//------------------------------// // The End of Harmony. // Story: My Little Pony Next Generation: The New Harmony! // by Alphamon_Ouryuken //------------------------------// After arriving to Ponyville, Twilight said her “goodbyes” to her friends and made her way to the castle in the blink of an eye. Once in the main hall, she trotted toward her study and library in order to check whatever she would need to know for the next day; but first, she would need to re-shelf all of the books that she found were still scattered around the whole room. With a sigh, she started picking each tome and re-placing them in the exact location they were moments before the magic lesson started. At the same time, she browsed through other books searching for information related to the Magic of Friendship, Dark Magic, Nations outside of the equestrian borders and the Demon Wastelands. It was a rare instance where she had some time in advance to gather useful information for a situation that threatened to disturb the peace of Equestria, and by the Sun and Moon she was gonna take advantage of this time. She neatly arranged every piece of text she found on the matter over her desk, at the same time she moved away what she didn’t need. Once everything was in order, she started to... "Mom, are you busy?" Starburst asked as she stood in front of her mother’s studio. Twilight was surprised, but after a quick glance at her books, she turned from the desk and welcomed her daughter in with a tender smile. “Not quite, Star, but I have time to spare. Please come in!” She motioned to one of the couches on one side of the room, but she noticed a bit of hesitation on her daughter’s expression, not that it changed a lot, but there certainly was something there. “Starburst, is everything okay?” “Y-yes, everything is fine. I…” Starburst paused to take a breath before continuing. “I wanted to give you this.” She said as she brought a few papers from under her wing, which Twilight grabbed in her magical aura. “It’s my history report, Miss Dinky gave us the calcifications earlier today.” Twilight looked at the report and her eyes widened when she saw the big A+ symbol on the cover, followed by a huge smile. “Star! You got a perfect score!” “Y- yeah, I also got…” “And you got all A’s this whole semester!” She ran over her daughter and gave her a bonecrushing hug. “Oh Star, I’m so proud of you!” After she was answered with silence, she broke the hug to see the blushed face of Starburst. She had to held back a giggle in order to stop embarrassing her any further. “Tha-thanks mom.!” Star said after recovering a little from the shock. 'Okay, this is better.'. “This are great news, Star. Oh, we gotta celebrate with the family!” 'Shoot! What was I supposed to… Oh right!' “A-actually, I wanted to do something else, just the two of us.” She quickly added, far too quickly, if her mother’s expression was anything to go by. However, her smile just returned ten times wider. “I would like to do that, Starburst. But...” Suddenly, her eyebrows furrowed and she returned her gaze to the pile of books and scrolls stacked on her desk. “I don’t think we’ll be able to do that today. Or tomorrow, I’m afraid.” “I-it’s okay! There’s no hurry” Starburst assured in a slower pace. “Really, I’m just glad that you agree with the idea.” She added, unsure whether the little smile formed of her face was forced or it came out naturally. Her mother’s smile returned as she spoke again. “How about this: I’ll reschedule for the day after tomorrow so I’d be free the whole day. Sounds good?” Star nodded eagerly. “It sounds excellent, Mom.” 'Darn it! What was the other thing I planned for the end? Oh right!' Starburst rose from the ground a little and wrapped her hooves around her mother’s neck and hugged tightly, which her mom quickly returned. “Thank you.” They remained like that for a few seconds before they both broke the hug. Starburst thanked again before leaving the study and trotting towards her next destination within the castle, and Twilight could guess that the kitchen would be the most likely place. Then she returned to her desk and took a new glance at the study work she had ahead for her. With a rosen eyebrow, she lifted a third part of the text and placed them again on their shelves, deciding she covered pretty much everything with what remained on the desk. She then made a single addition from another shelf. A book titled “The Inexperienced Parent Guide for the First Experiences: The Teenage Years.” “And Flash said I wouldn’t need it.” ~~~X~~~ Starburst woke up the morning after at the same time she does everyday, before doing her usual morning exercise routine, which usually took her no more than five minutes; she then made up her bed, neatly tucking the covers beneath the mattress and throwing a bit on it, the coin bouncing three times over the the sheets before falling off the bed. Starburst then motioned to clean the rest of her room, Snow’s habitat, filling the ferret’s food tray and finally fixing up her appearance after a quick shower. By the time she finished, only thirty minutes have passed. 'Just as usual.' Since it was the first day of vacation, she didn’t have any immediate matters to attend to in the morning, so Starburst decided to just take care of the next part of the day: getting breakfast. When she arrived to the castle’s dining room, she was surprised to find her Father and Nighty on the table, both of them with a plate of waffles in front of them. Before Star could say “hi”, her stomach decided to announce her in a very loud way. “Hm? Oh, good morning Star!” Said Flash after swallowing a mouthful of waffle. “I was wondering when you’d wake up.” “Yeah, we could hear you snoring all the way over here!” Nighty joked in a playful way, which earned a glare from Starburst anyway. She then glanced at the clock and realized what time it was. “Huh, I could swear that it was earlier.” “Hey, it’s first day of summer. You can give yourself the luxury of getting up late.” Flash said as he walked to the counter and poured a ration of batter on the waffle-maker. The sight of freshly made breakfast made Star’s mouth to water, almost making her miss the absence of another pony. She shook her head and then spoke again. “Mom left for Canterlot, right?” "Yeah, she said something about a super cool royal thing that she’s gonna take care of! Kingdom Security stuff!" Nighty said excitedly as he scarfed down another waffle. Starburst sighed as she sat down to join them. Night Light can be really impressionable at times, and the things he said could be a little exaggerated from the truth. "Say Dad, do you have any plans for today?" She asked as she began eating on her own waffle. "Actually, I was going to take Nighty over for his little date with Pixel Bit." Flash explained. The second those words left his mouth, Starburst noticed his little brother briefly choke on his waffle before chugging down a glass of water. "DAD! It's not a date! We're just gonna play video games!" He protested, despite the small blush evident of his face. Starburst smirked at her younger sibling's embarrassment and decided to add in her own two bits. "Oh I wouldn't be so sure, after all she is one of the few fillies that tend to hang around you..." She chuckled. Nighty glared at his big sister. "Have you forgotten that practically all of my friends except Icy are fillies?!" "Well then, that means you have more choices." Starburst countered, causing her younger brother to bite his lip in frustration. Her father apparently picked up on this playful banter and snickered. "Becoming ladies man at such a young age? I'm so proud of you son!" He said as he ruffled his hair. "RGH!! KNOCK IT OFF!!" Nighty snapped as he leapt off his seat stormed off out of the dining room. Starburst took a brief glance at the half-eaten slab of toasted good left on the discarded plate, and with a swift movement of her wing she passed it to her own plate. “You think we went too far this time?” She asked her dad as she continued eating her breakfast. “I don’t think so. He’s gonna laugh it up in a few years.” He chuckled a little before lowering his voice a little. “I take it you stayed up late waiting for your mom, huh?” Star simply nodded “Had any luck this time? She didn’t tell me.” He quickly added. Starburst sighed. "Well we-" "STAAAAAAAARBUUUUUUURST!!!" The young Pegasus rolled her eyes. "Excuse me for a moment." She said as she got up from the table and trotted towards the balcony. Unsurprisingly, her friend Candy was waiting for her. "Yes CeeCee?" "I just came to make sure we're still getting together at the lake today!" Remembering now that Cotton Candy had indeed mentioned the visit to the lake, Starburst knew that she couldn’t decline the invitation right now, though she was looking for a good excuse. With a sigh, she continued. “Okay, I’ll see you all later.” She watched as Candy gave her a happy nod and went back bouncing down the road. When she turned back to the kitchen, Star saw her father giving him a knowing smile. “Well, it’s not like I can say no now.” “Hey, it’s okay.” Said Flash, picking up the plates and putting them on the sink. “Go and have fun with your friends.” He suddenly pulled a face. “There’s gonna be a responsible adult, isn’t there?” “BY THE WAY!” Came Candy’s voice again from the street, startling both ponies. “CRYSTAL CLARITY IS COMING TOO! TELL YOUR DAD SO HE DOESN’T WORRIES TOO MUCH!” There was a brief silence as Starburst and Flash Sentry hold their breaths in case of another surprise. When none came, both sighed in relief before Star’s dad spoke again. “Well, that answers my question.” ~~~X~~~ "Are we there yet?" “Pinkie, you asked the same question fifteen times already in just half-hour. If you’re trying to turn it into a joke, it ain’t working.” Applejack deadpanned as they rode on the flying chariot. Once they regrouped again in Canterlot, they set off to their destination; the Demon Wastelands, with Scorpan as their guide, who opted to travel the distance on wing. The trip proved to be extremely long, which quickly turned the sight of nothing but clouds and the vast ocean into a very bland experience for the mares sitting on the vehicle’s cart, even Rainbow Dash who lived for flying was getting bored easily. She took wing from the chariot and immediately banked herself on earshot from their escort. “So Scorpan.” Rainbow Dash called out as she flew next to him. “Since you’ve fought old goat-boy before…” “He’s a ram.” He corrected half-heartedly. “Whatever. Do ya think you could tell us what we’re in for? Y’know, to be prepared and all that.” The scenery finally changed after they entered crossed a coastline to an arid desert, with sparse vegetation and several rock formations. Scorpan descended a few feet to the ground, the rest following suit, before he spoke again. “Well, before I captured him, Grogar was a powerful warlock, fluent in all forms of black magic. Very dangerous magic. Why, he was so powerful that he could reject even day and night.” Twilight interjected in the conversation from her seat. “What do you mean with ‘rejecting day and night’?” “Before he was dethroned, Grogar had casted a powerful curse over the kingdom, so that neither light from the sun or the moon could fall on it.” Scorpan winced at the surprised gasp from the six mares. “Me and my brother were the first demons in millennia to first learn of day and night and when Grogar was defeated, his curse was lifted, allowing for day and night to occur in the kingdom.” “So,” spoke Rainbow once again, after landing back on the chariot. “Is he gonna try to conjure up that weird spell again. After he somehow beats my friends and I.” “That’s very unlikely to happen.” Scorpan said with an odd mixture of pride and hesitation. “After the the curse was broken, a different kind of magic started flowing into the Wastelands. It had some good effects for the residents, but others not so good. Grogar’s most loyal demons had lost all their powers and were very sick for a time. I’m positive that the same energy is still entering the Wastelands and that it’ll have the same effect on Grogar. So, you’re gonna have that to your advantage.” After he finished, everypony fell silent once again, finding the new information for their next task incredibly solemn all of the sudden. "Are we there yet?!" Pinkie asked once again. “Consarn it, Pinkie!” Snapped Applejack, sitting besides the pink mare. “Can’t ya see that we~?” “We’ve arrived.” Announced Scorpan with a smile as he and the rest of the procession passed over a large hill and gazed upon the valley in front of them. “Welcome to the Demon Wastelands!” The sun shone over trees of black leaves surrounded the majority of the area, with very few and thin rivers running through the expanse scenery. The section of the valley that wasn’t covered in thick forest contained fields of brown dirt, dotted with several buildings resembling modern houses, but with certain primitive appearance; among the houses, the six mares could see a wide variety of creatures of every form and size that none of them have seen before along with some that were considered dreadful monsters back in equestria. Some minded their own business, while others fixed their gazes and waved one or several members to the flying convoy. All the towns were patterned with a web of roads that connected in one way or another to all houses, as well to the black forest, several rivers and a huge road that made its way to jagged mountain that looked over the whole valley. Atop the mountain was a castle of dark violet and black facade, contrasting against the bright sky above it. Scorpan directed the ponies to a terrace near the ground floor of the castle, where all the mares stepped out of the chariot once it had landed. "Y'know, for a place called the "Demon Wasteland", this place is incredibly charming! In a strange way" Rarity said as she stared at the scenery. "Yeah, as long as you can ignore all the Cloud Demons, Dragons, Chimeras, Lava Monsters and Gargoyles..." Rainbow Dash mumbled to herself before noticing with confusion a small figure coming from the doors to the entrance. “...and the occasional donkey here and there.” All the girls turned to see a small donkey in jester garments frantically trotting toward the group, surprisingly avoiding to trip over himself even though a thick mane covered completely his eyes. He skidded to a stop just in front of Scorpan and saluting without missing a beat, although it was clear that the guy was completely exhausted. “King… Scorpan… sir.” He managed to pant with a deep, nasal voice. “Whoa! Easy, Bray. Take a breath.” Scorpan knelt to attend to the donkey as it took his advice. After the donkey, named Bray, had calmed himself, Scorpan continued. “Now tell me, what’s happening?” “Sir, there’s a lot of uneasiness stirring up in the council regarding the current events.” Bray explained, his voice sounding a bit uneasy too. “Councilman Lavan is doing everything he can to calm them down, but we need your help on that matter.” Scorpan massaged his eyes for a few seconds before finally speaking. “More like they need me to humor them with my presence... Very well, I’ll go there right now. But I need you to take our guests to the sealing grounds, Bray.” Bray looked over the girls, noticing them for the first time, before turning back to Scorpan, looking suddenly nervous. “Y-y-you want me, to escort them there?” His nervousness was replaced by surprise when a pink hoof hooked itself on his shoulder and was pulled to the mare attached to that hoof. “Aw, don’t be a scaredy-pants about nothing! We came to solve all your problems faster than you can say ‘cake’!” Said Pinkie Pie in her usual bubbly self. Twilight, on the other hoof, addressed Scorpan. “Excuse me, Lord Scorpan, but what are these ‘Sealing Grounds’?” Scorpan facepalmed after he heard the question. “Right, how could I forget?” He then called the attention of all the mares to explain them more about their task. “The Sealing Grounds is the place where Grogar was captured, and it holds the amulet where he is currently trapped. It is near from the castle, but only accessible from land. I’m sorry I couldn’t guide you further, but I trust Bray will help you with what he can.” After that, Scorpan turned to enter the castle while the six ponies and the donkey made their way to a stairway that descended from the terrace and into an unkempt road toward the north of the castle, away from the rest of the kingdom. “Um…” Came a soft voice from the back of the group, and the other girls turned to look at Fluttershy. “I don’t feel so sure about this right now. I mean… this feels… off.” “Ah agree with ‘Shy in this one.” Added Applejack. “This ain’t like any other stuff we’ve done in the past.” “You’re right girls. We’ve never had to face anything like how we’re going to now.” Said Twilight as she continued walking down the path. “We have more time ahead than other times, and we’re facing this opponent with a huge advantage… it doesn’t feels right.” Rainbow choose that moment to speak up. “So what? I mean, I don’t like it more than you do, but this sheep-guy…” “Ram.” “Whatever, means serious business, doesn’t he? This task might not be pretty, but as I’m concerned, it’s way better than what would happen if we don’t stop him. There are many reasons why this needs to be done.” She lifted a bit from the ground and hovered ahead while muttering “I have three very good reasons to do this.” As realization dawned upon the other mares, their resolve returned a little bit. And no other pony than Pinkie helped prove this fact. “Dashie is right, girls! The important thing is that nothing awfully-awful happens if Grogar escapes. Besides, I bet it’s gonna be a walk in the beach!” ~~~X~~~ "CANNON BALL!" Candy shouted as she dive-bombed into the lake. "Gah!" Starburst exclaimed as a spray of water assaulted her face. “Candy! Watch where you splash the water!” She said as her friend rose back to the surface. "Aww! Then what’d be the fun of a water-fight?" She giggled as she unleashed another spray at Starburst, who then returned in kind, though without the same harmless intention. Back at the shore, Annie had convinced T to let her bury him in the sand (not that he minded), Prism and Del were delved in yet another competition involving a volleyball, while Claire and Whirlwind seemed to be just taking a sunbath. Crystal Clarity had accepted to keep an eye on the rest of the kids, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t enjoy herself in her own way. That is, if it wasn’t for the sudden shadow that obstructed the sun rays from reaching her. “I swear Prism Bolt, that if you don’t move in the next five seconds, I’m going to burn your coat from your body.” Claire warned, her eyes tightly shut. “‘Prism Bolt’? Crys, I’m hurt!” At the sound of that nickname, Claire shot up from her spot and saw that in front of her wasn’t the immature pegasus, but a floating Prince Illusion. “Mistaking me for such a pony.” He said while feigning indignation. “Lulu!” Claire exclaimed as she tried to compose herself from the surprise, immediately drawing the attention of everypony to the scene, who noticed the arrival of Illusion and went to meet with him, though Prism made a less than enthusiastic sound. “What a nice surprise! What are you doing here?” “Meh, nothing much. I just thought about dropping by.” He said as he literally dropped himself to stand on the ground. He then turned to the rest of them "Hello guys... and Prism." Prism smirked at the Prince. "Aw, what's wrong? You still mad about that whole chest-pubes joke?" Candy & Annie snickered at this and Star noticed even Clarie was trying to suppress a giggle. Illusion glared at the Pegasus before smirking back at him. "Oh, not at all. I just don’t consider it fair to include you in the same level of ‘acumen’ as the rest of the present.” Prism blinked. “Huh?” Star rolled her eyes. “He’s calling you an i-” “Anyway!” Illusion interrupted. “Say, yesterday I saw Mrs. Rarity and the rest of your mothers at Canterlot. I also saw them this morning; it seems they were attending an important political matter.” He started to say, earning a few interested looks, while most of the other teenage ponies just remained neutral. Prism made a sound of annoyance. Starburst interjected in the conversation, in hopes of stopping what she was sure was just random speculation. “I heard about it this morning. Nighty said it was a matter of national security, but I don’t think that it would require the assistance of the “Council of Harmony” if it really were that dire of a situation.” She said matter of factly. “Star, aren’t you being a little “unfair?” Said Anthea, who gingerly approached the group until she reached somepony and leaned on him. Out of curiosity, Star glanced to the shore to see T struggling to dig himself out of the sand where he was left. She rolled her eyes before addressing Annie. “No Annie, I’m being realistic. I know, everypony has heard the tale many times, but that’s just it, a tale. There’s no actual historical evidence that any of our mothers were once ‘Defenders of Equestria’ or something like that. They are a public figure that inspired somepony to write a bedtime story for parents to tell to their kids. But that story couldn’t be farther from the truth. In actuality, the Council of Harmony is a group that has for objective attend matters related to isolated anomalies amongst the ponies of Equestria.” She said while keeping a calm demeanor. By this point, Starburst noticed that Prism Bolt was getting bored, so he went back to the shore to help Turquoise to dig himself out. “My mother and her friends are a diplomatic front. National security would call for the army before a group of mares. No offense to anyone’s mom, but other than Prism’s and Del’s, none of our mothers would be fit for this kind of things.” She finished, taking another glance at Annie, who seemed to be taken aback, something Starburst has never seen before. As T re-joined the group and wrapped a wing around Annie, Star could have swore she saw Annie mouthing a phrase, though she couldn’t read what it was. “Well…” Illusion spoke once again, drawing everypony’s attention again. “From what I saw, the threat of an evil demon warlock seems to be a situation of great direness.” At this, everypony present gave a surprised gasp. Even Star was taken aback from this revelation, and she noticed that Annie, while also surprised, seemed to perk up a little. “Yet mother insisted that it should be the council to deal with this. So, the odds say that maybe there’s a little bit of truth on that ‘bedtime story’.” He finished, making air quotes with both his hoof and paw. Everypony shifted uncomfortably at these news. In previous occasions, each kid has their own experience when their mom would go out of town to attend to their duties of the council, some would miss her while others would be excited for when they come back. But now it was different, because of what Illusion had told them, now there was a new element of uncertainty for them. Starburst herself was having a hard time wrapping her mind about what she just learned. ‘Demon Warlock’? But, as far as I know, the Demon Wastelands have been stable for many years now, and it has kept zero connections with Equestria. What would have happened?' Suddenly, another realization came to her, quelling her uncertainty. “Wait, you said that Princess Celestia asked for them to deal with this, correct?” Illusion simply nodded, making Starburst to let out a sigh. “There you have it guys. Princess Celestia clearly knows what is really going on, and she decided that the situation didn’t deem necessary the army to take any action, but the assistance of the Council.” She turned to the rest of the ponies with what she hoped was a comforting smile. “Thus, the ‘odds’ are that the business our moms have at the demon country is just a diplomatic meeting.” Everypony seemed to be pleased with what Star said, though Annie still had that somewhat sad semblance. Before she could consider asking her what’s going on, she noticed another pony missing. “Wait, where's Pri-" *ZZZZAP!* “GIGKUKUK!” A loud bang and a flash made everypony jump in surprise as a single lightning stroke the ground. When they turned to look, they found Illusion standing in place, his coat singed in a few areas, eyes rotating out of control and the mane of his head and chest smoking and puffed in an afro. "Looks like somepony in my 'level of acumen' was able to get the drop on ya, Princy!" Prism cackled from the cloud that sneakily drifted just above the prince before he dodged to the left, just narrowly avoiding Claire's blast of fire and started to fly around the lake, Claire hot on his tail. “PRISM!” Claire screamed in rage as she chased the airborne stallion. "I SWEAR, WHEN I'M DONE WITH YOU NOT EVEN ASHES WILL REMAIN!" She screamed as Illusion cleaned himself off, the other ponies simply laughed at the completely familiar scene. "I'll go after him..." Whirlwind sighed as she flew in the direction of the two of them. "Good idea! Just tell him he'll get no 'special time' with you for few weeks if he doesn't clean his act up!" Annie called out, causing the rest of the group to laugh even more. Whirlwind simply snorted and flew off in a huff, her face red with both rage and embarrassment. Illusion however seemed incredibly concerned. "That's not good... he could never sneak up on me like that. Unless..." He pondered to himself before shooting a glance at Canterlot and then to somewhere in the distance. "Something’s not right..." “What was that?” Asked Annie, who was the only one who heard him. “Something is very, very wrong.” Illusion repeated, much louder so everypony could hear him. “The odds have just changed.” ~~~X~~~ Back at the Demon Wastelands, the six ponies were being led down vegetation tunnel, farther from the castle. The black canopy above them allowed only for a few rays of sun to give some sort of illumination for them. "Ugh, what is that smell?" Rarity asked. "Don't ask!" Bray quickly said as they reached the of the tunnel and entered a clearing in the forest. It was a large, circular meadow, adorned with a number of rocks with symbols along their surfaces, on the opposite end was an underground entrance, which sported a gate in the shape of a demon face with several chains bolted to the floor. However, what drew the attention of the mares was the creature in front of it that none of them had ever seen before. The creature looked like a rottweiler, only that except of black and copper fur, this dog was made out entirely by rocks and pebbles. “Whoa, look at that thing!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed. “It’s almost the same size as Cerberus!” Twilight stated, remembering the three-headed guardian of Tartarus. “Th-that is Lord Scorpan's Rockdog; Crunch.” Bray explained as he tried to approach the imposing canine. Crunch on his part, snorted as the small donkey approached him before letting out a low yet menacing growl, causing Bray to hide behind Twilight. “GAH! What was Lord Scorpan thinking?! There’s no way any of us can get past…” He stopped after glancing again at the Rockdog. Crunch was lying on his back, happily wagging a hind leg as the yellow pegasus that was accompanying them rubbed on his belly. "Oh my gosh! He's so adorable!" Fluttershy exclaimed with glee as she continued petting the Rockdog. Crunch gave a content bark as normally timid mare flew up his face and started scratching him behind his ears. Crunch shivered for a moment before slumping to the ground with a goofy smile on his face. Bray's jaw hit the floor as he witnessed the spectacle before him. “I...I’ve never seen him calm down that quickly… no one other than Lord Scorpan is able to keep him under control!” He exclaimed in shock. “Who's the cute widdle Rockdog?” Fluttershy cooed as she started to rub his belly. “Aww, he's just a big softy, aren’t you, Crunchy? Yes you are!” “That’s Fluttershy for you.” Applejack explained with a knowing smile before whispering to Rarity. “No matter how many times I see her do that, she still manages to surprise me.” Rarity simply nodded. “O-okay then!” Interjected Bray after recovering his composure. “The amulet that serves as the seal is located beneath us. So, we better get going.” After this, the group walked into the gates after Crunch stepped aside. Inside, they descended a fly of spiral staircase until they reached a spacious cave covered with more ancient runes. In the middle of this room was a pedestal with a glowing, green gem resting upon it; its glow was flickering, like an old candlelight that was about to fade. A sudden chill ran through everypony’s spine once they reached the last step of the stairs, and the already nervous donkey was starting to quake uncontrollably; one could almost see the fear in his eyes through that mess of hair. “So… Are we supposed to act now, or we should wait until he comes out?” Asked Rarity, who was eyeing the strange gem with anxiousness. “I’m not sure,” said Twilight, “trying to tamper with the prison right now could end up doing more harm than good. It’d be safer to be ready for when he comes out.” Suddenly, the temperature in the area got colder, down to the point where the group could see their own breath. Suddenly the gem began to rattle violently, the Council of Harmony braced themselves for the inevitable while Bray took to hiding behind one of the standing stones. "Get ready girls," Twilight whispered as all her friends took positions beside her. "Here it comes!" Less than a second after she said that, A menacing roar echoed throughout the chamber as a swirling mass of black clouds erupted from the gem, the six mares found themselves shivering as if a cold breeze assaulted them from every direction. Even Rainbow Dash-as brave as she was-found herself shivering both in fear and from the cold. Black bolts of lightning cracked from within the swirling clouds as they slowly formed into a solid shape in front of the council. They all craned their necks upward, expecting to see the terrifying monster they were expecting to defeat... ...and then the figure dropped to the ground. Grogar was there alright, but instead of the gargantuan and intimidating figure they saw on Scorpan’s recollections, there laid a grey ram about the size of an average pony. It struggled to stand on his hooves, rattling the small bell on its collar which had the green gem encrusted in it, opening his aged eyes one by one, revealing his black escleras and dim red pupils inside of them. Two sad excuses of horns emerged from the top of its head and a toothless mouth opened to drown a mighty yawn. It blinked a few times to clear his vision, and looked surprised when he finally noticed the six ponies that were in front of him. “Wha~? Where? What are you?” He asked in a dry, decrepit voice. His expression then changed to one of disgust as he addressed them with renewed strength. “Ponies?! Get out of my kingdom!” "Pffft-BWAhahahaha! This is it?!" Rainbow Dash laughed as she held onto Applejack for support, who is also making an effort not to giggle. "This is the big bad billy goat that's supposed to be so dangerous?! Even my little kid could take this guy down!" "He's a ram, Dash." Fluttershy mumbled, keeping a cautious eye on their supposed foe, who is currently glaring them down with his piercing red eyes. Sadly that was the only intimidating thing about the old, decrepit, and wrinkled animal in front of them. “Don’t make me repeat myself, puny creatures. Get out of my Kingdom!” Exclaimed Grogar, who then got caught in a coughing fit, which only helped his aged appearance to become even more apparent. Rainbow Dash stopped laughing and she, along with the rest of her friends, exchanged pitiful glances between themselves. “What would you suggest we should do, Twilight?” Asked Rarity, trying her best not to wince because of the wheezing ram before them. “Ya can’t be seriously thinking about fighting this fella. He can’t even keep himself together!” Said Applejack while daring another glance at Grogar, who had finally caught his breath and glared at them again. “I don’t like this any more than you do, girls.” Interrupted Twilight “But what Rainbow said earlier is true. Grogar poses too much of a threat to Equestria for him to be left free” she took a deep breath. “We need to stop this now. We’ll talk if it was right or not later.” Twilight finished before taking one step forward. “Grogar, your position as an enemy of the Demon Wastelands turns you into a threat for the Kingdom of Equestria. I, Twilight Sparkle, Princess of Friendship and The Council of Harmony, will stop you for the crimes you’ve committed to your own people and prevent you from ever doing that to any others.” After that, Twilight tapped with her magic a light inside of her and her friends. In a flash, their manes have all grown in length and volume, and were adorned with streaks of rainbow colors on manes, coats and hooves. As the six ponies lifted from the ground and into the air, Grogar watched astonished at the display that was being shown to him. These six, small, colored things had a power so bright, so pure, so incredibly beautiful, that it made him feel sick; such a power he had seen before, in a not so different situation as he recalled, one that resulted in him losing everything he rightfully deserved. With a hateful glare, he stood up on all fours and simply kept staring at his would be apprehenders. When they finally released their attack, bean of rainbow colored light just as disgusting as the beings themselves, Grogar simply craned back his neck and let the full blast to strike the bell on his collar... … and the gem encrusted to it. A shockwave resounded on the walls of the dimly lit cavern, which then was replaced by the sound of swirling water. Twilight and her friends watched in horror how the rainbow light was being absorbed by a green and black vortex, into the gem on Grogar’s collar. The dreadness of the sight was overwhelming, which only became worse when the whirlpool started to suck in dirt and wind picked up towards its direction. Bray, who had been hiding all the time, finally lost the last ounce of courage he had left and tried to flee the havoc of the scene, only to be lifted up from the ground and pulled into the center of the vortex, where he disappeared from sight. Twilight didn’t have enough time to process what was happening; Applejack and Rainbow Dash weren’t strong enough to push back; and Rarity, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie weren’t able to pull away. None of them could have been prepared for this. All six of them were also pulled by the abominable trap and they all eventually disappeared inside the gem. Trapped. After every living thing inside the cavern except Grogar had been sucked in, the vortex closed and silence filled the space. A silence broken by a dry chuckle, which gradually started to grow deeper and was no longer ragged. Grogar’s grey wool became cleaner more attended, his legs became thicker and his two horns grew to a decent length. "Heh heh heh, ha ha ha ha...." His chuckle grew in volume until it became a cackle. "Hahahahaha, AH HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!" And why wouldn’t he be laughing? Grogar was free. He was free to do as he pleased. He also had gotten rid of those obnoxiously colorful equines that were annoying him so much. He felt good because of that, healthier, stronger. But not as much as before, he realized. He knew, he was still very weak to challenge Scorpan and defeat him. No, Grogar needed to regain his strength, needed to regain his health. He needed to get rid of the thing that was weakening him.