Chapter 5
“Tenacity”
I opened my eyes and blinked as the sun entered them. I was still in the graveyard, the guards were all unconscious around me. What did I do? I just, remember being pissed as hell and then everything just seemed to blur together.
That unicorn though, why did he look so much like Sombra and I? I felt, strange when I thought about him. It was like I was looking at a mirror but I can’t explain why. He didn’t exactly match my appearance, but he did seem to be an ancestor. He had to be, otherwise Tenacity wouldn’t have called him.
At least I think that's how it worked. There was so much about my Element I didn’t know. For all I knew he could’ve just been some obscure character in history. I got to my hooves breathing heavily. stillI felt so drained, like I used a lot of magic in a short amount of time.
Slowly pictures of what happened started to come back to me. Like a dream after you’ve been awake for a while, only it seemed like a nightmare. How was I able to do that? Any of that, it should’ve been impossible for a half unicorn like me.
But, right now I had a mission, I had to stop Twilight somehow. She needed to be dealt with. All of this is her fault, every death, every memory lost, all her fault!
I shook my head and refocused. I had to get back to Canterlot. I had to confront Twilight about this. But, how was I going to get there? The guards would probably be sending reinforcements to find me. I can’t go back out the gate, the guards there would catch me before I could hijack a train.
Why couldn’t one of my ancestors have the ability to fly?
I then heard a familiar sound, a whooshing sound that was most welcome. I turned and saw the Tardis coming into existence and landing a little bit away. I ran to the door before it could open. When it did, the Doctor poked his head out and said, “Private, fancy running into you here.”
“Doctor!” I yelled in surprise. “It’s great to see you!”
“Good to see you too, it's been a while since our last adventure,” he said with a smile.
“A while?” Oh yeah, time differences and what not. I shook my head and pleaded, “This is important! You have to get me to Canterlot now!”
“I suppose I could give you a lift,” the Doctor said with a shrug. “Just give me a few minutes to recalibrate her and we’ll be ready to go!” He went back into the Tardis and I smiled.
I turned around and saw Zecora was standing there. She didn’t seemed phased by the sight of the Tardis. I looked down, then back up again. “Has Luna been buried?”
She nodded and said, “I know what you are thinking of doing, but you must not seek revenge”
“Why not?” I yelled at her. “Twilight caused all this! She deserves to pay for it!”
She frowned and simply said, “Perhaps, you don’t remember everything. Memory is the key, Private Eye.”
I shook my head and asked, “What do you mean by th-“ I looked up again and saw that Zecora was gone. Man, that’s creepy.
The Doctor poked his head out again and said, “We’re all ready to go.”
I slowly turned and walked into the Tardis. What did she mean, memory is the key?
___________________________________________________________
I opened the door of the Tardis to find the Canterlot in total chaos. The Tardis landed not far away from the Castle and I had a good view of the upper terrace below. That’s where all the nobility and rich ponies of Canterlot were housed. The buildings were on fire. I could hear gunfire and magic bursts and I saw small explosions raining down everywhere.
It was worse than Hammergrad, because this was a place I knew. This was Twilight’s home, Luna and Celestia’s home. It was getting destroyed because neither side would listen to one another. Neither would help one another.
Twilight, is this what you envisioned when you took that damn crown!
I turned around and saw the Doctor walking back into the Tardis. “Doctor, wait!” I yelled. “I may need your help!”
He just looked back for a moment, and then shut the door behind him. I ran to the Tardis door and slammed my hoof on it. “What the hay? Let me in this stupid thing!”
“I’m sorry, Private, I can’t help you,” the Doctor said, his voice muffled from behind the door. “I know what you want to do to Twilight, and I cannot condone it.”
“She needs to pay for what she did!” I yelled. “Everypony needs to pay!”
“I can’t, I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry.” Suddenly I saw the light on top of the Tardis flash and it began vanishing. I tried slamming my hooves against the door but soon I passed through it and fell to the grass.
“Damn!” I yelled. “Fine! You can go ahead and leave me too! I don’t care!” I shook my head. “Just like everypony else…”
“Please, let me in!” I turned at the sound of a familiar voice. I hid behind a small building and looked at the palace gates. There was Rarity, a large pile of suitcases behind her, talking to the guards. “I am the wife of Captain Blueblood! I demand to be given sanctuary from these savages!”
“I’m sorry, Lady Rarity, but Princess Twilight has said nopony is to enter the castle without prior permission,” one guard said, not sounding the least bit sympathetic.
“My home was bombed by those brutes!” Rarity shouted “I need to go somewhere safe until my husband arrives!”
“We have not heard word of Captain Blueblood since his departure for Ponyville yesterday,” the other guard said. “If we hear word, we will let you know.”
Rarity huffed and turned around. I had about enough of this! She passed by where I was hiding and I grabbed her with my hooves. I covered her mouth as she struggled and pulled her behind the building. I kept her mouth covered as recognition entered her eyes. “Be quiet, and I’ll tell you what happened”
Rarity looked at me for a long moment, a look of defiance in her eyes.
“No screaming, no yelling, and certainly no whining or complaining, and I know the difference,” I said with a firm look.
Her eyes went wide for a moment, and then she slowly nodded. I let her go as she glared at me. “You had better have good reason for grabbing a lady so inappropriately,” she huffed.
“Rarity, there’s something you need to know about Blueblood,” I said, looking away from her.
“Do you know where he is?” Rarity asked, her eyes glowing. “Do you know where my handsome Prince cha-“
“I can see the bruise, Rarity,” I said, pointing to a spot on her face. “I know that’s make up covering it.”
Rarity put a hoof on her cheek and said, “I just fell.”
“Rarity, I’m a detective, I’ve heard that lie a dozen times in my life,” I said firmly. “Blueblood gave you that, not any rebel.”
“We, um, simply had a misunderstanding,” she said, trying to deny it. “Our lives are perfect, happy even, it’s just those earth ponies wh-“
“Quit blaming them!” I yelled at her, I noticed her wince at that. “The truth is, there is no way a mare like you could love a selfish ass like Blueblood.”
“How dare you slander my husband,” she yelled. “What gives you the right to say such things about a handsome a-“
“Rarity, he tried to kill me.”
“What?” Rarity said, shock evident in her voice. “You must be mistaken, Blueblood only ever hunted criminals of the state. He would never harm an innocent stallion.”
“More lies,” I said, shaking my head. “You don’t know it, I’m guessing it was because you weren’t at the fair. There was this raffle and I was supposed to throw a baseball at a couple consisting of a pegasus and an earth pony.”
“Such a marriage is illegal and for good reason,” Rarity sniffed. “It taints the blood of unicorns an-“
“My mother was a pegasus,” I interrupted her. “I threw the baseball at the announcer when he insulted them. They were friends of mine and I couldn’t stand it.”
Rarity’s looked dumbsruck “Why would unicorns and the other tribes be friends? They are such brutes, such uncouth ruffians.”
“I can see the brain washing has gotten to you, Rarity. You want to know the truth?” I asked.
“You’re the one spouting lies!” She shook her head “Slandering my husband! Lying about him trying to kill you! Saving hybrids! It’s true that Hybrids are liars and scum of t-“
I took her face in my hooves, and my horn began to glow. She looked at me fearfully for a minute and asked, “Wha, what are you doing?”
“Making you remember,” I said, and then my glowing horn touched hers.
I began to see pictures, Rarity’s birth, her school days trying to dissuade Dustmane’s love. Her first play session with Sweetie Belle, her first fight with Applejack. I then saw her meeting Twilight, and then becoming an Element of harmony. Then I saw her and Applejack making up during that slumber party years ago. Then I saw her making the dresses for the gala, and then her being mistreated by Blueblood. I saw her making up with Sweetie Belle after the Sisterhooves Social.
I saw her with Spike, from working with him, to her defending him in the dragon lands. Then I saw her confessing how she felt to Spike, and the kiss that followed. I then, saw a terrible sight, Spike was on the ground, a bloodied corpse with a Changeling standing over him. I saw Rarity crying over his dead body…
I pulled away my horn, thankful that Luna’s memory spell worked. I looked at Rarity, her eyes were a well of tears. She put a hoof to her cheek, and then said slowly, “Spikey Wikey…”
“Blueblood took advantage of the fact you couldn’t remember his plot against you,” I said, and then it dawned on me. “I guess because you couldn’t remember me, you didn’t remember the case. Neither did the courts, so he got out. Then he used his charm to win you over again. You were forced into a loveless relationship simply because Blueblood wanted you as a prize.”
“The only being who truly loved me is gone, and I forgot him. My Spikey Wikey…” she said, looking down, her tears staining the grass.
I gently moved her into a ruined house and set her down on a coach. As she began crying into a ripped cushion I said, “Stay here, I’ll find a way to stop all this.”
“Private,” she said, looking at me. “Never, ever forget, what we all had.”
I smiled and gently used an Anesthetic spell to put her to sleep. Hopefully nopony would find her in all the chaos. I closed the door behind me and barricaded it with some fallen debris. This would discourage any looters from finding her.
I then saw a group of ponies down the street. They were lead by Applejack, I noticed she was wearing salvaged armor with red linings that looked spray painted on. Honestly it was a good look, but I don’t think aesthetics is what she was hoping for.
If she gets to the castle first, I may never get at Twilight! I had to stop her before she gets inside! Applejack came up to the front gate, the two guards readied their horns to fire at her. A pair of pegasi swooped down, tackling them before they could. I was impressed by the level of dedication Applejack created in others.
“Alright!” she said, turning to her soldiers following her. “The rest of the troops will join us in assaulting this place! We’ll show Princess Twilight that she can’t ignore us a-“
“Applejack that’s enough!” I said, Applejack turned to find me standing in front of the gate.
She frowned and said, “You again? So, ya think tah cause trouble fer us too?”
“Applejack, you can’t do this,” I said, firmly “Those guards have families and ponies that care about them just as much as all of you!”
“They forced us to become little more than slaves and treated us like garbage!” Applejack yelled, the ponies behind her agreeing. “Why should we give two rotten apples what they think?”
“Because you’d be hurting a close friend” I said, closing my grey eyes, my horn glowing.
“He’s using magic! Stop him!” Caramel yelled.
I turned and bucked the earth pony about to stop me. I ran up to Applejack, and tackled her to the ground. She struggled under me. “Get off ya darn freak! Ah ain’t got time fer yer ga-“
I put my glowing horn to her head before she could say anymore.
I saw Applejack being born, her mother Lilyblossom singing to her. I saw two graves, marked with the names of Applejack’s parents. I saw Applejack holding a baby Applebloom, the filly crying for a mother long gone. I saw her leaving for Manehattan and then the trip home to discover her true calling. I saw her meeting Twilight, and shaking her hoof vigorously.
I saw her become an Element of Harmony alongside her friends. Then I saw her racing Rainbow Dash, and watching the pegasus perform tricks of daring. I saw her and Applebloom playing together. I saw her meeting me for the first time. Then her hugging Big Mac as he was released from prison. I saw her at my birthday party, making treats for everypony.
Then, I saw her standing over Rainbow’s lifeless body. The pegasus had a long cut on her chest, her wings broken beyond repair and her eyes lifeless. Applejack was holding her friend tenderly as she cried. In reality, Applejack blinked her green eyes, and then tears began streaming down her face. “Nah, no not Rainbow. Wha, what am I doin?”
“Your orders Applejack!” Caramel cried “We’ll kick his ass before-“
“Let em go,” Applejack said, getting up as I moved off her. “It’s, over now”
“But we have a chance to end all of it, to avenge everypony for what the nobles did!” an earth pony cried.
“Are we no better than they are?” Applejack asked, looking around “This fella here, saved mah brother and Fluttershy even though we all forgot how much we owe him.”
“Forget him!” Caramel cried zealously. “We’re stopping all the unicorns right now!” He and the others were about to run towards the palace gates.
No! Twilight is mine!
I ran past them, my horn glowing brightly again. I felt a strange instinct enter my body, I ran up to the gate, and slammed my hooves on the ground. They stopped in their tracks as sparks of electricity came off the ground.
Soon columns of dark crystal sealed the entrance in front of me. It kept glowing as the magic flowed through me like a river. Soon the entire castle was sealed inside a dome of dark sparking crystal. Sombra had this magic… how did I use it?
Well, it’ll keep anypony else from interfering…
Vengeance would be mine…
_____________________________________________________
I walked the halls of Canterlot castle. Any guard that got in my way was thrown aside by my magic. I felt powerful, stronger than ever! I was going to fix everything! I was going to make Twilight pay for what she did! I was going to make them all suffer!
The pair of guards from before tried to tackle me before I reached the throne room door. My horn glowed green and violet lined as I shot them both in the chest with powerful bolts of magic. They both crashed into the wall next to the door. I casually walked by, and opened the door to the throne room.
Twilight stood there, tall and beautiful on her throne. She looked at me with cold eyes and said, “So, you are responsible for the barrier. I should’ve figured you were some dark magic user!”
“I don’t have time for your prattling, you and I have a score to settle,” I growled, my voice not my own. “It’s because of you my brother is dead! It’s because of you this whole world is so messed up! Have you nothing to say for yourself?”
“I’m tired of all the lies Applejack dishes out against me.” She flew down to face me “I’m also sick of you, constantly spewing out nonsense! I know what you are! You’re a hybrid! A mistake in the system that was made for the good of all Equestria! The tribes should be kept separate so each can be used to the full of their abilities!”
“Is that your excuse to justify murder!” I yelled. “You’re no better than Glimmer! I should put you down right now!”
She laughed and said coldly, “You think you can defeat me? You’re nothing more than a mongrel! You have not even a hundredth of the power I wield!” Her horn glowed and a bolt of lightning shot from it.
I leapt out of the way and fired my own bolt of green magic at her. It hit her in the side and she grunted, and then fired at me again. I held up my hooves and a barrier formed. I looked to my right, there he was again. The royal unicorn was glaring at Twilight as the cord of light connected us. His eyes glowed green as well.
I’m thankful for the aid! Now to bring her down! I yelled and fired with all my might at her, but she flew out of the way, summoning a group of floating violet orbs. She threw them all at me, one missed, another knocked me back when it landed close to me. The last one…
It looked like it was going to be a direct hit, but at the last second it curved and hit the wall behind me.
I refocused and fired once again. I hit Twilight in the chest and she backed off. I kept firing and firing at her! This was for Tailspin! Scootaloo! Tyran! Cross!! Dinky!!
“That’s for everypony you murdered!” I screamed at her as she stood again.
“Who do you think you are?” she yelled back. “Attacking my guards, causing a revolution, and disrupting my perfect orderly system!”
“You can’t build heaven on the back of corpses, Twilight!” I growled at her. “Now, I’ll send you straight to that hell…” My horn glowed brightly.
“Bring it,” she said, her own horn glowing.
Our horns glowed brightly, hers a deep violet and mine an unnatural green. I concentrated all my power into this one blast. I fired, Twilight went in the air and fired as well, our magics were about to meet each other. I was going to end her… make her suffer for ever-
MOMMY! DADDY! STOOOP IT!!
Suddenly a third beam of magic, a bright magenta, shot between our magics and stopped them from colliding. The force however, caused an explosion that sent both Twilight and I flying back. I crashed into a pillar and fell to the floor. Unconsciousness quickly washed over me.
I looked and saw another cord. I looked up to see who it was attached to. I saw a filly, a teenager, brown mane, lavender coat, violet eyes…
Twinkle?
_____________________________________________________________
I groaned as I opened my eyes for a second time. I was in the blackness again. I looked up and was horrified by what I saw. There was the grey unicorn from before, only he was much taller and terrifying. His eyes were pupiless and green. His teeth were razor sharp like Nightmare Moon’s and an aura of darkness seemed to swirl around him.
“Insufferable fool,” he said, his voice a snarl. As a matter of fact, it sounded just like I did whenever I used that… what did Twilight call it? Dark Magic?
“You constantly interfere! Why do you insist on changing him? ” the beast yelled.
Wait, was he talking to me?
I turned around, there was Twinkle, she was about the same age as Applebloom was. Every other time she was a filly. Is it because she needed to be more grown up to stop Twilight and I?
She glared at the monster and said,“I refuse to let you take over, Prometheus!”
“Do not think you will be able to keep him from falling forever. One day the power will completely envelop him, and he will fall,” The beast said, glaring at her in turn.
“Over my dead body!” she cried, her horn glowing as brightly as the sun. The beam she fired looked like something out of Raiden’s anime. The beam just knocked the beast up into the air sending him far away and out of sight forever.
I turned to Twinkle as she huffed. She looked just as beautiful as her mother. She then turned to me, I was about to hug her when she slapped me across the face.
“Ow!” I yelled “What did you hit me for?”
“For attacking mom like that!” she yelled. “I can’t believe you would do something so stupid!”
“Your mother has done a lot of bad things, Twinkle,” I said slowly. “I, don’t even know if she should be you-“
“Don’t give me that garbage, Dad!” she yelled. “I know for a fact you still love her! I can’t believe you could just ignore your feelings for her like that!”
“What was I supposed to do?” I retaliated. “Just sit by and let this world go to waste! The Doctor wouldn’t even send me back in time! She made it pretty clear she didn’t want me around back in the present! I’m fixin-“
“You’re making things worse,” she said, and I noticed her tears falling down. “I had to grow up to stop you. You two shouldn’t be fighting like this, you love each other. This isn’t the future that was supposed to happen!”
“What are you talking about?” I said, trying to comprehend what she was saying.
“You, were supposed…” She started crying. “You talked about that day all the time. You would tell the story about how you and mom fell in love when sissy and I would go to bed.”
“Sissy?” I asked, my jaw dropping “You have siblings?”
“I won’t have them if you give up on her like this!” she said, and then she reached behind her and before my eyes she held a framed photograph. “This, is the future you should fight for daddy…”
I took the photograph from her hooves. There were five ponies in the picture…
The first one to the top left was, me?
I was older though, and I didn’t have my trench coat and hat. Instead I wore what looked like a form of royal attire. Almost like Shining Armor’s formal attire, except mine was black and white as opposed to red and gold.
I then looked to the mare on the right side. Twilight she looked to have… aged?
Her violet mane wasn’t as shiny or luscious as her current counterpart. She looked older as well, more mature like a grown mare should. Her mane was tied back in a formal bun for the occasion; I can’t ever explain why I like it like that. She was clad in a similar dress to the one she wore at the coronation. Less pink and more purple by the looks of it.
I looked down at our hooves and took in the sights of three foals. In the center I immediately recognized Twinkle. She looked about seven and was clad in what had to be the cutest pink dress ever. She smiled happily at the picture and I felt warmth in my heart.
To Twinkle’s left was another unicorn filly. She looked a bit different, her coat was black as night, her mane was long and violet and held in place by a green hairband. Her teal eyes were enlarged by a pair of glasses and she wore a cute teal dress to match her eyes. Did, we adopt her? I don’t know any of my relatives that look like her or Twilight’s for that matter.
To Twinkle’s right was a grey unicorn colt who looked about five. He shared Twilight’s violet mane and my grey eyes. He was rather small and skinny but smiled at the camera as well. Was he, I had a son!
I, we... would’ve had a son…
I looked up at Twinkle and said, “Twinkle I, I didn’t know.”
“Daddy,” she said, that familiar pleading voice from Appaloosa entered her. “Please, don’t give up, not on her…not on us.”
She began to fade along with the picture. I leapt for her and passed right through her. I fell to the ground, sobbing, feeling very sorry for myself. No, why is this happening…why me?
“Private Phelps Eye,” a feminine voice said.
I slowly turned towards the source, but it was shining so bright it blinded me for a minute. Suddenly I was no longer surrounded by black, but by white. Everything was white all around me. I walked forward, wondering what was going on now.
I stopped as a light descended from above and landed before me. The light glowed brightly; I had to shield my eyes from the light. It felt, warm and holy…
“Do not be afraid, look on me, child of magic,” her gentle voice said.
I looked and beheld an Alicorn I’ve never seen before. She was pure white, her coat almost blending into the background. Her mane was long and red, almost in a helmet shape on her head, it cascaded down her neck and past her shoulders. Her eyes were a verdant blue, showing gentleness but also wisdom and comfort…
“Who,” I said, trying to think of something to say, “or what, are you?”
“I, Private, have been called many things among many worlds. Taken many forms and shapes so that the beings there would understand. But here, I am simply known, as Faust,” she said, smiling gently.