The atmosphere of town square following Aza's announcement was quite paradoxical. Everyone present had been delighted to hear one of them would be returning home, but the news that they would be choosing who went left them all feeling a mixture of confusion, doubt, and fear. There had been a brief thought in everyone's minds to lobby for their own evictions that easily fell by the wayside with the knowledge that everyone else might attempt the same in response. Aza relished in observing such brilliant contradictions play out.
They all want to go home but they need a majority vote from everyone for it to happen. They want to get a majority vote by openly lobbying to everyone but are afraid it'll make them look selfish, resulting in failure. Not only that, but they haven't bonded as tightly with some as they have with others, making things a little more complicated. There's also the fact that whoever they vote off now could've been useful at some point in the future, thus making them a wasted asset. Alliances will be key here, as will voting blocs for deciding a majority vote without complications. It'll be easier to lobby for a smaller group's votes then the whole entire gathering. All of it serves to make them stay of their own free will, but against their desires simultaneously.
Pure brilliance.
Aza observed the group of eight split into three smaller groups. One group was comprised of Celestia, Samus, and James and had congregated on the front steps of Ponyville Town Hall. The second group was made up of Frank, Sandy, and SpongeBob and were currently lounging in the middle of town square, staring up at non-existent stars. The last group was a pairing of Twilight and the Nameless Pharaoh's spirit and had relocated to under a nearby awning over some random house's front door. Aza had considered allowing Yugi and the Pharaoh to cast separate votes at Council so as to avoid a deadlock, but ultimately decided against it as the two would undoubtedly vote together thus giving them too much power.
Aza listened as the groups talked amongst themselves about the upcoming vote.
"So, who're you all voting for?" SpongeBob asked Sandy and Frank from where he sat.
"Ah don't know," Sandy replied. "Ah'm thinkin' we oughta jus' vote amongst ourselves and hope everyone else throws a few votes our way so one of us can leave."
"I don't know if that's a good idea," Frank said. "No one will get a majority vote if some of us don't agree to sacrifice our own chances at freedom."
Sandy slammed a fist onto the hardened earth. "Dang nabbit! This is too confusin'. How're we 'posed ta decide on who should go?"
All three of them fell silent for a moment. The stress brought about by the conflicting thoughts in their minds was taking its toll on all of them. None of them wanted to stay by any means, but they all knew the decision of who to vote for would be infinitely easier if they did. At last, SpongeBob broke the silence.
"Guys, how about we vote for James?"
Sandy and Frank stared at him. "Why?" Frank asked.
SpongeBob turned to return their stares with a determined look in his eyes. "He saved my life; pooling all our votes for him is the least we could do to thank him."
"I guess so," Frank replied, a wistful smile adorning his face. "I'm still finding it hard to believe he took down Adam with a single shot. He'd always block every bullet I shot at him with his chainsaws; the cheap jerk."
"Well he did," SpongeBob continued, "and sending him home is the least we could do to thank him."
"I 'pose," Sandy said. She glanced across town square toward James' group, then over at Twilight and the pharaoh before returning gaze to her yellow friend. "Ah'm sure Ah can convince Twilight n' Yugi ta vote along wit' us."
"What makes you so sure?" Frank asked as he tossed a rock upwards, catching it as it came back down. "She and Celestia seemed pretty close when I first arrived here, and I find it hard to believe she'd go against her highness' group."
"Because Twilight n' Ah' have been gellin' better than bread n' butter so far; Ah'm sure she'll see things mah way after a little chit-chat." She stood up. "An' 'sides, they don't seem all dat close if'n they're not even chattin' together right now."
"Good point."
"And what about Yugi?" SpongeBob asked.
"If Twilight agrees ta vote alon' wit' us, Ah see no reason why Yugi wouldn't too."
SpongeBob and Frank looked at each other in silence for a moment before shrugging. "Okay," SpongeBob said, "give it your best shot."
"Ah'll give better than mah best," Sandy proclaimed as she began walking towards Twilight and the pharaoh.
"So, what's our plan for tonight?" James asked Samus and Celestia.
The princess and the hunter looked at each other (the former with a wry expression) for a moment before returning their gazes to James. "What makes you think you're with us?" Celestia asked.
James chuckled before properly responding. "Well, I'm standing right here with you two, aren't I?" Neither Celestia nor Samus said anything to which James continued. "I can assure you everyone now thinks we're in cahoots because of that triviality, so why not confirm their beliefs by voting together?"
Once more Samus and Celestia glanced at each other. Even though Samus had already made a pact with James, she could see in Celestia's eyes a wariness about adding the British spy to their "Harmony alliance". Samus didn't blame her, however; spies in any world will be conniving little sneaks, and she guessed Celestia had prior experience with such a people.
They both turned back to James. "Why do you want to ally with us?" Celestia asked.
James shrugged. "I guess because I can relate with you two the most."
Celestia's face turned to puzzlement for a second before realization struck and she raised an eyebrow. "Do you truly believe my rule of Equestria parallels that of your own government, Mr. Bond?"
James shrugged again. "I may not have the faintest clue on that account, but it is something we all have in common; why not stick together because of it?" He pointed at the group consisting of Frank, Sandy, and SpongeBob across town square. "After all, it's plainly obvious those three have ties based around their common interest in martial arts." He then pointed toward Twilight and the pharaoh. "And princess, am I correct in assuming Twilight's clinging to Yugi because she's interested in how his world's magic compares to your own?"
Celestia nodded with a smile. "She's always been quite the studious bookworm."
James withdrew his hand. "Then let's make a new pact; one that combines those we've forged with Miss Aran here."
Celestia's smile turned into a frown as she shuffled sheepishly. It was clear the solar princess was still dubious about the proposal, so Samus decided to put Honesty to use again to calm her nerves.
"Can we trust you to have both our backs when in trouble, James Bond?" she asked him.
"Of course," James said with a smile. "It goes without saying that I'll always lend my services to any ally in need of them."
Samus felt no deception in his words. She turned to Celestia. "We can trust him."
Celestia sighed. "Alright then, I'll agree to your proposal, Mr. Bond." She glanced briefly down to the chest housing the remaining Elements of Harmony. "Though, I'm not sure you'd be able to wield any of the remaining elements."
"That's okay," Bond replied before pulling out his Walther PPK. "This is all I'd need anyway."
Celestia stared at the gun in concern. "Please be careful with that."
James rolled his eyes and put the gun away again. "So, who should we pool our votes for tonight?"
"Whatever our decision," Samus spoke up, "it should be to the benefit of the seven remaining people."
"Agreed," Celestia replied, looking back towards her faithful student, "and while I'd like to see Twilight safe and sound back in our own Equestria, if we're to prevent a deadlocked vote tonight I believe we'll need her help."
"Now who'd be the best choice to vote for?" Samus asked.
Celestia was about to answer when James beat her to the punch. "I believe ousting SpongeBob would be the best course of action for tonight's vote."
Celestia and Samus turned to him (the former with a surprised look). "Because of his water helmet, right?" Samus asked.
"Correct."
"I agree; what about you, Celestia?"
Celestia paused, mulling over their words. While it was true SpongeBob was at the greatest risk among them all due to needing his water helmet for survival, Celestia was still hesitant to oust him. Before, and even more so after, SpongeBob unleashed his surprise strike on Frank when the latter asked him to spar, Celestia could sense a genuine benevolence radiating from the yellow sea sponge. He reminded her very much of Pinkie Pie back home, minus the party-throwing obsessions; though, he did seem to share the party pony's ability to twist physics at will as evidenced by the aforementioned surprise strike. To that end, Celestia was confident SpongeBob could wield the Element of Laughter just as well. While she could argue against voting for SpongeBob, she didn't want to come off as tyrannical to her allies. Besides, SpongeBob's liabilities would probably outweigh his assets even while wielding the Element of Laughter.
"Alright," Celestia replied as she rose to all fours, "I'll go talk to my faithful student and Yugi about joining us in ousting Mr. Squarepants." She levitated the Element of Magic out of the chest and began walking toward Twilight and the pharaoh.
Aza's announcement of tribal council had left Twilight deeply depressed. She was elated at first to hear someone would be freed from Aza's sick games and returned home, but the idea of having to choose who to oust was disheartening to the young unicorn. It was even worse than the time she had to pick which one of her friends to take to the Grand Galloping Gala. She hated Aza for what it was doing to them, but also knew nothing could be done to stop it. She'd just have to play along and hope everyone would eventually make it back home safe and sound.
"Twilight?"
Twilight glanced up to see the pharaoh looking down at her with a look that could only be described as steeled concern.
"Yes, pharaoh?" she replied.
"You've been quiet for some time now." He sat down on the ground so they were looking at each other eye-leveled. "Is something bothering you?"
Twilight huffed. "Yes, pharaoh. How am I supposed to choose who to vote for tonight? I want everyone to return to their respective homes safe and sound, but how am I supposed to decide who I want to see leave more than the others?" She gestured towards the other two groups of people around town square. "It's clear those two groups are going to come to us looking for support, meaning the choice will be ours as to who leaves. My fear is whichever group we turn down will hate us afterwards."
The pharaoh sighed. "I understand your pain, Twilight. I too have had to make many tough decisions ever since Yugi solved the Millennium Puzzle and released me. I fear the real reason Aza forced everyone to split up earlier was to break up any potential we had of staying united throughout all of this."
Twilight closed her eyes and sighed. "What do we do, pharaoh?"
Before he could answer, they heard the sound of approaching footsteps. They looked to see Sandy approaching with a smile on her face and waving her squirrel paw in greeting.
"Howdy, y'all," she said.
"Hi Sandy," Twilight replied, glumly.
"Hello," the pharaoh replied.
Sandy noticed Twilight's tone of voice. "Is somethin' wrong, Twilight?" she asked.
Twilight closed her eyes again and sunk her head. "You're here to ask us to vote with you at council, aren't you?"
Sandy couldn't help but be surprised; both at how easily Twilight discerned her objective as well as how negative she seemed to feel about it. But after taking a moment to think about it, she realized it was pretty obvious Twilight and the pharaoh would be the swing votes that decided who was ousted at council. So, she decided honesty was the best course of action for gaining Twilight's support.
"Yeah, Ah am," Sandy said sheepishly. She pointed back towards Frank and SpongeBob. "The three of us 're votin' fer James tonight, as a thank-you fer savin' SpongeBob earlier."
Twilight sighed. Sandy looked to the pharaoh for approval to continue talking, which he gave her with a simple nod. She turned back to Twilight.
"Ah'm sorry if all this is gettin' ya down, Twilight." She put a comforting paw on Twilight's back as she continued. "Is there anythin' I can say that'll make ya feel better?"
Twilight said nothing for a while, but Sandy and the pharaoh waited patiently for her reply. When she finally gave it, her voice's tone wasn't any less glum.
"Can you promise me none of you'll be mad about my decision tonight?"
Sandy smiled. "Of course Ah can, and Ah'll make sure as sugar Frank and SpongeBob promise da same thin'."
Sandy felt happy when Twilight smiled in response to her promise. She then turned to the pharaoh again. "Of course, da same goes fer ya too."
The pharaoh nodded with a small smile of his own. Sandy then turned to leave.
"Well, see y'all in a little while," she said, waving good-bye as she left. Twilight and the pharaoh waved good-bye in turn and resumed their chat.
"Should we vote for James?" Twilight asked.
"Let's hear out the other group," the pharaoh replied.
Twilight agreed and the two of them waited for one of the other three's group to come asking for support. They didn't have to wait for more than about a minute before Celestia approached the two of them, the Element of Magic held in her telekinetic grip. Twilight didn't bother looking at the perfect doppelganger of her Element of Harmony, instead looking straight into the soft, loving eyes of her longtime mentor. It was all she could do to avoid looking at the accursed Alicorn Amulet still around her neck.
"Hello, princess," she said, glumness returning in her voice.
"Hello, my faithful student," Celestia replied. She looked at the pharaoh. "And hello to you too, Yugi."
The pharaoh nodded with a smile. "Hello, Celestia."
Celestia smiled in kind and looked back down at Twilight. The smile on her face vanished when she saw Twilight's gloomy expression. She didn't need to question her about it, however; she could tell Twilight was still confused and disappointed with her request for the Alicorn Amulet. She briefly debated whether she should attempt to gain Twilight's support by revealing the truth behind her decision before deciding it wasn't worth putting Twilight into a deeper depression just to secure her vote. To reveal the truth behind her decision would ultimately lead to Twilight calling everything she'd learned about friendship into question; something the sun princess couldn't allow to happen. Besides, she was confident she could gain her student's support just by playing off the bonds they'd formed over the years.
"I suppose I don't need to explain why I came over here?" she asked Twilight.
Twilight shook her head. "Who are you voting for?"
"SpongeBob." Celestia wrapped a comforting wing around her student. "But listen, Twilight, don't think I'll hold it against you if you don't vote along with my group. Your freedom of choice exists here as much as it does in our own Equestria. Just know that I always strived to achieve two things by taking you under my wing. The first was to aid your growth into a pony capable of wielding the Element of Magic and making good use of its power; i.e. freeing my sister of the darkness plaguing her heart."
Twilight managed to smile at that before speaking up. "Speaking of the Element of Magic." She pointed at the necklace still suspended in Celestia's telekinetic grip. "It seems I still exist and wield it in this alternate Equestria."
"You and Rarity," Celestia replied with a smile of her own. "The other four have different symbols on the front, indicating different bearers than the rest of your friends."
"That reminds me," Twilight said. "How were you able to get Honesty and Loyalty to accept new bearers so easily?"
Celestia put a hoof to her chin in mock contemplation before smiling again. "Much about the Elements of Harmony is shrouded in mystery, Twilight, suffice to say they can easily change bearers when desired, so long as the person embodies the required trait enough to be accepted. Perhaps, when we return home, you can research the Elements a bit more thoroughly than what's been attempted already."
Celestia felt true happiness in her heart when Twilight beamed in response. "Do you really mean that?" she asked excitedly.
"Yes, but only after we've returned home, which leads me to my second point." Seeing that Twilight was now feeling better, Celestia unwrapped her wing from around her as she continued. "By taking you under my wing I hoped to help develop you and your fellow bearers into role models."
"Role models?"
"Yes, Twilight." Celestia rested a hoof on Twilight's shoulder. "I wanted to use you and your fellow bearers as an example of what friendship between normal ponies can accomplish. After Luna's revolt and subsequent banishment, my subjects started believing themselves as insignificant to shaping Equestria's future and became all the more dependent on me to do so myself. By granting the Elements to you and your friends I hope to show the whole world that everyone, regardless of authority or strength, has the power to shape their future, and that embracing the Magic of Friendship will ensure that future is a bright one."
While Twilight struggled to hold back happy tears, the pharaoh couldn't help but be reminded of the time he teamed up with Judai Yuki and Yusei Fudo in their duel against Paradox. Much like how Celestia believed Twilight and her friends could make their world's future a bright one, Yusei believed he and his friends could achieve the exact same with their world's future, and with his and Judai's help they ensured Yusei would get his chance at doing so.
Twilight and the pharaoh returned their attention to Celestia as she continued.
"What I'm saying, Twilight, is that everything I do is for the benefit of society as a whole and that applies even now. In fact, decision-making here is a lot less strenuous since there's only eight of us to worry about. My group has decided to vote for SpongeBob at council because his inability to breathe without his water helmet makes him a great liability." Celestia levitated the Element of Magic in front of Twilight. "If you wish to join our voting bloc then put this on; I have no doubt whatsoever that you'll be able to wield this Element of Magic just as well as your own back home."
Twilight looked down at the necklace floating in front of her as she contemplated whether or not she should accept Celestia's offer. One would think she'd need no incentive whatsoever to ally with her longtime mentor/second mother, and under most circumstances she'd accept Celestia's offer without question. But Twilight's eyes kept shifting past her element to the amulet around Celestia's neck, thoughts of which brought nothing but despair to the lavender unicorn. She still hadn't gotten over her shock and outrage at Celestia's request for it, particularly because a nagging thought in Twilight's head kept accusing Celestia of hiding something from her regarding it. All these conflicting thoughts left Twilight's mind scrambled, but still cohesive enough to give Celestia an answer.
"Can I have until council to think about it?" she pleaded.
Celestia smiled. "Of course you can, Twilight." She brought the necklace back to her side. "I'll keep the offer open indefinitely."
Twilight nodded in understanding as Celestia turned back to her group and walked away. The pharaoh waited until she was out of earshot before turning back to Twilight.
"So, should we vote for SpongeBob, or James?" he asked.
Twilight took a moment to clear her head and sighed. "Pharaoh, you decide who goes; I'm not taking sides in this."
The pharaoh's eyes widened slightly in surprise before he returned to his typical stoic expression. "Why not?"
Twilight sighed again. "Because things have been getting increasingly complicated ever since we first arrived here and my comprehension levels have finally reached their breaking point." She looked up at the pharaoh with a solemn expression etched into her features. "To be honest, pharaoh, I don't know what to believe anymore. I feel as if Celestia has a veil of secrecy surrounding her request for the Alicorn Amulet that she won't let even me bypass. It's like she doesn't trust me to the same capacity here that she always did back home, which is, in turn, waning my own trust in her. As logical as voting with her group might be, I can't bring myself to join her when I'm being kept in the dark like this."
Twilight levitated her torch from off the ground and began trotting toward the outskirts of Ponyville. "I'll be waiting by the Everfree Forest; whoever goes tonight is your choice, pharaoh."
The pharaoh kept his eyes trained on Twilight until she'd crested a hill sitting between Ponyville and the forest. Afterward, he leaned against the building's front door and began pondering to himself on who to vote for. Almost immediately, however, Yugi spoke up in his thoughts.
So who'll you vote for, pharaoh?
We should determine our vote together; just because we only get one doesn't mean it should be a solo decision.
Speaking of which, I'm concerned about Twilight; is there anything we can do to help?
I'm not sure, Yugi. If Celestia is indeed hiding something from even her faithful student, I sincerely doubt she'd be any more open with us.
True; I just hope their falling out with each other doesn't affect the rest of us.
I hope so too, Yugi.
"Twilight?" Sandy asked.
"Yes, Sandy?"
"Somethin' don't feel right 'bout this place."
"Compared to the rest of Equestria, it isn't."
The group of eight was currently trudging through the Everfree Forest en route to Tribal Council as per Aza's command. Just like its counterpart back home, the decrepit nature of this Everfree Forest unsettled those who ventured through. Out of the group, Twilight was the only one who had traveled through enough to become immune to its unnerving quality. Even Princess Celestia was currently on edge as she'd avoided returning to the location of her sister's banishment to the moon ever since enacting the deed, though she'd heard many stories about the dangerous creatures that took up residence in the decrepit forest over time. Twilight's immunity to the unease permeated by the forest, however, was built through many visits to one particular denizen for tea and, on occasion, helpful advice.
"Hey, Twilight." SpongeBob pointed with his torch toward Zecora's tree home. "Does someone live there?"
The group continued walking as Twilight answered with a smile. "Yes, my zebra friend Zecora lives there. A zebra is-"
"Actually," SpongeBob interrupted, "I already know what zebras are . . . from firsthand experience."
Twilight gave him an incredulous look. "Firsthand experience from underwater?"
"And gorillas . . . "
" . . . wha-?"
Sandy interrupted her next. "Ah'll tell y'all 'bout it later if'n yer still interested." She took one last look at the tree hut as it disappeared from sight through the trees. "Jus' how many of y'all Equestrians live 'n tree homes, anyway?"
Twilight smiled. "Just me and Zecora as far as I'm aware."
The rest of the journey was mostly uneventful. Every now and then one of the group would ask Twilight something regarding the Everfree Forest's aesthetics and/or history, and while she'd answer as best she could with the former, she redirected questions on the latter to Celestia. The solar princess, however, would shy away from most of these questions much to her student's annoyance, as well as Yugi and the pharaoh's disappointment. In fact, it wasn't until Samus asked Celestia about her grievances with answering the questions that she finally relented.
"This forest rests upon the land in which Nightmare Moon and I battled before I used the Elements to seal her in the moon." She sighed. "My anguish over those events has kept me from returning to this place, or even answering questions relating to it."
While everyone nodded in understanding, the pharaoh had a sudden bout of realization.
That's it!
Pharaoh?
Yugi, I know how we can heal the rift between Twilight and Celestia.
Really? How?
The pharaoh was about to reply when a flickering firelight emerged through the trees. After walking a few more meters through the trees, the group found themselves in a grassy clearing with lit tiki torches adorning the edge all around; about one every few meters.
I'll explain later, Yugi; it appears we've arrived at council.
The group made their way further into the clearing, analyzing the setup around them. Dead center in the clearing, constructed over a patch of dry, grassless dirt, was a blazing fire pit made of rocks and charcoals. On one side sat a row of eight makeshift chairs carved from rock, angled so as to curve slightly around the fire pit while leaving enough room to walk through. On the other side stood a tall pedestal also carved from rock, next to which began a dirt path that led straight across the clearing and into the surrounding trees. Situated perpendicular to the rock pedestal and the fire pit was another dirt path that led into a plain grass hut; inside was a wooden vanity, upon which sat a lit candle and a wooden jar of sorts. Both dirt paths were flanked on either side by a series of lit tiki torches about three-fourths the size of those surrounding the clearing.
"What an odd setup this is," James remarked.
"It may seem odd to your short-sighted eyes, Mr. Bond, but everything here is built with a purpose. Speaking of which, all of you dip your torches into the fire pit so they're alight."
Everyone did as Aza commanded. All at once they approached the fire pit and dipped their torches in, bringing them back out once lit and all the while Aza explained its purpose.
"If there's one thing that perfectly symbolizes life itself, it's fire. In every society, fire is key to keeping people alive and well. As long as fire exists, so can life; when there's no fire, life itself is doomed. To that end, your existence in this experiment of mine will be represented by your lit torches here at council. Should you be voted out by your tribemates, your torch will be snuffed, and you'll return home. Am I clear?"
Everyone nodded.
"Good. Now, place your torches into one of the holders behind the row of seats and sit down in front of it."
Everyone once again did as Aza commanded. The order went (from left to right): James, Twilight, Frank, Celestia, the pharaoh, SpongeBob, Samus, and Sandy.
"Now then . . ."
It was then that a figure began materializing above the pedestal across from the fire pit. Everyone watched, spellbound, as the figure took shape until it was finished and hovering above the pedestal. It was a truly bizarre sight; five differently colored spheres arranged in a cross-like pattern. The topmost sphere was colored red, the center one colored blue, the lowest one colored yellow, the leftmost one colored white, and the rightmost one colored black. All of this, however, was three-dimensional and all the group of eight could see. What they couldn't see was the series of two-dimensional limbs connecting the spheres to each other, as well as the one-dimensional makeshift hand resting directly in front of the blue sphere. The entity floated above the rock pedestal in total silence, unnerving the group of eight more than the Everfree Forest had managed to earlier.
"What are you?" Twilight asked the strange thing.
"It's me, Aza."