The Last Enemy

by derpyland

Chapter 4: Time's Wrath

Twilight Sparkle flew high over an endless sea. The waters below were a murky brown color and stretched from horizon to horizon. Above her was a dull sky. There was light in the world, but it was weak and provided little illumination. Twilight lit her horn to see more of her surroundings.

“I don’t see Death anywhere,” she told Discord. “What is that down there, anyway? Is it the ocean?”

A chimera left the massive group that had followed her from the upper realm and flew toward her. It was a mighty creature, many times her size. It had the body of a lion and the claws of an eagle. It had six wings and two heads – and there was something about it that inspired both awe and fear. “This is not the world that you once knew, alicorn. Your world has not yet been made. What you see below is Void and Chaos. The waters have been gathered together in one place to form the Sea, but there is dry land beyond the horizon. That is where you will find your enemy. But he is not alone.”

“Are there ponies in this world?”

The chimera’s second head spoke. “That time has not yet come. There are no beings here except for those Death has formed out of his darkness. As each moment passes his forces grow larger. Your enemy is preparing for war. He is going to fight for this world, for he wants to keep it for himself.”

“Come,” the first head said. “We will show you.”

The chimera raced off into the distance. Twilight struggled to follow, but the creature was moving far too fast. In less than a minute it was entirely out of sight.

“Allow me,” Discord said. He snapped his talons, and the two of them vanished.

This time when Twilight appeared she was flying over what looked like hill country. The hills were barren, and there was no trees or grass or greenery of any kind. All she could see was rock and dirt. It was a stark and brutal sight.

“Look,” the chimera said. He pointed in the distance.

At first Twilight could only make out a vague cloud. Then she realized she was seeing a dark swarm of some kind. “What are they?” she asked.

“Go and see,” the lion replied.

Twilight cautiously flew toward the darkness. What she saw made her gasp in horror. The black dragon was on the ground below, breathing out smoke. As the smoke left his mouth it solidified into a host of small, dark creatures. The insects had the body of a locust and the tail of a scorpion. They wore iron armor that was black as night. They were creatures of pure evil.

Twilight immediately energized her horn. She prepared to strike out at them – but then she felt a talon reach out and touch her. “What, exactly, do you think you’re doing?” Discord asked.

“I’m putting an end to this!” Twilight replied. “Don’t you see what’s going on down there? He’s creating an army so he can fight us and take back the upper realm! I’ve got to stop him now, before he gets any stronger.”

Discord shook his head. “My dear, dear Twilight. I quite agree that he needs to be stopped, but you need to approach this from a more… strategic point of view. It may be that in that dreadful future of yours you had to fight all your battles by yourself, but you are not alone anymore. You have friends – in fact, you have an entire army. All you need to do is give them a little guidance.”

Discord pointed behind her. Twilight turned her head and saw that he was right. In the sky above her was an enormous force of strange creatures, which were lined up and ready for battle. There were more of them than she could count.

The lion chimera approached her. “What would you have us do, your majesty?”

Twilight hesitated. The beast hovering in front of her was the size of a small house. The thought of telling it what to do made her more than a little nervous. “Well, um, let’s start by attacking the insect swarm and wiping it out. Once Death’s army is gone he will be vulnerable and we can then attack him directly.”

The two heads of the lion nodded. They turned around and roared in unison – a deep, powerful roar that shook the sky. The roar was so loud that the dragon below looked up and saw them for the first time. He immediately redoubled his efforts.

In response to the roar a single creature flew out of Twilight’s army. This chimera had the body of an eagle and the head of a dragon. Twilight looked at it in wonder. Is that really what these creatures look like, or is my vision limited? Am I really seeing who they truly are?

The eagle looked at the lion, who pointed at the ground below. The eagle nodded, gathered up its strength, and spoke. Twilight did not understand the word that was thundered, but the power behind it nearly knocked her out of the sky. To her horror, the light went out. The sky became utterly black. She could see the stars above – but the stars were moving. It looked like all of them were falling to the ground.

But that’s crazy! Twilight thought. Stars are enormous. They can’t possibly be–

But they came. In a few minutes the sky was filled with flaming orbs that hurtled toward the ground with great speed. Twilight immediately realized that she was looking at meteors. Somehow none of them hit her or her army; perhaps it was the eagle’s doing. But they slammed into the hills below with tremendous speed.

The flaming, burning rocks thundered into the ground and struck it with great force. The rocks broke the hills into pieces and made the ground quake. Each meteor seemed to target a different clump of insects. The bugs tried to flee, but the falling rocks were much too fast for them. It took only moments for the entire dark army to be crushed.

When the dragon saw that his forces were defeated he fled in terror. He desperately sought to hide from the unrelenting barrage, but he could find no place of safety. Even his great speed could not shield him. Eventually a mighty rock struck him – and he disappeared into nothingness.

When the last rock fell from the sky, Death’s army was gone. The ground below was cracked and broken – and the dragon was nowhere to be seen.

Twilight spoke up. “Well, that was effective. And kind of poetic, since Death used rocks to kill me. But aren’t we doing a lot of damage to the world? Is there going to be anything left to turn into Equestria?”

The lion chimera spoke up. “This is the Void, your majesty. It has form to your eyes but it is still shapeless and undefined. Once the darkness is removed, the void will be turned into the world you knew.”

“Oh. Ok. So where is Death? He can’t be gone, right? I mean, I know we can’t kill him. Did he just reform somewhere else?”

Discord spoke up. “Allow me.” The draconequus transported her to another place. The sky above was still dark, and the familiar points of light were gone. She could see neither sun nor moon. Down below was a great pit. Smoke billowed out of the bleak darkness – and as it entered the sky it became the same evil insects she had seen before.

“That pit doesn’t look like Death’s prison,” Twilight commented. “Not that I know one place from another in this world. All of the landmarks are gone, you know, so I have no idea where the entrance to Tartarus is. But still, it does look like an unhappy place.”

The lion chimera pointed. “Look and see.”

Twilight looked closer. She could see Death through the smoke – but there was something different about him. “Is he… smaller?”

“Indeed. He poured his power into his army, and the army was destroyed. The power of Death is waning. Each fresh defeat will weaken him yet more.”

As Twilight watched, she saw Death look up at her. Death immediately yelled out a command. His army of locust scorpions sprang into action and began racing toward her.

The lion turned his heads to face the princess. “What would you have us do?”

“Attack, of course!” Twilight screeched. “Do you see how many of them there are?”

Discord laughed. “Relax, Twilight. This is the easy part. The real battle will be fought when you finally catch him.” He snapped his talon and a pot of tea appeared. “Thirsty?”

Twilight shook her head. “Um, not right now, thanks.”

The lion roared a second time. Another eagle flew out of Twilight’s army. This one looked identical to the last one. The lion pointed at the onrushing cloud of darkness, and the eagle nodded.

The eagle flew toward the insect swarm, alone. When the eagle was just a few hundred feet from the dark cloud, it spoke. Once again Twilight could not understand the voice that thundered, but the effects were immediate. The dark sky immediately blazed with light – a bright, intense light that penetrated Twilight’s very soul. The light went everywhere. There was no hiding from it. No shadow was safe.

The insects screamed in pain as the light struck them. They scattered. The light burned off their armor and caused their exoskeleton to boil. One by one the dark creatures fell out of the sky and were consumed by the light. In a matter of minutes the entire army was gone.

Down below, the dragon bellowed in rage. He tried to hide from the light but he could find no shelter from it. The light ignited his scales and set them on fire. He fell to the ground, burning, and then vanished out of sight.

“Two forms have fallen,” the lion chimera announced. “There is but one left, and then you will judge him. Come. This time he makes his abode in the sea.”

The chimera soared across the sky and disappeared into the distance. “Seriously?” Twilight exclaimed. “Surely he knows by now that I can’t move that fast.”

Discord ate the teapot he was holding. “There is so much you don’t know, isn’t there? You should try reading some books or something. Your lion friend moves at his own speed. It is his nature to travel as he does – just as it is my nature to add joy to the drab lives of others.”

Twilight ignored his comment. She looked up at the enormous army that was waiting in the sky. “So, um, this seems to be going really well. Like, too well. I thought this would be a lot harder.”

“That’s because we haven’t gotten to the hard part yet. Tell me something. What’s the best way to defeat you?”

“Excuse me!?” Twilight exclaimed.

Discord waved his lion paw dismissively. “I’m trying to make a point. From what I’ve seen in the past few hours, fighting you head-on is a terrible idea. I haven’t known you for very long, but I suspect the best way to defeat you is to leverage your friends against you.”

“That’s exactly what you did when you escaped your stone prison. It nearly worked, too. If it hadn’t been for Celestia’s intervention I would have lost.”

“So I missed a friend, then,” Discord said thoughtfully.

Twilight eyed him warily. Discord shook his head. “Now Twilight, I realize that we have history together – although I swear I cannot remember any of it. But then, how can anyone remember a thing that hasn’t happened yet?”

“Do you have a point?”

“My point is that you are still quite vulnerable. You can weaken him through force of arms, but it will take a different sort of strength to achieve victory. I simply wonder if you are up to it. But come. Our lion friend is ready.”

Twilight disappeared in a flash of light. She reappeared high over the dark sea. There was no land in sight; the waters stretched from sky to sky. The white light was still there – but Twilight realized that it did not penetrate into the deep. Death had found himself a hiding place.

The sea below raged and boiled. The alicorn had never seen it so angry or so dark. Wave crashed into might wave. She heard a voice over the waters – a dark, hateful voice. As she watched, dark creatures began to fly out of the water. These were not the same insects that she had seen before. What she saw were winged creatures, with the body of a snake. They were enormous and they were full of rage. Their scales appeared to be forged out of a dark armor. They dove back into the sea and eyed the sky.

“Are those sea serpents?” Twilight asked.

“They are leviathan,” the lion chimera agreed. “Death’s wrath is great, for he knows his time is short. He is spreading his darkness across the sea and intends to turn its waters into a weapon. His plan is to create an exceedingly great army and then launch a final attack against us. What are your orders?”

“Attack, of course! Can you, um, destroy the sea? Like, all of it?”

The lion nodded. He roared once more, and a third eagle appeared. This one was identical in appearance to the other two. The lion pointed at the sea below, and the eagle nodded. The eagle then opened its beak and spoke.

Once again the power of the word startled her. I have got to learn how to wield that kind of magic! Twilight thought in amazement. Although I guess it’s not really all that useful under normal circumstances. But still. I had no idea how much I didn’t know. What else can those eagles do?

Overhead a spot appeared in the sky. The spot grew larger – and louder. As it approached the sea it became shrouded with lighting and the noise of thunder. Twilight quickly realized that she was looking at a mountain – the largest mountain she had ever seen. The falling mountain was electrified; its bare stone shot out long sparks that crackled with energy.

Twilight realized that the mountain was going to plunge into the sea. When it hit it would create an enormous tidal wave – or worse. She definitely didn’t want to be anywhere nearby when that happened. But just as the alicorn was about to flee, Discord stopped her. “It will be fine,” he assured her. “Just wait and see.”

Twilight wasn’t sure that she believed him, but she noticed that no one else was leaving. She reluctantly tried to calm herself and wait. Nevertheless, as the seconds ticked down and the mountain raced to meet the sea she became increasingly terrified. It was almost there – almost – and then…

The mountain struck the sea in a burst of blinding light. The ocean around the impact sight exploded. The noise was so loud that Twilight thought it would surely deafen her. A tidal wave of dark water was ejected high into the air, and yet she was not harmed. The sound and the darkness washed over her and left her untouched.

The lion spoke up. “The darkness is not strong against the light.”

When the light faded Twilight could no longer see the mountain. The sea became red, as if it were made of blood. The darkness was consumed out of the sea and the serpents were drowned. Then the ocean itself dried up, leaving behind an enormous, empty basin.

The lion immediately flew toward the ground. Twilight flew after him and her army followed behind her. At first Twilight couldn’t figure out what the lion was looking at. Then she saw it – a tiny dark form, writhing on the ground.

When Twilight got near she backed away and circled it cautiously. The lion landed without fear about thirty feet from it. Twilight landed right next to the lion.

The dark creature on the ground had the form of a snake. It was about six feet long. It had no wings or legs or claws, but it had a head and two eyes.

“Is that what I think it is?” Twilight asked.

The snake spoke. “Do not be coy with me, Twilight. You know who I am. You may have reduced me to this meager form, but you have lost far more than I have. In fact, this pointless war has cost you everything you ever loved and cared about. You are a very foolish pony.”

“Excuse me? It looks to me like you are the loser here!”

The snake stared at Twilight. “Tell me something. What is it that you truly care about? It is clearly not power. You do not desire the throne, for if you did you would have it. You were powerful enough to go back in time and change all of history, so you must be powerful enough to take anything you want. So tell me, Twilight. What is it that you want?”

“I want to save my friends, of course. I want them to live in a world without sickness and pain and death. I want to give them an Equestria that hasn’t been poisoned by your darkness. I want to save them.”

“And in so doing you have lost them,” the snake hissed. “Have you considered that events will not unfold the way they did before? You changed time itself, and that will change all those you care about. They will not become the ponies you knew. Instead they will be strangers – strangers who have no idea who you are or what you did.”

“That’s not true! Luna promised me that they would remember the old timeline.”

“Does Discord remember?”

“Well… no,” Twilight admitted.

“So Luna lied, then. She manipulated you into doing what she wished. Think, Twilight. How could ponies remember a thing that never happened? Surely you must realize that the identity and character of your friends was based on their personal circumstances and the nature of their world. It is now impossible for them to become the ponies you knew and loved. Your friends are gone.”

Twilight started to speak, but Death interrupted her. “Yes, yes, perhaps they will still exist. But they won’t be the ponies you knew. And they won’t know you, because you have no place in the new timeline. Since you are already here, you cannot be born into time. Your mother will never have you as a filly. You won’t exist in your family. You have lost your world, your friends, and your loved ones. Everything that you ever knew is gone.”

Twilight took a step back. Tears began to form in her eyes. “No,” she whispered.

“Tell me I’m wrong,” the serpent said. “Go ahead. I’ll wait.”

But Twilight knew he was right. Things wouldn’t happen the way they did before. Luna won’t be imprisoned on the moon, since there won’t be any darkness to corrupt her. I won’t be sent to Ponyville to make friends. In fact, I won’t even exist! Since the alicorn race won’t vanish this time, Celestia and Luna probably won’t even be the rulers. My friends may not live in the same place. They might not get the same cutie marks. They may never even meet each other. The events that brought us together and united us will never happen.

Twilight felt her heart begin to break. Ever since the Nightmare arose, the one thing she wanted more than anything else was to have her friends back. She was willing to go to war to fight for them. She was willing to risk certain death in order to save them. Twilight desperately wanted her friends – but now she realized they were truly gone.

The pain overwhelmed her. She really had lost everything. She didn’t have parents anymore. She didn’t have a brother. She didn’t have a home, or a city, or even anypony who knew her. Her crystal castle was created from her conflict with Tirek, and that would never happen. There was nothing left of her life. She wasn’t even a memory.

Twilight fell to the ground and cried.

Death looked at her and smiled. “You know, there is another way. It’s not too late to fix this. I’ll admit you’ve done a lot of damage, but there’s still time.”

The alicorn tried to stop crying. She looked up at him. “What do you mean?”

“I mean you can still let me go. With your magic I can put things back the way they should be – the way you want them to be. What happened before can happen again. If you release me I can give you your friends back. I can recreate the world that you once knew. Let’s be honest: isn’t that what you really want? It’s not too late.”

Twilight stared at the serpent. She knew he wasn’t lying.

She slowly struggled to her hooves. The pony knew it was the only way to get back the world that she had lost. If she imprisoned Death – if she carried out her plan – she would become a pony without a country.

Twilight stepped toward Death. Discord said nothing; he simply watched. The lion chimera remained motionless. The armies of the upper realm waited.

The pony slowly walked toward the serpent until she was right above him. She looked down at him. Tears were streaming down her face. Her eyes were red and her entire being was filled with pain. “I hate you,” she whispered.

Death smiled. “Do we have a deal?”

Twilight immediately lifted a hoof and crushed his head.

The serpent screamed in pain. It writhed in agony on the ground.

The pony turned her head to look at the lion chimera. Her tears had not stopped. “It’s done. Cast him into the abyss.”

The lion nodded. When he stepped forward to take the serpent to his eternal prison, Twilight lit her horn and teleported out of sight.

* * * * *

Twilight reappeared miles away. She could not see the army or the lion or the three eagles. All she could see was rocks and dirt. But she didn’t care. Twilight didn’t feel victorious; instead she felt utterly defeated.

For a while she was alone. Then there was a flash of light, and an old friend appeared. “I see you’re taking this glorious victory very well,” Discord commented.

Twilight ignored him. She was too depressed to say anything.

Discord sat down on the ground in front of Twilight. “If I might ask – why did you do it?”

“I would do anything for my friends,” Twilight said quietly. “I came here to save them. I’m not going to condemn them all to darkness and pain and death just so I can get back the world I knew. I can’t fail Celestia. If saving her from darkness costs me everything then, well, I guess that’s what it means.”

“Tell me something. Has it ever occurred to you that perhaps Death was not being entirely honest? Isn’t it possible that your future might not be as bleak and friendless as you may suppose?”

“But what he said was true!” Twilight protested.

“Or perhaps it wasn’t. The world will be different now, certainly. But you don’t seem to have grasped the fact that the world will be different now. Come. It’s time to go and meet the watchers. We need to get you home.”

Discord snapped his talon, and the two friends vanished.

Comments

[i_am_the_jam]

You'd THINK Twilight would know that Death can't be trusted, if he didn't keep his word before.

And are you sure those monsters weren't motorcycles and helicopters?