A small party of ponies stood outside the throne room of Canterlot Castle. They each wore some form of classy apparel, whether it be a frilly dress or snappy tuxedo, they wore clothes that would not require a second glance to believe they were nobles. They removed a small pocket watch from their pockets, making sure each hand was matched to the appropriate tick.

"Remember," their leader said, "no one is to enter or leave until the appointed time. We need to raise as much disorder as possible, and above all, nothing must be heard outside the courtroom, otherwise, this entire operation is for naught." He turned to a green coated mare in a yellow dress, "Lettuce Wrap, splash the Silence Brew on the doors. When you get a chance inside, coat the windows as well. We'll provide cover."

"Understood." Lettuce Wrap's horn glowed as she summoned what looked like a simple water gun. She pumped the handle before squirting bits of the clear liquid onto the enormous doors. The concoction glowed green for a second, and then it sank inside the door's woodwork, effectively sealing off any noise.

The leader nodded, "Good. Now, let's get inside and see how many tedious complications a few nobles can make."

"I will not leave this courtroom until someone does something about the price of oranges!"

Princess Celestia put a hoof to her forehead, "Mr. Citrus Delicious, I have said time and time again to work this problem out with your own town. I'm sorry, but the crown has more important needs to attend to than the prices of one town's oranges."

Citrus Delicious stamped a hoof in defiance, "Aye, and what'll be next? Our foals? Does the crown turn it's eyes away from foals, wondering what has happened to the economy of the town due to the steep rise in orange prices? What of them, your Majesties, what of them?"

Celestia shook her head. "Sir, I already said it, and I will say it again. I can't help you."

He raised his eyebrows, "Can't, or won't?"

Celestia shrugged, "Both?"

"Oh, come off it!" shouted a stallion in the stagnated queue, "There's necromancers, cults, and the LIVING DEAD running around, you lummox! We need to do something about THAT, not your dumb oranges!" the long line of dignitaries and representatives yelled their approvals, only adding to the mess in the Sister's Court.

"Sister," Luna leaned closer to Celestia from her throne, "I suspect that this fellow intends on keeping us here all day unless some demands are met. I suggest we... let the crowd deal with him."

Celestia's gaped at her sister, "Luna! We can't treat a subject that way! They are...." she looked back up to see that the tenacious pony had disappeared, with a silent line of ponies staring back at the Princess with resolute expressions, "... where did he go?"

"Gone." they simultaneously droned.

A mare took his place, strolling closer to the thrones, "Now, my Majesties, can we please do something about the CULTIC MESS that is plaguing the country?!"

"Ten percent of my community disappeared to be a part of some, 'Children of Perdition' group," called another stallion from the midst of the line, "what are you going to do about this?!" a raucous series of angry cries filled the room, each voice attempting to scream their plights louder than the other.

Princess Celestia raised her hoof, slowly silencing the crowd, "If these ponies joined of their own accord, then there is nothing I can do. However, we can put out a call for the underage members."

"But they raised the dead!" the mare argued, "And I'm not exaggerating, they literally, raised the dead! My grandma just died, so when she came back, she was still all fleshy! Do you know what kind of emotional trauma it is to have your grandma running after your brains?!"

"We have apprehended what necromancers we could," Luna explained in her booming voice, "however, all they say is vague statements about horror and their Master. Nothing of their motives or plans..." Luna grumbled under her breath, "It was like reading that school's teenage pony poems all over again... I come back from the moon and suddenly, everypony thinks they are the deepest writers about pain and longing.... ugh."

"Uh... Princesses?" an elderly mare asked from the back of the line, "What about the books they stole from my library?"

The court fell silent as the seemingly mundane question drew over the enormous hall.

"Books?" Luna replied, her voice trailing off, "What manner of books do you speak of?"

The old librarian broke from the line and walked to the center of the court. "Um.. I believe they were some old spellbooks. They were full of nonsense though. I think they were more like myths and storybooks rather than anything magical. Then again... they just look like that to me, I don't really know the first thing about magic."

"Actually, that's what I'm here about, too," a high-pitched stallion called.

Another pony said the same, "Yeah, me too... I didn't think it was that important though... then I saw my great uncle crawl outta the ground."

Celestia sighed and closed her eyes tightly, "Those didn't also happen to be ancient, arcane, books of dark magic and crazy myths?"

Another thick silence.

"Uh... maybe."

Luna took a deep breath and said, "Oh, f*ck my full moon ass!"

The crowd, of course, was still silent. At this point, they were just glazed by the sudden veers of the court.

Celestia gasped, slapping a hoof over Luna's mouth, "Luna! Please do not curse while court is in session!"

Luna removed her sister's hoof, "I apologize for the outburst... it appears my student's colorful language has rubbed off on me." she turned back to Celestia, "But sister, some ancient artifact or villain we forgot about has already bitten is in the flank three or four times already! Who says this won't happen again?"

"I..." Celestia hummed to herself, deep in thought. She grunted, opening her eyes and declaring, "Oh my light, you're right! That's it! Before we do anything else, we are going to find every stupid little magical artifact that we left unattended and put them in a very big, very strong safe! I am not having this carelessness anymore!"

Luna rolled her eyes, "Right, because keeping all of Equestria's most powerful spellbooks, artifacts, and imprisoned villains in one place is a fantastic idea."

Celestia hummed once more, thinking. She exhaled in exasperation before mumbling to herself, "Oh, for Equestria's f*cking sake."

"Actually, there's one more important item we need to address."

A highborn Unicorn stallion with a golden coat and orange mange parted the queue. He stood out from the other nobles, mostly due to his tremendous size. He trotted to the front at his own leisurely pace.

He cleared his throat, "Your Majesties, regarding this cult known as the... Children of Perdition... there actually has been some integral information they've revealed upon capture. In fact, they announced it well before then and were quite happy to do so."

"And where did you hear this information?" Luna inquired with a skeptical frown.

"Why, from everypony else here." he beckoned to the congregation, "They didn't know what to make of it, but I was quite aware of the name, due to a visit to Ponyville for a cousin of mine.

"They said this was all thanks to Lee Newsom, the new resident of Ponyville."

A Wee Bit AFTER the Jacking.

All around Equestria, things were finally falling into place. Each piece had been so painstakingly moved and prepared, each step carried out by countless ponies, each eager, each willing, each yearning for this time. Everything has led up to this: sparked by a crash, and kindled by fear.

A Unicorn stood on the rooftop of a skyscraper in Manehatten. He was wrapped in striped, black robes, and a gazelle skull covered his face. Behind him was a small group of lower-class cultists, having plain robes and no notable distinctions. The Blood Horn looked down over the edge. He spied the hundreds of buildings, bustling citizens, web-like streets and the neon signs that dotted the city like colorful bonfires.

He turned to face the followers. "Fellow children, it's been a long journey, a long road, a long wait, but now we can begin."

One of the cultists raised a hoof, "I thought we already began? You know, like, with the Oncoming Horde thing?"

Another cultist nudged his shoulder. "Yeah, but we just got word that the whole thing kinda blew up in our face... so... I'm not exactly sure what we're supposed to do for the Master now."

"The Oncoming Horde already played its most important part," the Blood Horn assured, much to their confusion. "You see, the Oncoming Horde was only the infantry. All those rites we've been practicing and gathering.... all the dead we've raised... all the fear that we've sowed.. it has all come to this. Although, it would have been much more favorable to have the Oncoming Horde intact for the next steps."

"W... wait," the first cultist muttered, "so, the Oncoming Horde wasn't what all those old books we stole for the Master were about?"

The Blood Horn chuckled, "Of course not. The Master has picked us Blood Horns to practice the most important rituals and kept us privy to the secrets of them... all a test of faith for the others."

"And we passed..?" he asked, unsure of the outcomes but still steadfast in his beliefs.

A second voice intoned over the Blood Horn's words, a ghostly manifestation of his connection, "Yes. Now, all this chaos, all this desecration, this GLORIOUS TERROR! THOSE WERE ONLY THE FIRST OF THE LOCKS!"

Black coils of energy untwisted from his mask and horn, slithering and slipping across each of the followers, caressing their chins and minds, reminding them of what they were here for.

"The dancing dead, THE PRELUDE! The Oncoming Horde, THE INFANTRY! Now... only two locks remain for the return of beautiful PERDITION!" Red thunderbolt loosed from his horn, snaking into the sky and spreading across each cloud it touched.

"The four Blood Horns will take care of the first lock," His body crumpled to the ground. Before the others could come to his aid, he rose in jerky movents, like a marionette pulled around by a child, "t-t-the rrrrrrRREEEsst will ffff-fall into place, orchestrated by the aaaagents in Canterlot.. bring m-m-m-me the p-poootionnnn..."

The responsible cultist rushed forward with the necessary concoction. He handed the slim vial of milky liquid to the contorting Blood Horn, cringing as the leader snatched the vial from his hooves, uncorked it, and drank greedily, letting no drop go wasted.

He ran back to the others, watching the scene with hypnotic horror, "Blood Horn, what's happening?!"

The Blood Horn's head writhed towards the followers, grinning, "Don't you see?! Four seals were placed on the Master in that wretched book... a... t-t-t-twooooooooofold loooooockk.... f-f-four demons from TaaartaaRRUUUUS were used aaassss a failsafe. Th-th-they're endless fighting with each other wo-wo-would keeeep the Master repressed annnnnd drained. Once we b-b-become their hosts, they'll be free to WREAK HAVOC!"

In Cloudsdale, a Pegasus Blood Horn drank from a bottle.

In the Crystal Empire, an Earth Pony Blood drank from a bowl.

In Canterlot....

"Oh crud, oh crud!" cult ponies ran around helplessly as they found themselves unable to partake in the ritual. Unfortunately, their Blood Horn had been apprehended during the trainjacking. They could already see the red lightning from Cloudsdale, and they were going to be too late for their share.

"Wait!" a Unicorn mare shouted, "I was the runner-up for Blood Horn, does... that work?"

A stallion shrugged, "I don't know! Do I look like I know anything? I joined like a week ago!"

She nickered in place, "Well.... wait." one of her ears pricked up, "I... he's talking to me! He's actually talking to me!"

"Are you sure?" the stallion asked.

"Gee, I don't know, I guess this sweet, sweet voice talking into my head is—of course I'm sure!" she looked to the cultist holding the flask of the potion, "He said that the Blood Horn thing was just ceremonial crap anyway. He said it's fine if I drink it, just get it done!"

And, finally, in Canterlot, a Unicorn Runner-Up-for-Blood-Horn drank from a flask.

Then all their bodies dropped, ready for a new host.

And so it begins.

A bound and chained Blood Horn caught the red lightning strike the sky. "Aw, they did it without me!"

The scene was ravaged by unforgiving, blistering blizzards and gloomy, cloudy skies. The rushing wasteland seemed barren upon first sight, but closer inspection revealed the few stalwart patches of trees, towering over the ground as rigid bulwarks against the cold. A few herds of hulking creatures were trudging through the snow as well, strong enough to endure the severe winter. While these things would have been easy to spot, the action was incredibly difficult when one was flying and ripping past the scenery at breathtaking speeds. While Gogurt had no recollection of this harsh land, the entire thing felt all too familiar to him.

He leaped, soaring high into the whipping skies and lancing through the frosty gales. The feeling was the most exhilarating, terrifying, and liberating experience Gogurt ever had. Every living creature, every force of nature, they were all at his mercy in this frozen empire.

Miles were covered in what seemed like seconds, and before long, he was rocketing towards the enormous blue mountains that ringed his domain. He dove into a large cave at the midst of one of the peaks, suddenly slowing to a stop before landing on the rocky ground. Giant pieces of meat dropped from his grasp, each bloody, mouthwatering chunk still clinging to the bone.

"COME! My scions of burning frost!" Fenrir's voice boomed from his mouth, "I have brought delicious morsels of flesh, worthy of a feast for cold lords of our ilk!"

The sound of pitter-pattering feet echoed in the cave as three little monsters sleepily walked towards their father's hearty calls. The strange thing about these children that Gogurt noticed, was that other than their size, they looked radically different from each other.

One of the tiny beings appeared to be a white hare sporting a single antler along with the semblance of small, black plated scales on its head and backside. The other was what looked like a wide-eyed faun with a thick furry coat, all supported by thin, wobbly legs. The same scale formation was on its head and sides. The third was a thick, but short, snake coiled around the faun's body. Strangely enough, there was fur lining the section between it's dark upper body scales and white belly scales, or was it even a snake? Gogurt spotted what looked like clawed, stubby legs on its sides. Even stranger, was the fact that they were all inexplicably adorable.

'These were Fenrir's kids?' Gogurt thought, 'He must have gotten around... or it's just weird metaphysical-being-magic-shit... wait, why am I Fenrir right now? Ugh. I've had enough of this nonsensical magic stuff.'

Fenrir pushed the meat forward, garnering the attention of the sleepy and now hungry children, "FEAST! Show me the burning iron wills of your fury in a hunger-charged roar!! Shake the heavens with your spirit!"

They mewled and squeaked in response before digging into the meal.

Fenrir threw his (and Gogurt's?) head back, cackling madly, shaking the cavern, "Yes! YES! Your depraved screeches penetrated my very heart and soul! When you come upon your final forms, you will be ice wardens even greater than I! You will spread this icy scourge even further, forcing more pitiful creatures to struggle and endure, maybe you'll form some of democracy or republic to handle political matters!" he then added in a low growl, "No socialism, though..."

Within seconds, the veritable banquet had been demolished. The sated children trotted closer to Fenrir and nuzzled against his arm.

The proud father snarled in delight, "Good, GOOD! Feed off this paternal affection and grow stronger! LEECH my strength, my cute little parasites, and becomes GODS! Muahahahaha!" Fenrir's laughs continued to boom through the mountain, even when he partook in the cuddling. His children did not seem to mind.

The entire scene was odd. Gogurt never thought he'd see this side of Fenrir: a proud, loving, fatherly side. Although the way Fenrir fathered his children was the most unorthodox and alien method he had ever seen, it was obvious that the demon-drake-wolf-spirit-thing held great love for his spawn. He knew Fenrir would do anything for them.

The picture suddenly warped, crunched, and tore away, revealing a different moment but the same place. Fenrir was standing at the head of the cave, his head poking out over the mountain. Below him, in a strange, closed off, circular and flat ledge on the mountain was a small band of ponies. They were wrapped from head to hoof in thick furs and coats, barely able to stand the cold surrounding the rocky court.

Fenrir roared over the blizzards, causing the screaming winds to halt. "You have journeyed all the way up to my court, surviving the dangers and deadly colds along the way, you have EARNED your piece. SAY and I will hear, little ponies."

A mare heading the pack tentatively stepped forward, "W-w-we... would like to m-m-make a request! On b-behalf of all the ponies!"

"Oh? A request? Do you want more snow? Perhaps a snow-grade more appropriate for sledding? Maybe my recipe for the ULTIMATE SNOW CONES?!"

"More snow?!" a stallion cried in hushed tones.

The mare vigorously shook her head, "N-no, great Fenrir sir. We actually w-wanted t-t-to see if you make it... less cold?"

Fenrir froze.

He cocked his head to the side, "L... less cold?"

The ponies flinched, feeling as if they set off some cold fury. The mare nodded her head, "Yes, please!"

Fenrir blinked widely, "Why?"

The mare looked back at her group and shrugged before turning back to the confused overlord, "Because it's.... too cold?"

"T... too cold? I... what?"

She sighed, "The cold is too much for us, great Fenrir. Our ponies can't survive it any longer! Our foals, they cry out from the cold! If this keeps going on, we will all die!"

Fenrir's eyes hardened, "Then endure."

"We can't! We starve and..."

"Then hunt."

Her pupils shrunk, "Those beasts the size of trees?! That's impossible!"

"Then farm."

She shook her head, "Even though you have already done us the great mercy of revealing the crops that can grow here... we are always raided by bandits, looking to take the same crops!"

"Then leave."

The final suggestion struck the band with complete silence, leaving them staring at the merciless monster, mouths wide open in disbelief.

The mare finally brought forth some words, "Le.. leave? How are we supposed to leave this place? Where will we go? We can't make such a migration! Only more will die!"

Fenrir snorted, "Nothing is forcing you to stay in my domain. You can either surrender yourself to the elements... or go away. The fact that you creatures were able to make such a climb and meet me, is testament to the fact that you are fully able to undertake an expedition away from here."

She took a step back, "B-b-but—"

"—ENOUGH!"

The scene warped and twisted away again. However, the next vision would only stay for a few seconds. The following scenes seemed to be less concrete than the earlier ones and disappeared within seconds. He caught more images of white landscapes and black crags, the occasional memories of Fenrir's children, and even more ponies, larger bands of them, showing up to meet Fenrir yet again.

Suddenly, a large thrum quaked the visions. The memories kept going forward, but each cycle was corrupted by the distinct thrumming noise, causing a disturbing layer of red film to bleed over the cracks as the tempo rose.

"No..."

The vision stretched and yawned, straining to create a discernible image as the furious thrumming hammered their minds. Through the measly vision, he saw the familiar cave where Fenrir lived, but something was wrong.

Something felt very, very wrong.

"Not this... please.

Fenrir's breathing was ragged and heavy. He staggered towards the mouth of the cave, whimpering and groaning, "No, no, nonono... please, no!"

The vision was nearly crimson now, as the red film seeped into every crevice of the memory. The thrums were rapid and deafening, like some leviathan's hungry heartbeat. The dread and misery was infecting Gogurt to the core, but he could not turn his head, he could not blink, he could only watch as the horror pounded his brain into glazed submission.

The exhausted lord lumbered into the cavern. He stood still for a few seconds, regaining his breath and balance. He looked up and walked deeper into the cave, finally seeing the only monstrosity that could bring him to his knees. A sin that would bring despair and furious rage for years to come.

Blood.

There was fresh blood strewn about the floor of the caves, but Gogurt could not tell if that blood was spilled life or the red film.

No..

At this point, the distinction did not matter.

"No.... nonononONONONONONONO......"

Because all they could do was scream.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!

"AAAAAAaaaahhh!" Gogurt clutched his chest, his heart still throbbing from the nightmare's horror, "What... what the Hell was that? Fe... Fenrir?"

Strangely enough, the snarky spirit had nothing to say to him.

Gogurt opened his clawed hand, examining the hard plates and black, scaly skin, "I suppose we're... meshing... in more ways than one." he chuckled, his distorted face forming a disturbing smile, "Or I'm continuing to lose my mind... heh."

A spear harshly rattled the iron bars, stirring him out of stupor, "Oy'! Keep it down in there!"

"Nnnnggh?" Gogurt moaned.

He yawned and stretched what he could in the small confinement. He blinked several times, gazing at the dirt path beyond the bars. The world beyond the bars moved along at a brisk pace, the various deformities in the road jostling the cell every now and then. He looked to his clawed hands, seeing them chained closely together, along with his feet.

"That's right..." Gogurt grimaced, tapping the bars with a claw and noting the ominous spark of purple light, "I'm going to prison.."

Gogurt picked up his raggedy cloak from the bathroom floor and wrapped it over his jacket. The cloak had provided well enough for a makeshift blanket and as a bit of disguise, despite its patchy nature, he did not intend on leaving it for anyone, even the angry Princess that waited outside the house. Besides, the cloak was a good place to conceal Fenrir's Horn, his comforting, sharpened, bony relic.

He looked into the mirror before him, "Well, what now?"

His reflection shrugged, "What do you think? After what's been done, it's only natural that greater authority is involved. Idiot."

Gogurt shook his head, "I never wanted things to get so far..."

The reflection snorted, "And what does that matter now?"

Gogurt rolled his eyes, "It doesn't, I suppose."

There was a brief pause.

The reflection flared a nostril, "You wanna run or something? Seems to be all you can do asides from freezing things so you can run some more."

"No, not really. Hasn't running made this worse?"

His mirror image absentmindedly picked his nose, "Sure. Plus, I don't know how well you can run from one of the most magical creatures in the damn country. Plus, despite what you think, you're terrible at it."

"Mhm?"

"Yeah," the reflection leaned in close, pressing his warped eye and scales to the glass with an impossibly wide smile, "Besides, look what you did to yourself. It's only gonna get worse, much worse, and you can't go back, you and I both know that."

"Shut up. I think I'm gonna go out there and... play it by the ear."

"Of course you are. You say that like you're going to do something creative and witty, but you're just gonna try and freeze her then make a run for it."

"Oh yeah? Well, what do you know?" Gogurt crossed his arms, staring into the mirror, "You're just a reflection."

"You done, boy? We can't skylark around in here any longer." Fenrir's whispered.

Fenrir's sudden question caused him to break eye contact with the mirror, "Y... yeah, let's go."

Gogurt adjusted the cloak, pulled the cowl over his jacket's hood, and walked out of the bathroom. He stepped through the silent, unoccupied house in a relaxed pace, past the living room and to the front door. As he reached for the doorknob, he saw that his hand was trembling yet again. He quickly grabbed his shaking wrist with his other hand in an attempt to stop the shaking. Of course, when both hands are shaking, like they were here, the exercise can prove to be useless. He ignored the trembles and opened the door.

He walked outside, feeling the light wisps of snow tickle what was left of his skin. Despite some of the wreckage, he could still appreciate the sight of the small town dusted in a think blanket of snow.

"The snow..." Fenrir said with a hint of longing.

Gogurt looked around him, just now noticing the frightened civilians peeking out from behind their homes and other buildings, staring in hypnotized fear. He stepped a bit farther out when he heard...

"NOT another move, icy villain!"

Gogurt's head shot up as a pink Alicorn dropped from the sky in a colorful blur, landing on the ground in a dramatic manner, wings flared, head held high, and an angry scowl across her face.

Fenrir grunted, "So, this is one of the new Alicorns... looks frillier than the others."

"You've terrorized ponies for a long time, fiend," the Princess took a menacing step forward, "and on top of that, you tried to steal the Crystal Heart, along with injuring my Shining Armor and his soldiers." her horn hummed as a spell readied, "Any last words before you get locked away forever?"

Gogurt scratched his head with a claw, "Uh.... who are you again?I.. feel like I should know this..."

She raised an eyebrow, "Really? Really? You don't remember bursting into my chambers last year, setting off all the fireworks before being blown into a colorful fireball in the night sky? ON THIS VERY SAME DAY?"

Gogurt snapped his claws, "That's right, that happened...! But your name is the real ques—"

"—CADENCE," Cadence loudly interrupted, "My name is Princess CADENCE! I mean, I know I'm not as established as Princess Celestia and Luna, or as fresh as Twilight, but come on!"

Gogurt flared a nostril and reached inside his cloak for Fenrir's Horn, "Uh huh, sounds—"

BZZZZZZT

He shook his hand wildly, trying to get rid of the burning currents arcing through his arm, "DAMMIT! That stung!" he tried to grab the relic again, but another cyan blue bolt sparked against his shoulder, delivering more magical agony.

Cadence frowned, "I said not to make a move, did I not? Surrender, or I will make you surrender."

Gogurt clutched at his blasted shoulder, "Jesus! Do any of you even know how those spells feel?!" he spat on the ground, "Why are you even here? Where's that other jerk?"

"If you're talking about Shining Armor," Cadence said with measured patience, "he's taking care of something else at the moment. Besides, it's about time a Princess stepped in to stop the horror you've spread across Equestria. And that Princess is me, so stop resisting, and come with me to—"

"—Ah, shut up!"

The surrounding crowd drew a resounding gasp.

"You're just here because you don't have anything better to do!" He kicked at the dirt. "What the Hell are you supposed to be a Princess of anyways?"

Cadence blinked widely, suddenly remembering what her husband said about his mouth, "I'm the Princess of the Crystal Empire... I..."

Gogurt threw his arms up, "What do you even do? What do you even do?"

"I'm also the..."

"WHAT DO YOU EVEN DO?!" Gogurt hopped back as a cyan bolt splashed at his feet.

Cadence flapped her wings, slowly rising in the air,"I am Mi Amore Cadenza, the Princess of Love! I bested the Changeling Queen and—"

"—Princess of Love?!" Gogurt grabbed what remained of his hair, stomping the ground, "That's. Not. Even. Anything! And who hasn't beaten Chrysalis?"

A mare in the background whispered to a stallion, "He's got a point about the last part."

"I've had enough of this shit," Gogurt drew Fenrir's Horn in a flash, "I'm not going anywhbbzzzeeerrrkk?!?!?"

Cadence let loose a magic beam unto Gogurt's exposed torso, suppressing the enraged human with the blistering, arcane power. The crowd of citizens and guards alike cheered as the Princess flew closer, increasing the severity of the beam and paralyzing the creature.

Gogurt finally mustered enough control to raise the horn, grasping the handle and the tip with his hands, blocking the stream of torment and alleviating the pain. Unfortunately, he could not predict Cadence stopping the spell to turn around and deliver a swift buck of her hooves.

Her hooves slammed into his chest, knocking the breath from his lungs and throwing him several feet away, head over heels. He painfully tumbled and rolled to a stop. As he sat there, feeling the two large bruises on his sternum throb, the jeers of the watching ponies began to work their way into his ears.

The cheers and jeers only begot more animosity in his heart. The angry calls stirred ancient memories in his head. Memories of torches and furious assaults, memories of old rage. Memories of blood on the rocky floor...

It sparked a fire in his chest, not too far from the new twin hoof marks. This was no metaphorical fire, this was a literal, burning ember that continued to mount and grow in his stomach, struggling to find freedom.

Cadence walked over, a pair of Guards trailing behind with manacles in their horn's grasp, "Now if you're done using that mouth, you can just sit still and let us restrain you. Then, we will take you to Canterlot and dole out the appropriate punishment for your crimes."

The fire died down as fast as it began upon hearing "Canterlot."

"What are you doing, boy?! Fenrir roared, "Get up and release that fire on this good-for-nothing Princess!"

"I don't know, Fenrir, I like idea of being escorted to Canterlot by royalty a lot better than stolen train rides." Gogurt retorted in hushed whispers.

"I... this sounds like a terrible idea."

"Well, if I try to take this one down, that just means they ALL are gonna go after me," Gogurt reasoned, "at least this way, we can put the whole, 'catch the terrorist, vandal, thief, demon-thing' alert down."

Cadence cocked her head to the side, "Is... is he talking to himself?"

"No." Gogurt said, "Shut up. You'retalking to yourself."

Twilight Sparkle and co walked through Canterlot's gates and stepped onto its neatly bricked paths, their hooves clacking on the white masonry. However, the sound was drowned out under the mass gasping and disturbed cries of Canterlot residents. They watched as various noble-ponies ran about, looks of abject terror on their faces. Some only pointed at the sky and stood in place.

Twilight snorted at the chaos, "Oh COME on! I literally teleported a TRAIN's worth of ponies onto a mountainside to escape some slaughtering horde, what could POSSIBLY be the matter now?"

Fluttershy huddled closer to the others, wincing from the billowing winds and snow, "I don't remember Canterlot looking so stormy from the train!"

Applejack had to keep a hoof on her hat as the gusts threatened to steal it away. She scowled at the unruly weather and glared at the dark clouds in the sky, "Neither do I, Fluttershy. I swear, if this is Discord messing with the clouds again..."

Pinkie Pie poked the farmer's nose, "This can't be Discord, silly! If it was him, there'd be chocolate milk or flying-pugs coming out of the clouds. This is just... boring."

Lee grimaced, "Flying-pugs? I need to meet this Discord guy already..."

"Rainbow Dash?"

The Pegasus pricked her ear up, "Yeah, Twilight?"

Twilight Sparkle pointed at the darkening skies, "I don't suppose blood-red lightning is some sort of Pegasus prank, is it?"

Rainbow Dash squinted at the sight, noting the serpentine lightning cracking its way through the ozone. "I... well, that doesn't look like regular lightning... yeah, that's not Pegasus work." she flew up, looking for the source of the strange electricity, "Yup, I can see it now, that lightning isn't coming from the clouds. Not Pegasus work."

"Always!" Twilight's wings flared in frustration, "It's ALWAYS something! Can't we ever get a break?!"

"Don't worry, Twilight," Spike patted her neck reassuringly, "we're in Canterlot! That means all we gotta do is figure out what's going on, tell the guards, and leave 'em to it!"

Her wings folded a little, "Yeah, but..."

Spike snapped his claws, "We're here on royal business, right? That means we don't have time to address it. The Princesses will understand."

"Spike is right, dear," Rarity said with a cheerful nod, "we can't deal with every single incident our way, not when Princess Celestia needs us immediately!"

Twilight took a deep breath, "Alright, but I at least want to know what's driving everypony so crazy."

Rainbow Dash took this as a cue and zipped away from the group. She returned in a split-second, a very startled and surprised guard in tow. She planted a hoof on his muzzle. "Wanna tell Princess Twilight Sparkle what the hay is going on here? We don't have very much time, so keep it short!"

The guard shook himself out of his trance and saluted his superior, "Princess Twilight! The uncontrollable weather is frightening the nobles!"

Twilight raised an eyebrow, "Really?"

"They're easily frightened, your majesty."

"I can tell."

"But that is not all!" the guard sharply added, "An hour ago, Princess Cadence arrived. She had managed to defeat the White Demon and brought the monster in shackles."

"That sounds fantastic!" Fluttershy cheered, "Now we don't have to worry about ever having to care of that spooky, scary, freeze-you-to-death monster anymore!"

The guard gritted his teeth, "And then he escaped."

Fluttershy sighed, turning away and prodding the ground with her hoof, "Of course he did... monsters are always escaping."

"We still don't have all the details of the beast's escape," the guard explained, never breaking eye contact, "but it appears to be the result of an accident. The guards escorting the prisoner have been knocked unconscious, and the same goes for Princess Cadence. Luckily, there are no serious injuries."

Twilight closed her eyes and rubbed her temple with her hoof, "Okay, okay, so.. where is this 'White Demon' now?"

"We don't really know. We haven't really seen him yet. But, he could be anywhere, so..."

Applejack puffer her nose, "But... if they haven't seen him, then why are they panickin'? He might not even be in Canterlot now."

"Again, they're easily frightened."

"Ah' can tell."

Twilight looked behind the guard and watched a noble mare run straight into a pole. The pain did not seem to register as she simply turned and ran into another fleeing pony. "In that case, why haven't you raised some of the alarms that alert the citizens of their necessary protocol? Wasn't this a really big focus after the whole Changeling invasion?"

The guard looked away for a few seconds, "Well, your Majesty... the sirens are all malfunctioning."

"Are they now?"

"Y... yes, mam."

Twilight's eye twitched, "Well, I'm sure that Princess Celestia and Luna have already been informed of all this... right?"

The guard pursed his lips, "Well, I was actually on my way to do that, and then Ms. Rainbow Dash here caught me. Would... would you like me to go do that now?"

Twilight forced a smile, "Please."

The guard saluted once more and galloped away, full speed towards the castle.

Twilight hummed a happy tune to herself. She turned towards her perplexed friends with the same, artificial smile, and said, "Now, let's go talk to the Princesses before I strangle the next pony I see. Does that sound alright?"

She was met with a simultaneous "Yup!"

"Great! Let's go."

The company resumed their march through Canterlot's streets. They blissfully ignored the delirious nobleponies going crazy around them, each member too tired to deal with another ounce of stupidity and ignorance. The snow fell a bit heavier now, the gusts whipping the icy droplets into mildly stinging winds against the party's bodies. They ignored this too, and kept walking, their faces haggard, their muscles weary, and their minds glazed.

They entered one of the city's many squares, Canterlot Castle looming over them. Strangely enough, there was not very much disorder here. There was, however, a small group of ponies congregating, their wits entirely about them as they talked to each other.

Twilight closed her eyes and walked faster, "Now, if I have to deal with one more idiotic—oof!"

She opened her eyes to be met with a gold wall. She quickly backpedaled and saw that it was only the neck of a rather large noble-stallion Unicorn. He had an orange, slicked back mane and wore a blue suit. He looked down at Twilight through placid, emotionless, gray eyes.

"Sorry about that, your Majesty. I didn't mean to bump into you." the stallion said with a small smile.

Twilight nervously chuckled, the noble's intimidating size casting a small shadow over her, "Oh no, it's fine! It was my fault anyways, heh heh..."

"Jeez, he's as huge as Big Mac.." Applejack whispered to the others.

Twilight scratched her neck and looked past the stallion, "Well, I'd love to chat, be we need to get going, so—"

"—Actually, there's a matter of importance that needs to be addressed, now that you're here with your company." the noble interrupted.

Twilight sighed, "Look, I know there's a looot of crazy things going on in Canterlot right now, but the Princesses need to me."

"Oh, we only need a second." he assured.

Lee curled his lip and crossed his arms, kicking at the loose bricks in the road, "We? Who's we?"

"Well, all of us."

The group stopped to see that the congregation of nobles. and other ponies, had now surrounded them. The civilians stared at the party, exchanging whispers and stealing the occasional, furtive glance.

It was like being cornered by a pack of starving wolves.

Rainbow Dash stepped closer to the noble, stomping a protective hoof in front of Twilight. She scowled into his smile, "What are you playing at here, pal?"

He gave Rainbow a brief bow, turning her scowl into a look of pure bewilderment, "Please, Ms. Rainbow Dash, call me Copper Sheen. I mean no aggression, or anything of that manner. I am merely here for an order from Princess Celestia and Luna herself, along with the rest of the important ponies who only have the best interest of Equestria in mind." he gestured to the ring of ponies surrounding them, "Guard? Can you come here, please?"

The guard in question was relatively hidden among the crowd of watchers. He split the spectating ring and marched to Copper Sheen's side, spear in hoof.

He took a deep breath before announcing, "By order of the Crown, Lee Edward Newsom the human will be put in a detention, under the charges of possible involvement with the Children of Perdition!"

"What the—" Lee barely had time to register the charges before a pair of handcuffs appeared and clamped over his wrists.

"Excuse me?!" Twilight and her friends (minus the manacled one) shoved their angry bodies in Copper Sheen's unchanging face, "You can't just accuse him of some half-baked charge and drag him off! And you said the Crown organized this? I want to see an arrest warrant!"

Copper Sheen frowned and backed up a few steps, "I apologize for the abruptness of the claim, but this is indeed warranted." he waved a hoof towards the watching ponies, "These are all ponies who have firsthand accounts of the Children of Perdition's multiple confessions. Each time, those cultists have repeatedly named this human as an integral component of their plans. As for the arrest warrant, well, there is none. Mr. Newsom is only being detained, not arrested."

"I can tell you personally," Pinkie argued, "there's not much of a difference between those two words!"

Copper Sheen shook his head, "Oh, but there is! We wouldn't dare imprison him under the words of some insane cultists... but, we can't exactly do nothing. Mr. Newsom will only be kept under watch at a guard post. This is done for his protection as well, after all, what if those crazy cultists view Mr. Newsom as some sort of being of worship? They might come after him, and that is also unacceptable."

Applejack leered at the noble, "Ah'm gonna go ahead and say that sounds like a bundle of horsefeathers. Besides, wouldn't Lee be safer with us? We DO have an Alicorn on our side, ya know."

"And leave him in the most obvious position? And cause the Children of Perdition to have our precious Elements in their sights? I think not." Copper Sheen rubbed the back of his massive neck, "I'm sorry, but that's the truth of the matter. And with the disorderly state of Canterlot as it stands, we can't just let such a wild variable roam free. I assure you, he will be treated with the utmost care and given all he asks for. He just needs to come with this guard."

"This whole situation stinks of something putrid!" Rarity exclaimed, throwing her head and arms in the air, "Aren't you going to object to this ignoble idiot's claims, Lee?"

The entire time, Lee had been strangely silent. He was only looking at the metal restraints, deep in thought. Finally, his stare broke from the cuffs.

He shrugged, "Nope. I'm not saying anything."

His friends, stunned by his complacence, altogether shouted, "What?!"

Lee frowned, shaking his head, "I mean... shit, he's right. You all remember what that dumb-Pegabitch-necrophiliac said to me. She said, 'none of this would be possible' without ME.'" Lee walked to the guard's side, "Y'all can make up whatever excuses you want, but you can't deny that this cultic jackassery has something to do with me... and honestly, I'd rather not endanger y'all for it anymore."

"Endanger us?" Fluttershy walked towards Lee, putting a hoof on his shoulder, "But, what are you talking about? We're your friends! It doesn't matter what kind of kooky stuff comes your way, we don't mind helping you!"

"Fluttershy's right!" Applejack concurred with a quick nod, "The storms that follow you don't mean a lick to any of us. You know we can handle it!"

Lee grimaced and nudged Fluttershy's hoof away, "Aw, come on! Think about it. That big ass spider, that swag-bullshit I spread here, and maybe even some devil-worshipping cult, this is all a result of ME. Now, at least until we can catch our breaths, let me try to stop anymore clusterf*cks before they even happen!"

Twilight's ear flopped down, clinging to her head. She raised a faltering hoof towards the stubborn human, "But.. but Lee—"

"—Stop." Lee commanded, "This isn't a big deal. Resisting is only gonna make this kinda shit worse, TRUST me."

Copper Sheen smiled widely, placing a hoof on Lee's shoulder, "Thank you for understanding the situation, Mr. Newsom. I apologize for this trouble, but I assure you, this is for the good of all of us."

Lee shivered, jumping away from his hoof, "EW! You gay, nig?"

Copper Sheen shifted his smile to the guard, "Now, if you please."

"Wait!"

Everyone stopped, searching for the source of the plea, bringing their heads down to see it was Spike, jumping up and down.

Spike ceased his bouncing, now that he had their attention. He politely cleared his throat, "Um, how about I go with Lee to the guard post?"

Twilight cocked her head to the side, giving a slight frown, "Why Spike?"

Copper Sheen raised his eyebrows, "I don't see why that's necessary."

Spike fidgeted under the noble's intense stare, "Well, you know, if something important happens, like if we need to leave, or maybe if the charges are dropped, Princess Celestia could just send me a letter, and then I could read it the guard! Heh, it'd save a lot of trouble, wouldn't it?"

Twilight and the others glanced at each other, unsure of what to make of the reasons.

The stoic noble regarded Spike with an even deeper stare, before shrugging and saying, "I suppose that's fine." he turned and tapped the guard's breastplate, "Now, guard, if you please?"

The guard saluted, "Yes sir. Lee Newsom, please follow, and please do not deviate from our path." He walked away from Copper Sheen, with Lee and Spike following closely behind. They eventually broke through the ring of watching ponies and continued marching, heading in the opposite direction of the castle.

As the guard marched Lee to detention, and Copper Sheen returned to the congregation of noble-ponies, no one could hear them whisper their short, practiced oaths under their breaths.

"May great Perdition rise."

The Elements watched Lee and Spike's figures slowly disappear in the distance, still unsure and somewhat suspicious of what had just occurred. Something did not sit right with them. They could not place their hooves on it, but what they were sure of, was that these strange series of events did not mean anything good.

Twilight furrowed her brow, focusing on the castle that was only a few minutes away. "Well, I suppose we better get back to walking."

Copper Sheen kept his eye on the party while they resumed their trip to Canterlot Castle, occasionally glancing at the flashes of red lightning in the charcoal clouds.

After two minutes of watching, ignoring the beating wind and snow, he said in a low voice, "Three.. two.. one."

A great, bestial, ecstatic, roar ripped through the Canterlot air, coming from one of the towers on the far side of the city. The furious howl stopped the Elements in their tracks, forcing their attention to the rising cackles and the cracking of collapsing buildings. It was not long before numerous cries for help peppered the cacophony.

"Princess Twilight, Princess Twilight!"

The Unicorn mare who called Twilight's name was frantically galloping away from the source of the fresh chaos. She sprinted through Canterlot's streets, her charred and ripped cocktail dress flapping in the howling winds. She scooted to a sliding stop in front of Twilight, panting and gasping for air.

A shimmer of a tear twinkled in Rarity's eye. She rushed upon the mare's ruined ensemble, cooing and whimpering as she felt the ripped seams, "Oh, no, what manner of perfidious catastrophe could have possibly happened?!"

Applejack blinked, showing no expression, "Really, Rarity?"

Rarity coughed several times into her hoof, attempting to regain her composure, "I was talking about HER too!"

The Unicorn ignored Rarity and went straight to Twilight, "Please, your Majesty, we need your help! The Dining District is under attack by a hideous MONSTER! There are helpless FOALS over there!"

Twilight's anxious eyes went back and forth between the mare to the castle, "Uh, what about the other Princesses? Let me go get help from Princess Celestia and Luna. Or at least TELL them what's going on, I'll be right—"

"—there's no time!" the mare interjected with a sob, "The other Princesses have been stuck in court for HOURS now! They're so wrapped up dealing with all the claims and cases that they haven't stepped hoof from the courtroom! We need your help now, please Princess!"

Twilight's ears twitched uncontrollably as her mind slowly broke down. She scratched her mane, pacing around the mare erratically, "I, uh, I—hm—who—Spike!—Ergh!"

Pinkie Pie giggled as Twilight's muffled screams slowly died down under her mane. Shoving the overloaded Princess into her poofy hair seemed to be the only route to prevent her from bursting into flames again. Twilight stopped moving, then tapped Pinkie's shoulder after a few seconds. She released Twilight from the clutches of her mane, allowing her to breathe.

She gave Pinkie a quick hug, "Thank you, Pinkie!" she turned back to the perplexed mare, "Princess Celestia and Luna are going to have to wait, because this crisis can't. Take us to the scene, and we'll take care of it."

The Unicorn nodded vigorously and took off towards the disaster. The Elements ran after her, set on their new task, despite their tired bodies.

A pleased smile cracked the running mare's face, "May great Perdition rise."

"Oh God oh God oh God oh JESUS CHRIST!"

The humongous fireball smashed into the side of chariot, spraying an explosion of flame and concussive force against the occupants of the flying vehicle.

The chariot careened wildly to one side as Princess Cadence and her Pegasus guards endeavored to keep the soaring convoy straight from the massive blast.

Gogurt frantically patted away the embers that spilled onto his clothes. He called out through the bars, "I TOLD you that something was coming towards us!"

Cadence ground her teeth and pressed on, pulling the chariot, alongside two guards, to the edge of Canterlot's walls. "Well, I'M sorry if I decided to ignore you after you decided to SING for an hour!" she guided the chariot into a low dive, dodging another speeding fireball, "Guards, where are these attacks coming from?!"

"They.. they appear to be coming from Canterlot, your Majesty!" The guard to her left barked back.

"Canterlot?!" Cadence exclaimed, "Who in Equestria is attacking a Princess in CANTERLOT?!"

"Probably the same guys who decided to steal that train..." Gogurt added, noting the Necronomicon's muffled laughter from his cloak.

Some hours ago, Gogurt had been captured (willfully) by the Princess of Love and a few guards. He figured that getting a free, protected trip to Canterlot would be the safest and fastest way to get there. Unfortunately, he did not account on the news of the train ride to Canterlot being jacked by cultists. Of course, Princess Cadence wanted to be rid of him as soon as possible, and decided that she might as well fly the fiend over. She simply attached Gogurt's cage to the end of the chariot, and would try to fly it with the guards. Now, what SHE did not count on, was the random fiery assault from their very destination.

The flying jail cell was nearing Canterlot's ramparts now. Gogurt mentally estimated that they were about forty yards from the city. Suddenly, another fireball spat from the city's edge and crashed into the side of the chariot. Luckily, the guard's protective shield spells guarded them from most of the damage, but their acrobatics did not stop Gogurt from being painfully thrown around the cage like a helpless rodent.

"Wh.. why me?" he coughed as the cage finally settled.

"We're almost there!" Princess Cadence cried victoriously. They soared clean over the edge, and entered the city, narrowly evading a fireball. She looked back and spotted the casters, a trio of Unicorns in black cloaks on top of a building.

However, they failed to see the second team of casters poised on the tower ahead of them.

The burning missile splashed head-on into the chariot flyers. The resulting blast was more than enough to knock them unconscious and tear the chariot apart, causing them all to drop to the ground, but not in charred remains, due to a last minute shield conjured from Cadence's horn.

Of course Gogurt was never so lucky.

The cage was flung by the falling chariot's momentum, breaking off and soaring, like a giant slingshot. The cage detached, streaming through the air, carrying a screaming and chained passenger. The cage bounced and ricocheted off several tall buildings in close proximity, slinging Gogurt against the bars as he sobbed, thoroughly finished with the entire ordeal.

His ride finally ended through the upper window of a beauty parlor. The Cage shattered through the large windows and screeched to a clattering halt inside the spa. Dozens of bathing mares fled the scene, screaming their lungs out as he destroyed several tubs and tables.

Gogurt whimpered, slowly getting off his back from the upturned cage, "Please... please... am I done?"

Luckily, the ride was done. But it happened to end at what looked like an incense and aromatherapy section. He had knocked over many candles, and those burning candles had rolled into very flammable curtains and towels.

In other words, he was now surrounded by a rapidly growing inferno. An inferno that was crawling closer and closer towards him. The good thing was that Gogurt had the ability to conjure frost and snow from his hands and feet. The bad was that they were currently bound by magical shackles, meaning he was utterly helpless.

He inched away from the fires, wheezing, "No, no, NO! I am NOT gonna burn alive in a spa!" he looked at his chains, grunting, "Although, I don't think I can help that."

Fenrir snarled in his mind, "Come on, boy! Just release that fire you kindled back there!"

"How is more fire going to help us?"

"Just DO it!"

"Meh, considering the random addition of new abilities gave me a few nice Deus Ex Machinas before, I'm going to assume now will also be the case."

He breathed deep, his air searching for that spark he had lit some hours ago. Eventually, his breath found the ember in his chest and fed it, letting it kindle and grow exponentially, to the point where the hungry flame scraped and clawed at the back of his throat, yearning for the sweet release into the outside world.

The fire emerged like an explosion. The vivid, cobalt blue and white flames splashed over the bars of the cell and even the fires outside of it. He found himself having incredible difficulty in controlling the burst of spectral blaze, forced to let the fire spend all of its fuel from his chest. He eventually closed his gaping maw, his jaw muscles sore from exerting the new ability.

He panted heavily, watching as everything the flame touch freeze into a hard, frosty shell. It was strange, the fire certianly spread like fire, but had the opposite effects.

Fenrir snorted, "Fire backlog. That'll happen if you don't let the furnaces burn every now and then. Happens to everyone, don't feel bad."

Gogurt ignored the spirit and focused on the frozen bars of his cell. He picked up his knees and kicked hard into the shelled steel, the brittle bars breaking and cracking under the force. He kicked it a few more times, eventually freeing himself of the cage. He rolled out, unable to stand because of the shackles on his legs.

He thought for a second, and decided to release the same flames onto his chains, albeit a much smaller stream. The azure fire quickly froze the chains, spreading no further than the metal. He raised his hands, slamming them against the tiled floor. The handcuffs broke, and he proceeded to use his freed, scaled hands to pound the chains from his feet. He was free!

Gogurt jumped to his feet and stretched every possible muscle, happy to be out of such a cramped position. He worked out a few cracks in his joints and began walking. He stepped to the large window he broke and peered through the hole.

He smiled, since he apparently landed only a few buildings over from Canterlot Castle.

Gogurt looked down, seeing that he could just drop down to the street instead of taking the stairs.

He scratched his bristly chin, "Well, it'd be even stupider than normal to take the front gate... Eh, I'll find a window or garbage chute something."

From the next street, a black cloaked mare watched as Gogurt dropped to the street and took off towards the castle, ignoring the ponies he frightened along the way.

She whispered to a guard on her left, "Make sure the other guards don't find or notify anyone of his location. He NEEDS to make it inside unnoticed, otherwise all is lost. Understand?"

The guard saluted, "May great Perdition rise!" and ran off to perform his command.

He MUST enter the castle, and no one can know.

Gogurt managed to find a way inside the castle with no problem. He actually found a window to the castle that was cracked wide open, he could not have believed his luck, considering he had none.

The problem, however, was that he was completely lost. The castle was like a maze to him. There were no signs or any recognizable landmarks; it all looked the same to him. This brought back unpleasant memories from getting lost inside the Crystal Palace, before being blown up in the sky. He hoped this venture would not end the same.

Another problem, was that he was immediately spotted upon entering the castle window.

Apparently, that window had led straight into one of the castle's kitchens.

He had to freeze the entire cooking team.

He left the kitchen soon after that, where he was then found by a maid what was polishing a vase. He froze her... and the other maids who saw him at the same time.

Eventually, he bumped into a guard. At first, him or the guard did not even register the incident, both saying their pardons before carrying on. However, Gogurt realized what he had just done and froze him as well, despite the fact that the guard did not even notice who he ran into. He was also only two weeks from retirement.

Basically, Gogurt continued to leave a frozen trail of evidence around the castle, only worsening his situation as he indiscriminately froze every living thing he met.

To be fair, he was being chased by the Royal Guard, and he was kind of tired of freezing everything. Because of that, he circled back to the kitchen to get a snack for the purpose of replenishing energies. He ended up eating for far too long and forgot about his goal. However, two Royal Guardsmen met him at the door to the kitchen.

He froze them too.

Finally, he found a new wing to the castle, and there were not maids, guards, or cooks of any sort here.

Gogurt burst through the oaken double doors of the room and slammed them shut behind him. He panted as he stood there, regaining his senses now that he was done running. From here, he could think and plan his next move. He turned around and examined the new area.

It looked like a classroom. It was quite spacious, but it had to be, considering it had to accommodate several rows of desks and tables, a teacher's desk, a blackboard, and a rest area with a miniature library. Gogurt wondered if this was some sort of lecture hall. He strode to the center of the room, still breathing heavily, his voice hissing through the scaled skin and the plated, beak-like nose.

Then he saw the Unicorn foals quivering behind their desks and beanbag chairs.

He did not know how he hadn't spotted them before; they were everywhere! They were behind the desks, on the floor, at the library, there was even a cowering, little filly about twenty feet away from him... perhaps he had mistaken them for toys?

Gogurt crossed his arms, regarded the scene, and said, "Shit."

The tiny filly before him quaked as she stared up at his tall, warped figure, clad in a creepy cloak and hood, "I-i-it's a m-m-m-monster!"

Gogurt sighed, "This isn't gonna end well..."

"It's gonna eat us!" a foal from the library wailed.

Another began to sob, "But I don't WANNA get gob-bobbled up!"

"Relax!" He raised his arms, accidentally exposing his menacing, clawed hands and arms, "I'm not eating anyone today!" Due to his corrupted form, his voice came out as distorted and otherworldly to the incredibly impressionable foals, and it only served in terrifying them even more.

"He's gonna kidnap us and eat us tomorrooooow!" the filly yelled, "Please don't marinate us in our own blood!"

Gogurt winced at her words, "Damn! What kind of books have you been reading?"

And finally, the dam broke.

All of the foals, every single one of them, released their ballad of tears and cries. The pitiful and ear-ripping noise drilled maliciously into Gogurt's head. He ducked and slapped his hands over his ears in an attempt to block out the symphony, but it was not nearly enough.

"Grrraaah, why don't you just put an icy clamp over their mouths?!" Fenrir whined.

Gogurt backed away from the foals, "I... don't know how safe it would be to put children inside a frozen shell!"

"Urgh... good point."

Fenrir's complacence to Gogurt's hesitancy surprised him, considering he usually wanted to freeze or eat anything that so much as irritated him.

Gogurt staggered into a wall, the shrill sobs disorienting him to extreme degrees. The horn extending from the mutated portion of his head ended up breaking a hole through the thin, wooden walls, leading to his whole crater crashing a crater into the wood.

And he heard a chuckle.

He turned his head, still stuck in the wall, to see that the filly had giggled at his antics. Eventually, every foal stopped crying to see Gogurt's strange eye looking at them, however, they had not tired themselves out just yet. His leer drove some of the crying to resume its track.

Thinking quick to stop the crying, he tore his head out from the wall, spinned around, ran to a small, nearby cabinet, wound back his arm, and rapidly punched it to splintery smithereens.

He glanced back to see that some of the foals were now laughing.

Gogurt laughed, "Th... these things... they love destruction! This must be a sanctioned zone where the Princesses keep the destructive children, keeping the public safe! It's like public school!" He spread his arms wide towards the foals, "Ya like that?!"

He found his next target: the teacher's desk.

He made a show by curling his arm and patting his elbow before he leaped towards the desk. He dropped his flying elbow through the center of the table, splitting it in half as he tumbled to the floor.

The foals were all laughing now.

Gogurt rolled to his feet and cackled, "You want more?!"

"Boy."

"Yeah!!!" they cheered.

"Boy, what are you doing?"

"HELL YEAH!" he pointed to the row of library shelves at the other side of the room, giving the kids the hint to get away from there.

"Boy, we should probably go."

Once they were out of the way, Gogurt crouched and broke into a charge. He kept his head low and roared as he rushed to the helpless shelves. He jumped, headfirst, and tackled his way through the bookshelves. The satisfying crunch of lumber and literature rang through the
air as he mowed through the rest of the shelves, the cheers of the foals goading his blitzkrieg of books on to the end.

Gogurt leaped to his feet, relishing their whoops and happy cries as he raised his arms like some wrestling champion, "Now, YOU try it!"

It was like he set off a switch.

All at once, the foals began discharging all the spells they knew at their surroundings, wreaking havoc upon the classroom and all of its furnishings.

"Hm, they're all Unicorns. Didn't notice that."

"Yes, and you probably alerted the entire castle of your presence while you entertained them. It probably would have been less obvious if they were still crying!"

Gogurt shrugged, "Heh. It's fine. Well, let's get moving."

Gogurt sneaked out of the classroom, leaving the foals to their new taste for vandalism and destruction. He had a good feeling this time, a feeling that he would actually find the room after searching for so long.

It was so close, his goal, what he had been travelling for, it was in this exact building.

Would he ever know that this goal would be the spark that led to the end?

Twilight gaped at the beast perched on the tower ahead of her, "Wha.... what.. what the hay is that?"

Fluttershy squinted at the thing, "I think it's a... bat? A... zebra? I've never seen that before."

The beast's insane cackling screwed a nail in Rainbow Dash's ear, "Is it me, or does that laugh sound familiar?

"Oh, Sweet Celestia..." Applejack grimaced, "... that's because it is familiar. That's..."

"Oh," Rarity shuddered as memories hit her eyes, "Don't tell me that's..."

"Hey! I know who that is!" Pinkie blew a raspberry at the creature.

The monster appeared to have heard the noise. Its large ear pricked towards the now regretful pink pony. He let go of the building and hit the ground, causing the streets to tremble under his sudden weight.

He laughed madly, stomping closer to the party, leaving massive footprints in the brickwork, "That's right, I'm back, you blumpkin-catchers!"

They gave a simultaneous sigh and droned.

"It's Bob...."

Author's Notes: