//------------------------------// // Pony Preparations // Story: Bat out of Hell // by Coufnsiou //------------------------------// Ponyville, Present time; Twilight’s Point of View Something felt off. I couldn’t tell what it was but something just felt eerie. Of course the day was fine, the weather team was keeping the sky clear, Sugar Cube Corner was producing their usual delicious pastries, and the library was at peace. So why did I have this nagging feeling? Had I misplaced a label? Where was my checklist?! Was I tardy on something?! No, that couldn’t be right, it wasn't so nagging that I had missed something, more like a sense of… impending doom if you could call it anything. Spike was peacefully napping in his basket on the second floor, his snoring the only other noise besides the singing of the birds. I just couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong, that something had happened or was going to happen, anything. A knock at the door interrupted my thoughts, standing I decided to open the door, and found two guards on the other end. Behind them were two chariots, each surrounded by at least six guard, excluding their drivers, carrying my friends. Pinkie Pie, Rarity and Fluttershy were all in one, while Applejack and Rainbow Dash were in the other. Pinkie was being her usual smiling bouncy self, trying to get the guards to laugh, while Rarity was busy filing her hoofs. Fluttershy seemed to be pondering the same thing as me, only seemingly more terrified. Rainbow Dash was shadowboxing while Applejack seemed to be taking a nap, her hat covering any evidence otherwise. “Twilight Sparkle?” asked the guard on the right “Yes?” I replied nervously. I was worried, what had happened that the Royal Guards had to come and pick us up? “Come with us,” said the one on the left. “The Princess requests your presence immediately. We have been ordered to escort you safely to Canterlot.” My feelings on the matter changed from worry to shock. The Princess needed us to save Equestria? What could have possibly happened that she needed the Elements of Harmony? I hadn’t received a letter or any warning! Something terrible must have happened to be on such short notice! “Of course! I’ll be one second!” I turned and focused my magic on Spike’s still sleeping form, levitating him from his basket onto my back, seemingly unaware that anything was happening “Alright, lets go!” I boarded the chariot, Spike still napping and snoring on my back. “Hey, Twilight! What’s the big idea? These guards told me something had happened!” Rainbow asked me. “I haven’t the slightest clue, Rainbow. I hadn’t received a letter from the Princess, so it must be important if she called us out like this. Whatever it is, it must be serious.” I could only imagine the trouble that would lay ahead, Faust knows what kind of monster we’d be facing now. The chariot took off, heading towards Canterlot, where we would face head on whatever threatened the safety of Equestria! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Under Canterlot Castle, Vault Area, Present Time; Shining Armor’s Point of View We had descended beneath the surface to the Canterlot Vaults, beneath the usual happy castle grounds. This place was considered one of the most secure places in Equestria, right up there with Tartarus and the Crystal Caverns, and if what had beat Cerberus was coming here, it had better be. Torches lit as we passed, illuminating large circular metal doors as the troop and I continued downward. We walked along a metal staircase, the vaults built into the cavernous pit wall. ‘Sombra would have loved these stairs’ I thought to myself. Finally, we had reached the bottom of the long spiral staircase. The staircase was located at the center of what appeared to be a dome like room twice the size of a hoofball field, at the top center was a hole leading upwards to more unguarded sections of the vaults. There, all in all, were thirty five vaults, spaced from each other to leave a mass amount of wall between each vault, each of their labels faded to near illegible gibberish by time. I gestured in hoof language to set up a perimeter around the stairs, while others looked for the thirty fourth vault. The way this was leveled was actually a bit misleading, the top level Z actually categorizing the least dangerous artifacts found across Equestria, heck some were simply decommissioned projects by the Canterlot Science branch while others were of sentimental value to the Princesses. But below D level were things most ponies couldn’t even imagine in their nightmares, nihilistic objects which if placed in the wrong hands could spell disaster for the whole of Equus. I shuddered at the thought of what else could be down here, even on our way down on B level we were hearing whispers and skittering behind those enchanted metal doors as if something were trying to get out. “Captain!” I heard one of the guardsmen call out, “I found it!” he said. I walked over to the newly discovered vault door. “Well done, Cross Wall, now step aside, we need to see for ourselves what’s inside.” opening one of these vaults depended upon the level, Z you could simply waltz inside while E through A required special codes. Luckily, the Princess had provided us with special codes to enter most vaults on A level. This particular vault needed a set of three codes, each with specific numbers and symbols, which for safety purposes I would forget after the vault door closes. The locks screeched as they opened, the enchantments powering down when the proper code had been entered. I looked upon a room with three pedestals inside, encased with glass that seemed to freeze anything on the inside. In one casing there was a small cube that seemed to glimmer with some strange space like matter, simply spinning slowly. In the other, laden with ice and frost, was a sword of intricate design, the likes of which I had never seen. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Canterlot Gardens, Present Time Celestia’s Point of View I stood at the entrance to the Castle, spotting the chariots I had sent to Ponyville coming in from the South. I breathed a sigh of relief knowing that the Elements were still on our side. The last time we faced him, they we our only saving grace. Though all things considered it had opened our eyes, knowing there was indeed life after death. But the life after death was nothing we had pictured. If what he had told us was true, then life in death was almost no different than actually living. A select few how ever are selected to help and guide the newly departed souls in the afterlife. Then there are beings like him, made specifically to destroy, to harm, to kill. She dreaded to think of the things he had done before arriving to Equestria, the countless thousands he had murdered in cold blood during his prime… those terrible, black wings. I pushed the thoughts from my mind, the chariot carrying Twilight and her friends landed in the courtyard. Twilight leaped out of the chariot at once, followed by everypony else, including Spike who looked a bit bed ridden. Cerberus was being well taken care of, but the element of kindness had seen him before the treatment unit could carry him inside, rushing to him, screaming about “who had done this to him” and how she’d “make them pay”. If only she knew. “Princess!” Twilight cried out, quickly bowing as she reached the steps I stood on. “Princess! Is Equestria in danger? Did Discord and Chrysalis team up?! Did Sombra survive? What’s happened?!” Her tone gave off a sense of worry, the same way I felt. I raised a hoof, stopping the onslaught of questions for the moment. “All will be explained in due time, Twilight, for the moment follow me.” I entered the castle, and began the recounting of ancient history “Long ago, a year after Discord had been imprisoned, a terrible being came to Equestria. His only motive, death and destruction. The complete annihilation of all life on the planet.” We came to a steel door, and casting a spell on it, the room on the other side appeared from its pocket dimension. To anypony outside, it would appear as if a separate room had simply phased into existence and attached itself onto the side of the castle, but on the other side of the door it would have seemed as if the room was always there. I pushed the door open, and the first thing to greet was a stained glass window, showing eyes of brilliant emerald and slit-like pupils. Below them bright green flames with a single flying bat rising above them, its wings spread out. Anyone else would have thought at first that this depicted Chrysalis, but I knew better. In front of the window was an open book upon a pedestal, the last of its kind. Its contents, something I wished had been forgotten, or better yet burned. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ “Cifer Room”, Present Time; Twilight’s Point of View I stared inside the room, the stained glass window’s eyes piercing through me. I looked to Celestia, who seemed to be scared of the very glance of those dead eyes. But Princess Celestia? Scared? No, it couldn’t be! Princess Celestia was one of the most powerful ponies in all of Equestria, the Princess of the Sun! There was no way she could be scared…! Is there? I pushed the thoughts from my mind and trotted inside, closer and closer to the book resting on the pedestal. The eyes on the window seemed to be following me as I moved closer, their gaze scrutinizing as if judging you, deeming me unworthy to look upon, trash. I looked behind me, seeing my friends each having the near same feeling as me. Applejack looked at the bat with a sense of dread, for what reason I did not know. Pinkie seemed unfazed simply “oooing” at the glow the windows produced on the floor. Rainbow was also unfazed, instead only looking at the glass windows with a tough expression, as if the eyes had challenged her. Fluttershy seemed terrified, content with hiding behind her mane and averting the green gaze. Rarity simply examined everything, taking in the craftsmanship of the window. Spike was by my side, meeting the eyes with his equally reptilian ones. “Meh, I’ve seen worse.” he said, apparently directed towards the eyes. I looked upon the book, its cover seemed dusty and worn down, the spine turned ragged, but the pages seemed as if they were brand new. On the page to the right was a picture of a bipedal figure, adorned by robes. They seemed archaic in nature, as if worn by a secret society of some kind. Its head was adorned by a white helmet, a sword in one of its claws. The form was thin, well muscled, and seemed to be moderately tall, taller than anypony, on par with the Princess maybe! The sword he carried, I think it’s a he, looked a lot like the swords I had seen in a book about Neighpon, another kingdom in the east. But what struck me most about this bipedal creature were his eyes. His face was like that you’d see at a funeral. On the bottom of his thin eyes were two streaks of green, as if he’d been crying for so long that the trails of his tears actually left a trail. His eyes looked more dead than anything else, a lot like the eyes on depicted on the stained glass window. Above the picture read the name Ulquiorra Cifer. Rainbow and Fluttershy were hovering above me, everypony else also seemed gathered around me in intrigue. “Ulciora Kipher? Who the hay is that?” Rainbow asked, butchering the name as she did. “It’s pronounced Ulquiorra Cifer, Rainbow, and if I’m reading this right, he seemed pretty evil….” I replied, reading off some of the crimes he had been charged with to be imprisoned. “Mass destruction, murder, ponyslaughter, war crimes, crimes against harmony, attempted assassination of the Princesses… just to name a few!” “He looks so sad…” Pinkie said, looking at his melancholy expression, herself looking a bit melancholic “Maybe he just needs a party!” she exclaimed, her usual energy restored. “Ah’ don’ know Pinkie, if what Twilight is sayin’ is true, this critter tried ta’ take the Princess’s life! The only party I’d be throwin’ fer’ ‘im is a goin’ away party.” said AJ in her usual southern drawl. “Oh please! He doesn’t look so tough! So what he’s got a sword? Let’s see him take on the fastest flyer in Equestria!” exclaimed Rainbow, full of her usual bravado, puffing her chest out. “Those robes!” exclaimed Rarity. “They look so masterfully crafted! The material… why I’ve never seen such a thing! What ever he was he had great fashion sense!” We all stared at Rarity with a deadpan look, before returning to the book. I noticed that there was another page. I turned it and found more text with another picture, only this picture… there were no words. It depicted virtually the same creature, except this time, he had grown a tuft of fur on his back, two black wings sprouting from it. They seemed to be bat wings. His helmet had grown from one half of his head to covering it entirely, the spikes elongated from it as it seemed to form ridges on the top reaching to the back, what little hair he had on his head grew to reach his shoulders. His robes no longer seemed like robes but instead seemed to have fused with his body from the torso up. the trail of tears seemed to grow larger, encompassing a larger amount of his cheeks. His sword had disappeared and was replaced with a lance like object, smooth and spiked on both ends. Above it read the picture it read- “Murciélago” the Princess snapped me out of my thoughts. The name sounded foreboding when she had said it. A tinge of dread filled the void of the room as the name faded off. “With all do respect Princess, why did you need the elements to deal with this guy? He doesn’t look so tough! I could take him with one hoof tied behind my back!” “Understand this, Rainbow Dash, when we had failed to stop him initially, Luna and I had to use the Elements of Harmony upon him to lock him away in Tartarus, and now, he has escaped.” The room filled with a gasp, all save Fluttershy who managed a meek “eep”. “That is why we need the Elements, to recapture this menace and send him back to Tartarus where he belongs before he can take anymore innocent lives!” Her wings out stretched, giving her her usual royal glow. “I beseech you, my little ponies, aid Equestria in its time of need.” We looked at each other for a moment, all of us sure what we needed to do, we nodded to each other. “Princess, you can count on us!”