The Elements of Chaos

by Mossbender

The Chaos War: Equestria's Salvation

Part Two: The Hunt For Star Swirl

Two thousand years ago...

The soldier limped heavily as he moved towards the general's position. His legs were covered in a great deal of cuts and bruises. "General Puddinghead! We must fall back! Our forces are outnumbered ten to one! W- we have to retreat and regroup!"

The general put a hoof to his forehead. A small headache had formed and was bothering him. "Damn it all! I don't want to return to my insane wife so soon! As much as I... er... care for her, we have a battle to win!"

The soldier reeled back in surprise. "G- general? Such foul language! It brings bad luck!"

Puddinghead laughed at him. "Bad luck? I can say whatever the hell I want to! I'll be dead before they pass a law banning my vocabulary! Now, what were you saying? You have to speak up lad."

The soldier gulped. "We are being pushed back on all fronts sir. Squadron Twelve has been utterly decimated. We can't win this battle! We must retreat to the edge of the woods!"

The general closed his eyes and sighed. "As much as I want to see the hell spawn sent back to where they came from, you're right soldier. Sound the horns, we'll be retreating back to the main camp at the edge of the Palomino Woods. Go soldier! We are losing valuable lives with every second that passes!"

The soldier saluted and limped out of the makeshift tent that the general had set up as a temporary command post.

"Might as well see the situation for myself..." Puddinghead muttered. He left the command tent and walked over to the nearby cliff. It gave him a clear view of the battle transpiring in the open field below. It wasn't a pretty sight to behold. A wall of shadows sat on the horizon, pouring forth a new batch of hellish demons every now and then.

It had now been three weeks since the arrival of The Endbringer as he so called himself. Nopony knew where he came from or why, but all he sought was the complete and utter obliteration of their land, possibly followed by the rest of the world. Puddinghead knew from the beginning that they were fighting a war that they had a slim chance at winning. A very slim chance at winning.

I'll be damned if we don't fight to the bitter end, Puddinghead thought. Horns suddenly began to blare, the signal for retreat. He watched as his troops finished off their current opponents before fleeing into the safety of the woods, the demons hot on their tails. Whoever lagged behind met a most unfortunate end. Star Swirl better have figured out how to put up that shield by now, or else we'll have to keep running until The Endbringer decides to stop toying with us and destroys us all!

Puddinghead returned to his tent and quickly packed battle plans and positions into a nearby saddlebag before he tossed it onto his back. He picked up his helmet last and placed it gently on his head. The helmet used to belong to Puddinghead's great grandpony during the days that their races fought against one another, and he wore it with pride.

One final thing left to do... Puddinghead thought. He left the tent and picked up one of the burning torches that helped to keep the insects away and tossed it inside. The dry tent quickly caught on fire and went up in flames. Content with his work, he too retreated into the woods.

Puddinghead made his way through the woods with ease. He had been through them many times before in the past when they were tracking the demon army's position. I hope most of my troops made it to the other side... what was my wife thinking by telling me to have a surprise attack without the assistance of the Unicorns or the Pegasi? For a united nation, we sure don't fight well together... I hope I'm not catching my wife's crazy.

He reached the edge of the woods at last, only to be greeted with hundreds of tents that laid before him. He had reached base camp safely, but he hadn't seen any signs of his troops yet. Two Pegasus guards flew down to meet him before he entered the camp.

"General Puddinghead! Where have you been sir? You and your troops have been missing all morning! What have you been up to?" the guard on his right asked.

Puddinghead shook his head. "No time to explain right now, round up whatever ponies you can. The hell spawn are soon to attack this place."

The guards looked at each other and nodded. "Right away general. We'll let the others know."

"Wait! Before you go, where is Star Swirl? If we want to survive this, we'll need that shield of his up anytime now!" Puddinghead yelled.

"Calm down general. Star Swirl is performing the spell as we speak in the middle of the camp," the right guard said. They both flew away to spread the word around the camp. Puddinghead began to make his way through the camp, receiving nods or salutes as he passed ponies of various types.

It didn't take him long to reach the middle of the camp where a small clearing had been made for Star Swirl and the Unicorns surrounding him. The old wizard's eyes were closed, deep in concentration. Puddinghead watched as Star Swirl's mouth moved quickly but quietly, whispering words that Puddinghead wouldn't understand. He saw that the other leaders and their advisors had also gathered around him, watching them from a safe distance.

The first leader he noticed was Commander Hurricane, the leader of the Pegasi and one of Puddinghead's most trustworthy friends. The two had gotten along immediately after the founding of Equestria due to both of their love for military tactics and battle. He was surprised that his wife had been able to somehow get along with the other two leaders while he was sick.

She had taken his place as temporary leader of the Earth ponies, but he quickly took control back after he was feeling better. Next to Hurricane was his adviser, well, a subordinate known as Private Pansy. Puddinghead didn't know much about her, but assumed that she and Hurricane were close.

The next leader, alongside his daughter, were both Unicorns which Puddinghead remained on neutral ground with still. King Bullion and his daughter, Princess Platinum. While King Bullion was away negotiating trading with the wild Griffons, he gave control of the Unicorn Kingdom to his daughter Princess Platinum, who somehow also managed to come to an agreement with his tribe and Commander Hurricane's.

From the rumors he had heard about Platinum though, she apparently still felt that Unicorns were the superior race, even though they were all supposed be equal.

Take one cog out of the machine, the whole thing shuts down, Puddinghead thought. The two Unicorns that he respected were Star Swirl and his student Clover. Clover was unfortunately still an adviser to the king and the princess. Puddinghead felt that her talent and time could be put to better use elsewhere, such as spending more time learning from Star Swirl.

The last two ponies that were present was his wife and his most trusted adviser, Smart Cookie. Smart Cookie had been by his side ever since they were both little foals. He always regretted not marrying her, and even at one point was willing to divorce his current wife to do so. Puddinghead still felt in his heart that his wife did something to him that made him choose her, but he had no evidence to prove it. Taking a deep breath, he walked towards the group until he stood next to Smart Cookie.

His wife had unfortunately noticed him as well. "Fudgekins! You're still ali— I mean you're back! Yay!"

Fudge Puddinghead rolled his eyes. "I've told you countless times Cotton, stop calling me Fudgekins!"

"What's the matter Fudgekins? Wake up on the wrong side of the bed!?" Hurricane hollered at him. Fudge muttered curses underneath his breath, but he knew that Hurricane was just messing around with him. He had done the same to Hurricane in return countless times.

"No Hurricrash! It's just that you know... our camp is about to be attacked by the demons is all," Fudge replied calmly

Hurricane immediately stopped laughing. His tone turned serious. "What? Now? Private Pansy! Come with me! We must rally our forces!" He quickly flew off, followed by Pansy.

King Bullion trotted over to Fudge, his daughter following alongside him. "What did you do Fudge? Did you provoke those demons without our consent?" King Bullion was not pleased, but Fudge wasn't about to let him talk down to him as if he were a foal.

Fudge rose to his full height and looked directly into the king's eyes. "I'm my own stallion your majesty. We may be united, but as along as we still lead our own tribes, what I do can be done without your consent. Arguing about the matter will get us nowhere. What is done is done and you must gather your troops. Understand?"

The king opened his mouth to reply, but quickly closed it and nodded. "Yes... you are right Puddinghead. However, this is not over between the both of us. Bullion turned around and walked away. His daughter stuck out her tongue at Fudge before she followed him. "Clover, you stay with Star Swirl," Bullion told her as he passed. "Help him get that shield up at any cost."

Clover bowed her head. "As you wish, your majesty." Fudge watched until the king and princess were out of sight. He realized just how tense he was and he finally let his muscles relax.

Smart Cookie put a hoof on his shoulder to comfort him. "Mr. Puddinghead, what you did there was very brave."

Fudge just shook his head. "Brave? Perhaps. Foolish? Certainly. I didn't know what I was thinking Smart Cookie... fighting the demons without the assistance of the others was a bad call. I'm not even sure if my troops made it back safely." Fudge looked over at his wife. "I never should have listened to your advice Cotton."

"Your troops are fine Fudgekins! What is there to worry about?" Cotton asked.

"I told you to stop calling me Fudgekins!" Fudge growled at her. Suddenly, a horn blared near the edge of the woods. Everypony that was there knew what the sound meant.

"No... the shield isn't up yet!" a familiar voice shouted. Fudge turned away from Cotton to see that Star Swirl had opened his eyes. "I still need a little more time!"

"Don't worry wizard, we'll buy you the time you need!" Fudge shouted back. "Get that shield up or we are all dead!" Star Swirl nodded and he and the other Unicorns returned to chanting the spell. Fudge quickly turned to face Cotton and Smart Cookie. "I want the both of you to stay here, out of trouble." He knocked his forehooves together, activating small spikes on the bottoms which he used to fight the hell spawn. He did the same with his back hooves. Everypony knew that Puddinghead was famous for his seismic buck. He didn't become general for just one reason after all. "I'll be back as soon as possible."

He began to leave when Smart Cookie stuck out her hoof, stopping him. "Stay safe okay?"

Fudge nodded. "Of course I'll stay safe Smart Cookie..." They both locked eyes until Fudge pulled himself away. "I... must be going." Fudge trotted around her and towards the tents, quickly disappearing into the crowd of armored ponies. The ponies parted for him as he passed, not wanting to get in his way and he reached the edge of the camp with ease.

The horn was still blaring and he looked into the depths of the woods, only to see the familiar outlines of his soldiers fast approaching.

"Pegasi! Do not let anything pass into this camp! Understand?" Fudge heard Hurricane shout above him.

"Yes commander!" his troops replied.

"Hold on Hurricane! My soldiers are reaching the edge of the forest as we speak. Do not attack until I say so!" Fudge shouted.

Hurricane looked at his troops then back down at his friend and nodded. "Fine. We'll attack on your signal general."Fudge looked back into the woods to see his troops begin pouring out of them. Most of them were covered in small cuts and panting for breath.

He trotted over to the nearest one and pulled him to the side. "Soldier! What the hell took you so long?"

The tired pony panted for a couple more seconds before he came up with a response. "The woods... the trees turned on us general! As if they had minds of their own! Most of us as far as I know were able to make it... but at least the demons stopped following us about halfway through. I don't know why though."

Stopped? In these past few weeks of fighting, those damn monsters never stopped until they had killed every single one of us or we killed every single one of them, Fudge thought. "This is bad news soldier... everypony! To me! Line up in your formations!" The rest of them exited the woods and lined up in rows in front of the camp, waiting for another order from Puddinghead.

Instead, their general began to pace up and down their rows, addressing all of them. "You are some fine soldiers! The best of the Earth pony tribe! Now listen up! Those demons will not pass through us, understand? We are the backbone of this united army, the first line of defense! We need to hold out long enough to allow the wizard to develop a shield strong enough to resist their attacks, now who's with me!?" His soldiers cheered in response. They've been injured and killed, but they would never give up their new home to these demons.

Suddenly, they felt the ground begin to vibrate underneath their hooves, when it suddenly stopped as quickly as it had come.

"Everypony, get ready!" Puddinghead shouted. The ground vibrated again, except this time, the trees in front of them exploded in green flame. They quickly disintegrated into nothing but ashes and a foul smoke rose from their remains. When it cleared, a whole path had been cut directly through the forest. Nothing was left alive in its wake.

Not a minute later, a demon came rushing out of it directly towards Puddinghead and stopped right before him. The two stared at each other for what felt like the longest time when the demon screeched loudly and moved to attack him.

"That's right, come closer you monster..." Fudge whispered. He dodged its first swing and lunged at the creature. His spiked forehooves impaled its chest and he slammed it on the ground afterwards, instantly crushing the life out of it. He pulled his hooves out of the creature and turned to face his troops. "And that... is one of many ways to kill these damn things. Remember that now."

"Fudge! Here they come!" Hurricane shouted. "Pegasi! Strike teams now! Bash their heads in!" The Pegasi began to dive downwards towards the oncoming demon onslaught.

"Charge! For Equestria!" Fudge shouted and he galloped to meet the demons head on, his soldiers following right behind him. The two sides collided with a thundering crash. Screams immediately filled the air on both sides. Although the demons were easy enough to kill, they were also dangerous in such close quarters.

Fudge bucked another one, sending it flying to a nearby Pegasus who kicked its head off . Fudge saw one of his own be impaled by another demon's claws. Another casualty to add to the pile, and unfortunately there would be plenty more before the day was through. Fudge looked away from the sight and kept fighting any demon that came close to him. He didn't show the demons any mercy, but neither did the demons.

Commander Hurricane landed next to him and they stood back-to-back. "Hey! Where in the hell is Bullion? We're taking a pounding out here without their magic!" Hurricane jumped up and kicked a demon in its head, shattering it and causing green blood to splatter all over him. "Damn these things make quite the mess..."

Fudge shook his head. "I don't know Hurricane, he probably ran to—" He was interrupted when a demon suddenly charged into him from the side, knocking the wind out of his lungs and pinning him to the ground.

"Fudge!" Hurricane shouted and he began to make his way over to him, but was blocked by more demons that had arrived. "Hang in there!"

Fudge struggled against the demon and it laughed at him as he did so. The demon brought its arm back and turned it into a blade, ready to impale him when the demons head suddenly went flying off, spraying Fudge in its disgusting fluids. The body crumpled to the ground, revealing Bullion who was busy wiping off the sword levitating next to him.

"Bullion..." Fudge began to say.

"You can thank me later Puddinghead, but I believe it's time we showed these demons who they are messing with!" Bullion shouted and he jumped over Fudge and into the chaos.

Hurricane came over not a moment later and helped fudge up. "Well would you look at that, Bullion saved your hide Fudge! It was about time that he showed up."

Fudge looked towards where Bullion had come from to see the Unicorns charging at the demons, either levitating weapons or firing beams of magical energy at them. You know... we might actually win this battle, Fudge thought.

After a few more minutes of fighting, a flash erupted from the center of the camp, a beam of light shooting up into the sky shortly afterwards. The fighting stopped momentarily as the demons shielded their eyes. The light blinded them, causing them to cry out in pain. The light then began to surround the camp, slowly enveloping it in a bubble.

"He did it..." Fudge whispered. "He did it!" Fudge quickly turned to Hurricane, who was panting for breath. "Hurricane! The shield! We can retreat back into the camp! Go and sound the retreat horn!"

Hurricane nodded and quickly flew off. A horn blared not too long afterwards. The soldiers knew immediately what they had to do and they all began to gallop towards the camp. They arrived there just before parts of the shield began to touch the ground. However, the demons were beginning to come to their senses and some gave chase, only to be incinerated by the shield as soon as they touched it.

"Everypony back to the camp! The wizard has made the shield! Let's go!" Fudge shouted.

He was just about to make his way back towards the shield when a nearby demon launched itself at him, causing them both to tumble across the ground, each trying to get the advantage over the other.

"I'm not getting killed here by you hell spawn! Not today!" Fudge yelled. The demon angrily hissed at him, spittle flying out of its mouth. It finally pinned Fudge to the ground, only to be impaled seconds later by a pike from behind it. "Jeez! I'm having far too many close calls today. Thank you Hurri...?" His words were caught in his throat as the body disintegrated, revealing it to be none other than his adviser, Smart Cookie. "Smart Cookie? But... but I told you to stay where it's safe!"

Smart Cookie laughed at him. "Oh come on Mr. Puddinghead! Did you honestly think for a minute there I would listen to you? Besides, it looked like you needed my help anyway!" She held out a hoof for him to grab.

Fudge reached out and carefully grabbed her hoof, not wanting the spikes to harm her. "Thank you Smart Cookie... I don't know what would have happened if you had not been here."

Smart Cookie smiled. "Anything for you Mr. Puddinghead. I'm your adviser AND best friend! Remember?"

"Yes, I do remember, and please... call me Fudge," he replied. They both began to walk towards the safety of the camp when Cotton appeared from between the tents, blocking their path as the rest of the shield finally touched the ground behind her, completing it.

"And where do you think you two are going?" she asked.

"Cotton! What are you doing? Get back inside the shield where it's safe!" Fudge shouted.

Cotton just shook her head. "Tsk tsk tsk Fudgekins, I think I'm perfectly fine where I am, as for you and Smart Cookie... well that's another story..."A wicked grin came across Cotton's face.

"You've really gone bonkers... haven't you Cotton?" Fudge asked

Cotton tilted her head back and laughed. "Bonkers? Oh no no no Fudgekins... I'm perfectly sane... it's just that I know a winning side when I see one... and you're not on it."

Fudge stood in front of Smart Cookie. "Cotton! What are you saying? What the hell is wrong with you?"

"I grow tired of this petty talk, I have a job to do," she said and she lunged at them, knocking Fudge and Smart Cookie to the ground.

"You... you knew that it would be suicide for us to go fight the demons on our own... you will not harm a hair on Smart Cookie's head!" Fudge shouted.

Cotton smiled, baring her teeth as she did so. "Oh? Well perhaps I had forgotten to tell you, but the master has given me power... power that'll allow me to easily wipe you and her off the face of this world!" She brought her hoof up and brought it down, intending to stomp his face in. Fudge and Smart Cookie quickly rolled away from each other and stood up on either side of Cotton, readying themselves for a fight. Cotton just laughed at them. "Ah... the love between the both of you is so strong... I can almost taste it! It's too bad Fudgekins that you won't be alive to watch her die!"

"Not unless I have something to say about it!" Fudge growled back and they both charged at each other. Fudge raised his forehooves and impaled Cotton in the shoulders, slamming her down on the ground, only to immediately be flipped over her and thrown towards Smart Cookie. She quickly moved out of the way to dodge him, but her head was clipped by one of his hooves, knocking her to the ground and dazing her.

Cotton slowly got up, a mixture of red and green blood dripping from the puncture wounds on her shoulders. "Trying to put up a fight... you only delay the inevitable!" She charged at him, picking up a fallen pike with her mouth along the way and aiming it at Fudge. Fudge rolled over to see that Cotton was just a few inches away from impaling him. He kept his eyes opened as he faced his imminent death.

"No!" Smart Cookie yelled and she dived towards Fudge. Everything for him seemed to slow down as he watched Smart Cookie, one of his most dependable friends and the love of his life, be impaled through the gut and collapse on top of him.

"Well well... she gave her life for you Fudge." Cotton pulled out the pike and tossed it to the side. "It's funny really. She loved you so much, yet you never went about to express your true feelings for her, even though you despised me so much. I had thought that by drugging you and having you marry me, you would come to your senses... but no... apparently that wasn't enough."

Fudge held Smart Cookie close to him. Her heart was still beating, although it was faint. "Why you... you monster!"

Cotton laughed at him. "You still haven't figured it out Fudge? After you had regained power over the tribe, I knew that you had feelings for Smart Cookie... and so I had someone visit me, and I accepted his offer."

"You didn't... not the... The Endbringer?" Fudge asked in disbelief.

Cotton nodded. "Yes, he who is great and powerful! In return, I swore my allegiance to him to help cleanse this world, and he bestowed upon me power beyond your imagining..." Cotton's form began to shimmer before Fudge's eyes. Moments later, Cotton reappeared but it wasn't her. It was an exact replica of Smart Cookie.

"That's impossible!" Fudge shouted. "You'll pay for what you've done Cotton!"

Cotton shook her head. "Cotton? No... that's not my name any longer... The Endbringer has given me a new name." Her eyes shimmered green. "Chrysalis."

"Fudge!" Hurricane shouted. He was being followed by a squadron of Pegasi. "What are you doing? We have to get inside the shield!"

Cotton quickly glanced at Hurricane before she returned her gaze to Fudge. "We shall meet again Fudgekins... and it shall be very soon..." She galloped away into the woods and disappeared without a trace..

That witch! Smart Cookie... why? Fudge thought. Tears had begun to form in his eyes.

Hurricane landed beside him, followed by the rest of the Pegasi. "Fudge! What happened? What—" He stopped as soon as he saw Smart Cookie's wound "Oh dear... somepony! Help Fudge carry Smart Cookie to the medical tent!" He gently placed a hoof on Fudge's shoulder. "Don't worry Fudge, we'll get her help as soon as possible. We'll cover you."

Fudge nodded as a Pegasus came over and lifted Smart Cookie's body onto his back, with Fudge being there to help make sure she stayed on.

"It's going to be okay Smart Cookie," Fudge whispered. "You're going to be okay..."

---

Night had fallen and Fudge sat outside the medical tent. Hurricane was right next to him, offering him some words of comfort. "She's going to be okay Fudge, we have the best Unicorn doctors in there right now. They'll use their hoodoo voodoo magic to fix her up in no time!" Fudge just remained silent. His thoughts raged at how his wife had betrayed them... and possibly fatally wounded his only love of his life.

The flaps of the tent parted and King Bullion walked out and stood in front of them. Fudge looked at him hopefully, but the king closed his eyes and shook his head. "Her wound is too severe," he told them quietly. "She doesn't have much time left on this world, so if there is anything you want to say... you should say it now. I'm... I'm sorry Fudge." He turned and slowly walked away. Fudge couldn't believe what he just heard. He quickly stood up and trotted inside the tent.

The Unicorn doctors were still surrounding her and were in Fudge's way. "Get out! GET OUT!" The doctors quickly exited the tent, leaving Smart Cookie and Fudge alone. He walked over to the side of her bed and placed his hoof on hers.

Smart Cookie's head slowly turned to look at him. "Hey... I know you..." She coughed and smiled at him.

Fudge smiled weakly in return. "And I know you... Listen, Smart Cookie... there's something I need to tell you."

Smart Cookie held a hoof to his mouth. "You don't have to say it Fudge... I already know..." She leaned forward, wincing at the pain in her gut and kissed him on the cheek. "My final advice to you as an adviser... do not let hatred guide you Fudge. Hatred is something this land can use a little... less of."

Fudge's eyes were twitching as he tried to hold back tears. "I... I love you Smart Cookie, don't leave me..."

"I'm afraid it's too late for that Mr. Puddinghead. I will miss you..." she replied. "I... I love you too..." She slowly closed her eyes, her last breath of air escaping between her lips. Smart Cookie was gone, having passed from this world too young, so full of life and potential.

Fudge collapsed to his knees and pressed his face into the side of the bed, letting his tears run freely. He felt a hoof on his shoulder and he turned his head to see Hurricane standing by his side. He let Hurricane help him up and he led them away from Smart Cookie and outside of the tent. The shield was shining brightly in the dark sky above, a beautiful beacon to all those who opposed The Endbringer.

Fudge looked up at the sky and towards the stars, wondering if Smart Cookie was up there, watching him from above in a better place than this hell.

"Hey Fudge... she's in a better place now. Come on. Star Swirl has ordered a private meeting back at his tent and we need to be present," Hurricane said.

Fudge slowly nodded. "Then... then we best not keep the wizard waiting. He more than likely has something important to say." The two friends began to make their way towards Star Swirl's tent, which was located closely to the center where he had performed his spell earlier. As they neared the tent, they could hear voices whispering to each other on the other side and they quickly entered.

"...Star Swirl! That sounds insane! There is no such power in existence that can possibly defeat The Endbringer on its own!" Bullion thundered. "Where is your proof—" Bullion finally noticed that Fudge and Hurricane had arrived. "Ah! Fudge! Hurricane! You made it at last!" The two ponies stood there, not having the faintest idea of what was going on.

"Uh... what was that all about?" Hurricane asked.

Star Swirl rolled his eyes. "Bah! Maybe these two will listen to me if you will not Bullion!" Bullion just shook his head and chuckled. Star Swirl levitated over two seats and he motioned for them to sit down. Fudge saw that Clover was also present and she sat next to Star Swirl. "Puddinghead, Hurricane, there is something I need to tell you. I believe that we can defeat The Endbringer and end this insanity once and for all."

"Oh? And how do you plan on helping us accomplish that?" Hurricane asked.

"Because commander... I believe that there is a power hidden in this land capable of obliterating him from the face of the world!"

Bullion rolled his eyes. "Please wizard. I trust you with my life, but that just sounds impossible! Like I said before, where is your proof that such a thing exists?"

Star Swirl simply grinned. "Oh I have proof alright... and in fact, you can thank Clover for finding what could possibly be our salvation! Put it on the table Clover!" Clover reached inside a nearby bag and struggled to lift something out of it. She finally placed the item in question onto the table with a loud thump. The three leaders leaned over to get a closer look at it.

"It's... a rock?" Bullion asked.

Star Swirl smacked his forehead, annoyed at how unobservant they all were. "Look closer your majesty, surely you must see something! I don't know... maybe a tree perhaps?"

As Fudge continued to study it, he began to see the image of a tree, and some strange writing beneath it that was unknown to him. "I see the tree Star Swirl. But I can't read the language inscribed underneath it. I've never seen anything like it before."

"Aha! Finally someone— er— somepony sees the bigger picture," Star Swirl said. "And fortunately, Clover here is actually quite fluent in the pony language of old. She must have inherited it from her family."

Clover nodded. "That's right Star Swirl. My father and my grandfather and his father before him and so on made sure that the language of our past would never be forgotten, especially since we have all come together now after so many years of fighting back and forth. I've already translated it for Star Swirl, so now I'll read it out to the rest of you." Clover cleared her throat before she turned the tablet around and began to read it out loud. "When the land falls under threat and chaos reigns, bring together the six elements, and let harmony flourish again."

They sat in silence for a couple of minutes until Bullion spoke. "So... these elements are the power you speak of Star Swirl?"

Star Swirl nodded. "Yes, if this stone tablet is true, then we can find these elements and use them to defeat The Endbringer and restore harmony to Equestria."

"First of all, where did you find this tablet? And second of all, where do you think the elements are?" Hurricane asked.

"I believe I can answer that," Clover replied. "To answer your first question Hurricane, I stumbled across the tablet a few days ago while exploring the nearby caves. From the looks of it, it could possibly be hundreds of years old."

Hurricane snorted, but it was obvious that he was impressed at the fact. "Holy smokes kid! That means that the language you spoke has been in your family for like... hundreds of years! But what about my second question?"

Star Swirl shook his head. "We know as much about the location of the elements as any of you. We have absolutely no idea. However, Clover noticed that the tablet wasn't carved from the rocks of this area, but rather somewhere else."

"Well that's not helpful at all!" Bullion shouted. "There are rocks all over Equestria! How can we tell which type of rock this one came from?"

"Because lucky for us, I've seen this type of rock before," Star Swirl said. "Near the woods northeast of here, the woods that have yet to be named." Fudge looked around at the ponies in the tent before he suddenly stood up and headed towards the exit.

"General? Where are you going?" Clover asked.

Fudge turned his head to look at her. "To mourn... as well as search for those elements."

Star Swirl's jaw dropped in disbelief. "You can't leave now General! You are one of our greatest fighters left ever since Sombra was defeated in his match versus The Endbringer! To go out there alone would be suicide! While I do give my condolences for your loss, you can't just leave the rest of us while you wander aimlessly!"

"Then what should I do!?" Fudge shot back. "Wait here and die? No! I'm going to find the power that will save us and avenge my—" The ground suddenly rumbled violently beneath them. Shortly after, they all heard a loud boom resonate throughout the camp.

"What the hell was that?" Hurricane asked. "An attack?" Fudge left the tent and was followed by the others. They were curious about what was going on. The sound had woken up many of their troops and they stumbled about, disoriented from being woken up so early.

Another boom resonated throughout the camp and Fudge looked up at the shield to see that it was developing cracks. "Star Swirl... how powerful is the shield?"

"The shield? It's surely strong enough to resist any attack made by the demons. There is no way they can break through," Star Swirl replied. Suddenly, the shield shattered, a dark power having overpowered its defenses. They watched as the rest of the shield disintegrated into nothingness. A deep laugh rumbled throughout the camp which caused a chill to run up their spines.

"Impossible..." Star Swirl whispered. "He has broken through! Leaders! You must round up your troops and bring them here! Our position has been compromised!"

"What do you have in mind wizard?" Fudge asked. "Because right now, we need anything!"

"I've been working on a spell for some time now, a spell capable of moving an entire army!" Star Swirl replied. "Just hurry! We don't have much time!"

The laugh rumbled throughout the camp again. It was at this time that the voice finally spoke at last. "Running won't keep you alive forever ponies... you never stood a chance against me! Watch now as I end this little game!" The ground erupted in front of them, spraying green flame all over the camp and lighting the ground and tents ablaze. More of them appeared throughout the camp and they could hear the screams of their soldiers as the flame consumed all.

"That damn—" Hurricane went on to spout out all types of profanity and Star Swirl just shook his head.

"Cursing will get us nowhere Hurricane!" Star Swirl shouted. "Fudge, can you—" He stopped when he noticed that Fudge and Bullion had disappeared. He walked over to Hurricane and smacked him across the face. "Fudge and Bullion have already left! Go!"

Hurricane rubbed his face where Star Swirl had struck him. "Were you anypony else wizard, I would have you killed for such an act, but you are right." Hurricane flew off, dodging the falling rocks that had shot up from the ground

Meanwhile, Fudge was already busy gathering all of those that were still alive, intent on getting as many of them as he could back to Star Swirl. We will not let him win so easily, he thought. After we relocate, we'll find those elements and finish off this monster once and— His thoughts were interrupted when he heard multiple screeches throughout the camp. Damn it all! We have to hurry! "Soldiers! Do not engage the enemy! We are heading towards the center of the camp where the wizard will bring us to safety!" His troops quickly nodded in understanding as they continued to dodge the flames. Other stragglers joined them as well as they rushed through the burning camp.

Before long, Fudge finally arrived back at the center of the camp. Bullion and Hurricane had already arrived with their own troops as well.

"There you are Fudge!" Bullion shouted and he turned to Star Swirl. "Star Swirl! Begin the spell!"

Star Swirl closed his eyes and began to move his staff in a circle, slowly moving it faster and faster as he began to chant. "Move us many for we are one, let us fight until the day is done, move us many for we are one, let us fight until the day is done, move us many for we are one, let us fight until the day is done!" Star Swirl slammed his staff into the ground, causing a dark blue circle to appear beneath all of their hooves. "I can't believe it... it's actually working!"

"You won't be able to escape that easily ponies!" the voice yelled. The Endbringer suddenly materialized in front of them, causing many of their troops to cower and look away. The Endbringer was huge, roughly standing at a height of fifteen feet and wearing a dark robe that covered his plate armour. His face was unrecognizable because shadows swirled around his head, obscuring it from their view. This was the second time he had made an appearance, the first being the time he defeated one of their own in single combat.

"Look upon me mortals and despair!" he roared. He brought his hands close together and a green orb began developing between them. "This world is MINE!"

"You will never win you fiend!" Fudge shouted. "I'll fight to the very end... and you'll pay for what you have done to us! Now Star Swirl!" Star Swirl slammed the butt of his staff on the ground again, causing the circle to pulse twice before it enveloped all of them in a bright white beam. They disappeared without a trace.

"If I can't destroy you... then I shall destroy the very land you wish to protect!" The Endbringer roared. He turned around and threw the orb far into the middle of the Palomino woods near one of the mountains and turned away from it. "Let chaos... CONSUME!" He raised his arms above him as he began to laugh. The green orb landed on one of the mountains and it shattered upon impact, causing a massive explosion that consumed everything it touched, stretching all the way to the coastline and to the forest's edge behind him.

When the explosion dissipated, everything behind him that was alive was gone, having been wiped out by his power and leaving nothing but sand behind. The Endbringer landed on one knee, his power slowly returning to him after pouring so much of it into the orb. "When next we meet ponies... you will have nowhere to run!"

He looked down to see one of the tents had escaped his assault and was surprised to see that it was still standing. He brushed it away, revealing a tiny pony on one of the beds. "What do we have here..." he whispered. He picked the pony up between his thumb and forefinger to see that the pony was dead, having been killed by a wound to the stomach. "So this is the one Cotton boasted about killing... the one pony that was so important to that general..." He began to chuckle to himself. "Well then... I do believe a reunion is in order..."

Green energy began to run down his arm and through his hand, right into the body of Smart Cookie. The wound slowly closed itself, leaving behind no scar until at last he stopped. He waited patiently and watched as the pony began to breathe again and open her eyes. They were filled with the same green energy.

"What is your command..." Smart Cookie whispered.

A wicked grin came across The Endbringer's face. "You'll see soon... Soon..." Something trotted up to him from behind and he turned his head to see his most faithful servant appear. "Ah Chrysalis. I had thought you would have died in the blast."

Chrysalis threw her head back and laughed. "Do you honestly take me to be one of those fools my lord?"

"No Chrysalis, you are... perfect," The Endbringer said. He marvelled at how easy it was to deceive these ponies. To think that they were still a thorn in his side... "I think it's time we gathered some more ponies for our cause. After all, we do have the right pony for the job..." He lowered his hand and showed the resurrected Smart Cookie to Chrysalis.

Chrysalis' eyes widened in surprise, which quickly turned to excitement. "Oh yes! She will do just fine... This is going to be fun."