//------------------------------//
// Ch.28: The Future Is Never Set In Stone, You Are Your Own Writer Of Your Destiny 
// Story: Our Name Across The Multiverse: 10 years later 
// by DATONETWIxDASHFAN 
//------------------------------//

"What the hell is wrong with my phone!?" shouted Brishen as he redialed the number, but for some odd reason, it kept saying the number was no longer working. He was about to toss it out the window, but he stopped himself, looked at Wallflower's phone, and it said the thing. "Even your phone!? Heck, I can't even get on the internet with them! It's like someone is trying to stop us from warning them or something.".

Wallflower kept quiet as she kept driving and listening to her friend talk about their phones. She knew the reason, but she couldn't tell him why, as "she" explained to her back on the ship as she touched the ghost rainbow jackets.





"Blitz? Is that you!?" questioned Wallflower, seeing a ghost-looking teenager girl standing between Dash and Twilight.


The girl gave her a sad smile. "...is that my new name?"

Wallflower walked up to her and slowly touched her, but passed through her, just like she thought. "Blitz, did you...like what I saw in that vision of you?"

The girl looked down and noticed the brown jacket and touched it, and just like Brishen, she saw the visions. "I see, another me did the same thing. It makes sense; she must have seen those visions when she or one of her friends found those geodes of mine." She looked up at Wallflower and touched her cheeks. "A version of my Wallflower—less green but still the same. Listen to me, 'her' saviors are here in this prime universe of the prime human counterpart of the prime Equestria. This means they're here to stop you from returning to 'Blitz' side. My best bet is that Dawn tried to take 'her' on by herself and became a savior. Tell me, how far are you guys from facing Dawn and the other saviors?" She stopped touching her cheeks and waited for the answers.

Wallflower had no clue what she was talking about, and the girl could tell by her face. 

"The story has changed even more. Tell me, is Dawn safe? Was she captured?"

"Lucy is fine, but another version of herself, looking like...'this'." she pointed to the girl's ears. "That's what Blitz and Braver told me about how she looks. Having pony ears but looking like me as a human. She wants to eat Lucy, then you and your sister, and restart the multiverse. She's coming in two days. I went with Brishen to get him his other universe counterpart powers, and I ended up here." Wallflower could see the girl looking worried. "You okay?"

"...I never... I see. That's what the other me was saying. Damn 'you'." She closed her eyes, thought for a bit, and then opened them. "Listen to me; when you return home, 'she' will send her saviors to stop you, so if your phones aren't working or something, it's them. They're watching you, so while wearing this jacket, it will let you see the black seeds. So pretend you don't know they're there or they will fight you, and don't tell Brishen as well."





Wallflower could see it, just like the girl told her. The plant car is covered in black seeds, and she could hear someone on the roof of the car. She hoped whatever was on the roof wouldn't do anything else, but if she had to, she would fight them and tell Brishen to head back to town on his own. She really hopes it won't come to that, but she knows better.

On the roof of the car stood a very familiar figure as her yellow skin slowly cracked, revealing the darkness inside of her...






In Equestria, before the events of the prism mirror window appeared, Tempest and her group appeared near the edge of the city and made their way to the palace. They were lucky, as the Ember group was doing their job in handling off Demon Shinning and Cadance, while AJ and her friends and their counterparts were somehow getting notice and pulling away most of the demon crystal ponies away from them. They reached the palace first, hurried up to the crystal heart pedestal, and found nothing there.

"Was it destroyed?" whispered Starlight as she and the others looked around.

Chrysalis looked at the floor and could sense something.

"No, if it was destroyed, we'll see the fragments, but there's nothing. But I sense something. It was moved."

"How do you know that?" asked Tempest as she and the others followed Chrysalis, whose white horn was glowing brightly.

Luna stepped closer to Tempest, showing some pride as she spoke. "Well, when I and Chrysalis came to the empire a few years back, we discovered that her new form made the crystal heart stronger, like how the crystalling works. So I'm not shocked she could sense the heart now.". She turned to Chrysalis and cheered her on. "FIND THAT HEART! YOU ARE DOING GREAT!".

Tempest was a little confused by how Luna was acting. She turned to Chrysalis, who was somewhat blushing as she whispered 'Thanks', and it clicked in her head. "I never noticed those two were...well, it explains why they were so close over the last few years," she thought, being happy that the two were together. "So, Chrysalis, are we close?".

Chrysalis pointed to the burning, destroyed dome building that was near the palace. "It's in there! Let's hurry!".

They rushed inside and could see everything in flames and ruins. Chrysalis lowered her head, placing her horn near the ground, and quickly followed the magical trail, with the others behind her. It wasn't long before they came across a tip-over statue of Princess Amore. They could see a hatch under it.

"It's down there!"

Everyone used their magic to move the statue and open the hatch. Once open, they could see stairs leading deep into a cave tunnel. They entered it and climbed down the stairs and into the tunnel. The tunnel had crystal gem stones embedded into the walls, and the crystals shined brightly, lighting the way. They reached the bottom of the stairs and could see a massive door, which Chrysalis opened with her magic, and the group entered the room, where they could see a huge white crystal. Standing on top of the pillar was the crystal heart, but they could see two unicorns on the ground and hurt, as they were at the base of the pillar. They quickly knew who it was and hurried to them.

"Sombra!? Radiant Hope!?" shouted the group as they helped the two up.

Tempest could see they were badly hurt, and around the area were black marks. Clearly left by powerful magic, she turned to Sombra and asked. "What happened?"

Sombra just looked up at the crystal heart, and the group looked as well, and they could see someone standing near it, confusing everyone here.

Starlight stepped forward and asked the question that was on everyone's mind. "...Rarity? Is that you?" but Luna pushed her back and protected the group, as she knew who this was.


The dark anthro Rarity smiled, raised her hand over her mouth, and started doing an evil noblewoman laugh that sent shivers down everyone's spine. "OHHHHHHH-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho! Oh, Starlight, Luna, and everyone else. It's wonderful to see all of you again, even if it's another version of my once-alive friends." She jumped down, and her dark mist slowed her down and carefully set her on the ground.

Luna's eyes glowed bright white and she spoke with rage. "Nightmare Moon! You are in control of this Rarity from another universe!? Are you working with that human-looking mare from before? The one who stopped Dashie and Twilah from going home!?".

Nightmare Rarity summoned an evil-looking throne and sat down, creating a tea set that appeared in her hands. "Please, call me Night, as it will make it easier to talk." She poured the tea into her cup and held it. "By the way, darling, don't you dare compare me to that weak darkness! The foolish shadow thought she could control me, but she was dead wrong!" She started to sip her tea and snap her fingers, which created a huge mist in front of them, steeping out where...


"Twilight!? Rest of the girls!?" shouted Starlight, as they all could see anthro versions of the girls, walking out and having locks around their cracking bodies with chains.

They all could see the cracks and the darkness inside the girls, almost like they were zombies. Night just laughed and stood up, walking past her girls and showing them off.

"Do you like my mannequins? I made them myself." She walked over to Twilight and stroked her cheek. "They tried to save me; they really tried. So hard, they put their trust in me and believed in me. But I couldn't do the same, not when my spark is dead and gone, not when I can't even believe in myself." She snapped her fingers, and the girls hugged her, and they opened their mouths, and echoes of the past came out as their mouths just hung there, opened.

"Rarity, you can fight it. We believe in you!" said Fluttershy.

AJ spoke next. "Come on, Rare. Fight it! You are stronger than this!"

Pinkie was next. "Stop Rarity! Look what you are doing to our friends! To everyone!"

Rainbow Dash started to cry as she spoke. "I'm not giving up on you, Rarity! But I'm not letting you get to Twilight and Luna! Even if you have transformed everyone here, I won't let you get near them.". Dash slowly turned to Twilight and just looked at her.

Twilight was the last to speak, as Night hugged her harder. "Luna no! Oh, Rainbow, not you too. Rarity! Please listen to me! You can fight it; we believe in you! Don't give into the darkness! Fight it, please! Don't destroy our world.".

Night closed her eyes and spoke softly. "Don't you get it, Twilight? I'm already dead. The only thing keeping me going is my last hope with our dear master—changing my ill-fated ending. I'll save you girls from this." She snapped her fingers, and all of her friends screams could be heard, and Night just laughed as the screams were music to her ears.

"Wow, she lost it," whispered Chrysalis, feeling kind of creeped out.

Tempest turned to Sombra, who somewhat finally stood up and was ready for battle once more.

"What happened here? Why are you two here?"

Sombra turned to her and answered her, while Radiant stood up and went next to him, helping him stand. "We found all the shards of Princess Amore, and we were going to ask Cadance if we could use the heart to revive her, but then some fire demon attacked and infected everyone here. We took the heart and headed here to revive the princess, and maybe she, with the heart, could undo everything, but then...". They all turned to Night, who was on an evil-looking couch as her 'friends' fed her grapes.

Night took notice and smiled. "That's when I came in. Stopping them, as it was requested by our master, Changing the past, so you don't revive Amore, who becomes a huge thorn to our master plan, as she helps someone in the future." She once again snapped her fingers, and all the black shards that Sombra and Radiant Hope collected appeared and slowly formed into a black crystal statue of Amore. With her magic, she took the crystal heart and placed it near Amore, and soon, the heart started to shine. Everyone watched as Princess Amore finally returned and looked confused, but before she could do anything, a magical black beam blasted her back, as Night was the one who unleashed the beam with her horn.

"NO!" screamed Sombra and Radiant, watching their princess fall to the ground. Her crystal body slowly showed a burning-like effect as it went across her body. She looked up at them and gave them a warm smile.

"Sombra, remember, you have the power to change it. It's not too late to choose your own destiny. Don't let fate rule you; write your story. Only you can make the future that is your own. And for you, Radiant...H-Ho...p....". Amore stopped talking as her body turned solid white and slowly fell apart as ash. Sombra and Radiant slowly walked to the ashes, and they knelt down and looked at it as Night just laughed at them, not caring that she had just killed Princess Amore, and started clapping.

"What a wonderful show! The princess's last words were such foolishness. Are you really thinking you can escape fate? Ha! There's no such thing; we're all doomed to have sad endings. We can't escape it, no matter what. The only way is to let our master write the true ending, and then we'll truly be free! Free from sadness, free from the pain of losing our friends, free from everything that brought us down, and free from fate, as every book burns away into nothingness." She stood up from the couch and watched as Sombra was filled with burning rage and charged at her. "So much rage against me! How cute. It will do nothing to change your fate though."

Sombra unleashed all the magic he could, and it did nothing to Night, as she easily dodged them or her friends took the hits, and with a wave of her hand, a black chain wrapped around Sombra and pulled him close to her.

"I have seen every universe and every story of your life. It all ends the same way: you die, becoming a monster, or you become good but still die as a monster. There is and never was a happy ending for you. Not when fate has ruled it. But you don't have to worry about that; you'll be free soon enough." Night summoned a black seed and forced it into Sombra's chest, causing him to scream in pain.

"SOMBRA!" shouted Radiant as she tried to run to him but was stopped by Tempest and the others.

Sombra started to glow black, and his body started to crack and release black mist. Night tossed him towards the group and watched as Radiant Hope ran to his side, crying.

"What did you do to him!?" She shouted, looking at him and seeing the cracks in his body, as it looked like he was broken glass.

"Nothing. I simply sped up his fate." She sat down on her couch and watched as Sombra slowly turned into a mist monster.

"Sombra! Fight it; you did once before! Do it again!" cried Radiant Hope as her tears hit his cracked face.

"It's no use, darling." She sipped her tea and spoke with boredom. "He was always meant to become a monster and be destroyed in the end by you. There's no second chance or happy ending. No moving forward and seeing a better tomorrow. We're all going to die; just accept it and become free of this horrible fate."

Sombra just cried, feeling the darkness taking control, and with a small smile, he spoke. "Radiant Hope, I love you...".
Radiant looked at him and smiled. "I love you too, Sombra. Please don't forget it, no matter what you become." She had to let him go and watch him become a dark shadow of a wraith unicorn monster. She quickly returned to the others and took a battle stance with them, ready to defend themselves against him.

Night had her friends hand her a bucket of popcorn and use AJ as a foot stool. She got all comfortable and enjoyed the show, as the wraith was about to attack the group. "And now, let the final scene begin...".

Radiant could hear her and couldn't help but scream at her.
"You think this is just a show!? You killed my princess and turned the love of my life into 'that'!! This isn't a damn play! These are real lives; don't you feel anything!?"

Night looked at her, started to eat a few popcorns, and spoke with annoyance.

"I hate when new characters appear and all they do is nothing but talk and nothing else. Can't you just shut up and let the finale begin?" She tossed a piece of popcorn into the air and caught it in her mouth.

"This isn't our Rarity, everyone! Or the nice Sombra we once knew. We have to beat him and then take 'Night' down!" ordered Tempest, her horn giving off magical energy as she's ready to fight.

Starlight was shaking in fear; she didn't know why, but Night was freaking her out. "How did version of Rarity become this monster!? It's just wrong!"

Luna glared at Night as she spoke. "You weren't around when it happened, friend Starlight! Friend Twilight and her friends were having nightmares for a week, until friend Rarity was kidnapped and taken to the Nightmare Dreamscape. 'Nightmare Forces' were behind it and corrupted her, becoming Nightmare Rarity, but since Nightmare Moon was still inside of me, it was a weaker version, and in the end, we saved her, but...this twisted alt version of friend Rarity, no doubt, wasn't saved, but the real question is, where did she come from? Like that other human-looking mare, and who do they serve!? This all must be connected somehow."

Chrysalis rolled her eyes and sighed. "We don't have time for questions; let's fight and win, then figure out the rest after." She blasted Sombra, but it just passed through him, like magic wouldn't work against him. "Well, this isn't good; anyone have any other ideas? Because if not, we're all going to die. Yep, we're going to die. Yep, yep, yep!"

"Calm down, Chrysalis." Tempest ordered, as she was thinking and trying to come up with something while dodging Sombra charge attacks and then his smoke blasts breath. "Radiant Hope, will the crystal heart even work on him again? Because he's very different now, not like he was before. I don't think the crystal heart can do anything about this."

"I don't know; it might, but I'm not sure. We can try, but..." She created a magical barrier, deflecting a stream of smoke, before he charged at her, breaking through her shield, but was saved by Luna, who tackled Sombra into the wall and flew back to her. Her and Luna turned to Night, seeing the crystal heart being held by Rainbow Dash. "We have to fight Night and her...friends."

Luna agreed and was going to face off against Night, but was tackled by Sombra and crashed into a wall and into another cave section. Chrysalis screamed Luna's name and quickly ran to her aid, leaving Radiant and the others alone with Night and her friends.

Night groan and stood up, still eating the popcorn. "I hate getting my hands messy. Oh, wait, I don't need to. Girls."

Dash tossed the heart towards Night, who caught it and sat back down, while her friends charged at the three, using some kind of shadow chain, trying to capture them.

Starlight, Tempest, and Radiant dodged, and Tempest used her magic to break the chains and tried to blast the girls, but they didn't flinch from the attack and continued forward.

"Tempest, how can we beat them? Magic doesn't work against them, and our strength is useless too! What do we do!?" cried Radiant Hope as she barely dodged Dash's kicks.

"I'm not sure! I have never seen anything like this! It's like their undead! Maybe..." She dodged Applejacks punches, jumped over Pinkies tail swipes, and tried to think. "Maybe we have to destroy them? It's all we can do."

Radiant was going to respond but was kicked into the wall by Dash, who started to walk towards her but stopped as she started to shake.

Starlight created a barrier, protecting herself from Twilight and Fluttershy attacks as they were bashing the shield with their chains. Starlight couldn't believe her friends, even if they were from another universe, could become undead slaves, and Rarity could become a monster. She turned to Night and shouted at her. "We'll save you, Rarity! Don't give up! You can fight it!"

"Oh, you can save me, huh? What a stupid idea," said Night, eating the last popcorn.

Starlight closed her eyes, trying to keep her shield from being destroyed. "Not just me, but the others here as well! Twilight and you and the others, you all saved me! You can be saved too!" She opened one eye, seeing Twilight and Fluttershy clawing at the cracking shield. "All of you!".

Night couldn't help but laugh at her. "Don't make me laugh; it's useless. Even if I did change, I'd just go back to what I was before; there's no happy ending. My friends are gone forever; there's no happy ending waiting for me."

Starlight dropped to her knees, sweating heavily as she could feel the shield giving way, and with a smile, she spoke.
"You are wrong; there's always a happy ending. It's just a matter of whether you let yourself have one or not. We'll save you, Rarity, you'll-UGH!?" It happened so fast that she could not even register what had happened. Night blasted through her barrier and had her by her neck. She could see Night's eyes glowing with pure darkness.

"Save your speeches, you are wasting my time; you sound like that foolish girl! Always going off about how everyone deserves a happy ending and second chances—it's disgusting! Don't you get it!? Fate has already decided your ending. There's nothing you can do; it's too late! The only way to escape the sadness and pain of reality is to let it all go and become free! Let our master write your fate and walk down that same path together, to the true ending. We can finally be free from everything!"

Starlight coughed, trying to breathe, as Night was slowly crushing her neck.

"We're all dead, darling. It's better to accept it and move on; don't fight it and join the winning side. Just like your daughter did, by helping our dear friend, Rainbow Sun Dawn." Night sighed, remembering her fellow teammate. "Rainbow Sun Dawn, that love stick girl went against our master wishes, but in the end, she's doing what she was made to do by ending your daughter's little crush. Tell me, how does it feel? Raising a monster, a monster you created by not loving her?"

Starlight looked into her eyes as Night spoke, and with a small smile, she responded. "I did love her! She's my child, and I raised her with love and care. She wasn't a monster and still isn't a monster, no matter what you or other say."

Night laughed with pure madness and shook her head.
"That's so adorable and stupid. I thought I told you to not waste my time!" She slammed her into the ground, put her face on Starlight's face, and spoke with an evil-sounding tone. "Don't fool yourself. I have seen other timelines and other stories where you never loved her and she went on to be an evil unicorn, just like you. In some cases, she destroys Equestria; in others, she gets killed by you or by your friends. All because you never showed her any love or care. So don't you lie and tell me you loved her and she was not a monster, because the truth is, you're the monster for never loving her. Look what happened to this universe! She was going to destroy Braver family and then break Braver's mind. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree—well, another tree, since she's not really your child."

Starlight started to cry and could hardly respond to Night, as Night's words were cutting deep and hitting hard.

"S-she isn't a monster...she isn't a monster..." she kept saying it, hoping to believe it herself, but deep down, she didn't. She let it all out, crying, feeling like a failure and a horrible mother. "You are right, I'm a monster for not loving her at first. Maybe if I loved her more and had been a better mother, none of this would have happened."

Night looked at her with boredom and rolled her eyes before slapping her across the face.

"Are you done? Because you're so annoying, it's giving me a headache and making me want to kill you myself. But that's not part of the story." She stood up and walked back to her couch, but stopped as she heard Starlight continue to speak.

"But according to what AJ told me, I have to face the honest truth and take responsibility for what I did. When this is all over, I need to apologize to Dawn, my daughter. Apologies for not loving her, not being her mother, or being a good one. But no matter what, I'll always be her mother, and even if I'm not there for her, she's not alone." She stood up and smiled. "She was never alone, as Braver was at her side and loved her greatly. Braver kept her in the light and never gave up on her, no matter what. I believe in Braver for saving my baby girl! She deserves a happy ending and a second chance in life! No matter what, she's not a monster, not to me or Sunburst! Not even to Braver and her friends and parents!".

Night slowly faced her, her face filled with pure anger and hate.

"SHUT UP!!! JUST SHUT UP AND DIE!!!" Her body became completely black, took the form of a giant, pitch-black shadow monster, and fired a dark beam at her.

Tempest tried to teleport to Starlight but was punched in the face by AJ. She watched in horror as the beam almost hit Starlight when suddenly a flash of purple light, a bright explosion, knocked Night back and sent a huge gust of wind at the girls, blasting them all away from Tempest and friends.

They all turned, seeing a large mirror-looking shield in front of Starlight as it protected her from the beam's blast. Night realized who the shield belonged to as she summoned her friends back to her side, giving the heart that had been floating behind her the whole time to Dash, who took it but was still shaking.

"So, you found your way here? Still using that oversized mirror, I see. I wonder why you didn't come here with your precious leader and the rest of your friends. Don't tell me, the mirror doesn't let more than one person on at a time." She giggled, knowing full well that was the case, and seeing the white Alicorn mare in front of her made her very annoyed, as the Alicorn face had no expression or emotions.


"My friends are busy at the moment, dealing with your teammates, the other saviors. I would help them, but this is something I have to do on my own."

Night groaned and rubbed her temples, getting a headache, and spoke with annoyance.

"This is such a stupid thing, and it's so annoying. Can you please just leave me alone, you hollow soulless doll? You have no purpose or soul; there's no reason for you to be on 'her' side from the start! You should be on our side! Why!?"

"Because I made a promise." The Alicorn walked towards her, with the white mane flowing in the wind, and the shield disappeared and reappeared at her side, but much smaller, as a ghost version of herself appeared within it. "A long time ago, I made a promise that I intend to keep and fulfill, no matter what the cost or consequence." She slammed the shield down and glared at Night. "Even if my fate is sealed, I still believe in 'her'. I believe in my friend and her belief in a better tomorrow for everyone. So, prepare yourself, you twisted version of my old dear friend. You will be stopped, and I will personally make sure of it."

Night glared at her and summoned her friends to her front as she prepared herself for combat—until she saw the crystal heart be tossed to the Alicorn, who grabbed it with her magic and tossed it over to Radiant, who caught it as well. Night furiously summoned Dash Chain and pulled her towards her.

"Still disobeying me, little Dashie!? Do I have to put you in your place again? I can make sure you never walk again after what you did." She pointed her hand at Dash, firing her magic, but was quickly deflected as the mirror shield flew between them and blasted her in the face, making her scream in pain.

"You shouldn't ignore me," said the Alicorn with no emotion. "Now, it's time to end this. Radiant, use the crystal heart, and save everyone here!" She charged and pushed through Night's friends and tackled Night herself into the crystal pillar, causing it to crack. Both ladies glared at each other, one filled with pure rage and the other with no emotions or expressions.

"It's over, Night."

"Over? HAHA! That's funny!" Night grabbed her and slammed her into the crystal, and now she was the one doing the pinning. "Why do you have so much faith in her!? She's just a foolish young girl, filled with stupid dreams and thinking everything will work out! She's the worst kind of person, a foolish liar who speaks false words, you know that!?"

The Alicorn could feel the crystal cracking and breaking, but ignored it and glared at her.
"What you call foolishness, I call hope. I hope for a brighter tomorrow and a new future where no one will suffer or cry. She isn't a liar or a fool; she's a blazing spark, a bright, shining light in the darkness. The light that will shine on everyone, giving them hope and a will to fight, a will to believe, a will to dream, and the will to never give up, to keep moving forward. She is my best friend, and I will fight for her."

"Shut up!" She slammed her repeatedly into the pillar, and as it started to shake and break, the cracks were becoming bigger. "You think she can save us!? Huh! Don't be stupid; there's no saving anyone or anything! We're all fated to suffer! Look at me!? I became THIS and turned my friends into walking puppets! You really think I can be given a second chance!? NO ONE GETS A SECOND CHANCE; WE ALL SUFFER AND FALL TO THE DARKNESS; THERE IS NO SAVING ANYONE OR ANYTHING, NO MATTER WHAT!" She kept slamming her until the crystal finally cracked and broke.

Night was panting and looked down at her, as she could see the Alicorn smile for the first time ever.

"Just like my old dear friend, thinking she couldn't be saved, my Rarity is like you, thinking the same thing, but both of you are wrong. Everyone deserves a second chance and can be saved. I'll give her that happy ending, and same with you."

"You talk too much, now die!" She threw the Alicorn to the ground and stomped her head in, hearing the cracking sound, but it wasn't the Alicorn head that made that sound; it was the mirror shield, as its surface crack and started to leak out white mist. Soon, a voice spoke as the Alicorn reflection, without a horn, appeared in the mirror.

"The only one who talks too much is you, darling." The shield blasted out the white mist, making Night stumble backwards and seeing a white shadow pony helping the Alicorn up. Night unleashed her shadow to match the white shadow. Soon, Night summoned her friends to her side, as they became surrounded by dark dead trees and glitching prism effects. 

Radiant and the others ran up to Dash, who was still on the ground, and turned to them, smiling before she disappeared along with Night and the White Alicorn, as the dead trees and glitching prism effects ingulfed them and vanished. They wanted to thank her, but it was too late, as they were alone now. They quickly heard a noise and turned to see Luna being tackled back into the cave by Sombra, with Chrysalis on top of him, punching her hooves on his back but getting tossed off as Sombra suddenly stopped and stared at Radiant and the crystal heart. He roared, smacking Luna away, and charged at them.

"MOVE!" shouted Tempest as three teleported away, dodging the charge attack and making him slam into the wall. They reappeared together, and stood next a beat up Luna and Chrysalis, who were helping her up.

"I'm guessing you girls took care of that, Rarity?" asked Chrysalis, not seeing Night anywhere.

"We'll explain what happened later; right now we need to save Sombra! Radiant, hurry! Use the crystal heart!" ordered Tempest.

"Right!" Radiant raised the crystal heart high above her head and closed her eyes. Her body started to glow as it became crystal-like, and her spirit filled the heart with hope to banish evil, but the light went dim. Radiant could sense it; she opened one eye and was filled with worry. "I'm not enough to use it! I need the rest of my people to truly activate it."

"Well, that's great; you can't use it, so now what!?" shouted Chrysalis, looking back, seeing the enraged Sombra charging at them once more.

They all teleported away and reappeared in different places, trying to lure him away from Radiant as she tried to figure something out. She suddenly realized she was near the ashes of Amore, she touched them, and cried. 

"Radiant Hope..." spoke a faint voice, making her look around.

"Who said that!?"

"Radiant Hope, don't cry. You can still save our people. Follow your destiny, the destiny you saw long ago."

Radiant closed her eyes, remembering the Crystal Faire and how the heart showed her and Sombra their future. Him being a monster and herself being a princess. She shook her head in disagreement. "No! I won't follow that destiny! I refuse! Sombra won't become a monster that I will slay, and I won't become a princess for doing so; there has to be another way, a different future."

The ashes flew around her, and the voice spoke once more, as it was Amore spirit that was speaking to her.

"That's the thing, sweetie. What you see is only a small part of a future. It doesn't mean that's your or Sombra's real destiny in the end. Follow the destiny you see now, but make it yours; shape it into what you want and believe in. The crystal heart showed us a possible future, not a predetermined fate. If you can change and adapt the story, it'll change as well and lead you to the ending you desire."

Radiant could sense the heart showing her future. There are many futures with different outcomes, but none of them truly belong to her. The only one to truly write her story and where it goes was her. She stepped forward, and a path appeared to the unknown. She walked down it, and a white flash appeared, blinding her.





She opened her eyes and was face-to-face with a young orange Alicorn mare, but her horn and wings were see-through.

Radiant screamed and flew backwards as she realized she had crystal wings now. This also caused the young Alicorn to scream as well.

"WHAT'S WRONG, MS. HOPE!?" asked the Alicorn as she watched Radiant fly across the room...badly and crash into the pillows that she was once sleeping on.

"WHERE AM I!?" screamed Radiant, looking around the room, which looked like a small study room. "WHAT'S HAPPENING! WHO ARE YOU!?"

"Ms. Hope, calm down! You're in your home, remember?" The Alicorn walked up to her and helped her up. "You just had a nightmare, and you were screaming and thrashing, so I came in to check up on you."

"What!? But...but I was going to save Sombra, then there was this evil Rarity...and-and-and." She spoke with a heavy breath, not understanding what was going on, and was in complete shock and panic.

The Alicorn rubbed Radiant back and gave her some water to drink, making her calm down. She took a deep breath.

"You must have had a very bad nightmare, Ms. Hope. Do you want to talk about it?"

Radiant thought about it and realized this could be the future she was shown, as the Alicorn looked at her with care and love.

"Who are you?" she asked, wanting to know if the Alicorn was someone daughter like Celestia.

The Alicorn looked worried now and told her name. "It's me, Sunny! Sunny Starscout! I was ordered by my teacher to learn what happened in the Crystal Empire four hundred years ago. Please, can you tell me, What happened to the Crystal Empire on that day known as 'SunFall'?"

Radiant could only stare at her in shock and disbelief. Was this her future, or was it another one that the crystal heart was showing again? She doesn't know, but she needed to know. She hurried out of the room, with Sunny close behind, as she was asking where she was going. Hope didn't answer as she kept running through the small house and exiting it to see how much the Crystal Empire had changed. The palace is still the same, but now there are tall buildings everywhere, blocking the landscape of the empire. The sky is blue, with a few clouds here and there. She turned around and could see what Sunny told her—her small little house, surrounded by those tall buildings. It was a strange sight for her, as it was something she had never seen before.

"Ms. Hope, are you alright? What's going on!?" asked Sunny with worry and concern.

Hope ignored her question and asked her own, as she needed to know and be certain of this.
"Sombra! What happened to him? What happened here!? What are these tall buildings...and..." She could see what looked like wagons but moved on their own without a pony driver pulling them. Heck, she could see ponies and other creatures walking by, holding something in their ears, and talking.

Sunny slowly walked up to her, trying her best to calm Hope down. "Ms. Hope, I don't know what's going on, but please come back inside and we can talk. Please, you are scaring me."

Radiant was scared herself, as everything was too much for her. She needed to think and clear her head, so she agreed and followed Sunny back into the house, following her to the living room, where she saw a large flat box on the wall, which Sunny turned on with a black device. She could see ponies talking about the news before Sunny switched it to a channel with a fireplace. Radiant walked up to it, touching it but not feeling any heat from it.

"Sit down, and we can talk." Sunny smiled and sat down on the couch. Radiant joined her and looked around the room, seeing photos she never remembered taking and ponies and creatures she had never seen before.

"This is too weird," she muttered, not understanding anything that's going on.

"What do you mean?" asked Sunny, wondering what she meant.

"Nothing; just tell me where Sombra is and who and why you are here." She asked, knowing this might be her future or a possible future.

"Sombra? That's a name I haven't heard in a long time," whispered Sunny, looking a little sad. "Sombra, your husband, passed away almost 300 years ago. I read books on him, a great unicorn who redeems himself and helps Flutterheart's son and granddaughter be great leaders, Ms. Hope." Sunny could see her crying, and she rubbed her back, trying her best to comfort her. "It's okay. I know he meant a lot to you and still does. It's hard losing someone you care deeply about." Sunny used her magic to take a photo off the wall and showed it to Radiant.

Radiant wasn't crying about Sombra's death, but that he lived happily with her and wasn't slain by her like she saw in the crystal heart visions of the future. She took the photo and could see him and herself being happy. She turned to the window and looked up at the sky.

"He's okay. He's okay," she whispered, crying with a smile.

"Do you want me to leave?" asked Sunny, standing up but stopping by her.

"No, please tell me. Who are you? Why are you here?" She asked, putting the photo down.

Sunny smiled and answered her weird question. "Well, like I said, my name is Sunny, and I'm a student with my teacher. My teacher is teaching me about Equestrian history and wanted me to visit each kingdom and learn about it in person rather than by looking it up on a computer or phone. My friends are here as well, but as tourists. We've been staying here for a few days. You suggested that I stay with you when you face time with my teacher and wanted to help me. My teacher highly suggested I take your offer, so I did. Don't you remember that? Are you sure you're alright, Ms. Hope?"

Radiant lied by nodding, and asked a question. "Who's your teacher?"

Sunny had a big smile as she answered but was also a bit confused by the question. "She's the best teacher ever! She's so smart and kind that she even helped me and taught me a few friendship lessons. Her name is-"

Radiant cut Sunny off, as she believed who it was. "Princess Twilight, correct?" but when she saw Sunny's happy smile slowly turn into a sad frown, her ears lowered.

"Is that a joke?"

"Why would I joke about that?"

Sunny tried to hold back her tears as she answered. "...because my first teacher was her, but she passed away two years ago. My teacher told me that you wouldn't bring it up! Why did you bring it up? Didn't my teacher tell you that I'm still not over it?!"

"I'm s-sorry!" apologized Hope, seeing the young Alicorn break down into tears, covering her face.

"Ms. Hope, what's wrong with you? This isn't like you! You are acting strange and asking weird questions." Sunny said between her sobs, wiping her tears away.

Radiant didn't know how to answer, as she doesn't understand any of this. It's true, she and Sunny have never met before, but her future self did, and just by looking at her, she could tell she's a good pony and her future self cares about her from the way Sunny talks to her. She needed to be like her future self and help Sunny.

"I'm sorry. I really am, Sunny. I guess I'm just still a little shaken about the nightmare I had. I can't remember all the details, but all I can say is that you're right. I'm sorry for being weird. Maybe I'm not over Sombra passing and I'm trying to move forward still," she held Sunny's hooves, softly pulling them back to see her crying face. "Maybe that's why I wanted you to stay here with me? To help you move forward, learn about letting go of the past and moving forward together."

Sunny wiped away her tears with her arm. "But it's hard! I studied under Princess Twilight only a few years before she passed. I didn't learn much, but still, she was kind and taught me things that can't be learned from books. She always told me to find the magic in everyday life, so I do and still do. I miss her so much, but I feel like my future is a blank page—like a void. I have a goal, a dream, but it feels like something is missing. Without her, I feel so lost, even with my new teacher. Which isn't fair to her since she's been nothing but supportive, loving, and helpful. She's like a mom to me, since my parents passed away when I was a baby. I don't know what I'm doing, Ms. Hope! I'm lost. I want to see the future, and maybe I'll feel happy and find the answers."

Hope hugged her tightly, rubbing her back and letting her cry in her chest. She thought about what she said and wondered. 

"Sunny, I was like you, worrying about the future and where it might lead me and the one I loved, where we are forced to accept our destinies. I refused it, believing it was set in stone, but meeting you and seeing this new world, I was wrong." She leaned back and smiled. "You are your own writer, Sunny. Don't let anyone else write your story for you. If you want the future you desire, believe in it, have hope, and it'll become real. I believe you can do it, and so does your teacher. I think that's another reason she sent you here. You said you see her as a mother, correct?"

Sunny nodded and wiped away her tears, listening carefully.

"And mothers always know when their child is lost, so they push them to find the answer on their own. That's what she's doing—sending you on this quest—not only for history but to help you find yourself and find the answers you are seeking. Don't let the already-written past and the not-written future force you down a single path where you are not happy. Be your own writer, Sunny. You can change and adapt the future you see; it won't be the one you didn't write but your own. Trust yourself, Sunny. I know you can do it." Radiant gave Sunny a kiss on the forehead and could see the tears stopping and a smile growing.

"Thank you, Ms. Hope. You are right; I will write my own future and make it the way I want. That's what my teacher and Twilight would have wanted! Thank you for helping me."

"It's what I do," smiled Radiant, but the smile vanished as she saw Sunny's eyes widen.

"Are you okay, Ms. Hope?" asked Sunny, seeing her glow bright white, and soon the light vanished.

"I'm fine, sweetie. I just want to say this: thank you. Thank you for helping an old me." Hope smiled again and stood up from the couch. "Go out and be with your friends today. We learned enough today. Have fun."

"Okay, I'll see you later with everyone!" smiled Sunny, grabbing her bag and leaving the house.

"Have fun and don't forget, have hope! Keep moving forward sweetie!" called out Hope, waving goodbye and watching the young Alicorn run down the street.

Sunny slowed down and was now walking as she took out her phone from her bag, dialed a number, and placed it near her ear. It picked up, and she could hear her teacher asking if anything was wrong.

"No, I'm fine. I just wanted to call you and tell you..." Sunny started to tear up. "Thank you, thank you for being my teacher and teaching me everything. Thank you for sending me here and helping me. I love you, and I will make you and Twilight proud! Again, thank you..." she blush and wiped away a tear. "M-Mom!"

There was silence, and she could hear her teacher starting to cry and thank her as well. They talked, but Sunny started to laugh as she heard a loud noise coming from the other end of the phone, and she knew what happened. 

"Mom, you are such a klutz sometimes. I need to go, I'm going to face-time you later tonight, okay? Love you."

"I love you too,...daughter," said the female voice on the other end as Sunny made a kissing noise and hung up.

Sunny put the phone back into her bag and wiped away her tears as she ran off, heading towards her friends, who were in the tour of the Underground Crystal Chamber of the Crystal Heart.





Radiant stood on the same path as before and could see the future she wanted now. A future where she can be happy, that she can walked down that path with no fear, and the future is now clear and set for her. The bright white light appeared, blinding her once more, and when it faded, she was back in the cave and hearing Amore's voice one last time.

"Did you see the future? The future that you will write about? The future, that is your destiny and no one else's."

"Yes."

"Good, because it's not done yet. There is still more you need to write. Go forth, Radiant, and write your own destiny. Be the person you are meant to be." Amore's voice faded away, and soon, the ashes covered her, and with a bright flash, Radiant became an Alicorn with crystal wings. Everyone was looking at her, amazed at what just happened, but Sombra roared at her and charged towards her.

"Sombra, you always hated your destiny and wanted to change it. To change Equestria, but it never changes because it's already been written. The same is true with the Crystal Empire. But know this, Sombra: you can change and adapt to the future you want. You are your own writer, so be it. Now, go and write your future, Sombra. Go, write it with the one you love." Radiant smiled, seeing Sombra stop and looking at her as the crystal heart shined brightly, blasted away the dark mist, and returned Sombra to normal. Hope walked up to him and held him. "Let's write our future together, my love."

"Yes," smiled Sombra as he held her, and they kissed, feeling the power of the crystal heart and how its power would be used to protect the Crystal Empire and their people.

Tempest and the others teleported to them. Happy everything worked out fine, and it was now their chance to save the Crystal Empire. As they teleported out of the cave and back to the surface above, they were shock to see a giant mirror-looking window in the sky, showing images and visions of the past, Braver past. Before they could question it, they could see AJ, her friends, and their counterparts at the pedestal base of the crystal heart. They hurried over and saw AJ and JA talking to someone. Before they could reach them, they heard a loud noise above and could see a slime pony looking human screaming one word.

"BREAKER!"

End of chapter 28