The three princesses - Celestia, Luna, and Twilight - sat in the throne room discussing the outcome of the ritual they performed the week before, and how to improve on the magic. Twilight searched through her notes thinking about what they could do to get things to work better for them.
Twilight closed her notes in frustration. “I still don’t know how Crimson is able to work these circles when neither of you can.”
Celestia looked at Twilight. “Then maybe, it’s time for us to wait for Crimson to wake up.”
“The remedies thy hath been producing may work for now,” Luna remarked. “But I don’t know the lasting side effects the solution may have on those ponies.”
The ground shuddered as the princesses widened their stances to keep their balance. Celestia addressed the other two. “These tremors must be stopped. Who knows how it hurts our world.”
Twilight looked at Celestia. “At least they’re small. We haven’t had a large earthquake in a while.”
Like a bad cliche, the princesses were knocked off their hooves at the sound of a loud explosion. The room started to lightly buckle as dust and debris started to fall from the ceiling. Shortly after, the throne room doors opened and a guard rushed into the room.
“Your highnesses!” The guard yelled. “We’re under attack!”
The princesses went to their hooves and Celestia looked at the guard in shock and disbelief. “What? From Who? From where?”
The halls rumbled with a boom once more as the guard covered his eyes from the flying debris. “A single figure near the front gates.”
Twilight looked at Celestia. “It must be him.”
Luna turned to Celestia. “Allow me to handle this, my sister.”
Celestia nodded. “Go. Princess Twilight and I will be there shortly.” Luna turned and ran out of the throne room. Celestia looked at the guard. “Mobilize every guard available to get every pony to safety!”
“Yes, your highness.” The guard said with a bow and he left the room.
Celestia turned toward Twilight. “Princess Twilight, I don’t think my sister will be able to resolve this conflict. Call upon your friend. I hope he will be strong enough to help us in our time of need.”
Twilight looked up to Celestia with a worried look. “What about you?”
“You don’t have to worry about us. Luna and I will protect the kingdom. Only you and your friend can make it safe.” Celestia gestured toward the door. “Now go. We haven’t a moment to lose.”
Twilight turned around and ran out of the room. She trotted hard through the halls, avoiding ponies and guards in her way. She finally reached the main doors of the castle where soldiers stood guard, keeping the doors closed. The guards opened the doors for her and she prepared to squint her eyes at the bright sun. However, strange, ominous dark clouds darkened the sky. A loud, low-pitched rumble was heard from the skies as the clouds swirled at a single focal point - outside the main castle gates. In the distance, she saw Princess Luna flying toward the gates to confront the attacker. Twilight ran through the main courtyard toward the main gates, up the stairs of the gatehouse tower to the top, and looked over at the cloaked attacker in the distance. He stood on a wilted patch of ground outside the gates. The ground around his patch had sunken into the earth, as if he were standing on a circular pedestal showing his power and his greatness. His hooded cloak fluttered in the strong breeze created by the strange cloud formations as he stood in the calm of what seemed to be a powerful storm.
Luna hovered in front of the cloaked king - close enough to talk, but far enough to protect herself from any attack from him.
The King looked up at the hovering princess from under his fluttering hood. “We meet again.” Temethyst said in his deep, loud, and booming voice.
“My child, stop this madness.” Luna ordered.
“I take orders from no one, even from a goddess such as yourself.” The cloaked one replied.
“This is your final warning. Stop this at once!”
“You have no power over me, failed one.” The sky thundered. “Now show me once and for all you are in fact nothing more than a failed goddess… and perish as a mortal.” Suddenly, a bolt of lightning shot from the skies and struck Luna in mid air. She fell from the sky and hit the ground smoldering. A slow and deep laugh was heard from Temethyst as Luna remained motionless. Suddenly, the gates opened and soldiers started to pour out from the castle. Celestia stepped up to the gates and rushed to her sister’s aid as the soldiers stood in between the princesses and the attacker.
“You there,” Celestia said to a few soldiers. “Take Princess Luna to safety. The rest of you, return to the castle.” The soldiers started to take Luna back into the castle as the soldiers started to back up, leaving Celestia in the front on her orders.
Temethys's voice boomed, as if a thunder from the heavens spoke to those below. “Drag the corpse of your false goddess into your fortress, and gaze upon your future.”
Celestia turned to address Temethyst. “Why do you attack us? What did we do to you?”
“It seems that there is another ‘goddess’ in the midst.” He started to laugh to himself, which echoed into the sky.
“We have done nothing to you!”
The ground shook and the skies thunderd. “LIES!”
“If I’m lying, then tell me - what did we do?”
“Foolish goddess, it isn’t a question of what you have done. It is what you WILL do.”
“And what’s that?”
“You and your kind bring ruin and extinction to us all. I will bring balance back to the land and rule this world.” He looked at Celestia. “Your time… is over.” Another bolt of lightning shot from the sky at Celestia, but the princess was prepared for his attack and put up a barrier around herself, dissipating the electrical bolt.
Celestia looked back toward the castle. “Princess Twilight, you must go. You haven’t a moment to lose!”
Twilight, looking at the battlefield from the tower, stared shocked at the display of power. Then, she turned around and jumped off the tower, and flew away from Canterlot toward Ponyville.
Temethyst's eyes glowed as he looked up at the castle. Lightning started to rain down from the sky at the castle, quickly destroying the structures of the noble keep. Celestia put more focus into her barrier and it started to envelop the entire castle. Temethyst stared at the princess as the dangers to the castle subside. “You have saved your precious fortress for now.” A light emanated from under the King’s hood. “Let’s see you save your world!” The Elements of Harmony, tainted and dark, levitated from under his cloak and orbited the King. The circle he stood on shot out light as the magic flowed into the earth. Then, the ground rumbled as the ground started to split open. Liquid flames spit from the depths of the earth and shot out from the ground.
Celestia stared in horror at the power displayed by the mighty King and from the tainted Elements of Harmony. Then Luna limpped beside Celestia. “My sister.”
“Luna, I’m glad you’re okay.”
“There’s no time. We need to stop this monster from tearing this world apart.”
“You’re right. If we can’t heal the world, maybe we can help it. We need to redirect the energy this monster is using.”
“Good idea, my sister.” Luna and Celestia turned to face away from each other.
Celestia looked back to Luna. “Are you ready?”
“I am.” Luna replied as she lowered her horn. Their horns lit up as tentacles of magic energy rose from the ground, seeking out a medium to soak into. The ground’s tremors lessened and the spewing lava stopped as the tendrils started to make their way towards the two princesses. “It’s… working!” Luna gasped, struggling with the amount of energy being redirected to her.
Temethyst looked at the two. “Futile.” He lifted his hoof and stomped on the ground, causing the entire sunken earth around him to glow. The elements lit up as their energy started to get soaked into the large circle created by the mighty King. The ground again started to crack open down to the very core of the planet with fire shooting from the depths high into the sky.
The royal guard swarmed from the castle and landed next to Celestia and Luna. “Princess, the citizens are safe.” The officer looked up at the lava blasting into the clouds. “Now use us like you did at the chasm.”
Celestia struggled to look back at her sister. “We have no choice.”
Luna turned her head and looked at Celestia. With a painful expression, she nodded. Then, a dome started to form around them as the entire royal guard was magically tethered to the princesses, redistributing the energy Temethyst poured into the earth. Some of the guards collapsed from the sudden pain. Most endured.
Temethyst looked at the army. “A valiant effort, but how long can you prolong your demise?”
Celestia looked up to Temethyst. “As long as it takes to stop you!”
Temethyst stared at everyone and groaned a single laugh. “So be it.”