My Little Dynasty: Kung Fu is Magic

by Goombasa

Chapter 1: Falling Stars

The night was cold and clear. Winter was on the horizon, and all within the borders of Equestria were starting to prepare for what Celestia had predicted as being a particularly harsh one. Farmers were urged to speed their harvest, gardeners to take extra precaution, and families warned to keep their children from staying outside in the chilling air.
This mattered little to the two ragged figures plodding along at the very edge of Equestrian territory, their manes disheveled and their clothing in tatters. Both were wearing the uniforms of laborers, and neither of them looked very happy with their current situation. A blue-maned unicorn rubbed her hands over her tired eyes. “How much longer must we keep running?” she queried. “Trixie wants to rest.”
Her companion, a golden-coated unicorn with a red and yellow mane, tossed an exasperated sigh towards her compatriot. “Just a little further. I don't want to risk being caught out here by patrols.”
“We're at the very edge of Equestria!” Trixie exclaimed. “What possible risk do we run of being seen out here?”
“There are still border patrols,” the other unicorn replied. “And they are just as dangerous as an inland regiment. If we get caught, out here, with no identification, how likely do you think it is that we'll be treated as free mares?” Before Trixie could answer, she raised a hand and continued. “Not very at all. At best, with the way we look, we'll be treated as escaped slaves, beaten, and dragged into the market to be sold since they obviously won't be able to find our nonexistent masters. At worst, they'll mistake us for escaped prisoners and we'll be executed on the spot.” The unicorn grunted as her companion gave a horrified gasp. “What's worse, even if they did believe we were free mares, based on our word alone, and let's face it, that won't ever happen, we still abandoned our duties on that stupid rock farm. Abandoning your duties is a quick way to get a good beating anyway.” She lashed her fiery tail. “I don't know about you, but I'm not one to feel a soldier's fist in my face.” She rubbed her chin. “I took plenty of knocks under Celestia already.”
Trixie rolled her eyes. “Yes, yes, I know all about your history with our exalted Empress, Shimmer, but can we please stop for the night? Trixie is tired. Trixie is hungry. Trixie is cold!”
Sunset Shimmer's eyes narrowed. “Trixie is about to be eating her own teeth if she doesn't shut up already!” She rubbed her head. “I'm sorry. Look, we're both very aggravated right now, so maybe you're right. Let's see if we can find a place to rest out here.” She scanned the horizon quickly. Nothing but a barren, rocky wasteland. “Of course, we just had to run in the direction of the Wastes. I doubt we'll find any sort of shelter out here.”
Trixie pointed out towards a small rock formation. “What about over there? Those four standing stones? At the very least they'll give us some shelter from the wind.”
Shimmer sighed. “With our luck, they'll probably fall over and crush us in our sleep.” But what other choice did they have. They had no blankets, no extra clothes, not even any flint or tinder to start a fire. What little food and water they had, they would have to ration as carefully as possible, and none of that was going to keep them warm. “Well, let's go,” she said, her voice accented with a heavy sigh.
As they made for the rocks, Trixie pondered her situation. The disgraced court magician of the royal palace, sent away for trumped up charges, she had tried her best to keep her magic act going after the unfortunate incident in the palace, but once you'd been kicked out by royalty, no one else really wanted to watch you perform amazing feats in a traveling wagon. She just wished she could have figured out WHAT she had been kicked out over. The way the advisors were throwing words at her, she barely had time to muster up a solid defense, and of course Celestia hadn't helped at all. Exalted Empress that she was, she had deferred judgement to the advisors, who had wasted no time in tossing her out on the streets. Well, at least her pay from the palace had lasted her long enough to find a job as a laborer... which she had promptly thrown out the window the moment Sunset Shimmer had suggested it.
What was Shimmer's story anyway? Trixie had seen her around the palace now and then, knew that she had once been a promising student under the Empress herself, to the point where some had whispered things about her being the Empress' protege.
So what had happened? Trixie had officially met the mare at the labor camp, busting rocks, same as her. When Trixie had attempted to ask her about goings on at the palace, Shimmer had become extremely bitter, to the point that Trixie feared physical retribution from her. Trixie had learned quick enough not to mention much about the palace to her, and had stopped pressing the issue all together.
The rock formation was, surprisingly, something made by pony hands. Sculpted and crafted into four large segments, almost like a series of claws reaching up from the ground, attempting to wrap around the ground and close its fingers down along what rested in the center. Trixie frowned and leaned against the side of one of the standing stones, following it up to the unusually curved top. “What's the point of this?”
Shimmer shrugged. “Who knows? I've never heard of it, and if I've never heard of it, then that means that it must not be that important.” She examined the stones as well, with mild interest before shrugging and sitting down next to one of them. “Anyway, let's just hunker down to the night.” She motioned to the pack on Trixie's back. “Break out the food. Let's eat.”
Trixie nodded, setting the pack to the side. “Agreed. Trixie is starving.” She smiled and tossed opened the pack, rifling through it. “Ugh, I can't see a thing. Where are Trixie's peanut butter crackers?”
Shimmer blinked. “How'd you managed to get something so extravagant?” she asked.
Trixie smirked. “Trixie knows a guy.” She continued to shuffle around the contents, taking out an apple and tossing it to Sunset Shimmer, who caught it, looking it over. “Ugh, that's it, Trixie needs a light.” She closed her eyes and forced a small pulse of magic into her horn. It ignited and created a small light at the edge of her horn, illuminating the area around her. “Ah, that's better.” She reached down into the pack. “Hmm, now where... ah, here they are!” she pulled out a small sack and opened it, licking her lips and tugging out a small, half crumpled sandwich of rice cracker and peanut butter. “Aww, Trixie is disappointed. She shouldn't have put them so close to the bottom of the bag.” She nibbled one with a light sigh. “Ahhh, still tastes wonderful though. Sunset, would you like one?”
She turned to offer one to Sunset Shimmer, but her companion's attention was drawn elsewhere. “Trixie,” she said, pointing towards the center of the four towering stones. The ground was beginning to glow.
Trixie blinked and gasped, quickly shutting off the light on her horn. The glow on the ground vanished along with her light. “Wh-what was that?”
Shimmer frowned and tapped her fingers together, standing up. “Hmm,” she mused. “I remember these kinds of spells. There's a beacon here.”
“A beacon?”
“It's a special kind of magical seal meant to react to certain kinds of stimuli. When you used your light spell near it, the beacon reacted, letting us know that something was here.” She snapped her fingers. “Beacons are only ever used to mark something really valuable. Pirates used to use them to mark their treasure caches. Scholars use them to mark hidden stores of their notes...”
“And Trixie is sure someone used them to hide dangerous things.” She crossed her arms. “We shouldn't mess with this, Shimmer.”
She shook her head. “Oh please, like Celestia would really mark anything dangerous with a beacon spell. If anyone was hiding anything truly dangerous, why would you mark it where any idiot could stumble across it with the right spell?”
Trixie shrugged. “No idea, but do we really want to chance it?”
“Think about that for a second,” Shimmer said, looking over the beacon, brushing away the dust obscuring the glow from her. “Do you really not want to chance it when whatever this beacon is hiding is valuable? We could be sitting on a gold mine! A long forgotten treasure trove!”
The prospect of riches and fortune did indeed appeal to Trixie. Imagine all the magical baubles and flavored crackers she could get if this really did turn out to be something of value? But what if it was something like a doomsday weapon that Celestia had hidden away in case of a griffon attack? Was she really being overly cautious by thinking of such things? Trixie would have liked to believe she was just being prudent. Yet...
“Very well, Trixie is willing to chance it if you think that it is not dangerous.”
Nodding, Sunset Shimmer continued to brush away the thick layer of dust and dirt obscuring the source of the beacon. Soon enough, she had uncovered enough to reveal a stone door down below her. A single, metal hoop was placed near it's top end, and age had given it a fine layer of rust, while the stone itself looked as grey and solid as the day it was made. Sunset gave a light whistle. “I have a feeling we've hit the jackpot!” She rubbed her hands together and grabbed the metal loop in both hands, pulling back on it as hard as she could. The stone didn't budge. Growling, she added a layer of magical levitation in an attempt to lift up the heavy lid. It barely budged. She let out a growl and turned towards Trixie. “Well?” she growled. “Come on, oh Great and Powerful Trixie, get over here and give me a hand!”
Trixie blinked, gave a slight huff as her full stage name was used. Standing herself up and adjusting her mane, she walked forward, adding her own strength and magic to the attempt. Slowly, ever so slowly, the heavy lid finally began to edge forward.
They pulled and pulled until it finally stood straight up. Sunset Shimmer grinned and quickly twirled around the front, looking down at what they had unearthed, Trixie following after taking a moment to wipe the sweat from her brow and rub her aching horn. Straining herself like that was likely to sprain her if she wasn't careful. As she rounded the corner, she stopped herself as she felt a blast of cool air. Looking down, she saw a huge staircase, leading down, deep into the earth. She gulped. “What is this?”
“Looks like a staircase,” Shimmer answered mirthlessly. “Come on, whatever was hidden here, it's got to be something really valuable if they took the time to hide it so deep underground.” She smiled and activated her light spell again before she began to walk down the stairway. She turned and looked back up at Trixie. “You coming?”
Trixie tensed. “Er, yes... Trixie is coming.” She activated her horn again. A simple light spell didn't put much strain on the horn anyway. She started to follow Sunset Shimmer down into the bowls of the uncovered cave. “You don't think there's anything... living down there, right?”
Shimmer cocked her brow. “Living? Seriously? You really think that something could survive down here, uncovered, for what might me years, if not decades?”
Trixie shrugged. “Well... Empress Celestia is still alive after centuries, isn't she?”
Shimmer rolled her eyes. “Feh, Celestia. She's an exception, she was the Empress. She was born of the sun, after all. Literally delivered to the earth from the heavens.” She placed her hands on her hips. “Just goes to show how even the Heavens can be wrong.”
Trixie shivered in discomfort as she spoke. “Sunset, don't talk like that. It's bad luck to speak ill of the Empress aloud like that.”
“My poor luck started long before I started blaspheming her stupid name.” She waved away her friend's concerns and stopped as they reached the end of the stairs. “I wonder how far down this goes,” she mused, looking behind her, back up the stairs. Trixie followed her gaze and peered back up the way they'd come. She couldn't even see the entrance anymore. Turning back down the tunnel, the path continued onward for a little ways before it opened up into a large cavern.
The two of them hurried forward and poked their heads out into the cavern. “Wow... someone had a lot of time on their hands,” Shimmer observed, pointing to the walls. “All of this is completely pony-made.”
“How do you figure?” Trixie asked.
“Look at the walls. Look at the ground. True, it's shown a bit of age, but the whole thing is far too smooth, with very little erosion. Sanded down to look more like a dome rather than a cave.” She forced more magic into her horn, spreading her light outwards. The ground below them was the most obvious pony-made part of the cavern, as the natural gravel of the tunnel gave way to a beautiful, if aged, segment of marble, placed down over the cave's natural ground. Time had not been kind to it of course, as it was cracked and jostled from years of wear, but compared to how some things above ground would look after a decade of neglect, it was impressive to see it in such good state.
Their steps echoed loudly against the new floor as they traveled deeper into the chamber. Trixie glanced back at the cave entrance now and then, just to make sure that they could actually turn and run if they had to. The entrance stayed right where it was. Trixie forced more magic into her tired horn, brightening up the room a bit more. She sighed. “There's nothing in here,” she said. “It's just an empty room.” She shrugged, looking around. “Whatever was in here, it was probably already removed.” She waved back towards the mouth of the cavern. “Can we go now? Back upstairs? Where it's safe? And open? And not at all dangerous?”
Sunset Shimmer rolled her eyes. “In a minute, we still haven't checked the back of the cave.” She pressed forward, towards the end. “There has to be SOMETHING left in here. Why else would the beacon still be set?”
“Maybe they just forgot to undo the spell when they came back for whatever was stored down here?”
“Maybe...” she mused, though she stopped when something came into view of their lights. “Trixie,” she whispered. “Look.” She pointed.
Trixie turned her attention away from the exit she desperately wished they were heading towards right now, and followed Sunset Shimmer's finger. Her eyes came to rest on the back of the cave, where four large statues were now illuminated to them. They were beautifully sculpted, each one bearing the countenance of beings that the two ponies had only ever seen in horror stories and fairy tales... and of course, their nightmares.
“The Four Black Stars,” Shimmer whispered, approaching one. It showed a huge pony, easily rivaling their empress in height, standing tall and proud, dressed in thick, powerful armor. The name of this pony was engraved just below the statue, on the huge stone block serving as its base. “Nightmare Moon,” Shimmer read aloud. “The North Star... the Dragon.” Shrugging at all the supposed nicknames the statue had, she walked to the next, a bizarre creature that reminded her more of those strange contemporary art pieces she'd seen around the bazaar. He seemed to have been stitched together from the leftovers of dozens of other creatures. Lion paw, eagle claw, deer antler, goat horn... several dozen other creatures had lent their parts to this thing as well. “Discord, the South Star, the Phoenix.”
Trixie, as she listened, had wandered over to the opposite side of the line of statues, and was standing next to one of a large Unicorn with a long, flowing mane, a curved horn, and the countenance and garb of a king. He wore a terrifying grin, and his eyes... rather, the eyes given on the statue... seemed to pierce deep into her mind, hunting for something. She shuddered and looked away, her eyes cast down to the base, and the name. “Sombra, The East Star, The Turtle.” She moved to the final statue, eager to get out of view of Sombra's eyes. The final statue, that one was one of the strangest to her. It was a large... well, she assumed it was some sort of pony, but it really looked more like the love child of an alicorn and a dragonfly. While the build was that of a pony, everything else seemed as though it were some sort of insect. Two huge dragonfly style wings sat upon her back, her horn and legs were gnarled, like a plank of wood chewed on by termites, the skin seemed to be made from a carapace rather than a fur coat... nothing about this creature seemed to make much sense. Tilting her head, she turned towards the final statue base. “Chrysalis. The West Star, The Tiger.”
The two ponies looked to one another. “I don't like this,” Trixie whimpered, dropping her third person schtick for a moment. “Let's get out of here.”
Shimmer nodded. “Yeah... yeah, it doesn't look like there's anything valuable in here anyway.” They both turned away, but as they did so, a glint caught their eyes. They both turned back. Something was sitting between the two center statues. Their eyes were drawn to it. A single gold coin rested at the center of the four statue, bearing the symbol of the Empress, a large sun. It glittered and glimmered. “Is that... a gold coin?”
“A very old gold coin,” Trixie said, smiling, bending down near it. “Trixie saw this in the collections at the palace. Did you not see them?”
“Of course I did,” Shimmer sniffed. “I just haven't seen that design in a long time. That coin is from the very original mint that Celestia established at the beginning of her Sun Dynasty. Those things haven't been circulated for centuries.”
“Then it is valuable,” Trixie said, smiling. “Might be worth, what, a few thousand bits?”
“At the very least,” Shimmer exclaimed. “Well, I guess coming down here was worth it after all.”
Trixie frowned and grabbed her arm as she reached for it. “Wait... this seems a little weird.”
“What do you mean?”
“Trixie means, why would there only be one coin down here? In between four statues of the scariest figures in our mythology?”
Shimmer shrugged. “Maybe there really was a treasure cache down here. Maybe it was something hoarded by these four back when they actually existed.”
“Trixie thought they were only fairy tales, though,” the former magician stated. “Weren't they?”
Shimmer rolled her eyes. “Trust me, during my time under the Empress, I ended up learning a lot of interesting things. Chief among them was that a lot of those legends and fairy tales you were hearing as a foal were at one point real. Sure, details have been smeared over the years, but these four... the Four Black Stars... they existed, and the threat the posed was very real until Celestia deposed them.”
“So they aren't around now?”
“No.”
“So these statues are just for show?”
“Yes.” She tapped her horn. “Trust me, if there was anything dangerous in here, don't you think two highly skilled unicorns like us would at least be slightly aware of the danger?”
“Trixie supposes you are correct.” She smiled down on the coin. “So, shall we take this and go get ourselves a decent meal? Maybe even a decent home?”
“And some decent clothes.” She scratched at her stomach. “These tunics are itchy.” She reached down and picked the coin up.
Trixie liked to think she was a level headed mare, one that could easily react to poor situations with a clear and calm demeanor, even when things looked like they were getting bad. Now, however, she saw how wrong her assumptions about herself were. The entire cave lit up in a blinding flash, as though the stone itself was beginning to glow. The world around them shook, the cavern almost snarling.
Both mares let out a panicked scream and made for the exit. But as they neared, a large chunk of the ceiling broke off, falling down towards them, coming to rest right in front of their only hope of escape. Trapped, with the cavern still rumbling, and the sound of cracking and falling stone filling their ears, the two of them screamed again, clutching each other for what little security they could fine, dropping to their knees in front of the blocked entrance, closing their eyes, waiting for death to claim them.
But death overlooked them. No more large stones fell. The cavern no longer shook. They were both still alive. As quiet calm took them over once again, they slowly rose their heads, looking towards each other. Shimmer shuddered. “I'm alive... aren't I?”
“You look alive,” her companion stated. “Is Trixie still alive?” She pat her face.
“You are. We are alive!” she announced with a loud, relieved sigh.
“But we're trapped,” Trixie said, patting the rock sitting next to them.
“You won't be for long,” a third voice called from behind them.
Both ponies tensed up, clutching each other again. Their eyes rested on the four statues. Only, there weren't any statues there anymore. Instead, four living, breathing creatures stood there. Four terrifying figures worthy of the deepest fears of ponykind stepped down off of the pedestals they had been immobilized on.
The entire cave was still well lit, and both mares could take in all the detail of the four now. The first, Nightmare Moon, clenched her fists, taking the helmet she wore off, midnight blue hair tumbling down over her pitch black coat, which she brushed from her face. “Ah, to be free again,” she mused, with a disturbing grin. “How nice it feels.”
“Indeed, came the gruff response of Sombra. His black mane, acting as though it were made from darkness and shadow itself, contorted and covered him, enveloping him. “How long has it been since we've been away? How long?”
Discord chuckled, tapping his mismatched claws together. “Well, why don't we ask our two little saviors?” he asked, pointing an accusing claw towards the frightened mares near the entrance. “After all, since they were nice enough to take the binding symbol from its place, I'm sure they'd be willing to answer a few simple questions for us.”
“I should hope so,” came the response of the insect-like pony, her wings buzzing as she took to the air, slowly hovering towards them. “After all, if they refuse, things might get... uncomfortable for them.” She laughed as she came to rest before them. “So, my little ponies, would you care to tell us, just what is the date?”
Both mares shuddered, unable to find their voices. Chrysalis scowled. “I can assure you, my time encased in statue has done little to improve my patience, fillies.” She reached a gnarled hand out towards Sunset Shimmer. “So, either you hurry up and answer me or I'll...”
She was cut off as Shimmer raised up, grabbing her arm and pushing it away. Startled, Chrysalis did not expect the flurry of kicks landed against her face. She stumbled back, and Sunset pressed the attack, taking a fighter's stance as she moved to throw a punch against her stomach. Chrysalis growled and dodged, catching Sunset's arm and twisting it, so hard that it brought the unfortunate mare to her knees. “I recognize that style,” she growled. “I could never forget it. The grace, the elegance, the speed... you are a student of the Fist of the Rising Sun, aren't you?” She twisted harder, making the mare shout out in pain. “You are a student of Celestia, aren't you?”
“AH! Y-yes! I was her student!” she shouted, whimpering.
Sombra let out a mirthless laugh. “Oh fate is indeed kind. Who would have thought, after so long, it would be a student of Celestia herself who would free us from our prison?”
“Former student,” the mare growled, writhing in discomfort as Chrysalis continued to apply pressure to her twisted arm.
“Former or not, you are still a student of our mortal enemy,” Sombra noted, waving his hand. His shadow mane seemed to break apart, a piece of it writhing and contorting in the air as a long, ornate scythe formed from it. He gripped it tightly and gave it a swing. The sound it produced reminded Trixie of a warrior's scream seconds before death claimed them on the battlefield. “However, we are not without some mercy. You were nice enough to free us, after all. So I shall make sure you don't suffer.” He began to advance on her, and Trixie felt her blood run ice cold. She could do nothing but watch as a literal executioner began a slow, somber march towards her friend, his weapon raised. Sunset's eyes filled with tears of fear and her entire body was wracked with frantic shivers, her breath quickening. Trixie began to feel her own body react similarly. After all, chances were good it wouldn't be long before she would share in her companion's fate.
As the blade came up, however, an unexpected savior arrived in the form of Discord, who's long serpentine body slid between Sombra and his Target quickly. “Now, now, let's not be too hasty here.” He smirked at the annoyed scowl on his colleague's face. “After all, a student of the Empress, former or otherwise might just be fun to have around.” He twisted his head around to face her. “And after all, she probably has a wealth of knowledge that we could use.”
Sunset growled loudly. “Like I would share anything I know with you...”
“So defiant,” he tsked, drawing close to her, stroking her cheek with his lion paw. “I certainly admire that sort of attitude, but there's one little problem with that line of thinking. You're assuming you have a choice in the matter.” His hand lurched forward and gripped her face, making her yelp in surprise. She squirmed and writhed as Discord's eyes began to swirl and contort into a pair of strange, chaotic vortexes.
Trixie shuddered tried her best to phase through the wall behind her, but unfortunately not even a master wizard wouldn't be able to do something like that. So, she was forced to sit, and to watch, as the bright and vibrant color was drained from Sunset Shimmer's coat and hair. She became dull, grey, washed out, and her body went limp under the demon's grip. When Discord removed his hand from her, she opened half lidded, colorless eyes. “I hear and I obey, my masters.”
Discord nodded in satisfaction, and Chrysalis released her. “You see? All it takes is a gentle touch, Sombra. Not everything requires your... rather extreme outlook.”
The unicorn snorted and waved away his scythe as Chrysalis turned the listless mare towards her. “Now, as I asked before, what is the date?”
“It is the year of the sun, 1056, oh Exalted one,” she responded, in an autonomous manner.
Sombra snorted. “That tells us nothing. Slave, how many years has it been since the Day of Black Dawn?”
“eleven-hundred, my lord,” she answered.
The three demons looked at one another. “Eleven-hundred years,” Sombra growled.
Chrysalis was livid. “She cost us over a millennium.”
“A millennium without us?” Discord gave a mock sniff. “How could she?”
“Well, we have quite a bit of time to make up for...”
Trixie gulped as she watched the three of them discussing the state of affairs. Her eyes drifted to Sunset for a moment but she shook her head. Whatever they had done to her, chances were good she wouldn't be able to get her back to normal. She was no expert on curses or hexes, she was just a court magician. There was nothing she could do.
At least, that was what she told herself in the interest of self preservation. She looked around. Maybe... if she could just crawl her way around to the statues and hide behind the ruined bases of their statues, she could hide out until they decided to leave. They didn't seem that interested in her anyway. Slowly, carefully, she got down on her hands and knees and began to crawl her way around the edge of the cavern, towards her projected hiding place.
“As much as crawling on the ground suits a worm like you,” came a harsh voice from above, “I don't think it's necessary.”
Trixie froze. She didn't want to look up, fearing what she might see. Slowly, her head twisted around, almost of its own volition, and she found herself staring into the deep, dangerous, predatory eyes of Nightmare Moon. Before she even had a chance to scream, a dark blue tendril formed from from the night-like mane of the armored devil, snapping forward and wrapping around her neck. Trixie felt herself being pulled towards her, her body almost lifted up off the ground, only on the ground by her tip toes. If Nightmare Moon lifted her any further, she would surely hang. She began to claw at the tendril, trying to get free. It was wrapped just tight enough to choke her, but not enough to outright strangle her. “L-let me go,” she whimpered in a strained voice as she was led back towards the other three. “Please...”
“And why should we do that?” Nightmare asked. “Are you somepony who is important? Would you happen to be another student of the dear Empress?”
Trixie let out another whimper as she felt the tendril tighten. “N-no...”
“Then you'd best hurry, and figure out a reason why I shouldn't snap your little neck.”
She continued to tighten her hold, and Trixie's eyes filled with panic, her body writhing as she tried to get loose. “I-I'm the court magician!” she said quickly. The tightening stopped and Nightmare moon turned an eye on her, interested. Trixie panted a little bit. “Well... former court magician.”
Discord let out a laugh. “Oh what a pair we have here,” he observed between his chortles. “A disgraced student of the empress,” he ran a finger through Sunset's mane, “And a decommissioned parlor trick pony who used to dance whenever Celestia clapped her hands.” He let out another laugh.
Nightmare tapped her chin, thinking. Trixie gulped, feeling the magical tendril around her neck flex every few seconds, as if deciding whether or not to tighten completely and finish what it had started. “Well, I suppose having two ponies who have lived in the more recent palace might be useful,” she mused. “That, and I am feeling unusually generous today. After all, your bumbling did manage to set us free.”
Trixie nodded up and down fiercely. Chrysalis stepped forward. “The only question is, can you be trusted to do as we ask?” she asked, one long, gnarled claw slowly tracing down Trixie's spine, making her shudder.
“Yes, yes, I'll do anything you want, just please, let me live!”
Chrysalis licked her lips after a moment and nodded to Nightmare, who rolled her eyes and dropped trixie to the ground, who began to massage her neck, coughing as she did so. She didn't have much of a chance to relish her newfound freedom, as the back of her neck was taken hold of and she was lifted to her feet by the insectoid pony. Her head was twisted to face her. She had hungry eyes and a very disturbing grin. “The first part of your new life... feed me,” she whispered, drawing closer.
Trixie tried to pull her head away, but was unable as it was held fast by her captor. “Wh-what do you mean?” she asked. “I-I have a few meager rations in my pack, if that is what you want...”
She chuckled, a second hand coming up to stroke her cheek. “That's not what I meant, my dear. They had another name for me when I roamed free. I was called an emotion eater. A rather simplified name for one as intricate and complex as I, but not entirely untrue. I feed on the powerful emotions of others. Unfortunately, Discord's mind warping spell tends to leave those it affects as little more than a husk of false feelings and emotion. Not very tasty.” Her smile grew, showing off a series of sharp, fang-like teeth. Trixie couldn't stop another whimper. “But you... you are letting off pure, unbridled fear right now. I can smell it... I can TASTE it.” Her tongue rolled out of her mouth as she drew her face so close that she was nearly touching the unfortunate mare. “It tastes so delicious.” She lurched forward, forcing her lips against Trixie, who uttered a loud scream as their mouths touched. She felt like something was being pulled form her. Her head began to swim, and her heart started to ache. Her body felt as though it were growing cold, distant, stiff. Was she dying? Was sweet release finally coming?
No... after what seemed like an eternity, the creature let her drop. She fell to the ground, shuddering and twitching. Cold, miserable, but conscious, she let out a cough. Tears were streaming down her face. Why was she crying? What had happened? She felt like something was missing, something important.
Chrysalis stood above her, letting out a satisfied sigh. “Not quite as filling as raw love, but still quite a meal. Yes, I think she will definitely be worth keeping around for a while.” She stepped over Trixie's prone, cold body as she whimpered and sobbed underneath her.
“Haven't seen something like that in a while,” Discord mused with a chuckle. “Ah, that does remind me, Sombra, I do still owe you a harem, now don't I?”
The black unicorn snorted. “Still your tongue, clown. I have no interest in such things, and you know it.”
“Enough idle chat,” Nightmare Moon announced, smiling. “We have work to do.” She raised her hand up and a large blue aura began to push at the stone ceiling above them. With a mighty heave, like a giant pushing up on the very foundation of the world, the ceiling was pushed upwards, knocked loose, and folded backwards, knocking one of the four stone pillars down to the ground. Moonlight flooded the cavern as stars twinkled down upon the six figures standing there. Trixie shuddered as Nightmare Moon took in a deep breath. “Fresh air,” she whispered. “Moonlight. Stars.”
“Beautiful,” Chrysalis commented. “And soon enough, they will be yours again,” she said with a nod. “And so too shall my lands be claimed and my people rebuilt.”
Discord nodded, stretching. “We have quite a bit of work ahead of us, now don't we?”
“Well, nothing worth having is ever easy to obtain,” Sombra said, summoning his scythe again. “And no doubt quite a bit has changed in our absence.”
All four of them nodded, Discord lifting Sunset Shimmer up in his magical grip. Chrysalis did the same with a prone, and petrified Trixie. “For power,” Sombra growled.
“For control,” Chrysalis chuckled.
“For chaos,” Discord laughed.
“For vengeance,” Nightmare moon hissed.
And then, without another word, the four black stars slowly ascended from the cavern that had served as their crypt for over one thousand years, up into the night sky. Then, in a swirl of dark magic, they, plus two very unfortunate mares, disappeared into the inky, black night.

#

Empress Celestia awoke from a fitful slumber, bolting upright from her bed. Her mane was disheveled, her feathers bent, and her fur coated in sweat. She breathed in deep, trying to quell her rapidly beating heart, wiping sweat from her brow and eyes as she tried her best to regain control of her senses. Had what she just seen merely been a dream? No, not a dream, she thought. It had to be more.
A knock at her door made her start, but she quickly regained control. “The sun does not slow its descent for any,” she said loudly.
“But its descent assures ascension, come the morn,” came the answer.
Her body relaxed. “Shining Armor,” she called.”
“It is I, my Empress. Are you all right? Your guards heard fitful sounds coming from your room, and sent for me.”
She smiled at his concern. It had been the right choice, she told herself, making him the captain of her guard. “I am fine,” she answered, moving so that her legs hung over the side of the bed. “Just... a very fitful sleep is all.”
“Very well,” he answered. “But if you have need of anything...”
“As a matter of fact, there is something you can do for me,” she said.
“Yes, Empress?”
“Prepare an invitation for your sister, and have it delivered to her on the morrow. I have need to speak with her, privately.”
“My sister?” he asked after a moment. “Forgive my curiosity, but is all well with Twilight?”
“Do not be concerned, dear Shining Armor, she is fine, but I have a task for her of the utmost importance. You will see the message is delivered, yes?”
“Of course,” he said softly. She could practically hear his bow from behind the door. “I shall take my leave, Empress. Forgive my intrusion.”
“Not at all, my most faithful guard. Your concern warms my heart deeply.” She rolled back onto her bed. “Have a good night. I shall speak further with you on the morrow.”
“As you wish. Sleep well, Empress.”
She could hear him walk away from the door, and a mirthless smile came to her lips as she laid her head against her pillow. Sleep well? No, there was no way that sleep was coming easily to her from here on out. She took a deep breath, trying to recall the figures and forms she had seen in her dream, but it was all just a blur now. All she could recall was the darkness enveloping her entire empire. Everything she had worked so hard for over the past millennium had crashed down in an instant, replaced with what had stood there before. Chaos. Destruction. Sadness.
Even if it were just a nightmare, and she was sure it was not, she could not risk anything. Not after the first risk she had taken that had turned out so horribly, horribly wrong. Her empire must be defended. She needed to find a solution to the coming problem, and fast. Before...
Before it all came crashing down...
Just like falling stars...