//------------------------------// // Prologue: Fury of the Storm // Story: Fallen World // by Final Draft //------------------------------// “Do you see these ponies?! Look at them, so thou shall not endure their fate!” The alicorn princess bellowed out over the sea of frightened onlookers. Three stallions were tied to large wooden crosses that had been erected in front of Canterlot Castle. “Your tyranny will come to an end!” one of the stallions shouted. “You’ll meet the same fate as your sister!” “Death to Celestia!” another of the captives shouted. The others joined in the chant along with a portion of the crowd. A crash of thunder silenced them and Celestia spread her wings in a display of her massive presence. Her horn glowed yellow with magic and she set the three stallions ablaze. The crowd watched in horror as they burned; screaming until their lungs were ash. The alicorn was escorted back into the castle by a dozen of her personal guards. Members of the crowd pelted the castle walls with garbage and many fought against the guards. The chaos played out under the moonless sky and many died in the confusion. Celestia and her guards walked the darkened halls in silence until they reached her private chambers. Without a word or single command, she locked the door behind her, leaving the guards to their patrol duty. The chamber had no windows and was only illuminated by a single torch set into the stone wall. In the center was a pile of silk pillows which Celestia plopped down upon and buried her face into. And she wept. --------------------------- (What would have been) Three days passed and neither sun nor moon graced the dark sky. The overpopulated Equestria writhed and seethed with corruption; thriving in the absence of light. Society had collapsed long before the death of Luna, but now… Sins were committed without second though, all taboos had been cast away—incest, murder, cannibalism—every soul fighting for their fill. False idols had been constructed of gold and worshipped in place of the alicorn dynasty. The once tame streets of Canterlot ran red with blood and the guards to the castle were becoming outnumbered. Even in isolation, Celestia was aware of her kingdom crashing down. A knock came at her chamber door and a frantic royal guard member ran in. “Your Highness!” he shouted, tossing aside his dented helmet, “You must do something! We cannot hold off the attacks much longer!” “What am I to do?” she asked more to herself than the guard. “Anything! Please!” Shouting sounded from the hallway and the guard slammed the door shut as he returned to the battle. The alicorn rolled over to stare at the door, anticipating a rebel to run in and bring an end to her suffering. No such relief came and the sound of hoof beats passed right by her chamber. Hours passed with no more interruptions and the alicorn was left with only her thoughts for company. She tossed and turned uncomfortably as she wrestled with her options. You know what must be done. “There must be another way.” There is not. “Even I am not powerful enough to do such a thing.” You know who is. She turned the idea away immediately. It made her sick to her stomach to think of such things. Surely she could find another way to salvage the kingdom without having to compromise her integrity. It is already lost. You know what must be done. Celestia looked to the lone torch in her chamber and watched as it slowly flickered. She stood and approached the light source slowly. Using her magic, she pulled the torch bracket outward and listened as ancient mechanisms began turning. The wall opened revealing one of the many secret passage-ways of the castle. With one last look at the chamber, Celestia levitated the torch and walked into the darkness. ----- For the first time in a hundred years, light shone over the draconequus. He slowly opened his eyes and looked up, not sure if what he was seeing was to be believed. “Well my dear Celestia, it has been some time, has it not?” The alicorn only glared at Discord and remained in the doorway to his prison. The Elements of Harmony glowed very dimly from the six pedestals of the chamber, keeping its chaotic inhabitant restrained. He raised his shackled claw to shield his eyes from the torch light. “You aren’t still upset about the zombies, are you?” Discord questioned, referring to the reason of his latest imprisonment. “You need to lighten up—it was a game! Games are fun!” Still the princess said nothing. “What brings you here, hmm? Shouldn’t you be leading your kingdom right now? Or is it night? Oh! How is your sister?” In the blink of an eye, Celestia was upon him, pushing her horn right up against his throat. For a tense moment, Discord dared not breathe, fearing the wrath of the Sun Goddess. Her eyes were cold, yet tears were welling up in them. “Oh,” Discord said, rubbing his neck when the horn was removed from it. “She was struck down while performing her duty,” Celestia said with her back turned to Discord. “Well, my dear princess, I can raise the dead, as you know, but I fear your sister’s soul is—” “Bringing her back would solve nothing,” Celestia interrupted. “Our kingdom—it has changed. I feel there is no good left in their hearts. The things I have seen…I long for it to be over.” “Ohhhh,” Discord said with sudden realization. “Surely you don’t mean—” “A deluge.” Celestia said, turning back to face Discord. “I alone am unable to bring forth a flood capable of covering this entire planet.” “I’m truly flattered you come to me, but I seem to be…a bit tied up right now,” Discord said, indicating to the Elements. “And what would be in this for me?” “I will grant you your freedom once more,” Celestia offered. Discord rolled his yellow eyes upward in consideration. “I would like to be ruler of this new, wonderfully chaotic Equestria,” he said at last. Celestia looked at him with scrutiny before slamming his cell shut. Alone in the dark once more, Discord shrugged and prepared to resume his nap. Light once again shone over his face and he opened his eyes to look at the alicorn. Without a word, she undid his shackles and turned for him to follow her. “I’m going to need a crown as well, princess.” Celestia continued walking into the darkness and Discord floated along side her. They continued through the damp tunnels until they reached the spiral staircase to the main tower. Discord continued floating as Celestia climbed the stairs one by one. “So I was thinking,” Discord started, taking a pen and notepad from thin air, “chocolate milk?” Celestia kept her head down and focused on the stairs rather than her companion. “Or what about puppies? Death by puppies! It will be tragically adorable! No? Hmm.” Discord continued to list off different things to flood Equestria with, all the while Celestia knew exactly what to use. After a dozen failed suggestions, Discord’s notepad disappeared and he hopped on Celestia’s back. “Water is boring; we need to make this apocalypse fun!” “Water will leave too many survivors,” Celestia said as they reached the top of the tower. An unnatural wind was blowing over the balcony and lightning cracked the sky. “Hmm. The pegasi don’t seem too happy. What do you intend to do about them?” Discord questioned. “Just give me your assistance and I will show you,” Celestia said, closing her eyes and flaring her wings. Discord hopped off the alicorn’s back and watched as her horn began channeling all the magic in her being. A column of dark clouds began forming in the sky and swirled directly above the castle. Discord simply snapped his fingers and Celestia was suddenly imbued with all of his chaotic power. Light erupted from her eyes and horn as she cast the most powerful spell in Equestrian history. When it was complete, she collapsed and Discord held her head in his arms. “Forgive me,” she whispered into his ear. Her breathing slowed as she slipped into unconsciousness. Discord stood up and waited for something to happen. At first it was just a windy, cloudy night with nothing unusual at all. But then, in the thick of the dark clouds, a light appeared. It was followed by another, and another until it appeared tiny stars were trying to puncture the clouds. Discord’s ears perked up as he heard an odd noise somewhere up above. A single pegasus burst through the clouds and raced across the sky. Two more followed its path, then a dozen, then hundreds; it seemed as if all of Cloudsdale was suddenly in flight—but why? Little balls of fire began to fall from the clouds as more pegasi swooped down. Discord squinted and realized the balls of fire were in fact pegasi that had been set ablaze. All at once, a column of molten rock poured down from the heavens. The pegasi broke formation as several more pillars of lava punctured the clouds above them. “I think I would have preferred the puppies,” Discord said, looking out over the balcony as the sky relinquished hundreds of fiery pillars. He snapped his finger and levitated the limp alicorn behind him as he walked back into the tower. ----- The fighting below the castle ceased as both guards and rebels stopped to watch the pegasi swarm. “What in Celestia’s name—are we under attack from the pegasi now?!” one of the guards asked. A horribly burnt pegasus crashed to the ground in the courtyard and the earth ponies gathered around. “Fire…From the sky,” the pegasus croaked out. It held out its charred hoof to the sky with the last of its energy. The earth ponies looked up to see the first pillar of lava breaking through and several pegasi catching ablaze and plummeting to the earth. Panic ensued, and it became every-pony for themselves in a desperate search for shelter. Both guards and rebels attempted to break the barricades of the castle doors. Some ran, others stood and accepted their fate. As the first pillar touched ground and began spreading out, anything remotely flammable caught fire from the extreme heat. The lava flowed quickly, engulfing anything in its path. Those unable to outrun the lava were incinerated slowly and painfully. As other pillars touched down there was less and less safe ground to stand on. Those banging on the castle door found themselves cornered, and could only scream as they were slowly enveloped. -v-v-v-v-v-v-v-v-v- The city ponies all stopped their activities to marvel at the suddenly golden clouds above. What was mistaken as a sign of Celestia’s mercy was in reality a sign of her wrath. As soon as the pegasi bodies began pelting the streets and buildings, realization—and panic—took over. More were killed in the chaos than the purge itself. Ponies climbed over each other to escape the city. Foals were left crying on the ground, chariots were flipped over when there was room for no more, and some simply chose to jump off the tallest building they could find. Few escaped the madness and even fewer made it any further. After several hours, The Storm had wiped out every major city in Equestria. Only the tops of mountains remained as distant islands in the glowing sea. Canterlot Castle, being the highest place in all Equestria, stood as the last thing most of the survivors would see before their islands sunk beneath the fire.