The return of an ancient evil

   Long before the founding of Equestria, in a time when the unicorns still hadn’t mastered their magic powers and the pegasi weren’t at charge of the weather, before the earth ponies discovered agriculture and when the cutie marks were things like sharp sticks and stone wheels; at that time, the world was threatened by a terrible hostile force. A dark entity from beyond the stars, disposed to conquer everything in his path. I’m talking about an evil so powerful, so dreadful, that the Windigos would rather jump into an active volcano than face him in combat.

   The name of this terrible enemy... was Atrox, the Dark Conqueror.

   This ancient demon would have plunged our world in darkness, but fortunately, a hero from another dimension helped the ponies in their worst hour. After a terrible battle that shook the skies and the land, Atrox was finally defeated and imprisoned in a secret tomb, by a magic even more ancient than the Elements of Harmony. Then, the hero disappeared, promising that, if someday the monster was released, he would return to fight him again.

   “Is that story real, sister?” asked Luna, once Celestia had finished her narration.

   “Who knows?” shrugged the Princess of the Sun. “It’s a legend I heard when I was a little filly, you weren’t born yet. Probably it’s just an old tale from the times previous to the foundation of Equestria to scare the foals, don’t take it seriously.”

***

   Unknown to Celestia, however, the tomb prison of the dreaded Atrox was real, and it was closer than she could had ever imagined. To be precise, it was inside of a cave, twenty-five meters at the East of Ponyville. Fortunately, the magic seal was quite hard to break, so that dark force from the past wouldn’t be freed just by three fillies fighting in front of the tomb. The ritual to break the seal would need the reunion of the essences of the three types of ponies in one organic vessel (but not an alicorn) plus the essence of water as a catalyst. Also, and this part was very important, the vessel had to be naturally marked with the power of the stars.

   So, the only thing that could free Atrox would be an Ursa Minor (or Major) that had eaten an earth pony, a pegasus and a unicorn, and had drank some water. And the tomb was too small for an Ursa to enter there.

   However, a pegasus could perfectly walk inside. Like the gray one who, that morning, was wandering near the cave, with an angry expression on her face.

   Derpy had been victim of the pranks of Rainbow Dash, like everypony else in the town, and she had laughed about that, like everypony else. But that time, Dash had gone too far, and she was very angry at her!

   The gray pegasus saw the cave and entered there. She liked to do that when somepony yelled or laughed at her, it was the closest thing of disappearing from the face of Equestria, which was something that she wished to happen every time she was angry.

   Derpy laid in the cold stone ground of the tomb, ignorant of the creature who was imprisoned under her hooves.

***

   “You did what?!” shouted Twilight Sparkle, scandalized.

   “It was really funny!” laughed Rainbow Dash. “Oh, I can’t believe that she actually ate it!”

   “Dash, that was very disgusting! I usually don’t mind your pranks, but this time you’ve gone too far!”

   “Oh, come on, Twilight... I only gave Derpy a muffin with a little surprise inside...”

   “One of your feathers, a hair from Applejack’s mane and magic waste from the Spell Flu I got two days ago is just a small surprise for you?!"

   Spell Flu: a disease very common among unicorns, harmless but very annoying, that causes the horn of the unicorn to continuously emit magic radiation, also known as ‘magic waste’ and ‘unicorn dust’

   “Poor Derpy...” sighed Twilight. “At least you could have stopped her before eating the whole muffin!”

   “Relax, girl, she’s not going to die. I always keep my wings clean, and pegasi cannot catch the Spell Flu.”

   “And how about Applejack’s mane?”

   Rainbow Dash thought about it for a second, and then said:

   “Applejack is the healthiest pony in the town. Her hair is probably nutritious. Besides, I gave Derpy water after the prank.”

   “Still, what you did was not nice at all. You should... no, you must apologize to her.”

   “Ok, ok, I’ll apologize when she’s back.”

   “I really hope that she doesn’t get sick. I was planning to watch the stars with her this night.”

   “Really? I didn’t know that Derpy was into that kind of things.”

   “Actually, and this is a very amazing coincidence, the bubbles of her cutie mark are a exact replica of the Unnamed Constellation of the West.”

***

   The ground trembled, and the walls of the cave cracked, releasing a yellow light. Derpy flew outside as fast as she could, starting to think that inanimate objects were allergic to her or something, the only possible explanation of why everything seemed to break when she was around.

   The tomb and the cave were disintegrated by a column of yellow light. Then, a creature emerged from the ground. It was bipedal, and it was wearing and dark red armor with several eye motifs. The gray helmet and the breastplate had the shape of two demonic faces. The skin of the creature was black, as a night without stars, and its face was just two eyes and a mouth, bright and red like hellish flames.

   The yellow light faded away, and the creature exhaled a little cloud of steam.

   “I... am... free!” it announced, in a loud, theatrical voice. “After so many years, my forced slumber is over! Now, I shall resume my conquest of this pathetic world! Atrox is back! You!”, he pointed at Derpy with a finger. “Ah, my little pegasus... You cannot even begin to imagine the magnitude of the force you’ve just released! But fear not, for I am grateful. You’ve freed me, so now, before starting my campaign, I shall grant you a wish.”

   Derpy didn’t understand most of the things said by the so-called Atrox, but the word ‘wish’ caught her attention. She smiled, knowing exactly what she was going to ask...

***

   “I really think that you should go search for her instead of waiting!” shouted Twilight Sparkle, looking up.

   “Ugh...” groaned the blue pegasus, trying to sleep in her cloud. “I told you, I’ll apologize later.”

   “Why can’t you do it now?”

   “Because go away and let me sleep!” and she put cloud in her ears.

   “Dash, you’re being very immature! Get back to the ground right now and go search for Derpy! I’m serious, Rainbow Dash! I’m going to count to three: one...”

   Then, the unicorn heard steps behind her. She turned back, and saw a black creature in a red armor, with a gray pegasus flying over its head.

   “There she is!” said Derpy Hooves, pointing at the cloud with a hoof.

   “Rainbow Dash!” shouted Twilight. “Wake up!”

   Too late. Atrox raised one of his arms, and an indigo energy trail, kinda like electricity, emerged from the black fingers and caught Rainbow Dash, forcing her to came off from the cloud. Then, with the same hand, Atrox grabbed her by the throat. The pegasus squeaked like a toy.

   “So you’re that prankster,” he said. “You gave Derpy a muffin with the essence of the three types of ponies, and she ate it, thus becoming the key which set me, Atrox the Dark Conqueror, free from my prison.”

   Rainbow Dash gulped. Twilight gave her a deadly stare.

   “Due to that, I should thank you,” continued Atrox. “Technically, you’re the true responsible for my return. However...”, he tightened his grip. Dash squeaked again and her face became more blue than usual.  “My schoolmates used to do pranks on me all the time. I didn’t like it. You’re a prankster too, so you must pay! What punishment do you want for her, Derpy?”

   “Force her to apologize to me!” said the gray pegasus. “And she will have to buy me a box of muffins!”

   Atrox allowed Rainbow Dash to breathe again.

   “You’ve heard her,” he said.

   “I apologize!” shouted Dash, as loud as she could. “I’m really sorry, Derpy!”

   “Now, buy her those muffins.”

   “But... I don’t have much money right now...”

   “That won’t be a problem. Take me to the nearest bakery!”

***

   Mr. and Mrs. Cake contemplated their new client, which had Rainbow Dash in one of his hands, as he pulled out a little black bag from some place inside of his armor and released its content over the counter: gold nuggets.

   “They have been in my pocket for millennia,” explained Atrox to the Cakes, very politely. “But they’re as well preserved as if they were new. I hope it is enough for a box of muffins.”

   “Uh...” said Mrs. Cake. “Yes, yes it is... In fact, it is too much for just a box...”

   “You can keep the change,” he dropped Rainbow Dash in front of the counter and changed his tone to a more menacing one: “Buy it.”

   “Why don’t you do it yourself?” complained she. “You’ve already gave them the money! For Pete’s sake, this is incredibly stup- Agh!”

   “Buy it,” repeated Atrox, strangling Rainbow Dash with one hand. Again.

   “All right, I’ll do it! Ugh... I want a box of muffins, please...”

   “And...” added Atrox, again speaking politely. “Since it’s more than enough money, I would also like to buy one of those chocolate cupcakes for me. I love chocolate. You can still keep the change, my good bakers.”

   “Will you release now, please?”

   Atrox dropped Rainbow Dash in the ground and gave the box of muffins to Derpy. Twilight gave him a weird look while he ate the whole chocolate cupcake in one bite.

   “Are you sure you are a Dark Conqueror?” she asked.

   “Of course!” he replied, theatrically. “And now that my debt with Derpy Hooves has been repaid, it’s time to start the conquest!”

   Atrox went outside, followed by Twilight, Dash and Derpy, the last one eating her muffins.

   “I remember this place!” he said, looking at Ponyville. “The buildings weren’t here the last time, but I remember the land! This is where that damned hero from another world imprisoned my army of robots!”

   “Your what?!”

   “But now that I’m free, his magic seal can be easily broken by my power!” he raised an arm. “Come to me, my metallic servants!”

   The ground started to shake, at first lightly, but it became more violent in a few seconds. Then, big creatures made of steel emerged like moles. The ponies who were in the streets at that moment ran away, scared.

   “There were robots under Ponyville?” asked Rainbow Dash. “Why nopony noticed it until now?”

   “I will finish what I started centuries ago!” announced Atrox. He looked at the town hall, and said: “That must be the main building of this town. Robots! Form a corridor to that house, so I can walk victoriously to it!”

   Immediately, the mechanic soldiers formed two lines, going from Atrox to the town hall. The robots of one line were directly looking at the robots of the other line.

   “I have to warn Princess Celestia!” said Twlight. “Dash, distract Atrox while I’m going with Spike!”

   “Oh no, you won't!” laughed Atrox.

   He just looked at them, and Twilight and Rainbow were immobilized by chains of dark energy.

   “And now, watch me as I conquer my first town...”

   Atrox started to walk. He was about to enter in the corridor formed by his robots, when Derpy accidentally dropped one of her muffins, which, due to the particular properties of cartoonish pastries, bounced several times in the ground, until it ended right in the path of Atrox, who didn’t see it, and squashed it with his feet, slipping and falling back. And, when he hit his head with the ground, the conqueror decided to express his feelings with two words:

   “Ah, shoot!”  

   And each loyal robot obeyed, releasing its weapons and shooting at the thing right in front of it, which was a robot from the other line. The steel soldiers became scraps of smoking circuits.

   “My robots!” shouted Atrox.

   “My bad...” apologized Derpy.

   The Dark Conqueror stood up and looked at the remains of his army, with his mouth widely opened. The gray pegasus approached, shy.

   “Sorry,” she apologized, again. “Are you mad at me?”

   Atrox growled, inflated his cheeks, and raised his hand. For a moment, it looked like he was about to hit Derpy, but the conqueror just tapped her head gently.

   “It doesn’t matter.” he said, using his polite voice. “Actually, it’s my fault. I should have said other thing instead of shoot.”, he crossed his arms and smiled to the skies. “What matters is that I’m free, and that hero is not here to stop me this time! The robots were only a small fraction of my old forces, I still have much more ways to take over this world. Eventually, this land and all its inhabitants will be under my control!”, and then he laughed maniacally.

   “In the meantime, you can clean this mess,” said the Mayor, appearing out of nowhere and giving Atrox a broom, while pointing at the remains of the robots. She was visibly annoyed. “It’s not nice to drop garbage in the towns of other ponies, you know? Come on, clean it.”

   “Uh...” Atrox looked down, ashamed. “Yes, ma’am...”

   He snapped his fingers, releasing Twilight and Dash from the magic chains, and started to sweep the metallic scraps and the circuits.

   “Now it’s our chance!” said Rainbow Dash. “Quick, Twilight, go for Spike! I’ll kick his ass in the meantime!”

   “No, leave him alone.”

   “What?! Are you crazy or something?! That guy is clearly a menace to all Equestria!”

   Twilight looked at Atrox, sweeping what it was left of his soldiers. Derpy approached him, with the box in her hooves.

   “A muffin?” she offered.

   “Yes, thank you.”, said Atrox, picking one. “Thank you very much.”

   “Actually...” said Twilight to Dash. “I’m not so sure... But let’s search for Spike anyway. Somepony has a letter to send to the Princess, don’t you think?”

***

   “Now I won’t be able to sleep,” groaned Luna. “I’ll be worried all night. What if Atrox is real?”

   “Well...” said Celestia. “Even if he is, the legend is from very old times, and it probably exaggerates. The real Atrox may not be so evil or dangerous.”

   Then, a scroll materialized in a green fireball. Celestia picked it and read it in loud voice:

   Dear Princess Celestia,

   Today I’ve learned that everything has to have a limit, even the pranks. Not everypony may react nicely to them, because what it looks fun to you may not be it for other ponies, and something like that can end up breaking a friendship. So, because I don’t want to end up laughing alone, I’ve decided to low my pranks, in order to preserve all my wonderful friends.

   I’ve also decided to never again do a prank with a surprise muffin, because it may end up releasing an ancient Dark Conqueror and his army of robots.

   Yours faithfully,

   Rainbow Dash.

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   For the moment, Equestria is saved from the evil hands of Atrox. However, the Dark Conqueror still has many plans to rebuild his empire. Will our ponies stop him the next time?

To be continued... maybe.

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