//------------------------------// // Chapter 20 – Harmony’s End // Story: Fragments of Memories // by Starwin //------------------------------// Fragments of Memories By Starwin Chapter 20 – Harmony’s End The rain was really coming down now. It pelted the roofs in an endless clatter and it drummed upon the streets in freezing waves. Even under cover it wasn’t dry as the relentless wind pushed the droplets sideways. Fluttershy and Applejack were already soaked, so a little more rain didn’t really make things much worse. The two seemed to be the only ponies brave enough, or perhaps, foolish enough, to be out in this storm. Applejack still didn’t know where they were headed. She could hardly see anything much beyond Fluttershy’s yellow coat. The tops of the buildings around them were lost in low hanging clouds. The sheets of rain made the shops across the street nothing more than shadowy shapes. But, she did have to admit, it was hard to keep struggling about her feelings towards Twilight Dash, when she couldn’t even stop her teeth from chattering. If they didn’t get out of this rain soon, they were going to freeze. “Flu-flu-flutter-shy,” stammered Applejack. Her whole body was shaking now from the chilly rain. “We have’ta get indoors!” “We’re almost there,” said Fluttershy, her words hardly audible over the constant pounding of the rain. It wasn’t very long at all until the sidewalk ended. For a very brief moment, Applejack thought they had left town again. But where the sidewalk ended, a well kept stone path took its place. The path became a large familiar bridge. Beneath it the river rushed with an almost overflowing torrent of water from the rain. And at the far end of the bridge were… “The gates to the castle!” cried Applejack. “We’re going to the castle?!” She came to an abrupt halt. “Yes,” said Fluttershy, she turned to face the soaked earth pony. “Haven’t ya’ll been listening to me,” said Applejack. “Twilight Dash is the last pony I wana see right now!” “She is the only pony you need to see,” answered Fluttershy. “Until you confront her about whatever it is you are feeling, you’re never going to feel better.” Apprehensively, Applejack stared at the locked gates behind the pegasus. She couldn’t see the castle, just a dim outline through the curtain of rain. “We can’t even get in. Now come on, let’s get outa this storm!” shouted Applejack, louder than she needed to be heard. She started to turn away. “No!” said Fluttershy in the loudest, possibly most determined tone that Applejack had ever heard her use. Applejack halted. “If you don’t want to be friends with Twilight Dash, that’s fine. But you’re the one that needs to tell her that! Not anypony else!” “She doesn’t even remember me!” shouted Applejack. “They, whatever it is in there! That ain’t Twilight! And that sure as hay ain’t Dash!” “That still doesn’t give you the right to abandon them!” shouted Fluttershy. Applejack couldn’t tell if those were tears or just the rain streaming down her face, most likely both. “You can’t just run away from your friends-” Applejack opened her mouth to protest, but Fluttershy kept going “-you have to be there for them. Always. No matter what! “You think it doesn’t hurt me to see Dash like this?” continued Fluttershy. “She was my best friend. I’m not going to give up on her. And neither are you. Now come on! We’re going in there, and all of us are going to be there for her!” She tried to tug Applejack forward, but the cowpony managed to yank her hoof away before retreating several steps. “I’m scared of them, okay!” blurted out Applejack. Whatever Fluttershy had been expecting, it wasn’t that. For a moment she seemed to have lost her voice. “You? You’re… afraid of Twilight Dash?” asked Fluttershy in surprise. “But you aren’t afraid of anything.” “That ain’t true, there are lots of things I’m afraid of,” said Applejack. She looked away, taking a deep breath and closing her eyes to gather her strength. It was time for the truth she hadn’t wanted to admit. “You remember back in the library, when TD was all whirly magic thingy?” Fluttershy nodded. “And you and me flew up and touched them and got sucked into, I dono, their mind or something?” Again, Fluttershy nodded, although, she looked slightly pale, obviously not remembering the memory very fondly. “Did’ya… feel anything strange when you got pulled in?” asked Applejack. “I guess I felt a little tingly all over,” said Fluttershy. Applejack shook her head. “No, did you feel like… you weren’t supposed to leave?” asked Applejack. Fluttershy shook her head, not understanding. “It was like I was drawn to them. Like… like I just had to touch their hoof and everything would be alright. Except, when I did, I felt as if I was losing part of myself. Like I was becoming part of them… “I didn’t think too much of it at the time, but… ever since, I’ve had a dream… a nightmare really,” continued Applejack, she gulped, finding her throat oddly dry. “Where I would wake up and Twilight Dash would be standing over me… and then they would pull me in too…” “Dash would never do…” began Fluttershy, but Applejack interrupted. “That’s just it. That thing ain’t Dash or Twilight,” said Applejack. “There is no telling what it’ll do. They make me uncomfortable. They make me… afraid. I’ve been trying to be as nice as I can. But…. I’m scared of them.” She looked towards Fluttershy for some kind of argument, but the pegasus just stared at her with an unreadable expression. “You think I’m being stupid…” Applejack looked away ashamed. Fluttershy moved closer to Applejack before embracing her in a hug. The rain continued to pelt them, but somehow, it didn’t feel as cold now with Fluttershy pressed against her. “Of course I don’t think you’re being stupid,” whispered Fluttershy. “I’m afraid of things all the time. But I know that my friends are there to help me. To be there with me when I am afraid. And when I remember that, things don’t seem as scary. “I’m sure that whoever Twilight Dash turns out to be, she can still be our friend and that she isn’t that scary.” “I gu—” began Applejack. However, her words were cutoff by a thunderous boom that made the very ground shake. The rain abruptly stopped falling. A blazing pinnacle of rainbow light spun upwards through the clouds, tearing them open into a great wide circular gap. The bright blue sky shone through overhead, with the sun nearly at its zenith. “Oh no,” whimpered Applejack. “Oh no, oh no, oh no…” Charging down from the light, riding on rainbow fire, was Twilight Dash, her eyes ablaze with terrible magic. Discord moved about the unnaturally white space of the unconscious mind, his hands searching through invisible folds. Every now and then his arm or head might suddenly vanish as he peaked into a spot that looked like nothing more than empty air to everypony else. “I’m not really so sure I like him poking around in our mind,” whispered Dash. “How do we know we can trust him?” “First of all,” said Discord, his head currently invisible. “We’re inside your mind, so whispering doesn’t make your thoughts any quieter. And secondly, you don’t know that you can trust me. But you trust Pinkie, and she trusts me. So you should trust her, trusting me to help you trust in me!” “That doesn’t even make sense!” retorted Spike. Dash nodded in confused agreement. “It’s not like we have much of a choice,” added Twilight. “Without Discord we are stranded here. And who knows what Harmony is up to…” “Well it’s only been a few minutes, darling,” said Rarity. “I hardly think there is very much that she could have done.” Twilight shook her head. “We have no idea how long it’s been,” answered Twilight. “We don’t have any reference to time in here. What feels like minutes to us might be hours in reality.” “Are you saying we could have been trapped in here for days?” exclaimed Pinkie. “But… but… I had a party planned tomorrow!” “Pinkie,” said Dash. “You have a party planned nearly every single day.” “Of course I do, silly! But that doesn’t make tomorrow’s party any less important,” explained Pinkie. “I doubt it’s been days,” said Twilight. “But there’s really no way to tell…” “Wild Heart,” said Spike suddenly remembering her. “I should have asked her. But she popped out of existence when we came in here. Maybe if we went back into a dream she could tell us?” “No time for that now!” called Discord. He looked like he was tugging at something, but whatever it was, nopony but him could see it. “I think I found our way to… umf… Har… Can somepony lend me a hand please?” “You mean a hoof,” corrected Pinkie. “Or a claw,” continued Discord with a jubilant smile. “Or really anything. This thing won’t budge!” Pinkie trotted over and took hold of Discord’s waist. She tugged at him, but neither of them moved. “Whatever it is, it’s really stuck!” cried Pinkie. “Come on guys! We need everyone!” “Everypony,” corrected Discord. Twilight and Rarity glanced at each other before trotting over and taking hold of Pinkie. Spike also took hold. Reluctantly, Dash hovered down grabbing onto Discord as well. “Everyone holding on?” asked Discord. “Here we go!” With a sudden jerk, all of them were yanked forward, pulled by Discord. Twilight and Rarity let out a cry of surprise. Dash shouted some name at Discord that was lost in the tumult. And Pinkie screamed with joy! The group was pulled down through the white into a space of whirling colors and shapes. A tunnel made of starlight formed around them as the companions all sped through it. It wasn’t like falling. Nor was it flying. Everything simply stayed still while they rushed by. Clusters of lightning flashed in enormous cobwebs. Shooting stars arched back and forth overhead. And billions and billions of tiny sparkling dots filled every direction. Then, as suddenly as their abrupt ride had started, it ended. Unceremoniously, the group tumbled out into someplace new, or rather the same. The world of white had returned. “Discord! What the hay!” shouted Dash angrily, getting back to her hooves. “That didn’t do… any… thing…” she trailed off as she saw that the others were all looking up into the black sky. It wasn’t white, not all of it. “Oh horse apples…” The floor was the same bright white as the realm of the unconscious mind. However, the sky was the darkest, most terrible black that Dash had ever seen. Floating between the land of light and dark, was a horrific looking pony. Four great wings of black fire were spread open upon its back. A mane of dark blue sprinkled with glittering star dust danced behind its head, parted in the front by a long pointed horn. Its coat was smooth white crystal that twisted the world behind it, while its eyes of blazing rainbow light were fixed upon the ponies below. And in the center of the pony’s chest was the twelve pointed purple star of the Element of Magic. “What… what is that?” asked Spike, pointing a claw up at the ominous form above them. “I am Nightmare Harmony,” spoke a thundering voice. “I will consume you, bringing you order, and darkness.” “That can’t be good,” said Pinkie. “Nightmare Moon and Harmony,” said Twilight. “Somehow, their minds have mixed together.” “Wait, wait,” said Dash. “Are you saying that they fused together?” “No, I don’t think so, not like how our body did,” said Twilight, with a shake of her head. “It’s more like their thoughts are tangled up in each other.” “So, very, very, not good than,” said Pinkie. “Enough! All of you will be silent,” said Nightmare Harmony. Her eyes glowed with a terrible darkness. Her horn ignited with swirling rainbow magic before a beam of black energy blasted out towards the friends. However, instead of traveling in a straight line, the beam bent sharply, taking a wrong turn. It deflected off to the side and vanished into the distance. Nightmare Harmony looked surprised, until she saw what had done it. Discord stood at the front of the group, his arms held up in the air. He had used his chaotic magic to redirect the spell. “So, once again the great deceiver stands before me,” said Nightmare Harmony coldly. “And once again he finds others to help him fight. What lies did he whisper in your ears? What promises did he make to you?” “He’s our friend,” said Pinkie, stepping forward. The dark goddess let out a cold laugh that sent a chill down everyponies’ spine. “Your friend?!” laughed Nightmare Harmony from above them. “Discord has no friends, he doesn’t even know the meaning of the word. It is his nature to turn on you, to toss you aside when something else suits him. “He was born evil. He will always be evil. You cannot change him. There is no gift, no reason great enough to make him any different. Even now, look how he plots against you.” From high above, Nightmare Harmony waved her hoof and Discords thoughts spread out across the sky for all of them to see. In several of the images, he stood atop Nightmare Harmony’s motionless form in triumph over her. But, in several others, it was Twilight, or Rarity, or… Pinkie, who was underfoot. “But… I thought…” stammered Pinkie, slightly teary eyed as she looked towards Discord. “What can I say, my sister knows me best,” said Discord with a shrug. “I was going to make it a surprise, maybe after the party you were going to throw for me. But I guess the cat’s out of the bag early.” “You lied to me,” said Pinkie, shaking her head in disbelief. “No, I simply told you what you wanted to hear so that I could use you to my own ends,” explained Discord. “There isn’t a difference,” said Rarity coldly. “Enough!” shouted Nightmare Harmony, her voice booming across the landscape of black and white. “You have all said enough. Now, you will say no more.” Her eyes glowed once again and her horn burned with magic. However there was no black beam this time. Instead, Nightmare Harmony seemed to shimmer away, replaced by a whirling portal of darkness. The friends began to slide towards it, pulled by some unseen force. Twilight tried to dig her hooves into the ground, but there was no real ground to dig into. “If you will not be silent,” echoed Nightmare Harmony’s voice from all around them. “Then I will simply have to lock you away someplace else, until I can be rid of you.” Spike was the first to go. He was pulled off his little feet and yanked up into the air. He fell helplessly towards the darkness, his claw outstretched towards Twilight, but he was well out of her reach. Before anypony else could even call out to him, Dash leapt into action, her wings buzzing. In a flash, she raced up to Spike and took hold of him, keeping him from falling in. However, she was fighting a losing battle too. No matter how hard she flapped her wings, both of them continued to move slowly towards the darkness. “Do something!” shouted Twilight, looking at Discord. “I guess for now it is still in my best interest to help,” said Discord, stroking his chin in thought. He seemed oddly unaffected by the draw of the ominous black portal. “After all, my sister is still a threat to me.” “Do something already!” cried Rarity. She had all four legs braced against the draw but still continued to slide forward. Discord snapped his fingers and for a moment, Twilight felt herself stop existing. It wasn’t like going to sleep, or forgetting something, it was like… like there had been nothing, forever and ever. Then, as suddenly as she had vanished, Twilight was pulled back into being. Existence resisted her return at first. It pushed back, trying to force her out, but something else kept her anchored. Another mind pulled her back from the brink of not being anything. Awareness and other senses began to return to her. She could smell the fresh air after the rain. She could feel the cold wind across her body. And she could see the world around her. She was flying up above the castle. The clouds overhead parted in a great circle around the city and the bright blue sky hung high above. Except, she wasn’t just Twilight. She was Dash, and Pinkie, and Rarity, and Spike. And all of them were Nightmare Harmony. All of their minds – except it seemed for Discord – had merged together into a mess of insanity. Thoughts collided and reformed into a hodgepodge of half completed nonsensical ideas. They had to work together. No, they had to stop this! A new outfit when there was time. They were flying! They didn’t like this at all! “What, what have you done?” demanded the pony that was all of them. “All of you should be silent.” “Silent? Why would we want that?” “I said be silent!” “No, we said be silent!” “Hey, can we land? I’m not so good with heights.” “Silence! This is not possible. None of you should have the power to resist my will.” “Our will.” Twilight was aware of both her physical senses, although they were duller than she remembered, and her mind. She could see what thoughts looked like. They didn’t have a single shape, but were always changing, moving and twisting. At times she was sure she could see what the thought was, words or images or something. But the moment she could see it, the thought would change and become something different. It was like the thought knew that she was watching it and it didn’t want to be seen. At the center of all the thoughts, its ominous darkness in sharp contrast to everything else, was the dark portal that Nightmare Harmony had created. Twilight could still feel it pulling on her, trying to suck her in. Yet, she felt another force, pushing her away from it, spinning her around it. Twilight had never experienced anything like this before, not even with Dash. She was herself, sort of. But she was also them. All of their thoughts were turning in her head. Their memories overflowed in her mind. She could think everypony else’s thoughts, if somewhat dulled and fuzzy, like her senses. Yet, she could also feel the outside world through her body, except, it wasn’t her body. And she could see her own thoughts as if they were real tangible objects. She existed in all these places at once, equally divided between them and unable to focus on any one of them. It was too much being everypony at once. Twilight withdrew herself. She found the tiniest part of her mind and hid deep within it. The other minds tumbled around helplessly. They crashed together and spun apart creating sparks of lighting and echoing booms of chaos. But Twilight snuck away. She found the place she had gone when Dash had been flying. The place where she only half existed. She could hear the others, but not understand them now. She was still part of them, but apart from them. As she withdrew, Twilight found that her sense of the outside world became sharper. She could see the castle below her, the sky above her. She couldn’t move her body, but it felt more like it was her body. “So, Twilight, do you like my help?” asked Discord. Twilight was pulled back in by his words. She was still in the tiny corner of her mind, but the outside world became nothing more than shadows once again. She couldn’t see Discord, but, she could, in a strange way. She was aware of him, floating around in their head. He wasn’t like the others. He was completely apart from them. “What did you do?” asked Twilight in the tiniest voice she could manage. “What else, exactly what my sister wanted,” said Discord. “All seven of you are now Twilight Nightmare Dash Harmony Rarity.” “What about Spike?” asked Twilight. “Oh, I’m sure he’s in there too, but his name just doesn’t work. I mean TNDHR, doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue as it is,” said Discord. “But don’t worry, my magic will keep all of you, you. At least for the moment.” “YOU WILL OBEY ME!” demanded Nightmare Harmony. Twilight felt the mixed wills of her friends weaken. Discord shimmered away. Twilight was partly pulled back into her mind, as the outside world blurred away almost completely. Other minds zoomed past Twilight, narrowly missing her. “All we need is one more body. One earth pony. Then you will all be silent forever.” She could sense Nightmare Harmony’s frustration and confusion. Dash—at least, Twilight thought it looked sort of like Dash, it was more like a blue bolt of lighting—and Pinkie were both racing around a silvery cloud that sort of looked like Nightmare Harmony. They were attempting—or again, at least that’s what Twilight thought they looked like they were doing—to distract her from her task. The dark pony was trying to fight them off. Spike and Rarity had also joined in, adding their own thoughts and making things more difficult for the pony. Nightmare Harmony pushed them all back. Images, colors and smells, whirled up like a shield around her, tossing the other thoughts away. For the moment she had blocked them out, but Dash was already looking for a way back in. Seizing her moment of control once more Nightmare Harmony commanded the body to move. Twilight followed after her, becoming more aware of her body than her mind. They soared through the air, gliding down towards the great golden gates at the front of the castle. There was something beyond the gates, waiting for them. At first, Twilight couldn’t make out what it was. But as they got closer she could see a pony. No, two ponies. NO! A pegasus and an earth pony! They had to get control! They had to stop this! As she was now, Twilight was hardly aware of her thoughts, or anypony else’s thoughts. She could sense the chaos playing out in her mind, but she couldn’t tell exactly what was happening. The only thing she could understand was that their battle was not going well. If they could not stop Nightmare Harmony, than she had to warn these ponies! She had to do something! Run, thought Twilight, trying to call out to the ponies below, but they did not move. They were frozen in horror as Nightmare Harmony flew ever closer. RUN! shouted Twilight, but her voice did not speak outside of her thoughts. “Twilight!” cried the orange earth pony. “What happened to you?” Twilight could not answer. She could feel the turmoil in the back of her mind. If she got swept up in the chaos with the others, she might lose herself. She had to keep trying to get through, she had to keep trying to regain control! “I am Nightmare Harmony,” said Twilight Dash’s voice. The earth pony stumbled backwards. The yellow pegasus let out a squeak of fright. “I have come to take you, Applejack.” Why did Twilight know that name, it sounded so familiar… “RUN!” shouted Twilight, and this time, it wasn’t just a thought. “GET AWAY FROM ME!” Twilight felt Nightmare Harmony’s focus suddenly upon her. With the smallest of thoughts, she flung Twilight into the depths of her own mind. The little focus on reality that she had found was ripped away. She could no longer see nor hear the outside world. It was like being swept up in a whirlwind. Narrowly, she soared past the dark portal. She could feel its icy cold draw, however, Discords protection kept her from falling in. Thoughts spun past her like a silver wind as she tumbled without form through other minds. For a moment, she was Pinkie and she felt like screaming out in joy. Then a part of her intertwined with Rarity, and she felt like she would give up everything, just to save her friend’s. However, Twilight stayed mixed with neither of them for very long. After a moment more of tumbling, she was caught up in the storm of thoughts and yanked in another direction. It was hard to focus, but Twilight could vaguely sense what was happening in the real world, what Nightmare Harmony was doing. A spell, she was casting a spell, the fusion spell. Twilight could feel the magic welling up within her. They had to stop it! “EVERYPONY!” shouted Twilight, both with her thoughts and with her voice, though it did not carry beyond the world of their mind. “We have to focus, we have to work together. Think about your horn…” “We don’t have horn’s,” countered Pinkie as she zipped past, shaped like a muffin. “We do,” said Twilight. “Reach out, feel it. We must disrupt the magic flowing to it!” Twilight focused, finding her way into the flow of magic that was coursing through her. She could feel her horn gathering energy. With all her might, she redirected the magic, sending it away. Ever so slightly, she felt the spell weaken, but it was not enough to stop it. Then, something very odd happened. She felt, herself, no, another her — no, Rarity, it was Rarity she was feeling – stifle the flow of magic too. The spell quivered losing power. Twilight could feel the gaze of Nightmare Harmony upon her once again, trying to banish her into darkness and nothingness. A third sensation reached into her horn, Spike. Twilight felt him pull with all his might. The spell sputtered and died. Nightmare Harmony let out a roar of frustration. “Twilight! What’s goin on!” cried Applejack’s voice. Twilight could hear the words! No, they could all hear it because she could hear it. And Dash could see it, so they could all see it. And Spike could smell it, and Rarity could feel it and, Pinkie could taste it. “Applejack,” cried Pinkie with Twilight’s voice. “Nightmare Moon and Harmony have taken over!” “Be silent!” “We have to stop them!” “YOU MAY NOT SPEAK!” “The others are here, inside their mind, but we need your help!” “Enough! All of you will obey me!” “We have to use the Elements of Harmony against us!” “But, we don’t have them,” said Fluttershy. “You have nothing that can stop me!” roared Nightmare Harmony. Rarity felt the dark force try to push them apart, but she held fast to her friends. Their horn ignited with magic again. “This time, you cannot fight me!” Twilight tried to take over her horn, but something blocked her. She couldn’t reach it. None of them could. Nightmare Harmony had blocked them out, given them her senses to distract them. There was nothing they could do. “This, ends, now!” shouted Nightmare Harmony. She lowered her horn to point at Applejack. The spell erupted from her, but as it did, something swooped down from the sky knocking her out of the air. Both Nightmare Harmony and the white pegasus that had collided with her tumbled out across the bridge. The spell fizzled out of existence. “How dare you!” shouted Nightmare Harmony, as she struggled to throw the pony off her. She lashed out at him with a hoof but he did not relinquish his hold. “Uhmf,” grunted the pony. “As Captain of the Guard, I hereby place you under arrest.” Nightmare Harmony kicked the pegasus again, but he held fast. “You two should get clear,” said Captain Dawn, looking towards Applejack and Fluttershy. “I don’t know how long I can—“ A blinding flash of light erupted around Nightmare Harmony as she cast a powerful spell. It blasted the Captain off, tossing him clear across the bridge. He smashed into the gates with a heavy thud before falling limply to the ground. The bridge beneath them trembled slightly. The spell had broken part of the railing away and cracks crisscross the stonework below their hooves. “You have only delayed…” began Nightmare Harmony, getting unsteadily back to her hooves. The bridge trembled again, with part of the section connecting to the castle crumbling away. “… the inevitable.” “We will stop you,” said Applejack sternly. “I’m sure you will continue to try,” answered Nightmare Harmony. “But you are running out of ponies to come to your aid. Your friends have gone silent and Celestia is far, far away.” “She isn’t the only pony that can help!” shouted a voice from the direction of the castle. A large group of pegasus guards were swarming through the air. And running along the ground below them were five ponies, each carrying something gold and shiny. “The other elements,” whispered Nightmare Harmony. “Yes, bring them to me… with their power I shall become unstoppable.” Her horn glowed again with Rainbow light. “No! Turn back!” shouted Applejack. “Get those as far away as—” Magic lashed out across the distance, snatching the five elements from the on coming group. The golden necklaces flew through the air, racing to Nightmare Harmony. One by one, each element attached itself to her. The Element of Loyalty snapped in place around her neck, while Laughter and Generosity changed to bracelets that fashioned themselves around her front hooves. And in the center of her chest, the Element of Magic glowed deep within her. However, the last two elements flew right past her. The golden necklaces soared overhead before they snapped firmly around Applejack and Fluttershy’s necks. “Now!” shouted Twilight Dash. The elements all began to glow. Rainbow light raced out of them, encircling the three ponies in a shimmering ring. The group from the castle stopped in their tracks, shielding their eyes against the light. Wild Heart and the parents all halted in their path as the blazing light engulfed the bridge. “It’s over!” shouted Applejack. “We’re gona send you back to wherever you came from!” Nightmare Harmony did not scream. She did not beg for mercy. She… laughed. A low, humorless laugh. “Really?” asked Nightmare Harmony. The elemental rainbow light flowed through her, completely engulfing her, but she seemed unaffected by its power. “Did you really think the Element of Harmony would have any effect on me? I bear the Element of Magic. I AM HARMONY!” Her eyes pulsed with rainbow light. The magic around them faltered and broke, than each element went dark. “For its power to be strongest,” whispered Nightmare Harmony to herselves. “I need all of the bearers. I had planned only to fuse with Applejack, but it seems I will need you as well, Fluttershy.” Her horn began to glow once more. “There is nopony that can stop me, no magic that can defeat me,” said Nightmare Harmony. “Soon, all of you will know what it feels like to be a god.” It hadn’t worked! The most powerful thing they had, and Nightmare Harmony had simply shrugged it off as though the strongest weapon in all of Equestria was nothing more than a fly buzzing about her head. Their senses were becoming dull, Twilight and her friends were being forced away once more. She struggled to hold on, to listen, but there were no words to be heard. Only the sound of magic crackling upon their horn and the rushing water in the river below. None of them had the strength left to fight. They could not overtake two goddesses working against them, their power was simply too great. “Well,” said a calm voice that echoed through their thoughts. “I think I’ve done all I can here. Now it’s time to make my exit.” “Discord! You’re abandoning us!” cried Spike, his voice echoing from someplace high above. “Don’t think of it as me abandoning you. Think of it more like… Okay, yes, I’m abandoning you,” said Discord. “But look, hey, I don’t want to get sucked in here. I would much rather be stone.” “But I thought you were my friend!” cried Pinkie, her words floating around as if they were part of a breeze. “Oh, yeah, I almost forgot,” said Discord. A clawed hand reached out through the whirling thoughts and took hold of Pinkie, pulling her away from the others. “Discord! Wait!” shouted Twilight. “Take Spike—” Discord and Pinkie shimmered away. “—and Rarity… with… you…” He was gone. He really had left them all behind, running away like a coward, taking Pinkie with him. Twilight could feel the chaos that Discord had shielded them with fade away. They slipped from the magical whirlwind, falling upwards towards the swirling ball of shadowy black light.