//------------------------------// // Chapter 3: Everything Changes Part 1: Void's Game // Story: My Little Pony/DC: Equestrian Heroes // by Equestrian Defender //------------------------------// -Canterlot Castle- Twilight conjured up a portal that showed images of where the black pillars were. "Applejack's house in Sweet Apple Acres. Rainbow's Cloud Home. Carousel Boutique. Zecora's Hut. And my castle" Twilight listed. "Those are places the six of you spend a lot of time at" Luna noted. "It seems he did his research." "So what are they" Applejack asked. "They sure don't look friendly." "From what I can tell, they're magic" Celestia stated, her horn glowing as she scanned them. "Magic far darker than anything I've ever seen before. Not even the magic of Nightmare Moon or King Sombra was this dark." Suddenly, the eight of them clutched their heads as immense pain shot through their heads. As the pain lessened, a familiar voice spoke to them. "Hello, my little ponies." "Void" Celestia muttered. "How-?" "I have learned much in my exile, dear sister. I have gained more power than you could possibly imagine. Such as being able to connect myself with several ponies at once over a great distance with telepathy. Don't worry, I can only do it once per pony." "We know who you are, prick" Rainbow said aloud. "Your 'Perfect Equestria' doesn't seem worth it." There was silence, before Void's voice answered. "An interesting fact, miss Dash. In Equestria, every 13 seconds a life ends. But every six seconds, a new life is born." "What does that have to do with any of this" Rarity asked. "This cycle has happened everyday since the dawn of existence. And yet the universe does not come to a screeching halt every time a pony dies, nor does it stop and go 'D'AW' when a new life is born. A million ponies may die when I merge the Light and the Darkness, but I consider it a worthy sacrifice to save millions of future generation from experiencing tyranny, madness, and chaos. No more Changeling Invasions, no more breakouts from Tartarus, no more-" "We get it" Pinkie Pie. "Your whole spiel sounds like that guy in Pony Trek who says 'The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few, or the needs of the one.' I hate that! If you ask me, if you can't save the one, you'll never save any." "Regardless, much like my sisters and my mentor, the six of you are blind to the truth. My plan would purge Equestria of all evil. Good and Evil will have no place, for they shall be one and the same. And nothing, not even six mares who use the power of six magical gem to fight their battles for them, will stop me. If you intend to fight me, I will crush you like ants underneath my hoof." "You monster" Fluttershy cried. "That's how you see me. I see myself, as a visionary." "So did King Sombra, Queen Chrysalis, Tirek, and Nightmare Moon" Twilight said. "Spoiler Alert: We stopped them. And we'll stop you too." "I imagine you'll try" Void replied. "But I think you'll be a bit more preoccupied." Images suddenly began to fly through their minds: Sweetie Belle, Applebloom, and Scootaloo tied together in the middle of Carousel Boutique. Trixie and Starlight hanging upside down from a bunch of balloons inside Rainbow's Cloud Home with magic suppressing rings around their horns. Big Macintosh and Granny Smith tied up inside the barn in Sweet Apple Acres. Zecora, and the foals Pumpkin Cake and Pound Cake tied up in Zecora's Hut. And lastly, Sunset Shimmer (also wearing a magic suppressing ring) and Spike tied to the Cutie Map in Twilight's Castle. "In roughly ten minutes, my Black Pillars will activate. The magic they contain will shoot straight down where they stand, disintegrating everything underneath them. Including my hostages." "YOU BASTARD" Applejack roared. "LET THEM GO!" "Oh, don't fret. You can still free them in time. Or, you can attempt to stop me before I reach the Tree of Harmony." "What do you intend to do with the Tree" Luna asked. "I'll keep that to myself. Though, I commend you and Celestia. Placing a forcefield around the Tree of Harmony to prevent anypony save for the eight of you from getting to close. Not bad. Unfortunately, it won't stop me. None of you can." And with that, the pain vanished as did his voice. Celestia looked at everypony and said "Twilight, you and your friends go save the hostages. But hurry, I doubt Void was joking when he said what those pillars would do." As the six of them got close together, Rarity asked "Wait, what do you intend to do?" Celestia looked at Luna, who nodded. "We have a family reunion to attend." "Good luck" Twilight said. And with that, the six of them vanished in a purple light. -Ponyville: Town Square- As the six of them appeared, Twilight immediately issued their orders. "Rainbow, get to your house and get Trixie and Starlight." Rainbow said "Got it" before shooting off in a rainbow streak. "Pinkie, Fluttershy, you two know Everfree Forest better than anypony in town. Get Zecora and the Cake Twins." The two of them nodded before running off towards the forest. "Applejack-" But Applejack had already left, heading off in the direction of Sweet Apple Acres. Twilight then looked to Rarity and finished "You get the Crusaders, I'll get Sunset and Spike." Rarity nodded and replied "Good luck, darling" before running off. -Rainbow's Cloud Home: 9 Minutes Until The Pillars Activate- Rainbow flew straight to her cloud home, opening her door to see Trixie and Starlight. "Hey! You girls okay?" They looked at her, and Starlight replied "No. Not really." "Alright, let's get you out of-" "DON'T TOUCH US!" Confused, Rainbow asked "Why?" Starlight motioned with her head up. Rainbow looked... ...and saw that balanced on top of the balloons was a bucket. And judging by the fumes she could see, it wasn't filled with anything good. Trixie said "It's acid. If these balloons, or us, are disturbed in any way, well..." Rainbow cursed under her breath. "Should have known it wouldn't be that easy." But fortunately... "I've got an idea. But you two gotta trust me." -Sweet Apple Acres: 8 Minutes and 45 Seconds Left- Applejack opened the door to the barn. "Granny! Big Mac! I'm-" "STOP!" Stopping, Applejack looked down at the ground inside the barn. "You gotta be buckin' kidding." Littered around the barn's floor were a series of bear traps, all of which were bolted to the ground. And were put so close together that there was barely any place she can stand. Not helping matters was that Big Mac and Granny Smith were in the exact center of the barn. There was no way she could get to them from the barn's second story. Sadly, they were also too far away from the skylight they put in the roof (Don't ask, it was Pinkie's idea.) But then Applejack noticed a few crates of apples loaded on a wagon nearby. Smiling, she said "Don't worry, y'all. I have a plan." -Carousel Boutique: 8 Minutes 15 Seconds Left- Rarity had already arrived at Carousel Boutique, and had found the Cutie Mark Crusaders... ...and found that they were wearing collars that would explode if they walked outside the building. Rarity quickly explained what was going on. "So if we don't get out of here, we'll be vaporized" Scootaloo summed up. "And if we do get out of here, our heads explode." "Sweet Celestia on a Pogo Stick" Applebloom muttered. "We're caught between a rock and a hard place." Sweetie Belle looked at Rarity and asked "Can you get these off, sis?" Taking a look at the locks on the collars, Rarity nodded. "I just need a paper clip." -Zecora's Hut: 8 Minutes Left- Much like the rest of them, Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy found Zecora and the Cake Twins in a trap. Sort of. Zecora and the twins were tied up in her hut, but the reason they couldn't leave was actually OUTSIDE Zecora's hut. That reason? A large Timberwolf was standing in front of the hut, glaring at Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy. "Um, Fluttershy" Pinkie whispered. "You think you can use your Stare on this guy?" Fluttershy shook her head. "Timberwolves don't have brains like cockatrices or manticores. My Stare won't affect it." "Oh great." The Timberwolf then lowered itself and snarled at them. "Oh, my" Fluttershy whispered. -Twilight's Castle: 7 Minutes and 45 Seconds Left- "HOW MANY FORCEFIELDS DID HE PUT AROUND YOU TWO?" Twilight grumbled as she focused her magic on the massive bubble of transparent magic around the tied up Spike and Sunset Shimmer. The problem was that the bubble wasn't one magic forcefield; it was several. All of which were rotating in different directions, so it was getting hard to pinpoint a weak point to destroy them. Sunset looked at her and shrugged the best she could with her bonds. "He didn't say. He just knocked us out, and when we came to, here we were." "Don't worry, Sunset" Spike said. "Twilight does the impossible almost everyday. She can get us out." Twilight smirked, her horn glowing. "Let's just hope I can do this within-" She looked at the clock. "7 Minutes and 30 seconds." "I still can't believe Celestia and Luna have an evil brother" Sunset said. "It's... hard to believe." "Yeah. Sure, Luna became Nightmare Moon, but the Elements of Harmony fixed that." Twilight then destroyed another force field. "But from what Celestia and Luna said, they used the Elements of Harmony were used on him, but they didn't fix him." "Probably because he had good intentions." Seeing both Sunset's and Twilight's confused looks, Spike continued "Think about it like this. Nightmare Moon was going to bring Eternal Night, no doubt killing off all plant-life and eventually all ponies, simply because she was jealous of Celestia. Her intentions were petty, selfish, and would help a grand total of nopony. Tirek wanted to take over the world because... well, he's evil. Even Sunset, no offense-" "None taken, Spike. I was a selfish bitch who wanted power I didn't earn but felt I deserved. The Elements of Harmony blasted me back to the light." "Exactly. And I have no doubt that if you girls used the Elements of Harmony on Queen Chrysalis, she'd get the beatdown she so richly deserves and emerge reformed. But when Celestia and Luna used them on Void-" "He was doing all of this because he wanted to create a perfect world. One where war, murder and large-scale chaos can never happen" Twilight finished. "Yeah. Sure, the cost would be monstrous, but it would ensure that future generations wouldn't have to go through the same stuff they did. Keep in mind, BEFORE King Sombra went cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs, there were three wars that Equestria took part in.[1] It wouldn't surprise me if Eclipse served in one of them." Twilight looked at Spike like he was crazy. "You're not-" Spike shook his head. "Back then he had good intentions. Something's obviously changed in the two and a half millennia he was gone. He tied us up, put us in this situation where we can die, and said if you guys tried to stop him he'd kill you. Obviously he's changed. I say you and the girls kick his butt so hard he'll have to sit on his eyes." Sunset chuckled at that, while Twilight smiled. -Outside Rainbow's Cloud Home: 6 Minutes Left- The plan was simple. But whether it would work or not was the question. Rainbow was currently standing on a cloud a good distance away from her house. She was running the scenario through her head. This has to be perfect she told herself. Otherwise... She didn't allow herself to finish that thought. "Get ready girls" she shouted. "'Cause here I come." And with that, she shot off towards her house like a bullet. The world seemed to blur past her, her eyes watering. She kept pushing herself faster and faster, a Mach Cone forming around her as she did. And eventually, the cone disappeared and her speed suddenly doubled, accompanied by a massive rainbow shockwave as she performed the legendary Sonic Rainboom. She herself was now flying at speeds few pegasi could ever reach, her usual rainbow trail now seemingly glowing like neon. She burst through the wall of her cloud house, grabbing Trixie and Starlight, and smashed through the other side of the house. For a split-second, she turned her head and saw the bucket off acid spill its contents over the floor, but not a drop landed on the three of them. She kept flying for a few seconds before slowing and angling herself down towards the town. "Trixie, Starlight. You girls okay?" Starlight nodded, out of breath. "Yeah. Though I'm more than likely going to throw up when we land." Trixie's face was a very dark shade of green. "The Great and Powerful Trixie left her breakfast back in your home." "T.M.I." Rainbow muttered as they landed. -Sweet Apple Acres: 5 Minutes 30 Seconds Left- SNAP! SNAP! SNAP! SNAP! Looking over the barn, Applejack smiled. All of the bear traps between the front door and Granny Smith were all closed shut, the remains of several hundred apples strewn among them. Now out of danger, Applejack carefully stepped around them, until she reached Granny and Big Mac. Undoing the ropes, she said "Let's get out of here." Putting Granny onto his back, Big Mac asked "We're gonna need to rebuild the barn again, aren't we?" "Eeyup." -Carousel Boutique: 4 Minutes 45 Seconds Left- Rarity bit on her tongue, focusing her magic as she carefully moved the paper clip within the lock on Sweetie Belle's collar. "Almost done, Sweetie." And with an audible CLICK! the collar fell to the ground. Breathing a sigh of relief, Sweetie smiled, hugged Rarity, and said "Thanks, Big Sis." "You're quite welcome, Sweetie Bell. Now let's get out of here." Applebloom and Scootaloo, who refused to leave until Sweetie Belle was saved, happily embraced her before running out the door. Sweetie Belle stopped at the door, however, and asked "Aren't you gonna save anything?" Rarity shook her head. "No Sweetie." "But, you're dresses-" Placing a hoof on her shoulder, Rarity said "You are the only thing in this place that is important to me. I can make a beautiful dress any day of the month. But you are something I could never replace." Sweetie sniffed, a little tear rolling from her eye. "O-okay." "Now let's go, Sweetie." -Zecora's Hut: 3 Minutes Left- "D-did I ever mention? I-I-I really don't like T-Timberwolves." Pinkie Pie nodded. "Yeah. Three times, counting this one." Both of them were currently hiding in the tree branches above Zecora's hut, the Timberwolf directly underneath them, looking up and licking its lips. "You'd think since it's made of plant matter it would be an herbivore" Fluttershy whimpered. Pinkie Pie didn't respond, but held up a glass bottle that had a rag poking out of it. She then pulled out a cigarette lighter. Seeing this, Fluttershy asked "Is that-" Pinkie nodded. "Molotov Cocktail. I don't like using these, but we're running out of time." "W-will it work?" "The thing's made of wood. Last I checked, wood burns." And with that, she lit the bottle and chucked it at the Timberwolf, nailing it on the snout. The bottle shattered, spilling alcohol that was quickly lit aflame, setting the Timberwolf's body ablaze. Roaring in pain and agony, the Timberwolf ran off, no doubt to find a source of water to quench the flames. Pinkie and Fluttershy then rushed into Zecora's home, quickly untying them. Fluttershy carefully picked up the Cake Twins, softly whispering a lullaby to calm them down. Pinkie Pie untied Zecora, who smiled and hugged her. "It is good that you two arrived. I feared that the twins and I would have died." Smiling, Pinkie replied "Hey, no friend gets left behind." Zecora quickly grabbed a few mementos, some of her rarer ingredients, and a small wicker crate filled with several potions which Pinkie noticed were glowing. "What are those" Pinkie asked. "Potions of the strongest kind; meant for body, soul and mind." As they got outside, Zecora looked up and noticed the storm clouds rapidly covering the sky. She whispered to herself "This storm, it feels me with fear. Are bad times coming, or are they already here?" -Twilight's Castle: 1 Minute 30 Seconds Left- The last Force Field was proving to be the most challenging; it was incredibly dense, rotating at super-speed, and with a weak spot the size of a keyhole. Finally, she managed to force her magic into the weak spot, shattering it. Wiping the sweat off her brow, she undid their bonds and said "There we go." Sunset quickly reached under the Cutie Map with her magic and pulled out a large red backpack. "Don't wanna lose this" she said, smiling. Deciding to ask why it was important later, Twilight wrapped her wings around the two of them and teleported them out of the castle. -Outside Twilight's Castle: Less than 30 Seconds Left- Everypony, save for Pinkie Pie's group, were waiting outside the castle. They were all keeping their distance from the castle, as well as the Black Pillar, which was starting to glow and crackle with red lightning. Fortunately, in a flash of purple light; Twilight, Sunset, and Spike appeared in front of them. And just in time, for at that moment all five of the Black Pillars fired off in perfect sync. All five of the locations: Carousel Boutique, Applejack's barn, Zecora's Hut, Rainbow's Cloud home, and Twilight's Castle were enveloped in massive beams of blood red magic. Everypony averted their eyes from the harsh glow, not daring to open their eyes until the glow died down. Once the glow faded, they opened their eyes to reveal that Twilight's Castle was completely gone. All that was left to show that it had once been there was a large crater and a few scatter crystal fragments that had miraculously survived the blast. The Pillars, having served their purpose, simply faded away into nothingness, leaving no trace to their existence. As soon as they were gone, Twilight asked "Is everypony alright?" Almost all of them nodded, save for one. "Looks like we're going to need to find another place to live" Spike grumbled. Twilight turned around, and saw the gigantic crater that used to be where her castle was. Nothing was left. Sighing, Twilight said "First the Golden Oaks Library. And now my castle. Did I miss a meeting or something?! WHAT IS IT WITH EVIL MONSTERS WANTING TO BLOW UP MY HOUSE?!" Suddenly lightning crackled throughout the sky, accompanied by booming thunder. Piercing cold rain lashed out at the group of ponies, while the sudden wind whipped at them. Rarity was the first to find her voice. "EVERYPONY INSIDE!" Fortunately for them, they managed to get inside Town Hall, startling several ponies who had taken shelter inside. Though whether it was from the storm or the pillars, nopony knew. Surprisingly, Mr. and Mrs. Cake were inside as well. Once they saw them, they rushed towards Twilight and began to bombard her with questions about their two foals, which Twilight barely managed to catch. "Look, Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy went after them" she replied, doing her best to reassure them. "They'll be fine." Once they left to sit down, Rainbow quietly asked "Where are they, anyway? Shouldn't they have gotten here already?" "There's a couple miles between Ponyville and Everfree, sugarcube" Applejack replied. "I'm sure they're fine." "Fluttershy, Pinkie, and Zecora maybe. But what about the Cake Twins? And this storm out there isn't like anything I've ever felt before. It's... I don't know, but it doesn't feel normal." The doors suddenly opened, and in walked a thoroughly soaked Fluttershy. Once she stepped into the building, she opened up her wings to reveal the two Cake Twins, smiling and perfectly dry. Their parents eagerly scooped them up, Mrs. Cake almost crying in joy at seeing them again. Afterwards Zecora came in, shaking her mane out once she was out of the rain. Rainbow flew over to her and asked "Where's Pinkie Pie?" Zecora looked at her and replied "I dropped my potions back at the brook. She went back to take a look." All of a sudden the ground began to shake, causing everypony to either stumble or fall. Sunset looked out a nearby window, and saw a massive beam of rainbow light shooting into the heart of the storm. "Uh, Twilight" she asked, pointing towards the light. "Is that normal?" Twilight shook her head. "No. Definitely not." As the rainbow beam continued to shoot into the storm, lightning of various colors began to crackle across the sky. The sky seemed to ripple, like the sky were a lake and somepony had thrown a stone into it. "GUYS!" The Mane 6, Zecora, the Cake family, Sunset, Trixie, Starlight, and Spike all looked out the door to see Pinkie Pie. Her entire body was shuddering and vibrating, going through the part of her Pinkie Sense that foretold that a "doozy" was coming. But that wasn't what caught their attention. Apparently when Zecora dropped her potions, the containers either broke or lost their lids. And as they watched, the spilled potions began to flow through the wicker crate, rising and mixing to form a massive floating blob in front of Pinkie Pie. Even the water from the puddles began to rise, and new raindrops seemed to just hang in the air, robbed of their own momentum. [2] "W-what's going on" Fluttershy asked. Twilight shook her head. "I have no idea." And in that moment... Everything changed. The sky erupted, unleashing a massive bolt of pink lightning at Ponyville. It shot through the floating blob of mixed potions, sending the mixture all over Pinkie Pie's body... ...while the lightning bolt struck her. For a single moment, she hung in midair. Suspended, her forelegs spread wide as if she were flying. If one were to look closely enough, they could see small sparks of pink lightning racing around her skin. [2] And as she fell to the ground like a limp ragdoll, all that could be heard were the screams of her friends. "PINKIE PIE!" TO BE CONTINUED...