//------------------------------//
// Forty-eight 
// Story: Freedom Through Harmony: Book II 
// by Electricut 
//------------------------------//

Chapter in color

Forty-eight

Eight Hours Later

Time passes. The Veil thins. The war for Skaia grows direr, both Prospit and Derse growing more desperate to play the final move. With Derse short three of its best agents, the King and Queen know they will have to put everything in to have a hope of victory. The Black Queen herself deploys to the Battlefield to oversee operations.

Knowing this, the White Queen of Prospit is justifiably alert, but she hasn’t the time to prepare. In the dead of the night, a servant arrives to her chambers to check on her, only to find her dead of a clean but deliberate wound, her ring nowhere to be found. An assassin’s work. This news enrages the King. It must have been Derse’s work. They have broken the terms of engagement and overstepped their boundaries into Prospit. It was a well-mannered, meticulous war before, but now Prospit had to respond to this daring move.

Production of the heavier units in the ectobiology labs- Rooks, Bishops and Knights- steps up, leading Derse to do the same. The stakes rise, and the Veil continues to thin.

The final battle for Skaia, the Incipisphere, is on the horizon.

Six Heroes, borne of another world, bound for yet another, arrive in a field on Skaia, free of combat for the moment. Two, the Thief of Blood and Knight of Void, arrived on a Dersite shuttle. The Page of Breath, Heir of Time and Mage of Space, on a Prospitan vessel. The Bard of Hope, God Tier reached but fullest potential not yet attained, arrived by the strength of his own wings.

DOC: Good to see you’re all safe and sound.
QUICK FIX: gotta say, its good to not be dead
CHEERILEE: I’m certainly glad for that, too~
QUICK FIX: aw, cmere you

The two move forward and embrace each other warmly. Smiling, Derpy and Doc move slightly closer together as well.

FANCY PANTS: well.
FANCY PANTS: guess that leaves you and me.
LEEROY: Sure does.

The pair waggles their eyebrows furiously at each other before bursting into laughter.

FANCY PANTS: so, you ever find that legendary sword?
LEEROY: Oh yeah. And no offense, but it blows all those swords you sent me out of the water.
FANCY PANTS: none taken. pop culture weapons could only cut it for so long.
FANCY PANTS: so let’s see it!

Leeroy nods, and accesses his sylladex. After dispatching a ridiculously powerful simulation enemy, a sword springs forth, blood red and with three distinct blades, one curving past one end of the hilt like a scimitar, one guarding the hilt, and one curving away like a scythe.

LEEROY: They call it the Blade of Blood. A suitable weapon for a Thief of Blood, I suppose.
LEEROY: Even alone, this thing is powerful. It seems to hold some of my own power, of being able to weaponize the life force of fallen enemies.
LEEROY: But I was given the option to power it up even more. Baal told me I could have Hephaestus combine it with a few other objects to make it more powerful. Or… something like that anyway.
LEEROY: He seemed to be implying there would be a specific thing that these objects would help me kill.
LEEROY: Can’t imagine what that would be though.
FANCY PANTS: well, what were the items?
LEEROY: I dunno, weird, normal stuff.
LEEROY: One of Doc’s weird machines that I still haven’t figured out. The cue ball Cheerilee found.
LEEROY: And of course some of the lava from the Forge got into the mix.
FANCY PANTS: huh. can’t imagine what that would do.
LEEROY: Me neither. Doesn’t even look any different than before. It’s a bit stronger, but it’s not a huge difference.
LEEROY: Ah well. Doing that helped me get on Baal’s good side and get his grist horde.
FANCY PANTS: oh yeah! i didn’t get to hear. cheerilee, what did we end up making with all that grist?
CHEERILEE: It was all part of the Ultimate Riddle. The Frogs, the grist, the Ultimate Alchemy.
CHEERILEE: They all went to the same thing.
CHEERILEE: At the end of the frog breeding quest, I was charged with making the ultimate, perfect frog. The Genesis Frog, Echidna called it. The Speaker of the Vast Croak.
CHEERILEE: It took every last drop of grist in those hordes to do it, but the Genesis Frog lives.
FANCY PANTS: where is he?
CHEERILEE: Beyond the door at the edge of the Incipisphere. To reach it, we must first beat the final boss.
CHEERILEE: But I’m not sure we’ll ever be able to properly see him.
CHEERILEE: He is quite literally as big as a universe.
CHEERILEE: He IS a universe.
CHEERILEE: He is our Final Reward. Inside that universe is a planet that will bear life.
CHEERILEE: And it is us that will be there to guide it.
FANCY PANTS: … you mean to tell me…
FANCY PANTS: that by playing this game, and destroying our own planet, we’ve created a new one?
FANCY PANTS: and that we’re the ones who will watch over it?
CHEERILEE: That is precisely what we’ve concluded.
FANCY PANTS: so, what you mean is, we’ll essentially be the GODS of this new planet? universe even? we’re the ones who created it, and the ones who will watch over it?
FANCY PANTS: but that was what celestia and luna did back on equestria, right?
FANCY PANTS: and they were alicorns… like i am now.
FANCY PANTS: so that means that this is how equestria was made, too. celestia and luna played this game once, and created our world.
FANCY PANTS: and now it’s our turn.
CHEERILEE: You’re right. I hadn’t thought of that, but you’re absolutely right.
QUICK FIX: I wonder what happened to the sisters
QUICK FIX: last I saw they got to the bunkers with some civilians
QUICK FIX: maybe they’re still okay
DOC: Perhaps. But for now, we can’t reach them anymore.
DOC: If they are still alive back there, we have no choice but to leave them to their own devices.
DOC: The princesses, and the people of Equestria, are resourceful. I’m certain life will carry on.
DOC: But for now, we must make certain that life carries on through our reach.
DOC: The Black King and Queen await us.
DERPY: wait, doc.
DERPY: before we do that, there’s one other thing we should talk about.
DOC: … Ah, yes. I told you I’d discuss what I discovered about myself and my guardian.
DOC: I’ll try to condense this very long story for you, as we are still working against the clock.
DOC: According to my guardian’s journal, he arrived in Equestria fifteen years ago. Derpy, as you saw, he was not a pony, nor was he even from this planet. He was a Timelord, of a planet called Gallifrey.
DOC: But there was trouble in Equestria, he saw this. And he needed to blend in to find it.
DOC: The TARDIS- a time machine full of gadgets for such occasions- assisted him. Using a device called the Chameleon Arch, he changed his anatomy to that of a pony, but left specific instructions to himself.
DOC: In time, he discovered the nature of the danger, and knew that more extreme, and more specific, measures would need to be taken.
DOC: The Timelords possessed a unique trait: when they die, they would typically regenerate instead, keeping their memories, but changing shape, sometimes gaining a wildly different personality.
DOC: But the situation called for two ponies, a player for this game, and a guardian.
DOC: And so, he created a stable time loop. He raised a young man specifically for this journey, then forced a regeneration, went back in time, and repeated his actions. He became the young man he had raised.
CHEERILEE: So, you’re saying…
DOC: I am my guardian, yes, at a further point in the timeline.
DOC: I’ve been stepped in time travel long before this game. And if necessary, I have the means to regain all these memories, and return to being a Timelord.
DOC: I don’t really want to though, not unless it’s necessary. I quite love my life as a pony, and my friendship with you all.
FANCY PANTS: but that also means that there was supposed to be a different player in this session. it’s a game for six, right?
DOC: That’s right. Part of the reason I did this was because something had happened to whomever should have played this game.
DOC: The timeline would have collapsed. And before the game started, that would have been disastrous.
DOC: So I set me up as a substitute. And the game- Skaia- seems to have accepted this and accommodated.
DERPY: so, the missing player was the danger your teacher- sorry, you- found?
DOC: It was part of it.
DOC: The other part was a very mysterious character lurking around, pushing events. Someone with just as much control of the timeline as I had, if not more.
DOC: He was a First Guardian. He called himself Discord.
FANCY PANTS: and that guy is still hanging around somewhere in this session.
LEEROY: Meaning we might have to take him out.
DOC: We might. But for now, we must simply complete our quest.
DOC: If Discord elects to interfere with us, then we will confront him.
DOC: We’ve wasted enough time on this though. We have to beat the final boss and reach our new world.

The six nod in confirmation, equip their most powerful weapons, and begin their march to the center of the battle, where the monarchs would be waiting. The Prospitan and Dersite soldiers alike stand aside as they approach. They all know what is about to begin.

The six heroes of the light stand before the king of the kingdom shrouded in darkness. Through his staff, through the power of the Kernelsprites, his form has been altered; Paper wings rise from his back, glowing red lenses in place of eyes. His left leg and arm seem to have been converted into a well-tuned machine, and his right arm seems to be a thick wooden one. He wears a RED TEAM uniform, chains of bullets strapped across his chest. Unfitting with the rest of the prototypings, a tail and a pair of cat ears are also present.

The Black King wastes no time. As soon as the six approach, he launches an attack, sending a wave of fire across the ground. All six are able to jump and dodge the attack, and Derpy lands, ready to make the first attack. She throws her boomerang- FURY OF THE OUTBACK- revealing his now slightly depleted health bar. She can’t help but stare in astonishment; this is an absolutely ludicrous amount of HP, and the six are still working on a time limit.

Fancy Pants opens fire with his rifle- the AHAB’S CROSSHAIRS- and keeps the laser trained on the King’s head. His HP trickles down at a steady rate, but it will not be enough by itself. Doc, Quick Fix and Cheerilee all charge forward, the REVENGE OF PHILLIP, GRADE ZERO and YELLOW YARD at the ready, and begin the frontal attack. As the Dersite soldiers move in to attack the heroes and defend their king, Leeroy zips around, defending the others and charging his weapon and own power. With each strike, each kill, he grows more powerful still.

At last, the three fighters step back, and Leeroy leaps at the King, bringing his blade downward in a mighty strike, overflowing with power. The HP bar takes a noticeable drop, but it is still more than three-quarters full.

A blast of energy sends Derpy reeling, and buffets the others members of the party. Behind them, the Black Queen has arrived. Derpy’s mind reels, wondering how they will defeat both monarchs at once. Leeroy and Fancy Pants continue to engage the King, while the other four turn their attention to the Queen. Derpy readies herself, and when the Queen launches her next attack- a lightning blast- Derpy unleashes an equally powerful gust of wind, deflecting the attack. Derpy’s role as the Page of Breath sets her up as a highly defensible player, deflecting powerful attacks and providing support to her allies.

In tandem, Quick Fix and Cheerilee attack the Black Queen, Space and Void causing fluctuations in the battlefield. Quick Fix’s defensive fighting style paired with Cheerilee’s supportive abilities protect both of them from strong attacks, with one always protecting the other while they attack. Doc supports on both fronts by slowing the enemy and speeding up his allies, but this leaves him vulnerable. Seeing an attack headed for him, Derpy dives away from the Queen, and deflects the attack roughly.

The HP bars of both continue to trickle away, but the heroes are growing weary, and the two-front battle continues to be just as frantic. Leeroy leaps and delivers another hit to the King, dropping him below half-health, and Derpy expertly deflects one of his attacks to the Queen. However, the resulting explosion is far bigger than it should have been. The attack that should have taken a small chunk off of the Queen’s HP has completely finished her, or so it would appear. The ring on her finger rolls over to the ponies, six orbs around its surface glowing brightly.

The smoke clears, and another pony figure is standing over the Queen’s body. He pulses green and white, yellow energy arcing away from his body. He launches himself at the King, deflecting a series of attacks almost faster than Derpy’s eyes can follow, and fires a blast of energy from his hoof that tears a hole straight through the King’s chest. The Black Staff drops to the ground, the King and Queen both slain.

The mysterious Alicorn, the First Guardian, Discord, stands over the carnage, a ring already settled on his horn. He has no eyes, but it’s clear to all six that his focus is on the second, sitting near Leeroy’s hoof.

“Is… Is it over?” Cheerilee asks.

“Nearly.” Discord answers, stepping towards the ring.

Leeroy makes a step forward, Blade of Blood clutched firm in his teeth.

“These things are too dangerous.” Quick Fix states adamantly. “We need to destroy them. That one you’ve got, too. The one you took from the White Queen.”

“Is that what you’ve decided?” he asks. “They’ve valuable tools for protection, for those that can use them. I’m certainly not handing over mine. Step aside, or I’ll have to move you myself.”

“No way.” Doc says, stepping between the two, screwdriver held tight.

“Ah, the Doctor.” Discord taunts. “Couldn’t tell you how much trouble you’ve been for me. I doubt you even know the half of it. But I’m afraid all that ends now.” Discord moves forward, a slow but steady pace, towards the place where the ring lies. Leeroy leaps forward, and is thrown aside, blade clattering to the ground beside him. The other five all attack at once, but their result is the same.

He takes the ring, and it begins floating near one of his front hooves. The other ring floats off of his horn, and hovers near his other hoof. The two spin momentarily, then launch forward and imbed themselves painfully into his hooves. There is no blood, but something begins to happen to him. The green, white and yellow energy begins crackling furiously, blasting holes in the ground of the battlefield. The six ponies are able to dodge this stray energy, but it is a challenge predicting where the next bolt will hit.

The form of Discord explodes into smoke and light, and it takes a few moments for the heroes’ eyes to adjust again. When the smoke and light clear, a new figure is standing in the place of the snow white Alicorn. He stands much taller, on two mismatched legs, with a wispy tail trailing behind him. A lion’s paw, an eagle’s claw, both with one of the rings settled on them. A fanged, toothy grin greets the six mischievously.

DISCORD: Ah, now that feels better. Look at all this random stuff!
DOC: I’m not sure if you’re just THAT egotistical, or just stupid.
DOC: You’ve got more power without the rings than you do with them.
DISCORD: I’m aware of that. But where’s the fun in omnipotence?
DISCORD: If I can do anything anyway, what’s the point in it?
DISCORD: I need limits to ruthlessly smash through.
LEEROY: So you’ve handicapped yourself to give yourself a challenge. I can respect that.
LEEROY: But you’ve got other things to answer for. Why did you slip into our session? Why did you steal our games in the beginning?
LEEROY: And what do you plan on doing now?
DISCORD: I like staying alive. Nothing was going to survive on Equestria.
DISCORD: The land is a wasteland. Those few poor souls who survived the initial scourge will soon die out. This is the life cycle of a planet.
DISCORD: I merely wanted to go to the new planet, and I made myself a copy of your game to help assure that there would be a planet for me to go to.
DISCORD: But now… I’m not sure simply living is enough. It wasn’t pleasant living under Celestia, you know. Her First Guardian gave her quite a bit of trouble, and she didn’t trust me because of it.
DISCORD: Hardly fair, don’t you think?
DISCORD: I don’t want that history to repeat. So I think I should assume leadership of this new place. Let you children enjoy yourselves, and let me worry about the stress of godhood.
DOC: You know that’s not going to happen. This world is not yours to take.
DOC: You’ve had your time. Your mission is complete. It’s time to step back.
DISCORD: Says the Timelord who has cheated death more times than anyone can count
DISCORD: Says the interloper from another world who was never meant to play this game.
DISCORD: You, of all people, have no room to accuse me of overstepping my boundaries.
DOC: The difference between you and I as that you want control. I want freedom. I want the people of the universe to be safe and free, and you want to be the one to rule over them with no one to stop you.
DISCORD: And who can define one side as right and one as wrong? You?
CHEERILEE: We decide that. This is our world, and you’re not part of it.
FANCY PANTS: i called it. i knew this guy would be the real final boss. get ready, everyone!
QUICK FIX: celestia was one thing, but im not gonna sit by and let this guy put himself on the throne that WE built
DERPY: if you just wanted to live there, that would be one thing. but we worked for this world. we made sacrifices for this world. we gave up our old lives, our families, for this.
DOC: I think the people speak for themselves.
DISCORD: So you fancy yourselves to be better leaders than me?
DISCORD: You’re so sure that you will be able to lead the people of your new world better than I will?
LEEROY: Enough!

Leeroy leaps at Discord, Blade of Blood clenched tightly between his teeth and glowing with energy. Discord is more than ready, however. As Leeroy draws near, Discord grabs him by the leg, swings him around and slams him into the ground. Leeroy is stunned, but doesn’t stop moving, getting back to his feet immediately and stumbling forward again.

The other five are about to move in to help, but Discord’s next attack causes them all to stop short. He ducks low, throwing a punch at Leeroy, almost bursting with energy.

The attack goes straight through him. The Blade of Blood falls, directly into Discord’s waiting hand. The whole world seems to freeze for a moment, before Discord tosses Leeroy’s limp, bloody body to his friends.

In times of peace, one can imagine what they would do in such a situation. Explode into anger and attack the monster, perhaps. But in that moment, in the hearts of the five, there was far more fear than anything else, especially anger.

Discord gazed at them, Blade of Blood in hand. The five could only stare back, breath held, emotions overwhelming. After a few moments, Discord smirked slightly, and readied the sword.

A Dissonant Dersite lunges between the two, diamond spear clashing against the Blade of Blood.

“Move!” he shouts. To Quick Fix and Fancy Pants, those who had heard his voice before, it isn’t quite the same. In addition, his uniform is somewhat askew, as though he had frantically rushed there. Something is distinctly off about the Draconian Dignitary. “The door’s open! Get in and close it behind you! And, to those watching, you’ve got friends in Tellius. Now GO!”

Derpy’s mind races. What is he talking about? The door was likely the entrance to the new universe, but what was Tellius, and who was he addressing as ‘those watching’? There isn’t time to find out now, though. Quick Fix frantically drags Leeroy along with her as the five make their way away from Discord and their unlikely savior. A Dersite shuttle rests a short distance away, and the six pile onboard. Cheerilee takes a deep breath to settle herself, and soon the shuttle is on the move, quickly headed for Lofas.

“Is he… Is he still alive?” Derpy asks, fearing the answer.

“Just about…” Quick Fix mumbled. “He’s losing too much blood though… Heh, don’t think I could make up the difference this time around…”

“Think we can get this hunk of junk to his planet before… before it’s too late?” Fancy Pants asks. “If we put him on his Quest Bed…”

Cheerilee shook her head. “We’d be very lucky if we could reach the planet in time. And even then, we don’t know where on the planet his Quest Bed is.”

“There’s another failsafe.” Doc says, drawing everypony’s attention. “I’m not certain of the details, but I was told that a player could be saved from death once. Thing is, someone has to kiss him.”

Quick Fix and Cheerilee exchange a quick glance, and nod. “Give me the wheel.” Fancy Pants tells Cheerilee. “Make it happen. Save him.”

Cheerilee nods again, and gives Leeroy a kiss which lasts a few seconds. Miles away, he awakes with a start on Derse. But his friends do not know this, and simply see the life slip from the body in the shuttle.