//------------------------------//
// Chapter Three. “The Castle of the Dead” 
// Story: Ashes to Equestria. 
// by Pedro-Paramo 
//------------------------------//

They were close to the tower. But, something stopped Ash from going any further. He made some instructions to hide quickly into the bushes as he pointed to the two big, dead, angry-looking Minotaurs that were guarding the entrance.

Twilight with calculating eyes made an observation, "That’s weird. They were not there before. In fact the Tower was empty and it was on ruins."

Ash said sarcastically, "What were you expecting? Some fancy welcoming?"

She got angry, "NO! I was just saying. You have to improve your manners, mister."

Ash looked to another side, "Whatever."

Rarity made a suggestion, "We should make a plan to get in without alerting anyone."

Ash ignored the suggestion as he began to run towards the Minotaurs. Twilight screamed after him, "Hey, wait! You can’t just go like that!" as she started to gallop into his direction. 

Rainbow Dash got excited and exclaiming, "Oh yeah! This is my kind of action!" She flew into Twilight's and Ash's direction. Applejack and Pinkie without saying anything, joined. Rarity face hoofed, "OK, I suppose, I can't really force you to do anyhting" she joined with Fluttershy afterwards.

Ash jumped while tuning on his chainsaw, in the middle of the air. He makes his way down to the monster and he stabs the Minotaur on its chest taking out the boom-stick to shot the Minotaur's head. But the Minotaur didn't flinch.

Ash got surprised and he got nervous, "Hey, hello pal. You are not angry, are you?"

The angry Minotaur looked at him, eyes of rage and with a guttural voice, it said, "I’ll swallow your soul."

Ash, in desperation, started to hit the Minotaur with his shotgun on the hope that it got weak. But, the Minotaur took him by his torso smashing Ash into the ground. 

Ash yelled in pain as he felt something brake. The Minotaur approaches Ash ready to finish him, but, the Minotaour saw another destiny. A nasty one. 

First, Twilight runs taking with telekinesis and jumping she uses the gravity force to smash his head on the ground as she sends him flying into the sky. Following, Rainbow Dash kicks with all her velocity the Minotaur’s head sending him once more to the ground. Applejack gets there and she jumps, bucking so hard, the Minotaur's head rotated on its own place. Pinkie behind Applejack gets her cannon to finish the job with a great boom that made the Minotaur’s head explode.

The other Minotaur was about to attack watching this but it got slashed by Rarity’s sword cutting him in half as Fluttershy used something that no one of her friends knew she could do. Fluttershy made the stare on the Minotaur’s dead eyes and made it explode.

Ash was on the ground with his mouth open in surprise. Then, he closed it slowly with his hand, getting up, he stared at the ponies in awe.

Twilight noticed this and she makes a sarcastic smile, "What? Surprised?"

Ash tries to not appear surprised and he says, coughing, "Yeah. Not bad." 

Rainbow Dash got really excited, "Are you kidding?!? That. was. AWESOME!"

Applejack got excited too, "Yiiiiiiiiiijaaaa partner! That’s how we buck the trees on the farm!"

Pinkie says excited, "It was super-duper-mega-ultra-fun!"

Rarity, in her usual tone, says, "Oh, darling, you didn’t expect me to be a useless lady, did you?"

Fluttershy says with a kind tone, "Oh mister, we are the Elements of Harmony, after all."

Ash just smiled and with pleasure on his soul he said, "Okay, I'll admit it. It was good."

Rainbow stared at him and exclaimed, "Are you kidding?! Because..."

Ash puts himself in front the entrance, "Enough of celebration, we ain't done yet."

Rainbow stared dumbfounded and looked for support with Twilight. Twilight shrugs and declares, "He's right Rainbow. We can't afford to loose more time, every second counts." As Twilight follows behind then she searched for Applejack's support but she joined in, "She's right, sugarcube, sorry." She tried for Pinkie's but she only followed behind, Rarity says, "Sorry, but they are right." Fluttershy tried to avoid to look Rainbow in the eye and with a sorry, she followed behind. Rainbow, finally, defeated, decides to join.


The structure was immense. Twilight opened her mouth in surprise and in exclamation she said, "Oh, Celestia. This was not this big before!"

Ash was now disturbed, "Hold on. Don’t tell me you got it on the top of it."

She answered with worry, "Yes! Oh, no. This is going to take forever!" 

Ash frowned at the statement, "Great! What now smart-ass?"

Twilight answered annoyed, "Stop that! We’ll find a way." Before Ash could say anything, Pinkie pointed with her hoof, "Look guys! An elevator!"

Everyone looked at Pinkie’s pointing hoof. It was a huge door. Enough to fit an elephant inside it. 

Twilight looked at it and sarcastically commented, "How convenient! It must be a trap…" 

Rainbow Dash said playfully, "Well. I don’t see any other option, Twilight. Besides, every second counts. Isn't it, Twi?"

Twilight stared at Rainbow with a pokerface, "Touché"

They were about to get in when a dead Manticore flies in front of them making an intimidating pose while looking very arrogant. The Manticore said with a playful grin.

"Where are you going fellas?"

Fluttershy answered hesitating as she smiles nervously, "Umm… upstairs?"

The Manticore apologized, "Sorry but you are not going anywhere."

Twilight started to get pissed, "Then, why did you even bothered to ask?!?"

The feline started to laugh in amusement, "That’s not the point now. Prepare to die." Before anyone could make a movement Ash pointed to the Manticore’s face, "Hey, what’s that in your face?" The Manticore stayed still and with his claws started to pat randomly on his face nervously, "What? Where?" Then, Ash jumped to Manticore’s head with the chainsaw turned on, cutting into its brain. The Manticore moved angrily, it looked like a rodeo. Everypony stared with surprise as Ash endured the movements. He begins to scream to snap the ponies out of it.

"Any time you feel like it! I will not last longer!!!"

Twilight started to prepare a spell with all her might as Pinkie prepares some quick mixes to make better explosives. Once, they got it all, they shot their power to The Manticore’s limbs proving to be effective, making the Manticore loose its limbs. In agony the Manticore managed to say, "You cheaters!!!"

Ash looks at his funny, "Ha-ha. In war and love everything goes, baby."

Ash shot his boom-stick in the little hole, he made with his chainsaw on the Manticore’s head ending the dialogue and its life.

Everypony stares at Ash in surprise. Apparently, he has his own As on the sleeve. He puts the shotgun in the holder, “I know, I know. I’m a quick thinker.”

Twilight smiles, “Yeah, It was amazing but we have to keep moving. I don’t want any other creature coming out of nowhere.” 

Pinkie agreeds with the statement, “You got it Twilight!”

Ash nodded as they walked in to the elevator.

It was enormous. Everyone seemed to be amazed by it, How could it be so big!? Twilight looks at her surroundings, “So this is it! How do we get this started?” Rarity got close to a lever and pulling from it some chains that seemed to be holding the platform began to move as it started to go up, “I got it. Well, I think we should rest a bit. This seems like a long, loooong way.” Ash looking up said, “Not so fast Miss fancy-pants. Look” as he pointed up. Everyone listened to Ash’s observation watching dead Pegasus fly over their head and the quantity of them that seemed without end.

Rainbow Dash said in annoyance, “Oh, man. Not this guys again...”

Twilight with questioning eyes said to Rainbow, “Did you fight these creatures before?”

Rainbow looked at Twilight to answer, “Yes, at Clousdale, a swarm of those things attacked the town.”

They were interrupted when one of the flying deadites almost slashed Applejack’s head but intead it got Applejacks hat. She got really angry, “Hey come’re you sneaky bastard! That was my favorite hat!” She tried to chase it but it was out of reach. She was angry and frustrated. But, Twilight got it by shooting a spark that destroyed the flying deadite along with Applejack's hat.

Applejack looks at Twilight with a funny look. Twilight looks everywhere with her eyes for a route of flee, "I'm so sorry, Applejack. I..."

Applejack just stares at her, "We'll talk about this later. There are other matters at hoof." Twilight just gulped.

Ash snaps them out of their conversation with instructions, “Twilight, Pinkie. You can shot things form afar. I want you to destroy the most of them as you can. I count on you to make the job easier for us since you are the most heavy fighters.” They saw each other and nodded.

He pointed to Rainbow, "You, go and fly from a good perimeter that lets Twilight and Pinkie shot in liberty and do your thing." Rainbow salutes and leaves a rainbow dash.

Ash points, "Rarity, Fluttershy, Applejack, I need you to defend Twilight and Pinkie from those guys, they are intelligent and they will try to stop them.“

Everyone followed the instructions as Twilight shot to the targets making them ashes. Pinkie made them explode and some of them got seriously injured with some third grade burns.

Rainbow flies with amazing pirouettes, hitting the deadites as she moves them to the explosions and Twilight’s shots.

Rarity slashed the deadites that tried to get near Twilight or Pinkie. Fluttershy watching at the distance making their heads explode.

Applejack was bucking them so hard because of her anger. She was leaving them completely dead.

Ash was moving very fast his chainsaw cutting in half, the middle or simply stabbing to shot to the heads making them suffer before dying.

That was one hell of a waiting. Those dead Pegasus never ended. It was like if they just spawned ready for more! And the fighters were getting tired. They couldn’t make this forever. 

Twilight was destroying with her horn some deadites and stated, “Ash! We can’t do this any longer! We have to think about something!”

She got protected by a Rarity on rage covered in blood, she said, “Yeah, I don’t know if I could be like this any longer!”

Fluttershy still in concentration making the heads explode made an observation of her situation, “My head is hurting a lot. We have to do something!”

Applejack still in rage said, “Don’t complain. Keep fighting! We have to endure!”

Rainbow could only be seen making the deadites fall to their dead or hitting them near the danger. Ash exhausted and still breaking bones managed to say, “I know but can’t you see they are a lot!”

Twilight made a sarcastic joke, “You don’t say! It’s what we are trying to communicate to you!”

Ash was thinking what could they do while fighting. They were a lot, the ponies were already exhausted and it appeared the end of their existence.

Twilight suddenly noticed an aura coming from Ash. So, she made some connections with her memories and came up with an idea.

“The thing, Ash! Do the thing!”

“The what?!”

“Turn into a demon and slay all the deadites!”

“I don’t know how!”

“Concentrate; remember what happened in your dream!”

Ash stopped fighting for a moment while the other ponies were covering him. He tried to remember his dream. Some flashbacks came to his mind; the basement, the sudden run into the forest and… the power.

He concentrated as hard as he could. He was beginning to sweat and to get covered in red mist. The inevitable happened and he levitated between lightnings and power as he changed aspect into a demonic one. All the ponies around stopped their actions, even the flying deadites stayed still. 

Ash looked around in anger, selecting a victim, looking for an enemy. A deadite dared a move and his life ended as Ash took a shot with his shotgun making the deadite explode by the power of the lightning. The deadites didn’t wait for more so they started to fight back. But their chances on surviving were zero.

Ash was stronger, quicker and madder. Cutting in half some of them with the chainsaw, breaking some heads with one hit from the butt-gun, lightnings making blow to pieces the deadites. A spectacular show of blood, a blood bath, a vampire would be so happy to see so much blood.

Even, if Ash was making the most of the massacre, the mane six didn’t stay out of the game making their part eliminating the most they could. Rarity slashing like a crazy swordsman on drugs; Pinkie was making the roll of a bomber; Twilight making her spells and watching the full destruction it caused; Applejack smashing like pumpkins with a hammer some heads; Rainbow killing with one hit her adversaries because of the speed and Fluttershy making heads explode like balloons.

After some time the deadites didn’t show up. Leaving everyone very exhausted. Demonic Ash looked to the skies and screamed as he came back to normality. Ash was dazed and confused. Without any advertisement he passed out.

Between shades and fuzziness, Ash woke up feeling better now. He looked around. The mane six were surrounding him, talking and joking. He stared in confusion, how could they be so happy after a massacre when they are the authors of said atrocity? He tried to forget.

Twilight saw him incorporate, “Oh, hello, Ash!”

“Hey, Smart-Ass. How is it going?”

Twilight tried to ignore the first words.

“Really fine, these are fun times. We were waiting for you to wake up! So, we could go for the last boss. Because according to the books I’ve had read. A final boss is going to be next and we really need an ‘extra hand’, if I may, to help us out!”

Ash laughed for a minute, “Daawww, how cute, playing with the words like a child.”

Pinkie joined the fun!

“Yeah! It’s super fun, you see! Parangaricutirimicuaro. If you want to parangaricutimicuarizar, you have to parangaricutimicuarizar. Before you go parangaricutimicuaro.!”

Applejack saw in a disoriented mood, “Say what again?”

“Oh you silly, It’s Parangaricutirimicuaro. If you want to parangaricutimicuarizar, you have to parangaricutimicuarizar. Before you go parangaricutimicuaro.!"

Rarity tried too, “Oh, darling it’s pretty simple, Parangaricutirimicuaro. If you want to parangaricutimicuarizar, you have to parangaricutimicuarizar. Before you go parangaricutimicuaro.!”

Applejack tried with no success, “Parangaracutimivicuaro, ehmmm, no, paragaricutimivicuaro, NO! Dem fancy words!”, Applejack covered her ears on shame.

Pinkie laughed in her silly nose laugh as the others joined in guffaw.

Ash was happy now. He knew the reason of life. Dat Pinkie, is so damn good at her thing.

Twilight stood up, “Okay everypony! Let’s move, we have a train to catch up and the time is running out!”

Rainbow Dash smirked, “Really? A train analogy? BWAHAHAHA!”, She ended up in the floor laughing to dead. The others did too and Twilight felt ashamed.

Rarity tried to give her some cheers, “Oh, come on Twilight, we are all having a good time here!”

Twilight relaxed for a moment and smiled to Rarity, “Thanks…”

Rarity gave her a warm smile, “You’re welcome, dear, anytime.”

Ash retreaded the lead, “All right, let’s move. I feel like kicking some ass now.”

Rainbow joined the statement, “You listened to the boss. Let’s bounce.”

Twilight saw the opportunity and smiled, “Really, Dash? Your guetto words are very offensive”

Rainbow couldn’t help but sole hoof, “Twilight… That’s like the stupidest joke I’ve ever heard.”

Twilight tried to defend her ‘joke’, “Oh, come on! It’s a good one.”

Fluttershy disagreed, “I mean, no offence, Twilight, but It kindy, little, messed up.”

Twilight frowned in her place.

Dash tried to cheer her up, “Just stay with the sarcastic jokes. They suit you better, Twilight. But I think we are moving from the real thing. Let’s move! Before, Twilight, tries to kill us with bad jokes!”

Twilight smiled in a sarcastic way, “Very ‘funny’, Dash. But you are right. We have to move.”

Ash was almost at the giant door near the end of the corridor, some steps farther than the ponies, “It was about time, lady. I’ve been waiting for years for you to come.”

Pinkie exclaimed in an exaggerated exclamation, “Oh, come on! What a party pooper…”

Ash apologized, “Sorry, lady. I’m here just for business now” As he opened the great door, letting a smell of rotten corpses involve the environment.

Rarity quickly covered his nose letting reclamation go its way, “What a terrible smell! I’m not going inside, not even for all the gold of Equestria!”

Applejack quickly pushed her inside the room making her fall near a corpse of a pony obviously rotten to its brain. “Oh, don’t be so girly now. We have a job to finish.”

Rarity stood up quickly and exclaiming, “How rude of you! I felt near a corpse! Do you know how disgusting that is?!”

Applejack defended herself, “Come on, Rarity, we just left thousands of bodies in the elevator, and you were covered in blood before we got here.”

Rarity realized, “Yeah! I know! What a horror!”

Ash got mad, “Oh, come on! Could you two cut it out! We are in some serious business here!” Ash pointed to the pony who was sitting in the middle of the room, surrounded by the bodies. It looked black, slim and it had a bug kind of form. All the ponies felt nervous and angry. It was only one creature they met before that had these characteristics, The Queen of the Changelings. No mistake. She was in the middle of the room sitting in loneliness expecting for some one.

Ash interrupted the heavy silence, “Hey, you, ugly! What are you doing all alone?!” There was no response. Ash approached the Queen who was looking to the space, smiling in an evil way.

The Queen was now looking at Ash in a scary dead face.

“Hello, Ash. Long time no see.”

“I have never seen you in my entire life. I would remember someone as ugly as you.”

The Queen smiled in awe, “That’s so rude of you. Remember, that time I used the TV show to expand my little army of deadites?”

Ash smiled sarcastically, “Yeah, how could I forget. You interrupted my happy time and I had to kill the bartender.”

The Queen laughed in a voice combined with a guttural and an after dead sound like, “Hahahaha. I see you didn’t forget me.”

Ash felt pissed, “How could I forget! You used that fine girl to manifest!”

The Queen laughed her ass off, “Hahahahaha… Poor little, Ash, in love of another girl. Whatever happened to, Linda…?”

Ash was in anger now and he pointed to the queen, “Don’t you dare to bring, Linda, into this conversation!”

The Queen smirked.

Ash was so pissed, starting the fight with a quick swing of the chainsaw after turning it on. The Queen only laughed more. The chainsaw appeared to be hitting the objective. But the Queen was not even a little hurt.

The Queen putted in front of him at a high speed, “You are so slow little, Ashley. Too SLOW.”, the Queen then bucked so hard Ash in the mouth making him lose some teeth and making him fly to the other side of the room, only to be catch by the Queen’s horn, drilling his heart.

The Queen smiled cynically, “Oh poor little, Ashley. Are you in pain? Let me help you with that.”, then the Queen prepared a fatal spell that would make his body blow to pieces. But Twilight teleports just in time to tackle the Queen with a shield made by her magic, “Leave him alone devil spawn!”, Ash’s body went limb to another direction.

The Queen smiled in shadows, “And I haven’t forgotten about you little, Twilight”, then the Queen quickly gave her a buck breaking the shield and smashing her head on the ground in a blood bath, leaving Twilight out of combat.

Rainbow Dash then flew to their direction at full velocity ready to hit with all her force the Queen. But the Queen was faster, so she bucked hard Dash sending her to the skies only to throw at her a greenish laser that were blocked by Fluttershy’s mind in an effort to stop the imminent dead of her friend.

The Queen seemed fascinated, “You used your mind, huh? I cannot let you live for longer. But you’re going to be interesting:”

The Queen moved to Flutteshy’s back in a blink and then backstabbed her with her long and black horn, “Well, I didn’t expect this to be so easy.”

Applejack, Rarity and Pinkie, attacked in anger. Applejack bucked the Queen and Rarity stabbed the Queen with her sword as Pinkie shot the canon so near that everyone’s view went black as a dense smoke surrounded everything, “You are so slow.”

The Queen came out of nowhere returning Applejack a hard buck, Rarity a stab to her belly and Pinkie, the last one standing…

The Queen smiled in a devilish way, “So, you are the last one…” She prepared her horn as a green light and a black aura surrounded the Queen. Pinkie was static; the fear left her without a movement.

A lightning came out from another direction hitting the Queen directly making her magic fade away for a moment. She looked around with a wound on her face, “What the buck! Who dared to attack my beautiful face!?!”

Ash was standing at some distance, already in the demon form.

The Queen saw him in hate and venom, “YOU! YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO BE DEAD.”

Demonic Ash answered with a guttural and demonic voice, “I am”

The Queen quickly went to Ash’s direction bucking him so hard, his head turned on his own shaft. Ash answered with a quick stab to the Queen’s black heart, shooting once more to her head.

BLAM!

Half of her head blew to pieces.

The Queen was really mad, “Come one! Raise my minions and help your Queen!”

All the bodies in the surroundings started to incorporate. They were thousands, the wastes of the Queen’s food. All the bodies screamed in an ugly way letting their pain be felt. Ash started to hit with the gun’s butt the, now visible, Queen’s brain.

The Queen laughed in awe, “You are so desperate!”

Ash was now smashing the Queen’s head into the ground creating craters where it was hit. Pinkie was very terrified. This was a monster’s fight. She could not do anything. But some bravery floods her heart and with resolution she started to attack the deadite army. She had to do it alone so Ash could take care of the monster. The deadites were ignoring Pinkie. But her explosives were really giving some devastation.

Ash was now even hitting to dead some deadites with the Queen. She was laughing of their effort to keep alive, “Hahahahaha, my little ponies! You’re my toys now! There is nothing you can make to beat me! Bwaahahahahaa!”

The Queen then with her horn made some powerful magic that involved her being making Demonic Ash lose his hand setting free the Queen. Ash screamed in pain and rage as the Queen was flying to another direction in awe and screaming in happiness, “Bwahahahaha! Poor little, Ashley... Do you need a hand?” she got a direct explosion from Pinkie’s canon, causing more damage to the Queen. But the Queen didn’t take this very well…

“Do you like to play dirty… eehh little, Pinkie?” The Queen was already in front of her, Pinkie could smell her decomposition state and she was really scared of her look, “It’s my turn to play with you!” Pinkie didn’t like the sound of that. Then she gave her a strong buck that sent her to the deadite army. “Minions, play with her too!” The deadite army was smiling in a devilish way. But Ash managed to catch her in the middle air as he embraced her starting to spin like a twist with his chainsaw turned on making all the deadites to stay dead once and for all.

The Queen didn’t liked the watch, “You bastard! Pinkie is supposed to die!” Ash managed to answer, “Not on my watch”

“SON OF A PIG!”

This blood twist was now expulsing explosions, by Pinkie’s courtesy, making even more devastation killing to the instant all the army left, “YAY, this is super fun!”

The twist stopped letting see Ash untransformed holding under his left arm Pinkie who was happily laughing. “It’s over Queen, I have won.”

“BWAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHA, THIS HAS JUST BEGUN.”

She wasn’t kidding, her other brain half started to regenerate at a high speed as a greenish aura involved her body while all the blood involving the room started to move on her direction, “I not only feed on love, but the blood and flesh of the fallen!”

Pinkie yelled, “Oh, come on!”

The Queen not only was regenerating but her body was changing into a bigger and stronger one, “You’ll see my final transformation! You should feel honored”

Ash only laughed, “hahahahaha, you’re uglier than before, I think I’m going to throw up!”

“How dare you!”

“I’m gonna beat your ass in any form you have.”

“Let’s see!”

With that the Queen now in the form of a disgusting and ugly monster started to shoot power from her mouth. Ash dodged the attack jumping to another side, “Ha and you’re slower!”

The Queen really got mad, “I’m going to murder you!!!!”

“You don’t have a chance, Pinkie, go and fabric the most powerful and dangerous explosive you ever made. I’ll distract the Queen. We’re going to see some fireworks tonight.” Pinkie nodded and saluted Ash, “You got it!”

Ash started to move his arms up and down capturing the Queen’s attention, “Hey, ugly! I’m right here! You can’t hit a target even if it were at your ass!”

The Queen got really mad, “You’ll pay for that!”, Sending a lot of mist, corpses, green power and blood. Ash managed to dodge every single attack. Meanwhile, Pinkie was on an unpacked laboratory creating something nasty, something that would blow to pieces the whole Canterlot! She was at the final steps when Ash screamed to her, “Is it done already!?”

Pinkie answered, “Almost done! Aaaaaaandd… It’s done!”

Ash answered happily, “It was about time! Quick, use it on her!”

Pinkie didn’t agreed, “I can’t. This is so powerful and dangerous that could destroy the entire tower and leave a crater on the ground once it was standing!”

Ash yelled in frustration, “Pinkie, you took this very far! How are we supposed to beat this witch!?”

Pinkie thought for a moment.

Ash was really agitated and the Queen was still trying to hit him.

Pinkie was now thinking with a hoof on her chin.

Ash dodged a green power that almost hit him.

Pinkie was now thinking with a bubble-pipe.

Ash screamed impatient, “But for today!” He dodges another green power.

Pinkie now with a spotlight on her head screamed, “I got it! A timer!” Then she got out of nowhere one that connected quickly to the bomb, putting twelve minutes, “We have twelve minutes to leave or we are going BOOM!” Pinkie extended her arms to the sky imitating the explosion.

Ash got really freaked out, “Pinkie! What have you done?!”

Pinkie got excited, “Ahhh, Duh… I just condemned us all! Wait a little, tiny minute…” Pinkie took a hoof to her chin creating some connections, “Oooooh… Sorry.”

Ash had to think quickly, “No time for a discussion. Quick! Take everyone and let’s get out of here before we blow to pieces!” Ash takes the body of Twilight that was the nearest and Rainbow Dash. Pinkie got on her back the other three ponies left. “OOuuuhh. They are heavy!”

Ash replied, “Don’t complain! This is your entire fault!” Running he dodged some attacks of the Queen who screamed in rage, “You are not going anywhere!”

They got out the room closing it behind them. Ash ran at his full limit, “Run, PINKIE, RUN!” Behind them the door blew to pieces letting see an angry Queen, “COME HERE MY LITTLE TOYS~”

Pinkie got freaked out, “Holy BUCK! She is just so creepy. It gives me the chills~! Brrrrr~”

Ash replied at the knowledge, “Tell me about it!”

The long corridor felt really endless. The Queen was hunting them without a rest on the hall destroying everything at her step. When finally the light at the end resulted on the elevator, “We’re here; shoot everything you got against the Queen to back her down!”  The other ponies that were unconscious were let aside as Pinkie and Ash shoot their arsenal. The Queen had to stop; Pinkie’s explosions were hurting her really badly. Ash quickly pulled the lever to descend.

But… the elevator didn’t work. Ash was very upset, “God, this was working not ten minutes ago!”

The Queen entered the lair were they are and with a face that let know her blood thirst, said, “Oh, what’s that little, Ashley? The elevator is not working?” The Queen laughed in delight after her questions.

Ash and Pinkie looked at each other with worried glances. Pinkie said with her eyes, “What are we going to do?!” Ash answered, “I don’t know!” The Queen was still laughing, not to her joke, but to her victory.

Pinkie, suddenly without wasting time got out of her pocket some cupcakes that she put on her mouth starting to chew them at full velocity and after that she started to kiss her unconscious friends making them eat what she was chewing. Ash was looking in surprise and the Queen stopped her laugh.

Like if it was a miracle the unconscious ponies started to wake up looking around confused by what was happening.

First Rainbow, “What’s that? Mom, is time for school?” Pinkie held her head squishing it in excitement, “It worked! It really WORKED!” 

“Huh, Pinkie? Where’s mom? Where are we? This is not home!”

Pinkie laughed, “Hhehehe, you silly, we are fighting the Queen of the Changelings, remember?”

Rainbow looked around in confusion seeing first Twilight who was now standing on her own, pawing her head from the buck the Queen gave her. Then to Rarity who was standing all confused and holding her belly stopping the bleeding; Applejack was all dazed like on alcohol: Fluttershy was crying in pain on the floor trying to stop her bleeding; Ash was looking at her in hope.

The Queen then laughed again, “Bwaahahahaha, I was worried for a moment there, but you don’t even know where you are! Hhahahahaha!”

Twilight stopped her pawing and looked at the Queen in annoyance. Rainbow got angry so she flew on the Queen’s direction only to be smashed against the floor with one of the Queen’s big meaty hoofs, “You are one annoying fly”

Everyone got on their senses, Dash was not moving a muscle and her bones seem broken. Applejack got very angry, “How dare you to crush Dash! We are going to avenge her!” Now, she was running to her. Rarity got mad and got two other crystals that turned into swords as she screamed in rage. Twilight started to shoot sparks despite her headaches. Ash ran into the Big Queen’s direction with resolution too. Pinkie shoots her canon screaming in rage too.

The Queen laughed harder, “Bwahahahahaha! You are nothing but cockroaches!” 

The explosions and the beams were getting on the Queen’s head inflicting great damage. Applejack, Rarity and Ash despite their intense combat they seemed so silly trying to inflict damage to the Queen. She was so gigantic that it was like punching a wall. The Queen was trying to squish them without success; she was becoming slower by Pinkie and Twilight’s attacks.

Fluttershy who was still crying on the floor looked at the fight from the distance feeling useless like a used cloth. But some resolution, rage and power inundated her heart making her stand up. She got closer step by step helping herself with the wings. 
Twilight and Pinkie saw her moving to the combat when she got closer, “Fluttershy! Where are you doing? You can’t go with those wounds!” 

She saw Twilight to the eyes in rage feeling the power of ‘the stare’ she was accumulating. So, she didn’t argue no more.

She was getting closer and closer, and then flying to the Queen’s eyes she made the strongest stare she ever made. She even got to a whole new level. The Queen was feeling the most incredible of the pains, “Can you feel it?!” Fluttershy said in rage, “It’s the pain of all the innocent ponies you murdered to get that power!” 

The Queen was screaming in horror, “NOOOOOO! MAKE IT STOP!”

Fluttershy was still looking at her as she started to laugh, “That’s what they said. But what did you do? You gave no mercy. That’s what I’m giving to you. No mercy. You don’t deserve to even breathe.”

Everyone else was looking in horror and awe.

“I’M SORRY!”

“No mercy.”

The Queen’s dead corpse felt apart leaving behind all the other corpses.

Fluttershy then at full velocity managed to get Rainbow’s body and holding her in the arms got her ear near Dash’s mouth. She was still breathing. That was a relief.

Then, she got near all the others that were together now.

Twilight still in shock managed to say something, “That… was… amazing, Fluttershy!”

Applejack agreed, “Yeah, sugarcube! You save us all!”

Rarity nodded, “Simply delightful my dear!”

Pinkie in a burst of energy hugged Fluttershy, “That was super-duper incredible! Where did you learn that!? I’ll throw you a party to celebrate!”

Ash said smiling, “Yeah, well-done! But we gotta get our asses out of here”, then he pointed to Pinkie, “This smart-ass over here made a bomb that is going to explode in about…”, He looked at his timer, “Two minutes. So we better leave, now.” 

Everyone looked at Pinkie in disapproval.

Pinkie felt ashamed but she didn’t lose her jokes, “Upsie…”

Twilight moved the lever with her magic, “Well then, we better leave.”

The elevator started to move as Ash and Pinkie dropped their mouths ‘in what?’

Ash mumbled, “Stupid elevator…”

The descending wasn’t long as before. Apparently the entire tower was under the evil power of the Queen making it bigger and full of atrocities. But once she was dead. The tower was even falling apart slowly.

They got out running like hell, there only was one minute left for the great boom. Plenty of space was between the tower and them when it made what everyone was expecting. A sound of a great explosion was heard next to a big wave of dust and air that pushed away the running ponies and man. Twilight screamed to Pinkie, “You went too far, Pinkieeeeeee!”, the explosion got them dispersed. Pinkie answered, “I knooooooooww….!”

Everyone blacked out.

Twilight suddenly awakened. It was daylight. Her body was so injured and she was in so much pain. She could barely stand up. She looked around to find Ash and the others but there was not signal of them. In the floor, next to her, Pinkie was sleeping peacefully.  Twilight thought, “Hah, Pinkie and her crazy ideas”, she awaken Pinkie from her sleep and Pinkie looked surprised. She moved her head in all directions to see what wake her up. Then, she saw Twilight smiling weakly.

Pinkie returned the smile, “Oh, Hi Twilight! Are you feeling OK?”

Twilight answered weakly, “No, Pinkie. I’m in a lot of pain right now. Could you help me get to the town?”

Pinkie nodded and helped Twilight, “Sure Twilight! But… where is everypony?”

“I don’t know, Pinkie. But I can assure you that we will find them on the road.”

Both ponies walked to Ponyville. One seriously injured by the explosion and the Queen’s buck and the other with her body hurting.
They started to encounter the others. Pinkie almost flies with emotion, “Applejack, Rarity. You are alive!”

Applejack was helping Rarity to stand still, “Yeah, sugarcube. We are!” Rarity joined the talk, “Of course darling. You didn’t expect us to die that easily, did you?”

From the bushes Fluttershy appeared with Rainbow Dash on her arms, “Yeah, Pinkie, did you?” Rainbow was smiling.

Everyone said in unison, “Rainbow Dash!”

“Yeah, that’s my name, don’t waste it.”

They were reunited once more. But they noticed something was missing and Pinkie was the first to know what it was, “Aaand… where is Ash?” Twilight made an observation, “Probably travelling to another dimension.”

“Daaawwww… That’s too bad. I didn’t even have a chance to make him a welcoming party…”

“Believe me Pinkie. It’s for the best.”

They saw each other once more.

“Allright everypony! Let’s head to PONYVILLE!”

“Yeah, I could really use some rest.”

All the ponies walked slowly to their beloved town.

-------------------

They were entering the Town and they saw all ponies working together to get the mess clean. Putting corpses on a part of the town to deal with them later, recollecting the broken parts of the houses, brooming with magic. Most of them looked at the mane six with odd expressions. From all of them they were the most injured. One of them adventured to question the six ponies.

“What the heck was all that?”

Twilight answered short and concrete, she wanted to rest and get healed, “Dark magic invoked by an evil book…”

Pinkie joined, “Yes! And we stopped it with the help of the chosen one!!!”

The stallion said in confusion, “The chosen one?”

“Well, dah, the man who stops these messes all over the dimensions!”

Lyra popped out of nowhere, “did someone say ‘man’?”

“Yeah, do you know what is it?”

“YES! I knew they were real! LISTEN, BON-BON! The humans are real!!!” She left trotting away.

Twilight tried to disperse the uncomfortable silence, “Well… yeah… Listen. I’m kind of tired and I nearly got killed. I would like to go and rest, please. I’ll explain this later after sending to the princess a letter and getting healed.”

The stallion stayed alone and confused with his questions without answer. His wife gets close and makes him keep cleaning with a stare. He obeys without hesitation.  There is satisfaction on her face after her command being obey.

In the tree-house Twilight looks at her treehouse. A total mess. And the feeling that something was missing... Spike. That silly dragon didn't make it after all.

Fluttershy got near Twilight feeling her feels, "Don't worry Twilight, everything will be fine, don't get too sad it makes us feel bad."

Rainbow Dash managed to say, "Yes, Twilight. The little dragon was brave and managed to save you after all."

Twilight looked from the floor to them, "I know... but I can't get the feeling out of my chest."

Everyone group hugged Twilight except Fluttershy who was carrying Dash.

Twilight felt pain and wanted to be left alone, "Please, girls. I need sometime alone."

Rarity looks at her and says, "We understand, Twilight" she turns and looks at the girls, "Come one girls, we must let her alone this time. There is nothing we can do right now."

Everyone stared at each other and left after Rarity through the door.

Twilight watches as Pinkie closes the door and sighs, "What a day..."

Then she heads for the kitchen to start making some tea with magical herbs to alleviate her pain and restore her mana.

Just when she is done she returns to her living room, all scattered with books and blood. She takes a paper and starts writing with the pen and ink from the table.

Dear, Princess Celestia

I'm here to inform you:

The evil is gone and all thanks to this particular character that literally comes out of the book. This book is the one that caused everything and even if this mistake is all on me I want to apologize. The name of the character is Ashley, i don't know his last name he never mentions it all along and we have him to thank for. With his guidance we managed to beat the evil. All was Chrysalis doing. Somehow, she managed to acquire this power and trick me onto reading the book. Everyone is okay... except for Spike... the heavens forgive me but I couldn't do nothing and he gave his life to protect me. Heavens, I'm so sorry. I'm getting emotional. But it's just so painful Princess.

Right now as we speak, my friends are headed for the hospital all badly injured but regardless very fine. I on the other side I have my tea. I know you told me to quit it and seek real medicine but this is just the thing I needed. You know Zebras medicine is equally effective if not most powerful so forgive me for not following you advice.

And you may wonder what happened to Ashley, well, I don't know. He just disappeared like if his work was far outdone. So, we can only hope he is okay wherever he is.

Your faithful student, Twilight Sparkle~

PD. We must talk in person and figure out the destination of the book I have now on my power.