Twilight Sparkle fell to the ground, panting heavily. Sweat beaded on her forehead, washing down her back and soaking her mane. She strained to rise to her hooves, but to no avail. For a moment, she just sat there, staring at the hot sun. The sand was boiling; it was burning away at her chest. With as much strength as she could muster, she levitated a small canteen out of her bag and took a deep swig. Raising a hoof, she wiped off her forehead and peered into the distance.
Though her vision was slightly blurred, as she squinted, she couldn't help but feel there was something jutting out from the horizon. Shaking her head, she amassed her strength and arose. Yes, there was definitely something out there! The unicorn's skin tensed up as a sly smile crept across her face, her eyes alight.
Just over the horizon was a large, gray stone, impaled against the sun. It cast its long, mighty shadow across the desert sand, bathing the ground in a black stream of water. It stood silently, beckoning to Twilight through the musty desert air.
Her right foreleg shaking, Twilight took an easy step forward. She cringed as her hoof touched the sand once more, but swallowed and continued looking forward. Another step, followed by another, and another. She had taken up an easy pace, walking briskly across the burning sands. With every glance up at the stone, her rate increased, until she was in a full gallop. She was panting, and was now drenched in sweat, the water dripping off of the front of her nose. It grew closer, ever so closer.
Finally, she was in the stone's shade. She breathed an exasperated sigh, and brought the canteen once more to her lips. In the shadow of the large monument, the air had grown ice cold. Her body still caked in sweat, the unicorn shivered. It felt like she hadn't known weather like this for several years, much less a few days. Her relieved grin dropping back into a straight face, she continued on.
It seemed like a mile, and it might as well have been. The large stone loomed, almost studying her, as she trotted up to the mighty structure. Halting completely, she stared up at it.
The monolith was mighty, but utterly blank. Despite this, it bore heavy signs of rot. It lay practically in decay, but stood heavy and large, towering over the rest of the desert, and blocking the sun from Twilight completely. The unicorn placed a single hoof on the cold wall of the structure as her gaze followed its length to the blue sky, a single wisp of a cloud hanging above.
"This is it," Twilight whispered to herself, her voice shaking ever so slightly. "The last remnants of them."
~~~
"Are you sure we should do this?" Twilight asked. She was sitting in Celestia's throne room, watching the Princess pace back and forth. Her normally calm demeanor had devolved into a small frown, and her gaze was locked on the floor. With Twilight's words, the alicorn looked up and locked eyes with her. The look in her pupils… It was almost empty.
"There's no other choice," Celestia replied. Her eyes narrowed, and she turned around, walking over to the window. Twilight followed her, and came to stand beside her princess. She placed a single hoof on the glass, and stared at the scene below.
Canterlot was in ruins. Smoke rose from the craters littering the city, and entire buildings had crumbled to pieces, leaving behind only rubble and burning chunks of stone. The skies were a sickly green, and the now dark clouds blocked out the once mighty and triumphant sun. The Princess turned around, and made her way across the room once more. Twilight followed, her hoofsteps echoing throughout the large corridor.
"Twilight, in order for you to pull this off, you'll-- You'll need to learn something first." Celestia turned around to regard her student.
"What's that?"
"It was an ancient spell used many, many years before Equestria came into existence. I never thought I would have to use it again--that we would have to use it again--but I believe the time has come."
"Alright, so how does this spell work?"
Celestia frowned. "That's just it. I would tell you, but--" She shifted around on her hooves. "You can only use it when the time has come, and in a very specific place. Promise me that?"
"Of course, Princess."
Celestia nodded and turned to a shelf. Her hoof grazed over the many books before it fell on a single, small piece of parchment. She withdrew the work and levitated it towards Twilight, who enveloped the book in her own magic and placed it in lightly in her saddlebag. With a soft click, the book was concealed.
"When should I use it?" Twilight asked.
"You'll know when the time has come." Celestia spun around and then halted. With a flash, another scroll was out from a bookshelf and was floating towards Twilight. "Take this as well. It will lead you to where it will happen. Promise me you can carry this out?"
"I can, my Princess. I will."
~~~
With a loud snap, Twilight rolled up the parchment. She felt her horn pulse slightly, before returning to normal. Returning the work to her saddlebag, she stood and shivered in the bitterness of the monolith. The interior of the stone was colder than its exterior. Darkness dominated the entire room, save for the weak light of a torch on its far side. Twilight trotted along a stone pathway, quietly studying the walls of the structure. As she walked along, a particular inscription caught her attention. She turned and approached it, both eyes trained on a few butchered Equestrian words.
"So all may live on, we must today die."
This message was placed above a single, large stone, jutting out from the rest of the wall. Looking right, then left, she walked directly forward and placed her hoof onto it. She paused, and took in a deep breath, before pressing down as hard as she could. After that, she stepped back and braced herself, squeezing her eyes shut and gritting her teeth. After hearing nothing for a short while, she opened one curious eye, followed by the other. Coast clear.
The section of the wall bearing the inscription had disappeared, giving way to a large opening that led down into complete darkness. Once more, even in the freezing cold of the monolith, the pony was sweating. She shakily stepped forward, and then stopped. Adjusting her hat, she steadied herself, and sprung from her position into the hole.
A mudslide welcomed her, and she shifted around as she desperately attempted to adopt a safe position. Finally, she gave up, and allowed the slide to dictate how she sat. She careened left, then right, and was finally deposited on the stone ground at the end of the slide. For a second, she simply lay there, giving herself time to catch her breath.
~~~
Rainbow Dash stared out at the distant horizon line, a pair of binoculars pressed tightly to her face. A frown crept across her lips until it was a full grimace. She kicked a rock with her forehoof and withdrew her head from the device. Twilight regarded her friend. Ever since it had happened, she had grown quite agitated.
"I can't believe it's finally happening," she said, breaking the silence.
"I can," Dash replied, absently waving a hoof at the town sprawling out below the tower. "I can see it for myself."
Everywhere, ponies were at work. Thousands had come from all around just to prepare the town. Numerous earth ponies were lugging carts full of rocks to sizable barricades, where they were set in place by pegasi. Many of the unicorns stood on the other sides, using their magic to dig large trenches. In front of which, the remainder of the unicorns were either laying down barbed wire or building smaller barricades. Up in the newly built towers, a few ponies were keeping watch.
"Why don't we just reason this out?" asked Rarity, cantering into the main room. "You are friends with the Princess, Twilight, are you not?"
"It's… a lot more complicated than that," Twilight answered, swallowing slightly. "To be honest, I did try to reason with her. However, the Princess has said that this is the only option. The only thing we can do is prepare."
Rarity sighed. "Oh well. I'll get back to work. Keep up your work, Rainbow Dash. Nopony wants a surprise, especially in our current state." Rarity exited, closing the door behind her. Muffled shouting could be heard before it disappeared into the distance. Twilight turned back to Dash.
"I haven't flown for three days," Rainbow Dash mumbled to herself, her head dropping onto the stand in front of her. "I mean, I can do with this--it is for the good of all ponies, after all--but it's starting to wear on me."
"Don't fret, Rainbow," Twilight said, resting a hoof on her friend's shoulder. "If we're able to defend ourselves well enough, I assure you it will be over soon."
Suddenly, three of the Winderbolts tore overhead, a path of dust in their wake. For a brief moment, they flew in a small formation above, before heading in the direction of the desert. Rainbow Dash stepped back and stared at them in awe. A smile crossing her face, she gave a small salute, and then returned to her post.
~~~
Twilight shook her head and arose, dusting herself off. She looked fast, glancing rapidly about the small hallway. Around the corner, she could make out the soft glow of a torch. However, it wasn't the only thing she smelled; her snout curled up as she recoiled slightly. The entire room smelt of dead fish and rotten apples. Therefore, Twilight instantly felt welcomed and reinvigorated by this. She hung her head and pushed herself on.
When she rounded the corner, she was met with a large painting, spread out across the wall. It depicted a city, rising high, higher than all of Manehattan. It overlooked a sea, towering above the tiny ships at its harbors and casting its reflection through the waters. Twilight examined the inscription beneath it:
"A paradise worthy of the Gods themselves."
Besides the painting was a second picture, depicting the same city. This time, though, it was in ruins. The buildings were engulfed in flames; the oceans swelled and licked the shore, pieces of the dock floating through the water. A multitude of peculiar silhouettes were lined up on the beach, stretching from border to border across the painting. Below it, another caption, with the same exact handwriting:
"And despair."
These words echoed in Twilight's mind for a brief moment. She stood, her eyes grazing repeatedly over the text.
A few more paintings adorned the wall, but one in particular caught her interest. It was the image of a dark figure, a helmet fastened on his head, staring down a large cavern. He was holding a large flashlight, and appeared to be standing upright, almost on his two hindlegs. Twilight giggled slightly at this, but shook her head. Turning away, she continued down her path.
The farther she walked, the slower her trot became. The air was musty, and the very ground beneath her was gradually growing damper and colder with every step. As she continued on, the lights of the torches began to grow fainter and fainter, almost as if they were shrinking. Finally, she reached its end, and halted. Before her was a large stone, cast steadily in place. There was a peculiar marking on the stone, almost like a hoofprint, but bearing five other tendril-like parts, stretching out on all sides. Above the door, one more inscription. This one was written in a different style from the rest, and the cracks covering it suggested it had been there longer. Following a heavy swallow, she carefully read it.
"Thou art noble, a savior to thy kind. Continue, for this path was predestined, and shall guide thee to Glory. May luck save he who passes."
Finally releasing a breath she had been holding for the duration of her walk, Twilight trained her magic on the large stone. A patter of footsteps echoed through the corridor. She closed her eyes, trying to ignore them. The footsteps grew closer, now accompanied by loud shouts and high-pitched screams. As her magic hit its apex, the stone moved slightly, just a crack.
From the new opening, brilliant light shined through.