Thievery paced in front of a circular table located in a room that seemed to become infested with crystals. The table was made as a replica based on the one from Twilight's old castle, and it held a map of Equestria and Beyond, including three dimensional models of each place. Around the bottom of the table, crystals had started spreading, the same thing made stalactites drip from the corners of the ceiling. It was the only reason the table wasn't in their throne room, but the room was still one of the largest in the castle.
A transparent magenta throne appeared near her, but she didn't make a move to sit in it. Pity and Trickery watched as the mare paced with furrowed eyebrows. "Uh, Twi...?" Trickery asked, watching Thievery stop and glare at her harshly. She chuckled nervously and looked away, rubbing the back of her neck. "I was just... uh... wondering why y'all are so worried," she said, trailing off as their 'leader's' stare bared into her more.
Thievery sighed and appeared in her throne with a flash, Pity appearing in her lap and flinching. Thievery absolutely ignored the mare in her lap as she spoke. "Daybreaker said she should've been able to get back to me about what the Pillars of Disharmony actually are today," she said, much more calmly than what her pacing made others expect. She took one look at Pity and made the mare reappear laying on her back over Thievery's legs.
Pity didn't dare fight it as Thievery's magic played with her mane. "And the sun's almost down," she said, glancing at the orange sky past a wall made up of a clear window, similar to Daybreaker's throne room.
"Huh," Trickery said, crossing her hooves over her other ones. "Guess that's what I'm doin' here then?" She said, walking towards the map and her eyes falling on the Everfree Forest. Apple Bloom looked like she cared about Zecora, and Trickery only felt guilt.
She then turned to Thievery with furrowed eyebrows, seeing the mare let Pity jump off of her. "If you can raise the sun and lower the moon," she started, walking towards Thievery's throne. "Can't ya just call 'em yourself?" She watched Thievery sink into her throne with a hum.
Before Trickery could mention anything else, she jumped up off her throne and it disintegrated with every hoof she took off of it. She stared at the magic table before she started circling it silently, her eyes analyzing every part of it. She shrugged and circled around one last time before walking over to her place between Pity and Trickery on one side of the table. The indents in her horn were glowing orange when she looked at Trickery. "I guess you are useful for something," she said smugly as her horn glowed red.
Trickery didn't get a chance to send a comment back as she watched the mare's horn ignite in a deep blue and black, the colors spiraling around her horn with the red and orange that had wrapped their way up it. She watched with wide eyes as the colors expanded over her horn, all sparkling and spiraling violently. They shot at the table and Trickery wished she could hide in her jacket as she bit the inside of her cheek.
"Ugh," Thievery groaned, reaching up and rubbing her head as small sparks of those colors fell from her horn. She assumed the magnitude of whatever she did was the reason for her sudden fatigue and soreness, and as she glanced up, she never wanted to use her horn again. Pain pulsed from it and she winced.
"You okay?" Pity's worrisome voice chirped, Thievery looking over and seeing bright blue eyes with the lighter fur coat than the one five years ago. She smiled and nodded to the concerned mare. Pity had changed a lot over these five years, maybe the most. She wasn't so scared and pathetic anymore, her coat was brighter and her mane was just a half-fluffy, half-straight mess. It was utterly adorable.
Thievery finally looked at the cold crystal that was the magic table. Nothing had happened to it, her face fell and scrunched up in a sneer. She marched over to it, looking over the table, it should've worked, she had magic strong enough to pass through dimensions and alert their rulers. And the magic she used was catered to them, to their rulers world, and it was very strong magic she had learned by simply watching Daybreaker whenever they talked.
She didn't understand why it wasn't working, so she raised her hoof onto the table. She barely got her hoof on when she was shot back, her magic catching her before she broke through the glass window. Her head was pounding as she slid down the wall, holding her head with a groan. "Twilight!" Pity's voice called, racing over to her and looking the groaning and wincing alicorn over.
"Uh, Pinkamena?" Trickery called, her eyes frozen on the holographic image that extended from the table. It was an image of their old rulers throne room. And it was empty.
Thievery peeked her eyes open, tasting something on the back of her tongue as she stood up. Her jaw dropped as she ran over to the table again, searching the image for a trick, a malfunction, or anything that could be the reason as to why the three weren't present.
"We have to go back," she whispered, realization hitting her. She whirled to Pity and Trickery's worried stares. "We have to go back to find out what happened to them," she nodded again.
Trickery shook her head. "Uh-uh, I finally got away from that place," she said, stomping her hoof. "I'm finally independent, I ain't gonna be tempted," she said finally as if she had a choice. Thievery rolled her eyes and looked to Pity who shook her head as well.
"I-I-I can't," she said, ignoring what had to be a disappointed stare from Thievery. "What if we go back to Ponyville?" She asked frantically, cowering into herself as her mane got the tiniest bit straighter.
Thievery shrugged. "Okay, you can stay," she said before turning to Trickery. "We aren't gonna go back to your farm, so what's the problem?" She said as she started towards the door of the room, her magic grabbing a fighting Trickery.
"Hey! Put me down," Trickery fought Thievery's magic on her tail as she tried to walk away from it. "This ain't fair!" She called, Thievery pulling her off of her hooves and hanging her upside down by her tail. Thievery brought her over to her, and cold violet eyes bore into warm green ones. Trickery shook her head, she was serious about this and wasn't going to let a terrifying stare stop her. "Do you even know how to get us there?!"
Thievery dropping her told her the mare had no clue. "Fuck me," Thievery growled, her horn lighting up and making tens of books appear around her. They all dropped after they were summoned, Thievery groaning and putting her hoof to her head.
She scowled down at a book before dramatically rolling her eyes and using her hoof to flip open the cover. Pity walked up next to her as Trickery stood up, grumbling about the hard crystal floors. "How are you gonna find a spell 'bout it here? They didn't even know there was another Equestria!" Trickery fought.
"Neither did we," Thievery said as she looked over the table of contents in a book over teleportation. "Daybreaker and the other rulers did, so maybe Celestia did." She groaned as she had to manually flip to page one hundred and sixty-two.
Trickery shook her head. "They thought we were changelings too, I think," she said, turning away from their 'leader' as Pity sat down and started looking through another book with much more ease. Trickery considered helping them, just so she wouldn't have to think of the awful things they done, or the awful things she had done to the Apple Bloom here over all the years.
She sighed and sat down in front of the window. She was a power-hungry monster like her friends, and she had shown that side of herself to Apple Bloom just because of those disobedient orange eyes. She let her ears fall as she shut her eyes, trying to fight the tears welling in them and the guilt rising in her throat. The least she could do was to keep their cult's location a secret, because as she looked up at the sun, she hoped The Elements of Harmony won.
She jumped as she heard a crash and looked towards the table, seeing the hologram blur before hardening it's image. Her face dropped as she stood up, seeing Nightmare Moon fall to the ground with scuffed armor. "Nightmare Moon!" She called, racing over to the image and sitting her hooves up on the table. Nightmare Moon shot her a glare before her head fell, her eyes shutting.
Thievery pushed her aside. "Where's Daybreaker?" She demanded, Pity trotting up behind her. They heard buzzing before a Princess Cadenza changing into Chrysalis flew over Nightmare Moon with wide eyes. Big green bug-eyes looked up at Thievery, the changeling stiffened and looked to the side.
"Daybreaker!" She called, bringing Thievery to notice the torn wing that was slowly growing back. "It's Twilight," she said after Daybreakers quiet and distant voice said 'I'll do it later'. Daybreaker appeared in front of the image in an orange flash with a fake smile despite the cut leaking blood across her cheek.
"Twilight!" She smiled widely. "Just the girl I wanted to see."
Thievery shook her head. "What's going on? Why are all of you hurt?" She asked, wondering what could possibly cut Daybreaker, hurt Nightmare Moon to the point of unconsciousness, and tear Queen Chrysalis' wing. The thought of the Pillars of Disharmony completely left her mind.
Daybreaker groaned, rolling her eyes. "Ponyville started a rebellion, half the cities joined, and now we're dealing with a civil war," she said, her face scrunching up into a scowl. She shot straight up with a smirk. "Tell Discord to come back."
Trickery stepped in front of Thievery, saving the mare the trouble of disappointing Daybreaker. "Sorry, we ain't got no clue where he is," she said, feeling Thievery's eyes baring into her. She ignored it and bit the inside of her cheek.
Daybreaker groaned again, her expression falling with her head. "Well, tell Discord to get his pony-loving ass over here the second you see him," she growled, mostly towards Trickery who bit her tongue and nodded.
Thievery shoved her way in front of her with a scowl. "Why are you three getting involved?" She lectured. "Get guards to fight for you. Especially with your conditions."
Daybreaker shook her head. "Half our army is gone, they left for Ponyville," she scowled, remembering Trickery and Pity lived in Ponyville, and noticing Trickery's worried expression. "Most businesses are staying neutral. And if Flim and Flam decide to join my side, I'll give them solace in my castle," she said, seeing Trickery visibly relax.
Thievery's scowl didn't leave her face as she looked up at Daybreaker. "I'll make sure to send Discord," she said, seeing Daybreaker nod after her statement.
"So, Twily," Daybreaker said tauntingly, making Thievery stiffen and making Pity and Trickery wonder why. "What did you need me for?" She said before sitting up in realization, looking at what had to be their own crystal table. "How did you do this?"
"I can raise the sun and lower the moon, just like you can," Thievery said simply, batting her eyelids with a frown. "I can figure out a simple spell." Daybreaker nodded before Thievery continued. "And you said you'd tell me what the Pillars of Disharmony are."
Trickery raised her eyebrow at her. "Didn't six ponies here find the Pillars of Harmony?" She asked, seeing all the attention on her and trying to fight through it. "Doesn't that mean we shoulda found the Pillars of Disharmony?" Thievery and Daybreaker stared at her for a while before shrugging.
Daybreaker smiled devilishly at her. "Cheats and dirty tricks make up our world," she started before narrowing her stare on Trickery. "And your Pillar is Trickery. I assume the counter to that Honesty mare on the enemy team?" Daybreaker asked as Trickery nodded.
Pity and Thievery waited for their previous ruler to reveal the rest, including theirs. "Merciless is that yellow one of yours, counters Kindness," Daybreaker said with a wave of her hoof as she looked anything but interested. "Oh, and these aren't opposites, they're simply their own.
"Pinkamena is Pity," she continued listing. Pity had been standing on the edge of her hooves, waiting for some important role. Her mane almost flattened when she heard the word. "Rarity is Vanity," Daybreaker continued, the three rolling their eyes as it was more than expected. "Rainbow Dash is Controlling," she said, the three, once again, rolling their eyes.
"I heard my name?" Controlling slammed open the door with a cocky smile and a puffed out chest. She was dressed in a deep black armor with a red lightning bolt on the flank. She smirked proudly, her armor looking like it just got shined as her mane looked as soft and beautiful as ever.
Thundersmoke shot her a scowl she didn't see because she was too caught up in herself. His armor was the same black, and blended in with his fur, but they assumed the two helmets on his back were why he was annoyed. His wings were spread in an attempt to keep them balanced.
Daybreaker rolled her eyes and groaned, as if she'd kill Controlling if she could. "Your little mob is becoming a pain, Rainbow Dash," she said as Controlling and Thundersmoke rounded the table to see Daybreaker. Thundersmoke's jaw hung open at the sight of the fiery alicorn that was so different that the elegant one he worked for years ago.
Rainbow Dash stopped and shot their previous ruler daggers. "Hurt any of them and you pay, princess," Controlling said rudely, though the 'princess' was laced with fake respect.
"I have no choice if they want to throw me out of the castle," Daybreaker fought back, her mane flying up as she raised her voice. She sat back with a mischevious grin. "Besides, you don't live here anymore. So, why do you care?"
Thundersmoke watched as Controlling's confidence didn't waver. "Those were my men, Daybreaker. They were family," she shot back, feeling fire rise in her chest.
Daybreaker rolled her eyes with a grin. "Too bad," she said harshly, her smile falling as her mane rocketed upwards and stayed. She held her head high as she spoke with power. "They're against me and my kingdom. They will die in war or surrender," she said coldly.
"Then take me back and I'll talk to them!" Controlling fought desperately. "They'll listen to me!"
Daybreaker's grin widened at the news, and Thievery realized her plan was to rile Controlling up so she'd help stop part of the war. "Good, you can come here with Discord."
"Don't hurt anypony!" Controlling begged, making Thundersmoke wonder why she didn't care nearly this much for her Canterlot guard. Then again, he had no idea she cared this much about her previous home.
He grinned devilishly. He was definitely going to tag along with her, if she wouldn't tell him about her home, he'd find out. And maybe he'd get to meet Scootaloo and Soarin too. He dropped their helmets and took a step towards the door. "I'm just going to go check on... the guards," he said, giving the worse excuse he'd ever heard, but Controlling didn't seem to care. He grinned widely and raced out of the room to find Chaos.
Daybreaker nodded. "If you can stop their efforts against me, they get off free, even the ones we've already imprisoned," she said reassuringly, making Controlling fall with a sigh of relief as all tension left her. But Thievery knew, she knew Daybreaker didn't keep her word as she looked up at the fiery princess. Daybreaker would hurt as many of the pegasi as she could before Controlling showed and would lie. Thievery only hoped those closest to Controlling hadn't been caught.
Trickery stepped in front of the others. "What was the last Pillar?" She asked, curious as to what horrid thing their leader represented. Trickery's was on the milder side of things, while she regarded Vanity's as true evil. These Pillars were either abilities, personality traits, or both. And Vanity could care about herself and only herself, leading her to being a special form of greed and selfishness.
She could only imagine what their leaders horrible rudiment of evil could be. Controlling and mercilessness were up there on the more evil side too, the two had a sick drive that came from their Pillar. She didn't know where to place Pity, because it could weaken the enemy and throw them off guard, or it could make the pony holding it weak.
"Twilight's is--" Daybreaker started, but stopped as she heard an extremely childish voice speak.
"Oh, golly! Am I interrupting something?" A pink pegasus asked worriedly, a filled out mare that still had rosy cheeks and her childish hair cut. "I was just looking for you two to deliver what you wanted," she told Controlling and Thievery.
Thievery walked over to her. "You're fine, Cozy," she said, taking the document in her magic from Cozy's wing. Though, her head pounded and she dropped it, picking it up with her wing. Controlling trotted over to Cozy and took the paper, tossing it on the ground and looking over it. "This is perfect, Cozy. Thanks," Thievery said.
Pity tried looking over Controlling's shoulder. "What did you two need?" She asked, ignoring Daybreaker's annoyed expression at the interruption.
"Information on Ponyville," the two said in unison, looking up at each other when they were done. Thievery had moved to holding the document up by her wings, reading over the main history points of Ponyville. Other than the Apple Family founding, most history took place in later years. Controlling looked over the financial stability of the town, and the overall state of it.
Cozy nodded with an utterly adorable smile. "Well, just call when ya need me," she said with a half-bow, trotting out of the room.
Daybreaker rolled her eyes, opening her mouth when she heard a cry. She looked to the left and sighed, putting her hoof to her forehead and dragging it down. She turned to Thievery, though she looked to Trickery when her little alicorn was occupied. "We'll have to continue this later, Luna is on death's door," she grumbled as she walked off screen.
Trickery and Pity itched to cry a wish as the screen disappeared, though they held their mouths shut in fear of what the others would think. They hoped Daybreakers annoyance meant that Lu-- Nightmare Moon would be fine. Trickery shook the thoughts from her head. "Wait, we don't know what Twilight's is."
Thievery picked her head up at hearing her name, and opened her mouth to respond, but something slamming made her shut it. She turned to the door and a smirk instantly fell on her face at the sight. The Dragon Lord leaned against the door frame with such a tired and irritated stare as lipstick covered his neck. He drug his claws down his face. "Okay, are we doing something important or can I go back to my nap?"
Controlling snickered, momentarily wondering where Thundersmoke went before ignoring it. "I doubt it's as important as Rarity," she said, her snickering turning into full laughter as Thievery walked up next to her with a sly smile.
She pointed at the dragon's neck. "Or getting last night, or this morning for all we know, off your neck," she said, laughing with Controlling as The Dragon Lord narrowed his eyes on them with a scowl.
"Fuck you," he said, only fueling their laughter as his threat was his admitting it, though it didn't even need admitting. He held out his claws, ready to explain whatever he was going to explain that, in his sleepy state, was probably a bad idea. Though Vanity stepped in past him looking even worse than him and he had the urge to cover up her horrible state as she shot Controlling and Thievery a scowl.
Her ruffled mane, hickey covered neck, and light claw marks on her hips only made the two laugh more. "Oh, hush it," she growled, stepping past him and stomping towards Thievery. "At least we don't openly invite each other to bed," she huffed, staring right at Thievery's amused grin.
Pity hid behind Trickery as Thievery talked. "What's the point not to?" She asked, enjoying the failed weds annoyed glowers.
"It's indecent!" Vanity said rudely, shoving her muzzle onto Thievery's in anger.
"Yes, because you're definitely 'decent' right now," Controlling snickered from behind the alicorn. Vanity's eye twitched as her horn activated, fixing her hair and summoning makeup to cover up her neck and hips. She scowled at the two's amused, and clearly enjoying the sight faces.
When she was done, she flipped her mane. "Better?" She huffed, watching the two snicker as they nodded.
Trickery watched as the four delved back into insults about indecency and decency and what was the point and said point and she sneered. She stomped her hooves to get their attention, the four whirling to her ready to add her to the fight. "Now, hush!" She said, making Controlling and The Dragon Lord sigh in compliance. Thievery and Vanity glanced at each other with temptation, but ignored it.
"The only reason we're all in here is to figure out what the Pillars of Disharmony actually are," Trickery said, noticing Thievery and Vanity weren't going to fight in the middle of her sentence. "And Twi, Pinkamena, and I are the only ones who know five of 'em."
Vanity rolled her eyes. "What do names of some pillars even do for us?" She asked, raising an eyebrow at Trickery, expecting the mare to talk. But Trickery bit her tongue and looked away. She actually had no idea why they needed the names.
Thievery stepped in front of the crowd and looked back at it. "She's right," she said, looking over all of their unconvinced faces. When she looked at Pity and Trickery, she saw faces of curiosity. "Cause there's something I didn't tell you about these Pillars." Now, they were interested.
"The Pillars of Harmony found artifacts from their homes and things that just... symbolized that element, I guess," she said with a shrug, seeing fear take over the crowd. "So, to have a set of elements like our enemy does, we need those artifacts," she revealed, seeing the groans wash over the crowd.
She wasn't done as she stepped closer to them. "We'll go a few at a time, to make sure there is still ponies in power here," she said, looking to Controlling. "Since you have to go make peace with the pegasi, get it then."
Controlling nodded before she shook her head and leaned closer to Thievery with furrowed eyebrows. "Who's gonna run my military? Cause I ain't trusting Hippie Mc'my hair needs to look good' to do it," she scoffed harshly, wishing Thundersmoke was there to be offended by her hilarious insult.
Thievery puffed her chest out. "Applejack and I will run it while you're gone," she said calmly, ignoring the sweat dripping down Controlling's neck. She rolled her eyes. "AJ follows you around and knows how to do it, I'll just be a voice," she said seriously. "This military can't fall when we have The Elements to worry about, I won't fuck with it," she promised.
Trickery stepped next to her and nodded. "Yeah, I'll make sure it runs just like you do it," she said reassuringly, smiling when Controlling nodded reluctantly.
Thievery turned to the glass wall and watched as the moon raised and the sun set slowly. "We've worked too hard for this, we can't let them take it away," she said, signaling a speech that she heard quiet groans in response to. "We'll find those artifacts and show them that their Harmony can't beat Disharmony."
She turned to them, eyes a violent crimson. "Honesty can't beat Trickery, Kindness can't beat mercilessness, Laughter can't beat Pity, Generosity can't beat Vanity, and Loyalty can't beat Controlling," she said, watching ponies shutting down their shops for the day.
"And finally, Magic can't beat Thievery," she said, watching with red eyes as her city closed in for sleep, her city. It was her city. She heard snickers and scowled, slowly turning her head to Controlling, Vanity, and The Dragon Lord chuckling behind hooves or claws. She rolled her eyes. "What's so funny?"
Controlling was the first to speak up. "I don't really think stealing a lamp can beat alicorn magic," she said between snickers, breaking into a full laugh with the other two did at the sheer idea of Thievery using a stolen lamp to block full-fledged alicorn magic.
In a flash, Controlling stopped laughing as Thievery appeared in front of her, a deep sneer in her features as her red eyes tore through Controlling's soul. "I think you misunderstand," she said slowly and menacingly, sending shivers down the three's spines. "I mean thievery of emotions like happiness, or sadness, or maybe stealing the will to live?" She asked coldly, making the crystals hanging from the roof look warm.
"And I will take everything," she said with a snap, making Controlling jump, "from you if we lose, understand?" She asked. Controlling nodded her head desperately, The Dragon Lord and Vanity doing the same even if the threat wasn't directly directed at them. Thievery backed off with a smile. "Good."
Just outside the door, Cozy Glow plastered herself to the wall and held an ear up to the door, a wide grin on her face. "Uh, Cozy?" Thundersmoke asked. She jumped and turned to him, falling to her four hooves with a less maniacal smile on her face. "What are you doing?"
Cozy batted her eyelids at him and leaned towards him. "I just gave Princess Twilight And Commander Rainbow Dash some papers," she said innocently, her voice keeping it's high pitch from her younger years. "I just wanted to make sure I did it right. I think they sometimes act nice around me because of how cute I am," she said with a small smile, cowering into herself.
Thundersmoke shrugged. "I doubt it, Twilight's pretty straight forward," he said simply and walked into the room. Cozy Glow trotted off with a wide, devious grin on her face.