//------------------------------// // Day 19 // Story: Crashing Equestria // by Zytharros //------------------------------// Day 19 The next day was filled with a lot of walking, tears, and thinking. We were still shocked that the bearers of the Elements of Harmony, which Equestria now so desperately needed, were now considered exiles. Pinkie Pie’s mane and tail were drooping. She had expected to hold a party, her first since Canterlot’s collapse a fortnight earlier, but now not only was she unable to, she had to leave without getting a final smile from all her friends. The deflated party princess pouted despondently. She’d even forgotten her beloved party cannon! Fluttershy and Rarity were weeping for their lost homeland, dabbing eyes with cloths. They were already missing their friends and their spa outings. Twilight, Applejack and I were walking side-by-side, silently. A look of absolute shame had silenced the lowed workhorse, and nothing we did got her to speak. She was being even quieter than Fluttershy. Spike had been left behind in Ponyville at Celestia’s request when she had sent us off. Rainbow Dash was fluttering above us, angrily thinking to herself. She suddenly exploded with speed down to my level. “What was your role for coming here?” she demanded. “Were you supposed to protect us?” I froze. I was in no mood for her accusations. She snorted. “You were supposed to come here and help us with fighting off Tangerine Hopes, but you got us banished!” “Rainbow…” Rarity worriedly said. Applejack began to tear up. “I most certainly did NOT!” I shouted. “I was brought here to be a ground for the group, a support system to help you get through! I don’t know what world you come from, Dashie, but I have done my absolute damndest to make sure I’ve been whatever’s been needed of me!” “Likely story,” Rainbow said, butting into me. “You were probably brought here by Tangerine Hopes to cause this chaos so she could take over the world, and your saving of Applejack was just a part of her plan to divide and conquer!” I gasped. “You didn’t…” I said, dropping my voice down to a low rumble. I bit my lip. “Guys…” Pinkie said, tearing up. “Don’t… please…” “I did,” Rainbow said. “What’cha gonna do about it.” I went dead silent. Biting my lip, I tried to hold my tears. I really did. I, like Rainbow, knew what we’d been through, and it was all I could do to stop myself from bawling, but that one statement about my close call saving Applejack, coupled with the stress of figuring out who Tangerine Hopes was and dealing with the emotions of fighting a close friend, sent me over the brink. I bolted away as fast as my hooves could take me, my better sense barely maintaining control over a locked-away temper that could have utterly destroyed Rainbow Dash had I stayed. The group behind me erupted into bitter chaos, but I didn’t care. I was going to head anywhere but there. I didn’t want to put up with it anymore. I just wanted to cry… About ten minutes of solid running later, I sat by a lake. Feeling like a failure was hard enough without someone as hot-headed as Rainbow Dash rubbing it in. I looked at my reflection in the lake, formerly of a human, now of a pony without a country of his own… I was through. I was just… through. I looked up at the stars, and as I traced random constellations in the sky, slowly remembered an old lyric I had sung many times… Crucified, laid behind a stone You lived to die, rejected and alone Like a rose, trampled on the ground You took the fall and thought of me Above all… The lyric was from a song that had been released in my childhood, one that had been my favourite since I first heard it. It spoke of my Hero, the One I worshipped. My faith in Him was where I had found my strength as a human, so why had it not passed through to this world? “Maybe… Maybe I lost myself in the amazement of one of my favourite things…” I said to myself. I began remembering different phrases of meaning and importance, sentences of simple wisdom that had been passed down for years. I smiled as I remembered the tales of His life. Then I realized what I had to do. I thanked my Hero and left for the camp, more determined than ever. I realized I needed to separate myself from a nation, identity, and even personal preferences. He had put me here for a reason, and to do what we needed we had to separate ourselves from all we had known before. I began singing the song in whole, slowly gaining encouragement from the lyrics. I steadily smiled, my strength restored. When I arrived, I heard Rainbow Dash had flown off. I took off into the sky, looking around for the pony of sky-blue coloring. I told everyone to wait here – I had an idea as to where she was headed. I flew towards Cloudsdale, but found Rainbow Dash fluttering, dumbfounded, against a barrier of pink magic. “We can’t go back,” I said. “It’s your fault, you know,” she insisted. “You’ve caused so much division its crazy!” I lowered myself to the ground slowly and lay down on the dirt. “If you believe me to be your enemy, then kill me,” I said, lying on my side. “I will not fight.” Rainbow Dash was taken aback by this sudden turn. She swallowed, her conviction shaken. I continued, “Avatar of the Element of Loyalty! List for me the times I’ve betrayed the group or given any doubt as to my loyalty during my time here, then, having done so, judge me unfit to be the support necessary and kill me with your bare hooves!” She began contemplating the statement. She could find no argument to counteract me, no fault in my statement or my actions, nothing to back up her judgment. All she could think of was me saving Applejack, nearly giving my life in the process. Her eyes began tearing up, and she gently lowered herself down by my side. “I-“ she started before stopping, finally getting it. I looked up at her. “Where’s my death blow?” I asked. “I’m… sorry…” she said. “I can find no fault with you.” I righted myself, but didn’t get up fully. She thought for a second. “This is the third time you’ve done this… first, when we first met, and second, when I confronted you about Applejack. Why do you do it?” I simply stated, standing up. “If you wish for peace, become the peace you wish for.” Rainbow puzzled at the statement. “What’s that mean?” “You have to be the example of what you want to see before people will believe in what you believe,” I said, elaborating. “Otherwise, you become exactly like everyone else.” “What does that have to do with what you did?” she asked. I looked where I just got up from. “I want to bring peace wherever I go, so I practice my culture’s design for peace. I’m not perfect, of course, and I will fail to exemplify it on occasion. I do have a nasty temper, after all. That’s why I ran off – so I would not victimize you and defeat my purpose here. I do not like violence, and I try my best to refuse to use it in any way I can where I can avoid it.” I looked in her eyes. “I see in you my temper, but I also see a desire for a better, friendlier, more loyal world. I figured the best way to get your attention was to simply collapse and let you do as you willed without resistance, hoping this would show you my loyalty.” “But why?” she asked. “Because… that’s what my Hero did for me,” I said. “My mission is to serve as I have been served.” Rainbow sulked in shame. “I... I’m sorry. I blamed you for something you never did. I-I’ve been an awful friend.” I smiled. “It’s okay,” I said. “Everyone makes mistakes.” “But I’ve come at you three times…” she said. “Three times, and twice without reason! That’s… inexcusable!” “Loyalty is not easily won,” I said. “Neither is your friendship.” Rainbow still lowed before me. “I just can’t believe it… Everything I’ve ever known, loved about, or cared about… is gone…” A short sob sputtered through her visage. I hugged her. “Oh, Loyalty…” “Snap… you’ve made me… cry…” Rainbow sputtered between tears. “I don’t look very cool right now… I’m going to have to go back and apologize.” I smiled. “You’re cool enough to apologize.” Rainbow chuckled a sad laugh, then sniffled, “Thanks.” I walked with her back to camp where she apologized to every member of the camp of seven. She had damaged connections with her words, as Applejack had killed their chances in Ponyville while under the influence of Tangerine’s magic. Tangerine Hopes… I refused, absolutely refused to refer to her as this “Crystal Fist” nonsense she spewed… Tangerine was powerful, but not immortal. She was crafty, but not impossibly intelligent. She was sneaky, but not silent. Her greatest weakness, though, was that she was alone, and without assistance. But what was her plan? For hints to that, we continued bantering about her journal, the one book we took with us along our journey, trying to piece together any little fragments, small bits, the encrypted… whatever she had scribbled… anything in the hopes it would reveal her ultimate plan. Applejack remained silent. As the five other girls bantered on, I moved alongside the mare. She then spoke for the first time since the fall of her brother. “Zytharros…” she said. I smiled, happy to hear her speak. “What?” She looked at me and said, “That rage… That… ugly… nasty… rip-roarin’, horse-apple-blastin’, mind-destroyin’ rage… Will it wake up again?” I thought about it as we continued moving on, away from all we had known. “Y’know, Applejack, I can’t tell you if it will or if it won’t. It may, but now you know how she gets to ponies intimately.” “She preys on their weaknesses,” Applejack said. “My heart was ripe for her pickin’, like a sweet, red, delicious apple. You broke it, she took that, and turned it into…” She instantly froze, coming into a terrible realization. “That kick that killed Big Mac… it was meant for you…” I shivered. “Explain how you know this,” I said. The girls heard what was going on and came over. Applejack quickly briefed them on what we had been discussing, then moved on. “Shortly after I arrived at home the afternoon you broke my heart, I was visited by a strange mare in a black cloak. She gave me some good comfort food, allowin’ me to feel at peace and relax. I realized somethin’ was amiss a couple hours later. I snapped at Apple Bloom so suddenly I shocked myself. I had no control. Slowly, my mind got all cloudy-like… I remember settlin’ down for the night, then bein’ awoke by Apple Bloom poundin’ me on the head, and that’s all I actually remember. Y’all know that about what I remember. But… somethin’ I just realized was I remembered she told me to ‘take out the one you hate right now’ as she left. I’m guessin’ the kick that killed my brother had enough power behind it for just one death, and that the death she wanted was you, Zytharros.” I nodded. “So she’s gotten more aggressive.” “She must know we’re on to her,” Twilight said. “We’ll have to be extra-cautious.” “There’s no telling what will happen with her next attack,” Rarity said. “We’ll have to watch out for each other.” I put my hoof in the centre of the circle. “Agreed.” Fluttershy grew cross. “I don’t want any more of my friends harmed. The last time this happened, Discord nearly broke us up.” She put her hoof in the centre. “I can’t bear that thought…” “We have to learn from our experiences with Discord,” Rainbow said. “He was a smart enemy. This one looks like she’s becoming Discord 2.” She copied Fluttershy and I. “We cannot let her mess with our minds!” Rarity nodded. “We shall watch and protect each other on this trial.” She put her hoof in the centre. “We cannot afford to lose our unity.” Pinkie smiled – her first smile since our exodus began. “We have to protect our hearts and minds. She’ll try anything to get us to fight.” She put her hoof in the centre. “For Equestria… For the world…” Applejack declared. She put her hoof in the centre. “We, as the bearers of the Elements of Harmony, have to be an example of what Tangerine wants to destroy!” Twilight smiled and looked around at her friends. “The rekindled warmth in your hearts… I feel it flowing through me. Our elements, our example… is now safe.” We connected hooves, all seven of us. “But for how long?” a two-pronged voice said, echoing over the plain we stood on. We whipped around. There stood the one pony that had driven us from our lands and our homes. In full colour, she revealed herself to us – the same pony from the picture, and the pony who wrote the journal chronicling her madness… Tangerine Hopes. “I’ve screwed up unions ten times this strength,” she said, laughing. “I’ve destroyed seven different variations of the Elements of – she spat on the earth – Harmony. I’ve broken the best defenses placed before me. What can you do that I have yet to see?” In a flash of anger, all the girls leapt for her at once, intent on tearing her limb from limb. And in a second flash, each girl lay in different, defeated poses, struck simultaneously across the dimensional barrier by our assailant. I alone stood against her. “Zytharros,” she said. I glared at her, stone-silent. She laughed. “Don’t play strong silent type with me, Earthling.” Six collective gasps were heard from those lying in severe pain. “You know?” Twilight asked. She laughed. “Yes, thanks to you.” Twilight bit her tongue. Hard. I still stood there, stone-faced. “Tangerine,” I said. “You’ve caused far too much torment to this world. Cease your actions now.” “Or what?” she chuckled. “You’ll kill me? You don’t have the balls, gelding.” I continued glaring at her. “I promise nothing, neither mercy nor vengeance. You attacked my friends. If you attack me, I will not be responsible for what happens.” She smiled evilly. Seven quick strikes brought me down to the earth in significant pain. I just lay there, enduring. “You talk big, but you don’t have the backup,” she said. “I will make sure this group fails, and when I do, I will end all life in this dimension… and yours, Zytharros.” I kept the same expression as I stood again. “Oh, you’re a stubborn one,” she said. She used the same seven strikes, but this time I just flinched. “Elements of Harmony!” I declared. “Lend me your power!” No power came. “Wake up,” she said. “You’re finished.” I looked around. Each member of my team cowered before Tangerine. So I collapsed. “If I receive no help, I can give no help,” I muttered. Tangerine set on us. For five minutes, there was nothing but pain and torment. Nothing but evil screams and violence upon my being. However, by the third minute, I had gone numb. When she had finished, she disappeared into a dimensional portal, laughing. Twilight was the last one I heard. A weak “I’m sorry…” passed her lips. Followed by… “We failed you.” Then the world went black once again.