“Video feed connected... Okay, let’s go.”
Three black helicopters landed on what could be the only neutral location in the known world. From the center helicopter, Posey and her three most trusted President-Advisers stepped out with relaxed poise while garbed in heavy long coats that covered their fascist military uniforms. Silver Roboponies and a few Clone Sergeants filed out from the two helicopters on their sides and took their protective formation beside and behind their leaders.
The gentle breeze and the snow flurry belie the tense situation that stood before them. At the other side veiled thinly by a cold mist of Floating Rock stood its Empress Commander Firefly in her dragon-armor regalia and her three most trusted Lord Generals. No other pegasi, let alone griffon, posted at their side as their guard. That was typical of their unnatural superiority, as they believed they needed no help defending themselves should things go south.
“You nervous?” Ace asked Teddy.
“I’m not,” replied the burly mohawked stallion.
“That’s good, dude. Hey, do you think that white pegasus mare is hot?”
“Seriously? At a time like this?”
“You two stay in focus,” said Lancer. “Something about them seems off.”
“I’ll say,” said Ace. “Looks they’ve been in a recent scuffle.”
“That’s always happening in a nation of equine vultures,” said Teddy. “But Lancer is right. Look at the Empress’s armor.”
“I know, right? If she was as beautiful as the pegasi say they are, it does nothing to accentuate her figure.”
“If you paid attention to briefings, then you would know that it is an older model. The Empress would never resort to wearing that in an important meeting such as this.”
“Chancellor,” said Lancer. “You think something happened to them at their cloudland?”
“That indeed is a possibility,” said Posey. “Keep your guard up, and, as always, allow me to do the talking.”
The leaders of Gaea, if not the entire earth pony race, stopped before a line carved in ancient times where they were to come face to face with the opposing nation. Shortly after, Empress Command Firefly and her three Lord Generals floated away from the thin veil of mist and landed in front of Posey and the others. The breeze and the snow flurries might have muted it, but the heavy and heated breathing of Firefly was apparent. Not a single snowflake lasted a second upon landing on the Empress’s black armor.
“I applaud you and your nation for accepting our prewar invitation,” spoke the yellow earth mare. “Once more, you prove me wrong that your winged race is not as barbaric as my ponies think of you as.”
The subtle twitch on the frowns of Lord Generals Soarin and Flash Sentry were apparent. While the Firefly's breathing rhythm remained unchanged, the heat on Floating Rock rose enough to cause droplets to appear on her companions' metal armor and on Posey’s overcoat. Lord General Surprise appeared distracted. Her head had been turning left and right at irregular intervals. Her eyes circled around almost constantly, as if she was counting snowflakes. Even with her carefree demeanor, the leaders of Gaea could not let their guard down. Surprise was said to have singlehoofedly thwarted all of Gaea’s efforts to retake Yakyakistan in the northwest on behalf of the exiled royal family.
“I am a mare of mercy,” continued the Chancellor, “and I am aware of your nation’s warrior pride. Truth be told, neither of us want to see ourselves embroiled in mutual annihilation. Thus, I offer up a proposal: surrender to the Democratic Republic of Gaea, and we will not clip your wings like we currently do to our pegasi prisoners.”
“I smell a catch,” said Soarin.
“Rightly so, my Lord General. I preserve your warrior pride by preserving your wings. However, you will have to be submitted to mandatory sterilization. Surely you do not wish to pass on tales of your defeat to your descendants in the future. I assure you that we earth ponies will tell tales of your bravery and ruthlessness for centuries to come.”
“This is an insult,” growled Flash Sentry.
“Empress,” said Soarin. “You must have a response.”
Deep in her armor, the Empress Commander sighed. “This is my response,” she said.
There was no time to react. The Empress dealt a fiery blow at the four Changelings who took the form of Posey, Lancer, Ace, and Teddy. The scurried away screaming as the fires burned their bodies and their wings before leaping off Floating Rock.
The Roboponies and the Clone Sergeants returned fire, but they were quickly outmatched. Soarin’s wind cleanly sliced to pieces the clockwork equines, and Flash’s light-blasts mortally pierced through the chests of the Clones. A small armada of flying Roboponies flew towards them firing their guns and missiles. By then, they met their end through Surprise’s exploding clouds that she summoned into the air at the last minute, and nuts, bolts, and other mechanical debris rained down upon Floating Rock.
Floating Rock was on fire. Firefly and the Lord Generals stepped past the line kicking away rocks and pieces of Roboponies. One Robopony was still moving, but barely functioning. With half of its body in pieces, it made a futile to whir itself up to its metal hooves for a last-ditch attack. Firefly decapitated its head and beamed her fiery eyes towards the machine’s cycloptic eye.
Firefly crushed the Robopony’s head, and the main screen turned blue. Posey remained unfazed by Firefly’s threats as she readjusted herself on the captain’s chair surrounded by her three most trusted President-Advisers, who were noisily eating their caramel popcorn and drinking their soda.
“Video feed has been lost, Chancellor,” said a technician.
“That went well,” spoke Ace the Younger.
“Far from it,” said Posey. “If this is the way she reacts to my deception, then there is no reasoning with her kind.”
"So much for the wonderful acting ability of those bugs," said Teddy as he flicked a unpopped kernel to his empty cup of soda.
"Then again, if you were there in pony, Chancellor," said Ace, "it would have gone a lot worse."
“Did you know this would happen?” asked Lancer.
Posey did not reply. She might have uttered something hateful or sorrowful under her breath, but she made no sound when her mouth opened slightly.
She then stood up on her hind legs and slammed the tip of her sheathed broadsword on the floor. A simple act like that summoned the attention of all earth ponies on board.
“You all seen what they did to our doubles,” she spoke to everypony. “There is no reasoning with savages! Winged or not! Engage battle stations! Destroy any unearthly creature that passes the sight of your guns!”
Despite the cowardly deception, all the pony technicians and soldiers let out a huge hurrah, and saluted their leader with fanatical obedience.
Diamond Princess Rarity struggled to retain her composure as she struggled to hold her anxieties within her. To pass the time and to ease herself, she took to filing her hooves, but had to stop soon lest she run out of keratin.
Seeing her friends anxious made her nervous as well. Fluttershy paced around, and whenever she stopped, she would, in a most unladylike manner, chew on her hooves. It took occasional glances from Rarity to get her to stop.
Pinkie Pie appeared to be least nervous, and as such she walked over to the Nyx and started having jovial conversations while drinking their aromatic concoctions known as Moon Juice with a helping of cheese and biscuits. One could assume that she was just as nervous, and she hid it very well.
Then there was the stalwart Applejack, who had not moved an inch right when she planted herself just before the center the Guardian of Treachery's main chamber. From her angle, the Diamond Princess could not read whether her earth pony friend was worried or deathly worried. The moment the Guardian, Twilight, and Rainbow Dash disappeared with the massive swing of the red lightning-shaped lance, the group had been on edge. Princess Celestia's words of assurance that they were still alive did not assuage their worries, despite their full confidence that the Twilight and Rainbow Dash would render their Trial a complete success.
Moments later, a bright rainbow flash from the center temporarily blinded them. Twilight and Rainbow Dash burst from the light and circled around the main chamber from sliding to a sudden halt. They landed with shaky legs with initial confusion, and became both surprised and relieved that they have returned to their friends. Almost immediately, Fluttershy flew in to embrace her best friend and half-sister, while Rarity and others followed.
"I thought you were a goner!" Fluttershy cried.
"Like some big lightning giant is gonna defeat me," smiled Dash. "But take it easy, Fluttershy. I haven't been gone for that long."
"It felt like forever!"
"You doin' okay, Sugarcube?" Applejack asked.
"I'm fine," said Twilight. She grunted, and she sat down to clutch an invisible wound on her chest.
"You're not," Applejack frowned. "Princesses, what's the deal?"
"Applejack, you know well that I do not know how the Trials will be administered," said Sunny.
"And now we have a clue," said Luna. "The injuries sustained in the Guardians' realm will remain."
"So, it was no illusion," said Rainbow Dash. "There is actually a world where my crew bit the big one."
"Just like your Elements, the Guardians' powers are immeasurable," said Sunny. "Either they have transported to you another reality or have recreated your friends based on your memories."
"That's some Trial. Do you know what I had to do to pass it?"
"Dash, it's over," said Twilight. "We passed it, and you've unlocked the true power of your Element of Honor."
"That doesn't mean I have to like it," Dash grumbled. "I'm gonna need a swig of that Moon Juice. And lots of it."
Uncharacteristic of her usual self, the Chroma Pirate Captain sauntered off on hoof towards one of the rest tents tended by the Nyx, who immediately served her a glass of Moon Juice right as she threw herself on one of the reclining cots.
"Um, I'm gonna see if I can cheer up Dashie," said Pinkie Pie before she immediately trotted over to the rest tent.
Then there were four gathered quietly around each other in deep thought. To say that nopony was unprepared would be an understatement. Even there were no risk of physical harm, the Final Trials had their own way of hurting those who undertook them.
"We should take a break," said Applejack.
"We can't," said Twilight. "Every moment we waste, the chances of our world being destroyed becomes greater."
"You're still hurt."
"I can still walk, and I can still use my magic."
"After what that Trial did to Dash, I ain't sure any of us are prepared to take it on."
"I guess, I'll go," spoke Fluttershy.
"Whoa there, Flutters. There are still three of us besides you."
"I know. I know I’m not the bravest or the strongest, but I am an Element Bearer. I'll have to go eventually."
"I guess I'll go next while Pinks is comfortin' Dash."
"There is no need," said Rarity, "because I will go in your place."
"I mean no disrespect, Princess," said Applejack, "but I think Twilight and I can handle the next one."
"Rushing in headstrong without a clear head will result in failure."
"It's not like your head is clear, Rares."
"Perhaps that is true, but as a Princess and part of nobility, one must always strive to maintain composure at all times. Displaying signs of anxieties will result in your citizens feeling anxious. When that happens… well, you saw what happened to my Empire when you first arrived."
"Are you sure about this, Rarity?" Twilight asked.
"I insist. After all, ladies first."
"We're all ladies," said Fluttershy.
"Yeah," said Applejack. "What the hay are you implyin'?"
"I am only implying a little jest just to break the tension," smiled Rarity. "Come Twilight, the next Trial awaits us."
Twilight nodded. As if her invisible wounds disappeared, she stood up and followed yours truly towards the giant door with the diamond-shaped emblem, while Applejack and Fluttershy accompanied them from behind. Rarity activated her Element of Empowerment, and the diamond aura hovered behind her like a guardian angel.
As such, the monstrous doors whirred open. As light poured and poured out, the doors revealed a sparkling giant made of myriad of purple diamonds. It appeared bulky yet majestic, and craned its thick neck towards the ponies as it stood on its hind feet.
"I AM THE GUARDIAN OF AVARICE," it spoke with a calm yet intimidating feminine voice. "WHO DARES SUCCUMB THYSELF TO THE TRIAL OF GENORISITY?"
"It is I," said Rarity, "Diamond Princess Rarity of the Crystal Empire, current bearer of the Element of Empowerment. The candidate of the Sixth Bearer, Twilight Sparkle, and I accept your Trial."
"FUFUFUFU," chuckled the Guardian of Avarice. "MY, WHAT REGALITY. WHAT CONFIDENCE. THOU ART A CREATURE WHO HAS EVERYTHING, YET DOES NOT. VERY WELL, I SHALL ADMINISTER THE TRIAL OF GENEROSITY. PREPARE THYSELVES."
The bright flash died down, but upon opening her eyes, she felt she was still blinded. Gradually, her eyes readjusted themselves, but then her jaw dropped.
Everywhere, there were riches. Gold, silver, platinum, and jewels: all of them were gathered as high as mountains or spilling themselves out of chests made of the same valuable materials. It was as if all the treasures of the world have been gathered in this imaginary chamber. No, it was as if the entire galaxy’s treasure had been gathered! Besides the usual minerals, there exotic ones that were simply out of the world. Rarity felt her heartbeat rise, and her mouth salivating.
"Twilight," she said. "Twilight. Are you here?"
"I'm not far," replied her friend.
"Do you see this? It looks like all the wealth of heaven have been collected here."
"I know, right? All of the knowledge of the universe is in this giant library."
"Darling, I don't think we've been transported into a library, unless this treasure room has one filled with illuminated manuscripts adorned with jade."
"I haven't found any books like that yet. Still, can you believe it that the Guardian had been transported to a place like this?"
Guardian? Rarity finally remembered that this part of this Trial. This could be an illusion, or it could be a constructed reality as the Princesses’ s described. She turned around to see her purple unicorn friend trotting around looking at the hills of gold coins, but despite the excited smile, she did not have the same eyes as hers. Quickly, Rarity ran towards Twilight and grabbed her shoulders.
"Twilight!" said Rarity. "What do you see right now?"
"Books, scrolls, and bookshelves," replied the purple unicorn. "Why do you ask?"
"Because all I see are mountains of a gold and jewels."
Twilight's eyes widened. She took a deep breath and immediately gathered her senses.
"It's a test," she said. "The Guardian of Avarice is using our desires against us."
"Indeed," said Rarity. "It is even showing my gems that are not of this world. Wow, that's pretty."
"Focus!"
"My apologies. Everything that I see is so tempting."
"I know, but if we give into it, we'll fail."
"Then what are we to do?"
"I don't know, but we need to keep moving and not touch anything. I remember reading an old fairy tale about a pony who needed to acquire a wish-granting lamp that he needed to walk through a treasure room without touching anything."
"Ooh, that is one of my favorite tales! Then he got the princess in the end."
"Well, yes. Wow, I didn't know you would be so…"
"Well-read? I know, I know. The princesses in those old books all need to be damsels and rescued and that they are not required to have an education. However, reality is both harsher and progressive than you think. You would not believe the education curriculum I suffered through during my youth."
"At least yours didn't involve being hexed for a couple of days for getting a single wrong answer."
"That's harsh? Please, Twilight. Both my father and stepfather punished me by denying my next shipment of silver silk."
Twilight gave her an incredulous stare.
"I suppose those two aren't comparable," added Rarity with a polite wince.
"But the two of us aren't that much different, with me being the daughter of the Village Chieftain and you being a Princess. Now that I think about it, you might not be that different from Rainbow Dash."
"Her? Dash is always about bravado, fighting, and ‘roughing it up’ with the boys."
"She likes to show off, which is very similar to some pony I know."
"I see where you are trying get at, but the similarity ends there. I am about class, while Dash is about this so-called 'coolness', which I don't have anything against personally. Granted, I can see why a lot of ponies like her."
"You also proved me wrong about princesses in general. Okay, Rarity. Stay close to me. What you and I see are different, but if we don't give into our temptations, we might eventually find our goal."
It was sad that neither Rarity nor Twilight could touch what was before their eyes. As they walked, Rarity noticed the drifting gaze of her unicorn friend's eyes. Twilight exerted a lot of willpower to overcome her temptation. Once, twice, and perhaps three times, Twilight had to stop to take a breath to contain herself before she moved on, and sweat she exuded on her brow made the stress apparent.
To say that Rarity herself was beyond temptation would be wrong. Her eyes drifted to a diamond there, or an emerald there. She had to force herself to avert her eyes and stare ahead while trying to focus towards an abstract goal. She even forced herself to avoid stepping on a random gold bit laying on the white floor.
To pass the time, Twilight asked Rarity about the books she read. She started with common fairy tales, like the pony princess with the long mane locked up in a tower, or about the filly who ventured alone through a dark forest to her grandmother’s house.
Sadly, their commonalities diverged once Twilight exhausted her list of meant for young fillies. She asked about treatises from old wizards and wizardesses, and while Rarity only recognized Starswirl the Bearded, she only recalled the other notables either vaguely or without recognition. Rarity, in turn asked if Twilight read a series of romance books, though most of the ones she remembered were spun from the poetic minds residing in the Crystal Empire. Twilight could only reply that that she read the stale, manufactured, and government-influenced Gaean fiction that often praised the State and ensured that one stallion and one mare were the ideal relationship.
“Egad,” spoke Rarity as she consciously put effort to step over a pair of gold coins. “I feel sorry that you were made to read those dreary Gaean books.”
“Nopony made me do it,” corrected Twilight.
“You read them regardless?”
“I read everything I could get my hooves on so I can know about the world at large.”
“Including the, ahem, lurid ones.”
“Yes, including those,” Twilight blushed.
“It’s a good thing that we have met in this day of age. Both of us live sheltered within our respective homelands, both of us are unicorns, and both of us are virgins.”
“Wait, what?”
“Twilight, I know you were a popular unicorn in your village, but upon meeting you for the first time, your ‘innocence’ could not be any more obvious.”
“Could you not talk about that?”
“My apologies. I did not know you were… How should I put it? Rendered impure?”
“I’m still a virgin, Rarity! The thing is, I’ve never really fallen in love with a pony.”
“Are you serious?”
“I am. Maybe you have some experience with it.”
Rarity bit her lip in silence, unprepared for such an accusation. While she considered herself an expert in romance, she never had any actual experience herself despite all the young noble stallions falling for her and her crushing on noble knights, including that of Shining Armor. Romance books could only tell her so much, and her biological mother was not there to teach her about it. Not even Crystal Queen Cadence had the time or the experience to teach her stepdaughter. In addition, her recent spat with Duke Blueblood (due to his attempt to stage a coup at the Crystal Empire) made her reconsider her romantic expectations.
“All I can say is that somewhere out there that there is a pony destined to not only be your soulmate, but your one true love,” said Rarity.
“Sometimes, your soulmate and your spouse might be different,” added Twilight. “What if I end up finding neither of them?”
“There is no shame in being celibate. Many ponies live fulfilling lives without finding their one true love.”
“You have to admit though, it would be nice there would be somepony to lean to.”
“I suppose, but at least you have your friends.”
Twilight hid her wanton loneliness beneath a calm smile, and this was something Rarity could relate to. The Diamond Princess had everything, but in a sense, she was rendered untouchable and unattainable due to her royal blood. She had always expected her father and eventually her stepfather to arrange a spouse for her, and she did not mind at the least. Both were proud stallions with keen judgment, but despite all that she had yearned for adventure outside the borders of the Crystal Empire. Perhaps it was destiny that Twilight and her friends arrived to spirt her away.
Her own thoughts made her homesick. She missed Sweetie Belle, despite her little sister being safe with the Rainbow Falls Rebels and the Chroma Pirates. She missed the Crystal Empire, and she missed Lord Umbra and her stepmother Cadence. Most of all, she missed her biological parents, both of whom were taken away before she had a chance to grow up under their loving eyes.
A glimmering sparkle caught Rarity at the corner of her eyes. Isolated on a marble pedestal on top of a velvet cushion was a seemingly innocuous arrangement of a pearl necklace. At first, she tried to dismiss it. Then, memories of her past filled her mind, and she remembered that was, unmistakably, the pearl necklace her birthmother donned during her public appearances.
After her mother died of childbirth, Rarity did not want to be associated with that necklace, and she sealed it in a simple box deep within the castle's treasury vault. A few times, she dove into the dusty vault looking for them for nostalgia’s sake, but never found it either to disinterest or due to more pressing matters that were happening at the time. The treasury had essentially turned into a junk heap of antique baubles, and she had given up looking for the pearl necklace until now.
“Rarity, where are you going?”
She heard her friend’s voice, but the pull was too strong.
“Rarity!”
She could hear it, but it had no effect. The pearl necklace had pulled her in. It was right there before her, but she strained to pull her hoof away. Rarity could not fail the Trial. She knew she could not touch it.
"Rarity, what are you doing?" Twilight asked. "Why are you holding that necklace?"
She blinked. In one moment, the necklace rested on the velvet cushion. Rarity looked down, and saw the necklace wrapped around her front right hoof.
Before she could even throw it away, the necklace transmogrified into miniature diamonds as with the illusion of gold and jewels all around her. The myriad of diamonds crawled like spiders and bugs. They gathered behind Twilight and formed into the Guardian of Avarice itself. Twilight reacted too late to counter the Guardian’s attack. She barely got a glow from her horn, for the Guardian instantaneously slammed a massive piece of diamond onto the purple unicorn’s back. Twilight did not scream or fall, but the pain expressed in her face and her trembling legs was apparent. Rarity charged towards her friend, but a wall of purple diamonds shot up from the floor and bounced her back.
“Twilight!”
“I’m okay!”
“No, you’re not! Release her, you sparkling monstrosity!”
"FUFUFUFU," chuckled the Guardian. “THY AVARICE GOT THE BETTER OF THYSELF, AND NOW I HAVE RENDERED THY FRIEND IN PAIN.”
“I was the one who took that necklace, so I should be the one that should be punished!”
“AVARICE IS A RELATIONSHIP. ONE MUST DENY FOR ONE TO TAKE. THERE ARE HAVES AND HAVE-NOTS. THERE ARE CONTRACTS AND OBLIGATIONS, WRITTEN AND UNWRITTEN. ONE MUST CONTROL AVARICE THROUGH THE RITUAL OF SACRIFICE.”
“Fine. Tell me what I must sacrifice?”
“I POSIT THIS QUESTION: WHAT IS THE VALUE OF THY FRIEND’S LIFE?”
“You can’t place a value on that!”
The massive diamond grew protrusions, as did its weight. Once more, Twilight gasped in pain.
“IN THE PAST, THE CRYSTAL EMPIRE PRACTICED SLAVERY,” the Guardian spoke. “THY FATHERLAND HAD PLACED VALUE ON A PERSON’S LIFE.”
“We’ve abolished it!” cried Rarity. “We’ve made amends by creating laws and issuing restitution to their descendants.”
“IT IS NOT ENOUGH! THE EXCHANGE IS NOT EQUIVALENT! TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE, DIAMOND PRINCESS RARITY. THE DIAMOND IS BECOMING HEAVIER WITH EACH PASSING SECOND.”
“Then I’ll sacrifice my wealth and my title!”
The diamond grew bigger. Twilight finally collapsed, and now she cried in pain.
“NOT ENOUGH!” cried the Guardian. “THIS IS THE LIFE OF CANDIDATE OF THE SIXTH ELEMENT, NONE OTHER THAN THE DESCENDANT OF THE HOLY MOTHER HERSELF!”
“There’s nothing else I can give you!”
“THERE IS! THOU HAST OFFERED UP SOMETHING SIMILAR BEFORE, BUT IT DOESN’T HAVE TO BE THY OWN LIFE.”
That was how Rarity became the Bearer of the Fourth Element. However, the circumstances were different back then, and she did not know she was the destined Bearer. Surely, she did not mean her parents or her little sister…
“YESSSS,” hissed the Guardian. “THAT WOULD MAKE A GOOD SACRIFICE.”
“No… I can’t.”
Twilight screamed.
“SHE IS DYING. WILL THOU MAKE THE TRADE?”
“I told you before, you cannot place a value on a pony’s life!”
“THOU WOULD CHOOSE THY SISTER OVER THE SAVIOR OF THE WORLD?”
“Look here, Guardian of Avarice, I would not sacrifice my sister, even if she wanted me to, and I cannot sacrifice my life because I need to assist Twilight and my friends in saving this world. As a matter of fact, I cannot sacrifice anypony’s life, even if they are the enemy. I agreed to be the Bearer of the Element of Empowerment because I want to empower the world through beauty: not throw it away because some ponies have more value than others. Now tell your master, whether it be Twilight Prime or some other monster, that I, Rarity, Diamond Princess of the Crystal Empire, is greedy not for material wealth, but for the well-being of her friends and family. You hear me? I… Will… Not… Sacrifice… Anypony!”
The wall of diamonds shattered, as did the giant stone on Twilight’s back. The Guardian of Avarice backed away as it slowly crumbled away.
“FUFUFUFUFU,” it chuckled. “THY AVARICE IS ADMIRABLE. THOU HAVE PASSED THE TRIAL, BEARER OF THE ELEMENT OF EMPOWERMENT.”
Right as the Guardian shattered into nothingness, so did the generated world.