The cleanup was slow and tedious for the small town. The monster had vanished as quickly and unexpectedly as it came, leaving a path of destruction in it's wake. Thankfully, no pony was injured, save one pegasus' now disembodied ear. The buildings and homes however didn't fare as well, leaving Ponyville looking as though a hurricane had come through. Spirits were low and the towns residents were afraid and confused as the began the slow rebuilding process without even knowing why their homes were destroyed. Twilight watched as the disheartened ponies took to their tools and materials, once in a while they to would look to her, seeking answers she only wished she herself had. With a downcast expression she looked down at the ground, unwilling to meet any more pleading and worried eyes.
What's going on? Why did this happen? Who's responsible? Will it happen again? Are we safe? They all have the same questions and fears, and I'm powerless to do anything about it. No book, neither in my library or the library of the Royal Sisters, had any information on what that could have been. An escapee from tartarus? A monster from the ever free forest? A new enemy or an old one? It seems intelligent enough to choose it's targets but it attacked seemingly without reason. The approaching sound of flapping wings took her attention.
"Twi," Dash said. Her wings drove a light breeze as she landed, which lightly flowed against Twilight.
“Oh, Rainbow, you're back,” she said with a deep melancholy. “Did you find anything?”
“Sorry Twi, we didn't. Me and a couple other pegasai searched around, and believe me it wasn't easy to find volunteers to look for that thing, but it just disappeared!”
“I thought so... Thank you anyway Rainbow, I know you've been through a lot today. You should go to the hospital and get yourself checked out. Did you manage to find your ear?” Twilight looked up Rainbow, her sky blue fur was stained with browning blood, the remains of her ear had finally clotted and the bleeding stopped. Her swift actions saved both Fluttershy and Rarity during the attack, but it nearly got her killed. Twilight felt guilt welling up in her chest as she thought of just how useless she felt. I couldn't do a thing.
“No luck with my ear, and no need to thank me. That thing tried to kill my friends and got close to doing in three of you. You couldn't have stopped me from trying to track it down!” Her naturally cocksure voice was laced with aggression, and rightfully so. Twilight however doubted that there would be anything Dash could do if she had found it. Listening to her voice, Twilight was relieved they had found nothing.
“What would you have done Rainbow, if you had found it? No, we can't go after that thing until we know more.”
“So you really couldn't find anything at all about it? Twi, that thing destroyed the whole town and we didn't even put a scratch on it! It took everything we had just to not get cut to pieces. Fluttershy is petrified, she can't stop shaking. There's no telling how long she'll have nightmares about it. Rarity isn't much better off either. To be honest Twi, I'm even a little scared. It took barely ten minutes for it to turn Ponyville into a disaster!”
“I know Rainbow Dash, I'm scared to,” she returned her gaze back to the town below. Her voice carried a serious gravity that almost made Rainbow shutter. “That thing could be anywhere. I'm going to address the town, you should get yourself to the hospital so your wounds don't get infected.”
“Are you sure you don't want me to stay with you? I don't feel comfortable leaving and laying in a bed while you and the town could be in danger.”
“Thank you Rainbow Dash, but Ponyville needs you to be at full strength if that thing comes back. The town can't afford to lose you and neither can we. You saved our lives today Rainbow, and we'll need you alive if you're going to do it again. Try to fight that thing in your state, and we'll lose something a lot more important than some houses and you'll lose more than an ear,” taking a deep but unsteady breath her horn began to glow in a violet light, “go and get some rest, I'll keep everypony safe.”
“Alright Twi, but be careful,” Rainbow said, giving one last worried look at Twilight before she took to the air.
“Attention everypony!” Twilight called down to the town, her voice amplified by her magic. The busy and distressed ponies turned towards her, all hoping for some sort of closure or context to the ordeal they had all gone through. “The air team couldn't find any sign of where that thing went off to. For now, we have to assume it will be back. We'll need to keep a patrol in the air around the clock to give us warning before it comes back. What ever it was, it can't fly so I want as many pegasai on patrol as possible. If it comes back stay in the air and take any pony you can carry with you, especially the fillies and colts. If anypony has to leave their home leave in pairs of at least two, do not go anywhere alone. I will be meeting with the other princesses to try and get to the bottom of this, for now, stay safe and stick together.”
Almost with a collective sigh, the town went back to work, their worries unanswered. Twilight knew they would follow her instructions, but she needed to give them something soon. What in Equestria is going on? I need to talk to Princess Celestia, maybe she'll- Her thought was brought to an abrupt end as a circle of blinding yellow light enveloped her. What's going on?! What is this? Shutting her eyes tight she prepared for the worst as she felt her sense of orientation shift.
*****************************************************
“W-what happened? A teleportation spell?” Slowly blinking her eye to adjust to the new level of light, Twilight found herself in a familiar castle.
“T-Twilight?” a meek voice spoke softly. “What's happening? Where are are we?” Fluttershy, still shaken from the days events was nearly curled into a ball, her hear ducked down and her eyes shut tight. Her mane obscured her face. She reminded Twilight of how she was the first day they had met, only worse. She felt more sympathy for her friend than she knew what to do with.
“It's alright Fluttershy,” Twilight gently reassured, “we're in Canterlot, in the Princess' castle.”
“How did we end up in Canterlot?! One minute I'm flying to the hospital like you said, the next I'm here. Did you bring us here Twi?” Twilight turned to the confused and agitated voice of her friend Rainbow Dash who sat just behind her. Along with Rainbow were the rest of her friends, all looking equally confused.
“She did not bring you here Rainbow Dash, it was I. I am afraid we have an emergency,” Princess Celestia said, her grim tone taking the six mares aback. Twilight stepped forward and spoke.
“Princess, do you know-”
“About the attack on Ponyville? Yes, and it's not only Ponyville, several other small towns have been besieged by these creatures. Ponyville was fortunate not to have any casualties, the others can not all say the same.” She closed her eyes solemnly, giving her thoughts and silence to the lost lives.
“Princess... you mean they- that thing, it killed ponies?” Twilight felt tears pooling in her eyes. At the same time as she grieved for those that were lost, she couldn't help but feel overwhelmingly grateful that she herself didn't lose anypony she loved, and that only made her feel more guilty.
“Princess Twilight, with a heavy heart and great sadness, I must tell you, we are at war.”
“W-war?” Fluttershy's said as she trembled, her fearful look growing more and more terrified. Twilight could only imagine that the reality of what almost happened to them was becoming clearer to her with the news of other ponies deaths.
“I- Princess, I think it was looking for something,” Rainbow Dash spoke up with an unusual unsureness. Her eyes were looking up as though she were still completing the thought that had compelled her to speak. All ears were on her now. Even Celestia, Twilight noticed, looked surprised. After a moment longer of thinking she seemed to finally notice that everypony was waiting on her to speak. “Well, at first it didn't go after anypony, just started breaking things and moving on. When we tried to stop it is when it started attacking us.”
“Do ya think that's it Twilight? It was just looking for something?” Applejack asked. Thinking back on the attack, Dash's reasoning seemed to make sense to her. Twilight turned her eyes back to Celestia, the others slowly followed, waiting on baited breath as Celestia seemed to ponder her answer. With a sigh she conceded and began to speak.
“It was centuries ago, Star Swirl the Bearded was just a young and talented stallion. As well as being a respected and adept spell caster, he was also an avid explorer and archeologist. One-”
“Just like Daring Do!?” Rainbow interjected excitedly. The princess, less than amused shook her head in disapproval.
“One of his explorations brought him to a deep underground catacomb that had never before been written of or explored. For more than a week he was lost in the dark labyrinth, spending his time combing through the hieroglyphs until he came upon a chamber in the deepest reaches of the maze. At the chambers center was only what appeared to be a single, blank circle of paper. However, despite it's muggy conditions, it looked as though it had been made only recently. Days later he returned to the surface and made his way to my castle with great haste. Once before me he presented me the seemingly benign parchment, his eyes filled with panic as he retold to me a vision he received upon retrieving it. He told me that it was truly a map, a map that could show the location of seven powerful relics. These relics, from a savage, bygone time and place, belonged to an age when raw power was authority and one life could decide the fate of millions. These relics were of the most powerful sort, each capable of great destruction and death.” The faces on the six friends were growing increasingly dark as a they thought of the destruction they had already witnessed.
“W-what are they?” Twilight shuttered to think such things could exist, things designed solely to end lives.
“The relics are tools of destruction. They are the bow, the chariot, the hammer, the torch, the spear, the sword and the scythe. It has been foretold that something someday would come for them, seeking the none more fervently than the scythe, the symbol of death its self. As prophesied by Star Swirl, if the scythe is unleashed it will be the end of all life as we know it, and no magic can stand against it.”
“Then... what do we do? If that thing is what's after those relics, then there's no way to stop them! Magic has no effect on them at all!” Twilight said in a panic. Though she tried to suppress her fears for her friends sake, the seemingly insurmountable threat was overwhelming her. Her body was shaking and she felt waves of nausea run through her. We barely go away with out lives! And we were the lucky ones! What can we do? There has to be something! Come on Twilight keep it together! She shut her eyes tight trying to quell her frantic heart. Suddenly, a hoof came to rest softly on her shoulder. Her eyes opened to see Applejack by her side with a reassuring look. Then, a wing wrapped around her from her other side. Turning she found Rainbow grinning at her with her trade made confident smile.
“Don't worry Twilight! We've faced plenty bad before came out a-okay!” Pinkie bounced over, throwing her hooves around Twilight's neck.
“Pinkie Pie is right! We've faced danger before and we'll do it again!” Rarity said as she stepped behind beside Applejack.
“Y-yeah... You've saved us before Twilight. We have faith in you,” Fluttershy said, sounding almost unconvinced.
“My little ponies, It is told that the only things that will stop the forces that seek the scythe are the other six relics. I believe that these monsters are searching for the relics, and are destroying everything in their path at the same time. The map is kept under the highest security magic that only I have access to. I would like you six to locate the relics and stop this calamity before it begins,” Celestia said as her horn burst into light. The space between Twilight and Celestia became divided by a golden rift suspended in mid air. A circular paper floated out of it towards Twilight before the rift closed. She quickly surrounded it in her magic and examined it.
“It's blank?” Twilight said bewildered.
“Yes, in all these centuries I have yet to make it reveal anything. That is why I would like you to take it. You and your friends have a good history of solving difficult problems.”
“We'll do it princess.”
“We will!?” Fluttershy squeaked.
“You bet we will! We'll get to those relics before those things even know what hit them!” Dash boasted, lifting herself a tail length off the floor.
“I thank you all for your bravery. It will be dangerous, but I know you will all prevail. You must go and begin your quest immediately. I am sorry for my haste but time is of the essence, as we speak another village may be under attack. I will send you back to Ponyville so you may prepare for your journey.”
“Wait, Immediately?” Twilight said with a worried note as she glanced at Rainbow Dash,“but, we just barely made it out of that fight alive and Rainbow is injured. She needs a doctor.”
“I'll be alright Twilight, I'll just clean it when I we go back before we leave. You heard the Princess, right now more ponies could be dying, being cut to pieces by those things. We're the only ones that can stop it. We don't have time to be slowed down by a small cut and a bump on my head!” Dash's eyes burned with hot intensity as she thought about her friends being those ponies, it made her blood boil to think about it.
“Rainbow...” Twilight said, caught of guard by her anger and determination. I guess I shouldn't be surprised. She's right, those things may be slaughtering ponies right now. Ponies with family and friends. We can't take our time, one way or another we have to find those relics. “Okay, we'll leave as soon as everypony has their things settled at home. This will be dangerous girls, but if we're together we can do anything!” With raised morale from Twilight's words, they nodded their agreement, though Fluttershy's more tentatively than the rest.
“I know you six can do it. I will send you back so you may begin. You all have my thanks and gratitude,” Princess Celestia bowed her head before her horn again began to glow. A bright circle lit up around each of the six mares before they vanished in a flash of golden light, leaving Celestia looking forlornly at the space they had occupied. “And my sincerest wish, that you may all someday forgive me. I am sorry.”