//------------------------------// // Logos and Pathos (The Immortal Game, Part 1) // Story: The League of Sweetie Belles // by GMBlackjack //------------------------------// Father Mustard jumped out of a dimensional portal, landing hard on a flat expanse of barren ground. Before he even thought of looking around, he forced the portal closed. With any luck, they wouldn’t be able to follow him here. Those stupid Imperfects always hounding him… He was fairly certain he had eluded them this time, however. He had scrambled both the dimensional coordinates and the physical location of his portals beyond even his recognition. Since he didn’t care how he got away from his pursuers, he had decided that the best way to lose them was to get lost himself. He had no idea where he was, they had no idea where he was. Smirking, he reached into his flowing robes and took out the only thing he had gained from the entire Silvertongue Incident. A perfect, glassy orb swirling with two slow, syrupy colors: a shimmering gold and a calculating silver dancing in separation, yet also as one. The essences of two gods. Now that he was no longer running… he could figure out what to do with them. Surely there was some power in this world that could tap into the orb and release what was within? Or at the very least use it? Then he could think about retaking the Universe Generator and creating a truly perfect world. None of this Imperfect nonsense. A voice in the back of his mind asked him if he had any idea what a perfect world even looked like. He ignored it. He’d figure it out. He’d find his Princess. Not that blasphemous reflection… Looking up from the orb, he let himself take in his surroundings. He appeared to be on top of a plateau in the middle of the local Everfree Forest. The sky seemed unnaturally dark to him and the magic in the air made his horn tingle. That was a good sign, he decided. More magic meant he could unlock the orb easier. Turning around, he saw that he wasn’t alone. Four void-black legs stood so large that the shoulders were level with his eyes. Looking up, he took in the rest of the massive pony. The coat was an unvarying solid black from top to bottom, framed by a pure sharp white on the massive stallion’s ethereal mane and tail. There was no variation within his features - black and white, no gray to speak of. The tips of his wings sparked with light like stars, his cutie mark was a perfect circle, and his eyes… His eyes were so full of power and intelligence, yet devoid of life. Mustard was afraid—but he didn’t panic. He had seen massive alicorns before. Silvertongue had been one, after all. He attempted to read the alicorn’s expression, failing to get anything beyond ‘curiosity’ from him. For a moment, Mustard considered testing the alicorn’s soul, but his inner voice told him that was a terrible idea likely to get him smited. He decided the best option was to bow. “I am but a humble multiversal traveler.” The alicorn did not react. The only motion came from his ever-shifting mane. “My name is Mustard, and I am seeking help. I am currently on the run f-” “There are none who will come to your aid,” the alicorn spoke with a voice that made Mustard fixate on him. The voice wasn’t particularly loud, but Mustard couldn’t think of any noise that would prevent him from giving this stallion his full attention. “Good. No unexpected revenge.” The alicorn’s magic grabbed hold of Mustard and lifted him into the air. “P-please, I can be useful! I-” “You no doubt could be,” he said, still without a hint of emotion. “But there are too many unknowns surrounding you. I must know you. The process will be destructive. Know that your death will further the purpose of existence.” “I don’t want to die… I… Please… I have work that is left undone…” “Your work passes to me, Mustard. I will reward you by considering your work once I know of it. And I permit you to know the name of the master who takes your mantle. I am Titan.” Mustard winced. Titan’s magic hit Mustard’s skull, entering through his horn. Mustard felt as his spirit magic was turned against him, focused inwardly on his life. He tried to fight back, lashing with the power he had been given as a member of the Pastel Order. He had faced the Everyman’s spirit—this was just some alicorn! Just needed to distract Titan, interrupt the spell… The moment Mustard tried, Titan flooded ten times as much magic into the spell, bashing through Mustard’s defenses like they were nothing. With that, Mustard gave in. This mysterious alicorn he had just met would take everything from him. He tried to scream as his soul was ripped from him. Every feeling, thought, memory, and subconscious inkling was removed one piece at a time, each one driving pain through his body until he lost the capacity to feel pain. The brain reduced to little more than dead organic wires, the heart stopped beating from shock, and the will to live was expunged with the spirit. All of it consolidated into one tiny speck of yellow that was nothing compared to Titan’s own cosmic essence. The alicorn’s power grabbed the spark that was Mustard and devoured it, adding everything within to itself. Titan’s eyes widened as the influx of information hit him. Old though he was, there was too much to go through instantly. This unicorn had experienced so much. Quested for his princess and a perfect world. Titan cared little for the foolish reverence for the princess, but the perfect world was an excellent goal. Such a shame that the alicorn Silvertongue was fixated on the experiences of simple ponies. As far as Titan was concerned, they were by nature imperfect. Such an endeavor was doomed from the start. This Universe Generator, though… responsible for almost all pony worlds… That had some interesting implications. Those could be dealt with later, however. Right now, Titan focused on the orb Mustard had within his robes. Levitating it into the air, he was more than a little shocked at how much power it contained. Two powerful essences locked behind a wall, kept sealed because they had no will of their own. Like alicorns, waiting to be born. Could it be done? Could this orb from another world bring more? As he scanned, he became more and more certain that this bundle of essences could be a great boon. All the difficult dirty work had already been done. It was just waiting for the right spark to release it. He was that spark. He could afford a small loss of power to gain so much more. Taking a moment to gather energy, he drove his horn into the orb. Its two colors reacted instantly, separating into two halves. There was a sound not unlike a scream, followed quickly by an explosion that created a small crater within the otherwise perfectly flat plateau. When the smoke cleared, Titan used his power to teleport some earth from the nearby forest, spending a few seconds filling in the blemish. Back to the way it was meant to be. Only then did he turn to his two creations. The first was an orange-yellow alicorn mare. Her mane and tail were like soft glowing fire, reminiscent of certain nebulas and the evening sky, occasional streaks of red flying through the otherwise serene glow. She opened her light blue eyes and took in a sharp gasp of air. “W-wh…” “Awaken, my daughter,” Titan said, extending a hoof to help her up, though he kept his face expressionless. She rose, a full head shorter than he was. “F-father…?” she asked, blinking slowly. “W-who am I?” “You are Pathos,” Titan declared. “Pathos…” she tested the name in her mouth, smiling after a few seconds. “Pathos.” “Good,” Titan decided, turning to the other alicorn created from the orb. This one had stood up on his own while Titan was tending to Pathos. He was silver with eyes of brilliant gold and a mane that crackled with electricity and complex geometric patterns. “And my son…” “What is my name, Father?” he asked. “Your name is Logos,” Titan declared. “You and your sister have been created in a time of great disorder and chaos. Come. I shall introduce you to your mother. You have much to learn of the world, and so little time…” ~~~ “Oh, please,” Celia groaned, rolling her eyes. “You call yourself a Queen?” The version of Celestia with midnight black hair standing in a great marble throne narrowed her eyes at the Gem pony’s words. She said nothing. “Let me count the ways in which your regality is decidedly lacking. Outwardly, yes, you have all the regalia, guards, and fancy dresses. That’s not what makes a Queen, m’lady. Let’s ignore, for a moment, the illegitimate methods by which you took the crown—revolutions and assassinations are just another part of the shift of power. I am referring to what’s inside you!” She pointed her hooftip at Celestia accusingly. “When was the last time you did anything for the ponies it is your job to protect? Think long and hard.” Celestia’s face was still impassive. “Can’t, can you?” Celia smirked. “Ah, but I bet you can remember when you tried to suggest such things. What happened? You decided they were wrong? Pfft, let’s be real, your advisors decided they were wrong and convinced you otherwise in such a way that made you think it was your idea! Kudos to them, they’re good at their job, but terrible for you and Equestria. I bet you’ve even been seduced by a few of them! Don’t think you can hide by your blank expression, I see the Celestia in those eyes. A mare turned into a spiteful, immature, careless, vindictive, slobbish, excessive, thirsty, pe—” Suzie covered Celia’s mouth with her hand. “You’ll have to excuse her, she’s gotten a bit… crazy, as of late. I’m so, so sorry f—” “You weakling,” Celestia said, voice dripping with venom. “You fear my retaliation do you? So much that you will interfere with your own diplomat’s speech?! You are a spineless worm not worth my time. Guards, kill them.” “LEAVING!” Cinder shouted, swiping the dimensional device from Suzie’s person and dialing Swip. “Help!” As the various unicorn guards shot magic spells at the Sweeties, Seren shot a spell out of the portal. A powerful magic burst exploded behind Cinder and the others, tossing them back into Swip while also sending a shockwave into the guards. They had not been expecting anything this powerful from a child, so all of them offered no resistance. Cinder watched one of their necks snap before the portal popped closed. “Did... you have to be that brutal, Seren?” Seren shrugged. “They were going to hurt my friends. I th-” “WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU!?” Celia shouted at the top of her lungs, gesturing at Suzie. “Oh boy…” Swip said, groaning. Celia poked Suzie with her hoof. “I had that completely under control!” “You were insulting h—” “Shut! Up!” Celia bellowed. “I was getting her on the defensive while also playing on her respect for those willing to be brutally honest with her. I was staking a claim to an area of her mind and planting a seed of doubt that would have ended with her ignoring her advisors and listening to us. It would have taken about… four more minutes! Tops! But noooo, you just had to INTERRUPT.” “You could have told me ahead of time!” “One, I didn’t know my plan before I walked in there and got a feeling of who she was. Two, I’ve done this exact same scenario before! Remember Sombra from Equis Ekkira? Same deal! I just wasn't smiling while I was doing it! And you let me do it!” “That was different.” “You’re right! It is!” Celia laughed. “Because back then you trusted me.” Suzie folded her arms. “Celia, this is unacc—” “Shut it, you don’t get to pull rank on me while we’re not on a mission. This is Swip. We’re home. And you’re going to hear exactly how badly you screwed this up. We’re never welcome back there again, all because you couldn’t let me do my thing. You know, that manipulative thing I’ve done at your side for years? Oh wait, that’s right, in your head that wasn’t me.” Celia’s left eye twitched. Suzie let out a sigh. “Celia, that’s not fair. I’m working on i—” “The self-delusion is dripping off of you.” “What!?” “Working on it? You’re wallowing in pity that ‘Celia is gone’ and replaced with this… monster thing!” Celia gestured at herself wildly. “You’re perfectly fine in that pit of yours.” “You’re the delusional one!” “SWEETALOO! Be a dear and tell Suzie I’m right?” Sweetaloo shrunk behind a couch. “Uh…” “Sweetaloo…” “...Strictly speaking, neither of you are a hundred percent right, but…” seeing Celia’s expression, she decided it was best not to stall. “Celia does have a point.” Celia smirked. “See? I—” She stopped when she bothered to check Suzie’s expression again. Her countenance fell. “I... seem to have overdone it.” “Get off my ship,” Suzie glowered. For once, Swip didn’t correct her. For a moment, Celia looked like she was going to apologize. She opened her mouth—and then frowned. “No… no, that won’t solve anything.” Suzie blinked. “What?” “You need a break from me.” Celia laughed sadly. “It’s just… it’s just how it is, I suppose.” She teleported a dimensional device from Swip’s storage. “See you around.” Suzie’s expression fell. “Wait, no, I didn—” Celia jumped universes and closed the portal. She stood in a field outside a Merodi-owned version of Ponyville. Nothing like the metropolis of Equis Vitis, this town was still identifiable as the sleepy town most Ponyvilles started out as, though the floating spaceport interrupted that image slightly. The Gem sighed, sitting down on her flank. Was she doing the right thing, here? ...She was half expecting to start arguing with herself, to have an inner voice split off from the fusion and chime in with an alternative opinion. No such thing happened. It was just her. Alone. Cinder jumped out of a portal and landed next to Celia. “Hey.” “Hey,” Celia said. “Are you manipulating Suzie?” Celia frowned. “Maybe. I’m well aware of how this is going to go. She needs some time apart from me to realize that I really am Celia, and that there’s a hole when I’m gone. I can’t be the one to suggest the revelation to her, she’s too stubborn for that. I’ll let her stew and then come back… I don’t know, in a day or two. She’ll be fine.” “Will you be fine?” Celia examined herself. “Being self-exiled from my group of friends so soon after changing probably won’t be good. I’ll need to combat it… aaaaand that’s why you’re here. What, did Sweetaloo put you up to this?” Cinder shook her head. “I just asked her if it was good for me to follow you. She said yes. I went. Cinder and Celia, explorer duo extraordinaire!” “Heh. Thanks.” Celia pulled Cinder close. “Ack, sharp hooves!” “Shush, deal with it.” “Mmf…” Cinder rolled her eyes. “...So, how are we going to adventure without a full team? Got any place in mind?” “Not a place. Some ponies.” Celia stood up tall, the wind blowing through her mane. “No doubt they’ll have something fun for us…” ~~~ Renee, Overhead of Expeditions, laid the data pad down on her desk, looking at Curaçao and the rest of her team. Were they the Mean Six? The Elements of Pandemonium? It didn’t matter - they were very useful and had proven themselves time and time again over the last few weeks. Even if they were absolutely insane. “So, you understand the mission?” The six mares all gave their responses at once. “Yeah.” “Yeppers!” “Like, totally!” “Hell yeah!” “Affirmative.” “Oui.” Renee rolled her eyes. “Well, ship out whenever you’re ready. Enjoy yourselves!” Red Velvet grinned, adjusting her glasses with a bloody tendril. “You bet! He won’t know what hit him!” “I suspect he will, retroactively, be able to deduce Merodi involvement,” Shadow noted. Havocwing rolled her eyes. “Who cares? His skull’s getting punched in one way or another.” Insipid cocked her head. “And, like, isn’t it impossible to ‘deduce’ with a crushed skull?” Curaçao smiled warmly. “Girls, we can argue semantics at a later time. We will ‘ave lunch and be on our way.” “Ooh! Ooh!” Velvet waved her hoof. “Oui, Velvet?” “Can we go to the chinese buffet?” “We do not need our stomachs to explode on ze mission, somezing smaller?” “That milkshake place?” Grayscale suggested. “Like, yes!” Insipid clapped her hooves. “I want to see if they can make a computer shake! They haven’t failed me yet!” “Not an adequate lunch,” Shadow pointed out. “I’ll get us some sandwiches from the other stand, it’ll be fine,” Havocwing said, dismissively. “C’mon Shadow, teleport away!” Shadow rolled her eyes, initiating the teleport. They jumped to the shake stand and placed their orders, sitting down to a bunch of impossible shakes made of bizarre materials that still, somehow, tasted good. They had just begun to comment on how absurd the place was when Celia and Cinder appeared with a poof. Celia sat down at their table without bothering to ask. “Hello, fellow adventurers!” Shadow raised her eyebrows. “I had heard you’d accepted a dark essence into yourself. Interesting.” “Welcome to the club!” Havocwing laughed. “Get her a shake!” “Oh, yes, roast beef please!” Celia called. “What about you?” Havocwing asked Cinder. “Got some dark magic yet?” Cinder shook her head. “Just fire. And… this.” She pulled a piece of paper out of her mane and folded it into a cutlass. She stabbed it into the table. It crumpled, but the blade still made a slit in the table. She picked the sword up and folded it into an adorable hat. Velvet gasped. “You can pull stuff out of your mane too?” “Sometimes. Usually just paper. Side effect of a weird universe I spent some time in.” She shrugged. “Not sure what it means.” “Pull out a cupcake! Do it! Do it!” Cinder pulled out a piece of paper and folded it into a cupcake. “Nice one,” Grayscale said. “Why are you two ‘ere, by ze way?” Curaçao asked. “A… break, of sorts,” Cinder said. “Celia here thought you guys would be good to have some fun away from the rest of the crew for a bit.” Curaçao turned to Celia. “Falling out?” Celia nodded. “Yes. Temporary, of course.” “Planned?” “Somewhat.” “Are you certain?” “Enough.” Curaçao nodded. “I say we invite zem on our mission. Objections?” There were none. “So, what are we doing?” Cinder chirped. “Do you remember Mustard?” Curaçao asked. Cinder frowned. “Yeah. That weird stallion who said strange things to me. That I was ‘wrong’. You found him?” Curaçao nodded. “Through the efforts of a man named Ro’an, we know which universe ‘e is in and ‘e doesn’t zink we can follow ‘im. It apparently took a while to set up, but currently ‘e’s in the universe and ‘e isn’t running.” “Capture or kill?” Celia asked. “Either, capture is preferable,” Shadow answered. “I do have some questions I’d like to ask him…” Cinder admitted. “It seems as zough fate wants you to ‘ave your answers,” Curaçao said, smiling in Cinder’s direction. “I am glad you are wiz us.” “Thanks! I’ll do my best to take him out!” She glanced at Havocwing. “Don’t worry, I won’t make you look bad.” Havocwing narrowed her eyes. “What are you implying, twirp?” “Nothing,” Cinder said, tossing a fireball up and down. “My fire is better than yours.” “Yep! Of course!” Havocwing twitched. “She’s mocking me, right?” Insipid shrugged. “Like, I’m not sure?” “Anypony else want to chime in?” Celia used her magic to make a bell-chime sound. Havocwing buried her face in her wings. “I’m surrounded by morons.” “An inaccurate presumption,” Shadow retorted. “Heh,” Grayscale snickered. “Shake drinking contest!” Velvet shouted. “ThreetwooneGO!” All conversation ended as everyone began to down their drinks. ~~~ Curaçao held out the dimensional device. As the device checked itself to ensure the connection was safe, she looked back at her team. Temporarily upgraded from a size of six to eight, with Cinder on board no less. She was no fool. Something was going to happen on the other side of that portal and they had to be prepared for it. Cinder knew it too, Curaçao was certain. The little unicorn in question was no doubt the weakest member of the group, but her intuition and luck might save them in the end. In turn, Curaçao looked at her sisters. Grayscale was sitting to the side, looking as bored as usual, but Curaçao knew better; the pegasus was observing everyone, looking for ways to make the group more effective. Insipid and Shadow were talking to each other. The two’s bond had developed markedly over the last little while, to the point at which Insipid would ask Shadow to dumb down magical concepts to help her understand. With any luck Insipid might learn to cast some spells without stealing them soon. Havocwing was tapping her hoof anxiously, sending sparks flying, and Velvet was currently chatting with Celia about the best way to eviscerate a pony. Ah, Celia. The unknown. Curaçao saw herself in the Gem, somewhat. A mind for manipulation and people as well as a deep heart. However, Celia lacked the fundamental connection to lies, and was a lot more comfortable with herself… and as the topic of conversation showed, quite a bit more murderous than Curaçao as well. Would that be a help or a hindrance? Only time would tell. “‘ere we go!” She opened the portal to a Canterlot. Much of it looked like it had recently been through some kind of war given the crumbling buildings and smoke in the distance, but none of the damage nearby was recent. After checking to make sure the coast was clear, she waved a hoof, indicating everyone should follow. The portal closed behind them with the usual comical pop. In the distance, they could hear screaming and fighting. But here, there was nothing but piles of dust, a few crumbled buildings, and absolutely no signs of life. “...Charming,” Celia observed. “After finding Mustard I suggest we investigate the cause of this war.” “Agreed,” Shadow said. “Scanning for Mustard now…” She sent out a magic ping. Suddenly, her eyes went wide. “EVERYPONY DOWN!” There was a massive magic explosion and everything became a blur. Curaçao forced herself to focus—becoming invisible first, so she could gain an eye of the situation without placing herself in undue danger. There was too much dust to see anything, but she could already see flashes of fire. Report! She asked her sisters, inwardly cursing that their shared bond didn’t extend to Cinder or Celia. Shadow reported. Massive magic focal point, several ponies, war magic. Visual obscured, losing t—something flashed, and Shadow’s focus was torn away from Curaçao’s communication. Everyone else? Fine, Grayscale reported. Upside down, though. I found fake ponies! Velvet called. Con: they don’t feel fear. Pro: I can kill them and no one will complain! Curaçao grimaced. We do not know what we are fighting! Avoid conflict, retreat! Tell that to Cinder, Grayscale said. The dust had cleared enough for Curaçao to see the central focus of the chaos. The ground had erupted, revealing a sort of catacombs beneath the street in which a massive battle was taking place. On one side were mostly black ponies with lifeless, mechanical motions that Curaçao instantly pegged as automatons of some kind. On the other were real, living ponies who had numerous scars, dirty clothes, and were screaming quite a bit. Above the catacombs there was an alicorn automaton. Unlike the normal puppet-things below, however, this one's eyes shone with life, wings sparkling with the fire of the dawn. It was bathing Cinder in fire directly from its horn, which the young unicorn was having an easy time deflecting into a nearby wall. Curaçao spotted Grayscale embedded in a nearby building and Velvet in the catacombs, slaughtering the false ponies like a filly in a candy store. She saw no sign of the others, but the dust hadn’t cleared quite yet. Insipid! Havocwing! Shadow! Busy, Shadow shot back. The other two were silent. The false alicorn of fire created a sword. Over a dozen chunks of what appeared to be sunlight fuzed together into a thin, rapier-like blade. The alicorn circled wide, angling the blade at Cinder’s side. To her credit, Cinder ducked out of the way, but the alicorn was far too speedy. She was able to adjust her blade to compensate for Cinder’s lunge, aiming for her midsection. Celia rushed to her rescue, pulling the razor top out of her gemstone and using it like a shield to oppose the blade of light. “Nice try.” With a smirk, she sent a pulse of dark magic into the razor-top, interrupting the light of the alicorn’s blade. The alicorn narrowed her eyes. “What magic is this?” “Something new, darling. And very distracting, I might add.” Grayscale smashed her hooves into the alicorn’s back, breaking it in multiple places. It had been an easy task to free herself from the building once the dust had cleared and she knew where she was. All it took to get her to move was the perfect opening, which in this case had been an alicorn’s exposed back. Her sword spell dropped and the fire in her eyes went out. The false body crumbled to the ground, dead—if it could ever have been described as alive. Curaçao didn’t have time to organize after the defeat, for suddenly she was being attacked. She heard a few hoofsteps heading her direction and leaped out of the way less than a second before a balloon burst behind her and coated the ground where she had just been in unnatural pink fire. Curaçao grimaced. The local Pinkie Pie. “Invisible pony!” Pinkie shouted, pointing at where Curaçao was. “Somewhere over here!” Curaçao kept her disguise up. Just because Pinkie could sense her didn’t mean the others could. But, even on her own, this Pinkie was a problem. She bounced around with a massive set of armor that held all sorts of rockets, chemicals, and strange gadgets used for war. Small bombs followed Curaçao everywhere, no matter how many maneuvers she pulled. As always in situations such as these, she was forced to go on the defensive, using her mobility and intelligence to evade attacks. Pinkie’s erratic manner of movement made it impossible to get close for a hit, but Curaçao had no intention of getting near her. Velvet, I need you to deal with your counterpart! Can-do boss! Velvet jumped out of the catacombs, several strands of blood poking out of her back like spider legs. She skittered over to Pinkie. “Hi! I’m Red Velvet!” “I’m Pinkie Pie!” Pinkie giggled. “Nice legs!” “Thanks! They’re great for stabbing ponies!” She rushed forward, fueled by the fear of the living ponies in the catacombs below. Pinkie threw a few bombs at her, but Velvet diverted them with her bloody tendrils, dotting the road with a few more smoking craters. The local Applejack came out of nowhere, barreling through a wall and punching Velvet in the side with the force of a bulldozer, her full plate armor only adding to the power of the impact. Velvet’s spine snapped in a similar way to the alicorn’s all of a few minutes before, but unlike the alicorn Velvet’s body would mend itself. Eventually. It wouldn’t if Applejack got another hit off. Curaçao moved quickly, jumping over the distance between herself and Applejack in a near-instant. Her punch did next-to-nothing to the armored earth pony, but the invisible hit made Applejack pause. “Pinkie, I’ve got something’ on me!” “It’s the invisible pony!” Pinkie said, bouncing up to her friend. “She’s… right there!” Applejack punched at exactly where Pinkie had indicated, missing Curaçao by an inch thanks to the invisible mare’s amazing reflexes. Curaçao twisted her arms around Applejack’s leg and pulled. She had expected the farmer to budge at least a little, but she was immovable. That was a miscalculation Curaçao paid for. She tried to squirm out of the way, but Applejack’s free leg made contact with her hindquarters, breaking bone. Curaçao forced her invisibility to remain active but she wasn’t going to be able to move anytime soon. “She’s down, we’re good!” Pinkie called. “...Incoming!” Grayscale dropped from the sky, embedding the two earth ponies in the ground with her control over gravity. Pinkie couldn’t move, but Applejack’s immense strength allowed her to slowly grunt through the oppression. Unfortunately for her, Grayscale was still fast, and could still punch her before the armored pony could pull back a leg. Good job, Grayscale, Curaçao broadcasted. Now, what else i— The local Rainbow Dash came flying out of nowhere, hooves crackling with thunder. Grayscale saw her coming and lifted a wing to push her back. She let out an enraged screech, pushing through the inverted gravity and landing a blow on Grayscale’s nose. “Always Dash…” Grayscale grunted. Rainbow glared. “We’ve never met.” “From your point of view.” Velvet hopped to Grayscale’s side. “I can help you take care of her!” Pinkie and Applejack got up. Applejack smirked. “Y’all are outnumbered. Three on two.” Velvet rolled her eyes. “Actually, we’ve got more who haven’t inexplicably vanished. Hey, Celia! Cinder! Get over here!” Everyone turned to Celia and Cinder, who were currently fixated on a tall, white-coated stallion with a blood-red mane. His eyes were narrowed, glaring at the two of them. “...My daughters…?” “He’s the bad guy!” Cinder shouted. “He’s the bad guy!” “That’s all I need to hear,” Celia said, aiming her razor-top at him. “Nice knowing you, not-dad.” The stallion frowned. “I am General Esteem.” “And I’m Celia. This is Cinder. Now that we’re introduced I’m going to kill you before you can word-weasel your way out of this.” “She’s insane…” Rainbow Dash gawked. “She can’t possibly…” Celia pulled her razor-top back, treating it like some kind of gyroscopic hammer while Cinder provided fireball backup. Esteem’s magic easily deflected the fireballs, and when he saw an opening, he summoned his blade. Several shards of pure platinum shot out of his cloak, fusing together into a long, powerful sword. He thrust it right at Celia’s opening. With a smirk, Celia cast a barrier spell. Esteem’s horn flashed and his sword split into a dozen pieces, none of which went for the same location as Celia’s barrier. They snaked around Celia, moving past the defensive position of her razor-top and puncturing her body in multiple places. “Clever...” Celia hissed. Before her body lost its cohesion, her gemstone flashed a dark color and unleashed a deep red beam of energy—a simple death spell. It careened right off a protective enchantment Esteem had, flying harmlessly into a nearby wall. “...Dammit.” She exploded in a poof of white dust, retreating into her gemstone. Cinder caught the blue diamond in her hooves, glad Celia was still okay. This relief was quickly replaced in fear when she realized she was currently facing Esteem alone. “Uh…” “You wear her face, but you are too old to be her.” Esteem fused the shards of his blade back together. “You will r—” Esteem stopped his monologue to deflect an Applejack coming in at high speed. “Leave the kid alone!” “Your compassion is your weakness!” Esteem shouted, splitting up his blade to come at Applejack from all sides. “How about no?” Grayscale said, increasing gravity several times, embedding the shards of Esteem’s blade into the ground before they could complete their attack. Esteem focused all his magic on one shard of the blade, propelling it through the increased gravity and into Grayscale’s neck. Her eyes widened and she dropped like a stone, releasing the gravitational hold. “You have new magic…” Esteem observed, fusing his sword back together. “So do you!” Pinkie shouted, placing herself between Esteem and Cinder. “That fiery alicorn thing was new!” Velvet used her bloody tendrils on Grayscale’s neck, stopping the bleeding. “You hurt my sister…” she growled. Esteem picked up on the danger in her voice. He knew what Applejack, Rainbow, and Pinkie could do, Cinder had proven to not be much of a threat, and Grayscale was out for the count. But Velvet? Velvet was an unknown. Keeping only a handful of shards near his person for defensive purposes, he sent the rest out at Velvet in a storm. She took them all without flinching. Blood and guts spewed out all over. Instead of healing, she just let the wounds hang open, allowing larger, more intense bloody tendrils to exert their dominance over the world. “An enemy with unknown capabilities… isn’t it fun, general? Am I unkillable? Do I become more dangerous the more I am hurt? What about the fear?” She laughed maniacally and formed her tendrils into a drill, rushing Esteem. “Fall back!” Esteem called, teleporting away before Velvet’s attack could land. In the catacombs, the fake-ponies heard his command and ran from the scene of battle. The remaining ponies cheered in victory as their enemy gave the battle to them. “COWARD!” Velvet shouted. “Get back here so I can tear out your spleen!” “Give it a rest with the spleen…” Grayscale grunted from her position on the ground. Applejack turned to Cinder. “I’m sorry about your…” “Celia’s fine,” Cinder said, holding up the gemstone. “She just needs to recharge her magic and she’ll be back. ...Thanks for saving me, though.” “It’s what we do,” Pinkie said with a smirk. “...So, you guys aren’t with Esteem?” “Non,” Curaçao said, dropping her cloak. “We are from anozer world, if zat makes sense.” She limped over to them. “I am Curaçao, captain of zis expedition team. Before we get acquainted… everypony, where are Shadow, ‘Avoc, and Insipid?” Grayscale grunted. “I saw Shadow fighting some magic bozos. Havoc was injured. Lost them in the chaos. They’re not here now.” “If they’re not with us, they’re either lost or with Esteem,” Rainbow said. “...Would they fight for him?” Applejack asked. Curaçao frowned. “Possibly. ‘e would ‘ave to fool Shadow, which is not an easy task… But if she were indisposed, or zey had reason to hate you…” She turned to Cinder. “I only trust you since you protected Cinder, and Cinder identified Esteem as ze enemy.” “She’s got a good sense, doesn’t she?” Pinkie asked. “Yep!” Cinder said, beaming. “...How do we get the others back?” Applejack frowned. “If Esteem has them, they’ll be behind the palace barrier. If they’re just lost, we’ll probably need Twilight’s magic to find them.” “If they’re behind the barrier, we’ll help you take it out,” Grayscale said. “Zough we would like to hear why you are fighting, first,” Curaçao clarified. “And we’d like to hear your story,” Rainbow asserted. “Not a problem,” Cinder said. “I like telling stories!” “Tell ‘em on the way back to Twilight,” Applejack said. “Way back?” Velvet sputtered. “But they could be captured!” “And we’re goin’ to need Twilight either way,” Applejack said. “She can break the barrier, she can find them. You’re lucky we’re already preparin’ to take the palace. Won’t be long either way.” She hopped into the tunnels below them and began walking through the ranks of ponies. “Ah’ll go first, since you deserve to know who you’re fightin’. See, there’s this alicorn Titan who thinks he deserves to rule everythin’...” ~~~ Suzie stared blankly at the table in Swip’s lounge. It seemed like yesterday that she had been playing cards with Celia here. The graceful, elegant, understanding mare who won every time simply because nobody had a poker face that could fool her. She had been so caring, so devoted, so… ...supportive. Suzie had leaned on her like no one else. When everything else would be falling apart, there would be Celia, a calm smile on her face, ready to take on anything. Everything. There were many times where Suzie wondered if she’d make a better captain than Suzie herself. And now she was gone. Not just changed, simply not on Swip. Granted, Celia had gone on missions longer than this, but this time… this time it was different. She had left. Taken Cinder with her, at that! That precious little unicorn, gone for Celestia knew how long. Suzie grimaced. She realized she was playing favorites again. She shouldn’t do that. As the captain, she needed to treat everyone equally and with respect. Which she hadn’t done to Celia today. But was that really her fault? Could anyone really expect her to just be fine with the new Celia doing whatever she wanted? She sure didn’t! She… Suzie lost track of her train of thought somewhere in the midst of her trying to both separate old and new Celia and think of them as the same person. She rammed her head into the table and let out a groan. “Hey, look, it’s emotional turmoil o’clock,” Squiddy said, cleaning her gun on the couch. Suzie lazily looked up at the inkling. “You would know.” “Ouch,” Squiddy deadpanned. “Taking pot shots. Looks like you’re really down in the depths there. Not fun, is it?” “...Are you trying to provoke me?” Squiddy shrugged. “Dunno. Just saying what comes to mind.” “So, what do you think? Is she right or am I?” Squiddy rolled her eyes, refusing to answer. “...Of course. You d—” “Answering the question is stupid.” Suzie lifted her head. “How so?” “You’re obsessed with who’s right. I seem to recall you telling us that being right isn’t all that matters. What matters is what you do.” She raised an eyebrow. “Might want to listen to yourself.” Suzie opened her mouth to respond, then quickly shut it. “Might want to listen to your own speeches about hypocrisy while you’re at it. Heh.” “...I can change. I can be more trusting. I can just…” Suzie drummed her fingers on the table. “Who am I kidding? You can’t just change what your mind thinks through sheer force of will. It’s not how it works.” “Yep. You just deal with it.” Squiddy examined the barrel of her gun. “You don’t deal with it very well…” Squiddy sighed. “Yeah. This is why I’m not your emotional support squid. I don’t do that. So, basically, go figure it out yourself. The quicker you get out of your funk the sooner I can stop feeling like I need to say something that sounds wise.” She jumped off the couch and walked to her room. “Good luck.” There was silence in the lounge. Suzie pressed her palms together and closed her eyes. Restore our friendship. She sat like this for several minutes in the quiet. No one came to bother her the entire time. Eventually, she let out a deep sigh and stood up, walking to the bridge. The instant she arrived, a call for her came through. Nausicaa appeared on the screen, spreading her wings. “Suzie, got a mission for you and your team.” “What is it?” “The Imperfects are asking for you.” ~~~ Okay… let’s see if reforming works properly like this. Celia’s gemstone flashed white as her essence re-asserted itself. The diamond-shaped crystal floated into the air slightly above the heads of all the ponies, creating her hard-light body in a manner of seconds. She chose not to alter her appearance any, though she did extend the length of her scarf slightly. Her pointed hooves touched down on the ground and she opened her eyes. “I’m back! What did I miss?” “A lot of stuff,” Cinder said. “But we have some new friends!” Celia took a moment to take in her surroundings. She was with Cinder, Curaçao, Velvet, and Grayscale, being led by the local Pinkie, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash. They were currently walking through some kind of Canterlot labyrinth beneath the surface, the three dimensional maze twisting and turning in bizarre ways. Nonetheless, Applejack appeared to know where she was going. “You weren't kidding when you said she’d be back,” Rainbow observed, looking Celia up and down. “You really do look like Rarity. No wonder you had Esteem off his game. Mongrel was probably baffled behind that mask of his.” “I aim to please,” Celia said with a bow. “So, I take it Curaçao and Cinder have filled you in on who we are?” “Eeyep,” Applejack confirmed. “Hard to believe, but so’s a magic crystal pony that can survive gettin’ stabbed like it’s nothin’.” “You can do that,” Pinkie pointed out. “In a different way, Pinkie.” “I tested it out!” Velvet added. “Nicked her in the leg, she healed it right up! Little slower than me, but hey, pretty cool!” “And you re-establish that you’re a psycho,” Rainbow muttered. “Yep!” Velvet giggled. Celia nodded. “Well, I’m Celia, Chalcedony, a Gem. And I bet you know all about me, so care to explain who you are?” Cinder beamed. “Oh, I’ve got this! They’re the resistance fighting against the evil alicorn-king Titan who wants to bring ‘absolute order’ to the world by… subjugating ponykind to the point of removing their free will, or something like that. He’s wrestled control of Equestria from Celestia and everypony’s currently trying to take it back.” “That’s… mightily oversimplifyin’ it,” Applejack commented. Pinkie shrugged. “Eh, it works.” “What of your sisters?” Celia asked Curaçao. “Either lost, or Esteem ‘as zem,” Curaçao said with a slight sigh. “We are going to see Twilight to get zem back.” “I think Esteem has them,” Cinder offered. “It would give us more reason to help them take out Canterlot Palace.” “And before any of you ask, oui, zese ponies are telling ze truth. Zere really is a Titan, ‘e really is terrible, and ‘e’s Rarity’s fazer.” “Heh. Fazer.” Rainbow snickered. Velvet gasped. “Did you just diss the accent!? On no, you’re in for it now!” Rainbow smirked. “What’s she gonna do? Go invisible and punch me?” “No, she’s just going to go say she’ll watch you for the rest of your natural life and go invisible. You will never see her again and you will always have to wonder if she’s in the room with you at any given time.” Velvet grinned. “Eternal haunting!” “That’s quite the prank!” Pinkie said. “I’ve got better! Just wait until I get my hooves on one of our enemies, I’ll make their worst nightmares enter reality…” “Your powers will be useful,” Applejack said. “Though if Esteem manages to turn the others to his side…” “Shadow’s not that dumb,” Grayscale said. “She may not need to be,” Rainbow admitted, twitching slightly. “Titan and… his followers have a lot of corrupting magic.” “Me and my sisters were made from dark magic,” Curaçao explained. “Our neutral essences make it easier to combat such things.” “Still. They might need saving.” Curaçao frowned. “You were corrupted, weren’t you?” Rainbow growled. “Uh, let’s change the topic!” Pinkie said. “Like… how we’re almost at the hideout! Yeah! You’ll get to see the resistance base! It’s awesome, trust me!” Pinkie wasn’t exaggerating—the next corner they took led them to a large, expansive room filled with resistance ponies living their lives. Weapons and armor were everywhere, as were multiple boxes upon boxes of food and other supplies, many of which were stacked up as walls of a sort. There were bloodstains everywhere, indicating there had been an attack relatively recently, but there were no bodies lying around. Ponies looked both tired and excited, like the end of a long struggle was within sight. The unicorn guards at the entrance summoned their blades the moment the group returned. They were a lot like Esteem’s blade, except made out of different materials and containing significantly fewer shards. They dispelled them immediately when they saw it was Applejack. “What in…?” a mare said, pointing at Celia. “Ah’m explainin’ it to Master General Twilight,” Applejack said. “She’ll explain it to everypony if she wants.” The mare nodded. “She’s currently in the war-room. They were waiting for you to return to make final preparations. No doubt she will wish to speak with you privately first.” “Call for Luna, too.” “Right away.” Applejack led the group down a passage into a more secluded room in the catacombs, coming to a large, but flat room with a table in the middle. A two-dimensional representation of Canterlot stood on the table, marked with blue and red markers. The largest collection of red markers were in the central palace itself, behind a red circle. No doubt some kind of barrier. Luna, Twilight, Fluttershy, and Rarity were already there. Luna was largely how Celia had expected her to look—dark blue armor, stern expression, ready to fight whenever necessary. She’d seen several war-time Lunas in her time, and the specimen before her wasn't all that special all things considered. Twilight, on the other hoof, was a unicorn—but she wore a cloak made out of night, and had a swirling chunk of the Element of Magic orbiting her head. She exuded power, magic, and had the expression of a mare who did what she did out of grim necessity. Fluttershy looked normal, but tired. Rarity wore a flowing cloak that Celia had also seen on the unicorn guards at the entrance earlier. She looked as dignified as ever—that is, until she saw Celia and Cinder walk in. “What in Celestia’s name!?” Rarity shouted, her jaw dropping. Celia smirked. “What an interesting response. I am Celia. This is Cinder. We are from another world.” Twilight turned to Applejack. “They’re tellin’ the truth,” Applejack confirmed. “Well, all of ‘em except maybe the blue one over there, can’t get a read on her.” Curaçao bowed. “I am what one may call ze Element of Deception, zough I prefer Element of Trickery.” “A set of alternate Elements?” Twilight asked—short, to the point. “Oui. Zere are only zree of us ‘ere, zough. We suspect Esteem ‘as my sisters.” “And we need to get them back, quickly,” Grayscale said. “I hope you’ve got a plan.” “We do,” Twilight admitted. “In two hours we will move out unless something new comes up.” Looking at Pinkie, she sighed. “Something new has come up, hasn’t it?” “Besides the other universe ponies?” Pinkie asked. “Yes.” “Well, there was a new alicorn puppet… something fiery.” Twilight frowned. “...Could Titan have corrupted Celestia?” Luna shook her head. “Not so quickly. It would take many months to break her mind down, even in her weakened state.” “A new alicorn, then?” Twilight shook her head. “How?” “The process to create new alicorns is not one I am aware of, Master General.” Twilight pressed her hooves together. “What were her capabilities?” “Didn’t see much besides the fire and the sword,” Celia offered. “Interesting spell, by the way, I don’t believe I’ve seen it before in any other worlds.” “Bladecasting does not exist in most worlds? Interesting…” Twilight scratched her chin. “At least we’ll know not to expect a blade from those taken.” “...Shadow is a master magician and Insipid can copy any ability effortlessly.” Twilight let out a tense sigh. “Is there any chance Esteem didn’t get them?” “They could just be lost,” Grayscale said. “You could find her!” Velvet said. “You have great magic sense, and she’ll stand out like a beacon! Look for a pocket of dark, voidey magic!” Twilight nodded to herself, closing her eyes. Her horn was soon encased in three layers of magic as she performed a long-range scan. A moment later, her eyes shot open in shock. “I found her. She is in the palace, behind the barrier.” She turned to Luna. “Her essence is virtually identical in power to mine, and they’re not even trying to hide it.” “A unicorn of such power…” Luna grimaced. “If Titan takes her…” “We are partially dark in essence,” Curaçao reiterated. “It takes more to ‘corrupt’ us than most.” “I was corrupted,” Twilight said, flatly. “If my magic wasn’t enough, then neither is hers.” Grayscale scowled. “We need to move fast. Murderous Shadow isn’t something you want to fight directly.” Twilight nodded. “I will need an explanation of what to expect. What can all of you do, and what should I expect if we end up fighting your sisters?” In turn, they explained themselves. Cinder’s fire, Celia’s magic, Curaçao’s disguise and deception, Velvet’s blood and fear, and Grayscale’s gravity. Twilight sat in silence as the abilities were explained, cataloguing them in her mind. “And those you don’t have with you?” “Havocwing is a stronger version of me,” Cinder said. “Lots more fire, lots more speed.” “Shadow is a master of Void magic,” Celia added. “In some universes this completely negates standard magic being used against it. I… don’t know enough to be certain if that is the case in this universe or not.” “A direct foil to me is dangerous,” Twilight noted. “We may need to be cautious.” “And Insipid,” Curaçao said. “She can copy any ability and use it herself, often to more effect zan ze original user of the power.” “Any? How much power can she store?” “She’s ‘eld the power of entities with power over entire universes before, so… there’s not a limit as far as we know.” “...What sort of magic is that?” Luna asked. “The power to do anything the opponent can do?” “It originates in a corruption of Generosity. Instead of giving power, she takes it.” “Stars…” Rarity put a hoof to her mouth. “How terrifying…” “She’s also as dumb as a rock,” Grayscale added. “Gray!” Velvet chided. “What? She is. It’s a weakness. Outsmart her, you win.” Twilight leaned in. “And do you have the Elements within you?” Curaçao frowned. “Not ze Elements of ‘armony. Ze… Elements of Pandemonium. Zey’re more attuned to Chaos zan anyzing else.” “Really effective at taking down alicorns, though!” Velvet chirped. “We vaporized one!” “With Insipid having copied his power,” Grayscale reminded her. “Well, yeah, but hey! It worked, didn’t it?” “If we can get all six of them, we have a second set of Elements…” Rarity realized. “Further backup against Titan,” Twilight nodded. “Good. Are there any other allies we can expect to arrive?” Celia frowned. “We can probably call in someone specific, but if you were asking for military aid that would take a while to go through the proper channels and would require us to speak with Titan directly to hear his side of the conflict. You are pressed for time, correct?” “I’ll go with what we have, then,” Twilight announced. “I have a question of my own,” Celia said. “General Esteem,” she pointed at Rarity. “What should we know of him?” Rarity frowned. “Well, he is my father—though Sweetie and I ran from him since he was decidedly… severe. His special talent is war and battle, and he’s one of the best bladecasters in the world.” “Any… personal weaknesses?” “He seems to have a soft spot for me and Sweetie Belle somewhere in that cold, dead heart of his, but he’s proven that he’s willing to harm and kill me for his precious king before.” She huffed. “He tried to raise us like soldiers. To be fair, he is the reason I know how to bladecast at all. I do wonder how much he’ll regret his actions when I stab him right in his…” Tapping her hoof on the ground rapidly, she calmed her words. “Where is your Sweetie now?” Cinder asked. “Somewhere far, far away from all the fighting. And… Sweetie? Are you also Sweetie Belles?” Cinder nodded. “Yep! I’m Sweetie Belle, I just go by Cinder to avoid confusion with all the others in the League of Sweetie Belles.” Rarity let out a sigh of relief. “Good… I was a little afraid it’d be the League of Allures…” Cinder and Celia stared at her in shock. “W-what?” “Your Sweetie was originally named Allure?” Celia asked. “Yes? How is that relev—” “That’s the name chosen by one of our Founders.” Celia pulled out a communication device. “I think… she’d like to hear about this.” ~~~ Insipid woke up with a killer headache. This headache immediately went away when she saw the massive salad in front of her filled with all sorts of delectable flowers and fancy greens. Her brain went immediately from food to eat, and she shoveled the lettuce into her mouth, chewing and swallowing quickly. She was hungry. Under the lettuce she found some nice, delectable strips of bacon. “Major fresh! Bacon!” She began biting down quickly. “You’ve eaten it before?” Insipid looked up to see a tall, white stallion with a blood-red mane looking at her from across the table. “Like, yeah! Velvet turned me off meat for a while with her whole obsession thing, but see it around enough and you just learn to like the smell, you know? Squid is better though. It’s totally the opposite of fresh but I just like it anyway!” She clapped her front hooves together. “Though bacon is real good too.” “It is rare for ponies to eat meat.” “Oh. Yeah. It is.” Insipid tapped her chin. “Guess I just do, cha!” “Hmm…” the stallion took a bit of the salad himself, using his magic to levitate the food. “Am I allowed to have the honor of knowing the names of the mares I saved from the rebels?” “Oh, you saved us? Thank you!” Insipid grinned. “I’m Insipid, and…” She looked around, finding Havocwing groaning in the chair next to her. “This is Havocwing!” “Five more minutes,” Havocwing muttered. Insipid tapped her on the shoulder and she jumped up to full attention, wings on fire. “I’LL KILL THE BASTARDS!” “Calm yourself, Havocwing,” the stallion said. “You are no longer in danger. You are, in fact, in the safest place in Equestria… for the time being.” Havocwing looked him in the eye. “What the fuck is that supposed to mean?” “We are likely to be attacked by rebels at any moment. I do not mean to alarm you, but it is the truth. We were lucky to get you safely within the barrier.” “He, like, totally saved us!” Insipid said, grinning. “He’s uh… I’m sorry, I guess I forgot your name? Happens a lot.” “I am General Esteem.” He took a drink of wine. “Where are our sisters?” Havocwing shouted. “Either captured by the rebels or lost to us in the chaotic streets of Canterlot.” “Then we’re going to go save them!” “You are welcome to try, but I doubt you would have much luck charging in with just the two of you, inexplicable fire magic notwithstanding. You clearly know nothing about your enemy; where they are based, who leads them, or what their reason for fighting is.” Havocwing blinked. “Uh… fine. How about you tell us those things?” Esteem nodded. “The rebels do not see the rule of King Titan as legitimate and have killed hundreds of thousands of ponies in a foolish quest to kill him. They have brought Canterlot almost to the ground in their efforts, rendering it all but uninhabitable. They hide in the caverns, strike at the weak and the foolish, and then retreat back to their caves. We recently attacked their base, but they managed to repel the attack after their leader Twilight Sparkle entered the fray.” “Oh, the local Twilight?” Insipid asked. Esteem narrowed his eyes. “Local… Twilight?” “Yeah! Twilights are pretty common in a lot of universes, you know. Why our sister Shadow is one of them! Sorta. She’s a clone, though…” “You talk too much,” Havocwing muttered while munching on a daisy. “Universes…” Esteem mulled the idea over in his head. “You have met her many times, then?” Insipid nodded. “Totally!” “What is she like?” “Well, there are a lot of outliers… but Twilights are usually friendly, super wooper smart, magical, royal, leaders, and a biiiiit arrogant—don’t tell her I said that.” “She’s his enemy, of course he wouldn’t,” Havocwing muttered. “Twilights are also usually the hero. Evil Twilights are in the minority. Shadow was one of them. How do we know this Twilight is evil too?” Esteem frowned. “I have no proof. But consider that she may have captured and imprisoned your other sisters.” “Curie has been quiet…” Insipid said. “Could just be out of range.” “She wouldn’t let herself be out of range for long. And she wouldn’t let them lie to her! She’s, like, a living lie detector!” “They could have brainwashed her,” Esteem pointed out. “It does happen.” “Oh… some of those Elements of Harmony,” Inispid rolled her eyes. “Yeah, that might be annoying.” “...Elements of Harmony?” “Twilight and her friends?” “Ah, a collective name,” Esteem sat back, visibly relaxed. Havocwing coughed. “So, bozo, what are you doing to get our sisters back?” “Admittedly, not much. We are focused on defending the palace from rebel incursion. The Prince must be protected.” “Then why are we even here? You’re not going to help us!” “I can tell you what you need to know and offer you some training in our way of combat so you will know what to expect.” Havocwing’s eyes sparkled. “Combat training?” “Yes.” “...I am going to torch you.” Esteem allowed himself to smirk. “I doubt it. The courtyard is just outside—I’ll be eager for you to prove me wrong.” Havocwing was out before Esteem had even taken a step. She flew a few circles, stretching out her wings and filling the air with smoke. “Bring it, sparky! What kind of magic do you got?” Esteem summoned his multi-segmented platinum blade, the pointed shapes matching the three chevrons on his cutie mark. He turned to Insipid. “This is a blade. All unicorns can cast this spell if they put their minds to it.” “Cooool…” Insipid said, taken in by its glimmering reflections. “Watch, you might learn something.” He ran toward Havocwing, blade pointed forward. “Just a sword? Psh, I got this.” Havocwing coated one of her hooves in fire and created a whirling tornado of flame directed at Esteem’s head. He split the shards of his blade in two—sending half to intercept the flame and deflect it while directing the other half to Havocwing. To her credit, she saw the shards coming and blasted some of them away, but three of them made it to her neck, making her freeze in place. “H-hey there, nice sword-shards…” Havocwing said. “A bladecaster with plenty of shards to spare can send them anywhere,” Esteem said, reforming his sword into a single piece once more. “Always look for the shards coming from behind, or shards sent out in a wild spray designed to incapacitate as many as possible.” Havocwing growled. “You are at a disadvantage with your fighting style, Havocwing. You would be better suited focusing on non-bladecasters with wide area attacks. Unicorns are your weakness, avoid them and play to your strengths. Unless you have other powers I’m not aware of?” “No…” Havoc said, grumpily. She landed next to Insipid and tapped her on the shoulder. “You’re up. Surprise him.” “Oh, should I tell him what I do?” Esteem shook his head. “No. Make full use of the element of surprise, explain later.” “All right!” Insipid said, taking up position on the other side of the courtyard. She held up a hoof. “When do we start?” “Now.” Esteem charged, brandishing his sword as a single weapon for now. Insipid waited a few seconds before waving her hoof and lighting the grass in front of her on fire. Esteem was confused for a moment—were both of their powers fire-based? Her horn hadn’t even lit, either. He pulled his blade up on the defensive, but kept charging the fire. He leaped through, looking wildly for her location. She was under him. Had this been an actual fight, he could have split his sword and killed her instantly, but he had no intention of doing so now. Instead, he attempted to split his blade and surround her neck like he had done with Havocwing. This gave her enough time to touch him. He felt a shock as her magic interacted with his. He continued with his attack anyway, moving his shards to her neck… Except they didn’t move the way he wanted them to. Instead, the platinum shards moved far away from Insipid and Esteem, forming a full blade elsewhere. She had stolen his blade. “HOW DARE YOU!?” he shouted at the top of his lungs, channeling an explosion spell through his horn. Insipid’s smile vanished. “Uh oh.” She was able to channel the exact same spell, canceling out the brunt force of the assault, turning it into a canceling explosion that tossed the two of them to the side. “I give! I give! I was just trying t—” Esteem got ahold of himself the moment he felt control of his blade return to him. “A… unicorn’s blade is a very personal and deep object to them. They are only supposed to lose it when they lose the reason to fight. You… did the impossible.” “Oh, sorry!” Insipid said, putting a hoof to her mouth. “I didn’t realize… I’m always doing this, stupid! Stupid!” “You are the perfect weapon against a bladecaster,” Esteem finished. “For most, losing their blade will be a shock so immense they will stop fighting, leaving them open for the kill. You have a trump none of them will think is possible. All you have to do is touch them, correct?” Insipid nodded. “Yep!” “Now I will ask you to explain… what exactly is your power?” “I, like, copy magic. Any magic at all. Take it from whoever’s using it and make it mine!” She grinned. “Are there any limits to what you can take?” “Not that I know of…” Esteem frowned. “You are perhaps the most dangerous mage I have ever met.” “Aww, thanks!” “I’m chopped liver,” Havocwing muttered. “You are not,” Esteem corrected. “You have a more tactical mindset and a drive to fight. You have the resolve required to follow through. Insipid here has power, but not the faculties to fully expound on it.” “Totally know that,” Insipid chuckled. “But my sisters make up for it! Curie comes up with some of the craziest plans!” “Why don’t you tell me about your sisters?” “Well… I guess we start with Curie...” ~~~ Celestia was less than an earth pony. Here, in the ancient Castle of the Two Sisters, she had no magic to speak of. No horn, no wings, not even anything in her hooves. All she had was her mind, and that had served her well enough. Which was to say it had allowed her to come up with an escape attempt, nothing successful. She was still trapped with the psychotic tormenter that was her mother, Queen Terra. A graceful green alicorn with a mane of beautiful sunshine. Mother nature. She had a figure so soft, beautiful, and gentle. Every now and then, Celestia had seen that gentleness. Seen the nurturing pony underneath. But those moments were so rare, and there hadn’t been a single one since she and Titan returned, turning Equestria into a warzone. All Terra had done was beat Celestia within an inch of her life in an attempt to turn her to Titan’s side. Celestia knew Terra was just entertaining herself until it would be the appropriate time to force Celestia’s mind to cooperate. They would wait until they had won the war to do so, but do it they would. It was a good thing Celestia had no intention of losing the war. Powerless though she was, her pieces were still on the board. Twilight Sparkle and Luna were free and fighting. She had prepared them for a moment exactly like this; even though Titan had surprised her with his return, she had laid the groundwork for his defeat. She’d had doubts before, yes. About Titan being smarter, cleverer, or more adaptable than she anticipated. Occasionally she thought his raw power might be enough to face all of them at once. However, she was always able to give herself hope. Nothing truly unforeseen had happened. Everything followed basic logic and her subjects’ victory was still possible. Then they had shown up. “Celestia, meet your new brother and sister!” Terra had said, a sneer on her face. “Logos and Pathos!” Both of the alicorns were smaller than Terra, which indicated they couldn't be much older than Luna. However, Celestia had never seen any sign of these two in her entire life. They had to have been created recently, but they had power accumulated from centuries of age. It was an impossibility. New immortals. Unknowns. “They’re going to help your father destroy those pesky little pony rebels of yours. And then we can all go back to being a family! A new family!” Celestia’s doubts had skyrocketed. She couldn’t have accounted for these variables. Two new alicorns of this power? Her ponies were barely scraping by as it was, how could they hope to win now? Terra knew this. She made sure to parade Pathos around like a lost treasure, making Celestia watch as she was trained in the ways of magic and bladecasting. Pathos picked up on everything remarkably quickly, even going so far as to be able to use Terra’s alicorn puppets like Titan. She had reportedly fought in Canterlot a few times, though Celestia had never been permitted to see this. Celestia rarely saw Logos. He was distant and cold. Within his eyes rested an attitude she had only seen in Titan’s own—cold calculation. Unlike Titan, however, Logos smiled. Enjoyed things. She had him pegged as an analytical type, but he continually threw her by laughing and making astute observations. She so wanted to see more of him to learn of his mind, but he specifically avoided her. Maybe he knew she was analyzing him? Pathos, though, Pathos was an open book to Celestia. She made little, if any, attempts to hide from Celestia’s gaze. When fighting, she would always be sure to look up at the magicless filly watching from afar. She would frown whenever she saw Celestia come with new scars and bruises. And when Terra ordered Pathos to attack Celestia just to prove a point, she always made sure to hit locations that would hurt but do the least lasting damage. Pathos had a conscience. Something so rare among alicorns… “Celestia, what do you think of Pathos’ work?” Terra had asked once Pathos had finished slicing several unicorn puppets in half with one quick motion of her blade. Celestia knew Pathos could hear her. “She has the burning passion required to fight for what she believes in.” Pathos’ facial twitch was barely perceptible, but Celestia noted it, glad that Terra was always distracted enough not to notice such things. Had Titan been here, he would have easily seen Pathos’ wavering uncertainty. “She does, doesn’t she…” Terra breathed, frowning slightly. “Pathos?” “Yes, mother?” Pathos responded, dissipating her blade. “Watch Celestia for me, would you? I have some business to attend to.” Celestia knew Terra had no such business. And even if she did, the castle was more than secure enough to keep her from running away. She had already tried it once. No, Terra just wanted her daughters to get some ‘quality time’. “Of course, mother,” Pathos said, sitting down in front of Celestia. Terra teleported away. After a few moments, Pathos spoke. “She is gone.” Celestia frowned. “She will expect you to beat me. I will need to be mangled to satisfy her upon return.” Pathos made no attempts to hide her grimace. “Why does she do this?” “As long as I have known her, she has been cruel and delighted in the suffering of others.” Pathos shook her head. “Why does father allow her to be so?” “It is effective. That is all he cares for.” Standing up, Pathos turned to a window, looking out toward Canterlot mountain. “How are they doing?” “Your ponies fight well,” Pathos remarked. “But they do not stand a chance. Though there has been a… complication.” “What complication?” Pathos hesitated a moment. “I won’t tell her you told me anything. I’ve kept my resolve intact this long, after all.” Nodding slowly, Pathos continued. “There are some ponies who have apparently come from nowhere. Strange abilities, no previous history.” “Like you?” “Yes. Logos thinks we are related, in some fashion.” Pathos dragged her hoof against a wall, lethargically. “He has determined to ask father when he returns from his exploration.” “Titan has left? Why?” Pathos shrugged. “Logos knows more than I. Father trusts him more. I am too insecure, uncertain, weak. I’m talking to you as equals, so he’s clearly right.” “That doesn’t mean you’re wrong.” “Be that as it may, there is nothing to be done. I know full well why I’m being paraded around in front of you. The purpose is twofold. Mother’s petty desire to torment you, and a warning to myself. What happens to those who cross father directly.” Celestia stood up and pointed at herself. “I’m not dead.” “But what good can you do, tied up like this? Trapped in a—” Pathos stopped short. “You can talk to me.” Celestia didn’t let her disappointment show. “Hmm?” “You are trying to turn me to your side. To empathize with the little ponies and your plight.” Pathos’s calm exterior became angry. “You’re using me just like she is.” “I am attempting to bring you to the truth.” “I will come to the truth on my own.” Pathos summoned her blade of sunlight and pointed it at Celestia. “Stay still. It will hurt less if I can be precise.” “...May I ask what your blade’s name is?” Something Celestia couldn’t recognize tugged at Pathos’ features. “...Replete.” “Mine’s Zenith,” Celestia offered. Pathos nodded in understanding. Without flinching, she drove the blade of sunlight into Celestia’s flank. Celesita let herself scream more than was strictly necessary. Pathos would feel as much of the pain as Celestia could make her. ~~~ Suzie needed something to take her mind off Celia, so she went down to Equis Imperfect personally, to deal with the Imperfects and their issue. Only Seren and Blink were with her. This may not have been the best idea. Currently, she was talking to Cabbage, who had one very important mission in mind. “You look down, captain. But don’t worry, I can be here—an ever-smiling face to listen to your problems.” “I don’t need anyone to listen to my problems right now,” Suzie said, frowning. “I need to figure out why you called me.” “Are you certain? Maybe you would just find it uncomfortable to vent to me? I assure you, nothing you say will upset me.” “I didn’t mean it like that…” “Of course you did! You don’t have to hide behind perceptions with me. You can mean it like that all you want, nothing will change about my perception of you!” “I have a job to do, Cabbage.” “Jobs can wait, personal health comes first!” “Hey, Cabbage?” a yellow Imperfect mare said. “Her job, in this case, involves figuring out what happened with our universe. Maybe her job does come first?” “Wow! Imagine that, I learned something new today!” “Glad to hear it!” Suzie stared, slack-jawed, as Cabbage walked away without another worry. “He likes to help people a lot. Should I apologize for that?” “Uh… no.” Suzie shook her head. “What’s your name?” “Butterscotch!” She widened her smile in greeting. “I’m here to take you to Melancholy.” “That’s an odd name for an Imperfect,” Blink commented. “He changed it not that long ago,” Butterscotch said. “He’s experimenting with the ways of Imperfection so the rest of us don’t have to. It’s a wonder—I hear he’s close to getting himself to frown naturally! What progress!” “Uh-huh…” Blink said. “Fascinating,” Seren added. “Is he forcibly integrating the emotion of sorrow, or just learning to fake it?” “I have no idea,” Butterscotch admitted in the creepily chipper tone that was standard for Imperfects. “I bet you could ask him!” They arrived at a large house painted black and covered with every cliche horror implement imaginable: boarded up windows, pointed black wire-fence, a black cat sleeping on the porch, and a keep out! sign on the front lawn. Admittedly, the sign had a footnote on it. Words for experimentation only. Feel free to come in whenever you want. -Melancholy. “I didn’t think it was possible for Imperfects to get insanity,” Blink said. Butterscotch nodded. “That’s true, unless you count our Imperfect condition an insanity. Melancholy has simply chosen to see what happens when one attempts to live a life opposite our own. Come on in, he’s quite inviting.” They trotted up the rickety steps to the front door. Butterscotch didn’t even knock, she just walked right in. “Ah, welcome!” a blue stallion said, lounging on a black couch in the front room. His face had a strange metal ring around it that forced his mouth to curve downward into a frown, tightening his skin enough to make it appear painful. “I am Melancholy. Oh, woe is me!” He said this with so much cheer that Suzie couldn’t help but groan. Melancholy shrugged. “I appear to be doing it wrong. Perhaps this is a fruitless endeavor. But we will never see where it leads until we get there! Greetings, welcome to the house of suffering, dismay, and crows.” “Crows?” Seren asked. “Crows, yes. Had them imported last week. They seem to have gone missing, though. With luck they’ll start a full ecosystem in town!” Suzie frowned. “Why did you call us?” “Why, because I am one of the frontier scientists of Equis Imperfect, and I noticed something odd recently! Here, let me show you!” He led them into a basement. Suzie was able to identify a standard-issue Merodi laboratory absolutely covered in fake cobwebs, toy spiders, and black paint. “Welcome to my torture chamber!” Melancholy said. “This is where I run tests on my emotional state and the dimensional fabric of existence!” He led them to a large screen displaying a graph. “As you can see, our dimension has experienced a mysterious upset recently.” Suzie shook her head. “I’m not a scientist; I have no idea what this graph means.” “I know!” Seren said, pointing at a line graph that dipped in the middle. “These are the magic levels. They’re dropping at a rate faster than they can replenish it!” “We’re not connected to the Magic High Commission in this universe, are we?” Blink asked. “It’s always such a hassle to get to the other side of the Q-Sphere to talk to them…” “No, we don’t have to worry about that,” Seren said, shaking her head. “This universe produces its own magic through the Imperfects themselves. They’re self-sustaining! This just means that something, somewhere else, is eating it up. And it’s not Imperfects off-world either, they wouldn’t draw this much power…” “So an unexplained drop in magic in the perfect universe Silvertongue created,” Suzie summarized. “Yeah, that’s suspicious. Any theories?” Melancholy shrugged. “Universe Generator?” Suzie sighed. “Seems unlikely, but worth a shot, I guess… Tell Swip to pick us up and pay a visit to that wonderful place.” “Yes! I get to go to the Universe Generator!” Seren cheered. ~~~ Sweetaloo realized she wasn’t in her bed. She shot to her hooves and splayed her wings, ready for a fight even though she knew she was all but useless. Something had taken her away from Swip. “Look who decided to wake up.” Nira was using her ominous voice. That meant something was wrong. More than usual. Sweetaloo looked around. She was in an expanse of darkness with nothing in sight but Nira and a massive black alicorn with a blindingly white mane and tail. Oh no. A pocket dimension? “Sweetaloo, Titan. Titan, Sweetaloo,” Nira growled. “Now that we’re introduced, how about you say more than your name?” Titan spoke, the voice so demanding and powerful it made Sweetaloo wince. “Your impatience is tiresome and unfitting for a being such as you.” “You don’t even know what I am.” “You were the personal slave of one of my siblings.” Nira snorted. “You have an interesting definition of sibling.” “Were you not useful your disrespect would earn you death.” “Bring it. I’ve taken out more than a few of those ‘siblings’ in my time.” “And you do not have the power to do it alone. Your use comes in telling me how it is done so I may prevent it.” “Nice try. I’m not telling you a—” Titan drove a line of darkness through Nira’s midsection, wielding it like a sword. Nira’s blood poured out, taking the form of two massive claws that rushed Titan. Still impassive, Titan made his blade split into dozens of pieces, shredding Nira’s blood arms and pinning her to the ground. “Heh, nice. But how about this?” Nira’s entire body began to glow with red runic designs, chaining together with dark magic. Rippling, vibrating chains began to appear all around her. Sweetaloo covered her ears - she knew what madness was coming. “No,” Titan said. The magic vanished from Nira in an instant. “Wh… you’re no fair.” “Knowing you are about to die and you resort to petty insults?” “I was raised by a monster like you. There is no fear of death in me.” “I would say they raised you well, but they allowed you to rebel.” “Hah. No they didn’t. I had to be taken out of the universe for that to work!” Titan’s expression remained level. He turned to Sweetaloo. “You.” “Y-yes?” Sweetaloo said. “You are an alicorn. You are not an alicorn. What are you?” “I am… the Crusader. A teleportation accident fused three ponies together, and… here I am!” She smiled nervously. I can’t get a read on this guy. “A perversion of the natural order,” Titan concluded. “I must know more, yet I don’t know what it is most pertinent to know first. My multiversal explorations have, so far, been equal parts enlightening and obfuscatory. You are going to tell me everything.” “N-no,” Sweetaloo stammered. “Falsifying fear won’t get you anywhere.” Sweetaloo’s trembling lip dropped. “Right, we’ll do this the basic way. I’m absolutely terrified of you. I refuse to give you anything.” “Unlike the dark one, you fear death.” Titan held his blade to Sweetaloo’s neck. Sweetaloo closed her eyes. Titan used his magic to force them open. “No hiding.” “Perhaps we can come to some kind of agreem—” “No semantics. Absolute loyalty or death.” “O-okay,” Sweetaloo sputtered. “What do you want?” “You lie.” Sweetaloo forced a smile. “I’m sure I can learn to be absolutely loyal, with time.” Titan de-summoned his blade. “Breaking you down would take too long. Stay still.” “For w—” Her mind was on fire. She fell to the ground, screaming as her own mind screamed against her. “Tell me about the Universe Generator.” Sweetaloo wanted to say no. She screamed to say no. But the moment she opened her mouth to say no, her mind became a warzone. Her conscious train of thought was forcefully derailed and rammed into the ground, crushed until she could hear nothing but static and Titan’s previous order. “T-the Universe Generator is… is…” she stopped herself, forcing herself to think more about the Universe Generator. As she collected her thoughts, her psychologist’s intuition was able to recognize what was happening to her. A forced compliance spell, specifically one that induced insanity and incoherence onto any thought that could be construed as defiant to the orders of the caster. The more she fought the orders of Titan, the more the spell would eat her mind. She was fairly sure she had enough mental fortitude and psychological awareness to refuse his order through sheer skill, but that would turn her into a brainless husk. The information he wanted would no longer be at his disposal, but then he could just find another pony… No, her best option was to force herself to obey without question so she could keep as much of her sanity intact as possible. Speaking like a robot, she reported. “The Universe Generator is the universe responsible for 90-99% of all pony-based worlds, most of which are located within the Q-Sphere of the multiverse. It is theorized to have been built by the Downstreamers uncountable eons ago. It works through a-” “Why are you so coherent so quickly?” He’s onto me. “I recognized the sort of spell and realized fighting it would only be detrimental to any of my previous goals and likes.” “Purge all loyalty to any being but me from your mind.” “Sweetaloo, don’t!” “Done,” Swetaloo said. “Titan, my past-self only made that decision so quickly because she knew it could be retracted later upon your defeat.” “Why are you so certain I will be defeated?” “You are acting as a classic villain. Ka will ensure it.” Titan’s expression changed for the first time, eyes narrowing. “What is ka?”