• Published 16th Apr 2012
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Hooves, Plush, and Magic: The Untold Tales - Harry Leferts



This is the place for side stories, origin tales and plot bunnies for my fic: "The Wizard and the Lonely Princess". So come on in,

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Luna's Story Part 3

Disclaimer: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic is owned by Hasbro and Harry Potter is the property of JK Rowling.

"Hello"-Normal Speaking
"Interesting..."- Nightmare Moon speaking.
'Huh'- Normal Thoughts.
'All mine...' Nightmare Moon's thoughts
_______________________________________________________________________

Sitting in front of Luna once more, Harry slowly leans back against Nightmare. "So some more history now?" Luna nods with a slightly thoughtful look. "So we were at the point where Discord managed to take over Equestria..."

Luna sighs at this. "Yes." She then shakes her head. "Well, after he took over, he declared himself ruler of Equestria. Now, Celly and I did try to fight back along with a number of others, but we failed to do any lasting damage and the fighting died out within a week as the survivors needed to retreat and heal, though the Resistance would continue onwards until his defeat."

Nightmare then takes over. "At first, his 'Pranks' were not truly harmful. At the most he twisted personalities and made Ponies and others do things that they would never do otherwise. The worst, however, was to come." She then grimaces. "He slowly grew bored with what he was doing and turned to other avenues. For example, he would switch a Pony from one species to another for chuckles. Turning a Unicorn into a Earth Pony or Pegasi and so on." Nightmare's lips twitch some. "Ironically, this would promote harmony as Ponies of different types began to understand each other."

Harry raises an eyebrow. "Okay, that sounds pretty horrific right there. But... I'm guessing that he went far farther then that?"

Luna scowls. "Very much farther." She then rubs at her eyes. "As time went by his 'Jokes' became more and more vicious in nature. He became bored with the lighter ones. One of his nastier ones had to do with this one town in the Everfree Glade." Luna's expression slowly darkens. "He would make bad things happen there whenever a Pony gained a Cutie Mark or bad things would happen to Ponies who had one. He had cast a spell there that continued for more then three decades after his defeat that did the same thing. Eventually, the villagers there believed that Cutie Marks were cursed and so it became a village of... for lack of a better term, 'Blank Flanks'."

Harry raises an eyebrow at this. "Surely some Ponies there had to have gained Cutie Marks. Pretty much impossible for them not to have." He then frowns. "And was this the village where that disaster occurred with the Unicorn foal?"

Luna slowly shakes her head. "No, this village... Sunnyville I believe, was an Earth Pony only village. The Unicorn village was not too far away though, you could just see it from the tree tops outside of Sunnyville." She frowns a bit. "Though from what I remember the magical wave did pass by them, but they didn't want to leave..." She then shakes her head free. "As for what happened to those that got Cutie Marks, we were told that the villagers banished them. While Celly believed them, I always had this odd feeling that there was more going on. Never could prove it though as I had little time due to my duties and the Night Guard had other duties besides watching a single town to see what happened when one of the foals gained Cutie Marks."

Nightmare sighs. "Anyways, back to Discord's reign..."

Luna grumbles some. "Right." She then clears her throat. "Discord did far worse then that I'm afraid. For example, he twisted some trees around and created a creature known as a Timberwolf. A wolf like predator made out of living wood that mainly hunted at night. The bastard thought it great fun to have them stalk and chase unsuspecting Ponies through the wilds at night."

Nightmare nods a bit before tossing in her own bit. "And then there was that group of mares." Seeing Harry's questioning look, she shakes her head. "They were downright terrified of snakes. Discord found each one and slowly drove them towards one and other. Once they were altogether, they found several stallions."

Harry raises an eyebrow. "I'm... not getting a good feeling from this..."

Nightmare grimaces. "And you shouldn't." She then scowls. "See, once more Discord messed with their heads and had them fall in love with said stallions. Then, one morning after they all laid with their mates, they woke up to find that the stallions had reverted to their true forms... monstrous serpents." Seeing the sickened look on Harry's face, she shakes her head. "That wasn't the worst bit I'm afraid. See, the mares became pregnant and gave birth to half pony, half snake children that became known as Lamias."

Luna then takes over. "The Lamias eventually became vicious and cruel due to the treatment of their mothers, forced by Discord's spell to keep their children alive but not much else... all except one of them." Luna then shakes her head and looks at the sky. "Her daughter's name was Juniper. And while frightened and disgusted by what happened to her, Juniper's mother tried her best to take care of her and love her daughter... until one day..."

Harry closes his eyes and takes a breath. "Until one day the children snapped."

Luna nods. "Yes. They snapped and killed their mothers in a brutal bloodbath." Luna then sighs and looks down. "Except for Juniper. She came home with some flowers for her mother, only to be attacked by the Lamias. They were jealous of how she was treated by her mother and so sought to kill them both along with their own mothers." Seeing Harry open his mouth, Luna shakes her head. "I've met and knew Juniper for years Harry."

Harry simply nods and digests that for a moment. "So... she got away?"

Luna sighs and nods. "She did, but only because her mother saved her. I don't know the whole story, but her mother shielded her with her own body and flung them both into a nearby river." A tear slowly drips from Luna's eye. "Her mother would die of her wounds and Lamia venom in Juniper's embrace. After burying her, Juniper went on to find a cave nearby to live in." Luna scowls fiercely as she slams a hoof into the lunar dust. "And so it went." Luna then looks at Harry directly with tears in her eyes. "He never killed on purpose and went out of his way to prevent deaths. But that was only so that he could continue playing his games."

Nightmare nods. "What he did to Lepidoptera was the worst I think personally."

Raising an eyebrow, Harry turns to her. "How so?"

Nightmare grimaces before sighing as she answers. "Lepidoptera when she was young was a happy princess of one of the Unicorn Principalities. However, when Discord arrived she was caught off guard like the rest of us. But, while we managed to escape, she didn't. Now, Discord thought her wings were quite nice and so he transformed her into a horrifying amalgamation of pony and insect in order to, according to what she said, make her complete."

Harry turns slightly green at that. "I think I'm going to be sick..."

Nightmare simply shakes her head. "What was more horrific was that when she escaped during a rebel attack ten years on, we found that we could not reverse it. So, while me and Celestia worked to train and raise an army to defeat Discord, Clover and Lepidoptera worked to undo the magic. They did manage it just after we beat Discord, but..."

Harry closes his eyes. "More then twenty years as something like that would mess with anyone's mind."

Luna nods. "Yes, and when you consider that she had to deal with having both a insect's mind and a Pony's mind in the same body..." Luna shudders as the thought crosses her mind. "She was never the same afterwards."

Harry shudders himself before moving and wrapping his arms around the Lunar Princess. "You don't have to tell me anymore about what he did Luna..."

Luna just gives him a smile as she nuzzles him. "Thank you. I'd rather not remember everything he did..." She then sighs. "But there is a bit more to tell you." She then shifts a little. "At the time, Equestria was a small nation, very small."

Harry raises an eyebrow. "How small is small?"

Luna just chuckles a bit before answering. "Equestria was actually not much bigger then what I suppose Ireland is. To the east was Auroch, a country of cattle with their allies the country of DeBoar with several smaller countries of other beings clustered with them . To the west was the great wooded forests of Canis, inhabited by the Canids, a race of bipedal, intelligent dogs. And to the south... to the south was the desert kingdom of the Gryphon Empire, ruled over by their Pharaoh."

Harry blinks for a moment. "Didn't they help?"

Luna shakes her head sadly. "They didn't." She then scowls. "Me and Celly went to each country and requested help and aid for our people. All of them denied us. The Canids were generous among each other, but not to us ponies. The Aurochs, were a kingdom of artists and scholars and thought it best to lay low. The DeBoars? Obsessed with personal hygiene and fine foods wanted nothing to do with those who, in their words, would go to bed dirty from the fields. And the other countries around them would not do anything unless Auroch and DeBoars did. As for the Gryphons... Celly argued with me about going to them. She, like me was disgusted with how they treated their sibling race, the normal Griffins, as second class citizens at best. My argument was that we had to at least try."

Seeing her scowl, Harry sighs. "And considering what you've told me about them, that didn't turn out great."

Nightmare simply snorts in derision. "That would be putting it mildly." Glaring at nothing in particular, she continues. "The bastard stated that he would help as long as we became part of his empire, giving him 'Tribute' for his protection." Nightmare's lips then twitch. "But neither me or Celestia were going to have our little Ponies free from one enslaver, only for another to take their place."

Harry simply shakes his head. "Can't say that I blame you for that." He then frowns. "So then how did Equestria grow? Did you conquer the surrounding nations as payback for them not helping you?"

Nightmare snorts and shakes her head, an amused glint in her eyes. "As much as I wished that were the case, it was not." Ignoring Luna's scowl, she grins. "What did happen was what I do believe one would call karmic payback."

Harry raises an eyebrow at this. "Oh?"

Luna sighs a bit and shakes her head. "While I would not have put it in the same way as Nightmare, she is correct as the best term would be a 'Karmic backlash'." She then grimaces. "About five years before his defeat, Discord had a 'celebration' of sorts and so invited the rulers of the neighboring kingdoms to send representatives to it."

Harry groans and places his face in his palm. "They didn't..."

Luna shakes her head. "Not all of them." She then shrugs. "The Gryphon Pharaoh was no fool and used the excuse that he was putting down another rebellion. Auroch, DeBoars, and Canis as well as the smaller countries did so." She then gestures with a hoof as she continues. "The Auroch diplomat did not like his 'Art'. The DeBoar's one did not like the food or drink served, and the Canid one thought him a bit too greedy. None of this as you can imagine went down well."

Harry just groans. "No, I imagine not."

Nightmare grins a little. "As I said, they had brought it upon themselves when they decided to be arrogant." Her grin fades a little. "Though it was horrific for them."

Seeing Harry's raised eyebrow, Luna sighs. "For the next couple of years, those nations found that monsters from inside Equestria somehow appeared within their boarders. Of course, Discord disavowed any knowledge of where they had originated." Luna then shakes her head. "Me and Celly once we discovered this fact, tried stopping them from our side of the boarder while those military forces in the countries coming under attack did their best to limit the damage, but there was a lot of devastation nonetheless..." She then hangs her head and slowly shakes it. "Perhaps if we had not used so much power against Discord before we sealed him using the Elements then they might have had the power to undo all the evil he had done. But he was simply too powerful from feeding on the chaos he had generated over the years to undo all he had done."

Harry blinks a little. "Come again?"

Nightmare gives him a look before her eyes widen. "Ah, I see." Seeing him turn towards her, she continues. "You see Harry, Discord under normal circumstances is roughly as powerful as Celestia, the Little Princess, or myself. But, he feeds on chaos and uses it to boost his strength. When he had first taken over, the chaos he had created was just enough to allow him to overpower us. And by the time the events leading to his defeat occurred, he could have fought our Mother or Father in combat along with us and possibly have created a tie."

Luna then takes over. "Which was why it took so much power to undo what he had done in Equestria alone. We had managed to bring back many of the Ponies he had discorded and undo the worst of the damage to the environment in Equestria and the original monsters that he had created, but, sadly, that was all that we could do. Everything else..."

Harry then cocks his head to the side. "Couldn't you have used the Elements a second time then? And undone more?"

Luna slowly shakes her head. "By the time we had found out about all the other issues, it was too late. The monsters lurking in those countries went on a devastating orgy of destruction with the loss of Discord. And combined with what he had done personally just before being defeated..." Sighing, she closes her eyes. "Perhaps if we had used the Elements much sooner a second time we might have prevented those countries from falling. Maybe. And perhaps they could have rebuilt with less monster attacks with more of the original generation gone."

Nightmare also shakes her head. "And by that time, enough of the original generation of monsters were in those countries that they established breeding populations in the chaos that was created by the countries falling apart." She then sighs. "Perhaps with a second blast right after, we could have taken out enough of the originals that the countries could have had the time to get back on their feet."

Harry then nods as they slip into thoughtful silence for a few moments. "So how did you defeat him then?"

Both Luna and Nightmare gain identical pained expressions. "It was due to a combination of factors Harry. Part of it was that Auroch, DeBoar, and Canis all attacked at the same time. At the time me and Celly didn't know why, but later we figured it was to destroy the source of the monsters at their source. Discord turned and started fighting them, but took his sweet old time and so got weakened due to his arrogance though the devastation he caused was pretty much complete. The real danger was from the south though."

Harry is confused for a moment. "The Gryphons?"

Nightmare nods. "Yes. Their Pharaoh had his own ideas as to how to deal with him." She then wipes a hoof across her face. "Using their own weather controlling abilities, they caused a massive drought as far into Equestria as they could while Discord was busy. And using hot desert winds, dried out the land even farther."

Getting an inking of as to the reason, Harry takes a breath. "Why though?"

Luna grimaces. "All the others pursued the idea of taking out Discord himself, but the Pharaoh was different. He figured out that Discord had been feeding off the chaos he was generating. However, he also believed that Discord needed living beings in order to feed. And so he pursued a literal 'Scorched Earth' policy." Her expression starts darkening as she continues. "Once Discord returned from beating down the other countries, weakened but still powerful, the Pharaoh struck. In a single night he had hundreds of fires lit in the southern regions of Equestria and using their control over weather, rapidly spread it using the hot, desert winds." Luna slowly shakes her head, speaking around the lump in her throat. "Neither me or Celly knows how many died, but it was easily thousands of Ponies. Stallions, Mares, or foals, the Pharaoh just them all put to the sword. Those who tried to outrun the fires where slaughtered by attacks from above." She then shakes her head. "It didn't take long for Discord to arrive, angry that someone had been killing his playthings."

Nightmare then takes over. "Before we go farther, there's a few things that you have to understand about the Gryphon Pharaoh. One of which was that he was a sorcerer." Seeing Harry's eyes widen, she nods. "Royal Gryphons could in fact use magic much like a Unicorn could." She then narrows her eyes as she hisses. "However, they used black magics the like of which even I would not." She then closes her eyes. "They thought nothing of using magic to destroying the free will of a large segment of their slave population and using them as soldiers. And that's not counting their libral use of necromancy."

Harry starts going pale at that. "Necromancy..."

Luna nods. "Yes Harry, that despicable type of magic was used by the Royal Gryphons." She then snorts derisively. "In fact, that was how the Pharaoh created the illusions of being a living god." Seeing his confusion, she shakes her head. "Like the Pharaohs of your own world, the Gryphon ones were worshiped as gods."

Harry clears his throat a little. "So how did they manage it then?"

Nightmare shakes her head. "Like the ones in Ancient Egypt, the Gryphon Pharaohs were sorted into Dynasties. As you went through each successive generation, they would get more and more powerful. From our own research, how they did it was simple. Each time one reached the end of their life, their successor would perform a ritual allowing them to absorb the magic and whatever life-force was left into themselves. The Pharaoh at the time, Gakaotah the eighth, was very powerful being the last of the longest lasting dynasty." She then scowls. "Now that you have some background, it's time to continue." She waits for Harry to nod before doing so. "Now, when Discord fought back, he got a nasty surprise. The Gryphon Pharaoh was ready for him and raised a massive army of the living and the dead. The living portion was mostly normal Griffins who were brainwashed into sacrificing themselves for the Pharaoh or any Royal Gryphon nearby."

Luna then takes over. "The dead portion was the reanimated corpses of slaves filled to the brim with necromantic energies. He had to have been building that up over the previous quarter century by that point. They too, had a nasty surprise." Seeing the slightly sickened, slightly inquisitive look, she goes on. "When one was destroyed, it would detonate into an explosion of necromantic energy. Anything alive caught in it would be instantly killed. The undead caught in it would detonate themselves creating a more massive explosion and Discord would be caught in it be injured. It took him a while, but finally Discord managed to beat back the Pharaoh's army before confronting the ruler himself. After a long, and very brutal battle as the Pharaoh did not care who he killed accidentally, Discord finally stood triumphant over him... Only for him to pull one last attempt to kill the spirit of chaos."

Harry, who's been listening with wide eyes, gulps. "And what was that?"

Luna's expression and eyes darken considerably. "He unleashed one final spell that had used a ritual array hidden in the capital city's very streets to forcibly convert all the life force and magic of the inhabitants into necromantic energy, killing them all, tens of thousands of lives snuffed out in one final attempt by a mad being to kill something unkillable."

Nightmare nods. "Yes. And of course it didn't work." She waves with her hoof as she goes on. "Oh, sure, it badly hurt Discord. And the only good thing was that the backlash was enough that the surviving normal Griffins in Equestria were freed and took off for the northern mountains. And they would later round back and grab any others they could though Discord's revenge was massive." Nightmare slowly closes her eyes. "With his power he created a massive sandstorm and covered the remains of the capital city in sand as well as wiping out almost all life in the Gryphon Empire whether it was innocent or not." She then looks up at the orb overhead. "He then returned to Equestria and that was when the battle truly began."

Luna nods. "Yes." She then sighs and she leans into Harry. "While all this was going on, me and Celly were not idle. We gathered up our forces and began a push to the where the old capital of Equestria was. It took time, but we reached it just as Discord returned, badly weakened due to his recent battles." She then grimaces. "Then, while the army above did battle against him and numerous Ponies and other beings died to buy us time, me and Celly went to find the Elements deep below the city. It was our hope that perhaps being a being so similar to the Windigoes, that perhaps the energy from the Heart of Friendship might be able to perform a similar effect." Luna then closes her eyes as some tears leak from them. "We found them and returned to the surface as quickly as we could, only to find that the army had nearly been wiped out. And there, above it all, injured and yet still alive was Discord. We were stunned at the devastation that met us, that we didn't see his attack until Typhoon's mother, Thunderstrike, pushed us both out of the way. She... didn't survive the attack."

Watching as Harry wraps his arms around the distraught Alicorn, Nightmare closes her own eyes, seeing the memories from that day. "After that, I and Celestia took to the air and started fighting Discord there. The Elements, not yet activated, did not provide much more then a power boost." She sheds a tear as she goes on. "And while that battle was less devastating then the one our parents perished in, it still tore the heavens and earth asunder." Snarling, she hangs her head as she stomps the ground creating a cloud of dust. "And yet, that still was not enough as he was still beating us. In fact..."

She takes a shuddering breath Harry reaches over and strokes his fingers through her mane while doing the same to Luna on the other side. "I am so sorry... I shouldn't have asked..."

Luna just shakes her head against his shoulder before looking up at him. "No Harry, you have the right to know... and so few know the whole story behind it that..." She then looks down. "Do you know that most seem to think that me and Celly defeated him on our own? That we had no help from others to do so?"

Harry blinks for a moment and then looks down. "Really? But... I would have thought that you and Celestia would have told them otherwise."

Nightmare grimaces and leans into his embrace. "We have. But our subjects just wave it off as us being modest. And... that's the greatest disservice to those who died that could be done."

Luna nods slowly. "And that's why it's important for you to know the truth of what happened Harry." She then looks him right in the eye. "If even one person or pony knows what happened, and more then that believes that, then they will not be forgotten. Their sacrifice will be remembered by someone other then me, Celly, or Nightmare... all that pain, all that grief... the loss... it will be remembered for what it is. And it would not be swept under the rug as it's meaning would be known."

Seeing how important this is to the two of them, Harry simply nods for them to continue. "Okay."

Luna nods as she leans in again, drawing strength from her best friend. "It... was horrible. Even me and Celly working together could not beat him. Finally, we were both exhausted when he shot two blasts of pure chaos at us... only for Typhoon's draconic father to fly in the path and throw a spell at Discord, stunning him. I remember him looking at us as the spell blasts hit. His last words being 'Make it count' before his shattered body fell to Earth." Squeezing back tears, Luna takes a shuddering breath. "And at the same time, all the Unicorns, Pegasi, Earth Ponies, and others... all those citizens of Equestria threw all they had left at Discord. And it was at that moment, seeing that, that something awoke in me and Celly."

Harry sucks in a breath. "The Elements..."

Luna's lips twitch some. "Yes." She then looks at him. "Somehow, the emotions running through me and Celly awoke them fully and the feeling... to this day I can't fully describe it Harry. It was... electrifying... terrifying... comforting... there are no words that express what it truly felt like..."

Harry watches her for a moment before shaking his head in amazement. "Wish that I could feel what it was like..."

Luna looks at him for a moment in thought before becoming serious. "Harry... how much do you trust me?"

Harry just gives her a raised eyebrow. "Alot Luna, you know that." Seeing her shake her head causes him to blink. "What?"

She sighs and looks him right in the eye, pulling away from his hug enough to do so. "Harry, how much do you trust me...?"

Harry blinks for a moment and nods. "I trust you with my life."

Nightmare suddenly pipes up. "And me Harry?"

Still confused, he nods. "I trust you just as much."

Luna looks at her, only for Nightmare to return the stare. "I know what you are planning and you do not have enough power alone to do it. Together, however, we do."

Harry looks between them confused and a little frustrated at what's happening. "Okay, what the hay is going on?"

Luna sighs and looks back at him. "Harry, I know a spell that will allow you to experience a memory. There's a lesser version that lets you see it, but this one will immerse you into it will be as if its happening to you. It is an intensely... personal experience hence why I need to know how much you trust me as that is an important part. All parties involved need to trust each other immensely for it to work properly. And with Nightmare helping..."

Nightmare's eyes widen as she whips around as she realizes something. "Wait... you trust me?"

Luna nods. "Enough for this, yes. And apparently you trust me enough for this as you suggested it." Seeing Nightmare huff and look away, Luna cocks her head to the side as her lips twitch. A moment later, she turns back to Harry. "It's up to you if you wish to do this Harry. I warn you, it will be... intense."

Harry takes a breath and then nods. "If it's what you want to do Luna, I have no problem..."

Luna just nods with a small smile as her horn and Nightmare's lights up. "Any other questions?"

Harry gulps a little. "What do I need to do?"

Nightmare gives him a smile as her and Luna lay their horns on his forehead. "Just relax and open yourself..."

Taking a breath, Harry does so and his eyes slowly close. A moment later, they fly open and his pupils shrink to nearly nothing.

************ Flashback *********************

Opening his eyes, Harry glares at the mismatched being in front of him and his sister as his powerful wings keep him aloft. He grimaces as every part of his body feels like it's on fire from the various aches and pains throughout it. His legs hurt, his wings, his head, even the tips of his mane and tail ache. Though only Mother knows how. And his horn just plain throbs in agony from the amount of power having been pushed through it in one battle. He glances at his sister through one swollen eye, her bruised and battered body looking like he feels as she shouts at the monster before them. "DISCORD! Thine reign of tyranny ends here on this day!"

Discord gives a small grin, the various wounds on his body slowly closing as he opens his arms. "Aw, but I was just starting to have fun. Can't stop now you two." He then grins. "Hmm... I wonder what I should do first? Vanish those horns of your's or pluck your pretty little wings from your body..."

Harry just snarls as his glare intensifies, ignoring the pain flashing through his body not to mention how his magic is just about exhausted, the only respite coming from the three gemstones floating around him and lending him power. "Thou shalt not win this day fiend! For thou hast already lost!"

Discord snorts as the clouds and wind swirls around him. "'Lost' my dears? I think you have this completely backwards. Today is the last gasp of this... 'Resistance'." He finishes the word with finger quotes as he laughs. "All my foes came here all gift wrapped like little presents under a tree!"

Harry just smirks, slowly gathering what's left of his strength. "Thou does not understand what is happening! Thou hast united Equestria in a way it never has before! For today on this hour the beings of Equestria stand before thee and in say as one, that no! We shall not let thee win! We shall fight as one!"

Celestia laughs a little. "My sister art right Discord! All of Equestria is united against thee! We each fight for our neighbors, our friends, our family and loved ones! That spark, that spark of friendship and harmony that thee tried so hard to extinguish now burns brighter then it ever has before! It has become a blazing inferno that shalt consume you!"

And with those words the gems surround both Harry and his sister burst into light causing them to gasp as new strength flows into and through their battered forms, revitalizing them. Harry feels a pang of satisfaction as the being that has terrorized the land for so long shields his face, fear appearent across it. "Wha... WHAT IS THIS!"

Harry grins widely at the feeling flowing through him as he shouts at the spirit of disharmony. "THIS IS WHAT THOU CAN NEVER DESTROY! THE HOPES AND DREAMS OF EQUESTRIA ARE RIDING ON US AND WE SHANT NOT FAIL THEM!"

What follows is a resumption of the battle as with new strength Harry and Celestia fight Discord, the magical field around them shielding them against his strikes as if they were pebbles. All around the God of Chaos, massive rainbow colored explosions occur as his foes twist and weave at high speeds around him. Each hit sapping more and more of his strength. Finally, Harry and Celestia come to a stop in front of the hurt spirit as Celestia watches him. "Give up Discord. It is over and thou hast lost. Give up now and we shall show thee mercy that thou hast not shown others."

Discord just snarls, all humor gone from his face as he pants, the situation of just a few minutes ago completely reversed. "I SHALL NOT SURRENDER! I WILL NOT LOSE TO... PONIES!"

Celestia just sighs, a single tear dripping from her eye. "So be it Discord. Let thee remember that thou hast brought this upon thyself."

Harry and Celestia float there, his dark blue wing tips touching her white ones as the glowing orb of power brightens as a rainbow becomes visible wrapping around it. Eyes wide, Discord gathers the last of his power as he shakes his head, spittle flying from his mouth. "No... NO! IT WILL NOT END LIKE THIS! I REFUSE TO LET IT!" And at the same moment he fires it at the two, the two Alicorns fire a beam made of a rainbow at him. The two beams hit and fight dominance as both sides pour on the power. Discord grins as his beam of pure chaos starts to win out. "Yes... YES!" A moment later though, the orb around Celestia and Harry pulses and the rainbow beam gains in strength, overcoming and absorbing Discord's, and gaining power from it. "NO!"

He gives one last roar of defiance before the rainbow covers him. As it cocoons him , the orb blows outwards revealing two exhausted Alicorns as it starts covering Equestria and fixing the worst of the damage, the six gems giving off some light as they watch the rainbow dissipate. Swallowing heavily, Harry tries to see through it. "Is it done sister? Hast the beast been defeated?"

A moment later the rainbow fully disappears revealing a now petrified Discord who starts falling towards the ruined city below. Breathing a sigh of relief, Celestia turns to Harry. "Indeed it has Lulu... indeed it has."

Not reacting the name, Harry slowly nods. "That's... good..."

Suddenly, all strength leaves him as he, like Discord just had, begins to fall towards the ground far below. Above, Celestia's eyes widen as she dives. "LUNA!" Reaching Harry, she grabs him, only for her own exhaustion to catch up and sap her own strength. Soon, she's falling beside Harry who looks at her with hooded eyes from tiredness and pain as all the aches return. "It is done... and I am glad..."

Celestia just nods as she embraces Harry, the two spiraling in the air. "As am I dear sister. And now... at the end of it all... we can finally rest... knowing that we did our duty... and those we watch over are safe..." Spotting the ground coming close, Celestia manages one last flap of the wing placing her below Harry as she curls protectively around him. A moment later they hit the ground with a bone shattering impact causing Harry's vision to go black...

***************** Flashback end ************************

Eyes wide, Harry jerks breathing hard as his heart races a mile a minute in his chest while Luna and Nightmare pull away. Clutching at his chest, Harry jerkily looks behind him, only to confirm that he's back in his body and he has no wings. Blinking slowly, Luna gives him a worried look. "Are you okay Harry?"

Harry just nods, the adrenalin rushing through his veins slowly dying down. "Ye-yeah... I think that I am." Blinking rapidly, he shakes his head. "I know that you said that it would be intense but..." He looks at her with a stunned, amazed look in his eyes as tears run from them freely. "That... somehow saying it was incredable makes it seem... less..."

Nightmare just nods as she lets out a yawn, giving him a slight nuzzle. "I know..."

On his other side, Luna also nods as she looks at him sleepily. "Sorry Harry... seems that the spell made me more tired then I thought..."

Harry gives a nod as he too yawns as tiredness starts to overtake him. "Hey, Luna?" He lays back against a crater's rim as Luna leans into him on one side, Nightmare on the other. "Was that what it really was like... Both the Elements and being an Alicorn?"

She gives a chuckle before nodding, her eyes slowly closing "Mm-hm..." After a moment, she lets out a sigh. "Harry? Is it okay if we continue this tomorrow."

Harry smiles some. "Yeah... I don't think that I can keep... my eyes open for much longer..."

Luna sighs. "That's... good..." And together, the three drift off completely into the land of dreams...