"Princes Celestia! Princess Luna! This so called 'war' is almost a year old, and there hasn't been a single conflict yet! Citizens of Equestria are beginning to wonder if this is war is just a sham! How do you respond?"
"Princesses! Is it true world leaders are meeting in the castle for a war conference today? How will you be able to justify Equestria's actions?"
"Why is there an enforced draft just so our sons and daughters can freeze their flanks off in Stalliongrad?"
"Why must we pay taxes just to squander our resources on a pointless war?"
"When will you see reason and..."
"BBBEEEEEEEEEEEEE SSSSSIIIIIIIIIIILLLLLEEEEEEEEEEENT!!
Everpony gathered that day at the royal press conference was instantly cowed into silence at the concussive command. Prince Luna glared down upon them, and seething with barely contained anger continued her response.
"How can we justify this war you dare ask? First you must ask how you can justify the royal family of the Crystal Empire being brutally murdered on Equestrian soil and not acting upon that atrocity. Mayhap you have already forgotten their deaths, or the fact that those same murderers would have toppled us at the same time had they been given the chance? You know well of the impenetrable gas that shrouds the entirety of the border that forces us to wait for our enemy to make the first move. How can you be so impudent as to think you can pass such judgement upon our actions, when our efforts and the military's sacrifice remain the only defense against an attack that could happen at any moment!?"
Her tirade completed, Luna scowled at the reporters before her, daring them to speak up. Not a single one could meet her gaze. Nodding to her sister, Celestia took her turn to speak, her speech slow and comforting, like that of a kind mother correcting their child's behavior.
"Please know that we understand how our ponies feel. To most, this war has been the same as any year prior, all except for having to pay higher taxes and to say farewell to friends and family drafted for the army. It means hard work, and sacrifice, and without any direct conflict so far that means our little ponies feel more and more that it is all for naught. I know that it is a great deal to ask for your trust and your patience, just as it will be a great deal to ask of our allies at the conference today, but rest assured that what we ask is necessary. If the Crystal Empire were to strike when we are unprepared, they would roll through the country like fire and destroy everything that we hold dear. This is why we must be ready, for the day they attack is not a matter of if, simply a matter of when."
She watched the crowd carefully, observing the downcast faces of her little ponies, many bitter or saddened as a child would be at being forced to accept such an inconvenient truth. Satisfied for now by their silence, she brought the meeting to an early close. "Thank you for coming. There will be no more questions"
****
Twilight secretly watched her foals with critical suspicion through the open door to their room. Ever since they were born they'd been a pair of whirlwinds on a rampage; seemingly boundless amounts of energy and mischief in equal parts. Fortunately, most of their antics involved making enormous messes for her to clean up, or the terrorizing of the castle staff. They were too young to control their magical outbursts still, and with their potent lineage when the outbursts did occur it usually required a crystal re-construction team.
Twilight smiled fondly at her playing foals, quietly absorbed with the new toys she'd created for them. Despite the sleep deprivation and all the headaches they inevitably caused, they were still the most precious things in the world to her, filling her life with innumerable happy memories. The way they slept so peacefully after a long day of mischief, and their tiny mouths smiling innocently at everything in the world, and her personal favorite, when their eyes went wide with wonder and curiosity, as they were now.
Twilight slowly let her suspicion ease, until she was confident that she could resume working on the invasion plans without having to worry about an emergency occurring as soon as she turned her back on them. At nearly a year old their attention spans were all but non-existent, so keeping them occupied and happy usually meant a full-time commitment. The toys she'd specifically created for them however, proved to be much more effective than she could have hoped.
For little Amethyst Marrow she'd created a 100% anatomically correct doll, and since she was prone to tearing her dolls apart, Twilight had added an extra feature so that any time the part of the doll was removed, the inner workings would be revealed in precise woolen replication. Right now her daughter was amusing herself with the heart of her doll, giggling whenever she squeezed it and it squeaked back in reply.
For Emerald Fletcher, she'd created a seemingly simple pendulum constructed of a row of five metal balls hung by taunt twine to the frame. The metal balls were hung so closely that they were lightly touching, able to only move from side to side. When ever he set a ball to swinging on one end, he'd be fascinated by the responding swing of the ball on the other end as the ones in the middle remained perfectly still. What kept his attention however, was whenever one of the balls suddenly broke the predictable pattern. Seemingly at random two balls would start swinging on one side instead of just the one, or when the rules of the toy were apparently broken when one end started to swing to and fro instead of from side to side. At the moment, he'd figured out the strings holding up each ball connected back into the wooden base, and had ripped off a side panel to observe a complex maze of gears, levers and springs that mechanically manipulated the metal merriment.
As the afternoon sun began to drift lower in the atmosphere, Sombra strode triumphantly through the door, obviously pleased as punch. Giving his work-absorbed queen a kiss on her pretty cheek, he swerved into the twin's room and swept them up in a surprise attack hug. Shrieking with laughter, they kicked and wiggled about in their father's forelegs as he used his magic to tickle them relentlessly.
"Don't get them too wound up, its your turn to put them to bed tonight." chided Twilight, who was doing her best to hide her smile behind a playfully stern charade. The way his foals could light up his face with such joy, and the same joy they had for seeing their father, it never failed to melt her heart like butter.
"Pway, pway!" chimed her little angels in chorus. "See? You heard the little tykes Twilight. Besides, if I get them wound up that just means they'll be more tired for bedtime! What do you say sweetheart, please?" Making the biggest puppy eyes she'd ever seen he put his hooves together and looked at her pleadingly. Her foals quickly caught on and joined him, "pwease mommy, pwease?"
Stifling a snort of laughter, she rolled her eyes. "Oh fine, but your logic is severely flawed if you think they'll wear out before you do. Just don't get too rowdy that I come home to another construction team ok?"
"YYAAAAAAAAAY" Thoroughly excited now, their foals began bounding around their father in circles. "Whoa there now, just hold on a sec, I gotta talk to your mother first, then we can have all the fun we can handle till bedtime!" Stepping carefully over his little treasures, Sombra gave Twilight another quick kiss on the cheek before throwing his forelegs around her in a warm embrace. "You're so lucky to get to spend most the day with our little miracles my Queen."
Twilight had returned to her checklist, making sure all the plans were in proper order for tonight, doing her best to ignore the extremely distracting nature of Sombra's proximity. "You might amend that opinion before the night is through sweetheart, besides they're most certainly not miracles. I put eleven months of hard work into those two while you just sat around grinning like an idiot."
"In either case dearest, I still had to wish upon a star." Sombra smoothly countered, punctuating the word "star" with a wondering hoof that stroked her flank, right by her cutie mark. Uncomfortably warm now, especially in her face where she was growing redder by the second, Twilight quickly switched the topic.
"You've spent almost a year training the troops now, they'd best be ready for tonight, especially my task-force."
"Worry not, I've whipped those useless lumps into usable enough material."
"That may be so, but while I require precision your forces will be of much larger size. I want you to take someone from the First generation to help look out for our foals, that way your attention won't be split between them and the battle constantly."
Sombra let his wife go and sat at next to her instead, looking over the slough of maps covering the workdesk. "Hmmmm, very well my dearest, I'd be lying if I said that had not been a concern of mine as well. Who should I take?"
Twilight cleared her throat, and with a slight glimmer from her horn, quietly called the pony she had in mind for the job. "Opal Heart, please report to the royal chambers. You may use the emergency transport node located in the headmaster's office. Authorization code 1337GL."
Moments later, a strong young mare fully in her prime materialized out of the black crystal in the corner of the bedroom, right next to the door. Immediately, she sank into a deep bow and held that position for her rulers. "You required my presence my Queen?"
"Yes, now stand for inspection."
Opal Heart got back onto all four hooves and stood tall and strong at attention in proper military style. Sombra walked around the mare, testing the strength of the deceptively small muscles hidden beneath her skin with his magic. From the point just beneath her brain stem, crystal veins branched out in all directions, bonded inseparably with her skin. It reached up to her cheeks, and all the way to the corners of each of her slate-grey eyes. Like tree roots, the crystal veins ran just past her shoulder plates and down across her chest, reaching halfway down her fore-legs as well.
Finishing his appraisal, Sombra returned to his wife's side as he mused over the information he'd gathered. "Good, very good. I'd feared the growth advancement spells would neglect the muscles since it forces the body to maintain nearly the same rate as development in the womb, yet her muscles are stronger than if she'd dedicated her life to body building. The agelock seems to have gone off without a hitch as well, no stress marks from suddenly stopping the growth process. The crystal formation is an unexpected side affect though."
Twilight, the Dark Queen and Headmaster of the Royal Academy, filled in with her own observations. "I've noticed the marks, though crystal, still bend and stretch with the skin as if they've taken on the physical attributes of both materials. Furthermore it appears correlative to how advanced their programming has become. Those of greater ability and knowledge display larger and more complex patterns of crystal growth. It serves no purpose beyond cosmetic that I can see so far, but the symptom is under close observation. I suggested Opal for this mission as she has performed the strongest of the students. Once her programming reached to the stage of being able to select optional additional knowledge, she selected first and foremost all information on the brain and what we know of sleeping and the REM cycle. Since then she has formed a strict sleep/consumption/programming regime that she has adhered to flawlessly."
"How far has she advanced?"
"She's learned every known language in the world, mastered physics, chemistry, 18 forms of martial combat, and medicine in that order. She's also began courses in the working of magic, as well as what is known about the mechanics of flight and first-person accounts of flying. She is the first student to take this subject matter, and the reason I suggested her for your mission. She's clever enough to anticipate the need to understand the laws and limitations of magic as well as matching pegasi by understanding flight patterns and proper three dimensional thinking."
"Most impressive indeed. Opal, what do you think of your Queen for providing such a wealth of knowledge for you to master?"
Almost as if the words were well rehearsed, a smile appeared on her lips as she answered. "I love my Queen and my King for the blessings they have brought me and the rest of the Empire. I am happy to be the greatest tool I can be for my Masters' wishes." The entire time, Opal's eyes continued to stare straight forward into nothingness, as empty as the words she spoke. She was the perfect tool, a drone, a biological machine of efficiency and obedience, soullessly serving her creators. The crystal synapses of her mind sent a small twinge of pleasure through her body as her Masters nodded happily at her words, her reward for pleasing them.
"Well-said Opal" praised her King, "and for your excellent performance you shall be entrusted with the safeguarding of Amethyst Marrow and Emerald Fletcher for tonight's battle. Tonight we march upon our enemy with the full might of the Empire, minus your fellow students of course. Tonight, we make the world as they know it burn."
****
Despite the disastrous press conference earlier that day, the ponies of Canterlot were in high spirits. It wasn't every day that foreign leaders for Equestria's every ally as well as several neutral nations visited, and it was unprecedented for all of them to be in Canterlot at once. All the way up to the palace, the only ponies untouched by Canterlot's agitated excitement were the princesses themselves, perfectly composed and regal for dignitaries already marching through the front gates.
From Saddle Arabia came the tall horse delegates, standing almost as tall as the princess Celestia herself. Next came the Duke and Duchess of Maretonia, resplendent headdresses proudly glimmering in the light of dusk. From the Gryphon Kingdoms heralded his majesty, King Alderlöwe. Representing the nomadic zebra tribes of the great grasslands south of Equestria came Chief Maunageera, and with him traveled Chief Thunderhooves of the Buffalo tribes, well on the way to being fast friends with the zebra elder. From the unnamed territory of the minotaurs came Warlord Steel Horn, towering above even others of his own race at a majestic 12 feet tall.
Lastly, from the skies dropped a creature older then even Celestia knew. Even thousands of years ago, when she still wandered the world in search of her destiny, he was already old beyond measure; and even though his kind had no formal government, when he spoke they would obey without question. He was Eitzel the Timeless, Patriarch of the Dragons and wielder of the World Pillar. Digging his gigantic claws into the stone of Canterlot's mountain, the behemoth of a dragon lazily curled himself around the mighty peak, letting his enormous jaws rest delicately in the castle grounds. If the whim struck him, it would be a simple matter to swallow the castle whole and rip Canterlot from the mountainside, but Celestia assured herself that he would not. His honor was nearly as legendary as his power, and as her esteemed guest he would be honor-bound to treat his host, her property, and her citizens, with the utmost civility, for the duration of the first World Summit at the very least.
All in all, nine of the ten leaders (along with their entourage of guards, servants, and advisors) she'd summoned had heeded her call. It seemed the diamond dogs were too busy and disorganized digging for their jewels to participate. Hopefully they would not be needed, especially since she'd never dared hope Eitzel would even reply to her message, let alone actually attend.
Soon, the sun had finished its dip below the horizon, allowing the moon to reach for the stars and the first World Summit to finally convene. The newly repaired throne room now held an oval-shaped table built of polished mahogany fit to sit the royalty gathered with room to spare. At the head of the table sat Princess Celestia and Princess Luna themselves, and as soon as the other leaders had finished seating themselves, they stood together to welcome them to Canterlot, and thank them for their time. All the while, Eitzel watched silently through a stained glass window, the pupil and very beginnings of a fiery iris all that could be seen due to his size.
Princess Celestia cleared her throat politely, and when all attention was turned on her, she spoke warmly to her guests. "First, let me start by thanking each and every one of you for making the journey to meet me here in Canterlot. I promise that I called us together tonight for a situation most dire to us all, and that you will find the time dedicated to listening to our call well spent."
Polite claps filled the air in response. Seasons change and nations rise and fall, but all around the world politics remained politics. All here were well familiar with the language of politics, and of the polite buttery words that inevitably led to favors asked and granted.
"Secondly, I must apologize for the nature of missives I sent each of you. I assure you that my vague yet urgent words were a matter of necessity, lest we ran the risk of our enemy intercepting those messages and divining my reason for calling you all together. As many of you may already know, the Crystal Empire was hostilely conquered, and under its new governance declared war upon Equestria and its very way of life. My sister and I asked you here because this evil not only threatens our home, but all the lands beyond it as well."
Luna picked up the conversation now, summoning to her side a map of the world as well as several charts and graphs. In a voice more grave than a granite marker she looked coldly into the eyes of each world leader as she spoke her piece. "The new Queen and King of the Crystal Empire are capable of fully-realized alicorn level magic at the very least, and if our worst fears are true, then each of them could single-handedly match even Discord in a fight. Furthermore, behind the barrier that they've erected on the border, it is impossible to tell what they are constructing for the destruction of our world. While we for now cannot break through to bring the fight to them, we can neither let ourselves believe that they are anything less than 3 steps ahead of us at all times. I guarantee that these two will not be satisfied destroying Equestria. No, we would merely be the stepping stone for the rest of the world. That is why we call you, all of you, to action. Together we can prepare for the inevitable attack, and all of us together would have the combined strength to push them back and keep our homes secure."
Luna was met with a deathly silence as everpony absorbed the information. Finally, the Duke of Maretonia stood, and with a nod to the princesses, addressed them in a polite yet coldly calculating tone. "Maretonia extends its sympathies to Equestria in your conflict. So that those gathered here may make a more informed decision, what do we know about the Crystal Empire's forces.?"
Princess Luna felt her ears start to droop back to her skull, and she shifted ever so slightly in discomfort. The Duke had hit the proverbial nail right on the head, and this particular nail did not exactly provide strong support for their call to action. "Little else than what has already been said here sir Duke, that and the last known count of the total citizenry of the Crystal Empire."
"Assuming a year's worth of standard population growth, about how many would that be?"
"Just shy of a couple thousand."
"Indeed? So that means that if every single citizen were forced into military service for the last year, I wonder at how they could pose a threat to Equestria's own well-trained and well-supplied forces numbering in the tens of thousands."
Around the table grumbles of agreement could be heard.
"Furthermore," continued the Duke, "I understand that other than the attack by the King and Queen themselves that allowed them access to the Crystal Kingdom in the first place, there has yet to be any contact, let alone combat to be had with them since?"
It was Princess Celestia's turn now to admit the truth to the Duke's words, well aware of where this argument was headed and powerless to stop it. "Yes sir Duke, that would be correct."
"I see. Then I must respectfully decline Equestria's call on behalf of Maretonia. While I have complete faith in Equestria's Princesses and their judgement on this, 'dire' situation, I cannot in good conscience ask my people to lay their lives on the line based upon thus so far alone. We of course, would be more than happy to restructure the trade agreement between our nations, so that we can be of greater support to Equestria and its need for war supplies."
Around the table foreign leader heads nodded with increased intensity and enthusiasm.
Celestia forced her regal form to remain passive, suppressing the need to sigh. It had been a longshot to hope that the other nations would understand their peril, especially since they were already aware of the unrest her own people felt at the unpopular military action. Luna meanwhile, could not hide her face as it darkened like a thundercloud. Instead, Celestia turned to her only guest yet to betray their opinion. Outside the window the dragon Patriarch's gaze remained impassive and intense as ever, studying them all closely.
"What of you Eitzel?"
Everpony in the room flinched in surprise as a booming voice filled their ears, rumbling like a volcano. "The affairs of mortals are no concern of mine. I had sensed the disturbance tearing at the Aether from the north, yet from the information I have learned here I see no reason to interfere. It would be wise not to disturb my rest again so soon Solar Sentinel, I may not take to it so kindly next we meet."
With that, her last hope released his clench upon the mountain and launched himself far away into the sky with booming wingstrokes. Before the rest of the leaders gathered could begin hounding her for altered trade agreements that would doubtlessly greatly profit their countries through Equestria's war, Luna stood with a frown creasing her face, peering outside the window Eitzel's eyeball had vacated.
"Sister, methinks thy sun has decided to rise again, many hours far too early. Also, did it always rise thusly from the South, or is that odd to more than just mine eyes?"
Alarmed, Celestia reached out with a tendril of thought to her star, finding it to be exactly where she'd left it, giving Saddle Arabia a warm and sunny afternoon. Switching to concern and confusion, she joined her sister at the window, only to have her emotions swapped out once more, this time with soul-crushing dread. Unable to contain their curiosity, the rest of her guests crowded around the window as well, but only one of them dawned upon the same conclusion as Celestia, though in his heart he desperately hoped that he was wrong, he had to be wrong.
Outside the window, the nighttime was lit softly by a redish orange glow rising from the southern horizon, the beautiful early morning light illuminating the dark clouds and casting them into dark contrast. Except upon closer inspection, the clouds were not so much back-lit, as they were black themselves, and they did not fly in the skies free of the earth, but connected all the way back down to meet with the orange glow at the horizon.
Celestia turned her sorrowful eyes away from the growing illumination to the south. The Chieftain's desperate eyes met hers, and she did not even have to say a word, her eyes said it all. At this distance, the light had to be emanating far from Equestria's borders, past the proud trees of the Everfree to the never-ending plain of tall brown grass from whence he came. And with a light powerful enough to illuminate the night sky, it could only mean one horrendous thing; the oceans of tall, dry grass were being utterly destroyed, along with everyone that lived there.
His nation, his home, was utterly ablaze.
As the Chieftain collapsed to the ground in shock, a hurriedly written scroll materialized from a waft of purple smoke, landing directly in front of Celestia. Though it contained but a single word, it was more than enough information for the princess, as only one of her subjects was capable of this type of written transpondence.
HeLP
****
Queen Twilight nodded with satisfaction as the last of her taskforce materialized from the crystal monolith under the cover of nighttime. The sunset was barely an hour past, and the time ripe for her and her 200 specially trained soldiers to strike. They'd arrived exactly on target, about half an hour outside of Ponyville and right in the midst of the Apple Family Orchards. With a silent command, she had her task force gather before her for one final review of their orders.
"Squadron A, you are to use the enhanced ice arrows to block of entrance from the side of the orchards closest to town. Second Platoon of the Crystal Army, you are to immediately begin collecting the fruit and uprooting as many trees as possible. Squadron B, you are to man the carts, and form a relay back to the crystal monolith for transport of the orchard trees. Start with the zap-apples, then move onto the regular apple trees. Squadron C, you are on basket duty, gather the fruit from as many trees as possible, starting with the farthest edges of the orchard and working inward to the tree gathering squad to maximize the harvest yield tonight. Once Squadron A is finished sealing off the entrances with walls of ice, half of them will join you to help hasten the harvest while the other half keeps guard. Finally Squadron D, you are to fan out to the neighboring farms, gather as much food and seed as is possible. Remember, this is above all else a stealth mission, the longer you remain unnoticed, the more we can take back to the Crystal Empire with us. Therefore, do not disturb the farmhouses, but if anypony stirs or otherwise notices your presence, you are to kill them immediately. Once I give the signal, drop everything, and I mean everything, set the rest of the crops on fire, and retreat through the crystal monolith."
Nervously, one of the ponies behind her managed to pluck up some courage to speak. "But, my Queen, with all due respect this is just wron..." He never had the chance to finish that sentence, as without looking behind her, she lifted the pony who'd dared speak out, ripped his spinal cord free of his back, and then stabbed him straight through the heart with it, leaving his corpse pinned to the nearest apple tree. Without batting an eye, she casually addressed the remaining 199 troops as if nothing had happened. "Now, are there any final questions? No? Good, now get to work, I have some friends that I'm sure have just been dying to see me again."
Without any further ado, she launched herself forcefully into the sky, rocketing toward her old home. As she approached the quaint little village she summoned her considerable magical might, recreating a handy little spell she'd learned from the Changeling invasion of Shining's wedding. It was an excellent spell, one that created an all-together satisfactory amount of damage for minimal magical expenditure, and best of all it had quite the dramatic flair, perfect for grabbing everypony's attention. Around her head and for-legs she formed a conical shield of raw magical power, turning the Dark Queen into the equivalent of a devastating meteor with perfect aim.
As Twilight arched to the center of town, she made a quick mental observation while bracing for impact. Hmmmm, looks like they've rebuilt Town Hall since last I was here, what a shame. Seconds later, she impacted the side of the unfortunate building with the force of a thousand charging manticores. What was not immediately pulverized into toothpicks was carried forward by her momentum, smashing though nearby buildings as if a tornado had sent the chunks of limber flying. Her flight meanwhile, carried her straight into the ground, blossoming a brand new crater and a resulting shockwave of earth and air that was certain to wake even the dead within the town's limits.
Calmly, Twilight strode from the crater, absentmindedly transmuting the floor of every nearby building into fresh magma, which promptly collapsed each structure into a burning, melting, mass of death. Brushing herself off one last time to make sure there was no dirt marring her coat, she turned her attention to a brightly colored gingerbread themed store as the Ponyvillians set about in a proper frenzied panic, running to and fro through the streets in confusion and terror. She didn't have to wait long, as a pink blur quickly emerged from the shop entrance, only to stop dead in it's tracks upon catching sight of her.
Slowly, Twilight strode forward toward her former friend. She did not smile, she did not speak, she did nothing but simply walk as if she had all the time in the world. She kept her eyes locked upon those of Pinkie Pie, holding her hostage with her relentless gaze. There was no way for her to escape, and no way to resist as Twilight closed the distance between them.
20 feet
"Stop right there, walk no farther traitor!"
Twilight paid no mind, the voice didn't even register as being heard in her brain. It belonged to nothing important, only Pinkie Pie was worth her attention.
15 feet
"Quickly now, defend the Element Bearers!"
Still she did not even notice the voice's existence, just as a giant would not notice the insects it crushes in the millions every time it takes a step.
10 feet.
Schlingch!
If Pinkie Pie hadn't been completely immobilized by shock and fear before, she certainly was now. Eyes wide with horror she watched as a dozen ponies leapt upon the purple alicorn, sinking axes, swords, and daggers alike into her flesh. This caused Twilight to pause her forward stroll, but still she stared into Pinkie's soul past the sword that had dug halfway into the Queen's skull and her left eye. No blood fell from her wounds as the ponies attempted fruitlessly to pull their weapons free from Twilight's body. Instead, a black flame tinted purple at the edges quietly licked along the length of each point of entry. After what felt like an eternity, Twilight turned her single eye away from Pinkie, and instead focused on the frightened face of the pony that had struck his sword into her face.
Several more moments passed, and the pony she focused upon grew more and more agitated as he and the rest of his team realized they could neither free their weapons from her body, nor simply let go of them and leave them embedded in her flesh. Sweat ran in rivulets down his coat, a cold fear shaking his knees as the blasted Queen continued to simply look at him. She had not spoken, nor flinched, not even shown any emotion at being impaled by a dozen weapons at once! That magenta eye stared into his soul, a black bottomless chasm ready to devour him whole, devoid of anger, of contempt, of any emotion at all.
All around Twilight, the secret guard Celestia had placed in Ponyville to protect the remaining element bearers fell to their quaking knees. The very air seemed heavier as it pressed down upon them, crushing them under its weight. But no, that's not quite right. thought the squad leader as Twilight's gaze continued to burrow into him. He recognized this feeling, it was something deep in his memory, this feeling of drowning in the air. It had a name, a name all ponies knew.
Despair
The traitor Queen's eye narrowed as if she'd heard his thoughts, and finally she broke the silence to quietly address them. Though her voice was barely above the softness of a whisper, everypony nearby within the broken town square felt the words reach their ears and stop their hearts with dread.
"You are vermin before a god, know your place in my world."
From the points where steel met flesh, the purple-tinted flames of darkness suddenly surged forward with a roar, and within an instant had consumed each guard in a wreathe of flame. Ashes drifted into the wind and molten metal fell sizzling to the ground, leaving a completely unmarked and unharmed alicorn behind.
"Tw...Twilight?"
Magenta eyes faced forward once more to discover Fluttershy poking half-way out of the doorway to Sugarcube Corner. Excellent, that saved her some trouble if all the bearers came to her instead of having to hunt them down one by one. Before either of them had a chance to come to their senses, she grabbed both with a simple levitation spell, pulling them off their hooves and within a couple inches of her face. It was nothing personal, but she couldn't risk them finding a way to resurrect the element of magic and complete the Elements once more, thus the current element bearers had to go. A little bit of heat was all that was needed, only a couple more degrees to boil their brain fluid and send them off to the next world.
Letting the magic flow to her horn, Twilight leisurely began to weave the targeted heat spell, giving her friends a chance to let their fate sink in. Their eyes went from fearful pleading, to pained disbelief, and finally broken acceptance. It was time to bid them farewell. Before the spell could launch from her horn however, a large stone cracked against it. It was nowhere near enough force or surprise to make her loose concentration or make the spell fizzle, but the fact that somepony had the audacity to attempt to do so irked the Queen enough that she dropped Pinkie and Fluttershy to the ground, turning to face the culprit.
Panting, Rarity stood 20 feet away, horn lit brightly with her azure magic as several more stones circled her head. Seeing that she had managed to get Twilight's attention, she wasted no time, tossing another one straight for her face, trying to buy her friends enough time to escape. Naturally, the stone disintegrated long before it got close to striking Twilight, so it was time to change tactics to something that could penetrate her shielding.
"Why did you come back here, Twilight!" Shouted Rarity, "How can you destroy everything you once called home?"
Her ex-friend did not respond, did not react in any other way than to slowly stride forwards. With a quick glance of her eyes, Rarity noticed that Pinkie and Fluttershy had not moved at all, both paralyzed to the spot and quaking like leaves. If she weren't a lady she might have taken the opportunity to curse vehemently. Her current methods weren't enough, she needed to distract Twilight better than this if she were to give her friends enough time to come to their senses. It was completely unlady-like, but all the same it was time for an under-handed blow.
"You said once that you loved all us girls, your friends. I wonder if you tell your foal that you love them too, and if you mean the same when you talk to them as you did to us."
Incredibly rude and quite uncalled for, but it had the desired affect, Twilight stopped dead in her tracks, eyes widening in surprise, then settling into a glare of righteous fury. Meanwhile, Pinkie and Fluttershy had heard her as well, and they now sat frozen still, mouths agape in horror and staring straight at the dressmaker. Before she could ponder at why they weren't running still, Rarity felt herself overcome with wave after wave of the most unimaginable pain she'd ever experienced. A thousand knives shredding her flesh to ribbons stab after stab, the burning agony of flesh heated so strongly that it melted right from her bones in a puddle, being torn limb from limb and then being stitched back together with a rusty needle and barbed wire. Nothing came close to describing the pain that wracked her body.
Twilight stood over the white unicorn's writhing body, horn aglow with a bruised purple-black aura, eyes a malevolent green and wafting dark energy. "Did you know? The pony brain is a marvelous thing, it has two fail-safes built in to protect the mind from sensory overload. One is a pain buffer of sorts, where pain over a certain threshold is numbed out, this results in the classical medical condition of shock. Secondly, is the brain's ability to shut itself down, knocking you unconscious to protect the fragile mind from overwhelming sensations. Now, how about we find out what happens when we turn both of those off, shall we?"
Rarity convulsed so violently that for a moment it lifted her entire body of the ground. Was she screaming? She couldn't tell, she couldn't think, couldn't do anything other than feel herself be washed away in a violent river of pain. Time and time again she felt a tugging at her consciousness, trying to drag her to shore and safety, and blissful unconsciousness. Time and time again the pull was denied, keeping her there, helpless to end her agony. Slowly, over time she realized that the pain had stopped, and slowly the world around her started to make sense again. First came back her sight, blurred and filled with multi-color dots. Next came her hearing, though every sound around her seemed underwater and from a mile away.
Her whole body was numb, and for some reason she could not move a single muscle. Searching with her eyes, she found the burning buildings of Ponyville still around her, and over by the molten crater where Sugarcube Corner had been last she looked, Twilight was speaking quietly to Pinkie and Fluttershy. The poor fools where right where Twilight had left them, their heads bent and pouring tears. Suddenly Twilight looked back at Rarity, sensing that she was still alive. Her eyes had faded back to their emotionless magenta once more, which hopefully meant that Twilight had finished venting her anger upon the white unicorn.
"Ah good, Rarity, you survived. Though from the state you're in I wouldn't recommend using magic anytime soon, not even a simple levitation spell. You've so little life energy left it would drain you dry. Now sit quiet there for me whilst I take care of these two, but don't you worry, you'll get your turn too, once I'm finished with them"
"N..n..no. Eave hem awone" It was equally painful as it was difficult to speak. Just breathing was an endeavor that sent new waves of pain through her chest, and she was so hoarse that her voice was all but gone. Still, she pressed on, she had to keep trying.
"I'm sorry Rarity, but I can't risk having known Element bearers running around. You will all die today, and there is nothing you, nor anyone else can do about it." Fluttershy's sobbing rocked her yellow frame even harder as she hid her face in Pinkie's flaccid pink locks. No Thought Rarity, It can't end like this, not after everything we've been through. They don't deserve this.
Twilight turned back to her original two targets now, lighting her horn once more with dark magic. Rubble from the destroyed buildings began to shake and rumble, until thin streams of matter floated through the air towards the Queen. The melted steel from the dead guards glowed hot once more and joined the glowing mass as it slowly took shape. Dark magic swirled around the matter as first a twisted shaft of rock formed, then sprouted from the end a long and wicked looking scythe blade, the steel stained purple from the evil magic it dripped with. Completed, Twilight levitated her weapon above her, readying it for a fatal strike.
"And so, this is how your world ends." Proclaimed Twilight once more in that soft but devastating voice. "Not with a bang..." Pinkie closed her eyes, tears still streaming from them.
"But with a whimper."
Schlingch!
Twilight stared in surprise as her scythe bit not into flesh and bone, but deep into earth and stone instead. Pinkie and Fluttershy had vanished in a brilliant flash of light just moments before the blade could touch them. Spinning around, she found Rarity collapsing her head back to the ground, the glimmer of magic disappearing from her horn. For a second, Twilight was too surprised to do anything, and then she laughed and laughed and laughed.
"You just signed your own death certificate using magic. And what a fruitless waste it was too! Do you honestly believe me incapable of following the remnants of a teleportation spell, especially one cast by an amateur like yourself?"
She continued to laugh for a moment as her horn glowed, but then it faded away as her face creased with disbelief, then anger and indignation. "An open-ended teleport!? You could have left them inside a rock, or a tree!"
"Anywhere is better than here with you darling," Coughed Rarity. "Besides, you can't track them when I didn't leave a path for you to follow, can you?"
With a deep breath, Twilight closed her eyes and calmed herself. Glaring down at the dressmaker with contempt, she coolly replied, "It doesn't matter, due to Applejack and Rainbow Dash's inexplicable absence tonight (you'd think having your home-town set on fire and partially blown up would attract the attention of the duo of heroic ponies), I was going to have to hunt them down anyways. With your pitiful power, Pinkie and Fluttershy can't be more than a hundred feet outside of the town limits. I will find them, I will hunt them down, and then they will enjoy all the more painful death for your insolence tonight."
No sooner had the words left her mouth than did a bolt of golden magic strike her violently in the side, quickly followed by a volley of magical destruction that hailed down upon the Dark Queen like holy fire. As Twilight howled in pain and rage, Rarity had one last thought before the darkness filled her eyes and claimed her forever. He did it, Spike did it.
Crimson beads of blood flowed from wounds all over Twilight's body, dripping from her brow and obscuring her eyesight. Far above, she could make out both Princess Luna and Princess Celestia. They'd shown up rather quickly, but now was not the time to fight, it was time to withdraw. With a whip of her horn, she created a purple starburst of light in the skies above Ponyville to both signal her troops to retreat, and to temporarily blind the Princesses so that she could escape. With a mocking grin, Twilight charged a powerful teleportation spell. "You shall have to try much harder than that to stop us Princesses! Nowhere is safe, day or night we will strike where you least expect it, when you least expect it...and there will be nothing you can do to save thousands of innocent lives from being lost. And one day, when you are weak and weary, we shall end it all and come for you as well!"
With one final laugh, Twilight disappeared in a flash of light just as several more bolts of magic rained down to try and stop her. The last thing she heard from Equestria before popping into her room at the Black Castle was Luna's scream of rage as it filled the air behind her. The loud pop of displaced air startled her foals in their bedroom, and the poor darlings woke up crying. From her bed she could hear Sombra grumble dejectedly.
"We got home an hour ago and I just got the little demons to go to sleep!"
Chuckling, Twilight ran a quick healing spell through her body to clean herself up before leaning down to kiss her husband on the forehead. "Don't worry dear, I'll take care of them." To which she was rewarded an appreciative grunt. Smiling, she walked into her foals' bedroom, cooing softly and cradling them in her arms.
"There there now, back to sleep my little ones. Mommy is here to protect you, mommy is here to keep you safe." And she would, even though it meant tearing the whole world apart so nothing could ever threaten her little treasures, she would gladly do it a hundred times over. "I won't let anything happen to you, so long as I am here...."
"I'll make sure of it."