A battle worse than all battles. They aren't winning the war that could determine the fate of their entire world.
Everyone was sure they didn't exist. We were wrong. No one knows why they're trying to kill everyone, but they are. If we don't win, it could mean the end of everything in existence.
They had just come back from helping fix the roof on Applejack's barn, when Pinkie started to tremble all over, and bounce up and down. Each of her eyes twitched seven times.
They all stared at her. "Pinkie," Twilight asked. "Are you alright?"
She didn't say anything.
"What does tremble-bounce-eye twitch mean," Applejack shuddered.
Pinkie looked upset, and immediately grabbed hold of the person closest to her(which was Fluttershy). Furiously shaking her around, Pinkie Pie shouted loudly, "the world is going to end!"
Rarity, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Twilight exchanged glances. "Relax," Rainbow Dash sighed. "If the world was going to end, there would be a zombie outbreak. And if there was a zombie outbreak, we would know."
She shook her head. "No, if it was a zombie outbreak or whatever I would have jumped then trembled."
"Whatever."
So they all just ignored her usual insanity and walked off in the directions of their houses. _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Twilight Sparkle was ready to nod off the bed. She had been up all night studying and writing in the group diary about fixing Applejack's roof. Spike was already well into REM sleep. As she was about to turn out the lights, something flickering the sky caught her attention.
That flickering was headed straight for her window.
She tried getting out of the way, but that didn't stop the creature from crashing through her house and just barely not landing on Spike. It looked like a pegasus, but it also had a huge, long, pointy horn. Its fur/hair was golden, and its cat-like eyes were as well. It would have looked mostly normal if it wasn't for the fact that its wings were made of fire, and it was engulfed in a bright orange-yellow flame(that somehow didn't seem to set fire to anything else).
"Are you princess Twilight Sparkle," it asked in a soft, but authoritative voice.
"Uh...yes?"
"Then I must warn you of a danger that could end your world."
Twilight was too stunned to speak. So the mysterious visitor spoke in her place. "I am something called a Hybrid. I'm half phoenix, half pony."
"But phoenixes only exist in stories!"
"No, my mom was one. Unless you're trying to convince me that a fairy-tale gave birth to me, phoenixes are very real." She sighed, and walked away from spike so she wouldn't wake him up. "I need to warn you about something that will destroy your world. So please listen."
"This is so cool! But weird."
The Hybrid rolled her eyes. "I was recently recruited to join the Phoenician Army. I don't know why or much of the details, but I know that they're trying to kill off all of your kind."
"Why tell me instead of someone with more power?"
She looked out the window at the night sky. "The place you call Canterlot has already been overtaken."
Twilight was astonished. "No. No!"
"Yes. And I need to be back by sunrise or the higher-ups will notice I'm gone. I don't want to kill anyone, so that's why I'm telling you this right now. You don't have to like me, or know me, or be my friend or be nice to me. No one ever is. But just trust me. If you don't, I'm worried that you and everyone you love will die."
Twilight saw all of her friends in her mind. She couldn't bear to imagine them dying. After all they've been through.
The Hybrid got ready to take off out of the hole in the window, but paused. "I'll be back tomorrow night, and every night I can come. So that I can give you information that I receive."
"Wait!"
"What?"
"What's your name?"
The Hybrid closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Fifty-seven." With that, she spread out her wings and took off into the almost empty sky. Twilight tried to shove it off. she didn't want to think about Fifty-seven. So she went immediately to bed, sure that this was all a dream.
She woke up and frowned. There was still a hole in her window.
Spike was curious, and everyone was curious. All her friends helped rebuild it, but were intrigued by the fact that Twilight refused to explain how the window broke in the first place.
So to say thank you, Twilight invited them over to her house for a sleepover. If Fifty-seven came back, they would all see her as well, and that would be proof enough that she was real. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ At the sleepover, she had so much fun she practically forgot all about Fifty-seven. That was a good break for her, since all day she had been worrying that she was going mad. She was in the kitchen with her friends. They were making cupcakes. Accept Spike, he was sent out because he was eating too much of the cupcake batter. So was Pinkie Pie, but she was really good at covering up her tracks and nobody ever noticed.
"Hey, everyone," Spike shouted, sounding at least somewhat distressed. "Someone's in the house. She wants to talk to Twilight. She says her name is Fifty-seven."
"Fifty-seven," Rarity wondered. "What kind of name is that?"
"My name," came a voice that only Twilight knew.
"Fifty-seven," Twilight exclaimed. "But- but- that was a dream."
Fifty-seven rolled her eyes. "First you say my mom's not real, now you say last night was all your in head. Seriously, Princess."
"Do you two know each other," Rainbow Dash asked, confused.
Twilight nodded. "She's the one that broke my window." Everyone gasped.
"So who and what is she?"
"I'm Fifty-seven, a Hybrid in the Phoenician Army. I've come to warn Princess Twilight that tomorrow the Phoenician Army will attack Ponyville."
Applejack strutted right up next to Fifty-seven, quite boldly. "Excuse me, but what makes you think we should trust you?"
"Nothing. There's no reason you should trust me. And I can't say that there is any reason you should think that I'm half-phoenix. But don't worry. I won't kill you like the others. At least I'll try not to. Be ready. The attack starts at noon. Anyone with a cutie mark will be murdered."
"But why people with cutie marks?"
"That's something I don't understand. I'll get back to you guys once I have a better understanding of all this." And she smiled a soft grin. Then, Fifty-seven walked out, this time through the front door. "Sorry about your window, by the way."
"I knew it," Pinkie Pie shouted. "The world is going to end!"
No one knew what to think. Not Rainbow Dash, not Applejack, or Fluttershy, or Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Spike; not even Twilight. No one knew what to do. Everyone just remained silent. Tomorrow a group of what used to be unreal creatures were going to attack their town. People could die.
Applejack insisted that they not trust Fifty-seven. What kind of name is Fifty-seven anyway? And who's to say she won't play a dirty double-cross on them? Who says she's even telling the truth? It could all be a big prank.
So they all put their own thoughts aside and went about their sleepover, but a bit more calmly and seriously. Like an ominous cloud had appeared above them, and it followed them into their sleep.
By morning Pinkie Pie was the only one who didn't doubt Fifty-seven's legitimacy in the least. She said nothing about it. No one did. They all kept to themselves a majority of the morning, until Spike managed to break the ice by smashing something on his foot.
So that got the group talking and moving about for a while, then they fell into that abysmal silence once more. Fluttershy and Rarity wanted to stay with Twilight...just in case. _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ It was noon. The sun was shining brightly on the optimistically ignorant townsfolk going about their merry ways. Twilight would not leave her telescope. It could happen any minute.
The blue sky was sheathed in a blanket of fire, frightening everyone. Just as Fifty-seven had prophesied, anyone with a cutie mark was burnt by the flames of the oncoming attackers. Fluttershy and Rarity gasped, while Twilight kept looking.
Birds of majestic ferocity and creatures looking practically identical to Fifty-seven were surrounding them, as ponies dressed in gold armor charged at the city. All the victims had cutie marks. Anyone who didn't fit that category was spared their life. Why? Why the cutie mark?
Occasionally, a Hybrid or Phoenix would fall to the ground, deliberately landing on their next victim. "What do we do," Rarity exclaimed, ready to faint.
Twilight stayed still.
"Twilight! They're coming closer!"
Finally, Rarity got Twilight to do something other than just stand there in shock and disbelief. "You two need to hide. I'll see if I can fight them off with my magic." Both Fluttershy and Rarity wanted to reject her suggestion, but knew that serious look in her eye and hid under Twilight's bed.
They had a pretty good view of the fight that went on. Armored ponies came storming in, all circling around Twilight. Ready to charge, ready to kill.
"What do you want? Why are you all doing this?"
No response.
"JUST TELL ME WHY YOU'RE KILLING MY PEOPLE!"
One of them replied with a question. "Where are the rest of the people in this residence?"
"I'm the only one," Twilight lied. She then used her magic to lift one of them off the ground and onto another, then electrocuting them both. She dashed into the kitchen and grabbed the knife using the telekinetic power of her horn. "Stay back! All of you!"
Fluttershy closed her eyes and covered her ears. It's not like she would be able to see anything from where they were anyway.
Rarity didn't want to be a coward. But she also didn't want to die. She knew Twilight was dead. She felt death's icy exterior on her skin and through her hair. She heard the bloodcurdling scream of pain that came from Twilight.
Rarity started to cry. Twilight was dead. The one that united her with a group of amazing individuals, the one that saved the world countless times by her side. The princess. Fluttershy also cried but her tears were more full of rage than anything(ironically). She was mad at these Phoenixes or whatever they were, for making her cry. For making Rarity cry. For killing everyone. For killing her friend.
