//------------------------------// // Chapter XI: Blood and Magic // Story: Sunset of Time // by Albi //------------------------------// Chapter XI: Blood and Magic Canterlot was nothing more than a desolate ruin now. Fires still burned, consuming everything in their greedy path, leaving only ashes that swirled and danced on the air, eventually carried up by the sporadic wind. The sky was painted in bloody hues, complemented by the black smoke clouds that funneled around the city. Step by step, Sunset stumbled her way through the wreckage of her once proud city. She jumped over the wide fissures the earthquakes had torn open and skirted around pools of hot magma that had spilled from the bloody gash in the mountain face. “Hello?” she weakly called. She wasn’t sure why she did it. She knew in her heart of hearts there was nopony left. Still, she was compelled to keep walking, wandering through the charred remains and calling out to survivors that would never respond. When she reached the gates of Canterlot Castle, she came to a stop, raising her head to the sky. The dark orb that had housed Vesper Radiance was no longer there, returning the sky to a weak semblance of normality. As if she was being drawn forward, Sunset resumed her lonely march into the castle, stepping over the broken threshold of scorched stone. The interior of the castle looked worse than how she had left it. Hills of rubble piled high all around, while the last threads of the carpets and tapestries burned away. All of the windows had been completely smashed open, leaving only multicolored powder behind. Sunset teleported to the top of the broken stairs and made her way down the hall to the throne room, a mysterious force calling to her like a siren's song. Something was waiting for her, and it was out of sheer curiosity that Sunset kept walking, putting up no resistance. She arrived at the large ornamental doors, or at least what was left of them. One had completely fallen off its hinges and the other had severe burn marks on it. The rest of the throne room didn’t fare much better. The ceiling was completely gone, like it had simply been torn off and tossed aside. Every window that had once held a piece of history was now shattered, allowing the distorted sunlight to flow freely inside. Yet despite this, the throne itself was completely draped in shadows. Sunset could just make out a figure lounging across it. “So good of you to come back… Sunset Shimmer.” There was a false sense of glee in the raspy voice that came from the darkness. At that moment, Sunset wanted nothing more than to run away. The creature in front of her was not—could not—be equine in any sense of the word. Horrible chills crawled down her spine and spread into her blood, freezing it solid. She wanted so bad to retreat, yet her legs brought her forward instead, halting her in place at the center of the hall. “You aren’t scared, are you, Sunset Shimmer?” Two balls of scarlet flames appeared where a set of eyes should have been, burning with such an intensity, Sunset was amazed she didn’t melt on the spot. “Oh no, you’re absolutely terrified!” The creature burst into heartless laughter that rang in Sunset’s ears and vibrated through the decrepit hall. Finally feeling herself regain control of her limbs, Sunset turned and bolted for the door, only to have a shadow appear in front of her, baring her passage. It was a nondescript thing, with only enough features that Sunset could tell it belonged to a pony. “Why run away, Sunset; why not just accept it?” Much like its body, its voice was also indistinguishable. “Get out of my way, or I’ll blast you out!” “Mmm, there’s that angry fire. It feels good to let it burn, doesn’t it? To just act on your anger and hatred?” A beam of light erupted from Sunset’s horn and tore through the shadow, banishing it to oblivion. Sunset raised her head, taking deep breaths as she gathered herself together. “That’s it, Sunset,” a voice hissed in her ear. “Find something else to hate, then hate it with all your heart!” Sunset swung a hoof around, trying to catch the shadow in the jaw. It only laughed as Sunset went right through it and stumbled forward in an effort to regain her balance. “Come on, try again. I’m standing right here!” Instead, Sunset took a few steps back and asked, “Who are you?” The shadow threw its head back and laughed. “Me? I am what remains. Broken, torn apart, and beat down. Smothered with love and friendship. But I know the truth. There is no such thing as harmony. Love and friendship are emotions that only exist until they are banished by death.” It began making an advance towards Sunset; its features slowly became more defined, with a familiar mane and tail, and a light teal in its eyes. “But hatred carries on. I carry on. Weakened and dormant, yes. But the more you hate, Sunset Shimmer, the more anger you feel, the stronger I become. I am what makes up the truest essence of your soul. No matter how many good deeds and friends you hide behind, I will always exist!” “ENOUGH!” Sunset threw a hoof in front of her face as a blinding, blue light enveloped the entire castle around her. There was a guttural scream that faded along with the light until Sunset could open her eyes again. Replaced by the castle was a lush, rolling field that stretched onwards in all directions for what looked like forever. In the distance, Canterlot could be seen on its mountain perch in all of its splendor. The sky was stippled a spectrum of darkening hues as the sun set in the west. “Are you alright, Sunset Shimmer?” a regal voice asked. Sunset turned and found Princess Luna looking down at her with honest concern. “I… I think so.” If Princess Luna was here, that meant that everything she had just witnessed was nothing more than a dream, and while that provided Sunset with some comfort, she was still shaken by the words of the shadow. “I can tell you are not being as truthful as you could be, Sunset,” Luna said with a slight frown. “I’m sorry, I honestly don’t know how I feel.” Luna nodded. “That is natural. That was the most powerful nightmare I have seen in a long time. I would be amazed if it did not leave a lasting impression.” “Thank you for getting rid of it.” “It was my duty, Sunset. I am honor bound to protect all denizens of the sleeping world from the nightmares that lurk there. But, I have also been meaning to speak with you for a while now.” Sunset arched an eyebrow. “Really? About what?” Luna took a few gentle steps across the field, her gaze fixed on the setting sun. “Sunset, tell me, how much do you know of your past? Are there any blank spots or gaps in your memory?” Sunset couldn’t help but puff her cheeks. “No, I remember everything just fine.” Luna took no notice however. “What about your parents and your foalhood?” “Princess Luna, are you trying to imply something?” Sunset made no effort this time in hiding the ice in her voice. Turning back to Sunset, Luna gave her a sympathetic look. “My apologies, Sunset, I meant no offense. I believe your intentions are good. However, I also believe there is more to this story than you are aware.” Sunset’s voice softened. “Story... what story?” “The story of Vesper Radiance, and the doomed future from which you hail. Witnessing your nightmare proved my suspicions. There is something greater that connects you to her and those events, something inside your subconscious that may give us the key to solving this mystery.” Sunset sat down on her haunches, taking in the weight of Luna’s words. What did her nightmare have to do with Vesper Radiance? Sunset was scared to find out. But perhaps it would explain the voice in her head, and the memories that didn’t belong to her. “But wait, you said subconscious, as in my memories, right? I thought you could only observe dreams?” A playful smile pulled at Luna’s lips. “What is the difference between a dream and a memory? Both can be accessed by the sleeping mind, and thus, both can be observed.” “So you want to go into my memories and see if there’s something in there?” Sunset clarified. Luna nodded. “Indeed. With your permission, of course.” “Well…” Sunset started slowly. “It would explain some things, hopefully. And if it helps us stop Vesper Radiance then—” The entire dream world flickered in and out of existence, and Sunset’s ears stood at attention as a distorted cry reached her. She watched Luna’s entire body go rigid before her eyes glowed with power. Leaping into the air, Luna screamed, “Sunset Shimmer, you must wake up now!”  She slammed her hooves together, and the entire dreamscape shattered like glass. Sunset’s eyes snapped open in time to see a dagger lifted over her head, poised to plunge straight into her neck. She could feel a set of claws firmly pressing onto her chest. Magical instincts immediately kicked in, and a blinding light radiated from Sunset’s horn, forcing her to close her own eyes from the intensity. The owner of the dagger let out a screech of pain, removing their weight from Sunset and allowing her to roll out of harm’s way. Unfortunately, she had not moved fast enough, as a sharp, burning sensation burst across her shoulder, forcing her to yelp in pain. Still, Sunset continued to maneuver off the bed, ignoring the warm blood that flowed out of the fresh wound as she fought with the sheets she had wrapped herself so tightly in. She only found the edge of the bed when she rolled off of it and landed on the floor, still engaged in her struggle with the blankets. The luminosity from her horn began to fade, allowing Sunset to see what she was doing. She finally untangled herself in time to see a familiar griffon rub the spots out of his eyes. “Razor?” Sunset had to admit, she was more curious than surprised at his appearance. How had the griffon managed to track her down so fast? Razor brandished his dagger at her, a malevolent smile spreading across his beak. “Aye, Lass. I warned you we’d meet again.” With a feral cry, he lunged at Sunset, swinging his blade at her head. Sunset’s telekinesis grabbed the lamp that had sat on the bedside table, and swung with full force, slamming it into Razor’s side before the dagger could reach her. Razor cartwheeled in midair and fell onto the vanity desk that sat across from the bed, cracking the mirror as he landed. A shrill scream that could only belong to Rarity reached Sunset’s ears, and she dropped the cracked lamp in her rush towards the door. The force of a cargo train crashed into her side as Razor blindsided her, sending both of them back across the room, and through the window. Shards of glass bit into Sunset’s skin, and the familiar sensation of freefalling filled her stomach. Razor had her by the throat, his dagger clenched in his free hand as the two of them fell from the tenth floor of The Promenade. Sunset’s horn came alive once more and enveloped her in a flash of teal light. The pressure around her neck vanished, quickly replaced by a much softer crashing sensation than the one she had just experienced, followed by more subtle pressure around her entire body. Inky darkness surrounded her as she floated through the haunting abyss, her chest constricting with a desperate need for air. Sunset propelled herself towards the rippling surface, distorted lights sparkling on the other side. She broke through the water and gasped for breath, savoring the sweet air. Paddling for the shore of the koi pond, Sunset began to shiver violently as the cold night air clawed at her wet fur. She pulled herself out of the water, using a quick drying spell to relieve some of the bitter cold before inspecting the gash that adorned her shoulder. It was messy, and had cut deep, but Sunset was grateful it hadn’t reached the bone. Still, it burned something fierce and made her entire leg feel numb. “Dammit,” Sunset said breathlessly, still a little winded from her late night swim. She assessed herself for other wounds, and was relieved when she found none. However, her hourglass was once again missing, left behind in her hotel room. She looked up at the tall, rectangular building behind her. Inside, her friends were—hopefully—still alive and probably grappling with the rest of Razor’s cronies. Sunset had to get back inside to help her friends and retrieve her only means of traveling back to the future. Deciding to take a shortcut, Sunset froze the entire surface of the lake solid, tapping it with a hoof to make sure it was secure. Satisfied with her work, she skated across the frozen water, only to come sliding to a hasty stop when a dark figure landed in front of her, cracking part of the ice with its weight. “Thought you could run away from me again, eh?” Razor stood up at his full height, looming over Sunset. “First thing you need to know about griffons, sweetheart, is that we never let our prey get away.” “And the first thing you need to learn about ponies is that we’re smarter than you think.” With a flicker of light from her horn, the ice directly under Razor’s back paws vanished, forcing him to plunge straight into the water below before it froze over once more. “The second thing you need to know is magic rocks!” Sunset said in triumph as she skated away. She hadn’t gone ten feet when she placed too much pressure on her bad leg, causing it to collapse underneath her. “Ow… dammit—” was all she managed to say before the ice behind her splintered open with a loud crack, and a force grabbed her back hoof, pulling her back into the pond. Once again, Sunset was wrapped in the water’s cold embrace, struggling against a thrashing Razor, while fighting to return to the surface. His claws dug into Sunset’s ankle, and kept her from progressing any further. She twisted in his grip, looking for a good angle to fire a spell and instead found a pair of talons swiping for her face. She ducked, thankful that Razor was slowed by the water’s density. Sunset unleashed a jet of light, striking Razor in his cheek with enough force to slack his grip. She wiggled her leg free and bolted for the surface, hitting the layer of ice she now regretted creating. Another blast from her horn ripped a large hole in the frozen film, and Sunset felt her hoof come in contact with bitter night air. A sharp pull on her tail kept her from surfacing, however. Razor was trying to drag her back down into the depths of the pond. As Sunset’s mind started to go fuzzy with the lack of oxygen, she couldn’t help but wonder how deep the pool even went. Her lungs were now fit to burst, screaming at her to take a breath of air; unfortunately all she could supply them with was a large quantity of murky water, gasping in pain when four needle-tipped claws dug into her flank. Summoning her magic, Sunset’s eyes flashed white with intensity, the familiar sensation of teleporting jolting through her body. She hit a hard surface, and not a moment later felt a cascade of liquid fall on top of her. When the torrent was over, Sunset took a gulping breath of air, coughing and sputtering and excess water that had found its way into her lungs. Opening her eyes, Sunset quickly recognized the dim hallway of the hotel and forced herself to her hooves, praying that she had landed back on the tenth floor. Steadying herself with the wall as support, Sunset’s eyes landed on a black feathered figure shaking itself off only a few feet away. “Damm,” Sunset deadpanned, pushing herself off the wall in time for Razor to pounce after her. Sunset jumped out of harm’s way, putting in her place the copious amounts of water that had traveled with her from the pond. Razor could only watch as Sunset lifted it between them, forming a thick barrier by freezing it solid. The corridor dropped several degrees as a giant block of ice appeared, separating Sunset from Razor by a margin of at least a yard. Sunset could barely make out the griffon on the other side, but could tell he did not look too pleased. Satisfied, but not in a mood to gloat, Sunset turned and limped down the hallway, stopping when something red caught her eye. It quickly grew in brilliance, and Sunset turned around to see it radiating from the other side of the ice wall. The ice then exploded into millions of pieces, revealing Razor, standing with his talons outstretched. A ball of fire hovered just over his palm, where Sunset could also make out a faint, glowing marking. A look of sheer smugness was written on his face. “Oh, come on!” Sunset yelled, ducking as a fireball was flung over her head. It carried on and hit the carpet, setting it ablaze and spreading across the corridor. She turned and sprinted down the hall, leaping through the fire and ignoring the aching pain in her shoulder. Every open door she passed strengthened her conviction that she had landed on the right floor, as every room showed signs of some sort of struggle. Sunset could only hope all of her friends had made it out okay. Another fireball whizzed past her mane, nearly setting it alight. Sure, give them the ability to fling fire around, it wasn’t like they were dangerous enough already! Reaching the end of the hall, Sunset broke off into her room, slamming the door shut and levitating the queen sized bed in front of it, knowing it would only buy her a few additional seconds. She crossed the room, snatching her hourglass which had, once again, remained untouched from the bedside table, all the while trying to come up with a plan. “I need to get out of here and find the others, but I can’t just keep blindly teleporting everywhere, that’s a waste of magic, and dangerous! I’m surprised I haven’t spliced myself yet.” Both the door and the makeshift barricade simultaneously combusted into tiny, smoldering fragments, with Razor squeezing himself through the door frame, another ball of fire in his hand. He was quickly repelled by a rapid barrage of magic missiles, detonating on impact and sending him crashing into the opposite room. A bright glow wrapped itself around Sunset’s horn as she prepared to teleport again before it faded out. Wait a minute, why am I running? She dug her hooves into the carpet, a confident feeling overriding all others. I can take him! He may be able to throw fireballs, but he doesn’t know the first thing about magic! Across the hall, in the room that had previously belonged to Twilight, Razor was getting back to his feet after having crashed onto the bed, smashing it in half. With one hand, he drew a long rapier out from the scabbard on his side. Another ball of fire appeared in his free hand. Sunset’s smile faltered. Right. Forgot about the swords. Razor hurled the fire at Sunset, who rolled out of the way, summoning her ethereal bow as she popped back up to her hooves. She fired a golden arrow, gracefully dodged by Razor and continued on to shatter the opposing window. The two continued to trade projectiles, Sunset becoming increasingly aware that her room was catching fire. Both of them had a narrow frame of range, hindered by the tight doorway and corridor in between them. Thus, their contest had become a game of who could dodge the longest. Sunset’s size gave her an advantage, but Razor was apt at deflecting some of her shots with his sword. Eventually, Razor began to advance, sacrificing maneuverability for strictly repelling Sunset’s arrows. Sunset started to back up, minding the small bonfires that now littered her room. As Razor entered, an idea came to Sunset and she launched a fireball of her own. Razor blocked it, as Sunset suspected he would, but instead of dispelling, the fire clung to the metal blade, coating it like a crimson sheath. Razor began to swing it around like he was swatting at a particularly large and annoying bug. Still, the fire clung to the sword, turning the metal an angry shade of red. Seeing that the fire did not spread beyond the hilt, Razor decided to ignore it and took a swing at Sunset. Sunset ducked, using her magic to rip the nozzle of the bathroom sink clean off, allowing a geyser of water to burst into the air. Evading another swipe of Razor’s flaming sword, she redirected the roaring jet straight towards him, dowsing him with gallons of cold water. When it finally died down, Sunset was left with a very wet, very angry griffon. He raised his sword, now free of its flames, and brought it down overhead. Sunset, with a nonplussed look, raised the broken nozzle as her only means of defense. The sword met the broken pipe, and instantly shattered upon impact, leaving Razor with nothing more than a handle and an outraged expression. Sunset quickly raised the nozzle and brought it down on top of Razor’s head before he could recover, sending him straight to the ground. He groaned, but did not get back up. Now in a mood to gloat, Sunset dropped the pipe and grinned broadly. “That’s two points for Sunset Shimmer. Please, quit while you’re behind.” Examining the rest of the room, Sunset found that, while the flood had put out the fires, everything was a complete wreck. The bed was in disarray, the lamp lay broken on the floor, the night stand had been destroyed by a stray blast of fire, the curtains had been completely burned away and the window’s glass shards lay embedded in the carpet. Sighing deeply and falling back onto her haunches, Sunset took another look at her wounded shoulder. She had been so busy fighting she had barely noticed it, but now the pain came in waves and caused her to wince at the slightest movement. The blood flow had reduced to a trickle now, but had stained the fur around the opening an ugly shade of red. Sunset wished she knew healing magic, but those were some of the highest level spells, and she hadn’t gotten that far in her training. Instead, she began to tear off strips of the bedsheets and wrap them around the wound. She cursed the odd position of the cut, having to drag the makeshift bandages around her chest to cover it. She stood up, gingerly testing her bad leg and trying to carry most of her weight on the other three. Although she received a jolt of pain with every step, Sunset was relieved to know she could still walk on it. She had only taken two steps to the window, pondering what she should do next, when she heard something scratch against the carpet. She spun around and saw Razor snap his head up and lunge at her with a swipe of his claws. Sunset dropped to the floor, her horn emitting another blinding light. She felt the temperature drop again, and looked up to see a white statue looming over her. Sunset crawled out from under Razor and appraised the frozen griffon, stuck in a striking pose, beak partially open. “Huh, should have done that in the first place,” Sunset said, tapping the tip of his nose to make sure he was absolutely frozen solid. “Ah ie ou…” Razor managed to gurgle out of his frozen mouth. Sunset translated it into ‘I’ll kill you’ and merely rolled her eyes. She walked over to the broken window, minding the pieces of glass coating the floor, and scanned the horizon. Her friends were out there somewhere in the dark night, hiding or fighting for their lives. Sunset had half a mind to defrost Razor’s head and interrogate him, but she knew he probably wouldn’t say a word. Sticking her head out, Sunset glanced up and down the road, but could not see anything within the darkness from her height. Her eyes landed on the cluster of bright, colorful lights that was the Strip. It would be the best place to try and lose someone, Sunset reasoned. She had nothing else to go on, and she knew she couldn’t just wait around and hope her friends turned up. Looking down, she concentrated her energy and vanished from her room, reappearing on the sidewalk next to the hotel. Her eyes caught a splotch of red on the white linen that acted as bandages. I should try to take it easy with the magic until I stop bleeding. She didn’t want a repeat of what happened to Twilight in the desert. Seeing as walking was her only option, Sunset broke into a brisk canter towards the welcoming lights of the Los Pegasus Strip. A loud, piercing shriek woke Applejack up better than any rooster ever had. So well, in fact, that she had been startled right out of bed and onto the floor, narrowly dodging a fireball that crashed into the wall. What the…? Applejack peeked over her bed and saw two griffons, a large one and a rather skinny one, entering her room. The large one had a ball of fire floating just over his palm. “How could you miss her, Vin? She was jus’ lyin’ there.” The scrawny one laughed, earning him a punch in the arm. “Shut up, Carrow, or I’ll hit you instead!” Applejack scrunched her face into a look of pure apathy. Back for more, are ya? She turned on her front hooves and struck her back legs out, making contact with the bed. The entire thing flew forward and crashed into the wall, catching the griffons by surprise and nearly flattening them. Snatching her hat off the bed side table, Applejack scanned the room for something she could use to defend herself with. The bed which had been blocking the door exploded in a fireworks display of burning wood and silk. Applejack took a few steps back as Vin and Carrow moved back into the room. “Shouldn’t have done that, little pony,” Vin said in a low, deadly voice. He hurled another ball of fire at her. Applejack jumped to one side, and the flaming projectile crashed into the window, shattering it into fine powder. She grabbed the lamp that had shared the table space with her hat and threw it at Vin. He ducked, and the lamp smashed against Carrow’s head instead, sending him to the floor. Vin growled as balls of fire appeared in both of his outstretched hands. They burned so hot, Applejack could feel her skin prickling from across the room. With no other option, Applejack turned and jumped out of the window, the inferno roaring right behind her nearly setting her hat ablaze as she fell. This is gonna hurt. Applejack stared down at the black water of the koi pond, bracing herself for the impact. She crashed against the water, her cry of pain vanishing with her into the depths of the pond. Her body felt like it was being brutally shocked, and her bones rattled from the harsh crash. Had anyone other than an earth pony attempted that, they probably would have been flattened against the water. Instead, Applejack just floated beneath the surface, her body achingly numb. The cold water helped dull some of the pain, but she could still feel impact vibrations buzzing through her body. Fighting against the pain, she kicked her back legs and broke through the surface, taking in a deep breath. She paddled to the shore and wobbled onto the grassy hillside before falling onto her stomach. “Ow.” She was only able to lay there for a few seconds before a patch of grass next to her burst into flames, jolting her to her hooves. “I’m surprised ya lived from that fall!” Vin shouted down to her. “Yer pretty sturdy for a pony.” Applejack didn’t have time to retort, as another fireball flew down at her. She broke into a run, distancing herself from the grassy acre around The Promenade and fleeing down one of the city streets. “Dear Maker, how in the world did they get fire powers?” Applejack asked between pants. Her hooves pounded against the pavement, still a little shaken from the fall she had endured, but they were recovering quickly. Fire rained down from above, always landing just a hair's breadth from Applejack, curling her fur from the intense heat. She was glad there was nopony out around this part of the city; she would hate to have a bystander get hurt because of her. Still, Applejack knew she needed to find a more secluded location instead of barreling down random sidewalks. A fireball streaked past her and burst against a lamp post. It toppled over and crashed to the ground, forcing Applejack to skid to a stop and change directions. She slipped into an alleyway, vanishing into its consuming shadows. “Don’t think I can’t see ya in there,” Applejack heard Vin call. “Yer just makin’ my job easier.” Scarlet colors crept into the corners of Applejack’s eyes, and she could feel the scorching heat getting closer and closer. She doubled her speed and threw herself around the corner, just as the blaze crashed against the wall. She emerged from the alley and found herself on a dark street. There were no lights or lanterns, and a chain link fence blocked her path. Hearing the sound of Vin’s wings, Applejack ignored the ‘No Entry’ sign attached to the fence and hopped over it, landing on hard packed dirt. In front of her, Applejack could just make out the skeletal structure of a half-finished building. Girders and joists held the construction together, while scaffoldings hung from the sides. Applejack dove behind a pile of pipes, finally finding a moment to catch her breath. “Of all the hairbrained trips and adventures we’ve been on, this one has to take the cake,” she whispered. She didn’t regret coming with her friends on a journey to save Equestria, but Applejack was starting to think this time she may have bitten off more than she could chew. Overhead, Vin flew around the construction sight, taunting Applejack in an effort to draw her out. It was only a matter of time before he spotted her. “Filthy varmit,” Applejack said under her breath. “Knows Ah wouldn’t be able to hit ‘em even if Ah did show mah face. How am Ah suppose to fight back when he can fly and shoot fire?” Applejack searched around for some form of miracle; it was the only thing that could help her now. For her, it came in the form of a very familiar object. A coil of rope was sitting on the other side of the yard next to a tall mound of fresh dirt. Applejack grinned. That was all she needed to tip the scales. She rushed forward, thundering across the dirt, leaving dust clouds in her wake. With a lunge, Applejack grabbed the rope in her teeth and rolled behind the dirt pile just as another burst of fire struck where she had previously been. Working fast, Applejack fashioned a knot in the rope, creating a wide lasso. “Now Ah’m in business!” Something hot crashed into the dirt behind her, and Applejack sprung back into motion, taking the lasso up in her mouth. She emerged from her hiding spot, this time heading towards the metal complex. She left a trail of fire behind her, staying one step ahead of Vin’s blasts while he shouted, “Hold still, ya little rat!” There was a wooden ramp leading up to the second story, and Applejack scaled it, trying to close the distance between her and Vin. The ramp burst into flames just as Applejack’s front hooves touched the steel girder. She maneuvered around the metal beams and raised walkways, watching Vin grow frustrated as his fireballs collided with the ironworks. Applejack was careful not to step on the hot spots as she danced around the narrow spaces, biding her time as Vin flew in closer and closer, trying to get a better shot. She jumped from a girder to a scaffold, wincing as a stream of fire grazed her tail, sending the smell of burnt hair to assault her senses. She ignored it for the time being. Spinning her lasso in her mouth, Applejack ducked under one last projectile before throwing her rope and snatching Vin by the arm. She quickly jumped backwards off the scaffold, bringing Vin down with her. He crashed against it before tumbling down and landing in front of Applejack with a moan. Applejack twisted around to buck him, but Vin recovered and swatted her hoof away, upsetting her balance and sending her across the wooden floor. He pulled out a longsword and started to advance on Applejack. Rolling off her back, Applejack heard the floor squeak underneath her and noticed there were no nails pounded in yet. She looked up at Vin, measuring the length of the floorboards, and slammed her hoof down on the closest one. The other end sprang up and struck Vin square in the jaw. He dropped his sword and fell to the ground again, cursing in pain. Applejack sprang up and sent him into unconsciousness with a final kick to the head. She knocked his sword aside and undid the rope from his arm, storing it under her hat. “This’ll come in handy later.” She smiled. While the inner city had some grasp of what sleep was, the Strip had no notion of the concept whatsoever. Lights, music and chattering ponies surrounded Sunset as she hobbled along the main road trying not to get too distracted by all of the attractions. Ferris wheels and palm trees, sparkling fountains and neon lights lined both sides of the road, while extravagant buildings towered over her. Sunset passed a replica of Canterlot Castle, remodeled as a casino and completed with authentic royal guards. Further down, Sunset crossed through a large plaza with a scale model of the Neighfful Tower in the center. In her peripheral vision, she could see a beam of white light emitting from a large black pyramid. Sunset was glad she had recently eaten, for the various smells of the late night eateries combined to make one heavenly aroma that, despite her content stomach, made Sunset’s mouth water. The sound of slot machines and the clinking of bits reached her ears loud and clear, blending together with the rhythmic beats of the music that blasted out of one of the nearby hotels. “Ugh, this is like trying to find seven needles in a giant haystack,” Sunset complained, turning down another brightly lit avenue bustling with ponies. She had only come to the Strip on a whim, but the odds of finding her friends here were slim. Starting to feel discouraged, Sunset stopped to rest at the base of a bright neon sign advertising some up and coming magician. It was bright, flashy and so distracting, Sunset was surprised she didn’t notice it sooner. Her ears perked up as a brilliant idea began to form in her mind. She looked back at the black pyramid hotel, its tall light piercing the heavens. That’s it! If I can’t find them, I’ll have them find me! She got up and raced down the avenue, darting in between the pedestrians, trying to make her way to the pyramid, slowed only by the pain in her shoulder. When she came around the next corner, Sunset beheld an intriguing sight. In front of her was a massive monument of a pony sphinx. Its large lion paws stretched out wide on either side of the entrance it guarded, snout pointing down with large, unflinching eyes that were sculpted with so much detail, Sunset thought for a moment that the sphinx might be alive. A pair of stone wings were strapped to the side of its marble white body, and its head was decorated with a regal gold and silver colored headdress. The sphinx was in a lying position, as if it were guarding the black pyramid it was built into. Sunset bypassed it completely, ignoring the ponies milling around the plaza, and headed straight to the pyramid itself. She reached the foot of it and looked up, its glossy black surface stretching up over her until it reached its shimmering apex. All I have to do is get to the top, Sunset thought. An easy enough job with the right magic. With a glowing horn, she placed a hoof on the slanted building, sticking to it like tape. She placed another hoof, then another and another, beginning to scale the pyramid. It took a little force to unstick her hooves and move them to another position, but she made progress, taking pause when her shoulder ached, and only resting long enough for the throbbing to subside. Sunset couldn’t help but grin to herself. Scaling a metal pyramid at night. I gotta admit, this is pretty cool. She was about halfway up when she took another break. Waiting for her shoulder to rest, Sunset gazed into the reflective surface she was standing on. The lights of the hotels and the pale moon were only slightly distorted, giving a near perfect mirror image. A moving dot appeared by one of the rooftops, catching Sunset’s eye. She stared as it grew larger, taking shape into something Sunset had quickly grown to despise. Another griffon. It was flying straight for her, weapon in hand. Sunset growled in frustration, cursing her luck and their determination. Thinking fast, she examined the angle the griffon was coming at her from and picked out a tile just above her head. “Hope this works,” Sunset said, charging up a shot. She fired at the tile, watching the blast reflect off the surface and speed outwards toward her real target. She heard the griffon squawk as the spell struck him in the wing, sending him down to the pavement below. Sunset didn’t give him another thought, choosing instead to climb faster. The luminous point of the pyramid drew closer with every step Sunset took, forcing her to look at it only from the corners of her eyes.  She reached the tip and pressed her glowing horn against it, channeling her magic into lighting structure. The white light began to die down, rendering the sky around it dark until a bright, teal light exploded into the atmosphere, pulsing with a magnificent radiance. Sunset kept her eyes close, backing down a ways before admiring her personal signal flare through narrow eyes. Even then, its intensity threw spots in her vision. She just hoped the others would recognize it as a sign and make their way to her. Though it was now probably the most obnoxious thing in the city. Sunset was sure the teal beam of light could be seen from every corner of Los Pegasus. She turned around to begin her descent, just in time to throw a forcefield around herself and have the griffon from earlier crash face first into it. He shook off his daze and pounded a double-ended spear against the bubble. “Come out and play fair, ya little runt,” he said in a weaselly voice. Sunset noticed his was flying crooked thanks to the shot she had given his wing. She also noticed that he was scrawnier than the other griffons she had seen, and hadn’t been present at the desert. Great, there’s more of them! Sunset expanded her shield, pushing the griffon away before she broke it and reconverted the energy into shrapnel-like pieces, hurling them at her opponent. The griffon spun his spear like a propeller, deflecting the oncoming attack. He rushed at Sunset, who leapt out of the way and cancelled her sticky charm, letting herself slide down the side of the pyramid. The wind whipped at her face as she gained velocity. Only now was she aware of just how high she had climbed. Below her, the pedestrians looked like bugs. She lost her balance on her hooves and fell back onto her flank, riding the pyramid like it was a giant slide. A whoosh of wings alerted her to the winged beast approaching from behind. The griffon appeared in her line of sight and swung his spear at her head. Sunset ducked, slipping onto her stomach before rolling onto her back and dodging the follow up thrust. She let loose a jet of fire, managing to singe the tip of the griffon’s uninjured wing before he fell back. Sunset flipped back around and pointed herself at the back of the sphinx rising up to meet her. She hit the marble, tumbling head over hooves, unable to slow herself down. She finally came to rest on her stomach, her eyes spinning in their sockets. Once the world had stopped revolving, Sunset climbed to her hooves, just as the griffon swooped down and landed in front of her. “You birds are really starting to get on my nerves,” Sunset growled. He pointed his spear at her. “We aren’t birds, we’re griffons! And we have names, ya know! Mine’s Carrow, pleasure to hunt ya!” “Like I care!” Carrow snickered. “Oi, you sound just like ‘er, too.” Sunset raised an eyebrow. “Sound just like—woah!” Carrow took advantage of Sunset’s brief lack of focus, jabbing at her with his spear. She rolled to the side, managing to take only a wound the size of a paper cut across her side. A bolt of magic flew from her horn and struck Carrow’s hand, sending his spear flying down the sphinx’s back, landing near its neck. With a wide leap, Carrow went for his weapon, but Sunset yanked him back with her telekinesis, grabbing him by his tail and throwing him towards the pyramid. He caught himself at the last moment and used the glass like a spring board, throwing himself forward and grabbing Sunset by the neck as she ran towards the spear. He kept flying, pinning Sunset against the sphinx’s neck and picking up his spear to run it into Sunset’s heart. It stopped a few inches away, held in a blue aura. Sunset struggled against Carrow’s force, barely keeping the instrument of her death at bay, while his talons gripped harder around her throat. Darkness began to creep around the edge of her vision, and she lost some hold over the spear. She squeezed her eyes shut and poured all of her magic into her horn, desperate to make something happen. Carrow’s grip went slack, and Sunset slid down the sphinx’s neck, coughing as she refilled her chest with oxygen. There was a clatter next to her, and Sunset saw Carrow’s weapon had fallen from his hand. She looked up at Carrow and gasped at the sight. A needle of stone was sticking up out of the sphinx’s back, impaling him straight through the heart. His eyes were wide, but the life had already left them. His arms dangled in front of him, the needle propping up his corpse. “Did I do that…?” Did I really… kill him? Sunset stared at the body, amazed at what she had made her magic do. That was all she felt, amazement. She frowned, and felt like she should be feeling more than that. Pity? Guilt? Fear? No other emotion stirred in her. She looked upon Carrow with indifference, desensitized from the act of killing another sentient being.   Well, he did try to kill me, Sunset reasoned. Still, part of her felt like even if it had been in self-defense, the very idea of killing someone should have had some impact on her. Instead, she felt nothing. No regret, no remorse, no sadness. “He was a threat. He got in my way and tried to kill me. I just defended myself and he happen to die as a result,” Sunset said in a dispassionate tone. Her actions were justified; she didn’t need to feel anything. At least, that’s what she kept telling herself. Fluttershy was glad she was a light sleeper. The instant her room door had flown open, she sprung from her sleeping position and screamed at the top of her lungs at the sight of the griffon approaching her. She just hoped it had been loud enough to warn the others. Fluttershy proceeded to throw herself into the air as the griffon lunged at her, resulting in him smacking against the headboard instead. Not wasting any time, Fluttershy threw the window open and took off into the night. Part of her felt cowardly for leaving without checking on her friends, but what was she supposed to do? She couldn’t fight against angry griffons with weapons! Fluttershy was frightened by their tenacity and dedication. Just how far were they willing to go to capture—or kill—her and her friends? She stopped mid-flight and turned around. She was already having doubts about just running away and hoping her friends could fend for themselves. She wanted to go back and do something, anything to help support them. Unfortunately, the large black shadow flying at her forced her into reconsidering, and instead, Fluttershy sped further away from The Promenade. She flew low, skimming the rooftops of the lower buildings, and weaving in between some of the taller ones, looking for a place to hide. She could hear the wing beats of the predator closing in on her, encouraging her to fly faster, reaching speeds she knew Rainbow Dash would be proud of. Fluttershy banked around a wide, rectangular building and pressed herself up against the glass on the other side, hoping the griffon would keep on flying. It partially worked, as the griffon had continued to fly for some distance, leaving Fluttershy to believe her ruse had succeeded, until the griffon stopped and did a one-eighty, spotting Fluttershy as she tried descending into the streets below. Swinging what appeared to be a barbed length of chain metal over his head, the griffon homed in on Fluttershy, who screamed and rocketed upwards in a bid for escape. The rattling of chains reached her ears as the metal whip snapped near her back hoof. Fluttershy abruptly changed directions trying to throw off her pursuer. Below her, the city fanned out in all directions, a spiderweb of lights and colors. Fluttershy zigzagged, heading in random directions for random periods of time. She didn’t know how good of a plan it really was, but it was all she had. She couldn’t go down into the crowded city and risk other ponies getting hurt. A cluster of trees caught Fluttershy’s eye. An isolated area near the edge of the city. Knowing it was probably the best place to hide, Fluttershy sped towards it in a gradual descent. Something sharp caught Fluttershy’s back hoof, and she felt herself jerk backwards. She cried out in pain as the metal barbs tore into her skin while they dragged her back to their waiting owner. Fluttershy found a pair of talons wrapped around her neck and she looked into the angry eyes of her captor. “Yer all mine now, pipsqueak.” He grinned savagely, his face awfully close to Fluttershy’s own.   In her moment of desperation, Fluttershy did the only thing she could think of. She headbutted him. Her forehead caught him right on the nose and he recoiled from the attack, crying out in discomfort. But he didn’t let go of her. In fact, as he rubbed his bloody nose, he looked angrier than before. Fluttershy whimpered in terror, watching as he pulled out a dagger. I-I tried. At least I tried to do something. She was prepared to surrender herself to the end, when a blur of motion appeared just behind the griffon. A colorful streak swung in from his side and delivered a solid punch straight to his face. The griffon released Fluttershy, who looked on as her guardian angel unleashed a flurry of punches to her previous assaulter. With one last powerful blow to the gut, the predatory hybrid fell out of the sky, half-conscious from the beating he had taken.   Rainbow Dash spun around and grabbed Fluttershy by the shoulders. “Are you okay?” The last time Fluttershy had seen Rainbow this concerned was after the pegasi race at Junior Speedsters Camp when Rainbow realized she had knocked Fluttershy off the clouds. Fluttershy nodded her head. “Y-Yes, I think so.” She looked at her back hoof where some of the fur and skin had been torn off. “Mostly.” Rainbow followed Fluttershy’s eyes and grit her teeth in fury. “Those stupid…” Rainbow muttered curses under her breath then pulled Fluttershy along through the air. “Come on, we gotta find someplace to hide! The other griffon I knocked out probably won’t stay that way for long.” Rainbow must have been thinking along the same lines as Fluttershy, for she led them to the large grove of darkened trees. Landing, Fluttershy was horrified to find out it was dark for a reason. They had landed in a cemetery. The canopy of trees obscured much of the starlight from above, and the light and noise from the city was faint, drowned out by the quiet eeriness of the graveyard. Headstones and monuments seemed to be laid out in a hodgepodge manner, and overgrown with weeds and covered in cobwebs. A cobblestone path led up a hill decorated with more graves and a few crypts as well. Rainbow caught the look of fear on Fluttershy’s face and reassured her saying, “Don’t worry, Fluttershy, everything here is already dead, they can’t hurt you.” Fluttershy swallowed the lump in her throat. “Your r-right. It’s j-j-just a graveyard.” She looked up at the foliage covering them. “Besides, the griffons can’t find us here, right?” “Right.” Rainbow nodded. “Now, let me see that back leg.” Fluttershy held out her hoof, allowing Rainbow to look it over. “Well, it doesn’t look like it’s bleeding too bad, so you should be fine.” The cuts didn’t hurt too bad either; they mostly stung from the cold air blowing against them. Still, Fluttershy couldn’t help but sigh in relief. “I told you, Lume, they flew over here.” “And I’m tellin’ you, Axel, all I can smell is dead horse.” “That’s ‘cause you let that blue one punch you in the face!” Rainbow let out a snort of annoyance. “Aw man, I didn’t think either of them would get up that fast,” she hissed. “What should we do?” Fluttershy asked. Rainbow spread her wings in preparation for flight. “You stay here and lay low. I’ll handle those two goons and come back to get you, then we’ll go look for the others.” “Do you know if they’re alright?” A look of uncertainty crossed Rainbow’s face. “I… I’m not sure. I think I saw Applejack running away, but that’s all I know for sure.” She shook her mane and tried to put on a confident grin. “But, you know them. I’m sure they can handle themselves!” Fluttershy saw the look of worry in Rainbow’s eye. Her bravado could only hide so much of her concern. “Okay,” Fluttershy said, “but can you handle yourself against both of them?” She gestured upwards. “Don’t worry, I’m not gonna let a few feather brains bring me down!” With that, Rainbow launched into the sky, raining leaves down on Fluttershy’s head. The silence afterwards seemed much louder than before. Fluttershy wasn’t sure what terrified her more: the thought of Rainbow Dash having to face those griffons alone, or being by herself in a graveyard… at night. An owl hooted somewhere in the distance, and Fluttershy promptly jumped behind a tombstone, only to cry out in fear again and dive into a nearby bush. “Oh, this is ridiculous,” Fluttershy chastised herself. She poked her head out of the bush, her face set in a determined expression. “Rainbow Dash is up there fighting on her own, and I’m down here being scared by my own shadow. I may not be able to fight, but the least I can do is show a little bravery.” She stepped out of the foliage, carefully skirting around the decrepit headstone. “Besides, Rainbow is right, it’s j-just a cemetery. Everything here is already d-dead,” she squeaked. “There’s nothing here that can hurt me.” She stopped in front of a large, aging statue of a hooded pony wielding a large scythe. Fluttershy gulped. “Nothing can hurt me, nothing can hurt me, nothing can hurt me.” The loud, squealing sound of wrought iron gates opening echoed through the graveyard, and it took all of Fluttershy’s will not to scream in terror at the sudden noise. Looking out from behind the statue she had ducked behind, she could see four shadows approaching from the bottom of the hill. Squinting her eyes, she could make out the leader figure wearing a black cloak that covered all of its features. “The Grim Reaper,” Fluttershy whimpered. Staying out of sight, Fluttershy retreated further up the hill, trying to find a safer place to conceal herself. Brave or not, there was no way she wanted to be caught by the Grim Reaper. Using tombstones and crypts as cover, Fluttershy found her way deeper into the cemetery, to where the hill eventually evened out and the graves were a little more organized. A large tree soon caught her eye and upon further inspection, Fluttershy discovered it had a hollow just wide enough for her to squeeze in. Without a second thought, she jumped inside, kicking her back legs as she shimmied herself inward. It was a tight fit, and Fluttershy found herself scrunched in a rather uncomfortable position, with her face pressed near the entrance and her body contorted so that she was almost curled into a ball. She grimaced as her injured hoof rubbed against the bark. Something soft rustled underneath, causing Fluttershy to giggle more than panic as it tickled her backside. A brown squirrel quickly broke free from Fluttershy’s crushing weight, scaling her so that he stood on top of her head, looking down into her apologetic eyes. “Oh, I’m so sorry, Mr. Squirrel, I didn’t know you were in here,” Fluttershy said, her voice barely audible. “I’m just hiding from the Grim Reaper, I promise I won’t be too long… I hope.” The squirrel nodded in understanding and settled into her pink hair, leaving Fluttershy to sit in nervous silence. She hoped the Reaper wasn’t looking for anypony in particular and would just pass through. As the seconds creeped into minutes, Fluttershy could begin to hear the crunching of leaves underhoof. She sucked in her breath, wanting to be as unnoticeable as possible. “What, did they not give this guy a tomb or anything? He has to be here somewhere.” a feminine voice cut through the silent night. The Grim Reaper is a girl? Fluttershy thought. From the view in her tree, she could see the cloaked pony and her associates walk into view, their features still masked by the shroud of night. They stopped at a small shrine that had a bronze statue of a pegasus on top. A red light illuminated the area in front of them, a light Fluttershy quickly recognized. Vesper Radiance! “Here we are!” Vesper said cheerfully. “I’m surprised they didn’t give him a mausoleum, I mean he was kinda important. But whatever, easier for me.” She paused looking back and forth between the ponies that flanked her. “You’re all terrible conversationalists. At least the griffons, as incompetent as they may be, can keep me enthralled. But then again, you don’t give me excuses. Maybe that’s why I like you a little more.” Fluttershy made the tiniest exhale she could, unable to hold her breath any longer. Luckily for her, one of the ponies had… moaned, right when she did. “All right, let’s get this show on the road! Sky Chart, give me your hoof.” Fluttershy’s heart jolted. Sky Chart? But isn’t he… She watched as the pony to Vesper’s right slowly reach a hoof out. Vesper yanked it closer and produced a knife from within her cloak. There was the sound of breaking skin, and Fluttershy swore she was going to be ill. “Ughhh, already rancid? I don’t believe it! Father, come here!” Vesper dug her knife into another pony, only to cluck her tongue in disappointment. “Hmph, I guess necromancy has a few more ill-verse side effects than I thought.” She wiped the knife against her cloak before holding out her own silhouetted hoof. “If you want something done right…” Fluttershy’s eyes widened as the mare brought the knife across her own foreleg. Though she couldn’t see it, Fluttershy knew Vesper had cut deep, yet there wasn’t a peep of complaint. “Sanguinem vivum, libenter accipi ut det requiem aeternam sitim. Nunc e sepulchro surge et arcana participes tua!” Vesper rasped, her voice becoming otherworldly, while Fluttershy watched as she moved her hoof around in the dirt in front of the shrine, like she was tracing something. Vesper Radiance stepped back, giving Fluttershy full view of what looked liked a soft white light pouring up from the dirt. It radiated gently for a minute before dulling into a sickening grey color, and intensifying from a single, narrow beam to a large spotlight that shot into the air. A skeletal hoof broke through the ground, followed by another, and soon, a skull, with orbs of blue fire in its eye sockets. Fluttershy had to shove a hoof into her mouth to stop herself from screaming in abject horror at the scene taking place in front of her. The corpse slowly pulled the rest of its body out from its previous resting place. Fluttershy took some small comfort in the fact that it was just the skeleton, as all of its skin and innards had eroded away long ago. The skeleton stared down Vesper with its flaming eyes, unable to blink or show emotion. “Why have you disturbed my rest, Summoner? Why have you ripped me from paradise?” it rattled. “Are you Captain Gale, last and only known user of the fabled Tempest Crown?” Vesper asked tersely. When the skeleton didn’t respond, she said in a much louder voice, “Respondebitis mihi! As your Summoner, you are bound to my word! Now tell me what I want to know!” Fluttershy thought she heard the skeleton sigh before it spoke again. “Yes, in life, I was Gale. I defended my beautiful Los Pegasus from a terrible storm that could not be turned back. It would have destroyed everything my father and his father had worked to build. So I used the knowledge handed down to me to locate the Tempest Crown and wield it just long enough for me to push the storm back, lest I became corrupted by its black magic.” “As I thought.” Vesper began to pace in front of the animated corpse. “Please, forgive me for waking you from what I’m sure was a lovely dirt nap, but you were the only one I could turn to. You see, Mr. Gale, there’s nopony left in your lineage in this day and age. Your great-granddaughter, Dizzy Duster, was the last of your bloodline and she bore no foals. I would have asked her for help but I thought, ‘why not just go to the source instead?’” Her voice was sickenly sweet, like she was promising somepony honey, only to feed them poison instead. Despite this, Fluttershy couldn’t help but feel like Vesper sounded familiar. “Do not mock me, foal! I know what you seek!” Gale snapped. Vesper stopped her pacing and looked back into his fiery eyes. “Oh good, then I’ll cut to the chase.” The sweetness quickly dropped out of her voice and she said in a threatening tone, “Tell me where the crown is and what I have to do to get to it.” “You play a dangerous game, girl! I already see the Alicorn Amulet warping your mind. Cease walking this path now, and the Maker may still forgive you.” Gale’s voice was almost pleading. “Hmph, as if I care what the Maker thinks of me. There is only one thing I want, and I won’t stop until I have it! I didn’t come to hear you preach, you worthless bag of bones, now talk!” Gale cringed, as if he was physically fighting against whatever force was making him obey. “The… Tempest Crown… it lies on an island just outside the bay. The cavern it rests in is only fully accessible during low tide. Beyond the maze of stone, you’ll find it locked in an endless whirlwind.” “...Is there anything else?” This time, Fluttershy was sure that Gale sighed. “Only the blood of a pegasus can open the doors within the cavern,” she heard him whisper. “Is that all? Well then, Sky Chart, it looks like—” “Living pegasus,” Gale mumbled. There was a moment’s pause in which Fluttershy was sure even the wind had stopped blowing. The blood in her veins suddenly ran cold, and she solemnly wished she had decided to fight with Rainbow Dash. Fluttershy felt her entire body yanked by an outside force, knocking the squirrel from her head, as she was violently pulled through the tree’s opening. She flew across the lawn and came to an abrupt halt, suspended next to Vesper Radiance. “So, how much blood do I have to spill?”