> Heralds of a New Age
>  by baldraug666
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Prolouge: A Reign of Peace
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	The day, as it had for thousands of millenia now, dawned beautifully and calmly. The Princess of the Sun, Celestia, was doing her job with the usual aplomb. The great and beautiful sun rose as gracefully and regal as the pony who was raising it.

Another day. Another tiny span of time, in a microscopic country, on an infinitesimally diminutive world in the great vastness that is the universe. A day, compared to Geologic, or even Universal Time, barely exists. But to those living the day, the day is one of the most important things that exist. So even small things can have a massive importance to some.





Twilight Sparkle woke to the day's dawning light. She slowly crept from her bed, and shuffled towards the window whose blinds were letting the feeble sunlight in. Twilight magicked the blinds up, slowly as to not blind her sensitive eyes. She looked out East, towards the gargantuan star climbing slowly and steadily up beyond the mountain range at the far corner of her vision.

“And a good morning to you too, Celestia." Twilight mumbled to herself. She ruffled her wings, stretching one of them out from sleeping on it all night. She slowly trotted over to a mirror adorning one of the walls on the upper floor of her home, the Ponyville Municipal Library.

She gazed at her reflection. She was old. Her prime had come and went long ago. Her once beautiful and flowing purple and pink mane was now entirely a dull grey. Her face was lined and creased with wrinkles, her gums barren of teeth. Looking at her quickly would have revealed an ancient mare, worn out from her many long years on this planet. But had the observer taken care to look at her eyes, beyond the slow build of a milky cataract, had they stared deep into her very soul, they would have seen the same fiery spirit, the same brilliance and youthful vigour that had saved Equestria time and time again.

But they would have also seen that flame was dying.

Twilight began her daily morning routine. Her obsessive compulsion had certainley not faded with old age. She telekenetically placed her dentures into her mouth, and rinsed out the unpleasant taste of denture cleaner with a tall glass of water. She descended the staircase slowly. That morning energy she once had had long since passed. Every day she found she was just a bit more taxed by these simple steps, and dreaded the day she couldn't get down. Teleportation was out of the question, her more advanced magicks having long ago deserted her. She finally hit the first floor landing. There her little baby dragon lay sleeping. His chest heaving with each breath.

She chided herself momentarily. “He's not a baby anymore." He lay in a circle, encompassing almost the entire room with his bulk. She looked over at the door, noting that it may soon have to be enlarged again. For the fifth time. She stepped out into the crisp dawn air. She took her morning walk, stopping to pick some flowers for Applejack and Rarity. She continued her slow trek towards the now mostly run down Church of the Sun and Moon. She walked around the side, her hooves soothed by the cool morning dew. She opened a small wrought iron gate, and stepped inside, gently bucking it closed. She walked forward, and up a small hill. She reached the top, and sat down winded.

“Good morning, girls." She said. “It's another beautiful day." She scooped up two wilting flowers with her magic, and replaced them with the ones she picked earlier. She took a small step back, and looked at the two tombstones at her hooves.

The first read, “Here lies Applejack, Bearer of the Element of Honesty. A hard worker and beloved." The one next to it was Rarity's. Her epiphet was much the same, marking her as the Bearer of Generosity and brilliant designer.

Twilight spoke up again, “Pinkie Pie was hospitalized again on Tuesday. She threw out her hip at Pound Cake's daughter's wedding. She'll be alright, though." Twilight laughed softly. “Nearly all of Ponyville panicked when it happened. I think Pinkie is just now realizing how old she is - how old all of us are." Twilight got to her hooves. Her aged joints creaking in protest. “I will see you two tomorrow, then." She tottered back down the hill and through the rows of graves, and began the return journey home.
> Chapter 1: The Beginning of the End
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Twilight Sparkle's thoughts turned introspectively as she returned home from the graveyard. “It's been 33 years since the elements were needed last." She mused silently to herself. “Are they even needed anymore? And what will happen when the current Bearers are all gone? Will Celestia take them back, or will they collect dust in somepony's attic?" She sighed “I just don't know."
Her inward thoughts distracted her from where she was going and she accidentally bumped into somepony. “Oh! I'm so sorry!" Twilight said, apologizing profusely for her carelessness.
“It's alright Ms. Sparkle." The other pony said. He gave Twilight a quick once-over to make sure she was OK, then said in a louder and slower than necessary voice, “Are you okay, Ms. Sparkle?"
Twilight waved a hoof dismissively. “I'm old, but I'm not deaf just yet Proudhoof!" She said feigning cantankerousness. She looked at young Proudhoof Doo. She marveled at how much he looked like his mother, with the bright blonde mane, and his bluish-grey coat. He lacked his grandmother's, to put it colloquially, “derped" eyes, and thankfully her and his mother's clumsiness. He had his father's piercing magenta eyes, and his grandmother's recklessness and adventurous spirit.
Proudhoof saw through her façade and chuckled, but jumped when a tiny cyan blur sped by before skidding to a halt a few feet away. Proudhoof facehoofed as another small blur barreled into the first. The two blue blurs were his sisters, Speedup and Scootaloo Doo.
Speedup, called just “Speed," by all was the older of the two. Scootaloo “Scoots" was younger by a few years. Those two looked much more like their father's mother than their mother's. Both had a less intensely striking cyan coat, and while Speed inherited the prismatic mane and tail, Scoots got their mother's blonde, albeit with streaks of red and purple. Neither of the two had cutie marks, but Proudhoof did. His was an anvil with a halo of bright red surrounding. He was an excellent blacksmith, recently apprenticing with Irontongs, the local smith.
As Proudhoof was trying to wrestle his two sister's apart, Twilight noticed the rest of the family approaching not far off. The parents rushed in to check on their children, the two far more aged mares following. As they grew nearer, Rainbow Dash finally noticed Twilight. She trotted over and the two exchanged pleasantries.
Twilight looked questioningly at Rainbow, and asked "Why are you all the way in Ponyville? I thought you were in Manehatten for Wonderbolt tryouts until next Friday."
Rainbow grimaced at the memory. Of the five ponies who tried out, only two were decently competent fliers. Of those two, one took a particularly brutal crash and was hospitalized with four broken ribs and a punctured lung. The final pony fainted from nerves halfway through the performance.
"The tryouts were a disaster, Twi." Rainbow said. She chuckled and continued, "I left early because I didn't want to deal with the criminal negligence suits. I left Soarin and company to deal with those." Ever since growing too old to perform as a Wonderbolt, Dash had moved on to coach and train new recruits, then a recruitment agent, and finally a supervisor to all of the Wonderbolt's dealings. She, like Pinkie Pie, hadn't slowed down in the least with old age. She was beginning to continue the story when a third, hyper, and wonderfully Pinkie-esque party entered the scene.
With a loud and high-pitched cry of “Hello everypony!" And a collective groan from a few of the adults, Little Pippin Pie bounded towards the small group. In mannerisms, words, deeds, and sometimes even thoughts Pippin was a spitting image of her Grandmother, Pinkie Pie, but in colouration more like her father. Her coat was a soft green, and her mane was infinitely less outrageously styled than her grandmother's, coloured a startling grey. Few knew where the grey came from, because her mother's mane was the pink that ran in the family, and the father's was blue with orange highlights. Most simply attributed it to her being a "Pie."
Pippin had, since foalhood, had her grandma's endless, and admittedly infectious, enthusiasm, her unexplainable quirkiness and curiousness, and remained to this day equally friendly and extroverted. She also inherited the "Practically Patentable Pinkie Pie's Pinkie Sense," to quote Pippin on the subject.
Since the elder Pie still refused to admit to growing old, she and Pippin engaged in partying and pranking day in and day out, leaving Pippin's poor mother, Polly to tend to Sugarcube Corner with the Cakes gone. This immature and irresponsible behaviour quickly garnered the ire of many adults, not including Twilight, Rainbow, or Fluttershy, of course.
She moved in the same impossible bouncing fashion, and in true Pie family tradition, upon reaching minimal conversational distance, took it upon herself to lapse into an unsurprisingly one-sided conversation about some author on a thing called a "websight" writing a story about all of them.
Of course none of them understood. "But that's not true!" She whined, breaking off from her previous train of thought completely. "You know what I'm talking about Mr. Author Person! And I'm not whining!"
Most of the small gathering ignored her, these sudden and unexplainable outbursts being normal for one of her stock.
Pippin absentindedly scratched her mane and left forehoof before having an ear flop about and her teeth chattering. She was confused by these odd feelings, but it suddenly hit her.
“My Pinkie Sense!" She cried. Everyone turned to look at her, years of living with the Pies teaching them to trust Pinkie Sense.
“What is it Pippin?" Scoots asked, nervous and frightened.
Pippin experienced another bout of twitches and itches, then blurted out with, “The author is going to reveal another main character soon!" The little gathering looked at her quizzically, before deciding to go get ice cream for the foals.
The group meandered in the direction of Fluttershy's Cottage, Pippin bouncing along behind, spouting her ominous prophecy of character exposition at different intervals.
Suddenly, and without warning, the small group felt the earth shake beneath them. Huge tremors flared around them; the ground heaved and roared.
And off in the distance, they heard a terrible, ferocious mind-rending roar, coming straight form Fluttershy's Cottage. The roar sounded again. Massive, chaotically evil, and horrible, all of Ponyville froze, staring in the direction it came from. Almost no pony heeded the tremors, not even when a particularly vicious one rent a hole in the very earth, swallowing a fresh-fruit stand. Only the owner noticed, watching as his livelihood tumbled down into the abyss that yawned beneath his hooves. Even then, he did not pay it much heed, for he quickly turned back to the commotion at hand.
The small group of ponies, Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, Stronghoof, Speedup, Scootaloo, Dinky, Ditzy Doo and Pippin Pie, spared no time in leaping into action. They sprinted towards the commotion, worry for their friend overcoming their fears, while Pippin bounced jovially alongside them, leisurely taking her time, yet still never straying behind the group. Another horrendous roar split the afternoon sky, and a plume of smoke burst from the treetops ahead of them.
They were nearing the edge of Ponyville, getting closer to the scene every second. Finally, they rounded a bend just in time to see a massive, ancient dragon burst through the treetops, roaring ferociously. Another plume of flame lit the sky in a brilliant blaze of red, thankfully igniting nothing. The beast lurched towards the cottage, where the group could see two small, yellow ponies huddled together on the ground. Fluttershy, and her granddaughter, Angelshy.
"FLUTTERSHY!" Rainbow and Twilight yelled in unison. Rainbow put on a burst of speed, adrenaline pumping, and pulled ahead of the group, heading straight for the fierce monster. Twilight attempted to do the same, but as she willed herself to go faster she felt something in her hip pop, and collapsed onto the ground with a cry of pain. Ditzy and Dinky saw what had happened, and slowed down to help the fallen, aged pony.
While Twilight was being attended to, Rainbow had pulled far head of the rest of the group, racing on ahead, not feeling the burning in her lungs, or the stitch in her side. She unfurled her wings and started flapping them as she ran. Soon, she was flying straight at the colossal dragon. She put on another burst of speed, and with an angry yell which left her without a voice for days, she burst through the sound barrier, a brilliant prismatic BOOM shaking the earth around them more than the tremors. As she did so, she angled herself with one hoof pointing forwards, and collided with the titanic mass of dragon.
Fluttershy watched this with half-blind eyes from the ground below. She couldn't clearly make out what was happening, but when she heard the sonic boom, she understood it all in a moments' time.
"Rainbow Dash, NO!" She yelled, but her already meek and timid voice had been further tempered by age, and she barely reached the decibels associated with conversation.
The shockwave of punching the dragon on the jaw sent reverberations all throughout Rainbow's body, shaking her from hoof to tail. The impact shattered her shoulder, causing her to careen out of control. She plummeted towards the ground, but regained control just long enough to enact an emergency landing, skidding and tumbling until she blacked out from the pain.
The dragon fared little better, the velocity at which the small tasty-looking pony was traveling was enough to give her punch an impossible amount of power for anypony. It wrenched his neck to the side, and dislodged a massive canine, which flew off to the side, scattering droplets of crimson blood. The tooth impaled a tree, almost spearing the prone form of that same overly prismatic pony. After the dragon recovered, it let out a roar that quickly turned to a sob. It turned back to the insignificantly small Fluttershy and cried out, "The rainbow one kicked me again!"





Fluttershy had known from the start that it was the dragon they had asked to move from his cave all those years ago, and had tried to warn Rainbow Dash, but she wouldn't listen. Originally, she too was frightened by the tremors, which it turned were caused by the dragon stamping about in pain, because he had a huge splinter stuck into the joint of his wing. He had come to Ponyville because he hoped Fluttershy could help him.
A few hours later, after Rainbow and Twilight were both hospitalized, Rainbow Dash with a broken shoulder and an almost severe concussion, Twilight with simply a dislocated hip, and after Fluttershy had helped remove the splinter from the dragons wing (as well as help his jaw-wound) the two ponies decided to visit the elder mares in the hospital. Fluttershy went in first, fawning and fussing over the two for being so careless. Dash responded with her usual brand of dismissive remarks about her being able to withstand anything, but Twilight barely responded. She sat in bed, a look of hard contemplation on her face. Neither Fluttershy nor Rainbow noticed, but timid little Angelshy, almost exactly alike Fluttershy, except for her straw-coloured mane, watched intently. She was a shy pony, less so than her grandmother, but still did not like social situations too much. 
Regardless of her timidity, she slowly walked towards Twilight's bed, asking in a ridiculously tiny voice, "Are you OK Ms. Sparkle?"
Naturally, Twilight, in her advanced years, didn't hear a thing. So Angelshy tried again, a little louder this time, and obtained the same reaction.
Finally, she tapped Twilight on the shoulder, startling her out of her stupor, and posed the question a third time. Twilight looked down at the young mare, and nodded her head in affirmation, saying that "Yes, dear, everything is fine."
Angelshy walked off, knowing full well that everything was not fine, and that Twilight sparkle knew that she understood this.
The reason for Twilight's stupor, was that she had failed in protecting her friend, (albeit unnecessarily.) She hadn't been able to even reach the dragon, let alone stop it, before her age caught up with her. Had the dragon had sinister intent, it would have killed Fluttershy, and Twilight would not have been able to stop it.
Even Rainbow Dash, with her massively powerful kick, would have only angered it more. Twilight was now faced with the fact that, the Bearers of the Elements of Harmony were no longer able to provide in a crisis, and that troubled her greatly.
"What if something were to actually happen," she mused, "How many would die because we're all too old to do anything but get in the way?" She sighed to herself, and told herself she needed to have a long talk with Celestia about this problem she faced.
> Chapter 2: An Impossible Decision
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	"These ponies, are a menace!" Somepony in the crowd cried.

"You don't know what you're talking about! They've saved us all time and time again!" Another yelled in reply.

On and on it went, as ponies spewed fabricated truths and cruel insults at one another. It was chaotic. Already, the entire town, as well as outlying farms and small huts were divided. Animosity reigned in the small town of Ponyville. Family was torn asunder as the two "disagreeing" factions drew closer and closer to rioting.

Some blood had already been spilled, two ponies receiving minor bruises and beatings, while three others had been sent to the hospital, one almost trodden to death, and the other two were beaten to a pulp. Most ponies knew it would soon degenerate into all-out bloody war, and more ponies than would be expected were relishing in the prospect of throwing the first punch.

The cause of all of this chaos and disruption was, ironically, those who had saved Ponyville a countless number of times. Twilight and Rainbow had only recently been allowed to leave the hospital, and already they were unceremoniously thrust into the heated dispute of what to do about them.

There were many sides to this argument. Many younger ponies who knew not of the heroism the six bearers of the elements of old, except in stories many of them believed to be fiction, thought that their acts of "vigilantism" was a menace to their town, and they should be stripped of their exceptional gifts before they hurt someone besides themselves. Others who remember the good the Six did, were of the opinion they should retire, and set their elements aside, to live out the remainder of their lives in peace. Some felt they should still bear the elements, and still fight should the need arise.

Twilight didn't know what to think. On the one hand, the recent fiasco with the dragon showed her just how dangerous they really were, albeit only to themselves. On the other, what else could she and the three others still alive do? They've outlived their usefulness, and Twilight knew it. She suspected Celestia knew it too.

The almighty being in question was seated upon a throne, staying in Ponyville until such a time as the arguing stops. Looking gloriously regal, as ever, she presided over the debate silently, lost in her own internal musings. Twilight was envious of Celestia's apparent immortality. She had aged, but it was practically imperceptible, whereas Twilight, though she was an alicorn princess herself, was ancient. Luna was at Celestia's side, as always. She too looked no different than she had when Twilight was young.

Luna, however, was far more vocal than her aloof sister. She was of the firm opinion that Twilight and her friends should be commended for their valiance and bravery over countless occasions, and that if they retired, (Twilight thought Luna was of the opinion they should retire sooner, rather than later,) they should be treated as heroes.

Finally, after several tedious hours of bickering, Celestia rose from her chair. She stood to her full, impressive height, her own radiant sun shining gloriously behind her. She cleared her throat, an already unnecessary act, as the entire congregation of ponies had quieted as soon as she rose.

"Ponies, ponies, ponies." She said. And though she spoke quietly, everypony could hear her perfectly. "I have sat here, and listened to you all argue for too long now. I cannot stand such dissension. You are all, in parts correct." Here she paused, looking at each group for several seconds. "Yes, they were once our greatest heroes, and yes, now they are older, and less capable of combating the dangers that they once so bravely faced. I have pondered long over what we should do with these incredible ponies, and even I do not know."

Twilight was stunned. "How can the princess not know?" She pondered. "What do we do?"

Celestia spoke up again. "I will continue to discuss our options with my sister," here she paused, turning to Twilight, "and the bearer of the Element of Magic, my faithful student, Twilight Sparkle."

This statement dumbfounded the crowded room. At first it was silent, then as Celestia turned around and walked away, beckoning to her sister and Twilight, the mob burst into a hellish rage. Screaming out obscenities and vitriol, Twilight could barely make out that for for many, they felt this was blatant nepotism. Many of the ponies who wanted the elements back in the princesses hooves were close to rioting. Twilight marveled at the anger she saw in them. The ponies more inclined to keep with the status quo tried to keep their comrades in cheque, but it was difficult.

The lavender alicorn followed her teacher through a set of double doors, as the first hooves flung. Immediately, the cadre of royal guards the princess had brought with her leapt into the fray, trying to calm things down. Twilight and the two others walked along a short, unimpressive corridor, until they reached the private guest quarters where the two sisters were staying.

"Oh dear," Celestia sighed, "I'm afraid I'm at a total loss. Any conclusion I reach will be met with hostility and violence from the ponies that disagree. What is left for me to do?"

"Well first, sister, you need to calm down. I'm sure, and I believe Twilight will agree, that the answer will arrive soon."  Luna put a hoof around her sister. "We must simply put our heads together, and I know we'll figure it out."

The three most powerful beings in Equestria sat in silent contemplation. Each pondered the ways in which this conflict could be alleviated without further trouble. Finally, a weary and sombre Twilight quietly spoke.

"I... I have a thought." Here she paused, collecting her thoughts. She continued slowly. "All my thoughts, I now find, have turned to the episode with the dragon; I realized... the four of us left, we-we can't protect ponyville anymore. I think... I believe that we need to stop. It's far too dangerous for such aged ponies as ourselves too stay as active as we have been. I think that it's time for us to, oh I don't know, retire, I guess." She finished her monologue with a heavy sigh.

The princesses looked at her with sympathy etched upon their faces. "It must have been difficult saying what you just said." Celestia finally responded. "But I know it's what you think is right. And I am forced to agree. If I am correct, Applejack and Rarity were lost the last time you were called upon to use the Elements, yes? And Equestria cannot afford to lose any more of you four."

"But sister, who could we then call upon if a crisis arose? We'd be losing our most valuable asset in times of emergency!"

"I know, Luna, 	but what other choice do we have? Twilight is right, they are past their prime, and I don't want them getting hurt!"

"Then what do we do? Once we disconnect the Bearers from their Elements, what? Do we wait for another damn catastrophe to discover who the new Bearers are?" Twilight was shocked. She had never heard any kind of profanity from the two, so Luna's outburst was brand new to her.

"I don't know, Luna. I don't think anypony knows. Our best option now is to try what Twilight said, and pray it works out." She hung her head. "It's all we can do for now."





"Quiet!" The night princess boomed in her most fearful royal roar. She stood at a podium overlooking the townsfolk of Ponyville. They were outside, standing in many separate clusters in front of the town hall. Twilight frowned, standing to the side of the two godlike beings. She assumed the various clusters represented the many dissenting opinions if the people, and was saddened that her friends and neighbours were so divided.

Luna stepped away from the podium as her older sibling stood regally before the crowd. She scanned their faces. Many there were with anger twisting their usual jovial and amicable faces into foul caricatures of their former selves. "Ahem." She cleared her throat, not that it was necessary, as again the crowds attention was already riveted upon her, awaiting eagerly her announcement. "We have reached a consensus." She said. Her words were slow and careful, she spoke clearly and just quiet enough to make sure there was no one else talking. "We have decided that the current Bearers of the Elements of Harmony should retire."

The room veritably exploded. Shouts and curses and cries could be heard amidst the foul cacophony before the three regal beings. The princesses soon tired of this further bickering, and again Luna stepped in to quiet them down.

"Quiet!" She cried, and quiet it did. "We three have deliberated much upon this issue, and this is our response. You don't have to like it, you may think it's a terrible decision, but, it is the decision we have reached. There will be no further debate. Good day."

At this obvious dismissal, the gathering of ponies left, funneling out the doors in large groups, most muttering and grumbling amongst themselves, but some were arguing still loudly.

"Thank you sister dearest." Celestia said. She turned to Twilight "I am afraid we must return to Canterlot now, my faithful student. However, soon we will return, and you can begin your retirement in earnest."

The three exchanged a few more pleasantries, before Luna and Celestia left, leaving Twilight alone in the large room, alone with her thoughts.





However, unbeknownst to any of the ponies that had gathered there that day, including the three princesses, there was a malign presence lurking in the rafters. A dark miasma, hidden among the shadows that had watched and listened intently as the chaos unfolded.

Now, as Twilight started to leave, it descended. It settled around the place where Twilight had just left, relishing in the residual heat her power had left. It was still formidable, the putrid black cloud mused. Regardless of her age and infirmity, she was still a magical force to be reckoned with. It would have to be careful, it thought.

It stretched out a tendril of inky, malicious blackness and with a gesture, opened a portal. The portal was small, only a filly could fit through it, but the cloud had no problem entering it.

As it wormed its way through the opening, it began to take shape. Its shape was an evil conglomeration of many shifting forms. Now it was a large, midnight black pony, with large, leathery wings folded against its sides, a crown of what seemed to be bone and gems perched upon its head, then it was a tall bipedal creature, clad in a robe that seemed to be made of a fluctuating and moving pattern of the silhouettes of many screaming faces.

It changed rapidly, each shape it took stranger and more evil than the previous. Finally, as the last small section of the miasma traveled through the portal and coalesced, it turned back and closed the portal, smiling grimly.