Guilt and Hate

by Mindblower

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Fifteen

*******

“Augh!” Olly yelled as he tumbled down into the darkness. After he was finished bouncing off the rocky walls, he wasn’t even sure if he was dead or alive. Probably alive, he thought. Being killed would be merciful at this point.

Naturally reacting to the unbearable darkness, Olly’s horn lit up faintly, but it flickered like a candle on a windy day. He tried to stand up, but it was difficult, since he couldn’t feel one of his legs. That is, unless he put weight on it. Then he felt it a lot.

He coughed, spitting out phlegm to the side of the tunnel he found himself in, and weakly croaked, “Dash?”

A muffled grunt answered him. Dash approached the light, seeming largely uninjured except for the steady leak of blood coming from her left ear. She didn’t seem to notice. “Are you okay?”

“Well, I can’t see a thing, so... yes?” Olly managed, the light from his horn not providing any form of substantial illumination.

Dash lit up her mane, and it provided some lighting in the pitch-black caves. Olly glanced at his leg, then back to Dash. “Damage assesment: I have a broken leg, a pounding headache, and probably some internal bleeding. You don’t look completely ship-shape, either, though, Captain.”

Dash tested her limbs. “My ears are ringing a little, but other than that, I feel fine.”

“I’m not even sure how we survived that, truthfully,” Olly admitted. He shook his head. “No point in worrying about it... yet. I say we skedaddle before things take a turn for the worse. They always seem to, with us.”

A little flicker of light flashed over to the pair’s right. The brief flash revealed that they were in a long tunnel of rock and clay, with the ceiling threatening to collapse at any moment. They hurriedly got out of the rockfall’s way, which was fortunate, for a small tremor shook the valley and knocked loose the unsteady stones, sealing off the only other pathway.

“These are mine shafts, and ancient ones, by the look of ‘em. What fun for us,” Olly said, bemused. Indeed, aged wooden supports that were cracked and split with mold were barely keeping the tunnel intact after years of disuse. “Excited?”

“We’ll, I’m not one to sit around twiddling my hooves,” Dash smirked. She flicked her tail toward the end of the tunnel. “Let’s go.”

Olly tried to walk, but it was such a struggle that Dash turned and said, “You’re holding us up. Want me to carry you?”

“Not enough room,” Olly pointed out, motioning toward the low ceiling. “Still, this’d be a whole lot easier if I had, say, somepony to lean on.”

Dash positioned herself next to Olly and allowed him to put most of his weight on her as they continued to travel.

“Some enchanted evening...” Olly began to sing.

“Oh, brother,” Dash muttered.

Olly laughed. “Aw, c’mon. It’s catchy.”

Dash blew hair out of her face, and she caught a glimpse of somepony very near in the tunnel, somepony who appeared as if the world had been stolen out from under her.

*******

Rarity was hunched over Sweetie Belle’s body, sobbing gently. Olly soon saw why; Sweetie Belle’s eyes had dimmed, and were staring at the ceiling unblinkingly. A pool of blood trickled out from a gash in her neck.

Rarity’s necklace was absent from her neck, and she cried, “Not like this... I’ve done so much to protect her, all in vain. I’ve killed to protect her, and then she dies because of a stupid mudslide caused by those filthy Elements of Discord!”

Dash wasn’t sure if Rarity started talking in response to her and Olly entering the tiny chamber, or if she was speaking as an outlet for her sheer agony.

“All--in--vain!” Rarity bawled. She, too, was injured--one of her legs was twisted at a painful angle, and it seemed that breathing was an effort for her.

Dash slowly walked up to her, and said with a tight throat, “I’m so sorry, Rarity. I really, really am.”

Rarity simply nodded, tears falling down her cheek. They were tinged purple. She grasped Sweetie’s limp hoof tightly, her face tight with anger and sorrow. Her necklace was lying on the ground, the gem inside it having already shattered.

“Let’s get out of here,” Dash said.

“How?” Olly asked. “We’re caved in. It’d take some kind of massive explosion to get us out.” He looked at Rarity. “Have any of those in you?”

Rarity glanced at her useless necklace, then shook her head. “I... I don’t know.” Her muscles seized up for a moment, but quickly relaxed. “But I can try.”

“Rarity, you’ll kill yourself trying something like that!” Dash exclaimed. “If you realize your Potential now, well, anything could happen!”

“This cavern is unstable as is, but... I’m not seeing another way out. Will it really be enough, though? Without the necklace?” Olly asked.

Rarity sadly looked back at them. “You would... You would think that, by now... I would have outgrown such petty jewelry.” She turned back to her sister. “No. I’m not about to let this slide. We’ll die here if I don’t do something, and then what? They’ll have lost us all.”

Dash glanced at Olly, then back to Rarity. “Are you sure?” She flinched as another tremor shook the cavern. If she doesn’t work quickly enough, the entire mine might cave in on us.

“I’m not going to have a second chance,” Rarity stated, her breathing heightening with her anger. “This isn’t going to be my last memory of her. Not if I can help it.” She fed all of her anger and pain into the depths of her heart, and the cavern began to shake in response. Thoughts began to flow through Rarity’s mind.

Thoughts of life back home, of life before the war. Thoughts of Sweetie Belle, before and after the war started. Thoughts of journeys, thoughts of evil, thoughts of tragedy. Thoughts of Lyvia, Lorey, Saphira, and Trixie.

Life after life. No... a rebirth, Rarity thought. For my sister, and for Equestria. It starts today. Why should I need any old gem to fuel a revolution? No, that strength will be my own. Nothing simply passed down from ancient spirits, or given to me by a higher power... It will be my own power. My own power... and my friends’.

Then, just as the cavern’s tremors reached their peak, Rarity’s Potential triggered.

It started as a bright purple ball of light, centered at Rarity’s chest. Tendrils of energy flew through the air, creating a cobweb of purple strands, though most of them were directed at Sweetie Belle. Rarity bent over and held her hooves to her forehead, willing herself not to fall unconscious, even though the force pounding at her mind was practically crushing it.

Dash and Olly stepped back as the sphere of energy ballooned in size. Dash had to practically drag Olly out of the way, but the sphere just kept growing, and soon there was nowhere left to hide. They were eventually forced back to the end of the tunnel. The energy itself was insubstantial, but the searing heat emanating from it threatened to burn the pair’s pelts off.

Olly gritted his teeth through the pain, and yelled over the hum of the sphere, “I always said I’d go out with a bang, but come on.”

“How much bigger can this thing get?” Dash muttered. These tiny tunnels... There’s nowhere for the energy to go!

“Big enough,” Olly said, yelping as the heat travelled up his leg. “Any last requests?”

“Yeah. To live,” Dash growled. Igniting her mane in anger, which may not have been the smartest thing to do at the moment, she yelled, “Rarity!”

The light ball collapsed in on itself rapidly, soon falling out of the pair’s view. It appeared only as a tiny flicker of bright purple light in the distance. Rarity was pulling all of the energy back in, forming a dangerous and unstable core of raw power.

I swore I would protect you, Rarity thought. I will not allow Discord to win. Not this time, nor any other! I may be rolling the dice at this point, but it’s my only hope. Sweetie Belle... she thought, staring at the body of her sibling. Its lifeless eyes seemed to stare back at her. I know you’re in there somewhere!

“So wake up!”

The color of the energy deepened suddenly, forming ball of power that was more darkness than light. It shrank to the size of a pinprick just as Rarity’s pupils vanished into a sea of violet. With her final wail of pain, it exploded outward, shattering any boundaries the earth placed before it.

After that, nopony was sure what happened. There was a massive explosion, to be sure. Dash and Olly’s senses dulled to the point where they weren’t sure what was up and what was down. For a few moments, they weren’t even certain what was real and what wasn’t, but just as they began to recover, an overwhelming feeling of dread pierced through their souls to the point where they weren’t sure if they had survived the blast. For just those few, brief moments, an ancient evil seemed to be clawing its way out of a deep abyss.

The sensation lessened after a few moments, then gradually faded away, as if it were the last few beams of light before sunset.

Once Dash’s eyes had adjusted to the massive change in light and her ears had stopped ringing from the cacophony, she looked up to see a massive hole in the side of the Ditch. Her vision was slightly fuzzy, but she thought she could see the sky. Rarity must have blasted apart the entire network of mine shafts that led here, somehow.

Dash managed to get to her hooves, though every movement she made was painful. Her wing was twisted at an awkward angle, but, miraculously, it hadn’t been broken or dislocated. However, she realized that one of her back ankles was definitely sprained as she tried to sift through the rubble, looking for Olly. Her vision was still cloudy, and when she called out, she couldn’t even hear her own voice.

Olly fared little better. His leg was still injured, and he had a nasty cut over his snout, but he was largely unharmed, as well. His sight and hearing were impaired, but only slightly. Rarity must have been controlling that explosion more than we thought, he assumed. Looking up, he saw that the Ditch was adjacent to a series of abandoned mineshafts, and that Rarity’s explosion resulted in a gaping hole in the lower regions of the Ditch. He noted, looking toward the sky, that the rain had stopped.

“Are you alright?” Olly asked Dash.

Dash couldn’t hear him, so she didn’t respond right away. A little later, she said, “Let’s go look for Rarity,” but her voice was slightly garbled because she could hardly hear herself speak.

Rarity was lying in a circle of glass and amethyst, which glittered slightly in the setting sun above them. She was barely conscious and covered in cuts and scrapes, one of which cut straight through her cutie mark, but she mumbled as the other two got nearer, “I will never give up on somepony who needs my help... no matter what I have to give in the process.” Her voice was faintly overlapping with another pony’s, and, somehow, her necklace had reappeared around her neck, good as new.

“How did you do that, Rarity?” Dash asked softly, sitting down next to her.

“It... It was a little draining,” Rarity wheezed. She coughed before continuing. “All I really had to do was... was absorb most of the blast myself. That... That saved you, didn’t it? Or are we all dead?”

“We’ll all be fine and dandy as long as you make it out of this pit alive,” Olly affirmed.

Rarity nodded slightly. “...That’s good.” She drifted into unconsciousness.

“I feel like somepony bounced me off the moon and I landed in a patch of broken glass,” Olly complained. “How are we going to get out of this one, Dash?”

Dash’s ears weren’t quite recovered, so she simply nodded. She glanced at Sweetie and sighed. So much for the Crusaders. What she saw, though, almost made her heart stop.

Sweetie Belle was breathing.

=====================================================================

Twilight gasped as she woke up. She was soaked to the bone and shivering violently. As she tried to cast a quick spell and warm herself up, she clutched a cut in her side that throbbed gently. She attempted to stand, but her body just wouldn’t obey.

Celestia had fared little better. Half of the goddess’s face was submerged in a puddle of mud, her wings were ruffled and filthy, and tears were leaking down her face due to the indescribable pain flowing through her body. Her bright red, orange, and yellow mane had stopped flowing, simply lying stagnant on the ground.

“What... What happened?” Fluttershy mumbled. It was barely audible, but everypony heard it, for the plains near the mesa were as quiet as a graveyard.

“We lost,” Applejack said simply. She had sat down, lowered her head, and refused to lift it. Her tears had run out long ago. “They crushed us just like we knew they could. Scootaloo le-” the words caught in her throat.

“She left...?” Twilight asked, each word an effort, for her throat was dry and the inside of her mouth tasted like mud.

“Yes, I’m afraid to say,” Discord said. The draconequus was lying on park bench he had summoned, reading a magazine while he waited for the Elements to wake up. “She abandoned you in favor of ponies more civilized.”

“Why are you here?” Celestia croaked. “To... To rub salt in our wounds?”

“No, you seem to be doing a fine job of that already,” Discord observed. Celestia turned her head to look at him, some muddy water dripping into her eye, and saw that Discord’s characteristic grin was absent from his face. “I’m here to let you know that you are no longer necessary, and that you may return to Ponyville peacefully.”

“...And that’s that?” Twilight asked weakly.

“Probably not... knowing Deception,” Discord replied, turning a page in his magazine. He sounded like he was about to say something else, but caught himself at the last moment.

A long pause followed. Twilight recovered some of her strength and sat up, though her world spun rapidly when she did. Stifling nausea, she asked, “Where is she? Where did you take her?”

“Hmm? Scootaloo?” Discord asked. “Well, she’s fairly far away by now, by my calculations. Our beautiful vision of perfection will be realized soon, I suppose, now that she is among our ranks.”

“You... You don’t sound like you want a perfect world, Discord,” Celestia breathed.

“...Well, to be fair, it’s subjective, really,” Discord said. He tossed his magazine into the air and it burst apart into a multitude of colorful paper airplanes. They dissolved into the atmosphere after a moment or two. He spread his arms, and all the still-water in the area was sucked dry. “Shall I give you a hint of how to survive the next few hours?”

Nopony answered.

“I’ll take that as a yes,” Discord said. “Debts, both new and old, will have to be repaid. Deaths, both old and new, will have to be delayed. In order to see the future, one must remember the past, and in order to survive the present, one must learn to repent it.”

Twilight tried to decipher that message, but her mind was too foggy. She managed to weakly nod, but a headache carved its way through her skull when she tried.

“Also, a gift,” Discord said, pulling out a tiny round gem. It glowed a faint yellow, and was about the size of a plum. “You’ve abandoned the weak. Therefore, you find what you seek.”

“You’ve... always had a sick sense of humor, Discord,” Celestia growled as Discord rolled the Source toward her.

“Am I smiling?” Discord asked.

Upon further inspection, Discord’s expression was cold. His lighthearted nature had all but vanished. Celestia managed to stand up shakily, her immortality assisting her recovery. “Anything else?”

“Anything in mind?” Discord asked, his mouth twitching in what may have been a grin. “Actually, I do have something else to tell you.” He stood up, his park bench dissolving into building blocks. “As you know, Deception is full of secrets. You may want to find out why, or you will fall victim to her largest secret of all.” He vanished.

=====================================================================

*******

“She’s alive,” Dash murmured. She turned to Olly, her expression nothing short of ecstatic. “Olly, she’s alive!”

“I got that much, yeah,” Olly said, hobbling over and checking Sweetie Belle. The teen was unconscious, but breathing steadily, and that’s what counted. “Guess that’s the power of Potential. Bringing a pony back to life is no easy task.”

Dash glanced up at the sky. The sun was setting. “I... I need to get the others...” she breathed. “They could be alright, too! I’ll go up and check while you watch Rarity and Sweetie Belle.”

“Sure, you go do that.” Olly asked, turning away from Dash slightly. “I’ll just sit here, I guess.”

Dash scratched the back of her head. “Uh... Do you want me to carry you up there, or something?”

“No, it’s fine; you go on ahead,” Olly said, “and in the meantime, I’ll just lounge around. Because that’s how it works.”

“Wait, am I going to have to prove how useful you actually are, like you did for me?” Dash asked.

Olly laid down, looking up at the sky, but he had to adjust his position slightly because of his broken leg. “That’d be kind of nice, yeah. Because right now, I feel like I’m just taking a joy ride on your Elemental balloon.”

“Well, that’s easy. You’ve always... um...” Dash trailed off.

“Always...?” Olly prompted, folding his forehooves.

“Jeez, this is harder than I thought,” Dash muttered, sitting down next to Olly. “Well, you never had to come with us, you know. You’re risking your life because it’s yours to risk. That means you’re loyal, like me.”

“Loyalty doesn’t mean just throwing your life away,” Olly countered. “You have to have the strength to back it up. Isn’t that why you were beating yourself up after Hate first appeared? Difference is, you actually have power. I, well, don’t. At least, I’ve never had a chance to use it.”

“I’m sure there’s something else...” Dash mumbled. “I’ve got it! You always light up any room you enter.”

“What, so I light myself on fire before I go anywhere?” Olly chuckled.

“No, I mean, whenever you go anywhere, everypony’s faces light up, because they’re all glad you’re there,” Dash corrected.

“So I light them on fire,” Olly said.

“Arrgh, you’re missing the point!” Dash exclaimed in frustration. “Aren’t you the one who wants to be cheered up?”

“You are cheering me up,” Olly teased, grinning. “C’mon, say more words.”

Dash rolled her eyes. “Forget that. You’re the worst pony ever, Olly.”

He laughed. “And you’re no poet.”

Dash brushed greasy strands of her mane aside. “You’re really something else.”

“So I’m unique?” Olly asked.

“Yeah. Something like that,” Dash said. She was trying to look annoyed, but smiles kept creeping their way onto her face. “So, can I go now?”

“Don’t be long. I’ll get lonely without somepony to pick on, and I think Rarity’s at her wits’ end,” Olly said.

Dash nodded and took to the air.

=====================================================================

When she reached the top of the top of the crevice, she landed shakily, her eyes widening at her friends’ conditions. “What happened?”

“We were ambushed,” Twilight said. She and the others were trying to pull themselves together. Celestia and Twilight were mostly unharmed, but Fluttershy’s wing was practically shattered, and Pinkie had a crippling migraine and was lying on the ground, shivering. Twilight had done what she could for both of them, but her healing spells were spent, as were Celestia’s, after they had remedied the worst of their friends’ wounds.

“Are you all okay?” Dash asked. She did a quick count in her head, and then asked, “Where’s Scootaloo? And Centime?”

Twilight looked away.

“C’mon, answer me!” Dash persisted. A sinking feeling in her stomach gnawed at her, and she asked Celestia, “Do you know?”

“...Centime died in an explosion after Discord attacked,” Celestia explained, not making eye contact with Dash.

Dash’s blood ran cold. “A-And Scootaloo?”

It took a bit for Celestia to respond. “She was captured by Vengeance. I’m sorry, Dash.”

It took a while for this to set in. “...What...?” Dash breathed. “She... She can’t just be gone... I mean, she’s gone through worse before, right? Can’t we still save her?”

Celestia didn’t respond.

“Can’t we?” Dash asked, more frantic this time.

Celestia stood up unsteadily and began to walk away from Dash.

“Come on, answer me!” Dash demanded.

“I don’t know!” Celestia exclaimed angrily, turning to face Dash. “What do you think?”

Dash was taken aback. “What do I think?” She paused for a moment, thinking. If Scootaloo has really been captured by Vengeance, then... then she must have gone willingly. Her friendship with Centime meant that when he died, then she must have wanted revenge, and that’s why she left us. But that doesn’t make any sense! Dash’s cheeks were warm, but she didn’t realize it was from her tears. She wouldn’t have just left me behind for them. There’s got to be some other explanation. “I think... I think you’re lying,” she finished.

Celestia’s eyes were full of anger and pain, but also something new, something Dash hadn’t seen before: Contempt. “Fine. You just think that.”

“I will! And I’ll go save her, too, while you just sit on your flank like you did when you watched her leave!” Dash snapped.

“I was unconscious. If this is anypony’s fault, it’s Applejack’s,” Celestia sneered.

“Stop it! Stop it, stop it, stop it, stop it, STOP IT!” Twilight shrieked, putting both hooves over her ears. “I can’t take this anymore! You’re like a couple of fillies arguing over who spilled orange juice on the carpet! Both of you, sit down, and shut up!”

“You can’t tell me what to do!” Dash snarled. “I’m going to find Scootaloo! Don’t try and stop mmph!”

As Dash tried to finish her sentence, Twilight uttered a spell that threw her to the floor, restrained her, and muzzled her with invisible, telekinetic energy. Dash wanted to howl in pain as she landed wrong on her sprained ankle, but all she could manage was a muffled squeak.

Twilight’s mane was frayed and split, and she was wearing a slightly more manic expression than usual. Her crown was crooked on her head. “You two... are going to sit here... until I find a way to sort out this mess!”

“...What’s the point...?” Fluttershy mumbled, more as a statement than a question. She halfheartedly shoved a rock aside, sniffling. Her nose was stuffed up. “How are we subbosed to be-beat them? They’ve just been blaying with us this entire time.”

“You expect me to know? I don’t even know who’s steering this ship! At this point, all I want us to do is stop bickering like schoolfillies and actually find out what in Equestria we should do...!” On that last word, Twilight broke down into hysterical tears. She pounded on the ground rhythmically with her hoof. “I just--don’t--know--what--to DO!”

In her sobbing, Twilight’s spells on Dash weakened, and the blue warrior was able to speak, but she carefully formulated her words. She’d seen what Twilight was capable of under stress, and if she snapped, she might literally self-destruct. “Sweetie Belle, Rarity, and Olly are still alive. Celestia and I could go get them from the bottom of the Ditch, and then we can try to think of a game plan, okay?”

Twilight nodded slightly, still crying, and released Dash from her bonds.

Dash nodded curtly at Celestia, and, one by one, they airlifted Rarity, Olly, and Sweetie Belle out of the crevice, though they didn’t speak or look at each other. Olly had been fidgety, but Rarity and Sweetie Belle were still unconscious, so they weren’t much trouble. Dash and Olly explained what had happened down in the caverns.

As Twilight’s magic recovered, she was able to use it to heal the majority of the group’s wounds, but it would take a few weeks to recover from their injuries unless Sweetie Belle was able to heal them completely with her song. She situated the group around a magical fire that Celestia had created, laying Rarity and Sweetie Belle off to the side. For a while, Twilight sat at the head of the group, bouncing ideas off of Celestia. None of them came remotely close to solving the problems they had at hoof.

“Ponyville should only be a few hours’ walk from here. We’re closer to home than we thought,” Twilight remarked quietly.

“Should I go up and look around?” Celestia asked.

“It’ll be too dark to see anything,” Twilight said. Even now, the last precious rays of sunlight were vanishing from the sky. “We’d better wait until morning.”

“Ngh...” Rarity began. She sat up, rubbing her head. “Where am I?”

“Rarity?” Twilight asked, trotting over to her. “Are you okay?” She was slightly startled upon seeing Rarity’s deep purple irises, but she was happy nonetheless to see her friend alive.

“No...” Rarity mumbled, closing her eyes tightly as pain washed over her, “but moaning about how much pain I’m in won’t do us much good, will it? Is... Is Sweetie Belle okay?”

“...R-Rarity?” Sweetie Belle asked, shifting slightly.

“Oh, thank goodness...” Rarity breathed. She shifted slightly, but couldn’t force her eyes open. In a few moments, she was out again.

Sweetie Belle, on the other hoof, seemed fine, for the most part. She sat up, yawning and inspecting the multitude of bruises located up and down her body. “What in Equestria happened?” she asked drowsily.

After they repeated their explanation to Sweetie Belle, she was silent for a long time. Hesitantly, she began, “So... I was dead... but now I’m alive, thanks to Rarity?”

“Yes, and her Potential,” Twilight finished.

“And Scootaloo left for Vengeance?” Sweetie repeated.

“Because nopony here had the guts to stop her,” Dash muttered bitterly, glancing at Applejack.

“Stop sayin’ that all a this’s mah fault!” Applejack snapped suddenly, furiously glaring at Dash. “Ah did everythin’ Ah could!”

“But it wasn’t enough,” Dash hissed.

“Oh, an’ you woulda done better?” Applejack challenged.

“You think I wouldn’t have?” Dash retorted. She stood up angrily and yelled, “I don’t need you! I don’t need anypony here! I’m going to set Scootaloo free if it’s the last thing I do!”

Twilight slashed her hoof in front of her face, and Dash stumbled as telekinetic force slapped her across her cheek.

“What was that for?!” Dash shouted.

“For being an absolute idiot!” Twilight screamed, standing up as well.

“Oh, and you would know!” Dash yelled.

“ENOUGH.” Celestia’s booming voice could have been heard for miles around, and the sheer force of her breath threatened to knock anypony in her way flat onto their back. “THIS ISN’T THE TIME.”

Dash quieted, but her mood did anything but improve.

“Sweetie Belle?” Fluttershy asked, wiping her nose on her hoof. “Can you still sing for us? M-My wing has seen better days,” she added, motioning to her tattered appendage. “We’d all really appreciate it.”

Sweetie Belle thought for a long time before finally refusing. “No,” she said.

“Why not?” Fluttershy asked, surprised.

“Because none of you are friends anymore,” she began. “You’ve given up on your friendship... That means you’ve given up on ever winning.”

“Whaddaya mean, sugarcube?” Applejack asked.

“When me, Scootaloo, and Apple Bloom were all living on our own, we could have left Ponyville and gone back to Fillydelphia instead of staying to look for you. But we chose not to, because we wouldn’t give up on any of you, because you were our friends, and we couldn’t imagine life without you. When we were captured by Arrogance and locked in those cells, Olly managed to convince Pinkie not to ever give up, and that’s the only way we could have escaped. And when we finally fought Arrogance, we never gave up on defeating her, even when things were at their worst. That made Twilight almost realize her Potential, and it scared Arrogance off.

“But now, we’re letting our friendships be torn apart by Deception and the other Elements of Discord. You’ve given up on ever seeing Scootaloo alive again, when we don’t even know if she’s okay or not. I guess what I’m trying to say is... if, at the end of the day, we’re still friends, then there’s nothing we can’t overcome, and there’s no battle we can’t win.” She paused for a moment, then looked up at her friends determinedly and stated, “I won’t heal any of you until you forgive each other and stop letting stupid arguments hold you back!”

Most of the group was simply shocked, but Celestia nodded. “...Thank you, Sweetie,” she said. As she realized just how out of control things had gotten, she thought, I’m so ashamed of the way I’ve been acting. We’re all supposed to be best friends, and we let the Elements of Discord drive us apart. ...I let the Elements of Discord drive us apart. I’m the oldest; I should have seen the signs and prevented this from ever beginning.

“I was too upset to say it, but that’s exactly what I was thinking,” Twilight added. “If we let Discord tear apart our friendship, then they win. Period. But if we stay friends, then we can defeat Guilt, Hate, Vengeance, Deception, and get Scootaloo back! But we can’t do any of that until we know we’ll all stand by each other, no matter what happens. So what do you say? Friends?” she finished, offering her hoof to the others.

The silence was unbearable as each of the group solemnly glanced around, most of them still wearing pained or angry expressions.

Finally, Applejack offered her hoof, as well. “Friends.”

Dash was next. “Friends.”

“Friends,” Fluttershy said.

“Friends!” Pinkie added suddenly, smiling despite the aching in her head. She had popped out of her slumber just in time for the last part of Twilight’s speech.

“Friends,” Sweetie Belle continued, looking expectantly at Celestia.

“...Friends,” Celestia finished. “Forever.”

The group was silent as Sweetie Belle prepared to sing.

=====================================================================

*******

=====================================================================

*******

“Twilight! Twilight, wake up, please!”

Twilight was shaken awake by a panicking Fluttershy. After Sweetie Belle’s song, they had turned in for the night, but Celestia hadn’t even raised the sun when Fluttershy felt the need to voice her concern.

“Ugh, what is it?” Twilight asked grumpily.

“I woke up early so I thought I would fly up and see how far away Ponyville is so I did and when I looked I saw this cloud only it wasn’t a cloud it was dark and black and it made me cough and it was coming from the other side of the mesa!” Fluttershy rambled.

Twilight rubbed her eyes. “...What?”

“Come on, Come on; we can’t afford to wait for much longer!” Fluttershy urged.

“What in tarnation are ya’ll...” Applejack trailed off, looking upward. Indeed, a massive black cloud of smoke was forming above them, but it seemed to be flowing away from somewhere across from the mesa. It was barely visible in the early morning sky, but still visible and massive enough to make Applejack pause. “...frettin’ about...?”

“What are you all waiting for? There are animals in danger!” Fluttershy exclaimed, shaking Dash and Olly out of their sleeping bags.

“Calm down, Fluttershy, and tell us what’s going on!” Twilight commanded.

“I just told you!” Fluttershy exhaled, exasperated. “I flew up to see which way we should go, and that massive cloud of smoke was coming right out of Ponyville!”

Twilight finally grasped the situation. “No...”

“Then what are we standing around for?” Dash asked, her mane fizzling with anxiety and threatening to ignite at any moment.

After the others were awake, Twilight focused her magic and created a walkway of rock between the two sides of the Ditch. The group hustled across it.

“Rarity, what’s going on?” Sweetie Belle asked.

“I’m not sure, darling,” Rarity admitted. “Twilight, what’s wrong?”

“We think that an Element of Discord started a forest fire right on the outskirts of Ponyville, or worse, inside Ponyville,” Twilight explained. To the group, she added, “It’s only an hour’s walk or so from here, so we should take it easy in case we’re met with a fight.”

They walked for a little while, and despite Twilight’s advice, they were hustling as fast as she allowed.

“Feeling a little antsy-pantsy?” Pinkie asked Fluttershy.

She nodded. “I just hope everypony in town is alright.” We can replace buildings and plants, but not animals or ponies. And I’m willing to fight if it means protecting what I love! ...I... I guess... But I hope it doesn’t come to that.

They journeyed through the Everfree Forest, which started to show obvious signs of a forest fire as they wore on. One was the multitude of animals rushing away from the source of the blaze chaotically, which only increased Fluttershy’s anxiety. The smell of smoke was the next sign. By the time they heard flames sizzling and crackling in the distance and saw smoke casting a veil over the sky, Fluttershy was starting to feel sick, and was barely resisting the urge to cry.

“It’ll be fine,” Olly assured her. “Forest fires happen all the time, and ponies have good enough instincts to avoid them. I bet it was just a foal experimenting with magic.”

“That is the primary cause of forest fires,” Celestia added. “Usually with colts, though, because they find the fire just so fascinating,” she added with a tad of sarcasm.

“I’m guessing you’ve had your share of experiences with foals, huh?” Olly asked.

“Well, not really foals as much as-” Celestia began.

“Quiet, I’m trying to listen for danger,” Twilight interrupted, her ears twitching slightly as she tried to pick up any auditory information that might prove useful.

Her friends’ efforts did little to distract Fluttershy from her fears, though. As they wore their way through the forest, Twilight was forced to cast a filtering spell to protect herself and the others from the toxins in the air, and, soon enough, one to protect them from the heat and flames, which came within two feet of the group.

“Ponyville should be a minute or two away. Prepare yourselves,” Twilight said. She was sweating, but not from exertion. Actually, she was excited for the battle to start. Win or lose, I’m battling alongside my friends, and that’s what counts.

Pinkie didn’t know what to think. Would Hate really burn down our home? I thought he was super-mean, but that isn’t even what a quintuple villain bonanza times five would do! And he looks like he could be nice, too, if we ever gave him the chance. ...Guess it’s too late for that.

Dash was a little frightened at their prospects. Burning down Ponyville would totally be Hate’s style, and where there’s Hate, there’s Guilt, too. If we couldn’t beat them before, how are we supposed to now? Just by trying our best, and believing in ourselves? I don’t buy it, but... I guess I just have to deal with it and do my best.

Rarity’s deep purple eyes were scanning the area for enemies, but she was equally focused on protecting her mane from the roaring fire and gusts of wind that accompanied it. Now that I’ve realized my Potential, I’m a target; somepony to be dealt with first. The only problem is, I have no idea what my power is supposed to be. Maybe I should ask. She opened her mouth to speak, but just then, they approached the entrance to Ponyville.

And who should be present but Hate.

*******

“Well, lookie here,” Hate said humorlessly.

“Thought so,” Dash spat.

Ponyville was ruined. What crumbling buildings still did exist were blasted to dust and either surrounded by or engulfed in roaring flames. The pressure in the area was unstable, so great gales of wind and dust battered the group to the point where it was an effort to stay standing. Large mounds of debris were piled up along the sides of any walls that were still standing. It eerily reminded Twilight of the fake Ponyville Verba had found her and her friends in, right as it started to collapse.

“It’s a little windy,” Hate observed. She tapped her hoof on the ground, and any wind, fire, and smoke present were eliminated from Ponyville in a circular shockwave. She paused for a moment, looking around and inspecting the wreckage nonchalantly before turning to the group again and asking, “Didja bring me a present?”

“Wh-... What happened to all the ponies?” Fluttershy asked quietly, tears welling up in her eyes.

“Take your best guess,” Hate said, though she wasn’t grinning or otherwise taunting them.

“Nihili idiota!” Celestia snarled.

“Takes one to know one,” Hate replied calmly.

Spike... BonBon... Mr. and Mrs. Cake... Twilight thought, shock preventing her from feeling any true emotion other than pain. The others were reacting in a similar way; they couldn’t comprehend just yet the ramifications of everything they knew and loved vanishing in Hate’s rampage. Twilight could barely believe it herself. Something... Something just doesn’t feel right, about this entire thing. I just can’t place what it is, though.

“Where’s your little stump of a brother?” Dash asked.

“Safe and sound, with crosshairs on one of your foreheads if something goes awry,” Hate stated. “He’s probably going to go after you just for saying that.”

“Why can’t he come out and fight? Is he a coward?” Dash asked.

“Something along those lines,” Hate laughed. She pawed her forehoof on the ground. “Prepared for the show?”

“No. Not yet,” Rarity said. She had sent Sweetie Belle away from Hate, and the teen was running away as fast as her legs could carry her. Twilight’s enchantments would be more than enough to see her safely away through the firestorm. Rarity stepped forward, next to Celestia. “You say we’ve committed heinous crimes against you. Before we fight, I’d like to know what those are, so that maybe you can justify demolishing everything we once held dear!”

If Hate was taken off-guard, she didn’t show it, but she didn’t answer right away, either. “...Sure, sure. I can do that. You might wanna sit down, though, ‘cause it’s a long story.”

“We’re fine,” Celestia said, never once taking her steely gaze off of Hate.

For a while, Hate just stood silently, contemplating her explanation.

Minutes passed before Dash asked, “Do you even, like, have some big justification, or something? Or are you just trying to make one up on the fly? How do we know you aren’t really evil?”

“Why would I lie? It won’t make a difference to anything that happens here. I’m still fighting you to the death,” Hate said coolly.

The words struck Twilight like a mallet. He’s right... There’s no way out of this besides killing Hate. He’s not going to let us escape. He wants to end us. ...Or, maybe he was told to end us. I guess it doesn’t matter too much at this point.

Hate took a deep breath, then began. “I’m the youngest of all the Elements. I was probably Centime’s age when I became an Element of Discord. We were forced out of our home by our father, Discidium, and told never to come back, or else he’d sic the Elements of Harmony on us. You were the good kids. We were the misfits. I guess it just works like that sometimes. After that, Vengeance, who was the oldest, disguised us with magic and took us to a nearby village. We hid out there for a few months before you found us.

“At first, I thought it was to bring us home. I was too young to understand what was going on. But you chased us down and captured Arrogance. I never saw her again in her original body. Vengeance took me and Guilt and told us to run away, as far as we could. We did. We ran as fast and far as we could, all the way to the other side of the kingdom. But it wasn’t far enough. Loyalty was the one that found me. This time, I didn’t resist, because all I wanted to do was be brought back home. Like I said, I was young, and dumb, too. Deception managed to keep me alive, though.

“She had somehow disguised herself as Loyalty’s sweetheart. Don’t ask me how, because I really just don’t know. Anyway, instead of killing me outright, Loyalty took me and shoved me into one of Indicina’s torture chambers. Deception had a heck of a time trying to save my life there.”

“Indicina?” Twilight asked.

“You’ve heard of her?” Hate asked.

“The name rings a bell,” Olly added, rubbing his chin.

“Deception said something about her when we defeated Arrogance for the first time,” Twilight added.

“Can’t say I know why,” Hate admitted. “Indicina’s been dead as long as I can remember. She was Discord’s mistress, and a real piece of work. She was always in this twisted search for knowledge, and I was her first lab rat. She tore me apart. Limb--from--limb. Don’t ask me what she did, because I shoved those memories as far back in my mind as I could, and y’know what, I still have nightmares about it!” Hate yelled suddenly. Regaining her composure, she continued: “Deception, again, managed to keep me alive through all of that. A slice of bread here, a distraction there, it was enough. Eventually, she was able to free me, too. She tried her best to get me out of that deathtrap you called home, but she was too late. Loyalty found me again.

“I could barely move on my own. I was covered in stitches and missing parts of my body. I felt hollow, because I was hollow! Indicina had her way with me, so I couldn’t defend myself when Deception was knocked out. It was the only solution you could find to the Discord problem: Extermination. Your final solution was to kill us until we didn’t come back anymore. I gotta say, you were some clever ponies,” Hate hissed. “Loyalty didn’t show mercy this time. His heart was breaking for sure, so he didn’t have any sense of logic anymore. Guess I can’t blame you too much, but, at the end of the day, I was still killed because of it.

“But my death was slow. Loyalty wanted to make sure I was in the most pain possible before he let me off the hook, ‘cause I guess he was in so much of his own. He broke everything he possibly could, then squished the rest. Yeah. It’s not a pretty picture, huh? But you know what the worst part is?” Hate continued, taking a few steps forward. Her eyes were brimming with tears. “The worst part is that Kindness was there, too. Yeah, you heard right. She saw the whole thing! Oh, wait, it gets better!” she added upon seeing Fluttershy’s horrified expression. “You know what she said right before I took my last breath? As I was taking my last breath?” The ground began to tremble, and Hate whispered, “‘...I wish I could have saved you.’”

The group sat in stunned silence.

“I... I don’t know what to say...” Rarity breathed.

“Sp-... Speaks for itself, doesn’t it?” Hate managed, wiping her eyes and trying not to let her emotions take control. She laughed slightly. “And y’know what? I get to do the same to you right here. Only, I won’t enjoy it nearly as much as you did. ...But I’ll still enjoy it. A little.”

“I can’t believe that!” Dash yelled. “There’s no way Fluttershy would’ve done anything like that, even back then!”

“Yeah, and I respect her for not being as evil as her past self,” Hate sneered.

“We would never do any of that!” Twilight shouted over the increasing winds. “We would never commit those crimes without a reason!”

“It doesn’t matter. None of it matters! There was no reason, there never was any reason, and you’re going to die, right here, right now, because the only mistake I ever made was going down without a fight!” Hate screeched. She flapped her wings once to rise up off the ground, then crossed her hooves in front of her face as she gathered energy. “I’m not going to rest until you’ve felt all twenty-five thousand years of my pain!”

He’s charging up... this is it, Twilight thought, quivering slightly but trying to suppress how intimidated she was by Hate’s demonstration. Either the war we’ve been fighting for thousands of years ends today... or we defeat Guilt and Hate.

=====================================================================

[Note]: I do not own anything in this story that already belongs to someone else.
This story takes place BEFORE season two, but AFTER season one.
Please let me know if a link doesn’t work.

Comments

[HikariToYami]

This is amazing and still the most superb thing i have ever read.

Keep it up, I love your stuff!

[Cloud_Surfer]

Cliff hanger rage! Great chapter none the less. Glad Sweetie Belle lived, I don't think I could've handled all of the CMC dying/turning traitor. Also happy she managed to talk them all into working together again. Can't wait for the next chapter.

[PonyBlaze]

This chapter was freakin' awesome! Sweetie Belle was the one to fix troubles this time...

And damn, should've seen it being Rarity instead of Fluttershy.

Hate's the youngest? Never would've seen that one coming. Fluttershy How could you be so cruel in a past life? Been waiting so anctiously for this chapter and I'm so glad that it's out. Amazingly done! Hat tip to the team!

That's actually heartbreaking. Hate was beat to death by his own brother, while his sister watched.

But what I really wonder is if the EoD see their siblings in the Elements of Harmony.

Cheers!

[mau5!]

ME GUSTa,

[thaman]

Oh man. This chapter is freakin' sweet.

I REALLY like Rarity's characterization in this chapter (she's my favorite pony, so anytime she's painted in a good light gets a me gusta from me). I liked Hate's as well. I said something before about Rarity battling her greed and envy and Hate being (somewhat) kind to EoH and how it's kinda the opposite of their element. This chapter shows that Rarity overcame her negative emotions by almost giving up her life for Sweetie Belle, while we also learn the reason of Hate's... well... hatred. It solidifies that Rarity is Generosity and Lucifer is Hate.

Just when we think Vengeance being released was the climax, you go on and set up a climatic battle for the next chapter. Very few stories on this site have so much depth and seriousness as this one. More kudos, Mindblower!

[Jirodyne]

After they kill Guilt and Hate, there is only Deception and Vengeance left!

[Zelda Spectrum]

...Wow! This chapter is amazing, and honestly, I'm at a loss for words. Keep up the good work!

[CluelessDetective]

I'm not gonna lie... this was another chapter that almost made me cry! This was intense, beautiful, and made me feel sad for Hate, as if maybe this isn't a fight about good and evil, lies and the truth, but maybe this is just a case of red v.s. blue.
Keep it up!

[Sunderbraze]

This is gonna be one hell of a battle!

[Silver Tail]

Your talent is incredible. Makes me seriously wish I could write actual stories.

[aaaa_aaaa]

I'm expecting some label deconstruction sometime soon, a-la EY's Sword of Good.

Excellent work though, keep it up!

[zombylover10]

I have a feeling fluttershy is target number one or maybe dash

[inactivenow]

Wow. Just, wow. This chapter was AMAZING. We now know the reasons for Hate's... hate. Hate is my favourite EoD! Anyways, yay Rarity realized her potential. I smell that Fluttershy is next up. And i smell that the cover image for Guilt and Hate actually is what takes place in the next chapter, among with a epic battle. Mind = blown! Keep on writing!

[Jackos]

Amazing chapter is amazing, I also sense Fluttershy's potential is up next, after all, it's been hinted at that she shuts down Hate hard, plus the whole forest being threatened pretty much calls for it, but that's just me and my shallow predictions

That aside, onto the chapter itself: We have Rarity's potential which ironically could have been very useful a chapter ago to prevent the betrayal of a certain orange chicken whose's name shall be left unannounced, still, more potentials are always welcome and we seen to have confirmed why the EoD didn't just shatter the necklaces: it doesn't matter, the thing magically materializes whenever it is needed (need confirmation for this unless it's a spoiler though ). We also have probably the final battle against G&H (too bad I spoiled myself with the "To beg and plead" artwork back in chapter 5 or so ).

On to Hate's reason for his... well... hatred towards the EoH, I guess the initial attack happened because of either Harmony assuming they all would be inherently evil (Probably Vengeance is, if only because she directly drank from the accursed fountain), fear of what their powers are based off (drawing out power from people cheering for you and happy memories is a lot "friendlier" and less potentially damaging for the general populace than, say, terror, pain and fear) or Indicina making all of them dance in her thousands-years-old chessboard for some twisted reason (we can guess she's behind all of this mess since this chapter points her as the "mistress" that released Discord from his stone prison and talked about thsi "game") Still, I feel some pity for Hate, poor foal didn't know anything back then and I'm sure Deception and Vengeance are still keeping a blindold on him.

[Dr Bob]

Have I ever told you how much I hate these cliffhangers?

Loving the cahracter building here, and more history. Jesus, Loyalty has issues. Looking forward to more!

[Timeless River]

Readers don't like cliffhanger endings.
But this work is amazing.

Who knows, maybe, if the EoH had tried to accept Discord instead of exterminating them, this might not be happening.
Finally, I get to blame the [protagonists] for something.

[Octy]

701934 I'm fine with a cliffhanger. Adds suspense, more excitement for the next chapter. That's just me

[Quantum_Shift]

Thus does the battle begin...
And soon, too, shall it end.

I await with great anticipation.

[Csquared08]

Rarity was next? Well, I did change my prediction to Rarity over AJ, so yay me.

Nicely done Sweetie Belle, getting the group back together.

As much as I pity Hate, there's something he's not telling us. There has to be more to the story than that...

...And this is why I wanted to wait until the story was finished. Now I must wait!
OH, THE HORROR!

[Jack Ass Knife]

“Nihili idiota!” Idiot Nihilist?

We are going to need depictions of all the elements in their fully realized potential status, after each consecutive event.

In my opinion, every one of the elements on both sides are acting like immature foals. Seriously... Am I the only one who learned how to forgive easily?

[Rakdar]

this war is never going to end will it?
its probably gonna go on and on and on.
itll just go into a huge cluster buck if both sides dont reallize the true evil.
(pause for dramatic effect)
JUSTICE!!

[Bongoro7]

787186 A perfect (and, I thought, rather obvious) translation of "Nihili idiota!" is "Worthless Idiot!"...

I caught that right away, what with my experiences with the Half-Life series