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Celestia's hackles rose, the electricity in the air causing static to form on her fur. She suddenly became very uneasy. She looked to the sky, eyes narrowed as she studied the bright blue midday sky. Pegasi took off and landed around her, bowing respectfully as they passed their queen. Celestia's chest tightened with dread. Twilight was no where to be found, and she had started sending her military out passed Equestria's boarders. She stared at the sky, watching a stray cloud drift peacefully passed the sun.

Then she saw it.

Darkness. Shadows. It crept towards the castle from the north, tendrils of inky black smoke reaching like fingers towards Canterlot. Celestia's heart sunk, her stomach becoming uneasy as she stared, dumbstruck, at something she hadn't seen in a thousand years. She gaped, her breath becoming ragged.

"My Queen! What is that?!" Shouted a unicorn soldier to her left. Her head spun to face him, but she could do nothing more than sputter as she struggled to find her words.

"Queen Celestia! What should we do?!" Shouted the unicorn once again. Celestia snapped out of her stupor and spread her wings, feigning confidence.

"Gather your troops and begin an evacuation." She commanded.

"But where will we go?" Asked the guard, his ears twitching nervously.

"Anywhere but here." The Queen replied, failing to hid the quiver in her voice. The guard nodded and rushed to gather the other soldiers. "You there!" Celestia called to another armor clad pony. The smaller mare stopped in her tracks before running to Celestia.

"Yes my Queen?" She asked, bowing her head.

"Go wake up Queen Luna immediately and tell her 'the crystal door has been opened'. She'll know what it means." Celestia instructed. The young mare nodded and ran off into the castle. Celestia flapped her wings and took off. She flew to one of the taller towers and landed on a balcony, quickly trotting inside where four ponies sat talking amongst themselves.

"My little ponies," She began, catching their attention. "it is time for you to use your elements one more time. A great darkness has been released and the only way to send it back from whence it came is to use your powers against it." Applejack was the first to speak.

"What darkness, what's goin' on my Queen?" The orange mare asked, adjusting her hat. Celestia turned and looked to the sky from behind the glass balcony doors. The other ponies followed suit and gasped when the saw the black cloud spreading above Canterlot.

'What's that!?" Fluttershy exclaimed in her naturally soft voice.

"What the hay?!" Rainbow Dash shouted, flapping her wings and rushing outside. Celestia and the other four ponies quickly followed behind her. The small ponies gasped as they watched the darkness spread above them.

"What is that!?" Pinkie Pie shouted, straining to get a better look.

"That, dear Pinkie Pie, is an ancient evil Luna and I banished long ago. We sealed it under the crystal empire a thousand years ago, and hoped we'd never see it again." Celestia looked to the little ponies. "It is up to you to contain it once again."

"Uh, ah'd love to, really ah would, but how the hay are we supposed to use the elements against it if we're missing generosity and magic?" Applejack asked, frowning.

"Yeah, we can't do our rainbow thing if we're missing two elements! Rarity's still down in Canterlot!" Rainbow practically shouted, anxiety bubbling in her chest.

"That's where we come in." Said a voice behind the group. They all turned to see Queen Luna fluttering down to the balcony. "I will wield the element of generosity, and my sister will wield the element of magic. Rarity has likely been evacuated with the rest of the city. There's no time to find her."

"Can yall really do that? Wield your elements again?" Applejack questioned, skepticism in her voice.

"Yeeeeah, you two haven't used the elements of harmony in a long, long, long, long, long, lo-" Pinkie Pie was cut off by Rainbow's hoof in her mouth.

"A long time." Rainbow finished, annoyed.

"We'll do all that we can." Celestia replied, almost cryptically.

"We must act now, the darkness is spreading." Luna spoke, looking towards the blackened sky. The smaller ponies quickly agreed. "Go to Ponyville and retrieve the elements, then meet us back here as fast as you can."

"No need!" Pinkie exclaimed happily. She reached into her mane and rummaged around for a moment before pulling out five necklaces and one diadem.

"Should I even ask?" Applejack deadpanned.

"Nope!" Pinkie responded with a smile. She quickly placed each element on their respective ponies. Fluttershy quivered as she stared at the growing darkness.

"It's getting hard to see." Fluttershy whispered.

"We do this now." Celestia commanded. The ponies lined up side by side on the balcony and focused their magic.

Nothing happened. The shadows began to creep downwards in thin tendrils.

"Why isn't it working?" Fluttershy asked, fear evident in her voice.

"Are we wearing it wrong?" Pinkie Pie asked, twisting around her jeweled necklace in an attempt to make it work. Celestia looked towards the sky and grit her teeth in an attempt to hide her quivering jaw.

"It's not going to work, is it sister?" Luna asked softly, staring at the black sky. The sun was nearly blotted out. Celestia breathed deeply.

"I didn't think it would." Celestia replied. Fluttershy looked to her queen in disbelief.

"You didn't think it would work?" Fluttershy asked, aghast.

"What gives?" Rainbow shouted, her ears flat against her head.

"It wont work, but it was worth a try." Celestia responded in a low voice.

"Then what do we do?" Applejack queried in a worried tone.

"We defend Canterlot without the elements. You'll come with us to the front lines, there we'll fight." Celestia announced.

"And if that doesn't work?" Rainbow asked, staring at the black smoke that was twirling down to the ground below her.

"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it." Luna spoke. She summoned her magic and lifted Pinkie Pie off the ground. Celestia did the same with Applejack before flapping her wings and flying down towards the city, her sister and the pegasi close behind her.

They landed on the cobblestone road and Applejack and Pinkie Pie were carefully lowered to the ground. All around them soldiers were directing panicked ponies towards the city limits while other armed guards attempted to attack the black cloudy substance that spilled from the sky and onto the ground.

"All right, let's do this yall!" Applejack roared and rose up on her hind legs to kick her fore hooves into the air. She broke out into a gallop and dove at the first pillar of smoke she could reach. She almost fell through it but her left fore hoof was caught on something inside the smoke.

"What the hay?" Applejack whimpered, the shadow gripping her hoof much too tightly to be comfortable.

"I'm a commin' Applejack!" Rainbow shouted as she flew to her friends aid. She kicked the smoke, her hoof hitting something solid within it. The shadow didn't let up its grip. More smoke gathered around them and congealed into an oppressive mass that surrounded the elements and the queens, cutting them off from the royal guards. Applejack was suddenly shoved away into Rainbow Dash and they both fell onto their backs in front of Luna.

"Cowards!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed in anger. "Show yourselves! I know you're in there, I felt you!" The smoke completely surrounded them. Then it spoke.

"We will." a chorus of voices spoke. A purple hoof stepped out of the shadows.

Upvotes at import: 29 | Stars at import: 20
Posted previously at: 2020-04-10T23:01:25 | Posted previously by: Nebbie