After those words, all hell broke loose. Dozens of Light Magic blasts were fired at Vice, but he simply dissolved into the shadows.
Mere seconds later, he appeared once more, this time hundreds of feet in the air. He whispered, “Dark Spear,” before conjuring up a bolt of Dark Magic and hurling it down below, towards the Lightbringers.
All at once, the entire Order cast the Lightshield, the most effective barrier against Dark spells.
Usually.
The Dark Spear ripped through the shield with little effort, and when it connected with the ground, the explosion could be seen and heard from miles away.
When the smoke cleared, the Lux Invictus was gone. Not even their corpses remained; they had been totally vaporized. Just like that, the flame of hope was extinguished.
Vice spoke in a mock-casual tone, “Oh my, did I do that? Funny, I thought I was supposed to have been defeated by this point.”
Everypony else could do nothing. They were stuck in place, terrified. Disbelieving, heartbroken, dumbfounded- it didn’t matter. More than a few tears were shed for the fallen.
Vice spoke up once more, “Now that you have seen what I can do, I would highly recommend surrender. If you do, I will let you all live out the rest of your miserable lives in relative peace. If you choose to fight, your planet will cease to exist. So what shall it be, Your Majesty? Corruption… or destruction? You know you cannot defeat me.”
Celestia, for the first time in her five thousand year life, cried. She wept for her ponies, for she knew they had lost. The Lightshield was the most powerful spell known to ponykind, and Sin had cut through it like tissue paper. The Elements of Harmony would not be powerful enough. Speaking of which…
She saw a bright light out of the corner of her tear-filled eyes, and when she glanced over, said eyes widened.
‘Oh no!’
...
The Bearers had seen enough. They knew that after that display, there would be no signal. Fluttershy had never felt so traumatized, Pinkie’s mane had gone completely flat, and the rest were just barely remaining composed. They would not let such a horrifying act of cruelty go unpunished.
Twilight was the one to speak the words on everypony’s minds, “Alright girls, we have no choice. Equestria… no, Equus needs us. Get ready to activate the Elements.”
Everypony nodded vigorously. It was time to make sure their fellow ponies’ sacrifice was not made in vain.
A familiar white glow surrounded the Six as their jewel necklaces lit up like stars in the night sky. The mares could feel the ancient magic flowing through them as the Elements used their bodies as living conduits to channel their power.
Meanwhile, Vice noticed Celestia’s horrified expression and turned his attention towards the source. What he saw made him giddy.
Or at least it would have if he could feel positive emotions.
The Bearers had fallen for his trap hook, line and sinker. They were going to use the Elements prematurely. He knew their type well: if provoked with an ample display of force, their emotions would take over and demand justice.
Too bad for them; today, justice was going unserved.
“NO!” Celestia, Luna and Discord all tried to warn them, but it was too late.
The Six had unleashed the powers of harmony upon Vice.
As always, a large rainbow beam shot out from the Elements united. It traveled towards Vice who merely stared at it with disinterest.
When the beam was about ten feet away from him, Vice simply stuck out his hands and set up a cocoon of Dark Energy around himself.
The beam collided with the shield in a manner reminiscent of one million years ago with the Godshield.
However, unlike last time, there was hardly a struggle. The assault held firm until Vice decided enough was enough, and sent out a pulse of even more Energy, which literally broke the rainbow beam in half.
The failed attack sent ripples everywhere that surpassed even Vice's earlier Dark Spear. The Mane Six were sent flying in all directions, rendered momentarily unconscious.
When they came to, what they saw somehow made their hearts drop even further than before.
The Elements of Harmony had shattered into pieces. This was not looking very good.
Crestfallen, the girls could do nothing but stare in disbelief as the Dark Being gloated above them.
“You ponies are so very easy to manipulate. I’m beginning to see why you find them so amusing, Discord,” – the spirit frowned at this – “You witness one atrocity and suddenly your whole world comes crashing down around you. Even now, all you can do is… cry. How pathetic!
“But I suppose it isn’t entirely your fault. The one you should really blame is the Princess of the Day here,” Vice pointed at Celestia, “For feeding you the same lie all these years: that nothing is more powerful than friendship. As you can see, I have just disproven that theory.”
Vice desperately wanted to lay into the ponies some more, to cause even more despair before they died slowly, but merely being in their presence was making him ill.
So much so, that he decided something else was in order… something much worse than death. These Element Bearers who dared stand against him would become the newest residents of the World of Vice.
For a long time, nopony spoke. What was there to say? The Elements of Harmony, the most potent magic known to ponykind, had failed. Vice was going to either corrupt or destroy Equestria, and they would not give him the satisfaction of begging for their lives. They would die as they had lived- virtuously.
Rarity and Applejack’s final thoughts were of their sisters and their wellbeing, while Rainbow Dash thought of the little orange pegasus she had come to care for so much.
Finally, the leader of the group spoke up, “Well girls… All I can say, is that it’s been an honor and a privilege getting to know you all. We’ve had some great times together, haven’t we?”
The others smiled at this. Rainbow took the initiative, “You all know that I’m no good with this sappy stuff but… you’re the best friends a pony could ever have. And I’ll be with you all ‘till the end.”
Everypony else in the group gave similar speeches, and the six shared one last group hug.
“K-kill us if you want Vice, but know this: You will fail. Maybe not on Equus, but one day. You may have destroyed the Elements of Harmony, but you will never destroy the Spirit of Harmony that resides in every living thing. So go ahead, do your worst.”
The six all held hooves and closed their eyes, waiting for oblivion to take them…
But it never came. Instead, they heard only an insidious laughter.
“How adorable. They think I’m going to kill them. Well, that was the original plan, but you see girls, luckily for you, you get to be my personal experiments instead.”
Finally, after a long silence, Celestia spoke up, “No, please Vice! Do not make them suffer any more than necessary. Y-you have won, so go and do what you must. Take me instead if you have to!”
Vice did not let his mild surprise show. This was unexpected, but it opened up new possibilities. He would play Celestia’s game for now (albeit on his own terms), but had no intention of actually playing by the rules.
“No Celestia, I think you and your sister will stay here with me and watch your world die. However… if you can convince my wayward Chaos-spawn here to parley, we might be able to come to an arrangement.”
The two alicorns turned their attention to Discord, looks of desperation plastered on their faces.
Luna spoke for them both when she said, “Discord, we will not force you to do anything you are uncomfortable with. I cannot imagine what sick, twisted things you would have to—
Discord cut her off, “I’ll do it, Vice. Ease the Bearers’ suffering and you can do whatever you want with me. I probably had it coming anyway.”
All those present were stunned. Discord had always been an… ally, sure. He would cause his Chaos and generally try to get on everypony’s nerves, though always in good fun. But to do something so selfless? To subject himself to whatever horrors Vice had planned for him just to help the ponies who had, admittedly, never treated him all that well? It was touching.
Before any of the Mane Six could think of a response, Vice chimed in, “Fantastic! Now listen well ponies, here is what’s going to happen. For your act of defiance, you are hereby sentenced to the World of Vice. It is a realm of my own creation. It is split up into seven sections, each representing a facet of my personality: arrogance, avarice, desire, envy, gluttony, fury and torpor.”
As he spoke, the ponies looked absolutely appalled. Equestrian society promoted love, friendship, tolerance and selflessness. To know that a being such as Vice could exist was a major slap in the muzzle.
Each of you will face one of these sections, one at a time, by yourself. As part of his punishment, Discord will be joining each of you during your test. If all six of you manage to conquer the trials ahead, I will grant you a fast and painless death. If you fail…” – he cackled wickedly – “well, let’s just say you won’t enjoy it.”
“An’ what if we refuse?” asked Applejack. The farmpony did not like being told what to do, no matter the circumstances.
“You don’t have much of a choice, Applejack. And that’s the honest truth.” Nopony but Vice found that remark particularly amusing.
The Dark One then delivered his verbal coup de grâce, “This whole situation just makes me laugh. I could kill you, but that would be the generous thing to do, and I simply must remain loyal to my true nature. Now, if you all would be so kind as to stand in a circle, so I can work my magic.”
Vice's ever-present black aura suddenly shot out and circled around above the girls. From it, a portal formed that started to suck them up. They tried to resist, but found themselves able to even move.
Though he was a distance away, Discord found himself being drawn into the vortex as well.
“Be brave everypony! I believe in all of you! F-farewell…” yelled Celestia, and she could not help but cry for what felt like the millionth time in the past thirty minutes. Would this really be the last time she’d ever see her most faithful student and her friends she had grown so fond of? It just wasn’t fair! Somehow, someway, Vice was going to pay.
The six mares found they could not speak either, so they could not even say goodbye. To the Princesses, Discord, or to each other. In a matter of seconds, they were… gone. Just like that. As the portal was closing, the only thing to escape from it was a single heart-shaped tear.
…
As soon as the seven were gone and the portal finally dissipated, Vice turned towards the only two ponies left- Celestia and Luna. He reached out his hand and seized them with his magic. They did not (and could not) offer up any resistance.
He looked somewhere between disgusted and bored, “I’m not even going to gloat at this point. Gloating would imply there was some kind of obstacle I had to overcome in the first place. I knew you cretins would pose no threat, but I never even dreamed it would be this easy. What a shame.
“Now, you two are going to just love what I have planned for Equus next. I’m going to make the mortals’ lives as miserable as possible before destroying this paltry excuse for a planet. And you get to witness it all with me; isn’t that just wonderful?”
The future seemed grim indeed.
...
The six mares had lost control of their senses; it was like being in a vegetative state, flowing through this endless void of darkness. They knew they were alive, but felt totally empty.
That was until a single light popped into existence. Then two. Three.
Six flickers of light, one for each mare. They were barely conscious, but could vaguely see the outlines of the lights. Were those… their cutie marks?
A voice spoke to them, with a soothing, almost unearthly echo, “Greetings, Bearers of Harmony. We are afraid there is not much time. Our powers are greatly limited here in this unholy place. There is much to tell, however, so We shall be swift.
“The new Princess was correct when she spoke of the Spirit of Harmony. Darkness Incarnate may have destroyed the Elements’ physical shells, but the magic remains, unbeknownst to him.
“We are the soul of the Elements, the final vestiges of King Mundus and Queen Stella, your creators. Two became One on that fateful day, and We have overseen the Elements and Tree of Harmony ever since. We are… proud of you ponies, but We digress.
“This… World of Vice you now find yourselves in is a nightmarish place, the opposite of Equus in all ways. Everything you encounter here will try to twist and corrupt your minds, bodies and souls. The Darkness will target your weaknesses and expose your darkest secrets. Nothing will be considered too sacred here.
“We do not need to remind you that you all must resist. No matter how difficult, how tempting, you must stay strong. The fate of Equus depends on it.”
Suddenly the six lights began to flicker, “It would seem our time is almost up. There is one last thing you need to know. The sections of this world represent the inverse of the virtues you all display so well. If you manage to conquer them, you will, in a way, become one with your Element. United, you will be strong enough to challenge the Darkness Incarnate. He does not know this, and you mustn’t let him find out.”
The voice was almost unintelligible by this point, but the ponies could make out one last thing, “Remember, for every dark night, there is a brighter day…”
Rainbow Dash had never felt so miserable. She had confidence in her own ability to beat Vice at his sick little game, of course. Winning was her thing, after all. But she had to do it all without her friends. Worse, they were all alone and probably scared out of their minds. And there was nothing she could do about it…
“What’s done is done, Dash. Nothing you can do about it. Now let’s see what—
She stopped mid-sentence as she took in her surroundings. This place was just… wrong. Like, on a primal level. Dash remembered when Twilight had explained the concept of ‘uncanny valley’ at one of their group picnics. When something closely resembles the original, but not quite. It makes the object in question seem really bucking creepy.
That was what this World of Vice was. It almost looked like Equestria, but there were differences; the sky was darker than normal, there were no clouds, the grass was dead, and the architecture was too jagged, just to name a few.
Dash was about to go explore when a shadowy projection of Vice appeared before her, “So, Miss Dash, how do you like it? I’m really quite proud of the place,” he said in a smug voice.
The pegasus was oh-so tempted to retaliate, but she knew what Vice was doing. The more frustrated she got, the easier it would be to lose sight of her goal. And she would not let her friends, or Equus, down.
“Where am I, Vice? What layer of your stupid world is this?” Dash decided to ask. Knowing herself, she already had a good guess as to what it was, but needed to make sure.
“No brash retort, Dashie? Given your abysmal intellect, I must say I’m rather surprised.” Vice tried once more, but Dash stayed vigilant.
“Very well. I can see your will remains strong as ever. Don’t worry… that will soon change. You have been brought to the World of Arrogance. You do know what arrogance means, yes? It is a nine letter word after all. Assuming you do, I needn’t explain why you were chosen to come here.”
‘Must resist. Stay strong.’ Dash repeated the mantra in her head over and over.
“Of course, like I said earlier, my great failure, Discord, will be here to… assist you. I suggest you make use of him. Farewell Rainbow Dash. I wish you the best of luck. You’ll need it!”
The projection faded away, and in its place laid a pale Discord.
‘Well, this is going to be… fun…