Chapter 3 - Canterlot Tower
“Ugh, that felt weird,” Twilight mumbled, feeling a heavy head rush from the surge of energy.
She blinked a few times, regaining her eyesight and observing their surroundings. They were standing in the middle of the Canterlot Gardens, surrounded by tall hedges and statues. The towering marble buildings of the city rose in the distance, their golden rooftops gleaming in the morning sunlight.
“Whew-wee,” Applejack exclaimed, shaking her head to clear it up. “That was mighty fun! Sure beats takin’ the eight-hour train!”
“…I’ll pass,” Rainbow Dash replied warily. “That felt way too freaky.”
“We won’t be doing it again anytime soon,” Twilight told them, breathing heavily and sitting down in exhaustion. “That took a lot out of me...”
“Can you walk, dear?” Rarity asked concernedly, brushing her forearms off.
“I think… I just… need a minute…”
“No time to lose, girls!” Dash said, seizing Twilight around the waist and lifting her into the air. “Princess Celestia said to meet us in Canterlot Tower!”
“Um… which tower is Canterlot Tower?” Fluttershy asked, hovering into the air and looking at the numerous skyscrapers. “…Aren’t they all Canterlot towers?”
“It’s… that way…” Twilight instructed, weakly pointing her hoof towards the gardens’ exit. “Head towards the…” She took a deep breath. “…Towards the castle…”
The rest of the girls followed Dash and Twilight’s lead as they exited the gardens, passing two Royal Guards who watched them suspiciously.
“Uh… did you see ‘em go in, corporal?” the white unicorn guard asked his comrade.
“Erm… no, did you?” replied the white pegasus guard. They looked over their shoulders into the deserted gardens, and then back at the girls as they headed towards the Castle Courtyard.
“…Well, um, no need to tell the captain,” the corporal declared, returning to his motionless posture. His pegasus comrade nodded nervously and did the same.
Several Canterlot residents had paused to glare condescendingly at Dash, who carried Twilight through the streets in an awkward position. “She had a rough night last night,” Pinkie cheerfully explained to them. Shaking their heads, they continued their morning routines.
“Over there, it’s that one,” said Twilight, ignoring Pinkie and pointing her hoof at a building on the opposite end of a bridge extending from the Castle Courtyard.
“Ah remember this place,” Applejack said, looking at the jewels on either side of the door. “This’s the hall where the princess keeps the Elements locked up...”
“That’s right,” Twilight remembered, as Dash deposited her in front of the large double-door. Her mind sprawled with questions of what was going on—a massive explosion and an urgent summons to the holding place of the Elements could only mean bad news.
Twilight refocused her attention on the doors, using her magic to weakly push them open.
On the marble floor, in the middle of the hall, the girls saw something that made them gasp in horror.
Princess Celestia lay on her side, a quill and ink sitting next to her on the marble floor. Her crown, necklace, and other royal adornments were nowhere to be found, and she was gravely wounded.
Bruises covered her legs, back, and neck, her wings were folded at an awkward angle, and a trickle of golden blood was running from her mouth. Her hair, which usually flowed and sparkled brilliantly, was motionless and disheveled.
“Princess Celestia!” Twilight exclaimed, snapped awake by a surge of adrenaline. She worriedly broke into a gallop towards the princess, and her friends matched her pace.
“Twilight, thank goodness you’ve come,” Celestia replied weakly, sitting up straight. “I’m afraid the circumstances are far worse than I…” She paused, closing her eyes in pain. “…dare speak of in a letter.”
“Who did this to you, princess?” Dash asked angrily. “Point me at ‘em!”
“All in due time, Rainbow Dash,” Celestia said, wiping her jaw with her forearm. “Something terrible has happened, as I’m sure you all must suspect…” She focused her attention on Twilight with a somber gaze. “The Gates of Tartarus have been destroyed...”
Twilight’s gasped, her eyes widening. “Destroyed?! Who? How?!”
“Hold on, the gates’a what now?” Applejack asked as Celestia shook her head unknowingly at Twilight.
“The name rings a bell, but I’m not sure from where…” Rarity added. Celestia stood up weakly, and began limping towards the far end of the hall—a golden door with statues on either side.
“Allow me to explain,” Celestia said, pausing in pain. A drop of golden blood ran down her chin and landed on the red carpet below her—the girls cringed. She slowly resumed walking. “…Very few know of the horrors imprisoned within Tartarus…”
“The prison itself pre-dates Equestrian history,” she continued, wiping her chin again. “Nopony knows who built it, but Princess Luna and I eventually learned how to use it. Over the past four thousand years, we have been using it to imprison forces of darkness that have threatened Equestria’s harmony…”
“Four… thousand?” Applejack questioned, offering to help the princess walk. “Ah’m guessin’ not many ‘a the prisoners are still around after that long, right?”
“Unfortunately, that is not the case,” Celestia explained, rejecting Applejack’s offer and coming to a standstill. She gazed at the ceiling for a moment before speaking again. “The prisoners of Tartarus are frozen in time... it is the only way to ensure they cannot escape.”
“Frozen in time?” Dash asked, chills running down her spine. “Like, if you go in, you never come out?”
“How is that possible, princess?” Twilight asked, watching Celestia nod at Dash.
“The prison is as ethical as it is efficient,” Celestia continued. “Beyond the Gates was a large time dilation field, covering a several mile radius between the Tarus Mountains…”
“A time dia-what?” Pinkie asked curiously, on behalf of the others. “What kinda field is that?”
“It dilates the passage of time inside the field, right?” Twilight asked—the princess nodded in acknowledgement. “…I didn’t know time manipulation was possible until recently... what’s the dilation factor?”
“Ten to the negative twelfth,” Celestia responded quietly. Twilight’s jaw dropped open in shock.
“I don’t quite follow what you’re talking about, but that sounds like a bad thing,” Rarity observed, noticing Twilight’s disbelieving expression.
“It would be, if you were stuck in it,” Twilight gulped, doing some rapid mental math. “That would make thousands of years on the outside seem like… seconds on the inside…”
“Exactly,” Celestia told her. “Nothing can possibly escape, at least from the inside…”
“But what happens if the Gates are destroyed?” Applejack asked worriedly, getting the gist of what they were talking about. “Does the time-whatsit field still work?”
“The spell that destroyed the Gates has also collapsed the field with its excess energy,” Celestia replied, morbidly shaking her head. “All of the evil creatures imprisoned are now free… Even those that were imprisoned before my ruling, placed there by Discord himself…”
The six mares around the princess gasped in astonishment.
“Discord, put somepony in prison?” Twilight gaped.
“For being evil!?” Rarity added, equally taken aback.
“Correct,” Celestia confirmed, taking a deep breath and wiping her jaw again. “…Neither I nor Luna dared question why someone as rotten as Discord would deem it necessary to imprison such beings... We know absolutely nothing about them, which is why we must proceed carefully…”
“U-um, princess?” Fluttershy stuttered quietly, after a brief silence. “The adorable guardian of the Gates, Cerberus… W-what happened to him?”
Celestia shook her head unknowingly. Fluttershy gasped, mortified.
“His disappearance was what led me to investigate the gates myself,” the princess explained, weakly placing a hoof on Fluttershy’s shoulder. “I was unable to find him, and there is now a massive crater where the Gates once stood…”
“Wait, who hurt you, princess?” Dash asked, realizing that Celestia hadn’t mentioned her injuries. “Was it the monsters from Tartarus?”
Celestia hung her head sadly. “I was caught in the explosion while searching for Cerberus… It shames me greatly, but there was nothing I could do… I had to run…” She sighed painfully. “…And now, they’re all going to escape…” The hall fell silent for a few moments.
“That ain’t yer fault, princess,” Applejack said supportively, stepping forward and placing a hoof on Celestia’s shoulder.
“Yeah!” Dash agreed, landing next her and doing the same. “Don’t worry about it, princess! We’ll send ‘em packin’ in no time!”
“Just like in the movies!” Pinkie exclaimed, bouncing excitedly. “We’ll get to be superheroes!”
“Whaddya say, girls?” Twilight asked, looking confidently over her shoulder at Rarity and Fluttershy.
“I detest few things more than fighting,” Rarity replied, running a hoof through her mane—her face suddenly intensified. “One of those is anypony that would dare threaten our princess!”
“I, um…” Fluttershy said quietly. “I don’t think I detest anything more than f-fighting… B-but…”
“It’s settled,” Twilight smiled, turning back around. “Princess Celestia, you can count on us!”
“I was hoping you would say that,” Celestia replied, smiling weakly and wiping her jaw. She turned from them and approached the vault containing the Elements of Harmony. Celestia inserted her horn into the lock, and in a flash of blue light, the doors swung open.
Carried by an aura of golden magic from Celestia, the Elements floated out of their jeweled box and onto the necks and head of their respective owners.
“I’m proud that you girls wish to defend Equestria once again,” Celestia beamed, pausing to cringe in pain. “But this time, you will not stand alone.”
“Of course not, princess!” Pinkie exclaimed, grinning widely. “We’re never alone, there’s six of us!”
“That’s not what I meant, Pinkie,” Celestia explained, smiling weakly and placing the Elements’ box back into the vault; she closed the doors and turned back around. “I wouldn’t dream of sending you against the evil creatures of Tartarus by yourselves—you haven’t been properly trained to use the Elements of Harmony in battle.”
“Battle?” Fluttershy questioned, quivering. “I… I don’t really like battle…”
“Which is perfectly understandable,” Celestia replied warmly, trying to maintain her smile. “You girls have realized the full potential of the Elements of Harmony, but you haven’t been taught to use their individual powers. They are capable of a great many things.”
“Like what?” Twilight asked curiously, looking at the crown on her head. “The legend says they’re really powerful, but it’s not very specific…”
“Can I use mine to power an oven?” Pinkie asked, tapping her hoof against the balloon sapphire on her necklace. “Making cupcakes on the go would be the best power ever!”
“Can I use mine to get super speed?!” Dash added excitedly, zooming in circled above them.
“Allow me to explain,” Celestia said, raising a hoof to silence them. “Remember when you defeated Nightmare Moon? And when you defeated Discord? That was a finishing move—I call it the harmonic wave. It is the most powerful thing the Elements can do, but do you remember how much it takes out of you?”
“A lot…” Twilight admitted, recalling the first time they used the Elements—they had nearly passed out afterwards.
“Why call it a finishing move, princess?” Rarity asked curiously. “What, precisely, does it finish?”
“A battle with a great foe,” Celestia replied. “Though it is your most powerful move, it is easily dodged or blocked by a cunning foe… It is meant to overwhelm them and purge them of evil once they are defeated.”
“That makes sense,” Twilight pondered. “We were able to beat Nightmare Moon and Discord because they underestimated us… We had the element of surprise!”
“The Element of Surprise?!” Pinkie gushed. “Why didn’t anypony tell me there was an Element of Surprise?! Can I have that one and Laughter?”
“Calm down, sugar cube,” Applejack chuckled, placing a hoof over her friend’s back and preventing her from bouncing in place. “The princess’s tryin’ to tell us somethin’ important here.”
“You’re saying that whatever’s coming out of Tartarus isn’t going to underestimate us?” Twilight asked, encouraging Celestia to continue.
“Indeed, I am afraid not,” Celestia, placing a hoof against her chin and closing her eyes in pain. “I will speak more of the evils of Tartarus soon. First, if you’ll listen for a moment, I’ll tell you everything I know about the Elements of Harmony…”
The girls each nodded, and Pinkie scrunched her mouth in order to keep herself from saying something.
“The Elements were originally discovered not far from here, where Canterlot now stands,” Celestia recited, closing her eyes meditatively. “Deep within this mountainside, there is a crystalline cave that runs for many miles underground…”
“I’ve been there before!” Twilight thought, recalling the cave that Chrysalis had banished her to during the changeling attack on Canterlot.
“…The crystals lining the walls of the caverns are resistant to magic, so it was the ideal place for Discord to hide the one thing capable of defeating him,” Celestia continued. “Princess Luna and I eventually found the Elements, after many years of searching and hiding from Discord.”
“Hiding?” Dash asked, looking sideways at the princess. “Why hide from him?”
“We couldn’t defeat him without their power,” Celestia admitted, opening her eyes and fixing them upon the pegasus. “We tried… he humiliated and defeated us...”
“We know how you feel, princess,” Fluttershy reassured quietly. “H-he tricked us all horribly before we finally stopped him…”
Celestia nodded at her and continued. “Luna and I had planned to split the Elements evenly, but when we found them, only five of them were there. The same thing happened to you girls, did it not?”
“That’s right,” Twilight told her. “The Element of Magic only appears once the other five are gathered together in friendship!”
“Which is what happened, eventually…” Celestia said, closing her eyes. Her tone lowered slightly. “At first, we argued over how to split the Elements. We both agreed that I should wield Kindness and Laughter, and that Luna should wield Generosity and Honesty. It was then that we, ironically, argued over who should wield Loyalty…”
“How did you work it out, princess?” Rarity asked curiously while she paused.
“Well, we both argued that we were equally loyal,” Celestia explained. “But eventually, we got tired of arguing, and just decided we would sleep on it… Suddenly, the next morning, we were happy again! We decided that it didn’t matter which one of us wielded Loyalty, and if we couldn’t figure it out, we’d just make do with the ones we had already decided on!”
Celestia paused, smiling as a triumphant memory began to surface.
“It was then that our renewed friendship brought forth the sixth Element, Magic!” Celestia exclaimed. “Princess Luna was to wield Magic, and I was to wield Loyalty!”
“Aw yeah!” Dash cheered, honored to be using the same Element as Celestia.
“With the Elements under our command, we faced Discord once again,” said the princess, with a pained smile. “In his endless overconfidence, he underestimated us—just as he did you—to his own demise.”
“You’d think after four thousand years he would have learned not to,” Rarity giggled. “He isn't very bright, is he?”
“Overconfidence negates intelligence,” Celestia quoted, her smile giving way as she winced in pain.
“Starswirl the Bearded said that!” Twilight exclaimed—the princess nodded at her.
“Discord had no shortage of either,” Celestia explained. “Our wielding of the Elements was sufficient to stop him; however, their full potential could never be realized with just the two of us. The Elements were truly designed to be used by six ponies of compatible personality, all working together...”
“Like we are, now?” Rarity inquired.
“Indeed,” Celestia replied, her voice quivering. “The Elements…” Without warning, she suddenly cried out in pain as her back left leg gave out on her; the formerly majestic alicorn struggled to remain standing on her three remaining legs.
“Princess, Ah’m sure the history lesson’s mighty important ‘n all, but it ain’t gonna help anypony if we lose ya now,” Applejack told Celestia, moving forward to observe the princess’s injured leg.
“AJ’s right,” Pinkie agreed cheerfully. “You’re gonna need that leg, princess!”
Celestia smiled in defeat. “I appreciate your concern, girls… I’ll explain more soon. I have summoned Princess Cadance and Shining Armor to assist me, however, they are far away, and may not have-“
As if on cue, the doors to the tower burst open, interrupting Celestia. Silhouetted against the morning sunlight, a pink alicorn flew into the hall, pausing to gasp at Celestia’s horrific condition.
“We came as quickly as we could, Aunt Celestia!” Princess Cadance exclaimed worriedly, landing and galloping to Celestia’s side. “Please, girls, back up for a moment…”
Twilight smiled at Cadance—she returned the favor and quickly refocused her attention on the injured princess in front of her.
Cadance’s horn began to glow brightly, and a stream of cyan energy surged from it into Celestia’s body. The golden blood dripping from her mouth disappeared, and the bruises on her body began to fade. Her eyes opened wider, and she spread her recovering wings.
“Heya sis,” a friendly voice said from behind Twilight. Recognizing her brother’s deep voice, she gasped and threw her hooves around Shining Armor’s neck, relieved to see him.
“I cannot thank you enough for your haste,” Celestia told them, standing up straight. With a flash of golden energy from her horn, her royal attire appeared back on her hooves and neck. She regained her majestic composure, and everypony in the room breathed a sigh of relief.
Princess Celestia was back to normal—even her hair had resumed flowing and sparkling as it always did.
“We can always finish our honeymoon another day,” Cadance said, smiling back at her. “After this is all over, we’re probably going to need it.” Twilight released her brother and turned to face Celestia; all eyes now rested on her.
“Princess Cadance, Shining Armor,” Celestia addressed, clearing her throat and speaking energetically. “As I was just explaining to the girls, the grave emergency of which I wrote you is the destruction of the Gates of Tartarus.”
Cadance’s eyes widened in horror, and Armor bared his teeth—they both seemed to understand the gravity of the situation.
“Princess, the Royal Guard stands ready,” Armor fumed, standing at attention.
“Whatever I can do to help, I promise I’ll do my best,” Cadance added diligently.
“Thank you,” Celestia replied, acknowledging them both. “Shining Armor, I want you to mobilize the Royal Guard and inform them of the situation. Send word for full alert to the National Guard and the City Guard throughout the kingdom. Inform the press that there will be a national address at noon sharp. As soon as the orders are given, meet me in the Royal Hall.”
“Ma’am, yes ma’am!” Armor barked—he saluted her respectfully and galloped out of the hall. Celestia diverted her attention to Cadance.
“Princess Cadance, please head to Midnight Tower and rouse my sister,” Celestia told her. “Inform her briefly of the situation and return here posthaste. She will know what needs to be done.”
Cadance nodded curtly and spread her wings, taking flight and soaring out of the hall.
“That should leave us roughly two minutes,” Celestia told the girls, using her magic to close the hall doors.
“Princess, if I might ask,” Rarity began. Celestia fixed her gaze upon the white unicorn and nodded. “Earlier, before you told us about the Elements, you said others would join us…”
“Indeed,” Celestia replied, turning and pacing across the hall. “I have prepared a list of the most qualified ponies in Equestria whose assistance I shall request.”
“Shinin’ Armor, and Princess Cadance?” Applejack asked. “Princess Luna as well?”
Celestia nodded at her. “It is my hopes that they will join us as well.”
“Us?” Twilight queried, realizing the implications of the word. “You’ll be coming too, princess?”
“Yes, Twilight,” Celestia confirmed, turning and pacing in the opposite direction. “Luna, Cadance, Shining Armor, and eight others from across Equestria will be summoned to travel with us to the Gates of Tartarus.”
“Eighteen of us!” Pinkie exclaimed, her hooves clacking on the marble floor as she sprang up and down excitedly. “That’s like, three times as many as we usually have! Oh, oh! What’s our group name gonna be?!”
Celestia slowed her pacing and smiled at the bouncing pony. “I haven’t thought of one yet, Pinkie. Let’s decide on one tomorrow morning, at dawn,” she requested, subtly urging conversation away from the topic of the group. “That is when we will all meet again. Until then, I must depart.”
“Leave? But-“
The princess silenced Dash’s protest by raising a hoof into the air and giving her a stern look.
“Girls, I need you to trust me,” Celestia told them firmly, spreading her wings. “I am going to personally summon the rest of the ponies of our group, and in the meantime, Princess Luna is going to teach you about wielding the Elements of Harmony in combat.”
Suddenly, a deep blue flash of magic opened the hallway doors.
“Your return by nightfall would be much appreciated,” a booming voice commanded. “We will teach them what we can in the meantime. Make haste, sister!”
“Princess Luna!” Twilight exclaimed, turning to face the indigo princess of the night.
“Nightfall it is,” Celestia smiled at her sister, taking flight and hovering in midair. “Try to work on the dialogue, too.”
With a CRACK of golden light, the grinning Celestia teleported away. Luna rolled her eyes in annoyance and walked towards the center of the group—Cadance galloped in behind her and closed the doors.
“We-“ Luna boomed. She cut herself off before finishing the first word, closed her eyes, cleared her throat, and started over in a normal voice. “I am to instruct you in the use of the Elements of Harmony in combat.”
The princess’s dark blue eyes scanned the six mares in front of her. Her intimidating arrival had left them speechless, so she continued.
“You have already mastered the most powerful aspect of the Elements—combining your power to unleash a wave of positive energy,” she explained. “However, in prolonged combat against powerful foes, this draining technique is better saved for last.” Her eyes paused on Fluttershy, who was quivering in fear at her presence.
“The Elements of Harmony are nigh unstoppable when they work together,” Luna continued. “Especially when their individual powers are used in tandem. Applejack, Rainbow Dash, stand before me.”
Dash landed in front of the princess, and Applejack cantered to her side.
“Honesty and Loyalty are shields that will protect the others,” Luna told the pair, slowly pacing in front of them. “You will charge into battle first, seizing the attention of your foes. The power of the Elements will strengthen your bodies, giving you the endurance to withstand much more than any normal pony could.”
A triumphant smile spread across Dash’s face, and Applejack echoed the sentiment; both of them were being given the direct opportunity to be the hero.
“Sounds like a challenge,” Applejack commented, narrowing her eyes and grinning wider. “Ah can’t wait to give ‘em a piece‘a what Equestria has to offer!”
“Me neither!” Dash added, spreading her wings and standing on her hind legs, thumping her chest.
“You suit your roles ideally. The Elements are powered not by magic, but by feeling,” Luna explained, pausing in front of Applejack. “Your defense of the truth and desire for fairness will fuel yours.”
Luna’s eyes traveled over to Dash. “Likewise, your Element will be fueled by your desire to protect your friends.”
“Is there like… an on-switch or something?” Dash asked curiously, tapping the crimson bolt-shaped gem on her necklace. “I don’t feel any different…”
“You will be instructed on how to activate them soon,” Luna replied, motioning for them to stand back. “Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, approach.”
Pinkie hopped forward, pulling Fluttershy along with her by the wing. They landed in an awkward position in front of the princess.
“Laughter and Kindness rejuvenate their allies,” Luna explained, resuming her pacing and ignoring Pinkie’s silliness. “As the team battles their foes, they will undoubtedly become injured.”
“I-injured?” Fluttershy gasped, her teeth chattering. Pinkie patted her on the back.
“It is your job to channel laughter and kindness into powers of healing,” Luna nodded; Fluttershy gulped worriedly. “Pinkie Pie, your healing power will be widespread and contagious, traveling quickly through your allies, as laughter tends to do. You will improve morale, and numb them to their pain.”
Luna stopped pacing and addressed the trembling yellow pegasus directly. “Fluttershy, your healing will be far more direct; focus your attention on the most injured of the group. Just as kindness can brighten the darkest of situations, your power will cause broken bones to heal and major injuries to close up.”
“S-so when my friends are hurt, it’s my job to m-make them all better?” Fluttershy asked with a slightly more confident tone. “That m-means I don’t have to f-fight?”
“That’s right!” Pinkie exclaimed, seizing Fluttershy’s hooves and dancing on her hind legs. “We’re gonna keep everypony from fallin’ apart on us out there!”
“You are correct, child,” Luna confirmed, suppressing a smile as she watched Pinkie force Fluttershy’s hooves back and forth, trying to make her dance. “You will not be required to fight. Your friends will protect you while you heal them.”
Regaining her curt composure, Luna waved a hoof to dismiss the two mares. “Rarity, step forward,” she ordered, as Pinkie and Fluttershy calmed down and backed away. The white unicorn walked past them and bowed before Luna.
“What will my role be, princess?” Rarity asked curiously. Luna looked directly into her eyes.
“Indirect defense,” Luna replied. “I will present an example: Imagine that you are in combat, and an ally is struck down.” Rarity drew a hoof to her mouth in shock, and the princess continued “If you could have intercepted the strike, would you?”
“But of course!” Rarity exclaimed. “I wouldn’t dream of letting my friends get hurt!”
“The Element of Generosity provides a unique combat role called active empathy,” Luna explained. “It is a continuous power that you can channel, allowing you to absorb damage from your allies, even as they are being struck.”
Rarity closed her eyes and tilted her head upwards. “I would gladly do this for my friends,” she declared. “I couldn’t dream of a more fitting job.” A smile spread across her face as she opened one eye and peered at the princess. “…Unless of course, I get to design our suits of armor as well?”
“There is no time. Until then, you are their suits of armor,” Luna replied dismissively, motioning for her to step back. Rarity trotted away excitedly. “This brings me to the final role of combat… Assault. Twilight Sparkle, step forward.”
Twilight walked past her friends and stood before the dark princess.
“The Element of Magic,” Luna paused for a moment, gazing reminiscently towards one of the stained glass windows. “...Is unique. While the other Elements keep your foes distracted, you will use your magic offensively to decimate them. The Element will greatly amplify all of your spells, allowing you to unleash vast destruction.”
“Destruction?” Twilight asked, unsure about her feelings of raining chaos.
“In a manner of speaking,” Luna clarified, reconsidering her choice of words. “…While I do not condone unnecessary bloodshed… There may come times during our combat where we will need to obliterate our enemies.”
“I-I understand, I guess…” Twilight gulped nervously.
“Don’t worry, Twilight,” Cadance interjected. She had remained silent during Luna’s lectures until now. “When you see what we’re up against, you’ll feel better about the idea of destroying them…”
“Princess, could ya maybe enlighten us as to what we’ll be goin’ up against?” Applejack asked Luna. “Ah can’t quite picture anypony so evil that we’d have to destroy ‘em…”
“That is likely because you are picturing enemies capable of intelligent thought,” Luna said darkly, gazing through the stained glass windows at the mid-morning sun. “Allow me to share with you the story of Darkstar the Crazed…”
“He’s… real?!” Twilight gasped morbidly. “…The history books say he was an exaggerated myth!”
“For good reason,” Luna confirmed, locking eyes with Twilight. “Few who know of the horrors he committed wish to remember them... He is a deranged practitioner of necromancy.”
“Necro-what?” Dash asked, looking at her friends. Rarity shrugged, the others following suit.
“Necromancy…” Twilight said slowly, as though the word itself were a curse. “Forbidden magic involving death, and the manipulation of the soul…”
“That’s jus’ wrong,” Applejack declared. “Ain’t nopony got the right to be playin’ with powers like that.”
“But what’s so bad about bringing somepony back to life?” Pinkie suddenly asked, being her usual cheery self despite the fear in the ponies around her. “That sounds like a good thing!”
Luna shook her head and spoke in a very somber tone. “No magic can bring the dead back to life,” she explained; Twilight nodded in agreement. “When somepony dies, their soul begins to move on to the Elysium, a void leading to the afterlife… Necromancy is as casting a chain unto the soul as it flees, dragging it back into its lifeless body and bending it to the caster’s will.”
Pinkie’s smile vanished. She stared blankly at Luna for a few moments, expecting her to say “April fools!”
“That’s so… horrible…” Dash shuddered, comforting Fluttershy as she shivered in terror. “Who would ever do that?”
“He who wishes to raise an army of the dead,” Luna continued, turning her gaze from the window and looking at her. “Darkstar the Crazed is said to have experimented with necromancy so much that he even performed it upon himself, anchoring his own soul to this world and outliving his existence by many thousands of years.”
“It really is true?” asked Twilight, her mind starting to spin. “The crazy things I’ve read… They said he attacked entire cities with an army of skeletons!”
“It is neither exaggeration nor myth, Twilight Sparkle,” Luna said, sending chills down the unicorn’s spine. “I was not present at the time, but Celestia has told me of him… Two hundred years ago, Darkstar left his lair in the Greyarch Mountains, coming to a small town by the name of Bridlemore…”
“I thought Bridlemore was destroyed by a fire?”
Luna sadly shook her head at Twilight yet again. “It was, yes…” she said quietly. “After Darkstar slayed the town’s entire population, and turned them into skeletal minions for his army… Nopony was left to put out the fires.”
“He killed a whole town?” Applejack asked in horror.
“Word did not reach Celestia until it was too late,” Luna continued grimly. “By the time she arrived, there was nothing left. She assembled a team of defenders and triumphed over Darkstar before he reached the next city, Stalliongrad. He has been imprisoned in Tartarus ever since...”
“And he’s FREE now!?” Dash asked angrily. “What’re we standing around for?! We’ve gotta stop him before he does that again!”
“Tartarus is one hundred and thirty-five miles from the nearest city, Fillydelphia,” Luna reassured the furious pegasus. “Once Celestia has assembled our team of defenders, I am sure she will waste no time in leading us to intercept before he, or anything else can attack it…”
“I sure hope so,” Twilight said quietly, gazing at her reflection in the marble floor.
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Huh? But I thought... I'm guessing you're doing this to try and drum up more views or something?
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Don't blame him. Me and a couple other guys convinced him to, because we thought it deserved a broader audience than a hundred-odd people.
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Yeah, he told me in a private message, and I kinda like that idea.
Here's the plug I promised. It isn't much, but I had been meaning to write about this concept for some time, and it turns out there isn't as much to say as I expected. Well, I'm sure you'll get a couple more readers out of it, anyway.
1314999 Thank you so much! Every bit certainly helps!
EDIT: Just to clarify for everyone, I most often reply to comments via PM, as to not clutter up the story's comment section with all of my replies. Thanks again for reading, and I look forward to your feedback!
Irony! I only read completed stories. Of course, by the time I actually get to this story, it'll probably be all uploaded. I hope the plan for more views works out.
Wow, I love the concept of individualizing the abilities of the Elements!