//------------------------------// // The Rebellion // Story: New Beginnings // by Saro0fdemonz //------------------------------// Nova was the first to break the silence. "Bu...wha....huh?! Ten thousand years ago?! But that was during the great war!" Nova exclaimed. Twilight had taught her all about Equestria's history. Though there were bits and pieces the Alicorn had hidden from her daughter. "That's right Nova. As a matter of fact, this is the very battlefield on which Celestia and Luna defeated Discord. This event has yet to happen and something has attempted to change its fate. Its the only explanation as to how Discord could have returned as his True Former Self." "What in th' hay are ya talkin about?" Sunburst asked, her glasses falling off her face in her small fit of anger. "Maybe I should explain." "Yea, maybe you should." Amethyst said, crossing his arms. Dinky sighed. "Ages ago, or rather, sometime in this year. Luna and Celestia fought a great war against Discord. During this time they were not the Princess' of the sun and moon. They were merely more ponies under Discords Tyranny. He took much away from them and his cruelty knew no limits. He would execute ponies as jokes and torture others in public showings and force everypony to watch. You all had a small taste of his favorite toy. I am sorry I could not arrive faster to stop it..." Piper smiled. "Hey, you still saved our flanks out there." he said as he strapped the hoofblade around his waist, placing Chromes helmet over his head. "Piper, what are you doing?" Emerald asked, confused. His smile faded. "Don't you get it yet guys? The training, Discord appearing and trapping everypony with barely even resistance and Dinky dragging us to this war. We're suppose to fight." Dinky nodded. "Sadly Piper is right. This is the event your parents have been preparing you for. Only the princess' and the Doctor knew. I am sorry it was hidden from you, but if you were told..." "Then we probably would've run and hidden in fear." Honeycrisp finished, hiding in her mane. "Yes...I know you are not yet ready for this. But we have to go out there and help them. Without you and the Elements Celestia and Luna will fail and Equestria will fall to Discord and his chaos." "What are we suppose to do? We're just a bunch o' kids and we don't even know how t' use these buckin' things!" Hayseed said, stomping her hoof. "I cannot say. I do however know that you won't be alone. You will have a guide to help you and in turn you will aid Celestia and Luna in the war. But there is more you must know. You cannot tell them who you really are. Nova, Luna cannot know she is your mother. Celestia cannot know anything about your parents or who you are or your real names. It could cause some serious damage to the Equestrian Time-stream and could directly result in none of you being born." They all gulped and nodded in understanding. "For now, if they ask for your names, merely use your Elements." "Uh...what about us?" The twins asked. Dinky smiled, placing a hoof on her hat. "Why, you are my assistants of course!" they blinked. "Assistants?" "Yup, while I may not be an Official Doctor, it is my duty to do what he cannot and I can't do it alone. So, Honeycrisp, Penny, Hayseed, would you like to help save Equestria?" The three ponies looked at each other and turned to Dinky, smiling as they all nodded. "Eeyup!" Amethyst took a step outside of the TARDIS and had a look around. Where there should have been grass there was only a vast wasteland of death. Where there should have been light there was darkness. Where there should have been happy ponies there was nothing. "This isn't right..." he said quietly. Emerald stood beside him, on the verge of tears. "That's why we are here Amethyst. To fix this. If we don't...this is Equestria's future." Dinky said softly, placing a hoof on his shoulder. He nodded. "Alright then, how do we find the Princess'?" "Well, they should be coming to us in a few moments actually, which reminds me, I really should move the TARDIS." before anypony could move they were surrounded by ponies shrouded in cloaks and carrying an assortment of weapons. Piper and Amethyst flared up their wings, staring down the ponies around them. "Whoa! Calm down Everypony." Dinky said, raising her hooves in the air. Out of the crowd stepped an armored pegasus who had his eyes locked on Piper. "Where'd you get that helmet boy?" he asked. Piper glared at him. "My commander gave it to me, as well as this blade." Piper drew the hoofblade, pointing it at the pegasus. "At ease." he said to cloaked ponies. They lowered their weapons. "You lot, come with me." he said to them. "Actually we are sort of waiting for somepony." Dinky said. He turned raising a hoof, before he could smack it across the unicorn's face he was thrown back by Amethyst; The Kirin growling at him as smoke drifted from his nostrils. "Don't even think about it." He said quietly. The ponies drew their weapons again, Emerald stepping forward and chanting under her breath, in moments the weapons began to melt, the ponies panicking and throwing them to the ground. Emeralds eyes stopped glowing as she stopped chanting. The pegasus picked himself up, drawing his own hoofblade and swinging, only to be stopped by Pipers blade. "STAND DOWN!" A voice boomed behind them. They turned to see a tall white pegasus, her wings spread wide as she stared down at them. The pegasus lowered his head as did the other ponies as she stepped forward. The pegasus looked at all of them, each side surprised to see the other. Where a long billowing mane of swirling colors was expected, only a normal pink mane rested atop the ponies head. They had expected to see The Alicorn princess, instead they had met a Teen pegasi Celestia. "Who are you strange ponies?" she asked them. Dinky smiled a little. "You may call me The Doctor and these ponies, my dear Celestia, are your Elements of Harmony." Everypony sat in silence in Celestia's camp. Dinky bit her lip as the Pegasus turned to her. "Explain yourself, there was already a pony here claiming to be the Doctor. Are you an imposter or a friend?" Celestia asked. "You could say he and I are very close friends." she said with a smile. "I'll be the judge of that." a voice said from the shadows. Dinky smiled as she saw The Doctor step forward from them, though she resisted the urge to hug him tightly. "Doctor!" they all exclaimed "We thought you were a goner!" Sunburst said. "What are you talking about? I don't even know any of you ponies." Dinky cleared her throat. "He doesn't know who we are yet remember?" she whispered to her friends, they lowered their heads. "Oh..." "Maybe I can explain Doctor. Though I can only tell you so much. We come from a time-stream in which Celestia and Luna are victorious in the fight against Discord, though he has returned in our time. You do your best to help, but in the end you know there is only one answer." The Doctor nodded and smiled. "I see, so in the future, or your future or present rather. Discord has returned and the only way to put a stop to him is to return here. But I cannot return here as I am already here, the only choice would be..." "To send somepony else to do it." Dinky finished. The Doctor smiled. "Well in that case I suppose we can trust you. I did send you here to help after all." he said with a grin. Oh how badly she wanted to hold him. She had left him to die and now here he was. It took everything in her not to pull him into a death-grip hug and never let go. "So we can trust them? Is what they say true? Are they the Elements mother has sent to us?" "I believe they are Celly. Though I don't see how a bunch of ponies are going to be able to help." "In time everything will be revealed." Dinky said softly. The Doctor barely heard her though, his attention on the Kirin who stood in the tent. "You really are fascinating creatures. I don't think I've seen your kind before. What are you exactly?" Amethyst raised an eyebrow. "We are Kirin." Emerald explained. "Interesting." He said, pulling out his sonic device and scanning them with it. He looked at the readings and mumbled something to himself. "Wait...I thought there were only six elements sister. Why are there so many of them?" a small dark blue Unicorn asked from beside Celestia. "The others, while they are not Elements, are just as important as their friends. Though I wish I could explain their role..." Celestia raised a hoof. "I've had enough of this secrecy. I want some answers. Who are all of you?" She demanded of them. It was Nova who stepped forward. "We are Knights of Canterlot and we are here to help you. We don't want to keep any secrets from you, but to be honest..." "We really don't know much other than what we have told you." Amethyst finished for the Alicorn. Celestia paled slightly, a panicked look in her eyes. Dinky cleared her throat. "What they meant to say Princess, is that..." "I think they said exactly what they meant Doctor. And what the hay is this Knights of Canterlot nonsense?" The Doctor asked. Piper stepped forward, raising his wings. "Listen, we don't have time for you to be arguing with us. Right now Discord is out there torturing the ponies we are all meant to protect and we are just sitting here acting like a bunch of kids." The room was silent for a while, the pegasus still standing tall with his wings spread wide. "But we are a bunch of kids..." Luna said softly, looking around the room. Piper smiled. "Don't you know Princess? Age has nothing to do with greatness." After managing to calm down the pegasus princess, the group made their way to what was now being called 'The Generals Camp'. It seemed almost funny, a random bunch of children becoming Generals in a great army meant to defend the entire world. Almost even more so when the aforementioned great army was merely a ragtag rebellion tossed together by Chrome Mist. Piper had been a bit surprised to discover his commanders Great Ancestor was here. The group followed Dinky into a tall tent, watching as the Unicorn suddenly collapsed into tears, hiding her face in her hooves. Sunburst pulled her into a hug, Honeycrisp and Strawberry joining the hug. "I'm so sorry everypony...I'm messing up everything...I don't deserve to call myself Doctor..." She said softly. "Shhh, its ok Dinky, you're doing the best you can." Sunburst said quietly. Nova sighed a little as she sat on a nearby cot, Emerald wrapping a wing around her. "My mom looks so small and helpless...she seems so afraid..." The Alicorn leaned against her friend. "She's just a little kid, lost in a terrible war that cost her everything." Amethyst said, sighing as he sat down on a cot. Emerald glared at him for a moment, her eyes telling him his honesty wasn't needed right now. "Nova...We're all a little scared. Its alright, because we have each other and we'll get through this somehow." Emerald said. Nova sniffed and smiled at her friend, resting her head against her shoulder and closing her eyes. "Thanks Emy..." Strawberry yawned as she stretched a little, flopping down onto one of the cots. "SOOOOOOOO, what do we do now?" She asked them. Everypony glanced at one another, turning to Dinky. The unicorn sniffed and wiped away a few tears. "Well...first we need to speak with the Commander and his soldiers. Tell them what we now, train them, get them ready to fight. Then...well...after that its up to all of you." She said to them. "Up to us? So we're just gonna teach all these soldiers how to fight and take down Discord with the Elements. That's a wonderful plan! One problem, we don't even know how to use these stupid things!" Amethyst yelled. Dinky flinched at his words. "I know...I'm sorry Amethyst..." the kirin's eyes softened at the sight of the unicorns tears. "Dinky...i'm sorry...I shouldn't have yelled..." She shook her head. "its alright...lets just try to get some rest for now everypony...we have a busy day ahead of us..." Penny looked around, seeing nothing but light around her. Beside her stood her sister, both of them confused as to just where they were exactly. One by one their friends appeared, all confused as they were. "Good, you have all arrived." a voice rang out around them. It seemed to come from everywhere at once. "Who are you?" Emerald asked. A tall figure appeared before them. An Alicorn with a coat as bright as the sun, fading as ones eyes made their way down the Alicorns body. The light fading to that of the dark of the night as their eyes settled on her hooves. She stood tall with her wings spread, one filled with billowing clouds, the other drifting stars. Her eyes were the brightest of lights, her mane a long flowing peaceful flame. She smiled down at them, the smile itself filling their hearts with warmth. "I am Harmony." She said to them. A wave of calm mixed with shock ran through them. "H...Harmony? Like...the creator of the Elements? That harmony?" Strawberry asked. The Alicorn nodded. "Yes, I am that Harmony. I have brought you all here because of the task you must face." "Wait wait wait, so you're Harmony, creator of the Elements of Harmony. Where were you when Discord attacked Canterlot?" Amethyst asked, Sunburst punching him in his shoulder. "Sorry yer Highness, Amy doesn't think before he speaks." She explained. "It is quite alright Sunburst. The question does deserve an answer however. You see, while Discord may directly enter your realm and do what he wishes, I cannot." "...Why?" Piper asked. "Because my presence would only bring destruction and chaos. Just look at what Discords presence brings." "So if you wanted to, you could go and stop him right?" Penny asked. "Perhaps, though his power and mine are equal. Anything I did he could easily undo." "That's why you made the Elements isn't it?" The Alicorn smiled at Nova. "That is correct my dear. With these elements, ponies bound together by true friendship are strong enough to face down my husband..." "WHOA! Back that wagon up a second. Your husband? You and Discord are...uh..." Hayseed started to ask. Harmony laughed and nodded. "As strange as it may seem little one, yes. Together, Discord and I created your world. Keeping balance between chaos and Peace. Though as you all know, he grew tired of the peace I brought to Equestria and sought to make it 'More interesting'. As he likes to put it. He has even gone so far as to threaten our daughters to bring about his chaos." "Your daughters? You mean Luna and Celestia?" Emerald asked in surprise. Harmony nodded. "wait...that makes me..." "That's right, you are my granddaughter and I couldn't be more proud to be your grandmother." The little alicorn almost fainted. "Ok, so, that's great and all, but why are we here exactly?" Piper asked. "Because I have a request of you all." they blinked, staring at the Alicorn goddess. "I know that I am asking for more than I should, but I ask that you protect my daughters and do whatever it takes to keep them safe from Discord." "Well, we'd like t' do what we can, but we can't really do much t' be honest. We don't even know how t' use th' elements. And last time we tried t' fight Discord...well...Piper and Penny got hurt real bad...so did Nova...we couldn't do anythin...our parents..." Sunburst started to cry, Honeycrisp pulling her into a gentle hug. "I am sorry. I did not mean to bring up those memories. I know it will be hard, but I will be there to guide you. There is no secret to using the Elements and I cannot teach you how to use them. Only true friendship will enable their power." "Miss Harmony, ah have a question..." Penny began. "Yes dear?" "Why are th' rest of us here? We ain't even elements like th' rest o' our friends." "Penny Apple, do you think the Elements are what make them special?" Harmony asked. "Well...yea. All those things make em somethin. Piper bein Loyal, Amethyst bein Honest, Nova bein generous..." Harmony raised a hoof to stop her. "Think about those traits for a moment. Anypony can have them. The point of them is that they are what true friends have. A true friend is always honest, always kind and generous to their friends. They stay loyal to them through thick and thin and always try to keep them happy by making them laugh. The Elements merely show who best holds that trait among all of you. Just because you do not bear an element, does not mean you do not represent one. Remember this. The Elements power can only be used by true friends." The earth pony nodded with a smile. Harmony turned to Piper frowning for only a moment. "Your majesty...Are our parents ok?" Piper asked softly. The Alicorn was silent for a moment, deciding that they needed to know what was happening. She held out her hoof, a small window opening in midair, revealing a horrifying sight. Discord sighed as he leaned back on the striped green and pink cloud. Chains bound the three Alicorns to his makeshift throne, the other ponies hung on the walls, bruised and broken. Rainbow Dash tried again and again in vain to pull free and while it had entertained him for a while he had grown bored of her sounds of struggle. He waved his hand and smiled as several darts appeared in mid-air. He took one in his claws, aiming at the pinned pegasus. "Hmm. what do you think Celly? Between the eyes? Maybe I should pin those hooves down properly." He asked, almost as if she could change the Pegasi's fate. "Discord...please..." she begged. "Oh my your right. I shouldn't be doing this." he snapped his claws, a blindfold covering his eyes. "There we go, much better." he grinned as he aimed the darts, peeking slightly from under the blindfold. "HEY YOU'RE CHEATING!" Pinkie screamed, drawing his attention to her. The pony was hogtied and hanging from the ceiling by her hooves. Rainbow let out a small sigh of relief, trying again to break free. "It ain't gonna change nuthin even if ya keep at it Dashie..." Applejack said softly. The earth pony was badly bruised, half of her face swelled up like a balloon and her eye black from the beating she had suffered. It pained Rainbow to see her that way. She had been useless to protect her and now she couldn't even protect her friends. The couple watched as Discord turned upside down to look into Pinkie's eyes. "Who cares if I cheat a little?" "Its not fair if you cheat." she pouted. "Oh? Would you care to play?" he asked, grabbing hold of the chains that held her. The pony grinned, staring into his eyes. "As a matter of fact I would. If I win, you have to let Dashie go." "And if I win?" he asked. Pinkie bit her lip in thought. "If you win...then I tell you a secret." she said after a moment. "A secret? Why should I care?" "Because its something you don't know." she said with a small smile. He pressed a claw against her forehead, though all he could hear in her mind was random ramblings and several thousand songs. He had thought it would have been as simple as seeing what exactly she was hiding from him, but the pony had too much on her mind. She really was a beautiful slice of chaos. "Hm, lets make it a bit more interesting. If you win, I shall free both pegasi. And if I win, you have to tell me that secret annnnd join me." the pink pony blinked. "join you?" "Yes Pinkie Pie. You see, even creatures like me desire some sort of friends and you are absolutely perfect. A completely random pony causing chaos in the blink of an eye. Just think of it for a moment." he said with a grin. "DON'T DO IT PINKIE!" Twilight screamed, coughing and gasping as the chains tightened around her throat to silence her. "Twilight!" Luna desperately tried to reach her, though the chains kept them from one another. "Well Miss Pie? what do you say?" he held out a claw. Pinkie took a slow breath and nodded. "I accept." The ponies could only stare in horror. "w...we have to do something!" Sunburst screamed as she stared at her parents. "I am afraid all you can do for them now is to help my daughters. You must find what has changed and change it back." "Will that stop Discord?" Piper asked. She had no answer for them. The ponies blinked as Emerald vanished. "It seems it is time for all of you to go. Please remember my words and be careful." "wait!" Piper called out, blinking and sitting up in his bed. They were all back in the tent, the strange Alicorn gone. "Did anypony else see that?" Honeycrisp asked. They all nodded, Dinky looking at them confused. "See what?" she asked. "We've got to get to Celestia and Luna, now!" Piper leapt out of his bed, snatching up Chrome's hoofblade as he ran out of the tent. "Can somepony explain to me what is going on?" Dinky asked as they rushed out after him. Emerald and Sunburst gave a quick explanation of the dream they had just had. Piper burst into the Princess' tent, the hoofblade wrapped tightly around his mid-section. The princess' jumped in surprise as he entered and he smiled at them slightly, the others entering the tent behind him. "Princess Celestia, Princess Luna. We know how we can help, we need to start as soon as possible." the pegasus said to them. "Um...W...What do we do?" Celestia asked. "We need to start by training your soldiers. How many can use magic?" "We have a small group of unicorns." Luna said softly. "How many?" Piper asked, sitting down and looking at a map that sat on the table. His friends gathered around him, all examining it. Spread across it were small figures resembling their forces and Discords forces not too far away. They were greatly outnumbered at least a thousand to one. Nova stared at them for a moment, lifting a few in her magic and letting them drift around the map. "What are you doing?" Luna asked, though she received no answer from the young Alicorn. Celestia and Chrome watched with interest as she set them up in different formations. "Our groups may be small. But when focused like this..." "They would be able to defend one another while staying on the offensive. That's genius!" The Doctor exclaimed. Nova smiled at the praise. Blinking as Luna poked her horn. "Oh..s..sorry...I was just curious...why do you have wings and a horn?" She asked. Nova blinked, surprised by the question. "They don't know about Alicorn's yet. It should be safe to tell them as long as you don't reveal you are her daughter." Dinky whispered to her. She nodded and took a calming breath. "I'm what is known as an Alicorn. A near immortal creature of great power." "Near Immortal?" Celestia asked. Nova nodded. "Yes. Alicorns such as myself live for hundreds of thousands of years. Our magic is what allows us to live for so long. Should we use up all of our magic, we will die. And while we are quite resilient we can be killed." "You say we...are there other Alicorns? Some that could help us?" Celestia asked, almost as if begging. Nova bit her lip. "Sadly I am the only one who can aid you in this war." Nova said, her ears tucked back against her head. Celestia sighed a little. "Its alright. We can use any help you can give us." Celestia said. Piper mumbled to himself, looking at the formations Nova had made. "There's a problem with this." he said, their attention drawn toward him. "We're looking at this from the viewpoint of a normal war. But this is Discord we are facing. There is no point in trying to make sense in a battle against him. He would look at these formations and snap them up in his clouds in an instant. We'd lose everything in the first five minutes of the fight." he said, remembering the clouds that held his family. Nova lowered her head. "You're right...how could I have forgotten..." "Don't beat yourself up, its a great plan. We just need to change it a bit. We can't stay grouped together, we have to scatter." Amethyst grinned a little. "Tactical warfare. Is there any cover? Any trees maybe?" Celestia shook her head. Amethyst rubbed his chin for a moment. "Magic." he turned to Emerald, the kirin raising her head. "If we don't have any cover, we'll just make some." he said with a grin. Celestia gathered her soldiers, Luna by her side as they followed the Elements of Harmony. Amethyst turned to Nova who nodded. Sunburst, Piper, and Honeycrisp took to the air, diving in and out of the clouds and pulling them apart. Emeralds horns began to glow dimly, the ground around them glowing as well. Amethyst rested his claws in the dirt, beginning a low almost inaudible chant, his eyes glowing dimly. The dirt began to vanish, forming a cloud of dust all around them. Celestia watched in awe as the three pegasi pulled rain from the clouds, the dirt began to settle, soft and fertile where it had once been hard and dead. The rain fell heavily, soaking into the fresh ground and to their surprise a small green stub poked out of the dirt. One by one more appeared, surrounded in the glow of the Kirins magic. They continued to grow, reaching high into the air until they formed into massive trees all around them. Emerald stumbled a bit as her magic faded. The group smiled at their work, leaving the rebellion to stare in shock as they regrouped. "We can use the trees to hide archers and for defensive purposes." Piper said as he sat down. Sunburst reared up and kicked one, apples falling around her in nice, neat piles. "We can also use em as a food supply. Th' apples will taste a might bit funny bein made from magic and all, but its all safe t' eat." She said, her eyes wide for a moment as she lifted one of the apples. As her hoof touched it the red changed into several rainbow stripes. "a zap apple..." The party pony panted heavily, a few scrapes and bruises covering her coat, blood dripping down her body to the ground. Discord smiled, tossing a ball up and down, spikes wrapped around it. "Are you done yet pony?" he asked. She lowered her head. I've got no choice...I've got to use it... she waited for him to roll the ball. It was another fast ball. She knew she couldn't dodge it, or kick it back. Her last attempt at that had given her a spike to the hoof. As the ball neared her she roared, her keyblade appearing in mid-air. Pinkie stood on her hind hooves, slamming her hoof into the blade, its hilt wrapping around her hoof as she spun, slamming it into the spiked ball. Discord grinned as it flew back to him, popping it with a claw before it could hit him. "Oh good, I'm glad to see you still have some surprises for me." "I'm full of surprises." she said, reaching behind her and pulling out her party cannon. Discord laughed and clapped at the sight of it. He couldn't even begin to imagine how she had pulled the contraption out of thin air and he didn't care. Pinkie rested her hoof-keyblade on top of the cannon, the blade shaping itself around it, doubling its size. Pinkie pie slammed her forehooves down on the massive button, a large pink cannonball flying towards Discord, he held out his claw and caught it, grinning at her as it stopped instantly. "Sorry miss pie, but you will have to do be..." BOOM. The bomb blew up in his claw, sending him flying backwards into the wall. He stared at his claw in surprise and burst into uncontrollable laughter, falling to the ground and holding his sides. "A bomb cannon! classic!" He stood, wiping away a tear as his laughter subsided. "Alright, alright. Just for that one, i'll let the the Rainbow and the shy one go, but you stay here." Pinkie pie smiled, completely exhausted. It took a lot out of her to change the blades shape like that, even more so to use its hidden powers. Another moment and she would have lost this little game. To be honest she hadn't expected him to keep his word. Discord snapped his claws, the clasps around Rainbow opening, letting her drop to the ground. The chains that held Fluttershy fell away and vanished. The yellow pegasus looked to her husband. The red stallion giving her a weak smile. "Go Flutter...ya'll gotta keep safe...ah'll be alright...think 'bout th' lil' one..." he begged. Fluttershy hugged him tightly, tears in her eyes as she pulled away from him, flying after Rainbow Dash. Rainbow stopped to look at Pinkie Pie. The two gave each other a nod, a simple promise as they both went their separate ways. Pinkie Pie collapsed against a wall, a rope wrapping around her neck. Discord knew the pony wouldn't attempt a get-away or that she even could, even so he liked to keep up appearances. He watched as the pegasi flew away. "hm, a little false hope? Don't mind if I do." he said with a grin. Piper and Chrome stared at one another for a moment, both drawing their hoofblades and placing them against one another. They slowly began to circle one another, their blades held against each other. Chrome stepped forward first, giving Piper the opening he needed, his blade quickly against the older stallions throat. Chrome stood there in shock and surprise, his blade only moments away from doing the same. Piper grinned a little as he pulled the blade away, lowering himself back to all fours. "Alright boy, you've got my full attention. Just who in the hay are ya and how in tartarus did ya get that helmet and sword?" "Well, lets just say down the line your skills reach a young pegasus in training." Chrome chuckled at the attempt at a riddled answer. He turned to look at his soldiers. Afraid, untrained, unprepared for what was to come. Then there was this colt before him, able to best him with his own techniques before he had a chance to use them himself. "Boy, why don't you teach em what ya know?" Piper grinned. "I'd be honored." Piper walked in front of the group, their eyes locked on him as he flared up his wings. "Tell me, who is your best flyer?" a pony was pushed forward, her face pale. "um..t..that would be m..me Sir" she mumbled. Piper smiled a little. "Hey, chin up and calm down. Let me see what you've got." he said. The pegasus mumbled and took off, kicking up a massive cloud of dust as she zipped through the air, barreling backwards at breakneck speeds and coming to a complete stop beside him. Piper chuckled in surprise. "You've got some moves. But you can't fly with your eyes closed." the pegasus opened her eyes. "oh..um...sorry..." Piper felt this pegasus was somehow directly related to Fluttershy. Though her wing power was impressive. "I want all of you to be able to do that." Piper said to the other pegasi. They glared at the mare for a moment, gasping as shards of ice suddenly rose from the ground in front of them. Pipers eyes scanned the soldiers, letting them see the anger in his eyes, colder than the ice that sat in front of them. "If you want to be angry, be angry at me, but fly while you're angry." he said softly. They gulped, taking off, Piper faintly hearing one speak. "D...Did you see that?! he used magic without a horn!" "he's a freak..." another mumbled. Piper kept his gaze on the ground as they took to the air. "y...You didn't have t..." "No. They had no right to be mad at you." he said softly before taking to the air himself. "HEY! GET OUT OF THOSE FORMATIONS!" Piper called out to them. The pegasi looked at him confused. He sighed and barreled through them, whipping them up in his slipstream before coming to a halt in front of them as they tried to gather themselves. "Grouped together as you are, I can just tear you apart without even trying. If I can manage that you don't stand a chance against Discord." "Hey kid we've had enough of your nonsense. I don't care if you have some kind of freaky powers and whatnot. How are we gonna learn anything from a kid like you? Just go back to the camp and let the adults do the fighting." Piper chuckled a little. "You want to learn something? Watch then." Piper rolled backwards, diving towards the ground. "he's nuts..." one pony said. "there's no way he can pull out of that dive." another said. they watched, gasping as Piper lifted up at the last second, rocketing forward and hovering just above the ground, he bolted upward, his speed doubling instantly as he looped over them, quickly turning once more, his mane and tail a blur as he circled around them. They watched as a cone built around him and in moments it shattered, sending him barreling high into the air. Piper grinned as he felt the wind tug at his mane, the sound barrier shattering reaching his ears moments later. Pipers ears twitched as another sound reached his ears, one he recognized. It was a sound he hoped he wouldn't hear anytime soon and it was getting louder. Luna and Emerald watched as an explosion of orange and red filled the sky, stretching far and wide, a massive explosion following after it. Smiles spread across their faces, both of them losing focus on their magic, the rocks they held falling to the ground and making them jump. "s...sorry!" Luna exclaimed. Emerald smiled. "Its alright Princess. Lets just try it aga..." Emerald stopped as a loud, blood curdling roar ripped through the camp. She recognized that roar. It was the sound those creatures had made as her brother and Piper had fought them. "Princess you have to get to your sister! Now!" Emerald said, grabbing hold of the unicorn and tossing her onto her back without a moments warning. She spread her wings and bit her lip. Come on Wings, don't fail me now! She pushed off the ground, flapping her wings hard, the unicorn gasping and throwing her hooves around her neck. Soon they appeared, Discords twisted creatures, charging into Celestia's camp. Emerald gulped as she flew high above them, gasping as one flew by her. The creature made to attack again, though it was tackled out of the air by her brother, his claws tearing into its chest. Emerald sighed a little in relief, landing in the center of the camp, Luna sliding off of her back. "Stay with your sister!" Emerald yelled over the fighting. "WE NEED HELP!" Sunburst called out, her wings flared up and her eyes tinted red as flames danced in front of her, holding the creatures at bay for now. Emerald stepped forward, her horns glowing dimly. She had to do something! She began a slow chant, letting the two magics within her combine and spread over the camp, her eyes glowing brightly. She had no idea what she was doing, only that somehow she could do...something. She let the magic burst forth, her eyes wide as a barrier spread out, slamming into Discord's minions and sending them flying. The Kirin stumbled a little as her magic faded, a claw to her head. She gasped as Luna hugged her tightly. "That was amazing!" the Princess said, kissing her. The two blushed deeply, mumbling and stammering as Luna pulled herself away from her. Nova just stared at them as the others landed in the main camp, a bit worn out but unharmed. Nova yelled something and ran off. Emerald watched as she ran away. "oh no..." "Oh come on Nova, maybe there's an explanation." Strawberry said softly, patting the Alicorn's back as she sobbed into her coat. Emerald stepped into the tent, Strawberry smiling a little. "Nova..." Emerald said softly. The Alicorn forced herself to stop crying, though she continued to sob slightly, sitting upright with her back to the Kirin. "What do YOU want?!" she said, hiccuping a little. "Please Nova, its not what it looks like..." "Well please do tell what it was, because I saw you kiss my mom! How could you do that?!" she demanded as she spun, glaring at her, though tears still streamed down her cheeks. "Nova...please...I didn't..." "YES YOU DID!" Nova screamed, her voice echoing within the tent and almost knocking the Kirin onto her back. "NOVA!" She screamed back, the Alicorn flinched. "Listen to me...I didn't kiss her. While I care about your mom as a dear friend I don't have any feelings for her...I care about you Nova..." she said quietly. Strawberry smiled, shoving the Alicorn forward. Nova gasped as she fell into Emerald, their lips meeting. For a moment the two just stood there, blushing furiously and staring into the others eyes. Though after a moment they grabbed hold of one another, slowly breaking the 'kiss' "y...you mean it?" Nova asked, still shaking a little as sobs racked her body back and forth. Emerald nuzzled her friends neck gently and smiled. "I do" Sunburst cleared her throat as she entered the tent. "I hope we aren't interrupting anything." she said with a sly smile, making the two blush. Dinky laughed a little as she peeked her head inside. "You two do realize that during this time such a kiss is similar to a hug? For Luna it probably meant nothing more than that." Nova blinked, smacking her hoof against her forehead. She should have known that, her mother had taught her all about ancient customs. She sighed a little. "I'm sorry I yelled Em..." the Alicorn blushed as she was pulled into a soft kiss. Emerald blushed slightly and smiled at her friend. "Its fine, I kinda yelled back anyway..." "If you two are done, we've got a problem." Amethyst said as he entered the room. "Discord knows where we are now...Its my fault..." Piper said, lowering his head. "Hey, I saw those pegasi, they needed to be put in their place. Ya did th' right thing." Sunburst said to him, hugging him gently. He shook out of the hug and shook his head. "No. I screwed up. We need to get moving." "We can't leave Piper." Hayseed said. "Why not? If we stay he'll come here, don't you remember what he did to Penny? He'll do that to all of us. We have to stay alive long enough to figure out how to use the Elements against him." Hayseed reached into a saddlebag, pulling out a striped apple. "We can't leave this place. Its mah home Piper. This is Sweet Apple Acres." Rainbow punched the wall as hard as she could, breaking down and sinking to the ground. "I left them there...how could I just leave them? How could I leave Aj..." Fluttershy hugged her gently. "We haven't left them Dash." She said softly. The cyan pegasus sniffed, looking at her friend in confusion. "We're just retreating. Pinkie Pie knew she had to get us out. She had to get you out because you're the only pony tough enough to bust them out and me because..." "Cause of your kid right?" Rainbow sniffed. Fluttershy nodded. "He would've taken your wings Dash...you saw where he was aiming those darts...Now we have a chance to save them." "How?! We aren't the Elements anymore. And we have no idea where they are!" More tears made their way down her cheeks. Fluttershy hated seeing her friend like this. It was a rare occasion that anything could break her down like this. She was always the strong one. Fluttershy took a deep breath, holding back the tears she wanted to shed for Honeycrisp. Though she knew the pegasus would be safe with her friends, wherever they were. "Rainbow Dash, you've got to pull yourself together. Maybe if we find Twilights brother..." "Her brother? You mean Shining Armor?" Fluttershy nodded, peeking around a corner. "If we find him, we might be able to come up with a rescue plan." "But he's suppose to be all the way in Appleloosa! It'll take forever for us to get there in Discords madness." Fluttershy smiled. "It would take me forever, but not you Dash. All it would take is a Sonic Rainboom." Rainbow blinked. "Shy...No! I already abandoned the others, i'm not gonna leave you behind!" Fluttershy put a hoof on her friends shoulder and smiled. "I can hide in the Everfree forest until you come back. Zecora should still be in her hut and it should be safe there. You've got to find Shining Armor." Rainbow hugged her friend tightly, sobbing softly. "I'll come back for you Shy...I'll come back for everypony...I promise." Fluttershy nodded, pushing her friend away. "Go!" Rainbow bit her lip and took to the sky, easily gaining enough speed to shatter the sound barrier, a rainbow trail following after her as she zipped toward their last chance of saving their friends. Fluttershy sighed softly and snuck around a corner. It would be a long walk to the forest, she would have to be careful, lest Discord change his mind about her freedom. "We're not moving out?" Celestia asked. "No, this place is too important. Some of the greatest history is made here and it is where we will have to make our stand. We can't just keep running away. We have to stand up and band together against Discord." Dinky said to her. The pegasus looked around at her generals, at the Elements and their friends. At the Doctor and Dinky, then to her sister. She turned back to them with a determined look on her face. "Alright. I trust in your abilities. We will stand and fight." She declared. Nova and Piper began planning their attack while Amethyst and Emerald began speaking of different spells. Penny and Hayseed paired up to talk ground combat strategies with the generals while sunburst and Honeycrisp talked about aerial combat with the pegasi. Slowly a plan was coming together. But would it work?