Prologue
'Life is wrought upon the universe, when death seeks to reap it away. It is this cycle, that will bring true harmony to our world. I pray to the Ancients for those who would interfere with the balance of the universe, lest they feel the wrath of the very thing they wish to change.'
- Starswirl, The Bearded -
Fire and smoke billow from the smouldering ruins of a small town. The raging heat is felt across its streets as soil begins to fracture, its very moisture turning to steam as it sizzles up through the cracks. Stones that lay throughout the town begin to glow a burning red, adding heat to the unrelenting inferno. Craters, caused by a malevolent force, dot the landscape as they rampage through the destruction, appearing as mouths that would sooner devour any wayward soul still wandering, searching for an absolution of life that will never come.
Even the otherwise pleasant 'Welcome to Ponyville' sign that lies shattered, yields to the unforgiving flames as they seem to dance with their reflections in the cracked glass panes of the local shops. Homes creak and moan, as their skeletal frames still ember, their timbers collapsing in their weakened state. Sparks create new stars in the pitch black of the night as a darkened sky is revealed through plumes of smoke. The moons light helps to reveal the devastation, as the presence of death takes hold. Ash falls silently like snow, coating any structure still standing.
In the distance, almost completely silent, is the rasping beat of wings. Their owner desperately racing through the fire engulfed town. As she soars, ash clings to her mauve coat, turning it a brilliant white. Her large purple eyes shifting rapidly, desperately searching for a safe place to land. Her indigo mane flails violently in the thermals that now plague the air, and her wings ache with every furious beat.
Landing near the centre square of the town, she collapses. Her breath escapes her mouth in gasps, as her body shudders in agony. The smoke-filled air sears her lungs as she breathes in the particulate filled gas and the heat scorches her flesh, causing it to burn. Her body attempts to combat the flames, as it sends beads of sweat running down her muzzle. A small wind wafts smoke into her face, suffocating her eyes. She turns her head to avoid the smoke, but to no avail. It causes her eyes to weep, uncontrollably. She is unable to see through the tears that now blind her.
A bright magenta emanates from the horn on her head, but it begins to dim. As the smoke continues to fill her lungs, it has become impossible for precious oxygen to reach her brain. Her mind begins to lose its concentration, as the smoke transforms into a monster, writhing inside her, attacking her body from the inside. It lashes at her already weakened state, causing her muscles to cease and ache, and forming a vice on her organs. As small amounts of the beast begin to dissipate inside her, she regains her sight, only for it to be taken away again as her vision begins to blur. Soon, her head feels like it weighs a ton, it rocks sporadically in all directions as she begins to black-out. Adrenaline courses throughout her body as she begins to panic. Briefly, she regains her focus.
The light from her horn returns, brighter than before. Sparks are cast off and cascade as she struggles to project a barrier around herself in an attempt to repel the smoke and heat. The sparks subside as a burst of energy erupts from her horn, pushing back the smoke that seems to stalk her weakened form. Desperate for cool air she gasps as the spell completely envelops her body. She attempts to stand, her legs shaking as they begin to carry her weight.
“Hello,” she calls. “Hello!” The intent in her voice grows. “Is anypony out there?!” Her voice quivers as it echoes loudly off the adjacent buildings, mocking her desperation to find anypony left alive. Her anxiety grows as she realizes she is merely crying out to ghosts.
Her head slumps and tears well in her eyes. Without warning her emotions take control of her. Her thoughts begin to race as her fears of being alone caress her mind. Her chest begins to convulse as she starts to wonder if anypony she knew is still alive. Did they try and search for her during the rage of the event? Does she now walk upon the very ashes that were once her friends? Soon she starts to panic, her fears and sorrow begin to play tricks on her. She can begin to hear the event, as though it were happening at that exact moment.
As the sounds become clearer, she can hear mares running through the town, yelling for their foals, screaming, and crying, praying that they answer, only to find their lifeless bodies strewn across the streets, pools of blood under their corpses. Stallions call out for water, as others run back and forth to wells, desperately to combat the flames that seem to eat the love and joy that once thrived in the peaceful town. Ponies come running out from burning buildings, ablaze themselves. They collapse still screaming as they reach out for help.
Collapsing once again, she closes her eyes tightly and covers her head with her forelegs, desperately trying to make the horrors stop, praying to Celestia that they aren’t real. Her stomach begins to ache, as her hallucination causes her to want to vomit. Her heart is pounding in her chest, it feels like it will explode any moment. Letting out a bloodcurdling scream, she begins to weep, her tears merely vanishing as they hit the hot ground. Crying out desperately for her mother, the terrifying sounds seem to get louder as the world seems to cave in around her.
Suddenly the nightmare stops as she hears a sound amongst the creaking timbers, the sounds of hoofsteps becoming more apparent. She lifts her head, tears still running down her cheeks. Quickly she stands.
“Hello!?” She shouts, perking her ears in hope of a response. “Please, I’m here to help!” She continues as the hoofsteps seem to fade. “Wait, stop! Come back!” Her body, no longer controlled by her mind, begins to race towards the sound. Tears of joy begin to stream down her face.
Suddenly the sound she is pursuing stops. She races faster in desperation of not losing its whereabouts. In mid-stride, the sound changes to a deep and ominous growl. She stops instantly, her legs buckling from the sudden jolt. She wonders what in Equestria could have made that sound, while a terrified shudder snakes down her spine.
Voice quaking, eyes shifting rapidly, she tries to speak. Reluctantly she whispers, “H-Hello?”
An eerie silence falls upon the town. The young Alicorn’s eyes shift furiously, searching for the sound. Another low growl emanates from within the ruins of a shop. As she focuses on the ruins, her heartbeat quickens and soon it is the only sound she can hear. The pounding in her head is shattered as a massive plume of smoke and sparks erupt from the ruins, casting asunder the scorched walls that still stood.
The Alicorn tries to step back, but finds herself unable to, either through fear or curiosity. A pair of crimson eyes appear through the smoke. The growling becomes a continuous vibration in her hooves as the creature draws every breath away from her. Slowly the beast approaches, the earth shakes with its steps as its limbs flex and bend under the sheer weight of its monstrous form. The Alicorn’s eyes fixate on the creature as it demonstrates its height. Its black carapace shines in the glow of the flames. Its eyes pierce her soul as it gazes upon her. Its horn rises into the sky like a spire, and its translucent wings ascend like sails.
The Alicorn freezes as she realizes the creature is a Changeling of immeasurable size. The monstrous Changeling lets out a mighty bellow that shakes the towns ruins and shatters her frozen state. She turns to flee from the monster, but collapses. Her body has yet to recover from the strain of the journey. The Changeling continues its slow advance, its body becoming more haunting as it looms over the Alicorn. Still paralyzed, she gazes up towards the Changeling. She fears for her life, knowing that she will die here tonight, alone and afraid. Images pass through her mind quicker than she can realize. Is this her very life passing before her eyes?
A glint of silver appears in the sky above the Changeling as two Pegasi descend through the smoke plumes. Their wings bearing the silver that broke her mesmerized state. She spots them each carrying a small wooden barrel. A rope is tied between the two, and the two Pegasi are keen to keep in tight formation as they perform their approach.
“Now!” One of them screams.
A bright flash emanates from each of the barrels as the rope is flung towards the Changeling’s back. A pair of lead balls soar toward their target, a net quickly follows. The net strikes the Changeling, knocking it to the ground. As it struggles to break free, the two Pegasi land in front of the Alicorn. The young Alicorn’s eyes try to focus on them. She sees that the silver on their wings are blades that run their entire length. One of them turns, her brilliant green eyes fixated on the shocked princess.
“Run!” The Pegasus screams.
“Rain! Its getting back up! I need you!” The other yells as he races towards the downed Changeling.
“Go, now!” Rain yells to the princess, turning to run after her companion. “Gale, I'm with you!” She calls out to the other Pegasus.
As the two Pegasi race towards the struggling Changeling, they extend their wings. The silver blades leaving a trail of light behind them. As they draw closer, Rain leaps high above the Changeling’s horn, while Gale charges faster towards its neck. The Changeling roars again, as it breaks free of the net. Gale and Rain attempt to stop but are caught by the Changelings thrashing front limbs.
The two Pegasi are knocked in either direction of the Changeling. Their unconscious forms sliding to a stop as they hit the dirt streets of Ponyville. The Changeling is quick to recover and sets his gaze upon the princess once again. A sinister grin grows across his face as he advances upon her.
The princess tries to stand, but her aching body denies her. She closes her eyes tightly fearing the worst is still to come. Her teeth clench as her fear returns to take hold of her mind. The Changeling looms over her once again, its gaping jaws salivating as it lunges forward, prepared to feast upon her flesh.
A bright flash of light halts the Changeling as it strikes the creatures side, knocking it into the adjacent ruins. A thunderous tremor collapses the ruins atop the Changeling, sending clouds of dust into the streets. Slowly the creature exhales, expelling its last breath as the life seeps out from the cuts and gashes created by the crushing weight of the ruins.
The princess, with her eyes still closed, begins to sob. As she slowly opens her eyes, she is shocked to find the Changeling lying amongst the ruins, dead. Its body appearing like a boulder. More hoofsteps echo through the town. Their slow pace and metallic clink replace the rage of the night. The princess spots a darkened form appear from behind the dust plumes. As the dust settles, a stallion, completely covered in armour, begins to advance towards her. He stops after a few steps, still hesitant to see if the beast is truly dead. His armours silver brilliance is interrupted by scorch marks and scratches. No flesh is exposed on the stallion, not even the colour of his eyes is noticeable behind the black pits of his helmet’s eye slots. On his chest, the crest of Equestria shines in a brilliant gold, unscathed, as though it were guarded by Celestia herself. A long silver tube runs along the side of his body, connected to his armour, smoke still wisps from the tip.
'Was that where the light came from, a tube?' The princess thought to herself.
The stallion restarts his approach towards the princess. The princess, although nervous, feels a sense of safety and does the same to her mysterious saviour. The two meet in the middle of the street. The princess looks into the eye slots of the stallion, still unable to see his eyes. She begins to cry, once again, as her head falls into the stallions chest.
“Thank-you, thank-you so much. I was so terrified, what was that thing? Why did it attack Ponyville? Why?” The princess unleashes her mind’s questions. Her emotions once again take control of her as her legs buckle under the weight of her distress. The stallion assists her to stand once again, he can feel her weight sinking to the ground. “Please answer me!” The princess urges as she looks up toward the silent stallion.
The stallion steps back from the princess as he gently lets go of her. Looking directly at her, his helmet begins to change, folding and shifting with the armour around his neck, revealing his face. His white coat shines brightly in the night, occasionally covered by his azure mane as it flows in the breeze.
“Shining!” The princess yells, as tears of joy, fill her eyes.
“Twilight!” The stallion shouts in reply.
“Thank Celestia it’s you! I thought I lost you.” Twilight says as she leaps to embrace her brother. “What’s happening here? Where is everypony?” Twilight’s questions persist.
“There's no time to explain. We need to help Rain and Gale. We need to get out of here!”
Twilight and Shining's attention is quickly drawn to the two other Pegasi, who still lie unconscious. They try desperately to wake them.
“What happened?” Gale asks Shining in a groggy voice as he attempts to stand. “Did we get it?!” He asks while his legs collapse.
“Whoa. Take it easy, Gale.” Shining tries to calm Gale as he halts his collapse. “It broke free of the net and knocked you and Rain to the ground. I was able to kill it with the MARAS armour Celestia gave me.”
“Not bad for a guard. I didn’t think you had it in you.” Gale jests. “Wait, where is Rain? Is she alright? Where is she?!” Gale starts to panic as he frantically looks around, trying to catch the sight of his partner.
“Calm down, you lug head! I’m fine.” Rain attempts to calm Gale as she struggles to stand. “Are you alright?” She directs the question to Twilight.
“I'm fine. My brother was able to stop that thing.” Twilight says while pointing at Shining.
“You're lucky. You almost got yourself...” Rain is interrupted by Shining.
“I would love to stay here and continue this lovely conversation, but we need to get out of here, now!” He urges.
“Right.” The others respond in unison.
“We need to get back to Canterlot before the army arrives. This way, hurry!” Shining says as he turns to gallop away.
The others follow shortly after Shining, their pace now faster than ever. Their racing hearts beats melt with the rhythm of their hooves on the dirt road.
“I can see the edge of the town, we're almost out!” Shining yells back to the others.
Suddenly, without warning, another monstrous Changeling charges out from an alley, its menacing size scraping the houses on either side of it. A loud thud rolls throughout the town as it strikes Rain.
“No!” Gale roars as he witnesses Rains limp body soar through the air. “Rain!” He yells again as he races towards the Changeling. His wings extended, revealing the daunting blades. “Die!” He screams as he advances towards the beast, with an unrelenting rage in his voice.
As he finds himself in suitable range, Gale leaps for the Changelings head, striking below its eyes. A splash of emerald blood erupts from the wound soaking the ground. The Changeling lets out a high pitched scream of pain as blood continues to flow from the wound, creating an emerald waterfall. It rears onto its hind legs.
As Gale lands before the beast its front limbs come barrelling down towards him like stone pillars, attempting to crush Gale. Quick to react, he narrowly avoids the creatures crushing blow. As the Changeling’s limbs strike the ground again, a terrible boom emanates from the blow, shattering the already fragile earth. The creature turns to face Gale and charges once again, letting out another terrifying roar.
“Twilight, run! I need to help Gale! Run!” Shining yells to Twilight.
“No, Shining! I will not leave you!” Twilight responds angrily.
“You have a duty Twilight! Run! You must warn Celestia and Luna!”
“No! I'm not leaving!” Twilight retorts as she moves closer to Shining, stomping a hoof on the dirt road.
“Get out of here!” Shining yells as he pushes his sister away, almost knocking her to the ground. Tears start to well in his eyes. “Run, now!”
Twilights heart begins to ache as sadness pours into it. She looks into her brother’s eyes. The thought of this being the last time they see each other plagues her mind. With a heavy heart, she turns to run.
“Goodbye, Twilight.” Shining says to himself as the helmet reforms around his head.
Twilight, still running, slows her pace. The burden of leaving her brother becomes too much for her to bare. She turns back to return to her brother's side, but is stopped. The ground begins to tremble beneath her. The shaking builds in intensity until it becomes too much for her aching legs to handle, as she falls to the ground. Suddenly another massive Changeling erupts from underneath the ground. Twilight screams in terror as the Changeling starts to crawl out of its subterranean tunnel.
Shining can hear his sister’s scream echo in the distance. “Twilight! No!” He yells as he races towards her.
Twilight looks into the Changeling’s eyes. Its jaws opening wide, revealing its sabre-like teeth.
“Twilight! Twilight! Run! Get out of there!” Shining continues to scream, as he races to stop the inevitable.
Twilight becomes fixated on her brother's voice, screaming her name. The Changeling lunges forward…
…Twilight's world turns black and cold.
“Twilight!”