//------------------------------//
// Hope in the Smallest Hooves 
// Story: Harmony's Parallel 
// by Xutiepops 
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After many plans are finalized, a lot of things are brought up. Especially if that finalized plan was made on a whim after a different, almost traumatizing event. 
Sadly, all the mares and Flash were terrified of executing the plan, which came next. But Magic couldn't stop going over every step, it was even worse when she walked through the halls of her new castle. One she might never see again. 
She tried to not believe Rarity's fear of their death, but she knew they could die, well her friends could. Their Twilight would never hurt her, and she just wanted to know why. But she didn't even had the time to theorize. 
Her mind was zipping back and forth slowly between events from her short lived life. As if her foreboding feelings caused a slow relapse of her life to play, as if her mind and body knew her death was up next for her. 
Her time in Celestia's magic school, her Canterlot friends, Spike. They all replayed, and she could only thing about how much she missed her home and her family. Then her head would flash to Ponyville, she'd start crying. All the wonderful, wonderful memories of her childhood couldn't even come close to beating the memories she had made in Ponyville. 
She transformed a Princess back to a Princess all with meeting her best friends in the whole world. She became an alicorn, she transformed a wicked monster into a friend, all of that wouldn't have been possible without her friends. And they were going to be right there in this upcoming battle for Equestria. 
She desperately wanted to believe that a higher power would ensure that the bright light of Harmony would come out on top. But her biggest friend, Science, wouldn't have it. So she left it be. 
But as her hooves clicked against the frozen floor, she couldn't help but try to perfect her plan, paranoid of the smallest mishap. She wished she wasn't. It wasn't going to help anything, especially when she needed to focus and relax. She didn't need to use all her brainpower right now, but she was. 
She turned down a hall and saw Spike standing in the foyer of the castle, smiling up at the pictures on the wall. She shook her head. "No, absolutely not."
He flinched at the sound of her voice and turned to her. "What?" 
She furrowed her eyebrows with a frown on her face. She shook her head again. "You are not going with us. You stay here with Starlight and the Princesses." 
His eyes widened and his body faced her. "Why!?" Her stern look didn't shift. 
"Like Rarity had said, we could die. You aren't going with us," she said sternly, ignoring his terrified look. "Starlight would need help running the castle and Equestria in my place if I happen to ... you know." 
He shook his head, disbelief covering his face. He crossed his arms in the form of an 'x'. "No way Twi!" His claws balled into fists by his side. "There's no way I'd let you go alone!" He ran towards her and stood in front of her. "I'm going with you! You need all the help you can get!" 
She lowered her head until her muzzle was touching his nose. "No, Spike. I can't let you get hurt. You've never fought with us against Discord or Tirek. You aren't going to this time."
She picked up her head and walked past him towards the door, accepting her fate. And her decision. "Twi!" He yelled as he ran after her, hugging her leg. She just glanced down at him. 
He didn't look at her as tears rolled down his scales. "If you don't let me I will find a way onto the train. I won't go without you and let you and the girls get hurt while i'm here teaching Starlight how to be a princess. I won't do it. You're like my sister, so are the rest of you." 
He finally looked up at her with red eyes and a frown. "I-I can't! I know I'm not much, but I can still help. I don't want to lose any of you and live with it." 
His crying face broke her. She turned away to try and stop herself from crying. She sighed. "Go say goodbye to Starlight and whatever else you want. Meet us at Applejack's farm." She stated bluntly and shook his happy face off her leg. 
She heard his claws scurry down the halls as she walked through the door. She started crying, thinking that might've been the last time she'd ever hear them scratch against the floor.
The walk to Honesty's farm was the worst of all her time spent alone. Simply because she couldn't cry, she'd worry the town that didn't need to worry yet if at all. She had all these thoughts flooding her mind and she couldn't let anything out through any means effective. 
Her only method was breathing, and as much as it calmed her down, it just let the tears build up in her eyes. She almost hated seeing the happy colors everywhere. All she felt was a burden of knowing what lied underneath Canterlot's walls. Not even the mares and stallions of Canterlot knew why their princesses made a sudden departure. 
She'd smile back at smiles, nod to waves, but she was terrified for every step forward. She tried to not mind how inconsiderate they all were, she couldn't blame them, they didn't know. But she wished they knew, she wished they stood inside so her walk could be silent and uncomfortable.
She came along to the edge of the town, grass  started to stretch and a dirt road started up. Magic sighed, knowing this was the first step to goodbyes.  
The farm looked drearier than normal, so did the whole town. It was as if everypony knew Canterlot had secret overlords inside the walls. But of course, they didn't. 
The leaves on the trees almost looked rotten, they all looked brittle and like the smallest breeze could tear them. The apples looked weeks old, their shine gone and the sun didn't seem to want to nourish them anymore.
The barns paint seemed to be peeling and wearing away. Even the sky turned an ugly light blue, as if a storm was going to fall over the town for the loss of it's harmony. 
Magic walked towards the farm, seeing the Apple family's sad faces as Honesty's sat on the porch. A serious look on her face, as if she didn't want anyone to see how terrified she was. 
Magic assumed it was because of the Cutie Mark Crusaders running around happily, unaware of the serious, heavy atmosphere. Their hooves were covered in mud from the last nights rain that so badly wanted to come back and wash away happy smiles. 
The alicorn turned at the sound of cracking grass. She looked back and saw all the worried expressions stare back at her, Laughter's weak smile tried to take away from the sadness blooming in her blue eyes. It didn't help. 
She took a deep breath and looked back towards the deteriorating farm, one hoofstep forward seemed to be a taxing job. She understood why, because with every step forward, she was accepting how happy of a life she was throwing away. And she was terrified. 
The girls soon made their way to the front of the barn, all seeing the walls tearing apart while they really shined in new paint. 
Kindness looked to Generosity while Laughter looked to Loyalty. The six understanding what needed to be said to the giggles running around. "Girls," Honesty said coldly and rudely. "Come here for a second," she stated gently to ease their fear. 
The three looked to each other, in fear they were in trouble. They slowly made their way to the seven, each bumping on one of the others before them. They all looked to Honesty with wide, nervous smiles. 
Before Honesty's sad eyes could even look at them, Celestia's voice cut in. "Hello girls." 
The group looked behind them, seeing two princesses and an orange stallion staring at the ground. All the bruises had healed enough to not be as visible, and their wings had only started, but the crusaders couldn't tell anything was wrong. The smiles on their faces took away from the heavy atmosphere that was there. 
"I thought we already said goodbye," Honesty said rudely too the two princesses. "What'cha y'all doin' here?" She stood up from her seat on the porch. 
"Applejack," Magic hissed through her teeth. 
"Don't worry, Twilight. We completely understand." Celestia stated tenderly. 
"Then what'cha y'all doin' here?!" Honesty shouted at them, scaring the crusaders. "These girls ain't need the princesses to tell 'em nothin'! We know how to talk to our sisters and we know how to say the right things you don't know how to!" 
Magic was mortified by how Honesty was lashing out. "Where did this come from?" 
Honesty's head whipped to her. "Celestia's been furious at those mares ever since we got back. She ain't in the right mindset to tell our girls what we up to." 
"AJ... what's goin' on?" Apple Bloom asked cautiously, trying to fight through her apprehension. "Is everything okay?" 
And in response to her question. Granny Smith who was sitting at the end of the porch ran in crying. Big Mac looked at the group of ponies and sighed, walking inside after her to console her. This only worried the three further. 
Celestia's judemental eyes stared down at Honesty as her emerald ones stared back. "I just wanted to ensure you girls are safe. And that Discord would actually show. Which he doesn't seem to be," she stated. And of course, her condescending tone stepped in, angering another on of the six. 
"He will!" Kindness said loudly. "He wouldn't have been so insistent for him not too. He's good now." Celestia just ignored her. 
"Princesses," Honesty said kindly. "Please leave. We're safe and we will be." 
"Yes, because having to battle mares made from evil is going to leave you 'safe'," she stated, being reminded of the psychopaths who hurt her sister. The crusaders looked at their sisters with terrified expressions. 
"Don't worry!" Laughter bounced in front of them as Honesty was close to strangling Celestia. "We're just going to Canterlot to fight another danger to Equestria! No big deal! Except that this enemy comes from a different dimension with a big scary dragon and an electrified alicorn!" 
Her happy smile and bouncy voice didn't change the effect her words had on the girls. By the time she stopped speaking they were huddled together as tight as could be. The princesses and the mane six couldn't have said it any worse. 
Loyalty threw Laughter to the side. "It's not a bad as it sounds! Trust me! We'll have Discord to take care of the dragon!" She smiled at Scootaloo, who slightly smiled back. 
Generosity bounced in next to her. "Yes! We'll be fine. The electrified alicorn is a wimp! She'll be an easy foe!" Her sparkling eyes and extravagant motions allowed Sweetie Belle to giggle in comfort, just for Generosity to giggle back. 
"They ain't that tough, we got this. Besides when have we ever lost?" Honesty stepped in beside them. Smiling at their reassuring words. She smirked at Apple Bloom. "I'll take ya to Canterlot soon after we get back. Promise, kiddo." 
"We wanna go to Canterlot!" Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle yelled at their sisters, standing on the edge of their hooves. Loyalty and Generosity smiled with a laugh and nodded at the two. 
The three screamed in delight at the promise. They all hugged each other and started bouncing in a circle, chanting "We're going to Canterlot!"
Magic couldn't help but watch the scene with a smile and teary eyes. Just a few words could change someone's view on something, and that it did. They were going to win. They were going to take back Canterlot and they were going to take the girls there once they get back. 
They had so many advantages, how could they lose? Plus they had each other! And they could do anything together. Sure, they were against tough foes, but they had the greatest power ever, their friendship. 
She smiled up at the sky and saw the sun peak out from behind the clouds. All she saw and felt was hope. They were going to be okay. And as Spike stood by her leg upon his arrival with a determined smile, she was sure of that. 
He looked up at her and saluted. She nodded. She turned back to the sisters and saw they all exchange goodbyes. Honesty looked to the front door and saw Granny Smith and Big Mac with reassured smiles. Honesty smiled back and ran up to hug them. 
As they all soon turned to leave, the princesses staying with the crusaders for a bit, they all were ready to get on the train with a new sense of hope and determination. They were ready for this fight, and they were going to come out on top. Of course, as Magic walked forward with easy steps, she bumped into a set of fur. 
She looked up at the amalgamation with annoyance as he smirked down at her. "You didn't forget me, princess?-" he flicked her horn "- did you?" 
"Of course not, Discord!" Kindness smiled up at him. He smiled back and teleported beside her as Magic picked herself up. She glared at him, more annoyed that he did it and noticed him glancing at Kindness as she almost skipped with an okay feeling. She shook her head and looked away with a smile, just another nice thing to think about. 
But the nicest thing was knowing that all her friends were right there beside her, her mentors behind her smiling and sending them off. It didn't feel like they were getting on a train to their might-be-death. It felt like they were stepping out of their childhood into the real world, leaving behind a past life into a nicer one. And she couldn't be happier with the feeling. 
The group of nine waited at the train stop by themselves, which confused them, but they ignored it. What confused them even further was that when the Canterlot train showed, one, it was late, and two, nopony got off of it. While the rest tried to question it, Laughter bounced on saying to look on the bright side. 
"At least we'll be the only ones on it," Generosity smiled motherly as she stepped on. The rest shrugged it off and stepped on. 
They were lucky the train ride to Canterlot from Ponyville was short, because their happy faces definitely didn't last forever, no matter their wants for it too. They tried to smile, tried not to think about it. 
They listened to Discord and Laughter's jokes, they all listened to Generosity's explanations after one of Laughter's jokes. But once they passed what they knew was the halfway mark from Ponyville to Canterlot, the conversation took a turn for the worse. 
"I think we need to go over the plan again," Magic stated bluntly through everyone's laughter. They heard a flash while Discord appeared next to her. 
"Don't be a buzzkill! I doubt any of us need any help jogging our memories. What happened to we got this?" He asked light-heartedly. 
"That façade was for the girls," Generosity stated bluntly, remembering why only Kindness enjoyed his company. "We still understand the risks that stand." 
Flash ignored the situation, in fear they'd notice what was going on inside his head. He ignored Discords annoying voice, he ignored Generosity's annoying voice, but he couldn't cut out Magic's voice. His mind replaced what she said with a wicked twist, a psychotic noise to it, and it just sounded a lot better. 
He tried to replace it with his nice version of hers voice. Her nice laugh over a mad mares laugh, a quirky intelligent statement instead of a threat of death. He missed loving his Twilight. He missed daydreaming of her and her nice ... just pony! He didn't understand everything, so of course, he heard nothing of the rerun of the plan. 
The train stopped a lot earlier than needed. The nine stepped off a ways away from Canterlot. But they all saw that creeping of magenta over the trees and were more than terrified. 
The closer they got, the more and more the nature seemed to just be... gone. Trees had less leaves as they got closer, the sky looked less bright from the sun, the grass got more scarce the closer they got. 
But they finally saw it, the tall magenta wall in front of them, shining with electric strings. The trees around were just rotting branches, there was no grass surrounding the wall, and there was no blue above the tip of the magenta where it might've ended. 
The eight were more than concerned with it, too terrified to touch it as the wall had electric strings swimming around in the color. 
Magic engulfed a rock in her magenta and threw it at the wall, it was surrounded in electricity. The rock floated against the wall for a few seconds before flying at them, they all ducked just in time. 
Magic just stared up at the wall, anger fueling her expression. She turned around, cutting through the crowd of her friends. "Time for Plan B."