//------------------------------// // Episode 30: What Lies Ahead? The Future of Course! // Story: My Little Pony: The Entities of Emotion // by Michael_Ravencroft //------------------------------// (Five Weeks Later) Twilight and Rainbow Dash, along with Scootaloo, Adara, Spike, Owlowiscious, and Tank made their way back to the charred remains of Golden Oaks Library. The tree turned household and public library was still gone, the only things that made any indication that it was there was the burned sign and the debris that the towns ponies collected and piled where it once stood. Hundreds of books gone in a single blast, almost everything they owned gone. It was made all the sadder knowing that Scootaloo had finally gotten a real roof over her head and not too soon after, having it taken away from her. All the craziness hadn’t allowed the odd family time to sift through the debris to see if there was anything worth saving. Most likely there wasn’t, but it didn’t hurt to try. Scootaloo, Adara, and Spike, having borrowed Apple Bloom’s wagon, started going through the debris carefully, seeing what was salvageable, with a little aerial assistance from Tank and Owlowiscious. During this, Twilight and Rainbow Dash stood and watched them. “I still can’t believe it. All of it, all gone,” said Twilight with sadness in her voice. “Hey, don’t worry. I know it’s hard, I mean, I was ready to call this place home too. But home’s where all of us are, you, me, Scoots, Adara, and Spike. We’re alive Twi, and we can always make new, even awesomer memories in whatever place we live,” said Rainbow Dash. “‘Awesomer’ is not a word, the correct pronunciation is ‘more awesome’.” “You can never turn that brain off for five minutes can you?” Twilight pouted a little, but Rainbow quickly planted a kiss on the side of Twilight’s head, making her blush. “But let’s face it; your brain’s just as sexy as your body, so I wouldn’t be getting the full package.” “Whatever…” Though she said that, Rainbow could tell that Twilight was grinning a little.   “So, Twi, how long do you plan on holding that grudge against Celestia?” Twilight groaned loudly at hearing the question. “As long as I am able.” “You know you can’t stay mad at her forever, I know she’s means a lot to you Twilight,” said Rainbow. “Well how would you feel if she told you, you had died?!” (Five Weeks Earlier) “I DIED?!!!” Everypony’s jaw dropped immediately upon hearing Celestia’s confession. Apparently, upon the day when Twilight finished the spell that granted her the Rite of Ascension, the Elements of Harmony blasted her with five beams of magical light. Now it was believed that the blast teleported her into the Celestial Plain, the space where Celestia and Twilight were, and the place where Celestia enacted the spell that brought about Twilight’s transformation. But in reality, the Celestial Plains were a halfway point between Elysium and the world of the living. “The spell that made you an alicorn deemed it necessary to remove you from the body you once had, in order to resurrect you in the form of an alicorn, a body made from scratch if you will…Spells that alter the physical body are dangerous Twilight, and turning a pony into an alicorn by other such means would have put tremendous strain on your body, if you didn’t die from the transformation there would probably be other ramifications to it later on down the road…” “So, that is why the spell ‘vaporized’ your old unicorn body,” said Luna, taking over for Celestia. “The spell that my sister activated while within that space altered your soul form and thrust you back into the Life Web and Equestria, when you returned you came back to match your soul form, which is now that of an alicorn.” Twilight looked to Cadance, wondering if she had gone through the same thing as well. The pink alicorn nodded, confirming her suspicions. “Twilight, I’m sorry, I thought you knew. It was the same with me, when I ascended my body was changed as well, not by the Elements, but by the magic of love. I thought you were told so I never said anything about it…” The young alicorn mare couldn’t believe what she was hearing, she quickly teleported herself out of the bath and onto the floor. Twilight stomped her way towards the doors and pushed them open with her magic. Celestia rushed out of the bath and called out to her. “Twilight wait please I –!” “Leave me alone!” Twilight yelled, rounding on Celestia and showing her a teary eyed, angry face. Twilight continued to storm out of the bath, leaving a stunned Celestia standing there like a statue. Adara and Rainbow Dash, with worried looks, quickly exited the bath and ran after Twilight. (Present) “Okay, so that was messed up…” “She could’ve told me the day after my coronation, or even before then, but no, she kept it a secret for almost three years! Three years! I mean, what I am supposed to do?! I’m alive…but I died and-and now I’m alive again!” Rainbow Dash rushed forward, getting in front of Twilight, her magenta eyes meeting the alicorn mare’s lavender eyes. “Look, I understand, and nopony expects you to do anything but be Twilight Sparkle. I mean, what’s the alternative?! You staying dead?! Going through a painful transformation?! And did you forget, if it wasn’t for you asking me to teach you how to fly, we would’ve never gotten any of that personal alone time and learned about each other’s feelings?!” Twilight lowered her gaze. “But why would you want to stay with me, knowing this?” Rainbow Dash blew a raspberry, “Pfft, so? Shining Armor probably knows about Cadance, and he seems alright with it. And so am I, Twi. You’re still that neurotic, eggheaded, beautiful mare I crushed hard on when we first met, and now you’re the same mare I care about.” The cyan pegasus slowly leaned forward and kissed Twilight on the lips. She was taken by surprise, but only for a moment, returning the kiss with the same intimacy that Rainbow showed. After some time, Rainbow Dash pulled away and smiled at the blushing face of her marefriend. “Look at all the cool things that have happened because of you changing. You’re a Princess, we met the Entities, became marefriends, adopted Scootaloo, and, if it weren’t for what happened to you, the ring wouldn’t have come to you and who knows how that fight in Canterlot would’ve turned out.” Twilight thought over Rainbow words, and she did have a point. All the wonderful things that had happened to her and her friends came about after her resurrection transformation, and if it didn’t happen, Rainbow Dash would be the one dead. Twilight let out a heavy sigh. “Alright, I’ll…I’ll talk to Celestia, but I’m still mad.” “Well, it’s a start.” Rainbow Dash took her place beside Twilight, the two starting to walk towards the young trio digging through the remains of the library. “Besides, how can I ask Princess Celestia to marry us if you’re all angry at her, I mean I could ask Princess Cadance, but I thought it would make it more special for you if she did it.” Twilight stopped in her tracks at hearing this, she then turned to face Rainbow Dash who was blushing a little. “R-Rainbow are you saying –?” “TWILIGHT, RAINBOW!” The two mares were brought back to the situation and continued to make their way to where Scootaloo, Adara, and Spike were. “So, ahem, what did you guys find?” asked Rainbow. “Not much, we managed to find a few books that weren’t destroyed, a little charred on the outside but I think the pages inside are fine,” said Scootaloo, a grin spreading across her face as she saw Twilight’s face beam from hearing the news. “I found some of my old pots and pans,” Spike brought up one of the pans and flicked it with his claw, “yep stain resistant and explosion resistant too, who knew?” *Hoot* Spike looked to Owlowiscious who was perched on the edge of the red wagon. “I know who knew, right?” *Hoot* “I don’t know who, that’s why I asked.” *Hoot* “I just said I don’t know why…” Spike then face palmed himself. “I got sucked in again didn’t I?” *Hoot* Everypony started to laugh a little, even Spike. Adara then brought something up that rested in the middle of her hoof. “Well I found this; it’s an acorn that survived the blast. It may not be much, but maybe we could plant it here and regrow the tree?” Twilight took the acorn into her telekinetic aura; she brought it close to her as old memories of when she lived in the tree were starting to come back. “No, not here, c’mon, let’s plant this someplace else.” With nods of agreement, the group of seven made their way to the outer edge of Ponyville. Spike used his claw to rake the ground a little, providing the perfect home for the acorn to rest in. It was, in a way, a way for Twilight to say goodbye to her old home, this tiny acorn would be the seed that would regrow a new tree, and when the centuries past, the tree that would sprout from this seed will grow and grow, containing within it all the memories, good and bad, past, present, and future. Twilight placed the seed gently into the hole and swept back her hoof over the small dirt pile to cover it. “Alright everybody, let’s head back to Canterlot.” Six of the seven walked on, but Twilight stopped when she felt her ring spark up. Help it grow… Twilight turned around, curious. She was separated from the group and stared at the spot where the seed was buried. Help it grow… The ring began to shine with the white light of Life. The power of the light awakened Twilight’s magic, causing her eyes to shine bright. From her horn, wispy shimmering light flowed out, moving like air and directing itself to the buried seedling. Twilight concentrated, channeling her magic and light. The strands of magic aether flew to the hole where the seed was and disappeared. But Twilight’s horn was still glowing, same with her eyes. At that moment a low rumble shook the ground, making Rainbow Dash, Scootaloo, Adara, and Spike tense up. The shaking steadily grew stronger with each passing second until, at that moment, the ground burst apart and a giant white tree trunk shot into the sky. Higher and higher it climbed into the sky above, its body growing out, becoming a bulking trunk. Its branches fanned out, sticking out in different directions as lush green leaves blossomed forth. The light and magic worked together, meta-morphing the tree further. Some of the branches started to resemble castle turrets, a balcony opened up at the front similar to that of Canterlot Castle. The base of the massive white oak tree was carved out, become two large double doors with a staircase that led right to it. Lines were drawn into the tree shimmering like diamonds; actually they were diamonds, a long streak of them weaving into creative patterns. Windows and platforms were created as the canopy of the leaves shimmered. When the event was over, there stood a tree whose size was on par with that of the Crystal Palace. Upon the center of the tree was a luminescent pink star, the same as her cutie mark. The four ponies, dragon, tortoise, and owl stared at up at the structure. It was a castle, created from the seed of the old library, a proud and mighty white oak tree. “Oh…my…Celestia…” Rainbow whispered. “You saw that right? The giant tree that grew out of the ground, please tell me you saw that?” asked Spike not believing his eyes. *Hoot* responded Owlowiscious. “Well…that’s…wow.” Adara sputtered. Tank merely fell over on his side, still staring at the tree-castle. “THAT IS SO COOL! WE GET TO LIVE IN OUR OWN CASTLE!” (Stalliongrad, Weeks Later) Gilda was sleeping comfortably splayed out on her bed, snoring loudly with each inhale and exhale. Suddenly there was knocking at her door, the former Junior Speedster grunted and rolled to her side, but the knocking persisted. “Gilda! Gilda get your ass up or you’re going to be late for your shift!” Sonya shouted. “Can’t hear you, asleep over here,” said Gilda groggily. There was a frustrated sigh from the other side of the door as the handle jiggled and the tumbler clicked open. Sonya entered Gilda’s room, which had a few weights in one corner of the room, her uniform hanging on the closet door, and a poster of a mare posing provocatively while wearing a swimsuit. Gilda had hidden herself under the blankets in a desperate attempt at keeping Sonya’s voice and any other intruding light out. The gray griffonness sighed in frustration again at Gilda’s behavior, a grown adult and she acted like she was a teenager most of the time. She walked over to the windows and threw open the curtains, allowing as much light into the room as they could. She then sat on her haunches in front of the edge of Gilda’s bed and rested her fists on her hips. “Gilda you know the policy, you want to sleep and eat here then you’re going to work. Unless you somehow broke a leg, a wing, or caught something, you’re going in,” said Sonya with finality. “Would it make any difference if I said I wasn’t decent under here?” Sonya blew a raspberry. “Pfft, please, like that was ever an excuse. Why I ever allowed you to roll around with Summer and me from time to time I’ll never now!” Gilda poked her head from under the blankets as she smirked at Sonya, “Because you love your marefriend and she has some freaky kink about being ‘preyed upon’ by two girl griffons.” The slightly older griffonness’ face went red at the mention of their more private activities, but quickly shook her head to dislodge those thoughts. “Whatever, just get out of bed already!” “……fine……” With an annoyed huff Sonya left the room and closed the door behind her. Reluctantly, Gilda got out of the bed, stretching her limbs and popping out the kinks and stiffness. She groggily made her way to the bathroom, cleaned up, went back, put on her uniform and went downstairs. Sonya and Summer were already eating breakfast, although the tavern wouldn’t be open for a while, they still liked the little joy of waking up and having breakfast together. When she first stayed with these two, Gilda had tried to take her breakfast elsewhere to eat, but that idea was quickly quashed by Summer Breeze, she apparently loved eating meals like this together, especially with guests, so from then on Gilda had a place at the table, right across from Sonya and on her right, Summer Breeze. The gray griffonness was holding the newspaper, reading it over. On the front page was an article about a disaster in Canterlot and Ponyville, how the city and town were turned into near literal warzones. It didn’t help that there were reports of multiple colors of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet light amongst the fighting. It was mostly the mention of the red light that caught her attention, that, and the fact that the newspaper also reported that the bearers of the Elements of Harmony and the Princesses were engaged in the battle. Her thoughts were on Rainbow Dash at the time, her worry evident on her face, despite her best not to show it. “You know…we could make a trip up to Equestria Proper.” Summer Breeze spoke up, making Gilda look directly at her. “It wouldn’t be an inconvenience.” “Why would I want to go there?” asked Gilda. “To see if that mare you like is alright, Rainbow Dash, right?” “I…” Gilda looked away from Summer and down at her food. “She’s right, I wouldn’t mind a trip at all, it’d give you an excuse y’know,” said Sonya. “You guys don’t understand…I…I burned that bridge, Da – that mare and the town, the moment they see me they’ll all want me out…I didn’t exactly make the best first impression…” Summer then moved her hoof and placed it over Gilda’s left claw. “But you want to make sure she’s alright, don’t you? Even if there’s bad blood right now, it might make a difference to show her that you care about her enough to check up on her.” Gilda gently slid her claw from under Summer’s hoof. “I need to go to work…I’ll see you guys later, if I’m not pulling a double.” With that, Gilda made her way to the front door and closed it behind her. Both Sonya and Summer sighed sadly at their housemate’s despair. “I really can’t imagine what Gilda did to make her think she can’t see this ‘Rainbow Dash’.” “Me neither Breezy, but if we push her too hard she won’t open up. Took her this long to get used to us, and like us.” “Well, in retrospect, bringing her in on some of our private activates might have helped with that,” said Summer as she shot a sultry smile at her mate. Sonya gripped the paper a bit harder, bringing it closer to her face to hide her blush. “Point being! Neither you nor I like it that she’s holding this resentment inside her.” “…Do you think it might be time to, um, you know, pop the question?” asked Summer. Sonya put the paper down, looking to her marefriend and to the empty spot where Gilda had sat. “Not yet, I’d rather do that when she’s found closure, but…somehow, I don’t think it will be us who gets her there.” “But we’ll be there to help her through it, during and after.” Summer got up from where she was sitting and walked over to Sonya, she then nuzzled the griffonness lovingly, making Sonya return the favor. It amazed Gilda how much the city had recovered from the events of a couple of months ago. The Windigos’ influence nearly made every pony and griffon within want to tear each other’s throats out. If it wasn’t for the actions of Butch, the entire city would be a city of carnage and death, or worse, everyone could’ve spent the rest of their lives in a block of ice, slowly freezing to death. Gilda shuddered at the memory of being incased in ice; she never wanted that to happen again. Still, despite the emotional damage the structural damage to the city from the Windigos’ blizzard didn’t cause as much damage as they thought. Thankfully most of the relief workers they got from Canterlot and other parts of Equestria, along with some assistance from her own home nation, the city was looking to get back on track. Unfortunately all this trauma didn’t stop the criminal element from doing what they did best, stirring up trouble, stealing, and other criminal acts. That was probably the one thing that Gilda found tiring about her work. She didn’t just patrol the border between Stalliongrad and the Griffon Empire; she patrolled the city as well, the BP Officers and Royal Guard acting as law enforcement. Still, it wasn’t all bad, she was assigned to patrol and enforce the law within the city, she rarely got called out to the actual border, which was another headache altogether. During her flight through the city, even though she was worried about Rainbow Dash, she also worried about what became of Butch, or as he called himself, the Butcher. The last she saw of him was when Princess Luna and her airships whisked the giant ruby red glacier off to Celestia knows where. She knew he wasn’t exactly a regular minotaur, especially after he fought the Windigos, and even more so after she saw the, possibly, real him in the ice. Still, he saved her life, and others, hopefully he would get to tell his side of what had happened. After a brief flight, Gilda landed before the Central Hub, a large building that was almost the same size as city hall. It had to be, it was where the Royal Guards and Border Patrol Officers would report in. Gilda made her way inside, pushing through the revolving doors of the stone building. The inside was a flurry of activity, stallions and mares dressed in the golden armor of the RGs walked about, along with the jacket and caps of the griffon BPs. Gilda didn’t make a big fuss over the fact that the ponies got armor, whereas she and some of the other griffons wore the jacket, badge, and cap. Granted they carried the same authority, but it was hardly super protective. But when she thought about it, the ponies needed it more than the griffons, despite seeing how tough they could be, if they had to face more than one griffon, they needed the extra protection.   Gilda made her way to the squad room, assigned to the 72nd Precinct, which thankfully covered a good portion of the city, mostly where Sonya’s tavern and home were. The moment she stepped claw through the front door one the officers, a male griffon named Hans, quickly made his way to Gilda. “G, got some bad news.” “Hans, it’s too damn early in the morning for ‘bad news’, so stow it until I’m awake,” growled Gilda as she pushed past him to get to her desk. Hans on the other hand kept pace with her. “I’m serious Gilda; the Chief wants you in his office ASAP.” Gilda raked her claw over her face in frustration, groaning the whole time. “What in the Tartarus did I do this time?!” “Don’t know, but he was grumpy, more than usual.” Figuring that delaying the inevitable wasn’t going to do her any good, Gilda headed towards the Chief’s office, knocking first before entering the room. The inside was fairly large, a big oaken desk sat at the center, with a slew of files and paperwork scattered about it. A filing cabinet was in one corner of the room, while on the other was a case full of commendations the old griffon had received during his tenure as a BP Officer. “You wanted to see me, Sir?” The Chief, a grizzled old griffon, looked to the young griffonness and huffed. “Officer Gilda, I need you to train a new recruit.” Gilda would’ve cussed the old griffon out if she didn’t remember who exactly it was she was talking to. “Um, Sir, with all due respect, I don’t train rookies.” “This one you will, by executive order.” The griffonness arched an eyebrow at that. Executive orders usually came down from the top brass, which meant that this was most likely something good or bad. “Who’s the new guy, or girl?” The Chief turned to the adjacent door and called out, “You may enter.” Gilda felt powerful thudding noises coming from the other side. She gulped at the thought of who this rookie was that he could make the floor rumble with each step. The door slowly opened and revealed the large, red form of a minotaur. He was wearing the uniform of a BP Officer, but no cap, although, his mohawk hairdo and oddly shaped horns would make that a little hard to wear. Gilda stared at the minotaur, she couldn’t believe it was him, there was no way! She hoped that he was alright, but she never imagined he’d be standing here before her. “The rookie’s name is…Butcher…apparently. Anyways, you two seem to have history which is why you were called upon to be his trainer, and if things go well, maybe your partner. Now go out on your regular beat and clock out normally, don’t want to overwhelm the new guy right away.” Gilda saluted the Chief, she then shot the Butcher a glare that basically translated as “Salute you idiot!” With a grunt, Butcher brought up his right arm and mimicked Gilda’s salute. As soon as the two were out the door, Gilda looked to the minotaur. “Explanation, now!” (A couple of months ago…) Butcher was sitting in his cell, arms and legs crossed as he awaited the sentencing of himself and his fellow Negatives. Parallax and Ophidian were in the adjacent cells, much to his displeasure. Every once and a while he’d spare them a glance to see what it was they were up to. Ophidian kept lobbing fire blast after fire blast at the cell doors, but the enchantment upon them made them invulnerable to any damage, magic or otherwise. Parallax was faring no better, he continuously paced the cell back and forth, muttering to himself, trying to figure out a way out of their predicament. The Entity of Fear, now trapped in a changeling body, wasn’t shy about glaring daggers at Butcher, blaming their entrapment solely on his actions. In retrospect, Butcher thought, Parallax had a point, but really there was no point in continuing the battle. Even though he wasn’t present mentally for the battle, his urge to fight had been somewhat satiated for that time. Maybe it was because of the Windigos sapping his strength while in the glacier, or maybe he just did not want to fight that day, whatever the reason, it was a mystery. Ophidian released another torrent of dragon fire before he finally gave up and glared angrily at Butcher. “Thisss is all your fault! If you had just kept fighting, or even stayed inside your hossst, we could’ve won the battle and the war!” Butcher snorted loudly. “I care not for that host. She was weak, any host of mine must have the balls to stand up and fight with their own strength, to command my respect! Or in essence, make me give a crap about them! Great rage she had, but that’s all, she would fade away eventually, and let’s not forget, you two fared no better against the others and the White Lantern mare.” Ophidian clenched his fist and gritted his fangs as he hissed at Butcher. “Will you be quiet?! I’m trying to figure out a way out of this place!” Parallax stopped pacing and sat down as he continued to ponder a plan. “Ugh, this would be much easier with my powers! Even in this mortal form, I could’ve still used a fraction of them to make the guards release us!” “Hmph, if you ask me, you rely far too much on your powers, both of you!” “Oh, well excussse me, we all can’t be the equivalent of a battering ram! Just because you like to smash through your enemies, doesn’t mean we like to!” “No, you’d rather send in a horde of constructs to do the job for you! And you, Parallax, would rather play mind games and make your opponent go insane from fear! That is the difference in our power; I do not solely rely on my light to win my battles, but my physical strength as well!” Parallax was becoming annoyed by Butcher, but that could wait for now. He was trying to figure out just how much of his powers had been restrained by the Seal of Hope. Obviously he could not use his light constructs, or take on his true form, but that did not mean all his powers were locked away. The changeling heard the approaching hoofsteps of the Guard, no doubt making the rounds and checking on them. Parallax lit up his horn, checking to see if at least his changeling powers were intact. The Entity of Fear shifted to the form of Princess Luna, Celestia, Discord, and finally back to himself. “This will do.” The unicorn stallion Royal Guard turned the corner to the hall where the Negative Entities were kept, but the moment he laid eyes on Parallax’s cell he saw a yellow flash. Rubbing his eyes, the Guard blinked a few times before his vision refocused itself. The stallion gasped when he saw that Parallax was no longer in his cell, but rather, it was a batpony mare. She was battered, bruised, and bleeding on the floor. He quickly rushed to the cell door and called out to her. “Midnight!” The batpony mare craned her neck to the stallion, coughing up blood as she did so. “Please…help me…” The unicorn Night Guard quickly used his magic to levitate a key to the cell door and opened it. He then frantically rushed in and lowered his head down to the mare. “I’m here Midnight, what happened?! Where’s the prisoner?! Are you alright?!” “The prisoner…he’s…he’s…right here.” The batpony was then engulfed in yellow flames as its body shifted, transforming into a nightmarish Timberwolf that roared in the unicorn’s face. The Night Guard screamed bloody murder as he quickly backed up to the corner of the cell, his mind shutting down all rational thought as pure terror overtook him, staring right into the gleaming yellow eyes of the monster before him. Then, all was silent, the Night Guard stopped screaming as his eyes rolled into the back of his head, foam around his mouth as he slumped down to the floor. The Timberwolf shifted and returned to the form of Parallax, well, his changeling body anyway. “That was empowering. Seems I can feed off the fear of others, just as Chrysalis can with love. Insightful, and it looks like my fear sensing abilities haven’t been completely quashed, another lucky break.” Parallax grabbed the keys with his telekinetic aura and walked out of the cell. He levitated the keys to Ophidian’s cell and opened it, allowing the Entity of Avarice to leave his prison. Parallax had the keys hover over the keyhole of Butcher’s cell, his eyes glaring at the red minotaur sitting on the floor with his arms crossed. “Last chance, Butcher, will you come with us, or will you just sit there?” asked Parallax. “Humph, I’m through following you two weaklings, do whatever you want, but be sure to never cross my path.” Ophidian sneered at the Entity of Rage. “Very well, we are enemiesss from here on out, expect no help from usss!” With that, Parallax and Ophidian made their escape, leaving Butcher behind. (Present) Gilda and Butcher were standing outside at a street corner while she listened to Butcher’s tale. She had to admit, she was surprised, but not too surprised to find out that the minotaur wasn’t normal. Although she never imagined that he was a being of immense power from another universe, that was a new one. “I find you lack of shock discouraging. Are you not at all surprised or afraid of at what I am?” Butcher asked. “Well…to tell you the truth I am, but I guess I’m not as surprised after seeing what you can do. It actually makes more sense now after you’ve told me all that. Plus…you did save Sonya and Summer, my sorry ass, and every pony and griffon in Stalliongrad.” Butcher snorted. “The saving of this little city was an afterthought; I was focused on tearing those spirits apart.” “So what’s your excuse for saving me then?” Gilda asked with a raised brow. The red minotaur shrugged. “Don’t know, you amuse me, I guess. And truthfully, dying in such a way would’ve been ridiculous. A fighter such as yourself deserves a more glorious end than merely becoming a frozen statue.” Gilda smirked and elbowed the minotaur in the side. “Coming from you Butch, I’ll take that as a compliment.” “It is a fact, not a compliment.” “Whatever big guy. Tell you what,” Gilda flapped her wings and draped her right foreleg around Butcher’s neck in a half choke hold, “later tonight you and me will pop in at Sonya’s joint and tell’em you’re back!” Butcher rolled his eyes in dejection. “…And scare the crap out of some of those guys you fought last time you were here.” Butcher now had a bemused smirk. (1 Month Later) Howling could be heard echoing through the Everfree Forest, packs of Timberwolves out on the hunt and searching for their prey. They followed the scent of warm blood in the air, as well as the trails of what dripped on the ground. Many creatures would’ve thought them mad for even trying, but they had been bested by its kind before, and they were not about to have that happen a second time. There was something to be said about Timberwolf tenacity, once they had you in their sights, you were not easily forgotten. And an orange, teenage dragon was finding that out first hand. Ophidian was standing in a death circle; sixty or so Timberwolves had him surrounded. Some remained still while others walked in a circle, making it hard to discern who was going to attack first. The evidence of their brawl was shown on his body, red, bleeding gashes that ran along his arms, back, and one across his chest. Dragon scales were strong as armor plating, but with enough wear and tear, even armor can be dented and pierced. Ophidian had been fighting fang and claw against the wooden lupines, he had used his dragon fire more than once to incinerate the hordes that charged him, but he was quickly finding out the limitations of his physical body. Without his light, his body wasn’t regenerating as quickly, and his fire had nothing but his own magic and biology to fuel it, which was quickly diminishing with each blast. Luckily, Ophidian found that one part of his powers, like Parallax, was working. One of Timberwolves lunged for him, but Ophidian quickly ducked low, letting the beast pass overhead. When it got halfway, Ophidian thrust his right claw, like a spear, right into the midsection of the Timberwolf, the beast grunted in pain as it tried to free itself, but Ophidian had already won. The magical essence of the wolf was being drained, lime-green light flowed down from the open wound and changing into orange light halfway down his arm and was absorbed into his body. The downside of this was that the stored power wouldn’t stick around forever, which meant he had to use it to either heal his wounds or for an attack. He tried to build it up, but the attacking wolves made it difficult. Now drained of its magic, the Timberwolf was merely a shell. The wooden body fell apart without the magic that once gave it life. Two others stepped into the circle, one rising on its hind legs in an attempt to pin Ophidian down. The Entity of Avarice shot out both his claws and grabbed the Timberwolf’s forelegs firmly, digging his claws into the wooden limbs. This was merely a distraction however, as the second wolf snuck behind him, opened its mouth and snuck its sharp, wooden fangs into his left shoulder. Ophidian growled with pain as he felt the warm blood streak down his orange scales. Deciding to opt for attack, Ophidian opened his maw and unleashed a burst of dragon fire at point blank range. The flames engulfed the Timberwolf he was staving off, he then gave the beast a thrust kick with his right leg, sending it flying into its comrades and setting them ablaze. The other wolf dug its fangs deeper, trying to tear his whole arm off. Ophidian extended two of his clawed fingers from his right and jabbed them straight into the eyes of the wolf. The wood lupine howled in pain, releasing Ophidian. With his injured left arm, the Entity of Avarice grabbed hold of its face and began to drain its magic. The energy was quickly put to healing his shoulder, closing the wound, but only barely numbing the pain. This would be so much easier with my light! If this is the universes way of saying the shoe’s on the other foot or a cosmic joke, well, it ain’t funny! Ophidian saw that the wolf pack was not about to let up, even with some of the burning. He then jumped into the air and over the circle of death. When he landed Ophidian sprinted as fast as he could through the forest. The pack was in pursuit, and he knew it. They wouldn’t give up, he was an injured animal and reeked of freshly spilt blood, not even a rabid house cat would fight with these odds. That’s when Ophidian stopped dead in his tracks, his ear frills ringing with the words of the Butcher. “…you rely far too much on your powers…” “They’re our powersss, why shouldn’t I use them!” Ophidian hissed.  “… you’d rather send in a horde of  constructs to do the job for you! “ “I have the numbersss, I have the power! It’sss my strength!” “That is the difference in our power; I do not solely rely on my light to win my battles, but my physical strength as well!” Ophidian clenched his fists and did an about face, his orange slit eyes narrowing as the wolf pack drew closer. “You want physical ssstrength Butcher?! I’ll ssshow you physical ssstrength!!!” Ophidian released a primal roar into the air and charged for the pack, claws bared as his tail whipped to and fro, carving gashes into the trees as he whizzed passed them. The lead Timberwolves skidded to a halt at the charging dragon. They didn’t have time to understand what he was doing till it was too late. Ophidian smashed through the frontlines of the wolf pack, sending splintered wood and limbs flying off into the air and scattering onto the ground. Ophidian caught one by the neck and dragged it along, using the beast as a battering ram as he kept charging through their ranks. He skidded to a stop on the other side and tossed the one in his claw like a rag doll against a tree, making the Timberwolf explode into a dozen pieces upon impact. The orange dragon then leaped into the air, flipped once, and came crashing down at the center of the pack, creating a shockwave that threw the wooden monsters into the forest and into more trees. The ones beneath Ophidian when he landed were completely pulverized, turning them into sawdust. The teenage dragon then let out a maniacal laugh that verged on insanity. “HA HA HA!!! How’sss that for real ssstrength Butcher?! I just took them all out, with no powersss at all!” Suddenly the remaining pieces of the Timberwolves began to glow with an eerie green light. The pieces then floated into a corner of the forest; one after another the pieces from the fallen wolves gathered to that spot, making the eerie glow intensify with each passing second. The trees in that area rustled and groaned as if something was pushing against them. It was then that Ophidian noticed that there were two big, green glowing eyes staring at him from the shadows. The eyes rose up higher and higher till the creature they belonged to stood a few inches over the canopy of the forest. The Timberwolves had united their bodies to form the Alpha Timberwolf, which was now staring down at the Entity of Avarice with a predatory gaze. “Oh ssssssh –!” “Honestly Silver Spoon, I don’t see why I have to go to these lame doctors’ appointments,” said Diamond Tiara. “Di, you know why! That colt did something weird to you and your mom, that’s why!” Silver Spoon clarified. Silver Spoon and Diamond Tiara were currently taking a walk down one of the roads near the forest, with Diamond Tiara just having finished seeing the doctor at Ponyville General Hospital. Ever since the rich filly was touched by Proselyte’s light, she had been feeling different. Her drive to mess with her fellow classmates and the other foals around town had dwindled greatly. From a regular standpoint, this wasn’t a bad thing, and honestly, to Silver Spoon, it was kind of nice not having to make another pony’s life miserable as often as they used to. But still, that didn’t deter from the fact that Diamond Tiara was slightly different. She seemed deep in thought recently, less demanding, again not bad things, but it was a drastic change from her usual self that it made Silver Spoon and Filthy Rich worry a little. Which was why they had her go and have a checkup done twice every month since then, and it was Silver Spoon who made sure her friend, her only and best friend, went to each appointment. Diamond Tiara scoffed, “But like I keep telling you, I don’t even remember what happened. I just remember crying because I…I remembered some bad memories…”   “What kind of memories…?” Silver asked reluctantly. “The school…” Silver Spoon looked away from her friend, wincing as her own memories were starting to resurface. “We said we would never talk about that place again.” “I know Spoony, but, maybe we should…it changed us, y’know?” “We had to change or…you know what would’ve happened so don’t make me say it!” Silver snapped. Suddenly a great roar echoed from the forest to their far left. A whistling sound could suddenly be heard getting louder and louder with each passing second. At that moment, something orange struck the ground before them and skidded across till it stopped halfway onto the other side of the road, leaving upturned earth in its wake like a trail. “What the hay was that?!” Diamond shrieked. The two fillies then looked towards the tree line where they saw the orange blur emerge from and watched as a giant Timberwolf burst from the forest and landed with a thunderous boom that echoed through the ground. The Alpha looked around, to and fro, searching for its prey, sniffing the air for any trace of its sent. It was then that its sensitive ears picked up on the sounds of two screaming fillies in the distance. Within a few bounds the beast was upon Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon, both fillies hugging each other in pure terror at the giant beast above them. The Alpha opened its giant maw, sap dripped from its mouth like drool, splattering the ground as it eyed the two fillies. Diamond and Silver held each other tight, shutting their eyes as they awaited the painful death that was about to befall them. “HEY!!!” The Alpha and two fillies looked in the direction of the crater. Ophidian was slowly walking towards them, clutching his left arm. Dirt stained his orange scales, smeared with blood and dotted with blotchy bruises all over his body, still, the fervor in the Entity’s eyes did not die out, and it burned with the intensity of his avaricious fury. “YOU’RE MINE!!!” Ophidian dashed for the Alpha and cocked back his right fist, he then thrust it forward striking the Alpha on the snout and sending it flying back into the clearing. The teenage dragon stood, arm outstretched as he panted from the attack. He then looked to the two fillies who were on the ground, both looking at him with confused expressions, as if they didn’t know whether to thank him or scream. Unfortunately, the Alpha wasn’t going to give them time to contemplate which as it rose up from the ground. Its busted snout reconstructed itself, and once repaired the beast roared at the dragon who hurt it. Ophidian roared back, but he knew this was bad, he was on his last legs, and if he didn’t score a decisive blow the Alpha would surely kill him. There was only one other recourse. Ophidian dashed for the wolf, kicking up a dust cloud in his wake. Faster and faster he ran, making his way closer to his foe. The Alpha had had enough of its prey fighting tooth and nail and opened its mouth, parts of the jaw and body opened up at the same time to expand its biting radius. Ophidian then jumped straight for the monsters mouth, once in range, the Alpha brought down both halves of its mouth, ingesting the dragon into its gullet. The creature gave a satisfied lick of its chops and then roared triumphantly. But there was no reason for the Alpha to celebrate. Within the body of the beast, Ophidian could already feel the magic of the Alpha, his body absorbing it little by little. He used just enough to heal his more superficial wounds, but the rest he funneled into power. Suddenly the Alpha’s body began heat up, at first it fanned itself with a paw, but soon found out that the sweltering heat was only getting hotter and hotter. The Alpha then looked towards its stomach as a fiery orange glow began to build from within his stomach, the beast then ran around frantically, knowing what was about to happen. The Alpha then sat on his haunches, ears drooping; he then reached behind his back and pulled out a sign that read “Uh-Oh”. And with that, the Alpha exploded from the inside out, pieces of wood turning into burning ciders as they sailed through air and turned to ash. Diamond and Silver ducked down at the sight of the explosion and waited for it all to end. When there didn’t seem to be anything else raining down around them, the two fillies dared to take a peek at what was left. Charred earth and grass colored the ground where the dragon stood; all remnants of the Alpha Timberwolf were either in flames or ash. Ophidian then inhaled and let loose his own triumphant roar, and then he collapsed onto ground, completely spent. Diamond Tiara stood up and looked at the dragon from a distance as Silver Spoon scanned the area for anymore unwanted surprises. “Di we should go and tell somepony what happened. Di, are you listening?!” “Not yet Silver…c’mon, we’re helping him.” “WHAT?!” “You heard me now go and get my butler Randolph! Run now, hurry!” “Twi…I know I have to, but what if she doesn’t even want to see me?” “Spike, you can’t keep avoiding Apple Bloom. You were able to ask Rarity’s forgiveness and she gave it to you, what’s so different now?” “Twilight, she…With Rarity it was mainly one sided, on my part, but with Apple Bloom, she like-liked me the same way Adara and Scootaloo are about each other! And after that boneheaded suggestion about herds and turning into Ophidian’s host, how can she even look at me?!” “Spike, when Scootaloo and I used the blue light of Hope to reach you, most of the hope energy didn’t just come from all of us; Apple Bloom was a big contributor to that power. She believed that you would come back and she never stopped believing. A filly like Apple Bloom won’t turn you away Spike, just try.” “………I’ll try.” ~~~ Spike walked to Sweet Apple Acres, he knew this was going to be tough. The young drake had apologized to Rarity, and despite everything he did, the unicorn mare knew that his actions were influenced by the Entity that had possessed him. Still, that didn’t make him feel less guilty, since it was his desire to own Rarity and make her his that allowed Ophidian to take him over and turn him into a worse monster than ever. But out of the two ponies, Spike knew he hurt Apple Bloom the worst. She had genuinely cared about him, and what did do? “I tried to have them both because I couldn’t accept that Rarity cared about me the same way she does Sweetie Belle…” Spike sighed ruefully. “Still, Twilight’s right, I have to at least try and say I’m sorry…even if it means getting apple bucked into the next town.” Spike started to see Sweet Apple Acres come into view. The welcoming feeling of the entrance gates felt like he was about to step through the gates of Tartarus. Yet, knowing that a verbal tongue lashing and possible physical bashing was possibly in store for him on the other side, Spike continued onward. The purple dragon looked around the homestead, at the big red barn, the house, and the orchard in the distance. Granny Smith was on the porch of the house, rocking back and forth in her chair lazily. Her eyes closed as she snored lightly. When Spike looked towards the orchard, he spotted Apple Bloom under one of the trees. She had a pencil in her mouth, scribbling away at the paper that was laid on a smooth piece of wood. Her head would pop up and Apple Bloom would stare at, well, everything, as if taking it all in and thinking critically of it. Afterwards she would return back to the paper and scribble some more. Spike carefully made his way towards the filly, steeling himself for what was to come. When he walked right up to the yellow filly and he gulped. “H-Hi Apple Bloom…” The youngest apple sibling looked up from her paper and blinked a few times before registering who it was that was standing before her. “Oh, hey Spike! Ah didn’t know you were comin’ over.” Spike rubbed the back of his head nervously, and with a slight bit of confusion as to why this was the initial reaction. “S-Sorry if it’s a bad time, I can come back later if you want?!” Apple Bloom shook her head. “Uh-uh, you’re fine, but could ya move to the side please, yer kinda blockin’ my view.” Spike jumped and quickly sidestepped to his right, giving Apple Bloom an unobstructed view of her home. Apple Bloom noticed how Spike was still standing and smiled at him. “Y’know you can sit by me, Ah don’t mind,” said Apple Bloom. Spike once again gulped and accepted her invitation. The young drake sat at her left side, keeping a good gap between them. Spike leaned over just a smudge to see what the young filly was up to. From the looks of it, she was drawing something. It wasn’t so much a doodle; in fact, it looked more like blueprints, with tiny words scribbled to the side like notes. Curious, Spike looked to Apple Bloom. “Um, AB, what are you drawing?” “Just some stuff to help out on the farm, Applejack and Big Macintosh have been talkin’ about expandin’ the farm a bit, but they never got around to it. So Ah thought Ah give it a shot, see what Ah could come up with,” said Apple Bloom. “And how’s it going so far?” Apple Bloom moved the plaque and paper closer so Spike could see it. Spike had to admit, he was impressed. Plans for a water irrigation system for the fields, additions to the house and ideas for a possible second home, and expansion of the apple cellar to accommodate more apples, as well as a way to keep them fresher longer, along with a room to store cider, all of it was laid bare upon the paper and with impressive detail. “Wow Apple Bloom, this is great! Looks like you really did find your special talent, huh?” “Mmm-hmm, Ah owe it to Ion for helpin’ me realize it. Now if Ah can help Scootaloo and Sweetie figure out there’s, and hopefully help Babs out too, the Cutie Mark Crusaders will have finally reached their goal!” Spike smiled inwardly, he found it reassuring that Apple Bloom, even after getting the one thing she wanted, that never stopped her from helping her friends achieve their goals, to earn their marks. A selfless attitude, even after getting what she was questing, striving for, practically almost close to making a deal with Discord to get a cutie mark, her friends never left her mind, and it made Spike’s heart sting. “That’s…That’s great Apple Bloom, and I know Sweetie and Scoots will get theirs soon too.” Apple Bloom nodded in affirmation, she then retrieved her board and paper and went back to writing. Spike just sat there watching silently. He waited and waited, knowing that all of this niceness was just the calm before the storm, or maybe she was just rubbing in how selfless she was as compared to him? No…Apple Bloom isn’t like that. She’s like Applejack in some ways, neither of them like to dance around the subject; they just get right to the point. So why hasn’t she said anything?! Maybe she’s waiting for me to say I’m sorry? But…how can I truly apologize to her… “Um…Apple Bloom…?” The young filly glanced over to the drake and put the pencil down. “What’s up?” “I’m sorry…” Apple Bloom titled her head in confusion. “Sorry for what?” Spike looked at the filly dumbfounded. Did she really just ask why he was saying sorry?! Spike stood up and looked at Apple Bloom incredulously. “For what!? For hurting your feelings about that whole…herd thing…And foalnapping you and Rarity! And for me turning into a giant dragon monster! And…And…And for not helping Sweetie Belle when she got hit by Nightmare Moon! That’s what! So, I’m sorry! I’m really, really sorry!” At this point Spike’s eyes were tearing up as he, more or less, begged for the filly’s forgiveness. He looked down as he scrunched in eyes closed, preparing himself for whatever was to come. But what happened next surprised him. He heard the rustling of the grass where Apple Bloom was sitting. He was also aware of the shifting of her position, feeling that her eyes were now upon him. Spike then felt her hoof on his shoulder and he flinched, but it wasn’t pressing hard, it was soft, gentle even. Spike dared to look up, opening one eye to see what was about to happen or was happening. To his surprise, what he saw was not an angry, sad, or even infuriated gaze, but a smiling face instead. “Spike, Ah forgave ya a long time ago.” “B-B-But how could you?! After what I did to you, Rarity, our friends! What I became! How I hurt your feel –!” “You were possessed by a monster snake from another universe and it turned ya into that greedy version of yerself, but scarier and kinda bigger. But that wasn’t really you.” Apple Bloom explained. “And, as far as my feelins’ well…even after what ya said – and ya know it was a darn stupid thing to ask right?” Spike nodded. “Good. Anyway, Ah still cared about you Spike. Ah don’t think Ah can stop carin’. But…Ah also know, especially after what happened with Sweetie and Scoots, that Ah still cared about ya, even if you did suggest something really…really, really out there, Ah still liked ya. What ya did hurt me, but the hurt’s gone, Ah don’t want to hang onto it, especially after what happened to ya. Also…if you really want to try and woo Rarity, Ah won’t stop ya.” Spike’s gaze lowered at the mention of the unicorn’s name. “Well, you won’t have to worry about that. Rarity made it clear to me that she cares about me like she does Sweetie Belle. And before you ask, no, I’m not here to ask you to be my fillyfriend because I couldn’t be her coltfriend. I just wanted to tell you how sorry I was, and that I’d understand if you never wanted to see me or didn’t care about me anymore.” Apple Bloom deadpanned. “What did Ah just get through tellin’ ya?” “I know, I know, but I don’t deserve you, you should find somepony else who won’t turn into giant monster and treat you like a possession!” The young apple filly snorted, she then leaned forward and kissed Spike on the cheek, making his face heat up and his spine tingle from the act. With wide eyes he watched as Apple Bloom moved away, her cheeks a shade of red like her mane. Spike unconsciously placed his claw over the spot where she kissed him as if he couldn’t believe it had happened. “Apple Bloom…?” “Ah choose who Ah want to like-like, and that’s you Spike. That monster ain’t you, so don’t go thinkin’ that it is. And if you still think you don’t deserve me then prove that you do!” Spike felt hope spark in his heart, but still the doubts were there, nagging at him and acting as a constant reminder of what he really was. “But what if I lose control again…?” At this Apple Bloom smirked. “Then I’ll be there to knock some sense into ya.” The dragon and filly chuckled at that, and for the first time, Spike felt genuinely at peace since the incident. Maybe it was possible for him to be a better dragon, to overcome his inherent draconic greed and be the kind of drake worthy of being happy with Apple Bloom. This feeling in his heart wasn’t the same as the infatuation he felt for Rarity, although he was infatuated with Apple Bloom, it felt more real, and reciprocated. Little did the drake and filly know, they were being carefully watched from the fence, well out of earshot, but not so far as to not be able to see what was going on. “So…is it going alright?” Sweetie Belle asked. A violet-pink star symbol appeared over the forehead of Proselyte as he too watched Spike and Apple Bloom. “I’d say there’s hope for them, they’ll be fine,” said the Entity of Compassion. A gray unicorn filly, Dinky, sighed contently and happily as she watched the spectacle from their vantage point, resting her chin on her surrogate brother’s head. “That’s good, I’m glad that they’ll be able to work it out. By the way, there is something I’ve been meaning to ask,” said Dinky. “Yes?” “Why is Sweetie Belle standing so close to you?” Dinky asked with a hint of annoyance. Proselyte took his eyes off the dragon and filly and glanced to his left. Indeed, Sweetie Belle was standing close to him, real close, close enough that he was now noticing her fur brushing against his wing. And she was giving him a dreamy eyed look. For some reason this made the Entity of Compassion a little flustered. “W-Well, they are her friends and I wanted to be able to help if I was needed. Besides, Dinky, she saved my life, remember?” Dinky sighed reluctantly. “I know Sweetie did, and I’m glad she did! I just want to know why she’s practically trying to mesh together with you!” “Because I like Proselyte, that’s why. And I want to get to know him better.” Sweetie Belle explained with a hint of annoyance at Dinky’s words. Dinky hopped down from Proselyte’s back and got between the colt and filly, pushing them back till they were at least two arm lengths away. She then turned towards Sweetie Belle and stared her down. “Like him?! I thought you liked other fillies not colts?!” “Rarity and Star told me that a filly can like fillies and colts at the same time. It’s called being bi – bicycle – bi-curious…whatever, point is I like Proselyte.” Dinky raised an eyebrow at the explanation. “Uh-huh, until you can figure it out, no dating Lyte!” Sweetie Belle now got in Dinky’s face, their horns crossing as their respective magical auras flared around their horns. “And why not?!” “Because I’m his little sister and I say so that’s why!” “You’re not even related!” “So, Sparkler is adopted! And when Miss Fluttershy marries my Mommy, Lyte will officially be my big brother!” Dinky shot back. “Okay, so, that doesn’t give you the right to be possessive!” “I’m not being possessive; I just want to make sure my big bro doesn’t go dating some filly who doesn’t have her head on straight!” Proselyte didn’t like how this conversation was going. So, being the compassionate peacemaker he was, the Entity of Compassion decided to intervene and settle the dispute between the two fillies. “Dinky, Sweetie, let’s just take a moment to calm down and –” “BUTT OUT LYTE!” Dinky and Sweetie shouted. Proselyte zipped his lip and took a cautionary five steps back. “I don’t need your permission to date him, Dinky!” “Well excuse me for looking out for him, Sweetie Belle!” Great Life Entity fillies can be scary sometimes…and somehow I can tell that this won’t end well, for me mostly… (Far away in the city of Manehattan) Canterlot was the capital of Equestria, and it could also be argued that it was a city of the unicorns. But if that was true then Manehattan was the city of the earth ponies. Built by the strength of their backs and their ingenuity, this metropolis towered and sprawled out for miles across. Although the city was populated by more than one tribe, the majority of the population – much like in regard to Canterlot and unicorns – was inhabited by earth ponies. Indeed, this densely populated city was a bustling hub of all things innovative and modern. And the perfect place for Parallax to hide in. Ever since his jailbreak and split up with Ophidian, the Entity of Fear needed a place to remain hidden. Being in his changeling form allowed him to blend in with much of the populace, but he couldn’t stay in the small villages and towns that he passed through, and the Hive was definitely out ever since Chrysalis and Predator were working together to heal the changeling race. So that only left one option, Manehattan. With so many ponies living close together, and the ponies themselves barely batting an eye at the occasional strange happenings, brushing it off by the infamous saying “Only in Manehattan”, it was the perfect place to hide, at least until he could figure out what the next move was. Currently, the Entity of Fear was staying in a cheap apartment. Living under the guise of a pegasus stallion. He chose that form so that he could freely use his wings without worrying about changing back to use them, however, what he didn’t account for was that Manehattan had a limit to how long a pegasus pony could stay in the air, of course this did not apply to those ponies in the Weather Patrol, emergency services, and construction. Parallax was currently looking out the window of his apartment; he spared his living area a glance. A couch, a table with a single chair, and a small kitchen off to the side, the wallpaper was old and looked torn in inconspicuous locations. All in all it was a dump and he knew it, but Parallax bore with it, it was the best he could do without getting caught, and there was no real need to draw attention to himself. He then looked back towards the window, his room giving him a perfect view of the Manehattan skyline as he watched the sun dip below the horizon and the moon bega rise. Time to go out. Parallax made his way down the flights of stairs and into the lobby, not even bothering to nod to the landlord before exiting the building. The Entity of Fear found Manehattan to be quite a different place when day beget night, it seemed more alive, and equally dangerous. There was a slight fear that hung on the wind as it blew through the city, and it made him feel great. Parallax began his nightly walk through the city streets, it wasn’t unusual for him do this, there were many ponies who came out at night. Some had jobs that required them to work only at night, others, mostly the younger, teenage ponies, went out to go “clubbing”. Of course, there were seedier places, places often known infamously as the “red light district”. Parallax wasn’t an idiot, he knew what went on in those places, but he wasn’t interested in that, no, what he was interested in was the crime that so often permeated these places. Fear was what Parallax needed to stay strong and powerful. And he did so by finding unknowing victims and scaring the living daylights out of them, to the point where they were nearly comatose from having their worst fear brought to life before them. Of course he knew how to moderate himself, unlike Ophidian. If he brought about too much fear and panic his fellow Entities would surely come running to Manehattan and seek him out. In a way, Parallax was grateful for what Princess Twilight did to him. True he did not have access to his true powers and form, but he was undetectable. The same could be said of Ophidian, but he didn’t know or care at the moment. His little stents into the night allowed him to bring fear at random and without warning. He found a mare couple, making out in the alley a few blocks from where he was living. It was a good horror movie scenario, and it would be very easy to kill them, but again, he didn’t need the attention. Luckily, both these mares feared the same thing so it was easy for Parallax to change shape. He changed his coat color to pitch black and blended into the shadows, silently hovering over the street lamps as to not make a sound on the pavement. Once in the alley he got into position at the other end, dropping to the ground as to cause some noise. The two mares gasped in surprise at the sound of trashcans falling over and glass bottles shattering. One of the mares, a unicorn, stepped forward and stared down into the darkness. Parallax let the golden flames of his magic ignite, illuminating the alley for a brief moment before it went dark again. There was however one other source of light, a lamp that hung over the backdoor of a business. Suddenly the sound of approaching hoofsteps echoed in the alley, step by step they echoed louder as they got closer. Both mares were unnerved by this, not knowing who or what was going to come out under that light. Just then a single black hoof stepped into the light, followed closely by another, and finally the full body. It was a stallion, dressed in a black suit with a red tie, his head and neck were completely white, but the stallion had no face whatsoever. The mares knew of this being, an infamous urban legend boogey man known as Slendermane.   Tentacles of darkness started to creep out from his back, slowly extending out towards the mares. The unicorn mare was the first to scream and the second, an earth pony mare, screamed just as loudly in sheer terror. They were about to bolt from the alley, but two tentacles wrapped around their left hind hooves and started dragging them to Slendermane. They clawed at the ground with their hooves, screaming and yelling the whole time. Parallax was using his magical abilities to create a sound dampening field within the alley, blocking out their terrified screams, and an illusion spell to make it look like there was nopony in the alley. He then drew them in closer and closer, giving some slack as to let them think they could get away, but then he would wrap around them tighter and continue to drag them towards him. Parallax could feel their fear, absorbing it and letting it energize the cells in his body. These two were a good catch, but he knew he shouldn’t linger. Parallax then loosened the tentacle around the unicorn mare; she seemed to notice and quickly wrenched herself free. But Parallax continued to drag the earth pony mare, hearing her beg and call out for her lover to save her. The unicorn mare didn’t hesitate; she charged her horn and fired a magic bolt right at Slendermane. Parallax could sense the amount of magic in the attack, it wasn’t that powerful, not even close. But still, he let the attack hit him in the chest, pretending to be hurt as he let out an unholy screeching sound and releasing the earth pony mare as he retreated into the shadows. Parallax released the spells and let them run out of the alley and to whatever law enforcement station they could find. But he would be long gone. Three hours passed since nightfall and Parallax was having a good night. He had found two other couples, a group of construction workers, and some security guards watching an abandoned warehouse. His hunger would be satiated for a good while, at least for a few months barring any unforeseen run ins with the Positive Entities or the Princesses. Just as he was about to call it a night Parallax heard something in the distance. “Well lookey who came out past her bedtime gals.” Parallax looked to the direction of the sound. On the other side of the street were three older looking fillies. One of them, the leader from what he could infer, was a unicorn mare with auburn coat and a flowing dark brown mane; her eyes were a fierce color of violet as she stared down at the younger filly in front of them. This other filly was bronze colored, with a light-red mane, freckles, and green eyes.   “What the hay do youse three want?” The younger filly asked with venom. “Heh, wow, look at the attitude on little Babsy,” said the mare to the leaders left. “Yeah, ever since she came back from that Podunk town she’s gotten uppity,” said the mare on the right. “Yes she has, and it’s getting a little annoying. You know the pecking order Babs, you don’t say no to me. I’m the big mare around here.” Babs scoffed at the older filly before her. “You ain’t nothin’ special Grace. I used to think that there couldn’t be ponies as bad as youse anywhere but here, but when I was in Ponyville, I got to see that there are other stuck up little rich witches out there who think they’re better than everypony. So don’t go flaunting that status crap around me!” Grace narrowed her gaze at the Babs Seed. “That’s Graceful Step to you Seed!” “Don’t care; I’m done with you and yer bullyin’. The only reason yer even here is because yer scared!” Babs accused. All three older fillies looked at Babs in confusion. “What the hay would I be afraid of you?!” Grace asked. “Because I’ve started the Cutie Mark Crusaders, because all the blank flanks that you make fun of are comin’ together and aren’t afraid of youse anymore. See, I know how youse think, because while I was in Ponyville, I became youse, I bullied my own cousin and her friends because I was afraid of bein’ made fun of by some other stuck up rich fillies!” Babs Seed then took a confident step forward, making Graceful Step and her cronies stepped back in surprise of what she was going to do. “I almost became youse, and because of it, I almost ruined my friendship with my cousin, who did nothin’ but welcome meh with open hooves and treat meh like we’ve been friends forever! No more, I won’t let youse keep makin’ other ponies feel like I did and become somethin’ like what I was! It ends here! So, get ready to be knocked off your pedestal, because it’s a long way down and there ain’t no safety net! Now get out of my way, I got milk to go buy!” Babs then shoved her way through Graceful Step and the two mares flanking her. The sudden shove caused Grace to fall into a pile of trash that had been put on the sidewalk for pick up. The young bronze filly glanced at what she had done, normally Babs would’ve been terrified at what she had done and be begging for forgiveness. But that was the old her, the new Babs was stronger and wasn’t afraid of Grace. So she kept on walking, ignoring the unicorn mare. Big mistake, thought Parallax. The unicorn filly got up from the pile looking over her pristine and well groomed coat, now ruined by the smell of garbage and whatever foul liquid leaked out from the torn plastic. Grace glared at Babs with fury; she then lit up her horn and aimed it at Babs. The bronze filly felt her body seize up; she then felt a tugging sensation pull her back to Graceful Step, bringing her face to face with the rich filly. “You little bitch! How dare you! How dare you think you’re better than me! You need to be taught some respect!” Grace then flung Babs into the nearest alleyway, making her crash into some trashcans. The two earth pony mares looked at Grace with a bit of worry. “Um, Grace, be careful, roughing her up is alright, but you don’t want to hurt her too badly.” “SHUT UP! You two stand guard here, I’m going to show her to respect her betters, and I’ll take great pleasure in it! And if you two don’t want a piece of this, you’ll do what I say!” Grace yelled. The two mares gulped, they then turned their backs to Grace and took up lookout positions at the entrance to the alley. Grace ducked into the alley, glaring at the earth filly that dared to stand up to her. Babs was busy picking herself up from the ground, coughing from the impact that knocked the air out of her lungs. She didn’t have time to get her bearings however, as Graceful Step backhoofed Babs across her face, sending the filly falling onto her back. Grace then used her magic to pick Babs up and slam her against the wall. The magic aura holding Babs made her head straighten up so that Grace could stare her dead in the eye. “Still think you’re better than me?! If you beg and promise to be my good little filly, then maybe I’ll overlook all of this.” “Go to Tartarus!” Parallax stood by and watched this all go down, the Entity of Fear was about to leave but stopped when he heard the painful grunting noises that were echoing from the alley. Something about this whole situation was familiar. Although he sensed the sickening glow of Willpower emanating from the filly known as Babs, there was also a touch of fear there. Fear that her life would be taken in that alley, a fear that reminded Parallax of himself. It was the fear of dying; of being crushed by the world around him or eaten by a predator five times his size. The strong preying upon the weak, instilling fear within them, but he overcame that fear, by becoming the very embodiment of its power and eventually its source. Parallax gnashed his teeth, there was a growing urge to act that he was trying to fight. Another painful grunt was released and that was it. Parallax engulfed himself in yellow flames and transformed into demonic batpony, he soared overhead and dropped down with a powerful stomp. The two mares standing sentry looked behind them and saw the batpony. The stallion had dark gray fur, it’s wings black as night and twice the size of normal wings, it’s fangs were large and teeth sharp. The demonic batpony turned its glowing yellow eyes at the two mares, making them scream bloody murder and run with their tails between their legs. Parallax then turned his eyes on Graceful Step. The unicorn had ceased her beating of Babs and was now cowering in fear from the sight of the creature before her. “You like to bring fear to the weak! You think you are strong?! You don’t know what real strength – real power is! I am power! I am shadow in the night! I. AM. FEAR!” Parallax flared his wings and allowed his yellow aura to shine forth. Graceful Step screamed so loud he thought her vocal cords would bust apart, and the fear energy he felt emanating from her made him even stronger. The older filly then went hoarse, her eyes rolling into the back of her head as she fell to the ground. Grace’s legs would twitch here and there, but she was not dead, merely scared to the point of shock inducing. Parallax closed his wings and snorted, satisfied with his work as he began to exit the alley. “H-Hey…” Parallax stopped. He then glanced to his right, at Babs who was slowly picking herself up, clutching at her midsection as a little blood trickled from her mouth. “T-Thank you…” The Entity of Fear lowered his gaze; his horn then glowed and flashed a bright yellow. When the light faded Parallax was gone, transformed into just another average pegasus stallion as he watched some ponies gather around the alley and help the young filly. Parallax then blended back into the shadows, his glowing eyes fading away. He then looked up into the sky, to the light of the white moon. “Don’t you think that that little act of heroism means anything Entity, not my style at all, not for one who evokes fear. Because this is where I stay…in the shadows of the night…” (Sometime Later) Applejack and Ion were lying atop a hill that overlooked the orchard. The light of day was just cresting over the horizon, ushering in a new day for the farmer and Entity of Willpower. Even though their relationship was still that of coltfriend and marefriend, that still didn’t mean that they couldn’t have little competitions between each other now and then. The two of them had just got through with a race to see who could buck down the most apples before the sun rose up, and unfortunately it ended in a tie. It didn’t really bother them that much; it just meant no bragging rights for either of them. The green stallion laid on his back, enjoying the cool air and warmth of the sun as it shone down on his body. But there was another warmth he was enjoying even more, that of Applejack, who was currently laying right beside him, their sides touching enough for their fur to mash together. He enjoyed this feeling, so many times had he sensed other life forms settle close to their lovers and loved ones, whether out of a need for security or a need for comfort, it was all the same, they wanted to be close to the one they cared for. It was funny, in all the eons that Ion had lived, he never imagined himself in this situation. “This is nice,” said Applejack. “What is exactly?” “This peaceful feelin’, nothin’ threatenin’ to destroy Ponyville or the world, and especially nothin’ threatenin’ our friends, that’s what Ah meant.” Applejack clarified. Ion sighed, “I agree, but Parallax and Ophidian are still out there. Butcher may be compliant for now, but who knows for how long. If I could I’d be out there searching for them.” Applejack glanced over to her coltfriend and frowned a little. “But ya can’t sense them like before. The seals Twilight put on them make it so ya can’t. Ah know she didn’t mean for that to happen, but searching for a changeling is like searching for a needle in a haystack. And that Ophidian…well, he should pop up sooner or later, not many of ‘em around ‘sides Spike.” “I know, and I also know that their powers are sealed, but apparently not all of it was sealed. Some of their abilities are still active, or else they wouldn’t have escaped so easily. But like I said, Butcher concerns me…” “Ya said yerself he was different, he could’ve escaped with the others, but he didn’t. If ya ask me, somethin’s changed about him. He wasn’t like the monster we fought when he first got here.” Ion let out another sigh of frustration. “Guess I just can’t stop worrying about them. My light sits at the center of the spectrum, Proselyte’s light may keep us balanced, but it’s the light of Will that keeps the negative emotions in check.” Applejack groaned a little in annoyance from her lover’s worries. She then smirked as a thought crossed her mind. Applejack, without warning, rolled on her side and pinned Ion beneath her, staring down with her emerald green eyes into his own. The Entity of Willpower’s face went crimson red at how Applejack positioned herself. His mind scrambled to utter a word but it all came out as gibberish. “Stop yer worryin’ sugarcube. When the time comes we’ll deal with ‘em. We ain’t as unprepared as we were when this first happened. We know what to expect.” Applejack then leaned forward and kissed Ion on the lips lightly. Ion felt all the tension that was building up inside him melt away, the only thing that his mind was occupied with was how soft Applejack’s lips were, and her natural earthy scent. When she broke the kiss, Ion looked up at the mare’s blushing, freckled face. “It’s time for us to enjoy what we earned,” said Applejack. “And that would be?” “The future of course, ours, yer kin, and my friends’.” Ion admitted she did have a point. They had gone through a lot in just the one year they had been living in Equestria, heartaches, awkward moments, disputes, mistrust, kindness, love, friendship, and many other events that shaped the Entities into who they are now. Ion, Adara, Proselyte, and Predator never imagined themselves to be wholly rounded beings capable of feeling more than just the emotion their lights represented. They had experienced a myriad of emotions, and all of them from mortal beings. Ion didn’t know what the future had in store for them, where his relationship with Applejack would lead, what the other Negative Entities would do, or how his fellow Positive Entities would fair in their individual relationships. But such was the new life they were granted, and Ion and the others were determined to make the best of it.