Twilight Daylight: Dawn of Equus

by thedarktome

Chapter 13 - Boom, IHT

Their ogling took the Princesses outside of Canterlot Castle alongside commanding officers staged within. Despite being powered by magic, nothing seemed to be working! Citizens were crawling their way out of their homes in curiosity. How was this even possible?

"Hmm," Celestia hummed. A flicker of energy burst into a scroll before her clueless expression. A letter from Cadance and Shining Armor, based on the coloring of the ribbon. She unrolled it before herself and Luna, casting a small light down to read more of it.

"'I hope this letter finds you better than it has found us,'" Celestia read aloud. "'The Crystal Empire has been struck without magical power. Thankfully enough, the Crystal Heart remains intact and functioning.' We're not the only ones."

Another letter found its way to Celestia's hooves, this time with a green ribbon. Followed by another and a third. Yellow ribbon, purple ribbon. North Neighton, South Neighton, Mount Aris.

Luna levitated them up but didn't have to say a word, let alone unroll the scroll.

"They're without magic," she muttered. "It's happening."

Arcadia. Her magic was slowly leaving, as Dawn told them it would. As Twilight herself told them it would; abandoning them in the darkness of the night when they needed it the most. But was it supposed to be like this? A night relinquished of nothing but its magic? Celestia was sure it would be more dramatic.

A Guard flew in from the distance and genuflected briefly.

"Princesses," They greeted. "I have come with a message from the mayor of Ponyville. They have lost touch with their magic in terms of energy supply."

A weighty lump landed on Luna's back, enough to give even her a fright. Oh, just Sky Duster. Surprisingly, she and the rest decided to stay in Equestria after the battle in an attempt to rebuild. Surely, it was to regain trust among their fellow citizens, but ponies like Sky Duster had to always be watched carefully.

"What happened?" She asked.

"Environmental magic is dropping all over Equestria." Luna lifted a scroll to her face. "We're not the only ones. These continue to come in from IHT members."

Sky Duster took one in her hoof and unrolled it. Prance. Huh, would you look at that. They had magic?

"What does this mean?"

"Nothing's confirmed, but we're suspecting foul play. Something's happening."

Five more guards flew in at the same time ponies began to panic. She could read their faces, the antsy steps their hooves were making.

Before anyone could begin talking, Celestia held up her hoof and began barking orders. "Have all Military Personnel and police in every city staged and ready. I want all hooves pounding the pavement reporting any oddities. We are not in danger as of yet, but I'd rather not take any chances."

She turned to Sky Duster with a steeled expression. "Wake up the others and get them down here." She nodded and teleported away. Stars above, Celestia hoped this wouldn't be too bad.

---

Sleep has never felt this good. After being deployed on a mission such as that and seeing what she has witnessed up close and personal, this was exactly what Scootaloo needed. Some time with her girls, surrounded by the caring hooves of her loved ones. Although, Apple Bloom seemed to have worked up a habit of bucking her right rear hoof whilst sleeping, Sweetie snoring in her ear she could do without, and Rainbow Dash's wings were the heater in this pile-on. Nonetheless, there was no place she'd rather be than back here in the Cutie Mark Crusader treehouse with her family, under the loving light of Luna's moon and the embrace of her three best friends.

After being kicked awake again, she closed her eyes, preparing to sleep before a tiny knock alerted her awake. Applejack was looking inside, peeking in from the edge of the doorway.

"Scoot," she whispered.

Scootaloo groaned and closed her eyes. "Yes, Applejack?"

"Someone's here to see ya'."

"Ugh, can it wait until tomorrow morning?" Scootaloo groaned, almost indecipherably.

"She said it's a national emergency."

Scootaloo tilted her head to the side to focus on Applejack.

She stepped to the side and allowed a pegasus mare to step in at the door. A pegasus with dark green eyes and a smallish stature...

Majority padded her way into the treehouse. "I would make a joke about this, but there's no time."

"Get to the point, Private"

"Orders from the top, we're on the beat." At the word, the piled ponies popped their eyes open and scrambled awake.

As soon as the words left her mouth, Rainbow Dash's muzzle pressed against hers. "Whoa, whoa, whoa! What do you mean 'on the beat?' Scoots already served her play this month."

"It's an emergency." Majority looked past Rainbow to Scootaloo. "All Serving Military are to be scouting for magical oddities. The cities of Equestria are going dark with magic, and It's not just here."

"What do you mean here?" Scootaloo trotted purposely to the doorway of the treehouse, pausing upon recognition. She could see what Majority was referring to. The cities going dark with magic. There were no lights. Whereas in the evenings Ponyville would be lit up as bright as one of Pinkie's parties but this time, there was nothing. No noise, no animals, no lights, just an eerie dark silence.

Sweetie Belle, Applebloom and Rainbow Dash joined them at the entrance, fawning in fascination, albeit weariful.

"What's going on?" Applebloom asked.

"No idea, sugarcube." Applejack pulled her sister in closer. "How about y'all come inside?"

"No," Scootaloo denied. She looked back over her shoulder in their direction. The eyes of a warrior ready for a fight. "Stay away from buildings. If magic has something to do with it, you stay away from structures. I've seen what magic can do to a building when weaponized and trust me, you don't want to be near it, let alone inside of it. Get yourselves into a clearing where we can see you."

Scootaloo turned back to Majority. She knew that look. It begged for a salute, and a salute she got. "At your word, Lieutenant."

Scootaloo trotted past her out of the treehouse with the others on her hooves, destination for the home of the Apples and the road beyond it. "Where are the others?"

"They should already be at the square."

"Any comms?"

"Nothing yet in terms of danger."

"Get back there and tell them I'm on my way. Let me grab my fatigue."

"Yes, ma'am."

They split off in different directions, with Majority flying low back to Ponyville and Scootaloo back to the Apple Household. Less than two weeks and already back into action. Jeez, she didn't even get a chance to box up the uniform for another deployment. As a matter of face it's probably right where she left it at.

Yep, lying over the back of the couch. She grabbed her clothes and donned on her equipment. Helmet, weapon, goggles, boots, watch, Comm Block.

She turned around and faced her family. Watching from the entrance. Even Big Mac.

"Stay away from buildings," she reiterated. "If magic is going crazy, you're better off away from shelter."

Rainbow wrapped Scootaloo in a tight hug, and left a kiss on her forehead. "Be careful, okay?"

"Always." She gave Applebloom, Applejack, Sweetie Belle, even Big Mac tight embraces embossed with love before rushing out the door.

Her journey led her into Downtown Ponyville. Deployment was active. Soldiers were walking the streets with lights tapered to their foreheads while citizens stayed inside, watching through the windows from the comforts of their homes.

Silent Sound stood at the ready, waiting for her arrival. Majority Green, as uppity as ever. Mixed Candies, as interesting as life at night could get. Silent Sound's Weapon Specialist. She's shaking again. Nerves.

Private Red Mass. Eyes trained forward, he looked past Scootaloo in favor of what he could do to whoever decided to even set hoof in Ponyville with evil intent.

Tough Watts, a pegasus stallion with a coat as blue as the evening sky. Medical officer, ready to move.

Upon approach, all military saluted. "First Lieutenant!"

"As you were. Has anypony taken on the Everfree Treeline?"

"Not yet, ma'am,"

"We're taking it. Majority? Mixed? In the air. I want eyes in the sky and behind us."

"Weapons?" Mixed Candies asked.

"Probably not. This is a scouting mission. No need for—"

A boom sounded off in the distance. Loud enough to be heard from Canterlot. The ponyville train station. It was tearing itself apart and lifting from the ground into the sky in pieces. As if sucked away by a tornado. But nay, this was no tornado. The material broke down into a fine neon violet mist that flowed into the air over Ponyville, illuminating the sky with a destination behind those rolling hills for Las Pegasus. Magic.

Celestia could see the event from here, one of Canterlot Castle's many balconies. What in all the stars? A large cloud was forming in the distance. Flashing purple with lightning.

Another building, this time in Canterlot was uprooted in pieces. Ponies screamed and ran in the opposite direction before another met the same fate.

Equestria was being torn apart. Attacked from the air, they were losing all they had. Each blink of the eye was another structure before statues, the ground, even the grass was threatened and stolen by the loud stentorian strikes of Twilight's calls. That's right, that's what this was. Twilight was stripping their lands of her magic given to them after Maheera vs. The World.

Celestia teleported to the ground when ponies rushed out of the castle. She pointed to the citizens.

"Get them away from...everything!" She barked. "Sky Duster!" Sky Duster teleported into sight at the same moment lightning strikes lashed out from above, grabbed hold of the world beneath them, and lifted it into the sky, regardless of who was still in it. They could see ponies climb their way out of its grip and fall to the destruction happening below. Where fire, flames, and vibrations rocked the city to its core. Standing became nearly impossible.

"Create a shield!" Celestia ordered. "Big enough for all of Canterlot to hide in! Sun Waves, help her!"

A building blew into the air, as well as its debris. Entire structures were floating through the sky, carrying itself to those violet glowing clouds on roads of magic. This was happening in every city in every country around the globe. Celestia shouldn't have been surprised, yet, stoicism was impossible. They were dealing with Twilight Sparkle, the Mistress of Magic. Even beyond the supposed grave, her power was unmatched.

The bright oranges of fire ate away at the body of Canterlot, leaving behind a cancer of flames. Something that Equestria has never experienced. The acts of war with no hope of retaliation. Despite teleporting around to other ponies to gather them underneath Sky Duster's shield of magic, Celestia, Luna, military guards, all of them could only save but so many lives.

Celestia took high to the skies and watched the world around her fall. Manehattan was already undergoing their own changes. A bustling metropolis was turned into a beacon of light, gracing the skies with the smoke of disaster. Ponyville was slowly reaching the point. She could see the grass going up. Violet wisps lined the air, carrying with it materials that were no doubt created with Twilight's magic.

An entire apartment still occupied with a mare drifted past her face. Trapped inside, she banged against the glass windows for attention, for help.

Celestia speared up to the window and bashed the glass apart with one hoof. "Come, filly!"

She reached in and scooped out the mare by the barrel and teleported back down to the shield. She pushed her inside and focused back on the fall of Canterlot. Oh faust, what could they even do? The sky was turning orange with fire, smoke was plaguing the air, the crashing and bashing of collapsing buildings was a step up in terms of volume from the screaming ponies gathering within the shield they managed to put together.

Luna was ushering ponies from deep within Canterlot towards the castle the only structure that had yet to succumb to Twilight's posthumous strikes.

Perhaps she spoke too soon.

Loud creaking and groaning slowly drew their eyes behind them. Through the fence and gate, the magic grabbed hold of the castle walls. Violet cracks appeared along the surface, webs of imminent destruction snaking through stone that would surely rain down upon them shall they continue standing here.

Celestia turned to the remaining powerful ponies. "If you have a horn, help me strengthen this shield!" She shouted.

There was no way all these ponies could make it out. Canterlot had fallen in a matter of minutes, Manehattan before them, and who knows where else was being taken apart.

Luna, Celestia, Sky Duster, and Sun Waves banded together and raised their horns. Together a beam of light released into the air and ascended into the sky, a white stream more pure than the magic doing away with what was left of Equestria. A white shield cascaded a dome over all the gathered inhabitants and survivors at the same moment the castle gave way.

With a tug, the walls were pulled free of their structure. Debris spewed through the air beneath a thundering crash, echoing from the mountain and onto remaining cities.

Destruction, fire, tragedy filled Celestia's sight before darkness filled her vision. Their home for centuries was no longer. In a matter of hours, Equestria would have nothing. These ponies behind them, cowering in fear stood their ground with nothing to hold on to.

Instead, they endured the attack on their lives, cowering under the darkness of Twilight's anger.

---

No. No way. The castle of Canterlot just collapsed. Through the streams of purple being uprooted from Ponyville's land, Lieutenant Scootaloo could make out chunks of it rolling down the mountain through a red haze while the rest floated into the air, soaring over Ponyville in the direction of Las Pegasus.

Scootaloo faced the town and shouted as loud as her lungs would allow her. "Get everyone out of these buildings now!!"

At her command, guards and soldiers alike begun banging on their doors, shouting as loud as they could before the attack finally commenced. A single violet bolt struck down upon an unsuspecting home and pulled it from the ground. Ponies screamed and ran from the sight as fast as they could. Scootaloo had to think quickly. They couldn't just run around it here!

The train station. Recently attacked, it wouldn't be again.

Scootaloo pointed in the direction of what remained of its form. "All personnel, direct citizens to the train station!"

In a matter of minutes, ponies were running out of ponyville in favor of the smoldering ground of Equestria's famed Friendship Express station. En masse they gathered, watching as their homes literally went up in flames, losing all that they had to an unseen enemy.

A unit of soldiers ran out of the burning town and up to Lieutenant Scootaloo brooding on the front lines.

"That's everyone, ma'am!" Their commanding officer announced.

Good. No one else would fall victim to Queen Arcadia's inevitable attack. Look at that, in a matter of minutes, ponyville was no longer. All the buildings, structures, homes, lights, trees, everything post-Maheera vs. The World less than a year ago was no longer present in their lives.

Majority Green walked up to Scootaloo's side and watched with her the last of Ponyville be lifted into the sky, broken down into magic and join the streams heading towards that massive cloud in the distance. Glowing purple and sparking with internal reactions. Leaving behind a field of dirt in the darkness of the night.

"What now?" Majority asked.

Scootaloo swallowed. "We wait for support. I want military combing through the wreckage, see if there's anything we can salvage for shelter."

Majority nodded and turned back around to face the squads. "You heard her! All teams, check for salvage!"

---

Was it over? Please tell her it was over. Starlight kicked her way out from under a fallen tree and pulled herself through uprooted soil. Through the dirt she crawled. The haze of smog choked her lungs. A small cough and she could at least breathe again.

But through the destruction of the forest and the smoke of flames, an iridescent violet glow remained.

"It's still here!" She shouted.

Sunset, Snap seed, and Lead Harvest reemerged from different areas. The former slid to Starlight and helped her to her hooves.

"You okay?" She asked.

"I'm fine. A headache, but I'm fine." Starlight wiped her face and cast her eyes upon the only remaining structure. Disbelief and wonder filled her mind. It was still standing.

They all trotted through the mayhem up to the stone, aglow with magical energies that washed over the ash-ridden ground with the runner at its center.

"That means these didn't cause this attack," Snap Seed stated.

"Then what are they for?" Sunset and Starlight looked to each other with worry on their minds. Another mystery has hit their reality, one that needed to be solved soon.

---

The sky turned a mixture of red and purple. Magic from the streams of matter Twilight "Arcadia Nova" Sparkle was stripping from the same countries she brought back to life, and fire from her taking it back. From the Deck, Princess—no, Queen Fresh Dawn observed the spectacle. All of it was moving towards that massive cloud, dwarfing their endless fleet of refugees and leaving them defenseless, without food, drinkable water, barely clear air to breathe. Would mom return it when she came back to life? Would she grant them what all creatures need to survive. Or would she disappear just to prove a point? Mom wasn't that shallow or vengeful, was she?

"Dawn!" Fresh Dawn stepped away from the railing of Aquata Zero and faced the steps leading up to the bridge. Gardeen gestured up the stairs. "You may want to see this. We have a few eyes left on Psera feeding out here."

Really? Dawn eagerly trotted up the stairs and onto the bridge where other captains, generals and military commanders stood around a centered console casting a visual into the air. Upon recognition, they created a hole for her to walk up to the front and observe for herself. Clearly, it was a camera feed of Cop from what could have been a surviving skyscraper that was behind the castle; and based off the fact that there were still standing buildings, this was before the destruction.

"What is this?" Dawn asked. "How did this survive with no energy?"

"It's a recording of something rather peculiar." Madam Singe reached out and sped up the file, mere moments after city-state of Cop was laid to waste and all that remained were collapsed buildings and materials. Regardless, this camera stood tall. "As for what powered this feed? It may be this." She sped up the file, almost at the end when...what in Equus?

Dawn squinted and walked closer to the image. It looked like a massive rune was burning its way to the surface of Cop. Bright and orange, it seemed to be the outline of a three-limbed tree surrounded by a massive circle.

"What is that?" General Mack Land queried.

"I don't know," Dawn admitted. "I've never seen a rune like this before. Note it down for later. We'll ask Equestria if they recognize anything like this. How are our communications?"

"Barely holding on, ma'am." Hot Stop made it out? Dawn still didn't like her. There was just something about her that made her anxious. "We're glitching in and out. In order for them to work, we have to be stable and still to reach Equestria. Whether we'll reach them or not still has yet to be determined."

Would they reach them? So far, communications were powered by mom's magic. The chances of a successful connection were slim to none. If not, Dawn had a plan that could take longer.

"Captain!" All attention swiveled to the forward deck, beneath command. A Pseratep was pointing at their console. "The weather patterns are changing!"

Finally, a new development. That could only mean one thing. Something was happening with Arcadia's magic. Fresh Dawn was followed By Secretary Gardeen, Princess Merry, and others back outside onto the deck of Aquata Zero. A noticeable change in the wind, the accelerated speed was enough to classify this as a level one hurricane upon Psera's shores. But nay, this was no natural event.

The water splashed and sprayed into Dawn's face. She held up a hoof to defend her sight, trained upon the gathering clouds of magic in the distance, so massive, it seemed to go for miles upon miles into the sky whilst remaining within hoof's reach.

Something was happening in those clouds. They swirled with no physical force, increasing speed and lightning fluctuations around a single location.

"What's happening?" Secretary Manny asked.

None answered. Too busy guessing in the back of their minds and observing this spectacle. The streams of magic originating from other lands dwindled into nothing. The recapturing of mom's magic was complete. Now what?

The last stream was gone. The clouds began rotating around in a massive circle, illuminating gradually with violet magic. The wind was picking up.

Dawn swallowed the forming ball of anxiety in the back of her throat. "It's time."

Author's Note:

Sorry for the late updates. Life is pretty staggering right now. Jeez, when was my last update, two weeks ago?

Comments

[Alei]

Update soon?

[thedarktome]

11025610
I'm working on it. Currently stuck with Character Development.