//------------------------------//
// Secrets of the Golden Apple 
// Story: Power Ponies 3: Perilous 
// by Epicdiscord214 
//------------------------------//

"Welcome to the Zoo." the Negahorn said as she opened the doors to the Mane-iac and Gryphon Galore. They were both surprised and scared at the aisles of dumb ponies who just stand, "neigh", and eat hay.
"You did this?" Gryphon Galore asked. "To all these ponies?"
"Yep." the Negahorn said. "You see, long before the time of princesses, ponies would merely dumb animals. But over time, our kind evolved and learned to use our magic for others. My de-evolution wouldn't be possible without my Golden Apple. But I'm not here to show you what happens to those who oppose me. Mane-iac, I need your insight on something."
"Okay." the Mane-iac said. "What is it about my silly, little noggin would you like to know about?"
As they went further down the aisle, the large cage became more clear. When the caped draconequus was completely revealed, the gryphon and the crazy mare couldn't believe their eyes.
"Oh, goody, Ms. Fairy Godmother!" Anar D cheered. "You brought more pandas for the luau!" He then materialized a grass skirt around him and danced while scatting.
"Is that who I think it is?" Gryphon Galore asked. "I thought he was..."
"He was." the Negahorn said. "Let me tell you a story. Thousands of years ago, in the dark kingdom of Tambelon, Anar D, along with the Power Ponies and some other heroes from other worlds, fought against a dark king. Now, one of the king's subjects was about to kill everyone... until Anar D blew himself up along with the enemy. He sacrificed himself to make sure his friends would bring down the evil king, destroy Tambelon, and bring peace and hope throughout the Multiverse.
"I know, it's a cheesy story, but there was more to the story. Tambelon may have been destroyed, but the physical land still existed with the ruins of the once-proud realm standing. When I learned of its existence, I told Tartus to take me and the Peril Ponies to the remains. There, I learned that even though Anar D blew up, there were still traces of his essence all around the environment. With the Golden Apple, I managed to gather up the traces and reassemble Anar D. But, even though I brought him back to life, his mind was scrambled. I had him sent here to try and restore his mind, but he just keeps getting more and more random every day."
"So in other words, he's lost even more marbles than the Mane-iac." Gryphon Galore said. "I didn't think that was physically possible."
"I need Anar D's magic for the next part of my master plan, but I can't make him do anything if he can't think straight. Which brings me to you, Mane-iac."
"Moi?" the crazy villainess asked.
"I'm hoping that someone as crazy as you could give me an insider's opinion on how to cure Anar D." the Negahorn explained. "It's a long shot, I know, but right now, I'm next to out of options."
The Mane-iac took a good look at Anar D, who just materialized a piano with whoopee-cushions for keys. While he was playing Chopsticks on them, the Mane-iac scratched her chin with one of her hair tendrils. Suddenly, her eyes widened and she grinned in a sinister tone.
"Lightbulb!" the Mane-iac declared as she returned to the Negahorn. "I have the answer you're looking for."
"Well?" the Negahorn asked. The Mane-iac leaned in to the Negahorn's ear and whispered so softly, that Gryphon Galore couldn't hear it. When the whispering stopped, the Negahorn widened her eyes before giving her a threatening glare. She raised up the Golden Apple at her and made it glow. "Are you sure?"
The Mane-iac chuckled nervously. "I'd bet my life on it."
"What?" Gryphon Galore asked. "Hey, I'm a little out of the loop. What's up?"
"If what the Mane-iac said is true," the Negahorn said, "Then there's only one way I can confirm it. And I think the two of you are going to like it."





In the black void, the Masked Matterhorn and the Shadow Blot stood in silence at the stranger named Midan.
"I can tell this raises some confusion for the two of you." Midan said. "Perhaps a change in scenery could help." He waved his hand, and suddenly, the black void of nothing had turned into a Canterlot plaza, and the three of them sat in an outdoor table. "There, a nice, familiar terrain. Maybe now, we can talk. I'm sure you have many questions."
"You have no idea." the Masked Matterhorn said.
"You said you're the Golden Apple." the Shadow Blot said. "What did you mean by that?"
"Well, basically, I am," Midan said, "But technically, I'm the power of the Golden Apple. The fruit itself is nothing more than a vessel and a conduit for my powers. That's what a Relic of Creation is for."
"A what?" the Masked Matterhorn asked.
"Relic of Creation." Midan repeated. "Ricky, you've heard the term before, when you first met the man called Tartus."
"I did?" Ricky asked.
He then remembered. When he first met Tartus, the stranger told him he was an expert on the Golden Apple. Ricky asked how he knew he was telling the truth and Tartus responded with, "Did you know that approximately 33% of the Apple's power is capable of creating an artificial universe, or that the Apple is merely part of a set of 3 ancient artifacts called the Relics of Creation?" Ricky stopped remembering.
"Of course." the Blot gasped. "Tartus did say something about that, but I never gave it much thought."
"The purpose of the Relics is to be carriers for the essences of myself and my two companions, Lucid and Atrum." Midan said. "We're what you might call... Primordial Forces. We've been around since Creation was even made."
"You said 'Creation'." Twilight said. "I'm guessing you're not talking about the general term?"
"You're correct." Midan reassured conjuring a cup of tea out of nowhere. "Creation is the term we used to describe the existence of anything and everything. In any world, in any time period, it doesn't matter; if it exists, it's a part of Creation, even me and you."
"And these Relics..." the Masked Matterhorn said, "What strong connection do they have with Creation?"
"Well, before the first universe was made, there were three forces of nature," Midan said, "Light, darkness, and nature. When these three existed, a part of each force was given life and mind. I myself am Midan the Nature. There is also Lucid the Light and Atrum the Darkness. We are necessarily not good or evil, only existing to make sure the elements we represent live on. Lucid the Light represents hope and light and, despite being naïve, he's willing to help those with pure reasons. Atrum the Darkness represents strength and realism. Atrum is a bit of pessimist, but he's can share his strength with those... but he tends to be a bit controlling."
The sound of that made Twilight gasp and shot straight up. "Hold on! These Relics are alive, and this Atrum makes people stronger but with a dark influence?"
"Well, he doesn't mean to be used to hurt ponies," Midan said, "But he can't help it if someone goes overboard with his power."
"Why do you ask, Twilight?" Ricky asked.
"If that's true," Twilight said, "Then I think I've seen another Relic of Creation."
"You have?" Ricky asked. "Where?"
"Three years ago, if I'm right." Midan answered for the alicorn. "You had a brief conversation with him, after you separated his relic from the Princess of the Night and the long-haired villainess."
"OF COURSE!" the Masked Matterhorn gasped. "It's... the Asteroth! The Asteroth is Atrum's Relic of Creation, is it?!"
"What?" the Shadow Blot asked in shock.
"Nice deduction, princess." Midan said. He then made illustrations out of the cream in his tea. "Allow me to explain what happened to me, Atrum, and Lucid: when Creation expanded immensely making the first universe, it became too big for our physical forms to stabilize. In order to exist, solid vessels had to be made in order to host our essences. Lucid and I managed to create our vessels, but Atrum was too late. He couldn't make a solid vessel in time, so he substituted with a liquid vessel which can be transferred to a living organism."
"So that's why he had to keep jumping from being to being." the Masked Matterhorn said. "It's all he could do to survive."
"When we each gained our vessels, we lost all control of where we ended up." Midan explained further. "Somehow, our Relics bounced from one world to another over the past eternity. I myself was found and picked up by a world-traveling tribe who's misuse of my Relic lead to their world's destruction."
"You destroyed an entire world?" the Shadow Blot asked.
"I couldn't help it!" Midan said defensively. "When the Apple is hit, the impact is drawn to the center, which is where I am! I got a full hit of a magic blast, and I have reflexes like everyone else! I didn't mean to hurt anyone!
"Anyway, like myself, Atrum and his Asteroth kept moving from one world to another finding someone desperate to bond with him. The only one who ever settled was Lucid. His Relic is called the Uniscope, an orb that can reveal anything if given a just reason for revealing. That's currently in another Equestria."
"Why are you telling us this?" the Masked Matterhorn asked.
"In case you haven't noticed," the Shadow Blot said, "We're in pretty deep trouble in the waking world."
"Oh, I know." Midan said. "How do you think you came to Equestria Perilous in the first place? That's what I'm calling that world, by the way."
"What do you mean?" the Masked Matterhorn asked. "I had a dream that inspired me to create a reforming spell. That, mixed with the bomb the Sisterhood of Evil armed, created a chain reaction that blew us to this world."
"And that didn't seem to be too big of a coincidence?" Midan asked. "You just happened to have an inspiring dream at the same time as a bomb was uncovered and the combo could bring you to a world that not only needed heroes, but also had my Golden Apple?"
"Now that you mention it," the Masked Matterhorn said, "It was strange. I guess was so shocked by the situation, I didn't think too much about the circumstances. So you manipulated my dream? How could you do that if you were in another world?
"The same way I'm talking to you now." Midan said. "This is the Mindscape, a realm which connects one dream to another, regardless how far they are. The only exception is if one party is in the Limbo Zone, the infinite realm that streams between all worlds."
"This is all really informative and all, and I am a sucker for information," the Masked Matterhorn said, "But why go through all this trouble to bring us here?"
"Well, the answer to that is kinda embarrassing." Midan said. "You see, I kinda... need you to... defeat the Negahorn."
"What?" the Shadow Blot asked.
"You heard me." Midan said. "I'm asking you to defeat the Negahorn. It's really straining me out."
"Dude, we were already doing that." the Shadow Blot said. "Or, at least, we were trying to."
"Yeah." the Masked Matterhorn agreed. "Everything we were trying against her just blew up in our faces."
"I know." Midan said. "I saw all your failures and realized you needed a tip. The Negahorn isn't going to just fall to sneak attacks and reason. And I definitely can't approve you using my vessel against her. Two Relics of Creation clashing could create a cataclysmic effect on the Multiverse."
"Wait, hold on." the Shadow Blot said. "What do you mean 'Two Relics'?"
"You don't know?" Midan asked. "Well, I do see the confusion. You see, the Negahorn grew dark three years ago. Can you think of anything else that happened three years ago?"
The wirewolf and the alicorn took a moment to think. Suddenly, the Masked Matterhorn gasped. "That was when I reassembled the Power Ponies and..." She gasped once more. "The Asteroth! It just... disappeared! Then... that means..."
"Bingo!" Midan declared. "The Negahorn is a vessel for another Relic of Creation, the Asteroth. Believe me, this whole situation isn't comfortable at all for me or Atrum. But neither of us can help it."
"Of course." the Masked Matterhorn said with a heavy breath. "That explains the sudden flash of black in her eyes when I confronted her, and the fact that she's a lot more powerful than me."
"So the Asteroth is making her go evil?" Shadow Blot asked. "And if we remove it, she'll go back to being good?"
"Eh, more or less." Midan said. "Now listen. There is a secret way to separate Primordials from their current vessels. We don't usually give these secrets away, but these are desperate times."
"If it separates Primordials from their vessels," the Masked Matterhorn said, "Doesn't that mean that Atrum will be pulled out of the liquid as well and fade away?"
"If you just had the liquid, yes." Midan said. "But you'll only be separating the Asteroth from the Negahorn; nothing more. After that, the Negahorn will go through a withdrawal and you'll have won the day." He leaned in closer to the two of them. "Now, here's what you must do..."





A few moments later, the Masked Matterhorn and Shadow Blot's eyes opened seeing their friends around you.
"Hey! Welcome back to the land of the living!" Masque said.
"Not for long, if the Peril Ponies decide to execute us." Tartus said. "I hope you guys dreamed of an escape plan."
"No." the alicorn said stretching herself. "We got something better."
Suddenly, the door creaked open getting everyone's attention. The evil version of Rainbow Dash appeared in her black-lightning costume.
"What do you want, creepy-looking?" Filli-Second asked. She then noticed the offended look on Zapp's face. "Oh, no offense, Zapp."
"Attention, goody-two-hooves!" Boom shouted. "You're all coming with me!"





The Negahorn stood at the front of Anar D's cell, and inside, the draconequus was sitting in a spinning chair with a glow-in-the-dark cat in his arms.
"Good evening, Esme." Anar D said. "Are you here for my sippy cup exam. Just to warn you, I tend to fill my pillows with marshmallow bricks. Don't ask me what happened to the pigs. 'Dead or alive, you're coming with me'."
"Stop talking, you creep!" the Negahorn shouted. "You're going to give me what I want, one way or another. Bring her in!"
Suddenly, the door opened and the Mane-iac walked in with a certain frightened Pegasus tied up in her tendrils. Saddle Rager tried to struggle out, but she wasn't strong enough. The Mane-iac placed her on the ground shaking in her costume. Saddle Rager had a metal collar around her neck.
"Don't bother changing." the Negahorn said. "I placed a collar around your neck. It neutralizes your powers."
"What's going on?" Saddle Rager asked trembling. "Why did you ponies bring me here?"
"I want D to do something," the Negahorn said, "And as far as I'm concerned, you're the only one who can help me reach him." She turned to her prisoner. "Are you ready to start thinking straight or am I going to be dangerous?"
"DANGER! DANGER!" Anar D shouted. "WARNING, WILL ROBINSON! SHE SELLS SEA SHELLS BY THE SEA SHORE! WHO IS SHE, ANYWAY?!"
"All right." the Negahorn said. "If that's the way you want it." The lifted the Golden Apple and pointed it at Saddle Rager. Yellow lighting shot out and struck at the pegasus' hooves. She screamed in pain until the lightning stopped. The Negahorn looked back at Anar D. "Next time, I won't stop until it goes straight through her chest. Unless you can work up a miracle." Anar D still fell silent, which earned another sigh. "Fair enough." She was about to raise the Apple again until Anar D stopped her.
"NO, STOP!" The Negahorn was pleased to hear something that made sense from the caped draconequus.
"I'm sorry, Anar D." the Negahorn said. "What was that?"
"Don't hurt her anymore!" Anar D said. "You made your point! I'll do what you want!"
"Anar D, you're back!" Saddle Rager cheered.
"Yeah... here's the thing, Flutters," Anar D said nervously, "I was never really gone. I faked the whole thing."
"I thought so." the Negahorn said. "Thank you, Mane-iac, for deducing the ruse. And thank you, Wrath, for uncovering it."
"What?" Anar D asked. "Wrath?"
"Oh, yeah." the yellow Pegasus said standing back up making an evil look in her eyes. "And you didn't have to really blast my hooves, Negahorn."
"It felt good." the Negahorn said. She saw the dumbfounded look on the draconequus' face. "Oh, you didn't see this coming did you? Well, Wrath here picked up her old good-guy costume and batted her identical eyelashes with her good-girl routine. And now that I'm sure you've been hiding your marbles other than losing them, I know you can definitely do what I want."
"If you think I'm going to unleash your monster, you're out of your mind!" Anar D said.
"What about your friends?" the Negahorn asked. "That may have been fake, but it can and will happen. I sent Boom down to the dungeon to bring up your real friends. I can hurt them. I can damage them. I can make them suffer for eternity... unless..."
"Unless I do what you want." Anar D said with fear in his voice.
"Careful, it's learning." the Negahorn mocked. "It's a simple choice. Your assistance or your friends' suffering. Actually, I'm fine with either."
Anar D stared at his captor with fear in his eyes. He took a breath and said three words that he didn't want to escape his lips: "I'll do it."