• Published 22nd Jun 2012
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Elements of Insanity - Emeral Bookwise



Lunaverse; Twilight plans to prove herself superior to Trixie by forming her own Elements of Harmony

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Chapter 10: "Opened Up My Eyes"

Author's Note:

So here we finally are. It's been a long time --too long really-- but welcome all to the grand climax!

Before we get started I would like to give special thanks to GreyGuardPony, Talon and Thorn, and thatguyvex for all providing draft consultations at various points during the development of this chapter. In addition, I would also like to give an extra special thanks to FinalFan for his most gracious assistance as a proofreader.

And now with the formalities out of the way, on with the show...

"What!" Twilight yelled, practically tossing aside the other four ponies in her alarm, "But Lemon Hearts you can't be serious. The amulet's corrupting influence is too dangerous to actually use it. Now, take it off, quick, before it gets in your head."

"Oh, I assure you, Miss Sparkle," Lemon Hearts spoke with a trill just short of dismissive laughter "I'm more than sufficiently experienced at managing a corruptive influence."

Twilight stood aghast, at first because she was unable to comprehend this sudden change of demeanor in the formerly genial matron. Yes, there had been that gruesome bluff she made with the dragon, but this? No, it had to be something else. With their mission failed, maybe Lemon Hearts was only donning the amulet as an act of desperation. Some precaution in case the dragon…

A looming shadow rose over Lemon Hearts. "Tut, tut, little pony. Deal or no deal, I'm afraid I can't let you take the amulet!"

Lemon Hearts didn't turn her head or make any other attempt to flee as the dragon lunged forward to attack. Instead, she only casually lifted her tail, the hairs at the tip splitting apart and taking on a semblance of animate digits, which then flicked against each other with an audible snap. There was an instantaneous flash and then dragon was gone, replaced a small mewling kitten which hung for a brief moment in the air before abruptly falling helplessly to the floor.

Twilight stared in shock at what should have been an impossible act of magic. Even with the Alicorn Amulet, a transmutation of that level should have taken at least some visible effort, but Lemon Hearts hadn't even seemed to cast a spell at all. It was as if she'd simply made it happen by sheer will alone.

"Surprised, my dear?" The elder unicorn blinked, revealing hideously unnatural eyes. Gone now was the warm and motherly rose, replaced instead by beady red pupils against sickly yellow sclera. "I told you before that I was a pony of many talents… and I suppose I did promise to teach you a few tricks. Now seems as good a time as any to start our lessons, don't you think?" She began to walk slowly towards Twilight with a menacing gait.

However, Lemon Hearts couldn't even finish three steps before a weight leapt atop her back. Silverstar pinned the unicorn to the ground, "I dun should'a known ya was trouble all along! Had a gut feeling somethin' weren't ever right with ya!"

Lemon Hearts only grinned nonchalantly –her mouth somehow now filled with sharp predatory fangs– "Why, Mr. Star, is this how you treat a lady?"

"I don't know what ya are, but ya ain't no lady!" He then bore his teeth down on the amulet's clasp and yanked with all his might.

The "pony" beneath him simply chortled as she wrapped her magical aura –now red instead of teal– about him and effortlessly levitated him away like a mere foal. "Really now, did you think it would be that easy? Were you even paying attention when Miss Sparkle here first told us about this amulet? The clasp can only be undone by the wearer." Then she levitated him upside down in front of her face, "Besides, you only got close enough to try because I let you. I should warn you, however," she said as her voice shifted into something more like a snarl, "My patience has limits!"

Then just as quickly her voice changed into the mocking chidings of an indignant mother scolding a hapless child, "Now be a good little colt and don't try playing rough with mamma again."She then casually tossed him aside as though he were nothing, and perhaps compared to her that's all he was… all any of them were.

Snowflake flew up and caught the other stallion before he could crash into the floor. As the two came down gently, Loosy went running to Silverstar's side to make sure he was okay.

Twilight turned to plead yet one more time, "Look, Lemon Hearts, this isn't you, it can't be. It's the amulet! It's gotten inside your head and is twisting your mind, driving you mad with power."

At first there was only silence, then a low chuckling that steadily built into an unsettlingly maniacal laughter. "Really now, young Miss Sparkle, is that what you think? No, child, this very much is the real me, the me that I have had to hide away from the world for so many decades, but no more!"

The matron's declaration resonated briefly throughout the chamber in an augmented timbre not unlike the Royal Canterlot Voice.

"Oh…" she cooed, her voice filled with a lustful ecstasy, "And does it ever feel so good to cast away my mask and throw caution to the wind. No more slinking in the shadows afraid of being discovered."Then in a bellowing triumphant glee, "With the power of this amulet, I needn't hold back my true abilities ever again! This amulet isn't driving me mad, no, quite the contrary. It's finally set me free and given me full control of the legacy that was always my birthright!"

"Birthright? What are talking about, Lemon Hearts? You aren't making any sense."

"I'm making perfect sense, child! You merely lack the perspective to understand…" She paused then, as her ears swiveled about, "But I lack the time to educate you… not when I can already hear them calling out to me in the night."

"What are you talking about…?" Then Twilight heard it too, the sound of armored hoofsteps and shouting. Turning about quickly she called out to her other compatriots, "It's the guards, we have to get out of here!"

"No, not them." said Lemon Hearts distractedly while gazing off vaguely into some unknown distance. "It's the other children, all those poor lost souls adrift in the sea of this meaningless life. They know not the gifts they waste, but soon enough every last one of them will be mine, all mine."Lemon Hearts again grinned with predatory intent as she lifted into the air on a pair of leathery purple wings that — wait, wings?

Twilight blinked. When had Lemon Hearts conjured those? Again there had been no build up, no weaving of magical energies. The wings had just appeared from nowhere.

If Lemon Hearts noticed the confusion in the younger unicorn, she paid it no mind. Instead she simply looked to the ceiling and raised a hoof, the flat of which flexed in an impossible manner, then with another snap and flash, part of the ceiling as well as all the ground above it was now suddenly water instead.

Lemon Hearts hovered in the air a moment holding an umbrella that she'd acquired from nowhere in her other hoof to shield herself from the sudden torrential downpour. She looked down one last time upon the other ponies. "It's been fun, but mamma doesn't have time to play with you anymore. Do take care as best you can though," then with a flap of her wings and a flick of her tail she shot off, a wisping trail of smoke and sparks trailing after her as though she were a rocket.

The five now drenched ponies below sputtered and choked as they tried to regain their wits. They had precious little time though as the sound of the approaching guards drew ever closer.

Rushing for the vault door, Silverstar yelled out, "Snowflake, help me with this!". The two stallions began to push with all their might, but the door was heavy and slow to move. Then a sudden magical aura joined their efforts and with one mighty shove slammed the door shut with a deafening thud. Silverstar turned and tipped his hat to Twilight.

"Don't thank me yet. That probably won't hold them very long."

"I reckon yer right." Silverstar then glanced up, eyeing the hole in the ceiling. "Twi, ya got enough magic to lift both Clover and Loosy at the same time?"

"Sure, but..."

"No buts, girl. Snowflake, ya pick up Twi and fly her out'a here while she carries the others! I'm a trustin' ya to keep everypony safe, ya hear!"

Snowflake gave a sharp salute.

Loosy, however, quickly became distraught as she realized, "Wait! No… Silver… we can't just leave you behind."

"No arguments, Loosy. If'n those guards don't catch at least one pony in here, they'll lock down the whole city 'til they find us. I can at least put up enough of a fight to buy all the rest of ya time to get as far away from here as ya can. Now skedaddle, the lot of ya!"

Her jaw trembling, Loosy hesitantly made to step towards Silverstar. She was scared, but she couldn't just let him… with little warning, however, a magical aura wrapped around her as she felt herself lifted off the ground. Turning her head she saw Snowflake, his hooves hooked under Twilight Sparkle's legs as the unicorn herself used magic to levitate the other two mares.

Clover Charms giggled, "Hey, that tickles." She flailed lightly about, causing herself to weightlessly spin upside down.

"Don't squirm," groaned Twilight through gritted teeth, "moving only makes this harder."

If Loosy were a braver pony she might have squirmed, broken the unicorn's magical grip, and against all rational self-preservation, stayed by Silverstar's side. Loosy, however, was not a brave pony… and yet she couldn't just sit by and leave the stallion behind. "Please, Miss Sparkle, there still has to be some other…" but as she turned to look at her beloved sheriff, all words died on her tong. For a singular instance their eyes locked, hers desperately pleading that he come with her, his pleading just as desperately that she runaway while she still had the chance.

The moment passed all too quickly, and Silverstar averted his gaze. As the stallion turned to face the fate he'd chosen, Loosy could only sob silently while she was lifted past the edge of the tunnel. Her heart broke as she caught what she feared might be her last sight of the love she so longed for.

There was a clatter as a silver clasp fell to the ground, and was immediately crushed by a brown hoof. Silverstar twisted to further grind the trinket apart, hoping that would be enough to ruin whatever magic Twilight had woven into it and so prevent it from being used to trace her. Just to be safe though he tossed the fragments away, scattering them all around the chamber to be lost among the countless treasures.

Minutes passed as Silverstar composed himself while surveying his surroundings, taking note of how best to use the available terrain to his advantage in the coming battle. The pounding on the door had stopped, but he knew better than to think that meant the guards had simply given up. Not like it would matter if they did, as he had no way to actually escape.

Glancing sideways, he took note of the kitten sitting on a nearby treasure pile, glaring at him. "Guess ya will be lookin' forward to seein' me get what's comin' now?"

The feline merely bristled and hissed softly. The little fuzzball was so weak and helpless now that its attempts to affect a threatening stature would be almost cute, that is if not for the fact that only all too recently it had been a large fire breathing reptile bent on eating Silverstar and his accomplices.

"Look," Silverstar continued, "I know ya must be angry somethin' fierce, and I know I've no right to ask favors o' ya. If'n ya ever do get turned back ta normal though, I'm beggin' ya… please don't hurt the others. Well… I 'spose ya've got a valid grievance against that yellow she-devil, but please… if'n ya've got any compassion in yer heart, just leave the others be. If'n ya need any more pay back, let it come from my hide. Ya can even consider the beatin' I'm about to take here from those guards a down payment."

The former dragon's only reply was a high-pitched rattling purr. He didn't have much time to contemplate its meaning, however, before with an echoing creek the vault door finally swung slowly open.

Silverstar stood unflinchingly as over a dozen guard took up positions, surrounding him from all sides. With a tip of his hat the trail worn stallion spoke, "Evenin', gents."

Tension mounted in the silent stillness of the vault… until finally it broke with roar as the first of the guards charged.

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The tunnel had emptied out into the manor's back gardens, and now the four remaining intruders snuck carefully through the shadows. Twilight's violet eyes peered through the bushes at a nearby delivery gate in the wall, only to find more guards.

"No good here either," she whispered.

Nervously, Loosy asked, "Could we… well, could we sneak all the way around back to the front?"

"Maybe, but there would only be more guards, plus who knows how many witnesses from the festival outside."

"We could just hide then, maybe get back inside the manor and wait for—"

"Wait for what? We'll still have to make a break for it eventually, and the longer we're here the more likely we'll get caught."

"I know," interjected Clover, "You could cast that magic wings spell on all of us and we'll just fly away, easy peasy."

"Huh?" Twilight tilted her head, trying to puzzle out what Clover meant, before remembering the opening ceremonies earlier this evening. Had it really been that recently? Twilight felt as though this foolish quest of hers had taken years.

"Oh… that spell?" the unicorn continued, "It's far too complicated and flashy; somepony would be sure to spot us if I tried. Besides, I doubt even I could just cast it three times in quick succession."

Clover crossed her fore-hooves in disappointment, "Darn."

"I suppose I could try teleporting us all, but the flash would probably still draw too attention just the same. Plus, as best I can tell, that wall has a warding charm on it that would sound an alarm anyway, and probably tag us all with a tracking spell too. It'd be the same problem even if we had Snowflake fly us each out one by one."

"Can'tcha, I dunno, just counter it? I mean you're supposed to be the best at magic."

"I'm the best… but my talent is magic, not miracles. I'd need time to study the ward, and that's not something that's really on our side right now."

Snowflake opened his mouth, as if to contribute his own idea, but quickly found it literally zipped shut by Twilight's magic, lest his poor volume control give away their position.

As the pegasus fumbled awkwardly to free his lips, Loosy again spoke up, "Alright… but hiding could maybe still work. Everything still seems normal at the party, so we'd only need to wait for the guests to start leaving and then we could just blended in with the crowd."

"No good. Even if I hadn't lost my disguise," Twilight said as she again glanced back at her restored flank, "It's likely only still quiet at the party because Puissance has a reputation to maintain. The guards will probably still be discreetly monitoring the guests as they depart, checking for anypony that doesn't belong… unless," she rubbed a hoof across the bottom of her chin in contemplation, "Unless we could figure out a way to make sure everypony rushed out all at once."

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Inside the manor, guests continued to mill about, none the wiser to the actions of any interloping trespassers. As a group of nobles near one corner of the ballroom politely chatted, one of their number slowly started to sniff at the air.

"Do you smell that?"

"You're just imagining things. Now then, as I was saying—"

"Wait, no, I smell it too… it smells like… smoke!?"

From an adjoining hallway, Twilight Sparkle concentrated on conjuring an ever expanding smokescreen. Now of course, even if the guests fell for the ruse, most would be disciplined enough to calmly make their way out to the courtyard. That was where Clover and Snowflake, who had both already made their way back into the crowded room, came into play.

"Fire! It's a Fire! Everypony for themselves!"

"YEAH!!!"

The panicked shouts quickly spread from one pony to the next, and it wasn't long until a veritable stampede flooded out into the hall. Twilight merged with the rampaging herd, but now came the hard part. As she ran, she had to keep casting additional smokescreens at doorways and intersections to be sure and steer the crowd until they reached the front doors.

Bursting into the open courtyard, she could hear Clover shouting, "Quick! Get to the gates! Run, run, RUN!"

"YEAH!!!"

For the guards on duty it must have been a sight to behold, the absurdity of a stampeding herd of finely dressed ponies bearing down upon them. The armored guards blinked in stunned disbelief. They barely even noticed when a unicorn's magic forcefully flung the gilded gates behind them open, having only enough time to recover their wits and take the only sane course of action — diving out of the way before they were trampled.

Just like that, Twilight and hopefully the others had made their escape. She had no clue where in the crowd her compatriots might be, but that didn't matter. They'd all already agreed to split up, that way even if by some happenstance one of them were followed the others should all still be able to get away.

Unfortunately, just as she pushed her way past the edge of the crowd, Twilight's luck ran out and she found herself face-to-face with possibly the worst two ponies she could have possibly stumbled into. Her violet eyes stared into the two pairs of green, "I, umm… that is… bye!" and then she bolted as fast as her hooves could carry her.

Carrot Top blinked and then glanced sidelong at her fellow farmer, who had just done the same. "Was that…?"

"I reckon it was," replied Applejack, "Get her!" and with that the two mares from Ponyville gave chase.

Twilight skidded for traction as she rounded a corner at full gallop. She didn't dare risk glancing back, but she could hear the hoofbeats of her pursuers from behind. They didn't seem to be gaining just yet, but the unicorn could already feel the strain in her protesting lungs and knew that she'd exhaust herself long before the pair of farm hardened earth ponies would.

Just as she was about to give up, her panicked mind regained just enough composer to scold her for even wasting the effort of running when she had a far more efficient method of escape. Twilight frantically began to channel magic through her horn. Before she could actually teleport though, the unicorn felt something constrict about her neck. As the lasso pulled tight, she found herself unceremoniously tumbling hooves over head as she landed in a heap on ground.

"Whoa there, nelly!" called out Applejack as she dragged the splayed and still dazed unicorn back, "Y'all ain't going nowhere!"

By the time the stars stopped spinning, Twilight found her hooves had all been securely bound by the rope. She hastily tried to channel another teleportation spell, but just as quickly an orange hoof smacked roughly across her horn. The throbbing pain broke her concentration and caused the second spell to fizzle like the first.

"Don'tcha even think about tryin' none of them fancy unicorn tricks to escape like you did last time. I ain't a violent pony by nature, but I won't hesitate to buck your lights out if I have to!"

Twilight winced, fearful that even if she agreed the glaring mare might hit her again anyway. Applejack was pushed gently aside though as Carrot Top leaned in to speak "Look, umm… Twilight, wasn't it? I know you aren't a bad pony at heart. That's why you helped Trixie and Raindrops fight off the ursa minor back in Ponyville."

"An ursa she brought to town in the first place! Don't go getting' soft on her, Carrot; this girl ain't nothing but trouble. Why, I'd bet ol' Bucky McGillicuddy," Applejack said as she wiggled her back-left leg, "She weren't doing nothin' but savin' her own sorry hide back then."

"I don't believe that. She could have just ran away from the start, but she didn't and that has to count for something," respond Carrot Top, but Applejack merely harrumphed. Turning back to the unicorn, Carrot Top continued, "So, Twilight, can you help us out here and explain what's going on? Maybe we can still fix this whole mess."

"I… fix… but…" Twilight sniffled as the weight of her mistakes, both past and present, bore down on her all at once, "I screwed up. Again. That's what happened."

"I knew it! Ain't enough to go droppin' a starbear on my home town? You had to come and try wreckin' another town to sate whatever twisted fetish it is that gets you off."

"No! That's not how it happened at all… not how it was supposed to at least." anger mixed with shame as the unicron rapidly lost any semblance of composure. "I, well… I was just trying to make a second set of elements, don't you get it? I had to; it was the only way. I needed them so I could defeat Corona! How else could I finally prove Trixie was wrong? That she was nothing but a great big fraud, and that I was supposed to be the real Element of Magic all along."

Applejack blinked as she looked once to Carrot Top, then to the unicorn, and back again, before she shook her head roughly as if trying to dislodge the nonsensical rant, "See, I told you! This girl here is just plain loco. Ain't nothing we can do to help 'cept turning her crazy flank in so the guard can lock her up where she can't hurt nopony never again."

Carrot Top also looked uncertainly from one pony to the other, "It sounds crazy to me too, but well… Twilight, look, I get that Trixie can rankle anypony the wrong way, and I guess I can understand wanting to upstage her at her own game. The truth is, I used to feel just like that with Applejack, like it was all just so unfair that she got born into success while I had to struggle every day just to keep my own farm afloat."

"Carrot…" Applejack stammered, "I never…"

"It's okay Applejack, I don't really blame you, not anymore. Maybe you were born with all the advantages, but ever since Trottingham, I've seen just how hard you work every day to keep it that way. Not just on your farm either, but as a pillar of the entire Ponyville community. Maybe more ponies like me because I'm always cutting them cheap deals or doing them free favors. When the chips are really down though, you’re the pony that they'd all depend on in a real crisis."

"Shucks, girl, I ain't nothin' special. You're the hero, what with bravin' the dangers of the Everfree to retrieve them there fancy necklaces," then hanging her own head in regret, Applejack added with a mutter, "Fat lot of good I ever did just bunkering down with my own kin and hoping things would pass."

"Maybe so, but if things hadn't worked out at least you'd still have been around in the long run. We both know you'd have come up with some kind of plan eventually, even if the best you could ever manage was to make sure everypony stayed safe and fed in whatever became of a sunbaked Equestria." Carrot Top then hung her own head as she fidgeted, tracing one hoof in an awkward circle over the ground. "Meanwhile all I did was run off on a fool’s errand with bunch of ponies I barely knew and nearly got myself killed two or three times over. I'm not really a hero either, just a simple mare who got lucky."

An orange hoof lifted the yellow muzzle, and both mares looked at each other for a lingering moment. "Well, I reckon you're sellin' yourself more than a mite short, sugarcube, but thanks. If'n nothin' else, you're a good friend."

"I'd like to think you are too." Carrot Top smiled to her fellow farmer who nodded back. "You see, Twilight. You and Trixie don't need to be enemies either, and once this whole mess is over, maybe you could even be friends too."

Twilight balked; could it really be that simple? She thought back to how Trixie had confronted her –no– reached out to her — "I’m willing to take responsibility for my part," echoed the showmare's words, "What about you?"

Responsibilty — was she really ready? Weeks of living as fugitive had worn heavily upon her, all the running, all the hiding. Whatever the consequences might be, part of her just wanted it all to be finally over… but that was the problem too, "It's not over though, not even close! You caught me too late, and now everything will only get worse…"

"Is that s'posed to be some kinda threat!" Applejack warned as she raised a hoof.

Twilight flinched reflexively, but kept speaking, "No, not a threat. One of the ponies I chose, the one pony I never doubted, whose generosity I thought was beyond reproach… she's still out there, somewhere… only she's not a pony! She's some kind of monster, and now because of me she's got an ancient relic that matches an alicorn's power. I wanted to put an end to one tyrant, but instead… I… think I might have only created a second."

Carrot Top was having trouble making sense of all that, helped no less by her fixation on a single word, "Wait, generosity!" Carrot Top stared flatly, "You mean this other pony… monster… whatever, was supposed to be your counterpart for, well… me?"

The unicorn wilted before replying meekly as she nodded slowly, "Umm… yes."

Narrowing her gaze, Carrot Top pressed, "…And she's out there doing what now exactly?"

"I… I don’t know. The last thing she said was something about the children, and then—"

Whatever else Twilight might have had to say, Carrot Top didn't hear it. Cheeks puffing out, the earth mare immediately shifted her gaze off into the darkness of the night, with all the righteous ferocity she could muster, as if daring this imposter to show herself. Unsurprisingly, however, the farmer's futile efforts only served to add to her own mounting frustrations.

She knew that none of this was her fault, that she had no real responsibility to stick her own neck on the line. But now, having learned that this thing, whatever it was, had been supposed to be her own twisted counterpart… well, now that made it all somehow personal… or something. That there were somehow children involved only made the need all the more pressing.

A passion gripped her, not unlike how it had been on that fateful night of Corona's return. The earth pony mare was even almost certain she could hear steam whistling from her own ears.

Applejack couldn't read her compatriot's expression, or at least what she could gather of it didn't make any sense, then suddenly Carrot Top turned and bolted away at a full gallop.

"Hey!" called out the puzzled apple farmer, "Where you rushin' off to there, girl?"

Glancing back over her shoulder as she kept running, "You two just sit tight… I have to go do my hero thing!"

Hero thing? — Carrot Top could hardly believe she'd just said that. It seemed more like something a cocky pony like Rainbow Dash would say… even coming from any of her own fellow friends and heroes of destiny, it might have sounded more fitting. She couldn't help, however, but think how lame and silly it must sound coming from herself… not that she'd let that stop her either.

As Carrot Top disappeared around the corner Applejack muttered to herself, "Yeah, I guess that makes sense, or somethin'…" even if she wasn't sure what the carrot farmer could do all on her own. More to the point though, "...But how's she even 'spect to find anypony at all rushing off without any kinda plan?"

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A happy adolescent couple laughed casually between each other as they slowly strolled home following their date. The festival outside the vicereine's jubilation had been fun, especially since both young ponies had for the first time convinced their respective parents that they were old enough to spend the evening unsupervised. Of course, even more so, the two were all too eager to sneak off quietly and get some alone time before they were expected home.

Giddy with their own excited anticipation, however, neither pony noticed that something was watching them from the shadows. Not until it was too late, and so without any warning, a shape lunged out from the darkness, knocking the adolescent mare aside.

The pitch black shadows of the alley made it difficult to discern what this creature was. Hooves clopped softly against the pavement as it flexed wings… maybe a pegasus, but there was something distinctly wrong about its gait… and the silhouette of its head… where those horns, or maybe antlers?

Even through the darkness, however, the adolescent stallion could see the attacker's eyes, which seemed to almost glow… and also something more, something that called to him, making it impossible to look away.

As he stood transfixed, his date cried out and charged the creature. Before she had made it even half way, however, the shadowed figure raised a single hoof a single hoof.

There was quick snap followed by an instantaneous flash, and without warning the mare found herself crashing into an unseen wall. Regaining her senses, she could only watch helplessly as she feebly beat her hooves against the trap. Even her desperate pleas and shouts were deafened to the world beyond her spherical confines.

The creature ignored the tiny snow globe and its insignificant occupant, all that mattered was the trembling colt in front of her. "Don't fear child; mamma's gonna make it all better!"

Lemon Hearts stared, not just into his eyes, but past them. There it was, deep inside, a dormant and wholly untapped spark of chaos. Disregarding all her normal subtlety, she simply tore it away from the pony's soul with a singular metaphysical tug.

As the now catatonic youth collapsed to the ground, Lemon Hearts rapidly devoured the newly harvested spark, eager for the rush of further power.

Yet no such rush came. Instead, her insatiable hunger was left entirely without even the slightest semblance of satisfaction. "No… this won't do; it isn't enough anymore. I need more sparks, stronger sparks, ALL THE SPARKS!"

Staring at the motionless shell, Lemon Hearts contemplated. He was still young, probably still living at home with his parents. Yes, his parents. If he carried a spark so too must one of them, and if she were lucky maybe any siblings as well.

Ravenous desire overtook her as she eagerly licked her lips before disappearing again into the night sky.

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Carrot Top's hoofbeats pounded against the pavement and echoed across the empty city streets, the majority of its citizens either still enjoying the festival or else having already turned in for the evening. As she galloped around another block, her eyes searched frantically left and right, Where is it, where is it? she thought to herself before, "Ah ha!"

She raced towards the apothecary shop that she'd seen earlier that day, during her brief visit to the markets. The lights were dimmed, the store clearly closed for the night or in the process thereof. Skidding to a screeching halt in front of it, she began to pound on the door, hoping somepony was still inside.

"Go 'way! We closed!" came an irately accented voice from inside.

"Please!" she pleaded, "This is an emergency!"

"My sleep is only emergency I care about! Now go 'way and come back tomorrow!"

Carrot Top didn't have time to wait. Who knew what horrible things might happen if she didn't act right away. Yet as she stared at the door's lock it unsurprisingly failed to simply melt away under her insistent glare.

Feeling as though she had no other choice, the farmer instead turned sharply and bucked with all of her not insubstantial strength. Against the years of hard work in those legs from plowing fields day-in and day-out, the door never stood a chance, splintering off its hinges in a single strike.

A startled clerk behind the counter let out a shriek as he knocked his inventory book to the ground in a panic. Carrot Top briefly lamented her hasty decision, but it was quickly replace with an unwavering confidence of absolute purpose.

The pale-coated and purple-maned stallion held a hoof to his chest. His brown robes and cap, trimmed in red and gold looked vaguely Shouman. Catching his breath, his yellow eyes glared through the spectacles balanced on his snout. "Now see here, lady, we closed for the evening! Oh, and my door; you going to have to pay for th—"

The store owner's understandably angry rant was cut short by the sound of coins scattering across the counter. Carrot Top had tossed the bag of bits containing most of her sizable commission for her catering services. "This should more than cover the damages and the inconvenience, but I need supplies, NOW!"

The shopkeeper seemed briefly torn between righteous indignation and the alluring pile of silver as it glinted in the soft candlelight. "Ah, yes… well then, why didn't you just say so in first place. What is it you need?"

Carrot Top scarcely paid attention to the shopkeeper who was already counting the assorted coins. Instead, her eyes were too busy sweeping across the various herbs and reagents on the crowded shelves all around her. There'd be no time to brew anything from scratch. Her supplies would have to be fast acting and ready-made, which wouldn't be cheap.

She'd hoped to use the money she earned on this trip to pay for some new and maybe even upgraded equipment for her farm. With a sigh though she pushed such worries aside as she began pointing her hoof wildly about while she called out a list of items.

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There was a frantic knocking at the hotel door. Woody answered it to find his mother entirely disheveled and panting heavily.

"Oh… thank goodness… you're safe…" Loosy wheezed out between heavy breaths as she fell forward and wrapped her fore-hooves around her son in a desperate embrace.

The young pegasus returned the gesture and the two simply sat in silence for a long moment. As Loosy finally began to catch her breath, Woody whispered to her, "It'll all be alright mother. Just tell me what—"

"No! No it won't be alright! Nothing will ever be alright again! We… we have to leave, now! Pack your things quick as you can… wait, no… forget packing there's no time!"

"I don't understand; where's everypony else? Did something go wrong?"

"Everything went wrong. Lemon Hearts, she… she's some kind of monster, and after what she said about children… I… I was so afraid she'd come here and… but you're safe and that's all that matters."

Woody gaped in disbelief. "A monster, but how? Wait, is that where all the others are; are they trying to stop her?"

"Yes… no… maybe… I don't know! I left them behind; I had to get back here, had to know you were safe."

"Shh…" he soothed as he gently ran a hoof across his mother's withers, "It'll all be okay. I'm safe, and everypony else will be too; you'll see. Sheriff Silverstar is there to protect them, after all."

Loosy shook her head sadly, "No, he… he got caught… he stayed behind to buy time so the rest of us could get away, and… and I… I just left him behind. By Luna's merciful moon, I ran away and now I might never see him again! What… what have I done?"

"Don't blame yourself, mother." Woody said as he wiped at the tears streaming down the distraught mare's face, "It's not what he would have wanted, not if he really did make that kind of sacrifice for you and the others."

Maybe her son was right, but that did nothing to alleviate the guilt that was wracking her body, and yet… "O—okay, Woody. Now… pack your bags; we still have to level before any guards… or worse, shows up."

The young stallion looked away, pausing for a long moment before he finally spoke, "We… I mean, I can't do that."

"What?" her voice cracked slightly as one of her eyes twitched nervously, "Don't be silly. Now be a good little boy, listen to mommy, and pack your things."

The adolescent colt –no– the growing stallion only shook his head, "Don't you see, mother? I'm not just some little foal anymore, and somewhere out there the others might be fighting. What if they need help?"

"…But, I already told you, she's a monster! It's too dangerous and I'm sure the others must know it too. We all have to run away before it's too late."

"And then what? Somepony has to stand up and fight eventually, don't they? Isn't that why we all came here in the first place? Maybe it's not the enemy any of you were planning to fight, but does that make it any less important?"

"But, but… I can't… I—"

"Shh… you don't have to, mother. You should stay here where it's safe. You've always been there for me as a child. Now that I'm all grown up, let me start returning the favor. I can be more than brave enough for the both of us."

"I… but… please…"

"It'll be okay, I promise," he said as he opened the hotel window, "I'll find the others first, we’ll figure out a plan, and when it's done, I'll come back. You'll see."

Silhouetted against the pale moonlight, her son spread his wings and flew off into the star filled sky. Loosy trembled as she watched him go. When had her little colt grown up, and why did he have to be so brave?

She couldn't handle this, not again. First her late husband, then Silverstar, and now her son –the last thing she had left– all of them so much braver than she could ever hope to be. It just wasn't fair! Why did she have to watch as the ponies she loved always left her behind? Worse still, what kind of coward was she to just let them?

Still, trembling she looked to the door. Maybe it wasn't too late, maybe she could still… if only she could muster the courage, the courage to take that first step… maybe it didn't have to be too late.

Just one step is all it would take…

…One singular step, and then another.

She hesitantly raised a hoof, but then set it back down where it started. She raised another, and yet only repeated the same. She was just too scared.

"I'm… I'm sorry!" she whispered hoarsely, and as the weight of that realization came crashing down upon her, the mare could only collapse to the ground. Loosy Screws sobbed uncontrollably, unable to find the strength to do anything but wallow in her own hopeless misery.

────────────────

"Ow!" cried Twilight as Applejack thumped her horn a second time.

"I warned you not to try and escape using none of them fancy unicorn tricks."

"But I wasn't trying to—"

"You might'a hidden the glow, but I could still hear the hum. Used to help my pa rustle blinkdogs, so I had to learn real good how to anticipate when them ornery critters were about to pop in'r out."

"But unicorn magic doesn't even work the same way."

"Likely story, missy! We ain't gonna have no repeats of how you got away back in Ponyville, and I'm a-gonna make sure you stay put until we can get a guard to take over."

"I… but I can't, not yet… not like this!"

"Maybe you should'a done thought 'bout that 'fore you went and dropped a giant starbear on my home town, or whatever crazy thing you was up to here."

"You don't understand though, my parents, my brother… I have to make all of this right first. I can't go back to them in a disgrace."

Applejack's expression softened as she was distracted by thoughts of her own family back home. She briefly wondered what extremes she might go to avoid disappointing them. Maybe the unicorn wasn't so — wait, there was that hum again.

"Ow!" Twilight cried out after a third strike to the horn. "Alright, alright I won't try it anymore. Just please stop doing that before you break something."

"Please, I know them unicorn horns ain't any more delicate than my own four legs."

Minutes passed in silence with neither pony having much to say to the other. Though at least true to her word Twilight didn't try using any more magic, and so Applejack likewise refrained from striking her horn.

Eventually there was a rustle of wings followed by hooves landing on the pavement behind her. Mindful that her prisoner might still try to escape, Applejack spoke without turning to look at the newcomer. "Look, I know this probably looks more than a mite suspicious, but I need whoever you are to believe that this here is a wanted fugitive. So if'n you ain't a guard I need you to go and—"

"Miss Twilight?"

Startled that whomever it was already knew the unicorn's name Applejack turned, not sure what to expect. What she saw though surprised her even more. A dull blue-coated colt, maybe just a year or two shy of being a proper stallion, with a dusty brown mane.

"Kid, how'd you know who this here unicorn was?"

The pegasus scowled, "I'm no kid,"Then spreading his wings wide as he puffed up his chest, "And I wanna know who you think you are tying up Miss Twilight like that."

Applejack scowled in turn, but not at the young pegasus. Instead, she glanced back at her unicorn prisoner. "Dagnabit, girl! Y'all said you'd gone and dragged a bunch of other ponies into to this here mess o' yours, but some punk kid? That just plain ain't right."

"I didn't drag him into this… well not exactly… you see his mother—"

"Stop it! Stop it right there 'fore you say something that'll make me have no more compunction 'bout buckin’ you like like a rotten tree that needs to be uprooted."

"Don't you dare hurt Miss Twilight, or I'll…"

"Or you'll what, kid?" she said cracking her neck and scuffing a hoof against the pavement. Seeing the despondent confusion on his face, however, Applejack's stern reprimand gave way to concern. "Look, kid, I don't know what this here criminal did to convince you otherwise, but she ain't good for nothin' but trouble. Now you run along home and I'll just forget you was ever here."

"She… she helped saved my mom."

"Say what now?"

"My mother… after my father died, my mother was all I had left," Woody paused to sniffle slightly before continuing, "Except she wasn't right in the head anymore. I did my best to take care of her, same as she always used to take care of me, but she just never got any better. Even the sheriff couldn't… but then Madam Hearts… and everything was right again… except now… Miss Twilight, is it true? Is Madam Hearts really some kind of monster?"

Twilight's dejected expression said everything, but she still spoke. "I… I don't know what she is. All I know is that she's out there, somewhere in the night doing who knows what kind of terrible things… and it's all my fault."

"…And the sheriff? Mother said you all left him behind."

"Woody, he…" but the unicorn couldn't bring herself to finish those words. "Just go home. Get your mother, leave, and never look back. You'll both be better off if you forget I ever came along and screwed everything up."

"No!"You're not a screw up. You were supposed to be a hero, all of you. Heroes don't give up! The sheriff wouldn't sacrifice himself just so you could give up. I don't care what mistakes you've made; heroes fix their mistakes!"

"Woody, I…" Any guilt she had previously felt paled in comparison to what she was feeling now, "I can't. Maybe I thought I was, but I'm no hero. You'll understand when you're older."

"When I'm older, always when I'm older," Woody snorted in frustration, "But I'm plenty old enough already! I understand everything I need to. You could fix this; I know it and so do you. You're just too afraid; well, I'm not afraid. I'll fix this, even if I have to do it alone."

"Look, kid" intervened Applejack, "I know what it's like to be young, to think you got all the answers; everypony always does at your age. But what exactly is it you think you can really do."

"I… I don't know, but I'm gonna try, somepony has to. If we don't at least try, then the bad guys just win!"

Applejack opened up her mouth to retort, but no words came. The kid was young and just as naive as any other, but he had such a passionate fire in his eyes. How could she ever go home and look her at her own younger sister again if she did anything to crush this boy's spirit?

As the farmer mulled it all over, she was interrupted when Twilight finally spoke, "I… alright then. This is all my mess, so well… I guess it really is my responsibility to clean it up, just like last time."

Applejack turned to see that while she'd been distracted the unicorn had magically unbound herself. "You ain't goin' nowhere, missy! The guard can handle—"

"They won't know what it is there up against until it's too late. Maybe when this is all over, I'll…" she trailed off unable to commit to any such promises that she'd actually surrender herself. "But right now, if there's anything I can do to stop this, I at least have to try. Please understand."

"I… but you… consarnit all, fine! But y'all ain't goin' off on your own without me."

Twilight blinked, "I appreciate the offer, but you don't owe me—"

"This ain't about helping you. Understand that I'm only comin' 'cause somepony's gotta make sure you don't go tryin' to run away again when it's all over. 'Sides, I also need to make sure this kid stays safe, as I reckon there ain't nothing either of us can say to keep him from coming either."

"Damn straight!" Then just as quickly Woody covered his mouth with his hooves. "Err… I mean darn."

"Don'tcha go apologizing for using such a word, not if'n you want me to believe you're the big boy you claim to be." Turning back to Twilight though, Applejack redressed her original concerns from when Carrot Top ran off. "So now that we're all in agreement, how do we go 'bout findin' this madmare of yours?"

Using her magic Twilight unlatched the silver clasp at her ear and levitated it forward. "This should be all we need."

────────────────

A stallion stood on the street staring defiantly against the… the monster that had come out of nowhere and chased his family out of their home.

Lemon Hearts scoffed impatiently at the futile gesture. She snapped a hoof and in a flash the stallion's mane came to life, rapidly growing and constricted around him. He began crying out, but with a second flash, his mouth disappeared so she wouldn't have to listen to him. She had more important things to focus on, like the mare that was coddling an infant foal.

"I… I won't let you hurt my baby!"

Rolling her eyes, Lemon Hearts spoke with faux sympathy, "Oh, don't worry dear. I've no interest in that mewling little noise box. It didn't inherit your gift."Wrapping mother and child in a crimson aura, she magically tore the two ponies apart. Then another snap and flash, created a harness suspended from a nearby tree to deposit the child in. As she passed the foal, Lemon Hearts tapped its head causing the foal's eyes to briefly spiral as the color seemed to drain from its coat, finally silencing it incessant wailing. A third snap and flash created a bottle of chocolate milk for it to suckle on.

"Besides, soon enough you won't have to worry about any of that ever again; mama's gonna make it all better." The madmare's eyes stared out penetrating the despondent mother to the core, reaching into the hidden depths of her soul, but Lemon Hearts was only able to take a single step before…

*pop*

Blinking after teleporting Twilight took in the sight now standing before her. If she'd been shocked at Lemon Hearts' previous change in demeanor, the further physical changes that seemed to have followed were only all the more alarming. The formerly genial matron still had the beady red pupils within sickly sclera, a mouth of predatory fangs, and leathery wings. In addition, however, the mare's mane hung in wild and unkempt strands, streaks of white interspersed in her natural blue, but this was the least of things.

The unicorn's horn now curved backwards and seemed to have taken on an almost dagger like edge. In addition her skull also somehow sported a pair of large spiraling antlers. Her hooves were each now split down the middle, having become cloven like those of a goat, and also trailed overly long and shaggy fetlocks. More disturbingly still, her entire posture seemed more like that of a cat than a pony. Fitting perhaps, as her tail was now long and thin with only a small tuft at the end, like that of a lion.

Most unsettling of all, however, was her voice. It was still as smooth and refined as ever, but now carried an undeniable air of malice in every syllable. The effect was simultaneously both subtle and yet so profound that Twilight couldn't help wonder if this is how Lemon Hearts had always spoken, but that she had only somehow failed to notice until now.

"Why, Miss Sparkle, so glad you could join us."

Reaching up with her crimson aura, Lemon Hearts pulled the silver clasp from her own ear. "I suppose we won't be needing these silly trinkets any more then."Tossing the clasp away, she then took notice of the other two ponies who were still recuperating from the trip. "Oh, and I see you brought more friends to play with, how delightful. Good day, Woody, I trust your mother is still doing well. I'd hate to think she's suffered any kind of relapse."

Woody starred in a mixture of shocked horror and resilient defiance, but before he could speak, Applejack interceded, "Now you listen here, missy. I don't know who you think you are but that ain't any way to talk to the boy."

"And who do we have here? One of the caterers, I believe; Miss Applejack, wasn't it? Tell me, deary, what pathetic sob story did Miss Sparkle spin to garner your sympathies?"

"Ain't none of your business. All you need to know is that I'm here to help put you down."

"Please," Lemon Hearts laughed, "Best run along home little farm girl," and take the rest with you."Then in a mocking accent she added, "Alls-ya'll are 'ntirely out o' yer league here."

The not-pony laughed again before finishing, "Now then, if you will kindly excuse me, my meal is getting cold." turning her attention back to her still petrified victim, Lemon Hearts took another step forward… only to just as quickly find herself encased inside a translucent bubble.

"Don't bother trying to escape," Twilight declared with confident pride. "My brother is the best shield-mage to join the royal guard in three generations, and he taught me everything he knows."

Rolling her eyes with increasing impatience, Lemon Hearts reached forward with a cloven hoof as she flicked the tips together. One snap and flash later, she turned the doorknob which now adorned the inside of the bubble-shield. With an audible creak of unoiled hinges, the side of the shield swung open and Lemon Hearts casually stepped out. "I'm afraid you'll have to do better than that, deary."

Twilight stood gaping for only a second before she lit her horn and fired off a lancing beam of raw magic.

Lemon Hearts, however, only yawned, as impossibly she somehow not only caught the beam of energy, but curled it up as if it were a ball of yarn. She completed the effect by levitating a pair of knitting needles –where had she gotten those?– which then proceed to absently work at the ball without Lemon Hearts herself seeming to pay them any further attention.

HOW?

Twilight could only stare in disbelief. None of this made any sense. Yes, the amulet was powerful to the extreme, but not even a true alicorn's magic could be so effortless. Lemon Hearts should still need to obey all the fundamental governing rules that defined how magic works, but this…? Just like with the dragon before this was all so impossibly alien to EVERYTHING the scholarly unicorn had ever been taught or learned, as if to defy any conceivable definition.

What kind of monster was Lemon Hearts?

Twilight was broken out of her thoughts, as the other mare paced towards her chuckling. "It really does frustrate you doesn't it? All your supposed knowledge, and yet this world still holds mysteries beyond your feeble comprehension. This is a dawning of a new age, however, my dear, and so you'll have plenty of time to puzzle it out. That is assuming you run along before I grow bored of our games and accidentally break something."

"I reckon you should maybe worry more 'bout yourself, seeing as we've got you surrounded."

Lemon Hearts didn't even bother glancing backwards at the two ponies who had circled around to flank her from behind. "Careful now deary; wouldn't want to make my pets angry."

"Pets?" and then, as if on cue, there was a rustling from behind. Applejack turned to see a dozen animated topiary of various shapes and sizes stalking towards herself and Woody.

As the two ponies were forced to break off and engage the walking foliage, Lemon Hearts continued speaking with Twilight as if she'd never been interrupted. "So what's next then, my dear? What amazing feat of magical prowess will the Great & Powerful Twilight Sparkle use to save the day and at long last prove herself the supposed hero of this story? Tell you what, I'll even give you a free shot. Take all the time you need to cast any spell you like."

Twilight was being baited, she knew it, and yet still, she had to at least try. Lighting up her horn as if it were a small sun, Twilight charged every ounce of magic she could muster. As the power continued to mount, both ponies were surrounded by a swirling gale. Lemon Hearts, however, paid it no heed, instead seemingly more interested in examining the back of her own hoof.

Finally, Twilight released the cascade, surrounding Lemon Hearts in not one, not two, but THREE bubble shields. Then with a metaphysical tug she collapsed each shield down upon the next until the transparent domes became nearly opaque. "Triple layer shield…" gasping for breath she continued, "Each perfectly phase synced to reinforce the other… impossible to break any one of them while either of the other two is still in place!"

"Really, dear… is that the limit of your skills. If at first you don't succeed, just try an even bigger version of the same spell that already failed." A sudden pressure on her back caused Twilight to turn her head, only to find Lemon Hearts staring back at her as she leaned across the younger unicorn's back.

Jumping away in alarm, Twilight saw the mare that should have been imprisoned in her shield casually leaning on thin air as if Twilight herself was still standing there to support her weight. Grinning the matron further taunted, "Care to take a mulligan?"

IMPOSSIBLE!

Lemon Hearts couldn't have teleported; expert that she was, Twilight wasn't sure if even she could escape out of such a trap certainly not so effortlessly, not to mention Twilight had been watching her the whole time. Glancing at her own still fully intact yet entirely empty shield spell, however, only confirmed it had some how happened anyway.

Nothing about this made any sense; magic just didn't work this way, but was Lemon Heats even using magic. Now that Twilight thought about it, other than the occasional bit of casual levitation, Lemon Hearts hadn't even seemed to cast a single spell at all this whole time. Not even so much as a single twinkle, her horn seeming entirely inert… or was it?

Blinking, Twilight reached out with her own magical senses. The aura of the amulet was intense, making it difficult to discern anything else, but she looked past it. As she did she finally saw a comparatively faint shimmer of some minor cantrip –no– that wasn't it at all. The power was every bit as intense as the amulet, but it was all focused inwards, which only made even less sense. Where was all that magic going? It just seemed to be emptying out into some endless void inside the monstrous madmare.

"Really?" Lemon Hearts pressed in bored exasperation as she rolled over in mid air. "At first it was kind of funny watching your inept attempts to understand things you couldn't possibly hope to comprehend, but now it's just sad. If you aren't going to make a move, maybe it's time I should take my turn!"

"You want something different?" Twilight grunted as she siphoned what magic she could back out of the now useless shield, rechanneling the energy into a new spell. "How about this?"

Some unseen force flipped. Lemon Hearts' mane lifted, or rather hung as if she were upside down, but otherwise she remained perfectly stationary where she was. "A gravity spell… and outdoors no less, with nowhere to fall except into the empty sky above. I must say, Miss Sparkle, I didn't think you had such malice in you."

"What…" Twilight winced at the implication. "No… I'd never; besides, you have wings!"

"Hmm…" Lemon Hearts tilted her head before she turned slightly to look at her own back, "So it seems I do."

Twilight blinked; had the matron really not noticed until now, or was this just another part of her twisted games?

"Pity, and just when I was starting to think there might actually be some hope for you. Alas, I think we're done here now." She sneered, baring her predatory fangs as she glared with sadistic intent. "So I think I'll just have to return this last gift and send you on your way… au revoir."

The younger unicorn barely had a moment to contemplate those words, before an intense sensation of vertigo gripped her, and then the ground fell away… or rather Twilight Sparkle fell into the sky, the victim of her own spell.

Her panicked screams were cut short, however, when almost as quickly a streak of white swept through the air and grabbed her. Heart still racing, Twilight turned her head to observe the massive mug grinning back at her, just before its owner bellowed.

"Yeah!"

Lemon Hearts was scarcely even paying enough attention to be annoyed by the would-be interloper before another voice called out, "Hey you… ugly face, catch!" Glancing, the matron had just enough time to see what looked like an acorn arc through the air before it struck the ground directly in front of her, bursting apart in a blinding surge of light followed by an equally thunderous roar.

Carrot Top stood across the way, sling still in mouth. She might have been proud of her handiwork, if she weren't more preoccupied ridiculing her rather foalish taunt. She took precious little time to dwell on it, however, before noticing the commotion further along where Applejack and a young pegasus were fighting off a pack of what appeared to be decorative lawn sculptures. She didn't even take the time to contemplate why or how her fellow farmer had gotten involved, instead calling out, "Don't worry, AJ, help is here!"

"Much appreciate it, girl, but ain't no harder than fighting off the timber-wolves back home," and as if to punctuate the point, Applejack knocked one of the assailing topiary's heads clean off with a tree shaking buck. "The kiddo over there could probably use your help, I reckon though."

The dull-blue pegasus flustered as he took briefly to the air to dodge a lunge. "Just… just umm, keeping them distracted; that's all."

Already searching through her stuffed saddlebags, Carrot Top called out instructions, "Well, if maybe the two of you could get them all clustered together… I think I've got something that will work, but I've only got enough for one shot."

"Can do!" Applejack said taking up one end of her rope as she tossed the other. "Hey kiddo, catch!" She took off at gallop to the left, and after only a moment's hesitation the young pegasus did the same to the right. The two ponies each circled wide around the pack of foliage, criss-crossing their paths at the far side to close the noose. Pulling hard they caused the animated plants to all tumble together into a tangled heap.

Meanwhile, Carrot Top loaded a bloated spore pod into her sling, and then lobbed it into the crowd of plant beasts. The pod burst open on impact, billowing forth a sickly cloud of smoke.

As the air cleared the topiary all stood, mere wooden skletons striped of their leaves by the defoliating cloud. Each seemed to glance down at its naked form, before crossing a limb in what could only be described as embarrassment and then quickly running away into the night.

Carrot Top scratched the back of her mane with one hoof. "Well, that wasn't exactly what I expected."

"Don't much reckon it matters so long as it worked," replied Applejack as she and the young pegasus walked over to her.

"You gotta admit, it was kinda funny though." Added a gray-coated and green-maned earth mare who also joined the trio. Regarding Woody she then added, "Sup kiddo; wasn't expecting to find you here."

Applejack scowled, "I take it ya'll must be them other fools that Twilight conned into helping her."

"Guilty as charged," she replied with an exaggerated bow and a big goofy grin, "Name's Clover Charms, and this here is Snowflake,"she indicated as the overly large pegasus landed while setting Twilight down beside him. "Lucky thing the two of us ran into Veggie Head here."

"...Carrot Top…" muttered the name's owner with a weak sigh as if not for the first time.

If Clover noticed the interjection, she gave no indication. "I knew once we did the three of us would eventually find the rest of you too. Guess my luck is finally changing for the better."

The sextet was interrupted, however, by Lemon Hearts' trilling laughter. "Oh, I'm afraid you'll soon find that the only thing that's changed about your luck is that it's finally run out. Although, seeing as you brought the so-called Element of Generosity herself with you..." the matron paused as she shifted her gaze to regard Carrot Top, "Well, I suppose your luck was actually good for something after all."

"You… well," stammered Carrot Top in retort, struggling to come up with a rebuttal of her own while she reached a hoof into her saddlebags. "That is… you shouldn't be so over confident. If you know I'm a bearer of harmony, then you know I've faced worse than you before, and I'll do everything I can to stop you too."

"Please," scoffed Lemon Hearts, "All alone and not even your harmonic necklace; why, this will only be all too easy. Fitting really, that the most useless of the Elements of Harmony should be the first to fall. The only thing generosity has ever been good for is as something to be exploited by those of us with REAL ambition."

"That's not… I mean…"

"Don'tcha listen none to this here ornery varmint," interrupted Applejack. "You ain't weak, and you certainly ain't alone neither!"

"YEAH!" shouted Snowflake, as Woody nodded his own enthusiasm.

"Ha!" Clover added as she pointed a hoof at Lemon Hearts, "Six of us and only one of you. Even with that creepy amulet, I'd say we're the ones with the advantage here."

"Advantage…?" Lemon Hearts chided in a cross between a sneer and a chortle. "My, my, it seems your sense of humor certainly hasn't improved any either, Miss Charms. The only reason this supposed confrontation isn't already over is because it amuses me to toy with the lot of you."

"If this is all just a game to you, why don't you try playing with this!" shouted Carrot Top as she tossed a ball of compacted yellow powder which burst into a cloud on impact.

As the cloud collapses, however, it was now occupied not by Lemon Hearts, but rather Snowflake. "Ye…" the stallion sniffled, "Ye… Ye—CHOO!"

As the pegasus uncontrollably sneezed over and over again, the other five ponies all quickly turned to look where he'd previously been standing mere moments before… only to find empty air.

"Oh, please, I'm not that predictable." teased Lemon Hearts from beside Applejack instead.

Not even missing a beat, the farm pony spun on her hooves to deliver a full buck to the madmare's face… or at least she would have, if the pavement beneath her hadn't seemingly slid out from under her. Slipping as the momentum sent her careening out of control and crashed to the ground.

Twirling a mop about in one hoof, Lemon Hearts snickered, "My, my. You really should be more mindful of the signs." She then pointed the handle of the mop at a triangular stand that read –SLIPPERY WHEN WET– which, like the soapy suds beneath Applejack, hadn't been there only moments earlier.

Clover Charms giggled briefly, though quickly noting stares from the rest of her allies amended, "Sorry, but you gotta admit it was kinda funny… or umm, I guess at least it would be if this was a stage show."

"Why, Miss Charms," Lemon Hearts added with her own chortle, "What an excellent idea. Might as well make the most of our fun while it lasts." With a snap of one hoof and a corresponding flash of light, the matron summoned back her pack of topiary. All were still naked, but each was now also standing erect while bearing an assortment of different instruments which they began to play as their mistress sang…

You like to think your petty jokes are amusing
In truth, you're no more funny than a rat
But here's your chance to shine at center stage, though it's all for nought
Such a fool, never had a shot

You can try to charge me in a big harumph
But your namby pamby can't cut the gruff
Let's set this record straight, you're simply overweight
You're only second rate!

Wanna prove your no weenie, but it's such a shame
You're just not ready to play the grownup's game
Crawl on home boy, don't make your mommy wait
You're only second rate!

You’re sour that my power has you squealing
This battle's won and you're all done, get the gist
But if you're not convinced that I'm invincible, bring it on, who's next?
I'm only warming up, you little pests

Try your best to truss me up and win the prize
Trip, stumble, and slip; so silly you is
Such damage in your wake, it suits a retro shape
You're only second rate!

Your puny evocations aren't tough enough
And your conjurations never measured up
You'll try to abjurate, but it's all a waste
You're only second rate…
Razzle-dazzle-frazzled; gonna leave you addled
Hocus-pocus-dufus; who needs a brain in a head so useless!

Oh, spare me your pretentious glare
It's ridiculous when you've got no hair
And now you're so irate at losing to this fake
But your back's to the wall with no hope for escape
Out of moves to make and trapped in final checkmate
You're only—

The song stopped short, Carrot Top having lobbed what was initially a small glob of goo at the madmare, only for it to suddenly explode on contact with unicorn's horn. Lemon Hearts thrashed furiously about, covered head to hoof in a sticky slime.

"Who's second rate now, huh? Don't even bother struggling. It doesn't matter how powerful your magic is; you'll only get even more stuck. That's tanglehoof muck—" Carrot Top blinked in surprise realizing that Lemon Hearts had spoken those last words in unison with her.

The entangled matron had quickly reasserted her calm demeanor as she took over the explanation. "...A rare parasitic fungus found in the Everfree Forest, and which earned its name because of the trouble it caused the early earth pony settlers in that region. It feeds and grows by absorbing certain types of ambient magic, most notably the kind constantly channeled through an earth pony's hooves, but can also be quite effective against a unicorn's horn. And with the Alicorn Amulet enhancing all of my natural pony magic... well, I must admit, the effect is only all the more impressive. How very clever of you."

"Uhh… yeah, you umm, took the words right out of my mouth."

"More literally than you might imagine," taunted the madmare with far more confidence than her situation seemed to warrant. "You see, I also know that it's so rare that even you didn't know about it until about a month ago when you accidently stumbled into a patch, and even after you managed to get out, it took you three days to clean all the residue out of that precious mane of yours."

Anger boiled back up as Carrot Top scratched absently at her bald neck. Somewhere in the back of her mind she worried over whether her mane would even grow back after whatever Lemon Hearts had done. More so, however, she found herself puzzing about another confusing uncertainty. "But how could you know about how that incident?"

"Oh, that's hardly the only secret of yours I know, deary," then, as Lemon Hearts stared down at her own front hooves, twin beams lanced from her eyes, evaporating the gunk ensnaring them.

Confusion turned to shocked disbelief, both because of how the unicorn was doing it, and perhaps more alarming still that it even worked at all. It shouldn't have been possible; any spell should have only made the tanglehoof expand. It was…

"Impossible… yes, Miss Sparkle over there has been repeatedly thinking that exact same thing all night long." Lemon Hearts commented absently as she levitated a mirror to reflect her eye-beams and clean away the rest of the slimy fungus. "Amusing as that confusion has been, it's actually starting to get quite boring… oh and, yes, I did choose this method of escape just to taunt you specifically."

"But how could...?"

"Talent, my dear; every pony has one. Whatever else you may think of me, I was born a pony and earned a cutie mark just like any other young filly." The unicorn turned half about and with one final blast from her eyes eliminated the last of the goo covering the trio of hearts on her flank. "Mine happens to represent empathy, that is to say I can read the emotions of other ponies, an exceedingly useful skill when it comes to manipulating them into doing whatever I want without them ever being the wiser."

Glancing briefly aside, Lemon Hearts further added, "Trying to scrape those last few neurons together, Miss Sparkle? Let me put it in terms even a simpleton can understand; you've been nothing but my pawn from the very start. Still, I must thank you for leading me to this delightful little trinket. The Alicorn Amulet enhances everything about a pony, so now you all might as well be open books to me."

Lemon Hearts casually flipped through the pages of a book, the cover of which was the same lavender as Twilight's coat and featured an image of her Starburst cutie mark. "Such a tragic tale, but at least it's not as boring as this one," she yawned as she levitated a second book featuring a trio of carrots emblazon on its cover, before tossing both them aside onto a pile of other books that likewise each bore a familiar cutie mark.

The madmare then began to menacingly stalk forward, once again fixated on Carrot Top who backpedaled awkwardly while frantically fumbling through her saddlebag, looking for some reagent that might yet let her win-out. "What's the matter little hayseed? Run out of weeds to throw at me, or have you just finally realized that nothing in your little bag of tricks will ever make even the slightest difference."

"I…umm well, that is… look, you might think you're unstoppable, but so did Corona. She never believed that six ordinary ponies could stop her either, but thanks to the bonds of friendship between us, my friends and I proved that even ordinary ponies can do the impossible."

Even as they were all still reeling from the various hexes Lemon Hearts had placed on them the other five ponies all rallied as best they could to stand next to Carrot Top in a show of unified defiance.

"Brave words, little pony, but for all your supposed faith, they are still only empty words. I can see into your heart, remember? Whatever supposed bonds you share with your real friends, this ragtag band of misfits is no substitute. I can see the resentment you still hold on to towards your fellow farmer, how unfair you still think it is that she's more successful than you by a mere accident of birth. I also see how afraid you still are of Miss Twilight Sparkle… ooh, and not just fear, but a repressed anger too. You blame her for all of this, most of all for having picked someone as wretched as me to be your would-be replacement. While as for the rest, you hardly even know them."

"None of that matters. I barely knew any of my other friends before either. Cheerilee and Ditzy were both nice ponies, but we never used to speak more than the casual courtesy of a passerby. As for Raindrops, sure I was scared of her, everypony who's never taken the time to see past her temper is."

As Carrot Top made her speech, Clover Charms heard an odd rattling, as something in her own saddlebags began to vibrate. "Umm, everypony…" she started to mumble as she glanced uncertainly over her shoulder.

"And don't even get me started on Trixie" Carrot Top continued without notice, "When I first met her she might as well have been just another pretentious trouble making snob. Even if I never acted on it, there was some part of me back then that, like the rest of the town, wanted to blame Trixie for somehow bringing down Corona's wrath upon us all. In the end, however, none of that mattered, and with each new day we've all spent together since, I wonder how I ever got by without them — because FRIENDSHIP IS MAGIC!"

With those words Clover's saddlebag exploded as crumpled flakes of gold and shards of shattered crystal burst forth. Everypony stared in confused silence as the fragments began to orbit each of them in turn, and as they did the lingering changes Lemon Hearts had inflicted on them were also reversed.

Finally it was Twilight who was the first to speak. "Wait, but these… these are the copied Elements of Harmony we tried to make. How… why would you even…?"

"Well," Clover replied scratching the back of her mane, "I figured that even if they didn't work, they still might make great souvenirs. Guess I really did finally live up to my nickname in a good way after all, huh?"She grinned her biggest grin yet, and everypony shared in it.

Well, almost everypony.

"No, no!" raged Lemon Hearts, "This is impossible!"

"Now who's boring!" declared an increasingly emboldened Carrot Top as she pressed the advantage, "Nothing is impossible when we have friendship, the most powerful magic of all on our side!" and with that the floating fragments coalesced about their new hosts in a radiant display of multi-hued light. Five necklaces formed and latched about five necks, each bearing a jeweled representation of its wearer's cutie mark — a clover, a dumbbell, a carving chisel, an apple, and even a starburst. Lastly a diadem topped by a carrot shaped gem was formed, which floated gently down to rest upon Carrot Top's head.

One by one, each pony then began to levitate into the air. Carrot Top could scarcely believe it was all happening, again, just like the first time. Only this time she was somehow the central foundation. Did that make her the Element of Magic now, or was she still Generosity for this new team too?

Could she somehow be both at once?

Not that it mattered either way though, because any moment now the primal forces of harmony would build to an unstoppable crescendo, and they would vanquish the foul beast — the pretender.

Any moment, now?

Suddenly the six ponies instead all dropped unceremoniously from the air. As she groaned, Carrot Top barely had time to contemplate her aching flank before something liquid began to run into her eyes. She wiped it away and stared at a golden residue on her hoof. The crown was melting, and looking around she saw the five necklaces doing the same.

Mocking laughter roared out above, "Oh my… I know we did this skit already tonight, but I just couldn't resist an encore. You just wanted it so badly, how could I not indulge."

It was then they all realized what had happened, that there had never been any magic... any friendship, only a cruel prank by the heartless monster.

"If only you could see the looks on all your precious little faces, to see your hopes dashed to pieces. I think I'm finally starting to see the appeal of this megalomaniacal villain routine." Lemon Hearts roiled with laughter befitting such a revelation, but then in an instant she stopped flat, as she shifted into a deadpan sneer, "So then, now do you understand, my little ponies? You are nothing compared to me, and there won't be any miraculous ancient artifacts of power to save you either."

It wasn't fair, they'd done everything right, but it hadn't been enough. Without the real Elements of Harmony, without her real friends what hope did Carrot Top have against this abomination and…

…and her own artifact of power…

Maybe they did have one last hope after all, and so with dawning realization Carrot Top snapped back, "Like you're one to talk! You're not even fighting fair, and if it weren't for that amulet you'd be just as powerless!"

Lemon Hearts chortled, "Oh, and I suppose now I'm supposed to play into your little ploy. I'm the villain after all, and aren't we all just too arrogantly overconfident in our own superiority? You still don't get it do you, garden brain? My power is that of the primal forces of chaos, the boundless antithesis of all things harmonious. My birthright might only be the merest fraction of that endless wellspring, but even the smallest piece of the infinite is still itself infinite as well."

Blinking once in contemplation, the madmare's eyes snapped open wide. "THAT'S IT, that's why I could no longer sate my hunger! Just as the infinite can't be diminished through division, neither can it be enhanced through addition. All these years, it's never been anything more than a placebo giving me the confidence to tap deeper and ever deeper into the power that was always MINE to begin with… but now I finally understand. I understand EVERYTHING!"

Lemon Hearts spiraled as she ascended further into the air, cackling as she continued her rant, "The secrets of the universe are laid bare before my all seeing eyes. The very fabric of creation is mine to command, to CONTROL!"

All around reality warped at the madmare's merest gesture. The ground rippled as it was seemingly replaced by a giant checkerboard, buildings were twisted into surreal architectural parodies, and every wheel in the city turned square. Even the stars in the heavens above seemed to quaver and shake in fear.

Stopping sharp, the twisted madmare glanced down at her own neck, "But just to prove how meaningless this paltry trinket is…" With a glow from her horn she undid the clasp, and as she levitated the amulet away, the aura surrounding it fading from red back to her natural teal. Nothing else about her monstrous appearance returned to normal, however, in fact, it only seemed to grow somehow more distorted. Then with a flash, the pavement beneath the six hapless ponies' hooves turned into a gooey quagmire of caramel. "See, my power remains absolute, and you are all still hopelessly out matched!"

As Carrot Top struggled to extricate herself from the sticky mess, she suddenly found that the amulet had been levitated down to her, hanging temptingly just at the edge of hoove's reach. "Here, let this be my parting gift to you, not that it will actually make any difference… but I might as well indulge you all the same. It's the dawning of a new world after all, and a mare as pathetically useless as you will need every advantage she can get."

As the amulet was slowly levitated closer and closer, Carrot Top thought she could hear something –almost like whispering– as if the artifact itself was calling out to her. It had no real voice and yet it spoke all the same, filling her head with promises of untold power, the power to do anything she had ever imagined and more. She could see herself reflected in the ruby at its center, her own eyes gleaming not only with power, but with confidence — never again would she be anypony's doormat.

All she had to do was reach out and take it!

The farmer slowly lifted one hoof, no longer restrained by the sticky caramel. Inch by tantalizing inch she reached out until finally she touched the amulet, feeling the first taste of its power tingling through her. She also felt the back her own mane lifting out of the way to make it easier to fasten the clasp around her neck. Only belatedly, did Carrot Top realize that she'd stood up on her hind legs and was using one forehoof to brush her mane aside as she still reached toward the amulet with the other.

Yes, the amulet seemed to sooth, Take me, and you too can realize your own unlimited potential.

Even the merest trickle of the amulet’s power was intoxicating, and Carrot Top felt herself longing to drink ever deeper of it. This is what it meant to be important, to actually be somepony special. Not just one insignificant member of a team, but power that was hers and hers alone — all she had to do was fasten the clasp and she would never need anypony else ever again.

"No!"

And with her own sudden declaration, Carrot Top instead batted the amulet away. Any wisping plea the cursed artifact might have had fell silent as it clattered and rolled against the remaining pavement until it fell into a storm drain, washing away to parts unknown.

"I've never wanted power… well I used to think I did, or rather what I wanted was a short cut. But thanks to my FRIENDS, including Applejack, I've learned there are so many more important things in life than wealth and fame. I'm happy just being myself, a simple mare with simple dreams."

"Ha! Such ridiculous nonsense. I thought that I could maybe open your eyes to the truth of the world, but now I see my efforts were only wasted on such an ignorantly pathetic little creature."

"You're the one who's pathetic! Even without that cursed amulet, you are still nothing but a wretched lonely monster. What good is all the power in the world, if you've got nopony to share it with?"

"Share! Why should I bother with such useless sentimentality; what has anypony ever done for me? From the day I was born, even my own family considered me nothing but a tool, one more stepping stone in some old fool's own delusional schemes; that is until I discovered how I could steal it all for myself instead. I've had to take everything I have, all so I could finally be free... with the purchase of a second item of equal or lesser value!"

Everypony blink at the bizarre non-sequitur. Even Lemon Hearts herself clapped a hoof over her own mouth in sudden alarm… only it wasn't a hoof at all any more, but rather lobster's claw.

Whatever semblance of composure the matron had been maintaining broke at the sight of it as she stared in horror, horror that only doubled as she raised the opposite leg to find her other hoof likewise replaced by a mismatching rhino-like foot.

"No… no it can't happen, not like this!" She thrashed about in mid air, twisting her increasingly elongated and sinewy body about as yet still more changes cascaded across it, all the while the glowing aura of her unicorn horn grew ever and increasingly brighter.

"My fudge was supposed to be unbakable!" she wailed as one antler twisted down, turning into something more like that of a ram.

"I'm not like the rest of those weaklings; I'm better… the best around, never gonna keep me me down!" Her flight only corkscrewed ever more erratically as one leathery dragon-like wing was replaced by the rapid gossamer flitting of a giant dragon-fly.

"YOU!" she hissed at Carrot Top as the rattle at the end of what had become a snake's tail shook. "This is all your fault. How could you trick me? Tricks are for kids!" she added as one rear leg, now that of a rabbit rapidly thumped against mid air.

"Control… I have to take back CONTROL, ALT, DELETE!"The world around her turned white –no– black, or was it blue, red maybe. To Lemon Hearts' unblinkable eyes everything and nothing all swirled together at once into an impossible conglomeration. The worst of it, however, was the laughter, the incessant mind numbing laughter… all of it familiar.

*crack*

Her father, mother, siblings, assorted cousins, aunts, and uncles, even her grandparents, great grandparents, and more. "No! You're gone, all of you! You can't hurt me any more; I made sure of it and I rose to become so much more than any of you could have ever imagined!" But that wasn't all, there were also the children. One generation of orphans after the next, all of whom she had raised, nurtured and then harvested to feed her own insatiable need for more — all of them joined in the laughter as well. "Stop it! All of you! Just leave me alone!"

*crack*

Yet the voices wouldn't listen and only laughed all the louder still. One laughing voice, however, rose above all the rest… a voice she'd never before heard, but as its deep and sinister whimsy echoed there was no mistaking it belonged to the original progenitor of all her kind. That most foul and twisted of all monsters, the mad tyrant king himself — Discord!

"Poor feeble little pony. Isn't this what you always wanted? All the infinite power of my beautiful chaos is finally yours, all the endless possibilities and limitless potential to do anything and everything… hope you enjoy the infinite madness that comes with it!"

*crack*

Laughter faded into a deafening silence. Sight, sound, and all her other senses blurred together. She understood everything, and yet there was nothing to understand at all. The universe was both boundless, while also empty and devoid of all meaning. Seconds stretched until they became indistinguishable from eternities. There was no beginning, no end, not even a here and now, there was only…

*CRACK*

...and then it all shattered!

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Somewhere a young mare sat as she leaned heavily against an impassable barrier, her strength long since spent futilely pounding against it. Then, without warning, she fell backwards across the cold pavement.

Rolling over, but too exhausted to rise to her hooves, she crawled over to the still motionless form of her boyfriend. She shook him, begging and pleading that he wake up, but there was no response.

Tears streamed fresh from her face, even though her voice was too choked to sob. That is until a hoof that was not her own reached up to wipe them away.

Opening her eyes, she looked down into the now smiling face beneath her, and she knew everything was good in the world again.

Somewhere else a kitten again became a dragon, to the sudden surprise of several pony guards that were sorting through the mess that had been made of Puissance's underground vault.

Somewhere else, in a town even further away, in the Lost Hearts Orphanage, a colt stirred in his sleep as the gift of dreams entered once again into his young mind.

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As the blinding light cleared, six pairs of eyes blinked, wondering if it was safe… or even if they were still alive.

Applejack was the first to break the silence. "Is it over?"

All around them reality seemed to have reasserted itself, mostly at least. The six ponies still found their hooves embedded in the street, but compared to the caramel it had been mere moments before, the ordinary pavement was yielding enough for Applejack, Carrot Top, and Snowflake to muscle their way free with little difficulty. Twilight, meanwhile, used a few well aimed blasts of her horn to extricate herself, and then one more to help free the last of Clover's hooves as well. Only Woody hadn't yet managed to get a single hoof free, before Snowflake simply lifted him out with a single tug.

Carrot Top sighed, "If I never have to deal with something that crazy again it will be too soon."

Suddenly she found a pair of bright green eyes surrounded by a gray face taking up most of her vision. "Butyouweresoamazing! I mean, I'd heard about how you stood up to that big mean old tyrant sun, but actually seeing a hero in action—" just as quickly, Carrot Top found herself now instead with a face full of bushy green tail as the overly energetic mare turned about on the spot. "Hey Tenbs, you sure she's not one of the real elements? I mean, it’d be cool if we could all be too, but Veggie Head here—"

"...Carrot Top…" the farmer again tried to correct, not that the other mare ever listened.

"—she seems like the real thing to me."

"I, umm…" Twilight stammered as she awkwardly rubbed one hoof against the opposite leg while averting her eyes.

"You're darn tootin' she's the real deal!" interjected Applejack, "This girl and her friends are the pride of Ponyville, of all of Equestria, really."

Carrot Top blinked. Even with their feud behind them, and even though it had always been mostly one-sided on her own part, it still seemed strange to hear Applejack of all ponies singing her praise. After all the years she'd spent being envious of her fellow farmer, the contrast was practically the most surreal event of this entire insane evening.

At the same time, Applejack sharply turned her attention to Twilight, "Which is a heap more than I can say for you!"

"Hey!" Clover shouted as she interposed herself in front of Twilight; Woody and Snowflake were also quick to take up equally defensive postures to either side. "Tenbre, err… Twilight, or whatever you want to call her was only trying to help."

"Yeah, right! Help herself maybe," scoffed Applejack. "It ain't really no different than the mess she made back in Ponyville though. Don't mean much if'n she's the one who stirred up all the trouble in the first place. And if that weren’t enough, this time she dragged all-y'all into it with her. That unicorn's got a whole heck of a lot to answer for and—"

*POP*

Applejack stared at the empty air where the four ponies had been previously standing, then threw her hat to the ground in frustration. "Dagnabbit all! How'd I go forgetting she could do that!"

As, one farmer fumed the other paced over to her and rested consoling hoof across her withers. "It's okay AJ. She'll come around one of these days… I hope at least."

"Yeah, I guess," muttered Applejack glumly, "But what now?"

Considering that question herself, Carrot Top stepped ever so slowly up to the edge of a still smoldering crater in the nearby pavement. She hesitated, taking a deep breath before peering over the edge she. After everything she'd seen tonight, the simple farm mare –and part time hero of the realm– wasn't sure what she'd expected to find, but what she saw only gave her further pause.

At the bottom of the crater, though twitching and shuddering, lay an otherwise perfectly ordinary unicorn mare. Well, her horn was a shattered wreck, and listening closely Carrot Top could hear a whispered jumble of incoherent nonsense, but there was otherwise nothing to show that this pony had only just minutes early been some kind of twisted abomination.

"You best be careful there, sugarcube," Applejack warned as she trotted up.

Carrot Top frowned. She couldn't say she held any real sympathy for the monster turned mare again. Yet to see anypony reduced to such a quivering state gave her no satisfaction either. "I don't think there's anything more to worry about. Whatever she was, I don't think she'll be hurting anypony ever again."

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In a non-descript alley there was a magical *POP* as four ponies teleported in. The three passengers all stood shakily, still disoriented from the unexpected experience.

"Woah…" Clover sputtered and choked a bit, looking rather queasy, "Would you… would you warn me next… the next time you're gonna to do something like that, Tenbs… "

Twilight herself was only a bit less worse for wear herself, and still felt rather light headed from the exertion. Her mana reserves were incredibly deep and teleportation was one of her most practiced spells, but the effort needed to bring three additional ponies with her, on such short notice over such a long distance, and without even having a clear image of where she was going had still left her winded.

"Sorry, I just couldn't let the rest of you get caught for my mistake."

"Hey, no harm, no foul," Clover chirped in a singsong tone. "This adventure's been the most fun I've had in… well, in ever. I can’t wait for the next one!"

"YEAH!!!"

Twilight looked from Clover to Snowflake as each beamed with enthusiasm, "I'm sorry, but that just won't work."

"Huh… what; you mean cause we lost TripS?" the earth mare rubbed a hoof across her chin in brief contemplation before adding, "Actually, come to think of it, that would be the perfect idea for our next adventure. I bet working together we could bust him outta whatever joint old Pucey's locked him up, no sweat."

"Really?!" Woody had been looking about distractedly, but at the mention of the sheriff he turned his attention fully to the discussion at hoof. "Can I help?"

"You betcha, kiddo!" Clover declared enthusiastically as she wrapped one hoof around the youngster's barrel. Giving his mane a light tussle she added, "This is going to be so exciting, I can hardly wait."

"YEAH!"

"No!" all heads turned to Twilight.

"Aww… come on, Tenbs; the kid's proven he's got what it takes."

"Not just him, all of you; there can't ever be a next time. I'm afraid this has to be goodbye."

The corner of Clovers smile twitched ever so slight. "What, but why? We… we all make such a great team, and we have so much fun together; don't we?"

"Fun… FUN!" replied Twilight, her words taking on an increasingly sharp frustration with each syllable, "Don't you get it, Clover, this isn't a game! Just listen to yourself; what you're suggesting is an outright jailbreak!"

Clover merely waved a hoof dismissively. "So what, we already broke into a noble's home to steal a priceless artifact from her private collection. As long as no pony gets hurt, why not bust TripS out of the slammer?"

"You mean the same way no pony got hurt tonight?" Twilight scowled.

"Oh, come on. That was just bad luck; trust me I'm an expert. There's no way anypony could have guessed ol' Lemsy would go all loco in the coco," a point Clover emphasised by making a spiraling gesture with her hoof. "It wasn't our fault."

"It might not have been your fault, but it was mine…" Twilight sighed wearily, exhausted both physically and emotionally, "And not just with Lemon Hearts either. This whole plan was a mistake from the start. I was a fool to think I could solve my problems by dragging other ponies into this mess."

"But… but we're friends!" insisted Clover.

"Not anymore; we can't be." The unicorn said as she turned her back, all the while clenching her eyes tight in a vain attempt to hide her own pain, "It's for your own good. If anypony comes asking, just… just blame it all on me. Tell them I tricked you, that I used illegal mind-control spells, whatever it takes. I'm already a fugitive; no loss to add a few more nails to my coffin." Twilight's horn began to glow as she channeled a teleportation spell. "This is where we have to say goodbye… forever."

Rushing forward, Clover called out, "Tenbs, wait!" but with a *POP* it was already too late.

A silent moment passed before Clover collapsed to the ground. "Why…?" She could understand leaving behind Snowflake and Woody, Loosy too; they all had lives to go back to, but what else was left for herself? How was she supposed to go on without the best friend she'd ever had?

"…Why couldn't you take me with you?" Her lips quavered, and for the first time since the day she earned her cutie mark the corners of her mouth crept below the horizon. She clenched her eyes, desperately trying to fight back the the impending flood that would surely drown her, but without the shield that was her smile, what hope did she have left?

But before the dam could burst, a hoof was under her chin, lifting her head. Clover blinked as she strained to see through the watery haze, and there was Snowflake's giant mug. He stared at her, inhaled deeply through his nostrils, and bellowed but a single word.

"NOOOOOOO!!!"

Then the stallion grinned. More than that, he beamed, with the widest and toothiest smile that only a pony with such an overly large muzzle could. Touching as the gesture was, there was no denying it. He just looked so incredibly… goofy!

Clover began with a slight snicker, building into a more pronounced chuckle, followed by unrestrained giggling, until she dragged the musclebound pony down to the ground as she rolled with raucous laughter. Snowflake laughed, too as well, as the two ponies tumbled over each other, again and again.

Finally, as all the tension bled away, Clover pushed him aside as she climbed back to her hooves. "Thanks, you big lug. I really needed that."

"Yeah?"

"Heck yeah!" she replied, clapping her forehooves together. "I can't go feeling sorry for myself; just isn't my style. Destiny is what brought us all together… well, destiny and a crazy mix'n'match monster. So this… this can't be where the story ends… I won't let it!"

Clover knew the odds were against her, but what did that matter? She'd been lucky enough to meet her Tenbre once, lucky enough to even get a second chance after that, and as the saying goes, third time's the charm. So whenever her luck came around once more and she did meet up with best friend again, Clover would be sure that this time it would last FOREVER!

"Besides," she added with a bit of whimsical mirth, "Tenbs still owes me a pair of those glimmery wings."

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