Chapter 1: My Little Pony

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“Ah hah hah hah hah!” The laughter echoed through the ruins and wreckage of the once proud capital. The dust hung in the air for a few moments, before suddenly sprouting wings and fluttering off, revealing the creature within.

His head was horse-like, with a goat and reindeer horn protruding from his forehead. A single long fang, a goat beard and thick, bushy eyebrows. His right arm was thick and furred, like that of a lion while his left was the claw like that of a griffon's. His right leg was like a dragon's, and the left leg of a goat. His right wing was like a bats, while his left wing was that of a pegasi. His body was long and serpentine, going from gray to brown to red at the tip, that was scaled and had a little tuft of white fur.

Twilight, the purple alicorn with a dual colored purple mane, stared at him with wide, frightened eyes. “D-discord,” she said weakly. “N-no, it... how? W-we couldn't... how did you... Trixie! How could you?” she screamed at the blue unicorn across the room.

“Win? Quite easily,” the mare said, chuckling. “Thanks to the help from the little princess over there.” She gestured to a white unicorn with a purple mane.

The princess, Rarity, groaned as she looked down. Around her neck a golden necklace glittered. However, the gem inside it was now cracked and oozing black smoke. “What did you do to my element, what--”

“Now now, there's no need to fight,” the creature said as he stepped off the remains of the stone pillar he had been standing on. He looked around at the unconscious unicorns that were strewn across the floor. “My my, Avatar, you sure do like to make a mess of things, don't you?” He shook his head and tut-tutted.

“Discord! I don't know... how you did all this, but... but... yah!” She threw her head forward and fire shot out at the creature. It engulfed the creature and for a few seconds she held the flame going. When it died, the creature was nowhere in sight. “I... I did it,” she said softly. “That was so... easy? How--”

“Really, you must be more careful with that fire,” Discord said from behind her with a shake of his head as he ate a small melted graham cracker between chunks of chocolate. “You could hurt someone. Or somepony.”

“Enough of this!” a blue pegasus with a rainbow mane yelled. She surged forward. Discord disappeared, leaving only his chocolate behind. It exploded on the mare, leaving her coated in it as she crashed to the floor, though the chocolate poofed out to cushion the fall. Discord stood over her and shook his head.

“My my. Rainbow. Always so quick to charge in, aren't you?” He reached down and picked her up by her wing, making her yelp. “The loyal one, correct? Though, I can't help but wonder how loyal you'd be if your friends didn't react the same.” He paused and then let her go. “Blind, too? See, this is why you must be more careful. Why, I--” A rock slammed into his face, making him stumble back and hold his nose. “Now that wasn't very nice, Applejack.”

The earth pony with an orange mane glared back at him. “Ah wasn't tryin' tah be nice. Get away from mah friend.” She lifted her hoof up as... Discord popped out of the ground under her hoof instead of a rock.

“What is it with you hot headed types? All about fighting and throwing things.” He grinned slowly. “Element of honesty, are you not? Kind of a waste, isn't it? Since when has a little lie ever caused any harm?”

Applejack stared down at the creature, before driving her hoof down. His head burst, filling the air with balloons. A small pink earth pony with a wild, darker pink mane giggled wildly at the trick. One of the balloons hovered over. “See? Now this pony gets it. Isn't that right, Pinkie? After all, there's just soooo much in this world to laugh about. Almost makes it too easy.”

“What... what have you done to my element, you monster?” Rarity asked, looked down at the gem. “It was...”

“Done to it? Why, nothing you need to worry about.” The darkness spilling from it took the form of Discord's head and left arm as he gently patted her head. “And generosity. You've had to give up so much to join Twilight, haven't you? Then again, it's not hard to give up things when they aren't how you want them, is it?”

“Leave her alone!” Twilight yelled before charging him. He disappeared, making her run into the princess. “Ahhh! S-sorry!” she said as she fell back on her flank.

Rarity stumbled back, before shaking her head. “I-it's quite alright. Look!” She held up her element, the darkness gone. “I-I think it's fixed. Your element must have done it when we crashed into each other!”

“Oh dear,” Discord said, before smiling to the last member of their group, a small yellow pegasus with a pink mane. “I guess this means it's time we fight, isn't that right, Fluttershy?”

Fluttershy gulped and took a step back.

He chuckled. “Come along, my dear. What good is kindness without the courage to use it?”

“Discord!” Twilight yelled before turning on him. “It's time for you to pay for what you've done. All those lives you've destroyed, all those-- AHHH!” She let out a yelp as suddenly two unicorns dropped on her. A dark blue one with a clear, flowing mane and an older, larger white one with a clear flowing mane.

“Sister!” the two said in unison, confusion etched on their faces.

“Sorry, my apologies,” Discord said with a wave of his hand. “It just didn't feel right with just the seven of us here. I had to bring the princesses, for old times sake.”

“Niece, what's going on?” the white unicorn, Celestia, asked.

“Auntie, this... this is Discord. He's...” Rarity struggled to find the right word. “Something else.”

“GET OFF ME!” Twilight yelled, her frustration growing. Everything was just so... weird. She could feel herself being sucked up into his... whatever he was. Throwing her off.

“What? Avatar? Oh! My apologies!” Celestia said before climbing off the alicorn.

“... I have won!” the other mare, Luna, said. She pinned the mare down, before being yanked off by her tail.

“Mother. Now is NOT the time,” Rarity hissed, glaring down at the dark coated unicorn.

“But... I... a-apologies...”

“Ugh, really?” Discord shook his head. “Where's that fire, that spunk? That 'take what I want' attitude? I thought--”

“DISCORD!” Trixie yelled, stomping a hoof. “You're forgetting something.” She spread out her dark, clear purple wings in emphasis.

“Ugh. Always so pushy, this one. I see why you drove her out of town that time,” Discord said before snapping his fingers.

Trixie let out a loud scream and fell to the ground, rolling around in pain. From her sides, dark purple wings, true wings, began to grow out and replace the ones of magic. She laid there for a few moments once it was done, whimpering. “T-there, s-see? I-I totally... h-have all the power... I-I want now... Oh hoh... hoh hoh... ow...” Her horn glowed and a little puff of fire shot out. “W-what? Discord! We had a deal!”

He chuckled. “What? I said I'd give you the avatar's power. If you want to learn how to use it, you'll just have to practice.”

“That's, that's not fair!”

The spirit shrugged and looked back to the eight ponies that now opposed him. “You were saying?”

Twilight just stared, her mouth hanging open. This... creature was just... there were no words. She had no idea what was going on anymore, did he really just GIVE Trixie those kinds of powers? With a snap of his fingers? That didn't even, how could he? He wasn't even being actively hostile. Rude, yes. But hostile? She then glanced to Luna. She thought about all those ponies who had died. Who were still dying. The fight that was going on not that far from them. Everything. It all boiled down to this creature.

Behind it's jokes, strange behavior and... oddly comedic movements, beat a heart of pure darkness. She would not allow it to destroy any more lives. “Girls, to me!” she said swiftly. Her friends quickly gathered around her. “Discord. For all your crimes, for all those lives you destroyed, we'll end you.”

He chuckled softly and held out his hands in a peaceful manner. “Whatever for? I'm completely innocent. It wasn't I who killed and enslaved the Fire Tribes. In fact, I find murder to be so boring. Not my style at all, once someone dies, the fun ends. I didn't try to wipe out all those other nations, or capture your little friends, or even summon an ursa minor to destroy Cloudsdale. Oh, you must tell me what you thought of them. I was going to go animal crackers, but I felt gummy bears suited them so much better.”

Twilight stared at the creature, opening and closing her mouth a few times. This wasn't at all how she imagined this fight would go. Though, frankly, she'd never imagined this fight would happen at all. “No. You've twisted and turned these poor ponies into monsters. Made them cruel and--”

“Objection!” Discord said, suddenly appearing in a black suit, thick rimmed glasses and with his hair slicked back. “I did nothing of the sort.” He picked up Luna and dangled her in the air.

“Unhand me you-- mmph!” Her mouth was suddenly zipped shut.

“Just look at this poor, defenseless pony. All she ever wanted to do was be as powerful and loved as her big sister. It wasn't her fault that everypony wanted her sister to rule. Why, such a thing can drive a pony to madness.” He grinned, his eyes turning purple. “Why, all I did was give her the drive to pursue her goals. How she went about it was her choice.” He dropped the unicorn dismissively. He then grabbed Celestia, pulling her into the air. “Now, if you want to see me change a pony into some kind of monster...” A dark, purple glow enveloped the unicorn as she screamed.

Twilight surged forward, sending a gust of wind out as she head butted the creature. He bounced back into place like rubber, sending the alicorn toppling back through the air with a shriek. He did, however, drop Celestia. “Really? You could have just asked nicely.”

The avatar laid on the ground, confusion on her face before slowly getting up. “Enough, Discord. No more games, no more excuses. This ends now. We will-- GET BACK HERE!” she yelled. She just stared in disbelief as the creature ran away. He was actually running away! From them! She could hardly believe this was the evil, wicked, impossibly mighty creature they'd spent the last year trying to stop. None the less, she knew appearances had to be deceiving. It kept throwing her off. She knew she should be angry and chasing after him, but--

“Ack! He's getting away! Come on, girls!” She couldn't allow herself to be distracted. If Discord won now, who knew what would happen to the world? She paused again before galloping after him, her friends following after. She just wished she couldn't notice that he was skating barefoot on the grass. And that Pinkie was somehow doing the same. One thing at a time.

“Ugh, this story has been so boring lately, hasn't it? So dark and moody? Bleh,” Discord said as he came to a stop, glancing back to the ponies. “Don't you think it's time for a bit more fun?” He chuckled darkly before snapping his fingers.

The ground began to shake, making the ponies struggle to stand as they dug their hooves into the ground. Behind Discord, the dirt and mud began to rise up and be shoved aside. A strange black star, shaped like Twilight's cutie mark, began to rise from the ground. It took the ponies a few seconds to realize it was chocolate. It was attached to a building made of graham crackers, which was in turn attached to a tree made of crystallized sugar. Discord chuckled softly. “Come, come, let's play,” he said with another wicked grin. “I think you'll find you know the way.” He opened the graham cracker door and disappeared inside.

Twilight stopped and stared at the castle, gulping. “Let's... not do that.” She shoved her hoof out and a boulder slammed out, crashing into the castle. It bounced off harmlessly. She tried fire next, to similar effect. “Oh. That's...”

“Don't... don't forget about me, ow,” Trixie said as she limped towards them. “F-fear my new bending powers, yah!” She flung her head forward and a little ball of fire fell to the ground. She stomp her foot and a small piece of dirt bounced a few feet towards them.

“Now that's jus' sad,” Applejack said with a shake of her head, before stomping a hoof and burying the mare in mud. “Ah don't think we have much choice. He's got the power tah give that wind bag fire bendin', ah think he'll be able tah make his lil fort impervious tah anything we can do.”

Twilight gulped and slowly nodded. She pulled the door open and stepped inside. The walls and floor were made of candy as well. She held out her hoof and tried to bend the earth through it. There was no reaction. “I... think he's trying to cut us off from our bending. Girls, stick close.” They gave a swift nod and, together, they stepped into the candy palace.

The door slammed shut behind them, making them jump. A moment later torches lined across the hall came alight. “Welcome, welcome! If you wish to find me, well, I'll be on your precious little throne. I even brought your friend,” Discord's voice echoed through the castle.

“AHHHHH!” Spike screamed.

“SPIKE!” Twilight yelled before trying to gallop off. She was pulled to a stop by her tail.

“Easy there, sugarcube,” Applejack said with a shake of her head, her hoof pinning the alicorn's tail down. “We go rushin' off, we're gonna run inta trouble. As long as we're together, we got the elements. We'll be fine.”

“I just don't understand what happened,” Rarity said as she looked down at her cracked element. “It was so... but now it's just...”

“He's more powerful than anything we've ever faced,” Twilight said softly, before nodding to her friends. “Applejack's right. We need to go together, no rushing into things.” She took a deep breath. “Spike, I'm sorry. I swear I'm on the way. Just... be brave for a little longer.”

The friends walked through the castle and, to Twilight's surprise, nothing happened. The candy was harmless, the torches lit the way. In fact, the place seemed almost... normal. As normal as a castle made of candy could be, at least. Discord didn't even taunt them or anything. It was all so... strange. They kept close together as they walked and looked through the rooms.

“Is this really all he wants to do?” Rainbow finally snapped, shaking her head. “Some kind of all powerful and evil spirit, and he just wants to play hide and seek? This is a waste of time, we--”

“Don't underestimate him,” Twilight said quickly. “He's a spirit, yes. But look at how powerful he is. He's in our realm now, but look how easily he alters it. He's only just returned, too. If this is him while weakened... I don't want to imagine him at full power.”

The group hesitated for a moment with that thought, before walking faster.

They soon came to a room with seven thrones, six of them pony sized with their cutie marks emblazoned on the backs. Discord was sitting on the one with Twilight's cutie mark, besides the last throne, a tiny one, holding Spike. It was actually holding him to it with its arms. They seemed to be made of candy as well, jawbreakers.

“This is the end, Discord,” Twilight said as she looked back and forth, searching for some trap, some hidden... something. Anything. This was all too easy.

“Really? So you'd just like to surrender? That would make things quicker,” Discord said dismissively as he waved a hand and continued nailing his files.

“No, we're going to end you. What is this place? Why did you make us come here? Why did you bring Spike?”

“Why? Well, my dear,” a grin formed on his lips as he tossed the nails back against the wall. “What fun is winning without an audience? I'd have preferred something... bigger, but time is of the essence. Now, if you'll wait a few weeks we could--”

“ENOUGH!” Twilight said, stomping her hoof down.

“Oh dear, I do believe you are getting quite angry,” he said with a shake of his head. “Now, is that any way to act in front of your friends? After all, what good would you be without them?”

“That don't matter one lick,” Applejack said. “Cause we're about tah send yah packin' back where yah came from.”

Discord nodded and leaned back in his chair. “Oh, very well. You've come this far. I do believe I should at least offer you the privilege of the first shot. If you would be so kind?” He pulled out a bucket of popping corn, tossing them into his mouth as they sparkled. “Oh, that tickles.”

Twilight blinked a few times. How could this thing possibly be a threat? No matter. She shook her head as her element began to glow. “Very well. Goodbye, Discord!”

The other elements began to glow as well as the group was enveloped in a purple, magic orb. They began to rise from the ground, the magical energies surrounding them. Twilight's crown glowed brilliantly as she pulled her head back.

“Oh, as if it would be THAT easy,” Discord said before holding out his hand.

Rarity screamed, darkness erupting from her element again. The purple magic around them began to darken and shake as the element bearers were assaulted by its foul magics. Twilight struggled to control the magic, her horn flickering and her element shimmering. She held out her hoof and tried to send out the blast at Discord.

Then the spirit was there, directly in front of them. “I win.” The remaining five elements cracked.

“NO!” Twilight screamed, gathering the magic in her horn. They'd come too far, worked too hard. Slowly, she pushed the darkness back. “You don't win!” Her friends power joined with hers as, inch by inch they drove the evil away. “Today the world is saved!” She gave a mighty battle cry before thrusting her head forward. The magic shot out, enveloping Discord in a rainbow of magic.

“NO! Impossible!” he screamed, struggling to shake off the power. “You can't! You mustn't!” The magic swirled faster and faster, enveloping the creature. The group fell to the ground, exhaustion enveloping them. Then the rainbow dispersed.

Discord lay on the ground, a stone statue staring with a horrified expression.

“W-we did it,” Twilight whispered, a triumphant grin on her face. “We finally did it. We've won!”

“A little help?” Spike asked, looking up at them.

“Huh? Oh! Right!” the alicorn said as she stepped towards the chair.

There was a rumble. She froze. “What... was that?”

“Sugarcube, what exactly was holding this here castle together?” Applejack asked nervously.

“Discord. His magic was... oh.” Twilight ran to Spike and gave the chair a mighty buck. It crumbled under the attack and she picked the dragon up in her magic and tossed him on her back. “Come on girls, we're leaving!”

There was no objection as the group ran out the way they came, galloping down the halls as the building collapsed around them. They made it down to the ground floor, when suddenly the tunnel ahead of them collapsed, blocking them in. Twilight stepped back and turned to the stairs. “We'll go back up, we can try escaping out a win--” There was a crash as the stairs began falling apart., raining jagged shards of candy down on them. “Come on!” She turned and galloped towards the nearest door, her friends following behind. They barely made it into the room as the stairway collapsed behind them. Unfortunately, they were now trapped, with the roof beginning to crack. “Oh no, oh no no no no!” the alicorn said as she looked around.

“Twilight, calm down,” Rainbow yelled.

“What are we going to do? I can't--”

“Teleport us out of here! Remember? Use the elements!”

Twilight froze and stared. How could she miss that? The BLIND could literally see it. She shook her head. “Okay, everypony get ready!” she ordered. Their elements crackled, but refused to come to life. “Come on, come on!” she yelled, pacing in a small circle around her friends. “Activate, work! Please!” she begged as a small tile fell down besides her. She struggled desperately to get it to work, but her magic refused. There was a terrible crack from above and she looked up.

The roof collapsed in as her element came alive, blinding everypony. When she could see again, she was outside. “We... we did it! We're out!” She had only a moment to see the castle before it collapsed into a small pile of destroyed candy. But it didn't matter, they'd won. “Girls, we--”

The words caught in her throat as she looked around. None of them were with her. She was all alone. Spike wasn't even on her back. It took many seconds before her horrified mind could process what happened. She turned towards the rubble, her eyes widening. “No. No no. No please no.” She galloped towards it, tears forming in her eyes as she galloped over the shards of candy. Her horn glowed as she began picking up and throwing every chunk she could, before jumping back. She stomped a hoof down and the ground began lifting up, tossing aside huge chunks of the debris. “No no no no!”

She stopped when her world fell apart around her. A small blue hoof stuck out from the rubble, covered in blood and crushed from the collapsed building.

Twilight fell on her flank, staring at the destruction ahead of her. Every ounce of energy drained from her. It wasn't possible. It couldn't be.

“Ah hah, I've done it!” Trixie yelled as she jumped. “Prepare for the might of--” Her wings didn't hold her for long as she face planted into the ground. “Ow...”

Chapter 2: I used to wonder

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Twilight stared, her mind struggling to process what she was seeing. She'd been staring at it for so very, very long. There were now hundreds, thousands of ponies surrounding the laid out bodies of her friends.

They looked so peaceful, aside from the blood. It had likely been a quick, if brutal death. Even Spike was laying there, his scales cracked and broken. The gem in the necklace around his throat shattered. The elements themselves were still on her friends, though the collapsed roof had bent most of them.

She just stared at the bodies and the soldiers stared at her. She'd won. Nightmare Moon was no more. There were still soldiers, but there was nopony to lead them. Luna had submitted to the will of her elder sister, and now Celestia was directing the troops. The dismantling of the Water Nation forces. The end. It was all over, everything she'd worked for. Now it was just like before she had disappeared.

Yet, she felt so empty. She'd managed to unbury her friends, but they were long gone. Nothing remaining in their wracked bodies.

Rainbow Dash had been the first to be unburied. Their fastest member, a true fighter. She'd been with her since the beginning. Always first into a fight, the best air bender she'd ever known. In many ways, she was the second in command of the group. Someone Twilight could trust to take charge if anything happened to her. She'd have probably thought it was funny, in a dark way, that she was found first. Always there for her friends, no matter what. Even with the loss of her sight, she'd refused to give up.

Fluttershy had been second. It had been the second cruelest of all. Seeing her once kind, loving friend on the ground, broken and battered. The mare who had, for the longest time, taken care of them. Every cut or scrape was tended by her with the gentlest of care. It didn't matter how much they whined or complained, or how tired they were. She was always there to give a gentle, caring word. Always there to support them. Seeing her broken in such a brutal fashion was a cruel joke from the universe. Even when she had been frightened, she'd still gather up the courage to fight any of their enemies, even a massive dragon.

The third had been Pinkie. That had been when her tears had run out. There was only so many she could give. But there was no longer a release for her grief at that point. The joker, the funny mare. The one who always found a way to make them laugh, but knew when to take things seriously. Twilight didn't know if they would have made it this far without her. Even if Pinkie wasn't the best fighter, she was always there to encourage them. Always motivate them. Make the darkness and pain a little more bearable.

Applejack had been the fourth. One of her newest friends, it didn't make the pain any less. Her earth bending master, the only pony to have ever performed metal bending. Just as stubborn, if not more so, than Rainbow. Level headed and able to focus under pressure. She helped keep the group in line, from pushing too far. From going too wild. She had been another pillar for them. A great cook, too.

Rarity had been fifth. An old enemy turned friend. Twilight knew she'd never have another like her. The journey would have been impossible if not for her occasional help. When she became an ally, even with the problems and enemies she'd brought, it had been wondrous. They'd finally succeeded. Managed to rescue everypony, end this war. Save her mother from Discord's control. Now she'd never get a chance to really know her family again.

Spike had been the last. He had been the worst. He wasn't supposed to be here. She left him behind, where it was safe. He was supposed to be safe. He was just a BABY! He'd been with her since near the beginning, but how long had she practically ignored him? Half the time it was her, her friends and Spike. She'd even forgotten he was part of the group sometimes. Just her little assistant, not a part of this war. Then she'd lost him once. It had been Rarity who'd found him. She'd had a second chance and she meant to use it well. To keep him safe. But she'd failed. There wouldn't be a third chance.

The war was over, this was supposed to be a time for celebration. For cheering. But she couldn't, not now. How many had died? How many more would still die from the smaller skirmishes? She thought those had hurt, knowing all the nameless, faceless ponies were dying and she couldn't stop them. But they were like a tiny pinch on the hoof compared to this stab in the heart.

Some of the soldiers tried to talk with her, she ignored them. One pony tried to touch her friends, she sent them hurtling through the ranks with a wave of her hoof. She nearly did the same to Luna and Celestia, before she realized who they were. Their daughter, their niece. Gone forever.

The war was over. But there was still much that had to be done. So much pain that had to be mended. There would be no celebration. No relaxation. She had so much work to do, things she had to do. Ponies needed her to do.

But they would wait. For now she just starred at their corpses. Her friends. And wished she'd had the good fortune to have teleported them out instead.

------

Twilight nodded slowly as she looked over the reports laid in front of her. She merely nodded in place, only giving them the smallest of glances. She couldn't even read them if she wanted to. Her eyes were blurry and tired and she knew she should be in bed. But sleep led to dreams and dreams sometimes led to her friends.

“Avatar,” one of the ponies at the table asked. She barely even registered which one it was. Ember? Ashmane? Pebble? They all seemed the same to her now. It was as if the world had lost all color. Everything seemed muted and gray. Without her friends, there was no more life. “You look tired. Are you sure you want to be here for this meeting?”

“I'm fine, continue,” she said on auto pilot, trying to focus on the words. Everything was going so... well. It was perfect. In fact, it was exactly how she dreamed it would be. The Water Nation was defeated and there was peace. Ponies were being friends again. The countries were working together, helping each other. The Water Nation was doing what it could to repair the damage it caused, but even it was suffering from so much destruction over the last hundred years that it was struggling to maintain some semblance of normalcy as civil war raced across its borders.

At first she'd tried to help there, but that was when the worst had hit her. Everypony congratulated her, called her their savior. As if it was she alone who had saved the world. She'd merely smiled and waved, hoping the ponies would go away. Then Celestia had talked with her.

The ruler asked her to leave, at first she didn't understand why. She pushed. Oh, how she wished she hadn't pushed. Celestia told her, with tears in her eyes, that seeing Twilight alive and well was like having Rarity die a second time in front of her. The words had startled her, but she understood.

She hadn't expected the same words to come from Applejack's family. From Fluttershy's. From Pinkie's. From Rainbow's. She had to go in person, to tell them. To let them know. The anger, the hurt, the betrayal. Why had Twilight survived when none of them had?

They were hurting though. Loss hurt. She understood it. She deserved it. Her magic was what failed, she was the only pony who could have teleported them. Maybe if she'd spent less time focusing on bending and more time on magic, she would have been able to teleport without the elements. But she hadn't and now they were gone.

“Twilight? Did you hear me?”

“Huh?” she asked, looking up.

“I said we're going to pack up for today. We're finished.”

“Oh... right. Carry on. I'll be... resting,” she lied as she turned and walked out from the room.

Now she was 'home'. Manehatten. The fire benders were back and rebuilding. But they were rebuilding without her. There was no point for her to be here. She was a tool for war, but there was no more war. There was no more fighting. There was no more need for a master bender. Now she had to be a diplomat in a world she didn't know, didn't understand. There were no more big enemies. Even Trixie was imprisoned now. It was over. It was all over.

Maybe it was time she went to the other countries. It had been a month, at least, since she'd returned to Manehatten. Maybe she would be more useful there.

------

Twilight dug her hoof into the ground as she walked forward. The ground cracked and broke under her steps, though she didn't care. Before the world had seemed to be in nothing but shades of gray. Now she'd found the color red.

Her rage bubbled within her, echoing through ever fiber in her being. Some earth benders tried to block her way, but she waved a hoof and sent them back with a wave of wind. She made it to the courtyard outside Fillydelphia's palace before stopping.

“Avatar! What a pleasant surprise,” a white earth pony with a light gray mane said.

“Fancy Pants!” she roared, stomping a hoof and making the ground shake. “I know what you're doing. Call back your soldiers.”

He paused and looked taken aback. “A-avatar? I don't know--”

“I saw the invasion force. I saw what they did to that city. The war is over.” She stepped forward as more soldiers moved to block her path, but they were stopped by a wave of his hoof.

“Please, Avatar. You misunderstand,” he shook his head. “We are in a time of peace. But, the Water Nation has... transgressed. Horribly. How many have died? How much was destroyed? All the nations are vulnerable now, more than ever. I am merely ensuring that this... travesty cannot occur again.”

She growled and dug her hooves into the ground. “So you admit it?”

“I am protecting everypony! It is better for us to watch over them. Help them. Guide them. Do we really need another Water Nation war? This way they'll be under our eyes and--”

“ENOUGH!” Twilight yelled, her mane erupting into flame. She stomped her hooves once and the building shook. “Too many ponies died to put an end to this war.” She stepped forward and put her face near his. “There will not be another.”

“Of course not, Avatar. This is merely a preventa--”

She silenced him with a wave of her hoof. “You miss understand. There will not be. Another.”

He stared at her for a few moments before the realization dawned on him. He glared and took a step forward. “I will not be threatened in my own kingdom, Avatar. My soldiers will remain where I see--”

Her hoof was suddenly on his mouth and she stared into his eyes. “Allow me to stop being subtle, then. You will remove your soldiers. Or I will remove you. Do not test me on this, emperor. The war is over and it will remain over.”

He stepped back, his eyes going wide. “A-avatar, you cannot... this...” He lowered his eyes and turned away. “Very well. I will have my soldiers... return.”

“Without any of their prisoners or... 'protected' ponies.”

“Of course,” he said with a bow of his head.

Twilight turned and walked out. The guards watched her, but quickly turned their gazes away when she looked back. She focused on the anger, letting it boil within her. The war had only just ended less than a year ago. Yet these ponies already tried to start a new war. Enslaving those who opposed them, using might to try and make them obey. Her friends hadn't died for ponies like this.

There was nothing that could be said for it anymore. The ponies here were... beyond her aid. They didn't want her help. Most didn't need her help. But she would be damned if she'd allow them to take what her friends had fought and died for away.

------

Sweat glimmered across the mare's coat. She stared at the massive tower of stone in front of her. It was impressive, she knew. Applejack would have been proud. Of course, she still had to get furniture and carpets, not to mention store some food. But for now, her stone tower would do.

The door swung open and she walked inside. It closed behind her, echoing through the wide, open halls. She was alone now. Her own personal tower where nopony would ever bother her again. She'd put it between the border of the Water Nation and the Earth Kingdom, so she could keep an eye on both of them. Ponies could find her if they needed her. It was good.

She walked through the halls, stopping when she realized the tears were starting again. She wiped them off and kept going. Her friends should have been here. They should have been walking through these halls besides her, talking, laughing. They were good, kind ponies. They wanted to end this war. They wanted her to be a part of their life.

Now all that was left were the worst kinds. Ponies who wanted to wage war. Ponies who wanted to start over everything they had worked to stop. But Twilight wouldn't let them, not this time. She'd shatter their kingdoms like glass if she had to, but there would be no more wars. There would be no more fighting.

She looked around as she traveled the stone halls. There was an echo with each step and the light came in through the many windows she'd put in. She wondered if she should add glass later, or leave them open. Maybe she could fill the drab, gray halls with books instead of furniture. Yes, that's what she'd do. Study. She'd always liked to study. Books were comfortable. Books were gentle. Books wouldn't die. Books wouldn't leave her alone.

------

Twilight hurtled the book through the window, letting out another scream of rage. For a moment she paused, confused and angry. But why was she angry? Why was she upset?

Of course. The magic book. Teleportation magic. It was so easy. She could have done it. If she'd just looked, just tried. A child could have done it. A child WOULD have done it. To save her friends. If she hadn't been such a fool. She collapsed onto the gray rug, letting out another sob. She looked to the nearby bookshelves and let out another angry growl. She picked up the nearest one and hurtled it against the room, splintering the wood and sending books flying. For a moment, red returned to her world and she began gripping more books and furniture, shattering them against the wall, the floor, everything.

It wasn't fair. Why did it still hurt so much? It wasn't lessening, it wasn't going away. It had been years since they died. But the pain still hovered around her heart, gnawing away at her as if it was alive. As if it was feeding on her, draining her. If anything, she felt the pain getting stronger.

She rested her head on her hooves and began to cry. She wanted her friends. She wanted to hear their voices. She wanted somepony to tell her what to do, to help her. To tell her it would be alright. There weren't any ponies still out there, though. They were all... bad. All wrong. All...

All in danger of her. That's what being the friend to the Avatar meant, after all. It meant they'd die, while she'd live. A hundred lives, a thousand lives. Until all that was left was her.

The pain gnawed at her, choked her. She needed something, anything. There was no pony she could turn to. No pony came to her tower, not anymore. She was...

She was not alone. It had been so long since she'd used this spell. So long since she'd called on them. Before even Discord. Before she'd lost her friends.

Her horn began to glow as she closed her eyes and slowly entered a trance. There was still somepony she could turn to. “Starswirl...” she said softly as a white light began to form in front of her.

Chapter 3: What is friendship all about?

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A gray pony with a long, flowing beard appeared in front of Twilight. He was wearing a gray cape and hat, with images of the stars and moon across it. Little bells dangled all over his outfit. She slowly opened her eyes and smiled. “Starswirl...”

The stallion nodded. “Indeed, young Avatar. It has been... long since we last spoke. I can... tell you require my aid. What is it you need?”

She took a slow, deep breath. “Starswirl. I... I need to know how you did it. When you lost everything. When Discord took everything from you. How did you... how did you go on? In this... like this. How? Losing friends. Family. All those...”

The spirit paused for a moment before sighing. “You can never ask easy questions, can you young Avatar?” She shook her head. “Of course not. I... will admit. Losing everypony I cared for like that hurt. Losing my friend and having her turn on me was like having a knife through my heart. Even though I passed on soon after, in the moment... it was horrible. It still hurts.”

She nodded slowly. “I... I need to know more.”

He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. “As you wish. My friends were... my training was long, but wondrous. There were no great conflicts until the end of my reign. When Discord appeared, there was quite a bit of difficulty... getting everypony together. But defeating him was simple. Or so I thought.” The sadness began to tinge his voice. “I... made a mistake. I never realized how my friend felt, how I was overshadowing her. It never even dawned on me that that kind, sweet mare was so...” A few tears formed in his eyes. “Not a day goes by I don't regret my failures. Even now, as this spirit, I still feel the pain of that loss. If I had been a better avatar, perhaps none of this would have happened. In nearly every sense of the word, I was a failure. It shames me to know that I have led you down this path.”

She nodded. “How... can I cope? After--”

“You must stop what you are doing now.”

“W-what?”

“Locking yourself away from the world. The pain is strong, I know. But this... is not how it should be dealt with. Not how you should act. You are the Avatar. The light of the world, a beacon for all. Hiding in a tower from ponies is not what you should do.”

“I-I've saved the world, I've given e-everything for them. H-how can I give more? How can they expect me to give more? I have nothing left to give!”

“And yet you must,” Starswirl said with a shake of his head. “The world depends on you. This loss is powerful, but you, and you alone, must deal with it and continue. It is your duty.”

“H-how?” she asked softly, a sob breaking from her throat. “H-how can I possibly deal with this? How can... how can anypony possibly deal with this? The pain, they... they depended on me. I let them down. I-I left them to die. It should have been me who died, not them!”

Starswirl looked down. “I do not know. All I can tell you... is you must. Look deeper, if you desire. There are others who suffered. Who lost. Talk with them.”

She closed her eyes and he faded away. How could he possibly understand? She'd lost everything and had to go on living. He'd at least had the good fortune to die soon after his betrayal. To join his friends. She focused, delving deeper within herself.

A new pony appeared, a light gray one with streaked dark and light gray mane. “Cadence,” Twilight said softly, staring at her.

“Hello, Twilight,” the mare said softly.

“I... I need to know. When you lost--”

“I know,” Cadence said softly, shaking her head. “I... know all to well what you feel. When... when I lost my Shining, it was the worst thing I'd ever experienced. I had other friends, but he was the light of my life. He was the color. Everything was better with him there. Without him, the world was a dark and awful place.”

Twilight nodded. “Exactly. It's... it feels so hopeless. So empty.”

“It did. Not having him there in the morning was... awful. Every day I would wake up, and half expect him to be there. Waiting for me. Smiling. With a piece of toast or some haybacon. That he'd ask me how I slept and I'd tell him I had some awful dream. But... it never happened. I finally couldn't take it. The pain. The loss. It was... too much. All those ponies telling me how they needed me. How I had to be there. Telling me of my responsibility. I finally ran and hid away, to grieve in peace.”

Twilight nodded. “Exactly.”

“I was wrong. I... ran away from my responsibilities. I hated them, hated all of them for my loss. But that was never what Shining would have wanted. He loved me, but he loved me for what I was. Who I was. He would have fought besides me no matter the cost. When I lost him, I fell apart. It would have killed him a second time to see me like that. Avatar, you must not do what I did. You... cannot allow your grief to control you. To enslave you. Do not do it for yourself, but do it for them. Do it for your friends. For they would never have wanted you to be like this because of them. I... cannot tell you how to continue. But... perhaps the previous avatar can. Go, ask him.”

With those parting words, the alicorn disappeared. Twilight stared for a few moments before letting out a sob. Why was it okay for that avatar to grieve and fall apart, but not her? She'd saved the world, she'd done her duty. All she wanted now was to grieve and fall apart in peace. But the hope of somepony who could help her, who could take away the pain was too much. She dug deeper.

Next, a white alicorn with light gray arrow tattoos across his body appeared. As opposed to the others, he was smiling. “Hey, Twilight. What's up?”

“I... don't think we've talked. I... I need to know how to--”

“It'll never stop hurting,” the pony said, the grin disappearing.

“W-what?”

“The pain you're feeling. Trust me, I know. It never stops hurting.” The pony took a deep breath. “I... was alive during a very short conflict. The Fire Tribes, attacked us. There was war and my home was wiped out. Everypony I ever knew. Parents, brother, cousins, neighbors. All dead in one day. I was the only survivor.”

She stared, her mouth falling open. “I... I'm so sorry. My people are--”

“It's not your people. That's the thing so many ponies forget. It's not 'my people' and 'your people'. It's ponies. We're all ponies. Some of us have magic, some of us have different magic. But in the end, we're all ponies.” He sighed. “I... was young when that happened. They were coming after me, trying to eliminate me before I was a threat. They almost succeeded, but I was taken to Cloudsdale right before the attack. From there, I trained. I learned. I made friends.” He leaned back. “My water bending teacher? She was a great mare. Always talking about hope and how she believed in ponies. Very kind and loving, but... so very strong.” He gave a soft sigh. “I ended up marrying her, actually. Her brother tried to beat me with his boomerang at the wedding. Heh. Half surprised he wasn't in the dress, let me tell you, he ended up cross dressing a lot during our adventures.”

Twilight stared for a few moments, her mouth falling open. She then shook her head. “How does... this help?”

He smiled, a hint of sadness in his eyes. “I lost everypony important to me. I... wanted to make them hurt for the longest time. I couldn't trust anypony. Only... well, I could only trust a few. I... almost killed the fire bender who did it. He'd taken up the name Fire Lord and... when we fought, I nearly killed him. But I couldn't.” He put a hoof over his heart. “The pain doesn't go away. Hiding from others, grieving, anger. None of those will ever stop it. It's... not something you can bear alone. Even now the loss hurts. But... they make it better. Every friend I made. My wife. My children. The pain was never gone, it weighed on me. But I always had those who could help me carry it. Who... held me up, even though I wanted to fall. If you're hoping that one day you'll wake up and boom, stop caring? That won't happen. Time will heal it, slowly. But you couldn't save the world alone, what makes you think you can bear this weight alone?”

She trembled and threw her head down, sobbing. Her horn flickered and the tattood pony disappeared. “H-how can I? F-friends... a-all that will happen is they'll get hurt. I-I can't. All I ever did was hurt them. I-I pulled them away f-from their homes, their f-families and they died for it! T-they didn't... didn't deserve this...”

She laid there and wallowed in her misery, sobbing softly. Then, slowly, she began to open her eyes and stare ahead. There was... still one last pony. One more avatar she could turn to. One who would understand exactly how she felt. Every pain filled second. She closed her eyes and, slowly, the last alicorn began to appear in front of her.

She was a light, almost white gray, with a dark gray mane. “Twilight,” she said softly.

“C-Clover,” the avatar said softly. “I... I...”

“You wish to be alone. You want to know how I did it, how I lasted so long without friends? You want to be like me?” the mare snorted and sighed. “Then you're a fool.”

Twilight was taken aback, her mouth falling open. “But... but you... you were...”

“I was a coward. Did you think I was hiding for the sake of others? No. I was terrified. I knew what pain would come for me if I had friends. I knew I was a target and I knew that... if I had ponies close to me, they would be in danger.” She took a deep sigh. “I never... I was lonely. Alone. I had... two friends. My little dragon, Sparkie. And my sister,” Clover said with a gentle sigh. “She should have been the avatar, not I. She was always the... one good at making friends. She probably would have befriended every enemy I had to eliminate.”

“B-but it worked, didn't it? Y-you kept ponies safe. You never had to--”

“I lived a blank, empty life. I hid away, while my family moved on. I was an aunt, but I only met my nieces and nephews once. I cowered, like a foal in my tower.” She looked around. “Is this what you want? You've felt the touch of your friends on your heart. Can you really look around at these books and say they replace them? That they can be as good?”

Twilight shivered and shook her head. “N-no. I... But... t-they're gone. They died and--”

“So? Is this what you want, now? Is this what they would have wanted?” Clover stood up and walked to the nearby window and looked out through it. “An empty world, with just your books, forever? No pony to care about you? No pony to talk with?” She turned around and glared. “Do what you wish, Avatar. This is your decision now. But do not use my cowardice as an excuse for your own.” She stepped forward. “You dishonor not only me, but the memories of your fallen comrades.”

Twilight just stared, her mouth hanging open. “My... my friends were... I can't... I...”

“Is this what they would have wanted?” Clover asked as she took a step closer, to look into the alicorn's eyes. “Their friend to have become this... sniveling, terrified creature? Would they have wanted their passing to do this?” She leaned in ever closer. “Do you wish you had never met them? Does the grief of having lost them so eclipse the joy that they brought you?”

Tears formed in Twilight's eyes as she slowly shook her head. “N-no. They... they were... they were everything.” Memories flashed through her mind. One year. It had been less than a year. Such a short time to know a pony. But she had learned so much. Experienced so much. More than books had ever taught her. She slowly stood up and dried her eyes. “No. Nothing could eclipse what they showed me. What I... experienced with them. Everything... everything was so...”

“Then stop hiding. Don't be a coward, like I was. Friendship can hurt. Just like everything else. But that is no reason to hide from it.” With those parting words, the pony disappeared.

Twilight stood there in silence, before turning and walking away.

------

The alicorn stood on the edge of the tower, looking out over the world. She'd lost so much. In a way, she'd lost everything. Her friends who had become so dear to her, in such a short time. But they had given their lives, given their everything, to stand by her. Even though they knew death could take them. She stared intently over the world.

Her friends were gone in body. But their spirit would never be. Pieces of them would dwell in her heart forever. Helping her. Guiding her. Watching over her. Just as she would have them. She spread her wings and slowly rose into the air.

“The war is over,” she said softly. “For that, my friends, I thank you. For everything you have taught me, for everything you did for me. I... will never forget you.” She slammed her hoof down and the tower crumbled, splitting down the middle as stones and rocks fell apart. She watched the tower fall apart, her tower. Her pillar of loneliness and grief. Soon nothing remained but a pile of rocks.

“But I will move on. I will make new friends. New bonds. I will take everything you have given me and continue. Goodbye.” She slowly lowered herself to the ground as color began to return to her world. The pain began to melt away, though it still gnawed at her heart, struggling to get a grip. But there was nowhere for it anymore. Her friends were gone, but she would no longer let their memory be of sadness and pain. Their bond would remain no matter what. Now, she would remember all the joy and pleasure they brought her. The smiles. The laughter. The life.

She knew exactly where she would spread it first, too.

------

“Avatar, such a pleasant surprise,” Luna said, giving the alicorn a warm smile. Twilight was a little taken aback by the kindness from her, but it was refreshing.

“I... wish to apologize. For... for Rarity. I never... I never did that. When I was here. I just... threw myself into everything.” Twilight took a deep breath. “I know you tried to talk with me then, but I couldn't bear it.”

The once Nightmare Moon stared at her for a moment before lowering her gaze. “I... I understand. Twilight, please. What happened then... it was not your fault. My daughter died, but she didn't die an empty death. She died so all ponies, everywhere, could be safe. She knew what she was getting into when this happened. I know she would never have blamed you for this.”

The avatar slowly looked away, watching over the slow rebuilding of Canterlot. “How can you forgive me? I... if I hadn't failed--”

“Rarity would have forgiven you. All of your friends would have. They loved you, fought with you. They would never have blamed you for what happened.” Luna slowly looked away as well. “It was Discord who is to blame, and I. But never, ever you.”

Twilight nodded and smiled. “I... I'd like to help. This world is still hurting and... my friends gave everything they had to try to fix it. I'm done hiding away. I want to get back to work.”

Luna nodded. “Thank you, Avatar. Your help will be much appreciated.”

Twilight smiled and felt a small twang in her heart. This Luna wasn't so bad. Her friends were gone, but there would be no more letting her life slide by. She would make new friends, new allies. She would make a new world they would be proud of.

“What are you doing here?” Celestia asked, making the alicorn jump.

“Ahhh! Your highness!” Twilight said as she turned around and took a step back. Her friend's aunt looked horrible, her mane ruffled, her eyes bloodshot. Her gaze was cold and hard. “I was merely here to--”

“I know exactly why you are here. Begone. I have no desire to deal with you. After you killed my niece and all your other little friends.”

Twilight's mouth fell open and she stared at the mare. “Ex... excuse me?”

“You shouldn't have been the one to survive, Rarity should have. You're the one to blame, the one at fault. All you ever do is ruin everything for those ponies unfortunate enough to be your friends!”

The alicorn couldn't respond, the shock and pain rolling over her.

“Just leave. None of us want you here, none of us. Just go back to your tower and leave the rest of us alone.” The unicorn stared down at her, her chest heaving.

Twilight watched her for a few more moments as the words rang through her. They sounded so... so... hollow. But they were the same words she had told herself not long ago. Her eyes slowly narrowed and she took a step forward. “Who are you?”

“What?”

“You. Who are you? I... know Celestia. I know the kind of mare she was. She was kind and caring...” She took another step forward as she felt another twang in her heart. “It's... not right, is it?”

“What are you talking about?”

“Everything. It all... everything is just...” She looked around again. There was color now. Everything was colorful. But darker. Different than it should have been. It had been gray, as well. She remembered. She thought it had just been her, but everything. She tried to imagine what life had been like the last few years, but she couldn't. It all went by so fast. In fact, everything seemed to be happening in a blur.

Her eyes went wider. She didn't even remember coming here. She had decided to come to Luna, and then she had been here. It had made sense, but now... she felt it began to melt away from her mind. To melt away from her. Cracks started to form in reality as she stomped her hoof again.

“Discord,” she whispered softly.

“You're making no sense, Avatar. Just--”

“NO!” Twilight yelled, stomping both hooves again. “Discord, you haven't won! You don't win!” She lifted her head and turned to Celestia. “This is over. I will not be controlled by you any longer.”

Celestia stared before growling. “Very well. If you won't relinquish your control...” A black wing struck out from her side. “Then I will just have you beat you and your element down.” The world disappeared.

Twilight stood, floating high above in blackness. No, not floating. There was nothing there, no up or down. There was just her, Celestia and Luna. Celestia began to change, her skin melting away to reveal a black alicorn with red, glowing eyes. It charged towards her.

Twilight shrieked and her horn glowed, but there was no magic. It barreled into her, but then darted away as Luna stepped forward. The once ruler smiled and her skin began to melt away as well, revealing a white alicorn with a cutie mark shaped like her element. The mare smiled at her and held out a hoof. The Avatar eyed it for a moment before reaching out and taking the mare's hoof. There was a flash, and the other alicorn was gone, replaced by her crown.

“This is over,” Twilight whispered before turning towards the black alicorn. It hissed, long black fangs flashing. She put the element on her head and stared at it. “You don't win.” Light erupted from the element.

The world exploded and she crashed to the ground, letting out a yelp. “Owwww...” she groaned. Her element landed a few feet away, the cracked gem glimmering in the light. She looked around, her eyes widening.

She was laying in front of a pillar with the word's 'Twilight Sparkle' written on the bottom. Rocks covered the floor. She was in some kind of stone chamber.

There was yelling and galloping hooves coming towards her. She looked around before grabbing her element, galloping towards the back wall, opening it with her earth bending and jumping through, arriving outside. She closed it behind her and turned back, just making a small peephole into the other room.

Where was she? What was going on? More importantly, if she was in there, where were her friends?

Chapter 4: When I was young

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Twilight looked through the small hole in the wall, staring at the ponies as they entered the chamber. Her heart started beating rapidly when she recognized the blue alicorn that followed two of the soldiers.

“Where is she? Who did this?” Trixie yelled, looking around angrily. “Find whoever took the statue and have them brought to me! I'll kill them myself!” She stomped her hooves angrily. The alicorn amulet was still hung around her neck and her eyes glowed with a dark, purple light. She paced back and forth before stomping a hoof again. The pillar exploded, coating the room with dust. “NOW!” The guards turned tail and ran.

“Twilight, don't yell,” a voice said near her ear. She barely managed to avoid screaming as she whipped around.

A red coated pegasus, wearing the Water Nation's armor, smiled at her. “I want to help you,” he whispered.

She stared for a few moments before looking back towards the hole in the wall, then him. “What's going on? Who are you?”

He looked very tired, but the smile didn't leave his face. “You've been gone for a long time, Avatar. There's a lot I'll have to explain. My name is Hornclipper and I'm a member of the resistance.”

“Resistance?” she asked softly. They'd won, hadn't they? No. Of course not. Something... weird was going on.

“HAVE DISCORD SUMMONED IMMEDIATELY!” Trixie's voice echoed from the hall, making Twilight gasp.

“It's not safe here, follow me,” Hornclipper said quickly before turning and trotting away. With no other option, she followed after him as they headed around the buildings, quickly leaving the chamber behind. They were in a city, she imagined a slowly being restored Canterlot. Most of the buildings were made of stone and had a very... bendy look to them.

“I need to know what's happening. Where are my friends?”

He took a deep breath. “I only know where a few of them are. Once you were all defeated and turned to stone--”

“Turned to stone?” Twilight asked softly, her eyes widening.

“Yes. All of you were. You were left here while the others were... sent away. I don't know where Princess Rarity was sent, but the element of laughter was sent to the Fire Tribe lands under the watch of Discord. Your other earth pony friend stands in Fillydelphia. The two pegasi were sent to the air nomads, though I can't tell you where. I believe one is in Cloudsdale.”

Twilight nodded, her head spinning slightly. “But... they're alive?”

“As alive as you were. We...” He took a slow, weak breath. “We thought you were gone. There are still ponies opposing him but... well...”

“But what?”

He let out another sigh. “It's, frankly, hopeless. Discord, quite literally, pops up in half our secret meetings. It's... infuriating. He'll just come in, steal our snacks and recline. He even judges our plans! He gave one of mine a yellow plus!”

“Yellow plus?”

“I... think it's better than a singing duck, but worse than a see-em-see table.”

“You're making absolutely no sense,” Twilight said with a shake of her head. “Where are you taking me?”

“There are some ponies you'll want to see here.” There was a pause. “I'll admit, my... desire to stay here wasn't only for the proximity to you. Trixie now rules the Water Nation and has... kept the most dangerous threats to her reign under close watch.” He stopped and looked down. “Could you bend the earth, here?” He said, stopping near the walls that surrounded the city. “Going down, not out. The dungeons should be below us.”

“The dungeons? I thought you--”

“Your companion, Spike is housed there. As are Princess Sweetie Belle and her... friends.” Perhaps it was the darkness of the night, but she swore he was blushing. If only-- The sun suddenly rose, making it easier to see. He was definitely blushing.

“Spike is here? Wait, Princess Sweetie? Does that mean Celestia and Luna are, as well?”

“No. They haven't been seen since your defeat. It... is believed that Trixie executed them, or Discord has them. Either way, the ruler would not allow them to remain as threats.”

Twilight nodded. She then tapped the ground and they began to sink down into the dirt as the world closed up overhead. They kept sinking and she reached out with her bending, feeling as they went. There were definitely ponies down below, far below. “I need more information,” she said softly.

“We have no time. You need to take them and flee. There are ponies who... hate Trixie. But there are many who would still fight you. You're our last hope. When Trixie realizes you've escaped, she'll come here. If you're caught now, we're all doomed.”

Twilight gave a slow nod. The ground opened under them and she gently glided down to the ground. Hornclipper yelped and fell. “Ow... a little warning would have been nice.”

“Sorry,” she said sheepishly. She looked around the dungeon, her eyes widening. There were three young mares asleep in one of the many cells, but they didn't interest her. What interested her was the cell furthest from the entrance, a tiny little thing with just a small bed. And a tiny, little baby dragon laying on top of it. She ran to the bars and let out a little squeal of delight. “Spike! SPIKE! Wake up!”

The dragon grumbled and rolled over, his back to her. She rolled her eyes before gripping him in her magic and yanking him out of his bed. He let out a startled yelp. “HEY! Put me down! What do you think-- Twilight?”

She pulled him to the bars and wrapped a hoof around him through the metal rods. Tears began to flow down her face as she held the dragon as close as she could. “O-oh, Spike. You wonderful, wonderful l-little dragon. I thought... I thought I'd never see you again.”

“S-same here,” he said softly.

Twilight just held the dragon, her entire body shaking. The last time she had seen him he had been a corpse on the ground, his scales shattered and broken. Now though, he was whole. He was alive. She took a deep breath. “Okay, let's get you out of here, okay? This is a jail break.”

“Avatar?” a voice said, making her turn around. The three mares were up now, staring at her. One was a small white unicorn with a light pink mane, Sweetie Belle. Princess of the Water Nation and younger sister to Rarity. The next was an earth pony with a yellow coat and a bright red mane, Applebloom. Long lost little sister to Applejack and an earth bender. The last was an orange pegasus with a light purple mane, Scootaloo. The three stared at her with a mix of awe and horror. She couldn't help but notice they were all covered in bruises and scrapes.

“She's real,” Hornclipper said softly. “Come on, it's time to get out of here.”

“Y-you came back,” Scootaloo said softly.

The stallion nodded. “Of... of course. What you said was true. I had no...” He shook his head. “There's no time. You need to go. Avatar, try to get them out. I'll delay the guards and try to send the search off in the wrong direction. Head north.”

“Hornclipper, wait!” Scootaloo called after him. “What I said before, I didn't mean--” The door closed behind the stallion, drowning out her words.

Twilight turned to the bars. Spike was first, she lightly pushed him away and walked to the lock on his door. Fire formed on the tip of her horn and she pushed it forward gently. The flame seared out, slowly melting the lock as the dragon watch.

“Wish my flame was that strong,” he mumbled softly.

Twilight smiled, though she kept focusing. The lock was still very durable and was melting very slowly, but sure enough it soon gave into the heat. She pushed the door open with a smile and the dragon leaped into her arms.

“I can't believe you came! Where have you been? I saw the statue but--”

“There's no time for that,” she whispered before looking towards the door. “We need to go, come on.”

“What about them?” he asked, pointing to the three mares.

Twilight looked back to them. On the one hoof, they had spent the last year trying to kill her. Well, her last year. But that was under Discord's influence. Hornclipper had helped her here, too. Without him, she wouldn't have Spike. She moved to the bars and slowly began searing through the lock.

The lock fell far faster and she smiled at the mares. “Come on. We're going.” She held out her hoof towards the wall and tried to bend it open. It didn't move.

“It's not actual stone,” Applebloom said with a sigh. “She knew better than tah surround me with rock. Only actual rock is the roof.” She glanced to Scootaloo. “Ah... think she found it funny tah have our only method of escape unreachable.”

Twilight blinked and looked up at the roof. She let out a slow groan, before flying up and bending it. “Fine, I'll carry you each up, one by one. But we need to do this fast.”

------

When they finally got up to the roof and back outside, this time outside the wall, the ringing of large bells filled the air. She froze and looked around, but there was no sign of them having been noticed.

“Is it Hornclipper?” Twilight asked softly.

“He did say he'd distract them for us,” Spike said softly.

“That foal,” Scootaloo said softly. “He's an idiot, he's going to end up getting himself killed.”

Sweetie gently reached out and patted her friend's back. “It's okay. He's lasted this long here, he'll be fine. He knows what he's doing.”

“Yeah,” Applebloom said with a nod of her head. “We need ta get outta here. The longer we loligag about, the longer he'll need tah lead 'em in circles.”

Twilight nodded. “Come on. Let's go.” She looked around before pushing her hooves down and the ground swallowed them up. She pushed out her hoof and a tunnel formed. “Everypony stay close.” Her horn glowed with a small flame, giving them a little light. “We'll go back out once we're under the cover of trees.”

They slowly walked forwards. Spike coughed after a few minutes. “So, uhhhh, did anypony else see... well, I mean. The trees. Did anypony notice anything... a little odd about them?”

“Like the fact they were gingerbread trees?” Twilight asked softly.

The other mares let out sighs of relief. “I was afraid I'd gone insane!” Scootaloo said quickly.

“Ah was startin' tah think all that prison food had finally gotten tah me.”

“It's Discord,” Twilight said softly. “He's... there's no telling what he's done to this world. I'm going to have to stop it, though.” She looked back. “I need information though, now. What do you all know about what's going on here?”

“Not much,” Sweetie said softly. “Hornclipper told us things, but it's all just... different now. Everything is so weird. Some days it's as if gravity turns off, other days the clouds replace the ground, or the world is turned upside down or... there's no telling what happens. We only got a small bit of it, being locked away, but Hornclipper told us all he could.”

The alicorn nodded. “I saw the bruises and... marks across you. Did Trixie do that?”

There was a moment as the three mares froze in place, before letting out a collective groan. “Actually, we did that to each other,” Applebloom said softly, her voice filled with shame.

“We've been... fighting a lot,” Sweetie said softly, coughing a little. “Some things were said...”

“A lot of things were said,” Scootaloo mumbled gently.

“I had to listen to all of it,” Spike muttered. “It was like listening to three angry fillies. You'd think they hated each other half the time.”

“I thought you three were great friends, though?” Twilight asked, glancing back. “Discord doesn't have any more influence over you, does he?” Their eyes weren't glowing at least.

“We were! We are! He doesn't!” Sweetie said, shaking her head. “With your defeat and all our losses and... I guess it just got to us. We... just felt so mad at each other. We... didn't actually-- oof!” She ran into Twilight, who had come to a stop.

The alicorn turned and sat down. “Apologize to each other.”

“W-what?” Applebloom asked, staring at the mare as if she'd lost her mind. “We needta go. There's a--”

“The world has lasted this long without me. It will last a while longer. Apologize to each other. You... never know when you won't get another chance.”

The three mares looked nervously between each other, shuffling their hooves and squirming in place. Finally, Scootaloo shook her head. “I'm sorry. I didn't... Sweetie, I didn't mean what I said about your mother or aunt. I think your water bending is great and none of this is your fault. I know what Discord did to you, how he changed you. I'm sorry I blamed it on you. Applebloom, what I said about your sister and your family, I'm so, so sorry. None of it was true. And... Hornclipper...” She looked back towards the way they came. “I'm sorry I called you useless. You were... I'm so sorry.”

The other two took their queue and within a few moments apologies were flying through the air as the ponies leaped into each other's hooves and hugged out the pain and torment from their harsh words. Finally, once it was over, Sweetie turned to Spike. “Spike. I... am so sorry for everything I did to you and to your kind. I was... I was desperate to have my sister all to myself. But what I did to you was just cruel and unfair. I know I don't deserve your forgiveness, but I hope you'll find it in your heart to one day forgive me.”

Spike blinked and gave a little shrug. “Yeah, whatever. We need to keep going,” he mumbled as he turned away. “Come on.”

Twilight sighed softly. It would take time for all the pain to go away, but at least he wasn't yelling at her.. “That was very good, girls. Now, we need to know where to go next. Hornclipper mentioned Fluttershy and Rainbow are both being held in the Air Nomad lands. Do either of you know where?”

“I do know that one of them is in Cloudsdale, under watch of the Wonderbolts. I don't know where--”

“Wait, the wonderbolts?” Twilight asked, hope filling her. “Then they're still around? The other countries are still fighting? They haven't lost yet?”

There was a momentary pause before the young princess let out another sigh. “Oh, they've lost. They've all lost. It's... not as good as it sounds.”

Twilight sighed. “Explain, please.”

“The nations have fallen apart. All of them answer to Trixie now. But... I think she answers to Discord. He's... I don't know what he's doing. He's in the Fire Tribe lands, doing something... big. According to the rumors. No pony knows what.”

Twilight nodded before looking up. She opened the ground and peered out. It was night time again. The trees were surrounding them. They were covered in icing and decorated with a few candy rocks. “Come on, we'll travel this way,” she whispered before helping them out and then closing the hole.

“Won't it be better for us tah hide underground?” Applebloom asked.

“That'll be slow, tiring and we'll have to keep coming up for air anyway,” Twilight said with a shake of her head. “We'll travel on hoof. If we notice anypony coming, we'll hide underground.” She started trotting, glancing towards the city. She paused as some chocolate bunnies hopped by. They barely had time to get under cover as the sun came up. “The other kingdoms then, are they enslaved? Does Trixie have her forces there?”

“As far as we know, she doesn't,” Sweetie said softly. “It's... Discord. Ponies tried fighting him but there's no point. Bending doesn't work on him, nothing seems to hurt him. He just... laughs it off. He can alter a kingdom with a snap of his fingers. Now it's just all about survival.”

Twilight nodded again. “Is he... killing ponies?”

“Not that we know of. But he's... changing them. Altering them. We don't know the full effects. But I imagine we'll see it before long,” Sweetie said softly. “You've returned though, I'm sure you'll be able to beat him, and Trixie.”

The alicorn looked out over the world ahead of them, where the grass had turned purple and very wet. “I can, maybe. But I'll need my friends help. Cloudsdale and somewhere else. Did... you by any chance here any information about where the other is?”

Scootaloo coughed and raised a wing. “Well, Hornclipper did mention it was somewhere up in the mountains. Some small village, though they didn't know which one.”

Twilight froze for a moment, before a grin formed on her lips. “Ponyville. Of course. Right where all this began.” She gave a light chuckle. “Discord, if you're going to make it so easy, well...” She trailed off. Something told her it wasn't going to be as easy as all that. That monster wouldn't let it.

------

Hornclipper struggled to keep his head low as he surged with the other soldiers, on a wild goose chase south. He prayed his distraction would be enough as he glanced towards Trixie, the alicorn leading the charge from the sky.

He struggled to keep calm, even as he swore he heard an evil, cruel laughter echoing from the distance.

Chapter 5: Was too busy

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Twilight walked forward, her eyes focused on what was ahead of them. Only on what was ahead of them. There was NOTHING aside from what was ahead of them. Nope. The ground was totally not red, slimy and the exact consistency of a giant tongue covering the land. Not at all. It most definitely did not squish with every step they took. Spike was riding on her back because he was tired, there was no other reason.

“Ew ew ew ewwwww,” Sweetie whined.

“We'll be out soon, look,” the alicorn said as she motioned ahead. “It looks like we'll be going through a bunch of snow though.”

“I think that's actually mashed potatoes,” Scootaloo said softly.

“I hate Discord,” Twilight muttered as they walked. It had been... she didn't know how long since they'd left. Sometimes it was daytime, then a little bit later it would be night, then later it could be anything inbetween. The lands were completely messed up. They'd been through a chocolate hurricane, a cottage cheese storm and a brier patch avalanche. The last one had actually hurt a bit. But, there was good news, they were almost to the border. They hadn't encountered much resistance at all. In the entire trip they had only seen one airship. It had fortunately been busier trying to repair the side where a giant pelican-trout had slammed into it. She really hated Discord.

The others hadn't talked much, even amongst themselves they were being quiet. There was a little good news though. “I think we're almost to the border.”

“Why do you say that?” Sweetie asked before looking forward. They looked ahead and there was a collective sigh.

The 'border' was just that. There were little tornadoes the size of ponies swirling around while rain fell up. They'd have to be blind to not know that was the border.

“What do you think he did to the Earth Kingdom border?” Scootaloo asked softly.

Twilight shivered and shook her head. “I don't want to think about it. I hope the Fire Nomad border isn't killing anypony.” She doubted it was, though. Discord didn't seem the sort, now that she'd spent more time watching his handiwork. He was sick and twisted, but he wasn't a killer. Oh no, he'd more be the type to push others to kill for him, so he could watch the way it hurt them. Everything was just a game to him, it didn't matter what he destroyed or hurt. So long as somepony was around to see it, he was happy.

It did give her a little peace of mind. At least ponies wouldn't be dying while they fought. They'd just have their lives destroyed, everything they worked for ruined and possibly have their entire personalities shifted and ruined on a whim from the sadistic monster. But hey, no deaths. They stepped through the border, the little tiny twisters ruffling their manes and the cold water coating their underbellies. The ground was now checkered, but at least it was solid and didn't squish underhoof. As they walked, they trailed mashed potatoes over the ground.

It was going to be a long walk and she only had the vaguest idea of where Ponyville was, but they were going there first. She didn't know how the Wonderbolts had been affected and she wanted to have a little extra help when she arrived. But that also meant they would be walking for a long, long time. She glanced back to the others. “So... how about we do a bit of getting to know each other? I ummm... know it's been quite a while.” She paused. “Well, that and the fact the last time I saw most of you, you were trying to kill me.”

Sweetie sighed and lowered her head. “That was my fault. They were following my commands and let's just say... I wasn't the easiest to argue with at the time. In fact, many who did argue with me had a tendency to come over with a case of being... dead.”

Twilight nodded. “I know. Discord has... ways of messing with a pony. Changing who they are. I--”

“No, it's not just that,” Sweetie said gently. “I'll admit, yes he had changed me. But a lot of that was me. It was... what I wanted to do. I... always looked up to my sister, even before Discord touched me. But after that, she was my main focus. All I wanted was to make her happy, to make her at my side. It... drove me. It wasn't long before I was using it as... an excuse to do whatever I felt had to be done. Regardless of who I hurt, or if I... killed anypony.”

There was an awkward pause as the group kept walking, pausing momentarily as some golden sheep pranced by.

“That wasn't you,” Applebloom said softly. “Ah know yah. Ah'll admit yah always been a bit obsessed, but Discord... he changed yah. That pony yah became wasn't anything like mah friend.”

Sweetie nodded. “No, it was. It was... so very much what I was capable of. In the end I might not have approved of those things, but somewhere deep in me, I was capable of that.”

“But--” Scootaloo started.

“No, she's right,” Twilight said with a shake of her head. “That seems to be what he does. He... twists and corrupts you to suit his needs. With a creature like him, you can't give any ground.” She thought about her time as a statue. How close she had been to being... trapped forever. If she hadn't been able to call on the previous avatars, who knew what would have happened? “But he's not something you can fight alone. You've done some horrible things, Sweetie. But that doesn't mean that's all you'll ever do. You're making up for it now. Or at least trying to.”

Sweetie nodded, her head hanging. “I... am sorry about all I've done. I never... no, I did mean for things to happen. But I wish I hadn't.”

Twilight nodded and smiled. “It's fine. I... understand. You were with your aunt before, correct? What did you two talk about?”

Sweetie paused and smiled. “She was... it was very nice. Having my aunt to talk with.” She took a deep breath. “While I was imprisoned, she made sure to stay near me whenever she could. She wanted to make sure I was safe, of course. But, she was also very... interested. I think that's the right word? She was so happy to have her nieces back. Have them as they were.” She made a small pouting face. “She told me she had given up on me! I mean, that was so harsh. I know I was corrupted but I might have...” She trailed off and glanced to Twilight. “But you were powerful. Are powerful. You saved me.”

Twilight nodded. “Indeed. But for that to happen again, I'd have to wait almost a whole year, if that. Discord might be messing with the sun in such a way that the Summer Sun Celebration won't even happen. He-- OH COME ON!” The sun had been turned into a great disco ball, sending white glimmers of light across the land. “I don't think I'll be able to count on that particular power boost. My friends are the only way.”

Sweetie nodded. “Do you think they're after us? Know where we're going?”

Twilight looked to the sky. Cotton candy clouds hovered overhead. “To be honest, I wonder if they're trying and failing.”

“What? Why?”

“All this weird weather. If he's doing this to that, imagine what he's doing to the magical lines in the land. Extended flight and air ships... well, who knows what difficulties are occurring? But there's no telling when it'll clear up and allow them to catch up.” The group went silent again, before starting to walk a little faster.

------

“DISCORD!” Trixie screamed, stomping her hooves. “I know you can hear me! COME OUT!” She stomped back and forth across her courtyard, shaking her mane. Her soldiers nervously shuffled from hoof to hoof, hoping the rage of their ruler wouldn't descend on them.

“You called?” the spirit of chaos asked, popping out of her horn.

“Get out of my horn!” the alicorn snapped, red forming in her cheeks.

Discord rolled his eyes and appeared in front of her, lounging on a small cloud. He tore off a piece and tossed it in his mouth, before blowing it out in a small bubble. It flew off like a blimp. “Whatever is the matter?”

“You know what's the matter! Twilight has escaped, I want her now! Find her, bring her back!”

The spirit of chaos shrugged. “No.”

“What? What do you mean, 'no'? Bring her! She's--”

“She's your responsibility. If you want her so bad, get her yourself.” He pulled out a margarita and started drinking the straw.

“But... but I've tried. I've had my soldiers searching the skies, but your weather... things keep ruining everything. Tell me where she is! I demand it!”

The spirit merely chuckled before crushing the glass in his hands. “I think you're forgetting something.” He turned to her, his eyes glowing green. “Who exactly is it who gave you this power?”

Trixie's survival instincts kicked in and she let out a small gulp. “Err... I merely meant, please help me find the Avatar. If she escapes, she'll ruin everything.”

He sighed and then snapped his fingers. Two cages appeared. One held Luna, the other Celestia. “I'll help you. But I'm not going to ruin all the fun. So I'll just give you a little bit of help and you'll have to work out the rest on your own.” He paused for a second before turning towards the reader. “Now now, I think you've heard enough.

Trixie cocked an eye as the spirit raised a hand. “What are you tal--” Snap.

------

Twilight's shrieked as she tried to not fall on her butt. The ground had suddenly turned to soap and they were, unfortunately, walking through a sideways rain storm. She and the others skidded helplessly across the soap before finally getting to the safety of the grass. “I hate you Discord!” she shrieked, before managing to climb to her hooves.

“You know, this isn't so bad!” Scootaloo said as she skated around on the soap, chuckling. The others just glared at her.

“Come on, girls. Let's just keep going before something else happens,” Twilight muttered. At least it was better than the tongue ground. She glanced back to Applebloom and Scootaloo. “You know... I never really had much chance to ask you two. How did you end up getting involved in the resistance? I mean, it's not as if you two were... members of the Fire Tribes when I last saw you. In fact, you were trying to kill me.”

Scootaloo and Applebloom shared a look, before the earth pony sighed. “Ah'll go first. Yah see how... well, ah was a member of the Water Nation cause mah parents... found me when ah was young. Ah was tryin' tah find mah family in the Earth Kingdom when ah ended up gettin' captured. Ah told 'em mah story an', well, it turned out some of the ponies there were actually parta mah family. Ah didn't really have much choice at that point.” She glanced to Sweetie. “Ah... knew mah friend was in danger. Ah was pretty sure Nightmare Moon wanted me dead. So... ah joined them an' tried helpin', usin' mah earth bendin''.” She took a deep breath. “Honestly, ah was really lucky. More'n a few of 'em wanted me dead.”

Twilight nodded and glanced back to the mare. “How did... I mean, you didn't get attacked, did you?”

Applebloom grinned. “Only once. Well, mah big brother popped up an'... let's jus' say they didn't try again. Whoa nelly. Ah almost felt bad for 'em. Almost. They jus' wanted tah scare me off, though. The ones that wanted me dead, well, they never tried. Ah think they were too afraid a mah big brother.”

Twilight thought back to when she'd first met Applejack's brother, Big Mac. He was truly a mighty stallion, towering over them all. She could well imagine him being a bit intimidating. Especially if he was protective of his little sister. “Yeah, I can see why. Well, Scootaloo, what about you? How did you get involved?”

The pegasus sighed. “Well, an assassin tried to kill me, claiming Nightmare Moon sent him. I don't know if it's true, but considering her state of mind at the time it was very possible. I didn't realize there was a double-agent working for us, Hornclipper. The uhhh, stallion who helped us out. He... well, he helped us save the fire benders who were still being held prisoner. I didn't... well, they wanted us to kill the foals, rather than risking them having their bending when they grew up. We refused. He was a traitor and he helped their forces get in and take the foals back.” She coughed. “I... am sorry for my part in all that. I assure you, I didn't want the fire benders to be dehorned. I didn't have much choice and--”

“Don't,” Twilight said with a sigh. “I know how the Water Nation worked. How so many ponies didn't have any choice but to follow their orders. I'm not happy with what happened, but I'm happy you knew better than to... cared enough not to follow those orders.”

Scootaloo nodded. “Yes. Once the foals were saved, I had no choice, really. If I went back to the Water Nation, chances were I'd be executed. As a traitor at worst, by a hidden assassin at best.” She glanced to Sweetie. “So... I joined them. I began teaching them the special arts of disabling bending. It wasn't easy, let me tell you. There were a lot of ponies who were scared of it, as they thought it might be permanent. But Hornclipper never wavered from my side and stood up to all those who argued against me. I had my own little squad of trained ponies in the end, too. It was... very nice.” She took another soft, gentle breath. “Then I found out Applebloom was with the resistance as well. We set out a plan then.”

“Oh?” Twilight asked, before cringing as marshmallows began to rain on them. At least they were soft and not too squishy.

“Yeah,” Applebloom said with a grin. “We were gonna save Sweetie Belle. We didn't know yah'd done all the work. We were gonna stay with the resistance an' try tah separate her from her mom. But then when we finally got the chance, she'd already made the right choice. Kinda made all our plans moot. From there we jus' stuck to her side, made sure none of the Fire Tribe decided tah get... well... errr...”

Twilight nodded. “Vengeance? Don't be afraid to speak your mind. I'm not so blind as to think my own ponies are completely innocent of any cruel or evil thoughts. I'm sure there are ponies in my home who... would be thrilled to see the Water Nation crushed down to a speck. But that wouldn't be right. There are good ponies, just as there are bad ponies, in all the nations. That's why we must work so hard to achieve peace.” She glanced off in the distance and cringed. “Oh... oh dear.”

“What is it?” Sweetie asked before looking and turning pale.

“Ah think we'd better go around,” Applebloom said softly. The group quickly started moving to the left, moving at a brisk trot. A caramel ice cream volcano was smoking from above and small lines of caramel were slowly dripping down the side. “Why does everythin' he does have tah be candy related?”

“It's not all,” Twilight said with a sigh. “Maybe he wants all the children of the world to like him?”

Scootaloo yelped and shook her head. “Oh. I-I think you're on the right line of thought, but it might be worse than that. I think he wants all the kids in the world hopped up on sugar.”

The group stumbled a little as that thought flowed through their heads. Thousands, possibly millions of foals with unlimited access to easy sugary treats where ever they went.

“I hate Discord so much,” Twilight said with a moan.

Chapter 6: To make any friends

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Twilight let out a sigh of relief at the sight of the town in the distance. Civilization. Finally. “Come on girls, just a little more.”

“Hold it!” Sweetie said, pulling the alicorn back by her tail.

Twilight sighed and glared at her. “What? I don't see any problem.”

“You don't?” the unicorn asked before motioning to her wings. “How about the fact we're still on the run and we don't want Trixie to know where we are?”

There was a momentary pause, before the alicorn nodded. “Right. I guess... yeah.” She glanced back towards the small town mournfully. “But... but civilization.”

“Don't worry, I've got an idea,” Sweetie said before grinning. “Just trust me.”

------

Twilight glared at the three ponies who were struggling, in vain, to suppress their laughter. “Really? This is the best you could come up with?”

“Well, y-your wings are hidden a-at least,” Scootaloo said as she held a hoof over her mouth.

“I look like an idiot!” Twilight snapped. “And I'm all... sticky! It's gross!” She was covered in one of the cotton candy clouds, which was wrapped around her torso. A smaller one was now resting on her head. Every step made chocolate milk splash down.

“Yah know, considering some of the things we've s-seen the last few days, y-yah don't look h-half bad,” Flowerbloom managed to say, her hoof barely managing to suppress her giggles.

“I look like a giant pink marshmallow,” she said with a growl.

“But you know what you don't look like?” Scootaloo asked with a grin.

“What?”

“An alicorn.”

Twilight blinked a few times before letting out a sigh. “Fine. Just... just fine. Come on, let's go.” She started walking towards the town. After a few seconds she realized the others weren't following her. She glanced back. “What's wrong?”

“Well, errr, Twilight,” Sweetie said with a nervous grin. “You know we respect you a lot, right?”

“Yes,” she said suspiciously.

“And we think you're really amazing and awesome, right?”

“Well, I didn't but I do appreciate the sentiment.”

The princess nodded. “Knowing that, please don't get mad. We just think, well... you should be following us.”

“What?” Twilight asked, taken aback. But she was the leader, how could she be following them?

“It's just, well... you're wearing a cotton candy cloud and covered in chocolate rain. I think it might be best if you just kind of... seem like our strange friend who follows us around. If we look like we're taking orders from you, well, ponies might get suspicious.”

Twilight opened her mouth to object, but slowly let out a sigh. “No. No no. You're right. It makes... complete sense.” She gritted her teeth and glared. “But I do want you three to know. As of this moment, I swear. I will get you back for this. Mark my words.”

The three chuckled nervously before walking forward.

Twilight started to follow before pausing. “Spike?” She glanced back. The dragon was sitting by a candycorn tree. “Aren't you coming?”

“Dragon. If you think an alicorn will draw notice, a dragon is almost as bad.”

She paused for a few seconds before giving a nod. “Fine. We'll be back soon. Don't go anywhere, okay?”

He rolled his eyes. “Where would I go?”

She nodded before turning after the others and galloping after them.

The town was small and, unfortunately, quite damaged. There were ruins from where some homes had been burned or torn apart. Almost all of the standing buildings seemed to be new or, if not, had plenty of new parts attached to them. It was very confusing to the alicorn.

Then she saw a deep hole in the ground, shaped like a mighty paw. It was filled in with water now and starting to grow over with grass. She shivered and looked to the right, towards the mountains. A little over a year ago, Trixie had led her army through this small town. With her great ursa minor leading the charge. The ponies here couldn't have stood a chance. How many died? How many were imprisoned? How many lost everything? How ma--

Her trail of thought was blown off course as a little cinnamon tornado suddenly sprang to life besides them and started swirling against them. The ponies shrieked and tried covering their faces, but it was too late. The smell and taste of cinnamon was all around them, making them hack and cough, shaking their manes. At least the cotton candy now had an extra seasoning.

“You'd best be careful,” a voice called out. “Those things like to spring up around here all the time. Makes repairs a mighty big problem.”

Twilight finally cleared her vision and looked up, seeing the source of the sound. A stallion was standing outside one of the houses, holding a spear. He didn't look pleased to see them at all.

“Err, hello,” Sweetie said quickly, bowing her head politely. “We're travelers looking for--”

“If you're looking for food or shelter, you won't find any here,” the stallion interrupted. “We don't have much, but we aren't about to lose what we have.”

The unicorn gulped and shook her head. “N-no, not at all.” She was all too aware that other ponies were staring at them from the few windows in the town. He was the only one openly armed, but who knew how many arrows or spears were aimed at them now? She didn't want to find out. “We're merely looking for directions. We don't mean you any harm.”

“Directions? Follow the road. Leads straight out of town. Best directions you'll be getting for a while.”

Sweetie nodded. “Please, we're merely looking for a town. It's called Ponyville. We've lost our map.”

The stallion paused and rubbed his chin. “Ponyville?” It took a few moments before his eyes went wide and he took a step back. “Y-you mean that blasted place?” His gaze turned to Twilight. “D-do you work for Discord? For the Water Nation?” The terror was heavy in his voice and he quickly tossed down his spear. “L-listen, we don't want any trouble. We're just trying to make ends meet, you know? Lots of ponies trying to steal these days, we're looking out for ourselves. Didn't mean to threaten you or anything.”

The ponies shared looks, before Sweetie nodded. “All we want is directions to Ponyville. That's it.”

“That way!” he said, pointing east, towards the mountains. “There's an old road. It's faded a lot, but it has been used a few times in the last year. If you keep an eye out for it, you'll find it easily.”

Sweetie nodded before turning back the way they came. “Thank you. That's all we need. Come along,” she said quickly before they started quickly trotting. The group felt the eyes on them the entire way.

“That was... strange,” Scootaloo said softly once they were out of the town.

“They were terrified,” Twilight mumbled. “Did you see the look he made when he saw me?”

Scootaloo nodded. “Yeah. You look like... well, you look really silly. I've seen more intimidating baby bunnies. But he looked as if he was staring at a manticore.”

Twilight took a slow, deep breath before walking faster. “Let's go. Things are... things are a lot worse than I'd feared.” She looked ahead and stumbled, her eyes widening. “Spike? SPIKE! Where are you!” She galloped forward, panic rising within her. They were only gone a few minutes, where was he, they couldn't lose him already! She'd only--

“I'm right here,” the dragon said from behind a tree, glancing up. He let out a yelp as he was pulled into the air and brought to the avatar's waiting hooves.

“Don't do that! I was worried sick, I thought you'd... well...”

“I didn't do anything,” the dragon objected.

“Just don't do it again,” Twilight said firmly before letting the confused dragon down. “And ummm, stay hidden by me. We'll be heading east towards the road and I don't want anypony seeing you. As terrified as they are of Discord, there's no telling what they'll do if they think we're... his enemies.” She glanced back sadly. “Look at how small it is, they must have suffered greatly in the last few years.”

“I think everypony has,” Scootaloo mumbled softly.

“I suppose that's true,” Twilight said softly. “But there is no way a town of that size could have supported them for the last hundred years during the cold. How many more of them must there have been before my return? Before... everything that happened?”

There was a moment of silence as the ponies looked over at the town. A few miniature cinnamon tornadoes gently moved across the road.

“Come on, let's go. Next stop, Ponyville,” Twilight mumbled before they started walking yet again.

------

Discord frowned as he looked over the field of--

“Oh no you don't. No hints.” Snap.

------

Twilight gaped, staring at the... well... she was just in awe.

“That's a LOT of cotton candy,” Spike muttered. “I mean, wow. I don't even think Pinkie could eat that.”

“I think that could EAT Pinkie,” Scootaloo mumbled as she stared at it.

Finding the road to Ponyville hadn't been difficult. In fact, finding the mountain holding it had been almost as easy, as it was one of the few that didn't appear to be made of ice cream. It stood beside one made of nougat. What they didn't expect, however, was the giant mass of cotton candy clouds that they assumed was keeping it safe.

“I mean, they had one during the eternal night,” Twilight said softly. “Well, not quite one like this. But they had a lot of cloud cover. Maybe it's something similar?” Her eyes widened. “W-what if they... what if they're trapped inside it?” She started to charge forward.

“Wait, your disguise!” Sweetie yelled.

The alicorn paused, before shaking her head. “No. I won't need it here. I know these ponies, trust these ponies. They were there when I first arrived and...” She paused. “Well... I guess they aren't the best. But my friends grew up here. They'll help us.”

“Are yah sure?” Flowerbloom asked. “Ah mean, Discord has been runnin' amok.”

Twilight nodded slowly, before sighing. “Well, I can't hide forever. I... don't want these ponies to be afraid too. So this time, I'm going to show myself.”

They slowly nodded before walking forward. She used her air bending to push the candy aside and it quickly spread out. They trotted through a wide, dark tunnel of pink. It began to harden soon enough, but still gave way to her air bending.

Then they were through. Behind the shell of cotton candy was darkness, the sun unable to penetrate through the thick barrier of sugary treat. The air was stuffy and the shell was hard. However, there were torches lit all around. More importantly, the buildings were still there. But, most important of all, were the ponies. There were a few dozen of them. She didn't know many of their names, but they were there. Turning to her and looking shocked. A wide grin formed on her face.

“Citizens of Ponyville, I--” Her words were cut off as a stone smacked into her face. “Ow! Hey, who threw that!”

“Get out of here, stranger! We don't want your kind near us! This is our city, ours! Find your own!”

Twilight took a step back, her mouth falling open. “But, I, I'm not a stranger. It's... it's me! Twilight! The Avatar! I'm here for--”

More stones started raining on them, though Flowerbloom waved her hoof and they started flying to the side. “Get out of here!”

“We don't want no stinkin' Avatar here!”

“Leave us alone!”

Twilight's mouth fell open. “But I, I didn't—” Then her eyes fell on it. Near the center of the courtyard. Fluttershy. Her statue was resting on its side. But it was covered in filth. Trash, paint, rotten vegetables. It was filthy. Abused. “What... what have you done to Fluttershy's statue?” Her friend was here. These... these ponies had defaced it.

“GO AWAY!” The ponies had gotten smarter and started throwing sticks and a few had gotten clubs from their homes. Twilight shrieked and motioned back the way they came.

“Go go go!” she yelled. The others took one look at the mob before turning and running out. The mob stopped before the cloud cover, closing the cotton candy behind.

The ponies and dragon ran through the tunnel, skidding to a stop once outside the mass. Gasping for air, they dropped to the ground and looked between each other. “T-that was, they were NOT friendly!” Scootaloo said quickly.

“I-I noticed,” Twilight said gently. “They were just, they... did you see what they did to Fluttershy's statue? She was born there and they just defaced her. How could those ponies do that? She was one of them!”

“I don't know, Discord must have... done something,” Sweetie said softly, before looking back. “What do we do? How do we get to her if those ponies just attack us the moment we get near?” She gave a nervous smile. “We... could try fighting them off? I mean, they—”

“No,” Twilight said with a shake of her head. “Bending might work, but we could hurt them. Those ponies, well, Discord is controlling them, they've suffered enough. I don't want to have to hurt them.”

“So what do yah wanna do?” Flowerbloom asked.

“I'll have to... lure them off somehow, I guess. Maybe? I could try... do you think you'd be able to get the statue if I drew their attention?”

Sweetie rolled her eyes. “We'll draw their attention, yah can get the statue.”

“But it could be dangerous! If they attack--”

“There's three of us,” Flowerbloom interrupted. “An' we all know how tah take care of ourselves. Yah get the statue an' we'll lead 'em on a wild goose chase. Easy as pie.”

Twilight shuffled from hoof to hoof. “But I don't--”

“We're here to help you,” Scootaloo said firmly. “You need to work on rescuing your friend anyway. Just leave the distraction to us. A couple of civilians with stones and sticks aren't going to do any real damage to us.”

The alicorn let out a slow sigh, before nodding. “Very well. I... trust you. Thank you.”

The ponies nodded before turning to the mass of cotton candy. “Well then, girls, got any plans?” Sweetie asked.

“Well, ah've got one idea on how tah get their attention,” Flowerbloom said with a grin. “Ah think we'd better get ready tah run though, if we do.”

Sweetie nodded and pulled out her small canteen of water. “Then I suppose we'd best get to work.” She glanced to Twilight. “Make a cave or something you can hide in, where they won't see you.”

------

The cocoon of cotton candy stood thick and strong, towering over the small town and keeping it very warm thanks to the torches and the very low amount of air circulation. It had been standing strong for months, every since the new clouds had appeared.

So it was cause of great alarm when the cocoon suddenly had a long, narrow slit cross across it from one end to the other. A moment later the ground began to rumble and then shot up around them. When it lowered again, the great cocoon of cotton candy was sailing through the air, breaking apart and billowing lightly in the wind, while some of the harder parts rained down and mildly bruised the occasional ponies. The sudden rush of fresh air surged through the town, extinguishing the torches.

The citizens of Ponyville stood in horror, looking around at the strange world. Once again they were vulnerable and exposed. Their eyes fell on the three mares who stood down the road, grins on their face.

“Hey! You Ponyville losers! Ummm... your teams suck!” Scootaloo yelled.

“Teams?” Sweetie asked, cocking an eye.

“I don't know. Armies? Fighters? Do they even have anything here? It's not really big.”

“Well, maybe they have some kind of... mining thing? There has to be some reason for a town to be up in these mountains. It wouldn't just appear here for the sake of being here.”

“It's in the mountains, so they probably have a lot of fliers,” Scootaloo offered. “That probably means they have a team of them or something.”

“I don't think competitive flying has been done here in years,” Sweetie said with a shake of her head. “The weather hasn't exactly good for it. Some of the larger cities--”

“Girls, not to interrupt, but it might be time tah run,” Flowerbloom said as she furiously motioned forward. The ponies were getting over their surprise and were now gathering whatever they had available. Sticks, stones, pitchforks(because all small towns have them) and extinguished torches.

The three stared for a moment as the herd of gathered ponies grabbed whatever they could, before surging forward. “AHHHHHH!” they screamed as they ran from the angry rioting crowd.

Twilight stared for a moment, her mouth falling open. She was in a small cave she'd bent into the mountain, standing besides Spike. The crowd soon disappeared down the path and she rolled her eyes. “They said they had it under control.”

“They do,” Spike said with a shrug. “Come on, let's go.”

She nodded and they trotted towards the abandoned town. The sound of hooves suddenly made her eyes widen and she grabbed Spike, dragging him back behind the cover of one of the houses. She peered around the corner and soon saw another pony, standing with her back to them.

“It's only one pony,” Spike mumbled. “Just grab the statue and go.”

“But, they'll chase and...” Twilight trailed off and looked back. She then shook her head. She waved a hoof and the pony was suddenly trapped in a small done of earth, complete with a few air holes. “Sorry!” It wouldn't last long, but it would last long enough. She galloped to the statue and looked down at it. She wiped a bit of the mess off, but there was just so much of it.

“Come on, let's go,” Spike whispered. “They can't keep them distracted forever.”

“Right, hold on,” she said before leaning forward. She was tugged back.

“What are you doing?”

“I'm trying to form a bond with her. If I can talk with her, I can--”

“What if they come back while you're still doing that?” Spike asked, glaring at her.

She paused and slowly nodded. “Oh. Right.”

“Yes, right. Let's grab it and go.”

Twilight nodded. She could hear the imprisoned pony trying to break free. She pushed a hoof forward and the ground under the statue began to roll forward. She paused for a second. “Wait, where's Angel?”

“Who?”

“Her baby bunny. Shouldn't it be with her?” But there were no other statues. Just Fluttershy's.

“Maybe? I don't know! Let's go!” Spike said quickly.

Twilight nodded and pushed the statue. The ground rolled with it and, quickly, they drew the statue away from the town. She pulled it into the cave she'd made and set it upright, staring at her friend.

The statue still had her element around her neck, though it was stone as well as cracked. They truly had lost. But fortunately, they had a do over. She pushed a hoof and the cave's entrance closed behind them. Her horn lit up, giving them light. “Are you going to be okay?” she asked, glancing to the dragon.

“I'll be fine. Just try to make it quick.”

Twilight nodded and looked at her friend. She'd managed to break free of Discord's control, but only thanks to the previous avatars. Without them, she'd have been stuck, possibly forever. Such powerful magic wasn't something that could be easily repelled alone. But, they were friends. That meant they never had to be alone.

She put her horn against her friend's forehead and closed her eyes. There was a gentle glow of magic before she felt herself be pulled slowly in.

She had only a second before the darkness devoured her, muffling her screams of fright.

Chapter 7: Kindness never in short supply

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The Chosen One. The hero of ages. The Savior of the realm. Fluttershy was known as all these things. She was one of a kind, special. But, right now she didn't feel like it.

She hugged her small bunny, Angel, to her chest and stared into the darkness. Oh, there was so much darkness. Her back was to a wall, sitting on her large, fluffy bed. The only source of light was a small, glowing pole that illuminated her bed.

But only a few feet away from her bed, the darkness covered all. Nearby was another such pole, though it didn't glow. All she had to do was touch it and it would begin to glow as well, fighting back some of the darkness. But to do that, she'd have to come closer to the darkness. It was there. Watching her. Waiting for her. She didn't know what was in it, but it was evil. She could feel it.

It didn't matter though. Her bed was comfortable. Soft. Safe. She gently hugged Angel closer, watching the darkness and peering at the pole. It had never gone out, but all the others had. She took another deep sigh and looked down to Angel. “Should... I-I try again?” she asked weakly.

The bunny shook his head. She gulped and slowly put him down. “I... but...” She glanced to the small table besides the bed. There was an empty plate and a small empty bowl. “They're late. I'll just... it'll be fine. Just... just need to g-go forward. T-that's it.” The pegasus slowly slid from her bed, her hooves clicking against the tile floor.

She nervously made her way towards the second pole. She put a hoof against it and it began to slowly glow. It's light slowly drove back the shadows, revealing more of the chamber. The small space she occupied was more like a tiny room, but this light revealed a wide, open stone chamber. It also revealed that... things were in the darkness, disappearing from the light before she could get a real look at them. She didn't know what they were or even if they really existed. For all she knew, they were part of her imagination. But she swore they were always there. Always waiting for her. In the darkness. Watching her.

Her breathing began to quicken as fear pushed into her heart. They were there, watching. Waiting. Whatever they were, they wanted her. She knew that. They wanted to... destroy her? Maybe? They'd been there forever. Ever since she was brought to this place. The lights kept her safe. If not for them, they'd have gotten her so very, very long ago.

The next light was just a little farther away. Not much, but just a few inches closer to the darkness. The one after that was closer still, making her heart begin to beat faster. The darkness was only slowly driven back, each light giving off just a little less light, revealing a little less of the chamber. The fourth one was the one she hated the most.

She pushed it and revealed more of the chamber. It split off into three paths. Two had long since collapsed, however. There were lights by them, but pushing those didn't work anymore. There were small tunnels through the rubble though. The size of a pony. Tunnels she could go through. But that required her to go through the darkness. To be in the darkness. Just the thought made her want to cry out. She kept her head forward and moved to the next.

The next one was on a corner, where the tunnels veered to the right. She held her breath as she inched forward. This one was in the light. Technically. But since it was around the corner, the shadows were right there. Touching against the pole from the other end. The things were right there. Waiting for her. Watching her. Unseen, but still seeing.

She pushed her hoof to it and, for a second, it didn't come on. Terror began to fill her as she was certain this one was broken too. She shrunk back, watching the darkness, waiting for it to come alive. Then the light glow came alive and began to push the darkness away.

She let out a sigh of relief before she started trotting again. She'd been eight the first time she'd made it this far. Barely beyond a filly. But the things had been there, even then. It was still not easy. The fear still gripped her heart as she walked.

The wall's stones were getting older now, more decrepit. The next few lights were easy, compared to the one on the corner. The stone floors gave way to a small, lush field of grass along with a small, gentle stream. But as nice and gentle as they looked, there were signs of the darkness that enveloped them. The grass was a far darker color than grass was supposed to be. The water was tinted purple. She'd drunk from it once, she remembered it suddenly. It had made her sick. So very sick. She stopped at the edge of the stream, looking down into it. It was only a few inches across, so easy. So simple. But it flowed like a small, bubbling wall of danger. She looked to the right, where it had come from.

The stones had melted away, no longer did the light surround her on all sides. Just the darkness. Above, to the sides, ahead. The only sign of safety were the little rods of summoned light. Each one a little closer to the darkness. To those things.

She took another deep, slow breath. She could do this. She had to do this. The darkness was just that, darkness. Something moved out of the corner of her sight and she quickly turned to look, but there was nothing there. The darkness just looked, somehow, blacker. She turned back ahead and started walking.

There were sounds now. Gentle sounds. Off in the distance. Soft rustles, gentle clipping. She told herself it was just the echo of her own hooves and the spring from before. But no, she knew in her heart that wasn't true. That it wasn't the case. Her breathing was getting faster as she touched the next few. She was getting further. She came to a small bridge and stopped. This was the farthest she'd ever been. She pushed the light and whimpered.

Ahead, the bridge disappeared into the darkness. There was another one of the rods a few feet in, but she'd never made it that far. She chewed on her lips nervously and took a step on the bridge. It dipped, just a little bit into the water. There was a light snapping sound off in the distance. She took another step and the bridge creaked underhoof. She could feel the darkness under her. Watching. It surrounded her on all sides now. Just the light keeping her safe. But she was almost there, she thought. Probably. Maybe. She just had to make it a few feet to the next light.

But she couldn't get her back hooves to do it. They refused to go any further. She whimpered and tried to go, but she was too paralyzed by fear. She nudged her body forward, thrusting her chest out. But nothing. Her legs refused to go.

There was a light splash off to the right. She screamed and turned, galloping back the way she came. Behind her, the darkness seemed to grow as the lights she activated began to turn off. It was slow, but steady. They dimmed until completely going out. The shadows rushed in to fill the void the light left behind, almost hungrily.

She galloped down the halls, looking back into the darkness. She could see it, whatever it was. Rushing forward impatiently, as if it was pushing back against the light. She jumped into her bed and pulled the covers tight, whimpering softly as she stared into the halls. The last activated light went out and the darkness crashed against the last light, the one that never went out. For a second she worried that even it would succumb as she held Angel close. The light did seem to collapse, just a bit, before pushing the darkness away. “I-it's okay. I can... I-I can try again tomorrow,” she whispered softly. Yes. She could get farther. Just a little bit. She had time. She had plenty of time. There wasn't a need for her, not yet. They'd tell her if there was.

------

“Holy one!” a voice said, making her look up from the darkness. A small earth pony stepped out from the shadows, holding a hayburger on a plate, alongside a small salad. Like all the ponies in this world, his body was completely black and he had no mane. They were all earth ponies, touched by the darkness. Torn asunder by it. She was yet untouched, that was why they had to protect her. She was their hope.

She nodded slowly and smiled. “I-I... right. T-thank you. S-sorry. I tried coming to get you, but... I-I couldn't g-get past the bridge.” She slowly pulled the hayburger and salad to her, gently putting the salad besides Angel. “Here darling.” The bunny happily went at it.

“Oh, Chosen One. You shouldn't have done that!” the pony scolded. “It is dangerous to go into the darkness. You are our hope, our future. You must stay here, where it's safe. If the darkness was to get you... who knows what would happen? Only you can light the posts. Only you can bring light to the world.” He shook his head. “It was very selfish of you to risk yourself like that.”

She looked down at the floor and sighed. “I'm sorry, I just... I didn't want to be a bother. I didn't want to--”

“You are not a bother. You are our hope. We can bring you food and everything you need. You must remain here, where it's safe. For the good of everypony. You care about us, yes? You wish to keep everypony safe? That means you must not risk yourself like that! If we were to lose you, we'd all be doomed. There would be no more hope for any of us. Is that what you want?”

Fluttershy shook her head. “N-no, of course not. I just... I didn't want to... I thought if I--”

“No, Chosen One. You are our healer. We need you. You must stay safe, here. Where nothing can harm you. If you die, we are all doomed. It will be your fault. Is that what you want?”

Fluttershy shook her head and looked back out into the darkness. It just... stood there. Watching her. The things held within it stuck at bay, the light of the post the only thing keeping her safe. “I'm so sorry. I just thought I could go further this time. That I'd... be okay.”

“You must not, Savior,” the pony said, before gently giving her a hug. It was warm and comforting. “Besides, if you were to go into darkness, the last of the light would fade.” He looked down to Angel. “Your bunny would be lost as well. Is that what you want?” The same warning she'd heard a thousand times.

Fluttershy glanced down to Angel and gave an apologetic smile. “I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be so selfish. It won't happen again.”

The pony nodded and slowly pulled away. “Of course. Thank you, Chosen One. Now, you must remain here, safe. I have to venture back into the darkness, but I will return soon.”

She nodded softly and gulped, watching him leave. The darkness seemed to swallow him whole. She slowly picked up Angel and held him to her chest. “It's okay. It's all going to be okay.”

Angel nodded and gave her a little nuzzle. She laid down on her bed and pulled the covers close. She didn't need the warmth, in fact it never seemed to get cold or hot here. But it was comforting. As if the blanket could keep her safe from the darkness.

She let out a yelp as she heard a voice suddenly spill out from the shadows. It was low, only a whisper. She couldn't make out what it said. “D-did you hear that?” she asked her bunny.

Angel looked up at her, confusion on his face, before shrugging.

She gulped and closed her eyes, straining her hearing. But there was nothing, not a single peep. Just the same sounds of the shadows and the things that lived in them.

Chapter 8: Once smitten twice Fluttershy

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Fluttershy gulped and looked out into the darkness. She gave a look down to Angel and smiled. “It'll be okay. I'll be fine,” she told him gently. She then got to her hooves and made her way forward, pushing the first post.

She knew she shouldn't, they told her not to. She was practically forbidden. She'd already eaten so it wasn't like she needed anything from the ponies in the darkness. But something deep within her told her she had to go. That there was something waiting for her at the end of this long, dark road. Even though it terrified her.

She made it to the second light before she felt a tug on her tail. She screamed and whipped around, expecting to see something from the darkness. Instead, it was just Angel, pulling on her. She let out a soft sigh of relief. “It's okay. I'll be fine, I promise. I just... I'm just going to the bridge. I'll be fine.” She repeated, more to herself than to her pet. He kept tugging, making her sigh. She turned around, grabbed him and carried him back to the bed. “Rest. I'll be back soon, I promise.”

The bunny tried objecting, but she put a hoof to his face. “Sleep. Do what I say.”

The bunny gulped and slowly nodded. She turned around and walked back down the path, lighting the posts as she went. Step after step she took, the fear growing in her as the darkness seemed to encircle her. Not knowing was what made it worse. She thought if she could just see what these creatures were, just once, she could learn to not fear them. But, on the other hoof, she was so terrified they would jump out from the darkness at any moment that each step made her want to turn around and gallop away.

“I should just go back,” she whispered as she crossed over the little stream again. “There's no reason for me to be here. None at all. They don't want me to be. I'm risking everything. I don't need to.” Her fear told her to turn around, but once again she pushed on.

She came to the bridge and once again it gently bobbed. She took a deep, slow breath and pushed out. Her back hooves made it over and she let out a little sigh of relief. She was on it. She took a few steps forward and made it to the post. Her hoof touched it and it began to flicker.

She froze. The light flickered again and again, going off and on. It then glowed dimly, illuminating only a few feet away. She could see the next post. It stood in the darkness, just an inch. But it was inside the darkness. Fluttershy's heart began to beat faster, but she took another step forward.

The bridge shook hard to the side and there was the sound of cracking wood. She let out a scream and lunged to the lit post, wrapping her hooves around it as true horror embraced her. Around the edges of her vision she could see them, moving around, just keeping out of sight so she couldn't see what they were. Down the way she had come, one by one, the previous lamps all began to flicker and then go out. Soon the only light in a world of darkness came from the one she held her hooves tightly around.

Her heart pounded in her chest so hard she was sure it would burst. Then the light flickered. Just for a second. Then it began to dim. She pulled her body closer to it, nearly wrapping herself around the pole as the bridge shook under her. The darkness came every close, a small inch at a time. Soon it was so close she couldn't move without touching it, the things out there. Waiting. Something brushed against her leg and she screamed.

The light came back, slowly expanding and pushing back the darkness. The moment the post on land was enshrouded in light she galloped back, pushing it and lighting the darkness. Post by post she made her way back, her breathing rapid and heart pounding. Small tears formed in her eyes, but she didn't release them until she was finally back in her bed. When she could, she collapsed onto the mattress and hugged Angel close. “I-I'm never going out there again,” she whispered, sobbing into his fur. “It just, it was... it...” She slowly looked up. She wasn't sure, but she swore the darkness around her bed had come closer. It was almost on her.

The lamp by her bed flickered again and she screamed. She pushed back, away from it and molding against the wall. Her screams echoed through the halls as she held Angel as tight as she could, icy terror gripping her heart.

“Chosen one! What's wrong?” a pony asked as he stepped from the darkness. He was the same as all the others, maneless and dark.

“T-the light, it flickered. I-I went down to the bridge, but it flickered, a-and there were things, and they were moving the bridge, a-and I screamed and the d-darkness almost touched me and I could feel them and hear them and they almost had me!” Fluttershy screamed, the tears streaking down her face. She sobbed into her hooves, falling down on her side. “T-they almost had me. I-I just, I tried going too far. I didn't know. I didn't think they'd, but, but I--”

There was a gentle cooing sound as the pony moved over, touching her shoulder and rubbing it. “There there. It's okay,” the pony said. “You're safe. You're in the light. It can't hurt you, not now. As long as you stay here, in the light, you'll be safe.”

“I-it flickered. I-it's never done that!”

“You must have gone too far. You spread your power too thin. You must never, ever do that again. The things in the darkness are waiting, chosen one. If you give them the opportunity, they will take you.”

She sobbed and slowly raised her head. “T-they, it's... but...”

“It's okay,” he whispered. “It's going to be okay. The darkness can't hurt you. You're safe so long as you stay in your light.”

She nodded and, slowly, began to relax. Her eyes watched the darkness though. It was still there, watching her. Waiting for her. Trying to envelop her. All it would take was the light to go out and it would have her. “T-they went out. For a second. All of them but the one I held onto.”

He nodded. “It is dangerous to go out that far. Remember this lesson, chosen one. For your safety and our future. Now promise me you won't go out again.”

“I... I won't,” she whispered. She laid in the bed, the covers around her and the pony gently stroking her mane. Before she knew it, a different kind of darkness enveloped her and she fell asleep.

------

Fluttershy nibbled her food, laying back against the wall. She'd meant it this time, she'd never go into the darkness again. Not after that. She still felt the gentle urge to go out there, to find what was at the end of the road. But she couldn't, not now. It was too dangerous. She couldn't risk it, not again. Just the thought of the lights going out again made her want to fall down and burst into tears.

No, she was safe where she was. Happy, too. She had Angel, her bed, food. She didn't want anything else. The ponies even came and talked to her sometimes. Life was good.

“....hy....” a soft voice called out, soft as a gentle breeze.

Fluttershy's ears perked and she looked around. “Did you hear that?” she asked Angel.

He shook his head. She shrugged and went back to her meal. She was hearing things, the darkness was playing tricks on her.

“... lp...”

She perked her ears again. She was sure she heard it that time. Something was out there, calling. She slowly stood up. Angel pulled on her tail. “Quiet,” she said firmly. He refused and started hopping around on the bed, squeaking angrily. She ignored him and walked a little closer, pushing the first pole. She wouldn't go any further, she promised. She just had to hear it.

“...shy...” the voice called out again.

She looked around before yelling out. “Who's there? Are you the darkness?”

There was another soft cry before new words sprang forward. “Help!” They were soft and weak, but they were clear. Even over Angel she could hear them. She paused and raised a hoof to her chest. No, it was different than that. It wasn't that she could hear it, it was more that she could feel it. Even with Angel making noise behind her, she could feel it. Somepony was calling out to her. Somepony needed her.

She eyed the darkness for a few moments before trotting forward. Angel tried pulling on her tail, but she sighed and gave him a little tug, before flinging him onto her back. She then glared. “I'm just going to see what it is. That's it. Keep calm.”

Fluttershy turned back towards the shadows and walked. Post by post she lit them. She was still terrified, the things in the darkness pushing against the edge. But she just couldn't ignore it. She heard the cry, again and again. Calling her by name, the voice weak and hurt. Angel hopped on her back and tugged, squeaking wildly as he tried to stop her. But she refused. She could feel it in her heart, somepony needed her. She couldn't ignore them. She wouldn't. No matter how scared she was.

She made it to the bridge when she found her way suddenly blocked. Three of the ponies were there, watching and waiting. “Chosen one, you shouldn't be here.”

The voice called out to her again. “Somepony needs me. They're calling for help. They--”

“It's a trick,” one of them said, shaking their head. “The darkness is trying to lure you to it. To spread your magic. To trap you. You must resist, you must fight it. Please. If you go, we are all doomed.”

Fluttershy gulped and looked to the bridge. It made sense. A trap would probably be easy. Making a pony's voice call out to her. The voice called again. It called her name. It was still weak, but she was closer. She could feel it in her heart. Even more important, she knew the voice. She couldn't ignore this pony. “No. I have to go. Whoever they are, they need me. I have to help them.”

“You can't!” the nearest pony yelled, shaking her head. “Please, return to your bed. To safety. You put yourself and us all in grave danger.”

The voice called again. Her eyes widened slightly and she took another step forward. “No. I will face the darkness if need be. But that pony needs me. I must help them. Stand aside.”

“Chosen one, please, see reason,” the pony said as the three refused to budge. She tried stepping forward again, but they held firm. “We won't move. The darkness will take you if we do, we cannot allow that. We won't allow that. Go back.”

Fluttershy gulped and then shook her head. “NO!” She charged forward. The ponies tried to block her way, but she found herself able to push through them easily. She galloped forward, the next post coming alight. She kept galloping, hitting the next right after. The lights struggled to keep up, not slowly lighting this time. They came alight instantly. Angel held on tightly, squeaking. The voice called out again, she was closer.

Then she made it to the last post and the end of the bridge. There was nothing but an empty void. The bridge was latched onto... something. But there didn't seem to be anything. The shadows completely covered whatever ground was there and the post showed nothing. She stopped and stared.

“Fluttershy! Help me! I can't do this alone!”

The voice had never been so clear. Angel was shrieking now, tugging on her tail as best he could. The other three ponies had galloped up behind her, making the bridge shake. “Chosen one, please, stop. You'll doom us all!”

“What's out there?” Fluttershy asked, staring into the void.

“The darkness, it swallows all. If you go there, we'll all be doomed. You're our only hope. We need--”

“She needs me,” Fluttershy said softly, staring into the void.

“It's a trick!”

“No, it's not,” the pegasus said slowly as she looked around. “I can feel it.” Her wings spread. The ponies jumped after her. She ignored them and leaped into the void.

The darkness swallowed her. Her heart began to beat faster as it molded around her, enveloping her. It was... warm. Soft. Comforting. She frowned and looked around, but there was nothing to see. Just the darkness.

“Fluttershy! Closer! Please!”

The pegasus flapped her wings and kept moving, though she had the grim feeling that she wasn't flying by her own power. She just wanted to go there and it was pulling her closer. There was no pain, no hurts, nothing but the darkness.

Then the darkness began to pull apart, turning to light around her and expanding outward. Her eyes widened as she saw the world again. She turned back towards the bridge and gasped. The world she had come from was nothing but shadows and darkness, a thick, purple darkness. The light enveloped her, wrapping the mare in its embrace. The world that had once been so frightening was now beautiful and warm, the sky light blue overhead and the air fresh and warm.

“Fluttershy!” the voice called again. “Behind you!”

The pegasus turned and shrieked. Angel was growling, his entire body wrapped in a dark, purple haze. His eyes glowed a violent red. She shook him off and jumped away. His body began to shift and change, turning into a black, maneless pegasus. A few yards behind him a purple alicorn was laying on the ground, panting for air. Twilight. She knew that mare. That was her friend.

The thing that Angel had become was not. “W-who are you?” she asked softly.

The pegasus didn't answer. Instead, a dark, sick smile formed on its lips and it took a step forward. She shrieked and took a step back. Sensing her fear, it kept advancing, driving her back towards the bridge and the purple darkness.

“Fluttershy! Don't, you have to fight it!” the alicorn yelled. “If you don't, we'll both be trapped here! Our friends need our help, and I need you!”

The pegasus paused for a second and looked back at the creature. She was scared. Terrified even. This... thing was horrifying and, worst of all, she was sure it could hurt her.

But that didn't matter. She felt a small light forming in her heart. Her friends needed her. Words slowly spilled into her mind as she took a step forward. “It doesn't matter how scared I am. I'll still fight,” she whispered softly.

A ball of light formed besides her. A white pegasus appeared, with a golden necklace holding a pink butterfly jewel for a cutie mark. The pony smiled at her before erupting into light. The necklace formed in the air, before floating to Fluttershy's neck. She turned to the creature as thoughts and memories locked away began to flow freely. “Discord...” she whispered. Her hoof stomped down. “You won't win, you big, big meany!” A pink light erupted from the necklace, making the creature shrink back with an angry roar. The light spread out, enveloping the world and everything in it.

Chapter 9: Such silliness

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Twilight and Fluttershy let out eeks as they were sent flying back to the ground, swirls in their eyes. Spike was a few feet away, his eyes wide and little chunks of stone and rock embedded into the wall by him. “You could have warned me she was going to do that!” he snapped.

Twilight groaned and looked around. She had a few bruises, but was okay. She then turned to the pegasus. “Are you okay?”

Fluttershy slowly nodded and got to her hooves. She shook her head. “What... what was that? It felt so... it was so weird. So strange. It felt like a dream. A very weird, but powerful dream.”

“I think it was. At least, one of sorts.” She glanced down to her friend's element. The crack was still there. “Whatever he did to damage our elements... well, he trapped us in those dreams at the same time.”

Fluttershy nodded. “Who was that pony? She became the element...” The pegasus gently rubbed the necklace.

“I think it was your element. Kind of like how Discord's power took the form of that creature.” She pushed her hoof out and the cave wall opened. “Come on. We need to find the others and get out of here.” She then glanced to Spike. “And, errr, sorry about that. I didn't know she'd... well, explode.”

“Others? They're okay? They're here?” Fluttershy's eyes widened and a smile formed on her lips.

“No. You're the first I rescued. The others are... well... Sweetie Belle, Flowerbloom and Scootaloo.”

Fluttershy stared for a few moments before her mouth fell open. She slowly closed it, only to open it again. “What?”

“Yeah. I ummm, they're good though. I mean, they were already good. But they're definitely not under Discord's control or anything like that. And they're kind of the only help we have right now.”

The pegasus stared for a few more moments before nodding. “Well, okay then. If you're sure you can trust them, I will too.” She then trotted after the alicorn.

There was a lot of yelling coming from the town and Twilight's eyes widened. “They're in trouble!” she yelled before galloping towards it.

Fluttershy slowly followed, confusion etched on her face. The cave had been a mess, all those rocks had been covered in rotten vegetables and marks. Just what had she been missing?

Twilight galloped into the town, looking around frantically. The three mares were surrounded on all sides by... apologizing villagers. “What?”

“We're so, so, so sorry! I can't imagine what came over us.”

“I never meant to throw that tomato, I swear. It just, I don't know why I felt so angry, so mean.”

“We never treat visitors like that, we're so sorry.”

“It's, it's quite okay,” Sweetie said nervously as she looked around at the encircling ponies. “I uhhh, I can understand. Discord has a powerful influence. Uhhh, nopony expects you to have been able to fight it off. Really, it's okay.”

The apologies didn't stop, however. Twilight stepped forward, looking around. “Sweetie? Flowerbloom? Scootaloo? Is everything okay?”

The ponies turned around and then every eye seemed to level on Fluttershy. The apologetic herd erupted then. They swarmed the startled pegasus, yelling and screaming their apologies. None of them could be even made out over the din and the pegasus just stood in horror, her entire body locked up from all the attention. Twilight was brushed aside, her mouth falling open. Finally, she had enough. “HEY!” she yelled, stomping a hoof down and making the ground shake. “BACKUP! Give her some space!”

There was a momentary pause before the herd began to back up, leaving a terrified pegasus in their wake. “Good. Now, one at a time,” the alicorn said with a stomp of her hoof.

There was a small pause as the group looked around nervously, their eyes downcast. Finally, one piped up. “I'm so sorry I tossed a tomato at you!”

“I'm sorry I doodled on your mane!”

“I'm sorry I threw that mud clump at your face!”

“I'm sorry about what I did to your pet bunny!”

“I'm sorry about--”

“WHAT?!” Fluttershy yelled out, her eyes widening. “Where's Angel? What happened to him? Is he okay?” The panic flooded in her voice.

The crowd looked shocked for a moment, before there was a lot of nervous shuffling. A sense of dread flooded off the ponies. “Where's the bunny?” Twilight asked, her voice gripped with fear.

One of the ponies slowly shuffled off, before returning with a small cage. Inside was Angel. Except, it wasn't the Angel they knew and... well, tolerated. That Fluttershy loved. He was tiny, malnourished, pieces of his fur missing. One of his paws was even bleeding. Fluttershy stared for a moment before surging forward. She shoved the pony aside and tore the cage apart. Actually tore the metal away and reached for the bunny.

Angel recoiled from her touch, but she kept pushing. Her hooves grabbed him and pulled him to her chest. He fought, thrashing about and biting, but she ignored it. Gently, she held his tiny body in her legs. “It's okay. It's going to be okay. I'm here now. I'm so, so sorry,” she whispered. “I'll never let you go again, I promise. I'm so sorry.”

She gently began to hum a soft lullaby and soothingly rocked the baby bunny back and forth. He stopped gnawing on her hoof and began to relax, looking up at her. She gave a gentle smile and then slowly looked up at the villagers. Her gaze turned harsh and cold. “I can forgive whatever you did to me. But... this? I don't know if I can ever forgive this.” She then looked back down, smiling to her pet. “Now, let's get you something to eat, okay?” The bunny gave a weak squeak and she flew off.

The ponies just watched her go, before turning to Twilight. “A-Avatar,” a gray mare said as she stepped forward. “You must understand, before when you came, we weren't ourselves, we--”

“I know exactly what,” Twilight said with a shake of her head. “Discord is powerful. A normal pony can't oppose him.” She smiled as her element formed on her head. “But we're not normal ponies. With my friends at my side, there is nothing we cannot do. We will get everypony back together and defeat him. Of that I give my word.”

There was a moment of silence before the ponies erupted in cheer. “We must celebrate!” the gray pony yelled. “A feast, a tremendous feast, the likes of which have never been--”

“No!” Twilight said with another shake of her head. “We're leaving as soon as we have supplies.”

“But, but you just got here,” the mare said. There was a few grumbles of agreement from behind her.

“Maybe. But the world has waited long enough.” Her hoof pointed towards the nearby ice cream mountains. “The damage he's doing is immeasurable. I have to stop it as fast as I can. That means no parties, no feasts, nothing. We're going to rescue my friends, save the world and then we can relax.”

There was another few grumbles from the crowd before the mare nodded. “Very well. Allow us to prepare what we can.”

Twilight nodded. “Thank you.”

------

The five mares, baby dragon and a bunny made their way down the path from the village, the ponies watching and cheering them as they went. Fluttershy was too busy ignoring them, her focus on the poor abused bunny of hers. He at least was warming up to her and didn't try to escape when she let him go. They'd even gotten a small cart to hold everything.

Once they were out of sight of the town, Scootaloo glanced back. “So... that was awesome.”

“Huh?” Twilight asked.

“The whole pillar of light thing? Parting the clouds, everything?”

Twilight looked back to Spike, who shrugged. “All I saw was an explosion and suddenly a bunch of rocks flying at my face at fifty miles an hour.”

Sweetie giggled. “You missed it? That sucks. It was awesome. All of a sudden this great wave of light just flowed out, enveloping the villagers. They really started calming down after that.”

Twilight nodded. “I see. Maybe it was Fluttershy's element?” She glanced back to the pegasus. “I think there was this explosion of light, but I was still stuck in the other... place at the time.”

“What was it like?” Flowerbloom asked. “Ah mean, was it all... weird an' stuff?”

Fluttershy blinked and looked overhead as a couple clocks flew by. “Compared to out here? Not that weird. It just felt... well, it was like being in a dream. I feel like I've just woken up. Things didn't always make sense now that I look back at it, but at the time it seemed normal. Even things I didn't know I suddenly started to know. I... I don't know anymore.” She gently held out a carrot to Angel. The bunny quickly took it and started nibbling. “I wouldn't have come out though, if not for Twilight. I was so... scared,” she whispered.

Twilight nodded. “I don't blame you. When I first arrived, it was pretty scary. The darkness surrounded me on all sides and I didn't think I could breath. But... it felt normal, after a bit. Familiar. It didn't hurt me, but it refused to let me go. I didn't realize it was your element though. I just knew I needed your help, since it was your dream.” She gave a soft sigh. “If you hadn't come to save me, I might still be stuck there. Helpless and trying to get free.”

Fluttershy nodded. “If you hadn't come to save me, I know I would still be trapped there. Completely unaware of what was going on around me. Thank you.”

“If you had warned me there was going to be an explosion, I could have hid,” Spike muttered.

Twilight chuckled and gave a little nod. “I'm sorry.” She looked down the road. “I think we can get to Cloudsdale from here. It... won't be a short trip, though.”

Fluttershy nodded. “I... I know the way. I think. But it's, well, err...”

“What?” Twilight asked, glancing back.

“Cloudsdale can move,” Fluttershy mumbled softly.

“Well, of course it can. But it has the ground city, too. They--”

“They were probably only by that ground city because of the night and the war,” Fluttershy interrupted. “Now they could be anywhere.”

Twilight looked back towards the road. “O-oh. That's... not going to make things easy. Is it?”

The five mares let out soft, annoyed sighs. “It can never just be easy, can it?” Scootaloo asked with a grumble.

------

The days slowly melted into each other. At least, the group assumed it took days. The sun going up and down every half hour was really starting to get annoying, though the other occasional changes were mildly entertaining. Sometimes they were just weird. The time he turned the sun into a giant glowing foal's face was just creepy.

But, after time traveling across the great road, the group could now see a town off in the distance. “Okay girls, you know the drill. We've prepared for this.” She pulled out a small cloak and wrapped it around herself, hiding her wings. Spike laid down in the cart and pulled the covering over himself with a sigh. “Remember. Get in, find out where Cloudsdale is, get out. Nothing else. Simple and easy.”

“Of course,” Sweetie said with a chuckle. “I don't think we'll have many troubles this time.” She glanced back. “Hopefully.”

Twilight nodded. The town was at least in slightly better condition than the first one they'd encountered in these lands. The houses were all put together and the destroyed ones appeared to have already been torn apart, leaving nothing but dirt patches. The ponies in the streets gave them nervous skeptical looks, but didn't appear actively hostile. They did stay close to their homes though and watched for any sudden movements.

The alicorn gave a nervous smile towards the first pony that came close enough. “Err, would you be willing to answer some questions for me?”

The pony glared. “Whaddaya wanna know?”

“Where Cloudsdale is?” Twilight asked nervously, giving him a gentle smile. “We're traveling and we don't know when the last time it moved.”

The pony's eyes widened. “You want to... don't go there, trust me,” he shook his head. “The place is a mess. Horrible. Ponies go there and... well, they get tossed right out, or beaten up pretty bad. The wonderbolts are... they're... some say they've turned completely evil. That they're attacking anypony that doesn't have wings. For your own good, stay away.”

Twilight gulped and chewed on her lower lip. “I... I don't have a choice. Our friend is there, we have to rescue her.”

The pony sighed and then pointed west. “Fine. Keep following this road and head north at the fork. Keep an eye out. Last I heard it was holding up over a lake and they were using it to grow the clouds out more. If you're lucky, you might make it before they finish.”

Twilight nodded and bowed her head. “Thank you. That's all I wanted to know.” She paused and looked around. “This is going to sound strange, but the last town we were at, they were a lot more... hostile. How uhhhh, how are you all holding up in... this new world?”

The pony glared. “Go. Just go.”

“But--”

“I said go, unless you'd rather be chased out of here on the end of a blade,” he said, his eyes turning angry as he glared.

She shook her head and started trotting quickly. “No! Sorry to bother you! Have a nice day!” The others quickly followed after her.

They walked in silence until the town was finally out of view. “At least we didn't leave everypony in a panic this time,” Flowerbloom said softly.

“Why can't we just tell them who we are?” Fluttershy asked softly.

“A few reasons. We don't know how much Discord has changed them, for one,” the alicorn muttered. “Especially considering after Ponyville. If he turned those ponies into... that, there's no telling what else he's done. Another is I'm trying to keep where we're going quiet. After I got you out of the statue, there's no way I could keep it hidden. But I'd rather Trixie not have anyway to know where we've been until after we're gone. There's no telling what she could send after us.”

“That useless, arrogant wretch? Oh, I don't think you have to worry about her,” a voice as cold as ice said. Chills went down the group's back as they looked around. Stepping out from behind one of the nearby plastic trees, Nightmare Moon gave them a low smile. “I've been looking for you, Avatar.”

“M-mother!” Sweetie said, taking a step forward before stopping. She quickly took a step back. “Y-you... but Twilight fixed you. You aren't supposed to... be like this anymore.”

The former ruler grinned even wider as drops of water slowly began to flow around her head. “Oh my dear, foalish child. I am like nothing but myself. Come, join me at my side. It is time for the Avatar to perish.”

Sweetie shook her head. “Not a chance. Mother, you must fight his control! He's an evil, sick creature and needs to be stopped. Twilight is the only pony who-- eep!” She took a step back after shards of ice landed just outside her hoof.

The former ruler slowly stepped forward. “I will not take betrayal lightly, daughter. I will give you one last chance. Either come to my side, or perish like your sister.”

Sweetie glared and the ice rose into the air. “Thank you, mother. This could have been a very difficult choice, but now you've made it so simple. If we have to go through you to save the world, so be it.”

“Sweetie, she's your mother,” Twilight said softly. “You don't have to fight with--”

“Rarity fought her. So can I. Come on!” She ran forward, Scootaloo and Flowerbloom following close behind. Twilight gave a soft sigh before galloping after.

“Fluttershy, Scootaloo, take the cart and get out of here!” she called back.

Scootaloo paused in her charge. “But I can--”

“Just do it! This is a bending fight!”

The two pegasi shared looks, before slowly galloping down the road. Scootaloo gave a worried look back at the others, thoughts of all the stories she'd heard of their one time ruler flashing through her mind. Nightmare Moon merely chuckled. “What interest would I have in your little cart? Avatar, you are my prey.” Shards of ice formed around her head. “And you will fall by my hoof.

Chapter 10: Not worth the effort it expends

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Discord gazed at hi-- “Oh no you don't.” Snap.

------

Flowerbloom thrust a hoof down and the ground rumbled under Nightmare Moon. The unicorn didn't even flinch, she just turned her head and three spikes of ice shot at the earth pony. Sweetie held out a hoof and stopped the shards of ice for a few seconds, before they rocketed out again. The earth pony barely ducked in time, the shards cutting a chunk from her ribbon.

“You think to test your water bending against mine, child?” Nightmare Moon asked, glaring at her daughter.

“Y-yes I do!” the mare said before stepping to the side and sending a small batch of ice shards at the elder mare. The ruler merely snorted and the ice turned to water and swirled around her. She then ducked, barely in time as a ball of flame shot overhead.

“You aren't just fighting an earth or water bender, Nightmare Moon,” Twilight said, her horn glowing red hot as fire swirled around. “You're fighting us all.”

The ruler chuckled. “Then you will all fall.”

“Get her!” Twilight said, thrusting her horn forward as fire surged out. Flowerbloom stomped her hooves and sent a ripple through the ground, before spikes of earth rose up and tried to hit the mare. Sweetie gathered what water she could, struggling to strike and trip up the ruler when she was distracted.

Nightmare Moon moved with perfect precision. Even with the ground rumbling she was easily able to avoid their attacks, swirling the water around her head and deflecting them with perfected grace. No matter how they struck, the mare was always just out of range, barely avoiding the attack. She only used the barest amount of water to try and deflect the assaults she couldn't dodge. Within a few minutes the three were exhausted, panting and on their knees. Nightmare merely chuckled, shaking her head. “Your bending is weak and expends too much energy. Perhaps I should show you how a true master fights?” Her eyes began to glow green.

Flowerbloom wheezed and stepped back. “W-we need tah run!”

Shards of poisonous ice skewered through the air, making the ponies shriek and roll back, struggling to get away from the attacks. Twilight flapped her wings and sent a sudden burst of wind racing at the mare, as strong as she could. Nightmare Moon growled and narrowed her eyes, a leg moving up to cover her face. When she lowered them, the three were already running.

“Go go go!” Twilight yelled, galloping just behind the other two.

Nightmare Moon chuckled and shook her head. “Foals. Flee all you want, I'll catch you anyw--” She let out a yelp as her hooves refused to move. She looked down at the ground where it had managed to not only turn to quick sand, the moisture in it had frozen solid. “FOALS! I WILL FIND YOU!” she roared. She yanked on her hooves, her magic turning the ice to water.

Twilight ran at the head of the pack, panting for air. They soon came back upon the others, their chests heaving and barely able to stand. Scootaloo took one look at them and motioned into the cart. “Get in. Come on.” They were too tired to object.

“Ah knew she was good, but... ah didn't think she was... like that,” Flowerbloom mumbled.

Twilight nodded, before glancing to Sweetie. The mare just stared at the ground, still breathing heavy. “It doesn't help that none of us really want to hurt her. But... I think she was just toying with us,” she said softly.

“Why?” Scootaloo asked softly, glancing back they way they had come.

“She didn't attack much. She spent more time just avoiding our attacks. And the attacks she launched, well, she sent a bunch of little spikes. Last time I fought her she was more about... well, striking you or disabling you with one small strike. But that was...” She shivered. “I don't know. I just have a bad feeling. We'd best keep going as fast as we can.”

“What if she knows we're headed tah Cloudsdale?” Flowerbloom asked with a nervous chuckle.

Twilight stared back at the ground and shivered. “I... don't know what, then. I think we'll just need to be... careful.” She closed her eyes and buried her head in her hooves. “I'm sorry, Sweetie. I didn't--”

“It's not your fault.”

“But you finally got your mother back and now she's--”

“We'll just rescue her again,” she said softly. “It doesn't matter. You've saved her once, you can save her again. Once all this is over.” Sweetie looked towards the horizon. “Are you two going to be okay pulling the cart?”

“We're fine,” Scootaloo said with a chuckle. “I've trained my whole life, but It's a shame this isn't an air cart. We could make a lot more time then.”

Twilight nodded and glanced down the road. They were going at a fairly fast pace, but she was a little surprised that Nightmare Moon wasn't catching up with them. Though, that just made her more nervous.

The ruler probably did know where they were headed if she ambushed them on this road. So why wasn't she following them?

------

Nightmare Moon growled, stomping her hooves to the ground. She had to chase after them, she had to. Her eyes glowed a dark, malevolent green.

But she didn't want to. She resisted as hard as she could. Bad enough she was being forced to take orders from that airbag Trixie and that other creature. That it was her daughter she had to fight, her other one. But no, she was nopony's slave. If she caught the avatar it would be her doing, after Discord was returned to stone.

She growled and closed her eyes tightly, trying to suppress the commands that echoed in her mind. That told her to do these things. That said she had to find and capture them. She refused. But still her hoof lifted and slowly went back down, drawing her after them.

She was Nightmare Moon, ruler of the Water Nation. She was nopony's servant. If only her body would listen to that.

------

Twilight let out a yawn before glancing towards the giant orb of cheese in the sky. “Does that mean it's day or night?” she asked softly.

“Well... I think the moon is supposed tah be made of cheese,” Flowerbloom said with a shrug. “But it's yellow like the sun and it is pretty bright out. So... day?”

Twilight stared up at the bright, orange sky. “I hate Discord so much.” Her new mantra was, sadly, starting to lose its spark. She gave another gentle sigh and looked to the others. “I think we're almost there.”

“Do you hear that?” Fluttershy asked softly before glancing up, still holding Angel in her hooves and feeding him a small carrot.

“Hmmm? Hear what?” Twilight asked, though she listened closely. Sure enough, she soon heard yelling off in the distance. Angry yelling. People were screaming and fighting. She gulped. “I think there might be a battle going on.”

Sweetie nodded. “Should we go around?”

Twilight thought for a moment before shaking her head. “No. We have to at least see what it's about.” She jumped from the cart and pulled her cloak back over herself. “But maybe I should go alone. Keep our numbers smaller and--”

“Buck no. I'm coming with you,” Scootaloo said as she dropped down.

“What? But--”

“I'm a pegasus so I'll blend in here,” the mare said with a smile. “Besides, I had to sit out the last fight. If there's another, I'm going to be right there with you. Got it?”

The alicorn sighed again before giving a nod. “Fine. The rest of you, hide. If we come running... well, Flowerbloom, go underground. I don't think many air benders will be able to follow that.” She then started trotting forward.

As they climbed over the next hill, the scene was clear for them to see. Twilight's eyes widened and a hoof covered her mouth. “W-what in blazes... what are they doing?”

“Burn the traitor! You will perish for your crimes!” a pegasus in a blue flightsuit with a yellow thunderbolt yelled. She had an orange and yellow mane. Twilight recognized her as Spitfire.

There was another pony, tied to a post, struggling against it. He was wearing the same uniform and had a dark blue mane. She recognized him as Soarin. She also recognized that there were other ponies in the same getup, flying about and putting kindling under him. “Spitfire, please. I'm not a traitor! You know me, we're friends. Partners. Let me go!”

“You are a traitorous scum, no friend of mine. You will perish along with those other foals!”

Twilight just stared, her mouth falling open. A match was tossed onto the kindling and the flames started as the stallion shrieked.

“Aren't those the Wonderbolts? Shouldn't we do something?” Scootaloo asked.

“What? OH! Yes!” She stomped her hooves down and sent a batch of dirt and rocks over the flames, snuffing them out. The ponies around the flames looked around, before focusing on her. “What's the meaning of this? What are you doing to Soarin?”

“He is a traitor and will pay for his crimes, earth po--” Spitfire paused for a second, before her eyes went wide. “Wait a moment. You're... a unicorn. How did you earth bend?”

Twilight gulped and stepped forward, shaking the cloak off. Too late for disguises now. “Spitfire, it's me, Twilight. What's the meaning of this?”

Spitfire growled. “Avatar. Of course, you're a member of those traitors too, aren't you?”

“Traitors? What traitors? What are you talking about!”

“Don't act like you don't know,” the mare said with a snort.

“She probably doesn't! I still don't!” Soarin yelled, shaking in his binds. “Avatar, please, help me! They've gone mad! They keep talking about the--”

“Silence, traitor! You've already sealed your fate with your crimes against the sky lords!” She then turned to Twilight. “Avatar, you are strong. I will give you one chance. Abandon your loyalties to those... ground walkers and join our side. Together, we will purge this land of all those lesser beings!”

Twilight just stared. “Purge... this land? Ground walkers? What are you talking about?”

“They've gone mad, Twilight!” Soarin yelled as he struggled in his bindings. “It's Discord's magic, whatever he's done!”

“Ignore him! Twilight, join us!” the mare held out a hoof. “You're either for us, or against us.”

The alicorn looked around for a moment before narrowing her eyes. “I think I know exactly what's going on here. You're trying to start another war.” She slid her hoof forward and the ground began to rumble. “The answer is no. I will not join you or help you in whatever foalish dreams of conquest you have.”

“Then you will die!” Spitfire roared before charging forward. Or rather, she tried to. The ground now had a firm grip on her hooves and refused to let go. “Hey! What trickery is this? Avatar! You think to defeat us with-- GUHHH!” Suddenly Scootaloo was on the mare and a few quick taps made her drop like a rock.

“Sorry,” Scootaloo said with a grin as she galloped towards the ones closest to Soarin. “I'm not much for war, either!” A few quick taps and the pony went limp, who she then threw into the next one. She jumped onto the pile of kindling and started working on the binds.

“Stop her! Stop them!” Spitfire yelled into the ground, her voice muffled by the dirt.

“That's not going to happen,” Twilight said as she stomped her hoof again. The ground erupted, peppering the other Wonderbolts in rocks as she took the chance to fly forward, joining the other two. Her wings spread out. “Don't think I won't crush you if I have to!”

Spitfire growled and tried moving, before letting out a sigh. “Get me, you foals! Help me up! We're pulling back!”

The Wonderbolts gave each other worried looks, before quickly flying over to grab their fallen comrades. Twilight watched and waited for an attack, but it didn't come. They were soon flying off as she watched, letting them escape. “Well, that was... definitely something. Do you mind explaining what was going on, Soarin?”

The stallion let out a yelp when he was untied, collapsing onto Scootaloo. “S-sorry. I've been tied up and hauled around for quite a while now.”

The mare shrugged. “It's cool, come on.” She helped him sit down and tried rubbing feeling back into his limbs. “Tell us what happened.”

“Wait, hold on,” Twilight said. “I'm going to get the others. This way you only have to tell us once.” She jumped into the air and flew off.

------

The group was soon gathered, with Soarin sitting in the cart and rubbing his hooves. “I'm not completely sure what happened. Just... well. I was late arriving back home. I had things to attend to, ponies I had to help. I sent them off ahead. Then when I got back, I found out Discord had been there and dropped off a statue of Rainbow.”

Twilight nodded. “That would be what we're after. How did you end up there?”

“It was... well... ummm...” He sighed and shook his head. “It doesn't make any sense. I knew these ponies, I had for years. They were, are, good ponies. I trusted almost any of them with my life. But then... bad things started happening. The sun was back in its place, so Cloudsdale was going from city to town, offering aid and helping each of our settlements re-expand. At least, that's what we had been doing. But when I got back they were talking about the pegasus master race and how all the ground ponies didn't deserve what they had. That only the air benders deserved anything. They'd dropped off all non-pegasi weeks before I got back, fortunately. By the time I arrived they were getting ready to toss any non-pegasi they found out of the clouds. I tried asking Spitfire what was going on.” He took a slow, deep breath. “She betrayed me, said I was becoming one of them, next thing I know I'm being questioned and ponies are demanding to know where my loyalties lie. I eventually managed to convince them that I was with them, but everything was wrong. I couldn't trust any of the ponies. Then... Trixie arrived.”

Twilight's eyes widened. “Wait, Trixie is there?”

“Oh, yes. She arrived yesterday. But, well... I asked what was going on, why we would trust them. They were talking about... purging all the non-benders. Starting there before the rest of the non-pegasi. I tried to talk with Spitfire, to make her see what she was doing was wrong. But it was like she was a completely different pony. Not my friend at all. She just... turned on me. Next thing I know I'm being swarmed by my one time friends and they're threatening to burn me at the stake for being a ground walker sympathizer. You should have seen them chanting for my head. It was... horrifying. And not just because it was my head they wanted.”

Twilight nodded and glanced off in the distance. “If Trixie is here, that's going to make everything a bit harder. But we need to get into Cloudsdale.” She smiled down at him. “The same thing happened at Ponyville. The ponies there had completely changed. They were... just, well, mean. Angry. But once we rescued Fluttershy, they returned to normal.” She paused. “Sadly, the rest of the world didn't. But if we can save Rainbow, I think it will return Cloudsdale to normal.”

“If it doesn't?” Soarin asked nervously.

“Rainbow fly real good,” Twilight said with a nod, before pausing. “Err, I mean we'll run away. I swear that was Discord's influence. Probably.”

“You can't go there yourself, though,” Soarin muttered. “The moment you show your head, they'll be all over you. You can't hope to fight off that many air benders. Especially now that they're expecting you. That's not even including the fleet Trixie has.”

Twilight nodded. “I know. I'll have to think of something, though. I can't just leave Rainbow trapped there. She--”

“I... may have an idea,” Sweetie said nervously. The ponies turned to her. “Well, they're after Twilight, right? They know she's on the way? What if we gave her to them?”

“WHAT?” many voices asked in unison.

“I don't mean like imprisoning her! I mean, letting them see her, so they chase her.”

“How can I get to Rainbow's statue if I have half a fleet chasing me, not to mention the Wonderbolts?” Twilight asked with a sigh.

“Easy, it won't be you. I still know the spells I used in Fillydelphia, afterall,” Sweetie said before her horn began to glow. There was a flash and she was gone, in her place Twilight stood. “This spell isn't too hard, though it won't hold up to much damage. As long as we're just running, it'll be easy.”

Twilight shook her head. “Not a chance, I'm not risking--”

“I'll do it,” Soarin said quickly.

“Me too,” Scootaloo said with a nod.

“Ah'm in,” Flowerbloom added, grinning from ear to ear. “Yah might need an earth bender, afta all.”

Twilight glared. “No! Absolutely not! It's too dangerous, you could all get hurt, or worse! What if Trixie caught you? They--”

“I'm one of the fastest fliers in the Wonderbolts,” Soarin said with a shake of his head. “And a master air bender. I won't be fighting, I'll just be running. They'll have no chance.”

“On the ground they'll have no chance of matching us,” Sweetie said as she stood besides her two friends. “With my water bending, Flowerbloom's earth bending and Scootaloo's anti-bending, they won't come close. We'll be in and out before they have any idea what's going on.”

Twilight gave another sigh and shook her head. “But... but what if you get hurt?”

“You're going to have to fight off Discord, aren't you?” Soarin asked. “I think that's a lot more dangerous than this. So don't worry so much, we'll be fine.”

The alicorn sighed again, before slowly nodding. “Fine. Just... be careful.”

“Of course,” the ponies said in unison.

------

Riftwing grumbled as she laid on the edge of the clouds. Guard duty again, she couldn't believe it. She was an amazing flier, she shouldn't be stuck doing this lousy, useless watch duty. They were wasting her talents. She bunched up a bit of the cloud cover and made a pillow.

She was a Wonderbolt for goodness sake. But did any of them even notice how amazing she was? She should just join the Water Nation. Yeah, they paid really well. Then she'd get the respect she deserved. The Wonderbolts were just holding her back, jealous of how--

Something blurred by and she looked up, confusion on her face. She lifted a hoof up to call the alarm, but shrugged. If it was nothing, she'd just get grief for it. If it was something, well, it served them right for wasting her up here.

Her eyes caught sight of something else below and she gasped. A purple pony was slowly sneaking across the landscape. She pulled out her binoculars and grinned.

A purple alicorn. It was the avatar. She kicked her hoof out, gonging the nearby bell before diving after the avatar. This was her catch, her prize!

Sweetie yelped and looked up as the first bell went off. One pony was already diving off the clouds, but she could already see others following close behind. More bells filled the air and she knew it would be only moments before the full fleet was gathered and pursuing her. She barely managed to keep her smile back before she turned tail and ran towards the tree cover.

Twilight looked down from her position directly under Cloudsdale. She was wrapped entirely in a, thankfully normal, cloud and hovering just a few feet under the edge. A small hole allowed her to see out. The hiding spot was stuffy, but it gave her all the camouflage she needed to watch and wait. It started off as a trickle of ponies leaping from the city, but before long there were dozens of them flying off, straight towards where the 'Avatar' had fled. Then there were airships and she swore she even saw Trixie, struggling to keep up with the better fliers.

The alicorn held her breath and just watched, waiting for them to slowly trickle down to only a fraction of their numbers. She shook her head. “Wow, they really do want me. Do you think they'll be okay?”

Fluttershy nodded. “I-I think so. Ummmm... Will... Spike and Angel be okay, do you think?”

“Spike is very mature for his age, he'll be fine. Besides, they shouldn't be going anywhere near them. I'm more worried about the others. Now, give me a hoof.” Their wings pushed out from the cloud and, slowly, they began flapping about towards the center of the cloud, pulling to a slow stop. “He said it's at the center of the town, right?”

“Yes,” Fluttershy said softly.

“Okay, keep the cloud here, I'm going up,” Twilight whispered as she slowly pushed open the top of their cloud and began digging into the bottom of Cloudsdale. Inch by inch she broke through the white, puffy surface.

“Is it there?” Fluttershy called up softly.

“I don't know yet. The clouds are getting thicker, though. I think I'm almost there. I think--” She pushed open the final layer, revealing the stone pedestal. It wobbled on what little cloud cover it had. “Oh bu--” It then fell through, crashing into Twilight and sending them bother flying down the hole. Twilight landed first, the cloud cushioning her fall. Unfortunately, the pedestal landed a second later on her chest.

Fluttershy eeked, her eyes going wide. “A-are, are you okay?”

“F-fine,” Twilight said with a whimper, clutching her chest. “N-never... b-better. Wwie...” She rolled onto her side and held her chest. “N-never... a-again...” she groaned.

“You got it,” Fluttershy said happily as she looked up. “Should we close the hole?”

“Y-yes. Go do that. I-I'll keep... a-an eye on the statue,” Twilight said from her position on the bottom of the cloud. All her world was pain. It didn't help that Rainbow's statue was right by her head, with that big, confident grin on her face. As always. “I-I bet you find this funny, don't you?”

“What was that?” Fluttershy called down.

“Nothing! Just let me know when you're done!”

After a few minutes the hole was once again cleared and the two fliers slowly drew the cloud down towards the ground. Twilight kept an eye out, but as far as she could see, there were still no signs of them being noticed. She just hoped the others were faring as well. When the ground finally touched down she spread out her hooves and the ground covered them, wrapping the cloud in complete darkness. She tapped her hoof again and small air holes formed throughout the wall. She then glanced to Fluttershy with a nervous smile. “This... well, this'll be dangerous. There's no telling what'll happen. Are you sure you want to come with me and risk it?”

Fluttershy gave a small nod. “Of course. I'm...” She looked to the statue of Rainbow. “She'd do the same for me. I can't leave it for you to do alone.”

Twilight nodded and took her friend's hoof. She put her horn to the statue and it began to glow. After a moment the world disappeared yet again.

Chapter 11: When danger makes me want to hide

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Rainbow gulped and turned her head around, trying to listen. “Is he gone?”

“Yes. Discord's gone, we did it!” Twilight said, excitement flooding her voice. “It's over, we've won! The world is saved!”

“About dang time,” Applejack said with a chuckle. “Though, ah can hardly believe we actually did it. He was so... an' we... well.”

“I never had any doubt,” Rainbow said with a snort as she tried walking. She started to stumble, but was caught by somepony. “We're way too awesome to fail now.”

“Yeah, easy there sugarcube,” Applejack said with a chuckle. “Fluttershy only barely managed tah catch yah. Let's get outta here while the gettin's good.”

“Right, err, coming,” Rainbow said as she was slowly led through the halls. Her friends kept talking about how great and wonderful everything looked, though she started tuning them out. It didn't do her any good to hear all those 'ohhhhs' and 'ahhhhhs'.

“Discord is finally defeated,” Twilight said as the air shifted a bit colder and the ground underhoof became softer. It seemed they were outside. “We need to stop them from fighting.”

“I'll go with you. We'll take my mother, too. Together, we should be able to make them all listen,” Rarity piped up.

“I'll come too,” Rainbow said quickly. There was a long, drawn out silence before she heard a cough.

“That's, uhh nice of yah, Sugarcube. But ah think yah'd best stay down here. Help us, errr, round everythin' up,” Applejack finally said.

Rainbow sighed. Of course, she'd just get in the way up there. “Yeah, of course. Let's... get to work. Gathering everything, I guess.”

“Come on, it'll be fun. Besides, the war's almost over! Before yah know it, you'll be in Cloudsdale. A bonified Wonderbolt, ah'm sure.”

Rainbow nodded. “Right. Once we get everything settled, of course.” At least the pain in her eyes had died down. She set to work. Unfortunately, that mostly involved Fluttershy pulling her along and standing around while the others did their jobs. She tried to at least stay out of the way.

------

“Rainbow?” a voice called out, waking her.

She slowly sat up, wondering what happened to the lights. After a moment the memories hit her and she let out another soft, gentle sigh. She really had to stop... thinking that. “Who is... Spitfire?”

“Right!” the mare said. Rainbow felt something touch her on either side of her face and then the bandages were slowly removed. There was a soft, gentle warmth across her face. “I'm just here to look at your bandages. I wanted to see how the wounds were coming along. I... oh.” There was a soft sound of disappointment in the mare's voice.

“What? How... bad is it?”

There were a few seconds of silence before another soft sigh. “I'm so sorry, Rainbow.”

Dread gripped her heart. “What... is it? Can't you... aren't you able to...”

“No. I'm afraid I can't. I... the damage is worse than I'd feared. It's not healing like we'd hoped.”

“B-but it's only been a few days. What if more time was given?” Rainbow asked, her voice tinged with begging.

“I'm afraid it will do nothing. I... don't think these will ever heal. The damage is just too severe.” She took a deep breath. “But you'll survive, I'm sure. You are still one of the saviors of the world. You're a hero. Ponies from all over the land would give a hoof to be like you, even if you are blind.”

Rainbow nodded slowly. “Y-yeah. I am pretty awesome. I guess. Just... err... I... wanted to ask about--”

“Please don't,” Spitfire interrupted.

“What?”

“While I do appreciate everything you've done and I would gladly aid you in any way I can, in that I cannot.”

“W-what?” Rainbow asked, confusion filling her mind.

“I'm afraid there's no room in the Wonderbolts for you. Without the ability to fly, you just... you won't fit in. You can't fit in. All of our members are world class fliers, but like this you'd barely be able to fly in a straight line without hurting yourself.”

Rainbow went still, feeling tears beginning to well up in the husks of her eyes. “I... I wasn't going to ask a-about that. I... I wanted to know about... I-I've been working on sensing things t-through air bending. I didn't... I mean...”

Spitfire gave a nervous gulp. “O-oh. I see. I ummmm... I've never heard of such a thing. I'm sure it's imposs...” There was another soft pause. “I believe it would be the perfect thing for you to dedicate your time to.”

Rainbow nodded, though her heart wasn't in it. “Well... thanks for visiting me, Spitfire. I'd... like to be alone.”

“Of course, I'll... probably see you around sometime. Good bye.” There was the sound of clopping hoofs and the opening and closing of her door. After a few seconds there was talking outside the door, though she couldn't make it out. She slowly crawled out and carefully made her way towards it, listening as she went.

“--out of trouble?” Applejack asked.

“Don't worry about it. She was talking about some kind of air sensing thing. I thought it was silly, but at least if she's focused on that it'll keep her out of everypony's way,” Spitfire said.

“Ah yeah. That was mah idea. We needed her element but ah wasn't sure she'd be able tah summon it with her bein' so depressed. Ah jus' suggested she tried sensin' the world with air bendin'.”

There was a soft chuckle from Spitfire. “It's a little disappointing she believes in such a ridiculous thing. But so long as it keeps her out of trouble, I don't see the harm in her working on it. How goes the peace talks?”

“Great. Twilight has 'em all under control. Yah wouldn't believe how well that mare can micromanage. She's like some kinda machine.”

Rainbow just shuddered and made her way back to the bed, hitting her legs once and letting out a soft yelp. Of course, the entire idea of sensing things through air bending was stupid. She couldn't imagine why she'd ever thought it could work. She pulled the blankets over her head and buried her head into the mattress.

Things really weren't that bad, when she thought about it. After all, plenty of ponies lived their whole life blind. She was a hero, too. That meant she could spend the rest of her life being loved and cherished no matter where she went. Heck, she could probably get her own castle with an entire herd of servants to tend to her every need. So what if it meant she couldn't be a Wonderbolt? Couldn't fly around the world, showing off her air bending to fans?

Why did it hurt so much knowing that? She whimpered and buried her head even deeper. She didn't want ponies to take care of her, to have to spend the rest of her life lightly walking around so she didn't hurt herself. She wanted to fly through the air at breakneck speeds, the only thing stopping her from going faster being her own limits. To feel the air go by so fast it threatened to tear out her mane. Now such a thing would be suicide as she couldn't hope to avoid whatever was ahead of her.

She rolled herself into a small cocoon of grief and blankets before laying her head against the pillows. Fine, her life as an air bender and master flier were over. That was fine. She could still help, though. She'd try doing the... egghead thing. Twilight needed help with all these war things ending. She could be a useful member of the negotiations. After all, she'd been there from the beginning.

------

Rainbow now knew what it felt like to long for the sweet release of death. She tried to keep a smile on her face as Twilight just went on. And on. And on. She didn't even know what the alicorn was talking about anymore, some kind of trade thing. She wondered if the other ponies were as bored as her, she couldn't hear any of them snoring.

“Rainbow, you're doing it again,” Twilight said.

“Huh?”

“You keep tapping your hoof. Please, stop. It's distracting.”

“Sorry,” Rainbow mumbled gently.

“You don't have to be here if you don't want to. We can do this on our--”

“No, I want to be here. Really. Honest. I'm paying attention, see?” She folded her hooves on the table and made what she hoped was a serious expression. “Very attentive.”

There was another sigh. “Fine. Now, as I was saying, if we trade precious metals for...”

Rainbow tried to pay attention, she truly did. She listened with every fiber of her being. But it was just. So. Dull. It didn't help that Twilight had a tone that was just... guh. She could make their adventures sound boring and over analytical. She'd probably tell ponies about the temperature and the weather, rather than the awesome fight she had or the sonic rainboom. It made her want to grind her teeth.

“You're doing it again,” Twilight said, her voice tinged with annoyance. “You know what? How about we stop for today. We've made plenty of headway, so now is a good time.”

“But--”

“No, we're stopping. Fluttershy, can you help Rainbow back to her room?”

“U-uh... um... s-sure.” She felt a hoof on her leg, slowly guiding her to her hooves. As she was steered out of the room she listened intently. The others weren't even moving to get up, there was no sound of moving chairs or stepping hooves. She let out another soft sigh. They were so tired of her presence they were even pretending to end their meetings early. She strained her hearing as she walked further away and soon heard them talking again. “So, ummm, how are your eyes feeling?”

“Fine,” Rainbow grumbled. “They feel just fine.” The gentle burning was nothing compared to the feeling of uselessness and patheticness that surged through ever fiber of her being. She was a blind fighter in a time of peace. How was she supposed to be of any use now? She couldn't stand all these diplomatic talks. She wanted to air bend. “Can you take me to one of the practice grounds?”

“W-what? But you're hurt! You can't see and might break--”

“Just, please. Fluttershy. I need to.”

There was a soft pause, followed by a sigh. “Fine.” She was led through halls, up and down stairs. The pace was mind numbingly slow, with her friend asking her every few seconds how she was doing. She used to be the fastest thing alive, now she was reduced to moving at a snail's pace lest she hurt herself. When she was finally in the training grounds she slowly walked on her own, feeling out and touching the training dummies.

“I want to be alone,” she said softly.

“What? But what if you fall or hurt yourself?”

“Then I get hurt!” Rainbow snapped, before guilt hit her. “Wait, Fluttershy, I'm sorry. Just... I want to air bend without following any restrictions, okay? If you're nearby, I might hurt you.”

There was a pause. Finally, another light sigh. “Very well. I'll be outside.”

Rainbow waited until she heard the door close. She was alone, finally. She couldn't fly like she used to, but she could at least still bend. She was one of the best. She swung out a wing and a burst of wind shot forward and she was rewarded with the sound of splintering wood. She chuckled and then did another, more wood exploding. She then thrust both wings down and the sound of more wood shattering and being thrown across the room filled her ears. She had room, space, none of the dummies were left. She started flapping her wings harder.

She pushed her power out, beating and striking at the walls, roof and training equipment around her. She let out all her pain and grief, abusing the objects. So what if she couldn't see? She was still one of the best air benders in the world, she could do things most benders only dreamed of. Heck, there were plenty of them who would have given both their eyes to be as good as she was. She let herself flow, the wind pushing out as she danced in the wide open area, letting the cyclone out around her.

She felt every shift in it and began pushing harder, faster, losing her body in the flow of wind. She was in control, she had power. Skill. She was a fighter, a warrior. It didn't matter that she wasn't as smart at all those political things. She was still Rainbow, she was still--

There was a crash, barely heard over her winds. She stopped for a moment and then heard the screams. There were loud crumbly and cracking noise from all around, that the winds had hidden. She whipped her head about. “What's going on, who's--”

“Rainbow!” Fluttershy's voice finally came out as she heard the door open. “Get out! The walls are going to--”

Then there was a crash as the world caved in around them.

------

Rainbow woke days later, her entire body in pain. Her left wing hurt the worst, though her right was almost as achy. “W-what happened?” she groaned.

“She's up!” a new voice said. She soon heard hoof steps running.

“Rainbow, you're okay!” Twilight said, right before she felt a very, very painful hug.

“Ow...”

“What in tarnation were yah thinkin'?” Applejack snapped. “Yah coulda got yourself an' Fluttershy killed!”

“Fluttershy?” Rainbow asked, before gasping. “She was there, is she okay? What happened?”

“She's fine. She tried tah run in an' save yah, but the entire place jus' caved in on top ah yah both. You're lucky tah only have a few broken bones and a mangled wing. Fluttershy looked a lot worse.”

That made more dread fill her heart. “F-Fluttershy? What... what happened?”

“Lots ah broken bones. It'll heal, but she won't be able tah walk for at least a month.” There was another pause. “In a way, ah guess she did get off better than yah did...”

“What do you mean?” Rainbow asked. She was greeted by nothing but silence. “Applejack? What did you mean?”

There was a nervous cough. “They said, well...” Twilight mumbled softly. “You'll... probably never fly again. Your wings were... the bones were shattered. Compacted. They tried to heal what they could, but, well... you can't... fix all of that. You might be able to glide a bit, flap a little off the ground. But full flight will... likely be impossible. You can still make air currents, though.”

Rainbow went still, her mouth falling open. “I... I... W-what? But... flight is...”

“But you can't see, so it's not like you needed them, right?” Pinkie's voice suddenly piped up, in an encouraging tone. “Since you couldn't fly anyway, so it's not like you're really losing anything.”

“Pinkie!” Applejack snapped.

“I'm just trying to help her see the bright side.”

“That ain't a bright side!”

“Oh. Sorry,” Pinkie mumbled.

“Anyway,” Twilight said with a nervous chuckle. “After this incident, we've come to a decision. Rainbow, you're our friend and we care a lot about you.”

Rainbow felt another bolt of icy dread go through her body. “A decision? What kind of decision?”

“I just want you to know that we love you very much. You're one of our closest friends. But... you're kind of... we can't always look out for you like we need to. We love you, but we're very distracted and not able to give you the attention you deserve. So, err, well...”

“What?” Rainbow asked, her hooves digging into the bed. Even the pain in her wings was starting to seem trivial.

“We've talked to Fancy Pants and he's agreed to take you into the Earth Kingdom and keep an eye over you. There are plenty of servants there, so you won't need anything or get hurt. It won't be in the clouds, so you won't have to worry about falling off, either.”

Rainbow's mouth fell open. They were putting her in a home. Her own best friends were putting her in a home. How could they do this to her? She'd done everything to help them, given so much. Worked just as hard as any of them had. She didn't deserve this.

The tightening of her muscles sent more pain through her body. She thought about Fluttershy, in a similar bed, hurting and probably crying. Alone. Weak. She slowly nodded. “I... I see. I understand. If... that's what you have to do.”

There were a few sighs of relief. “That's perfect!” Twilight said happily. “Don't worry, we'll make sure to visit all the time, okay? You'll be tended to and out of our manes so-- err, I mean, you'll be tended to and safe, no need to worry about hurting yourself or... anypony else.”

Rainbow twitched and gave a slow nod. “Right... yeah. It'll all be fine.” It would never, ever be fine again. She knew that. “Can... you guys leave me alone for a bit? I'm really feeling tired.”

“Sure, of course.” She soon heard the sound of hooves walking away. She laid back down and let out a whimper. Her own friends were sending her away because she was just being a trouble maker. How could life possibly get any worse?

Chapter 12: You'll Rainbow Dash to my side

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Rainbow sighed in mild annoyance as the cart, at least she assumed it was a cart, bumped gently under her. They were going soooo slooooow. She could barely even feel the wind in her mane, not to mention they had been traveling for days. If she could fly and see, she'd have been there in a day. Possibly only a few hours. She was just that awesome. But no, they had to go so incredibly slow, around things, over things, take breaks, it was sooooo boring. Almost as bad as one of Twilight's speeches.

Even worse because all of her friends had been too busy to come. They promised to visit in a month, of course. But her companions weren't very talkative. They just marched along, silently pulling the cart. She'd tried having a few conversations, but all they seemed to do was answer questions. It was pure torture.

On the up side, they would be there soon, or so she was told. All she had to do was wait. But waiting had never been her strong suit. She felt as if the world was going by slowly, like molasses slowly dripping down from a tree. Every second was an eternity of boredom. She couldn't even sleep any more, there was just a point where the body said 'nope, not tired, no more sleep' so she couldn't use it to get rid of the time. At least most of the pain was gone, though her right wing couldn't really flap anymore without sending sharp spikes of pain through it.

When they'd left, Fluttershy had managed to get out of bed just enough to say good bye. That, or they'd carted her down. She couldn't really tell and hadn't had the nerve to ask. All she could do was feel more and more guilty for the chaos and pain she'd caused.

“We're almost there,” a voice said.

“Thanks,” she grumbled softly. Was this really what her life was going to be? Sitting around or sleeping all day? As her friends continued their war efforts, she'd be trapped forever just thinking about her glory days and how they were gone forever? Just the thought of it made her sick to her stomach. Not that there was anything she could do about it.

The cart pulled through the gates and she held her breath. Surely there would be some kind of celebration for her arrival, right? She was one of the heroes of the world. She'd given everything up for these ponies.

There wasn't even a small cheer. She could hear ponies walking about, talking, but none of them seemed focused on the cart. She felt a small flicker of annoyance in her stomach. She was one of the saviors of the world, sure she was a bit helpless now, but that didn't mean she wasn't still awesome. You'd think she'd at least get a few cheers or something. Had everypony forgotten about her already? Now that the world was saved was she just a background character, unneeded and unheeded by the rest of the world?

“Ah! Rainbow Dash! Such a pleasure to have you!” a voice called out when the cart finally stopped. It took her a few moments to recognize it as Fancy's.

“Hello again,” she mumbled as she got to her hooves. She'd been laying down so long that she was a bit wobbly. She tried reaching for the rails, but her hooves missed and she toppled out of the cart with a shriek. She laid on the ground, the blow to her pride far worse than the blow from the fall.

“Oh my! Are you okay?” A pair of hooves slowly helped her to her hooves. “I wish I had known you'd become so clumsy, I'd have had my servants help you down.”

“It's fine, I was just a bit--”

“Nonsense! Come! Here, hmmm... hold on.” She let out a yelp as she was pushed into some kind of weird, moving chair.

“I can walk, really. I just--”

“Nonsense. You are one of the saviors of our realm, the least we can do is cart you around where you're needed.”

“But--”

“Think nothing of it.”

She let out a sigh and finally gave in. She felt more humiliation flood her cheeks as they carted her around. She still had hooves, she could still walk. She was getting better, too. She rarely walked into walls anymore. All that was happening though was that she was feeling more and more helpless. Useless. She was led to another room, she guessed it was inside judging by how warm it was. Also, something smelled very good.

“Here, a feast in honor of you joining me, Rainbow Dash,” the king said. She sniffed the air again and licked her lips. Well, maybe this wouldn't be so bad.

A few minutes later she changed her mind. It was horrible. They insisted on cutting up her food for her, gently feeding her, checking to make sure she didn't choke. She knew how to fend for herself but they treated her like a newborn foal. Still, she bottled up her anger and remained calm, letting them do as they pleased. After all, they were just trying to help her. It wasn't like they were trying to make her feel useless. She just wished they'd listen when she told them she had it handled. At least the rest of her stay probably wouldn't be so bad. They'd learn she had things handled.

------

Rainbow was wrong. So very, very wrong. She couldn't learn the layout of the castle, no matter how she tried. The main problem being every time she took so much as two steps, ponies were suddenly there to guide her and show her the way. She couldn't even take a bath without three servants suddenly appearing to help her do things. She tried dismissing them, they ignored her. She'd even snapped and yelled at them. It had only bought her about five minutes of peace. They didn't even get upset, they just said 'oh, you're having a hard time. We understand.' She'd finally just given in and let them do as they pleased, pulling her around the castle, cutting up her food for her, even reading stories to her when she was bored. She wanted to slam her head into the wall.

Even worse, she was starting to get fat and slow. Now, sure, for some ponies that was fine. But she was an athlete. She was all about being aerodynamic, but without being able to fly, run or do much of anything, she was slowly putting on the pounds. She was going completely mad and she was on the edge of snapping and sending a pony flying out the window. She was sure there would be five or six ponies to catch them, too. But it would all be better soon. Her friends were finally coming to visit her, just like they'd promised. The month had been horrible, but it was just a month. She'd talk with her friends, hang out, have fun, and it would all be worthwhile.

She waited in her room, doing the occasional small exercise. She couldn't do anything too loud or strenuous or five ponies would burst into her room to 'help' her. She'd tried doing jumping jacks and you'd think the roof had caved in on her by the way they reacted. So now she stuck mostly to sit-ups and things that didn't require her hooves to touch the ground much. What she wanted to do was spread out her wings and jump from the window and streak across the sky as far and fast as she could. But that would likely just end with her smeared against the great wall, with a dozen pegasi trying to help her. Even if her wing was working properly it would have been near impossible without any idea of how far away the wall was. Going straight up might work, though.

A light tap on her door made her quickly jump onto the bed. Her knee bumped the post, but aside from a minor cringed she suppressed the pain. “I'm in here!”

There was a sudden opening of the door, followed by a quick intake of breath. “Rainbow!” her friends called out. It was the most magnificent sound she'd ever heard. Her friends were here to see her. She was soon swept up in their embraces as the words spread out from her friends. The post war efforts were going well, peace was established. Ponies were getting along again and Twilight was doing her duties as the Avatar. Pinkie was traveling across the world as a party master, teaching her arts. Applejack was back home, of course, Sweet Apple Acres was doing wonderful. Fluttershy had returned home as well and had started a small home for all the ponies and pets who had lost parents and caretakers in the war. Rarity was even doing wonders as the new ruler of the Water Nation. Spike was helping lead all the dragons.

And Rainbow was standing still, her life unchanged. She was back where she was a few months ago, no, she was lower now. They had no need for her. Not now. She smiled and listened to their stories, their adventures, the new ponies they met, the things they were doing. They had lives, goals, futures. She would be spending the rest of her life being waited on, slowly gaining weight as her wings turned to useless husks.

“Is somethin' wrong?” Applejack asked.

“What? No, nothing. Nothing at all. I just... have a lot on my mind.” She shuffled a bit before sighing. “Actually, no. There is something. I... Twilight, I'm going mad here. I need something to do. Anything. I want to help.”

“But you've already helped so much,” the alicorn said softly. “You've given even your eye sight to help. I don't think we need you to do any more.”

“But I need me to do more. I can't just... sit here. Doing nothing. It's not me. I'm not made for this life style.”

“Ah thought yah loved your long naps?” Applejack asked.

“I did! I do! But... this is nothing BUT naps. Sleeping all day, waiting for a meal. There has to be something I can do for the world. Anything. Something with actual movement. Bending. Effort. A nap means nothing if it never ends.”

Twilight sighed softly. “I'll see what I can do. I can't make any promises, but maybe I can see about... well, something. It might take a while.”

“Thank you, that's all I ask,” she said softly. The rest of the trip was at least better. Twilight was one of the smartest ponies she knew, she'd have to find something for her to do. Anything. That would get her back in shape. When they left, she happily waved until long after they were gone. At least, one of the servants said they were gone. After that, she set herself into motion.

Who knew how little time she had left? She set herself back into training. While she had to start slow, she was finding new ways to get the servants to actually listen to her. Sure, they involved rather harsh application of air bending, but she had to do what she had to do. They at least stopped trying to put pillows all over the area she was running. She also started exuding a bit more force and demanding more privacy, sometimes having to blow the ponies out of her room. But it didn't matter to her now. She was finally feeling like she had a drive. A purpose. A goal. Life wasn't going to just be one big nap until the end. She started to feel as if everything was going to be okay again, as she collapsed into her bed each night, half the time her muscles burning. She'd even tripped and scraped her knees a few times, she could barely believe she had missed that feeling so much.

It was taking hard work and dedication, but she was going to be ready when Twilight finally came. It didn't matter what task was laid before her, she'd handle it. Easy.

------

“N-nothing?” Rainbow asked, her voice quivering. It had been two months since their last meeting and this time it was just Twilight. Fluttershy and Pinkie had made a few more visits, but apparently the big visit was just a one time thing. When she'd finally heard that Twilight was on her way, she'd nearly jumped out a window. Instead she'd accidentally ran into a wall. But that was the first time in weeks!

“I'm sorry, Rainbow,” the alicorn said with a gentle sigh. “There's just nothing for you to do. I asked around, but there's just nothing available that isn't too dangerous with your handicap. The things that aren't dangerous you might mess up and cause problems or find too boring. I'll keep looking but--”

Rainbow frowned. “What do you mean, 'mess up'? I'm one of the fastest, most agile ponies you know!”

“Yes, you are. But you can't see your hoof in front of your face. I was thinking about trying to let you tutor some beginning air benders, but what if they messed up or needed help? You might end up hurting them or not being there to help them if they got in over their heads. I guess if you had an assistant, but in that case you might as well have the assistant teach them. They could... errr...”

Rainbow ground a hoof into the ground. “They could at least see, right? Is that all? Just because I'm blind you don't think I'm good for anything now?”

“What? No! I just think it's best for everypony if you just--”

“If I what? Just lay on a cushion for the rest of my life and wait to die? Watching everypony pass me by? I'm not helpless! There are other ponies out there who are blind, they get by!”

“Well, yes. But they have to work at it and do things they don't like. You just want to have your dreams served on a platter--” Twilight's voice cut off quickly.

Rainbow's mouth fell open. “You... don't think I'll work at it?”

“No, that's not what I meant. I just meant... well...”

“Well what?”

“You like running, flying, things like that. But you can't do them like you used to, not now. You're grounded, okay? I'm trying to help you, but there's only so much I can do. Why can't you just be happy with what you have? You can run around and waste your time however you like. When other ponies are blind they have to deal with it, find ways to support themselves. They can't just depend on other ponies to feed and take care of them.”

Rainbow went completely still, before shaking her head. “Twilight... go.”

“Wait, Rainbow, I didn't mean--”

“No, I know exactly what you mean. You were very clear about that.”

“Wait, Rainbow, please I don't think you should--”

“GO!” Rainbow screamed, before turning and galloping away. She had to be careful to not run into anything, but she made it through the halls without incident and slammed her door. She jumped onto her bed and pulled the blankets close, anger bubbling within her.

“Stupid... Twilight. Just because I'm not as smart as her or... I can do plenty without seeing. I'm awesome, amazing. I know all about... all kinds of things.” She shook her head and sighed. “I can get around the castle without slamming into walls or anything, so I can adapt. I'm twice the fighter of anyone of Fancy's soldiers. I don't deserve this,” she said before slamming her head into the pillow as tears formed in her eyes. “I-I'm blind, I'm not useless. I could... if they'd just g-give me a chance. Just... let me try. If they'd only let me...” She gave a soft cry. It wasn't fair. None of this was fair. She was Rainbow Dash, one of the greatest, most awesome ponies around. She'd done so much, tried so hard. And what did she have to show for it? A life of pampering and relaxing? She didn't want this! She'd never wanted this. Sure, she liked naps, but that wasn't all she did. All she wanted from life. She wanted to fly, to soar, to perform tricks and show everypony how awesome she was.

Now she was just a has-been. Outdated. Obsolete. Rarity would probably call her antiquated. Yeah, she knew some fancy words too. There had been too much going on for her to even enjoy being a 'has'. She reached up and touched her neck. This wasn't fair at all. She'd always been loyal to her friends. Now when she needed them most, they couldn't help her at all. No, they wouldn't help her. Fine then.

“If they don't want to help me, I-I don't want to help them. I could have done so much, I still can do so much without them. I'll... I don't know. I'll figure out something.” She rolled off the bed. She was blind, but she wasn't helpless. She'd be bucked if they thought she'd spend the rest of her life living off the charity of others. She'd find her place even if it killed her.

------

“Are yah sure yah wanna do this, miss? Ah mean... it's hard work an' all, with your... disadvantage, it might be a bit much.”

“I'll be fine,” Rainbow said with a shake of her head. “I'm an air bender. I could literally do this blind folded if I wasn't, well, blind.”

She heard a soft sigh and then the sound of hooves disappearing in the distance. She then glanced up, not that she could see anything. But she'd been told what to do, so it was easy. She took a few steps forward to feel the mill, before slowly trotting back and turning towards it. She began flapping her wings and sending slow bursts of wind out. The sound of rubbing wood and grinding metal soon filled the air and she sighed.

Making wind for windmills wasn't exactly the most... glorious of jobs, but it was work. She could feel sweat building up around her wings and the pain as muscles and bones that hadn't been working in ages began moving. There was a bit of pain from the damaged wing especially, but she ignored it. She wasn't flying, moving a bit of wind like this was more than easy enough for her not to risk something. More importantly, it was something she could actually do. It made her feel good, useful. Like she was finally doing things her way and had control. She didn't need her friends, she didn't need anypony. When she went to bed that night she felt relieved and strong, once again. She'd done it. She was exhausted, but she was standing on her own four hooves. Taking care of herself and not wasting her life away. Maybe she should try writing a book or something, too. Normally she left those kinds of things up to Twilight, but who knew? It might be pretty good. She was just full of excitement.

------

Weeks turned to months and slowly into years. She went from job to job, using her air bending where ever she went. Flight was still beyond her, but her wings were growing powerful as ever and she was having no trouble keeping up with whatever each new job required. Her 'friends' still visited her from time to time, though they were few and far between. She was getting more and more frustrated as they tried to tell her to come back, to stop pushing herself. That they were worried about her and wanted her to be safe.

That just mad her more angry. They didn't really care about her, they just felt guilty because she was hurt. They just wanted her to be with the king so she'd be 'safe' and out of the way. That way they could go through their lives without thinking about her at all. Well, buck that. She hoped they spent every day of the rest of their lives thinking about her and feeling guilty for what they did. She was blind, that didn't make her useless and she'd sooner jump off a cloud than let herself be treated as if she was. She flapped her wings and sent another burst of wind out, rewarding herself with the sound of clouds exploding.

“Rainbow!” a voice suddenly rang out, making her freeze. She let out a growl when she realized who it belonged to.

“What do you want, Twilight?”

“We need your help! There's been more problems in the Spirit World and--”

“And what? How could you need my help? I'm blind and helpless, aren't I? Maybe you should try asking one of Fancy's servants? They seem to have nothing better to do,” Rainbow snapped.

“We don't need you to put yourself in danger, we just need you to use your element. Please, it'll be quick and easy and--”

“And then you can just go back to ignoring me, right? 'Poor, helpless Rainbow Dash, better just have her stand there so she doesn't scuff a hoof while we do the fighting', right? No. Just do it without me.”

“Rainbow, please, I--”

“Don't!” Rainbow closed her eyes and after a few seconds she felt the element form around her neck. She reached up and yanked it from her neck, before tossing it towards Twilight's voice.

“Ow!”

“Take it. Find somepony else to be your little Element of Harmony. I'm obviously not good enough anymore for this.”

“But I... but...”

“GO!” Rainbow yelled, before turning and walking off. It took her a few seconds to find the door to the small place she was staying in, but once she did she slammed it shut behind her. There was a few moments of pounding on the door, before the alicorn gave up. Rainbow walked to her bed and dropped down on it, rolling onto her back.

It figured. Only time Twilight really visited her anymore was when she was needed. They didn't even want her, they just wanted her element. To have her hide in the background while they did all the work. Well, that only worked before, because she was new to being blind. Now she knew what she was doing. She could navigate, walk without tripping, even fly and land a bit. She knew when ponies were coming by and could even identify them half the time by the way their hooves fell, if she knew the ponies. She wasn't some helpless foal that needed to be held and cuddled and she was tired of being treated like she was.

She was Rainbow Dash. One of the greatest air benders to ever exist. She rolled onto her side and hugged the pillow to her chest. She didn't need them, didn't want them to need her. So why did it hurt so much turning them away like that?

------

“RAINBOW!” Twilight's voice shook her from her stupor, making her sit up. She let out a groan before rolling back over.

“Go away!” she yelled back.

“Please, Rainbow, listen to us. We... we need to talk,” Fluttershy's voice came out.

There was a pause before the pegasus slowly rolled out of bed. Twilight was one thing, that mare was just horrible and betrayed her. But... Fluttershy was different. Even though she barely visited too, there was no way there was a cruel bone in her body. Besides, her worrying about Rainbow was at least normal. She was the kind of mare to panic over a small scrape on the leg, let alone getting blinded. It didn't sound as annoying coming from her. She trotted to the door and pulled it open. “What do you-- gah!” Suddenly two pairs of hooves enveloped her.

“You're okay! We were so worried!” Twilight's voice rang out in her ear. “I thought, well, when I got here I didn't see the element or anything. It's all so... different from mine and Fluttershy's.”

“What are you talking about?” Rainbow asked, stumbling back from the hug. “Get off me!”

“Oh, right, sorry,” Twilight said as one of the pairs of hooves pulled off from her. A moment later the other pair did.

“Sorry,” Fluttershy squeaked softly.

“What do you want, anyway? I told you to go! I gave you my element, just find somepony else to deal with this. I'm done!” Rainbow snapped in what she assumed was Twilight's direction.

“W-what? Gave me your...” Twilight's voice trailed off and she took a deep breath. “Okay, I need you to listen to me. I know this is going to sound strange, but none of this is real. Discord won, he beat us. He's trapped us all in our own little worlds. I was trapped in a world where you were all dead and Fluttershy... well, Fluttershy was trapped in some kind of world filled with fear and darkness.”

“I-it's true,” the other pegasus' voice said.

“So yes, none of this is true. You have to come with us so we can escape back to the real world. You're in Cloudsdale right now and the others are trying to keep Trixie and her forces distracted while we release you.”

Rainbow went still for a moment. “Wow. That's... unbelievable.”

“I know, it's a lot to take--”

“I mean, you'd go this far just to trick me? Make up some stupid story about how all this is fake? Of all the stupid lies you could think of, that was the best one you could come up with?”

“W-what? No, I--”

“How about it captured one of our friends? Or even Fluttershy here? Have her pretend to be hurt. I'm just 'dumb, helpless Rainbow', right? So that means I'd HAVE to buy whatever you said, regardless of the situation. She could be standing here completely fine, but I'd totally believe it if she said ow every few seconds. Right?”

“I-I don't think your dumb or helpless,” Twilight said weakly. “Please, you have to believe me. This is all part of Discord's trick. He's trying to play us against each other and--”

“OUT!” Rainbow screamed, stomping her hooves. “GET OUT! I NEVER WANT TO SEE YOU AGAIN!” She flapped her wings and sent the air flying forward. There was a shriek, followed by silence. She slammed the door and stomped back to her bed, collapsing on it. “Stupid idiots. As if they'd... as if I'd buy something so stupid.” She dropped back on her bed. “As if I'd... let them use me like that. Did they really think I'd fall for such a silly story and come help them? Are they really that desperate for my element?”

She hugged the pillow to her stomach and sighed. “Do... they really need me that bad? Are they in that much trouble? Is this spirit really that big a threat?” She chewed on her lower lip before shaking her head. “No. If they really need my help they can come here and ask for my forgiveness. No, beg. I'm done helping them. I'm done,” she told herself, over and over.

The pillow was tightened and she listened intently, waiting for the sound of hooves against the door. If they really needed her help, they'd come back to her. They'd come again. They'd have to. They couldn't just let the world fall apart, could they?

She shook her head and slowly fell back asleep. It didn't matter, she didn't need them. They just thought she was helpless, too. She wouldn't help them no matter how much they begged.

------

A scream woke her up, making her sit up in bed. She whipped her head about, listening intently for anything. But there was nothing. It was completely silent. She would have sworn she'd heard her friends screaming, crying. Calling for her. She slid off the bed and slowly walked towards the door, pushing it open.

There weren't any explosions, no screams, no crying. No sounds of terror. Nothing. Everything was completely normal without a sign of disaster or destruction anywhere. She shook her head. “I'm just being paranoid. That's all. There's--”

“Rainbow!” Twilight's voice echoed through the air. “About time, I've been waiting for you.” She said angrily.

“What? Great, you're still here? I gave you my element, just--”

“You need to come and use it! It's your responsibility. You're being extremely selfish.”

Rainbow's anger flared as she turned to face the source of the voice. “What? Why--”

“After all we've put up with from you, the least you can do is come and help us with this. We put you up in a nice home, had servants to wait on you and did everything we could to stop you from making a mess of things. Now that we need you, you just--”

“Put up with? Mess of things? All you did was toss me aside the moment you didn't need me!” Rainbow snapped, the anger beginning to boil inside. “I gave everything to help you ponies, now that the fighting is over, you treat me as if I was just some mild inconvenience!”

“Well, I'm sorry to tell you, but you are,” Twilight said. “You're blind. All you can do now is sit there, it's not like it was before. You can't fight, can't air bend, you can't even fly. I've done what I can, but I can't put up with this any more. Stop being so selfish.”

The words dug into Rainbow like a knife and she felt the tears welling up. “You... but... I thought...”

“I don't need you, I just need your element. Unfortunately the thing only listens to you, so come on. We've all got ours, just use it.”

Something smacked against Rainbow's face and she took a step back, rubbing the bump. She then reached down and felt her element. She slowly picked it up and put it around her throat. “Do... you really think I'm useless?”

“No, I don't. You're just... helpless. Listen, I care about you, but you need to hear the truth. Without your sight you're just not as good as you once were. It's why the Wonderbolts won't take you and why I can't--”

The words were cut off as Rainbow sent a wing forward, hurtling wind through the air.

“AHHH! Rainbow, what is wrong with you?!”

Rainbow took a deep breath and gently ground a hoof into the ground. “You say you have your element, don't you? Right now?”

“O-of course.”

“I don't believe you. You know, I'm... starting to think that wasn't all a lie, what you said before. About... Discord winning. About this all being fake.”

“W-what?”

Rainbow grit her teeth. “In fact, I think that you're not really Twilight at all. It's all hurt a lot, the things you've said. But... it's not right. I know Twilight. I've been with her for the last year. She wouldn't turn on me, not like this. I... might have been afraid this might happen. But she wouldn't. The real her wouldn't say those things. Not when I'm feeling this low.”

“What? Please, Rainbow, I'm not turning on you, I've just--”

“Also, you're too dumb to be her. She's one of the smartest ponies I've ever met, able to find a way to solve just about any problem. She helped us defeat an entire nation and brought together a whole herd of us. She wouldn't just give up on me because I'm blind. And she wouldn't use the Wonderbolts to try and hurt me.”

“Rainbow, please, you're not making any sense. Of course I'm Twilight. All I want is for you to help me. We have to destroy this spirit and--”

“No.” She took a step forward. “I've been wrong all this time, you know? About what loyalty is. I think that's why I've been so upset.”

“What?”

“It's not just about doing good for your friends, or helping them when they need it. About having their back when things go bad.” She kept moving until she could feel the hot breath of the other Twilight. “It's also about believing in them. Not just that they're doing the right thing, but that they'll do the right thing. Believing they'll have your back. It's about trust, too. And... I trust Twilight. I trust Fluttershy. And I don't believe for a second that you're either of them.”

“You're being crazy! You're not making any--”

“It doesn't matter,” Rainbow said as she reached deep within herself. She felt a light beginning to warm her, flowing through her body. “I think you were telling the truth before. Discord... is out there still. And my friends need me.”

The light exploded from within her, sailing out through the world as everything seemed to fall out around her. She felt herself spinning through a strange, empty void. Then she felt a second eruption and a great pressure was lifted from her body before she toppled forward with a shriek. She landed on the ground with a groan. “Ow...”

“You did it!” Twilight's voice said, giggling happily. “You're out, you fought off Discord, now we... oh. Uh oh.”

“O-oh dear,” Fluttershy said softly.

“Hello, Avatar. How nice of you to join us,” Spitfire's voice rang out, cold and hard.

Chapter 13: But my little ponies

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Twilight gulped as she stared out from the small hole they were in. Chunks of Rainbow's statue were all across the ground and the dirt roof they had used was now completely dug away. They were surrounded on all sides by the Wonderbolts, with Spitfire standing amidst them.

“Err, hello,” the alicorn said softly. She considered trying to fly away, but she'd be knocked down in a second. The Wonderbolt's wings were twitching too. If she tried to earth bend, they might tear her apart. They were trapped. She wondered how long it took for Discord's magic to wear off, she hoped it was soon.

“You almost got away with it, you know,” the pegasus said with a shake of her head. “We were so busy chasing your decoys, nopony noticed the disappearance at first. Did you really not think we'd look on the ground for it? It was so obvi... obvi...” She wobbled a bit and held her head. All around them the other Wonderbolts were doing the same, a few collapsing to the ground with groans. She shook her head after a few moments before her eyes went wide. “W-what in the blazes... Avatar! I was going to, you were, o-oh my goodness.” She held a hoof to her mouth. “I was going to turn you over to, I-I am so sorry!” She bowed her head. The other Wonderbolts started looking around sheepishly, quickly taking a few nervous steps back.

Twilight let out a sigh of relief and shook her head. “It's quite alright. We've encountered this a few times. And--” Her eyes widened. “Wait, Soarin! The girls! They're still being pursued, aren't they? You need to call off your forces! Trixie is probably after them too!”

“Would somepony please tell me what's going on?” Rainbow asked, frustration filling her voice. “Why do I feel so stiff? What are you all yelling about?”

Fluttershy gently put a wing over her side. “Ummm, allow me. There's a lot you need to know.”

Twilight nodded before turning to the Wonderbolts. “We need to get the others out of here. Our next goal is in the Earth Kingdom and I'm going to need their help. But if Trixie gets them--”

“Don't worry your head,” Spitfire said with a shake of her head. “I... know what we've been doing for the last few months. It's over now.” She turned to look up at Cloudsdale. “War on the other ponies, just stupid. We'll get your friends out of there and send them after you. But you need to go. We can delay Trixie, but that flash of light you sent flying up is sure to have brought her attention. She has more than enough soldiers to split her focus. We'll misdirect her as best we can.”

Twilight nodded. “Thank you. If you see my friends, well... tell them we'll be with Spike. We'll wait as long as we can. If they arrive late, we'll be heading north.”

“Of course, Avatar. Go as quickly as you can. You--”

“Wait!” Rainbow said before raising a hoof. “Spitfire, I need to talk with you for a second.”

Spitfire paused, before giving the soldiers a quick nod. They rose into the air. “Yes, Rainbow?”

“I... need to ask you something, private. Err, girls?”

“Make it quick,” Twilight said before stomping the ground. The dirt rose up under them, putting them on flat ground again. She and Fluttershy started trotting back towards where Spike was hidden.

Rainbow sighed. “Spitfire. I... need to know. I've been trying something Applejack suggested. Sensing ponies and things through my air bending. I... want to know your thoughts on it.”

Spitfire stared at the mare for a few moments. “I'm... not as good an air bender as I'd like. But I'm afraid I've never heard of such thing. I've heard of some ponies having a lot of extra control with their bending, but none who could sense things through it.”

“Oh...”

“But that doesn't mean it's impossible. Before I met you, I'd never heard of anypony being able to perform the Sonic Rainboom, either. At least, outside of the Avatar. But you have used it with an ease I never thought possible. I'd say keep doing it. If anypony can develop it, I'd say you can.”

Rainbow nodded and gave a small smile. “Thank you. I will do my best. Err, about my eyes. Could... you check them again.”

“Of course.” She slowly drew the bandage off the other pegasus' eyes. She then gave a soft sigh. “I'm afraid it's still too soon to tell.”

“Well... no news is better than bad news, I guess. Give me a bit of direction?”

Spitfire nodded before giving the mare a little push towards her friends. Once the mare was gone, she rose up into the air after the other Wonderbolts.

------

The ponies huddled around the cart, their eyes glued to the sky as they waited for any sign that Trixie's ship would be coming for them. Fortunately, there had been no sign yet and they were well hidden amongst the gumdrop bushes.

“So, uhhh... all that was just fake then?” Rainbow asked once Fluttershy finally finished explaining.

“Of course,” Twilight mumbled. “What happened in your world? You seemed really mad at me.”

“Well... I found out I was going to be blind permanently. Once you knew that, you kind of tossed me aside and tried to make me live out the rest of my days eating and sleeping while servants took care of me. You refused to let me help with anything.”

Twilight paused and glanced to her friend. “What? That's ridiculous. You've been a valuable asset throughout this entire journey, why would I turn on you once we succeeded?”

Rainbow nodded. “I know. Apparently you thought I was helpless because I was blind.”

The alicorn chuckled. “Even blind I can't imagine you ever being helpless.” She paused and looked at her friend. “And... I'll admit I do feel a little protective. But I'm sure you'll be able to see eventually. It just needs to heal and... even if you can't, we still need you. We'll still need you even when all this is over. You're one of the best air benders in the world as well as one of my best friends. Being blind will never be the end.”

Rainbow nodded with a smirk. “Of course. See, I should have realized something was up from that alone. No way anypony could ever try to put me up on a shelf. I'm wayyyy too awesome to ignore.”

Twilight nodded. “Exactly. You'd probably rip it off the wall and hit them with it.”

“Exac-- HEY!”

The alicorn giggled and soon enough the other two were giggling as well.

“So, what we miss?” a voice came out from the bushes. Twilight yelped and turned, letting out a sigh of relief as four of her popped out.

“Everything go okay, then?” Twilight asked.

“Perfect,” Sweetie said before her horn glowed. A moment later the four ponies were back to being themselves. “Trixie was practically frothing at the mouth, it was hilarious.”

Twilight giggled. “I almost wish I had been able to see it. So, everything else is going well, then? I know... well...” She looked to Soarin.

He let out a sigh. “I'll be returning to help Cloudsdale once you leave. There's been a lot of damage done and my country needs the Wonderbolts now more than ever.” He looked up towards the sky. “When last I saw it, Trixie's ship was heading south, but there's no telling how long she'll be distracted.” A low grin formed on his lips. “Though, we did manage to buy you a little bit of time.”

Twilight blinked and narrowed her eyes. “What did you do?”

“No pony will be hurt, honest,” Soarin said with a grin. “And it wasn't so much what I did, per se. Let's just say Cloudsdale ponies know their way around an airship. There aren't that many of them left any more, it'll be a shame to lose another one.” He shook his head, though the grin never left his lips. “It should buy you enough time to get quite the head start.”

Twilight nodded before motioning into the cart. “Okay. I'll pull for a while and--”

“Oh, buck no,” Rainbow said before jumping down from it. “I'm pulling.”

“W-what? But you--”

“If you say I can't see, I'll smack you upside the head,” Rainbow snapped. “I'm going to pull, that's final. If you're really that worried, you can watch. But I've been boxed up for wayyyy too long.”

The alicorn sighed, but slowly smiled. “Very well, if you're going to be stubborn about it.” She looked to Soarin. “I wish we could stay longer, but--”

“I know, Avatar. There is still a lot of damage that must be undone,” the Wonderbolt gave a little bow. “I pray that when next we meet, it is over much better terms.”

Twilight nodded as the cart began to move. “I do as well. I wish you all well and pray that you'll be safe in the coming months. There will be...” She paused. “Hopefully in a few months this will all be settled. Maybe.”

The pegasus nodded. “Perhaps.” He gave a wave before flying off.

Rainbow called back. “So, do you think we should stay on the roads while traveling?”

“Yes, for now. I don't think Trixie will be after us for a bit, but once we get into the Earth Kingdom it'll be best if we remain unseen. We've been lucky so far, but there's no telling what we'll encounter next.” She shivered. “We already ran into Nightmare Moon once. I don't want to risk running into her again.”

Rainbow gave a low nod. “Didn't we fix her though? I'll admit I didn't actually see it happen, but I could have sworn we did. I thought it was a pretty big deal.”

“We did, sort of,” Twilight muttered before letting out another sigh. “I mean... well. Discord turned her back, I think. I'm pretty sure we purified her. But he's still out there, who knows what he'll do next?” She glanced towards Cloudsdale. “He might even turn those ponies back.”

“Shouldn't you have warned Soarin?” Rainbow asked.

“I think he already knows,” Twilight said. “This is Discord. There's no telling what he can do. There's... no longer any way we can just prepare. The rules don't make any-- Careful, we're about to go over a tongue road.”

“A what?”

“You'll understand soon.”

Rainbow just kept walking, confused. Then there was a light squishing. “Ewwww!”

------

The days passed by slowly, but the ponies were making steady progress, taking turns at the cart. Twilight was forced to spend plenty of time each day detailing the land to Rainbow, who was missing all the chaos. After having spent so much time detailing it, she was beginning to actually get bored of the strange new world. She was beginning to find small patterns in the chaos. Unfortunately, the pattern tended to be 'Discord is a jerk'. Then they came to the Earth Kingdom. She face hoofed. “Oh, come on. Discord, that's just lazy!”

“What is it?” Rainbow asked from the front of the cart, she was pulling it again.

Twilight sighed. “I think Discord just has a really big sweet tooth. That's it. Maybe he's just a child spirit of chaos. Rock candy. Rock candy EVERYWHERE.” She paused and looked over the lands. “It's... actually kind of beautiful, now that I think about it.”

The border was covered in little swirling tornadoes, with little gem like candies swirling about. The land itself sparkled and glimmered, the many different colored rock candies glimmering in the sunlight and sending up rainbows of color.

Sweetie watched it for a moment before sighing. “Does everything have to be turned back? I mean... that's actually kind of nice. It's pretty.”

Twilight nodded. The sun began to slowly move sideways across the sky, making the land come alive with wild sparkling rainbows of color. The ponies let out little gasps of awe. “I guess not everything he does has to be a hundred percent horrible. Sometimes.”

Scootaloo chuckled. “Actually, it's not all bad. Though, putting Trixie in charge of... anything was a sign of a depraved and completely evil heart.”

Twilight nodded. “True. He's definitely nuts and evil.”

Rainbow sighed. “I'm sure this is all very pretty to all of you, but as the only pony who can't see it, I just have to say. All I can smell is sugar. It's really, really annoying.”

Flowerbloom shrugged. “It could be worse. At least no matter what happens, we don't have tah worry about starvin' or anythin'. There is even stuff Spike can eat half the time.”

“Needs more gems,” the baby dragon mumbled.

“Ain't the best food, but hey, it's better than nothin'.”

Twilight nodded. “At least he's not letting the world freeze or burn, either.”

“M-maybe we c-could negotiate with him?” Fluttershy asked softly.

“WHAT?” everypony asked, turning towards the mare. The cart came to a stop.

“I-I just think, I mean, err, i-if we asked nicely a-and... tried explaining... w-what was going to happen, we could, errr, m-maybe convince him to... stop?”

Twilight sighed and shook her head. “While I do think it's a... noble attempt, Fluttershy, I don't think it's much of an option. Countless ponies are dead because of him. Others are being tortured. You can't just wipe any of that away. Maybe if he had just done a few destructive things, perhaps. But he has gone beyond that. He changes ponies down to their core principles. Completely alters what makes them, them. Just for his own sick amusement. He turns ponies into killers. His magic could have been a great force for good. Instead he decided it was better to use his powers for cruelty and evil.”

Fluttershy gave a soft nod. “I... I guess.”

Sweetie nodded. “I can't really... argue with that. I've been under his control. It's... he can change you without you even noticing. And he doesn't seem to feel any remorse, any pity for those he does it too. Something like that shouldn't exist.”

“Besides, he's really screwing everything up as it is,” Rainbow said with a shrug. “You know, I kind of wish all we had to deal with was the Water Nation. At least they were predictable.”

Twilight nodded and looked down the path. The roads were... clear. It was kind of a--

The cart suddenly veered to the right as Rainbow let out a shriek. Her hooves flailed wildly as she struggled to maintain her hold after the ground turned to soap. She finally flapped her wings and flew a little into the air. Unfortunately the cart kept going, pulling the pegasus with her as the riders screamed. The cart hit the edge of the road, its wheels locking before tipping over and tossing the ponies out.

Twilight groaned from the ground, buried under Sweetie and Scootaloo. “Everypony okay?”

“Yeah,” they echoed back.

“I hate Discord...”

Chapter 14: You opened up my eyes

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After many days of traveling through the Earth Kingdom the ponies came to their first destination. Sweet Apple Acres. They'd been doing their best to avoid any towns, to avoid any mishaps. They'd been keeping off the roads as well, when they could.

However, Applebloom had begged and pleaded to stop there. She wanted to see her family. When the town came into view, however, the group was greeted with the strangest sight. Twilight's mouth fell open. “That's... those are...”

“The buck are those two doin' here? Ah swear if they tried tah take the farm ah'll bury 'em!” Applebloom roared before she galloped off.

“Wait, no!” Twilight shrieked, chasing after the mare.

The town was standing strong, seemingly unaffected by the world of chaos. However, the farm had gotten bigger, flowing over with trees and right up against the town now. The strangest sight were two specific earth ponies working the trees, bucking apples and gathering up baskets. Yellow earth ponies, one with a big mustache. The Flim and Flam brothers. There were other earth ponies with them as well.

“You two swindlers!” Applebloom yelled, her anger bubbling over. “Yah better hope ah don't get mah hooves on yah!”

The two looked over and then gasped. To the young mare's surprise, they didn't try to earth bend at her. Instead, they quickly lowered their heads.

“Oh, Lady Applebloom, we've been cads, monsters!” Flim said.

“Horrible ponies, the worst of the worst!” Flam said with a shake of his head.

“We've had time to reflect on our horrible deeds, all that we've done. Betraying our own ponies, scamming, lies, trickery. All these and more.”

“Monsters, we've truly been monsters. To think we thought of ourselves as ponies!”

The other ponies were coming forward as well, bowing their heads.

“We've seen the error of our ways, however,” Flim said as he slowly raised his head. “Once the war ended, we saw the destruction we had wrought. The pain, the suffering. There was only one thing we could do. We came to the Apples and pleaded for a second chance. All of us.” He motioned back towards the other ponies. “We all had betrayed our country, been the worst of the worst. But please, we beg of you, please give us another chance.”

“Just what are you two up to?” Twilight asked, her gaze shifting from the two, then the other ponies. “What kind of scam is this?”

Applebloom looked them over and gasped. “Ah... ah think these are all the ponies who tried tah capture meh before. For the Water Nation. They were all pretendin' tah be members of the Earth Kingdom an' attackin' towns an' stuff, under Flim an' Flam's command.”

“It's true,” Flim said sadly. “We were deplorable monsters. We cared only for ourselves and didn't mind who we hurt. But that is no longer us! We've changed, developed. Become true, hard working--”

“HEY! I'm not paying you lot to laze about! Five bits deducted from today's pay, the lot of you!” an angry voice roared. Twilight's head whipped around and her jaw nearly hit the floor.

A massive red stallion with a short, orange mane was standing across the field, walking towards them angrily. He was wearing a top hat and a black suit. “Is that... is that Big Mac?” Twilight finally managed to ask.

“Sorry sir!” Flim said and the ponies quickly ran back to work. The large red stallion made his way over, looking at them with disdain. Then his eyes fell on Applebloom and he gasped.

“Applebloom? What are you doing here?” He then chuckled. “Ah, I see. That... Trixie lady has finally released you? About time.”

“Nope! Ah escaped!” the mare said proudly.

Big Mac paused and slowly looked her over. His gaze then turned to the other mare's and he gasped. “Wait one moment. Avatar Twilight? Is that... you? I had heard you were defeated!”

“Defeated, but not dead,” the alicorn said with a smile. “I see you've... been going through a few changes as well.” She glanced back to the brothers. “Also, you've taken on some new help. That's... a bit unexpected.”

“Oh, yes, those.” He gave the workers a disdainful look. “They're lazy and awful workers, but they're cheap. They're barely worth it.” He took an aggressive step towards them. “Hey! Careful with those buckets, they're worth more than you are!”

“Sorry sir!” the pony called out.

Twilight stared for a moment, looking back to them. “Are you doing...” She face hoofed. “Buck.. it. Discord. Hate him so much.”

“Huh?” Applebloom asked.

“Big Mac has obviously had his personality shifted into some kind of megalomaniac, only caring about bits and such. The Flim Flam brothers have become hard working employees who get abused by him. I mean, in a way this is almost too perfect, after the way they hurt him. But still.”

“I am standing RIGHT here,” Big Mac said, his eyes narrowing on her.

“Yes, you are, and frankly I'm not in the mood to deal with it.” Twilight took a step forward and glared into his eyes. “I'll bet right now you're trying to find a way to profit off the fact you know where I am, aren't you? Turning me over to Trixie?”

His eyes widened. “H-how did you know? I-I mean, I wouldn't, I didn't--”

The alicorn just glared into his eyes. “I have one bit of advice for you. I know you're raising your back hoof right now. If you try earth bending at me, I will smash you so far into the ground, your granny will feel it. And I'll bet she's back at the barn, isn't she?”

He gulped and nodded sheepishly before slowly lowering his back hoof to the ground. “S-she's doing her gymnastics.”

“Good, I-- wait, what?” That took her aback as she just stared at him. Finally she glanced back to the others. “Does, errr, does anypony really wanna see that?”

“I uhhh, kinda do,” Fluttershy mumbled.

“Me too,” Spike said.

“That sounds pretty awesome,” Rainbow said. “Even if I can only hear it.”

Twilight nodded. “Okay, take us to see Granny Smith.”

The stallion nodded and motioned back down the field. He watched them pass, nervously shuffling his hooves. However, once they all had their backs to him he raised a hoof and motioned one of the workers over.

“I WILL BREAK YOU!” Twilight yelled back. “I AM IN NO MOOD!”

He yelped and shook his head before galloping after them. “C-coming!”

------

Granny Smith took a low, deep breath as she stood on the highest rafters in the barn. Poles had been set up throughout the building, the lowest of which was at least twenty feet up. She fell forward, her front hooves gripping the first and twirling around it. She spun in a tight blur before letting go, gripping the next pole with her back legs and twirling along. Again and again she leaped from pole to pole, before making it across the barn and then diving down, towards a large pool of water. The splash sent water hurtling through the air, drenching the ponies spectating. They didn't care though, instead just cheering and stomping their hooves.

“Yah know, maybe not everythin' he does is so bad,” Applebloom said with a chuckle. “Ah think Granny Smith is gonna look back on all this awfully fondly.”

Twilight nodded. “Most likely. I think--” She took a step back right before a spike of earth nearly hit her in the head. She turned and thrust a wing out, sending a burst of air into Big Mac's chest and throwing him back against the wall of the building. He let out a weak, pained grunt before falling. “I think she won't look too fondly on what has become of Big Mac, though.” She stared at the red stallion with pity. “I did warn you.”

“A-Applebloom,” the stallion said as he slowly got to his hooves. “H-help me. Together we can take down the Avatar! Just imagine the bits we'd get! Why, we could make enough that we could toss this stupid farm and live like kings!”

Flowerbloom stared at the stallion and slowly shook her head. “How did yah know, Twilight? Ah mean... before.”

“He was changed, that much was obvious. All I had to figure out was how much. Turning him into something like this, well, this is just the kind of thing Discord would do. Making a kind, noble pony like him a greedy, selfish baron.” She then looked to Granny Smith who was already climbing back up to the top of the barn to do another set. It was as if she didn't even realize they were there. She just kept doing the same exercises over and over. “I'm not sure she'll be happy when all this is over, either. I'm beginning to think even the good things he does has a cost.”

“Applebloom, help me! I am your big brother! I-- gah!” He let out a yelp as the ground tossed him into the air. Twilight flapped a wing and caught him in the wind, tossing him into the rafters.

“Stay,” she ordered before looking down to Flowerbloom. “I'm sorry.”

The mare sighed and shook her head. “No. It's... it's fine. Ah'm sure when all this is over an' ah return, he'll be normal. He'll be like he was before. This just gives meh extra motivation.” She looked up at the stallion who was holding onto the rafters for dear life. “Can... can we go now, though? Please?” she asked softly.

Sweetie looked up. “What? Don't you want to--”

“No. Ah want tah get out of here before ah find out he's done horrible, awful things. That... that ain't mah brother.” She turned and walked out from the barn.

The others sighed and followed after. “He'll probably try to chase us, you know,” Scootaloo said softly. “Maybe I should knock him out or something?”

“I'm not worried,” Twilight said with a shrug. “He's... not a fighter anymore. He's slow, hesitates, all around just... nothing like the bender he was. He--” She paused as the path out was suddenly filled by the other workers of the farm. She got low and spread out her wings, ready for an attack.

“Wait, please,” Flim said, holding up a hoof. “We don't mean any harm. We just want to give you a warning.”

Twilight groaned, but nodded. “Fine, go ahead.”

“There's a lot of talk about you being free. It's spreading like wildfire. There are a lot of ponies who will... try to hurt you. When you get to Fillydelpha, you have to be careful. The ponies there are different. They might--”

“I know,” Twilight said bitterly. “Trust me, I know. We've seen what happens. We've seen what Discord can do.” She felt her nerves start to go on edge. Wasn't it bad enough that Discord was an almost all powerful evil being of cruelty and sick, twisted thoughts? He had to twist and turn all of her friends against her, too? It was almost too much to bear!

“It's not only that. It's...” The stallion let out a soft sigh. “The ponies everywhere are different. For example, Big Mac's poison apples were something he'd never--”

“Wait, what?” Flowerbloom asked, her eyes going wide. “Poisoned apples?”

The brothers shared a look before Flam finally spoke up. “Well... you see there is a lot of competition in the apple market. It was his idea to start developing a type of poison that can kill off trees, without the antidote. He's been working for a few months on prototypes and almost--”

“Where is it?” Flowerbloom asked, her hooves digging into the ground.

The brothers gulped. “W-we shouldn't--”

“SHOW ME!” she screamed.

The brothers hung their heads, but turned and led her away. The group was led to a small, metal shack far from all the other trees. The only trees around it were dead and lifeless, their barks black and the fruits shriveled up.

Flowerbloom slowly walked forward, bucking the door in. Inside the room were vials, apples and dead plants. A stench of rotting fruit filled the air. “Tell me exactly what his plan was,” she said softly.

“He wanted to eliminate the competition. Once he made his own trees immune to it, then he could spread it across the land in shipments,” Flam said softly. “He's been making us help him. We... didn't want to, of course. But...”

“How much success has he had?” the mare asked softly as she stared at a vial of dark, purple liquid.

“I'm not sure.”

She stared at it angrily. It had only been a few months, but he was destroying his own trees in order to gain power and bits. This wasn't him. This wasn't their way. She looked to Twilight. “Avatar?”

“Yes?” she asked softly.

“Let's not try tah meet ponies we know anymore. They... they ain't right. Ah don't care if that looks or even sounds like him. That ain't mah big bro.” She stepped out from the building and looked back. She felt... numb. She wanted to be mad, but at who? Her brother? It wasn't his fault, he'd been changed. The Flim Flam brothers? All they did was tell her. She couldn't even really be mad at Discord. He was the cause, but she doubt he intended this. He just changed her brother.

No, wait, that was a good one. “Ah hate Discord,” she muttered darkly. He changed ponies and didn't care about the end result, the pain or sadness he caused. “Ah swear, when all this is over ah'm gonna...” She paused and shrugged. “Ah don't know what ah'm gonna do. But ah'm gonna do it angrily!” She looked over the building before turning back to the trees. “Everypony, get back.”

“What are you going to do?” Sweetie asked nervously.

“Ah'm gonna put all this where it belongs. In the trash. Get outta the way.” She glanced to Twilight. “Yah can help if yah like.”

The alicorn gave a nod. Everypony moved out of the small desolate area, before the two earth benders turned around. They shared a look before stepping forward and stomping their hooves. A circle of dirt began to form all the way around the dead trees and the small shed. It started at their hooves and slowly spread out. Once it connected at the opposite end of the desolace, the two took a deep breath and pushed their hooves forward. In the center of the circle it began to dip, the outer layer of the circle slowly beginning to swirl. The sound of snapping wood and crushed metal soon filled the air as the dark corner of Sweet Apple Acres was slowly crushed and compressed, buried into a deep, dark hole. The ground churned for a while until nothing remained except for dirt and a few rocks. They let it stop as the two benders sat down, panting and sweating.

“T-there, f-feel better?” Twilight asked softly.

“No, ah don't,” Flowerbloom said with a shake of her head. “But... it'll do for now. Come on, let's go.” Weakly she got to her hooves. Her friends helped her into the cart a few moments before helping the alicorn.

Twilight turned back to the Flim and Flam brothers. “Do you really feel bad for what you've done? Do you really regret the decisions you've made?”

The two nodded in unison. “Of course we do, we used to be--”

“Then when the time comes, leave here,” she said softly.

“W-what? But we're trying to--”

“When Discord is purged from you, you'll both turn into those cold, heartless, sick ponies you were before. My advice would be to turn yourselves in before it leaves you. Because once you're back to yourselves, it'll be my duty to take you down,” Twilight said bitterly. The two just stared at her with shocked, hurt expressions. She ignored them as she turned back towards the road. Enemies were becoming friends and friends were becoming enemies. She wished the former could last, and the latter had never occurred.

Chapter 15: Now the truth is crystal clear

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The road was quiet and calm. Which was quite nice because the last few hours had been spent walking a road covered in bubble wrap. At first it had been fun, but after ten minutes it had quickly become aggravating. Fillydelphia was coming closer though, which was cause for some enjoyment. Once Twilight rescued Applejack, there would only be two more. All they'd have to do was get Pinkie and then find Rarity.

They still had no idea WHERE Rarity was, but that would work its way out, she was sure. She was a little amazed at how well all this was going. They were encountering almost minimal resistance. Discord seemed to be doing more... morale wrecking things than actually trying to stop them. Did he actually think that Trixie would be enough? Or was this really all just a game to him? She wouldn't put it past him to be waiting for the last second to try and stop them.

Or maybe he was just overconfident. She reached up and rubbed her horn, where the element would have appeared. Crack and all. He'd beaten them once, he probably planned to beat them again. They'd have to be careful. They were wiping out the corruption in their elements one at a time, though, so what could he have planned?

She frowned when she realized she was trying to find logic in a creature of chaos. He probably wasn't trying to stop them specifically BECAUSE they expected him to try. Well, she'd take whatever advantage she could get.

They went over another hill and she shrieked, her eyes going wide. The others looked up and there were a few more shocked noises. She put her hoof out to catch Sweetie. “Stop, don't!” she said harshly, catching the mare before she could run forward.

Down the path was Celestia, sitting on the side of the road and drinking from her tea cup. Her cloak was pulled tight around her body and a thin stream of steam rose from the pot in the center of the table. She downed her cup before slowly setting it down. She got to her hooves and smiled at them. “Oh? Must you be so scared? Are you not happy to see me?”

Twilight nodded. “I'm thrilled, really. But considering you've been trapped with Discord all this time, I'm a little wary.”

The mare shook her head. “Truly? Such a shame. I was thinking we would have so much to talk about once I'd captured you.”

The alicorn groaned. “Yeah, that was pretty much what I was afraid of.”

“W-what does she mean?” Sweetie asked softly as she stared at her aunt.

The unicorn chuckled. It started soft and gentle but slowly began to shift and change. It grew louder, rougher and more malevolent. The mare took a step forward as her cloak burst into flames around the edges, slowly dissolving to ash as it fluttered along on the air. Her mane began to turn hot red as flames began to rise up from her hooves. “Oh niece, do try to keep up, will you?”

Twilight yelped and took a step back. “Y-you're a fire bender? But how? You can't, I mean, y-you're a water bender! I know! You can't just... change!”

“Oh, but I have and I can,” Celestia said with a light chuckle. “It is quite an interesting art, you know. Such power.” She held up a hoof. “For example...” She sent the hoof out and fire shot out. The ponies scattered, barely avoiding it as the cart exploded. Flowerbloom had to go underground to escape, as she had been strapped to it at the time. She popped out a few feet away, the remains of the shaft still strapped to her back.

Twilight flew into the air, catching Spike as he toppled through the air. She hissed a bit in pain as his scorched body touched hers. “Y-you okay?”

“Dragon, immune to fire,” he muttered as she dropped down, putting him on the ground. “You okay?”

“Fine. Just a little burn.”

Celestia chuckled and looked over at the ponies. “I've always been so precise, so... focused.” The fire formed in her hoof again. “I've always wondered what it would be like to cut loose. Won't this be fun?” She sent the ball hurtling again, though a sudden burst of air snuffed it out.

“You really think you can take us all on?” Rainbow asked, her wings out and ready. “Twilight's twice the fire bender you'll ever be.”

“Oh? Is that so? What do they call those little... battles of yours, Twilight? Aching kin?”

The alicorn gulped, but didn't answer. She'd been watching the mare strike and something about it was... terrifying. It was controlled, methodical, just like Nightmare Moon's. But there was something else about it. A hint of suppression, the power held back just barely. That if it was released it would wash over them like a shattered dam. “Celestia, please. Discord has his power over you, you must--”

“Don't,” the mare said with a shake of her head. “Celestia is such a... boring name.” She took a step forward as more fire erupted from her back, forming wings of flame. “My sister has been known as Nightmare Moon. I... shall be called Solar Flare.” A wide grin formed on her lips. “And I will burn you and your little friends to ash.” For a moment, the suppression seemed to disappear and she lunged forward as the wings spread, wrapping her entire body in an orb of fire. The ponies scattered, going every direction as they tried to avoid her.

Rainbow shot into the air, hanging over the unicorn for a second. Solar Flare held out a hoof and the ball of fire suddenly switched directions, tearing off her body and surging straight at the pegasus.

“RAINBOW! Look out!” Twilight screamed.

The air bender flapped her wings and sent a burst of air down, but it wasn't enough. The ball was partially disrupted, but the majority of it slammed into the mare, roasting her before sailing around. The pony dropped from the sky. Her body was singed and the smell of burnt feathers hung heavily in the ground. For a moment Twilight thought the worse, then the mare groaned and slowly sat up. “I'm fine, just a little-” She was cut off by a hoof slamming down on her chest.

Solar Flare stood over their friend, her horn in flames. “I tire of this. Avatar, surrender or I will burn your friend from the face of the earth.” There it was again, that forced suppression as she struggled to contain that power.

Twilight gulped and looked down at her friend. The pegasus groaned and tried to get up, but the expanding flames made her quickly go still. “Don't move, bird. At least if you ever want to... see another day.” The unicorn chuckled at her joke.

The alicorn let out a soft sigh. She slowly lowered her eyes and nodded. “Very well. I... I surrender. You win, Solar Flare.”

The unicorn frowned. “Really? Just like that? So... disappointing. I was hoping I would--” A dark shadow suddenly streaked past them. It slammed into the unicorn and sent them both into a spiraling circle on the ground. The two fought wildly, the dark thing moving so fast that it couldn't be hit. Solar Flare screamed, her rage pillowing up. Blood streamed down her face as she struggled to get a lock on whatever it was that attacked her. “DIE!” she roared. The thing darting away, grabbing Rainbow, as the unicorn erupted. A pillar of flame shot up into the heavens before spreading outwards, singing the feathers of the two.

Twilight could barely believe her eyes, her jaw falling open. It was a griffon with an eye patch and a bloody dagger clasped in her beak. Her feathers were dark and long wounds were streaked up and down her body. "Gilda! Y-you're alive!” the alicorn finally managed to say.

“What are you, daft? MOVE!” the griffon yelled. Another explosion tore through behind them. Solar Flare thrashed around, her body wrapped in pain as she hurtled explosion after explosion in all directions, destroying everything they came in contact with. The careful constraint was nowhere to be seen, now.

The alicorn nodded. “R-right!” She swooped in to grab Spike before turning to flee. The others followed after her, leaving the raging and blinded mare behind as she vaporized tree, earth and rock in her fury.

------

“HOW?” Twilight finally asked once they were far away enough that they felt safe to walk. They could still hear the occasional explosion and even see the smoke from far away, but it was a distant threat now. “You, we thought you were dead!”

The griffon shrugged before dropping Rainbow on the ground. She pulled the dagger from her beak and wiped the blood off on the ground. “I fail to see how that's my problem.”

“I knew she wasn't dead! Hah!” Rainbow said as she got to her hooves. “See? No pony almost as cool as me is going to go out just because of a few cuts.”

Gilda snorted and sheathed her blade. “I've been fine for a while, doing what I felt like. All this war business has been great for me. With everyone so focused on fighting and killing each other, it leaves plenty of room for the bandits and thieves to rise up.” She gave a light chuckle. “I've had my talons full dealing with a bunch of them. Pay was good, though.” She glanced to Rainbow. “But you, what was all that about? You could have seen that fire ball coming a mile away, why didn't you move?”

The pegasus sighed. “I... tried. But, well, I couldn't really see where it was. I thought she was just going past me.”

Gilda looked her over. “Wait, what happened to your eyes? They look like...”

“Poison bending. They're not much use right now. Don't know if they'll heal or not.”

The griffon nodded before glancing to Fluttershy. “What about you? Aren't you some kind of healer or something?”

“I've had a healer look at them already!” Rainbow said quickly. “There's nothing much they can do. They said it has to heal on its own or... well, it's not going to heal. There's no telling.”

“Oh. That's rough.” She glanced back the way they came. “We'd best keep a move on. Once she calms down and finds a healer, well, she's going to be pissed. I tried to gouge them out, but I could only get one good slash in with the way she was thrashing about and blowing things up.”

“Yeah, she will,” Twilight said suspiciously. “How did you find us, anyway? We haven't seen you in... well, months. Then you just pop up when we need you most?”

Gilda snorted. “Things have been weird the last few months. Business has dried up and the Earth Kingdom is... well... I don't know what you ponies did, but everything is bucked up.”

“Discord,” Twilight said with a sigh.

“Yeah, it's all discorded.”

“No, I mean Discord, spirit of chaos and disharmony. He's, well, been changing everything.”

The griffon stared ahead for a moment, before coughing. “Wait, you mean all this... is just one spirit? I thought your fancy magic had exploded or something. I'd heard rumors about all you ponies being turned to stone, so I figured your fancy avatar magic bucked up.”

“No. This is a very, very powerful spirit. He's been causing all kinds of trouble and destroying the land. It's across all the countries. He's also the one who turned us to stone and the reason we're fighting so hard.”

Gilda let out a low whistle. “Well, don't you know how to pick your enemies. Anyway, word got around that you had somehow escaped. I figured I'd check in on Rainbow here since, well, I haven't had much work recently. I get there and the place is completely nuts. Some Water Nation ponies trying to get around and apparently furious about something happening to their airship. I tried to keep low and get some information. Once I found out Rainbow was already released I made my way up here. It was pretty obvious you'd be heading to Fillydelphia next.”

“Heh. It'll probably take Trixie a few days to figure it out,” Rainbow said with a snicker. “Once she gets over her airship, at least. Maybe we'll get lucky and she'll try to wait for a new one to come, they can probably tamper with that one too.”

Twilight nodded. “Maybe. But I guess it... is kind of obvious we're headed there. But that probably means that they'll know we're on the way. There's no telling what we'll find there.”

“The wall's down, if that helps,” Gilda said with a shrug.

“Wait, what? How? I thought it was back up?” Twilight asked, her mouth falling open.

“There's been a lot of fighting going on there,” Gilda said with a shrug. “It was turned into chocolate at one point, but last time I saw it there was just a few craters and it was all gone.”

“Fighting? What kind of fighting?”

The griffon sighed. “Well... I'd call it a civil war but... it's not quite that bad. Just... well... you'll have to see for yourself. It's just... weird. It's more like a merchant war but... ugh. It's just something you have to see to believe.”

Twilight nodded. After a few moments Rainbow nudged up besides the gryphon. “Hey. You know what? I'm still pretty mad about you not taking up the call to arms when we needed you. Everypony was there, helping us fight back against the Water Nation. We really could have used you.”

Gilda shrugged. “Wasn't my problem. I had food, money and shelter.” She glanced to Twilight. “Us pirates, well... times are changing. Our cities have been wrecked and our chain of command smashed. There were a lot of them waiting for something like this. Some are trying to get new lives, others are trying to set out on their own. I heard you amassed quite the fleet of them, too.”

“Yeah. Under Captain Lightning Dust. She was pretty awesome too,” Rainbow said with a chuckle. “Not as awesome as me, of course.”

Gilda snickered. “Probably more humble though. Not sure I ever met her though. Griffon?”

“No, pony.”

“Ah. Times are changing I suppose. Where are they now?”

There was silence as the ponies walked. Finally, Twilight gave a gentle sigh. “I don't know. They were part of the invasion force. Who knows what's happened to them now? Trixie probably has control of their airships though.” She glanced back. “How did you avoid being corrupted by Discord, Gilda?”

“What do you mean?”

“Most of our friends were, how come you weren't? When all this happened they...” She paused for a second. “When was the last time you were near any cities or towns?”

The griffon shrugged. “I don't know. A while ago? I try to avoid them except when I'm getting jobs.”

Twilight nodded and started walking a little slower as her mind turned.

“Twilight? What is it?” Rainbow asked.

“Nothing, I think. But... well, it might just be a bit of hope after all,” the alicorn said with a smile. “Maybe Discord isn't quite omniscient after all.” She glanced back. “Or he changed you and we just haven't found out how yet. Or he's just left you alone for the heck of it, along with all those other ponies. But still, there is hope.”

------

Discord hummed and looked over his-- “Stop trying to peep.” Snap.

Chapter 16: As splendid summer skies

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Twilight let out a sigh of relief as Fillydelphia came into view. Finally, the next step in their journey was here. All they had to do now was rescue Applejack and they'd be out. She just hoped everything would be better than the other towns and cities.

“I'll need to find a way to cover my wings again,” Twilight said as they walked towards it.

“And hide me,” Spike grumbled.

“And hide Spike.”

Gilda rolled her eyes. “Leave it to me. You have any bits?” She was greeted by apologetic smiles. She rolled her eyes. “Of course not. Avatar group, might as well be freeloaders too, right? Fine. You'll owe me though.” She spread out her wing and took to the sky, flying into the city. A number of pegasi moved to intercept her, but she just flew by them and they didn't pursue for long. The group moved over to the cover of some berry blast bushes and watched the city.

“So, what do you think she meant before? Civil war?” Sweetie asked.

“I don't know. They don't seem to be fighting,” Twilight said as she looked over the city. They could see dozens of ponies milling about in great clusters. A lot of them were holding signs and yelling across at each other, but they were too far away to hear or make out what the signs said. For the most part it looked peaceful. There were posters posted all over the buildings as well. “It looks a lot friendlier than the last two places we've been.”

“That's not really that hard to do,” Sweetie grumbled. She scanned the area and sighed. “Though, it does seem peaceful enough. Maybe it won't be so bad? There's no real fighting. Look, Gilda's coming back! That was fast.”

Sure enough, the griffon landed besides them a moment later and held out a few cloaks. “I'm sorry, it's the best I could find.”

Twilight nodded and took it, before pausing. “Wait, what's this say? Who's Goldenhorn?”

Gilda sighed and shook her head. “It's... well, it's just weird.”

The cloaks were white and had the words 'Vote Goldenhorn for a golden future' embedded across it. She shrugged and tossed it over her back. “Was it at least cheap?” Spike pulled his on and sighed.

“Practically giving them away,” Gilda grumbled.

“You know what? I'm going to wait here,” the dragon said with a shake of his head.

“What? But it'll be dangerous!” Twilight objected.

“I'm a baby dragon, I can't exactly blend in. Even with this it's pretty obvious.”

“But--”

“I'll wait here with him,” Fluttershy said softly.

“Me too,” Scootaloo said with a nod of her head. “Between the two of us we should be able to keep out of trouble.”

Twilight looked between the two before slowly giving a nod of her head. “Fine. But you have to be careful. No risks, okay?”

The three gave muffled agreements before the remaining members of the group turned to follow Gilda into the town.

“Don't try to buy anything,” the griffon said. “The ponies here will take you for every bit you've got.”

Twilight nodded. “I see. If we had any bits, that would be a problem.”

“Fine, every bit I'VE got.”

“So, what exactly is going on here? It doesn't seem so ba--” She looked up as the din suddenly rose up from the crowds.

“Goldenhorn for a golden future!”

“Silvertongue for a change we can believe in!”

“Lilyhoof for a gentle touch all ponies need!”

Twilight blinked and stared at the screaming ponies, before looking to Gilda. “Wait, what exactly IS going on here?”

She sighed. “I am not quite sure. I left really quick last time I was here. As far as I can tell, they've decided to replace the emperor. Now the ponies are gathering up and trying to vote to see who the new emperor will be.”

Twilight paused for a second before face hoofing. “But... an emperor isn't an elected... the buck is... this makes no sense and... what?”

“Just wait until you see some of what they are yelling about. I've never heard so many ponies yelling about 'change' outside of beggars.”

The alicorn shook her head and kept trotting. “Okay, fine. Then what is the emperor and his soldiers doing about all this? Photo Finish has to be doing something.”

“I'm not sure.”

Twilight shook her head again. “Then what is... oh buck no.” She let out a groan as they passed a sign that said 'Vote Mare-Do-Well to keep the streets safe'. “You have got to be kidding me. Her, too?”

“New ponies!” a voice suddenly yelled before a red pony charged forward, nearly tackling them. “Have you just arrived?”

“Don't answer him!” Gilda warned.

Alas, it was too late. “Why yes, we did,” Twilight said. The other pony's face lit up.

“Wonderful, wonderful! As I'm sure you're completely aware there are currently a number of changes going on throughout the kingdom. First and foremost, that tyrant Fancy Pants has been locked in his castle thanks to the valiant efforts of the mysterious Mare Do Well. Now, such kindness cannot go unrewarded so I, along with others like me, believe that she should be supported by--”

“Stop your lying, you rock headed idiot!” a blue mare yelled as she ran forward. “It's not thanks to Mare Do Well at all that the tyrant has been dethroned! It was Silvertongue who uncovered his treachery and was responsible for having him imprisoned. It's thanks to her efforts that--”

“Are you both blind? She's obviously a supporter of Goldenhorn! Look at her cloak!” an orange mare yelled as she ran up. She was holding a big sign supporting Goldenhorn. The three started yelling and screaming at each other and after a few seconds they started throwing hooves and beating each other with signs.

Twilight and her friends quickly trotted off in the confusion. “Oh my goodness. They have Fancy imprisoned? But he was so...” The words trailed off. “Actually, with Discord's changes for all we know he's become a tyrant.”

“Should we try tah get him outta prison?” Flowerbloom asked.

“No,” Twilight said with a shake of her head. “He should be safe for now. Once we get Applejack free, hopefully all this will calm down. If we try forcing our way in, well... there's no telling what'll happen. We could lose access to her entirely.”

Gilda eyed them curiously. “You know, I'm starting to wonder if there is a bit more profit joining with you than I originally anticipated. Rescuing an emperor is bound to have some great rewards, isn't it?”

“Not now,” the alicorn said with a shake of her head. “Once we release whatever bond Discord has on this town, maybe. But like this, there'd probably be nothing for us but the gallows.” She glanced to the griffon. “Why, you aren't planning on turning us in for money, are you?”

Gilda snorted. “Of course not. I'm not a fool. There's a lot of profit to be made, working along side you. Turning you in means I'd just get paid once. It doesn't seem too dangerous now, either. Later... well, who knows?”

Rainbow gave her a firm nudge. “Don't start talking like that. I might be blind but I can still take you and your tail feathers down.”

The griffon snickered and shook her head. “Good to know you're still the same old Dash.”

“Heh. It would take a lot more than Nightmare Moon to change me around.”

Twilight rolled her eyes. “I think it's best we try to find the statue. In Cloudsdale it was in the center of the city, so hopefully the same will be true here.”

“If it's not?” Sweetie asked.

“Well... I don't know, then,” Twilight said softly. They turned down another street and were suddenly assaulted on all sides by more ponies yelling, except this time they were yelling different things from when they'd entered.

“Buy our oranges, a hundred percent organic. Approved by the Avatar herself! Nine out of ten doctors agree our oranges help prevent Diagonus disease.”

“Buy our hayburgers, best in the kingdom! The Avatar herself ate here every day of her stay!”

“Our hoof cream is doctor recommended! Even the Avatar bought an entire case after a nasty accident with her earth bending! Back on your hooves in three days or your money back. Pending terms of agreement.”

“Three bits for a pie! Terms and conditions apply!”

Twilight paused and looked back to the others. “What kind of terms and conditions can apply to a pie?” she asked softly.

“Ah've got no idea. Ohhhh, look!” Flowerbloom pointed towards a small stand.

“Buy our cabbage noodles! Our noodles are the only ones with comprisite added for fuller flavor!”

Twilight looked even more confused. “What the heck is comprisite?”

“Ah don't know, but it must be pretty good, right? Ah mean, why else would they advertise havin' it?” Flowerbloom asked with a shrug.

“Hey!” a gray pegasus down the road suddenly yelled from her muffin cart. “I saw what you did!”

“W-what?” a nearby pony asked, confusion in their voice.

“You shoved my cart wheel and broke it! You're going to have to pay to fix it!” the pegasus' eye's moved around angrily.

Twilight and her friends quickly passed the fight, nervously glancing back as they went. “This... is very strange.”

“I did warn you,” Gilda muttered. “The entire city is like this. I tried getting some work here and nearly got stiffed, twice.”

Twilight frowned. “Wait, nearly?”

“Let me make this abundantly clear. I do the job, and then I get paid,” the griffon said ominously. “How you holding up back there, Rainbow?”

“Fine,” she muttered. “It's probably for the best, anyway. It makes me a bit harder to identify with my feathers and hair singed.”

Twilight glanced back at her friend. The burns were very minor and hardly noticeable. She doubted they worked as any kind of disguise. But, she decided it was best not to ruin her friend's beliefs. “We should probably get you a cloak, anyway. Just... not one of these political ones.”

Gilda sighed. “Leave it to me.” She flew off again.

Twilight watched her leave and started walking faster. “Come on.”

“What? Shouldn't we wait for her?” Rainbow asked.

“No. I still don't trust her. She might be trying to lead Trixie or who knows else to us. Who knows how Discord has changed her? Besides, even before all this she was hardly the most trustworthy of griffons. She already turned on us once.”

“No,” Rainbow said, digging her hooves into the ground.

“W-what? What do you mean, no? She might--”

“'Might' is the key word here. She hasn't shown any signs of being anything but herself. I trust her.”

“But we can't trust her,” Twilight snapped. “Who knows how she has been affected? Discord might have--”

“And he might not have. Until we see some sign of her being anything but herself, I'm trusting her. I believe in her,” Rainbow snapped and ground her hoof deeper into the ground. There was a light flash and her element appeared around her neck. “Frankly, trusting in my friends hasn't steered me wrong yet. I won't start now.”

Twilight stared for a few moments before shaking her head. “Fine. Just... I do this under protest.”

“Do it however you want,” Rainbow grumbled. “We've made a lot of friends on our travels, Twilight. Heck, we've directly or indirectly affected almost every pony in the world at this point. We can't expect them all to be suddenly evil and out to get us.”

The alicorn stepped forward and sat down besides the pegasus. “No, you're right. There has to be... some ponies out here still unaffected. Ponies we can depend on to help us. Who knows? Maybe his magic doesn't affect griffons. Though, the tap dancing buffalo we saw a few days back makes me doubt that.”

Rainbow shrugged. “Who cares? Even if she's different, she's still a friend. And if she's not... well, we'll deal with that when it comes.”

The alicorn nodded and they waited, glancing up towards the sky. After a few minutes there was a soft fluttering of wings and the griffon appeared over the edge of a building. She tossed a bundled up white cloak down. “Catch!”

“Ahhhh!” Rainbow fell over as it smacked her in the chest.

“Sorry,” the griffon said with a snicker as she landed. “Come on, let's go.”

Twilight spent a few seconds helping the pegasus get dressed before trotting deeper into the city. There were more merchants, more ponies trying to get them to vote and just more trouble. They kept their heads low and gradually made it through the city until coming to the center courtyard. The alicorn paused. “Is... that it?”

In the center there was a large boulder dug deep into the ground. There was no pedestal. As they came closer they could see a tiny little pebble on top of it. “Wait... is that Boulder?” Flowerbloom asked as she galloped forward. “Ah think it is!”

“I think it's pretty clearly a boulder,” Twilight said with a sigh. “But I more meant is that Applejack inside it.”

“No, not that, this!” She reached up a hoof to push the pebble. It moved a few inches, before rolling right back to where it had been before. She nudged it again and it quickly rolled back to where it had been. She frowned and picked it up. It suddenly flew up, smacked her in the middle of the forehead before bouncing off and returning to land on the boulder. Flowerbloom groaned. “No, that's definitely Boulder. Ah think it's keepin' watch. Ah... ah'm pretty sure that ain't Applejack... ow.”

“Then where is she?” Twilight asked as she looked around. “Where else would the statue be aside from...” The words trailed off as she turned towards the castle. “Oh buck no.”

“You think it's in there?” Gilda asked.

“Oh, wow. That's horrible," Rainbow said, waving her hoof in front of her face. "In where? Remember guys, I can't see, so a little information would be nice.”

“Oh, sorry,” Twilight said sheepishly. “I think, well... I think Applejack might be in the castle. Since Fancy is currently imprisoned there, there is no telling what might happen if we try to go in there. There's probably traps, soldiers, everything in there designed to keep ponies from going in there.”

“Well, it's a good thing you have a master water bender, earth bender, air bender and all bender, isn't it?” Sweetie asked with a smirk. There was a light grunt from behind her. “Oh, right. And a griffon.”

“I'm worth more than two of you benders,” Gilda muttered. “But if you really want to sneak into that place, well, you're mad. They'll have earth benders all over the place. The moment your hooves touch the ground they'll be all over you.”

Twilight nodded. “Probably. We'll have to find some way to do something about them...” She rubbed her chin before grinning. “Gilda, how strong would you say you are?”

The griffon snorted. “Stronger than you ponies could ever dream of being.”

Twilight nodded. “Good. I'll need you to carry Flowerbloom then.”

“What?” the group asked in unison, staring at the mare.

“It's simple, really. We just fly over the gates. If we're flying, they won't feel us with their earth bending and--”

“That's stupid,” Gilda snapped. “Even at night there will be so many ponies watching the courtyard they'd be on us in a second. You'd have to draw them away first.”

“Why can't we just walk in?” Sweetie asked.

Twilight stared at the mare. “Because they might attack us and--”

“They might not. They're earth benders, right? So it won't be very easy to sneak in. Even when I launched my initial assault here I had to be very, very careful and use a whole herd of earth benders to back mine up. We frankly don't have numbers needed for something like that, so sneaking in isn't an option. Going in the front door is our only real choice, here.”

Twilight stared at the unicorn for a few moments before sighing and giving a little nod. “I... suppose you're right. After all, you are the only pony to actually conquer this city in known history.”

“Exactly, and most of that was an inside job. Without getting ponies on the inside it would have been impossible. Come on,” Sweetie said as she started walking towards the castle. The others followed behind her, grudgingly.

------

The castle was as well guarded as they expected. Massive, towering walls closed it off from the rest of the city, with guards stationed every ten feet or so. Twilight gulped nervously and was suddenly quite thankful that she hadn't tried their sneak in plan. Even if a lot of ponies didn't seem to be as capable of sensing through the earth as Applejack, a few of them had to have the skill. Sweetie stopped outside the gate and stared at it. “Err, Twilight. I think it would be best if you were to go in first.”

The alicorn nodded, taking a deep breath. She slowly stepped forward. The guards dug their hooves into the ground and glared defiantly at her. “Errr, hello. I ummm, I'm here to see whoever is in charge.” She took a slow, deep breath and slowly lifted up a wing, making it appear through the cloak. “I'm the Avatar.”

There was a momentary pause as the guard's faces went from angry, to confused, to worried, to anxious and finally dread. The one on her left nodded. “I-I'll go get Mare Do Well!” she said before galloping off, bending a hole in the wall before disappearing through it.

Twilight looked back at the others. “Well... they aren't trying to imprison us, that's a start.”

“Yet,” Gilda grumbled as she looked around. “I still wouldn't trust any of them.”

The alicorn nodded slowly. “Trust me, I know that all too well.”

Soon there was a gentle clopping of hooves and a purple garbed pony wearing a large hat appeared through the hole the guard had made. “Well, Avatar. Truly, zis is a pleasure! Come, you must! We have much to talk about!”

Twilight nodded slowly and motioned the others to follow her. She pushed her hooves into the ground with each step, feeling and listening to the earth, watching out for any ambushes or secret attacks. She couldn't feel any, yet. “So, Photo, I--”

“No! Do not call me that! I am Mare Do Well! I know not of this 'Photo Finish' you speak of!” She rose a hoof in great exaggerated fashion, before trotting forward again. They walked through the courtyard and towards the big castle. The place seemed almost empty, aside from the guards on the walls.

The alicorn sighed. “Please, it's obviously you. Your accent is--”

“Silence! I will hear nothing of this mare you speak of as if she is me! I am Mare Do Well! Mare for short!”

Twilight lifted up a hoof to rub her forehead. “Fine. Mare, what has happened here? Where's the emperor? I've heard--”

“Fancy Pants? He is imprisoned, but quite safe. He was no longer fit to rule so I have taken his place!” she said with a shake of her head and another dramatic wave of her hoof.

Twilight nodded slowly. “I... see. You've overthrown him then. I, errr, guess. But what about out there? Ponies were arguing and discussing all manners of, well, political groups. Silvertongue, Goldenhorn.”

“Ah, indeed. Both loyal members to me. You see, when the votes go in they will of course choose me as their leader. However, to keep the people satisfied, Silvertongue and Goldenhorn will become my advisors, that way everypony is happy. Is brilliant, no?”

Twilight nodded and looked around. “Errr, quite brilliant.” There was still no sign of the ambush. Though the things Photo was saying were worrying her. “So the voting thing is all a sham, then?”

“Indeed. As Avatar, you must see the need to keep the ponies under control and maintain the peace, yes? What is wrong with a few lies if they keep the ponies from harm?”

Twilight nodded again. “I see. I uhhh, I guess that's pretty good.”

“You have, of course, come to support me, yes? An endorsement from the Avatar would count for much in these troubled times. You have seen our great city, it is... no longer fabulous, no? Merchants yelling in the street, ponies scamming each other, fighting over minor things such as bits. Is disgraceful! I shall of course fix it, all of it.” Mare Do Well gave a firm nod.

“Err, right. Yes. I've come to support you. So you're not going to harm the emperor, then? I remember before you were... quite protective of him.”

“Indeed, yes. I was very, very protective. He is a good pony, but a fool. The kingdom would die in his hooves. That is why it falls to me to protect it. My loyalties are first to the kingdom, then to him.” She paused for a second before nodding. “He will live in much comfort, of course.”

Twilight nodded. At least they weren't trying to burn him at the stake. “So, when did you make this decision? Was it soon after Discord appeared, by any chance?”

The pony paused for a second before giving a nod. “As a matter of fact, yes. It was right after that foul abomination made its appearance. He came through our forces like a blade through hot butter. It was as if he was more amused than threatened by us. It was then that I realized our kingdom was weak, vulnerable, decrepit! A sham!” She exited the hall and trotted into the throne room and kept talking. Twilight didn't hear her though.

In the center of the room, Applejack's statue stood tall and proud. It was on a pedestal, overlooking the throne. Twilight couldn't keep the squeak of excitement from her voice as her eyes lit up. It was there! It was really there!

“Hmmm? Oh, yes. A... gift from Discord. He told us to keep an eye on it. Is very tacky, no?” Photo Finish shook her head.

Twilight nodded. “O-of course. Errr, may I see it closer, please? I'd very much like to touch it.”

Mare Do Well paused and turned back. Her eyes glared from behind the mask. “Why?”

“Err, because it's... very interesting?” Twilight said weakly with a nervous gulp. She glanced back nervously. Her friends were starting to tense up as well.

“Oh. I see. Then it has nothing to do with the statue itself?” the mare took a step closer. “His highness took much interest in the statue as well. He examined it closely, talked of it daily! But you know that, don't you? After all, you are a traitor!”

“W-what?” Twilight asked, shrinking back. She was suddenly distinctly aware of just how many guards were in the room. The calm and tranquility instantly shifted to hostility from the mare.

“A traitor, yes! I see it now! You come here to free the emperor, do you not? Deny, it makes no difference! I see all! Your betrayal shall not go unrewarded! Guards!”

Twilight gulped and then spread out her wings. A surge of wind shot out, hurtling the guards back as well as Mare Do Well. “Sorry! This is just very important!” She galloped towards the statue, skidding to a stop in front of it. “Come on, let's get it out of here!”

“We can't!” Flowerbloom said as the ground began to rumble. “We're in the middle of Fillydelphia! We can't just steal it an' go! They'll catch us in a second!”

Sweetie galloped forward, barely avoiding a spike of earth as it rose from the ground. “Go inside! Wake up Applejack! We'll do what we can to hold them off!”

“But--”

“Do it!” Flowerbloom yelled before stomping her hooves and more spikes of rock shot up, blocking off the doors. “We ain't got much time! Make it fast! Bring back mah sister!”

“We've got this handled, don't worry!” Rainbow yelled as she flapped her wings and sent a burst of wind through the room, sending the earth benders scattering again.

Twilight gulped before turning to the statue. The room was rumbling around them as the floor was torn asunder, but she didn't have much choice. This would be their only chance. With a prayer and a worried heart she pushed her head forward, her horn gently tapping against her friend before she disappeared into the other realm.

Chapter 17: For honesty no pony can deny

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“We, we did it!” Twilight said, a grin on her face as she stared at the smoking scorch marks where Discord had once stood. “We've defeated Discord!”

“Was there ever any doubt?” Applejack asked with a grin, the relief flooding over her. She couldn't believe it, they'd worked so hard but it was all finally over. They'd defeated the Water Nation, crushed Discord, saved the world. She sat down and wiped the sweat from her brow. “Well, if that ain't a day of hard work, ah don't know what is.”

“Just saved the world party!” Pinkie squealed with delight as she hopped around. The ponies chuckled as they slowly got up and walked out from the strange candy palace.

It hadn't been easy, but they'd done it. Applejack sighed as she looked around. They'd been through so much and there was still so much to do, but soon she could finally return home to her family and do what she was always meant to do, work the farm. Best of all, her family would once again be... mostly complete. This adventure had paid off far better than she'd ever thought possible.

------

Days turned to weeks and months as everything was, slowly, settled. Applejack never left Twilight's side as negotiations were set, peace was made and new borders were forged. Ponies returned to their homes, their lives and the great repairing of the world had begun. But, finally everything was finished. It was all just a waiting game now, to see how things would turn out. The stress was beginning to leak away from the ponies as there was no longer a great conflict to worry about. The Avatar was even smiling more now and having time to study again.

The earth bender wasn't needed any more and it was finally time. She and her little sister, Flowerbloom, were going home. She'd wanted to start calling the mare by her given name, but she'd requested to stay who she was. Just because the Cherries weren't her genetic family didn't make them any less her family. Applejack could appreciate that.

But now it was time for the young mare to learn about her original family. Her granny, her brother and, most importantly, her older sister. There had been plenty of parties thrown since the end of the war, but she was planning to put them all to shame with a good old Apple family hootenanny.

Unsurprisingly, there were quite a few ponies waiting by the edge of the town when they arrived. The moment they were in sight, two in particular came galloping down towards them in a blur of red and light green. The two barely had time to yelp before they were tackled by Big Mac and Granny Smith, wrapped in tight hugs.

“Ah never thought ah'd live long enough tah see the day,” Granny Smith said, tears running down her eyes as she started kissing Flowerbloom on the cheek over and over. The young mare giggled, shaking her head.

“Ah never thought ah would either. Ah'm very happy tah finally be comin' here an' seein' yah all,” Flowerbloom said with a wide grin. She let out a yelp as she and Applejack were hefted up onto their big brother's shoulders and carried into town, their wagon left behind.

The crowd erupted into cheers as the two meekly waved, wide grins on their faces. They were home, finally. Today there was going to be a celebration unlike any ever seen in Sweet Apple Acres.

------

Applejack groaned as a rooster crowed off in the distance. She was laying on the kitchen table and smelled strongly of sweet apple cider. The night had been wild with ponies yelling, screaming. Treats and drinks flowed like a river. They'd all been up far, far past their curfew and were probably feeling as bad as--

“Gooood mornin' yah lazy buncha party goers!” Granny Smith said as she trotted into the kitchen. “Yah all ready for a day ah fun an' hard work?”

Applejack groaned and heard a matching groan from under the table. “What in blazes are yah doin' up so early? Ah saw yah dancin' on one'a them tables with ol' man Baggy. Yah had tah be up at least as late as us.”

The older mare shrugged. “Ah ain't got time tah lay about, not anymore. The Apple family is finally complete an' yah know what that means!”

“Sleep until this headache goes away?”

“Nope!” The old mare grabbed two pans and banged them together. “It's time for yah lazy layabouts tah get up an' get to your chores! Giddyup!” She banged the pots together again.

Applejack rolled over and found Big Mac laying under it, his hooves over his ears. “Ah leave her alone with yah for a few months an' this is what happens?”

He merely grunted before sliding out of under the table.

“Now yah all get tah work, we got a whole list of things that need fixin'. Ah'll have breakfast ready faster'n a rattlesnake's bite!”

Applejack grumbled and nodded. She trotted up the stairs and made her way straight to her little sister's room. She stopped outside it and held her breath as dread started to flow into her heart. What if it had all been a wonderful dream? What if she opened the door and the room was empty, just as it had always been? She closed her eyes and slowly reached out, pushing the door open.

It creaked slowly and after a few seconds she gathered up the courage to open her eyes.

There, sleeping on a few cushions and wrapped up in a big blue blanket, was her little sister. Applejack galloped forward and wrapped her hooves around the mare.

“What? Hey! W-what's goin' on? Applejack? What? What's wrong?” the younger mare asked as she looked up at her big sister. “Are... are yah crying?”

“A-a little. Ah'm jus' so happy you're still here. Ah thought...” Applejack reached up to wipe the tears off with her leg. “Ah mean, ah was a lil worried it was all a dream. But you're here. You're real. Ah really got mah little sister back. Yah got no idea how much ah missed yah...”

Flowerbloom chuckled and shook her head. “Ah'm guessin' this is your way of tellin' me it's time tah get up? Heh. Ah'm happy tah see yah too. So, what's the plan for today?”

“Jus' some chores on the farm. If yah wanna sleep an'--”

“Not a chance,” the mare said with a shake of her head. “Ah grew up on a farm, ah'm plenty familiar with the hard stuff. It'll be good tah do an honest day's work again.”

Applejack nodded as she got up and finally let the little mare go. It was all good. They were a real family again. The only thing missing was her mom and dad. But... that was fine. She may have lost them, but she still had her little sister. That was more than she ever thought she would. She'd move heaven and earth if she had to, to keep her safe.

The two trotted down the stairs and back out into the yard. Big Mac was already over by the barn, the sound of a hammer echoing through the yard. Now that she wasn't hopped up on apple cider and too many apple pastries, she could see the farm for what it truly was.

Wrecked.

Half the trees had been damaged with only a handful of apples left. The fences were partially torn down. The barn was in shambles and needed to have a ton of work done. That was just what she could see. But they still had the trees, there were still plenty ready for the harvest, the buildings could be fixed, boards replaced. They had each other and that was enough. The farm would be repaired through hard work and dedication. They were more than capable of giving it all they needed.

She spent the first half hour trying to train Flowerbloom, but to her surprise the mare was almost a natural. She knew how to fix the fences, replace boards and shingles, tend to the trees, she knew just about everything and only needed the occasional tip or advice. Then again, the mare had grown up on a farm, so it was to be expected. It brought a tear to the elder mare's eye seeing her little sister take to the work so quickly.

Applejack was soon back into the groove of working on the farm as well, a smile on her face. It hadn't even been a year, but it felt like decades. The firm buck against the tree, the satisfaction as the apples fell down into their respective buckets. The sawing and hammering of wood to help put the fence back together. Best of all, working together with her family to get the job done. Even though she was still pretty tired from lack of sleep, her body knew the motions well and the work just seemed to flow over her. It was hard, but satisfying. Growing trees and fruit to feed the whole Apple family and then some.

Best of all, nopony was trying to kill them, attack them or wage war. There was the occasional abandoned piece of trash, sometimes broken weapons and armor, that they had to gather up and toss in a garbage pit. But it was peaceful, comfortable and a sign that they were together again. She couldn't have kept the smile off her face even if she tried.

------

The first week passed quickly and the farm was looking up. The fences had all been replaced or fixed, they'd manage to find the leak in the roof and the barn was looking as good as ever. She'd even managed to show Flowerbloom around the town and introduce her to a few of the other workers. She'd been keeping it quiet about how she'd found the young mare, not wanting to start a panic. Once they all knew how great a worker her little sister was she'd tell them all where she had been. For now, they just suspected she was found on the journey.

Bits weren't quite as tight as she'd feared. The relief bits were starting to roll into town to help fix damages the Water Nation had done during their possession of the town. Ponies always needed food so quite a few ponies were helping around the farm to help pay off whatever food they needed to borrow. All in all, things were going great and Applejack was feeling quite good. Ponies were getting spending bits again which meant the Apples got to start depending on an additional form of currency, her favorite. The food cart.

She was just rolling into town, her cart pulled behind and loaded up with pastries, when she caught sight of the soldiers. At least a dozen of them as well as a unicorn with a clipboard. She pulled her stand to the side before trotting over to one of the townsfolk. “Hey. What's all this about?”

The mare looked up. “They're just the soldiers escorting the bits to help with the recovery. The pony with the clip board came with them, apparently he's doing some sort of census for Fillydelphia.”

“Census?”

“You know, getting a record of who is still alive, who died, how much they lost in the war, things like that. He'll probably be making his way down to Sweet Apple Acres in a few hours.”

Applejack nodded before setting up her stand. Within a few moments ponies were lining up to get a few of their pies. “Now calm down everypony, no need tah push an' rush. Ah got plenty. Two bits a pie, three for the strudels.”

While she worked she watched the soldiers walking off, heading towards the next town. The unicorn stayed and soon enough he made his way over towards her. “Hello, miss. What were the prices on those again?”

“Two bits for a pie, three for a strudel.”

The nodded slowly as he marked something down on the clipboard before tossing five bits on the counter. “One of each, please.”

“Comin' right up!” she said before happily tossing them in a bag and pulling the desserts out. He took them off to the side and she quickly got back to work helping other guests. However, after a few minutes her eyes caught him examining the pastries. He didn't seem to be eating them, instead just spinning them around in a small circle as they started getting cold. She tried to ignore it.

After a few minutes however, she glanced up and he'd began to dissect them, pulling them apart with a knife and fork. He had an annoyed look on his face, shaking his head and making a mark in his clipboard. He still wasn't eating it though and she was beginning to get a bit annoyed. She was watching him out of the corner of her eye as she dealt with the customers, waiting. Finally, after dealing with her last customer her frustration got the best of her. “Hey! If yah keep pokin' at it, it's gonna be ice cold by the time yah finish. What yah got against mah pies, anyway?”

He looked up. “Huh? Oh, sorry. I didn't get it to eat. I'm examining it for, well...” He frowned and turned it around. “This... is quite impressive. I'd almost believe these are real apples.”

“They are real apples. What, yah think these trees are jus' for show?”

He paused and then got to his hooves, holding both snacks in his magic before walking towards the counter. “Well, I'm just surprised. Five bits for both of them? There must be some secret. Food is... a bit scarce right now. Half the establishments I've passed on the way here would have sold a pie like this for ten bits and it would have been full of empty, hollow areas.”

Applejack snorted. “Well, we ain't 'most' establishments. At Sweet Apple Acres we're firm believers in chargin' ponies what somethin' is worth, not overpricin' it jus' cause we can get away with it. The ponies of this town ain't jus' mah customers, they mah friends an' ah ain't gonna gouge them when they need mah help. Ain't no proper way tah run a business.”

The stallion nodded and made a few more marks. “Sweet Apple Acres, you say? I have heard some pretty good things about your establishment. I was actually hoping to be by tonight. Would it be okay with you, miss....?”

“Applejack. An' yah can come by if yah like. Us Apples ain't ever said no tah havin' guests over. We'll treat yah right proper.” She gave a firm nod before she started packing up her supplies. “Ah gotta head back anyway. Jus' see your way over as soon as yah like. Follow the road straight through.”

“Thank you,” the stallion said with a smile. “My name is Frost. A pleasure.”

“Pleasure's all mine.” She closed up her shop and strapped the cart to her back. She gave him a quick nod before trotting off towards the city. She snickered at the silliness of it all. “Right. Like ah'd try doin' somethin' like that. After all those ponies have done for meh. Ah guess there's all sorts of ponies out there tryin' tah get what ain't rightfully theres.” She shivered and thought of the Flim Flam brothers. “All sorts, alright.”

------

Applejack's ears perked up at the sound of the gentle knocking. The chores were done for the day, so the family was getting a great chance to laze about and relax. Granny Smith was once again in the kitchen. She couldn't imagine what had come over the elder mare, but she was busting out old meals that they hadn't had since she was a filly. Everypony was working their tails off and getting their jobs done, creating a beautiful harmony in the farm. Big Mac and Flowerbloom were going over some old family photographs, telling her about all the members of their family. That many ponies could take a few nights to tell her about.

Applejack rose to her hooves and trotted to the door. She pulled it open and gave Frost a smile. “Well, ah'm happy yah were able tah make it. What yah need tah see first?”

The stallion gave her a small smile as he held up his clip board. “Well, how about we start with your fields. With all this farm land I'd like to get a tally of what was damaged and what came out okay after the invasion.”

She nodded and glanced back towards the others. “Ah'll be back in a bit! That stallion came by ah told yah about!” She then looked back to him. “It's pretty late, but yah hungry? We still got left overs from dinner an--”

“No need,” he said with a wave of his hoof. “I've already eaten. This will probably take a while, so how about we get to work?”

She nodded and followed after him. He held a lantern in the glow of his magic to light the way and she started showing him all the damaged trees, buildings and things they'd repaired. Before long they returned to the house. “Tah be honest, we're doin' pretty good all things considered. It coulda been a whole lot worse. Do yah wanna see every last thing? Ah gave yah a small lil summary, but showin' the full farm could take days.”

“Oh, I've definitely seen a lot worse. What you've shown me is fine,” he said with a shake of his head. “All of this seems almost minor. I uhh, do hope you don't expect a massive pay--”

“Not at all. Tah be honest, we've been gettin' a few stipends as it is tah pay for all the harvest we lost. We really weren't expectin' anything more 'an that.”

He nodded. “Well, that's a very nice way to look at it. Funds are, unfortunately, limited. But his highness is making every effort to ensure his ponies are being properly taken care of. The war has been hard for everypony.”

“Ain't that the truth. Ah think we came out better than a lotta folks, though.” She pulled open the door to the house and trotted inside.

“Indeed. So, it's just the four of you then, correct?”

“Yeah, we sometimes have workers come from town, but for most of the work, we do it ourselves. Used tah be a lot harder before ah came back and brought Flowerbloom with me.” She motioned towards the main room, where her siblings were nestled up by the fireplace, the book still open.

“Came back?” he asked curiously.

“Oh, yeah. Ah was travelin' with the Avatar, teachin' her earth bendin'. Ah'm surprised yah didn't know that.”

His eyes went wide. “Wait, that was you? I'd heard the pony had returned, but I had no idea you lived in this town. Your family must be very proud!”

She chuckled and gave a nod. “They seem tah be.”

He nodded before looking down at his clipboard. “Well, that seems to be just about everything I need, then. I just need to mark down the deed for the farm as well as validate my log of all the ponies who live here.” He frowned again and then looked up at the fire. “Wait. You said four before, right? Did you have a child? A new live in worker, perhaps? I only have three listed. Applejack, Big Mac and Granny Smith.”

Applejack chuckled. “Ah yeah. Flowerbloom here is a new addition. Well, sorta.”

“Is she an orphan?” he asked softly, glancing down at the mare with pity. “She seems a bit... old to be adopted.”

“Well, she ain't adopted. She's an Apple through and through. There was jus' this whole... well, she's been in the Water Nation until now. See, a long time ago there was a raid on the farm. The one that... killed our parents.” She had to pause to take a breath. She thought she'd be over it by now, but the words still hurt. Even if Flowerbloom was back. “One of their soldiers took Flowerbloom an' raised her. We met up again after she joined the resistance an' helped us fight off the Water Nation. Good child.”

The clipboard fell from the stallion's magical grip as he stared at the mare. “W-what? You mean to tell me she's a member of the Water Nation?”

“Well, she was. She ain't no more. Ah imagine she'll wanna visit a lot, though. She's a--”

“ARE YOU MAD?!” Frost yelled, startling the two sleeping ponies awake. “You can't hold a member of the Water Nation in your household! That's treason!”

Applejack glared. “Well, you listen here, she ain't no member no more! She's a member of the Apple family.”

“What's going on?” Flowerbloom asked as she got up, stretching a bit.

Frost backed away, grabbing his clipboard and holding it up like a shield. “You're crazy! I'm going to have to summon the guards immediately!” he took a deep breath and looked to Applejack. “Listen, you seem like a good mare, but this is crazy. She's a member of the enemy nation. Turn her over peacefully and this will be good. If you don't, you could lose the entire farm.”

That gave the earth bender pause, before shaking her head. “We ain't gonna lose the farm. Listen, if yah--”

“Lose the farm?” Flowerbloom asked, shaking her head. “Yah can't take the farm!” The mare ran over, shoving the clipboard away. The stallion backed up. “Listen, ah--”

“Get away from me! Water Nation scum!” the stallion roared, before picking the clipboard back up and thwapping her on the head with it.

Applejack quickly spoke up. “Hey! Now see here you--”

“Ow!” Flowerbloom snapped before taking another step forward. He tried to hit her again, but she tore the clipboard away and tossed it aside. “Now listen! Ah ain't no traitor or--”

“Get away, get away!” the stallion shrieked as he kept backing out the door.

“Stop! Ah ain't gonna hurt yah!”

“Hey! Everypony, stop, don't-- Look out!” Applejack yelled as the stallion kept backing away. He didn't listen though and backed right off the edge of the porch. He let out a yelp as he struggled to maintain his hoofing, toppling over backwards with a shriek. There was a sickening crunch. The ponies shared worried looks before galloping towards the balcony and stared.

Frost had landed on the ground, hard. His head had slammed against a toolbox that had been left out by the porch. There was blood dripping down the side. Applejack was the first to recover and she slowly walked down and nudged his hoof. “H-hello? Frost? Yah okay?”

There was no response.

“He... he ain't dead, is he?” Flowerbloom asked, her eyes wide. “Ah... ah was t-the one who left the box out. A-ah was... ah was gonna fix the porch, t-there were a few loose boards. A-ah didn't mean tah... ah didn't think he'd... a-ah never meant to... o-oh...”

“Big Mac, take Flowerbloom inside,” Applejack said softly. She moved down and put her ear to his chest. He wasn't breathing. Once she was alone she sat down on the porch and just stared. She felt the panic begin to rise in her. It was an accident, anypony could see that. They'd have to be blind not to see that. She'd just go to the guards, explain what happened.

But they'd take Flowerbloom away, blame her for it. They'd react just like he had and try to take her. Take the farm.

A shiver went down Applejack's back as those thoughts flowed into her mind. She tried to ignore them, but they blasted in her head so loudly she couldn't dream of blocking them out. She looked at the body and then the clipboard. What if they did? What if they took her sister away? She'd spent so long without her, she couldn't bear the thought of losing her. Not again. Flowerbloom didn't deserve it. She was an Apple, she deserved everything that it meant. Not to be driven out.

But the ponies wouldn't see it that way. It was just like in some of the cities they'd been at. The herd would call for her head without thinking about it. They'd be driven to vengeance for the crimes of the nation. She looked back to Frost and shivered. It was an accident. But it could destroy her sister's life and ruin everything. She chewed on her lower lip before pushing her hoof out and making the ground rumble and slowly begin to carry the stallion away.

She'd lost her sister once, she wasn't going to lose her again.

Chapter 18: You are the Applejack of my eye

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“Yah did WHAT?” Flowerbloom asked, her eyes wide and mouth open in horror. “It, it was an accident! Yah didn't have tah do that!””

“Ah know it was, but ah didn't have any choice. Yah saw the way the pony reacted. Others might react like that too. An' that was just because where yah were raised, if they thought yah had actually killed him, there's no tellin' what they might have done,” Applejack said with a shake of her head. The family had gathered in the front room of the house, by the fire. Big Mac was speechless, unable to say even the smallest word. Granny Smith was talking, but none of the words could be understood.

“But, but he's dead. What about his family, what about--”

“What about our family? You're a good kid!” Applejack said fiercely. “It was his own fault, if he hadn't gone an' started freakin' out jus' cause where yah were raised, he'd have been fine. Yah don't deserve tah be imprisoned for any of this. Especially not for where yah called home.” She sighed. “If it really comes down tah it, ah'll say ah did it. But yah are not tah get involved.”

“But ah am involved! Ah killed him! Ah left the box out! Ah--”

“He tripped! It was an accident! It ain't your fault!” Applejack snapped before glaring over the ponies. “So, let's get the story straight. He came, looked at the farm, then he left. He didn't say anythin' about goin' everywhere, jus' took a few records and was gone. Yah got it?”

The ponies grudgingly nodded, before finally Granny Smith managed tah speak. “Gone plum mad!”

“We lost Flowerbloom once. I refuse to let us lose her again. Do yah want tah see her gone?” she asked, glaring at her elder.

Granny Smith glared right back for a few seconds before sighing and lowering her eyes. “No. Ah don't. We... lost her for so long. You're right.”

Applejack nodded. “Good. Flowerbloom, we're going to have to change some things around. If... anypony asks, yah were part of the rebellion all along. Yah were found at an early age by an orphanage an' were took in. Then we found yah an' were reunited.”

“W-what?” Flowerbloom asked, her eyes widening. “Yah want me tah lie about where ah was from? But--”

“Just for now. Ah'm gonna try tah find a way to work this out. This is only temporary though. Once ah figure somethin' out we can do that. But for now, as far as anypony knows, yah were never a part of the Water Nation.”

Flowerbloom glared. “But what about the Cherrys? Ah can't deny knowin' them. They raised me! They're mah family an--”

“It's just for a little bit. Please,” Applejack begged. “Jus' until ah can figure somethin' out. Ah'm gonna try an' get a hold of Twilight an' figure out a way tah deal with this. Nopony in town really knows where yah were from, jus' that we found yah.”

“A lot of ponies did in the resistance,” Flowerbloom muttered.

“Yeah, but most those ponies ain't here. Jus' please, work with me.”

There were a few grumbles, but the mare nodded. “Ah... ah guess if you're sure. But it all seems so... wrong.”

“Sometimes wrong things have tah be done for good,” Applejack said before glancing out towards the window. “Everypony, it's late and we're going to have a lot of work to do tomorrow, so get tah bed.” She trotted out, leaving the ponies. She walked out to the porch and listened, soon hearing them trot up to their rooms. She stared out over the fields before looking down at where he had fallen. The tool box had already been cleaned and moved, while the ground looked the same, completely packed in as always and without a drop of blood. The advantages of being an earth bender. Even if his body was found there was no way to link it to them. Except the fact he left the farm.

But there were still plenty of bandits and other bad sorts around. That was the whole reason they even had the guards escorting the relief funds here. She was very, very careful to bury him off property, up in the hills just outside the lands. It would have been easy for anypony to do it.

It hadn't been anypony, though. It had been her. She felt the guilt start to gnaw at her before she shook her head. She hated having to lie, but her sister was more important. Flowerbloom had risked her life just like the rest of them. She deserved her peace. Applejack wasn't going to let anypony take it.

------

Applejack pulled the cart into town a few days later, looking around nervously. It had been almost a week since Frost had disappeared and there had still been no questions. Even on the day after, the most she had gotten was a few ponies asking how it had gone. She stuck to the script and just said he came, took a lot of notes and then left. He was in a bit of a rush. She kept it as vague as possible, but fortunately nopony asked very much. Yet.

However, today was already looking to be pretty bad. As she trotted towards where she usually set up her stand, there were a number of guards hanging around, looking around. One approached her the moment she started to set the stand up.

“Miss Applejack?” the pony asked.

“Err, yeah?” she answered nervously, keeping her back to the pony. She was a horrible, horrible liar. Fortunately, she'd had a full week to practice and nopony seemed to have noticed the signs. That or they didn't care enough to examine her closely. She doubted the guard would be the same.

“I'm sorry to bother you, but are you familiar with a stallion by the name of Frost? He was supposed to have come here to catalog information about the ponies in this town.”

She nodded. “Yeah, ah recall. He came down to the farm an' asked a buncha questions 'fore checkin' out the lay of the land. Good pony, bit odd though.”

“Bit odd? How?”

She paused. “Well, errr. Yah see...” Her mind struggled to think of an answer. Finally it came up with one. It was a bit abusive to use, but it was all she could think of. “Well, when he found out ah was one of the ponies who traveled with the Avatar, he completely flipped. All ah did was teach her earth bendin', but yah'd think ah invented it or something the way he was goin' off.” She buried her head behind the cart as she started stocking things up. She knew it was wrong to name drop Twilight like that, but she knew it was the best way to avoid getting questioned. Being questioned was not good right now.

“W-what? You're the mare who trained the Avatar? I'd heard, I mean, oh. I errr, of course. I, err... I don't supposed you'd mind if we came down to the farm later, had a look around?”

She shook her head. “Not at all. Tell yah what, ah should have all mah pies an' such sold quick enough. If yah wanna wait, ah'll take yah down an' show yah everywhere the stallion went mahself.” She gave a quick nod.

“I... I don't know. We should probably--”

“Nonsense. Yah soldiers work awfully hard an' ah'd be remiss if ah didn't do everythin' ah could tah help yah out.” She glanced over at him and smiled. “Tell yah what. Ah'll even give yah all a free pie or strudel, no charge. Ain't nopony ever said an Apple wasn't generous tah visitors of the farm.”

The guard blushed and squirmed for a few moments. “W-well, we aren't really guests so much as--”

“Everypony who comes to the farm is a guest,” she said firmly. “Now go an' sit down, ah'll have these nice an' warmed in a few seconds. Ah won't take no for an answer.”

The pony looked ready to object, but soon the smell of the warming pies and strudels flowed out from the cart. He quickly relented. Within a few moments there was a long, steady line and the guards were quite happy to be eating their desserts. A few even came to buy more. Her cart was empty in record time. “Don't worry everypony. Ah'll be back tomorrow.” She closed up and strapped the cart on her back before smiling to the guards. “Now, how about ah show yah around?”

They nodded and she led them back to the farm. Her heart jumped a little when she saw Flowerbloom working on the fence. “Applebloom!” she called out.

The mare looked up, annoyance on her face. “Ah told--” The words caught in her mouth when she saw the guards. “Yes?”

“Yah mind takin' the cart back to the farm? Ah gotta show these guards around the farm. Nothin' tah worry about, jus' routine.”

“O-okay,” the mare said softly, giving them a worried look before taking the cart.

“That's mah little sister,” she said to the guard quickly before he could ask. She forced a fake smile on her face. “So, how about ah show yah around now? He saw a whole buncha things though so it could take a while. Yah all wanna stay for lunch?”

There was a pause as the guards looked between each other. The nearest sighed and shook his head. “As much as we would appreciate the generosity, we will be required to leave once we finish our investigation. Now, if you'll show us everything you showed him?”

She nodded and headed towards the house first. She managed to barely keep any panic from hitting her. She had everything under control, everything was going fine. They didn't suspect anything and--

Her eyes caught sight of something just under the porch. A pen. His pen was under the porch, barely hidden by the wood and shadows. She quickly galloped ahead and turned around, a grin on her face as her hoof hid it from view. “Now, we all started here. If yah'd like tah look around a bit?”

“Please,” one of the guards said as they started trotting around.

Applejack kept the grin on her face, though internally she was screaming. How had she missed it? She was certain she'd got everything. His pen should have been buried with him. How could she be so stupid? How did she forget it? To her relief, the guards weren't really looking that close. They were tapping the ground with their earth bending, shuffling the dirt around. She was thankful she didn't decide to just hide the body under the house.

“Hey, what's that?” one of the guards asked before walking straight towards her.

Applejack gulped nervously, her smile etched across her face. “Y-yes?” she asked softly. “What's what?”

“Behind you?”

She looked back. “It's the house an' the porch. Ain't nothin' special about it.”

“No, please move.”

“What? Why? What's wrong?” Applejack felt the panic rise in her like a raging beast, she struggled not to run off screaming. They were going to find the pen and take away her sister!

“That,” he said, pointing behind her, right at the pen. She gulped and looked back.

“W-what?” She wondered if she could take them all on. With surprise, maybe.

“There's a pen, right there.”

“I don't... oh! So there is. Heh, didn't even see it in the shadows there. Somepony must have dropped it,” she said with a nervous shrug.

She slowly stepped aside as the pony walked over and grabbed it. He examined it for a few moments. “I believe this is one of Fillydelphia's pens. This might have been Frost's. Do you know how it could have gotten there?”

Applejack resisted the urge to gulp nervously as the pony watched her. She shrugged. “He probably dropped it. He probably had a bunch of them, after all. Yah know how a pony can get when they gotta keep track of so many.”

The guards looked at each other before nodding. “Probably right. They are given quite a few. Can't do the job without them. Always one of the hidden costs of paper pushers. Can you show us some of the places he went? I think we're done here.”

“Of course,” she said before trotting off. Once her back was to them she let out a soft sigh of relief. She would have sworn she was busted. How could she be so stupid? She promised to be extra, extra careful from now on. She showed them through the fields, taking them to all the places she'd shown Frost. Fortunately, she hadn't taken him anywhere too close to where his body was now buried. The guards kept looking and, luckily for her, even managed to find another pen. But no sign of him.

“We can't help but notice there are a lot of hoof prints throughout the farm. Are you sure you didn't take him anywhere else?” one of the guards asked once they returned to the farm house.

“Of course not. Wasn't much point showin' him every single knick an' crack in the bark, ah only showed him the worst of it. We have so many trees here he'd have been here for a month goin' over every single one of them.”

The guard stared at her for a long while, before finally nodding. “True enough. So he left after finishing his forms?”

“As far as ah know. It was pretty late by then, though.” She looked the guard over and put on her best worried face. It wasn't hard, since she was pretty terrified that they were going to take her little sister away. “Yah... don't think somethin' actually happened tah him, do yah? Ah mean, he seemed like an alright stallion.”

The guard sighed. “To be completely honest, he's probably fine. This is just a precautionary measure. Best as I can figure he probably got a little lost. He might already be back by now. We'll be doing a few more patrols and trying to find out if we can find any sign of him before heading back. Thank you for your assistance.”

“Anytime. Yah all feel free tah come by next time you're in town, we'll set yah up with some real grub that'll put your cooks tah shame.”

There was a light chuckling as the ponies walked off town the path. She smiled and watched them, her hooves digging into the ground and bending, checking for any sign of them rounding about. But they just kept walking and were soon out of range even of her bending. She turned around and trotted back into the house, letting out a sigh.

“How'd it go? Do they know? A-am ah gonna have tah go away?” Flowerbloom asked weakly, starring.

“No!” Applejack said quickly with a shake of her head. “They don't suspect a thing an' they ain't gonna. Don't yah worry one little bit.” She walked over and patted the mare on the head. “Your big sister got it all handled, no problem. How about yah go an' get some sleep, okay?”

“Are yah sure? It's... ah mean, there were a lot of guards. They had to--”

“They don't suspect a thing,” the mare said with a grin. “They think he just got lost. By the time they realize he's gone... well, they got a lot of ground tah cover. There's no way they can link it back tah us.”

“Fine,” Flowerbloom said before turning and trotting up the stairs.

She looked up and frowned. Granny Smith and Big Mac were just watching her, slightly glaring.

“What? Ah'm jus' doin' what has tah be done tah protect our family. Tah protect Flowerbloom.” She sighed. “Ah know it's no good. Ah know it's wrong. But we don't have any choice. Yah all don't want tah lose her again, do yah?”

Flowerbloom stopped at the top of the stairs. “Ah could go home.”

“Yah are home.”

“Ah mean to... the Cherries. If ah'm not welcome here no more, then--”

“You are an Apple!” Applejack said firmly before stomping a hoof down. “Yah are as welcome here as any of us. Ah won't let anypony try tah drive yah away. Yah get me?”

Flowerbloom nodded before galloping back down and giving her a hug. “I-I love you, Applejack.”

The mare smiled and hugged her back. “An' ah love you too, lil sis. No matter what, you'll always be an Apple an' ah won't let anypony take yah away.”

She nodded before gently pulling away. “Have... you heard anything from Twilight yet?”

Applejack shook her head. “No. Ah sent her a letter, but there hasn't been a response yet. Ah'm sure she's jus' busy. She'll come as soon as she can.”

Flowerbloom gave a little nod. “That's good. I... thanks.” She then turned and trotted back up the stairs. Applejack watched her go, before turning to the rest of her family. Alas, the other two had already walked off.

“Ah'm doin' what ah have tah do,” she mumbled, shaking her head. “For the family. For all of us. For mah little sis.”

------

The days turned to weeks and finally into two months. There had still been no response from Twilight or sign from the Earth Kingdom that they suspected anything. There hadn't been any more ponies sent to make lists, either. Applejack was beginning to think she could finally put all this behind her. Sadly, she doubted it would be that easy.

As she walked the farm lands she looked over the trees, guilt eating away at her heart. She'd done it all for the right reasons, to keep her family safe. Together. But the last two months had made her miserable. Every day she woke up with the fear that somepony would find out what she did, that they'd come and take Flowerbloom away. She wanted to run out and tell the truth, to throw herself on the mercy of the Earth Kingdom and take her punishment.

But that wasn't an option. It wasn't just her that would get hurt, it was her little sister. She couldn't bear the thought of losing the mare again. It just wasn't fair. They'd had to work so hard to be together, their lives had been torn apart. But now that they'd found each other, to be separated again so soon was almost too much to bear. She couldn't do it. She wouldn't do it.

Even if it meant she had to live with these lies on her head for the rest of her life. Even if it made her some kind of lying pony. Her parents had raised her never to lie, but this wasn't the time to think of that. She was doing it for the right reasons. That had to make it right. No matter how hard it was. Her parents would have understood. They gave their lives to try and protect Flowerbloom, the least she could do was tell a few lies. Besides, everytime it became just a tiny bit easier. She barely even had the dreams anymore, too.

She frowned as she heard hooves galloping. She looked up to the main path and made out a pony running down it. Fear began to rise in her heart when she realized they were running towards the house, where else could they possibly be going? She relaxed when she realized she recognized them. One of the ponies from the village. “HEY! What's got a bee in your bonnet?” she called out.

The pony stopped before peering into the fields, his eyes finally landing on her. “Applejack, it's horrible! They found a body outside the town!”

Her heart tried to leap out of her mouth as her eyes widened. She galloped over to stand by him. “W-what? Where? How?”

“Some of the kids were playing, testing out their earth bending. It... it was horrible. They raised up a rock and there was this corpse. The town guards are on their way and there's already a message on the way to Fillydelphia. It was that pony who was here a few months ago, the one taking all those records. Somepony killed him and left his body out there!”

Applejack gulped and gave a nod. “Ah... ah see. Ah have tah let the others know. This ain't... oh... this is horrible.”

“I know! I had to let you know, there's just, we're trying to let everypony know. It's horrible. Please, let the rest of your family know, I've still got more ponies to tell. Bye!” The stallion ran off.

Applejack watched him leave. How could this happen? They were going to find out, they were going to take away Flowerbloom, they were going to--

“No!” she finally told herself before turning back towards the farm. “They have no idea. It was jus' an accident. It's been over two months. There ain't no way they can identify what happened tah him. Even if they could, no way they could know it happened at our farm. Was jus' an accident.” None the less, she trotted faster towards the farm, running to the porch and ringing the bell. Soon, they were all gathered and she gave a nervous smile to her family. “Ah got some bad news. They... found Frost. Outside of town. A couple'a kids found him an'--”

“Wait, kids?” Flowerbloom asked, her eyes going wide with horror. “A-are they okay? T-they weren't supposed to, t-that's horrible! Did they seem him? What happened? Are they okay?”

“Ah... errr, honestly don't know. Ah didn't ask about it. Ah jus', err, wanted tah warn everypony. Remember, stick to the story. We never saw him after he left. He jus' left an' never came back. Didn't trip, didn't hurt himself, probably attacked bah bandits or somethin'. Not our problem, okay?”

The ponies grudgingly nodded.

“Good. Now, ah'm headin' inta town tah--”

“Ah wanna come with yah!” Flowerbloom said quickly.

“No, yah ain't. Ah'm goin' in alone tah see what's goin' on. If there's--”

“But... but you're going to--”

“Ah'm gonna do what needs tah be done. Leave it tah me, okay? Don't do anything. That's an order.”

There were a few moments of silence before the ponies nodded.

“Good. Now, yah all got work tah get back tah. Ah'll be back as soon as ah can,” Applejack said before turning to trot down the street. Her mind reeled as she tried to think of what she'd have to do. Maybe she could send Flowerbloom away, back to the Cherries. Even if she was found out, they couldn't do anything to her then.

But then she'd lose the farm. It had been a part of the families for years. Losing it would be... one of the worst things that could happen. It was almost as much a part of the family as they were. She gulped and started walking a little faster.

She soon arrived in the town and gulped nervously at the sight. Finding the body was easy, at least half the town had to be surrounding it outside the city. Everypony struggling to get close while others struggled to keep their children from getting too close and seeing the death. She took a slow, deep breath and walked towards them. “So, what all happened? Yah all sure it's him?”

Some of the ponies looked up before shrugging. “Seems to be him. But, well, it's kind of hard to tell. A lot of him... well...”

Applejack moved through the group, soon finding the body. She let out a soft gasp. The months hadn't been kind. His mane had all fallen out and the few rain storms they'd had made his corpse bloated and wet. She shook her head and turned away. “Ah... ah don't know who he could be. Don't look like him tah me...” She wished she had buried him deeper. A few dozen feet underground. But she hadn't been thinking clearly, she'd wanted to do it so fast. She glanced again before shivering. They'd put the body in a cart and hauled it all the way to the edge of the city, putting it on as some sort of grim, macabre display.

She could hardly believe that all this was her fault. Everything that happened. If she had been more careful. Had noticed the tool box. Caught him. Stopped him from backing up. It had all happened so fast, though. She didn't know he'd trip like that. If she'd been outside, she would have been able to bend the dirt to catch him. Maybe if they didn't have those lifted, hardwood floors. Why did they have to have them, the barn had dirt floors, so could they. Sure, in the winter it would be awful, but she could have saved him.

“It's okay, he was just a visitor. You don't have to take it so hard,” a pony said from her right.

Applejack looked up and put on a fake smile. “S-sorry. It's jus' hard, yah know? Tah think this pony was a visitor not long ago. Now he's... what happened? Bandits?”

“No idea,” another pony said with a shrug. “Probably won't know until the soldiers get here.”

“Ah hope they can--” She paused as somepony tapped on her back. She turned around, but nopony seemed to be focused on her, too busy looking at the corpse. She slowly pulled herself out from the group.

“Enough! Everypony, out of the way!” a mare suddenly yelled as she trotted forward. The mayor. “This is going to be official Fillydelphia business soon enough and if we tamper with it any more than we already have, there'll be Tartarus to pay. Just haul the body into the jail, we'll lock it up until they can have a look at it.”

“The jail? But then I'll have to smell it all day! Can't we store it anywhere else?” the sheriff complained.

“The cells have plenty of circulation, so no. It's the best place for now. So move it!”

Applejack moved back with the crowd, watching as the corpse was hauled into the town. She swore somepony kept tapping on her back, but everytime she turned around they were gone. It was probably just ponies nudging into her. Once the body was hauled away she shook her head and trotted back down the path towards the farm. This was not going to be easy.

She was halfway down to the farm when she felt a tap and swore she heard somepony mumble something. She turned around quickly, but there was nopony there. She couldn't even feel anything with her earth bending. “Hello? Is anypony there?” she asked with a nervous gulp. “Ah... ah know ah felt yah. Don't try tah play games with meh. Ah'm a master earth bender!” But alas, there was nopony there. She finally shook her head and started trotting back to the farm. “You're getting' paranoid, Applejack. Ain't right. Nopony is there tryin' tah sneak up on yah. If they were, yah'd know. Yah could feel it.” She frowned. “An' now you've gone an' started talkin' tah yourself. Well, ah guess it ain't so bad. It's only a problem if somethin' starts talkin' back.”

She went silent and listened, but there were no small voices or anything. She was all alone. She let out a soft sigh of relief. “Yah ain't mad. You're jus' a liar. It's for the good, though. That's all. All yah gotta worry about.” She did look back again though. She couldn't shake it, she had the oddest feeling she was being watched. Was this what being a liar did to a pony? Drove them crazy? She sure hoped not.

------

A hard pounding on the door made Applejack's eyes pop open. She glanced at the window, but it was still dark. It couldn't be after midnight. “Who in tarnation?” She climbed out of the bed and trotted through the house down to the door, slowly pulling it open. “Who is it? Can ah help yah?”

“Yes you can,” the pony on the opposite end said. Applejack was taken aback by the mare. She was a tall unicorn with a black mane and white coat. She looked just like every other unicorn though, but... something about her was just different. She somehow looked more real. Even thought it was crazy to think so, the mare somehow seemed as if she was somehow glowing with how real she was. Applejack couldn't understand how her mind came to that weird conclusion. The mare also seemed to be moving weird. Or rather, not moving weird. It was as if she was standing there, but at the same time she gave Applejack the impression that she was moving, fidgeting, moving around like any pony would. Except she obviously wasn't. It was as if there was two ponies there and she could only be slightly aware of one of them. It gave her a headache trying to focus on it. It also didn't help that the mare both seemed to be talking and not saying a word at the same time.

“How?” Applejack finally asked.

The mare sighed. “I'm here to ask you some questions about the body found outside the town.”

Applejack's eyes widened. “What about it? Ah saw it when they brought it in, but that couldn't have been more than a few hours ago. Yah the investigator? How'd yah get from Fillydelphia so fast?”

“Yes! I'm the investigator.” Relief and... not relief seemed to spread over the mare's face at the same time. Applejack closed her eyes and shook her head, feeling the headache bubble up.

“Well, come on in,” she said, motioning inside.

“Who is it?” a voice asked from atop the stairs. Flowerbloom was staring down, her eyes wide and fearful.

“Nopony, Applebloom. Go back tah bed.”

“But--”

“Go tah bed,” she said firmly before motioning the other mare into the kitchen. After a few moments she heard the door upstairs close. “Sorry about that. Lil sister an' all, she jus' gets curious.”

“She's a wonderful little sister, she'd risk her life for you.”

“Huh?” Applejack asked, cocking an eye as she looked at the mare. She then nodded. “Well, ah suppose. But that's what family does. Yah look out for each other.”

“Oh! Yes, of course. Now, about that body.” The mare took a deep breath. “What do you know about it?”

Applejack blinked. “Well, ah saw them haul it inta town. Ah heard a coupla kids found it. A shame, honestly. He seemed like a good sort. Did bandits get him? Ah heard we've been having problems on the road cause of them.”

The mare frowned for a moment as she looked her up and down. It seemed as if she was talking again. But as before, no words seemed to be coming out and her mouth wasn't actually moving. Finally, she sighed. “Problems on the road? Not that I'm aware of. Why, what have you heard?”

“Err, well, the bits from the relief funds have guards all the time. Ah heard it was to protect them from bandits and stuff.” Applejack struggled not to start sweating. What did this mare want? What was she up to?

“I see. I was not aware of that, but I don't believe it was bandits. Do you know where the body was found?”

Applejack shook her head.

“I think you do, miss Applejack. Perhaps one of the villagers told you?”

The earth pony struggled to think. Had she been told? One of them had mentioned the kids were playing and practicing their bending. Perhaps he'd said where? He must have. “Well, huh. Ah guess it kinda slipped mah mind. Ah only know it was jus' out of town. Not far from here, actually. Buried under the ground, right?” She gulped a little, her hooves sliding off the table and into her lap as she struggled to contain her panic.

“Indeed. An earth bender hid it then. I don't suppose you know anypony who would have done it? After all there are plenty of earth benders here. Lots of them, in fact.”

Applejack shook her head, this time she couldn't hold it in. She had never been good at lying and this interrogation was awful. It went against every core of her being to lie like this. Sweat was forming on her brow. “Ah have no idea. Ah never heard or saw anythin' about it. Ah wouldn't know why anypony would want him dead. Even if somepony here killed him, ah doubt it was on purpose.” She regretted it the instant she said it.

“Oh? Why do you say that? An accident?”

She gulped and shrugged. “Cause he seemed like a nice enough fella. Jus' tryin' tah help ponies. Ah can't imagine anypony here would have wanted tah hurt him.”

“Then why would they bury him?”

“Ah... ah don't know? Fear? Maybe afraid they'd get in trouble?” She could feel her lies starting to crumble. She didn't know how much more of this she could take. All the lies building up inside her. She didn't want any of this, she'd never wanted any of this. She just wanted to keep her sister safe.

“If it was an accident... well, there would be trouble. But that pony had friends. Family. Loved ones and is now dead. Don't they deserve to know how it happened? Wouldn't you say?”

Applejack nodded. She was doing this for family too. She had to protect them.

“Are you sure you don't know anything? Please, Applejack. Tell me the truth. It's always been your best policy.”

It definitely had. But she had to lie. She had to. “Ah... ah don't know. He jus' got hurt an'... an' that's that. Poor stall--”

“Are you trying to protect somepony?”

That sent off alarms in her head. “No! Ah ain't! Why would ah be tryin' tah protect somepony? Ain't nopony tah protect! We're all good, law abidin' citizens here! All of us!” She tried to keep it in, but each lie made it harder and harder.

Realization seemed to dawn on the mare's face, though her face never moved. “I... see.” She took a deep breath and held out a hoof. “Applejack. Listen to me. It's not easy holding in a lie. Letting it build and build until it overtakes you. It'll come out eventually, it's best that you say it now, before it's gotten out of hand. Please. If not for me, then for those ponies you know and care about. The ones you're an example to.”

Applejack crumbled, her walls falling apart. She could feel something within her trying to build them up, but the push was just too much. She rested her hooves on the table. “It... it was an accident.”

“Yes?”

“Nopony was supposed tah get hurt!” she sobbed, tears forming in her eyes. “He was walkin' backwards an' fell off the porch. His head hit the tool box an' he... he didn't make it. Ah tried tah help him, b-but he was already dead. There was nothin' ah could do.” She felt the relief as the lies melted away from her. It felt... so much better. She didn't have to lie now. Even if new problems would happen now. “Ah hid his body. It was mah fault. Applebloom wasn't responsible. She left the tool box out but there was no way we could know he'd be so freaked out an' run out like that. That he'd trip. But... a-ah couldn't risk it.”

“Why? Why couldn't you tell anypony?”

Applejack bit her lip, but it was too late now. “Applebloom ain't from here. She was a member of the Water Nation, they foalnapped her as a child. She fought with me against them. Ah didn't want them tah take her away. Please. If there's gonna be an arrest, arrest me. It's mah fault, it was mah decision. Applebloom... she's innocent.” She took a deep breath. That was all the lies gone, all the truth out. Well, except one. She put a hoof down. “An' ah'll go peacefully. But... ah swear. If yah try tah take mah little sister away, ah'll fight the entire Fillydelphia army off if ah have tah. She's a good pony an' ah won't let--” She let out a startled yelp as the mare hugged her. “What? What in tarnation are yah--”

The pony seemed to be... it was two ponies! But, they were in one place. She could make out the second one. It was Twilight! And the other one was... a pure white earth pony. With a necklace for a cutie mark, her element. Both ponies smiled up at her until the white one disappeared and her element formed around her neck. “W-what in tarnation is goin' on? Twilight? What are yah doin' here?”

“It's a long story! You have no idea how hard it has been to get you to hear me, I had to get your element to help me!” the alicorn said happily. “I've been trying for... well, I don't know how long. The others are-- oh. We... aren't out yet.” She looked around. “Applejack, listen to me. None of this is real. Discord has you trapped in your own little world. This world. Flowerbloom and her friends are in the real world trying to buy me time. Trying to help you escape.”

“What's goin' on?” a voice asked from outside the door.

Applejack looked back to see her little sister and her big brother in the door, glaring at the alicorn.

Applejack waved them away. “Nothin', go tah bed. Ah got this--”

“Why is she here? She doesn't belong here!” Flowerbloom said as she pointed at Twilight. “I bet she's here to try to take me away!”

Applejack blinked a few times. “What?”

“Don't listen to her,” Twilight said with a shake of her head. “Its grip on you is weakening, it's going to start getting desperate. Just remember, it's not real. It's not really your little sister or your brother.”

“Of course ah'm real! She's just tryin' tah trick you so she can take me away!” Flowerbloom said with a shake of her head. “Don't believe her. Do ah look fake? Do ah feel fake?” She stepped forward, tears beginning to form in her eyes. “Don't... don't yah know your lil sister?”

Applejack pushed Twilight away before looking between the two. “Well... ah... ah do believe all this.” She gently stroked her element. “Ah believe all this is real. But...” She turned towards Twilight. “Ah also believe in mah friend. Ah know yah wouldn't lie tah me. Ah know yah wouldn't try tah drive mah family away an'... an' most of all...” She closed her eyes as her element began to glow. “Ah know that ah never should have lied. It don't solve any problems. It jus' delays them an' makes them that harder tah face later on.”

“NOOOO!” Flowerbloom yelled before charging at the earth pony. The element erupted into light, enveloping all around as the world began to fall apart.

Chapter 19: Our friendship's magic

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Twilight let out a eek as she fell to the ground, looking around wildly. A moment later a spike of rock stabbed out from the ground, stopping only a few inches from her forehead. “Yah got her?” Flowerbloom asked before pushing a hoof down and sending the spike back into the ground. She then sent a hoof forward, raining rock spikes down at their attackers.

“Ah'm here!” Applejack said, confusion in her voice. “What in tarnation is goin' on?”

The alicorn looked around. There was water and rocks everywhere. Sweetie only had a little water, but she knew how to use it as she cleaved stones and rocks before they came near her, jumping and weaving as she went. Flowerbloom and Rainbow were working together, the earth pony directing the air bender where to fire as she used her earth bending to deflect and block the attacks at them. Gilda was keeping anypony who got close out of the way, namely by picking them up, body slamming or just generally making sure they had a bad time. Her greater size was quickly coming in handy.

Unfortunately, they were fighting a losing battle. The doors were being cleared out and the walls were on the verge of collapse. Long cracks were etched all over them and even parts of the roof had collapsed. There was no telling how long they'd been in there, but she could see the drops of sweat dripping from her friends and the way their movements were turning sluggish. Fortunately, they now had reinforcements.

“Applejack, come on!” she said before stomping a hoof. The earth pony mimicked the movement. A ripple spread out from the two, streaking across the ground before rising up into a wave, just past their friends. “We don't have to hold them off for long! Discord's control should wear off soon!”

“Soon may not be soon enough!” Rainbow yelled as she sent another burst of wind out, managing to send a pony who had tried to leap over the wave flying back through the walls.

“Defense, that's all we have to do. Applejack, Applebloom, just focus on that.” Twilight said before stomping her hooves again. Another wall formed up, behind the wave. It rose up, wrapping the ponies in a circle of stone. Sadly, it only lasted a few seconds before the earth benders on the other side began leaping through, blowing holes in it. “Rainbow, can you make a vortex with us in the eye of it? Make it swirl around the walls!”

“What walls?” Rainbow asked, her wings flapping as the winds began to pick up.

“The ones we'll make! Everypony get by Rainbow!” Twilight yelled. The others grouped up close. “Flowerbloom, help me keep the wall up! Applejack, keep anypony from going under it!”

The two earth ponies nodded and got to work, meshing their bending together. Outside the wall, the earth benders continued to try breaking it apart. However, together they managed to keep it standing, repairing holes as the ponies leaped through. They were then quickly caught in the vortex from Rainbow and sent spinning around the wind tunnel. Applejack tapped her hooves, knocking those who tried to sneak under them up into the air, making them get caught in the vortex as well. The alicorn looked back at her friends. “We're doing it! We've got this!”

Worry began to rise in her as she saw her friends. None of this was easy and she could see the strain it was causing on Rainbow, her wings struggling to maintain their speed as they flapped, each flap getting a little weaker as the winds began to slow down. Flowerbloom was the first to fall, collapsing to her knees and panting for air.

“Flowerbloom!” Applejack called out, reaching a hoof out.

“A-ah'm fine. Keep, keep goin'. A-ah can do this.” She surged her hoof forward, her repairs getting slower and slower as more and more holes formed in the wall. Then the vortex began to die as Rainbow's wings gave out and she fell to her knees. Twilight flapped her wings, trying to help it, but it was no use. There were too many of them, they were going to be overwhelmed. There was a shriek as Gilda was tackled by two earth benders who managed to make it through the barrier. They molded the earth around the griffon, capturing her.

Then it stopped. There were no new holes in the barrier, there was no more rumbling from below and those who were already within the barrier started to pull back. At least the ones who could stand without falling over or getting caught in the vortex. Twilight slowly let the winds die down, though she kept her wings out warily. “Mare Do Well?” she called out.

“Cease this attack!” the mare yelled. “Enough! Do not harm ze Avatar!”

The alicorn let out a sigh of relief. “I think we did it. We're going to be okay,” she said to the others. “Girls, how are you doing?”

“Ah'm confused. Bit of a jarrin' experience tah come out of there an' end up in the middle of a battlefield!” Applejack snapped, looking around. “Jus' what in tarnation has been goin' on while ah was under?”

“So very, very much,” Twilight said with a shake of her head. She waved her hoof and the wall fell. Mare Do Well was standing on the other end, a look of horror on her face.

“Deplorable, such, such travesty! Such horror! Such... unforgivableness!” the mare said as she shook her head.

“It's fine, you were under Discord's control,” Twilight said with a sigh. She was really getting tired of having to say that.

“Such... such tackiness!” Mare Do Well said as she looked at her hoof. “To think, still wearing this deplorable uniform! The shame! The humiliation! I cannot bear it! It went out of style months ago!”

Twilight narrowed her eyes. “What?”

“No! This uniform should have been tossed aside so long ago! Do not look at me!” the mare yelled before galloping off.

“What was that about?” Applejack asked, cocking an eye.

“I have no idea,” Twilight said before looking to the other earth benders. Those who weren't hurt were busy trying to help unbury and wake up those of them who had been. “So! Does anypony else plan on attacking us? Maybe launching a few earth spike, bringing down the roof, body slamming us?”

There was nothing but silence from the ponies as they quickly lowered their heads, shook them and mumbled weak little apologies.

“Good. How is everypony on our side?”

“I-I think... I'd almost welcome the whole relaxing and being pampered thing now,” Rainbow said with a groan. “I want some ice for my wings. Ow...”

“I want some ice for my everything...” Gilda mumbled.

Twilight let out a soft chuckle. “Good to know you're all okay then. How long were we in there for?”

The ponies didn't answer. Instead, all she received were a few groans and the collapse of Sweetie, the last to drop.

“Okay, let's get all of you somewhere to rest and relax,” Twilight said with a nervous smile. “Sorry.”

------

“I am so, so sorry!” Photo said, the Mare Do Well costume gone to reveal the blue earth pony with a white mane underneath. She was wearing her tinted red glasses and black and white dress once more. She was kneeling before the throne while Twilight and Applejack watched. Sitting on the throne was none other than Fancy Pants, the returned emperor.

He just gave a nervous, kind smile. “It's quite alright. The Avatar has already explained everything. You were quite out of yourself at the time, there was no way I, or anypony else, could have expected you to fight off such a powerful influence. I am just thankful the Avatar and her friends were able to release the bonds on all my ponies.” He gave a soft sigh. “And... thankful he didn't make me submit to such fel power.”

Twilight nodded slowly before looking to him. “Wait, you didn't? You mean you never felt his magic on you?” She stared at him warily.

“As near as I can tell, no.”

“I must be banished or executed or imprisoned! Or all three! I have brought great dishonor on my family and I!” Photo yelled as she shook her head.

“I wonder why? If he changed everypony else, why wouldn't he... oh.” She sighed and rubbed her forehead. “I'm guessing he wanted to make you... watch.” She glanced to Photo, who was on the ground, begging to be banished.

The emperor nodded and shook his head. “It was... difficult, watching and hearing my ponies squabble so. Even with the taint cleared from their minds, I think it will take years for the pain and conflict caused here to pass. Already I have dozens of ponies coming to me, demanding compensation for how they were cheated by others.” He turned to Photo and smiled. “I will not allow you to be banished or sent away. I need you now, more than ever. All of my ponies need you. At my side, where you belong. You will not abandon us in our hour of need, will you?”

“What? No! But I must be punished! To have done a great misdeed as I have done, is unforgiveable! Is a travesty! Is... is...”

“Cease this self degradation or you will have to wear the Mare Do Well costume from now on while in my service,” the emperor said firmly.

That made the mare pale. “NO! It has already gone away with the times! Is tacky now! I... I shall relent.”

“Good.” He turned back to Twilight. “This curse on my ponies, is it gone for good?”

Twilight sighed and gave a soft shrug. “I don't know. We've moved on too fast to see if he performs it again once we're gone. Unfortunately, we must leave again. We still have a lot to do and even more ponies to save. I'm sorry. What I can promise is that if he does return and unleashes his magic on you poor ponies, we will return to save you. We can and will defeat Discord once we are back together. We're almost there, as it is. Just two more elements to save.”

The stallion nodded. “I see.” He gave a soft sigh. “I... will do all I can to prepare and minimize the damage dealt by this monster, especially should he return. But...” He climbed off his throne and walked down the steps to look her in the eyes. “Please, Avatar. I beg of you. Stop this creature as fast as you can. This... is like nothing we've ever dealt with before. He doesn't just imprison a pony's body. He imprisons their very mind. The damage he has wrought is far worse than any I'd wish on any pony in the world.”

Twilight nodded. “I will. My friends are recovering, but we should be good to go after they've rested a bit.” She paused and gave a small shake of her head. “Trixie may come back. If you can... try to delay her as long as you can.”

The stallion nodded. “Of course. Our kingdom will not be in ruins, but we can make a fake statue to disguise your friend's departure. We can try to make her wait as long as we can, but I can make no promises. We... dare not openly fight her. Not as long as that thing backs her.”

“Of course,” Twilight said with a nod. “I wouldn't expect you to. Just delay as long as you can. I'm going to gather my friends and leave. Thank you.” She turned and trotted from the room, glancing out the windows as she walked. The courtyard was filled with angry ponies, those who had been cheated and scammed during the time of treachery. It was a sight that broke her heart.

------

A much better sight greeted Twilight as she stepped into the medical ward. Her friends were all up, eating, talking and in Rainbow's case, stretching. “Everypony feeling better?” the alicorn asked as she looked around.

“Nothing worse than a few pulled muscles,” Rainbow said with a smirk. “I feel right as rain. Time to go kick some butt, get the rest of our friends and thrash Discord, right?”

“Of course,” the avatar said with a grin. Judging by the smiles on the rest of her friend's faces, they were just as ready as her. “But we need to talk. As the only pony who has been inside all of these... dream things, I think I'd best tell you what I've figured out so far.” She took a deep breath, before letting out a sigh. “There is absolutely no pattern I can find.”

“What?” Rainbow asked, shaking her head. “That's stupid. Mine was simple, it--”

“Yes, it was. But they don't all work like that. They all seem to be dreams and follow their own little rules. I've talked to Spike, apparently when I was in Fluttershy's, he said I'd only been in there about ten minutes. But in the dream I had felt like I was stuck there for days. For Applejack's, I was in there for only a few hours before we escaped, but I was in there a lot longer than ten minutes. Time doesn't flow the same there so there is no telling how long we'll be in there when we go in.”

“If it's Discord's weird magic, it ain't surprisin' that time don't work right,” Applejack grumbled from her bed. Poor Flowerbloom was trapped in a very firm hug from her big sister, though she didn't seem to mind. “What else yah got for us?”

“Well, I haven't found any real patterns aside from they seem to be based around hindering our elements.” She pointed at her crown as it materialized on her head. “My dream seemed to be focused on making me afraid to make friends. On making connections. It made it hurt so much worse and fed off it. At its strongest, I didn't notice things even when they made no sense. For example, the entire world turned gray for a while and it never even occurred to me at the time that things were wrong. It wasn't until I turned to the help of the previous avatars that I was able to push it aside.” She then smiled. “And that seems to be the weakness.”

“The past avatars?” Rainbow asked.

“No. It's Discord's magic but... it's weaker. Not subtle in the slightest. Once I started realizing things were wrong, it couldn't cover them up fast enough. It tried and over extended, allowing me to see the faults and break through. It's like... being inside a dream and frightened, until you realize it's not a dream. Once that happens, the nightmares don't have enough control.”

“Well, that makes it seem pretty simple,” Gilda said with a snort. “So why do you need to even help them? Something that easy should be a cinch to break on their own.”

Twilight sighed. “It's... not that easy. Everypony, when you were in it, things you didn't understand or believe before made perfect sense, didn't they?” The ponies gave slow nods. “In the end, we need to just let the other pony know it's a dream, or push them. The problem is... well, each dream seems to be different. There seem to be new rules for each one.” She glanced to Fluttershy. “For example, in Fluttershy's dream, I was captured almost immediately in the darkness. I thought it was Discord's power, but it seemed to be her element. All I could do was call out to her. But that was enough.” She then turned to Rainbow. “Rainbow's was easier, in theory. I was able to appear inside her dream as myself, with Fluttershy. We were able to talk with her. But by then she'd been so twisted and lied to, that she didn't believe me. When she told us to go away, well... we couldn't fight it. It was like being dragged off.”

“Sorry about that,” Rainbow said sheepishly. “I wasn't in a good place and, well, it made sense at the time.”

“That seems to be the problem,” Twilight said with a shake of her head. “I think I can only do things that ponies expect. Fluttershy didn't expect a friend in the darkness, so I couldn't come out of it. Rainbow expected me to be there and to tell her lies, so nothing I said she believed. Applejack, well...” She turned to the earth bender. “Yours was the strangest of all.”

“What? Why? What was so special about mine?” the earth pony asked with a cocked eye.

“I couldn't talk to you. No, I could, but... you didn't see me. I tapped you a few times, you looked right at me and couldn't see me. I yelled in your ear, but you didn't hear me.” A grin formed on the alicorn's lips. “But there is still one good piece of news. We're not alone. I wasn't able to call to you, but I got help. Your element came to me, helped me change who I was to something you believed. Together, we were able to talk to you. Push you back to the pony we knew you were. That's the secret. In every dream, the elements are fighting against Discord's power and they seem to be what causes the weakness we can exploit.”

Rainbow nodded. “So, what you're telling us is basically, we have no idea what'll happen in each dream, but it's okay because the elements will be there as backup?”

“Well, yes. Hopefully.”

“Here's an idea,” the pegasus said. “What if the reason each one is different is because it's getting harder to get them out of it? Applejack had been in there the longest, maybe the element was too weak to talk to her and so it joined with you because it needed your help?”

Twilight paused and felt the color drain from her face. “That's... that can't be good. If that's the reason...” She shivered. “We'd best move quickly then. I imagine the next will be the most difficult of all.”

“Why?” Gilda asked with a cocked eye.

“We'll be going into the heart of the Fire Tribe lands. That is where Discord now reigns.” She took a slow, calming breath. “Even... worse than that. It is also where Pinkie is being held. Our dreams are all formed by things that we know. But Pinkie...”

“O-oh, oh dear,” Fluttershy said softly.

“That... don't sound good at all,” Applejack said slowly.

“What's the big problem? Pinkie seemed nice,” Sweetie asked.

“Oh, she is nice,” Rainbow said with a sigh. “Wonderful even. But she doesn't... well...”

“She marches tah the beat of her own drum,” Applejack mumbled.

“There's no telling what insanity Discord has spread through her mind,” Twilight said with a shake of her head. “This won't be easy. But once we rescue her, we'll only have Rarity left.” The others gave small nods before slowly getting to their hooves.

As the small herd walked out from the city, new thoughts sprang to their minds as they tried to imagine what madness the next leg of their journey would bring.

------

“Ah'll meet yah at the gate!” Flowerbloom yelled as she separated from the group.

“What?” Applejack asked, stopping in the road. “What in tarnation do yah think you're--”

“I just... I need to do something. It'll just be a few minutes, please,” the young mare said with a shake of her head. “I need to do it alone.”

Twilight glanced at the mare, before nodding. “Come on, Applejack. She'll be fine--”

“But she--”

“She's been helping me on this trip this entire time. She can take care of herself while in a city of allies. If she needs to do something... well, she has every right to.”

The elder earth pony sighed and glanced down at her little sister. “Well... fine. But yah'd best be safe! If anythin' happens tah yah, ah'd never forgive mahself!”

“Ah'll be safe, I promise,” Flowerbloom said before galloping off.

She dove and weaved between the streets, passing a muffin salesmare who was in tears as she apologized to one of her customers. She soon came to the center of the town, with a big smile on her face. It evaporated when she saw the big boulder, complete with little pebble on top of it. She slowly trotted towards it and lowered her gaze. “O-oh. I thought... well, I thought you'd be all better too,” she whispered softly as she gently poked the boulder. The pebble shook a little. “Don't worry, I'm a friend.” She sighed. “Don't worry, Rock Knight. The Avatar and the others are going to fix everything. Once they do, I'll make sure they come to fix you.” She then looked up at the pebble. “You take good care of her, Boulder.” She turned tail and ran off.

Chapter 20: It's growing all the time

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Twilight stood under the cover of the cave mouth, glaring out at the rain. “I hate Discord.”

“Yah know, ah've seen some pretty sick things in mah time, but ah think this is the sickest ah've ever seen,” Applejack said with a shake of her mane as she gently held her Flowerbloom in her lap in a tight hug. “Ah mean, this is the sign of a truly deranged an' evil mind.”

“Applejack, ah'm fine, yah can let me go...” Flowerbloom mumbled.

“That's good. Ah ain't.”

“Definitely,” Gilda grumbled as she wiped her wings off. “I've never met a creature that sick. And I've known quite a few ponies who would gut their own parents for a few bits.”

“I wouldn't say it's that bad, but yeah, that's just evil,” Sweetie grumbled as she looked out over the lands.

It was raining lemon juice. It had been fine at first, until it started to get into their eyes. They'd found cover quickly after that and were now sitting huddled around a campfire and looking out over the strange world through the thick, yellow mist.

Rainbow sat near the back, besides Fluttershy. The caretaker was busy gently trying to get Angel to eat and keep warm by the fire. “Hey,” Rainbow said softly, her voice low enough that it could barely be heard over the crackle and pop of the fire.

“Huh?” the mare asked softly before looking up. “Yes?”

“When, errr, you get a chance and aren't busy, can we talk? Just for a bit?” Rainbow asked softly, turning towards the others nervously. They didn't seem to notice as they talked about the rain.

“Oh? We can talk now, I--”

“I mean in private,” Rainbow asked again.

Fluttershy blinked a few times before nodding. Then, realizing her foalishness she quickly spoke up. “O-oh, of course. Ummm...” She cleared her throat. “I'm going to take Rainbow back and change her bandages, we'll be back in a second!”

“Huh? Oh, yeah. Stay safe,” Twilight said as she kept watching the rain. “Now, this kind of rain must be--”

Fluttershy took Rainbow's hoof and slowly led her back, a little deeper into their cave. “The others aren't far, but they shouldn't hear us from here. What's wrong? Is it your eyes?”

“No, though changing the bandages might be a good idea.” Rainbow muttered. The other mare reached up and began gently removing the linens. They were a little damp, but fortunately not soaked through.

Fluttershy looked into her friend's eyes, or at least what remained of them. They were still very cut up, but they were healing. Slowly. The infusion of healing bending was working at least. “I think they're coming along well. What is it you wished to talk about?”

Rainbow sighed and then tapped gently at the ground. “I'm... sorry. I know this might sound mean. Rude and... insensitive. But I just... I want to know, how, well...” She took a slow, deep breath. “How have you dealt with losing your bending?”

Fluttershy nearly lost the grip on her bandages. “W-what?”

“How have you dealt with it? I mean... it's gone. For good. Nothing you can do about it, right? So... how?”

“I... I don't understand what you mean.”

“It's like my sight, right? It has to hurt, knowing you had the ability to do something, but now no matter how hard you try, you'll never be able to do it again.”

Fluttershy paused before slowly giving her friend a hug. “I... I'm sorry. It's... just not the same. But... I'll try.” She slowly pulled back. “At... first it really hurt. I mean, I know I did the right thing. I couldn't let Twilight die. But... but...” She closed her eyes. “I can't help but think, from time to time, what ponies would still be alive if not for me losing them. If I still had them... perhaps there were... a few who died who would have lived.” She took another slow, soft breath. “But I knew I couldn't do it anymore. So when Zecora offered to teach me of other medical secrets, I jumped at them. Even though I've lost one skill, I don't feel like it's completely cut off from me. I just have to go about it a different way.” She put a hoof against her chest. “I... I'd be lying if I said it doesn't hurt. That I don't wish I still had my healing bending. But it's gone and there's nothing that can be done about it. It won't do me any good to focus on it and miss what I don't have, when there is still so much I can do.” She then put her hoof out and gently placed it on Rainbow's shoulder. “And... and I think the same is true for you. You can still do so much, to help us. Just like you always have. You've lost your sight, but that doesn't mean you've lost everything. You're the greatest air bender any of us have ever seen. I think you just need to find out what you want to do and how you're going to do it.” She then reached out and began applying new bandages.

Rainbow nodded. “I... thank you.” She scuffed the ground with her hoof. “I just... had to know, you know? About what you... thought.” She took a deep breath. “I have been practicing, you know. Seeing with air. I don't have it yet but... well, now that we have Applejack, who knows?”

Fluttershy smiled and gave her friend a quick hug. “I believe in you, Rainbow. If anypony can figure out how to see through your bending, you can. Just never give up.”

Rainbow nodded. “Heh, of course. Can you see if Applejack can come out here? I wanna see if I can get some practice in. She's the expert and all.”

“Of course,” Fluttershy said before releasing her friend. She trotted back towards the front of the cave.

Rainbow sighed and gently scuffed her hoof against the ground. It was hard, what she was going to try to do. But it wasn't impossible. It was silly of her to believe her friends would ever send her on some crazy wild goose chase. To think Applejack would have lied about that too. She had a lot of work to do and she was going to perfect it. Because she was Rainbow Dash, the greatest air bender of all time.

------

“Ah... ah still hate him, yah know,” Applejack mumbled as she stared ahead. “But... oh mah goodness that looks delicious.”

“That's... that's just not fair,” Twilight mumbled. “I'm just thankful Pinkie isn't with us. We'd never be able to leave.” She took another slow, deep breath before wiping some drool from her mouth.

“I can smell it from here. That is... that's amazing. Maybe we should camp here for a bit?” Rainbow asked, licking her lips.

“YES!” everypony said in unison, even Spike spouting up and raising a claw.

“Then let's go!” the pegasus said before galloping forward. It had been a few days, as far as they could tell, since they'd left Fillydelphia and they finally made it to the border. Unfortunately, they found the greatest trial they had yet to face.

The mountains were pure chocolate, complete with delicious frosting all around them. It wasn't the cheap chocolate they'd been experiencing up to this point, either. This was like a parfait. Cold and soft to the touch, melting in the mouth, the kind a pony could eat an entire cake of until they were bloated and yet never stop at just 'one more bite'. Saving the world or not, there was no way anypony could pass up such a delicious treat.

“Oh my goodness,” Fluttershy asked as she gently fed Angel a small ball of delicious chocolate. “You... you don't think all the mountains are that way, do you? We can't... Oh...” She shivered.

“We'll be the size of houses by the time we get out of here,” Rainbow said with a moan before tossing a small bit in her mouth. “Ehhh. We run a lot, it should be fine.”

“Maybe this is Discord's way of trying to stop us?” Sweetie offered.

“If it is, ah wouldn't mind him tryin' a bit more often,” Flowerbloom said as she licked a bit of whipped cream. “It sure beats havin' tah run from Nightmare Moon or...” She let the words trail off.

“Solar Flare,” Sweetie added, shaking her head. “We'll save them eventually, it's fine.”

“Of course,” Flowerbloom mumbled as she looked at the chocolate and shook her head. She then shrugged. “Eh, your right. Did it once, can do it again.” She took another bite.

“Hard to be upset with chocolate like this around,” Twilight said with a small chuckle. She then glanced down the road. “I'm thinking we should stop by the hideaway first, where all the baby dragons are. I want to make sure they haven't, well, changed anything while we were gone. I'm sure they... Spike?”

The dragon had stopped in mid bite, his claws slowly moving down to his lap. “It's nothing...”

“Are you su--”

“I said I'm fine,” the dragon snapped. “Can we just eat in peace?”

The alicorn sighed and gave a slow nod. “Fine.” She watched him though, the chocolate slowly becoming far less enjoyable as time went on. As the group finished their treats, a new treachery overtook them as they tried walking away from it.

“Ah... ah think ah ate...” Flowerbloom was interrupted by a belch. “Pardons. Ah think ah ate too much.”

“My stomach feels like it's going to explode,” Sweetie groaned.

“I never want to see another piece of chocolate as long as I live,” Scootaloo said with a soft whine.

“Come on, after we walk a few hours, we'll forget all about this,” Rainbow mumbled. Bloated and stuffed, the ponies slowly made their way down the road.

------

“Okay, come on, that's just rude,” Twilight said with a shake of her head. “Evil or not, there should at least be some semblance of taste.”

“Ah don't know,” Applejack said with a shake of her mane. “At least it made it easier tah find. Not like it needs tah be secret anymore. Trixie doesn't seem quite as interested in dragon genocide now.”

“Yet,” Rainbow muttered.

Ahead of the group stood the entrance to the nest of the dragons. It had been very, very easy to find, despite having once been a hidden secret of the Fire Tribes. The reason for that was because of all the large glimmering signs, sparkling with gems and saying things like 'Come and see the birth place of the dragons!' and 'Feed a dragon with your own hooves, careful, they bite' and 'Discord is not responsible for any injuries or eaten property that may occur while visiting'.

“He's completely responsible for this,” Sweetie grumbled as they trotted into the caverns. At least the mountain was staying as an actual mountain, not chocolate. The others still were chocolate mousse ones though. “Twilight, will that be enough?” she asked, motioning towards the cloak that the alicorn had gotten from Fillydelphia.

“Hopefully,” the alicorn said with another sigh. She could hear yelling down the way. Annoyed yelling, not fearful. It made her a little wary. “What do you think Discord has done to this place?”

“Probably turned all the baby dragons into giant cucumbers or something,” Spike grumbled with annoyance.

“Of course he hasn't,” Twilight said with a shake of her head. “That would just be silly. Even for him.” She started walking faster none the less. The chamber soon opened into a wide, open cavern and her mouth fell open.

The place was a mess. A complete and utter mess. Candy, jewels, fruits, vegetables, rocks, pretty much everything imaginable was laid out on the ground. There were dozens of ponies running about and struggling to feed the baby dragons, though they were being very annoying about it, tossing things into the air and only occasionally eating what was offered. Still, it didn't seem so bad until she saw one of the dragons devour a big chunk of metal. Twilight was about to say something, but then she saw the pony's face who fed it.

The poor pony had massive bags under her eyes, her blue streaked hair was a mess and her coat was covered in spit up. She looked so happy to finally get the dragon to eat. She didn't look like she'd slept in days, her eyes almost completely red. All the other ponies looked almost the same as they ran about. Then Twilight gasped as she realized she knew that poor, abused pony. “Vinyl?” she called out.

The mare looked up. “A-avatar?” It was a sign of how exhausted the other ponies were that none of them even looked up with those words.

Twilight stepped forward, looking around. “What's happened here? What... happened to you?”

“Me? I-I'm fine! Awesome, amazing. Come, come. I have a break coming up,” she said as she trotted off. Twilight and the others followed behind, looking around at all the poor ponies working their horns off.

“Where's Octavia?”

“She's down below, tending to the newest born. I don't envy her that task,” Vinyl mumbled, shivering a bit. “It'll be my turn tomorrow, ugh.”

They were lead into a small room that quickly became crowded when all of them stuffed themselves inside. Vinyl collapsed on a chair that was set up in the room, letting out a sigh of relief. Twilight waited for the mare to speak, before realizing a few seconds later that the mare had actually fallen asleep.

“Hey! Vinyl!”

“Huh? Oh! Right, sorry!” the water bender said sheepishly before giving a grin. “It's been... a hectic couple of months. Ever since... Discord.” She gave a soft sigh.

“What's going on here? You look exhausted!”

“It's... the babies,” Vinyl said with a small shiver. “Discord did something to them. Now, their diets change almost hourly.”

Twilight blinked, confusion on her face. “Wait, hourly? What does that mean?”

The unicorn groaned. “He came in here a month ago. We were, for obvious reasons, concerned. He'd actually been leaving us... sort of alone. But then he started talking about how interesting a dragon's digestion was, how it devoured those gems. He said it would be fun to see what else they could eat. Then boom, none of the babies will eat gems anymore!” She shivered again. “It's been horrible. We manage to get one of them fed, then spend two to three hours trying to find a way to feed another. We get a few of them fed, then the first one is hungry again. It's been non-stop! No matter what we do, they're always hungry!” She grabbed the alicorn's whithers and shook her. “We can't feed them fast enough! We can't keep this up!” She then fell down onto the cushion and began to cry, her hooves covering her eyes.

Twilight just stared for a few moments before sitting down, hugging the mare. “There there, it's going to be okay. We're here. We'll defeat Discord soon and this will all go away, we promise. It's just a little longer.” She gently patted her on the back.

“P-please. I-it's horrible! I-I love these dragons but, but I just can't! T-the only good thing is, well, t-the soup. A-at least we d-don't have to g-go searching for food o-or buying it, s-so we just have to take care of the dragons. But that's all we do. Take care of dragons. DRAGONS! All day!”

Twilight blinked and cocked her head to the side. “Wait, what? Soup? What soup?”

Vinyl sighed and took her hoof. “C-come. I'll show you.” She stood up and walked away, leading them through the halls of the great cavern. They soon started going underground and came to the heart of the nest, the great assortment of eggs. The heat was tremendous and there were great boiling pools around the room.

“Wait, is that vegetable soup?” Twilight asked as she stared at it. “Isn't it... supposed to be lava?”

“Yup,” Vinyl said, a smile on her face. “We have it breakfast, lunch and dinner. If we had time to think about it, we'd probably hate it. But to be honest, at this point we're all just so happy to get a break, that anything would taste good.” The smile looked as if it might crack at any moment. “Octavia, hey!” She waved her hooves.

Twilight glanced up and saw a group of ponies dealing with the freshest born dragons. They were trying to get them to eat anything from brass to grass. Judging by the mess, they weren't having much luck. One of the ponies glanced up.

Octavia stared at them through bloodshot eyes, her dark gray mane just as messed up as Vinyl's. She looked just as much on the verge of a breakdown as the rest of the ponies. “What are you doing here? You're not here until tomorrow.” She paused, then shook her head. “Or, or was it today? I... I can't really remember. Have I gone to bed already?”

“No, no,” Vinyl said, shaking her head. “I brought a guest. The Avatar has come! She's free!”

The earth pony blinked blearily at the alicorn before shrugging. “So? Is she going to be tending to the dragons now?”

“Errr, no, she's going to try to fix them, though! And kick Discord in the face!”

Twilight nodded. “Something like that. We, errr, we're on our way to Manehatten. I, well, I was hoping you'd know... well, never mind. You all seem very busy, we should probably go.”

“W-what? You're leaving already? You must stick around! Look, we have soup! Don't you want some soup?” Vinyl asked, her eyes twitching just a little bit.

“Vinyl, when is the last time you had a full nights sleep?” Twilight asked nervously.

She was greeted by silence.

“When... is the last time any of you have had a full nights sleep?”

“The dragons... need to eat,” Vinyl mumbled softly.

“But they're always eating new things... so many of them...” Octavia said in a dreary, quiet tone.

Twilight nodded. “I... see. I think we'd best go now. Try to get some sleep, if you can. Please.” She started walking towards the exit. Vinyl didn't move to stop them. None of the ponies even looked at them as they went. The moment they were outside she turned to Gilda. “Okay, I know you don't like me, but--”

“What makes you think I don't like you?”

Twilight blinked a few times. “Well... you nearly killed me a few times? Captured me?”

“I also saved your flanks before. Besides, that was just business. Liking you or not has nothing to do with it.”

The alicorn smiled. “Oh, so you do like me then?”

The griffon hummed for a moment and looked her over. Then she shook her head. “No, not particularly. You're kind of whiny and annoying. Not to mention bossy.”

Twilight glared at her. “Anyway. Moving on. I need you to do me a favor. This is... well, this is horrible.” She motioned inside. “Those ponies are suffering. They need help. Unfortunately, there is very little we can do.”

“How much of that do you think is Discord's influence?” Rainbow asked. “I've never heard Vinyl sound so... well...”

The alicorn sighed. “I couldn't say. I mean, she seemed kinda like herself, but more... it could be a mix of sleep deprivation and Discord's own magic. I wouldn't put it past him to change them just enough to make this entire ordeal all the worse for those poor ponies. They need help. Gilda, that's where you come in.”

The griffon froze before shaking her head. “Oh, not a chance in Tartarus. I am not staying here and there's not a thing you can say to change my mind. Not for all the bits in the world. I do not feed babies.”

Twilight shook her head. “No, one griffon wouldn't make that much of a difference. They're overworked and need a lot more than a few extra hooves or... claws in your case.”

“Talons.”

“Whatever. I want you to fly back to Fillydelphia and ask them for help. Tell them I sent you specifically and that the ponies here need relief and aid in raising the dragons.”

Gilda snorted. “Why would they help? How would they even know you sent me?”

Twilight sighed and shook her head. “I... don't know. They might remember you? But the emperor is a kind, generous pony. He'll help them if he can.”

“What if they've already been changed back to how they were?” Gilda asked with a cocked eye.

“Then do what you can. If they're changed... well, there's nothing we can do about it. But, if they are, please try going to Cloudsdale. They might be able to help and send relief as well.”

Gilda sighed and shook her head. “This is all a waste of time. Why send me, anyway?”

“Rainbow can't see and Fluttershy isn't a long distance flier. Besides, when we confront Discord, we'll need to be together.” Twilight took a slow, deep breath. “How about this. When we defeat him, we're bound to have some rewards. I solemnly swear that I will see to it that you get a hefty reward for your aid to the Fire Tribes. Deal?”

Gilda frowned and rubbed her chin. “I see. How hefty a reward are we talking?”

“As much as any one pony could want. I'll find a way to pay it myself, if necessary. Please.”

The griffon sighed before shaking her head. “Fine, Avatar. But you owe me.” She turned and spread her wings out before taking to the sky. Twilight watched her go and let out her own annoyed sigh.

“Well, at least these ponies will get the relief they need. Wish everything didn't always have to be so difficult, though,” she mumbled.

“What if she's not able to find us after this?” Rainbow asked softly.

“Then she'll be the lucky one,” Twilight muttered. “I don't imagine it'll be hard, though. The emperor might be able to delay Trixie for a while, but it won't be long before she realizes where we're going. It's not going to be possible to outrun them forever. Especially with their resources.”

Rainbow nodded before moving besides the alicorn and smiling. “Hey. It's not like we're completely outclassed here or anything. We've got something that Trixie will never have.”

“Oh? What's that?”

“Entire countries full of friends, who are going to stop that annoying little unicorn every step of the way. Sure, it's not fancy bending or the elements, but it has to count for something.”

Twilight gave a small smile. “You're right. Thousands, possibly millions of ponies all out there helping us as best they can. I can't imagine a more powerful force.” She glanced up at her friends. “Aside from maybe my friends. Come on, let's go.” She turned and started trotting away, her heart raised slightly. They were making their way, slowly but surely. They had friends and allies all across the world, even if it did sometimes feel as if they were all alone. Even if Discord kept changing some of them. They still were, and always would be, her friends.

That's what she could never forget, no matter how hard it was. They weren't alone. Soon they would be six strong, but outside them were a million other ponies, watching and supporting them from the sides. Together, they could and would defeat Discord. The world would be saved.

Chapter 21: A new adventure waits

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“That's... a doozy of a wall,” Applejack mumbled as the ponies stared. They'd finally made it through the many mountains of temptation and could finally see out into the distance, towards the badlands. Or at least, they would have except a massive wall that reached up into the clouds had been raised all across the border, cutting them off from the wasteland.

“There's no way that was made by hoof,” Twilight muttered as she stared at it. “It's too... new. It had to be magic, but who? Discord? Why would Discord make it?”

“Maybe it was the zebras,” Rainbow offered. “Trying to keep Discord out? There's no telling what's over there, though. They probably have all kinds of weird magic.” She then snickered. “Or maybe Discord did put it up because he's scared of something over there.”

Twilight snickered and shook her head. “Right, Discord scared of something. No, it must be something to keep him out. But it must have taken a lot of magic to create such a thing. Bending, too...” She frowned as she looked over at it again. Parts of it appeared to be made of metal, though others were stone and some even glass. All melded together perfectly. The entire thing was just strange. It looked like something Discord would make, but there was no candy. “The Badlands are... mostly unexplored. Perhaps there are things in there other than the zebras?” She shook her head and started walking again. It wasn't like they had the time to examine it now. The world still needed them. The wall could be dealt with after Discord was gone, if even then. Not like it was hurting anything.

------

“Oh buck,” Twilight said as they climbed over another hill. The other ponies slowly walked after her and expressed similar sentiments.

“What is it?” Rainbow asked, a frown on her face. “I don't hear anything weird.”

“Ah think... ah think we're at ground zero,” Applejack said, her mouth falling down.

Ahead of them was a realm of pure chaos. There was grass, but it all seemed to be made of different candies and jellos, wiggling in the wind. Chocolate milk was raining down from the few cotton candy clouds, though some of them were raining up. Houses were flying around upside down, their owners drinking tea while they sat upside down on the chimneys. There were buffalo in tutus dancing around. Everything was just plain wrong and strange, making the ponies stare with wide eyed horror and fascination.

“Discord,” Twilight whispered.

“Oh, yes. He's definitely behind all this,” Sweetie said with a shake of her head.

“No! I mean, Discord!” She pointed a hoof towards a nearby fur tree. The tree snarled at them as it guarded its caramel apples. One of the apples had been carved into a little throne and Discord was sitting on it, rocking back and forth as he watched them.

The spirit chuckled as he eyed them. “My oh my. Finally decided to see me?” He motioned his arm out towards the great, wide open fields of his discorded world. “What do you think? I believe I'll call it Discordia. Do you like it?”

Twilight shook her head as panic rose in her. They weren't ready, they were still missing two of their friends. They couldn't take him down now. She took a deep breath. “W-what are you doing, Discord? What... is all this?” She looked around at what had once been a barren desert. Now it was more of a dessert. Long, empty flat plains where the chocolate mousse could run free.

“Oh, I'm just having some fun. You know how all this work can just tire a spirit of chaos out.” He snapped his fingers and appeared behind her, making her yelp and jump forward. “I see you're coming along nicely. Three of you out already? I was certain I'd get at least a few more years of glorious chaos.” He sighed and then snickered. “I see you even have Spike. Do tell me you plan on giving him one of the elements to fight me with? That has always worked so well for all of you. Perhaps he can be the new Rarity?”

The alicorn took a step back, fire forming at the tip of her horn. “Y-you leave Spike alone. He--”

“Oh, do calm yourself,” the spirit said as he reached out and pinched the tip of her horn, snuffing the fire out. “I'd think you'd...” He frowned and glanced back up. “A shame for them you haven't saved Pinkie yet.”

“Huh? Why would--” Snap.

------

Twilight smiled as Manehatten finally came into view. She glanced back to her friends. “We're here, Pinkie's just a little further away.”

Sweetie nodded and glanced towards the great city. The great walls still surrounded it, in good repair. There were craters around the walls from where the stars had fallen against the city, but the damage seemed to be healing slowly. The great dragon statues inside could be seen, peeking over the walls. There were ponies on the walls, peering out over the crowds. “Are you sure this is going to be okay?”

Twilight nodded. “I... I think so. I don't think...” She took a slow, deep breath. She couldn't believe she was having to say this. “I think Discord was telling the truth. All this is just a game to him, he doesn't think he can lose. He doesn't believe we can beat him.” She dug her hooves deeper into the sand. “But... that doesn't matter. Because we will defeat him and make him regret all he's done.”

“What about Rarity? Do yah think he was tellin' the truth about that?” Flowerbloom asked.

Twilight sighed and gave a little shrug. “I... guess? Maybe?” She glanced to Scootaloo. “But I have no idea what his little riddle meant. Do you?”

“Not a clue,” the pegasus said with a shrug. “I don't think it was at Canterlot, but I suppose it's possible. I wouldn't put it past Trixie to try and have both yours and her statue in the same place. To gloat over her two biggest threats.”

Twilight nodded. “That is something she'd probably do.” She looked back towards the city. “But at least now we have a destination in mind, we--” She paused and her eyes widened slightly. She froze in mid step. “Applejack, how's your sand bending?”

“Good. Why?”

“Take us underground, now.”

“What? But ah--”

“Do it!”

The earth pony frowned before stomping her hoof. The ground opened underneath and swallowed them up. The ponies landed in a small pile, making them groan. After a few seconds they managed to realign themselves and get back to standing. “Now, yah mind tellin' me what that was all about?”

Twilight took a slow, deep breath. “I... I saw Nightmare Moon. She was on the wall.”

Silence filled the hole as the ponies let that news sink in. The alicorn's horn lit up after a few seconds. “We'll have to dig our way in and keep our heads low.” She let out another soft sigh. “There's no telling how dangerous this will be, so everypony, be careful.”

There were a few small nods as the group started slowly making their way forward, Flowerbloom and Applejack leading the way. The sand was packed tightly with bending to keep them safe. Step by step they made their way closer to Manehatten and their trapped friend.

Chapter 22: For us

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The ground opened deep within the city of Manehatten as the Avatar and her friends popped out. Twilight gasped for air as she rolled onto the ground, her coat covered in sweat. “W-we... we did it... y-yay...” she mumbled.

“N-next time, d-don't... don't l-light the small tunnel w-with fire bending...” Rainbow said with a groan. “I-I feel like we've been w-walking through an oven.”

“I-it's worked before,” Twilight objected.

“Normally we can make air holes,” Applejack said before getting to her hooves, only to fall over. “Too many ponies around here, couldn't do it. Not tah mention keepin' the sand from cavin' in was a pain as it was.”

“R-right, sorry,” Twilight mumbled before looking around. They were inside a small, grimy alley. The air smelled a little bad, but compared to the sweltering tunnel they had been in, it was heavenly. She got to her hooves and pulled her cloak close. “Well, we're inside now at least. Just need to catch our breath and get moving. I'll look outside,” she said before trotting towards the exit of the alley. The streets were packed to the rim with ponies and most seemed to be yelling.

“No, I will not be happy with a free muffin!” a mare was screaming at a pegasus, before slamming her muffin down on the cart stand. It crumbled to pieces. “You're incompetent, a complete idiot, you wandering-eyed freak! I said NO NUTS! What is this? It's a NUT! What kind of stupid, lazy, incompetent, useless fool of a pony are you if you can't even see NUTS on your muffins?”

“I-I'm sorry, I was just--”

“You were just what? Trying to poison me! I don't LIKE NUTS! The buck is wrong with you!”

“H-here, here's your bits back, I--”

The mare just knocked the bits out of her hand. “I don't want my bits back, I want what I ordered!”

“B-but that was my last--”

“I don't care. What the buck is wrong with you? How can you even think of starting a business when you're too bucking stupid to see what a bucking nut looks like? What, are you blind as well as stupid? You know what I want, I want you to tie off your stupid wings and jump off--”

Twilight's eyes went wide as she held a hoof to her mouth. That wasn't even the only pony yelling and berating like that. The street and stands were filled with ponies yelling and screaming at each other. It was just the only one where the tender didn't seem to be arguing back. She saw one pony accidentally bump into another and within a few moments the two were breaking into a hoof fight. She slowly slunk back into the alley and trotted to the others. “Okay, let's move quick. The ponies here are definitely under the influence of something nasty.” She gave a soft sigh. “When we find Pinkie, we're going to have to be very, very careful.”

“Ah don't mean tah be a damper or anything, but do yah think we're gonna be okay? Ah mean... this is Pinkie we're talkin' about,” Applejack said nervously. “There's no tellin' what kind of world she's gone an' made in her head.”

“It can't be any stranger than the one Discord has been making,” Sweetie mumbled. There were a few moments of hushed silence. “It can't, can it?”

Twilight sighed. “Well... she's always been a bit... off. I mean, talking about weird things and... well... scripts and all kinds of things. But... I guess nothing really weird. I don't think she sees things.”

“But she's still our friend,” Rainbow said firmly. “She'd march through Tartarus for any of us.”

“Exactly,” the alicorn said with a nod. “So no matter what kind of weird, crazy and wild world she's stuck in, we'll face it down and rescue her. That's all there is to it. We'll just have to be extra careful.”

“We'd best go an' start lookin' then, right?” Flowerbloom asked as she tried to tug away from her big sister's hug. “Yah know, it's been quite a while now. Yah can let me go once in a while!”

“Ah could, but why would ah?” Applejack said with a grin before giving one more squeeze and letting her go.

Twilight nodded and glanced towards the street. “Let's split up. There's no telling how many soldiers are out here, or who else is with them. Nightmare Moon was here, so there could be anypony.” She frowned and rubbed her chin. “Meet up near the southern dragon statue.”

“What if we run inta trouble?” Applejack asked warily.

“Go underground. We'll make three groups of...” Her words trailed off as she looked over her friends and counted them twice more. The color drained from her face. “Where's Spike?”

The ponies quickly looked back and forth, but there was no sign of the dragon. The alicorn tried to hold in her panic. “Did, did anypony see him? He did come through the tunnel with us, didn't he? Somepony had to see him, right?”

The ponies shuffled their hooves and looked around nervously. Twilight sat down. “I... I can't believe this. I've lost him again. How could I let him walk off like that? I promised I wouldn't. He could be anywhere. He's probably outside the city right now, alone and afraid. He might even--”

“Now you jus' relax right there,” Flowerbloom said with a shake of her head. “Ah know he's young, but he ain't helpless. He's gone this long by your side, ah think he knows how tah take care of himself at this point. Ah'm sure if he ran off, he had a good reason tah. We can search for him while we search for Pinkie's statue, too. He's fine.”

Sweetie nodded. “He seems pretty good at... well... I mean, Rarity found him before. There are a bunch of dragons around the city, right? Maybe he just went to them. So he won't draw too much attention. I'm sure that's it. If we don't see him around the city, we can try to find him with the other dragons once we rescue Pinkie.”

Twilight nodded, though the panic still raged within her. “F-fine. Okay. We'll split into three groups, one earth bender each. If anything happens, go underground. If you see Spike, I don't care what you have to do, grab him. Make sure he's okay. We'll meet back at the statue in two hours, okay?”

There were a few mumbled agreeances and the ponies soon split up. Angel, Applejack, Fluttershy and Rainbow in one group, Twilight in the second and the princess and her friends in the third. They had objected to Twilight being alone, but she promised not to risk anything. As the only omni-bender, she was best at getting out where the others might have issues. She was also the one most likely to draw attention. They grudgingly agreed.

Twilight headed out from the alley and started walking at a quick pace towards the east side of the city, dodging and weaving around carts and ponies. She could hardly believe how rude the ponies were, cutting her off, bumping into her, threatening to run her over with a cart once even. She was half tempted to punch one pony out when they bumped her so hard she spun in a circle. Unfortunately, she couldn't make a scene and risk capture. She'd never seen ponies acting so rude before.

She made it a few blocks away before a pony was literally thrown at her from one of the buildings. She let out a yelp as the drunk pony toppled her over. “G-get off!” she yelled.

The earth pony just glared at her, his head swaying from side to side. His coat was light gray and his mane was dark gray. His mane was wild and he smelled strongly of cider. “D-do you have any idea who ah am?” he asked angrily before she managed to shove him off.

“No! Nor do I want to!” she snapped in annoyance before rolling over. She knew this was Discord's influence, but she couldn't believe the lack of limits. Her cloak was tugged on and she was forced to stop, lest she lose it. She turned back and glared. “What do you want?”

The stallion wobbled a little bit, his hoof placed on her cloak. “Ah... ah'm... Ah'm Caballeron! Don't yah know who ah am, water bender?”

Twilight almost said something before holding it in. There were only a few fire benders in the city most likely, so being seen as a water bender could be beneficial. Though the smelly stallion was getting on her nerves. “No. Why?”

He glared even more intensely. “A-ah was your commander! Ah was commander of the whole, of the whole Water Nation armies!” He wobbled a bit and his hoof fell off her cloak. “But... but yah didn't care about any of that, did yah? Ah was a great commander. Ah knew how tah use mah ponies proper. But all yah ever saw was mah lack of a horn! Yah all, yah all make me sick.” He wobbled a step back before falling on his butt. “Ah was the greatest commander of all time! Now... now ah... now ah'm looked down by all yah... yah soldiers! Ah was jus' doin' mah job! But Trixie, she dun care about anypony but her precious unicorns! Now look at me! Not a bit to mah name...”

The alicorn did look at him, before letting out a soft sigh. He looked horrible, his mane all wild and messed up, swaying from side to side. His eyes were bloodshot and his coat was filthy. She watched him a few more seconds before a realization dawned on her. “Oh! I'm sorry, I don't have any bits on me. Or, err, drinks.”

The soldier blinked a few times, glaring at her. “Ah bet you're all jus' spendin' your bits on pretty mares an' wasteful things like that! Well, let meh tell yah, they don't last the moment you're disgraced! DISGRACED!” he yelled before slowly getting to his hooves and shoving his way through the crowd, leaving a rather strong odor in his wake.

Twilight shook her head and trotted away. She couldn't help but feel a little pity for him. After all, he was supposedly the one time commander of the Water Nation forces. Yet she had no idea who he was. Being the commander once Trixie returned couldn't be easy on anypony though.

She started lightly trotting again as she started getting the hang of the crowds. She dove and wove through the shovers, making her way steadily forward. In a way it reminded her a lot of air bending. Moving with the flow of the crowds. Then a pony suddenly grabbed her leg and yanked her to the side. She let out a startled yelp as she was pulled into one of the alleys. She lifted a leg and prepared to fight the stallion off.

“Avatar,” his voice said, harsh and raspy.

She froze and looked up. The stallion was... oddly familiar. His face was covered in scars and the remains of a horn could be seen, a large scar on his forehead. His body was covered in a red and black robe. “Who are you? How do you know who I am?”

The stallion paused for a second, before shaking his head. “My... name is Righteous Knight. I was one of the--”

Twilight's eyes went wide. “You're one of the ponies who were helping the resistance. I heard about you, you saved all the young benders. I--”

“Don't,” he said softly before turning away.

Something about him was so familiar, she just couldn't put her hoof on it. The scars and wounds across his body didn't make it easier. “I'm sorry. Why aren't you affected by Discord? I thought--”

“I was. But... I was in Canterlot when you escaped. I've only recently arrived here. I've come to aid you.” He took a slow, deep breath. “I've come to tell you where Rarity is. I... knew you'd come here.”

Twilight's heart jumped as her eyes widened. “Y-you do? Where? How?”

“Yes. She's being held with the Shadowbolts in the south pole. Their fortress.” He let out a soft sigh and dug a hoof into the ground. “I know because that is what I've spent all my time trying to discover since your imprisonment. I knew you would come here after I heard about what happened in Cloudsdale. Please, you must rescue Princess Rarity.” He looked her over. “You... might wish a greater disguise as well. Anypony who has met you could easily identify you, even cloaked.”

The alicorn cocked her head to the side, ignoring that other comment as she tried to think. There was something about his voice, too. It was familiar, but the raspy tone made it difficult to identify. The way he said to save Rarity was a little strange though. She swore she saw a little blush on his cheeks. “You don't know how to get there?”

“I'm afraid not,” he said softly. “Only an airship could make the trip, but there are none left in any of the countries aside from Canterlot. Even they have so few that they only move on occasion.”

Twilight nodded. “Of course. It can never be easy, can it?” She ground a hoof into the ground and took a slow, deep breath. “But that is more than we had before. A location. We can finally find Rarity.” A smile formed on her lips. They would soon have Pinkie saved and then all that remained was Rarity, her final friend. They were so close, she couldn't imagine anything could stop them now. She then frowned. “Wait, how do I know I can trust you?”

The pony sighed. “I... don't know. Avatar, you have every reason not to trust me. I have done horrible, awful things in the past. But I am trying to make up for them now.” He turned and bowed his head. “I've done the worst possible things. But please, I beg of y--”

“Blueblood!” Twilight gasped, taking a step back. “Y-you, how? How are you here? I would have sworn you were dead! I thought... your horn, what happened? Who--”

“I was captured by the Water Nation during the battle of Fillydelphia. My horn was cut off and I was left for dead. I've since lived... quite an interesting life. I don't expect you to trust me, but I beg of you, please believe me. That is where Rarity is. You have to rescue her, she's... she's...”

Twilight's eyes widened and a hoof went up to her mouth. “How... do you know her? We joined with her long after we met you. How?”

He lowered his gaze. “We met after... I did a horrible, horrible thing. She helped me to become a much better pony and... I owe her so much. I can't... bear the thought of her, trapped like that.”

The alicorn stared for a moment before her eyes went even wider. “Wait, are you in LOVE with Rarity?” she asked. “Y-you do know she's a water bender, correct?”

“What? No! Of course not! Why, did she say something?” he asked quickly, before shuffling his hooves a few moments. “I-I mean, no, I just, she's a, a very good friend. She... she just... please, she needs your help. Only you can free her, so you must. I've gathered what information I can, so... please.” He lowered his head. “I am begging with all my heart and soul. Save her, for only you can.”

Twilight gave a slow, gentle smile before reaching out and patting his head. “I... I see. I think... I can forgive you. The lightning you flung at me did hurt, but... I survived. If you've become a better pony since then, well... everypony deserves a second chance.”

He nodded before slowly raising his head. “That's... all you remember me doing?”

She frowned. “Well... no. I remember you doing other, horrible things as well. But you aren't in command of the fire benders any more. I don't believe you can do any more harm through them. I can forgive what you did to me.”

The stallion nodded before lowering his head. “I... wish I could let it stand at that, but I cannot. You deserve to know the truth. The invasion on the Fire Benders in the Everfree Forest. That... was my doing. I was the one who--” The stallion's words were cut off as Twilight's hoof plowed into his face. He stumbled back, his eyes wide. He laid on the ground for a few moments, a hoof over his mouth.

“That... that was you?” Twilight asked, her entire body shaking as she tried to suppress her anger and hate. “Do you have any idea what that caused? How many ponies nearly lost their horns and their lives? How much damage was caused, how much work we had to do to fix what you did? Do you?” she only barely managed to keep her tone even. She wanted to scream and yell, to thrash him through a wall. But she couldn't risk her cover. Such a thing would draw attention.

He nodded and kept his gaze low. “Yes, Avatar. I... I was a fool. I believed... no, it matters not what I believed. What I did was unforgivable. I didn't realize that until far too late and for that I am sorry.”

Twilight glared at him, her entire body shaking. However, after a few moments of watching him the trembling began to stop. Her eyes softened as she watched him, sitting on the ground with his eyes lowered. “You... really are sorry, aren't you?”

“What I did was monstrous. I deserved to die for it. I... realized far too late my error.”

The alicorn took a step forward and gently hugged him. “I... believe you.”

“You... do?”

“We all make mistakes. Some of them... far, far worse than others. But... if you really mean it, if you truly are sorry and have worked to improve the sort of pony you are, I won't hold this mistake against you.” She pulled back and glared. “But don't get me wrong. That pretty much is the worst possible mistake you could have made. To quote Applejack, what in tarnation were you thinking?”

“I was stupid, prideful and a fool. I wanted the power you wielded or... similar enough not to matter. And I deserved what eventually came to me.” He motioned with a hoof towards his horn. “It... means a lot that you will give me a chance, however. I would like to aid you in any way that I can.”

Twilight nodded, before face hoofing. “Right. I can't believe I almost forgot. Pinkie's statue. Do you know where it is?”

“I'm afraid I don't, aside from it being in the city.”

The alicorn nodded. “Very well. I'll be meeting with the others. You're free to come, we might need the extra hooves.”

“Of course,” he said before following her. He trailed back a bit but tried to keep up as they moved through the swarm of ponies. She sighed a bit in frustration as she continued her search.

“I can't believe I didn't think of this.”

“What?” Blueblood asked as he trotted up a little closer.

“I told them to meet me in two hours. How can they possibly know when it's been two hours?” Up above the sun did a little tap dance. The arms and legs made of clouds were particularly impressive.

Blueblood nodded. “True, that is a pretty... errr... important step. Guessing, I suppose?”

Twilight sighed and face hoofed again. “I hate Discord. With every fiber of my being, I hate him. Loathe him. Want to drop him into a fire of some sort. Come on, let's go see the statue.” She paused for a second and glanced up. “Do... you think we'd have enough time to go check on the dragons? The baby ones? Just, err, to make sure they're okay?”

Blueblood gave a slow nod. “I suppose so. It shouldn't be long.” He then gulped. “Though... I ummm, I should warn you. Don't... don't go to where the Great Dragon fell.”

The alicorn paused and looked back. “Why? What happened?”

“Discord... he has a... macabre sense of humor at times. I saw it on the way here and it wasn't... it wasn't pretty.”

Twilight gave a slow nod. From the direction they'd come, the body was hidden by the city. But now she had to know. “Take me to it.”

“But--”

“Just do it. I... have to know. I won't be able to concentrate if I don't.”

There was a soft sigh before the stallion started leading her towards the city gates. She kept her head low and looked around for any sign of Nightmare Moon, but there wasn't anything. The guards barely gave them a second glance as they stepped out. Namely because they were arguing with each other.

Twilight looked up and only barely managed to keep the tears from her eyes. That sick, twisted monster. She would see him destroyed. Burned to cinders. The Great Dragon's body, or what remained of it, was standing up. Only the bones seemed to be there and they were set up as a sick, twisted playground. His mouth was open with a little stair case that led up to it and a pony could slide down his throat. His ribcage was set up as a jungle gym. His wings were spread out with swings attached to them. The sight made her struggle to keep her horn from igniting from pure fury.

“Take... take me closer,” she choked out.

“But--”

“Do it!” she snapped. The stallion gave a firm nod and they made their way towards the desecrated corpse. She could even see the parts where his skeleton had been shattered from the impact of the stars. He had given his life to save the city. He deserved far, far better. Liquid rage flowed down her veins as she came closer. No, she couldn't allow this to stand. As she came closer she felt her blood boil. She would burn the bones to ash. If Nightmare Moon came, well, buck her. She didn't care anymore, she didn't--

“--I don't know if I can,” Spike's voice suddenly said, shaking her for a moment. She looked around for a moment, confusion on her face. “I mean, you were old, strong. Great. You were even called the Great Dragon. You... knew what it was like. Back when things were right. I don't. I never did. All I know are stories.”

Twilight held her breath and slowly tip hoofed around the skeleton. She soon saw Spike, sitting on one of the grisly swing sets and gently rocking back and forth. She hid behind one of the dragon's claws and listened.

“What if I can't do this? They'll look up to me. Heck, I kind of look up to me. I've been with the Avatar all this time, learning things. But... I'm just a kid. I can't even always control my fire breath. I don't have wings yet. I'm only a... well, at most a decade older than the others. I'm not like you. Ponies don't run in fear when I get angry. They laugh.” He laid his head against the swing chain. His claw reached up to gently stroke the necklace around his neck. “I can't do this. I'm just not good enough. I'm going to let every dragon down. What... if we fall back into extinction because of me?”

Twilight slowly came out from behind cover, motioning for Blueblood to remain hiding.

“I'm not the leader like you. I won't... be wise or strong. I can't spread my wings and shield an entire city from the falling heavens. I can't do--” He went silent as Twilight's hooves embraced him from behind and her wings folded over him. He jumped, but she held on.

“It's okay, Spike,” Twilight said softly. “I know it can't be easy. It won't be easy. But I'll be here for the start of your journey. Watching over you, helping you. Then when I'm gone, there will be another avatar and then another. We can all help you. You'll never, ever be alone. I promise.” She gave him a little soft kiss on the forehead. “I can never promise that it'll be easy. But I know you. I've seen what you can do. There is no dragon more capable and I know you will be an amazing role model for all the dragons to follow.”

Spike whimpered and laid back against her. “B-but what if I'm not? What if I fail? What if I screw up? I--”

“You will screw up and fail, sometimes. We all do. But you'll pick yourself up, dust yourself off and keep going. Just like you always have. You'll never be alone or have to do this on your own. And... nopony expects you to be perfect.” She gave him another gentle kiss on the forehead. “All they expect, all they hope from you is that you try. That you give it your best effort. I know it's hard and... frankly it's asking more from you than is fair.” Her hooves tightened. “But I promise, you'll never have to do it alone.”

Spike closed his eyes, a few tears leaking down his face. “B-but what if I r-ruin everything? What if a-another genocide happens? H-he was smart, h-he saw it coming. He saved us all. W-we'd be extinct if not for him. I... I'm not that smart. If it happens, I-I can't keep us safe. H-he was supposed to l-lead us. To be t-the dragon leader. N-not me. T-they're still just babies, how can I... how can I watch over them alone? I-I'm just a baby myself!”

Twilight nodded and didn't let him go. “You won't have to. You won't ever be alone, I promise. The fire benders are back and they will help. We'll all help.” She slowly loosened her grip, but refused to release him. “I'm sorry. I... should have realized you were feeling all this. I never even thought about how all this was making you feel. I just... assumed you were fine with everything. Grieving over the loss of the Great Dragon. I never realized how much responsibility was being dropped on you.” She then slowly turned him around, looking into his eyes. “But... I do understand. Spike, we both have a lot of work to do. Ponies who depend on us, who need us. And... I swear I will always be there with you to help you carry this burden. Even when I pass on, if I have to talk through the next avatar to do it, I will.” She gave him a gentle kiss on the cheek. “I know you will make us all proud, though. You're my number one assistant. Even if there were a thousand dragons, I'd still believe none could do as good a job as you.”

The dragon smiled and nodded, closing his eyes and leaning forward, resting his head into her chest. “Can... can we wait here for a little bit? I just... I just want to enjoy the peace. For a few minutes.”

She nodded. “Of course. Take as long as you need,” Twilight whispered and gently held the dragon, a hoof rubbing his back. She glanced up to the remains of the great dragon. In... a sick way, this setup wasn't so bad. Once Discord was defeated, he would be given the burial he deserved. But for now, at least his remains would watch over the city. Maybe they'd even keep the city safe, like he had for his kin for so long.

Chapter 23: Each day

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“Where'd yah find Spike?” Applejack asked the moment Twilight popped out from underground. “An' who's he?” She pointed a hoof towards Blueblood who popped out from the ground a moment later.

Twilight blinked a few times. “Wait, how did-- oh, right. Earth sensing. You probably felt them long before... well, it's a long story.” She glanced down to Spike. “He was just trying to hide out and make sure he didn't get found. I managed to convince him to come with us.” She looked back to the stallion. “This is Blueblood. He--”

“Y-you're alive!” Sweetie said, her eyes going wide as she stared at him. He stared right back and took a step back.

“Y-you,” he said softly, backing up against the alley wall.

Twilight looked between the two. “What... what's going on here?”

“I, I was kind of the one responsible for his horn being removed,” Sweetie said softly. “When I was under Discord's control. I... well, I saw him as a rival for Rarity's affections. So I thought it best to have him eliminated. Or... at least defaced. I heard he died though. I thought... your body was... oh...”

“I survived,” he said softly, glaring at her. “The pain was tremendous and I was at death's door for quite a while. But I lived. Don't get any ideas, either. I still plan to be a rival for Rarity when all this is over.” He paused and stared. “W-wait, you saw me as a rival? You... were in love with your--”

“I admired my sister!” Sweetie said quickly. “That was all. I was very, very clingy though. I didn't like... other ponies getting close. That is all. Nothing creepy so ummm, please get your mind out of the...” She looked at his scars and lowered her eyes. “I... I know it's not enough, but I am sorry. When I had you put through that, I wasn't myself. I... I am truly sorry, from the bottom of my heart.”

The stallion glared at her for a few moments before finally nodding. “I... I don't know if I can forgive you. But, for Rarity I'll try.” He ground a hoof into the ground. “But I make no promises. I will never, ever forgive what--”

“I'd just like to remind everypony while this is truly fascinating, we are still in the middle of hostile territory and don't really have time for Rarity's coltfriend and sister drama,” Rainbow snapped. “Especially considering what we found out.”

Twilight nodded. “I hate to agree, but this will have to wait. Once we're out of the town, we can deal with it. So, what was found?”

“We found the statue!” Sweetie said happily. “Best of all, it was unguarded. Ponies can just walk right up to it and everything!”

Twilight grinned. “Well, that'll make things easier. We can just--”

“There's some bad news,” Rainbow said with a sigh. “Applejack?”

“Ah'm sorry tah say, ah don't think it'll be quite that easy. Yah see, we found somethin' too. Trixie's here, she's got a new air ship. Even worse, Solar Flare was with her. Last we saw, Trixie was goin' inta the city an' Solar Flare was watchin' the ship.”

Twilight's eyes widened. “W-what? Already? But it's only been... how did she catch up so fast? I thought they'd keep her delayed at least a little... oh. Are... are Celestia's eyes working now?”

“Oh yeah,” Applejack muttered. “An' she looks pissed. Not that ah can blame her. Gilda got her good that time.”

Twilight nodded before sighing. “Wonderful. Trixie, Nightmare Moon and Solar Flare. Just fighting one of them was difficult enough, I don't know if we can fight all three of them. That's not even mentioning what forces they have on top of it. Half of the Water Nation army is probably here too.”

“I doubt that,” Scootaloo muttered.

“What? Why?”

“Trixie's egotistical. If she, Nightmare Moon and Solar Flare are here, she's probably only brought the minimal troops with her. She wouldn't dare risk one of her soldiers capturing you and getting the credit. Probably.”

Twilight nodded. “That is a distinct possibility, but not one we can depend on. We need to get to the statue. I'll go alone and--”

“No!” everypony said at once.

“There isn't another option,” Twilight hissed. “If we move in too large a force, we'll draw attention. If I go alone, I have a chance of getting in and out without being seen.”

“Yeah, and what happens when you go up to the statue and go into your little coma?” Sweetie asked with annoyance. “You'll be a sitting duck. Somepony has to go with you who can get you and the statue out. That means an earth bender. That means Applejack.”

“Exactly,” the mare said with a smirk, before frowning. “Though, Trixie is an earth bender too. Not tah mention she's... well, she's got Discord's power. She--”

“All three of them are a problem,” Sweetie said softly. “That's why you're going to need a distraction.” She took a slow, weak breath before looking to her two closest friends. “You're... going to need us. We'll try to fight them and--”

“What? NO!” Applejack said with a stomp of her hoof. “Ah ain't havin' mah sister race towards somethin' so dangerous! She might get torn apart an--”

“I'll take Trixie,” Scootaloo said quickly. “She's an omni bender, so bending won't be enough. My training is designed to take benders down. Even, well, alicorns. No offense Twilight.”

“Yah all ain't goin'!” Applejack said again. “This is too dangerous tah--”

“Ah got Solar Flare then,” Flowerbloom said. “Her fire bending is dangerous and she knows water bending too well tah risk usin' it on her. I'm the best bet at gettin' in an' out without getting' fried.”

“I'll come with you,” Blueblood said. “I may not be able to bend, but I know how a fire bender fights.”

“No no no!” Applejack said with a few more stomps of her foot, barely managing to avoid creating craters in the ground. “That's too dangerous and--”

“Then I've got my mother,” Sweetie said with a shake of her head. “She... probably won't actually try to kill me. So it's for the best. I--”

“No,” Applejack said with another stomp of her hooves. The ground suddenly rose up and enveloped the three mares up to their knees. “It is too dangerous, we--”

“We need them,” Twilight interrupted with a shake of her head. “They've been with me every step of this journey. They've fought by me at all times. It's dangerous, but we don't have any choice.”

“Besides,” Sweetie said with a smile. “All we have to do is delay them long enough for you to get the statue. You'll need to help Twilight, since once she goes in, if she's found she'll have to be moved fast. Rainbow and Fluttershy will need to keep an eye out for trouble. Well, err, I mean... not an eye, but--”

“No, I know what you mean,” Rainbow said with a shake of her head. “Besides, I think I'm getting the hang of this whole... seeing with air bending thing. I've been practicing a lot. If we get into trouble, well, it'll be a good chance to really practice it.”

Applejack let out a soft whimper. “But... but... she's mah lil sis, ah can't--”

“Yah can't let that stop yah from savin' the world,” Flowerbloom said before lowering her head. The ground receded. “Listen, this is more important than any of us. The world needs us. Needs all of yah, an' Pinkie. Once... once this is all over, we can worry about those other things. But... we've done all this before. We've fought. Nearly died. We can handle this just like we have everything else. So please. Trust in us. We ain't helpless, we know what we're doin'.”

Applejack stared for a few moments, before finally nodding. She let out a sigh of sadness and trotted over to give her sister a hug. “Fine. Yah'd best be careful. Ah swear if yah let anythin' happen tah yah, ah'll tan your hide myself. Okay?”

Flowerbloom nodded and gave her big sister a hug. “Of course. Trust me, that ol' fire bender won't stand a chance.”

Twilight nodded and glanced to Blueblood. “You'd better do your best, too. We'll be depending on you.”

The stallion nodded. “Don't worry. I will ensure she is safe.” He bowed his head. “Avatar, I'd think it best you take the other elements and find somewhere safe where you can bring the statue. This will be... quite the distraction we'll be creating. There's no telling what panic it will cause and what harm will occur if you aren't in hiding when we begin.”

Twilight nodded. “We'll make our move soon.” She glanced to the sky as the sun went up and around. “Just find them and... do your best. Delay as long as possible, but then get out of there. Okay?”

There were a few quick nods. Twilight tapped her hoof and sunk underground with Spike. Applejack gave her little sister one more hug, before disappearing under the sand as well, taking Fluttershy and Rainbow with her. Sweetie gave a soft sigh and waited a few minutes for them to get away. “So, girls. This... will probably be the most difficult thing we've ever done. There's... no telling what we'll encounter. If we'll even survive this. I would understand if any of you changed--”

“Not a chance,” Scootaloo said with a shake of her head.

“Not like we got much choice, is there?” Flowerbloom asked. The three put their hooves together. “It's this, or let the world burn in Discord's power.”

Sweetie nodded and slowly pulled her hoof back, wiping her eyes a little. “If... if none of us make it back. I just, I want you to all know I lo--”

“We know,” Scootaloo said with a nod, chuckling. “We all love each other, best friends forever, right? Come on. We're going to be fine. If there's one thing that I've learned from all this, it's we're awesome. Wayyyy too awesome to die now.” She turned and started trotting away, blinking away her own tears. “No need for big, sad crying stuff. We've got some benders with butts to kick.”

The girls gave a few small nods before following after the mare. Blueblood followed behind, nervously glancing back. He just hoped he'd be able to keep his word this time, how many others had he broken already?

Chapter 24: Is yours and mine

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Sweetie kept her head low and her face hidden under the brown cloak she had managed to... procure from a poor stallion who decided it would be fun to shove her. Her hooves made a gentle clop clop sound as she made her way up the steps of the wall. Her mother was up there at the top, starring out over the world and keeping tight control over the soldiers stationed.

Every step brought her a little closer to the mare and made the anxiety rise in her. This was her mother, the mare who raised her. Even worse, she was possibly the most powerful water bender in existence. The only one better was now a fire bender and about to fight Flowerbloom. As confident as she'd tried to be before, and as much as she hoped her mother wouldn't actually try to kill her, she knew there was a good chance she wouldn't live through this fight. She struggled to keep that horrible thought out of her mind, instead focusing on on keeping the water jugs hidden under her cloak from moving too much. She could do this. Would do this. She just needed to delay her, then she could run.

She made it to the top of the stairs and looked out and around. Her mother was sitting with two other guards, all three looking out over the sands. She wondered if the one time ruler even squinted. Probably not. Squinting was a sign of weakness. She stood still and slowly drew the water from the jugs and lowered herself into her stance. She used the water to cut the jugs free. One quick blow, to weaken her mother and give her a chance. One--

The water under her suddenly jumped. She barely leaped back in time, the water turning to shards of ice under where she had been standing. She let out a gulp as her mother slowly turned around. “Sweetie, child. You cannot be so foalish as to believe you can defeat me? Even with a sneak attack, you are vastly outmatched.” Her mother didn't even look surprised. Just mildly annoyed.

Sweetie gulped and looked to the soldiers. They didn't even move. When Nightmare stood, they fell over. Shards of ice in their throats. “You... killed them? Why? Why would...”

“They were fire benders. Worse, they had no intention of giving up the avatar should they find her. That much was obvious. Such creatures need to be... removed.”

Sweetie slowly nodded. “I... I see. Mother, this isn't you. I mean, it was you for a very, very long time. But it doesn't have to be. Discord's control isn't all powerful, you can fight it off. You must fight it off! His control isn't really... it doesn't need to hold you. You don't need to obey it. You can fight it, you're stronger than he is!” The mare took a few steps back, stopping when she hit the rails. Her mother was just watching her with those cold, merciless eyes. This was suddenly seeming like a bad, bad idea.

“Sweetie, my child. I will give you one last chance. Whatever ploy the Avatar is working on, it will fail. We know why she's here. Trixie herself is keeping an eye on the statue and will strike the moment the alicorn shows herself.” Nightmare Moon held out a hoof. “I will offer you one last chance. Join me. The Avatar is doomed to fail. But you are not. You can still have a future, a life. Come back to me, my child.”

Sweetie looked up at her mother's cold, merciless eyes. She slowly shook her head. “I... won't. I love you mother, but I cannot allow this tyranny to continue. Discord, Trixie, all of them must be stopped. And... I have to help that. I--” She let out a yelp and leaped to the left, narrowly avoiding the razor edged whip of water that slashed through the rails. She looked to the slashed iron before forming her own blade of water. “I'm... sorry mother, but you leave me no choice. I hope when you're saved, you'll understand.”

The unicorn merely scoffed before sending another whip of water at her daughter. The younger mare brought up her blade to slice through the whip. Instead, the water coiled around the blade and crushed it, dripping water on the ground. “You do not really believe you can stand against me, daughter? Even at your peak you were as a rookie to I.”

Sweetie gulped and gave a nod. “I... I don't know. But I'll never know if I don't try.” She thrust out her hoof as the water fell. It shot out, turning to blades of ice and soaring at her mother.

Nightmare Moon moved a few inches to the left and the blades soared right past, only a few centimeters from her. “Surrender, daughter. You cannot win. I will not hold back forever.”

Sweetie didn't answer, instead pulling her hoof back. The water behind the one time ruler whipped around and sailed at the back of her head.

Nightmare Moon lowered her head and the blades sailed over. She then pushed a hoof forward and the blades gained speed, sailing at the younger mare.

Sweetie stood her ground, pushing out a hoof and trying to make them go around her as they had her mother. She managed to knock them aside, just a bit, but a few cut across her side and face, drawing blood. She stumbled backwards.

“I've told you, you have no chance against me,” Nightmare Moon said as she started walked closer.

“Y-you're right. I... can't beat you like that. Your control is better than mine.” The water around her began to rise up, forming another whip to match her mother's. The whip then attached to her horn and she felt her control amplifying through the physical contact. “But you're not so much better than me that you can break this.”

Nightmare Moon chuckled. “Resulting to physical contact? So... pathetic. Very well, child.” The remaining water slowly rose up, forming into a few blades of liquid. “If you wish to test yourself against me so, I will allow it. Breaking you will... not be a difficult task.”

Sweetie gulped and charged forward, swinging the whip at her mother. All she had to do was delay, that was it. She could do that, no matter how out matched she was.

At least, she hoped.

------

Flowerbloom took a slow, deep breath as she stared from her hiding spot. She could see it, clear as day. A brand new air ship, just waiting to take off. No wonder Trixie had gotten here so fast. Fortunately, it appeared to be the only one. Not surprising, as they were becoming rarer and rarer as time went on. The things just kept getting blown up. Which suited her just fine, it meant that Trixie would have a harder time getting out once this one was wrecked. She couldn't help but grin at the sight of it, resting peacefully on the makeshift landing pad, surrounded on all sides by dirt. A weak earth bender could have damaged it. But her? She was going to have fun.

The only problem was the fact Solar Flare was on the main deck, along with a few unicorns. Once she did this, there would be no turning back. Even with a mountain behind her, she'd never have wanted to fight Celestia when she had water. Now that she was a fire bender there was no telling what destruction the mare could create. Flowerbloom's current plan revolved around making damage and running. Blueblood was hiding a few streets away and would try to ambush the elder mare, but she still had to draw the initial attention.

Still, she had no choice. It needed to be taken down and she was the only pony who could do it. They might not get another chance like this. She galloped towards it, her head low. A few of the guards looked up, confusion on their face. It turned to terror when she skidded to a stop, a few yards from the nearest ones. Ahead of her, the ground rose up in a massive tidal wave of dirt and stone, sending the ponies hurtling back and enveloping the air ship. It wasn't enough, she knew, but it was just the start.

There was an explosion of fire, bursting through the dirt. She tried not to think about it as she dug her hooves into the ground and sent out massive, flat spikes of stone from the ground, each at least ten feet long. They pierced through the dirt covering the balloon, shredding them. A few went into the main ship and connections, smashing the wood and creating great holes in the side as they erupted against them. She then shot to the left, barely avoiding the ball of fire that left a big black scorch mark where she had been standing. She could hear the loud rush of air as the balloon deflated. The air ship was wrecked, it wouldn't be flying for at least a few days. She wished she could have done a bit more, but Solar Flare rising from the dirt had her full attention and now she had to focus on survival.

“Flowerbloom?” the elder mare asked, glaring at her. “Why do you attack me? You do realize that now I will have to destroy you, do you not?”

Flowerbloom gave a slow nod. “H-had to take out the air ship. It's... it's worth the sacrifice.”

Celestia chuckled as five massive balls of fire appeared in the air around her. They quickly began to compact and shrink to only the size of a marble. “Such a noble thought. But the ship can be repaired. You, on the other hoof, can not.” The first ball leaped out.

Flowerbloom leaped to the side, using the ground under her to propel her further. The fireball erupted a few moments later and she could feel her fur being singed from the heat, though the flames missed her. She looked back to where she had been and whimpered. There was now nothing more than a deep crater. Her entire body began to shake, though she tried to contain it. If she had tried to escape underground, she'd have been nothing more than a charred, burnt husk. She was so out of her league she wanted to cry and curl up under a table. She wished she hadn't made Blueblood wait behind, ambush or not.

Solar Flare just laughed. “That was but one. What do you think will happen if I use all four?” The orbs suddenly hurtled forward.

Flowerbloom yelped and thrust out a hoof. The ground shifted under the other mare, making her stumble and threw off her aim. The orbs flew off in the wrong direction, crashing around the ground and building to create massive craters. Screams filled the air as ponies started running away, abandoning their homes and supplies. Even the guards who had managed to climb out from the rubble of the air ship were fleeing in terror.

“Tricky little thing, aren't you?” Solar Flare asked with a grin. “I'm going to enjoy this.” She galloped forward, her body erupting in flame.

Flowerbloom thrust another hoof forward, trying to shift the ground under the mare. But the fire bender just dove and weaved around the attacks. The earth bender brought both her hooves down, forming a wall of stone at least five feet thick in front of herself, before leaping as quickly to the left as she could. The wall only managed to delay Solar Flare a few seconds, before she erupted through it. She thrust her horn towards the younger mare, sending the fires from her body at her.

The earth bender pushed a hoof towards the ground and a whip of dirt lashed out, grabbed her hoof and pulled her in. She only barely managed to avoid the flame by inches, the heat still managing to burn her skin a light red. She laid on the ground a few moments and stared at the other mare.

Solar Flare was laughing, though her laugh was wild and half-crazed. The fires erupted from her horn yet again. “You know, this is actually kind of fun.” She took a few steps forward. “I want to see how long you can run. I'll give you to the count of three.”

“W-what?” Flowerbloom asked, her eyes going wide.”

“One.”

The earth bender let out a yelp, rolled to her hooves and galloped away, the ground surging under her to allow her to run faster. A few seconds later a blaze of fire scorched past her right side, singeing her leg but not hitting her completely. She tried to ignore the pain as she kept running.

She was almost to Blueblood when a wall of fire formed in front of her. She skidded to a stop, quickly leaping back. More screams filled the air as ponies fled their homes and streets, trying to get away from the flaming mare.

“W-what happened to a head start?” Flowerbloom asked nervously, backing away. The fires were growing behind her, but they were only slightly less scary than the unicorn.

“I gave you one,” Solar Flare said with a chuckle. “You wast--” She turned to the right and thrust out her horn, erupted a carriage that had suddenly charged at her. From the smoking rubble, Blueblood appeared and leaped into the air, his hooves thrust out.

Solar Flare stepped aside, her horn glowing as his hooves were gripped in the magical glow. He was then slammed into the ground with a groan. “A sneak attack only works once. It--” She leaped back as a pillar of stone nearly crushed her.

“You okay?” Flowerbloom called out.

“Ow... f-fine,” Blueblood said with a groan. “W-we've got this.”

Solar Flare chuckled and looked between the two. “Such an amusing thought. Come, both of you. I will break you both like the worms you are.”

------

Scootaloo held her cloak tight as she looked over the city. True to her suspicions, finding Trixie hadn't been too hard. The mare was keeping an eye over the statue, desperate to be the one to capture the Avatar. There weren't even any guards around. The wind bag probably thought she could take down Twilight on her own.

The scary part was, with her new bending and magic, she just might be able to. Scootaloo took a slow, deep breath. She wasn't a bender though, she was the exact opposite. She knew how to take down a bender. She'd even been trained on how to fight the avatar. This was just like that. Except fighting a louder, more obnoxious one. That she would probably enjoy punching in the face. Actually, her day was looking up, now that she thought about it.

The alicorn had taken up position on the roofs of one of the nearby buildings overlooking the statue. Her head was peering over the edge and it was so incredibly obvious that she was up there that Scootaloo just wanted to face hoof. There was no subtlety, no skill, no stealth. All Twilight would have had to do was look up and she'd see Trixie long before the wind bag would have seen her. It hadn't taken Scootaloo long to find a nearby roof overlooking the other mare and she seemed to have no idea. There weren't even guards there to watch the alicorn's back, this was going to be so easy.

Getting across to the other roof hadn't been too hard, it just required a quick leap, frantic flapping to try and dampen her fall and finally a quick roll to silence herself. She then held her breath and looked up at the alicorn.

Trixie didn't even turn around, her focus completely on the statue down below. Scootaloo barely managed to suppress a smile as she snuck up behind the mare. It was almost too easy. She was only a few feet behind the mare when her head suddenly whipped up and the stone roof latched up, enveloping Scootaloo's hooves. “Really? Did you truly believe you could sneak up on the Great and Powerful Trixie? Oh hoh hoh hoh hoh!”

Scootaloo gulped and gave a little nod. “Actually, I kind of did.” She pulled weakly on the bindings. They were a little loose, she'd definitely broken out of stronger ones. She started pretending to pull on them with all her might. “H-hey, let me go.”

“Ugh. You Shadowbolts always are such trouble makers, aren't you?” Trixie said with a shake of her head. “I should have had the lot of you executed when I had the chance.” The alicorn moved closer. “Well, I suppose I still do now. Where is the avatar, Scootaloo?”

That made the pegasus pause. “W-wait, what? You remember me? But--”

“How could I not? I had you imprisoned long enough. You and that little... princess. I didn't think you'd actually escape, however.” Her horn burst into flame. “I thought my little prison was just perfect, especially with your lack of flying. A stone roof that the earth bender couldn't get close enough to bend? Marvelous!” She then shook her head as she started to circle the pegasus. “But then the Avatar broke out. So I'll ask again. Where is she?”

“I-I won't tell you! N-no matter what you do to me!”

Trixie grinned and moved closer, the flame from her horn glowing a bright red. “Oh, but you will, the Great an--”

The mare didn't get to finish the sentence, she'd come too close. Scootaloo's front hooves broke free and she lunged, aiming out to hit the other mare's pressure points. Less than a few centimeters from them, Trixie's wings spread out and sent a powerful burst of wind out, sending the pegasus flying back and skidding across the roof. She quickly managed to get to her hooves and jump away before the stones could grab her again.

Trixie stared at her for a few moment, her eyes wide and breathing fast. She soon began to chuckle. “Oh hoh hoh hoh hoh! A clever little pegasus, I'll give you that. But I am a master of all four elements, do you really believe you can defeat me?”

“I've beaten all four elements before, I can do it again,” Scootaloo said with a grin on her face before galloping forward. A burst of fire erupted from the alicorn's horn, forcing the pegasus to skid slightly to the right to avoid it. She kept going forward through, making the alicorn take a step back and start raising stones from the roof to block her path.

Scootaloo dove and wove around them with ease, ducking under another burst of fire before coming in close. Her hooves reached out and she managed to strike three times at Trixie's front left leg before another burst of wind sent her hurtling back. She skidded on the ground, but didn't fall. The same could not be said for the alicorn, who toppled over on her now disabled leg. “Oh! You little… winged… chicken!” Trixie yelled angrily.

“Okay, two things,” Scootaloo said with a grin as she went in a low stance and readied herself for another attack. “One, chickens HAVE wings. Two, that is quite possibly the worst possible insult I've ever heard.”

Trixie growled and slowly got back up on her hooves, her limp one hanging at her side. “Very well. Two things from the Great and Powerful Trixie then!” the mare said before spreading her wings. “I can fly and this building is made of stone blocks.” She thrust a hoof forward and the ground began to collapse under them as she rose into the air.

Scootaloo yelped and galloped forward, leaping over the collapsing stones as she tried to get closer. She lunged into the air at the alicorn, grinning as she almost made it.

Then Trixie sent out another burst of wind, catching the pegasus and slamming her down through the roof, the stone floor caving in from the force of the blow. The alicorn merely laughed. “Did you believe the Great and Powerful Trixie was still but a novice at these arts? Oh hoh hoh hoh hoh! I have mastered all the elements to a degree that… that...” She turned back to look at the city, her mouth falling open before she flew to the edge of the roof, hanging on the little bit that still stood after her last attack. “Where's the statue? Impossible! I was right here! She couldn't have, h-how did she, you!” The alicorn turned, her eyes going wide as Scootaloo swung up and drove a hoof into her face. The two toppled off the roof, the pegasus wrapping one hoof around her back while the other hoof started striking at pressure points.

------

Twilight let out a grunt as the statue was slowly drawn out from the ground. She gave Pinkie a small, gentle smile before setting the statue down on the floor. They'd managed to hide besides a small stone wall, using earth bending to create a second wall in front of them inside the alley. The only way to see them would be to look straight down.

Applejack looked out towards the wall nervously. “Ah should be out there. Flowerbloom might need me an'--”

“She told you to help us,” Rainbow said with a shake of her head. “We're going to need you if things go south. Trust me, I've been around that mare a while. She can take care of herself. She may not be as good an earth bender as you, but only barely.”

“But what if somethin' happens? What if she gets hurt? What if they capture her? What if--”

“Then it happens,” Rainbow snapped. “She knew it could happen and she accepted the risks. It was her choice. We can't stop her. All we can do is make sure not to ruin the opportunity we have here.”

Applejack stomped her hoof before sighing. “Fine. But… ah don't like it. Ah don't like any of it. Twilight, how long will it take? How many of us yah gonna bring with yah?”

Twilight frowned and rubbed her chin. “Well, we need you out here, Applejack. In case anything happens and our bodies need to be moved. Fluttershy would probably be best out here as well, to watch, well...” She glanced to Angel and Spike. “Is everypony okay with me and Rainbow being the only ones?” She shivered. Entering a world of Pinkie's still didn't sound very safe, even if she had to do it.

The group gave their slow, grudging approvals. The alicorn looked at the statue. It was so… happy looking. Pinkie had a big grin on her face, even with the cracked element around her neck. She took a deep breath. Twilight nodded and looked to Rainbow. “Just… remember to be careful. There's no telling what you'll encounter here. She's never… well, as much as we love her, she can get a bit wild sometimes.”

“Don't worry, I'll be fine,” Rainbow said with an uneasy chuckle. “Pinkie's a bit wild, but she's not evil or anything. I'm sure whatever I encounter will... make sense eventually.” Twilight closed her eyes and her horn began to glow. Light illuminated them as the two were drawn into their friend's world.

Chapter 25: You all make fun and laughter

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Pinkie's eyes went wide as white light blinded her. The last thing she remembered was Discord, the rainbow of color enveloping him. Now all she could see were white, blurry images.

She blinked a few times and they soon came into focus enough to see they were ponies. Earth ponies in white hospital gowns. One had a brown coat and another was dark gray. They were in a big, white room with padding all across the walls.

She then realized she couldn't move. Something was wrapped around her body, holding her hooves in place. She started to struggle against it, shaking her head. Where was she? She didn't know. It wasn't familiar, it didn't remind her of anything, there weren't even any jokes she could think of.

“Easy Miss Pie, calm down. Please, calm down,” the brown pony said as he reached out and gently patted her mane. “Do you know where you are?”

She slowly shook her head and tried to speak, but something was covering her mouth.

The pony slowly reached out and removed a big red ball gag from her mouth. “Do you know who I am?” He looked worried and ready to cover her mouth in a moment.

“N-no.”

He smiled then. “So you can see me, at least. That's definitely a step in the right direction. What do you remember?”

The pony gulped. “D-Discord. We were fighting him and then we defeated him with the Elements of Harmony. Did something happen? Did we get hurt? Is Twilight okay?”

The stallion glanced back to the other pony. “Go get her parents. These next few moments are going to be very important.” He then smiled to her as the other pony ran off. “What else do you remember? Any lights?”

She nodded slowly. “W-well, yes. The elements were pretty bright. Where am I?”

He took a slow, deep breath. “This is going to be very, very hard to believe. But Pinkie, I need you to trust me and hear me out. I need you to listen to everything I say and think long and hard about it. Can you do that for me?”

She nodded slowly.

“None of that was real. You're in the St. Clefthoof Mental facility. We've just finished an experimental procedure on you. That was what those lights were.”

Pinkie gasped, then glared. “Discord! He must have done something! Where is he? Let me out! Twilight needs my help, Twilight!” she screamed as she rolled around in her bindings. She looked down and saw she was wearing a straight jacket.

“Miss, please! Calm down, nopony wants to hurt you, just listen to me!” he said quickly, gripping her shoulders.

She barely managed to control her panic as she looked around, but gave a slow nod.

“I need you to think back. What is the farthest thing back you can remember? Think long and hard.”

Pinkie blinked a few times, but slowly she thought back. “Err… climbing the mountain and finding Twilight. We rescued her then.”

The stallion nodded. “Good, good. Anything before that? Anything at all? Can you remember your parents? The ponies you knew? Even what you did the morning before you went there?”

The mare tried to think back, to remember that morning. Even growing up with Rainbow. But she couldn't. She knew it happened, but she couldn't think of any specific memories. Just a blank cloud covering her memories. “N-no.”

He nodded. “Good, good. That's because none of it happened. A few years ago you had a psychotic episode after the loss of your sister. You've been imagining yourself in a fantasy land based on books your mother bought and read to you.”

There was suddenly a knock on the door, before it opened. The gray pony had returned with two light brown ponies, a mare and a stallion. The two took a step forward. “C-can we talk to her? Is… is she okay?” the stallion asked. Her father. Pinkie frowned as that thought popped into her head. That wasn't her father, was it?

“She's responding correctly, but there's no telling if she'll relapse. Talk to her, we'll try to keep her grounded.”

“Oh Pinkamena,” the mare said, her mother. The two then galloped forward and hugged her, tears going down their faces. “W-we were so afraid, i-it had been so l-long. We thought we'd lost you forever! I'm s-so sorry, I never realized how h-hard everything had b-been for you, I'm sorry I was never the mother you deserved. I-I should have noticed sooner. But my baby's back. I can't believe it, after so long, so many prayers.”

Pinkie nodded, confusion etched on her face. Was it possible? Was she truly… lost all this time? It didn't make any sense. They had to be lying, this was all Discord's doing, it had to be.

“Pinkamina? Are you still with us?” the doctor asked.

“Y-yes,” she said softly. “I can't believe that it… what happened? It can't have all been a dream. I knew it… I knew it all. I saw them… my friends. Twilight, Rainbow, Fluttershy, all of them. They were...”

“They were just characters from books,” her mother said with a soft sob. “I-it was my fault. After what happened to your sister I just… I locked myself away. I just gave you books and expected you to… you to deal with your grief that way. I should have done something once you started talking about the elements like you were.”

“Ma'am, there was no way you could have known,” the doctor said. “The mental damage she was suffering could have been triggered by any number of things. But it's okay now. We'll do everything we can to prevent a relapse.”

“I… I want to see these books,” Pinkie said softly.

“What? NO!” her father said firmly, his hooves tightening around her. “We've already lost you once to them, we won't again!”

“I-I need to see them,” Pinkie said weakly. “I… I need to know if they're real. I need to see… I need to see that they were all fake.”

“I won't let you,” her father snapped.

“Actually, that could be good, given time,” the doctor said. “Starting small, of course. Allowing her to face her fantasies in a controlled environment should help her differentiate between fantasy and reality.” He gave a smile. “Now, I believe you're showing excellent progress, miss Pie. Would you like to go for a walk with your parents?”

The mare slowly nodded. The stallion moved closer and began to unhook the straps on her jacket. He then whispered something in her father's ear. She slowly got to her hooves, wobbling just a little bit before her parents moved to steady her.

“Come on, honey. Let's go for a walk,” her mother said gently, giving the mare a small nuzzle.

She walked with them out into the halls. The building was big, with thick panes of glass. The ground was tile and there were all kinds of electrical devices. A few ponies were playing with toys, including a small white plastic earth pony. There was even a television hanging out of reach from the ceiling in the big lobby. She paused when she realized she knew what it was. They didn't have televisions in the other world, so how did she know about them? Was all this possible?

There were thick, metal doors keeping her locked off from the rest of the world and a few nurses and doctors walking around. There were ponies in the same loose straight jackets as her. She soon realized something disturbing.

“Where are the unicorns and pegasi? Everypony is just… well, earth ponies. Where are the bright colors?” Every single one of them were white, black, brown, gray. The most colorful one she'd seen was a very, very dark red one. There weren't any of the bright, vibrant ones she knew so well.

“Earth ponies?” her father asked in confusion. He then let out a sigh. “Another thing from your… world, I imagine. Unicorns and pegasi don't exist. They're just fairy tales like the tooth fairy and...” He paused. “Was the tooth fairy real in your world?”

“Err, no, I don't think so. Can I see these books now?”

There was another sigh. “Honey, please,” her mother said softly before giving another nuzzle to her daughter. “Just let them go. The stories of the five elements were just a fairytale. I know they're popular, but you need to let those thoughts go.”

“Wait, five elements?”

Her mother nodded. “Yes. Magic, hone--”

“Enough!” her father said angrily. “Are you trying to get her sucked back into that world? We need to cut her off from it.”

Pinkie recoiled back from the two, though they didn't seem to notice.

“What, so you'd rather hide these things from her?” her mother asked angrily. “She needs to know why they're fake so she won't fall back into her dreams. You heard the doctor, she needs to be able to differentiate what's real from what's fake. Hiding it from her is just going to make her fall back in!”

“Immersing her in it is going to drive her back in. It's taken us years to have our daughter back, now you want to lose her again? If you'd never bought her those books in the first place none of this would have happened!” His voice was almost yelling now and one of the orderlies looked up.

“Um, sir, miss, you need to be quiet,” the mare said softly.

“My fault? Maybe if you'd spent a bit more time focusing on her instead of driving yourself into your job all day we wouldn't have lost her too! I was at least trying!”

“I'm sorry I had to work while you--”

“Stop fighting!” Pinkie finally screamed, tears welling up in her eyes. It was bad enough they were fighting, but they were fighting because of her.

The two ponies turned back and then shared a guilty look. They moved over and gave her a nuzzle. “I'm sorry, honey,” her mother said. “We just… it's been very stressful for us. We didn't think… we weren't sure this would work. We'll be better now, we promise. Just please don't leave us again.”

“Please. If you want to know… anything, we'll tell you,” her father said softly. “We'll get you the books but… don't read them without us. Don't… we don't want to lose you again.”

Pinkie nodded. “You won't. I… I'm not going anywhere. Can… can we go outside? I'd like some fresh air.”

“Not yet,” her mother said with a shake of her head. “The doctors want to watch you a while longer, make sure you're okay. That you're safe before they let you out. But there will always be somepony here with you, we promise. I'll be here when your father's at work, everything is going to be okay.”

Pinkie nodded and closed her eyes, nestling into her parents. It wouldn't be so bad, really. These were her parents, this was home. This was where she belonged.

------

The next month passed mind numbingly slowly. She was allowed to walk the halls of the psych ward during daylight hours, though at night she was locked into her padded room. She'd been shown the outside world through a window and, frankly, it was awful. There weren't any pegasi adjusting the clouds, not that there had been in her dreams either half the time. But it was raining almost constantly and the streets were filled with ponies going to and fro. Aside from her parents, she didn't think she'd seen anypony smile.

Even worse, she'd caught a look of herself in the mirror. She was… gray. With a flat, dark gray mane. She looked almost exactly like Maud, her sister. And it really was her sister, she'd found out. She'd asked her doctor about her, but there had just been silence. Pinkie wasn't stupid, she knew what that meant. Her sister was gone.

Her parents had eventually brought the books with them and the three had even sat down to read. It was all making sense, soon enough. All her premonitions, the script, everything she had known before it was going to happen. There had never been an element of laughter. She was just pushing herself into the story. Worst of all, she wasn't needed. Things were actually going better without her. They had an alicorn, two pegasi, a unicorn and an earth pony who could bend. She was just a normal earth pony.

How had she never noticed before? She wasn't anything special. All of them could do so many magic things, yet somehow she'd made herself believe she was important. That she belonged with the group. That she was one of their elements. Laughter didn't matter. Five benders and then one 'extra' pony that served no real purpose. Now that she was out, she could see it. She could understand. It had all been a wonderful dream to escape reality. But she had a feeling there was something worse, something she needed to know. In the third week, laying on her therapy bed, she finally had to ask.

“What drove me here?” she asked softly.

Her therapist glanced up. “Huh? What do you mean?”

“To this… to living in a different world? What was so horrible that I couldn't stand being in the real world anymore?”

The mare sighed. “Well, there are a number of causes. Chemical imbalances are one part, mental stress, fatigue, it wasn't just one--”

“My sister. What happened to her? What… drove me to this point? What was it that made me… fall apart?”

The mare sighed before slowly closing her binder. “You have advanced remarkably well, but this can be quite difficult. It may be best for you not to--”

“Please. I have to know.”

The mare finally gave in. “Well, in my professional opinion, you blamed yourself.” The psychiatrist slowly lowered her notepad. “It was not, however, your fault. It was an accident, there was no way you could have known.”

Pinkie gulped and reached out to pull the chair's pillow to her chest. “What… what happened? What… did she go through?”

“It was an accident. You and your sister were ice skating together and she fell through. By the time your parents were able to get her out, it was too late. She managed to survive for a little while, but in the cold there was no way for the doctors to get there in time to help her. She… passed on.”

Pinkie whimpered and rolled so her back was to her. “It's… it's not my fault. W-why did I… blame myself?”

“Because your parents had apparently said not to go out at the time.” She took another deep sigh. “You must face this, Pinkie. You were still young. You didn't realize the ice wasn't thick enough. What happened was not your fault. You need to understand that if you are ever going to be able to move on with your life. You're destroying yourself with your guilt. You need to let it go.”

She let out another soft whimper. “H-how? I… I let her die then. If I--”

“If you had gone in after her, you would have died as well. There was nothing you could do. It was a mistake, nothing more. A horrible, dreadful mistake. But you have suffered for long enough with it. Escaping into your little fantasy world isn't going to work anymore. Your family wants their daughter back, their only daughter. Do you understand?”

Pinkie gave a small, slow nod. “Y-yes. I… I do. I never… I never wanted her to...”

“Nopony thinks you do. Now, how about you tell me a bit more about this world of yours? I hear you've been reading the books with your parents, correct? Have you had any more relapses?”

She shook her head. “No. I… I think I understand now. Why I was able to know how things were going to happen before they did. I was… I was just remembering the book. But… but I couldn't, after the… after Cloudsdale.”

The therapist chuckled. “Oh yes, that was the city made of clouds, correct? Such a silly concept, but whimsical none the less. We have been trying to get you out for quite a while, but you have been fighting us. When you could no longer see ahead, as you put it, that likely means some of the medications you were on were finally having an effect.” She frowned. “Or you were falling deeper into your dreams and you could no longer separate the two.”

Pinkie nodded. It all made sense, the more she thought about it. Everything about the audience and books and stuff. She couldn't see or feel any of it now. She had no idea what was going to happen. She'd even tried grabbing something in a wacky way that would have worked in the other world, but it didn't. Here she was normal. Everything was just so normal.

She poked her hooves together. “I… I think I'm better now. I think… I know now. I can't believe I ever thought all that made sense.”

“It was a dream, Pinkamina. The strangest things make sense when our mind isn't able to grasp it. You are doing far better than we'd ever hoped, however we cannot send you home without a few restrictions. Your parents have agreed to monitor and make sure you take your medication each day. There will be a case worker coming by each week to check up on you. Our sessions will continue as well, once a week. Do you have any objections with any of these?”

Pinkie shook her head and smiled. “No. I… I think it's all fine. I think I'm ready to move on with my life.”

The mare nodded and looked down. “We're all hoping you are. I do have some other good news. In a few months, if you're deemed fit of mind, you'll be going back to school with ponies your own age.”

Pinkie sat up a bit and gave a shriek. “Wait, really? Ohhhh! That would be amazing! I could make friends!” She poked her hooves together excitedly, before giving an apologetic smile. “S-sorry, was that too much? I ummm, I just--”

“No, no. Being excited is quite alright. I expected you would be.” He closed the binder. “You're home, Pinkamina. I believe you will stay that way. New friends is exactly what you need.” He motioned to the door. “I'll file my report with your monitor, but I believe you should be returning to the outside world very soon. You're free to go.”

Pinkie nodded before getting to her hooves and trotting to the door. Back out into the world, the real world. She could hardly wait. Sure, she might not have the same type of adventures, but who cared so long as she had friends and family? She was home. There was nothing left to stop her from being the type of pony she was born to be.

Besides, just because there wasn't any magic in this world didn't mean she couldn't still have parties. She was Pinkie Pie after all.

------

Pinkie tried to suppress her giggles and excitement as her parents signed the paperwork and gathered her things. She was going home. Home! She didn't have to be locked away anymore, she wasn't a threat to herself. She waved good bye to the nurses, aids and other patients as she finally made it past the big locked door. A few more doors later and they were outside. The streets were wet from an earlier sprinkle and a bit of mist hung in the air, but most of the clouds had cleared to let the sun shine its rays down on the world.

She closed her eyes and let the heat wash over her. She was free. Her mind was set straight, her family was whole again. Mostly whole. She frowned at the vehicle waiting for them. A car, she knew what it was. She couldn't remember how she knew, though. It wasn't right. She was ushered inside and she buckled up, just as she knew she had to but didn't know how she knew. “This is… our car, right?”

“Of course. Had this old girl since you were a foal,” her father said proudly before patting the steering wheel. “Not the fanciest vehicle, but dependable.” He gulped and gave her a nervous look. “Do… do you remember it?”

She gulped and nodded. “Y-yes.” No she didn't, but she couldn't bear to keep disappointing him.

“Wonderful!” He reached over to give her an awkward hug. “The doctor said you'd start remembering things soon! What else do you remember? Do you remember--”

“Stop it,” her mother hissed. “Don't push her, do you want her to relapse?”

He turned and glared. “What? I'm just excited that she remembers something. Can't I--”

“Don't push her,” she snapped again. “She'll remember things when she remembers them. We have to let her do it smoothly or she might have another episode.”

The two then glanced back at her for a moment, before leaning close to each other and whispering in hushed tones. She couldn't make out any of the words, but it was pretty obvious what they were going on about. “Mom, dad, please don't fight. It's fine, really. I'm getting better. Please… stop fighting.”

They shared another look before her mother gave a nervous smile. “We aren't fighting, honey. We're just… talking. Discussing. Nothing you need to worry about.”

“I can see you, I know you're fighting. Just… please,” she pleaded. She didn't even really remember the car, she just hadn't wanted him to be disappointed. Now they were fighting, again, because of her. Why did they have to keep fighting over her? She didn't want them to. She just wanted everypony to be happy.

The two gave her more soft, gentle smiles before her father spoke up. “Sorry, honey. We'll stop. We only do it because we care.” The car started up and took off, slowly driving down the street. She glanced out the window as they went, looking out over all the other ponies. So many of them, nice, normal, good ponies. Not a red or blue coat in sight. Well, that wasn't quite true.

She did see one pony with hot pink edges on the tips of her mane, but judging by all the piercings and tattoos, the mare had likely done it to herself. Had that been another problem with her mind? Losing somepony had been so dark that she struggled to make everything so bright and colorful? She shook her head and peered out the window intensely, focusing on the new world. This was real, this was important. That… place didn't matter. It was best she didn't think about it. There were so many ponies out and about, running, walking, chatting. They even passed a toy shop with a big white toy pony on display. But it soon began to trickle off as they left the city center and were brought out near the edges of the city. There were still ponies about, but far less as they entered the smaller, rural areas.

Her parents soon pulled up to a long line of houses, all small and identical, double floored. They drove into the driveway. “This is where we live?”

“Yes,” her father said quickly. “Do you reme--” He trailed off after a glare from his wife. “I mean, yes. We've lived here the last few years.”

“I saw the park a few blocks away. Can I go there?”

Her parents shared a concerned look. After a few moments her mother cleared her throat. “Not right now, but I'll try to take you up there later... sometime. Okay honey?”

“Thank you,” she said softly before opening the door and stepping out. Before she closed the door she heard her father speak.

“Why did you tell her--” She closed the door before she could hear the rest. However, she could see the two talking in the car and within a few moments their voices were raised and angry. She watched, trying to keep tears from forming in her eyes. Why was it that they only ever seemed to fight around her? She'd only wanted to go to the park, though they were arguing about it? She didn't want to go that bad. She wanted to bring ponies joy and happiness, but all she seemed to do was make them mad.

After a few moments the door opened and they walked out. Fake smiles were planted on their faces as they started walking towards the house. “So, I'm going to start dinner, okay honey?” her mother said. “How does corn casserole sound? It was always your favorite. I've got the sweet white corn you like.”

Pinkie nodded. “That sounds great, mom,” she mumbled softly. “I ummm… I think that'll be delicious.” She walked between her parents and gave them each a little nuzzle. “Are you two… mad at me?”

“No! Of course not, why would you think that?” her father asked quickly.

“You two just keep… fighting. I… I don't want to be the cause of it. I-I'll try better and--”

“You're not the cause,” her mother said quickly. “Your father and I are just having a few words. We're not mad at each other, though. It's just talking, that's all. Nothing you need to worry about.”

“You sound pretty mad,” Pinkie mumbled softly.

“We get mad sometimes and we fight, darling. But that doesn't mean we don't love each other,” her mother said with a smile. “It's just that… sometimes we don't agree. But a minor disagreement is nothing to worry about. We swear.”

Pinkie nodded before giving her parents another smile. “O-okay. Thanks. So, where's my room?”

“I'll take you,” her father said before opening the door. He walked upstairs, motioning her to follow. There were four rooms at the top. “This is your your mother's and I's room, this is the bathroom, this is your room.”

“What's the last one?” she asked softly, staring at the door at the end of the hall.

“That was your sisters,” the stallion said with a haunted look in his eyes. He shook his head. “We... don't go there very often.”

Pinkie nodded and then trotted to her room. She pushed the door open and cringed. Everything was... neat. Too neat. She had some shelves with random little toys, a book case with a long line of books, her bed, a closet, everything was perfectly put away and neat. Most things were dusty as well, though judging by the few piles in the corners, it had recently been dusted quickly. “The... new medicine they have me on, did they expect it to work?”

“Huh? Oh, yes, of course,” her father said quickly with a nervous smile.

“I see, okay,” the mare said before gently trotting forward and sitting on the bed. “I think I'll need to wash all this.” She could feel the dust getting into her mane and coat. She didn't like it at all. “Is that okay?”

“What? No, don't worry about it, I--”

“I'd like to do it,” she said quickly.

He let out another soft sigh. “Well, if you want, then very well. The washer and dryer are downstairs.”

She nodded as the images of them popped into her mind. She knew what a washer and dryer were. Of course she did, this was the real world. This was where she belonged. All those things she knew before were just fake. Imaginary. “Can I have a bit of time alone?”

“Of course, honey,” he said softly before gently closing the door. She didn't hear him walk off, though.

She sighed and got to her hooves, gently walking around the room. Everything in it was familiar. She didn't want it to be, but it was. She recognized some of her toys. Some of the ponies she'd met in the other world had looked just like them, though she didn't recognize the pure white earth pony. She even had a stuffed dragon in the closet that looked just like Spike and a poster of a band, their image a giant dragon just like the Great dragon. Everything made so much sense.

Then on one of the shelves she found Twilight and her friends. Little tiny plastic versions. Her breath caught in her throat. How could she believe all those things, believe she was so important? Was this world really so horrible that she'd rather be in one filled with war and fighting? She trotted to the book case. They were filled with little coloring books and she even had a small box of crayons besides them. She smiled and pulled them out.

She was soon sitting on the ground, drawing and coloring away. The bright colors filled the pages and for a few moments she felt herself coming alive. However, she soon heard a knocking on her door. “Honey? It's time for dinner,” her father said. She wondered if he'd been waiting out there the whole time.

The door opened after a moment and he looked worried. Then he saw her on the ground and relief flooded over his features. “Coloring, honey?”

“Yeah,” she said with a smile. “They didn't let us have crayons back there. We were only allowed safety pens.” She slowly got to her hooves. “I'd better start my laundry before I eat. If I'm going to sleep up here tonight.”

“I'll help,” her father said.

She almost objected, but instead just gave him a small nod. “Thank you.” Together, they picked up the blankets and sheets and walked downstairs, tossing them into the washer. She even managed to start it on her own, as if she'd done it a thousand times. This world had to be real, otherwise how could she know these things? It was the only explanation. And it terrified her. This was the real world, she had been trapped all this time. What if she fell for it again?

She joined them at the dinner table and slowly chewed her food. It was tasty, at least. Though her parents kept watching her expectantly, as if the thought she'd jump on the table at any second. She finally cleared her throat. “So... ummm, how has work been?”

“Fine, fine,” her father said quickly. “How have you been feeling? Safe? Okay? Any... problems?”

“No, I'm fine,” she answered with a shy grin. “Thanks for keeping my room clean. It looks nice.”

“I'm sorry I didn't clean the bed,” her mother said softly. “I should have thought of that.”

“You're home all day, I don't see why you couldn't--” Her father started but stopped after seeing the look on Pinkie's face. “It's fine. We'll just wash everything. After she's been there for a few days, it'll clear itself out. All that room needs is a bit of life in it.” He gave a hearty chuckle. “Is there anything you wanted to do? We could watch a movie after dinner? Go for a walk? Anything you like?”

Pinkie nodded. “Watching a movie would be fine,” she said before poking at her food and taking another bite. There was so much tension between her parents, she could feel it. As if they might jump and snap at each other at a moment's notice. She tried telling herself it was just stress and worry, now that she was back it would calm down. Oh, how she hoped it would calm down. “Being with the family would be wonderful.”

He nodded and silence returned to the kitchen. After a few minutes of awkwardness, he started talking about work. Apparently he worked in a paper factory, maintaining a lot of the machines. It wasn't the most exciting thing, but at least it seemed new. Something she didn't know about. She wondered if he had the job before she snapped, but was too afraid to ask. When the meal was nearly over she looked up and smiled. “Can we throw a party?”

“What?” her mother asked, the mare's eyes going wide. “A party? Whatever for?”

“Well, we're all together again. A great, big party. With candy, cakes, all those big treats. I could help make a bunch of them. I'm really good at making punch,” she said proudly. She was starting to feel pretty good as the idea of a great big party rolled over her. She couldn't believe she hadn't thought of it before. No matter how cold, wet and uncolorful the weather was, a party would always brighten everypony's day.

Her mother frowned. “I'll think about it.”

“Pleasssse?” Pinkie asked with a grin. “We can invite the whole neighborhood. I need to get to know everypony anyway, right? So this is the best way to do it. I can meet everypony at once.”

“I think it's a great idea,” her father said with a nod.

“Well, of course you do, you aren't the one who'd have to set it all up,” her mother snapped. “I'd have to get invitations, go shopping, set up all the--”

“I-I can do that!” Pinkie said quickly, sensing a coming fight. “I could send them all out, too. I'd do everything, all I'd need is the rides and... well... some bits. Errr...”

“If it makes her happy, why not?” her father asked.

Her mother sighed for a moment before finally giving a nod. “Fine. But Pinkamina, you'll have to run everything by me. Only the safest things, understand? No scissors or anything like that.”

Pinkie nodded. “Of course! I'll be extra, super duper safe!” She could barely contain her excitement. A party, a real party. She couldn't imagine anything that could make her feel more normal. More like herself. She went through the rest of the meal quickly, her mind focused on the coming excitement. She could already think of a dozen different things she could do. Balloons, cake, streamers, everything. It was going to be an amazing party. They would have to do it inside, of course. The weather was being too lousy to risk a rain storm. But it would still be amazing.

They were soon sitting on the couch and watching a movie, though she had grabbed a piece of paper and a pencil to start writing out all her plans. It was going to be the best 'back from years in intense mental care' party EVER!

Chapter 26: As easy as Pinkie Pie

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Pinkie giggled gleefully as the car pulled into the market. Her father gave her a small smile. “Now, remember. There's a thirty bit limit on decorations, forty on ingredients. Okay?”

She nodded rapidly. The moment the car came to a full stop she unbuckled and galloped off, leaving her father behind. This was going to be the best party ever. She nearly tackled the cart when she got to it, quickly going down the aisles.

Thirty bits weren't a lot, but she knew she could make a spectacular party with it. All she had to do was do a lot of things by hoof. Making her own streamers, confetti, everything would be pretty easy. Even if she wasn't allowed to use scissors. She could do it just like Fluff--

The thought crashed down in her mind and she froze in mid step. She cocked her head to the side as she tried to figure out where her line of thought had been. She could be just like... just like...

She shook her head and shrugged. She was probably just too easily distracted, that was all. “Ooooooh, sparkly!” she said gleefully as she grabbed a bunch of glimmering fabric. It was on sale, too, such a bargain. Before long she had her cart filled with paper, glue, fabric, food, all manners of things she'd need for her party. Her father looked down at it with annoyance.

“Pinkamina, are you sure this is right? All you've really gotten is... well, pieces. Wouldn't you rather get premade things?” The price was soon rung up, a few bits under her budget.

“Of course, the best parties are always done with love and care,” she said happily. “Besides, this way it's all cheap and I can get more of it! It'll be a little extra work, but I don't mind.”

Her father nodded before he helped her bag everything up and started hauling it outside. Before she knew it, they were back on the road heading home, the car filled with all kinds of supplies. She could barely wait.

------

Pinkie let out a soft, gleeful giggle as she made the tenth card, drawing in each word with precision, before adding just a bit of sparkle dust.

“Honey, are you sure you don't want to buy some premade cards?” her mother asked from the kitchen table, eying her daughter. “This is a lot of extra work. I'm sure I can convince your father to give a few more bits to buy some. It's not--”

“It's fine,” Pinkie said happily as she used the markers and decorations to make the cards perfect. “It means more when hoof done. It comes from the heart then. It shows we care.” She hummed happily as she worked, a neat stack of cards besides her. “Do you think thirty will be enough?”

“And then some,” her mother said, before getting to work on the little decorations she'd been assigned.

Pinkie hadn't been this happy since she'd woken up. She felt like herself again, working her flank off to get the party perfect. And it would be perfect, she was sure of it. Decorations, cards, food, everything was going perfectly. It was going to be the best party on the block in years. Even on a budget she didn't mind, it just meant she got to put a more personal touch on it.

“Honey, do you want some... juice?” her mother asked before glancing towards the multiple pitchers on the counter. “Did you really need to make so much?”

“Of course! Each one is a different recipe, I need to make sure it tastes absolutely perfect. That means I have to do a lot of testing.” She finished up the last of the invitations and got to her hooves. “All done! How are the streamers coming?”

“Errr, fine? I think?” The mare held up a few badly cut streamers. Pinkie giggled and took them “I'll take care of this. How about you work on the banner?”

Her mother sighed and nodded, before going over to it and getting to work. Her mother lacked the skills she did, but she didn't mind. It was something they could do together, a real family activity. All the mistakes were so minor she could fix them in a few seconds too, so it wasn't like it was a major bother. She could already feel the excitement coming, however. The party. There would be a few dozen guests, they'd have to move the furniture. Probably have a few problems getting everypony in, but she'd managed to find a tarp and was even rigging up some cover outside. They could have a lot of ponies out and about without any problems. It was going to be truly spectacular.

------

Pinkie giggled gleefully as she hopped in the air with each step. Her mother trailed just behind, holding some of the invitations in a saddlebag. “Pinkamina, slow down,” the elder mare called out.

“But it's so exciting!” Pinkie complained, but did slow down to walk with her mother. “This is going to be the best party ever. I can't wait. Do you think we can have more later if this goes well?”

“We'll talk about it then,” her mother said softly before motioning towards the next house. “Remember, just put it in the mailbox.”

“But it's more exciting if we go in person and hand it to them,” Pinkie whined.

“Yes, but it makes some ponies nervous. This is more polite, so come along.”

Pinkie sighed, but did as she was told. She could barely contain her excitement as letter after letter was delivered. They'd delivered one to every house on their street and all the houses for a few blocks. She couldn't wait to see how many ponies came. She hoped she'd have enough punch and everything. It was going to be amazing.

------

Pinkie rocked back and forth in her chair, glancing towards the clock nervously. The party would start any minute, yet nopony had arrived yet. She figured a few would be late, but she was hoping they all wouldn't be. She couldn't help but feel a little worried that nopony would come.

After all, she was a bit out of practice. She hadn't thrown a party since Twilight had... she hadn't really... thrown a party in years. Ever since before she had her incident. Who knew if she was any good at it now? What if she'd never thrown any before? What if it was all in her head?

She took a slow, deep breath and shook her head. It was going to be fine. It had to be. She knew how to throw a party. All she needed was the ponies. There was even music. Maybe not the best music, but it was something ponies could dance to. But they weren't coming. The minute hand ticked away and soon it would be time. She held her breath, watching and waiting. Her parents moved around behind her, pretending to be busy but she knew they were just keeping an eye on her.

They'd cleaned out the downstairs, put all the chairs and furniture to the side so there would be lots of room. She fixed up the cover outside so ponies could keep out of the rain. Unfortunately, it had begun to downpour. Maybe that's why ponies weren't here, they were hoping the weather would clear.

The minute hand hit the last little tick and it was time for the party to start. There wasn't a single knock. She went limp in the chair. They were just a few minutes late. That was all. Ponies were coming. They had to be coming. She felt despair begin to ri--

Knock knock knock!

She was almost instantly on the door, pulling it open with a wide smile. There were a few ponies outside, waiting for her. An older couple and a few her age. “Ah, is this the right residence?” the elder mare asked. “We're here for a party, we got an invitation in the mail?”

Pinkie nodded and moved aside. “Come in, come in! We're just getting started!” After a few seconds her father pushed the play button and the soft, gentle music started to play. Not so loud to make it hard to hear each other, but loud enough ponies could still dance if they wanted. She motioned the ponies inside and pointed towards the kitchen. “We have snacks and drinks in the kitchen.”

“Oh, such a nice young mare,” the elder mare said with a smile. “This is my daughter, Lilac, and her friend, Rose. Say hi, girls.”

The two younger mares glanced up before sighing. “Hi,” they muttered in unison.

“We're going to go get something to drink. How about you all introduce yourselves?” the older stallion said before he and his wife trotted off.

Pinkie gave the two a happy wave. “Hi! I'm Pinkie, a pleasure to--”

“So you're nuts, right?” Lilac asked. “That's what the rumors say, at least.”

That caught the mare off guard and she paused. She shook her head. “Err, no, I take my medicine now. It's, I'm not really... it was a condition. It's all better now.”

“Really?” Rose asked. “The story going around the block is you snapped and killed your sister so they had to lock you away.”

Pinkie cringed then, taking a step back. “I-I didn't... I didn't kill her. She fell through the ice. It was an accident.”

“Really? I heard you held her under and your parents had to pull you off,” Lilac said, a wicked glint in her eye.

Pinkie gulped and shook her head. “N-no. Do... do you want something to eat? We... we have snacks.”

“Not really hungry. You got a TV? Equestrian idol is going to start soon.”

Pinkie nodded and pointed towards the television. How could they say such cruel things. She'd never have... she loved her sister. She was sure of it. She moved away from them and just watched, nervously poking the ground. After a few minutes she worked up the courage to walk over again. “So, ummmm, what's this show about?” she managed to ask. Some pony was singing off key.

“Reality TV. Isn't it obvious? Best thing in the world.” Lilac said, cocking an eye. “Do you mind, we're trying to watch it.”

Pinkie sighed and backed up. She thought this would be easier, but for some reason all her confidence was just evaporating. She used to be so good at all this, what happened? Of course, she hadn't been good at it. She just made it up.

She moved off to the side of the room and watched the television. After a few more minutes the door rang again and she quickly galloped over, pulling it open. “Hello!” she said with a happy grin. More ponies her age! And their parents.

She frowned suddenly. Wait, their parents? Wasn't she an adult? Why was she living with her parents? Why would she be going to school? Shouldn't she--

She blinked a few times and shook her head. What was she thinking? She knew it was important, but now it was just melting away and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't grasp it. Instead she just smiled at the guests. “Hello! Come in, come in.” She pointed towards the kitchen. “There's some snacks in the kitchen and we're watching a music show.”

“Thanks, dear,” the elder mare said before nudging her daughter forward. The mare looked young and was wearing glasses. She gave a shy, nervous smile.

“H-hi!” Pinkie said happily, holding out a hoof.

The young mare was nudged forward again, just a little bit. She yelped and then took Pinkie's hoof, quickly shaking it. The moment her parents were gone, however, she retreated towards the others.

Pinkie didn't let that disturb her, though. She grinned and followed after. “So, my name's Pinkie, what's yours?”

“Olive,” the mare said gently, before taking another step back. “P-please don't h-hurt me, I just, I-I didn't want to, didn't want to come. I-I just--”

Pinkie giggled and shook her head. “What? I don't want to hurt you. I just want to be your friend.”

“R-right, friend. Just... just friends. O-okay,” the mare said, a terrified smile on her face.

Pinkie frowned and slowly pulled back. “N-nevermind. I'll go get some treats.” She quickly trotted off towards the kitchen. Her parents were smiling and chatting, but the moment she walked in silence filled the room.

“Everything going okay, hon?” her father asked nervously.

“Oh, it's fine. Everything is fine,” she lied with a smile. “Just hungry, that's all.” She trotted to the table and grabbed a cookie. She could feel their eyes on her, silently watching and waiting for her to snap. She tried to ignore it. The moment she had her cookie she quickly turned tail and walked back into the living room. The moment she was gone, she heard them chatting away again. The living room was no better, Lilac and Rose ignored her or insulted her, while Olive was outright terrified of her.

More guests soon arrived and the living room filled with more and more ponies. But none of them were the least bit interested in her. They were either scared of her, thought she was weird or outright treated her like she had escaped the mental ward, rather than being released. By the time the night was finally over and all of her attempts to make friends had been rejected, she only barely managed to avoid crying. Instead she waved goodbye, with a fake smile on her face, as they all left.

“So, how did it go?” her mother asked.

“Fine. It all went fine,” Pinkie lied as she got to work cleaning everything. How could she have thought this would go well? She was such an idiot. She'd lost years of her life and now nopony would want anything to do with her. She blinked a few times to try to get rid of the tears before they could fall. “It's pretty late, I can clean this up myself.”

“Honey, don't worry about it,” her mother said before giving her a hug. “I'll take care of it. There's not much. Go brush your teeth and get some sleep, okay?”

Pinkie gave a soft sigh and nodded. She couldn't even bring herself to object. It was all screwed up, every bit of it. How could she do all this without friends? Once she made it to the bathroom, she closed the door and stared in the mirror. It took all she had to not burst into tears.

It just wasn't fair. She was a great pony, she loved her friends and would treat them amazing. Yet these ponies wouldn't even give her a chance. They treated her like some kind of nut job and ignored her. She wanted to bury her head in her pillows and scream and wail, but she couldn't. Her parents would start fighting again if she did that. It would all be her fault again.

She didn't even want to imagine what school would be like. She'd missed years and... and...

She frowned and cocked her head to the side. Wait, why was she going to school? Shouldn't she be taking special classes or have a tutor now? She'd been gone for years and--

She shook her head as the trails of thought just disappeared. She kept thinking of things, but they just went poof! It wasn't... right. It just wasn't right. She tried to remember what it was, but it was gone with the wind. She finally just walked to the door and pulled it open, stepping back towards her room with a sigh.

She stopped outside her door and then glanced over towards her sister's. She turned back and listened. Her parents were still downstairs, talking. At least they didn't sound mad. She then gently trotted towards the door and pushed it open. She reached in and flipped the light on.

Everything was boxed up. There wasn't a bed or anything and the room looked very dusty. It was filled with boxes, ones that said things like 'Maud's toys' or 'Maud's clothes' and such. There were also other boxes that said things like 'Decorations', 'Special silverware' and 'Receipts'. A storage room. She frowned and walked inside, looking around. She walked towards a box labeled with toys and slowly opened it, looking inside. She didn't recognize the toys. Why couldn't she? It didn't trigger any emotions, sadness, anything. It just... made her feel empty. Like something was missing. Did she not care about her sister? Not love her sister?

No. She loved Maud. Even if they weren't sisters in the other world, that didn't mean they weren't sisters. Besides, her family probably came from the Earth Kingdom lands at some point, even if she wasn't an earth bender and--

No, that wasn't right. She took a step back and closed the box. It couldn't be right. She was just a normal pony. She wasn't the element of laughter. There wasn't even an element of laughter. It was something she made up. She quickly trotted out of the room.

Downstairs she could hear them yelling again. She trotted to the last step and listened, chewing on her lower lip.

“If you'd never bought her those books to begin with, we wouldn't have lost her!” her father yelled.

“How was I supposed to know she'd snap? I was trying to help her deal with the loss of her sister! That was a lot more than you'd ever done! Maybe if you had been around once in a while, none of this would have happened!”

“I had to work to pay for this house! Not to mention her medical bills. You stay at home all day, what have you ever done other than raise more costs?”

“I take care of our child! I had a career and I still would if YOU hadn't demanded I stay at home to tend to our children! I'd probably be making twice what you do now!”

“Oh, of course. I never demanded anything! You were the one who--”

Now Pinkie couldn't hold it in anymore, she got to her hooves and trotted into her room. The tears began to flow as she collapsed on her bed, burying her head in her pillow. None of this was fair. She hadn't wanted to make them fight. She'd never wanted them to fight. All she ever wanted to do was make ponies happy. To make them smile. Why couldn't she? Why did everything she did have to end up so wrong?

“Pinkie!” a voice suddenly rang out.

Her head shot up and she quickly looked around.

“Pinkie, can you hear me? I-- ahhh!”

The mare's gaze fell on her little toy shelf. The toy version of Twilight had fallen over. The voice was coming from it. “T-Twilight?” she asked softly.

“Pinkie! You... holy buck you're huge! What in... what?” Twilight looked down at herself. “Am... am I made of plastic? What... how?”

“Hey, I can see! This is awesome!” Rainbow said, before looking around. “The buck is all this? Hah! You look ridiculous.”

“No no no,” Pinkie said with a quick shake of her head. “You're not real. I'm just having another... relapse. That's all, I just need my medicine.”

“Pinkie? Listen to me!” Twilight tried stepping forward and nearly fell off the shelf. She yelped and stepped back quickly. “Discord has you trapped in a--”

“La la la la! Not real!” Pinkie said quickly, shaking her head.

“What? Pinkie! I need you to listen to me, we need your help. This is all a trap, made by Discord!”

“Listen to her,” Rainbow said. “I don't know what Discord is making you see, but this isn't real. It's all a trick and... Oh my gosh. That poster is AWESOME!”

“Not listening, I've had my medicine.” She buried her head into the pillow.

“Please! This is all fake! You need to find where things don't make sense! Your element will help you, we still need you!” Twilight looked around. “Also, why am I a toy?”

“Honestly, I'm not surprised she has little toy versions of us,” Rainbow said with a shrug. “I think it works.”

Pinkie groaned before finally getting to her hooves and walked forward, looking down at the toys. She slowly picked them up.

“Pinkie? You understand, don't you?” the alicorn asked.

“I'm not crazy,” she said before tossing the toys into the nearby trash. “You're not real. I'm on my medicine, I don't believe any of this. Just leave me alone.”

“Ahhhh! Why did you... what is this?” the bag moved around, wiggling as the toy tried to escape.

Pinkie took a slow, deep breath and trotted out from her room. “Mom, dad?”

The yelling below stopped. “Yes, honey?” her dad called out.

“I think we forgot about my medication tonight! I think... err, I think I should come have some.” She could still hear the toys in the background, struggling in the trash bin. She trotted down the stairs and smiled at her parents. She was better now. All she had to do was take her medicine. It would make the voices stop. Twilight wasn't real. Rainbow wasn't real. She knew that.

------

Pinkie sighed softly and gently nudged the food around on her plate. Breakfast was... boring. Not that she expected it to be super duper exciting or anything, but it was made worse since she had no real plans.

It had been a week since the party and things were only getting worse. She hadn't made any friends, the ponies she'd met were near impossible to get close to. Her parents were fighting all the time and she kept forgetting things. It was driving her nuts, at least once a day she'd go on some kind of thought process and then, poof, it would melt away.

She was also terrified of her books too. The toys had eventually gone quiet, but every time she tried to draw or read, Twilight or Rainbow would appear. Calling out to her. Tapping from inside the books. She'd even had it happen once while she was watching a movie. Her parents didn't see it though, so she knew it was fake. It had to be fake. There was no element of laughter. It wasn't real. None of it was real.

She'd have given anything for it to be real. She couldn't take much more of it, though. She waited until her father was at work and her mother was cooking dinner, before going into her room and pushing some things in front of the door, so her mother couldn't get in. She then took a deep breath and trotted to the bookcase, pulling out her crayons and a small coloring book. She opened it, worry on her face, but there was nothing in it but black and white outlines. She let out a sigh of relief and started drawing.

Then Twilight appeared in the background. “Pinkie!”

The mare locked up, the crayon freezing in her hoof. She took a slow, deep breath before shaking her head. “Twilight, you need to stop. Don't... come here anymore. None of that was real, it was all in my imagination.”

“What? Listen, Discord has you trapped in... in...” She frowned and looked around. “What kind of strange room is that?”

“It's my house. My parent's house. I'm not crazy anymore, okay? I'm taking my medicine,” she whispered softly, shaking her head. “Stop coming. I'm not... I'm not going to slip into that world anymore. I'm free.”

“Pinkie, you're not free. We need you. Your element is--”

“My element doesn't exist,” Pinkie snapped, a bit too loudly.

“Everything okay up there?” her mother's voice came from downstairs.

“Fine! Just reading a book!” she yelled, before looking back at the book. “I'm free. There is no element of laughter. I just made it up so I could feel special.”

Twilight stared, cocking her head to the side. “W-what?”

Rainbow appeared behind the alicorn. “What's this about laughter not existing? You've gotta be kidding me. If laughter didn't exist, what would be the point of all our pranks? They were awesome!”

“I just made it up. Laughter isn't an element. What does it have to do with friendship? It's just... a thing. Ponies don't need laughter. They need honesty, loyalty, kindness, generosity. But they don't need laughter.”

Both ponies stared at her as if she was mad. Twilight finally spoke up. “How... how can you say that? Of course we need laughter! Every time things get too hard, or we get pushed too far, or we're hurt, we need laughter then more than anything. Without it, we just end up hurt and damaged. Please, Discord is tricking you, keeping you stuck in this world. You have to find your way out. Find a way to escape. We need you, we--”

“Why?” Pinkie asked with a sigh. “I'm not special. I don't have any magic, I don't--”

“BECAUSE YOU'RE PINKIE!” Rainbow screamed. “Because you never give up on us! Sure, sometimes you take things a bit too far, but you're part of our back bone! We've never needed you to fight, but we've needed you to keep us sane. Who was it who helped cheer the town up when most of the actual air benders left town? Took care of me when I got the winged flu? Helped me feel better after I botched my triple jump spin dive that one time? Not to mention when we actually started on all this. You helped us stay happy when things were dark. Given us the encouragement when... when we feel we can't go on. We need you now more than ever. We all need you.”

“Discord... Discord is winning. The world is shattered. We need you. Please, we need you...” Twilight tried to suppress her tears, but they began to fall.

Pinkie stared for a few moments. “Please... please don't cry.”

The alicorn shook her head as the pegasus tried to comfort her. “T-the others are fighting t-to buy us time. Please. You need to realize, Pinkie. This isn't real. None of this is real. It's not... It's just...”

The mare slammed the book closed and shoved it back into the bookcase. She took a deep breath and sat on her bed. This was the real world, it had to be. It made more sense. All of her abilities, all of her thoughts, they didn't make sense unless this was the real world. How would she have known about television or cars or any of this stuff unless she had been here? Besides, she couldn't remember anything before she'd met Twilight. She didn't know about her parents who had come from the Earth Kingdom, or the fact Fluttershy was scared of heights because of that time she fell out of that cloud during one of Rainbow's stunts, or the fact Rainbow had always talked about the Wonderbolts long before they met Twilight, or that the things the pegasus told her were all true and she remembered them.

She paused for a moment and stared down at her hooves. But she did know those things. She didn't know the things about here, though. What if the alicorn was right? What if she was trapped here, and she was stuck. What if laughter did matter?

She shook her head and buried her face in the pillows. “No no no... I'm just making up more things. That's it. That's all it is. Making new memories.” She slowly pulled herself up and smiled. “This is the real world. It may not be the way I like it, but it is. I can't escape anymore. Not anymore.” She got to her hooves and trotted out the door, gently closing it behind herself. She wondered if the ponies were still in the book, pounding away.

------

Pinkie gently ate her cabbage, glancing up at her parents. She could almost taste the tension in the air as the two kept glancing at each other. They were mad about something, though she couldn't imagine what. They always seemed mad and angry. Usually at each other. “Mom?” she asked softly.

“Yes, dear?”

“Do you think laughter is important in a relationship?”

“Huh?” the elder mare asked.

“Laughter. Do you think it's important?”

The mare frowned before giving a nod. “I suppose. You can do without it, of course. It's not the most important thing in a relationship.” She gave a sigh. “Is it about those stories, again? Honey, the other ones matter because they are things a friendship has to have. Laughter is just... a bonus. You don't need it. Nopony needs laughter. The others are things you have to have to make a friendship work. That's just something that happens.”

Pinkie nodded, but her father slammed a hoof on the table. “See, I told you when she started talking about those things. You never should have encouraged her to read those books. Letting her play with all those toys. We should clear all that stuff out, now!” he roared angrily.

“Here we go again,” her mother said with annoyance before slamming her fork down. “Let me guess, it's still my fault, right? Everything is my fault. I'm sorry I'm not the perfect caretaker you've come to expect, but maybe if you were home once in a while we wouldn't be having all these problems. I'm doing the best I can which is--”

Pinkie lowered her head and sunk into her chair, her body shaking as she listened to them fight. Why was it whenever she tried asking or doing anything about the other world things like this happened? Was it...

She got up from the table and stomped off. After a few moments she heard the yelling stop. “Honey?” her mother called back.

“I'm going to bed!” she called back.

“But--”

“Bed!”

Pinkie trotted up the stairs and took a slow, deep breath. It wasn't her fault, though she was having so much trouble not blaming herself. All they did was fight with each other, blame each other. Nothing she did here seemed to end well. It was almost as if everything here really was wrong.

She sat down on her bed and took a slow, deep breath. Things weren't right. But there were other ways they weren't. What if she really wasn't crazy, what if the other world was the real one and this really was Discord's realm? Would a pony know if they were crazy?

She rolled onto her back and stared at the ceiling. She didn't have any friends here, all she had were two parents who kept fighting. Who did nothing but fight. There wasn't any joy or laughter here. She was alone.

She began to softly giggle. Within a few moments she was full on laughing. She jumped off her bed and walked to the coloring books. She pulled them all off and scattered them across the floor. “Twilight?”

------

Pinkie nestled in the couch, sitting between her parents with a smile on her face. The two were once again not talking, instead just casting angry glares at each other every few seconds. She ignored them and watched the cartoon.

After a few minutes the grin formed on her lips as Twilight and Rainbow appeared behind the screen and pounded on it. “PINKIE!”

The earth pony just giggled, a hoof coming up to her mouth. She looked up at her parents, smiling even more as they began to look afraid.

“Honey, what's so funny?” her mother asked nervously.

“I was just being so silly. Just... silly. I forgot how important laughter is.”

“What?” her mother asked before shaking her head. “Laughter is fine, it's completely fine. It's just not needed.”

“Don't listen to her, Pinkie!” Twilight objected, tapping on the glass. She then yelped as an explosion in the background sent her flying into the glass, making her slide down it with a groan. “I... hate... Discord.”

“Twilight, seriously. This thing is awesome. The little rabbit doesn't even get squished. Just bounces back, like rubber,” Rainbow said from the background.

Pinkie giggled and shook her head. “But... it is important. I'm starting to see exactly why.” She reached out and put a hoof over her parent's hooves. “You... don't have laughter. You need it. It's how I started to see.” She pushed off the couch and turned back to them. “This... world isn't right, you know? Everything is... just wrong. This isn't how it's supposed to be. This isn't how anything is supposed to be.” She put a hoof over her heart and gave them a soft, pitying smile. “I really thought I was crazy, you know? I was even afraid to be me. Nothing I did seemed to work. But... I know who I am. I know the ponies I know. I know Twilight and the others are real. And most importantly, I know--” She ducked under as a hoof flew at her face. She giggled and hopped back, out of reach of her father. “And I know I'm the element of laughter.” She gave another giggle before turning to the television. “Which means my friends still need me. I'm sorry, I realized this earlier but I wanted to say good bye to you. I mean, just because you're not real doesn't mean we can't still be friends.”

“Pinkie, you're being crazy. Please, honey, your father was just worried, we're both just worried. Come back to us. Don't leave us alone again,” her mother said with panic.

The mare sighed and gave a gentle grin. “I'm sorry, but there are too many ponies who need me. I'd love it if we could have stayed together but... well, if you're anything like Discord, it'll be a real pain in the flank. Even when he was good he really wasn't that good and this isn't that kind of story.” She paused and gasped. “Ohhhh! I can see again!” Her grin widened. “And I know where my element is.” She turned and galloped up the stairs.

“Pinkie! Come back here this moment!” her father yelled as the two galloped after her. The pink mare ignored them and made her way to her room, pushing the door open.

There on the shelf it rested. A small white earth pony toy. She'd seen it a dozen times, but she hadn't known what it was. It had just been a toy. She stepped forward.

“Stop!” her father yelled. “I'm ordering you. Honey, come with me. You're going back to the doctor's. You're sick, you need help.”

“This was there, when I was in the mental ward,” Pinkie said before picking up the toy. “I didn't notice, but some ponies were playing with it. Just a toy, so fragile and weak. A choking hazard, too. Why would they allow ponies they thought insane to keep it?” The toy began to glow.

“Pinkie, put that down!” her mother shouted. “We've lost you once, we--”

“You never had me,” Pinkie said with a sigh. “Twisting and turning the things I knew to make me think I was crazy. I mean, what kind of pony does that?” She held up the glowing toy until it took the form of her element, wrapping around her neck. “But don't worry. I... understand. I know you were just trying to win.” She gave a little giggle. “I forgive you.”

Light erupted from her element and the world melted before her, the bonds holding her trapped shattering.

Chapter 27: We'll make it special

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Twilight let out a shriek as she toppled backwards, crashing into the wall. “Owwww...”

“Way to stick the landing,” Spike said with a chuckle.

Rainbow snorted and gave him a hoof bump. “You have wings now, you'd think you'd have practiced a bit more.

“SPIKEY!” Pinkie squealed with delight before giving him a hug. “Fluttershy!” She was next. One by one the pink mare went through her friends, giving them each a very tight and very loving hug. “You're all okay and here and real and I'm not crazy I knew all this was real hah!”

“What's she goin' on about?” Applejack asked, cocking an eye.

“Let's just say... her world was a bit weirder than I thought it would be,” Twilight muttered. “I was a toy.”

“That doesn't sound so bad,” Spike said with a shrug.

“I kind of tossed her into the waste basket,” Pinkie said with a small chuckle. “But she was okay, she popped up in the coloring books and TV.”

“She also got blown into stuff, was hilarious,” Rainbow said with a chuckle.

“TV?” Spike asked.

Twilight opened her mouth to speak, before frowning. “I... don't know. Some kind of magic thing. It was very useful, though. I think her element kept helping us appear in all kinds of different places.” She paused. “Wait. Errr, when we released her, how big of an explosion did it make?”

“Tower of light an' everything,” Applejack said.

“Right. Get us out of here then?” the alicorn said quickly.

The earth pony nodded and tapped the ground. It swallowed them a second later before the wall blocking them from sight crumbled.

------

“So there I am, thinking I'm completely nuts, then it finally just hits me,” Pinkie said with a giggle before giving Rainbow a nuzzle. “Laughter has to be important. Just look at what happens when you don't have it. And if it's one of the elements, well, all the other things I was told had to be lies too.”

Twilight nodded. “I'm happy you were able to get out of it,” she said with a sigh. “I was starting to worry. I've never been a toy before. All plastic and... well, it was a strange experience.” She frowned and looked down. “I couldn't talk to your element that time, though. It just didn't... well... before I was able to interact with it a bit. I could feel it helping us, directing us where we could touch things. But I couldn't see or really... feel it. But this time it was as if it wasn't there until you called it out. I think it's getting weaker.”

Pinkie shrugged. “It was there all the time, I just didn't realize it. But... I think it's because how I see things. All that stuff I knew didn't really make sense unless I knew who I was, you know? So for a little bit it made sense that I might be crazy. But once I realized that, well... ummmm...”

“You were just being Pinkie?” Rainbow offered.

“Yeah! Once I realized that and I understood that it was all fake, I knew where my element was. Just sitting there right out in the open. Now it feels so silly that I didn't realize sooner.” She gave a little giggle. “Right under my nose the whole time and I never saw it.”

“I think that's how he operates. Hiding stuff from us,” Twilight muttered. “But, I think your element was there, still trying to help. I'm pretty sure that was it, guiding us. I just couldn't see it. Were there any weird times? When things just didn't add up?”

Pinkie frowned and gave a nod. “Well... I think so. My mind just kept wandering sometimes but then I'd just forget what I was thinking about because I got distracted or something it was kind of like when you're trying to find something but then something sparkly and shiny comes up and you're like 'ohhhhh, I need this' then you buy it and you get home and remember you were supposed to buy some milk and lettuce and completely forgot.”

Twilight nodded slowly. “Err... right.” She looked up. The group was hidden underground, protected by Applejack's sand bending. “How are you holding up? Having any trouble keeping the walls up?”

“We'll wanna go up soon,” the mare said. “Air is gonna run low. Ah made this pretty big as holes go, but your lightin' it with fire ain't helpin'.”

Twilight nodded sheepishly. “Sorry. Well, let's go up. I'm sure Discord's magic has worn off by now.”

Applejack nodded and tapped the ground. They were suddenly rocketed back up into the outer world. Even though it was still bright, sunny and hot, it was still a lot cooler than the hole they'd been hiding in. Twilight held her breath and looked around the alley, but nopony came out to stop them or try to attack. She smiled and motioned towards the exit, pulling her cloak over herself. “Okay, now we just need to find the girls and get out of here.”

“Probably hidin' underground somewhere,” Applejack muttered as they started trotting, reaching out with her bending with every step. “Mah sister's a smart cookie, she'd make sure tah get them all out where they can't follow.”

“Of course,” Twilight said with a nod. “They're probably outside the city. We'll head there first.”

The group slowly made their way through the city streets, keeping an eye out for trouble as they went. The place had changed drastically. Ponies who were once angry and yelling all the time were now calm and friendly. They passed the muffin stand where one of the customers were now apologizing profusely, begging for forgiveness after their cruelty. “At least we know his magic has worn off.”

Pinkie frowned as she looked around. “Sooooo. I've been away a lot, filler? Not yet, though. Explain everything once we're out of the city. We're going to brush over the travel time anyway, so we might as well fill me in then. But I wanna know where we're going next.”

“… Of course,” Twilight said with a confused shrug towards her friends. “We're heading south, towards the Water Nation again. If Blueblood was correct, Rarity is being held in the south pole in the home of the Shadowbolts. We'll need to find a way to get there.”

“Ohhhhh, are we going to steal a ship? We can go sailing!” Pinkie said with a giggle.

“Maybe,” Twilight muttered. “We might have to steal a captain or something else, too. There's no telling how hard it will be to even find this fortress. It could be anywhere and none of us have been there. A hundred years ago the south pole was a cold, desolate wasteland, held by the Water Nation on the basis that they were closest. I doubt it's become any more hospitable in the last hundred years. The Shadowbolts won't be happy to see us, either. We'll need help getting in.”

“Assuming she's even there,” Rainbow grumbled.

“What?”

“Well, you said it's Blueblood, right? It's not as if he's our number one fan. For all we know, Discord got to him and--” Her next words were drowned out by a loud horn. “That… can't be good.”

“No, no it can't,” Twilight mumbled before turning towards the city center. “I… think it came from that way. Maybe we should--”

“Yah better say go check what it is, in case somethin' has happened tah mah little sister,” Applejack said angrily.

The alicorn nodded. “R-right, exactly. We're going to go find out what's going on. Err, come on, girls.” She started walking out through the city, trying to keep her head low and avoid attention from any passersby. The others followed closely behind her, looking out warily as the crowds started making their way towards the sound, many looking nervous. Not that they could blame them. Whatever the horn was signaling, it was likely from the Water Nation. Twilight just hoped it was the news that Trixie had fallen or had her horn shattered or any number of wonderful things.

Those hopes quickly died when they came to the city center and Trixie, Nightmare Moon and Solar Flare were all standing on a raised platform. Sweetie, Flowerbloom, Scootaloo and Blueblood were before them, all in stocks. “O-oh no...” Twilight whispered as she and her friends moved into position to see what was going on. They waited a few more minutes before Trixie was finally satisfied.

“Avatar, you coward!” Trixie's voice rang out. Her next words were drowned out by the booing of the crowd. That at least brought a smile to Twilight's face, but it was quickly drowned out by an explosion of fire from above. “Do you wish to return to the dehorning? I am not above such acts to disloyal subjects!” she warned. The crowd fell silent. “Good. AVATAR! I assume you're out there, if you haven't fled from the city like a true coward, with your tail between your legs!”

Twilight didn't say a word, she just watched, a hoof reaching out to grip Applejack. She wasn't surprised to find other hooves wrapping around the tense mare.

“I've decided to make you an offer!” The other, dark alicorn glanced towards the ponies trapped. “Surrender yourself and I will allow your friends to go. I will not harm them in any way and will allow them to live long, peaceful lives.” She paused for a moment for effect. “If you refuse, I won't kill them. I will do far, far worse.”

Applejack tensed, though her friends held her back. “It's a trap,” Twilight said quickly, though she couldn't look away. “Nightmare Moon and Solar Flare have taken us down every time we've fought them, even just one at a time. The most we've managed to do is delay them. If we go down there, we'll be captured. Discord will win.”

“There's a lot of other soldiers keeping an eye out, too,” Pinkie said quickly, pointing towards the buildings. “If we go, Twilight will be captured for sure.”

Applejack didn't respond, her entire body tense as a spring.

“I'll start with the stallion! Remember Twilight, only you can stop this!” Trixie yelled before turning towards the trapped de-horned pony. The amulet around her neck began to glow, as did her horn. Dark purple magic flowed around her before enveloping Blueblood.

The stallion screamed as the fel magic entered him, coursing through his body and along his coat, corrupting everything about him. Twilight could do nothing but watch as the magic enveloped him. Listen to his screams as the crowd watched in silence. Then it was over and the magic disappeared. The alicorn removed the binds from the stallion and let him free from the stocks. He stared for a few moments, before bowing to her.

Sweetie let out a little shriek as Trixie turned to her next. “Twilight!” the unicorn screamed out.

Twilight barely managed to stop from charging the stage. She couldn't save them, she knew that. No matter how badly she wanted to. But she couldn't look away. She owed them more than that.

“Yes, call out to her! Scream for help!” Trixie said, letting out another one of her laughs. “Oh hoh hoh hoh hoh!”

Sweetie whimpered, before calling out again. “Leave, escape! Don't worry about us, defeating Discord is what's important! We knew that--” She was silenced by Trixie covering her lips with ice, but it was too late.

“If you're seein' this, run!” Flowerbloom yelled. “Find the last element! Save the world! We knew what we were gettin' inta! Mrrf!” She was silenced as well. Scootaloo was about to yell as well, but her mouth was quickly covered.

“ENOUGH!” the dark alicorn yelled. “Very well, if you wish to have your minds shattered so badly, I will be more than willing to help!” Her horn glowed with the dark purple light again. She ungagged Sweetie just before applying the spell.

Twilight watched helplessly as, one by one, her friends were turned against her, corrupted by that fel magic. She and the others only barely managed to hold Applejack back when it was Flowerbloom's turn, the earth bender dragging them a few feet. As the final one was turned, they dragged themselves out of the crowd and down a nearby alley, once again disappearing under the ground.

Only when they were safely away, did they uncover Applejack's mouth. There were no screams or yells, however. There were only sobs from the earth bender. “It... it ain't fair. A-ah only... ah only j-jus' got mah lil sister back... she jus'... she jus'...”

Pinkie gave the mare a hug. “We'll get her back. Trixie didn't kill her, just brain washed her! We can fix that!” the bubbly mare said happily. “I mean, sure, now we'll be running from all of them, but once we get Rarity back, we'll save everypony at once, right? You'll get your sister back and can go back home to live on the farm.”

“Pinkie's right,” Twilight mumbled, though her heart wasn't in it. She'd gotten four of her friends back, just to lose her new ones. Why did it feel like every step they took forward, something else came up to push them back? She could still hear the screams echoing in her mind. It had to be temporary. They had to be able to fix it. She reached a hoof up to rub where her element had been, the cracked jewel flashing into her mind.

They were going to win, weren't they?

------

Discord stood in front of a long, cloth cover. “What? Oh, you'll just have to wait to see what I have planned. Don't worry, it'll be happening very, very soon.” Snap.

Chapter 28: Everytime

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It was just like old times, though it didn't feel like it. Twilight and her friends huddled for warmth as the surprise snow storm beat against them, sending strawberry slushies into their faces while they trekked across the desert. Spike was on her back, huddled inside her cloak as he occasionally sent out little streams of flame in the air, helping to keep them a little warm. She was tempted to fire bend as well, but didn't want to push herself too hard yet. There was no telling when the weather would warm up again and she'd need all the energy she could keep.

It had been a few days, she assumed, since they'd left Manehatten. They had not been good days. The weather changed on the hour, from sub zero temperatures to near boiling. On the up side, they still had plenty to eat and drink, even if none of it was healthy. On the down side, morale was at an all time low. The only thing really keeping them going was the fact that Pinkie was there to offer her words of encouragement. Talking about what they would do when all this was over, when they defeated Discord for real. When their families and friends were back the way they were supposed to be. The small glimmer of hope was enough to keep them going even through the fierce torrents of erratic weather.

But Twilight couldn't keep other doubts from entering her mind. They had come face to face with Discord, yet he hadn't looked worried or surprised in the least. He'd almost seemed happy to see them. As if they were old friends, rather than the ponies trying to destroy him. She'd have loved to just base that on the fact that he was completely insane and therefore it didn't have to make sense. Even so, she had a bad feeling about it.

He'd orchestrated so many things to ensure his escape. Over a hundred years he waited, not counting how long it took him to make his first appearance against Starswirl. He had to be intelligent, even if he was a complete lunatic. And therein lied the problem. He was intelligent. Possibly even a genius. He probably saw things three or four steps ahead of them. What if everything she was doing was all part of his plan? What if the reason he wasn't scared of them was because he'd already won? The elements were damaged, but not broken as far as they knew. They were removing Discord's influence from them, one by one. But what if they still weren't enough? What if they couldn't stop him, even with the six elements?

Even worse, what if what he said before was true? 'I always have a backup plan.' What if this was all a game to him and she was fighting a hopeless battle? What if he was as powerful as he seemed and the elements just weren't enough anymore? Just because they were removing the corruption from each one didn't mean he didn't have something else up his sleeve. But worst of all was the fact these might not even be her thoughts or doubts. He'd already shown the capability to alter their thoughts and minds. What if this was all another trap? What if she was under his control still? What if none of this was even happening? It all felt so hopeless. As if they were destined to lose. She glanced at her friends and she could see the same looks of worry and fear that were on her own. All except one.

“We're going to win,” Pinkie said with a giggle. “I don't know why you're all looking so down.”

“Pinkie...” Rainbow muttered.

“What? We've gotten this far. We've taken on the entire Water Nation, beaten Trixie before, taken down Nightmare Moon, saved the Fire Tribes hiding in the Everfree Forest. Not to mention the countless other things we've done.” The pink mare glanced towards Twilight. “Not to mention beaten up the changeling queen. It's not like this is the first time we've fought a spirit, after all. So what if he's big, bad and cheats? We're together. We'll have Rarity soon and then we'll go and kick his flank. For real this time.”

“Of course we will,” Applejack grumbled, her heart not really in it.

“So what if we lost once? We've lost plenty of times. But that doesn't matter,” Pinkie said before hopping around and bumping each of them together. “We've always come back. We've never let it defeat us. Even if we crack, we never, ever break. That's why we're going to win. That's why we're going to set everything right. Just like we always have.” She took a deep breath. “Besides. We know what to expect this time. He's not going to be able to trick us again. We won't fall for the whole... different worlds thing. Not again. As long as we're together, there's nothing we can't do.”

The group didn't respond for a few minutes, before finally Rainbow nodded. “You know what? Yeah. She's right. It doesn't matter what happens, we're going to still kick his butt. We're together. Even without the elements, we're still some of the best benders there ever were. We'll slam him so far into the ground even the earth benders can't dig him up.”

“Y-yeah,” Fluttershy said weakly. “We... we c-can't let that... that big meanie win. W-we've come too far. We've done too much. Pinkie... Pinkie's right.”

“Eeyup,” Applejack said with a nod. “It... it ain't gonna be easy, but the lot of us never shied away from a lil hard work. Ah don't see why we'd start now. Discord is as good as beaten.”

Twilight couldn't keep the smile from her lips as she started walking a little faster. “Right. We're going to do this, easy. We've worked too hard and too long to just give up now. Rarity, we're coming for you and together we're going to send that spirit back where he came from.”

Spike shivered. “R-right. But... l-let's go a little faster. It's kind of really co--” Suddenly the snow almost melted and it turned to a near blistering heat. “Never mind.”

“Come on girls, let's give our triumphant battle cry! I hate Discord!” Pinkie said with a giggle. The others soon joined in on the chuckle.

“I hate Discord!” they called out as one.

------

“Holy buck. That's quite the whopper,” Applejack said as they stared up. They had managed to make it to the border between the Water Nation and the Fire Tribe lands. The tall mountainous peaks had a few additions made to them.

“That's a bit egotistical, even for Trixie,” Spike said. “I can see carving her face in one of them, but she did it to at least six of those mountains up there.”

“Well, that's great,” Fluttershy grumbled. “We have to walk through the valley of the blabbering air head.”

All the ponies turned towards her, shock in their eyes. “S-sorry, w-was that too mean?”

“Just a little startling,” Twilight mumbled as they kept walking. “We just need to get to Canterlot for now. Or someplace with an airship. If we can get out from there we'll have no--”

Applejack suddenly grabbed the alicorn's tail and pulled her back. “Hold up. There's somethin' ahead of us! Somepony!”

The group came to a sharp halt. “Who?” Rainbow asked.

“Ah don't know, but there's a few of them. They're... settin' somethin' up an' they got a coach hidden behind some trees. Ah think...” She frowned. “Ah think they're in the midst of settin' up an ambush.”

Twilight groaned and shook her head. “Wonderful. It figures, we just get here and nearly walk right into an ambush.”

“Ah... ah don't know,” Applejack said with a shake of her head before tapping the ground. “Ah don't think it's soldiers. Ah could be wrong, but ah don't think ah can feel Trixie amongst them. We left her behind us, too. Ah don't think she could have gotten here yet.”

Twilight frowned and rubbed her chin. “So, something new?”

“Ah don't know. Maybe we should try goin' around?”

“I think it would be for the best. Ah think they're havin' lunch. They're...” Applejack frowned and stomped her hooves twice more. “Okay, I think whatever Discord is doin' with the world is affectin' mah sensin'. That can't be right.”

“What is it?” Twilight asked.

“Ah... ah think they're all gathered around... okay, this has tah be wrong. A sammich.”

There was a pregnant pause. Then Pinkie let out a shriek and galloped off over the hill.

“Pinkie, stop!” Twilight yelled, running after her friend. Within a moment the ambush came into sight. A few ponies were sitting in a small circle around a cheese sandwich. Which somehow managed to look surprised as the pink mare suddenly skidded through the crowd, picked it up and gave it a hug.

“Cheese Sandwich! I knew you had to be okay!”

“Pinkie? Pinkie, is that you?” the sandwich asked. “Everypony stand down, this is a friend! One of the elements of harmony I was telling you about. Pinkie, where are your friends?”

“Right here!” Twilight yelled as she skidded to a stop. The ponies surrounding the sandwich tensed up, but slowly relaxed and parted ways. The alicorn stared at the sandwich and sighed. “Really? He turned you into somepony's lunch? That's... that's a lame joke even for him.”

“Indeed, it's very cheesy,” Cheese said, drawing a snort from Rainbow and Pinkie. “But I'm holding myself together, if you'll parmesan the pun. He really makes me curd sometimes though.”

“Ouch,” Applejack said with a cringe. “Please, knock off the puns.”

“Sorry, couldn't resist.”

“Be thankful, we've heard them all a thousand times,” one of the earth pony's grumbled.

“What is all this?” Pinkie asked with a light giggle. “Are you preparing an ambush?”

“Of course!” the sandwich said. “We've heard of your adventures and knew you'd come this way soon. I'd of come to meet you in Manehatten, but I'd of been toast.” There was a light groan from the gathered ponies. “Oh, come on, that one was great. However, when Trixie flies through here, we'll be ready for her.”

“No you won't,” Twilight mumbled. “We've delayed her, for now. When we left she was still preparing to leave, her airship was wrecked. However, she has plenty of ponies who can pull her carriages. I don't know how long she'll be, but fighting her is suicide now. She has Solar Flare, Nightmare Moon, Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo and Flowerbloom all on her side. Any one of them would be a dangerous threat, together it's suicide.” She paused and then sighed. “She has Righteous Knight as well, but he's not as much a threat.”

“Righteous Knight? So he met with you? Did he inform you of--”

“Yes, I know.” She took a deep, slow breath. “But we don't know how to get to the South Pole. We need an airship. Even if we get one, there's no telling if we'll be able to find the base. Even worse, Trixie is going to know we're headed there.”

The sandwich nodded. “Of course. This is quite the pickle. But the resistance has been ready and waiting for you. I'll have to come with you to Canterlot, but if we move fast our plan may work.” Cheese turned towards the ponies. “I... realize what I'm going to ask you is dangerous, but--”

“Don't,” one of the unicorn's said. “We were well aware that we'd be risking our lives on this. If you're needed to help the avatar succeed, then we'll do this without you. We'll delay Trixie as long as we can.”

“Very well.” The cheese sandwich saluted. Sorta. He more just wiggled his crust a bit. “It was very gouda to work with all of you.”

There was another groan from the group. “Really?” Rainbow asked with a shake of her head. “These ponies are offering to lay down their lives for us and--”

“Oh, well, we're not going to do that,” one of the earth ponies said with a chuckle. “What we're doing is dangerous, but we have no intention of dying. We're going to delay her and then run like the dickens.” There were quick nods and agreements from the ponies.

“... Fine. They're offering to risk their lives for us, and you make another pun?”

“What can I say? I've always been a little cheesy,” the sandwich said.

“Not even new puns, thats the same one you used already,” Rainbow muttered with a shake of her head.

“Anyway, time is of the essence! We must make it swiftly to Canterlot, before they can find and stop us!” Cheese motioned forward with a crusty wave.

“Now that one was bad,” Pinkie said with a giggle. “What does a crusty wave even look like?”

Rainbow let out a groan. “Are we going to have to hear sandwich and cheese puns the entire time?”

Pinkie looked to the sandwich. It nodded. “It's going to be... jam packed,” she said firmly.

Everypony groaned then.

------

“How many resistance groups are there?” Twilight asked as they walked, occasionally glancing at the sandwich riding on top of Pinkie's head.

“Dozens. Why, we all got a sli--”

“No puns,” she said firmly.

The sandwich sighed. “Fine. There are dozens of us out there. After you disappeared and the war... kind of ended, plenty of ponies were trying to make their own resistances. Discord... didn't let it work very well.”

“He kept crashing the meetings, right?” Pinkie asked.

“Yes! And he was so rude, too. I think he backwashed into one of the punch bowls and turned our cups into chocolate syrup. Just a huge mess all around. There was very, very little we could do, at first.”

“At first?” Twilight asked, cocking an eye.

“Yes. Many of our members were changed, as well. Entire resistance groups just disappeared overnight, their members... well, I'm sure you know.”

“We've seen what Discord's magic can do,” she said softly. “It isn't pretty. But after we were released, ponies returned to normal, right?”

“Exactly. Once that happened, the resistances started up in full swing as far as I can tell. Granted, I've only seen a few, but we're out there, doing our best to stall. We know you're our best hope, so we'll do everything we can to ensure that they can't stop you.”

“Is Discord still causing problems with meetings and such?”

There were a few seconds of silence before the sandwich sighed. “No. It's... been quiet. I'd say too quiet. He hasn't interfered in anything. Aside from when Trixie went to him directly, we haven't seen him do a single thing to interfere with the war effort. He's been in the desert, preparing... something, as far as we know. If he's up to something, he's making sure none of the information gets out.”

Twilight nodded. “Oh, we met him,” she said bitterly. “He mocked us a lot, but didn't really... well, do anything. It was as if he was toying with us. I don't think he sees us as a threat now.” She glanced back the way they had come. “Or he has something else planned.”

“Really? What did you see around the spirit?”

“Not much,” the alicorn said with a shrug. “To be honest, he took up most of our attention. Just a lot of empty space and, well, chaos. He's... definitely not a normal... thing.”

Pinkie gasped. “W-why didn't you tell me you met him? What happened? What did he say? Did he do anything special? Did he turn into a giant rubber mallet?”

Twilight shrugged. “Well it... it kind of slipped my mind.” She frowned. “Actually, that's not good. Something that important shouldn't be slipping my mind. He mostly just made fun of us, talked condescending, asked how we were doing. Made a few vague hints towards Rarity's location.” She stopped for a second and nodded. “I... think he did turn into a giant rubber mallet at some point. How did you know that?”

“He's Discord, it's just the kind of thing he'd do,” Pinkie said with a frown. “He's probably waiting for us to get Rarity before he makes his move. That or whatever he has her trapped in is so fiendishly clever and impossible to defeat that he thinks we can't beat it! OR!” She let out a gasp. “He's... just being himself and doesn't see us as much of a threat yet.”

Twilight sighed and nodded. “I'm thinking it's that last one. You know, I really thought the spirit of chaos we'd been fighting so long to stop would be more...”

“Openly evil?” Rainbow asked.

“Yeah. This is just... annoying a lot of the time.”

“It ain't annoyin' what happened tah mah little sister,” Applejack grumbled. “So, Cheese. Yah mentioned resistance groups. How many yah know about personally?”

“Only a few. Some have fallen apart while others have formed. The Water Nation has at least five I can think of. Trixie is not the most... popular of rulers.”

Twilight nodded. “I can't imagine she is. We've passed about ten different statues in her honor.”

“You should see what she does in the towns,” the sandwich muttered. “Marching bands, songs, murals. I've never seen a pony with her head so far up her--”

“Cheese!” Pinkie snapped.

“Sorry.”

“She was pretty bad before,” Twilight muttered. “But, as much as I hate to admit it, part of this might be Discord's influence. Ponies who are good and kind, like Celestia, are being turned into wicked evil pawns. I don't even want to image what his influence is doing to a pony like Trixie.”

Rainbow chuckled. “Yeah, who knows. If he changes her enough, she might actually be likable. That would be a real drastic shift in her character.”

Twilight nodded. “Who knows? But Cheese, this is very good news. It feels great to know that, well... we aren't alone. We still have support.” She let out a soft, delighted sigh. “It's good to know that there are ponies out there still rooting for us.”

“Of course. Almost everypony knows how hard and long you've been working. I'm happy to know it makes you feel so gou--”

“If you say gouda I will turn you into toast. You've used that one already, I will not abide it a second time.”

“... Makes you feel so happy.” He paused. “I can get you onto a ship to the Shadowsbolts. But... I'm afraid I cannot tell you what to expect.”

“Why?”

“There has been very little information in and out. As far as I can tell, the gates have been closed. You'll need to sneak in once you get there.”

Twilight nodded. “Well... at least that means they probably won't be listening to Trixie and expecting us. Getting there will be enough.” She stared at the road ahead of them, paved with chocolate eggs.

They'd get to Rarity soon and end this nightmare. They were ahead of Trixie, had ponies delaying her and now had a way to get there. So why did she have this feeling of foreboding?

Chapter 29: What a wonderful wonder

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“Wow,” Twilight said softly as she stared at Canterlot. Or at least, what remained of it. Before she had spent most of her time running around it and hadn't had much opportunity to really look at it that closely. Now, though, she could see just how wrecked it was. There were houses and walls again, but they seemed to all be made with earth bending. There were a few guards stationed around the walls, but they didn't even seem to be paying attention. The entire city looked, well, sacked. Almost every piece of cloth they could see, be it hanging from windows or on roofs, were filled with holes and tears.

“For obvious reasons, try to keep who you are a secret,” Cheese said as they headed towards the main gate. “You're... not likely to be the most popular pony around here.”

“What, after pretty much wiping the whole place out single hoofedly, she's not popular? Who'd have thought that?” Rainbow asked with a chuckle. As they walked, her wings lightly flapped with each movement.

“You're gettin' the hang of it, right Sugarcube?” Applejack asked as they made their way to the gate.

“I think so. I mean... it's not perfect, but I think I can make out general shapes now. Walls, ponies, things like that. I still have a long way to go, but it's working,” Rainbow mumbled before sighing. “It's a pain in the butt, though. Trying to differentiate between what's just the wind, and what's it bouncing off things. I think I'm starting to understand why the air benders don't use this.” She gave her wings a little flap, before quickly tucking them in. “We're almost to the gate?”

“Eeyup.”

“Two guards?”

“Eeyup.”

“... Are they lounging against the wall?”

“Eeyup.”

“Perfect.”

Twilight held her breath as they walked towards the gate. They got a cursory glance. “Benders?” the nearer guard asked.

She nodded quickly. “Yes. Water bender. I--”

“Move along,” the pony said with a wave of his hoof, barely even giving them a second glance.

Twilight let out a soft sigh of relief once they were out of earshot. “Well, that was easy.”

“Somepony is really bored with their job,” Rainbow said softly.

“The sun is currently a great ball of butter,” Fluttershy said softly. “I don't think it's boredom, I think they just don't really... care anymore.”

Pinkie nodded. “That's probably true. Hey, we could throw a really big party! I bet I can find some balloons and some glitter. Ohhhh, and with a few desserts and treats, it would be the best ever!”

“Pinkie...” Twilight muttered.

“I know where we can get some music and a disco ball,” Cheese added.

“Cheese...” the alicorn said, her voice tinted with annoyance.

“Ohhhh, and I bet we could even set the ball up so--”

“Remember, Trixie is on the way!” Twilight hissed, turning to glare at the two.

“Sorry...” they said in unison.

“Good. Now, moving on. Where are we going to find this ship of yours, Cheese?”

There was a few seconds of silence. “Err... well, about that. I did mention you'd get on a ship to there. Delivered, sorta. In fact.”

Twilight frowned. “Why do I have a feeling there is a but in there somewhere?”

“But you're probably not going to like how it's done. Turn right at this street.”

------

Twilight stared at the long line of barrels in front of her. “You've got to be kidding me.”

“I'm sorry, miss avatar,” the gray earth pony said as he leaned against them. “But getting you in as supplies is, well, the only way to get you in there. You can't exactly march onto the ships. I've got some cushions in them, so it should at least help.”

“I thought you said there wasn't any contact from them?” Twilight asked Cheese.

“There are still ponies stationed out there, keeping an eye on the place. It's just the Shadowbolts themselves that seem to have been cut off. The place is a prison holding some of the most dangerous ponies to the Water Nation. They have to keep at least somepony watching it.”

“These smell like pickles,” Rainbow said with a groan.

“They hold pickles. Listen, I know this won't be comfortable, but it's the best I can do,” the stallion said. “If I could get you a big crate, I would. But I can't. It's this, or nothing.”

Twilight sighed and gave a nod. “Well, we don't have any choice. We... well, let's go.” She got to her hooves and flew into the air, before gently lowering into one of the barrels. She cringed. “They do smell like pickles.” She paused halfway in. “Cheese, you will be coming too, won't you?”

“I'm afraid not,” the sandwich said. “For now, it's best that I stay here and try to organize whatever delays I can. If Trixie finds you, you'll be in a real pic--”

“Don't,” Twilight warned.

“Anyway. I'll just get in your way against the Shadowbolts. We're all counting on you, Twilight. Never forget.”

She nodded and slid inside the barrel. The others slowly climbed in their own barrels and had the lids slowly applied. One by one the ponies were lifted and moved, the light clatter of wood on wood surrounding them.

“Everypony okay?” Twilight called out.

“Cramped, but fine!” Rainbow called back.

“Keep it down, I can't go down the street with yelling barrels!” the stallion snapped.

“Sorry,” Twilight called. They soon heard the gentle creaking of wood as they were hauled through the city. She sighed and leaned back against the wall of the barrel as best she could. She didn't like this, but it wasn't as if they had much choice. She never would have imagined they'd be sneaking in through pickle barrels though.

------

“We're here,” the stallion called out. “Going to put these barrels in the back, then you're all good to go!”

“Get on with it!” another voice called.

“Right! Sorry!” There was a lot of shaking as the barrels were moved one by one into position. “I'm putting you guys in the back. Try to keep out of sight, hopefully you won't be moved until then. It's about a day trip, so if you have to leave, try to keep hidden.” There was a lot of creaking sounds, before they heard the cart being rolled away. Then they just waited. Twilight leaned back and let out a groan.

The barrels smelled awful, they were dark and, worst of all, they weren't roomy. The cushions were nice, but she had to scrunch up her knees a bit or they dug into the sides and she couldn't even sit up fully without hitting her horn on the top. She almost wished she was an earth pony or pegasus, at least then she could fully stretch out her neck. “Spike, how are you doing?”

“Fine,” he called back. “Smells funny, but at least there's plenty of room!”

There were low groans from her friends. She wished she was a little baby dragon now. She moved around a bit in the barrel, trying to get comfortable before finding a position. It forced her back to arch in an odd way, but at least it was bearable and allowed her to stretch her legs out for a little bit.

She went completely still as she heard muffled talking from outside. After a few minutes the talking stopped and she let out a sigh of relief. Then she felt an odd sensation pressing against her entire body. It took her a few moments to realize they were moving. The momentum soon balanced itself and disappeared, though she could still feel a little bit of movement. They were flying, the ship had taken off. Now all they had to do was wait.

------

Twilight was shaken from her pained thoughts by a loud thump. She heard a few more before she realized it was one of the barrels. After a few more moments there was a light cracking and finally a sigh of relief. “I'm out!” Rainbow's voice came.

“Rainbow!” the alicorn snapped. Her horn glowed and she ripped the lid off hers as well, before getting up. Almost every muscle in her body objected, screaming at her as she climbed up and popped her head over the rim of the barrel. The room was dark, though there were small beams of light peeping through holes in the boards. The room appeared to be filled with barrels and crates. She could see stairs off in the distance, but the doorway at the top of them was closed. “We were supposed to stay hidden.”

“If I had to stay in that any longer, I was going to take this place down myself just for an excuse,” Rainbow snapped as she stretched out her wings and hooves. “Oh yes that feels good. Come on, girls. Place is empty, get a little stretching while you can.”

Twilight sighed. “Fine. I'll give some lig--” She let out a yelp as Pinkie popped out of her barrel and covered her horn. “Pinkie, what are you doing?!”

“Twilight, we're in the hold of a traveling ship. This ship probably has cannons and that means gun powder. Don't you EVER read books?” There was a light snicker from Rainbow. “All it takes is the slightest spark and then cablooey!”

Twilight let out a small eep. “I ummm, I-I hadn't actually thought of that.”

“While ah'm not normally one tah be too over cautious, ah gotta agree with Pinkie on this,” Applejack said as she came out of her barrel. “Ah mean, ah'd rather we not get blown sky high before we even... Pinkie, why are yah laughin'?”

The pink mare giggled, starring at the other earth pony. “B-because, hee hee, we're already sky high! Bwa ha ha ha!”

“Keep it down!” Rainbow snapped, turning so her ear was towards the entrance. “Just get some stretching done and get ready to hide if we need to. Anypony see somewhere we can lay down and wait while we go?”

Twilight frowned and squinted, peering through the darkness. “I... think if we push out the barrels a bit, we'll have room. There is a lot of stuff down here, so it'll be a tight fit.”

“As tight as the barrels themselves?”

“No,” she mumbled. The ponies moved about as quietly as they could, moving the barrels around a little so there was a narrow space between them and the wall. They then quickly spread out in the narrow opening. Twilight quickly replaced all the lids as the ponies tried relaxing. “So, it should be a fairly long trip, but at least we won't have to walk it for once.”

“I never minded the walking,” Rainbow said with a chuckle. “Well, I did. But I never minded the exercise. I hate having to do all this skulking around. We should just take the ship over like we did before. It would be so easy.”

“Perhaps,” Twilight said with a sigh. “How much metal is on this ship?”

“Ain't much,” Applejack said with a frown. “Big wooden thing, kinda a pain in the flank if yah ask me. Mah bendin' won't be much use here. Yah know, ah went an' invented metal bendin', yah'd think our enemies would have the courtesy tah at least use it in more things.”

“Wood is cheaper,” Fluttershy said softly. “Easier to lift up, too. We haven't fought many tanks in a while, either.”

“So it would be down namely to me and Rainbow,” Twilight said with a sigh. “That's not even mentioning the problems we might encounter trying to fly this thing. Does anypony know where this place is? Especially with Discord... discording everything? The maps they use probably don't even work anymore, there's probably something else they navigate by.”

Rainbow groaned and flopped onto the ground. “Great, so we have to keep going and hiding like rats in a ship? This is soooo boring!”

“Better bored than lost,” Twilight said with a shrug. “We'll just keep our heads down and try to avoid any problems. As long as we're quiet, they should head straight there.”

“Yah know, ah think we might be forgettin' somethin',” Applejack mumbled.

“What?”

“There's gonna be a whole battalion of them out there, right? Keepin' an eye on this outpost an' all that? How we gonna get past them? Might be too many tah fight.”

Twilight went silent for a moment before shrugging. “We'll have to sneak around. We're just being delivered, so once we're dropped off, we can sneak underground. Or underwater. Or whatever there is. It should be... sort of easy.”

“There might not be that many of them,” Rainbow said with a snicker. “I mean, this place is on lock down, right? How many ponies do you really need to keep an eye over a place that doesn't have anypony coming in or out?”

Twilight shrugged. “If we're lucky? Very few.” She closed her eyes.

“Well, I think there's only one thing to do now! Let's play a game! How about... Eye spy?” Pinkie asked as she laid down. “Come on, guess!”

“Is it a barrel?” Rainbow asked.

“Gasssssp! You're right, how did you know?” the mare asked, eyes wide with wonder.

“Because that's the only thing around here.”

“Ohhhh! Well, Dashie, your turn!”

There was a face hoof from the mare. “Pinkie, I'm blind. I literally cannot play eye spy.”

There was a small pause from the mare. “Oh... right. Well, what do you want to play? Want to sing a song?”

“I'd hate to have to remind everyone,” Spike said with annoyance. “But we are still hiding here. So maybe singing and dancing aren't the best ideas?”

“I'm with Spike,” Fluttershy said as she gently cradled Angel to her chest, petting his fur softly. “A little sleep could do us good.”

Pinkie let out another giggle. “Okay! I'll take first watch, everypony sleep well.”

Twilight almost objected, before shrugging and rolling on her side. If anypony could get them up when trouble came, Pinkie could. She doubted the mare would fall asleep on the job, either. Sometimes she wondered if the mare even did sleep.

She tried to imagine what awaited them ahead. Just what kind of place did the Shadowbolts call home?

Chapter 30: Friendship brings

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“I t-think I-I've got ice sickles o-on my f-feathers,” Rainbow said, her teeth chattering as she huddled with the others for warmth. There was no telling how long it had been since they'd set sail, but one thing was definitely clear. Their little cloaks were no match for the fierce cold that had overtaken the ship. Even with the padding they took from the barrels, it was only a temporary fix. It was far from dangerous levels of cold, but those parts of them exposed to the environment were practically freezing off.

“F-figures, t-the one place D-Discord d-doesn't mess with the w-weather,” Applejack said glumly, shivering as well. They had been huddling for what felt like hours, the ship making its brisk trip through the icy wasteland. It hadn't been so bad, at first. The cold had been gradually moving through the ship. Unfortunately, the storage section was hardly the most insulated and as the heat leaked out, the cold had begun to overwhelm them. Ponies had only come down a few times from the outside, but the occasional opening of the door was enough to cost them what little heat they had. They'd resorted to forming a little ball of warmth, with their cloaks on the outside and Spike and Angel in the middle.

Twilight blew gently into her hooves, nodding. “I-I think i-it'll w-warm up soon. I-I mean, i-it can't stay this cold forever.”

“W-we're near the south pole, I-I think it's only going t-to get colder,” Rainbow grumbled.

“W-want me to try making some flame?” Twilight asked, before sneezing off to the side.

“Ah'd almost w-welcome blowin' up a-at this point, b-but best n-not tah risk it S-Sugarcube,” Applejack grumbled. “We--” She let out a yelp as the entire ship suddenly shook. There was an explosion up above.

“It's the Shadowbolts! Arm yourselves, lads!” a voice yelled from up above.

Twilight's eyes widened. “That doesn't--” There was another shake, less violent this time. Then she felt another light feeling of momentum. “I think we're going down.”

“We are very, very much going down,” Rainbow said warily. “Slowly. That is not a good thing.”

“It might be,” Pinkie said quickly. “I mean, traditionally we've crashed almost every air ship we've been on. Even the blimps. So it's only natural that this one--”

“Not now, Pinkie,” Twilight said before there was another harsh shaking from above. The ship was going down a lot faster all of a sudden. Then there was a snapping from above and the room suddenly shifted hard, turning completely sideways and flinging everything towards the new wall that had once been the floor. The girls screamed as they were momentarily in the air, before hurtling into the barrels and crates. “O-ow. Everypony okay?” she asked with a light groan.

“I hate everything,” Spike said with a groan. “Ow...”

“A-angel, are you okay?” Fluttershy asked as she huddled the baby bunny to her.

There was another crash from above, followed by something snapping.

“O-oh no,” Twilight said with a squeak. The ship fell from the sky, snapped from the balloon that held it aloft. The girls screamed as the ship fell to the world below.

About three feet before coming to a completely stop. The bottom of the ship cracked open as it slammed into the ground, revealing the packed ice underneath it.

“Well... that was anti-climatic,” Applejack said with a groan. “Not that ah'm complainin'.”

“Let's... get out of here,” Rainbow said with a groan. “There's a fight going on up there, I can't think of a better distraction.”

Twilight nodded as she pulled herself up. She had a few cuts and bruises, but only a few of the barrels and crates had shattered, thankfully none of them near them. “Okay, girls. Grab whatever cover you can and let's get out of here.”

“Can you stop saying girls every time?” Spike asked, his voice tinted with annoyance.

Twilight paused and looked to him. Funny, it had never even occurred to her. “Oh, right. Okay, everypony?”

The dragon sighed and face clawed. “Never mind.” He rubbed the amulet around his neck for a second to make sure it was safe, before grabbing a few of the cushions to wrap around himself.

“Here, Rainbow,” Twilight said before taking the mare's hooves and helping her around the wreckage. She made her way to a small section of the ship that had been torn out, revealing the ice beneath. Her horn glowed and after a second a large, pony sized hole formed inside it. “Okay gi… every po… let's go!” she said before diving into the hole.

The others followed behind her. The ice was frozen, but her bending made the holes easily. Unfortunately, they quickly found themselves shivering as the little bit of covering they had did little to protect them against the bone freezing chill. She closed the hole behind them, but after a few yards she quickly started making the tunnel head up.

They broke through the surface almost a dozen yards from the ship. She made a small ice roof over themselves to hide where they were, but they now had a clear view. “That… that's it,” she whispered softly.

Less than a mile away it stood, a massive tower of glimmering ice, sparkling like a majestic rainbow in the light. If not for the other things going on, it would have been a wondrous sight. Unfortunately, they had a clear view of the battle and the carnage that followed.

The ship had crashed against the ground, pieces of wood littering the floor. Shadowbolts zoomed through the air, attacking the ponies trying to escape. It was a slaughter that made her heart as cold as the chilled air. A few of them managed to make it a few yards from the ship before the Shadowbolts descended on them, snapping their necks in moments. Even the water benders couldn't fend them off, sending out shards of ice which were easily knocked aside, before being attacked from behind. After a few moments there was nothing but silence, the bodies of the soldiers left on the ground to freeze. The Shadowbolts then headed below deck.

“Aren't they supposed tah be on the same side?” Applejack asked softly.

“Yes, they are,” Twilight said softly. “Whatever is going on in there can't be good.”

“Might be good for us,” Rainbow said softly. “Maybe they're part of the rebellion now?”

Twilight thought about it for a moment before shaking her head. “I really, really doubt that. Everyplace we've been that has had Discord's influence has had the ponies… changed. A lot. I think this is part of that. Whatever is going on here, they're vicious and dangerous. We'll have to be careful. We'll go under cover.” She pulled Spike close, holding him to her chest. He was so nice and warm.

“I-I d-don't think w-we'll be able t-tah keep goin' i-if we hide under t-the ice the whole way,” Applejack said softly. “I-it's freezin' an' t-these cloaks an' blankets only go s-so far.”

Twilight nodded before her eyes focused on some of the corpses outside of the ship. She took a deep breath. “I… have an idea. It's not pretty, it's not nice and it's creepy, but...”

“We're gonna have tah wear the clothes of the dead, ain't we?”

“Yep,” the alicorn said with a sigh. “Come on, let's get them before the Shadowbolts come out from the ship.”

------

Twilight walked slowly, focusing her head forward as she bent the ice ahead of her, forming a narrow tunnel ahead for them to walk through. The ponies were all huddled up again as they walked, holding Angel and Spike in the center to help keep them warm. They all focused forward, not trying to think about the cold corpses left behind, along with the blood that stained some of the coats. It was at least better than freezing to death. If only a little.

“There's supposed to be an outpost here, isn't there?” Rainbow asked. “Cheese said there were ponies watching them, right?”

“I wouldn't count on it still being here,” Twilight muttered. “I doubt it would have done us any good, anyway. But those ponies are probably gone by now. Either retreated or… dead.”

“How much longer yah think until we'll get there?” Applejack grumbled. “Coats or not, mah hooves still feel cold as ice an' ah'll feel ah heckuva lot better once we get under some real cover.”

The alicorn frowned and held up a hoof to stop. “Hold on.” She formed a small hole above and peered out. The tower was at least easy to find, they were almost to it. “Just a little further. We're almost there.” She closed the top again and started walking. They were close to the surface, so the sun gently pierced through the ice and allowed them to see.

Twilight let out a gasp once they were just a few yards from it. “Oh… b-by the heavens...”

“What is it?” Rainbow asked.

“It's… it's huge! I mean, just… what I can feel.” She held out a hoof and formed a hole ahead. “The entire place, I think it goes down forever!”

“Buck!” Applejack yelped as their tunnel connected with another tunnel in the tower of ice. A shadowbolt was standing there, staring right at them in confusion. The stallion got ready to bolt, but before he could move there was a fierce gust of wind. The pegasus was sent flying back into the wall of ice, a moment before Rainbow slammed hooves first into his chest. She then leaped back, her wings flapping a bit.

“I'm not feeling anypony else,” Rainbow said. Twilight thrust out a hoof, the water reaching out to grab the downed pegasus before he could get up. It formed over his mouth, silencing him before he could yell.

“Sorry,” Twilight said with a sheepish grin. “It's not like… well, I can just feel the water. I can't actually feel what's around it.”

The ponies walked inside and shivered. The walls seemed to be made of ice, though despite the rainbow view from outside, there seemed to be almost no light in here. Only darkness and rows of glass-like ice. Twilight's horn came alight and she swore she could make out shadows moving there, in the distance. The light of the flame didn't seem to go very far, either. As if the darkness itself was swallowing the glow. She sealed up the wall behind them and soon the flame of her horn was the only light once again.

“At… at least it's warmer,” Applejack said, shivering.

“T-this reminds me o-of my n-nightmare,” Fluttershy said softly as she moved in just a little closer to the others. “O-only worse.”

“This place looks like a nightmare alright,” Twilight said softly as she looked around. There was no way the ice could be that thick, that it could keep out all the light like that. But the place was completely devoid of the smallest flicker. It gave her the odd feeling that she was miles under the ocean. It was even worse than being underground, because there was something just unnatural about it. She swore she could see eyes watching her from the shadows, always on the edge of her vision.

Twilight shook her head and looked down at their captive. She slowly removed the ice from his mouth. “Don't scream or I'll gag you again. What's going on here?”

“I'm not telling you nothin',” the stallion snapped, glaring at her. His lips soon formed into a grin. “Well… unless you got something to make it worth my while.”

“Ex… excuse me?” she said, her eyes widening.

“You heard me. I want something nice, or I'm not telling you anything.”

Twilight's mouth fell open, before she shook her head and looked to the others. “Do we even have anything?”

“We've got some grub?” Applejack said with a shrug. “But that's about all.”

“Food?” the shadowbolt's ears perked. “That'll work, yeah yeah!”

Twilight turned back to him again, slowly lifting him up with the ice, freezing him to the wall. “Keep an eye out for trouble,” she told the others before rummaging through her saddlebag. She pulled out a muffin, starring at it cautiously. She gave it a sniff, but it smelled fine. “Very well. What will a muffin and...” She peeped in her bag again. “A hay sandwich buy me?”

“Depends, what you wanna know?”

“I want to know what's going on here,” Twilight said, glancing around again. She wished she could tap on the ice and sense if anypony was out there, like Applejack, but sadly she didn't even know if such a thing was possible, let alone have any idea how it could be done. “Everything.”

“Fine! Gimme!” He grinned greedily, licking his lips.

“Muffin first, you tell us, then you can have the sandwich. Deal?” Twilight asked.

“Fine, deal!” he said. She used her magic to hold the muffin out and allow him to eat it. He practically devoured the thing in three bites, coughing and sputtering. “Now, sandwich?”

“Information first,” Twilight said firmly. The Shadowbolt's eyes were different, too. Even through the mask there was something… odd about them. “What happened here?”

The pegasus growled. “Bunch of greedy bastards, that's what happened.”

“A little more information, please.”

“Everypony has just been backstabbing bastards! They stole my stuff! Fights constantly break out, I ended up having to slam Coldedge into the floor when he tried to steal my books. Then Diamondtooth came in and nearly broke my wing. All the time, bunch of greedy bastards! Then the captain went and locked herself down below in storage with all our supplies, says they're all hers, won't let us have any. We've tried breaking it open, but you need a bender for that, ice is too strong. Can't trust the benders though, they're just as selfish as he is. Only want in so they can steal all the food too. He let the prisoners out too, constantly have to fight with them. We need to get rid of them.”

Twilight gulped. “How… long has this been going on? When did he lock himself in.”

“I… don't know? Not long. We had a few things, but I've had to smuggle around up here for stuff. I've given you information, so give me the sandwich!”

The alicorn nodded. “Fine. But one last thing. How would we get to the captain?”

The stallion chuckled. “Going down. But good luck. The prisoners are out now. You'll run into them or more of the shadowbolts. Either way, you'll be torn apart.”

Twilight nodded, before handing him the sandwich. Once he was done, she reached out with more of the water and wrapped it around him, covering his mouth before he could shriek.

“Ah think ah jus' realized what ah don't like about this place,” Applejack muttered. “It ain't cold.”

“That's a good thing, Applejack,” Rainbow said with a roll of her eyes.

“We're standin' on ice, surrounded by ice walls. An' it ain't much colder than Canterlot was. That… that ain't right. We should be freezin' our hooves off. But ah can barely feel a chill through these layers.”

Twilight looked around before slowly nodding. “Applejack is right. This... this isn't normal ice. I didn't think it was, but... this is definitely magic ice. Something... different. Something...” She froze and her eyes widened. “This might be a precursor to the magic water they use. Or a variation of it.”

“Oh joy, just what I wanted to do. Be surrounded by five hundred gallons of poison water,” Rainbow said sarcastically. “Can you bend it at least?”

Twilight nodded and held out a hoof. The water formed around it easily. “It bends just like any other water. But, no matter what, don't drink any of it. There's no telling... what's in it. I don't feel any magic, but... I mean... this entire place just feels unnatural.”

“Oh, right. Because the first thing I like to do when invading a giant prison is start eating and drinking the walls,” Rainbow said with a roll of her eyes. “Let's get Rarity and get out of here. You're the water bender, lead on.”

Twilight nodded and then tapped the ground. A hole slowly formed in the ice below. She let it spread slowly, gently peering into it and using her horn to light the way. There wasn't anypony in the floor under them. At least, nopony she could see. She hopped down and helped the others down as well, making a small ice slide. Once they were all down, she formed the roof of the new hall again.

“Are we going to take all day here?” Rainbow asked with annoyance. “You're a water bender. Just make a big water slide down to the bottom of this place and let's get going!”

“There are Shadowbolts and who knows what else here,” Twilight said firmly. “Running in blindly is just going to--” She was cut off as Rainbow sent out her right wing, a burst of wind traveling around the alicorn, snuffing out her flame and then causing something behind her to slam back against a wall of ice. There was a light groan from the darkness.

“Just how dark is this place?” Rainbow asked. “Isn't it day time?”

“There aren't any torches,” Twilight said softly. “Aside from my horn, there's not much. You just put it out, too.”

“Oh,” Rainbow said. “Well, there are about three more coming this way. Might want to get ready.”

Twilight's eyes widened. “What kind? Pegasi or unicorn?”

“What makes you think I could identify that? I can barely even tell they're coming, let alone what they are! This isn't an exact science and--” Another powerful gust of wind streaked through the hall, nearly toppling the ponies over. “Pegasi. Definitely pegasi.”

“Shadowbolts in the darkness. Bucking wonderful,” Twilight mumbled. She then tilted her head, her horn coming alight, glowing brilliantly. Off in the distance she could see the groaning ponies, stacked up by the wall in a little pile. She sent out a hoof and enveloped them in the strange ice. “Okay, so. We need to keep going. Rainbow, I think you should go down first.” She took a slow, deep breath. “And I think we're going to do your slide idea.”

“Really?” Rainbow asked in the same tone a filly would ask about her birthday coming early.

The alicorn took a slow, deep breath. “May the heavens forgive me. Yes. How much wind cover can you give us?”

“All the wind cover! If you keep making the slide, I'll get us down there, no problem!”

Twilight nodded. “Okay girls, get together. This... is going to be interesting.”

------

“THIS IS THE MOST AWESOME THING EVER!” Rainbow screamed as the ponies zoomed down the great ice slide. The pegasus was in front, with Twilight behind her and the others in the back. She used her air bending to send anypony that came near them scattering, while Twilight bent the ground ahead of them, molding the ice of the walls and floor into a great slide and scattering the ponies in their way as best she could. She struggled to keep up, even with Rainbow's bursts of wind helping to slow them down they were still going so fast she could barely keep her bending up. Still, they were making amazing time and managed to piss off just about everything on every floor of the great icy prison. So like their normal travels, only faster. “I THINK I CAN MAKE US GO FASTER! DID YOU SEE THAT PONY? JUST BAM! INTO THE WALL! I WISH I COULD SEE, THIS IS SO AWESOME!”

“We can't see anythin'!” Applejack yelled. “It's darker an' a locked basement on the new moon! Are yah sure this was a good idea?”

“YAHOO! BAM! TAKE THAT!”

“I'm not sure!” Twilight screamed. “Don't go any faster! I can barely keep up as it is! We're going to--” Her eyes widened. “We're about to hit the end! Brace yours--” It was too late. She tried to dampen the fall as best she could, but there was only so much she could do. The ponies skidded against the ground, sliding forward and slamming into the pony that had been unfortunate enough to be in the final room. “Ow...”

“That. Was. AWESOME! Totally worth the bruises!” Rainbow yelled as she got up, wobbling from side to side before falling over. “Also, I think we found the captain. He's... not moving much.”

Twilight groaned and wished she could join them on the ground. Sadly, she still had work to do. She held out a hoof and quickly sealed the slide up. Her horn then came alight, giving them a nice view of the room.

A very, very unconscious mare was laying under them, her eyes swirling from when they had slammed into her. “Definitely the captain,” Pinkie said with a giggle. “We really shouldn't have just, hee hee, dropped in on her like that.”

There was a groan from the bruised and battered ponies. “Ow,” Spike said as he slowly got up. “Well, at least we didn't have to fight anypony... ow.”

“Yet,” Applejack said as she got up. “Ah don't know about you, Sugarcube, but ah don't wanna have tah do that again.”

“Oh, we aren't going to be able to, silly,” Pinkie said with a giggle. “Once all those ponies get up, they're going to try breaking in even harder. Besides, we're going to have to fight our way out anyway. Slides don't work up, after all.”

The ponies slowly got themselves up, groaning the whole time. Twilight bound up the unconscious captain up in the ice, giving a nod before looking around. They were in the storeroom, surrounded on all sides by crates, bags and just about everything else they needed for storing supplies.

Most importantly was the statue up against the wall, with a few bags stacked on top of it. Her horn glowed and she quickly pulled the supplies off and from around it, revealing Rarity. “I... I can't believe it. She's here. We've finally done it, she's--”

She was cut off by sudden pounding from above. She looked up and gulped. “Well, they're furious.”

“Can yah blame 'em?” Applejack asked. “We'd best be quick about this. There's no tellin' if they can get in or not. The captain here has been holdin' 'em off for a while, but ah have a feelin' they'll be tryin' a whole lot harder now that somepony gone an' pissed 'em all off.”

“I have no regrets,” Rainbow said quickly. “That was just too awesome NOT to do.”

Twilight nodded and looked to the statue. “There's no telling how long we'll be in there. We--”

“Go in alone,” Applejack said. “We'll keep an eye out here. Buy yah as much time as we can. If they manage tah break through... well, we'll all need tah fight 'em off.”

“What?” Twilight asked, wide eyed. “But--”

“They know where we are, ain't no way we're gonna be able tah hold 'em off forever if they get through. But every one of us will be needed. Jus' get in there, save Rarity an' get us out of here.”

Twilight nodded as she stepped forward. There was a gentle tug on her tail. “Wait...” Spike said softly. “I... I want to come with you. I'm not much use in a fight anyway, but...” He turned to Rarity. “I want... I want to help. Please.”

There was a moment of silence as the ponies stared at him. Finally, Rainbow spoke up. “Heh, let him go. Not like he'll be much use out here anyway. Besides, Rarity always had a bit of a soft spot for the little guy. Might come in handy.”

Applejack nodded. “Right. We got it handled out here. Don't worry, you two jus' get her out of there so we can get home.”

Fluttershy gave a nod. “Yep. I ummm... agree. With everypony.” She gave Angel a little hug before sliding him into one of the bags for safe hiding.

“We'll have a really big party once you get back! Ohhhh, I bet I can make some decorations from some of these supplies! The Shadowbolts have to have some glitter!” Pinkie said with a happy giggle as she hopped around.

Twilight nodded and then stepped towards the statue, pulling Spike close. “Thank you. We will return as soon as we can.” Her horn glowed and the world began to melt away as the two entered the statue's world.

Chapter 31: A heart that shines so beautifully

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Twilight and Spike appeared in the middle of a street. They let out a yelp and looked around, trying to identify where they were. Then the alicorn's eyes widened. “O-oh no. We're... we're in Canterlot,” she said softly. “Before I wrecked it.”

That made the dragon tense. She held him close. “Calm down. It'll be fine. We... we just have to find Rarity. It'll be okay.” She started trotting. The streets were filled with ponies, but the two barely got second glances. She gave the ponies nervous glances.

“Are... are all those Discord?” Spike asked softly.

“I... don't think so. I mean, I think his essence can take them over, but I don't think he is actually... controlling them at all times. Notice how they barely look at us? I think they're more or less on auto pilot at this point. For now, they aren't a threat.” She took a slow breath. “Rarity is the princess, so let's try the castle.”

“Do... do you think Nightmare Moon is here?” Spike asked fearfully as he moved close to her.

“Maybe. If this nightmare is anything like the others... well, there's no telling what could happen. Nightmare Moon, Solar Flare. Even Trixie. Possibly Sombra. We'll have to be careful.” She looked around at the streets as they went. The ponies looked so happy. Pegasi, unicorn, earth pony. All working together. There were soldiers, but they didn't look angry or scary. They were laughing and talking. It all seemed so nice and happy. She just waited for the hammer to fall.

Maybe Rarity was a captive, imprisoned inside. Maybe she was a traitor. Maybe she was at war with the Water Nation and was trying to conquer them, waging war on peaceful ponies. Maybe--

“She's beautiful...” Spike said suddenly. Twilight looked up and gasped. There was a parade in the middle of the street, surrounded by the city's ponies. Rarity, Sweetie, Luna and Sombra were all standing on one of the carriages, waving to all the happy ponies. The mares were all wearing dazzling blue and black dresses, with golden crowns on their heads.

Twilight's mouth nearly hit the ground. “She's... she's a princess here. What is-- eep!” She was shoved aside by one of the parade goers. The alicorn scooped up Spike onto her back. “Well, we're going to try the direct approach. Again. Hopefully it works like...” she paused. “Well, it never works immediately. But it does in the end!” She flapped her wings and took off, soaring over the crowd.

She was promptly tackled from the sky, letting out a yelp as the Shadowbolt held her down. “No pony interrupts the royal family,” the pegasus said. Twilight awaited the bending removing taps, but they never happened. “Understand?”

Twilight gulped and slowly nodded. The Shadowbolt quickly flew up and away.

“Smooth,” Spike said with a groan as he picked himself up. “Plan b?”

“Yes... break in, I guess,” Twilight muttered. “Ow.”

“I was thinking more sneaking in. Wings and all. Does your bending work?”

Twilight frowned and tapped the ground, her hoof going through it easily and forming a small indent in the dirt. “Yep.”

“Go under, then?”

“No!” the alicorn said quickly. “There's probably so much magicked water under this place that we'd be caught in seconds, possibly killed. At the very least, drowned. Not to mention all the alarms. I might not be able to bend it right, either.”

“Fly then?”

“Shadowbolts,” she muttered, looking up. There were quite a few pegasi up there, though they didn't seem too focused on her. The place seemed so peaceful, calm. Quiet. The parade was ending and the ponies were beginning to separate as the massive city gates closed.

“So... blow our way in?”

Twilight nodded. “I... suppose we don't have much choice.” She glanced above. “Perhaps wait until night falls.” She trotted away, looking around. It was so calm, peaceful and... normal. Like it had likely been a little over a hundred years ago. What horrors had to be going on in those halls?

------

Twilight let out a gasp, her eyes filled with wonder as she watched the unicorns slowly raising the moon up from behind the mountains. She'd never really had time to see the spell in effect, so it was quite the wondrous sight. She wished she could have had more time to watch it, but alas they needed to move. Their friends were counting on them.

She trotted towards the main gate, her eyes focusing on the small door on the side. She'd have to use her air bending to blast through it, or maybe fire bend to make an explosion to burst the gate open. Maybe she could surround herself in thick winds and fly over the gate. Or maybe--

“Oh my, the avatar?” one of the guards asked, bowing as she came through. “Please, allow us.” The gate began to open. She paused and stared. Or maybe they could just let her right in.

“W-what? You're just going to let me in? Not challenge me? Try to fight me? Try to kill me?”

“Of course not! Why ever would we? Please, come in.” The guard motioned inside. “I can escort you to the royal family.”

She looked back to Spike. He shrugged. “Why look a gift horse in the mouth? Let's go.”

Twilight gave a slow nod before trotting in through the gate and into the main courtyard. Her wings twitched as she awaited some kind of ambush. Instead the guard trotted besides her, motioning to the castle. “I assume you're here to see her majesty, Queen Luna? It's not very often the Avatar herself comes to visit us.”

“Err... no. Princess Rarity, actually,” Twilight said softly, confusion still etched on her face. None of this felt right. Everypony was just too nice. They weren't trying to tear her apart, or fight her, or anything. It was... easy. Easy was almost never good, in her experience. They could see her, too. So she knew it wasn't something with her being invisible.

“Oh. I'll take you to the queen,” the guard said, his tone sounding confused.

Twilight let out a sigh of relief. Of course, they were all still on auto pilot. The corruption didn't seem to be aware of her. Yet. Maybe it thought she was part of it still? She glanced back to Spike and gave a wink. “Will her entire family be there?”

“The king will be.”

“I have matters to discuss with her daughter, as well. Will she attend?”

There was a momentary pause, before the guard nodded. “I'm sure she can be summoned.” As they trotted to the castle, he called out to one of the servants. “The avatar has come to speak with all of the royal family. Please inform them that she will be waiting in the throne room.” The servant nodded and ran off.

Twilight pulled Spike a little closer, a wing going over him. She didn't like this, not at all. It was too easy. Discord never made things easy. Well, he did. But it was usually when there was a trick or something. She was led to the throne room and sat down, her wings poised and ready to strike if there was an ambush.

Instead, after a few minutes the doors behind the thrones opened and out they stepped. All four members of the royal family. Luna looked kind and sweet, as she guided her daughters towards their smaller thrones. Sombra looked... well, not quite as terrifying. He didn't seem vengeful or murderous at all, instead like a loving, caring father. Handsome, too. They took their places and looked down at her.

Twilight's eyes were drawn to Rarity. The unicorn looked happy. Truly happy. At least, for a moment. Her horn was undamaged as well. Then the princess' eyes focused on the alicorn and she looked worried. The avatar took a slow breath before speaking. “Your... highnesses. I have come to speak with Rarity alone, please. I tried to tell the... guards, but they ignored me.”

“If you have words to speak with her, you may speak with us all,” Luna said, her eyes narrowing on her for a moment. Twilight gulped. There was that little hint of Nightmare Moon in them.

“Mother, I'll deal with this,” Rarity said suddenly, before getting to her hooves. “If it pleases you?”

The queen glared at Twilight. “It does not. I--”

“Please.”

There was a moment of silence, before the queen nodded. “Very well. Do... as you will.”

Rarity nodded and got to her hooves, before trotting towards the two and giving a smile. “Twilight, please come with me.” She walked briskly out from the room.

The alicorn nodded and followed after her. She was led through the castle, up into the higher halls and finally into the princess' room. Rarity gave a soft sigh before trotting to the window and looking out over the world. “You shouldn't have come here.”

Twilight nodded. “Okay, Rarity. I know this is going to sound weird, but this is all fake. I don't know what you've seen, but this is all an illusion by Discord. You need to break free of it.”

The princess shook her head. “Oh Twilight, you don't understand.”

“I understand perfectly. Please, I don't know... what it is in this world holding you, but you need to fight it. It's dampening your element and... and...” Twilight's mouth slowly fell open. She stared at the mare as the pieces started to fall into place. “You... you already know, don't you?”

“Of course,” Rarity said with another sigh.

“But... but how?”

“I've already had this dream once. I never wanted to wake up. How could I not notice when it came back?” She turned back to Twilight. “Discord has already beaten us, why keep fighting?”

“WHAT?” Both Spike and Twilight said in unison.

The alicorn gulped and quickly spoke up. “He hasn't won, he--”

“You're here to free me, aren't you?” Rarity asked before looking back out the window. “You wouldn't have to free me if we hadn't been defeated. Face it, Discord is stronger than us. We can't defeat him. Why try again?”

“No no. Please, Rarity. Whatever he's tricked you with, it's all lies. You need to fight it. I know it must be scary, but--”

“Scary?” Rarity asked with a light giggle. “You don't know the meaning of the word.” She turned back to the alicorn. “Look around you. This is everything I ever wanted. Everything I ever dreamed of. My parents are here, both alive and well. Themselves. Kind, loving. My... sister is the little filly I always knew. I can do things right this time, I don't ignore her. There's no war, there's no pain.” She turned back to the window. “Look out, over my kingdom. Can't you see? This is right. This is the way the world should be. The way the world once was. Would have been if my mother hadn't been...” She gave a bitter laugh. “And you want me to throw it all away, why? So we can fight a foe we've already been crushed by?”

Twilight slowly stepped forward. “No, listen. I... I understand. The real world isn't perfect, but it--”

“NO, YOU DON'T!” Rarity screamed before turning on the alicorn. “I lost everything when I joined you. No, before that. I lost everything when I spoke out. I lost my mother. My sister. My father. EVERYTHING! Do you have any idea how many cold, horrible nights I laid out, curled up and sobbing, wishing for even a small fraction of this?” She stepped towards the avatar, making her back up. “I thought I finally got it, when I... when I fought you. But it wasn't good then, either. My mother, my sister. Everything was wrong. Everything was tainted, ruined. Do you know what it's like to dream of something almost your entire life, then finally get it? Only to find out it was nothing but a dried, shriveled husk of what it was supposed to be?” The rage billowed off the mare, making both her guests back against the wall. “I gave everything I had left. My throne, my people. Just so I could help you.” Tears began to flow down her face. “And... and what did it cost me? We've lost. It's over. We were defeated. Discord won. But... but it's not so bad.” She turned towards the window again. “This world is all I wanted. All I ever wanted. And you want me to give it up again? To lose all I finally have on some fool hardy attempt to defeat something we've already lost to?”

“It's not real, though,” Twilight said softly.

“This is better than the real world. It's real enough,” Rarity said softly. “My mother, my sister, what's happened to them now?”

“They're under... Discord's control. We need you to--”

“My father, what of him?”

“He... he's dead. You know that.”

“Of course he is. That is very much the point.” Rarity let out a soft sigh. “This world is perfection. Everything I've ever wanted is right here, firmly within my grasp. No more pain, no more fighting. Nothing. All I have to do is enjoy it. You wish for me to give this up, for what? A chance that we can maybe make a world that isn't horrible? That maybe we can defeat Discord? That maybe we can fix this broken world? So we can keep fighting, forever, to get a world that is nothing but a bleak shadow of this one?” She looked to Twilight again. “Tell me truthfully, Twilight. If you were given a chance to be with your ponies again. Without this war, without this pain and suffering. Would you take it? Or would you toss it all away, giving up everything you'd lost for a second time, just for a bleak chance that you might be able to make a world worse than what you already have?”

Twilight opened her mouth to respond, before slowly lowering her gaze. “But… none of this is real. There are ponies truly suffering, going through--”

“There are always ponies suffering. There were before you were born, during your quest, every day of every year. I can't fix everything. We can't fix everything. But this is my chance. My one and only chance to have what I wanted. And you want me to just toss it away so maybe I can make the world a slightly better place?” Rarity shook her head. “No. Leave. I have nothing for you.”

Twilight took a step forward. “NO! I refuse. Rarity, you're in a dream. None of this is real. But out there, in the real world? Ponies are fighting. They're dying. We need you. We can't do this without you. Your sister--”

“I don't care!” Rarity screamed, stomping a hoof down. “I won't give this up. I can't. If I do, what is the point of all the fighting I've done? The pain, the suffering? So I could be the princess of a broken, damaged country? I never wanted that. I wanted my family and this is the only place I can have them!”

“That doesn't matter, this isn't a real family. You have a real sister, Sweetie Belle. A real mother, Luna. If you don't come with me, you're as much damning them to be Discord's servants forever as if you'd done the magic yourself! Stop feeling sorry for yourself and do what has to be--”

“NO!” Rarity screamed, stomping a hoof. “Enough, Twilight. LEAVE!”

“W-what?” Twilight said, blinking a few times as she felt a tug on her body. “Wait, Rarity, don't. Please, we still--”

“I don't care! GO!” the unicorn screamed again, tears forming in her eyes. The alicorn let out a shriek as she felt her body being tugged, and then thrown out. “This… this is my dream and I don't want you h-here,” she said weakly. She walked back to the window and laid her head against it, trying to hold her tears back. Her body shook as she looked out over the world. It was her world. Her dream. There was no point in going back.

“Um...” a soft voice spoke up. She turned and saw Spike, standing just a few feet from her.

“W-what? Are you going to t-tell me to give this up too?” Rarity asked, glaring down at him.

“No,” Spike said softly, before pulling the necklace off from his neck. He reached up and gently put it around her neck. “I... I kept it safe for you.” He chewed on his lower lip. “And... and if I had the choice, I'd of done the same. Stayed in... stayed where everything was safe.” He took a step back. “Can... you send me back with Twilight, please? They'll need me.”

Rarity stared down at the necklace, before looking back to Spike. She held out a hoof. “Go,” she finally said. The dragon disappeared.

She stared at the empty room, before gently stroking the necklace around her neck. She was doing the right thing. They couldn't win anyway. So why should she give up what she'd always wanted?

Chapter 32: A Rarity to come by

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Twilight let out a yelp as she was flung back from the statue, her eyes widening. After a few moments there was a squeak and Spike was thrown back as well. She caught him in her magic before he could hit the wall.

After a few seconds she realized her head wasn't ringing. The sound she heard was a loud din coming from above. Her horn burst into flame, revealing her friends huddled behind a few of the crates. “What's going on?”

“They've been fighting up there since we arrived,” Rainbow muttered. “I think there are more than a few different factions. None of them seem to like each other, for now. They haven't tried to break in, yet. Well, much. Where's Rarity? There wasn't any explosion this time.”

“How long was I in there?” Twilight asked, glancing back. Rarity still stood as a statue. Spike was putting the necklace around her throat.

“Quite a while,” Applejack muttered. “We haven't gotten attacked yet, but it's just a matter of time. They don't like each other much, but one side is bound tah win eventually.”

Twilight nodded and stepped back towards the statue. “Well, then we still have time. I'm going back in, as many times as I need to.” Her horn glowed as she cast the spell.

Nothing happened.

“... What?” the alicorn said, before quickly casting the spell again and again. Each time it went off, but she couldn't enter her friend's mind. “N-no, that's, that's impossible!”

“What's wrong?” Fluttershy asked, her voice tinged with fear.

“I-I can't, I can't go in! But... but that's not, I-I need to get in. I have to get in. I... I...” Twilight stared at the statue, tears forming in her eyes. “That's... impossible. S-she's keeping me out.”

“What's wrong?” Applejack asked. “Why ain't yah goin' all... quiet and zoned out like normal?”

“I can't get in!” Twilight shrieked. She started pacing back and forth. “This, this hasn't happened before. Normally when you guys found out it was all fake, you tried to fight it. But she kicked me out! She knew it was a dream and--”

“WHAT?!” the ponies shrieked in unison, staring at her.

“Errr, yes. Rarity already knew that it was all fake. When we saw her she was...” The alicorn lowered her gaze. “She... she didn't want to come out. She just wanted to... she just wanted to enjoy herself. She doesn't think we can win.”

There was a moment of silence as the ponies stared at her. Then Rainbow stood up. “I knew it! That... that priss! The moment it comes time to get her hooves dirty, she's nowhere in--”

“STOP!” Spike yelled, stomping his claws down. “You don't, you don't have any idea what you're talking about!”

“Of course I do. We all do. We all had to work to break free of Discord's control. Why shouldn't she?”

“She's suffered the most!” Spike snapped. “She's had Discord impacting her life from every angle. Her mother is evil, her sister is evil again now too, her father is dead and became that horrible creature. Most ponies revile her and her family because of what the Water nation did. She finally has a chance at happiness and you really expect her to just throw it away? Would you throw everything away just to have a chance of maybe getting some things back?”

There was a pained, dark silence from the group. Finally Twilight spoke up. “She... seemed happier there. Her family was all together. Her mother, her father. Sister. Everypony. They were all...”

“But it's not real, she's just wasting her life. Wasting ours,” Rainbow said angrily, though she sounded a little unsure.

“Yes, she is,” Fluttershy said softly. “But... we... we can't make that choice for her. I... I think I understand. Giving up... that, can't be easy. Sacrifice never is...”

“If she doesn't come out, what are we gonna do? How we gonna take down Trixie an' the others without her? Ah don't know about yah all, but goin' up against Nightmare Moon without the elements don't sound like a good idea,” Applejack said, turning up towards the roof where the war was still going on. “Or all those other ponies.”

Twilight stared at the roof, before turning back towards Rarity. “I... I'll think of something. If I can't rescue Rarity... we'll do something else. Anything else.” She moved to the statue and tried to spell again. There was no effect.

“Like what?” Applejack asked.

“I don't know. Something. It'll work out, it has to,” Twilight mumbled. They needed Rarity. It had to work. But what could she do if it didn't?

------

Twilight raised her head weakly, closing her eyes as she casted the spell again. At this point it was just a token effort, she'd tried the spell at least a hundred times. There hadn't been the smallest reaction. But she had to try. She had to do something. From above there had been silence for a while now, the ponies having ran off after their fight. There was the occasional attempt against the main gate to the storeroom, but nothing major. Yet. Whenever somepony tried breaking in, after a few moments there would be more sounds of fighting followed by the ponies separating. As long as they all kept fighting and refusing to work together, the group was safe.

But they had been in there a long time and she knew there was no way this could hold forever. When Trixie arrived the mare wouldn't allow a prison riot to stop her from getting to them. With all those forces gathered against them, they didn't stand a chance. They needed the elements. They needed Rarity.

She'd hoped the mare would have broken out now. Rarity knew it was a fake dream all along, but the princess refused to escape. Instead she just stared at them, her body a statue, useless. No element for them. Twilight wanted to cry again. How could she tell her friends they'd lost? That all the pain and suffering was for nothing? That they'd lost the other mares for nothing? That they'd traveled, nearly died, given up so much. In the end, it had all been so they could lose here, falling before Trixie's might?

She considered trying to burrow their way out, creating a hole in the ice and tunneling out into the wilderness, but what would be the point? They had no way to get to safety. They'd end up freezing to death. Dying in the cold, harsh wasteland. It was all useless.

“AVATAR!” an all to familiar voice boomed through the walls.

“Trixie,” Twilight said softly, looking up. The mare was here. Finally. She looked back to the statue, praying for just the smallest crack. The smallest sign that her friend was returning. She tried casting the spell once more, but there was nothing. No reaction.

“COME TO ME! SURRENDER!” the ruler's voice rang out. “I WILL BE MERCIFUL!”

“Yeah right,” Rainbow muttered. “That mare wouldn't know mercy if it bit her. Twilight, you got a plan?”

The alicorn shook her head. “No, I--” Then it hit her. It was so brilliant. She nodded. “No, I do have a plan.” She glanced up. “We'll have to try to get up to Trixie, though.”

“What about Rarity?” Spike asked.

“She should be safe as a statue. There's... nothing else we can do for her,” Twilight said weakly. “Rainbow, me and you will have to help the others break through.”

“Hey, ah might not be able tah bend, but ah can still fight,” Applejack said firmly.

“Our enemies are the Shadowbolts and who knows who else,” the alicorn said. “They have the home field advantage, especially in the dark. I don't want them getting close enough to us to fight.” She took a slow, deep breath. “The plan is simple. I'm going to open this storage area up and light the torches. When the ponies fight each other for it, Rainbow and I will use air bending to break through their line and we run through. Hopefully, when we get far enough out we can make our way up and... Actually, no. I'm going to make us paths through the ice to go up. We'll hopefully run into less ponies that way.”

“Sucks we can't just go back the way we came,” Rainbow said with a snicker, before glancing to the commander. “What about her? They'll tear her apart when they get in here.”

Twilight looked to the helpless pegasus. She let out a sigh. “Well, pony. I'll let you go when we run. If you're smart, you'll run too. If they catch you... well, you tried to starve them by holding onto the supplies. They'll--”

“We're underwater now, right?” Rainbow asked.

“Yes, why?” Twilight asked with a cocked eye.

“Why don't we just make a side door and go out through the water? Make a tunnel and--”

“The water out there is sub zero. The ice in here is... different. Warm. That ice would be freezing. As cold as it is, it might just kill us trying to travel through it for a long period. I don't know how deep we are, either. We'll have to go all the way up, to where Trixie is.” Her horn lit and one by one she lit the torches in the room, displaying them for all.

Rainbow nodded and gulped. “Well... here's... hoping this goes well. So, what's the plan?”

Twilight sighed. “Just... follow my lead and trust me. I know what I'm doing.” She then lifted a hoof. The roof above them turned to water, dripping down and snuffing out a few of the torches, though the room still had enough to remain lit. She waited for the coming assault, but there was nothing. “Okay, looks like we're in luck. Let's move quickly.” She flew up and made a wide staircase out ice, allowing the others to make it up. She looked around, her wings poised and ready for some attack, but nothing came. Her friends made there way up, one by one and soon they were all out of the room. She held out a hoof and the ice fell around from the captain. “I'd run if I were you,” she told her before she started galloping away.

The others followed behind her as they made their way through the fortress, going up and up. The place seemed almost empty. Though sometimes she saw other ponies, watching them from behind the ice. She quickly formed walls of ice to seal those ahead of them off, then made stairs for her and her friends to go up. Rainbow took up the tail of the group, using her bending to make sure nothing was following them.

But nothing was. They came across many, many bodies however. Ponies with snapped necks, burns, cuts, especially near the beginning. Swarms of them. But few living. It was all almost too easy. The ponies they saw tried to avoid them. She hoped it was just because their group was fairly large and they were moving too fast to draw attention of a large group.

Unfortunately, the travel up seemed to go on forever. The darkness surrounded them on all sides and without trying to feel through the walls, she had no way of knowing what was outside. The way the ice walls were set up it was as if they were in a house of mirrors and darkness, such a place could drive anypony mad. She wondered if that was the point. She soon had no idea where they were in relation to the sea outside. All she knew is they were going up, step by step.

Occasionally Trixie's voice called out to them, taunted them. But she wasn't finding any soldiers, not yet at least. But it was probably only a matter of time. The other alicorn wouldn't wait forever and Twilight had no idea how to contact her and tell her they were coming. She thought about the bottom floor, where Rarity was waiting. Where her friend would now rest forever. Happy in her own little dream world. Twilight couldn't free her and she knew she couldn't defeat all of them. But... she could give her friends the chance to have their lives back. It was the best she could do.

After countless floors she jumped up into the new hall and was almost instantly attacked. She let out a yelp and slammed her hoof into the face of the earth pony, sending him sprawling back. The flames from her horn revealed that there were more ponies here as well, turning towards them. She sent a burst of wind down, scattering them. “Come on, fast!” she yelled, quickly helping her friends up and forming the staircase to the next floor. She sent another burst down, before flying up to the next floor and sending out yet another burst. More earth ponies. “Girls, we're going up fast, I think I found the prisoners!”

She put her hoof to the wall and quickly formed holes in the roofs above, stairs as well to help the ponies up. Three floors up revealed a beam of light from the sky, making her gasp. They were almost out. “Come on!”

A body fell down from one of the holes, making a sickening crunch as it hit the steps. She stared at it with wide, horror filled eyes. She then shook her head and waved a hoof, using the water to send it flying off. She couldn't allow herself to be stunned, not now. Not yet. She had to do this. She soared up, sending out bursts of wind through the halls as she went, scattering whatever ponies were in them as her friends rushed to try to catch up. They burst into the light together, Twilight quickly holding out her hoof and closing the ice behind them as they skidded along the ground.

The alicorn let out a little eep as she realized where they were. They seemed to be in the main entryway, one side open and a few very small airships floating to the side. The words 'Airmuffins delivery service' were crossed out with thick red paint. It would have made her chuckle, if not for the fact they were surrounded on all sides by Water Nation soldiers. Behind them the entrance to the world below could be seen and there were ponies gathered all around it, many imprisoned and surrounded by water benders. Shadowbolts made up the majority of the prisoners as far as she could see. At least she now knew where they had all disappeared too.

Some of the soldiers parted and THEY stepped forward. Trixie. Solar Flare. Nightmare Moon. Sweetie Belle. Scootaloo. Flowerbloom. Twilight felt herself begin to shake as she looked at the forces around them. They could probably break out if they were very lucky, but what would be the point? They'd freeze to death. There were too many soldiers here to even try to steal one of the delivery ships. Trixie and the others alone were enough of a threat, there was nothing else they could do. There was no winning this fight. At least, not for her. “Hello, Trixie,” Twilight said softly, struggling to keep the fear from her voice.

“Twilight, it has been too long. I do believe you've met my minions,” the alicorn said with a chuckle, motioning to the ponies around her. “They were friends of yours once, were they not? Oh hoh hoh hoh hoh!”

Twilight rolled her eyes, but held her tongue.

“So then, I take it you have decided to accept my proposal to surrender?”

“Yes.”

“Always the-- wait, what?” Trixie stared, her eyes widening. “You... you are?”

“WHAT?” her friends said, their mouths falling open.

“Come on, we can take them, there's only... a lot of them! We've got this!” Rainbow objected.

“There are terms, however,” Twilight said, glaring. “I want you to let my friends go to their homes.” She paused. “That means safe voyage from here, to their homes. I want you to release the contamination on Flowerbloom, Scootaloo and Sweetie. And your solemn vow that you will never attack or harm any of my friends, their family or their property.”

Trixie snorted. “Truly? It is such a minor thing you ask. I care not for those minor ponies.”

“Hey!” Pinkie objected.

“So my answer is... no. Why should I allow your friends to go free when I've already won? You cannot escape here. What do you possibly have that I could want?” The alicorn gave a cruel, wicked grin.

Twilight dug her hooves into the ground. She'd already lost, there was no coming back from this. All that mattered was that she saved her friends. She had to save them. “I... I will serve you. I will... become your minion.” The words tasted like bile in her mouth, but she had no choice.

“Oh buck no!” Rainbow yelled, spreading out her wings. “I don't care what you say, there's no way I'm letting you--”

“ENOUGH!” Twilight yelled, turning to glare at them. “There's nothing we can do here, okay? We've already lost! Stop fighting this and... and just let me do what I have to do!”

“But... but Sugarcube...” Applejack said softly. “We can still... we...”

“Do what? Run? Without Rarity we can't defeat Discord. We... don't have any choice.” She turned back to Trixie. “Do you accept my offer?”

Trixie grinned and made a motion with her hoof. The guards slowly backed away. “Watching you and your friends fight is delicious. I'll tell you what, Twilight. I will... counter with my own offer. You will be my obedient minion regardless. It would be easy enough to brainwash you. However, willing could be more interesting. So here is my proposal.” She stepped forward, her eyes narrowing on the mare. “One chance. You and I fight. If you can defeat me... then I will give you your desires. I will let all your friends live to return to their families and I will even release the hold I have on them.” She gestured towards the three mares. “So they can all watch as you live a long, obedient life as my servant. If you lose, I will enslave them all to my power here and now. You can live your life seeing them do my bidding as you mourn your pathetic, weak powers and what they cost you.”

Twilight gulped but slowly nodded. “I accept.”

“Well we don't!” Fluttershy said firmly. “You're our friend, we aren't going to just stand here and let you--”

“We don't have a choice!” Twilight screamed. “It's this or die. Trust me, I've gone over all the alternatives. I've thought of every possible thing we could do. There is NOTHING! This is the only way. Just... please...” She felt the tears welling up in her eyes. “This is all I can do. Just... just let me do this last thing. Please. For my friends... for all of you.”

There was silence from the ponies. Then, one by one they moved forward and wrapped their hooves around her, giving her a tight hug.

“Ah... ah don't like it,” Applejack muttered. “But... ah see what yah mean. If yah... if yah really think it's the only way, ah won't stand in your way.”

“I can feel how many of them there are,” Rainbow muttered. “You're probably right. But I still think this sucks and...” She whispered the next few words. “Kick her butt. We'll find a way to take Discord and her down. I promise.”

“Twilight, we love you,” Fluttershy said softly, her hug the tightest of all. “I... I'll take care of Spike, okay?”

“I-I don't need anypony to take care of me,” Spike mumbled as he hugged her. “I can take care of myself.” He struggled to avoid crying.

“Don't worry, Twilight. This is just a sub plot. It... it has to be. There's no way we can lose now, right?” Pinkie said, though there was a hint of doubt in her voice.

“You're all my best friends, no matter what happens,” Twilight said as she hugged them back, closing her eyes. She then, with great reluctance, pulled away from them and turned to Trixie. “So when I beat you, you'll keep your end of the deal. Correct? You swear?”

Trixie chuckled. “On the off chance you manage to defeat me, sure. I am a pony of my word.” Her wings slowly spread out. “Separate!” she ordered. The soldiers all quickly retreated, giving the ponies plenty of room to maneuver. Twilight's friends slowly backed up against the walls, watching the alicorns as they moved to the center of the room.

Twilight took a deep breath before bowing her head. “I will defeat you, Trixie. Because I have no choice but to.”

“You'll try. You'll fail,” the other alicorn said before bowing as well. “After this, they will speak of me for centuries. The mare who defeated and enslaved the avatar. The Great and Powerful Trixie.” Fire erupted from her horn and sailed at the avatar.

Twilight yelped and leaped to the right, using her own bending to send the fire just off kilter and avoid her. It seared through the icy walls of the room. The avatar then thrust a hoof forward and the ice underneath Trixie quickly leaped up to envelop her hooves, holding her there.

The ruler laughed and lowered her horn. The ice quickly melted. “I am a master water bender, Twilight. You can't hope to-- AHHH!” She was sent hurtling back by a blast of air from the avatar's wings.

“I wasn't, it was a distraction!” Twilight yelled before thrusting her horn forward. A blast of fire shot out from her horn. Trixie let out a yelp and scrambled to her hooves, quickly leaping into the air and flying away from the flames. The avatar didn't stop her assault, the fires lancing out and searing after the mare.

“Impressive, but not enough!” Trixie yelled before sending her own wind burst out at Twilight.

The avatar held her ground, spreading her wings to quickly disperse the wind before it could strike her. She grinned. The winds were weak, almost those of a novice. It made sense, Trixie hadn't been an omni-bender for long, her practice and skill couldn't be anywhere near Twilight's. The avatar had only been one for a little over a year, but she'd had the best teachers and practiced all the time. That meant there was still hope. She leaped into the air and let the fires die, using air bending to speed up her flight as she sailed at Trixie.

The other alicorn let out a yelp and tried to lower herself and dodge the attack, barely getting down in time as Twilight sailed past. The avatar had far more training, however, and quickly used her air bending to turn back around and slam into the other alicorn from behind, slamming her front hooves into the mare's back before forming a small blast of fire in them, sending it out to propel Trixie forward.

Trixie rocketed towards the ground, barely managing to dampen her fall by sending out a hoof and turning the ice into a ball of water to catch herself. She quickly turned around, watching the avatar from within her orb.

Twilight grinned, starring down at the ruler from above. She had a way to win, now. She knew three of the elements far better than Trixie did. Even if they were surrounded by water, she knew enough to get by. She flapped her wings and bent a little more air behind herself, propelling forward at the other alicorn. Fire enveloped her body.

Trixie sent a hoof up, hurtling a whip of water at the mare. Twilight grinned and matched the water with her flames, the fires burning red hot and evaporating the water in an instant. She flew at her fastest speed, using her fire and air bending together to turn her body into a spinning cyclone of might. She hit the orb of water, filling the air with the hissing sound of evaporating water as steam surrounded them. She broke through it in seconds, her hooves lashing out and striking Trixie full in the chest.

The other alicorn was propelled backwards, letting out a scream as she rocketed across the room. She slammed into and then through the wall, falling outside the tower and disappearing from view.

Twilight grinned as she dropped down to the ground, panting with exertion. “I... I think I just won,” she said feebly, steam rising from her body. She grinned down at herself, not a burn on her. Apparently all her practice was still good for something.

A rage filled scream filled the air, making the ponies cringe. A moment later another hole appeared in the tower wall as Trixie blew through it. “YOU HAVE WON NOTHING!” The mare was surrounded in a dark purple aura. “You have done nothing but enflame my anger!” She sent her horn forward, green fire erupting from it and searing at Twilight.

The avatar shrieked and dove to the right, barely avoiding the fire as it left a hole in the ground where she stood. She was forced to roll away as another ball of fire was sent hurtling at her. She tried to deflect it slightly with her bending, but the fire was too strong. She yelped and quickly formed a wall of ice in front of her to delay the third blast. She spread her wings and leaped into the air mere moments before the wall of ice was evaporated.

“You think that will save you?!” Trixie yelled before flapping a wing. The winds took on a light green tint before sailing at Twilight. The avatar flapped her wings, trying to counter the winds with her own, but they weren't strong enough. She was sent hurtling back, slamming against the room's walls. She groaned and began to slide down them, only to be hit by a second blast that sent her hurtling into them again. She tapped back, shattering the wall behind her and falling out of the tower, barely avoiding the third blast in time.

“Owwww,” Twilight said with a groan as she tried to steady herself. Outside, the chill bit into her skin even worse than in the cover, but it was nothing compared to the pain the other alicorn had just leveled on her. “How is she so strong?” the alicorn asked with a groan. “She was nothing like this before.”

Her eyes widened as a chill went down her spine. “Discord. Of course.” With Discord's power supporting the mare's attacks, no wonder they were so much stronger than Twilight's. That creature had the power to give and change a pony's bending, amplifying it had to be easy. Not to mention that amulet. There was another explosion from above as Trixie tore through the walls and hurtled straight down at Twilight.

The avatar quickly spread her wings and used a burst of air to weave around the coming attack, but Trixie didn't let that stop her. She sent blasts of fire out at the other mare, radiating green air with every flap of her wings. Twilight struggled to keep away, dodging and weaving erratically through the air, but Trixie was faster. Her blasts of fire were getting stronger and closer with each one. Twilight dove, her hooves out and reaching towards the ice below. She hit the ice, bending it around her as she went, forming a tunnel of ice around herself. She pierced down to the water below, forming a tunnel of frozen liquid as she struggled to get through. She turned to the right, hard, forming more ice as she went, flecks of ice cold water splashing against her. She tried to ignore them, flapping her wings as hard as she could as she tried to get away.

She finally turned up, bursting out from the ice. A ball of fire, shining in the sky like a second sun, hovered above Trixie's head. “Avatar, catch this!” the alicorn yelled before flinging her head down. The ball began to lower, making Twilight squeak. She dove back under the water, diving as deep as she could while using her bending to form the tunnels of ice to keep her from freezing. A few moments later the sea exploded. She closed her eyes and held her breath, wrapping herself in an orb of ice as the waters shook and writhed around her. She held herself against the walls of the frozen orb as best she could, though she was flung in all directions and smacked into the walls as she went. When it finally stopped she laid there in her orb, still and disoriented, her entire body aching.

It took her a few moments to regain her senses and realize she was going up. She let out a squeak and tried to bend the water back down, but through the orb she could see the water, tinted green as it pulled her. “No no no!” she said softly as she tried to come up with a plan.

She was plucked from the sea and for a second she saw Trixie, starring at her through the ice with a wicked glint in her eye. Then the other alicorn slammed a hoof forward. The ball of ice was sent hurtling through the air. Twilight shrieked and held on as best she could, using her bending to try and break the fall a little. She formed a small hole in it and used her air bending to slow it. She still slammed through the wall of the tower, the slowed orb crashing into the floor before the soldiers and shattering, sending her rolling on the ground with a pained groan. She laid on her back for a few moments, starring at all the ponies around her as her vision faded in and out.

“Oh, how the mighty Avatar has fallen,” Trixie said as she burst through the wall again, chuckling before she landed on the ground. “A shame, to think I once thought you were so powerful.”

Twilight tried to get to her hooves, but they hurt so much. She stared at the approaching alicorn. It wasn't fair. She was the Avatar. She should have been able to beat her. She was more skilled, had more experience in the elements, knew all the styles. But the other mare just had too much power. Discord's taint was too much. She took a slow, deep breath and crawled to her hooves. Her friends still needed her, she couldn't give up now. No matter how much she hurt. She steeled herself against the other alicorn.

But what could she possibly do? Trixie's bending was far more powerful, there was no way she could beat it. She'd have to--

She face hoofed. “Of course.”

“Huh?” the ruler asked.

Twilight jumped at her, her horn glowing. Trixie prepared for a another bending attack, but it didn't come. Instead, the other alicorn suddenly had her hooves yanked out from under her. “Ahhh!” The distraction wasn't much, but it was enough for the Avatar to get in close and body slam the mare. The two rolled on the ground for a moment, Trixie ending up on the bottom. “Tricky little-- oof!” A sudden blow to the stomach knocked the air out of her. She thrust a hoof out, fire blasting from the hoof.

Twilight moved slightly to the side, allowing it to blow past her. She then reached out and struck the leg hard, twisting it back before her other hoof struck three times in the other mare's stomach. She quickly grounded herself before slamming a hoof down into Trixie's chest. The ice crumbled under them and Twilight quickly flew off, letting the other alicorn fall into the room below.

After a few moments another blast of fire shot out, making the Avatar dodge to the right. “T-tricky little alicorn,” Trixie said as she flew up from the hole. “Using telekinesis. Such a trick won't work a second time, though.”

“Doesn't have to,” Twilight said with a smile. “I know how to beat you now. You have power... but you don't have the skill or training.” She grounded her hooves. “You can't--” She was cut off as a shard of ice fell down, impaling the ground by her hooves. She let out a yelp and looked around, her eyes going wider. The room was collapsing, all the holes they'd created in the walls finally bringing the place down. Massive drops of ice began falling all around as the ponies screamed and tried to get under cover.

She froze as the memories of her nightmare flooded back. Her friends, crushed to death. She turned to run to them, but it was too late. The world collapsed around her. She barely managed to form a bubble of ice over herself as the tower shook and rumbled.

After a few horror filled minutes the rumbling ceased. She broke the barrier around herself quickly and took to the air. The place was wrecked, the ships crushed and the water benders working to break out of the barriers they'd crafted for themselves. Her eyes fell on where her friends had been. “No no no no.” A thick pile of massive ice blocks towered over where they had been. “NO!” she wailed, diving towards them. She gripped the blocks, bending them away and scattering them. “No no please oh please no. I'll do anything, I'll give anything. Oh please no,” she begged, her whole body shaking. She'd have made a deal with Discord now to save her friends.

She made it to the bottom and stared, her eyes widening. “W-what?”

A thick dome of ice had formed over where her friends had been. It slowly began to melt, revealing five ponies, a dragon and a bunny. All of her friends.

“R-Rarity,” Twilight said, tears forming in her eyes.

The unicorn smiled up at her, a hoof gently stroking her necklace. “I do apologize for the delay. I... had quite a few things to sort out.”

“N-no, it's fine... It's...” Twilight fell to the ground, tears flowing from her eyes. She felt so exhausted she couldn't stand. Her friends were okay. They were all okay. She couldn't stop crying.

Chapter 33: Do you know?

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There was chaos on all sides of them. Ponies yelling and screaming, struggling to uncover themselves from the ice. Water benders struggled to send the freezing water off and away, while also working to remove the water from their fellow soldiers lest they freeze to death. There were a few yells and calls for help from the shattered ships and a few of the water benders quickly moved to the task of unburying them.

None of this mattered to Twilight as she stayed in a group hug with her friends, hooves wrapped tightly around all of them. The six were together again, along with their support bunny and dragon. The elements were back and it was finally time to finish what they had started. She couldn't keep the tears from falling.

“I truly am sorry for how I acted,” Rarity said as she tried to withdrawal herself from the hug. “I just... I was...”

“I understand,” Twilight said softly. “Thank you. Thank you so much. You have... you have no idea what this means to me. I thought I'd never see you again. That everything was... was...”

Rarity nodded as she finally managed to pull herself free. She used her magic to unbind the amulet from around her neck and slowly slide it down, back around Spike's. “Thank you for everything, Spikey.” She leaned down and gave him a little kiss on the cheek. “I'll need you to watch this a little longer though.”

“Grrk!” the dragon responded, locking up and his cheeks burning bright red. He gave a feeble little nod and giggle.

“Bah, I never doubted you for a second,” Rainbow said with a wave of her hoof.

“Really now?” Applejack asked with a cocked eyebrow.

“Well... maybe for a second,” the pegasus said sheepishly, making the girls giggle.

“THIS ISN'T OVER!” Trixie's voice penetrated the bubble of their friendship, making the ponies turn towards the mare as she rose from the ice. “I still have you, avatar! On this day you fall by my hoof!”

“Wrong, Trixie,” Twilight said as she glared at the mare. “We're back together now. The Elements of Harmony will defeat you and crush Discord!” There was a dazzling glow from her head and her element formed. “Girls, shall we?”

“I... I'd rather we don't have to fight,” Fluttershy said before her element appeared. “But we can't let that big meany win.”

“I've been waiting quite a while to kick his butt, this is going to be awesome!” Rainbow said with a laugh before hers sprang to life.

“Ah think it's about time we end this here rodeo!” Applejack said before her element formed.

“We're going to have the most awesome 'just saved the world' party ever!” Pinkie said with a giggle before her element popped into existence.

“Yes, it really has been too long,” Rarity said before her element materialized in a glimmer around her neck. “I believe it's time we clean this world.”

“You think your elements are enough?” Trixie roared. “Get them! All of you!”

The ice across the floor rose up into the air, allowing the ponies to see Nightmare Moon, Solar Flare and Sweetie readying their bending. A moment later the ice and fire blazed at them. Flowerbloom and Scootaloo charged across the floor after them as well.

“Ahhh!” Trixie suddenly screamed.

“No!” Twilight yelled, before holding up a hoof. The fire stopped as if it hit a wall. Rarity waved a hoof and the ice scattered, flying off and away from the ponies, out into the open air. With a single wave of her wings, Rainbow sent Scootaloo and Flowerbloom flying back into the three. “Trixie, this ends now!” Her eyes glowed white as the elements began to sparkle. A ball of white light enveloped the group and then spread out, coursing across the world.

Screams tore through the air as ponies took cover, before being enveloped in the light. The glow continued to expand, ever further and faster until the entire tower was enveloped, all the way down under the sea. Then, as quickly as it appeared, it was gone.

The ice no longer stood on top of the tower, instead thick clouds of steam billowed up into the air. The black ice below was now crystal clear, the sun penetrating it all the way to the deepest depths and allowing them to see the ponies hiding within.

The soldiers had formed a sort of bubble, huddling amongst themselves and trying to look as inconspicuous as possible. They kept their heads lowered and eyes trained on the ground. Twilight wouldn't have been surprised to hear them start mumbling about how they were just following orders.

The greatest sight however, was seeing Flowerbloom starring at them, confusion on her face. After a moment she stared at Applejack and gave a sheepish grin. “Errr... yah know ah wasn't, errr, truly mahself right then, right?” The other two girls tried to keep their eyes away as they backed away. Right into Celestia. And it truly was Celestia.

“I do not believe the Avatar or anypony else will blame you for your recent actions,” the unicorn said with a sigh. She raised her eyes towards them. “Though I must offer my apologies as well, I--”

“I'm... I'm still going to... defeat you avatar,” Luna mumbled half heartedly as she wobbled a bit from side to side.

Celestia walked over to her sister and gave her a gentle hug. “Be calm, sister. It's over. You've already lost. Just let the Avatar do as she must to heal the world. The Water Nation is safe now.”

The once ruler gave a nod, her eyes lowering as she gentle mumbled. “Fine...”

Twilight didn't envy the one time ruler. Being released and then rebound to Discord's will so quickly couldn't have been pleasant. She looked up. “Good, now Trixie, it's time for... time for... Where's Trixie?”

The ponies looked around, searching the skies for her. “You've got to be kidding me!” Applejack snapped. “After all that, she just--”

“AHHH!” Flowerbloom shrieked before she was yanked into a small little portal.

“Flowerbloom!” Applejack yelled before galloping forward.

“Wait, stop!” Twilight shrieked, pushing a hoof out and using the ice to stop Applejack in her steps. All around them little portals appeared, sucking the other ponies inside. She looked down into the tower and the ponies within were absorbed as well. Within moments the only ones who remained were their small group and the plethora of corpses.

“Who... what? Why?” Rarity asked, looking around frantically.

“Discord,” Twilight said with a growl. “Show yourself!”

“Now now, Avatar, so testy,” Discord said with a chuckle before his likeness formed in the ice across from them. “I thought you'd thank me.”

“Thank you for what?” the alicorn asked, glaring.

“Why, getting all these ponies somewhere safe and sound. How did you expect to get all these ponies home, after all?”

“Teleporting them, obviously. We have the elements, Discord. Surrender,” Twilight said with a stomp of her hooves.

“Oh, now where is the fun in that?” the spirit asked with a low cackle. He crossed his arms while a third hand waggled its finger at her. “Why, such a story needs a truly climatic ending. With an audience to truly enjoy it. I've gone through all the work, so I do hope you'll attend.”

“We're going to destroy you now!” Twilight yelled. The spirit disappeared instantly.

“If you want to play, you have to come to my party. Tah tah,” his voice echoed through the air.

“AHHHH!” Twilight yelled in frustration. “I hate you, Discord!” She glanced back to the others. “Come on. It's time we finish this.”

“Are... you sure? He doesn't seem very worried,” Rarity said nervously.

“He has our friends and family. I don't think we've got much choice,” Applejack said. “But, before that, ah think we better make sure our elements are good an' purified. We don't want a repeat of... well...”

Twilight nodded. She closed her eyes and their elements began to flow as light radiated from within. She frowned and opened her eyes after a few moments. “I... think they're pure. I don't think he has the same plan this time.”

“He's probably just being too cocky,” Rainbow muttered.

“Let's hope so. Come on, girls. I think I know where he is.” Her horn glowed as the group was enveloped in a white light once again. When the sphere disappeared, they were gone.

------

“Gahhh!” Rainbow shrieked as the group appeared on a small patch of jello grass. “Ew ew ew ewwwww! It's all squishy, what is it?”

“Jello,” Applejack said flatly. “You're freakin' out worse than Rarity, yah sure yah wanna do that?”

“... You try landing in something squishy without being able to see it, see how thrilled you are,” Rainbow snapped.

“... Point.”

“... Ewwwwwww! It's all over my hooves and in my tail and ew ew ew!” Rarity shrieked as she pranced around, trying to get it off but only managing to get more on her hooves. “Noooo! It's everywhere! Ewww!”

Twilight ignored her and looked around. Everything was the way it had been last time. Weird trees, floating houses, odd animals. The main difference is there weren't any ponies by the houses anymore. “I don't like this. Girls, stick close together and don't let him separate us. There's...” She frowned and closed her eyes. “Anypony else hear that?”

“Kind of... a dull roar,” Rainbow muttered.

Pinkie gasped. “Discord is having a party, I can feel it!”

Twilight frowned. “Whatever it is, it can't be good.” She looked deeper into the world of chaos. Whatever it was, they'd face it together. “Come on. It's time to end this.”

The ponies nodded and galloped towards the source of the sound. The dull roar soon became almost ear breaking as they got closer and closer. Twilight couldn't help but imagine all kinds of new horrors awaiting them. But she was sure whatever it was, they would face it together.

What she wasn't expecting was the sight that awaited her over the next hill. She froze, making her friends bump into her.

“Holy... buck,” Applejack said, the only one able to make a sound. Even then, her words were drowned out by the crowds.

A massive valley had been formed over the rise and inside it was filled with ponies. Hundreds of thousands of them. Possibly millions. Twilight just stared at the rows upon rows of them, yelling, screaming, talking. She didn't even know there were so many ponies in the world, let alone they could all fit in such an area. Even as massive and wide as it was, going off into the distance beyond what she could see.

Then she realized the valley wasn't really that deep and they weren't that far away. They were each about the size of a fourth of a normal pony. Possibly smaller. They also looked more... curved than she'd ever seen.

“Oh my goodness he chibi-fied them!” Pinkie yelled with a giggle, finally able to speak.

“They... they are quite adorable,” Rarity yelled as she looked over the ranks. “How did Discord manage to get so many?”

Then it all went silent as Discord appeared in the center of them, a large stage rising up from the middle of the crowd. Twilight stared as the creature floated in the air, eyes locked on her. Taunting her, daring them to come forward.

“Come on, girls. It's... time we ended this,” the alicorn said. She took a deep breath before walking forward and into the valley. The mini ponies stared at her, at least the ones close enough to see her. They backed away and parted like a great sea, allowing her and her friends to pass. She looked out over the sea of faces, the eyes filled with fear and hope. The silence was deafening. There were just too many ponies and yet it was so quiet. It didn't feel natural. She wondered if they even could speak, did Discord take that away from them? Another twisted game for his amusement?

The walk was long and the faces seemed to go on forever as the ponies watched her. This was the final battle, the last chance to set things right. All these ponies were depending on her. Hoping for her. Waiting for her. She couldn't let them down, not now.

She finally made it to the stage and stepped up, gulping nervously. Once they were on it, the stage seemed to be almost miles across and the ponies seemed so far away. Yet there were still so many of them, as far as the eye could see. “What's the meaning of this, Discord? Why did you bring these ponies here? This is between you and us.”

The spirit chuckled. “Why? I merely wanted to ensure we had a proper audience for this final showdown. All finales should.” A wicked grin formed on his lips. “After all, what good is it to defeat your greatest enemy so thoroughly, if you don't let everyone know? I do believe I've managed to get... well, everypony important. There are quite a few of your kind, you know. It wasn't easy finding a place to store them all. Lucky your little desert is so empty and barren. But first, I think a present is in order.” He snapped his fingers and Trixie appeared before him. The alicorn let out a yelp.

“Discord, what are you doing? I was-- AHHHH!” The ruler let out a scream as dark purple smoke rose from her body. Before Twilight's eyes, the wings reseeded into the pony as she writhed in pain, collapsing on the ground. When it was over, she was nothing more than a unicorn, panting and sweating. “Y-you... you monster... w-we... we had a d-deal...” She let out a soft, gentle sob. “I-I worked... I worked so hard and... and...”

“And you were ruler for a while. An alicorn as well,” Discord said as he once again nailed his files. “But I'm afraid I can't just spend my power willy nilly at the moment. Frankly, you're not important enough to keep holding on to.” He snapped his fingers and she disappeared. He then held out his hands as the dark purple mist began to rise from the crowd, flowing back to him and entering in his hands. There were shrieks and cries as ponies were suddenly four times as big and bumping into each other, forced to spread out farther across the valley. He took a slow, deep breath. “There, Twilight. I do believe this is what you wanted? Me to take you seriously?”

Twilight gulped and took a nervous step back. This wasn't how she had imagined it. He'd been toying with them all along, but now he seemed... different. Focused, as if he saw them as a real threat. It sent chills down her spine. “N-not particularly.”

“Oh, but now I am.” He leaned back, a casual grin on his face. “Just ignoring you never, ever works. I know that well enough. So shall we?” He held out his paw to her.

Twilight glanced towards the crowd, all those ponies, jumbled together and trying to unbury themselves from each other. So many that depended on her now. She took a deep breath. “Okay, girls! Elements!” She and her friends focused on their elements and they appeared. She felt the magic flow through her as she was once again connected with them. They were as one, a force of harmony and friendship. Discord wouldn't win.

She stared at him, he looked so cocky. She didn't care, not this time. She formed the magic and gathered it around herself, before shooting it out. It formed a rainbow over her and then shot into the sky, before turning and falling straight down at Discord.

The spirit of chaos watched it. Then, a few moments before it could hit him, he disappeared. He appeared a few feet behind them. “Really? You think I'll just stand still for you to zap me into stone? Such a silly little mare. I'd rather not have a repeat performance.”

Twilight frowned and turned. “Discord, stand still!”

“Really? Now why would I do that?” the spirit asked with a chuckle before he soared off, back paddling through the air. Twilight grabbed her friends in her magic and flew after him. The two soared over the crowds, the ponies starring up in shock.

“It's not going to be that easy, you know,” Discord said as they passed over a group. He waved his claw and screams tore through the ponies. The earth ponies let out cries of pain as they began to change. Wings sprouted from their sides, their teeth turned to long fangs, they--

Were blasted by Twilight's magic, the corruption purged and leaving the ponies dazed, but still ponies. “You can't win, Discord!” the alicorn yelled as she flew after him. “Our elements are stronger!”

“Twilight, can we still teleport?” Rainbow asked.

“Of course,” she said as she focused on the spirit, slowly gaining.

“Then just teleport ahead of him.”

“... Oh,” she said softly. Her horn glowed and they disappeared, only to reappear in front of thim. A blast of white light shot out from them and sailed at the spirit.

Discord merely chuckled and dove down into the masses, making the ponies scream as his magic enveloped them. Some were transformed into cheese, others into paper dolls, even more into rocks, moles, ant eaters, the corruption spreading as they screamed. Ponies not even touched by him were affected by their neighbors, the magic traveling along outwards like a wave. Twilight thrust a hoof out and the white light spread out through the masses, purging away the corruption, but it wasn't enough. It spread too fast. She thrust her hooves out. “Girls, hold steady,” she said. The orb of white expanded out from them, growing larger and wider, enveloping the ponies below and traveling through their masses quickly.

Discord let out a yelp as it singed his tail. He rose from the crowds and then disappeared, reappearing on the stage, blowing on his tail that was now growing roses. “That wasn't very nice.”

Twilight and her friends appeared on the stage. “It wasn't meant to be. Discord, this ends now. There's nothing you can do. Your reign of tyranny ends now.”

He sighed. “I was hoping to lead you on a bit longer, have a little extra fun. But... I suppose I have no choice. You've won, Twilight. There is nothing more I can--” He let out a shriek as the white light of Twilight's magic shot out and enveloped him, not allowing him to finish his sentence. He screamed as the power enveloped him, his body slowly turning to stone, starting at his claws and tail. It slowly began to spread up, before stopping. He closed his eyes and gritted his teeth. The stone began to reseed, spreading out from his body until he was back to normal. A purple glow enveloped him before lashing out, traveling through the white light and into the sphere around the girls.

The alicorn let out a scream, taking a step back as the elements cracked further, one by one. Before shattering. Twilight's eyes widened with horror as the white light died around them and the jewels from their elements scattered to the wind, crackling and fading to nothing but fine dust, before disappearing.

Discord was on his hands and knees, panting with exertion. He slowly began to chuckle. “I... I did it. I finally did it. Over a thousand years of painstaking work, but it's done! I've finally not only destroyed Harmony, but her elements as well!” He reared back his head and roared with laughter as lightning cracked in the sky. “It's done! I win!” He drew himself up to his full height, cringing as pain tingled across his body. “I really must thank you, Twilight. I couldn't have done it without you and your friends pushing yourselves so hard.”

“What... what have you done?” the alicorn asked, her hoof touching the crown on her head. “Where are the elements? What did you--” The crown turned to dust, scattering in the air.

“All it takes is one small crack, then I just had to push and prod at it. Push you, break you. Weaken you. Make you work just a little too hard,” Discord said with another dark chuckle. “Now they're gone! Finally! I win!” He turned over to the masses. “Of course, we'll have to celebrate, now won't we? After all, it's a brand new world of chaos for all to en--”

His words were silenced as a five ton boulder landed on his head. After a few moments it melted and the spirit turned towards Twilight and the others. A large chunk of the stage was missing. “Really? I've already won. You can't honestly thinking you can do anything else.”

“We have to,” the alicorn said with narrowed eyes. “We... may not have the elements, but that doesn't mean we'll allow you to continue tormenting everypony! We'll beat you without them!”

“It ain't gonna be easy, but we've taken down scarier things than yah,” Applejack said with a shake of her head. “Besides, ah still owe yah for what yah did tah mah sister.”

“Yeah, besides, a party is supposed to be fun for everypony!” Pinkie yelled. “Not just for the big stupid head who's pulling pranks on everypony!”

“I've given up quite a bit to fix this world,” Rarity said firmly. “I'm not about to allow one small defeat to stop us here.”

Rainbow stomped a hoof down. “Besides, you're making it a pain in the flank to fly anywhere! There's no way we're going to just let you keep ruining the skies for everypony!”

“Yeah, and I'm going to help!” Spike yelled as he raised a claw.

“I... I agree with Twilight! And Applejack! And Pinkie! And Rarity! And Rainbow! And Spike!” Fluttershy yelled. The friends galloped forward.

Discord rolled his eyes and shook his head. “Really? You must be joking. You're just ponies, frankly... you're not strong enough.” He watched them with amusement as they charged him. He held out his hands. “But if you wish to play, well, I'm always up for a game.” He let out a low, dangerous laugh.

Chapter 34: You're all

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Twilight took a slow, deep breath as she stared at the spirit of chaos before her. They no longer had the elements, the one thing they knew could defeat him. She could hardly believe they were gone. She had tried reaching within herself, tried to find some trace of them. But there was nothing. It was as if they had never existed.

No. Not as if they had never existed. A part of her still felt... hollow. As if they had been torn out. Destroyed. She could still feel a connection with her friends, but there was no longer any magic to support it. Nothing they could wield and use against this enemy. They only had themselves now, against an impossible enemy who defied all explanation. But they couldn't give up, no matter how powerful he was. They had to fight, for all those ponies who depended on them.

Twilight and Rainbow charged forward, flying as fast as they could, their wings beating furiously. The wind parted ahead of them and they struck Discord's face from either side, smashing it flat. It squished down like rubber, quickly bouncing back and sending the two flying away.

“Really? I told you already, there's nothing you can do to hurt me,” he said with a chuckle. “You're just too weak.”

Twilight ignored him and formed an orb of fire over the tip of her horn as she circled back around. She quickly compressed it before sending it spiraling at the spirit. He merely plucked it from the air and tossed it into his mouth, before blowing a small smokey bubble. “Mmm, spicy. Do stop embarrassing yourself. You're nothing more than a minor annoyance.”

The alicorn ignored him again, instead charging forward, her body wrapped in flame as she drove herself into his stomach. She went right through it, shrieking as the flames were extinguished because he had turned to water. He chuckled and crossed his arms. A moment before a confetti cannon went off in the side of his face. He glanced down at Pinkie, who stood there with her cannon on his shoulder. “Et tu, Pinkie?” He dug his finger into his ear, pulling out a long rope of tied colored hoofkerchiefs.

“We're going to beat you!” the pink mare said.

He rolled his eyes and flicked her off with one finger, turning her little cannon into a giant lollipop. He then glanced down at Spike, who was clawing and biting on his tail, while Fluttershy kind of gently stomped on the fur. “Ummm... t-take that! And... and that!”

The spirit sighed, shaking his head. “Now this is just sad.” He gave them both a little flick with his finger, sending them flying back. “There is nothing--”

“Eat this!” Twilight screamed as two massive boulders came from either side, squashing him paper thin. He dribbled out of them like water before reforming. He glared at Applejack and the alicorn.

“You're really starting to get on my nerves. Don't think I won't--”

His words were cut off as water washed over him, freezing him in a large block. Rarity stood in front of a deep hole made by Applejack. “I've got him frozen! Now!”

Twilight flew up into the air, holding out her hooves and forming multiple balls of fire all around her. Sweat formed across her body as she struggled to keep them steady and slowly compress them. Applejack gathered up the dirt, wrapping it around the frozen spirit and compressing it as best she could, holding it steady and trying to keep him trapped. Rainbow flew up as high as she could, chewing on her lower lip before turning back around.

The alicorn sent the balls of fire down as the others scattered. They erupted, shattering the ice and enveloping the spirit. From above, Rainbow turned down and started flying as fast as she could, parting the air ahead of herself.

The smoke turned pink before disappearing. A moment later Rainbow let out a yelp as she was plucked out from the air, Discord starring down at them with annoyance. “A sonic rainboom? In your state? So disappointing. Are you girls quite finished? You're really starting to annoy me.”

Twilight trembled as she stared at the spirit. They couldn't do anything. He was just too powerful. He didn't even look fazed by these attacks, they just bounced off him. Nothing they did mattered. They couldn't win. But they couldn't give up, either. She took off and flew right at him, bending the fire around her body.

His hand turned into a fly swatter and he smacked her down, sending her crashing into the ground so hard she left a crater.

“Twilight!” her friends called out as they ran to the alicorn. She tried to get up, but her body screamed in objection. She didn't think anything was broken, but it still hurt.

“Very well,” Discord said with annoyance as his hand turned back to normal. He reached up to grab Rainbow by the ears, pulling the struggling pegasus back. “If you insist on being such a bother, I'll give you what you so desire. Complete defeat.”

Rainbow let out a scream as his hands began to send out a dark mist and coil around the pegasus' head. She struggled in his grasp, but he held her with ease.

“Don't fight it, Rainbow. In a few moments you'll be a good little min-- oof!” The spirit let out a startled grunt as two pegasi slammed into his stomach, hooves first. He let the blind pegasus go and flew back a few inches, starring at the two Wonderbolts. “What... are you...”

“We're fighting you, too!” Spitfire said, narrowing her eyes. “This is payback for everything you put us through!” She sent out a burst of wind, though the spirit merely lifted his hands and stopped the winds with ease.

Soarin nodded. “This is for almost having me burned alive!” He drove himself forward, hooves out to slam into the spirit. Discord disappeared in a wisp of smoke, before reappearing on the stage.

“Enough! I'm not-- huh?” He looked down at the stage, which was beginning to wrap around him. From the crowds, great boulders shot out and rained down on the spirit, making him raise his hands to shield himself. After a few seconds he disappeared again, appearing in the air. “Enough! I will not--” His words were silenced as lightning struck him from below.

The crowd parted, ponies moving away as the benders hurtled their attacks at the great spirit. Fire, lightning, water, ice, wind, earth, all rained down on the spirit as he flew through the air, waving his hands about and turning the attacks to streamers, confetti, pies, whatever he want. But they kept coming, no end in sight.

Twilight let out a groan as she tried to sit up, her friends around her. “I'm... I'm okay. I just... ow...”

“The buck you are,” a unicorn said as he galloped over. “Hold still. I'm a healer.”

“N-no, I need to... I...” she groaned and closed her eyes. Everything hurt.

“You need to relax,” the stallion said before looking to her friends. “Hold her still, I'll be done in a second.”

Her friends looked around nervously, but relented after a moment. The unicorn gently tapped his horn to her as a gentle, soothing feeling washed over her body. The pain began to leak away. The alicorn jumped to her hooves a moment later. “I'm good! I need to... I...” She stared up at the sky, her eyes widening. Above, the spirit was desperately fending off the attacks. They didn't seem to be doing any harm, but there were just so many of them. She could even make out the Shadowbolts, flying through the air, assaulting him with everything they had. Not that he had any real pressure points they could tell. He was being driven back. “What are they doing? They're going to get hurt!”

“Less hurt than if they do nothing, miss Amethyst,” the unicorn said before he moved away. “Do be careful. A few bruises and soreness are easy to heal. Anything truly broken is far more difficult.” he melted in with the rest of the crowd jumping on the stage.

“R-right, I... wait, Amethyst?” She looked down, but the unicorn was already gone. She shook her head and looked up again. “Girls, come on!”

“Right!” they said.

“Hey!” Spike objected.

“And Spike!” Together, they joined in the assault.

The spirit of chaos struggled against the attacks, driven lower and further back as they kept coming from all sides. Finally he was close enough to the ground and it reached up to swallow him. A second later the ground turned to ice cream and he pulled himself free from it, only to be greeted by shards of ice, fire, lightning and more boulders. Then for a moment it ceased.

Only for Twilight, Rainbow and the other air benders to slam into him from the air, tearing through the spirit. He dissipated into a fine smoke, reappearing on the stage a moment later. “Enough!” He roared. “You are but toys! How dare you--” But he was cut off by more assaults, more attacks. Everypony launched everything they had at him, hitting him with a destructive force never before seen in the world. The combined might of over a million ponies, all working together to protect their homes, their lives and in many cases, their minds.

The spirit disappeared again, reappearing high above in the sky. “THAT'S IT!” He flung out his hands and the ponies disappeared, hundreds of them at a time. After a few moments, only the avatar and her friends remained. He slowly began to lower himself from the sky, his eyes narrowed on Twilight.

She stared back defiant. She was so scared she could barely move, though. Everypony had launched everything they had. More power than she and her friends had ever come close to wielding, hitting him with everything they had. No, a thousand times more power than they could have ever dreamed to wield. And yet, the spirit looked merely angry and flustered, but without a scratch on him. At most he looked a little short of breath. There was nothing they could do but keep fighting. But even she could tell it was hopeless.

But they would. They'd fight until there was nothing left to give. They had too much to lose to not fight. She wrapped herself in flames and threw herself at him.

A large oven mitt formed in the air and wrapped around her. She struggled to get free, but it held her too tightly. Discord appeared in front of her a moment later. “I really didn't mind you. Normally,” he said in an almost pitying tone. “I was more than happy to let you enjoy this new world. You're hardly a threat. Harmony is gone, so you have no more hope.” He poked her forehead with his claw and her eyes began to turn purple. “But you just couldn't stop fighting, could you? Well, fine. If you're going to be so bothersome, I'll make you enjoy--” He flicked out his other hand when her friends tried to rush him, they found themselves suddenly imprisoned in a large cage. “-- my little world.”

Twilight whimpered, shaking her head and trying to pull free as she felt his presence spread over her mind. “We'll... we'll always fight you Discord. All of us. Every pony, everywhere. This is our world and we won't let you take it. Even if you destroy me, more will come.” She tried fighting it off, reaching down within herself to pull out what little strength she had left. She found it. Just a small spark, a hint of what once remained. She grasped it with all her might.

Fire felt like it flowed through her veins, but it repelled the darkness. The spirit pulled back quickly and she spread her wings, shattering the mitt. Her eyes glowed white as she hovered in the air. “NO!” she yelled. “We will not fall! We--” Her eyes flickered to normal for a second. The power threatened to leak away, flowing off like a spilled glass of water. She struggled with all her might to hold onto it, to keep it to her body. “We will not fall!” The glow returned to her eyes and she shot forward, fire enveloping her body.

“You've already lost, just accept it,” Discord said with a chuckle as he dodged around her. “This is my world now.”

“Never!” Twilight screamed. She tried reaching out with everything she had, latching onto whatever fragments remained. It flowed through her body, agonizing. But she had to keep doing it. She had to. Everypony was depending on her.

He smacked her out of the sky, making her slam into the ground. She whimpered, laying there for a few moments as more of the power flowed away. “NO!” She screamed. White light blossomed from her horn, thrusting out at the spirit. He held up his hand to block it, but it pushed through and sent the spirit stumbling back.

“Gah! Give it up!” he snapped.

She slowly got to her hooves. “Never.” She surged forward, the light enveloping her. Discord moved aside, but she flung her horn in his direction, blasting him again. She crashed to the ground, whimpering as the power coursed through her body. It was so weak compared to what they needed. The cooling embers of what had once been a great wild fire. But it was hurting the spirit, that was enough. It would have to be enough. She surged forward again, racing at the spirit. She leaped into the air, the power enveloping her.

Then it was gone. The last drops leaked from her and she was caught in mid air, Discord's tail coiling around her throat and yanking her up like a rag doll. She gripped it with her hooves, her eyes widening.

“I told you. I've won. Your elements are no more.” He put a finger to her forehead. She felt the presence enter her mind again. The small fragments tried to rise up again, but they were too weak and damaged. The avatar state was no more. “I wi...” The words trailed off in his mouth as he looked around. His finger was pulled back and the presence left her mind.

Twilight looked confused, until she saw it. All across the field, small little pieces of dust. Glimmering and shining like tiny little dim stars. Millions of them. They started out as small and dim, but were slowly glowing brighter with every passing second, floating into the air.

Discord took a step back. “No. No no. I've already won. Harmony is dead! There are no more elements!” He turned to Twilight. “You! Enough! This ends now!” He thrust his claw at her face.

The dust turned brilliant white, beams of light shooting between each of them to connect them within an instant. Then the beams shot out to connect with Twilight. She disappeared from his tail, Discord's claw hitting empty air.

The alicorn reappeared on the cage holding her friends. The beams of light spread out from her, enveloping her friends. For a moment she thought it was the elements, but she soon realized that it wasn't. It was something different. Something new. Like a million small hearts beating at once, the power throbbed within her. She could feel it. Every small hope. Every kindness. The desire to fight, to stand against this evil. Every single pony giving her the strength to fight on. The smoldering connection that had allowed the avatar state was still there, still broken.

The elements were just the connection between the six. This was the connection between her and every pony they'd met. Every pony they'd helped on their journey. Every single pony that they had touched, directly or indirectly, with their actions. Over a million strong, each giving a small fragment of their power to help her. Each one rooting for her, giving all they could to help her. This wasn't the elements. It was so much more. The beams of light changed the six, enveloping them and shifting their colors as they began to sparkle. Their cutie marks glimmered as rainbows of color ran over their bodies, the power flowing through them.

Twilight looked up at Discord and, for the first time, she saw fear in his eyes. “You're wrong, Discord,” the alicorn said as she took a step forward. The cage melted under her hooves. “We aren't just toys. We're ponies. Every single one of us have hopes and dreams. Goals. Each of us may be weak alone, but together there is no limit to what we can accomplish.”

“N-no,” he said softly, backing away. “T-the elements are destroyed! I broke them myself! You can't do this! Harmony is gone!”

“The elements may be gone, but our bond is not,” Twilight said before taking to the air, her friends flying besides her in the magic. “You aren't fighting one pony, or six. You're fighting every single one of us across all the nations. We will no longer be yours to play with. You're not strong enough!” She spread out her hooves, the beam of lights raising up from the ground, piercing the sky.

Discord stared for a moment before he turned, running away. But Twilight didn't let him. She thrust out a hoof and the light shot out. It pursued the spirit. “No no no! I won! I'm invincible! I can't--” The beam caught him and enveloped his body. He let out a scream, shaking his head as his body turned to a dark purple cloud. Then, after a few seconds the light purged even that from the world and he was gone.

Twilight stared at the empty space where he had once been, before slowly sinking down to the ground. She and her friends landed on the ground as the light faded. The power was slowly slipping away, but she didn't feel it was needed anymore. Discord was gone, defeated. There wasn't a trace of him anywhere near them.

They'd succeeded. They'd defeated Discord. They'd saved the world. The beams of light from the dust began to fall down and she took a step forward. The power suddenly drained from her all at once and her eyes widened, before she collapsed. The world turned black.

Chapter 35: My very best friends

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Twilight groaned as her eyes slowly opened. She was laying in a bed, bundled in blankets.

“About time yah woke up, yah had us worried,” Applejack said.

The alicorn looked up, her friends were on the bed besides her, watching her. All aside from Rainbow, who was just facing her general direction. “What happened?” she asked softly.

“We won,” Rainbow said with a chuckle. “Completely thrashed Discord and wiped him out. Was there ever any doubt we would?”

“I think there was plenty,” Twilight said with a smile. “The elements, they're back, right?”

Her friends didn't answer, though the looks on their faces told her volumes. She closed her eyes and tried to bring hers forward, but nothing happened. She lowered her gaze. “They... they're gone. For real, aren't they?” She took a slow, weak breath. “I... guess it's the cost we have to pay, to defeat Discord.”

“Yah think the next avatar will have 'em?” Applejack asked.

“I... don't know. Maybe? But I don't think so,” Twilight reached a hoof up to grab where her element had once been. “Whatever he planned, I think it was big. It was... beyond anything I could imagine.”

“What was all that, then?” Rainbow asked. “A last oorah? It sure zapped you out pretty bad.”

“I don't know,” Twilight said gently. “But, it was different from the elements. It was...” She took a slow, deep breath as she tried to put the words together. “It was harmony. Beyond our harmony. A harmony born of all the ponies everywhere wanting something. I... don't know if we'll ever be able to use something like that again. At least, without something so dangerous to everypony.”

“Well, who cares?” Pinkie said with a giggle. “We beat Discord, he's gone! We've won! Now it's party time!”

Twilight chuckled and nodded. “We won. I can barely believe it, but we did it. Where are we? Where is everypony?”

“We're in Manehatten. We don't really know where everypony is,” Applejack said with a chuckle. “There was quite the crowd comin' tah pick us up once we won. Apparently he gone an' dropped everypony in the Fire lands near here. Ain't seen any of the ponies from the other countries yet.”

“You should have heard them coming,” Rainbow said with a chuckle. “Horns blaring, ponies yelling. They were ready for war. When they saw we'd already defeated Discord though... well...”

Twilight nodded. “I... I see. What about the dragons? What about Spike? What about the damage Discord had done there?”

“Everything seems to be going back to normal,” Fluttershy said softly. “The... the center of that area where we fought Discord, it's all normal now. Nothing but sand and rocks. It's a dessert again. No ponies are... changed anymore. At least, that we met.”

“Vinyl and the others had already left to get the dragons when they came to get us,” Pinkie said with a soft giggle. “But I'm sure they'll be back soon. We can have the most awesome party ever when they get back!”

Twilight nodded before falling back into bed. “So... it's over? We've won? We... we've really won?”

“Eeyup. It looks like it, Sugarcube,” Applejack said with a smile. “Everythin' seems tah be goin' back tah normal. Granted... ah don't think we're done yet.”

Twilight giggled softly and shook her head. “No, no. Still all the politics. But, you know what? After dealing with Discord, I think I almost look forward to trying to renegotiate the peace between all the countries. It'll be like a vacation at this point.”

Rainbow made a blah face. “Ugh, politicians. I think I'd almost rather deal with Discord again.”

The alicorn giggled and found she couldn't stop. They'd won. They'd finally done it. They'd suffered so much, almost lost everything a few times. But they'd finally won. The world was saved, there could finally be peace and prosperity between the nations. There was still so much that had to be done. She personally still had so much to do. But she felt the weight just melting away as she laughed with her friends. They were all alive and would face this new world together. Discord had fallen. For real this time.

Then a new thought popped into her mind and she felt the laughter die in throat. “Trixie? What happened to Trixie? Did they find her? She might be… well, who knows where? She could be up to anything. Doing anything. She doesn't have Discord's power, but she's still a water bender.”

“She's probably wherever he sent the rest of the Water Nation,” Rainbow said with a shrug. “Who knows? She's not a threat now, though. She doesn't have all of your bending or Discord's help. Nopony will listen to her anymore.”

Twilight nodded. “I… guess. But she still has the alicorn amulet. There's no telling what she could do with it.” She let out a sigh before laying back. “But… I guess it should be fine. Discord is gone, he can't guide her anymore. She's on her own now.”

“Once everythin' is settled, we'll find her,” Applejack said with a nod. “Ain't no way a pony that loud an' obnoxious can keep hidden for long. Ah'm sure they'll have a full army out lookin' for her once we get everythin' settled. But yah go on an' rest now. Yah gone an' done all yah needed. Now comes the easy part.”

Twilight chuckled. “This will be far from easy. Keeping everypony happy is going to be a borderline nightmare.” She glanced down to her friends and smiled. “Though… I don't think it'll be so bad. I've gone through worst nightmares. I have all of you with me. No matter what comes, I'm sure we can face it together.” She paused. “No. We faced down Discord and won. I don't care what the future holds. I absolutely know we can face it together.”

------

Twilight's head spun as she was lead through the streets of Manehatten, going through a sensory overload with every step. The Water Nation, Air Nomads and Earth Kingdom had all sent representatives since the event. Well, miniature armies to help defeat Discord. Now there was a celebration created by all the nations together, filling the streets with noises and smells. For now there was peace.

Though, the alicorn knew it wouldn't last. The defeat of Discord was a cause for great celebration. But the last hundred years would not be forgotten so easily. Already she could see the way ponies tried to avoid going too close to the Water Nation ponies. She gave it a day, maybe two before the ponies would have to retreat for fear of attacks.

But that was at least time where she could relax and enjoy herself. For now, ponies were calm and happy, talking with each other, living peacefully. Selling to each other. There was no fighting, no war, no killing. No imprisoning, no corrupting. No dehorning. There was just calm and stillness.

Unfortunately, the elements had still yet to make an appearance and she was pretty sure her earlier suspicion was true. It was beginning to look like they'd be gone forever. The power she'd felt before had also been something she could no longer tap into, though she had tried. It had been born from a need and desire of everypony working together to defeat a single, almost omnipotent threat. The looks the towns ponies now showed each other made her doubt there would ever again be something so deadly that it could bring such unity. Though it was a bit callous, she couldn't help but be thankful that it was the next avatar's problem. She'd done her job, done far more than anypony had any right to ask of her. Now she just wanted to relax and enjoy the peace she'd earned.

Of course, she couldn't allow herself that. Her mind was already turning as she tried to imagine ways to deal with the new peace. Stopping another war was her next priority, but it wouldn't be easy. Celestia had taken charge of the Water Nation, but she was only going to remain in command until Rarity returned. The princess looked none too pleased about that, but a little bit of convincing from her friends finally made her relent and accept her new responsibility. Sadly, Trixie hadn't been found and there was no telling where the water bender was hiding.

The Earth Kingdom was offering assistance to all the countries, assistance that was desperately needed with so much infrastructure damage done. Discord's magic was leaving the land, but plenty of things had been destroyed in the process. Homes of rock and stone would do for now.

The Wonderbolts had already requested that both Fluttershy and Rainbow join them in Cloudsdale once their duties here were done, to aid in teaching what they knew about healing and air bending respectively. Both were needed now as ponies tried to pick up their lives, the air benders especially needed for their speed in delivering messages.

Pinkie had been invited to join Cheese Sandwich's school of parties. Applejack and Applebloom were both looking forward to returning to the farm, for real this time. There was even talk about teaching other earth benders how to metal bend.

Soon, they'd all be going their separate ways, though not until they were sure that Twilight didn't need them. More plans sprang to her mind, ideas, so many things she could do over the next few months.

But, they would wait. For today, she and her friends were going to have fun and celebrate the fact they were all alive and had finally defeated Discord. The war was over.

------

“You're crying,” Spike said softly as he helped brush the tears out of her eyes.

“I-I can't help it,” the alicorn said weakly. “It's... it's so hard to s-say good bye.”

He nodded. “I don't doubt that.” He helped straighten her black and red gown. “They're all going off to different places now, we won't see them as often. But...”

“I know, I know,” Twilight said as she gently scooped him up and tossed him on her back. “Friends forever, right? It's only a temporary goodbye. It just feels so... weird. I won't have them here anymore.”

“It's been a few months, they have their own homes that need them now. You have all the fire tribes working together, too. Can't keep them here forever.”

The alicorn nodded as she started walking down the stairs. She didn't like it, but she knew it was true. It had been three months since the defeat of Discord and things had been calming down since at least a month ago. There was almost a routine now. That meant her friends were free to go and help their own homes, though she hated it. She wished she could keep them here forever, but that would be selfish and she knew it. She loved them too much to do that to them.

So tonight they were having one last, final party before they left. A last oorah before all the ponies she loved so very much were gone off to their own homes. It was going to be private, and small, and she knew she wouldn't make it through the whole thing without crying. But she'd go as long as she could.

She let out a slow, deep breath as she came to the door. She slowly pushed it open and revealed the small decorated room. She was a little surprised. There were only about five hundred pounds of streamers, confetti and glitter. She really expected Pinkie to do m-- Her eyes fell on the pinatas. Ah, of course. Nothing like an extra hundred pounds of candy to bring a party to life.

Her friends were sitting at the table, talking away. Aside from Rarity, they weren't really wearing anything. The princess was of course wearing a dazzling pink dress. She felt Spike lock up. She chuckled and hoped he'd get over his little crush gently over the next few weeks, not having her here would make it hard. At least he would have tending to all the dragons to help keep him occupied.

After a few seconds the talking died as the ponies looked over and waved. “Twilight! I had everything mega planned!” Pinkie said, giggling. “First pinatas, then punch, then dancing, then a congo line, then cake!” She paused. “But... then I decided for this, I think we should just be together. We've done a lot of the other things already, anyway.”

Twilight nodded, trying to hold back the tears as she moved to sit by her friends. “I... I think that would be best,” she choked out. She rubbed her eyes. “So... how is everypony.”

“Well, I've been meaning to bring this up for a while... but, it's been hard, you know?” Rainbow said with a soft cough. “I mean since... well, with everything going on. And us leaving.” For the first time, Twilight saw the pegasus too meek and nervous to actually speak. “Errr... Fluttershy?”

“Rainbow's eyes are better, kin--” The rest of her words were drowned out as the ponies erupted.

“You can see? Since when? How? How many hooves am I holding up?” Twilight asked, nearly jumping on the table. The others quickly asked their own, struggling to speak over each other.

“Calm down!” Rainbow said, waving her hooves frantically until her friends quieted down. “It's not that big a deal! I can't see fully or anything like that.” She rubbed the blindfold over her eyes. “See, this is why I didn't want to say anything. It's kind of just a lot of blurry images now. I can usually see better with my air bending now, too. I still have to keep my eyes covered a lot or they hurt. Spitfire says they'll probably never work fully. But I can wear special goggles that'll help. It'll make flying easier, at least. It's not a big deal, really.”

“It's a mega super big awesome amazing deal!” Pinkie said with a squeal. “You should have told me, we could have had a 'Rainbow can see now!' party!”

“Even if yah can't see all the way, ah think it's still pretty good,” Applejack said with a grin. “It'll help yah a lot when you're bein' one of them Wonderbolts. Make sure yah don't run inta anythin' when yah go super fast.”

“I think we can all agree it is marvelous news,” Rarity said with a smile, before lowering her gaze. “I... do believe my mother will be pleased to know the damage she caused wasn't... completely permanent.”

There was a slow, awkward pause. After a few moments the pegasus shrugged. “Eh. She wasn't herself at the time. If I was going to get mad at every pony Discord went and screwed up, I'd have a list three miles long. I'm wayyyy too awesome to hold a grudge like that.”

Twilight nodded and smiled at her friends. “I take it everypony is prepared for the journey then? No... problems?” She was a little hopeful there would be some kind of delay.

“My escort is down below, waiting as we speak,” Rarity said with a smile. “They even managed to scrounge up another air ship for the voyage. It's not the most... charming of vessels, but it will get me home quickly.” She gave a soft sigh. “I do believe aunt Celestia is looking forward to me taking over responsibility far too much.”

Rainbow chuckled. “Fluttershy and I are going to Cloudsdale in style. Wonderbolt escort and all. Gilda even came by and is coming too.” She gave a light snicker. “Said something about the Earth Kingdom being a little too quiet for her now. For all the huff and puff she made about getting rewarded for helping, she seems to hate the easy life.”

“Cheese is waiting too!” Pinkie said with a giggle. “We're going to go around and spread parties at every town we pass on the way to the school! It's going to be amazing! So many ponies who've never had a chance to even have a party. We're going to fix that so bad it's going to break again!”

“Mah big brother came down tah escort us back,” Applejack said with a smile. “Him an' Applebloom are waitin' tah go the moment we can. Apparently the Cherries plan tah meet us half way an' visit the farm. Gonna be quite the trip.”

Twilight nodded, smiling softly. “It's... going to be so quiet without everypony here. I'll miss you all.”

“We'll miss you too,” Rainbow said. “We'll still visit, of course. I mean, we've only known each other a year, but it's been quite the year. You'll always be our weird and silly friend we found in the mountains.”

The alicorn snorted. “I know. But we're all going to be so busy and--”

“That won't matter,” Fluttershy said gently. “We'll always be friends and we'll always make time for each other.” She looked up at the table. “We can still meet up once in a while. Even if we are really busy... that doesn't mean this is a true good bye. It just means we'll be separate sometimes.”

“Ohhhh!” Pinkie giggled and pushed her hooves together. “We should totally have a big get together once everything is settled. We could have it in the Water Nation, that way Rarity doesn't have to leave her princessy stuff!”

Rarity chuckled. “While I do appreciate the extra effort, I am sure I will be able to leave once in a while.” She sighed. “I will have to make... many changes throughout the kingdom, however. My aunt is already working on it, but I think nearly every single general and commander is going to have to be replaced. Not to mention the Shadowbolts are going to have to be... modified.”

“Well, Scootaloo is coming with us to Cloudsdale to help train some ponies in that style,” Rainbow said with a shrug. “Once ponies see the training they have, I'm sure a bunch of other nations would be happy to have them training with them. Those arts are... well, they aren't fun to fight. But they're useful.”

Twilight nodded. “I'm sure there are plenty of benders who would rather such techniques never be learned, but personally I hope they spread quickly. They're far less... final, than a sword or spear.”

Applejack nodded. “Eeyup. Ah think the emperor would be happy tah have them spreadin'. There are bound tah be a few benders out there who decide tah take the law into their own hooves. Especially once, well...”

The alicorn sighed. “Not everypony is going to be happy with peace. With all the loss of lives. Hundreds, even thousands are... now missing family members.” The table grew silent. “The next few years are going to be interesting.”

Rarity gave a soft chuckle. “The Water Nation is going to have to work very hard to earn back ponies trust. But hopefully everything can return to the way it once was.” She looked over to the alicorn. “But tonight is our last night together, I think we should try to enjoy ourselves, don't you?”

Twilight nodded before pulling up a small slice of hay bacon. “Of course. There's no telling what the next few years will hold. Just remember, no matter what happens, if you need me, all you need to do is ask.”

Applejack gave a snort. “Yeah, we can send yah a letter. Ah'm sure you'll answer a whole lot faster here than yah did in mah dream.”

“Or you can just send me off to the side, under the emperor's care,” Rainbow said with a snicker.

“I'll try not to get lost in the dark,” Fluttershy said with a gentle giggle.

“I'll make sure not to get stuck in any more padded rooms,” Pinkie said with a full chortle.

Twilight watched her friends as the night quickly went by. It was the last time she'd see them all together for a long time and there was still so much they had to do. But she was sure no matter what happened, they could and would deal with it. No matter how hard life became, they could always fall back on each other. Because even without their elements, their friendship would always be magic.

Epilogue: Story wrap up, let's give our finished story cheer!

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Journal entry: So, I've never done this before, but Fluttershy said it would be a great idea and I have to agree with her. I mean, as many books as I've read, it only makes sense I'd eventually write my own. I'll be cataloging our adventures and everything we went through in order to defeat Discord. I hope these journals will one day find their way to you, next avatar.

I'm hopeful you grew up in a time of peace, I've done everything I can to ensure that there would be. I've actually started my own little plans to help aid and bring the four nations together. If all goes well, you'll know all about it and these books will be stored there. Well, I think they'll be books. Rainbow said I'm kind of an egg head and any book I write is bound to be three times as long as it needs to be. I don't see the problem though, the small notes help to bring context to everything that's happened to us. Not to mention the different bending styles and information to aid you.

Anyway, I'll start from the end. It's been over a year since Discord fell and there is no sign of him returning. Unfortunately, there's no sign of the elements returning or his last minion, Trixie, either. Last I knew the Alicorn Amulet was with her. I'm afraid you'll have to make do without it, but I have faith you'll succeed. The war is over, though the scars are still felt everywhere. The population was hit hard and there are a lot of areas that nopony lives near now. The borders have it the worst, nopony lives there any more. Which, in some ways, is good I suppose. It makes my plan easier.

The great wall that appeared north of the Fire Tribe lands disappeared with Discord's defeat and you won't believe what happened. Well, maybe you will. Zebras, negasi, centaurs and even minotaurs have been making their way to our lands. We've always had a few, but they were never in the numbers to match ponies, or even griffons for that matter. But now they are slowly integrating with our society. They don't have bending like we do, but they have their own ways of doing things. There has been a bit of hostility between them and others, but I think my plan will fix that.

The bad lands have been left largely unexplored by the four kingdoms, but now, who knows? I've heard of so many different creatures and plants living there, just the thought of seeing some of them for myself makes me giggle with delight. I doubt I'll be able to see them anytime soon, but I fully intend to visit the lands once I have everything here settled. I'll be cataloging what I find to add to these books.

I'm not sure how to explain everything else. There's so much that's happened, a lot of which won't make sense until you read about our adventures. I'll try to keep it simple, though. I'll start by explaining how the Fire Tribes are doing now. There's still a lot of pain and suffering for those who lost their horns. Especially those who lost them just before I returned. It's made even worse because of all those fire benders who can still bend. Still, my ponies are persevering and slowly making their way from day to day. Many are managing to find happiness in other ways, though I do fear there are those who will never truly be happy after their loss.

The dragons are doing very well. Many of the eggs have hatched and there are now dozens of dragons living in Manehatten and the outer settlements. The fire benders are doing everything they can to make sure they make it again and return to their once thriving numbers. Spike is rising to the occasion, like I knew he would. Oh, Spike is my baby dragon. Well, I guess he's not a baby really now. He's the oldest dragon in the world. A lot of the babies look up to him and a lot of nights he stays up in the lava pits, telling the dragons stories about what happened in the last hundred years and how he helped save the world from Discord. He sometimes over exaggerates, but I don't tell anypony. He's earned the right at this point.

The Great Dragon was buried properly again, all except his skull. It was moved to replace the head of one of the great dragon statues in the city, so he can watch over Manehatten forever. I think he would have liked that. He was a bit rough around the edges, but he really was a sweet dragon in the end. I don't know what I would have done without him when I started out. I still sometimes wonder what I'll do now without him.

The country itself is doing wonderfully. Our culture is slowly returning, thanks to the fire benders that had been hidden away in the Everfree Forest and what I could remember. I've done my best to aid with my memory, but sadly some of our culture will be lost forever. But everypony is trying their hardest and I think we're slowly making progress and new traditions. The Summer Sun Celebration this year was beautiful.

We have quite a few ponies working to keep the day to day operations going and I'm, fortunately, no longer needed to aid ponies in that respect. Most my time now is spent settling disputes and performing my basic avatar duties. We even have a military now, though it's still pretty weak. One of the generals is a pony by the name of Caballeron. I was a little wary, since he had apparently aided the Water Nation during the war. But I've been assured that he is a loyal member again and he is being watched closely.

All in all, I think my people are doing great. The last hundred years nearly destroyed us. But from the ashes, we will rise. In a few generations the pain and conflict caused from the war will hopefully fade and there will be true peace between the four countries.

Now I need to talk about the big one, the Water Nation. When I first went on my journey to visit all my friends, I headed there first. Let me tell you, it was completely different from the first time I went there. About a year ago, when Pinkie left, she and Cheese were planning to party everywhere they went. Well, let me tell you, mission succeeded. I thought the Water Nation would have the lowest morale problems, but the ponies there seemed happy and excited. They were throwing everything they had into trying to fix all the damages they had done. Not only that, they were receiving a lot of visitors from other nations. When I arrived at the school, I almost couldn't get in. If I hadn't been recognized, I might still have been lost in the crowd trying to get through.

I think in the end, Pinkie is going to end up doing more to help aid the peace between the four countries than I ever could. For all my knowledge and clout, she's still the only pony I know who could turn two life long enemies into the best of friends in a few hours. I sincerely hope you get a chance to meet her. Well, I hope you get a chance to meet all my friends. I can't even begin to imagine where all her energy comes from.

After that, though, I headed straight to Canterlot. I barely managed to make it in time, but I did manage to see the official coronation of Rarity. She had technically been the queen for almost a year, but there had just been too much going on to have the official event. Apparently Pinkie had helped plan it.

I still don't know how Pinkie managed to beat me there. Or how she managed to get everypony there on time. She denies doing it, but I'm sure she was responsible. Sometimes I wonder if she does have some kind of magic I don't understand. The coronation was beautiful and Rarity did look like a true ruler. It was hard to believe that not even three years ago, that queen was busy trying to chase and capture me. The first time we met I actually threw her off a mountain. Now we're the best of friends.

I also got a chance to meet all the ambassadors from the other kingdoms. I was quite shocked to find out that Blueblood had managed to garner the Fire Tribe's position. I will have to remember to have a talk with Ashmane about that later. Still, he seemed very pleased to be there and he is quite fond of Rarity. I'm not sure how she feels about him, though. I guess only time will tell. There was one amusing part of the trip I just have to tell you about.

The coronation instrument of choice seemed to have been the kazoo. Apparently it came from a suggestion by Celestia. Well, at the end Rarity was just a tad annoyed by all the kazoo music. When we finally got away from the crowds, she threatened to stuff a kazoo down the throat of the next pony who played one at her. Poor Blueblood decided to test her. He really shouldn't have. I'm sure he'll be okay and he'll stop making kazoo sounds with every breath eventually.

Sweetie was mostly hidden from the public eye. She was still in the castle, but she tended to downplay what she did and had been focusing on training students over any position of real power. Luna is under even worse restrictions. She's imprisoned in the castle. I'm told her daughters and sister visit her daily. I did have the good fortune to visit her and she seemed quite happy and relaxed, for a prisoner. She said she understood the need of having herself imprisoned and she is well taken care of. She also offered me an apology for everything. She even apologized to Rainbow, though I'm not sure how well the pegasus took it. She said she was fine, but I'm doubtful. She was a tad twitchy and didn't look the once-ruler in the eyes.

I also got a chance to meet with Celestia as well. She'd opened her own tea shop in Canterlot and seemed to be doing quite well. Apparently she even has a few investors from the Earth Kingdom who she met during her travels. I sadly didn't get a chance to meet them, but I was assured they were quite generous. The tea was okay, but I really can't see the big deal. Then again, I've never really been much of a tea pony. Judging by the way other ponies were raving about it, it must have been something special.

I think the Water Nation will do well in their recovery. The damage was quite severe, but ponies are working their hardest to fix it. Rarity is doing everything she can to remove the worst of the commanders and generals from power. The heart of ice over the nation is slowly melting. It won't be easy, but I think they can do it.

After a few weeks we said goodbye to Rarity and traveled up to the Air Nomad lands. I saw Ponyville again. It was amazing how little it had changed after all this time. Well, I guess only a few years. It felt like so much longer to me, though. All that fighting, running, always moving. But the town looked almost the same. Angel wasn't too thrilled to be there, of course. Who could blame him, though? We didn't stay long, just long enough for Pinkie to throw a little party before she headed back to the school. From there it was just me, Fluttershy, Rainbow and Applejack.

Cloudsdale was our next destination and let me tell you, it was quite the visit. I got to see both Rainbow and Fluttershy in action. The former looked amazing in her Wonderbolt uniform and she even had special goggles to allow her to see when she flew. They weren't just normal goggles, either. She'd had them custom built with little lightning bolts around the edges. She said they made her look awesome. I don't know about that, but seeing her perform all her stunts and leading her own squad of Wonderbolts definitely did make her look awesome. She said she was back to how she used to be, but I know that's not true.

There were a few clouds I watched her veer away from, rather than risking a crash. Before her eyes had been damaged, she would have dove between them with ease, not even scraping a wing. I kept my mouth shut and pretended not to notice, but I still wish there was more I could have done to help her. Her air sensing is coming along nicely, however. She's even tried teaching it to a few ponies, but none have come close to the level of talent she has. I'm not surprised, Rainbow is one in a million. She even performed a sonic rainboom for us. It was amazing.

After the performance I got a chance to see Fluttershy's teachings. It was quite a bit calmer. She even had a few zebras with her, though her school was prepared on the ground. They weren't nearly as popular as the Wonderbolts were, but I saw all kinds of ponies taking interests in these non bender arts. The different potions and medicines she learned from the zebras will hopefully catch on and spread quickly. After all, there is only so much that healing magic and healing bending can do. There's always a need for new medicines and the like. It would do wonders to make more ponies accepting of the zebras integrating themselves into our society.

I also got a chance to see Scootaloo and a few of the other shadowbolts training. Hornclipper was with her as well. Their lessons were quite unique, though I do find them a bit frightening. It's one thing to talk about it, but the actual ability to take away a pony's bending, even temporarily, feels wrong. But in the end there is no telling how many lives these arts could save and I am quite happy they're spreading. I've been keeping my own reservations silent. I hope by the time you see this, my hopes for them will have been well founded. On the lighter side, Hornclipper is so obviously smitten with Scootaloo that I am amazed she has yet to have noticed. I do believe she is the only one.

Leaving Cloudsdale wasn't easy, it took me over a week before I could finally bring myself to do it. Saying goodbye to Fluttershy and Rainbow nearly broke my heart, but I knew we had to keep going. I could tell Applejack was getting a bit antsy being away from the farm for so long.

There were a few other places we visited, but the big thing happened when we arrived at Sweet Apple Acres. Flowerbloom's adopted parents, the Cherries, were visiting. Judging by the look on Applejack's face, she was just as surprised as I was. Apparently the two had taken over as ambassadors to the Earth Kingdom during this time of peace, so they could have more chances to visit.

Flowerbloom and the whole farm is thriving. Even the Flim Flam brothers were tolerable. Those two were still hanging around the farm. I really don't trust them. Still, under the watch of the Apple family I doubt they can get into too much trouble. Not to mention they were apparently under watch from the Earth Kingdom as well. Perhaps they'll get time off for good behavior. I distinctly doubt it.

I spent a few days at the farm, though sadly I wasn't able to stay for the next earth bending tournament. It wasn't for at least three more months. So from there I traveled alone to Fillydelphia for the last step in my journey. Seeing the emperor. He was as eccentric as ever and you won't believe who he chose to be the new commander of their forces. Rock Knight, or as she is better known, Maud Pie. Apparently she's a distant relative of Pinkie, though they are nothing alike.

Well, I guess you don't know who she is, so maybe you will believe it. She gets along quite well with Photo Finish, which I thought was quite amusing. I think she brings a nice sense of seriousness to the quite... spirited upper echelons of power in the Earth Kingdom. I managed to--

“Twilight?” Spike's voice shook her from her thoughts. She glanced back and gave the small dragon a little smile.

“Spike, I'm sorry. Did I wake you?” the alicorn asked before she gently put the quill in the inkwell. “I didn't mean to.”

“No, I just woke up,” he lied before looking to the book. “What's that?”

“This? It was Fluttershy's idea. Just writing some journals about our journeys.”

“Really?” the dragon let out another yawn. “Is that what all those scrolls are about?” Spike motioned a claw towards a corner of the room where dozens of small scrolls were bundled up together in a roll.

“Oh, those?” She pulled them over and neatly unbound them. “They're the... oh, right. I guess you weren't around for the negotiations.” She pulled one out and showed it to him. “They're deeds. Land deeds, to be exact.”

Spike stared at them for a few moments. “What? Why?”

Twilight smiled. “A new project I've been working on.” She motioned to a small map on the wall. “It's... not set in stone yet, but...” She slowly drew her quill from the ink well and floated it over to the map. She circled a small area where the four kingdoms touched. “I've gained permission from the heads of the four nations. Most of the land has already been bought and transferred to me, it should hopefully be ready to begin construction within two or three years. Within a decade, I expect the city will be complete.”

Spike stared for a moment. “City? What city?”

“Harmony,” Twilight said as she slowly placed the quill back in the inkwell. “A truly neutral city where ponies of all four nations can mingle. Not to mention a place for all the new creatures entering our lands can find homes without fear of quarreling with the four nations. I'm hopeful it will help stop the thoughts of 'us vs them' that the nations have gone through. Perhaps allowing them to realize we're all just ponies together, no matter where we're from.”

Spike stared for a few moments. “That... seems like it'll be a lot of work. How are you going to get all the ponies everywhere to agree with it? Won't they fight?”

“The land is mostly war torn or damaged in other ways,” Twilight said with a smile. “And no, it won't be easy. I'm sure there will be a lot of arguments before I finish. For most ponies, I don't think this would be even possible. But I'm not doing it alone, either. Octavia and Vinyl have agreed to join me, along with the settlers from Cadence. Zecora and many of the zebras will be joining as well.”

“Do you think you all can do it?”

The alicorn closed her eyes and let the smile spread even further across her face. She thought back to Discord and the small glowing fragments across the ground. About her friends who had given everything they had to help her succeed on her journey. About the past avatars who had guided her. About Starswirl, who she knew could finally rest in peace after she had fixed what had started with him. “Yes. I do. I... believe I have just the right kinds of connections.”

------

Far across the land, past where the great magical wall had temporarily stood and far past the barren, dried plains, a wide network of caves stood out against the howling winds. Low whistling tore through the caverns as the gusts from outside slowly made their way deeper inside.

Far, far below, in the deepest levels of the caves, a small hairline crack formed. It began to slowly snake out, getting wider and longer with every passing second. Then the wall collapsed, revealing the statue of an ancient centaur with tiny horns. A glow formed from the creature's chest as it too began to crack.

With an eruption of stone and light, the statue completely fell apart and a centaur stumbled out, gasping for breath. “-as an accident!” he said as he fell to his knees and shook. After a few moments his head rose and he scanned the empty caves. “Harmony?” He looked up, sniffing the air. A small grin formed on his lips. “Discord? I can't feel either of you.” He slowly got to his hooves. A low rumble started in his chest before turning into a powerful, boisterous laughter. He started walking out, clenching his hands into fists as a small orb of light formed in front of him to light his way.

Avatar: The next story information

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Okay, the story is done, that means no more need for me to worry about it! ... And then they went and released Korra. Mother bucking... So, I've gotten a few questions about it already, so I'll start there.

I don't know if I'm going to do Korra's adventures yet. I want to take it easy, relax a little. Finish my final fantasy story, write some romance, a few silly adventures, things like that. But I do have ideas in mind and people are more than able to take them and use them if they want. Probably do a better job than me anyway. So, without further ado, here are the stories I thought of for the next one.

There are four avatars: The elements were shattered and the avatar state was broken. That means the power that holds the four elements is shifting. Instead of there being one avatar, there are four, each with their own element. They must try to work together and harness their own powers. Unfortunately, bringing about the powers of the true alicorn may cost three of them their bending, can they really work together, knowing that it may cost them their powers one day?

That one is probably unlikely, since as fun as it would be, I think it would be a better what-if series than the continuation.

Nyx or Snowdrop as the avatar: This was my original idea, since I absolutely adore these characters. Simple, follows the main plotline of the series. Easy peasy. Lots of cameos from other important ponies in the fandom.

The main problem with them is I have to get permission from the fan creators and then if I do the characters wrong, well, it could end up with a lot of backlash. Especially considering the other problems it could make. I also thought the idea of a blind avatar would be, well, nice. All the cameos would really hold the story back in pace, since I'd have to get dozens of permissions, any of which could be taken back at any time if they didn't like how I portrayed their characters.

The avatar was born when Twilight 'died': See, in the series when Aang died, the avatar state was broken. That didn't happen in this series. So my thought was 'what if the next avatar was already around?' As in, born. Twilight could help train him/her, bring about a time of two avatars, they'd have to work together to repair the damage them both existing would create, how would it disturb the spirit world, etc. I even had a plan to have her meet the other avatar in book two, but I decided against it.

This is another not likely one, though I do think it would be interesting. I haven't completely ruled it out, namely since I think I could do a lot with it, as well as use it to show the birth of Harmony(the town.)

Diamond Tiara as the avatar: An avatar who believes she is the best thing ever, spoiled to a brat, yet always compared to the previous avatar who not only saved the world, but managed to tap into powers that no other pony had ever even dreamed of. She has to fix what Discord broke, or risk losing the world a second time. Also, she has to get over herself.

Yeah, this one is the most likely one. I wasn't going to tell who it was originally, but I figured I might as well. I found the idea of Diamond Tiara as an avatar and suddenly having the world thrust on her shoulders to be an interesting story. I feel I can really do a lot with her, to develop her as a character. Especially since the only real thing we know about her from the show is 'she's a brat'. But the thing about being a brat is, for most people, they grow out of it. So I want to see where she grows.

Suggested by popular demand(I've had two people request it), the Korra series using Killa97's characters. I'm honestly not sure about this since I'm not familiar with her, but I've had a few people request it already so I'll look into it. Though, it has the same problems as using Nyx/Snowdrop, namely that I would be using another ponies characters. Not to mention apparently those characters are fairly based on set parents for each char, which I'd have to modify to suit the story. But it's possible.

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Okay, now that the story ideas are done, I want to thank some people.

Duelist, for without his pushing, I never would have even written this story. Seriously, I thought the idea of me writing a story would be the stupidest thing and no one would have cared. But people did, and it led to, well, this.

Angel, for without him editing and supporting me(And trust me, I am a whiny lil sissy sometimes, so he did a lot of supporting), I would barely be into book two, let alone done. Heck, I might not have even started book two yet.

Pony Wu, because reading all those summaries of my story just felt eeeee and were great encouragements. Having someone find all those nuances and minor things I added just felt great.

To all the ponies or pony doing the tvtropes page, I still feel soooo amazing going 'I have a tvtropes page'. The fact somepony took the time and effort to do that and has been updating just feels amazing. It was an accomplishment that always gives me a warm feeling inside.

To everypony who reads, comments, shares my stories, thank you. To all those who watch me, thank you. To all of you, this is why I write. It feels so amazing to know that ponies actually LIKE my stories. I was so certain that my stories would be hated, but thanks to all of you, I've had the drive and excitement to keep pushing. Now I've written books and should have some published soon, all because you guys believe in me. Thank you so very much.

Avatar series two voting time

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Okay, it looks like the next avatar series will be coming(albeit not for a while). However, it's now time to start voting on what people want to see! Keep in mind this isn't a guaranteed thing since, frankly, I might not have a story I can mold around the selected story. But I will try and at the bare minimum I will make a what-if mini story if one of them has a preference. To vote, either add a comment or private message me. Now, without further ado, the options! All taken from the previous chapter, with their pros and cons.

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That one is probably unlikely, since as fun as it would be, I think it would be a better what-if series than the continuation.

Finally, a fan suggested one: Feel free to add your suggestions in the comments and I'll add them here. Once I've had some voting and decide, I'll post a few preview lines I plan to use for the next book. Have fun.

Avator shorty 1: Rise of the Shadowbolts

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Twilight Sparkle sighed as she looked through the wide assortment of scrolls strewn across her desk. Her inbox was almost a foot tall, but her outbox was so full she'd had to start three more. Even so, she was still drowning in so much paperwork that she could barely stand it.

Then again, starting a new city, no, a new country like this was never going to be easy. It had been hard enough convincing all of the countries to allow her their claims of land. But gaining the resources, setting up the laws and trade routes that had to be maintained was becoming a bit much even for her.

She was feeling overwhelmed and she knew she could call on her friends, but they had their own lives to live. Rarity had her own country to run. Rainbow was a Wonderbolt and had students and duties in her home country. Applejack had a farm to tend to, though she tried to come by whenever she could. Fluttershy and Pinkie were both here, but they weren't quite as skilled as she'd hoped in the matters of paperwork. The latter often had to disappear on her own adventures, too. Vinyl and Octavia helped, of course. Once she got the council worked out, she was sure most of this paperwork would disappear. But for now, it was her responsibility.

The new city of Harmony stood out as a beacon of peace and hospitality to ponies of all countries, benders and non-benders alike. More ponies (as well as zebras, negasi, minotaurs, buffalo, and quite a few other species she'd never even heard of) had been showing up every day, hoping to make a new life in what was hoped to be the newest, most peaceful of nation.

Unfortunately, they had no might to enforce such peace. Octavia and Vinyl had some forces, but there was only so much they could do with their limited numbers. Pinkie was doing an excellent job of maintaining morale and the Earth Kingdom and Air Nomads had sent a few soldiers to help aid in the protection of the city, but all of the countries were still recovering from the last hundred years of war and none of them wanted to send too many resources to help aid in the protection of the city. Too many hooves were needed at home.

Then again, she didn't want them to. Harmony was a new city, one that needed to stand on its own hooves, so to speak. It couldn't survive if it had to depend on hoof outs from the other nations and right now that's all they were getting. She needed to find a military force that suited their own. She considered calling on the Fire Tribes, but they were possibly hurting the most, even with the boosted help of the pirates who decided to stay and aid after the battle of Discord. Besides, a few benders were good, but she wasn't sure benders were what Harmony needed.

She pushed herself away from her desk and trotted to the mirror, staring into it. She was starting to feel old. It hadn't been long since the defeat of Discord, but that time had been so full of chaos and constant movement that the peace now felt... awkward. She was busy, of course, but she felt like a different pony than the one she had been before the war. She reached out a hoof and touched the mirror.

She'd had her rest; in fact she had so much she felt restless. As busy as she was, she didn't feel like she was doing enough. There weren't any more big bad guys to fight, no more monsters to defeat. No more kingdoms to free. She loved maintaining the city; there was no doubt about that. But she felt she should have been doing more. That there had to still be something she could do to help the whole world.

Her hoof reached up to her head, where her crown had once sat. Of course, the source of her doubts and worries fluttered across her mind. She was the destroyer of the Elements of Harmony. Even if it was Discord's plan, she was the one who had fallen for it. Not only that, the Alicorn amulet was still missing. The next Avatar would have nothing they could use to give them the extra power they might need in the event of a true catastrophe.

She paused and looked back towards her desk, her eyes drawn to the top right drawer. She pulled it open and an envelope slowly rose up into the air, landing on the desk. The letter was a bit dusty and covered in little marks from the hundreds of times she'd opened it. She spread it across the desk and sighed.

It was a report from the border, sent from the Fire Tribes. A pony matching Trixie's description had been seen heading north, into the Badlands. They had attempted pursuit, but in all the chaos she was lost and they didn't have the resources to find her. She longed to go after the mare. If she could find the alicorn amulet, maybe it would be useful to whoever next gained her mantle. The next Avatar. Maybe it could help make up for her mistakes.

She then looked towards the in box and sighed, folding the letter up and putting it back in her desk. Such thoughts and adventures could wait. There was still so much work to do. For now, the city needed her. Besides, it wasn't like she was the only one working on the city. Octavia, Vinyl, Zecora, Fluttershy. All had offered their help. Octavia had been a necessity in organizing the earth benders to help keep the city safe.

She lowered her head on the desk with a heavy sigh. But this was all just the beginning, the start. More ponies were arriving by the day and the city was growing rapidly. There had already been plenty of little scuffles and the fact they were doing everything they could to force the four nations to mesh and swirl together meant that fights were breaking out almost daily. She couldn't depend on the other nations to keep sending them troops, they needed their own forces and they needed it badly. She just wished more of the refuges were ponies looking to protect this new peace, rather than trying to find protection.

“AVATAR TWILIGHT!” a voice called moments before her door slammed open. She looked up, confusion on her face, as well as one of her papers.

“Ashmane? What's wrong?” she asked the red coated earth pony.

“It's the Water Nation. There's an entire fleet of ships approaching from the south. They're invading!”

Twilight's eyes widened and she wiped the paper off her face before galloping out the door, leaving her friend behind. It wasn't possible; Rarity would never approve such actions.

But then again, she'd heard of unrest in the Water Nation. Not every pony agreed with the peace and harmony between the four nations. Some still offered their loyalty to Nightmare Moon (although, ironically, the mare had offered her full loyalty to the current ruler of the nation, Rarity). If they were invading, that could only mean one of two things. Her friend had fallen, or they were trying to get a hoof hold to wage a civil war on the Water Nation.

She made it to the top of the building, staring out over her city. It wasn't much, yet, most of the buildings were made through earth bending with only a few having been crafted with actual wood. But it was a start and she'd be bucked if she'd allow it to fall now when they'd only just begun. Below she could see ponies gathering, readying themselves. The pier to the south of the city was already guarded by Vinyl's water benders, though she had no idea how effective those ponies would be.

A full fleet of air ships now flew towards them. Each bore the mark of the Water Nation. As much as she wanted to believe it was just a visit from her friend, she knew it was unlikely. Why would she possibly bring such a large force? An invasion was imminent. She took a deep breath and spread her wings as she leapt from the roof.

Almost instantly the feelings of air bending returned to her and she cut through the wind like a knife, racing towards the ships at breakneck speeds. As she came closer, her heart chilled slightly when she saw the ponies on deck.

Almost all were pegasi, wearing black and purple uniforms with skulls over their cutie marks. The Shadowbolts. No wonder; if anypony was unpleased with the new ruler, it would be them. She soared towards the nearest ship and skidded to a stop on the deck. “I demand to speak to--” The words caught in her throat as all of the Shadowbolts on the deck lowered their heads and pulled up a hoof, bowing to her. “Errr... I... demand to... speak with whoever is in charge here.” Why was the invasion fleet bowing to her? This was not in any of her books on proper battle procedures.

“Twilight!” a voice called out. She turned towards the back of the ship and her eyes widened at the sight of the little white mare that came running up the stairs to meet her.

“Sweetie? What is the meaning of this? Why are the Shadowbolts here? Why are you invading Harmony?”

The unicorn looked confused for a few seconds before her eyes widened. “No! No no no! Not at all!” She stepped forward and offered a quick bow, startling the alicorn even further. “I've come to meet with you, Avatar Twilight. The South Pole base has been decommissioned and the prisoners held there released. My sister has sent me along with the Shadowbolts to offer you aid.”

“Offer me aid?” Twilight asked, her eyes looking over the bowing pegasi. Even offering themselves in such a way, she couldn't help feeling a little intimidated. She'd faced off against them enough times to know how deadly they could be.

“Yes. I came since... well, I've heard Scootaloo is aiding in the city, correct?”

“Yes.”

“I'd love to see her again. Now, every Shadowbolt here has agreed to offer their services and give up their citizenship to the Water Nation in order to become full members of Harmony.”

Twilight's eyes widened slightly as she looked between them again. “The Shadowbolts?”

“Of course. They are anti-benders, trained in how to defeat benders of all kinds. Your nation is one set to house ponies of all nationalities. Benders of all kinds. There is bound to be fighting and arguments amongst the ponies.” Sweetie motioned over them. “They are a force that would be unique to Harmony. Any pony of any nationality could strive to join them. Even the non-fliers could learn their arts to aid.”

Twilight just stared at them. It was true; they had no bending so there would be nothing to divide them. Most were Water Nation ponies, but there could be others from other countries. Thanks to the invasion, some of them probably were from other nations. And she'd heard stories, how many of the Shadowbolts hadn't been accepted back in their home countries. In a generation from now, there was no telling how mixed they could be.

More importantly, they could be a force of Harmony's alone. Anti-benders to protect a city of all bender types. She slowly nodded. “I... I see. While I do think your approach and introduction could have done with a bit more warning,” Sweetie at least had the grace to look sheepish. “There's a lot of potential in this. There's... logic to it.” She turned towards the city. Her city. She motioned to the right. “Land outside the city, please. It will take time, but I will have housing prepared immediately before we get the paperwork started.” Internally she groaned. To think, with all these new ponies there would be more paperwork than ever.

But it wasn't so bad, now that she thought about it. The Shadowbolts were an efficient, military outfit. If they were willing to serve Harmony, they could be just what the city needed. A defensive force that was all their own. They could train other ponies, too. More ponies that could protect the city against just about any bender.

She took a slow breath as the ship began to lower. She could hardly believe it. Only a few years ago the Shadowbolts were one of their most dangerous enemies. Now they would become their most useful ally. She just hoped she could find the right ponies to lead and organize them. She glanced back to Sweetie. Perhaps her friend, Scootaloo, would be an interesting candidate.

Avatar shorty 2: Nightmare to Nightmare

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Sweetie took a slow, deep breath as she nudged her food around her plate. The small, white unicorn occasionally glancing up at her elder sister, Rarity. Neither of them were wearing anything for their breakfast, but then again that was normal. Before long, Rarity would begin to attend to her duties as current ruler of the Water Nation and Sweetie would be left to do as she wished throughout the castle. Not that there was anything she wanted to particularly do.

Occasionally she'd go into the city and walk through the streets, or talk to the ponies there. Sometimes she'd join the soldiers in their training exercises. But more and more often she was finding herself shunned by the other ponies of the kingdom. Not angrily, of course. No, whenever she went anywhere, most ponies would quickly find a reason why they needed to be somewhere, anywhere else. Many still remembered who she had once been, a cold, merciless mare who could kill or destroy a pony at the slightest provocation.

It didn't matter to most that that wasn't who she was anymore. They'd keep their whispers and gossip to themselves, hiding it as best they could. But she knew how they felt. She could feel their eyes linger on her whenever she walked anywhere, feel the tension in the air increase dramatically whenever she entered a room. The baited breaths, the trembling hooves. The parents quickly trying to hide their children.

Meals with her sister were the one place where everypony didn't freak out around her. Namely because the two were the only ponies there. They occasionally had... guests, of course. But that often made it worse. She shuddered as she thought of the time Blueblood had joined them for a meal. Watching him nervously eying her. He'd never admit it, but she knew he was scared of her. Possibly even terrified. But then, who could blame him? If not for her, he'd never have lost his horn. During the war, and even after the war, he seemed willing to forgive her, but that fear still lingered.

“Sweetie? Darling?” Rarity asked. “Is something wrong? You've hardly touched your salad.”

Sweetie blinked and looked up. “Huh? Oh, it's nothing. I'm just... thinking,” she muttered softly. A slow, treacherous thought flowed into her mind. “I... think I might go see mother today. Would you like to join me?”

The current ruler cringed. “I'll... consider it.”

That was a no. Sweetie knew it, Rarity knew it, their mother probably knew it. Her sister was still frightened of their mother, not that she could blame her. So many years they'd lived under her abuse. Even if now she was free of that corruption, it could still be felt, the scars it left going far deeper than flesh and bone. But she knew the three of them had to face it eventually, they couldn't hide forever.

“Is Blueblood's visit going to be extended, again?”

Rarity's cheeks turned a soft, rosey red. “I... am not quite sure. He's... been discussing a number of different matters with me. Trading, rehabilitation, economic repairs.”

Sweetie smiled. “He's here so often, it's almost as if he's living here now.”

Her sister's cheeks turned bright red. “I-I have no idea what you could mean. He's the representative from the Fire Tribes, it's only natural that he'd be here for extended periods.”

“Mmmmm hmmmmm,” Sweetie said with a little smile. “Funny, the Earth Kingdom and Air Nomad representatives are usually only here for a few days, but I swear it's almost like he's here for weeks at a time.” The bright red cheeks made her grin and she went in for the kill. “I heard there was a disturbance the other night as well. Somepony apparently had gotten through the guards and was... serenading under your window? I couldn't imagine who would be doing that.”

“No idea!” Rarity said with great wide eyes. “None at all! Nope! None! Probably just rumors. Why, I should really get to work. There were not, nor are there, any ponies serenading under my window.” She stood up and started to trot off, only stopping when she felt a tug on her tail.

“Rarity? Big sis?” Sweetie said softly, her voice turning serious.

“Yes, dear?”

“Don't push yourself too hard. Trust me, there are always going to be ponies who hate and despise who you are and what you do, no matter who you fraternize with. Don't let that stop you. Don't burn yourself out trying to please everypony.”

Rarity gave a little smile before she started trotting away. “I have no idea what you could mean, but I will take those words under advisement.”

Sweetie sighed and looked down at her soup as the door closed behind her. Everything felt... different now. Her sister didn't seem to notice, but everything had changed. There hadn't been any assassination attempts past the first few weeks of the reign. Ponies everywhere just seemed... happier. Not all ponies, of course. Her mother had done a great job of putting the wickedest, cruelest ponies possible in charge of the military. But they'd managed to clean it out without much issue.

She was able to take quite a bit of credit for that. When she was controlling the military, she'd already done a little cleaning beforehoof. With her sister's aid and with quick movements, cleaning it almost completely had been almost simple. It had helped that the military itself was almost shattered and the mere idea of a civil war was impossible. After all, their current ruler was now seen as a hero, one of the ponies who had helped defeat the destructive Discord. What kind of foal would dare try to oppose her? The Shadowbolts had been there as well, ready to aid them at the slightest provocation, before the majority joined Harmony.

But now, everything just seemed good. Almost too good. She kept waiting for the attacks, assassination attempts, the disgruntled ponies, but none of them came. The hundred year war was over, night and day were back in cycle. Their country had almost been destroyed, but now it was rebuilding itself. It was a time of healing, of nurturing, of becoming friends once again with the three other nations. There were a few dissenters, of course. But none of them could get any traction. Too many ponies were tired of the constant fighting. They missed the sun, the light, the warmth. Discord's tyranny was still on their minds as well, a reminder of how bad things could be.

It was a strong, healthy peace and she couldn't stand it. Ponies were happy and it glimmered like a beacon of how horrible and awful she and her mother had been. She knew it wasn't fair to blame herself. After all, Discord had been almost all powerful, nopony could have expected them to fight off his corruption.

It didn't make the things they'd done right, though. It didn't make them innocent of all the death and destruction they'd caused. Because at the end of the day, she knew it was her fault. It may not have been completely the pony she was, but that was what she had been capable of. All it took was her desire to have her sister and then she turned into a monster. There was really only one pony she knew who could understand the pain she'd felt.

She got to her hooves and trotted out of the dining hall, leaving her food behind. She wasn't feeling hungry anymore, just mopey. She walked through the halls, glancing towards the ponies who looked to her, only for them to quickly look away or find excuses to leave. It didn't take her long to find her mother's 'prison'. The same one that had once housed their father.

It was a prison in name only, now. It didn't even have any guards anymore. The door that had once stood strong had been removed. Torches lined the stairway, shining their light across the thick carpet that coated the steps. Her hooves didn't make a sound as she walked down, looking around nervously as she went. The torches seemed almost dimmer, as if some magic was pushing down on them, trying to keep the light at bay.

The room at the bottom had been completely torn apart. Now there was a large, thick bed for their mother to lay on. A desk, a bookshelf filled with literature, even some paints. The floor was carpeted as well. The room was dimly lit with a few candles.

It didn't take her long to find the mare, the once feared Nightmare Moon, now the prisoner, Luna. She looked smaller, warmer. Her coat was no longer black, instead a dark purple. Her clear mane seemed to flow around her as if it had a life of its own. She sat in the corner, her head laid down between her legs.

Sweetie sighed and pushed the door. It wasn't even locked. There was no need, their mother's own guilt kept her here. “Hello, mother,” the princess said softly as she stepped inside, closing it behind herself.

The elder mare cringed. “You... shouldn't be here,”

“Neither should you. There's no need for you to waste away down here, you're more than welcome to come and join us for breakfast.” Sweetie looked down at the pile of dirty plates in the corner. Even the staff were afraid to come down here, so they avoided it when they could. She'd seen them drawing straws once to see who had to come. “You're not Nightmare Moon anymore. We could... everypony could use seeing you.”

Luna gave a soft sigh. “It is... better that I stay here. That I avoid... them. All of them,” she muttered softly. She looked up at her daughter with sad, moist eyes. “The pain I have caused... the suffering. It cannot be forgotten.”

“No, it can't,” Sweetie said as she trotted over and sat by the mare, leaning gently against her. “But it can be forgiven. You aren't that mare anymore. I'm not who I was either. You were under his control. We both know exactly how horrible it was. What it... turned us into.”

Luna gave a soft sigh. “Yes, but I was the face of our nation, for most of my life. Like my father. I could have changed things, but instead I fell into the same monstrous pit of hatred that he did. I may have been under Discord's sway, but it was my own selfishness that led to it.”

Sweetie cringed. She couldn't really argue with those words, after all, they were the same ones she had so often used. “We were, though.” She reached out and pat her back. “That's the important distinction. We aren't, now. We can change, try to fix the destruction we caused.”

“Sweetie, don't. I am--”

“You're not too far gone!” Sweetie said, tears beginning to well up in her eyes. “Because... because if you are then, so am I,” she said weakly, leaning against her mother as her hooves reached out.

“Honey...” Luna said softly, a hoof reaching out to wrap around her.

“I just... I just don't know what I'm doing anymore,” she said weakly. “I try my hardest, but I keep getting the looks, the stares. I know they don't forgive me. I know... a lot of them still hate me. And I... I can't blame them. Half the time I hate myself.”

The elder mare rested her head on her daughter's. “You're not too far gone, child. You're still young, you have a whole life time to create your legacy.”

“But look at all the pain and misery I caused. How many ponies... lost so much to me. All the conquering. The ponies I destroyed. I tore the countries apart.”

Luna nodded. “I know. We both did. It's what we... it's what we were trained for. Practically bred for. But... it wasn't you. It was Discord's taint, his control. His wickedness that flowed through you.”

“B-but you're right. It's... not just that. I felt it. Even now I... I still feel it. Sometimes I'll get mad and I'll want to... lash out. To hurt. To dehorn somepony. To kill them. To torture them. They'll say the wrong thing and I'll just... flash out. It's like I was under his control again. I catch myself, but what if one day I don't? What if one day somepony does something and... and I hurt them? Or worse?”

Luna closed her eyes and repositioned herself so she could wrap both hooves around her child. “I know. Trust me, I know. His... taint never quite leaves. It lingers on, a deep scar in our hearts. But that's not the pony you are, child. You are a kind, sweet mare who cares about her ponies. Even when I... when I changed you, when I filled you with his essence, you were still that. A mare who cared about the ponies under her command. I saw what you were doing. Removing ponies who you didn't trust, putting an earth pony in charge. Your use of the Fire Tribes. Bringing all those ponies together and guiding them. You're not too far gone,” she whispered softly. “Your life is just beginning.”

“Mother, I just... I don't...” She looked up at the mare. “I don't think I can do this alone. I'm so scared. I want to tell Rarity, but... but she has so much to do. Aunt Celestia doesn't even... come here that much anymore. I just...”

The once ruler leaned in and kissed the mare on the forehead. “I know, my daughter. You... are right. Perhaps I... have spent too long hiding in here, away from everypony. Hoping to avoid the shame and... humiliation of my fall.” She pulled back and looked at her daughter. “I can never, ever rule again. I lost that right when I hurt and nearly destroyed the ponies under my sway. But... perhaps now I can be something I should have been long ago. A mother.”

Sweetie gave a little whimper, gazing up at the mare. “Does... does that mean...”

“I'll take your advice,” she said with a deep breath. “I... may not...be welcomed by all. But I cannot hide away forever from ponies, while my children bear the weight of my mistakes.” She then leaned in again, her head laying on the young mare's head. “It's time that I returned to you. Even if I cannot rule, perhaps I can still be a guide. For both my children.” She gave another soft, gentle kiss to the mare's forehead.

Avatar shorty 3: Spike the no longer last dragon

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Spike groaned as he slowly opened his eyes. The lava against his form was nice and toasty, keeping his scales sparkly and clean. He was one of the few dragons who still had his own lava pit, something he was quite proud of. After all, he was the oldest.

The chamber he was in was filled with dozens of little pools of lava, most housing five or six dragons. Granted, most of them slept on piles of gemstones besides the lava, rather than in them. There were dozens of the dragons now, most barely coming up to his belly. A few dozen eggs were lined up near his pit, under his watchful eye at all times. He slowly crawled out with another groan.

“Great Dragon! You've awoken!” a unicorn said as he trotted over. He was wearing the red, black and gold hoof guards, chest guards and golden tail ring of the fire benders. There were at least a dozen other unicorns in the same getup throughout the chamber.

“Mmmm? Yeah, just woke up,” Spike mumbled as he stretched. “And it's Spike. I've said it a thousand times, I'm not the Great Dragon. He's... gone.”

“Of course, Great Dragon,” the unicorn said, drawing a roll of the eyes from Spike.

“What is it?”

“We're having a bit of trouble with a few of the newborns, we were hoping you could assist?”

Spike felt a icy stab of fear go through him. “Right, where are they?”

“Please, follow me,” the stallion said as he started trotting. The only ponies who dared come down here were fire benders, most ponies wouldn't be able to survive the great heat. The outer edges of the chamber were filled with piles of gemstones, harvested from all over the Fire Tribe lands and brought here to help nurture and feed the dragons. Some of the dragons were nestled up in nests of jewels, others were eating while still others were swimming in the lava. Whenever he passed they would turn to stare at him, watching with awe. He couldn't blame them, though. He was, quite literally, the oldest dragon in the world. Most couldn't even remember the Great Dragon, aside from thinking he was something big. But Spike they saw every day and stood as a beacon to what they would one day be.

Personally, he still had no idea what he was doing. Heck, he had barely any knowledge of what dragons would do as they aged. The fire benders were struggling to find any records of the developmental stages of dragons and, so far, they had have very little luck. There were a few books, but very little that was precise and had survived the Water Nation's war.

But the baby dragons looked to him to be the wisest dragon of all, the leader of their species and the one who had all the answers. So he tried to do his best to keep calm and look as if he knew what he was doing, even if half the time he had no idea what any of this meant.

At least he had an army of fire benders at his beck and call who would, literally, walk through fire for him. They took care of most of the hard stuff.

“It's here,” the stallion muttered, pointing nervously.

He looked at the two baby dragons who were sucking on their tails. “Ummm... so?”

“They won't eat! We've been trying to get them to eat all morning, but they won't touch their gems!”

He stared at them for a few moments, before looking at him. “Wait, you're kidding, right?”

“Of course not. We've tried feeding them crushed gems, but they won't touch them. We've tried normal gems, nothing. We-- Great Dragon! What are you doing?”

Spike walked up to the small pile of gems and picked up a ruby. He breathed fire on it until it was nothing more than a melty red puddle of slag in his claw. He dipped a claw into it, before putting it to the babies lips.

“Isn't... isn't that too hot for them?”

“We're dragons. Dra-gons. Fire immune. We spit fire, it's on the inside, too,” Spike said with mild annoyance. He then sighed and looked around. “It's... not common. I guess. But yeah, we can eat gems in just about any forms. Melted, crushed, charred. Just try different things if they don't work.”

“R-right, of course. Thank you, Great Dragon!” The pony bowed politely.

Spike rolled his eyes and walked off towards the exit. He stepped out from the caverns and took a deep breath of the hot, dry air. The desert stretched out in all directions, blistering white under a sea of clear blue. The only thing within sight was the city of Manehatten. It stood out from the sand, rising up like a great black boil over the white sand.

He stared up at the great dragon statues that were in the city. The one facing them held a great, bone head that made him sigh. “I'm not the Great Dragon,” he muttered.

He was just a dragon, a child like most of them. He wasn't even at the age where he was looking at... well, okay, there might have been one particular glorious, radiant pony he was looking at. But dragons? No. He'd never seen one that even interested him. Not surprising, though. Even by pony ages he was only a child still, yet he was expected to have all the answers and know everything. It was all just guesswork though.

The fire benders were trying to help, of course. But they were just as clueless as him. None of them even knew how long until he'd start having wings. They estimated five to ten years. Fifteen at the most. He was both looking forward to and dreading it.

'I am sooooo going to be called Chickenwings,' he thought to himself.

He smiled softly as he felt the warm breeze wash over him. It was scary, terrifying even. He was the eldest of his kind. But he wasn't the last, not anymore. The Elder Dragon was gone, but they weren't alone. Besides, in a hundred years or so there'd probably be a ton of dragons. Many of the eggs were still aging and there were even a few who were talking now. Not a lot, but they were learning. Everypony now was learning. As hard as it was, as long as they all worked together, how could they fail? Before they knew it, there'd be a whole army of dragons and these wounds the Water Nation made would heal.

Perhaps in a few generations, he'd look to whoever the new Avatar was and tell them about all that had happened. Of all his adventures, his fighting. His friendships. His heartache. When things were at their worst. And how the dragons had risen again, from just a few dozen eggs.

Avatar Shorty 4: Musical Apples

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Octavia grumbled darkly as she gazed over the city. From her vantage point, she could see the water benders working with the sea. Helping the boats, gathering kelp and sea weed. Also preparing traps should they ever somehow be invaded by sea. She figured it was unlikely, they were surrounded by dirt and stone on three sides and the southern side was more a great lake that connected to the ocean through wide rivers, than a true connection to the ocean.

She glanced up as a black garbed pegasus flew by, not even looking at her. No, there were three of them. Two negasi and a pegasus. She still felt uneasy with the Shadowbolts being here, even if they were considered allies now. She'd hoped her own forces would be enough to protect the city, but they just didn't have the numbers. Now that most of the buildings they could help create were finished, she was starting to feel that her earth benders were losing their place in this city.

She could always return home, rebuild Cadence. The Emperor would probably have loved to have the city back. But it didn't feel right. It didn't feel like that was where she belonged. She felt a tremble in the ground and didn't have to glance back. “Hey, Vinyl.”

“Heyyyyy, Octyyyyyyy,” the white unicorn said as she trotted up. “Why you going all 'dark and gloomy' down at the city? Planning for your eventual life as a villain?”

The earth pony merely glanced back. “I'm considering what to do next.”

“Well, not a lot you can do, is there?” Vinyl asked as she trotted over and sat down besides her. “I mean, houses are all built. Sure, we'll need more as time goes on, but we don't need that many earth benders for it. I guess you could help with harvests and all, but again, not needing that much for it.” She gave her a cocky grin. “Besides, you never struck me as a farmer.”

Octavia sighed and nodded, glancing up. “I've been considering releasing the ponies who followed me here from my service. There's... no longer a need for them. I can still aid the avatar, but my soldiers aren't needed for it. Her Shadowbolts are more than capable, it seems.”

“Right, because having just one military group worked sooooo well in the past,” Vinyl said with a chuckle. “Come ooooon. There's no need to be mopey.”

“I am not, nor am I ever, mopey.”

“Of course you're not. And you know why? I brought a surprise for you.”

She shuddered. “Oh... joy.”

“You'll say that once you see him. He's a real hunk. Mmmmm hmmm, could probably pull this entire tower on his back alone.”

Octavia rolled her eyes and started trotting back into the building. She stopped when she saw him in the door. She hadn't even heard him. How could she NOT have heard him? Or felt him through the stone? He was huge. His massive frame blocking most of the doorway. His coat was one of the reddest she'd ever seen and his mane was a nice, light brown. She'd seen plenty of earth benders in her time, but he... he was different. His body seemed as if it had been carved from stone, no. Not stone. Stone wasn't enough to just... wow.

“Howdy,” he said with a little nod. His voice deep and powerful. It made her cheeks turn red as she stared.

“Hah, told you, total-- EEEK!” Vinyl let out a scream after Octavia flicked her leg and the ground underneath shot out, flinging the unicorn off the tower. The mare listened a few seconds for the telltale sound of crashing glass from below. “Hah! Told you!”

“Err, if your friend gonna be okay?”

“Oh, don't worry,” Octavia said, a little breathy as she stared at him. “It's hardly the first time I've tossed her off a tower after she's gotten... annoying.”

“Well, if yah say so,” the stallion said before walking over and holding out his hoof. “Name's Big Mac.”

She grinned a little and shook his hoof a tad more... vigorously than she had initially intended. “Big Mac? That name sounds...” She let out a soft gasp. “Oh! You're the brother of Lady Applejack! I've heard... very little about you.”

He chuckled. “Eeyup.”

“Whatever brings you to our city? I mean, surely... well... after all that has happened, I didn't imagine you'd be so interested in being here. The last I'd heard, Applejack had settled down and started her own metal bending school in Sweet Apple Acres.”

The stallion gave a nod and another soft chuckle. “Eeyup.”

She gulped and then looked down to his hooves. They were... huge. She was starting to have a little belief in him lifting the tower himself. “So, errr, why are you here?”

“Metal bendin',” he said with a gruff nod, staring down at her.

“I'm afraid none of us are metal benders here, we...” The words trailed off as he just kept staring at her. Realization dawned on her and she stared at him. “You're... you're here to TEACH metal bending?”

He nodded. “Eeyup.”

She turned even redder. “B-but, we don't, I've never--” She took a deep breath and then gazed up at him. She let the worry and stress wash off her, before gently smiling. “Do you believe you could teach us this art?”

He gave a nod. “Eeyup.”

She smiled and looked back over the city. A whole unit of metal benders. They might not have the allure, pull or numbers of the Shadowbolts, but she could see the potential. She then glanced to him. “I, with a great deal of thankfulness, accept your kind offer.” She bowed politely. “I will do everything in my power to learn this new art.”

He nodded once again. “Eeyup.”

She smiled none the less. Metal bending. She'd considered trying to learn it, but now... well, with a member of that family teaching, it would be within her grasp. The Shadowbolts may dominate the skies, but they could dominate the ground. With Vinyl's forces in the lake, well, how could the city ever face any true threats? She eyed the stallion as he turned away to trot off. Besides, a teacher like that... who wouldn't want to be under his guidance?

------

'I am going to die I am going to die I am going to die!' Octavia thought as she leaped back, the ground helping to shoot her back. Her coat was matted and dirty, covered in a thick layer of sweat from the strenuous exercise. She barely ducked down in time as a steel beam nearly took off her head.

Across the wide sparring grounds, Big Mac stood. Blindfolded. With bars, balls, domes, pretty much every piece of scrap metal they could find. She'd learned the basics already, thanks to his firm guidance. But she could barely bend a beam, let alone one flying at her at eighty miles an hour. Unfortunately, he had a very hooves-on approach and once she had begun bending it at all, the sparring matches had started.

“Woo, you got this Octy!” Vinyl yelled.

It didn't help that her 'friend' had insisted on making the matches spectator sports. Her cheeks burned as she tried to avoid another metal beam. The stallion didn't seem to understand the concept of going easy. Or worse, he was going easy and he was just that good. She let out an eek as a flat wall of steel suddenly came flying at her. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, stomping her hoof.

She could feel it, the metal moving through the air at her, gently skidding against the ground as it went. The little imperfections, the pieces of ore inside. She put both her hooves out, catching the metal and starting to bend into a ball. She pushed her hooves apart and the metal tore, the earth inside pulling the metal apart and making it part around her. She fell down on her stomach a moment later, her hooves aching from the blow from the metal wall, even if she had managed to push it aside. There was a crash from behind as the metal cleared.

A grin formed on her lips, none the less. She'd done it. She'd pushed the metal aside as it came at her. Again, it was only the beginning of her training. She knew that and he knew that. Still, she couldn't help but feel hope. Slowly she stood and smiled at her teacher, before bowing. “I give.”

He bowed as well, not saying a word. He then trotted off.

“Awwww, I really thought you had him that time,” Vinyl said with a chuckle as she trotted up.

She groaned and shook her head, watching him trot away. She gave a soft, wispy sigh. “Maybe someday.” She stood up and stretched. “I'd best go and check on the other students. See how quickly they are adapting to our... new studies.” Others were learning the arts as well, but she was getting the most hooves-on lessons from the stallion.

Vinyl snickered and trotted besides her. “Come on, you're awesome. You'll have this whole metal bending thing perfected before you know it.” She walked ahead of the earth pony, turning around to walk backwards in front of her. “I'm just curious what you plan to do once you have all your metal benders. Are you, err, staying? Going to keep spreading it?”

Octavia opened her mouth to respond, but then reached out, grabbing her friend by the face. The unicorn stopped in place and the earth pony lifted up her glasses. A smile spread across her face when she saw the hints of worry in her friend's eyes. She then let her go, leaving the unicorn to fall back with an eek.

“I am going nowhere,” Octavia said with a shrug. “Harmony is my home now. Once I have attained the skill level that master Big Mac wishes for me to have, he will leave and I will start my own school here, to help train any earth benders who wish to learn the art in our city.”

Vinyl coughed and looked away, adjusting her glasses. “Err, of course. Not like I, uhhh, I wasn't worried or anything. Silly. Heh. Just curious, that's all.”

Octavia nudged her hoof and the bricks under Vinyl lifted up, pushing the mare back to her hooves. “Of course, dear. You're my friend. Whatever would you do without me?” She started trotting. “Other than drive the poor Avatar and the rest of the council mad?”

Vinyl snickered and trotted behind her.

“Granted, I suppose perhaps we could try to convince Master Big Mac to stay. After all, I suppose we could... use a pony like him around here.”

She kept trotting, leaving the unicorn behind, dumbstruck.

Avatar Shorty 5: A new beginning

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Blueblood took a deep breath as his front right hoof tapped the ground. Across from him, another unicorn, one still having a horn, stood. Both were dressed in dark blue armor, the regalia of the Water Nation. His horn was long since gone and deep scars still coated the older unicorn's body, though he peered at the other unicorn with eyes filled with confidence.

The other pony made the first strike, horn lunging forward as water shot out from the jars stationed around the small arena. There was a light cheer from the sidelines as the other soldiers watched, stomping their hooves as the water surged out in a long whip at the dehorned unicorn.

Blueblood lunged forward, ducking low and under the whip as it tried to adjust for his movements. Within a moment he was on the bender. The water bender's horn glowed and more water rose up as he tried to step back, but it was already too late. His hooves shot out, three quick shots to the chest and then one, much gentler, strike to the side of the head.

The water bender toppled over with a groan, his chest plate sporting three new dents and his head spinning from the powerful ringing. The water toppled to the ground and a hushed silence fell over the crowd, followed a moment later by a new cheer. A few unicorns walked over and slowly helped the stunned bender to his hooves. “See, we warned you. He wasn't called Righteous Knight for nothing.”

Blueblood felt his cheeks burn red and he gave a little shake of his head. “Now, there's no need to bring up such old stories. That title is long buried, like the others,” he said with a light chuckle. He turned and walked off with a slight limp. His front hooves ached terribly, though he tried to ignore it.

He could barely believe it. He was getting old. A few more years and he wouldn't even be able to take on the rookies anymore. Heck, in a few years he might not even be able to dent the armor anymore. Fire bending style was fast and brutal, there was no doubt he was a master. But without the bending to go with it, there was only so much he could do with it against armored opponents who could bend as well. He wouldn't be able to take them down in one quick flurry anymore and he did not want to imagine what would happen then.

He glanced back at his flank and sighed at the bit of weight he was putting on. Maybe it was time he just tucked it in. He wasn't old, but he definitely wasn't young anymore. It didn't help that his body had been through enough during the war that even his prime had been filled with aches and pains. Sometimes he wondered if he had suffered the most during the conflicts.

Then he thought about all those ponies who'd lost their lives, their families, one in particular who had lost her bending and was fairing even worse than himself last he saw, not to mention the ones who he was directly responsible for. He found his pains were all the more tolerable with that thought. Maybe he could help and aid them a few more years. He walked through the city of Canterlot, occasionally getting glances and bows from the ponies working. He soon made his way to the docks and stared out over the ocean, letting out a soft sigh of contentment as he felt the ocean breeze sway over him.

He could barely believe he was here, in the capital of the nation he'd once seen as the greatest enemy to him and his people. He had been such a foal. Ruled by pride and hate. His hoof went up to the bump that had once been his horn and he shook his head. He had been a horrible, awful pony. But that was all in the past. Now there was peace. And in peace, new life could--

“King Blueblood!” a voice called out, making him stiffen.

“Yes?” he asked, glancing back. The pegasus wasn't even in her armor or holding any weapons. All the mare had brought of her uniform was her helmet. “Aren't you out of uniform, soldier?”

“No time! It's the queen! She's gone into labor!” the mare said, turning to point towards the castle. She barely had time to turn back as the blur of white stallion raced past, sending her spinning.

Old scars and wounds ached as Blueblood raced through the city, but he didn't care. He dove and wove around the many ponies. Fortunately, most knew better than to block his way. He practically skidded across the stones as he made it through the large gateway that kept the castle secure.

And he did go through it. Fire bender style was still in his control and he'd be bucked if he was going to be stopped by a big metal doorway, no matter how 'impenetrable' they said it was. He raced through the castle, looking around frantically before he finally made it to the royal chambers. “Am I too late?” he asked, his eyes wide with fear.

The two mares on guard shared a look, before turning to him. “Err, sire, it's only been about twenty minutes. She'll be in labor a good while longer. Hours even.”

The adrenaline pumping through his body slowly began to die and his cheeks turned red. Pains slowly began to reawaken, making him groan. “Oh... I thought... errr...”

“First time being a father?”

He gave a sheepish nod.

The guard nodded and walked forward, patting him on the back. “Good luck. She probably won't kill you.” The second guard then pushed the door open, revealing the chamber.

He took a deep breath and stepped inside, the aches and pains through his body slowly fading away once again as he looked over the room. Yes, he had suffered during the war, but he would never argue that he hadn't received so much more. Far more than he ever deserved. He smiled at his beautiful wife, now the ruler of the Water Nation and one of the strongest mares he'd ever met. She laid on her back, the covers over her as healing unicorns stood by. He moved forward and gave her sweaty face a soft nuzzle, closing his eyes. “I love you...”

“I'm going to kill you for this,” she said with a groan.

“I probably deserve it.”

------

Blueblood sighed contently as he laid in the bed besides his wife, one hoof wrapped around her shoulder. His other hoof was splayed over her, wrapped protectively around a little bundle the exhausted mare held tightly in her hooves. Even asleep, the ruler refused to let the bundle go.

The stallion glanced down and smiled at the little blue unicorn. So tiny, weak and precious. One day the little foal would grow up to rule the nation. A pony of both the Water Nation and the Fire Tribes. A pony that would hopefully be able to keep the gap that had built between the two countries over the last hundred years from returning. He didn't imagine it would be easy. After all, there were many ponies who found the union between him and Rarity to be an abomination, something that needed to be destroyed. Sweetie had even kept an eye out for assassination attempts, though as far as he knew there had been none yet.

But now it didn't matter. It didn't matter that almost a decade ago the two of them would have been mortal enemies. That there had been a war, that Discord had come. It didn't matter that he had been a wicked, evil pony who only cared about himself. It didn't even matter that that pink terror that Rarity called a friend had kicked him... in many places that were unpleasant.

All that matter was that, here and now, the two of them were together. That they had a beautiful baby foal and they would do everything to make sure that peace lasted for the next hundred years. Hopefully, forever.

Avatar shorty 6: From day to night

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Twilight sighed as she looked at the great arid plains. The Badlands, a place of mystery that very few ponies dared to traverse. Aside from those who had been born here. Many tribes of ponies, supposedly. But there were so many others, all those different types of creatures had come from here. Born and raised in this strange land and separate from the four nations.

She stepped forward and felt a shudder run through her as she moved from the Fire Tribe lands into the Badlands. Physically there was almost no difference. Both were dry and inhospitable to a pony that didn't know how to survive them. In fact, the only reason she could tell where one ended and the other began was because of the few small fragments that remained of the once great wall Discord had made. Most of it had disappeared with him, though some had not.

She shook her head and pushed the thoughts aside. There was nothing here, it was just a land like any other. But she couldn't shake that chill, that little bit of worry that flowed through her. She was only a few feet in and she was already glancing back. Maybe this was a bad idea. She'd heard stories, about how the weather was strange, with monsters and wild plants that tried to eat you. Maybe she should go home. Return to Harmony and spend the rest of her days maintaining and guiding the city.

She shook her head and turned back ahead. There was no point. The city was fine. It had metal benders, water benders and then the Shadowbolts. A council made up of some of the smartest ponies she knew, as well as non-ponies. Rainbow was a Wonderbolt with a family, Fluttershy ran an orphanage, Pinkie brought happiness to all over the countries (and had a family of such size that Twilight wondered if she was running an orphanage as well), Applejack and her family were spreading the skill of metal bending as quickly as they could, Rarity had begun the next stages of raising her family and was running a peaceful, happy nation and Spike was bringing the dragons back from the brink.

Harmony had been difficult, but with so many ponies coming together, it had worked. It had succeeded. She'd thought it would take decades to get in order, but it hadn't. It had taken... time. Lots of time. But not as long as she'd thought it would. It hadn't even taken her most of her life. Now though... now she was starting to feel useless again. A part of her felt like she didn't belong anymore, like she was a relic of a hundred years ago. She'd helped to fix the world, but now that she'd done that, it was time she disappeared. The next Avatar would grow up in this world, be a part of it from the get-go.

It wouldn't be an easy world, either. So many of her tools that had made the journey possible were now gone. There were no more Elements of Harmony, no Alicorn Amulet, just her bending. The world was recovering from the war, but the pieces were in place to have it recover. Now there was only one last thing for her to do. She put a hoof to her head and rubbed where the Element had once lay. It would be a brand new world for the next Avatar. All the tools that had been lost and destroyed in her wake were her responsibility. She didn't know if it was likely, or even if it was possible, but perhaps there would be a way to restore the Elements. If there was, she knew the Alicorn Amulet would be the key. Maybe somehow she could find it.

She took another step into the Badlands and let out a soft sigh. She could do this. She would do this. She was the Avatar, well over a hundred years old and one of the most powerful benders in existence. Even if her friends weren't with her physically, they were with her in spirit. Besides, she'd had dozens of reports of the Badlands from Harmony's many guests. She'd seen maps and other things. She doubted there could be another pony that could traverse it half as well as she could.

Even if the weather did have an odd habit of changing rapidly. She frowned as it began to rain on her, then let out an annoyed sigh as it turned to snow. She was beginning to understand why it was that ponies didn't like coming to such a strange place. She looked back towards the wall, or rather the remains. To her amazement, she couldn't see it anymore. Had she gone so far already? Or were these strange lands just that... strange?

She shook her head and turned back. She had a mission to do, a duty. She broke the Elements, the least she could do was give the tools to the next generation to face whatever showed its face.

The hail turned back to steamy sun soon enough and the arid land became dry once again. She could feel it in the air, though. A tingling. A strangeness that seemed to flow all around her, from every side and push down on her. It took her a while to realize what it was.

She felt like she was back in the spirit realm. A small orb of fire formed on the tip of her horn and she let out a sigh of relief. No, she was still there, still held her bending. But the world still felt ill at ease. A tingling in the air, much like what had flowed through the spirit world. Everything just felt... off.

It all looked normal enough, though. There was a path to follow, though it was narrow it had obviously been well traveled. Deep hoof prints were embedded within. She even passed a small group of four ponies, two unicorns, an earth pony and a pegasus, though they only gave her a cursory glance. There were no monsters, no spirits, no great behemoths of destruction. Even the weather never got worse than a stinging hail. All in all, it was an almost pleasant trip. The feeling of unease began to waiver as well. Things just felt... different here. Not the same as in other places, but different. Less filled with life. She considered jumping into the spirit world, taking a peep around but decided against it. Trixie had so many years ahead of her that she couldn't waste any time.

Trixie. She let out another soft sigh. To think that she would be pursuing the very mare that had haunted her for so long. That pawn of Discord that was used again and again to nearly kill them. She wondered if the mare was suffering, if she was frightened, scared and alone.

She couldn't help but feel a small flicker of pity for the mare. What had it been like, growing up under the rule of Nightmare Moon? She knew not everypony in the Water Nation was evil, in fact there were many good ones. If things had been different, what would Trixie have become? A friend? An ally? Perhaps even one of the Elements? Would she have still been one of Discord's pawns? Would she have helped oppose him? What if Trixie had been born a fire bender instead of a water bender? What if she had been in the place of Blueblood? Would they have still fought? Would the fire benders have been more open? Less open? Would she have died then? Would her friends?

She'd seen so many ponies, their actions and decisions tainted by that foul corruption. By the Water Nation. By Discord. It would have been so easy to just hate Trixie. To despise that mare for all she'd cost them. It would have been the easiest thing in the world and a part of her wanted to do just that.

But she couldn't. Not now. Not ever again. She thought about those times she'd let anger and hate take over. When she'd abandoned her kindness. Pushed away her loyalty. Refused to laugh. Showed no generosity. Lied to herself. The things she'd done. The things she'd almost done. If it hadn't been for her friends, would she and Trixie have really been so different? When the time came, would she have chosen to just destroy, to just end everything? To let the pain and suffering overwhelm her and wipe out the Water Nation until nothing but a few pebbles remained? To destroy all those who opposed her?

She knew when the time came, she might have to kill Trixie. It would hardly be the first time she'd had to do it. But she didn't want to. She hoped there was still some part of that mare, some part that was still good, some part that could grow and be saved. Because the stars knew that Twilight, of all ponies, had been saved more times than she could count.

Avatar shorty 7: Shattered Rainbow

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A small blue pegasus with a dark blue mane galloped up the stairs towards the top of the tower. His wings burned from the long flight to the city and he'd had to gallop to the building. His heart raced and his Wonderbolt uniform was soaked almost completely through with sweat, but he didn't care. He shoved open the door, making it clang against the door. “Mom!” he yelled, galloping inside.

There was only one pony in the room, a small yellow pegasus with a long faded pink mane. She smiled up at him. The smile was filled with sadness. “I'm... I'm sorry. She's already gone.”

“Where is...” His words died down as he looked around the room. It was completely trashed. Every picture, ever shelf, the desk, even the bed was missing one of its posts. The wood was cracked in a dozen places and even the blankets had been torn apart. “She's... alive? Fluttershy? Where'd Mom go?”

“Of course,” the mare said before giving a soft sigh. “She's... hurting now. More than... Prism, come here,” she said softly.

The Wonderbolt came forward and sat by the mare. He looked over and cringed. Up close it was easy to see how worn and beaten the mare appeared. She looked like a mare twenty, or even thirty years her senior, with deep, smiling wrinkles across her face. Her coat was fading to gray and her wings were limp. “Where'd she go?”

“I don't know,” Fluttershy said softly as a wing wrapped around the stallion. “She's not... she's suffered. Probably more than any of us have ever suffered. Given up more than...” She took a deep breath. “She didn't know she'd lose...”

“Dad, I know,” Prism said softly, tears wetting his eyes. “I should have... I should have been there.”

“If you had, she'd just be hurting more now,” Fluttershy said with a shake of her head. “She's lost her sight, her husband, her...” The mare shuddered. “She's lost more than any of us.”

“Is... is she coming back?” he asked gently.

“I don't know,” the pegasus said with a shrug, before coughing into her hoof. “I don't know if she can come back from this. A part of her has... a part of her is gone. A deep, bright part of her that... that can't be replaced. No matter how hard she wants it to be or... or how badly she...” A light tear formed in the pegasus' eyes. “I'm sorry I couldn't... stop her. I couldn't help her. I tried, I tried so hard. I told her it would be okay. That the pain would pass, but she wouldn't... she couldn't listen.”

“I should have been there,” Prism said with a soft sob, before hugging the pegasus. Her wings wrapped around her. “I should have... I wanted to be. I-I'm a Wonderbolt too. If I'd just... If I'd...”

“You couldn't be there. None of you could. You're still just beginning, they would have never let you... fight her,” Fluttershy said softly.

“I don't care! It doesn't matter,” he screamed, sobbing into her chest as he tried to hold back his tears. “If I had been there... if... if I could have stopped her... Mom wouldn't have been hurt. Dad wouldn't have been caught in that blast. The others wouldn't have died. I could have... I could have stopped this.”

Fluttershy gently put her head over his and shook her head. “I'm sorry, Prism. But there was nothing you could do. This isn't your fault, none of this is. It is a horrible, horrible thing that happened. But you can't stop it and you can't blame yourself. It's out of your hooves.”

“B-but why... I'm a... I'm a Wonderbolt. I'm supposed to be one of the greatest... greatest fliers ever. One of the best. But I can't... I can't even fix this... I can't stop...”

“Rainbow couldn't stop this. Nopony could have. That... mare is done, now. She'll never hurt anypony again.”

“SHE SHOULD BE DEAD!”

The wings tightened around her. “Perhaps. But that's not your decision. Prism, it's okay that you're sad. That you're upset. That you're hurting. Just let it out. Let the grief flow out,” she said softly.

He sobbed into her chest, the tears flowing faster as he finally gave up trying to stem the flow. “I just... I want to... I want to stop them. I want to... I never wanted any of this to happen. Why did it have to happen?”

“Bad things happen all the time,” Fluttershy whispered. “There are bad ponies all the time. We try to stop them, but sometimes other ponies get hurt in the process. We get hurt. But that doesn't mean we give up. You're hurting now, and that's okay. Everypony hurts. But you can't let this destroy you. Can't let this break you. Because there are still ponies that need you. That need the Wonderbolts. That need ponies that can save them. And I know you won't let them down.”

He kept sobbing into her chest, crying until every drop fell away. His nose ran and his throat hurt, but he felt better. Just a little bit. He slowly pulled back and rubbed his nose. “I-I'm sorry,” he said as he looked at her snot covered coat. “I-I didn't...”

“I'm not,” Fluttershy said gently as she patted his head. “You're hurt, that's okay. Never let anypony say that it's wrong.”

He nodded and closed his eyes, trembling against her. “Did she... say where she was going? Did she let you... let you know? Do you know where...” The words stuck in his throat.

“No, I'm sorry,” Fluttershy whispered. “Even in my prime I could have never hoped to keep up with Rainbow. Now, I don't think anypony could.” She rested her head against his. “She needs her space, she needs time. A time to grieve, to hurt, to fall apart and pick herself back up. I don't know how long it'll take. A few days, a month, even years. She might... she might even never recover.”

There was another soft sob from the pegasus. “If... if I'd been there. If we'd... if...”

“There was nothing you could do,” Fluttershy said again. “This was... this was something only Rainbow could do. She knew that. She just... never knew what it would cost her.” She gave a soft sigh and pulled back. “I know you... I know you're hurting and that's okay. Hurt as long as you like, as long as you need. You've lost a lot too. Just remember, don't let this destroy you. There's so much more ahead of you, a whole life. A destiny. You'll one day be a great Wonderbolt and then you'll save countless lives and make the world a better place. Just like your mother does.”

He whimpered and gave a soft nod. “I... I guess. I just... I...” Prism wiped his eyes and stared at her. “Can... can I... Can I stay w-with you for a little bit? I just I... Blaze and Ironwing don't really...”

Her wings wrapped back again him and she cradled him to her chest. “Of course. Take as long as you need. The pain will never truly go away, but it will fade.”

He nodded, laying his head against her chest and closed his eyes. Despite the damage to her body, she was soft, warm and smelled of soft lavender. It allowed him to relax as more moisture spilled from his eyes. He didn't know how long he sat there grieving, but the yellow mare never let him go or complained, comforting him as his heart shattered.

Avatar shortie 8: From Nightmares to Dreams

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Luna gently sipped her tea, her eyes closed. It didn't matter, though. She could still sense her sister across the table from her. She found it a little funny, now that she thought about it. Her sister's white coat, like their mother's, as opposed to the dark coat of their father. Growing up she'd always felt her coat was better, since it was the coat of the ruler. Now, she wondered if it was a sign that her sister was just that much more pure than her. If Discord's taint had found her, would she have been able to--

“I would have fallen just as you did,” Celestia said firmly.

The dark unicorn cringed, opening her eyes. “Is... it so readily apparent?”

“Yes,” Celestia said with a smile before taking a sip of her own tea. “The guilt and shame flows off you like a waterfall, dear sister. You've done some horrible things, but that doesn't mean you need punish yourself forever. If I had been in your place, I would have been much the same.”

“But... how can you know? Maybe he wouldn't have found the darkness in--”

Celestia burst into laughter. “Did you forget what that monster did to me? What he turned me into?”

Luna blushed and lowered her gaze. “N-no, but... I mean... he was stronger then... perhaps if just the essence...”

“There has always been darkness in my heart. A place of weakness, cracks. I would have fallen just as you had. Perhaps it would have been my fear or laziness. Maybe I would have abandoned my ponies or torn them apart. For you it was your desire to finally outshine me. For Rarity it was her desire to have her family. For Sweetie, her want of her sister's approval. Would you say your daughters were evil? Cruel? That they were capable of great deeds of destruction on their own?”

Luna slowly shook her head.

“You're correct,” Celestia said before taking another sip of her tea. “I spent years with both of them. They are kind, generous young ladies with hearts like their mother. But in even the most golden of hearts, shadows still remain. Discord had thousands of years to develop his craft. There was no way we could have opposed it in but one lifetime.”

The once ruler gave a nod. “You're... right. Of course. But I still can't shake the... the thoughts that... that there was something I could have done.”

“There always is,” Celestia said with a shrug. “But the time has passed. Rarity has fixed what you and I broke. And don't fool yourself; I was just as much to blame as you were. Had I not run, not hid myself away like a coward, perhaps I could have stopped you. Instead I fled and tried to avoid my little sister, so sure that there was nothing I could do to fix this and threw it all at the hooves of the Avatar.”

Luna stared into her tea, the dark liquid swirling thanks to her magic. “You blame yourself too much. Had we... fought, I would have killed you. I was--”

“You were eventually stronger than I,” Celestia said with a nod. “But there was a time. When you first rose to power, when father died.” She sipped her tea and placed it down. “I had... my chance. Vinyl asked me then. Begged me to step in and stop you. To defeat you. I could have. Together, you would have had no chance. There may have been a civil war, but the ponies would have followed me.” She stirred her tea with her magic. “I could have ended the war in a moment. I could have saved so many lives.”

“Why didn't you?” Luna asked softly.

The white mare smiled. “I told you, I was a coward. My sister needed me. My country needed me. But all I could do was run and hide, hoping that somepony else could save me from making the decision. Taking Rarity was just another excuse. I was 'protecting' her, while all I was doing was using her as a shield to allow me to hide.”

Luna chuckled. “I do appreciate it. Protecting my daughter. Sometimes... sometimes I wonder how things would have happened if... if they had been different. If you'd been the...”

“Been Nightmare Moon?” Celestia asked softly.

“Yes.”

“They would not. I may have been even worse than you. Even before I had Discord's power I was a... wonderful tactician. I see that in Sweetie, often. In fact... despite what you may think, you have raised her well. I can see some of both of us in her at times.”

Luna let out a snicker. “I never taught her tactics, though. I had the generals for that.”

Celestia shook her head. “No. Not just that.” A hoof reached out and was gently placed on hers. “She... knows ponies. The way you once did. Rarity has the same skill, I don't deny. But Sweetie can see through a pony, see what they can do and what they will do. She also has the talent to know how to put them to use.” She shivered. “I shudder to imagine what the world would have been like in her sway. In just the short time that you released her, look at how much she accomplished.”

Luna nodded. “Indeed. Trixie may have softened up the air nomads, but Sweetie created an army that... none could oppose. Were she to... were she to have become Nightmare Moon...”

“She may have been the most deadly Nightmare Moon of all time. Or perhaps she would have brought peace, in her own way. I did see her lack of... water bender superiority that many of our predecessors held.”

Luna nodded. “My daughters were both... I wish I could have given them the lives they deserved. The mother they deserved.” She lowered her eyes and for the first time in a while her age shown through. Both mares had aged, their coats fading to almost grays, bones weakening and even their matching clear manes turning light grays.

“Is that why you want to do this?” Celestia asked in a hushed tone. “It... won't make up for what we did.”

“I know. But... I don't feel that there is anything left here for me.” She reached out and put a hoof to hers. “This is a new world. Their world. Rarity has her own family, a strong, noble one. Three beautiful children that will grow up to be like their mother, kind and generous. There's no more place for me here. Perhaps... by doing this, I can do more to help than ever before.”

Celestia eyed her for a few moments before giving a nod. Her hoof pushed back against Luna's. “Very well. Then, dear sister, my answer is yes. You have told Rarity and Sweetie?”

The younger mare gave a soft chuckle and nod. “Yes. They were sad, but they understand. I think Sweetie expected it. They... just want a chance to say good bye.”

Celestia nodded before getting to her hooves.

“Sister?”

The elder walked around the table and wrapped her hooves around the mare. “Then yes, my little darling sister. We will go off into this new world, together. Perhaps in the realm of Spirits, you and I can help to fix the mistakes that we have caused.”

Luna blinked a few times, but soon the tears welled up in her eyes and she reached out, hugging the mare back. “I love you, Tia.”

“And I love you, little Lulu.”

Avatar shortie 9: Goodbye

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The skies above were dark and gray, though no water fell from them. An aura of sadness hung in the air as dozens of ponies stood around a great, stone statue of a pegasus mare surrounded by foals and little animals.

So many ponies coming to Ponyville would normally be a time of celebration and excitement, but nopony could bring themselves to squeal with delight or party as they silently watched the casket slowly being lowered into the ground before the statue. Once there had been a different statue of the same mare, but this time there would be no awakening from it.

Ponies from all over the countries had come to share their grief. Some for the loss of the yellow pegasus, others for the loss of those who had never truly been given a chance to have a funeral of their own. The war had taken much from the ponies and now the ripples it had caused had finally claimed the life of one of their kindest.

Even the Water Nation had sent a small procession, Rarity standing alone small group of water benders. Though there were still some bad feelings between the nations, none could think of violence on a day like today. Not on her day.

The silence turned deafening as a pink mare slowly trotted through the crowd. Despite the fact she was quite a few years older than most of the ponies here, she barely had any wrinkles or marks on her skin to show her age. Only the slightest dimming of her mane stood as a testament to how old she was finally becoming. She stood in front of the crowd and sat down.

She let out a deep breath. “Friends, we all have gathered here today for one simple reason. The passing of Fluttershy. I... I know this is a hard time for most of you. No, for all of you. You've all been touched by her in one way or another. I'm sure there's one thing you're all asking. 'Why?' She wasn't old enough for this. She should have had years left. She didn't deserve it.” She took a deep breath. “Well, knock it off. This was Fluttershy!” She thrust a hoof over the hole in the ground, tears welling up in her eyes. “She... she was the greatest of all of us. She never wanted to fight, she was terrified of it. But when she had to, she made sure to charge in with the rest of us. More than anything though, she was willing to give of herself. When the Avatar nearly... when Twilight died. She could have let her. She could have stood by and watched her friend leave. There was nothing we could do. There was...” Her body trembled. “If... if things had happened the way they were supposed to, she'd still be with us. But they didn't. Discord didn't let them. Twilight would have been gone and the world would have been lost. But she didn't let it. She stood up! She knew it would cost her her bending. She knew it would cost her part of her very life! But she didn't care. She gave everything she had to... to save her. To save all of us.” She looked towards the hole and trembled a little more.

“Fluttershy was an amazing pony. She never cared who you were, where you came from. She only cared if you were her friend and if you could be. I'm pretty sure if there had been any good in Discord, she could have even turned him to good. In fact, I know she could have. Would have without a second guess. She was probably the most frightened of all of us.” She stomped a hoof again. “But that made what she did all the more important. All the greater. She was terrified, but she never let it stop her. Never let it scare her. Even when she thought she'd lose everything, she never stopped. Never gave up.” She took a deep breath. “Now... now there are some more ponies who... have some things. Mayor Mare?”

A very old, gray maned pony slowly stood up and walked towards the front of the crowd. Her steps were slow and gradual, but she refused any help until she made it to the front, sitting down. Unlike Pinkie, her voice was small and weak and a small amplification cone had to be hovered in front of her.

“Now... I know most of you ponies don't know me,” she mumbled softly. “Ponyville has never really been a large settlement, or popular. But we were fortunate enough to be the birth place of three of this generation's greatest heroes and the rebirthing place of the Avatar. When I... when I heard that Fluttershy had passed, I must admit I couldn't believe it. But it brings me great comfort to know she passed peacefully, surrounded by the ponies she knew and loved. I remember when she was just a young filly, so tiny and gentle. Couldn't hurt a... hurt a fly.” She took a slow, deep breath. “I... never thought then I would grow to outlive her. And I never would have guessed she would be one of the mare's to change this world for the better. I am not surprised to know that it was her kindness that served as a guiding light to ponies.”

She took a deep breath. “She, Pinkie and Rainbow were inseparable. Even though the latter could not be with us today, I'm sure wherever she is, her heart is sent along with her friend.” She paused. “I once... thought when I retired, she would be the one to take my place. I know she would have been an amazing mayor. She would have ruled with kindness and grace, a sort most of us could only imagine.” She took a deep breath and wiped a few tears from her eyes. “And I know if she were here now, exactly what she would say. 'Oh, all of you ponies need to stop mourning me and get inside where it's warm! Oh bother, you'll catch your death of chill'.” There was a light, halfhearted chuckle from the ponies. “We've all heard the stories of her adventures, all of their adventures. In the end, Fluttershy was a hero to us all; her kindness will shine as a beacon for generations to come.” She took one last deep breath and looked over.

“Now, I think I've talked long enough. Please, take a moment and listen to Fluffle's, Fluttershy's final caretaker.”

The gray mare stepped down slowly from the stage as a green unicorn with a light yellow mane stood up and walked past her. He turned to face the crowd and took a deep breath. “Now... I doubt most of you know me, that's probably not surprising. I was one of the many, many ponies she aided after she finished helping to... well, save the world. One of the fortunate few able to aid her when her time came.” He gave a small smile, though tears lingered in his eyes. “I... wish I had a good story about how we met. About how we were instantly friends. But the truth of the matter, the first time I met her, heck, the first week I knew her, were spent with me trying to kill her. I was only a foal at the time, so I had no actual capability to do it. But as a water bender, I believed it was my duty, that it was something I needed to do.” He took a deep breath, the words seeming to turn heavy as he struggled to keep them up.

“I... I was an orphan, one of many from the war. One of... thousands. Maybe even millions. I couldn't really wrap my head around the whole war, but I knew we lost and I blamed the other countries and the Avatar for the lost of my home and my parents.” He took a deep breath.. “Other... ponies had given up on me. I was always fighting and lashing out. My magic made it all the more difficult. Finally I ended up on Fluttershy's door, amongst with so many others. She... she told me exactly who she was.” The tears welled up in his eyes and he had to blink them away, shaking his head. It took a few seconds to calm himself. “She even apologized to me. Told me... told me how sorry she was for what she did. She acted as if the lost of my family and home was her fault, personally. Even when I hurt her, when I cut her, lashed out, struck her. Did everything I could to make her bleed, if not physically, then emotionally, she never struck back. Stars know she had every right to.”

“I heard what others said. How she should just send me to the Water Nation. But she refused. She knew I'd just be sent along again and again, going from home to home. Even though I hated her, she still loved me and wanted to give me... give me back a part of what I lost. A home. Even when I ran away, when I tried to cause problems. Even when I tried to hurt others. She was always there to be by me, guiding me back, showing me... showing me where I belonged.” The tears flowed without stopping now. “My story is just one of the hundreds, maybe thousands of lives she changed. She threw her whole into what she cared about, even when it hurt her. Even when it destroyed her. And what she cared about was us. She wanted to make sure every single pony, even ponies who viewed her as an enemy, had a home. Not just a place to live, but a real home.”

He took a deep breath, his hoof grinding into the stage. “And... and it wasn't just us foals, either. She didn't care who you were. Water Nation, Earth Kingdom. Pony, minotaur. Foal or even adult. She would find a home for you. She'd believe in you when nopony else would. She would find someplace where you belonged. I spent the majority of my life beside her and I can't tell you how many ponies I've seen given a second chance that they never would have had if not for her. Or how many she gave a third, fourth, even fifth to when they didn't deserve it. Because at the end of the day, that's who she was. She never cared about who or what you were. She just cared that you were crying, or hurt, or needed kindness.” He had to stop and cover his face for a moment, sitting down.

“I once... I once asked her if she was afraid,” he practically whispered the words, his voice cracking with each one. “When she... when she helped the ponies who were once her enemy. I thought she'd say no, that she knew they'd be good.” He shook his head and moved his hoof. “She told me that half the time she was terrified. She didn't know if they'd try to hurt her or those she cared about. She didn't know if she could help them. But then she told me that, no matter what happened, she had to try. That it didn't matter how kind you were, if you didn't have the courage to act on it. So in the end... she... she had to at least try.” He took a deep breath and his eyes moved over to a small group in the crowd. Tear filled eyes matched his.

“Fluttershy... Fluttershy is gone now. And the world will be a worse place for it. But I and the others she left behind will do everything we can to continue her legacy. To live the way she would. She had only one lifetime to try and make this world a better place. I and the many others who felt her hoof will hopefully spread her legacy out for many more years to come. To... spread her kindness throughout the whole world. So... don't...” He took a deep breath and lowered his head. “Be sad. Please, be sad. Cry. Let it all out. Mourn her for the angel she was. But don't let it stop you from trying to be like her. None of us will ever be like Fluttershy. But that doesn't matter. As long as we all work together, then... I firmly believe we can create the kind of world she would have loved.”

He kept his head lowered as he trotted off the stage, making it back to his seat where he was promptly grabbed in a tight hug by a pegasus.

Pinkie stepped back onto the stage, wiping a few more tears from her eyes. “So... that about wraps things up. Everypony, let the uhhh... mingling begin. And if you want to say a few last words before Fluttershy is put to rest, well... she's here and in life I never knew her to turn an empty ear to anypony. Just make sure to--” She was cut off as a massive gust of air blew through the procession. Some ponies were nearly knocked over, but the wind died a moment later. The crowds looked around, but the source was nowhere to be seen. “Well, that was fun. Just make sure to remember her. In the end, we all adored her so much and... I know she's still here with us in spirit. Good bye.”