//------------------------------// // All things come to an end Part 1 // Story: New Beginnings // by Saro0fdemonz //------------------------------// Sunburst was the first to react, flames licking at the shadows, forcing them back as the claws reached for them. Piper caught on quickly to her plan. "Amethyst! Emerald! FIRE!" He screamed. The kirin's nodded, both taking deep breathes, Amethyst's massive multicolored flames spreading around the entire hall as he let the breath out slowly, adding to Sunburst's blaze, while Emeralds simple green flame licked at the edges of the others. Discord grinned, watching as their flames held back the dark grasp. "You've learned a few tricks since we last played. Good, I wouldn't want this to be as dull as last time." "Last time we 'played' we were weak and inexperienced. But this time we're ready for you. We beat you once Discord and we'll do it again!" Nova called out, shocking everypony gathered there. Her friends gathered around her. The Twins stood side-by-side on their hind hooves, hoofblades drawn. Honeycrisp flared her wings, standing tall beside Sunburst whose mane had set itself ablaze with the flame burning in her eyes and all around her. Piper stood on her other side, his eyes an icy blue, spikes of ice slowly rising around him. Amethyst exhaled slowly, digging his claws into the stone beneath him, the rock shifting and coating his body like armor. Emerald and Nova stood tall and smiling, their horns glowing dimly and their eyes shining brightly, their voices echoing as they spoke. "With the power granted us by Harmony herself, we banish you back to the stone from which you came!" The elements began to glow dimly for a moment, Discord's eyes wide in shock and his shadows vanishing. Twice he had felt the sting of the Elements, twice he had been trapped in stone. He would not wait around for a third time. He cringed and blinked, realizing he still could move. He turned toward the ponies finding that the Elements had stopped glowing, the group looking around confused. Discord laughed and lunged forward, he would start with the Alicorn and Kirin who had been the first to speak out against him. They would be an example. "NO!" Piper screamed, leaping at Discord and slamming his hooves into his jaw. The two slammed through a wall, Piper hitting the ground and rolling. The others leapt through, chasing after them. "Don't let him get away!" Shining Armor ordered his troops. "Stay out of this!" Discord snapped his claws, Shining Armor finding himself in the forest along with his guards. He looked around frantically and screamed in frustration. Discord turned his attention back to Piper. "You, I remember you, that proud look in your eye, the anger. You were there. But how? Hm, I suppose it doesn't matter now that you've come back. But round two will be mine." "Don't count on it!" Scootaloo called out, diving toward the god of chaos with Sweetie Belle on her back. The two roared as they flung their keyblades at him. Discord rolled his eyes and snatched the blades out of the air, slamming his tail into the duo and sending them crashing through another wall. Scootaloo was the first back onto her hooves, charging toward Discord, Sweetie Belle close behind her. "KEEP YOUR FILTHY CLAWS AWAY FROM MY SON!" Scootaloo screamed. Discord laughed, snapping his claws once more, the three ponies hovering in midair "I see now. He's your brat, but who's the father here?" Scootaloo glared at him and Sweetie Belle threw a barrier around them, lowering them to the ground. "HA! You used magic to have a foal didn't you?" he asked, laughing and shaking his head. "So what?! He's still our son!" Sweetie Belle yelled. Piper looked at them confused. Why did it matter if magic was used? "Oh that is just rich. Well, I suppose it'll be more fun this way." He snapped his claws, a ring of flames surrounding them, stopping the others from reaching their friends. Discord grinned, letting go of the keyblades, their owners growling as they held them. Piper stood between them, not sure what to do. He felt he would only get in the way if he fought, but he couldn't just stand there. He took a slow breath, remembering what he had seen the 'Guide' do against the heartless. His eyes began to glow an icy blue, spikes of ice launching from all directions toward Discord who snapped his claws, letting them turn into water and splash against him. He flung his head back, shaking the water off. "Thanks, needed a bath, though i'd prefer a hot one." another snap of his claws and flames danced around them, more ice appearing and falling onto the flames, putting them out. Sweetie Belle glanced at Piper then back at Discord. It was just a battle between who could conjure more, and Piper was no unicorn. It was already easy to see the strain the magic was putting on his body. She gently kissed his forehead and smiled. "That's enough Piper." "Bu..." she shook her head. "Go to your friends Piper. They need you. We'll hold him off." she said with a smile, turning back to Discord. She gasped as he lifted her in his claw. "Eww gag, ok enough sappy moments" he squeezed, the unicorn screaming in pain. "MOM!" "BELLE!" The pegasi leapt into the air, swatted away by Discord and crashing into a wall, leaving only a pile of rubble on top of them. Discord grinned and vanished, taking Sweetie Belle with him. The unicorn grunted in pain as she was tossed into another cage. "Wait here." he said to her like one would say to a dog before he vanished once more. The unicorn winced as she tried to sit up, her body refusing to move. "Sweetie Belle? I thought you escaped" Spike said, grabbing the bars of his reinforced cage. Scorch marks covered most of the cage, most likely from him trying to break free again. The unicorn lay on her side, gasping in pain. "Don't move Belle. Just relax. Bloom and Scoot will come for you." Pip assured her. that's just it. they will come for her. My brother will come for me, and Rainbow and Fluttershy are coming for Applejack and Big Macintosh. not to mention Rarity coming for Spike. Don't you all see? Its a trap! Twilight struggled to say, though her words would not reach them. Her magic failed her and she had no other means of speaking. Somehow she had to warn them, somehow she had to get them out. Emerald and Nova panted a little with the effort of tearing through Discords wall, but eventually broke free to the other side in time for Piper to shake himself free of the debris and Discord to return. The pegasus screamed in anger and rushed toward him, Discord smiling and snapping his claws, a spear of darkness leaping out of a nearby wall. The spear changed shape in mid-air, growing claws as it neared its target. "PIPER!" Rainbow screamed, flaring her wings and zipping toward the young pegasus. He wouldn't be able to move out of the way in time, and in his rage all he saw was Discord. Not his impending death, not his grandmother, not his friends. Only the creature who had hurt his friends and family. Piper wasn't going to let him get away with it, but his anger had blinded him. In an instant it was all over. Piper felt something hit his side and rolled, coughing from the force of it. He sat up, his eyes wide in shock. Time slowed down for him as he watched the spear stab into Rainbows side, the claws digging deep into her body. The multicolored pegasus slammed into the ground, blood pooling under her as the spear continued to tear away at her. "NOOOOO!" Piper screamed, leaping at the spear, flung back by another one flying into his wing and pinning him to the wall. Discord laughed and snapped his claws, the cages in the throne room appearing around him. "Have a look at your heros. Have a look at their 'triumph' PAH! I've got to say you really are the worst Elements i've faced" Discord said. They all stared at the dead pegasus on the ground. All in the room were silent, save for one pony, hanging high in her cage and weeping. "No...No...not Rainbow...its all jus' a dream...jus a nightmare..." she tried to convince herself, but she knew it was real. Rainbow Dash was dead. Fluttershy slammed her hoof down into the head of the beast, charging it toward Discord as tears stung her eyes. Her oldest and greatest friend was gone because of him, and he was going to pay. "FLUTTERSHY DO NOT ATTACK! IT IS A TRAP! A TRAP!" Zecora warned, but it was too late. Discord merely smiled, the beast vanishing from underneath Fluttershy as he turned his gaze toward it, the pegasus mare squeaking as she fell, a cage appearing under her and catching her, slamming shut on her wings. "Well looks like everypony is back where they belong. Oh almost forgot." he turned toward Applebloom who stood, pushing her twins behind her. Her keyblade appeared between her teeth as she glared at Discord, her mind working as quickly as she could manage. She was no Twilight Sparkle, but she had a good head on her shoulders. Her thoughts screamed one thing and one thing only. Protect the girls She would keep her daughters safe, even if it cost her life. "Oh puh-lease" he rolled his eyes as the mare looked around the room. There was no way out. She held up her Keyblade "Let th' little ones go and ah'll give up without a fight" she said quietly. "Now why would I do that? That one bit me you know." he said, pointing to the young pegasus still pinned to the wall. "Ya'll have had yer fun with em already. Ya know ya can't do nothin more with em. They are jus' kids. Let em go now and ya'll can have yer fun with em in a few years when they are grown." hopefully ya'll will be ready for him by then. It was the only plan she could come up with. Stall for time until the Elements were ready. She blinked as Rarity stepped forward. "I'm sorry darling, but that just won't do. This is Discord we are facing after all. He can't keep his word at all." "RARITY! WHY ARE YOU HERE?!" Spike screamed. "Spike, we swore we would always stay together, til death do us part. I won't leave you to die without me." She said simply, walking toward Discord, a small smile on her face. "Come along Applebloom. If we are to lose here then we will do so with grace, we are both ladies after all. As for you my gems. I want you to run, leave, find shelter. This is not a fight you can win." She said to them softly. They shook their heads, stopping under their mothers gaze. She kissed their foreheads and smiled, walking toward Discord with newfound determination. He had already killed Rainbow Dash, she doubted he would hesitate to kill her or the others. She sat before him and closed her eyes. "All I ask is that you let me go with Spike." she said softly. He shrugged, snapping his claws. The unicorn appearing in the cage with Spike and Applebloom appearing with Pip. "Well now that's all sorted out." he turned and sighed, finding Riku and Nyx, wearing smiles and carrying weapons. Behind them stood The Doctor and Derpy. "I'm not even going to deal with you." the four ponies gasped as a hole opened in the ground, swallowing them. "NYX!" Nova cried, leaping for the hole which vanished before she could reach it. "What have you done to them?!" "Nothing, you just won't be seeing them for a while." "I'll be the judge of that." Dinky said. Grabbing her Sonic Screwdriver. She scanned the floor, a small bit of the hole opening. The unicorn gasped as claws reached for her, pulling her into the hole, leaving only the Elements and the caged ponies with Discord. "Anypony else going to interrupt? That's very rude you know. No one? good. You. Elements. I'm bored with you. So I'll let you live for now and you can watch along with this sorry bunch as I turn the rest of this world on its head. Ta-ta!" he laughed and vanished, taking the caged ponies with him. As he left, the spear in Pipers wing vanished as well as the one jammed in Rainbow Dash's corpse. Piper winced as he walked towards Rainbow Dash. "Grandma Dash? c'mon...get up..." he said softly, nuzzling her. The pegasus didn't move, she didn't breath or groan. She just lay there with her color fading away. "No...Come on! you've got to wake up!" he placed his hooves on her, shaking her, trying to wake her from her eternal sleep. His friends could only watch. Piper collapsed against Rainbow Dash, sobbing as he wrapped his hooves around her. "Its all my fault...its all my fault..." Piper looked up, feeling a hoof on his shoulder. There stood Chrome Mist. "She did what she thought was right boy, now its up to you and your friends. The zebra and I will see what we can do with the door, but the rest is up to you." He said simply, limping away with Zecora. Piper looked down at Rainbow and sat up, wiping away his tears. Why had this happened? "The Elements should have stopped him...but...they didn't work at all...and now..." Piper mumbled, staring at the blood on his hooves. "Its my fault...that's it isn't it...Its me." he looked at the others. "Magic...Honesty...Kindness...Laughter...Generosity. All of you really are the Elements you have, but not me. I'm not loyal, I'm not even your friend." "That's not true Piper!" Strawberry yelled at him. "That's not true...you are our friend and we care about you..." "It doesn't matter now Berry...We all saw it. When we tried to use the Elements out there...They all had that weird glow, except for mine. Mine only worked when the Princess' used their power on us. I'm not loyalty, I'm just holding it." he turned back to Rainbow. "But she is Loyalty. She always has been." "Piper...she's gone, she died protecting you." "Exactly Amethyst. Because in her eyes her life is worth less than her friends and loved ones because she IS Loyalty. We have to save her." He turned back to her corpse, pressing his ear to her chest. Not even a heartbeat. He placed his hooves against her chest and started pumping, trying to revive her. But nothing worked. Rainbow just laid there, blood caking on her coat. He looked around at his friends, tears in his eyes. Finally he gave up, sitting by her and hanging his head. He blinked, seeing a chunk of stone that had been reshaped by Amethyst's magic. "That's it...Amethyst, I've got a favor to ask you." He said softly, the Kirin glancing at him. "I need you to use my body to bring her back." Dinky gritted her teeth as she dove deeper into the darkness, her only light coming from her horn and sonic screwdriver. The fall never seemed to stop and she could see nothing but more darkness as she fell further and further. But they had to be here. Nyx and Riku, Her mother and father. They had to be in this darkness. She grunted in pain as she smacked face-first into the invisible floor. She stood, using her magic to dust herself off and take a look around. "Hello Doctor, or is it Dinky? Just a simple unicorn with no idea what she is getting herself into." a voice rang out. The unicorn spun, searching for the voices owner, her screwdriver whirred quietly drawing her attention away from her search, a smile spread across her face as the screwdriver picked up on the Doctors life signs. She scanned the air and ran in a random direction. There was no way to make sense of the darkness, it was Discords creation. She would have better luck running about randomly rather than going in a straight line. Twisting and turning around invisible corners she laughed as she bumped into someone. Though her eyes went wide as she noticed the figure was tall, wearing a black coat. "Hello Pony." "Xayir..." I didn't really like how this chapter was put together, but I spent 2 days trying to rewrite it and got nowhere. So I am going to post this as is and when I get the idea on how to change it, I will. But for now this meets the needs of the end of the story which may only take a few minutes to put together as its been planned from the beginning. So I hope you guys at least notice how things are playing out in this chapter before it gets rewritten, next and probably final chapter coming probably in a few minutes.