Turmoil Rising

by JFT

Chapter 70: Electric Cage Match

The train exited the Macintosh Hills, before finally reaching Apple Loosa, but it took even longer before it arrived at the main destination that stood near the center of Equestria.

“NEXT STOP, PONYVILLE!” the train conductor announced.

He finally arrived. Stygian landed on the platform among the crowd, blending in with his surroundings, but as they all left the station, they dispersed, and he was all by himself. The unicorn was hardly ever here, which made things inconvenient for him. He was sent here by one of the Elements of Harmony, regarding something that seems to be happening in the heart of Equestria. Yet he knew that Princesses Celestia and Luna no longer ruled and that Twilight Sparkle had taken their place, and since Twilight and her friends were obviously elsewhere he even didn’t know where to start. He’s been absent from everybody’s life for so long that he had no idea where any notable people were who could inform him. As he looked about the small town he’d just arrived in, a large crystal structure caught his eye. If he recalled correctly, this was where the Princess of Friendship previously lived, but he had no idea who was inhabiting it now, so he might as well start there. It took him a bit of a trot to get to the other side of town, and when he finally got there he climbed up the stairs and was about to knock on the door. All of a sudden, the door swung open, hitting him in the face and sending him flying to the side of the stairway.

“Aaaaaaaaaah, what a beautiful day.”

He couldn’t see, but could clearly hear what sounded like an inhaling sound, followed by the voice of a young mare.

“Perfect for some fun at the local lake, Prince Bramble.”

“S-sure.”

He heard another voice. This one was clearly male, but the tone of it seemed somewhat odd as if he was afraid.

“Are we really going to have another day of following you about all over the place, Sweetie Belle?”

And there was the third voice, another young mare, and she sounded frustrated.

“Scotaloo, while Twilight and others are away it’s our duty to keep the prince from another kingdom company. Besides, he’s likely gonna die of boredom if he’s gonna be stuck inside all day.”

“That last one you decided all by yourself, didn’t you?”

“And Prince Bramble agrees with me. Isn’t that right, Your Majesty?”

“Y-yes, sure.”

A groan from the other mare followed, and then the sound of them walking down the stairs. The unicorn finally managed to get himself up, only to see the three figures depart the castle, two of them being mares, and the third one, much to his surprise, a deer.

“Make sure you don’t go too close to the Everfree Forest, girls!” another voice called through the open door.

“We won’t!” Sweetie Belle replied back.

As the three left his sight, Stygian realized just now whose voice the other one belonged to, he knew it! He dashed back up the stairs and saw the pink, purple-maned unicorn mare standing in the hallway of the castle, facing her back to him, as she looked through a pile of papers she was levitating.

“Star-”

“Starlight.”

He tried to call out to her, but another voice beat him to it. Another voice he knew. But when he heard this one, a strange feeling of anxiety came over him, and even more when the visage of an old grey, white-bearded unicorn in a cloak and a hat came from the side of the hallway.

He was about to speak when he noticed the opened door, but nobody was present. “Why are the doors wide open?”

“Oh nothing,” the headmare answered. “Sweetie Belle’s just taken our visitor for another day of delight for her, and much frustration for Scotaloo. And the latter wasn’t in a mood for closing behind her.”

“I really don’t think they should be going out, Starlight. For all we know, the dark forces that lurk within the Everfree Forest could be skulking about, never mind that we removed the protective barrier.”

“In broad daylight? I think you’re being a bit too paranoid, Star Swirl,” the pink mare calmed him. “Besides, we needed to remove the barrier anyway, considering I had it erected because of Trixie’s incompetence.”

“Hey!” the aforementioned mare called in the distance. “It was a moment of panic, not incompetence!”

The two unicorns rolled their eyes and shut the entry into the castle. But the scrawny stallion stayed out of sight - the moment when he saw the Pillar of Sorcery he jumped away from his view. He didn’t want to, but the instinct was just too strong.

The last thing I would want now is to face any one of THEM again…

The thought kept repeating in his mind as if somebody had been whispering to him. He hadn’t heard it before, but after he met Rarity at Croup Town it just popped up out of nowhere, and as he thought about coming here it wouldn’t stop. That is why it took him so many days to arrive in Ponyville: He was trying to think of something else so it would stop, he needed to take his mind off, which is why when he took the train for central Equestria, he stopped at Mount Aris and every subsequent stop that followed, until the whisper finally went quiet. But now, when he finally got here and one of the Pillars of Old Equestria appeared, when voice turned up again. And likely for a good reason; there was this sense of guilt that still hung over him after all that’s happened, and it kept convincing him not to face them. And he heeded it, walking away from the castle, towards the center of the town.

The atmosphere in the town square was positive, but nobody could see that Stygian wasn’t. He’s been dragging his hooves the entire distance, the shadow of doubt hanging heavily over him, trying to figure out how to get rid of this heavy feeling. Perhaps he should go for a walk to the outskirts of town and the surrounding area, or maybe even board the next train and explore other parts of Equestria. But the more he thought about it, the more it began dawning on him that he was just trying to distance himself from the problem. But what else he could do?

“Stygian?”

He froze on the spot. Somebody called out to him, and it was again a voice he knew. His thoughts were so preoccupied that he completely missed the incoming stallion, which would’ve been impossible considering the massive size of this blue pony, with a short mane that was partly tied up in a braid, and on his back, he was carrying a shovel.

“R-rockhoof?” he acknowledged his presence.

“Stygian!” he answered in a jovial shout, before picking him up and giving him a bear hug. “Lad, it’s been a while! I forgot to count how long it’s been since I last saw you! I’ve missed you, my dear friend!”

“Th… The feeling is mutual,” he barely spoke in the embrace, before he was finally let go. “Why are you here?”

“Me? I just got back from a trip up north, to visit me ol’ place. See, since the headmare of Twilight’s school said she’ll be takin’ the kiddes all over the place I decided to go for a little trip. I had plans to travel for a while, but then I had t’ turn around.”

“Why’s that?”

“See lad, after I made a stop at the Crystal Empire, I saw it bein’ in a sorry state. I met good ol’ Mistmane, and she told me what happened. I came back to talk t’ Star Swirl about it.”

An idea suddenly popped up in the unicorn’s head. “Say Rockhoof, you’re probably hungry after such a long trip. Why don’t we have something to eat and you can fill me in on what Mistmane said.”

“Ya know what? That’s an excellent idea, lad!” he pulled him to his side. “Oats on me!”

Stygian sighed in relief. He would finally get some answers without dealing with his bothersome thoughts.

KRAKOOOOM!

The clash of thunder echoed across the entirety of the city of Musa. The irregularity drew the attention of its king, who walked over to the balcony of his central tower, only to see an unusual dark cloud drawing close at high speed. The dark formation suddenly parted, revealing a fleet of dark flying vessels.

“More flying ships?” King Abraxas raised an eyebrow. “Is that how those of the outside world travel these days?”

Soon, others joined his side, and almost immediately the alicorn princess responded negatively. “IT’S THEM! That’s the Storm King’s fleet! Your Majesty, you need to do something! Quick!”

The imposing stallion glanced at her. “The Storm King, you say? Somebody who claims to be king of all storms will have to prove his mettle if his intention is to usurp me.”

“Sir, this isn’t a laughing matter!” Twilight urged.

“I’m not laughing, miss. Do not worry. My Stormguard below will be able to handle them as they land.”

Below, the aforementioned military units set themselves in a formation, bracing themselves for the enemy charge once the airships were to land. But none of them did. Once they arrived at the shoreline they all stopped, not moving from their position. Meanwhile, the soldiers anxiously anticipated something to happen, but when it finally did, it was out of their line of sight. A portal of dark light opened behind the units, and soon after, a group of large creatures clad in black armor charged out of it, crashing into the back end of the zebra defender, completely blindsiding them. Those at the front who became aware of what had happened quickly turned and lunged their golden chained tridents at the enemies, but they easily blocked them with their shields, and even those that didn’t were able to shrug the attacks off due to the protection of their armor.

“What…?” the tone in the king’s voice gave up a genuine surprise. “How did they just appear out of thin air?”

“That’s Grogar’s handiwork,” Discord answered, who was poking his head out of Fluttershy’s fanny pack.

“What… who?” the zebra king looked confused seeing a creature he hadn’t noticed earlier, talk. “You have a talking pet?” he addressed the meek pegasus.

“He’s another villain, Your Majesty” Rarity further elaborated. “He’s a powerful sorcerer who can open doorways in reality. That’s how the Storm King’s soldiers were able to appear without landing their airships.”

“This is a serious, King Abraxas!” the Princess of Friendship warned him. “His army attacked our home once before and we were unprepared for them! They’re equipped with armor that is immune to lighting or any other magical attacks! Your soldiers are at a disadvantage!”

Suddenly, the king stomped his hooves, and sparks of lightning began to rise from him, giving everybody else a pause, and forcing them to make distance from him. “But are their defenses also physically strong?” he answered in a thundering voice.

He crouched, and then with a push of his hind legs lept over the edge of the balcony. The newcomers gasped in shock, which disappeared a moment later, as the ruler of Farasi zapped away at lightning speed towards the ground, leaving only the electric trail behind him. He rushed through the streets until he came in view of the harbor, and much like the invaders earlier, he executed the ambush on them, crashing into their back, sending some of them flying, before immediately charging into another set, zipping back and forth between each individual attacker. One of them finally caught what was happening and braced his shield in hopes of blocking the attack, yet it came with such a force that upon contact, the black shield that was meant to resist any form of magic, bent, before being sent flying as well. As the dust settled, the king who commanded lightning stood adamant among the beaten foes, and his men cheered.

“Surround the portal, Stormguard,” he ordered. “Make sure to repel anyone who comes out of it.”

They all stomped in salute before aiming their weapons at the opening in reality, while he himself zapped away, through the streets, up his tower, where he landed on the balcony once more.

The newcomers were left agape at what they had just seen. “Holy…” Rainbow Dash was the first to actually utter a word. “That… that was like twenty seconds in total… This guy’s fast!”

Close to them, the matriarch chuckled. “Now do you see, outsiders?” Zeg’us said. “This is just a small portion of the power of one of Farasi’s kings. If these enemies have intent of bringing harm upon the city it won’t be easy for them.”

“And with the Stormguard watching over the portal, they won’t be able to just charge out of it either,” Abraxas stated.

As he said that, Twilight glanced at the portal’s location, quickly addressing the ruler. “King Abraxas, I don’t think the situation has been handled yet.”

“Nonsense, Twilight,” Pinkie Pie disagreed. “I mean, it’s just one portal. If like, four or five more opened up, then we’d have a reason to worry about.”

They all just stared at the pink earth pony, and the king quickly realized the unpredictability of the situation, but he was unable to react properly to it. And then, from the corner of their eyes, they noticed another flicker of light, as the second portal opened on the opposite end of the city.

“Your Majesty!” Adil called out as he was looking out the balcony on the other side of the room. “We may have a problem developing!”

The large stallion and everybody else rushed to the side of the captain of the guard and discovered what he was referring to. Another portal could be seen in another part of the city, and the fourth one on the far end of that one.

---

“Now, let’s strategize,” Doubt said.

Turmoil’s agents loomed over the map of Farasi that the ram sorcerer had conjured from the dark light, and he was the first to speak. “The way I see it, the giant orb of lightning above the city is the power source that is being conjured by something or somebody powerful. If it’s one of the kings, it means we’ll have to use a direct counter to lightning.” He turned his gaze to the stone satyr. “Construct, you’ll have to do.”

“I’ll have to do? Do you know who you’re talking to?” The Storm King opened his right hand in which the Staff of Sacanas was embedded, and lightning tendrils began to swirl out of it. “I can take whoever it is with ease.”

“But can you take on the armies as well?” Grogar raised an eyebrow.

“Of course, he can’t, Grogar,” Tirek spoke up. “He wants to take on the whole city by himself, and he’ll have to do it without our help. The city this big probably has more defenders than you have soldiers, Rocky. A head-on assault would be stupid.”

“Oh really? And what do you suggest, wildebeest?” the statue glared at him.

“The answer is simple: Divide and conquer. The same tactic that we’ll use to prevent other kingdoms from supporting one another, we’ll use to keep this one preoccupied.” The centaur walked to the other side of the map. “If you decided to unleash your forces on a single point of the city, then the defenders will pile up on you, as well as their leader.” He reached across four corners of the city, tapping the solid map, and leaving a red glowing marker in place. “Here’s the idea. Grogar will open portals at multiple locations throughout the city and allow the ground troops to wreak havoc. The defenders will have to spread themselves thin, making for an easy picking. And if they block those… we pop up more of them.”

A chuckle escaped the grizzled ram. “I thought that your little “attempt at me” was just a stroke of luck. I didn’t think you had a strategic mind. Color me surprised, boy.”

He groaned, easily recognizing the patronizing tone. “Grogar, can you NOT for five minutes, please?!”

---

Just as quickly as the portals appeared among the confused populace, the armed satyrs emerged through, sending the residents into panic as they began destroying everything in sight with their weapons. And atop the tower, the ones in charge as well as the guests saw it all happen.

“They’re coming out from all over the place!”

“Thank you for stating the obvious, Autumn Blaze,” Discord responded.

“This is not the time for snide remarks, Discord,” the shy pegasus scolded him.

“Captain,” the king addressed the commander of his army, “have the tower evacuated and then direct the Stormguard to spread out in groups throughout the city. I’ll keep the invaders busy until then.” With a stomp, lightning bolts erupted from under him, and he zapped way right over the balcony and into the city below.

“All of you, follow me!” Adil spoke.

He rushed to the door into the throne room, with everybody following him. In the room that led to the only elevator, the musicians were standing about, confused by what was happening.

“Everybody,” he addressed them, “our city is under attack by outsiders! Evacuate the tower and take cover out of the streets immediately!”

The zebras immediately rushed into the elevator, stuffing it completely full so nobody else could fit inside, forcing everybody else to wait while the contraption lowered them. After a while, the elevator returned and they all rushed inside.

“Phew. Safe,” Spike wiped his brow.

But just as the elevator moved halfway past the doorway, it suddenly stood still.

“Why did we just stop?”

“Because you had to jinx it, that’s why,” Discord groaned.

The guard captain began frantically pushing the button. “It’s not working! There’s no electricity!”

“What do you mean by “no electricity”? We’re right underneath a giant ball of lightning! You’re not seriously telling us that it just went out or something?” Rainbow Dash questioned.

“Hey, anypony else noticed it got kind of dark all of a sudden?” Pinkie Pie pointed out.

Now that she mentioned it, they all became aware of how the light from outside dimed. Even the overwhelming light from the throne room had disappeared, giving it a gloomy atmosphere.

THUUD!

And just then, in plain view of the room that they were seeing through the small opening of their elevator, a large bipedal form landed in front of the throne, kneeling, one of its arms hitting the ground, causing it to release sparks.

“Hmmmm… Nah, this doesn’t work,” it said. “Superhero landings just don’t fit the theme.”

King Abraxas leaped with lightning speed to the ground and dashed between all four invasion points of Musa city, bumping into the invading armies to keep them preoccupied and spread out through the rest of the city. The satyrs by now realized their enemy was faster than them, so they set up a defensive formation and turtled down. To the attacker that didn’t matter. He just needed to keep them busy until his forces regroup and mount up an offensive.

KRAKOOOM!

He stopped halfway between one of the points. The clash of thunder sounded out again, and it’s been bothering him this entire time where it was coming from. After all, these armies belonged to what the newcomers called “The Storm King”, meaning he must’ve been responsible for the thundering sound. And then he saw it: In the sky, at the front of one of the dark airships, a single lightning tendril shot into the sky, and a tiny figure was dragged into the clouds above. The thunder roared again, but this time it sounded as if it was an actual voice belonging to a creature. And then, a giant head made of clouds descended. It traveled across the sky, to the center of the city, where it reached the giant lightning orb. It opened its mouth, bit it, and in a matter of moments, the power source of the entire city shrunk until it disappeared, plunging the already smoke-obscured environment into a state of doom and gloom. The giant head then touched down to the tip of the central tower, where it disappeared.

The king of satyrs stood in the throne room, lighting up his right arm and illuminating his surroundings, marveling at the glistening gold that surrounded him. “Man, look at all this BLING!” He turned around in full circle. “Pity I can’t take the whole room with me.” He looked at the giant throne. “This one though…” He walked to the top and stretched himself all over the seat. “I’ll definitely take it with me. Though with this much gold, I wouldn’t be surprised if these people have even more of it.” He chuckled to himself. “If I didn’t have the condition I might’ve even stayed here.”

“Let’s crawl out of here before he sees us.”

“No! You get out and he’ll notice you right away!”

He noticed something then. Voices, somewhere in the distance, but it was clear that they were close. His curiosity to know who it was made him get up and walk off the throne and towards the next room.

“Oh no, he’s coming this way! Take cover!”

The sound of panic made him move faster, wanting to see who was still there so he could gleefully terrorize them further. But before he even got halfway through the throne room, a trail of lightning crossed his way, making him jump in surprise. After the momentary shock, he realized that a tall zebra was standing in his way.

“So, you’re the so-called Storm King?” the stallion asked.

“No no.” The satyr wiggled his finger. “It’s the SL/SK, thank you very much. And lemme guess, you’re the king of this city, aren’t you?”

“If you’re already aware of that, then I’ll skip the pleasantries and be direct with you, outsider – LEAVE. Before you and your army face the full wrath of me and my Stormguard.”

The construct gave him a confused look. “I’m sorry, YOUR Stormguard? The Stormguard belongs to me, stripey. And while your soldiers are helplessly trying to defend a singular point in the city, they’ll destroy it from other ends.”

“The defenders of this city ARE called the Stormguard.”

“Wait, so hold on a second,” the Pillar of Fear realized. “Both mine and your soldiers are called the Stormguard? That’s copyright infringement! I’m gonna have your pay-!”

The king stomped his frontal hooves and lightning struck at the animated statue, knocking it on its back and leaving him motionless.

“Your Majesty!”

He turned his head in the direction of the call and then noticed the elevator that was half stuck. He dashed to it and noticed that his guests were inside.

“I’m sorry, Your Majesty, but the power went out just before we left,” Adil apologized.

“Do not worry, captain. It won’t be difficult to deal with the stragglers now that-”

“LOOK OUT!” Twilight cried out.

A lasso made out of an electric tendril flew across the air and landed around the zebra king’s neck, noosing tightly and electrifying him. The response came too late from the ponies who saw the construct still lying on his back, his head raised and his arm pointing at him.

---

“Grogar, can you NOT for five minutes, please?!”

“Quit your whining, Lord Tirek,” Chrysalis stepped in. “Anyway, your plan has a flaw in it. Even with the forces spread out, there’s still the big fish that will just gobble up all the smaller ones, one after another. This will be a very short distraction.”

“No, it won’t,” the centaur responded. “If the “big fish” resides in the tower beneath the giant lightning orb, as Grogar suggested, it’ll come flying straight out to help its troops.”

“That is IF these kings are as powerful as Doubt said,” the Storm King remarked.

The weaselly vapor glared at the animated rock. “You dare doubt me?”

A strange grinding sound came out of the moving statue as if he was trying to suppress a laugh. “You walked right into that one.”

“ANYWAY!” Tirek tried to get everybody’s attention on himself again. “Zap over to the tower and dispel his creation. That should get his attention on you, pebble. After all, to attract big fishes, you need a big lure.”

---

“Oh stripey, did you really think you could get me this easy?” The Storm King got back on his feet, holding the rope made out of electricity. “In case you don’t know, rock doesn’t conduct electricity. Something that can’t be said for you.” He pulled harder, laughing manically, thinking he had already disabled his opponent successfully.

But the stallion remained adamant, glancing at him. “Tell me – is your body harder than your men’s armaments?”

Once again, the construct gave him a confused look, but that was the only response he could give, as the stallion dashed with lightning speed, hurling his body against the animated rock, and knocking him at the throne, breaking it. A moment later, the electric lasso around his neck disappeared.

“Your Majesty, are you well?” matriarch Zeg’us inquired.

The king turned to the trapped group. “I’ll be fine, but I’m not sure I can be of assistance to any of you. He dispelled my energy source to the city, so even if I put it back up he’ll just dispel it again.”

“King Abraxas,” Twilight addressed him, “you need not worry about that, I can teleport us all to the ground level.”

He sighed. “Good. That makes my job a lot easier.” He turned to the commander of his army. “Captain, here are further orders: After you’ve gathered the forces, have some of them begin to evacuate the city.”

“Sir, are you sure?” Adil asked.

“This will be more difficult than I had suspected. It will become a battlefield and we cannot let the civilians come to harm. And as much as I hate to do this, we need to alert Amun so he can lend aid.”

“It will be done, Sir,” he saluted.

“Your Majesty, is that another of the Three Kings of Farasi?” the alicorn beckoned once again for an answer, to which she received a nod, “We came all this way to offer assistance. The Storm King is not acting alone and it’s only a matter of time before others join the fight. We’ll go and warn the other king.”

The stallion sighed. “Very well, outsiders, I’ll trust you. Now go.”

“Everypony, get ready,” she ordered, her horn beginning to glow, and then in a flash, they all disappeared.

And just as they vanished, the satyr king climbed over the wreckage of the golden throne. “Alright stripey, now I’m mad!”

FLASH!

The group materialized on the street just beneath the tower, and they already saw the result of the invasion, as the locals were wildly running about in panic and confusion.

“All of you, get to the city limit to the south!” the captain of the guard ordered.

“Wait, what about the people?” Fluttershy wondered.

“She’s right,” Applejack joined in. “We have to help with the evacuation.”

“As much as I appreciate your help on that front you’re the least suited,” he declined. “You are foreigners who just came into our country after it’s been isolated and were apprehended by the authorities. What will they think when you burst into people’s homes and tell them to leave?”

“He’s kinda got a point,” the kirin agreed.

“Don’t worry. The Stormguard can handle the invaders,” he reassured them.

“I’ll lead them to the edge, captain,” the elder zebra spoke. “My tribesmen are settled there anyway.”

“Good luck!” the stallion said and rushed away.

“Alright, fillies,” Zeg’us playfully ordered them, “follow me.”

And the old mare slowly led the newcomers through the city. It was no better elsewhere, with natives fleeing in fear, but now at least more of the defenders began turning up. After a while, they finally reached the wall that separated the city proper from the huts that were standing next to it. And there, the bare, tattooed zebras were standing outside in confusion.

One of them rushed to the elder zebra when she saw her approach with the group. “Matriarch Zeg’us, what’s happening? Who are these outsiders?”

“They’ve come to warn us,” she explained. “There is an evil force that’s come to our land to acquire… what we had kept at bay.”

When she heard those words, the look on her face became grim. “Do we evacuate the village?”

The elder nodded.

One of the stallions rushed to her. "Wait! What about our children?! They're still at the school in the city!"

"The Stormguard will protect them," the matriarch reassured him. "We must go; the abadas must be warned.”

Back in the tower, the two kings clashed against one another, yet even though they both had control over lightning, the satyr seemed to be at a disadvantage with his slow body despite being immune to the attacks, as the zebra kept bashing against him.

“You can’t win this, Storm King. Give it up.”

“How many times will I have to tell you?” The obsidian construct picked himself up again. “IT’S SL/SK! And you’re in no position to talk. Even with all the back and forth you’re doing you can’t even put a dent on me from the distance that you’re charging. You’re just delaying the inevitable.”

“Even if I don’t defeat you right away it’s only a matter of time. Once the abadas get wind of what’s happened they’ll be here.”

The animated statue slapped his forehead. “Oh yeah,” the satyr king said in a tone of realization. “Thanks for reminding me.”

He raised his arm in the sky, and the stallion prepared himself to dash again in preparation for an attack, but instead, something else happened. A single lightning string was shot into the sky and he grabbed onto it, the propelling force pulled him into the clouds above. He didn’t see that coming, nor what followed. The Storm King’s malevolent face-shaped cloud emerged. It opened its mouth, revealing the controlled inside, holding a guitar made from lightning bolts. But instead of aiming it at his enemy he aimed it at one of the tall towers, overcharging it, before moving to the next one, and then the remaining two.

Meanwhile, on the outer settlement, the zebras were beginning to leave their homes and making their way out. This time the Elements of Harmony and the company assisted in evacuation. Things were going smoothly, when suddenly…

KRAKOOOM!

That awful sound again. And this time they saw something else happening. They saw a giant monstrous cloud face spewing lightning at the golden-plated towers. Huge electric tendrils began connecting them, and soon enough they began to expand outwards, slowly descending, and it was coming right their way. Before any of them managed to even get out of the settlement, the field came down, blocking out their path completely.

---

“Well, you certainly got the distraction down, I’ll give you that, Lord Tirek,” the Pillar of Hatred said.

The towering centaur glanced at her. “I can feel a BUT coming up.”

“But, there’s still one more issue that you’re overlooking. Sure, we’ve got the military personnel taken off guard as well as the leader, but what about the civilians? The moment when things no longer turn in their favor, or even if their leader orders them to evacuate, they’ll make a run for it. One way or another, the refugees will be the ones calling for reinforcements.”

He rubbed his chin, his fingers passing through his flaming beard. “Yes, that will pose a challenge. It’s a pity we cannot simply put some sort of a net around the whole city, it would’ve made everything so much easier.”

A strange sound suddenly disturbed the centaur, as it sounded as if pebbles were crashing against each other, but in reality, it was the living statue making a cackling sound. “Is that all it would take? You have no idea what I did when I invaded the Crystal Empire. Actually, none of you were present to see it happen. So…” His eyes shifted maliciously at the Pillar of Anger. “How about I give a demonstration?”

He pulled his hand back, his hand flashing, and a string erupted from it, grabbing it and then swinging it in the direction of the centaur. It flew, but it didn’t travel further than an arm’s reach, when a pillar made of dark light sprung out of nowhere, and the lightning string wrapped itself around it.

The Storm King’s eyes widened, looking at the old sorcerer. “Hey Gramps, what gives?!”

The ram gave him an unamused look. “I just stopped you from doing something you were gonna regret, construct.”

Tirek looked at them in confusion. “Am I missing something? What’s this all about?”

“What he was trying to prove, boy, is that that he can conjure lighting tendrils, and be able to shape them in any way possible,” Grogar elaborated, being vague on the satyr’s intent, before glancing at him. “Right?”

The animated rock rolled his eyes and then dispelled his creation. “Yes. Anyway, it shouldn’t be too difficult. Once the power source is disabled, I can use my own to spread it across the city.” He reached out and touched the tips of the four tallest towers in each of the corners of the diorama that Grogar was conjuring, leaving a tiny spark on each. “Each of the towers will serve as a link between one another, creating a dome-shaped electric field that will prevent anyone from leaving. The locals will be trapped. No escape.”

---

“I’m not sure what you’ve achieved with this,” King Abraxas called. “All you did was lock yourself inside with me.”

A crackling sound followed, mimicking a laugh. “You’ve got it all wrong, stripey. I’m not locked in here with you.” The gigantic cloud head turned toward a part of town. “THEY, are trapped in here with ME!” It opened its massive maw and unleashed a continuous torrent of lightning upon a densely populated part of the city.

“NO!!!” the stallion suddenly cried in horror, leaping over the balcony.

“DANG NABBIT!” the workhorse cursed. “So close!”

“No worries, Applejack,” the alicorn assured her. “I can get us on the other end without a problem.”

“Yeah, but if you do that, how are you gonna protect anypony… from them?” the party planner pointed behind them.

Another portal of dark light opened, and the Storm King’s army rushed out of it. They were against the wall and in no position to fight them, and Twilight couldn’t just abandon the locals to their fate. Suddenly, a stampeding sound could be heard approaching, and soon enough Adil and the city guards came charging in, forcing the satyrs to take cover.

“Talk about cavalry at the last moment,” the wonderbolt sighed in relief.

The head stallion rushed to them while his men were preoccupying the enemy. “Seems like we’ve got another problem.”

“Yeah, it’s gonna take a while to evacuate all these zebras,” Spike said.

“No time, I fear,” the stallion shook his head. “Every second we waste the enemy gets more dangerous.”

“It’s not like we can just leave them all behind.”

The captain turned to the gathered locals. “All of you! Those who want to defend your home, stand your ground. And if there’s anyone among you that wants to leave, step forward, I won’t hold it against you.” He waited, and to the Council’s surprise, none of them moved from the spot. “Then grab a weapon and fight the invaders!” he commanded.

The group dispersed, joining the Stormguard, but among the crowd, the matriarch stood still. “I fear I won’t be of much use to them at my age.”

“Then we’re at least taking you with us, madame,” the fashionista answered.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea. I fear I’ll only slow you down.”

“But somepony has to show us where we’re supposed to go,” the shy pegasus begged.

“No need to worry about that, young lady. You already have a fitting guide through the land.”

“That’s gonna be a problem!” a panicky voice called, everybody turning to Applebloom. “Where’s Zecora?!”

Only then did they realize that their local shaman was not present. She’s completely slipped their radar in the chaos around them.

“I’m pretty sure she was still with us when we entered this part of the city,” Rarity remembered.

“Although she’s been eerily quiet since her elder came up,” Autumn Blaze pointed out.

“Maybe she just decided to go ahead of us just in case something happened?” the young mare speculated.

Adil sighed. “Even if that’s the case, we can’t take chances. I fear you’ll have to go with them after all, matriarch.”

“Very well. I suppose somebody has to warn the rest of the tribe in the other kingdom anyway.” She walked to their side. “But don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

“No worries, ma’am. We’ll pull you if it comes to that,” Applejack offered.

The old mare chuckled.

“Alright, everypony. Ready?” The princess inquired, to which they all nodded.

FLASH!

In a split second, they reappeared on the other side of the electric fence. They looked one more time at the Captain of the Guard who stared at them from the other end.

“Go,” was the only thing he uttered before turning and running to join his troops.

The group then began ascending the sandy hill that led out of the river valley, and every now and then they heard the clash of thunder, only to see the gigantic cloud head flying over the city, spitting lightning at the ground beneath it.

“Hey, is it just me, or was somepony this way just recently?” Discord poked his head out of the fanny pack again, pointing at the trail of hoofprints that were in front of the group, and they seemed recent.

And that’s when the youngest Apple suddenly picked up the pace and rushed forward.

“Applebloom? Where are you going?” her older sibling questioned.

She didn’t answer, all she did was push forward, determined to get to the top as fast as possible. She knew to whom those hoofprints belonged. She knew her all too well, there was no way she’d just run away. The young mare finally reached the top of the hill, and there she beheld a figure wrapped up in a cloak.

“Zecora!” her apprentice immediately recognized her.

But the mare didn't respond, she only stared in the distance.