The Conductor
Twilight Sparkle stepped out of the forest and into the light.
A solitary street lamp burned at the edge of the Ponyville, illuminating the drifting snow. It was as if Hearth’s Warming Eve had come a season too early. The town sat picturesque with snow piled on roofs, covered dark alleys, and froze the fountain solid.
In a more peaceful world, the leaves on the trees would have just started to change color.
Twilight gripped the blanket tighter around her shoulders as she strode into the town square. Spike moaned on her back, his eyes heavy. As she looked around, signs of life came from the shoveled walks and the faint glow of hearths in the windows.
Twilight flinched back as another lamp came on, then another. She could feel the magic energy pouring into them from one of the nearby houses. She peered into the window just in time to see a unicorn stallion pulling the curtain tight.
Celestia walked up behind her, wincing as her injured wing shifted. “Ponyville always looks so lovely.”
Luna nodded. Her ears swiveled for any sounds of danger. “It seems the windigos are close enough to freeze, but not close enough to haunt. We should be safe for a while.”
“I don’t plan on being here that long,” Twilight said. She turned to the two princesses. “We need to find my friends, gather the Elements, and get moving.”
Pinkie’s hooves pattered in the snow. “If you think they’ll all get here.”
Twilight shrugged. “It’s happened before.” She pressed her forehead against Pinkie’s. “It seemed pretty fantastical then, too.”
Carousel Boutique was just around the corner. It lay dark and undisturbed, the snow having covered the doorway.
“May this not be a sign of things to come,” Luna mumbled.
“It won’t be,” Twilight said. “It can’t be.”
Celestia looked up at the cloudy skies overhead. “Perhaps we should rest for the night. It will get much colder than this.”
Twilight sucked in a breath, ready to argue the point. She let out a sigh. “Fine. We won’t do anypony any good if we’re frozen.” She trotted towards the library.
It was some ways across town. They saw the top of the tree long before they reached it. A light shone from the top window, eliciting gasps from the group.
Twilight slid Spike off of her back. “I’m going to check it out. See if it’s safe.”
Celestia put a hoof on her shoulder. “I’ll come with you.”
“It’ll be quicker if I go alone.” Twilight’s horn lit up with a purple glow. “Besides, I need to get back into practice.”
She vanished in a spark of light and reappeared in the upper loft of her library. The light came from a single candle set beside the window. It was still fresh, maybe only a couple hours old. Two dark forms sat in the middle of the room, huddled together on the ground. One form lifted its head, its eyes wide.
“Who’s there!?” it said. “I—I’ll buck you upside the head! I mean it!”
Twilight squinted into the gloom. “Applejack?”
Applejack stood up and knocked Rarity to the side. She stepped forward into the light from the candle. “Twi? Is it really you?”
Twilight had time for one nod before Applejack ran to embrace her. Twilight returned the hug with a tight grip. “I’m so glad you two are alright.”
“In a manner of speaking,” Rarity said. She put her foreleg around the other two ponies, a bit more gently than they had. “Physically, at least.”
Twilight pulled back, her eyebrows low. Applejack shook her head. “We can talk later. For now, let’s just be quiet-like.”
Twilight nodded. “Come on, let’s let the others in.”
“The others?” Rarity asked. “As in all the others?”
“No, but we do have Pinkie and Spike.” Twilight clomped her way down the stairs. “Plus two I didn’t expect.” She looked over her shoulders. “Did you guys meet up with Lyra?”
Applejack’s lip trembled. “She’s gone.”
Twilight froze on the staircase. She licked her lips as her chest expanded and contracted in starts. Her eyes grew hard as she shook her head. “Gone.”
The door clicked as she opened it from across the room. She started to pull books off of the shelves as the others entered. “Gone,” Twilight whispered. “Gone. Gone, huh? Gone, just like that.”
A tome flopped down on the central table: The Elements of Harmony. She leafed through the pages as Celestia peered over her shoulder. “Gone,” Twilight said, her volume rising. “Gone! Gone like so much else! Gone like so many others!”
She came to the last page and shoved the book off of the table. “I’m sick of everypony being gone!”
Celestia wrapped her good wing around Twilight’s shoulders. Student looked to teacher. “You’ve read the book,” Twilight said. “What will the Elements do to Sombra?”
Celestia looked at the book as it rested on the ground. “I don’t know, Twilight. It may imprison him, it may banish him…” She tilted her head. “It might do something nopony expects. We’ve never really known what they can do.”
“Just that they always do something good,” Pinkie said. “Right?”
Celestia met Luna’s eyes and sighed. “Yes, though it can often be difficult to see the good from where you stand.”
Twilight glared at the book. She stood, brushing off Celestia’s wing as she did so. She kicked the tome as she passed it. “Not good enough.”
She stood by the window and looked out into the dark night. Spike approached from the side and placed a claw on her back. “H-hay, Twilight—”
“What!?” she snapped.
He took her face in his hands. “It’s gonna be okay. You know it is. You know it can be if we all work together.”
Twilight pursed her lips. She rested her hooves on his elbows and lowered his arms. “Thank you.” She turned back to the window and fell silent.
Spike looked out the window as well. He spotted a blotch of color a few blocks away. “Hay, guys!”
He pointed at the yellow pegasus and red earth pony he had seen. “Look! They’re okay! It’s Big Mac and Fluttershy! They’re okay!”
Applejack bolted out the front door and galloped all the way to her brother. She tackled him to the ground, where they were both half-buried in a snow bank. Fluttershy laughed behind her hoof.
“Big Mac! How many times do I gotta tell you to stay with the group?” Applejack shouted.
Big Mac grunted and lifted his sister off of himself with one foreleg. “One more time, I guess,” he said.
Angel bunny poked his head out of Fluttershy’s mane. He rolled his eyes and ducked back into the warmth.
Twilight, Rarity, and Pinkie ran up and gathered Fluttershy into a group hug. The pegasus smiled. “I’ve missed you all so much.”
“We’ve missed you, too, dear.” Rarity sniffed back a few tears. “But we’re together again. Almost all of us.” She looked up at the clouds. “Why, I almost expect Rainbow Dash to fall right out of the sky this instant!”
They all waited quietly for a moment, just in case Rarity proved to be prophetic. After the moment, Twilight stepped back and looked at her friends. “Well, the loyalist of friends will show up when she can. For now, we need a game plan.”
Fluttershy bowed her head. “Game plan? For what?”
Twilight looked each pony in the eyes. “For taking down Sombra. It’s the only way to set things right.”
Fluttershy nodded as she touched the Element around her neck. Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and Applejack also felt the artifacts under their protection.
Twilight stood tall. “I know that he’s not going to be easy to reach, but with the Elements of Harmony, we’ll be able to stop him. I know we can.” She snarled. “One way or the other.”
Applejack frowned. “Sugarcube, is something the matter?”
“Of course something’s the matter!” Twilight shouted. She reigned in her volume as she continued. “That’s why we’re all here. Why?”
“It’s just…” Applejack pulled her hat off of her head. “You’re actin’ awful uptight.”
“You’re a little tense yourself, Applejack.” Twilight spun around and marched for the library. She could see Spike, Celestia, and Luna gazing at them through the windows. “Maybe I should be asking you what’s wrong.”
She turned her head to look over her shoulder. “Because that’s what friends do, right?”
The library exploded with black fire.
Twilight was thrown to the ground by the shockwave. She struggled to her feet, her jaw dropping as the library was consumed by fiery darkness. A window shattered as Celestia rolled through, Spike gripped in her forelegs. Luna teleported out a second later, a large book clutched in her magic. They ran away as the tree bent, groaned, and crumbled behind them.
A purple, crystalline mass landed between the princesses and the Element Bearers. It rose up, up, up on spindly, jagged legs. Its feet ended in three vicious claws, which were matched by the talons on the end of its arms. Draconic wings unfolded behind it, spreading across the length of the street. Its muscular, translucent chest flexed, and dark fire could be seen playing around within. Its angular mouth, filled with razor-sharp teeth, leered at them. Its glowing purple eyes fell on Twilight.
“By the order of His Majesty,” it said as fire burst from its mouth, “by the will of King Sombra, Twiliught Sparkle is to be executed for assaulting the crown, and for organizing a rebellion.” Its thin limbs stretched out to grab her. “She and all her associates!”
Its claws dug into the ground where Twilight had stood a moment earlier. Fluttershy’s wings beat furiously as she dragged the unicorn away. “Everypony run!” she gasped.
The ponies and dragon scattered. Spike ducked behind a building and found himself face-to-face with Luna. “What is it!?”
“A grotesque,” Luna hissed.
Spike’s eyes widened even further. “Like the ones we talked about last night? The ones that eat dragons!?”
Luna nodded, and then ran away as fast as her legs would carry her. Spike pressed himself against the wall. A chill ran down his spine as two claws gripped the corner of the house. The grotesque’s snout poked around the corner. “It’s been a long time,” it said, “since I tasted dragon flesh!”
“Nooo-ho-ho-ho!” Spike leaped across the alleyway and hit the ground running. He looked over his shoulder and saw the grotesque round the corner, its whip-like tail snapping behind it. He tripped on his own feet and ploughed into a snow bank. The grotesque rose above him, its claws poised to dig in.
Big Mac ran up and kicked the monster behind the knee. Its leg buckled. “Run for it, Spike!”
The grotesque turned and glared at the stallion. It opened its mouth to let forth a belch of dark flame. Twilight flashed into existence beside Big Mac, grabbed him, and flashed away in the blink of an eye. The fire rolled across the street and hit a dark house, igniting it.
With a flap of its wings, the creature launched itself to the roof of the burning house. It looked around, its nose sniffing as it searched for its next target. “You can’t hide forever!” it roared. It looked down and saw Applejack bucking the house’s door off of its hinges. She called into the house at the top of her lungs, begging the inhabitants to get out.
The grotesque landed on top of her, its claws wrapped around her belly. It brought its tail around to snap at her face and chest. Its tail snagged against something, and it turned to look. The barbed tip was embedded into the side of the house, stuck there by a quick spell from Luna.
The former princess picked up a nearby wooden box and tossed it at the grotesque. The creature stumbled back, its arms raised to ward off further blows. Applejack pushed against its foot and struggled free, racing away at top speed. The grotesque squealed and flapped into the air. A roar of black flame burst from its mouth, coating the entire street with heat.
“Sombra was correct!” it snarled. It landed amidst the flames and stomped through Ponyville. “You are all cowards!”
Pinkie and Rarity shivered together. Pinkie looked up and bit her lip. “You think a party cannon would distract it?”
“I think a party cannon would distract just about anything, dear.” Rarity eased around a corner. “Do you have one on hoof?”
“No,” Pinkie said. “But the Cakes do!”
Rarity nodded. “Lead the way, Pinkie. Anything to help!”
Fluttershy dove beneath an awning as the grotesque let loose another gout of flame. The awning disintegrated above her. She covered her head and screamed. Celestia dove in and pulled her away just before the wreckage crushed her body. Fluttershy nodded her thanks as they both galloped away. “Have we met?”
“Later!” Celestia shouted. “Duck!”
They dove for the snow. The grotesque’s tail slid through the air above their heads as it swooped down. It landed before them and snarled.
A flash of purple magic struck its wing. It squawked and stumbled to the side. It blew fire in response, only to be hit by another blast from the opposite side. It turned around, and was hit from a third direction. This time, Celestia saw Twilight teleport away from her rooftop.
Big Mac charged again, ready to buck the same leg as before. The grotesque was ready for him, and knocked him unconscious with a bat of its hand. It brought its claws around to strike, but its movement was arrested by a faint blue glow. Luna walked slowly backwards, dragging the grotesque back by its arm.
It blasted a pillar of fire just as Twilight teleported beside Luna. She erected a purple bubble around them to intercept the blast. Another teleport brought the two ponies away to temporary safety.
Fluttershy pulled Big Mac to the side of the road. She placed a gentle kiss on his forehead and hid him in an alley. She saw Spike out of the corner of her eye, cowering beside another building. He clutched at his chest as she flew over to him. “Spike, are you hurt—”
“Get out of here!” he whispered. “You’ll get hurt!”
Fluttershy looked at the grotesque; it was chasing Celestia, who stayed ahead by dropping debris from the abandoned market in its path. “It’s fine for the moment. If you need help—”
“Get out of here!” he yelped. “I didn’t mean the thing will hurt you!” His eyes widened. “I don’t know if I can hold it in!”
She touched his shoulder. She could feel his muscles tremble under his scales. “It’ll be fine, Spike. I know you can hold it in. You can do this.”
At her touch, he shook a bit less. “Th-thanks. Thank you.”
The grotesque ripped a cart in half. It roared as it charged Celestia. The pegasus dodged between his legs and rolled around his flailing tail. It hissed as she vanished from sight.
“Hay! Tall, purple, and ugly!” Rarity shouted.
It turned to the unicorn.
Pinkie Pie and Rarity rolled out a hefty party cannon, filled to the brim with favors and cake batter. Pinkie took aim, lit the fuse, and ran away. “Gangway! It’s gonna blow!”
The grotesque grumbled dimly as the fuse counted down.
At the bang, streamers shot from the cannon. They wrapped around the grotesque’s limbs as cake batter fused them together. Noisemakers and poppers exploded in its vision as it stumbled back. It landed on its spindly rump with a groan.
It opened its mouth and coated its body with fire. The detritus from the party cannon crumbled away as the grotesque got to its feet. It flew into the sky and hovered over the town. “I wasn’t assigned to play games!” it howled. “If I cannot destroy Twilight Sparkle, I shall slay all of her associates!”
It looked down on the town, and spied the Cakes watching from their doorstep. Carrot Cake gasped, grabbed his wife and children, and hurried back inside.
The grotesque looked to another house. It was a windmill by a pond. Rarity’s parents could be seen through the upper window.
In the distance lay the rolling orchards of Sweet Apple Acres. The barn almost glowed bright red against the white of the snow.
“One! By! One!” It chose its target, dropped its wings back, and dove.
A rainbow streaked across the sky. It collided with the grotesque and sent it spiraling towards the ground. The monster corrected its path and looked around, its hand on the side of its head.
The rainbow struck again. And again. And again.
Rainbow Dash smashed her forehooves into the grotesque as she sped past. She turned at a nearly-impossible angle and returned, this time kicking out with her back legs. She whirled around the monster, her hooves a flurry of motion, and sent it into an inescapable topspin.
The grotesque crashed into the ground, where Rainbow Dash’s pummeling continued. She pulled up short of a blind flick of its barbed tail and gained some altitude. She threw a quick salute to her friends below, then dove straight for the grotesque’s chest.
Fluttershy knocked her out of the way of an oncoming fireball.
“Holy—” Rainbow Dash gave Fluttershy a quick hug. “Thanks for the save!”
“Run!” Fluttershy yelped. She flew between the buildings as the grotesque took to the air again, Rainbow Dash close behind. It came down on top of them, its clawed hands sending them crashing into the snow.
It snorted and then flew on to the Cake’s residence. It smashed out the windows and pulled the wall away. It opened its mouth to burn the bakery to the ground. The fire was caught in a bubble of purple magic.
The grotesque’s eyes widened as the pressure built. It was rocketed back as the fire exploded at it, instead of into the house. It landed across the street and plowed into the front window of a shop for sofas and quills.
It stood and found itself facing down a small, purple unicorn. It growled, raised a claw, and brought it down.
It froze halfway, its hand caught in a dark, smoldering, black fire. It strained against the new spell, and gasped as the crystal of its hand cracked. A moment later, the hand shattered altogether. The grotesque clutched at its severed wrist as it leaked sparks of magic.
It looked down at the unicorn. Her eye glowed with green and red light. Twin trails of purple smoke leaked out of the corners. Her horn glowed with the same black fire that was burning in the grotesque’s chest.
“Kneel,” she said.
The grotesque shook its head. Twilight’s horn glowed darker. “I said kneel!”
The monster dropped to its knees. “Y-you’re a pretender! You can’t hope to master—”
“Shut up!” The grotesque’s mouth clamped tight as its arms were wrenched behind its back. Twilight stomped towards it. “You think you can just fly into my town and hurt my friends!?”
Spike skittered out of the shadows and stopped a few feet away from Twilight. “Twilight, are you al—”
“You’ve got some nerve, monster!” Twilight shifted her head, and the grotesque’s back bent in the same direction. “Sombra’s got some nerve! And I can beat his crystalline rump, too!”
The grotesque let out a gargling laugh. “You can’t stop him. Even now, he’s headed for the Crystal Empire to retake it. He has five armies at his beck and call!”
Rainbow Dash pulled herself to her feet and hurried towards Twilight. “Hay… hay, quit it!”
Twilight pulled the grotesque’s back in the other direction. “You think I can’t take him?”
“I know”—the grotesque gagged as magic slid around its throat—“I know you can’t.”
Rainbow Dash placed a foreleg around Twilight’s neck. “She might not be able to do it alone, but we’re all gonna be together!”
“Y-yeah!” Spike gasped. He touched Twilight’s shoulder from the other side. “All of us. Helping each other.” He whispered to Twilight, “Please stop using that spell.”
Twilight frowned. A tear sizzled against the black magic as she held the grotesque steady. “All of us… We’re together.”
The grotesque chuckled. “Not… for…” It opened its mouth as black fire boiled up from its chest. “Long!”
No fire exited its mouth. A sinister, black glow around its neck prevented the flame from coming out. It looked down at its chest as pressure built up within. Cracks formed.
The grotesque looked over to the little, purple unicorn. She grimaced at it as another tear trailed down her cheek.
The pressure was too much, and the grotesque’s crystal chest shattered.
The entire monster exploded with crystal shards and black fire. What was left of Quills And Sofas’ storefront was demolished by the blast. Twilight, Rainbow Dash, and Spike were knocked to the ground and the wicked glow around Twilight’s horn vanished.
Twilight sat up, her mane singed. “Spike?”
Spike opened his eyes. “Huh?”
Twilight nodded to the pegasus beside them. “Please give Rainbow Dash the Element of Loyalty.”
“Sure thing, Twilight.”