AN: Sometime you have average ideas. Sometimes you have good ideas. Sometimes you have awesome ideas. And sometimes you have ideas so weird and crazy that you just have to share them. This story is that kind of idea.

…

It was a dark and stormy night. Rain poured down upon the land. Twilight Sparkle stood on the battlements of Canterlot, looking down at the horrors below.

Up the mountain path marched an army like no other. Countless ponies, branded or scarred with the eight-pointed star. The symbol she had so come of fear. The symbol of Chaos.

But the branded ponies were hardly the worst. She could see some of the ponies were grotesquely mutated, sprouting arms, extra eyes, tentacles, and countless unmentionable horrors. There were ponies in ramshackle pieces of red armor, dripping with blood and covered with organs that looked fresh. They roared feral, bloodthirsty cries. A fearsome-looking pegasus completely covered completely from head to toe in fearsome, spiked red and brass armor led them. He flew above his troops, and giant axe in hoof. Even though she couldn't see his eyes, Twilight knew they radiated with barely-contained bloodlust.

Ponies marched dressed in bizarre, gaudish clothing and armor. They had symbols that hurt the eye merely to look on painted on their flanks. Twilight had seen more than one unfortunate pony who stared too long at such symbols completely lose his sanity before mutating rapidly into a rapid and uncontrollable monster that had to be put down. They were covered with self-inflicted wounds, many of which still dripped with blood or some unknown ichor. They looked almost aroused by the idea of impeding violence. At their head was a unicorn wrapped up completely in pink armor. He seemed to be surrounded by some sick parody of an angelic aura, and wherever he passed, ponies would writhe on the ground with ecstasy as they mutated into new, hideous forms.

The most grotesque and disgusting ponies Twilight had ever seen marched as well. They were covered with countless sores and diseases. Their fur fell off in clumps, and their limbs were rotten. Their sores oozed some revolting black pus. Even from here, Twilight could smell them, and she wanted to vomit. Their obvious leader was, as the others, wrapped up in a suit of all-concealing armor. Despite its rust and the unidentifiable green stuff growing all over it, Twilight could tell it would be as difficult to pierce as the others

Scattered throughout the force were a handful of ponies with their fur dyed blue, wearing bits and pieces of blue or gold armor. They clutched staffs or swords. Their bodies dangled with fetishes, potions, and artifacts Twilight couldn't identify. Despite their small numbers, Twilight judged them a deadly threat – they were clearly potent magic users. High above the army floated the clear leader of the sorcerers. Standing on a bizarre and clearly unnatural flying, spiked disk, the figure was safely concealed in an intricate suit of blue and gold armor. He held a staff in one hoof. He looked directly at Twilight for a moment, menace in his eye. She shuddered.

Not all of the creatures below belonged to these obvious factions. There were countless mutant ponies among the bunch who looked simply mindless. Twilight pitied their fate, but steeled herself, knowing she would have to put them down. Other ponies simply had a brand or scar in the shape of the Chaos star, and carried ramshackle weapons with little apparent organization. There were many creatures so mutated and vile that Twilight simply couldn't tell what they might have been once, or even if they had ever been anything else at all.

There were thousands of them. Tens of thousands. Hundreds of thousands. Twilight shook her head. She didn't know, and the rain made it impossible to count the army that marched against them, even if it had been possible in the first place.

In the center of the horde there was a litter. Carried by chained, hulking mutant ponies, it trudged forward through the rain and mud. Surrounding it were a grotesque parody of Celestia's Royal Guard – vast brutes encased in heavy black and silver armor, carrying polearms of all sorts. Despite lacking the obvious mutations or grisly trophies as the others, Twilight feared this group above all else. For if these were the only ones worthy amongst this vast and mighty horde to guard the leader, whoever he might be, then it was obvious that they could only be the most powerful warriors of the horde.

In comparison to the vast forces arrayed against them, Celestia's army looked pitifully few. A few thousand Royal Guard, and maybe ten thousand hastily drafted and trained civilians. Twilight would have felt bad about sending them to their deaths, but if they failed here they were all dead – or worse – anyway. At least, that's what she told herself every time she looked into the frightened eyes of an old stallion pulled away from his retirement or a young mare barely out of filly-hood. They had no choice. That didn't make her feel much better.

Much more comforting to Twilight was the imposing figure of Princess Celestia herself on the battlefield. Arrayed in shining golden armor patterned into beautiful flames, Celestia seemed a beacon of light in the dark hopelessness of this night. It was clear that other ponies thought the same way, as she could see notably more resolve and much less fear in the eyes of those closest to she who had ruled Equestria alone for a millennium.

Of course, Celestia was no longer the sole ruler, and neither was she the only alicorn on the battlefield. Luna, in a black suit of armor beautifully patterned with shining stars and a moon over her chest, stood at the other end of the battlements, far from her sister.

Their presence gave Twilight hope, but it also reminded her of the stakes heer: if they should fail this night, all was lost. Equestria was doomed, and Chaos would reign triumphant over the planet. All she and her friends had accomplished – defeating Nightmare Moon, Discord, Chrysalis – would be for nothing.

As Twilight mused on these things, a sickly horn sounded from the enemy army. As one, they stopped in their tracks, though many still brayed with bloodlust in their eyes. At last, silence descended onto the field. The only sound came from the pitter patter of rain.

"Ponies of Canterlot! Screamed a voice into her mind. Twilight staggered, and a quick look around showed that the others were doing so too. Only Celestia and Luna remained upright. I will not bother with words. I will not bother asking you to surrender. I know you will not. I would not wish it. Therefore, I will simply say this: In the name of Khorne, I will slaughter you! In the name of Nurgle, I will leave your bodies of rot! In the name of Slaanesh, I will revel in your suffering! And in the name of Tzeentch, I WILL ALTER THE FUTURE! CHARGE!

The horde roared their devotion to the skies, and did exactly that.

Even as what she knew to be her probable death charged her, Twilight could not help thinking about how it had come to this.

It started so few months ago…