• Published 8th Dec 2012
  • 2,836 Views, 72 Comments

The Element of Corruption - Fyronarion



When dark thoughts corrupts Twilight, she starts exploring the truth about her friends.

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Sudden Offensive

The sun was slowly setting, casting blood red rays in the horizon. Shining Armor looked on at the descending sun before turning to his platoon of Royal Guards who were willing to fight for Celestia. He trotted forward and looked at each and every one of them individually.

“Guards! Listen up! Today is the day we have been waiting for. Today is the day we shall stop these fiends from attacking countless cities and towns and prevent them from causing any more destruction. Am I right?” he shouted.

“Sir, yes sir!” replied all of them, straight and rigid. Shining Armor nodded approvingly.

“That’s what I wanted to hear. Now listen up. The Princess has specifically stated not to kill Nightmare Moon. If you see her, weaken her until we can capture her and send her back to Celestia. The same applies for Twilight Sparkle. If any one of you disobeys this rule and hurt Nightmare, or worse, Twilight.....I WILL RIP YOUR HEADS OFF AND SHOWCASE IT IN THE CANTERLOT TOWN SQUARE! Do you hear me, guards?” he thundered. Some of them gulped, but nodded their heads unanimously.

“Very good. Now, I want the Pegasi to carry the Earth ponies into the landing zone. The unicorns can teleport across the waters and provide long range support while the Pegasus and Earth ponies provide some form of defense for them-”

He was interrupted when a large flaming ball hit the barracks tent. Debris and flames flew everywhere as everypony tried to evade the flying shards of wood and fireballs. Shining Armor shakily got up, coughing. One of the guards on duty landed next to him to explain what happened.

“Sir, it appears that the other side has a catapult. They are loading another projectile and are cocking it back for launch.” he said, panting.

“Send them out, White Wisp. Destroy the catapult before it decimates us all!” he ordered. White Wisp nodded before shouting commands to the infantry. They acknowledged the order and flew towards the land on the other side of the base....

Meanwhile, to Twilight...

Twilight was observing the effects that the catapult did to the guards camp on the other side. She smiled as she saw flames and smoke spiraling in the air and wreckage scattered everywhere.

“I told you I can build a catapult in less than a week.” said Nucleon confidentially to Discord. They were both behind Twilight and were loading another round into it. Discord was deeply interested in the catapult.

“Very interesting. You see, back when I was in charge, we didn’t have this fancy gadget. If we wanted to throw flaming balls, we had to construct giant slingshots. But this...I wonder if I can load cotton candy clouds and make it detonate when it lands, resulting in hot chocolate to spray everywhere....” he said thoughtfully. Nucleon laughed as he twisted the bolt back, priming for launch.

“That’s not a bad idea, actually. We should try it soon.” he said, standing back with a thoughtful expression on his face, looking across the stretch of water towards the enemy camp.

Twilight turned to look at them and then at the catapult. Discord raised his claw, which started to glow. A moment later, a column of fire flew out and ignited the ball. It erupted into flames. She had an impressed expression on her face.

“These things are very dangerous. I hope it doesn’t backfire like the last time Nucleon tested it.” said Twilight. Nucleon rolled his eyes.

“Relax, Twilight. It only exploded last time because I didn’t fix the pulley system. But now, it shall send another flaming ball to those unexpecting guards!” he said joyfully before cutting the line. The catapult creaked and flung the ball, sending it streaking across the bright blue sky as if it were a black shooting star...

To the guards flying over the waters...

The guards spotted the flying ball streaking towards them.

“Projectile! 12 o’clock!” shouted one of the guards.

“EVASIVE MANEUVERS!” shouted White Wisp, swerving tightly to the left. The guards flying behind him followed suit as they turned swiftly to the left.

A squad of them. however, weren’t so lucky. They turned too late, causing the ball to hit them and send them spiraling towards the waters. Wisp grimaced as he saw four flaming figures splash into the deep waters below.

One of his lieutenants flew up to him.

“Sir, we lost Echo squad. Shall I call for a rescue team to find their bodies and send them back to Canterlot?” he asked. Wisp nodded and his Lieutenant called out several commands to one of the squads, who obeyed his request and flew down to the waters to search for Echo team.

White Wisp returned his attention to the small camp that fired the catapult. He growled, pushing himself to reach it. They will pay for killing his men...

Halfway across Equestria to the Mane Six (or Five, to be correct)

“Guys, we really need a form of transportation.” said Rainbow Dash, trying to warm her hooves by the fire. All five of them were camping out inside the Dark Forest, which borders Trottingham and the Crystal Snowlands. The cold winter breeze was coming down upon them from the Crystal Empire, casting a cold spell on the forest and dropping the temperature a few degrees. The day was also much shorter, and night was longer.

“I agree.” said Rarity, a scarf draped across her neck.

“Me too.” said Applejack, teeth chattering from the cold.

“Me three!” shouted Pinkie, who was roasting a marshmallow by the fire.

Fluttershy nodded her head in agreement, not saying a word. Applejack turned to Spike.

“How far are we from Saddle Valley?” she asked. He studied the map a bit further until looking up.

“Er...we have to go through here.” he said, walking to the center of the circle and laying the map on a small log. The five mares gathered around him as he pointed a finger at a red circle.

“That’s where we are. These are the places we have to cross” he explained, his finger resting on a long stretch of land with skulls on it.

“Griffin territory.” muttered Rainbow Dash. Spike nodded.

“Yeah. After that, we have to go through the Zebra territory and past Saddle Arabia. It’s going to be a very long journey, and even if we do get to our destination, Twilight and her gang may have already moved on. We really need a form of transportation, like Rainbow Dash suggested.” he said sadly, rolling up the map and sticking it in his pack.

Suddenly, something rustled in the trees behind them. All of them quickly turned to find what it was, and the trees moved again. The sound of something falling was heard, and it gave out a small grunt before galloping away. It was definitely a pony, by the sound of the clopsteps and the familiar shape in the shadows.

“Wh-what was that?” asked Fluttershy, hiding behind a small tree.

“No idea. Hey, AJ. Let’s go see what it is.” said Rainbow Dash, glancing over at Applejack. She shook her head.

“I’d love to, Rainbow, but if that thing’s dangerous, ah don’t want to risk bringin’ it back to camp. It could cause chaos ‘round here.” she said reasonably. Rainbow Dash smirked.

“Chicken much?” she taunted. Applejack suddenly became rigid and her eyes twitched as she turned to meet Dash’s challenge.

“Alright, that’s it. C’mon you. Let’s go find that darned creature.” she growled, trotting past her.

“Wait! What about us?” yelled Pinkie, hopping behind them. Rainbow Dash turned to her.

“Uh...you can stay here and watch the camp. If that thing comes here, I want you four to deal with it. Got that?”

“Sure thing, Dashie! Don’t worry, girls! Pinkie Pie will take care of the ghosties!” she said cheerfully as both Rainbow Dash and Applejack disappeared into the darkness of the forest. Rarity rolled her eyes.

“That is what I am afraid of.” she said, before turning to Fluttershy and pulling her out of a tree. Spike ran up to help, and in a few minutes, they succeeded in pulling her out. Fluttershy had her hooves over her eyes as she looked around wildly. She gasped.

“This isn’t safe!” she yelped before jumping into the bushes again. Spike sighed and facepalmed himself. Rarity did the same thing as Pinkie hopped around them, laughing and giggling.

To the battle...

The Royal Guards have managed to land on the camp and are attacking the the enemies. Magic spells flew everywhere, along with the glint of swords weaving through the place. Nightmare was holding them off using her magic, along with Twilight, but it was no use. The guards were slowly closing in on them.

“We can’t stay like this forever!” shouted Nucleon, uppercutting a guard who came too close to him. Nightmare nodded, sending another barrage of spells towards the guards, disintegrating a pack of them in an instant.

“I agree, we need reinforcements!” she yelled back. All of a sudden, one of the guards burst forward from the pack and unleashed a salvo of magic missiles that flew towards Twilight. She gasped and formed a shield, but the spell was so strong that it penetrated her shield and hit her on the chest, causing her to fly back and hit a tree from the impact of the spell. Luckily, she was still conscious, but the energy beam did it’s damage. Her chest was severely burned, and a few droplets of blood were dripping from her wound. Nucleon gasped and flew towards her.

“No! She’s hurt bad!” he shouted, pulling out a first aid kit and tending to her wounds. Discord turned back and saw that all of them have been pushed against the borders of their camp. He groaned.

“I’m sorry to say this, but we’re doomed.” he said. Nightmare was about to reply when all of a sudden, there was a sound of thunder. The sky turned teal and the fighting slowly ceased as everypony looked up in awe. Nightmare looked up and studied the anomaly. From the clouds above, green flames came down. But they weren’t comets or meteors. As they descended closer, Nightmare can make out familiar pod-shaped objects. She smiled in relief.

“We are saved.” she whispered. Discord looked up and grinned.

“Oh yeah. Finally Chrissy answered my call.” he said jovially.

To the guards...

“Woah, what are those?” asked one of the guards behind Wisp. The pods crashed around the field, smoking from the heat and cracked by the impact. He didn’t answer as one of the flaming objects crashed down in front of them. It was a small, pony sized rock, and it was smoldering from heat. Wisp turned to one of his guards.

“Hammer, take point.” he called out. Hammer stumbled out from the crowd of guards and trotted shakily to the sizzling rock. He placed his trembling hoof on the rock, and it suddenly exploded, sending him flying back. Smoke engulfed them as a figure came crawling out of the rock. When they saw it, all of them gasped.

“Wh-what is that?” asked Wisp in awe.

It was a changeling clad in glossy black armor. It snarled at the guards before launching itself towards White Wisp. Before it could stab him, Hammer quickly jumped forward and punched it with his hoof. The changeling stumbled back and collapsed on the ground.

“Thanks.” said Wisp gratefully. Hammer nodded before turning to the squadron.

“Whatever these things are, they are hostile. Everypony, go on offensive. Do whatever you can to stop them.” he ordered as three more small meteorites crashed near them.

Meanwhile, to Spike, Pinkie, Fluttershy and Rarity...

Fluttershy was still hiding in a nearby bush, but Spike and Rarity gave up on pulling her out since she keeps finding a new place to hide. Rarity was sitting on a log, a hoof file levitating next to her as she filed her hooves. Spike was pacing back and forth, worried about what’s taking Applejack and Rainbow Dash so long. Pinkie was asleep, her body sprawled over a log while she snored.

“I hope nothing bad happened to them...” muttered Spike, wringing his hands anxiously. Rarity glanced up.

“Oh, don’t you worry, Spikey. They will be fine. Besides, I haven’t seen any creature take down Rainbow Dash or Applejack yet. The two of them must be a considerable force.” she assured. Spike nodded, but still walked back and forth.

Out of the blue, the trees started to shudder, making the branches and leaves fall. Spike stopped pacing and looked at the area in fear. Rarity dropped her file and looked worriedly at the place where the noise happened and at Spike.

“Spike, I want you to take Pinkie inside the tent. Take Fluttershy too. You should also stay in there. I will go see what it is.” she ordered, standing up and placing her file in her saddlebag. Spike’s eyes widened with fear.

“No! I mean, it’s not safe for you to stay out here. You should go into the tent with Pinkie and Fluttershy. I can take care of them.” he protested. Rarity smiled and rubbed his head.

“Oooh, Spikey. So noble. But you are a baby dragon, dear. I know a bit of magic to hold them off. Please, just take them into the tent. Now.” she said, a bit more forcefully. Spike sighed and nodded, before dragging a sleeping Pinkie Pie into the tent.

Rarity turned to the dark forest, her horn glowing with arcane energy. She furrowed her brows, anticipating an attack.

There was a moment of silence, and something orange galloped out. Rarity unleashed a beam of energy that narrowly missed it. The orange pony quickly tackled her down. Rarity tried to fight back, but the orange pony had a familiar voice. She then realized it was Applejack

“Are...ya...MENTAL?!” she shouted.

“Oh, I’m so sorry Applejack. I thought you were a bear or something.” apologized Rarity in relief. Applejack shook her head as Spike and Fluttershy both poked their heads out of the tent.

“We’re safe!” said Fluttershy happily as she burst out of the tent. Spike followed her.

“Where’s Rainbow Dash?” he asked nervously. Applejack glanced at the forest.

“She should be here now...y’all can’t believe who we found in that forest....”

“Is it Twilight?” asked Spike hopefully. Applejack shook her head.

The sound of branches snapping could be heard as a hovering figure came out of the shadows, carrying another pony-shaped form. All of them looked at her coming towards them.

“Hey guys. Look who we found spying on us.” said Rainbow Dash smugly, dropping an unconscious pony in front of them. She was a unicorn, with a very light blue mane. Her hide color was light blue, with a star and a crescent cutie mark. Her cape and hat was torn in places, and she was bruised.

Rarity, Spike and Fluttershy gasped, while Pinkie poked her head out of the tent. Her mane was poking out everywhere as she yawned.

“Hey girls. What’s going on-” she stopped when she saw the pony laying there.

“T-t-Trixie?” she stammered. Rainbow Dash grinned, flexing her hooves.

“Me and Applejack gave her such a beating for casting those spells in Ponyville. It was fun, right AJ?” she asked. Applejack nodded, looking at the unconscious mare.

“But why would you bring her here? Don’t you remember all those things she did back in Ponyville?” asked Spike angrily. Applejack stepped up.

“First of all, she said she was sorry. Secondly, her magic rivals with Twi’s. That should give us an advantage if we even come in contact with Twilight. Lastly, she has a carriage for transport.” she explained. Spike still shook his head and turned away, crossing his arms. Rarity’s eyes twitched as she looked at Trixie’s unconscious body.

“She will pay for turning my mane green, and for making me wear that...horrifying dress.” she said, her teeth gritted with anger. Pinkie hopped up next to her, glaring at the body.

“She removed my mouth! CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT?!” she shouted. Rainbow Dash sighed.

“You can all get your revenge when she wakes up. Then all of you will be even. But right now, we need to sleep. Somepony needs to watch over Trixie in case she makes a move for it-”

“I will! I’ve slept a long time, so I’m not sleepy.” volunteered Pinkie. Rainbow Dash nodded.

“Good. Time to hit the sack. See you all in the morning.” she said, flying into her sleeping bag. Applejack did the same thing, followed by Fluttershy, Rarity and Spike as they all went into their tents.

Only Pinkie was left outside, sitting on a log, mindlessly stoking the campfire as she hummed a tune which sounded familiar to "Giggle at the Ghosties"...

Back to the battlefield...

The arrival of the changelings have greatly changed the outcome of the battle. Nightmare’s team, which was previously held back from the guards, are now pushing forward with the assistance of the changelings.

Shining Armor was being carried by one of his pegasus guards. As they flew over the ongoing battle, he looked down and frowned as he saw his units being slaughtered.

“Drop me off over there.” he shouted. The pegasus nodded as he slowly descended on a stretch of land far behind enemy lines.

“I’m going to let go now!” he said. Shining Armor nodded, checking his parachute. The pegasus let go as he fell towards the ground. The wind rushing past him felt like it was ripping him apart, and as the land came closer to his view, he quickly deployed the parachute and gently glided himself to the ground. He got up and dusted himself before looking at the large tent far away.

“Time to see what Twilight is up to...” he said, making his way to the tent, keeping a lookout for anypony doing patrols.

Author's Note:

Heh, sorry for the time it took. I'm already working on the next chapter.
Also, thank you all for your comments and suggestions. I will address all the problems and use your ideas :)