//------------------------------// // Chapter 3: Time's Birth // Story: The Last Enemy // by derpyland //------------------------------// One moment Twilight Sparkle was surrounded by her friends in a peaceful world, and the next moment they were gone. The world around her disappeared in a flash of light and was replaced by a very different one. This time she found herself at the base of an enormous mountain. The bottom of the mountain was covered in tall pine trees. The tree line eventually gave way to bare rock, and then snow. The top of the mountain was so far above her that it was lost in clouds. It must be miles tall, at least! Twilight thought with amazement. The alicorn looked around. To her surprise, the mountain was the only piece of landscape in existence. The ground beneath her hooves was a featureless gray, as if it had not yet been defined. The sky above was a pale blue and held neither sun nor moon. There were no ponies, or signs of life, or any civilization to be seen. The only noise she heard was a gentle breeze that rustled the trees on the mountain. Now that’s weird. Either there is nothing here, or there are lots of things here and I just can’t see them. I’m not sure which possibility is worse. “Hello?” Twilight called out. Her voice did not even echo. It simply vanished. Twilight looked up at the mountain. Hmmm. Well, since there isn’t anything else here, I guess I should try to climb it. Maybe there is something hidden at its peak. After nervously looking around one more time, Twilight flapped her wings and flew off into the air. She tried to calm herself by focusing on the task at hand. She didn’t want to think about the fact that she was at the very beginning of time, before any of her friends had even been born, and she was completely alone in an alien world. But somehow that was all she could think about. Twilight soared up the side of the enormous mountain. She flew high over the trees and aimed for the layer of clouds that obscured its peak. The pony didn’t know if she should be in a hurry. For all she knew Death didn’t exist yet – or he was off somewhere else. I am so unprepared for this! I have no idea what I’m doing. I really should have asked Luna a few more questions. As Twilight flew over the base of the mountain she wondered if maybe she was missing something. What if everyone lives in the forest? There could be a whole town down there. For that matter I don’t even know what kind of life form I’m looking for – why, for all I know Death might be a talking tree or something. Twilight focused intently on the ground below her and strained to spot any signs of civilization. Her concentration was so intense that she forgot to look where she was going – and less than a minute later she crashed into something. Twilight shrieked in pain and began to fall out of the sky. She felt a claw grab her – and a moment later she found herself on the ground in the forest. “You had better watch where you’re going, you know,” a very familiar voice chided. “It’s not nice to call for someone’s attention and then run into them when they come to greet you. Why, in some circles that would be considered quite rude.” Twilight rested on the ground for a moment and caught her breath, and then looked at the creature she had collided with. She gasped in astonishment. Standing before her was a chimera that appeared to be constructed of random, leftover parts from other animals. She saw a deer’s antler, a goat’s horn, a lion’s arm, an eagle’s claw, the wing of a bat – and it didn’t end there. He was definitely a draconequus – and his voice gave away exactly who he was. “Discord?” Twilight gasped in amazement. “What in Equestria are you doing here?” “I might ask you the same thing, my damsel in distress.” Discord snapped his eagle talon, and a comfortable overstuffed recliner appeared. He settled down in it and waved his lion paw in the air. “So do tell. What brings you to this part of the world?” Twilight face-hoofed. “This is the last thing I needed today. Seriously? This job is going to be hard enough without you making it a hundred times harder! I’m trying to save the world, Discord. I don’t have time for your games. Just stay out of my way and leave me alone.” “Dear me, your manners certainly leave much to be desired,” Discord said languidly. “You call for my help, and then you dismiss me. Is that any way to address a friend?” “A friend? Do you even know what that word means? You have been nothing but trouble since the day I met you! Do you remember what you did after you escaped that stone prison – a prison, I might add, that you were trapped in for taking over Equestria and tormenting the entire pony race? You turned my friends against me. Then when Celestia took pity on you and Fluttershy became your friend, what did you do? Why, you betrayed the entire country and turned everypony – including Fluttershy – over to Tirek for torment and death. In spite of your treacherous betrayal, I saved you – and what thanks did I get? None whatsoever! When the Nightmare arose and I needed you most, you abandoned us all. You refused to save anypony – even Fluttershy – and left us all to die. You refused to fight with us.” “I did all that?” Discord asked. He snapped his talon again, and a tall lemonade with a twisty straw appeared. He slurped from the straw, and the straw vanished. “Dear me. Please, go on.” Twilight was now furious. It was all she could do to keep from hitting him. “You still don’t care, do you? You abandoned us. Every time I’ve given you a chance to change, you betrayed us! So no, Discord. You are not a friend. Friends care for each other. Friends are there when you need them the most. Friends stand by you. You are none of those things. Do you know what I’m doing here?” Discord tossed the drink away. It vanished in a flash of light. “Of course I do. You have clearly come to bask in my greatness! That’s what I would do if I were you.” “No, you moron! I’ve come here to stop Death. That wretched monster imprisoned me for an eternity and destroyed everything. I’m here to stop him from corrupting Equestria. I am going to save the lives of everypony – including Fluttershy, who you pretend to care about. All I ask is that just once – just this once! – don’t be a total jerk. If you won’t do it for me then do it for her. Is that really so much to ask?” Discord stood up out of his chair. The chair blinked its eyes and ran off into the woods. “I just have one question for you, my crabby and rude friend. Why do you keep calling me that?” “What – a jerk? Really? Do I need to engrave it on a tablet of stone and hit you with it?” “No, no. Perhaps I wasn’t clear. Why do you keep calling me Discord?” “Because that’s who you are! You’re the Prince of Chaos – the source of disharmony. Ponies have hated you for thousands of years because of the cruel way you torment them. And what did you do when we gave you a chance to change? You left us to die – and now you’ve come all this way through time to cause even more trouble. What do you have to say for yourself?” Discord’s eagle talon magically changed into a magnifying glass. He peered through it at Twilight. “There are several things that come to mind. First of all, you are clearly a pony. Yet White Diamond told us just this morning that the pony race would not appear for some years yet. Therefore, you must be from the future. Since you describe an entire race of ponies, you must be from the distant future.” The magnifying glass disappeared and Discord waved his eagle talon in the air. “Since you are from the future, you must have arrived at this place through time travel. Apparently you truly have come to save your friends from an unfortunate demise, of which I seem to have played a part. I must confess, however, that it pains me to know of the sorrow I have inflicted on your race. I have always thought of myself as the living embodiment of unity – different parts coming together to form a glorious whole.” “Unity is the last thing that you are,” Twilight said angrily. “That does seem to be the impression my future self has given,” Discord agreed. “But I assure you I have done none of those things. You may condemn my future self as much as you please, but I am not him. In fact, I only got here just yesterday. You are the first pony I have ever seen.” “Uh-huh. Look, Discord. Maybe you’re telling the truth and maybe you’re not. You have never given me a reason to believe you. If you’re from the future then stay out of my way. If you’re from the past then help me. Do something good for a change. If you won’t do it for me then do it for Fluttershy. She cares about you, you know.” “Why wouldn’t I do it for you? After all, you are the only pony I know. You seem rather rude, hostile, angry, and bitter, but other than that you’re not so bad. Although I do believe you could use a shower. You’re not very presentable.” Twilight glared at him. “Do you know where I was a few hours ago? In battle, trying to save my friends! Then I had to fight Death, and now I’m here to fight Death some more. The only thing that matters to me right now is saving my friends – not making sure my mane is properly styled. I’m sorry if my blood, sweat, and tears do not suit your refined tastes!” “Is that the dry, crusty substance that is all over your wing?” Discord asked. He peered closer to it. “Fascinating. I know so little about ponies. You are the most peculiar creatures.” Twilight jerked her wing away. “We’re wasting time! Can you take me to White Diamond?” “Certainl–” Discord started to say, and then stopped. He peered at Twilight. “Do you mean to tell me that he is the one you refer to as Death? That he is the great villain who has been tormenting your race?” “Yes,” Twilight said testily. “Now can you bring me to him or not?” “I simply can’t believe it. White Diamond! Wait until the guys hear about this. White Diamond is the most magnificent creature in the entire universe – and considering I am in the universe, that is really saying something. You simply must be mistaken. His manners are so refined and his speech is so elegant. He is the pinnacle of life.” “He is evil incarnate – just wait and see. Now can you take me to him, or not?” “Certainly, certainly. No need to be fussy. Right this way.” Discord snapped his eagle talon and the two of them vanished. Twilight reappeared at the peak of the mountain. Here, at last, was a wide city, filled with all the signs of civilization. The alicorn was in what appeared to be in a large public square in the heart of the town. She was surprised to see that she was standing on top of a pedestal. I’m going to get you for this, Discord, she thought. You just can’t help yourself, can you? Where did you go, anyway? But her friend was nowhere to be seen. Yet she was not alone. There were all sorts of creatures in the square, staring up at her. All of them were completely alien to her. But one creature in particular grabbed her attention. Flying in the sky was the largest dragon she had ever seen. The dragon’s scales were made out of what looked like literal diamonds. As the dragon flew through the air the diamonds caught the light and refracted it, showering the city with a burst of rainbow light. His beauty was staggering. It was like watching a living rainbow flow through the sky. So that’s why he’s called White Diamond. His scales are literally jewels – and his head alone is bigger than my old treehouse. I am in so much trouble. Is it too late to back out and go back home? But Twilight was out of time. White Diamond had taken notice of her. * * * * * Twilight was very, very uncomfortable. She was perched on a white stone pedestal that was at least twenty feet tall, and she was surrounded by a host of strange creatures. Most of them looked like chimeras – creatures made up out of the parts of other creatures. There were thousands of them and they were all staring at her. The creatures talked among themselves in low voices. White Diamond circled in the air above her. He then simply stopped in mid-air, over the city. The refracted light from his scales bathed the square in a rainbow of purple hues. Twilight was a bit surprised that he could simply hang in the air without flapping his wings, but then she remembered who she was dealing with. Twilight was vaguely aware that she was in a very poor strategic position, but she couldn’t bring herself to move. Her entire attention was fixed on the monster who was staring at her. Somehow his dragon form was far more frightening than his apparition as a shadowy specter. Then White Diamond spoke. “Behold! This, my dear friends, is a pony. Do you now see my point? Can you understand my great dismay? We have been wronged, brothers and sisters. A grave injustice has been thrust upon us. We cannot allow this to stand!” The crowd below murmured. “Um, excuse me,” Twilight called out. “What are you talking about?” “Why you, of course. Look at you! I am clothed in precious gems; you are clothed in sweat and dirt. I am a being of great power and majesty; you are a bad joke. I am a resident of the greater realm who has walked among the stones of fire; you are from below. I am infinitely greater than you. You are a perversion of everything that is beautiful and elegant. You bring a plague upon this place just by being here! You stain this city with your filthy presence.” Now that’s the Death I remember, Twilight thought to herself. “So, basically, you’re saying that my very existence offends you.” “Not at all. I do not object to the existence of inferior races. There are certainly uses for them. They could provide amusement, or perhaps serve as slaves. What I object to is the idea that I, the greatest of all creatures, should be required to serve your kind. I should be the ruler, not the servant! You are utterly unworthy.” “Now wait a minute,” Twilight said. “I never–” “Silence!” White Diamond thundered. “I have heard it all before. You will tell me that love is a noble thing. You will say that true love cares for others. Friendship does not count the cost; instead it does whatever is needed because that is the very meaning of being a friend. You will tell me that if I just had love in my heart I would gladly do anything for you.” “Actually, I–” “Love, love, love, love,” White Diamond mocked, growing steadily angrier with every word. “Love is patient. Love is kind. Love sacrifices for others. Love seeks to do good. Love just wants to help everyone. Do you know what I think, you miserable worm? I think love is a concept invented by the garbage of the universe to imprison the strong and noble. I think the very concept of love should be burned out of existence. It holds us back from taking what is rightfully ours.” Twilight did her best to hide her growing sense of panic. She knew she was moments away from being attacked. “And what, exactly, would you replace it with?” “I would replace it with me!” White Diamond roared. “All creatures would bow down to me. I would rule over everything and everyone, for I am glorious. You, however, would utterly perish.” “And what of the watchers? Will they simply go along with your plan to destroy the universe?” “If they try to stop me I will burn them all,” White Diamond growled. “So tell me, little pony. I am not going to submit to your tyranny. I refuse to heed the sickening siren song of ‘love’. I will not allow the good and noble residents of this city to become your slaves. Instead I will defend my home and devour your race. Do you have any last words before I crush the life out of you?” “You cannot kill me,” Twilight said, with far more courage than she felt. She wasn’t sure she actually believed that, but it felt good to say. “I am going to stop you. I will not let you harm my friends!” White Diamond laughed. “You’re ridiculous! Killing you isn’t even going to be a challenge. You are so pathetic that you don’t even know how pathetic you are. The universe is better off without a race of ponies.” White Diamond took a deep breath. Twilight knew what was going to come next – a river of molten fire. So she teleported out of sight. Her disappearance took White Diamond by surprise. He coughed and looked around. By the time he found Twilight it was too late. She had teleported herself right behind his head. She quickly gathered up all her magic and fired a bolt of blinding white light at him. The light refracted off his diamond scales and became a beautiful rainbow of colors. It did not hurt him in the slightest. White Diamond shook his head. “I wear light as a garment, you idiot! Did you really think it would work as a weapon?” Well, actually, yes, Twilight thought to herself. In blind panic she tried to teleport again, but she was too slow. White Diamond grabbed her with one of his claws. He crushed her and tossed her broken body to the ground. Twilight blacked out. * * * * * The alicorn slowly regained consciousness. Every part of her body hurt. She opened her eyes and looked around. The world was murky at first, but it gradually cleared up. So that’s what it feels like to die, she thought to herself. I should never have listened to Luna. To her surprise she was still in the white city at the top of the mountain. Up in the air she could see White Diamond flying off. He was saying something to some other creature, but she couldn’t quite hear it. Twilight struggled to stand up. To her disbelief, nothing appeared to be broken. There was blood everywhere but she was whole. There weren’t even any open wounds. What in Equestria is going on? Twilight wondered. What did the uncreated light do to me? Am I some kind of unkillable zombie now? If I am then why am I in pain? Twilight looked back up at the sky. Something about White Diamond caught her attention – he looked different somehow. There was something wrong with one of his claws. She needed to get a closer look. None of the chimeras were looking at her. Around her were tall buildings made of white stone that were covered in gems. Between the majestic homes was a maze of narrow alleys. Twilight galloped down one of the alleys and crossed the street. She raced to position herself beneath White Diamond. That was when she saw it. White Diamond was still an enormous dragon and he was still covered in diamonds. But he was no longer completely white. The claw that he had used to crush Twilight had turned black, and tendrils of darkness snaked from the area into the heart of his being. His attack had corrupted him. Light is strong against the dark, Twilight thought to herself. As his darkness increases the light will become more painful to him. I just need to– Twilight froze. “Luna, you’re out of your mind!” she screamed. “This is what you wanted me to do? Are you serious?!” White Diamond immediately looked down. He saw the pony standing in the alley. “What is this?” he exclaimed in amazement. “How is it that you are still alive?” Twilight didn’t give him time to finish his thought. She teleported out of sight. White Diamond soared over the city but could not find her. His anger grew. “Come out you coward! Face me. You wish to defeat me, so here I am! Give me your best shot.” When Twilight did not reappear, White Diamond began to lose patience. He took a deep breath and roared, breathing out a stream of white fire. He passed over the city and raked it with his breath. Entire blocks of white buildings cracked and melted. The chimeras in the city streets screamed and dove for cover – but he did not stop. The dragon passed over the city again and again, melting it with his unbearable flame. He then dove down and landed in the square. “Where are you, you miserable wretch? Show yourself!” By now the darkness within him had grown even further. His former purity had become corrupted, and he was now gray. “I’m up here, Death,” Twilight called out. The dragon immediately looked up. Twilight had been hovering above him in the sky the entire time. White Diamond roared in rage and slammed his tail into the ground. The city quaked, and more buildings fell. By now the chimeras were fleeing the city in droves, but their leader did not care. The dragon leaped off the ground to chase the tiny purple alicorn. Twilight tried to flee, but to her horror she found herself trapped. She couldn’t move. As she desperately struggled to break free, the dragon flew up to her. His enormous head filled up her entire field of vision. He was a terrifying sight. “You are not the only one who can do magic,” he snarled. The dragon took a deep breath and blasted her with a stream of fire – but the fire did not touch the pony. When the last flame dissipated, Twilight was still there – protected by a magical shield she had cast. “Look at yourself!” Twilight called out. She was panting heavily. The strain of maintaining her defenses was taking a heavy toll on her. “Do you see what you’ve become?” That was when he noticed that he was no longer a creature of the light. His diamond scales had grown dark, and tendrils of blackness were now laced through his entire being. The light was fading. “Yes, look at me,” White Diamond shouted. The chimeras below ignored him; they were too busy running for their lives. “Everyone, look at me! I am the ruler of this realm. I am the mighty one. This pony cannot define me. Her magic is useless against my might!” White Diamond reached out with one of his claws. He seized the magical sphere that surrounded Twilight and squeezed it. Twilight did her best to sustain it, but it was impossible. The sphere collapsed. The dragon grabbed her and held her tightly. When Twilight screamed, he snarled at her and threw her into the ground with all his might. Twilight crashed through the ceiling of a building and immediately blacked out. She hit it with such force that the entire building collapsed. The magic that White Diamond used to throw her propelled her with such violence that Twilight pierced through the ground and came out the other side of the mountain. Her body rolled down the rocky slope and finally came to a stop at the side of a large boulder. When Twilight came to herself she didn’t even try to get up. She just lied on the ground, in pain. Twilight saw where she was but made no attempt to move. So when Death kills me I go to the realm of departed souls – which is this place, apparently. My body is resurrected but the memory of the pain lingers. Luna, what have you done to me? But Twilight had no time to think. This time White Diamond did not assume that his enemy was defeated. He flew around the mountain and sped toward Twilight’s position. The alicorn saw him coming and knew what was going to happen. We are going to keep doing this, over and over and over, until I finally go insane. But I can’t let my friends down. All of Equestria is depending on me. Twilight struggled to stand up on her hooves. When White Diamond approached she fired a beam of light at him and struck his side. To her surprise, White Diamond screamed in pain. He immediately veered off course and backed off. That is when Twilight noticed how dark he had become. The light was entirely gone from him. He contained nothing but great darkness. Twilight leaped off the ground and fired at him, again and again and again. Each attack found its mark. The light seared the scales of the dragon and cut grooves into him. But the dragon was not defeated. With a roar of anger he dove to the ground, snatched up an enormous rock the size of a house, and threw it at Twilight. The alicorn darted out of the way – but she wasn’t quite fast enough. The edge of the rock cut her wing and sent her spiraling to the ground. The enraged monster picked up another rock and hurled it at her. Twilight used her magic to deflect it aside. She backed away – but the dragon kept hurling rocks, one after the other. “You are weak and spent,” the dragon snarled. “I can do this all day! You, though, aren’t going to last another minute.” Twilight desperately wanted to shoot him again but she had to put all her effort into dodging the incoming boulders. In a desperate attempt to escape she tried to teleport away – but the dragon was ready for her. When she reappeared in the sky, a rock was already on its way to hit her. She didn’t stand a chance. * * * * * This time when Twilight awoke she was pinned under a giant rock. She felt as if an entire house was on top of her. She could barely breathe. White Diamond towered over her. He then leaned down so that his head was just a few feet from her face. “It is over,” he said triumphantly. “No matter how hard you try you can never defeat me. I can kill you over, and over, and over again. You cannot win. Continuing this futile battle will only bring you more pain. It is time to surrender.” By now the dragon was exceedingly dark. His scales were no longer jewels; they were now cracked, broken, and dull. He looked more like a cloud of utter darkness than a dragon. “Come now, let us be reasonable,” Death said, as he squeezed the life out of her. “You gave it a try, and that is all your friends could expect. I will open a door for you and return you home – to Ponyville. There you can live out the rest of your days in peace. Isn’t that what you want? There’s no need to continue this pointless fight. You have nothing to gain but more pain and torment. The alternative, of course, is to remain trapped under this rock forever – dying over and over again for all of eternity. Is that really what you want? Wouldn’t you rather be with your friends?” Twilight knew she was seconds away from blacking out yet again. Using what little energy she had left, Twilight shot Death squarely in the face. This time the beam of light penetrated his head and came out the other side. He leaped back, screaming in pain. But Twilight could not finish him off. She didn’t have the strength to teleport out from under the rock, or even fire a second time. It really was over. Twilight blacked out. * * * * * When Twilight came to herself she was startled to see that the rock was gone. She was no longer trapped – and Death was nowhere to be seen. Twilight struggled to stand up. She looked around in confusion, and saw a familiar face standing beside her. “I apologize for the delay,” Discord said. “It took me some time to put together an army. They were all busy running for their lives, I’m afraid. I hope that Death didn’t do too much damage to you.” “What?” Twilight gasped. “I don’t understand.” Discord pointed up at the sky. Twilight saw that the dragon was still there, blacker than ever – but he was being attacked by a whole host of creatures. It was a vicious fight, and Death was not winning. “I’ll admit that at first no one wanted to get involved. But then White Diamond enacted some rather unpopular legislation that caused him to take a dive in the polls. Flattening the city was a bad start to his administration, and roasting its citizens did not win him the support he was after. Plus, the way he treated you was, shall we say, rather shameful.” “He killed me!” Twilight said angrily. “Over and over and over again. It still hurts.” “And yet you never stopped fighting him. You never gave up. Even when you were trapped under that rock you still fought for your friends. Your actions demonstrated the true meaning of love far more convincingly than any speech. If this is the sort of love you showed to me in the future, and I then betrayed it – well, it’s no wonder you were so rude. The truth is I simply couldn’t bear the thought of being on the same side as that monster. What if he decided to come after me next? He clearly had to go.” Twilight looked up at the sky. She still in pain, and she knew she looked frightful. The alicorn was covered in debris and dirt, her mane was a complete mess, and her feathers were in disarray. “Are you sure you want to be seen with me?” Twilight asked Discord. “There’s no one I would rather have by my side. Are you ready to go back to battle?” Twilight didn’t say anything. She leaped off the ground and flew toward Death as fast as she could fly. Now that she had friends at her side she felt a renewed surge of hope. She was no longer alone. In fact, Death was surrounded by an enormous cloud of creatures. She didn’t know who they were or what race they represented, but she knew that they were on her side. When Twilight approached her allies parted. Death stopped for a moment and then saw who was coming for him. For the first time his eyes widened in fear. “We can talk this over,” Death protested. “Stop and think about what you’re–” Twilight shot him in the face. The blinding white beam of pure light pierced through his entire body. Death didn’t even have time to scream. He simply disappeared. A loud cheer went up. The crowd thronged Twilight and began congratulating her. “Wait!” Twilight shouted. “We haven’t won yet. All we’ve done is cast him out of this realm. We need to go after him in the lower realm before he can do any damage there. We cannot rest until we’ve imprisoned him.” Discord spoke up. “And where, exactly, is this prison of dark souls that you speak of? I’m afraid I’m not familiar with it.” “Don’t worry – I know how to get there. I’ve been there before.” Discord gave her a peculiar look. Twilight face-hoofed. “Not as a resident, Discord! I just had to – oh, never mind. It’s a long story and we’re wasting time. Let’s go!” “We’re all behind you,” Discord said. Twilight hesitated. “Um, I don’t know how to get out of here.” Discord smiled. “Allow me.” He snapped his eagle talon, and everyone vanished.