"At the dawn of the universe, there was chaos. But then, boom...big bang sent six elemental crystals hurling across the chaotic universe. These elements of harmony each represent an essential aspect of harmony" the male earth pony hourglass cutie mark said. As he explains, he uses his magic to create the explosion of the big bang and 6 stone-like-crystals appears right after the explosion.

The figure next to him, Master of the strangeness, explains the rest. He moves the stone-like-crystals around him using his paw.

"Loyalty" the red crystal glows.

"Laughter" the blue crystal glows.

"Honesty" the orange one glows.

"Generosity" the purple one glows.

"Magic" the magenta one glows.

"And...kindness" he make a peace sign with both of his fingers and crossed it together before separating both of his hands. The necklace he was wearing begin opening itself, revealing a pink crystal glowing.

"Tell me his name again," Rainbow Dash said, with determination on her face. The two male glace at each other and shrugged.

"I...I don't remember well..." The shy pegasus replied with a shiver of fear. After all, she's been through a lot just to get here. So they don't want to question her too much. But even still, getting at least something from the pegasus would be helpful.

"May I try something?"

She nodded and felt him getting close to her. He touched her forehead and extract something from her. Looking at the glowing thing in his paw, he throws it to the air as it turns into a series of images and shows her memories.

Past day

Devastation. Death.

As far as the eye could see, that was all that lay about. The entire might and bulk of the Wonder Bolt II lay strewn with wreckage and, far worse, dead ponies. Gladiators from the ruins of an ancient world, warriors from the destroyed cloudsguard, both lay there lifeless and defeated. Amongst them floated a voice, surprisingly calm and almost whimsical, at odds with the carnage surroundings.

"Hear me, and rejoice," the voice said, as its speaker stepped along the decks, heedless of the pools of pony blood. "You have the privilege of being saved by the great centaur himself. The mighty Tirek. This may seem like suffering... but it is..."

The speaker now came into view, a dark gray unicorn with a black spiky mane and tail, his horn is also different, he has a curved horn, smooth, sharp at the tip and it gradients from dark gray to red. His eyes cold, and his expression one of disdain. As if he'd just caught a scent of something foul.

His name was King Sombra, and he was the Herald of Tirek.

"Salvation..." He proclaimed solemnly.

Lying on the ground just by her hooves, the striped zebra Zecora groaned, unable to find the strength to rise. She'd been beaten, and so thoroughly she might be on the very precipice of death. Never in her life had she been so thoroughly mauled, and yet Tirek had done so with almost uncomfortable ease. Like swatting a fly. Unable to do anything just yet, she tried in vain to lift her head and peer down along the length of the Wonder Bolt, trying to see her liege, Princess Applejack.

She caught sight of more of Tirek's minions, a mismatched ape-like creature, a pair of shadowy ponies with green eyes, one big and muscular, the other lithesome and hollow. Literally dotted with holes, her horn twisted and wicked. Just past them was Appebloom, the other Princess, the lost, wayward daughter. She watched with trepidation as, at the far end of the carnage, Applejack was dropped to the ground. The once mighty Princess of Thunder was covered in blackened bruises and seemed quite unable to stand.

Sombra continued her narration. "Universal scales tip towards darkness because of your sacrifice. Embrace it. Smile... for in death, you have become Children of Tirek."

Applebloom grimaced at the rhetoric, unable to believe she'd even believed it, even briefly, even a little. But here she was, here they all were, and Tirek had found her. Come to her. Come for them all. A massive, towering ram of a centaur, nearly twice her height, with, black upper body and azureish black lower body with black horns. He looked more imposing than a dragon, more mighty than a bugbear, and more cunning and cruel than a changeling. At his left arm was something she could describe as a glove that was colored in golden, with six premade indents surrounding the glove. One of which was filled, with a blue gemstone in the shape of a balloon. The Element of Laughter.

"I know what it's like to lose," Tirek stated, his voice low and gravelly. "To feel so desperately that you're right... yet to fail, nonetheless. It's terrifying. Dread it, run from it, fly from it... destiny arrives all the same. And now... it is here. Or should I say... I am."

On the ground by his hooves, Applejack grimaced, spitting out blood before glare up at the centaur "You talk too much," she spat out.

He rewarded her with a kick in the ribs for her insolence, as she groaned in pain, he turned his cruel gaze over to Applebloom. She knew what was coming, but she could not move, could not speak. She was petrified with fear. But not for herself.

Tirek raised up his hoof, and placed it down atop of applejack's head, with clear intent to crush it.

"The Element of Loyalty... or your sisters head." He said with intentions clear. "I assume you have a preference?"

"Do what you must" she said with confidence as she turned up her muzzle and looked away primly, as if none of the carnage, least of all her much-loathed sister, bothered her in the least little bit.

The great centaur frowned, taking that as a personal challenge, and lifted up his hand. Instead of bringing it down on Applejack's head, he pressed it into her back and began to apply pressure. Tough though Applejack was, she was still only a pony, and the pressure began to build steadily, bit by bit. That tender spot right between her wings. The blue balloon gem on Tirek's glove lit up as the power of the Element flowed into his hoof, increasing his power. By a magnitude of ten, then a hundred, then a thousand. Applejack cried out as Tirek seemed intent to crush her back into jelly, snap her spine in two. Applebloom did her best to endure, to blocked the sound of her sister's screams, she could not take it for even a full minute.

"ALL RIGHT, STOP!" she cried out, unable to take it anymore.

The assault ended, if not instantaneously, then at least quickly, as Tirek drew back his hands from Applejack's back. She was panting heavily. Applebloom shut her eyes tightly, holding back the tears. She couldn't. Even though all the resentment and petty pride, she couldn't hate Applejack enough to let her die. She loved her sister too much for that.

"We don't... we don't HAVE the Element!" Applejack coughed, spitting up blood. "It was destroyed on Cloudsguard!"

Grimacing, Applebloom simply shook her head... pulling off her own hat that their mother gave them... and reached inside. A moment later... a red lightning bolt of ruby crystal appears in her hoof.

Applejack, disgusted but unable to truly be surprised by her antics, sighed to herself and let out a not-so-hearty chuckle "You truly are the worst, sister."

"I'm sorry, sister..." She gave her a small smile. "I will make it up to you..." she said, stepping forward, preparing to do what she must. Offer the Element for her sisters' life.

"Your optimism is misplaced, Cloudsguard "Magician." He said with a mock tone.

"Well, for one thing, I'm not from Cloudsguard," Applebloom said with some familiar contempt. "For another, I am a sorceress, not a magician. And finally... we have a hulk."

The roar that precipitated the attack was the only warning the Tirek had before something yellow and ferocious smashed into him, knocking him into the far wall. Applebloom tossed down the Element and grabbed her sister seconds before their mutual yellow friend began to tear into the Tirek's armor, picking them up bodily and smashing them with wanton aplomb.

Easily as big as the already towering Tirek, Flutterhulk was relentless as she smashed her huge yellow hooves into his face, gut, and chest, knocking him back. For a moment, it seemed the day might yet be won, and the Incredible Flutterhulk would tear down this threat to Ponykind the way she'd dealt with the Abominable Brute or countless other threats.

Snarling, the only mare on the group, a
Changeling, Chrysalis moved to assist his master Tirek. Before she could, however, a black hoof was held up. She looked at the hoof and surprised she was stopped by Sombra.

"Let him have his fun," he commanded.

Indeed, things were not as dire for the Tirek as it might have appeared at first. While the Flutterhulk could match him in raw strength and power, that was the only aspect in which they were equal. Growling, Tirek met her next blow of the hoof with one of his own, countering her strike and smacking the Flutterhulk hard across the face, drawing blood. It dripped from her nose as her gamma green eyes widened in fear.

His next few strikes were measured, powerful, ruthless. He blocked or dodged her own clumsy strikes, then hit back hard whenever her guard was down or where she was more vulnerable. He fought like a champion brawler, while she, admittedly, fought like a clumsy child. Flutterhulk reeled, totally unprepared for the relentless strikes that wore her down and especially unprepared as Tirek grabbed her body, lifting her up high above his head, then slammed her down mercilessly onto the floor of the ship. She blacked out almost instantly, a welcome reprieve from all the violence.

Coincidentally, she'd been dropped down mere yards from where Zecora lay.

Tirek grinned in triumph. Seconds later, Applejack smashed into his side, leaving jolts of lightning trail behind her, but she was still weak, and unable to leave so much as a bruise. He barely glanced her way as he smacked her aside, sending her crashing to the ground. Sombra, smirking smugly, Activate his horns. Stray metal fragments, animated by telekinetic power, strapped down applejack's hooves, pinning her to the floor of the Wonder Bolt, leaving her helpless to help her friend.

It was up to Zecora. Grimacing weakly, the zebra guardian clutched at the golden spear at her chest as the sharp tip sparked and spluttered weakly, trying desperately to focus the very last of her magical power.

All of her magic, all of her concentration, for one last spell.

"Ancestors aid me... one... last... time...!"

Seconds before Tirek could finish the job and end the Flutterhulk, there was a great boom, and a virtual wall of rainbow light slammed down atop of them. The centaur and his lieutenants stumbled back as it lifted up the yellow Flutterhulk and carried them away from them, whisking them off into the distance. They were light-years away before any of them could react, and by the time the light faded and Zecora's spell was finished, there was nothing any of them could do anything about it.

Zecora caught Applejack's eye and nodded. Her friend, and her home, Equestria, might now be safe. Or at the very least would now be warned of the coming danger.

The zebra shaman, on the other hand...

Tirek stepped over her, glaring darkly down at the striped pony who'd cost her a kill. "That was a terrible mistake," he growled, accepting a wicked looking glaive from his underling. Held with his hoof, he lifted it high, then brought it down sharply... right through Zecora's chest. Bright red blood blossomed forth.

"NOOO!" Applejack cried out, struggling mightily against her restraints. "You're going to pay for that!"

Glancing idly over, Sombra activates his horn again. A final slab of metal slammed over Applejack's muzzle, silencing her. He then brought his hoof to his lips mockingly.

"Shhh."

Wrenching the glaive free, Tirek tossed it to his subordinate, who caught in his hand. The one attached to his tail, that was. Sombra took his time in reaching to collect the red lightning bolt laying on the ground, crackling with untold power.

"Mighty Tirek.. please accept this gift from your children... no other being has had the might, nay the strength of will, to wield not one... but two Elements of Harmony..."

The red bolt of lightning was accepted by Tirek, who maneuvered it to his hoof. Instantly it clung into place beside the blue balloon, and a wave of energy course over him. Like any mortal pony who tried to harness it, the power of the Elements was great and threatened to overwhelm him. But within mere minutes, by sheer force of will, the power was contained, and at Tirek's command. Two down, four to go.

"There are two more Elements in Equestria," Tirek commanded. "Bring them to me at Tartarus."

The four children bowed, Chrysalis dipping her wicked horn as she conveyed their obedience. "We will not fail you, master."

"If I might interject...?"

Five heads snapped up as a brilliant amaranth pony with a cowboy hat stepped around them, looking distinctly nonchalant. Applebloom was putting on quite the show, after all. "... if you're going to Equestria, perhaps I could be of assistance? I have some experience with the locals," she added with a flick of her collar.

"If you consider failure experience," Tirek deadpanned, well aware of how her previous invasion had failed.

Applebloom snorted at that, her pride definitely wounded now. "Well, I consider experience experiences!" she replied, greatly daring. Then, remembering both her plan and who she was addressing, adopted a hint more humility in her tone. "Almighty tirek... I, Applebloom, the Great and Powerful...the rightful ruler of cloudsguard...Princess of cloudsguard … Daughter of Smith... do hereby pledge my... undying..."

She hesitated here, glancing over at Applejack. She was looking with wide desperate eyes, pleading her, unable to speak a word, but applebloom knew was she was going to say, she was going to say, for once, not to attempt another betrayal. Applebloom, however, saw no other path forward. One hoof shifted under her cloak, reaching for one of her pyrotechnics...

"... fidelity..." she finished. And then she lit the explosive and threw it up, directly into his monstrously dark face...!

The explosion was no mere firecracker, it should've blown the Father of Monster's head clean off his shoulders, but when the smoke cleared... Tirek was wholly unharmed. And the glowing red gem on his necklace revealed why. The Element had protected him, at his will.

"Undying, was it?" he asked, with deceptive mildness in his tone. "You should choose your words more carefully."

A hoof lashed out, catching applebloom across the face and knocking her onto her back. Before she could rise, Tirek had brought his hoof back down, right on her windpipe, crushing it. He did not even bother to use the Elements, his raw strength was alone. Just as easily as applebloom could crush an Equestria's neck, so too could he crush hers.

"Especially if they are your last," Tirek added with a dark chuckle.

"You... will... never..." She rasped out, thrashing around, determined to have her last word out.

Then, however, there came a sickening crunch.

With a satisfied smirk, he dropped her to the ground, her once cheerful body, was now laying there, dead.

Applejack's muffled cries did not need to be heard to be understood, she promised death and vengeance in equal order. But Tirek was unmoved and uninterested. As far as he was concerned, he'd acquired what he'd come here for. There was no reason to stick around any longer.

"Time to go," he stated, lifting his hoof and clutch his fist together.

The Element of Laughter on his glove lit up. A wave of cobalt energy washed over the ship, sweeping the decks of the Wonder Bolt, smashing panels and destroying conduits. In moments the entire ship was ablaze, cracking apart at the foundations. Tirek's Children gathered around him as he activated his second Element, and Loyalty blazed with crimson light as it opened a portal that swallowed them up. The instant they had vanished, Applejack was free of her shackles, but she was too weak to do anything more than crawl over to Applebloom's rapidly cooling body, laying her head down beside her sister. There was nothing she could do but wait to die with her.

"Sister... I'm so sorry..." she sobbed.

The entire Wonder Bolt II cracked like an egg, and debris began to scatter amongst the void as all hooves on board were lost to the cold ravages of space.

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There you have it, folks! It took some time to finish it but oh boy was it a journey! That's all for now! Thanks for reading!