My Little Sharknado

by Greenback


Chaos in Canterlot

When a disaster occurs, everyone reacts in different ways. Some become brave and rise to overcome evil, save lives, and rescue kittens trapped in trees. Others panic and dive under blankets in hope that they'll be safe from an erupting volcano. Most individuals are a mix of the two, and the situation onboard the train was no different as it fled from what remained of Ponyville. Some wanted to leap out and fight the abomination of nature. Others wanted to hide under the seats and never come out. But others, like Twilight, wanted to survive to fight another day. And so she watched and prayed that the sharknado wouldn't come after them. And to her relief, the Universe answered her prayer; the sharknado shrank as the train drove further away, until the abomination was finally out of sight. Only then did Twilight collapse against the wall, adrenaline pouring from her system.

Spike ran up. “Twilight! You okay?!”

Twilight gave him a quick hug. “I'm fine, Spike. You?”

“Well, I'm okay, I guess. But Rarity's really worried about her sister! And the other ponies aren't doing too hot either.”

Twilight glanced around. Rarity and the other ponies stuffed into the car were dazed, as if awakening from a particularly unpleasant dream. Physically, they were unharmed, but their mental state was far more precarious, for their little pony minds were unable to fathom that a tornado filled with sharks had just destroyed their beautiful homes.

“Spike, we need to make sure nobody goes into shock. Listen, I need you to find some blankets.” She looked to Octavia and Vinyl Scratch, who, while shaken, seemed to be in pretty good shape. “Octavia, I want you to go to the dining car and have the staff give out everything to all the ponies on board. If they have any money questions, tell them Canterlot will cover the expenses. Vinyl Scratch?”

“Yeah?”

“See if we can find some doctors on board. Tell them to go through and treat everyone for shock, even if they look okay.”

Vinyl nodded. “Will do!”

Relieved, Twilight left the car. Ponies given a job to do were less likely to break down if they had a task to complete. Her task was to now take stock of how many had escaped Ponyville's destruction. To that end, Twilight shot through the train, squeezing her way past hundreds of wet, miserable ponies, counting them as she went.

Twilight had just entered a car halfway through the train when a pink pony leapt forward and nearly crushed her in a giant bear hug.

“Twilight!” Pinkie Pie said. “Oh Twilight, it's really you! I'm so glad to see you! Did you see everything that happened in Ponyville?! There was a massive tornado and a bunch of sharks and it would have been really awesome if those sharks hadn't started swallowing everyone up like a bunch of doughnuts! We should totally throw a party to celebrate that those sharks aren't here anymore and that we escaped!”

While grateful that Pinkie Pie had escaped the sharks, Twilight knew that having her throw a party would only enrage ponies who had lost loved ones. Not wanting to see Pinkie Pie being lynched, she said, “Pinkie Pie, I need your help.”

“You do!?”

“I need you to get on the roof and and keep an eye out behind the train. If you see that tornado coming towards us, let me know as soon as possible, okay?”

Pinkie leapt through the ceiling. “Okie dokie!”

Grateful that Pinkie Pie wouldn't be lynched, Twilight hurried through the remaining cars, struggling to keep track of how many ponies were crammed into each one. As she reached the caboose, she tallied her numbers. There were roughly two hundred ponies onboard; coupled with the three hundred or so who had evacuated before the sharknado hit, that meant that roughly half of Ponyville's residents had escaped. That was good news by any standard...but it meant that the other half were either missing, or had been turned into shark chow. And there were many among the missing: the Cutie Mark Crusaders, Mayor Mare, Zecora, the Cakes and their fillies, Cheerilee, Doctor Hooves, Lotus Blossom, Aloe, and so many others. Even Rainbow Dash and Derpy Hooves were gone.

Choking, Twilight squeezed her eyes shut. She wanted nothing more than to try and rage against the uncaring heavens for those the sharknado had taken from her. But she held back the tears; Twilight was a princess, and the surviving ponies would look to her for guidance and leadership. She couldn't afford to be weak.

Wiping the moisture from her eyes, Twilight stood tall. What had happened, had happened, and nothing she could do would change that. It was time to move onward, and she was ready to lead the survivors of Ponyville to safety. That, she could handle. The bigger problem was what to do if the sharknado returned, which was clearly something beyond the work of mere mortals, and even nature itself. It was an abomination, something vile and cruel that could not be stopped even by the most powerful of magic. There had to be a way to stop it...and Twilight knew there was only one pony who knew how to do it...Snails.

No, wait, that wasn't right. Twilight shook her head. The stress of the past hour was coming down hard, and affecting her thinking. Princess Celestia...yes, that's who she was thinking of. She'd know what to do!

Racing back through the train, Twilight headed towards the engine car. She was almost there when Rarity saw her coming, and threw herself into Twilight's path.

“Twilight!” Rarity's eyes were pouring waterfalls of tears. “Did you find Sweetie Belle?!”

How to answer her? Twilight needed to keep everyone focused on survival, and having even a single pony break down could cause a chain reaction that would have the train carrying hundreds of sobbing ponies, who would only sob even more if the sharknado came to eat them all.

“No Rarity, I didn't,” Twilight said. “But she could have gotten on the train before us. And if she didn't, she probably managed to flee Ponyville before the sharknado came.” She put a hoof beneath Rarity's chin. “I don't know where she is, but I'm sure she's fine.”

Rarity took the news as well as Twilight could have hoped. She sniffed, wiped away some tears, but nodded in gratitude for Twilight's honesty. As long as she had hope, then the unthinkable couldn't touch her.

Running into the engine car, Twilight told the conductor to head for Canterlot with all the speed he could muster. He was quick to comply, and Twilight held on as the train changed tracks and shot into the mountains.

***

The storm was coming down harder as the train pulled into Canterlot's station. No sooner had it stopped than Twilight flew out, leading Spike, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie towards the Royal Palace. They reached it a few minutes later, running through the main gates as the guards saluted them.

Compared to the wet streets outside, the warm, dry halls of the palace were a haven that no storm could touch. But the flash of lightning beyond the windows reminded Twilight that the danger of airborne sharks had not lessened, and that no building, no matter how strong, could hold out against such a storm forever.

Entering the throne room, Twilight found Princess Celesta sitting upon her golden throne. But unlike other rulers who would spend a rainy day eating, drinking, and playing video games, Celestia was hard at work dispatching numerous orders to coordinate rescue efforts for areas affected by the storm. It was a difficult task, for reports of devastation kept coming in, and the sheer number would have overwhelmed a lesser pony. But Celestia, with her thousands of years of experience, had overcome similar challenges before. She would overcome this one as well.

“Princess Celestia!”

Celestia looked up, surprised at seeing Twilight. She hadn't expected to see her star pupil paying a visit, especially not when she was so frantic.

“Twilight? What's wrong? I received your letter about the storm, and a team is heading to-”

“Princess, Ponyville is gone!”

“What?!”

“Oh Princess, it was awful! There was a storm, and everypony panicked, and then a tornado filled with sharks come down and destroyed everything!”

All color drained from Celestia's face. Her scrolls fell to the floor.

“What...what did you say?”

“A tornado filled with sharks! I know it sounds crazy, but I'm not making this up!”

The princess said nothing. And for the first time since Twilight could ever recall, Celestia was...frightened. It seemed like she was on the verge of panicking, considering how she was frantically chewing her hooves.

“Princess?”

Regaining her posture, Celestia took a deep breath. “Twilight, have Spike send letters to all your friends. The Elements of Harmony must be gathered immediately!”

By some stroke of fortunate timing, Spike, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie reached the throne room and ran inside.

“Thank goodness!” Celestia said. “Now, where are the others?”

Twilight grimaced. “I'm sorry Princess, but this is everyone we have. I lost touch with Rainbow Dash after she led a squad to try and stop the tornado, and the last I saw Applejack, she was heading to her farm, which was probably destroyed with the rest of Ponyville. I don't have any idea where Fluttershy is. But that doesn't mean we can't stop it, right?”

Celestia didn't answer, for she was breathing rapidly into a paper bag.

“Princess?”

Gulping, Celestia composed herself. “Twilight, I won't lie to you, or your friends. Without all the Elements of Harmony, our chances of stopping the sharknado are very low.”

“Sharknado?”

“That is what we now face. And I fear we won't be able to withstand its wrath.”

“What?! But that can't be! You're the most powerful pony in all of Equestria! You can stop it, can't you?”

Celestia shook her head. “Luna and I have faced a sharknado long ago, when the land itself was young, and Alicorns ruled this world. But even with the Elements at our side, the sharknado practically wiped out the Alicorn race, and Equestria itself was almost destroyed.” She wiped a tear from her eyes. “Without the Elements, I don't know what our chances are.”

A deathly chill overtook Twilight. Celestia and Luna were goddesses, physical embodiments of the divine; if they couldn't stop a sharknado, than what chance did they all have? The awful image of a ruined Equestria forced itself into her mind, showing her a squalid and ruined wasteland where the sharks devoured everyone and everything in their path, laughing shark-laughs as they achieved ultimate victory over the pony race itself.

“But there has to be a way to stop them!” Twilight said, shoving the fear aside. “There has to be!”

The doors to the chamber were shoved aside as a guard rushed inside. “Excuse the interruption, your Highness, but there's someone here to see you.” Standing aside, the guard cleared the way as a Pegasus pony entered the throne room. She panted, for she was carrying a heavy burden, both physically, and symbolically, for her unconscious passenger was one of those who could potentially save Equestria.

“Rainbow Dash!” Twilight cried.

Derpy Hooves, exhausted and covered in scratches, flew to a table and dropped Rainbow Dash onto it before collapsing to the floor. While both were covered in bruises, cuts, and boo-boos, Rainbow Dash had taken the worst of it.

Twilight and the others ran over. “Derpy, what happened?!”

“I just don't know what went wrong!” Derpy said as she struggled to stand. “We went to stop the tornado, but there were sharks inside! Dash tried to get us all out, but the sharks swallowed everyone! They almost got me too, but Dash pulled me away just in time!”

Rainbow Dash groaned.

Twilight ran to the table, immediately casting spells to try and heal some of Rainbow Dash's wounds. “Rainbow Dash, can you hear me?!”

Rainbow Dash's eyes cracked open. “Ugh...Twilight?”

“I'm here.”

“What happened?”

“The tornado...it-” Dash's eyes went wide. “Ponyville! Is it okay?!”

Twilight sighed. “No Dash. The tornado destroyed it.”

Rainbow Dash looked at Twilight, a tear falling from her eye. “W...what? You mean we...failed?”

Princess Celestia put a hoof on Dash's shoulder. “There was nothing you could have done, Rainbow Dash. Do not blame yourself for what happened. What you faced cannot be defeated by any living pony.”

“Defeated? What can't be defeated?” Rainbow Dash asked, confused as to what was going on. Though she remembered flying towards the tornado with the other Pegasus ponies, the memory of what happened next was fuzzy.

“A sharknado,” Celestia said.

“A what?!”

“An ancient force of terrible power,” Celestia said. She closed her eyes, and her horn lit up. Princess Luna came into the hall moments later, panting. She had been in the middle of organizing relief groups, and had come to the hall on short notice.

“Why do you call me, Sister?” Luna asked. “I was in the middle of dispatching relief groups.”

Princess Celestia sighed, giving the order she had never hoped to give. “Luna, spread word to the armed forces: We're going to Defcon One.”

Luna froze. “Defcon One? But that's reserved for when-”

“All of Equestria is in danger. And it is, for the sharknado has returned again.”

Princess Luna had to grab hold of the door to keep from fainting. “Surely you jest, dear sister! Spring Fool's day is still several months away!”

“I wish I was, Luna.” Celestia went to her. “Dear Sister, listen to me. You must sound the alarm and begin the evacuation process. Do you understand?”

Shaken, Luna nevertheless shook her head and took off. Within a few moments, a low, steady warning klaxon echoed throughout the palace.

“Oh boy, what's going on?!” Pinkie Pie asked. “Are we having a party to celebrate the fact that we're all united against the sharknado, celebrating how even the worst of disasters can bring out the best in us?!”

“We're leaving,” Princess Celestia said. “All of us.”

“But we only just got here!” Twilight said. “And Canterlot is the most heavily defended city in all of Equestria!”

Celestia shook her head. “When it comes to sharknados, no place is safe, only safer. Now, Twilight, take your friends and get everypony to the airport. You'll find several planes and balloons waiting there. Load them up as fast as you can, and send them to every floating city in Equestria.”

Twilight didn't understand. She had thought that the princesses would make Canterlot their base of operations, and that they would take down the Sharknado together. But if the two had defeated a sharknado in the past, then they had to know what they were doing, and she had to trust in that. She nodded, and turned to Rarity and Pinkie Pie. “All right girls, let's go!”

“Hey wait, what about me?!” Rainbow Dash said.

“And me?” Derpy asked.

“Come on! We'll need all the help we can get!”

As the group headed off, Spike followed, only to be stopped by Celestia.

“Spike, I need your help.”

Surprised, Spike glanced around, wondering if there was someone nearby who shared his name. “Me, your highness?”

Celestia nodded, cracking her hooves. “We have letters to write.”

***

For the next two hours, Canterlot was a frantic rush of activity as the city's evacuation procedures were put into place. Working with Princess Luna, Twilight directed every pony and animal in the city to the airport, with Pinkie Pie going to every building and house to make sure there were no stragglers left behind. Rainbow Dash tried to help, but her injuries from attacking the Sharknado left her unable to do so. As she was treated in the palace's medical center, Rarity kept herself busy by working with the staff and guards to gather the palace's treasures and works of art, which were then moved to the Royal Vault. Once the vault was filled, it would be sealed by an enormous gate of magic-enhanced steel over two feet thick. If anything could withstand the fury of sharks, that was it. But even then, nobody knew if it would hold up under such a relentless assault.

Within the throne room, Princess Celestia worked with Spike to write out hundreds of letters. There were two types: the first was addressed to Equestria's cities and towns, warning them that a sharknado was on the loose, and that everyone needed to evacuate to the closest floating cities, such as Cloudsdale. Being up so high, they would be above the reach of the sharknado, ensuring that they would be safe until the crisis had passed.

The second letters were addressed to the rulers of surrounding kingdoms, warning them that a sharknado was on the loose, and to join Celestia and Luna in an emergency session in the Crystal Empire as soon as possible. And once each letter was composed, Spike bathed it in his green fire and sent it to all corners of the continent.

But despite Celestia's speed, the warnings came too late for much of Equestria.

While Canterlot had scrambled to deal with the crisis, the sharknado continued its rampage, striking one community after another. In all of them, the story played out the same: the populace, preparing to weather a terrible storm, was caught off guard by the sharknado. Panic and fear spread as buildings and ponies alike were consumed. The communities that received Celestia's warnings in time were able to defend themselves, throwing magic, arrows, rocks, and anything they had into the sharknado. But each community, no matter how well-defended, were inevitably consumed.

Applewood fell. Then Baltimare, Hoofington, and Saddle Arabia.

In the remote deserts to the South, Appaloosa held out the longest, partially due to the dry climate, but mostly due to the spirit of sharing, and caring that resided within the hearts of ponies, buffalo, and deer alike. All three defended their lands by throwing pie after pie into the sharknado, with Braeburn and Chief Thunderhooves leading the defenses. But while the sharks were momentarily distracted by the pies, they eventually moved on to devouring tepees, saloons, and everything else in its path, and in the end, no amount of sharing and caring could save the town.

Within an hour, Appleloosa fell. And within a few more hours, a dozen communities no longer existed, all consumed by the sharknado's unending hunger. And still it went, seeking to devour even more ponies.

***

When all of Celestia's letters had been mailed, she went to the palace's highest balcony to overlook the evacuation below. It was proceeding better than she had ever hoped, for half of the city appeared to be empty. With any luck, the rest of Canterlot would follow within the hour.

With the safety of her ponies under control, Celestia's mind turned to other, more pressing matters. With the Bearers scattered, and some possibly consumed, the most powerful way of stopping the sharknado was beyond their reach. Equestria's doom seemed inevitable...but that didn't mean there weren't other ways to fight back. And with any luck-

“Your Highness!”

Alarmed at Spike's fearful outburst, Celestia spun, fearing that the sharknado was heading towards the city. It wasn't, but the situation was no less dire: a massive surge of water was flooding across the valley below, pouring around the mountains as it headed towards the remains of Ponyville and the rest of Equestria.

No...oh please, not this!

“What's going on?!” Spike asked.

“It's a tidal surge,” Celestia said, her heart sinking. The last time she had seen one was when she and Luna battled a sharknado in ages past. Back then, one of the only warnings they had gotten was a massive surge of water from the ocean that washed over Equestria, flooding the entire continent, and allowing the sharknado to grow in power and size.

If the surge was washing over Equestria once again, that meant only one thing: property values were going to plummet due to water damage. But it also meant they were running out of time.

Twilight flew to the balcony. “Princess! What is that!? What's going on?!“

“Twilight, I need you to head to the library immediately, and search for a book in the high-security wing.” Celestia removed a key from around her neck, and gave it to Twilight. “Once you're inside, look for a thin, blue book that has a black gem on the cover.”

“But why would we need a book to-”

Princess Celestia tossed Spike onto Twilight's back. “There's no time to explain! Go! I will join you shortly!” Wings spreading, she took off down towards the streets below.

Realizing that time was of the essence, Twilight swung the key around her neck and flew into the palace, Spike hanging on as she ran through the silent and empty halls. Rooms had been abandoned, as if their owners never meant to return. The only exception was the Royal Library, which had been magically sealed off. There were too many priceless scrolls and fragile books within to transport, so the wing had been designed with the ability to seal it off and protect it from anything that could damage it.

That is, everything except a sharknado.

Unlocking the door, Twilight dashed inside “Okay Spike, you know what to look for!”

“Right!”

For ten minutes, the two combed through every part of the library, going through the history section, the magical artifacts and creatures wings, but found nothing.

“I don't understand it!” Twilight said as she tossed two books aside. “The princess said the book was here!”

“Maybe we're not looking in the right spot?” Spike suggested.

Going to the very top of a ladder, Twilight went through the oldest, dustiest corner of the shelves, blowing away cobwebs, dust, and the skeletons of janitors who had died attempting to clean the shelves, until she gave a shriek of delight. “I found it!” She yanked out the book Celestia had instructed her to find. Though caked with dust, it was intact, and now in their possession. “Spike, let Celestia know we found it!”

Such actions were unnecessary, for Celestia ran into the room moments later. “Twilight?!”

Flying down, Twilight gave the book to Celestia. “Princess! We found it!”

Celestia sank to her knees in relief. “Thank goodness!”

Despite her relief, Twilight found herself curious as to the book itself. What was it? What did it contain? Was there a spell inside that could defeat the sharks?

“Princess, what's in the book? Why is it so important?”

“Well Twilight, this book has-”

The doors to the library were thrown open as Prince Blueblood ran inside. “Auntie Celestia! Auntie Celestia!”

Celestia spun. “Blueblood? What is it?!”

Thunder shook the windows as Prince Blueblood wiped the tears from his face. “Oh it's awful, just awful!” he wailed. “Somepony used up all my shampoo! How am I going to keep my fabulous hair clean now?!”

Celestia had to restrain herself from smacking her nephew.. “Blueblood, now is not the time to worry about your hair. Now is the time to worry about sharks.”

No sooner had she finished speaking than a new alarm came to life, one much different from the klaxon that had been steadily droning on.

“Oh no...” Celestia whispered. “Quickly, all of you follow me!”

As Spike leapt onto Twilight's back, Celestia ran up several flights of stairs to her private residence, where she peered through a telescope, and to the lands surrounding Canterlot. What she saw froze her to her core.

“Sweet mother of me...”

Twilight ran off the stairs. “Celestia?!”

Sweat dripped down Celestia's forehead.

“It's here.”

Even without a telescope, Twilight saw the sharknado on the horizon, closing in on Canterlot with frightening speed. And even from miles away, the sharks' roars could be heard, filled with a ravenous desire to devour Equestria's capital, and with it, Canterlot's government, which would effectively end any organized resistance that could stop them.

But not if Celestia could help it.

“Get to the airport!” Celestia yelled. “Go, now!”

“But my shampoo!” Blueblood wailed.

Celestia took the sky. “Twilight, get him out of here!”

Groaning, Twilight grabbed Blueblood, threw him over her shoulder, and took off towards the airport.

Flying high above Canterlot, Celestia's horn glowed. And much as she had done before the Changeling attack on the city, she sent forth a great and mighty dome that encircled Canterlot. And for once, Celestia was grateful that the Changelings had invaded at all. The experience had taught her to further enhance her shield powers, so as to make it twice as powerful. Granted, it wouldn't do squat against the assault of sharks, but it would buy her enough time to ensure that the rest of Canterlot was evacuated.

When the barrier slammed down and sealed off Canterlot, the winds outside increased in strength, slamming trees and rocks against the shield as the sharknado surged up the mountainside, launching its attack. Having already sucked up water from the tidal surge, it was even larger than when it had attacked Ponyville.

Within Canterlot, ponies ran for their lives, screaming in terror as sharks tore into the barrier with relentless hunger. Even those who had bravely fought during the Changeling invasion were reduced to quivering blobs of terrified jelly. They had seen the terror of Changelings impersonating their loved ones, but that was nothing compared to the horror of airborne sharks.

But amongst the terror and fear that gripped Canterlot, Celestia was a beacon of hope. She swooped down, her mere presence encouraging everyone on, lifting the spirits of those around her, allowing them to calm down long enough to dash for the airport. As long as Celestia was flying, the ponies of Canterlot had hope.

But as the sharks attacked the barrier, that hope remained frail.

***

At the Canterlot airport, the situation was no less dire. Luna was guiding ponies towards the nearest balloons, blimps, and zeppelins, doing her utmost to keep them calm while the craft took off and fled as fast as could be managed, only to smash into the magical barrier, forcing their embarrassed pilots to wait while Luna opened a small gap, at which point they fled once again.

But among all the craft taking off like terrified rabbits, one remained stationary: Canterlot Force One. As the only jet aircraft in all of Equestria, it was being saved for the princesses, acting as their airborne palace. It was to that massive, three-story plane that Twilight flew, landing inside the doorway. Her frantic flight was stopped as she was momentarily overtaken by the beauty and opulence of the plane's interior. The walls were white marble, with deep purple carpeting and chandeliers, along with a sauna, hot tub, and what appeared to be cabinets stocked with enough cake, bananas, and food to feed an army. Truly, it was a floating palace worthy of the princesses.

“Twilight!”

Spike hung on as Twilight dumped Blueblood off her back and ran upstairs, where Pinkie was in a passenger compartment, along with Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Derpy, Octavia, and Vinyl Scratch.

“Hey Twilight, great to see you! Isn't this place awesome?! It's totally awesome and cool and the perfect place to throw a party! In fact, we should throw a party now to celebrate you getting here and everyone else evacuating! Here, let me set up my-”

“Pinkie?”

“Yes?!”

“Why don't you...uhhh...go stand on top of the plane and keep an eye out for incoming sharks?!”

Pinkie leapt through the ceiling. “Okie-dokie!”

“Thank you,” Octavia said, breathing a sigh of relief. “Really, I can't see how you all can manage her endless attempts to stage parties for the flimsiest of reasons.”

“You get used to it,” Twilight said. “Where's the princess?”

“She hasn't arrived yet?”

Running to the window, Twilight looked outside. The last of the airships were leaving, with Canterlot Force One being the only aircraft yet to take off. “But she has to be here! There's nopony left to evacuate!” Looking down, she saw the rest of the Royal Guards boarding the craft, and then Princess Luna, who was the last one onboard. Leaping from the window, Twilight ran downstairs. “Princess Luna! Where's Celestia?!”

Luna looked out the window. “She must be searching for any ponies still within the city.”

“Then we have to go help her!”

As Twilight made for the stairs, Luna held out a leg and stopped her. “Nay, Twilight. My sister can handle herself. We must prepare the plane to take off as soon as possible! I daresay we shall need to depart with great speed when the moment arrives.”

***

Thanks to Celestia's presence, the streets of Canterlot had been evacuated, leaving them barren and empty. Only Celestia remained, dashing from house to house to ensure that nopony had been left behind, even as the barrier began to crack and fracture under the sharknado's relentless assault.

Making a final stop at Canterlot's orphanage, Celestia found that all the adorable little orphan ponies had been safely evacuated; she gave a sigh of relief. Most ponies would think that a sharknado wanted nothing more than to consume mountains of meat to sate their hunger, but she knew from experience that what sharknados desired more than anything in Equestria were the tears of orphans. At least this time, it would be denied such pleasures.

Celestia had run out the door of the orphanage as the magical barrier finally shattered. The sharknado surged through, immediately tearing into the streets, walls, and the palace itself. With her wings beating, Celestia took off. The sharknado immediately gave chase, forcing Celestia to dart between the towers of the palace to escape.

The Royal Palace, the proud and beautiful structure that was the pinnacle of Equestrian craftsmanship, was demolished by the sharks, who effortlessly tore through the outer walls and proceeded to consume everything inside. Had they been capable of laughing, they would have done so as they shredded the steel door to the Royal Vault, mocking the attempt to keep them out as they ate priceless treasures and manuscripts.

But even as the remains of the palace imploded upon itself before being sucked into the sharknado, Celestia didn't look back, and she didn't mourn the loss of her home. Her subjects were safe, and that was what mattered. If they all survived this catastrophe, a better palace would be built, one that no shark could ever tear down, and that would be lined with all manner of defenses, including barbed wire, cannons, and diamond-tipped chainsaws.

Reaching the airport, Celestia found that it was empty, save for Canterlot Force One, which was moving onto the runway, the engines powering up for an emergency takeoff. She swooped in low and dove inside the entrance, slamming the door shut after her.

“Pilot!” Celestia called to the upper deck. “Take off!”

No sooner had Celestia given the order then the engines roared, and the plane took off at full speed, tearing down the runway before finally launching into the air, leaving Canterlot behind as the sharknado destroyed Equestria's capital in a savage display of primal fury and aquatic terror.

“Princess!” Twilight said, rushing to Celestia and grabbing her leg. “Thank heavens you're okay!”

Panting, Celestia wrapped a leg around Twilight and held her close. “Luna?”

Luna ran over. “Yes sister?”

Celestia looked out the window, watching the rapidly-receding wreckage of Canterlot. First Ponyville, and now the capital. A disaster, to be sure, but with the citizens evacuated, and the book from the library now safely in her possession, she had reason to be hopeful. But if the rest of Equestria was to avoid being destroyed, they'd have to move fast.

“Have the pilot set course for the Crystal Empire.”