//------------------------------// // World 6: Chapter 13 // Story: The Worst of All Possible Worlds // by TheTimeSword //------------------------------// Red metal filled Sunset's eyes, the door closed short of her muzzle. When she turned, the treasure of the room now secured itself with metal bars guarding each pedestal. Lasers blocked the second vault door, preventing access without igniting the contents of the next room. Rushing to the thick windows, she stared out at the panic of celebrities rushing from the vault. Though the vault was red, the rooms relating to the high class were dimly lit with white lights. Fluttershy and Rarity stood as guards, blocking any big stallion in black from approaching. She watched for a moment as a group of the black suits forced the inoperable elevator open. Some were drenched with water, slipping slightly as they rushed to protect the vault. While Rarity used her magic to block them from getting close, Fluttershy closed the flank by blinding them with her camera’s flash. In the dim white light, the flashing proved more effective than Rarity’s magic. “Good work girls. Just hold off a bit longer.” Sunset examined the vault, waiting for the inevitable fall. Her eyes gazed over the lasers, eyeing the way they shot from tubes into opposing tubes. Tripping one will activate the security inside, I imagine. Opening the vault, it’ll come outward, hitting these lasers. She stared for a long moment, the world remained deaf. Any sort of assault going on outside or below remained lost to Sunset, a soundproof room. If this place doesn’t have a crack, I could use my magic to burn the oxygen out. When the secondary door opens, the fire won’t be able to start. She hummed for a moment, debating. “I won’t be able to breathe, and if I do it too soon I might pass out. Do it too late, I won’t remove it in time.” Pacing, she waited, eyeing the glass. Rarity and Fluttershy stood as a good team against the guards, though without electricity, it forced the stallions to climb the stairwell, leaving the two mares with a blockade against the door. “Wait,” Sunset realized, “Can’t I just teleport straight into the vault? It’s not like the museum, there’s nothing stopping my magic.” As she turned to face the door, the lights of vault once again cut off. Her whole body shifted, sending her into the ceiling, then floor. Forced to grab onto the bars of one treasure, light poured in through the glass as the vault struck cement, shaking her to the bone. Her teeth chattered as the sun burnt through the thick glass. White clouds immediately coated the outside, blocking the blue sky from view. Dropping to the floor, which now was the secondary vault, the lasers were off, allowing Sunset to open the metal door with her magic. Uninhibited by locks and security, the vault door hefted upward, taking all of Sunset’s concentration. When it finally passed enough to allow her to jump in, she chose to do so. Letting the door fall behind her. In the darkness, Sunset lit her horn. Hanging from a pedestal on the wall, which would have been the floor, sat a coiled parchment. “That’s got to be it! A parchment with codes!” From the ceiling, which was now the opposing wall, came a blast of fire, striking at the paper. With her magic, Sunset wrapped the fire and the flamethrower in a barrier, preventing the flames from striking the sheet. “Good thing Rainbow Dash had the foresight to plan all this.” To her surprise, however, another flamethrower set off, forcing another cast of a barrier. A third then joined in, and eventually the base of the pedestal ignited, trailing up. “Enough of this!” While all the barriers remained, Sunset glided up and took the paper in her mouth, ripping it from the claw. Dropping to the floor, she released her magic and teleported out at the same time, leaving the inner vault to burn. She reappeared at the top, where the first door closed on her face. “Time to go!” she yelled out at the smoke, though her voice was inhibited by the parchment. Above her, she could see the metal horse head, though it now lacked the nose, leaving only a jaw with leaking pipes. Much like she did on the train tracks, Sunset removed the smoke with a spell, sending a beam of light into the sky. Though it was daytime, all the ponies around could see its glow. When the smoke cleared, Applejack and Twilight stood in front of the vault with Rainbow Dash and Pinkie. A few burly stallions laid on the ground behind them. Gliding down, Sunset yelled, “Where’s Rarity and Fluttershy? I’ve got the final key!” Following Sunset’s glide, the shadow hit behind the alicorn. “We’re here!” Rarity hollered from her seat upon Fluttershy’s back, her forelegs wrapped around the mare’s neck. “What a spectacular showing! I didn’t think it would work.” “Yeah, yeah, pleasantries and congratulations later.” Sunset cut the conversation short, observing more guards exiting the entrance to the FFGRC. They slipped and slid from the water, and the opening of the door unleashed an inch high flood. “Group up. We’re leaving.” Forming a quick circle, Applejack didn’t have time to say her goodbyes to Apple Bloom. They were already transported to Charmer’s home. To their surprise and much more his, they found the owner bewildered and shocked, staring at the guests. “Oh goodness!” the stallion hollered, running and hugging Rarity. “Thank Celestia you are alright! I was afraid they’d gotten to you!” “Who? Who’s after us?” Sunset asked, though her eyes shot to the room. The table now sat broken in two, the couch torn to shreds, and all the cabinets were open. The front door’s handle no longer sat on the door itself, which only remained cracked to the outside world. “Flim and Flam. They’ve got the whole of Princessland on lockdown. We were supposed to return to our homes, yet I found mine completely trashed! There were these awfully strong stallions in black suits trampling amongst my lovely carpets!” Charmer answered, almost fainting into Rarity’s forelegs. “A dreadful nightmare! They must be looking for you. What is it you’ve been doing, my shining star?” Rarity patted the stallion, holding him steady. “No time for answers, darling. We must be going.” “Yo-you can’t be serious! They’ll catch you for certain! You'll be the only ones on the street!" “Good.” Sunset stepped towards the door. “Let’s show them not to mess with the Elements of Harmony!” Levitating the stolen codes into her backpack, she verified the other four keys remained. Hope that thing is still intact, she thought, staring at the ruby red. Rushing outside, the six bearers hot on her tail, they galloped through the incredibly few alleys up to the biggest street. A few guards noticed their presence, forcing Sunset to equip a barrier around them as they ran. “This is so much fun, Princess Sunset Shimmer! Can we play I spy again?” Pinkie Pie asked as the gift shop for the villain museum came into view. “Sure, Pinkie,” Sunset answered. “I spy an explosion happening.” “An explosion?” Rainbow Dash asked, eager in the word. Releasing the bubble for a moment, a beam of magic shot from Sunset’s horn, blasting open the closed gift shop, setting the inside ablaze. Jumping over the broken entrance, Sunset rushed past the burning dolls of Discord, and slammed into the next set of glass doors. Rushing to the control panel, Sunset flipped one of the levers. “Go! Go now!” she yelled, waiting for each bearer to cross the threshold. When they were all in, Sunset flipped the biggest lever and followed them inside. She left the door open behind them. “Alright. Now we’ve got to get all these things in without magic,” she told them, pulling her backpack off. Hovering off the ground, Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash pushed the painting Twilight pointed out. On the inside sat the first safe of many. “You’ve done it?” a stallion called, coming close to the commotion. As Sunset dumped the keys from her backpack one at a time, she looked up at the dark king. “We did,” she lisped, holding one of the papers in her mouth. “Are you sure he’ll give the first combination?” Rarity asked aloud, staring at Sombra with anticipation and fear. “It seems you’re in a rush, I’d hate to delay you.” Sombra grinned, staring at each of the seven. For a moment, Sunset worried he wouldn’t give the code, but she knew he would. “Seven, sixteen, thirteen,” he freely gave the combination. “Do be hasty. Wouldn't want you to lose on my behalf.” Fluttershy moved one set of numbers while Rainbow did the other two. When the numbers fit, a snap and a mechanism unhinged. With her teeth, Applejack pulled the safe open, revealing a smaller door on the inside. “Crystal key!” the orange pony yelled. Hopping onto the platform, Twilight shoved the key into the slot. With the help of Applejack, the two pushed open the door, slamming it into back of the first. Inside revealed an even smaller wall, this one with an indentation. “Apples!” Lifting the gemstone object, Pinkie pressed it against the slot. “Uh oh!” “Uh oh?” Rainbow Dash bellowed. “What do you mean uh oh!?” “Don’t you worry now! My sister is great at cutting rocks. I’m sure it’s the door’s fault,” Pinkie replied. They all stared up at the pink mare, slack-jawed and impatient. “I’ve got this!” Repeatedly jamming the art piece into the slot did nothing. “Flip it around?” Fluttershy asked. “I tried that!” Pinkie replied, giggling and snorting. She did as Fluttershy suggested, however, and slammed it against the indentation. “See?” She then turned it back around and shoved it into place, fitting perfectly into the slot. “Wowie! I guess repeating it over and over really did work!” With the gem in place, the safe pulled upward, revealing the fourth door. Taking the glittery key, Fluttershy stuck it in and the mechanism snapped forward. Though it was easy, like the crystal key, everyone held their breath, worried another mix up like Pinkie’s would stall them. When the door brushed open, this time opening opposite, the next safe became the size of a foal. On this lock sat three word puzzles. Sunset rushed forward. Holding both Pinkie’s paper and the one from Las Pegasus, she glanced between the two. Both, however, held three words. Of course they’d make me waste time trying to figure out which is which. Moving the first letter of the first word down, she found both held the letters required. Pinkie’s paper held the words ‘Flim Flam Rule’, while the Las Pegasus parchment had ‘Discord Always Wins’. They’re certainly full of themselves, but what’s the point of having two word puzzles when this safe only has four letters per word? Opening the first safe, the second was revealed to be the same size, just a second door, much like their vaults. She quickly entered the second, rotating each letter with her hoof. “Discord Always Wins?” Twilight remarked. “A bit on the nose, don’t you think?” Snapping open, Sunset pulled handle. The bearers gathered around, surprised by the contents behind the sixth lock. While they cheered, Sunset stood slack-jawed. I knew this was too easy. All of it. She put her hooves around the case and withdrew the box. Beneath the glass sat five tetragonal gemstones, and one six-pointed magenta star. Sunset trotted her way to the center of the room and released the latch. She threw the star to Twilight. “That one is yours. I know it for certain. Each of these others?” She flexed her brows and shook her head. Yet when the purple unicorn touched the stone, her eyes lit up. A white light poured from the star, wrapping around her mane, forming a crown atop her head. When the light ceased, golden metal protected the star. “Sunset! You’ve done it!” Twilight gawked, feeling the crown with her hooves. Snapping her focus to the other bearers. “Touch them. Touch them!” she commanded. “Find which one is yours! Now!” Taking each of the gems, the bearers traded and studied, hoping to find theirs. Rarity was the first of the five, her neck entangled with the golden hem of the amulet. At the center of the gold sat her purple gemstone, matching her cutie mark. “Generosity!” she hollered. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy found theirs at the same time. The light glowing from her eyes knocked the false horn from Fluttershy’s head, dropping it to the ground. When the radiance ceased, a necklace of gold and pink sat on her throat. “Way to go!” Rainbow Dash held her hoof up for Fluttershy to bump, her own necklace sat against her white tank top. Fluttershy, with no reluctance, bumped the hoof and giggled. When Applejack traded her gem to Pinkie, the pink mare’s eyes grew bright. Applejack snagged her own and both fell into the insatiable white glimmering. All six mares now stood radiant in the Elements’ shine. “We’ve done it. I can’t believe it!” Sunset said, cheering on the light. “All six of the Elements of Harmony—we can do it! We can defeat Discord!” “So you seem to think.” “Always the clever one.” At the entrance of the room, Sombra had stepped aside for the brothers. Their corny blue and white outfits were prim and pressed for this occasion, as if they expected the day to arrive all along. “Dear brother of mine, she never even stopped to think if what she was doing was right,” Flam said. “Right, you are so right, my dear brother,” Flim agreed, pointing to the six bearers. “By gosh. I knew she was dense, but to really think we'd be so easily fooled! Well, she did want the bearers to target Discord, even if it meant betraying, lying, and turning them against her. I think now it's time for that opportunity!” Sunset stood in front of the bearers, blocking Flim and Flam. “As if I’ll let you take them from me. They’re my friends.” “Not anymore.” A third voice sprang from behind the bearers, forcing Sunset to turn back. “Discord!” one of the bearers shouted. “The one and only!” Discord chuckled. “Though, Sunset should know that isn’t true.” He stared down his nose, past his mustache at the bearers. “Thank you for gathering these six and getting them their Elements. Was Pinkie helpful? I figured she would be. Having watched you go through so many worlds, I knew it'd be impossible to not have you befriend them. So why not do the opposite and throw some glue right in there at the beginning? Without you, Sunset, none of this would have been possible.” With a simple snap of his fingers, the eyes of the bearers became blue. Swirling with magic, their jaws fell slack. “And just like that, they’re mine now.” “You can’t do that!” Sunset argued, and her own Discord erupted from her backpack. “Discord, I thought you were blocking his magic!?” “I am!” he replied. “But only against you and your otherworldly map. This is his world, his bearers, after all.” Sunset gritted her teeth, if only to keep her smile at bay. “Did you think hosting the Elements of Harmony in here would prevent magic?” the terrible Discord asked. “Magic may be prevented in this museum, but this is my world, as I said. A wonderful compliment from myself.” He bowed to himself, though Sunset’s Discord held back his appreciation for the snide sarcasm. “Now it is time for you to be imprisoned, Sunset Shimmer. Discord always wins! I think a lovely stone statue would be absolutely chaotic!” Snapping his fingers once more, the bearers pushed together, readying the Elements of Harmony to be used on Sunset Shimmer. But the alicorn refused. The terrible Discord did not move his head or legs, simply contorting his slender body out of the way of the beam. The magical blast shattered the door behind him, breaking it into a thousand pieces. Discord, however, only laughed at the attempt. “Really? That’s all you’ve got? I would’ve thought all the preparations you did last world would’ve helped. I must be slipping. Well, not me. But—oh, you get the joke by now.” “No, Discord, I get the joke. And I realized a while ago that you planned everything. Just the same as my Discord planned everything in the last world too.” She eyed up at her Discord, giving a cunning smile. Her Discord stared down, surprised by the menacing look. “I am the most foolish person in the world, Discord.” She turned back to the terrible draconequus. “Just not this world.” An eruption of laughter leapt from the terrible Discord’s throat. “Marvelous speech dear. Now goodbye.” He readied a snap of his fingers to command the bearers to use the Elements of Harmony on Sunset. “D-Discord!” one of the brothers yelled, though Sunset couldn’t tell which. “She used magic!” The draconequus stood unflinching, as if he didn’t care or understand. A perplexed brow shot up his face, eyeing the two twin stallions with contempt. An anger flashed within his pupils, a clear resentment of the two interrupting his dramatic victory. He almost shrugged off the words, continuing with his plan, all the way up until he heard the steady breathing from behind him. As soon as he turned, the soul-sucking mouth opened wide, tearing the terrible Discord’s magic straight from his core. Limp went the draconequus's body, flailing to the ground like a wet noodle. Growing ten sizes in an instant, the door between ripped even further apart as Lord Tirek regained his full strength. Without Discord's magic, the bearers snapped from their mindlessness, only to be forced to flee from the falling ceiling. “T-Tirek’s got his magic!?” Twilight screamed, rushing to Sunset’s side. “What happened!?” “No! No! You undid the lever!” Flim and Flam yelled in unison. “This can’t be happening! You’re going to ruin everything!” Sunset turned to the two stallions, the smuggest smile creasing her face. “You already did.” In an instant, the two brothers were entrapped in crystals, much like a Princess Cadance Sunset once helped free. With a gap between the two unicorns, the dark king waltzed through, his eyes on Sunset Shimmer. A fanged, evil grin bore itself as he came close, the bearers cowering in fear around the alicorn. “Thank you, Sunset.” His eyes drifted to the centaur who busily tore down the other wall, freeing the changelings. “Go on, get out of here before Tirek decides he wants an alicorn snack.” Sunset nodded, appreciative. “Leave? We can’t leave! Tirek’s loose! Sombra’s right there! We have the Elements of Harmony! Let’s use them,” argued Rainbow Dash. “Discord’s right here too!” She threw her hooves up to the draconequus who lacked a mustache. “You’re right, Dash. You’ve got the Elements of Harmony,” Sunset replied. In an instant, the world transformed into a bright, empty field with stumps and dead grass. At the side stood a crystalline table and broken chairs. “Sunset?” Discord inquired, surprise written all over his face. “This is my Discord. He's been helping me against this world's Discord." She turned, eyeing the confused expressions. "I got you the Elements of Harmony, it’ll be your job to use them,” Sunset told the six. “But only after I’m gone.” Cries and shouts rang out from the bearers, each just as surprised as Discord. “Sunset, you can’t be serious!” Fluttershy wailed, her face wrinkled with pain. “All of this, releasing Lord Tirek and King Sombra—the changelings too—just to leave us?” “I knew Discord planned everything. When everything became too easy, my suspicions were confirmed. The only way to have beat him meant following Princess Luna’s advice. He pointed me in directions, forced me to hurry along, and would’ve grown impatient had I meandered.” Sunset glanced at her Discord. “He wanted to lead me down the path of those first worlds. Gather the bearers, Elements, defeat the villain. He had watched me, just like you did, Discord, and he knew which paths I would want to follow. So I did. Just not the path he was expecting. After all, why would I want to relive my biggest mistake in this journey?” “You remained a step ahead of him this entire time?” Discord asked, in awe of her brilliance. “And now I’m going to do the one thing he never expected, the one thing I don’t want to do. I’m going to run away. Without his magic, use yours and set my course for Princess Twilight Sparkle.” “You absolute genius!” Grabbing her beneath her forelegs and hoisting her into the air, Discord twirled on one leg. “This is the reason! This is why I backed you! Why I believed in you! You are the only one to outwit even me! And I know you will do great things in the future.” Sunset couldn’t help but laugh, her mane getting in her eyes. “I’ve been running away for a long time, Discord. It's time to run towards what's been calling me.” "If this is truly it, you are saying goodbye to me, to the bearers, and to something else." Reaching behind Sunset's backpack, Discord set down the unicorn. With his other hand, he snapped his fingers. “There you go, pathway is unlocked. You won’t be needing these anymore.” Retracting his hand, two wings sat between his knuckles. With a glance over her shoulder, she moved to extend her wings, but the backpack didn’t move. A terrible withdraw leftover of nerves tingled her mind. “I figured as much.” She looked to the bearers, then specifically to Twilight. “You’re the only real princess here. Sorry I've been lying this whole time, but I've been so desperate to meet up with that version of you again.” Without their approval, Sunset levitated each of the bearers into their seats. And with a leap onto the table, she looked up to the sky. “Sunset, you can’t seriously be leaving like this, can you!?” Twilight yelled. “After all we’ve been through?” “Relax, Twilight.” Rarity nodded her head. “I don’t appreciate being lied to, but Sunset’s given us more than the Elements of Harmony. She’s given us friendship.” She stared up at the now unicorn. “I’ll miss you, Sunset. I do wish we'd gotten more time to spend together.” “I’ll miss you too, Not-Princess Sunset Shimmer!” Pinkie exclaimed, her Element jiggling against her neck. "You'll never be forgotten," Fluttershy commended. Rainbow Dash kicked back in her chair. "I usually charge to clean up other ponies' messes, but since we're friends, I'll make an exception." “Don’t worry about us,” Applejack added. “We can take on anything. As friends.” Sunset felt the tears float up into the opening portal. “I know you can. I wouldn’t be leaving if I didn’t believe that.” She then turned to the draconequus. “Keep watching, Discord. This story isn’t over yet.” As her backpack levitated, so did her mane. Eventually, her whole body succumbed to the weightlessness, entering the green portal. A terrible shout rang out, startling Sunset for a moment. Her eyes closed, and she felt herself twirl. It almost felt like flying, but she knew she wasn’t. She couldn’t be flying. She hadn’t earned the right to have wings. After all, she unleashed three terrible villains onto Equestria, right in the heart of Canterlot, all at once. She still felt good, however. That is, until the voice screamed in her ear. “The fate of all of Equestria hangs in the balance!” the feminine voice yelled. “It does!” The voice wasn’t the same, but it was a mare’s tone. Not only that, Sunset recognized it. Twilight? “Spare me your overblown ego! No group of friends, not even Princess Twilight’s is that important!” the first voice replied. “I don’t know how important other ponies’ friendships are to the future, but I can show you what the world is like without mine!” Princess Twilight avowed. Opening her eyes, Sunset saw the change, as if two paths broke at one point. In front of her, the split pushed, and she fell with it. Discord! You did it! As she tumbled wildly, the voices once again rang out. She heard Princess Twilight’s explanation, her talk of time travel, and how the pony named Starlight Glimmer had affected time. The voice of Twilight filled Sunset with sorrow, as if whatever was happening between the two really pained the purple alicorn. Twilight. I’m coming! The portal ripped open. Unlike every time prior, Sunset landed on her hooves, facing the backside of Princess Twilight. Yet it remained the same in other ways, as Sunset arrived too late. “You want to know what happened to me!? I’ll show you!” Starlight Glimmer yelled, casting her magic on the table, and taking Princess Twilight and Spike the Dragon with her. Sunset rushed to the table, knowing her interference would be impossible, much like every other entrance. She still made an attempt, watching as the trio disappeared. They did not leave the same way Princess Twilight always exited—up and through the same sort of portal that took Sunset. Instead, they left through the map, disappearing into the contents of another time. Of course, even if she had stopped Starlight Glimmer, reaching Twilight in time, her guard would've slipped. The world around her took her breath away, leaving only dust in her lungs. The decayed trees. The ashen earth. The darkened sky. Wind poured against her mane, blowing it into her eyes. Everything stood as a dull grey or brown. Out of all the worlds she'd been to, this one frightened her. The worst of all possible worlds.