> M̸y̶ ̸L̴i̶t̸t̶l̴e̶ C̵o̸r̷r̴u̶p̶t̶e̷d̸-P̵o̴n̴y̷
>  by ScorchingFlamesInc
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Prologue Chapter: It Started With a Scream
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

It started with a scream.

A faint scream, but a scream that was enough to catch Spike's attention as he woke up. The clock was only a few minutes past midnight, but Spike could hear the streets of Ponyville being filled with chaos and activity.

Screams again. It was much clearer now... these were screams of terror. Spike's mind was fuzzy, still recovering from the sudden disruptance of his sleep, but he was able to get out of bed quickly, the energy and rush to solve the problem coming in fast.

He was right at the window, about to look out, when the doors to his room slammed open. It was Twilight Sparkle, and the concern and panic on her face only added to his own concerns that something was wrong, and it definitely wasn't a small problem. 

"Twilight, what-"

"Spike! We have a problem!" she shrieked with urgency. "We need to alert the Princesses, and we need to go now!"

Spike wanted to go, but not without looking outside. Curiosity was in control of his mind and all he wanted to do was see what exactly was going on. But Twilight made it clear that there was no time to waste... and she rushed over and grabbed Spike by the arm, quickly pulling him away from the window right as he heard the sound of flapping wings and a sinister hiss.

Twilight flew down the halls of the castle fast, and with the directions she was taking, Spike knew her intent was to get to the library as soon as possible. Spike's own wings flapped, signaling to Twilight to let him go. She did, and he quickly steadied himself as he flew alongside her, quickly catching up.

"Twilight!" Spike shouted. "What's going on?"

"I-I don't know!" Twilight stuttered. "Whatever's happening, it... happened out of nowhere!"

"What are you talking about?! What's happening?!"

"It's hard to explain, but I can tell you what I can. Here's what I know-"

They turned a corner and Twilight stopped immediately. Spike stopped a little ahead of her due to late reactions, but at the end of the hall he saw what exactly made Twilight stop.

It was Starlight Glimmer. She was hidden in shadows, difficult to see, but he could see her. Twilight could too, but Spike didn't know what Twilight knew.

"Starlight! Thank Celestia we found you!  Something's happening and maybe you can he-"

Twilight cut him off quick, quickly running up and putting her hoof in front of him to stop him. "Spike! Stay away from her!" 

"But why?"

Twilight didn't answer because right then Starlight stepped into the light. What Spike saw made his heart beat fast.

All over Starlight's body was what seemed to be a black slime-like mass, flashing and twitching multiple different spotted colors. Her eyes were nothing more than white spheres, staring at the both of them, and leaking the exact same black mass.  Perhaps one of the most unsettling things was her mouth, which was open as a gaping, uncannily stretched, psychotic smile. It stretched to the point where her lips and cheeks were torn, which made it even worse.

This wasn't the Starlight that they knew. With the way she stared and smiled, she seemed like nothing more than a mindless being. Mindless, yet sinister.

Starlight started to move, her hooves, moving in ways they shouldn't. She started off slow, before picking up the pace.

Twilight again grabbed Spike by the arm, and took another direction in the hall, this time putting him on her back.. But right when it seemed like they lost Starlight, one of the many doors burst open, and the black mass poured out, accompanied by Sunburst and Trixie Lulamoon, both of them covered with the mass, with white eyes and stretched smiles.

Twilight took the original way, and this time she took some risky actions. She dashed right for Starlight, and quickly flew over her before she could do anything. Nearly at the library, she zig-zagged along the hall, ready to avoid whatever got in her way. Quite a few times, more familiar ponies sprung out into the hall, but Twilight dodged them as best as she could, usually flying above them, and flying below if whoever attacked flew. Throughout the whole chase, Spike felt himself getting dizzy, the different kind of fuzziness in his mind slowly taking over. 

After what felt like an endless chase, Twilight finally got to the library. She set Spike down and quickly slammed the doors, picking up and throwing tables to block it in an effort to keep others out.

"Spike! Quick! Alert Princess Celestia and Princess Luna!" Twilight ordered in a panic. "Maybe we still have time!"

Spike quickly got up and got a piece of parchment paper and a quill. "Yes Ma'am!" He got to writing while Twilight looked through the shelves, looking through books and throwing them aside. As she searched for answers, she told him what to write out loud.


"Dear Princess Celestia,

As I write to you, I hope that I am not too late.

Something has happened. A new entity that we know nothing about has invaded Ponyville. Nothing much is known about it, but all I know is that it has the ability to corrupt anyone it touches into mindless beings. It's already taken some of my friends, and if I don't hurry, it may take more. 

If you get this in time, get to safety with Princess Luna as soon as you can, and round up anyone that's left and get them to safety too.

Again, I hope you are safe, and that there is still time. If not... I don't even want to think about it.

Yours Truly,

Princess Twilight Sparkle."



Spike finished the letter and sent it away in a quick breath of green flames. Twilight meanwhile continued trying to find whatever she could, but so far, she found nothing.

"Let's see, there has to be something... anything... what are we dealing with? A new creature? Something foreign? Is it even from Equestria? Is it from somewhere beyond?! Oh I hope the others are okay! They have to be! No... no... no..." Twilight's panic grew, an increasing number of books being thrown every which way as the Alicorn got more and more frantic. "No! No! No!"

"Twilight, calm down-"

"I can't calm down Spike!" Twilight exclaimed, still looking through the shelves. "We don't know what this... thing, is! And whatever it is, it's corrupting everypony we know! If it gets to my closest friends, or anyone powerful like the Princesses, it's going to be impossible to defeat it! Equestria could be doomed!"

"Oh, come on, you're Twilight Sparkle!" Spike assured. "You, me, our friends... all of us, have always gotten out of impossible situations before! Even if we do lose someone important, there will still be a chance if we still keep trying!"

"Spike, listen... I don't want to sound pessimistic but...we don't know who's responsible and they all aren't just... wandering around. They're aggressive, they're fast, and they're intelligent. They could be anywhere!"

"Twilight, I can agree with fast and aggressive... I saw that myself, but... intelligent? We don't know that!"

"Oh, I know, Spike. I saw, outside, with my own eyes, with the few seconds that I had before coming to get you! Ponies getting corrupted, and then said corrupted ponies quickly finding others that were hiding! They'll know we're in here, which is why I'm working as fast as I can, and that the moment we find what we're looking for, we're getting out of-"

Twilight was cut off. Right as she took a book out of the shelf, a black tentacle whipped out, knocking many more books over, and striking Twilight right in the eye. She fell to the ground, appearing unconscious.

"TWILIGHT!" 

Spike quickly ran to Twilight's aid in hopes of helping her. Hesitantly, he extended his arm out to her, hoping that the worst hasn't happened.. "Twilight?..."

Twilight's head shot up, the black mass completely filling her right eye, even pouring out. Her horn lit its usual magenta glow, as if it was ready to shoot. Spike was shoved out of the way with Twilight's own magic, with Twilight then aiming her horn at the window, making it glow, before shattering it. Spike got up, looking at Twilight with a mixture of fear and shock.

"SPIKE! GET...  O̵U̵T̵.̶.̸.̵ Ṋ̶͌Ó̷̫W̴̳̍.̷̮̐.̶͓̈.̷̹͘" she bellowed out, her voice distorting and twisting. "B̷̮̀Ḛ̷̏F̶́ͅO̵̮͗Ṟ̸͆E̴̖͐.̴̭̈́.̶̲̈́.̷̣͋I̵̻̊T̴͚͘'̷̹̓S̸̫̈ ̷̡̅T̴̹͊Ȯ̵̗Ô̸̦.̷̪͆.̴̢̚.̶͕̑ ̵̧̅"

Spike took a step back, watching as Twilight's whole body snapped one way and then another, the sound of cracking bones  as clear as day. Her head snapped down, her one normal eye rolling to the back of her head, going pure white. Her mouth opened into a massive gaping smile, a small hissing growl leaving her throat.

Spike backed away even further, his heart beating with fear, distracting him from his limited time to escape.

In three other places on the shelves, more books moved and fell, the sounds of them hitting the floor being drowned out by the increasing sound of a sinister hiss. Three different blobs of black mass crawled out, a fourth one pouring out of where Twilight was struck. Those four blobs immediately took the forms of four of Twilight's closest friends. Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Rarity, and Fluttershy all joined with the now-corrupted Twilight, their blank eyes continuing to stare at Spike as they stalked closer and closer, the hissing getting more aggressive.

Spike wanted to leave. He had to. He didn't have much time. But something was stopping him... his own fear, shock, and the tiny tinge of hope he still had was what kept him from spreading his wings and flying. 

What were once Spike's friends, spoke, their torn extended lips unmoving, the words coming directly from their throats.

"̶I̷t̵'̴s̷ ̶o̵k̸a̶y̶,̴ ̶S̵p̸i̷k̷e̵.̷ ̶Y̵o̷u̸ ̶a̸r̵e̴ ̵s̵a̶f̵e̶ ̶w̶i̴t̸h̷ ̶u̵s̷.̴"̴

Spike's legs felt like they were fused to the ground. His teeth dug deep into his lower lip.

"̷Y̵o̷u̴ ̸b̵e̸l̷o̸n̸g̵ ̵w̷i̴t̶h̶ ̸u̶s̵,̶ ̶S̶p̵i̸k̵y̶-̶W̶i̸k̸y̴.̷.̶.̴"̴

His heart wanted to claw its way out of his chest. The beating got louder.

"̶I̴t̸'̵s̵ ̸n̷o̵t̵ ̷c̴o̵o̴l̴ ̵t̸o̸ ̵l̸e̶a̶v̵e̴ ̴f̷r̸i̵e̴n̵d̵s̵ ̷b̸e̴h̷i̸n̵d̶.̵"̸

He didn't have much time to escape. A slamming sound was heard from the blocked doors. And any second now he wouldn't be able to get out from the window.

"̴I̵t̵ ̸w̶o̷u̴l̴d̵n̶'̸t̵ ̵b̴e̵ ̸t̷h̵e̶ ̶s̵a̵m̴e̶ ̸w̸i̶t̶h̶o̸u̸t̸ ̵y̵o̵u̶.̶"̴

The black mass started to flood the room, creeping up closer to his feet with every second. White eyes started to open, which could only mean that more unfortunate victims were being summoned.

"̶I̷ ̸n̶e̴e̸d̵ ̸y̸o̵u̸ ̵S̸p̸i̴k̶e̴.̷ ̴I̵ ̵a̸l̶w̸a̷y̵s̵ ̶n̷e̷e̴d̸e̵d̸ ̷y̷o̸u̶.̴.̴.̴"̶
> Chapter 1: Darkness Beckons
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

As Twilight extended her darkness-covered hoof to Spike, his senses finally caught up to him. He had to do something! As much as he didn't want to take action to defend himself, he really had no other choice. He backed away, as quick as possible, took a big deep inhale, and breathed out a massive amount of fire, trying his hardest to not exactly hurt his friends but keep them at bay.

The five corrupted ponies quickly backed away and the black mass backed away. He had time! Quickly, he opened his wings.

"I'm sorry, Twilight!"

He flew up the window, nearly making it out, before a few corrupted Pegasi got in the way, blocking his way out. 

Spike knew what he had to do. Again, he inhaled and exhaled enough green flames to keep the Pegasi away. 

Just as Spike had hoped, they backed of, and it was enough for him to take his chance. Not stopping what he was doing, he flew past them as quick as he could and the moment he passed them, the fire-breathing came to a stop.

He kept going. He looked back, but he never stopped. They were chasing him, right on his tail. He again attempted to breathe fire to get them away, but he could tell that this was the last time he would be able to use it at his fullest. His chest started to feel drained, and if he kept going, pretty soon, there would be nothing but puffs of smoke.

Spike was no Rainbow Dash. But if he flew fast enough, while also keeping his chasers away, he could have a very good chance of making it out okay. 

And his best way to outmaneuver them would be the Everfree Forest. 

Immediately he proceeded to fly throughout the whole town of Ponyville, taking no time to look down at whatever was happening, focusing on what was ahead of him and what was behind him.

It didn't take long for him to reach the forest. He took another quick moment to send his weakening fire breath at the Pegasi chasing him. Immediately after, he dove straight down into the trees, staying focused, darting left and right between trees. His lungs felt empty, both due to all of the fire-breathing and energy used to fly, but it was just something he'd have to deal with if he wanted to survive.

It got harder to put up with, however, as he got deeper and deeper into his forest. His wings started to ache, the burning feeling being rooted all the way into his back. He wanted to look back badly... he wanted to know if his efforts even worked, or if there really wasn't any way to escape.

Spike had to risk it. He stopped where he was, and quickly looked behind him.

Nothing. No traces of anything that lived or breathed. No trace of the sickening black mass.

Just an empty forest.

Spike breathed a sigh of relief. He was safe. He was alone. Sure, being alone isn't fun especially when he needs someone during chaotic times like these.

But at a specific time like this, maybe being alone was the best outcome possible.

Spike turned to keep up his flight through the forest, and then that's when he failed to realize that he wasn't paying attention. He ran right smack into a branch, causing him to lose control, and fall to the ground.

Unfortunately, it didn't end there. What Spike also failed to realize was that he came across a deep slope in the forest, and when he ran into the branch, he fell right into where the slope started, and from there complete control was lost as he rolled and bounced down the hill, his arm landing brutally on a boulder and bouncing off it, and his tumble down the hill ending with a direct land on the head.

Everything blacked out, and Spike's mentality was sent into pure darkness.




***




As Spike rolled down that slope, there was a part of him that truly believed that was it. Either the fall would end his life, or a corrupted beast would find him and make him one of them.

So when he woke up, there was a mixture of relief, confusion, and even a tiny smidge of fear. His arm and head were both in pain, especially his arm... in fact, his arm was even all bandaged up. 

There was no doubt about it that someone took him in. Spike's panic grew, but when his mind completely cleared and he saw where exactly he was at, he quickly calmed down.

He was in the Treehouse of Harmony. He hasn't gone there much... Twilight's students have been there way more than he has. But he's been around there enough to recognize the place when he saw it. And when he did realize where he was at, the tension in him went away... if someone like an enemy of his took him in, he wouldn't be taken here. Anyone that took him here would most likely be a friend he could trust.

Again, he looked at his arm. It definitely didn't seem completely broken, but it hurt enough to where the bandages felt necessary. He felt his head and noticed there were bandages there too, but he felt they could be removed much sooner.

Spike's attention to his condition didn't last much longer. Right then he heard the sound of hoofsteps... slightly, making their way to his room. They were offbeat, like whoever was on their way was injured.

Even though Spike was certain he was safe, he couldn't help but tense up.

The source of the hoofsteps turned the corner.

"Hi Spike! Wakey-Wakey!"

"Pinkie Pie!"

Relief and excitement washed over Spike, and he instantly got up to run and hug the mare.

Only now has he realized that the pink mare was absent from the attack at the castle. He was in so much shock and fear that he didn't even consider the possibility that she was safe and okay.

She didn't seem entirely without a scratch, though. She was in more of a worse condition than he was. She had bandages on her neck and right hind hoof, and a splint on her entire left forehoof wrapped in more bandages. She was a little scratched and scuffed up, and even her ear was freshly chipped, the exposed flesh still appearing raw.

"Y-you're okay!" Spike stuttered. "You're injured, but... you're okay!"

"Mhm!" Pinkie nodded vigorously. "Lemme tell you, what happened to me back there was such a doozy!"

"What do you mean? What even happened to you? How did you get away?"

"Alright, Spike, sit back and relax, because this story isn't just a doozy, it's a super-duper lllllllloooooooooooooooong doozy!"




___


*Flashback*


___




Pinkie's ears twitched as she quickly sprung awake, the loud noises from the kitchen alerting her.

"What could be going on down there? Ooh! A surprise party! Wait, what would it be for? I would also know if there was one..."

The bubbly pink pony hopped out of bed and bounced down the stairs, somehow one step at a time, before soon finally reaching the bottom.

"Mrs. Cake? Mr. Cake? Cake twins? Hellooooooooooo?"

Nothing. No response. The place was completely cluttered, and the lights were all off.

"EEP! Is there a... a... burglar!?" Pinkie quickly ran off and returned with her signature party cannon, a colorful army helmet strapped snugly on her head. Like what she does for emergencies, she stuffed a fresh vanilla cake right into the cannon. "Alright! Show yourself! You mess with the cakes! You mess with their snacks! You mess with me!"

A sudden sound from behind Pinkie prompted her to quickly turn around and shoot her party cannon, covering whoever was there with confetti and cake. The figures of both Mr. and Mrs. Cake could be made out in all of that cake splatter.

"AH! OOPS! Sorry Mr. and Mrs. Cake! I thought there was a burglar, and-"

Pinkie Pie was cut off. The cake slid off of the Cakes, revealing them to also be covered in a black goop with many small flashing colors. They opened their blank white eyes, their mouths stretching open farther than they should... even farther open than Pinkie's mouth ever stretched.

In a rare occurrence, Pinkie felt her confusion slowly transcending into fear. She slowly backed away as the couple slowly stalked to her.

"M-Mr. Cake? Mrs. Cake?"

Sounds from behind Pinkie prompted her head to spin 180 degrees to look behind her.

The two infant Cake Twins were both crawling on the walls and ceiling like spiders, their legs having gotten incredibly longer.  As they got closer, they kept giggling constantly, their baby giggles heavily distorted and scratchy.

"W-wait! Cakes! I-It's me! Pinkie Pie! Cause all I really need's a smile-"

A tendril made of the black matter lashed out from Mr. Carrot Cake's back, swiping at Pinkie, nearly hitting her. Pinkie yelped and quickly attempted to run back to her room, only to get blocked by the Cake Twins, continuing to crawl on the wall. Pinkie stopped right where she was and dashed to the kitchen, and ducked down to hide, holding her breath, cheeks puffed out even though they didn't need to be.

"Oh! I gotta get out of here and warn Twilight! But... I don't want to hurt the Cakes! Oh! Think! Think!"

Pinkie made her way to another door, but once she opened it, the Cake Parents were somehow right there as if they teleported, their stretched grins seeming to enjoy her efforts to escape.

Pinkie turned and the twins were right there, the family of four starting to close in on her.

The family pounced and scrambled like a giant blob with heads and hooves, stabbing the ground with tendrils, in belief that they caught Pinkie.

But Pinkie being Pinkie, she was out of her spot in less than a second. Quietly, she tried sneaking away, taking advantage of the confusion.

But right as she was nearly out, something glided right past her head, and she got a sudden pain in her ear. That's when she noticed the knife landing on the floor.

Pinkie touched her left ear. There was a massive cut, practically a massive chip.  She looked behind her. Pound cake had an extra arm that grew out of his back, that was only now retreating. She could only guess that he took and threw a knife at her.

That didn't stop Pinkie from bolting away, attempting to escape from Sugarcube Corner. Continuously, the Cakes popped up out of nowhere and dashed right for her, with Pinkie dodging out of the way every time. 

Eventually, she ran up the stairs, and with no surprise, Mrs. Cake already got there first, attempting to catch her. Quickly she turned to get back down the stairs but both Cake twins were already there. Pinkie had no other choice but to jump, met with Mr. Cake sprouting from the ceiling and hitting Pinkie with a cake pan.

For the first time since anyone could remember... if there even was a time... Pinkie had a loss of what made her... Pinkie... and had a rough landing. She toppled down the stairs, spraining her left front foreleg in the process, and ending the topple with a cut back leg and a cut, bruised neck. Something fell out of her poofy mane and landed right near her with a clutter.

The Cakes all appeared again, surrounding her, staring at her. They stared at her, all giving the same disgusting smile, but spreading the same message with their looks. They could have got her when they wanted. They could have gotten her anytime she was at the door. Mr. Cake could have gotten her instead of hitting her with the pan. They didn't want to get her while she was active. They wanted her to crumble.

And Pinkie, noticing the remote and where Mr. Cake stood, gave them a look that they should have gotten her when they could. 

Using her tail, she quickly extended it to press the button on the remote. From underneath Mr. Cake, a party cannon shot out of the ground and launched him to the ceiling. Using the small window of time, she rolled out of the way and got back on her three good hooves before Mrs. Cake could stab her with a tendril.

With her three good legs as more party cannons went off, she quickly took a large bounce, flipping to the ceiling, and wasting no time she bounced off the wall to the side, and bouncing only off the walls, made her way upstairs. She maneuvered into her room before anyone got there, took one massive bounce, and jumped right out the window.

Instead of hitting the ground, Pinkie had a better idea, being quick enough to make her tail spin continuously, causing her to practically fly. She flew away and got a devastating glance at what has become of Ponyville. The Cakes, as it turns out, weren't the only ones that fell victim to whatever this was. Ponies left and right were falling victim to it too.

Then, she heard the hiss, and noticed the Pegasi chasing her with increasing speed.




___


*End of Flashback*


___




"And what happened then?" Spike asked.

"I had to take it full throttle, and lemme tell you, it was not easy!" Pinkie exclaimed. "I had to go up, down, left, right, here, there, they made it impossible to get to Twilight's! They chased me into the forest, and I had to hide here and fix myself up! I decided to come here since it felt like a safe place and I didn't feel like anyone would come here. Luckily there was a first-aid here. Also super-duper-lucky, I found metal good enough for this splint. Not enough bandages though, but oh well! Worked with what I got! Hm, I had a question, but I think I forgot-" Pinkie cut herself off with an immediate gasp. "TWILIGHT!!! THE OTHERS!!! Where are they?! Are they alright!?!"

Spike gulped. He had to make two choices. Lie and deal with any consequences, or tell the truth and hope that Pinkie doesn't lose her happiness and optimism, the one thing that's keeping her going.

What he chose was something not even he expected.

"Pinkie... they're gone. It got them."
> Chapter 2: Rude Awakening
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

When Queen Chrysalis was turned to stone, she knew that someday, she'd be back.

Not like this.

She assumed that she'd escape out of happenstance... an event unexplained. Another possibility she thought of was Twilight herself, or someone she knew well, letting her out with the purpose of teaching her... friendship! The only other option was a new or old villain letting her out to bring together yet another team.

Like she would ever do something like that again... but at the same time...

No. Every time that thought came up she shook it off. She couldn't see or hear while in stone, but her mind was just as active as ever, offering her at least some form of escapism.

That's where she was. For who knows how long, before suddenly...

Reality returned.

Sight returned. Consciousness returned. The crisp feeling of oxygen entering her throat returned. It was all there. The freedom...

And yet somehow, the moment Chrysalis got that feeling of freedom back, she felt that something was wrong. She took no time at all, looking around.

Tirek and Cozy Glow were both gone too. But nowhere to be seen.

And then, she heard it. The low hiss, the growling, the sound of something sinister that dared stepped up to her. She snarled, lighting her horn.

"Show yourselves! If you dare challenge me, then you are making a grave-"

Chrysalis spun around and stopped. Tirek and Cozy Glow approached her. They were far from the same. Covered in some strange black ooze with tiny bursts of different colors, eyes blank, large outstretched smiles... all of that nearly unsettled Chrysalis herself. Nearly!

She couldn't help but ask. "What in Celestia's name happened to you two?" 

No response. Just staring.

Chrysalis snorted. "If you two aren't going to answer me then I might as well go off on my own. It's not worth my time to wait for a response from you two! If you want to follow me, then that is your choice."

Chrysalis turned to leave, intending to fly away before any guards spotted her, but then she heard a strange sound. A mix of bones and flesh stretching and breaking, mixed with a sound she heard once or twice before. The sound of Tirek growing in size.

Chrysalis looked. Tirek grew, from his feeble, thin, and dull first phase, to the second phase that she was more familiar with, all the way to his third phase, a form that she was a witness to during their major near-victory battle together. Anything that was near Tirek was either pushed aside or knocked over, damage being caused before a single shot was even fired.

The uncanniest thing about it was that it didn't even seem like Tirek took magic. Chrysalis still felt her own power in her system, and Cozy Glow, didn't seem to have gotten any weaker either. It was as if Tirek did it on his own... or something else forced his body to grow. Or perhaps both. Either way, it felt too unnatural for her to overlook.

Tirek took no extra time the moment his transformation was completed. He raised both of his fists and slammed them hard on the ground, sending multiple cracks along it to where Chrysalis stood. From those cracks in the ground, the same ooze that was on Tirek and Cozy Glow leaked out to the surface, making an attempt to reach Chrysalis.

Chrysalis backed away. "What is the meaning of this? Get back! Get back!" Using magic, Chrysalis kept on shooting the dark ooze, before she had no choice but to fly off the ground to avoid it.

Cozy Glow finally moved, flying directly to Chrysalis at full speed. As a response, Chrysalis grabbed Cozy Glow with her magic and threw her away, careful not to touch the black ooze.

Tirek attacked once more, this time with magic. A ball of the dark ooze formed between his horns, before he unleashed a beam made entirely of it straight for Chrysalis. She dodged and retaliated with her own magic, but it did little, Tirek either taking the hit or blocking it with magic. A couple of times he fired right back, shooting his own magic or picking up whatever he could get and throwing it at her. His aggression was far superior compared to when Chrysalis last saw him. 

It both impressed her and disappointed her.

Cozy Glow recovered from when she was thrown and was dashing right for Chrysalis. Chrysalis kept on shooting green beams of magic at her, but the corrupted filly kept on dodging every attempted strike. She swarmed past Chrysalis and flew around her like the annoying pest that she is, before finally attempting to cause damage to the enemy.

Chrysalis was fast to notice, and instantly maneuvered out of the way. Once again she grabbed and threw Cozy Glow aside, this time much closer to where Tirek was.

Slowly but surely, it started to become apparent that this was going to be a battle she would struggle with greatly. She wasn't going to give up though. She never gave up. She was a queen.

"If this battle has to last for days then so be it!" Chrysalis exclaimed, baring her vicious teeth. "I refuse to lose again, no matter who I am up against! And I never back down from a fight!"

Tirek and Cozy Glow just stared. Like they stopped. Like they knew something Chrysalis didn't.

She caught on quick. Her head turned to see what it was they were seeing.

Guards. Many of them. Both Celestia's and Luna's. All corrupted like her former allies were, and beginning to surround her to make sure she didn't get away. Their spears were raised and pointed, the ends of every single one dripping with the black ooze.

Immediately Chrysalis switched from fight to flight. She was outnumbered, and she wasn't going to be free only to fall to whatever this was.

But she couldn’t flee. They all closed in on her. She had no choice.

Chrysalis inhaled, exhaled, and gave it her all.

Using shields to block. Using attacks to shoot away the guards. Using her changeling magic to transform into something small to avoid it all. It was all a matter of survival.

Never in her life had Chrysalis faced so many enemies, head-on. The fact she was surviving and didn't even get a scratch both impressed her and left her irritated over how defeating foes like Twilight Sparkle or Starlight Glimmer should have been that easy.

Chrysalis was unfortunately too late to realize that her own cockiness led to the one second of distraction that caused her downfall. One second too early, she transformed from a ladybug back to herself, turned her head one way, and a guard jammed his hoof right into her eye. Chrysalis's flight suddenly shut down against her will, and she began to plummet to the ground. When she was close to the terrain below, another guard swatted her with a tendril made of the ooze, which somewhat broke her fall, resulting in her sustained injuries being far more minor. Her head however still began to undergo a throbbing pain and a sense of a loss of control.

Her mind was going blank. She felt like she was blacking out. She could feel the ooze starting to crawl on her chitin and expand, and she felt even more of it running down her damaged eye like tears. Hisses and whispers were all that she heard. What was left of her vision was blacking out, before her eyes rolled to the back of her head, completely cutting off sight. Her mouth began to stretch to a grin. She felt herself giving in to this entity’s control, and guard ponies began to surround her.

Control. A queen herself, falling under control of something else.

"No..."

Her voice gargled with distortion as the word was said. The growing smile stopped and started to change into a bitter snarl. She breathed heavily, her chest expanding and shrinking as she focused her mental energy on claiming her body, her sense of control. She was a queen! Not a mindless drone! And she wanted it to stay that way.

"No!..."

Her groans turned to distorted screams as her twisted face shrunk back to how it was. Her senses, while resisting, slowly came back as she used as much determination and strength as she has ever used helped her... even if it was slow. Her horn flickered as she tried to use her own magic over whatever this… “corruption”, she chose to call it… would make her do.

"NO!!!!"

In a sudden burst, a green shockwave burst from Chrysalis, sending back both guards and blobs of corruption. They all recovered and charged, and Chrysalis fought back faster, stronger, and in rage. 

One guard dared to shoot her with a crossbow. She immediately took it away the moment the guard armed it, and shot that guard directly in the chest. She teleported away and snatched the arrows, before multitasking, knocking down guards with both her magic and a crossbow.

She wasn't one for crossbows... after all, since when has a Queen ever used them... but in the heat of the moment, she didn't care anymore.

And whenever she didn't have time to reload, or just eventually ran out ammo, she beat the guards down with the crossbow like it was a melee weapon.

When the dust settled, Chrysalis stood victorious. She realized that not all of the guards attacked. Many of them flew off. Tirek and Cozy Glow were nowhere to be seen. Chrysalis looked around, having to choose between running off or confronting the threat directly.

She chose the former, and opening her wings, quickly fled Canterlot.

She had her control back. But throughout the whole flight... something still felt off. Half of her vision was colorful and twitchy. And she still felt like there was some of the corruption on her body, in smaller amounts, but still present.

It then occurred to her to look at herself. It felt like some of the dark ooze was still on her hooves, mainly in the holes. 

She stopped flying and for the first time took a good look at her hooves. As she suspected, small globs of the corruption were resting in the holes, threatening to drip and run all the way down her forearms.

Even then, it felt like there was more. She knew it was in her eye.

She had to see for herself.

Chrysalis dove down, looking down, hoping to find a body of water.

Soon enough, she did, and she got a good look.

Her right eye didn't just have some of the ooze in it: it was completely filled with it. Some of it was on the verge of dripping, but it all still clung to where it was sourced. The most noticeable thing was the green and white iris with the black pupil staring right back at her from her reflection.

Chrysalis wiped off some of the drippings from her eye, and silently looked at it. It didn't go anywhere. It just stayed.

Another realization suddenly came across Chrysalis. She felt her head, and came to realize that her crown was gone. She never noticed that it fell off during the fight. She growled... the crown, something that symbolized her authorative status, was now gone.

She looked at her reflection again. When she wiped her head, she subconsciously wiped off the corruption right where her crown used to be. Suddenly, the ooze fizzled, and began to take shape. 

Chrysalis' smirked at what the shape turned out to be. A replica of her crown. It was completely made from the ooze... but it would have to do.

Her smirk was also due to what felt like a small victory. Everyone that she's encountered since she was free has fallen control to whatever this peculiar entity was. But not Chrysalis. Unlike everyone else, she could control it. She was the one in control... as she should be. 

She flew off once more, lost in her own thoughts. Wondering about only one question on her mind

What now?

She couldn't proceed with anything at all if that... corruption was going to get in her way. If she wanted to enact her revenge, and take over all of Equestria, the corruption was going to have to go. It was an interference. She knew her odds of making the entity itself do her bidding were low. The only option was to beat it to make way for her own plans.

Her only allies were gone. She only had two options.

Fight it alone. Risk everything. Fight against who knows how many corrupted enemies, with some of them being who knows how powerful.

Or seek help.

But both had drawbacks.

Fighting alone would get her nowhere.

And she had no idea who was or wasn't corrupted.

Because if she couldn't get help from anyone that was evil like she was...

Then that left her with the most likely option. One she didn't even want to do.

She had a choice.
> Chapter 3: Pieces in Place
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was hard.

It was hard for Spike to tell Pinkie everything from then to now. It was hard for him to watch as her positivity slowly faded away. Her mane didn’t go fully flat at any point, but it definitely sunk as the story continued.

“… And… yeah…” Spike finished. “We’re… the only ones left. They’re gone. Twilight, Fluttershy, Rarity… all of them.”

“O-oh…” Pinkie stuttered.

Spike knew that the first thing he had to do was encourage her and assure her. As long as Pinkie kept being herself and didn’t lose hope, she’d have a much better chance of holding her own.

“But it’s not all bad!” Spike encouraged. “They’re not… gone gone!” In actuality Spike didn’t know if corruption could lead to death, but he decided to stick with the best possible outcome. “And… you’re still here! Alive and well! And you’re not alone! I’m here too!”

Pinkie looked at him but he didn’t see her happy self return just yet. “But… it’s just us… and nearly everyone we know is gone or… we don’t know.”

“Listen…” he continued. “If we can stop the darkness, we can save them! All of them! Our friends, the Cakes, all of Equestria! We’ll need a lot of things, and one of them is… a smile! And a… a… ‘giggle at the ghosties,’ in your words! The world needs us! And they need the Element of Laughter!”

Pinkie finally smiled, a slight but apparent smile, and stood up, her confidence already returning.

“Yeah! Yeah! You’re right Spike! Wanna save the world, don’t do it with a grouchy frowny face!”

“That’s the spirit! We can do it! Yeah, sure, we’ll need to plan… a lot. And research… a lot. But if we stay on top, we can totally do it! You’ve gotten out of even some of the most impossible situations! It’s not time to give up yet!”

“YEAH!” Pinkie jumped in excitement, careful to not land on her bad hoof. “So… what do we do first?”

“Well-” Spike stopped. “Wait, you’re asking me?”

“Yup! I can’t really think of anything.“

“I-I can’t think of anything either…” Spike mumbled. “I’ve… never been in a situation like this before where… the stakes were high, I was there, and… Twilight isn’t. Like it… falls on you or… me.”

“Silly Spike, you’re overthinking!” Pinkie sat next to him. “I just asked for ideas, that’s all! There’s not really a leader in this situation.”

“Yeah, you’re right, you’re right…” Spike began to ponder. “Hm… well… we need to know what this corruption is but if it’s something Equestria’s never seen before then… we have no records! And we can’t find out on our own just like that! Especially since without magic users like Twilight, it’s going to be nearly impossible to catch and learn about the darkness!”

“Well, maybe there’s always the chance that somewhere out there, there’s someone out there that can help with that!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed. “After all, we escaped, so it’s totally super-possible that lotsa others have escaped too!”

“Yeah, that’s true. We made it. Why can’t others. But who knows if they went to the forest or somewhere else?-…”

“Well, only one way to find out!”

Pinkie left the room, and seconds later returned with something clipped on a strap around her side. It was her party bazooka, only this time the barrel seemed retracted.

“…We go out and look for them! And if any nasty corruption gets in the way, they can say hello to my updated party bazooka, now updated to be retractable for the super extra surprises!”

Deep down Spike didn’t really want to go. At least not right now. Only now had he just gotten to safety, and he felt unprepared. Plus he and Pinkie still had injuries to recover from. Pinkie was Pinkie, sure, but the condition she was in usually isn’t an appropriate one in case there’s danger or fighting.

“Well, I mean… I guess we don’t have any other options on what to do,” Spike shrugged. “It’s just that… I don’t have much to defend myself with, and fire breath doesn’t last forever!”

Both Pinkie and Spike left the room and proceeded to go down the stairs.

“I’m sure there’s something around here!” Pinkie assured. 

“Weapons? In the Treehouse of Harmony? Probably not. I hate to say it but I think the only thing I can really use is my fire breath.”

Pinkie and Spike got to the bottom of the stairs, and were already near the exit.

“Are you sure?-“ asked Pinkie. “Because if we get in a sticky situation and you’re not prepped-“

“It helped me escape anyways, and I got enough rest for it to recharge. It’ll be okay as long as I don’t use it too much. May or may not be a good idea but what are you gonna do? Worst comes to worst, I’ll probably throw rocks or something…”

“And if we’re about to lose… we run. We hide. We outmaneuver. It worked before after all!” Pinkie said, continuously popping out of different spots, some of which shouldn’t even be possible for her to pop out of.

Spike said “Yeah,” but because of the sudden burst of unsureness that he felt going out, all he thought was…

“Who knows how many more times we can get away?…”

Without another word, and only a happy nod from Pinkie, they went further and further from the Treehouse, getting deeper and deeper into the forest. They kept their senses on high alert, listening for even the closest hiss, looking for the slightest sight of anything dangerous. 

Both Pinkie and Spike were at the ready, to do so much, with so little they had. Maybe they could have made better decisions or options for preparation, but it was too late to turn back now.

And for Spike, in spite of his confident exterior, deep inside, just one image of those smiles and blank eyes were enough to give him a slight shiver. But he stayed hopeful. 

Because all they could do was hope and try.





***




Chrysalis tried. She thought over who she could potentially get help from and every option was far from likely. Most of the powerful villains she considered were gone, and who knows if the corruption could bring them back like it did her?

After all, stone sleep is far different from the aether or the afterlife.

She was desperate to avoid the only decision she could make, the only decision that would even increase her chances.

Her enemies were annoying. They were pathetic. Their ways were disgusting.

But they were smart and she knew that they always escaped from the impossible. That’s why she considered them. They always won, always beat her, always beat others. It would be inevitable for them to get away.

But this option had risk, and it wasn’t for the world or her life. It put her morals at a risk.

She knew that they would try and get under her chitin. She knew that they’d try and teach. And even if they didn’t… spending time would start to make her turn. If the time she had with Tirek and Cozy Glow nearly tempted her, the damage with this risk would be irreversible. 

She’d grow soft. She’d be infected, not by corruption, but by friendship.

She would prefer the corruption.

Her senses were high, and on the lookout for anything whether it was a threat or something useful. She was low on crossbow arrows, but that didn’t concern her. She could hold her own without it, but she saw no issue with having it.

It wasn’t long before she picked up something. Her ears twitched, and the corruption on her body fizzled, as if her senses were even enhanced.

She was quick to hide, ducking into thick brush and peering from around a tree. She listened, not making a sound, her slightly distorted heartbeat pumping, being heard in her ears.

She saw no shadows. It was a forest at night after all. But soon she saw them, faces all too familiar. Twilight’s small, not to mention weak, dragon assistant, and her annoying, disgustingly happy, pink friend.

She surprised herself when she didn’t even smirk or chuckle at the condition they were in, especially the pink pony. Instead, she was stuck in a limbo of hesitation, keeping herself from making a choice she vowed that she’d never make in the first place.

But then she reminded herself once more that she was alone. Slowly but surely this army would grow and she would never be able to experience her freedom and get what she truly wanted. And any allies that she wanted were inaccessible, and she didn’t have any more time to try and find an alternative.

She took a small deep breath. She didn’t think of a full thought-out plan, she didn’t decide to take her time to coax them in. She cut right to the chase.

“Greetings, you two,” she greeted, not leaving her spot. “I’m aware that just the sound of my voice may be alarming.“

Both the dragon and pony stopped.




***




“Is that who I think it is?…” Spike questioned out loud.

Pinkie Pie already reached and grabbed her bazooka, standing up on her hind hooves as it fully extended.

Slowly, someone stepped out from a hiding spot. Spike’s body tensed up when he saw who it was and Pinkie immediately shot her bazooka at the figure, covering it in pasty cake batter.

Their suspicions were true. It was Queen Chrysalis, the corruption on her body in spots, especially her eye.

“Hmph. I suppose something like this was inevitable…” she scoffed, a small irritated and disgusted growl in her voice.

Once he finally got a good look at Chrysalis, a realization quickly came across Spike. Her eye being normal… no smile… a small amount of the corruption… 

“Chrysalis?… Is that… really you?…”

“Yes of course it’s me!” she spat. “If you must know, I asserted my rightful dominance over this… whatever it even is!”

Pinkie paced around her, bazooka clipped back on her side so she could move. “So what are you doing here, then. Hm? HM?!”

Chrysalis hissed quietly, but kept composure.

“Allow me to cut to the chase…” she began. “I have always intended to take over Equestria. Drain love from all that inhabits this land, and rebuild my kingdom! But with… this….” She flicked out her hoof, showing the glob of the black matter pouring out of one of the holes in her hoof. “… my chances were taken away from me! My options were limited and after some time I realized my best option was-“ She gagged. “To seek your-“

She choked. Literally. It was like trying to say it was cutting off her words. 

“Heeeeeeeeeelp?” Pinkie inched closer.

Chrysalis snapped her jaws as a message for  Pinkie to back off.

“Yes! Yes! YES!! I seek your help, more specifically, Twilight Sparkle’s!”

“She’s gone…” Spike said. “She got corrupted.”

Chrysalis raised a brow. “Really?… What about Starlight Glimmer?”

“Gone.”

Chrysalis had a brief scoff-like laughter. “And I assume your other Princesses are gone too?”

“We don’t know,” said Spike. “I sent a letter but I haven’t heard back.”

“How interesting…”

“Let’s backtrack though… you would actually rather have our help then giving up, either to corruption or death?”

“A temporary alliance is different than taking some pathetic offer for friendship!” Chrysalis snarked. “It can last as long as it needs to, and when the job is done, I can resume to my own motives, as long as I stay committed to not letting your ways get to me…”

“Uh, Spike…” Pinkie squeaked with a rare occurrence of urgency.

He didn’t notice. “Well we could use your help anyway! Look, fine, we can… not try and teach you stuff that could actually help you, and as long as we do that, you help us with what we need.”

“Spike-”

Pinkie was again cut off, this time by Chrysalis. “If I do even stay by my decision to help you, I give the orders! I don’t take! I give!”

“SPIIIIIIKE!!!”

“Pinkie, what is it?!” Spike shouted.

Pinkie pointed at a certain direction with complete urgency, her hoof slightly shaking.

Both Spike and Chrysalis quickly glanced, and out of nowhere, someone sprung right into action, already on the attack.

“̴T̴h̴e̷ ̴G̸r̴e̸a̴t̶ ̸a̴n̴d̵ ̶P̴o̷w̸e̸r̵f̷u̸l̸ ̷T̷r̴i̷x̴i̸e̴ ̷i̴s̷ ̶h̷e̴r̶e̷ ̶f̶o̸r̵ ̶a̷n̷ ̸e̶n̴c̵o̶r̸e̷!̴”̴
> Chapter 4: Encore
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

This attack was different.

With all of Spike, Pinkie, and Chrysalis' previous experiences with the corrupted ones, the enemy always started off either doing nothing, or taking the attack slow. But Trixie... she wasn't slow. She didn't stop. She was galloping right for them out of the bushes ahead and down the path, showing no signs of stopping.

Chrysalis, still stuck in cake batter, did what she could and quickly took a shot at Trixie, the shot being a miss. Right at the same time, a tendril that protruded from Trixie's body threw something on the ground, and it burst into a massive cloud of smoke. Any sign of Trixie vanished, while the smoke still lingered on.

With a bit of struggle, Chrysalis managed to break free from the batter, with both the help of her physical strength and her magic. She took her crossbow, and grabbed an arrow, arming it on the spot. She was on high alert, and Spike and Pinkie were too as well.

But unlike them, Chrysalis heard... no... she felt Trixie's presence, lurking, waiting to spring up and snatch any one of them. Was she going to let that happen? To her, of course not, but them?... Well... she didn't consider the alliance official. But they were all that was left that she considered reliable. If saving them was something she had to do, then so be it... even though she knew she'd quickly regret it.

Out of nowhere, Trixie leapt out again, aiming for Spike, eyes wide in excitement and glee, mouth gaping open with malice. 

With the help of Chrysalis' sudden enhanced instincts, however, she managed to grab Spike with her magic, and quickly yanked him out of the way to safety.

Trixie continued to charge anyway, and her extra tendril threw another smoke bomb, allowing her to again vanish fast. Right after that, Trixie again dashed out from another spot, this time with no designated target, vanishing after another smoke bomb was thrown. And then she did the whole thing again. There was no doubt that she was clearly taunting them, disorienting them, and confusing them on whether her next move could be an attack or a taunt. At some point, she charged for Chrysalis, but Chrysalis easily got out of the way, again failing to retaliate successfully. 

Pinkie darted left and right, on hind hooves, carrying her bazooka. Spike continued looking around, trying his best to keep his bravery high. Chrysalis just listened, relying on what her newfound senses could find to figure out what would happen next. Every so often someone would take a shot in an attempt to hit her, and they would always be too late. The worst part about all of it was how the smoke was making it increasingly harder to see. A disadvantage for them, but an advantage for the enemy.

"She's making this impossible!" Spike shouted.

"Just figure out where she goes next and stay out of the way!" replied Chrysalis.

"Easy for you to say!"

A few smoke bombs later, Trixie finally resorted back to hiding. Spike and Pinkie knew nothing about where she was, continuing to look every which way possible. Chrysalis, on the other hoof, could tell where she was pretty easily. And she could already figure what Trixie's next move was too. 

"She's after you next, pink one!"

Sure enough, Trixie sprung out from behind Pinkie, but Chrysalis didn't need to interfere this time. She immediately spun around and shot her party bazooka, somehow still shooting cake batter even though nobody even saw her reload it with cake.

The large amounts of cake batter knocked Trixie back, seeming to have done the trick.

"You actually expect that to have done the trick?..." Chrysalis grumbled.

"Nope! Just a way to stall!" Pinkie admitted. "Speaking of which, you should probably do something before she gets up."

Chrysalis' eye twitched, masking the humiliation and irritation she felt over that statement... she hated getting corrected like that, nor did she ever want to admit she was in the wrong. She flew up above Trixie as the corrupted magician was getting up, bones contorting and snapping as she got up. Trixie's head snapped, glaring directly at Chrysalis, the hissing getting more aggressive.

Chrysalis tried again, shooting a bolt of blistering green magic, going right for Trixie's head.

Trixie didn't jump out of the way. She didn't fight back. No, what she happened to have done instead was disturbing and unexpected.

Her head split in half, no blood or gore visible, just the black corruption in place like her body was made of it. A tendril carrying multiple smoke bombs came out and threw them. They all burst, flooding the area with smoke that festered with no sign of leaving.

Her voice could be heard echoing around the forest as it was said with mocking pizazz and even a bit of boasting.

"̷A̶n̶d̵ ̴n̶o̵w̷ ̴f̸o̷r̴ ̶m̵y̷ ̴f̷i̸n̵a̶l̴ ̶a̸c̵t̷!̷ ̴O̷n̷e̷ ̵y̵o̵u̸ ̴w̶i̷l̶l̷ ̵n̸e̶v̵e̸r̵ ̸f̷o̴r̶g̸e̸t̶!̴"̵

"If you value your time here than I advise you two stay close!" Chrysalis barked. "Just don't touch me either if you really don't want to take chances..."

Suddenly, deep in the smoke, there was a flash of colored light, something that to Spike and Pinkie was reminiscent of Trixie's past magic shows. Inside that flash, Trixie’s figure could be seen.

Spike quickly sent his fire breath over at the figure, briefly lighting up the path in the smoke. Trixie’s figure was still there, but the fire seemed to have gone right through.

“Huh?! What just happened!?”

“Enhancements…” Chrysalis explained. “She looks to be a magician. Skilled with tricks, fake magic, deception. She’s taking advantage of that!”

“Ooh! How do you know all that about Trixie?!” Pinkie asked.

Another flash of light in a completely different spot went off, and Trixie’s figure stood just like the previous time. This time Chrysalis fired a shot, and just like with Spike, it went through.

“The most obvious answer is the clothes she wore and her methods of attack…” Chrysalis snarled. “But I suppose perhaps another answer I must give credit too is…” Chrysalis closed her eyes, sensing for Trixie as more bursts of light went off to toy with them. “…This corruption. My own senses are enhanced.”

Chrysalis picked up her crossbow and pointed it behind her. The three of them all heard it. The familiar sound of the rapid galloping, the hissing of the glitch… all of it getting louder as it got closer.

“Anyone that’s near… I sense… and learn… I can tell where she is if I focus… They’re too mindless to learn, feel, focus… but I’m not mindless.”

Chrysalis’ eyes shot open. Instead of shooting her crossbow like she appeared to have intended to, her head whipped to the side, and a surge of magic from her horn was launched to that direction, right where Trixie popped out. The blast of magic finally hit her, knocking her down to the ground. This time, she didn’t get back up. It was safe to say that this short but dangerous encounter came to its end.

Spike and Pinkie didn’t know what to say. Pinkie was silent (for once) and Spike just stuttered. “…Is it- did you- is she-“

Chrysalis sighed. “She’s fine. She’s lucky I decided to even be merciful.”

Just the use of the word… the description of her actions. It made Chrysalis’ mind race.

”What’s wrong with me?! They’re already getting to my head, aren’t they!? I can’t let that happen! I resisted this corruption, though… I can resist this!” 

"AH! PINKIE!" Spike shrieked. "YOUR TAIL!"

"Hm?" Pinkie looked. Resting at end of her poofy tail was a small glob of the glitch, which was slowly increasing in size. Immediately, Pinkie shrieked and panicked. "AH! WHATDOIDO?!?WHATDOIDO!?!"

"I-it must have came from Trixie and we didn't notice!" Spike exclaimed.

Chrysalis quickly held Pinkie in place with her magic, lit her horn, and quickly shot her tail, splitting it in two. They all backed off from the chunk of tail, which got completely covered by the corruption. Chrysalis got ready to destroy it, but it quickly scurried away before anyone could even hit it.

Pinkie looked at what remained of her tail. Luckily for her, the corruption didn't crawl too far up her tail, so all Chrysalis shot off was hair. Just barely seen in the stump was the tip of the flesh and blood base. It was slightly grazed, but for Pinkie, it was something she could easily shrug off.

"You saved her," Spike said.

"I'd rather not put up with another corrupted imbecile right now..."

"Thanks, Chryssi!” Pinkie chirped.

Chrysalis snapped. “What did you just call me!?” 

“Chryssi!”

“Listen here, pinky-”

“That’s my name, don’t wear it out!”

Chrysalis screamed, immediately stopping herself. The whole time she was regretting even speaking to them. She wanted to leave, get away and avoid putting up with them. She kicked herself for saying what she said next.

“If we are going to be on… an alliance!” Chrysalis hissed through her teeth. “Refer to me as Queen Chrysalis! Or just Queen! Anything that isn’t some pathetic pet name! Understand?!”

“Okie-dokie-lokie!”

“Well, we should get out of here before Trixie wakes up!” Spike exclaimed. “So I guess this means the alliance-“

“Yes! It’s official!” Chrysalis spat. “Now… we shall be off then, as you said!”

“We better get back to the Treehouse of Harmony, then!” Pinkie piped. “C’mon, everyone!”

“Uh, no… I refuse to go there. Perhaps another place to take refuge is in order.”

“Oh yeah?…” Spike crossed his arms. “Where?”

Chrysalis opened her mouth to speak but couldn’t think of anything proper to say.. “Well… a Treehouse isn’t exactly a safe hideout, ’Harmony’ related or not!”

“Well, I feel safe there,” Spike proclaimed.

“Me too!” Pinkie chirped.

Chrysalis groaned. “Fine! Fine! We’ll go! But I want to waste no time there! I already despise myself for even giving this alliance a chance.”

“Then why don’t you just leave?!” Spike exclaimed.

“What else am I supposed to do? It’s not like it will end with me becoming your friend! I just need someone to use to fulfill my goals! You of all others should know that, what with how well this world knows me! Now point to the direction of this… treehouse!”

Spike sighed and did so, and Chrysalis was already off. But she stopped one last time.

“Not every alliance ends with differences being put aside for good. That’s not how they work. It never has been.”

Spike and Pinkie had no response. They just joined with Chrysalis, helping to lead her to the treehouse.

But they didn't leave without being watched.

The corruption that fled just now stared, watching them leave. It fizzled, leaving no screeches or hisses as a reaction.

Two blue eye-like gleams appeared on the blob, clearly resembling eyes. 

For a few more moments the blob watched them until they were fully gone, before disappearing back into the darkness.
> Chapter 5: Survivors
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Well, we're here!" Spike proclaimed when the glimmering Treehouse came into view.

"Yuck..." Chrysalis mumbled to herself, not pleased by how it looks. The bright colors, the shine that it had even while it was night... it was disgusting.

Pinkie happily hopped over to the tree, and Chrysalis noticed that the missing half of her tail all of a sudden grew back, good as new.

"How did that-"

"She's Pinkie," Spike answered quickly. Without further elaboration, he continued onwards to the Treehouse.

Chrysalis didn't dare ask any more questions. She just looked at the Treehouse, contemplating her decision one last time. The decision to step in the treehouse or not, she felt, was the final test, the final thing needed to determine her choice.

She decided to go. Reminding herself that in spite of its appearance, it's only a Treehouse. What could it do? It's not like it could just manifest into a form and speak to her. Just the thought of it seemed ridiculous. Slowly, she followed the other two inside.

None of them expected what came to happen next. Out of nowhere, a muffled voice from upstairs spoke.

"Hey, I think someone else is here," said the voice.

Chrysalis didn't recognize who it was. But Spike and Pinkie did. There was a sound of fast stepping... different than hoofsteps. Chrysalis had her crossbow prepared but Spike and Pinkie had no intentions for attacking or self-defense. In fact, Spike placed a hand on the crossbow and pushed it down a little, assuring Chrysalis to not panic.

“They sound normal,” Spike said. “And we know them really well, too. You don’t need to use that.”

Without a response, Chrysalis lowered the weapon, glaring at Spike.

In a matter of moments, the two unexpected visitors showed themselves. A young Dragon and a young Griffon that Spike and Pinkie were both relieved to see.

"Smolder!" exclaimed Spike.

"Gallus!" Pinkie squealed.

"Hold it!" Smolder shouted before pointing a claw at Chrysalis. "What's she doing here, and why does she have that... stuff on her?!"

Chrysalis rolled her eyes and scoffed.

"Wait! She's on our side!" Spike exclaimed. "Long story short, she nearly got corrupted, fought back and took control, we encountered her, and she decided to help us!"

"Really?" Gallus sarcastically raised his eyebrows. "I don't buy it..."

"Oh well that’s such a big surprise there..." Chrysalis sarcastically grumbled. "I'm not going to waste my time, getting down and begging for you to trust me. If you don't trust me especially in the severity of the situation, then that is none of my concern. All I care about is getting rid of this corruption so I could proceed onward with my plans!"

Gallus and Smolder glared at Pinkie and Spike.

Smolder spoke up. "And you're keeping her because?..."

"She's really all that we have right now..." Spike answered. "You already know about the corrupting black matter, right?"

"Yeah, we're here hiding from it," said Gallus. "So... same reason as you three being here?"

"Yep!" Pinkie nods.

"It got Twilight..." Spike continued. "The corruption got her. And Starlight, and Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy... anyone that you would expect to be here with us! She's the only one with us right now that's... well... more powerful."

"Still don't like it..." Smolder grumbled. "Just be careful, okay? Her just being here is risky already but... having some of that corruption also? She could be an even bigger problem if she turns against you."

"I hear every last word you're saying!" Chrysalis bellowed.

"I thought you said you didn't care!" replied Gallus.

"What about you two?" Pinkie asked. "Where are the other four?"

Smolder sighed. "The... corruption stuff attacked the six of us when we were all together. We tried to fight, show it who's boss, and then we had to run. We lost Ocellus first. Everyone else followed right after. Gallus and I had no choice. We had to run, no looking back. And this was the first place we had in mind to go to."

"I'm sorry that happened," Spike apologized. "I guess we both lost close friends."

"But we're all here now!" Pinkie assured. "We're all together! And if we found each other, then there could be a super-big-bunch of survivors out there!"

"Well we saw a lot of other ponies scrambling to get away," Gallus shrugged. "And yeah, we did find you three. We just gotta figure out what to do next."

"That's probably going to be the hardest part," Spike mumbled. "Like... if there are more survivors out there, where are they? What do we even need to do to defeat the corruption and win? And... is it even possible?..."

“Perhaps… I know where we can start,” Chrysalis said. “As my time being partially under this corruption went on, I’ve come to notice a sharp increase in my abilities. But that’s not all. Since I’ve come in contact with the dark matter, I’ve felt brief periodic links to those whose minds are long gone. I can feel where they are or their next intent. Not entirely, but the feeling… it’s there. I have a proposal. I believe if I concentrate, give time, divert all energy into the black matter, treat this like how Luna treated her nightly duties, maybe… just maybe… I can come across someone that’s hunting survivors.”

“You really think it will work?” Smolder asked, arms crossed. “You don’t even know any spells for these things!”

“I am perfectly aware, fool, but what else would the point of experimenting be? And you must also know that not all spells require being figured out like puzzles! Now I request you leave me to do this, and do not disturb me unless absolutely necessary.”

“Your wish is my command, your majesty,” Gallus said with complete sarcasm. Smolder gave a nudge in response, even though she didn’t trust the idea of having Chrysalis around as much as he did.

Chrysalis hissed, but went ahead and situated herself, closing her eyes. She concentrated, thinking about the darkness, and only the darkness, feeling the dark matter on her body. It felt strong… but not strong enough. Power had to be diverted somewhere else at the same time as her horn. And she knew where too. The place where most of the ooze resides. It was a complicated task, but she managed to divert focus and energy to her eye while also managing to keep her horn in use.

The pull felt stronger. She knew where she was going. But she had to get even deeper, and open the door to multiple options that she could look through fast… taking it slow was not something she wanted to do in the slightest.

She had to do one more thing. She had to reach for that pull… and take it.

And she did. When the pull to the link hit its peak, Chrysalis took it, and suddenly she felt herself connected to many minds and voices, a few of them feeling much too foreign for her. Her vision, although a bit disoriented, was clear, and she stared through the eyes of a drone wandering around Ponyville.

She was quick to figure out how to switch, simply blinking and giving herself the feeling of taking a different direction.

She ignored all the other ones that felt the same. Wandering, wandering, wandering…

It was the fastest she assumed she could go. Once again she cursed herself for not thinking it all completely through.

But it could be worse.

It didn’t take long for Chrysalis to figure out faster ways. She sped through, waiting for that sense of urgency, attack, and malice, instead of nothing at all.

She soon found it. It took a few minutes and many pairs of eyes, but she soon found that feeling of aggression, and took it.

The eyes she stared through was from what appeared to be a pony with a spring-bud like color, most likely a stallion because of the shape of his snout. In front of him was a figure, seeming faded but clearly seen, flying away from whatever was in front of her. It was something Chrysalis had a hard time identifying, but it appeared to be a creature she only remembered seeing once before. It was a Hippogriff, colored a light type of magenta, and her swishing tail colored shades of blue and blue-gray.

Where this chase scene was happening was unknown but the hallways seemed somewhat large.

“Help!” a voice shrieked, coming from the one being chased. “Help me! Someone! Anyone!”

The Hippogriff took a sharp turn into a room, which ended up being a library. Before anything else happened, Chrysalis came to, her soul and mind all being pulled back to reality.

“What did you see?” Spike inquired.

“I was… staring through the eyes of a stallion…” Chrysalis began to explain. “I believe it was a stallion… and he was chasing a… Hippogriff… she was flying away, and she went into… a library…-“

“Wait! Where was this happening?!” Smolder asked.

“Large hallways…”

“Any rugs, banners?…”

“Now that you speak of it…” Chrysalis rubbed her chin. “Yeah, they were present! And there was a shield on it-“

“Gallus! She might be talking about Silverstream!” Smolder exclaimed. “She might be okay! If we leave now we could go get her!”

“Alright, hold on a second!” Gallus said. “How do you know it’s even safe? The town’s crawling with corrupted ponies!”

“Wait… where even were you all?” Spike asked.

“The school,” Smolder admitted. “We… may have snuck in after-hours.”

“And… why would you do that?…”

“Ran out of time to study, everything we needed was there, we did what we had to do- look, that’s not important! We can’t just leave her there!” proclaimed Smolder.

“We’re playing a dangerous game here, Smolder,” Gallus warned. “Are you really sure we can even pull off a rescue? By the time we get there she could be good as gone!”

“She lasted this long, didn’t she? C’mon Gallus, she’s our friend!”

Gallus sighed. “Fine. But only if we do one thing. Cheese-legs, is it possible you tag along with us and you could help double-check when we get to the school?”

“You dare call me- UGH!” Chrysalis bellowed. “Alright, listen here, I see one flaw in that plan aside from you being a potential pain in my side… how are we going to get there?! We don’t have any potential form of transport.”

“Um, hello, we all have wings!” Gallus flapped his.

“And where exactly will I reside while I give you your desired information, hm?…”

“We can find a close spot, and if we need to, buy some time,” said Smolder. Just look around, see who’s in the area, and if you can’t find Silverstream, it’ll be safe to say she’s fine.”

“You two are quite persistent enough to even believe this foolish plan will work…” Chrysalis got up. “It’s so shortsighted and unlikely to even work, that… I can’t help but be intrigued. Very well then. I’ll go.”

“Will you two be able to hold up?” Gallus asked.

Spike started to speak. “Well without Chrysalis we probably wouldn’t-“

“We’ll be super okie-dokie!” Pinkie promised.

“Well we better get moving then.” Smolder opened her wings and flew out, followed by Gallus, and then Chrysalis.

Spike gulped, watching them fly away.

“Do you really think they’ll be there in time?” he asked.

“It’s like gambling!” said Pinkie. “You’ll never know what you get until the moment is there!”

“If things don’t go well, hopefully Chrysalis can get them out of there. If we couldn’t hold our own without her… then how are we gonna survive?”

“Oh Spike, nobody’s been here yet!” Pinkie assured. “I’m sure nobody will be here while the others are go-“

Pinkie was cut off by the sound of something landing on the roof.

Spike felt a huge lump form in his throat as his eyes shrunk.

Pinkie’s ears dropped, and she gulped. “I guess I spoke too soon…”

 ̴“̶M̶y̶ ̸l̸i̴t̴t̷l̴e̶ ̷p̷r̶e̸t̷t̸i̷e̴s̸…̷”̵
> Chapter 6: After Hours
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The skies were fortunately clear, but Gallus, Smolder, and Chrysalis all kept their eyes peeled the whole way through. The two young students led the way while Chrysalis followed, mentally prepared for the inevitable odds of the plan's failure.

Chrysalis came to a sudden realization. "Wait! Stop!"

Gallus and Smolder did just that.

"A realization came upon me," Chrysalis said. "Unlike myself, all those other corrupted individuals out there don't entirely retain their intelligence. But that doesn't mean they can't sense us... if I could do it without any form of command, then they can too."

"Well, if we get spotted, we'll just bolt it," said Smolder.

"How about an invisibility cloak?" Gallus sarcastically suggested. "I'm sure there's a bunch of those lying around."

"Are you always this annoyingly sarcastic?-" Chrysalis asked.

"Yep."

"We're getting nowhere. Listen... I'll make my attempt to hide, but I'm sure you two being found is inevitable. If you get spotted, then... just... fight back while you flee!"

"We did that when we left, we'll do it again, and it'll be way easier with your help," Smolder said. "Now let's keep going."

Chrysalis had her doubts, but they made good points that were... semi-encouraging. If they escaped, then it's perfectly possible for them to have a successful return, but they're going to a school where they could be found or cornered, not a forest with endless hiding possibilities. Turning into a bird, she continued onwards with them on their journey.

Soon, the town came into view. Homes and buildings were covered in the black ooze, and inhabitants wandered the town without a place to go. Gallus, Smolder, and Chrysalis all flew higher, and picked up the pace.

They failed to take Cloudsdale into account. Because right then, Pegasi dove down at them from the clouds above.

"We got company!" Gallus exclaimed.

Chrysalis quickly returned to normal and proceeded to take care of the situation. She sent multiple blasts at the Pegasi after them, finally getting direct hits and knocking them away.

More Pegasi dove from up front, but Gallus and Smolder quickly got out of the way, and Chrysalis was fast enough to knock them away too.

Six more Pegasi showed up and managed to successfully surround the group. Chrysalis, Gallus, and Smolder all went back to back.

"I suppose you could use your fire-breathing techniques?..." Chrysalis suggested.

"I'm a dragon!" Smolder replied. "Of course I can!"

"I'll just... watch and cheer on," said Gallus. "Go team."

The Pegasi charged. Working together, Chrysalis and Smolder both fought them off, sending their own respective attacks, and maneuvering out of the way when needed. All Gallus could do was keep on avoiding anypony that was after him, and twice he ended up being saved, once by Smolder, and once by Chrysalis. 

Constantly Chrysalis sent beams and shockwaves as attacks while Smolder used her fire breath before quickly moving to an open spot. All three of them were silently impressed that they're even holding up.

But then again, six Pegasi didn't seem like too much of a challenge, especially if they weren't horribly enhanced.

Soon, more did come, a few that were defeated previously, and a few that weren't encountered yet.

"Uh, I don't think we can hold up any longer if they keep multiplying!" Smolder shouted.

"The school!" Gallus pointed after dodging an attack. "It's right there!"

"Only one thing to do then..." Smolder proclaimed. "Dive!"

And she dove. Gallus and Chrysalis both followed without a word... the increasing Pegasi gave them little time to respond, and it was all they could do. All the corrupted Pegasi dove after them. 

The crisp night air breezed by their faces as they got closer to the school, the Pegasi only getting faster.

None of them had time to stop. No time to find doors, no time to find a way in.

Smolder did the only thing she could. She smashed right through the window completely shattering the glass. With no response or questions, Chrysalis and Gallus flew through the now open window.

The Pegasi were already nearly there.

Chrysalis and Smolder both worked together again. With the combined magic and fire breath, they were able to fend off the Pegasi and buy some time. Chrysalis quickly grabbed a shelf, and a desk, and anything else she deemed useful, and used them to block off the window. 

Banging noises were heard as the aggressive Pegasi were trying to get it. Using her magic, Chrysalis held everything in place to make it even harder for the intruders to break through.

It felt like it would last forever. Chrysalis wouldn't even blame Smolder or Gallus for leaving her there, so they could do their task while Chrysalis kept everything held together.

"Quick! We know where to go!" Smolder shouted. "It's close!"

"Lead the way, then!" Chrysalis ordered.

Both Smolder and Gallus dashed out fast, and Chrysalis did too, quickly slamming the doors behind her shut.

They both dashed down the hall, and Chrysalis gained a quick sense of familiarity. Sure enough, they dashed into a room, which turned out to be the same library from Chrysalis' vision.

A booming voice erupted around them.

"̷H̸A̶V̴E̷ ̷F̵R̵I̵E̵N̶D̸S̴ ̷A̶N̵D̸ ̸C̶H̵A̴N̴G̸E̴L̸I̴N̸G̸ ̷C̵O̴M̵E̴ ̸T̵O̸ ̷P̷L̶A̶Y̵ ̵W̷I̷T̷H̶ ̸Y̸O̶N̸A̷!̸?̶"̶

Thundering footsteps shook the ground of the library, and the three of them all heard something large crash right past a shelf, the sound of books and pieces of wood scattering around the floor.

Smolder and Gallus got increasingly frantic as they tried to find what they were looking for. Chrysalis kept herself ready, paying close attention to any potential senses.

Gallus finally spotted what they were looking for and pointed to what looked to be an open grate in the floor. "QUICK! IN THERE!"

Another sound of shelves being smashed burst through the library, sounding closer and far more aggressive.

Chrysalis threw the door open and Smolder and Gallus quickly entered. Chrysalis entered last, and closed the door above her, holding it shut. Right then and there the one responsible for destruction showed her face. A young Yak stared down the trapdoor, her open mouth dripping with ooze. Chrysalis, Gallus, and Smolder all backed away, and the Yak began to stomp on the trapdoor.

"̵Y̵O̷N̸A̵.̶.̷.̸ ̷N̸O̷T̶ ̵L̷I̴K̴E̸.̵.̴.̵ ̶C̷H̸E̷A̵T̵I̴N̴G̸!̶!̶!̴"̶

Everyone thought the same exact thing. They all ran down the hall, refusing to look back.

Smolder and Gallus... mainly Smolder... refused to express it, but deep down, they felt a tension inside their chests. Anxiety, fear and desperation. They were on a dangerous mission to rescue a friend, with many risks, twists, and turns, and not only were they being hunted by complete strangers, but also the friends of theirs that have already been lost. It was off-putting and far from enjoyable.

"I... I think we'll be safe here right now," Gallus panted.

"Where are we?" Chrysalis asked.

"Well duh, under the school!" Smolder replied.

"Yes, I know that, but... what's the purpose? The point? Are these secret escape caverns? Is this some unique version of a basement? Or do they just exist!?"

"Can this wait until later, or we at least talk about this while we're moving?" Gallus pleaded. "Please?!"

"Alright, well, bug queen, you know what to do," said Smolder.

"If you call me...one more name like that... I will rip you apart and turn you inside out!" Chrysalis threatened.

Smolder wasn't even phased.

"I can't believe I'm still doing this for you..." Chrysalis uttered. She sat down, repeating the process from last time, seeing who was where.

Two individuals she saw through were lurking in the caverns, in spots that seemed somewhat different... the stallion she saw through earlier, and someone else too, with a grayish artic blue color. And the texture almost looked like...

No. Chrysalis moved on. The last pair of eyes she saw through, she knew instantly belonged to the yak. She was pacing around the heavily dented grate door, and the next thing Chrysalis witnessed was the yak suddenly charging to the grate, jumping high, and then slamming right through it, falling into the caverns.

Right at the same time, reality returned to Chrysalis, and she heard the same exact sound from before, only fainter.

"We gotta get moving, now!" Smolder exclaimed. "Before someone catches Silverstream, or us!"

"Did you find anything?" inquired Gallus.

"No sign of her, nor could I look further," Chrysalis answered. "But three others are down here now, all corrupted. They don’t seem anywhere near, but I’m not entirely sure if that’s true."

"If we can hurry and make this quick, we might still find her," said Smolder.

"I advise we stick together then."

"Let me guess..." Gallus cleared his throat. "Without you, we'd be nothing?"

"Exactly!"

Smolder and Gallus both rolled their eyes and went off to find Silverstream. 

"If we don't find a single trace of her, we're taking our leave!" Chrysalis proclaimed before following.

"Yeah, yeah," Smolder called out in response. "We get it."

For the next few minutes, their time exploring was accompanied by silence. However, when little progress seemed to be made, Smolder tried to speed it up.

"SILVERSTREAM! WHERE ARE YOU?!"

"What are you doing?-" Gallus asked.

"Calling out to her, what's it look like I'm doing?"

"Increasing our chances of getting caught?"

"I- well- how else are we going to speed things up? These caverns go on and on! Twists, turns, all of that stuff! You heard Cheese-Legs, they could be somewhere far from here, out of earshot at least, or maybe they won't be able to figure out which spot we're in!"

"We literally heard Yona bursting her way in here! Chrysalis literally said there are three others down here, far or not!"

"Alright, alright, fine! We'll keep quiet."

A loud hiss was heard.

"I think it's too late for that!" Chrysalis exclaimed.

The hissing and the sound of running was already close, and the face of a young male Earth pony was all the group saw before taking off. 

They heard him chasing them, faster than others, his aggression more like that of the yak. They reached a split in the path, two different ways. Chrysalis and Smolder took one way, but Gallus didn’t see them beside him… and as a result, he took the other way, expecting them to join him.

He quickly realized his mistake.

“Ah! Wrong way! Wrong way!”

He quickly turned around, but just then a puddle of the ooze crawled up to him and a figure sprung out. 

Ocellus.

Gallus had no choice. He couldn’t get past. He turned and kept going, not stopping, not catching his breath, nothing. He kept going even as he felt his body start to tire out on him.

He eventually took a quick glance behind him and came to a halt. Ocellus was gone. Not a single trace, a single noise, nothing.

Every single one of Gallus’ insides felt like knots. Everything felt tense. He looked ahead of him and all around him. Ocellus was gone. 

Did he really outrun her? Maybe. He outran-… outflew- Pegasi before. So why was he feeling twisty? Why did he feel like she was right there, waiting for him? He didn’t want to move. But he didn’t want to just stand there.

He took a final look behind him before starting forward again… only to meet face-to-face with a pair of blank white eyes.




***




Chrysalis and Smolder both stopped.

“I think we lost him…” Smolder panted. “Wait… where’s Gallus?!”

Chrysalis looked around. “I didn’t hear him getting caught. The fool must have taken a wrong turn.”

“He’s not a fool-…” Smolder muttered.

Then… they heard it. The sound of the slightest whimper. A genuine frightened whimper.

The two of them quickly went over to look. And curled up in the corner, was none other than Silverstream.

“There you are!” Smolder exclaimed.

Silverstream immediately perked up and dashed to Smolder for a hug.

“Alright that’s enough…” Smolder quickly pushed her off.

“Ohmygosh! I thought they got you!” Silverstream shrieked.

“Gallus and I did too, but then with her help-“

“Oooohhh, so is that why the evil cheese-legged villain that should be in stone is here even though that corruption stuff is on her and I should probably run?”

“Why… does everyone keep calling me that?!” Chrysalis erupted.

“Ignore her,” Smolder insisted. “Long story short, she met up with Spike and Professor Pinkie, and they’re working together now. Wasn’t really big on the idea, but hey, without her, we wouldn’t have found you!”

“Where’d Gallus go? Was he with you?” Silverstream asked.

“Well, he was, but we’re hoping he took the wrong path.”

“And if he didn’t, we’d be out of these caverns much faster…” Chrysalis snarled.

“Tough luck. We’re finding him. I don’t care what you say, I’m not leaving without all of my non-corrupted friends.”

“You’re a dragon, are you not? Aren’t you supposed to… not have an interest in friendship? Not even take a moment to prioritize it over whatever silly dragon pride and greed you have?”

“News flash! Dragons change! Like I did when I met my friends! They all grew on me!” Smolder crossed her arms. “Maybe you could learn a thing or two about that!”

“Smolder!” A voice called out.

“Hey, it’s Gallus! He found us!” Silverstream piped.

“Silverstream…” Gallus’ voice echoed, sounding closer… and oddly more monotone. 

Chrysalis felt something. A familiar sense. “Wait a minute…”

“Chrysalis…”

“We have to go!” Chrysalis quickly said.

“Why did you all l̸e̴a̷v̶e̷ M̸E̴ ̵̼̎B̶E̸H̸I̵N̴D̶!̴!̴!̶“̷

Gallus sprung out of the shadows, the black matter covering his body, his beak twisted and open, ripping from the corners of it to the flesh on his face, practically splitting the beak in two pieces. His eyes were way more wider and disoriented than usual, and his claws were bent like he was ready to tear them apart.

Silverstream shrieked. “GALLUS!!”

“NO!!!” Smolder bellowed.

Chrysalis quickly knocked Gallus down with a blast from her horn. She could already sense the three others on their way right now. There was nowhere else to go.

Nowhere but up.

Horn still ignited, Chrysalis shot the ceiling above them with a powerful blast, creating a  hole above them to freedom. Debris scattered everywhere, but that was the least of anyone’s worries.

“Your chance is gone!!!” Chrysalis shouted. “There’s nothing left we can do!”

Chrysalis quickly flew up, and just as she had expected, her blast was powerful enough to get past the cavern and go through the roof of the school too.

Smolder and Silverstream hesitated. They watched their friend get up, glaring with a mix of sinister glee and even bloodlust.

“DON’T JUST STAND THERE!!!” Chrysalis was heard screaming. “WE NEED TO GO!!!”

Smolder and Silverstream looked at the other end of the hallway. Sandbar, Yona, and Ocellus were all barreling down the hall, the black ooze nearly fusing them together.

Right as they were about to be caught, they both flapped their wings and got out from the caverns quickly. They joined with Chrysalis, who was waiting on the roof while keeping watch.

“You two are lucky I stayed…”

Neither Smolder or either Silverstream said anything.

Chrysalis sighed. “We must head back. Let’s go.”

She flew off. And this time, Smolder and Silverstream followed.
> Chapter 7: Hush Now, Quiet Now
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

 ̷“̸M̶y̶ ̸l̷i̴t̴t̷l̶e̵ ̵p̷r̵e̷t̶t̷i̵e̴s̴…̶”̵

Neither Spike or Pinkie knew what to do. Someone was on the roof. Not just anyone... they immediately knew, from the sound of her voice, that this was none other than Fluttershy.

But even though it was her voice that they heard, the broken scratchiness in it wasn't all that was different. Not a single ounce of innocence was there, like it wasn't even trying to pretend. Just malice and spine-tingling evil was heard, like she was the predator, and they were the prey. 

Spike and Pinkie knew to not look at the window. They slowly backed away, trying to keep quiet. Maybe if they avoided the slightest noise, they would get away before she could catch them.

As it turned out, however, they thought about that too soon. A head suddenly popped out into view from the window, dripping black matter, blank eyes glowing pure white. 

They got look at her face, slightly visible in the darkness. It looked even more twisted and warped than when Spike last saw her, as if being corrupted for a period of time distorts her more and more. 

Her upside-down head twisted back right-side up, the cracking bones and twisting flesh both making sickening sounds, with her neck slightly coiling up as a result of twisting. Taking no time, Fluttershy began to crawl into the Treehouse through the window.

Spike and Pinkie quickly ran down the stairs in hopes of getting out quick. But when they got to the door, they were met with multiple corrupted woodland critters of different shapes and sizes. One massive, corrupted wolf howled, before all critters scattered to the door.

Pinkie dashed at the door and quickly shut it, and then ran up to Spike as she heard the animals slamming on the door.

“Quick! Back upstairs!” Spike screamed.

The door was already nearly destroyed by the time Spike and Pinkie took off. They were woodland critters alright, but the corruption for sure did something that made it easier for them… likely the wolf… to break through doors.

Pinkie and Spike scrambled to get upstairs and to one of the balconies, but it was already flooded with the corruption, and guarded by birds and squirrels. Knowing this was a risk, they made their way up to the next floor, and halfway up they finally heard the door break from downstairs, and the sounds of multiple different animals charging after them. To make matters worse, Fluttershy was already waiting for them on the third floor, sitting there, unmoving.

Without thinking, Pinkie leapt through one of the windows above a balcony roof, and Spike had no choice but to follow, Fluttershy going for the kill the moment he turned. Leaping out the window, he followed Pinkie as she hopped from the balcony top to the base of a branch. Immediately Fluttershy approached the window and started to make her way out, getting on the balcony top and already advancing to the branch.

“We didn’t think this through, did we?…” Spike asked, halfway through the branch.

“Nope!” Pinkie squeaked.

“Let’s face it… without Chrysalis we can’t do anything! We’re done for!”

Corrupted critters were already advancing to the tree branch as Fluttershy got closer and closer to the yet-to-be victims, the two of them nearing the end of the branch.

At this moment, it seemed like it was the end of the road for Spike and Pinkie. They thought they had a chance of making it for a longer period of time, but after all this time, it didn’t seem like the case anymore. Animals were surrounding them, and Fluttershy would be able to corrupt them easily with a simple reach and touch. Pinkie was hanging on for dear life at the end, reaching for some of the still-standing stone debris.

*TWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!*

A sudden sound brought everyone's attention... Pinkie, Spike, the critters, and even Fluttershy herself. Off in the distance was another group of critters, but with a closer look, they were completely normal and uncorrupted, and looked ready for a challenge. In the middle of this group was a large bear, and perched on this bear's head was a familiar white bunny, blowing into the whistle as much as he could.

The woodland critters panicked all of them scattering around, making their respective yet distorted noises. Fluttershy was the only one not reacting, instead looking at the animals as if attempting to command them to return, and failing.

Most of them fled. But the others proceeded to go after the uncorrupted animals, all of them immediately scattering back into the woods... but not before the bunny gave them a salute.

"Ooh, wait! Loud noise must be their weakness!" Pinkie beamed.

"No... Fluttershy didn't react once... the animals were just easy to alarm with it!"

Fluttershy stared back at Spike and Pinkie once more. They started to hear it, a noise sounding like distorted laughter. But it wasn't like the small giggles Fluttershy has done in the past. It was maniacal, getting increasingly deranged as the sickening laughter carried on and Fluttershy's image began to change, her limbs twisting and expanding, slowly undergoing change. 

One foreleg became fuzzy and beefier, while a paw with claws grew out of the hoof.

The other foreleg became scaly, and three curved clawed toes grew out.

Both of her back legs proceeded to fuse together, and it elongated until it resembled the end of a snake’s body.

And to complete the transformation, bat features grew in, marking their return… her wings replaced themselves with bat wings, long bat fangs grew in her seemingly empty mouth, and her ears grew into bat ears.

With her increased strength, Fluttershy swung in front of her, breaking the side of the branch the enemies were on. Spike and Pinkie both screamed as they fell with the branch and crashed into the ground.

Spike’s already sore arm stung even more than it did before, the fall clearly having twisted, maybe even broke the wrist.

He got up and found Pinkie in even worse condition, a massive cut on the right of her side.

“Pinkie!” Spike shook her. “Pinkie!”

Pinkie groaned, grabbing her side and leaning up.. “I-I’m okay!”

Fluttershy leapt off the tree and slithered to them, a low hiss gurgling in her throat. She stopped in front of them.

“Fluttershy please!” Spike pleaded as Pinkie got up. “We don’t want to hurt you!”

Fluttershy didn’t listen. She immediately swung her massive paw at them.

Spike and Pinkie both rolled out of the way as dirt sprayed everywhere. The corrupted amalgamation leapt in the air and dove into the ground, leaving a massive hole. 

The duo attempted to get away into the forest, but Fluttershy turned out to be faster than their foes from before… she sprung out of the ground right in front of them, and once again attempted to strike. Spike and Pinke ran back to the Treehouse and this time took different directions, and when Fluttershy slashed and missed, she took out a massive chunk of the treehouse. 

Pinkie and Spike joined together at the other side of the treehouse, their fear having reached a new, higher level. 

“Grab onto me, and don’t let go!” Pinkie alerted, already grabbing her party bazooka. 

Spike did so, and Pinkie jumped, landed on her tail to bounce even higher, and fired the bazooka directly at the ground, the force of the bazooka launching the two into the tree right as Fluttershy’s head popped out of the ground and she snapped her jaws, the dark matter continuing to drool out her mouth.. 

Pinkie grabbed onto a branch and Spike let go of her so he could fly a bit higher.

“What are we going to do?! I don’t want to hurt her! She’s one of our closest and kindest friends!” Spike exclaimed. 

Fluttershy leapt up and slashed her claws and Pinkie quickly curled up into the branch, just barely missing her.

“We never tried uncorrupting anyone before!” Pinkie suggested as that happened. She uncurled, and then swung forward, letting go to launch herself to a higher branch. Right then Fluttershy leapt up even higher, breaking off the entire branch.

“How are we even going to do that?!” Spike shrieked. “With a song or reminding her of the past? That strategy’s used so much!”

Fluttershy then slithered over to the tree, looked at her claws, and started to climb.

“It’s the only strategy we can use!” Pinkie exclaimed. “Think about it! Likely overused method to saving someone, or inevitable corruption?!”

Fluttershy was already near. Her head spun 180 degrees, and a corrupted python sprung out of her mouth to bite. Spike didn’t have any time to react this time, but in a lucky turn of events he slipped off the branch before he got caught. Pinkie hopped off her own branch and landed on her hind hooves, quickly getting out of the way when Fluttershy dove after her.

Spike continued flying around, making sure Fluttershy’s either at bay or close, and also keeping Pinkie’s safety in check. “Alright, alright, we’ll give it a try! Okay, what’s a song that could be used? Come on! Think! Think!”

Pinkie ran around the Treehouse again, and this time, Fluttershy appeared in front of it around her, immediately slamming her paw right through it, causing far more damage to the Treehouse and spraying much more debris over Pinkie, disorienting her enough to where didn’t notice a large piece of the fallen branch up ahead, slipped on it with her splint, and fell.

“PINKIE!”

Fluttershy finally caught up to Pinkie, quickly circling around her continuously as if to taunt her, daring her to try and get past.

Spike had to think. If he had to sing a song on the fly to save not one, but two of his friends, then so be it. 

It just had to be something that he hoped would work.




Your mind may be gone,
There’s no hope for your dawn,

But I know past the control,
Is the true you, your soul

Not a fiend or a beast,
Let yourself be released,

Remember your friends,
And save them from their ends,

Oh kind friend Fluttershy, please don’t go,
You’re still in there, you and I know

Underneath your shyness, is a mare so strong,
No matter what, nobody’s ever really gone,

When together again,
The chaos will end,

We can’t do this alone
Keep this beast from the throne,

Never give up, never lose hope,
Get back up after you cope,

Come back to us and fight,
And when it gets tough, join us on the flight

Oh kind friend Fluttershy, please don’t go,
You’re still in there, you and I know

Underneath your shyness, is a mare so strong,
No matter what, nobody’s ever really gone,



Fluttershy stared at Pinkie. Her facial expression, her facial expression remained unchanged, still deranged and grinning.

“Did… did it work?” Spike wondered.

Fluttershy’s head tilted and she raised her paw.

“Itdidn’twork!!!” Pinkie shrieked.

Fluttershy’s paw suddenly stopped when it swung. It shook wildly, vibrating and spazzing, before it shrunk down. The rest of Fluttershy’s body twitched and convulsed, with the only thing remaining untouched was her now-normal hoof, reaching for Pinkie. The corruption began to envelop her entire body, and her tail retreated into, what went from a Fluttershy-animal amalgamation, into a pure blob entirely made of the darkness.

Pinkie had a feeling. A good feeling. She grabbed Fluttershy’s normal hoof, the only part of her friend that was still exposed.

“Spike! Help me!”

Spike did as he was told. He joined with Pinkie and grabbed Fluttershy’s hoof, helping Pinkie pull. The corruption felt like it was pulling back, the force being massive.

“I’m sorry, but I have to do this!” Spike shouted. He took a massive inhale, and showered the corruption with powerful green fire. The corruption shrieked and twitches, and it’s grip on Fluttershy felt loose.

Spike and Pinkie pulled one last time, exerting all strength to do so. And with that one motion, Fluttershy slid out of the blob of corruption, and the three of them toppled to the ground.
Quickly, Spike got up, and again showered the glitch with fire before it could grow or take any of them. Again, it shrieked, and it fled.

They were alone. Spike exhaled in relief. He then took a hopeful glance at Fluttershy.

Pinkie held her close. Fluttershy was unconscious and pale. But she was breathing, alive, and not only that, but she was no longer corrupted.

“We can save them…” Spike realized. “It takes a lot of work but… we can save them!”

“Quick! We gotta take her inside!” exclaimed Pinkie.

Spike turned around and looked. Although the Treehouse still stood, there were now two massive holes in it.

It was saddening to see the Treehouse in this condition, branches broken and the slight destruction being caused. Spike knew that if Twilight saw it, it would be upsetting. He himself felt a bit upset over it, and he had a feeling Pinkie did too, and just hid it.

But it still stood. 

They could work with this. They would need to be even more alert and prepared. It would be easier for anything to get in. But maybe it would be manageable.

But then again, the damage caused wasn’t the only issue. If they were found now, chances are, they’d be found again.

“Spike?”

“Yeah, we’ll take her inside,” Spike began with a nod. “But when the others get back, we’re going to have to talk about some things. Important things. I don’t know how much longer we can stay here.”
> Chapter 8: Discovery
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

After fleeing from the school and avoiding anyone that was after them, Chrysalis, Smolder, and Silverstream both returned to the forest.

Chrysalis barely felt remorse or the sense of loss. She barely even knew the Griffon! He was among the survivors that couldn't even do much against the enemies.

But she could tell that the opposite applied for the other two.

It was more visible for Silverstream, still recovering from all that had happened, and the loss of her friend. Smolder was clearly trying to hide it, being the dragon that she is, but Chrysalis knew that, deep down, Smolder was upset all the same.

Chrysalis didn't want to apologize, but she felt the slight inclination to speak up about it at the very least, remorse or none.

"It's a... shame, what happened to your friend," she said. "Truly."

"Yeah right," Smolder spat. "You don't even care."

Chrysalis rolled her eyes. Why accept friendship and sympathy from others when those same others don't even accept the rare moment of sympathy she offered?

The Treehouse finally came back into sight, and the sudden realization hit that Spike and Pinkie were attacked while the others were gone.

Silverstream gasped. "The Treehouse!!!"

"What the heck happened here?!-" Smolder yelled in disbelief.

Chrysalis quickly flew inside to make sure Spike and Pinkie were still around. It was a mess. The inside was scratched up, and some books were knocked over, scattered on the ground. After searching the Treehouse, going up floor by floor, she found them. And they weren't alone. Right after, Smolder and Silverstream showed up.

"Professor Pinkie! Professor Fluttershy!" Silverstream squealed in relief.

"Would you care to explain what exactly happened while we were gone!?" Chrysalis asked, demanding to know.

"We were attacked by Fluttershy and an army of woodland animals," Spike explained. "We fought back the best we could, and after all was said and done, we... managed to save her."

"How'd you pull that off?" Smolder asked.

"We sung!" Pinkie answered.

"Yuck. Such an overused method of saving brainwashed fools..." said Chrysalis.

"It worked though!" Spike replied. "Hey... where's Gallus?"

They were silent for a moment before Smolder answered first.

"We... lost him. He got corrupted."

"Oh... that's... I'm... sorry that happened."

"How did it happen?" Pinkie asked.

"He got lost," Smolder continued. "One wrong turn and... that was it."

"Aawww... I'm sorry. But don't worry! We'll get him back once we beat this darkness!" Pinkie encouraged.

"I don't mean to change the subject considering to you all, it's a serious matter, but..." Chrysalis began. "Do you actually expect us to still stay here, even with all of this... damage?"

"Honestly..." Spike sighed. "No... look, I know we all get a sense of safety here, but... we were attacked here. We couldn't run. And not only that, but the Treehouse took a lot of damage, and I know all of us-... most of us... don't want to lose the Treehouse like we lost the Tree. And I guess, all-in-all, we're no safer here than we are out there."

"Hmph. Sad on how in the end, not even your precious treehouse can do much to keep you safe or be useful. Why even call it a 'Treehouse of Harmony' when all it truly is... is just a Treehouse grown from crystal. A downgrade, I must say, compared to the Tree of Harmony. At least that one had something useful."

Smolder flew in front of Chrysalis, pointing a claw directly in front of her face. "I'll have you know my friends and I know the Treehouse better than you do!"

"Yeah!" Silverstream piped. "We've even talked to it ourselves! And it talked back!"

Chrysalis erupted in laughter.

"I never knew Twilight Sparkle's students were so... laughable with their absurd mindsets!" Chrysalis paced around the group. "Let me make it clear to all of you that if the Treehouse proved to be much more in the past, or did anything for that matter, it would have done something useful by now!"

Chrysalis stepped on something and she looked. It was an open book, and in big letters, were the words "Anomaly Correction." She slowly picked the book up with her magic and read those words out loud for the others to hear.

"I... don't think that was there before," said Spike.

"Read it! Read it!" Pinkie bounced.

Chrysalis did so, continuing to read in silence this time. Her face changed to many different expressions. Confusion. Focus. Surprise. 

"What is it?" Silverstream asked.

"... It's a spell. A spell for expelling anomalies from this world."

"Wait! Really?!" Smolder exclaimed, her interest piqued. 

"Yes... yes it is... anything that never belonged in this world, with this spell, can be expelled. If it's true that this... corruption is an anomaly, we can eliminate it!"

"How?" Spike asked. "Do we need a relic, or-"

"Quite a few, actually." Chrysalis explained. "We'd need... a bloodstone to power it."

"I know where to get one, but I don't like where we have to get it..." Smolder groaned. 

"And we'll need other smaller gems. Surprisingly not the Elements for once... about time we had a change in formula... Let's see, let's see... we are to also locate... a ruby hidden in Griffonstone... an emerald hidden in the… ‘Peaks of Peril’ ... and a Diamond the Ponies were to guard in Canterlot."

"Couldn't we just... I don't know... go down to a mine or somewhere else and get them?" Smolder shrugged.

"No we can't. They've been charged with a portion of the complete spell needed. We specifically need those three things, and no alternatives. Anyways, once we collect the needed items, there’s a shrine in a series of caverns underneath the forest where we take them. We put them in the designated spots, someone casts the starter spell, and if all goes well, the corruption would be successfully purged.”

"Well how should we do this?" Silverstream asked. "Split up into teams and meet back up?"

"In a situation like this, it's not worth it. We're bound to encounter challenges as we go," Chrysalis answered. "It will take longer but if we plan ahead and go as one, we're sure to make it out."

"If we rescued Fluttershy, we could rescue others!" suggested Spike.

"I suppose if... if we are able to... perhaps we can put in effort to uncorrupt anyone we come across."

"What are we even going to do about Professor Fluttershy anyway?" Smolder asked. "Wait for her to wake up? Take her with us? We gotta do something, because I don't think any of us know when she'll be up."

“Maybe Chryssy can wake her up!” suggested Silverstream.

“Enough with the nicknames!!” Chrysalis hissed. “Besides, I’m no miracle worker!”

“But… you do have magic, right?” inquired Smolder.

“Of course.”

“And you are powerful.”

“I already know where you’re getting at, dragon…”

“Yep.” Smolder crossed her arms. “You can do it if you wanted to.”

Chrysalis growled. “Fine. Step aside and let’s get this over with.”

They all obeyed and got out of the way, and Chrysalis approached Fluttershy’s body. Chrysalis’ horn illuminated the area as it glowed. She closed her eyes for a moment, before they shot open. 

“Awake!”

Fluttershy suddenly sat up and gasped, gripping her chest as it puffed in and out rapidly. She looked around in panic, seeing two students, two friends, and one nasty enemy. In a brief panic she slightly scooted away.

“C-Chrysalis!” Fluttershy stammered. “What- what are you doing here with the others?!”

“It’s okay, Fluttershy! Deep breaths! Calm down,” encouraged Spike.

“She’s not going to hurt us!” Pinkie assured her. “She’s helping us!”

“How-how did I get here?…” the Pegasus squeaked. “I-I just remembered being in my cottage and then some… black yet colorful creature came in and-and then that’s where it ended! Everything else, it… felt like a fuzzy blur and… I didn’t know what I was doing or watching. I know I heard music and… there were so many thoughts and voices in my head like I was being told to not do anything but… I felt the need to resist and reach out, the need to not give up, and… and now I’m here.”

“You were corrupted,” said Spike. Not thinking, he accidentally gave a straight answer on what exactly happened. “You attacked us.” 

Quickly he realized his mistake and covered his mouth, even though it was already too late.

“Oh my! I’m- I’m so sorry! I didn’t hurt anyone, did I? Oh, I hope not-“

“Nope! Don’t worry, you didn’t,” Pinkie replied. “All these injuries were from before!”

It was somewhat a lie. Spike and Pinkie definitely would have been in better shape if it weren’t for the attack, and the same applies for the Treehouse.

“So… what exactly is going on?” Fluttershy asked.

“We’re about to go on a journey!” Silverstream beamed. “We gotta find a Ruby, Diamond, Emerald, and a bloodstone that we’ll probably have to steal from the Dragon Lands!”

“Not looking forward to that one…” Smolder mumbled.

“Oh dear… is it dangerous?”

“Nearly everyone around us has been corrupted and turned against us, what do you think?” Chrysalis hissed with no regard to Fluttershy’s reception to that answer and it’s tone.

“BUT!…” Spike quickly cut in the conversation. “We’ve all made it this far! If we stick and work together, we’re going to win and save all of our friends! They’re corrupted, but if we could save you, then we could save them!”

Fluttershy’s confidence may have built up over the years but it was understandable as to why she was like this and needed a bit of more delicate treatment.

But luckily, Fluttershy seemed to have still kept her grown openness to adventure. She quietly exhaled. “I understand why we have to go… if it’s what we have to do then it must be done. I just know it will be scary…”

“I promise, Fluttershy, we won’t let anything happen to any of us,” Spike promised. “We’ll be at our best, fighting back with everything we got!

“Pinkie Promise!” Pinkie nodded. “Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye!”

“Okay… so… are we going to be leaving now?”

“Yes, we are,” Chrysalis answered. “Is there anything that any of you need to grab?”

Nearly everyone admitted they had nothing on hoof or claw. All they were taking with them was the book, with Pinkie also taking her bazooka and Chrysalis taking her crossbow. With the low amount of things they needed, they were outside in less than a couple minutes. They all stood together, taking one last look at the Treehouse.

Silverstream waved goodbye as they all finally turned and left. “Bye Treehouse! Get well soon!”

And they all vanished into the forest, their journey finally having reached the next level.
> Chapter 9: A Journey’s Start
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

In some ways, the trip through the forest felt creepier than the treehouse.

In some spots trees completely covered up the moonlight. And even when the bright moon illuminated the path, they were still surrounded by shadows. Not knowing who could be stalking or where they could be left a couple of the travelers, mainly Spike and Fluttershy, in paranoia. Pinkie, Chrysalis, Smolder, and partially Silverstream weren’t as paranoid as the other two, but Silverstream had her moments every now and then, and even Smolder once or twice felt it too.

So far, though, nothing has happened. It’s been safe and quiet, which fed into the lingering paranoia. Not even the tiniest bird could be seen or heard. It was just them, and only them.

“So… the places we have to go to seem preeeeeeeeetty far,” Pinkie said. 

“If we want to make this fast a train’s the only way to go,” said Spike.

“Are you sure a train is even safe?” Chrysalis asked. 

“It’s either a train, or traveling for days, maybe more than a week, with higher odds of us getting picked off,” Smolder said.

“But we don’t know where the latest one is!” Silverstream exclaimed. “And there’s, like, a lot of bus stops!”

“I can help with that!” Spike spoke up. “If we think about when the latest train left where, we’d be able to know where the closest one to Ponyville is!”

“Who would even, in their right mind, have a train schedule memorized?” Chrysalis asked.

“Hello! Assistant of Twilight here! She memorizes a lot of things, so did I!”

“But… Why a train schedule?!”

“Look, it was a long day, she was bored, wanted to memorize a train schedule, wanted me to do that with her… look, at least it’s a lead!”

“A very convenient lead…” Smolder said, arms crossed.

“Still a lead,” Spike replied.

“Well what are we waiting for?!” exclaimed Chrysalis. 

“Well I can’t figure it out now! I don’t have the time!”

“I came prepared!” Silverstream held up a small clock, which appeared to be made out of the same crystal material the Treehouse was made of. 

“Where’d you get that, the Treehouse?” asked Smolder.

“Yep! Was on one of the shelves. Guess the Treehouse had to have a clock somewhere.”

“Why did you grab it?” Pinkie asked.

“Well, duh! To tell the time, obviously.”

Spike reached out. “Can I see it?” 

Silverstream gave it to him and Spike looked at it, getting lost in thought as he puzzled over everything.

“Alright, according to the time…” he started to say. “Around the time the corruption took over, the train would have left Las Pegasus. If it kept going then its next stop would have been… FillyDelphia.”

“That’s not going to work, then if it’s still going,” Smolder said. “There’s no way we’re going to make it to the tracks in time, and I’m not in the mood to go to Ponyville and deal with a massive corruption mob.”

“Is it even going to be worth it to see if it’s stopped?” Fluttershy asked. 

“Well if it was attacked then it had to have stopped somewhere,” Pinkie suggested.

“I say it’s not worth the risk to go out and see,” Chrysalis admitted. “It would be a mere waste of time if it turned out to be all for nothing.”

“So what else are we supposed to do?” inquired Silverstream.

A voice spoke from the shadows, catching everyone’s attention. “I can help you…”

Chrysalis spun around, charging her horn even if she didn’t need to. “Who goes there?! Show yourself!”

The speaker did just that, and stepped out of the shadows. Pinkie, Fluttershy, and Spike recognized her immediately. The others didn’t recognize her right away, but they could have sworn they’ve seen her face among the massive crowd during the last battle against Chrysalis and her allies.

It was a mare with a dark-orchid coat, slightly scuffed up, and wearing an outfit with armor that clearly has undergone damage. The most noticeable trait, however, was her missing horn. 

She glared at Chrysalis when she got a closer look at her, but immediately calmed down after seeing who she was with.

Silverstream immediately yelped, but calmed down. “Oh right, you don’t work with the Storm King anymore!”

“Hi Fizz- I mean- Teeeempest!!” Pinkie greeted.

“Tempest! You’re okay!” Spike exclaimed.

“Yeah. I’ve been through a lot but… I’m still here,” Tempest said with a small smile.

They then noticed that she wasn’t over exaggerating when she said that. Half of her front right hoof was completely gone, bandaged up, and connected to a prosthetic that was clearly custom made in a short amount of time.

“Oh my!” Fluttershy gasped. “Your hoof!” 

“Yeah, I had an encounter earlier and some of the… corruption got on it,” Tempest explained. “I did what I had to do.”

“A lack of strong will, I see…” Chrysalis smirked. “One would think from how you look that you’d have will as strong as mine…”

Tempest raised her eyebrow, unimpressed. “Remind me why she’s with you all, again?”

“They irritate me just as much as I irritate them…”

“You said you could help,” said Spike. “How?”

“You all need to get places, right?” Tempest asked.

“Yeah.”

“I can help.”

“How?” asked Silverstream.

“The Storm King’s old airship. I’ve had it here when the darkness started to spread. After I was attacked I came here to get to it to escape and that’s when I ran into you all. Good thing I did too. I… may need help in case things go wrong.”

“Seems like a fair trade,” Smolder said with a shrug. “We help you, you help us.”

“Do you know where the ship is?” Fluttershy asked.

“Yeah, we’re actually pretty close. Come on.” Tempest nudged her head. “Keep eyes and ears open in case something’s there.”

She lead the group.

“So where are you all going?”

“Hm, we never really discussed on where to go…” Chrysalis mumbled.

“The Peaks of Peril sound less dangerous,” Silverstream said.

“I suppose, but… it’s still populated by Kirins…” Fluttershy explained.

“Less dangerous than dragons or whatever could be in Canterlot though!” exclaimed Pinkie. “…Right?”

“I stand by that,” Chrysalis nods. “Canterlot was… a bit of a challenge, not to mention…” She pointed to her eye and motioned to her body. “…yeah.”

“I’ve never been there,” Tempest admitted.

“I can give directions if you would like,” offered Fluttershy.

“Yeah, I’d appreciate that.”

Their journey continued for the next three minutes, before they finally arrived at the Airship, parked in a clearer space of the forest, still grazing quite a few tall trees..

"Wow, looks different!" Pinkie bounced.

"Of course, we had to touch it up," Tempest explained. "Disassociate it with the Storm King. It’s got a lot of upgrades too. It’s got a cockpit at the front of the deck instead of a wheel, and it has an advanced steering system, along with doors leading to either the main deck or the front of the skiff. It’s less space for the deck though and you can't see ahead unless you're in the cockpit or at the very front of the ship... I blame Grubber for the design flaw... but I like it a lot more than before."

"It looks wonderful," Fluttershy admired.

"Thanks. I'll just get it open, and you can all get yourselves settled."

Tempest went ahead and did what she did to open the door, and everyone parted to allow the ramp leading inside to not crush them. Everyone started upwards, single file, with Chrysalis going last.

Halfway up the ramp, she felt that something was... very wrong. Her senses began again, the tingling and the feeling in general surging throughout her body.

She said one thing, and one thing only. "Run."

Silverstream looked behind her. "What?"

"Run! Run! Get in the airship now!!"

Everyone ahead of Chrysalis ran into the airship, Chrysalis herself following behind, and realizing there was trouble, Tempest retracted the ramp and shut the door.

"Someone's out there..." Chrysalis said.

"Who?" asked Spike.

"Stay right there." 

Chrysalis quickly ran through the interior of the airship, and quickly made a dash for the upper floor, about to rush over the edge to look over and see who was coming. 

But she didn't need to.

Right then, something leapt over the edge of the airship, and landed right behind Chrysalis, three different levels of hissing sounds being made. She looked behind her.

Spike and Smolder made it up to the top and stopped where they were.

"It's the Crusaders!" Spike exclaimed.

Indeed, although Chrysalis didn't know the full context, to Spike and Smolder, it was them. Three fillies that have climbed up the airship and was already prepared for a duel.

But these weren't just three separate fillies. They were fused together, sharing one body, and their size having grown to almost nearly Chrysalis' height. Their heads were all beside each other, and their three jaws fused into one massive jaw, the grin revealing sinister teeth. This grotesque fusion felt incredibly reminiscent of Cerberus, and from how they were posed, they were about to do just as much damage as the mangy mutt could possibly do.

"I told you to stay where you were!" Chrysalis barked.

Smolder spoke up. "Well, we wanted to know, and we would fight them, but..."

"But what, you don't want to just because they're kids?!" 

Chrysalis quickly jumped out of the way as the Crusader-Cerberus pounced in an effort to tackle her.

"At least we have morals!"

"Yeah!" Spike agreed.

Chrysalis was now holding back the beast with her magic. "Well, I don't know what else I'm supposed to do, then if you're so insistent on their safety!"

"Hello?! Knock them out!" Spike shrieked. "With, uh, a harmless spell, nothing severe- you get what I mean!"

Chrysalis was about to do so, but the monstrous fusion suddenly shrieked a shrill voice, forcing Chrysalis to drop them. Just then, the two tiny wings on the Crusader-Cerberus grew into massive wings, and the creature flew upwards and dove down, crashing right through the floor. The shrieks from inside the ship could be heard, and Chrysalis immediately dove into the hole, quickly stopping the monster from attacking with a shield.

"THE CRUSADERS!" Pinkie yelped.

"We know!" Chrysalis replied. "I have no time for this!"

She darted upwards, grabbing the beast by the tail, flying out of the hole, and away from the airship. Quickly, it broke free, and swerved around in the air, trying to get back to the ship, with Chrysalis continuously stopping them from getting far.

Down below in the ship, everyone thought over their options.

"We have to get out of here!" Pinkie squeaked.

"They're fighting in the path of the cockpit!" exclaimed Tempest. "I can't get there without getting in the middle of it."

"We've gotcha' covered! C'mon, Spike!" Smolder nudged up. "Let's help Chrysalis-"

"-and make sure she doesn't do anything fatal to them."

"Right."

And Smolder and Spike flew up through the hole.

"Go Smolder! Go Spike!" Silverstream cheered.

"Be bolder! Don't..." Pinkie tapped her chin. "Hm, what's a good rhyming word?..."

"Oh dear..." Fluttershy whimpered. "I hope it goes okay..."

Meanwhile, close to the ship but hidden well, the blob watched with its beady blue eyes. For a moment, it twitched, before it expanded in size, its eyes suddenly moved upwards, forcing an extension similar to a head to form. Underneath, four tiny stumps like hooves formed under the blob, allowing it to stand.

Giving no reaction to its transformations, it continued to watch everything, knowing that even if this next foe was beaten, it would follow them every step of the way, until it finally gets what it wants.
> Chapter 10: Takeoff
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Crusader-Cerberus got annoyed pretty quickly, and resorted immediately to trying to take Chrysalis down. As they flew around fighting back against Chrysalis’ attacks, the beast inhaled, getting ready to shriek again.

Chrysalis snatched the beast by the tail and spun them around, cutting them off from shrieking. They had a quick recovery and hissed violently, dashing for Chrysalis and continuing to battle. 

Spike and Smolder watched, careful to not get caught in the middle.

“So what exactly are we going to do?-“ Spike asked. “I don’t want to hurt them. They’re young like us!”

“… Shoot, I don’t know!” exclaimed Smolder. 

“And we can’t exactly do much aside from our fire breath!”

“Yeah being out here was probably not such a good idea…”

“Especially since if Chrysalis sees us, she could get distracted,” Spike realized.

“We should head back then-“

But as it turned out, it was already too late. Chrysalis noticed the two dragons, and that gave the Crusader-Cerberus the chance they needed. The amalgamation rushed over to Chrysalis and kicked her hard with their hind hooves, sending her body darting to a tree. It rammed into the tree hard, and she toppled down the branches, breaking through each and every one all the way to the ground.

The beast glared at Spike and Smolder. They were next! The monstrosity immediately darted after them at an increasing speed.

The dragons knew they had no choice, and they also didn’t have time to think. They had to keep the monster at bay, flying around any which way possible.

“HELP!!” Spike shrieked. “HEEEEELLLLP!!!”

Inside the lower part of the ship, everyone heard. They all rushed up to the deck, finding no signs of Spike or Smolder. They dashed to the cockpit and took the door leading to front of the ship, and they all saw the chaos that was taking place, with Spike and Smolder trying their hardest to survive while the Crusader-Cerberus continued to try and take them down. Chrysalis was nowhere to be seen.

“Where’s Chrysalis?!” Pinkie yelped.

“Spike and Smolder!” Silverstream exclaimed. “They’re-“ 

“I'll take care of it!” Tempest interrupted. 

The stump of her broken horn lit and crackled, sparks flying every which way. She strained a little… usually it was just like using magic with some struggle, but every now and then it would be extremely tough to manage, and even hurt. This was one of those times.

The sparks made the creature and dragons all stop where they were, the creature having a moment of disorientation. The dragons recovered much faster and took advantage of the opportunity to get to a hiding place.

But the beast recovered quick. Its next target was the source of the blue sparks from below. Their eyes all glanced at Tempest, Pinkie, and Fluttershy, and they dove down right to them.

“QUICK! GET BELOW THE DECK!” Tempest ordered.

They all made the dash to get to the bottom of the airship, but with the speed it was going and the strength it was going to use, it was clear that the Crusader-Cerberus was going to crash right through the deck yet again, or depending on their angle, maybe even the cockpit.

And then, it got hit by a blast of green magic.




***




When Chrysalis broke through the last branch and collapsed on the ground, time seemed to stand still. Her chest heaved up and down as her breathing got heavy. She felt the shivering feeling on her chest where she got kicked. She felt it all over again. The fighting feeling. A battle for control. Her body snapped as it twisted and convulsed, and her normal eye again rolled to the back of the head, and the corruption foamed out of her mouth. Nearly everything felt the same compared to last time. 

But something was different.

She heard a voice speaking to her.

“̵Y̸o̶u̸ ̷t̶h̷o̶u̴g̷h̶t̷ ̴i̶t̸ ̸w̴o̵u̵l̴d̶ ̶b̷e̴ ̵e̶a̷s̴y̶ ̶t̵o̷ ̶b̴e̴ ̵s̶a̶f̴e̶?̴”̸

She ground her sharp teeth as she snarled silently at the voice speaking inside her head.

“I broke out before… I will break out again… you… don’t… intimidate… me!!!”

The desperation felt bigger. The grasp to freedom felt farther away. But she could still feel it, as she reached for it with greater struggle than before.

She heard distorted laughter. And through her increasingly distorted vision, she saw something staring at her with beady blue eyes.

“̶Y̴o̴u̵ ̷c̷a̷n̶ ̴b̵r̷e̶a̴k̷ ̵o̶u̷t̸ ̶a̷s̶ ̸m̷u̵c̵h̵ ̷a̵s̵ ̸y̸o̶u̵’̸d̷ ̸l̴i̵k̶e̶.̵ ̵B̷u̷t̵ ̷y̵o̶u̵ ̵c̷a̴n̴’̷t̸ ̵b̴r̶e̴a̷k̴ ̶o̵u̴t̸ ̴f̴o̶r̸e̴v̴e̶r̴.̷ ̶O̸n̸e̵ ̶d̶a̶y̶,̵ ̷y̶o̵u̷ ̴w̷i̷l̵l̵ ̵b̴e̶ ̵a̶l̸l̶ ̴m̵i̵n̴e̴.̴”̶

“No…” she rolled onto her hooves and got up. “Perhaps I didn’t make myself clear before… I… answer to… NO ONE!”

Chrysalis immediately sprung up into the air, not noticing some of the corruption from the amalgamation falling off and landing on the ground. She saw the creature making a dash to the ship, so wasting no time and risking a lucky shot, she flew over, horn lit, and shot a sleep spell. 

It struck the monster easily, knocking them out cold, their smiling mouth’s retreating and closing, and their lips fusing together to the point of nonexistence. Chrysalis got close enough to grab the amalgamation right before it landed on the ship. She levitated it overboard and set it gently onto the ground, in the bushes, hidden from view.

Something told her that there wasn’t going to be any saving for them this time.

A set of nearby bushes moved about, and Spike and Smolder immediately popped out of the bushes.

“Do you two have any idea how foolish it was to come out there!?” she barked.

“We weren’t thinking!” Spike explained. “We wanted to help, and make sure you didn’t hurt them because, yeah, they’re young like we are, and then we had second thoughts, and then you saw us, and… got hit… but you’re still… here…”

“Once again the darkness tried and failed again to claim me…” Chrysalis rubbed her head. “Although… I feel more… faded… then before…” She twitched, her eyes disappearing for a brief moment.

“Hey, HEY!” Smolder shouted. “Easy… easy…”

Chrysalis took some deep breaths to calm down.

“I can resist it… but I heard it speak… it spoke to me… telling me that this resistance won’t last forever…” Chrysalis turned around, ready to fly back to the ship. “Mark my words, I will prove it wrong.”

“Chrysalis, it may not be good for you to think like that,” Spike warned. 

“What would it change if I thought differently?”

“…At the very least… with how you think… you could get cocky… and pay the price for it.”

“Name one time I’ve been seen as cocky.”

“I can name a few…”

“Look, we gotta get back to the ship,” said Smolder. “I bet everyone in there has no idea what’s going on or if we’re okay so… we should go.”

“Yes. Yes we should,” Chrysalis nods.

They all flew up.

Inside the ship, Tempest, Pinkie, Fluttershy, and Silverstream all stood close, listening closely to what was happening outside. They barely heard much. Some faint sounds but other than that… nothing.

“Is it safe yet?…” Silverstream asked. “I… didn’t hear anything land!”

“… I’m going to go look,” Tempest volunteered.

“Are you sure it’s safe to look?…” Fluttershy asked. 

“You can open the door from here. If something goes wrong, I’ll call out for you all to run. Open the door and get out as fast as you can!” 

Tempest quickly ran off to the upper deck. 

They all paid attention and listened closely. They heard the sounds of multiple characters landing above them. They heard voices. 

And then they heard steps, making their way across the deck, and leading downstairs.

Chrysalis, Spike, and Smolder were all there.

“She got them. The Crusaders are down,” Spike said. “Tempest’s up getting the ship ready to go right now.”

“None of you tried helping them?” Fluttershy asked.

“… A small feeling I had told me that it wasn’t an option…” said Chrysalis. 

“Oh…”

“Sorry to change the subject, but… are we seriously going to fly away with a hole in the deck?…” Smolder wondered.

Chrysalis rolled her eyes. “It’s not like it’s a hole in the side of the ship… we’ll be fine! Anyways, I advise we all go and spot for any potential threats. With an airship like this we’re sure to attract attention.”

“I agree.” Spike nodded. “Come on everyone.”

And they all went up to the second deck.

In a matter of minutes, the ship started to raise off the ground. Nearly everyone kept their balance, though only Fluttershy and Spike held on for a little help to keep their balance. 

Once the airship was up in the sky, though, it took off, and there wasn’t a need to hold on for balance anymore.

The small, evolving blob of the corruption stepped out of a hiding spot as it watched the airship take off. The moment it was out of sight, it turned to where the Crusader-Cerberus rested. It approached the sleeping beast, tilting its newly-formed head.

It’s eyes glowed even brighter. Slowly, all three heads on the beast opened their eyes and all their mouths extended and stretched, their fused lips tearing open. They locked gazes with the small blob.

“̶W̸h̸a̶t̴ ̶a̷ ̵s̵h̴o̴r̵t̵ ̵b̵a̸t̴t̸l̸e̶ ̶w̷i̷t̶h̷ ̴a̵n̷ ̷i̵n̸t̴e̴r̴e̵s̴t̸i̴n̷g̸ ̷d̴e̶f̶e̸a̷t̴!̵”̴ ̵the monster hissed. “̷A̷ ̵b̶a̴t̸t̶l̴e̶ ̴f̷i̶l̷l̴e̷d̴ ̴w̵i̴t̶h̵ ̵f̴o̵o̶l̶i̷s̵h̶ ̸d̵e̵c̴i̴s̸i̴o̸n̵s̸ ̵f̸r̸o̷m̵ ̵y̷o̵u̴ ̷a̷n̷d̴ ̶t̴h̴e̸ ̴e̷n̷e̶m̵i̵e̷s̶ ̸a̷n̴d̵ ̵y̴e̷t̸ ̷y̶o̴u̷ ̸s̴t̸i̶l̵l̴ ̵l̷o̶s̵t̸.̴”̶

The monster tilted their heads.

“̷A̴ ̶s̴h̵a̵m̸e̷ ̷y̵o̷u̴ ̵w̶o̷n̴’̴t̸ ̸e̶v̷o̵l̷v̸e̴ ̷l̵i̸k̴e̴ ̵o̵t̷h̵e̷r̸s̷ ̴s̸u̶c̴h̶ ̷a̵s̴ ̵m̶y̵s̵e̴l̷f̷.̴ ̸B̴u̸t̵ ̵i̶f̷ ̴y̵o̵u̴ ̸c̶o̷m̸e̷ ̷w̶i̴t̸h̴ ̴m̴e̷…̵ ̶a̷n̴d̴ ̴h̷e̶l̷p̸ ̶m̶e̷ ̶g̶e̴t̸ ̶w̷h̸a̴t̸ ̵I̸ ̸w̸a̸n̶t̸…̸ ̷y̵o̶u̵ ̵w̵i̶l̶l̶ ̵g̷e̶t̸ ̵a̴ ̷v̶i̴c̷t̴o̶r̷i̴o̵u̶s̸ ̵r̵e̵m̵a̷t̴c̵h̸.̷ ̸A̷l̴l̵ ̵y̴o̷u̷ ̴n̷e̸e̴d̷ ̶t̸o̵ ̷d̵o̸ ̶f̵o̵r̷ ̶m̵e̸,̷ ̴i̵s̵ ̸c̴l̴a̶i̵m̶ ̷t̸h̴e̷ ̶p̷i̵n̷k̷ ̸o̸n̶e̵.̵”̸

The monster’s heads tilted back to normal. They stood. Stared. Did nothing.

The blob took that as a yes. The bits of white scattered in its body crawled up to the mouth and formed what appeared to be a toothy smile.

“̴W̶o̷n̶d̵e̷r̸f̴u̸l̶.̵ ̴W̵e̶’̸r̷e̴ ̵g̵o̸i̵n̷g̷ ̴t̵o̸ ̴h̶a̴v̵e̵ ̴s̴o̵m̷e̵ ̷f̶u̶n̴!̴”̷
> Chapter 11: First Stop
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The airship soared across the night sky. Nearly all of the passengers kept watch for anything dangerous. The only ones not entirely watching were Tempest and Fluttershy, with Tempest managing the airship, while Fluttershy helped guide her to where they had to go.

For the spotters, it was another odd, unsettling moment of nothing out of the ordinary happening. It was again a bit strange and off, but unlike last time, it was also a little bit boring, even though the tension was still there.

Smolder and Spike both happened to be close as they continued to spot for whatever was out there. It allowed for them to initiate a conversation to pass time and soothe any stress.

"Been a long night, hasn't it?..." Smolder mumbled.

"Yeah..." Spike replied. "And here I thought the worst of all the chaos was over after Chrysalis, Tirek, and Cozy Glow attacked Equestria. But instead... something even worse comes along and turns our friends into enemies...to me, it doesn't feel the same trying to save Equestria without Twilight... and Rarity, Rainbow Dash, and Applejack, too... But at least Pinkie is here, and we also saved Fluttershy!"

"Yeah... I... miss Gallus too. And the others. I'm happy Silverstream's here, though..."

"Do you think anyone else is going to become... one of them?" Spike asked.

"It could really go either way. We just have to stay on top of things, that's all."

"Yeah, you're right."

Smolder glanced over at Chrysalis. The former queen kept watch, her long silky mane slightly flowing in the wind.

"What are you going to do with her?"

Spike looked at Chrysalis too. "I honestly don't know. I mean, it's not a bad idea to try and teach her friendship, but... it wouldn't seem right to force it on her. And I don't think letting her go is a good idea either, because...she's just going to try and fight us again. The best option would probably be sending her back to stone but... it doesn't fully feel right to me. I know what decisions are better, but none of them I feel right about."

"I'm sure you or Headmare Twilight'll come across a decision sooner or later."

"Yeah, definitely."

"Hey Chrysalis!" Silverstream yelled from the other side of the Airship. "I never asked! Where's the emerald anyway?"

Chrysalis grumbled. "Who has the book?"

Pinkie reached into her mane and pulled out the book. "Here it is!"

Chrysalis took the book out of Pinkie's hooves and proceeded to look through it, rapidly flipping through pages until she got to where she was.

"Well it shouldn't be to difficult to get," Chrysalis mumbled. “It’s buried somewhere around that specific place.”

“So, basically a treasure hunt?” asked Smolder. “Cool. Only problem? We have nothing to dig with.”

“You can use your claws, and for the ponies, their hooves. Quit complaining. I can simply use my magic.”

“It’s gonna take longer but whatever you say.”

Soon enough the ship began to descend downwards, giving everyone the clue that they reached their destination.

“Is there enough space to land?” Spike pondered out loud.

“I think so!” Silverstream nodded.

“The fin below’s too tall for the trees anyway,” said Smolder.

Spike mumbled, “But the door-“ 

“It’s fine.”

Even though the ship was landing, everyone still their eyes out to the ground below for any unwelcome surprises. They couldn’t see anything. 

“I don’t see anything!” Pinkie piped up.

“Seems too good to be true…” Smolder muttered.

The airship landed. Chrysalis and Pinkie looked around and confirmed that it was empty, before the next topic began.

“So… are we all going or are some of us staying?” asked Silverstream.

“If half of you stay, whichever group I’m not in will be much more defenseless,” Chrysalis stated.

“Normally that sounds like a full-of-yourself statement, but… kinda true,” said Spike with a shrug.

Tempest and Fluttershy joined the group.

“I don’t see any harm in digging near the ship first,” Pinkie suggested.

“What are we talking about?” asked Tempest. “Digging?”

“The emerald we’re looking for is buried somewhere!” Silverstream explained. “It could be anywhere! So!… We’re digging near the ship first!”

“Oh, but…” Fluttershy started. “We don’t have any shovels…”

Smolder pointed at Chrysalis. “Bug Queen over here told us to use our claws and hooves…”

Chrysalis hissed in response.

“So that‘s it then, we’re starting here?” Smolder asked. “I mean, digging around the ship isn’t a bad idea but wouldn’t it make more sense if it was buried closer to that town over there?”

“It’s not far! No harm in splitting up if the other team is right near each other!” Pinkie chirped.

“Meh, I guess.”

“I’ll stay inside the ship,” said Tempest. “If anything goes wrong then get inside immediately and call me.”

“But then what if something gets inside?” Silverstream asked.

“Um… I can stay and… warn Tempest…” said Fluttershy. “I believe I can do it!” 

Tempest tapped her chin.  “The only other one of us that can’t fly is Pinkie so if we don’t want to use the door for everyone to get off, she’ll have to-“

“Don’t worry about that,” Spike interrupted. “She, uh… has got that covered.”

“Alright everyone!” Pinkie cheered. ”Let’s get digging!”

She leapt off the ship, her mane and body spinning like a drill. Everyone looked over the edge of the deck and saw dirt spray everywhere as Pinkie drilled into the ground.

They didn’t have anything to say, until Spike broke the silence. “Who else but Pinkie? Anyways, let’s go.”

They all flew off the ship and down to the ground below. After some small discussion they broke off into two teams… Smolder stayed at Pinkie’s site, while Chrysalis, Silverstream, and Spike went off into the nearby town.

“Alright, crew, let’s get to it!” Silverstream smiled with optimism before she got digging.

Spike went on with digging, and Chrysalis used both her hooves and her magic to dig.

They kept paying attention to their surroundings. And when anyone felt they didn’t find anything, they changed spots.

Pinkie’s head eventually popped out of the ground.

“Nothing!”

“This is going to take forever…” Smolder groaned.

“Just gotta keep trying!”

And Pinkie retreated back into the ground.

Smolder had no words. She just went back to digging.

“We might have to go further into the town…” Spike mumbled.

“I suppose so but then the rest would have to move too to avoid being out of sight,” replied Chrysalis. “The only thing we truly need is the ship in view. I don’t see harm in them being with us as long as that’s the case.”

“Alright!” Silverstream nods. “HEY SMO-“

Chrysalis shut her up with magic.

“Perhaps we instead wait until she sees us so we don’t risk attention.”

“Well she sees us now…” said Spike. He waved at Smolder and made a motion to imply they were moving out. He pointed at them, and then pointed at a spot for them to come over to.

Smolder nodded, gave a thumbs-up, and put her head in the hole.

“Professor Pinkie!”

Pinkie popped out of the ground behind her. “Yes?”

“Uh… we’re gonna be going that way…”

“Okie-Dokie-Lokie!”

However, instead of following Smolder, Pinkie just dove back into the hole. Smolder was about to do something, but she shrugged it off and decided to join with the others and keep digging.

Time passed. It felt like quite a long time. No emeralds were found. No threats lurked the area. Spike and, somewhat surprisingly, Chrysalis, didn’t dare check and see if anyone was in this tiny area. They focused on their one and only goal, which was finding the emerald, and getting out of there.

But then, Spike felt something smooth on his claw. He gave a slight gasp before, with Smolder and Silverstream’s help, clearing off more of the dirt covering it. Chrysalis came over and then pulled the large emerald out of the hole. 

The ground started to shake.

The ooze, out of nowhere, began soaking out of the dirt like water leaking out of a sponge, and began to pool up the holes and leak out. Everyone flew out of reach, including Pinkie with her tail.

Figures began sprouting out of the increasing blob of dark matter, revealing themselves to be Kirins… no… Niriks… no… both.

Yes… both. 

The figures were fusions of Kirins and Niriks, the small lines of corruption on their skin serving as splits between one and the other. It wasn’t grotesque like the Crusader-Cerberus was, but it still made it clear that they were among the more advanced.

Two more Kirin/Nirik’s popped up in front of the whole group. One was tall, around Celestia’s height, her mane an opal dark grey turquoise, and the Nirik flames very bright and dark shades of turquoise.

The other one had a brighter body color than the taller one. Her mane was tangelo, and the flames were shades of bright crimson and turquoise.

They snarled. They got in position.

And they ran.

Everyone else flew off, the Kirin/Nirik’s running at an alarming speed.

“WE’VE BEEN SPOTTED!!” Smolder shouted. “START THE SHIP!”

Fluttershy heard, immediately going to alert Tempest.

“I heard!” Tempest nodded. “I’m starting it now!”

The Kirin/Nirik’s started to leap, swiping and biting in an effort to catch them. They didn’t seem or sound like high leapers. This was clearly the work of the corruption. 

Luckily, the ship was right there. Everyone started flying up, Chrysalis in the lead. She threw the emerald on board, and got on. Smolder, Silverstream, and Pinkie we’re all next, quickly getting on without looking behind them.

Spike was last. After all the pressure he’s been putting on himself, he felt his wings starting to finally give out after all this time. But luckily, he was right there. The ship was just getting off the ground, but Spike knew that he was going to make it. 

And then he felt something grab his ankle. Something that made his scales tingle.

The Kirin/Nirik’s all fused with the growing mass of corruption, and right at the top, was the tangelo-maned Kirin/Nirik, a tentacle reaching out of her wide mouth, and wrapping around Spike’s ankle.

“SPIKE!” Pinkie shrieked.

“RESIST IT!” Chrysalis yelled back, making the slightest attempt to help. “KEEP YOUR WILL STRONG!”

That was all Spike heard before the tentacle hurled him the other way, far from the ship. He bent to face his ankle, taking no risks, and showering his own ankle with searing green flames in an attempt to get rid of the corruption. He vanished into the trees, starting to feel it’s power crawl into his mind.

Smolder wasn’t going to let anything happen to anyone else. She leaned over the deck and showered the enemies all with fire. Her efforts were a success, and they all retreated.

The airship soared away. Everyone was shaken up and going through the effects of the loss of Spike. Meanwhile, Smolder contemplated what they were going to do. It wasn’t like Spike was completely gone. She saw, with her own eyes, Spike’s body enveloping itself in his fire before he vanished. And sure… it may have been a throw. But he was a tough dragon and those trees were there to break his fall.

This brought the big question. Do they take a risk like they did with Silverstream? Do they go back to the face of danger to rescue Spike, at the risk of others? Or do they go on without him.

She made her choice.

“We have to go back.”




***




“Am I dead?…”

Spike’s body throbbed with pain as he got up, for a moment thinking he met his end. But one look around confirmed that he was alive. In pain, but alive… he was a lucky dragon.

He survived the fall.

He looked at his ankle to find he was even luckier.

He avoided corruption.

“Yes!” Spike did a fist-pump, but then he felt the soreness in his arm. “Ow…”

Branches cracked, provoking a gasp from Spike. Gripping his ribs, he got up and turned, and he felt his heart drop. In front of him stood a massive beast, who appeared to have once been someone he’s never even seen before. It was a mare that had a coat which was a bright shade of tangelo, and a  rose and heliotrope-colored mane with three small stripes, red, orange, and blue, near the middle. That wasn’t what spooked him. What got to him was how the monster looked, her tall, frail, and hunched structure. She partially stood on her hind hooves, her twisted front hooves very close to the ground. There was a hole in her stomach, one that seemed to have been made natural by the corruption.

One of the strangest things of all though, was that Spike had the strangest feeling that she didn’t just come from somewhere in or out of Equestria… she came from somewhere much more beyond.

“̵P̷e̵a̴c̷e̴ ̴w̷i̶t̸h̵ ̸P̷e̴g̴a̸s̵i̶…̸ ̴U̶n̶i̶t̵y̴ ̸w̶i̷t̶h̵ ̴U̸n̵i̶c̶o̸r̶n̶s̵!̸”̶
> Chapter 12: Crossover
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Spike’s fear wasn’t like this since Twilight and his escape from Ponyville when the whole mess started. At least after that he had friends… and Chrysalis… with him. But once again, he was alone, and could only rely on himself.

The beast swiped a massive hoof at Spike, but he quickly got out of the way. He immediately made a break for it, flying away in an attempt to get out, but his wings seized up and they fell, clearly injured from the fall. He had to run.

The monster attacking him began to give chase. Two kinds of wings sprouted out her back, one pink with fluffy feathers, and the other one white with multicolored feathers. She flew up ahead and landed directly in front of Spike, forcing the dragon to stop where he was.

The attacker’s wide mouth stretched wider, and suddenly, a stallion with what looked to be a sheriff’s badge fused to his chest, sprung out to grab Spike. He got out of the way, and showered the creature with fire.

It roared, the sound of five different voices shrieking in pain and rage. It recovered, but Spike was nowhere to be seen.

He was hiding. It was a stupid decision but was there a point in running? It was going to chase him anyway and he wasn’t as fast on foot! He tried his hardest to suppress his heavy breathing, tightly gripping his chest as the monster looked around for him.

He heard unsettling sounds, the sounds of bushes being ripped right out of the ground and thrown away. It knew he was around. But he was too close to it and he was too scared to think.

Trying to hold his breath was doing little to make him feel safe. He covered his mouth and nostrils, hoping it would feel much quieter.

The only other bush around was ripped right out of where it was and it was thrown off to the side.

Spike’s spot was last. Desperately he looked around hoping for a way out.

But it would be impossible to escape without making noise.

He had no more time to think or come to a conclusion. Right then his hiding spot was literally ripped away, and he stared at the eyes of his attacker.

Noises from the hole in her stomach were made and he could have sworn that he saw a pair of eyes. And all of a sudden, the hole in the beast’s belly made much more sense.

“̵H̵I̴ ̶N̸E̸W̸ ̴F̴R̵I̷E̵N̵D̵!̷!̵!̷”̷

A blue-maned unicorn mare sprung out of the stomach hole in a similar fashion to the sheriff-stallion that was in the monster’s mouth. Instead of getting out of the way, however, this time Spike again use fire to his advantage, breathing it all over the unicorn and forcing her to retreat.

Spike noticed a horn similar to the unicorn’s suddenly grow out of the beast’s head, and a golden-like aura to surround her wings and horn for a reason unknown. Both the sheriff stallion and unicorn mare popped out of their spots yet again, and this time, two more guests from inside the monster’s body joined the party. Two heads grew from the back of the mare’s neck, one pink, and one white, both rooted to the mare with their long, thin necks. They seemed to have belonged to their different respective wings that grew out the mare’s middle back, but that was the least of Spike’s concern. 

Spike watched as the pink head’s mouth extended wider, revealing a rectangular device that Spike has never seen before.

He had no idea what it was, but he knew it wasn’t good. He couldn’t react in time, because the device suddenly flashed, blinding Spike with an incredibly bright light.

He couldn’t see. He panicked. He wandered and spun about, breathing fire everywhere, successfully warding the monster off for a brief moment.

Unfortunately, that came with a cost. When Spike previously breathed fire at attackers, he was careful and coordinated, avoiding anything flammable. But because he couldn’t see, he unintentionally set the trees and torn bushes around him on fire. His eyesight recovered, and the realization on what he just did came quick. 

He turned around, and he was about to meet his definitive end as all five heads on the monster snapped right to him…

…only for a tree to fall right between him and the beast, the heads all ramming into the flames. Again, shrieking ensued, and the monster backed off, giving Spike the perfect chance to do the only thing he could do, which was run.

He was too afraid to look behind him. To afraid to see what was there. But he could hear the steps of impending doom approaching him as he ran, the thundering sounds getting closer and closer as he kept on hearing five different voices speak to him.

He refused to listen to them, focusing directly on escaping. But they were right there. He could hear and feel their twisted corrupted breathing. He kept jumping out of the way or taking quick turns but they would always catch up to him once again.

They got closer every time. He was running out of time. No. This was it. It was over. He was going to get caught.

But then he saw something familiar loom far in the distance. Could it be?… Yes! It was. It was the airship! Luck struck again, but would this be the last time?

He only had seconds to get away. Even though it was far, however, he tried to call out anyway, in case there was the slightest chance that he could have luck on his side. Happened three times before. Maybe it could happen again.

“HELP ME! DOWN HERE! HELP ME!HEEEEELLLLP”

Spike tripped on an open root and tumbled. He was on the verge of getting up, but then a large shadow loomed over him, prompting him to roll on his back.

The beast stood above him. All heads stared deep into his soul, grinning maliciously.

But then, the fiends looked away as if distracted, and the head of the main mare was met with a green beam of magic, knocking her over.

Spike got up, and fear was replaced with relief. Chrysalis and Smolder were at the rescue! Both of them opened fire on the beast, forcing it to shriek, and it knocked itself down, seemingly giving up. 

Chrysalis and Smolder both smirked, but it was short-lived. They heard the beast cackle with each head giggling in its own voice.

The horn on the main mare’s head lit, sparkling with both magic and distorted corruption. She shot it at Spike, but he rolled out of the way, the magic leaving a hole in the ground, with a glob of corruption starting to crawl out.

The monster shot again. Spike dove and ducked, avoiding yet another shot.

Before the monster could shoot again, Chrysalis grabbed the horn with her magic and began to tug, her strength managing to pull the monster. The corrupted unicorn that was peeking out of her stomach looked around, horn also ready to fire, but Smolder dove and sent a fireball right to the mare, forcing the unicorn to retreat, and the main mare herself to stumble down.

The odd device again began to form in the pink head’s mouth to aim at the flying foes, but Chrysalis took no time to be curious and shot the device, shattering it in the head’s mouth.

The main mare tried again to attack. Her horn lit up at the ready. But Chrysalis shot a continuous beam to try and emerge victorious. The mare resisted, shooting her own beam of corruption.

The battle seemed tied, and Smolder knew she and Spike had to do something.

“Can you fly?” she asked.

“No, I have a bad wing…”

“Think you can handle this corruption on your own?”

“I think so,” Spike nods. “Just go help Chrysalis.”

Smolder nodded and used her fire to join with Chrysalis’ magic, while Spike fended off any corruption that was after him, while making sure nothing else was hiding from anyone.

But soon what was chaos devolved into a miracle. The beast was on the verge of being overpowered. Spike took notice, fended off any attacking darkness, and dove to take cover.

An explosion took place directly in the beast’s mangled face, and it fell back onto the ground, out cold. Smolder and Chrysalis quickly flew to Spike’s aid. When Chrysalis learned of Spike’s situation, she hesitantly let him on her back. They flew off the ground, taking one last look at the unconscious and unfamiliar being before them.

The remaining bits of the corruption crawled over their body, expanding it until they were fully covered. The dark matter fizzled, and shrunk, before sinking fully into the ground and out of existence.

They were at a loss for words but they quickly recovered from what they witnessed and flew off. Spike held tightly onto Chrysalis to avoid the chance of falling. He flew before, of course, but he couldn’t help but feel spooked that he was getting higher and higher with only a former changeling queen he was riding as his support.

Luckily, they made it to the ship with no problems. Immediately Pinkie, Silverstream, and Fluttershy all checked to see if he was okay.

“Who’s guiding Tempest?” he asked.

“Nobody!” Silverstream exclaimed. “She knows where Griffonstone is. That’s where we’re going next.”

“You’re a super lucky dragon, Spike!” Pinkie chirped. “Survive the fall, not get corrupted, then survive a super-duper-big monster, and then be found by us, be rescued by Smolder and Chrysalis, and brought back!”

“Yeah, I guess I did get lucky but… too bad I can’t fly all that much anymore…” Spike mumbled.

“No harm in riding on our backs!” exclaimed Silverstream. “You just gotta hold on tight, that’s all!”

“Yeah, true.” Spike sat down. “I’m gonna need a bit of a break after that…”

“Are you coming with us when we get to Griffonstone?” Smolder inquired.

“Yeah, and I’ll probably be back to spotting in a few minutes. I just gonna rest for a bit.”

“I suppose we can make do with that…” said Chrysalis.

Everyone resumed spotting, with Spike joining them not long after. The airship soared off, set on its course to Griffonstone.
> Chapter 13: Don't Get Close
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was another long trip across the sky. Nothing was different aside from the destination everyone was going to. Other than that, it all remained the same.

The tempting feeling of sleep began to crawl on half of the group, including Spike. Even after all the tension, stimulation, chaos, and insanity, some of them couldn’t help but feel tired.

“Is the ruby buried somewhere in Griffonstone?” Spike asked.

Chrysalis picked up the book and went through the pages. She quietly hummed to herself until she finally found what she needed.

“Not this time,” she began. “According to this the ruby was left in the… talons… of the ruler.”

“But Griffonstone really doesn’t have a definitive ruler anymore!” Pinkie exclaimed. “Sure Grampa Gruff was kinda like a representative but I wouldn’t call him the ruler. He’s a Historian! I don’t think he has the ruby!”

“So… we’re gonna have to search… again?” Smolder raised an eyebrow.

“Most likely,” Chrysalis answered.

“Ooohh, it better not be in the Abysmal Abyss!” Pinkie said. “That would be bad.”

“But Griffonstone is populated!” exclaimed Spike. “How are we even going to pull this off now if we don’t even know where the ruby is?”

“I’m sure we’ll think of something,” Fluttershy assured the group. “I know it.”

Soon, the city of Griffonstone came into view, with the ship flying so low it was nearly level with the city. Although it was far, everyone could tell that it wasn’t like some of the other places. Scattered all around the city, on buildings and structures and streets, was the black matter.

It reminded everyone of Ponyville’s condition. It was exactly like this.

The mission at claw/hoof was clearly going to be tougher than the last one.

“Okay, this’ll be tougher than we thought…” Smolder gulped.

Spike opened the door to the cockpit.

“Tempest,” Spike started. “Can you stop this thing without landing it?

"Yes I can. Hold on."

The sounds of mechanics and parts being changed was heard, and the ship stopped, still hovering in the air. The city itself was still far away.

“Alright everyone, what’s the plan?” Silverstream asked with anticipation.

“Give us time to think…” Chrysalis mumbled.

They all sat and thought, but that didn’t last too long.

“Perhaps…” Spike suggested. “Chrysalis could disguise herself as fully corrupted?”

“Hm. I’m not so sure. I have doubts.”

“Why? They sense you. But if they sense the corruption and see you as one of them then maybe they won’t go after you?”

“They may sense it’s on me, but I doubt they would be fooled with a disguise. Chances are they can also tell if I have even been claimed or if it’s all one ruse!”

“Maybe the more powerful ones sense it!” Silverstream suggested.

“I doubt it’s the case, and even if it is, you never know which powerful being could be lurking.”

“But what else are we going to do?” Fluttershy asked.

"Uh... we've got a problem-" warned Pinkie.

Nobody was paying attention.

"Well, if we carefully plan out a strategy maybe we can pull it off if it's a good-enough plan," Spike said.

“We reeeeeaaaally should get going-“

“Did you say something?” Smolder asked.

Pinkie pointed to the distance. “LOOK!!!”

They all did, and the sense of danger hit a top level. A large group of corrupted Griffons were flying right for the airship, with no signs of stopping.

Everyone immediately got ready.

“This is going to be a challenge!” exclaimed Chrysalis. “Try and do what you can to manage! Don’t get distracted!”

Quickly the Griffons swarmed. Fluttershy and Silverstream both took cover and ran for where Tempest was piloting, knowing they couldn’t do much. And meanwhile, Spike, Smolder, Chrysalis, and even Pinkie were all on the defense. The ship tilted as it quickly moved to turn around.

Chrysalis was of course the best out of the bunch, fighting off multiple Griffons at a time while trying to stay safe. Spike, Smolder, and Pinkie all had to fight together as a group so they could have each other’s backs. It felt impossible with the many Griffons swarming everywhere, but they held their own.

Of course, Spike, Pinkie, and Smolder really didn’t want to hurt the Griffons, nor did they want them to fall to their demise. Luckily, they only considered that possibility halfway through the fight, and by then every Griffon that they hit fled, only to come back for more later.

The only one truly picking off Griffons was Chrysalis. One-by-one she’d send them into unconsciousness, and using every spare second she had, held multiple sleeping Griffons while dueling before using her spare time to stick them together with green goo and tossing them at the closest rock there was, sticking them to it. She had no time to consider that she was going soft, but to her sticking Griffons to rocks whether the distance would injure them or not didn't mean anything. 

Something caught Pinkie’s eye, and it was a familiar Griffon, crashing into the cockpit of the ship where Tempest, Silverstream, and Fluttershy were residing.

Pinkie went to stop her but three Griffons landed right in her path, preventing escape. She couldn’t go anywhere further, but luckily, Chrysalis had just enough time to rescue her, spitting green goo on the eyes of all the Griffons before she picked them up and put them to sleep with magic before any of them could touch her.

Pinkie gave a nod and quickly ran to the rescue, having no choice but to maneuver and use her bazooka whenever Griffons got in the way.




***




Something crashed into the cockpit of the airship.

Tempest and Silverstream didn’t recognize the face. But Fluttershy did. They were facing none other than Gilda Griffon, and her claws were already to attack.

Tempest made her attempt to try and distract the enemy as best as she could. Her horn stump lit, and flashed a bunch of sparks every which way in an attempt to disorient the monster.

“You got this Tempest!” Silverstream cheered.

But they were wrong. What seemed to have worked on others didn’t work on Gilda. Amidst the flashing lights, the Griffon leapt, and tackled Silverstream. Fluttershy shrieked and Tempest tried to get her faulty horn to muster up an attack against the Griffon, even though she knew there was absolutely zero use in trying.

Silverstream was pinned. The corruption pouring from Gilda’s arms seeped up Silverstream’s, but that wasn’t enough for her. The moment Silverstream was pinned, Gilda slashed her talons across the Hippogriff’s face, immediately finishing the job. Gilda got off of Silverstream, while the latter got up and faced the group, her mouth now unhinged and grinning, complimenting the blank eyes.

Right then, Pinkie came to the rescue. She leapt in right between them and shot her bazooka, successfully taking out Silverstream. Gilda shrieked in rage and charged, leaping and hopping off of the ship’s steering, and lunged. The others dove out of the way, but Pinkie was right near Silverstream’s grasp. Right as she reached for her though, Pinkie spun with her bazooka, accidentally knocking it into Silverstream and knocking her unconscious.

“AH! SILVERSTREAM! I’M SORRY!”

“PINKIE!” Tempest yelled, dodging a pounce and slash. “WE HAVE OTHER PROBLEMS HERE!”

Gilda was back on the steering, ready to pounce once more. 

“HEY GILDA!” Pinkie called out.

Gilda’s head rotated 180 degrees and her body rightened itself. Pinkie smirked.

“INCOMING GRIFFON!” She shouted directed at the others outside. “WATCH OUT!”

Gilda pounced.

Pinkie took her shot, bazooka set on max power. The force was strong enough to blast Gilda right out of the cockpit, past the front of the airship, and away from them.

“Shoulda picked a better spot to pounce off of,” Pinkie smirked.

Pinkie joined with the others, proud, before Tempest pointed out that there were other problems.

Silverstream got back up, and was slowly making her way to them. Pinkie attempted to use her bazooka, only to find outit was empty.

“WE COULD USE A DRAGON OR A MAGIC USER RIGHT ABOUT NOW!” Pinkie shrieked.

Smolder flew in moments after. “Got enough Griffons out there for Spike and Bug Queen to handle by themselves. Did someone call a dragon?-“ She paused for a moment to fend off an incoming Griffon, before she saw what became of her friend.

"S-Silverstream?-"

"You gotta get her out of here!" Tempest ordered.

"She's my friend! I can't-"

Silverstream suddenly charged, the corruption expanding and reaching out, and out of a mixture of instinct and protecting the others, Smolder showered Silverstream with fire, stopping her right as tendrils were about to touch the others. She fizzled, and immediately fled outside to the front. Smolder flew out right after her, where Silverstream stood, staring.

"I don't want to fight!" Smolder exclaimed.

Silverstream's head tilted and tentacles lunged out of her mouth. Again Smolder reacted and breathed fire as defense, which caused Silverstream to quickly flee.

"WAIT!"

It was too late. She was gone.

In shock of what happened and with nothing else to say, Smolder flew past the cockpit and joined the others at the deck.

"Smolder! Are you okay?" Spike asked with concern.

No answer.

Chrysalis landed beside them. “That was the last of the Griffons.”

Spike began to realize that something wasn't right. “Uh… Where’s the ship going?…”

They all looked. They were heading right to Griffonstone. And not to land… but to crash!

“TEMPEST!!!” Spike bellowed. “WHAT’S GOING ON?!”

“THE STEERING’S JAMMED! I’M TRYING TO… FIX… IT!…”

In the cockpit, Tempest used all of her might to fix the issue. 

Corrupted Griffons that remained were taking notice of the impending ship and we’re ready to take the enemy out at all costs.

The steering suddenly snapped out of being stuck. The airship jerked, but it was too late. It rammed right into the tree holding a good chunk of the city, before any Griffons could do anything. It could have happened two ways… the city undergoes destruction, or the airship would crumble. To the surprise of some, the former happened, and the whole thing came crashing down. With the direction they went also, it all collapsed right onto the base of the city, with plenty of rubble falling into the abyss.

Everyone stood still, hearts frozen, shock overtaking them. The Airship itself already seemed more faulty and on the verge of breakdown, but it still flew, gliding slowly and riskily above the city.

No traces of any conscious Griffons were seen in the rubble.

Everyone stared.

“Griffonstone…” Fluttershy gasped. “It’s… destroyed.”

"And..." Smolder whimpered. "We lost Silverstream..."

Spike looked at Smolder. He could tell she seemed a bit more broken than usual, her tough exterior struggling to hide her frustration over losing her friends more and more. He then looked over the destroyed city, and saw something in the rubble. A red glint. Could it be so?

“I… I see something!” he pointed.

Everyone looked. It was hard to see but the red glint among the rubble was clear. Chrysalis told them all to stay and flew down to see if they found what they were looking for. Everyone watched as her figure below examined, and took out a few Griffons that woke up and we’re easily beaten without a fight. She flew back up carrying the object, and set it down in front of everyone. The massive ruby shone in the moonlight.

“Two down! Two to go!” Pinkie cheered.

The airship sputtered.

“We have to land! Fast!” exclaimed Tempest.

“Is it on Autopilot? Maybe it’s faulty,” Spike said.

“Yes to both, but it’s not like this. The ship’s been severely damaged. We have to land. Luckily there’s a spot not far from here. I’ll see if we can make it.”

Tempest returned to the cockpit and the ship flew off, sputtering sounds beginning to increase.

Once again, a member of the group was lost at the cost of something they were on a mission for. Spike wondered if it was going to happen again and again.

He didn’t want to find out. But he knew he was going to eventually.

That is, if the ship didn’t break down and crash first.
> Chapter 14: Dead Stop
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The ship’s condition was worsening rapidly as it flew, and there were no chances of them making it far. Everyone was hoping to land as soon as possible, and luckily, a good spot was just up ahead, right as the airship’s sputtering started to get worse.

The biggest worry was how it would land. Would it balance properly on the giant fin on the bottom? Or would the whole thing start coming down?

“Hold on!” Tempest shouted. “The landing might be a bit of a rough one!…”

The ship slowed down and did what it always did aside from the broken movements, lowering down to the ground. It sputtered, jutted up very slightly, and then resumed its faulty landing.

Pinkie breathed a sigh of relief. “That was close.”

“I’m going to have to look at the main engine of the ship, check for any other damages, outside, and maybe if we can, figure out a way to fix that holes on the deck…” Tempest mumbled. 

“What’s wrong with the hole on the deck? It’s not hurting anyone,” said Smolder, arms crossed.

“It is more of an annoyance and a hazard. It hasn’t hurt anyone yet,” Chrysalis answered.

“I’m going to need some help for this,” Tempest said. “Normally I’d have help but… you know… how about… Chrysalis?”

“I shall not!” The former queen refused. “I may have power that outmatches yours but I am no engineer!”

“It’s not like you have to do too much…” said Spike. 

“Besides, your magic can help us get this done faster,” Tempest continued.

“Can I help too?!” Pinkie hopped. “Pleasepleaseplease pleeeease?!”

“Are you sure, Pinkie?” Tempest asked.

Pinkie rapidly nodded.

“Alright then, I guess Pinkie will help the two of us.”

Chrysalis groaned. Trying to figure out the damages a ship was annoying enough but with that pink pony on her side…

She took a breath and calmed down. She was with her throughout nearly this entire journey. How awful could it be?

“Very well…” she grumbled. “But let’s try and make it quick.”

“What do we do?” Fluttershy asked.

“Let’s see…” Tempest mumbled. “See if there’s anything here we can use or improvise to cover the hole. If we can’t get it fixed than just… be careful.”

“Can do,” Spike nods.

“Alright, let’s get to work then. Be on the lookout for any threats. You never know what could be lurking around.”

Everyone agreed and went to work. Tempest and Pinkie went to the lower parts of the ship while Chrysalis flew about to examine the damage on the sides. Meanwhile everyone else looked around another area of the lower ship to see what could be found. There wasn’t much. Nothing that they could find.

“Hm…” Spike pondered, looking around. “I… don’t think we’ll be able to cover that holes…”

“Why did she even think we could find anything in here?” Smolder questioned.

“I mean… double-checking isn’t always a bad idea…” said Fluttershy.

“Well we did that. And… there’s nothing. So I guess we’ll just go up to the deck and wait.”

Smolder flew up to the deck. Fluttershy and Spike exchanged knowing glances telling each other that Smolder clearly seemed a bit more ornery than usual. 

Both of them agreed to follow her. They both felt concerned for Smolder, especially considering this mood of hers wasn’t usually easy to notice. Spike got on Fluttershy’s back and she flew up through the hole. 

Smolder stood at the edge of the deck, facing away, and Spike got off of Fluttershy to go and confront her.

“Are you okay?” Spike asked.

Smolder sighed.

“Everyone in my friend group is gone… I- I never realized how losing all of them to this stupid corruption made me feel… but… it doesn’t feel good, just how I feel and the fact I lost them. 

“I mean, first Sandbar, Yona, and Ocullus get corrupted right off the bat, while Silverstream is presumed a goner and is left behind while Gallus escapes with me.Then we go back to save Silverstream, only to lose Gallus. And then that whole journey becomes all for nothing when Silverstream gets corrupted anyway. We went back for nothing, we lost Gallus for nothing, and now it’s just me. 

“I know I’m with all of you and that’s great and all but… what if I’m next, or one of you? What if all of this is for nothing and we lose?Ugh… I hate feeling like this. It just doesn’t sit right with me at all…”

“Well, it’s a normal feeling to have,” Fluttershy said.

“She’s right,” Spike nodded. “Besides, we’re not entirely done for! We’ve survived… a lot… and even after all of this chaos and these losses, we’re still standing. Yeah it’s tough… losing close friends, things going wrong, not knowing when your road comes to an end… but trying has better chances than being down about it.”

“Yeah, I know, I know…” Smolder mumbled. “I’m not used to things like this… never really been on an adventure or had an enemy like this.”

“I know it can be tough,” said Fluttershy. “It’s really scary, but we’re making good progress.”

“Well if we want more, they better figure this ship soon…”

“These things take time,” Spike shrugged. “Can’t rush what we need to do.”

“I wonder what’s even going on…” Fluttershy wondered.

Below the ship Tempest kept analyzing the ship’s engine, which rested flat against the wall. She looked to see if there was any other problems. Although the impact was on the outside, obviously, she wanted to find any alternative faults that were caused by the impact. After looking around the whole engine and finding no issues she explored the engine on the side where the ship got hit to look for the main problem. When she first got down there the hit-spot wasn’t as damaged or scraped away as she thought, nor could she even see anything. Chrysalis made her return.

“Did you see anything?” Tempest asked.

“Some damage, no surprise there,” Chrysalis answered.

“Nothing too severe?”

“Did you honestly think I would find or be able to fix anything?!” Chrysalis scoffed.

“I didn’t expect you to find anything. Don’t put words in my mouth. Where’s Pinkie?”

Out of nowhere, Pinkie spoke. “Someone said my name?”

Tempest shrieked and spun around in a leap, clutching her chest. “Don’t… do that!”

“Tee-hee! Sorry!” Pinkie giggled. 

“I was wondering where you went. You said you wanted to help.”

“Yeah, help Chrysalis outside!”

“She was with me, using her tail like a propellor…” Chrysalis mumbled. “She didn’t come to any useful conclusions either.”

“Hm…” Tempest tapped her chin. “I don’t get it! There’s some damage outside but the engine looks fine! It’s as it should be, so… why is it acting up?”

“You’re sure it was in a passable condition?” 

“Yes I’m sure!”

Amidst the talking, Pinkie was the only one to recognize that in the shadows, there was a blue pair of glimmering eyes staring right at her. She found herself being unsettled by the gaze, and resorted quick to alerting.

“Tempest! Chrysalis!”

“What is it?” asked Tempest.

“There’s-“ Pinkie looked back only to find that whatever was there was now gone. “I-I saw something-“

“You’re certain you did?” Chrysalis inquired.

“Yeah! Right there! But… it’s gone.”

Tempest went to take a look. She looked around, and paused for a moment. Did she see what was there? Or was it something that caught her. Tempest turned around.

“I didn’t see anything.”

“Oh…” Pinkie said. “Probably my imagination then!”

“Alright, well, I didn’t want to do this but I might as well,” said Tempest. “There’s a backup engine we have hidden here. If I turn it on we can work with this.”

“We couldn’t have worked with that before?-“

“There’s nothing wrong with salvaging, and the backup engine’s got limited power. That’s why it’s for emergencies only. Well, this is an emergency, and luckily if all goes well it has enough to get us through this if we use it right.” 

“Well what are you waiting for?!” Chrysalis barked. “Get it started!”

Tempest pushed back her increasing annoyance over Chrysalis’ attitude, before going over to a lever and pulling it. The sound of a starting engine erupted, the noise louder than previous.

“Done.”

“Yay!” Pinkie cheered. “Back to the deck!”

She hopped away, and Chrysalis and Tempest followed. 

“I must say…” Chrysalis started as they left. “This type of engineering and technology used for this skiff is quite interesting… seems a bit more advanced than what this civilization is used to…”

“Yeah, the Storm King had quite a lot back then…”

Everyone met back up at the top of the deck as usual, but this time Tempest didn’t go to the cockpit just yet.

“Where to next?” she asked.

“It’s between the Dragon Lands and Canterlot,” said Spike. “Both of them seem… very, very difficult.”

“Yeah…” Fluttershy mumbled. “One’s filled with… a lot of ponies and has the Princesses too, if they stayed, and the other has… dragons. They both seem really tough.”

“Should we, like, vote or something?” Smolder asked.

“Flip a bit!?” Pinkie excitingly offered, taking a bit out of her mane.

“Hold on. Who has a map?” Spike asked. “Because… Griffonstone is closer to the Dragon Lands after all, I think!”

“Yeah, I think so,” Tempest nodded.

“Where do we bring the jewels?” Fluttershy asked Chrysalis.

Chrysalis looked at the book. “Somewhere in a forest near your homes.”

“The ship has limited power right now, but limited power or not, going from Dragon Lands to Canterlot to where we take the jewels seems like a much better time-saver than all the way to Canterlot, all the way to the Dragon Lands, and then all the way back,” analyzed Tempest.

“So… Dragon Lands it is then?…” Smolder said.

“I’m already getting goosebumps…” Spike grumbled.

“This is going to be our toughest challenge yet,” Chrysalis proclaimed. “If we are to succeed, tuck your fear away and make yourselves useful.”

Smolder rolled her eyes. “Yeah, yeah, we get it…” 

“Alright. Dragon Lands it is. Won’t take too long.”

Tempest returned to the cockpit of the ship.

Nearly everyone’s stomachs except for Chrysalis’ and Smolder’s were in knots. The dragon lands… a place with dragons of varying sizes. And yet the one place where they needed to get the Bloodstone.

“This… is going to be intense…” Smolder mumbled. “Any ideas?”
> Chapter 15: Pits of Darkness
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The sight and stench of smoke started to cloud up as the ship soared closer and closer to the Dragon Lands. 

This was the most anxiety-inducing moment for the group yet. The dragons were tough. Fast. Strong. And for some, massive. This was going to be one of the more difficult parts of the entire journey.

It wasn’t like Griffonstone. It was empty. No trace of life, and no trace of the corruption. The ship soared closer, eventually having officially entered the territory. It lowered and landed on the ground, the engine still running.

Smolder took a massive sniff of the strong smog.

She sighed. “Been a while since I’ve been back here.”

“Well, it looks empty…” said Fluttershy.

“That’s a plus!” Pinkie chirped. “…right?”

“Alright, how are we gonna do this?” Smolder inquired as the ship hovered above the lands, lowering ever since slightly.

“Well, obviously I am going out, and I assume you two dragons will be coming with?” said Chrysalis.

“Let’s not get to conclusions just yet,” Spike said. “I mean, again, this is… a very big mission. We’ll need someone here… what with the… dragons and all?”

“Not even that’s gonna be enough!” Smolder exclaimed. “The moment we’re caught, we’re done for.”

“What are we even going to do?” asked Fluttershy.

“Well… it’s now or never then,” Chrysalis proclaimed. “The ship stays close. If anything happens then we’ll-“

“What, we run, get ambushed, and lose another one of us and maybe more?!” Smolder burst.

“We have to get the bloodstone though!” Spike exclaimed.

“Well we’re going to have to have better and more specific ideas than what you’re all putting out right now.”

“Alright, alright, you make a valid statement,” said Chrysalis. She proceeded to ponder. “Hm… perhaps we could-"

From out of nowhere below the ship, something flew up catching everyone's attention and alert. They prepared themselves for attack, but what landed on the deck caused them all to stop.

It was nothing more than a completely normal, grey-scaled dragon.

"I knew it!" he gloated. "I knew there were actual normal folks up on this ship!"

Another dragon, this one maroon, joined his friend. 

"I told you not to come up here!" he spat. "You could have been caught by that stuff!"

"Well, I'm fine now, aren't I?" the grey dragon said. "And look! Survivors! Two other dragons too!"

"Yeah, duh! We know who they are! We heard of them! They're Spike and Smolder you dumb-"

"Excuse me!" Chrysalis burst, interrupting the argument. "I hate to intrude in your precious argument but... are you two the only ones here, or did the corruption-"

"Aren't you evil?" the grey dragon asked.

"I am an ally of theirs if you must know. Now answer my question!"

The maroon dragon spoke up. "No, we're not the only ones."

"You were attacked though?" inquired Smolder.

"Yeah, we were. But most of us managed to get away and find a cool hideout under this place. We lost a few though and couldn't save them. Including Dragon Lord Ember."

"Where is she?" Spike asked. "We... need something. Her bloodstone scepter!”

“Oh no way you’re going to get that from her,” the maroon dragon said with the shake of his head.

“For one thing, property of the dragon lord only!” exclaimed the gray dragon. “Secondly… you’re insane if you’re going to try and go against her in the condition she’s in!”

“We’ve been through a lot,” Smolder said. “We’ve encountered a lot of others like her. Yeah we… lost some friends but a lot of us are still fighting for Equestria!”

“Well fine, if you really want to, especially if you have a death wish, but we don’t know where she is,” said the maroon dragon. “We’ve all been hiding and we can’t see anyone the corruption took anywhere.”

“See? No reason to be mad at me for coming up here,” the gray dragon smirked.

“It’s a stupid decision anyway, you idiot! You never know where they’re hiding!”

“You said you all were hiding?” Fluttershy asked.

“Yeah, but it’s dragons only,” the gray dragon answered.

“How come, hm?” Chrysalis snarked. “Your continuous holding of yourselves as greater than others? Claiming to always have strength above and below those pathetic scales of yours?!”

“Watch it!” Smolder snarled. 

“Actually, it’s literally dragons only,” the maroon dragon explained. “The entrance is in one of the lava pits. It leads to a secret hideout.”

Smolder crossed her arms and scoffed, before glaring at Chrysalis. “Hypocritical much?”

“What’s that supposed to mean?!” Chrysalis spat.

“Not now… please?…” Fluttershy pleaded.

“She’s right. We can’t keep doing this,” said Spike. “Maybe Smolder and I could come with to the hideout, but what about everyone else?”

“I could join if I desired to by changing to a dragon,” Chrysalis said. “But… if it’s more dangerous out here than I might as well stand by in case I’m needed.”

“And how will we know if you will be?” asked Spike.

“We have spotter dragons,” the maroon dragon said.

The gray dragon rolled his eyes. “We have spotters and yet it’s a problem when I go out.”

“They actually know what they’re doing. Now, are you two coming or not?”

“Yeah, we’ll be right there, just one second.” Spike faced the others. “You’ll all be fine, right?”

“Yup! We’ll try our best!” Pinkie beamed.

“We’ll get here as soon as we can if you need us. Now let’s go- oh wait… could someone help me down?”

“I’m not serving as your ride again,” said Chrysalis.

“I can help you, Spike,” Fluttershy offered. 

“Are you sure?”

Fluttershy nodded in affirmation.

“Alright. Thank you!”

Spike got on Fluttershy’s back and she, along with Smolder and the dragons, flew down to the ground. When they got there Spike immediately hopped off.

“I’ll be down in a second,” the maroon dragon said. “Gonna make sure this one stays safe.”

“Oh so-“

Spike cut the gray dragon off, clearly annoyed. “We’re not doing this again.”

“Fine.”

The maroon dragon and Fluttershy flew off.

Smolder took a look around. “So… where’s the hideout?… Which pit is it?”

The gray dragon pointed to the pit right at their feet. “This one. Hop in!”

He did so, small bits of the searing hot lava splashing around them.

“Shouldn’t we wait for the other one?-“ Spike questioned.

Smolder looked up and saw the maroon dragon already on his way back.

“He’ll be fine. Let’s go.”

Smolder hopped into the pit.

Spike took a deep breath. His abdomen puffed up as he took a massive inhale and returned to its original state as he exhaled.

He dove, and proceeded to swim, eyes tightly shut.

At first he felt unease. How far does this pit go to the hideout? Would he even make it, or would he be unlucky enough to drown in lava first? The thought of that was not something he wanted to think and it only made him swim faster.

In a short amount of time, he felt a slight current beginning to pull him in its way, and he knew that it would be better if he allowed it to do so. The speed came to an increase, and a faint noise of magma rushing out an exit became clearer, before Spike felt himself falling out of a lava pour and into another pool. His head popped out of the pool gasping for air, and quickly Smolder helped him out of the pool. 

They were finally able to see their surroundings. Of course, it wasn’t much. It was pretty much just a massive rocky room illuminated by small pools of magma. There was a massive group of dragons surrounding them all. Smolder suddenly began to look around.

“Hey, is my brother here?…” she asked in a mix of hope and worry.

“Who?” a dragon asked.

“Garble! Where is he?”

“Oh him?” another dragon started. “He, uh… got caught by that black stuff. Sorry about that.”

Spike glanced at his friend. Smolder was rubbing her forehead with a clear ”I don’t know how much I can take this…” Look on her face.

“We’ll help them. All of them,” he promised. “Look every dragon, we’re here because we need the bloodstone from Dragon Lord Ember’s scepter.”

“But she’s corrupted!” someone exclaimed.

“I know. But we’ve been through so much. Enough to where we think we can take her, with your help and our friends’ help. We just need to know if anyone has the slightest idea where she was.”

“Well some of us said that she left,” the maroon dragon explained. “Others say she’s at the throne where Torch used to be. And some others say she’s hiding at the tallest, most lava-spilling, red-hot volcano. Don’t take them for granted though, they’re just theories.”

“We’re going to look anyway!” Smolder proclaimed.

“And we’ll need your help!” exclaimed Spike.

“Come on, that stuff took our dragon lord and some others!” a female dragon spoke up. “It was a massive blob half as big as Torch itself! And an army of ponies and others… it’s a miracle so many of us got away!”

Spike stomped one foot forward. “We’re dragons! Look, I don’t usually make a speech or say things like this, but we are dragons! We can swim in lava for Celestia’s sake! And if we can do that then, with the few seconds we have if we get the slightest bit of darkness on us, we can get it right off of ourselves with our fire breath! I know, because it happened to me. It had me by the leg! I thought it was over and everyone would have to go without me! But after using my fire breath, I got the corruption off before I was too late, and I got another chance! Maybe it is over for someone if it’s more than just a small bit, but if we keep our senses up, we can be fast, quick, and we can save everyone! For the Dragon Lands! And Equestria!”

Spike hoped that his speech did the trick. No dragons said anything for a moment. Until one dragon spoke up with a question. 

“Wait we could have used our fire breath to get the corruption off of others?”

“If it’s at most a small bit and only outside their bodies but… yes,” Spike replied.

“You’re telling us you never tried that?-“ inquired Smolder.

All of the dragons said no, and Smolder just face-palmed.

“Maybe some of us can come with,” the maroon dragon said. “You’ll really need it if Dragon Lord Ember gets tough to beat.”

“Should we bring our friends?” Spike asked Smolder with a whisper. 

“We can get the airship to follow us,” she answered. “I’ll meet up with Tempest and the others before we go.”

Spike nodded and faced the group. “Alright, if any dragons want to help us, then raise your claws high!” Spike raised his own closed fist.

A decently sized group of dragons did so with confident roars and growls.

“Great, we got helpers. So…” Smolder looked around. “…How do we get out of here?”

“We’ll lead the way,” a dragon said. “Come on fellas!”

The group of dragons proceeded to lead their two rescuers to the way outside, every single one of them ready for the potential trouble up ahead.
> Chapter 16: Resistance
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Before long the group of dragons found the way out, and the journey went onwards. 

"We wanna check on the others before we go and fill them in on our plan," Smolder said. “I thought about it, and I think half of you dragons should go on the ship to give Tempest the go-ahead to follow us, and then you could all stay there in case things go wrong.”

"Alright fine, but we should hurry," a dragon warned. 

Both Smolder and Spike nodded and they went on a search for the airship, the group of dragons following. At first finding the airship was tough, but in a conveniently short amount of time, they were able to track it down. It still stood where it was, engines no longer running, but nothing seemed to be wrong, and the biggest factor alluding to that was Pinkie Pie standing outside the ship, staring at the lava pit.

Spike called out her name. "Pinkie!" 

Pinkie perked up. "OOOOHHHHH! So there was another way for you all to get out!"

“Were you… waiting for us?” asked Smolder.

“Yepperoony!” Pinkie nodded. “Whatcha’ all doing now?”

“We’re checking on you all before we go look for Ember,” Spike explained. “And we’re just giving you all the heads-up to follow us on the ship.”

"Ooh! Can I come with you?" 

"You'll technically already be coming with us, though-" said Smolder.

"Not on the airship, sillies, on the ground!" Pinkie replied. 

"Why, though?" 

"Just because!" Pinkie shrugged with a smile.

"Well, we would have the argument that the others might need you, but we did on our way here plan for half of the dragons to board the ship to help the others," Spike said. "So... really our only concern is your injuries, but you had that covered long ago."

"Mhm!"

"Alright gang, let's move forward!" the gray dragon proclaimed. Then he, and half of the dragons in the decently sized group, flew up to the airship to stick with the others and give Tempest the go-ahead to leave.

They all waited until they heard the ship start before they all went on with the quest.

"So where are we going?" Pinkie inquired, hopping alongside Spike.

“Uh, I think we agreed on our first stop being… the largest and tallest volcano that’s here,” said Spike.

“How far is it?” 

“We keep going and if we go by flight, we’ll be at the top in fifteen minutes,” Smolder said. “It’s gonna be a while.”

“Ooh! Should we play games? Twenty questions? I spy? Maybe-“

Spike quickly stopped Pinkie. “No! No, we’re good! It’ll… uh… distract us and we probably won’t be as focused.”

“Aw. Okay! In that case…” Pinkie happily continued hopping, getting ahead of the group. “La la la la la!”

Pinkie’s quickened pace forced the others to pick up the pace a little too, but most of them didn’t really mind.

The sky got even smokier and the smoke got even thicker as they got further into the belly of the dragon lands. 

Anxiety and stress increased throughout the group, but the most affected were Spike and Smolder. They’ve seen and been through so much. They refused to believe that this was going to be easy. Something was hiding, and it was waiting. They didn’t know how Pinkie felt, but whether she hid her own tension or was legit not worrying was something that would make sense either way.

From out of nowhere, a faint sound was heard, and Pinkie stopped where she was, and then Spike and Smolder followed suit. Everyone else did too, most of them not by the sound but out of curiosity over the main three stopping.

The sound was heard again, and they all followed it, getting closer. It was the sound of bongos, slowly being tapped.

 ̵“̴F̴r̸e̶s̴h̶ ̸b̶a̸i̴t̶.̷ ̵C̴o̴m̸e̵ ̷t̵o̷ ̷p̶l̴a̶y̵.̶ ̶J̷o̶i̶n̷ ̸m̶e̷ ̴n̶o̵w̶,̴ ̷b̵e̷f̴o̷r̴e̴ ̸t̵h̸e̵ ̸s̴t̸a̴r̸t̸ ̴o̵f̷ ̵d̵a̵y̴.̶”̷

Smolder whispered. “Garble…”

The scratchy voice was a clear indicator that Smolder’s own brother was corrupted but those at the front of the group couldn’t help but be drawn. The dragons at the back tried to stop them from going onwards but then another bongo sound echoed and another piece of poetry.

 “̸W̵h̴y̷ ̷g̸o̵ ̸a̶n̵d̵ ̵h̵i̸d̷e̶?̴ ̷D̸o̵n̵’̵t̴ ̵y̵o̴u̸ ̵k̴n̴o̶w̸?̸ ̴T̸h̸a̶t̵ ̵i̴f̶ ̶y̶o̷u̸ ̵j̵o̷i̶n̵ ̸u̸s̸,̴ ̷w̸e̶ ̵h̴a̵v̷e̴ ̷m̴u̵c̵h̵ ̴t̴o̸ ̵s̶h̴o̷w̷…̷”̴

Those that weren’t drawn to Garble before were drawn now. Eyes were beginning to dilate as everyone turned a corner while falling into a deep state of hypnosis. Sinisterly Garble sat there. He wasn’t wearing his poetry outfit, but the bongos were rested nicely at his lap, covered in drops of dark matter that was leaking out of his gaping mouth.

He tapped the bongos once more.

 “̵C̴o̷m̵e̶ ̶o̴n̷e̷ ̷a̸n̵d̵ ̶a̸l̶l̴.̸ ̸C̸o̸m̵e̴ ̴t̶o̸ ̷m̸e̶.̸ ̴A̴n̶d̴ ̶I̶ ̴p̸r̵o̸m̴i̶s̵e̸ ̸I̵ ̶w̷i̴l̸l̴ ̸m̵a̶k̷e̶ ̶y̴o̶u̵ ̵s̸e̴e̴.̴”̶

They all drew closer. Their minds were no longer in their grasps. Their eyes were dilated completely as everyone was trapped in a trance, in danger of falling victim to Garble. The dragons at the back were far enough to attempt resistance only for Garble to pull them in with one final beat from his bongos and a final line of poetry.

“̶Y̵o̶u̸ ̷c̶a̵n̴’̸t̸ ̵b̴r̷e̵a̶k̸ ̵f̷r̵e̵e̵.̷ ̷Y̵o̴u̴ ̶c̶a̸n̸’̷t̶ ̵r̷e̵s̵i̸s̷t̷.̴ ̷I̵f̵ ̴y̴o̷u̷ ̵d̷o̷,̶ ̴t̷h̸e̵n̸ ̷w̴e̵ ̷p̸e̶r̷s̴i̷s̵t̸.̶”̸


That final line and the bongo beat before it felt far more aggressive and was much louder, an effort needed to fully bring the last of the group into hypnosis. Garble tapped the bongos continuously, no more lines of poetry spoken, and the whole group approached him slowly and mindlessly.  

Garble’s already unhinged jaw extended even more as the top of his head bent back. Claws extended out from his mouth, reaching to Spike, ready to grab him and pull him in.

And then green blistering magic rained down on him from above. 

He shrieked a fierce and distorted roar as Chrysalis again attacked. It was all it took for him to flee, and Chrysalis annihilated the drops of dark matter left behind.

The whole group immediately snapped out of it.

“Yet again I had to save your behinds…” said Chrysalis. “You’re welcome!”

“You could be a little nicer about it at least…” Smolder grumbled.

Chrysalis ignored what she said and looked around. “So I take it this is the volcano, or…”

“Uh, yep!” the maroon dragon said. “This is the place.”

“Wow, you weren’t kidding when you said it was the tallest!” exclaimed Pinkie.

“Yeah we got a long flight up…” Smolder mumbled.

A dragon pointed at Pinkie. “What about-“

“Don’t finish that question.”

“I’m kinda the only one that needs help…” Spike said. He then gave Chrysalis a pleading look.

“… Listen here, I said- You know that- Ugh! Fine, get on!”

Spike got on Chrysalis’ back and Pinkie already took off using her tail. Everyone else flew, the journey up to the volcano long and eventually tiring, as it was expected. There were small pools and pours of magma and the smog got even foggier and far more irritating for Chrysalis the farther they all got up. Meanwhile, the airship followed suit and ascended upwards as the group did, quickly and already making it to the top.

Soon, a faint orange glow could be seen from above, and they knew that they had just about arrived. They all landed on the volcano's top, and with not a word spoken, the search immediately began. Some looked out past the volcano at the distance, others (carefully) peeked into the volcano, and a few others looked above, only seeing the airship as it circled.

The search didn't last long. Within' minutes everyone was already wanting to go somewhere else.

"Yep, can't find her here," Smolder said. "Should we all go?" 

"Hey!" a dragon called out, pointing to the sky. "I see something flying down!"

Everyone looked. They saw faint figures flying down from the ship at a quickening rate, and they got far more recognizable as it drew closer.

"Fluttershy?!" Spike exclaimed.

"What are they doing!?" Chrysalis shrieked.

As they got closer, they clearly seemed panicked, especially Fluttershy, seeming incredibly shaken up. Pinkie and Spike immediately rushed to her aid.

“Fluttershy! What happened?” Pinkie asked.

Fluttershy’s chest heaved as her heavy breathing continued.

“T-Tempest… s-something took her and w-we had to escape. We barely escaped, and s-some stayed behind and others d-didn't make it-“

“Who did it?” Smolder asked.

“I don’t k-know-“ Fluttershy continued to stutter. “I-I thought the ship was c-clear.”

“We all did.” One of the dragons that returned said. 

“I assumed the same thing,” Chrysalis muttered. “Something was up there…”

“And it went right under my muzzle…” Chrysalis thought to herself.

The dragon that originally saw Fluttershy and the others once again pointed upwards. “Hey, I see something else coming down too!”

They all looked. It was one figure this time, but this one felt different.

Especially to Chrysalis. She started to sense that this was a threat. And she wasted no time to give that message.

“Out of the way!” she barked. “Get out of its way!”

Some dragons listened, along with Chrysalis’ main allies, but a few dragons didn’t get the message right away, all of them just looking at her, especially the dragon the was spotting everything in the sky. He spoke up.

“Huh? Wh-“

The dragon never got to finish his sentence. The thing rammed right into the dragon, knocking him into the volcano. His screaming was cut short as he splashed in the lava, only leaving behind the tiniest speck of black matter.

“Sometimes I question your kinds intelligence…” Chrysalis grumbled.

“Shut it, and focus on the thing that just landed in front of us!” Smolder hissed.

What landed was nothing like what anyone else has seen previously. It was a pony, but no one could tell who it was… it was completely covered head-to-flank in dark matter. It had pony ears and legs, along with beady blue eyes and a wicked toothy smile.

The dragons close to it backed away. It’s head tilted to glance at them before shooting it’s twisted glare at its main enemies.

What took them all by surprise was that it spoke, it’s voice scratchy and deep, with a slight tinge of femininity. It was far more distorted than the average corrupted pony or creature, and impossible to understand. The figure immediately got the message, cleared its throat, and spoke again. “̷F̸i̷n̷a̷l̵l̷y̸…̸ ̶I̸ ̴a̸m̸ ̵h̵e̸r̷e̷…̶ ̴a̶t̴ ̷t̴h̷i̴s̴ ̵v̶e̸r̸y̶ ̷p̴o̶i̵n̸t̴,̸ ̶f̷a̸c̵i̶n̴g̶ ̴o̵f̶f̸ ̸a̸g̵a̴i̶n̵s̴t̸ ̸t̶h̵e̷ ̸e̸n̶e̴m̶i̵e̵s̶ ̵I̵ ̴h̸a̷v̵e̴ ̷f̵o̵l̸l̷o̵w̷e̵d̵ ̵s̸i̴n̵c̷e̶_I̶-w̴a̶s̷-j̴u̶s̴t̸~a̸ ̵l̷i̶t̵t̵l̴e̸ ̴b̸l̷o̸b̶…̴”̷

“Huh?” Pinkie’s head tilted. 

In response the monster chuckled.

“̶N̸o̶ ̶s̴u̷r̵p̵r̶i̴s̷e̷ ̵t̶h̸a̶t̸-y̴o̷u̸-a̵r̶e̷ ̴c̵o̵n̶f̶u̵s̶e̶d̵.̴ ̴N̷o̸n̷e̶ ̴o̸f̶ ̵y̸o̴u̶ ̵h̴a̷v̷e̸-a̷c̸t̷u̸a̶l̸l̸y̷ ̷c̵o̶n̷f̷r̵o̸n̴t̴e̵d̵ ̷m̷e̶.̴ ̸A̸t̴ ̷l̷e̷a̷s̷t̸…̷”̸ the dark-matter pony glanced at Chrysalis, it’s blue beady eyes appearing to stare into her soul, creating an unsettling feeling. “̸A̵t̷ ̷l̴e̸a̵s̵t̷,̷ ̶n̶o̵t̸~d̸i̷r̵e̶c̷t̵l̶y̴…̴”̶

“What are you?…” Spike inquired.

“̵I̴~a̶m̸ ̴t̴h̷e̴ ̷r̶e̸s̸u̶l̵t̴ ̷o̵f̶ ̷w̷h̶a̶t̷ ̶h̷a̴p̶p̶e̸n̴s̴ ̶w̶h̵e̸n̶ ̷a̴ ̴m̶i̵n̵d̷l̵e̷s̸s̶ ̵b̴e̴a̶s̴t̵ ̶o̷f̸ ̷c̷o̶r̶r̴u̸p̸t̸i̶v̸e̵ ̷d̵a̴r̸k̴ ̴m̷a̸t̴t̴e̷r̶ ̸c̵o̵m̵b̵i̸n̷e̵s̶ ̵w̸i̴t̶h̴ ̷t̷h̶e̴ ̴s̶e̷v̷e̷r̷e̷d̷ ̷f̷l̴e̷s̸h̵ ̴a̴n̸d̸ ̶b̷l̶o̶o̷d̵_o̶f̷-a̸ ̴p̶o̷n̷y̵…̸”̸

“Care to elaborate more?…” Chrysalis requested, appearing unimpressed even though it didn’t seem that way moments ago. “Your vagueness makes your appearance more annoying than frightening…”

Again, the pony chuckled, but this was more of a childish giggle. “̸O̶h̵,̶ ̸C̶h̶r̸y̵s̸s̶i̸…̸ ̷a̶l̶w̶a̵y̸s̷ ̸l̴o̵v̶i̵n̸g̵ ̴t̴o̶ ̷c̷h̶a̵l̷l̴e̷n̷g̶e̷ ̷t̴h̵o̶s̸e̸ ̶t̸h̵a̴t̷ ̵s̸h̶e̸~s̸e̵e̸s̵-a̴s̵ ̷a̶n̸ ̴o̷b̷s̷t̶a̶c̸l̴e̸…̴”̷

“Just tell us what you are, why you’re following us, and just- just give us answers!” Smolder demanded.

“Are you the darkness itself?…” inquired Chrysalis

“̸N̵o̴.̴ ̴T̴h̸e̵ ̴d̸a̴r̶k̸n̴e̶s̶s̸-i̷s̵n̴’̶t̷_r̴e̶s̵t̶r̷i̵c̵t̸e̵d̸ ̵t̷o̷ ̵h̶e̵r̸e̷.̸ ̴I̵t̴ ̴e̵x̵t̶e̷n̴d̵s̴ ̴t̶o̶ ̴m̴a̴n̶y̶ ̵o̶t̵h̵e̴r̸ ̶t̴i̶m̵e̴l̴i̴n̵e̴s̴,̶ ̶m̵a̸n̷y̴ ̷o̶t̷h̶e̵r̵ ̸w̶o̷r̵l̷d̵s̶,̸ ̵m̸a̸n̶y̵ ̴o̶t̶h̴e̸r̷ ̶u̵n̶i̷v̵e̴r̴s̶e̴s̶.̷~I̵ ̸a̴m̵ ̵m̴e̷r̵e̶l̵y̸ ̵a̶ ̴r̶e̷s̸u̴l̶t̷ ̶o̸f̷ ̵a̵ ̸c̶o̷m̸b̵i̷n̵a̵t̷i̶o̴n̷ ̶o̴f̷ ̸a̷ ̴s̶m̷a̵l̸l̸ ̴g̴l̴o̷b̷ ̶o̸f̷ ̵d̸a̴r̷k̸n̴e̵s̵s̸,̸ ̸w̶i̴t̵h̴ ̴a̶ ̶t̷i̸n̴y̷~b̴i̷t̵ ̶o̴f̵-f̷l̷e̶s̵h̵ ̶a̴n̶d̸ ̶b̵l̸o̴o̵d̸…̸”̴ ̷ The pony raised a hoof, pointing it at Pinkie. “̸…̴f̶r̸o̵m̶ ̴h̸e̵r̷!̷”̷

Pinkie pointed at herself. “Me?”

“̷D̸o̴n̸’̶t̷~y̸o̸u̴ ̸r̴e̵m̶e̴m̶b̸e̶r̷?̷…̴ ̵W̷h̴e̷n̴ ̶y̸o̸u̶ ̷l̴o̵s̶t̵ ̶t̴h̶e̵ ̸e̸n̷d̵ ̶o̵f̶ ̷y̵o̷u̶r̷ ̷t̶a̷i̶l̴?̴ ̸D̸i̸d̵ ̸y̶o̸u̸ ̵n̴o̸t̸ ̶n̵o̵t̷i̸c̷e̸ ̷t̵h̴a̶t̷ ̶y̴o̶u̶ ̴l̷o̵s̷t̴ ̷t̸h̵e̸ ̵v̸e̶r̸y̸ ̴t̸i̵p̸ ̶o̴f̸ ̵w̷h̷e̸r̸e̶ ̶i̶t̴~w̷a̶s̶ ̴b̶l̴o̷o̵d̵-a̴n̷d̷~f̸l̶e̶s̷h̴?̶ ̵D̵i̶d̶ ̴y̸o̴u̶ ̴a̷s̷s̵u̷m̶e̴ ̸i̴t̵ ̴w̷a̶s̷ ̸o̴n̴l̴y̸ ̶a̷ ̶b̶u̸r̷n̶?̸ ̷N̵o̷.̸ ̷I̶t̵ ̵w̸a̴s̴-c̴u̶t̷ ̷r̷i̴g̶h̴t̷ ̵o̴f̴f̵.̸ ̷I̴t̶ ̶a̶b̴s̵o̶r̸b̸e̸d̵~i̸n̴t̸o̵ ̴m̷y̸s̵e̴l̴f̶.̷ ̸A̶n̴d̷ ̸n̸o̸w̴…̴ ̴I̷ ̵a̶m̴ ̸b̴e̷c̶o̴m̸i̴n̴g̸ ̶o̶n̶e̴ ̷o̷f̸ ̸y̸o̶u̵.̶ ̸I̵ ̷a̸m̶ ̴b̷e̵c̶o̶m̶i̸n̷g̵ ̴h̶e̴r̸.̴”̴

“Well, um… you don’t… act like her,” Fluttershy spoke, her stuttering having calmed down.

“̵M̷a̵y̵b̵e̵ ̴n̸o̸t̶ ̸n̷o̷w̵.̵ ̶A̷n̵d̶ ̸o̷b̷v̴i̷o̶u̴s̷l̸y̴ ̷I̴ ̶d̶o̴n̷’̶t̷ ̷l̵o̸o̴k̶ ̷l̶i̶k̴e̸ ̵h̸e̵r̶ ̷a̷s̷~w̶e̸l̴l̵.̷ ̴I̶ ̴l̶a̷c̵k̸ ̴h̴e̴r̶ ̵h̶a̷i̵r̴.̷ ̷H̶e̷r̷ ̶f̸l̸e̴s̶h̵.̴ ̴H̴e̷r̵ ̶s̶m̷i̶l̵e̴.̷ ̸W̴h̵i̶c̷h̶ ̷b̷r̶i̷n̷g̵s̵ ̴m̸e̸ ̸t̴o̷ ̷t̸h̷e̵ ̷m̷o̶t̷i̴v̸a̸t̶i̵o̸n̷,̴ ̸t̴h̴e̴ ̴p̶a̴r̷t̶ ̷t̴h̶a̶t̵ ̴c̸h̷a̸r̵a̷c̴t̵e̵r̸s̵ ̷l̴i̷k̸e̵ ̵y̸o̶u̸ ̶a̴l̷w̷a̸y̵s̸ ̵w̵a̶n̵t̸ ̴f̵r̷o̵m̶ ̴a̵n̴ ̵a̸n̷t̶a̸g̷o̵n̶i̸s̷t̶ ̶l̶i̷k̴e̴ ̵m̸e̸.̴
̸
̶͉́“̴I̶ ̸w̸a̷n̸t̸ ̷t̴h̶e̵ ̷d̸a̸r̵k̵n̷e̷s̷s̴ ̴t̸o̶ ̷l̴i̵v̶e̸.̴ ̸W̵h̷e̵t̶h̶e̷r̶ ̴y̴o̷u̵ ̸w̶i̸n̷-o̵r̸~l̴o̴s̷e̵,̷ ̵i̶t̷ ̵m̶u̴s̵t̵ ̶p̴r̸o̶s̵p̶e̴r̵ ̵a̷n̶d̷ ̴s̷u̷r̸v̶i̶v̶e̵,̷ ̴a̸n̴d̷~h̶i̷d̵e̷_s̶o̷-i̵t̷’̵s̸~l̴e̷g̵a̷c̸y̸ ̶c̷a̷n̶ ̴c̷o̶n̶t̶i̷n̸u̸e̴.̶ ̷I̶ ̴m̶u̴s̷t̶ ̶t̶a̵k̷e̵ ̷i̷t̴ ̵u̸p̴o̶n̸ ̵m̴y̴s̵e̴l̵f̷ ̴t̶h̸a̸t̴,̵ ̴i̴f̶ ̸b̶y̷ ̶c̶h̶a̵n̸c̴e̷ ̷y̸o̸u̴ ̵d̵o̷ ̵s̷u̷c̴c̸e̴e̵d̶,̸ ̷I̴ ̶t̸a̶k̵e̴ ̵t̶h̷e̷ ̴p̵l̶a̵c̶e̶ ̶o̶f̴ ̶s̴o̷m̸e̵o̸n̷e̶-e̸l̸s̸e̷ ̴a̸n̴d̴-t̷a̵k̷e̶~t̶h̷e̸i̵r̵ ̵l̴i̷f̵e̷.̶ ̵N̵o̷ ̶o̸n̴e̷ ̶w̴o̸u̴l̴d̵ ̸e̶v̸e̷r̶~s̸u̸s̵p̴e̴c̶t̶-a̷ ̶t̴h̴i̷n̷g̸.̶ ̶I̶ ̷w̴o̶u̷l̸d̵ ̸b̶e̸ ̶a̸-p̷e̶r̴f̴e̶c̸t̶ ̸r̴e̶p̸l̵i̴c̴a̶,̵ ̵w̶h̸i̶l̷e̵ ̵t̷h̴e̷ ̵o̸r̵i̸g̸i̶n̴a̸l̵ ̷w̸o̴u̷l̶d̸_b̴e̶~c̴o̷r̴r̵u̴p̶t̴e̶d̴_a̵n̶d̴-f̴o̴r̶c̴e̵d̸ ̵t̴o̶ ̷b̴e̷ ̴l̴e̷f̸t̶ ̸t̴o̴ ̵r̵o̴t̸ ̶w̷i̷t̵h̵ ̸t̷h̵e̷ ̶d̷a̷r̵k̶n̶e̵s̶s̸ ̵w̶h̴i̴l̷e̷ ̴a̸l̸l̶ ̵t̶h̴e̶ ̵o̷t̸h̴e̴r̴ ̶c̸o̴r̴r̷u̸p̷t̶e̵d̸ ̷o̵n̵e̴s̵ ̸a̵r̸e̴ ̵s̸e̶t̶ ̸f̷r̴e̷e̸.̶ ̵A̸n̶d̸ ̸o̴f̵ ̶c̴o̸u̸r̴s̶e̶…̵ ̴t̷h̴e̷ ̷o̷n̵e̷ ̷I̴ ̵m̵u̴s̸t̸ ̷r̴e̴p̷l̷a̷c̸e̶…̷ ̴i̵s̸ ̸P̸i̴n̵k̸i̷e̸ ̵P̴i̴e̸ ̴h̶e̷r̶s̵e̸l̴f̷.̶”̸

“And how do you even suppose this would succeed, hm?” Chrysalis questioned.

“̴I̸ c̵a̵n̸-o̸n̵l̴y~e̸v̴o̷l̶v̸e̶ ̵s̵o̵ ̷m̶u̷c̸h̸…̷ ̸s̸o̵ ̶f̸a̵r̴…̵ ̵h̶e̵r̶ ̷c̵o̴r̵r̷u̸p̴t̵i̶o̶n̸ ̴w̴o̶u̵l̷d̴ ̴b̷e̷ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̴f̷i̷n̴a̸l̷ ̸p̵i̴e̵c̸e̵.̷ ̸H̷e̵r̸ ̵j̸o̸i̴n̷i̷n̸g̷ ̷y̵o̴u̸r̷ ̴l̸o̷s̵t̸-f̷r̷i̴e̶n̸d̷s̵ ̷i̵s̷~a̶l̸l̵ ̶i̸t̸ ̵w̴o̶u̶l̷d̴ ̴t̵a̷k̵e̵.̶ ̸E̶v̵e̵r̵y̸ ̴c̷e̸l̷l̴ ̴w̵o̷u̶l̴d̴ ̷b̴e̶ ̵r̶e̸p̸l̶a̸c̷e̵d̴~w̴i̵t̸h̸ ̷d̷a̷r̶k̶-m̸a̷t̵t̴e̵r̸, ̷a̷n̶d̸ ̶m̶e̷... I̵  g̸e̷t̴  t̴o̸  k̴e̵e̵p̴ ̴a̷  r̶e̸c̸o̶l̴l̷e̸c̸t̴i̵o̸n̸ o̴f̵ ̷a̸l̴l̵ ̶m̷e̸m̴o̸r̵i̴e̴s̴ c̵o̶n̸c̴e̷r̶n̵i̸n̶g̷ w̴h̵o̵ ̴I̵ ̷w̴a̵s̷, t̸h̴e̷ ̶m̵o̵t̶i̸v̴e̴s̶ ̶I̸ ̸h̶a̸d̴,  ̶a̴n̸d̴  t̶h̴e̸  d̸a̷r̵k̶n̸e̴s̸s i̵t̵s̴e̴l̴f̴.̸  ̵H̵o̶w̶ ̴e̴l̴s̶e̶ ̴w̸o̶u̸l̶d̴ I̵ h̶e̸l̶p i̶t t̵o̵ l̷i̷v̷e̸ ̵o̷n̶ e̸v̸e̶n i̵f̵ I̷ b̷e̸c̸a̷m̵e̸ f̴l̶e̷s̷h̶?̷?̷”̵

Pinkie got in a defensive stance but Spike, Smolder, and Chrysalis all got in front of her, and many other dragons did too.

“We’re not going to let you get our friend, pal!” Smolder snarled.

The pony only smiled, and the ground started to shake. Spike couldn’t help it. He peeked into the volcano.

The lava below was gone, now replaced with the dark matter which slowly crawled up the inner walls of the volcano. Floating in the darkness was the dragon that was previously knocked in, now fully corrupted.

But that wasn’t all. A massive gurgling roar bellowed from below, and the pool started to grow, as if something was rising and expanding from the inside.

“Oh no…” Smolder realized, eyes shrinking. “Please don’t tell me it’s…”

Another roar bellowed and the pressure inside the volcano only increased.

She gulped. Her fears were confirmed, and in a quick panic, she alerted everyone without hesitation.

”IT’S TORCH! EVERYONE RUN!!!”
> Chapter 17: Falling Apart
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Many things happened in a close amount of time.

The airship began to close in on the volcano, multiple corrupted dragons already flying out.

All the survivors on the volcano fled, flying off. With no hesitation this time, Chrysalis let Spike hop on her back and she flew off with everyone else in a dash. The blob just dove into the volcano, splashing into the rising pool of corruption.

And then… the volcano burst. Rocks, debris, and blobs of corruption sprayed everywhere, nearly everyone suffering impacts from whatever flew, and the massive figure that burst out of the volcano impacted the skiff, sending it on a collision course down below. A massive boulder impacted Chrysalis and Spike, sending the two of them on a quick fall to the ground, where they both had a rough and painful landing.

Coughing, Spike stumbled upright, his body much more scraped. Groaning, Chrysalis also got up. All around them, it was complete chaos, with dragons fighting their own corrupted kind. Some lost immediately, succumbing to corruption in a matter of seconds. Others held their own, and plenty of them were working together. But no corrupted dragons were saved.

Above them all, a massive figure loomed sinisterly above the Dragon Lands. Tempest's skiff was no longer in the air, and in the distance, it was merely rubble on the ground, likely having been knocked away by whatever caused this chaos to flourish.

"We need to go!" Chrysalis shouted. "Can you walk?!"

Spike nodded. From behind, two dragons landed beside them. Chrysalis was already on the move to fend them off, but Spike beat her to it, getting them away with his own fire breath.

Chrysalis couldn't help but smirk. "Hm. You are learning reflexes. Impressive."

Both of them ran off. The massive behemoth that was none other than Torch stayed in the sky where he was. It wasn't long before the two of them finally came across Pinkie and Fluttershy, both of them luckily I corrupted but also incredibly scraped up and bruised. Fluttershy herself had it worse, her head bleeding, clearly having needed to rely on Pinkie for most of her support before shakily recovering.

“Fluttershy!” Spike gasped. “Are you okay!?”

“I’m fine…” she answered, her speech slightly weakened. “I’ll be okay…” 

"Where's Smolder?!" Pinkie shrieked, while Chrysalis fended off another dragon’s attack.

They got their answer quick when Smolder was heard growling from not too far. Everyone rushed to see what was happening. Smolder was facing off against Ember... and she was losing, getting back up and glaring at Ember, the Dragon Lord herself flying above her.  Ember raised her scepter up and dove right for Smolder, bringing it down for a swing. Smolder fought back, sending as much flames as she could to Ember, and completely (but briefly) ridding the scepter of the corruption. Right as the corruption was going to crawl down Ember's completely covered arm and cover the scepter once more, the bloodstone was swiped out of its holder by Chrysalis' own magic. 

“I’ll take that!” Pinkie said, happily taking the bloodstone.

“What are you-“

Chrysalis was interrupted when Ember's neck made a sickening snapping sound as she glared at the group. Chrysalis and Spike wasted no time. They used their powers against Ember, and Smolder quickly joined in. Ember shrieked and in her moments of lost coordination, the group of five fled, with nowhere to go. From many directions dragons attacked and someone, usually Chrysalis, was always fast to get rid of them. 

"Where are we going to go!?" Pinkie screamed.

"I don't know!" Spike panicked. 

"Get to the closest body of water!" Smolder ordered, pointing ahead of them. "Trust me!"

A shadow began to grow over them, and everyone knew what it was. They took a brief glance behind them as they ran. Torch was finally making his move, diving right down for them, fist extended, and a mass of corruption stirring in his mouth. Nobody had time. He was large. He was fast.

There was no way out.

Seeing only one option for escape, Chrysalis stopped running and pulled everyone close to her, as a massive burst of corruption flew out of Torch's mouth and collided with where the survivors stood. Corruption spread everywhere where the impact was made, and they were nowhere to be seen. 

To many, it seemed like Equestria's last hope was finally caught, and were merely absorbed into the darkness, never to be seen unless sent out as drones.

But that wasn't the case.

Off in the distance where the rock ended and the trees began, a green spark burst. Chrysalis stood, with everyone else still close to her.

"Well you chose a convenient spot to teleport us to..." Smolder said. "Come on! This way!"

Everyone followed her, without any questions asked. 

Meanwhile, far off where the remains of Tempest’s skiff sat, a small pile of rubble shook. Slowly, it cleared away, the twisted figure of Tempest rising out of it. Corruption covered her prosthetic hoof, and replacing the stump of her horn was instead a large curved horn, formed by the dark matter. She just sat there, before her ears twitched, and her head slowly rotated to a direction where she was picking up a sense.

And as for Torch, he continued to hover where he was, doing nothing for only a few moments and only watching as a few remaining dragons fought for their lives. 

It was time for this battle to come to its end. The beast raised his head up in the sky and let out a bellowing and distorted roar. A fountain of corruption spewed out of his mouth, showering all throughout the dragon lands. And this time, nobody could get away. In seconds every remaining dragon in the Dragon Lands were claimed to darkness. 





***





The running never ceased. Running was the only thing they could do. Their transport was gone. They had no way to escape. And sooner or later, someone was going to find them and catch them by surprise.

“We need to find a place to rest! Someplace! Anywhere!” Spike exclaimed.

“Well I don’t know where we can go!” Smolder exclaimed.

Something soon caught their attention and brought their running to a stop. It was nothing more than a cave. A simple harmless cave.

Spike and Smolder exchanged glances.

“Cave?” the former asked.

“Cave.”

“You actually think that’s a safe option?!” Chrysalis scoffed.

“We’ve taken risks before, haven’t we?” Pinkie asked.

“Besides, we can easily overpower a predator, corrupted or not…” Spike said. “Right?”

He just got shrugs in response.

“Well I say we-“

Chrysalis couldn’t finish her sentence, because Pinkie already ran in. 

“Pinkie wait!” Fluttershy tried calling out, her voice too quiet and weakened to be heard.

Chrysalis growled and ran after her. “Get back here!”

Spike ran after too.

Smolder moved to run. 

And then she stopped, feeling something enter her back. She groaned out loud, prompting Chrysalis and even Pinkie to come back.

Out her chest, a black tendril formed. Smolder gripped it, groaning more as she tried to resist its pull of her mind. From behind her, Tempest came out, followed by a pool of black matter. 

“SMOLDER!” Spike shrieked, reaching out.

“Get… back!…” she pleaded. “G-go!”

“There’s nowhere else to go!” Pinkie screamed. “And there’s a dead end in the cave!”

Smolder managed to emit a small snarl, only one of her pupils remaining visible. She turned and in an effort to make the situation at the very least safer, she let out one weak stream of flames at Tempest, causing her to shriek. But she didn’t run off. Instead, she glanced at Smolder, and she glanced at the group.

Smolder glanced back too, mouth wide and eyes blank. In that moment everyone knew that any remaining trace of Smolder’s mentality was now gone, now replaced by darkness and corruption. They both dashed and Chrysalis quickly raised a magic barrier to hold them off. It did what it could but both Tempest and Smolder were clearly getting closer to breaking through.

“QUICK! RUN FOR YOUR LIVES WHILE YOU STILL CAN!” Pinkie panicked.

“YOU BELIEVE RUNNING TOWARDS A DEAD END IN A CAVE IS A GOOD IDEA?!” Chrysalis spat.

“Oh right… hehe… I forgot.”

Spike proceeded to ramble, in a last attempt to find hope. “Okay maybe if we go, there can be a convenient turn of events that can get us past the dead end in the ca-“

He was cut off. A loud bang was heard in the distance catching the attention of Smolder and Tempest. Something was heard making a buzz, an approaching blue glow visible beside Tempest and Smolder, before the two of them were both struck and stunned with beams of magic.

The remaining pool of darkness slithered but the blue magic again attacked it, and this time, Chrysalis and Spike joined in to help. It backed off, unable to get close, and this opened a window for Pinkie and Fluttershy to run.

When it was pushed back far enough, Chrysalis and Spike stopped their attacks, and they too ran. Smolder and Tempest were still down, and they got absorbed by the darkness as it backed away.

They all were quick to locate the source of this blue magic. It was a unicorn, wearing a slightly beaten and dusty mask, and a black suit, clearly as if they were making an attempt to blend in.

“Go!” The pony ordered, the voice clearly a mare’s. “Go! Quick!”

They listened and they ran. Their savior followed them. And the massive wave of dark matter gave chase.

“Where are we going?!” Spike shouted.

“We’re going to outrun it!” replied the mare. 

“Are you insane!?” Chrysalis spat.

“Trust me!”

They did. Their running continued. Faintly they could hear the sound of the darkness’ sinister hiss approaching. 

“Left!” The mare quickly took a sharp left and the others, taken by surprise, quickly did the same. They went through a wall of bushes, before finding themselves at the top of a steep slope leading into a pool of water below.

“Oh my…” Fluttershy squeaked. “That doesn’t look safe!”

“Never say never!”

The mare leapt off of the flat ground and splashed into the water below.

Everyone else hesitated. But one bellowing, distant hiss from the distance convinced them to risk it. Everyone leapt off the slope, past where it ended, and all splashed into the water below. One by one they all swam up for air, some struggling more than others, and the hiss from above got louder.

Through a loud whisper, the mare was able to get everyone’s attention and motioned them to duck underwater. Some nodded and ducked. Others hesitated but went through with it anyway. All gazes were facing up, the discomfort of the water in everyone’s eyes a decent price to pay for the sake of safety. 

A blurry glimpse of the black matter could be seen, seeming to look around, for what seemed like an eternity. Fluttershy and Spike both felt like they were going to run out of air, and it showed. Fluttershy was the first to crack, coughing enough where air bubbles flowed up to the surface. She covered her mouth, panicking, wanting nothing more than air, and fearing that her slip-up had a chance of getting them caught if the darkness paid enough attention.

But finally, at last, it left. Everyone gave it a few more seconds before all swimming up for air, gasping and coughing. Fluttershy nearly sunk but Pinkie was quick to swim for support.

“Alright, we’re safe. Come on!” The mare swam out of the water and to the closest shore as possible. “Let’s go!”

“What makes you think we should trust you?” Spike asked.

“I saved you, didn’t I?”

“Works for me!” Pinkie chirped, getting out of the water. The others joined as well, but although she followed, Chrysalis had her suspicions. Suspicious that she refused to suppress.

“Now stop right there!” she barked. “Saving us doesn’t make you any less of a concern!”

“I mean… they’re giving you a chance, aren’t they?” the mare responded.

“We took our time to voice everything we had to say and we made the alliance official before proceeding with anything else! You just showed up, helped, and expected us to follow you without even explaining everything or proving that your contributions would be helpful to the end! And so I must ask… how did you find us? Where are we going? And most importantly… who are you?”

“Hey…” Spike realized. “Is that the Mare-do-Well mask?…”

The mare sighed.

“Look, Chrysalis, we’ve both had our issues with the darkness in different ways. You’ve been keeping yourself under control from the looks of it. Me? It got me! I was corrupted, like nearly everyone else, like my own friends! And then, I… guess I was lucky enough to be able to break out. I’ve been having to survive on my own for so long and… I’m just glad I finally found someone I know that’s, well… themselves!”

“Hey, Fluttershy was corrupted too!” Pinkie exclaimed.

“Yes, and I have Pinkie and Spike to thank for setting me free,” said Fluttershy with a smile.

“Well I guess I’m not the only one at least…” the mare said. “Too bad it’s probably evolved beyond anyone being saved at this point.”

“Wait.. you said you know us…-“ Thoughts entered Spike’s mind and he began putting the pieces together. It should have been obvious right from the start. “Wait… your voice… your magic… Starlight?”

With her magic, the mare pulled off her mask, revealing her slightly burnt and scarred face.

Starlight gave a smile. “Surprised to see me?”
> Chapter 18: A Glimmer of Hope
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The first thing Chrysalis did moments after seeing Starlight’s face was shoot her.

The green bolt of magic struck Starlight right in the barrel and the mare was sent back, colliding against a tree.

“Okay…” she groaned as she got up. “Should have been prepared for something like that.”

“That was uncalled for,” said Fluttershy.

Chrysalis snarled. 

Starlight thought for a moment, knowing what she had to do to prevent things from escalating.

“Could I have a moment alone with Chrysalis, please?…” Starlight asked.

“Are you sure that’s a good idea?-“ inquired Spike.

Starlight gave him a nod, one assuring him and the others that she’s got this. 

“…Alright. Come on, let’s go.”

Spike left, and Pinkie and Fluttershy followed. It was just Chrysalis and Starlight now, Chrysalis shooting a glare of hatred and venom.

Starlight sighed. “You really can’t let it go, can you? The last time we fought, you won, you got your way, had the last laugh against me, and yet somehow I am still a priority to you in a situation like this.”

“Just because I beat you once doesn’t mean my hatred for you has subsided!” Chrysalis spat. “Not to mention even though I did beat you, at the end of the day, I still lost all progress and was sent to that stone imprisonment!”

“Can you just stop and listen for one moment?! I get it! You hate me. I took everything away from you. You’ll never be satisfied with beating me until you get your way and take over all of Equestria! I’m one of your biggest rivals. But we have something even more important to deal with! 

“Now correct me if I’m wrong here, but knowing you, you teamed up with Spike and the others because you saw this corruption as a greater threat than you, something that will prevent your goals and stop them from achieving them. And the moment I show up you’re now set on something entirely unrelated, and for all we know could hurt your alliance and chances of winning!”

“How so?” Chrysalis scoffed.

“Well, harming me or whatnot would pretty much hurt or, even likelier, end your alliance, and you would be all on your own. And plus, you need me! Everything’s going to get to a stage where your power is not enough, even with the alliance! You’ll need more firepower! More magic! And I can help! I’m not going to try and change your mind on friendship or make you not want me dead. It’s something I know I can’t do, and so I decided if we met again, it wasn’t worth it anymore.

“Listen, Chrysalis. Just for this moment, can you just put our rivalry aside and let it go?! We can work together like you’ve been doing with the others, we save Equestria, and then when all is said and done, you can do whatever you want. Okay?”

Chrysalis for a moment growled at Starlight, eyes piercing into her soul. And then, she exhaled in a quick defeat.

“This alliance is going to be far less enjoyable…”




***




Spike, Pinkie, and Fluttershy all sat patiently as they waited for Chrysalis and Starlight to return, having little to no clue on what was going on.

“I hope it works out okay…” Fluttershy said.

“Yeah!” Pinkie nodded. “After all, Starlight is one of Chrysalis’ most hated rivals and Chrysalis would want to tear her apart into itty bitty pieces more than any of us combined!”

“Well hopefully that doesn’t happen…”  said Spike. “Chrysalis was useful, and Starlight would also be a big help, but both of them would be really helpful especially since our last stop is… Canterlot for the… diamond-“ 

All of a sudden Spike gasped, cupping his mouth. 

“THE EMERALD! THE RUBY! THEY WERE ON THE SKIFF! AND THE BLOODSTONE!… Oh no… NO! WE LOST THEM!”

“No we didn’t.” Pinkie smiled. She reached into her own mane and proceeded to pull out the bloodstone, the ruby, and lastly, the emerald, setting all of them nicely on the ground.

The tense feeling throughout Spike’s body quickly dissipated, and he let out a massive sigh of relief. “Oh, Pinkie, what would we do without you?…” 

Within’ the next few moments, Chrysalis finally returned, accompanied by Starlight.

“So… what’s going on?” asked Fluttershy.

“As far as I know she’ll put her hatred for me aside, at least until this is-” Starlight put her explanation to a halt and her gaze focused on the three massive shiny gems on the ground. “Wait… what are the gems for?… Is that the bloodstone for Ember’s scepter?”

“Oh yeah! We figured out a way to save Equestria!” Pinkie beamed.

“Oh thank Celestia… I couldn’t figure out anything on what I was going to do! Libraries were dangerous to be around, and I knew it was only going to get riskier to be alone!”

“So what are you doing all the way out here near the dragon lands?” Fluttershy asked.

“I, uh, eventually had a run-in that led to me being here. Another long, very complicated story for another time. So… I’m guessing these gems are what we need? What for?”

“I would explain if I had my book-“ Chrysalis grumbled.

“Oh!” From out of nowhere, Pinkie held up the book. “You mean this book?”

Chrysalis immediately snatched it with a scowl. “Give me that!…” She flipped through the pages and showed what she saw to Starlight. “These gems are to power a contraption meant to purge this corruption from our world. If we are successful, then your precious world will be saved.”

“Alright,” said Starlight.  “We should get going then-“

“Not so fast Starlight Glimmer! We’re not done. We are missing one more, and it’s a diamond all the way in Canterlot.”

“Oh… and… I’m guessing that’s going to be a pretty dangerous mission?”

“Yeah,” Spike confirmed. “It’s not the dragon lands, but Canterlot’s got so many residents, guards, and the Princesses themselves! I don’t think it’s going to be pretty.”

“Yeah, escaping after I was set free from stone was not an easy task…” Chrysalis said. “Especially considering… you know…” Chrysalis motioned over her body, referring to the bits and pieces of dark matter on her. “And if it was difficult, I fear it will be much worse.”

“Maybe, but if we stick together-“

Chrysalis put her hoof on Pinkie’s mouth. “-Yes, yes, stick together, power of friendship. I don’t need to have that speech forced into my mind again.”

“But… how are we even going to get to Canterlot?” Fluttershy questioned. “None of us have a way to get there!”

They all entered a deep state of thought.

“All I can think of is that… we need something that’s good and helpful…” Spike continued to think, tapping his chin. “…buuuuut doesn’t get us caught and in a pretty impossible situation.”

“Maybe Chrysalis could turn into a giant creature and fly us to Canterlot!” Pinkie suggested.

“And be directly responsible for painting a target on our flanks?!” Chrysalis spat. “No thanks!”

“Well then there’s only one thing we can do,” Starlight said. “We’ll have to go the old fashioned way. On hoof.”

“Not a problem, I got from Ponyville to the Dragon Lands on my own two feet!”

Chrysalis raised an eyebrow “And… how long did that take?” 

“I, uh…” Spike scratched the back of his head. “I lost track…”

“Well we’ll just have to go that way unless we find anything,” proclaimed Starlight. “Let’s go.”

They all went on their way, and time passed by slowly. Nobody was open to the idea of going by hoof/foot the whole entire way, but before long, they came across the border to the Celestial Sea, and resting at shore was a small sailboat. 

“It looks like it’s been there for a while…” Fluttershy said.

“Doesn’t look too damaged though…” Spike mumbled. “I’m getting a closer look.”

“Let me help you,” Starlight offered.

Accepting the offer, Spike made his way to the boat, accompanied by Starlight. After a brief inspection, they concluded that it was safe to use, and once everyone boarded the boat, they went off.

“Are you sure you know where to take this?…” inquired Chrysalis.

“Oh…” Starlight realized. “Yeah, I probably should have-“

Pinkie pointed at a specific direction, one where it was nothing more than just water and the night horizon. “We gotta go west! That way!”

“Well, alright, if you say so.”

Chrysalis scoffed. “You actually believe she knows what she’s doing?…”

“Well… yeah.”

Chrysalis sat down, averting her gaze away from all faces, and stared at the far distance. “It’s your loss. I doubt this will end well. But I can’t help but be curious as to where this will go…”

Another hour passed. The moon remained where it was, no signs of change.

With many hours of night come and gone, Fluttershy took note on the situation. One thought lead to another, and it prompted her to speak up.

“How long has the moon been up?…” she questioned. 

“I, uh…” Spike thought. “I don’t know… but now that you think about it… the sun should have been up at some point…”

“Do you think the Princesses are okay?” Fluttershy asked. “I mean… I know it’s possible they ran away and probably don’t have the time or opportunity to change night to day… but the possibility of them being corrupted… it’s scary.”

“I’m sure they’ll be fine!” Pinkie chirped. “They’re super powerful and even though they’ve been through a lot of nasty things, they’ve escaped a lot of nasty things too!”

“I hope so…”

Spike yawned. “Ugh… all of this time being awake and on this adventure is finally getting to me… but I really don’t want to sleep…”

“Ooh. I’m feeling sleepy too,” said Pinkie. She curled up and immediately snoozed off.

“Don’t worry too much, Spike,” Starlight assured. “Get some sleep. We’ll wake you up if anything happens.”

“Well, alright… I trust you.” Spike lied down. As doubtful as he was of letting his guard down and going to sleep, deep down… he was just relieved he could get at least a little more rest, of course something that was still among his favorite things to do.

In moments he drifted off to sleep.

“Well…” Starlight looked over at Fluttershy and Chrysalis. “I guess it’s just us three for the time being…”

Fluttershy nodded slowly, and Chrysalis just looked away, not willing to bother in engaging in conversation with Starlight.

Starlight just sighed and continued to manage the boat.
> Chapter 19: Downhill
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Spike! Helloooo! Spike? It’s time to wake up!”

Three shakes from Pinkie was all it took for Spike to jolt awake, and they weren’t soft shakes either, causing him to immediately be alarmed in spite of the lack of danger in her voice.

“AH! IM UP! ARE WE UNDER ATTACK?!” he shrieked.

“No, silly, we’re at shore! Fluttershy woke me up and now I’m waking you up!”

“Perhaps next time someone that isn’t the pink one should wake up whoever is sleeping…” Chrysalis grumbled, stepping off the boat.

“At least it was a peaceful trip…” Fluttershy admired, before her soft smile fell. “Maybe… a little too peaceful…”

“You might be right, so just be alert and… well… I don’t really need to explain it all again,” said Starlight, being the last one off the boat. “After all you’ve all been at this for hours!”

“Indeed,” Chrysalis said with a nod.

“How far is Canterlot?” Spike asked.

Chrysalis flew up to look, before returning moments later. “It is quite far. We’ll have yet another long journey ahead of us.”

“Can you see it?” Starlight asked.

“Unfortunately, no.”

Starlight sighed. “Alright, better brace yourselves. We got another long way ahead of us”

“Anything to save our friends and Equestria!” Pinkie cheered. “YIPPEE!!”

And just like that, Pinkie hopped away.

“Hey!” Chrysalis barked. “It would have been courteous for you to- ugh…”

She followed Pinkie, and so did everyone else.

Yet again, the journey dragged. Legs started to get sore (except for Pinkie), bellies started to rumble, and fatigue began to creep on those that haven’t slept.

Around this point, everyone continued keeping their expectations of some form of encounter high, especially since the boat ride was so quiet and eventless. Guards were up, ears were open, and magic was ready to be used.

There were only the sounds of occasional crickets.

Another hour passed but it felt eternal. Silent begging for shortcuts or miracles lingered in Spike’s mind, and Fluttershy’s too, but it seemed as if nothing was going to happen any time soon.

The occurrence of quiet conversation was frequent, but Chrysalis in her current traveling state of mind had no interest. Instead she looked around her surroundings, both on watch and for entertainment, and she looked up at the bright, still moon.

Just then, Chrysalis' head began to pulse. She didn't bother with giving it attention... perhaps it was only a migraine. But in seconds it went from 0 to 100, and Chrysalis held her head, suppressing a scream. She glanced at the moon again. The sky was a shade of dark red, crumbling away like paper, revealing a void of the twisted dark matter behind it. The moon itself was partially covered by the darkness, shutting away some of the light.

Her mind felt like it was beginning to slip away, a loss of consciousness creeping onto her. Was she getting weaker? Or was it getting stronger? She refused to believe either.

She felt her body shake. Was something else happening? For the first time since she could remember, if there ever was a time, a pit grew in her chest that quickly, to her relief, subsided.

Fluttershy brought her back to reality with a couple of gentle shakes.

“Chrysalis! We have to go!” she squeaked. “Something is-“

She was cut off when the ground burst in three different areas, chunks of dirt landing at their hooves. Out leapt three, hideously malformed, Diamond Dogs. Gems protruded out of their mangled bodies, and one of them, the one that appeared to be the leader, even had gems for eyes. 

The three of them surrounded the group and immediately closed in fast. Starlight and Chrysalis warded two of them off with magic blasts (Chrysalis having fought off the leader), while Pinkie took care of one with her bazooka.

Immediately they recovered and made a snarling sound, even though their gaping mouths remained unmoving. Yet again they attacked, with the others continuing to fight back. After their next pounces they dove into the ground.

Everything felt tense. Eyes darted back and forth, ears remaining focused. But the sounds from underground, though loud, were also confusing, and it only made things worse.

But Chrysalis was able to figure out where they were pretty quickly.

“OUT OF THE WAY!”

Everyone scattered right as the Diamond Dogs leapt out of where the group just stood. Starlight quickly used her magic to the best of her ability to hold them together so they could all regroup, but she could tell by their resistance that they didn’t have long. 

“Hurry! Get back together over here!”

They all listened and rejoined with Starlight.

The Darkness began to leak out of the holes in the ground, including the hole closest to the group, prompting Spike and Chrysalis to once again work to fight it off. At the same time Diamond Dogs broke out of the restraining magic, once again ready to charge. Once free, the two that weren’t the leader immediately took massive leaps to each side to once again ensure that they were all surrounded. The darkness that leaked out of the ground joined with the lead Diamond Dog, and it was clearly making him stronger. 

Everything began to close in. Spike and Chrysalis were on the verge of failing to ward off the darkness, which also got closer from the other sides, sets of eyes beginning to open. 

“The rest of the corruption is closing in around us!” Pinkie squeaked.

The Diamond Dogs charged again.

“We can’t handle this one alone though!” Spike shouted.

A quick burst of magic from Starlight’s horn illuminated the area and blinded all of the attackers, shrieks heard from the Diamond Dogs. They were able to recover quick…

…only to discover that the victims were gone.




***




From inside the hallway of one of the Canterlot Castle towers came a massive burst of blue light. Immediately the group appeared… only to be surrounded by globs of the dark matter. The globs instantly became aggressive, and began to both attack and fuse together.

Spike, Chrysalis, and Starlight all got to work on eradicating it while Pinkie held her bazooka in defense of her and Fluttershy.

“If you brought us here from a long distance… then you could have brought us here from the start!” Chrysalis realized.

Starlight vaporized a small glob as it was about to leap for her face. “Look, I wanted to be closer where teleporting us here had a better chance of being successful! But now’s not the time to find ways to criticize me!”

Within’ the next few seconds the globs were finally gone. But it didn’t end there. From down the hallway, there was the sound of an approaching enemy. Everyone froze, but Starlight was prepared for a last resort.

“Get in! Quick!” she hissed, opening the nearest door that lead to a guest bedroom.

They all did as they were told and got in, with the room luckily being empty. The door shut right as a guard pony turned down the hall.

His attention was piqued and he limped over to the room, and stood in front of the door, entirely motionless. Slowly, due to both mindlessness and taunting, he opened the doors.

The room was empty.

The guard pony tilted his head and proceeded to search. The corruption allowed him to sense another pretense of the room, someone that continued to refuse to submit to the darkness.

The guard pony only got closer. His assumptions were correct… there were indeed survivors in the room. But they were all concealed into invisibility by Starlight’s magic, and if it weren’t for him sensing Chrysalis’ presence, he likely wouldn’t even be searching.

And Chrysalis realized that. If it weren’t for her… would plenty of their encounters have been avoided?

Her mind didn’t have much more for time to think about that. If nobody did something soon, someone was going to get corrupted, and it would spell disaster for the whole mission.

Suddenly, the guard’s blank eyes were met with a searing blue light, and all of a sudden, he was no longer in the room.

Starlight brought the cloaking spell to the end and proceeded to close all the curtains and shut the doors.

“Wow!” Pinkie beamed while looking out one of the windows. “That’s a lot of corrupted ponies down there!”

Starlight quickly moved Pinkie out of the way and shut the curtain.

“We don’t have long…” Chrysalis realized. “The chances are high that the slightest contact with us will allow any corrupted victim to send that message to others. Like a hive mind.”

“Well then we need to think of something quick!” exclaimed Starlight.

“No. You all stay here and stay hidden. I’m going alone.”

“What?! Why!?” Spike asked.

“Perhaps it is possible that they can sense anyone. But it is even more likely that they could sense me! I may have control, but this corruption is still a part of me… I’m linked to them. I wouldn’t even be surprised if I was indirectly responsible for some of our attacks!”

“Oh come on! That’s crazy talk!” Pinkie assured.

“No. No it isn’t.”

“But… we don’t even know where the diamond is,” Fluttershy said.

“She’s right,” said Spike. “All that book said was that it was somewhere that had to be guarded by Ponies and I don’t think any of us… have ever seen it in… a museum…”

He paused. Something crossed his mind and he was deep in thought as a flashback of the day before the attack crossed his mind.




___


*Flashback*


___




“It’s hard to believe that this is where we’re going to live…” Twilight sighed as the both of them toured the castle. “I miss home already and we haven’t even moved out yet…”

Spike patted Twilight. “Yeah, it’s pretty hard to believe. I never knew we’d actually reach this point. So many memories…”

“Yeah. Like here.” 

Twilight and Spike stopped. They both stood in front of a familiar door, gold frame around it and a sun in the middle of the door.

“Why here?” Spike inquired.

“Just wanted to look at it. I do want to see everything around here.”

“Well I am getting memories just from looking at it… the Elements being stored here for a while, Discord’s first attack… feels like that was ages ago.”

“Princess Celestia told me that the Elements weren’t the only things kept in here.”

“Wait… really?”

Twilight nodded. “Ponies were trusted to keep an artifact that would be used in case some big event happened… I don’t remember seeing it in here… either because it’s just really bright in there or it’s hidden really good.”

“What was the artifact?”

“Hm. I don’t know. That’s all she told me.”

Twilight and Spike both looked at the door for a few more seconds before the former spoke up.

“We should probably head back.”

“Yeah, it’s gonna get late soon,” said Spike.

They turned and left.

“Hey Twilight… Do you ever feel like Chrysalis, Tirek, and Cozy Glow won’t be the last big threat Equestria has had?…” asked Spike.

“Well endless safety is never a guarantee… but if anything does happen, we’ll be there together with the others to stop it. But… something tells me Equestria will be a peaceful place for a long time...”

“And if anything happens, I know you’ll be there to stop it.”

Twilight smiled.



___


*End of Flashback*


___



Remembering those final lines before being brought back to reality hurt. Not only was Equestria under a threat that was even greater than the last one, but Twilight wasn’t there this time. Somewhere out there, she was among those that were after the group.

But Spike’s emotions got shafted with the reason why he reminisced in the first place.

“Spike? What’s wrong?” Fluttershy asked.

Starlight couldn’t help but peek out of the curtains. Although she was far, she could indeed see the corrupted ponies and creatures scattered throughout, blobs of corruption on the buildings.

Her spine shivered when she realized that even before she looked out, they were all staring at them.

“We need to hurry!”

Spike finally spoke up. “I know where the diamond is.”

“You do?!” Pinkie screeched. “Where!?”

“Where Princess Celestia used to keep the Elements of Harmony! This door in one of the towers! I remember Twilight telling me that she kept something else there! Maybe it’s the diamond!” 

Noise began to fill the halls.

“Ooh! Fluttershy and I know where it is!” Pinkie bounced.

“I do too!” Starlight exclaimed. “We got to go there, and we got to do it now!”

“But I don’t think it’s safe to teleport there!” Spike shouted.

Chrysalis grouped everyone together and immediately summoned a green forcefield-shield around them all.

“We’ll work with this and see what goes! If anything happens I take responsibility! Now let’s go!”

Starlight, slightly surprised at what Chrysalis said, quickly teleported them all away, right as corrupted ponies broke through the doors and windows.




***




Everyone was expecting the hallway to be filled with darkness or surrounded by ponies. But instead they were met with emptiness, the hallway seeming like nothing was there.

Chrysalis didn’t like it one bit. She looked around to ensure it was safe, refusing to put down the forcefield.

“Um… Chrysalis, you can put it down now…” Fluttershy said.

Chrysalis did so, but she made her feelings clear. “I heavily distrust this.”

“Look!” Spike pointed at the door. “There it is!”

They all approached the door.

“And… how do you open this door?” Chrysalis asked, eyes still searching the room.

“Celestia puts her horn in the center and uses her magic…” Spike explained. “But she’s not-“

Starlight stepped forward “I got this…” 

She made her way to the door and got on her hind hooves so she could reach for the center. She lowered her neck, aiming her horn for the center, and she put it in. For a moment, her horn glowed, before she then removed it. Light crawled along the lines of the sun in the center and spread throughout the whole door, all six circles lighting up. Slowly, the door opened, blinding everyone with the beaming light.

All there was amidst the dimming light inside was an empty pedestal.

“I don’t see a trace of it anywhere,” Chrysalis said. “Are you truly certain that it’s in there?”

Spike went to look, going through the doors exploring the inside of the tiny area. As he expected but didn’t want to believe, there was nothing there. Defeated, he joined back with the others.

“You’re right. I don’t see it either…” he spoke. “Maybe the Princess moved it…”

Starlight realized something. “Or maybe not..”

Using her magic, she grabbed the pedestal and attempted to move it. For a moment she struggled, but all of a sudden, it began to budge.

“Chrysalis! Help!”

Chrysalis rolled her eyes but she helped anyway. With the two of them working together, they were able to pull up the pedestal with ease, revealing a small hole underneath.

Spike quickly returned to the spot and looked into the hole.

“There’s a chest in here!”

Starlight joined her friend and raised the chest out.

“Want the honors?” she asked.

Spike nodded, and with all his strength, he opened the chest. A large smile grew on his face. Inside the chest was a massive diamond, resting snugly on the pillow. He laughed in hope and victory, and Starlight raised the diamond high.

“We did it!” Spike gleefully celebrated. “We found it!”

“Yippee!” Pinkie cheered, her foreleg wrapped around Fluttershy while she bounced. “Now let’s go save-“

Something suddenly crashed through the ceiling and into the hall, bringing the brief moment of hope and happiness to a sudden end. It was yet another corrupted individual, nearly completely covered in the black matter.

But something felt different.

This one was familiar.

The corruption completely coating the pony’s body only retreated enough to allow a reveal of her mangled and twisted appearance, her wrinkled face, messy mane and tail, and singular glaring magenta eye. 

Spike remembered seeing this mare plenty of times, but how she was back then was a far cry back then from what she’s become now… both physically and mentally.

In fear, he uttered her name. “T-Twilight?…”

Indeed it was her, having finally reunited with Spike the first time since this whole… apocalypse started. Twilight remained unmoving, the fizzling corruption on her body being all that did so.

Starlight slowly shook her head, disbelieved at what she saw of her friend. “No… that’s not Twilight. Whatever this thing is… it’s a far cry from who Twilight used to be.”
> C̷h̴a̴p̷t̴e̷r̵ ̵2̸0̷:̴ ̵D̵a̶r̶k̶n̸e̷s̷s̵ ̵i̴s̸ ̷M̴a̸g̴i̷c̷
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Twilight's appearance was different compared to previous opponents. Although there have been multiple unsettling appearances from the previous enemies, they didn't compare to the monstrosity that stood across from them. Both of her eyes weren't blank spheres, but rather, coated with the dark matter, with a blazing magenta pupil from her right eye staring directly at them. Her neck and legs were stretched, her skin was shriveled, and her neck and abdomen were horribly thin, the shape of her ribs and spine visible. Within' her mouth were long white teeth, that even in darkness could still be seen clearly.

Twilight’s head cocked to the side and her singular, bright magenta pupil shifted glances between all five survivors. Then, her sinister gaze shifted to the diamond, and her head tilted to the other side.

Realization struck Starlight and Chrysalis, and the former quickly grabbed the diamond and held it close.

Sparks burst from Twilight’s horn as it proceeded to glow with its magenta aura, the dark matter on the horn slightly fizzling as if reacting. She attempted to take the diamond from Starlight, her magic’s strength clearly superior.

Chrysalis quickly attempted to help, but Twilight only brought greater strength, still pulling the diamond closer to her with more ease than resistance. With nothing else to do, Starlight shot the diamond with a bolt of magic, and it was gone in seconds.

“There. You can't take it from us now!" proclaimed Starlight.

"Where did it go! Did you really think that all the way through?!" Chrysalis spat.

"I don't know! We need to get to it before she does something else!” Starlight’s horn lit up as Twilight stared, remaining oddly motionless, though her horn continued to remain ignited.

“Is it weird that Twilight’s just standing there not doing anything?…” Pinkie asked, seeming a little bit less in her usual chipper state of mind than before, as if the weight of all that has happened was slowly starting to finally affect her.

Starlight’s horn remained aglow, but still nothing was happening. A small cackle began to emit from Twilight, a cackle so unlike her it separated her even more from who she was.

“I… I can’t get us out of here!” Starlight realized.

Chrysalis attempted to try using her own magic to help them leave, but it didn’t do a thing. “She blocked off our magic!”

Twilight took a shot at the group, the blast of magic incredibly massive and threatening, prompting them all to get out of the way. Luckily, nobody got hit, but the tip of Fluttershy’s tail was horribly singed off. The blast went right through the open doorway, and out into the dark night sky, the magic’s light getting more distant the further it got. Twilight continued to laugh, and it was only getting louder. She glanced at Starlight, grinning maliciously, and shoved the unicorn into the corner, the impact incredibly rough. Immediately after, Twilight blasted her.

“STARLIGHT!!!” Pinkie called out.

Because she knew she couldn’t teleport or run, Starlight attempted to use her magic as a last resort. A large shield popped up in front of her, and the massive surge of magic was enough to break it on impact. But luckily nothing got past, and Starlight was perfectly okay.

That’s when it dawned on Starlight.

“She only took away our ability to teleport!” Starlight explained.

“Something tells me she wants us to fight for our lives first before anything more…” Chrysalis mumbled.

Twilight took one step back from the group, her maniacal laughter now bellowing. She then started to change.

She started to grow.

“What’s happening!?” Spike shrieked.

Twilight’s body twisted, contorted, and snapped as her already malformed body grew in size, exceeding what was supposed to be natural. The group all stared at her in horror as crackles of magic sparked around Twilight, as if she was about to burst. Fearing the worst, Starlight manifested a forcefield, having no other options to leave safely. A massive shockwave of magic was released, the magic fortunately passing over the forcefield. The tall walls of the tower were instantly reduced to massive chunks of debris launched in every which way, scattering all around the city of Canterlot, and even beyond. When it finally ended, Twilight stood tall, as large as a Bugbear.

“Do we… do we have to fight her?…” Fluttershy asked, backing away.

Starlight sighed, lowering the forcefield. “She's powerful... maybe more than Celestia herself, but... it’s the only way. If we go now, she’ll follow us… if we want to all make it out of here alive, this is the only option.”

“Sometimes… you don’t have a choice…” Chrysalis proclaimed. “Sometimes you have to do what you must!”

Chrysalis charged forward, and Twilight struck again, her horn releasing multiple different forms of attacks targeting everyone. Starlight helped defend her friends, blocking whatever was coming their way with a magic forcefield. Chrysalis head-on split the blast targeted for her in two as she continued making the dash to Twilight. She leapt, flew, and attacked, shooting Twilight only for the corrupted mare to hold up a hoof in an effort to block the blow. With ease she grabbed Chrysalis with her magic and launched her straight for the others.

Starlight was prepared to do something else, but as it turned out, she didn’t need to. With some well-executed maneuvers, Chrysalis was able to land on her hooves, now standing in front of her allies. She charged again.

Starlight finally decided to join Chrysalis, letting out an “I’m sorry Twilight!”

All Spike, Pinkie, and Fluttershy did was watch as the two known rivals worked together to fight Twilight, pulling out every attack she had, with Starlight and Chrysalis somehow managing to evade their doom.

“Oh dear…” Fluttershy gasped.

“We have to help them!” exclaimed Spike.

“Or at least we need to do what we can to help!” Pinkie pointed out.

“But I don’t know what I can do…” Fluttershy said. “Maybe it would be best if I stayed here...”

“But then if you stay here, and we go out, nobody will help you if you’re in-“ Spike stopped when he noticed the approaching shadow from above him. “LOOK OUT!”

Guard ponies were dive-bombing at the trio from above, already getting close.

“Looks like we’ve got our own issues to deal with!” Pinkie took out her party bazooka and immediately fired multiple rounds of cake, releasing a battle cry that consisted of mere chaotic screams.

Spike went into action as well, fighting off the attackers with fire breath. Although the breath was strong, his lungs began to sting, the overuse of it throughout the night beginning to take its toll. But he managed.

As for Fluttershy, she ducked down. But Pinkie and Spike were already on either side of her, allowing her to feel safer.

More guard ponies went to attack from all directions at their sides. Pinkie took quick notice, prompting her to take immediate action. She threw her bazooka aside and grabbed Spike, aiming him like a weapon, and with the multiple pulls of his tail, great big flames flew out of his throat. Pinkie’s quick, unimaginable speed allowed her to scare off or defeat ponies that were just mere inches away from touching them.

As it happened, Starlight and Chrysalis continued to hold their own against Twilight, and although it was a miracle they were managing, great struggle was inevitable. Twilight was not just powerful and large, but she was fast as well, usually going back and forth between Starlight, Chrysalis, and both. When it came to Starlight, because she couldn’t teleport, she had to rely purely on levitation and especially defense magic every time Twilight attacked in a nearly unavoidable manner, raising some form of protection every time Twilight went for her.

Chrysalis had it easier, twice using changeling magic to transform into different tiny things when Twilight was about to attack her. On other occasions, Chrysalis also resorted to defensive magic. As the fight carried on, and after multiple failed attempts resulting in a continuous battle, Chrysalis and Starlight were beside each other, and Twilight once again sent a massive, deadly beam of magic right their way. Chrysalis and Starlight engaged in a collaborative attack, combining both magic blasts as both a defense against the attack, and an offense as an effort to not only defend themselves, but hopefully overpower Twilight. Although the defense purpose was successful, the offense goal was a failure, and the fight carried on, Twilight seemingly getting impatient and angry.

The dark matter covering Twilight’s body got more unstable as she got more aggressive. Limbs began to spring out from her mouth and/or body, nearly catching one of the enemies multiple times, last-minute actions being taken every time, with either Starlight or Chrysalis slicing whatever went after them into pieces. Twilight even resorted to throwing rubble at the two, which was instantly obliterated the moment they both noticed.

Only once did a tendril succeed in landing a successful hit, and that was with Chrysalis. In seconds it wrapped around her, and then brutally threw her into a broken pillar.

“CHRYSALIS!” Starlight called out but she couldn’t help. And without Chrysalis’ help, Starlight was unfortunately unable to fare as well as she did before. Within moments, Twilight had Starlight by the tail.

Meanwhile, for the other three, attackers finally stopped coming, allowing Pinkie to finally put Spike down.

“That was insane!” Spike exclaimed, eyes spinning out of dizziness. “Never do that again.”

Pinkie smiled. “Okay!”

The happy mood came to a quick interruption when Starlight was suddenly flung past the group. She hit the top of the doorway, causing her body to flip as it fell to the ground in front of the broken pillar.

Everyone looked and saw Twilight approaching. Chrysalis was lying on the ground behind her, clearly struggling to get up. They returned their focus to Starlight, blood running down her head as she groaned in a daze, not getting up.

“Starlight!” Fluttershy squeaked. She put her hooves on the unicorn and proceeded to shake her in a desperate attempt to help her recover.

Spike, though hesitant, let out a wave of fire to Twilight, hoping to at the very least make her back off. It did nothing, and all four of them were raised with her magic, as if Twilight wanted to salivate their last moments.

“Chrysalis!” Spike shrieked. “Help!”

Chrysalis trembled as she got up, her body even more coated with the twisted dark matter. Her normal pupil was gone, and her grin was wide, but after one quick head twitch, both of those features vanished, and she took back control.

“PUT THEM DOWN!!!” she bellowed. Horn lit and sharp teeth bared in rage, Chrysalis rushed for Twilight, flying off the ground for an air attack.

Twilight’s head spun a 180 turn, her eye’s glare meeting Chrysalis’. Tendrils grew from all around her body, as well as from the ground beneath their hooves, every single one of them intent on impaling Chrysalis.

She dodged each and every one, as if she saw them coming. As if, although the increasing darkness throughout her body made it more difficult to control herself, it also gave her more power. More senses. More agility. Her horn shimmered once more, multiple rays of magic slicing through every tendril. She finally made her way to Twilight, about to shoot out her eye, when the top of Twilight's head suddenly snapped back. A tentacle darted out from her gaping mouth, successfully impaling Chrysalis right through the chest, eliciting screams from her allies.

But Chrysalis refused to back down, continuing to stare at Twilight in rage. Twilight's head turned to the rest of the group, her grin spreading wider.

Chrysalis had one more option, one she hesitated to do, but thoughts circled around her head as time seemed to slow down.

"I'm losing control..." she thought to herself. "The more it makes contact with me, the more my mentality slips. And now, it's in my body, touching my organs, spreading throughout my blood... I can't last much longer... it's getting to be too much... so maybe I can try and help them survive. I hate them with every fiber of my soul... their ways disgust me... but they are the world's last chances."

Chrysalis' body was shrouded in green swirling magic, expanding rapidly as she transformed, and when the process came to an end, she was a massive Bugbear. Instantly she wrapped her arms around Twilight, one arm grabbing the horn, proceeding to break it off, causing the magic holding the hostages to fade and let them go. Twilight took a leap, allowing herself to fall on her own back where Chrysalis was latched. Chrysalis roared, rolled, and shoved Twilight off of her, the force successfully pushing Twilight out of what remained of the tower, sending her falling to the ground below. In an effort to buy time, she used her magic and sent multiple chunks of debris to plummet towards Twilight.

Her allies all got up.

“Quick! We gotta get out of here!” Spike shouted. “While we still can!”

“I can’t g̵o̶,” Chrysalis spoke, her voice containing a slight trace of scratchiness. Twilight was already recovering.

“What? Why?!” Pinkie asked.

“ L̵o̶o̶k̵ at me…” she said. “I feel physically strong, but my mental strength is s̸l̷i̶p̷p̷i̶n̷g̶ ̷a̴w̸a̴y̵…̵“

“No! That’s not going to happen!” Spike stomped. “You’re Queen Chrysalis! You don’t obey! It obeys you! Nothing controls you! You just have to fight it.”

“An admirable statement, and once a true one…” Chrysalis felt her head throb. “But it won’t be long before it’s t̷o̷o̷ ̶l̵a̸t̷e̸…̷ it’s in my own flesh and blood. I may despise you… but if you are what this world needs, I refuse to get in the way. The best I can do is fight her, and keep us botho̵u̵t̸ ̸o̴f̷ ̶y̸o̷u̴r̷ ̶w̸a̷y̷.̸ ̴ Now leave.”

Twilight returned, horn having grown back more twisted before, and without hesitation she began attacking, forcing Chrysalis to immediately get into defense. She pulled no punches, turning into an Ursa Minor and tackling Twilight, sending them both collapsing on a cluster of buildings. Twilight again attempted to stab Chrysalis with multiple tendrils, but she instantly grabbed the whole cluster and tugged until they tore apart.

Her allies only watched as the fight ensued, hesitating to run. However, Starlight finally managed to recover enough to bring back the reality that they shouldn’t stay, but run.

“We can’t stay for much longer…” she said, her voice indicating that she was still recovering.

“She’s right! We need to get out of here,” declared Spike.

“How?” Fluttershy asked.

Starlight thought it all over, but then noticed Twilight’s old severed horn on the ground, slowly growing spider legs and getting completely covered by the darkness as it started to transform. Starlight quickly obliterated it before the process continued, stopping a massive issue before it began.

And then it occurred to her.

“Wait! Chrysalis breaking off Twilight’s horn… and now me destroying it…” she pondered. “I think we can get out of here!”

“So… I guess we’re going without Chrysalis?” Pinkie asked.

“She doesn’t want us to even take her,” said Spike. “She said it herself that it’s gotten too risky to have her around. Maybe… maybe we should let her stay like she wanted. All we really need to do is make the final trip a quick one.”

Noises were heard, and attention was brought to the many corrupted ponies that successfully climbed up the tower and onto the top floor where the group stood. It was clearly apparent that there were more than it seemed, and they continued to multiply as the group was surrounded in seconds.

“Hurry!” Spike exclaimed.

“I hope Twilight forgot to recast the spell…” Starlight mumbled. Her horn began to glow as she prepared to teleport.

Everyone got close to Starlight as the crowd closed in. It felt as if they were going to get unlucky.

But then, Starlight’s horn burst and they all disappeared.

The crowd stopped moving, and their focus shifted to the brawl between Chrysalis and Twilight. After Chrysalis once again knocked Twilight down into a nearby building, she returned to normal and flew over her, staring down at her with no emotions. Twilight got back up and glared at her.

“Such a turn of events…” Chrysalis said out loud. “Never would have I expected to have to save this world from you.”

She turned into an Ursa Minor and tackled Twilight right as the Alicorn was about to attack, and with Twilight pinned on the ground, she swung a massive paw at her jaw. The hit was powerful, but it did little, and Twilight shoved Chrysalis off with ease. The brawl raged, as they continuously damaged the city around them from either magic or tackling/shoving one another into any nearby structure. Corrupted ponies were crushed multiple times, only to get back up again.

Green light would illuminate the city every time Chrysalis transformed into something, or used her combat magic against Twilight. Twilight on the other hoof, proceeded to be far more ruthless, attempting to use physical attacks that would nearly result in complete mutilation. During their brawl, Chrysalis returned to her Bugbear appearance, and managed put Twilight through a headlock. Without hesitation, she rammed her into the nearest structure. Both of them crashed right through, and Chrysalis tossed Twilight into a cluster of smaller structures. Twilight didn’t seem to struggle to get up, only for her to spring at Chrysalis in a sudden, alarming rate, and successfully plunge her horn into Chrysalis’ abdomen.

Chrysalis shrieked, and aggressively brought her elbow down into the back of Twilight’s neck, which did little. She returned to her normal form, and fell to the ground, managing to move her wings and hover to save herself last-minute.

She sat down, panting, Twilight’s second stab to her wound draining her focus to a mere sliver. Her head throbbed as if her brain was being squeezed and her vision was reduced to a pinhole. She felt seething pain, but at the same time great relief as both wounds in her chest remained.

For once, she knew what it was like to give up. Her mouth etched into a smile.

And then she glanced at Twilight, who seemed to enjoy watching Chrysalis suffer and again struggle to fight back.

Chrysalis’ smile faded and she growled. If Twilight wanted to win, Chrysalis would have to go down fighting, not quitting! And as long as Chrysalis didn’t quit, there was a chance her allies could save Equestria in time before she too finally lost.

Chrysalis, her anger and determination feeling as though it endured a supercharge, turned into a Roc and charged at Twilight. Twilight’s wings opened and she too flew at her, their charge at each other ending in a simultaneous tackle. Their brutal battle continued. Crowds of corrupted victims either watched or stared, or they’d attempt to help Twilight, only to get instantly sidelined by Chrysalis, or even Twilight, the latter doing so because she wanted the honors to beat Chrysalis. 

Everything seemed endless, and with Chrysalis’ charged refusal to give up standing strong, and Twilight’s persistence to win, it seemed as though there would be no victor for a long time. Both were powerful, both were strong, and both were ready for whatever the enemy was going to do next. 

But eventually, it ended, and the dust settled as the victor stood near their defeated foe.
> Chapter 21: No Going Back
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The lack of life aside from the vegetation and trees under the night sky was disrupted when from out of the blue, Starlight appeared, her friends all bunched close to her. They were back to where, for most of them, their journey took an important turn… the Treehouse of Harmony, looking exactly as it did before. Spike was the first to break free from the group, exploring the surroundings.

"We’re- we’re back at the Treehouse?… Wait!” He instantly remembered that something was missing. “The diamond! Starlight, where did you bring it?!"

Starlight looked around for a brief moment, navigating their surroundings. Just then, she smirked, and pulled something large and shiny out of some nearby bushes, the reflection from the moonlight gleaming all around.

"The diamond!" Pinkie exclaimed.

"But..." Fluttershy started to say, only for Starlight to instantly answer the upcoming question.

"I wasn't just going to make this adventure take longer," Starlight explained. "I just had to get it out of there, remember where I sent it, and bring us there too when or if I could."

"So we have our gems, and for the moment, we're safe..." Spike paced around as he mumbled. "Now we need to know where to take them."

"It says here..." Pinkie began, holding the book, which caught the others by surprise. "That it's somewhere in a system of caverns underneath the Everfree Forest..."

"Which is where we are now," Starlight said. 

"Well, that's convenient," said Spike. He approached Pinkie and took a glance at the pages she was reading. "Hm. It doesn't really say much about where in the caverns... or where they even are in the first place."

Pinkie flipped to the next page as Starlight and Fluttershy approached them, deciding to see what was in the book as well. 

“Ooh!” Pinkie exclaimed. “Sketches!”

“Could this be where we need to go?” Fluttershy asked, placing her hoof on the first page. There was a rough sketch, but they were still able to make it out as an entrance to a cave.

“Maybe…” Starlight mumbled.

Fluttershy didn’t take her eyes off of it. In fact, when Pinkie was about to turn to the next page, Fluttershy gently placed her hoof on Pinkie’s to prompt her to stop.

“I know that place,” she said. “I’ve seen it.”

“You have?” Spike asked. “When?”

“Well, it’s been a while but… Discord and I once went on a walk that went throughout the entire forest. We stopped at the Treehouse, took multiple turns, and I remember us passing by this cavern…”

“Is it a bit of a stretch to ask if you remember the directions?” inquired Starlight.

“Well… like I said, it’s been quite some time…  I remember it being in a more open area of the forest though… is that helpful?”

“It’s a start,” Spike nodded. “What about when you left the Treehouse? Do you remember the direction you took?”

“I believe we took a left when we left the Treehouse… again, most of it I can’t fully remember. Maybe it’ll come back to me as we go.”

“I hope so,” said Starlight. “Do you want to lead the way or…”

“Maybe I should… it's better that way if I start remembering where we went.”

“I’ll be beside you, then. Just in case anything attacks out of nowhere. We can’t risk losing you.”

“Especially since we got you back with that super-sweet song!” Pinkie exclaimed.

Fluttershy couldn’t help but softly smile. “I’m still thankful for that… being corrupted is scary… just as scary as seeing them.”

Their journey began, and their conversation continued.

“What was it like?…” Spike asked, not just directing to Fluttershy, but to Starlight as well. “Being one of them?”

Both mares exchanged looks. Fluttershy’s ears dropped as Starlight began to answer.

“Your mind… I don’t know how to rightfully explain it but… it just grows into something warped. Twisted. Everything that made you, you, is gone, with whatever is leftover being used and amplified by the entity to use against you or simply taunt you. Sometimes you see nothing…” 

Fluttershy suddenly spoke. “Sometimes… you see everything…”

“Sometimes your mind is brought into a state of unconsciousness, with no dreams, only leaving you in an endless void that seems to go on forever…” Starlight continued.

Fluttershy’s voice had a tinge of shakiness when she proceeded to speak again. “Sometimes you’re unlucky enough to see. No thoughts. No chances of moving or speaking. All you do is see, while the state of your mind is left with nothing. You can’t think. That’s been taken away with everything else, and yet it still sometimes allows some of us to see anyway, even if we have no thoughts to react with…”

“It doesn’t stop there… somehow, even when left in a state of no thoughts, feelings, choices, or in some cases sight, you can still feel the pain, anything inflicted on you by others.”

“Or, something much worse… you can feel the pain when the darkness changes your body in ways I don't even want to say in detail… when it makes your body literally tear itself apart in ways that should be lethal… when it elongates any part of your body like your limbs or your abdomen. And… maybe even more. No matter what, there’s that horrible feeling of physical pain…”

“And it follows you,” Starlight concluded. “Even when you’re finally free.” 

Tense silence surrounded the group, the reliving memories impacting Starlight and especially Fluttershy, while all that Spike and Pinkie heard continued to settle. The most chilling part of it all was Fluttershy’s description of what she knew. The words she used, the chilled tone… was being corrupted really that horrible in the eyes of the victim if Fluttershy was clearly scarred by it? Maybe it was.

They found a split in the path and Fluttershy paused.

“Hmmm… wait… I might know. This way.”

And she led them through the left path. Nothing but silence rippled throughout the group until Pinkie let her thoughts loose.

“I don’t want that impostor to win…” 

“Who- oh, right-“ Starlight realized. “I was told about that…”

“We’re not going to lose you, Pinkie,” Spike promised. “We’re staying together.”

Pinkie smiled, but was then silent for a little while longer. Another question lingered, and she spoke without hesitation.

“Do you think Chrysalis is okay?”

More looks were exchanged, this time including everybody, as if they searched for an answer they knew they wouldn’t get.

“I don’t know…” Starlight finally said, her eyes back on the path. “She’s tough, though. If she is the only one we know that fought back the darkness, maybe she could escape… I hope.”

“Wait… I think I remember now!” Fluttershy exclaimed. “This way.”

She moved, a little bit faster but not too fast, and everyone else kept up. Once or twice she paused to think, but then picked back up the pace.

When the cave finally caught her eye, it caught everyone else’s eye, and they all approached it, standing in front of the massive opening. Just to be sure, Starlight took a few steps back, peeked at the book, and then peeked back up.

“Yep. This is it.”

“I guess we go now, huh?” Pinkie asked.

“Hm.” Starlight flipped to the next page. “Aha!”

Spike’s head tilted and he approached the mare. “What is it now?” 

“Look here.” Starlight presented her findings to the whole group. It looked like a maze, a circle at the bottom where it appeared to start, and a circle in the top right corner of the right page. “The cavern’s like a maze. This right here is a map of it. This circle looks like our starting point. We then follow the path and take the correct turns until we get here…” Starlight tapped the other circle. “This might be where we’re going.”

“Only one way to find out. Let’s go.”

From the distance, a familiar hiss echoed from afar.

“Quickly!” Pinkie exclaimed.

And they all ran into the cave. As the light quickly faded into dark, they slowed down and stopped. Starlight’s horn lit even brighter, casting an illumination spell all around them. She glanced at the book.

“Follow me.”

She made her way throughout the cave, the others following closely. Their pace was quick, but in an effort to keep up, they had to maintain some slowness as well. Starlight rarely faced forward, continuously looking around to ensure that she didn’t miss any turns.

Barely any words were spoken, Starlight being the only one to speak, at occasions where she found the next turn. Everyone remained close, closer than before, not just because of the light source around them, but out of the desire to protect.

At some point, Spike couldn’t help but ask, “How much farther do we have?”

“Around halfway there,” Starlight answered. “We’ll be there soon.”

Quiet echos filled the cave for only mere seconds, before complete silence aside from the hoofsteps (and footsteps) returned. But it only lasted as long as the echos did, because once again, the same hiss from outside faintly purred from the darkness. Everyone stopped where they stood, having no idea on whether to stay, go forward, or go back. Their breathing either slowed or stopped, their chests thumping as a result of their increased heartbeats. 

The distant growl didn’t get louder nor quieter, staying as is. The survivors all listened to the best of their ability, but nothing changed.

Then, it stopped. It didn’t fade out, instead entering an abrupt silence. The group all looked at each other, each of their expressions being a similar one of tense stress or fear. They gave it a second, before Starlight moved to continue onwards, her friends moving along with her. 

But before Starlight could take that first step, everyone saw the glaring blue eye from the distance in the dark. Pinkie took the book from Starlight while the latter got into an instant attack pose along with Spike.

“You!” he exclaimed, fists tightly clenched.

No response. The blue eye remained motionless.

Fluttershy cowered beside Pinkie Pie, the pink mare expressing clearly that she’s ready to protect anyone if she had to.

After moments of the source of the blue glare remaining unresponsive, Starlight took her shot, shooting the enemy with her magic. However, the enemy fought back, shooting a familiar-colored bolt of their own magic that obliterated Starlight’s. Fluttershy and Spike felt a magic aura envelop their tails, with Pinkie and Starlight feeling it tug their hair, and before they could even look, all four of them were slammed against the cave walls, the illumination spell from Starlight meeting an instant end.

Starlight scrambled to get up and reignite the spell, and the sound of something running by her and someone getting struck made her even more frantic. The back of her head throbbed, making it difficult to fully focus on her spell.

“STARLIGHT! I CAN’T SEE!” Pinkie wailed.

“I’m working on it!” exclaimed Starlight. She was finally able to bring back the illumination spell, allowing her to see Spike, having just got up, and Pinkie, apparently having been frantic due to the blackout. Her head was bleeding, likely due to the impact on the cave wall.

Fluttershy was nowhere to be seen, and it didn’t take long for that to change. At the edge of the light further in the cave, Fluttershy’s body was seen, lying motionless. Presented on her entire side for everyone to see was three massive scratch marks, leaking both blood and dark matter. 

“Fluttershy!” Spike cried. 

The blue eye opened again behind her.

“That can’t be my impostor…” said Pinkie.

“No…” Starlight replied. “It’s not.”

A second eye opened, this one magenta, but instead of being beside the blue eye, it was above the eye to the left in a diagonal-like manner.

“Who are you?…”

The attacker moved into the light, its legs stepping over Fluttershy’s body.

Everyone gasped, seeing as to who it was. Their hopes fell, and their fear grew.

Queen Chrysalis stood in front of them, completely corrupted, and looking far more horrifically sinister then she ever had in the past. 

After she had been able to control it for so long, the corruption finally claimed her for itself.
> C̸h̴a̵p̵t̴e̴r̴ ̷2̴2̶:̸ ̸T̴h̶e̷ ̴E̶v̸i̸l̷ ̸Q̵u̸e̷e̶n̵
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chrysalis' warped appearance felt just as unsettling as Twilight's had, and in some ways it was even more unnatural. She stood on her hind legs, resulting in her horn being mere inches away from scraping the dirt and rock above. Her limbs, like Twilight’s, were shriveled, and five long, twisted claws grew out of her right front hoof. Her left hoof also sprouted four extra claws, though those claws were manifested from the dark matter that covered it. Her wounds oozed the dark matter, and there were visible vein-like areas on her body, as if the corruption wanted to show that it was literally in her blood. Her left eye was blank, while her right eye was filled with Corruption and had an all too familiar magenta eye glaring from it. Her mouth was filled with jagged teeth that remained open, allowing a blazing blue eye from inside her mouth to stare.

She didn't give them even a second to speak, acknowledge what became of her, nothing. She instantly got on all fours and dashed right for them, horn ablaze, her movements resembling a combination of a mindless wild animal and a fighter of massive intellect. With instinct while knowing it was futile, Starlight, Spike, and Pinkie all ran, but moments later, they had to do something else. Starlight took Spike with her magic and went off to the side, getting as close to the cave wall as they could, and Pinkie did the exact same thing. Chrysalis swiped her newly grown fingers as she passed, and stopped moments after she missed, immediately turning around.

Before Starlight could do anything else, Chrysalis used magic to snatch her, and with great strength, brutally slammed her into the cave wall multiple times, causing the light from Starlight’s horn to go out and leave them in more darkness, though Chrysalis’ magic and her two different colored eyes still dimly illuminated the area. Spike stepped forward, breathing fire at Chrysalis, causing her to hiss and throw Starlight down the cave, the unicorn landing close to Fluttershy. Starlight struggled to get back up, lying on the ground in pain, while Fluttershy, believed to have been unconscious, slowly started to get up as she emitted a hiss.

Chrysalis’ magic faded away, leaving only her eyes as the best source of light that Spike and Pinkie could work with. 

Spike was about to continue fighting back against Chrysalis, but Pinkie instantly brought out her party bazooka once more, ready to fire, ready to strike down Chrysalis. She prepared to use it…

…only for the bazooka to then sputter and shake, spitting out a small glob of cake, the scent of vanilla and strawberry proceeding to fill the area. Pinkie’s eyes went wide upon instantly realizing that she was out of ammo.

Chrysalis snatched Pinkie’s bazooka from right out of her hooves, crushing it instantly with her magic, and throwing it right at Pinkie, hitting her square in the face and knocking her over. Pinkie coughed, a small tooth falling out from her gums.

Spike took his chance before Chrysalis tried anything else, but she took him with magic, slammed him on the top of the cave, and let him fall to the ground.

“Spike!” Pinkie shrieked, getting back up. 

Pinkie couldn’t do anything. She had no form of ammunition and no way to fight without risking corruption. But it didn’t matter either way, because she was next, and Chrysalis had now already raised her off the ground by lifting her splinted forearm with magic. Chrysalis ruthlessly bashed Pinkie against the wall on her left side, not letting go of her arm, and proceeded to whip her body around the air like a rag doll, causing her arm to slightly twist above the splint.

Starlight, meanwhile, had finally managed to muster up the strength to move and use some magic, rolling onto her flank and lighting her horn to light up the area once more with some difficult effort. At first Starlight was unaware that something was active behind her, but when she looked behind her, she was met with the nasty surprise. Fluttershy stood, her mouth was open wide, and her limbs were already in the process of turning into something more animal-like. Fluttershy slashed down her newly grown claws to strike, but Starlight had quickly mustered up all the strength she could to raise a protective wall of magic, one that didn’t seem like it was going to last long due to both Starlight keeping the cave lit, and her surge in weakness due to the damage she took.

Just then, the sound of a snap, and cries of pain, echoed through the cave. Keeping focus on her wall, Starlight looked behind her. Pinkie was no longer there. All that remained was her dismembered splinted arm that she waved in the air to taunt. A tendril then extended out of her mouth, took the arm, and dragged it inside, the blue eye glistening as if it wanted the arm the whole entire time, and craved more.

Chrysalis levitated Spike up to her, grabbing his wings with her magic. Starlight was about to go and save him, but Fluttershy broke through the wall, forcing Starlight to immediately put up another one. Quickly, Starlight decided to take her defense to the next level. In an effort to send Fluttershy back at least a small distance, she shattered the shield with a powerful force that went through Fluttershy's direction. The effort was successful, and the moment Fluttershy got up, Starlight hesitantly shot her down with a sleep spell.

As that happened, Spike's head lay low as he was unreceptive to Chrysalis' gaze. The beast pulled at Spike's wings, a familiar yet incredibly distorted and stuttered statement echoing through her gaping mouth as she did.

"̴T̵-̸t̶h̵e̸ d̴r̶a̵-̸d̷r̸a̵g̸o̵n̵-̶o̸n̸'̸s̴ w̴i̵n̸g̵s̷ g̵e̴t̷-̶g̴e̴t̷ p̷l̸u̴c̶k̶e̸d̷-̴e̸d̷!̶"̷

Spike's head suddenly raised up, his gaze and Chrysalis' meeting, and he instantly launched a fireball at her face from his throat. She shrieked, disoriented enough to the point where she let him go. But it didn't go without costs, as his already bad wing got twisted due to a reflex from Chrysalis' magic before it fizzled away and dropped him. He shrieked in pain but went ahead and proceeded to continue attacking Chrysalis with his fire breath as best as he could. Chrysalis didn't reel back for long, and instantly proceeded with enraged attacks. She swiped her claws down at Spike, forcing him to jump out of the way.

As it turned out though, he didn't entirely need to. Because as he jumped out of the way, Chrysalis was struck down by Starlight, having been too distracted by Spike to bother with one of her worst enemies. Picking up the dropped book on her way, Starlight stopped to allow Spike onto her back, and then proceeded to flee as fast as she could go, both of them desperate to come to Pinkie's aid. Neither of them bothered to make sure Chrysalis or Fluttershy stayed down. Chrysalis’ magenta eye opened back up, its searing light signifying her rage.

It didn’t take too long for Spike and Starlight to find Pinkie, lying on her side in agony while holding onto the malformed stump where her forearm once was. She suppressed tears, but it seemed like it would be futile.

“Pinkie!” Spike shrieked. He ran up to her. “Let me see. Trust me.”

Pinkie didn’t listen, either scared, or simply not listening.

Spike approached Pinkie closer and he knelt down. 

“Help me roll her on her back,” Spike said to Starlight.

Starlight did so, rolling the pink mare onto her back. Spike slowly picked up the stub and held it closer to himself. Quietly, he inhaled, and proceeded to attempt cauterizing the stub, breathing out a small streak of fire through pursed lips. Pinkie’s breathing quickened and her muscles tensed, not a single word being uttered.

“It’s almost over…” Starlight assured her, bending down close to her. “It’s almost over.”

Spike was done moments later, the stub no longer bleeding. Although it was a bit more burnt than Spike wanted, he still cauterized it successfully. Starlight tore off one of the sleeves from her suit, and wrapped it around the stub as a bandage the best she could.

“I want it to be over…” Pinkie whimpered.

Starlight levitated Pinkie onto her hooves and draped her remaining forearm around herself for support. “We just have to keep going. Good thing I remembered this…”

“Here, let me.” Spike took the book. 

“The next turn is there…” Starlight tapped on the page. “But we have to hurry.”

Spike nodded and led the way, and Pinkie moaned in pain as she hobbled down the cave while keeping her remaining arm around Starlight.

“Wait, Spike!” Starlight realized, stopping Spike where he was. She tore off her other sleeve and wrapped it around Spike’s twisted wing, bounding it to his back.

Spike smiles. “Thanks.”

Starlight smiled back, and they continued their trek.

Meanwhile, back down the cave, Chrysalis had gotten up, but didn’t chase down her enemies, only standing motionless. Suddenly, her head snapped to the side, and her arms twisted oddly, the bones in her neck and arms making uncomfortable sounds. Then they all twisted another way, and then another, before going dead, her head low and arms at her sides.

Then her horn flickered, and her head raised back up. Her all too familiar cackle croaked from her throat as the corruption on her body got more aggressive, her eyes shrunken into small, malformed pinpricks.

The pressure her horn built continued increasing, the magic glistening before it too began to fizzle and change as if it was more than just an average spell. 

When her laughter and the magic’s pressure hit its peak, Chrysalis released it, a massive beam bursting right through the top of the cavern, out through the trees, and into the sky. Although the sky was empty and devoid of anything to hit, the beam stopped as if there was. From the center of the beam, cracks along the sky began to spread, followed by a massive rift that expanded from the source of the beam each passing second. The rift inside looked to be nothing more than a fizzling mixture of a white, grey, and black texture, all of those colors and lines constantly moving and shifting. When Chrysalis was finished, the rift was half as big as the Everfree, maybe more.

The ground began to shake. And then it began to crack. Clumps of soil and rock began breaking away from the hole in the top of the cavern and floating upwards. But that was far from it. Larger chunks of ground began to break away throughout the whole forest, more holes in the cave being made as large pieces of the ground broke away and ascended to the sky.

The trio of survivors, though further down the cave, heard everything. They stopped in their tracks when they heard the echo of Chrysalis’ laughter, ready to continue defending themselves. When the ground shook, they frantically looked around, wondering what was happening, before continuing down the cave at a much faster pace. When it came to the phase of the ground breaking away and floating to the sky, they stopped in their tracks at the sudden change, and they got a good look at the rift through one of the holes above.

“What the-“ Spike muttered.

“We have to go!” exclaimed Starlight.

Just then the ground shook, this time much more severely as if they were caught in an earthquake. More of the ground above them broke away, completely exposing them to the surface above. 

They started to run, but their chance was cut short when a massive area of the cave broke free and ascended, the trio standing right in the center of it all. Spike and Starlight ran to the edge of what practically became a floating island, Starlight’s pace a little slower due to Pinkie. By the time Spike got there, they were already higher than the trees. He could see more of the world’s soil breaking free and floating, turning the forest and most likely beyond into some sort of skylands. Already a good portion of the forest had been affected, with many spots untouched.

“What’s happening?!” he panicked. 

“I don’t know!” Starlight answered frantically. “It must have gotten powerful enough to open a rift! It’s tearing Equestria apart!”

“We can’t be too late!”

“We’re not going to be! Look!”

Starlight raised her hoof and pointed to something in the distance. Far from where they stood, but could just barely be seen levitating out of the ground, was a structure. One that seemed to ring a bell to them.

“Is that… it?” Pinkie managed to ask.

“I… I think it is!” Spike said, beginning to beam. “But how are we going to get there?”

Starlight’s horn lit, her eye brow raised.

“Oh yeah,” Spike said. “Alright Starlight. Get us there!”

Her horn got brighter, ready to teleport them away, when a shrieking roar suddenly echoed.

“What… what was that?” Pinkie squeaked.

“Starlight! Get us out of here!” Spike shrieked.

Something collided right into the mass of land, instantly breaking it apart and taking away the only thing the survivors stood on, sending them bumping into rock and earth as they plummeted to the ground below.
> C̷h̶a̷p̶t̸e̶r̸ ̴2̸3̷:̷ ̶O̵l̷d̵ ̷F̴r̶i̶e̵n̷d̷s̶
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Pinkie stirred, the surge of pain stinging all over her body, some places much worse, including her stump where her foreleg once was. Her memories briefly came up short before it all started flooding back to her. The hope Spike and Starlight had that rose, and the destruction of the very ground they stood on that caused them to fall.

Pinkie found that the surroundings in front of her was a small clearing, consisting only of grass. The clearing was surrounded by trees and thick bushes. From above, Pinkie couldn’t see any sky, only the blank, empty world that resided inside the rift.

When Pinkie recovered more, she at first could not see her friends, resulting in panic beginning to rise in her body. Then she heard a groan from behind her and turned. Rising from out of the bushes that concealed her was Starlight Glimmer, appearing more scratched and bruised than before.

“Starlight!” Pinkie croaked.

Another pained moan was heard, this time from above. Both Pinkie and Starlight found it fast. Spike was on a thick tree branch that grew over the clearing above them. Spike hung over the branch on his belly like a towel hung on a rack. Starlight levitated him off the branch, and back onto the ground.

“Are you okay?!” Starlight asked after a cough.

“My ribs feel broken, but… ugh… I’ll be okay… I don’t need a ride right now.”

“Are you sure?”

Spike nodded with a groan.

“Alright…” Starlight sighed. “Just let me know when you change your mind.”

“Where are we?…” Pinkie squeaked.

“I don’t know… we could be anywhere. I hope we still have time.”

“What’s the point…” Spike mumbled. “No matter what, every time we get close, something happens, and we keep losing our friends. And now we could be anywhere at this point. For all we know the structure could be somewhere else. Even if it’s closer, it’s going to be hard to find.”

“Spike, this whole world relies on us right now. We’re the only ones that we know of that are closer than ever to finally saving our friends and family. And now you’re going to quit? What about Equestria? Our friends? What about Twilight?”

“But maybe we just can’t go anymore… Look at us! Look at Pinkie!”

Starlight glanced at her, noticing Pinkie continuing to stare at her stump. She wasn’t going to let things end like this. Odds have been impossible before. Even though this is a new level of impossibility, there is still a fighting chance. Maybe Pinkie couldn’t go on anymore. Maybe now, all Pinkie had to do was stay safe and out of trouble. But Spike could continue onwards… if he had the right motivation.

“I get it, Spike…” Starlight finally began. “You’ve done so much. Made it so far. And yet things get more difficult every time. But that doesn’t mean we quit. That doesn’t mean we leave everything behind just because we feel unable to go on. Spike… look at me. Many times during your life, you’ve needed Twilight, and she’s stuck by your side, and the same also applies with so many others. Sometimes, you’ve had to be saved or you just weren’t there. Other times, you were with Twilight when she saved Equestria, occasionally even directly playing a part. For the past few years since you and Twilight first came to Ponyville, Equestria’s relied on her, your friends, and the Princesses. But now things are different. She’s not here anymore. Equestria’s always needed its Twilight Sparkle, the Princess of Friendship, but now…” Starlight raised Spike’s chin with a hoof. “Equestria needs its Spike, the Brave and Glorious.”

Spike thought for a moment, before unsureness was replaced with determination, and he got back up. 

“I needed that…” he said. “Now let’s finish what we started.”

Starlight nodded. 

Both Spike and Starlight glanced at Pinkie Pie, her focus on them with an expression that combined exhaustion and pain.

“What about Pinkie?” Spike asked.

Starlight leaned over and whispered. “If we take her, it’s a risk. She lost a foreleg and… I can’t see her having an easy time defending herself. But if we leave her alone and hide her, it would be just as dangerous-”

“I’m going with you.” Pinkie proclaimed, her voice sounding more serious than usual. It was difficult to tell if her voice was dull by the pain and tiredness, or if she was finally out of patience with this apocalypse.

“But-…” Spike stuttered. “But Pinkie-“

“Even if I’m all by myself, I’m risking myself getting caught by that icky corruption anyways,” Pinkie said. “At least with you two, whether we encounter someone more dangerous or not, I have friends that would be there if I needed them.”

Starlight and Spike didn’t know what to do. Maybe she would be safer if they were all together. Maybe hiding would do little. They were unsure. It was a difficult decision that they didn’t have too much time to think about.

Then they heard it. The sound of aggressive galloping only muffled by the lush trees and bushes surrounding them. Pinkie and Starlight’s ears twitched, listening closely as the trio backed away further into the clearing, away from the foliage. They quickly realized that this wasn’t a friendly gallop. It sounded like the gallop of a pony about to attack. 

Fluttershy sprung out from the leaves, her new claws swiping and clawing up dirt and grass when the survivors jumped out of the way just in time, Starlight and Spike going one way, with Pinkie going the other. Fluttershy stopped when she missed, and turned around, pawing at the ground. Her head snapped in Starlight’s direction and then Pinkie’s. She charged Starlight’s way, prompting Starlight to prepare a stun spell once more, but Fluttershy’s wings opened and she took off above them, avoiding being caught. 

At the same time, Pinkie rolled and stumbled onto her hooves, only to hear the familiar sound of rushing wings. She didn’t look. She didn’t take even a second. Instead, she once more dove out of the way as Rainbow Dash soared through where Pinkie formerly stood at an alarming rate. Rainbow Dash flew back up when Fluttershy did, both of them simultaneously reuniting together.

Starlight was quick to ignite her horn and teleport Pinkie back to where the three of them stood. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy both swerved back down to attack, but that wasn’t all. Pinkie’s tail twitched, and a massive shadow formed above them. Starlight teleported her and her friends to another safe spot, right as Applejack landed where they formerly stood with a force so powerful it left a small crater in the ground.

Once more they stood close to the green trees and shrubs, ready to escape into the concealing forest before it was too late. But when they turned to run away, they were met face-to-face with Rarity. She sprung to attack, her mouth opened wider than the others. Starlight shoved Rarity aside, but her focus on the unicorn lead to her forgetting about the others.

“Look out!” Spike shrieked.

Starlight knew what that meant, and instantly manifested a dome-like shield over them. Rainbow Dash crashed into it, and she, along with the others, all backed away, circling the dome like hungry predators.

They were surrounded, with little ways to defend themselves.

“The song!” Spike realized. “Maybe the song could save them!”

Spike tried to sing the song that was once used to save Fluttershy from the darkness’ grasp. But she continued to circle around them with the others. Midway through the song, Spike gave up. And the attackers made their move, beginning to slam, blast, and claw at the shield.

“We can’t save them!” exclaimed Starlight. A powerful buck from Applejack cracked the dome, and Starlight began to express pain towards an increasing migraine. “UGH! We really need to get out of here! Maybe I can take all of us directly to the structure now that I saw it!”

Starlight prepared to do so. What transpired next was another sound from past the clearing, the familiar sound of Chrysalis’ sick, twisted laughter. The four attackers stopped where they were, ears perking up in curiosity, and even Starlight paused.

Chrysalis appeared from behind Rainbow Dash, instantly grabbing the corrupted mare by the neck with her massive darkness-manifested claws. Crushing Rainbow Dash’s neck, corruption proceeded to leak up and down her body. Rainbow began to fold in half, and it appeared as if she was assimilating into Chrysalis’ arm.

The other three changed focus from the survivors to Chrysalis and charged at her. Chrysalis instantly overpowered them, long tendrils sprouting from her back and impaling the other three. They too began to contort and undergo consumption.

None of the survivors wanted to see what transpired. Starlight finally managed to recover from the shock and charge up her horn enough to teleport them away quick.

As Chrysalis continued assimilating the four of Twilight’s friends, her senses tingled, continuing to feel the presence of survivors even though it felt as though they were different ones. Her head twisted 180 degrees to see the large cluster of leaves moving behind her, confirming the suspicions that lingered.

Twilight’s friends were at this point fully assimilated into the darkness that held them, having moved as massive bumps along Chrysalis’ tendrils and arm, all the way to the center of her body.

She began to fizzle.

She began to change.

She began to grow.

With no hesitation, she pounced at whatever resided behind those bushes. Whether they were corrupted like her or survivors like the others, it didn’t matter.

They were her victims either way.




***




The trio reappeared, but the structure was nowhere nearby. They were instead on a much smaller floating island about half a mile wide. They were still surrounded by leafage, but instead of a circular clearing, they were on a trail.

“What? No!…” in frustration, Starlight tapped her horn. “I wanted to be where we needed to go!”

“What’s going on?…” Spike asked.

“I don’t know…” Starlight mumbled. “Either my magic’s just not working right… or someone is interfering with it again.”

A roar echoed throughout the skylands. The roar sounded like multiple shrieks in one, and it made sense when the others glanced up. Deeper in the rift and further in this infinite-like dimension flew a hydra. A hydra that while it couldn’t be made out, felt familiar somehow.

It was far, but it was of clear massive proportions.

“What… what is that?!” Spike screeched, pointing at the behemoth above them.

Starlight squinted her eyes at the four-headed monster, trying to see even the tiniest details. “Is… is that-“

Starlight didn’t get to make it out. From out of the blue, something else of massive proportions landed near the group, causing the small floating island to shake. Pinkie lost her balance and fell.

Spike, Pinkie, and Starlight faced the creature that landed behind them, the hissing sound of the corruption lingering louder than ever.

And right then and there, they got a good look at one of the most gut-wrenching beasts that have ever walked the land.
> C̸h̷a̵p̶t̸e̷r̵ ̵2̶4̶:̷ ̵H̶y̸b̸r̶i̴d̵s̴
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

(Warning: A slight description of impalement later in the chapter. Discretion advised)





Upon the sight of the gargantuan behemoth, Pinkie trembled. Starlight stood in shock. And Spike was a simultaneous mix of the two.

The being that they faced was yet again Chrysalis herself. But her appearance was a far cry from how she was when she was last seen not even a few minutes ago. She had grown to a massive size, around as big as Twilight when she was encountered. It didn't stop there, however. The darkness was spread all throughout her body like a web, with massive globs of it here and there. Six faces sprouted out throughout her body, doing nothing more than aimlessly staring with their blank white eyes, grinning widely without reason other than to be sinister, and corruption oozing out of each and every face through the mouths and eyes. Four of those faces were instantly recognized as Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Applejack. The two other faces took the survivors by surprise, being identified as Tirek and Cozy Glow. No explanation was needed... all six of them were assimilated and fused with Chrysalis, having turned her into a horrendous centaur-like hybrid, the entire body continuing to be horrifically deformed and shriveled. The top half of Chrysalis' body was still more like hers, and she retained one of her arms with the creepily long claws at the end, only now the end of the arm was maroon like Tirek's skin. Her other arm had distorted into a massive tentacle with a mashup of colors from everyone she fused with, along with four curved nails poking out of the end. The bottom half of her body had six twisted legs instead of four like the average centaur, and like the tentacle, had different colors all throughout her body. Smaller details persisted throughout her body... one of her changeling wings was instead a wing that was a mix of the cyan and butterscotch colors. Tirek's massive horns grew from Chrysalis' head, and Rarity's unicorn horn could be seen on one of those horns. Out of the mouth of Applejack's face came three tendrils that kept moving impatiently, just desperately wanting to grab something.

The survivors couldn't help but stare at Chrysalis' lifeless face. The magenta and cyan eyes were gone, only one white iris staring at them with an unbreaking gaze. Spike glanced into Chrysalis' agape mouth... three rows of teeth were seen as clear as day.

Spike began whispering the names of the assimilated ones under her breath as the realization crept. "Fluttershy... Rarity... Cozy Glow?..." 

“What did Chrysalis do?…” Pinkie squeaked.

"She fused... with our friends... with Tirek and Cozy Glow... all of them..." Starlight muttered.

A slithering laughter came from all the agape mouths, the eruption most prominent from Chrysalis.

“̴W̵e̴ ̶a̶r̴e̵ ̴t̶h̶e̸ ̸H̷y̶b̶r̵i̸d̶…̴”̶ they all hissed. “̴W̶h̴y̸ ̷n̵o̶t̸ ̴j̵o̷i̶n̸ ̶u̶s̷ ̷a̵n̸d̵ ̶l̵e̷t̷ ̷t̷h̵e̸ ̵d̵a̶r̶k̴n̷e̵s̷s̶ ̸c̸o̸n̵s̵u̵m̵e̴ ̵y̷o̷u̸ ̶a̴n̸d̷ ̴y̴o̵u̵r̷ ̵w̴o̵r̶l̷d̴?̴…̶”̷

Starlight pushed forward with an immediate attack, shooting a beam straight for the Hybrid's chest. It instantly vaporized the beam with its own magic and proceeded with an attack of its own. It sent multiple targeted beams for each member of the group, prompting Starlight to quickly summon a protective dome. With no way to hit the target, the beams all crashed into the dome, shattering the dome instantly and causing a force that pushed back the survivors. Both Pinkie and Spike toppled over, but Starlight remained standing.

The Hybrid's horn remained lit, and a tree was quickly uprooted out of the ground and thrown at the group like a javelin. Starlight held it off with telekinesis just in time, the weight of the tree taking a great toll on her weakening strength. She shoved it off to the side, recovering from the strain quickly, and teleported behind the Hybrid, instantly shooting it to the back of the head to get its attention. Her efforts worked, and the Hybrid turned around to again face her.

Starlight's horn shone brightly as she gritted her teeth in both the slight pain coming from her horn, and the determination she refused to let go. She wasted no time, and neither did the Hybrid... both began to attack, magic beams colliding, though the Hybrid's was far stronger, overpowering Starlight's, pushing her beam right back to her. In one final attempt to fight back and avoid losing, Starlight gave it her all, sending the largest surge of magic she could. Although it pushed back the Hybrid’s attack, it persisted and proceeded to approach closer to them. Even with Starlight having used massive amounts of power with no issue at all before, the pain and struggle that she’d experienced the entire night made her magic more susceptible to being overwhelmed and giving out. It did just that, with her beam weakening and the Hybrid’s once again getting closer. Starlight tried again to push it back, but the moment her horn expelled a massive amount of magic yet again, it became too much and exploded in her face, sending her down the trail before the Hybrid’s beam struck her spot, leaving a small hole in the ground.

Spike didn't want to fight. Not just because his friends were practically blended with the Hybrid, but also because in spite of the hybrid being the size of Twilight, it was four ponies, a changeling queen, and a centaur morphed into one, and it gave him a really terrible feeling about fighting it, like he felt it would wipe the floor with him.

His mind was instantly changed when the Hybrid turned back around and stormed close enough to where it could attack Pinkie with its claws, which were raised to swipe. He mustered up the strength to attack the Hybrd with flames, which caused it to back down, but only for a brief moment. Its gaze shifted to Spike, and the dragon suddenly found himself shoved hard up into a tree via magic, pain rippling from his back all throughout his body, especially in the bad wing. He was lucky to have avoided being impaled by any branches, though he felt a scrape having been received from one.

Pinkie scooted back as the Hybrid glanced at her once more. Completely defenseless and without a forearm, all she could do was pick up a small rock and throw it, which she knew wouldn't help her in the slightest.

The Hybrid’s neck snapped to the left, and then the other way, before raising her tentacle and whipping it Pinkie’s way. Pinkie tucked and rolled, avoiding the tentacle as it lashed the ground. Pinkie felt the slightest tinge of something graze the skin on her flank, though it wasn’t far worse than that.

Spike stood up once more. As beaten and weakened as he was, he wasn’t going to leave Pinkie behind. He couldn’t, because she had the gems, nor he wouldn’t, because she was his friend. He scanned down the trail to see if he could see Starlight anywhere. He couldn't see her anywhere, causing his concern to skyrocket.

He wasn't sure on whether or not Starlight was conscious or even okay in general. But he knew there wasn't enough time to wait. In spite of the wing problem, Spike felt like it was up to him to buy time if he was lucky. He couldn’t beat the beast, but maybe he could distract it. He snapped off a piece of branch and chucked it at the Hybrid. As he thought, it didn’t do much, but it did give him its attention as he wanted. 

Pinkie took no time to quickly scuttle away. To prevent the Hybrid from going after her, Spike threw another branch, followed by the last of the fire that he could muster up, before only coughing up smoke.

That got her attention, and what she did next made Spike realize that he didn't entirely think things through. Using magic, with the changeling and pony horns igniting their broken fizzling magic and causing an orb of green, blue, and orange to form between the centaur horns, the tree Spike stood on was instantly uprooted. The Hybrid slammed the tree down Pinkie's way, and Spike quickly dove off as it hit. Snaps and crackles were heard as branches were heard breaking. 

Spike leaned up. His heartbeat raced, fearing that the worst had happened.

But when the Hybrid raised the tree back up, no sign of Pinkie could be seen. Hope fluttered in Spike's chest as from the corner of his eye, he saw Pinkie pop out from the bushes and quickly limp away.

Relief washed over. Even in the most severe and painful of moments, there would always be a time where Pinkie would just be… well… Pinkie! Even if her jolly personality was gone due to the situation.

But then the Hybrid’s ears twitched like it heard something. Its head snapped to where it heard Pinkie stumbling away. Spike’s eyes shrunk to pinpricks and the relief he felt for Pinkie’s safety was gone in an instant. Its tentacle extended right towards Pinkie, the darkness spreading around it until it was completely covered. It wrapped around her neck, and in the blink of an eye, threw her with massive might. Pinkie's screams grew faint. And then they disappeared.

"PINKIE!"

Like an instant reaction, Spike gave himself away as he reached out and cried Pinkie's name, watching as his friend disappeared among the floating islands. Did she land on one? Did she plummet to the ground below? He had no idea.

But it didn't matter now. He was all alone. Pinkie was gone, and Starlight still hasn't come back.

And now the Hybrid's focus turned to him. Spike couldn't wait any longer. He took off and ran without looking back.

But then a massive roar erupted and something massive landed in his path, a couple of trees in the narrower path instantly crushed. It was the Hydra from above, and Spike finally got a good look at who it was. He shrank as he saw.

The Hydra consisted of the other four Alicorns that weren't Twilight... Celestia, Cadance, Luna... even Flurry Heart. Their wrinkled heads were attached to a singular body by long necks, and the body looked no better. 

All four heads roared, and Spike again had to run away. Drops of corruption leaked from the mouths of the Hydra as it stalked closer to Spike, gurgling sounds coming from the throat of Celestia as if she was going to spew corruption from out of her throat. With the size that it was, all it took was one step to get closer.

He had no choice but to turn into the woods, but even that option was instantly taken away from him when another familiar face manifested from out of the blue.

Discord.

A question Spike never knew he had until now was where Discord exactly was the entire time. After all, knowing the danger that surrounded his friends, especially Fluttershy, surely he would have done something about it.

But he should have known that even the Master of Chaos was susceptible to the darkness.

Discord wasn't shriveled, and seemed to be more generic out of the other corrupted ones. However, there seemed to be an odd bulge of the darkness on his back, as if it were hiding something.

Thinking about it didn't matter anyhow. Discord's talons raised up to snap. And both the Hybrid and Hydra were about to attack as well.

Spike braced himself. This was it.

But then he vanished, being teleported away in a blue spark.

Discord, the Hydra, and the Hybrid at first looked around, wondering where Spike had gone, or who was responsible for his sudden disappearance. It didn't take long for them to find the culprit responsible.

Starlight was found hiding nearby.

She teleported Spike away, intending on getting him somewhere very far from where they were. Though with how she felt that her magic’s strength was on its last hooves, she wasn’t sure if he even made it far. She hoped that she could teleport herself away, though when she tried, her horn fully gave out, refusing to glisten even a little. Her head rippled with soreness, her vision blurring. She never thought that she’d get this drained of magic, but the power the Hybrid exerted against her really took its toll on her.

The Hydra and Discord did nothing. The Hybrid on the other hoof took instant action upon seeing Starlight. It reached out to her with its tentacle, and using magic, forced her to fly right into its grasp, two of the tentacle’s barbed nails breaking through her skin. Darkness seeped around her neck, and into the wounds. Starlight felt herself fading.

The Hybrid wasn’t done though. When it saw an exposed tree branch nearby, a sinister idea sparked in its head. In one swift motion, it impaled Starlight on the branch. All Starlight felt was the branch going through her back and severing her spine in two.

And then she blacked out.




***




Spike reappeared on another floating island, one that seemed to have just broke free from the ground and began ascension.

He instantly resorted to panic, looking around, trying to find anyone that was a friend, or even foe… at least so he could know if he had to run.

There was nothing. Just the echo of the rift above and the sound of soil breaking.

He called out Pinkie’s name. Starlight’s too. But again there were no responses.

Spike had nothing to do. He was all alone. He breathed heavy. All of that time breathing fire and using it to fight had caught up to him and his injuries. His throat felt sore and his chest felt empty.

With nothing left now, all Spike could do now was sit at the foot of a tree, curl up, and cry. He lost.

“Spike?”

Spike stopped crying and perked up at the familiar voice. “Pinkie?”

A familiar pink face poked out from behind the bushes. 

Spike sprung up onto his feet. “Pinkie!”

He ran to hug her, ecstatic that his friend had returned.

But upon seeing her completely, he stopped.

She was completely fine compared to when he just last saw her. No bruises. No bandages. No scrapes or cuts. No messy mane. And all four of her legs were intact.

“P-Pinkie?” Spike took a step back. He started to grow from confused to concerned.

Pinkie giggled.

“Oh Spike, don’t you recognize little ol’ m̸e̸?̴“
> C̴h̴a̴p̷t̷e̴r̵ ̴2̶5̶:̷ ̶F̷i̵n̵a̵l̸e̶
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Spike stumbled as he took another step back.

"You're not Pinkie Pie..." he mumbled, shakily pointing at her as he kept on trying to keep his distance. "Y-you're that thing that was trying to be her... you're not her."

Pinkie giggled, before her expression shifted from its supposedly friendly, bubbly appearance, to a snarky smile.

"I am now, Spike..." She began to approach him, the feeling she gave off that felt like Pinkie quickly fading away. "You should have known that the moment your friend had nopony left to help her, she was going to be found sooner or later. It's even better that I was the one to find her. I wouldn't have to worry about some brainless fool outright killing her instead of preventing her from escaping, and then bringing her to me."

Spike was confused, and "Pinkie" could instantly tell.

"Right..." she chuckled. "I guess I never really gave you the 'full picture' on how exactly everything was supposed to work. Well... I might as well fill you in on it. You see, Pinkie was just as vulnerable to the darkness as anyone else, obviously, and I've made it clear that her being corrupted is the key to me replacing her. However, in order for me to become flesh and her to become darkness, I specifically had to be the one to make physical contact with her, whether she was a survivor like you or a victim like the others. That way, my body could learn from and replicate every cell and genetic, even if from the slightest draw of blood. After that, well... there just simply can't be two of us. As my process carries on, the darkness would proceed to eat away and replace her cells until she was reduced to a fleshless figure of darkness like I was before. You get rid of the darkness, you get rid of something that was once her, and I take her place."

"And... so P-Pinkie's..."

"Duh! Look at me! It didn't even take that much effort at all to get rid of her. All I had to do while she was down was to simply infect her and spread some of the darkness that made up my body into hers... preferably her bloodstream for quicker results. She really did try to get away when I turned my hoof into a blade and slashed her. I didn't get her as deep as I wanted to, but... it sure got the job done. And now... poor little Spike is left with nothing."

The fake Pinkie got closer, standing tall above him, giving him a scowl that the original Pinkie was never capable of giving. Her tone and continuous formal wording was even more unlike Pinkie's, being far more sinister and demeaning.

"You lost Chrysalis. You lost your friends. You lost the Princesses. You lost Twilight..." she mocked. "I will admit, a round of applause to you for making it this far, but... you've been outnumbered before you even realized what was happening."

Spike's claws slipped. And that's when he realized that the fake Pinkie had backed him all the way to the edge of the floating island they were on. If he backed up any further, he would be sent on a plummet to whatever remained down below. He looked straight into the fake Pinkie's gaze again and gulped.

"It's over, Spike!" the mimicking mare proclaimed. "Accept what Equestria has become, and let the darkness consume you."

Spike felt his breathing begin to quicken, but he quickly took a deep breath to suppress himself from panicking. Even if it was time to give up, he wasn't going to go down easy, even if he was afraid. Clenching his claws in rage, he spat a spray of flames into the fake Pinkie's face, causing her to scream in rage.

He got up and began to flee, when someone suddenly sprung out from the trees, landing right in front of him. Once again Spike fell on his backside.

Pinkie Pie... the real one... stood over him, clumps of the darkness that varied in size scattered throughout her body. Her unhinged jaw extended as she stalked closer, tiny droplets of darkness falling onto the soil from her body. That wasn't the biggest thing to note, however. What Spike saw, something that reignited a tinge of hope within' his body, was Pinkie's left eye. The eye was not blank... the iris and pupil remained, glaring at Spike as though Pinkie was begging for help.

She was still in there.

The fake Pinkie recovered, scowling aloud. Her glare shot in Spike and Pinkie's direction, and Spike got a good look at her face.

The flames took their toll. Bits of "skin" peeled away, revealing the seemingly void-like darkness underneath, with only bits of genuine blood leaking out of the wounds, even then mixed with darkness as well.

She snarled, but then cackled.

"S̸h̸e̵ ̶w̵i̸l̶l̵ f̸a̴l̵l̴…̸" she hissed. " T̶h̵e̸y̶ ̵w̴i̸l̷l̵ ̵a̸l̸l̸ ̶ f̵a̶l̷l̴!̸”

Like it was a sort of instinct, Spike instantly prioritized the goal of setting Pinkie free.

“Pinkie, you have to fight it!” he encouraged. “You can’t give up now! You’re so close! You have the gems!”

That final sentence was enough to make the darkness on Pinkie’s body fizzle with rage. Pinkie’s body rippled and tensed as her neck twisted far in one way, and then far another, groans escaping her throat with every movement. It was clear that it was desperate to take her, and it was even clearer that Pinkie was giving it her all to break out.

Unfortunately she couldn’t resist lashing out at Spike, leaping at him while bringing her hoof down. He got out of the way before her hoof hit the ground hard, but the fake Pinkie then slid right in front of him when he stood.

“ N̸o̶w̸h̶e̶r̷e̴ ̴ le̸f̸t̸ ̷t̶o̴ r̷u̷n̸,̵ ̵D̸r̷a̸g̴o̸n̵.̶!” she snarled.

“PINKIE!” Spike urgently shrieked as he backed away. “YOUR FRIENDS! YOUR HOME! EQUESTRIA! REMEMBER THEM! FIGHT BACK FOR THEM!”

Pinkie’s body appeared to shrivel as she lowered her head, her entire body shaking horribly.

“ Y̸o̷u̷’r̶e̵ t̸o̵o̷ ̶l̸a̷t̶e̸…̸”

Spike proceeded to try and gather up the strength to again attack the fake Pinkie with fire, but in a sudden swift movement, she gave a sharp uppercut to the stomach, and then instantly swatted him to the ground with a quick motion of her hoof. Spike's hand remained on his cheek as he rolled to face the fake Pinkie. He looked into her eyes, which were far more distorted and less pony-like. She glanced at the foreleg she swatted Spike with, realization apparent through her expressions as curiosity became a grin. She then bit the skin on her forehoof and tore it off like a long glove, revealing the forehoof-shaped cluster of darkness underneath. The rips on the skin up her foreleg fizzled as if it struggled to grow back, linked with Pinkie's struggle for control that kept her out of battle.

The fake Pinkie didn't care. She raised her hoof up high, ready to extend, swoop, and strike Spike hard. Spike couldn’t breathe fire at her… the blow he took to the stomach was still in recovery.

“L̷-̴l̷-̸l̵e̵a̶v̶e̴…̷” the real Pinkie stuttered. “L̵e̷a̶v̸e̶…̷ ̵h̵-̷him… ALONE!”

Suddenly, Pinkie leapt into the air, bouncing off the ground with her tail. Her fast descent ended with her landing beside the fake Pinkie, instantly spinning around and giving a powerful kick. Though not as powerful as Applejack’s, it took down the fake Pinkie with ease.

“Pinkie!” Spike exclaimed in a wash of joy.

Pinkie smiled, proudly and with confidence. Although small globs of the darkness were scattered throughout her body, one of her eyes now remained blank, and her missing arm now replaced with a new one made entirely of the darkness, she had clearly managed to take advantage of the little consciousness she had left to regain control in her desperation to save Spike and finish what they started. As if her last-minute return was enough, it appeared as though her surge of energy returned, pushing away the drainage in motivation due to all the physical and emotional pain she’s been put through. Spike wasn't sure if it was because of the influence of the darkness, or Pinkie simply being the wild card she always was, but it didn't matter anymore. She was back, and she was ready to fight.

A low growl rumbled from the fake Pinkie's throat as she stomped back on her hooves once more. Her growl came to a pause when she discovered the skin on her body withering away as her body regressed back to just a darkness-made figure. She began to snarl in rage, bringing all focus to Spike and Pinkie’s rage. Tendrils sprouted from her back as she got in position to charge. The last survivors, meanwhile, got in position to continue fighting. As weakened as they were, they were never going to stay down… they had to do whatever it takes, no matter how much injuries and obstacles get brought their way.

The fake Pinkie, having been completely reduced to the state she was in back at the Dragon lands, charged.

Spike and Pinkie braced themselves.

But then something unexpected happened. Directly in the figure’s path, there opened a rift, which the creature instantly began to plummet into, only managing to catch herself with one hoof dangerously close to the rim.

Nobody could see what lied beyond the rift underneath. It seemed as though the Pinkie-figure didn’t want to know either, struggling to climb out so she could attack once more.

It was a battle the figure ended up losing. She lost her grip and fell deep into the rift, her distorted screams that resembled nothing like Pinkie’s echoing before they went silent.

The rift closed.

Spike and Pinkie found themselves staring at each other, both of them sharing the same mutual feeling… the confusion over the event that just transpired, the desire for answers, and the knowledge that the other wouldn’t be able to answer.

A voice cut off their thinking and gave them the answer they needed.

“It is quite a convenient thing that I was even able to get out…” it mumbled. “If I was mere seconds too late, I doubt anyone else would still be around in what’s left of this world.”

Spike and Pinkie faced the source of the voice. Spike’s jaw just about dropped, and yet another bothersome question proceeded to lurk.

“Discord!” Pinkie cheered with a leap.

Discord, once witnessed by Spike to have apparently been lost to the darkness, stood before them. Although he had a slight smile formed on the corners of his mouth, a noticeable lack of his normal fun attitude was present, replaced by the strong desire to fulfill the same goals that the survivors all had.

All it took was for one glance at Spike to make Discord realize that the dragon has inquiries. And he readied himself for when he has to answer.

“D-Discord-“ Spike stuttered. “It-it’s great that you’re back! Really, it is, but… I saw you corrupted like the rest of them! You were there!”

Discord let out a short sigh. “I suppose I should explain myself. After all, if I was here the whole time, then why have I made no efforts to help save Equestria from… this darkness that’s trying to consume it.”

He snapped his talons and a globe conjured above them, behind instantly consumed by black ooze resembling the darkness.

“Well here’s the reason why…” Discord continued. “I would have been here to help, had I not dealt with a fight of my own before being trapped in my own realm!”

“But-…” Spike started. “I saw you with my own eyes! You were corrupted!”

A burst of light drew the attention of the trio, and a rare sight came upon Spike and Pinkie… the sight of a snarl on Discord’s face.

“That wasn’t me you saw…” he growled.

The cause of the burst of light was none other than… Discord… the corrupted one that Spike had seen earlier. He advanced closer to the group, his empty gaze scanning the three of them.

“Ooh! So is it like one of your clones getting corrupted?” Pinkie asked. “What a twist!”

“No-… I wish it were so” Discord answered, the genuine bitterness in his voice feeling like the strangest thing to ever come from him.

The Corrupted Discord began to laugh, before his body began to undergo change. His long, slim figure shortened as he bent down to stand on all fours. His different-animal arms all changed into matching hooves. His face got less distorted and more larger, his horns undergoing the same treatment as his limbs by changing into matching horns.

Familiarity struck Spike as he saw the transformation near its end. He had never seen this beings face in the flesh before, but he has seen it plenty of times in plenty of books that Twilight had, those same books where he’s heard this wicked creatures name.

The transformation settled down, and the full identity of the figure came into light. A cornflower blue ram, staring at them with piercing yellow eyes and a massive yellow-toothed grin. Tentacles made of the darkness stuck out of his back, ready to pierce whoever was in his way.

“Grogar…” Spike whispered.

Pinkie took in a massive gasp.

Discord snapped his talons, but all it brought was sparks, causing him to groan and repeatedly try again in increasing urgency. His horns both glowing a bright yellow, Grogar’s approach to them began, with him taking slow steps while small bits of the darkness on his body continued to shift and move. His smile was huge, but it strangely felt more normal compared to nearly everyone else that the survivors had encountered.

Pinkie gave Discord a glance. “What are you doing?”

“Trying to get rid of him!…” Discord replied with urgency. “But for some reason, it’s not working!”

When Discord snapped again, trying something else, a rift opened underneath Grogar, only for Grogar’s horns to get even brighter, causing the rift to glow bright yellow and snap back shut. The darkness fizzled on his body more than ever when his horns ignited, as if it gave his magic a far greater boost with its power. When his horns dimmed, the darkness on his body calmed down.

”It’s like he’s countering my efforts to get rid of him-“ Discord mumbled. “…With the darkness playing a key role in that ability…”

“Get back!” Spike exclaimed.

A small laugh could be heard coming from Grogar as the darkness on his left eye parted to reveal what was underneath. It was his normal eye, but what really drew attention was the pupil that could be seen in the glowing eye.

That’s when curiosity took place from inside Spike’s mind. “Is he-… Is he conscious?…”

Grogar’s slow approach instantly developed into a barreling charge.

“Well if I can’t get rid of him then I suppose it’s time for plan B…” Discord grumbled.

The draconequus snapped his talons yet again, and this time, something finally happened. Three giant pigs with wings appeared from under the three survivors, a pig per-survivor, and they instantly flew off at a rapid speed, leaving Grogar behind. None of them checked to see if he was giving chase, nor did they bother to.

“Is he why you were gone this entire time?!” Pinkie asked, her voice caught in a shriek.

As they flew through the sky, Discord proceeded with explaining his story. “He attempted to attack me in the Chaos Realm knowing I kept watch of his Bewitching Bell there-“

“You didn’t take it back to Everhoof?!” Spike shrieked.

Discord paused, appearing to look back with his usual look of regret from whenever he’s made a mistake. “…As I was saying, he tried taking the bell back and almost succeeded, though before he could use it on me, I was able to quickly dispose of it and send it to some other world or time period. He then left me to be trapped in the Chaos Realm by the Darkness, proceeding to pose as me for whatever reasons he had. Unfortunately for him, however, I fought back with enough force to eventually be able to get out! Conveniently right as you two needed me…”

“We could have used you earlier!” Spike barked.

“Well, it’s not like I chose to be trapped!” Discord spat back..

A loud roar brought the bickering to a halt. From the distance, the four-headed Hydra was rapidly approaching.

“We gotta go, we gotta go!” Pinkie panicked. “GAH! We’re done for!”

“No we are not!” Discord exclaimed in a rare case of genuine determination.

“I hope you’re right!” Spike shouted.

The Hydra got closer as each second passed by, and doubt in Discord grew rapidly. With the size the Hydra was and the fact it was all the Alicorns aside from Twilight fused into one, the odds of defeating or even escaping the Hydra felt slim. They got lucky before but who’d say they’d get lucky again?

A gargle rumbled, sourced from Flurry Heart’s distorted head as she prepared to be the first to attack. The darkness drooled out of her gaping mouth as she readied herself to spew it at the survivors.

Discord raised his talons and gave a quick snap as Flurry commenced her attack. Giant cards manifested into existence and formed a wall in the Hydra’s path, blocking the attack against the survivors. Spike and Pinkie cheered, but the celebration was cut short when the Hydra smashed its way through the wall.

The Cadance head was next, her warped expression filled with gleeful malice as her horn lit up. She proceeded to shoot massive projectiles of darkness, and all three pigs the survivors rode on swerved and dodged to avoid getting hit. Spike clung onto his pig, screams leaving his throat raw as he tried to stay on.

Cadance was clearly far more persistent than Flurry, but that didn’t stop Discord from leading them to a nearby site of floating islands snapping his talons to proceed with yet another method of defense. From behinds a floating island, a massive pan swung their way and struck the Hydra in two of its heads, with one being Flurry’s and the other being Cadance. Sickening cracks were heard as the two heads went limp, before recovering and snapping back into place, their faces more distorted and even angrier than before.

Both of the Hydra’s leading heads, Celestia and Luna, both took charge in the next attack, this time combining their attacks into one. Both of their throats gargled and pooled with the horrifying darkness, while at the same time, both of their horns were surrounded simultaneously with bright ignited magic, and the dark corruptive ooze.

“We’re not going to get out of this one!” Pinkie squealed.

Discord looked around, hoping to try another method that would this time shake off the Hydra to buy them time. He looked at the path ahead and saw a cluster of floating islands far down below. His eyebrows rose and a literal lightbulb flashed above his head.

“Brace yourselves!” Discord warned. “Things are going to take quite a nosedive!”

“What-what’s that supposed to mean?!” Spike called out.

Pinkie looked behind her and watched in horror as the Two Sisters’ heads continued to charge their attack, which appeared more inescapable with every passing second.

“Uh, Discord, they’re going to attack! Do something!” Pinkie wailed.

Discord’s eyes extended as if they had a mind of their own and looked behind him, allowing him to get a good look at the Hydra’s impending attack. His eyes then shortened back into place, and he couldn’t help but suppress a sly smirk.

Spike and Pinkie, however, lacked Discord’s confidence, both of them simultaneously crying out his name. “DISCORD!”

The Two Sisters unleashed their attack, and in an instant, all three flying pigs dove straight down. Spike and Pinkie clung onto their pigs for dear life, screaming even after their throats felt horribly raw, until two floating lion paws courtesy of Discord appeared and covered their mouths to silence them. The pigs soared into the cluster of islands and they all hovered underneath the largest one, staying hidden.

The sound of the Hydra's flapping wings echoed throughout the void-like sky, appearing faint, before getting louder. Spike had expected to panic, his stomach twisting and his covered breathing being too fast to comprehend. But to his surprise, he felt none of those things. Could it have been the shock that he had gained from the twisted flight, and his body was too shaken to react? Or has he been made impervious to impending danger due to all that the infected had put him through?

Drips of the darkness could be seen nearby when the loud flaps were at an all-time high. But then, they faded. And although it took what felt lasted an eternity, nobody moved a muscle until there was only silence and the odd ambient noise left by the void.

Discord gave a signal, prompting the pigs to all cautiously fly out from hiding. Discord scanned his surroundings, and moments later the survivors had calmed down to the point where they too searched their surroundings.

“Phew…” Pinkie panted. “I think we’re sa-“

She was cut off when something flew right past the group, slashing Pinkie’s pig deep and causing it to vanish from thin air, sending her on a brief fall that was cut off courtesy of Discord saving her and setting her behind him on his pig.

“It’s the Hybrid!” Spike cried.

The Hybrid had returned, ready to take over as the next deadly opponent. The blank faces present on the beast’s body continued to be unsettling, and Discord was suddenly still, giving a solemn look to one of those faces. Spike and Pinkie didn’t even need to question what was going on. Discord’s melancholy gazed was locked onto the Fluttershy face, which could just barely be seen on the Hybrid’s front left leg.

Spike got ready to call out Discord’s name in an effort to snap him out of the heartbreaking sight. But fortunately as it turned out, he didn’t need to. Just as the Hybrid delivered a sudden blow, Discord retaliated, blocking the attack with a giant cookie before swatting the creature away with a massive fly swatter. Seizing the opportunity the three flew off at a quick speed, the Hybrid already having recovered and giving chase while it fizzled with instability.

For the most part, this chase was no different than the last one. In spite of the Hybrid being smaller than the Hydra, it was still a heavily dangerous and formidable opponent, and Discord could take an easy guess that it wasn’t going to be easy to fool this time either. It continued crying out to them either through distorted screams, or the voices of the taken friends and foes in efforts to get inside the survivors’ heads. They all still fought back with strong resistance, and even attempted their own attacks on the Hybrid before it took a shot (though said attempts were with no success).

“We’re never going to get to the structure as long as we’re being chased!” Spike hollered.

“Exactly!” Discord exclaimed.

“Huh?! Waddya mean?!” Pinkie asked.

Discord didn’t answer. Instead he kept guiding and protecting the group as the Hybrid got even closer, beginning to close in. The distorted laugh of Chrysalis echoed, every row of teeth moving as if each had a life of its own.

They neared another cluster of floating islands and Discord gave Spike a glance.

“Do your best, Spike!” he exclaimed. “Shower the fiend’s eyes with fire!”

Spike coughed. “I can’t! I’ve been doing this all night! It’s going to give out! My chest hurts!”

Discord snapped his talons, teleporting Spike right into his arms, an extra set of arms sprouting from his body and holding onto his pig. Twisting his back to face the Hybrid and aiming Spike at its way, Discord took a moment for his focus to zero in on the Hybrid. With a tug of Spike's tail, a wave of flames were unleashed at the beast, causing it to screech and get disoriented. Discord took quick action and snapped his talons, causing the survivors and pigs to vanish. The flames vanished and the Hybrid recovered... only to ram right into a large rock that impaled it directly through the chest. The Hybrid shrieked, its body distorting and fizzling uncontrollably, before bursting apart, the Hybrid and all those involved unfusing back into seven corrupted victims, all plummeting down below. Chrysalis flew down, advancing closer to Tirek and Cozy, her jaw unhinging like a snake. Tendrils launched out and wrapped around Tirek and Cozy before pulling them towards her, forcing the two corrupted villains to fuse with Chrysalis once more, while the four friends of Twilight Sparkle continued their plummet down below.


***


Discord, Spike, and Pinkie all appeared on the cold hard ground of a floating island, inside a cave; the flying pigs they rode on no longer existent. Spike squirmed his way out of Discord's arms, landing on his knees.

"Hang on..." he coughed. "I... I need a minute..."

Pinkie gasped. It was more contained than some of her other gasps in the past, but it was still enough to gather Spike's attention. He turned around, and he stopped where he stood.

"We're here," said Discord.

In front of the survivors stood a structure that, although not seen in the flesh, had been seen on pages not that long ago. The very structure designed to save Equestria and cast away the darkness stood before them. Above the structure was a hole leading back to the outside world, the white glow from the void filling the area with light. At first Spike, felt relief and excitement, knowing that Equestria would finally be free. But then he had questions.

"Wait..." he realized. "You couldn't have just brought us here right away instead of letting us be chased?!"

"Well, the only thing smarter than going there right away was luring some of the most dangerous entities the opposite direction with the added bonus of defeating and/or stalling them," Discord replied.

Spike was about to speak, but then stopped. Discord had a point. Even if they were going to be found eventually, they very likely bought themselves extra time. That didn't mean they could stall though... anyone could be nearby, ready to catch them.

"Quick, let's get those jewels where they go and then Discord can activate the thing!" exclaimed Spike.

Pinkie quickly pulled the large ruby out from her mane. "I'm on it! Hi-ya!"

With one big kick, Pinkie kicked the ruby in the direction of the contraption, the ruby spinning in the air before precisely landing in its designated holder. She reached in for the emerald as Spike served as a scout and stared out the hole above the contraption, not trusting the idea that they were finally safe.

Pinkie kicked the emerald into its place. “That’s two!”

“Hurry!” Spike urged on. “We’re so close!”

With no response, Pinkie took the diamond out next, leapt in the air while spinning, and flung the diamond to its rightful spot. She and Spike cheered, and Spike’s distrust of the situation instantly eased up.

As Pinkie reached for the bloodstone, Discord shuddered, and an instant sensation of dread washed over him. Spike and Pinkie failed to notice, the excitement over saving the world having now completely distracted them from the rapidly approaching threat. Discord, however, took instant focus as Grogar was approaching from down the cave, having made his way into view. Quickly Discord summoned a crossbow with a pie at the end of the arrow, and quickly shot it in Grogar’s path, finally catching Pinkie and Spike’s attention. Unfortunate they were already too late, as Grogar had shot past Discord and at the bloodstone, successfully hitting it and knocking it out of its place.

Discord quickly reloaded more pies, but Grogar had disappeared, having teleported to Spike and Pinkie. With magic, Grogar snatched Spike by the tail and tossed him to the wall, the impact sending him the unfortunate and painful reminder on the worsening condition of his wings. Spike let out a yelp, but before Grogar could get to him, Pinkie leapt in between the two and kicked Grogar in the face.

Enraged, Grogar prepared his horns for another far deadlier attack, but Discord took the chance he had and summoned himself a rope (along with a cowboy hat). Quickly he lassoed Grogar’s hind legs and yanked him his way, before snapping his talons yet again, manifesting bars that kept him and Grogar separate from Spike and Pinkie.

“Discord!” Pinkie cried out.

“I can handle him!” Discord shouted back. “Finish what you started!”

“Quick! We have to get the bloodstone!” exclaimed Spike.

Grogar’s horns began to glow as he let out a horribly distorted laugh, but right before he could teleport, Discord quickly attacked, this time swinging a punch at Grogar while wearing a massive padded glove. The impact sent Grogar back, but he landed on his hooves, and charged.

Meanwhile, Spike and Pinkie Pie had made their way to behind the structure where the bloodstone rested on the ground, thankfully without a scratch. Pinkie picked up the bloodstone, ready to put it back into its spot and get Discords attention.

The darkness was making its way into the space, oozing in from the hole above and crawling along the cave top. Spike gasped. They were running out of time. Quickly, Pinkie grabbed the bloodstone and threw it back to where it was meant to go, the bloodstone fortunately landing exactly as intended.

The battle between Discord and Grogar momentarily seemed tied, but that all came to an end when Grogar kept so much of Discord’s attention that, by the time Discord realized something was happening, it was too late. He had found himself impaled from behind by a portion of the darkness that had entered the cave, and already, it was spreading throughout his body. Discord proceeded to channel all his magic to stay conscious, but even then it couldn’t prevent the darkness spreading throughout his body and to his limbs from inside, making sure that he couldn’t move. For the first time since he could remember, Discord felt severe pain. Grogar just stood and stared, laughing as one of his pupils once again could be seen. This laugh didn’t feel mindless or reused for intimidation. To Discord, it felt genuine, as if Grogar maybe was in control the entire time.

Both Spike and Pinkie witnessed what had happened, and they both shrieked. “DISCORD!!!”

Grogar began storming their way, trying to get through the bars to attack the final survivors. But before he could, Discord used what remained of his rapidly deteriorating strength to teleport Grogar and himself away.

The ground rumbled vigorously, and all of a sudden, the cave walls crumbled away and into the void, leaving behind only the structure and the ground Spike and Pinkie stood on. The duo avoided the falling bits of darkness, feeling as though they were increasingly getting cornered.

The sky felt no longer existent, now only replaced by void. Massive stalks of the darkness were all strung around the void, appearing endless, with them extending to as far as I can see. Multiple faces of ponies and creatures stuck out from the darkness, staring out to the unknown.

Spike then noticed the stalks and strings of darkness, all slowly moving in the same direction, all slowly getting closer as if they had a source. Pinkie noticed too, a quiet “wait a minute” escaping from her lips.

The stalks turned out to be tentacles that appeared infinite, all of them attached to none other than Twilight Sparkle. Spike and Pinkie both shrank back. Although she was far away, she was clearly an even larger size than when they last encountered each other, and even with what little they could see of her, she was also more horrifically deformed. In spite of appearance, the scariest thing continued to be the massive endless tendrils that came out of her back and contained multiple corrupted Equestrians, said tendrils being the only things that held up her body, which appeared simultaneously dormant yet at the same time active.

“S̶p̴i̷k̶e̶…̸”̶

Upon hearing Twilight’s voice, Spike stopped. All he started to hear was ringing. He felt as though Twilight stared directly at him. Was she doing what she could to try and call for help? Or did she want to lure him and Pinkie to her?

As much as he hated to think about it, he knew it was only the latter.

”̷C̵o̶m̸e̷ ̸h̷o̵m̷e̷.̶”̷

The sound of someone teleporting behind them could be heard, and a searing pain suddenly shot through Spike’s torso, and his eyes focused on the blade-shaped blob of darkness that had impaled through his abdomen. He looked at Pinkie. The same had happened to her. Spike heard the sinister laugh of Grogar. Discord teleporting away with the corrupted tyrant wasn’t enough to keep him away. Spike felt his consciousness slip away, and he desperately tried to hold on.

From underneath, the sound of the Hydra roaring shook the ground.

Spike’s vision was fading. He felt himself get hoisted up by Grogar, and tossed into the contraption, while Pinkie was tossed off the floating island entirely, sent on a fall below like last time. Grogar stood in front of him. In spite of that, Spike couldn’t help but keep his focus on Twilight, who remained where she was. It was only until Grogar finally spoke that Spike gave him his attention.

“̸D̶i̸d̶ ̴y̵o̴u̸ ̴r̶e̷a̸l̸l̶y̷ ̸t̷h̶i̸n̶k̶ ̴t̴h̶a̸t̶ ̵a̸ ̴l̷i̶t̷t̷l̶e̶ ̵d̶r̶a̴g̸o̸n̵ ̷l̶i̵k̵e̷ ̶y̷o̴u̶ ̶c̶o̵u̴l̷d̸ ̸s̷a̷v̵e̸ ̵E̷q̸u̶e̸s̵t̴r̶i̵a̷ ̸f̵r̴o̶m̸ ̵t̶h̶e̴ ̷e̶n̶d̴?̴”̴ Grogar hissed, allowing Spike to hear his voice for the first time. “̷T̶h̴e̸ ̸d̴a̴r̸k̴n̷e̸s̵s̶ ̸i̵s̷n̴’̷t̵ ̸j̵u̵s̵t̴ ̸a̴n̶ ̵i̴m̸v̶a̴s̵i̸o̸n̶.̴ ̸I̷t̶’̴s̶ ̶t̸h̶e̶ ̶e̴n̶d̵ ̵o̶f̴ ̵a̵l̵l̵ ̸t̵h̸i̶n̴g̸s̸.̴”̷

Spike breathed heavily as he tried standing up, only to fall flat on his face. Although he resisted the darkness more than he thought, he felt as though he would be taken over at any given second. But he didn’t even know why he was trying. He wanted to give up. He lost everything. He got back Pinkie and Discord, only to lose them both. There was nobody whose magic could be used to power the structure. Was there really anybody left who could power the structure?

Before Spike finally gave in, a sharp moment of realization crossed his mind. There was someone left.

It was himself. If his fire breath could send letters to Princess Celestia… maybe it could power the contraption after all.

He didn’t truly know. But he had only a few seconds left to even try.

Within’ a matter of seconds, Spike rolled onto his back and inhaled, powering through the pain that shrouded his entire body. He then let out only a small burst of fire that managed to get close to the bloodstone before instantly thinning away into the air, only a few tips of the flame making contact with the bloodstone.

Grogar snarled and teleported away, allowing for the Hydra to crash through the island underneath, completely destroying it and sending Spike and the structure on a seemingly endless fall.

Although Spike resisted longer than he thought, he knew he couldn’t fight back like Chrysalis could. With the last of his strength being taken away, Spike’s mind was overtaken by the darkness, the last thing he saw being the somehow intact contraption glowing, the colors of the glowing gems blinding him before all that came after was nothing.


***


Spike opened his eyes and found that he stood on nothing. He simply floated in an empty black void.

“Did… did I lose?” he pondered out loud. “Is-is this what it’s like to be like them?”

“Spike…”

Spike turned. Twilight flew to him, no longer a massive horrific entity, but rather the normal would-be Princess of Equestria that he loved. Spike couldn’t help but tear up as he quickly made his way to her and hugged her.

“I’m so sorry Twilight…” he apologized in tears. “I tried to save Equestria… I tried to save you… but… I failed.”

Spike let go of Twilight and he slowly hovered away from her. All she did was continue giving him her calm smile.

“Spike… it’s okay…” she said. “Now you get to experience the joys… the joys of being one with the darkness. Even if momentarily.”

“W-what?” The dragon stuttered.

Twilight giggled, closing her eyes and holding a hoof over her mouth. When she opened her eyes again, one was blank white and glowing, while the other was pitch black, the magenta eye making its return. Twilight’s smile grew, her teeth also appearing far more uncanny.

Spike gasped. Then he looked at his claws, his vision began going white as he found himself fading away and distorting. What was happening to him? Was he fully becoming immersed into the darkness, and this was only a limbo he’d be trapped in until he woke up? Or was this something else?

Twilight hovered higher above spike, and body began growing and twisting, returning to its most recent form just before Spike blacked out.

Spike couldn’t attack. He was in too much of a panic as he felt everything around him break and fade. Soon he couldn’t even see Twilight anymore. But he could hear her now garbled voice as it spoke, seeming like it was right next to him.

“̶S̶e̸e̵ ̷y̶o̶u̵ ̴r̷e̷a̶l̵ ̸s̵o̴o̸n̴…̷”̴

Spike’s vision went completely white, before then going completely black, and Spike felt everything… sight, feeling, all of it… fade once more.

Then Spike opened his eyes, his sight being met with the night sky above him.
> Chapter 26: Post-Fallout
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Two days have gone by since that horrible night took place, and it didn’t seem as though things were getting better any time soon.

Equestria’s survivors had won. The moment Spike’s mind slipped away and succumbed to the darkness, the contraption did its work. The darkness had been banished, the void had disappeared, the sky had returned,  all of Equestria’s literally broken land had put itself back together, and nearly all of Equestria’s inhabitants have been freed from the darkness, and free to return to their lives. Mostly everyone Spike had been with throughout the entire incident… Pinkie Pie, Discord, Fluttershy Tempest, Smolder, Gallus, Silverstream… had all turned out alive and well. Injured, but alive. Pinkie received medical care as soon as possible, and is currently in the process of getting a prosthetic foreleg.

But not all of it was a completely happy ending.

Even though Equestria’s own soil and rock was put back where it was as if the land never became a series of floating islands, all towns and cities were left in ruins, with many homes, shops, and buildings left completely destroyed. It was as if the spell that banished the darkness specifically reversed Equestria’s natural world, and not everything else. When Spike first returned to Ponyville the morning after the apocalypse, there was nothing but rubble. Even on day two, after plenty of cleaning and rebuilding, the town still looked to be a complete mess. It was going to be a long time before it looked even remotely welcoming.

Canterlot was no exception. From the town of Ponyville, it could be seen that Canterlot was also in heavy ruin, the condition of the city just as horrible as when Chrysalis, Tirek, and Cozy Glow attacked.

No pony or creature could travel. The Friendship Express and a good portion of its tracks had all been destroyed. Some citizens were outraged. Others didn’t mind the halt on being able to leave.

The biggest loss of it all was that not everyone was here. As it turned out, multiple deaths have taken place during the apocalypse. Discussion arose over many different topics surrounding it, such as if the ones responsible were corrupted ones or survivors, or if those that died were even corrupted or not. The discussions died down quick, as most have come to terms that it didn’t matter in the end.

Some reported deaths, Spike didn’t know at all, but he and his friends gave condolences out to those that were close. For another select few, Spike knew their names, though he himself never directly interacted with them. And then there were a couple of fatalities with the victims being those that Spike and his friends knew very well, the news of their deaths hitting them all like a train.

Applejack still hasn’t left her farm. Neither have her siblings. Their friends still check on them every now and then, but it was clear that they wouldn’t leave the farm for at least another week.

“Well, I think it’s sweet that you’re wearing her scarf to remember her,” Fluttershy said during one visit.

“It looks awesome on you too!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed.

Applejack said nothing. All she did was slowly raise a hoof and touch the orange, apple-pattered scarf she wore on her barrel.

There was the tiniest number of losses that have not been considered casualties. No bodies have been found. And that is why Queen Chrysalis, Lord Tirek, Cozy Glow, Starlight Glimmer, and Twilight Sparkle have all been declared missing. All of them gone, without a trace. The moment the word spread about Grogar being around, he had been put on the search list as well.

Spike wanted to stay in Twilight’s castle in Ponyville, but he knew he couldn’t. At least not right now. So he chose to live in what was left of the Canterlot Castle, residing with Celestia and Luna while working with them to find Twilight and Starlight. So far they have had no success.

Celestia and Luna have wanted to study the darkness, to know more about it and where it came from, but they have nothing but their faded memories to work off of. Most of what they remembered while being corrupted have been lost, but what they did remember was that the darkness wasn’t an average everyday Equestria threat. It wasn’t exclusive to their world, nor was its intent solely set on their world. Although they didn’t know the full picture, all they could figure out at the end of the day was that there was something far greater out there beyond their world. 

Today, Spike rested. If there was another good thing to come out of the apocalypse ending, it was that at least now he could finally rest and heal. His wings were bandaged and splinted. He wasn’t going to be flying for a while. His scratches and bruises thankfully have been healing much faster. The most peculiar of all however was his abdomen would. Surprisingly he survived retaining it, and although he had to get the wound closed up and he now had to wear bandages for weeks, he was lucky to be alive, even if his outlook on life was far more melancholy. Although they technically won, it felt as though with the aftermath of the apocalypse, the victory felt more tied and hollow than in their favor. As if the darkness' last laugh was leaving the world in ruin and taking so many lives.

He didn’t want to give up on his search. Even though it would be easy to consider his missing friends dead and get it over with, he knew he couldn’t. It wasn’t just because of denial. From his brief moment of being corrupted and encountering Twilight, Spike felt certain that she was out there. 

He wasn’t going to stop searching until he saw otherwise. If he has to fight even more in the process, then so be it.

The apocalypse changed Spike. He’s been in big battles before, and he’s grown to feel more independent as he got older. But only after the whole thing did he understand that he was capable of surviving something this big and catastrophic without Twilight specifically, even if he does still need help from others to get through it.

Spike knew that with Twilight and Starlight missing, it wasn’t the end. But Spike wasn’t entirely sure if it was the end of the overall threat and story. The darkness was banished from Equestria, and it isn’t supposed to come back.

So why was Spike feeling unsafe? Why did he feel an urge to be prepared in case something else happened? Was it post-battle trauma? Or did he just feel uncertain about Equestria’s safety after all that had happened? He didn’t know, though he wishes he did. However, only time would tell if he ever would.

But whatever the case, if this truly wasn’t the end, he knew he had to be ready for what was to come next.