//------------------------------// // Episode 23: BATTLE ROYAL // Story: My Little Pony: The Entities of Emotion // by Michael_Ravencroft //------------------------------// The sky was blanketed with thousands upon thousands of changelings, at the center of the swarm Queen Chrysalis, now empowered by the Entity of Fear, Parallax. She gazed upon her target and grinned deviously as they quickly approached the Crystal Empire. A giant shield had been erected around the Empire, one that Chrysalis recognized as love energy. She scoffed at this. “Foolish, do they honestly believe that this will be enough to stop me from getting to them?!” “Then show them Chrysalis, show them how foolish and weak they truly are.” “Yes! Fear will consume the all!” Chrysalis bade her changelings to scatter, giving her a clear line of sight to her target. The Changeling Queen of Fear raised her arms into the air, and instantly two giant mantis claw constructs formed above her. Chrysalis then brought the two claws down, slamming them against the barrier surrounding the Empire, causing the ground to rumble from the tremendous force. The other changelings sneered and were prepared to hurl themselves at the barrier to break it for their Queen, but Chrysalis mentally commanded them to stay where they were. She then brought up her arms yet again and slammed the barrier, repeatedly pounding away at it again and again. Finally, Chrysalis got tired of pounding away at the shield and opted for a more direct approach. She channeled the power of the light of Fear into her clawed hands and held a massive sphere of yellow light over her head. Many of the changelings believed she was going to throw it at the barrier and shatter it, but they were wrong. The sphere condensed till it was the size of a walnut. Chrysalis took the sphere into her right hand and pointed it at the barrier; the sphere burst open and let loose a powerful beam of yellow light that roared through the sky. The beam impacted the barrier, rushing over it like a tidal wave and putting immense pressure and strain on it. The Changeling Queen smiled wickedly as the cracking sounds began to echo out. With one final push of the blast the barrier shattered to pieces, the fragments dissolving into particles of mana. With another wave of her hand, she gave the order for her changelings to attack the Crystal Empire. Many of the changelings hissed with glee at the prospect of bringing fear to the crystal ponies below. Dozens of the creatures dive bombed towards the Empire, but just as they did, several crystal shards were launched from the city like missiles. One of the changelings impacted against one of them, causing it to detonate and explode with great enough force that the shockwave disoriented some of the changelings near the blast zone. The one that had made contact fell out of the sky, a charred husk of what he once was. Several more were launched from the Empire as the Changelings more or less suicide bombed the city, some made it through, but others were having a hard time doing so with the crystal missile barrage going on. On the ground, the Adamant Guard stood ready to attack the few changelings that made it through the barrage. Hissing could be heard coming from the craters, along with some insect like clicking noises. The Guards assumed an attack stance; a battalion of the warriors arranged themselves into a phalanx, shields covering their sides, their front, and overhead. The first four changelings to emerge spotted the Adamant Guards and quickly transformed themselves. One became an Alpha timberwolf; another turned into a manticore, the next a basilisk, and finally a monstrous cockatrice. The manticore lunged at the phalanx, but the crystal ponies were stronger than the manticore, even more so as a single unit. The shields held fast as the beast clawed at them repeatedly, trying to break through. One of the shield walls opened slightly, allowing a spear to come zooming out and pierce the manticore in its right shoulder, going through till it came out the other side. The manticore roared in pain and used its good arm to break the shaft of the spear as it flew backwards to retreat from Guards. Yellow-green blood oozed out from the wound, making the changeling revert back to its normal form. The basilisk changeling was about to attack, but was suddenly blindsided by something striking its head, sending the beast tumbling against one of the buildings. Up above the pegasi division of the Adamant Guard were armed with javelins, one of which had a spot of yellow-green blood on it, indicating that they were the ones that had attacked the basilisk changeling. All around the Crystal Empire it was the same, the Adamant Guard was holding its own against the Changeling invaders. Meanwhile, the citizenry were relocated to the caverns beneath the Empire, a safe haven that was meant to be used in case of invasions. All the while, Cadance and Shining Armor stood tall atop the balcony of the palace. Shining Armor was donned in his Royal Guard Captain armor, but Cadance was different. She wore sparkling, sky-blue crystal armor, fashioned for her by the crystal ponies. It was made of the toughest and strongest of the crystals that were found in the Empire, which served to not only protect, but guarantee freedom of movement. Her bracers and greaves shone brightly in the sunlight, her chest plate emblazoned with the united symbol of the Crystal Empire and her cutie mark. They had even crafted the armor to fit around the bone of the wings, though it felt weird when tucked, it was good to know that her wings wouldn’t be easily hurt. And lastly, her helmet, with a pink sapphire placed at the center of the helm just below her horn. Cadance stood beside her husband, wielding a custom made double-edged, javelin. “Are you ready, Shining Armor?” “Compared to the last time we were in this kind of situation? I feel better knowing that our enemy is coming at us head on instead sneaking around manipulating everything, so yeah, I am,” said Shining in a nonchalant manner. Cadance smiled a little, knowing that her husband was ready to face the danger with her was comforting. The Princess of Love looked up into the sky, seeing the glowing form of Chrysalis as she too watched the event transpire before her. Cadance remembered Murmur, and her request to help her people, right now she wasn’t sure if she could help them. Chrysalis is being powered by the Entity of Fear itself, and with the two acting as one they’re even stronger. Predator, you couldn’t have picked a worse time to run away… Just then the Prince and Princess saw something in the sky. A bright yellow light seemed to be building up right around where Chrysalis was hovering. Suddenly the light was shot towards them, hurtling towards the Crystal Palace as it crackled with power. Cadance unfurled her wings and took flight away from the balcony, while Shining Armor teleported himself to the nearest building. An orb of yellow light crashed into the balcony where they once stood and exploded, sending debris falling down to the ground. Shining had made it to one of the nearby structures and Cadance swooped down and landed beside him. But the excitement wasn’t over. Chrysalis came crashing down onto the rooftop, her eyes glaring at the Prince and Princess as her body glowed with a yellow aura. “Shining Armor, long time no see,” said Chrysalis coyly. The alicorn and unicorn stared blankly at the new form of the Changeling Queen. They heard the voice, but the creature standing before them was completely different from the Chrysalis they saw before. Chrysalis herself seemed to notice the wide eyed looks she was getting from the two lovers and grinned evilly. “Do you like it? It’s my new form, a reward for embracing the power of Fear.” “Possessed by an Entity that is completely against what you and the other changelings feed upon, how could you Chrysalis!” Cadance shouted. The Changeling Queen glared daggers at the Princess. “Love has made us weak, we can no longer rely on it to save and nourish us. We must take a new course, that of fear! The ponies of Equestria already fear us, we just simply need to stoke that fire, and the more terror we inspire, the stronger we become!” “Don’t let all that power go to your head Chrysalis! You lost in Canterlot, and you’ll lose here as well!” Shining Armor proclaimed. A cacophony of explosions, magical energy, and yellow light went off around that rooftop, signaling to all that the battle for the Crystal Empire was now fully underway. (Ponyville) “Really, Spike wanted you and Rarity both?!” Scootaloo exclaimed. After hearing Spike talk about trying to form some sort of herd with Rarity, Apple Bloom ran out of Carousel Boutique and right for Golden Oaks Library, she needed to be near her friends right now and, plus, she was hoping she could talk to Princess Twilight about what Spike was suggesting. She arrived to find that neither Twilight, nor Rainbow Dash, were there at the moment. So Apple Bloom settled for the comfort of her friends. She sat on the couch, crying a little as she got through telling Adara and Scootaloo about what had happened. “Well, that explains why he was asking me about Sweetie Belle and me…” Apple Bloom and Adara both stared at Scootaloo. “What did Spike ask?! Did ya know he was gonna spring that on me beforehoof?!” Scootaloo brought up her forehooves defensively, “No, no, I seriously didn’t know he was going to ask that! But…now that I think about it, he did ask what I would do if I could be with Adara and Sweetie Belle both…” A light blush started to appear on the pegasus filly’s face. Adara could feel her cheeks getting hot at thought of all three of them being in a relationship together. “What did you say…?” “I said I didn’t know, that it would be unfair to you and Sweetie Belle if I just chose the both of you, and…” Scootaloo rubbed her head furiously as groaned frustratingly. “UGH, Spike I’m going to kick your butt when you get back!” Just then there was a knock at the front door, Adara separated from the two and left to answer it. When she opened it, Adara was surprised to see who it was. “Hello Adara,” said Rarity. “Oh, Miss Rarity…” “Please dear, just Rarity. And, would you happen to know if Twilight is here at all?” she asked. “No, but there is somepony else who is.” Adara opened the door wider and revealed saddened Apple Bloom, with Scootaloo doing her best to comfort her, and slightly fuming at Spike’s thoughtlessness. “Apple Bloom, darling?” Apple Bloom looked up and saw Rarity; she didn’t really know how to feel towards the mare right now. Part of her was jealous because she had stolen Spike’s heart, another part of her was angry at her because of Spike, and a small part of her felt wrong for, even a moment, contemplating going along with that cockamamie plan, even if it meant trying to be lovey-dovey with Rarity! So, Apple Bloom opted for another approach, turning away from the unicorn mare and trying to ignore her. The little farm filly’s anger was not lost on Rarity, and honestly she couldn’t blame her. Rarity walked in and made her way towards Apple Bloom, Scootaloo moved aside so that she could sit next to Apple Bloom. The yellow filly scooted to the other side of the couch, not wanting to be near the unicorn mare. “Apple Bloom, sweetie, we need to talk about what happened,” said Rarity. “Ah don’t want to talk about nothin’! Just go back to Spike, he wants ya anyway! Ah mean, why wouldn’t he?! Ah know Ah’m not grown up like you are, not as pretty as ya either, but still…” Rarity furrowed her brow, she then moved closer to Apple Bloom, making the filly move till there was no room to go further. She then got off the couch and stood before the filly, Rarity carefully folded her legs under her so that she was lying on the floor and at eye level with Apple Bloom. “Listen to me Apple Bloom, you are a beautiful filly, and you will certainly grow up to be an even more beautiful mare. In many ways you remind me of your sister, she has a rugged farm mare beauty that one can only obtain from hard work and dedication, and I see you the same in you. You, Apple Bloom, will grow up to be something great, and Spike knows this as well.” Apple Bloom began to sniffle a little, “Then…why did he want to that with us? Ah mean, Ah like ya Rarity, but it ain’t that much different than how Sweetie Belle likes ya…And Ah don’t know if I can…” Rarity brought the young filly into a half hug, trying to comfort Apple Bloom. “Apple Bloom, he’s just confused at the moment, but I assure you, once Twilight and Spike come back we can have this sorted out.” Just then there was a giant earthquake that rocked the entire library. Books fell off the shelves, the horse head statue toppled over onto the floor, and the occupants within, at least those who were standing up, fell to the floor, trying to hang on as the shockwaves subsided. “What in the name of Celestia was that?!” yelled Rarity. Adara slowly rose up from being thrown to floor; it was then that her senses picked up on something, something familiar and dangerous. She looked towards the door and shook. “No…It can’t be him!” The cerulean filly bolted for the door and threw it open. Scootaloo quickly followed after her, with Apple Bloom and Rarity not far behind. When they were outside their jaws dropped at the sight of a giant, monstrous, black and orange dragon standing in the middle of Ponyville, its body had a roaring orange aura of light lapping off it, and its eyes roamed around the city as if searching for something. “A-A-A d-dragon!!!” Apple Bloom screamed. “W-What the hay is that thing doing here!!?” Scootaloo shouted. Suddenly, beams of orange light came shooting from the dragon’s aura. These beams then took the form of various creatures; one was a chimera, the other a dragon, but two heads smaller than the black and orange one, and an army of Diamond Dogs. The orange beasts spread out across the town, tearing apart anything and everything, but not taking. They seemed to be searching for something, but did not know where to find it. “Girls listen to me, we must get back inside and –!” Rarity was interrupted when three of the Diamond Dogs surrounded them. At first Rarity didn’t recognize them, but, upon further inspection, she noticed that the three bared a striking resemblance to the Diamond Dogs that had foalnapped her a couple of years back. But these versions looked more feral, with longer claws, sharper fangs, and their tags had a strange symbol on it where once a diamond once was. “Master wants the pretty, whinny mare,” said Spot. “I thought he wanted a pony filly, but there are three, which one?” asked Fido. “You dolts he wants them ALL! Now grab them!” Rover ordered. Rarity stood in front of the three fillies, trying to act as a shield to protect them. “Now, now, darlings, I thought there were no hard feelings. We can talk about this; we’re all civilized creatures here.” Rarity forgot for a moment who she was talking to. “Oh, right, never mind…The three of you run – NOW!” The Rover, Fido, and Spot constructs all lunged at once for the four ponies. Rarity charged her horn and fired a magic bolt at the oncoming Diamond Dog. The bolt struck Rover in the chest causing him double over. The others paused for a moment and Rarity had thought her attack had worked, but to her dismay, Rover had caught the bolt in his claws and crushed it, absorbing the magical energy. Rarity chuckled nervously. “If Master didn’t want you, I would tear your horn off! But he does, so, again, GET THEM!!!” Rarity turned around and tried to keep the fillies safe, but enough was enough. At that moment, a bright blue light shined from the group of four. The light bathed over Rover, Fido, and Spot, causing them to roar in pain as they were dispersed into particles of orange light. The others had closed their eyes; they felt no danger from this new light, just safety. When they opened their eyes, Rarity, Apple Bloom, and Scootaloo saw that Adara was the source of this light, her cutie mark visible for all to see. “Are you alright?” asked Adara. “We are now, nice save Adara,” said Scootaloo relieved. “W-Wait, what the hay was that, and how did Adara get a cutie mark?!” asked Apple Bloom. Rarity looked to Scootaloo, who oddly enough didn’t seem at all surprised by Adara’s sudden cutie mark appearance, or the strange blue light that was emanating from her body. “Scootaloo, you’ve seen this before, haven’t you?” Scootaloo fidgeted where she stood, not knowing if it was okay to talk about Adara’s power. But one nod from the cerulean filly eased her nervousness. “Yes I have…Adara’s power, her light, is the reason why I’m able to fly again, she healed my wings. But don’t worry it’s not scary or bad or anything!” Apple Bloom looked to the orange pegasus with an annoyed expression. “Ya’ll are goin’ to give me a good explanation about all this. But other than that, thanks Adara.” “Do not thank me just yet, we are far from safe.” Adara separated herself from the group as she slowly walked in the direction of the black and orange dragon. “Rarity, get Scootaloo and Apple Bloom to safety, find Princess Twilight and tell her what’s happening, tell her that one of them has appeared in Ponyville.” Rarity looked flabbergasted at the pegasus filly, speaking with such authority and strength. “Adara, dear, where are you going?!” Adara knew what had to be done, Ophidian had possessed a creature, and in so doing had made himself and that creature that much more powerful. Though her light of Hope gave Adara an edge against the light of Avarice, in her true form she stood a chance, but a hosted Entity was stronger, and Adara knew she’d need help to defeat Ophidian and drive him out. But then, there was a downside to this, Scootaloo. She would see her true form; her fillyfriend would no longer see a filly of the same age, but that of a being far more powerful and alien than any pony had ever seen. “ADARA!!!” The cerulean filly was brought out of her reverie to see Scootaloo standing before her. The orange pegasus’ wings were flared out in an attempt to stop her from moving forward. “Scootaloo, you need to go.” “No way, I can’t let you!” “I am the only one who can stand a chance of beating that thing,” said Adara. “I know your power is strong and all but…that’s a dragon! Even a group of unicorn Royal Guards has trouble taking down one of them, and this thing looks like it has some kind of weird powers!” “What you are seeing is the power of Avarice given light and form, my light, Hope’s light, can stop it. You have to let me pass Scootaloo, I won’t be swayed.” Scootaloo then lunged for Adara, wrapping her forelegs around her neck, and bringing her wings around her as well. She tightened her embrace, hanging on for dear life. “I don’t want to lose you, besides my friends, besides Rainbow Dash and Twilight taking us in, and besides even my healed wings, you’re the one thing I love more than anything!” Scootaloo’s eyes watered, a few drops landing on Adara’s shoulder. “Please, I know your power is strong, but that dragon is on a different level! Please let’s just run and get Twilight and the others, please?!” Adara relaxed in the embrace, she sat back on her haunches and brought her own forelegs to wrap around Scootaloo’s barrel so that she could hug her back. “Scootaloo, before I arrived here, finding my special somepony wasn’t even on my mind. But then I met you and your friends, so full of hope and determination, I wanted to be around that every day. But this last year I’ve spent with you, I’ll treasure it forever.” “Don’t talk like that; you sound like you’re going to die!” “No, nothing like that, but…after today, you may not ever want to see me again…” A sphere of blue light surrounded the two of them, causing Rarity and Apple Bloom to gasp in surprise. Scootaloo released Adara a little, seeing and feeling the light of Hope surrounding them. She then looked into the eyes of the cerulean filly, they were happy, and at the same time, held some sadness. Adara then kissed Scootaloo lightly on her nose, causing the orange filly to blush. The cerulean pegasus began to ascend away from Scootaloo, looking down on her with a sad smile. The sphere rose higher and higher into the sky until it was high above Ponyville. Rarity and Apple Bloom rushed to Scootaloo’s side, who just stared up and watched her fillyfriend from the ground. “In fearful day, in raging night With strong hearts full, our souls ignite! When all seems lost in the War of Light, Look to the stars for hope burns bright!” The sphere of blue light expanded until it was big enough that it could swallow Ponyville whole. The dragon turned its gaze upwards and scowled at the blue light that hung overhead. The sphere then broke apart, shattering into pieces of blue particles of light and blue downy feathers. What emerged from the sphere was no longer a pony, but the embodiment of all hope in the universe, the progenitor of the blue light that was infused with that hope and spread its wonder across the universe, and touched all living souls. This great bird, with large blue feathered wings, and the symbol of Hope glowing on its chest, this was Adara, the Entity of Hope. The giant, three-faced bird released a call that was like a hawk, but held a tune of a song within it. Scootaloo, Apple Bloom, and Rarity could only stare in awe at the creature that hovered over their town, as to did the rest of the Ponyville residents. Though reason dictated that they should be afraid of this creature, one look at it made any notion of fear leave their minds, that this was not something they should fear. Adara gazed down at Scootaloo, the same sad smile plastered on its three beaks. She then turned her attention to Ophidian, and her expression became serious. “Ophidian, you dare enter this world and seek to taint it with your light of Avarice?! I will not allow this to come to pass, release the creature that you have possessed and return from whence you came!” The dragon sprouted two large membrane wings and gave a mighty flap, propelling itself into the air to meet with the great bird. The dragon’s eyes locked with that of Adara’s as it growled menacingly at her. “Little Adara, sssorry, but I can’t allow that. You see my friend here wantsss something and I plan to help him obtain it.” “SPIKE WANT!!!” The dragon roared. Shocked expressions appeared on all three of Adara’s faces, the dragons voice was familiar. “Spike?!” “I…WANT…RARITY… AND APPLE BLOOM…NOW!!!” “Ophidian release Spike, NOW! You have gone too far! ” “Come and get him if you can!” Adara released another screech; blue light particles began to gather before her, building power with each passing second. She then gave a flap of her wings and fired the pent up energy in beam of pure light. Spike formed a shield construct in front of him, the beam slammed against the shield, forcing Spike back. The possessed dragon held his ground, roaring his defiance into the air as he pushed back against Adara’s power. Spike then created a sword construct in his left claw, grasped it, and slashed at the beam. Cutting it half and making the divided beam part around him. Adara ceased her attack and flew up into the air. Her wings glowed with blue light and released dozens of smaller beams, each one zipping and angling as they made their way towards Spike. The armored dragon took off, using the combined strength of his wings and the power the orange light of Avarice to propel him. The beams followed his every movement, dogging him no matter which way he turned. Spike stopped for a moment and produced a giant spherical barrier, the beams all struck the side of the barrier, not a one making it to their target. “Adara wants to take your mares away, she’s jealousss, she won’t stop at Scootaloo, she’ll take Apple Bloom and Rarity too unlesss you stop her!” “I WON’T LET YOU TAKE THEM AWAY, ADARA!!! THEY’RE MINE THEY BELONG TO ME!!!” Spike roared. Spike drew back his head bellowed out a powerful blast of dragon fire, mixed with the light of Avarice, creating a fiery plasma beam. Adara produced a shield around herself and took the full brunt of Spike’s attack. It was stronger than she had anticipated, the flames washed over her defensive bubble, creating small cracks in it. Her three faces scrunched up in frustration as she tried to maintain the shield. Though Avarice could not absorb the light of Hope and was weak against it, while in a host, the light of Avarice shines with greater strength, and unfortunately, Adara was feeling that power and strength for herself. For a moment, she contemplated possessing Scootaloo. NO, she thought, I will not possess her! This is my home and I will defend it! And I promise to free you Spike, no matter what! The fissures in the shield finally gave way and Adara was hit with the full force of the plasma dragon fire, resulting in an explosion that thundered through the sky. The Entity of Hope emerged from a dust cloud that had formed as a result of the explosion, when she opened her eyes she was greeted to the sight of a dragon Avarice construct sailing towards her. The construct body slammed itself against Adara, sending her flying, but just as quickly, Spike appeared overhead. He created a giant morning star, twirling it around and bringing it down on Adara. The spiked ball smashed against Adara’s left wing, sending her spiraling straight into the ground for a crash landing outside of Ponyville. The Entity of Hope groaned as her body ached from the earlier attacks, her wing was already healing itself and in mere seconds would be back to flying capacity. Standing on her legs, Adara looked up and saw that Spike had called on the rest of his Avarice constructs, prepared to take her down. Adara narrowed her eyes and flew right back at the possessed drake. The sky then erupted with flashes of orange and blue light, echoing with the roars of a dragon and the screeches of a mighty bird. (Sweet Apple Acres) “Ion, ya know where Apple Bloom went? She said somethin’ about goin’ into town but didn’t say why or where.” Ion heard Applejack’s voice, but he didn’t answer back, his attention was focused primarily on the spectacle before him. The sky near Ponyville was aglow with orange and blue light, his own body was glowing with the green light of Will, feeling the synergistic power of the blue light of Hope even from this distance. Which could have meant only one thing, Ophidian and Adara were fighting. Ion knew this day would come, but he had hoped (no pun intended) that it would be further away, or at least until he had had time to properly explain his origins to Applejack. Speaking of which… Applejack was exiting the main house and looked upon her coltfriend with a mixture of uncertainty and worry. His body was glowing, along with his cutie mark, the only other time she had seen that happen was right before he transformed into the Emerald Giant. Applejack hurriedly made her way to the stallion and skidded to stop a little past him. “Ion what’s wrong?!” Applejack then heard several thudding booms echo in the air; she then turned her gaze to the sky and watched as flashes of blue and orange went off in the distance. “What’s with those lights?!” “Ponyville’s in trouble,” he stated. Before Applejack could ask what kind of trouble, she spotted two figures flying in the air, one a cyan blue and the other purple. “TWILIGHT, RAINBOW DASH!!!” The two figures stopped and then descended down to ground. The two mares joined Applejack and Ion on the ground, and both of them had worried looks. “Applejack something bad is going down in Ponyville! Twi and I could see it from the sky and –” Rainbow finally took notice of Ion. “– why is Ion glowing like a lightning bug?!” “Um…well, to be honest Dash…Ah kinda owe you and Twi an explanation,” said Applejack nervously.   “Later,” said Ion, “I need to go, Adara needs my help.” Twilight and Rainbow Dash both gave Ion a look of shock when he said that. The Princess of Magic ran in front of Ion and looked him dead in the eye. “Ion, it’s them isn’t it?” “One of them, the one responsible for nearly ruining Applejack’s field.” “Wait – what?!” Applejack gasped. Twilight nodded her understanding. “Alright, go!” “Wait, what the hay is going on?!” asked Rainbow Dash in total confusion. “You might want to stand back.” Twilight backed away, as too did Applejack and Rainbow Dash. The aura around Ion, which was glowing involuntarily, now roared to life, becoming a sphere of emerald green energy that floated up into the sky and grew larger and larger with each passing second. “In Brightest Day, in Blackest Night, No evil shall escape my sight! Let those who worship evil’s might, Beware my power, Will’s grand light!” The sphere shattered and revealed the true form of the Entity of Willpower. Applejack, Twilight, and Rainbow Dash stared with slacked jaws at the sight of the giant whale-like beast hovering over them. The fins on its sides were long and wide, they could almost be mistaken for wings. The giant beast had three symbols of Willpower, starting from its head and going down its back. It then released a low moan, like a song. Ion moved his enormous body, angling his head so that he could look down at the three mares staring up at him. Rainbow Dash’s defensive and shocked state was to be expected, Twilight was just simply surprised, having never seen his true form other than when he was in his infancy stage when the Life Entity brought him and the others to Equestria, and what she and the other Princesses were told. And then there was Applejack, she just stared at him, her green eyes meeting that of his big green ones as well. Ion couldn’t tell what she was feeling. Was she awestruck? Afraid? Disgusted? With another echoing song from the whale-like creature, Ion pointed himself in the direction of Ponyville. With a flick of his tail and a flap of his four fins Ion took off towards the battle. He didn’t so much fly as swim through the air, his movements more fluid and agile as he raced through the sky. It wasn’t long before he spotted Adara, locked in mortal combat with a dragon, Ophidian’s host. The moment that Ion got within a certain range his power doubled, his green aura blazing like star fire. Ion concentrated his energy; the symbol of Willpower appeared in front of him. At the center, energy started to coalesce. The energy then unleashed itself in a torrent of emerald light that roared right for the dragon. The host of Ophidian didn’t have time to counter as the beam swallowed him up in its power, sending the creature hurtling to White Tail Wood, and making its Avarice constructs follow after it. Ion swam next to Adara, giving her a quick inspection to see if she was badly injured. “Are you alright Adara?” The Entity of Hope’s body flared up as well, her blue aura blazing with a similar intensity to Ion, her three beaks each smiled at the Entity of Willpower. “I am now, thank you brother.” “Don’t thank me yet, that attack won’t keep him down for long. We’ll have to hit him with everything we have combined, it may be hell on the host, but it might be enough to drive out Ophidian,” suggested Ion. “Wait! We can’t, the host of Ophidian is Spike!” Adara warned. “I don’t know how he did it, but he is possessing Spike and is using his want for Apple Bloom and Rarity to fuel his Avarice light! We have to separate them!” Ion let out a dejected moan; this was going to be harder than he originally thought, especially without the use of constructs. Just then a pillar of orange light fired off into the air, which was followed by an enraged roar. Spike flew at them, having created a giant claw construct around his right fist. He reached out with the claw and tried to grab hold of Ion, but Adara and Ion quickly melded their power and created a barrier around themselves. The vermillion construct hissed upon making contact with the sphere, causing it to shatter into pieces. Spike reared back and unleashed another torrent of plasma fire, unlike last time, the shield did not shatter. Bolstered by the power of Will and Hope, their barrier remained strong. Unfortunately, this meant that they were unable to attack, a stalemate. “Nok!” At that moment a giant cloud of purple smoke exploded from above Spike and the two Entities. The smoke quickly cleared away, revealing Proselyte in his true form as well. The Entity of Compassion lashed out with its four tentacles, wrapping them around Spike’s arms and legs. He thrashed about, roaring, and snapping with his jaws as he tried to free himself. But Proselyte wasn’t letting go, channeling the light of Hope; he was able to immobilize Spike’s movements. “Sister, use your light to expel Ophidian, and brother, use yours to empower her light and hold him still, and I shall try to extract Ophidian!” Apple Bloom, Rarity, and Scootaloo were staring up at the battle in complete awe. The farm filly gawked when she saw, and somewhat felt, the familiar green light, wondering if this was one of Ion’s “constructs”.  Before long a purple flash of light appeared before the three ponies, revealing Twilight, Rainbow Dash, and Applejack. “SIS?!” cried out Apple Bloom. The filly quickly ran to her big sister and latched onto her right foreleg. “Apple Bloom, thank the stars you’re alright!” Applejack looked up and saw Ion and Adara as they prepared to combine their lights. “Looks like Ion is doin’ alright.” Apple Bloom separated from Applejack to look her in the eyes. “So that is Ion! Ah knew it!” “Yeah, it is…‘cept that’s the real Ion, that’s not some Emerald Giant creation…” “Okay, before this gets any crazier, what’s been going on?!” Twilight shouted. “Let’s see, a few minutes ago that dragon appeared and sic’ed some rather horrifying versions of the Diamond Dogs on us, Adara used some strange magic to protect us, and then she turned herself into that lovely giant blue bird. And apparently the dragon is Spike…” “WHAT!!?” Twilight screamed. Her eyes began to water as she looked upon the giant creature that was Spike. “Oh Faust, what have they done to him!?” “Don’t worry Twi, I-I’m sure they’ll fix this,” said Rainbow Dash. The ponies assembled started to hear a great roar and an increase in the light. All of them looked up and watched as the three Entities worked together. Ion was shining his green light of Willpower, using its overwhelming might to hold Spike in place. Adara’s blue light of Hope bathed over all, Spike tried to avert his eyes, but soon the symbol of Hope shined within them. “No, what are you doing?! STOP IT NOW!!!” “No Ophidian, we will not!” Proselyte released Spike, now being held by the green light of Will. The Entity of Compassion then reached out with its tentacles, each one glowing with blue light. The tentacles then passed through into Spike’s chest, causing him to roar. “Forgive me Spike, this will be an unpleasant experience…but it is necessary!” The tentacles seemed to latch onto something and slowly retracted. The tentacles then began to drag something out of Spike’s chest, a snake’s head, with the symbol of Avarice on its head. The creature hissed and snapped its jaws, trying desperately to stay inside its host. “Look, I think they’re doing it!” Scootaloo yelled excitedly. “If this works Spike will be okay,” said Twilight with a hopeful tone. The vermillion snake continued to be drawn out by Proselyte more and more, but something unexpected occurred. A crimson beam of light roared down and struck Proselyte’s tentacles, causing him to cry out in pain and release Ophidian back into Spike. More crimson bolts of light rained down, aiming right for Adara and Ion. The two Entities refocused their power to shield themselves and the ponies below them. The Positive Entities stared up at that moment, along with the group of ponies they were protecting, and gasped at who it was. “GREETINGS MY SUBJECTS, I HAVE RETURNED?!” Nightmare Butcher proclaimed loudly. Rainbow Dash face hoofed herself, flattening her ears to her head as she gave a dejected groan. “Oh c’mon! On top of all this crazy crap, now Nightmare Moon’s back too!!?” Twilight was shaking her head in disbelief. “No…it can’t be…Princess Luna…we destroyed Nightmare Moon and purified Luna of her!” That’s when it struck Twilight. “THE ELEMENTS!” Nightmare Butcher looked down and saw the pony who had ascended to the rank of Princess, her rage building at the memories of her defeat at the hooves of this mare. She then turned her withering gaze onto Golden Oaks Library. Nightmare’s tri-horns flared up, creating a massive sphere of red light. With a flick of her head, she launched the sphere. Ion and Adara moved closer to their friends, shielding them with their power, but the attack sailed past them. The group of ponies watched with wide-eyed horror as the sphere struck the library and detonated, causing a powerful explosion to erupt. When the dust settled, Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Scootaloo, and even Adara gaped at what they saw. The library, the place the four had called home for some time now, was completely, and utterly, destroyed. Ash and burning debris was all that was left, pages of books fell from the sky, crimson flames slowly engulfing them as they floated down. “So much for your Elements of Harmony, Twilight Sparkle, and so sorry about your ‘royal palace’, but hey, at least you have room for a new one!” Nightmare mocked. Twilight just simply dropped to the ground, her legs becoming like jelly and could not support her. She stared at the charred ruins of her home, tears falling down her face as the impact of what had occurred hit her. Scootaloo joined Twilight, nestling beside the alicorn mare as she too cried over the loss, although she had not lived in the library as long as Twilight, she had come to call it home ever since she and Rainbow Dash took her in. Adara felt the pain of the loss just as much as her fillyfriend and the two mares who looked after them. She then turned to face Nightmare Butcher; her three faces all contorting with disdain. “You are infused with the power of the Butcher! Creature of darkness and rage, you shall regret your actions here today!!!”  (Meanwhile…) The Crystal Empire was smoking with the barely contained destruction of the changeling swarm and the Adamant Guards’ fighting. But the fiercest of the fighting was being conducted near the palace. Shining Armor and Cadance worked in tandem to fend off Chrysalis. Shining Armor created a polygon shaped barrier as Chrysalis unleashed a powerful beam of yellow light upon him. The shield held fast as Shining Armor held his ground, gritting his teeth as he poured his magical energy into maintaining it. At that moment Cadance jumped up from behind Shining Armor, her dual-edged crystal lance aimed directly for the Changeling Queen as she thrust forward with the finely tipped weapon. Chrysalis ceased her attack and created a shield of her own just as the lance made contact. Cadance infused the lance with her own magical love energy, counteracting Chrysalis’ fear based power. The lance sparked as it tried to pierce through the construct, forcing Chrysalis back a bit as her hooves scrapped against the street. The Queen of the Changelings flexed her right arm, making the hidden forearm blade extend out. She then gave a quick slash with the blade. Cadance lurched back as the blade scraped along the chest plate of her armor as she retreated from Chrysalis. Shining Armor stepped in, preparing to show that his defense was just as good as offense. Galloping a great speed, Shining Armor encased his body in the barrier, elongated it and focusing the bulk of his magical energy at the front. The hardened barrier struck Chrysalis right in her chest, Shining Armor then halted, but the barrier continued forward, now propelled by the magical energy. Chrysalis was lifted off like a rocket, speeding right into a nearby structure. The Changeling Queen broke through the wall and into the building itself. Cadance flew up, channeling her magic into the lance; she fired a concentrated beam of light-blue mana right at the base of the building, causing it to collapse right on top of their enemy. Cadance joined Shining Armor on the ground, both of them panting and huffing from their long battle with the Entity empowered Chrysalis. “Any chance that that stopped her?” asked Shining Armor. “Well…judging from the, oh, fifty other times we threw her into something and she burst out from the rubble…” Just then a pillar of yellow light erupted from the rubble, and a very PO’ed Chrysalis glared at them. “No…” The Queen of the Changelings dusted herself off as she casually strode towards the Royal Couple. “Hmm, this is certainly getting old.” “Couldn’t agree more,” said Cadance. “Then let us end this shall we!?” Chrysalis flared her wings, the symbols upon her wings shined with the light of Fear. Shining Armor and Cadance shut their eyes tightly, trying to not to be hypnotized or succumb to the yellow light’s power. Chrysalis laughed mockingly at the couple as she watched their feeble attempts at trying to keep her power from affecting them. “It’s no use, the yellow light of Fear shows me everything, whether your eyes are open or not!” Chrysalis’ eyes shined with the same light as she peered into Shining Armor’s mind, all his fears laid bare before her, seen as easily as if brought forth into the light of day. Images of the Changeling invasion from the Royal Wedding flooded his mind, showing him as the brainwashed servant of Chrysalis, watching as all of Canterlot fell around him, the city he had been charged to protect, and all who dwelled within it, captured and made as food for their new masters. Twilight and Cadance were also shown, both begging for his help as they were cocooned alive, letting their love energy be syphoned off by the insectoid equines. Shining Armor’s eyes were glowing yellow as his mind continued to be bombarded with the shock images of his fears. Chrysalis stood there, absorbing and basking in the sweetness that was the stallion’s deepest fears. She then turned her attention to Cadance, who was doing her best to fight against her, but with a flick of her wrist, Chrysalis brushed away her last mental defensive wall and entered her mind. Cadance’s deepest fears were laid before her; it was quite surprising for the Queen of Fear. She saw debauchery of the highest level, the Princess of Love engaged in numerous salacious and lewd acts. She was out of control, and the whole time she had a smile on her face. This was the thing Cadance feared the most out of everything, becoming a slave to the love magic of which she wielded. To lose herself in the powerful passion that was the love of all creatures on the planet, and letting it fill her, motivate her into acting out and indulging in its power, and the whole time she saw the looks of disgust and contempt from her Aunts, Celestia and Luna, and from her husband and sister-in-law, Shining Armor and Twilight. Cadance’s eyes were also yellow, but she was crying sorrowfully, her body collapsing onto the ground from the terror of what she was seeing. All of this only made the Changeling Queen even stronger; enjoying the expressions and pain she was causing these two. “You seem to be reveling in this power. And to think you wanted to turn your back on it.” “I was foolish then, I will never be again Parallax! I will feast on these two until they are withered up husks and make this Crystal Empire my own! An Empire of Terror and Fright!” Chrysalis shouted. “For hearts long lost and full of fright…” Chrysalis paused for a moment, hearing a familiar voice. “For those alone in Blackest Night…!” The Changeling Queen looked behind Shining Armor and Cadance and saw a dark pink unicorn mare walking towards them. Her body was blazing with violet-pink light as her eyes became reptilian slits. Her narrowed gaze was aimed right for Chrysalis, making the Changeling Queen back away a bit. “Accept this power and join our fight…” The mare trotted passed Shining Armor and Cadance, standing before them as a shield. The violet light shined over the couple, covering them in its powerful, yet gentle radiance. The yellow light that shined in the eyes of the unicorn and alicorn faded away, allowing them to regain their senses. Cadance shook her head and stared wide eyed at who stood before them. “Predator…?” The mare glanced over her shoulder at the Princess of Love and gave a sad smile before returning her fierce gaze back onto Chrysalis. “Love conquers all with violet light!!!” A column of violet light shot into the air, growing bigger and bigger with each passing second. A powerful roar erupted from the pillar and at that moment, two long arms appeared each sporting razor sharp claws. Two long legs pierced the pillar walls next, creating a thunderous boom as they landed on the ground, and then a tail, and finally, the pillar shattered apart, revealing the full, crystalline form of Predator, the Entity of Love. The giant, crystal raptor snorted and growled as it looked down upon the Changeling Queen, baring its dagger like teeth at her. “Chrysalis, I warned you that if you ever threatened Cadance, or the ponies of this world, that I’d devour you! I will keep that promise!” Chrysalis was visibly trembling; it was just like her nightmare. “Do not fear Predator! She may be strong, but you Chrysalis, are the stronger! So long as we are you united, Predator’s power is but a nuisance to be stamped out under our heel!” A smile started to appear on the lips of the Queen, her fists clenching as Parallax’s words emboldened her. “I no longer fear you Predator! I have real power now! And you shall feel its wrath!” Chrysalis spread her wings and took off into the air. Predator roared and followed after her, she lashed out with her right claw, but Chrysalis created a giant shield construct that blocked the attack, creating a dual shockwave of yellow and violet. Predator quickly retracted her claw and spun around, tail whipping Chrysalis from her right side and sending the possessed Queen flying. Chrysalis spun out of control for a good few seconds before she released a shockwave of yellow light, bringing her to a complete stop. Predator roared and arched her back, angling it towards Chrysalis. Thousands of sapphire shards poked out and fired from her body like rockets. The violet crystals zoomed through the air, as they sailed for their target. Chrysalis created a giant wall construct, with each of the shards embedding themselves into it. Without her knowing, Chrysalis fired a ball of yellow light in Predator’s direction, intentionally aiming low. The Entity of Love continued her assault but stopped when she felt something off. She looked down and watched as the sphere of yellow light burst forth and transformed into a nine-headed hydra. Predator snarled as the heads surrounded her, roaring at each of them in turn. The first head struck, but Predator dodged it and chomped down on the constructs neck, her sharp teeth digging into it. Another head snapped at her tail and caught her in its jaws; it then pulled Predator off of the injured head, biting down hard on the crystal beast. Predator roared from the sting of pain, but quickly rounded on the head that had her tail. The Entity of Love manipulated its left claw, transforming it into a crystal spike that she drove right into the beast’s head; she then changed it into a blade and dragged through, slicing it off and destroying the head. Two others lashed out and bit down on both of her arms while another pair came up and bit her two legs, holding in place. The remaining four heads stared her down, ready to tear her apart. But Predator wasn’t about to give up. The Entity of Love opened its mouth as violet light began to collect within it. She then pointed her head down and bellowed out a powerful blast of violet light. The beam struck the center of the hydra body, and immediately, sapphire crystals began to encase the construct. The hydra released Predator, trying to free itself from the crystal that was creeping up its body and slowly engulfing the heads. Too late, the creeping crystal completely covered the construct. Predator formed a sphere of violet light in its right claw and threw it down at the base of the construct’s body, shattering it like fragile glass. Unfortunately, Chrysalis used this brief opening to assault Predator. She flew fast as she delivered a powerful punch from an enlarged claw construct, smashing Predator in the face. Chrysalis then followed up with a right hook to the crystalline raptor’s jaw, and then an uppercut, sending the Entity of Love up higher into the air. Using her magic, Chrysalis teleported higher to intercept Predator, she then brought up her hands, creating hammer construct and slamming it down on Predator’s back. Predator went right down into the city, creating a massive crater upon impact. Cadance and Shining Armor gasped when they saw what happened. The pink alicorn spread her wings and flew towards the crater and landed at the edge. As she did, Predator slowly rose up, dirt and crystals fell off her body as she stood to her full height. “Predator, are you alright!!?” Cadance shouted. The Entity of Love did not look away from her opponent, but neither did she ignore Cadance. “You need to get away from here! Tend to the rest of your subjects and drive out the changelings that are invading! I can handle Chrysalis, even with Parallax giving her power! Fear cannot outshine Love!” “Predator you can’t fight her alone! Let me help you!” Predator looked down at Cadance. “Why would you want to help me after what I almost did to you?! Why would want to help a monster like me?!” Suddenly Predator’s head snapped in a southerly direction, staring into the distance as if seeing something that Cadance could not. Chrysalis was doing the same thing; she looked out in the same direction, sensing a disturbance far off from the Crystal Empire. “It would seem Butcher and Ophidian are in need of assistance.” “And who are they?” asked Chrysalis. “Allies, other Entities like myself, and their hosts are with us as well. We must go; I can sense the others battling them as we speak. Your changelings can handle the rest from here.” “Very well.” Chrysalis horn was ablaze with her magical energy, a ring of yellow fire appeared behind her as she prepared to teleport herself to the destination of the other Negative Entities. “NO!” Predator jumped up into the air and flew towards Chrysalis. Cadance, nervous after hearing that the other Entities were locked in combat, flew after the Entity of Love. Chrysalis saw this and prepared to counterattack when Predator grabbed her in both claws and snarled at the Queen. Cadance jumped onto Predator’s back just as the ring of yellow fire created an image of Ponyville and then enclosed around them, teleporting them in that instant. (Ponyville, a few minutes later) Sweetie Belle, along with Dinky, were hiding under her the dining room table in Derpy’s house. The pegasus mare and her adopted daughter, Amethyst “Sparkler” Star, were sitting close to both the fillies, trying to offer their protection and comfort after hearing all the explosions and roars, and feeling the powerful shockwaves and earthquakes the rumbled beneath their hooves. The unicorn filly had visited the Hooves family, thinking that Proselyte might be there, but unfortunately he wasn’t, but she was guaranteed that Fluttershy and Proselyte would arrive later that day after a previous engagement. So she opted to wait, playing with Dinky and listening to her talk about her “big brother”.  Sweetie Belle didn’t mind, she wanted to know more about the mysterious pegasus colt who helped her. But now that plan was moot as the commotion outside sounded scary and wasn’t getting any better. “We need to see what’s going on out there,” said Amethyst. “You think it might be one of Pinkie Pie’s more wild parties?” asked Derpy with a hopeful tone. A bird screech and a bloodthirsty roar echoed out. “Maybe not…” Derpy gulped. “Let’s have a look then.” “Don’t leave us alone Mommy!” cried Dinky. “We’re just going to the window Muffin, don’t worry,” said Derpy, trying to calm her youngest. Sweetie placed her foreleg over Dinky, bringing her close and trying to help her feel safe. Amethyst and Derpy hurried out from under the table and looked out the window, their eyes widening at the sight they were beholding. Nightmare Moon, dressed in blood red armor, was battling a giant blue bird, while a black and orange colored dragon was fighting off a giant, green…whale and an almost equally giant, purple squid. Red, blue, green, purple, and orange lights were being shot out in different directions, some hitting nearby houses and others were zooming off into the distance. Derpy and Sparkler slumped down low under the window, both had worried expressions. “So what do you think Mom?!” “I think it’s way too dangerous to leave, that’s what I think,” said Derpy. *BOOM!* “No argument here!” Both mares stopped talking as they heard a strange noise. It was like a hissing, bubbling sound, but neither of them could figure out where it was coming from. They then looked up to the ceiling and watched as something red dripped down, eating through the wood and continuing to eat through the floor and further still. Soon even more of the red liquid ate away at the ceiling and made the hole that it came through bigger. “Um…on second thought, maybe we should think about leaving,” Sparkler amended. “Seconded!” Derpy agreed. Derpy and Sparkler hurried towards the two unicorn fillies and helped them up so that they could leave. They rushed to the front door, with Derpy at the front, Sparkler at the rear, and the two fillies between them. Derpy opened the door slightly to take a look outside and to make sure that the coast was clear. It was about as clear as a warzone, but really, there wasn’t much of a choice, they needed to at least get out of the house, since, at this rate, one of those stray beams or strange acidic liquid might hit their house. Or worse, Nightmare Moon or the dragon could come crashing through their home. The walleyed pegasus mare looked back at the fillies, “Now listen, it’s going to be a little scary out there, but I need you two to stay close to Sparkler and me, and run as fast as you can, don’t look at anything else, just keep looking at me.” “B-B-But Mommy…I thought it wasn’t safe out there!” Dinky protested. “I know Muffin, it isn’t, but we can’t stay here with all that going on. We might get hurt even in our own home, so we need to hurry and get out of Ponyville, at least until all the weird stuff stops.” Derpy explained as calmly as she could. “But weird stuff happens in Ponyville all the time and we haven’t ever had to leave before,” said Sweetie Belle. “Well…Sweetie…This doesn’t look like the ‘normal’ kind of weird stuff…Please just trust us on this one,” said Sparkler. Another round of explosions went off outside, making the two fillies jump in surprise. Derpy and Sparkler took a deep breath, they needed to do this. They needed to get the foals out of the town. For Derpy, her motherly instincts were kicking into full drive, while her oldest may’ve been thinking of how to keep Sweetie and Dinky safe, she was thinking how she was going to make sure all three of them made it. She was prepared to do whatever it took to ensure that they would make it out safe, besides, it wouldn’t be the first time she did something life threatening for their sake. “Okay everypony, on three. One…Two………THREE!!!” Derpy threw open the front door and ran outside, with Sweetie and Dinky, and Sparkler right behind her. The four ponies ran through the town, maneuvering through buildings and alleyways to get out of the warzone that was Ponyville. Derpy looked to the sky a few times, watching the great beings above do battle back and forth, making sure that they weren’t spotted or hit with some stray shot. Unfortunately, every way Derpy took them was either filled with debris, or a freaky orange Diamond Dog was around the next corner and they didn’t want to get caught by it. Eventually the four of them made it to an opening and kept running, hoping that it was a way out of town. It wasn’t. The alleyway lead right to the middle of the action, Derpy held out her foreleg to signal the others to stop. Sparkler, Dinky, and Sweetie peeked from behind the gray pegasus mare and gasped at what they saw. Golden Oaks Library was completely turned to ash, where once the giant treehouse filled with books once stood in Ponyville for years was now gone forever. Derpy couldn’t help but shed a tear or two from seeing this, having many fond memories from when she was a filly, reading through the books, checking them out for projects at school. Even the old librarian was nice, especially to Derpy when she was sometimes late bringing back a book.   “Rarity!” Sweetie Belle cried out. “Scootaloo, and Apple Bloom, everypony’s there!” Derpy extended her wing to keep the young filly from going to her big sister, she didn’t like it, but Rarity and the others were smack dab in the middle of the chaos, and she wasn’t about to let Sweetie Belle run out there while it was going on. Adara, the Entity of Hope, was locked in an aerial battle with Nightmare Butcher. The black alicorn summoned her crimson battle ax and brought it down on the blue bird, but Adara created a shield, blocking the blade of the ax. Nightmare poured more of her power into the ax, the blade steadily grinding against the barrier and cutting through it. Adara saw this and opened her beak, blue light started to gather in her maw and, the instant the barrier broke, she unleashed the blast in a powerful sonic energy pulse. The pulse slammed against Nightmare and threw her into Town Hall. Meanwhile, Ion and Proselyte were busy trying to rein in Spike. The Entity of Compassion channeled the blue light of Hope, using it to counter Spike’s constructs. The possessed dragon would call forth one Avarice construct after the other, but Proselyte, with his blue light tipped tentacles, would slash at the creations, destroying them on contact. Ion would come in while he was distracted, slamming his massive body into Spike’s and firing a concentrated beam of green light at point blank range. The blast then exploded, making Spike clutch his stomach in slight pain as he leered at the Entity of Willpower. Neither Ion nor Proselyte liked fighting Spike, knowing that this wouldn’t have happened had Ophidian not tempted him, but such was the situation, and now they needed to rid him of the Entity of Avarice. “What say you, Ion? Do you think we can attempt another removal of Ophidian?” asked Proselyte. “Risky, but we’ll need Adara, and she’s busy with that alicorn possessed by Butcher. Strange though…I haven’t heard his thoughts since their arrival,” said Ion. “Well, glad I’m not the only one finding that odd.” “Why don’t you both just sssurrender now?! You know you can’t defeat both of usss!” “You seem to forget, even with you two inside of hosts, the three of us are still on par with you!” As if to contradict the Entity of Willpower, a portal opened in the sky above Ponyville. It’s yellow, fiery edges glowed as a giant object fell from the opening. Predator, holding Chrysalis, and with Cadance on her back, descended down and landed on a house with a thunderous crash and a booming quake that rumbled through the ground itself. The Entity of Love and the Princess of Love looked to and fro, confused for a moment but then realization hit them both at the same time. “We’re in Ponyville?!” Cadance gasped. “We’ve been teleported here, but why?!” asked Predator. “To render aid – now Chrysalis!” The Changeling Queen fired a beam of mana and yellow light energy from her horn, striking the crystalline raptor in the face. The Entity of Love roared when she felt the sting of the blast, releasing the Changeling Queen and forcing her back. Chrysalis flew towards Spike and noticed the two other Entities facing him, she then flew beside the massive dragon who looked at her and snarled. “So nice of you to finally join usss, Parallax! What took you so long!?” asked Ophidian. “Kckt, sorry, we were having a little fun, Chrysalis and I, in the Crystal Empire.” “Need I ask why we are helping this dragon when it looks like he’s going to eat me at any moment?” asked Chrysalis. “Do not worry Spike will not harm you. Spike, Chrysalis is here to help get you what you want. She is our ally.” “AL…LY…CHRYSALIS IS MY ALLY!” Spike growled. “Looks like the gang’s all here,” said Ion. Chrysalis looked upon the Entity of Willpower, Parallax’s power made it known to her that this particular Entity was the natural enemy to her power. Spike and Chrysalis glanced at each other, their eyes meeting for a brief moment before each broke away. Chrysalis flew up, making Ion pursue. Adara saw what was coming and readied herself to help Ion, but a pillar of crimson light erupted from Town Hall, with a glowing red streak flying out from it and heading right for the Entity of Hope. Nightmare Butcher cut off Adara, appearing before her and glaring at her with glowing red eyes. “If you think that was enough to keep me down, you are sorely mistaken!” Nightmare roared. “I will not yield to you, destroyer!” “I don’t want you to yield I want you –” Nightmare Butcher rushed Adara bringing her battle ax right down on the Entity of Hope’s right shoulder, causing her to let out a screech of pain. “– TO DIE!!!” Nightmare Butcher forced Adara back down to the ground with a great boom, kicking up dust and debris from the impact. Nightmare Butcher dug the blade deeper into Adara’s body, causing blue ichor to come seeping out from the wound. But, before Nightmare could finish her work, Predator appeared behind her and gave a mighty swipe of her sapphire crystal claw, striking Nightmare and sending her skidding across the ground. Predator then looked down to her fellow Entity with concern. “Are you alright, Adara?” The Entity of Hope slowly floated up and onto her feet, the wound was already starting to close but Adara panted a bit from the searing pain that was the light of Rage. “I am fine, sister. Nothing that cannot be healed…I am surprised to see you here…and Parallax as well.” “We can discuss more of the surprises later, but for now, you and I shall deal with that lout and his host!” Predator glared at Nightmare Butcher and the up to Chrysalis.“Love will conquer Fear and Rage!” The group of ponies could only watch this spectacle in complete shock and awe, seeing these titanic cosmic beings duke it out with two of their worst enemies, and one who was a dear friend. Twilight had never felt so helpless in all her life, her home was destroyed, her books, the memories, and the Elements of Harmony, all went up in smoke. The home she had planned to live in with Rainbow, raising Scootaloo and, to some extent, Adara, was gone, and now, she had lost Spike to the Entity of Avarice, and was now locked in mortal combat with the other Positive Entities. Scootaloo and Rainbow Dash stayed close to her for comfort, feeling the sense of loss just as much as she was. It was during this time that a new visitor had appeared, flying towards the group. “Princess Cadance?!” Rarity gasped. Twilight looked up and saw her old foalsitter, garbed in battle armor and holding a double-edged lance in her telekinetic aura. The pink alicorn landed before the group, looking at them and to the smoldering ruins across from them. “Twilight…everypony…W-What happened here?!” Twilight rose up and quickly rushed to her sister-in-law, resting her head against the older alicorn’s chest and crying into it, her tears dripping down the sleek crystal armor. There was no need for words, Cadance could tell what happened, she then placed her lance into the ground and brought both her wings around to hug Twilight close. Sadly, there wasn’t much time for Twilight to properly convey her sadness or for Cadance to truly comfort her. “Cadance…What are you doing here?!” asked Twilight. “Chrysalis invaded the Crystal Empire, she and her changelings are empowered by Parallax. Now we’re here, which I’m willing to bet to help the other Negative Entities.” A roar silenced any further talking as Spike and Proselyte continued their battle. Up above, Chrysalis was fighting against Ion, she somehow managed to get on top of the massive creature, using a yellow rope construct to wrap around his neck and using to rein him in. She then flexed her forearm again, making the exoskeletal blade extend. She energized the blade and plunged it into Ion’s back, making the Entity of Willpower let out a painful groan as he was forced down to the ground, skidding through three homes before stopping. “ION” Applejack cried out. Proselyte was currently battling multiple Avarice constructs, using his powers to channel Love and Hope to keep them from getting close to him. But Spike used this to his advantage, using his unnatural speed he flew right at Proselyte and, with his powerful jaws, bit down on the Entity of Compassion’s tentacle. He thrashed his head about, his fangs digging into the light flesh of the cosmic creature, and, with a mighty jerk, Spike tore off the tentacle from Proselyte. The purple cephalopod released a pained noise as his tentacle bled indigo ichor. Spike then opened his maw and inhaled, causing Proselyte’s indigo light to fly into his maw, draining the Entity of Compassion. When he thought he was weak enough, Spike grabbed Proselyte’s body and tossed him down to the ground. He then impacted against one of the larger structures, but when the dust cleared, Proselyte was no longer in his true form. He was now in his pony form, with one wing missing and bleeding the indigo ichor. Far away, Sweetie Belle, Dinky, Derpy, and Sparkler all gasped in horror at what they saw. Lyte, Dinky’s surrogate big brother, and Fluttershy’s ward, was the giant indigo squid fighting off the other creatures. Derpy, Dinky, and Sweetie Belle knew he had strange abilities, but nothing like this.   Up above Predator and Adara were engaged in a dogfight with Nightmare Butcher, attacking her from different angles. But the combined power of the light of Rage, Nightmare’s dark magic, and of course, her unrelenting hatred, made her a tough opponent even for the two Entities to handle. During this fight, Nightmare Butcher saw that Proselyte was down and in mortal form. Sensing his vulnerability, Nightmare Butcher released a powerful shockwave of red light, making Adara and Predator back away from her. She then charged her tri-horns and fired a crimson lightning bolt straight for Proselyte. Predator and Adara saw this and quickly fired their own beams to intercept the attack. The three beams crashed into each other, creating an explosion of red, violet, and blue light. But then, the red lightning zipped through the dust cloud and continued on. Sweetie Belle looked up at this time, watching as the crimson bolt sailed down. She traced the angle of the bolt and found that it was heading directly for… “PROSELYTE!!!” Sweetie shouted. She quickly maneuvered her way around Derpy and galloped as fast as her filly legs could take her. Several protests rang out from Sparkler, Derpy, and Dinky, but Sweetie Belle ignored them, her main focus was getting to Proselyte. It wasn’t long before Scootaloo and Apple Bloom took notice of their friend and quickly called out to her, making the other mares see her running towards the downed Entity of Compassion. Sweetie Belle kept one eye on the sky, watching the bolt continue to speed towards its target. Proselyte wasn’t moving much, his wound was slowly starting to heal itself but he still didn’t seem to have the strength to move. Sweetie ran faster, her heart pounding in her chest as she huffed and panted. It was then that she came to the realization. I-I’m not going to make it! Her pace slowed for just a microsecond before her face grew serious. No! I will make it! I have to! Proselyte helped me and Dinky, and now I can help him! I gotta make it – I WILL make it!!! Suddenly, Sweetie Belle’s horn sparked with green mana. The sparks flew from her horn at a rapid pace until it was fully glowing. Without even trying, Sweetie Belle’s body was wrapped up in her magical aura, and in the next second a flash of light made her disappear. Proselyte was groggily starting to come to, his body feeling sluggish from the wound and the drain of his indigo light. The Entity of Compassion then saw a flash of light and suddenly felt someone ram into him, throwing the pegasus colt a good distance from where he was standing. When Proselyte turned to see who it was, his eyes grew wide at seeing that it was Sweetie Belle. The white unicorn filly had a relieved smile on her face, but it did not last. The red bolt struck Sweetie Belle in the chest, slamming her against the wall. She didn’t even scream…there was no time to. Her eyes went wide for a moment before the light left them and they closed, her body falling limp on ground. The Entity of Compassion picked himself off the ground staring blankly at what just happened, his mind trying to comprehend what just occurred. Scootaloo collapsed onto her haunches, tears streaming down her face as she shook her head in disbelief. Applejack covered her mouth with one hoof, trying to stifle her sobbing. Rainbow Dash gritted her teeth as her tears flowed down. Twilight and Cadance weren’t any better, but the real reaction came from Rarity. “SWEETIE BELLE – NO!!!!” The white unicorn mare galloped towards the body of her little sister, with Apple Bloom right behind her. She couldn’t be dead; at least that’s what the farm filly was hoping. But, before either one of them could get to Sweetie Belle’s body, a cage made of orange light slammed on top of them, making the two ponies stop dead in their tracks. The cage slowly lifted upwards, moving towards Spike’s waiting claw. The cage landed in Spike’s claw as he brought them up to his eye level, grinning satisfactorily. “MY… MARES…ALL MINE!” “SPIKE YOU LET ME GO THIS INSTANT!!! LET ME GO TO SWEETIE BELLE PLEASE!!!” Rarity pleaded. “SPIKE, CAN’T YA SEE SWEETIE DOWN THERE!!? SHE NEEDS US, PLEASE HELP HER!!!” Apple Bloom shouted. Spike looked down at the body of Sweetie Belle, he then turned his attention back to the two he had in his claw. “SHE’S GONE…I DON’T WANT HER!” Nightmare Butcher flew down and hovered beside Spike, grinning evilly as she saw the opportunity presented to them. “As much fun as it would be to keep fighting you all, this is getting tiresome!” Nightmare then pointed her battle ax at the group of ponies below, the blade glowing with the light of Rage. “Entities! Revert to your mortal forms now and surrender! Or what happened to that foolish filly will befall the rest of them! The choice is yours!”   Chrysalis flew off of Ion and hovered overhead as the Entity of Willpower flew to meet his fellow Entities Adara and Predator. Adara was already weeping from Sweetie Belle’s death, and Predator was glaring daggers at Nightmare Butcher, wanting to tear her limb from limb in retribution for killing the sister of her first friend. But…there was one thing that they seemed to agree on, they did not want the same thing to happen to others, especially now that Spike had Rarity and Apple Bloom captive. The three looked down to Proselyte, who, with a heavy heart, nodded to them. Ion, Predator, and Adara turned into their respective lights and reappeared on the ground, now in their pony forms. Proselyte walked over to them, head held down as he did so. “ION don’t do it!” Applejack shouted. “Adara no, you can’t let them do this!” Scootaloo yelled. Proselyte looked back at the group with sad eyes, “This is the only way to protect you…we have caused more than enough harm to you already…” The other three did not disagree with that statement. Spike, Chrysalis, and Nightmare combined their three different negative lights and fired them at each of the pony formed Entities. Cages made of the three lights formed over each separate Entity, isolating them from the other. “Come, we shall enjoy our spoils at my castle.” The cages lifted up and joined the three possessed hosts. Before they left, Spike noticed something shiny in the rumble of Golden Oaks Library; he then pointed his left claw at the debris, shooting an orange construct right at it. The group jumped back as the beam hit the rumble of the library, it then rose up, bringing with it six objects. “THE ELEMENTS OF HARMONY!” Twilight yelled. The construct then brought them to Spike’s left claw, keeping them contained in a sphere of orange light. “MY ELEMENTS!” Spike growled. Nightmare Butcher’s horns glowed with red light. Magical energy and rage infused light swirled about them, concealing them from view. And in that instant the energy flashed and the Negative Entities, along with the Positive Entities and their captives, were gone.