//------------------------------// // Chapter Twenty-One // Story: The Conversion Bureau: United We Stand // by RK_Striker_JK_5 //------------------------------// Queen Celestia's eyes narrowed as her enemies approached. She looked over her shoulder. “Get inside the main gate,” she said to her bodyguards. “Stand ready, just in case I need you.” The two bodyguards turned and trotted off towards Canterlot. They walked through the main gate, and it closed behind them. Finally, Optimus Prime and Princess Celestia arrived just outside of Canterlot. The Princess jumped off of Optimus' trailer and floated to the ground, while Optimus transformed into robot mode. Princess Celestia's regalia glowed and expanded into golden armor over her body. Optimus reached behind his back with his left arm, pulling his ion rifle out of subspace. His right hand retracted into its wrist socket. It glowed for a moment, and an energon-axe shot out from it. Nemesis Prime smashed his fists together, sparks shooting off with the impact. His optics blazed as he looked Optimus over. “So you're the knockoff? Bah! I'll enjoy watching your photoreceptors blink out when I offline you permanently!” Optimus cocked his head to the side. “I wasn't the one given a new name, Nemesis Prime. So be careful who you call the 'knockoff'.” The two Celestia's stared at each other, eyes narrow. Finally, Queen Celestia spoke. “So, you are my... counterpart. You profess to love humans, do you not?” Princess Celestia faintly smiled. “I do. My adoptive mother is human.” Queen Celestia snorted. “Then you should stand aside and help me to help them. They're a violent species, who have committed unimaginable atrocities. I'm only trying to save them from themselves, and others from them!” Princess Celestia slowly shook her head. “One should not cast stones in glass stables. I don't know about your world, but mine has had its fair share of tyrants and warlords. We nearly tore ourselves apart after Queen Majesty's death, who was herself a sadistic and petty ruler.” Optimus' optics dimmed as he spoke. “My own people nearly ripped an entire galaxy apart in warfare. It is wrong to single out humans for any wrongdoing on their part, Queen. They've done horrible things, but so have all peoples.” Queen Celestia snorted, steam billowing from her nostrils. “So does that somehow mean absolve them of their sins? What have they ever done for you, or for anyone not of their species. They're greedy. They know not of the magic of friendship!” Optimus Prime regarded her. When he finally spoke, it was deep from emotion, laden with wisdom borne from millions of years of experience. "We have been among the humans for over two of their decades, close to three. In that time, they have gladly given us a home among them and shared their resources with us. If not for these humans that you speak of with such hate and dismissal, we would have never been able to stop Megatron and his Decepticons. The entire galaxy would be under his tyrannical thumb. Freedom is the right of all sentient beings. And it will be over my extinguished laser core that you will take theirs." Princess Celestia glanced to Optimus and smiled. She then looked to her counterpart and, with a voice of steel clad in velvet, spoke. "Without the love and sacrifices of three young humans, My Little Ponies would not be here today. Princess Luna and I would not be here. The peaceful Equestria that we enjoy would not exist. They forged unity between the herds of old and helped create a nation from the ground up. They raised my sister and I, and made us who we are today. Equestria owes humanity more than it can ever repay. But today, we may be able to pay just a little bit back. As my ever faithful student once said, 'Friendship may not always be easy, but there is no doubt it is worth fighting for.' Megan, Molly, and Danny fought and risked their lives for us when Equestria was in its infancy. Today a fully grown Equestria will fight for them." Nemesis Prime's optics blinked off and on. Both of his hands retracted, energon-axes shooting out of both wrist sockets. “I've had it with all this slaggin'-stupid talking!” He charged right at Optimus Prime, roaring inarticulately and swinging his axes wildly. Optimus took two steps back and leaned forward. He brought his own energon-axe up just as Nemesis reached him. He parried the first swing, knocking it away with a deft flick of his wrist. He brought his ax up, blocking an overhead swing from Nemesis. The two blades slid against each other, screeching and crackling. “You're crazier than Galvatron!” Optimus grunted out. He brought his left arm up and fired off two short blasts from his ion rifle. The first went wide, but the second struck Nemesis' chest armor, blowing small chunks of metal off and forcing him back. Nemesis stumbled back, his axes swinging wildly through the air. Smoke rose from his wound. “I'll rip your fuel pump out and show it to you before your laser core is extinguished!” he bellowed, optics blazing. Optimus aimed his ion rifle at Nemesis and fired another shot. “As Jazz would say; Bring it, don't sing it!” With another roar, Nemesis charged forward once more. This time, Optimus waited until the last moment and sidestepped him. He reached out and pushed Nemesis, sending him stumbling down into the dirt. Nemesis toppled over, digging out a small furrow in the dirt road. He rolled through, coming up into a kneel. He bashed his axes together before leaping to his feet and charging Optimus once more. A sigh came from Optimus. “And I thought Megatron never learned.” Nemesis stopped dead in his tracks. His optics brightened. “W-what did you say?” Optimus' threat-assessment programs went into overdrive. “I talked about my former nemesis, Megatron. Why–” Nemesis barked a laugh. “That stupid number-loving geek was never a match for me. I left him and those Decepticon losers behind on Cybertron to rust.” He sprang forward. “I'll do to you what I was gonna do to him!” Even as he launched himself, Nemesis' axes retracted back into his wrist sockets, hands emerging once more. He brought them both up and clasped them over his head, ready to deliver a hammer blow. Optimus brought his ion rifle up and fired off several short bursts, but Nemesis was too quick and on him in an instant. He brought both fists down, striking Optimus squarely in the shoulder and seriously denting his armor. Optimus let out a burst of static as he dropped his rifle, but he leaned into the blow, bringing up his energon-ax and swinging it at Nemesis' head. Nemesis ducked and wrapped his arms around Optimus' waist. Metal groaned and creaked as he squeezed. “Why throw away your life so recklessly?” he grunted out. Optimus' optics blazed a bright-blue. “I've heard that one before!” he shouted, bringing his energon-ax up and sending it crashing down at Nemesis' back. At the last minute, Nemesis released his bear-hug and rolled to his right, evading the swing. He continued rolling, putting distance between Optimus and himself. He ended up in a three-point stance. “You've got spirit,” he said, straightening up. “I hate spirit. I'm going to enjoy beating it out of you.” While the two Cybertronians fought, Queen Celestia and Princess Celestia cantered in opposite directions, circling each other. “You can't win,” Queen Celestia said, mane already starting to smolder and burn. “I channel the power of the Heart of Ponyland itself. My veins burn with its power in ways you could never hope to comprehend.” Princess Celestia reared back, nickering. “What? How? The power of the Heart can't be controlled by one being! Discord, in all his cunning madness, never tried such a thing!” Her eyes narrowed. “Wait, what about–” A sneer crossed Queen Celestia's muzzle. “I am more than you shall ever be. I am the True Queen of Neo-Equestria, Heir to the Heart, and Savior of Two Humanities!” She spread her wings out and flew into the air. “And now I shall show you TRUE POWER!” The tip of Queen Celestia's horn glowed. She reared back, then rocked her entire body forward, firing a wide beam of magic from it. Princess Celestia's horn glowed. She teleported away a split-second before the beam struck the ground, setting the grass on fire and scorching the dirt. She reappeared below Queen Celestia. “You need to lose some weight, starting with that big head!” she shouted, firing her own beam of magic right at Queen Celestia's underbelly. Queen Celestia slipped to the side, but the beam struck a glancing blow along her barrel, leaving a shallow burn mark across her white coat. She growled and spun about. “FLIPPANT FOOL!” she shouted, snorting steam, then fire. She spread her wings out and flapped them in the direction of the ground, sending forth a blizzard of razor-sharp feathers aimed squarely at the ground–and the alicorn below. Princess Celestia's eyes widened. “Oh, buck me,” she muttered. A shield sprang up around her, deflecting the feathers away. As soon as she dropped it, another beam of magic erupted from Queen Celestia's horn. The Princess teleported away once more, reappearing in the sky right behind Queen Celestia. The Queen spun around, her horn firing a wide beam of white-hot magic at Princess Celestia. “Too predictable!” she screamed, a manic grin forming. The beam washed over Princess Celestia, turning her into a silhouette. When it vanished, so did the Princess' body. Queen Celestia stared at the spot her counterpart occupied. She slowly nodded. “I warned you. I-” Princess Celestia slammed into Queen Celestia, her shoulder striking the shallow burn mark across her counterpart's barrel. She extended her forelegs out and wrapped them around Queen Celestia's neck, her wings extending and slamming into her counterpart's head and body. “You were saying?” The two alicorns spun around, falling through the air to the ground below. They crashed into the ground, cratering the ground. They struggled for a bit, disentangling their limbs from one another and separating. Princess Celestia and Queen Celestia managed to rise to their hooves, panting heavily. “You are... better than I thought,” Queen Celestia admitted. “Still not good enough.” Princess Celestia's eyes narrowed. “I wish this could end differently.” Queen Celestia whinnied. “So do I,” she admitted. “But if you won't get out of my way, then I'll force you out of the way.” “And for humanity, you can try,” Princess Celestia responded, “but I will not yield.” Applejack stared at a nigh-identical version of herself. She wasn't entirely sure of the fine details of everything, but she knew if she wasn't stopped, Earth and her friends were doomed. She snorted and dug a trench in the dirt with a hoof. “Come on, let's get this over with.” AJ stared at a nigh-identical version of herself. She wasn't entirely sure of the fine details of everything, but she knew if she wasn't stopped, Earth and her friends were doomed. She snorted and dug a trench in the dirt with a hoof. “Come on, darling. Let's be honest with each other, here.” She tapped her Element. “We both know what we're doing is best for the humans. They're a pretty wild bunch at the best of times. Look at all the wars and killing they've done.” She started forward. “They've been butchering each other since they started walking, even before then!” Applejack kept her eyes locked onto AJ's. “Yeah, they have. All sorts of wars and trouble and horse apples. Doesn't change the fact, doesn't change the truth.” AJ stopped in mid-stride. She cocked her head to the side. “Huh?” Applejack rolled her eyes. “Sweet sassafras, this must be what Rarity feels like.” She cleared her throat. “Everything you just said about humans? It can apply to ponies. It can apply to griffins. It can apply to just about everyone under the dang-blasted sun!” She stomped forward, eyes glaring from under her hat. “I know I'm not exactly the smartest pony, but you ever hear of how the Ancient Kingdom of Ponyland was founded? Ma and Pa used to read Big Mac and me that story, then Granny Smith read it to us after they died.” She waved a hoof in the air. “'King Invincible I beat down his enemies, forcing them all to submit and kiss his hoof in supple-application, or something. But not all surrendered. Those who resisted fought to the death'.” She stared at AJ. “And do I even need to get into Queen Majesty?” AJ's eyes darted back and forth. “Ah... but we're better!” She slowly nodded. “Yeah, yeah. We're better!” Applejack shook her head. “Maybe, with Princesses Celestia and Luna watching out over us. Let's be honest with each other. It's a lot easier to play nice when you've got alicorns watching over you, isn't it?” She jabbed a hoof to her left. “Ever been to Earth? They don't really have magic there, not really. Almost everything's trying to kill them. They don't have pegasi to control the weather, either. And no earth pony magic to help grow crops. It's a worldwide Everfree Forest!” AJ leaned forward, literally butting her forehead against Applejack's. She grunted. “Doesn’t... excuse... anything they've done!” Applejack snorted and pawed at the dirt once more. She leaned back slightly before throwing her entire weight forward. Their Elements of Honesty clinked together, beginning to vibrate. “I KNOW that, varmint! They know that, too! Bonnie knows Danny's shown us books and films about their past! No, it's not pretty! We all know that, but they're trying to be better! It'd be a bald-faced LIE to say otherwise!” By now, AJ's Element of Honesty was starting to glow. She stepped back, breaking physical contact with Applejack so she could look down at it. “What in tarnation? Twilight, there's–” Applejack trotted forward, closing the distance between them once more. Her own Element of Honesty was also glowing, albeit not as brightly as AJ's. “Oh, no! You're not getting away from this! Come on, Me! Be honest with yourself! Why is it all right to turn humans into zombie ponies and pave over their planet, but not all right to do that with ponies? We can screw up just as badly as they can!” AJ's Element of Honesty was bouncing around her neck. She tapped at it with her hoof, but a bolt of magic shot off from it, zapping her hoof and sending it arcing back. Applejack looked down at AJ's Element. She cocked her head to the side. “Is that supposed to be bouncing around like Pinkie Pie on coffee?” Red tendrils erupted from the gem in the Element's necklace. They wrapped around AJ, quickly enveloping her. AJ's voice hitched in her throat. She bucked her rear legs out, but the tendrils ensnared them. “What the–“ Applejack's eyes widened. “Hey, stop that!” She trotted up to her counterpart. “I don't like her all that much, but this is a might too far!” She reached out towards the tendrils, but another bolt of magic struck out, now sending her hoof snapping back. The tendrils criss-crossed each other, completely covering AJ in a blood-red cocoon. A low voice boomed out, audible only to them. “Applejack Apple, in your heart, you have been dishonest. You have helped to propagate lies and deception. You are no longer worthy of being the Element of Honesty.” The tendrils brightened, turning crimson. Applejack let out a shout and shielded her eyes. After about a minute, she dared a peek. She lowered her foreleg and stared at AJ, mouth open. AJ sat on her haunches, staring off into space. Her coat had dulled, and was almost gray. The Element of Honesty had disappeared from around her neck, and a dull-gray crystal now rested in front of her. The brim of AJ's hat was almost gone, wisps of smoke curling up from black burn marks. “I see it,” she mumbled. “I see the truth.” She slowly looked to Applejack, eyes watering. “We should've done something different. We were wrong!” Rainbow Dash and Dash circled around each other, each one trying–and failing–to gain the advantage in position. Finally, Rainbow Dash dove down to the ground and landed. She looked up and shook a hoof at Dash. “Come on down if you've got the guts!” Dash dove down, landing a few feet away and galloping over. “Time to take out the trash!” she shouted, spreading her wings out in a display of dominance. Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. “You gotta be kidding me.” She curled her lips back, snarled, and stomped her hooves. “Come on, you second-rate reject Rainbow. You think you got what it takes to take out the most awesome pegasus in the multiverse?” Dash nickered. “Think you got that backwards. I'm the most awesome pegasus in the multiverse.” She tapped her Element of Loyalty, any trace of mirth vanishing from her face. “It's time to show you what true loyalty means!” There was a pause before Rainbow Dash spoke. “Okay... what does that even mean?” Dash stopped walking forward. She scratched the back of her head and blushed slightly. “It sounded cooler in my head,” she admitted.” She straightened back up. “Doesn't matter! I am the Element of Loyalty, and I'll never leave Neo-Equestria hanging!” Rainbow Dash stared at her. She slowly shook her head. “I hate to break it to you, but you kinda already did.” That brought Dash up short. “Wait, what? What the Tartarus are you talking about? How did I... let Neo-Equestria down?” Rainbow Dash shrugged. “Well, I mean, look at what Neo-Equestria's done. You took your old Equestria, paved over a planet, and turned every human on it into a zombie-newfoal thing. Doesn't any part of that seem kind of messed up to you? I mean, you said you could feed them all back at the White House, but that's a tale so tall Pinkie Pie would have trouble swallowing it.” Dash's eyes shifted from left to right. “W-well, I mean okay. So maybe it's a teeny-tiny more difficult than we said, but it's still what Queen Celestia wanted. And–” “So what if it's what she wanted?” Rainbow Dash cocked an eyebrow at her doppelganger. “I mean, what if she's wrong?” A gasp escaped Dash. She hopped up, landing mere inches from Rainbow Dash. “Don't you EVER say that again! Queen Celestia is never wrong!” Rainbow Dash snorted. She bit her lip, but her sides quivered. Finally, she started laughing. She clutched her barrel with her forelegs while jabbing a wing at Dash. “Oh, y-you have got to be k-kidding me!” She wiped tears from her eyes. “Everyone's wrong! Even I'm wrong, on occasion. No way Queen Celestia's right all the time.” She cleared her throat. “And if she is wrong? Then you have to tell her and help her do things right.” Dash stared at her, an expression of horror and confusion on her face. “You're kidding me! C-correct Queen Celestia? I could never do that!” Rainbow Dash slowly shook her head. “Then you're not really loyal to her. If someone makes a mistake or screws up or starts flying into the hurricane, you don't just wave and see them off. You tell them they're screwing up and help them fix it if you can.” She reached out and tapped Dash's Element. “That's what true Loyalty is!” As soon as Rainbow Dash's hoof touched it, the necklace around Dash's neck started to vibrate. Rainbow Dash continued speaking. “If you just stand by and let them screw up without even telling them they're screwing up, you might as well just push them off a cloud with their wings bound. It doesn't do them or you any good. You're not LOYAL if you don't help out!” Dash's Element of Loyalty bounced up, smacking her square in the muzzle. “Ouch!” She pushed at it, but a spark of magic shot from it, smacking her hoof away. “Hey, what gives?” Seven tendrils of magic, each one a different color, shot from the gem embedded in the necklace. They wrapped around Dash, encircling her from muzzle to tail in a rainbow-striped cocoon. A low voice boomed out. “Rainbow Dash, you have been disloyal. You have followed the mob, doing nothing to stop what Neo-Equestria has done. You are no longer worthy of being the Element of Loyalty.” The tendrils flared, forcing Rainbow Dash to look away. When she dared to turn back, she stared at her counterpart. “Ho, boy!” Dash sat on the ground, staring down. Her coat was gray, and her mane and tail a dull-white. Most distressing of all, her wings had lost all their feathers, and were little more than skin stretched over bones. Her Element of Loyalty was gone, a dull-gray sphere in front of her. “I should have done something, anything,” Dash muttered. “But I didn't. And now it's too late.” Pinkie Pie ducked low, emerging from beneath a pebble, and in back of Pinkie. She leapt into the air and tackled her counterpart. The two rolled along the ground, batting at each other with their forelegs. They finally came to a stop, Pinkie Pie on top. “All right! Time to find out who you really are!” She grabbed at Pinkie's head with her forelegs and pulled. Pinkie twisted in Pinkie Pie's grip. “Hey, stop it! Let go!” She bit at Pinkie Pie's forelegs, finally managing to scramble away. There was a pause before Pinkie Pie cocked her head to the side. “Hmm, I thought you might've been Old Man Jenkins trying to scare people off the amusement park.” She hopped from side to side. “Ooh, ooh! Do you have a goatee? I bet you have a goatee!” Pinkie's mouth opened for a moment before she stopped and rubbed her chin. “Ah, no goatee?” She stared at Pinkie Pie. “What in the wide wide world of Neo-Equestria are you talking about?” A groan escaped Pinkie Pie. “Ugh! The evil counterpart from the alternate-reality has a goatee! Haven't you watched any Star Trek?” “Watched what?” Pinkie glanced up in thought. “I don't remember hearing about that on the old Earth. Although there was some super-popular television show called 'Lost in Space'. I almost wish we preserved some of that series.” Pinkie Pie jumped into the air, hanging there for a few seconds and gasping. She finally dropped back to the ground, jaw still open. “Truly, you're living in the worst reality,” she finally said. The two stared at each other for a few moments. “So, listen,” Pinkie Pie finally said, “could you please stop the whole 'invasion of Earth and converting all of humanity into newfoals' thing? It's kind of put a really big damper on everything and everyone. A lot of people have been hurt and killed, and no one's smiling right now.” Pinkie shook her head. “No can do. It's a little rough right now, but soon all those nasty mean humans will be nice, smiling newfoals. Then we'll have the biggest party in all of Neo-Equestria!” “It'll be the last party in Neo-Equestria,” Pinkie Pie replied. She shook her head. “Listen, I know you probably think it's a really good idea to convert a whole other planet of humans into newfoals and have them join the seven billion you've already got, but it... kinda really is the worst idea you could come up with. Short of, I don't know, inviting Grogar into your reality for tea.” “I... don't know who that is?” Pinkie finally said, arching an eyebrow. She shook her head. “Doesn't matter! It's not a bad idea to make others happy, to take away their worries and sad feelings.” She tapped her Element of Laughter. “Isn't that what we're all about?” Pinkie Pie stared at her counterpart, then looked down at her own Element of Laughter. “Not like this,” she finally said. “Not by forcing it away from them. Laughter and joy has to be able to come from within, not be piled on from without. I messed up with Cranky that way, nearly destroyed our friendship before it started.” She hopped over to Pinkie, landing mere inches from her. Her expression was as serious as she could make it. “None of your newfoals are happy, not where it counts.” She reached out and tapped Pinkie's barrel, her foreleg brushing against her Element of Laughter. The Element, as the others, began vibrating. Almost immediately, both Pinkie's started trembling, their entire bodies shaking. “Oh, this is one Tartarus of a doozy!” both shouted, even as three tendrils of magic, two blue and one pink, shot from the gem and wound around Pinkie. A voice boomed out. “Pinkamena Diane Pie, you have brought false happiness. You have brought tears and sorrow to billions. You are no longer worthy of being the Element of Laughter.” The tendrils retracted, spinning Pinkie around like a top. She finally slowed down, stopping on all four hooves. Her coat was a dull-pink, and her mane and tail hung down like curtains. She turned large, sad eyes to Pinkie Pie. “Ha, ha?” Fluttershy and Flutters stood a few feet away from each other, neither one looking directly at the other. Fluttershy kicked at the dirt. “So... I don't suppose you could just please please stop trying to pave over Earth with that nasty barrier and leave the humans lone, could you? Please?” She looked up and forced her mouth into a wide grin. “It'd be ever so... kind of you!” Flutters sighed and shook her head. “I'm very sorry, but we can't. We're trying to help all those humans. They mean well, but they can be so cruel to each other, and other species.” She looked around, then walked up to Fluttershy and leaned in close. “Did you know they eat... meat?” There was a bit of a pause. She stared at her inter-dimensional counterpart. “And...” she finally said. A groan escaped Flutters. “And it's wrong!” “It's... their biology,” Fluttershy said. “It's not wrong. Being a carnivore or omnivore isn't wrong in any way. Are you...” She chuckled. “Oh, you're having a funny with me, right? Well, you got me!” She reached out and lightly tapped Flutters on the shoulder. “Good joke!” Flutters looked down where Fluttershy had tapped her. She looked back up and shook her head. “It's no joke! Killing and eating another animal? It's so... so horrible!” She closed her eyes and shuddered. Fluttershy stared at her. She slapped her forehead with a wing and dragged it down her face. “Oh, for feathering's sake,” she muttered. She forced her face into as neutral an expression as possible. “Ah, pardon me for asking, but you do realize a lot of animals out there, including ones I–or possibly we–take care of, are obligate carnivores, right? They require meat in their diets to function properly.” Flutters swallowed, and her eyes watered slightly. “I know that, and it's horrible! Such cruelty, such wanton death! It's–” “It's a biological necessity of theirs!” Fluttershy's eyes flashed. “Same with humans! It's literally in their nature! What do you do, try and feed cats an all-plant diet? Even that wouldn't work, since plants are alive!” Flutters brought her wings up, partially closing them around her head. “W-well...” She dropped her wings and leaned forward. “I've almost got their diets balanced properly! And it's better than killing other animals for food!” Fluttershy's mouth curled into a snarl. She jabbed a foreleg at Flutters, striking her Element of Kindness. “How dare you, how dare you! That's not being kind! That's torturing animals and humans based on something they have no control over! You're forcing them to act against their basic biology! This isn't kindness, or some misguided act of kindness. It's mutilation!” The Element of Kindness around Flutters' neck began jangling and bouncing. She paid it little mind, however, as Fluttershy continued yelling at her. Her ears folded against her skull, but she couldn't hope to stop hearing her own voice yelling at her. “Nature is red tooth and claw! To try and force them or humans into a non-meat diet, either through physical coercion, or turning them into newfoals, is horrible! It goes against everything I or we or... whatever believe in! How could you... fall...” Fluttershy's eyes drifted down to her counterpart's Element of Kindness. “Umm, I'm sorry. Is it supposed to be doing that?” Three pink tendrils emerged from the gem in Flutters' Element of Kindness. Flutters' face was frozen in a rictus of horror as they wrapped around her. Fluttershy stared, frozen in terror as her counterpart was completely covered. “Fluttershy, you have wrought cruelty upon humans and animals alike. You have brought horrors upon their minds, bodies, and souls. You are no longer worthy of being the Element of Kindness.” The tendrils disappeared, leaving Flutters on the ground. She sat on the dirt, staring off into space. She sniffed, then her body shuddered. Before a minute had passed, she began crying, tears streaming from her eyes. Fluttershy walked over. She looked Flutters over, then wrapped her forelegs around her counterpart in a hug. Two white-coated unicorns stared at each other, each one a mirror image of the other. Rarity raised a hoof to her chin and rubbed it, her Neo-Equestrian counterpart doing the exact same movement at the exact same time. She cantered to her right, Rares cantering to her left. “Oh please, darling. Doing the mirror routine from 'I Love Lucy' is so corny!” Rarity finally said, rolling her eyes. Rares stared at her. “I'm sorry, what? I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about, dear.” She smiled and batted her eyes. “Now could you please surrender? I'd hate to have to muss up my mane giving you the thrashing you probably deserve.” A titter of laughter escaped Rarity. She wiped her eyes and slowly breathed out before speaking. “Oh, ho! That's such a good joke! Nice to see you didn't lose your sense of humor along with common sense.” She rose to her hind legs and held her forelegs out. “I'm a former student of Master Iron Butterfly, a graduate of the Way of the Intercepting Hoof. In a pure fight, you wouldn't stand a chance!” Rares rolled her eyes. “Of course you'd resort to violence. The humans influencing you, no doubt. A shame such barbarity took hold in your Equestria.” Rarity groaned. “For your information, I took up the study of martial arts quite some time before the Rainbow Bridge opened. I've tried to follow the philosophy of Wind Whistler; the sound mind in the sound body.” Rares slowly nodded. “I see. Well, in that case... not so bad,” she admitted. “I do apologize. The humans from the Earth we converted had such nasty and brutish ways of fighting. Fortunately, we were able to remove such violent impulses from them. It worked out quite nicely for all concerned.” Rarity dropped back to all fours. She sputtered slightly. “Y-you what?” Rares stared at her. “What? Do you really think we'd let the humans into Neo-Equestria without doing something about their violent ways? They nearly destroyed their own world. It was quite... generous of us to even help them, I'd say.” Rarity snorted. “In a diamond dog's eye,” she muttered. She tensed her legs before galloping right up to Rares, slowing down to a stop right in front of her. She leaned in close, forcing Rares to lean back. “Your so-called 'generosity' is nothing of the kind. To demand that they change themselves so deeply, for help? What if they didn't change? Would you have refused to help them, then?” Rares growled. “Those were the terms, my dear. Conversion to newfoals, or no help. Considering what they were about to do to their own planet? We had every right to demand some concessions.” Rarity paused for a moment. “I don't know what might have been happening on the other Earth before your Neo-Equestria arrived,” she finally admitted, “but to strip them of everything that made them human, or you wouldn't help them? That's positively awful!” She jabbed a hoof at her counterpart's face, her foreleg brushing against Rares' Element of Generosity. Rares opened her mouth, but Rarity spoke right over her. “No, darling! I'm not quite done yet! Your lack of generosity or even basic manners has raised my dander a lot! Now yes, sometimes there has to be an exchange, a trade, but in this case, what you took was far too much!” As before, Rares' necklace began vibrating, bouncing about. Both mares noticed it almost immediately. Rares batted at it in an almost-comical attempt to stop it. “N-now what is going on?” She looked up at Rarity. “What did you do? Tell me tell me tell me!” Rarity's mouth dropped in equal parts shock and indignation. “W-why, I didn't do anything!” She tapped her own Element. “Mine seems rather non-animate. Did you break yours?” Three violet tendrils extended from Rares' Element, covering her from hoof to mane in a purple cocoon. Rares tried kicking at them, but each kick simply bounced off. Within seconds, she was completely enveloped. “Rarity Belle, you have encouraged greed. You have taken from humanity that which makes them human. You are no longer worthy of being the Element of Generosity.” The tendrils vanished, leaving a disheveled, grayed-out Rares behind. Her mane and tail were both complete messes, with stray hairs sticking out everywhere. Wild eyes darted around. “Mine!” she shouted, digging her hooves into the ground. Rares scraped together a small pile of dirt in front of her. “Mine! This is my Empire of Dirt!” Megan swung her rifle up towards Twilight. Even as she sighted, though, Twilight's horn glowed, and she vanished. Megan froze in place, waiting for the tell-tale pop of an incoming teleportation. Come on, come on... Pop! Megan spun around on a heel, bringing her rifle up, even as Twilight reappeared back on this plane of existence. Twilight gasped as Megan swung around to face her. Her horn lit up once more, and she teleported away again. Once more, Megan paused, ears pricking for the sound, the pop she needed to hear... Pop! She turned to her right. This time, she squeezed the trigger on her rifle, firing off a short burst of magical energy. The violet bolt shot right over Twilight's head, missing the top of her horn by mere inches. Twilight gasped and ducked low. She brought her forelegs up over the top of her head. “What are you trying to do, kill me?” she shouted. Megan stared at her. “Well... I'd feel a little sorry if I did. Although I wasn't 'trying' to kill you.” Twilight's brow furrowed. “What were you trying to do?” A bolt of magic struck Twilight from the side, sending her flying. She landed a few feet away, rolling around on the ground. Grunts and muffled curses echoed through the air. Twilight Sparkle walked over to Megan and cantered around to stand by her side. “She was distracting you” She looked up at Megan. “Excellent job, Megan.” She smirked slightly. “Then again you do have experience with this job.” Megan rolled her eyes. “Thanks, Twilight. I think.” She looked back to Twilight Sparkle's doppelganger. “All right, now I don't want to hurt you. But if it comes to it?” She worked the lever-action on her rifle. The runes etched into the barrel brightened with each pump, a low humming filling the air. Twilight slowly rose to her hooves. She lowered her head and pawed at the ground. “There's no way you're going to stop me from doing what's right!” She looked up, grinning as four ponies trotted and one flew over. “And it looks like I've got backup in the nick of time! Come on over, girls! Let's show this two-jangle poser and her human 'friend' the true power of friendship!” Rainbow Dash glanced down at Applejack. “Ah, she does realize we're not the ones she thinks we are, right?” Applejack shrugged. “Beats me, sugarcube. Seems like she and the others in this topsy-turvy Equestria have blinders on about a mile thick.” Twilight gasped. She looked around, finally spotting her friends. “Oh, no! Applejack? Rainbow Dash? Pinkie Pie?” She focused on Megan and her friends. “What did you do to them?” Rarity waved her off. “'We' did not do anything to them, darling. Their own Elements had a rather adverse reaction to being faced with the truth. I quite pity my counterpart.” Fluttershy bowed her head, sniffing slightly. Pinkie Pie rubbed her back, and the two shared a brief, thin smile. Twilight snorted, baring her teeth and grinding them together. “Even if you've somehow defeated my friends, I still won't stop!” Her horn started glowing, brightening with each word. As soon as she stopped speaking, she fired off a long, continuous beam of magic at the group standing before her. A translucent shield sprang up in front of Twilight Sparkle, spreading out to protect her and her friends. She grunted slightly as Twilight's beam struck it, strobing over. Sparks crackled at the point of impact, shooting into the air. “This is... pointless!” she grunted out. “You can't win!” Twilight leaned forward, eyes bulging. “I won't stop! I can't stop!” Applejack slapped her forehead. “And they call me stubborn!” She leaned to her left and craned her head forward. “Give it up! Your five friends got rejected by their Elements already. I'm not the sharpest knife in the drawer, but even I can see a certain pattern emerging!” Fluttershy swallowed before speaking. “We really don't want to hurt you, or really anyone, but we have to get through, to save our human friends! Please, just... just stop firing that magic beam and let us pass, please?” Pinkie Pie bounced up and down, her expression quite serious. “Yeah! You've taken away enough smiles and laughter. You're not taking any more away!” “Indeed, darling! You've taken so much away already from so many. You've destroyed so much without rebuilding anything. It's positively barbaric and gauche!” “You betrayed the humans from that one Earth already, and the ponies of your Equestria. You wanna keep that up? Not cool, Sparkle. Not. Cool.” As the five ponies spoke, the gems in their Elements brightened. Their eyes glowed white, and their voices echoed. Twilight's breathed hitched in her throat. “B-but why? Why are you doing all this for humans?” Twilight Sparkle stared at her, head cocked to the side. She glanced up at Megan. “Because they're our friends.” A beam of magic shot from each of the Elements of Harmony, striking the crown on Twilight Sparkle's head. The diadem flared for a moment before the Rainbow of Light emerged, washing away Twilight's attack. It whirled around her, covering her completely. “Twilight Sparkle, you have lost your way. You are no longer worthy of being the Element of Magic, or of Friendship.” The rainbow whirlwind flashed, forcing everyone to shield their vision from the blinding brightness. When it finally faded, they uncovered their eyes. Twilight Sparkle's jaw dropped as she beheld her counterpart. “Oh, wow,” she said, slowly walking forward. Twilight sat, eyes unfocused as she stared off into the distance. Her coat was completely grayed-out, and the crown of the Element of Magic was gone, reverted back into the crystalline sphere in front of her. A small, almost-imperceptible crack ran up the length of her horn, tiny sparks shooting from it. Megan covered her mouth. “Oh, god,” she said, paling slightly. Twilight Sparkle walked up to her counterpart. “I'm sorry,” she finally said. “I... I wish it hadn't have come to this. I just... I'm sorry.” Twilight's eyes focused on her. She barked a laugh. “Oh, don't make me laugh!” she finally said. Giggles escaped her. “You-you think you've won? Queen Celestia will deal with you seven!” Rainbow Dash flew over. She circled around Twilight. “She's lost it,” she finally said, shrugging. The others looked around. “Is there anything we can... do for them?” Fluttershy asked. Rarity walked up to Rares, who had a mound of dirt under her almost as large as her torso. “I dare say they're beyond any help we could give them.” She skittered away as a clod of dirt landed in front of her. Applejack let out a snort. “And even if there was... I hate to say it, but the clock's ticking.” She looked to Megan. “Time's ticking down.” Megan hung her head. “Applejack's right. I would like to do something, but we don't have the time.” She spun around, finally orienting herself in the direction of Neo-Equestria's Canterlot. “And we've got a lot of ground to cover.” Twilight Sparkle trotted over. “I can teleport us all there in short hops.” She waved her foreleg around at everyone else. “Gather around, everyone.” She waited for her friends to gather close and Megan to kneel down, then lit up her horn. A violet sphere enveloped them. When it vanished, they were gone.