> Pipers Tale
>  by Saro0fdemonz
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> The Truth
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	The pegasus gulped as he stared up at the black pillars, the figures merely silhouettes against the vast white void.
"You have given much in your short time amongst the ponies of Equestria. But you have caused much strife as well."
"Though you have been honest with your friends and attempted to right your many wrongs."
"And at the risk of losing everything, even your entire existence itself, you still fought on."
"Though you heart was once black and vile, it now holds light and promise."
"For this, a chance to truly prove yourself shall be given."

"A final test, to prove your Loyalty." each pony spoke in turn. Piper sat up, wincing in pain.
"I'll do what I have to. You probably already know that." he chuckled slightly. A window opened before them, the pillars vanishing.
"I am sorry Piper. But from this point on, you are on your own. I will be here when you sleep, but I cannot join you beyond this point."
"Where am I going?"

"Back to aid my daughters. They still need help. While peace has been restored, there is still much left to be done. Canterlot still needs to be constructed, peace needs to be made with the dragon clans and Gryphon tribes."

"But...i'm just one pony...what am I suppose to do?"
"One pony can make the difference Piper. Besides, who better to help than Loyalty itself?" she asked of him, resting a hoof on the element wrapped around his neck. He smiled a little and nodded.

"Alright, i'll do whatever I can to help." He slid off her back and made his way to the opening.
"One moment Piper, you'll need this." he turned, finding a hoofblade hovering in the air as well as wingblades and armor. As they touched his body they magically bound themselves to him, his Element shining against the armor he wore.

"Be careful my dear pony and take good care of my daughters." He nodded.
"I will." he leapt through the window, which quickly closed behind him.
"Do you think it fair that we have given him this fate?" she asked the air, receiving no answer. She sighed and vanished.





"Wow...Thats...intense." Penny said, her friends nodding. Piper chuckled a little, placing a hoof against the mentioned blade.
"A large part of me wishes she never gave me this stupid thing. But without it i'd be dead and so would Tia..."
"You keep calling her that. Just HOW close are you two?" Strawberry asked, jabbing a hoof into his side.
"We're only friends Berry. She wanted more and...it was hard to tell her no. But I had to." Amethyst snorted.

"How'd you manage that O great and wise Piper?" he asked.
"Easy, I just had to stay loyal to a pony who was waiting for me." he said with a smile, making Strawberry blush as he rested a wing over her shoulder. Sweetie Belle came back into the room with some snacks and drinks, taking a seat and smiling at all of them.

"Please continue Piper." she said as she lifted a drink in her magic, taking a light sip. He nodded after chugging down his own drink. They could tell he wasn't enjoying this.
"Maybe we should call it a night..." Nova suggested.
"Yes...Surely the princess' are wondering why we haven't returned."Emerald said softly. Amethyst put a claw against his stomach and belched, a letter unfurling in front of him.

Dearest Emerald and Nova, we understand you wish to keep your friend company as he has only just returned. Do not worry about the matters you have to tend to in Canterlot. We shall handle them for you while you enjoy your stay in ponyville. - Sincerely, Twilight Sparkle and Luna

PS: Try not to tell too many embarrassing stories about one another, like last week wh...

Amethyst was cut off by Emerald snatching up the paper, her face burning red.
"Um, so lets just forget about that!" she said, crumpling the paper. Amethyst grinned a little though, having already read it.
"So how was the garden?" he asked, still grinning. The green kirin blushed harder, lowering her head.
"um..i..it was great!"
"Maybe we should go back to the story." Nova suggested quickly, bringing a laugh from everypony. Piper leaned back on the couch as he continued.





Piper found himself in an empty field, or what he thought to be empty. A pegasus spotted him and quickly zipped away.
"Oh great..." he sighed and chased after the pegasus, wishing he didn't have armor slowing him down. The pony looked over their shoulder, eyes wide as they spotted him chasing them down. No doubt the pony was a scout. He wasn't sure if he needed to be worried about who the pegasus planned to report to. Though a smile spread across his face as he spotted Celestia's banner flying high above a camp in the distance.

"WAIT! I'm a friend!" he called out to the pegasus.
"Well I know that! I'm just shocked to see you here! The princess' said ya helped them ages ago." the pegasus slowed a little, the two gliding calmly along a few thermals.

"So you're really the famous Loyalty?" the pegasus pony asked.
"Famous? I wouldn't say famous. But yea, I'm that Loyalty. I'm actually here to help again. I heard something is going on with the Gryphons." the pegasus mare nodded.

"They intend to start a war for these lands you snatched from Discord and his minions. They claim they have full rights to it and lost it to him. The Princess' are trying to make peace with them, but they are only giving us an all or nothing deal." Piper flicked his wings, letting the blades shine in the sunlight.
"Maybe you just need a better negotiator."





A group of ponies burst in through the front door. The first of which searched frantically for Piper, latching onto him as her eyes locked onto him. She held him close, still panting heavily from the flight. 
"P...Piper...please be real...please...tell me this isn't a dream..." she said as she clung to him.
"mom...I can't...breath..." she chuckled and loosened her grip, though only slightly as she looked into his eyes, brushing a hoof over a scar on his face.

"Oh Piper...my poor little Piper...guess your not so little anymore..."
"What happened to your show?" he asked. She shook her head.
"Post-poned due to the weather." she smiled as she held him. Strawberry cleared her throat, Scootaloo realizing she had pulled the two away from one another.

"Sorry..." she sat down, wiping away a tear. Sweetie Belle smiled as the others made their way in, Pinkie Pie wearing a massive grin, Applejack and Rainbow Dash carrying boxes on their backs. Rarity and Spike came in together as well, though Rarity was dressed from head to hoof in winter attire, with sparkling gems along the hem, while Spike wore only a scarf she had made for him. He smiled as he sat, thanking Sweetie Belle when she offered him a bowl of gemstones. Once everypony had a mug of hot cider the room fell silent.

"We had heard you were back but we weren't quite sure what to think Dear. Its been so long..." Rarity said, holding back a sob in her throat. Spike wrapped an arm around her and nodded.
"Things just haven't been the same without you." He finished for the unicorn.

"Its so good to see you again..." she managed to squeak out, spike wiping away a tear before it could ruin her eye-shadow. Fluttershy nodded as she entered with Big Macintosh. The stallion stepped lightly, a yellow bundle resting on his back. It took Piper a moment to realize the bundle was a sleeping pegasus pony.
"So, who else was born while I was away?" he asked softly, so as not to wake anypony.

Fluttershy gave no answer and nuzzled the sleeping form, the pony yawning as it sat up. Though it was a colt the pony looked every bit like his mother, though he had his fathers eyes and mane. Piper smiled, watching as the pony quickly fell asleep once more. 

"The guest room is still made up if you want to put him to bed." Sweetie Belle said softly, Big Macintosh nodded and walked past them to the guest room. Fluttershy took a seat with her friends, yawning a little.
"Fluttershy dear, please tell me you've been getting some rest. You look absolutely exhausted." Rarity said, noticing the bags under her friends eyes.

"Well, I've been sleeping alright I suppose, though he keeps having the strangest nightmares."
"Well you really must get more sleep dear. Perhaps we should schedule a day at the spa?"
"Oh...that would be wonderful" Fluttershy smiled.
"Hey, thats great and all but Piper has a story to finish!" Strawberry fumed, muttering under her breath, making Pinkie Pie giggle.

"She's so cute when she's angry." the party pony snapped a picture of the zebra, Piper's wing still wrapped around her.
"Awww! Just look at them Braesy, before you know it we'll have little grandfoals!" Pinkie clapped her hooves, making the ponies blush. Braeburn chuckled a little, keeping his gaze on Piper.
"Just so ya know. Ah don't care what ya've done, ya'll best take care of my girl." Braeburn said, though his tone was kind, his eyes showed the intention of his words. Piper stared back with a grin.

"I'd give my wings for her." he said simply, making the zebra break out into tears as she hugged him. Braeburn nodded.
"Good, thats what ah like t' hear. Though lets not start givin up anythin. How about ya'll go back t' yer story?" Big Macintosh entered the room, taking a seat near Fluttershy, smiling as she rested her head against him.
"Ya'll get some rest Flutter, we'll take care o' Sunshine." she smiled, closing her eyes and quickly dozing off.
"Now ya'll can git back t' yer story. T' be honest ah don't want Shy t' hear any o' this." Piper nodded in understanding.
"To be honest...I'd rather nopony knew about it at all. But I can't just leave you guys without an explanation." he took a deep breath.





Piper walked into the camp, the Princess smiling as she spotted him.
"You came back!? Are the others with you?" Celestia asked. He shook his head sadly.
"No...I'm the only one. Its a long story..."
"The others...they aren't...d..de..." Luna couldn't bring herself to finish the sentence. Piper shook his head realizing what they must have thought.

"No, they aren't dead. Thanks to everything that happened we were able to defeat Discord in our time. Though I paid a heavy price..." he lowered his head.
"Do you want to talk about it?"
"Its complicated to explain. All that I can really say is your mother is involved. All I know is that you need my help. There is a lot to be done, the treaties with the Gryphons and the Dragons. And most importantly, Canterlot."
"Canterlot?" he nodded.

"It is a grand city with a palace standing tall at its center. You two are the ones meant to create it."
"Thats right, you did mention something about that when you first arrived. You called yourselves 'Knights of Canterlot' didn't you?" Luna asked. Piper smiled and gave a small nod.
"Yes, it was your future selves that gave us the title. Well your future selves that I know. According to The Doctor anything could change the path this time will lead to. There are infinite whatevers." this made both alicorns laugh. Though a messenger entering the camp removed the smiles from their faces. The pony carried a letter that held the seal of the Gryphon King Monoclos.
"Princess, the king seeks audience with you." He said, letting her hold up the letter in her magic. 
"What do you think of this?" she asked Piper, holding the letter in the air for him.

Dearest Princess, I understand we perhaps got off on the wrong claw, or hoof rather. I hope that you understand that we Gryphons had claims to these lands long before your birth and were forced out by that monster Discord. While we respect you for removing him from our lands these are still our lands and we wish to return to them. We shall discuss this within my camp in two days time, you may bring a small escort if you please, but no more than ten soldiers.

Piper didn't even bother to read the rest. He scoffed and shook his head.
"Its a trap. It has to be. I don't know much about the Gryphons, but this seems too carefully planned out. On top of that he is inviting you to the camp so that you can return the land to them. Most likely they will ambush you and subdue your soldiers then hold you hostage so that Luna will be forced to hoof over the land."
"I was afraid of that. But we cannot refuse this oppurtunity." Celestia sighed. Piper stretched his wings a little.
"He said you could bring ten soldiers. So who are your top nine fighters?" Luna smirked as she caught on to the pegasi's plan.

"Perhaps we can turn the trap back on him!" She exclaimed, quickly running off to fetch who she believed to be their best. Piper walked along the line of ponies, finding not only ponies but wolves and a manticore.
"Hm...Two wolves, one manticore, two pegasi, two unicorns, two earth ponies. Step forward." they did as told, holding their heads up high.
"We've got two days to turn you into soldiers, lets get to work."





"Are you kiddin me? Ya'll were really gonna go into that camp with jus' ten soldiers?" Applejack asked
"We didn't have a choice. If we tried anymore it could've broken into war."
"But...there was a war between the Princess' and the Gryphons." Nova pointed out.
"Yea...but we didn't know about that..." Piper said softly, his head down.

"Oh Piper...I...i'm sorry." Nova apologized.
"No. Its alright." he calmed himself and continued, smiling slightly as Strawberry nuzzled his neck.
"We spent the next two days training as hard as we could. It took a while but I finally broke the manticore down as well as the others. They were ready to quit, but I needed them. I couldn't protect Tia on my own."





Piper panted heavily, watching the Manticore fall to the ground.
"Enough...I can't..." its rough voice shaking as it huffed down gulps of air.
"Come on! Get up! Do you think they will go easy on you?! Do you think they will spare you!?" Piper yelled.
"STOP IT!" A pegasus yelled, rushing to the manticore. Piper took a few calming breathes and nodded.

"Alright then, take a break. But remember what I said. The Gryphons are rutheless. They won't go easy and they won't show mercy. They like to kill their enemies slowly or to do it instantly without warning." As Piper turned his back the Manticore leapt for him. His ear flicked as he heard the creature roar and he spun, ducking under its claw as it swiped at him and drove his practice wing blade into the creatures gut, knocking the wind out of it. The beast collapsed, clutching its side and gasping for air.

"Anypony else want to try something stupid like that?" Piper asked them. They all shook their heads. it was quite a sight, seeing such a small pegasus take down such a large manticore in one fell swoop. The full gravity of the situation now dawned on them.

"We've got less than half a day left and we aren't ready. Maybe Luna was wrong about all of you." He sat down, watching the pegasus attempt to help the Manticore again.
"She wasn't wrong about us." A pegasus stepped forward, gripping a blade in his mouth. He grinned around it and Piper couldn't help but smile. The pony before him was the spitting image of chrome mist, though he was quite younger.
"You must be Chrome mist, or his son."
"I'm both actually."

"This should be interesting then." Piper pulled out his hoofblade, flaring his wings as the pegasus rushed him, their blades bouncing off one another again and again. Piper ducked under a swipe and spun, bucking the pegasus into the air and quickly taking off after him, laughing as the pony spun in the air, throwing out his wings and quickly regaining himself, knocking away Pipers swipe.

"You have his skill, but I take it you can't use a hoofblade yet."
"maybe not, but I don't need one t..." Piper slammed a hoof into the ponies jaw, making him drop his blade. He quickly placed the hoofblade against his throat, making the pegasus gulp.
"Now, without a hoofblade, how would you get out of this?" Piper asked. The pegasus had lost his confidence after the blow and loss of his weapon.

"Think, there is always a way out." Piper said. The pegasus smiled and closed his wings, falling backwards into a dive. As he rolled he quickly opened his wings and pulled himself up, snatching his blade off the ground as he passed by it. Piper smiled and gave a small nod.
"Good, looks like we've got one soldier. Now, lets try to get the other eight." Chrome saluted and together they returned to the others. It would be hard work, but they would be ready.





"Dontcha' think ya might've been a little hard on that poor Manticore?" Honeycrisp asked.
"The Gryphons are cruel Honeycrisp...they took my friend and..." tears welled up in his eyes as a sob unexpectedly split his words. Strawberry pulled him into a hug, everypony in the room sat there heartbroken as they watched the pegasus cry his heart out into the zebra's coat. Eventually his cries broke into quite sobs, dragging on into an uncomfortable silence.

"Perhaps we should call it a night. The storm is suppose to grow quite a bit, if need be I can teleport everyone home."
"No need fer that Emy, ya'll can rest in the barn fer tonight." Applejack said with a smile. The kirin nodded with a smile, only half noticing as Big Macintosh gently shook Fluttershy awake, the two leaving for a moment to fetch their sleeping son. 
"Thanks Applejack" she said. Strawberry clung to Piper, pouting a little. Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo smiled.

"You two can take Pipers room." Scootaloo said.
"Just try to keep it down in there." Sweetie Belle teased, making them both blush. Before Piper could even act embarrassed he was being dragged by his wing to his room. The others giggling as Emerald teleported them to the barn. Scootaloo smiled a little, wrapping a wing around Sweetie Belle.

"Ya know Belle...we've been through a lot together...I gotta say, I never thought our lives would end up like this."
"Me either." Scootaloo kissed her cheek.
"But i'm glad they did." Sweetie Belle grinned and nuzzled her marefriend.
"How about you get some rest in a real bed tonight. Not those painful cots you keep with you when you travel."
"I wasn't actually thinking about the bed. Not too much anyway." She smirked and nipped at her ear.





Piper gasped as he was flung onto his bed, the zebra leaping into the bed with him, pinning him by his wings and blushing as she stood over him.
"uh...Berry..."
"shhhh, I don't care what your gonna say. I don't care if you are gonna argue. I waited five years for this and i'm not waiting any longer." They lay there in silence for a moment, neither really looking at the other as they blushed.
"Piper...did you...do anything with the Princess?" she asked quietly.

"No." he said without hesitating. She sighed in relief and kissed him, jumping a little in surprise when she felt something against her. She turned her head and blushed, grinning like a foal who just got the biggest present on Hearths Warming Day. She giggled, turning her gaze back to the flustered pegasus beneath her, rubbing a hoof against his chest slowly.
"I love you..." she said softly. He smiled and rolled, easily pinning her to the bed.
"I love you too."





Piper didn't get much sleep that night. He often tried to avoid sleep altogether if he could. Even now as he lay there in the darkness with Strawberry clinging to him in her sleep he could hear it. The sounds of war, of blades cutting into Gryphon flesh, cries of agony and death filled his mind. He could see it all as if it were happening right then. Every single life he had taken, every single life he had failed to save. He closed his eyes for a moment, seeing her face. She was just an innocent pegasus, a kid really. And the Gryphons had taken her from him. He looked down at Strawberry as she nuzzled his chest.

"I can't fail again...I can't..."





As the suns light made its way into his room Piper awoke. Though he had tried to fight it he had still fallen asleep and had to face his nightmares. The pain weighed heavily on his heart, though as he opened his eyes that pain vanished. His eyes met those of the mare of his dreams, a smile on her face as she nuzzled his neck.
"Did you sleep well?" he asked, she blushed and gave a cute nod, her mane bobbing up and down a little.
"What about you?" she asked worriedly.

"I slept fine." he lied. She pouted, jabbing his side with her hoof.
"Piper..." she said sternly, to let him know she wasn't playing around. He sighed and closed his eyes for a moment. Letting that face reach him again.

"I failed a friend Berry...in the worst of ways...I promised to protect her...and instead I got her killed...tortured to death by the Gryphons as an example...and I couldn't do a bucking thing to save her..." tears welled up in his eyes, drenching his cheeks and pillow. Strawberry ignored the jealousy welling up inside of her and held him close.

"She must have been really important to you..." Strawberry bit her lip as the words left her mouth. Here she was being jealous when he needed her. He chuckled through his tears.
"It wasn't like that...She was scared Berry...scared of the war. It took everything from her. Her family, her friends, her life. She needed someone, anyone, to watch over her. At the most I was a big brother for her...and I failed her..."

"Piper...I know you. You did everything you could for her." he shook his head. The zebra sighed and sat up in the bed, placing her forehooves underneath him and in one quick movement flipped him out of the bed and onto the floor. The pegasus reacted faster than she thought he would, easily landing on his hooves. She pouted a little, drawing a small grin from him. She sighed and walked up beside him, nudging him out of the room.

"Come on, i'm gonna make you breakfast and you're gonna relax if I have to make you relax." The pegasus had no time to argue as he was pushed into a chair, the mare tossing on an apron and quickly grabbing things to make pancakes. Piper sighed, watching the way she moved. The zebra must have known he was watching her because she began to sway her hips, lifting her tail slightly, a small smile on her face as she continued. Scootaloo cleared her throat, making them both jump in surprise.

"Didn't Belle tell you two to keep it down last night?" She teased. They both tried to argue that they had been as quiet as they could be, the older pegasus laughing a little.
"I'm just teasing you two." she sighed happily.

"Its so good to have you back Piper..." he smiled, his troubled memories fading as he sat there with two of the most important mares of his life. Scootaloo took a seat across the table from him, grinning as she caught him staring at Strawberry.

"Hey squirt, keep those eyes up or she might get mad at ya." the pegasus blushed and chuckled a little, bringing a smile to his mothers face. She had truly missed this, though something in the pit of her stomach continued to tell her it was all too good to be true.

"Piper, i'm sorry but I really have to know...your back for good right? Everything is gonna be ok now?" she asked. He lowered his head.
"I'm back for good...but..."
"But?!" Strawberry and Scootaloo said together. He sighed and looked at them both.
"You guys need to know the truth...of why i'm really here..." He took a deep breath and stopped himself as the yawning form of Melody made its way into the kitchen. She smiled at everypony and took a seat, taking a deep whiff of the air.

"MMMM, Pancakes!" She smiled as Strawberry sat a plate down in front of her, happily munching on a pancake. Piper felt his words freeze in his throat. He couldn't bring himself to say anything, not in front of Melody, not while she was so happy. He silently stood, shaking his head as Strawberry offered him a plate.

Just the sight of his happy little sister had taken away any appetite he might have had. Piper took a deep breath and made his way outside. Melody watched in confusion as she swallowed her pancake.
"Is big bwother ok momma?" she asked. Scootaloo bit her lip.
"h...He's fine kiddo, finish up your pancakes k?" She nodded, Scootaloo chasing after her son. Strawberry kept her smile so as not to worry Melody, though on the inside she was a nervous wreck.





Piper sat outside, holding his head in his hooves, shaking with silent sobs. Scootaloo slowly approached him.
"Piper?" she spoke softly. The pegasus jumping slightly, relaxing as he recognized the voice. He had spent too long fighting. The comfort her voice held was dangerous. She placed her hoof against his shoulder gently, wrapping her wing around him.

"Piper...I know it must have been hard for you...but please...I need to know whats going on." He nodded.
"War is coming...thats why they finally let me come back here...so I can fight in the coming war with the Gryphons...they are afraid of me...I was a monster on the battlefield...just seeing me on the front lines...hopefully it will be enough to make them resign the peace treaty with Tia..."

"So...your only here...for the war?" Scootaloo asked. He lowered his head, his muzzle nearly touching the ground.
"I'm so tired...Tired of fighting...tired of killing...tired of lying and telling myself things will be better..." he spoke softly, so softly that it took Scootaloo a moment to realize he was crying, letting out all of his pent up agony as the snow drifted down ontop of them.

"Lets go back inside..." she said softly, curling her wing around him tightly and guiding him back inside. Moments later Emerald and the others appeared, their warm smiles fading as they spotted Piper with his head down.
"We need to talk..." he said quietly. 
"I'll take Melody upstairs..." Scootaloo said, kissing his forehead before leaving with the filly.

"Piper...you alright?" Amethyst asked.
"No...listen...the real reason i'm here...why i was able to finally come back...is because a war is coming..." Strawberry gasped, dropping the tray of freshly made cookies she was holding.
"P...Please tell me its not true...please..." she said with tears in her eyes.

"Its the only reason they let me come back to this time. Depending on how things turn out...I might have to leave forever...but its a very slim chance. After all I have done, Harmony has told me she will do whatever it takes to ensure I stay with all of you, especially you Berry." The zebra clung to him, blushing as he placed a kiss on her cheek.
"Piper, I think you should finish your story...so we know what we are dealing with here." The pegasus nodded and continued his tale.
"I trained them as best I could and we set out the next day, dressed from head to hoof in the best armor a princess could afford. Our weapons were of the highest quality, forged from diamonds and steel."





Pipers eyes scanned the ranks of Gryphons as they entered the camp. Celestia surrounded by him and the others as they made their way to the king. He wore a small smile on his face.
"I am glad you decided to come Celestia. I had feared you would refuse."
"I only wish for peace great king Monoclos. There has been enough bloodshed upon these lands."

"Indeed there has. If you wish for peace then kindly hand over the land and remove yourselves from it." He said, Piper noticed the Gryphon ranks had shifted a bit closer to them. He nodded to the others who lowered themselves slightly, ready to protect the princess if need be. Piper spread his wings wide and stood by her side, letting the sunlight reflect off the blades in his wings.

"I cannot merely hoof over the land which we fought so hard for. While this land was once yours, you gave up all claims to it when you abandoned it. While we fought against all odds for the peace we now have. The land is rightfully ours but I am willing to share it. There is no need for either of us to go without." Celestia said, holding her head up high. Again the ranks shifted closer, the sounds of weapons leaving sheathes putting everyone on edge.
"Great King Monoclos, I highly suggest you agree with the princess. We would not want to turn this land into a battlefield." Piper spoke up. The king looked at him for a moment and burst into laughter.

"This matter does not concern you child! You are but a soldier. Hold your tongue." Monoclos growled at Piper. Celestia glared at him, quickly calming herself lest he notice her rage.
"This pegasus is no mere soldier. He is the embodiment of Loyalty and a hero of the war against Discord. He may appear to be a child but he is far from it." The Gryphons eyes were wide as he looked between Piper and Celestia.
"Surely you jest Princess. Unless he is ageless as you are."
"I make no jokes Great king."

"Well, this is interesting. Perhaps your sister will take action now that I have not only you, but Loyalty itself." 
"PLAN B!" Piper yelled as the Gryphons leapt for them. The ten soldiers surrounded Celestia, unicorns tossing up barriers around them to hold them back. Piper placed a wingblade against the kings throat.

"STAND DOWN OR I TAKE HIS HEAD!" Piper called out to the Gryphons. The king laughed, grabbing hold of Pipers throat and flinging him away. Piper hit the ground and rolled, gasping for breath as he pushed to his hooves.
"Get the Princess to safety!" Piper yelled to the unicorns, they nodded, teleporting themselves and Celestia away, the barrier falling and leaving the remaining seven to fight their way out of the camp.





"They jus' abandoned you?!" Hayseed screamed in shock. Piper shook his head.
"No, that was Plan B. The Unicorns magic wasn't that strong and Celestia was still figuring out how to properly use the business end of her horn. We couldn't let her be captured. So if things got bad they would combine their magic to teleport the three of them away while the rest of us fought our way to freedom."
"Thats crazy..." Amethyst said. Piper only smiled as he continued the story.





The gryphons stumbled backwards at the roar of the manticore, the equally menacing growls of the wolves making them question their decision to fight. Their hesitation left an opening for the group.
"Go now!" Piper yelled. The wolves leapt at the nearest Gryphons, fangs tearing into throats. All Piper could hear was gurgling as they drowned in their own blood, his wingblades unsheathing as he took to the air, several gryphons chasing after him. 

He rolled in the air, slicing through them with the wingblades. He felt a sickening satisfaction as his blades cut into their bodies and sliced clean through their wings, the two creatures plummeting to their deaths. Down below the others cut a path to freedom, Piper keeping the skies clear, Gryphon after Gryphon falling to his hoof and wingblades. It was all too easy for him to end their lives. He was becoming a monster.





"No! You aren't a monster Piper! You aren't a monster..." Strawberry said, holding him tightly. The pegasus gently wrapped a wing around her.
"I am a monster Berry..." he said softly.
"I killed those Gryphons without a second thought or a hint of regret and I killed even more on the battlefield...and if I had the chance i'd kill them all again..." he chuckled and shook his head.

"Kinda funny that i'm getting that chance being here..." Amethyst placed a claw on his shoulder, Piper rising his head in time for Amethysts fist to smash across his face. The pegasus shook himself, having no time to react to the second punch or the third. Though he was ready for the next one, catching it with his hoof. His face was bruised from where his friend had struck him though he ignored it.

"See? Monster. Any normal pony would've crumpled from a punch like that."
"Piper, call yourself a monster again and I'll tear out your wings. Doing what has to be done doesn't make you a monster. I know that! You know I'm telling the truth!" The kirin yelled at him. Piper saw it then, the hurt in his friends eyes. The memory flooded back to him of Amethysts Spell. All he could hear at the time was his own screams, though now as he looked back on it he saw tears. Tears that weren't his. They were Amethysts tears...
"Amethyst..."  No...this is who I am. I have to be cold, I have to be this monster to protect everyone. I can't let myself be blinded again 

"I'm Sorry. But I am a monster. Its like Chrome Mist Said ' We all have our roles to fulfill.' Well this is my role Amethyst. I'm a Gryphon Killer and a War Hero. Its just who I am and its who we are going to need if we want to survive this war." Sweetie Belle paused as she reached the bottom of the stairs.
"w..war? Piper what war?" she asked. He sighed and explained it over again. His real reason for coming back and what was coming. Sweetie Belle turned to Amethyst, the Kirin understanding instantly and sending a letter to the Princess'. The group found themselves inside of the Throne Room, the rest of their friends looking around confused. Though they all realized what had happened when they spotted Celestia, her horn still glowing dimly from summoning them to her.
"Piper...my friend...I believe you have something to tell us all."
> The War
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

It didn't take long for them to reach the camp. The Gryphons were still trying to regroup, having lost a large number of their ranks to the small onslaught brought on by the pegasus and his troops. Piper stumbled a little as he entered the camp, Celestia glaring at him. He offered only a soft smile to the angered Alicorn, limping toward a nearby tent, his soldiers close behind him.

"Wait." she said softly. Piper stopped and nodded to the others, telling them to continue on without him.

"Why?" Celestia asked him once the others were gone.

"I made a promise to protect you no matter what. To keep you safe. None of that has changed." he said to her. She shook her head.

"Why would you put yourself in danger like that?"

"Well, it was our only choice. That or let him get his claws on you. So yea, that was our only choice." she smiled a little at him and shook her head again.

"Try to be more careful...please."

"I will, I promise."





The Princess smiled faintly.

"I remember that...it was a foolish promise to make..." she said quietly.

"I still kept it didn't I?"

"Just barely if I remember correctly."

"Not to interrupt the touching moment, but how is this important to whats coming? I thought we had settled all disputes with the Gryphons long ago." Twilight said.

"Sadly that is not true. There has always been a sort of...falling out...between the Gryphons and I ever since the death of their first great king."

"Tia, that wasn't your fault, they can't hold you responsible for it!" Piper argued.

"At the time my dear friend, you were a soldier under my command and I was responsible for the actions of all under my command."

"I left on my own remember? I couldn't let them have her...not after I promised..."

"I'm sorry Piper..." she said quietly.

"Ok...I'm just confused now. Piper, Celestia, would you care to explain all of this?" Twilight asked them.

"It wasn't long after we returned that war was declared by king Monoclos. He claimed we had attacked first and in a way we had. Again it was my fault, my actions toward the king spurred on the war. All of this is my fault..." He held up a hoof to stop Celestia from arguing as he continued.





"WAR?! We can't go to war! not again..." Luna said, hanging her head.

"I'm sorry sister...but it appears there cannot be peace without more bloodshed." Celestia said, hugging her younger sister. Piper stood with his soldiers, bandaged and staring at a map. Piper smiled to himself as he remembered the formations Nova and Emerald had come up with when they were first battling Discord. 

Those would work perfectly here. But he would need time to train the soldiers, time he didn't have. He would have to stall for time.

"Chrome Mist. think you can train them?" Piper asked.

"Uh...Yes Sir! But you're more fit for it than me Sir." The pegasus answered.

"No, its gotta be you. I'm gonna buy us some time."

"How do you plan on doing that?" the manticore asked, the young pegasus from before changing some of his bandages. Piper smiled a little and stood

"I've got a plan." he said as he turned to walk away.

"Wait, where are you going?" Celestia asked him.

"We are gonna need more than just the ten of us Princess. We've got two unicorns who are only strong enough to cast a simple barrier, and the rest of us are injured. We can't fight off an entire army and we're gonna need every soldier we can get. But we don't have time to train them. The Gryphons could be on us any minute now and we'd be helpless to stop them."

"Then we'll just move somewhere else, retreat to safety." Luna suggested.

"We can't do that, just like when we couldn't back down from Discord. If we give King Monoclos even an inch he'll see that he can just take what he wants and he won't let up on us until he has every last inch of land in Equestria." Piper said. Celestia only nodded.

"You're right. But what are we to do?" she asked of him.

"We'll start by training as many as we can, in the meanwhile I'll go buy us some time."

"With that plan of yours right? what is it exactly?" one of the wolves asked.

"I haven't figured that out yet. I'll improvise." he said with a grin, zipping out of the tent and leaving them all shocked.





Luna chuckled a little.

"I remember that. A'ios mentioned that we were doomed at that point," everypony just stared at her for a moment.

"Oh he was the Manticore." Luna explained after seeing the confused looks on everyponies face.

"I must admit I was a bit worried then. I trusted your abilities and still do, but knowing my best weapon..." Celestia bit her tongue as Piper flinched.

"My best hope..." she corrected, though the damage had been done.

"Didn't know what our next move would be...it was unnerving."

"I still pulled through though." he sighed, stretching his wings a little, Strawberry pouted a little and nudged his side.

"Hey, no bein a big grumpy-pants." she scolded, waiting until he smiled to hug him. He sat up a bit and continued his story.





Piper took to the air, his armor still sitting in Celestia's tent. He wouldn't need it, or at least he hoped he wouldn't. He let himself drift for a moment, smiling at the clouds that passed by him. For a moment all was calm. No fighting, no blood and death. The wind in his mane, flaming arrows zipping toward him.

"wait, arrows?" He gasped and rolled in the air as the arrows zipped past him, just barely missing him. He looked down to see several Gryphon archers taking aim once more. 

Piper dived toward them, roaring as he snapped his wings wide, the blades in his feathers spreading out and slicing through the neck of one of the archers. He pulled out of the dive, rolling back in the air, looping over and over again as the arrows whizzed by. He grinned to himself, feeling the pressure build around his body. With one last powerful flap of his wings he burst through the cone around him, mere inches from the ground, sending the Gryphons flying as cascading shades of orange spread out in all directions, the boom reaching his ears moments later as he continued onward, slicing through Gryphons at super sonic speeds





"S...so thats what that was..." Luna said softly.

"Yea, I figured throwing a legend in their face would be enough to buy us the time we needed." everypony just stared at him.

"Well it worked."





Piper gritted his teeth against the wind as he rode the sonic-boom, flying circles around the Gryphon army, keeping it effectively distracted. But he would have to pull free of the sonic speeds soon or risk doing some serious damage to himself. The pegasus slowed and landed, skidding across the damp grass and spinning, flaring his wings out as the gryphons surrounded him. He chuckled a little to himself. 

At least they were distracted. Hopefully Chrome Mist would have time to train enough Soldiers to hold them back. He had underestimated them though and quickly found more and more piling around him. The sound of chuckling made him turn to see King Monoclos marching towards him slowly, dressed from beak to claw in battle armor.

"I should thank you Loyalty. You've saved me the trouble of hunting you down. Now, be a good pegasus and bow." He demanded, glaring at the young pegasus. Piper chuckled and stood tall, ignoring the spear tips against his throat.

"Never. You may be a king, but you are not Equestria's King. You don't control the sun and moon, you didn't defend this land from Discord and you won't get me to bow down to you!" he spat, wincing as the spears dug a bit deeper into his skin, droplets of blood making their way down his body to the dirt below.

"You're as stubborn as the rest of your pathetic race. One way or another, you will bow!" He roared in his anger. Piper refused to flinch, he wouldn't give and no matter what, he wouldn't bow.





Piper winced as Strawberry's hoof collided with the back of his head.

"OW! What was that for?!"

"For being an idiot! Those meanie Gryphons coulda killed you!"

"It was that or be his lackey. I'd rather die then betray Tia."

"While I am happy to hear you say that Piper..." Celestia began, her words freezing as he glanced at her. She sighed.

"You've sacrificed so much on a simple promise..."

"Its more than just a promise." he said matter-of-factly.





"What keeps you going Loyalty, why do you fight for her? Why do you keep my land from me?!"

"Its not yours. Maybe it was yours at one point, but when you abandoned it like the coward you are, when YOU gave up on it, it was no longer yours. These ponies, the Princess', they stood tall and they fought back. You're nothing but a coward, hiding behind your troops. You want me to bow? Make me!" Piper spat. The gryphon king chuckled, waving the soldiers away.

"Very well Loyalty. If that is what it will take." He hunched his back, his massive wings opening to reveal his impressive wingspan. His muscled body stood tall over Piper. The young pegasus had to stop himself from gulping in regret as he stared at the Gryphon King. He reached for his hoofblade, quickly realizing it was with his armor and cursing under his breath, the wingblades would have to do. He didn't have time to continue his inner argument as Monoclos leapt for him, swiping with his massive claws. 

Piper leapt above the Gryphon, throwing his hooves around his throat and slamming his head into his. The king tried his best to throw him off but Piper dug his legs into his side, clinging to him for dear life and smacking his hoof into his head, slipping and jamming his hoof into the kings eye, an ear peircing shriek escaping the injured Gryphon.

"ENOUGH!" he screamed, reaching back with a claw and trying to pry Piper off of his back. Piper shifted to the side, sliding off the kings back and rolling underneath him, his hoof finding a something sharp as he hit the ground. He quickly grabbed it, roaring as he threw his hoof forward to strike Monoclos, the king looking down in time for the jagged stone in Pipers hoof to slam deep into his eye. The king stumbled backwards, clutching his face and trying to pull the rock out of his eye. Piper leapt to his hooves, flaring his wings as the kings guard advanced.

"NO! THIS IS MY FIGHT!" The king roared as he finally pulled the rock out of his eye. He had a demented smile plastered across his blood soaked face.

"Its been ages since I've been marked. At least you can have that honor before you die Loyalty."

"Not today Monoclos!" a voice rang out. Piper spun and grinned, standing high above him on a hill with Celestia's army stood none other than Chrome Mist, wearing his armor proudly as he lead the charge into battle. Though Piper's moment was ruined by Monoclos tackling him to the ground.




Piper stopped as Strawberry began to shake, her ears twitching and her tail swishing about quickly, a quick glance over at Pinkie Pie revealed she was doing much the same, both stared into the air with wide eyes.

"GET DOWN!" they yelled together moments before the world came crashing down around them.
> The Curse
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

A massive object of multi-colored blocks sat in front them, having crashed through the cieling of Canterlot Castle and landing just inches away from crushing everypony gathered in Celestia's throne room. Out of the strange thing jumped two ponies, a little filly and colt, both dressed in strangely familiar clothing.

"Sora?" Twilight asked in surprise. The colt looked over at Twilight.

"Whoa...check it out, dad was right, they DO talk!"

"Hey look at us, we're ponies!" The filly said with a giggle, bouncing about. She pouted as she looked over at the colt.

"Hey, how come you get wings?"

"Well you've got a horn!" the two argued back and forth for a full minute before being pulled away from each other by Pinkie and Strawberry.

"Sorry t' interrupt, but who in th' hay are ya'll?" Sunburst asked.

"Well I'm Roxas!"

"And I'm Namine!" Piper blinked.

"Do you know them Piper?" Twilight asked.

"No but...I feel like I should..." he mumbled.

"Well yea, cause your..."

"Hey! Mom said not to tell anyone!" Namine yelled before Roxas could finish.

"Wait, you two know who I am?" Piper asked.

"Well yea. Mom an dad told us all about this place from Riku's letters."

"Wait...Riku's letters to Sora? So that would make you two..."

"Yup, we're Sora's kids!" they said together with big grins on their faces.





A quick call to a guard later and Riku was in the Throne Room. He gasped in surprise as the ponies tackled him to the ground.

"Uncle Riku! Uncle Riku! we found you!" they chanted together.

"Oh great..." he muttered.

"Hey, how come we're all weird pony people?" Namine asked.

"I'll explain later. Why are you two here?"

"Oh!" Namine ran back to the crashed pile of brightly colored blocks, grabbing a bag and rushing back to Riku with it, pouring its contents onto the floor until she found a letter and began to read it loudly.

"Dear Riku, I know this is a bit un..une.."

"Unexpected"

"Yea that. Anyway. I know this is a bit unexpected but we're sending the kids to visit. We don't really have time to explain and you'll probably hate us for it, but we'll be there in about a week. Please keep an eye on them. Thank you. Love Kairi. Oh Sora says Hi." Namine smiled as she lowered the letter, feeling proud of herself. Riku rolled his eyes.

"Of course."

"Um...Whats going on?" Twilight asked. Riku sat up, both filly and colt jumping onto his back and bickering about who had the better spot.

"Sora's dumping his kids on me." he mumbled, taking a seat.

"Well I'm pretty good with kids" Pinkie said, offering her best smile.

"Thanks Pinkie."

"Ok, I'm confused." Twilight mumbled, putting a hoof against her head.

"Its ok Twilight, most of us are too." Rainbow said with a chuckle

"Can we just go back to the story?" Twilight asked





Piper rolled, flicking his wing, the blades bouncing off Monoclos' armor. He struggled to breath as the Gryphons claws closed around his throat.

"You die here and now Loya..." Piper blinked and found himself moving. Where he had been moments ago there now stood a Manticore, roaring as he wrestled with the Gryphon king, a wolf and unicorn quickly carting Piper away from the battle.

"Wait! we have to go back!"

"Well duh! But you can't fight like this." The unicorn said, quickly ducking into a tent and coming back with his armor and hoofblade.

"Thanks..." He quickly put them on, pulling the hoofblade free of its sheath and spreading his wings wide.

"Alright, our target it the king himself. Wolves guard the Princess'. Unicorns keep your spells ready. I'll go after Monoclos."

"Be careful." he gave a nod and took to the air once more. Scanning the battlefield for Monoclos.





"Whoa, what kinda story is this?" Roxas asked as he climbed on top of Riku's head and clung to his horn.

"Its not one for young colts or fillies." Riku said, pulling Roxas off his horn and setting him down.

"Geez, you've really been here way too long, dont'cha even know what its like bein a human anymore?" Namine asked.

"I know what its like and I'm happy here. But this isn't about me right now and Sora picked a hell of a time to drop you two off here. Wait were you piloting that ship yourselves?"

"Yea, until we lost our hands." Namine said, waggling her hooves for emphasis.

"Wait, you said your father and mother, Sora and this...Kairi, are coming here in a week? Perhaps he can help us." Luna said with a small smile.

"Yea somethin like that. Mom says I'm not allowed to say anything about it but that's just boring. Dad got all moody a couple days ago and his key started shining and there was this really cool light show that happened and then he got mad. After that mom set us up on this trip and they went off somewhere else. I think they were gonna go see Granpa Mickey." The room fell silent at the news. Namine blinked and pointed to Piper.

"I think its cause of him. I saw it in a dream! He was all.." Riku covered her mouth with a hoof and looked over at Piper.

"I think you should finish what you were sayin Piper." Riku said softly.

"Namine. You're named after a very smart girl. Someone who is very close to your mother. Don't ruin that name by making an idiot of yourself. If you were told to keep quiet then do so." The filly nodded, sitting down and keeping quiet.

"What does she know about Piper? What are you hiding Riku?" Twilight asked.

"Princess Twilight, I can promise you it would be better if Piper revealed it himself." Twilight blinked. It had been ages since Riku had called her Princess. She gave a small sigh and nodded.

"Alright...Please continue Piper."

"Well..." Piper glanced over at Namine and Riku, the looks on their faces making his heart sink.

No...I'm a monster...I don't have a heart...and they know it.





Piper dove into the battle once more, using a few Gryphon skulls as cushions as he skid across the ground, his blade finding the nearest head and removing it from its body in one clean swipe.

"MONOCLOS!" Piper roared as he made his way through the Gryphon army, raising his blade to stop Monoclos' claw.

"There you are. I feared you had run away."

"Just needed to get some things from home. It was a bit chilly out here." Piper said with a grin as he pulled away from Monoclos. Banter was lost between them as the battle continued, blade and claw, hoof and beak. Each swing would bring a new scar to the warriors as the battle wore on. 

They leapt away from one another panting with their weapons held ready to block and strike.

"I'm impressed Loyalty. You put up quite a fight. My offer still stands, all you need do is bow."

"I'd rather die."

"So be it." Piper prepared himself for Monoclos' next attack, gasping in pain as he stepped forward. His left wing sat against the ground, completely useless. It took him a moment to realize an arrow had nailed it down, another aimed for his other wing. He tried to roll out of the way, but only managed to shift the arrow around inside of his wing, sending a shockwave of pain up his wing that almost brought him to his knees.

NO! I can't... he gritted his teeth, forcing himself to stand. He grabbed his hoofblade in his teeth, blocking Monoclos' claw with his wingblade on his good wing, wincing as he swung the hoofblade at the arrow in his wing. It snapped against the edge of the blade allowing Piper to quickly stumble backwards, blade held tightly in his teeth and desperately blocking the Gryphon Kings unending onslaught of attacks. He gasped as one attack forced the blade to cut into his mouth, the next knocking it out of his mouth and the next knocking him to the ground. 

"After all that you're already finished Loyalty. I had heard the Elements were useless without the others to aid them. You are living proof of that. But not for long." The king raised his claw in preparation for the final blow.





"But you couldn't have died there, you're right here!" Roxas interrupted. Everypony throwing the colt a flat look that said they had all realized that already.

"What? We already know he lived and he beat the bad guy an blah blah blah. What I wanna know is why his eyes are yellow?" Roxas said, pointing to Piper. The pegasus blinked, his eyes quickly fading to their normal soft sky blue.

"If you keep your mouth shut you'll hear everything." Piper said softly. Even Strawberry backed away from him as the words left his mouth.

"I'm not scared of you!" Roxas yelled, a keyblade appearing between his teeth. Piper flinched, drawing his hoofblade on instinct.

"STOP!" Namine yelled, standing between them.

"Roxas, dad already told us these ponies are nice. Quit being a meanie!"

"He started it!" Roxas argued around the keyblade. Piper tossed aside his hoofblade and stood, facing the young colt.

"Go ahead." He said quietly.

"Piper what are you do..." 

"Quiet Berry." he said under his breath.

"You wanna hit me? You wanna kill me? Go ahead kid. Can you do it with that little magic sword of yours? Like you said, I beat the bad guy and lots of other guys and I killed hundreds if not thousands along the way. Maybe I'm the bad guy here, no...I am the bad guy here. So go ahead, do it. But lemme tell you this. 

The second you swing that blade, the second it hits me and ends whats left of my life...there's no going back. Ever. You'll convince yourself for a while that you can be your old self again, but then you'll remember how it felt and it'll haunt you for the rest of your life." He walked forward, stopping with the keyblade pressed against him.

"Go on, do it." He said, looking into the colts' eyes. Roxas stumbled backwards, his keyblade vanishing. Piper gasped, finding his face against the floor and one angry zebra smacking his head over and over.

"How could you go and scare that poor little colt!?" she yelled at him. Piper had no answer other than to let out another grunt of pain as Strawberry's hooves met his skull.

"I'm sorry!" he yelled out, the ponies around barely holding back their laughter.

"Piper, slayer of evil kings and monsters gettin his butt whooped by a lone little zebra. Oh how th' mighty have fallen." Sunburst said with a chuckle. Piper sat up, dusting himself off from the onslaught and blinking in surprise as Strawberry hugged him.

"I'm not just a lone little Zebra." she mumbled with a pout.

"Ok, this was fun and all but we've got other things to be talking about. Piper, this is taking way too long, can you just skip to the important part." Nova spoke up, getting tired of interruptions and drawn out battles to which they could guess the endings of.

"Hey you can't skip ahead! Everyones gonna wonder what happened!" Strawberry argued, pointing at thin air.

"Berry who are you talking about?" Nova asked, completely confused. Twilight smiled, placing a hoof on her daughters shoulder.

"Its a Pie Family Secret, don't try to understand it."





Here he was again, in the white void with Harmony looking down upon him.

"Piper..."

"Am I dead again?" he asked, catching the goddess by surprise.

"No, just unconscious. It is dangerous for me to awaken your living body from here."

"Well how long am I gonna be out?"

"Possibly a few hours. Monoclos is far too large for you to take on your own Piper. He is powerful and has almost no honor in battle."

"He told his soldiers to stand back."

"You provoked him. It wasn't a matter of honor, it was a matter of proving himself. Have you already forgotten your wing?" she pointed a hoof at it, revealing a large tear in it.

"Oh...I guess I did..." Harmony brushed her hoof over the tear, Piper watching as it sewed itself shut, his wing as good as new.

"Wh...huh?" He looked up at the Alicorn.

"This is a gift...and a curse. In time you will come to understand Piper. I am sorry."

"Sorry? For fixing my wing? I don't understand."

"You will." She gently shoved him away with her hoof and he found himself in the air, choking as Monoclos held him by his throat.

"HEAR ME CELESTIA! YOUR MIGHTY LOYALTY HAS FALLEN!" the gryphon roared. Piper swung his hind leg, smashing it across Monoclos' head and causing him to drop him, letting him roll onto his side and gasp for air. 

The kings announcement had reached Celestia's ears and she was now charging toward the king with her best soldiers in tow. Those soldiers being a manticore, two wolves, pegasi, and unicorns, all looking to rescue the wounded pegasus. 

After catching his breath he quickly rolled under the dazed king, jamming his hoof blade into the kings rib and quickly pulling away for another jab, leaving two neat holes in the Kings armor. Only when the blood poured from the holes and fell on top of him did he realize he was smiling. 

Only then did he realize what he was becoming. Only then did he realize where the curse began. He didn't have time to continue this thought as he was pulled from underneath the stumbling Gryphon by Celestia's magic. 

"RETREAT!" Monoclos roared, his guard carrying him away to have his wounds tended to.

"WAIT! We can finish him now! we can stop this here!" Piper yelled, struggling against Celestia's magic.

"Loyalty, I did not wish for this war and I do not wish for anyone to die. He is mortally wounded and I doubt he will pose much threat in his condition for some time."

"But..." he looked down at himself, noticing just how much blood had caked into his coat and mane. Almost none of it was his own.
> The Filly and the Beast Part 1
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The pegasus sat in Celestia's camp, staring at himself, his hooves shaking.

"Is this what you meant Harmony? Did you do this?" he thought aloud.

"Are you alright?" Luna asked as she sat beside him.

"Yea...I'm fine..."

"I noticed...you took an arrow to the wing did you not?" she asked, looking at his wings, seeing a long jagged line of caked blood. Piper flicked his wing, shaking some of it off to reveal his wing was perfectly fine, though a faint scar remained.

"That's...Amazing. Does it hurt?" she asked, careful not to touch it.

"It did." He said softly, keeping his eyes on his hooves. Why was he enjoying it? Being in the battlefield and slaughtering anything in his way, it seemed like he was meant for it.

I've always been this way...before the Elements came into our lives I was just a bully...this is just going up on the ladder...now I'm a murderer.

"Are you sure you are alright Loyalty? Perhaps a bath would help you relax?" Luna suggested. Piper snapped out of his thoughts and nodded.

"Y...Yea. Thanks Princess..." he stood, bowing his head for a moment. The Lunar Princess rolled her eyes and stood.

"You do not have to bow. You are our friend, we would not be here without you or your friends. You can simply call me Luna if you prefer." she said with a hopeful smile. Piper gave a small smile back.

"Sure thing Luna."





Piper had grown accustomed to Strawberry smacking him upside his head, an action that was quickly followed by a hug to etch the message 'I love you but you are an idiot' into his brain.

"Berry."

"Nope."

"Listen..."

"Nuh uh."

"Lemme jus..."

"NO! I don't care! No matter how many times you say it! No matter what you've done! YOU.ARE.NOT.A.MONSTER!" She yelled at him. He sighed and wrapped his hooves around her.

"Maybe we should stop things there for now. I am sure many of you could use some rest." Luna spoke up. The ponies gathered there nodded and stood, beginning to make their way out of the Royal Hall.

"Piper, Amethyst, Nova, Sunburst, Emerald, Strawberry Swirl, please wait a moment. You three as well Hayseed, Penny Apple and Honeycrisp." Celestia said. She wanted each of them to hear their names in turn, wanted them to know they were all important to her. The ponies and kirin looked to their parents who gave a nod before leaving. Only they and the Princess' remained, sitting in silence.

"I understand you want them to hear everything Piper, but i think its best if you skip forward just a bit. Beginning with Cherry Blossom."





Piper awoke to the sound of screaming, bolting out of his tent in time for a small pegasus to crash land on top of him.

"I'm so sorry!" she yelled, scrambling off of him. He shook his head and stood.

"No its fine." he looked up, seeing a small cloud that was perfect for flying on a morning like this.

"You never learned to fly?" he asked. She lowered her head, scuffing a hoof against the ground.

"My parents never got the chance to teach me."

"Oh...I'm sorry to hear that..." he sat beside the filly, gently placing his wing over her. She blinked and looked up at him with tears in her eyes.

"Flying isn't something you learn, its a part of you. Its something you just do. Come on, I'll show ya." He flared out his wings and sat so she could climb on his back.

"Um...are you sure? I..its safe right?"

"Of course its safe." the filly bit her lip before climbing on top of him, her hooves gently wrapping around his neck.

"Hang on tight." he smiled and after a running start, took to the air. He didn't go too high, aiming for the cloud he had spotted moments before and landing gently. The filly fearfully slid off his back, closing her eyes as her hooves touched the cloud.

"Tada. You're walkin on a cloud kid."

"My name isn't kid" she said, pouting and fluttering her wings.

"Well what is it then?" he asked. She smiled and bent her legs.

"Cherry Blossom" she said, leaping off the cloud and rapidly flapping her wings, quickly plummeting to the ground. Piper was quick to jump after her, flicking her left wing with his right. She gasped and threw her hooves over her face. She slowly pulled them away as she heard him laughing, finding herself gliding alongside him and feeling the gentle brush of his wing against hers every so often to keep her in the air.

"You're a crazy little kid you know that?" he said with a smile. She smiled back and giggled for the first time in a year.





"That's sweet an all nephew, but whats it got t' do with whats comin'?"

"Everything...I let myself get close to Cherry Blossom. She had lost everything, her home, her family and friends. All she had left was A'ios and the Princess'. Monoclos had spies, they saw the effect Cherry had on me and when I least expected it...they struck..."





It had been nearly three months since Piper had arrived. Three months of small skirmishes and battles that no one was sure even had a victor. In that time Piper had almost forgotten the monster he had become thanks to a little filly who had taken the majority of his free time learning to fly. Not that he minded. She felt like the little sister he had never had. Someone who looked up to him without expecting him to kill anything, just to be there and smile. It felt nice. 

As usual he would go to a hill that had become their meeting place for her lessons. But on this day there was no filly waiting for him. He looked around, expecting her to pounce him or fly overhead trying to do a trick that was too advanced for her. But he could find her nowhere. He slid down the hill and rushed back to camp, quickly finding the manticore who had been Cherry's guardian before he came along.

"A'ios, have you seen Cherry?"

"I had thought she was with you." they both blinked and rushed for the fillies tent, finding it empty and a note resting on her pillow. A'ios lifted it and gasped.

"She's been taken!" Piper quickly grabbed the note and read.

"Hello Loyalty, I hope you are reading this right now and know that it is too late to save your little friend. Oh but did she put up quite the fight. She screamed and cried and even bit me. You should have seen how she called out for her'big brother'. It was almost a shame I had to knock her out. By now the Gryphon King will have her. If you want her all you have to do is go get her and swear yourself to the true Ruler of these lands."

He could only stare at the paper in his hooves, feeling empty and angry at himself all at once. He dropped the note and walked out of the tent, heading for his own and grabbing his armor.

"What are you doing?!" A'ios demanded, clutching the note.

"I'm getting her back." he said simply, sitting down and grabbing hold of his wingblades in his teeth, carefully placing each blade along his feathers.

"You're insane. Loyalty, this is treason, you cannot..I will not allow you.." Piper placed his hoofblade against the manticore's throat.

"A'ios. I'm surprised you aren't suiting up to go after her. You're her guardian! Or is that just some useless term you throw around? Last I checked she was the one caring for you."

"You would betray The Princess..." Piper pushed the blade forward slowly, letting it cut just slightly.

"I would never betray her. But I won't leave Cherry to die. I'm going after her and bringing her back. You can come with or you can wait here." he said simply, sheathing his hoofblade and going back to placing the blades in his feathers. He stood and flared out his wings, each blade shifting with a soft SHING.

"I swear on my life, I will bring her back."
> The Filly and the Beast Part 2
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Oh Piper..." Strawberry said softly, pulling the pegasus close.

"What?" Nova asked, looking at him confused. Outwardly nothing had changed. Piper was just as he had been a moment ago while continuing his story.

"That filly...oh Piper I'm so sorry..."

"No...apologizing won't fix anything."

"Piper...ya'll did save that lil filly didn't ya?" Sunburst asked softly. Piper looked over at her, his silence answering any questions that might have come from his friends.

"What good is a pony who can't keep his word?" Piper asked no one in particular, hanging his head.

"I tried...I really did try...but I should have tried harder...I should have saved her...She needed me and I failed"





"Whats going on? are we under attack?" Celestia asked as she spotted Piper angrily making his way out of camp.

"No." he said, continuing on.

"He's gone mad Princess. The filly, Cherry Blossom was taken from us." He gave the note to Celestia who turned in time to catch Piper spreading his wings as he stood at the hill top.

"Loyalty wait! It has to be a trap! Just like before. If you go he will kill you."

"Princess...His archers nailed my wing to the ground in that first fight. Look at it." He flicked his wing.

"All that's left is a scar. I nearly tore it in two. A month ago I took a claw to the throat." he lifted his head, showing a scar across his throat.

"And a few days ago I took a blade to the heart. Yet here I am." he leapt off the hill and snapped his wings, rolling in the air several times before blasting forward with a massive boom, leaving the camp shaken by his departure.

"What is he Princess?" A'ios asked softly.

"He's..."





"Nuts." Amethyst said simply.

"Amethyst!" Emerald glared at him.

"He is. Harmony heals him up a couple of times and he thinks he's immortal and can do whatever the buck he wants." Before anyone could even blink Piper had drawn his hoofblade and pushed it into his throat, his body falling limp to the ground.

"PIPER!" Strawberry screamed, staring at his body in horror and shock. Slowly Pipers eyes opened. His body sat up and the hoofblade fell from his neck. The rip left behind began to close, leaving them sitting there and watching. The only sign left that anything had happened was a new scar and the blood soaking into his coat.

"I'm not immortal, I can't do whatever I want. For the longest time...all I wanted was to die." Amethyst tackled Piper to the ground.

"WHAT THE BUCK DID YOU DO THAT FOR?!"

"I needed to prove a point Amethyst."

"That you're nuts?! Yea I figured that out already, just look what you did to Berry!" Piper turned his head, looking at the young zebra. Her eyes were locked on the spot Piper had been sitting when he had 'killed' himself. She hadn't moved from the same shocked expression, hooves over her mouth, eyes wide and tears streaming down her cheeks nonstop. Amethyst yanked Piper to his hooves.

"Help her." he demanded, taking the hoofblade away from the pegasus as he pushed him toward Strawberry Swirl.

"Berry...Look at me, I'm ok." he said softly.

"Piper...what did they do to you...I...I know its gotta be horrible but...I need to know..." Piper looked up at Celestia.

"They tried to break me."





He had to save her. He should have been watching after her, he should have kept her safe. All these thoughts filled his head as he made his way across old battlefields, still soiled with the stench of war. He barely noticed, having grown use to the scent. It was a frightening thought when he awoke in the morning and found it strange he couldn't smell blood. Each step brought him closer to his goal, closer to the Gryphon camp, Closer to Monoclos. His ears flicked as he heard voices, quickly lowering himself behind the nearest boulder and straining his ears to make out the voices.

"They say its the Element itself come to life and it can't be killed."

"You're an idiot for believing all of that. He's just a pegasus that got lucky."

"He went hoof to claw with the king and came out with just a scratch!" the first Gryphon argued.

"Like I said, lucky. From what I heard he's just a kid parading around wearing some fancy little necklace he got from Celestia."

"I'm tellin ya. He ain't a normal pegasus. He's just a thing, a weapon."

"Heh, you almost sound scared. Are you gonna run away and join Celestia?" the second gryphon teased.

"HA! When tartarus freezes over! If I saw that freak right now I'd rip his head off!" Piper grinned a little to himself. It was time to send a message. He snuck around the boulder, keeping his body low. He looked around for the Gryphons he had heard, quickly spotting them not too far away.

"Yea right. You were almost sick when you saw what they did to that other Pegasus." Piper froze.

"Well...you saw her wings. She keeps screamin for her big brother and a promise and they just stomp all over her. I understand she's the enemy but that...that's just cruel." the first said. The second decked him and glared.

"That's how the world is, its cruel and that's how we survive." Piper had heard enough. He leapt from his place in the shadows, tackling the second Gryphon to the ground, holding his blade at his throat for a moment and looking into his eyes. He wanted the Gryphon to know it was him that ended his life. 

The Gryphon reached for its weapon and froze as Pipers blade slipped into his throat and quickly back out again. The Gryphon rolled in place, clutching his throat as Piper stood, walking over to the other Gryphon. He realized the second was much younger than he had thought at first and as he stepped forward the Gryphon began to cry.

"M...My brother...y..you killed my brother!" Piper blinked, looking between the two Gryphons. It made sense now. The older brother trying to toughen up his younger brother to be the perfect Gryphon warrior and Piper had taken that away in one swift strike.

"I'm sorry..." Piper began before shaking his head. 

"Where did they take her?" he demanded. The Gryphon whimpered and backed away.

"Tell me where she is!" Piper screamed, causing the Gryphon to cry. The sound drawing several Gryphons towards them. Obviously none of them meant to calm him, they meant to shut him up. But as they rounded the corner they found something much more interesting. A blood soaked Pegasus wearing the Element of Loyalty. In moments the alarm was sounded





They looked at Strawberry in confusion as the mare smiled.

"I knew it! I knew it I knew it I knew it!"

"Berry, what are you talking about?" Piper asked.

"You coulda hurt that little guy. A monster woulda hurt him without having to think about it, but you said sorry!" she said, her smile growing.

"Berry..." he sighed. If it meant she was happy then he wasn't going to argue. But she would hear the truth sooner or later.

"So, oh great and amazing Piper, you got spotted on a suicide mission and fought your way to the girl and saved the day right?" Amethyst said, pulling things back on track. Piper chuckled and shook his head.

"Somethin like that."





Piper tugged and pulled, trying his hardest to pull himself free. He sighed and lowered his head, realizing he was good and stuck. The Gryphon King stepped forward, glaring at Piper with his good eye.

"So Loyalty, you've seen fit to return. Good, you are just in time for the show."

"What show?" Piper asked with a half smile. The Gryphon king grinned, stepping aside so Piper could see a young pegasus mare tied down to a wooden table, her wings stretched out wide and nailed into the wood. Piper could just barely see that they were torn, most likely pulled to the point of ripping out of her back, barely clinging to her body. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she sobbed and squirmed.

"CHERRY!" Piper screamed, he turned his attention back to Monoclos.

"LET HER GO! You have me! You don't need her!" he screamed.

"Oh but I do need her Loyalty. Because she is important to you, because it hurts you when I do this." the king drug a claw through Cherry's stomach, leaving a long trail of blood behind, the pegasus screaming in agony and throwing her head back.

"STOP IT!" Piper screamed. The king smiled, lowering himself to the young pegasi's ear.

"Do you see now pegasus? He cannot save you. He cannot keep his promise. He is useless, weak! As are the rest of your kind."

"No...y..your lying...h..he'll sa..save me..." she sobbed, she glanced over at Piper, begging with her eyes. Pipers eyes met hers and he fought back his tears. Somehow he had to get out of this, somehow he had to save her. He had to keep his promise! He took a slow breath and gritted his teeth, pulling on the ropes that held him. He threw his weight forward, his wings shifting out of place with a loud pop.

He gasped in pain and threw out his wings, snapping the rope and popping them back into place. The King smiled as Piper slipped his hind-hooves free, his fore-hooves still held tightly in the rope. All the while Cherry watched him, a small smile on her face. Piper stopped as a blade rested against his neck. The king slowly walked up next to Cherry, placing a claw against her throat.

"I wonder which one of you will bleed out first." The king grinned, dragging his claw across her throat.

"NO!" Piper screamed and threw his head back, smashing it into the Gryphon behind him. He flapped his wings as hard as he could, dragging the pole that held him to the ground with him as he made his way to cherry, but he knew he was too late. 

The King tackled him to the ground, hefting him up by his throat and forcing him to watch as Cherry's body thrashed about, blood pouring from her neck onto the table. Piper lowered his head as Cherry finally stopped moving, her eyes on him, asking him why. Why he didn't save her. Piper felt tears sting his eyes, shaking as King Monoclos held him.

"Good, you've finally broken. You will live for now Loyalty, long enough for Celestia to witness what you've seen."

"No..." Piper said softly.

"What was that Loyalty? You still have some spirit left in you?" Piper threw himself back against the king, roaring as his eyes faded to a bright blue, a spear of ice rising up from behind them and slamming into the kings back, the spear stabbing through him and into Pipers back. The gryphon army stared in shock as the two slammed into the ground with the spear nailed through them.
> The Complete Truth Part 1
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Princess Twilight, I need to talk to you about Piper." Riku said, suddenly breaking the silence of the room. They sat together in Nyx and Riku's room, the couples' twin foals chattering away with Sora's children. Twilight had been watching the group with a smile, Nyx doing the same from beside her.

"Yes Riku?"

"He...He isn't a pony anymore."

"What do you mean?" Twilight asked. Riku gave a small sigh and turned to Namine.

"Namine, go ahead and tell the Princess about your dream." The unicorn smiled and bounced over to them.

"Well, it was weird. Everything was all dark and I could hear someone screaming. It...it was horrible. It sounded like he was hurting real bad so I started chasing after him. But all I found was a kid struggling around in the darkness like it was quicksand. It was like he was drowning in it. Then it all just swallowed him up and...spat him out as something else. It was scary..."





Namine looked around as the scream filled her mind. Through the darkness she could barely see her hands in front of her face but somehow she found herself running towards the scream.

"LET ME GO! LET ME GO!" The voice cried out, wavering as sobs caught in the boys throat. Slowly her eyes began to adjust and she caught sight of a figure struggling in the darkness, the sound of wings beating against what could only be described as mud filled the air. The figure began to choke and cry as the dark muck reached all around him with massive clawed hands, pushing him further into the darkness.

"NO! LET ME GO!" Namine felt tears in her eyes. She wanted to reach out, to say something, to do something. But she was frozen. Her body wouldn't move and she couldn't take her eyes of the scene. Then the worst of it happened. The figure broke free, throwing its wings out far and throwing itself high into the air, only to have the claws grab hold of it and drag it deep into the darkness once more, moments before the figure was swallowed, it glanced over at her. 

Shining Blue eyes latching onto hers before vanishing into the darkness. For the longest time all that could be heard was muffled screaming and crying, and then just silence. A long horrible silence. Namine began to shake with fear. Would the darkness come for her next? She gasped as the darkness began to move, the figure slowly emerging from its grasp. 

The muck dripped from the figure as it turned toward her once more, the blue eyes having been turned to two massive yellow orbs that filled its head, a loud shriek leaving its fanged mouth. Moments later the girl awoke, sitting up and hugging her legs before bursting into tears.





"I don't understand." Twilight said, looking between Namine and Riku.

"Princess, what she saw was Piper being swallowed by the Darkness. The Darkness you and your friends sealed away years ago."

"You can't mean..."

"Yes...Piper is one of the heartless."
> The Complete Truth Part 2
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The pegasus lay on his side, looking up at the Alicorn goddess.

"Oh Piper..."

"Just leave me alone..." he rolled onto his side, a chunk of the ice shard still stuck in his body.

"You cannot be comfortable like that..." She flinched as he sat up

"JUST WHAT THE BUCK AM I?!" he screamed at her.

"Is what they said true?! Is that all I am?! Just some immortal weapon to do your bidding?!" he shouted at her, tears in his eyes.

"No Piper, it isn't true." Harmony leaned forward, kissing the tears away, the heat of her body causing the ice to melt and his wound to close. She pulled him into a gentle hug

"You are hope Piper. Hope for my daughters, hope for Equestria, and hope for me."

"Wh..what?" he asked, looking up at her.

"Piper, I cannot touch the world without destroying it." He pushed out of her grasp.

"You're just using me...You can't do this yourself so you pinned it on me is that it?" he asked softly.

"Piper...no that's not what I meant..."

"BUT THAT'S WHAT YOU JUST BUCKING SAID ISN'T IT?!"

"Its true that I need you to do what must be done Piper. But I would never use you."

"I don't want to be lied to. I just want one thing. When this is done, when I've finished running all your sun-cursed errands, you have to send me home."

"Piper please..." she reached out a hoof and he brushed it away, turning his back to her.

"That's all I want. I'll do whatever you need, just send me home." she hung her head.

"Very well Piper. I promise you, when all is said and done, I will send you home."





"You...you said all those horrible things to Mother?" Celestia asked, her voice shaking.

"I did." Piper said simply.

"I was angry, but not at her, not at first. I was angry at myself and she was the only pony I could talk to so openly. She outright told me she was just using me and I snapped."

"How could you have been so cruel to her?"

"Because that's what I am Tia. I'm cruel, I'm a monster, a weapon."

"You're Heartless." a voice spoke up. The ponies gathered turned around to spot a face only Celestia recognized.

"Sora. We were not expecting you for a week."

"Took a shortcut." he said, pointing his keyblade at Piper. The pegasus reached for his hoofblade, forgetting Amethyst still held it.

"Whoa there partner, nopony points anythin at my cousin without a good reason" Sunburst said, pushing in front of Piper.

"Sunburst, this is my fight. He's too powerful for you."

"Piper don't be an idiot."

"Sunburst, stand down." Celestia ordered.

"B...But Princess..." Celestia gave the mare a flat stare. Sunburst stammered an argument and moved away.

"Amethyst, my sword." the kirin handed Piper the blade. Piper took a slow breath as he placed his hoof in the clasp of the blade.

"You're the one aren't you. The Keyblade Master, Sora." Piper asked quietly. Sora was surprised for a moment, a serious look replacing his surprise almost instantly.

"Yea, that's me."

"Then you know exactly what I am. You should know I'm not here to hurt anypony. That Keyblade of yours should say everything shouldn't it?"

"That heart of yours is full of Darkness. It won't be a heart for much longer and you'll have to steal another. I won't allow it" Sora said, pointing his keyblade at Piper's chest.

"I didn't steal it, it was given to me. its Her heart..." Piper covered his chest with his hoof.

"And that darkness was put there by me. To protect it from myself. Its a shield."

"You're guarding that heart. So you really are Heartless."

"CAN SOMEPONY TELL ME WHATS GOING ON?!" Hayseed yelled.

"I...I think this pony is saying that Piper...is one of those monsters our parents fought." Nova explained, hardly believing herself.

"That's nonsense!" Penny Apple yelled.

"Its true." Piper spoke up. the friends gasped, staring at Piper.

"It happened when Amethyst cast the spell." Piper kept his blade against Sora's keyblade, watching its wielder with wary eyes.

"I gave myself up to the darkness that was consuming grandma Dash. And it stole my heart. Harmony dragged me from it at the last second. An hour in her realm and I would have been fine, but you all would have fought Discord by then."

"An without ya we never woulda beat him...its our fault ain't it Piper?" Sunburst asked, holding back her tears.

"No. She gave me a choice and I made my decision. If I had stayed a moment longer than she allowed I would have become just another heartless"

"You're still a Heartless."

"Do you plan to kill me?"

"If I have to."

"Sora that's enough." a mare nudged Sora aside and smiled at Piper.

"I apologize for my Husband. The years have sucked the fun out of him."

"Hey! I can still be fun!" he argued, his keyblade vanishing.

"Of course you can." she said, rolling her eyes.

"You must be Kairi." Piper spoke up, sheathing his hoofblade.

"So you're the Piper we've heard about? Seems like you've been through a lot. You know Sora was a heartless once. One of those tiny ones."

"Oh come on, not this story again..." Sora said with a sigh.

"Wait, so just like that you go from tryin to kill Piper to making random conversation?" Amethyst asked.

"I never meant to kill him. I was trying to see if he would change. The Darkness can be unpredictable at times. Its fooled me before. I just had to be sure."

"But what I'm curious about is how you know who we are." Kairi said as she took a seat. Her light brown coat shone against the mid-day sun pouring in from the many windows as did her smile. Sora eventually sat beside her.

"No hard feelings?"

"Don't have any." Piper joked.

"Ok, this is makin my head hurt. Piper, ya'll really meant it when ya said ya were a monster?" Penny asked.

"In more ways than one Penny. I just didn't want to say how many yet."





An uncomfortable silence filled the air as Piper and Harmony lay there, distanced from one another. It would be a long while before he awoke again. The Spear in his real body would see to that. Until it melted or somepony found him, he was trapped here with the only pony he could say anything to. 

And he had chosen to say all the wrong things. He laid his head over his hooves and shivered. Even though it was gone he could still feel the ice in his physical body as well as the weight of Monoclos' body on his. At this rate his body would be overlooked and he would be stuck here with Harmony forever. He glanced over at the forlorn alicorn and sighed.

"Harmony...I'm sorry." he spoke up. She glanced over at him in surprise.

"I just...feel so angry and empty..." he hung his head, barely noticing as she lay down beside him, her wing slowly stretching over him.

"Piper...There is something I must tell you. Do you remember when I explained you had a choice to make?"

"Kinda hard to forget it. Its what got me into this mess. I get it, 'this is all my own fault'."

"That's not it Piper." Harmony waved her hoof, a black figure appearing in front of them. The figure was small with bulbous yellow orbs for eyes. It fidgeted and twitched, every so often scratching at the air as if something was keeping it from them.

"This is a creature known as a heartless. This is it in its weakest form, simply a shadow. Piper,  the darkness that attacked your grandmother, it was this." Piper leapt to his hooves, knocking away Harmony's wing as he flared his own and bared his teeth at the heartless.

"Calm yourself, this is merely a reflection of that darkness Piper. It cannot harm us. But it is important that you know what it is and how it is created. These beings feed off living hearts, created from the darkness in everyone's heart and bound to it. Those with power and the darkest of hearts can command them."

"Like Discord."

"Yes...like Discord...These creatures need hearts, they feed on them and use them to fill that which they lack. Hearts of their own." she waved her hoof, the heartless twitching and becoming transparent, a swirling hole of darkness where its heart should have been.

"These are the things my parents fought aren't they? Aren't they all locked away somewhere in Canterlot?" He asked as he slowly sat back down.

"Most of them are, it would be impossible to entirely seal away the Heartless. There will always be darkness hidden away within every heart. There are those rare hearts that are pure and full of light. I believe you know one." Harmony waved her hoof, an image of Ditzy appearing in front of them.

"Never have I seen a mare whose heart is so pure." Harmony said, almost in awe. The image of Ditzy faded and was replaced by the Heartless once more.

"But why are you telling me this?"

"Because Piper...a heartless is created when a heart is swallowed by darkness. If not for your sacrifice, Rainbow Dash would have become a Heartless. but you took her place."

"So...you're saying...that I'm..." Piper slowly began to put the pieces together, his hoof slowly drifting to his chest. He feared what would happen as his hoof rested there. Nothing. 

"I'm...j...just one of those monsters?" he asked as he stared at the Heartless in front of him.

"No Piper, you are different. Far different from these. There are other types, more powerful Heartless and creatures called Nobodies." Another wave of her hoof and a tall grey figure appeared, shaking and fidgeting even more so than the Heartless.

"For every Heartless created there is also a Nobody. Nobodies do not exist, they simply are and have no hearts, no feelings. But there are rare cases, such as Sora and Kairi." the figures appeared before him. He looked at them in confusion.

"What the heck are they?"

"They are called Humans. That one" she pointed to Sora.

"Is named Sora." the figure shifted into an Alicorn, a large smile on his face and a massive key floating beside him.

"He fought alongside your parents against the Heartless. The girl is named Kairi, she is, for lack of better terms to explain to you, his marefriend."

"The Keyblade is a weapon forged from the Power of Light and bonds of friendship to battle the Heartless."

"Like the Elements right?" Piper asked. Harmony nodded and smiled.

"You learn quickly. Yes, just like the Elements. Its strength relies on its wielders power of heart and friendship. It is the only weapon guaranteed to be able to completely destroy the Heartless."

"Is he my enemy now that I'm...well..."

"No Piper, but he may mistake you for one, be wary of him and be careful. I do not know if the Keyblade will have any affect on you but it has done the impossible in the past. Do you remember the one Riku used in your training?" Piper blinked, a window appearing and replaying the memory before him.

Riku put a hoof to his chin, his keyblade appearing beside him and stabbing into the ground.

"While you can't use a magical blade, you can still learn to use a hoofblade and whatever is available to you. In any situation almost anything can be a weapon to protect those you care for." Riku pushed the keyblade over to him, the blade shrinking a little as the pegasus grabbed it in his teeth. Riku smiled.

"Now attack me with it." The Piper from the past blinked in surprise, looking up at the Alicorn.

"uh...what?" he jumped backwards as a spike of ice drove up from the ground where he had been standing moments ago.

"I remember that...So that's what that thing was. A keyblade."

"You mothers both have one. And at a time they were an Alicorn, having combined their hearts with that of Applebloom who also possess' a keyblade." Piper blinked.

"Ok, and?"

"Piper, it is not normal for a pegasus to have so much magic. Perhaps a little but that would only be related to something to do with clouds or lightning, things a pegasus is born to do. Never has a pegasus had the ability to control ice or fire."

"I can't use fire, that's sunburst." he argued.

"Let me finish Piper." Harmony said as calmly as she could. She took a slow breath as Piper relaxed.

"Piper what I am trying to explain to you is that locked away within you is a power greater than the Keyblade itself. You exist within both realms of reality, the light and the dark and still hold your original body. Such a thing has only been accomplished before by Keyblade masters of great power. But even they would not touch the darkness, before you argue, you were forced into the darkness when you gave yourself for Rainbow Dash, do not be angry with yourself. 

My point Piper is that yes, I used you, because you are the only one who I can use and it sickens me to say so. You are a heartless with a heart in spirit and in time, your Keyblade will come to you. When that time arrives, that is the time I will need you the most Piper. Please understand...I cannot touch your realm of existence without causing it to crumble on itself. I am not even aware how much damage merely retrieving you caused and it is still something that worries me." Piper scooted towards her, rubbing his cheek against hers and surprising the Alicorn.

"I understand. Basically I'm your tool to fix everything that's wrong. I already understood that much, but now I have an idea why. I'm still not happy about it, but I'll do my best. I already said I would and I plan to keep my word. Any way you can wake me up?" he asked. 

"Well, I could, it would be extremely uncomfortable though."

"Alright.

"Ok let me rephrase that. It would be excruciatingly painful. You have a massive shard of ice in your chest Piper and its stuck against your insides and causing frostbite."

"Well then I should hurry and wake up then shouldn't I?" he said with a forced grin. Harmony sighed and touched her hoof to his forehead. Piper awoke with a low groan, his entire body felt cold and then out of nowhere the pain kicked in, that and the weight of a dead gryphon king on top of him. 

He forced himself to focus, the ice turning into water and falling to the ground. He panted heavily as he lay there with a hole where his chest had been, his blood frozen on the outer edges of the wound. 

He weakly pushed Monoclos off of him and rolled onto his side. He was in a ditch somewhere, probably not too far away from the Gryphon camp. He sat up, slipping as his hoof bumped against something. He blinked and stared with wide eyes at the corpse of Cherry Blossom.

"Cherry..." he had no words to say. What could he say? 'I'm sorry' would just be a slap to the face.

"P...Pi...per..." He stared as Cherry's mouth moved.

"Cherry? You're alive! Just hold on Cherry."

"No...Piper..." she reached up a hoof, smiling at him weakly.

"I...I..saw her...the pretty princess...she's calling me...I heard her say your name...your real name...I'm glad...i got to hear it...I'm gonna miss you..big brother..." her hoof dropped to the ground, Piper quickly catching it in his.

"NO! Cherry don't leave! Cherry..." Piper pulled the filly close, crying into her coat. A warm glow surrounded the young pegasus and then she was gone. Piper stared at his empty hooves, gasping and clutching his chest as the wound closed. He laid on his side, panting heavily when a strange sensation filled him. His hoof against his chest, felt a gentle, albeit weak, thump. THUMP THUMP...THUMP THUMP...

"A heart?" Piper struggled to keep his eyes open, staying awake long enough to see a pegasus scout spot him and hear a muffled

"OVER HERE!"





"A power greater than the Keyblade..."

"There's only one such power." Riku said as he reentered the Throne room, followed closely by Nyx and four young ponies.

"Riku, its good to see you again."

"Daddy!" Namine giggled and hugged Sora tightly, Roxas doing the same with kairi.

"You must be Kairi. I've heard so much about you from Riku." Nyx said with a soft smile

"And you must be Nyx, I've heard a lot about you too. Its nice to meet someone who can set Riku straight." Kairi said with a laugh.

"All of that can wait until later. Sora." Riku turned to his lifelong friend and they both nodded, turning to Piper.

"There's only one thing more powerful than the Keyblade and that's what the Keyblade was meant to protect."

"Or control, it depends on the wielder." Sora added.

"Well what is it?" Amethyst asked, having had enough back and forth and wanting a simple answer.

"Kingdom hearts."
> The other side of the coin Part 1
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Kairi blinked and looked between her friend and husband.

"Kingdom Hearts itself? But isn't that in the world of Darkness?"

"That's just a door to Kingdom Hearts. There are many doors, at least one in every world. Some worlds have several and Piper here." Sora pointed a hoof at Piper.

"Is one of those Doors."

"Doesn't that make him dangerous?" Kairi asked."Can't anyone with a Keyblade open the door?" 
Sora shook his head.

"Not exactly, its a bit complicated." Sora's keyblade appeared, hovering in mid-air.

"Mine can, but its the Master Key."

"Mine can too, but that's only because the Master Key passed me over for Sora. I only gained control of a keyblade matching Sora's after...well You already know Kairi." Riku said quietly. The Alicorn sat down, his children sitting on either side of him. Sora smiled, looking at them.

"So these are your kids?" Sora asked, his own children climbing up his back and playing with his hair.

"Yes, this is Nox and Shadowflare. Nox is named after her mother and Shadow, well." The Alicorn smiled, his coat shifting for a moment, the color pattern having swapped.

"He takes after me..." Riku mumbled almost ashamed.

"Dad, you can't keep beating yourself up like this." The Alicorn spoke up.

"He's right Riku. He's a healthy colt with some strange abilities, that's all. It was to be expected at some point." Nyx said, trying to comfort him.

"We're getting off topic again. What the buck is this 'Kingdom Hearts'?" Amethyst interrupted, again dragging everyone back on track. Emerald punched his shoulder.

"Amethyst, rude." She remarked quietly.

"We don't have time for nonsense right now Sis, we've got a war on our claws and Pipers at the heart of it and they know whats going on. We don't."

"Amethyst has a point. Its hard to explain"

"Maybe you should let me then." Piper said quietly as he sat up and spread his wings out. He seemed to flicker for a moment, his orange coat fading to black and smoke drifting from his nostrils as his eyes lit up bright yellow, a heartless crest twisted in on itself emblazoned across his chest. He put a hoof to his head, shifting back to his original form.

"That's the Door." Sora said with a small smile.

"I get it now. That Alicorn you were talking about, Harmony, she's put a lock on it hasn't she?" Sora said. Piper nodded.

"I don't know much about Kingdom Hearts. I just know what she told me. 'A key will open the door and a choice will be made'" Riku and Sora looked at one another and then back at Piper.

"I think we should keep an eye on you. I think this is what I was hearing and what Namine's dream meant." Sora said, surprising even Kairi with how serious he was.

"As long as you don't get in my way, go right ahead. But I've got a war to fight." he stood shakily, Celestia putting a hoof on his shoulder.

"You need rest. Even an immortal body cannot go on forever without rest." She said. He sighed, gasping in surprise as Strawberry started nudging him out of the room.

"Alright grumpy pants, start moving." she mumbled, pushing him along. Amethyst stared at his claws, having finally taken his gaze off of Piper.

"All of this because of that stupid spell. He coulda had a normal life, been a normal pegasus and maybe even married Strawberry by now. I took all that away from him when I killed him."

"Amethyst Darastrix Shrike, how many times do i have to tell you that you didn't kill him" Dinky said, eyeing the kirin. Amethyst blinked and gulped. It was rare anypony ever used his full name, only two ponies ever dared, his mother and Dinky hooves.

"Dinks."

"No, I don't want to hear it and if I do hear it again then I will use this." she lifted her Sonic Screwdriver into the air, letting it hover in front of his face. He gulped and nodded.

"I don't get it, whats that little thing gonna do to him? Isn't he some kinda dragon?" Sora asked.

"This is a fine tuned Sonic Screwdriver which I tweaked myself. At a certain frequency...well lets just say Amethyst can have excellent hearing at the worst of times." She said with a bit of a grin.





Strawberry stopped pushing Piper as they came across the gardens. She smiled and bounced over to a tree and sat underneath it, smiling over at him, her eyes lidded. The expression itself was enough to snap the pegasi's wings open with a very loud POMF. The zebra giggled and sighed softly as she rolled onto her back, looking up at the tree. Piper calmed himself and cleared his throat as he walked up to her.

"Berry...about what happened back there..."

"Piper, I already told you, I don't care. You're still my Piper and you always will be. No matter what stuff happened or whats gonna happen, because I love you." she glanced over at him, her smile never fading.

"Even if you look like a meanie heartless, you're still my Piper."

"Berry..." he lay beside her, nuzzling her neck, feeling an ache in his heart.

But its not my heart...its hers. But this pain...its not the same pain...She's crying...happy tears. He smiled, the mare throwing her hooves around him.

"I don't care about all the stuff that happened anymore Piper. I have you back and I'm not letting you leave again." she said as she nuzzled him.

"Now ain't that just cute." a voice spoke up. Piper rolled away from Strawberry, growling like a rabid animal as he stared at what seemed to be thin air.

"Oh? You can see me? well they said you might. So you're the Door huh? Well you're gonna have to come with me buddy. Be a nice little pony and come get the snack." the figure said as he appeared, holding out a carrot towards Piper. Piper continued growling, flaring out his wings as his eyes shifted to a deep blue, the air turning cold around them.

"Hey that's a neat trick, but uh..." the figure snapped his fingers, surrounding them in a ring of flames.

"Fire trumps ice buddy." Piper only grinned and reared back, slamming his hooves down on the ground as he brushed his wings together, a jolt of electricity flowing through him and striking the figure who screamed in surprise and agony, the bolt knocking them out, the flames vanishing without their master commanding them. Piper let out a breath he had been holding as he cautiously walked up to the figure. Something black and sickly clung to his forehead, just under his crazy red spiked hair.

"What...is he?" Strawberry asked, poking the figure.

"He's a Nobody. One of the strong ones. I don't know his name but I know what he's after. We need to get Sora quickly before the others realize he's out."

"What others Piper?" Strawberry asked.

"No time to explain, move!" he yelled, pushing her into the tree as several holes opened in the air. Piper bent his legs and sprung into the air, spiraling up and away, the black figures chasing after him. Strawberry shook out of her daze, running down the hall and screaming.

"SORA!SORA!SORA!SORA!SORA!"





"Its one freakin pony, is it really gonna take three of us to catch it?" one cloaked figure asked.

"Well it took out Axel without breakin a sweat."

"Yea but Axel's been fighting that worm for ages, maybe he was holdin back?"

"I doubt it. Hey where the hell did it go?" the figures turned to see the pony had vanished. Moments later the boom reached their ears, causing them to scream and cover their ears, giving Piper the opening he needed. The pegasus grunted in pain as a bolt landed in his side. Nothing could hit him at these speeds.

What had shot him? He rolled in the air as more bolts rained down toward him, catching a rapidly vanishing figure out of the corner of his eye. The figure smirked, aiming its crossbow at him and firing quickly. Piper rolled, throwing shards of ice in the way of the bolts, freezing several in mid-air as he dove for the ground, the figure chasing after him as well as the other three. This wasn't his first time in a situation like this and he doubted it would be his last. 

They wanted a door, he was gonna give them one. Piper pushed with all of his might, screaming against the wind as a second cone formed around him. The figure with the bolts was smart enough to back away, the other three were not as Piper vanished completely from sight, a hole ripping in the air and sucking them toward it.





"WHAT IS THAT THING?!" Sora yelled over the winds whipping about as everything was sucked into the tear in the air.

"THAT IDIOT BROKE THE SOUND BARRIER AND PUSHED BEYOND IT! HE'S SHATTERED THE LIGHT SPECTRUM! NOTHING SHOULD MOVE AT SPEEDS LIKE THAT! HE'S CREATED A BLACK HOLE! HOLD ONTO SOMETHING!" Dinky yelled, Sora watching as the three members of Organization XIII were sucked into the black hole kicking and screaming, moments later an orange pegasus hurtled through, the tear slowly sealing itself. 

Piper panted and grinned, grunting as a bolt slammed into his side, another quickly nailing his hoof to the ground. Piper pulled back, ripping his hoof and leaving the arrow in the ground. He hobbled backwards, fluttering his wings weakly as the figure appeared before him.

"Nice trick, I should thank you for getting rid of those three for me, they were starting to bug me. Now, we can do this the easy way, or the hard way."

"HOW ABOUT THIS WAY!?" Sora yelled, tackling the cloaked figure and placing his keyblade at his throat.

"Well well, what a surprise." The figure grinned, sinking into the ground and vanishing. Strawberry Swirl quickly ran over to Piper as he began yanking the bolts out of his body.

"Downside to all oth thith" he said around the bolt, grunting in pain as he ripped it out, spitting it out of his mouth.

"Can't heal with something in the way." he mumbled, ripping out another bolt and resting his now healed hoof down.

"Piper that was the most reckless thing I have ever seen! What was to stop that hole from sucking all of us in!?" Dinky fumed.

"Well none of you were suppose to be over here. And I doubt something like that would bother a Keyblade Master, he's the one I sent Berry to get. He knows these things better than I do." he said, kicking the still knocked out figure.

"No way...Axel?" Sora walked up to the figure, smacking away the black gunk with his keyblade. The figure gasped and sat up.

"GET THAT THING AWAY FROM ME!" he screamed, panting, his eyes wide in fear. He blinked, realizing he was staring at a pair of eyes he recognized, the body was different but there was only one person with those eyes.

"Roxas?" he asked. No, it wasn't Roxas.

"Sora?" the figure nodded and smiled.

"Geez Axel, what the heck are you doin here?"

"Its a long story...why the heck are you a horse?"

"Its...a long story..." they both blinked and fell into a fit of laughter.

"Ok wait a minute, this guy tried to hurt Piper and now you two are buddy buddy? Whats going on here?!" Strawberry demanded.

"We'll explain later. Right now we need to move. They know where we are and they know I'm here. I didn't want to do this but.." he turned toward Piper, pointing his keyblade at him. Piper bared his teeth and growled, frost clinging to his coat.

"Piper, relax, I'm not going to hurt you, this is for the best."

"I know exactly what that key of yours can do and I'm not standin still for it."

"I've caught things faster than you." Sora challenged.

"Oh yea?" Piper took off, Sora swearing under his breath and chasing after him.
> The other side of the coin Part 2
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Whats going on?" Spike asked. Amethyst pointed up. The drake looked up to see two blurry figures in the sky slamming into each other and chasing after one another. As he watched he realized one figure held a keyblade while the other carried a hoofblade, but something was off about it. 

Meanwhile in the air, a pegasus with bright yellow eyes roared as he charged the Keyblade master, the darkness within him surrounding his blade and bouncing off the keyblade as it tried to strike at him.

"Piper! You need to calm down, I don't want to hurt you!" Sora yelled.

"Yea right! If that's true then put away your keyblade!" the colt yelled back, the darkness seeming to grow around him.

"I can't do that Piper. I need to seal..."

"NO! You even think of touching me with that thing and it'll be the last thing you do. I know you've killed plenty of heartless, but have you ever killed a living, thinking creature? I have and I won't hesitate to do it again."

"That's my point Piper. The darkness is going to completely consume you. You have to let me help you." Sora said softly, trying to convince him before it was too late.

"I'll be fine on my own, I don't need your help and I don't need you swinging that keyblade in my face."

"I just want to make sure the Organization can't use you to get to Kingdom Hearts."

"Its not him you should be worried about Keyblade Master." both of them spun to find an orange pegasus wearing a black cloak, shards of ice floating around him, his eyes a dull grey and a grey stripe in his hair.

"Xipper." Piper growled, charging towards the pegasus. The Nobody grinned, throwing his hoof forward, shards of ice just barely missing Piper as he roared, slamming his blade forward, only to have it collide with a blade of ice attached to the Nobody's hoof.

"Come on, you gotta do better than that. I know all your moves. After all, we're the same."

"I'm not like you!" Piper blinked and flared his wings, throwing himself backwards as Sora's keyblade flew across where he had been moments ago, the edge of the keyblade clipping the black cloaked figures ice blade.

"This is what I was afraid of. Piper you've got to run!" Sora said, putting himself between Piper and the Nobody.

"This is my fight!" Piper argued.

"Look, you don't like me and I'm having a hard time liking you, but this is your Nobody, you can't kill it and it can't kill you. You two fighting won't get anyone anywhere. All he is going to do is wear you out so the others can take you."

"Heh, so you aren't a total idiot. It doesn't matter, its not like he's got much energy left. And I doubt you'll risk killing me Keyblade Master. Not while you might accidentally open the door." the figure grinned.

"Sora, he's right. If he really is Piper's Nobody then the two of them are exactly the same." Riku said, appearing out of the shadows behind the Nobody.

"I'M NOT LIKE HIM!" Piper yelled, growling loudly.

"Come on, they both know it, just admit it and quit fighting. Aren't you tired of fighting? We can stop the fighting and just let it all happen." The Nobody held out a hoof toward Piper, though the pegasus refused to accept it, thin bits of darkness drifting around him and slowly forming around him as he growled.

"Well that's interesting, I can't do that yet." the Nobody mumbled, watching as the darkness surrounded Piper, his eyes replaced with two massive yellow orbs, a split formed in the darkness, shaping into a mouth filled with jagged teeth, dripping with dark ooze, smoke drifting from it. 

"STOP IT!" Strawberry screamed from the ground below. The darkness shattered around Piper, leaving him staring at the air in shock as the mare's voice echoed in his mind. The Nobody grinned and rushed toward Piper, quickly knocked back by Riku and then by Sora.

"Riku, get him out of here, I'll handle this guy." Sora said, a massive gust of wind surrounding him for a moment. When it vanished, Sora stood there in mid-air in his human form, gripping his keyblade tightly. 

In place of his old clothes he now wore a long flowing white trenchcoat, but had chosen to keep his signature gloves, underneath he wore a black tunic with the Kingdom Crown etched into it in shining silver, his shorts matching the outfit, being pitch black with silver lines down the side. His hair had grown out and now stretched down below his neck and shoulders as he shifted his position, keyblade held at the ready.

"Alright Sora, but be careful, we don't know what he can do."

"NO! THIS IS MY FIGHT!" Piper yelled. Riku swung his hoof, catching Piper off guard and knocking him out cold.

"Sorry kid" Riku said, catching the pegasus before he could hit the ground.

"He's all yours Sora!" Riku called out, running off with Piper on his back, Strawberry chasing after him. The Nobody rushed after them, Sora cutting him off.

"I don't think so. You aren't going anywhere until I get some answers."

"Well ask away keyblade Master, I've got all the time in the world, well the next ten years it has left that is."





"Riku, please tell me whats going on. Is Piper going to be ok? what was that..thing that attacked him?" Strawberry asked quietly, her mane flat against her body.

"Its his Nobody, Piper had a powerful heart and when he became a heartless that Nobody was created."

"No not that, that dark stuff."

"Berry that wasn't attacking him." Riku said, stopping and looking around to make sure they hadn't been followed.

"That was the Darkness within him trying to take over. He got angry and was about to use that power on His Nobody." Riku explained quietly. He pushed a door open and walked inside, keeping the door open long enough for Strawberry to follow. 

"What is this place?" She asked, looking around at the massive room.

"Its a special chamber Celestia and the Doctor built for me. Its complicated to explain, but the easy explanation is this place hurts the darkness and keeps it from hurting us. Me and Piper that is." he quickly said.

"Can those meanies still get in here?" She asked as lights began to slowly flicker into life around them, illuminating the massive domed chamber.  Riku gently sat Piper down, stretching out his wings for a moment before turning his attention back to the Zebra.

"They can, but they'll be weaker if they do manage to get in and it'll be easier for us to take them on. I'm a bit worried how it will affect Piper though. That's why I need you to watch him and be ready to grab him."

"How long are we gonna be here?"

"Well...as long as it takes. Your friends should be on the way any minute with Nyx." The ground began to shake, Piper's eyes slowly opening. The pegasus weakly pushed to his hooves, his entire body shaking as he stumbled forward, lurching and choking as he vomited on the floor.

"Sorry Piper, it'll fade in a while but you have to stay here." Riku said. Piper turned to him, his eyes tinged yellow at the edges.

"Why can't you all get it through your heads? I don't need you to fight my fight. I can take that punk on, I've beaten him before and I'll do it again" He said weakly, wiping his mouth clean with a hoof.

"Piper, the last time you fought your Nobody, did he have any of the powers he has now?" Riku asked. Piper blinked and looked at his hoof, a small cut on it from the ice shard that had flown at him.

"No...he had a few abilities...but nothin like that."

"He's getting stronger, just like you are. The only way you can beat him now is if you can unlock your Keyblade." 

"Well how the buck am I gonna do that!?" Piper yelled. Riku chuckled, a sound that sent a chill down Pipers battle hardened spine. A massive wind surrounded Riku for a moment, as it vanished he stood in his human form, a long black cloak covering his bulky muscled form, his hair cut short and a pair of ethereal glowing wings on his back, a black dot sitting in the middle of his forehead where his horn had been.

"The old fashioned way."
> The End Begins
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

AUTHORS NOTE - I recommend reading this with the medium dark setting for text. Gives a bit of feeling to it. This chapter is somewhat half-assed as I'm half asleep, HA see..what I..did..there...AHEM. It'll probably be edited and have more added to it as the next update instead of a new chapter so keep an eye out for that. Anywhozits, enjoy the ''chapter''!




"Pinkie Pie, please watch after them." Nyx said, nudging her children towards the mare.

"No problem Nyxie, me an Braesey will keep an eye on them." The aging mare said with her signature smile.

"If its not too much trouble, could you keep an eye on Namine and Roxas as well? Sora is pretty tough but he's still a guy and he's bound to do something stupid." Kairi said with a small smile.

"Awww, but we wanna help too mom!" Roxas whined, Namine nodded and pouted up at her mother.

"I'm sorry but you two need to stay here." Kairi looked around and leaned down, whispering to them.

"I need you two to keep an eye on things here. Its a super special secret mission for the two of you. Do you think you two are tough enough to handle it?" she asked with a smile. The pair saluted.

"Of course we can!" they said together.

"I'm counting on you two." Kairi turned, nodding to Nyx.

"Riku is in his Training Chambers with Piper and Strawberry Swirl. The last I heard from him about Sora was that he was facing Pipers Nobody." Nyx quickly explained as the two mares took off down the hall, as they ran they came across Emerald and her brother, who were running back to warn the others of what was happening. 

A quick nod from Nyx told both of them everypony already knew, both skidding and turning to chase after their friend and mentor.

"Nyx, is Piper going to be alright? Emerald asked as they ran down the hall.

"To be honest Emy I'm not sure. I've never been in that chamber and the first time Riku came out of it he was...well...different." Nyx said worriedly. Amethyst kept quiet, other than a low growl in his throat. Emerald turned her head to look at him, noticing a strange magic field around him.

"Amy...are you ok?" the kirin stopped and spun, rushing into the gardens.

"Amethyst wait!" Nyx called, but the Kirin kept running, spreading his wings and taking to the air. It only took them a moment to spot the target of his rage. A figure resembling Piper with a grey streak in his mane. Sora blinked as the Kirin charged into Xipper, pinning him against a wall. Xipper only smiled.

"Come to kill me again friend? You seemed so eager to do it last time. Do you still hear my screams at night?"

"SHUT UP!" Amethyst threw his fist forward, gasping as a blast of magic sent him flying backwards, ice crawling across his body. The kirin slammed through a wall, skidding across the hallway he had landed in on his back, groaning quietly. Outside, the nobody dusted himself off, turning his attention to the keyblade that now sat against his throat.

"My, My, aren't we in a hurry?"

"Enough games. Talk." Sora said. The nobody sighed.

"Its like this Keyblade Master. This world is on a list, a very long list of worlds to be swallowed to feed Kingdom Hearts. We need the key first. In about ten years time this world will fall to darkness. Either way the door will come to us, some of us are just in a hurry and want it now. So you can let me go and give it to me now, or wait until they all suffer a fate worse than death for us to take it. Its up to you."

"This world will never fall to darkness. Not while I live and breath."

"Oh that is a shame isn't it?" Sora gasped and choked, blood dripping down his chin as something pierced through his back, he faintly heard Kairi scream his name as darkness filled his vision.





"COME ON!" Riku roared, flinging his keyblade at Piper who deftly rolled around it. He was slowing though, the chamber was sapping away his strength and little by little he could feel himself fading away. He scrambled backwards as the blade was stabbed into the ground in front of him. He couldn't think, couldn't react, his body moved on its on with the need to survive, to avoid the keyblade at all costs. 

NO! I have to stop running. I need to fight! the pegasus rolled, throwing out his wings as his hooves met the wall and began to run, tilting his wings and flapping them to keep him against the wall as he slowly began to pick up speed. The keyblade continued to zip past him, nearly clipping his wings with each throw. He needed to go on the offensive, needed to slow Riku down somehow.

The earth pony, he'll protect her, attack her and he'll leave himself open to protect her a voice rang out in his mind. He growled and shook his head.

"NEVER!" he yelled at the voice, leaving Riku to stare at him blankly. The pegasus roared and threw himself off the wall, directly at Riku, the last thing he expected. The two collided, rolling across the ground. Piper threw himself forward, grabbing the keyblade in his teeth and flapped his wings, ripping the blade from Riku's hand. He screamed as it began to glow and tumbled to the ground, clutching his face. When he moved his hooves again he was in total darkness. He stood slowly, his eyes scanning the area.

"Riku?...Berry? Anyone?!" he called out.

"Harmony?" though no one answered. He spun, hearing the sound of stone shifting and found pillars standing before him.

"A choice is to be made. Do you stand and fight as the pony you were born to be? Do you run away as the coward you once were? Do you accept the darkness? Do you accept the light? Not all is as it seems young pegasus and not all will lead to a happy ending. There cannot be happiness without suffering. Choose wisely." the voice seemed to fade away. It faintly reminded Piper of someone, but his mind refused to put the pieces together no matter how hard he tried. 

He walked forward, watching as objects began to manifest themselves upon the pillars. Slowly each one came down to his level, revealing the object it held. On one sat a glowing sphere of light, on another sat an orb of darkness. On the final one sat his hoofblade, but the tip held the shape of a key rather than the deadly edge he had grown accustomed to. He stepped toward the blade and blinked as it shifted for a moment. He wasn't sure what he had seen, it had happened too quickly.

Not all is at it seems the voice rang out again. He took a step back from the blade.

"This has to be the Keyblade I am meant to use...but..." he looked at the Sphere of Light and the Orb of Darkness.

"If not all is as it seems...I should stay away from it...right? I could use the light to bring happiness...but that would be too obvious...my only choice then..." he turned to the Orb of Darkness, walking up to it slowly.

"Is Darkness? Is that really my fate? Forever lost in the darkness of my own heart?" he chuckled at the thought. He didn't have a heart of his own. Not anymore. An image of his Nobody took form behind the orb and Piper growled. That smirk the Nobody wore. He held onto Pipers true heart. It was what he had used to constantly taunt him. He lowered his head, backing away from the pillar.

"I can't use any of this. All of it is useless!" he screamed, gasping in surprise as a loud CHINK filled the air. He stared at the ground, or rather, the object on the ground in front of him. There in front of his hooves lay a simple keyblade. He brushed his hoof against it and blinked, finding himself on his back, Riku standing over him with his keyblade at his throat. Piper growled low in his throat and swung his hoof to knock the blade away, surprised when he felt a blade around his hoof knock away the key. Piper rolled, standing on his hind hooves and flaring out his wings. Riku only chuckled, his keyblade vanishing. Slowly he began to clap.

"What? Are you impressed I escaped? I've fought for years Riku, you've spent that time being a pampered Prince while I've been suffering and killing!" He shouted angrily.

"Piper, look at your hoof." Riku said, his smile never leaving. Piper slowly let his eyes drift over to his hoof. There wrapped tightly around it and glowing with the brightest of lights, was his keyblade.
> And then nothing made sense
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

There it was. The thing he had sought for so many years. The object that would end it all and change him back to normal. The Keyblade. Harmony had told him when it appeared she would need him. But now that he had it, where was she? Piper shielded his face as a massive gust of wind filled the room, Riku falling to his hooves, an Alicorn once more. He stumbled a bit, Strawberry catching him.

"You said I'd need to catch Piper, not you silly."

"Sorry about that. I'm fine now, thank you." He stood against the zebra's protests and walked over to Piper.

"You now have a keyblade, but that doesn't make you a wielder. You are still a heartless Piper. The keyblade gains its strength from your heart and the bond it holds with the hearts of your friends. Without that its useless. Remember that." Piper looked at the keyblade, letting it vanish. He could still feel its weight around his hoof.

"Then what use is it?" he asked softly, making his way past Riku. He gave Strawberry a gentle peck on the cheek, a small smile and pushed the doors open, stepping outside and stumbling a bit before collapsing.

"PIPER!"





"SORA! NO!" Kairi screamed. She watched in horror as the dark tendril in his back flung him away from the nobody, his body skidding and rolling across the ground. Kairi flared her wings, tears in her eyes as her keyblade appeared. Nyx put a hoof on her shoulder and shook her head.

"Get to Sora. Emerald, get to Piper. I'll take care of this guy."

"Thank you Nyx..." Kairi rushed to Sora's side, nudging his cheek gently. His eyes slowly opened, dull and empty, though he wore a smile as he spotted her.

"Just hold on Sora." she said softly. He gave a weak nod, closing his eyes once more. Blood soaked his shirt and was beginning to soak into the grass below. Kairi placed her hoof on Sora's chest, her eyes glowing bright green as she began to heal him. She gasped as a dark cloaked figure appeared in front of her. He reached forward to grab her, grunting as a purple blur smashed into him. The two figures tumbled across the ground. A loud roar filling the air along with the sound of a crossbow being fired repeatedly.





"Oh..man my head..." Amethyst began to stir slowly, brushing the ice off his body with a claw absentmindedly. He peered through the hole in the wall, hoping Celestia wouldn't be too angry about it. Though as he looked he spotted a figure below reaching for Kairi.

"Oh no you don't!" he leapt through the hole, tackling the Nobody to the ground, leaping away as bolt after bolt struck the spot he had been in moments ago. He roared, letting forth a massive burst of multicolored flames, the figure leaping aside to avoid them.

"iejir ner caex!" The Kirin screamed as he sliced through his arm with his thumb, the blood rising in his magic and forming several spear-like weapons around him. His eyes glowed as the Ancient Dark Magic of the dragons of old surged through him. Spear after spear flew forward, blocked by the figure easily, though each block sent droplets of blood splattering around. Each drop that touched the figures coat formed into another spear, stabbing into him. 

The first found his knee, dropping him to the ground. The second found his wrist, making him drop his weapon. The third found his chest, pinning him to a wall. By now the dust cloud had vanished, Kairi watching in horror as the Kirin advanced on the Nobody.

"You have to stop!" She yelled. Amethyst never heard her as he took a spear in his claw, the blood forming around his arm, forming a blade. He slashed once and never looked back as the Nobody vanished in a circle of black flames, his head the last thing to go, laying several feet away.





Blade and ice met in the sky, again and again, magic struck magic and slammed into the walls around them, coating Celestia's castle in destruction and ice.

"Why Nyx? You know what its like, being lost in the darkness don't you? Your husband knows it to. I'd think you two would be trying to help me."

"You want to take this world for your own. You won't have it." The nobody sighed, dodging her blade and tapping his wrist with his hoof.

"It seems I'm out of time. The key has already appeared and the clock is ticking. We'll meet again Nyx, on another day." 

A corridor of darkness appeared behind the nobody who gave her a small smile before leaping through it. Nyx just stared in shock. Had he really just left after all that had happened?

"That doesn't make any sense? Whats the writer thinking?!" Strawberry yelled from below. Nyx shook her head, having no idea what the mare was going on about. It seemed no one did these days. She sighed as she landed, staring at Amethyst with wide eyes as he sat, coated in blood, a large gash in his arm.

"Amethyst! are you alright?"

"I'm fine." he said coldly, wincing as Emerald hugged him. She mumbled a few words under her breath, the gash closing instantly, steam rising from the scar. Strawberry walked over to Kairi, placing Piper down on the ground beside Sora. Emerald rushed over to help Kairi, Amethyst testing his now healed arm.

"Amethyst..."

"Its ok Nyx. I didn't mean to be a jerk. Its the magic talking." he rubbed his head.

"Its why Draconic magic isn't a practiced art anymore." He mumbled, watching his sister heal Sora and then Piper. He smiled a little. The Darkness of their kind couldn't touch her. She was too kind, too pure to be touched by such darkness.





Kairi sighed in relief as Sora opened his eyes again, placing a hand on his chest.

"Damn...this is my favorite shirt." he mumbled. He looked over at Emerald as Kairi facehoofed. His eyes went wide for a moment as he sat up, placing a hand on the Kirins' head gently.

"You have a pure heart..." he said softly. The kirin blushed slightly at the alien touch of a human hand and the kind words.

"Thank you.." She said softly, turning her attention back to Piper.

"Perhaps you and your friends can drag his from the darkness." Emerald blinked, looking at Sora who placed a hand on Pipers head. Sora chuckled quietly as Pipers eyes opened.

"Congrats, you're a keyblade wielder." Sora said softly. Piper merely groaned, rolling onto his side. He closed his eyes once more.

"She isn't there...why isn't she there?" he said almost to himself.

"I don't know Piper. You tell me." Sora said simply. The pegasus sat up and pushed past him.

"Come on..." he muttered. The group exchanged glances before following Piper who seemed to be wandering Aimlessly, dragging more ponies with him as he went.





Piper threw the doors open to Celestia's throne room, gathering ponies on the way there and sitting in front of Celestia's throne. The massive crowd talked amongst themselves, wondering what they had been called here for.

"Listen up everypony! War is coming." collective gasps filled the air.

"The gryphons will march on Canterlot and attempt to take control of the Elements of Harmony. And on that day, Canterlot will fall."
> The Return
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The crowd began to panic, shouting and stomping their hooves. They called him a liar, they believed Canterlot would never fall, not while Celestia protected them. Piper pointed a hoof at the throne

"AND JUST WHERE IS YOUR BELOVED PRINCESS?!" He yelled at them. The crowd fell silent as all realized Celestia was absent. Luna and Twilight were also nowhere to be seen.

"Those of you who wish to stand and fight, do so. Everyone else, gather what you can, take your families and friends, and take shelter in the Everfree Forest."

"We can't go in there!" a pony yelled

"We'll be eaten by Timberwolves!" another screamed in terror

"WOULD YOU RATHER BE SLAUGHTERED BY GRYPHONS!?" Piper screamed, silencing the hall once more.

"The Gryphons attack will begin sometime between now and three years." Piper began to explain

"Why don't we just attack first?!" a pony yelled from the crowd.

"Celestia believes this can be solved peacefully. She thinks I'm wrong. She refuses to see reason from me, her perfect little soldier who has fought war after war for her. But that doesn't matter...What matters is as many of you survive as possible. You can heed my words of warning and take shelter, or you can trust your princess who can't even address you on this matter and stay here to die." Piper walked away from the throne, the crowd parting for him as he walked through them. 

He stopped as Shining Armor blocked his path, a battalion of guards behind him. While the years had touched the Stallions mane and tail, adding in streaks of lustrous gray and silver, he still seemed to be the young Captain-Commander of the guard everypony knew.

"The Royal Guard will always protect Canterlot against any threat no matter the cost. If there is even a chance what you say is true, we will stand and fight."

"No, you need to protect these ponies. They are too stubborn and stupid to run for safety." Shining Armor smiled a little, placing a hoof on Pipers shoulder.

"We'll do both."

"We'll need to find the Princess' first." Piper said softly, Shining Armor nodded, turning to one of the guards. The stallion wore Celestia's Enchanted Armor, his wings spreading wide as his commander eyed him. He, like all the other Stallions who wore the Armor, appeared young and powerful, his coat white, his mane and tail blue and a determined look in his eye. The pony vanished in a bright light, returning only moments later with a hoof against Celesta's side. The Princess glared at the guard who merely gave her a smile, taking his place next to Shining Armor.

"Why did you vanish Tia? They need to know."

"They are not ready, I could not face them yet..." Piper stomped his hoof and glared at her.

"You couldn't face them. You, Princess Celestia who has 'guarded' them for so many years couldn't tell them they would have to run for safety?" He asked in a hushed whisper. Celestia hung her head, Twilight and Luna appearing on either side of her in a panic. They both let out a sigh of relief seeing where they were.

"Thank goodness. We've been trying to get her to come back. One moment she was with us and the next she was gone." Twilight explained.

"Heh, she could never say no to him." Shining mumbled, pointing a hoof at the Guard who had retrieved her. The pony remained silent, standing at attention.

"Why?" Twilight asked, looking at the guard.

"It is not important Twilight. What is important is...Piper is right." Celestia said, stepping forward.

"Ponies of Canterlot, it is with great regret that I order you to retreat to the Abandoned Castle."





Shining Armor chose his most trusted soldiers to begin the evacuation, taking all civilian ponies safely through the Everfree forest and to shelter. Meanwhile, the remaining ponies gathered around Piper and their Princess'.

"Piper, how can you be sure Canterlot will fall?" Emerald asked.

"I'm curious as well, there seems to be much we do not understand about you." Kairi spoke up, Sora resting against her. Though Emeralds magic had pulled him from the edge there still seemed to be something bothering him. Riku remained completely silent, lost in thought with Nyx by his side. Piper looked around at all of his friends and family, his eyes stopping on Melody. 

"You should have left with them. You and our parents. Its too late now." He sighed and closed his eyes, barely feeling Strawberry's hooves around him. 





Piper opened his eyes, finding himself in a tent. His body felt cold. He placed a hoof over his chest, feeling another scar and a faint heartbeat.

"You've awoken, thank goodness..." Piper looked over, seeing Celestia. He winced as he sat up.

"What..happened?" he asked, putting a hoof against his head, everything coming back to him in a flash.

"Cherry!...I...I couldn't..." he stared at his hooves and screamed, slamming them into the cot he sat on, the blow smashing it clean in two. Celestia coughed, waving away the dust and walked over to Piper who just sat there, staring at his hooves which now sat embedded in the ground.

"All of this strength...this strange power...this 'blessing' and I couldn't even save one little filly." he muttered.

"Loyalty..please."

"Piper..." he said softly.

"What?"

"My name...its Piper. I don't deserve to be called Loyalty." he said, leaving the tent.





Dinky glared at Piper.

"You told her?!" she yelled. Amethyst placed a claw on her shoulder.

"Dinks, we're all still here aren't we? Does it matter that he said anything?" he asked, surprising Dinky with how calm he was.

"I...suppose so, but what if something was changed?" 

"Its a bit late for all of that now, don't you think?" Nova asked. The Alicorn kept stealing glances at the Guard who had remained with Shining Armor. Eventually the Captain took action.

"Keep looking at him like that and he might think you have a thing for him." He said teasingly before clearing his throat.

"Princess." he added quickly.

"Shiny, you don't have to be formal with us, you know that." Twilight said with a sigh.

"Heh...sorry Twily. Old habits die hard." the stallion chuckled.

"We're gettin' off topic again." Sunburst spoke up.

"There's too much to explain and not enough time." Piper said with a sigh.

"Most of what happened next is a blur. The Gryphon King was dead, but the war wasn't over. It had only just begun."





"Wait!" Celestia called after him. He stood upon a hill, looking out into the distance where the Gryphon camp lay.

"Tell me what happened." he said quietly.

"We...went after you. We couldn't match your speed and we arrived too late. When we finally did reach you we found you and...and Monoclos in a ditch..."

"I killed him." He said in a monotone. She stared at him in shock.

"And he killed Cherry Blossom." his voice wavered for a moment.

"Right in front of me. I was useless. I am useless."

"That's not true!" Celestia stomped her hoof.

"Everytime I have needed you, you have been there for me Loy...Piper." his ears stood up for a moment as he heard her speak his name. It was comforting. He didn't want to be comforted. He wanted to simply let himself wallow in his sadness. Though the heart that beat in his chest continued to fill him with warmth. Annoying, comforting, tear jerking warmth. Celestia placed a hoof on his shoulder.

"I am not sure what is going on to be honest...I am afraid." She admitted to him. Piper closed his eyes and hung his head for a moment. Listening to the heart beat. As long as that heart was beating, Cherry Blossom was alive. As long as he could breath, he would protect it. And right now that meant he had a war to fight. He stood, gently brushing away Celestia's hoof.

"Prepare the Soldiers." he said softly, leaving to fetch himself a hoofblade and armor. Although none had been shed, he could already smell blood in the air.





"The war continued...a New King arose, more ruthless than the last. Each time I killed one, another took his place. Thirteen. Thirteen horrible rulers. The fourteenth saw reason when I entered his camp. It was then the Treaty between Ponies and Gryphons came to be. If you take a look at it you'll see my name on the bottom corner." He said with a small smile. Twilight, having read the treaty a thousand times over, pulled it out from a nearby shelf and scanned the page, her eyes wide as she spotted it. Right there at the bottom in tiny, messy hoofwriting. Piper the Loyal.





"They will not like this." King Artois muttered.

"We will have peace or we will have more death. This is the best course of action to take." Celestia said softly. Piper stood nearby at attention. He wouldn't hesitate to take the kings head. He had done it so many times before. It would be easy to do it again, especially if it meant protecting Celestia.

"Piper." Celestia called to him. He saluted, bringing a smile to her face.

"Would you sign this please?" she asked with a gentle smile, surprising the pegasus as well as the Gryphon King.

"Princess! He is but a soldier!" The king argued.

"Monoclos made that same mistake" Piper spoke softly, though his words held the weight of the world to the current Gryphon King. Piper walked forward, taking the quill in his hoof and thought for a moment of what he should write. Warmth filled him from the heart that beat in his chest and without thinking he wrote three simple words. Piper the Loyal. He gasped, holding his head in pain and dropped the quill. Celestia moved to help him, but her hoof only touched air, the pegasus having vanished.





"That was a terrifying moment...I didn't know what to think. For awhile I had thought you abandoned me." Celestia confessed. Piper chuckled. The princess looked at him in shock, wondering what was funny

"I'm sorry, its just ironic. Harmony pulled me away from you then and she's abandoned me now."

"My mother is responsible?"

"She's responsible for all of this! For everything!" Piper yelled, stomping his hoof and cracking the tiled floor. A yellow ring slowly took form around the edges of his eyes. He saw their worried faces and took a slow breath, the yellow fading away.

"From beginning to end, all of it has been her doing." he said softly as he took his seat once more.





Again he found himself in the empty white nothingness that was Harmony's realm, the Alicorn standing before him with a small smile.

"You've done well Piper. The treaty has been signed and peace will last in Equestria." The pegasus stood slowly, his head still throbbing.

"So...what? That's it? I can go home now?" he asked with hope in his voice. Harmony shook her head sadly. A brown cloak appeared around Piper, covering his armor and hoofblade. He sighed knowing what was coming next.

"I am afraid not Piper...there is still much to do and not much time." Another hole opened in the air. Piper glared at it and turned to Harmony.

"How long do you plan to use me before I go home?" he asked. Harmony had no answer and he didn't wait around for one, leaping through the hole and taking a look at his new surroundings. Everything was dark.

He figured it must be the middle of the night and began walking, listening for anything that might attack and searching for whatever he had been sent here for. His ears flicked as he heard a familiar noise. His mind struggled to remember what it was as he looked around and in the distance he spotted it as its door swung open and a voice filled the air.

"Welcome to Equestria, Ten thousand years ago"
> The Past, The Present, The Future Part 1
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Piper let what he had just told them sink in, Dinky being the first to understand

"It was you! I knew it!" She said triumphantly.

"Dinks, the rest of our brains don't work that fast, do you mind explaining?" Amethyst said. The unicorn smiled.

"Don't you see? When Piper vanished all those years ago and met back up with us, when that strange pony saved us from the Heartless near Discords Chamber, when we saw that pony impaled and then walk it off like it was nothing, THAT WAS PIPER!" She exclaimed, pointing to Piper.

"Wait...so...Piper was protecting us that whole time?" Honeycrisp asked, looking over at him.

"Not the whole time. I was watching for the most part and trying to find a way to change what happened." Piper said with a sigh.





He watched as the group walked out of the TARDIS and couldn't help but smile. There he was, before Cherry Blossom was taken from him, before he had become an empty shell that clung to a heart of another. Before he had fought and killed hundreds of Gryphons and thirteen of their kings. Before he had died. All he had to do was somehow find a way to save himself and everything would go back to normal, wouldn't it?

"No...I'd have to stop myself in the future. I'd have to stop Rainbow from saving me. I'll have to find a way back there." he thought aloud, using the shadows to follow after the group. He froze as guards surrounded his friends and his past self. Another smile spread across his face as he watched his past self stand up against the guards. 

He had been so naive back then. Such a tactic in a real battle was asking to be killed. Had the guards decided to fight back he might have died right there. But he wasn't alone, he had Emerald who had rendered the guards weapons useless, and then Celestia broke up the argument and the group began the march to the camp. 

He sat down, putting a hoof against his chin in thought. If he was already here, why did Harmony send him back here? What did he need to do? Was she giving him a chance to prevent all that had happened? That didn't make any sense.

"Something troubling you?" a voice spoke up. Piper blinked, drawing his hoofblade and spinning in search of the voice. There in front of him, stood himself, wearing the same cloak and holding the same blade. But his clone was different, there was a streak of grey in his mane.

"Who...are you?" Piper asked.

"Well, you could say I'm you." The pony grinned, his eyes fading to a shimmering silver.

"Only stronger." Piper gasped as the pony leapt at him. He rolled out of the way, raising his blade to defend against a swipe, slashing with his wing and grinning as the pegasus leapt away, standing on his hind hooves and beating his wings quickly to hover.

"You might be me, but you don't have the experience I do." Piper said, taking a slow breath to help him clear his mind.

"Oh you believe that don't you?" the doppelganger said with a grin of his own, vanishing into thin air. Piper blinked and flicked his ears, listening for the pony. He gasped, feeling a blade slide through the back of his throat, poking out in front of him. He gasped and wheezed for air, only achieving a loud gurgling noise as blood poured down from his neck, grunting as the pegasus slammed a hoof on his back and ripped the blade from his throat. Piper fell clutching his throat with his hooves.

"You're weak. You killed a bunch of useless weaklings and look at you now! You couldn't even keep up with my speed. WORTHLESS!" Piper grunted as the pegasus kicked him in the side, sending him into a tree. He wheezed and groaned, blinking as the cloak wrapped around his throat, holding it closed and allowing air to fill his lungs. He stood slowly, his vision blurred and his knees shaking. He backed himself up towards a nearby tree as the pegasus advanced on him.

"Oh, so you can still stand and fight. Good. I was afraid this was a waste of time."

"Who are you?" Piper wheezed. Frost clinging to his mane. The pegasus before him only grinned with a dark light in his eyes.

"My name, is Xipper." the figure vanished again, appearing in front of him, the tip of his blade between Pipers eyes. Piper didn't even have time to blink before the blade was pushed forward, but at the same time a spear of ice shot up, slamming into Xippers' wings. 

Piper weakly reached for the blade, pulling it free from between his eyes. The hood of his cloak lifting itself and hiding his face. He could feel magic working its way down the bridge of his nose, knitting the flesh back together and holding it there. Xipper chuckled.

"Well...I wasn't expecting that..." It was Pipers turn to chuckle as he stumbled backwards, leaning against the tree. It wasn't the first time someone had gone for his brain, but each time was more horrible than the last.

"I couldn't keep track of you, but you'd have to attack from the front with the tree in the way...I did see the dust. Unlike me, you're a weak flyer. You've got ground speed." Piper laid his head back, his wheezing slowing as his throat repaired itself. He closed his eyes, focusing on keeping Xipper high in the air on the end of the ice spear.

"I wonder...do you heal like I do?" Piper asked, icicles forming in the air and slamming into Xipper who gasped and coughed, blood dripping down his chin. Despite it all he laughed.

"Might want to be careful with those...you wouldn't want to lose your heart forever would you?" Xipper asked softly. Piper looked up at him, his eyes wide.

"How do you..."

"Because, you gave it to me!" with that he vanished as a hole of darkness appeared and swallowed him. Piper sat there, staring at the blood covered ice. His heart. That pegasus had his heart.





"That bastard came at me out of thin air, told me he had my heart and then ran away. And he's only getting stronger and stronger. That's why I have to defeat him myself. I have to earn my heart back." Piper said softly. Riku smiled.

"I understand." he said with a nod. Nyx blinked, looking at Riku.

"You understand? How can you understand?! You said so yourself, he can't beat that thing and it can't beat him!" She yelled.

"Nyx, its not a matter of if he can beat him. Its a matter of he has to beat him. It was the same when I was being controlled by Ansem. But even then I had Sora's help. I understand you need to beat him Piper, but a helping hoof isn't something to ignore. I won't get in the way, but I won't just stand back either." The two shared a small smile.

"I realized then what Harmony had sent me back there for. Xipper had gone there to stop us from defeating Discord, and Harmony had sent me there to stop him."





The pegasus weakly made his way through the ruined trees, their leaves having died long ago due to the lack of sunlight and rain. It was a sad sight and one he tried to ignore as he searched blindly for Celestia's camp. He paused at the edge of the forest.

"If I go to the camp I'll bump into myself. I don't remember seeing myself at the camp..." his eyes widened.

"But I did come across that pegasus...after..." He winced, remembering the incident back then that had separated him from his friends. The cloud clipping his wing and his plummet into the forest. He looked out across the dead fields, that would only be in a few days time from now. He had to be there to save himself. Maybe he could keep it from happening. Maybe...

"No..." he sighed and let his weariness take over, collapsing and falling asleep instantly. He yawned, finding himself in front of Harmony once more.

"Why?" he asked quietly.

"The one called Xipper, he is your Nobody. It was because of he that you and your friends had to journey back to help my sisters. But it is you who will stop him from changing the past. It has already happened, you know it to be true. Now you must ensure the timeline is not altered. I am putting a great deal of trust in you Piper." The pegasus said nothing for a moment, merely looking up at the Alicorn as he let his mind push in the final piece of the puzzle.

"You knew this whole time. This entire BUCKING time, you knew. You knew Grandma Dash would die, you knew I would sacrifice myself for her, you knew I would go after Cherry Blossom and YOU KNEW I WOULD FAIL!" He screamed at her.

"All this time...you knew all of it." He stood and began walking through the empty white void.

"Piper...where are you going?" she asked softly.

"Nowhere obviously"





He forced himself to stay calm.

"It wasn't simply that she had known. She is responsible for all that has happened. From the creation of the Elements, to Discord roaming free, to our birth and so much more." He said quietly.

"B...But how? Harmony said it herself, she cannot touch our realm without causing.." Twilight began.

"Chaos?" Piper asked, raising an eyebrow. As the word left his mouth his body flickered between his heartless form and his pony form.

"What do you see around you now Princess? A war is about to begin and the only hope to stop it is a child who has no heart and has been forced through wars he never should have seen."

"No..I refuse to believe my mother is behind all of this suffering. Surely she only meant well." Celestia spoke up. Piper chuckled.

"Yea, she meant well when she started. But then she screwed up and kept trying to fix her mistakes, but the more she interfered the more she screwed up, so when she saw the chance, she snagged me."





Harmony followed Piper in silence as he marched through the void of white, waiting for his body to recover.

"Why me?" Piper eventually asked.

"It could only be you Piper. No one else had a heart strong enough to withstand what must be done. Amethyst cracked and become an empty shell of himself. Strawberry was far too fragile and couldn't raise her hoof to cause harm to anyone or anything. Emerald..." Harmony paused.

"Tell me." Piper said, holding back his anger.

"She failed miserably and took her own life...The twins were no better and further down the line it was always the same. Each pony meant well but was not up to the task. But then there was you. A pony who was born to sacrifice himself for others."

"I did what had to be done."

"Exactly Piper. Without you urging him on Amethyst would have never completed the spell to save Rainbow Dash. He would have cracked and undone the spell. You know it to be true. And Emerald..."

"Emeralds heart was too fragile for something like that and no matter how strong she becomes she will always be that wonderful soft little Kirin. Its what makes her who she is." Piper finished, chuckling a little.

"I was born to die." He turned his head, glancing at his Cutie mark.

"True Loyalty...what does it even mean?"

"That is not what your Cutie mark means Piper." Harmony spoke up. He raised an eyebrow, looking at her from the corner of his eye.

"Luna told me herself..."

"She misinterpreted it Piper. Your special talent is not being Loyal. It is true that when it comes down to it you choose what is best for your friends rather than what is best for you, but that is not a talent. Anypony can do such a thing."

"Well why can't 'anypony' be your bucking dog and ran your sun-cursed errands?" he muttered under his breath. Harmony remained silent, as if waiting for something. Piper sighed.

"What does it mean?" he asked.

"Sacrifice. When you first earned your Cutie mark, what happened?" She asked him.

"We had just defeated Discord, then all I remember is being in pain and leaving my friends and family."

"You sacrificed what little energy you had left to ensure Discord could not wreak chaos in Equestria."

"Congrats by the way." a voice rang out, the god of chaos himself appearing before them.

"Not now Discord..." Harmony said through gritted teeth.

"Oh come now Harmony. You've been hogging this place for centuries and i'm getting bored." Piper growled, glaring at Discord.

"YOU! THIS IS YOUR FAULT!" he yelled, pointing an accusatory hoof at Discord.

"Me?! How is any of this my fault?"

"When you attacked..."

"Your dear old grandmother threw herself in front of it. Sacrificing herself for a pony she dearly loved and in turn you did the same. And for the oh so simple record, I wasn't quite myself then. Those friends of yours in the cloaks are more powerful than they look." he muttered angrily, crossing his arms.

"You...you were being controlled?" Harmony asked in shock.

"FINALLY she listens to reason! Ugh, blech, don't ever make me do that again." Discord said, disgusted with himself.

"Wait...Being controlled? By what?" Piper asked, confused.

"By the very thing you're becoming little puppet." Discord said with a sly grin.

"Discord!" Harmony glared at him.

"I want an explanation." Piper stepped forward as he spoke, blinking as Discord poked his muzzle

"And one you'll have, but you have more pressing matters. Like that Nobody of yours about to wreak havoc across the time-line. I'll leave you with a gift and we'll chat later." Discord snapped his claws, Pipers cloak glowing dimly.

"Its now infused with my magic. Should you will it you can tap into this power so long as you wear this cloak, just try not to overdo it."

"Why would you give me anything? whats the catch?"

"The catch? I'm the God of chaos and the unexpected! what point would there be to that if I explained EVERYTHING!?" with another snap of his claws Piper found himself awake at the edge of the forest. He could feel the magic of the cloak wrapping around him, filling his mind with knowledge of its ancient abilities. He sighed quietly and began marching forward, he wasn't sure where to, but a gut feeling in his stomach told him there was somewhere he needed to be.





"So this cloak holds both the powers of Harmony and Discord?" Twilight asked, brushing her hoof against the fabric. She suddenly felt sick, flinching away from the cloak.

"Yes..." Piper said slowly.

"I...Its so unstable...how..." Twilight just stared at the pegasus, wondering how he could stand to be in constant contact with such a horrible thing. Piper stretched his wings a bit, seeming unaware of the uneasiness the cloak was emanating. He yawned and blinked as Strawberry nuzzled his cheek.

"Piper, you should get some rest." She mumbled quietly.

"I'm fine Berry. Besides, this is important." the Zebra sighed and nodded, letting him continue his story.





He had spent the past few days simply watching and waiting. Always with the cloak hiding him in the shadows. He couldn't help but smile when he saw all of his friends create a massive forest and when Strawberry began dancing about and singing. Then his horrible mistake. The Sonic Boom echoed for miles and would definitely draw Discords attention. Piper stretched as Discords creatures appeared around him, snarling with drool dripping from the malformed mouths. Years ago he was able to ignore what they were and simply use his magic to be rid of them. 

But now, as they rushed towards him, he drew his hoofblade and swung once, his eyes shifting to a bright yellow as an arc of dark energy whipped through them, cutting them into ribbons. He let out a slow breath and rushed onto the battlefield, keeping his hood up to hide his face and his wings tucked against his side. This was where he belonged, this was his home now, among the screaming and the killing. It was here that he could let himself go and just be. He panted a little, realizing the creatures were retreating. A glance upwards revealed that his past self was chasing after Discord.

"No...NO NO NO NO NO!" Piper rushed after his past self and Sunburst. He would have to be quick, but a sonic boom would draw too much attention to himself. He used the forest as cover, flying low against the ground and watching the two ponies from below. The instant the cloud clipped Pipers wing he took action, zipping between the trees and catching the wounded pegasus. 

He let out a soft sigh of relief, gently setting him down. He could hear Sunburst sobbing above him and had to stop himself from comforting her. He wasn't sure what would happen if anypony discovered he was here, but something in the back of his mind continued to scream at him to stay hidden. He sighed, looking down at himself. Now was his chance to change his fate, to set things right, to save himself. He nudged the pegasus gently

"Come on, get up. You're stronger than this." his ears twitched, the sound of the TARDIS landing not far off. He lifted his head in time to see Dinky stepping out of the TARDIS. He smiled and chuckled to himself. He really did miss her and everyone else. He nodded towards her and she blinked. 

Of course she wouldn't recognize him, and if she did she would probably scold him for being here. He flicked his wings open, feeling the power of the cloak flow through him, dust spinning around him and covering him and the sleeping Piper in a cloak of shadow, hiding them from view as the dust settled. He watched as Dinky was pulled back into the TARDIS by Amethyst and they left to go after Sunburst and Discord.





"AHA! I knew I wasn't crazy! I did see you didn't I?" Dinky said with a wide smile. Piper rolled his eyes and nodded.

"Dinky, you already knew, what about whe.." Piper blinked as her hoof covered his mouth, everyone staring at the unicorn. She cleared her throat.

"I...haven't mentioned that..." she murmured. Piper raised an eyebrow, giving her a flat look as he pushed her hoof away and stood.

"You didn't tell them anything?" he asked softly. She gave a slow nod.

"Not even that I was alive?"

"I thought it was for the best, Piper. I've seen.."

"Be quiet." he said softly. He didn't say it with anger, or even in a scolding tone. It was a comforting voice but strangely it was enough to silence her. He turned away from her as he continued.

"'I've seen' Is not an excuse Dinky. The Princess' knew what was coming for us and told us nothing and look where we are now. You had a chance to comfort years of suffering and you tucked it away because you saw something you shouldn't have."

"Piper, you don't understand, I'm not suppose to interfere, I'm not suppose to know which means they aren't suppose to know. I wasn't suppose to see you then." Piper spun and glared at her, finding Amethyst in his path. The kirin's face was blank as he stared down the pegasus.

"She did what she thought was right. I don't have a clue in Tartarus what you two are going on about but I can guess it didn't end well." Emerald sighed, lifting the two of them in her magic and holding them upside down. She turned to Piper first with a small smile.

"Piper, you saved me all those years ago when we were training even though you got hurt. You fought so hard and you were so brave and you've done so much more and given up so much between now and then. You've seen things I can only imagine and I'm sure you learned a lot along the way. I'm sure you of all ponies know that when a pony has something they have to do, they do it, no matter the cost. I have been keeping it to myself, but I have been having Night Terrors and I know what Dinky saw. She kept her mouth shut for a good reason. One word, that's all it would take. One word in the wrong place could bring about more destruction than even you've seen Piper." the pegasus remained silent as he was lectured, the younger kirin turning to face her brother.

"Quit with the guardian act and just ask Dinky on a date already. We're all getting sick of you two avoiding each other." both Kirin and Unicorn blushed, clearing their throats and looking away from one another. Emerald sighed and shook her head, dropping them from her magical hold and sitting down once more.

"Alright, so I get that everything would fall apart if somepony said the wrong thing. But how would saying "Piper is Alive and coming back" bring about destruction?" Piper asked.

"Because we weren't meant to know yet. When I took Penny Apple and Hayseed away in the TARDIS we rewrote history and so secrets had to be kept." Dinky spoke up, wincing as the Twins glared at her.

"An we're gettin tired o' lyin t' everypony. If Ma an pa found out they'd tan our hides!" Penny yelled, crossing her hooves. Her sister nodding her agreement.

"Maybe nows the time to get everything out into the open?" Honeycrisp asked. Everypony looked at one another for a moment and nodded.

"Let Piper finish first. I think everything will be understood then." Dinky said, taking her seat next to Amethyst. Riku stood and stretched. 

"Actually, I think now is a good time to take a break everypony. Lets not dwell on the past for now. You have your friend back, enjoy what time you have together while you have it." He said, smiling at Nyx. 

"Oh, and maybe get to know your mare a little better." He said, winking at Piper then at Amethyst. Both Kirin and Pegasus trying to argue as the Alicorn chuckled, leaving with his wife and children. Emerald nudged Amethyst toward Dinky with a brush of magic and Strawberry practically pounced on Piper, the room being filled with laughter. Kairi took the chance to walk Sora out of the room, heading to a room that had been given to them.

"Should we tell them?" Kairi asked. Sora shook his head weakly.

"No...not yet. They have Ten Years. Let them enjoy it."
> The Past, The Present, The Future Part 2
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Strawberry sighed softly, watching as Piper slept. When he had first dozed off he had been kicking fitfully and kept apologizing, though he finally calmed down when she laid down beside him. 

Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle sat with her, watching the pegasus.

"So, have you told him yet?" Sweetie Belle asked with a knowing smile. Strawberry blushed and cleared her throat. She hadn't thought anypony had figured her out yet.

"Well...we haven't really had time to talk about it and I didn't wanna just drop it on top of him what with all the fighting and the storytelling and..." she stopped ranting as Scootaloo shoved her hoof into her mouth.

"Sometimes I forget you're Pinkies daughter. Listen Berry, you know he loves you and you love him. Just let him know and I'm sure he'll be happy." The pegasus mare said with a smile. Strawberry looked down at Piper, smiling as he rested his head against her. 

She brushed her hoof over one of the scars on his face and sighed.

"No...he'd just feel worse and he'd get hurt keeping me safe. I can't put him through that and I shouldn't have in the first place." Sweetie sighed in frustration and rolled her eyes.

"Berry, when me an Scoots were your age a lot of ponies didn't believe in our relationship and it was hard. I couldn't stand seeing her get hurt and it was the same for her, it didn't help our situation that we were helping Nyx protect Ponyville. But because we love each other we found a way to make it work and eventually everypony just accepted or ignored us." Sweetie said, giggling as Scootaloo blushed.

"I don't understand." Strawberry spoke up, looking between them. Sweetie Belle sighed and put a hoof on Strawberry's shoulder.

"My point is, no matter what, you have to listen to your heart. What is it telling you Berry?" She asked softly. The zebra looked down at Piper once more, nuzzling his cheek.

"Its telling me that he deserves to know he's going to be a dad."





The two sat awkwardly next to one another outside of Canterlot as the snow gently fell. Dinky's breath filled the air with a light fog and she began to shiver as a breeze drifted by. The kirin next to her watched for a moment as the snow clung to her coat, the way her chest slowly heaved with each breath, the way she held herself even against the cold. 

His sister was right, he loved this mare and now was his chance to show it. Amethyst wrapped his wing around the unicorn gently and exhaled slowly through his nose, filling the air around them with steam. Dinky smiled and blushed lightly, nudging his wing gently.

"Thanks..."

"Don't mention it." again the two sat in silence, watching the snow fall in the comfort of one another. Amethyst decided to break the strange silence, turning to face the unicorn.

"Dinks...about what Emy said."

"Its ok Amethyst. She's your sister, she's bound to say things like that." She said with a laugh, dismissing the thought with a wave of her hoof. She reminded herself that siblings had a way of trying to embarrass one another in situations like that and it only made sense Emerald would use such a tactic to calm her brother.

"That's not what I meant Dinks. I kinda...do like you." he said, turning away. She blinked and turned her attention back to him, struggling to keep her jaw from hitting the ground. She had never seen Amethyst like this. True he always spoken his mind and he had always spoken the truth, but she had never seen him so unsure of himself. He turned back, speaking quickly.

"Dinks I love y.." he stopped, his eyes wide as Dinky's lips met his. The awkward kiss lasted only a moment, but that was enough. Dinky slowly pulled away, her hoof on the Kirin's chin as she looked into his eyes.

"Amethyst Darastrix Shrike, I never thought I'd see the day." she said, shaking her head. The kirin chuckled and grabbed her hoof. Again silence filled the air, but no words were needed between the two as they huddled for warmth in the moonlight. Not too far away, a Princess of the night shared a smile with her wife.





"Whats it like being a pony all the time?" Kairi asked. Riku chuckled.

"Well, its pretty normal. Hooves don't work the way you'd think they would in this world." He said, lifting a cup in his hoof for a moment to demonstrate.

"I'll admit, it took me a while to figure that out. I kept thinking of them as hooves instead of hands. I had some help though." He said with a wink, Nyx blushing brightly and punching his shoulder.

"Shush." the friends shared a laugh, all but Sora who sat at a nearby window, gazing outside and watching the snow fall. Kairi sighed and nudged Roxas gently. The colt yawned and looked up at his mother.

"Yea mom?" he asked tiredly.

"Can you go comfort your father? He needs a visit from the tickle monster." she whispered. The colt grinned and nodded, sneaking up on Sora before leaping into the air, pouncing his father and quickly joined by Namine, the two of them bringing him to the ground in a fitful mess of hooves and laughter. Kairi sighed in relief, watching as he played and laughed with their children. It seemed everything was back to normal, for now at least.





Alone in their room lay an Alicorn and a Kirin, held tight in the others embrace upon the bed they shared. They had been through so much together, and now they faced even more challenges.

"Emy...what are we gonna do?" Nova asked softly. The kirin closed her eyes.

"I'm not sure Nova...We'll figure something out. We can't change what will happen, we can only take action when it does happen." She replied. Nova sighed and rested her head against Emerald's shoulder.

"And what about the foal? Is it right to bring a child into the world at a time like this?"

"Don't even think like that! We've both wanted this for so long and we've waited so long to have it. A family, our family." Emerald placed her claw over Nova's stomach, making the mare blush.

"Y...You're right Emy. I'm just worried is all."

"Don't worry, I'll always be here to keep you safe." the two shared a smile.

"What about your brother? Isn't he our 'Guardian', appointed by Harmony herself?" Nova asked. Emerald looked out the window, her smile growing.

"I think he's a little busy."





A soft sigh escaped the mares lips, quickly followed by a giggle and a hoof slapping away another hoof.

"Hehe! Quit Braesy!" Pinkie giggled as the stallion ran a hoof up her side yet again, easily finding her weakspots and forcing the mare into a fit of sighs and quiet moans.

"How can ah when ya'll keep makin th' cutest noises?" he breathed against her neck. The pink earth pony felt a pleasurable shudder through her entire body, letting out a low moan before throwing her hooves around his neck, their eyes meeting for a split second. Out of respect for the two the blinds pulled themselves closed, hiding them from the moonlit night.





Fluttershy busied herself with watching the younger foals, holding back her giggles as she watched Melody play with Sunshine. The two seemed inseparable and though Melody seemed to be maturing faster than the young colt the two had found a way to speak without words.

The mare glanced over at the sleeping form of her husband and smiled, it was much the same thing the two of them shared. She silently wondered if the two foals would share her fate. Fluttershy blinked in surprise as Sweetie Belle sat beside her, watching the foals. The younger mare glanced at the pegasus who shared her smile.

"They make a cute couple." the unicorn remarked softly so as not to wake Big Macintosh or Piper who lay not far away with Strawberry. Fluttershy nodded.

"I worry about them though...so much is about to change." Fluttershy spoke up.

"I don't know if it will be safe for them..." she continued. Sweetie Belle bit her lip.

"Honestly...I feel the same...But me an Scoots will do whatever we have to to make sure they have a future."

"Well said Sweetie Belle." Dinky spoke up, surprising them as she entered the massive room with Amethyst at her side. The purple kirin looked around the room.

"Wheres Emy?" he asked, he wanted to thank her for giving him the push he needed to tell Dinky how he felt. Scootaloo chuckled a little.

"Oh, her an Nova are uh...in their 'Personal chambers'" She said with a small smile, the room filling with a heavy strange silence. The sound of a groaning pegasus finally coming to snapped the awkward silence in half. Piper stretched his wings and yawned. He gave a start as Strawberry nudged one of his wings, pouting slightly.

"Piper...when was the last time you preened these things?" she asked, giving him a flat look. While she hadn't said it aloud, it was obvious she was upset at him for not taking better care of himself.

"I..." he looked back at his wings, realizing he hadn't done anything with them. They had always been taken care of by battle scars healing over old feathers and making his wings like new. He had never had time to think of such things. Before he could answer the Zebra had already begun picking at his wings and prying the loose feathers free with her teeth without any care for the ponies watching, Piper doing his best to hold back his groans. Scootaloo held back a laugh and stood.

"Hey Berry, maybe you should wait before doin that in front of everypony." the pegasus suggested. Strawberry turned to her, a few feathers in her teeth as she looked around the room. Her face changed from pink to red as she realized they were all watching. She gasped, her eyes wide as she realized what everypony must've thought she was doing.

"OH! I...UM..I DIDN'T MEAN T.." Piper kissed her, quickly silencing the tirade of rambling that would've ensued. Scootaloo smiled to herself. He's definitely my kid.





Underneath a tree, just outside Canterlot Castle, sat two mares, watching the snow fall in the beautiful moonlit night. An earth pony sighed softly, relaxing in the warmth of the nearby pegasi's wing.

"Do ya'll really think what he said was true Dashie?" Applejack asked softly.

"That we're gonna lose Canterlot? I dunno AJ. We've never lost before, but things have never been THIS bad. We've never had a war on our hooves. It was always just handlin Discord or Nightmare Moon, or the Chrysalis incident...which to be honest was all Twilight, but still. And on top of that...its not like we're as young as we use to be..." the pegasus said sadly, hanging her head. Applejack rolled her eyes, nuzzling the depressed pegasus.

"Dashie, ya'll listen t' me an ya'll listen good. Ah don't ever wanna hear ya talkin like that again. Ya ain't old, ah ain't old, yer jus' outta practice cause ya been so darned hard-headed an depressed 'bout Piper. But ya can rest easy now Dash, he's back. He's got some scars an he's done been to Tartarus an back, but he's a better stallion cause of it."

"But Aj..."

"No buts Dashie. Besides, ya'll heard him. Ain't nothin gonna happen fer at least another three years or so." Rainbow Dash sighed, casting her gaze up at the stars above and the thick clouds drifting by.

"Three years can go by pretty quickly AJ...what do we do then?" she asked softly. Applejack had no answer.





"Spike, I wish you would stop fussing over me." Rarity said with a sigh as the Dragon helped her into bed.

"I'm not fussing." he muttered under his breath, smiling once he was sure the unicorn was comfortable.

"Yes, you are darling. Something is on your mind that you aren't telling me." She drove her words home with her hoof against his chest. The dragon winced visibly. Rarity had hit the nail right on the head. She sighed and placed her hoof on his cheek.

"Whats wrong?" she asked, looking into his eyes. He grabbed her hoof in his claw and looked away.

"Rarity...I want you to go hide. To be safe and out of harms way." Rarity looked at him in shock.

"Now see here Spike, I will not...!" she stopped as he placed a claw against her lips.

"When the heartless attacked us, I fought with all I had to keep you safe and even then it almost wasn't enough. When Discord trapped us, I barely managed to set you free, only to have you come rushing back like a silly filly, determined to die alongside me. I've come so close to losing you to all of this...and now a war is about to begin. A brutal war with creatures who did horrible things to an innocent filly just to hurt one of their enemies. Rarity, I don't know what I would do if I lost you and I can't stand the thought of the Gryphons getting their claws on you. So please...just promise me..." tears begin to pour down his cheeks.

"Promise me you'll run away this time." he managed to say through the lump in his throat. Rarity wrapped her hooves around him, pulling the drake close to her as he cried his heart out, her hoof idly brushing along his spines. 

This was her dragon. Her big powerful Guardian who had done so much for her and had always been so strong and unbreakable. And now here he stood, crying like a newborn foal. It was enough to shatter her heart.

"Spike...I...should a time ever come...that I must leave..." she bit her tongue. She couldn't abandon Spike, she just couldn't. Not after all they had been through. A small smile touched her lips.

"Spike, do you remember our wedding?" she asked softly, placing a hoof under his chin. The dragon nodded, placing a claw on her cheek.

"How could I forget?" he said, a smile slowly forming.

"On that day, we both made a promise. That no matter what came our way, we would stay by one another, for as long as we both shall live. No matter what comes our way, I will stay by your side. I do not care what tries to drive us apart. I would not be able to live with myself if I simply abandoned you to fight alone."

"But Rarity!"

"Spike, please hear me out on this. We swore on our lives that day, the day our hearts were tied together for eternity, that we would always stay by each other. We have had our rough patches of course, but that is true for all couples. Should the time ever come that I must run away then you will simply have to come with me." she said, hoping to drive her point home with a passionate kiss. 

When she pulled away, she saw a sad smile spread across Spikes face.

"The things I do for love..." he muttered under his breath, wrapping his arms around the mare and earning a loud squeal in return. As if by magic, the curtains closed themselves, hiding the two from prying eyes.





Twilight and Luna sat high above Canterlot, watching their friends and loved ones.

"Are we doing the right thing Luna?" Twilight asked, unsure of the actions they were about to take.

"The right thing is not always the thing that must be done my love. Sometimes...we must do things we regret to help the ones we love. Sometimes it is the only way to ensure the continued harmony of Equestria." She spoke softly, a tear trailing down her cheek.

"What will we tell them?" 

"The only thing we can...we tell them...that we are sorry."
> The Past, The Present, The Future Part 3
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


On a cold winters night, 
the moon shall cry, 
a princess shall die, 
and Harmony shall break upon the dawns edge. 

Burdened with a heart pure, 
A beast foul shall be born and bring with it an army unlike any other. 
A child lost in the darkness will be tested, 
A sacrifice to be made
A life to save.
The girl is the key to end the darkness and bring back the light
If she is to fail, all will be lost to the harsh winters night,






The twins smiled, sitting on either side of their father. Applebloom sat alone in a room nearby. Pip took a slow breath.

"Well girls...how do I look?" he asked them softly.

"Like yer 'bout t' walk into Tartarus." Penny Apple muttered.

"Why are ya all worked up pa?" Hayseed asked.

"Today is an important day for your mother. Every year its the same. She spends the entire day alone and won't let anypony near her. The last time I tried she almost took off my head. But that isn't what has me worried. Each year she gets worse...her smile fades away, she doesn't work with her normal cheerfulness and...the days seem empty until she finally returns to her old self. I need to change this. I need to fix this." He took another slow breath, sitting in front of the door. Today was indeed an important day to the mare. It was the day Granny Smith left her.





"Aj, c'mon. please don't do this" Rainbow said, leaning against the door.

"Ple..please jus' go away Dash..." came Applejacks' tearful, muffled reply from the other side of the door. Rainbow gritted her teeth.

"NO! I'm not leavin! You promised! You said this year would be different, you said that you'd let me comfort you!" Rainbow screamed, pounding on the door. She gasped as it suddenly opened, finding herself in Applejacks hooves.

"Y...Yer right Dash...ah did promise..didn't ah?" she asked, holding back a sob. Rainbow stood, quickly throwing her hooves around the mare.

"Its gonna be alright AJ. I bet ya she's watchin us right now." Rainbow said with a smile, wiping away a tear from the orange workponies face. Applejack chuckled quietly.

"Ah hope not..." she spoke softly, placing a hoof on the pegasi's cheek.

"Why?!" Rainbow asked in surprise. Though the look Applejack gave her was answer enough as the door closed behind them.





Applebloom sat alone in the center of the room, her head down and her hat resting on the bed. This day, it was this day all those years ago that she held Granny Smiths' hoof as she left this world. It was this day that she spent in solitude each year to remember her grandmother and everything she had meant to her. Her ear flicked at the sound of a hoof at the door. She ignored it, keeping her head down. Again the hoof beat at the door, followed by another, and then another. Several hooves beat against the door, voices leaking through.

"Momma, come on out! Yer makin pa sad!" the twins said together. Applebloom blinked, staring at the carpeted floor as the words of her daughters echoed in her mind.

"Pip..." she said, her voice raspy and dry. For a moment she feared the stallion wouldn't answer.

"I'm here Applebloom." came his voice from beyond the door. Applebloom chuckled quietly and forced herself to stand. 

Tears slowly made their way down her cheeks as she made her way to the door. She had to stop living in the past and move on to the present, to the future. Her future and the future of her family. She had learned that lesson long ago, but it had never stuck with her until now. On this day, when her family was waiting for her, the door opened and the mare was joined by her family in the room with smiles and hugs. 





Strawberry bit her lip, sitting beside Piper as he gazed at the night sky. His eyes never left the moon. She took a slow, deep breath as she prepared to speak her mind. He deserved to know, she should have told him in the first place. Suddenly the pegasus turned his attention to her and her heart stopped. There were tears in his eyes. Strawberry blinked as a drop of rain landed on her nose. She looked up in surprise, seeing no clouds in the sky. The snow had stopped and had been replaced by rain, but where was it coming from? 

"Its the moon..." Piper said softly.

"The moon?" Strawberry asked. She turned her attention to it and gasped. It was true, the rain was coming from the moon.

"What does it mean?" She asked, looking back at Piper who had hung his head.

"Its a signal from Luna. Something we promised each other. She's handled her side of the deal. Now its my turn." He stood, moving to the edge of the balcony, spreading his wings wide, a dark aura surrounding him as the rain pelted him, matting his mane and coat to his body.

"Piper, what are you doing?" Strawberry reached for him and gasped as a bolt of lightning blocked her path.

"Take care of my sister and my family...Please Berry..." he said without turning back to her. The pegasus leapt off the balcony and into the night, leaving the Zebra alone.

"Bu...Piper..." she shook her head and ran, hoping the rain would hide her tears.





It all happened in an instant, Celestia was the first to notice. Luna's presence in her mind simply vanished without a trace, the next to go was Twilight. Celestia had never run so fast in her life, barreling down the halls of her castle and throwing open the doors to her sisters chambers. Sure enough, both mares were gone. Celestia reached out with her mind, finding only a flustered and confused Nyx. Celestia glanced out the window, watching as an orange pegasus soared through the magic induced downpour.

"No...NO! It can't be happening now!"





Sora screamed, holding his head in his hooves, Riku the next to collapse as Darkness began to surround both of them, dragging them into itself.

"RIKU!" Nyx shrieked, clinging to him and trying to pull him free.

"Run Nyx...RUN!" He pushed her away, his screams muffled by the darkness as it swallowed him. Kairi tried desperately to free Sora, only to find the Darkness was coming from his wound, forming around him until it was all that was left. In moments both of them had vanished entirely.

"W...what do we do?" Nyx managed to say.

"I know Sora...he'll find a way back to us, and he'll bring Riku with him. Right now we need to find that pegasus and keep him safe. We can't let the Darkness take him too." Kairi said with more strength than she truly had. She was unsure if Sora would be safe, but she didn't want to scare Nyx, or her children.

"I'll find him, you watch the foals." Nyx said, her mane slowly fading into a pattern of stars and her eyes beginning to glow. The mare vanished in a bright light, leaving Kairi with four frightened foals, all clinging to her as the light of the moon slowly began to fade, filling Equestria with darkness.





Nova stumbled, her eyes wide. She suddenly felt...empty and alone. As if all she had known had suddenly left her. Tears began to form, quickly wiped away by Emerald who pulled the Alicorn onto her back and rushed at a full gallop down the nearest hallway.

"E...Emy..m..my parents...I think something horrible has happened..i..I can't feel them anymore." She squeaked out, clinging to the Kirin. Emerald stayed silent. She had seen the signs, she knew where the two Princess' had gone. It was all like her Night Terrors, they were once again coming true and she could do nothing to stop them. 

All she could do now was protect the last Princess before she too was swallowed by the growing Darkness. Emerald panted as she came across Princess Celestia and gasped as the Solar Princess' horn began to glow, sending a burst of magic flying past her head. Behind her a glob of darkness fell to the burst of light and quickly reformed.

"Get Nova to safety Emerald. Equestria's future is in your claws."

"I understand Princess, but what of you? You cannot face them all alone"

"I know that...Now go!" Another burst of magic, another glob forming behind her. Emerald bit her lip and began chanting loudly, digging her claws into the ground, runes forming all around her and Celestia. 

The runes continued to spread across the floor and walls as her chant grew louder and louder, echoing throughout the halls of Canterlot Castle. Every last bit of darkness being pulled towards the Kirin as she flung Nova off of her back at the shocked Princess. Time froze for Nova as she sailed through the air to be caught by her aunt. A sad smile touched Emeralds lips as their eyes met.

"I'M SORRY!" She yelled, soon swallowed by Darkness as it was pulled towards her, her body only visible as a light within the darkness.

"EMERALD!" Nova screamed, trying to rush to the Kirin, only to be pulled away by Celestia.

"We cannot help her Nova...she knew what she was doing. We must get you to safety."

"NO! I won't leave her!" Nova again tried to reach for the sphere of darkness and was again pulled away.

"She'll die!" Nova screamed at her aunt.

"She is already gone. Do not let her sacrifice be in vain." Celestia said sadly. More darkness filled the hall, being pulled toward the kirin whose chant still filled the hall. Reluctantly Nova allowed Celestia to grab her in her magic, the two teleporting far away from the danger of Canterlot.





Dinky and Amethyst stood back to back as the darkness marched towards them.

"Amethyst...I'm glad...that we told each other the truth before the end..."

"This isn't the end Dinks, we'll get out of this." He said softly, hoping to reassure the unicorn. He would protect her with his life, though when he was honest with himself he didn't see a way out of this.

Ha...Being honest with myself...if I make it out of this I should write that one down.

"No we won't. There isn't any way out. Just..." she shook her head and spun, grabbing the Kirin and pulling him into a kiss.

"Goodbye..." she said softly against his lips. The two blinked as the darkness was pulled away, the room filled with light once more. Amethyst chuckled, a light blush on his face.

"That's how you'd go out Dinks? with a kiss and a goodbye?" he asked jokingly. She punched his shoulder, using her hat to hide her blush.

"Shut up and come on." she muttered, chasing after the darkness, the kirin close behind her. They both stopped as Draconic Chanting filled their ears.

"No...NO! EMERALD!" Amethyst rushed forward, gasping as Dinky grabbed him in her magic.

"Amethyst...we can't help her. Nothing can survive that darkness." they both watched as the sphere continued to grow with each bit of darkness it pulled into itself, the figure of light within slowly beginning to fade, her chants shifting into screams of agony as the darkness began to crush her.

"S..she's my sister...I can't...I can't just leave her like that..."

"She is the only thing keeping the darkness from devouring us all Amethyst. We need to take this chance to get to safety" The kirin struggled to escape her magic, pulling himself toward the sphere.

"Amethyst!" Dinky dragged the Kirin away, Emeralds screams chasing them as they abandoned the castle. 

Outside they found the previous Element Holders and their loved ones, all except for Twilight and Luna. Pinkie was the first to notice, holding a sobbing Strawberry Swirl close.

"W..Wheres Twilight?" she asked. Dinky shook her head.

"I don't know. It seems all the Princess' have gone missing. Including Nova, I didn't see Nyx either."

"Nyx went after Piper." Kairi said softly, covering four crying foals with her wings. Sweetie Belle blinked.

"Piper? Where did he go? Is he ok?" She asked frantically. Scootaloo grabbed the unicorns ear and pulled, tilting her head toward melody whose lip began to wobble.

"I..I mean...h..he's probably on his way here now." She said, hugging the filly.

"H..he is?"

"Yes, I am." Piper said as he landed in front of them, dressed from hood to hoof in battle armor. he smiled as Melody hugged him, placing his hoof on her head.

"Melody...I need you to listen to me, this is very important. I need you to take this with you and get out of here with our parents. Take them far away from here and keep them safe, can you do that sis?" he asked as he wrapped his cloak around her.

"B...but..what about you big bwother?" she asked, tears in her eyes. He wiped them away with his hoof.

"Big brother has to go make another bedtime story." he said softly, kissing her forehead. He glanced over at Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo, quickly turning his gaze to Strawberry Swirl.

"I love you." he said softly before taking off, flying towards the top of Canterlot Castle.

"S...Somepony stop him!" Sweetie Belle yelled. Scootaloo threw out her wings, ready to chase him down and gasped as a bolt of lightning blocked her path.

"I apologize my friends, but you cannot interfere in this battle." Luna's voice echoed around them

"You have to run, its the only way to save Equestria. Please!" Twilights voice begged them. 

"Twi? Luna? where are you?!" Rainbow asked.

"We...We are no longer of this world, your world. The powers you see before you came at a heavy price and it is with them that we will assist Piper in protecting Equestria. But all of this will have been a pointless effort if you do not leave Canterlot now!"

"So you're just gone...just like that mom?" Nyx asked softly as she landed.

"Nyx...I'm so sorry..." Twilight's voice began to break.

"You promised....You promised you would be here..." the Alicorn lowered her head, her children quickly rushing to her and trying to cheer her up.

"We do not have time for mourning or for things such as this. All will be explained once you are safe, now run!" Luna's voice reached them once more, a barrier forming around them out of nowhere, shadows bouncing against the outside. 

The friends looked at one another for a moment and nodded. Spike grinned a little and stretched his neck.

"Sorry Twi', but my daughter is still in there and no one has seen Nova. I can't leave."

"Dad..." Amethyst placed a claw on his shoulder. Spike was surprised to see his son was crying.

"Emy's gone..." he said quietly.

"E...Emerald...is gone?" he repeated, hardly believing those words could exist in the same sentence.

"She dragged the darkness into herself so that we could all escape." Dinky explained. Rarity's eyes widened.

"M..My daughter...n..NO!" Rarity shrieked, it couldn't be true, she searched her friends faces for a glimmer of hope.

"S...She is the Element of Magic, surely she can dispel the darkness and come to us!" She looked to her friends frantically, searching for reassurance. Spike hugged the unicorn.

"I'll bring her back. Get to safety and wait for us." he said softly. He turned to Amethyst who nodded, both of them blinking as Pip stepped forward.

"I'm going with you. Maybe we can find a way to help Piper as well."

"Pip no!" Applebloom argued. The stallion smiled and kissed her forehead.

"This is my job Bloom. I hated seein you work your tail off doing dangerous things with Nyx. But I let you do it because it made you happy and it was what you needed to do. Well this is what I need to do as a member of the Guard. Canterlot is in danger and it is my duty to protect it. Besides, I've got two dragons covering my back, we'll catch up before you know it." Applebloom lowered her head.

"Alright Pip...but ya'll better hurry back!" the earth pony nodded and together with the Kirin and the Dragon, rushed out of the barrier and back into Canterlot Castle. The ponies gathered in the safety of the barrier watched them go before turning and chasing after Twilight's guiding light to safety.





Piper landed almost silently atop the highest tower of Canterlot. There waiting for him stood three black cloaked figures. In the center stood the current king of the Gryphons, Niare.

"So you are the fabled Loyalty that toppled the Thirteen Great kings who only sought to gain back the land which we lost."

"And you must be Niare, the new lowlife in charge." Piper threw back, his wings spread wide.

"It seems what they say about you is true. You appear young, but your scars speak volumes of the battles you have endured. It is a shame you are my enemy, you would surely make a great warrior."

"He is right Piper. you can stop the bloodshed and save everyone. All you have to do is accept who you are and join us." Xipper spoke up as he stepped forward. Piper gritted his teeth, ignoring the pegasus. He was important, but he could wait. He kept his attention focused on Niare.

"You know who I am, and you know what I've done and what I will do to protect Equestria. I've killed hundreds of thousands of your kind single-hoofedly and have lived to tell the tale and here you stand with but only four minions to face me. Whats stopping me from killing you right now?" Piper growled, a yellow tinge touching his eyes.

"Because I have something you need, something you want. Something near and dear to your...Heart." Niare grinned. Piper chuckled. This idiot had joined forces with The Nobodies and thought he held all the cards. It was time Piper showed him the truth.

"I know he has my heart and when the time is right, I'll take it back. Your empty threats mean nothing to me Niare, stand down or die. This is your last chance." Niare grinned and snapped his claws, the cloaked figures behind him throwing out their arms, Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, and Melody appearing in front of them through holes of Darkness in the air. 

"You leave them out of this Niare, you're making a mistake, the same mistake Monoclos made." Piper growled once more, flaring his wings.

"Yes, but the wound is still there. The little foal who gave you a heart to call your own, who eased the pain of war and suffering. A wound that will never heal. Oh the fame that one little act gave him, what I would give just to taste it." He placed his claw against Melody's throat, Piper stiffening visibly.

"All you have to do is join me, and I will let them live."
> The End
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Melody began to pant as she continued to run, clinging to the cloak her brother had given her. The material felt strange and it seemed to fit perfectly on her. She gasped as Scootaloo picked her up, carrying her on her back as they continued chasing after the light.

"Almost there everypony." Twilight's voice echoed around them

"Almost where?! All I see is a bunch of trees!" Rainbow argued, skidding to a halt as several holes appeared in the air, Gryphon Warriors stepping out of them. Sweetie Belle stepped forward, her horn glowing as she hummed low and deep, gray musical notes hovering around her. The Gryphons chuckled and threw a golden ring, Sweetie Belle screaming as snapped closed around her horn.

"BELLE!" Scootaloo ran forward, gasping as a hole appeared in front of her. She was moving too fast to stop and tumbled into the darkness with Melody on her back. Another hole appeared underneath Sweetie Belle, pulling her in.

"SWEETIE BELLE!" Rarity tried to run to her sister, gasping as a Gryphon grabbed her. Applejack and Rainbow tackled a pair of Gryphons only to be pinned by another pair. Out of the corner of her eye Applejack could see her brother and the others being pinned against trees and the ground. Big Macintosh continued to struggle, bucking wildly as the Gryphons grabbed hold of Fluttershy and Honeycrisp. It took several Gryphons to restrain Pinkie and Strawberry, finally managing to knock them out cold.

"Yer gonna regret this." Braeburn spat, grunting as the Gryphons knocked him out.

"Heh, yea ri..." A sickening sound filled the air, the Gryphons voice stopping as he toppled forward, a spear embedded in his throat. A powerful voice filled the air with its war cry, a blur of black and white dancing through the Gryphons, felling one after the other with its spears. The figure threw its head back, letting out a proud cry, the forest floor stained in the blood of the Gryphon soldiers. 





"Well Piper? What do you choose? Will you have the blood of your family on your hooves? Or will you do the right thing and give yourself to save them?" Xipper asked, Melody whimpering as Niare dug his claw into her throat.

"Let go of my daughter!" Sweetie Belle yelled, screaming as one of the figures grabbed her horn and pulled, forming a crack in her horn.

"STOP IT!" Piper yelled, his eyes wide with panic. He lowered his head, his wings slumping and folding against his sides.

"Just let them go..." he said softly.

"Don't Piper!" Scootaloo yelled. The pegasus looked up.

"Don't give in Piper, you're better than that! You'll figure this ouAHHHHHH!" she screamed as the other figure gripped her wings, slamming his boot into her back and pinning her to the ground.

"I am losing my patience. Decide" Niare growled, lifting up Melody. The young unicorn gasped as the cloak brushed against her horn, causing it to glow brightly. Niare gasped, dropping her as her eyes turned white. Piper allowed himself a smile, dashing forward and aiming to tackle Niare, Xipper blocking his path. The two pegasi tumbled over the edge of the tower, struggling to open their wings. Meanwhile, atop the tower, a young unicorn turned her attention to the figures who held her parents, a wave of her hoof and the two found themselves flying off the tower.

"M...Melody...whats...hap.." Sweetie Belle tried to ask weakly, laying on her side. She could only watch as her daughter hovered in the air, the power of the cloak flowing through her. It took her only a moment to realize it was controlling her, obeying her will and protecting them. The nobodies rolled in mid-air, launching themselves towards the possessed filly and drawing their weapons. 

A smirk touched Melody's face as a hoofblade took shape in her magic, knocking back their weapons. Together the three rolled and flipped, weapons clashing against another. Sweetie Belle struggled to her hooves, gasping as Niare grabbed her horn, dragging her along.

"ENOUGH!" he yelled, holding the unicorn up in the air. Everyone froze as he did the unspeakable, an act of ultimate taboo. The scream that filled the air would forever fill the nightmares of all present, even the Nobodies, as Niare twisted his claw, ripping Sweetie Belles horn clean in two.





Hall after hall, the entire castle was empty save for a dragon, a kirin, and an earth pony who searched its halls for any sign of a lone green Kirin.

"This is where we saw her...Dinky dragged me away, she said nopony could survive it and that Emy was the only thing keeping it from devouring us..." Amethyst spoke softly, brushing his claw against some markings in the ground. They appeared to be claw markings.

"This must be where she cast the spell..." Spike spoke up. Pip drew his blade, turning his back to the two of them.

"We've got company." he spoke up. Gryphons marched towards them with weapons drawn and heartless at their heels.

"They are controlling the heartless...this isn't good." Spike said, his back pressed against that of Amethyst and Pip.

"We'll be alright. You made a promise to mom and I've never seen you break a promise." Amethyst said with a grin. Pip chuckled.

"He's right. Rarity would kill you if you didn't get back to her." The dragon laughed and watched the advance of their enemies, the gears spinning quickly in his mind.

"Pip, do you still have the Princess' Enchantment?" Spike asked quickly. The earth pony drew his sword in answer, the air around him growing slightly warmer.

"What are you planning?" he asked softly.

"When I give the word, each of you take a hallway and don't let up. Got it?" they both nodded. Spike took a deep breath and roared.

"NOW!" Both Kirin and Dragon unleashed the full power of their fire breath down two of the hallways while Pip swung his sword in a massive arch, roaring as flames danced along the blade. Upon crashing into the ground the flames formed a massive wall that barreled down the hall, followed by a continuous flame. 

All three continued, forcing themselves to the edge of their power to hold the enemy back. Finally the flames died away, a few weak bits clinging to the walls and flickering as the three panted heavily. More holes appeared in the air, more soldiers taking the place of those that had fallen. Pip drew himself up, placing his blade between his teeth and drawing two more, his eyes closed.

"Spike...Amethyst, go find Emy and Piper. I'll hold em off." Spike raised an eyebrow, glancing back at the earth pony.

"You aren't in any condition to win Pip." The Drake spoke up, growling low in his throat.

"We aren't gonna leave you behind Pip." Amethyst said with a smile.

"Amethyst, its my duty to give my life protecting this castle. It is your duty to protect the Elements of Harmony. Piper is Loyalty and your sister is Magic, so you need to find them and keep them safe. Spike, you've gotta save your kids and you know Amethyst is gonna chase after Piper. Are you gonna let him run off alone?" Pip asked, widening his stance, standing on his hind legs. Amethyst swore under his breath and placed a claw on Pips' shoulder, another claw against the ground as Amethyst's eyes began to glow. The stone around them shifting to form a coat of armor for the Earth Pony.

"You better catch up with us Pip." The kirin growled, charging through the Gryphons and Heartless, followed closely by his father. Pip smiled slightly. He watched them run away, knowing it was the last time he would see them.





"We need to help them!" Twilight yelled. Before her stood a tall Alicorn with a mane of flames.

"I am sorry, but you cannot interfere."

"And why not mother!? Was it not due to you interfering in the affairs of mortal ponies that brought about this destruction?!" Luna yelled, pointing an accusing hoof at Harmony.

"There are some things you cannot change and sadly I cannot send you back. What you have done is nothing short of foalish and insane Luna." Harmony flinched as Twilight pushed between them, her eyes glowing brightly and her voice echoing with the wrath of Equestria's most powerful 'unicorn'

"We will help them, even if it destroys us, we will do our duties as Princess' and protect Equestria in its time of need." Harmony smiled, placing a hoof on Twilight's shoulder.

"Alright...but plan your movements carefully, the lightest flicker may just save them, but at the same time...each action you take will tear a hole in reality. It is not your place to do these things. I will do my best to repair the damage, but I can make no promises. Are you ready?" she asked. 

They nodded as a multitude of windows appeared around them, showing them all of their friends and loved ones. This would be their battlefield. Twilight did her best to guide her friends, Luna keeping control of the Natural Elements. Both mares eyes grew wide upon the sneak attack of the Gryphons.

"Luna you have to stop them!" Twilight cried.

"I cannot, I would risk hitting the others." Both of them tried to think of someway to save their friends, a solution finding itself as Zecora leapt into the fray, her spears devoted to their mistress and easily finding their mark. Twilight turned her attention to another window and blinked as all of them vanished.

"W..What happened!?" She stood still as six black pillars formed around them, the eyes of the six figures atop each one boring into her soul.





Zecora silently led the ponies to a hidden path in the forest. She had hoped she would never have to use such power in her lifetime, but Equestria was changing. Now was the time for action.

"Zecora...ah dunno how t' thank ya fer everythin...but jus' where are we goin?" Applejack asked weakly.

"The enemy, for blood do they thirst. So for a future to exist you must be safe first. Down this path and around the bend, hides a hidden peace without end."

"A secret oasis"  Dinky spoke up, a small smile on her face. Zecora nodded and kicked a stone away with her hoof. In front of them the ground began to shift and groan, forming into stairs.

"Do not stray, you must follow quickly as I show you the way." the group nodded, chasing after Zecora through the twists and turns, barely noticing as the path closed behind them. What they saw before them made their jaws drop. A massive waterfall reaching down into the most beautiful forest any of them had ever seen. The apples on the trees could rival those of Sweet Apple Acres, the flowers more lucious than any ever grown in Ponyville or even Canterlot for that matter. Tents lined the walls of the cavernous space, a magical light floating high in the air keeping everything brightly lit. Standing before the largest tent was the Doctor and beside him, one Ditzy Doo Whooves.





He had heard so many screams in his life, each had a similar ring to it but all had their unique pitch and volume. He could remember every single one of them, every face, every voice, every stab of his blade. But this scream tore into his soul and ripped it to shreds. It was the scream of ultimate agony, the scream of his mother. Piper threw his wings out wide, his hooves thrown around Xipper as he rolled in the air, roaring and slamming the Nobody into one of the many towers of Canterlot before throwing himself high into the air. 

Darkness slowly took a hold of his mind and the change took hold once more. His eyes became two massive bulbs of yellow, jagged horns taking shape upon his head and his wings slowly being consumed by the black gunk. In moments the change was complete. 

A massive black beast snarled as it divebombed toward the Gryphon King. Time came to a standstill as millions of holes opened in the air, Gryphons and Heartless alike pouring from them and charging toward the beast. They all pounced, some being swallowed instantly, others managing a stab or two before being consumed by the darkness.

"STOP!" Scootaloo screamed. The beast glanced downward, seeing tears in the eyes of the mother of the pegasus it currently had its claws in. Its rage began to fade as did the darkness itself. Though it continued on its path, slamming into Niare as the last vestiges of its existence faded away. One seriously pissed off Pegasus slamming his hoof into the throat of the current king. At least his hoof would have if not for the sickle embedded in it. He blinked and grunted as another slammed into his other hoof, more piercing his wings and hind legs, pulling him into the air. His eyes began to turn blue and stopped as a collar slammed around his throat. Niare coughed and stood with a quiet chuckle. Melody hovered over the scene, shaking her head.

"RUN MELODY! RUN!" Piper screamed as another blade stabbed through his back, dripping his blood in front of him. Darkness filled his vision. He could just barely see as a purple blur grabbed hold of his sister and vanished. When Piper opened his eyes, there was nothing. No Harmony, no endless white void. Just Darkness and the knowledge that he had failed.





Amethyst didn't have time to think, he had to act. The figures in black were too powerful for him, especially if they had taken Piper out so easily. A voice screamed in his mind, telling him to save Melody. In his current state his body obeyed instantly, launching toward the filly and pulling her close as he threw out his wings, skyrocketing away from Canterlot. He didn't know where was going, all he knew is that wherever the voice was taking him, he would find safety. Slowly his thoughts returned to him. Without realizing it, he had abandoned not only Piper, but his sister as well. And his father.





Spike smiled as Amethyst escaped.

One down, two to go. He froze as his eyes landed on Sweetie Belle, quickly jumping to Scootaloo and then Piper. The dragon growled low in his throat, Niare's grin growing wider with each passing moment. With a snap of his claws, hundreds upon hundreds of heartless pounced the dragon, pinning him to the ground as Niare stepped forward, waving Sweetie Belles horn in his face tauntingly. Spike opened his mouth, hoping to swallow the king in his flames, only to have a ball of black gunk shoved down his throat. The drake struggled to breath, trying to free himself of the heartless and spit out the gunk. His efforts only pushed him further and further along until he finally passed out.





Niare held himself up proudly as Pip was dragged toward him, bound in chains and soaked in the blood of his soldiers.

"You three, such fine soldiers, so determined and so powerful. You don't have to die here. You can live your lives and have your loved ones. Just bow down to me and accept me as your king. I can be merciful." He said with a small smile. Piper had no answer, of course he couldn't speak if he wanted to, nor move. Spike too was silenced, a muzzle keeping him from burning them all to the ground. 

Pip raised his head slowly and smiled. His face was badly bruised, his left eye shut and a few of his teeth missing. His smile grew as the sun slowly began to rise. Canterlot had fallen, but Celestia was safe. He may have failed in his duty to protect Canterlot, but his Princess lived on, all that was left, was to make his decision. He spoke softly and with pride as the sunlight shone through the lone window in the room and cast itself upon his bruised form. He would do his duty, right to the very end as a proud member of the Guard.

"I would rather die."