//------------------------------// // Cutie Mark Crusaders' Journal of the unexplained Part 6 // Story: Pinkie Pie's Fourth-Wall Breaking Variety Show // by Alex Warlorn //------------------------------// Kifuko and Midnight both teleported into the circle of statues, the two babies startling their foster father. The two looked innocently at the changeling and sirens. But before what antics and fun that would be uncovered from that: The trio blinked, finding themselves back at the What If Machine. "Aww! No fair!" Sweetie Belle lamented. "Yeah, I liked being a dragon..." Scootaloo sighed. Applebloom blinked, feeling a little...more whole. Like she had when she'd completed...She couldn't transform...but she felt like that potential remained there. "Hey, we remember where it is, right? We can just go back some other time, right?" "Yeah...I guess...it just felt really right..." Sweetie said. "So go back to exploring?" "Sounds good tah meh," Applebloom remarked. Going back to the forest, the group continued to search. "This place is creepy..." Sweetie Belle remarked, not looking where she was going and running into somepony. "Oops! Sorry!" "No, it was my fault..." Sweetie Belle blinked as she looked into her own eyes. "AH! "AHH!" "AHHH!" "AHHHH!" "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Scootaloo and Applebloom covered their ears as the two Sweetie Belles screamed at each other. "Uh...I think we ran into an alternate universe version of Sweetie Belle..." Scootaloo remarked. "Or one of our statue selves got depetrified." "Yah think?" "Sweetie Belle!" called a voice. Button Mash ran up, Rumble next to him. The little brown colt had a strange golden sword that looked like a key, while the grey pegasus colt had a red and blue one with a more wing-like appearance. "Wow..." Button said, looking at the two Sweetie Belle's. "This is weird..." "It's an alternate version of her," Rumble remarked with a sigh. "We are in an alternate universe, remember?" "Cool..." "This is freaky!" both Sweetie Belles exclaimed at the same time. "I'm used to traveling worlds, but I've never met myself!" Button's Sweetie Belle exclaimed. "Wait, yah can travel through worlds?" Applebloom asked, blinking. "Yeah! We do it all the time!" Button exclaimed. "But if we're here, that means..." Suddenly the shadows around it expanded and took form, taking the shape of long eared, yellow eyed shadows, looking at them with hungry eyes. "Those are here!" Button exclaimed, taking a fighting stance with his weird sword along with Rumble. Applebloom, the native Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo looked at the circle of monsters as Other Sweetie Belle produced a key-like sword of her own, hers a bit more pretty in design and having a flower motif. "What did we get ourselves inta this time?" Applebloom questioned, pinning her ears. He turned the camera around to look at her own face. "Ah'm startin' think we're running less into weird stuff from the Everfree, and more just BIG STUFF always regarding the ponies we know. There's no mysteriousness. There's no left wondering what we found. No questions for us to figure out or uncover. . . . Ah'm starting' to think we aint' makin' a guide to ANYTHIN' unexplained because it's all explained. There's ain't no puzzles . . . Ah gotta admit, this might be a cool adventure we keep havin', but it ain't what we set out to do with this video recorder." - Sweetie Belle grunted and managed to squeeze a weak shield dome out of her magic. "Of all the things, why did it have to be shadows?" Scootaloo dodged back from a snapping shadow-thing and charged up her wing blades. "Stay back! I'm warning you..." She glanced over her shoulder. "What are you doing, Apple Bloom? I don't think asking the 'viewers at home' what we should do is gonna help!" "Stay behind us!" cried Button Mash. "Regular weapons have no effect on the Heartless." The colt spun and lunged with unexpected ferocity, and several of the monsters just plain vanished, turning into green and gold balls that bounced around before getting absorbed into his blade. One of the shadows slipped past Rumble's guard and bit his leg. "Gah! Sweetie, I could use some healing!" Sweetie Belle started to stammer, "But I haven't learned how to..." "On it!" shouted the other Sweetie Belle. A green mist glimmered around Rumble's foreleg, and his limp vanished. Apple Bloom crouched, looking for a chance to buck those shadows if they got too close. "Why do Ah feel like we're playin' one of our Button Mash's video games and we skipped the tutorial by mistake?" And then a new voice rang out. "Oh my, what do we have here? More trespassers? That simply will not do." A mare walked out of deep shadows, wearing a black hooded cloak with black boots and a necklace of silver chimes... but the hood wasn't pulled down far enough to hide the familiar white face and purple curls. Sweetie froze, her shield spell slipping away from her. "R- Rarity?!" The mare frowned. "Rarity? Whoever is that, darling?" Out of nowhere, she drew a silver rapier resembling a giant sewing needle. "I am Lady Blexel, Number Five of Herd Seven, and none of you are getting anywhere near Nightmare Castle whilst I am on watch." - Rumble took up his keyblade and looked to the CMC. "technically the heroes we team up in each world normally can hurt the Heartless...You three heroes?" Other Sweetie looked to her counterpart. "...That's not Rarity, it's a Nobody." "A what?" Sweetie asked, Scootaloo paled a little bit. Blexel gave a cold chuckle. "I'm nothing, darling. Merely the empty shell left behind when the being I once was gave birth to a Heartless." Rumble growled. "In other words, Rarity's not in there anymore. She's just a shell left behind when a Rarity lost her Heart." Sweetie's shield flickered, forcing Scootaloo to test Rumble's theory and use a slash of her wing to cut a Heartless, though it was clear a keyblade was MUCH more effective. "Wait wait wait," Applebloom said. "If all of you are from another world, what are yah doin' here?!" "We were looking for a way to Castle Nightmare and apparently there's a Gate to Oblivion somewhere in this world's Everfree," Rumble explained. "As for why she's here except to get in the way, I'm not sure." Applebloom blinked. "...Guess that counts for our show..." Blexel chuckled. "Well if our plans are progressing as planned, you should be seeing the results..." "Indeed they have, Lady..." The trio turned to see three more cloaked figures step out of the darkness. One had an orange, purple, and pink mane, her fur pink. That much was visible. The next purple with a pink mane, purple wings sticking out from their cloak. The last much smaller than the other two, white with a yellow, purple, and orange mane. Scootaloo gasped. "Toola Roola? Starsong? Baby Honolu-Loo?" she asked under her breath. Blexel looked to Button. "You've been picking off members of our group, Button Mash. We decided to try and fish Oblivion for more. But of course there's the problem of getting them OUT of Oblivion to become Nobodies. Of course so far we've only gotten three that fit our standards." Rumble frowned. "So that means if we use the Oblivion Gate to get to Castle Nightmare, your world might end up flooded with Nobodies, Scootaloo..." Scootaloo paled at the idea, for more reasons than one. "And if we close it, we'll have to find another way to get to Castle Nightmare!" Button exclaimed. "Observant as always," Blexel then turned and looked to the trio. She moved a hoof in front of the trio of Shadows turned Nobodies. Their names each manifested as glowing blue, translucent letters. "You can't feel anything. You can't have feelings. Do you want to have a meaning?" The trio nodded. "Don't!" Scootaloo yelled. Starsong looked to Scootaloo. "Being a Nobody is at least a little better than being nothing. At least now we can act." "...Still...kind of like a painting you haven't filled in yet. "Said Toola Roola. "Good, but you know it could be better...we're still just empty shells of beings. But at least we're empty shells who can DO SOMETHING. Imagine being nothing, and being able to DO nothing...you'd be desperate to escape too." Scootaloo's eyes widened at that response. Blexel moved her hoof over the names, causing each to spin around the individual Shadows turned Nobodies. She finally put her hoof out, stopping the cycle and inserting a glowing X into it. "Nogtrxsas Olmyxde," said the purple Pegasus, now bearing the title the Winged Siren. Toola Roola spoke "Loxao Raloot," claiming the title of the Pigmented Fantasizer. Honolu-Loo said the name "Olloxouh-no," gaining the title the Hidden Grim Sower. "A new you, and new lights will soon follow, although they be stolen," spoke Blexel. She then turned. "You've beaten us when you had the numbers edge, Button Mash, how about now?" Nogtrxas produced a staff that resembled a stage microphone, in function as well as form, visible sound waves coming off it. "Soon we'll BE again!" Loxao produced a massive paintbrush like weapon, paint dripping off the tip. "Sorry Scootaloo...no, I'm not. I'll be sorry for you when I can FEEL sorry again." Olloxouh-no produced a weapon resembling a shovel, the ground quaking around her. "We'll both be saying aloha to oblivion I guess...just we'll have to wait and see which meaning it'll be." Other Sweetie gasped. "It was a trap!" Blexel produced her weapon again. "Once more the observant one." Appleblooms eyes widened. Button and his friends...they were outnumbered four to one on their own...but Scootaloo and Sweetie...how did she get them back involved. - Sweetie Belle was shaking. "I can't do this. I know what they said... but what if they're wrong? What if I fight and I hurt Rarity again?" Somepony laid a comforting hoof on her flank. Sweetie sniffled and looked up, expecting Scootaloo or Apple Bloom, and instead she found herself looking into her own eyes. The Other Sweetie Belle smiled gently. "Here." She levitated her sword closer, offering her the hilt. "This is Heartsong." Sweetie tilted her head in confusion. "But, nobody's singing." The other her shook her head. "No, Heartsong. My Keyblade." Sweetie lifted a hoof hesitantly, then touched the hilt... and a vision seemed to explode in her mind. Suddenly she could see everyone's hearts, shining in the Dark like floating crystals. It was kind of like being a siren again, except joy and warmth didn't scare her so much, now. The Other reclaimed her Keyblade, but Sweetie kept staring into space until Apple Bloom got worried and shook her. "Hey! Are ya'll okay?" Sweetie took a deep breath. "She wasn't lying... There's no hearts in them, no feelins, no anything! I felt the real Rarity's heart, out there somewhere..." She pointed a hoof at Blexel accusingly. "And she doesn't have any part of it!" Blexel frowned sharply. "I... I leave this to you!" she declared suddenly. "You three, prove yourselves by disposing of them! I must report to Her Majesty." She fled back into darkness. Apple Bloom had her mouth hanging open. "Well, that was a lucky break... Ah guess." - "We've gotta fight three Nobodies AND a bunch of heartless at once?!" Rumble didn't sound happy. Sweetie Belle, the native Sweetie Belle... began chanting. As the Nobodies, readied themselves, neither side excited to begin the fight (but for different reasons), but then ... a blast of black magic tore the shadow creatures apart... some dissolving in puffs of smoke, others releasing captive glowing hearts that floated away. The visiting Sweetie Belle gasped, even the Nobodies paused. "T-that was ... that was CHRYSALIS' magic!!" "She's not Chrysalis!" Apple Bloom swore. "Chrysalis wanted an heir, she hypnotized me into being her student because hers, mine, and Cadence's souls she said all came from the same source, she taught me black magic, even after I was freed it took some harsh words from big sister to see Chryssy WASN'T misunderstood or just hungry." "But... you still want to use what you were taught for good," Rumble said in understanding. The nobody of Baby Honolu-Loo sat on the ground eating popcorn at the little drama until the nobody of Starsong gave her a 'stop being stupid' smack on the head to which she complied got back into fighting stance, but even the Nobodies found themselves curious. - Toola Roola's Nobody swept her paintbrush out, pointing it at the fillies and colts. "It doesn't matter. Soon, your light will be ours. Our light was unfairly taken away. Show us that you're more deserving of it than we are!" "Do we hafta?" asked the Nobody of Honolu-Loo. Toola Roola gasped. "Olloxouh-no!" "I suppose she has a point," said Starsong's Nobody. "Either we lose and go back to nothingness, or we take their hearts and have to feel 'guilty' about it. What's the rush?" Loxao sighed. "You do what you like. I want more than this black and grey. I want my colors back again." She brandished a hoof, and a huge canvas appeared, floating in the air. Then she swept her paintbrush across its surface, and lesser Nobodies came crawling and pouring out of it. Scootaloo gulped. "So what's our strategy? They attack, and we counter, and then they..." Button Mash jumped up on his hind legs, holding *two* Keyblades now. "Actually, these things kinda happen all at once." He grinned and rushed at the Dusks and Creepers, doing crazy jumps and flips and whirling the Keyblades like batons. Apple Bloom was quickly getting surrounded. Rumble dug in a pack and tossed something at her. "Here, use this!" Apple Bloom reached out, expecting a weapon, but instead a filly-sized buckler with King Mickey's symbol slid onto her foreleg. "A shield? How's this gonna..." A Nobody dove at her, and she reflexively spun and bucked it back to nothing with one kick. "Oh!" "Now you're getting it!" Rumble spread glowing wings, then flash-stepped, instantly cutting through a whole line of lesser Nobodies. Their Sweetie Belle grimaced, firing one green bolt after another... but the Nobodies she aimed at kept snaking from side to side to dodge, or flattening themselves against the ground. The other Sweetie looked really worried. "You shouldn't use so many shadow spells. You might get a Dark Overdrive. Let me help!" She pointed Heartsong skyward. "Courage!" Suddenly, they saw a vision of a savanna and a towering mountain. All of them, friends and foes, had to stop what they were doing and wait for the red and gold lion to finish roaring. Simba jumped into battle with them and started romping around, cuffing any Nobody that got too close. "Neat!" cried Scootaloo. "Can I do that?" Their Sweetie Belle frowned. "I don't think..." Scootaloo posed dramatically. "Loyalty!" Again, everypony had to stop and watch Rainbow Dash do her best aerial showoff moves, then zoom to the horizon and ride back on the wake of her own Sonic Rainboom. "Yay! Go get 'em, Rainbow Dash!" The blue pegasus gaped at the fillies and the battle. "Okay, how the heck did I get h-.. You got it, kid!!" Loxao took a step back. "A little help?" But Starlong and Honolu-Loo's Nobodies were both snacking on popcorn now. "I'd probably feel really annoyed with you girls now... you know, if I actually could feel." - Sweetie Belle watched Simba helping Rainbow Dash fight off the lesser shadow monsters. "So, who's that?" "Oh, he's a friend of ours from one of the other worlds," Other Sweetie Belle explained. "We have lots of them! After visiting his... I kinda understand creatures who eat meat a little more." Button charged Loxao and clashed one keyblade with her brush, her forcing him back just in time to block a strike from Rumble, fighting both. She jumped back and swung her brush, sending paint over the ground, making it slick and tripping the two up, allowing her to make a running leap and trying to strike Button with her brush. Scootaloo flew in and kicked the Nobody back. Button took advantage of the opening and managed a heavy blow to Loxao, knocking her back. The Nobody growled. "If my partners aren't going to help..." She swung her brush around, creating paint based clones of herself to charge them, each a different color of the Rainbow. Button was knocked back by a blow before managing to bisect one of the clones. "I thought we beat the guy with the annoying clone move already!...At least this one isn't timed..." Scootaloo was about to be hit... "Catch!" called Rumble throwing her a magic staff with what looked like a witch or wizard's cap at the top. The pegasus caught it and used it to block the blow, then based away the clone with it. Holding the staff, she instinctively held it up, calling a lightning spell down and blowing away a few of the clones. "WHAO!" Applebloom charged in and shield based one clone while the two Sweetie Belles took out another...then had to defend against a brush bash from Loxao. "You...yours is the one I want to fill me in!" Loxao replied, slamming her brush down on the shield again and nearly driving Applebloom literally into the ground before getting a lightning spell to her chest that forced her back. "Why meh?!" Applebloom asked, readjusting the camera to get a clearer look. The Nobody glared at her. "Because it's mine. It's the one that belonged to me before it was STOLEN from me...it was the paint to fill in my outline and they gave it to you. Button blinked. "This seems kinda familiar..." Rumble flew in and tried to slash her, but the Nobody blocked and kicked him back, making a beeline for Applebloom. Button rushed between them and blocked her before forcing her back and slashing her across the chest with one keyblade then knocking her backwards with the other one. "Get out of my way..." the Nobody muttered, doing a spin and sending a shockwave of paint outwards and knocking all the combatants, including her own allies, down before rushing Applebloom again. She swung her brush at the filly's head...Applebloom ducked and landed a firm buck directly to her stomach, knocking her back. "...Ah got no idea what yer goin' on about, but Ah'm an Apple! We don't give nothin' up without a fight!" Applebloom admitted to herself...how desperate the Nobody seemed...it made her feel sorry for her...but...she had to fight, this was her survival on the line here...still, she wished there was another way. Loxao found herself blindsided with a wing blade from Scootaloo, knocking her forwards into a beam of dark magic from Sweetie Belle and one of light magic from Other Sweetie's keyblade. Rumble and Button charged her from behind and slashed her across the stomach with both their weapons while she turned around, sending the Nobody stumbling back in pain. The Nobody kept fighting all six at once, managing to give them some bruises and damage (forcing Other Sweetie to use healing spells numerous times), but taking more fighting a six on one battle. Finally, Applebloom blocked one of her strikes and held her ground (not easy, considering the considerable strength of the Nobody, allowing Button to rush up and leap off her back, delivering a slash to knock Loxao into the air. "Limit!" Button jumped up and his keyblade became energized. He delivered a series of rapid slashes to Loxao in rapid succession, zipping past her and performing another rapid series of slashes before finally zipping by her with a slash through her midsection (though left no wound). Loxao fell to the ground, painting. She struggled to her hooves, darkness beginning to surround her. "No..." she reached towards Applebloom. "I..." The other two Nobodies stopped eating popcorn. Applebloom frowned... "Ah wish there was a way we could both have mah light thingie if it makes yah feel better..." Button promptly gasped, seeing the image of a blond maned version of himself in his mind's eye. "Wait, I merged back together with my Nobody...and so did Sweetie Belle, my Sweetie I mean..." Applebloom blinked, the farm filly looking at the fading Nobody, who seemed to be holding herself together by sheer willpower. "...Ah..." she wanted to say something, but it seemed like Scoots was the one with the freaky know how of where this girl came from. She thought of how the Nobodies had described it. How awful how they were was... She stepped forwards and grabbed Loxao's hoof. "...Come on in...we'll share...if Button and his Nobody can do it, why not meh and mine?" The Nobody looked in disbelief. "You'd...why?" "...Because yer a pony, even if yah don't say yah are anymore...So can we do it?" "...Shadows can bond with those who have lights, yes...just...I don't understand..." "Yah want tah be whole, Ah don't want tah let somepony fade away that doesn't need tah...what's there tah understand?" The black robe vanished into darkness, leaving just the pink Earth Pony underneath. "...Thanks...I...think I needed somepony to remind me of that...It's been so long since I could feel it..." And with that, Applebloom hugged the shadow, the two merging into one. Simba and Rainbow Dash looked at each other in surprise. - Toola Roola found herself trotting into a bedroom, where eleven Apple Blooms of every size and shape and species lay fast asleep, snuggled together on one giant wood-framed bed carved with apples and hearts. The seapony Apple Bloom dozed in a water-filled tank, humming a lullaby. "Ooh, sleepover!" Toola Roola spun round and round til she was dizzy, then toppled into bed, yawning and pulling a blanket over herself. Colorful paintings of a much older Ponyville began to spread over the previously blank walls. "Let me guess," echoed Apple Bloom's voice. "Still no cutie mark? Eeeyup! Don't know why Ah even looked..." Toola Roola stretched. "What kind of cutie mark would you like? I can paint up lots of them and let you pick what you like best!" "Ain't... that kinda missing the point?" Toola Roola smiled. "So, you want to build your own destiny, is that it? Be the architect of your own fate? It's no good being told the truth... you gotta try and try and try again until you reason it out yourself?" In the real world, Apple Bloom made a face. "Either stop teasin' me, or just spit it out." But the voice in her head faded away and said nothing more, seeming fully settled in and a part of her now. Meanwhile, Olloxouh-no and Nogtrxsas had three Keyblades pointed at them. Button Mash started forward, but their Sweetie Belle held out a hoof. "Wait..." The remaining two Nobodies were all out of popcorn. "This is where we're supposed to mock them and run away, right?" said Honolu-Loo's Nobody. "Tell them that next time the surf's up, they'll be the ones going under." "I guess..." said Starsong's Nobody. She looked at the stage microphone in her hoof. "We just stood here eating popcorn, while Loxao went down fighting. I keep thinking... I should feel bad about that. That's what ponies do, right?" "We're not ponies," Olloxouh-no pointed out. "We're nobody." "I know we agreed before that any kind of something was better than nothing," said Nogtrxsas. "But now I'm thinking... that we weren't right about that at all!" The Nobodies looked at each other, then carelessly tossed aside the shovel and the microphone, as if they no longer cared to have them. "Please..." asked Olloxouh-no. "Help us?" - Rumble looked at his Sweetie Belle and then the local one. "This... isn't how this normally goes." "And can SOMEONE PLEASE tell me what's going on?!" Rainbow Dash exasperated. "Uh, can somepony de-summon her and Simba?" Button Mash asked awkwardly. - Applebloom rubbed her head. "Well, that Nobody version of Rarity did say they were made different than the other Nobodies were..." Scootaloo looked thoughtful. "Well...I'm not complaining...I kind of know these three...you could, uh, say they were from my old hometown..." she covered. Button blinked. "You escaped an erased universe?" Scootaloo blinked. "I...It's complicated." She looked to Rainbow. "Uh...see you later, Rainbow..." she said, desummoning her mentor. She kind of hoped Rainbow would think it was just a dream. She walked over to Olloxouh-no. "...If I let you share with me, what happens?" The Nobody looked up at her. "Well...I don't have much to offer you...I'm just a little pony...but we'd become one. You'd get some of my traits. And I get to exist again. Aloha to oblivion...If we're compatible and I can feel we are, you'll still be you." "That all?" "Pegasus Promise," the other Pegasus turned her hind quarters around. Scootaloo chuckled and did the same, wrapping their tails around each other. "Alright, then come on in." Baby Honolulu's Nobody's cloak vanished into shadow and she hugged Scootaloo, the two merging into one in a flash of light, seamlessly completing each other. "Scootaloo, are you still...well, you?" Sweetie Belle asked. Scootaloo smirked. "Yeah, still me. Just now I'm better at swimming...and know Neighwaian now." Button still looked utterly confused. "I have no idea what's going on..." Other Sweetie Belle looked to him having desummoned Simba. "Well, better than fighting two Nobodies at the same time, isn't it?" "...Point taken..." "What's going on?!" The native Sweetie Belle trotted over to Star Song's Nobody. "...So it's awful being like this?" Nogtrxsas nodded. "Imagine never being able to feel anything...this is a little better because I have a body, I can do things...but I still can't feel...I know I SHOULD feel something, but I don't...and that just makes it worse...I only wanted your Light so I could finally feel again." "And what's this Oblivion place like?" "...Empty. Cold...there's just...nothing there." "Sounds bad..." "...It's quiet. It's peaceful...but it's not fun being nothing..." "...Then I wouldn't be a good pony if I just let you stay in that bad place, would I?" Sweetie Belle asked. "...If it won't hurt me, come on in." Starsong gave a small smile, her black robe fading into darkness. "...Thank you Sweetie Belle...I think I almost felt something there..." The two hugged and Sweetie Belle and Star Song both sang a wordless vocal that a part of both her friends recognized, fusing together as one heart and one soul. "Okay..." Rumble said, blinking. "I have no idea what happened, but I'm not complaining we don't have to fight three Nobodies at the same time." Sweetie Belle nodded, she and her friends sharing a hug. "So...what now?" "We need to find the Oblivion Gate," Rumble explained. "Should look like a big black wound in the planet. There's supposed to be a path too it, but we kind of lost it because somepony decided to search for chests. It can't be too far away." "Hey, a place like this always has a few!" Button replied, showing that whether he was acting the part of a living video game character or not "Alright, I'm on it! Aloha for now!" said Scootaloo, flying up and looking around, but seeing nothing. "Found it! Follow me!" Applebloom looked at the camera. "Alright, folks, ready tah see Everfree's Oblivion Gate?" - The forest seemed to grow darker and darker as the six colts and fillies followed the path, even though it had been nighttime to start with. Dense thickets with sharp thorns blotted out the night sky, and the fireflies stopped following them. The other Sweetie Belle walked in front, levitating her Keyblade. Whenever the path forked, Heart Song tugged one way or another, pointing the way. Apple Bloom saw a jagged cave opening ahead, and felt her ears droop. "Ah reckon... this must be the place." Her voice echoed as they trotted slowly inside. Button Mash froze. "Shh! Someone's here!" They all leaned and peered around the last corner. Blexel and a diminutive black-robed shape stood before an utterly pitch hole in the world, with a desolate grey landscape beyond... but someone else stood in front of them, barring their way. "Don't you take that tone with me," said Blexel. "Stand aside, or I shall remove you by force!" "That would really be funny," said a flat, lifeless voice. "See how hard I'm laughing." "Maud Pie?" whispered Scootaloo. "What's she doing here?" Even a whisper was too much... Blexel and the other Nobody spun to face them. "Heh, nice going, Blexel," said the small one in a familiar tone, as he pulled his black hood back. "You were supposed to wear them down, not make them stronger." "Spike?!" cried the native Sweetie Belle. "Not you too!" Then she glared and planted her hooves, preparing her black magic. "Don't you worry, Spike! We're setting your and Rarity's hearts free right now!" "That's right!" shouted Scootaloo. "How hard could this be? Right... um, guys?" Button Mash, Rumble, and the other Sweetie had grim faces and all their Keyblades drawn. "Don't get cocky," stammered Rumble. "This is Pesxik that we're dealing with!" Blexel laughed mockingly. "I shan't be running away this time, darlings." She patted the little dragon fondly. "And Pesxik here is no Humdrum, as you'll soon see. Arise, my champion!" Pesxik snarled and seemed to pull the very shadows of Oblivion into himself. The cloud of darkness billowed up and up, and then a great wyrm stepped forth, paws shaking the earth and shattering stone, horns nearly scraping the cavern ceiling. His scales had turned glossy black trimmed with green and purple, and the scales on his chest formed the Nobody emblem. "At your side, milady." - Apple Bloom snorted. "I'm SICK OF THIS! We came to Everfree to find weird surprises and mysterious stuff that we'd wonder what it was about even after we found it! NOT FIGHTING BAD GUYS LIKE WE ALWAYS DO!" - Suddenly, the Nobodies heard a snarl, seemingly in response to Applebloom's statement. They blinked, looking at Sweetie's saddle bags as Blanky emerged. The little Blank Wolf glared daggers at both. The two high ranking Nobodies backpedaled, they'd be terrified if they could FEEL terrified. "The Blank Wolf?!" Pesxik asked. "I thought it was out of commission in this dimension." Blanky looked to Applebloom and barked, then pointed to the saddle bags. Blinking, Applebloom remembered something. "Oh!" She opened her saddle bag and rummaged through, producing the Ruby, Sapphire, and Pearl from before. "We still have them." He motioned to Sweetie and put a paw to his own chest. "...Wolf Song?" Blanky nodded. Sweetie blinked, then nodded. "I think I know what Blanky wants." Throwing the two the items, they combined them and merged into one, reforming the wolfpony named Wolf Song. Button Mash's jaw dropped. "You girls can do that?!" Wolf Song opened her/his eyes and smiled. "Yeah. Applebloom, you and Scootaloo do your show with the Oblivion Gate, okay? I'll help Other Button fight the infections over there!" Applebloom blinked. "But Luna said not to use it to fight." Wolf Song scratched her/his ear. "Yeah, but Snow Bound wanted you to be able to continue your show and Sweetie didn't want to see you upset. So they formed me so you could!" The Blank foal turned and snarled at the Nobodies. "And besides, momma says I should help kick heartless version of Big Sister and Spike's flanks out of the universe, so I'll do it!" The two Nobodies tried to retreat but found Maud still blocking their path. "You are between a rock and a hard place." "I have no idea what's going on," said Rumble. "But go for it." Applebloom nodded slowly. "...Thanks Wolf Song..." Wolf Song smirked. "No problem!" they promptly leapt and tackled Pesxik, the dragon and Blank Foal biting and slashing at each other. While Wolf Song couldn't erase the Nobody in one hit (as a Nobody already 'didn't exist') but they were proving quite capable of HARMING him. As Rumble went to aid Wolf Song and Button and Other Sweetie went after the Nobody of Another World's Rarity, Applebloom and Scootaloo approached Maud. "...Miss Pie?" Maud looked to them. "Hello." "Why are yah in Oblivion?" Applebloom asked. "You don't need to think about that." And it was perfectly logical not to think about it. Applebloom, ignoring the battle behind them, handed Scootaloo the camera, clearing her throat. "Deep in the Everfree, we found this Oblivion Gate! Miss Maud Pie, what can yah tell us about this?" Maud didn't seem to mind the camera. "An Oblivion Gate is a naturally occurring portal to the realm of Oblivion, where all that ceases will go. The reason they exist is because, until these invaders perverted it, it would only allow Shadows through who were compatible with the mortal on the other side and could complete them." "How do ya know all that?" Applebloom asked, blinking. "I have a Rocktorate. That makes sense." Applebloom nodded. She heard Spike's nobody get blasted by a magically enhanced mixture of a sonic howl and a song. "But why would that happen?" Maud looked back to the Oblivion Gate. "Because those mortals would have to brave the Everfree and many trials to come here. They would need to seek it out so they could become more...It was a Wedding Gift from Oblivion to her new Son-In-Law, one of the few beings to ever truly understand her. Did you know the Death Tarot also represents Rebirth?...I imagine the reason those three Shadows in particular emerged was because you three were here." Applebloom blinked. "...So the reason Toola Roola and her friends came out was because they matched with us?" Maud nodded. "Correct..." - Meanwhile, Button Mash readied both of his Keyblades. "Let's settle this." Blexel swept her needle-blade in a mock salute. "Yes, shall we? Thread the Needle!" Her blade flew right out of her hoof and stabbed towards them repeatedly, forcing Button and the other Sweetie to roll and dodge. "Blizzard!" called the other Sweetie. Blexel elegantly sidestepped before she got frozen into a block of ice. "Fashion Disaster! Oh ho ho ho!!" More giant needles streaked down from nowhere, forcing Button Mash to swing as fast as he count, bashing his way through them. Before Button could slash at Blexel herself, she stepped into shadow, reemerging on Pesxik's shoulder. "The loud little filly wanted all of this bothersome fighting over with. Shall we oblige her?" Pesxik snorted. "Fine with me." He spread his black wings wide, and dragon and pony posed together. "Gift of Oblivion!" Button, Rumble, and Sweetie wasted no time in raising their Keyblades together. "Trinity!" they shouted. "Best Friends... Forever!" The two titantic attack spells roared towards each other, collided... and vanished, cancelling each other out. "Hey, do you mind keeping it down?" shouted Scootaloo from across the room. "We're filming here." "Cut it out," added Maud Pie flatly. Even the two Nobodies seemed cowed by that, though no one could explain why. After a lot of silent looks and awkward shrugging, Wolf Song padded forward. "Why are you doing this, anyway? What's your goal here... and you had better not say that you're just being villains, because this is what villains do!" "I should have thought that would have been obvious, darling," said Blexel disdainfully. "We seek to eliminate all hearts in all worlds. We'll make every creature the same as we are." "Then there won't be any more hurt," growled Pesxik. "No more broken hearts, ever again." "What are you doing?" whispered Button Mash. "This is definitely not how these things are supposed to go." Wolf Song grinned confidently, fangs gleaming. "In your world, maybe. This is how we do it in *our* world." The Blank Foal drew a deep breath and began to howl, long and slow and sorrowful, Snow Bound and Sweetie Belle's combined power reaching into the dark between worlds. Blexel blinked in disbelief. "Are you trying to reach our hearts?" Pesxik chuckled. "Newsflash... they're not here!" "They are now," spoke Wolf Song, as a portal spun open and two heart-shaped gemstones flew out, one green and the other purple, hovering and spinning in the air. Pesxik's eyes grew large. "No... I don't want to feel this pain again! You don't know what it's like, having a dragon's passions but still being treated like a baby..." Blexel shuddered. "You're too young to possibly understand, having feelings for another and being forced to let them down again and again..." "Doing everything I could to show her how much I cared..." "Knowing that society would never accept us..." "And still having everyone treat my feelings like a big joke..." "Knowing that any happiness we found could only be fleeting..." Slowly, they looked towards each other. "Nothing's really changed," Pesxik growled softly, curling Blexel's hair with a talon. Blexel nodded, sniffling a bit. "If we could feel again and truly be together, it wouldn't be paradise. But, if I could have that..." "If I could have you," echoed Pesxik. "I'd give anything," they finished together. The two wayheart hearts zoomed towards them, merging into their chests... and the two Nobodies *exploded*. Shards of broken black glass seemed to fly away and vanish, leaving behind a beautiful, warmly smiling Rarity with a few more lines on her face, and a young green and purple drake about twice the size of a pony. They wore twin Elements of Generosity around their necks... Spike's was a large purple jewel in the shape of a flame, set in a heavy golden chain. Spike folded his wings around Rarity and kissed her, heedless of all the colts and fillies present. Button Mash and Rumble gawked, until the other Sweetie cleared her throat. Wolf Song put their paws over their eyes, but peeked between their toes, grinning wolfishly. - Rumble only stared... "Is that... supposed to happen?" Keyblade Button Mash said, "I thought non-violent solutions only applied when we went inside Friendship Gardens Storybook world." The other Sweetie Belle whispered, ".... Big... sister?" And you can kinda guess what happened next. - "Is it really you?!" whispered the other Sweetie Belle, tears running freely down her cheeks. She smiled, trying to wipe the tears, and then the filly gave up and galloped towards Rarity. Spike backed off a bit, blushing, as the sisters tackled each other, hugging tight. "Oh, Sweetie Belle," breathed Rarity. "How could I have been so selfish? Big sister promises, she'll never, ever trample on everypony's precious feelings like that, ever again!" The native Sweetie Belle grinned and sniffled a bit too, wiping a tear. Scootaloo and Apple Bloom hugged her while they all watched the reunion. Rainbow light began to sparkle around Rarity, Spike, and the other Sweetie. The light streamed towards the closest cavern wall, outlining a giant keyhole. Button Mash trotted over to Apple Bloom, clearing his throat. "Looks like it's time for us to move on. We'll lock this world to make it safe from the Heartless, and then we have more friends to save." Rumble grinned. "I know we can do it, now!" He pumped his wings, doing a joyful flip. "As of today, Herd Seven is down to five!" "What about the Oblivion Gate?" asked Scootaloo. "That way is closed to you," said Maud Pie, flatly. "Forget about it." "This was a dead end," said Button Mash. "Let's backtrack and find another way to Castle Nightmare." Everypony and dragon started nodding. "That makes sense," rumbled Spike. The other Sweetie lined up with Button Mash and Rumble, Keyblade ready. "Thanks so much for everything! Good luck with your exploring!" Apple Boom lifted the camera and filmed them aiming their Keyblades at the keyhole, with Spike and Rarity gathering around. Brilliant, pure light flared. When the Crusaders could see again, they were back in Apple Bloom's bedroom. - "Well, that was weird." Scootaloo and Apple Bloom jumped, finding Wolf Song sitting next to them! "Huh?" cried Apple Bloom. "Ah thought ya'll already split!" The wolfpony blushed a bit. "Blanky can change his appearance, but Sweetie isn't used to having that power. Our feelings for Rarity were so great, we assumed Sweetie's appearance. Hang on!" Wolf Song separated the ruby and sapphire, splitting into Sweetie and Blanky once again. Blanky flickered and became the stark white colt with a short black mane that they'd seen before. "There, you see? Don't worry, everything should be fine..." Sweetie Belle was relieved she wasn't scratching her ear like a dog or anything. "Okay..." "And... thanks, you three." The trio cocked their heads. "Why?" Scootaloo asked. "Because the Heartless and Nobodies weren't supposed to be here," Snow Bound explained. "That's why that Button didn't kick off my instincts: his group are like antibiotics for universes those things infect. You helped stop them... thanks." The trio smiled. "No problem, Blanky," said Sweetie, hugging the Blank Wolf in pony form. As they grabbed their saddlebags for another journey, Apple Bloom noticed the runed wheel with four slash marks on Snow Bound's flank. "Ah'm a mite jealous," she mused to herself. "Even he's got a cutie mark! But someday soon..." The trio headed back into the forest...and promptly heard the a rumbling. "You girls hungry?" Applebloom asked. "No..." Scootaloo replied, cocking her head. "Me neither," Sweetie Belle replied. "...Uh oh..." The trio screamed as the ground under their feel collapsed, sending the trio tumbling into an underground cave. "Yow!" "Oof!" "Eep!" The trio was in a pile at the bottom of the slope. "Ow...where ar..." The CMC's eyes fell on a very large large, blue gem stone, as big as any of them. "Whoa..." all three said at once. "What is it?!" Applebloom asked, the trio jumped over, looking it over. "Looks like some kinda gem..." Sweetie Belle said, looking it over. "But I don't know what kind...and my sister knows a LOT of them." "Hey! Let's take it back to the farm! We can show Applejack and others it in a the morning!" Applebloom exclaimed. The trio nodded and prepared to push it...only to scream as something very odd happened. They looked at it wide eyes...and it was looking back! With big blue eyes. "AAAAAHHHHHH!" The gem seemed to just look curiously and make some weird musical sound. "...I don't think it's evil..." Sweetie Belle said, trotting over to it and looking at it, the other two joining her. The stone merely gave a musical sound and noticed Applebloom's bow...and turned into a copy of it and ended up on Sweetie's head with the same blue eyes, but seemed friendly. "...I don't think this is a normal rock..." Applebloom filmed, definitely thinking this was an 'unexplained' thing. - MtangaLion Apple Bloom peered at the blue bow on Sweetie's head, and the bow peered right back at her, making that funny musical trill again. "Heh. Whatever it is, Ah like it's style." She nudged it with a hoof, and it promptly turned into a duplicate of her camera. "Hey!" Sweetie grabbed for it as it slid off her head, but fumbled it. "Got it!" said Scootaloo, diving to the ground to make the catch. Then she yelped and nearly dropped it again when the camera lens made a blue eye and blinked at her. "I don't know about this thing. Do you suppose... it could be some kind of changeling?" "Would it matter if it was?" said Sweetie Belle, glaring at Scootaloo. "Well, would it?" Apple Bloom groaned. "For the last time, changelings are just peachy, nopony here has any problems with changelings. Well, except for when they want to take us prisoner for nosing around their statue garden..." The arguing fillies trailed off when they realized that the funny blue thing had turned back into a rock, and it was, well... singing to them. Trilling along and rolling back and forth. "Huh..." Sweetie waited for the rock to pause, then sang a line herself, copying the rock's tune. The rock chirped and repeated the musical phrase again, a half step higher. Sweetie gasped. "Oh wow." She sang back to it again, a half step higher than that. Then they sang together, *harmonizing*, and Sweetie Belle grinned from ear to ear. All the commotion brought Blanky out of Sweetie's satchel. He sniffed the blue rock and pawed at it, like any curious pup. The blue rock trilled and turned into an identical blue-tinted wolf pup, making all the fillies jump. "Land sakes!" cried Apple Bloom, making sure to get that on film. Scootaloo gave her a funny look. "What? Granny says that all the time." Alex Warlorn There was the sound of an elevator going, clank, clank, and a door appeared right in the middle of the cave... it slowly slide open to reveal a island floating in nothingness. "Now THAT is weird!" Scootaloo said. Blanky and the blue-eyed copy-wolf nodded, before shape shifting into a non-magical version of the door. The ground on the other side of the door bulged and morphed into a red suit of barding that still blended into the ground where its hooves should have been. It was also holding a rod with a party mask on top... and the empty suit of armor lacked a helmet. Then the mask SPOKE, morphing into a copy of Apple Bloom's face. "Hello there." "Uh, who are you?" Sweetie Belle asked the weird thing on the other side of the magic door. The copier turned into a blue eyed version of the mask. The mask became more ordinate and it spoke, "An Avatar." The girls looked at each other then Sweetie politely asked. "What's your name?" "Lucifel." The blue copier turned back into a rock and hide behind whimpering. Blanky submissively bowed his head towards the suit of armor, but for the first time Sweetie had ever known him, Blanky growled in disgust as he did so. "Uh oh." Apple Bloom's ears wilted. "What?" "N-nothin', that's just a sorry name for an spirit." "Would you please come in? It's been so long I've had visitors." The mask became a white bland rendition of the face of Twilight Sparkle. "Uh... yer door ain't gonna vanish when we come in is it?" Apple Bloom asked. "I assure you no, you are free to come and go of your own free will. Please... as I've said, it's been so long." Wolfie followed, and the copier, curious for its new companion, rolled after them. However, Blanky yelped as he hit as an visible wall that the CMC had no trouble passing through as they carefully stepped through the door. "Wolves aren't allowed beyond their yard they're meant to guard." Said Lucifel. Sweetie stayed close to her pet and sadly patted him on the head. "DOn't worry Blanky, I'll be careful." "Are you hungry? What kind of fruit do yo like the most?" "Apples." "Oranges." Scootaloo said. "Cherries!" Out of thin air, the fruits appeared before the foals. As they politely accepted the gifts, the red suit of armor vanished, only to reemerged from the ground, and with a gesture of one hoof, a small town and castle not unlikePponyville appeared, he carefully worked in every detail. "Hey, that's cool," Scootaloo said honestly. "Where did you learn magic like that?" Sweetie asked. "I didn't learn it. It comes naturally to me. Would you care to create the people?" Lucifel offered, and with another gesture, created threee lumps of clay in front of the CMC and the blue-eyed copier who turned itself into a lump of clay next. Seeing as the mysterious stranger had done nothing so far but offer them food and play in a magical sandbox, the CMC saw no reason not to comply. The blue-eyed copier enjoyed the game too, as she copied the wolf and began to mold some vague pony shapes as well. A some minutes later the girls had created an entire clay population for their little town and castle, complete with a king and queen and a group of friends. "Now we'll give them life." Lucifel gestured with one hoof, and a spark of lightning later, the little clay figures began to go about their tiny lives, oblivious or unseeing of the titans above them who had granted them existence. Ardashir (edits by Alex Warlorn) Kendell2 The Crusaders watched in amazement as the tiny ponies moved and acted on their own. It seemed so innocent and new.  "Cool!" Scootaloo looked down at the tiny Ponyville. Small clouds seemed to hover above it, and she giggled as she set a familiar even in clay pegasus snoozing on one. "Shore is," Apple Bloom said as she put three figures down beside Sweet Apple Acres. In a moment they began to move and the three ponies -- one big, one medium and wearing a hat, and one tiny one with a bow -- began bucking apples from the trees. In a moment 'Applejack' loaded up a cart full and began trotting into town with them. "This is amazing." Sweetie set her clay pony down, a unicorn with an elegant mane and tail, beside what should be Carousel Boutique. 'She' immediately preened before going inside and working at her sewing machine. In another moment she came out with a rack set with dresses and headed into town with them. The fillies watched as more clay ponies sprang up. Two little fillies who trotted around looking snooty. A shy pegasus hiding behind her mane, an Earth pony teaching at the school, and more. The CMC looked up at Lucifel. "Did we do okay?" "You did well." The mask turned into a smiling Pinkie Pie. Lucifel and the girls looked down on 'Little Ponyville' as the clay ponies trotted about and lived as they always did. "It's like they're alive," Sweetie Belle said, laying down to look at them more closely. Her two friends followed her lead. "Do not become too attached to them," Lucifel's voice was as soft as ever, but a coldness was in it now. The girls looked up and gulped. His mask now looked like Nightmare Moon. "They never last very long." The fillies looked at each other. Their new shapeshifting friend shivered and Apple Bloom hugged her close. "W-what do you mean?" Scootaloo began to say, but was distracted by a sudden whinny from 'Ponyville'. The fillies looked down to see two of the clay ponies arguing. 'Applejack' pointed at her overturned apple cart while 'Rarity' pointed at her dresses in the dirt. "I've always found you ponies interesting. Even if you are a worthless, defective lot. That noise." Lucifel's mask turned to resemble Chrysalis' face. "I do not like it." Lucifel raised one hoof and set it over the pair. "I will stop it." "No, don't!" They never knew which of them cried it first, but all three did. Beyond the 'door', the Blank Puppy snarled and bristled. It did no good. Lucifel's hoof smashed down and the two arguing ponies were crushed along with their applecart and dresses. "Fools..." The clay of their forms remolded THEMSELVES into caskets. In a moment the other clay ponies were gathered around, weeping and mourning. 'Fluttershy', 'Rainbow Dash', 'Pinkie Pie', and 'Twilight Sparkle' all gathered around and wept holding a mini funeral. "Big sis!" Apple Bloom and Sweetie both cried. They reached to pick up the pieces. "Why do you bother?" Lucifel said. His mask was Discord now, confusion plain on his features. He pointed at the town. "They would only quarrel again." Lucifel watched as they mourned. "Such silly and meaningless creatures. What fascinations there are on this planet. Strange mortals with strange customs..." The trio trembled. While the monotone never changed, they got a feeling of utter contempt for the 'strange customs.' The remaining 'Element Bearers' looked up and seemed to see the Stranger. Their ears pinned back. They reared and whinnied high and shrill in defiance. The other Ponyville ponies joined them, crying defiance. "I will make a flood now." The fillies gulped to see Lucifel's mask become broad and horned as Tirek's face looked down on Ponyville. "Or an earthquake. You must stand back now. Out of danger." His hoof rose again and power gathered, roiled like a bag of serpents, and lashed out. The fillies cried out in terror. "Don't hurt them!" "Yer just bein' a bully!" "Run, everypony, run!" Magic struck. The ground quaked and began to split open. Fleeing clay ponies tried to save their families and themselves but it did no good. Some mourned for members of their kind that were struck by lightning! The fillies saw Twilight and Dash and Pinkie and Fluttershy racing about, trying to save everypony. But whenever they reached someone the earth opened beneath them or a spell struck and the pony lay in pieces. The CMC watched helpless, Blanky howled at the door, and the shapeshifter huddled behind them. Finally only four ponies were left, the Element Bearers. All about them lay a blasted town and dead clay ponies. Lucifel held their hoof high. "Let us see if they run." Lucifel sounded barely interested. The four looked around their town, then at each other. They turned and embraced each other, holding one another close. Lucifel made to throw the last blast twice, but they never looked at him. They just held each other and ignored him. "They ignore me." Lucifel's mask looked like, of all ponies, Trixie now. He spoke again, and when he did, he sounded as bored as ever but there was something in his voice that made the CMC think of Diamond Tiara in her bad old days at her most petulant.  "I will make them not ignore me." Magic shot out and the last four ponies of the clay town were destroyed. The CMC looked down on the devastation in disbelief. By the end, the entire place was swallowed up and closed over, as if there had never BEEN anything there at all. "You, you killed everypony?" Sweetie said, looking back up at Lucifel. "That was evil!" "I can never do evil," Lucifel said calmly. "I do not know what it is." Lucifel replied, his tone having no malice...just apathy. The Crusaders realized to their horror that his voice had never had an ounce of malice in it...but there was no heart or compassion in it either. He spoke as someepony who saw a flaw in a painting to quietly erase instead of lives he'd annihilated. Sweetie Belle was sniffling and crying, Scootaloo was shuddering and muttering something in Neighwaiian to herself. Applebloom glared. "You...you murdered them!" "Never mind them," said Lucifel, the mask becoming Cadence's face. "Broken little ponies are of no value." The left side of his face contorted into King Sombra (though the foals didn't know this) while the right remained the same. "We could make more sometime." The trio and their little copier trembled in terror as the stranger's face contorted into a SKULL. "If we need them. Perhaps next time without those worthless flaws that stain creation." The trio could only stare in horror, one of them may have wet themselves in terror. They and the little copier fled in panic from the island in the void and out the door. "Life is but a dream, you are but a thought." --- The trio slammed the door shut and panted in panic, trembling, the little copier turned into a wolf and cuddled close to their legs. "Ah think...Ah think that was too much unexplained for me..." Applebloom whimpered.  "I...I don't like that guy...he...he reminded me of Kabuto...only a million times worse..." Sweetie Belle whimpered. Blanky ran over and nuzzled Sweetie Belle, trying to comfort her. "...I...What could make somepony feel that way?" Scootaloo questioned. "Pride..." The trio and their little friend looked around at the soft female voice. "Pride and the belief one is above everything else." "Who's there?" Scootaloo asked, still shaken up. Another door rose like an elevator out of the ground opposite of them as the one behind them receded. The door opened to show an endless starscape. On the other side was a fertile ground. A bush grew out of the ground and while it's base remained rooted, the top portion became a mare. Suddenly, it ignited into pink, surprisingly comforting and beautiful flames, her face becoming almost like a hologram. "Call me Nature Walk." Applebloom couldn't help but feel Lucifel's avatar felt like a mockery compared to this...for some reason Nature Walk's smile became approving, like she somehow knew that was what she thought. Everybeing in the room couldn't help but feel that her voice was filled with as much empathy as Lucifel's had been apathy. "Forgive Lucifel, he is so consumed by pride he can't comprehend the idea anything but him have value," Nature Walk replied, giving a sad look that reminded Sweetie of a disapproving parent. Blanky yipped and bowed, causing Nature Walk to chuckle. "Now now, Blanky, you are always welcome with me..." she replied, causing the dog to approach and the entity to scratch him behind the ears. "You know Blanky?" Sweetie questioned.  "You could say he's almost family. You've taken very good care of him, Sweetie Belle," the entity replied. "...Now, please come in, I have something to show you." The trio and the mimicker cautiously approached her. She kneeled and tenderly petted the little copier, which seemed comforted from her presence. "I see you've found an Globulus Improbulus, such adorable creatures." "Huh?" was the trio's reaction. "I believe they're more often called a 'Greater Equestrian Mimicker', they can turn into anything other than ponies," she explained with a smile. "I'm surprised no one's made the connection between them and the Mirror Pool yet..." "Oh, so THAT'S what she is!" Sweetie exclaimed. She then tried to say the long name multiple times. "...Let's just call her Imp, okay?" Imp did not seem to object to this. "Now, please, come over here, my little ponies" Nature Walk instructed, moving while the disturbed ground instantly healed itself behind her. Nature Walk looked up in the sky. "What color star would you like to start with?" The trio looked to each other. "Blue?" Sweetie Belle suggested. "Like Imp?" The other two nodded.  "Blue it is," she said, giving a smile as a nebula formed above, rapidly going through it's life cycle to become a blue star. "Let's name this star Improbulus, shall we?" she asked, getting Imp to give a happy musical chime. "How'd you do that?" Applebloom asked. "One thing I have in common with Lucifel is we both were born with it...but being born with something doesn't mean there is nothing to learn," the mare explained. "Now, should we have a big planet or a small planet?" The trio blinked, looking to each other. "That matters?" Scootaloo questioned. "Ultimately, it decides some things, but not everything," Nature Walk explained like a patient parent or a caring teaching. "But despite what Lucifel believes, variety is the spice of life." The trio huddled and talked among themselves, Applebloom keeping the camera focused on the mare. "Big?" Scootaloo asked, the trio breaking up. "Big it is," she replied with a smile, rock gathering in space and merging together to form a large grey sphere. "Color?" "...Red? Like our capes?" Sweetie belle asked and got no complaint. And so the planet was red. "Do you want a world completely covered in water or partially?" Fauna Luster asked.  "I'd like lots of water," Sweetie said. "But also places for plants," Applebloom added. "So long as there's clouds in the sky, I'm fine," Scootaloo finished. "Alright..." she said, then looked to the planet. It became largely covered in water, but the continents of the planet bustled with plant life, though Applebloom blinked. "Why ain't the water blue?" the filly asked, noting it seemed to have a different tint. "Because the planet is red," the mare explained. "And the star is blue, interesting how those two little details MATTER doesn't it?" she asked with a smile. "No, let's get to a more personal touch." In a flash, the group were on the surface of the world, though as massive as they had been in Lucifel's world. The mare reached down and scooped up a hoof full of dirt and handed some to each filly. "Make life." The trio blinked. "Huh? Life?" "This isn't Equus," she smiled, like a parent encouraging her children to be creative. "Don't think like this is Equus. Make them ponies if you like, but make them unique. but remember, it has to be something that can LIVE." Sweetie Belle blinked and looked down to her bit of dirt. Moving it, she found it acted very much like clay. "Hmm..." the planet WAS mostly water. She molded it into a mermaid-like pony. She imagined it'd be good at singing. She gave it a few more fins and other traits to make it look special. She gave it front hooves to allow it to move on land. "How's this?" Nature Walk smiled and picked it up. "Very good..." she said. "What do you name it?" "Uh...Heart Song?" "Are the males and females both like this?" she questioned. Sweetie Belle picked up a little bit of dirt and molded it into another water pony, only this one based more like a stallion. She handed it over. "How about Octave for him?" "Very good," the mare replied, giving a smile. She took the two clay figures and put them to her mouth. She breathed and fire came from her mouth and went into them, turning them into living flesh and bone, the trio and Imp's eyes going wide. She put them gingerly down into the sea and they began to swim...and soon the sea was full of members of their kind.  "Wow! You're a lot better at that than Lucifel was!" Applebloom exclaimed. Nature Walk gave a proud smile. "I should be, I've been at it far longer..." Sweetie Belle smiled as she watched Heart Song and Octave swim around, nuzzling each other and their species flourishing. However, one of them became tangled in sea weed and called for help. Sweetie gasped and moved to help...but Nature Walk stopped her. "Give them a moment, Sweetie Belle, have faith in them," the entity said with a tender smile. Sweetie Belle's eyes lit up as she saw the little creature give a SONG that carried desperation in it...the others reacted and came swimming over and helped free it. "They chose to help him," Nature Walk said with a smile. "And she called for help with what you gave them." "But I never gave them that..." "You gave them song, they figured out how to use it," Nature Walk replied with a mother's pride. "Now, Applebloom, Scootaloo. It's your turn." MtangaLion Apple Bloom wracked her brains, trying to figure out what kind of creature to make, but she was distracted by Blanky padding forward and sniffing a village that some sea ponies were building. None of the sea ponies seemed to notice the giant monster-sized (to them) wolf pup. Blanky took one step into the sea, then whined and backed off, shaking his wet forepaw. Apple Bloom grinned. "That gives me an idea..." She scooped up some of the clay and started sculpting. Somehow, she could feel the earth pony magic in her hooves, seeping into the clay and helping her make all the fine details. "Okay! This one is Scorch." She put down a male pony-sized wolf (in the scale of that tiny world) with a big fluffy mane. "And this one is Blaze!" She put the female wolf down next to him. The two wolves started moving, sniffing each other and everything around them, but then they huddled, ears drooping. "They need a place to live," said Nature Walk gently. Apple Bloom winced. "Ah didn't think of that! Can you make them a forest or something?" Nature Walk smiled. "I can help with that." She reached down and pawed the earth near them. Her flames licked the bare earth, and little trees began to spout everywhere. Their leaves were all red and orange and gold, even in the summertime, matching their red world. The wolves romped all around their new home, chasing each other around the woods, climbing tall rocks, and exploring a cave. They still didn't look happy, though, and they didn't multiply like the sea ponies had. "What's the matter with them?" asked Apple Bloom. "Did... did Ah do something else wrong?" This time, Nature Walk moved to Apple Bloom's side and gave her a comforting nuzzle before she spoke. "Your wolves are hunters. They need prey and meat to eat." Apple Bloom backed away, then took a deep breath. "Ah guess... Ah made them that way. Ah can't just let 'em starve." She scooped up more clay and made several more figures... two rabbits, which quickly multiplied and went bouncing everywhere, and a some large flightless birds that became many roaming flocks. "These creatures are tasty to wolves, and they don't ever talk or think, on this planet. Is that okay?" "That will do," said Nature Walk soothingly. "Miss Fluttershy would have a fit," mused Scootaloo. Apple Bloom sighed. "Good thing Ah'm not Miss Fluttershy, then. Besides... she'd do what was right for the wolves too, Ah think." The little wolves, at least, seemed happy. They hunted and ate. Wolf pups appeared with the original two, and soon there were all kinds of wolves, building a whole wolf village around their first den in the forest with houses and shops and everything. Sweetie Belle pointed a hoof at a second wolf town on the seashore. "Hey, look! The wolves just met the sea ponies." Apple Bloom cringed again. "They're not gonna fight, are they?" Sweetie Belle started singing softly. The sea ponies sang along... and unexpectedly, the wolves started joining in too, howling in chorus. Wolves started making things for the sea ponies with their nimble paws, trading them for catches of tasty deep sea fish that the sea ponies brought. Sweetie grinned. "I think they'll be okay now." "Would you care to create as well Scootaloo?" Nature Walk asked.