(Stardust's World)
"You sure Stardust is gonna accept thisget wellcake?" Scootaloo asked, sounding unsure.
Applebloom nodded her head, and replied, "Of course, he will... I just wish we could've had Pinkie's help in making this."
The two of them, along with Sweetie Belle, were on their way over to Twilight's castle because they wanted to give Stardust a"Get Well"cake after having seen Granny Smith nearly beat the hay out of him yesterday.
"I don't think your sister is going to be happy when she sees you giving a cake to the pony that destroyed your family's farm," pointed out Sweetie Belle, but Applebloom disagreed with her.
"My sis ain't mad at him for that, Sweetie Belle, she's just a lil' disappointed in him."
Scootaloo became confused, and he asked, "Uh, what's the difference?"
"That he... I...sweet sour apples..."
The Cutie Mark Crusaders had finally reached Twilight's castle, but there was something different about it.
"I don't remember seeing it like this yesterday," said Scootaloo, looking at the castle up and down. "And why did Twilight go from purple to black?"
Applebloom chuckled, and she answered, "Aw, shucks, they're probably just gettin' a head start on Nightmare Night. It ain't too far away from here."
The three of them entered the castle, and Sweetie Belle started to shiver a little. "I don't remember Twilight ever having her castle bethiscold before."
"Like I said,preparation," reminded Applebloom, rubbing her limbs to try and create warmth. "Besides, it's not like-"
"Well, isn't this a surprise?"
The three small ponies looked up, and saw Anti-Stardust walking down the staircase.
However, he was back to looking like his other self, and for the moment, Anti-Stardust was successfully fooling the CMC's.
"Howdy, Star," greeted Applebloom, a smile on her face. "You look like you're doing okay."
"Yes, terrific," replied Anti-Stardust, with a dry tone in his voice. "And what's with the cake?"
Applebloom slowly pushed the wheeled tray towards him, and said, "It's for you, Star... aGet Wellcake!"
"Well,actually,it's a bunch of those brownies that you love so much turnedintoa cake," pointed out Scootaloo, which caused Applebloom to glare at her. "What?"
Anti-Stardust smirked at the group of little ponies, and he said, "I appreciate your showing of concern for me, Applebloom."
He then proceeded to walk away, but the little sister of Rarity asked, "Don't you want to see if you like it first?"
You've got to be kidding me right now.
"Why wouldn't he? It's made out of his brownies," reminded Scootaloo.
Anti-Stardust did his best to smile, and he said, "Of course, my apologies... but if it's alright with you, I'd like to get somethingsfrom the kitchen that I can bring over here to successfully enjoy this cake."
AJ's little sister nodded her head, and replied, "Sure thing, Star! We ain't goin' anywhere anytime soon."
Anti-Stardust nodded his head, but after turning around, and walking down the hall, he rolled his eyes.Worthless piece of garbage.
Once he was gone, Scootaloo said, "Um, was it me, or did Stardust not seem like... himself?"
"Well,duh, of course he's like that," replied Applebloom. "He's been pummeled by Granny Smith, whacked a bunch of times by Rarity, and-"
However, the young pony stopped her sentence after they had heard a familiar voice come from the Throne Room.
"You'dbetternot [BEEP] screw this up, Pinkie!"
Scootaloo's eyes almost popped out of her head after she had heard that. "Was that...?"
"Alright, just take a breather there, Scootaloo," assured Applebloom. "I'm sure that Rainbow is just having a bad day."
Scootaloo frowned, and she replied, "Rainbow wouldneversay... uh... whatever Star usually says from time to time."
Before Applebloom could respond to that, Sweetie Belle began pushing them towards the door, and said, "Well, don't juststandthere, you two, let's find out what's going on."
When they were close enough to the entrance, the CMC's quietly began to eavesdrop on their friends' conversation.
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"What are you getting mad atmefor?" Anti-Pinkie asked, sitting in her counterpart's throne, as well as the rest of her friends. "And plus, you should behappyto be here after all of that complaining you did back home."
Anti-Rainbow gritted her teeth in frustration, and exclaimed, "Iwillbe as long as [BEEP] likeyoudon't screw this up for the rest of us!"
As Anti-Pinkie crouched down in her seat, Anti-Applejack rolled her eyes, and said, "You know, thewholepoint ofblendingin, Crash, is so that everyone else thinkswe'reour other selves."
"Yeah, yeah, just like Star is doing by pretending to be thegoodhim," replied Anti-Rainbow, frowning. "And?"
Anti-Rarity sighed, and she said, "Well, you're not exactly doing a perfect job at it, darling."
"Oh, [BEEP] off, Rarity, I know what I'm doing," yelled Anti-Rainbow, with Anti-Rarity also feeling afraid of her. "Besides, it's not like any ofyouponies are doing any better."
"Well, I reckon that I'm doin'justfine pretending to be AJ," replied Anti-Applejack. "And I only got to sayonelie this time, which is that I'm Applejack."
As Anti-Pinkie nodded her head in agreement, Anti-Rainbow muttered, "Let's just make sure thatnoneof our other selves return from wherever the hell Star sent them."
##################
The CMC's quickly backed away from the doors, and they all had looks of horror on their faces.
"Rainbow...no..." gasped Scootaloo.
Applebloom gulped, and she said, "My... sister..."
As for Sweetie Belle, she tried to remain optimistic. "Well, shedoessound a lot like my sister..."
Applebloom rolled her eyes, and cried, "Sweetie Belle, this is no time to be positive! We gotta warn somepony about this!"
"Oh, my... what a terrible,terribleturn of events."
The CMC's turned around, and saw (who they assumed was) "Anti-Twilight", as well as Anti-Stardust, who was no longer in disguise.
"That's one ugly scar over his eye," whispered Sweetie Belle.
"What did you do to them?" Applebloom asked, with an angry expression on her face.
Anti-Stardust laughed, and he shook his head, saying, "You're asking thewrongquestion, little pony..."
He raised up one of his hooves, which started to surround itself with dark energy, and smiled in a sinister way at the three of them. "Itshouldbe what am I going to do to the three ofyou."
Applebloom frowned, and she said, "I ain't scared of you, Fake Stardust, and just wait till I-ulp!"
Having heard enough from the small pony, Anti-Stardust grabbed Applebloom, bringing her up close to his face while Twilight's other self was holding onto Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo by their tails, preventing them from helping her.
"Are you scared now?" He asked, and the little pony nodded her head. "I thought so."
As Applejack led Twilight and the rest of her friends out of the Banquet Hall, she swiped away some of the sweat on her forehead.
"Whoo-weee...I ain't ever done nothing likethatfor a while," she said, referring to her country song performance. "I can't wait to show that to the others once we get back home."
Stardust let out a laugh, and he said, "I hate to break it to you, AJ, but... I'm pretty sure that dance is only meant to be done by humans."
"Oh, ho, isthatwhat you think?" replied Applejack, looking at her friend. "Well, if I could, Star, what would you do?"
"Your chores for an entire week," said Stardust, smirking at her while also crossing his arms.Ireallymiss doing this kind of stuff.
While Twilight rolled her eyes, Applejack nodded her head, and she offered him a handshake, which Stardust accepted.
"I'm ah remember you said that, Star," chuckled the young mare-turned-teenager.
Stardust laughed again, and he said, "You can remember all you want, AJ, but I-"
"Um, Star?" Pinkie interrupted, who had crossed her legs together, and was bouncing up and down several times. "I have to use the little pony's room."
"It's awomen'srestroom, Pinkie," corrected Stardust, shaking his head. "And why didn't you go at the cafe?"
Pinkie thought about it for a moment, and said, "Well, wewerechased by a lot of inappropriate guys that tried to-"
"Point taken," replied Stardust, and he looked at Starlight. "You mind taking her to the restroom in that building over there real quick?"
Twilight's pupil nodded her head, and she walked over to Pinkie. "Okay, let's -whoa!"
The pony-turned-human teenage girl grabbed one of Starlight's hand, and raced over to the building as fast as possible.
"Why would you ask Starlight to go with Pinkie, darling?" Rarity wondered.
"Because Lord knows how much trouble she'd cause on her own in this world," explained Stardust. "And the last thing we need is for some kind of weird-"
Whoosh!
Then, from out of nowhere, Stardust was engulfed in a bright flash of light, and he was gone after it went away.
"Jack!" Twilight yelled, looking afraid, but after turning her head to look at Discord, her expression was now an angry one.
"What? I didn't do anything!"
Before the young princess could start to argue with him, the same bright light surrounded her and everyone else, and after it flashed brightly, they were all gone.
"Where the hell are we now?" groaned Stardust, and then, he felt his loved one's arms around him. "It's fine, love, we were just... transported somewhere else...
They were all now in some type of place that contained multiple versions of clocks, from grandfather to mantel, and everyone looked at Discord, who rolled his eyes.
"Oh, come on, you can't really think thatIhad anything to do with this!"
Stardust opened his mouth to say something, but stopped after hearing an unfamiliar voice speak.
"It wasn't Discord that brought you here..."
The group of nine friends turned around, and saw that it had came from an elderly man, wearing a white-and-black hooded cloak that was stitched with designs of crescent moons and five pointed stars, as well as holding a wooden staff that had a Roman Numerial-numbered clock placed on the top.
"Um, who areyousupposed to be?" Applejack asked.
The elderly man gestured to all of the clocks around them, and said, "My name is Kronos. I am the one who makes sure every world and universe is in its rightful place, every timeline is in natural order, and that no one strays too far away from their destined path."
He then gave the group a closer look at his staff. "If something is amiss, I simply go to the point in time when the problem started, and help guide that person or animal into making the right decision."
"But I thought our future wasn't set in stone," said a confused Sunset. "Does that mean it's already planned out for everyone we know, including ourselves?"
Kronos shook his head, and explained, "No, my dear... the future is what you make of it. My job is to simply make sure that everything goes the way that He intended it to, with only minimal interventions."
"So, you basically sit in thisHouse of Clockseveryday, and only use whatever kind of powers you have whenever it is deemed necessary?" Stardust said. "Wow, that reminds me of somepony else that I know..."
Kronos looked over at Stardust, and a frown appeared on his face. "Do notmess with me,boy... there is no need for me to always intervene, or make my presence known, unless something has gone horribly wrong..."
He paused to walk over to Stardust, and the young man noticed the seriousness in Kronos' face and voice. "Because ofAnti-You, I have doneway morethan I should, and he's completely destroyed the world that he came from."
"Well, that isn'tmyfault," replied Stardust, not backing down from Kronos' stare. "And what canyoudo to me that will-"
Jack, please, quiet yourself!
"You should listen to him,child," exclaimed Kronos. "Because if I wanted to right now, I could readjustyourtimeline into making sure that you have a permanent stay on a deserted island, with only Flash Sentry and Timber to talk to."
After Kronos said that, Stardust gritted his teeth in frustration, and exclaimed, "You wouldn'tdare...and, plus, I have Starswirl here to make sure that doesn't happen."
For pony's sake, Jack, do not bring me into this!
"Starswirl may have brought you to your world's version of Equestria," replied Kronos. "But I can make it so that you've nevereverheard ofMy Little Pony... do we understand each other?"
A few feet away from them, Discord was sitting in a reclining chair, eating some popcorn. "Go on, Jack-Jack, I'd like to see where this goes!"
Ignoring him, Stardust replied, "I'll believe this...for now... but you don't really think this is allmyfault, do you?"
Kronos stepped away from him, and he said, "No, but because of what he's done, I am leaving the solution to you and your friends, in the hopes that you'll be able to prevent your world, Casey's world, and evenAnti-Equestriafrom suffering the same fate as the world thatAnti-Stardustcame from."
"Well, what did the other Stardust do that was so terrible?" Twilight asked, and a sad expression appeared on Kronos' face.
"I can show you all, but I must warn you that it is not for the faint of heart."
Stardust shook his head, and said, "Trust me, Kronos, I've been through ahellof a lot worse than an alternate version of myself... what's the worst that he can do?"
Kronos sighed, and he stuck his staff into the ground, which caused the clock to transform into a portal. "See for yourself."
[Anti-Stardust's Past]
"Aaauuugghhh! I can't take this anymore!"
Stardust was currently on the rooftop of Canterlot High, and he looked completely frustrated.
"I have had to go throughall fourof these trash films, and Istillcan't [BEEP] go to Equestria!"
Stardust looked up in the sky, and cried, "Someomeup there hates me because I donotdeserve this kind of [BEEP]!"
"I agree wholeheartedly with you, Jack..."
Stardust turned around, and found himself looking at a young man around his age, wearing a cloak, as well as holding a silver-colored staff.
"Who in the hell are you?"
The cloaked person chucked, and he said, "My name is Rowan, Jack, and what would you say if I told you that there's an alternate version of yourself who resides in Ponyville?"
Stardust blinked his eyes a few times, and he shook his head, saying, "Go [BEEP] yourself, Rowan, I'm not in the mood for anyone's bullcrap."
Oh, ho, this will be perfect, thought a grinning Rowan, who replied, "I can assure you that I am telling you the truth... in fact, this other version of you is living the lifeyouhave always wanted since stepping foot into this cursed world."
Stardust crossed his arms, and raised an eyebrow. "Go on..."
With a chuckle, Rowan used the staff to create a portal, which allowed Stardust to see Ponyville, as well as the pony version of Princess Twilight.
"Is that supposed to beme?" Stardust asked, referring to the gold Earth Pony that was by Twilight's side.
"Correct, my friend," replied Rowan, knowing that his plan was coming close to reality. "And whileyouare here in the world ofEquestria Girls,dealing with such things as Flash Sentry and Camp Everfree,thatversion of you is enjoying his life in Ponyville as the special somepony of Twilight Sparkle."
"Hewhat?!" Stardust yelled, his eyes growing wide, and his temper rising. "But... that's what is supposed to happen to me!"
Rowan nodded his head, and said, "I agree, Stardust, but there had to besomeonewho needed to be sent here, and sincehewas taken to Ponyville,youwere the one who had to stay in this world, in which your chances ofeverstaying in Equestria are slim to none."
Stardust's mouth almost dropped, and after seeing his other self sharing a loving kiss with Princess Twilight, the young man said, "Get this damn thing away from me."
Using the staff, Rowan made the portal vanish into thin air, and he smiled as he sensed Stardust's anger rising.Perfect!
"However... thereisa way that you'll be able to take what is rightfully yours, my friend."
Looking at Rowan, Stardust asked, "What are you talking about?"
"I can give you the power required to go into that world, but on one condition... once you have the power, you cannot hesitate nor show any signs of regret or remorse in your actions that you take in accomplishing your goals."
He gestured to the area around them, and added, "You can even unleash all of the hatred that you have for this world, which will allow your power to grow stronger, and soon, no one will be able to stand in your way."
With a sinister smile, Rowan tapped his staff on the ground a few times, and it began to glow with dark energy. "Are you ready?"
"Um..." Stardust looked back at the door that led him into the high school, where his friends and girlfriend were currently in. "But what about-"
Before he could finish, however, Rowan fired a dark energy blast at Stardust, and once he hit the ground, the sinister pony laughed evily. "Now to handle some of my own business..."
Whoosh!
The cloaked pony vanished in a colorful flash of light, leaving the young man to himself.
"What... the hell... is happening... to me..." growled Stardust, whose entire body was being covered with dark energy. "Aaaaaauuugggghhhhh!"
Then, once he finished going through his transformation, the exit door suddenly opened, and Sci-Twi ran out, as well as Sunset and the rest of the "hu-mane" seven.
"Jack?" The human version of Twilight asked, carefully walking towards him. "Are you okay?"
"And why are you covered in some weird type of magic?" asked EG Applejack.
Stardust was sitting on the ground, his head hanging down, but as he began to stand up, the young man began to chuckle. "I've never felt better, Twilight.. and as foryou, AJ..."
He turned his head to look at EG Applejack, and said, "How about I give you a demonstration?"
Unfortunately, the human version of Applejack wouldn't get a chance to speak.
"Stardust, no!"