//------------------------------//
// S9 E2: The Beginning of the End, Part 2 (What If?) 
// Story: My Little Pony Friendship is Magic What If?: Volume 12 
// by SuperPinkBrony12 
//------------------------------//

Things were changing and changing fast in the land of Equestria! Too fast for Twilight, who was still trying to comprehend just how it was that things had gotten so bad so fast.

It had all begun with a letter from the royal sisters urging Twilight and her friends to come to Canterlot right away. "So you did have a reason for calling us here so suddenly." Twilight had declared upon realizing what the reason for the summons was.

Princess Celestia and Princess Luna were quick to explain that they would be retiring, and that Twilight would be taking over as ruler of Equestria along with her friends. "Harmony in Equestria is changing. Soon, Luna and I will have lost our connection to that harmony. Therefore, we have no choice but to step down from the throne," Princess Celestia had told Twilight. "I feel far more confident in you, Twilight. And in your friends as well."

But the news that came soon afterward was a real shock to Twilight, something that caused her anxiety to roar back like never before! "Luna and I are thinking of announcing our retirement soon and just having a quick ceremony for the transfer of power." Celestia had declared.

With such a timeline in place, Twilight began to panic! "Despite all my accomplishments, I feel woefully unprepared for this." But she did feel better once she had time to plan and think, especially with her friends' encouragement.

Yet while all this was going on, a sinister force was recruiting several baddies that included Tirek and Chrysalis, King Sombra and the Storm King. "You may call me... Grogar," The recruiter explained, revealing himself to be an old ram like figure. "A 'Legion of Doom' isn't quite what I had in mind, but for your feeble minds it will suffice." And he soon suggested that they all work together under him in order to defeat Twilight and her friends.

Tirek had soon objected. "Even though we all share a common enemy, as soon as that enemy is gone we'd all just want Equestria for ourselves. I'm quite confident I can defeat Twilight Sparkle and her friends by myself." And Grogar decided to let him prove that claim.

So it was that Tirek targeted the Crystal Empire in order to lure out the six ponies who had defeated him before. "Not what I had in mind but it'll do." He'd said to himself.

The ponies soon arrived with the Elements of Harmony to defeat Tirek, rather easily too. "It was nice knowing you, Tirek, but play time's over!" Rainbow Dash had declared before the centaur was seemingly banished back to Tartarus.

However, it was actually an illusion of Tirek. And the centaur took full advantage of it to set out for Ponyville and target the Tree of Harmony.

The Tree of Harmony, perhaps sensing this, had called upon Sandbar and his friends. "I need your help!" She had pleaded to them. "You are my only hope, my friends."

And Gallus, suspecting nothing, had told the Tree of Harmony's projection that had spoken to them. "We're ready to help however we can, Tree of Harmony!" But the six soon realized that their initial plan wasn't going to work, and before they could settle upon another plan they were set upon by Tirek.

"Were you looking for trouble, kiddies? Because you just found it, big time!" Tirek had declared.

Soon afterward, Twilight and her friends discovered too late what had happened in their absence! The Tree of Harmony had been destroyed and the Elements of Harmony thus rendered useless, they even shattered into pieces as Tirek seemed to hold something in his left paw.

It didn't seem like things could possibly be worse than they were now and things looked especially bleak. Sandbar and his friends were missing, the Tree of Harmony and the Elements of Harmony were no more and it looked for sure as if Tirek had won.

Was there no way for the centaur's revenge to be stopped? Was Equestria finally about to fall? Or was it possible that this too would not be the end despite the way it looked?



"Oh, I'm so glad I decided to come back," Tirek gloated as he gazed down at the ponies. "Honestly, I'm surprised at how easy it is."

Twilight was too busy trying to reassemble the broken pieces of the Elements of Harmony to pay any attention to what Tirek was saying. How had it all gone so wrong so fast?

Meanwhile, Applejack took notice of the strange object Tirek had in his left paw. A thought struck her. "Wait a minute! I'll bet it was you who's responsible for some of our students bein' missin!"

The centaur blinked, eyeing the object briefly. "Oh, so that's who they were. They were your students, huh?" But he remarked in an unsympathetic tone. "Well perhaps you should've taught them not to stick their noses where they don't belong. It's their own fault for trying to be heroes."

"Hey! You leave our students alone! They didn't do anything to you to deserve this!" Rainbow Dash roared as she flew up and tried to give Tirek a good smack on the nose.

Tirek effortlessly swatted the pegasus down and knocked her back. "Sorry, but they're going to remain my prisoners. I have them trapped in a place where they can do no harm to me or anyone else: A little something I like to call 'The Phantom Zone'. It's a little trick I picked up during my time in Tartarus."

"Well, when we get through with you you're going to wish you were back in Tartarus!" Rarity hissed in defiance! "We defeated you once and we'll do it again."

Tirek was anything but intimidated by the speech. He only rolled his eyes. "Spare me your heroic speeches. I've destroyed the source of your power and broken the spirit of your leader. You're in no position to fight back against me," He then stepped forward, charging up a magical fireball between his horns. "But I very well can't leave you like this. I know you six have an annoying tendency to... survive. This time, your demises will be swift."

"Twilight, come on!" Rainbow Dash shouted in encouragement and anxiety! "We need a plan here! Do something, quick!"

However, the young alicorn could only look down at the ground in dismay as the tears started flowing from her eyes. "It's no use. We have nothing left to fight with. We're finished."

Fluttershy swallowed hard. "It... can't end like this."

"Oh, but it can. And it will," Tirek grinned. "Hope you've said your prayers, because this is farewell!" And he hurled the massive fireball directly towards the six ponies, intending to incinerate them completely!





Gallus was the first among his friends to come to his senses. He couldn't really remember what had happened. All he knew is that one moment he and his friends had been standing by the Tree of Harmony, and the next they'd ended up in... wherever this place was. The griffon's moderate blue eyes looked all around. He could see nothing but darkness, aside from a very small window like structure that displayed something else. It looked like Ponyville, albeit from much higher up in altitude than normal.

But more importantly, as Gallus looked about he spotted his friends not too far from where he was currently! He immediately rushed over to them, relieved to find that they were slowly becoming conscious as well. "Guys! Oh, I'm so glad you're okay!" He declared, perhaps a bit too enthusiastically as he tried to play it off. "I mean, I knew you guys would be okay really. But I do feel a bit better now that you're all here."

"Where exactly is 'here'?" Smolder questioned as she stood up. "And for the record, how did we even get 'here'? Is this some kind of dream or something?"

Silverstream just nervously pondered. "If it is, why are we all having the same dream now? I don't remember going to sleep or anything."

"What about Tree of Harmony?" Yona wondered. "If we not protecting it, how tree defend itself?"

Ocellus let out a gasp as a realization settled in! "Oh no, the Tree of Harmony! It must've been destroyed or something, that's how we got here! We failed to protect it."

"No, that can't be! We were standing right in front of it!" Smolder protested! "Something else must've happened to send us here. I'll bet it was that... whatever it was."

Gallus just complained. "All I care about is getting out of this place. It's so drab and so compact, it doesn't feel like there's much room to do anything in here." He brought his claws up over his head to demonstrate.

Yona quickly declared. "Yona smash way out for her and her friends! No place built yet that can hold yak!" And she brought her hooves down, preparing to charge!

However, as all of this was going on, Sandbar had just been silently strolling over to the window like fixature. He'd found himself inexplicably drawn to it almost from the moment he'd woken up, though the earth pony colt didn't know why or for what reason. As he got closer, his eyes became drawn to what he could see on the other side. It was almost like an outlet or a monitor, a continuous loop of what was going on outside. "Hey, I think... I think that's Equestria!" He called, before suddenly something flashed before him that filled him with dread! "The Tree of Harmony! It's... it's gone! It's been completely destroyed!"

"WHAT?!" All of Sandbar's friends gasped at the same time and rushed over to the window like fixature, shoving past Sandbar in the process and knocking him down. Sure enough, their eyes all beheld the same terrible sight: The charred stump where the Tree of Harmony had once proudly stood, and in front of it were the broken crystal shards of what had almost certainly been the Elements of Harmony.

Silverstream then exclaimed as she noticed something! "Are those our professors?!"

"I think it is," Ocellus commented upon noticing six very familiar mares. "And Headmare Twilight there's too! They must've come to rescue us and save the Tree of Harmony," Then her heart sank as the changeling realized. "We should've been able to do that, but we failed."

Smolder, meanwhile, was just commenting. "Well, why are they all just standing there?! It looks like something bad's about to happen to them! Do they not care?!"

By now a horrified Sandbar rushed over to get a glimpse of the action, watching along with his friends as a looming shadow was appearing over the mares. It had to have been the same shadow cast by whoever had imprisoned Sandbar and his friends in this strange place. "PROFESSORS!" He screamed at the top of his lungs while he watched in helplessness!





Tirek watched with delight as his fireball rocketed towards the six mares whom he despised so much. It wouldn't be long before they would no longer be a threat to him at all.

But just as the fireball was about to make contact with its intended "victims", there came a sudden gust of wind and an almost blinding flash! It seemed to Tirek as if something or someone was blocking the fireball, preventing it from reaching its target! In fact, the more he squinted the more the centaur was certain he could make out the outline of another Twilight. But this one was glowing and sparkling even while it seemed to be fading in and out of existence. 

This "other Twilight" appeared to be shielding the normal Twilight and the others with her body. She spoke not a word even as she appeared to be in a lot of pain. And slowly, as the fireball began to fizzle out into nothing, the sparkling alicorn disappeared after flashing a wink. "Goodbye." Was all she said before she faded out into a series of sparkles that were carried on the wind.

If the powerful centaur was at all displeased or frustrated by what he'd just witnessed, he didn't show it outwardly. He simply flexed his muscles and starting cracking his knuckles. "Well, well, well. It seems you ponies still have a trick or two up your sleeve," He coldly remarked. "No matter. I'll let you go, for now. It's not like you'll be coming after me anytime soon. Besides, there are still two other ponies I need to get my revenge on. Once I'm done with them I'll be back for the six of you." And he slowly stomped away, his massive hoofsteps shaking the ground not unlike thunder.

"Just what was that just now?" Fluttershy questioned as soon as Tirek was out of sight. "Twilight, did you do that?"

A still depressed Twilight only glumly looked at the ground and shook her head. "No, that was the other me. The one Ocellus told me about. Apparently, the Tree of Harmony used my likeness for a physical form. A form it sacrificed to protect us."

Pinkie Pie blinked while slowly commenting. "Whoa. I didn't know the tree could do that. I guess we owe it one, somehow."

At that, all eyes fell upon the pink party pony as she looked around. "What? Did I say something wrong?"

"No, Pinkie," Rainbow replied while explaining to her prankster partner. "It's just... you're always the one to look on the bright side. You're literally the embodiment of laughter. Normally, at times like this you're the first to try and say something funny to raise our spirits."

Pinkie only let out a long sigh. "I'm sorry, Nothing about this is funny to me. We have to do something, but what that is I don't know."

Rainbow just fidgeted while complaining. "Well we can't do nothing! I hate feeling useless! After all we've been through, this can't be how our stories end! Our students are counting on us to save them for crying out loud!"

Twilight could only reply in somber fashion. "How can we? Going after Tirek now would be pointless. The only outcome will be our own deaths," And she lamented. "I knew I wasn't ready to take over Equestria yet, but I wasn't expecting to be this bad at actually defending it. Bad at actually coming through for those who needed me."

"Twilight..." Fluttershy began.

The young alicorn just stood up. "We at least should go back to the School of Friendship and let Starlight know what's happened. Don't know how she'll break the news to everyone about six of our students being kidnapped. Prince Rutherford and Queen Novo will hate me for the rest of my life, and I won't blame them."





In the mysterious pocket dimension, Sandbar and the others had witnessed the Tree of Harmony give up its physical form in order to defend their professors. And though they couldn't see Tirek they'd still heard what he'd said.

Now a sense of urgency was starting to creep in among the creatures! Though they didn't know just how their current state of imprisonment worked, they were quite determined to find a way out!

"Harmony Twilight," Ocellus whispered in a somber tone. "We'll find a way to finish what you started. You gave everything to protect the harmony of this land. We won't let it be for nothing!"

Sandbar, meanwhile, was remarking. "Headmare Twilight's really beating herself up. If only there was a way to let her know we're okay. She needs to keep fighting, I just know she'll be a great ruler! She's the best headmare we've ever had, she's never let anything stop her before!"

"Yeah, but she's out there and we're in here!" Gallus pointed out. "So let's focus on escaping from... whatever this place is first. Then we can worry about Headmare Twilight and the others. Maybe they'll even let us fight alongside them again. Fighting's definitely something I'm good at!"

But just then a rather exhausted Yona stumbled over while panting! "Yona not be able to smash through! Something keep yak from getting out."

"Must be some kind of magic," Sandbar concluded. "Maybe if we knew what this Tirek guy was like, we could try to copy his magic."

"Hang on, I think I remember reading something about him in Headmare Twilight's class once," Ocellus declared as she shut her eyes. "I think I can... yes, I should be able to transform into him!"

Silverstream eagerly encouraged! "Do it, Ocellus! Get us out of here before we all go crazy!" And the hippogriff then insisted. "Never thought anything could be worse than hiding from the Storm King."

In the blink of an eye, Ocellus transformed into a dark red colored centaur with long black horns. "Okay, now what?" She asked, her voice still sounding like normal and not like what they knew Tirek sounded like, a clear sign of how unsure she was.

"See if you can't channel some of that magic of his into that hole over there!" Gallus gestured a claw to the small display nearby. "Even if only you can get out, at least it's better than nothing. You can tell Headmare Twilight we're fine, and you can help her figure out a way to free the rest of us."

Ocellus clumsily strolled over to the window like fixature. "Better stand back!" She warned her friends. "I've never tried this before, I have no idea what could happen!" And the horns on her disguise began to glow rather ominously, crackling and sparkling with flashes of dark red and orange.

No one spoke a word, but in his mind Gallus was silently pleading. "Let this work, please!"





Starlight Glimmer was initially quite pleased to see Twilight and the rest of her friends show up at the School of Friendship's front door. She eagerly ran out to greet them, unaware of what had transpired in the Everfree Forest. "You're back! Oh, I'm so relieved!" She declared! "So, where are Sandbar and his friends? Did you find them?"

However, upon seeing the glum looking face on Twilight and the matching somber expressions on the others, Starlight realized that something horrible must've occurred. "Oh no! Don't tell me something bad happened to them!" She exclaimed with concern and had to resist the urge to hyperventilate.

Surprisingly, Twilight found the words to speak up rather easily. But it didn't mean it didn't pain her to say them out loud. "They were captured by Tirek, who destroyed the Tree of Harmony."

"And the elements?" Starlight inquired though she needn't have asked.

Applejack took off her stetson and draped it over her chest. "They're gone, destroyed. Without the tree the elements have no power. And before you ask, we don't have a clue how to make use of that 'Rainbow Power' from last time."

The unicorn mare with a grayish-purple coat felt her mouth drop open in shock and dismay! "No! It.. it's not true! Please, tell me it's not true!"

"I'm afraid it is," Rarity somberly declared. "We all saw it happen with our own two eyes. It looks like Tirek outsmarted us."

Rainbow groaned in annoyance! "We should've listened to Twilight earlier when she suspected something was wrong! She was the only one who found it weird how easily we defeated Tirek in the Crystal Empire. Of course it was a trap! How did we not see it before?!"

"Hey, you didn't know," Starlight tried to reassure her friends. "And important ponies were in danger. You had to do something."

"I shouldn't have been so quick to rush into things. But I was so focused on proving I could be a ruler as good as Celestia and Luna," Twilight glumly remarked. "And because of that I failed. I failed to protect my students. I failed to protect the Tree of Harmony. I failed to keep Equestria safe. I failed in my mission as a princess. How could I ever justify becoming ruler of all of Equestria now?"

Pinkie Pie tried to plead in protest. "Twilight, don't say such things! It's not over yet! We'll... we'll think of something! This is usually the point where one of us gets an idea."

The young alicorn could only look towards the ground, staring deep into her own reflection as it was reflected in the pool of water either side of the school. "This isn't like the other situations. There's no one coming to the rescue this time: Not the princesses, not some powerful but forgotten faces and certainly not the pillars or our students," She shed a lone tear. "This time, I'm the only one to blame. I didn't even have good intentions. Maybe if I hadn't been panicking and 'Twilighting' so much I could've thought more clearly."

And at that, Starlight used her magic to pull Twilight's chin up and lock eyes with her former mentor. "You know, Twilight. You're starting to remind me an awful lot of myself when I was starting out as your student," She spoke at length. "I was convinced I could never be a good leader after what I'd done. And I wasn't sure if I would ever understand friendship. Almost every day it felt like I blamed myself even when things weren't my fault. I had to learn the hard way that sometimes we can be our own worst critics."

"I appreciate what you're trying to do for me, Starlight," Twilight replied. "But it doesn't change the fact that I've let everyone down. Because of my mistakes, innocent creatures suffered. And now, Equestria is doomed."

Starlight refused to accept such a response. "Twilight, you've never given up no matter how bad things have looked before! You never gave up against anything else, not even when your failures put Equestria in danger or when you seemed to be the only one who cared about something," And with a fiery determination she had never known before she demanded. "You never gave up on me, you never gave up on your school, so I don't want to see you even think about giving up now! Forget about 'what might have been', we both know from experience what happens when you try to change the past."

Then Spike, who had been silent up to this point, spoke up too. "Big sis is right. You've inspired so many others to never give up and made those six students believe that they could change their lands for the better. I'll bet that's why Princess Celestia and Princess Luna wanted you to take over for them. Because time and time again you've proven to be a worthy leader in your own right. So stop feeling sorry for yourself! You've got countless creatures depending on you, counting on you to save the day! And the only way you'll disappoint them is if you give up."





As the words from Spike and Starlight slowly sank in, Twilight's outlook seemed to brighten ever so slightly. She wasn't smiling, her posture still looked unsure. But the way she was looking and listening, it seemed as if a spark was taking hold inside.

Just then, a voice called out from the blue. "...Twilight?! Headmare Twilight?!"

Twilight gasped as she looked around! "That voice!" She realized at once! "Ocellus! Where are you?!"

"I... I don't know," Ocellus' voice replied. "But I'm okay, all of us are okay. We're trying to figure a way out of here now."

"Ocellus," Twilight whimpered. "Please forgive me. You and your friends wouldn't even be trapped in... wherever it is you are if not for me. I couldn't protect you when you needed it most."

Ocellus' voice only answered. "It's okay, none of us blame you. We're all here, we're all trying to escape. And we're all rooting for you!"

"Yeah!" The voice of Sandbar spoke up in encouragement. "So what are you waiting for?! Go kick that nasty Tirek's butt!"

Smolder's voice added. "You'd better not let him win, 'cause if you do we're never gonna forgive you."

The voices than began to fade away as Ocellus called. "Headmare Twilight, I can't maintain this connection for long. You must hurry! Tirek's probably halfway to Canterlot by now. Don't let him get away with he's done. You can beat him, I know you can! We know you can!" And just like that, the voices were gone.

Pinkie couldn't help but grin as she bounced over to Twilight and told her alicorn friend. "Sounds to me like our students aren't ready to give up on you, Twilight. We still have a chance. And I'll bet we can free them if we take down Tirek."

"Okay, but how? We don't have anything now that the Elements of Harmony are gone," Twilight commented, before a realization struck her! "And if the Tree of Harmony is gone, then what's holding back the Everfree Forest?!"

A look of horror flashed in the mares (and the dragon's) eyes as Fluttershy exclaimed! "Oh my, I hadn't thought of it until now! But you're right, Twilight!"

Rainbow then declared. "Well, I guess we'll have to do some extreme gardening then. We'll have to let the princesses take care of Tirek, or at least hold him off."

Rarity nodded. "It will do us little good to defeat Tirek and let the Everfree Forest expand unchecked again."





Yet as the six mares alongside Spike rushed to grab some gardening supplies in preparation for the inevitable return of the plunder vines, they were surprised to spot six very familiar looking ponies already there. And they were already using their own magical abilities to repel any such vines that came near. And a scrawny looking unicorn stallion with nothing but a dull brown cloak was there too.

One of these ponies, a very familiar stallion with a long, flowing beard turned with the bells on his hat jingling. And he smiled upon seeing Twilight. "Princess Twilight, splendid to see you again."

"Wish I could say the same, Starswirl," Twilight replied while apologizing. "I'm so sorry this all had to happen. The Tree of Harmony..."

Starswirl just nodded his head. "Yes, Twilight. I know. I felt it the moment it happened. Like a part of my being just ceased to exist," Then he grinned. "But the tree was not always around. Do not forgot who it was that planted the seed that grew the tree, and thus the elements."

Mistmane then declared (after using her magic to stop several large, black plunder vines). "We had to work even harder than we are now to tame the Everfree Forest enough to plant our seed all those years ago."

Rockhoof, pausing from using his shovel to whack some fast approaching thorns and drive them back, nodded. "'Tis good exercise, laddies! We held the forest at bay before and we shall do it again."

Somnambula was quick to reassure the mares. "Do not worry. It may take time, but we shall drive back this infestation and plant a new seed for a new tree."

"You girls are needed elsewhere," Flash Magnus firmly declared while looking up from his signature shield. "Even with all my training, the royal guards won't stand a chance against Tirek. And there's no telling how much destruction he'll cause even if Princess Celestia and Princess Luna can stop him."

Mage Meadowbrook encouraged the mares. "So get Mr. Tall, Dark and Ugly. We can manage here."

"But without the elements..." Twilight began again.

Starswirl only replied. "-The elements don't contain any real power. The power has always been inside of you. Why else do you think it was so easy for the elements to pass from one set of bearers to the next."

It was at that moment that Twilight felt the spark inside of her ignite! A new sense of determination filled her as her wings unfolded. "Thank you, Starswirl. You haven't lost your touch when it comes to teaching."

"You've become a fine teacher yourself, Twilight. And you always will be so long as you never lose sight of that can do attitude," The old wizard reassure the alicorn. "Now you'd best be going! The longer you wait the closer Tirek will draw to Canterlot."

Twilight nodded and motioned to her friends! "Come on, girls! We've got a no good centaur to catch! And I think it's time he learns what happens when you mess with our students."

Applejack cheered in delight and let out a big old "Yeehaw!". "Alright, Twilight! Glad to have you back! Tirek's gonna be in for a real big surprise when he sees you now!" And then all headed to the train station, determined to get to Canterlot as soon as they possibly could!





Tirek had no way to know of any of the developments occurring back in Ponyville as he marched towards Canterlot. All he could think about was how he would finally pay Princess Celestia and Princess Luna back for having sent him to Tartarus over a thousand years ago. He was even thinking to himself about the best way to carry out his revenge. "How shall I do it?" He asked himself. "Should I target them at the same time or pick them off separately?" Then he grinned. "Oh, Grogar's going to regret letting me roam free. That old goat was a fool to think his 'Legion of Doom' was a good idea."

The centaur wasn't even worried as he approached the outskirts of Equestria's capital city, quickly seeing the royal guard spring into action to try to stop him. He swatted away the ones foolish enough to attack him like flies, even yawning while doing so. "I was told Equestria had stepped up its defenses," He commented to himself despite knowing none of the guards could reply. "Honestly, you have only yourselves to blame for getting invaded and defeated all the time."

Yet just as the powerful centaur was poised to march right through Canterlot unopposed and attack the royal castle, he was unexpectedly hit from behind by a stronger than it should've been blast of alicorn magic! He spun around, his yellow eyes locking onto six ponies he hadn't expected to see again so soon. Still, he was far from concerned. "You girls again? I thought you'd be busy picking up the pieces and letting your inevitable end settle in, especially since I heard Ponyville had a bit of a problem with a forest."

"The Everfree Forest is under control now, thanks to some of our friends," Twilight explained. "And you have something that belongs to us, Tirek. Release our students, now! Or we'll make you free them the hard way!"

Tirek threw back his head and laughed! "And what if I don't feel like it, huh? Just what do you think you can do against me? Are you really so eager to die?"

Rainbow just taunted while flying up towards Tirek. "All that power has gone to your head! But you won't trick us again!"

Twilight then insisted as she made her horn spark. "There's no need for Princess Celestia and Princess Luna to get involved, Tirek! It's us you're after. You want us so badly, well here we are!"

The centaur could only shake his head. "I see you've learned nothing from our earlier encounter. You won't be so lucky a second time," He began to charge up magic between his horns with which to unleash another fireball. "Still, if this is really how you want to make your final stand, so be it."





Yet before Tirek had a chance to strike or do much of anything, he suddenly felt something sticky and sweet tasting rain down all over him. Curiously, he scooped up some of the dark purple liquid as it fell to the ground and tasted it. "Hmm, raspberry." He remarked while wondering where it had come from.

The mystery was solved but a few seconds later when a very familiar draconequus appeared. "You forgot about me, didn't you, Tirek?" And he waved a paw in front of the centaur. "For shame, for shame."

"Discord!" Fluttershy cheered in delight! She'd never been more happy to see him than at this moment! "Oh, why didn't we think of you before?!"

"Well, you girls seemed pretty busy," Discord replied in an unconcerned tone. "But now it seems you're in quite a jam. Or I guess maybe you'd prefer a pickle?" He produced a pickle out of thin air, dipping it into a jar of raspberry flavored jam just like what he'd made rain down on Tirek.

Twilight blinked in surprise. "I thought you said you didn't want to face him, Discord."

"That was then and this is now," The spirit answered. "You girls didn't need my help the, but you certainly do now," Then he questioned. "I mean, you do want my help, right? I wouldn't want to intrude if you'd rather defeat him yourselves."

"Any help you can give would be appreciated, Discord," Twilight told the spirit. "And try not to rub it in too much. Remember, we need to figure out a way to make him release our students."

The draconequus just replied in an unconcerned tone of voice. "So it's to little old me to save the day again, is it? Well I guess this makes up for how I was supposed to do it last time he was around," He snapped his talons, producing a small boxing ring. "Okay, Tirek. You ready to rumble?"

Tirek only growled as the jam around him disappeared! "Your cheap tricks won't save you, Discord! If there's any creature I despise more than these ponies, it's you!" He rushed forward, intending to attack Discord head on. But found that the draconequus was quick to teleport behind him.

"You know something, Tirek," Discord taunted as he grabbed the centaur by the horns and spun him around. "I think I've finally figured out what makes you tick." He proceeded to poof up a giant sized version of a couch that looked surprisingly similar to Rarity's fainting couch, and himself donned a white doctor's jacket and a hat with a small metal circle on the top.

The centaur soon found himself tied up in a straight jacket, struggling to break free of it while he lay upon the huge couch! "Don't try to play therapist with me! You know nothing about me, Discord!"

Discord simply shed his doctor's disguise while declaring in a mocking tone. "Oh dear, the patient is clearly delusional," Then he laughed long and hard. "Honestly, I don't even need a degree to figure you out. And I've got more degrees than a thermometer." He proceeded to make several fake degrees rain down around him, burying his opponent in paper.

Tirek burned up the fake degrees with relative ease. "Stop talking to me like you know me!" He hissed, attempting to hit Discord with a fire ball only for it to turn out to be a mirror that shattered into pieces.

"And stop trying to avoid the issue," Discord taunted again with a knowing wink. "You're just a washed up centaur who's trying so hard to prove himself because his daddy never loved him," He proceeded to pull out a box of handkerchiefs. "Oh, it's just so sad," After blowing his nose he added. "And pathetic."

All Tirek could do in reply was let out a roar, steam billowing from his nostrils! "Stop it! Don't you dare mock me!"

Yet all Discord did was yawn. "Honestly, Tirek. Mocking you is just a nice bonus. I haven't even broken a sweat here," And he looked back to the ponies. "I am a bit disappointed that it's up to me to save the day again. But in a way, I guess you could say this is yet another sign of how much of a good leader Twilight is. After all, delegating authority out to others is a hallmark of great leadership, is it not?"

But it was then that the crafty centaur got himself an idea. A rather awful idea at that. "I know your weak spot, Discord. You made a huge mistake the first time we met, and now I'm going to remind you of it." He soon settled his gaze on Fluttershy, shooting off a powerful blast of his magic that was aimed directly at her!

Without even thinking, Discord jumped in front of the blast and took it head on! When the dust settled a moment later, the draconequus was still standing but his entire body was singed all over. "That... didn't... hurt..." He coughed in a raspy tone of voice before his legs gave out and he collapsed.

Fluttershy immediately rushed to her fallen friend's side in dismay!





Instinctively, Twilight threw up a barrier while she growled at Tirek! "That was a cheap shot and you know it! Taking advantage of Discord's care for his friends like that! Have you no shame?"

Tirek only laughed and scoffed. "You call it cheap but I call it predictable. I knew Discord would jump in to save Fluttershy, he cares about her too much," And he flashed a toothy grin. "That shows you what happens when you get attached to anyone else. You become careless."

Meanwhile, Fluttershy was desperately pleading with Discord! "Please get up! You have to get up, Discord!"

Discord coughed as he tried weakly to stand only for his legs to again give out. "I... I can't," He replied. "Tirek is right, I was careless. I could've whisked you out of harm's way without endangering myself," What sounded like a laugh escaped his throat. "Look at me, the spirit of chaos and disharmony, risking his life to protect harmony. I've gone soft."

Despite straining to hold up the barrier keeping Tirek at bay, Twilight trotted over to Discord all as her other friends gathered at the spirit's side. "Tirek may call it 'soft' but I call it 'brave'. It shows you care."

Tirek impatiently pounded on the barrier. "Stop your squawking and face me already, ponies! We both know Discord's just faking it, he's nowhere close to dying or anything."

However, Discord groaned in reply. "Maybe not... but I can't... do anything," He tried to snap his talons only for nothing to happen. "Not good," He weakly moaned. "That blast took more out of me than I thought. It looks like you girls are on your own now."

"Your sacrifice won't be for nothing, Discord," Twilight firmly nodded. "I promise."

The spirit flashed a weak smile as he slowly rolled onto his side to get a better look at the young alicorn. "You've come a long way from the unicorn who tried to outsmart my mind games. I see now why Princess Celestia always thinks so highly of you," Looking around to her friends he added. "No matter what, you've always lived up to your elements. Rarity has always been generous, Applejack's always been honest and, well, you get the idea."

At that moment, Tirek finally smashed through the barrier and began charging up magic between his horns again! "I've grown tired of waiting! This ends here!" He told the ponies.

Twilight then boldly trotted forward, her horn flowing with magic like never before. "You're right, Tirek. This is the end, the end for you!" And just as she finished speaking, she and her friends were encased in magical bubbles as their manes and tails expanded and their entire bodies took on rainbow colored hues.

"Ah yeah!" Rainbow Dash cheered in delight! "Rainbow Power is back, baby!"

Pinkie Pie then giggled. "And you know what that means, Tirek."

Tirek stepped back in dismay and disbelief as he saw the six mares in their powered up state! "This isn't fair! I destroyed the source of your powers! You don't even have the Tree of Harmony anymore!"

Twilight only shook her head in a dismissive fashion as she and her friends began to join hooves. "Oh Tirek, all this time and you still haven't figured it out. Harmony comes from within, just like friendship. You can destroy a tree but you can never destroy true friendship. Harmony is not so easily broken."

Rainbow began to smirk. "And it's funny. We keep telling bad guys like you the same thing."

And Applejack added. "But y'all just never seem to remember, do ya?"

The six mares chanted together! "Friendship is magic!" And then they all added. "For our friends! For our families! For our homes! For Equestria!"

"Oh," Tirek sighed and groaned, sensing the inevitable as he kicked at the ground. "Well, let's get this over with. Go ahead, send me back to Tartarus again. I've learned my lesson. I'm not going to be busting out again. I'll stay there and rot for the rest of my days like a good little prisoner."

However, Twilight's eyes began to glow and take on an echoy tone. "No, Tirek. There is a fate worse than Tartarus and you have earned it. Your crimes against harmony are far too great."

A look of horror flashed in Tirek's eyes and for the first time in a really long time, he began to really worry! "What?! W-wait!" He began to plead in protest! "Don't do this! You... you need me!" Recalling how he'd earned his new lease on life he started to insist. "There's a worse threat out there! I beg of you! Spare me, and... and we can be a team! Yeah, that's it. We can work together, we'll take down this bigger evil! I can change!"

However, Tirek's plea was not acknowledged as he was soon enveloped by a powerful rainbow light! He didn't even have time to scream, and neither did he feel like it. He just acknowledged his fate. He had no reason to expect Grogar to bring him back now, not after he'd just tried to rat the old goat out to save his own hide.





Almost as soon as the six mares had powered down from their "Rainbow Power" state, they were greeted by the familiar sight of both Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. And Spike was there too.

"Alright, girls!" Spike cheered as he flew over and hugged them all, but especially hugged Twilight! "I wanted to join the fight too, but Starlight needed my help in Ponyville. Oh, I hope I didn't miss too much."

Twilight smiled. "You were more of a help to me than you may have realized, Spike. You and Starlight helped me to realize that feeling sorry for myself wouldn't fix anything."

Princess Celestia nodded. "Spoken like a true leader, Twilight. Once again, you've made me very proud of you."

Princess Luna just declared with a grin. "We could've easily handled Tirek ourselves if we had to."

Celestia just reassured her sister. "There will be other opportunities, Luna. This was not a contest."

Luna reluctantly agreed despite a faint pout. "Oh, fair enough. Still, it feels like such a shame to have to sit out when Canterlot was in danger," And she looked across to her older sister. "We really should look into beefing up security. Canterlot can't keep getting invaded all the time like this."

The sun princess firmly nodded in agreement. "We'll have to look into that. Although, that may not necessarily be our decision to make."

Just then, a very familiar and energetic voice called out! "Headmare Twilight! Professors!" And soon, who should come rushing up but Yona herself?! And it wasn't just Yona who appeared from afar, it was also Gallus, Ocellus, Smolder, Silverstream and Sandbar. All were unharmed.

Twilight quickly stopped Yona before initiating a hug of her own (one that would be far less crushing). "I've never been so happy to see you six again." She smiled.

"And there's not a scratch on you either," Rarity commented in observation. "Just how did you ever manage to escape from Tirek's 'Phantom Zone' as he called it?"

"Oh, is that what it was?" Smolder blinked in confusion. "We didn't know it had a name," And she then explained. "It was the strangest thing, really. One moment we were all pushing and shoving on this window like thing that let us see the outside world, and the next thing we knew this entire pocket dimension started shattering."

Silverstream excitedly chirped while flying about! "We saw the whole thing with our own eyes though! You guys were amazing! You were all like 'Whoosh!' and Tirek was all like 'Nooo!'! Oh, it was the most amazing thing I've ever seen!" She then sighed as an unhappy realization settled in. "I can't believe we're not gonna be seeing you guys around after summer vacation."

"Well actually," Princess Celestia spoke up. "Luna and I have been doing some thinking. We've been thinking ever since we made the decision to step down as rulers."

Princess Luna continued. "We didn't get the benefit of deciding when we were ready to take over ruling Equestria. It wouldn't be fair to Twilight or to any of her friends to just take over so suddenly."

Twilight blinked as the news slowly settled in. "Are you saying what I think you're saying? Please tell me you are, please tell me you are!"

Both elder alicorns nodded in confirmation as the sun princess then declared. "Although harmony is changing, that's no excuse to just dump all our responsibilities onto the next generation. What Equestria needs most is an efficient transition of power. So Luna and I will not be stepping down from the throne, at least not for another a year or so."

And the moon princess added. "We will be spending this time training our successors, that way they'll be ready when the time comes for them to take the throne."

To the sudden and unexpected surprise of everyone present, Discord jumped up and loudly proclaimed! "Oh, come on! Are you for real?! And after I gave that incredibly rousing speech too!"

"You were faking your injuries this whole time?!" Rainbow realized.

Discord nodded, snapping his talons as he returned fully to normal. "What? You didn't really think Tirek could hurt me that easily, did you?" And he explained. "But if I'd saved the day and defeated Tirek, well, how else would Twilight ever gain the confidence she needed to be a leader? And now you tell me she's not even taking over anytime soon?" He snorted. "Honestly, Princess Celestia. You should be leaving the jokes to me." Then he snapped his talons again and disappeared.

"Well that's gratitude for ya," Applejack shook her head. "Even after all we've been through he still has to pull stunts like that. I know he's supposed to be chaotic, but maybe he could try not to be so chaotic we can't trust him."

"I heard that!" The spirit called from afar.





Unbeknownst to all, the entire ordeal with Tirek had been observed miles and miles away in the unoccupied swamp land. Chrysalis, Sombra and the Storm King could hardly believe their eyes when they saw Tirek's defeat and subsequent destruction play out on Grogar's crystal ball!

"He's... he's gone!" Chrysalis gasped in disbelief! "I don't believe it! He's really gone! He actually died!"

King Sombra only shuddered. "That's not a fate I would wish even on my worst enemies."

The Storm King remained suspiciously silent as he observed the whole thing.

Chrysalis then immediately pleaded with Grogar! "What are you waiting for?! Bring him back already! You said you would!"

But to the surprise of all Grogar coldly answered. "No, I won't."

Chrysalis and Sombra both exclaimed at the same time! "What?!"

The old ram firmly defended his position as he turned off the display. "You heard me. Tirek gambled and lost. I have little tolerance for failures, especially those who think they can double cross me," He then told the three. "At least, however, his untimely end will serve as a warning to the rest of you. A warning about what will happen to those who think they can survive without me. It's your choice though, you can still strike out for yourselves if you want. But if you do you'll get no further help from me. So, do any of you wish to try your luck?"

Immediately, Chrysalis nervously protested. "Nope!"

And King Sombra was quick to insist. "I'm good!"

Then the Storm King spoke up. "Same here. I ain't about to cross paths with those ponies. Without my staff and my army, I've got nothing."

Grogar smiled. "Excellent. The three of you will be more than enough to start my plans," He stood up and boasted. "We shall work together to bring Equestria to its knees! The age of harmony will soon come to an end!" And he began to laugh, soon joined in by the members of his "legion".

The stage was thus set for what was to become the final showdown, the greatest struggle between the forces of good and evil. And no one in Equestria yet knew of the threat that was lurking beneath the surface, waiting for the chance to strike!