Login

A Repentant Draconequus on the Equestrian Throne

by DungeonMiner

Chapter 22: 22-The Floodgates of Chaos

Previous Chapter Next Chapter

Chapter 22

Pipsqueak was in so much trouble.

He was dead, simple as that.

When his parents found out, no ifs about it, he was going to be grounded forever.

Why? Oh, why did he decide to do this? This was dumb, so incredibly dumb.

The Victory pulled forward slowly, inching away from the Golden Oaks library, a crew of pre-teens running along the deck.

This was so dumb, so dumb, so dumb…

Pip took the the helm.

It was...still dumb.

But it needed to be done. “Okay, guys!” He said, hoping nopony heard his cry. “Let’s get some altitude. Once we’re clear of Ponyville, we’ll hit the engines. Got it?”

“Aye, aye. Cap’n!” Rumble said with a salute.

Pip nodded. “Then let’s go, all hooves on deck.”

The foals scattered, each heading to their own duty.

Pip’s hooves grabbed onto the helm.

It was dumb.

But, by Celestia, he was going to love every second of it.

<<<|Ω|>>>

Silver heard the roar.

The dragon’s roar.

Applejack’s head popped off the bed. “What was that?”

Silver stood, getting off of the couch in the small room they were renting. “I have two theories. Either way, we need to go.”

“What?” the farmer asked. “What’s going on?”

Silver reached under the couch and pulled out a wooden box.

“Silver?” Applejack asked, confused.

He pried the crate open and pulled out Dustmaker, before pulling out a bladed chain with his other hoof.

“Silver, what in the hay is goin’ on?!” Applejack, having crossed the room as Silver finished retrieving everything from the crate.

Silver stood, and threw the coiled chain onto Applejack’s back. “I don’t know. I just know we need to go. Now.”

<<<|Ω|>>>

Spike also heard the roar.

He had gone out for the first time that day, and Rarity had been so excited that he was up. So excited in fact, that they had gone out to dinner.

Once they got back Spike’s old apartment, however, he broke the news to her.

Something was up, and he was sure it was happening tonight.

It wasn’t the news she was expecting to hear that evening, but it was interesting news nonetheless.

And then they heard the roar.

Rarity entered the large library of a living room, dressed in a small necklace with perhaps a few too many gems. “Is it time?”

Spike nodded, and grabbed his belt. “It sounds like something to me.”

She nodded, and her horn rang to life. The gems around her neck flared and rearranged, forming some armor and a blade. “Then I suppose we must be off.”

The dragon smirked. “What? We’re not going to be fashionably late?”

“It’s rude to be late to your own party, dear.”

<<<|Ω|>>>

Shining heard the roar, too.

After that odd colt ran up to him with a letter the other day, he had done his best to go on high alert.

And if anything was a cue, that was it.

“Shining?” Cadence asked, looking up from the bed as Shining got up.

He smiled. “Don’t worry honey, just a little trouble, I'll be back before you know it.”

Cadence sat up. “What’s going on?”

“Just go back to sleep, Dear, I’ll be fine. Promise.”

Shining smiled, and made his exit.

And once she was sure she was gone. Cadence got out of bed. “Oh, Shining, mi amore, you really need to learn that that excuse isn’t enough for me.”

<<<|Ω|>>>

The hospitals heard the roar.

Fear gripped them, and they quickly dispatched their nurses to check the numerous patients around the grounds.

One nurse, by the name of Sweetheart, was walking down the hall towards her last two rooms, thanking Celestia that nopony seemed to be missing.

She opened the door to the next room and checked her patient.

Monitors were operational, the IV was stocked, nothing seemed wrong. “Are you alright, Mr. Bullet?”

The stallion in the bed nodded. “Yes, I’m fine. What’s going on?”

“We don’t know, but we do ask you to remain calm. We’re going to take care of this.”

He nodded, and Sweetheart quickly backed out of the room and headed to the last one. The room of Soarin, the Wonder...ex-Wonderbolt.

It was still so shocking to hear. Soarin, the fastest Wonderbolt, maybe the fastest in Equestria, had lost it all in a single night. It was kinda surreal in it’s own way.

She opened the door. “Mr. Soarin, I—”

He was gone.

The cot was perfectly empty with it’s messy sheets being the only evidence that it was occupied.

Well that, and the little balloon-covered stationary that read “Thanks for keeping us safe. --P&S.”

Sweetheart blinked, before looking at the open window.

She sighed. “Third escapee this week. We really need to get bars on the windows. Bucking pegasi…”

<<<|Ω|>>>

Thunderlane and Rainbow Dash heard the roar.

It had then taken them less than a few moments to take to the sky, flying over Canterlot.

“Do you see anything?” Thunderlane asked, coming up slightly behind the polychromatic speed demon.

“Not yet!” she yelled back, banking left as they came around a tower. She suddenly screeched to a halt, freezing in the air. “Whoa…” she muttered.

Thunderlane pulled up next to her, and looked down at the city below, and the wave of purple-clad figures leaping across the rooftops.

“Wow...uh…” Thunderlane said.

“I...I’m having horrible flashbacks…” Rainbow muttered.

Thunderlane blinked. “I-is that Twilight?”

Rainbow’s head snapped to him, “What?”

“There!” Thunderlane said, pointing to a lavender figure leaping across the rooftops. “That looks like Twilight.”

Rainbow blinked.

It...did look like Twilight.

“It can’t be…” she whispered, before diving down to the roofs.

Thunderlane followed.

Rainbow shot forward, coming down until she was neck and neck with the purple unicorn. “Twilight? Is that you?”

“Hey, Rainbow!” She replied, leaping forward onto the next roof.

“What are you doing?” The flyer asked. “You’re dead!”

“Yup!” Twilight said. “Long story, I’ll tell you on the way, come on.”

“Wait! What’s going on?”

“No time, Rainbow!” Alan yelled back. “We don’t have much time.”

Rainbow looked up. “Alan?!”

“Let’s go!” he said.

Rainbow blinked, as she kept flying. “Do you get round trip tickets when you die, or something?”

Alan smirked. “Don’t be silly. But if I die three more times I get a free coffee.”

Twilight rolled her eyes.

A figure pulled himself onto the roof ahead of them, followed by another.

“Looks like we got ourselves some farmers,” Alan said.

“Silver! Applejack!” Twilight called out. “Let’s move!”

“Twi?” Applejack asked.

“Yes! I’ll explain later, but now we need to move!”

“Let’s go, soliders!” Alan yelled, as the Mare Do Wells leapt silently beside them.

“Al?”

“We’ll get to that.”

“Rainbow? Applejack? Is that you?” A refined voice asked from above.

The ponies looked up to see Rarity riding on the back of a familiar dragon. “Rarity!” Rainbow yelled up. “It’s Twilight! And Alan!”

“What?!” Spike roared.

“I’m sorry, Spike!” Twilight yelled, apologetically. “I’ll explain everything later, I promise.”

“And what’s wrong with now?” Spike asked.

A shriek shook Canterlot, and all eyes turned toward the castle.

“That’s what’s wrong,” Alan said. “Now move!”

The herd began to move, charging forward.

“Hey guys!” another voice said as Pinkie suddenly cleared the buildings they were running across, before disappearing back under the lip of the building. “What’s up?” she asked, appearing just over the building again.

“No time to explain!” Alan said. “Especially for the fourth time! Just get up here and help us!”

“Okay!” she said, leaping up again, before disappearing once more. When she came up again, however, she was accompanied by Soarin, his wing in a cast.

“Alright,” Soarin said, hitting the ground running. “So we’ve got most of the crew, and we seem to have two zombies with us. Something up there shrieked, and unless we stop that, we’ll all die, right?”

“Close enough!” Alan said.

“Great!” Soarin said.

“You took that rather well,” Rarity said.

“It’s possible I’m hopped up on painkillers…”

“He’s high, and I’m Pie!” Pinkie laughed, bouncing with them.

Alan smiled. “Man I missed you guys…”

“Um...hello? What’s going on?” a soft voice called.

Big Mac and Fluttershy both cleared the roofs, before Pinkie swept them up in a whirlwind of pink.

“We’re off to save the world again!” She said.

“Oh...okay...let’s go then,” Fluttershy said, slightly confused.

“Wait…” Rainbow Dash said, looking west. “There are more of them?”

Alan checked.

Another swarm of Mare Do Wells was fast approaching.

“Here come the splinters…” he whispered.

“That’s nice dear,” Rarity said from Spike’s back. “But what is that?!”

Alan and the others screeched to a halt, and they all looked up to see a wave of darkness coming down on them.

Alan saw them.

His mind, the mind that had seen the world before the world, recognized them.

“Sweet Faust…” Alan muttered. “They’re demons…”

They screeched, coming at them.

“Everypony brace yourselves! Brace yourselves and pray!”

<<<|Ω|>>>

Chaos brought the baby before his master, who simply smirked as he watched his forces move forward in a wave of corruption and death.

“It amuses me,” Sombra said, speaking mentally to his servant. “He brought an army of Changelings…”

Chaos thought carefully of what to say next. “Perhaps we can turn them against him, they share demon blood, after all.”

Sombra smiled. “Yeeessssss…” he said. “Watching the hope drain from his eyes as his allies leave him would be delicious indeed.”

“Shall I give the order, M’lord?”

Sombra thought a moment. “No, it will not be necessary. Simply have them leave the Pendragon for me.”

“Of course, my lord.”

“Now, I suppose it is time to summon him,” Sombra said, turning. “Shall we?”

<<<|Ω|>>>

Celestia had heard the roar.

She had heard the roar and then feared for her subjects.

Dressing herself, for the first time in a long time, she burst out of her room where she had been sleeping just moments before, and galloped to the throne room.

The doors slammed open ahead of her, forced open by her powerful, panicked magic. “Luna! Luna, its—”

Luna wasn’t there.

“L-Luna?” Celestia asked.

No answer.

“Luna?” she called again.

A lone guard wandered in, confusion on his face. “Princess?”

“Yes! Guard...um...Quickbolt!”

“Yes, ma’am?” he asked.

“Where is my sister?” The Princess asked.

“I’m not sure, Princess,” Quickbolt replied. “She dismissed us for the night and then retired, but she didn’t say where to.”

Celestia sighed. “Thank you, Quickbolt,” she said, before turning back an running down the hallways.

Quickbolt watched her go.

Celestia careened around a corner, all decorum gone, as she searched for her sister. “Luna!” she called, running through the abandoned corridors. “Luna?”

She skidded to a halt, sliding on the tile floors, before her horn began to glow. She quickly cast her Find It spell, and ran, following the tug on her hron.

“Why?” she thought to herself. “Why did Luna cancel night court? She’s never cancelled night court! Even when she was turning into Nightmare Moon, she had night court!”

Her horn tugged towards the left.

“She loved night court! She loved it when the...occasional pony came through to ask her favor. Why did she cancel night court?!”

She ran, her heart beating faster as her hooves clacked against the perfectly tiled floor.

A tug to the right, and up the stairs.

“She wouldn’t cancel night court! She never would! It makes no sense for her to cancel night court! She wouldn’t cancel night court unless—”

She froze.

Her horn had led her here, to a lone balcony overlooking the city. Two waves of figures were making their way forward, one purple, the other blacker than night.

And before her, sitting in the middle of the balcony, obscuring the point where the two waves would meet, sat Luna.

“Luna…” Celestia said, “there you are! What’s wrong? You cancelled night court.”

Luna did not answer.

“Well, look, Luna...it doesn’t matter right now. What’s going on? We need to get down there and—”

“Nothing has changed,” Luna said.

Celestia paused. “Luna?”

“Not in a thousand years has it changed,” she said.

“W-what do you mean, Luna?”

The younger Princess stood and turned to her.

And Celestia’s heart jumped into her throat.

Her eyes…

Luna’s eyes…

They were eyes that had haunted Celestia’s nightmares for a thousand years…

The draconic, cyan eyes bored into the elder sister’s heart and soul, and Celestia felt her heart freeze.

“Nothing has changed,” Luna repeated. “The world still ignores me.”

“L-Luna...that’s not true…”

“Our subjects still do not care.”

“That’s not…”

You don’t care.”

“I care, Luna, I do! I—”

“Nothing! Has! Changed!” Luna roared, her magic flaring, and the night blue color of her fur peeling like paint with it, revealing the blackness beneath.

Celestia’s heart began to shatter.

“But there will be change, Celestia. I will bring it.” The blue of her fur peeled more, and the blackness continued to reveal itself. “There will no longer be Princesses of Equestria!” she cried as she flared her wings. “There will be a Queen! And as my first act as Queen, I will destroy those who would take my throne from me!”

The moon glinted, and something like a falling star shot forward to her side.

It was her glaive.

“Goodbye, Celestia,” Luna, no, Nightmare Moon said, before bringing the blade around and slamming it into the Solar Princess’ side.

Celestia took the hit.

It still didn’t hurt as much as her heart did.

Celestia fell, spinning through the air as her wings failed to properly catch the air around her.

She hit the ground hard.

Stones scattered as she landed, creating her own little crater as she made impact.

She stared up into the air, tears in her eyes.

Luna…

She was gone…

Again…

She’d lost them...lost them all.

First it was Harmony, then Luna, Sunset, Alan, Twilight, and now she’d lost them all again.

They were gone…

All gone…

A voice bounced around in her head. The voice of the ghost that had visited her not so long ago. “I am on your side, Princess, and you need to take a long second to figure out who else is.”

Who was on her side?

Well, it was obvious who was not.

There was only one who could turn Luna like this. There was only one source of the creature known as Nightmare Moon.

There was only one thing to do.

A smoking hoof gripped the lip of the crater, and Celestia pushed herself up.

There was only one thing that could take her sister from her.

And she hated him.

Purple smoke leaked from Celestia’s now red-and-green eyes, and her mane sparked and crackled.

Then she roared, and the castle shook at her cry. “Discord!”

She shot into the air, a streak of white, gold, red, and purple, her wings building speed.

Only for a black and silver streak to slam into her.

“Your fight is with me, Celestia,” Nightmare Moon said, wielding her glaive. “Now fight.”

<<<|Ω|>>>

When Faust stood above the world, and looked down at her new-born creations, she smiled.

“My children, across all the world, how I love thee.”

Death stood in witness then, when she then began to give her gifts to those she loved.

“To the Minotaurs,” Faust said. “I give strength unending. No mountain can stand before them, and no yoke shall sit on their neck.

“To the Griffins, the princes of the sky, I give courage unending, so that even when faced with the darkest of works, they will stand.

“To the Ligers, I give the ability to endure. They will outlast any threat, and out wait any attack. Nothing will hold them long.

“To the Zebras, I give unmatched wisdom. The depths of their minds will reach into the realm of magic, and their leaders will be known as the wisest throughout all the land.

“And to my little ponies, my first born, I give a special gift. Whether through hoof, horn, or wing, they shall wield magic. The very forces of the earth, and a fraction of my power. No power of Tartarus shall stand against them, and no plan of evil shall endure.

“This is my will, and my word,” Faust said. “With this decree, I give my gifts, may they use them as they see fit.”

<<<|Ω|>>>

Shining was not sure what had happened.

One second, there was a roar, and then the next, there was the sky of Canterlot was filled with every nightmare and horror that he could imagine.

Imps laughed and shrieked, screaming while winged devils carrying chains screeched and howled, and all the while, they chanted a single chorus. “First the Guards! Then the Men! Then the Women! Then the Children! First the Guards! Then the Men! Then the Women! Then the Children! First the Guards! Then the Men!...”

Shining ran, keeping his sword up as he followed the cloud of evil.

He needed to do something.

He had no idea what, but he had to do something!

Ducking under a cover patio, Shining ran towards when he heard the roar come from.

Again, he wasn’t sure why.

“First the Guards! Then the Men! Then the Women! Then the Children!”

The sound of a magical discharge caused him to come to a halt, and Shining looked up to see three magenta bolts of energy slam into the cloud above him. “Go back to where you came from!” he heard someone say.

He knew that voice.

“They’re weak to magic! Spellcasters at the back! Defenders up front with me! Hit ‘em hard, guys!” he heard another voice call.

He knew that voice too.

He looked up to the edge of the building, where yet more bolts of magic and sounds of battle were coming from.

It...were they...?

An imp came flying over the edge, slamming into the ground and sporting a hole in its chest.

“Is that it?!” he heard again. “Is this all you have!”

Shining quickly formed a disk to get up, and, upon clearing the building, felt his jaw drop.

Surrounded by imps, devils, and demons alike, twelve figures stood, dealing death to those that came at them.

Even Applejack and Fluttershy, who he knew were hesitant about spilling blood during the war, were both ripping through the attackers with ruthless blows.

But the two that caught his attention the most was the lavender mare firing spells from her horn and the stallion that wielded a blade. “Twily? Al?”

Both stopped their sprees for a second, and turned to see the Captain of the guard. Twilight spoke first. “Shining, hi! Look, long story, but we’re alive. Al was right about Harmony, and he’s the one who's done this.”

Shining blinked.

“The good news is that everyone’s here, though,” Alan said, “so here’s the plan. Stallions, you’re with me, we need to find Judgement. With that blade, we’ll be able to take him. Ladies, you need to get the Elements. You’re the backup plan, alright?”

He got a nod.

“Alright then, glad we’re all the same page. Now—duck!” he yelled, throwing his sword right above Big Mac’s head and skewering an imp on it. “Now...um...where was I…?” Alan asked, bringing his blade back. “Uh...oh! Before we break, Shining.”

“Yeah?”

“Orion, how’s he doing? I haven’t seen him for a few months, so…”

“Um…” Shining said. “He looked fine when we handed him to Celestia…”

Twilight and Alan both stared at him. “You what?”

“Um…”

“Change of plans!” Alan said. “Girls, get the Elements, guys, the sword. I’m getting Orion!”

And with that, Alan ran, heading for the Castle even as the demons above raged.

--------------------------------

Alright, guys. That’s another chap.

“We’re getting close.”

Very close. Leave the usual guys.

“We’ll see you next time!”

Bye!

Next Chapter: 23-The Price of Black Magic Estimated time remaining: 2 Hours, 5 Minutes
Return to Story Description

Login

Facebook
Login with
Facebook:
FiMFetch