It was destined to happen sometime. The shadows were the first to go. In the beginning, almost nopony noticed. It’s surprisingly easy not to notice something like that, believe it or not. But still, the days went on, and that’s when the symptoms began to advance. On the third day without shadows, all of the mirrors in Ponyville just stopped working. Just like that. Right as the sun went down.

They always thought they’d be ready for it. They were pretty much used to it by then, the six strongest ones. But the air was cold on that third night. Twilight felt true dread slowly suckle at her bones as she watched the darkening sky from the library balcony. The others chatted indoors. The Princesses had been missing for almost two days. Almost a hundred letters, unanswered. Twilight kept sending them anyway.

To know the shape of the end without understanding
Black geometrical shapes descending
Enshrined in halos
Silhouetted
Silhouetted against the blue black sky
No stars tonight
No stars tonight

THEN IN A SINGLE MOMENT OF SCATTERED VIOLENCE THAT BURNED THE VERY AIR AS IT ERUPTED, THE MULTITUDES OF ILLUMINATED BLACK OBJECTS DROPPED FROM THE SKIES, CRASHING BRUTALLY AGAINST THE EARTH. IN SECONDS ALL THAT REMAINED OF PONYVILLE WAS THE LIBRARY – NOW SURROUNDED BY SCORCHED BLACK RUINED EARTH FOR MILES.

In Twilight’s mind she could only see a carefully posed question
“What do you protect now?”

All the other ponies poured out onto the balcony
Not one amongst them can give voice to their misery

The six ponies waited in the darkness on the balcony. They stared out into the blackness, into the perfectly still night. Waiting to be crushed like the rest of Ponyville. But nothing came. The shapes were gone. It appeared that they’d been left. Unharmed. Un-confronted. Just them, the six of them. Alone.