Flying high above the ground, Luna glided through the dark night sky. Her dark armor reflected the moonlight from above, making her appear to be a shooting star as the past over the large clouds. While looking like a beacon of hope however, her mind was far from that idea. Not that she didn't want that, but it was that she didn't know if it could happen.
Shaking her head, Luna banked downward and settled down on top of a large cloud beneath her. As she tucked her wings into her side, she stomped her hooves several times before sitting down on her rump. Levitating her helmet off her head, Luna brought her hoof up and rubbed the side of her head.
"How am I supposed to decide between what to do?" She mumbled to herself.
Ever since she left the city, Luna's mind was in a scramble of conflicting ideals over what to do. In truth, she truly did not want to bring harm to Twilight. The young mare was a true friend to her, and was a victim in this entire scenario. In truth, all of this was her sisters fault because of that student she had taken in all those years ago. Luna could still see the orange pony back on the very first day he walked through the doors to the castle.
"Crimson..." She said with a sneer.
The moment Crimson Flames was brought into the castle, Luna felt a shiver crawl up her spine just from his presence. There was something dark flowing through his heart, and whatever it was she wanted absolutely nothing to do with it. Why her sister even wanted to bring a pony like that to train was beyond any logical reason Celestia tried coming up with. All Luna was ever told was that a damaged pony like this could be trained to be something 'great' or whatever that meant. All that Luna knew was that she never expected the damage that would be caused by his power. And now, Twilight was being taken down the dark path as well.
But helping a Twilight was something that may be too late now. She saw the transformation that had taken over Twilight's body, the exact same that Crimson had undertaken when he had fused his body with his dark sorcery. From everything that they had been able to learn, there was no reversing the process to which he had become. Now that Twilight had been forced into that form, there was no way to undo it to make her body normal once more. The only chance was to save her mentally.
If not though, there was only one other option to do.
Turning her head around, Luna stared at the Sword of Shadows strapped to her back. The great weapon was something shown to both her and Celestia back when they were still students to Starswirl. They were told the blade was conjured of the darkest of sorcery, it's power claimed to slice through the mountains. Never was the sword demonstrated to them however, since Starswirl said it would be dangerous for them to be next to it unsheathed.
'Only the true masters of magic are able to wield the blade and control it...' Starswirls voice said inside of Luna's head. 'If you do not have the strength of mind and will, the power of this sword will consume you. Only when the time is right will you be ready for it.'
Now, after over sixteen hundred years, Luna felt she was ready to prove to her master what she had become. And now she wanted to test it herself.
Looking down to the land beneath her, she noticed the collection of trees to the left. Deciding that was a good opportunity, she leaped off the cloud and quietly glided down towards the ground. As she touched down to the dirt, she laid her eyes upon the tall oak trees standing over seventy feet in the air. Their bases must have been at least eight feet thick each, a challenge for anypony to get through.
"Alright, let's see what those warnings were for..." Luna said before taking a deep breath.
Her magic grasped the hilt of the sword, sliding the steel out of the sheath until the tip slipped out of the case. Seeing the entire sword for the first time, Luna couldn't help but stare in awe to the weapon. Despite being solid black, the blade shined against the moonlight above, giving a near perfect reflection to its shape. What caught her attention the most was the edge itself; even after over a century sitting idle, the sharp side was so fine it was easily in match with the thinnest razor.
Giving a small swing, Luna was amazed as a glowing blue aura drifted out in the wake of the blade. The strange power danced in the wind and seemed to physically distort the air itself. It was unlike anything she had seen before.
"Wow..." Luna whispered to herself, "so this is the power that Starswirl wielded." Looking up, she raised the sword above her head as she focused on the tree in front of her. Brought it back before giving it a powerful swing.
The sword rushed forward and slashed through the trunk of the large tree as if it was butter. Luna couldn't help but grin at the sight of the swords power. Before the tree even fell though, her eyes shot open in shock as the next two trees behind the first suddenly fell, realizing the swords aura rushed past and cut right through them. Her mouth fell as the massive trunks toppled over, crashing into the other nearby trees before they fell to the ground. Her eyes drifted down to the sword in her grasp, seeing what this sword was capable of.
Then it hit her.
Luna felt a strange sensation almost crawling under her skin. It was like a cold wind whisking through her fur, but instead it was in her veins. She could tell it was the aura oozing out from the sword and seemingly trying to bond with her. "This happened from just one swing. Is this why he always warned us about it?" Luna questioned herself.
Deciding she had seen enough, Luna slipped the sword back into its sheath, immediately cutting off the odd feeling over her. Sitting quietly for a few moments, she took a deep breath clearing her head. "What kind of power is this that Starswirl used against that beast Aligon? Could a normal unicorn handle this level of-
A massive blast of fire in the distance cut off Luna's thought. She looked up above the tree line and watched as a column of flames and smoke grow up through the clouds, blocking out the stars. "That looks like forty miles to the east. That is..."
Luna's eyes shot open in realization. "That is Hoofington!"
Unfurling her wings, Luna catapulted off the ground and flew as fast as she could towards the town. While she didn't want to believe it, she knew it was only one thing responsible for whatever was happening.
Or should say, one pony.
---
Screams rang through the night as the ponies ran down the street, fleeing in terror from the growing wall of fire. Seven Hoofington guards quickly gathered in the center of the Main Street as they stared in complete shock at the destruction coming there way.
"What the heck is that!?" One of the Pegasi to the right yelled out over the roaring flames.
"I don't know, it just came out of nowhere." The other Pegasus responded.
The captain looked forward again as the sound of a loud crash. The town hall was already ablaze, the support beams cracking and crumbling from the intense heat. The entire left side of the building split apart and collapsed down to the ground. "What kind of madness caused this to-
The town hall suddenly exploded in a bright blast of heat and flame, wood splintering off in all directions. The guards all jumped back in shock as a large chunk of the front door shot towards them. A few more seconds past before the light faded, revealing to them the one responsible walking their direction.
Twilight Sparkle casually stepped through the decimated building, smiling deviously to the group of ponies staring at her. Her burning mane flickered amongst the columns of fire around her, seemingly blending all together making one massive flame.
"So, what do we have here? Someponies choosing to stand in my way?" Twilight chuckled as she stepped down to the street. "Not the smartest I should say though."
The group of guards all stared in disbelief to the bleached unicorn staring down at them, her blood red eyes seeming to pierce their souls. After a moment of shock, the captains eyes narrowed in anger to the pony as he stepped forward.
"Who are you and why have you attacked our home?" He demanded.
"Well, I was just passing through, but your town got in my way." Twilight said with a smirk. "Sometimes you just need to clear your path to move forward."
Hearing that statement sent a pulse of anger flowing through the captains veins. "Is that all we are to you? Are we just pieces of rubble compared to whatever kind of freak you are!?"
Twilight's smile slowly fell from her face hearing that word. "A freak? Is that what you think I am?" She took several steps their direction before stomping her hoof to the street, emitting a patch of fire from beneath her. "You are all pieces of rubble compared to me."
'Heh heh, you are correct Twilight.' Crimsons voice said inside her head. 'If there is one pony alive that has every right to do as she chooses, it's you.'
Smirking once again, Twilight shut her eyes and inhaled deeply. "I am curious on how much magic you did have. From what you told me, that's a lot of magic to try to wield."
'And why would that be of concern for you? For too long you have held back on your power, never pushing past the limits of what you had before. But now there is no reason to do that anymore. You were the one chosen to wield my magic because you are the only one capable of it. And now I want to see you test it.'
Twilight glanced down at her hooves at his statement. "Test it? You mean..." She turned to the group of guards before her, and then the rest of the city behind them. "On all this?"
'Don't be concerned with that stuff Twilight.' Crimson told her with a hint of anger in his tone. 'Remember the pain that you have had to deal with in your past. The years of servitude you gave to that one self proclaimed princess. All these ponies here are guards to her, and will not hesitate to take you out.'
Twilight's eyes narrowed being reminded of being forced under Celestia's rule. The hundreds of meaningless letters she sent just to show what she was doing to the princess. But now it was different. She had the chance to finally test exactly what she was capable of. An opportunity to unleash the built up power she had been keeping inside, and trying to hide.
But no more.
Smiling, Twilight took a deep breath clearing her head. As she exhaled, thick trails of steam exited her mouth along with a ring of fire sprout up from her hooves. The group of guards all felt their hearts race at the sight in front of them. Never before had they ever seen a pony that gave off such a sinister feel to them. It was as if they were staring at a demon straight from the bowels of Tartarus.
Before they even had a chance to react, Twilight shot off a fireball from her horn right towards them. Scattering out, they barely jumped out of the way as it rushed past them and smashed through a building down the street. Without a second to spare, Twilight launched off the ground in a burst of flames in her wake as she charged like a bull.
"All of you, scatter!" The captain yelled out.
The five unicorns all teleported to the side out of the way while one of the Pegasi flew up into the air above. The final guard however froze in panic as Twilight slammed into him like a freight train. The stallion yelled out in pain as he was launched through the air and smacked into a light pole behind him, hitting it so hard it bent in half. Before he could even stand up, Twilight's hoof stepped down on his neck plate and pinned him in place.
"You all are nothing compared to me now..." Twilight chuckled as he struggled beneath her, "it's as if you are a simple piece of parchment under me. And when it is given just a little heat... It always burns."
The guards eyes shot open as he felt the metal underneath her hoof begin to melt onto his skin. He screamed out in pain and tried to flail out of her grasp, but she pushed harder and held him in place.
"It hurts doesn't it?" Twilight asked with a sneer, "it hurts knowing you are helpless and at the mercy of one over you. This is what I was for so many years until now."
"Get off him now!"
Twilight turned around at the shout to see the rest of the small battalion charging her. Grunting in annoyance, she stepped off the thrashing Pegasi and casually trotted towards them. "Why do you even want to waste the time in trying to stop me?" She paused as her hoof scraped across the stone street, leaving a thin trail of flames in its wake. "Fire consumes all!"
Thrusting her hoof forward, Twilight shot out a massive fireball towards the stunned ponies in front of her. One of the unicorns created a barrier to stop the fire, only to have it shatter instantly to the overwhelming power and envelop his body. The burning stallion screamed as he dropped to the ground and tried to roll out the flames, but the fire was far too much for his form to handle. After a few more seconds, his cries of agony faded to only the burning sound of fur and flesh.
Smiling to herself, Twilight glanced to her right and saw two more unicorns charging their horns before shooting off separate beams. In a mere second, a thick wall of fire rose up from the ground and blocked both attacks, leaving the guards dumbfounded. Twilight couldn't help but chuckle to herself as she watched the fire dance about her in a large circle. "This power is truly incredible. It seems there isn't any limit to it."
'I told you it was something you deserved Twilight...' Crimson said from inside her mind, 'you can do anything with it. Now why don't you really test its limits now? I want to see just how far it can go from an outside perspective.'
Hearing those words seemed to bring about feelings inside of Twilight's chest she didn't even know she had. It felt like a wave of euphoria washed over her mind and gave a thrilling chill inside her burning veins. Her lips curled up into a devious smile as she turned to the remaining guards before her. "Yes, that does sound like a good idea to me."
Thin streams of fire danced around Twilight's horn as she took a step towards the frozen guards, but stopped herself when she noticed a group of ponies attempting to escape the outskirts of the city. "Looks like they don't wish to see my power." She whispered to herself.
'Twilight, they can't be allowed to leave this place.' crimson quickly shouted in her thoughts. 'If they get out, then that means they can warn Celestia about where you are and will come after you.'
Hearing that name caused Twilight's blood to boil in anger, her face scrunching in hatred. "Celestia. That bitch should show up just so I can show her how I feel about her now and-
'You will Twilight. You will have your chance. But now you shouldn't have the annoyance of her getting in our way before we reach our true goal.'
Calming herself, Twilight then remembered what he had explained to her back when she was inside the cave. There was one specific place that Crimson had told her she should go to truly use the ability she had. A certain mountain sitting on the border of Equestria and Montara, the land of the dragons. Somewhere that she had never even been to before.
"Mount Volvack." She said to herself.
'Yes. The great volcano resting beyond these borders. It's size will give you enough fire and magma that not even the princesses combined would have the ability to stop you. Due to my foolishness, I wasn't able to control it when my body went out of sync. But I believe that won't be the case with you. I sense the the magic inside your body blending perfectly with your form. Your own body and magic are a perfect blend to go with this power.'
The compliment only made Twilight snicker to herself as she watched the ponies attempting to escape in the distance. She then looked over to the remaining guards still standing there, too shocked and afraid to move. "Now will be the time to see what I can do."
'You are greater than any living creature, Twilight. The power of both me and the Phoenix flow through your veins. Nothing is a match to your strength.'
A thick column of fire rose up from behind Twilight as her horn burned brighter, lighting up even more than the buildings ablaze around them. Hers eyes flickered in excitement of knowing she was truly free of control now. "As you told me earlier Crimson, a Phoenix dies in flames and is reborn through ash. Perhaps I should cleanse this place through fire as well ."
---
Rainbow Dash's eyes slowly fluttered open as she lifted her head from the dirt. It took a few seconds for her to adjust her eyes before she was able to to use clearly, looking up to the stars above the trees. She always hated waking up in the middle of the night, but it was a habit she always had. Grunting, she attempted to roll over to her back, but felt her hooves caught on something and-
"Oh..." Her cheeks heated up when she remembered what, or better yet, who it was she was next to.
Looking back to her side, she stared down at Spike curled up to her chest. Her eyes lowered down and widened when she realized his arms had snaked their way over and around her barrel. Her first reaction was a little annoyed thinking he was trying to get a little frisky... But she couldn't say anything since her own forelegs and wings were wrapped around him.
"Uhhh...." Rainbow was a little confused in what would be the best thing to do. She wanted to get him off and make him sleep without touching. But... She also relished in the feeling of him so close and warm, brushing her fur up against his rough yet seemingly gentle scales. But more than the warmth, it was the comfort of having somepony to be next to. While he may have been a dragon, that wasn't the issue though.
Were these sudden feelings inside brought up from these events the last few days? She couldn't tell. What she did know was he was beginning to feel like more than just a friend to her. 'Well, he isn't that young...' The said to herself, 'he's so nice and caring whenever he talks to me or anypony else. He also always helps and-
She stopped herself when she realized what she was doing. 'Am I making a checklist on him? Is that normal for a pony to do if they... Gah! Why does this feel so weird!?"
"Mmph!"
Rainbows thoughts were cut off by the sudden grunt from Spikes throat. She turned down to see his face scrunched up together, almost like it was a look of fear. She could also feel his body trembling against her, shaking like a filly in a storm. "Spike?" She said out loud.
Spike however didn't respond. Instead, his body only shook more along with his arms tightening their grip. Rainbow sat up in concern of what was happening to him. "Spike? Spike get up." She put her hoof on his shoulder and gave him a small shake. "Come on buddy this isn't funny."
Her shaking didn't wake him up however. In fact, it only seemed to make it worse. His breath began coming in quick gasps between his convulsions, causing his body to lurch against her. Rainbow began growing scared when she noticed his scales beginning to turn a deeper purple. "Oh my gosh he isn't breathing! Spike come on, get up!" Grabbing his shoulders, Rainbow was nearly lifting him off he dirt as she shook him. "Spike! SPIKE!"
Suddenly, Spikes eyes shot open as he threw himself off of Rainbow Dash. He crawled up to his knees and put his claws up to his chest as if he had just had a heart attack, breathing hard as he stared blankly to the ground. Rainbow watched him with concern as he sat there, confused what the heck had just happened. After a moment she sighed when she noticed his scales began returning to their normal tone.
"Jeez, don't scare me like that Spike..." She mumbled as she stood up and trotted over to him. "That must have been a crazy nightmare for you to-
"Twilight..." Spike cut her off. "It was Twilight."
Rainbow sat open mouthed for a few moments before shaking her head and putting a hoof to his back. "Look, I know its rough right now Spike. You had a night are so strong with her that you felt it was real."
"No, it wasn't a nightmare!" Spike snapped back at her, "It was Twilight! It's the same feeling I was having yesterday, but it was much stronger this time. Then I saw fire burning a city, and I could hear ponies screaming in the distance. It was like..." He turned up to her with a look of pain in his eyes. "...Like I was there."
Standing off the ground, Spike turned to his left and felt his chest tighten once again. He clutched his scales as his heart felt like it was doing flips inside, as if it was giving him a sign.
"That way!" He shouted as he pointed that direction. "She is that way."
"What?" Rainbow raised her eyebrow in confusion to his sudden sense in direction. "How do you know she is that way?"
"Trust me, I know she is that way!" Spike ran over and grabbed the small bag he kept the book in, not even grabbing the blanket in the dirt. "We have to go now!"
While she didn't know what gave him such a sudden urge like this, Rainbow decided to let his gut instinct lead the way. She leaned down and let him hop on her back and then kicked off the dirt. As soon as they raised above the trees though, she froze in the air when she saw orange glow in the distance. Neither needed a second look to know what it was that was causing it.
The unmistakable light from fire.
---
Luna's heart raced inside her chest like the drums of war. She pumped her wings harder and faster, racing through the clouds towards the city of Hoofington as fast as she could. The entire time she was flying, she could see the large blasts of fire constantly lighting up the sky as she came closer, making her worry even more.
"Please, please make it in time." She said to herself between her gasps for air, "I won't let history repeat itself."
She pushed herself faster and faster, whipping through the clouds so fast she began pulling them in her wake. She only had one more small mountain standing between her and the city. She felt a small glimmer of hope when she began flying over the top, so close to her destination. The moment she came over the top however, her wings nearly froze to her sides to the sight before her.
"No, it... It can't be..." She stuttered in horror.
Every single building in Hoofington was burning in what looked like a single massive inferno. Several buildings had already collapsed into piles of embers, smoldering up as if they were simple twigs to the scorching blaze. "No, this couldn't have... No." She was in too much shock to even speak clear.
Luna slowly lowered her body closer towards the decimated city, already feeling the intense heat even though she was so high above the fire. Her eyes then noticed something that made her heart nearly stop. Not even ten feet outside of the city was a massive ring of burnt in a perfect ring around the perimeter. "That fire has already burnt itself out, meaning it was some of the first flames out. That means..."
The princess clenched her eyes shut in anger to what she realized had happened. Twilight had made a wall of fire outside the city, trapping all the ponies inside. With nowhere to go, they were helpless to do anything to what had come next.
"No. This can't be happening." Luna clenched her teeth together in anger, furious she was too late to do anything. Several tears fell down her cheeks knowing she did nothing while this had happened. "Twilight, how could you have fallen so far?"
Opening her eyes again, Luna stared down to the lost city beneath her. She was too afraid to go any closer, knowing there was nothing she could do now. After a few seconds, her eyes narrowed in fury in thought to who she knew was the one responsible. "Damn it all. Damn it all!"
In a bright flash, Luna teleported away from the city and far off into the night, knowing exactly where her target was heading next.
Several minutes of silenced past in the sky, only the gentle breeze whipping by. Then through the darkness, a new form flew through the air towards the city. Coming through a patch of clouds, the Pegasus mare Rainbow froze in flight when she laid her eyes upon the wreckage of Hoofington. "Oh my gosh..." She gasped as she put a hoof to her mouth.
Slowly descending to the ground, Rainbow Dash landed on the grass and stared in horror to the destruction. Her mouth fell open in disbelief to the burning town, her lungs having trouble breathing in while her body was in shock. "How could this... No. Twilight wouldn't do..."
Rainbow closed her eyes to hold back the tears coming up. While she didn't want to believe it, she knew who was the one who had done this. "How can this be happening? Why is this happening?" She cried out. The sudden weight sliding off her back though caught her attention, making her wipe her eyes dry as she looked to her side. "Spike?"
Not even turning his head to her, Spike slowly walked past Rainbow towards the fire in front of him. He slipped the bag off his shoulder and stopped a dozen feet from the fire. His eyes never blinked as he stared up to the blaze. Then, his eyes grew moist in the realization of everything now. Not only had Twilight set fire to Canterlot, she had now just destroyed an entire city with her power, and the lives of all those here as well.
The one he had loved like a big sister had just killed hundreds of lives in an instant, leaving their home to burn on in the night. He dropped to his knees and dug his claws into the dirt, gasping for air from the tightness in his chest. "Twilight, how could you have done something like this?" He yelled to himself, "How could you just kill all these ponies like this?"
Watching the young drake cry in front of her made Rainbow feel even worse. She knew Spike was far closer to Twilight than any of them were, and to for him to see something like this was much more devastating to his heart. Trotting forward, she attempted to comfort him, but the fire was too hot for her to get any closer and forced her back. Shielding her face with her wing, she got as close as she could before having to stop.
"Spike, I'm so sorry you had to see something like this." She called out to him, lThis isn't something Twilight would have done on her own though. You know that."
Hoping he would come back, Rainbow sat there and waited for a response. Instead though, Spikes claws clenched together as he lifted his right arm up and slammed it into the ground.
"Twilight." Spike growled between his teeth, raising his arm up and slamming it again. "Twilight!"
Rainbow watched in pain as he began hitting the ground over and over again, his claws creating a hole in the dirt. "Spike, stop, come away from the fire!"
"Twilight! Twilight!" Spike continued to yell as he hit the ground.
"Spike, please stop!" Rainbow pleaded to him. She resisted the intense heat and began walking towards him. "I know you are angry this happened, but please! Let's get back and-
"TWILIGHT!"
Spike slammed down one final time, when suddenly a an explosion of light from his fist engulfed him in a giant of purple column of energy. Rainbow screamed out as she felt herself launched back from the blast before she skidded across the grass. Coughing from having the wind knocked out of her, she crawled back up to her hooves and looked back up. "What the hay was that!?" She shouted as she looked back up where Spike was.
The next moment, the bright aura vanished, but what remained was something that made Rainbows eyes widen in shock and her mouth drop open. "Sp-Spike?"