Out of my Element

by TheLostwriter

Broken Wards and a Broken World

I opened my eyes to see the world around me and blinked away the surprise. I was back in a dream. This isn't right, I thought as I scanned the area. Celestia's wards were suppose to prevent this, the words ran through my head as I processed my surroundings. I was standing on the edge of what looked like a massive caldera or impact crater. In the center the black onyx vine reached skyward, it's surroundings reflected across its surface. The boiling clouds obscured the top of the vine and sent forth lightning that played across the scattered thorn in the caldera. The thorns were made of the same black material that appeared central to all structures here. In size they were huge, house sized structures that were made tiny when compared to the center column. Drifting between the thorns where large spheres about ten feet across, the surface of which constantly moved. It looked like they were composed of hundreds if not thousands of heavily armored snakes ranging in size from about the size of my leg to pencil thin.

I tore my eyes away from the orbs and hugged the caldera wall as I began to walk. Every time my eyes fell on an orb I could feel an itch in the back of my mind reminiscent of the itch from my first dream. As I walked I began to feel a tingle over my entire body that would disappear when I walked behind a shard of the onyx like material that reached up beside the walkway. When the tingle left I felt a shiver pass over my entire body. I continued to walk as I tried to come up with a plan.

If this is a dream why I can't I just wake up from it, I thought as I closed my eyes. As I focused on trying to wake up the itch in the back of my mind increased. About the time that the discomfort from the itch becoming too much to ignore I felt the tingle on my body go away. I opened my eyes to see an orb floating up to the walkway blocking the tower from view. The Itch was unbearable to the point that when one of the uncountable numbers of hook jawed things that composed the sphere reached out to grab me I almost let it.

I regained my senses in time to dodge most the four jawed thing as it slid across my back hip. It was a light touch but the edge of the things body armor was sharp and it left a gash along my flank across my mark and up. I ran as hard as I could, embracing the pain using it to drowned out the itch. I could feel the blood flowing down my leg, and knew I needed to find a way out or at least a place to hide and take care of my wound. It burned and my leg was starting to go numb.

In front of me I saw Pinkie staring at the tower and in between us another great shard of onyx lay across the path. It had the appearance of an intertwined spiral and that included a small hole that I thought I could squeeze through. I headed for the hole glancing back to see my progress it was closing but I still had a chance, if the shard slowed it down it might add a few minutes to the chase. I reached the shard and began to push my way though the gap. It was tight and when my wound touched the stone it felt like a hot coal being pressed against my skin. "Pinkie," I bellowed, "run!"

She looked over at me and smiled, "Hi Steel, why do I need to run?"

I was free of the stone and running again, just before I reached her I heard the shard collapse. I felt some of the stone as it was flung forward skittering across the ground. A few of the more deadly looking shards flew past me to my right into the caldera. I saw Pinkies mane deflate as she saw what was following me and she joined into the scamper away from the writhing orb. I continued to run, wracking my brain for an idea, but all I could come up with was to run faster unfortunately I was already at my limit on speed. I glanced back and saw the thing closing. I also saw an expanding rainbow ring half way between the tower and the caldera lip. I turned back, just before the sharp crack of the sound barrier being broken reached my ears. The rainbow ring reached out coming into my field of vision, I had seen it before in the waking world and something was different. The colors were changing turning sickly shades and eventually becoming a black boiling cloud. The forward end of the expansion was not quite fast enough to outrun the corruption that followed it and was quickly overtaken.

"Head's up," yelled Rainbow Dash as she shot past above us, her rainbow contrail suffering from the same corruption as the Rainboom’s ring.

There was a bass note crash behind us accompanied by animal like screeches that mimicked the sound of nails on a chalkboard. I looked back to see what had caused the commotion, and saw that a second sphere had collided with the one that had been chasing us.
Rainbow slowed down then circled around to be flying just above us. "They're fast and they go just fast enough to be able to catch you. They're not maneuverable though and once they have you in their sites they ignore everything else."

"Thanks Dash, have you seen anyone else," I asked through gasping for air.

"Twilight and Applejack have met up and are heading your way; I think I saw Rarity down in the crater."  

"Fluttershy," asked Pinkie.

Rainbow shook her head and shrugged while saying, "I don't know."

The squealing returned and I glanced back to see both orbs had returned and they were connected to each other now. I looked up at Rainbow and said, "Go tell Twilight that were bringing friends, maybe she can stop them."

Dash nodded and took off, as she did the shrill screams from behind increased and soon we were past by an orb. One side was dripping a blue black liquid that visually reminded me of curdled milk. The smell was beyond words and it took a significant effort not to empty my stomach. I then realized that it was blood, the two spheres had not linked they were attacking each other.  I could see bits of armor clad worm falling from the sphere as it past us in its chase of Rainbow Dash.

Pinkie kept running along beside me and said, "What are we going to do, we can't outrun them. I don't want to go back to that world."

"Running's working right now, that's as far as I've gotten," I replied. I just hope Twilight has an idea, I thought to myself.
           
In the distance I could see a second orb traveling towards us along the walkway towards us. "That's not good," muttered. Looking back I saw that our orb was closing.

"What's not good there's Twilight."

"Look behind them Pinkie they’re being chased, that means Twilight can't stop them."  

"Oh, that's not good."

"Pinkie you have a knack for understatements," I replied. Soon I noticed that most of the feeling in my injured leg between my hip and knee was gone and the rest felt like it would go shortly. My other back leg felt like it was falling asleep along with my stomach beginning to churn. I was slowing down faster than I thought I would, but every glance back would induce an adrenalin fueled burst of speed. "Pinkie," I had to gasp for air this time, "I don't think I'm going to stay in front," another gasp, "of it for much longer." I took another ragged breath, "it's locked on to me so get away from me as soon as you can."    

"Steel that's a bad joke. We just need to reach Twilight, she'll have an answer," she replied.

It's not going to work, I thought but I closed my eyes and focused my mind into one thought, run. I ran ignoring every other sensation that I could. I found that one simple thought fueled by fear and desperation was enough to even overpower the growing itch in my mind. Every few moments I would open an eye to check my placement on the path as I ran and to see how much further to I had to run to meet Twilight's group. At each glance I would redouble my efforts, eventually it looked like they were straight in front of us despite the slight curve. I pinched my eyes tight and ran as hard as I could. I didn't know what I was going to do when we met up with Twilight's group. My best guess was to be caught in an orb sandwich but if that gave the others enough time to escape so be it. I heard Rainbow break the sound barrier again, and shortly after something grabbed me throwing me to the right. I didn't want to open my eyes and see the monster that had yanked me off my feet but I did.

I couldn't control my startled expression when I opened my eyes and looked into Pinkie's face, "Surprise," she yelled into mine. Looking over her shoulder I saw the orb that had been following us had collided with the one that had been following Twilight and Applejack. The nails on a chalkboard screams returned and shortly thereafter I saw Rainbow Dash turn into a dive dropping the sphere that chased her into the other two.

The impact with the ground caught me off guard and knocked the wind out of me. The tumbling that followed as I rolled calderas slope didn't help me regain control over my spamming diaphragm. When I finally came to a rest, I pulled myself back to my feet and looked at everyone else. Rainbow had landed and was talking with Twilight. Applejack and Pinkie where catching their breath while examining one of the thorns. I looked back up the way we had come, the unique sequels of the orbs could still be heard but I couldn't see them. Safe for now, I thought to myself. As I turned back I caught part of the discussion between Twilight and Rainbow.    
"I can't hurt them, I tried that before I found AJ," said Twilight. "The best I can do is slow them down."            

"The only thing that I've seen that hurts them is each other. I threw the one that has been following me into the tower and onto one of those thorns. It bounced back from both with a vengeance."

"Well then we need to find a place to hide, I don't know how they find us but standing in the open can't be a good idea. Applejack, have you found anything?"

"Nope, this thing here is solid, no way in or out that I can find," answered the farmer.

"Okay get Pinkie back here," Twilight continued to give instructions in a calm voice. When she saw me standing she asked, "Are you able to run?"

"I don't know," I answered. My back legs felt like they were barely holding me up. "I think there is some sort of poison on the armor of those things."

She glanced up at the caldera rim and then towards my haunches saying, "Let me take a look at that cut." As she walked closer her horn began to glow and I felt the touch of magic around my wound.

"So do you have a plan," I asked.

She was silent for a moment and then I felt a gush of blood push forth from my leg. I looked back to see that the liquid wasn't blood but a black oily substance bubbling from my wound. Once the fluids flow died down Twilight said, "That's as best as I can do. As for a plan, I don't have one other than find Rarity and Fluttershy. If Celestia can feel that the wards are broken maybe she can save us. I'm afraid that the difference between time in a dream and time awake is so much that she might not find us before it's too late."

"So stick close, run fast and pray," I replied. "You forgot the bubble gum and duct tape but other than that it sounds solid."

Her face was grim as she looked up at the sky to see several orbs drifting through the sky, "I hope Celestia get's here soon."

All of us jumped when the screeching from over the caldera's lip increased in volume. Looking up I saw the orbs sitting on the edge. All three were dripping the curdled blue black substance that I assumed was blood. It took Twilight yelling, "Run," to snap me out of my stupor.

We all took off running, Applejack was amazingly fast as was Rainbow Dash however I was able to keep pace with the other two, but I felt Pinkie was pacing herself.

We ran and the orbs followed with one pulling slightly ahead of the others. When Twilight noticed she yelled, "Rainbow Dash, slow down."

Rainbow looked back slightly confused but slowed down to our pace, "what going on Twilight?"

"If we can keep all three close together, they might stop each other," she replied.

I kept my pace with the other two as I ran. The numbness of my leg was gone replaced by pain each time my hoof hit the ground. Whatever those things where, they were a great motivator.  We ran down the gently sloping crater wall but the distance between us and the skyward reaching vine never lessened. The only measure of how far we had traveled was to look behind us and past the orbs to the slowly rising wall. Minutes past by and each one seemed to stretch beyond their allotment of seconds.

I had lost track of time when Applejack yelled, "Rarity," and turned leading our party around one of the thorns. The orbs continued to follow us hitting and then the rolling around the thorn.

Soon I saw the white unicorn running along with another orb chasing her. She turned and released a salvo of projectiles that had been hovering around her head. Some embedded themselves into the sphere others just bounced off. None of the injury slowed it down but it did induce a barrage of high pitched screams. Her magic enveloped several plates of the worms armored and they were ripped off. She held them around her head for a moment then flung them back striking the sphere of worms again.

"She's hurting it," said with a smile.

"Or just making it mad," replied Rainbow Dash her tone showed she didn't share my enthusiasm, "she has a talent for that."

"If Rainbow tricking one into ramming another won’t stop them then this won't either," added Twilight. "Applejack," she yelled, "we need to catch up, see if we can come in from the side and time it right."

The orange earth pony nodded and started to lead our group through the thorns. Our path wove around several thorns and eventually we were running parallel to Rarity one lane over. After several moments of watching for when to veer to the left I felt an arm wrap around my body causing me to jump and stumble slightly but I stayed running. I looked over my shoulder to see that it was Rainbow Dash holding me, she also had an arm around Twilight. The next thing I knew I was being lifted off my feet as Rainbow flew over the top of one of the thorns. Applejack and Pinkie had cut across as well and were running side by side with Rarity as we landed. Behind us the orbs rolled over the thorn and crashed down on the forth one resulting in more ear splitting screams.

"What is going on here," I asked as I regained my footing and continued to run.

Confused looks were passed around and Rainbow eventually said, "We’re running for our life."

"No, I mean you pulled off that maneuver just now without saying anything," I snapped.

"Steel we were talking about it after we caught up with Rarity," answered Twilight.

"The last thing I heard was you telling AJ to catch up to her."

Twilight looked at me confused and then looked up at Rainbow Dash who just shrugged. She shook her head and said, "We don't have time for this we need to find Fluttershy."

I blinked my eyes but continued to run with the rest of the herd and did so until we all heard a scream of, "Help!" off in the distance. Applejack lead us in the direction of the scream, where we heard several more as we approached.

Fluttershy was pinned against the wall dogging the strikes of the worm’s wicked beaks. They would impact the thorn but neither the torn nor the worms appeared to be injured. On closer inspection Fluttershy had only just dodged several of the strikes and she had the light cuts across her body. As we approached Rarity began to fling the bits of armor she still carried at the heads of the striking worms. I saw Twilight's horn start to glow and a wall of stone appeared between the injured pegasus and the orb. The group ran between the stone wall and the thorn. Pinkie grabbed Fluttershy as we past only to come to a sliding stop when two more sphere appeared in front of us. We were trapped pinned in two in front five in back Rainbow Dash might be able to escape but the rest of us could only stall for time.

I looked over at Fluttershy, she had several cuts all over her body from the armor that surrounded each worm. If even half her wounds were infected with the same poison I had been it would be a shock if she could fly. However somewhere in my gut I knew every injury carried the toxin. She was a strong one, and she continued to stand strong as we formed a circle staring down the orbs as they closed. I looked around for anything that could be used as a weapon but there was nothing I could find that could be used without hands.

"Isn't this the point where we wake up," asked Applejack.

"Or the cavalry arrives," I muttered.

"That would be a deus ex machina," replied Pinkie her attitude still upbeat.

"A what," asked Rarity?
   
        "It's a tool used by an author to get there characters out of a sticky situation, Daring Do is full of them." answered Rainbow Dash.

"We can think of a way out of this, girls. We just have to stay calm," added Twilight.
"Oh my," whispered Fluttershy. At her statement I glanced in the direction she was looking. A bright light from behind one of the spheres gave it a halo. Then below it glowing droplets of what could only be the worms armor fell to the ground.

The affected orb began to drift over into its neighbor attacking as it began to glow a soft red.

"I was right," sang Pinkie.

"We knew Celestia could show up Pinkie that voids it," replied Twilight in a flat tone. "When you've got a chance run," she added.

I glanced skyward to see black dots filling my view. It was eerie we had finally discovered a way to fight back and then the idea that it mattered was squashed so simply that I felt my heart fall. There were too many and it was taking too long to kill one of them. When I heard Twilight yell "go" I sprinted as fast as I could towards the princess. I heard a scream from behind and I glanced to look.

One orb had grabbed Fluttershy it held her like a python holds it’s prey. One of the four jawed heads danced in front of her face. It examined one eye then the next, the pegasus shaking in silent fear. Then it struck. I turned away and my stomach churned with another scream this one coming from Rarity. By the time I looked back both victims had been consumed by the sphere. Applejack had locked up her face terrified, confused, and frustrated until she too was snatched by an orb. Rainbow tried to grab Twilight and fly over an orb only to have a sinewy worm reach out and remove a wing dumping them both into the grasp of another orb. Pinkie was dancing avoiding the strikes but once a second orb attacked she was overwhelmed.

All this happened in a matter of seconds as I passed the sphere that was under fire from the princess. I suddenly felt pain along my belly like fire on my skin. I jerked my head forward, away from the massacre behind me. I looked down to see initially smoke and then what appeared to be my intestine, which I quickly tripped over. I fell to the ground and looked up at the princess a look of horror on her face. I had time to yell, "Run," before I felt fire on my legs and I was pulled backward over my own innards. When the thought of this should hurt more, crossed my mind I realized that parts of my brain where shutting down. I vomited and then felt something strike the back of my head and burrow its way through. I saw the armored serpent as it exited my forehead causing my eyes to shift position. Shouldn't I be dead by now, I thought as I was pulled into the glowing red sphere.

Celestia stepped back from the disturbing scene she had just witnessed then redoubled her focus on the nearby sphere trying to rip it apart but failed. The sky was full of these things that had just devoured seven of the closest ponies to her. Rage born tears filled her eyes as she concentrated sun fire onto the nearest of the swarm. It had the same effect as before but it was taking too long and she was being surrounded. She tried a shield spell next but it only slowed them down. When the first serpent struck out at her she blasted a beam of sun fire down its throat, burning it from the inside.

When the second and third appeared she fell back on the martial practices she had been taught a long time ago. The twin curved blades of fire that hadn't been summoned in a millennium flickered to life beside her as she struggled against the creatures. It had been too long since she had to fight; the changeling queen had taught her that. I should have taken Luna up on the sparring practice, she thought as she ducked another. Luna had always been the better at combat, taking the lead in all their fights. The only way Celestia had ever won against her sister was being quick on her feet and some dirty tricks. Tricks wouldn't help her now, and as outnumbered as she was, being quick wouldn't help for long. The attacks kept coming and eventually one arrived that she couldn't block.

The bony fangs of the quad jawed creature glistened as it rocketed towards her. Just before it struck her face she felt herself being jerked backwards as if by a string attached to the front of her chest. The world around her disappeared and was replaced by an old Equestria. The Equestria she and her sister had found as they had wandered the world. It was the land under Discords rule.

"Discord," she hollered, "what have you done."

"Now, now Tia, is that the way to thank the one who just save your mind?"

Celestia looked down to see the draconequus lying on the ground beneath her. "Let me go Discord," she growled.

He slithered up into a sitting position and began too much on an apple. After swallowing a bite he said, "Oh my Tia, I'm not keeping you here. I just didn't want to see that your wonderful mind was safe from," he paused to examine the fruit he held, "worms."

"I had everything under control," she snapped.

"So says the grasshopper to the ant. Now are we going to be capable of having a civilized discussion or should I leave," he asked tossing the apple away.

She forced a deep breath and stilled every nerve before asking, "Do you know what happened to them?"

"You're asking me," he laughed slightly as he spoke, "me the one who has been trapped in a statue in the garden this whole time." He huffed, "while we're at it thank the grounds keeper for removing that bird’s nest they were getting annoying. As for what I know, let's see chaos is coming. Not the spirit of or the embodiment of. The thing that is currently playing with the clay like minds of those seven is Chaos. What is Chaos though is it power without thought can we even grasp true chaos, the effects yes we can see. I'm only the result of chaos pushing back against order Celestia, nothing more. It has them and it is playing with them. For the most part the Elements should protect the six of them. However it's the other one I'm interested in. The mind is a fragile thing and he has nothing to protect his from being broken.        

Fluttershy woke up she was on the ground alone, just outside the Everfree forest. She stood up and looked around she had been here before. It was one of her favorite places to get away. Close enough to the forest that no pony from town would disturb her and close enough to town that the creatures of the forest stayed away. She climbed to her feet, let out a long yawn and a small smile spread across her face as she took in a lungful of air.

She jumped when she heard an explosion further off in the forest. She had time to glance in its direction before the pressure wave knocked her to the ground. She tumbled along with the other debris for quite some distance before coming to a stop. "Oh my," she said as she sat up the world still spinning, "I wonder what that was."

Her jaw dropped as she looked back towards the explosions source. A massive new mountain stood under the debris cloud. Her Jaw dropped even further when she saw the mountain move. The longer she watched the more her mind began to itch. Looking away she began to make a checklist in her mind, first check the animals at her house, second find Twilight. She took off as fast as she had ever flown towards her home.

When she arrived her entire body began to shake not from the stress of her fast flight but for the unimaginable amount of gore that was waiting for her. There were chickens splayed open, hawks and eagles making meals of their bodies. Her flying squirrel was chewing on the body of a snake. The entire yard looked like one of Pinkies parties except that the streamers and confetti had been replaced by blood and innards. She skirted the mess and she did her best to avoid looking at it.

When she reached her door she opened it quickly and backed through. As she did she felt something squishy beneath her back hoof and she let out a whimper. Turning around she found that the inside of her cottage had become a massacre that dwarfed the bloodshed outside. In the center of the living room sat a small mostly white rabbit. "Angel Bunny," whispered Fluttershy as she approached. When the rabbit turned around she squeaked in surprise.

The rabbit was covered in blood from the mouth down, his eyes empty and soulless. It immediately leaped at its former caretaker latching on to her ear and began chewing. She knocked him away and stumbled backwards slipping over entrails. She fell knocking over one of the bird house stands which landed on top of her pinning her to the floor. She looked at the little rabbit in terror as she tried to pull herself free. The blood stained bunny charged its eyes glistened with predatory rage. The only option left to her was to use the stair on him, and she tried but it failed and the rabbit leapt at her exposed throat. She felt his teeth dig into her flesh as they went deeper and deeper. The pain of his teeth puncturing her skin was soon soothed by a gush of blood. The world began dim no matter how hard she fought against it. She was dying and she couldn't escape it. All that was left for her to do was to cry as everything faded away.    

Fluttershy woke up she was on the ground alone, just outside the Everfree forest. She stood up and looked around she had been here before it was one of her favorite places to get away. Close enough to the forest that no pony from town would disturb her and close enough to town that the creatures of the forest stayed away. She climbed to her feet, let out a long yawn and a small smile spread across her face as she took in a lungful of air. This is a good day, she thought as she took a deep breath.

She jumped when she heard an explosion further off in the forest. She had time to glance in its direction before the pressure wave knocked her to the ground. She tumbled along with the other debris for quite some distance before coming to a stop. "Oh my," she said as she sat up the world still spinning, "I wonder what that was."

Her jaw dropped as she looked back towards the explosions source. A massive new mountain stood under the debris cloud. Her Jaw dropped even further when she saw the mountain move. The longer she watched the more her mind began to itch. Looking away she began to make a checklist in her mind, first check the animals at her house, second find Twilight. She took off as fast as she had ever flown towards her home.
When she arrived her entire body began to shake not from the stress of her fast flight but for the unimaginable amount of gore that was waiting for her. There were chickens splayed open, hawks and eagles making meals of their bodies. Her flying squirrel was chewing on the body of a snake. The entire yard looked like one of Pinkies parties except that the streamers and confetti had been replaced by blood and innards. She skirted the mess and she did her best to avoid looking at it.

When she reached her door she opened it quickly and backed through. As she did she felt something squishy beneath her back hoof and she let out a whimper. Turning around she found that the inside of her cottage had become a massacre that dwarfed the bloodshed outside. In the center of the living room sat a small white rabbit. "Angel Bunny," whispered Fluttershy as she approached. When the rabbit turned around she squeaked in surprise.

The rabbit was covered in blood from the mouth down, his eyes empty and soulless. It immediately leaped at its former caretaker latching on to her ear and began chewing.
Fluttershy screamed and knocked the little bunny off of her head and she watched him bounce across the floor. When he came to a stop he turned around and looked at Fluttershy still chewing part of her ear. He swallowed and started to run towards her.  

She stood her ground staring at the charging rabbit and muttered, "When they try to bite, show them your might." When the rabbit jumped into its attack she spun and bucked like she did when she helped Applejack. She felt her hoofs connect and heard the little body tumble across the floor. When she turned around to view what she had done she lost control over her stomach.
"Goodbye Angel Bunny," she whispered as she pulled the door closed behind her. Now to find Twilight, she thought as she squeezed the tears from her eyes. Looking towards town she saw smoke rising in the distance. She swallowed and headed that way as fast as she could.

Once she hit town she noticed that it seemed that the population had turned on itself. She saw Derpy Hooves staring unblinkingly towards the moving mountain. Her sister Dinkie was trying her best to get her attention but was failing. "Dinkie follow me, let's find Twilight, she might know what to do."

The little unicorn looked at Fluttershy her jaw quaking and tears matting down the hair on her face "But what about my sister," she asked.

"She'll have to stay here. I think she's safe," answered Fluttershy softly.

"All right," said Dinkie as she walked over to the pegasus, she looked back over her shoulder to watch her mother as the two walked further into town. As they did, they found more ponies staring off towards the shadowy shape following it with their eyes as it moved along the horizon. Cheerilee and Ruby Pinch were trying their best to distract Berry Punch who was in the same state as Derpy. "Miss Cheerilee," shouted the young unicorn as she broke away from Fluttershy and ran towards the school mare.

Cheerilee turned to look at the charging youth and said, "Dinkie what are you doing out it's dangerous." She paused and looked around before asking, "Where is your Sister?"

"She's," the little unicorn pointed in the direction of her mother. Eventually she added, "She’s like that," while pointing at Berry.

The school mare looked up at Fluttershy and asked, "Do you know what's happening?"
The yellow pegasus looked down at the the ground and shook her head.

"Oh. Do you have a plan?"

Again Fluttershy shook her head.

"We're going to find Twilight," shouted Dinkie as loudly as she could.

Cheerilee nodded, "that makes sense," she paused and gave Berry a concerned glance, "do you mind if we come along?"  

"No," whispered the pegasus.

As the school mare approached, she noticed Fluttershy's ear the one usually hidden under her long pink mane now matted with blood. "Fluttershy what happened," she exclaimed.  
"It's nothing," she replied while trying to readjust her mane to hide the wound. Her attempt failed and the wet part of her mane stuck to her cheek smearing the blood across her face. "Come on we need to find Twilight, or Rarity they will know what to do."

"What's that," asked Ruby as she pointed out of town.

The whole group turned to see large winged creatures, dark and ugly approaching. They were huge as tall as Celestia and by far heavier. The creature’s wings stretched to have at least a fourteen foot wingspan and their eyes glinted in the sunlight like gems. Their numbers where increasing to the point that they blocked out the sky all rising from where the explosion had taken place.

"Um... If you don't mind I think we need to run," muttered Fluttershy.

"I don't mind at all, in fact I insist upon that," replied Cheerilee. "Come on fillies we need to get to Twilight's quickly."

The group ran and as they charged through the town they saw others heading in the same direction they were. Fluttershy glanced over her shoulder at the approaching creatures; they ignored the frozen ponies but attacked the ones that were trying to escape. Her jaw began to quake, she could do something to stop this she knew it but those things terrified her. Just looking at them warped her mind, when the first creature in sight struck out at a fleeing pony her mind was flooded with images of every injustice she had witnessed. It was like a switch had been flipped in her mind and the rhetoric of Iron Will returned. The thought of when someone messes with someone you like, show them that might makes right, filled her mind.

She zipped between the attacking creatures each one a different and horrible mix of animals. She never stopped them for long and she took more than she gave but each time she struck it help some pony get a little farther in their escape. She never came away from a fight without a wound or two but each one was a sacrifice for another few moments of life. For the most part she held the line covering the retreat back towards the Library.    

During one of her jumps to cover Rose she glanced towards the Twilight's house, it now had a bubble shield surrounding it. Spike was inside opening passageways into the new bulwark, Cheerilee and the two fillies were just making it inside the shield. She smiled she had never felt this kind of exhilaration before and the pain from the wounds was amazingly distant. She was enjoying this and that disturbed her greatly. Everyone had retreated to the shield line and Twilight was calling for her to return, but she was enthralled with the havoc she was causing. Eventually she realized no matter how hard she fought she would be overwhelmed by these creatures and she fell back to the Library.  

When she landed and walked through a passageway. She smirked at Spike as she walked past and then she looked up at Twilight, "Hello Twilight." `

Twilight's had been glazed over until Fluttershy spoke. She looked over her bloody friend like she had never seen her before. "Fluttershy," she asked nervously, "are you okay?"

Fluttershy laughed, "Yes... I've never felt better." She looked out of the shield and saw the creatures they wandered the town ignoring the ponies in a trance state. "Everypony is down in the lab, right. Why don't you go check on them I'll take first watch?"

"Okay," muttered Twilight. "Spike, come on," she said after a moment, "we're going down stairs."            

Fluttershy lay down to watch the door, a confident smirk stretched across her face and blood pooled on the floor. She heard the soft scraping of the lab door as it pulled shut behind her. She laughed as she sat watching the futile attempts by the ugly creatures attempting break through the shield. She knew that the shield had been cast by Twilight and that she had included the use of Potestatum gems in its casting, it would endure.

A slight scratching noise from behind caught her attention and she turned to look. "Angel Bunny," she gasped as her eyes landed on the gore stained rodent. She stood up her smirk turning to a demented grin, "are you here to fight again?"

There was no sign of response from the rabbit as it approached. Angels head bobbed side to side with each step, eyes blank and staring. He leaped at his former caretaker and the attack was dodged easily by Fluttershy. The next attack brought a quick strike from one of Fluttershy's front hooves sending the bloody bunny into a bookshelf. The impact dislodged the shelf dumping the rabbit and its contents to the floor.

"Here, bunny, bunny bunny," whispered the pegasus as she approached the pile of books. She gingerly pressed a hoof into the pile pushing the books away. She found nobody in the pile. She sat down and looked around where could he have gotten to, she thought. She heard a squeak of failing metal and looked up to see the rabbit chewing through the last support for the chandelier just in time to dodge it's fall. Clever bunny, she thought as she struck him again when he dived at her. She walked over to his body and tapped its unmoving form, he moved slightly with the tap but no more than what would be expected of a dead body. She sighed and turned to walk back to her seat in front of the door, a victorious smile on her face. Just as she was sitting down she felt a small weight pounce on her back and she began to buck. A sharp pain stabbed her mind as she felt teeth chew through the flesh at the base of a wing. She flexed them trying to knock the vermin off her back. Then she felt a stomach churning vibration on her spine, the crack of bone echoed through the room and she turned to see the rabbit splayed on the ground along with her right wing.

"How dare you cut my wings," anger flared in her eyes. Followed by a spell of dizziness, it must be the loss of blood, she thought. She stepped forward a snarl on her face and she struck at the bounding rodent but it dodged all of her attacks. This time it latched onto her neck, she was able to knock to him off but the amount of blood that flowed from her wound worried her. She needed to end this now, with this amount blood loss she wouldn't last long.

She stepped forward after the bloodstained rodent but as she did one of her legs gave out on her, she staggered and took another step. The rabbit took advantage of her momentary weakness by leaping on her back and attacking her remaining wing. Fluttershy fell into a roll trying to smother him beneath her weight. She suddenly felt a sharp pain halfway down her back and her hind legs went numb. When she had rolled to her feet she found out that she couldn't get her back legs to listen. She felt the rodent climb up her back and again she fell into a roll across the floor. This time she felt him let go. She then stopped and tried to stand back up; her back end wouldn't listen to anything she told it.            

"Won't you give up," she moaned as Angel approached. She sat there panting watching him approach and just for an instant she saw the little bunny that she had watched over for as long as she could remember. That flash of memory disappeared as the rabbit began to open mouth chew and she saw some of her flesh in its mouth. She shivered and looked around for something else to use some trick to get her out of the situation.    

Angel walked forward and Fluttershy grabbed a book with her mouth, and then flung it at the approaching rabbit. He dodged the spinning book and kept coming. She pushed herself back away from his approach trying her best to put herself at an advantage or at least minimize his. Her stomach churned but she held it in, and she saw the world dim around her. She slammed one hoof down keeping the other ready to strike, but she had noticed that her reactions were slowing as well. The rabbit circled pacing just outside her reach watching for her to fade.  "Come at me," she yelled to no effect at the gore soaked vermin.  

The world took another step towards gray scale and dimmed. She coughed it was getting hard to breath and she wheezed as her leg gave out. She flailed at the rabbit as it approached but couldn't land a strike. She felt the rabbit as it attacked her exposed belly but it felt distant. The world faded to black and she was surrounded by warmth.        

Fluttershy woke up she was on the ground alone, just outside the Everfree forest. She stood up and looked around she had been here before it was one of her favorite places to get away. Close enough to the forest that no pony from town would disturb her and close enough to town that the creatures of the forest stayed away. She climbed to her feet, let out a long yawn and a small smile spread across her face as she took in a lungful of air.  This is a wonderful day, she thought as she took a deep breath.  

Rarity woke with a start and looked around her empty hovel. There wasn't much space for her in the underground lab but some had been made. She climbed from her hay padded bed and pulled the coarse stems from her mane before walking over to the vanity to examine the mirror. She looked herself over, scars ran across her face. Three parallel claw marks that started on her cheek and ran to her brow across her eye. She closed her injured eye and examined the scars that ran across her eyelid; she also noticed a little nick on the tip of her nose.

She sighed and looked around at what sat on the vanity top. A hand mirror, that was all that she had left of her little sister. A picture of her friends shortly after the Nightmare Moon fiasco, two of them had been lost. The fire ruby that Spike had given her sat beside the picture, he had gone on to be a leader in the Royal Guard. He had even formed a group known as the Knights of Draco. That thought had made her smile slightly, to think of her little Spikey Wikey leading an army into battle. It was something he had wanted, to be recognized and out from under everyone's shadow. Applejack, she might not be making money but she was the leader of everypony now. Rainbow Dash had finally made it into the Wonderbolts and that left Pinkie. Pinkie was unique in this underground disaster, she still had the ability to induce laughter in anyone but something was off. She was starting to eat more, a lot more and the laughter was not from her usual antics.  

She shook her head as she walked away from the memories. Twilight had died as a student of Celestia, defending the people and even after she died she continued to gain the Princesses praise. Fluttershy had been one of the first in their little group to have found her dream and she lived it every day until the chaos erupted around them. Even their replacements in the elements had reached their dreams. Derpy had proven that despite, maybe even because of her disability she was just as important as anyone else. Then there was that great annoying boar of a personality stuffed into a pony shaped body. Trixie, had changed from a contender to the most powerful unicorn in Equestria to that actually being so.  

She walked out of the little cave that had been dug specifically for her and looked over the camp. Everypony here had a job they did something to help each other. No one needed fashionable cloths. The only value she had other than being the Element of Generosity was, as that scientist put it, she was a young mare of breeding stock." While the last held true for her friends as well they at least had more to contribute. Her dreams of being among the elite of Canterlot died two days after the monster had arrived and the city had been leveled. It just wasn't fair she thought, I have worked my entire life toward one goal. Then the world ends and my only value is to pop out more foals. An image was conjured in her mind of her old and fat laying on her hay bunk nursing several foals. The thought caused shivers down her spine as walked towards the underground entrance to the library.  

She slowly walked up the stairs thinking, it wasn't that long ago that Steel, Twilight and I walked down here for the first time. When she came up to the floor of the library she pressed her hoof to a button beside her and the massive wooden disk into the library opened.
When she finally found herself on the library's main floor she looked around. Each alcove brought forth a memory, Pinkies surprise party for Twilight, and that awful sleepover with Applejack. She sighed those were the days, if only she could go back to them. Then more recent memories came forth when she saw Fluttershy's blood stain on the floor. She turned away and climbed the stairs up to Twilight's study, then continued to the bedroom. She looked around, the room hadn't been touched except by Spike retrieving a few keepsakes. "What are you going to do with yourself Rarity," she asked the empty room.

It was then that she noticed the balcony and the telescope. It was a tool that had become useless since the sky was burned. She felt a kinship with that old device, they both had great value in an age not long past. It also reminded her of an argument with her now dead sister. She had told Sweetie Belle that if something had no use it needed to be thrown away.

She walked out onto the balcony and looked at the ruins of Ponyville. The third floor window gave her a view unmatched of the devastation. Her boutique was among the building that had been reduced to a charred skeletal frame and she could see the spot where Sweetie had died. She sat down and began to cry, no dramatics or grand sobs, just simple crying. She looked over the railing at the ground and thought,  useless things needed to be thrown away. She stood up and climbed up on the railing, Three stories up should be enough. She glanced back at the dust covered room and thought I'll see you soon Twilight, before leaping off the balcony. Time slowed as she watched the ground approach and for the first time since the monster had shown up she felt happy.  

Rarity woke with a start and looked around her empty hovel, alone. There wasn't much space for her in the underground lab but this area had been dug out. She climbed from her hay padded bed and pulled the coarse stems from her mane before walking over to the vanity to examine the mirror.

Applejack Rolled out of bed and looked out the window of the mansion on the New Sweet Apple Acres Farm. It had been centuries since the exodus and almost one since the return. Ponyville had been rebuilt as the new capital of Equestria, and she was the only surviving hero of the country. The eight of them, the six original elements and the two replacements’s had a statue built in the center of the new town plaza. Heck even the crater Steel had made was now a lake named after him. She smiled, their names were remembered but not who they were, except for Derpy her progeny kept her memory alive. Ponies now thought that Trixie and Twilight where best friends, some of the legends had them as long lost sisters other had them as lovers. No one listened to the truth, legends and myth were greater than the truth, and somehow she was a living example of both.  

In the time since the exodus Celestia had not been seen nor had Discord or Nightmare. Luna had changed the ruling government to a parliamentary based constitutional monarchy. In the end for Applejack and her family it didn't matter. The Apple family had become strong since the return and they had their hooves in everything. That came as no surprise to the matriarch of wealthiest family in Equestria's history. She controlled enough wealth to challenge the royal treasury and that fact made her laugh.

It had been a good life but she missed her close family, Big Macintosh had passed on shortly after the return to be buried alongside Granny Smith and the rest of the family. Apple Bloom like her had outlived her closest friends but she had eventually passed. Sighing to herself Applejack thought, The curse of being hard headed, you out live everyone you care about. After a momentary pause she thought, well enough about the past, and walked out of her room.
As she entered her study her secretary began to talk, "Miss Apple, I have your weekly reports. The mayor would like to talk to you about being the guest of honor at the centennial banquet along with Lord Spike."

Spike, now that was a name she hadn't heard in years, granted that now he was known as Lord Spike the Eternal. He had grown much more slowly than other dragons. By the time Trixie had past leaving her the last remaining Element he had grown maybe a foot in height, but his mind matured at an unbelievable level. His wings had finally developed and for the past few centuries he lead an elite group in the guard known as the Knight's of Draco. His order was made up of every race that still walked the surface of the planet. Other than herself and the Princess he was the most powerful and influential being alive. She was proud of the little dragon that had united the world behind him, but he was dangerous as well. He knew too much about her and that was dangerous for someone in her position.

"Just put the paperwork on the desk. I'll get to it later," she said as she walked behind her desk. As she did she saw the mirror that sat between the shelves behind her. The old mare that looked back at her had aged better than her granny had. That had to be because of the nomadic lifestyle she had lived for three hundred years. Muscles still strong filled her legs and very little atrophy had occurred in the past hundred years of sedentary life. Her mane and tail white and shorter than it used to be but still in the same style she had always worn it.  

She sat down behind her grandiose desk and glanced at the paperwork. She was tired of this but no one else could be trusted with these decisions after all she was the one who had rebuilt the economy. She had been the leader of the population as they wandered the globe for centuries, and it was her that had built the Apple family empire.                 

After sifting through the papers glancing but not reading she tossed them away. That's the problem with being a leader of her caliber, there was no time off and escaping from the responsibility was impossible. Most ponies would have found that limitation a curse but not her she wore it like a badge of honor. She yawned and shook her head, no matter how good her body felt her mind was not what it used to be and this constant work was getting the better of her.  She needed a vacation.

She spent the morning shifting through more paperwork, until a knock at the door announced somepony's arrival. "Come on in," she shouted. Looking up she saw one of Scootaloo's descendants walking in. The orange pegasus was carrying a platter with her lunch on it. "Thank you Skater," she said with a smile he always reminded her of the past. His rainbow mane told her that somewhere he shared his blood with Commander Hurricane, and from that Rainbow Dash. She laughed a little; maybe that little orange filly had some distant family in her hero.

"You need anything else Miss Apple?"

She smiled up at him, "nope just reminiscing," she answered.

"Well don't get lost in those memories we need you still," he replied before he turned to leave.          

"Don't I know it," she muttered, "go on, I have some more work to take care of."

"Yes, ma'am," he said as he left the room.

She waited until the door closed before looking at the lunch and shaking her head. Food had not sounded good in days. She walked over to the window overlooking the town and opened it. The couch that sat just below the window was comfortable and she sat on it and leaned on the windowsill. Her front legs crossed to give padding for her to rest her head. It had been a long time since they had left and now stretching beneath her eyes was the fruit of her work. The old capital Canterlot and the mountain it had rested on were now a mass of crumbled stone in the distance. It would have been nice to dream of the old days once before the end, she thought.

She looked back at her desk and at the paperwork, I really should have picked someone to follow me. There's no one I trust enough to take over though. She laughed at her thoughts, if only I could take it all with me. She turned back towards the landscape and let her eyes drift shut with a wide smile on her face.        

Applejack rolled out of bed and looked out the window of the mansion on the New Sweet Apple Acres Farm. It had been centuries since the exodus and almost one since the return. Ponyville had been rebuilt as the new capital of Equestria, and she was the only surviving hero of the country.