious, though lost, about the situation. "It was a trap all along! The Artifact was redesigned to beckon Sovereign to it's location! We have to evacuate Canterlot! NOW!" All mares in the area, however, could only whip there attention elsewhere as shrieking squawks thundered from outside. They peered out of the window in silent amazement as they witnessed an immeasurable number birds lift to the sky in a frantic take off. Feathers flying, the inhabitants down below were also captured by this strange occurrence. Twilight's ears lost all strength, as did her legs, as she dropped to the ground; stifling back snivels and sobs. Tearing herself from the scene outside, Applejack turned to the lavender unicorn. "Twilight? Whats goin' on?" "We're too late. Its happening..." The hopelessness in Twilight's voice was enough to plummet Applejack's heart to her stomach. But as her memory began to crank into action, she gathered key words that slowly ignited the same feelings that consumed her friend. Visions. Civilization lost. Warning... Sovereign. The peaceful skies of Equestria were among the most silent of places. A sanctuary for all able winged creatures, Pegasi or otherwise, to escape their troubles or just to enjoy the limitless tranquility. Peace, however, was not in supply that day. Tearing through the Majestic Blue with speeds most impressive, Dragons and Gryphons alike roared their distinctive battle-cries as they zipped straight above the ocean of clouds. Squadrons and fleets of wing, scale, fur, and feather soared to their destination in droves. Hundreds of creatures all traversing at the same blinding speed with a common goal. And the gargantuan monstrosity of solid steel and terror would see their goals met. This strange contraption soared amongst the Dragons and Gryphons. The sheer magnitude and girth of it dwarfed the creatures to the size of insects, yet the creatures seemed to pay no mind to it. It's shape was that of horror and dominance. A thick, blackened metal hide that gleamed through the sky. A trio of grueling, jointed arms curled in front of it. And it's body surged with patterned lights and red electricity; distorting the peaceful skies all the more with a deafening hum. In perfect synchronization, these creatures began a steady descent through the clouds. Their location was superior. Their target was in sight. The time was ripe. With a vibrant, echoing roar, the Dragons unleashed volley after volley of flaming balls of death through the clouds. Merciless and uncaring, the assault continued, knowing, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that what ever was on the receiving end would be viciously taken apart by a hell-storm of fire and brimstone. And so it was. It was a land that could be seen from even the farthest reaches of the Equestrian Kingdom. If not for it's size and regalia, then for it's prestigious reputation. The eyes of thousands averted their gaze to the sudden disturbance. Blurry from distance or not, the hearts and minds of these masses were spiraling with confusion as they witnessed this disastrous event unfold... Canterlot, the Capitol of their Kingdom, was burning.