"Well, who do you believe?"
"I...I don't know..."
Yearling kept shifting her eyes from Twilight to Applejack. All the Bearers were watching her, waiting for an answer. She slowly got to her feet. Applejack raised an impatient brow at her while Twilight gave her a sincere and warm smile.
"I'm not sure who to believe." Yearling said.
"Just believe this: the Elements of Harmony need to return to the Tree. That's all you need. Do whatever it takes for that to happen." Twilight told me.
"Twilight's gonna trick ya." Applejack spoke up. "Like she did to us."
"There's no need for deception." Twilight replied. "I have told her nothing but truth. My days of lying are done. Yours should be too, AJ."
"Ya callin' me a liar?"
"Yes."
Yearling gulped. "I ain't calling anyone a liar, but I don't think this is the time. We got all the Ahuizotl guards right outside, ready to barge in. We can't just stand here and argue."
"Yearling's right." Rainbow said. "We better get our act together!"
"Darling, I agree." Rarity stated. "Let the past be the past."
Applejack tightened her fists. "Let the past be the past? Don't ya remember how ya died, Rares? Sunset Shimmer burned you alive! Ya just gonna forget that?"
"I never have, dear. It just happened 500 years ago. As an Assassin, I knew that death was inevitable. Why should I be upset I died in battle?"
Applejack looked at her incredulously. "And Pinkie, Twilight knocked you off of Canterlot!"
"But she was trying to save me, duh!" Pinkie rolled her eyes. "I can't stay mad at her for that! Do ya know who I am? I'm Pinkie Pie, I'm not letting an accident be a reason to frown at Twilight for over 500 years."
"And Rainbow..."
"I died how I wanted too. Couldn't ask for a better way to go."
Applejack stomped her foot. "I can't believe you guys! She's the reason ya'll died so horribly! How can ya forgive her? She lied to us all, repeatedly and led us to our demise! She's at it again!"
"I am not!" Twilight snapped. "I remember how you killed me. I remember every emotion I felt. I wasn't lying to you then Applejack, and I'm not now! I changed there. I was going to show you how I can make it all back, but you didn't let me. I still have regret for my actions and I'm trying to help you now! The Elements need to go back! We both agree on this, so let us make it happen."
"I rather have these Ahu-whatever have them than you!" Applejack growled.
"Ahuizotl are Templar!" Yearling spoke up. "Are you sure you want Templar to have the Elements?"
"Ya weren't there, girl!" Applejack pointed at her. "You didn't see Twilight for who she is."
"I did! I've seen countless memories of you all. I was able to relive your lives. I watched when Fluttershy got chosen by Kindness. I saw Pinkie fight in the Battle of Ponyville. I saw Rainbow chase down Templar in Manehatten. I've read all of Octavia's writings, telling me everything I need to know. I am not ignorant."
She continued. "And all of them show me the dangers of the Elements! I know why I should return them. I now know why I should have never taken them out of the Tree."
"Applejack, let us be one again." Twilight stepped forward. "I understand why you don't trust me, but let us forget the past right now. I always dream of all six of us being friends again. Can we be friends right now and get back to the Tree? We will finally rest and maybe we can continue to be friends in whatever afterlife we deserve."
Fluttershy tapped Applejack's shoulder. "Please, Applejack, do as she says."
Applejack snarled before nodding her head. "Fine. Yearling, you're gonna have to carry us all out of here. It's gonna be a toll on ya head, but don't fight us. You may have seen what one Element can do, but ya ain't never seen all six of them at once."
"Aww yeah!" Rainbow pumped a fist in the air.
Yearling ran over to the Elements and opened her bag. Applejack moved aside and let her by. Each Element pulsed with a bright color. Each jagged crystal seemed to watch Yearling with non-existent eyes. Just like how they watched her when she stumbled across the Tree of Harmony. In truth, she was afraid of what would happen when she touched them again. She closed her eyes and took hold of Kindness first.
"Good to see you again, Miss Yearling." It said softly.
Yearling's eyes shot out as the power flowed through her arm. It was a burning sensation, like if one was stretching before a run. Fluttershy faded away and entered Yearling's mind. She forced herself to pick up Loyalty next, letting Rainbow return into her head. Then came Laughter and then Generosity. Her mind was becoming crowded with the Bearers. Each one made her vision more and more blurred. She paused before grabbing Honesty, letting a deep breath out.
"You better know what ya doin' gal." Applejack said.
"Don't....Don't worry..." Yearling panted.
She picked up Honesty and Applejack disappeared. Only Magic remained. Twilight walked up next to her and placed a hand on her shoulder. Yearling looked to see her smiling.
"We'll be with you through all of this. Be brave Yearling. I can't thank you enough for this. But I must warn you: stay on your mission and do not listen to the power you're about to wield. Will you?"
"Yes."
"Live in Harmony, Yearling." Twilight bowed before disappearing.
Yearling took hold of Magic. The Element seemed to grab her back, controlling her motions. It started pulsing loudly and brightly as if excited. Sweat began to fall from Yearling's temples.
"Let me have control."
"No..."
"Only I can save you from destruction."
"No!"
"Do not struggle, young one. Harmony is eternal."
"I'll control it!"
"Yearling! Don't listen to Magic!" Twilight said. "Let all the elements have control at once! Let the other five suppress Magic."
Yearling's eyes became blurred as all the Elements took hold of her. The world became a deep blue and all the details of her surroundings disappeared. Her hair began to float upwards as the Elements' powers strengthened her. Information flowed through her head like a flooding river. Memories, ideas, concepts, and personalities. Her eyes glowed with a constant changing of colors.
"I can't....I can't handle all of this!" She cried.
"You have to! You are our transport!" Twilight said.
"Calm down, Yearling." Applejack told her harshly. "The more ya struggle, the more likely you'll die from this."
"Be calm." Kindness spoke. "We will not harm you."
"Handle the pain, Yearling! Think of what you are doing! Savior of the world! Do not be intimidated by what comes for you. We are here. We will die for you!" Loyalty roared.
"This is what you listened to, Rainbow?" Rarity asked.
"Yeah, but he never was this dramatic." Rainbow answered.
"For Harmony!" All the Elements cried.
Yearling's head went back as she gave her mind up to the Elements. She could not even move her own eyes without permission. She could still feel her body, however. She looked at her hands in their bluish tint. Everything was so simple now. There were no distractions, no sounds for the ears and no sights to ward off attention. Nothing exited but what was needed. Everything there had a purpose, a reason. Everything else was forgotten. This was pure Harmony.
The sounds of violence came from the shut door. Yearling's head slowly turned towards it. The sounds were so disjointed and loud. They were not harmonic in the slightest. It was a distraction, a root of evil caused by those who wanted Chaos. If they wanted Chaos, they deserved to be eradicated. For Harmony.
The doors blew open and Ahuizotl guards poured in. They fired their rifles and pistols at her. All the bullets reflected off a magical shield that protected her. The guards' minds were crowded. Distracted by an insatiable urge to kill and to follow orders not of their own. They were corrupted. They sought for Absolute Order, yet their minds had no Order. They were enemies of Harmony, but they did not deserve pain.
Yearling lifted a hand towards them. A bright rainbow left her hand struck each guard in the head. The next second, they lowered their rifles and pistols. Their minds were clear and straight forward. Some fell to their knees as their minds fought an invisible war. Most just stood there, questioning why they were there, questioning the purpose of their actions, questioning if their existence was worth anything.
"I'm not helping." One said.
"What have I done to be proud of?" Another asked.
"Go your ways, soldiers." Yearling said with an echoing voice. "Violence is not the path of Harmony."
The guards looked at each other before simply turning around and leaving. Some were reluctant to go, some were far too happy to. Yearling mentally sighed in relief. She was so use to killing, this was a nice change of pace. However, there was something she was feeling. Something not attuned to the rest of the Elements. It was some corruptible factor that made her hand go up again. She had power like nothing else in this world. Her abilities placed her on a level that caused a rapture in a harmonic way of living. She was not Harmony, but some false image of it. Something to be worshiped as a goddess.
"Violence is a part of Harmony." Magic said within her. "It's what keeps the Chaos at bay. Without the violent actions of the Good, who stops the Evil?"
"What are you saying?" Yearling asked.
"Harmony only exists if everyone is harmonic. You may be able to send these men back to their families, but their minds will fall again. They will be tempted and fall into Chaos once more. Why let them live just to fall again? Does it make sense to you?"
"Kill them?"
"Kill them at once, my dear."
Her outstretched hand squeezed into a fist. As the soldiers walked out of the door, their heads exploded and blood rain from the ceiling. Their Chaotic thoughts ceased to be as their minds were destroyed completely. Their headless bodies rolled to the ground without any distracting noises.
Yearling's face did not show it, but she was absolutely horrified. Those men were letting her go in peace. This was not self-defense, this was murder. The little she had control of her body made tears fall from her glowing eyes.
"It's sad, but this is the way."
"This isn't Harmony!" Yearling spat.
"It is, my dear. You have not lived as long as I. You have not seen the cruelties of man. It is constant, it is eternal! To believe that we have any ability to make a world where Harmony thrives is useless, improper thinking. The Brotherhood falsely believed in it, you shouldn't follow."
"Yearling, don't listen to him!" Twilight called from somewhere in her mind.
"Forget the other Elements, forget Harmony. Magic thrives without them. Let me be your guide and we can be the rulers of the world, making this place as peaceful as possible. Our power will grow when we are adored by the masses."
"I thought your power comes from Friendship?" Yearling asked.
"It does."
"We will not have any friends, only people who are afraid of us." Yearling told the Element. "We won't have any power. I've seen how you are without friends. I've read about your weakness. You can't live without the other Elements. They are connected to you tighter than sisters. You need friends, not only to have power, but to live! Without friends, you are nothing but a worthless piece of crystal."
"We will have countless friends! People who love us!"
"We will have nothing but a lonely life. That is what awaits us."
"Yearling, you do not know the future."
"I think I do. Ya know, as an archaeologist, I know history well. It all seems like a repetition of the same episode. Nothing really different happens. We get in fights, powerful people come to rule, and some die with honor and some die in loneliness. By seeing those men who sought nothing but power, even for a good cause, fall to their own ambitions makes me know exactly what will happen to any Bearer of Magic. You will rise and you will fall without a friend. That is our future."
"You have an opportunity to bring peace to the world!"
"Shut up! I know I can change the world, but it won't be with you."
"Then you shall continue in this world of Chaos..."
Magic's voice faded away and the other Elements took over once again. Yearling's legs began moving and she walked by the fallen guards on the floor. Her eyes kept forward and she did not fight the Elements. Outside the room were more guards pointing guns at her. It was obvious that all the scientists and civilians had been evacuated.
Just like the others, the guards began shooting at her. The bullets were deflected by Yearling's shield. She still felt an urge to kill them, but she fought it down. Another rainbow left her fingertips and delve into each of the guards' minds, removing their will to fight. They lowered their weapons and simply watched her slowly walk by them.
"Why am I here?"
"What is life?"
They all started asking questions to one another. They began to converse like rational beings. Yearling only half-listened to them as she made her way through the building.
"So that's what ya had speaking in ya all this time, Twilight?" Applejack asked.
"Magic has grown worse, but yes." Twilight answered.
"No wonder ya fell..." Applejack said softly.
Yearling walked through Ahuizotl Industries without any trouble. Any resistance was easily dissuaded from fighting. Men and women with Templar crosses became nothing but bystanders as they questioned the world around them. As she walked through the halls, Yearling felt like she was forgetting something.
"Doc!" Her lips verbally said. "He's still here!"
"Do we need to waste time on him?" Honesty asked.
"He's helped us. It's the least we can do." Rainbow said.
Yearling closed her eyes and allowed the Elements to search the building for her. Energies from the people in the building were highlighted in her mind. Some were blue, some red, and one yellow. Her head snapped to look upwards. Dr. Caballeron was two stories above her. With two fingers pointed up at the ceiling, she let out a beam of rainbow that blasted holes into the ceiling. When an opening was made, she levitated herself up the stories.
Her feet landed softly on the carpet. She had entered some office room. Behind the desk was Caballeron, being held at gunpoint by the secretary, Raven. Yearling took a step forward, making Raven cock the hammer on her revolver.
"Take one step closer and he dies!" She ordered.
"Miss Yearling!" Caballeron gasped. "What...What happened to you?"
"I have the Elements, Doc." She said. "It's time for us to leave here."
"Put the Elements back, you monster!" Raven shouted. "You don't understand what you wield. It's not meant for one person like you!"
"No it's not." Yearling remarked. "However, it is better with me than with you. Now release him."
"Not until you give those crystals up."
"I won't ask you again."
Raven snarled and made the barrel touch Caballeron's head. "Fair enough!"
Yearling lifted a hand, pulling the revolver out of Raven's hand. The secretary gasped and threw herself against the wall. The revolver slowly pointed at her, the hammer still cocked.
"If you want to live, tell me where Mr. Ahuizotl is." Yearling ordered slowly.
"He left when you took the Elements. He's long gone now!" Raven croaked.
"Then will you give him a message?"
"Of course."
"Tell him never to come after me or the Elements again. Tell him to never search for any shards or artifacts. They are to remain undiscovered. If he doesn't listen, well, he'll have to answer to me. Got that?"
"Yes....Yes I do."
"Good."
The revolver melted in the air, the hot metal causing a small fire on the carpet. Raven's mind was scattered and unreadable in her intense fear. No series of coherent thoughts could be made. Yearling kept her eyes on her and gestured for Caballeron to stand up. The doctor did and walked to her.
"Yearling...?"
"I'm fine. Let's get out of here, alright?"
Yearling picked him up with her magic and they floated down through the hole. The doctor was obviously scared about how he was floating, but other than his wails, he seemed to have taken it fine. They followed the wandering guards that still were influenced by Harmony's disruption. Everything was quite peaceful, in its own way.
"The road to the Tree is far from here, but we shall make it in good time." Generosity spoke.
"It's still amazing how the world has changed without us." Honesty remarked.
"Thank you for saving me back there." Caballeron said. "You've grown into quite the woman since Ahuizotl captured you."
"I've gone through a lot, Doc." Yearling replied. "I've gone through a lot."
They walked out of the front entrance to the skyscraper. The remaining guards dispersed into the crowds and down the roads. Their weapons all left behind in the building. Yearling did not know how long they would be in this state, but she was happy that they were alive to make their own decisions.
"We gotta separate here, Doc." She told him.
"I'm not afraid to go with you." He placed a gentle hand on her. "So that you don't have to be alone."
"We'll meet again, sometime. I must take the Elements back. I won't be alone either."
"Why not?"
"Well, including my own, I have 13 minds in my head right now. I think I'll be fine for conversation."
"13? Are you alright? Those are the Elements right?"
"What? Yes. I'm not going crazy. Well, not yet. See ya."
"Goodbye, Miss Yearling."
As he turned around, an urge made Yearling lift her hand up. Purple energy was gathering at her fingertips. A sudden urge to blast him away and end him. He was a Templar. an agent of Absolute Order that could only make Chaos. Why did he deserve to live? Ending him would only be a victory for Freedom and Harmony.
"Kill him." Magic said.
"Not this time!" Yearling grunted in pain and pulled her hand back.
"What was that?" Caballeron turned around.
"Just go!" She told him.
He blinked in confusion before running away. Yearling suppressed Magic's power once more and forced herself to walk down the road. her head ached terribly and her movements were sluggish. The Manehatten people stared at her as she walked by. All the minds were hurting her. It was too much. All this false Harmony!
"Hang in there, Yearling!"
"We're with ya!"
"Darling, push on."
"Come on, sugar cube."
"Go Yearling! Woo!"
"Please make it."
She felt a surge of strength and began to walk faster. "I must get...to...the Tree!"
~