Elements of Harmony

by kolbdog32

Prologue

Prologue

CANTERLOT, FOURTH EQUESTRIA

There is a concept known as the "butterfly effect." It is quite well-known amongst philosophers and science fiction writers, but for those who are not familiar with it, it states thus: any event can trigger a chain of bigger and bigger events that will eventually change the fate of the entire cosmos. Anything so much as a butterfly flapping its wings can do this, for the gust of wind it generates will push nature into motion.

If such things can happen because of a mere butterfly, what would happen if a draconequus flapped its wings?

"Dear sister," Luna said at the royal delegate meeting, "I believe it is time."

Around a polished wooden table in the upper levels of the Canterlot castle sat the delegates. Luna sat in front of an old book, bound in black, lying before her on the table: the last journal of Starswirl the Bearded. Across from her was seated Princess Celestia. To Luna's right sat Shining Armor and Princess Cadance of the Crystal Empire; their travels to Canterlot were often, and they were always called to meetings that involved the most important decisions in Equestria. And to Luna's right, the newest delegate, the one who had known this Equestria from the farthest back in its history—since the days of Princess Platinum, Commander Hurricane, and Chancellor Puddinghead—and who looked absolutely bored to tears with his role in monitoring the balance of magic: Discord.

Luna had noticed that Discord had been becoming ever more apathetic since his release. She wondered if this was a good thing. It meant he wasn't causing trouble. At least the letters he wrote to Fluttershy every week seemed to cheer him. And he'd been made quite happy when Cadance, having received the okay to host the Equestria Games in the Crystal Empire, asked him to help design some of the stadiums and add challenges to make the sports more interesting. Luna then realized she'd been spending far too much time thinking about Discord and not enough explaining her plan to Celestia and the others.

"What is it time for?" Celestia asked Luna.

"To test Twilight Sparkle," Luna answered. "Thou hast seen what she hast done. She hast returned culture to the Crystal Empire. She hast summoned the Element of Magic after the Elements of Harmony had been locked away. She hast defended our land from many a vile villain, including two at this very table. Hast she not proven herself worthy of this table?"

"If you are thinking what I am thinking…" Celestia replied.

"What?" Shining Armor asked, looking back and forth between the sisters. "What are you thinking?"
"We thinkest," Luna told Shining Armor, "that thy sister is ready to ascend to the throne of princesshood."

"TWILY?" Shining Armor's jaw dropped. "A princess?"

"Gag me," Discord muttered.

Cadance shot Discord a look of daggers before telling Luna, "I think it is a wonderful idea. But what is the last test?"

"This journal containest the last work of Starswirl the Bearded," Luna explained. "Including his final spell, which remainest unfinished. We princesses of Equestria—my dear sister, Cadance, and myself—all contain within us immense powers, including those of the creative persuasion. Should Twilight Sparkle be able to write the ending to the spell of Starswirl, then…she containest more than enough of the power to create magic!"

"But no one's been able to figure that spell out," Cadance pointed out. "Not even you, Celestia, or me. What if she can't?"

"You've obviously never seen Twily doing her homework," Shining Armor informed his wife. "When she brought home her books from magic school, she'd lock herself in her room until it was done, even if she was stuck on a hard problem. One time, she accidentally took home a book from two grades ahead and did all the problems in it, even though she hadn't learned a thing about those spells!"

"Discord," Celestia noted, "you have been silent. I think it important that you weigh in."

"Well, well…" Discord sighed. "If I MUST. I think you're missing five VERY obvious factors. If I recall correctly, Twilight was only in your little school in the first place because her magic went off in the same Sonic Rainboom that gave all the current Elements of Harmony their Cutie Marks. Wouldn't it make just as much sense to crown Rainbow Dash?"

"Only in your mind," Shining Armor quipped.

"My mind, which once was a fountain of creativity," Discord replied. "Now reduced to reversing tornadoes and designing obstacle courses."

"We are not here to discuss thy complaints," Luna snapped. "We are here to discuss the ascension of Twilight Sparkle."

"I believe not only that this is a fitting test," Celestia said, "but that she has what it takes to complete it."

"I'm a little worried that something will go wrong," Cadance said, "but I have faith in Twilight."

"Definitely!" Shining Armor agreed.

"Discord?" Celestia asked.

The other four were stunned by the expression on Discord's face. He looked terrified, as though he'd seen a pack of Windigos fly in through the window over everypony's head. At last, he muttered, "Well, then, send her the book already."

"Then it is settled," Luna said. "We shall send Twilight Sparkle the last spell of Starswirl the Bearded, and, should she complete it…she shall ascend to her own throne!"

That night, Celestia left to deliver the book to Twilight. Luna went on an early dream patrol, and Cadance and Shining Armor caught a train back to the Crystal Empire.

Discord, in the meantime, lay awake on the bed he was provided when he arrived at the castle under peaceful terms. When he'd been asked to give a final verdict on Twilight Sparkle, he'd seen visions of what he considered to be awful things. Perhaps they would not be so awful to most, but to him, they were positively terrifying. And he saw them again now.

Twilight Sparkle, alicorn princess. The other five congratulating her—perhaps the pink one doing something silly like putting on a fake horn and wings, yelling, "ALICORN PARTY!" A magenta gown and a tiara fashioned of her Element of Magic stone. A fabulous coronation ceremony. Shining Armor would cry.

And after that…peace and order. No matter what unpredictable factors came into the borders of Equestria, be they Plunderseeds or Ahuizotl, Twilight would vanquish them. And even worse…Equestria was where she would stay all her life. The other five, too. Equestria would remain its own little homogenous petri dish, a culture of bacteria that fed off each other for nutrition and never took in any outside sources. And that would mean no REAL fun, not ever.

Many a time, Discord had traveled worlds. In particular, one of his favorite stints had involved him visiting a starship. He knew of the dangers out there. The different factors that were never supposed to mix. And if Twilight Sparkle became an alicorn princess…well, they never would. Not with Equestria, anyway.

Discord looked upon his life with Twilight on the royal council. Then he just thought about his life on the royal council. Weighing in on what to export to which town and who was infested with parasprites that season. Compared to what he'd seen, what he'd known…that wasn't a REAL life. He'd once been part of something larger, something…eldritch. And here he was, about to give that all up and watch peace and order take the stand. Perhaps even find tranquility and harmony at last in the apparent magic of friendship.

Unless.

He could do something different. No…it would be frowned upon highly. It wasn't how things were supposed to go at all. His visions weren't hypothetical; they were true premonitions. Twilight Sparkle was supposed to become the next princess…and the other five were supposed to stay right where they were. And as for the power Discord had once enjoyed? He was never supposed to regain it. His way with the universe allowed him to see it all, as though watching the season finale of some sort of cartoon. And to break it would have serious consequences. Not to mention that he'd made a promise to somepony he admired very much not to do such a thing.

That was one side of the scale. On the other: he was bored. Incredibly, painfully bored.

And that tipped it. Fluttershy would just have to understand.

PONYVILLE, FOURTH EQUESTRIA

At first, there had been a disaster. First, Twilight had accidentally used the half-finished spell of Starswirl to transfer Cutie Marks amongst her friends so each thought she had another's destiny. And this threw Ponyville into despair. With Pinkie Pie failing to farm apples, nopony was smiling due to her antics and celebrations. With Applejack sewing horrendous dresses, the Apple farm was failing. With Rarity creating weather patterns, the Carousel Boutique was very nearly shut down. With Rainbow Dash caring for a pack of animals and forgetting to feed every single one, nopony was making sure that the temperatures didn't get out of control, switching from blazing sun to blistering snow. And with Fluttershy throwing the most lackluster parties in existence, nopony was tending to the needs of the wild animals and pets of Ponyville.

Discord knew of all this as it happened. It was hilarious.

Then Twilight Sparkle found a way to remind each of her friends of her true destiny. First, she asked Fluttershy to please help Rainbow Dash. Fluttershy didn't believe herself to be good with animals, but upon the sight of seeing Rainbow Dash tormented by the animals, she stepped in immediately, vowing to do her best. At that moment, her Cutie Mark switched back to its true form, and so did her destiny. Twilight repeated the cycle with all her other friends, and soon order was restored.

Twilight was relieved that she'd found a way to save all her friends from living out miserable destinies. The side effect of all this was completely unintended; she was absolutely stunned when from this, the answer appeared.

"I know how to fix the spell!" she cried victoriously. She was already high on joy, having seen each of her friends realize her true self, having seen the extent to which they all cared for each other. And now…the elusive answer to Celestia's test. It was staring her in the face!

"Come on!" she beckoned her friends. "Let's go! Back to the library!"

Twilight turned to run in the direction of her home, and her ever faithful friends Applejack, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie followed.

"What did you figure out?" Pinkie Pie cried.

"That the spell only works with friendship!" Twilight replied. "Starswirl the Bearded never factored in—"

She opened the door to the library midsentence, took in the sight before her, and gasped. The others filed in around her, anxious to see what she had seen, and gasped similarly.

Discord clutched the journal of Starswirl the Bearded tightly. "Oh," he said casually. "Were you going to finish this?"

"Discord," Twilight seethed. "What are you doing?"

"Now, now," Discord replied, "I think a little explanation is in order. Though it shouldn't be hard for you to understand. You never did trust me."

"Discord…" Fluttershy stepped to the front of the group. "Why did you say it like that? Is something wrong?"

Discord heaved a sigh, a genuine sigh. "Fluttershy…you had me convinced to turn over a new leaf. That friendship meant that you couldn't have your way all the time. But you have no idea what it's been like! Orderly! Harmonic! BORING! You could just change my name to Concord! You all had to rediscover your true selves today." His voice became steely. "Well, I am taking this opportunity to rediscover mine."

"But…" Fluttershy was stunned. "You can't mean…"

"I'm leaving the royal delegate council," Discord announced. "I'm not going to play Celestia's little game anymore. It's barely a game! No, from now onward, I am playing by MY rules. And my rules say that your little switching spell now belongs to me to use as I see fit."

"Stop fooling around, Discord," Twilight barked. "Put that journal down."

"I don't want to stop fooling around!" Discord cried with a grin. "I haven't had this much fun since I was last released from stone!" He opened the book, looked over the last page, and burst into raucous laughter. Then he snapped his fingers.

An immediate change in aura was felt, as though the entire planet had somehow shifted. "DISCORD!" Twilight cried. "WHAT DID YOU DO?"

"Well, why don't you go see for yourselves?" Discord said with a grin. "I would start at that charming quill shop on the corner. See what the salesmare has in stock."

"Let's go!" Applejack commanded, and the six friends rushed from the library.

Down the street, the cart of quills was laden with feathery writing utensils. However, the usual quill salespony was missing. Instead, a tall, graceful, and familiar alicorn packaged the quills away in the salescart.

"Princess Celestia!" Twilight cried. "What are you doing here?"

Celestia giggled. "Princess! That is quite funny, Twilight Sparkle."

"What do you mean?" Twilight asked.

"Just thinking about a quill salespony like me becoming a princess," Celestia replied with a sincere smile.

"But you ARE a princess," Twilight retorted. "You're—"

"Uhhh, Twilight?" Rainbow Dash said nervously, looking over her shoulder. Before Twilight, or anypony else for that matter, could ask what was the matter, a loud blast of cacophonic music emitted from nearby.

Carrot Top's orange-maned head popped out of the window of the home of Vinyl Scratch. "Sorry! Just practicing my set for the weekend concert!"

"I feel bad for her," Celestia sighed. "Her Cutie Mark proves that she was destined to be a DJ, but she…well, she tries her best, and she learns every day." She smiled. "That's all we can ask for."

That was when the six noticed Celestia's Cutie Mark. Where there had once been a golden sun, there was now a curling feather quill.

"No…" Applejack gasped as the six backed away slowly. "It can't be…"

"Maybe it's just a misunderstanding!" Pinkie cried. "Come on! The rest of the town has to be normal, right?"

They rushed on to see the other late-night stragglers. With every new discovery, a new feeling of horror. Aloe, who they knew as the beautician from the spa, struggled to cart a mound of papers out of the schoolhouse, her Cutie Mark a crop of flowers that had belonged to expert teacher Cheerilee. Berry Punch was discovered tipsily staggering out of the hospital, wearing a stethoscope and a lab coat that covered what must have been a Mark related to medicine.

"This is terrible," Twilight moaned. "Aloe is great at the spa, but she's never had to deal with foals before. And Berry Punch a doctor?"

Fluttershy crashed head-on into another pony. "Oh, I'm sorry," she said. "I didn't mean to…Vinyl?"

"No time to talk," Vinyl Scratch panted. "Listen, I've got some huge bills to look over and see if they match up to the codes for this town. Ten of them conflict, and all of them are outside the budget…sometimes it gets hard, being destined to be the mayor of town and all. Sometimes I wonder if I was supposed to be something else, but hey, the Cutie Mark wants what the Cutie Mark wants, right?"

She then galloped off, leaving the others to think about the disasters that would lie in the wake of Vinyl Scratch being mayor of Ponyville.

"My family," Applejack realized. The six took off for Sweet Apple Acres at top speed, hoping not to find disaster there.

In the gateway to the main orchard, they found Apple Bloom, her hair braided up and a haughty expression on her face. "Apple Bloom," Applejack panted. "What are you doin' out so late? Please, PUH-LEASE tell me you were havin' more adventures with Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo tryin' to get your Cutie Marks—"

"Sweetie Belle?" Apple Bloom laughed. "Scootaloo? Me hang out with those losers? Yeah right! And what are you talking about? I got my Cutie Mark a year ago. Have you gone stupid or somethin'?"

"Oh, no…" Applejack stared in horror at the silver cutlery displayed upon her younger sister's flank. "MY SISTER'S TURNED ALL SNOBBY LIKE SILVER SPOON!"

They hastened to the farmhouse. "BIG MACINTOSH!" Applejack yelled. "GRANNY SMITH! SOMETHIN' TERRIBLE—"

The door swung open, and Applejack was stopped dead in her tracks by the sight of the last two ponies she ever wanted to see on her property…with Granny Smith and Big Macintosh's Cutie Marks in place of their own.

"Well, lookie here, Flim, looks like our little sis came back to the farm at a date most late!" Flam proclaimed.

"Well, I do say, Flam, Applejack seems to have forgot what is not tolerated at the farm: being late—" Flim picked up.

"—being slow—" Flim continued.

"—not on time—"

"—goes to show!"

"'Cause the one simple thing running Sweet Apple Acres isn't care, isn't love, isn't work, isn't fun. Applejack," Flam prompted, "what is the one thing we need?"

"Uh…" Applejack was stunned.

"SPEED!" Both brothers chorused.

"You two…runnin' the family farm…NO!" Applejack screamed. "NO, NO, NO!" She took off running, and her five friends followed.

"Maybe Zecora will know what to do!" Fluttershy suggested.

"You want to go into the Everfree Forest at this time of night?" Rainbow Dash yelled.

"If you follow me, we'll be safe," Fluttershy said. "And it's starting to not get so dark out."

In fact, that was true. The moon had gone down, and the darkness of the sky had softened, but the sunrise was nowhere in sight, leaving a cast of dusk over everything.

The six rushed desperately to Zecora's home, the lavish but solitary house carved of a tree in the midst of the woods, and Twilight pounded on the door. "Zecora!" she cried. "Something terrible has happened! Please…you need to help us! You know more about magic than mostly everypony I know!"

The door was opened by a teal pegasus sporting a slicked-back gold mane. Upon her flank was Zecora's Cutie Mark, the elaborate etching of the sun.

"Lightning Dust?" Rainbow Dash cried.

"Oh," Lightning Dust sighed. "It's YOU. Go away. I'm not going to help you." She slammed the door hard.

Defeated, the six sat down on the grass in the midst of the Everfree Forest beneath the strange dusk. Slowly and subtly, a maniacal laugh permeated the air until it was loud enough to make one believe that its laugher was there in person, and soon, he was; Discord materialized before the victims of his prank, dropping to the ground to roll about in hysterics.

"What did you do?" Rainbow Dash snapped.

"I used your little switching spell to switch the Cutie Marks of…wait for it…EVERYPONY IN EQUESTRIA!" Discord cried through his laughter. "Everypony believes they're the wrong pony now! Oh, the chaos this will cause! You did see that I made the DJ the mayor, right? She'll put Ponyville into debt that it will take YEARS to resolve!"

"DISCORD!" Twilight growled. "WHAT did you do to the princesses?"

"Oh, I think Sun Princess Screwball and Moon Princess Ditzy Doo are doing wonderfully, considering they're not even unicorns and couldn't move the sun or moon even if they knew how to use the proper trajectory," Discord said, calming down. "Good thing, too. Screwball raising the sun? Oh, she would definitely graze the planet and start a wildfire. That would be bad."

"Put everypony back the way they were," Pinkie growled, "NOW!"

"Feeling a little on edge?" Discord asked. "Oh, that's probably because you're feeling the lack of positive emotion that usually radiates throughout Equestria from the Crystal Empire. I promise you Crystal Princess Big Macintosh is doing his VERY best to resolve the problem."

Fluttershy began to cry wordlessly. This seemed to give Discord pause; he looked at her concernedly.

"I thought…we were…" Fluttershy sobbed.

"Oh, Fluttershy…" Discord sighed. "I really do wish this could have ended differently between us. You were, after all, such a good friend. But isn't it a little bit hypocritical to care so much about whether everypony you saw tonight was their true self and not about whether I was mine? What was I supposed to do, in my situation? Anyway…" He stretched out his arms as though preparing for bed, then yawned. "I need my beauty sleep. After all, it is…permanently stuck at thirteen o'clock. No self-respecting draconequus should be awake at this hour. Maybe in a bit, I'll get up and start working on the Canterlot renovations…and you all have some cleaning up to do. Good luck, my little ponies!"

Then he disappeared in a flash of white light.

"Fluttershy…" Rainbow Dash moved closer to her sobbing friend. "Hey…it'll be okay…"

"What do we do now?" Rarity moaned.

"Well…" Applejack turned to Twilight. "Any chance that what you did on us could work on everypony else?"

"And get the WHOLE WORLD to discover their true selves?" Twilight cried. "Do you realize how long that would TAKE?"

"Maybe not everypony," Pinkie suggested. "Maybe we get Cadance, Shining Armor, Celestia, and Luna to see their true selves, and they can help us fix it!"

"Hey…" Twilight realized. "You're right! I mean, we'll have to find them all first…but we know where Celestia is!"

Celestia nodded. "That is quite a strange story. I find it rather hard to believe."

"But you are the princess," Applejack insisted. "And without you to raise the sun, we ain't never havin' daytime again!"

"I will admit," Celestia said, "my memory is fuzzy as to how I as an alicorn came into selling quills. I had thought alicornism to be a trait of the royal family, though I'm not quite sure why…Screwball and Ditzy Doo aren't alicorns…"

"They also aren't the real princesses," Rarity said. "Ditzy Doo is a weather pony alongside Rainbow Dash, and Screwball is…well…we're not quite sure what she does, really…"

Celestia nodded. "I believe you, my little ponies. I may not have any memories of being a princess, but I have a strange feeling in my heart that I know you a lot better than I think. And it's telling me to trust you. I will come with you on your journey."

"Great!" Rainbow Dash cried. "Now, where do you think we'll find the others?"

"Who are you looking for?" Celestia asked.

"Luna, Cadance, and Shining Armor," Applejack replied.

"My family," Celestia said.

"So you got to remember that much!" Twilight cried happily.

"Of course," Celestia said. "Luna is my beloved younger sister, and she drives a ferryboat at the Horseshoe Bay harbor. Shining Armor, my nephew-in-law, directs the weather in Cloudsdale, and his wife Cadance works an orchard in Appleloosa. I had always wondered why they lived so far apart. It must be because of this Discord you mentioned."

"We have to try and fix things as soon as possible," Twilight insisted.

Celestia nodded. "Right. We'll take the next train to Appleloosa as soon as possible."

APPLELOOSA, FOURTH EQUESTRIA

"Welcome!" Cadance said, bearing the brown vest and cowboy hat that Applejack was used to seeing on her cousin Braeburn. Cadance had arrived at the train station to meet the group as soon as she'd received word from Celestia that they were on their way. "May I show you around? Oh, wait…of course you've all been here before!"

"Cadance," Twilight said, "there's something really important we need to tell you."

"Basically," Applejack said, "we need you to come to Cloudsdale and help us pick up Shining Armor, and then go to Canterlot as soon as possible."

"Is something wrong with the weather in Cloudsdale?" Cadance asked with worry. "Is that why the sky has been so…so…"

"So you remember it wasn't always this way," Celestia said.

Cadance nodded. "And…I feel like Equestria used to be happier."

"Should we tell her?" Rarity asked. "Will she believe us?"

"Maybe we should stick to the short version," Celestia said. "Cadance, there is something wrong with the weather. And we do need to find Shining Armor because of it. Then we can fix things at Canterlot."

"Count me in," Cadance said. "Anything to help him!"

CLOUDSDALE, FOURTH EQUESTRIA

"Oh, no…"

Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Cadance, and Celestia had struck out on their own to go to Cloudsdale, as the spell that would allow unicorns and earth ponies to walk on the clouds—undoubtedly what Shining Armor was using—would have taken up extra time that was frankly saved by sending the smaller party. Rainbow Dash was the first to notice what was wrong. "Anypony notice the clouds headed for Canterlot?"

"Blue is an odd color for clouds," Celestia remarked.

Rainbow Dash flew up to one and licked it. "Yep…he brought back the cotton candy clouds. Except this time—" She kicked the cloud, and it began to apparently snow. She tasted that as well. "He's making it snow sugar instead of rain chocolate milk."

"I guess he didn't want to be predictable," Fluttershy said, her voice only quavering slightly.

"I don't understand," Cadance said. "Who is…he?"

"The guy who made all this happen," Rainbow Dash explained as the four touched down on cloud ground and made their way to weather control central. "You'll see later."

They entered the weather facility, moving to the head office; they didn't even have to get all the way there to find Shining Armor talking to several pegasi nervously. "…and we pick up the rain from the desert, and make sure to send just enough rain to the pond in Manehattan to make sure the plants grow. No, no, wait! Turn that around! We have to pick UP the rain from Manehattan, and not send too much to the DESERT! Whew…you'd almost think I hadn't been doing this from the time I was a filly!"

"Shining Armor!" Cadance rushed to her husband's side.

"Cadance!" Shining Armor nuzzled his neck against Cadance's. "What are you doing here?"

"There's some kind of trouble with the weather," Cadance said. "Celestia says she knows why the sky has been…this way. And…have you seen the clouds going out to Canterlot?"

"Clouds to Canterlot? We just sent the regular order—"

"Of cotton candy clouds filled with sugar?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"That's just silly," Shining Armor laughed. "You guys took care of the Canterlot order, right?" He looked around at his employees. "Right? Ummm…somepony DID handle that, right?"

"Not me," one piped up.

"Or me," another said. The rest chimed in with the same: "Or me…" "Not me!"

"Huh…I guess I forgot to pencil in Canterlot," Shining Armor admitted embarrassedly.

"We can fix everything at Canterlot," Celestia said. "If you come with us."

"But then who will fix the weather if I—" Shining Armor began.

"Trust me," Rainbow Dash said sternly. "It cannot possibly get any worse if you leave."

The group moved out, and Rainbow Dash hung back to ask Fluttershy, "So…are you feeling better? I mean…I know this is hard…"

"It's all right," Fluttershy said softly. "It is hard. But…I think I understand."

HORSESHOE BAY, FOURTH EQUESTRIA

"You're sure this is where she is?" Twilight asked. She, Applejack, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Celestia, Shining Armor, and Cadance stood on the beach, looking out toward the ocean.

"And what does this have to do with Canterlot?" Shining Armor asked.

"We obviously need Luna with us," Cadance replied. "She and Celestia work best together."

The silhouette of a boat came speeding in from the horizon. "Yes," Rarity realized. "I am very sure…that is her."

The boat zoomed toward the beach at top speed, appearing as though it was about to beach, before it skidded to a sudden, jolting halt thanks to a dash of unicorn magic. The anchor dropped, and Luna climbed up to the deck, letting down the gangplank as several dizzy, disoriented ponies climbed off.

"HUZZAH!" Luna cried. "We have arrived! I hope you have enjoyed your tour!"

"LAND!" one of the ponies cried, dropping to his knees to kiss the coast.

"I saw the light…" another muttered.

"Luna!" Celestia cried, running to her sister. "I have the strangest…story…"

As Luna came toward Celestia on the shore, Celestia's stare was suddenly captured by something on the horizon of the sea. Something that stirred within her.

The butterfly effect had taken place. Discord's theft of Starswirl's journal had somehow set off a chain of events that led to this. Had he left things alone, this otherworldly entity would have stayed away for much longer. But somehow, his influence had reached outside, and now outside was reaching in. Something was to begin here in Fourth Equestria. An exogenesis.

The mists were rolling in over the sea. And at the sight of them, Celestia suddenly knew in her heart what her true destiny was.

She spread her wings, letting the memories of daylight, of princesshood, of Laughter, envelop her. To the surprise of everypony present, her Cutie Mark glowed, then faded away. In its place, the Mark of a golden sun bloomed.

Celestia's horn radiated with magic. The dusk was broken; the sun lifted gracefully into the sky, taking its place at noon to make up for lost time.

"Sister!" Luna gasped.

"It was true," Celestia said. "We are the royal family…" Her expression turned cold as she realized what must have happened. "Discord! He betrayed us!"

"But how…" Twilight began.

"We didn't even get to the castle to have you do princess stuff yet!" Pinkie Pie pointed out.

Celestia nodded. "I know. I was reminded of my role in a slightly different way." She had a feeling that telling Luna to look over her shoulder at the mists would have a similar effect on Luna…but she didn't want to confront that yet. The mists were something she would have to deal with later. "Come. Let us go to Canterlot Castle. We have to put an end to this once and for all."

Even as she said that, she knew it wasn't true.

The passenger who had left Luna's ferryboat and kissed the sands—a brown stallion with a somewhat spiky mane—turned to see the mists, and suddenly, he too knew his true destiny. His Cutie Mark, that of a chicken, disappeared. He'd never been a tourist. He wasn't from the farming towns out west.

It was really rather silly, he thought, that he'd forgotten what his destiny was. It didn't seem like the kind of thing you could ever forget.

As the hourglass reappeared upon his flank, he thought again about the message he'd found before the upheaval had happened and he'd thought that his ultimate goal in life was to photograph himself with every monument in Equestria. No, he reminded himself—Fourth Equestria.

He'd come for a specific purpose. Now that was fulfilled, and he couldn't bring himself to leave. The message, however, gave him doubts. If it truly wasn't a prank…he would have to deal with the angel of darkness.

CANTERLOT, FOURTH EQUESTRIA

"I can't believe it…" Twilight looked up the main road of Canterlot. "It's even worse this time."

The roads weren't soap. Discord hadn't wanted to skate this time. He'd wanted to bounce. They were long strips of trampoline upon which everypony tripped. Blue cotton candy clouds snowed sugar, and several draconequi made of this snow and sculpted to wear increasingly more fashionable outfits were visible every place there was free space alongside the road.

"Was Canterlot always like this?" Cadance asked. "I…thought I knew, but for some reason…I'm not sure if what I know is right."

"This is the new Chaos Capital," Pinkie informed her.

The ten moved toward the palace. A guard rushed out, crying, "HAAAALT!" It wasn't one of the regular guards, however. Rainbow Dash recognized him as Bulk Biceps, the over-muscled and overzealous weather pegasus.

"Stand down," Shining Armor commanded him.

"WHO'RE YOU TO TELL ME?" Bulk Biceps roared.

"Your captain," Shining Armor said without thinking. Then: "Hey…I am your captain!"

His Cutie Mark shifted to that of the shield with the six-pointed star within it; the symbol of guardianship. "Cadance!" he cried. "I get it now! This isn't who we are!"

"Then who am I?" Cadance asked.

"The Crystal Princess," Shining Armor told her. "You're one of the biggest sources of love in Equestria!"

"Love?" Cadance seemed genuinely confused.

"You know," Shining Armor reminded her. "Love is your talent. It's how you saved me. It…hey, when was the last time we kissed?"

"I can't remember," Cadance admitted.

Shining Armor approached her. "When we were apart," he asked knowingly, "did you ever stop loving me?"

"Not even once. And I never would." Cadance kissed him then, passionately. Between their horns, there was a spark; a small pink heart hovered in the air for a moment. When their lips parted, Cadance said, "You're right. Love IS my talent. And not just for you…for everypony in the Crystal Empire, and for Equestria!" Her Cutie Mark shone brightly: the Crystal Heart. Then Cadance smirked. "You just tricked me into that, didn't you?"

"Like sister, like brother," Rainbow Dash remarked, remembering how Twilight had "tricked" her into taking back her weather talents.

"Hey, you came up with it on your own," Shining Armor reminded Cadance.

"I am confused," Luna said. "Who am I, then?"

"You will know soon enough," Celestia assured her.

Discord reclined on the throne of Canterlot, lying across it in a perpendicular fashion so that his back lay on one of the arm rests. "Now, what should I do to this world next?" he asked himself with a smile. "Or…is it time to move on? After all, I—"

"Stand down, Discord."

At this command from the familiar voice of Celestia, Discord sighed and rolled his eyes. "I knew it was too good to last…" He sat up to look at the group that had just entered: Twilight, Rarity, Celestia, Luna, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Cadance, Shining Armor, Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy. "If it isn't the royal family and the Elements of Harmony come to call."

"This place!" Luna cried. "This…dost be our palace! I am not a captain of mere ferryboats! I am the princess of the night!" Her Cutie Mark settled into place: a bright white crescent moon.

"So now you're all back in order," Discord sighed. "So what are you going to do? I still have this castle. I still have my Chaos Capital. And I can only grow from here."

"Not so fast," Twilight said. "I happened to be prepared when I packed for the trip."

Discord flinched at first when she produced the five amulets and the tiara that represented the Elements of Harmony. She settled them each upon the proper owner: "Necklace! Necklace! Necklace! Necklace! Necklace! And, as always, big shiny crown thingy!"

"Oh, but you're forgetting," Discord said. "Fluttershy, you haven't forgotten, have you? You can't use your Element against me! We had a deal because we're friends!"

"No," Fluttershy said sternly. "This…breaks our deal. You ruined everything, Discord. Ponies are in danger because of you, and I…I can't stand by and watch that happen."

It sank in: she was serious. Discord began to tremble. "Now, Fluttershy…I wouldn't go and do anything rash because you're feeling betrayed…"

"I might feel betrayed," Fluttershy admitted, "but I know why you did it. It wasn't fair of me to ask you not to be yourself. This is who you are. I still wish there was a way we could work it out so you could be free and be yourself…" She faltered at that. "I…I don't want to lock you away again. I really, really don't."

Seeing the look in her eyes, Discord sighed. It was time to face reality. "No. You're right. Seal me away. I should have known this was coming. Your orderly society doesn't work with my chaotic ways. But I'll have you know…it was worth it. I'd rather live another thousand years in stone than have to be that bored or that boring ever again. So go ahead." He stood and spread out his arms, perfectly sincere. "Lock me away." He gave a grin. "No hard feelings. I promise it."

"Is this a trick?" Twilight asked.

"Less questioning and more zapping!" Rainbow Dash told her.

Discord watched it happen before him as it had happened before. The six stood together, and a sphere of light formed around them. A great rainbow emitted from the sphere, shooting directly at Discord.

When the light faded, the ten ponies looked toward the throne. Discord was frozen in stone with the strangest grin on his face…a grin that said it had, in fact, been worth it.

"You think…you think he meant it?" Twilight asked softly.

"I don't know." Celestia sighed. "I had thought that giving him his freedom would work out for all of us. I didn't realize that what I offered him wasn't true freedom at all. This is my mistake, and I apologize for it. To everypony."

"It's all right," Fluttershy said. "We all make mistakes."

"Uhhh…shouldn't we do something about all the Cutie Mark mixups?" Shining Armor asked.

"Right," Celestia said. "Luna, Cadance, Shining Armor. We must—"

"But I'm not an alicorn," Shining Armor pointed out. "Or really related to you—"

"You are my husband," Cadance reminded him with a smile. "Once we show you the spell, you can take part. You are part of this family, Shining Armor."

Celestia, Luna, Cadance, and Shining Armor stood in a circle in the center of the throne room. Celestia and Luna lowered their heads slowly; all four horns sparked with a bright glow of magic that started small, then suddenly erupted, sending a shockwave out of the room, out of the palace, over Equestria.

They lifted their heads. "It is done," Celestia said.

A cautious knock came at the door of the throne room. A blonde pegasus with a soft blue coat peered in. "Uhhh…I just realized I have no idea what I'm doing with the moon and everything," Ditzy Doo said.

A pink pony with a curly violet mane peered in as well. "Me either."

Bulk Biceps joined them. "SORRY!"

"It is all right," Celestia said with a smile. "We have it under control."

"We should probably go home now," Ditzy said.

"That would be best," Celestia agreed. "After all, Ponyville needs the three of you."

"YEAH!" Bulk Biceps agreed.

"Hey," Ditzy was heard to say as the three made their way out of the castle, "you want to stop for muffins on the way home? I could sure go for a muffin."

"YOU DID IT!" Pinkie Pie cried. "You fixed everything! Everypony's Cutie Mark is right again! Equestria has its true destiny! PARTYYYYY!"

"Hey!" Twilight realized, looking at the throne to find a left-behind object. "It's the journal of Starswirl the Bearded! Discord must have been carrying it all this time!" She levitated it, turning to the last page. "Now, to finish that spell like I planned."

"Have a quill," Celestia offered, levitating one such quill over to Twilight—a little something left over from her destiny mix-up. However, she knew what was about to happen as soon as Twilight finished the spell. Had things gone differently, she might have tried to salvage her original plan. But she had seen the mists, the exogenesis. She had seen the Elements work against Discord not once, but twice from this group over the course of her lifetime. And she knew what had to be done.

Twilight finished writing in the segment of the spell. "There," she said. "Starswirl was never able to finish it because he didn't really understand friendship. That's why—"

When she dotted the last sentence, the book began to glow, as did all six of the jewels of the Elements of Harmony. The amulets around the necks of Pinkie, Fluttershy, Rarity, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash shot beams of light at Twilight, who cried out in surprise. When the light cleared, Twilight had vanished.

"TWILIGHT!" the five friends cried.

"Do not fear," Celestia said. "This was planned. I must go meet Twilight, and I shall return with her shortly."

"I think you will like what you see when she returns," Luna said.

"No," Celestia said sharply. "When we return…things will be the same."

"But Celestia…" Cadance said.

"I will explain later," Celestia said softly to the other members of the royal family before she vanished in a brilliant light.

Twilight found herself in a strange place. She wasn't quite sure what she was standing on, even though it was a solid surface; everything around her seemed to be the starry sky of outer space.

"Twilight Sparkle," Celestia said.

"Princess!" Twilight turned to see her mentor. "What happened?"

"When you finished that spell, you created new magic," Celestia said. "One of the most powerful abilities for any wielder of magic to do. You were right in saying that the missing factor from Starswirl's spell was friendship. And Twilight, from the moment I first sent you to Ponyville for the Summer Sun Celebration…I have watched you grow in your studies, not only learning about magic, but about friendship as well. I am proud to call you my student."

"So what's all this?" Twilight asked.

"This…" Celestia sighed. "This was to be something else. But now I know the truth. Your skill with magic and the friendships you have…they are incredibly important, Twilight Sparkle. More than you know."

"I find that a little hard to believe. I know my magic is important…and my friends are even more important."

"With that said, Twilight Sparkle…trust me when I say that big things will come your way. I want to congratulate you on finishing the spell. Now, your friends are waiting for you. I'd best send you back before they worry."

"Okay," Twilight said. "Thank you, Princess."

Celestia and Twilight reappeared in the throne room. "I cannot thank you all enough," Celestia said, "for coming to the aid of Equestria as many times as you have. Now that the danger has passed, I will issue a celebration ceremony…but first, I had thought you all might want to catch up on breakfast."

"It is on the royal kitchens!" Luna announced.

"Perfect!" Applejack sighed. "I'm starvin'!"

"You six go on ahead," Celestia said.

"All right!" Pinkie squealed, bouncing ahead of the group.

"So…what was all that about?" Rainbow Dash asked Twilight. "Why did you disappear?"

"I'm not quite sure," Twilight admitted. "I guess it was just a side effect of writing new magic."

When the six were quite gone, Luna asked, "Why didst thou not crown her the next princess?"

"It has become apparent to me that now is not the time," Celestia said. "After what has happened with Discord…I cannot crown her. It would be best not to tie her down to the court here. All of them are meant for bigger things. In the meantime, to avoid offending her, I suggest we not mention that the motion was on the table. For all intents and purposes…we never discussed it."

"Right," Shining Armor said.

"Shining Armor," Celestia suggested, "Cadance, why don't you join the others in the kitchen?"

"I'm starving too!" Shining Armor realized.

"Let's go," Cadance said.

When those two were gone and Celestia and Luna were all who remained, Celestia looked Luna directly in the eye. "I could not have bound any of them to such a responsibility that would have them remain on this world," Celestia told Luna.

"Thou dost not mean-!" Luna gasped.

"I know what the true destiny is of Twilight Sparkle, as well as her friends," Celestia admitted. "And it is not in this court. Not yet. I had thought things would be different this time, but it appears that their bearing of the Elements of Harmony will have the same effect on them that it has had on us."

Luna nodded. "Would it be in our best interests to ready the ship?"

"Not for a while yet. The mists were not strong enough. But still…the time will come eventually when it will need to again set sail."

A ceremony was held to honor the heroics of the six wielders of the Elements of Harmony, who had again imprisoned Discord during his reign of chaos. It was nothing new for Canterlot; it seemed these six were always doing something heroic, and that was no problem, as it gave the populace an excuse to party every now and again. Besides, it was well known that Twilight, Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and Rainbow Dash were kind and well-respected beings.

All in all, though it was a celebration of much merriment, it was not out of the ordinary as compared to past celebrations.

There were only two remarkable things about this celebration. For one, the six turned the Elements of Harmony amulets and tiara back over to Canterlot for safekeeping, as the jewelry had only been brought to Ponyville to keep tabs on Discord.

Once that was done, they returned home. And for the next few weeks, life settled back down as normal in Ponyville.

But the second extraordinary thing about this celebration was the effect it had on the stallion with the hourglass Cutie Mark.

At first, reading over the news reports of the heroics of the six, it seemed as fitting to him as it did to anypony else. But then things started to piece together. The message from the angel of darkness. The mists over Horseshoe Bay. The very nature of what Discord even was. And the fact that there were six.

A memory suddenly occurred to him. He set out immediately for a certain house in Canterlot. If he was right, it was imperative that he talk to himself.

1. Exogenesis

CANTERLOT, FOURTH EQUESTRIA

The blue stallion with the blonde coif was rather surprised to see the brown stallion with the shaggy brunette mane burst into his home uninvited. He'd never seen this particular pony before, but he recognized his cutie mark: the tell-tale hourglass. That was how he knew.

"Five cycles ago," the brown stallion said, "I came here to ask you if we'd really found them. Did we find them?"

"I'm sure I have," the blue replied. "They sealed away Discord, after all."

"I knew it!" the brown cried. "I must tell Celestia at once!"

"I already told her today," the blue informed the brown stallion. "It will be rather a lot for her, don't you think?"

"I'd like to think it would only convince her that the situation is serious," the brown answered. "To hear it from the same person twice, after all." He paused. "Shouldn't this be impossible, you and me meeting like this?"

"Time doesn't seem to work by those laws in Equestria," the blue stated. "And besides…with someone like Discord in existence here, do the laws even matter?"

PONYVILLE, FOURTH EQUESTRIA

The Ponyville library was decorated for a gathering of fun. Streamers ran from rafter to rafter, and the table was set with a variety of treats, most of them baked from apples. In the center of the library, seated comfortably on a circle of pillows, six ponies and a young dragon each held a copy of the same blue book before them.

"I now call the first official meeting of the Ponyville book club to order!" a pink mare with a shock of carnation-colored curls for a mane cried, holding her hoof high. Her adjacent friend, a lavender unicorn with a pink streak in her mane, had originally planned to make the announcement, but she had relinquished that responsibility when she realized her friend would have much more fun with it.

"Thanks, Pinkie Pie," that unicorn said. "Also, thanks for setting up the library for the meeting. And thanks for bringing all the treats, Applejack!"

"My pleasure, sugar cube," an orange mare sporting a blonde ponytail beneath a cowboy hat replied with a slight bow.

"And to think," a bright white unicorn with a mane of flawless plum-colored ringlets pointed out, "when we first met, Rainbow Dash never would have agreed to do this!"

"You got me there, Rarity," the blue pegasus sitting next to the white unicorn replied, blowing her rainbow-toned bangs out of her eyes. "I gotta say, Twilight, I'm startin' to see why these books get you all excited." She caught herself. "STARTING."

"Okay, Rainbow Dash," the purple unicorn giggled, having been addressed.

"Are you sure you're comfortable, Rarity?" the young purple dragon asked. "Anything I can get you? More pillows? Another apple tart?"

"I'm fine, Spike," Rarity replied. "You're quite the gentleman for asking, though."

"If anyone does want another apple tart," the last member of the group – a yellow pegasus with a soft pink mane – offered, "I would gladly fetch one."

"I'm good, Fluttershy," Rainbow Dash replied. The others all gave an "I'm good" of assent.

"Now that everything's in order," Twilight said, "what did you all think of the book?"

"Absolutely wonderful!" Rarity gushed. "I must admit, I was a bit skeptical when you decided our first reading material would be one of your science fictions, but I must admit I'm hooked!"

"It's almost better than Daring Do!" Rainbow Dash agreed.

"I just keep thinking about how fun it would be if we had our own spaceship!" Pinkie blurted. "So we could travel to all sorts of different planets too!"

"That actually sounds rather frightening," Fluttershy admitted. "I'd much rather stay here and read about other ponies having that kind of adventure!"

"What d'you think, Twilight?" Applejack asked. "If it were you, would you rather have a spaceship and go on an adventure, or stay home and read about it?"

"That's actually a tough question, Applejack," Twilight answered. "I mean, ever since I was little, I always dreamed about having the kind of adventures the ponies had in books. But ever since I came here, I've had plenty of adventures. Our battle against Discord, the royal wedding…even making the cider when the Flim Flam brothers came into town was kind of an adventure! Not to mention that everything I could ever want is here. My friends, my library, this whole town…"

"So you wouldn't go on an epic adventure to other planets?" Pinkie asked.

"Well…" Twilight admitted. "I wouldn't say that. Not exactly. I just…really appreciate what we have here. Besides, it's not like we ever would find a way to go to other planets. The farthest anypony's ever been away from the planet is when Celestia banished Luna to the moon, and comparatively speaking, that's not that far."

"Can we talk about the book now?" Rainbow Dash begged. "PLEASE?"

"Sure," Twilight conceded, and the discussion evolved into one about the book.

CANTERLOT, FOURTH EQUESTRIA

Twice had the Doctor come to Fourth Equestria. The first time, five incarnations ago, he'd arrived to help fight off the Changeling invasion. The second time, he'd arrived in the same time period as his former self in order to match wits with one of the Old Ones…only to hear that the Old One was promptly defeated, and not by him. Somehow, Discord had been sealed away after only two chronological days, though how many "days" had passed with all of Discord's playing with the sun and moon was actually questionable.

He'd taken on the identity of "Time Turner" the second time, cautious about revealing his true self to Fourth Equestria. It seemed a world apart from all other worlds he'd ever seen. When a cosmic monster like Discord wasn't ravaging it, it was practically idyllic, not something he wanted to spoil by tying it to the great spiderweb of worlds. Its magical atmosphere even seemed to follow its own rules; no sooner had the TARDIS touched down on the earth than had "Time Turner" – known more affectionately as "Five" among his true companions the first time he had come, and "Ten" the second – shifted from the human form he preferred to that of a stallion. He knew there were some dimensions that changed their occupants so, and after confirming that there was no actual human life in Fourth Equestria, he knew this was definitely one of those cases. Introducing it to the rest of the multiverse, with its variegated forms and species, would inevitably cause a tangle.

However, things were different this time around. Five cycles ago, he had witnessed something that reminded him of a prophecy currently bound to a glass ball tucked away deep beneath the Ministry of Magic on one of the Earths. Now, that half of the prophecy was confirmed by a certain natural phenomenon in Fourth Equestria, a phenomenon that had come from outside. The other half had just revealed itself in a most frightening way.

Ten had settled in Ponyville, but upon receiving intelligence that the prophecy was indeed being set in motion, he realized he needed to move to Canterlot as quickly as possible to speak with Celestia, the near-godlike ruler of the territory. Five had settled in Canterlot in order to face the Changelings, and as Ten recalled that on the train ride to Canterlot, he also recalled the day that, as Five, he'd been visited by the strange brown stallion, the one who matched what he saw in the mirror.

As soon as he disembarked from the train, Ten rushed to find Five's home and burst in upon his old self having lunch in the kitchen. Five was certainly shocked to see him, as Ten remembered having been.

"Five cycles ago," Ten announced, "I came here to ask you if we'd really found them. Did we find them?"

Five had already explained to Celestia. Ten remembered, now, having posed his theory to her. It was now up to him to confirm it.

He requested an immediate audience with the Princess. The guards balked at first, but one of them, recognizing Ten's cutie mark and remembering what Celestia had always said about ponies with the hourglass mark, agreed to push him to the front of the list waiting to see Celestia. In no time, Ten stood before the majestic white alicorn with the pastel mane. Perched upon her throne, she regarded him with genuine interest.

"Princess Celestia," Ten began. "Do you know who I am?"

"I know," Celestia answered calmly. "You're the Doctor."

"I told you a few hours ago, didn't I?"

"Not only that," Celestia said, "but I'm familiar with how the multiverse works."

That was somewhat of a shock. Ten wasn't sure she'd let that on to Five; he certainly didn't remember it. "So you're familiar with the prophecy?"

"There are many prophecies," Celestia replied. "However, when you came to me earlier, you did mention one in particular."

"If I remember correctly," Ten said, "I told you that I MIGHT have found the Six. That was after I heard of the legend of Princess Luna and saw the stained glass murals you have of them all over. Certain things have happened since then, and I'm now convinced they're the Six."

"Remind me again," Celestia said. "What Six are these?"

"A prophecy exists," Ten said, "that was made by Merlin himself. He said that in the great battle of the multiverse, an angel of darkness would appear to bring turmoil upon all existence, and six shining hearts would step forward to face him. Or her. The prophecy wasn't exactly clear on that. It did say, however, that the six would touch hundreds of lives throughout the multiverse. If the six won, existence would continue. If not…well, all Merlin said was 'great disaster', but if I had to guess, I'd say something along the likes of the release of the Old Ones."

"The Old Ones," Celestia repeated. "The disharmonious ones who would bring existence to ruin."

"Exactly," Ten confirmed. "In all my travels, I thought I'd seen the Six several times. Every time, I was wrong." He remembered the guesses he'd made. Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Neville, and Luna. Tony, Steve, Bruce, Thor, Natasha, and Clint. Goliath, Hudson, Broadway, Brooklyn, Lexington, and Elisa. All had done great things, but none had ever seemed quite right. "Now…I think I have."

"Twilight Sparkle," Celestia spelled out for him. "Applejack. Rarity. Fluttershy. Rainbow Dash. Pinkie Pie."

"The Elements of Harmony, right?"

"Yes. Your connection does make sense. The Elements of Harmony are great powers in the cosmos, powers that I haven't even fully explained to them." Celestia shifted uncomfortably, though it was barely noticeable. "After all, Luna and I once wielded those powers."

"And you've been around for a thousand years," Ten pieced together. "That's no coincidence, is it?"

"No."

"Two things have convinced me that your little ponies are the Six," Ten went on. "For one, the angel of darkness has revealed himself. Or herself."

Celestia's eyes widened. "Really?"

"Unfortunately," Ten sighed. "He taunted me."

"How?"

"A scroll appeared in the TARDIS," Ten began. "You…do know what a TARDIS is, right?"

"Time and Relative Dimension in Space."

"Exactly. It said, and I quote:" Ten cleared his throat. "Your attempts to uphold peace and light in this universe are quaint. However, all that is about to change. Soon you will realize how hopeless you truly are, and I shall reign over this multiverse. All will be enveloped in darkness, and I shall be…"

"The angel of darkness," Celestia guessed.

"Exactly. Now, there is a small chance that this is just someone who heard about the prophecy as well and is just trying to talk tough. However, that wouldn't explain the other…incident."

"The mists of Avalon," Celestia said immediately.

Ten was taken aback. "You KNOW about that?"

"I have lived a long time," Celestia replied, "and I had three of the Elements of Harmony within me once. I know all about Avalon and its place in the cosmos. Sailors from Avalon find that the mists don't send you where you want to go – they send you where you need to go. In the most extreme of cases, the mists will arrive to find who they need to go someplace in order to take them there. The reports of a strange mist over the seas haven't slipped past me. I went to see them myself. Ordinary ponies were able to sail through them without a problem, but I could tell they were the mists. Once you've breathed them in, you never forget what they feel like."

"Avalon is calling them," Ten said. "And you know it, don't you?"

Celestia nodded. "I must let them know."

"How do you think they'll take it?"

"They've proven themselves time and time again," Celestia said. "They will know. Do you intend to be around when I inform them?"

"It's a given that we'll cross paths," Ten said. "For the moment…let's have them take the news from someone they trust."

"I understand. I can give them what they need to transport themselves."

"You don't have a TARDIS of your own stashed away somewhere," Ten asked suspiciously, "do you?"

"Not at all. Nothing quite so special. Just something I once used to cross the mists. Something that will give them a home away from home, and enough information to navigate their way."

"Good luck," Ten wished honestly.

"Thank you," Celestia replied. "But I am not the one who will need luck."

PONYVILLE, FOURTH EQUESTRIA

"That was fun," Spike remarked, helping clear away the last of the streamers. The sun had set, and everypony had returned to her respective home, leaving Spike and Twilight alone in the library. "I can't wait for next week's meeting! How about you, Twilight?" When he received no answer, he looked up to see Twilight looking up and out the window of the upper story. "Twilight?"

"Huh?" Twilight shook her head. "I'm sorry, Spike. Did you say something?"

"Just that I thought the book club meeting was really fun," Spike replied. "Are you still thinking about what Pinkie said about wanting to go on adventures through space?"

"Only a little," Twilight said. "I don't really want to leave Ponyville now that I've found so much I love here. But…I'm curious." She turned back to the window. "What's out there? Other ponies like us? Do they have the same kind of lives we do?"

"I dunno," Spike said with a shrug. "Maybe, I guess."

"That's the answer I'll have to live with," Twilight resolved. "Here. Let me help you clear away some of those streamers."

All of a sudden, a rush of green flame poured forth from Spike's mouth. A scroll of parchment came out with it. "Hey," Spike remarked, "you got a letter from the Princess!" Out of habit, he unrolled it and read it. "Whoa…weird!"

"What?" Twilight asked, moving to try and read the letter over Spike's shoulder. "What is it?"

"It's for all of you," Spike said. "You and Applejack and Rarity and Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie."

Twilight levitated the letter out of Spike's hands, reading it over herself. "The Princess wants to see us in Canterlot as soon as possible?" She turned the letter over to find nothing on the back. "That's it? No explanation why?"

"It must be really important," Spike deduced. "And top-secret!"

"I'll say." Twilight rolled up the scroll. "Looks like we'll have to go see what Celestia wants. I hope it isn't an emergency."

"Are you gonna worry about what she wants all night?" Spike asked, raising a brow.

"No," Twilight lied nervously.

CANTERLOT, FOURTH EQUESTRIA

Beneath a midnight moon, the black alicorn made her way into the hedge labyrinth beside the great Canterlot castle. The night guards looked up to see her approaching. They didn't recognize her. For a moment, they flinched in fear, believing her to be a Changeling, but her build was definitely that of a true alicorn, as tall as Celestia with a flowing black mane. When she stepped into the full moonlight, the guards could see that the feathers of her wings had an iridescent green sheen only visible in direct light. Overall, something about her reminded them of Luna.

"HALT!" the captain of the night guard cried. "Who goes there?"

The alicorn didn't answer. Instead, her horn glowed with green energy. The guards were suddenly overcome by the desire to sleep, and could not fight the urge. They all dropped unconscious before her, some of them snoring.

She could have killed them, she knew, but it was best not to leave too much of a trail this early on. She wanted to focus on the one thing she had come to retrieve.

Celestia was a fool, this alicorn thought as she made her way through the twists and turns of the labyrinth. How could she possibly have thought that such an ancient power could be safely contained that way? He'd already been released once by the carelessness of the inhabitants of this kingdom, albeit temporarily. He could easily be released again.

She found him easily. Celestia had tried to hide him, to put him in one of the corners hidden by the greatest amount of twists. Predictable. He was still frozen in a pose of horror and disbelief, turning away from the force that had last defeated him. Obviously, he hadn't expected it this time. Those whom had put him away were far more powerful than he'd predicted.

She thought back to the prophecy. Most likely, the ponies that had petrified this Old One were the Six. She knew this well. She also knew that while the prophecy allowed for their victory, it didn't specify it as a certainty. Her goal was to make sure they failed, that nothing would interfere with the coming upheaval of cosmic order. This was a first step.

Her horn glowed. Gently, she touched it to the center of the statue's chest, its heart. "Awaken," she bid it.

Cracks ran through the stone like strands of a spiderweb. Flakes of granite fell away, revealing live flesh. The furry paw of a lion. A feathered wing. Two mismatched eyes that blinked away the powdery stone that had crumbled over his face.

His first words: "Well, that was unexpected."

"Did you fear," she asked, "that the Elements of Harmony had bested you for another thousand years?"

"The thought crossed my mind," Discord replied. "I knew I'd be back someday, but this is a lot sooner than I'd planned." A grin slowly spread over his face. "It doesn't make any sense at all, really. It's wonderful!"

"Enjoy your freedom," she begged of him. "Take this chance to do as your heart commands."

Suspicious, Discord crossed his arms. "And who exactly are you?"

"Your savior," the alicorn responded. "It would do you well to remember me, as I will soon usher in the new age…an age of chaos."

"I suppose you think you're more powerful than me," Discord snapped. "You aren't even close."

"It does not matter," she said with a smirk. "I will be the one to whom you will answer in the end."

"Very unlikely," Discord replied. "Even I would call that too nonsensical."

"You needn't believe it now," the alicorn said. "However, the mists of Avalon have arrived at your shores. Take that information and use it as you will."

That widened Discord's eyes. "Really?" He laughed. "Oh, this will be such fun! Now, if only I had my old partner in crime…"

"She awaits you. Another piece of information to do with what you will."

"I don't expect to see you again," Discord told the alicorn upfront. "I get the feeling that you underestimate me. I would appreciate it if you didn't. Now, if you'll excuse me…I have some chaos to wreak."

He snapped his fingers, and in a flash of light, he was gone.

"How rude," the alicorn said, still smirking. "He did not even thank me for his release."

"Did you even get a wink of sleep last night, Twilight?"

"HUH? WHAT?" Twilight jerked into consciousness. She found herself on a plush seat of the early train running from Ponyville to Canterlot. Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie Pie surrounded her, looking on in concern. Twilight remembered: she'd gathered her five friends as early as possible that morning, stressing that Celestia needed to see them as soon as possible for some mystery emergency. The others had dropped what they were doing immediately to rush to the train station, and now they were almost to the grand kingdom.

"She was probably up all night worrying," Rainbow Dash pointed out.

"There are just so many things Celestia could have sent a letter about!" Twilight moaned. "What if Discord got back out?"

"That wouldn't happen," Applejack reassured Twilight. "We locked him up good, remember?"

"What if the Changelings are going to try and take over Canterlot again?" Twilight tried.

"Your brother and Cadance blasted them good," Rainbow Dash replied. "They wouldn't show their faces around here again!"

"What if it's parasprites?" Twilight cried. "What if it's an Ursa Major? What if Luna's been given the love poison? What if – "

"Whatever it is," Applejack said, "we can handle it. Especially together."

"Besides," Pinkie suggested, "maybe Celestia wrote to us to tell us about something GOOD! Like…she needs us to plan the next Grand Galloping Gala for her! Or she's getting married! Or she found a way to make it rain chocolate without having to live in a reign of chaos!"

"You'll just never let that one go," Applejack sighed, "will ya?"

"I like chocolate!" Pinkie defended. "Is that such a crime?"

The train eventually pulled into the main square of Canterlot. The six friends disembarked, entering the throng of ponies that made up Canterlot's street traffic. They immediately charted a course for the castle.

They were delayed shortly when Rarity caught sight of Fancy Pants and the two stopped to exchange small talk. However, sensing Twilight's distress, Rarity cut the conversation short. "I'll talk to you more later," she promised before leaving her elite acquaintance behind.

As the palace grew nearer in view, Fluttershy voiced, "I hope the Princess told the guards we were coming."

As it turned out, she didn't have to worry about that at all. The head of the day guard, a white stallion with a brilliant blue mane, practically charged down from his post at the main gate to meet the six. "Twily!" he cried, rushing to meet Twilight.

"Shining Armor!" Twilight greeted her brother.

"I heard Celestia wanted to see you really badly," Shining Armor whispered. "Any idea why?"

"No more than you," Twilight answered. "I guess we'll just have to wait and see. How's Cadance?"

"Wonderful!" Shining Armor gushed. "It feels like I love her a little more every day. You know, we've been thinking about going down to Ponyville to see you sometime. Maybe you could stop by our tower before you leave today!"

"Girls?" Twilight turned to her friends.

"We'd love to!" Pinkie said enthusiastically, and the other four nodded in assent.

"Well, you can go right on in," Shining Armor directed. "Celestia said that as soon as you got here, the guards had to give you an immediate audience." Sensing his sister's nerves, he added, "Don't worry. There haven't been any threats made on the castle. I'm sure it's nothing."

"I hope you're right," Twilight replied. "See you later."

"Good luck!"

The six mares walked on. "I do enjoy seeing your brother again," Rarity admitted. "He's always been so kind."

"Now I'm starting to get worried," Fluttershy piped up. "Celestia wants to see us that badly?"

"Like Twilight said earlier," Applejack replied, "We'll just have to wait and see."

Both Celestia and Luna sat before the group of six, raised up on their thrones. Respectfully, Twilight, Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie Pie all bowed.

"Welcome, my little ponies," Celestia greeted. "I see you got my letter."

"We came here as fast as we could," Twilight affirmed.

"I wish I could say I had good news for you," Celestia began. "Unfortunately…"

"There is no saying that this is not good news!" Luna barked. "A new task only brings new adventures!"

Celestia smiled. "I'm glad you see it that way, Luna," she said. "Now, my little ponies, I must tell you something that may sound hard to believe."

"I doubt that," Rainbow Dash quipped. "We've seen everything from a changeling invasion to Pinkie Pie in one of those detective hats."

"Deerstalkers," Twilight corrected.

"I should have worn that today!" Pinkie moaned.

"Not for a formal audience with royalty!" Rarity gasped.

Celestia only smiled more broadly. Seeing the chosen ones interact with friends only served to cement her faith in them. "Each of you represents an Element of Harmony," Celestia began. "The Elements of Harmony are a great cosmic force. A lot of ponies might say they barely matter next to things like the sun and moon, or light and darkness. But the truth is, a world without honesty, generosity, kindness, loyalty, or laughter is nothing but a desolate wasteland, and there is no such thing as a world without magic. The concepts you represent are necessary to hold the very fabric of existence together."

"We once held the Elements ourselves!" Luna added. "Celestia held kindness, loyalty, and laughter, while I had honesty, generosity, and magic! The Elements are very important. This makes you six very important!"

"Have you ever envisioned existence outside of Equestria?" Celestia asked. "Do you know what lies beyond this atmosphere?"

"Farther than even the moon!" Luna added.

"Ooh, ooh!" Pinkie hopped up and down. "We were just talking about this at our book club yesterday! Everypony said that nopony knows what's out there, and there's no way to get there!"

"Not entirely true," Celestia said somberly. "The truth is, there are thousands of worlds, planets, and dimensions outside of Equestria. I know this because Luna and I have visited some of them."

The six ponies before the princesses were dumbstruck. "You're…kidding, right?" Rainbow Dash finally asked.

Celestia shook her head. "The truth is, my little ponies, now that you have the Elements of Harmony and have proven what you can do with them, you too will have to travel across the cosmos. Each of you has had to finesse her Element of Harmony; they are challenges as much as talents. However, each of you has risen to that challenge. Twilight, even though you have doubted yourself, you have grown into one of the most powerful unicorns in all of Equestria. Applejack, though many times it has seemed easier to lie to spare someone's feelings or your own pride, you have learned to tell the truth when it counts. Rarity, while many times you have been told not to be selfish, you have found joy in giving to others. Fluttershy, while at times you have been pushed to feelings of rage and frustration, you have learned to give others the benefit of the doubt and extend your hoof in kindness. Rainbow Dash, even when your friends have seemed 'uncool' to you, you have discovered that remaining loyal to them is worth all of the conflicts you might have. And Pinkie Pie, even in the face of a world that breaks its Pinkie Promises and betrays you, you have remembered to laugh and smile and find the best of every situation. These are the qualities that will be your greatest assets."

"An ancient prophecy made by a wizard from another world says that you must defeat a great evil," Luna said. "In order to do this, you have to cross the multiverse and see it from edge to edge! You will see even more than Celestia and I saw over a thousand years ago. You will have to move through time and space. The mists of Avalon have arrived on the shores of our seas, and they won't leave until they can take you away."

"But Avalon is only a myth!" Twilight cried. "It doesn't really exist!"

"It does," Celestia confirmed. "It is one of the hubs of existence, and its mists reach out in times of great need to find those who must take a journey."

"Are you saying we have to sail through outer space and never see home again?" Fluttershy squeaked.

"You do have to sail through space," Luna answered, "but fear not! It does not mean you shall never see your homes again! On the contrary, you shall return many times, just as Celestia and I returned! Of course, Celestia and I did not have to fulfill any prophecies, but Equestria is as much of the multiverse as anyplace else! This world needs you!"

"You make it sound like we're some kind of…cosmic guardians," Twilight said. "Is that true?"

"More or less," Celestia answered. "The truth is, your journey will be long. Even though you will be able to return home, you must also be away from it for a great amount of time. It is the only way that you can stop the angel of darkness."

"The what now?" Applejack asked.

"The angel of darkness wants to turn existence into disharmony," Luna explained. "Whoever he is, he wants to remove all honesty, generosity, kindness, loyalty, and laughter from the multiverse, and turn all magic into evil."

"How did you know all this?" Twilight asked.

"With the mists come the things we need to know," Celestia replied. "I was also contacted…twice, in fact…by a trusted friend from a world long dead. He stressed the importance of your journey. I am sorry to deliver you this news. You must prepare in any way you can. I have for you a ship that will take you through the mists of Avalon. I suggest that you move anything you need to make it home onto that ship."

"And Ponyville?" Applejack asked, frustration showing through her voice. "How's everything supposed to run without us? How's the Apple family farm supposed to keep runnin' without me there to help? And what about our families? How're we supposed to explain this to 'em?"

"You may tell those you trust most about the importance of your journey," Celestia said. "Keep no secrets…not from Shining Armor or Cadance, the Apple family, Sweetie Belle, the Cakes, or anypony else who needs to know where you have gone. Assure them you will return. You will also have to make other arrangements for your responsibilities in Ponyville. I will, however, equip you with a way to send mail to this castle. I expect that you will use it mostly for letters and reports, though I understand that those of you who make a living from creating things will need to send material things back as well." Celestia looked meaningfully towards Rarity. "Oh, and on that note, make sure you bring plenty of clothing, and fabric to make clothing from. When you leave Equestria, you will undergo some…changes. You will need the proper clothing in order to accommodate."

"Well," Rarity said proudly, "if it's clothes you need, I'm definitely your mare."

"This just still seems so sudden," Twilight moaned. "One day, we're having our book club meeting, and the next, we have to leave Equestria because the fate of existence is in our hooves? How are we supposed to deal with that?"

"Easily," Luna answered. "Together."

"She has a point," Pinkie said. "We've done so much together already! If we have each other, we can do anything! Come on! This is our big chance for an adventure just like in Twilight's books!"

"The most I can do is urge you to accept this mission," Celestia admitted. "In the end, it is up to you."

Twilight looked around, meeting the eyes of each of her five friends. She read the same message from all of them. At last, she turned to Celestia and gave the answer:

"We'll do it."

"Seriously?" Shining Armor gasped.

"Seriously," Twilight confirmed. As promised, the six had stopped by the royal guest chambers of Shining Armor and his wife Cadance, where they stayed when visiting Canterlot on business outside the Crystal Empire they ruled, and as the couple was family to Twilight and practically family to the other five, the story was soon told.

"Celestia and Luna had both told me tales of a greater multiverse outside Equestria," Cadance admitted. "I never thought anypony would actually have to travel that far, though. I was barely able to believe myself that Avalon wasn't just a myth from storybooks."

"When do you have to leave?" Shining Armor inquired.

"As soon as we get packed and say our goodbyes, I guess," Applejack answered. "Celestia has some kinda ship that we're gonna move into."

"We'll be there to see you off," Cadance promised.

"I know you'll be back," Shining Armor stated. "Sooner than you think!"

"I hope so," Twilight moaned.

"Hey," Shining Armor cajoled, "cheer up, sis! This is just like in your books, right?"

"This is the kind of thing I read about all the time," Twilight admitted. "And we have done a lot of great things here. But this…this sounds bigger than anything we've ever done. The kind of thing that only should be read about, and not actually done. I'm not sure we can make it."

"I'm sure we can!" Pinkie squealed. "We just have to remember to smile!"

"And you've got me with you!" Rainbow Dash added teasingly. "That means we can't possibly mess up!"

Twilight smiled. Surrounding her, she saw seven supportive faces. "Thank you. All of you. Shining Armor, Cadance, I promise I'll write you often."

"You just worry about fulfilling your prophecy," Shining Armor replied. "We'll take care of things here. We can even step in with things in Ponyville if it needs help."

"If anypony can save the fate of the multiverse," Cadance said, "it's you six. I just know it."

PONYVILLE, FOURTH EQUESTRIA

"Twilight," Spike said, "you can't take all the books with you!"

"I know," Twilight said, stopping before she emptied her shelves completely. She'd spread out several suitcases to pack with the things she held most dear and thought would come in most handy on the mission. Star charts, telescopes, astrolabes…she wasn't sure how much of it she'd need, but she felt as though nothing should be left behind. "Are you sure you can handle the library on your own?"

"Of course!" Spike confirmed. "I know this place back to front! And besides, I'll have Owlowiscious to help me!"

"Hoo," Owlowiscious agreed from his perch in the window.

"You," Spike responded, misunderstanding. "Don't worry so much, Twilight!"

"I've just never left you on your own before," Twilight pointed out. "You and I have always been together, ever since we were little. To tell you the truth…" She pawed at the ground. "I feel responsible for you. You've been like my little brother for all these years."

"And you've been a great big sister," Spike reminded Twilight. "You taught me everything I know!"

"You won't miss me too much?"

"Of course I'll miss you," Spike admitted, "but this is something you have to do. It's not like you'll never be back."

"You're right." Twilight snapped the last suitcase closed, moving it onto a cart with the others. "I'll miss you too, Spike. Now, don't go eating entire tubs of ice cream just because I'm gone!"

"Awww," Spike groaned teasingly.

"…and that's why I have to go!" Rarity sobbed. She had invited her parents and Sweetie Belle to her house to speak to them about her duty. "I don't know when I'll be back!"

"Hon," Rarity's father, Field Goal, said sympathetically, "we understand you'll miss us. But you gotta do what the princess says you gotta do."

"Besides," her mother, Glory, added, "aren't you going with all your little friends?"

"Yes," Rarity sniffed. "I've just never been so far away before!"

"And don't you have to work on your fashion business?" Sweetie Belle asked.

"Well," Rarity said, her tears drying, "Celestia did assure me I could send my work back. I suppose there will be lots of new opportunities for inspiration. I don't see how I can keep giving outfits to my clients, though…"

"I can help!" Sweetie Belle chirped. "I can deliver your outfits!"

"You realize you'd have to be very careful," Rarity cautioned. "You couldn't mishandle or damage anything."

"I'll be careful!" Sweetie Belle promised. "I promise! Hey, maybe I can even get my cutie mark by helping you out!"

"I trust you," Rarity said. "Actually, Sweetie Belle, I have to pack almost all my fabrics and materials before I can go. Do you want to help me?"

"Sure thing, sis!" Sweetie Belle hopped up from her seat.

"I know that once I'm on my way, I'll get used to it," Rarity said quickly to her parents. "But I want to have this time with her before I leave."

"We understand," Field Goal replied. "Now you go do what you gotta do!"

Rarity led Sweetie Belle to her studio, where the two began packing.

"Are you SURE you can handle it?" Pinkie asked Mrs. Cake for the fiftieth time.

"It's been a really big help having you around the store to help with orders and to take care of the kids," Mrs. Cake reassured Pinkie, "but we can manage. Just remember that there's always going to be a room for you here for when you come back."

"Thanks, Mrs. Cake," Pinkie said. "Ooooh, I'm so excited!" She loaded up her suitcases onto her cart. One was filled with party supplies; the other with random items she'd decided "might" come in handy. "I'll tell you everything when I see you again, I promise!"

"You have fun, Pinkie," Mr. Cake blessed.

"Oh, I always do!" Pinkie replied, wheeling her cart out of the shop. To her, the Cakes had been like family, but parting from them wasn't hard – she knew she'd see them again, and be able to tell them all about her wonderful adventures.

"Ah, Pinkie!" Mr. Cake called after her, remembering something.

Pinkie stuck her head back through the door. "Yes?"

"Did you forget something?"

"Nope! I got everything!"

"But you never leave home without your party cannon," Mr. Cake pointed out.

"But I didn't!" Pinkie wheeled her party cannon into view. "See?"

"Oh…never mind."

"See ya!"

After Pinkie left, Mr. Cake remarked, "You know, I do wonder where she keeps that thing when she carries it…"

"…and Angel likes to be fed three times a day," Fluttershy finished. "But if the food isn't made exactly right…he can get a little angry."

She'd just finished telling Miss Cheerilee all about how to care for her many animals. At first, Fluttershy had been reluctant to ask Cheerilee for help, since it was such a big responsibility; however, Fluttershy needed somepony to look after her many animal friends, and Cheerilee seemed the most obvious candidate.

Cheerilee had been willing to accept the responsibility. As she put it to Fluttershy at the end of the explanation: "If I can take care of an entire class of little colts and fillies, I can take care of all your animals. I'm glad to."

"Oh, I'm so happy," Fluttershy said with a big smile.

Fluttershy didn't have many things to pack, and left the house with only one suitcase.

Rainbow Dash found the very filly she was looking for in the center of town. "C'mon, Tank," she urged her tortoise friend. Tank mosied along next to Rainbow Dash as she approached her target.

Scootaloo launched into the air on her scooter, executing a complex flip kick. "Yeah!" she cried out as the scooter landed on the ground.

"Nice moves," Rainbow Dash commented.

Scootaloo gasped. "Rainbow Dash!"

"You're just the pony I'm looking for," Rainbow Dash began with a smile. "Mind if I ask you a favor? It's kind of a big one."

"Anything!" Scootaloo promised, her smile growing ever wider as Rainbow Dash kept speaking to her.

"I hear you're the president of a little something called the Rainbow Dash fan club," Rainbow Dash said with a wink. "Is that true?"

"Yeah!" Scootaloo confirmed. "You're the coolest pony ever!"

"Tell me something I don't know!" Rainbow Dash joked. "Now, a lot of the town's pegasi are in that club, right?"

"Bulk Biceps, Ditzy Doo, Glitter, Cloudchaser…yeah!"

"I have to be gone for a while," Rainbow Dash explained. "A really long time. I have an important mission from Princess Celestia and Luna. Now, you know I usually lead the other pegasi in controlling the weather around here, right? Well, I'm not going to be able to do that. In my place, I want you to organize the other pegasi so the weather keeps running."

Scootaloo gasped. "Me? But…I can't even fly!"

"You don't need to!" Rainbow Dash assured with the dismissive wave of a hoof. "The others know how to take care of the weather, but they sort of see me as the leader. Also, they each have their strengths, but I usually take care of a lot more than that. You just have to help assign them to make sure everything runs smoothly! Here's a hint: Bulk Biceps can make tornadoes all by himself, Ditzy Doo is really good with lightning and rain when her aim isn't off, Glitter is the resident expert on snow, and Cloudchaser…well, Cloudchaser's really good at chasing clouds. All you have to do is tell them that Rainbow Dash herself put you in charge, and they'll listen to you."

"Why me?" Scootaloo asked. "I mean…isn't there anyone more skilled and organized you'd rather have?"

"You have spirit!" Rainbow Dash replied. "Just like me! That's what everypony needs to pull the weather together – a leader with spirit! Just show 'em how confident you are! Oh, and there's one more little thing."

"What is it?"

"I'm gonna need somepony to look after Tank," Rainbow Dash said, motioning toward the tortoise. "Don't worry. He's pretty low-maintenance."

"Hi, Tank!" Scootaloo approached the tortoise. "I'm Scootaloo!"

Tank smiled slowly but broadly.

"So," Rainbow Dash proposed, "how 'bout it?"

Scootaloo grinned. "You can count on me!"

Perhaps the most tearful goodbye was that of Applejack to her family.

"You just be careful," Granny Smith cautioned. "Wear your scarf when it gets cold, and…ohhh, it feels like just yesterday you were a little filly that was knee-high to my knees!"

"I'll be okay, Granny," Applejack said softly. "Heck, I'll be that much better going on just knowin' that you're all back here and that you love me. I know, I know, that sounds sappy, but it's true!"

"I wish you didn't have to go," Apple Bloom said hushedly.

"I wish I didn't have to leave you behind," Applejack replied. She gently ruffled her sister's red mane with her hoof, disheveling Apple Bloom's pink bow. "But I'll be back before you can say 'zap-apple jam', y'hear?"

"Ooooh, that reminds me!" Granny Smith cried. "I packed an extra jar of zap-apple jam in your suitcase for when you're feelin' hungry! Did you remember to take the extra skillet from the kitchen?"

"Yup," Applejack confirmed. "I think I'm gonna be doin' a lot of cookin' for the others. I mean, the only other one who knows how to cook is Pinkie, and all she knows how to make is dessert…good thing you taught me all those recipes, huh?" Applejack had to blink hard to keep the tears from coming back. "I just sure wish I could stay to help out on the farm – "

"Don't worry about that, dear," Granny Smith replied. "I'm gonna write your cousin Braeburn up in Appleloosa. He always promised that if we needed help on the Apple family farm, he'd be up here, lickety-split!"

"You gonna be okay?" Applejack asked her older brother.

Big Macintosh nodded. "Eeyup!"

"Then I guess I hafta go," Applejack sighed. "I love all y'all, y'know that?"

"Eeyup!"

"And we love you too," Granny Smith said.

"I love you too!" Apple Bloom piped in, not wanting to be left out.

Her goodbyes said, Applejack wheeled her luggage outside the house, only to see a small crowd gathered at the gate of the farm: Twilight, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Sweetie Belle, Miss Cheerilee, and Scootaloo. "What're all y'all doin' here?" Applejack asked.

"We wanted to say goodbye to your family," Twilight answered. "After all, Granny Smith, Big Macintosh, and Apple Bloom are like our family too."

"And I didn't want anypony else to leave without saying goodbye to me!" Sweetie Belle added.

"Or me!" Scootaloo cried.

"I wanted to wish you all luck on your journey," Cheerilee said.

The crowds meshed. Fluttershy shyly squeaked goodbye to Big Macintosh. Twilight encouraged Sweetie Belle to keep learning her magic. Rarity kindly adjusted Apple Bloom's bow. Applejack and Cheerilee exchanged fond sentiments. Granny Smith reminded Rainbow Dash to be careful when flying in stormy weather. Pinkie Pie pulled Scootaloo into a hug with her front right hoof.

Then Twilight, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, and Applejack took their suitcases and wheeled them away.

"Gosh, Rarity," Applejack teased, "didja bring enough clothes?"

"They're for all of us!" Rarity defended. "Princess Celestia practically ordered me to bring these!"

"I wonder why," Twilight said before shrugging it off. "Anyway…I'm kind of excited, now."

"So am I," Rarity admitted. "Just think…we're about to embark on a great and romantic journey to faraway lands!"

"I can't wait!" Pinkie squealed.

"What if it's dangerous?" Fluttershy said softly.

"Never fear!" Rainbow Dash bragged. "I'll protect you!"

"I reckon we're gonna be just fine," Applejack deduced.

HORSESHOE BAY, FOURTH EQUESTRIA

Down below the mountains upon which the great kingdom of Canterlot was set, the Canterlot port overlooked a vast expanse of sea. For several days, the sea had been enveloped in a silver mist. Looking at it for the first time, Twilight could tell that it was a magical mist. It practically called her: Enter, Twilight. There is much to be done.

Celestia and Luna led the six down the dock, helping them carry their luggage. Cadance and Shining Armor brought up the rear of the group, and royal guards surrounded. Blueblood, it was said, had refused to come, having a very important photo shoot for which he needed to style his mane, and he wasn't that concerned with the whole affair anyway. This gave Rarity a sense of relief, as she hadn't wanted him to show up.

A great ship, a galleon of old, was docked at the port. Its white sails billowed out in the slight breeze. Faded paint along the side proclaimed that its name was the STARLIGHT. "This is the ship that Luna and I used to cross the mists," Celestia explained. "It is over a thousand years old, but it is no less usable. Come inside. I want to show you around."

Celestia and Luna led the group up the gangplank and down belowdecks. The ship was quite roomy and very well held together, with plastered walls and finished wooden floors on the inside. A room near the front held the steering wheel, as opposed to the wheel being abovedecks. This struck Twilight as odd, but not as odd as other features of the room. For example, the great dashboard filled with screens and blinking lights.

"You can use these computer systems to organize any data you might find," Celestia explained. "There will be times that you need to research the lands in which you have found yourself, and times when you need to record things to remember for later."

"I've never seen anything like it," Twilight admitted. "Is it hard to use?"

"At first," Celestia admitted, "but you get used to it. Uploaded into its database is the most comprehensive guide of information about the multiverse as it currently exists. I made sure the most recent edition was installed myself. However, you may want to have the original copy for yourself." She levitated what appeared to be a book off the dashboard and steered it toward Twilight. Ever eager to see a new book, Twilight picked it up with her own magic. It turned out not to be a traditional book, but an electronic pad with keys for which to look up terminology. The pad had a cover, which was what had made it appear booklike; the cover read, in bold lettering, "DON'T PANIC." Twilight doubted that was the title.

"And this," Celestia said, referring to a small mantelpiece set in the wall, "is the fireplace that will send your letters directly to Canterlot, just like dragon fire. You can light it any way you wish; its enchantment will always transfer the things burned in it to the palace. Rarity, you can use it to send back your new fashions."

Celestia continued on to show them the kitchen, which was fully stocked. Applejack added her own skillet to the inventory anyway, and stored the zap-apple jam away in one of the cupboards. There were several lounges and "meeting rooms" for recreational use; Pinkie planned out how she could decorate each one. Several bedrooms were ready for use; the six friends dropped their suitcases off in the quarters they wished to claim. Twilight found the size of the beds odd – they were twice as big, she thought, as she would need them to be. She figured that the change must have been for Celestia, who was much taller, even a thousand years ago. In the back of the ship, there was a strange room that Celestia called the "engine room", though she pointed out that the engine didn't work and the sails would have to be used instead. Twilight made note of that.

"There is nothing more I can tell you," Celestia said at last, "that you will not find out for yourselves."

"I have one last question," Twilight said.

"Yes?"

"Who is this angel of darkness you kept telling us about?"

Celestia sighed. "That is one thing I wish I could tell you. But I don't know. No one does. We only know that he has – "

"Or she?" Rarity suggested.

" – or she has," Celestia amended, "sent anonymous threats. If the mists have come, and you fulfill one half of the prophecy, he or she must fulfill the other. We have no doubt that the one sending the threats is the true angel of darkness."

"There will actually be many great dangers on your journey!" Luna boomed, causing Fluttershy to wince and hide behind Rainbow Dash. "But you will be strong, and you will learn how to defeat them!"

"That is why we have one last gift to give you before you begin," Celestia said. "Cadance, if you please."

Cadance brought forth a golden box that the six immediately recognized. "Here," she said, opening the box. "You'll remember these."

Cadance then doled out the necklaces that bore the Elements of Harmony. Rarity's held a glittering purple crystal cut in the shape of a diamond, matching her cutie mark. Pinkie's was in the form of a blue balloon. Fluttershy received a pink butterfly, Applejack an orange apple, and Rainbow Dash a bright red lightning bolt.

"And Twilight," Cadance finished, levitating the great crown that contained the pink starburst of Magic, "since it's a good idea to keep these with you at all times, we thought this might be a bit unwieldy. Do you mind if we…"

"Not at all," Twilight said.

Celestia, Luna, and Cadance each pointed their horns toward the tiara, focusing their energy upon it. It transformed into a necklace like the others, the pink starburst another gem. Twilight took it and fastened it around her neck.

"Now, we must leave you," Celestia said. "Good luck, my little ponies. And remember, when you start out, to trust the mists."

"We won't let you down!" Rainbow Dash promised, saluting.

"We have faith in you!" Luna said before she and her sister departed.

"I know you can do it, Twily," Shining Armor said with a wink. "All of you, in fact!"

"We'll see you soon," Cadance promised. "And you'll always be in our hearts!"

"You too," Twilight swore.

"See ya!" Shining Armor said before he and Cadance left.

"Well," Twilight said, "here we are."

"No turnin' back now," Applejack remarked.

"What are we waiting for?" Pinkie cried. "Let's go!"

"Right," Twilight said. "I'll take the wheel. Rainbow Dash, you go abovedeck and haul up the anchor."

"Right!" Rainbow Dash rushed away.

Twilight walked back to the cockpit. She pressed a large button marked "POWER", and the mysterious screens roared to life. They portrayed an overhead map of the coastline of the Canterlot port, though beyond the misty area, the screen grew gray and fuzzy, as though there was nothing beyond the mist. A red line led from the spot where the Starlight was docked toward the direction in which it was pointed.

"Anchor's up!" Rainbow Dash called from above.

Twilight had only to touch the steering wheel, and the Starlight knew what to do. It set off, steering itself directly into the mists. "Trust the mists," she muttered. She then walked away from the cockpit to unpack her things in her quarters.

From the shore, Celestia, Luna, Shining Armor, Cadance, and the guards watched the Starlight drift into the mists and eventually disappear. They knew that unlike the other boats in the harbor, it had not simply vanished from view by getting too far away. The Starlight was gone.

Satisfied that they had what they'd come for, the mists rolled away, revealing a clear blue sky over clear blue waters.

CHANGELING KINGDOM, FOURTH EQUESTRIA

Far beyond even what was visible from atop the high mountain views in Canterlot, a dusty wasteland with crumbling shanties situated upon it in the arrangements of neighborhoods lay under the burning sun. At the edge of this land, a great palace of obsidian with sky-high spires, the only sign of wealth in the entire kingdom, loomed, casting its shadow.

In the dark alleys between the shanties, two changelings met up. "Doomie!" one of them cried.

"Misery!" the other replied. The pair hugged. "How have you been?"

"Miserable," Misery answered. "You know how…she…gets…"

"Some say it's worth it," Doomie pointed out. "So we can be hungry when we reach the other kingdoms."

"I don't care," Misery said. "If she made our own kingdom better…we wouldn't need to conquer the others…" Tears filled Misery's eyes.

Doomie reached out with a hoof to take Misery around the shoulders and comfort her, and Misery felt the hunger for love that had driven her mad since the last raid on Canterlot subside, filled up by Doomie's affection.

They heard the tell-tale buzzing above them, and struggled to move away from each other before they were caught. They were too late. How did she always know? Misery wondered this as she panicked.

"YOU TWO!" Queen Chrysalis barked, touching down in the alley, her wings ceasing the buzzing they made when she flew. "WHAT have I said about fraternization?"

"To stay away from each other!" Doomie recited dutifully. "Not to give each other love! To stay hungry so that we might feed from the kingdoms we conquer! I swear, Your Highness, she was the one who hugged me! I was trying to tell her to get away!"

"Doomie!" Misery cried out in anguish, devastated by her friend's betrayal. She knew she shouldn't have expected any different – Chrysalis' loveless rule had hardened all the residents of the Changeling Kingdom into exactly the warriors the queen wanted.

"You must pay for your actions," Chrysalis informed Misery.

"Please, Your Highness, no!" Misery begged. "I'll never talk to anyone outside of strict business again! No more hugging! No more – "

"It's already too late for you," Chrysalis informed Misery, her horn glowing.

When Chrysalis was finished, Misery hung suspended from the gable of the nearest shanty, covered in a cocoon of green goo. Doomie shuddered to look at it. The cocoons weren't deadly, but nopony ever liked to be in them. It could take weeks for one to melt away, and those within them were conscious for every minute. The goo also affected its victims emotionally, more so the longer you were in one. She was glad she'd managed to escape that fate.

"Now go," Chrysalis demanded, "before I change my mind about sparing you."

Doomie obliged by running away.

Chrysalis heard slow applause from behind her. At first, this confused her, since none of her subjects had hands. When she turned, she felt as though the sight before her was too good to be true. "Discord!"

"Chrysalis!" Discord greeted. "It is good to see you again! Still wreaking havoc upon Equestria?"

"As always," Chrysalis said with a nod. "I had meant to join you after your release, of course…but they put you away." Her teeth gritted at the very memory of it. "So I swore I'd take revenge on them. I sent a threat to Canterlot, and my forces were very nearly able to take it. You would have been pleased – I disguised myself as a royal bride, and very nearly wed the prince."

"What fun!" Discord said with a smile. "That would have made the game fun indeed! Which princess was the blushing bride?"

"Mi Amoré Cadenza."

"Eurgh!" Discord mimed sticking a finger down his throat. "Gag! I bet she wanted a wedding that was all cutesy and fluffy!"

"She had it planned out by the six that defeated you," Chrysalis nearly spat. "It was every bit as sentimental and disgusting as you imagine."

"Well, you needn't worry about that anymore," Discord informed Chrysalis. "The Elements of Harmony just left town. Left the world, in fact."

Chrysalis' eyes widened. "They have passed on?"

"Better," Discord said. "They just boarded the Starlight and set out for Avalon!"

Chrysalis made a face of disgust. "How is that better?"

"Why, the game is only fun if we have opponents to play with," Discord pointed out as though it were obvious. "Speaking of which, we have a new player. A stranger who freed me. She claims she's going to be the master of the new age of chaos. Of course, she severely overestimates herself."

"Yet she was able to undo what the Elements of Harmony had done to you," Chrysalis pointed out.

"So were three indecisive fillies," Discord groaned. "It's nothing to worry about! Our time is coming, Chrysalis. We can have all the fun we want! It will be just like the old days…me, causing chaos, you, eating others' love by turning into their loved ones, and oh, the looks on their faces when they found out was you were just delicious! Of course, we'll have to round up all the others if we really want to make this an age of chaos."

"Yes," Chrysalis said with a smirk. "I suppose we will."

"Since the Starlight rode out," Discord said, "we shouldn't be able to travel between the worlds. It just wouldn't make any sense! And you know what that means…"

"You can transport us immediately!" Chrysalis finished.

"It's up to you," Discord said. "Where do you want to start?"

"Wherever there is the most love to feed upon," Chrysalis answered right away. "I can leave the other changelings to their own devices. They'll probably disobey my laws…but the absence of a queen will certainly throw them into chaos."

"My favorite thing," Discord remarked. "Let the games begin!"

He snapped the fingers of his left claw, and he and Chrysalis both vanished