Princess Rarity was wearing holes in the carpet from all her pacing.
She was debating whether she should go look for Princess Twilight or not. On the one hoof, Twilight didn't like to be disturbed under most circumstances. On the other hoof, Princess Rarity didn't feel much like obliging Princess Twilight right now. But then, she had no idea where Princess Twilight was. But then again, Princess Twilight could be doing something reckless.
"Wow, tough decision, huh?"
Princess Rarity leapt in the air and screamed. "Diane Pie? How did you get in here?"
Diane Pie smirked bitterly. "You should know better than to expect explanations from me."
"I hate it when you read my mind..." Princess Rarity growled.
"Can't help it," said Diane Pie, shrugging. "Empathy link. 'Snot the point. Point is, I'm here to explain..."
"Explain what?" said Princess Rarity. "I thought you just said you weren't going to explain anything."
"That's just my problem," Diane Pie said. "That's always been the problem... always..." She sighed heavily. "I'm supposed to be the element of Laughter. Laughter always meant... to me... that no matter how dark I feel inside, I always stay light on the outside... it means that I was the happiest member of the team, and if they felt down, it was my job to cheer them up... that it was my job to keep everypony else smiling. That I couldn't let anything get you guys down... not even my own problems." She brushed a bit of her straight mane away from her face. "I suppose... I'm no better than Applejack, huh?"
Princess Rarity started crying. Then she pulled Diane Pie into a hug.
"Oh, darling, it's all my fault," she sobbed. "It didn't... it didn't take a genius to realize you were h-hurting. I should h-have done something for you... anything for you... but I... I-I thought... if Laughter was depressed... I thought we'd lost you... I tried to ignore it... I tried to think you were still happy, just... in a different way." She broke her hug and pulled back, looking Diane Pie in the eye. "I've... I've been... so selfish... so cold..." her voice changed from sorrow to recognition. Then she burst into tears again.
"I... I b-betrayed my element!" She cried. "I-I'm worse than... than..."
"Than the rest of us?" Diane Pie asked.
"N-no..."
"Don't kid yourself," said Diane Pie. "All of us have slid away from our elements. We just haven't all been punished for it yet."
Princess Rarity sobbed dramatically for a few more minutes. Diane Pie didn't say anything at first. Then she sighed.
"Rare-rare, get a hold of yourself. I know this looks bad, but now we know what we've been doing wrong, and now we've got to try and reverse it. So I'll make you a deal: I won't try to solve our problems all by myself, and you won't try to solve our problems all by yourself. We'll work together: you, me, and probably the Captain and anypony else who will work with us. Okay?"
Princess Rarity looked up. "Oh, Diane... you sound so calm and rational..." she looked ready to cry again.
Diane Pie shrugged. "What can I say? Maybe it's just because... I've grown up."
The two friends smiled at each other.
An explosion rocked the tower.
Diane Pie sighed heavily as Princess Rarity gave a little shriek.
"I think," Diane Pie said, "that something has gone horribly wrong."
"Help us!" Applejack shouted, rattling the bars of their cell. "Let us out!"
The guards who were standing nearby looked nervous and fled.
"Hey!" Rainbow Dash shouted. "You cowards! Wait until I tell the Captain-"
The flaming pony exploded, spreading purple flames all throughout the room.
All the ponies screamed. The flames laughed maniacally.
"What are you?" Twilight Sparkle shouted. "What do you want?"
I am destruction, the flames replied. He didn't speak in words, nor did he use the telepathy spell, but there was no doubt what he was saying.
The purple flames rose into a towering inferno, advancing towards the ponies.
"Help!" Twilight Sparkle shouted. "Somepony! Anypony!"
"Get the fire extinguisher!" Pinkie Pie screamed.
"We can't escape!" Rainbow Dash said, pressing up against the bars of the cell.
Rarity screamed.
All the ponies backed up against the bars, staring at the flames in horror.
The door opened, and all the ponies fell backwards. They stared up at the ceiling for a moment, stunned. Then a familiar blue pegasus flew above them.
"Run you idiots," said Captain Dash.
The six friends quickly scrambled to their hooves and took off down the dungeon hall. A moment later the Captain rejoined them.
"What is that thing?" Applejack asked as they raced up the dungeon stairs. Waves of purple flowed through the corridor behind them.
"I don't know," said Captain Dash. She sealed the dungeon door after all the ponies filed out. "But it doesn't take a genius to realize it's dangerous."
A number of nervous guards were standing in the corridor outside.
"Is anypony still in the dungeon?" Captain Dash asked.
The guards looked more nervous. One guard sighed. "Only every unicorn in Equestria," he said. "Not to mention at least a hundred criminals."
"But they have their own escape route," said Captain Dash. "Sound the alarms. Evacuate the dungeon and seal it off. We're under attack."
One guard ran to the wall and pulled a thick red cord. A haunting bell chimed somewhere far away, resonating and shaking the ponies to the bone.
"I need to find the Princess," Captain Dash said. "Twilight will surely know what that thing is."
"Do you?" asked Rarity, turning to non-princess Twilight Sparkle.
Twilight rubbed her cheek thoughtfully. "I'm not sure, but... I have heard bits and pieces, a few ghost stories, and uh..." she swallowed, afraid to go on.
"What is it?" Rainbow Dash demanded.
Twilight took a deep breath. "And... that thing looks like a creature Princess Twilight showed me. She called it... the Hunter."
"Wait, stop," said Captain Dash. "What was it doing?"
Twilight sighed. "I have no idea. Princess Twilight sent it after something. She said that... that 'they' wouldn't be destroyed that easily."
"Oh," said Captain Dash. "No. Way. Those... cheaters."
"And murderers?" asked one guard.
"Yeah, that too, but come on!" Captain Dash said. "We destroyed all of them! We sealed them out of time itself, and they still keep showing up because they're stupid time travelers. How am I supposed to fight that? We can't! They're worse than a herd of draconequii!"
"Who?" said Twilight Sparkle.
"The Time Guardians," Applejack said.
Everypony turned to her.
"Ah've seen them," she said. "Ah know their cruelty firsthoof."
"Um... Applejack?" Fluttershy said.
"Yes?" said everypony.
Fluttershy whimpered, then burst into tears.
"Oh, Fluttershy," said Applejack, putting a hoof around her shoulders. "Look, Ah'm sure they won't hurt a baby pony."
"I'm not," Captain Dash growled.
The door rattled. It bulged outward.
"That thing can't do magic, can it?" Applejack asked.
"I know nothing about the Hunter," Captain Dash said. "Just that it can kill Time Guardians."
Applejack sighed heavily.
"I don't think that one can do magic," Twilight Sparkle said. "I mean, the Hunter had a horn and that one didn't. It seems logical to assume-"
The door glowed with a yellow aura and exploded. The blackish purple pony stood in the hallway. It's telekinetic voice echoed in their heads:
Captain Dash, step away. My quarrel is with those six.
Captain Dash positioned herself between the flaming ponylike creature and the six ponies. "What do you want?"
Nothing I didn't have in my control already. Your princess has decided these six aberrations in time need to be dealt with, and I am only too happy to provide this service.
"She didn't want them killed, you idiot!" said Captain Dash. "The Princess isn't like that!"
Really, Rainbow Dash? Do you wish to test this theory?
In a burst of yellow light, the dungeon melted away, like paint melting when brought near a flame, and the six ponies, Spike, and Captain Dash stood on the top of a high tower outside Canterlot castle.
"What's your point?" Captain Dash demanded.
Behind you.
Captain Dash turned around, as did the other ponies. Down from the sky dove a dark purple creature.
"The Hunter?" Captain Dash asked.
You wish.
A haunting music filled their minds, a coronation song in a minor key, without anypony singing it. It was like getting a song stuck in their heads when they weren't quite sure how the song sounded.
The Princess Twilight cometh!
Behold! Behold!
The purple flaming pony rose before them, beautiful and terrible, respendant with majestic beauty as her flames seared dark against the blue sky behind them. On her head was an unmistakable crown.
Behold! Behold!
The Princess Twilight Sparkle is here!
My subjects!
The voice was almost Twilight's, but not quite. It was more like the memory of her voice being stirred up in their minds.
My subjects, behold my transformation! Look on my new, more powerful, more perfect form! Do not tremble! Do not despair! This beauty and power I have found will now be yours to share, for you too shall know the perfection that is the ShadowFires!