Celestia already tried this, Twilight thought, desperate. She’d been there for that battle, and she had a fairly good idea how different it would be now that her enemy had significantly greater resources to fight her with. If it came down to a simple contest of power, she would lose just as Celestia had.
She had to do something else, and quickly. Twilight’s mind spun, before she settled on her answer. A desperate, maybe crazy escape—but she couldn’t think of anything better. She blasted with her magic, aiming nowhere near Chrysalis. The door to the tower cell ripped off, jerking a huge chunk of the wall with it.
Just through the door were the disempowerment runes, worked into the floor just as in any other unicorn jail. It was a magical dead-zone, within which no spells could be cast. Twilight would’ve been helpless if she so much as stepped through that door.
There on the far wall was Rarity, chained up. She looked up as the wall opened, desperate hope on her face.
“Break the circle!” she instructed Applejack and Pinkie, pointing. “Once the spell is severed, you can go in and break the chains.” They were thick metal, but old and rusted. An earth pony could probably shatter them.
“You won’t!” Queen Chrysalis barked, and her horn flashed, aiming at her friends. Twilight didn’t even think at this point, she just cast a counterspell by reflex, dismissing the force as a harmless flash of light.
There was barely enough in there to bash them against the wall. What the buck was going on?
They ran, ignoring the changeling and rushing to the floor. They had no tools, just their hooves. But earth pony hooves against tile was an extremely one-sided conflict.
Then Twilight saw it, the faintest flash of something in the changeling’s eyes. Desperation.
“Why aren’t you trying?” Twilight asked, thoroughly confused. “I know how powerful you are, you could’ve—”
“Because…” Rarity croaked from her cell, looking up. “This is Princess Nightmare Moon’s castle. She’s… surrounded by an army of ten thousand soldiers. She’s inside… the best defensive spells in the kingdom.”
“Quiet!” Chrysalis aimed another spell, at Rarity this time. Instead of attacking her directly, she lifted the heavy stone door into the air, then flung it forward. The spell went out as soon as it crossed the runes, but that didn’t stop the door’s momentum.
Applejack did. As Pinkie finally broke the runes, Applejack kicked forward with all the might she’d ever seen from her. The door smashed to splinters, showering the ground inside the cell and rattling the floor.
“She probably doesn’t like us making so much noise, either,” Rainbow said, advancing on her. “Sure, she’s the most powerful changeling alive. But what happens if Nightmare Moon notices her in her own castle? I bet she was trying to do this with stealth. Stay hidden, maybe she could get a knife in her back.”
“Equestria is losing ground to Sombra every year,” she said, gritting her teeth. “Think about this logically for a moment ponies, if you can. Your queen is failing to protect you. For all our differences, he is our true enemy.”
“What could we have in common?” Rainbow snapped. “You’re killing ponies as fast as he is! I’ve seen the casualty reports!”
“I’m protecting my conquest,” she said. “If you’ve been watching, I haven’t been fighting to expand my territory the way Sombra has. Do you know what he does to the land he takes?”
She didn’t wait for a response, advancing on Twilight. She might be holding her magic back, but she still showed no fear to Twilight’s other friends. She was the only one who frightened her. “Yes,” she whispered. “We just came from the Crystal Empire.”
“Then you know. You know he doesn’t have any respect for the value of living things. Sombra is a corpse, animated only by his hunger for conquest. He keeps the living creatures he wishes for his army, and the rest are worked to death. Separately, he is gaining on each of us. United, we could destroy the greater threat.”
“Your bugs feed on ponies until they die, just like he does,” Applejack said. She didn’t break the chain, but instead ripped it right out of the wall, along with a huge chunk of cement. “You’re no better than him!”
“Propaganda,” she said, with a tone of complete conviction. “It’s true we don’t keep the most troublesome prisoners alive. But the majority aren’t fed on until they’re drained. That creates an unsustainable population. I would not reward our most troublesome enemies with membership in my swarm, they would be a cancer on it from the inside. If you doubt me, visit Canterlot yourselves. You’ll see. In many ways, life continues there. I’ll even guarantee your safety if you visit.”
“Like a promise from you means anything,” Rarity said, limping out of the cell dragging the chains behind her. “Look what you did to me! It will be just the same if we left, only worse. We’d never be seen again, despite what you say.” She stopped beside Twilight, aiming her horn at the chains. She might not have developed the same proficiency for fashion, but she cut through steel quickly enough, pulling her hooves away before they could be burned. “We should sound the alarm as quickly as we can, Twilight! As soon as the princess discovers her here, this will be over.”
Twilight stuck out a wing. “No.” She fixed Rarity with an intense glare, silencing her. If she thinks we’re going to give her away, she might try to kill us so she can escape. We don’t even know if Nightmare Moon is here right now. If she’s not, we’re bucked.
Rarity glowered back in response, but didn’t argue.
“It seems we are at an impasse,” Queen Chrysalis said. “I could easily destroy all of you—”
“But you can’t,” Twilight interrupted. “Because you’d reveal yourself. Maybe the princess would kill you, or maybe you’d get away, but either way your plans are ruined.”
Her dark expression was the only confirmation that Twilight needed, even if she didn’t actually admit to weakness.
“She can’t fight us,” Rainbow said. “That means we can win!”
“No,” Twilight said again, extending a wing. Don’t force her to, please. Rainbow slumped back, grumbling too. But Twilight had saved her life, and there was no doubt in her mind that she would obey her instructions. At least for now.
“I think you’re right,” Twilight said. “About one thing. After seeing Sombra’s territory, I think changelings are preferable. But—” She raised a wing, before Rarity could protest. “That doesn’t mean we’re going to help you betray Equestria. You’ve heard my plan, Chrysalis. A united Equestria can rule the entire world in peace. It wouldn’t have to be eternal night.”
Chrysalis scoffed. “If you think I’m going to place my trust in the impossible esoterica of time travel, you’re deluded. You may’ve convinced a foolish zebra hiding in the woods, but not me. I have thousands of children to look after. I will continue to protect them as you invade our territory. I cannot return the ponies who once lived there. Not because they’re dead—but because our society is tightly interwoven. Without them, my bugs would starve. We cannot surrender any more than you can.”
“Then someone’s bucked,” Applejack said. “We can’t both get what we want.”
“Well, no, but… umm…” Fluttershy spoke for the first time, her voice timid. She emerged from behind Twilight, and barely seemed to be able to even look in the queen’s direction. “Maybe we could just… go our separate ways?”
“What?” Rarity and Chrysalis snapped at the same moment.
“You know too much. My infiltration would be impossible!”
“She could foalnap somepony else!” Rarity countered. “We can’t leave her in the castle grounds!”
“Well…” Fluttershy was almost too overwhelmed to speak. But maybe her time with Discord had given her a little more confidence than she would’ve had otherwise. “My mom used to say that you knew a compromise was fair because everypony hated it. So how about this. You pretend to be nopony special, and we’ll go with you out of the castle. Out past the defensive spells. Then you go your way, and we go ours.”
“Are you serious?” Rarity asked, horrified. “She’s responsible for thousands of deaths, Fluttershy. If we capture her here, the war could be half over. The swarm will be doomed without her. This is why Sombra and Nightmare Moon don’t fight behind enemy lines. If you’re caught…”
But if we don’t agree, one of my friends might be killed. If she really fights us, we’ll lose. The map is only a few miles away from here. This nightmare could be over tomorrow. She met Applejack’s eyes. It wasn’t Rarity she’d made the promise to.
Applejack nodded. “Sounds like your mother was a wise pony,” she said. “Because I hate it.”
“The agreement is… infuriating,” Chrysalis admitted. “But I agree with the necessity. I will swear to uphold it if you will.”
“You can’t, Twilight,” Rarity said. “We don’t matter. This plan has been impossible from the beginning. But if we stop Chrysalis here, we could make a real difference.”
“I know,” Twilight said. “But we can’t stop her. She isn’t less dangerous just because she isn’t trying to feed us to a dragon. She’s just…” The words felt bitter as she said them, but they were too true to deny. “Changelings need ponies to survive. That doesn’t make us friends, but it means we’re closer to the same side than Sombra. I heard him.” She lowered her voice to a whisper. “He wants to make a world without anything alive. A world of constructs and necromancy. Is that where you want to live?”
“It’s not what either of us want,” Fluttershy said. “But it’s either this, or we fight. And I don’t want to fight very much.”
“Fine.” Rarity slumped forward. “It was naïve of me to believe this could possibly end this way. Twilight has been so committed to her time travel plan from the first day that we’ve been ignoring other options. I was only hoping that something better might—”
“It can’t.” Queen Chrysalis turned on her, leering. “You aren’t wrong to fear me, steward. But the pony before you is a princess, perhaps wiser than the one who rules. Her proposed ‘solutions’ for Equestria are absurd. But she is willing to recognize an inescapable situation, and propose a method to let you all leave here alive. Consider yourselves the victor and walk away while I’m still considering her offer.”
There was no further argument.
It was lucky for them all that their brief duel had happened at the top of the highest tower, or else the guards may’ve arrived and taken away any chance of a peaceful resolution. Even if Chrysalis didn’t seriously fear her plan to put Equestria back to normal with time travel, she would probably have killed Twilight if she could. Alicorns were irreplaceable. After Sombra, that was a fight Twilight didn’t think she could win.
But they had been at the top of the tallest tower, and they still had Rarity. Whatever might’ve happened since she left, most of the castle staff got out of their way without so much as a question. Those Rarity couldn’t discourage with her presence, Twilight herself could convince with her rank.
They walked out of the castle, out towards Ponyville. The queen went with them as far as it took to be out of sight of the train station and the fortress guards, before turning back to Twilight.
She didn’t change back, but remained the bland blue pegasus she’d created for their exit. “The time will come,” she said, in her innocent voice. “When you discover your plan was futile and you are forced to reconcile with the realities of this world. Show yourself more willing to compromise than the ruler of your country, and work with me. We may survive Sombra’s assault yet.”
“We won’t have to,” Twilight said. “In an hour, you won’t even remember we had this conversation. You’ll be back in the Badlands with your hive, Equestria will be back under the royal sisters, and Sombra will be dead.”
The pegasus laughed, an uncharacteristically cruel sound coming from such a friendly creature. “Keep believing that, Alicorn. Your steward was right about one thing—you probably should’ve killed me. It would have cost you dearly, but less than the war against my territory. Your acceptance was shortsighted.”
“It wasn’t,” Fluttershy said. “If she’s right.”
“If,” Chrysalis repeated, taking off into the air. She vanished into the darkness, gone after just a few seconds.
“You do realize we’ve just committed treason,” Rarity said, once she was gone. “If Nightmare Moon ever discovers what we let slip through her hooves…”
“She won’t,” Twilight said. “We’re the only ones who saw. If she knew, she would’ve been there, and we couldn’t do what you said. But we were on our own.”
“I notice she kept her word,” Applejack said, watching the dark northern sky in the direction she’d flown. “We’re away from the castle, away from the guards. Maybe she could’ve caught us. Or killed us, or worse. But she left just like she said.”
“Only because she has something worse planned for later,” Rarity countered. “That’s always how they are. Her and Sombra are the same. Just because she talks like she’s willing to compromise doesn’t mean that’s true.”
“It doesn’t matter,” Twilight said. “You don’t have to believe me about the map anymore. We’re going right now. Before Nightmare Moon comes back, before anyone discovers what we did. It’s time to end this.”
The Cutie Map was still there, exactly as she’d been expecting. Whatever fears that Nightmare Moon may’ve destroyed it in their absence, guaranteeing that her plan couldn’t be accomplished—those were obviously in vain.
There was little glow left in the alien crystal, but it brightened a little as she approached. Could it feel her return? There were no guards here, no sign of any intruders. If Sunset Shimmer had really traveled here, she’d done so without doing any harm to the map herself.
Twilight could see her friends begin to look uncomfortable before they got close. Pinkie was the first to stop, her face turning green and her mane wilting. “I don’t like it here. Feels all wrong.”
Twilight nudged her forward with her nose. “I know. But you get over it in a bit. Just ask Applejack.”
Applejack herself was one of two ponies who were handling the map the best. As they passed the thrones, she and Fluttershy were the only ones who made it to the map. The others all stopped near the chairs, looking more at the space all around them rather than the map itself.
“Shouldn’t be here,” Rarity said. “This is wrong. A scar.”
“A paradox,” Fluttershy corrected. “Our world didn’t do things like Twilight’s did, so it shouldn’t be here. But it’s here anyway.”
“How do you know that?” Rainbow asked, forcing herself one hoof in front of the other until she was beside Fluttershy. “You never cared about magic stuff.”
“I didn’t,” Fluttershy answered, beaming with slight pride. “Discord did though. He liked to talk about it. I think he might’ve liked this.”
“You talked to Discord?” Rarity asked, incredulous. “And you’ve still got all your holes in the right places? He didn’t trap you in an endless staircase of wailing screams, or…”
“No,” Fluttershy said, though her pride melted rapidly into shame. “He never hurt me. Only the ponies who weren’t nice to him got hurt.”
“Right.” Rarity looked down at the map, swaying on her hooves. “There are marks on this. It must be incredibly complex magic. This is… an accurate reflection of Equestria. What military intelligence wouldn’t give for information like this…”
Marks? Twilight glanced down, and sure enough there were cutie marks spread out across the map. Six of them, most concentrated right here around the map. It was right about all their positions, except for herself.
I’m sorry you’ve had to endure all this, map. We’ll put it all right in a minute. Twilight emptied the Elements of Harmony carefully from her bag, settling them on the rim of the table where her friends could see them.
“In Equestria as it should be, each of you represents one of the Elements of Harmony. They should respond to you, even here. Our friendship is all it takes.”
“I’m not really sure what good ‘friendship’ could do as a weapon,” Rainbow muttered. “Not that I don’t trust you over an evil bug. She was dumb not to be afraid of this. I feel like my guts are falling out just being near this thing it’s so magical.”
“Because it’s a paradox,” Fluttershy said. “Twilight must be immune because she’s from there. She’s a little bit like a paradox herself. I wonder if that’s why Discord listened to you.”
Fluttershy reached for her element—and it changed. The magic was instantaneous, a bright glow from the stone as it crumbled away. For a few seconds, the others seemed completely unconcerned with the painful presence of the table and its paradoxes, letting the spell wash over them. Bright white light surrounded Fluttershy, and she lifted into the air for a second. The Element of Kindness wrapped around her neck, taking its familiar butterfly shape. She touched down lightly a second later, grinning broadly. “That was…”
“Awesome!” Rainbow finished for her. “Me next!” She practically lunged for hers. Fortunately for her, it responded. She too was lifted into the air, the old rock crumbled away, and the Element changed. One by one Twilight watched as each of her friends in this world were transformed by the magic she’d brought. The power of the elements was more than any discomfort over the table being here, and that soon faded into the background. They looked like the same ponies as before, but also much more familiar to her.
This is what this was all building up towards, Twilight thought, making her way to the last bit of stone on the table. This is when we fix the whole world. The map was already coming back to life, even with just these five. The light went from deep red to the friendly colors of Equestria, reflected faithfully in the illusion magic. Only the occasional flicker towards the last Element of Harmony, the one that hadn’t been transformed yet.
“Are you ready to eat your words?” Rainbow asked. “Twilight told us to come here, and she was right. She’s gonna fix everything.”
“I hope so,” Rarity said. “I suppose I won’t have to worry about how I can sleep at night if our actions let us defeat Chrysalis anyway.”
“Touch the map,” Applejack urged, her voice a reverent whisper. “You’ll see it, like I did. See the sun again.”
Rarity did. For a few seconds her eyes glazed over, then she pulled back. One by one each of these ponies looked and saw what Applejack had seen. The world put back together, as it should be.
“That looks way more fun than here!” Pinkie called, bouncing away from the map. “I just went to parties every single day. Guess there’s more time to celebrate when we aren’t at war.”
“Go on, Twilight,” Fluttershy urged. “You’re the last one.”
Twilight extended a hoof, picking up her Element just as each of her friends had done. She could feel its familiar power, the same power she’d wielded against plenty of enemies before. Even if the time travel didn’t work, at least they could use it to banish Nightmare Moon. And why not use it on Equestria’s other adversaries while they were at it?
But then the moment of recognition passed. The magic that she had felt just within reach passed her by, unsatisfied. The stone didn’t crumble away, didn’t connect with her. It remained dark, as much of a rock as it had been when Twilight put it in the saddlebags in the first place.
Shocked eyes surrounded her on all sides. Her friends radiated with magic, and all of them seemed to recognize her more than they ever had before.
Twilight’s world shattered.
This should be working, this should be working, this should be working! She backed away from the others, eyes wide and confused. After weeks of searching, gathering everypony together, going behind enemy lines and confronting both of Equestria’s biggest enemies…
She had basically succeeded. They were so close to putting the world back together. Her first impression—that Discord had lied to them—was obviously untrue, given what had happened. The other five had been the elements, she was looking at the proof. She’d felt it herself when she picked up the Element of Magic, if only for a second.
It rejected me. How could her friends be the Elements of Harmony, but not her? “I don’t…” she stammered, looking between them with confused desperation. “It should’ve worked. It doesn’t make sense. It all…” Her heart raced; her breathing came in shallow gasps.
What had she gotten wrong? If it was one of the others, she might’ve guessed another changeling imposter was involved. But there clearly wasn’t one. She wasn’t a changeling, there were no active spells on her that might suppress it. Being an Alicorn didn’t matter, she’d used the Elements since that transformation, and before that Celestia had wielded them.
“Uh, Twi?” Applejack said. Her voice was gentle, coming from just beside her. “I don’t know if this has anything to do with it, but…” She pointed at the map. “Maybe it’s trying to tell us something?”
Twilight latched onto her words desperately, even though there was little reason to believe she could be correct. Twilight stumbled forward, tripping over the edge of the castle floor and correcting herself uneasily. She reached the map, taking it in again.
Six cutie marks, five all gathered here. Her friends circled around the map in Ponyville. Her own cutie mark was on the board, but far to the west. Deep in what would’ve been barren desert, there was a city that was only a tiny village in her own Equestria.
A city of identical squat houses, with bleak government buildings of Adobe. Even if it was hundreds of times the size, she recognized the construction instantly. Our Town.
“It’s ungraceful to say I told you so,” Rarity said. “But I do believe I made this prediction. Even powerful spells can’t save all Equestria at once.” Rarity leaned down, squinting at the map. “I’m not sure what the significance of that awful place would be.”
Rainbow looked, her face going pale. “Isn’t that where they send everypony who—”
“The difficult,” Rarity finished for her. “Those who harm the war effort. Those who fight against Nightmare Moon. And those who are unwilling to hold a weapon and fight beside their comrades. It’s where all of Equestria’s problems go to circle the drain.”
“What’s so bad about it?” Pinkie asked. “Just looks a little gray to me. But we could bring some paint, maybe plant some flowers. We could fix it up in no time!”
“It’s not…” It hurt to admit. Each word came slowly, painfully. But she should’ve known this already. “I’m not from here,” Twilight said, a little more confident. “I’m the Element of Magic in my Equestria, not in yours.” She tapped the map with one hoof. “I was wrong, we don’t have everypony we need. We’re still missing Twilight Sparkle.”