Doomsday

by SilentWanderer

Darkest Hour

“Rainbow?”

“You are early, Lightning! Didn't we schedule our training for later today?”

The pegasus landed on Rainbow Wing's balcony.

“Yes, but something came up.”

“What?”

“Your death.”

Rainbow Wing did not have time to react. The javelin thrown by Lightning hit her body.

“Why?...”

As Rainbow Wing's conciousness faded, she thought she saw Lightning's body change its shape.

-*-*-*-

It was a beautiful morning at Equestria City. The dome covering the ecumenopolis glowed with a warm and soft light. Many ponies wandered about, feeling safe in the uninterrupted peace that they had been enjoying for more than a hundred years.

The one responsible for that peace walked calmly through a wide open area, enjoying the carefree way her citizens went about their lives.

She stopped. A series of alerts had lighted up on her cybernetic glasses. Alarmed, she teleported.

-*-*-*-

“Do not be scared, my little friends. I will protect you.”

The animals of the forest surrounded Butter. In the distance, loud crashes announced the fall of several trees.

“I hope everyone else is safe.”

All the animals stopped and stared fixedly at the butterfly-winged pegasus. None moved. There was no sound, not even the wind.

“A-Are you all right?”

All the animals convulsed at the same time. Many thick dark gray tentacles erupted from all the animals, converging on the helpless pegasus.

She cried in fear, while she was crushed by all the tentacles.

-*-*-*-

“Alright, kids, which story do you want to hear today?”

Happy Party was seated in a bench. A dozen of foals sat in a semicircle in front of her.

“I want to hear the one where you die,” said one of the foals.

“I do not have any story like that.”

“The one where you die!” said another foal.

“The one where you die!” chanted all the foals in unison. “The one where you die!”

The foals stopped and stared at the unicorn. A single thick dark gray tentacle emerged from each foal, converging on the bench.

Happy Party was crushed by all the tentacles.

-*-*-*-

“The worst has happened.”

In an almost empty room, stood a pink-maned white unicorn, who was speaking to a big block of dark blue crystal.

“We have to fight, little sister.”

“How can I fight, after she imprisioned me like this?”

“She trusts me. She left me a special spell, to be used only in the most dire of the circumstances. I can use it only once, and it will alert her immediately.

“This spell is a key. It will immediately release us both from her imprisionment.”

“We were always the biggest risk to her plans. Why would she give you that spell?”

“I asked her the same question. She answered that she feared that one day, something would happen that would be so dangerous, that she would be willing to risk everything else she had fought for, to protect the citizens of Equestria. In that case, and only in that case, I should use this spell. No matter what we do now, it will be less trouble for her than what we are facing.”

-*-*-*-

“Excuse me!”

“You were scheduled for next week. Why are you here today?”

The green unicorn entered Sweet Light's studio.

“Of course I could wait until next week! But you are such a fabulous pony, who never turns anypony down! I am sure you will help me!” The unicorn sat herself behind a low desk.

Sweet Light's deep black eyes gazed at the intruder.

“I will get you a drink.”

Sweet Light went towards one of the side rooms.

The unicorn smiled and fired a beam of energy at the pegasus' back.

Sweet Light jumped sideways and evaded the beam. At the same time, the desk lifted by itself, blocking the unicorn's sight, and several scissors and needles flew from the shelves towards the unicorn.

The desk fell to the ground with a thud, revealing the wounded unicorn.

“You are not a unicorn... How could... you use... magic...”

“Nanomachines. In the desk and tools. But that knowledge is of no use for you now.”

The unicorn closed her eyes. Without warning, a thick dark gray tentacle erupted from the unicorn's body, catching Sweet Light by surprise.

The tentacle pressed Sweet Light against the studio's transparent wall, which broke. Her wings wounded, Sweet Light fell towards the distant ground.

-*-*-*-

The trees were weeping.

While Apple Seed stared in amazement, a thick black fluid oozed from the fruits of her beloved apple trees, covering the ground.

The ceiling darkened and reddened. There was a deafening scream, unlike the scream of any creature who had ever lived in Equestria.

Apple Seed ran away.

The black fluid in the ground oozed upwards into the air. Tentacles formed from it, encircling and crushing the helpless pony.

-*-*-*-

The Administrator arrived from her teleport, almost at the same place she had teleported from. Her body was now full of bruises, and she was bleeding from several wounds. Her broken glasses fell to the ground.

Resting her body against the nearby wall, she crawled, leaving a trail of blood. After a few steps, a section of the wall opened, revealing a small niche. From the niche, robotic arms emerged, piercing the Administrator's body with many needles.

After a few minutes, the robotic arms retracted, and the niche closed itself. The Administrator resumed her walk along the wall, her bleeding having subsided.

After a few more steps, a section of the wall slid downwards, revealing an unlit tunnel, which the Administrator entered.

-*-*-*-

The Administrator stumbled into a large room, made entirely of crystal.

The whole room shook, while the Administrator walked towards its middle. Shards of crystal fell from the ceiling all over the room.

She lay down in the middle of the room, and looked up. Cracks formed in the ceiling above her. Jagged blocks of crystal fell, revealing an endless void.

The void appeared to pulsate. The Administrator closed her eyes, and cast a spell.

The whole city now glowed with a purple light. With an unnatural noise, the tentacles all over the city slowly retreated and disappeared.

The Administrator opened her eyes again. After a pause, struggling to breathe, she spoke without moving her mouth, forming her words with magic.

“Yes, you may help.”

...

“These pass codes will allow you to bypass the security systems.”

...

“I believed I could fight them. I was wrong. I believed I could not fight destiny... I hope I was wrong too.”