As soon as they enter the castle they are greeted by a full squadron of guards marching through the halls looking pretty spent and a couple of them giving a pleading eye.
"Come on ladies that all you got! " yells an earth pony covered in runes at the back of the pack kicking at the straddlers.
"Could somepony explain what the hay is going on here?" Applejack complained.
As soon as she says this a snow white unicorn is standing in front of them. Her icy silver eyes piercing their very soul.
"Sorry about that, my colleagues decided that the palace staff needed some ... retraining." She states her voice as cold and unfeeling as the mist rolling off her body.
There was silence for a moment before someone decided to speak. It was Twilight.
"Um, the princess asked us to come by to meet this organisation but since you seem busy we'll just come back later." They start for the door but another figure blocks it.
Black coat and soulless ruby eyes, the navy cloak he wore hid any other distinguishable features. "Elements of Harmony I presume. We have been waiting for you." He smiles a toothy smile exposing rather canine - like teeth.
"They shouldn't be there, a pony shouldn't have those teeth." Rainbow Dash says dumbstruck.
"Oh these." He says with his sadistic smile inches away from Dash's face.
This was enough to make Fluttershy faint. "I'm surprised she held out so long." Rarity grumbles under her breath.
"What was that my dear?" The stallion asks now beside her. This caused Rarity to faint (overly dramatically as always but faint none the less).
"Oh great somepony else to carry." Rainbow's voice drenched in sarcasm.
"Quit your yammerin' an' go get 'Shy, Ah got Ms dramatic over her." Applejack says heaving Rarity unto her back.
"Aye aye captain" Dash salutes and goes to pick up Fluttershy.
"I'm sorry I didn't get your names." Twilight says after a while.
"Pardon my manners." The stallion bows. "My name is Crimson Quill, and my icy friend over there is Fairy Sherbet. Pleased to me your acquaintance."
"Good day." She greets coldly stare still blank and expression unrevealing.
"Twilight," a familiar voice calls out from atop a staircase, "it is a pleasure to see you again though I would have preferred for it to be under more favourable circumstances." She sighs under her breath as she descends.
"Princess, I was a little confused, since there weren't any guards outside." Twilight says as she and her friends made as much distance between themselves and the two strangers as possible.
They bowed when the princess of the sun had reach the bottom of the stairs.
"I apologise for that, as you may have seen my staff have been busy ...entertaining my visitors today." A hint of distaste enters her eyes at the word 'entertaining'. "Crimson would you be a dear and inform your ... colleagues that they must not keep the Elements waiting." She says rather coldly.
"As you wish." Crimson Quill bows and disappears in a cloud of black smoke.
The ice in the monarch's demeanour evaporates as she turns to the Elements of Harmony.
"Who the hay, we're those ponies?" Applejack says so upset she had to steady herself to keep Rarity on her back.
"They are part of an organisation known as the Counsel of the Dead." The princess states.
"Dead seems about right, I've seen livelier ponies in a graveyard." Rainbow Dash says with a groan. Rainbow Dash suddenly became aware of how quiet Pinkie Pie had been this entire time.
"I apologise again, they were quite intent on meeting all of you and I thought it better for you to meet them her instead of leaving them to their own devices." She states as she leads them through the corridors to a meeting room.
Opening the doors they are greeted by a group of ponies who all held a sombre expression on their faces accompanied by dull lifeless eyes. All except one pony, she drank a glass of wine and a gleeful expression on her face.
"Oh princess, you're back, I missed you. What were you doing so long?" The mare's face twisted in a maniac grin from ear to ear.
"Daisy Chain I had only left for three minutes," You could almost hear the grit in her teeth, "the Elements of Harmony have arrived for their meeting with you as scheduled."
"Oh, that's them?" She questions about the mares making way for some seats, some stallions kindly pulling out the chairs for the mares.
Rarity and Fluttershy started to regain consciousness. Fluttershy soon regretted this as what she saw shocked her. She makes this known by a shrill squeak and cowering so far into the chair she may as well be as small as a mouse for how small she made herself.
"Didn't know there was an element of cowardice, Celly." Daisy says.
"I know your older than me but please refrain from calling me that." Princess Celestia sighs and takes a seat. "Girls let me introduce you to Daisy Chain. She is over three millennia old and is a necromancer of graveyard origins."
"She is the leader of the Counsel of the Dead and is unable to be killed." She says the last part with venom in her words.
"Now who would want to kill lil' ole me?" She flutters her eyes like some Broadmane flusie in a play. "Now, why don't you introduce your little bundle of cuties you brought here?"
"The pony mentioned before is the element of kindness, Fluttershy."
"Shy all right. Act a little more scared why don't you?" She laughs hysterically at her bad joke.
"The one who is trying to get her bearings is the element of generosity, Rarity." She gestures towards the pony who looks like she rather believe that she's still asleep.
"Generosity, huh. I wonder how generous she can get." She shoots Rarity a scandalous glance.
"Well I have never." Rarity turns her nose upwards with a dignified huff.
"This spoiled brat is generous make my day." Daisy Chain chuckles and takes a swing of the drink.
"This is my personal prodigy, turned alicorn princess, the element of magic Twilight Sparkle."
"Pleased to meet you, Ms Daisy Chain." Twilight attempts to be polite.
"A kiss up is what I see." Daisy's horn glows crimson and surrounds Twilight for a moment before dissipated. "I'll allow it. Where'd you dig up this raw energy, the back corners of the nether reigns?" She laughs like a maniac pouring herself another glass.
After a cough the princess of daytime continues. "The one glaring daggers at you is the element of loyalty, Rainbow Dash."
"Was the name spilled paint taken? Couldn't your parents name you something not so obvious?"
"I'll show you what's obvious." She says through gritted teeth. A couple of the other ponies in the room took a few steps back with some reaching for their weapons.
"Oh, a fighter are we? Let's continue this later. Go on princess we're all just dying to know more. Some of the Counsel members taking a step back at the word 'dying'
"The one with the Stetson is the element of honesty, Applejack."
"Can't get any more honest than a farmpony, now can we. Giddy up little pony." She jokes.
Applejack grumbles something incoherent about a saddle not screwed on right with her arms closed.
"And the one who has been strangely quiet this whole time the element of laughter, Pink..."
"Pinkamena Diane Pie."
All eyes fall on Pinkie who wore a scowl and an almost completely deflated mane, everyone except Daisy Chain flinched and slid slightly backwards into there chair.
"You know Pinkie?" Princess Celestia asks stunned at the amount of hatred in the pink party mare's glare.
"Know her? I trained her. You said she's the element of laughter, ha." She snickers.
"Good to see you to Chains." Pinkie hisses.
"Yo, Pinks you good your sorta scaring me here." Rainbow Dash tries to lighten her mood, but nothing could break the anger filled glared that housed all the hate in the world directed at the hysterical necromancer.
"You know I was hoping to get her to come today, if I knew that she was an element of Harmony I wouldn't have sent her that letter. It would be one big surprise."
"You mean like what you did to my grandmother?" She growls and everyone backs away a step.
"Tic tac, I put her back where I found her. You know Pinkie here's the only one of my subordinates with what it takes to get out." She chuckles. "All those ponies dead, that body count was glorious." She had her head back laughing.
Just then a knife decapitated her. This causes Fluttershy to faint again and Rarity loses her lunch.
"Oh no, It would seem I've lost my head."
Twilight and Applejack cover their mouths in shock and Princess Celestia gives Pinkie Pie a surprised look.
She realises that Pinkie is no longer glaring at Daisy Chain. She follows her gaze to Rainbow Dash who wore a blank expression as if oblivious to the situation.
"Rainbow Dash, you alright?" She calls to no response.