“Shining! Where are you??”
Twilight’s screams were barely audible over the panic and roars. She could only see a few feet beyond herself, the dust was so thick. She tried to pick herself up, only to feel her leg trapped under some rubble. She panicked as she tried to pull herself free.
“Shining!” She screamed over and over, with no avail.
“Princess...” She began to give up hope.
The castle shook with terrifying force, causing Twilight to fall once more. Tears of pain and fear began rolling down her face. She began to lose feeling in her leg. The castle shook again, harder this time. She closed her eyes tighter the harder the impacts became. As the shaking grew closer, she braced herself for what she knew was her imminent death.
Suddenly she shaking stopped. She held her eyes shut for what felt like whatever, waiting for the end. Soon, she opened one eye. Most of the dust had fallen and she could see the destruction around her.
Most of Canterlot had been obliterated. most of the population lay dead in the streets. Those who weren’t dead were either unconscious, screaming, or hiding. Twilight stared ahead, everything looked dark, like it was night time, but it was the middle of the day.
A sickening growl from behind paralyzed Twilight with fear. She stared ahead, afraid to turn and face whatever made the noise. She looked to her side just as an enormous claw broke through what remained of the castle wall beside her. She was only half as big as one of the nails on the claw.
Slowly, Twilight gulped and turned to face what awaited behind her. Her hair stood on end as she saw it.
The creature dwarfed Twilight Sparkle. It was at least 80 meters high. Its skin dark, scaly, and bumpy. Strange, tribal marks ran up and down it’s body. The marks pulsed a vibrant orange light. As Twilight’s gaze rose with the creature, she began breathing heavily. It walked on two legs, though it had two sets of arms. Two larger, longer arms, with claws, each with 4 fingers ending in the nails that were twice as large as Twilight. The second set of arms were on the creatures chest, closer together, smaller, and only sporting 3 fingers. Its shoulders had large spikes protruding from them.
Its head was what terrified her the most. Four glowing orange eyes, Rows upon rows of razor sharp teeth, and its mouth pulsed the same orange lights that its body marks shared. But what frightened Twilight most of all was the large protrusion from the monsters forehead and head. A large axe shaped bone structure rose from the creatures cranium.
“Oh my god....” Twilight breathed hopelessly.
A deafening roar echoed across the land. Twilight winced and screamed along with the monster. Her ears began to bleed as she struggled to pull her leg free. The monster began tearing away the castle structures around Twilight. The more it tore apart, the closer Twilight was to being crushed by debris. She began kicking at the debris on top of her trapped leg with her free one. She screamed loudly, both at the debris and the creature.
“Please! God! Let me go! Let me go! LET ME GO!!!” She kicked and squirmed desperately. Finally, her leg popped free and she crawled quickly away from the monsters quickly approaching claws.
She reached a doorway on the other end of the hall. She crawled in and began descending the staircase within. The roars of the monster rang clear, though she could tell it was not chasing her personally. She reached the bottom of the stairs and saw they lead to an exit. She pulled herself up and stood on all fours. Her recently freed leg was in pain but she could still walk with a minor limp.
“Shining! Shining Armor!” She screamed for her brother loudly. “Where are you?” She turned the corner of a building to see a line of guards approaching the castle.
“Civilian!” One guard shouted, acknowledging Twilight. Another guard separated from the ranks and approached Twilight. “Are you ok, ma’am?” He asked.
“I.. Think I’m o-ok..” She managed to say. “Has anyone seen Shining Armor?” She asked, addressing the entire line.
“Ma’am, you need to get to safety, now” The guard beside her said.
“No, Shining Armor is my brother!” She screamed a little too loudly at the guard.
He stood there silent for a moment before replying. “He is down the street and around the corner, ma’am.”
Twilight proceeded to follow the guard directions. As she limped down the street, she saw citizens laying in the streets, either dead or injured. Some of them were in such bad condition, Twilight had trouble keeping herself from getting sick.
She reached the corner and rounded it. A crowd of guards were grouped in the middle of the street. She could hear her brother’s voice echoing from the middle of the crowd. She began to limp faster to the group.
“Shining Armor!” She screamed. She pushed through the crowd of guards, hearing her brother’s voice more and more clearly.
She burst through the last of the guards onto the ground. She gazed up and saw her brother staring at her in disbelief.
“Twilight! Oh my god, are you ok?” He galloped over and helped her stand. “What in Equestria happened to you?”
“I’ll survive” She replied, catching her breath. “I was in the castle when that... thing attacked...” She turned towards the castle. The beast towered over the surrounding buildings, as it ascended the sides of the castle, ripping off chunks of the structure as it climbed. Everypony could see the both living and lifeless bodies fall from the wreckage of the castle.
“You were there?” Shining Armor asked frantically. “You survived that things attacks?”
“It had only begun when I finally got out of the castle.” Twilight told her brother. “Have you started a counter-attack?”
Shining Armor lowered his head. “Our magic and physical attacks can’t even pierce its skin.” He said as Twilight gave him a look of shock. “We have been ordered by the Princess to focus our efforts of distraction and evacuation. Celestia and Luna are preparing a final assault on the monster.”
Twilight stared at her brother in disbelief. “That thing... Is immune to magic?”
“It would seem so”
“There must be something we can do...” Twilight insisted.
“We’ve tried everything. You are in no condition to attempt using the elements on it, Twilight, I need you to evacuate while the Princesses prepare their final move.” Shining Armor said simply. He motioned for two guard to help escort Twilight to the “safe zone”.
Twilight resisted at first. “No! I won’t leave you behind!” Tears began falling again. She tried to kick the guards away and return to her brother.
“TWILIGHT SPARKLE.” Her brothers voice shook her very soul. She had never heard his voice so dark and loud before.
“I will not be insubordinated by you in Equestrias darkest hour. You will leave to the safe zone immidiately. That is an order.”
Twilight stared at Shining Armor for a moment before submitting and following the guards out of the city walls.
~
After 3 hours of waiting in a designated “safe zone” far outside Canterlot, the guards had finally begun returning from the city. Only one tenth of the city’s population had been able to escape. Twilight took to attending to the wounded, patching wounds and using magic to help dull pain. As the guards piled into the refuge, Twilight look desperately for her brother.
She approached multiple guard one by one, asking each one if they had seen her brother or knew of his whereabouts. None of them could give her a straight answer. She began to lose hope.
Suddenly, a shock wave burst through the safe zone. Twilight stumbled as the wave blasted her. She steadied herself and turned towards the origin of the blast. She could see the silhouette of the monster against the castle. It began to lose its grip when a flash of light came from somewhere in front of the monster and made contact with it. Within a few seconds, another shock wave came barreling towards the refuge. Everypony braced for impact as tents, beds and supplies were shot backwards.
Twilight squinted to see what had happened. The monster clung to the castle wall, swatting at something in front of it. Another flash of light appeared, expect from much farther away. Far outside the borders of Canterlot. When the light made contact with the creature, the monster was knocked from its position on the castle. It fell to the town below. As it fell, the light began to grow. Twilight stared at the light, confused. It would not stop growing. A second later, a deafening blast shook the ground. The light expanded rapidly, engulfing the castle and surrounding buildings in Canterlot. Twilight’s eyes shot wide open.
“Brace For Impact!!!” She shouted. Everypony clung to something stationary tightly. The light grew until it engulfed most of the mountain Canterlot rested on. The resulting shockwave nearly sent Twilight flying away. She clung to a boulder, praying her grip wouldn’t fail her. After what felt like an eternity, the blast subsided. Twilight opened her eyes and surveyed the refuge. It seems no one was blown away by the blast, but some tents and supplies were lost. She crawled down from the boulder and turned to view the aftermath of Canterlot. Her jaw dropped with horror at what she saw.
There was no Canterlot. No castle, no town, nothing, A clean cut crater in the side of the mountain was all that remained of the once proud capital.
Twilight stared with disbelief and sadness at the empty space. The town she grew up in was gone. No trace. Her old house. Her school. The castle. All gone.
She lowered her head. She began to weep uncontrollably at the destruction. She had lost everything. Even her brother.
“Twilight?” Said a familiar voice.
“Shining??” Twilight said, her head shooting straight up. Her brother stood before her. He was covered in injuries, but altogether alive. She began crying again and ran into her brother. He winced as she embraced him. He smiled and wrapped a leg around her little sister. “It’s ok, sis, I’m here...”
~
The final assault was a success. The creature, dubbed a Terrovore, was destroyed by Princess Celestia and Luna’s blasts. Canterlot was lost in the process. In its place, a memorial to the lives lost was erected. The refugees were spread throughout the country. Life began to return to normal.
Until the second encounter eight months later.