Boston, Massachusetts

Luna flared her wings open, ready for battle. Her not-sister was there, the not-element bearers with their sickly magical auras were standing strong with their smiles like open wounds, and right when she was thinking of which of them to strike first, she felt something wrap around her hind leg. Her eyes widened, and she twisted around, ready to blast it, before she suddenly reappeared high up in the sky, so far up that they all looked like ants. Curiously, she smelled like chocolate chip cookies…. of course. Who else would have done that?

Luna blinked as she felt herself dangling in Discord’s grip, looking at the Earth below. Luna was about to release a scream of defiance, just before the street below exploded into a torrential explosion of fire, metal and spells. Her struggling soon stiffed as she saw the street she was in not a second ago became a river of absolute death. Magic radiated out of it like it was on fire… small fire anyway, but it was certainly a lot of small fire, enough that it could have possibly wiped out the Everfree.

Luna would have been hard pressed to bring up a shield that could last even a full minute or so on such short notice.

"Still want to take our chances in making them angry?" Discord asked as he released her, Luna flapping her wings to correct herself.

"No, I believe they made their statement quite clear that they were in charge of our talks the entire time," Luna said quietly, looking down to see the shredded corpses of her sister's 'twin' and the Elements.

Only to see a golden shield to appear and hold back the tide of certain death. Luna blinked several times; the amount of magic needed to stop the mixed flux of metal and magic would be astounding. Luna could possibly bring one up, but not in a blink of an eye like what this Celestia did. Luna doubted even her true sister could do such a thing.

"Hmm... well now, isn’t that interesting?" Discord muttered to himself as he landed on the rooftop, Luna close behind him.

"What is it? What do you find so interesting? " Luna asked as the thunderous weapons finally stopped firing, allowing her to hear herself much more clearly. A minuscule part of her realized that perhaps this was a bit of karma in her initial reintroduction to society, where she used the Royal Canterlot Voice on everypony she met.

"Chaos magic," Discord said with some disgust. "It’s there, but it’s faint, like it’s mingling within the rest of her. As if someone sewed magic fibers into a piece of clothing,” Luna narrowed her eyes trying to find any sign of deception in Discord’s words, just as something on the corner of her eye made her turn and watch. It was a human charging to the golden dome, a machete in hand before it transformed into a familiar sword.

"Should we help? It would cement our image to the humans and their allies." Luna said, watching as the human hacked away at her shield with little progress.

"No, humans are a suspicious bunch. I should know, I ran into scores of them in my travels. They would hold us at an arm’s length, with hundreds of gun barrels held in our faces until they were completely sure of our intentions. Us showing up with information on Marcus and the Tyrant innocently showing up a few minutes later..." Discord shook his head as the human was thrown back, tumbling into a vehicle at bone breaking speeds. "They would label us as threats, keep us away from anything important, and probably keep us restrained till it was too late. It’s nice to assume that in wartime someone would trust us, but the humans are a paranoid lot.”

"Then what can we do?" Luna looked back down to see the Tyrant finish her speech. Discord smiled, munching from a bag of kettle corn and laughing at the Tyrant, as her eyes widened in shock when she saw her ear on the ground.

"We play by their rules." Discord said as he focused on the crazed alicorn. Luna watched on as Discord held up a paw, and the sickly, crazy yellowish glow of chaos magic blossomed forth.

"What are you doing?"

"Evening the playing field." Discord quietly said as his magic silently flew at the golden shield, while the Tyrant launched her own attack. Luna's eyes followed his spell, watching as it destroyed a random building before several humans jumped from it before the attack struck. Luna moved to catch them, but Discord held her back. "I got them, watch for Twilight and take her down."

"What?!" Luna looked to see Discord disappear from sight, only for him to return a second later. "What was that?"

"Sorry, I'm just a clone." Disclone replied, smiling as he wrapped his arm around her neck. "Right now, we have so little information about the Tyrant and her plans. I need you to go out on a teeny, tiny information stealing spree."

"Is this truly the time to be playing around?! Lives are at stake!" Luna yelled, watching the human below screaming his head off as he charged once more. Only for said clone to grip her by the jaw and force her to look at him.

"I'd truly love to be in a happy mood. I really would. I’d love to laugh as someone kicked one of the elements so hard they went into slow motion, but it just… hasn't been the time for that, and something’s up. The real me thinks it was too easy for the crazy queen to show up in person, in the middle of a city with dangerous weapons at the human's fingertips." Disclone muttered to her.

"Anyway, when the time comes, track down Sparkle and rummage through her mind a bit. Don't be gentle- she doesn't deserve that mercy, and it’s not like you’ll be damaging anything that the Bag hasn't already." Disclone told her as the human was blown away. "Boss is almost done setting up, so it’s my turn to start. Remember, get Sparkle."

Luna watched the clone of Discord, shuddering at the implications of how he could possibly have learned that ability, as he summoned a rolled up newspaper and a swirling black vortex before sticking his claw through it. Luna looked down to see the Tyrant's speech get cut off before the clone jumped off and floated down to her.

"Get ready. " Luna gave a yelp as she turn to see Discord behind her.

"Are you-"

"Its me-me. Just remember the plan. I'll keep the Tyrant busy with my charms." Discord said as he huffed once before he vanished from view, appearing the same time the clone disappeared.

Luna took her time to breath, it was not an easy task to keep oneself thinking straight with the kinds of things Discord came up with. But she nodded anyways. Then she panned her eyes into the battleground, focusing on this other Twilight Sparkle.

She watched as Twilight threw up a shield before the hulking metal monster that Discord summoned up spat out something and exploded against the Tyrant's weakened golden defense. Luna flared open her wings, taking flight as she followed the Elements down the alley.

"So Twi, what are we goin’ ta do? Use the Elements against Discord? " Applejack asked, all six mares quietly sneaking down the alley.

The alley itself was littered with rubble and general debris, and also a few charred remains of Ponies from some past fight. The ponies were mostly adults, with some dead foals that must have been once Human children turned into Ponies. However, some of bodies were not burnt and look more recently killed, their mangled bodies filled with bullet holes left to simply decompose and be slowly eaten by maggots. The air reeked of death and decay.

Around the six ponies were tattered propaganda posters and faded graffiti all over the walls of nearby buildings; the most common graffiti was of Lyra Heartstrings and the word “Resist” written underneath each one. There were posters of a pony in a PHL sash holding a Human baby, as a unicorn in the same sash shielded the child from a potion thrown by a downright psychotic-looking Rainbow Dash. Another poster depicted a Pony helping a Human soldier onto his feet, plastered next to a few simple posters of a Pony holding a Human child’s hand. It seemed that every wall was covered in posters, symbolic pictures, and graffiti captions like “Join The Ponies For Human Life” followed by underneath “Together We Can Save Humanity”, and finally, there was a simplistic graffiti in red on top of it all that just said “Fuck The Solar Bitch!”

"Sorry Applejack, but with that many humans running about, we’d sooner get killed before we even do anything; we should lay low for awhile."

"Ooo! While we lay low, we give them a big blow! We should totally look for their supplies and give them a special surprise... That rhymes right? " Pinkie stopped hoping for a moment, putting a hoof to her chin.

"Yes, that does sounds like a good idea." Rarity said as she avoided the trashcans with disgust. "Hitting their supplies would be best, while we are at it, we should also look for the generals and other people in charge for anything important to use against them. Change them for the betterment of ponykind."

"Yes, very good ideas, girls," Twilight agreed, smiling happily as she made her way through an opening, which lead to a dark department store. Rainbow was the last to go in, before she flicked her ears and looked back out the hole. Before she could voice her concerns, the air was filled with explosions. All six mares scrambled away from the cavity, watching as the wall collapsed, blocking the way out through that direction.

"Well, no one is going to be following us." Rainbow shrugged as she landed next Twilight. "Everyone should be busy with the-"

"Pinkie sense!" Pinkie cried out, causing everyone to pause in their steps. They turn to see Pinkie tilting her head to the side, thinking hard on what her senses were telling her.

"What is it, Pinks? Whatchu got?" Applejack nudged her.

"Hmm... Droopy left eye, itch on my flank, and left front hoof tickles a bit." Pinkie mused, frowning somewhat.

"Isn’t that same combination you got in Britain before...!?" Twilight asked, before her eyes widened in shock. "Move girls!"

"SHOWTIME, MOTHERFUCKERS!" A voice called out in the darkness before the air was filled with flying metal, the familiar dakkadakkadakkadakka of a human machinegun cutting through the relative quiet of the store. Yet, somehow, it didn't drown out the insane laughter following suit. The six scrambled behind a pillar, unfortunately for them, it wasn't built to withstand the insane amount of firepower. It wasn't powder yet, but Rarity doubted it would last five more minutes.

"Stay together, but don't fight them! At least until they focus on somepony else!" Twilight called over the cacophony of staccato weapon fire. "Rainbow, go over head, distract them while we come from behind!"

"Roger!" Rainbow saluted once before took off like a shot. "Betcha you stupid humans can't even hit me!"

The gunfire pulled away, with the borderline-psychotic human machine-gunner spouting out heavily-accented curses as the group attempted to take down the flying mare. "Alright girls, let’s go." Twilight whispered as the five others attempted to sneak attack the humans.

Only to find nothing.The sound of gunfire was still around them, but they couldn't see it. It lasted a few more seconds before falling silent. The mares looked about the darker store floor, unsure on what to make of it, only to realize something else was amiss.

"Dashie?! Where'ja go?" Pinkie called out, looking for the pegasus in the confusion. Silence was their only response.

Twilight was wondering that as well. It was as if she’d disappeared from the building-Rainbow Dash wasn't exactly a quiet flyer. Before Twilight could voice her concern to the others, she felt the presence of a familiar alicorn. "Girls, watch-!"

The five remaining mares found themselves in a magical grip, the dark aura surrounding them preventing them from moving. Twilight struggled, her eyes trying to find the source.

"Elements of Harmony. " A voice echoed around them as they struggled. They heard the telltale signs of hoofsteps before it stopped before them. "I have need of your services."

"Luna." Twilight growled, seeing Rainbow in her magical grip as she tried to free herself. "You traitor! Let us go!"

"Nay, I shall hold onto you for the time being, Twilight Sparkle." Luna only tilted her head, her ears swivelling as she listen to them struggle.

"Where are the humans, Luna?" Twilight demanded, glaring daggers at her. Luna only smiled, chuckling softly at her question.

"There are no humans, a mere illusion spell I created after seeing the impressive display outside." Luna walked over to the pillar, the damaged it 'sustained' melted away to reveal a perfectly undamaged pillar. "See? They certainly know how to make war..."

"What do you want with us?" Rainbow grunted as she flailed a bit before falling still, giving Luna an annoyed look.

"To be perfectly frank, I only desire one of you." Luna stated calmly as she walked away, Twilight floating away from the rest of the group. "The rest of you I have no concerns with."

"Well little missy, we have a bit of a problem with ya taking Twilight without her say so." Applejack grounded out, her teeth clenching tightly against one another. Luna only smiled at this, looking back to her with a knowing smile.

"Perhaps you should be more concerned with your own survival," Luna said offhandedly, slowly melting into the darkness.

"You would kill us?" Fluttershy whimpered, only to see it hardly had any effect on the alicorn. "Just how corrupted have you become because of humanity?!" she shouted, attempting to give Luna the Stare, Luna herself just rolled her eyes in response.

"I wouldn’t." Luna's horn flared a bit bright, "The humans would not be so forgiving."

"When are they ever going to be forgiving?" said Twilight angrily through gritted teeth.

"Perhaps this time, it might bring you good fortune if you ask?" Luna said, before she threw the other mares out the glass windows. "Ask nicely! Oh, and by the way… on the way here, I met this interesting human with a rifle. Granted, he was most displeased with my appearance, but he was still following me with some gusto."

“I’ll stare him down!” Fluttershy yelled.

“I doubt that will work,” Luna said, as she faded into the darkness. “Say hello to Mr. Kraber.”

“Un sekai nerahma safah!” someone yelled, and Fluttershy looked down to see a small coffee can rolling along the floor, a smiley face painted on it.

This was just not her day.

The floor exploded.

“WHO DID THAT?!” Pinkie Pie yelled, her party cannon, now modified into what was essentially a cannon-sized shotgun full of ponification potion, at the ready. “WHO SHOT FLU-”

A bullet rammed into her knee. With the various enchantments of protection that the Tyrant had given them, enough that Shining Armor would have been ridiculously jealous, it didn't shatter the joint. Still, it left one hell of a bruise, and Pinkie fell to the ground, screaming in pain.

“Now, I’d make some big speech about what happened in my hometown, and why I’m so happy about this,” the voice echoed all over the ruined department store. “But I think we’re all tired of speeches. Gonna skip right to the killing.”

“RUN!” Fluttershy screamed.

“Aegis? You, Tempest, Anvil, Petrikov, Garcia, take the left and kill any other elements you can find,” Kraber said. “Now… LET’S KILL OURSELVES SOME ELEMENTS!”

The mixed groups of humans and ponies rushed in opposite directions through the store, taking cover behind the rubble.

Kraber wanted to find whoever it was that had suggested the Elements would be pushovers due to just being civilians who happened to be able to shoot a magical rainbow of friendship, justice, and cupcakes and stuff, and smack them over the head. Even if they’d all learned not to underestimate the Elements, Kraber was still mad enough that he’d been told that because the Elements just wouldn't die.

Spiegelmann pointed to Rarity, softly trotting along the edge of one floor of the department store.

“I GOT THIS ONE!” Kraber yelled, and fired a twelve-round burst off his MG2019. “TASTE MY JUSTICE, YOU WHORE!”

Time was that the MG2019 could have killed ponies in droves. It had before, too- he’d once protected an entire street with one MG2019 belt, reducing newfoals to the consistency of chunky salsa, but no, the Elements of Harmony just had to be made of much sterner stuff than most ponies.

Somewhere between five and nine of the twelve rounds that he fired missed, with some grazing Rarity, one chipping a hoof, but he gave the department store one hell of a repair bill.

The twelfth did not hit Rarity and explode her like a pinata, or splatter blood everywhere. It did, however, graze her horn as she was about to cast a spell, God only knew what.

Ever taken a head shot and had a hard time focusing? Getting hit in the horn does that to a unicorn, especially when they’re casting a spell. Now, all that energy has to go somewhere, and a unicorn will be very lucky if it goes anywhere near where they intended.

Unfortunately for Rarity, who was normally quite reserved and controlled, her magic went everywhere, releasing a shockwave of pure concussive force throughout the already overtaxed building. Kraber’s runically enhanced bullets had already weakened the area around Rarity quite a bit, so the whole area was just itching to crumble.

With an almighty groan, like a great leviathan of the Maritime Ocean in the throes of death, the floor Rarity was on began to bend slightly downwards, cracks spreading out in a spiderweb from the area she was standing.

Yet she didn’t move. She simply stood there like a newfoal, jaw open, one foreleg vibrating as if it was struggling to get out of the way, but something was holding her back.

Without a word, Fluttershy-who Kraber could see out of the corner of his eye, just poking out from behind one pillar-flew at Rarity at a speed that would have impressed Rainbow Dash.

“That’s not possible,” Tempest whispered, his voice crackling in Kraber’s ear. “You need training to be that fast, and that’s like Wonderbolt speed.”

“Maybe it’s just adrenaline?” Kraber suggested.

“Bull,” Tempest said. “Fluttershy can’t go that fast. I’ve seen her fly, and she’s the weakest flyer in Ponyville.”

There again was one of the mysteries. Equestria had not been a country with a strong military presence, not until the Crystal War, and there had been no hint of teaching any of the elements to fight, or even any basic self-defense techniques. They’d held their own on the way to get the elements on the disastrous wedding of Princess Cadance and Shining Armor, but just barely. So when, Kraber wondered, did they get so good? It wasn’t possible.

Also, for all their surprising combat ability, why was Rarity just standing there, her eyes open and glassy like a newfoal? Anyone would know to run. Granted, the brain functions of ponies who had stayed in Equestria were rather… questionable, but this was utterly bizarre.

Fluttershy was dodging their fire-and it was pretty damn difficult to say who wasn’t shooting at her at the moment.

“Okay, now I know something ain’t right,” Tempest said. “Does Fluttershy strike you as the kind of pony that can dodge bullets without crying?! Or dodging bullets at all?!”

“Not… really, no,” said Aegis.

“I’ve got you!” Fluttershy yelled, grabbing Rarity, half-scooping half-pushing her away from the collapsing section of department store.

Nobody was sure who made the lucky shot that hit them both, other than the fact that it wasn’t Aegis-that would have made a small explosion when it hit them. Either way, someone had hit them both, maybe Kraber, maybe Tempest, and Fluttershy was lolling to the side, desperately struggling to keep them both aloft.

“NO no no no no…” Fluttershy whispered, as she fell to the floor, skidding wildly.

Rarity screamed.

“BOOSH!” Kraber laughed, high-fiving Spiegelmann.

“YOU MEANIE!” Pinkie yelled, from somewhere off in the distance.

“Oh, shi-” Kraber yelled, as Pinkie Pie appeared behind him, holding a party cannon in both hooves.

He coughed, spitting out blood, before Pinkie fired it yet again, to the shock and horror of Spiegelmann and Sheaf, knocking him over the railing. His last thought, before plummeting to the ground and screaming in surprise and reflexive agony was “Please don’t let this be the ponification one…”

Never mind that because he was falling to the ground, it wouldn’t be the ponification party cannon.

"Hm, I thought so." Luna shrugged as she moved deeper into the darkness, ignoring the sounds of gunfire while she floated Twilight behind her. "Now then Twilight Sparkle, you shall tell me everything you know about your dear Tyrant."

"Don’t call her that!" Twilight shouted in rage, kicking out her legs uselessly. "She is Queen Celestia of Equestria, the rightful ruler of Equus and Earth, Savior of ponykind and all species!"

"Hm, how shall we put this?" Luna mused to herself before looking to the floating mare, "Tell me, how would you like it if a species declared itself better than your own and began wiping you out down to the last child?"

"But there is no species better than us Ponies!"

"So you could never see the irony of the situation?" she sighed. "I see it was foolish of me to engage in this pointless conversation with you. Very well, let’s get this over with."

Luna’s eyes and horns flashed with blinding light in preparation of a spell.

"Torturing me will get you nothing." Twilight hissed and she continue her struggles, but her statement cause Luna to give a hollow chuckle.

"My vicious little creature of hate," Luna chuckled softly, a vindictive smile on her face. "You truly forgot who I am."

"What?!"

"My name is Princess Luna, Diarch of Equestria, Princess of the Night, Caretaker of the Moon and Stars." Luna proudly proclaimed, before leaning in close to Twilight, a vicious smile on her face. "Defender of Nightmares. Or in this case for you, Bringer of Nightmares, and I never said anything about torture, you abomination.”

Luna's horn flared once before the spell impacted Twilight's skull. Twilight’s will to remain awake was no match for the thousand year old Alicorn’s might, falling asleep within seconds of contact.

“I just want to see what’s inside...”

Luna dropped the mare on a nearby bed display, looking around to ensure the area was secured enough to perform the Mind Delve spell. It was the only way she could bypass the mental barriers without killing any pony immediately from trying. It was a reason why there wasn't many spells to begin with, as any attempts made ended badly for the user and target. And there were strange, disturbing tales about what happened to ponies that were subjected to it by inexperienced unicorns, tales where the moral boiled down to “It does more harm than good.” Still, Luna was an alicorn, so she would probably be fine.

Before entering Twilight’s mind, she set up a shield spell, which would last about an hour, barring any unforeseen attacks. The humans she’d seen, particularly the one with the very large gun, seemed to have kept the twisted elements at bay.

Luna blinked and looked around, seeing the beginning forms of a dream taking shape. Luna grinned, summoning dozens of monsters, ancient enemies, and hordes of vicious humans riding said monsters out of nothing before unleashing them on the dazed Twilight.

Luna went on her way, humming a tune to herself to drown out the screams and sounds of flesh being rendered from bone, searching for the point within the dream that would allow her access to the mind. She couldn't help but groan as it became obvious as she walked through the barren landscape and saw a single door standing upright in the middle of it.

A door similar to the Royal Archives, in extreme detail, right down to the hoofmark she had made when she wasn't allowed access due to her weakened form, appearing to be a slightly larger than normal pony instead of Celestia’s sister. Luna frowned at that, staring at the indention in confusion. "It appears my counterpart has done the same as I, even with a corrupted sister at the helm."

Once Luna entered the room the door behind faded away from existence. She now stood in the center of a massive white stone room of staircases and decaying wooden doors of various colors, the room itself exuded a sense of wrongness that seemed impossible to place. The room's ceiling was dark, seemingly extending impossibly high, and nothing could clearly be made out beyond a dozen staircases. Incomprehensible ghostly whispering voices, all Twilight’s, could be heard in the room, and the faint sound of Twilight’s crying seemed to be coming from everywhere.

There is something... disturbing about this room. Luna thought as she looked about, before seeing a shadowy figure in the corner of her 'eye' that disappeared whenever she looked too closely at it.

Ignoring the shadow for the time being, she trotted up a flight of stairs nearby and opened a door, only for it to reveal a narrow corridor, that went seemingly on forever with countless doors running along it.

She opened some nearby doors, each of which revealed yet more seemingly endless corridors lined with unlimited doors.

Luna closed the door and went back into the main room. The doors and staircases shifted randomly to add to the confusion. It appeared Twilight was trying to shield her mind from Luna's spell.

I would comment on how impressive her defenses are, were they not hindering mine own search. Luna groused as she continued her search. When Luna came down the stairs a chill went down her spine.

There, in the middle of the room, was Twilight as a young filly. She was slightly translucent, sitting on the floor while she cried in the center of the room.

That was never a good sign.

Luna did not move; approaching the shadow Twilight could prove to be risky.

The shadow Twilight looked up to see Luna, it’s glowing orange eyes staring right at her. It wailed in grief, then made a high-pitched bone chilling screech before evaporating into some sort of shadowy matter and fading away. The room had suddenly gone very cold, ice formed on the upper levels of the room. Luna was on edge, this shadow monster clearly was still here and was the shadow being she saw before in the corner of her eye.

"Mommy!" Twilight's panicked voice shouted, her voice filled with terror only a child could muster. Luna shivered in response to the call, looking around as her cries became more desperate. "Daddy! Please, I don’t want to be here! Shiny, HELP ME! They’re… IT’S HURTING ME! GET ME OUT! PLEASE!"

Twilight abruptly screamed in terror, and all of a sudden the whispers and pained sobbing simply cut off-as if the needle in a record player had suddenly ceased to exist. The room fell almost completely silent, apart from Luna's heartbeat and heavy breathing.

"What in the world?" Luna whispered, looking around the area, before seeing a small shadow dart into one of the halls. This… she’d seen millions of nightmares, millions of psychological traumas, but few of them had ever approached the scale of anything quite like this.

Stopfightingsshecan'thelpyou.Youbelongtous!

Luna’s eyes widened in surprise at the monstrous sounding voice. She turned to see the shadow that had vanished when the harsh whispers started, only for it to drift back into view. She watched as the shadow slowly made its way up to her, almost crawling across the ground. Luna flared her wings, her eyes focused on the shadow as it made its way past her, going down another corridor before stopping and 'looking' back to her.

"You wish for me to follow?" Luna asked, watching as the shadow bobbed once before slowly making its way down its intended path. "I see."

Luna had no choice but to follow, even if it was a trap, she could easily power through it. She couldn’t help but feel that this small shadow was a friend, which utterly confused her. She watched as it lead her down halls and stairs, go through seemingly random doors, and even down a random, improbably extended slide from the Canterlot Royal Playground at one point, one hall she passed through was pitch dark, where the screams and cries of children could be heard echoing along the hall, and it was impossible to tell if they were playing or being tortured. As she walked down the hall she thought make out small shadowy silhouettes of human children in the corner of her ‘eye’, but every time she turned to look at them, they vanished from sight. This shadow Twilight was taking her to something… but what? At any rate she wished to be away from this hall of crying and screaming human children. She sighed in relief as the shadow Twilight lead her into a door on the left into another hall, followed by the cries and screams of the children suddenly falling silent behind her. That was now replaced by a faint sound of a baby crying, that sent shivers down her spine.

Once, where the pillars, doors, and wooden floors were in pristine condition, now they appeared to all be rotting, or as if they had survived some kind of terrible storm. As if the area was forgotten and left itself for time to take a hold of it. She followed shadow Twilight through the dark hall with burnt books on rows of shelves along it, all the time, the same harsh whispers echoed out. The hall had very few doors, and was lined with mostly empty bookshelves. It didn’t seem to have a ceiling, instead it had a seemingly endless expanse of darkness as a ceiling. Luna could just about make out something in the distance, far above her. It appeared to be the Golden Oak Library from Ponyville, floating upside down far away in the dark sky, its leaves a dry, dying brown.

Shecan'tsaveyou

noponycan

Shecan'tevensaveherself

Shefeltjealousy

Sheisweak

Shewouldsellherselfasatwobitwhorsejustforstallionsto-

"SILENCE!" Luna roared, her eyes filled with fury. "Your inane whispering only drives me to destroy you quicker, Sparkle!”

The whispering stopped. Luna’s ears swiveled about to see if the mare would press her luck, only to hear silence. Luna smiled to herself before turning the corner, only to realize that she had reached the end of the maze. The shadow sat in front a door that was either unspeakably ancient or battered, the dark no-color of a door covered in so many layers of paint that it had become weakened, almost furry with the faded coats of paint. Although the heavy chains and bolts securing it shut indicated otherwise. Luna inspected the door closely, seeing writing on it.

'My Happy Place'

Luna couldn't help but frown as she looked to the door. "This almost appears to be keeping something in, not out."

Luna looked to see the shadow slowly slide underneath the door, beckoning for Luna to open the door. She scowled as the door refused to budge under her considerable magical might. She pulled and pushed, putting all her mental strength into opening it with no avail.

"You are not welcome here, traitor." Luna turned back, her eyes narrowing as the entire hall expanded open into an underground cavern, but her eyes were focused on the being that spoke.

Whatever it was, it attempted to look like Twilight, but had not succeeded. Its eyes were too small, too close, its horn was too long and had a jagged appearance, its hair was too stringy, its legs too thin to support its body. It was like… like an artist had drawn Twilight, but they had gotten every single proportion wrong. Luna stared at the creature in utter confusion. This was not Twilight Sparkle. It wasn’t even a convincing imitation.

"Who are you, foul creature?" Luna scowled, her horn glowing as she stood firm in a battle stance.

"I’m hurt, Luna. You don’t recognize-?" The creature started to answer, its voice carrying a bit of a patronizing tone, before Luna caved its face in with a solid jab.

"Do not test my patience, you hideous cur." Luna spat as she watched as the odd monster struggle to reform its face. “I may not know who you are, but I know who you represent, and I have seen enough of her that I am unable to restrain my disgust.”

"Such manners!” The Not Twilight cackled out, its face reforming as it laughed. “Queen Celestia always told me you were a stickler for decorum."

"Tis most unfortunate for you, then. I am not your Luna, and I do not know any Queen Celestia," Luna spat the last two words out with the utmost disgust, slowly pacing around the monstrous, deformed approximation of a pony. "I hold little patience for the likes of you and yours. Now, what is beyond the door?"

Not Twilight gave a hacking chuckle, finding it amusing of her demands. "Memories, Little Moon, just memories."

Luna seethed at the childish nickname Celestia used for her while they were still in the care of Sint Erklass. To have this creature use it like...

"Wait, how did this abominable creature know?!"

Luna blinked as her mind came a screeching halt. Celestia was the only one to ever use that nickname, and promised to never tell anypony. This being had used it as if it had always known about it, even used it like Celestia. Always chiding her for some reason or another.

"What are you?"

"This again? Listen to me-"

"In the fall of Sombra, we resorted to magic only conceived by our top mages to seal him-"

"Petty lies." The Not Twilight mused loudly. "You had to call upon your old teacher/mother to even stand a chance. Had to dig out the old entrance by the Everfree Mountain Range just to ask her."

Luna stood still for a moment before striking. Before the creature could even react, it was struck from behind.

By one Colonel Renee.

"Wha-ACK!?" The creature reeled back as Marcus closed in and slammed his fist into its neck. Luna watched on silently, following at a slow pace as the conjured human memory steadily batted the monster across the room.

"No one. Not myself, nor Discord, nor even my own sister can ever speak of the location of the Scribe. Ancient magic protects the area from all who seek it, and if we so much as even hint at its location, we would be blinded by unimaginable pain." said Luna quietly, watching as Marcus gripped the creature with his hands and slammed it into the ground snout first. "So that leaves very little room for the discussion on what you are. You are not Twilight Sparkle. You are some.. abomination that the Tyrant conceived and implanted within this body. From what I could see from the few short memories that my own Sister shared, you had magic spells Twilight could never possibly know about, the passage of time erasing all physical traces of them and the teachings far beyond what a simple unicorn could ever manage."

Luna stared hard, even as the monster attempted to fend off the imagined human. "You are a mental golem, a homunculus,” she said, choking back her revulsion. There had been warlords that used mind magic to create more obedient soldiers, such as Sombra, but even he’d never stooped to this level of violation. “One created to be utterly compliant and follow the Tyrant's every wish, yet still appearing to be one Twilight Sparkle, her faithful student." Luna spat out the last two words with the utmost disgust.

"Very good, Luna. I should write a report!” Twilight giggled. “Maybe I will even-WHOOF!" Marcus threw the Not Twilight into the door, chains rattling from the impact. Several of them even shattered from the blow. Luna stared at the broken chains for a moment before a small smile graced her face.

The door rattled as something slammed against. The metal groaned as it was battered far beyond its limit, and wood splintered as the door’s pounding grew worse. Over and over the door held against the blows, before finally silence fell.

CRASH

The body crashed against the bookcase, limply falling to the ground. Luna trotted inside, a smile on her face as she made her way up to struggling creature.

"Thank you for providing the key. I release you from your duties. " Luna held up a single hoof, before smacking the monster away with a powerful buck, knocking it down into the dark halls of bookcases. It didn’t get up, seemingly dissipating into the shadows.

"Now then, what could all this hold?" Luna asked herself as she looked at the rotting bookcase, intrigued by its contents. At random, she selected a book with her magic, slowly lifting it before finding herself somewhere else entirely.

"My Queen, the preparations are set. The Rescue Fleet is just hitting the northernmost area of Nova Scotia. We will set our Portal station down once the area is under our control."

"Very good, Captain Armor."

"Queen Celestia, will we be able to help out? The girls and I really want to show that human Commander that we are just trying to help."

"Of course Twilight, such a good little pony you are to me."

Luna backed away, her eyes narrowing before she moved on. Another book, another memory of Twilight kissing the Tyrant's flank. By the thirtieth book, Luna was beginning to think this was a waste of time. There had to be something in here, something that would explain everything. Twilight loved books, so it made sense that her memories would be represented as books. The right book had to be here somewhere...

The area didn't get much better, in fact, it seemed to be getting worse. The books appeared to be falling apart, the wooden cases rotting out and groaning from the weight, the stone pillars cracking and chipping away.

A purple book caught her eye. To an untrained observer, it would have seemed to be just lazily tossed on the floor at bottom of a bookshelf, destined to be forgotten. She levitated the book into air toward her and opened it, allowing Luna to watch the memory to unfold before her. She found herself in a world where she could not move, but she had a birds eyes view of Celestia and Twilight drinking tea.

Celestia’s light shone through a circular window on the ceiling, below Twilight was in Celestia’s private quarters. Beautiful white marble stone lined the walls and tiles of the floor, faint smoke rose from a dying fireplace. There were cabinets, containing documents and Twilight's friendship letters. White cups of tea, chocolate cake and other types of cakes were placed on a silver tray on a fine wooden table. Twilight was seated in a red fancy chair before Celestia, who was also sitting on a fancy red chair on the opposite side of the table. Twilight appeared to be slightly anxious, and was not looking at Celestia directly as she sipped her tea. The awkward silence continued on for minutes with both of them just drinking their tea without saying a word.

"Something on your mind, Twilight?" she said softly in an attempt to lighten the mood.

"Um... Queen Celestia?" she said nervously.

"Please, Twilight, its just Celestia whenever we are alone." Celestia gave her a warm smile as she spoke in motherly tone of voice.

"Okay. There is something I want to ask." Twilight gently tapped her hooves together as she looked to her tea.

"Oh? What about it?" Celestia looked at her with curious eyes.

"Well, I feel like I should be helping Shining in the war effort. The girls think we should also train for it, after all it was our failure that lead to Sombra's return."

"Twilight, it was not anypony's fault, least of all yours or the Elements. Just bad fortune on our behalf. I will have to decline your offer to train for this war. All will settle in due time. Now then, it appears you have another question on your lips."

"Um, yes, its about the... uh 'ponification' serum. I know you asked you me to study it and refine it to ensure it works properly, but I'm not exactly sure how to do that? I don't have any means of testing it safely."

"Twilight, be assured that you will have plenty of test subjects once we open the portal to Earth."

“Test Subjects? Celestia, I've been studying the serum ever since you showed it to me, and I have to say that using it will not put us in good light with the humans. In fact, I’m not sure we should even be touching the stuff, because it scares me!"

"Oh?"

"Yes! The entire potion is laced with some sort of unknown magic. I’d be excited, but it feels... wrong. Like Sombra's magic but even darker and more twisted! Celestia, please, what did you use to create this... thing, and why do you think it’s a good idea to use it?!"

"My dear Twilight… " her voice was laced with disappointment." I am saddened that it comes to this."

"W-what?!" she said with a raised voice in alarm.

"I simply must have the Elements on my side in this coming tide, I cannot have you questioning my authority, betraying me.” Twilight stared at Celestia. She could feel the magical vibrations in her Queen’s voice. “I cannot have subjects that doubt that turning Humanity into perfect Ponies is not the best solution."

"Perfect?!" shouted with her eyes widen in shock. "Ponies are not perfect."

"In time... they will be." Celestia only smiled as she brought up a small bag, Twilight took one look at it before it began to beat like a heart. ‘All in my image. All bowing before my grace.”

"Wait.. Wait stop!" Twilight jumped off her chair to back away from her." Get that thing away from me-!" she shouted in a panic with a look fear in her eyes.

Celestia’s horn glowed with light as she simply sat on her chair, her magic held Twilight in place. Twilight's own horn shined brightly as she tried to free herself, but was unable to break the hold. Celestia smiled as she held the bag before Twilight.

"Please… don’t do this…. " she spoke in a low pleading tone with tears beginning to form in her eyes. "What has happened to you?"

"My dear... I do this for your own good." Celestia said as she open the bag, dark and foul black-purple magic surged forward, swirling around the screaming pony. It caressed her, ruffling against her fur, creeping over her like… like some un-Equestrian appendage.

"No, no, NO!" Twilight screamed, before the magic found her mouth and forced itself in, choking her. Moments later, she fell silent. Her earlier look of fear was now replaced with a glassy eyed expression of obedience. However, her left eye had twitched, in a weak effort to break free from the spell’s control.

"We will bring the gift of becoming Pony to every man, woman and child of Earth. Whether they like it or not. Wouldn't you agree Twilight?

"... Yes, My Queen." she said in a low voice. As if on its own, a smile spread across her face.

With Luna freed from the book’s magical power she dropped it on the floor as if it was burning, an appalled scowl on her face. She avoided the book as she continued her search. "As if I didn't need more nightmares myself."

Luna continued her arduous search before finally finding a rather gruesome book. The book laid by itself on the shelf, covered in red blood and mottled with the skin of Humans from all races. A white Human skull was engraved on cover of the book. She reached for the book, but then a shadow sped past, the book she was reaching for gone from its place.

"Hey! Bring that book back!" Luna cried out, her wings flaring as she took flight after the shadow. Luna couldn’t help but believe that book held some importance if the shadow creature didn't want her to see it. "Please, I mean you no harm."

Finally, the shadow stopped at a clearing. Dry grey grass seemed to blend with the previous rotting wooden floor, as if it had grown out of it for some reason, but in the center there rested an equally dead stump. Luna quietly landed at the edge, watching as the shadow raced up to the stump before flowing inside, the book resting on top of it. Luna hesitantly took a step inside the onious death circle, giving a good look around the clearing with a critical eye.

"Why have you brought me here?" Luna whispered aloud as she stepped closer to the stump, its ancient, beaten exterior giving a sense of unknown to its whole existence. For a mind such as Twilight, having a tree inside a library would make little sense, unless it was as a reminder of the Tree Library where she had lived in Ponyville. But it still wouldn’t make that much sense. The tree would be the walls, not a stump.

Once Luna was able to see the book in a better light, her eyes grew wide in surprise as she reared back with a gasp of shock and disgust.

It appeared to be a stump of some kind, but a closer look revealed the presence of dirtied fur coming out of the dead muddy side, but that wasn’t what made Luna draw her breath. It was a strange peculiarity of where the stump’s rings should be, an interesting thing that shone as if a light was on it. It was like a gem of violet surrounded in white that had veins of ruby streaked through it.

An eye.

A bloodshot, tired purple eye explored Luna up and down, then the floor beneath her and then her face, and stayed there. Like looking into her being and asking for mercy.

Asking for death.

Luna staggered, gasping, away as the stump exploded, a single leg, barely more than patchy gray-purple fur, bones, and a hoof reaching out as if was crawling out of a grave. She watched as a second came with the first, both hooves placing themselves firmly on the ground and heaving the body out of the stump. Luna swallowed as she saw the dirtied, emaciated, unhealthy face of Twilight Sparkle. Her bloodshot eyes seemed to stare right through Luna, full of remorse. Luna's eyes trailed, nearly vomiting as her body appeared to be skewered through with roots, with one even piercing her heart.

"Luna..." Twilight whispered, her voice little more than a rasping cough.

"Twilight... is... is that truly you?" Luna couldn't keep the horror out of her voice. She’d never seen such violation! This was wrong, there was no question about it. "I will have you freed from this.... from this... madness!"

"N-n-no."

"No!? Surely you jest!"

"Trap. Caught with me if you tried..." Twilight looked away, tears streaming down her face. "Another puppet for the Queen."

"I... see." Luna stepped away, her eyes watching as Twilight held the book closely to her chest. "That book-"

"My sins!” Twilight hissed as her eyes got somewhat redder than normal, tears welling up at the corners. At Luna’s reaction of backing more Twilight calmed herself, looking back at the book with disdain and sadness. Luna sighed before nodding, not willing to push the mare. “...not for you. You don’t want to know! Please… if you value your sanity, don’t touch it!”

"Twilight Sparkle... what has happened to you?" Luna asked quietly, a part of her wanted to desperately hold the mare in this horrid state.

"Tricked... Told was helping humans to survive. Studied the potion." Twilight gave a heaving sob. "Told Celestia it was filled with curse magic... Enslaved me within my own mind as a reward. Soon, my friends followed suit... One by one. Rarity was last to go, Spike protected her, transformed and blinded the Tyrant before escaping... Spike... ” Twilight smiled at some memory only she could see before tears escaped from her eyes as she tried to shake the vines loose. “I’m so sorry! I’ll always be sorry!"

Luna swallowed, her mind trying to understand before it finally set in. "You are... Victims. Just like everyone else. That damnable bag has broken all of your Equestria!”

Twilight sniffed before nodding her head. She looked up to Luna, staring directly into her own eyes. "You must kill me."

"W-what?! I cannot-"

"KILL ME! PLEASE! I CAN’T STAND IT ANYMORE! KILL ME SO I DON’T HAVE TO WATCH MYSELF HURT ANYONE AND BE MADE TO ENJOY IT! KILL ME TO END THIS NIGHTMARE!" Twilight wailed, her eyes beginning to take a tone of panic. "KILL THE ELEMENTS OF HARMONY!"

Luna stared in stunned horror at the broken mare. "What… what could you have seen to cause this?"

Before the mare could respond, something struck the grass in front of her. The vines around her body stiffened and pulled with an unrelenting speed and force as the screaming Twilight was shoved back into the stump, the book leaving her grasp. The thing that had landed caught the falling book with ease.

"That’s easy, Luna, I have just the notes for you to go over!" Not Twilight giddily responded before throwing the book at Luna.

"NO!" Real Twilight cried from inside her prison as she saw the book hit the alicorn on the shoulder. “That will-”

Screams echoed out from the cavern, cries, sobs, and shouts from dozens of humans within cages as they saw the human on the table scream in agony.

His forehead split open, a mutilated horn punching through skin, blood bursting out of the ruptured arteries. His right eye grew larger than its socket before it finally popped out, barely hanging on due to the optic nerve still attached to the brain, mashed into an unrecognizable jellylike lump.

His left hand shifted and changed, fingers curling, blackening, and shrinking into uselessness before seemingly popping off, the wrists shattering as the bones attempted to fuse themselves together to form a hoof.

The sounds of limbs snapping echoed over the scream, his hips expanding too fast before his right side split open and his liver and intestines spilled through the gaping wound.

The screams of tortured agony dissolved into a mess of gargles, presumably due to imperfectly formed vocal cords, the still shifting human shaking before finally falling still.

"Well, test three hundred and seventy-six was a complete failure," Twilight sadly proclaimed, ignoring the cries of the children as they saw what happened to the man. "And it seemed so promising as well. Well, not to worry though, I still have plenty of potion samples to experiment with! Now then, who's next?"

"No! Not my baby!"

"Mommy! I’m scared!"

"It’s okay miss,” Twilight said. “I’m doing this for sake of all humans. If he dies, he sacrificed himself for the greater cause."

"NOOOO!"

Luna gasped as she took a step away from the book now in the floor, her eyes wide with horror.

"Wait, I still have more to report, Princess!"

"N-n-no." Luna was still reeling in undisguised terror when the monster raised a hoof, the grass grew too quick for Luna to see, suddenly becoming thorny vines, which surrounded the book. It placed it against her snout once more...

"God help me! PLEASE GOD, HELP ME! PLEA- AGGH!” The man screamed as his body shed its skin, he withered in agony as fur grew on the muscles and fat.

"Test four-fifty-six, another failure. Next subject..."

"No, stop!" Luna cried, her eyes shedding tears as the Not Twilight giggled and pushed the book to her again.

"DADDY! IT’S HURTING ME, DADDY SAVE ME! DADDY! PLEASE! WHERE ARE Y-" The little girl withered and spasmodically shook on the ground, her eyes rolling up in their sockets before bursting, causing her to scream even louder. Her back ripped open, a pair of skinless, deformed wings expanding from her back, blood and muscle trickling down them.

The girl wailed before her neck snapped as it tried to shrink to pony size. Unfortunately, that had been the only part of the body that did shrink. Her head rolled to the floor.

"Test seven-eighty-nine, failure."

Luna whimpered as she tried to step away, Not Twilight laughing the entire time with glee.

"Oh god!"

"Someone help!"

"Mutter!"

"Ayúdame hermana!"

"Dieu ont la pitié sur moi!"

"Foda-o você cadela fodendo!"

“You monster, I HOPE YOU BURN IN WHATEVER HELL YOU BELIEVE IN!”

"Test eight-fifty-five, failure."

"Test nine-eighty-seven, failure."

"Test eleven hundred, failure."

“Failure.”

“Failure!”

“FAiLurE!”

“FailurefailurefailureFAILUREFAILURE!”

“FAILURE!”

Every word, every sound, every repetition of the word failure caused Luna to wince as if struck. Horrific images entered her mind, causing her to gasp and shout silently in despair and horror, images of fleshmeltingflowingbackwardsupwardsdownwardssidewaysreversedintooutofitselfsplitopenlikerottingfruit,bonestwistingsnappingmeltingtearingdrippinglikemoltenironinaforge,thoughtschainedboundsealedcrushedremovedsurpressedrepeleddestroyedenslaved,burningpainfulstabbingsensationsfeathersfurtwistingshakingtearingapartskinandtissues,bloodboilingfreezingrottingspillingleakingfromtwistedbrokenbodies,musclesbunchingstretchingtearingsnappingattheirlimits,onandonandonneverstopingalwaysmarchingtowardsPERFECTION,childrenmenwomenelderlysicklyhumansallfailuresafterfailuresafterfailuresafTERFAILURESAFTERFAILURES-

...

A glassy-eyed newfoal with a smile far too wide stood where there had once been a young human female. “Me has salvado!” she giggled, giving a bow. “Muchisimas gracias por liberarme de mi cascaron humano, salvadora…”

“Esa no es mi Maria,” a spanish woman whispered from her cage, watching as the girl that once been her daughter pranced about as a pony. “¡Ese maldito engendro no es mi Maria! ¡¿QUÉ HICISTE A MI MARIA?! ¡¿QUÉ A HECHO CON MI NIÑA BESTIA ENDEMONIADA?!”

"Test two thousand nine hundred and eighty-seven.... Success!"

Luna sat down, staring at nothing as tears streamed down her face in silent anguish. Her entire form was shaking from the pure horror of what she saw. She felt sick on a level far beyond anything she had ever experienced, so disgusted, so repulsed by the images that she had just seen that she felt violated.

"As you can see, it took almost three thousand test subjects to find the right combination for Celestia’s ponifications serum to work." Not Twilight replied with a small giggle, hugging the book with undying love.

"How..." Luna whispered in a hollow, broken voice, slowly turning her head to the monster with tears shedding freely from her eyes. "How could you do such a thing…? Most of them were mere f-foals..."

"Because I was put in charge in saving them. Of course nopony can get it right the first time." Luna stared at her, unable to comprehend her answer. Luna slowly looked to the real Twilight, watching her sink back into the stump.

"Please.... please Luna, kill me and my friends. Don’t let anyone suffer anymore!" Twilight croaked out before she slipped back inside the stump.

No...

Her grave.

Luna looked at the smiling abomination before, without thought, she lashed out with her magic, a satisfying crack resounded once the monstrosities head was twisted around completely.

The supposed corpse stood there, but it did not fall to the side, it laughed. Laughed heartily and purely, like a child in her birthday. Laughed as if the mere thought of the Princess of the Night harming her was a complete joke. Laughed as her head completed the turned back around, a wide amused crooked smile was delivered back at Luna with complete delight.

"And now, it’s time for you to go, Princess. Tehehehehehe."

Luna blinked a she found herself back into the real world, utter confusion on her face as she looked down to see Twilight glaring at her. Luna's eyes widen in shock when she realized that the creature managed to counter her spell. Her horn glowed, ready to strike the small unicorn down with a single spell.

"Kill me... please kill me." She said in a low voice.

Luna hesitated, she didn't see Twilight the vicious murderer. She saw Twilight the victim.

That hesitation costed her when Twilight's horn glowed and she vanished from sight. Luna stood a for a long moment, hearing the sounds of battle die off as one by one, the Elements escaped thanks to Twilight.

Luna stared at the spot the unicorn was laying not a few minutes ago. Her cheeks caked with tears, shaking as the haunted images slowly began to consume her mind, her heartbeat a loud roar in her ears. Almost at once, she remembered the conversation she held with Discord.

Discord snorted once before turning. "You would go mad with grief and anger if you knew what I knew. Pray that you never do... It’ll haunt you for the rest of your life."

Luna finally knew what he meant. She looked around, as she saw the humans and ponies slowly surround her, giving her wide berth. She looked to the humans, seeing their grim faces as they stared at her.

"DADDY!"

Luna heaved, a sob escaping her throat as she tried to reel herself in.

"Cierra tus ojos mi hijo! Que no veas te digo!"

Luna shook her head as she tried to keep her emotions in check.

“IT HURTS, MOMMY IT HURTS-!”

Luna cried out as she held her head with her hooves, startling the group surrounding her.

"What the hell is going on with her?!" One soldier cried out as the alicorn seemingly burst into a flare of growing magic. The very ground was shaking as cracks formed around the distraught mare.

"Who cares!? Run! This building’s coming down!"

Wanting revenge for the loss of innocence Luna had became consumed with anger, an anger she had not felt for a thousand years. Blind rage consumed her, the injustice of what she saw driving her insane with hatred.

Luna seethed with unbound anger, her coat slowly shifting from dark blue to jet black. Her magic took a darker hue, exploding out in bursts of energy, crushing and breaking all it came in contact with. The very air became thick with the essence of anger and rage.

The ceiling collapsed on top of her, but she did not react in pain and merely stood where she was, as if the concrete was as light as a few feathers floating down on her.

Luna’s eyes were clenched shut, shaking as she felt her anger began to blind her senses.

"Sweetheart... know that daddy will always love you."

Her eyes snapped open, her iris’ shaking as they took in the darkness around her…. before shifting into an old set of eyes.

"AaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRGGGHH!"

After recovering from his fall to the lower level of the department store, thanks to his magically enhanced armor, Kraber had gotten back to his feet to keep himself in the fight, but instead of searching for the pink menace, she had found him, and he’d been trading shotgun fire with Pinkie’s Party Cannon for what felt like an eternity. She couldn’t take much damage, but she could teleport fast enough that he couldn’t deal much, and Kraber was a tank of a man clad in body armor, carrying a revolver, a shotgun, and a light machinegun that he considered to be one of the finest works of German engineering. Plus, he had a gas mask specially designed specially designed to protect from potion, equipped with night vision and a Heads Up Display. It hurt his eyes most of the time, though.

“YOU GODDAMN PINK MENACE!” Kraber roared, firing his heavy UTS15 shotgun at Pinkie. Yes, direct hit! She screamed in pain as blood dripped from her… shoulder? Equestrian anatomy was weird. “I’ve only got one question for you monster, DID YOU PONIFY MY SON?!”

“Oh, you silly-filly!” Pinkie giggled. “I’ve saved so many humans from themselves that I’ve lost count!”

How did I know that she’d say that? Kraber wondered in some part of his brain, deep beneath his rage as he pumped the UTS15 again, firing… only to find that she’d teleported. Dammit! Not again.

“How about this, then?” Kraber asked, looking around, waiting for his HUD to reveal where Pinkie was coming from. Given what he’d heard of her, he was surprised that the readings were still… He abruptly terminated that line of thought. No use tempting fate. “There was a boy, whose father was stuck in a traffic jam. This boy was having a party, supposedly planned by you. I figured that little Peter and little Anka deserved the best.”

“This party,” Kraber spat, firing the UTS15, “Had a pinata full of ponification potion. So when I come back to Peter and Anka, holding the toys they’d asked for, I find the room empty, with sets of clothes draped over the chairs, cakes and ice cream half-eaten as if they just vanished mid-meal. There’s a pony in a clown suit, the one that I hired, and he’s giggling madly. So I kick him and ask him very nicely about what happened-”

“Doesn’t sound familiar!” Pinkie laughed, almost singsong, as Kraber narrowly dodged a knife that was somehow mounted on Pinkie’s hoof, presumably to slice open his suit so there would be skin contact with potion. How? Where’d it come from? It was Pinkie. From what he had heard, it was better not to question where the knife came from or how she’d strapped it to her hoof so quickly.

“For fifteen hours, WITH KNIVES AND MY GRANDFATHER’S MEDICAL BAG!” Kraber finished.

“Oh… you! YOU!” Pinkie yelled. “I LIKED HIM, YOU MOTHERBUCKER!”

“Is that all you can say, YOU XENOCIDAL FOKKING PIECE OF SHIT?!” Kraber roared, twisting around and kicking her in the face, then firing. The UTS15 was almost out of ammo. Damn, he’d been trigger-happy with the brutal, blocky Turkish shotgun. Ah, no matter. He whipped out Margaret, his 13mm shotgun revolver, and was about to splatter her brains against the floor when-

CRASH

Kraber stared up at the ceiling, his chest on fire as he groaned and threw off the display case that had been thrown into him. Struggling to get out of the counter he was lodged into, he looked to see Twilight appear next to Pinkie, giving her a look of concern before shooting him a nasty glare before teleporting away.

“FOK!” Kraber yelled, shooting a light fixture. “THIS! CLOSE! GOD! DAMMIT!” He pricked up as he heard the clop-clop of hooves. Excellent. Maybe this wouldn’t-

“Kraber!” Aegis yelled, running at him.

Oh thank God. It was Aegis.

“Shit! She’s gone!” Aegis yelled. “We just got a magical spike of energy here, and we thought you were in trouble!”

“Of course I’m in trouble, I DIDN’T KILL THE BITCH THAT KILLED MY CHILDREN!” Kraber screamed.

“You… how did you not-” Aegis started.

“Don’t,” Kraber growled. “Just don’t. Don’t push me, I have had more than enough of her today. I just found that yes, she did plan that fucking party, then Twilight comes in at the worst possible goddamn-”

Kraber’s earpiece crackled. “Stabsunteroffizier Kraber! We have Luna surrounded on the ground floor, near the place they sell mattresses! We are ready to take her in on your-”

“No,” Kraber said. “Not till I get there. There’s some very interesting questions that need answering. Like if she’s friendly, or why she would lead us to the Elements and take Twilight away with her. She has some answers and I need them right goddamn now.”

The two of them rushed through the abandoned department store, heading for the area. They passed through racks that had once held fine clothes, along cracked floors. Aegis had the speed of an Earth Pony, but Kraber had years of military training and magically augmented armor.

They weren’t sure when it became a race to find Luna, but by the time they were close to the location, they were practically sprinting the last few meters as if the Elements could ponify them any second. Wouldn’t be a surprise, though. They could be anyw-

The two of them heard a scream.

“That was Luna, I’m sure of it!” Aegis puffed, panting as he ran for the door. “But what would make her scream like that?!”

And suddenly, Kraber saw his subordinates, men, women, stallions, and mares alike, all stampeding or flying behind them, down hallways and stairs, and out of the stores, all with looks of abject terror on their faces.

“What the hell are you running from?” Kraber yelled. “You should be holding your positions!”

“We would, sir,” Tempest said, landing on the floor. “But Luna’s screams were… I’ve never heard anything like them, it was if they sucked all the heat from the-”

The ground shook, and masonry rained down from the ceiling.

“What was that?” Aegis asked.

“I think it’s an earthquake,” Kraber said. “Probably isn’t, because-”

The store shook again, more furiously than before. Shattered glass rained down from storefronts and windows, and huge cracks spread across the floor. Signs fell to the floor in pieces.

“Definitely an earthquake!” Aegis yelled, running outside.

Well, that was probably disobeying orders, but Kraber couldn’t blame anyone for not wanting to stay in a building that was shaking itself to bits.

“Everyone, follow Aegis!” Kraber yelled. “This place is gonna break!”

It was not a perfectly disciplined retreat-in fact, if any military officer saw it, he would likely have dropped his forehead onto his desk. It was the pounding, screaming stampede of a crowd of scared humans and ponies, afraid for their life as the cracks in the floor widened and widened, with one soldier nearly falling into the holes they left. Some jumped or flew through windows, some went through doors, others ran through the huge holes in the walls, before stopping, panting more out of habit than exhaustion on the pavement of the city street.

“I didn’t know Twilight could do that!” cried Sundiver, one of the Pegasi assigned to Kraber.

"I am hardly surprised by what she can pull out of her flank these days," Petrikov said, as he looked at the building with dismay. "Another unicorn I used to know said that Twilight had these spells that put the entire Royal Guard to shame. Poor bastard didn't come back after a tussle with her."

“That’s not Twilight!” yelled Verdant Tract, a unicorn born and raised in Ponyville, “It’s more powerful than her by several orders of magnitude! It’s Luna!”

“Wait, what?!” Aegis yelled.

“What the hell’s happening to the sky?!” Spiegelmann yelled, pointing up. A dark, inky blot had appeared over the sun, growing larger by the second.

Luna screamed again, and the building simply forgot everything about how to stay together. Mortar simply ceased to mean anything, bricks and rubble flew out in all directions, and what little glass remained had practically exploded into powder.

“Take cover!” Kraber yelled, as his subordinates rushed for anything they could find that looked safe from the slowly exploding department store. Anything from other streets, to overturned cars, to nearby buildings, it was all fair game when avoiding the maelstrom of rubble that the department store had become.

Kraber peered out the window of the building he’d taken shelter in, staring through his MG2019’s reflex sight, gaping in horror. “Oh, Command is not gonna believe this one,” he breathed shakily.

“What? What is it?!” Aegis yelled.

“...I think it’s best that you see for yourself,” Kraber whispered, moving out of the window so Aegis could see for himself.

It was Luna out there, screaming as if she’d been stabbed, as she slowly crushed the department store- and at least two of the surrounding buildings- to powder. Or at least, it looked like Luna… Luna wasn’t quite so tall. Or black-furred, with a purple cutie mark. Or with luminescent eyes. Or wearing light-blue armor.

“...Kraber?” Aegis whispered to his friend, staring in horror at the blue sky above, as the night sky slowly consumed it, with unfamiliar stars twinkling in the black expanse. They could see a patch of daylight at the edge of the new night sky.

“Yeah?”

“I think we know why Twilight teleported out. Whatever happened between Twilight and Luna... appears to have turned her into Nightmare Moon."

“I’m guessing that’s a bad thing,” Kraber said.

“AaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRGGGHH!” screamed Luna-no, Nightmare Moon, before she lifted her powerful wings and flew into the sky, no one had a clue where she was going off to.

“God dammit, my EARS!” Kraber yelled, both hands firmly clasped to the sides of his head. She’d been so loud that he felt as if someone had driven hammers into the sides of his head. “Everyone okay?”

The response that he received was decidedly not okay, judging by the puddle of urine at Aegis’ feet. None of the responses he heard in his earpiece could be called remotely okay-it was a mixed medley of groans, vomiting, screams of pain, or sobs.

Kraber had come off comparatively easy by being near-deafened. Nobody would be entirely sure how he remained calm, though some theorized that it had been partly out of shock. “Well… That just happened,” he said into his earpiece. “Now we have two deranged alicorns to deal with. Goddammit, today is just not our day.”

“We’re going to have to follow them, aren’t we…” Sundiver groaned.

“Almost certainly!” Kraber yelled. “I might be scared of those two, but damned if I am not scared of what happens if we do nothing! Now where the hell did she go?!"

The dark alicorn slammed into the ground, her face full with seething rage as she glared at the source of all this madness.

"Hello Nightmare Moon." Discord greeted with a jovial tone.

"Discord."

"Yes, my dear?"

"Shut up, sit down, make any jokes and I’ll make the next thousand years in stone look like paradise. This whorse is mine. I’ll kill her alone!"

"Really now I should-" Discord started, only to fall silent when Luna turned her sights on him. "Right then, go ahead and blast away."

Luna turned back to the Tyrant, her eyes fully focused on her enemy, there was no one else. Just her.

The cause of everyone's misery.

The cause of all the senseless death.

The cause of breaking the Element’s spirit in the most unimaginably horrific way possible.

"When I am through beating you into the ground, making you all but beg for death, I will allow the humans to claim their prize."

The Tyrant found this amusing if her smile was indication. "And that is?"

"Severing your HEAD from your BODY! Luna roared at her as she flared open her wings and shot straight at the enemy of all that lived.

The Tyrant opened her wings and took flight, a smile on her face as she pulled up a shield. "You are more than welcome to try, Little Moon."

Author's Notes:

It. . . BEGINS!

Beyond the Horizon here again, same sit rep as last time.

We put a goodly amount of effort into the horror factor this chapter, and I hope it shows!

. . . If it doesn't get on the Nightmare Fuel page, I'm going to feel sad.