This is the continuation of the story of six mares who have yet to realize their own destinies.
The young scholar Twilight Sparkle, who lived in the small town of Ponyville with her friends, was sent six mysterious gems from her mentor Princess Celestia, containing unknown magical energies previously undiscovered in the world of Equestria.
After witnessing the energies inside two of the gems react strongly to her and her friend Rarity, she gathered the rest of her friends together to see if the other gems would react the same way.
As she suspected, the energies inside the gems reacted to the rest of her friends like she expected, but there was one thing that she did not predict.
The energies inside the gems had been absorbed by her friends, and now within each of them, the energies of one of the gems each resides deep within their bodies... but awaiting what, exactly?
None of them would ever expect what awaited them later that night...
“The Order of Koaxia”
Chapter 2
Dive to the Heart
~
The day had been long, and the meeting had been harrowing. After explaining everything as best she could to her friends, Twilight Sparkle retired that night with a heavy heart and a weary mind.
The others returned to their own homes in similar states as well. The events of the day weighed heavily on their minds, and it was a troubled Fluttershy that stepped through the doors of her home that evening. Greeting Angel Bunny with a half-hearted smile, the yellow pegasus then went straight up to her room and collapsed into her bed in a shivering mess, totally missing the confused look on her pet rabbit’s face.
Applejack returned home that day with a distracted expression, walking past Big Macintosh in a daze even as he nodded in greeting, and failing to hear Applebloom’s calls as she stumbled into her bedroom, pulling over the covers and immediately falling into a fitful slumber.
Rarity, Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie Pie all did the same, returning home either dazed, pensive, or brooding, neither hearing nor heeding the calls from the outside world as they each retired to their beds, too unnerved by the events of the day to even relax properly.
Just what were those signatures they had discovered?
Just what was it in Equestria were they up against?
Six pairs of eyes closed that night, their thoughts heavy with doubt.
Six minds drifted within their dreams.
And from the outside, another six presences began their work to shape them.
She fell in an endless ocean, an eternal blue expanse no depths, no sky-
I’ve been having these weird thoughts, lately...
The endless void pressed in around her, wispy tendrils of mist floating around her-
Like... Is any of this for real... or not?
-beat-
The shooting stars fell from the sky, streaks of light against a velvet blue canvas, and she stood together with her friends, watching them fall-
-beat-
Twilight’s heart pulsed steadily within her breast, her vision fading in and out with every beat-
-beat-
Together as one, they united, stepping together to combine their strengths...
-beat-
And together as one, they stood resolute, facing the threat ahead...
-beat-
And united as they were underneath the stars, united they also were against the threat that came towards them.
-beat-
Applejack stood in the courtyard, her blade drawn and ready as Rainbow Dash struggled to get to her feet, using her own sword as an improvised crutch, and they both charged forward, their blades locking in a shower of sparks and a collision of wills-
-beat-
- and as Fluttershy turned around, the gigantic double doors behind her groaned open, admitting forth a being of darkness, shrouded in shadows so that no features could be discerned save for the two, burning points of yellow where its eyes should have been.
The shadow extended forward a limb, a hoof waiting for acceptance. Fluttershy felt herself suddenly being pulled forward into the darkness, and as she entered, the tiny star of light that was in her hoof fell, dropping into the endless abyss that waited below it, and-
-beat-
- dropped into Rarity’s waiting hoof. The pendant that symbolized her Element of Generosity, a finely cut gemstone, lay in her hoof, just as it did for each of her friends standing in the circle she was a part of. Together, as one, the six gemstones shot up, combining together in a harmonious fusion of incredible arcane power, forming-
-beat-
- six foreign countenances that floated past her, and yet despite Pinkie’s knack for remembering new faces, she just couldn’t remember these! For the life of her, no matter how hard she tried to remember, there was something shadowed about these faces, something that concealed their true nature, something that-
-beat-
- was a spear, radiant and shining in the light, and yet was coated from tip to shaft in crimson fluid, the divine blood of the God it had slain. The hackles on Twilight’s neck rose as she felt the waves of simple, sheer, raw power just radiating from it.
-beat-
She looked up, and through the depths of her shock, she felt Rainbow Dash and Applejack stride past her, their gazes not even flickering in her direction as they emotionlessly walked past her. Scarcely believing it, a hoof unconsciously came up to her chest, and through the ragged wound that had opened inside, her eyes began to fill with tears-
-beat-
- tears that threatened to spill out from a single, sky-blue eye that belonged to Pinkie Pie stared at her in terror, pleading and begging. No, she didn’t want to die here, not now, not like this-
-beat-
- not like this! Gritting her teeth even as her legs protested and her lungs burned, Applejack continued to gallop down the corridor, trying to outrun the roaring blaze that raced after her, its fiery maw closing in around her...
No, she couldn’t give up here! She-
-beat-
- couldn’t! No, she couldn’t do it! Gasping as her knees threatened to buckle from under her, Fluttershy still ran, stumbling and crying as she tried to escape the tendrils of blackness that reached out from behind her.
There was no end to their pursuit, no mercy, no relenting, and as she collapsed into a broken, sobbing heap, the darkness closed in around her, pressing in on the deepest reaches of her being-
-beat-
- and she watched, heartbroken, as everything fell apart around her. Her friends, broken, defeated, some of them fallen to darkness, the very skies themselves being ripped open as her opponent laughed cruelly down at her battered, bleeding form... Twilight despaired. There was no hope to be had, no victory to be salvaged.
Just an endless descent, a fall-
-beat-
- into darkness. Rarity didn’t know what awaited below her, but her fall continued serenely, the alabaster white unicorn drifting on through the endless ocean. After drifting for what seemed like an eternity, her feet touched what she thought was the bottom, and Applejack took a hesitant step.
Where was she?
What was this place?
Rainbow Dash had no idea what to make of the darkness that was all around her, lost with no idea where to go. Fluttershy took another step, barely moving an inch as she shook, paralyzed with fear at the darkness, when the very ground beneath her exploded into light.
Blinded by the sudden burst of light, Pinkie Pie threw her forelegs over her eyes as she tried to block it out, and when Twilight Sparkle’s eyes opened, she found herself atop a station of light, a perfect circle of stained glass, as a flock of doves took off into the distant blackness, away from the sole beacon of light in the abyss she stood in.
And as she looked down onto the glass, she realized something that made her heart drop out of the bottom of her chest...
The image on the glass was of herself.
Twilight was positively stumped by now. Taking an awkward glance behind her, she realized that there was still an endless abyss behind her, beyond where the circle of stained glass ended.
So much to do...
So little time...
“What!? Who’s there!” The young scholar yelped out in surprise at the voice that had spoken... or for lack of a better word, had not just spoken. Rather than a voice, it had been a total lack thereof, despite her comprehending the words inside her head as clear as day.
There is no time... The not-voice continued to not-speak, almost as though not hearing her words at all. But do not fear...
The door is still shut.
Now, step forward...
… Can you do it?
“I... umm... I guess I can...” Fluttershy murmured softly as she reached forward with a trembling hoof, almost afraid to even take a single step forward.
Gulping, she took one step in front of the other, and kept on slowly walking forward. Eventually, she reached the centre of the circle of stained glass. A beam of light shone down from the heavens, and she stepped towards it, her eyes captivated by its beauty...
And that was when the single beam of light suddenly split into three rays, and Fluttershy squeaked in surprise as the rays passed over her, forming a triangle around her... and as she looked on, three intricately carved stone pedestals began to arise from the stained glass floor.
Power sleeps within you... The unsound not-voice echoed through her very being, sending shivers down her spine as the first of the pedestals began to glow. In a spark of light, a shield appeared atop the plinth, floating as though suspended in mid-air.
You need only give it form, and when you do... The second pedestal glowed, and a staff appeared, surrounded by an otherworldly aura...
… It will give you strength. The final pedestal completed its ascension from the stained glass floor, and it too glowed, before a sword finally appeared, a blade evidently of the finest craftsmanship.
“Of course, what else would you expect from Equestria’s greatest flier?” Rainbow Dash boasted out cockily as she soaked in the implied praise the not-voice had just given her. “I’ve still got plenty of power left to gain! … But uhh, still, what exactly am I doing here?”
Choose well...
“But you gave me three choices! How am I supposed to make a good choice if I- UGH!” Pinkie Pie groaned as she found herself caught in a dilemma. The sword looked pretty shiny, and the pink partygoer had always liked shiny things, but the staff seemed pretty interesting as well, something about its otherworldly aura was utterly captivating, and then the shield was pretty sleek too, it seemed pretty sturdy enough to get a good smashing in on something...
Groaning again loudly to herself, Pinkie Pie plopped down on her rump and scratched at her head, determined to sort out this dilemma of her own.
But honestly, it didn’t take very much thought on her end. Applejack had simply taken a glance at the three artifacts, and her gut had immediately given her the answer.
“Power, ya say, huh? Ah guess ah already know which form ah’m gonna take.”
The apple farmer faced forward, and strode straight towards the sword in the middle.
The power of the warrior...
Invincible courage...
A sword of terrible destruction...
Is this the power you seek?
“My, my, goodness no,” Rarity said with a nervous laugh as she stepped away from the sword, despite having stepped forward to admire its craftsmanship. “Terrible destruction, well that’s just dreadful! And so brutish, relying on nothing but brute strength... I desire something with more finesse!”
Out of the corner of her eye, she spied the staff that was lying to her left, still sparkling in its arcane field. Intrigued, she began to step towards it, soon arriving at the pedestal it floated above...
The power of the mystic...
Inner strength...
A staff of wonder and ruin...
Is this the power you seek?
“Well, now this is more like it!” Twilight exclaimed triumphantly as she eyed the staff curiously. However, something inside her analytical, scholarly mind told her that she wasn’t done just yet. She had already examined the sword and the staff, but there was still the shield that floated behind her...
“You just wait right here,” Twilight practically cooed to the staff as she slowly backed away from it, “I’ll be right back!”
The power of the guardian...
Kindness to aid friends...
A shield to repel all...
Is this the power you seek?
“Oh, that sounds wonderful!” Fluttershy exclaimed as she immediately jumped onto the pedestal and made an almost frantic grab for the shield. It was only at the very last moment that she stopped and daintily picked it up, giggling to herself. “Yes, I’ll say this does suit me rather well...”
But just as she was in the middle of admiring it, the shield disappeared from Pinkie’s grip in a sudden flash of light. She turned to the black sky above her irately, “Hey! What’s the big idea!? I just picked that thing!”
You have chosen the power of the guardian... Now, what will you give up in exchange? The un-voice reverberated in her head, as though her protest had gone on completely unheard. Pinkie looked disappointedly at the two remaining items - the sword and the staff.
“Awwww...” Pinkie moaned. “I have to give one of those up? Can’t I just keep ‘em all?”
“Eh, that’s easy!” Rainbow Dash snorted as she hopped off the pedestal that had once held the sword. “I never understood magic much, but darned if I’m giving up on something that’ll help me kick some good old fashioned flank! Shields are boring, they don’t do anything but defend anyway...”
She then strode over to pedestal where the shield rested, extremely sure of her decision...
Rainbow Dash...
You have chosen the power of the warrior.
You have given up the power of the guardian.
Rarity Belle...
You have chosen the power of the mystic.
You have given up the power of the warrior.
Fluttershy Loveheart...
You have chosen the power of the guardian.
You have given up the power of the warrior.
Pinkamena Diane Pie...
You have chosen the power of the guardian.
You have given up the power of the mystic.
Apple Samantha Jack...
You have chosen the power of the warrior.
You have given up the power of the mystic.
Twilight Sparkle...
You have chosen the power of the mystic.
You have given up the power of the guardian.
Is this the form you choose?
“Yes.” Six voices answered in unknowing unison.
And at once, six circles of stained glass shattered, plunging the ones who stood upon them into the endless abyss that waited below.
Twilight had no idea how long she had fallen.
It could have been a few minutes, a few hours, or even a few years. But after an indeterminate amount of time, a speck of light became visible in the blackness around her... a speck of light that slowly grew into a another circle of stained glass, slowly approaching her.
Her fall brought her closer to the glass circle, and for the briefest of moments she began to fear that she would collide and crash through it. But as she neared the circle, her descent began to slow down considerably, and she alighted onto the floor beneath her with a feather-light touch.
There will be times you have to fight... The un-voice’s not-words began to slither again through her mind...
… Keep your will burning strong.
“F-f-f-f-f-fight!?” Fluttershy let out a tiny, terrified squeak at what she had just comprehended. “B-b-b-but I’m no fighter! I’ll just get beaten and humiliated!”
But it seemed that whatever she had just said meant nothing to the voice. From the stained glass floor in front of her, three black things emerged, and Fluttershy screamed in panic as she quickly backed away... only to be stopped by the edge of the stained glass circle, where the endless abyss waited behind her.
There were no words that could describe their shape or their form. They slithered from place to place like oil over black, living embodiments of the very darkness that surrounded her. They couldn’t have been any smaller than up to her knee, yet they radiated a malevolence and killing intent that made her want to stay as far away from them as she possibly could.
Something suddenly appeared in her grip, and as she looked down-
- she was greeted by the sight of a large, yet sleek, single-edged blade, one that ran almost the length of her entire body. The base of the hilt of the sword that had suddenly appeared in her grip was intricately carved with a crimson motif, and its tip curved into a wickedly sharp point. But all that paled in comparison to the most mind-blowing feature of all - the motorcycle throttle on the blade’s handle.
“Aww yeah, sweet!” Rainbow Dash whooped as she gave the motorcycle handle a hearty rev, and the base of the blade let out a giant roar, almost as if baying for the blood of its wielder’s enemies. “Well, like I’d need a weapon to kick some flank, but at least I won’t have to take these losers on unarmed.”
She lunged forward towards the three miniature lightning-beings in front of her, and the crimson blade in her grip sang through the air as electricity surged around its steel body.
“Come and get some!”
The gigantic zweihänder that she wielded cleaved effortlessly through the body of the first flame-sprite that had sought to challenge her. Despite its massive size, Applejack almost effortlessly brought the massive blade around in another overhand swing, smashing through the head of another flame-sprite and ending its existence in a burst of ashes.
“What, that all ya’ll have? C’mon, ah was expectin’ somethin’ a little harder here!” The apple farmer chortled as she hefted the immense blade over her shoulder, its gigantic width easily as wide as her own back.
She beckoned to the other three flame-sprites that had sprouted forth from the orange stained glass beneath her, and an anticipatory grin set itself on her face - the grin that always came when she set forth to test her own limits.
“Show me what’cha got!” Orange flames blazed over the body of her sword, and Applejack charged forward, surrounded by a blazing corona of fire.
“Ora-Ora-ORA-ORAORAORAORAORAORA!” Pinkie yelled as she dove into the crowd of strange, puke-green goop things that had appeared from the emerald stained glass that she stood upon, punching and kicking in every direction that she could. “Take this! And that!”
Pouncing upon the nearest pile of animated goo, she immediately went to town on it like a hot-blooded brawler gone berserk, throwing blow after blow in a hurricane of punches, sending droplets of green ichor flying with every strike.
“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAATATATATATATATATATATATATATA AH-TAAAH!!!!”
The final blow hammered down on what little remained of the glop creature as its existence finally ended, but for Pinkie the fight wasn’t over yet - the other three glops still behind her leapt forward, intent on burying her beneath their numbers. As if that’d work; she had no intention of going down just yet.
“Don’t screw around with me!” Pinkie roared out as she whirled around, thrusting out her arm. In the blink of an eye a spiral-shaped, metallic shield large enough to cover her entire body manifested out of thin air. The globs slammed against the large barrier ineffectually as they began to slide to the floor, but Pinkie wasn’t done yet.
Abruptly, the shield began to narrow about its centre, condensing and growing longer and more narrow, until it wasn’t so much a spiral-shaped shield as it was a spiral-shaped drill. With an almighty roar, Pinkie Pie surged forward, the drill beginning to spin at such ungodly speeds that the blobs stuck onto it were sent flying in every conceivable direction.
“Just who the hay do you think I am!?”
The last of the little ice dolls that had attacked her dissipated into wispy tendrils of fog as Rarity lowered the metallic silver longbow that she held in her grip, and she casually flicked a stray lock of hair out of her eyes.
“My, my, there’s no need to be so cold to a new guest. After all, one must be a proper host!” She tittered mirthfully as the longbow dissipated into formless light, retracting into the pentacle that hung from her wrist. Taking a glance around, she realized that at the edge of the stained glass circle in front of her, a series of steps made out of the same stained glass were slowly materializing, forming a stairway that led upwards into the darkness around her.
A glance around her surroundings showed her that there were no other paths open to her - wherever she was intended to go, the floating stairway was apparently the way there.
Hmmm... I wonder where this leads...
Taking the stairway one slow step at a time, Twilight cautiously made her way up to wherever it was meant to lead. The abyss yawned out below her beyond the edges of the narrow stairway, and all it would have taken was the slightest misstep to literally fall forever.
More than once she had nearly slipped and tumbled off, but slowly, she made her way up, until she arrived at the very top - the destination the stairway had been meant to lead her.
Another circle of stained glass.
“You’re kidding me.” Twilight deadpanned. “I just came from here!”
But closer inspection revealed that it wasn’t the circle she had just came from. While the design decorating the previous circle had been that of her cutie mark, this circle bore an image of Celestia and Luna, both alicorns locked in eternal revolution around each other, watching over their respective celestial bodies of the sun and the moon.
The unicorn began to step inside the circle, realizing that the higher she had gone, the stronger the light from above had become. Stepping closer, the light was almost blinding, but Twilight continued onwards nonetheless, entranced by its radiance...
Beware... The closer you grow to the light...
There was no describing it.
It was a giant black thing of nothing.
When she had turned around, facing away from the light, her shadow had literally peeled itself away from the floor, taking on a life of its own that was just not natural. Her sanity had stretched like badly worn string of yarn as the eldritch abomination placed what passed as its foot upon the stained glass, turning the very surface upon which it stood as black as the abyss that formed its monstrous body.
Two burning pools of yellow stared down at her from where its eyes would have been, and Fluttershy’s voice actually caught in her throat. Even the tiniest eeps of fright found themselves unable to escape as every muscle in her body locked up from the sheer terror of facing the incomprehensible being of darkness that towered over her.
… the greater the shadow becomes.
No. There was no way this thing could even exist.
“N-n-n.....I...I-I-I...” Fluttershy could barely speak through the fear that paralyzed her every muscle, and as the giant shadow-being swung its gargantuan fist forward. There was one, and only one, phrase that she managed to force past her trembling lips as the titanic mass hurtled towards her.
“I reject!”
Three points of blackness appeared before her, connecting themselves into a triangular barrier, and the living mass of darkness collided with it with all the force of a freight train.
The rushing column of flame slammed right into the metal body of Applejack’s greatsword, but the blade held fast, protecting her from the worst of the blaze. Puzzled by the unexpected resistance, the living colossus of fire and magma retracted its arm, giving the farmer the opening she had been looking for.
“Well, that one stung a little, but you’ll hafta do better than that!” Applejack smirked as she brought the blade around in a grand flourish, before levelling it straight at the fire golem and charging straight forward with a stirring battle cry.
“Hyaaaaaaa-”
“-aaaaaaah!!!” Rainbow Dash yelled out as she charged the lightning elemental with everything she had once again, bringing her blade around in a massive horizontal slash that would’ve blown away any conventional opponent - only her opponent was anything but conventional.
The giant made out of lightning swatted her away as one might swat away an annoying fly, and she crashed right into stained glass floor, flipping around several times before skidding to a halt.
“Ugh... Well that went well.” The speedster muttered sourly to herself as she flipped back upright smoothly, just in time to see the arm of the lightning golem bearing down towards her again.
Yelping out in surprise as her eyes widened, she threw herself barely out of the way in time as its thundering fist smashed down on the spot she had occupied but a moment ago. Grunting, Rainbow Dash rolled upright once more, bringing her blade to the ready as she scowled darkly.
“Well then, if that’s how you want it...”
Cocking the lance that she had obtained over her shoulder, Twilight focused all of her power into the strongest telekinetic bullet spell she could muster.
“Lancea...”
Immediately, the crimson double-helical bident began to glow a blinding white as it soaked in Twilight’s magic. Growing exponentially in strength, the brilliantly gleaming spear seemed to radiate naught but sheer power as the loosely intertwined double helix of the tip of its shaft began to tighten, the two tines of the bident combining into a single piercing tip as the mage’s spell neared completion...
“... LONGINI!!!”
It was like watching the wrath of Celestia herself shoot forth. Like a twisting, burning comet, the lance speared forward with the fury of heaven itself, intent on skewering the winged giant of light that she faced...
… and missed completely as it simply leaned to the side, letting the spear pass by harmlessly inches from its neck as the thrown lance disappeared into the endless black void behind it.
“... Crapbaskets,” Twilight muttered.
Rarity’s mouth was practically hanging agape as the ice titan in front of her dodged her strongest attack without even breaking a sweat, and her longbow remained motionless in her trembling grip.
“Well, well... I think I might have gotten a tad overconfident on that one...” She chuckled nervously, right before the icicles hit.
They burst forth around her from the ice-blue stained glass like stalagmites out of a cave floor. Their ghostly chill enveloped her as they grew to cover her entire body, draining her of vital heat and strength even as she struggled to break free...
But it was no use. The vines and creepers were too strong. Snarling in defiance, Pinkie ripped and tore at the living plants that sought to ensnare and trap her to the floor, but for all her hot-blooded will she still could not summon enough strength to break through.
“I’m not afraid of you,” she spat out at the living mass of vines and creepers that crawled with an endless amount of bugs, even as her animated bonds began to tighten, binding her to the floor with an ever growing strength.
That’s right... don’t be afraid...
Gasping in exhaustion, Applejack struggled to lift the blade in her grip once more, but the weight of the sword had grown from light as a feather to a dull leaden burden that dragged her down with it.
Fatigue slowed down her movements as the smoke from the blaze around her sent her head spinning from oxygen deprivation, and her limbs felt like lead weights that she could barely summon the strength to move.
Collapsing against the smouldering embers below her, Applejack contemplated simply just laying there to rest, the exhaustion weighing down so heavily on her body... and then the fire in the apple farmer’s belly stirred once more, urging her to push onwards regardless.
“No... ah’m not done yet!”
“Not... just... yet...!” Rainbow Dash screamed through gritted teeth as her muscles spasmed in agony from the sheer amount of electricity coursing through them... and yet, she still pushed on, struggling to remain upright as the electric field surrounding her battered her with repeated shocks to her body, again and again.
You hold the mightiest weapon of all...
… and never forget...
“No! No! Nononono!!!”
Streaks of fine, black lines cut again and again at the damning tentacles that snatched and grabbed at her as she rejected the events again and again, her mind refusing to accept and acknowledge such abject horror and trauma. Yet for all that she resisted, the darkness continued to press in against her, an unyielding abyss that wanted her only for itself.
“Please! Someone, help me!” Fluttershy cried out in desperation as the tendrils of blackness wrapped around her, and they dragged her into the endless abyss that waited below.
“I... I can’t... It’s... too strong...!” Twilight’s voice finally cracked under the unrelenting onslaught of blinding energy that the giant had thrown at her, and she buckled to the floor, the stained glass beneath her cracking and warping. Her mouth set itself in a grim line, and Twilight Sparkle finally caved in, unable to sustain her strength any longer.
“Sorry, Princess Celestia... I guess I wasn’t good enough after all...”
The light burned away everything it touched, and all turned white.
… You are the ones who will keep the door shut.
Falling, falling forever...
When will this nightmare finally end?
Six pairs of hollow eyes opened that morning.
Six heads turned to the nearest window to see the sun rising.
And six minds reeled in exhaustion from what they had just experienced.
“I take it yours went well?”
“Yeah. Gotta admit, that rainbow one sure put up a hell of a fight. I didn’t even think she had it in her!”
“Heh. Neither did I. The orange one sure has got some fire in her.”
“... The yellow one has surprising inner strength. She held the darkness at bay through sheer force of will for far longer than I had expected... I almost thought she would cave at once.”
“And that white one! Oh, her performance was simply spectacular! I can almost certainly see a kindred spirit in her... oh, it was almost as though she was a part of the ice, so unaffected, so unflappable!”
“Can it, you flamin’ queen. Mine’s easily the best. She ripped and tore through all of my best creations like they weren’t even there!”
“That’s enough.”
Five heads simultaneously turned to the white-robed figure who had suddenly strode inside the room, and the crimson double-helical bident lance that he carried thumped against the floor.
“True. They have all exceeded our expectations. But that doesn’t mean that we have any reason to let up either.” His eyes passed critically over the individuals who had gathered there, and then lifted his gaze to the dawn that was rising over the horizon.
“Now, it is time we began.” The white-robed man nodded to one of the individuals in particular.
“And about damned time.” The addressed man threw his hood back, revealing a head full of shocking golden hair and an anticipatory grin, and he disappeared in a surge of yellow lightning.