Stories in Stone, Lost Empire

by TDR

End of all Hope [21]

Stories in Stone
Lost Empire
By TDR

End of all Hope

[New Canterlot Castle, 1100 hours. Friday ]

Diamond Tiara was beyond ecstatic. She was also slightly terrified, but Princess Luna hadn't out right done anything to her aside from be absolutely terrifying. Still if this was planned right the Princess should be asleep so it would just be her and Brush.... well and Berry, but she wasn't too worried about Brush's little sister. At least not as worried as she was about Princess Luna, though she had an uneasy feeling she should be..

She had initially thought to show up at one or so, but upon thinking about it she decided she was going to bring lunch. She had spent all morning in the kitchen, driving the servants mad with her attempts to make anything. After a number of panic attacks and, a small fire, she managed to put together something that she doubted Brush had eaten before, even with the castle staff cooking his meals. One of her daddies servants was highly familiar with Japony cuisine and showed her how to make something he called a Bento box.

It was surprisingly simple mix of vegetables, mostly rice and beans, though she had sampled most of what went into it and thought it would be perfect. She had the servant make one for her and extras for Berry, Princess Luna , and Major Kaisur, just in case they happen to be there. However she made sure she made Brush's herself. According to the servant the ones made with love supposedly always tasted better.

Collecting them all and thanking the servant who stared at her in shock, along with the rest of the kitchen staff, she was out the door and headed down the street trying to get to the castle as quickly as she could while balancing a box of lunches on her back. It really wasn't that difficult, the grace and poise classes she had been forced to take as a filly sometimes had some practical use.

She hoped to actually make it to the castle before they started what ever emergency drill they were planning today. It had been a long time since they had any sort of evacuation or shelter drill, she supposed some new officer or noble had decided it would be a good day for everyone to be miserable for a while. Every pony stuck in a cramped shelter for hours at a time while they walked around and pretended to look like they cared.

For once Diamond Tiara didn't mind the idea of being stuck in a dark cramped shelter, provided she got to be stuck in one with Brush. Granted she figured the ones under the castle would be nicer, in any event she had to get there first. Hopefully before he ate lunch too.

The trip to the castle was a short one, quite possibly because she felt like she was floating. Really she skipped along, doing a very close imitation of Pinkie pie's normal pronking movement. She was aware she was being stared at by a number of ponies she knew, though she didn't care, she was far too excited that Brush had actually wanted her to come by today and that he had accepted her asking him to the dance. She knew it was supposed to be the other way around, though Diamond Tiara didn't think Paint Brush Lily would ever ask any pony. Just in case he did think to however she had to strike first.

The only thing that worried her, more than anything else was his relation to Applebloom. She was going to have to deal with that sooner or later whether she wanted to or not. The smile flickered on her face a little as she swallowed hard, her skipping stalling to a more sedate pace as she entered the castle grounds.

Wrapped up in her thoughts as she was she didn't notice the over abundance of Guards rushing around, nor the curious stares she was getting from some of them until one of them finally stopped her at the main door to the castle.

“Hold it Miss. The castles on lock down until after the drill.” The large pegasus Guard was dressed in the gold and white of the Royal Guard, while his companion was a unicorn dressed in the gray and purple of the Lunar Guard. Diamond Tiara would have wondered why the Lunar Guard was awake this time of day if she wasn't mortified by the fact she was this close to her goal only to be turned back.

“But... I'm expected today, they made me sign a list and everything.”

“Sorry miss, but all visitors today are being turned away.”

“But he told me to come to day... I even made lunch........ ” Diamond Tiara pouted a moment, then grinned evilly. “ Hey we're supposed to go to the closest shelter when the alarm sounds right?”

“Indeed miss.”

“Do you know when the alarm is going to sound?”

The Guard looked to his companion who shook his head lightly. “No miss, it wouldn't be a test otherwise.”

“So right now the castle has the closest shelter, I'd have to be in the market district before I was closer to another one right?”

“Well yes......”

“So if the alarm sounds before I got that far you would have to let in here any way correct?”

“Well that's technically correct.......”

“So how about we spare the trouble and I go in now. I can give Brush his lunch and be ready in case the alarm sounds. Since I would already be in the castle I wouldn't have to distract you by making you open the door during the test to let me in either.”

“Errr..... Shut up Dream Catcher, you're not helping.” The Guard snaps turning to glare at the Night Guard as he tries to hold back a laugh.

The unicorn stallion finally stops laughing long enough to speak. “What was your name Miss?”

“Diamond Tiara, I'm here to see Paint Brush.”

“Yeah she's on the old list, I figure we can let her through, she has a valid point and we're mostly supposed to turn away court petitioners. Besides, if she's brave enough to be interested in one of the Major's kids I wouldn't want to mess with her any way.” Dream Catcher grins.

“Fine.” the Pegasus snorts, drawing a metal rod free with a wing and setting it before the pink mare. “Touch that first. Stay out of the patrolling Guards way and go only where you are supposed to be.”

Diamond Tiara sighs, though she touches the metal rod without any ill effect. She wasn't sure what the deal with the rods were, but since they war they had been used anytime there was a high security situation. She had heard they were some sort of changeling detector, though it only looked like a bit of metal with a jagged tip to her. After touching the thing the door was opened by the unicorn to allow her inside.

“If we get in trouble for letting her in, I'm blaming you Dream Catcher.” the pegasus snaps.

“Please, like any one would believe you Blue Light. Every pony knows all a pretty mare has to do is look at you and you'd be eating from her hoof.”

“Says the pony who can't get a date, to the one who has too many....” Blue Light grins.

===============================================================

[1200 hours]

Starfall raises an eyebrow as she watches the four ponies pace around the room. Dawn was in a sling on her side, the little foal managing to have slept through everything, including Celestia's use of the damned Royal Canterlot voice.

The group had moved out of the War room and into the throne room after Celestia had nearly set the place on fire for a third time. Thrown out was the proper description, but Guard Captain Nicker Fury was trying to be nice. Nicker had the Guards set up a larger map room and had them bring the table with the magical display of Equestria on it out into the throne room.

Rhede had already sent a number of ambassadors that had been staying in the castle out on the supply train headed to the Crystal Empire that morning to move them out of possible danger. Before they left they had all been allowed to contact their respective nations with certain information.

“Alright the com ponies say they can boost the signals going out here enough that even with interference they can still broadcast and receive, so communication shouldn't have any disruption. Two of the eight griffon aeries have offered to send a sizable force for aid if need be. Three others are offering some supplies though the rest are either arguing about it , or just stalling so they don't have to do anything. The Diamond Dogs are offering aid as well and both they and the Zebra's are offering to accept refugees.” Rhede lists off.

“A hollow gesture given that they know it is easier for us to go north” Luna grumbles.

“At least they are offering, that's not something they would have done a thousand years ago.” Starfall comments shifting a little in her uniform.

Both she and Rainbow Dash were in jet black and purple armor with yellow lightning trim. A pony skull with skeletal pegasus wings adorns the flank, and both of them were sporting a pair of blue crystal wing blades. The armors enchantment changed their mane, tail, and fur colors as well leaving them both with the same white mane and gray coat. If not that Starfall was a little smaller than Dash and that she was carrying Dawn around with her, no one could have told them apart.

“Was the Shadowbolts gear necessary?” Celestia asks.

“High damage resistance, coupled with enchantments for speed, strength and endurance? Yes Princess, they are.” Starfall retorts.

“Plus they can do this!” Dash exclaims suddenly fading out of view as if she had pulled a zebra cloak over her head.

“Stop playing with it.” Starfall snaps as Dash sheepishly returns.

“There are only six Shadowbolts. Starfall, Rainbow Dash, Spitfire, Soarin, Breezy, and Fleetfoot. No one else managed to survive the training put together by a joint effort of Jer'rahd, Starfall, myself, and the Wonderbolts. “Luna states, reading something before her.” They are the best fliers and airborne combatants on Equss, just as the Lunar Guard are the best of the Guard trained by my husband. If something happens they have their orders to get Berry, Dawn and Brush to safety.”

“What about Orange?” Rhede asks.

“She and her.... 'companion' claim they are fine in his estate. I disagree, but saying so simply makes her more stubborn. I left the offer to retreat here open for them both and let the matter drop.” Luna sighs. “ It has been hours is there nothing more? Have the patrols not found anything else?”

“Wonderbolts Black ops.” Rhede snorts. “Even I only heard rumors that the Shadowbolts had restarted.”

“Nice to know I can still one up your little network Rhede.” Starfall smirks.

“Yeah, this is great, cause I always dreamed of joining the Wonderbolts and now I get to go a step beyond them. How cool is that!?” Dash grins fluttering in the air a bit.

“Just so you know you are not allowed to fight this thing, your mission is to get every one to safety.” Celestia states. “ We do not need this monster to know how to do a rain boom.”

“We know Princess.” Starfall and Dash both monotone.

“Have we considered using the Elements of Harmony?” Nicker asks.

“No, unfortunately that's right out. We have two teams of bearers, but we can't cross them even if we could get everyone here quickly. Dash and Fluttershy couldn't take the place of our old teams missing Loyalty and Compassion. Luna, and I can't take the place of their missing Magic and Generosity either. The only ponies who can use the Elements together are the ones who gained them together.” Rhede explains with a sigh. “Trust me we've tried.”

Any further suggestions are cut off as a Guard rushes in.

“PRINCESS, We have sightings.” the Guard pants.

“Where?” Luna asks.

“Here.” the unicorn Guard's horn lights up and a spot appears on the map as it zooms in on New Canterlot. Then another appears. Then another. A second Guard runs in and passes off a paper to the first. The Guard checks the paper, pales a little, and his horn glows, adding two dozen more red lights to the map around New Canterlot

The group looks over the map and noting all the sightings were at various places around the city, too far apart to all be the same sighting. Celestia takes the paper from the next Guard to rush in, her own horn glowing, more dots forming until a ring of red dots surrounds the city. The group stares at it a moment as Celestia growls.

“Sound the alarm.” Celestia orders.

================================================

[1200 hours New Canterlot Castle]

Diamond Tiara was having a hard time holding still after lunch. Princess Luna and Jer'rahd were no where to be found. Berry hadn't said anything about the meal, though she had eaten it and then vanished into her room, leaving her and Brush alone.

Brush said he liked the meal, and Diamond Tiara was ecstatic, this must be what walking on clouds felt like, no wonder the pegasi were always doing it. Granted she had an even harder time remaining calm when he offered to paint her while they discussed what they would wear to the dance. Berry had made a reappearance long enough to get something to drink out of the ice box and make a gagging motion with her hoof before vanishing again. Berry had lead her outside into the court yard where his easel was still set up in the same place as the last time she had been here.

Diamond Tiara had fixed her hair as best she could, letting her long mane loose a little more to fall down her shoulders. She didn't have much in the way of jewelry as she no longer wore the first tiara she had made any more. The encounter with Applebloom had destroyed it when she was hit by the desk, though did wear a more subdued necklace and earrings she had created. Jewel crafting was not something she had thought she would enjoy, it was her mothers talent. Though the first day she had made that tiara and gotten her cutie mark had been one of the happier ones in her life. It wasn't long after that that her mother and father split up she spent a long time thinking her cutie mark was the cause of it.

Her friend Silver Spoon had developed a talent for tea ceremony. Basically it was like a fancy party for a bitter drink, but tea was a big thing for most nobles since Princess Celestia liked it. Rumor was that Princess Luna preferred coffee. Diamond Tiara thought both drinks were rather nasty.

Still after all that it was difficult to stand still for the painting, though Berry never said anything about it, perhaps painting his rather hyperactive little sister allowed him not to notice too much movement. She was also surprised at his suggestions for colors given his dark blue coat and short, bright red mane and tail, and her own silver and pink she hadn't thought there were many colors that complimented both. She had rather liked the idea of a red dress for her accented in deep blue, and a silver tux for him accented in pink. He viewed it as something like finding the right paints to mix, she viewed it as insanely romantic.

Unfortunately, like always she was having a hard time telling if he was as interested in her, as she was with him, or if he was just going through the motions. All she really had to go on was his rather muted sounding replies and the word of Pipsqueak that he was interested in return.

In truth her biggest worry was that every pony was going to think she was only to date him due to his station. She fully expected to hear that a lot, it was one of the first things in fact to come out of Pipsqueak's mouth when she had finally talked to him. It had taken a good bit of convincing to prove to him otherwise. Of course after the meeting with Princess Luna and Major Kaisur last week that she came back should have been enough to dissuade any rumor like that, those two were terrifying. She didn't understand how some one not infatuated could risk dealing with them. Granted even that was annoying, because they were his parents he wouldn't see how much of an effort she was going through not to be terrified around them to be with him. Thinking on it that was a really good idea for a book or a movie, she should write that down. 'Parents from Tartarus' was an appropriate sounding title.

“That should be enough.” Brush states softly stepping back a moment looking at the canvas. “I need more red and white paint.”

She blinked a moment her brain slowly registering that he was done and that he was simply idly mentioning the colors he needed to mix for her coat.

“Can I see it?” Diamond Tiara asks.

Brush seems to consider a moment. “It is not done yet, would prefer to finish it before you see it. If that is alright.”

“Um … okay....” Diamond Tiara stammers, struggling to think of what else to say. A loud crash and the shattering of wood draw both of their attentions back towards the open door into Princess Luna's quarters.

“Berry?!” Brush gasps rushing past Diamond Tiara into the house. Diamond Tiara bites her lip moving forward a little to try and glance at the picture, yanking herself back as the alarms start to blare for the drill.

She glances to the easel before following in after him.

Diamond Tiara slides to a stop her hooves scraping on the tile floor of the kitchen as she nearly runs into the back of Brush. Looking past him though the arch way between the kitchen and dining area she could see a large and strange looking creature that was nearly filling the dining room.

The creature looked like some one had glued a minotaur's upper body where a ponies head should be and brought it to life. The thing was a mix of black, red, and gray with a white beard, mane, and tail. It was stroking it's beard with a hand that was wrapped in bandages as it regarded several of Brush's paintings hanging on the walls. Diamond Tiara looked to the front door on the other side of the mud room, seeing a massive hole and a number of Guards laying scattered around on the ground, armor torn and bloodied, none of them were moving.

“I had heard you were quite the painter Paint Brush Lily. I must admit seeing your skill for myself I do agree. I rather admire the skill in truth, it is rather a proper gentle pony's talent. Painting is something I've always wanted to pick up, and since Princess Luna is not here as I predicted, now may be the time to learn....” The monster grins, gesturing with a hand, a series of green panel shields springing to life between Diamond Tiara and Brush cutting off his escape. The creature moves closer reaching a hand out to grab Brush. “I wonder what your mother will say when she finds your corpse?”

“NO!”snaps a voice, the booming echo of it shaking the room as the word was spoken with the force of the Royal Canterlot voice.

The creature whirls back clearly expecting Princess Luna to have arrived, though all that was in sight was a small dark blue unicorn filly with red hair standing in the hallway that led to bedrooms. Her golden eyes glared up at the massive monster as she grit her teeth.

“Berry?” Brush asks in surprise.

“NO ONE ELSE IS HURTING FAMILY!” Berry's voice cracks a little with the booming echo as her horn lighting up.

The monster seemed as surprised as Brush that she was talking, though he quickly got over it and was about to retort when the hall way behind Berry suddenly shifted and squirmed with life and countless faint glows of gold magic.

Thousands of black crystalline sculptures, flew, scurried, crawled, scampered, and hopped out of the rooms behind her, climbing out of cabinets and cubby holes, stampeding down shelves and from the places they had been on display.

Diamond Tiara shrieked as a horde of half finished sculptures rushed past her from the small workshop in the court yard and scurried around the gaps in the shield. The monster took a step back as the crystal creatures swarmed over him clawing and biting like a horde of ants on a dropped sweet roll.

Diamond Tiara stared in shock watching as the wounds the crystal creatures were inflicting closed up almost as fast as the little golems made them. The monster flails, crushing the sculptures to powder as he struggles to get the biting things off of him. All at once all of the creatures stopped and fell off of the monster, the little lights of magic inside them winking out.

“What the buck was that....” Tirek snarls looking back at Berry his eyes going wide. “Shit....“

The light around Berry's horn was brilliant, blinding, the golden energy enough to catch a number of the paintings on the walls and some of the shelves around her on fire. Diamond couldn't even look at the mass of power gathered around the fillies horn. All the power two years worth of storing it inside little crystal figures came back to the filly, all at once.

Berry screams out as she lets loose the blast, striking the monster directly in the chest and sending it sailing backwards through the room, smashing it out into the hallway and pushing the monster along , breaking a tunnel all the way through the castle flinging the monster out towards the front gates of the castle, collapsing several walls after it.

The green shields flicker out and Diamond Tiara rushes forward with Brush to his sister. The filly smirks says something in what sounds like draconic and collapses. A flash of light flickers from her side as a glowing golden crystal cutie mark forms on her flank.

Brush panics as she falls over practically running in circles. Diamond Tiara frowns moving closer and crouches down to check on her.

“She's okay … she's okay she's still breathing.” Brush pants heavily as Diamond Tiara looks over her noting that her fur around her horn was singed, and wisps of steam were coming from it.

“It looks like she's had magical burn out...” Diamond Tiara theorizes getting a odd look from Brush.

“How would you know!?” he snaps. Then looks away ashamed before he exhaling. “Sorry... I mean how do you know?”

“I spent a lot of time in a hospital. I saw a couple of unicorns come through with the same thing. She should be fine, but she's probably going to be asleep for a while. Any way we have to get out of here. I don't think that stopped it.” Diamond Tiara states trying to hide her own shaking.

“FEED!” snarls a voice from behind them. Diamond Tiara whirls about with a shriek seeing the monster striding in through the hole Berry had blasted seemingly unphased by the attack. The creatures grin widens at the sight of the three of them and it moves forward licking its lips.

Diamond Tiara continues shrieking before turning suddenly to lift up on her rear hooves. She grabs one of the burning bookcases, yanking it from the wall, and throwing it at the creature as if the heavy oak bookcase weighed the same as an apple.

“Feed?!” The monster questions before the massive slab of burning furniture and books smashes into it's face sending it flying back to impact the wall. The figure was crushed between the stone and the burning wood, the book case splintering and the wall cracking from the force of the blow. They hear a loud pop and a sudden hiss of steam as the creature turns to water, dousing the fire on the book case.

“Wha... What!?” Brush stammers.

“Did... did I kill it? …. oh no.....” Diamond Tiara pants whimpering a little as she dropped back down to four legs with a shudder.

“I .. I don't think it was alive, it turned into a puddle.” Brush points out.” What did you do?”

“Daddy didn't want me to be afraid of Applebloom. He didn't think the martial arts I learned was enough so he hired a crystal pony to teach me how to use the same dragon power as Applebloom. Diamond Tiara shudders. “ It didn't help, its terrifying and knowing fully what Applebloom could do just made it worse. Mr. Rose didn't help not make it terrifying with all the shouting.”

“Crystal pony, Rose... Grandpa?” Brush exclaims.

“You're related to him too?!” Diamond Tiara whimpers before flattening her ears and trying to regain her composure. Brush couldn't help but notice the sudden change from scared filly to snobbish mare who looked down on every one.” You are really lucky I like you or I would be leaving you here right now.”

“Umm thank you, I um like you too.......... but we umm, we need to get out of here. We don't need to encounter any more of them.” Brush states with a bit of a blush, lifting Berry up onto his back and holding her with his wings.

Diamond Tiara perks her ears up turning a bit red herself though she whips her head trying to keep her focus. She nods in agreement picking her way forward through the rubble to look down the hall, trying to avoid glancing at the dead Guards. “This place is annoyingly big, so much wasted space, which way do we go?”

“The throne room. Ma is there and she needs to know about this thing if she does not already.” Brush states picking his way though flinching at the sight of the Guards before heading down the hall.

Diamond Tiara would much rather have found a shelter though she nods. “I'm impressed with your sister. I thought she didn't speak.”

“She doesn't.”

“What was the last thing she said? It sounded like it was in draconic.”

Brush sighs. “It was. Something she picked up from Da. He doesn't swear in Equestrian around us. He uses old Draconic. I guess Berry picked up on it even without saying anything. What she said translates closely to 'Buck you'.”

“I don't think we should tell your mother that part then.”

“Probably for the best.”

===================================================

[1230 hours, New Canterlot Castle main courtyard.]

“Well that was unexpected.” Tirek growled pushing a few tons of stone work off himself and standing looking up at the hole in the side of the castle he had just been blown through. “I am getting quite sick of surprises.”

“HOLD IT RIGHT THERE MONSTER!” a voice shouts behind him. He glances back to the group of Guards then continues to ignore them.

“Odd that Twilight did not even think of that sort of use for the crystals. Even Jer'rahd did not know about the ability. Hmm Still a pity Luna was not asleep, that would have made things so much easier.

The sound of fighting begins behind him as two of his mirror pond clones pop in and fall on the Guards. The duplicates had most of his powers, though only the first few had his intelligence, it had descended from there until most of his army was full of idiots who didn't absorb the powers from ponies, so much as literally trying to eat them. Horrifying, but that sort of terror would be perfect to use against his enemies. Pity none of them could actually absorb a ponies talents. He could have stayed out of danger himself and simply ate clones as they came back with power.

Still if Luna was not in her quarters she would either be in the castles war room or the throne room. As of yet he had seen no sign of either Princess, Pelt, Discord, or any of the other Bearer's of the Elements past or present.

He expected Applejack, Rhede, Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy were at the farm. By the time they made it here to the castle he would already have what he needed. The Princesses were a prime goal, once he had them, he would have enough power to absorb the elements of Harmony themselves, and then nothing would stop him. After that he would come back for those annoying foals of Kaisur's.

He glanced back as one of the clones wiped blood from his maw, the other little more than a puddle of water, though a half dozen more clones teleported into the court yard with a pop.

“Go now. Destroy and consume.” Tirek orders, the clones all roar and rush off popping away as they teleported around the castle.

==============================================================

[1245 hours]

“GET OUT OF HERE NOW!” Luna shouts at Starfall and Rainbow Dash. Clouds of steam fill the air as the pair of pegasi nod and vanish from view along with Luna's youngest daughter.

“West wings gone silent! We don't have any contact with with the the main garrison as either!” Nicker shouts stamping out a fire that had caught onto one of the maps. Two unicorn ponies carrying a bandoleer of communications crystals were ducked under the map table shouting out reports to him.

“HOW MANY OF THESE BASTARDS ARE THERE!!” Celestia booms, the far wall of the throne room little more than a chard black mass of seared stone stone, melted metal, and hissing steam.

“They're all turning to water, the bucker must have found the mirror pond. Why in Tartarus didn't we destroy that thing?!” Rhede shouts a barrage of daggers pinning another clone to the wall before it turned into a puddle.

“Because it would have relocated itself, it's done that before. Do you know how hard it is to permanently get rid of an underground spring?. Besides there was no water left in it and we sealed the cave, it should have taken centuries to restore!” Luna shouts her shadows ripping apart two of the clones.

“It must have refilled during the damn floods, we never even thought to check the damn thing.” Celestia snarls, her mane and tail burning brightly.”NICKER WHERE ARE THE LILYS!”

“We've got them reported at the emergency shelter. The Guards there are escorting everyone to a new location after a couple of clones appeared in the shelter. We're bringing every pony to the dungeons, there's an escape route though the mines there. They were on the way here when some Night Guard found them, the Guard at Princess Luna's quarters were wiped out. Berry is unconscious, but other wise fine, there's some screaming about a giant rat by the pink mare with them, though it seems it's just Tiberius hanging on her tail.” Nicker shouts.

“I should have brought them here myself....” Luna growls.

“Not like here is any safer than any where else Princess. Besides we expected the monster to come here first.” Rhede snarls, glaring at the main doors to the throne room were broken into a horde of the clones rushing in trampling the Guards at the door.

A savage growl had the throne of the moon flung into and through a number of the clones rushing the door, a blast of fire turned it into a molten shower of silver and steel that smashed over the encroaching clones like a wave.

“Be careful Tia there are still ponies around here.” Luna shouts as another explosion rocks the walls.

“Says the mare flinging thrones around. I am being careful Lulu, that's why everything is not turned to glass and slag right now.” Celestia snaps, her hooves charring the marble floor as she strides across it, her horn flaring and turning the new attackers to little more than steam.

The floor of the throne room suddenly lurches knocking every pony inside off their hooves and sending them crashing to the ground. A second earthquake sends ripples along the stone under them, shattering the legs of the map table and dropping it onto the two unicorns under it.

“Son'of a bitch. Some pony help me here!” Nicker shouts rushing over to lift the table off the two pinned unicorns.

Luna turns to grip the table in her magic just as the floor under the three ponies turns into molten slag. The stone explodes up like a volcano yanking the table from Luna's magic as molten stone, liquid metal support, the near vaporized corpses of the com ponies, a badly burned Nicker Fury and a shattered map table flinging them all into the air.

The Guard Captain bounces once on the ground, struggling to rise before the remains of the massive table comes down smashing him like a grape against the stone floor.

“NICKER!” Celestia shouts whirling to her hooves and lashing out at the clones bursting up through the new hole in the floor.

“Princesses.... come out and play......” calls a voice in sing song from the hole. “Float on down with your little Princessy wings. Twilight and Sunshine are waiting.... we all float down here....”

“GRAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!” Celestia screams diving into the hole like a blast from the sun itself. The on rushing clones barely have time to turn to steam before they were evaporated by the solar diarch rushing though them.

“TIA NO!” Luna screams out trying to follow after her, though she was forced back due to the heat. The wave of fire suddenly cut off as a green shield formed over the hole blocking Luna or Rhede from entering.

====================================

Celestia slams down into the area under the throne room. It was at least a story down through stone, but this was the primary Royal Canterlot Wine Cellar. It was in disuse due to most of the bottles that had been in the old collection having shattered when the city plunged down the mountain. The old wine steward had a heart attack at the sight of his precious wines thus destroyed, and had subsequently retired immediately after he got out of the hospital. Celestia had not gotten around to restocking or hiring a replacement as she had never really developed a taste for wine and the number of bottles it took to get her drunk would have been a waste of expensive vintages any way. Still it served it's purpose with visiting diplomats, and the kitchen staff currently used the space as an extra store room. The cavernous space was no where near full even with the boxes of dried goods lining the walls between wine racks.

The darkness of the vaulted cellar was peeled away by Celestia's presence. A massive figure stood before her as she landed, grinning wildly and she did not even hesitate to pour on the power and flash fry the creature before her.

Her eyes narrowed as the figure turned to steam only to be surprised as a hand whipped out and grabbed her her by her burning mane, flinging her across the room and into a wine vat. The large barrel exploded with a gush of fire as the wine caught and surged over the stone floor flowing like a river of fire.

She burst free of the vat trailing liquid fire behind her as she shrieks out, setting the whole cellar ablaze as she rushes Tirek as he pulls himself out of the remains of some piled goods. Her charge was short lived as she plowed bodily into a green panel shield. A series of them rapidly forming around her flaming form trapping her in a brightly glowing box.

Tirek steps out of the shadows rubble of the supplies , shaking loose the mash of potatoes he had stepped on from a hoof. His focus was on the box, he couldn't make it air tight and he needed to constantly change the shields on the Princess prison as they shattered and cracked within seconds, even with Twilight and Sunshine's power this was harder than he had expected. Luna had nearly broken through the one above several times and only the sudden surge of new clones in the throne room had kept her from doing just that. The Sun Princess had let herself go fully to the rage that burned in her, she was smashing herself bodily against the shields forcing Tirek to keep the power going to keep her contained. It seemed Twilight and Jer'rahd's memories were correct about her temperament.

“Such a pity I cannot touch you Celestia..., well Solar Flare is more fitting name in this case. Though thanks to your students amazing knowledge, I no longer have to.” Tirek grins holding his hand up towards the molten shield feeling for the energy of the raging sun goddess, once he had it, he began to pull.

The flailing of the Princess continued for a good few moments before she started to weaken. Tirek's eyes widen with greed at the glowing ball of energy that was forming on this side of the shield, power gathered from the pony goddess of the sun. It was almost his, but he was not about to leave the mare with a drop.

The temperature dropped sharply as her flame went out, the tall white mare,s wings and horn fading away to swirl into the gathered magic before Celestia's cutie mark of the sun faded leaving her a normal earth pony with a cutie mark of a burning tree. Tirek dropped the shields grabbing her by the throat before she fell yanking that last little taste of her normal pony mark from her personally before casting her aside for the main course. He was unsure if he needed to be fire proof to touch the stolen sun, but it was better to be safe and steal that immunity from the mare before attempting the larger meal.

He could hear Luna again pounding on the shielded hole, feel the protection splintering, but once he devoured the Sun gods power before him she would be nothing.

“At last, one down... one more goddess to go.” The monster grin reaching a hand up, grabbing the floating sphere of burning light.

“EEENOPE!!” shouts a voice right next to him as a black, purple, and blur blue whips between him and the glowing ball. Tirek screams out as his arm is cut through at the wrist and elbow, the chunks of flesh falling to the ground as he turns glaring at his attacker. He only caught the glimpse of a pair of blue crystal swords and a shadowy figure before it was lost in the darkness again. He growls, his arm rapidly reforming.

“YOU WILL NOT STOP ME SO EASILY!” Tirek bellows.

He makes another grab at the ball of energy only for a hunk of wood with the words ' Louisville Slugger' etched into it to swing past his hand hitting the ball with a crack and sending it soaring across the wine cellar.

Princess Luna finally bursts though the shield landing hard in the wine cellar her magic flaring as she looks around only to get hit right in the face by the ball of energy and get flung backwards out of the hole with a loud shriek.

“HOME RUN!!!! BIG POPPY WINS IT ALL!!!!” screams a voice right in Tirek's ear.

Whirling on his attacker he rears back in surprise at a strange creature. It had the head of a pony, two different types of antlers with a body and legs that seemed to be made up of a number of different animals. It was also currently wearing a sports jersey for some team called the Red Sox and shouting about how it had one the world series for the first time in eighty years as it hoped about swinging the bat in the air.

“A draconequus!?” Tirek growls. “You must be Discord.”

“Oooh! Good answer, GOOD ANSWER!” Discord cackles suddenly wearing a leisure suit and a obvious toupee and standing behind a podium taping some note cards on the top of it.” Lovely assistant tell him what he's won!”

A pink pony wearing an overly sequined red dress, a beehive hairdo and a very wide grin pops up on the other side of the startled Tirek, before darting over to where a massive bright red curtain hung between two support pillars. Tirek blinked not having seen that there a moment before.

“Of course Dissy, our contestant has won a delightful one way trip!” the pink pony yanks the curtain aside.

Behind the curtain was what could best be described as a massive metal cylinder, the end of it was as big around as Tirek's torso and the length of it could not have possibly fit into the wine cellar with out his noticing, let alone hidden behind the curtain. The mare was now at the far end of the thing wearing a pith helmet and a monocle. Etched on the side of the metal tube were the words ' Bleu's Party Artillery Cannon.'

“And where's that trip too Pinky?!” Discord grins from behind a great pile of sandbags nearby. A pegasus pulls a pair of goggles down over her red eyes as she yanks Celestia's prone form behind the sandbags. Tirek had a brief moment to worry that the thing was pointed at him before the pink mare shouts.

“TO PAIN!” the cannon roars as the mare smashes the button and for the second time that day Tirek found himself being blown through numerous castle walls, bedrock, and back out into the sun filled courtyard.

“So awesome.” Rainbow Dash squees.

=============================================

“WHAT THE BUCK JUST HAPPENED!?! screams Rhede dragging a twitching Luna down into the cellar with the help of another Guard. “Dash what the heck are you doing here!?”

“Slight change of plans. Starfall's gone to Sweet Apple Acres to warn them before heading to the Empire with Dawn. I had to go get something myself before we bugged out of here. I didn't want to leave them in that guys grimy claws.” Dash snorts looking at Luna, whose horn was sparking wildly , her eyes glowing brightly behind her closed lids.” Is she okay?”

“Well given she just absorbed all of sun butts powers,soooo probably not. “Discord chuckles lifting one of Luna's eyelids to see the word 'tilt' printed there. “There's always supposed to be two prim pretty perfect pony princesses and there wasn't another unicorn horn around I could aim that hit at. Moon butts gonna have to deal.”

“Yeah Poor Celestia got vacuumed right up.” Pinkie sighs. “It sucked.”

“Right and this is the best you can do? You're the god of chaos for bucks sake.” Rhede grumbles crouching to check on Luna.

“Former god of Chaos.” Discord corrects. “ In case you hadn't noticed, I'm not nearly as potent as I was before.”

“They have pills for that now.” Rainbow Dash chimes in getting a glare from everyone and a snerk of barely contained amusement from Pinkie Pie.

“Any way it's a long story, blah blah blah blasted by Elements, blah blah blah, I can't do anything major any more, blah blah blah.” Discord sighs. “Other wise I'd have cuffed the fool and thrown him in Tartarus by now, baring some misconceived notion of friendship I thought he was giving me which would have just been a trap that I fell for that then led to the open of a stupid box and a new castle and rainbow magic but that's something for a kid show. This is real life......”

“What about my magic?” Rainbow Dash asks not catching any of it.

“Look I don't have time for this we need to get these ponies out of here and I need to get to the Crystal Empire to see if Velkorn's alright.” Rhede growls.

Discord and Pinkie look at each other, the merriment suddenly gone from their faces.

“She's not.” Pinkie says. “I don't think she'll survive the trip. Tirek messed her up pretty bad.”

“What!?”Rhede snaps.

“We've been following him since he hit the Pie rock farm. Every ponies alive, but …. well they are all like Sun butt there, drained. Only Maud and Cheese Sandwich were missed. They came back from their honeymoon early to take care of the family while Pinkie and I chased after him. We tipped off the Guards to the stricken farms, the attack on the train and we set a trap to catch him only for him to slip past.” Discord sighs “By the time we caught up with him again he had already wrecked Gallopagos.”

“Rarity's dead, so's Lion Heart. Twilight is like Princess Celestia and Velkorn........ she's messed up pretty bad.” Pinkie mutters, her hair deflating. “ Sorry....”

Rhede looks between the two of them, neither of the pranksters willing to meet his gaze. The earth pony looks at Luna as she groans then at the hole Tirek had been blown through.

“First Jer and now Velkorn....... “ Rhede growls. “It feels like that damn test again after all this time....”

“What?” Discord questions.

“I'll tell you later.” Pinkie whispers.

“So hot.... I feel like... I'm burning...” Luna groans pushing herself shakily to her hooves before sitting down hard with a wince.” Tia..... what? Discord? Rhede what's going on?”

“The shit has hit the fan Princess and some one keeps throwing more. You've currently got power of the sun and moon in you.” Rhede glances down at her and smirks. “Took a thousand years but I guess we can do that New Lunar republic thing now.”

“Gahh, don't even joke. Still I can feel it, this is nothing like the moon, it's all heat and fire and rage, Starswirl was not that violent......... What.. what is going on?” Luna shivers

“Discord and Pinkie stopped the monster from draining your sisters powers Princess. Unfortunately it seems that the power had to go somewhere and that wound up going back into you.”

“We didn't save everything I think Tirek got some of the new blank flank here's power. Not sure what.” Discord mutters.

“Her talent for growing and her first flames. What she was before she was a Princess most likely. That couldn't be given to me. Just the goddess and Sun powers.” Luna mutters. “ Starswirl..... well the image of him said that much...

Rhede glances down at her flank frowning noting that Celestia's sun now adored Luna's flank, with the familiar crescent of Luna's moon in the center of it, the cutie mark was flickering and that in itself was unnerving. Still he had no time to dwell on it.

“I need to finish this.....” Luna grumbles trying to rise.

“Not a chance Princess. He drained your sister he could easily do the same to you particularly with you fighting the power you have ..... Besides I have a better plan.” Rhede order moving over to the Guard watching the hole up to the throne room and pulling the star metal Changeling detecting rod from the holster on the ponies leg.” What's your name solider?”

The pegasus ruffles a bit in surprise before answering.” Blue Light sir.”

“Good you are going to stay here and defend the Princess with your life, use this, it should disrupt the clones if you just so much as smack them with it. If you hit something and it doesn't turn to water. It's the real one. Keep in mind you are going to have to hit it like you are trying to kill it, there's only a sliver of star metal in these things and that bit on the tip has to break the skin for it to work.”

“Yes Sir.”

“Luna, I need you to focus, you know that spell you used during the noodle incident that sent your foals to the Crystal Empire?” Rhede asks.

“Yes... but that was prepared far in advance, I had to store power for some time......” Luna mutters.

“You've got about thirty minutes. That's best guess for how long I can keep him occupied. Discord help her out if you can she needs to move the whole population of New Canterlot this time.” Rhede snaps. “ No one needs to be left behind to be lunch for this thing.”

“That's a bit much.....” Discord mutters. “ Shouldn't you be worried about him eating your cutie mark?”

“Yeah cause he's gonna be really skilled at wooing mares if he gets me. Leave the dead and dying, focus on ponies who are still alive and moderately healthy, use Pinkie sense or what ever. Do that Unicorn trifecta thing.” Rhede mutters.

“But Pinkie Pie isn't a unicorn.” Luna protests glancing up to frown at Pinkie who had styled her hair into a big pink horn.

Rhede looks at Discord who sighs.” It will work, but we'll be sitting ducks down here.” the draconequus turns into a white duck in a blue sailor suit and no pants.

“Hey you got me.” Rainbow Dash chimes in, being largely ignored.

“Good, hide under a barrel or something. Luna can supply the power you two can fandangle it .”

“Yes sir captain sir!” Pinkie Pie salutes.

Rhede glances back and grins, though the expression was without humor. “ I'm not a Captain. I'm a General.”

The red pony yanks a cloak from his pouch pulling it over his head and vanishes from sight.

============================================================

[1200 hours. Red Hoof encampment. ]

“What the buck is this?” Sergeant Hunter questions. The green earth stallion shifts his gaze over the hastily built shelters and the collection of Guard ponies placed underneath said shelters. Hunter tosses his lime green mane with a sigh. He advances ducking under the flapping bit of tent to walk among the ponies laying on the ground, all of them in their own bed roll, all of them unconscious.

The pegasus Drill Sergeant, Sterling glances back motioning a few of the trainees with high medical scores forward to have a look.

“A couple of these aren't Guard. I recognize one or two from wanted posters, they're members of the Red Hoof.” Sterling comments.

“There's more to it. Look there.” Hunter comments pointing further up the path to a line of stones resting over mounds of earth.

“Graves?” Sterling asks flitting over to have a look at them.

“DRILL SERGENT WE GOT A LIVE ONE!” shouts one of the trainees.

Hunter turns galloping over towards the voice finding the trainees surrounding a rather weary looking white pegasus in scout armor.

“Oh thank Celestia... I couldn't keep doing this by myself … I have no idea how he did it.” The pony collapses dropping the buckets of water he held in his wings to the ground as he slumps.

“MEDIC!” hunter bellows crouching down next to the pony. “ What's your name Corporal?”

“Pin Feather sir.” the stallion pants. “Guard messenger 96th division. I'm normally stationed out of Chiacolt, but I'm on rotation.”

“What happened here?”

“I don't know I got here two days ago and everything was like this. There was some massive thing, something wearing a tent like a cloak, digging graves over there. He buried the last when I arrived. He grabbed me before I could get away and started telling me how to care for the unconscious ones. Told me their life was in my hooves now and then he just left. I've been feeding, giving water and trying to keep all 53 of these ponies alive on my own for two days... I haven't slept....... I need to report back... to let them know what's going on at Canterlot.”

“It's alright Guard, rest we have this. I need you to explain to these trainees what they need to do . We've got about thirty ponies to help out here. But I need you to think. Did this cloaked creature say anything else?” Hunter asks.

“No sir... wait no, he did ask me where he could find Twilight Sparkle. I told him I didn't know and he left. What would some one want with Princess Celestia's consort?”

“HUNTER!!! GET OVER HERE!” Sterling bellows.

“I'll be right back.” Hunter turns rushing over to where Sterling stood over one of the graves. What looked to be dragon and pony tracks criss-crossed the grave site and a shovel nearby had claw marks in the wood handle. A number of them had helmets or weapons decorating the simple unmarked stones clearly left to identify the bodies buried there. There was another mound of dirt near the cliff edge that didn't have a stone, but what it did have, was a well worn battle harness marked with the crest of the Lunar Guard, and a unadorned dark metal sword. Composed of two slightly curved blades with a simple dark blue cloth grip wrapped around the middle.

“Is that what I think it is?” Hunter asks.

“The Waning Moon.” Sterling agrees.

“TRAINIESS SEARCH THESE CAMPS, FIND ME A FLYING CHARIOT AND I NEED TWO PULLERS FOR A EMERGENCY RUN BACK TO CANTERLOT!”

“Take this with you Hunter. Princess Luna will need to know.” Sterling mutters gesturing to the sword.

“See what you can find on this grave digger, some one's going to have to answer for this and I pity any one who gets in the Princesses way.” Hunter sighs.

==============================================================

[ 1300 hours.]

“AHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!” Blue Blood screams galloping away from the massive creature chasing him though the front gates of his mansion. Orange Danish and a number of servants were hot on his hooves with one of the Tirek clones right behind them.

One of the maids screams as she was snatched up by the monster and shoved into it's mouth with a sickening bloody crunch. The creature chewed making a bloody mess , but didn't seem to try and swallow any of the unfortunate maid, just wear her.

“Split up! It can't follow all of us! Make for the Castle!” Orange yells galloping along beside Blue Blood who seemed to be rapidly running out of breath. “Stop yelling, focus on breathing.”

The other ponies split off rushing down various roads and alleys, the monster ignores them focusing on the screaming white unicorn stallion.

“It's still following us!!” Blueblood yelps.

“Stop screaming... look the castles not that far now.. We can make it.” Orange puffs doing a better job of controlling her breathing than Blueblood.

“”I'm not .. cut out for this sort of thing.” Blueblood stammers.

“You'll be fine just calm dow.... AHHH!” Orange yelps as she stumbles crashing to the ground. She glances down noting a golden glow wrapped around her fore hooves, looking up as Blueblood continues to run, his horn was glowing with the same magic.

“With your help I can, thank you love!” Blueblood shouts still galloping away.

“That.. that..... asshole...” Orange shrieks after him struggling to get her legs out of the magical bonds glaring after the fleeing Blueblood. A shadow falls over her and she turns looking up in the blood flecked maw of the creature towering over her.

Feeed.....” the monster growls reaching for the mare as she freezes wide eyed.

“CANNON BALLL!!!!!” Screams a voice from above.

The monster looks up in time to have four earth pony hooves and a spear slam into it's face. It's skull indents from the impact and the piercing strike before it suddenly turns into a massive puddle of water that splashes over Orange and drops the green earth pony off his perch in the monsters face sending him tumbling to the ground.

“Ow!! Son of a ….. why the buck did it pop!?” the Guard shakes his lime mane out flinging water every where before, looking up into the sky at the two pegasi pulling a small chariot he had just been in. “KEEP GOING TELL THE PRINCESSES, I'LL MAKE MY WAY TO THE CASTLE ON MY OWN!”

One of the pegasi salutes and the pair rush off.

Orange stands up sputtering water as the Guard approaches grinning and leaning heavily on his spear.

“Well well well, look who it is I thought the cute mare on the ground looked familiar. Howdy Orange. I must say the wet mane look looks damn good on you.” the Guard grins.

“Hunter what are you doing here?” Orange grumbles glaring at him from under her sodden hair.

“You mean aside from saving you from a monster like a hero of yore?”

“And breaking your leg in the process.” Orange snarks back.

“It's a sprain at worst.”

“I'm a doctor Hunter. I heard the crack.”

“Does that mean you'll kiss it and make it better?”

“No..... come on I'll help you get to some shelter at least. I can try to patch you up there.“ Orange sighs. “What on Equss made you think jumping off a chariot was a good idea?”

“Hey I kept telling you before I was falling for you, figure maybe if I showed you literally....”

“Oh by the stars stop there...” Orange growls pressing against his side to help the green earth pony keep the weight off his foreleg.

“Oh come on that was funny.” Hunter grins with a faint wince.

“Maybe a little.”

==============================================

[1315 hours]

Rhede was soaked, there was a veritable river running over the cobblestones around him and still more of them were coming. Despite it being little more than water any pony looking at him could have sworn the courtyard was running red with blood.

Rhede had emerged from the tunnel into the thick of fighting and had informed the Guards to retreat to the cellar to protect Luna. He collected a few of the star metal rods off fallen Guards. He had put them to very good use, every one he collected put down five or more of the clones before being broken beyond recovery. Still the clones continued to attack. Every so often he found one that used magic and thought he found his target only to pop them and find they were just smarter clones.

Rhede was starting to doubt he would find the real Tirek and decided to Tartarus with it.

“TIREK COME OUT AN PLAY!!!” Rhede bellows in a sing songy voice mimicking and mocking the earlier call to Celestia. The Royal Canterlot voice hurt his throat, but he was past caring about a minor pain.

Tirek pauses at the bellow, he had been trying to move around the throne room to another entry point and had made his way to the second floor, planing to bring the rest of the throne room down on the ponies in the basement, he doubted Luna or Discord would be killed, though their injuries from the structures collapse should make them easy prey.

Glancing out the window at the red pony in the court yard, he almost dismissed it as he saw two of his clones rushing the doomed fool from either side. The pony didn't move as he looked over the building, blue eyes searching for the real Tirek. When he finally did move, it was only his long black tail, two quick flicks to the left and the right and both of the clones rushing him suddenly cried out clutching their throats, turning to water as they crashed to the cobble stones on either side of the pony splashing him a little, though other wise not disturbing him in the slightest.

Tirek's eyes widen as the name finally matches the face in his stolen memories.

“Rhede Pelt.” Tirek snarls.”I should have expected I would have to deal with you.”

Tirek gathers energy in his hand snapping it towards the pony, who looked up at the glow and bounds away as the fireball explodes in the courtyard, boiling away the standing water and setting the very stone on fire. He growls hearing a window shatter. Looking over to the shower of glass further down the hall he was in, he flings another spell at the sound, the hall exploding with a blast of lightning, only striking a metal rod that was flung inside. Before the spell had even fully finished it's explosion, the broken window he had sent the first fireball through, shattered the rest of the way, showering him with glass as four heavy hooves slammed into his back. The red pony used Tirek as a spring board leaping up to bounce off a wall slinging a hail storm of daggers at Tirek with a heavy whip of his tail as he leaps back at the monster.

Tirek raises a shield quickly still feeling a few of the daggers slam into his flesh, the pony hits the shield as well back flipping away leaving a cluster of small apple sized devices behind to fall to Tirek's hooves. The explosion of fire blinded Tirek for a heart beat though the pony had landed further down the hall and was staring at him. His back burned where the pony had bounced off him, though he ignored it.

“Seems you did get some of Celestia's power. Those should have flash fried you. I suppose shrapnel bombs are the order of the day now.” Rhede states, his voice cold. “You killed my wife.” Rhede utters, his tail whisking like a cats, his ears flat to his head as he takes a step towards the massive creature.

“I've killed a lot of ponies. You'll have to be more specific.” Tirek chuckles.

“Velkorn.”

“Ah yes the zebra. Such a lovely scent that was, charred Zebra flesh.” Tirek taunts with a grin. A grin that slowly fades as the pony doesn't rush him, didn't scream any outrage or revenge, he simply advanced slowly, unnervingly. His mind was giving off a multitude of warning signals about Pelt when he acted like this. Both from the memories of Twilight and Jer'rahd.

“All that aside I suppose I should thank you for freeing me. After all if you hadn't slaughtered those elk and cut down the tree, I never would have gotten out.” Tirek's grin widens as the pony stops a flash of emotion crossing his face.

“Well then. I suppose it's my job to put you back then.” Rhede snarls finally flicking his head, the motion flipping a hood up over his face. He then promptly vanishes from sight.

Tirek's eyes widen as he raises a number of shields only for a long gash to form in his side as the pony reappears past the shields, his hooves slam again into the monsters side as he runs up Tirek's back leg stabbing him repeatedly with metal rods, leaving the things piercing his flesh right down to the bone.

The monster roars lashing out with a hand a wave of energy obliterating the wall behind him, though the pony had vanished again until a number of other stabs embed into his upper chest, more rods slammed into him all the way to the bone. Tirek yanks one of them out, noting that the tip had broken off and the wound burned like fire. Tirek growls bursting into flames with the scant power he had snagged from the Princess forcing his attacker back.

Rhede reappears before him staring up at Tirek a dagger hilt gripped in his teeth, the end of the weapon dripping a viscus green gray liquid. Tirek takes a step back looking at the poisoned blade the memory of the coloration and the feeling of the pain he was feeling settling into his mind from stolen memories. He looks back at his own body where necrosis was already starting to set in around the first hoof imprints in his back. The flesh around the metal rods was also starting to turn black, along with all the cuts. Tirek flinched as he realized there was star metal in the wounds and the necrosis was going faster then the shards of the metal would allow him to heal, leaving gaping patches of rotted flesh around each of the embedded rods and each cut.

“Wind Serpent Venom.... “ Tirek gasps, flinching.

“I doubt it will kill you unfortunately, but it's going to hurt like the fires of the sun.” Rhede smirks around the blade.

“You told Kaisur you didn't use poison!” Tirek snaps.

“I told Jer a lot of things. Doesn't mean any are true. ” Rhede snorts flicking his head and vanishing again. “I'm not the Bearer of Honesty.”

=================================================

[ 1315. Starry void of the magic plane]

“GAWDDAMN THAT'S A HUGE BITCH!” a voice shouts suddenly from no where in the starry void as Discord and Pinkie Pie look up at the massive eye of Luna staring down at them like the moon itself.

“Discord that isn't very nice... Despite being absolutely correct, some pony ate her Wheaties.” Pinkie Pie gawks.

“We do not have much time.” Luna's voice rumbles, her form flickering between white and her usual coloration.

“Don't worry your pretty little head about it Moon Butt.” Discord waves a claw pulling a top hat from no where and yanking a giant frog from it. He squeezes the frog and a massive scroll pops out of it's mouth hitting the ground and unrolling. He tosses the frog over his shoulder into the void, the amphibian shouting something that sounded like' Believe it' as it poofed out of existence. As the scroll unrolls a map of New Canterlot and the surrounding area forms on it. The city itself slowly starts to rise as clockwork gears and pistons form, pushing the city up into a three dimensional map of churning gears and pistons. Discord hums to himself as he watches the city grow and Pinkie glares at him.

“Rains of Castamere? How could you!?” the Pink mare snorts.

“Sorry it's a catchy song. Not like this is a wedding after all....” Discord sighs, looking down at the map multiple points of light appearing, many of them clustered around large buildings or under the map itself.

Pinkie pie leans down poking at a barn in Sweet Apple Acres. “ Hi Apple Jack! Hi Fluttershy!”

=========================================================

[1315 Sweet Apple Acres]

Fluttershy looks up from where she was guiding the foals into the storm cellar. Applejack was standing by the barn nearby looking around confused.

“Applejack did you hear that?” Fluttershy asks.

“Yeah sounded like Pinkie Pie....” Applejack admits.

===============================================

[ 1315. Starry void of the magic plane]

“Enough with the playing. How am I supposed to do this?” Luna states looking down at the map.

“Just focus on the dots Moon Butt. Pinkie and I will take care of the rest.” Discord smirks. We got this. All you have to do is push when we say and everything will at least be fairly sorta maybe okay

“As you say. Though tell me. What is the meaning of the line of energy connecting you two?” Luna asks.

Discord and Pinkie both jump looking to each other and then down to the flickering rope of energy running between the pair. They both jump to each other trying to hide it and manage to crash into each other instead.

“Never you mind. Focus Moon Butt.” Discord yelps.

“Stop calling me moon butt, Discord.” Luna snaps.

Pinkie Pie falls over in a fit of giggles as Discord smiles and holds out a clawed hand for Pinkie to drop a sack of bits in it.

“Told you I could do it.”Discord smirks.

“What?” Luna asks.

“You said 'butt'...” Pinkie snorts cackling.

“I am having doubts about this plan.” Luna sighs.

=================================================

[ 1330 hours ]

Tirek screams out vaporizing another wall. There were patches of black covering his body, chunks of his skin and flesh falling off of the bone. A section of his upper rib cage was showing the flesh of the lung seen beating underneath. He looked much like a porcupine with all the metal rods sticking out of him. Black blood soaked the ground around him, only rage, stubbornness, and the magic of two gods he had eaten kept him from collapsing. He couldn't fall, if he fell Pelt would find a way to kill him.

He had not been able to hit the damn pony, he couldn't even see the damn pony. None of Sparkle's spells stuck to the cloak long enough for it to appear. Pelt had never let the purple unicorn study the zebra cloaks, he had let Rarity have a look at one however to make something for Starfall. Tirek had destroyed the white mare not absorbed her, so the knowledge was lost. He needed to stop doing that, anything was critical at this point.

Still in the flailing and slinging of magic he had finally gotten lucky. The relentless attacks had stopped and there was a large splatter of bright crimson blood on the rocks of the collapsed wall. He narrows his eyes waiting for a trap though as the lightning and fire burning the stone around him die down, he could see the splatter of blood trail off to a black object on the ground pinned between some fallen rubble.

It was a black furred leg with a hoof.

Tirek grins, eyes following the trail of blood as it goes back into the castle.

“I will see you suffer for this Pelt.” Tirek mutters casting a number of healing spells on himself trying to fend off the onset of the poison, he couldn't fall now. He climbed up into the ruined hallway following the blood splatters, yanking out the rods one at a time as he moved, trying not to break off any further star metal slivers inside of himself.

Oh yes this pony was going to pay.

===================================================

[1350 hours. New Canterlot Castle store room.]

Tirek growls ripping one of the double doors off it's hinges and flings it aside. The light from the door way falls in a darkened room, a narrow path of light shows the outlines on a cavernous room packed wall to wall with barrels and boxes covered in tarps. The blood splatters lead right into the middle of them where Rhede Pelt was leaning back against a crate glaring up at him, the zebra cloak was bunched around his missing foreleg, a lit cigar dangling from his mouth.

“Took you long enough. I figure I was gonna bleed out before you even found me.” Rhede smirks snorting a bit of smoke from his nostrils. “I do hope that crap still hurts, more than my leg any way.”

Tirek growls striding forward a shield raised, though as he gets closer he notes how pale the red pony was, and how little the stump was bleeding.

“Hey if Jer's in there some where, tell him sorry, but it doesn't look like I'm gonna manage that drink with him when he comes back.” Rhede chuckles softly. “Already started on the new born cigar thing though. These things are pricey, couldn't let it go to waste.”

“He's not going to come back Pelt. You can have your drink when you meet him in what ever pony afterlife you two find yourselves in.” Tirek growls reaching down and grabbing Rhede off the ground.

The monster blinks a moment, looking at the limp pony in his grasp before dropping him back onto the floor.

“I can't take your power? What is this madness?”Tirek snarls

“Well there's a pretty simple reason for that. I've been dead for about two minutes now.” Rhede chuckles.

“Impossible.”

“Nah it's a very very old assassins trick. One where you keep your body going through sheer force of will, and a lot of drugs, but that's not important. It doesn't give me long, maybe ten, fifteen minutes at best, usually it's used so you can complete the mission before dying. Since that's kinda out of the question here, I just want to see the look on your stupid face in the end.”

“What are you babbling....” Tirek snaps his head up feeling a massive surge of power, one that passes over himself, a wave of energy radiating outward, not disturbing anything around him, including the pale pony before him. “What was that!?”

“Luna saving every pony I'd imagine. “ Rhede grins reaching up and pulling the cigar out of his mouth with his remaining hoof looking at the bright cherry red glow on the end. “That's not quite the look I was after though. I expect this will be though.”

Rhede flicks the cigar to the side, the brown cylinder bounces once and lands in what looks like a pile of ash.

“Heh, first try, good thing I don't miss.” Rhede smiles looking up at Tirek watching the monsters expression change from confusion to horror as the ash sparks and catches fire. The flash trailing towards the door and blowing up a number of bombs the pony had place over the entrance collapsing it turning the room black. The sparkling ash continues going the other way as well sending flickering light over Tirek's face before the trail vanishes into a barrel. A sudden hiss and a screech sound as a number of rockets shoot out of the barrel soaring to the cavernous ceiling, bouncing off the stone and raining down on the tarps and boxes filling the room. Rhede watches Tirek's expression become more and more panic as the rockets exploded and new hissing, much louder hissing was heard.

“Yeah, Pinkie and Discord bought 'A LOT' of fireworks for Jer and Luna's wedding.” Rhede grins at Tirek's expression, his eyes closing. “See yah soon Velky.”

And then the castle exploded.

=====================================================

[1430 hours Crystal Empire]

It was the screams and the crying that got to her, the air was full of the sounds. Those of the injured, those who had learned of their loved ones deaths. It was beyond anything she had seen before. Even the War of Gods wasn't this bad.

An hour ago six barges and a host of smaller ships and air craft arrived along the river from Gallopgos. The full tally was not in, but there was less than two thousand ponies, sea ponies, and half dragons on the ships. Gallopagos had been a settlement of close to seven thousand counting the surrounding river pony settlements.

Princess Cadence had learned that both Lord Lion Heart and Lady Rarity were dead. Shining's sister was with them, in a sense. She was badly wounded with several broken ribs and the signs of magical burn out, she also had no cutie mark and wouldn't wake up. Ambassador Pelt's wife Velkorn was also with them. The whole front of her body was burned black, her fore legs were both gone and if she survived this she would likely never hear, see, or even speak again given that her skull was visible in some parts of her face. One of the medics had cut a hole in her neck and put in a tube so that she could still breath. Even with medical magic Cadence had no idea how the mare was still alive.

The Half Dragon Guard Elecktra had sought her out with Lady Rarity and Lord Lion Hearts foal, Elusive. The foal had not stopped screaming and crying since he had gotten here. She and Locust had done their best and barely gotten the colt to sleep. Elecktra had refused to leave the foals side after Rarity's last order and had taken up a spot in the room with him. Talia and the other Guards were doing what they could to gather the names of the missing and the known dead, though they were having difficulty keeping order even with the aid of the Crystal Guard.

Then thirty minutes ago it gotten worse.

Thousands of ponies suddenly started appearing in flashes of light around the city, some of them dropping from the air as they appeared, high off the ground. Some popped in atop of buildings or in homes. Several had appeared in the palace itself . Nearly all of them were confused and in a panic about what was going on and where they were. The chaos from that was only made worse when Princess Luna herself appeared in the throne room with a host of Royal and Lunar Guard, a gray pegasus mare in a black and purple outfit, Pinkie Pie and Discord.

Luna managed only two steps before collapsing near an already prone white earth pony mare that Cadence had to be told was her aunt Celestia. Discord and Pinkie Pie promptly collapsed atop of each other as well, leaving the Guard and the pegasus freaking out.

Cadence was not exactly in the right mind set any way to deal with this and once she was done shouting at the group of them sending the Royal and Lunar Guards out to help Shining and the Crystal Guard. One of the Guards stayed behind to help clear everything up for her. Cadence was a little leery about the mare claiming to be Rainbow Dash until the mare pulled off her goggles and tried to explain what was going on faster than Cadence could keep up.

It was after the arrival of Starfall, carrying Dawn, Applejack and Fluttershy that things finally got under some semblance of order and the explanations of what happened were given.

“Sorry to dump this on you, but we didn't have much choice Princess.” Starfall sighs.” Where's Rhede?”

“I'm sorry,” Pinkie Pie mutters. “We couldn't find him, we didn't see his star any where in that voidy place.”

“Voidy place, what does that mean?” Cadence asks.

The remaining Guard, Blue Light and Rainbow Dash both wince.

“It means he's dead. Princess Luna, Discord, and Pinkie Pie were trying to grab everyone and Rhede told them to ignore the dead and dying and focus on the living. If they couldn't find him, he was one of those.”Rainbow Dash states slowly.

“No way.... Rhede.... “Starfall's eyes widen and she stumbles a bit as she turns moving away from the group.

“By the stars.” Cadence shudders sitting down hard. “This is the worst thing.”

“Hey sugar not to interrupt, but what's with all tha half dragon around here? Thought you only had a bunch of changelings?” Applejack asks.

“The same thing that happened to Canterlot happened to Gallopagos.” Starfall mutters.

“Oh no. Is Rarity and her family okay?” Fluttershy whimpers.

“No...... no..... Rarity and Lion Heart are dead.....” Cadence mutters her ears drooping as the yellow pegasus starts whimpering than then outright crying and Applejack seeming on the verge of it herself. Dash simply flopped to the floor as everything finally hit her and AJ cradled the sobbing yellow pegaus.

“What about Velkorn and Twilight?” Starfall asks. “She's not going to be happy about Rhede.”

“Twilight is injured but fine, she's not waking up though.”Cadence frowns hating to do this again, but it was not as if she could do anything else to help out at the moment and they would learn soon enough. “Velkorn is only being kept alive though what ever stubbornness she has and magical life support. There's not much of a chance she'll make it.”

Cadence winces as Starfall collapses trying hard not to be bawling like Fluttershy.

“Luna ain't gonna like this when she wakes up. Neither is Jer.” Apple Jack mutters her voice cracking a little.

“I am afraid the Major is missing and presumed dead as well Miss Applejack.” Blue Light states. “ No one has heard anything from him or any of the others sent on the mission to deal with the Red Hoof Gang.”

“I'll find some rooms for you all.” Cadence mutters. “And a doctor to check on every one here.“

“Big Mac's got tha foals and Rhede's twins....... well ah guess we better count um as ours unless Velkorn recovers..... Ain't tha way ah wanted to adopt any more......” Applejack sighs.

“I'll go find them for you Miss.” Blue Light states following after Princess Cadence.

“Find Air Commander Peach Blossom as well.” Starfall calls out with a choked sob. “Tell him I'm here.”

Cadence lowers her head as the Guard nods, her wings drooping as well as she and Blue Light walk out of the throne room, leaving the mourning ponies.

Starfall slowly pushes herself back up, tears running along her muzzle, though there was a furious expression one her face.

“Dash, did you get what I sent you for?”

“What? oh... yeah, yeah I did.” Rainbow Dash stammers wiping her own eyes with the back of her hoof. “ Will they even work? Rhede said you needed the ones who bonded with each other.”

“What they hay are you talking about?” Applejack asks, watching as Rainbow Dash pulls a box from under her wing, opening the cover to reveal the Element's of Harmony.

“Rhede doesn't....... didn't know everything. The Element of Honesty allowed me to wear my armor again when I went after Wind Razor. There might be other things they can do to help.”

“Well they spoke to us,.” Applejack mutters. “Took over a couple of us too so that they could help stop Canterlot from Crushing Ponyville. Might be at the very least they ken tell us what tha heck we're dealing with here...... awwww shit.....”

“What? What's wrong now?” Rainbow Dash questions.

“Applebloom and tha others weren't in Canterlot and they were supposed to be coming back by train today!” Applejack grinds her teeth in worry.”

“Trains were stopped yesterday. They should all be stuck in Los Pegasus.” Starfall explains.

“Well that's good at least. They're safer there, than here I spect.” Applejack exhales.

================================================

[1500 Hours Remains of Canterlot Castle. ]

“GRAAAAAAH!!!!” a large stone was shoved aside as a massive figure pushes itself out of the rubble. The figure was covered in burns and patches of rotting flesh, black icor dripped from a number of wounds and several metal rods were jabbed into his flesh. It looked more like a half formed zombie than any sort of creature that should be alive

Tirek's gaze shifted over the remains of the castle. He was standing in what had once been the throne room. All around him was devastation. The massive structure of Canterlot Castle was completely leveled. He could see a number of stones embedded into houses all the way in the Ponyville district. The monument arch remained unscathed, though Tirek had a strong desire to knock it over out of spite.

He growled looking back at the rubble, if he had not poured all his energy into his shields, that blast might have actually killed him. As it was his body had stopped healing itself all together and he had burned through his reserves just trying to get out of the rubble. The poison Pelt had pumped into him was stopped, but until he recovered, sections of his flesh would remain rotted. This was going to take far longer than he liked.

Tirek stumbled away from the hole his eyes not seeing anything moving but the flicker of flames. No ponies, no clones, nothing. Had he not left two of the smarter ones at the pool making clones until the pond was dry, he would be a bit worried about losing seven score of the things. Right now his main concern was that his ears wouldn't stop ringing. The monster reaches up to rub his ears with a wince, so help him if Pelt had made him go deaf, he'd find a way to resurrect the damn pony just to kill him again.

Tirek pauses his eyes widening. His hands left his ears as he tried to look up at his own head, one hand gripped his long black horn, the other grasped at nothing. His left horn was little more than a jagged stump, not even an apple length from his temple.

“GRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!” Tirek bellows.

===============================================================

[ 1500 hours, south East of White Tail Woods]

“By Celestia's fluffy tail this is taking forever!!!” Sweetiebelle moans falling back in the cart and kicking her legs in the air.

“Ah dun wanna hear it Sweetiebelle. It's barely been two hours an you were just as adamant about walking as every pony else.” Applebloom snorts from where she was pulling the cart. “Only one who gets ta complain about tha time it takes is Pip, since he didna wanna come this way any way.”

“I'm good.” Pip mutters looking over the map as he sat in the back of the cart trying to avoid looking at Scootaloo who still floated above them on a cloud, her small wings slowly fanning her along, the only sign of movement from her.

The group of them had come across a cross roads shop an hour ago and Pip had picked up a map of the area for a few bits. Sweetiebelle had nearly cleaned out the shop replacing some of the souvenirs that had been lost from the dragon attack. Applebloom had found out she was related to the shop keeper and chatted for a bit, while Scootaloo stayed outside with the cart, still not talking to any of them. Pip had been going over the map for lack of anything better to do.

“We're just now getting around Ever Rest and coming up on White Tail Woods.” Pip explains, glancing up when the cart shudders as Applebloom stumbles. “ Something wrong Applebloom?”

“No.. yes … maybe.... somethin about this place. Ken any of you feel it?” Applebloom blurts out.

“Can't say I feel anything but bored.” Sweetiebelle mutters as Pip shakes his head.

“Fraid ah don't feel anything.“ Pip comments.

“Think it might have to do with that seed of yours?” Scootaloo asks, that she suddenly spoke again caused most of them to jump.

“ I dunno... What's tha map show is around here?” Applebloom asks, starting to pull the cart again.

“Well the path should start running along side a river here soon, then it follows the edge White Tail woods following the river. There's not much more to that map then that in this area. White Tail woods is pretty much just a green blob. Which is kinda weird given how detailed most of the map is. I expect it's due to the fact no ones really mapped out the place.” Pip explains.

“Wonder why that is. I figured Equestria had been mapped out to every little stone by this point.” Sweetiebelle waves a hoof.

“Well it might have something to do with the warning. 'Here there be deer.' “ Pip comments.

“Here there be deer? Was the map maker a zebra or something?” Scootaloo snarks.

“They might mean Elk. From what I recall from history and what I've heard White Tail Woods used to have a sizable population of them. Though the place has been left alone for over a thousand years, and supposedly a lot of Elk have returned to the place. Ta tell the truth I wouldn't mind having a look. Like Sweetiebelle said, there's not many unexplored places left in Equestria.” Pip glances up to the woods along the path. His cutie- mark was some what based of exploration, and his uncle Rhede figured he would make a great Guard scout.

“What's an elk?” Scootaloo asks.

“Dunno. Never seen one.” Pip admits.

“Supposedly they're like ponies, but taller and thinner with short tails like a rabbit, cloven hooves like a goats, and antler like things on their head instead of horns like the Caribou. Some older races call them Fey. They're supposed to know all kinds of natural magic and have spells that focus on the spirits in living things. They have their own language which is supposed to be unpronounceable by most races making them hard to talk to. They also have the life span like dragons, and often steal newborn foals and replace them with baby Elk to be raised by ponies before they're stolen away again after they come of age.

“Do I want to know how you know all that?” Scootaloo grumbles.

“They're in a bunch of Button's games.” Sweetiebelle states proudly.

“I was right I didn't” Scootaloo sighs.

“Elk........” Applebloom comments mostly to herself before stopping the cart again.

“Now what?” Sweetie asks.

“Elk are what ah keep seeing in those nightmares..... Rhede musta known though.....”Applebloom comments, muttering the last bit to her self.

“I thought all you ever saw was vague shapes?” Pip comments.

“I used to, but lately everything's been a lot clearer in mai dreams.“ Applebloom sighs. “Sweetie just described what I've been seeing and I heard them called Elk once in that dream ah had on tha train.”

“Nightmares, strange feelings, that weird seed rock thing in the necklace....” Scootaloo lists.

“Zecora saying that thing is important....” Pip comments.

“Are you guys thinking what I'm thinking?” Sweetiebelle grins.

“I'd need to loose more brain cells to think down at your level, but yeah I get the gist.” Scootaloo grins.

“I think I'm glad I mentioned this trip might take two weeks to Ma and Da.” Pip sighs. “Head up along the road here until we get to where the river forks, we ken follow the bigger water way into the woods.”

“What ….. Seriously you guys?” Applebloom asks.

“Hey, I did say we were gonna try to get you a cutie mark if we could on this trip. You're lousy at gambling so maybe this is it.” Sweetiebelle points out.

“I'll send a message tah auntie Celestia, least tha sending crystals working. Da's gonna have a fit ah broke one of them still.”Pip grumbles.

“Yeah lets goo... hey wait Scootaloo that was mean!” Sweetiebelle grows.

=======================================================

[1530 hours ruins of New Canterlot]

Tirek growled sitting on the toppled remains of the throne of the sun. This had been a bad day. All of the clones he brought with him to New Canterlot were gone, he had only managed to absorb a few score of ponies and had barely managed to get a taste of Celestia's power.

The only advantage he had now was that this was not ALL the clones he had made. The mirror pool had been flooded he had made dozens of direct clones of himself before letting the first generation of clones make their own army. Even the first generation of his clones were weaker than he was, though not by that much. They also knew they couldn't steal powers, and they had the same goals as he did.

Right now there were armies of himself marching and teleporting to all the major cities in Equestria and others were working on mimicking Twilight's warp gate enchantment so that they could easily lay siege to the other nations of the world.

Despite how much this day had sucked, it was only a minor setback at worst. His forces would gather up all the ponies they could grab and bring them back to New Canterlot, where he would be waiting to drain them. He briefly considered digging through the rubble of the forbidden wing to see if he could find a way to raise the drained ponies to add to his army. Granted he was certain Twilight had read everything there and all he needed to do was think long enough. It would give him something to do while he waited for his regeneration to renew the rotting flesh that Pelt had inflicted on him.

“Hello? Auntie Celestia? “ crackles a voice.

Tirek lifts his head looking around as the voice repeats itself. Staring down at the throne he was perched on, he rises, pulling aside the chard couch cushion to find a green message receiving stone.

“Hello auntie Celestia, it's Pip... I guess you might be in court sorry if I'm interrupting something. “Pip states

“Hi Princess!!” shouts a female voice

“Sweetiebelle shut up.” another female voice with a southern drawl hisses.

“Um any way, everything's fine it's just we might have a lead on something to do with Applebloom's nightmares and that thing she was given. We probably won't be back for a few more days, we'll be in...”

“Don't tell her this could be an unsecured line!” Sweetiebelle shouts.

“It's not an unsecured line it's a bleeding one way message crystal........ Oh for Ma's sake.... The things blinking, it's run outta charge, I filled tha thing up before ah left Las Pegasus. Just tell Ma to pop into mai dreams again if she's got tha ti.....” Pip was cut off as the crystal beeps.

“Well that was pointless....” Tirek mutters tossing the crystal to the side letting it shatter on the ground. He sighs grumbling a little a few stray memories from Sunshine floating into his mind about Applebloom and her nightmares. Little by little an image of what the filly had been given came to his mind.

“A necklace with a stone in it, one that some how unnerves me to think of?” Tirek ponders. “Blast this power to the sky, it tells me what's important, but not why.”

Tirek growls .

“And there's the bucking rhyming again!”

Author's Note:

Title - End of all Hope - Night wish

I am sure a number of you are absolutely hating me at this point. I can also see a number of theories die just as i watch others spring to life....

I've never quite gotten this dark before, though in the Last Dance plot line that i rolled into this one, what happened in this chapter happened there as well. Though much like Rarity it was again due to Blue blood.

Now before any of you go bashing me about Blueblood in this, i follow a number of Stories were Blueblood is neither scum, and in two of them he's rather heroic. My Blueblood is pure scum however.

I dumped quite a lot on people in this one and i hope that those that claimed Rarity and Lion Hearts ends were too short are happier with this one......

Well relatively i mean , i expected every one would be happier if i didn't kill them , but ... yeah.

Comments

[SilentMech]

I am mildly happy with the end Rhede chose. Only mildly because he refused to give Tirek any thing but necrosis and pain, instead of just pampering his wife and doing his absolute damnedest to help her recover. Then again, princess Luna now has both celestial bodies under her control. Also, I think I know what you have planned for Twilight now that she is without magic. Alicorn Twilight, without the extenuating bs of fixing a forgotten spell, while actually making sense.

[Zibrony]

I am glad I actually read the chapter this time, before looking at the comments. I kinda am liking where this is going. Next chapter out on Thursday next week right?

[xaldinlance]

Jesus Christ. The jade scroll is a DICK

[Eye]

So...

Mysterious "thing" burying dead ponies on the Stronghold. Jer pretty much confirmed dead.
Rhede died... in a good way.
And the heartbreaking information about the deaths. Oh help me. Sun.. Moon... Moonsun Butt will be VERY Angry

TBH, the chapter wasn't as dark as the others before, but still had a moody environment. Of course, Discord and Pinkie Pie pretty much uplifted it a bit.

Also, as far as i can remember, there IS some afterlife, so can we expect some afterlife conversations between the dead?

[TDR]

5900908 Keep in mind with how Pinkie Pie and Discord reacted he thought Velkorn was already dead, given all the reports they had gotten from the Guards they sent to Gallopagos he was already expecting the worst. Jer'rahd, and Luna might be the most noticable scary arse ones in the group, but keep in mind all of the Beasts have a some what sadistic dark side that comes out in certain situations. As for the alicorn Twilight, no. it's not what you think. Celestia and Twilight are pretty much mindless coma patiants right now, Luna can't share with any of them. And when she wakes up do you think she would give up one iota of power that could help her revenge?

5901080 at the rate i'm going? no idea.

5901678 This is the book that took over a dragon gods body and turned it into a mummy so he could take physical form. Yeah Jade Scrolls a dick.

5901724

Pretty much, the thing will come up later
Heroic self sacrificing deaths are the best ones.
Sunbutt will not be waking up until this is all over, same with Twilight and all others whose power was taken. Moonbutt on the other hand.....

Yeah i did need to add some light moments and the Pinkie/Discord/ Tirek scene had been planed for a long while, this also reveals they are the random voices in earlier chapters.

and yes something like that. The starry void/plane of magic, has a connection to the afterlife as shown by Discord talking to all of his dead friends in MoT and all the stuff Twilight and Jer'rahd did.

[Zibrony]

5901758 You wouldn't kill off a pregnant mare now would you?..... oh right.... I forgot who I was talking to....

Well whatever you are doing, keep it up. You are on a roll this month with chapters!!!

[PoniNinja]

I'm happy with this stuff, kill whoever you want off as long as it makes sense and you write it properly, definitely better than the rarity death scene that one seemed to be fired out of nowhere tbh, but this time it reads quite nicely.

[xaldinlance]

5901758 how the buck did a book kill a (insert color here) dragon God?! There's no way trolls did it is there

[TDR]

5902567 Jade scroll is odd. If you recall he made himself a book without help of the others. More on this later.

[xaldinlance]

5902601

And what color was it or did I miss that?

[TDR]

5902659 It was never mentioned because it was largely irrelevant The jade scroll was in that body before Celestia was born

[xaldinlance]

5902728 holy crapbaskets. Just how old are these books?

[TDR]

5902748 Well given the Gray Grimiore is the first alicorn god....... pretty damn old. The book Spike found in memories of Twilight about the books mentioned a lot of their ages in hints.

.. Crap i'm gonna do a time line in a blog

[runningotters]

this story good I really like where its headed I got all chocked up for large parts of this chapter keep up the good work

[Anvil Crawler]

With the time line, you could add a living/dead chart are something. PS a family/acquaintance tree that combines all of the parts of stories in stone could be cool to make at some point.

[Chaos alien]

I had a feeling that those two voices from the last chapter was discord and pinkie

Wow pip sendin that message could have turn out extremely badly!

Heh naruto reference, speaking of naruto my favorite character is shikamaru because he smart and he doesn't work hard e works smarter and he doesn't advertise his skills kinda reminds me of this pony I once knew.... My favorite from this story...... Because my mamma told me Rhede Pelt is my fathers name!

[Pentel123]

STOP KILLING PONIES!

In all seriousness, I am loving this installment even if I have to prepare for several days before reading each new chapter.

[Brony4hire]

....rhede was my favorite character
I'm trying to catch up with the story because I'm on an 8 hour drive back from Florida and I literally cried when cadence was giving everybody the news
Y DOES EVERYPONY HAVE TO DIE!!!

[Akantia]

Again.
On the list of things that are not okay.
This. Is. Not. Okay.

Goddamnit. First Jer'rahd, then Lionheart, Rarity and now Rhede. Velkon is pretty much done for. This story is going to hell

[Jirodyne]

“What on Equss made you think jumping off a chariot was a good idea?”

“Hey I kept telling you before I was falling for you, figure maybe if I showed you literally....”

I hope Tirek eats that guy...

[Eyes of Avo]

I am sure a number of you are absolutely hating me at this point

Eeyup. This has gotten so dark I'm regretting I didn't stop at the last one, don't get me wrong the writing is excellent as always, but I don't like "game of ponies" where everyone is killed.

[jwizard]

I've seen Blueblood both ways. He makes a great Terl; clever yet stupid at the same time. Plus, since he's known to represent the very worst of nobility, he's hated on that point as well.

At the same time, I like those fics where his act is just that, or something happens to have him do a complete 180. He's perhaps one of the few male ponies that is fleshed out enough to actually believably play either a bad guy or good guy role.

Still. Blueblood bashing is fun. Everypony remembers how he treated our favorite Fashionita...

THAT YOU THOUGHT YOU HAD TO BUCKING KILL!!

[PonyDragon]

Okay, now I'm really confused about the story order.

I've never quite gotten this dark before, though in the Last Dance plot line that i rolled into this one, what happened in this chapter happened there as well.

I thought the order is the following:

1. Luna's Royal Guard.
2. Memories of Twilight
3. Lost Empire
4. Capricorn's Curse
5. Last Dance [in progress]

Why are you suddenly talking about Last Dance in Lost Empire? It shouldn't have happened yet.
Did you maybe work out the storyline already and now you let events happen earlier than expected or something like that?

[TDR]

8960299
Sorry last dance was first thought up around this point. Raritys death took place in the first idea of last dance not in Lost Empire. But i rolled that idea in here rather than keep it seperate.

I can see why my words would be confusing. Though your time line is correct.

[PonyDragon]

8960301
Okay.
Thanks for clearing this up!

Also my offer from a while ago still stands.
For example, you could improve this story-description by formatting the links to book one and two like this:

[url=https://www.fimfiction.net/story/1918/stories-in-stone-lunas-royal-guard]First Book[/url]
[url=https://www.fimfiction.net/story/71261/stories-in-stone-memories-of-twilight]Second Book[/url]

Result:
First Book
Second Book
(In my personal opinion this looks better.)