“Well now that’s just plain rude, talking to me like that.” Discord was stretching his limbs vigorously, “I haven’t even done anything yet.” He rubbed his chin for second, mumbling “I should fix that.”
Twilight, Applejack, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie all stayed behind Celestia, unsure of what to do.
“Discord,” Celestia repeated, taking a firm stance for spellcasting, “Leave.”
Discord actually froze upon hearing that. It was a rare occurrence that the Spirit of Chaos was surprised, and then was the only time in hundreds of years.
“Well,” Discord stood straight and walked directly in front of Celestia, “I wasn’t expecting that.”
“Don’t make me repeat myself,” Celesta warned, her horn starting to glow.
The draconequus didn’t look intimidated in the least. Instead, a confident grin grew on his face, and he leaned down so his eyes were only inches from Celestia’s.
“You’re bluffing,” he sounded as if he had just received birthday presents for every year that had passed while he was imprisoned. “I’m so proud, you’re finally starting to embrace the chaos!” Discord snapped up and tossed his arms in the air, “Come ‘ere, you!”
Now, in most situations of this nature the temperature would lower. Most of the time it wasn’t literal, but in Equestria it wasn’t uncommon that a unicorn unconsciously altered their surrounding. However, the power of a normal unicorn could hardly compare to that of Princess Celestia. So, when Discord wrapped his arms around her in a tight hug, the magic she had gathered was accidentally released. But instead of cooling the room, for a moment it felt as if the room were suddenly transported to a blazing desert at high noon. The heat was oppressive, and only Discord and Celestia seemed unaffected.
When Discord finally let go, he looked at all of the currently conscious ponies. An elation grew in him steadily as he saw the stunned expressions on all of their faces, and came to a head when he realized that Celestia still had not moved. She was only moving her mouth up and down slowly, as if trying to form a sentence that refused to come out.
“This whole time,” Discord said, a giddy smile plastered on his features, “All I had to do was hug them? This is just too good!”
Just as he was going in for a Pinkie Pie hug, however, he was blasted across the room by a bolt of searing energy, courtesy of Princess Celestia.
“Never do that again,” she growled, nostrils flaring. Celestia shook her head and regained her composure. It was then that she realized just where she had inadvertently sent Discord.
The sight of a draconequus holding Michael Greenfield like a stuffed animal was not one that would be easily removed from any pony’s mind.
“Get off of him!” Twilight shouted, finally jumping into the fray.
“Oh, but I only just got him!” Discord sounded like a petulant child, “You’d make me give up my new teddy bear so soon?”
“He ain’t no teddy bear!” Applejack jumped in beside Twilight.
“Yeah!” Pinkie Pie pointed a hoof at Discord, “And if he was, you wouldn’t get to hold him first!”
“Oh, then who would?” Discord asked, once again surprising the ponies.
“W-what?” Twilight was the first to recover.
“You heard me,” Discord told her, “If he was a teddy bear, who would be the first to hold him?”
“Discord, enough!” Celestia stomped a foot, trying to retake control of the situation.
“But I really want an answer!” Discord sat up on the bed, rolling Michael onto his side. “It’s clear that you ponies care about this,” he paused, and looked at Michael, “You know, I’ve never seen one of these? What is he?”
Rather than answer, Celestia and the remaining elements glared at him.
“You’re not going to tell me?” Discord tapped a finger to his chin, “More fun for me, I guess.”
Suddenly, the Spirit of Chaos was pacing back in forth in front of them, a pipe spewing bubbles held in the hand that had been on his chin.
“It’s obvious that he is important to you,” he said, “You gave that away as soon as I landed on that bed.”
“Discord,” Celestia glared at him, “I’m warning you.”
“Come now, Celestia, no need for that. I’m just solving the puzzle you gave me.” Discord stopped and faced her, “In fact, I better disarm all of you, just to play it safe.”
And with a snap of his eagle like fingers, Celestia, Twilight, and Rarity found themselves missing some important appendages. After that, taking advantage of their surprise, Discord conjured a cage around them.
“Much better,” he said, “Now, no more interruptions.”
“Discord!” Pinkie Pie shouted, sounding very much like a disapproving mother, “You let us out right now, young man!”
Rather than listen, Discord snapped his fingers. Suddenly, a glowing red arrow appeared in the air in front of Pinkie, and attached to her mouth. Then, it somehow detached her mouth, and deposited it in a tiny metal garbage can.
Even Discord took a moment to absorb that. “I’m not sure why I did that,” he told them, “I just got the feeling that was supposed to happen right around now, anyways.”
With a shrug, the draconequus blew a few bubbles from his pipe, ignoring Pinkie’s muffled cries.
“Now, where was I?” he restarted, “Oh yes, the mysterious creature on the bed.”
“Now, I’ve never seen anything like him before. And I know every species on this planet, and even a few that aren’t. So when I say I’ve never seen anything like him before, you know that he is something not from around here. I could just jump into any one of your minds and take the information, but this is more fun.”
Discord turned around and paced back towards the bed, “Now, he is also sleeping pretty soundly. I take pride in being able to wake most anything up with just my presence, so he’s probably in a magically induced sleep. Of course, somepony cast a spell on him without thinking about the fact that it would affect him differently. So, he’s essentially in a magic coma.”
Twilight tried to hide a blush as Discord effortlessly picked apart what had happened. This did not go unnoticed by the would-be detective. “I should have known it was you, Twilight. Always trying to help, even when you’re not sure of what you are doing.”
Discord looked back to the bed and the sleeping human, when he noticed the edge of Luna’s mane.
“Oh, what is this?” he asked, walking around the bed, “Some ponies sleeping now of all times?”
He looked at Twilight and grinned, “Or are they just trying to fix your silly mistake?”
“Discord, I swear if you don’t let us outta here, I’ll buck you so hard you’ll be feelin’ it even after we turn you back inta a hunk of rock!” Applejack shouted, pulling at the bars.
“As if you could even do that right now,” Discord grinned once again, “Not only are you down two elements, you’re stuck in that cage! So sit down and listen while I tell you what I’m going to do. Because I have this all figured out now.”
“Tell us, then,” Celestia did her best to calm down, “What are you going to do?”
“Simple,” he snapped his fingers and his pipe disappeared, “I’ll be riding along in your friend’s body for a while.”
Once again, Discord did not fail to surprise. Each of the caged ponies’ jaws nearly hit the floor. Even Celestia gasped and widened her eyes.
Chuckling, Discord continued, “You see, I can tell that something else is going on here. You’ve got an alien in the royal palace, you sound even more annoyed to see me than usual, and I am pretty sure the elements of harmony aren’t supposed to be grey.”
All of the awake element bearers took an involuntary glance at their element, before returning their gazes to Discord.
“So, I can do pretty much whatever I want.” Discord’s smile was coming close to splitting his face. And when the Avatar of Chaos does that, it has a tendency to be literal. This time was no exception, as his head seemed to open on a hinge, and a grey smoke poured out. His body disappeared into the smog, and it hovered over to Michael’s unconscious form.
“Oh,” Discord’s voice seemed to be coming from everywhere at once, “You should probably not tell him. Or do, it doesn’t matter to me.”
The smoke suddenly flew into Michael’s slightly open mouth. It only took a few seconds to disappear into his body, and when it did there was no trace that Discord had ever been in the room.
Nothing in the room moved. Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Luna, and Michael were still asleep. The others were too stunned to move. It was Twilight who finally broke the silence, and said “Princess, how are we going to get out of this cage?”
Before Celestia could answer, Michael’s hand shot into the air, held in a fist. It moved sideways so his thumb was facing them, and Discord’s eyes appeared on his index finger.
“Oops, almost forgot about that,” they heard him say. Michael’s thumb moved up and down like a jaw as Discord spoke. Michael’s hand opened, and his fingers snapped. The cage disappeared, and the ponies were restored to their normal forms.
“Now,” Michael’s hand had clenched again, and Discord was speaking, “Entertain me.”
The ponies watched as Michael’s hand dropped, as if it were on a string that had just been cut.
“Princess, what do we do now?” Twilight’s voice had a tinge of fear.
Celestia did not answer. Twilight walked forward and looked to her mentor’s face, asking again “Princess?”
The Princess seemed to shake her head imperceptibly. “Twilight,” Celestia said, turning to face her subjects, “Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie Pie. What we now face is a situation unlike any other. Now more than ever I ask all of you to place your trust in me.”
Applejack was the first to reply. “Well, o’ course we’ll trust you, Princess!”
“Yeah! You’re, like, the most super-amazing-fantastic pony in the whole kingdom!” Pinkie Pie’s excited demeanor put a smile on the monarch’s face.
“Why, if we couldn’t trust you, who could we trust?” Rarity added.
Twilight walked closer to Celestia, and looked directly into her face. “What do you need us to do, Princess?”
A smile spread across Celestia’s lips. “I’m so proud of you, my little ponies,” she said to them.
It looked as if she were going to continue, but she was interrupted by a groan.
“Oh, my head,” Michael said, pulling a pillow over his head, “Fluttershy, do I have to wake up already? Can’t the animals wait?” No one spoke for a moment. Finally, the silence was broken by an excited shout.
“Michael!” Pinkie Pie rushed to his side on the bed, wrapping him a powerful hug. Michael was taken by surprise, a fact that was not so itself, considering the nature of Pinkie.
“Pinkie!” he gasped, his face turning red, “Air!”
“Oops!” Pinkie blushed, releasing him, “Sorry!”
Michael sat up in the bed, and looked around. He saw all of his friends gathered around him, even Fluttershy and Rainbow. The last two, Luna included, were still working the sleep out of their bodies when he saw them. His face was unreadable, so much that for a moment the others worried that he had somehow regressed. The looks on their faces were starting to make Michael worried himself.
“What?” his expression broke, and he did his best to sound like nothing was wrong, “Do I have something on my face?”
None of them moved, except for Michael. He was stretching his arms over his head, when he found his face becoming acquainted with a pillow.
“Rainbow!” Twilight scolded, looking to her friend, “Apologize!”
Rainbow Dash raised a hoof and was about to speak. However, she found herself on the receiving end of a pillow assault.
Twilight looked straight at Michael, who was simply sitting on the bed, doing his best to seem inconspicuous. He was also failing, miserably.
“Michael!” Twilight sounded very much like a disapproving teacher, “Not you too!”
Rather than answer, Michael whistled a random tune as one hand slowly crept behind his back. He made sure to keep his eyes facing Twilight as he did so.
“Hah!” he shouted, whipping the bed’s second pillow out and blocking the other, “Deflected!”
However, rather than the look of disappointment he expected, Rainbow Dash looked horrified. He glanced quickly around, and realized that the others had the same expression on their faces. Although Luna seemed to have slinked off.
Michael followed her gaze, and saw exactly why she seemed so scared. Standing beside Twilight, in the same direction that he had sent the pillow flying, was Princess Celestia. She also had a pillow held in her magic, hardly an inch from her face. It was the same pillow that Rainbow had thrown and Michael had blocked.
“O-okay,” Twilight’s voice was filled with anxiety, “I think you two should apologize, quickly, befor-”
Whatever Twilight was going to say was interrupted. The looks of horror on their faces turned to shock upon seeing Princess Celestia throw a pillow at her own student.
“Oh, lighten up Twilight!” Celestia said. She looked at her subject’s expressions of total shock, and held a hoof in front of her mouth as she giggled.
She took a step back, and her horn glowed for a moment. A second passed, and a large pile of pillows appeared before her, summoned from elsewhere in the castle.
“Have fun!” Celestia told them as she trotted out of the room.
“I- bu- wha-?” Twilight’s mind seemed to have come to a grinding halt, as she repeated the same three syllables.
“Alright!” Rainbow shouted, dashing to the large pile of pillows, “Let’s do this!”
Outside the room, Celestia and Luna stood together, listening to the sounds of laughter as the pillow fight started.
“Sister,” Luna looked up to meet Celestia’s gaze, “I do not understand. Why did you do that?”
“Because,” she began, turning and walking away, “Sometimes a little fun can go a long way. And right now, that is just what they need.”
It was later that night when the largest pillow fight the royal castle had ever seen since Celestia and Luna were children themselves ended. It took some time for the participants to stop laughing at their fun, some more than others, but eventually they all stood and walked away. It would not be difficult for the ponies to find rooms, it was one of the advantages to being so close to the Princess.
Soon enough, Michael sat alone on his bed, looking out a window across the room. It was amazing, he thought, how the ponies were so easily able to have fun, despite the impending situation with Balance.
Thoughts of the mysterious villain reminded Michael of several things. First and foremost was just whose voice he had heard.
“Jessie,” he whispered, “I just don’t know what is going on.” Michael ran a hand through his hair, and sighed.
Slipping his legs over the edge of the bed, Michael stood. He grabbed his coat from where it had been left on a dresser, and walked out of the room. His bare feet made almost no noise on the cold stone of the castle floors as he walked.
Michael wandered without purpose, taking corners on whims. He paid no attention to his path, however. His eyes were firmly set to the ground as he walked, his mind flooded with thoughts.
There were just so many mysteries before him. How had he come to Equestria? How was it they shared a language? Just who was Balance? Was she actually Jessie, or some malevolent force native to Equestria?
But the question that plagued him above all others was at the same time more simple, and the hardest question he had ever faced.
“Why am I here?” he asked. It was a question that he knew had no easy answer. Even in the literal sense of why he was in Equestria, he could divine to answer.
Michael found himself standing on a balcony, high above the city of Canterlot. A cool night breeze took hold of his jacket, the bottom swaying to his right. He let out a deep sigh, and leaned forward on the railing.
“You know, you look funny without your hat.” Michael turned, but did not find the source of the voice. It had sounded familiar, but he had been so deep in his thoughts that just who was speaking escaped him.
“What the?” he scratched his head, turning fully around. “Who said that?” Michael asked, looking around.
“I’m your conscious,” the voice said, “I just thought that you should know that Rainbow Dash is the most awesome pegasus ever.”
Michael smacked a hand to his forehead, and turned back around, this time looking up to see a friendly face.
“Rainbow,” he said, looking straight into the playful pegasus’s eyes, “I should have known it was you.”
“That’s okay,” she said, landing beside him, “My awesomeness has been known have funny effects on others. You may not want to stand too close.” She brushed him playfully with a wing, as if to move him away for his own good.
“Oh, of course. I wouldn’t want to overdose on your sheer awesomeness.” Michael made a point to move away.
The two friends laughed at each other, sharing in the moment of happiness. Their mirth died down eventually, and Michael found himself once again looking out over Canterlot from the balcony, marveling at the large pony city.
“So,” Rainbow Dash said, hovering up to Michael’s eye level, “Why are you out here?”
“I could ask you the same thing,” Michael replied, turning his head to face her.
“I couldn’t sleep, not after that nap I took pulling your sorry flank out of that magic coma,” Rainbow gave him a confident grin.
“I see,” Michael flashed her a knowing grin, “And it has nothing to do with all the naps you take regularly anyways?”
“What, no! Of course not!” Rainbow waved a hoof at him, and they both laughed a bit more at each other’s antics.
Soon enough, Michael’s mind once again returned to his many questions. As he looked out into the soft lights of Canterlot at night, his mind swirled.
“Okay, seriously.” Rainbow moved in closer to Michael’s face, “Something is on your mind. What’s up?”
Michael considered for a moment trying to direct her away from the question. But as he looked at her face, he saw only concern. He couldn’t hide the truth from her, and he knew it. It was amazing, really, how much he had come to trust her so quickly.
“Alright,” Michael said, hanging his head, “I’ll talk.”
When he remained silent for a moment, Rainbow shifted her position so her forelegs were crossed. She tapped a hoof on the leg underneath it, and said, “Well?”
“Geez, alright!” Michael held his hand up in a placating gesture, “Give me a second!”
Michael took a breath in a let it out before speaking. “I’m just confused, Rainbow. That’s all. I have so many questions, and not enough answers.”
“Like what?” Dash asked.
“Well, for one, I want to know just how I got here. All I remember is going on a picnic with Jessie. It was a beautiful day, and I had even planned to propose to her. The next thing I know, I’m waking up in Equestria, running through the forest. I don’t even fully remember that first day here, I was too frightened to think straight. On top of that was Jessie’s death, at the hands of a monster I thought was fake. I just- I don’t know what is going on.” Michael grabbed the sides of his head in frustration. “And now, some crazy person, or pony, or whatever, is threatening to destroy Equestria. And whoever they are, they are using Jessie’s voice. I’m scared, Dash, I don’t know what to do.”
Rainbow wrapped a hoof around his shoulder, still hovering beside him. “What happened to that confidence you had in the dream?” she asked.
“I don’t know!” Michael cried, his hands gripping the balcony rail hard enough to make his knuckles white. “I just don’t know! I guess all I really gained from that was the certainty that Jessie isn’t Balance. She can’t be, Jessie, my Jessie. There’s no way. I just wish I could find some answers.”
And then Rainbow Dash asked one simple question. One easy, obvious, and clear question.
She asked, “Well, why can’t you?”
Michael suddenly relaxed, a stunned expression on his face. “What did you just say?” he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.
“I just asked why you couldn’t find some answers. What’s stopping you?” Rainbow repeated, moving back a bit.
“Rainbow! You’re a genius!” Michael suddenly shouted, wrapping the pegasus in a tight hug.
“Well, I’m no Twilight, but I do have my moments,” Rainbow accepted the compliment just as she usually would. “Could you let me go now? I kind of need air,” she added in a gasp, struggling in Michael’s grasp.
“Oh, right, sorry,” Michael released her, scratching the back of his head in embarrassment. Rainbow took a seat on the floor of the balcony, and listened.
“Anyways,” Michael’s voice was full of excitement, “I know just where to find some answers! The only problem is how to get there.” He held his chin in his index finger and thumb, thinking hard on the task at hand.
“How to get where?” Rainbow asked, raising an eyebrow.
“To the Everfree Forest! Right back to where it all began!” Michael was pacing back and forth at this point, clearly excited.
Michael continued to pace. Rainbow simply sat back and trailed him with her eyes, not sure of what to do. She settled for doing her best to help solve the problem.
“I got it!” Rainbow shouted, thrusting a hoof into the air, “We can steal a sky chariot!”
“What?” Michael asked, clearly confused.
“A sky chariot! The royal guard uses them all the time. We can just sneak in and borrow one, I should be able to pull you there by myself.” Rainbow started towards the door to the balcony, already out by the time Michael caught up to her.
“Hey wait up!” he called, “Are you sure we should just be taking one of those sky chariots like this? Shouldn’t we ask someone?”
“I’m sure Princess Celestia won’t mind. Besides, we’ll bring it right back! And you need answers, which we won’t be able to find without it!”
“Maybe we should wait until tomorrow, and get the others in on this,” Michael sounded hesitant.
“Michael,” Rainbow Dash turned and flew up to his face, “If we do things that way, we’ll be lucky to get there in the next week! As much as I love my friends, sometimes you just have to get things done. So, are you going to do this or not?”
Michael didn’t know what to say. At first, his doubt started to overtake him, and he almost backed down. But he realized that Rainbow Dash was right. If he waited, there was no guarantee that he would have the courage to do it again. It was just something that he had to do.
“Alright,” he nodded his head, “Let’s go.”
“That’s what I like to hear. Now, come on, I think they’re this way,” Rainbow Dash said as she turned a corner. Michael was behind her, so he had no idea what was going on when she suddenly jumped back, looking very much as though they had been caught.
A second later, he found out that this was true. Michael watched as a familiar yellow pegasus walked forward, driving Rainbow back as she did so.
“What are you two doing?” Fluttershy asked, her voice filled with concern.
“N-nothing!” Rainbow tried to cover their actions.
“Don’t lie to me, Rainbow. I heard you two talking just a bit ago, I know that you’re up to something.” Fluttershy was being more forceful than usual.
Once again, Michael’s immediate reaction to cover himself was overpowered by a second thought. He couldn’t lie to Fluttershy, not after all she had done to him. Not after all she meant to him.
“We’re going to steal a sky chariot to go to the Everfree Forest, so I can possibly find some answers to questions I have,” Michael confessed.
“Michael!” Rainbow scolded.
Fluttershy walked up to Michael, and looked straight into his eyes. “Are you sure you need to do this? Couldn’t it wait?”
Michael took a deep breath to bolster himself, and said “No. I need to do this, and I need to do it now. Please, don’t try to stop me, Fluttershy.”
“But can’t we just stay here in Canterlot, where it’s safe? You don’t need to go into the big, scary, Everfree Forest! I’m sure the Princesses can help you find some answers!” Fluttershy’s voice was pleading, and the expression on her face nearly broke Michael’s heart.
“Fluttershy,” Michael kneeled, and put a hand on her shoulder, “This is just something I have to do for myself. There’s a saying from my world that fits here. It goes, ‘A man has to do what a man has to do.’ Please, don’t oppose me on this.”
Tears brimmed in Fluttershy’s eyes. Her breaths came in shudders, but she spoke nonetheless, “W-why do you have to do this? You only just came from one bad situation, why do you have to jump into another? Why can’t you just stay here, where it is safe, and let others handle everything? Why can’t you just stop trying to do everything on your own!”
“Fluttershy, you know I can’t do that. I realize that while I was in that state of shock, you may not have noticed, but this is just who I am. I am the kind of person who holds the world up, so others don’t have to.” Michael’s voice was soft.
“Besides!” Rainbow jumped in, “He’ll have me with him! There won’t be anything to fear with Rainbow Dash around!”
Fluttershy let out a few weak laughs, before looking up at her two friends.
“O-okay,” she did her best to calm her voice, “I won’t stop you.”
“Thank you, Fluttersh-” Michael started, before a yellow hoof held to his lips stopped him.
“I said that I won’t stop you,” Fluttershy said, “But I can’t do nothing. As much as I want to be at home, wrapped up in a blanket with my teddy bear, I can’t be. So, I’m coming with you.”
Both Michael’s and Rainbow’s jaws dropped.
“What?” they asked at once.
“I said that I am coming with you two.” Fluttershy repeated, a bit more steel in her voice, “The sky chariots need two pegasi to pull them anyways.”
“Yeah! That’s the spirit, Fluttershy!” Rainbow pumped a hoof and cheered for her friend.
Michael simply gave a knowing smile, and nodded his head. “Alright,” he told her, “Let’s get moving then.”
As he turned the corner Fluttershy had come from, he nearly tripped after coming to an abrupt stop.
“My hat!” he said, bending over to pick it up, “What’s it doing all the way out here?”
“Oh, well,” Fluttershy said, “I was actually on my way to your room to give it back to you. I don’t know how, but it was in my room.”
“Odd,” Michael said, placing it on his head, “But we should focus. Where to next, Rainbow?” he asked, turning to face Rainbow Dash.
Rainbow looked around for a second, and shrugged with her wings. “I don’t know,” she told him, “I was just kind of wandering around, hoping we’d run into it by coincidence.”
Michael pinched the bridge of his nose. “Of course,” he said, with no real negative feelings.
When he looked back up, he noticed that they were standing by a tall window, one not that special considering it was like any other in the castle. He looked into the sky just in time to witness a cloud move and uncover the moon. Michael was standing directly in the brilliant light of Luna’s moon. His eyes naturally followed his shadow, and were led to a large door. Slowly, he walked to the door, and opened it.
On the other side was a large room with an open wall. Spread across it in a neat formation were the sky chariots they had been looking for.
“That’s strange,” Rainbow commented, still looking out the window, “Clouds don’t usually move like that.”
“Rainbow!” Michael put as much force into his words as he could without being too loud, “I found the chariots!”
Both Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash were quickly by his side, looking out into the hangar for the vehicles.
“Yes!” Rainbow cheered, “Come on, let’s go!”
They rushed towards the open end of the room, and were quickly ready to go.
Before Michael knew it, he was flying in the sky in a chariot, two of his friends pulling him along. He felt the cool night air as it blew through his hair.
“How long do you think this will take?” he shouted forward.
“Not too long!” Rainbow replied, “It’ll be easy flying directly there.”
“Okay!” Michael shouted back, “Can you take us directly to the castle in the middle of the forest?”
“The landing might be a bit rough, but I think Fluttershy and I can handle it!” Dash turned back to the sky in front of her.
The rest of the journey passed in silence, each of the focussed on what was to come. Michael was almost certain he had fallen asleep, because the trip seemed to pass in an instant. Before he knew it, they were landing on a cobblestone path just outside the castle.
After Michael helped them out of their harnesses, Fluttershy asked, almost gasping for air, “Are you okay?”
“What do you mean?” he responded.
“Well, you were acting kind of strange on the ride here,” Rainbow added, breathing somewhat heavily herself.
“How so?” Michael was becoming quite confused.
“Well, at one point I looked back and you were just sitting there, smiling. Like just being out here was the best thing ever.” Rainbow told him, taking a seat, “I’ll just sit down for a second, to catch my breath.”
“Strange,” Michael tried to recall doing what Dash had told him he had, “But we need to focus on the task at hand.”
It took a few minutes for Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash to rest, but soon enough they were on their way. The trees of the Everfree cast eerie shadows through the ruined castle, enough so that Fluttershy kept herself between her friends, as she frantically tried to keep an eye on everything at once.
They walked at a sedate pace, the moon’s light guiding them. The castle seemed to blend together, nothing truly standing out. That is, until they came upon a room that was familiar to Michael and the two pegasi for different reasons.
“Here,” he said, totally sure of himself, “This is where I first woke up in Equestria, I know it.”
“That’s strange,” Rainbow looked around, “This is the room where we found the Elements of Harmony.”
Michael walked forward. He looked everywhere he could, hoping to find some sort of clue. But as he searched high and low, he found nothing. It was as if he had never been there before.
“I don’t understand,” he said, voice filled with disappointment, “I was so sure that I would find something here.”
Rainbow and Fluttershy walked up to where he stood in the center of the room. “Maybe there is something somewhere else in the castle, we just have to look,” Fluttershy said to him.
“Yeah!” Rainbow’s confidence was clear in her voice, “We’ll find something, don’t worry!”
“You’re right,” Michael grinned at his friends, “We just have to keep looking!”
Michael quickly turned around to head out of the large room, ready to search elsewhere. However, as soon as he came to face the exit, he froze. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy did the same when they say what was standing there.
Or rather, who was standing there.
Standing in the doorway, wearing flowing white robes that seemed to move on an ethereal breeze, was a human. She had long, blonde hair, and brilliant green eyes. She looked at Michael with a small smile, and held out a hand to beckon him.
“Jessie?” Michael gasped, his body refusing to move.
“Michael,” she responded, softly and caringly.
No one moved as she walked towards them, her alabaster robes glowing in a golden light. She walked directly in front of Michael, and held his face in her hands.
“Michael,” she said again, “You came back for me.”
Michael did nothing to stop her as she brought him close for a kiss. He couldn’t believe what was happening. He knew she was dead, he had seen it himself. But he also knew hands on his face and the lips meeting his were real. And they felt just the same as he remembered. It truly was as if Jessica Reese had risen from the dead.
“Wait,” Rainbow’s voice cut through the moment, “I recognize that voice.”
Both humans looked to Rainbow Dash as she said this. “What do you mean?” the woman asked, her arms still wrapped around Michael’s neck.
Rainbow Dash flew right next to her face, only a small space separating them. “You’re Balance,” she accused.
“What are you talking about?” the blonde woman seemed scared, “Michael, tell her that she’s wrong! It’s me, Jessie! You know me! You love me!”
Michael’s face was unreadable. For a moment, no one moved, they only watched Michael as he held still.
Finally, he looked up and directly into the eyes of the woman around his neck. In them he did not see the familiar love present in the eyes of his dead lover. Only a coldness that he could not recognize. “You are not Jessica. She is dead. You are Balance, and you had better stop pretending to be the woman I loved.” Michael’s voice was filled with an emotion Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash had little experience with. In his tone was a level of hatred they had never before heard.
Michael placed his hand’s on Balance’s shoulders, and pushed her away. “Get away from me, you imposter!” he shouted.
Balance stumbled backwards, before quickly regaining her footing. The loving expression she had held a moment ago had changed to a snarl.
She took a deep breath, and calmed herself. “I am impressed,” Balance said to them, “I did not expect you to figure me out so soon. Oh well, there is no use in continuing the charade.”
Suddenly, she snapped her fingers, and the three of them were bound to the floor by thick black chains.
“Hey!” Rainbow Dash shouted, struggling against her bonds, “Let us go!”
“Oh, do be quiet. I’m about to fulfill a human stereotype, and I don’t need you interrupting me.” Balance snapped her fingers once more, and Rainbow found that her lips had sealed themselves together. She let out a few muffled shouts, but was met without a reaction.
“What stereotype is that?” Michael asked, his gaze filled with anger.
“Oh, I should think you will enjoy it. You see, I am about to monologue.” Balance grinned an evil grin.
“How cliche,” Michael thought. It was strange though, the thought almost seemed to come from someone else.
“Now,” Balance began, “Where to start. I am not going to simply tell you who exactly I am, nor what my plans are. Rather, I thought I could perhaps answer one of your questions, my dear Michael.”
“Oh, and what is that?” Michael asked, an eyebrow raised.
“Well, you see,” Balance drew her words out, “I know how you wound up in Equestria.” The look of shock on Michael’s face as she said this brought a smile to her face.
“How?” Michael hissed from his forced kneel.
“Oh, it is quite simple, really. I brought you here myself.” Balance stated the fact as if she were talking about the weather.
For a second, Michael did not move. Both Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash looked at him in worry as a muscle beneath his right eye twitched. Finally, he shouted in a crescendo “You did what!”
“You heard me,” Balance’s smile was nothing short of ecstatic by this point, “I am responsible for bringing you to Equestria, and for the death of your precious Jessica!”
Michael began to strain at the chain binding him, screaming in rage. “You did this! You’re responsible for her death! I’ll kill you!”
Balance cackled as Michael writhed in anger. “Oh, look at this, my little ponies,” she spoke the final three words in a cruel parody of Princess Celestia, “See the true nature of your friend! Look at how he so suddenly turns into a violent killer!”
“Michael is a good human!” Fluttershy shouted, “I don’t blame him for wanting to hurt you! If someone took my friends from me, I don’t know what I would do!”
“Enough!” Balance’s voice projected through the whole castle, “You will be silent!”
As if forced down by magic, all three who were bound fell silent.
“Much better,” Balance paced back and forth in front of her prisoners. “Now, to do what I thought would have to wait another two days. I should thank you, you three just made my plans much easier.”
She saw the questioning looks on their faces. “I suppose you want to know what I am going to do.”
Balance walked directly in front of Michael, and grabbed him by the throat. “Simple,” she said, lifting him into the air, his chain dissolving into mist, “I’m going to remove Michael here from the equation.”
Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash looked on in fear and Balance held Michael aloft. Slowly, they watched his body seem to stretch. After a few seconds, they realized that he was falling from her grasp. But at the same time, he still appeared to be held up. Slowly, his feet came closer to the floor, but they could still see his head in Balance’s hold. However, it seemed to be almost translucent, as if it weren’t fully there. Eventually, his body seemed to have been severed from some sort of connection, as it fell to the floor in an ungraceful manner.
Still in Balance’s hand, however, was Michael Greenfield. However, the one being held seemed to have a certain quality, as if he was there and wasn’t at the same time.
Rainbow Dash’s muffled shouts drew Balance’s attention.
“I suppose you want to know what I just did,” the Michael held in her hand started to disappear, slowly becoming less visible. “You see, I just removed your friend’s soul from his body. He is mine now, and there is nothing you can do about it!”
Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy looked on in horror as Michael’s soul faded to the sound of Balance’s evil laughter.
“Now,” Balance said, quelling her laughter, “I can’t leave you two alone. What should I do with you?”
However, a factor that none of them knew of came into play just as Balance took a step towards the two ponies. Michael’s body suddenly leapt up, and dashed past Balance.
Both pegasi couldn’t believe their eyes as the man they thought had died wrapped his arms around their necks.
“I’m afraid I can’t let you do that,” a voice that was not Michael’s came from the body.
“M-Michael?” Fluttershy stuttered, looking up to her friend.
He looked down, and rather than Michael’s friendly blue eyes, Fluttershy saw two yellow orbs with red irises.
“Sorry, but Michael isn’t in right now. Can I take a message?” Discord said to her, grinning.
“No!” Balance shouted rushing forward.
“Woops, gotta go. Toodles!” Discord said, drawing both ponies close. He snapped his fingers on both hands, and suddenly they were gone.
“No!” Balance raged, a golden aura enveloping the castle, destroying many things.
Far away, in Canterlot, the three appeared in Princess Celestia’s throne room, just as her sun’s first rays shone.
Celestia jumped back at their sudden arrival, which was accompanied by a large wind that spread throughout the throne room.
“Michael?” she said, looking at the three, “Rainbow Dash? Fluttershy? What is going on?”
Discord stood, as did Rainbow and Fluttershy.
“Sorry,” he said, enjoying the look of fright on Celestia’s face as she heard his voice come from Michael’s body, “Michael has taken an extended trip to the afterlife. This is Discord.”
“What!” Celestia was appalled, “What do you mean?”
It was Fluttershy who answered. She was crying harder than she could recall having ever done so. But still, she managed to speak on sentence. One line that she wished she did not have to say. It broke her heart to admit it, but she had no choice.
Softly, and shakily, she said, “Michael is dead.”