//------------------------------// // Chapter IX // Story: The Ending of the End - Love and Tolerance Edition // by StarlightisVERYcute //------------------------------// Rainbow Dash stood on one of the castle’s many balconies, watching the rain gently falling from the ashen skies. Combined with the heavy grey clouds and the brutal cold front the windigos had brought, it was quite a mess outside. But she’d worked with weather for years. She could feel the air pressure continuing to drop. The air temperature hovered a half-dozen degrees above freezing. As raindrops dripped onto the rail, they splattered into a bone-chilling mist that left even her supremely athletic body shivering. She could try and break the clouds apart. But why bother? The windigos would create more, and it’d leave her frozen and weak for the looming battle. She glanced over her shoulder, half-expecting to see Twilight hovering there expectantly. But she was alone. Rainbow let her mind wander. Those bad guys are so hard to read. I can’t trust any of them, of course. Cozy’s probably the best at trickery and betrayal of anypony alive. Both Tirek and Chrysalis are pretty experienced at it too. I’m not going to stoop to that level and try to betray them first. And I’ll make sure my friends don’t either. Being ready for a fight just makes sense, and there’s no way I’m turning my back on those three. But I’m not just gonna start betraying ponies for convenience either. Actually, where is Starlight? She has to have finished recruiting everycreature. Isn’t she ready to march by now? The eggheads should know, Rainbow decided. She’d talk to Twilight and Starswirl and maybe they could get in touch with Starlight. Twilight stared at the cutie map. Between Starswirl, Starlight, and I, I think we can recreate the time travel spell she used. The idea was so tempting. We could go back to this morning, save Discord, banish the villains to Tartarus, and save Equestria in a flash. Yet something held her back. Her prior experience with time travel had shown her just how drastically history could be changed. And there is always the horrifying possibility that Grogar has found a way to attune himself into time travel spells, so he would be sent back along with the caster… But surely that’s impossible. A spell like that, contingent on something which hasn’t even happened yet, and by the time it had happened, would be over… a spell like that would be impossible to design. She countered her own point, Who really knows the limit of Grogar’s powers? He managed to defeat Discord, the master of chaos and disharmony, with such disturbing ease. Supposedly he’s invented entire species of creatures, including dragonkind. What if he has crafted a spell that would detect if someone aware of and hostile to him was about to cast a time travel spell? The idea gave Twilight shivers. But it brought a very important point to light: she needed to do research. She needed to learn absolutely everything she could about Grogar. And she needed to do it now. But who will know more about him? One of the Pillars? Stygian? Sunburst? All of the above, she hoped. “Spike, take a letter, and be ready to make five copies with only the name changed. Spike nodded with a smile. “Sure thing, Twilight.” Twilight dictated, Dear Sunburst, I’m sorry to bother you, but I need a full report on absolutely everything you knew about Grogar prior to today. Write on the back of this letter, and burn it in a fire. It’ll return to me with your information. Your friend, Twilight Sparkle “There, got it,” Spike said. “Who else should I make copies for?” “Somnambula, Mage Meadowbrook, Rockhoof, Flash Magnus, and Mistmane.” Twilight returned his smile. “As they’re among the oldest living heroes, I require their input.” “You’re not asking me, Twilight?” Starswirl asked half-jokingly. Twilight blushed. “Of course I’m asking you! We’re just in the same building, so a letter seems a little excessive. In any case, what do you know about Grogar?” “Not much, unfortunately,” Starswirl said, frowning. “He specialized in creating and modifying creatures, turning them into monsters. He was a mythical figure even in my time—Gusty the Great lived millennia before I did.” “Gusty the Great…” Twilight echoed. An idea was starting to swirl in her mind. She had a feeling Celestia wouldn’t approve, but part of being a leader was doing difficult things when they had to be done. And, she remembered, Celestia isn’t here right now, because I was restraining myself. “Yes. One of the earliest ponies whose names we still have,” Stygian added. “She stole Grogar’s bell, weakening him immensely. It’s a very good thing he never managed to regain it, or we’d be in far more dire straits than we already are.” The idea blossoming in Twilight’s head was looking more and more attractive. “Spike, have you sent the letters?” “No,” he answered. “I was finishing transcribing before sending any.” “Can you give me Sunburst’s? I have a postscript to write for Starlight.” She tried to keep her voice as neutral as possible. “Of course.” He gave her a searching gaze that told her he knew exactly what she was doing, and chose to go along as if he hadn’t anyway. He really did trust her. “Here you go, Twilight.” She added a few more words after her signature, and passed it back. “Thanks Spike. Send them once they’re done.” Pinkie bounced through the castle for what might be the last time. She soaked in all the beautiful crystalline arches, the paintings of her and her friends, and the way the storm clouds blanketing the skies contrasted with the prismatic beauty of the castle. The looming battle was scary, but she wore a smile anyway. She knew how dire the situation was. She knew that soon she, her friends, and those meanies would be going after the biggest meanie. And she knew that this time, maybe some of them wouldn’t make it back. Grogar might be able to banish them to the moon, or to Limbo, or who knew what else? But that was just how it was. They’d been risking their lives since entering Everfree that fateful Summer Sun Celebration all those years ago. Maybe that’s what being a hero cost. Either way, she was determined to win. Her goof-off with Cheese would look like a lone, sprinkleless cupcake when she was done. As long as she had her party cannon, she had all she needed. A thought bubbled up from the stew of ideas slowly boiling in her mind. Party cannon Canterlot parachute. But she’d need to talk to Rainbow Dash to see if it was possible. Pinkie took a deep breath, and went zooming through the hallways towards where she’d last seen Rainbow. Applejack stared at the Cutie Map, whose glittering landmarks were ablaze with flickers of light. Starswirl and Stygian had designed a complex spell to represent all battles currently being fought in Equestria. As she watched the repeat of the past hour, something strange played out on the table. Throughout Equestria, pony-pony battles were decreasing, despite increased influence of the Windigos. Something was changing ponies to not fight each other. But what? And why? Stygian gestured to a stream of data. “The influence of you six has been a majority of the change,” he read, “but it can’t account for a lot of what’s going on.” “So, what d’ya think is happenin’?” Applejack asked. She gestured to Trottingham. “Lookie there. Five minutes, goes from heavy fightin’ to barely any.” “I have no idea,” Stygian admitted. “Whatever happened, it was subtle enough this spell didn’t detect it—or happened quickly enough this spell didn’t show anything, because it happened between scans. Either way, it’s a mystery.” “Do you think we have time to visit Trottingham? Check out what’s goin’ on?” Applejack kept a suspicious eye on the town. “Probably not. Your new allies should be back any minute. It seems like quite a bad idea to keep them waiting,” Stygian said cautiously. Applejack knew exactly what he was implying. If we leave ‘em too long, they might get bored and betray us. “Good point. Guess it’ll just be a mystery, then. Unless, ‘course, one of them knows a spell to learn exactly what’s going on so far away,” she chuckled. “Well, that might be possible,” Stygian said. “I know Starswirl is proficient at scrying magic. Perhaps you could go talk to him?” “Shucks, that’s a great idea! Thanks, Stygian!” She gave him a big, happy smile from under her hat. “It’s my honor, Applejack.” He offered her a tentative hoofshake, which she responded to with a vigorous one. “Good luck.” Chrysalis’s thick roc feathers made a perfect nest for Midnight, Tirek, and Cozy. Tirek kept the comatose filly by his side. “With her off working her magic, she might roll off,” he pointed out. “And… she can’t fly?” Midnight asked with a raised eyebrow. “What are her wings for, then?” “Obviously, she can’t fly while unconscious,” Tirek said. “Can you?” “How would I know?” Midnight asked flatly. “I’ve never even slept at all.” “Right. Sorry Midnight,” Tirek said with an apologetic smile. “Sometimes I forget how little experience you have. You’re just so intelligent and well-spoken, it’s strange to think about how much you don’t know.” “Indeed, the mysteries of epistemology are truly astounding.” Her dry sarcasm left a crack of a smile on Tirek. “Speaking of things I don’t know,” she continued, “I want to wake up Cozy Glow now to better understand her enchantments.” “Disturbing her when she’s on missions is a bad idea,” Tirek said. He stared down at her, his expression hard to read. “When she returns, which shouldn’t be too much longer now, you can ask her.” A few moments passed in contemplative silence. Cozy stirred. “Guuuh, guh,” Cozy groaned. She stared up into Tirek’s feline eyes. “What’s the matter, Tirek? Are you worried?” “No, of course not,” Tirek answered, avoiding her gaze. “Just—professionally concerned, that’s all. Concerned for the mission.” “I see,” Midnight said, staring at her own feathers. “Cozy Glow, I’d like you to explain all of your powers. For me to properly advice you on how you could utilize your magic, I need to know how it works, your peak powers, your limitations, and anything else that may be related.” “Golly, that’d probably take longer than our flight,” Cozy mused, giggling nervously. “But I guess I could summarize!” “You’re a wonderful ally and co-conspirator, Cozy,” Midnight said with a nerdy, uncertain smile. “I’m honored to be plotting the backstabbing of a self-appointed master.” “My main power is creating a shadowy copy of myself. It isn’t physically real, but I can see out of it and talk through it. It lets me communicate across vast distances very quickly, as well as spy on others from as far away.” Cozy gave a cute, evil little smile. “And though I can’t cause any physical harm, I can usually use my special talent to get other ponies to do it for me.” “I see,” Midnight said. “You said main. So there are others?” “Yep! I can create a bunch of copies of myself at once. I haven’t used that one much yet, so I’m not sure of its limitations.” Cozy shrugged. “We’ll figure it out!” “We will,” Tirek said. He reached one of his huge hands down to her, and softly stroked her back. Cozy was only knocked to her knees. “Gee, thanks Tirek. You’re a pretty great guy, you know that?” She rolled over to smile up at him. “He has been a most engaging partner on abstract magic theory,” Midnight added. Tirek gave her a proud grin, and extended a huge fist. She examined it curiously. “What are you holding?” He blinked. “Midnight, it’s something called a hoofbump. You gently tap your hoof to my fist. It’s a sign of respect and teamwork.” Midnight nodded, and hoofbumped his fist. “Cozy, I have a request to make of you,” Chrysalis boomed from her powerful roc lungs. Midnight’s eyebrow rose as her ear twitched. “You can talk while disguised like that?” “Yes,” Chrysalis answered. Her voice was powerful enough to send Midnight bumping up and down. “I just preferred to listen to your interesting conversation. In any case, Cozy, do you see those ravines below us?” Cozy peered over the side. “Yep! What about ‘em?” “I’d like you to use your new powers to scout down below and see what’s going on. Who’s causing them and why.” Chrysalis squawked in frustration. “I couldn’t see any traces of them even with my supreme eyesight.” “Sure thing! Just shake me awake if you need me.” Cozy closed her eyes again. With her previous conversation partner gone, Midnight decided to continue her intellectual stimulation. She asked, “So, Chrysalis, what do you think of the magic theory we’ve been discussing?” “It’s never really been interesting to me,” Chrysalis replied. “I know how to cast the spells I want to, and I’m quite good at it. I don’t have to study the abstract principles of how magic works to use it. Being able to cast spells is all that’s required.” “Perhaps not, but it can deepen your understanding of the subject,” Tirek said with a slight smile. “It makes inventing new spells and countering enemy spells much, much easier.” “I am not sure how it affects spellcraft,” Midnight admitted, “as I’ve never had one without the other. The cloning procedure gave me all of Twilight’s knowledge of magic, so I’ve always been very well-educated on the theory.” Chrysalis shrugged her massive shoulders. “Your discussion was enlightening. I didn’t have much else to do, so I listened in. Some of it went over my head, but I understood about half of it. Who knows, it might even be useful.” “That’s the spirit, Chrysalis!” Tirek said with a grin. He leaned in towards Midnight conspiratorially. “Give it a week and she’ll be reading magic theory textbooks!” he whispered with a cheeky grin. “As if, Tirek,” Chrysalis purred playfully. “You just want someone less knowledgeable there so you can lecture and feel superior towards!” Midnight and Tirek both chuckled. “When we’re not trying to kill each other, you’re pretty fun to have around, Chrysalis,” Midnight said with a wry smile. Further banter was interrupted by two things. First, Princess Twilight’s castle finally loomed into view. In the white sleet, it looked rather like the Crystal Empire’s castle. Second, Cozy’s eyes flashed open. “Diamond dogs!” “Hmm?” Tirek asked. “What do you mean?” “Grogar’s recruited the diamond dogs to his side with promises of unlimited gems. He’s employing them to undermine cities across Equestria!” Cozy’s words tumbled out in rapid succession. “I did what I could to convince them, but all I got was a ‘maybe’.” “Tell us what you saw and did,” Chrysalis requested, her voice soothing but firm. “We need to know more details on what’s going on.” Fluttershy carefully breathed in, out. She had to be brave. She had to be tough. All her pony and animal friends were counting on her. The rain had given way to the dreaded wintry mix, leaving Ponyville blanketed in a thick grey haze. My critter friends are probably freezing out there! Ohhhh, I hope they find the blankets, and the cold-blooded ones snuggle up with the warm-blooded. Fluttershy closed her eyes, focusing her will. She’d grown much more assertive over the past half-decade. And now it was time to put her skills to the test and save Equestria. The telltale click-clack of claws told her she wasn’t alone. “Fluttershy?” Spike asked. “Are you doing okay? I was a little worried when you just kind of vanished.” Fluttershy opened her eyes and gave him a big, gentle smile. “Ohhh, don’t worry Spike. I’m fine. I’m just getting ready for our battle.” Spike nodded. “Funny you mention that. There’s someone who wants to talk to you about it.” As Spike spoke, Angel Bunny hopped in. “Angel! What are you doing here?” Fluttershy scolded. “Why aren’t you hiding in the sanctuary, safe and secure, warm with all the other animals?” He waved his paws in an angry answer. “The sanctuary is getting really cold? Too cold even for blankets? And all the other animals say it’s like or even worse all across Equestria?” Fluttershy asked with a gasp. Angel bounced up and down. “Oh, no. That’s just awful!” Fluttershy commiserated. She narrowed her eyes to slits. “I know Grogar is evil and all, but hurting defenseless animals—that’s just too far!” She stretched her wings and growled, “Spike, let’s get ready to go fight. I’ve had enough of this meanness!” Behind her, Angel cheered. She could tell what he was saying. Roughly translated, and with the profanity removed, he was gloating, “My friend Fluttershy is going to kick Grogar’s tail!” “And—done!” Rarity said with a proud smile. She’d spent the past two hours gathering (or in Tirek’s case, stitching) better outfits for her friends and her new allies. Grogar might have changelings on his side, after all, and this way they’d know who was real and who was an imposter. With frantic work, she’d managed to get everything finished in time. And while it was a rather sloppy job, she was pleased with the results. She picked each one up with her telekinesis, and hurried towards the Cutie Map room. Rarity was knocked off her feet by a flash of yellow. She groaned, “Fluttershy? What’s the hurry?” “What’s the hurry!? What isn’t the hurry?” Fluttershy snapped. “Look around, Rarity! Canterlot’s been destroyed. Equestria’s consumed by infighting. The Windigos are destroying the ecosystems. Creatures all across the world are suffering. Why aren’t you in a hurry? Do you just not care?” Rarity winced. “Of course I care, darling. What’s going on is downright awful and we need to stop it. But thinking with anger instead of your head will just lead to rash decisions. Take a few deep breaths to clear your mind.” Fluttershy was about to fire off a scathing retort, but Rarity’s pleading stare kept her quiet. She breathed in, out, in, out, in, out. “Okay. You’re right, Rarity. If we rush in with no plan Grogar will beat us easily. But come on—we don’t want to waste time either.” The two mares cantered down the shiny hallways towards the sound of voices. Twilight anxiously paced back and forth. What if none of our allies have useful information? What if Grogar figures out what we’re planning? What if…? Spike burped, and a scroll flew out of his mouth. Twilight ran over to grab it, but was knocked to the ground by a blur of cyan. “Urgh, Rainbow, can you watch where you’re going?” Twilight complained as she stood back up. “One of these days you’re going to hurt somepony.” “Sorry Twilight,” Rainbow said with a sympathetic wince-smile. “But I really need to ask you: where’s Starlight and what’s she doing? Is she ready to attack?” “Let’s see,” Twilight said, indicating Spike’s new scroll. She opened it and skimmed the writing, and gave Rainbow a shrug. “It’s Mistmane’s, not Sunburst’s.” “Read it anyway,” Starswirl requested. “I’d very much like to hear her thoughts.” Twilight coughed, and began to read, Twilight, What little I know of Grogar suggests he was the greatest enemy of all things good, beautiful, and kind. My homeland never had direct contact with him, but we did struggle with his creations. They incredibly powerful. I hope my knowledge will help somehow. Your friend, Mistmane “Interesting,” Starswirl said, “but probably not that important.” Another gout of fire erupted from Spike’s throat. Twilight opened it as well, and read aloud, Dear Twilight, I am very glad you asked me for my knowledge. I’ve had a long-standing interest in the myths surrounding Grogar, and spent years tracking down his lore. The most important thing to understand is just how ancient he is. He ruled alone thousands of years even before myself and the other Pillars joined forces. Before he ascended to power, ponies lived in small farming villages with no large cities or greater civilization. He created and corrupted a huge variety of creatures into strange, awful monsters, and unleashed them to do what they pleased. Ponies lived in terror of attracting the notice of the children of the Father of Monsters. Gusty the Great organized the scattered villages into a united force, and stole his Bewitching Bell. Without his Bell, he was forced into hiding. But without an enemy to unite the nation, ponies reorganized themselves into three tribes based on type. I am not entirely sure on this point, but I have reason to suspect while in exile, he created the Windigos to exact his vengeance on ponykind. They seem uniquely designed to destroy pony civilization, and their powers remind me of other things he’s worked on. After potentially creating the Windigos, I know nothing of his history. Yours, Somnambula “Yes,” Stygian said slowly. “I hadn’t remembered until now, but everything she said lines up with the scattered legends I’ve read of Grogar.” “If we can figure out where Gusty put Grogar’s bell, maybe we could destroy it to weaken Grogar?” Spike suggested. “I expect its magic would just return to him,” Starswirl said with a sigh. “But why haven’t the others replied to us yet? What’s taking them so long?” “Maybe something happened to them?” Rainbow asked, an uncharacteristically worried look on her face. “It’s not like Flash Magnus to be late.” “I will contact them directly with magic,” Starswirl said. “If you could do that all this time, why not do it before!?” Spike asked, his voice thick with irritation. “Do you just like watching me write?” “My long-distance communication spell is draining,” Starswirl explained. “I don’t use it unless necessary.” Without further discussion, he closed his eyes, and set his horn ablaze. Rainbow and Twilight watched him nervously, and Spike sulked. The sudden arrival of Pinkie broke the silence. “Rainbow, there you are! Quick, first: would we be able to be airdropped right onto what’s left of Canterlot? And second, do you have any parachutes?” “Umm… maybe?” Rainbow answered with a raised eyebrow. “I’d need to check the current weather. And I think the weather office has a few parachutes.” “Great! Thanks Dashie!” Pinkie said with a big smile. “Grogar will never see it coming!” Spike burped up another letter, and passed it to Twilight. She began to read it silently as Pinkie and Dash continued their discussion. “Riiiight… Pinkie, isn’t it safer to just walk there?” Rainbow asked. “You know, if your parachute malfunctions, you’ll be in big trouble.” “Awww,” Pinkie said. “But if you’d be worried, I won’t.” She patted Rainbow gently on her back. “Your Auntie Pinkie’s here to help!” Starswirl jerked awake. “Good news: they’re all still unharmed and free. Bad news: they’ve been dealing with situations that have prevented them from responding so far. Diamond dogs for Rockhoof, rogue dragons for Flash, and bugbears for Meadowbrook.” “And Sunburst and Starlight have gotten back to me!” Twilight said with a big smile towards Rainbow. “Here’s what they say:” Princess Twilight, My knowledge of Grogar’s history is minimal, but I can tell you about his spellcraft. He is, without a doubt, the greatest shaper of life in history. He developed more techniques to create new creatures and monsters than every mage since combined, and made great strides in every other field of magic as well. Gusty the Great may have learned some of her spells from his own grimoires. Without his Bewitching Bell, he will be much less powerful, but still probably the most dangerous being alive. Before today, I would have said he was about as powerful as Discord. After the events you described, I have to conclude he is quite a bit mightier. Forever your friend in research and magic, Sunburst P.S.: Starlight says her army is ready to march on your command. “Hey, what’s that?” Spike asked, pointing to something on the paper. “You didn’t read that part.” “Hahah, Spike, that’s just Sunburst confessing his crush on Starlight!” Twilight said with a nervous smile. “I didn’t want to read it since it was private.” “Sugarcube, don’t lie to us,” Applejack reprimanded gently. “What’s it really say?” Twilight winced. “Alright. It really says, ‘Starlight says contacting Gusty’s spirit would require advanced necromantic magic. I might know a spell for that, but I’d have to be there in person to guide you two on how to do it.’“ “Whoa-whoa-whoa,” Rainbow said, shocked. “Necromancy? Isn’t that, like, SUPER dark magic?” “Indeed,” Starswirl agreed. “Twilight, don’t you know better? That kind of magic is what turned Stygian into the Pony of Shadows.” A familiar voice with a horribly unfamiliar tone silenced the discussion. “Do it, Twilight Sparkle. If it is your best option, and you refuse to take it, you are as complicit in the suffering to come as Grogar himself is.” The assembled ponies turned towards the voice, and fell silent as they saw its owner. She was, at first glance, a copy of Twilight. But when one looked at her longer, they saw anomalies. A crinkled mane, a paler coat, and a slightly different cutie mark all suggested that this wasn’t a changeling—it was something quite different. Beside her stood Queen Chrysalis, now clad in insectile armor and charged with green light, and a Cozy Glow who looked completely normal. This new Twilight assessed the ponies present. “You want to stop Grogar. If you expect to succeed, you must be willing to use the most efficient methods available. In fact, why stop at Gusty’s spirit? I am certain with your, my, Chrysalis’s, and Tirek’s power, we could reanimate Gusty completely.” “You—you’re me. But… I’m me. Who are you? What are you?” the original Twilight asked, her voice wavering. “I am Midnight Sparkle, an artificial clone of you, complete with your knowledge of and skill with magic. And, more importantly, without your conscience to burden you.” Midnight nodded to herself. “I know all about the spells to raise the dead and make them puppets. That means you read those books, correct, Twilight? I imagine you at least considered casting them. Why shackle your own power? If an army of the dead would aid you, why not utilize it?” “Now hold on a second, missy,” Applejack said. “You might be a copy of Twilight, but clearly you don’t know the first thing about her: she really cares about doing the right thing.” Chrysalis rolled her eyes, while Midnight simply nodded. “And the right thing is to save Equestria from Grogar’s reign, correct?” Midnight argued. “So in this case, that is creating undead minions to fight him. Put aside your ethics and embrace the big picture.” “I… can’t,” Twilight said shakily. “Ordinary ponies shouldn’t be turned into tools for someone else, no matter how good the reason. It’s just… wrong.” Fluttershy and Rarity entered as she spoke, settling in beside Pinkie to listen. Midnight sighed. “This is what I feared. You are too enslaved by your morality to do what must be done. But so be it. Cozy Glow, can you educate our allies on the situation?” “Sure thing, Midnight!” Cozy said, chipper as ever. “Okay, so a while ago, Chrysalis, Tirek, and I stole Grogar’s bell and didn’t tell him.” She savored the looks of astonishment from the Bearers of the Elements. “We used it to empower ourselves with new abilities and resurrect Midnight here. I’ve spent the past hour or so getting ponies to be friends again. I’ve resolved feuds, patched up disagreements, and generally spread your friendship propaganda. Chrysalis here has massively increased her shapeshifting power, and Tirek ate a banquet of magic. We’re all ready to fight!” Rainbow shook her head as she soaked all the information in. “Where is Tirek, anyway?” “Oh, he’s outside,” Chrysalis answered with a chuckle. “He wouldn’t fit in the castle. In fact, he might not even if we hollowed it out entirely.” “So… what’s the plan?” Rarity asked uncertainly. “Oh, and I don’t mean to sound insulting, but I went to all the trouble of making you and Tirek outfits, and you’re already wearing one and he’s way too big for mine?” Chrysalis shrugged. “Maybe you can tie it around one of his horns. As for the plan, I say we hit Grogar now and we hit him hard.” “We have been waiting for Starlight’s backup for a full-scale invasion,” Twilight said uncertainly, “but who knows what Grogar might do first? Maybe we should attack now after all.” One by one, the ponies nodded grimly. “Anypony have an issue?” Pinkie asked. Stygian seemed about to raise a hoof, but decided against it. “Then we march! I’ll bring the cupcakes.” “So, let me get this straight,” Spike asked Cozy dubiously. “You’re telling me you SOLVED friendship problems?” “Mhmmm!” Cozy answered, putting on her cute uniform. “I brought ponies together all over Equestria.” “That’s… actually, really wonderful, Cozy,” Twilight admitted. “How did you do that?” “I know all about manipulation,” she said with a smile. “That includes manipulating ponies into being friends. And the education I received at the School of Friendship definitely helped too!” A bit of flattery, but true: she had learned quite a lot about cultivating friendship at the school. “Speaking of, where are those… ahem, nice other students who foiled my plans?” “Rainbow’s getting them right now,” Rarity answered as she tied a suit to one of Tirek’s huge horns. “I hope you don’t mind?” “Of course not. I’m always happy to have more allies!” Cozy lied skillfully. “Speaking of, are you feeling okay about having Midnight with us, Twilight Sparkle?” “Yes,” Twilight answered. “I wasn’t expecting it, but she seems intelligent, powerful, and dedicated. You can’t always choose your allies or make sure they fit your qualifications. Sometimes you just need any help you can get.” Fluttershy asked Cozy pointedly, “Why did you decide to bring ponies together? You don’t do that often.” “Because I want to rule Equestria someday. And to rule, I need a population who like me and are willing to follow my instructions. If the Windigos prevailed, that would be gone.” Cozy gave a cheeky grin. “Plus, I just wanted to do my part for Equestria. This is my home, and I won’t have some no-good ram taking it away from me!” “Indeed,” Chrysalis purred. “Similarly, although I am disgusted with my hive and want vengeance on Thorax, I still care for my changelings. I will not see our greatest breadbasket shattered!” Starswirl nodded, and put a hoof to his chin. “On a related topic, I requested the other Pillars to gather at Ponehenge. If we fall, they may be Equestria’s last hope of survival.” Princess Cadance and Shining Armor trudged through the waves of blowing snow. “H… how are you holding up, dear?” Cadance asked her husband. “Just great,” Shining answered, wiping snow from his face. “Never better! But, just to be sure, how much further do you think the Crystal Empire is?” “It can’t be more than a mile or so,” Cadance shouted over the howling wind. “Can you detect the Crystal Heart’s magical shield and find out which direction it is?” Shining nodded, realized Cadance wasn’t looking at him, and said, “I can try, at least.” He ignited his horn with pink light, and the lines of magic running through the world revealed themselves to him. The thick tangle resulting from the Crystal Empire’s magic stood out even in the blizzard. “This way!” Shining shouted. He galloped through the thick snow, Cadance just a few paces behind, before arriving at the great bubble of magic. “The prince and princess are back!” a guard shouted. “Over here, Captain! Princess! Follow me—we’ll get you warmed up.” He led them to a small cottage stuffed with blankets and a nice, burning fire. Shining and Cadance collapsed into the warm blankets. “Urgh, that was awful,” Cadance sighed. “And we’ll have to go through it again to get back to Equestria.” “Can I get you anything else?” the guard asked as Shining snuggled himself into the covers. “Some hot cocoa would be lovely,” Cadance said with a slight smile. “Two cups, if it’s not too much trouble.” “Right away, your majesty,” the guard replied. As he trotted away, Cadance snuggled close against Shining. “What do we do now?” Shining asked, shivering. “There’s no way we can make it back through that storm. If we stay here, we’re letting ourselves get cut off from Equestria. If we try to push through the storm, the Windigos will freeze us solid.” “I’m not sure,” Cadance admitted. “But we’ll figure something out.” The guard returned with their cocoa, and Cadance sipped it. It filled her body with reassuring, soothing fire. A few peaceful, serene minutes passed as they snuggled. “Well, now that we’ve warmed up, we should go get the Royal Guard ready for an attack,” Shining said. “We’ll be able to snuggle more after Grogar is defeated.” “Agreed.” Cadance stretched, and stood up. “Come on, Shining.” She cantered towards the castle, with him just a few paces behind her. “Attention!” Shining declared to the guards. “Equestria is on the verge of total collapse. The storm is getting worse and worse, and if we stay here it’s only a matter of time before the Windigos bury us all in snow. But if we take the fight to them, we might prevail!” “It’s funny you bring that up, Captain,” one of the guards said. “The people have been clamoring for us to come to Equestria’s aid.” “They have?” Cadance asked, raising an eye in surprise. “Yes,” he continued. “A pegasus filly showed up and stirred them into a fervor. Even I felt moved to action, though I didn’t do anything until now—I have to follow orders.” Shining started at the mention of a pegasus filly. “Can you describe the filly?” “Pale pink coat, light blue mane, lots of curls. Cutie mark of a chess piece.” Shining glanced to Cadance, who nodded slightly. She said, “Thank you. Get your weapons, scarves, and prepare to march.” To Shining, she added, “And get your visor. With a snowstorm like this, you’ll need it.” “So,” Fluttershy asked gently, “you’re all doing good… so you can do evil in the future?” “I wouldn’t call it evil,” Chrysalis replied. “Merely revenge.” “I’m just a kid, Fluttershy,” Cozy said with a little smile. “But you can think of it like this: we make sure there’s an Equestria left, and then we figure out who’s going to rule it.” “That’s not exactly what I mean,” Fluttershy said. “What I mean is, you’re already willing to do the right thing for selfish reasons. Do you think you’d be willing to for selfless reasons?” “Well… when you put it like that, yeah,” Cozy admitted. “I guess I could.” What she said wasn’t technically a lie—a ruler needed to be selfless in her protection of her subjects. “My reasons are already mostly selfless,” Chrysalis said. “But perhaps I could be… wider in my net of who to consider.” “No,” Midnight said with cold dispassion. “I don’t care about any of you outside of the benefits you bring me. I have no intentions of conquering or otherwise harming you, but I also don’t really care what happens to you. You are useful as sources of information and beyond that are of no interest.” Fluttershy put a hoof to her mouth, but said nothing. Cozy wondered what was going on behind her eyes. Fluttershy had managed to get Discord to adopt their friendship propaganda. Is she trying to do the same here? Rainbow landed in front of the students. “Alright, follow me. We’re getting ready to attack.” “Finally, some action,” Smolder said with a relieved grin. “Do you know how many times I’ve sharpened my claws these past three hours?” “I think it was only one,” Ocellus said gently. “Professor Dash, what’s our plan of attack?” “Stygian will cover everything,” she answered. “But in brief: you stay back and try to use the energies of Harmony where you can.” “Professor make yak and friends stay out of fight?” Yona asked unhappily. “Why Professor no trust friends?” “Yeah, do you think we’d just get in the way or something? Don’t you know better by now?” Sandbar followed up. “It’s not about trust,” Dash said with a sigh. “It’s about the promises we made to your parents or guardians. We said we’d keep you safe, and we’re going our best to do that.” Gallus shrugged. “Alright. Let’s just get going.” He gave a very subtle claw signal Dash missed. But Smolder recognized its meaning. “Sure, whatever,” Smolder said with an eyeroll. Gallus’s claw signal meant ‘agree’, and she could guess the rest: Gallus was suggesting to go along with the professors’ plan up until there was a suitable time to slip away. Then they’d team up with the professors and save their homelands together! Because of the professors’ promises, they couldn’t say what they really wanted, but Gallus had a knack for figuring this stuff out. “Ooooh, this is so exciting! It’s like when we stopped Cozy!” Silverstream said with a big smile. “Except this time we’re working with Cozy to stop somecreature even worse than Cozy!” She giggled. “Funny, huh?” “Yeah,” Gallus said with a significant glance towards Smolder. She was pretty sure she knew what he meant: Cozy couldn’t be trusted and it’d be a good idea to capture her as soon as Grogar was defeated. Yona sighed. “If all friends okay, Yona okay too.” “This way,” Dash instructed. She jumped into the air and turned towards the castle, flying far slower than normal. One by one, the students hurried after her. Gallus signaled for Smolder to wait a moment; he delayed to second-to-last, offering, “Me and Smolder will take up the rear.” As she followed him, he leaned back to whisper, “I’m pretty sure the professors are being duped by Cozy and her friends. I think it’s up to us to make sure Grogar’s rule isn’t immediately followed by the Terrible Triumvirate.” “Trium…what?” Smolder asked. “Three rulers.” Gallus faceclawed. “I’ve been spending too much time around Ocellus.” Smolder gave him a wry little smile. “Anyway, I think the professors are getting duped too. Funny how saving Equestria from its own ‘heroes’ is up to non-ponies.” Gallus punched her softly on the shoulder. She didn’t even notice. “Hey,” he said. “I think we’re both honorary ponies at this point, at least compared with our countries.” “So true,” she muttered with a sigh. “But hey. After all this, I’m sure we’ll all graduate with honors and be able to take friendship back home.” “Don’t tell Ocellus,” he joked. “She might have a panic attack at the thought of no more tests.” Snow fell softly on the broken ruins of Canterlot Castle. The thick, dark clouds spiraled above, as if heralding a worse storm yet to come. The wind itself seemed to be screaming in rage or pain. In the remains of the throne room itself, Grogar sat, carefully drawing diagrams with a stick. His concentration was interrupted by the sound of several claws on stone. A teenage dragon stuck his head around one of the shattered pillars. He asked nervously, “Ummm… Dragon Emperor Grogar, when will we be getting pillows? We looked all through Canterlot, but there were just piles of feathers and scraps of cloth…” “Can we make burps the official greeting now?” a female dragon added. “Please, Your Supremacy?” Grogar groaned in annoyance. “After the remaining pockets of resistance are crushed you’ll be able to salvage as many pillows as you want, Barry. Try Manehattan if you can’t wait. And no, Maar, I will not subject myself to that debasement.” He glared at them, open frustration on his face. “Now, I must focus. Turn away absolutely all visitors. Do not fail me.” The teenagers saluted and flew back to their guard posts around the throne room. “Grogar is the COOLEST!” Charcoal gushed. “Did you see what he did to Trottingham?” “I heard he was challenged to a duel by Ex-Dragon Lord Torch—and WON!” Maar said ecstatically. “It’s so amazing to be able to work alongside him!” A squad of six black, hole-filled changelings flew up to the dragons. “Important intelligence report. We need to see the Hivelord.” “Can’t,” Cinders said apologetically. “He’s very busy—and in a bad mood.” “Then I guess we’ll have to give it to you,” the changeling said with a groan. “We’ve spotted the Bearers of the Elements of Harmony—and it looks like Queen Chrysalis and the others of Hivelord Grogar’s strike team have joined forces with them!” “Chrysalis betrayed us?” Barry asked, dumbstruck. “Are you sure?” “Reasonably. It’s possible that it’s a group of the traitor’s changelings trying to sow discontent, but that seems unlikely. One, he’s not smart enough for that, two, they were trying to stay out of sight instead of be obvious, and three, we couldn’t find any other trace of the team.” The changeling sergeant shook his head sadly. “It seems like the likeliest possibility is that they did betray us.” “Thank you,” Maar said, smiling a little. “We’ll let him know once he’s able to be distracted.” The changeling nodded slightly, and his squad flew away. Barely a minute later, a pack of dogs padded up. Their leader barked, “Where is ram Grogar Gemking? We must speak with him at once!” “He’s busy,” Caldera said, rolling his eyes. “Not good enough! Ponies… very tough. Need help!” the dog argued. She crossed her forelegs. “Maybe dragons want Gemking all to themselves so only dragons get gems?” “Look,” Clump growled, tapping the dog on the forehead, “Grogar said he needed to concentrate. It might take an hour or a day, but once it’s done, I bet we’ll gain such an advantage we will win right away. So if you’re getting thrashed by ponies, why not just stay here and help guard?” “Hmphph, dragons want dogs to stay here? Dogs don’t need to stay in capital city in fancy dens. Dogs can fight! Dogs will conquer Equestria all alone!” The dogs cheered at her words, and the pack charged back the way they’d came. “Nice going, Clump,” Barry said with admiration. “Now hopefully we’ll get some peace and quiet.” Pinkie nervously smiled as saw the students file in after Rainbow. She couldn’t help but notice Yona staring daggers at Cozy, and Ocellus shivering at the sight of Chrysalis. “Great, you’re all here!” she said, as much to break the silence as to bring the focus back on topic. “And I think you all know each other…?” “Is she one of your changelings?” Sandbar asked Chrysalis, indicating Midnight. So no, they don’t. Chrysalis snorted at his question. “No,” Midnight replied evenly. “I am a clone of Twilight Sparkle that Chrysalis created.” She looked completely oblivious to the disbelieving stares of the students, or maybe she just didn’t care. Either way, Pinkie knew, getting everypony to get along was critical. She nodded slightly to their Twilight. “Well, now that you’ve met, eheh, I think it’s time for us to launch the attack,” Twilight declared with a nervous little laugh. “Starswirl, Stygian, and I have been working on a plan we think is pretty clever. We’ll scry on Canterlot Castle to make sure Grogar’s there, then teleport in. With the sundering of the city the ancient wards should have fallen, so it’ll hopefully be easy to teleport right on top of him.” “Then what?” Gallus asked, flicking his tail against the shiny floor. “Then myself and the other bearers engage him head-on. You six try and channel energy from the Tree of Harmony. And our new allies—” “Can take care of themselves,” Chrysalis finished harshly. “We’re helping you, not serving you.” “We probably should listen to what they have to say,” Cozy said gently. “It’ll help us make sure we don’t accidentally mess up each others’ attacks.” “She’s right,” Tirek agreed from outside. “Twilight, what’s your plan for us?” Twilight gave Cozy a gentle, tiny smile, and shared it with Tirek. “Tirek, you have the highest degree of raw power of anycreature here. I suggest you try to batter down his magical shields. Chrysalis, your shapeshifting powers enable you to turn into all kinds of things. I trust you know your best combat forms. Cozy, I’m counting on you to turn his minions against him. Spike will be alongside you, providing cover fire and helping convince any draconic minions. And Midnight, you share my knowledge of arcane finesse. Will you cast beside me?” One by one, Cozy, Tirek, and Midnight nodded, some more reluctantly than others. Only Chrysalis stood alone. She glanced from Twilight to Cozy, and then to Tirek. Pinkie couldn’t read what their faces were saying, but it was clearly a heated silent discussion. Finally, Chrysalis turned back to Twilight. “Fine. I’ll do as you wish.” Pinkie grinned. “Okay, everycreature follow me to the cutie mark map room! Except Tirek, I guess, but… well, you can stick your arm in, right?” “I think so, yes.” He extended a huge arm towards them. “This way!” Pinkie said, bouncing along. The clip-clop of hooves and other appendages behind her told her they were all coming. It was only one short turn to the map room. Inside, Stygian and Starswirl were pouring over the map. “I’ll be staying behind, to coordinate you all,” Stygian said with a nice little smile. “Starswirl’s going to cast a spell to let me talk to each of you.” “And I’ll be here to maintain that spell, and teleport you out of danger if it’s required,” Starswirl added. He set his horn alight, and the Cutie Map shifted and shimmered grey. The ruins of Canterlot appeared there, like a moving painting or a movie, and in the middle sat Grogar. He was apparently deep in meditation, surrounded by complex magic sigils, and chanting softly. Yellow and black magic covered the ground around him, forming strange, alien shapes in the snow. “Nice trick,” Smolder said with a smirk. “Alright, we know where he is,” Rainbow said. “Starswirl, can you get us there?” “Yes—though your help would certainly make it easier, Twilight,” he replied. He drew out a beautifully swirling orb of grey magic. “Now, everypony, touch this.” Pinkie thought about her friends. They were about to face down the worst threat Equestria had ever known. Emotion flooded her soul, and she darted over to her friends. She grabbed them all and pulled them into a big hug. “I’m scared,” Fluttershy admitted. “I’m worried about what he can do to you.” “We all are,” Applejack reassured her. “Grogar’s got more power than… well, just about anypony.” “Hah, well…” Dash said with a cocky smile. “I am too,” she admitted, the smile wavering away. “Not for myself—I know I’m tough enough to stand up to him. But for you guys? And our students? Yeah. I don’t want any of you to get hurt.” “I share your concerns,” Rarity said. “It’s one thing to go into battle against a deadly threat… it’s another to have creatures you promised to take care of alongside you.” “I’m sure we can do it,” Twilight said with a smile. “As long as we’re together, we’re unstoppable.” “Very emotionally touching,” Midnight said dryly, “but we are on something of a schedule. Shall we skip over the rest of the mutual encouragement so we can begin the attack?” Pinkie frowned, but she flipped that frown upside down and bounced over to hug Midnight too! “Aww, don’t be a sour grumpy guss! We can include you too!” Midnight pried the pink pony away with her telekinesis. “Attack me again and I’ll invert your personal gravity,” she said coldly. “That wasn’t an attack, Midnight, that was a hug,” Cozy explained with a giggle. “Golly, you really don’t have much non-magic information, do you?” Midnight shrugged noncommittally. “Just hurry up and cast your spell, Starswirl,” Chrysalis hissed, her voice low with annoyance. “Let’s get this over with.” “As you wish,” he replied, and the grey orb floated into the air. Tentacles of light extended from it down to each of the assembled creatures, Stygian and Starswirl excluded. Twilight ignited her horn and added to the spell, churning the grey light into a pale lavender. A blinding flash of light engulfed the room.