//------------------------------// // Nightmare of Corruption // Story: Equestria's Mirage: Dream Warriors // by Alchemystudent //------------------------------// Lastly... the nightmare of corruption... The dream world opened up and sent the bearers and Trixie’s vision into near total blackness. If it were not for the small slit of light coming from the door in front of them and the small bits of light coming from the bearer’s necks, it would be impossible for them to see anything. As she began to take in her surroundings, Trixie could feel something heavy on her head, “What on ear-”         “What the hey?” Applejack exclaimed, looking down at her chest to see a golden necklace with an orange gem in the center, “Mah element?”         Rainbow Dash ran her hoof along the red lighting bolt gem, “What is going here, why do we have the elements?”         “I agree, are they not back in the tree. Didn’t we give them back?” Rarity asked, admiring her diamond.         “Trixie has no idea,” Trixie said, looking at each mare in the dim light.         “Perhaps,” Octavia said, walking to look at Fluttershy’s gem, “Whatever scenario this dream is supposed to be, the elements are an important part of it.”         “Hey, look!” Pinkie Pie said, bouncing to Trixie. “Trixie has Twilight’s element.”         Trixie looked up and noticed that the element of magic, now with a purple gem in the shape of Trixie’s mark, was fitted on top of her hat. Tapping her hoof to the crown, she was a little shocked at how real it felt. Her eyes looked up at the crown in wonder, but then turned her head back towards the door, “Admire crown later, save Twilight now.”  she thought to herself as she used her magic to open the doors.         Once the doors were opened, the ponies’ senses were hit with the smell of blood and decay. The light that seeped into the room before had been coming from a small throne that sat at the end of the chamber. Steeling themselves, the group of eleven pushed through the smell of rot that permeated the room and began to walk through it. The only sound that was heard, beyond the breathing, was the occasional squish of a hoofstep hitting something soft and fleshy.         Soon, their walk slowed to a stop when they neared the light and found Twilight on top of a blood red throne, her coronation dress in tatters, “Well, this is a surprise. Normally when the cycle begins, it is usually only five of you, but instead, you brought six others.” Twilight said, her voice was low, lacking in any of the usual kind tone she once had.         “Cycle, what cycle?” asked Lighting Dust, as Twilight rose from her throne.         “Oh, very simple. You see, after I am done killing Celestia,” As Twilight said this, the throne became brighter to reveal Celestia at the right of Twilight’s throne. The neck of the sun goddess was snapped, a look of horror was permanently etched onto her face, “Or Luna,” the light then revealed Luna on Twilight’s left, crucified against the wall. She then let out a chuckle, “or sometimes, even both. One of the princesses will go out and get you five to gather the elements and defeat me. Then you stupidly try to stop me! Did you really think that you can use the power of the elements with only five of you? They are called the elements of harmony, they need six mares to work properly, and only if you six are friends. I said as such when we first came together! But, you fail to think through your actions and then watch as the Rainbow of Light fails, and then... well, I think you can see.”         “Oh, my Celestia,” Rarity gasped in horror as the room began to brighten up, revealing it to be littered with the bodies of the bearers of the elements in various states of decay.         “Y-You,” Lighting Dust found herself unable to say anything as she looked at the heads of some of the bearers, while others looked to be screaming in frozen agony. “Then, after I have finished killing that set, a new scenario begins where I go through the process again,” Twilight said, sitting back onto her throne with her hoof on her chin. “You come in, try to stop me, you fail, and I kill you. Rising and falling on an endless loop. As you can see-”         “No, please, no,” Fluttershy whimpered as she backed up to Rainbow Dash. She stood trembling as she looked at how some of them were crucified on the ceiling, while other versions of them were hacked into pieces. All around her,          “I have become quite... proficient at killing my own friends,” Twilight chuckled as she looked at a small bit of ash that.         Pinkie looked up at the princess as she sat on her throne, “T-T-Twilight, why?” a whimper escaped her lips as she turned away from seeing a Rainbow Dash that was impaled into a wall by a spear. “Why do this?”         “Simple logic, my dear Laughter,” Twilight said looking down at Pinkie with a sneer. “You see, I came to the conclusion that I was one of the most powerful beings on the planet. As such, since I ruled magic and power, I had no need to follow this!” she lifted up Celestia’s corpse with her magic and threw it away, “A pathetic excuse of an alicorn that couldn’t defeat her sister, Discord, or a simple changeling.”         “You know that isn’t true Twilight!” shouted Rarity. “You said it yourself, if Celestia went full power on the queen, she would’ve killed us all!”         “A small loss,” Twilight said. “The needs of the many after all.”         “And you know she lost the connection to the elements!” Rainbow Dash objected.         “So throw a few expendable guards his way and leave us out of it. We didn’t need to be there against Sombra, we could always get more guards. Power of numbers and all that,” Twilight said coldly.         “And are you really expecting her to fight her own sister? She couldn’t fight against her in the first place,” Applejack said. “What, were you expecting her to...to...no.”         Twilight raised an eyebrow at Applejack’s hesitation, “Yes, I am. What is wrong with that. Just kill her, or beat Nightmare Moon, imprison her, and then execute her for her crimes.” she then looked at the shocked looks of her friends, “What? She is a criminal, plain and simple.”         “That was her sister!” screamed Carrot Top.         “So? If my brother was doing the same thing, I would imprison him and sentenced him accordingly. Those who have power must know how to handle it properly, after all. Which is why I had to do this. So many ponies kept coming to me, begging me to help. Asking me to do things that they could’ve easily done themselves, making me waste my power on so many frivolous things. I just simply took my place as true ruler, its logical after all. Now, come on, time to end this. Though,” she smirked, “It probably will end the same way as before. Can you honestly tell me that you have formed a strong enough bond with Trixie that you can use the elements properly? Look at her, she is trembling in fear as I speak, trying to find a way to escape with her tail between her legs.         Applejack turned to look at Trixie, who was grimacing in determination and could faintly hear her muttering, “If I teleport Octavia and the others out of the room, that should leave me alone with this mare. If I can trick her with some illusions, maybe we can all get out and think of a new plan.”         “Well, come on. I have done this so often that killing you girls is now second nature,” Twilight said, smiling.         Applejack looked down at her decapitated head, to Trixie, and then to her friends. She watched as Fluttershy stood with Rainbow Dash, trembling but strong, and then looked to Rarity who was still in shock. Her green eyes looked at Pinkie, who was shaking, and then to Twilight and sighed as she stepped forward, glancing over her shoulder at Carrot Top, “Hey, take care of the farm for me, ok? You’ll have to hire more workers, but Ah think you and Big Mac can handle it. Tell Granny to  take it easy, and Applebloom,” the orange mare sniffled as she felt tears come to her eyes, “Tell Applebloom that she is a great little filly with fantastic mind. If she sticks to construction and potion making, Ah’ll know she’ll go far. Just a shame Ah won’t see it.”         Twilight let out a low chuckle as she watched Applejack step forward, “Oh, one at a time? Fine, I am always up for a new trick.”         Applejack then sighed as she reached behind her neck and undid the clasp of her necklace, before dropping it to the ground. As it hit the ground, the orange gem began to turn a dark grey, “Yer majesty,” she said with a bow, “Ah, Abbigail Jacqueline III, do humbly offer my services to you.” as she said this, the gem and necklace dissipated from the ground before turning into a ball of light. The light then flew straight onto Octavia, materializing as a necklace with an orange gem in the shape of her cutie mark.         “What on earth?” Octavia asked in shock.         “Services? What kind of services could a simple country hick offer an all powerful god?” asked Twilight, her cold expression changing a little.         “Simple, you said it yourself. You hate hearing ponies talking about their little problems and I bet you don’t want to deal with all of the normal day to day proceedings of the court. So, here Ah am! Your grand viser, Ah’ll make sure all of the ponies who talk to ya will be on the up and up,” Applejack smiled.         “But,” Twilight argued, her voice returning to its normal tone, “what about Sweet Apple Acres? Your farm?”         “Hey, Ah’m going to be the right hoof mare of the most powerful alicorn on the planet. Ah can make Sweet Apple Acres the biggest farm on the planet,” Applejack said.         “Fine, you can be my visier. Come to my side,” Twilight said, sitting back on her throne.         Rainbow Dash watched in shock as Applejack began to walk away, raising her hoof to yell, but a look from Applejack told her everything, “Oh, I get it.” she said, stepping forward as well, before turning to look at Lighting Dust. “She likes to have cereal and toast in the mornings when she stays over. Pick her up exactly at three from school, otherwise she’ll miss out on her training. Make sure she stretches, the little tyke forgets.”         “Who?” Lighting Dust asked as she watched Rainbow Dash begin to remove her necklace.         “Scootaloo,” Rainbow Dash said plainly, taking off her necklace. “If I’m not going to be there, somepony has to be.” Then, she looked up at Twilight Sparkle. “Rainbow Miriam Dash reporting for duty, princess.”         “Duty, what-” Twilight began, her voice changing back to normal as she looked on in shock. “Are you really abandoning your dream? Them? What about the Wonderbolts?”         “Wonderbolts, smunderbolts,” Rainbow Dash said, waving a hoof. “Why do I need to be a part of a sports team when I can be the captain of the royal guard of the most radical princess on the planet? And you know you are going to need guards, who else will handle the small fry for you?”  As she chuckled, the color of her gem faded and the necklace flew to Blossomforth, turning into a red version of her cutie mark.         “Ugh, fine!” Twilight said, beckoning Dash to her side. Growling she looked at Rainbow Dash, “What do you think you are doing anyway? You are sacrificing something important! for what?”         Rainbow Dash could only smirk at her friend as they heard the footsteps of another pony. Rarity sighed and looked into Octavia’s eyes, “Octavia, I want you to teach Sweetie Belle about music, and take care of her. She has a marvelous singing voice, the dear just needs to get over her stage fright. I-I-I’m just sorry I couldn’t appreciate it as I should. Oh, and Opal will need a home I assume. Does Vinyl like cats?” and then she turned away, her horn glowing with magic. Her magic then took off her necklace and laid it down gently onto the floor. “Oh, what is this?” asked Twilight dismissively as she watched her friend step forward and bow. “What could you offer me.” “My name is Rarity Belle, my liege, and I can offer several things. While Applejack and Rainbow Dash are excellent in their respective fields, they are no business ponies or diplomats. I, on the other hoof, can be both,” the white alicorn smiled, while her necklace faded in color and flew to rest on Carrot Top’s neck. The necklace shimmered and turned into a group of carrots. “Ruling one country is all well and good, but what about the others? You can’t just subjugate them all, that would take too much money and assets. You will need somepony who can help with trade, treaties, and other diplomatic problems.” As Twilight looked down at the unicorn, her expression softened and her voice returned to its normal tone, “ But, what about your dresses? Carousel-” “Posh,” Rarity scoffed. “I will be making dresses for a queen! Why think about how high my fashion career will go with that kind of reputation. And as a diplomat, why, I could make Carousel Boutique a worldwide franchise!” Twilight sat back into her throne and looked to Rainbow Dash and Applejack, “Fine!” she growled, the dark tone in her voice returning, “You can join. Goddesses, the way things are going, the next will be Fluttershy.” Fluttershy could feel some tears roll down her cheek as she reached behind her neck, “Blossomforth, I am  going to ask you to do something that might be a little scary.”         “I think I can manage the animals,” gulped Blossomforth.         To this, Fluttershy shook her head, “No, Discord. He... he’ll be so heartbroken when he hears the news.” she then closed her eyes to blink away the tears. “ Just tell him, that it’s going to be ok and that I know he has a good heart. He can be a good person, he just needs a little push. Tell him... I am so sorry for doing this.”         As  she began her walk, Twilight began to shake her head and leaned forward a little, “Fluttershy, don’t.”         “I am Fluttershy Firewing and,” Fluttershy said, thrusting out her chest and mustering her courage. “I may not know what I can offer to help you, but, whatever you might need, I’ll help.” the yellow pegasus said, as her necklace began to fly over to Lyra’s neck.         “What is all this?” Twilight said, tears coming to her eyes ass Fluttershy flew over to her. “You are all sacrificing yourselves for-for- what? You are all being foolish! You don’t see Pinkie Pie-” Twilight was interrupted by a clink of a necklace hitting the ground, “-Pinkie?”         “Aw,” Pinkie Pie moaned as she looked at her fallen necklace and to Lyra, “All I have left is Lyra! Ok, what to say, oh! I know,” her face then turned stoic, “I am so sorry I won’t get to prepare your ‘adoption/surrogate/doner baby/ party. Tell the cakes that, they were a great second family, and I’ll send them postcards from heaven!” and with that, she bounded over to her friends, the necklace that once bore her mark, now flying to rest upon Lighting Dust.         As Pinkie Pie took her place at her friends’ side, a black mist began to escape Twilight’s wings and pool around the hooves of the other mares. Tears began to roll down uncontrolably down the alicorn’s cheeks as she looked back from mare to mare, “Why?! This-This wasn’t supposed to be how it went. You were supposed to fight me, to die by my hooves! This is foolish, this is illogical, you are all throwing your lives away to stand by a mad-mare that will fall one day, why?”         Pinkie Pie giggled as she black smoke arose around her, “Isn’t it obvious, silly?”         “We’re your friends, Twilight. Come hell or high water, Taratus or heaven, we are always going to be by your side. No matter what happens to us,” Applejack said, running her hoof along Twilight’s foreleg.         “Yeah, not even Celestia is gonna tear us apart! Because, Twilight, like it or not, you’re stuck with us,” Rainbow Dash chuckled. “I don’t care who you become or what you name yourself, you will always be a little egghead.”         “If, it means staying with you, I will gladly do what it takes. We will all be here to help you Twilight,” Fluttershy said, coughing as some of the black mist began to enter her throat.         “You need us, Twilight, like we need you,” Rarity said, her eyes beginning to shine with tears.         Twilight shook her head, and looked to Trixie, the blue unicorn’s eyes now becoming pure white with a rainbow sheen, “Trixie! This was a trap! Mirage is using this dream to corrupt the other bearers and put them in the same spell! You know what you have to do!”         Trixie nodded, feeling herself  being lifted into the air, “This is it, Trixie. They are all puting their faith in you to save them. No, not just them,”  her eyes looked to each mare as they began to be lifted into the air.         “Kindness huh? Guess I can work with that!” Lyra said.         “I guess that makes me Generosity!” Carrot Top said.         “I am Honesty?” Octavia asked.         “I am Loyalty,” Blossomforth said.         “Heh, yeah, I guess I am Laughter,” Lighting Dust chuckled.         “No, they aren’t just the elements. They are other virtues as well, Lyra’s Patience when she needs to, Blossomforth’s happiness for new things, Carrot Top’s love of life, Octavia’s wisdom to see beyond the veil, and Dust’s Tenacity to never quit. They are all here, because we are all connected somehow, by a magic that can cross dimensions,” the blue unicorn then looked at Twilight as a rainbow of light began to connect to each bearer, and they are all putting their faith in me to get them back home!”         With a chuckle, Trixie commented, “Ok Sparkle, just  get ready for the greatest trick in  your life!”         As the rainbow began to rise from the six mares, Twilight began to blink back her tears as she looked to each of her companions, “You know, I don’t think my mind can take this. I have been through so much in the past month, that it might kill me instead of saving me. You girls would dietoo.”         “Well, at least Ah had a chance to see you again,” Applejack said, tears falling down her cheeks.         “Eh, had an awesome run. Besides, if this is how I’m going to go, then let it come,” Rainbow Dash said.         “I am just sorry our time seemed so brief,” Rarity said, watching as the rainbow came closer.         “Girls, good-” Fluttershy began, but was stopped by Pinkie, who looked up with a tearful smile.         “No, lets not say goodbye. Goodbye is usually said when we don’t know if well see each other again, and we will... so, lets just say, see you later and hope for the best,” Pinkie said, hugging Twilight.         “Ok, see you later girls,” Twilight cried, holding her friends together in a big wing hug as the rainbow of light stuck the six bearers of harmony.         And with that, all seven of the dreamworlds shattered.         Trixie awoke a few minutes later, her head swirling from the use of magic, “Uggh, Trixie feels like she just went on an all night bender” looking to her friends, she quickly asked, “Is everypony ok?”         From the group, arouse a series of acknowledgements and confirmations. This caused Trixie to smile as she looked towards Twilight on the bed,” Well, Miss Sparkle, I do hope that you appreciate my assistance. Since this is the second time that Trixie has had to save you, she hopes that you-” she paused as she looked to the still form of Twilight Sparkle, seeing that the alicorn looked cold and lifeless. Placing her hooves onto Twilight’s chest, Trixie began to nudge her, “Twilight? Twilight? P-please, speak to me. Open your eyes! OPEN YOU EYES DARN IT!!!”         From behind, Lightning Dust’s voice became heard, “Rainbow Dash, get up, come on! Get up! You were supposed to be alive for me!  iou were supposed to be my rival! What am I supposed to do now? That kid needs you, I can’t take care of her! She needs you, you have to be there for her!”         “Pinkie, please, get up and smile. D-don’t do this, it isn’t funny,” Octavia cried, her tears falling down on the pink pony’s lifeless form.         Carrot Top slapped Applejack a few times, “Applejack, you don’t quit on anything so don’t you dare quit here! Not on your family and not on your farm!”         “Fluttershy, I can’t do this, I can’t take care of your animals, I can’t!” whimpered Blossomforth.         Lya began to cry onto Rarity’s chest, “Rarity, what do you think you are to that poor girl? Sweetie Belle needs you.”         As the mares tried to revive the fallen bearers, the door to the room opened as Luna and Celestia stepped in, “Trixie, rep-” Luna stopped herself as she saw Trixie over Twilight’s body. “No,” she gasped softly.         Celestia looked at the scene, and placed her hoof to her mouth as she began to cry nonstop, her normally stoic face broken, “No, please, no...not both of them. I can’t lose Twilight as well as Sunset... ” Here Lies Twilight Sparkle 994-1015 Abbigail Jacqueline III 992-1015 Rainbow Miraum Dash 996-1015 Fluttershy Firewing 995-1015 Pinkamena Diane Pie 996-1015 Rarity Belle 992-1015 May the light of their harmony shine forever.