//------------------------------// // How Apples roll // Story: PONY POV SERIES SEASON 8: FINALE! // by Alex Warlorn //------------------------------// "Daring Do, Ah thought ya wanted to stay and fight instead of Applejack!" Ah said. Ah WANTED ta go back for big sister, and help her beat Umbra Breeze. "When the kid touched that magic window of his, I realized we didn't have time to argue," Daring Do answered. Havin' to carry the four us while sprintin' wasn't slowin' her down as much as Ah'd like. "The stamina meter is always turned off for chase scenes like this," Button Mash blabbed. Ah struggled against her stupid kung-fu grip. "We haveta go back and save Applejack!" There was no way Ah was lettin' her face an ARMY of things like Shub-whatever by herself!!! "Forget it, kid! You said fixing the world is on a time limit? Then no way in Tartarus am I stopping for tea!" "Applejack can help! She's one of the Elements of Harmony! Honesty! She's saved the world lotsa times!" "Which means I have to trust her judgment whether I like it or not!" Daring Do growled. Ah bet it was Button Mash's stupid game rules makin' her say that. "And I'm not letting you foals put yourselves in more danger than you need to be!" "Ya don't know anythin'! We've been fightin' monsters since this whole thing started!" "This isn't about that!" Ah pull on her wing. "Hey! Careful, kid! Yer gonna make me crash! Ya want us to get broken necks?! OW!" Ah bit her. "Turn us around!" "APPLE BLOOM, HAVE YOU GONE NUTS?!" Scootaloo shouted. Sweetie's limp body jostled in Daring Do's grip. "Apple Bloom retreating is-" "Shut yer trap, Button Mash!" Ah hissed. "My family needs me!" "Aren't we each other's family too?!" Scootaloo snapped as Daring righted herself. We passed through Sweet Apple Acres' barrier. And the howls and snarls of that girl-wolf behind us faded. "We NEED you right now, big time! We need you to see through the fog!" (Scootaloo's Entry: I hated saying that, so much, but Dash taught me better.) "Friends and family don't abandon each other! AJ said that's what saved the world from Nightmare Moon, remember?!" "And NOW she said to get to the printing presses and save the day. If it were me, and I had to leave Rainbow Dash behind after she told me... I'd do it. Are you really going to abandon the world, Apple Bloom?" My lip quivered. Ah don't remember when Ah'd started cryin'. "It doesn't matter, because none of you are going anywhere!" Came a horrid snarl. The beast! She'd somehow gotten in front of us! "The fog must have helped her!" Daring Do spoke, like she'd read my mind. +++ The red-hooded wolf howled as she did a summersault towards the ponies, assuming a bipedal stance. Claws and gratuitous wrist blades stood ready to eviscerate the ponies. Everything happened in a confusing blur. Daring Do slowed down, the wolf coming at them. Scootaloo let go of her grip on Daring Do and flew out of the way, grabbing Sweetie Belle as she went. The wolf's blades and fangs sailed overhead as Daring came to a forced landing, letting the earth ponies down as gently as she could, which wasn't much. The wolf landed on all fours before standing up in a hunched posture. "To those who ruined fairytales. To those who have mutilated stories into sanitized pabulum, I, Little Dread, will wash myself in your blood!" She pointed at Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle. "In particular those who carry the stink of the Corruption's world!" Scootaloo didn't care who got what she said next or not. "That world was NOT a 'corruption!'" "I could have helped destroy that abomination myself... all those beautiful stories, obliterated out of existence, because of the wishes of protective mothers and prudes who wanted terrifying works to vanish. How could such prudishness be anything but a corruption!?" Scootaloo cringed. "Well... they could... maybe, make new ones?" "What?! 'Scary storms?!' The wolf didn't eat the first two little pigs, and the wolf didn't get cooked himself, he just ran away! Chicken Little didn't get the other chickens eaten! Soften the lesson until it's mush! THAT IS YOUR LEGACY! "Little Seapony? Instead of choosing the life of her unrequited love over her own, she beats-up the witch who was neutral in the true tale! Swan Princess? Instead of being reunited in the afterlife they beat up the magician! Godfather Death? SWEPT UNDER THE RUG! Your kind turned them from works of art into banal pap! And your world is now filled with arbitrary traits that go in opposition to the original flavor! How! Does! It! FEEL!?" = Shockwave Theme - Transformers Devastation = "That's what this is all about?! Revenge?!" Scootaloo said, somehow hearing the wolf say it was lot more plain and clear than Umbra Breeze's speech. "I saw our grim fairytales original flavor ripped to shreds to the sound of cheers, while when we do the same to do yours, we are opposed at every turn?! WHERE IS THE FAIRNESS IN THAT!?" "I'm not gonna say it's fair!" Daring Do snorted. "That's life, wolfie! Either let us go or we'll go through you." "You retards. I'm going to eat you alive. I'd eat your relatives and friends and their relatives if I could! Your unicorn's magic is depleted, the rest of you have no hope of-" "Ah'm sorry, but we've got a world to save! Scootaloo, guard Sweetie Belle!" Apple Bloom shouted, tear stains on her face. "Right!" "What a joke! Down one and limiting yourselves more? I'm going to slaughter you no matter what order you animals come at me!" Daring Do struck with her whip wrapping it around Little Dread's arm. "Fool!" Dread pulled at her at once, flinging Daring Do towards her. Daring Do stuck out her rear legs at the wolf. Dread didn't miss a beat and pointed her other arm's wrist blades right at Daring to skewer her on the momentum. But Daring used her wings to slow down, CAUGHT the other arm between her rear legs, and did a mini-loop-de-loop twisting the wolf into the ground. Dread leapt at Daring fangs bared, but Daring flew out of the way of her jaws. "I'm taking it you're a werewolf! I'm so not interested in turning into one!" Daring Do shouted. Button Mash just happened to be waiting in line of the wolf's trajectory, and had pulled out a hammer taller than he was from his inventory that he swung right in the monsters' face, breaking her nose. She was sent her flying back, where Apple Bloom was waiting on the opposite end and double bucked the wolf in the back, knocking the wolf to the ground. "Your cape's too small," Scootaloo said, "If it was bigger it would hide your body language." "Shut up!" The wolf leapt at her, only to realize she'd forgotten about the airborne Daring Do who did a diving spear kick from above to the wolf's face, sending her tumbling sideways. The wolf righted itself and leapt to eat the helpless unicorn. With speed that would have made Rainbow jealous, Scootaloo grabbed Sweetie Belle and flew right underneath the wolf as she leapt at them. "Why is Little Red a werewolf anyway?!" Apple Bloom asked, trying to distract her. "Simple, if they want to make the story less dark, I'll just add an even darker twist on it!" = Gundam SEED Meteor = Button Mash charged with a sword stab, but it was caught between Dread's wrists blades. She drew the colt in close. "Did you actually think that was going to work?!" Button Mash kissed her. "BLAGH!" The wolf spat and cursed. Button Mash took the chance to pull his sword free and stab the monster, who backhanded him, the wrist blades leaving two cuts on his cheek as he was knocked back. Daring Do dove in at the opening and pummeled the monster, who bear hugged her in retaliation while opening her jaws wide and dove to take a bite. In the same moment Daring Do kicked her where it hurt, mare or stallion, and lowered her head so the wolf's jaws got caught on her hat instead. While the beast howled in agony, Daring Do grabbed her whip that was still around the monsters' arm and judo threw her into the ground, taking back her whip and hat in the process. The front of Daring's shirt was clawed open as she flew back from the angry monster's counter-attack. Apple Bloom did a sliding spike at Dread's kneecaps, making the beast topple. "Four legs beat two!" She shouted, barely avoiding being clawed open. Daring Do dove in for another attack, the wolf did a spin kick that Daring bent under and caught the wolf's right claws follow up attack. The wolf instantly attacked with her left wrist blade... that Daring blocked by twisting the wolf's arm with the weight of her body, the two weapons struck each other, and Daring used leverage, and the right weapon one BROKE! Button Mash used this distraction and slashed at wild speed Dread, a small meter above his head, hitting her with 'nickel and dime' nicks and gashes before a ding was heard as the meter filled. Everything moved in slow motion as Button Mash leaped back and put away his sword. Before him appeared a glowing green weapon: a double-edged lumberjack's axe. 'Woodsman's Axe!' The message appeared in Apple Bloom's mind's eye. "BLOOM! CATCH!" Button Mash tossed the Woodsman's Axe at Apple Bloom, who caught with her mouth, leapt high enough into the air to break the laws of physics, and lifted the axe up over Little Dread's head. Apple Bloom thought of everything this monster had done to Equestria, her friends and family, and planned on doing. She saw the absolute terror in the monster's eyes, frozen in place like a deer in the headlight. Little Dread let out a cry of terrified dismay. Apple Bloom tensed her muscles, and saw in her mind's eye a triumphant grin of an adult Bloom in armor with a mechanical eye. ... Apple Bloom let out a sigh and at the last moment twisted the axe she struck the demon with the flat of the axe instead, slamming into her with a deafening clang. Little Dread's eyes rolled up to her. "You didn't... you idiot..." She admonished unbelieving, before she fell to her knees like a puppet with her strings cut. "Like Ah said! We've got a world to save! YOU GO HOME!" And Apple Bloom whacked her with the side of the axe again, knocking the wolf out. -ERROR!- A red message played, before the axe flickered like a damaged picture before vanishes. She looked at her friends who looked at her in disbelief. "WE'VE WASTED ENOUGH TIME ON THIS!" And they moved like lightning. After they left, a golden double door appeared underneath Little Dread. It swung inward, and into it she fell. A hypothetical onlooker would've seen a forest right out of a fairytale on the doors' other side before they closed and vanished. +++ Nyarlathotrot gasped. Then smirked and said. "Little Dread is done, your sister and her friends are all dead, Applejack." "Ah can't believe ya just tried to lie to me!" Ah shot back without hesitation. "Worth a shot. Good thing I've already decided to end this game. I'm going to do what Nightmares Moon, Discord, and Chrysalis couldn't and kill you, then kill your little backups, and kill that spare Element of Honesty you call a brother. Then an Apple Family will snap and picks off the rest one by one in ways that will make my works with Pinkie Pie and Cheerilee look like 'Santa Hooves is Coming to Town.'" My fur bristled. Wasn't gonna fall for that bait. Ah rolled my eyes. "'Ah was holdin' back', how original." "Forget I said that I would playact a fair fight this whole time?" The scumbag asked darkly. "Oh please, Ah don't know everythin', but Ah know enough ta know ya Spirits have'ta keep yer word whether ya like it or not." =Minecraft: Story Mode - Wither Storm Theme= "You've called upon your Truth, I'll call upon mine!" The piece of horseapples said darkly. "Ah don't fear any truth ya..." Ah smirked. "Discord-Lite." And the whole dang world went silent for a breath. Ya could've heard a pin drop. Then he was shakin' angry enough to swallow a horn toad backwards! His shadow went out like a mass of tendrils, writin' around in a way that remindin' meh of a buncha angry snakes! If Twili' was ever this mad, her fiery mane would've ignited the atmosphere. "How dare you? HOW DARE YOU?!!! THAT INSULT WILL BE THE LAST BLOW YOU EVER STRIKE AGAIN ME YOU STUPID HORSE!" He bellowed like a mad pony. "You want truth?" What came next, Ah'd be havin' nightmares for a long time, or maybe no time at all. He knelt down, and his back split open, suit and all, with fangs like clasps pullin' away. His shadow spread behind 'em, gettn' bigger and bigger, then the entire thing was on fire! It looked like a swirlin' wall of molten lava! Then the center began to pull back, deeper, and deeper that it should have gone over the edge of the ground we were on, but it was like where it was goin' wasn't even the same space behind it! The swirlin' red open up, and there just this big black nothin' inside! Except ... it... wasn't... empty! Ah can't remember if It was as big as a buildin', big as a dragon, big as Canterlot's mountain, or bigger than the sun! Some part of me said this Thing was old, really old, from when the centaurs domesticated us when we were dumb critters to right now was a flash in the pan. Discord was a foal compared to this Thing. No, this wasn't 'nothin'', nothin' is peaceful, this Thing was anythin' but! If Tartarus has an ugly sister-in-law, this is It. My eyes just kept gettin' wider and wider. The more Ah knew, the more Ah didn't want to! Ah felt the Truth shut itself off, like it was protectin' me! Ah could remember, all my brain could fit into somethin' Ah could almost understand, was the 'eye'. It was the most inequine thing Ah'd ever seen, or would see. It wasn't like a pony's, a dragon's, Discord's, or Nythy's. Ah don't know if It even saw me, Ah was less than a germ. Ah heard my thoughts crackin' just by It bein' there. Ah was a pebble bein' crushed under a mountain of wrongness to everythin' and anythin' Ah'd ever known! "Look within MY Family's truth, the honest truth of how shallow your perception is! Execrate creation for cursing you with sapience!" A soundless screech rushed from the portal, everythin' in its field of view broke apart down to the atoms, and Ah was dead center. "Look or don't look, it won't change a thing! It doesn't matter how much spirit strength your incarnations together or ANYTHING has, your soul will still shatter into dust!" Ah didn't run, Ah didn't scream and cover my eyes with my hooves, Ah didn't cry... Ah gave that loser Nythy the hardest sternest look Ah could. Ah didn't let 'em see me afraid. If this was the end of what made 'me' me, Ah wasn't given this cosmic chump one bit of satisfaction of seein' me break before this Thing did his work for him. "'The most merciful of things is the pony mind's inability to correlate all its contents. Living on placid islands of ignorance amidst black seas of infinity, you'd be wise not to voyage far. The sciences, each straining in its own direction, have so far harmed you little; but someday will open vistas of reality, and your position therein so terrifying, you'll either go mad or flee into the peace and safety of a new dark age.'" Ah snorted. Ah knew it should have been a lot quicker than this, the loser was stretching it out just so he'd see me give, tough luck pal. Ma, Pa, Ah love you, sorry Ah can't be there with ya. Apple Bloom, Ah love you so much, Ah know ya'll be a great mare without becomin' a thug. Big Mac, good luck, Ah know ya'll be a great hero. Yeah, Ah was scared witless. Yeah, Ah was sad. Yeah, Ah hated how Ah wouldn't be there to see Apple Bloom grow up, to see Big Ma get hitched, that Granny Smith would lose another member of the family before her time. Ah hated how Ah wouldn't be able to stop this monsters from doing worse to all my friends. Yeah Ah knew Ah'd spend my last few milliseconds crazy. But if this was the end, Ah'd face it as a real Apple. Ah wouldn't run from the truth. "Remember the world where Discord remade you all into fallen draconequi? This is the same force that shattered their souls! Die, silly pony!" Because Ah know now, somewhere, out there, no matter how alone Ah feel, there's somepony out there who will never, ever give up on any of us. = Sorairo Days - Gurren Lagann = "Hey, Applejack? Leave this one to me." Then my shadow twisted about on its own, turnin' about like the hands on a clock till it was right in front of me. It rippled and became like a black mirror. And out of my shadow crawled... myself? She had wings and horn, but she was me, right down to my cutie mark and Pa's hat. She pulled herself free like my shadow was made outta taffy, then stood tall between me and It. "Applejack," Ah whispered, Ah knew who this was. Old Nythy looked confounded at her and nothin' came out of that gabby mouth of his. She grew the size of Princess Celestia, shapin' into a full grown Alicorn. Her mane shone in the wind like it was threads of gold. At the same time, layers of armor polished to a mirror-shine formed on her hooves and up her body, neck, head, horn, and wings until she was more decked out in mirror armor than a royal guard. Her Pa's hat blew off her. This all happened in a flash. Red magic burnin' through her horn, spreadin' her wings as far as she could and reared up her forelegs. "Nightmare.. OVERLOAD!" And before my eyes... Nightmare Mirror's wings grew bigger, and bigger, becoming a huge buncha mirrors between me and It until she was completely blockin' Its view of me! All the terror that had been eatin' me inside went poof. And all them mirrors, Ah couldn't tell where they ended and she started, and all of 'em pointed right at It! That silent howl got louder and louder. My bones were shakin', so was the ground underneath us, and even the air seemed to quake! Then Ah saw... she was cryin'. Her eyes darted me, then back at the bad guys. "These ain't mah tears Ah'm sheddin'! It's them ponies who weren't 'round never to cry no more, and them ponies who had the power to cry for others taken from 'em! Yer a cheat, Nyarlathotrot!" "You! Your kind who won't accept a single unhappy ending. Who won't let a single story end tragically, who mindlessly want sunshine and butterflies, YOU call me a cheater?!" "Ya make ponies into monsters and call it hidden depths. Ya turn paradise inta Hell, and call it growin' up! What's the point?! That's a trick for WEAK storytellers! Ah understand now!" "You understand nothing!" The shakin' got more wild, if Ah wasn't an Earth Pony Ah'd have fallen off. The mute scream just got louder, like an angry animal. Then... Ah heard the crackin' sound, and saw her mirrors ... there were cracks formin' in em. "APPLEJACK!" She just smirked. "Sorry fer the dramatic entrance AJ, Ah had ta make this count! 'Bloom can't afford to lose ya!" Between me and myself, Ah let myself cry a little on the outside. "Heh.. no prob', AJ." Cracks spread like a wildfire across her mirrors... and her! But, with every crack, the silent noise from It got more uncontrollable and feral, like it was the one in pain. The world felt like it was gonna tumble apart! "YOU WILL COUNT FOR NOTHING! BE GONE!" The cracks got bigger and bigger, and Ah swear there was an echo to 'em. Apple Mirror blinked, and those weren't a Nightmare's eyes... those were our eyes. And... she shattered. Like a picture painted on glass. In that moment before, her smirk had become a grin. And when she shattered... Ah saw It... It was covered in cracks that were a perfect reflection of the ones that had been on Apple Mirror... and in that moment, It shattered too... like a projection that had been on a window, fadin' away from this here plane of reality. "Apple Mirror... " She did it... for me... for Apple Bloom. My heart caught up in my throat. "She used her mirrors to create an existential sympathetic-resonance between herself and It?!" Nythy rambled sounding more flabbergasted than Twili' meetin' the Pinkie Sense! He sneered at the pieces of Mirror as they fell. "You thought that would save her? A tragic assumption!" Then Ah heard Apple Mirror, her voice tiny and fractured. "Nifty thing 'bout mirrors? Ya shatter 'em, ya get a bunch of little mirrors!" Then Ah saw... her Element of Honesty... just appeared there... big as a boulder... beatin' like it was her heart... then it broke apart too... but... it was like all the pieces were shinin' BRIGHTER now! Before me or Nythy had a chance to do anythin', all the pieces of Apple Mirror, and all the pieces of her giant Element of Honesty, zoomed towards me like a magnet! Ah didn't have time to gasp as they went into me. But it wasn't like Ah was bein' stabbed, it was like somepony was Pourin' a swimmin' pool into a glass of me! Only the swimin' pool was becomin' the glass instead of the other way around! "All... her spiritual power... to the nearest... compatible container?" Old Nythy mumbled limply. "There's... no way she planned that!" Ah saw one of Button's little menu things appear in front of meh...Ah don't know video games as well as Rainbow, but mah experience gauge started fillin' up and levelin' up like mad! For a tick, Ah saw a streak of red and pink appear in my mane and my braid turnin' into leaves, while there was little sparkles and apple marks around my hooves, Ah FELT a big apple appear on my replacement of Pa's hat, and my cutie mark becomin' one big apple with a buncha little apples. But Ah forgot all about that as that faded... and Ah saw a millions years' worth of sin, and in her heart of heats, wantin' to make up for it somehow, and wantin' to protect the people of this world, the only thing that made it worth while. The next flash was an Applejack with a tail bow and a cluster of apples for her cutie mark, then Saint Sweet Heart, an Applejack with a green mane and read coat... All of them all ghost like, and all of 'em starin' daggers at old Nythy. Jerk too a step back. Then Ah saw a vision of my own Element of Honesty. Ah saw it grow and break out (more like explode out) of its gold framin', becomin' bigger, more fancy lookin' and pretty than ever before, the gold framin' reformin' to fit the design, lookin' more like a peytral than a necklace. The little stat bar's level read out filled so fast a crack went through the screen and it became infinity! What happened next, was just plain crazy. It was like my entire body was on fire, but it didn't hurt. Like the flame that kicked the windigos' flanks in the stories, than havin' dragon breath burn ya. And inside, Ah felt it all, my experiences, Apple Mirror's experiences, our experiences, it was all there and Ah was stronger because of it! Ya can guess what came next. A pair of fancy lookin' feathered wings with a sheen to them grew from my frickin' back, and a horn pushed it's way out of my forehead, but it was like Ah'd been usin' 'em for millions of years. No, Ah don't consider myself an Alicorn or a Princess, cause Ah hadn't earned these wings and horn, they're lent from a member of my family who trust me to do what we gotta do. "This' yer strength, Apple Mirror, Ah Pinkie Promise it ain't gonna go to waste." Usin' magic and experience Ah didn't have a minute ago, Ah conjured up a set of bardin' like Princesses Celestia and Luna wear, but a patina with rubies instead of silver with emeralds, it just, felt right (and suddenly knowin' what a 'patina' was!), it was a lot less fancy lookin', but it would get the job done! "Princess Vertias?!" Old Nythy screeched. Ah didn't care. "Apple Mirror," Ah said, "Let's do this together!" With a completely emotionless face Nyarlathotrot teleported away. Ah opened a mirror gate above where'd he been standin' and he fell back onto his sorry plot. "Oh no! Ya don't get to go until Ah SAY ya can go!" Nyarlathotrot looked at me with clenched teeth and pupils quiverin'. Ah saw a vein pulsin' on side of his head. "You... you... you... " He was practically frothing at the mouth now. "I will not... we will not... you're a wailing infant compared to us... how dare you disgrace a member of our family!" "Ah save it, Discord cares more 'bout his kin than ya do," A part of me said and Ah was surprised to hear it. And Ah couldn't wait to deliver the cherry on top. "When Apple Mirror shattered It and herself? Out escaped all the GOOD PARTS the big eye took away when It remade those versions of us into Chaos Demons." "ABSURD! Even if that happened you'd have no way to know!" "Ah don't, but Apple Mirror does." "...You crafty nag!" Nynthy snarled hatefully. "THIS is what I mean! You can't leave a single unhappy thing undone! All my hard work mangled and deflowered! And you will taste the venom of our justice!" "Anypony tell ya yer a self-centered git?" "Enough of Alicorns and Draconequi and their self-righteous hypocrisy! We've rooted ourselves in so deep we'll destroy you! You will understand there is no point in your existence! You will cry out there is no answer!" "Ah won't hide my sins / or from the truth!" "Know this truth, Veritas! A terrible choice, and terrible burden await your little sister at the top of the World Tower, and that's if she or any of them make it. She will be so broken that we might as well have won!" Nythy's shadow grew, fangs and claws emerging from it as it encircled me and lashed out at me from all sides. "Friendship is the strongest magic of all! As long as love and friendship exist, good can prevail, and whatever that burden or choice is, Apple Bloom's friendship with others will see her through!" Ah let out a concentrated blast of light from my horn, focusin' all the light around us into a big burst, vaporizin' the shadows around me. An image appeared between us... It was Alula and Tootsie. Just ordinary fillies. It was Cheerilee's class. It was Hearts and Hooves Day... Diamond Tiara said, "I like the red one." And Alula without hesitation gave Diamond Tiara her own red card. Silver Spoon looked happy at the exchange. While behind them, Tootsie was about to give a card to the foal across from her, when Truffle and Twist hugged, she dropped her card and looked away heart broken. "Anypony can become the villain! You're no longer protected by the status quo of the Heart World! Alula's compassion for Diamond Tiara made her open for corruption, her friendship made her a servant of a Nightmare. Tootsie's girlish attraction to Truffle left her with pain that left her open to being told what she wanted to hear. Her dreams of being a hero made her a villain. The very friendship and love you hold dear brought them into our sway!" Nythy's shadow twist and twisted again, this time bulbs formed and opened, firin' lasers at me with no room to dodge. "And it'll be those dreams, love and friendship that saves them, and Diamond Tiara!" Ah opened up the inside of my wings, showing the gleaming reflection underneath. The lasers went inside my wings, and out the other side blastin' each other. "Then you admit pain is a part of living?!" "There's a difference between pain and misery!" "The world is a cruel place where any win is arbitrarily being born into the right family and knowing the right ponies! Or fates whims who will be a goddess who will be a garbage pony!" His back opened, and out jumped a one-foreleg zebra who began to play his saxophone to music that was going to do a Tartarus lot worse than just make my ears bleed. "Maybe in some other world line, but this one's too optimistic fer that! Life may not be easy! But it's ain't somethin' horrible that's better off put out of its misery! Me, Twilight, Rarity, Rainbow, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, we're all where we are because of the choices we've made! And one day we'll make this world the next best thin' tah heaven! TOGETHER!" The jewel on my peytral glowed, and Ah let out a vocal that left visible sound waves makin' the zebra shatter like a ceramics project. The cooked clay faded away. His shadow picked up his saxophone and knelt to me. "That's the curtain call. Back to legends and folklore I go." The shadow and saxophone faded back into the darkness. Ah plucked out a few of my feathers and morphed 'em into bright silver spears. "I thought you said you prided yourself on never killing a thinking being." "Yer usin' an avatar, ya already had yer one mortal life." Ah shot right at the monster. "This ain't killin': it's banishment!" Nythy's shadow moved right in front of him, a scarily fat unicorn mare with a fan rose up between us, she didn't have time to use her fan to blow 'em away, she was used as a shield. She fell to her knees dropping her fan that vanished. "My King In Yellow, I am coming." She dissolved into a mass of buggers and vanished, her shadow crawled back into the mass. "There will always be causalities in the crossfire," Nythy said. The filly from earlier emerged from the mass of shadows like walkin' out of a lake (her race constantly shifting). She was holding a controller with a little screen. She turned it on and an earth pony stallion made outta 'pixels' (whatever those were), formed in front of her. He had a sword as big as him, a spiky blond mane, and an orange suit of armor. "I-must-save-Princess-Alicia.-You-are-evil.-I-must-defeat-you." It said in a clipped together voice. Above him was the message 'Players 1:'Night Gale', and a red bar. Above me were the words 'Players 2: Princess Applejack.' Ah blasted the controller, the digital pony vanished into thin air. "Heroes can take steps to SAVE those who otherwise would die in the crossfire and can succeed in it!" Nythy grasped Night Gale's head with his two mechanical gauntlets, she screamed as electricity went through her, her shadow thrashed about wildly. Nyarlathotrot let her go and didn't look at her. "But... I never got to challenge Button Mash to a two player game..." The filly fell apart into 'pixels' herself, and her shadow tried to crawl away before being dragged back by Nythy's shadow into itself. "Maybe he can play against your high score if it meant that much to you," Nythy said indifferently. Ah couldn't believe what Ah just saw. Ah figured the unicorn just leapt in front of 'em, but this? "But... she's you!" "My kind can't experience love, why should self-love be any different? A better incarnation can take her seat." As if Ah couldn't be more disgusted by him. Even his own shadow seemed to twist in revulsion from him. A dozen of my mirrors stabbed into the around Night Gale's shadow, severin' it from Nythy's, her shadow sank into the earth, free from him. Nythy's tendrils stabbed me like cobras, but all they got was a reflection. "Now she can play games that don't hurt no pony. Or maybe she already has." "You ruin my work like she did!" "She made NEW worldlines!" "You'll die by your own ridiculous hooves!" Nyarlathotrot threw off his black lab coat, a ring of green magic traveled up his legs then across his whole body. His fur changed to charcoal black. He grew a long green mane and a lizard's like tail with a gold ring on both. His shape became a mare's. His eyes became a consistent gold color with the 'whites' of his eyes bein' black. White freckles appeared on his face. His cutie mark became three moth eaten apples with a cat's eye at the center of each other. Ah barely had time to think about what Ah was seein' when his shape then grew into an adult Alicorn mare's. Then black skeletal bat wings burst out of his back with red eye-jewels at the center and tips. This was followed by a horn to it comin' out of her, his forehead curved like a sword. Next his gauntlets spread and changed into a set of creepy barding with more twists and curves to it than an octopony family reunion: Looked like it was made out of interlockin' metal tentacles dotted with garnets. "This is yer end, ya four-hoofed varmit!" What sounded like a bad recording of my own voice snarled back at me. Ah didn't dignify 'em with a response. Neither of us waited for a signal, we just blasted each other with a beam-o-war, except Ah wasn't interested in proving Ah was stronger than this plothole and summoned a mirror that blasted his beam right back at 'em combined with mine! Ah wasn't gonna let this rat stick around with my face for long! She flapped her wings and spawned a swarm of Apple eatin' moths (that ain't a typo), Ah flapped my wings and sent 'em back at 'er face. She cursed and hissed and dismissed 'em. This was gonna end! She charged up her horn and teleported with her horn pointed right in my eye and blasted... dang... that hurt... If Ah wasn't an Alicorn Ah'd be dead from that one. Ah bite on my tongue, Ah didn't have TIME to twist around in agony! Ah teleported while still regeneratin' and kick 'er in the horn! No teleport tag for you today! We kicked and punched each other, each other makin' an earthquake that broke off bits of the ground we were standin' on. We both ignored the pain. We both didn't even think of holdin' back! Ah flapped back with my wings and then fluttered forward, doin' a slidin' dive, sendin' 'em tumblin' over! That's what ya get when ya combine pegasus wings with earth pony strength! Jerk slammed her hooves together then into the ground, electric sparks went about as chains made outta the same metal as her bardin' tore out of the ground and pulled me down and began to crush me in my own bardin'! "Those chains are sonic proof, and there no pony that flies in the sky or walks on the earth can break them!" "Seaponies can do more than sing," I breathed out. "We're universes away from the nearest ocean." "Good thing with this mist, there's plenty of water around!" "Uh-oh." Her eyes went wend as the mist 'round her condensed into water and then into ice that stabbed at her from every direction. As for the chains tryin' to turn me into paste, ya know this trick by now, freeze 'em good, then warm'em up, freeze'em again, and some Alicorn strength, and ka-crack they go! Ah charged right at Nyarlathotrot, zigzaggin' as Ah went and evadin' beams shot my way, changin' direction on a bit. If there's one thing Flutterponies could do its dodge like the wind! Nyarlathotrot opened her mouth and her jaw split apart like petals of a flower lined with fangs, and out shot a buncha green tentacles with barbs on the end. They wrapped around my legs, wings, and then my neck. Ah felt like Ah was bein' squeezed to death by dragons. A red flame shot around my body then vanished. My body below my waist was exactly the same, but above my waist, that used to be my neckline, I was now furless except for my mane on my head, had an extra set of limbs like Spike's, had a mostly flat face, and an extra set of maternal material on my chest. Bein' face to face with a centauress threw Nythy off long enough for me to put my new limbs to good use and double hammer blowed her right on her head and that ugly horn of hers. Her eyes rolled into the back of her head and the tentacles came lose. Using my arms again I grabbed the her tongues and used them to slam her repeatedly into the ground like a rug that needed puttin' out. She finally ripped herself free and charged with her horn right between my eyes, the red flames covered my body and Ah was a pony again and she totally missed, but it also gave me a perfect shot at her unarmored belly! The SOB gasped and gurgled, and Ah threw 'em off my horn and trampled 'em! "Ya ain't gonna win this," Ah said, it wasn't a threat. "Ah'm channelin' the Alicorn of Truth herself, the real rules of this world make all yer rumor twistin' useless!" She stood up. Her hate of me as strong as ever. "What rules?! Your reality was already no longer chained to the heart world... you think you can hide behind 'nopony gets killed, bad things don't happen to good ponies, and good things don't happen to bad ponies' forever?" Then... it all clicked. It just, all came together. Ah dang correlated all my mind's contents. "... Both you and Pinkie Pie, ya were scared of the same thing... that genres change, that's the honest truth." Nythy looked at me in shock. Ah took my chance and punched 'em. "That was for that world's Rarity!" Another. "And that was for that world's Pinkie Pie!" Another. "And for Big Mac!" And, "For Granny!" POW! "Cousin Braeburn!" POW! POW! "And cousins Apple Fritter and Peachy Sweet!" POW! POW! POW! POW! "Mr. and Mrs. and Pound and Pumpkin Cake if they even got to be born there!" My hits and words came faster, like jackhammers. "And Spike! Miss Cheerilee! Minuette! Lyra! Bon Bon! Moon Dancer! Lemon Hearts! Twinkleshine! Moth! Lone Ranger! Twilight's parents! Maud Pie! Trixie! Cousin Red Delicious! Princess Celestia! Princess Luna! Cadence and Shining Armor!" Ah spoke and hit even faster! Like Ah was punchin' before Ah'd finished the last one! Moments stretched on forever as Ah listed off every member of my family, the entire population of Ponyville, then Canterlot, then all of Equestria for good measure. POW! "AND MAYOR MARE!" POW! "AND Miss Cherries Jubilee!" POW! "AND ZECORA!!!!" After reducin' her face to puddin' Ah finished with her uppercut that her upwards in an arch that landed her face down in the dirt like a stake. As the pile of filth slowly regenerated, Ah said. "... Yer right about one thing Nythy... we're NOT part of the Heart World no more... that means we have to accept the good, WITH THE BAD, of what that all means... things CAN get nastier, things CAN turn out worse, things CAN be more painful... but doesn't mean they SHOULD, it also means things can turn out for the better... and that's what Ah'm gonna work fer every day of my life! We're writin' our own story now! And it's gonna have a happy endin'!" Nythy let out a feral snarl and her shadow lashed at me sharp enough to cut rocks in two, poison darts that could kill an elephant instantly shot out from the tips of her wings, black bile spewed from her mouth. My mirrors caught and redirected the darts and filth, and my wings in silver armor blocked the slash with her shadow. "Sometimes we'll be a comedy slice of life, sometimes a creepy mystery, and sometimes... yeah, a tragedy. Right now? Ah'd say we're an action story were the hero beats the alien invader!" Ah 'cracked my hooves.' Nythy came at me, creatin' black and green war hammers, scimitars, axes, spears, swords, wildly and recklessly now. Hopin' to just overwhelm me. "You talk about me violating YOUR world?! What about MY WORKS! My creations! You tack on a happy ending and think it makes a good story! You choose feel-good over thought, you conceited leftover evolutionary side experiments!" Ah kept up the pace, creatin' weapons out of my mirror silver, my weapons and hers shatterin' when they struck each other. Finally she conjured a spiral spearhead spell around her horn and tried to simply power on through, Ah reflected and conjured the same spell, and our horn tips gave off sparks. "We ponies never said we were better! We're just more lucky! We had friends who helped us through the dark, friends to help show us the way, friends to teach us, friends to heal us, and we'll pass that friendship onto others: ours is the friendship, that'll protect the heavens!" Nythy's horn spell and horn broke, the force sending her skidding backwards. = Bayonetta 2 ► Moon River (∞ Climax Mix) = She snarled. "Yer wasting yer time! Only by disproving my right to exist here can get rid of me and you've already said this world is open season! Naive hypocrite! Ya have any idea how elaborate and complex the ritual is to seal me away from a world?! A creature of yer intellect could never hope to-" Ah wasn't really listenin' now. My horn glowed red with my magic, along with my peytral jewel, my four hooves, and my wings that Ah spread out as far as they could go and shined. My tail became a seapony's (orange, what else) and started glowin' too. Mah body crackled with red flames. Ah flew at the bucker as fast as Ah could go, and all that glow went from all the other spots and right to my two rear hooves. Ah let out a karate cry Ah learned from Rarity, and Ah double bucked 'em in the gut with everythin' Ah had! - "Big sister?" Apple Bloom looked around confused at the tremor. - Twilight caught books as they fell off the library shelves. - "Earthquake?" Cheerilee wondered at the school with Rara. - Diamond Tiara's Nightmare and Alula and Tootsie looked up confused as the entire tower shook. - The Empress of Neighpon frowned as her tea cup rattled off the table. - When Applejack did a double applebuck to Neythotrot, its entire combined avatar shuttered. Less than a moment later, the momentum of the hit sent a small spiraling back mass of darkness and tendrils with a single red eye out like a cannon. The empty shell fell limply to its knees. The red eye with tendrils was sent over the horizon, easily reaching escape velocity for the planet, then Equus' orbit, and the solar system, and still gaining speed. "Or a double apple buckin' from Buckin' MacGillacuddy and Kicks-McGee seems to work fine too!" Applejack said with a smile. Nyarlathotrot's eye madly darted about it flew past stars, then galaxies, then super-galaxies, then finally the super-gaxaxies forming a pattern identical to that of the sapient brain's nerve patterns. The force of Vertias' strike sending him faster and faster away. His tendrils futilely wailed about as he broke the light-barrier, then time-barrier, and finally the reality-barrier from the sheer impact! As Nyarlathotrot continued to sail through the cosmos, he passed a street sign floating that said the words 'One Way' pointing the way he was going. Next was a 'Exit Only' sign. Then finally a pair of flashing railroad signs and the words in flashing lights 'Have A Hell Of A Time.' 'You're NOT Coming Back From This One'. 'So long Forever.' Nyarlathotrot couldn't see where he was going, but he knew perfectly well! But he could do nothing as he reached the point of no return, passed through the membrane of the Blind Idiot Concept, and sent back to His Parent whence he came. + "He's gone," The Nightmare of Diamond Tiara said having quickly excused herself from the 'Feel Better Sweetheart' party she was having with Tootsie, her family, Alula, and Blank Diamond's plushie black cat. 'Whose gone? I was busy petting this puppy.' "Father I know when you're pretending not to have interest. And that's a kitten." 'Well it acts like a puppy. And before that I was giving boxes of candy to 100 random orphan and abandoned foals.' - "Hey Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, how'd this end up in your inventory?" Button Mash asked seeing the box of candy to the fillies' names randomly appear on his menu. - "Father, Uncle is gone, I can no longer sense his core awareness. Nyarlathotrot is banished." 'Oh right. That's a horrible blow to our evil plans isn't it?' "Yes it is. If something goes wrong we can't recreate the curse. Not to mention the loss of his power if it comes down to a fight in the Tower. He knew the curse better than either of us. We can't use it to its full potential without him." 'It does give the ponies a much greater chance of beating us, doesn't it? Well, that just makes it more exciting right? You know the best thing about being evil? You can do something nice, and everypony will go crazy trying to figure out how it was evil, or think somepony who looked like you did it. Good reputations fade, evil reputations are self-sustaining.' "Father, this is serious. You said you'd be watching him when you said I should attend the party with Alula and Tootsie." 'I did watch. I watch him be punted out of time and space. Guy didn't once ask for help. What an ego. By the way check out this nice pot and kettle. Never be too proud to beg in this business dear.' "You should have dove in and helped him. That is what family is supposed to do." 'I was hoping he'd call out for my help at some point. So I could tell that cyclops octopus 'no!' And he could shout 'Discord your brat!' And I could show him that special surprise that we'll now never see. He was willing to let you be petrified my dear because it made a good tragedy... now he can have one of his own!' "Not very tactically sound father, he made a good proxy with us not having to risk ourselves. That is no longer an opinion. And if the curse is broken, only he knew how to create it. This chance of ours will never come again. He was completely banished from the universe." 'I'm not out of tricks yet!' "Really? Did Apple Bloom and her friends encounter any of your kind of surprises at the Apple Farm after you told me to just have fun and you'd handle it?" 'Oh they didn't? Oh silly me. I SO must have forgotten, of course.' "And you didn't even try to turn those Uncle was fighting into chocolate." 'Hm? So I didn't.' "Father you live for stealing the spotlight, and yet it's like you aren't even trying to stop them. Are you hoping they ruin your own plan?" 'Now what kind of silly question is that?' + The floating piece of earth sank back down to the ground, somehow in the same place it had taken off in, the bat wings rotting and fading away. The empty shell slowly and haltingly got up, the form fading back into the lab-coated stallion Applejack had first seen. He looked down at himself indifferently, and held up his hoof, seeing it and the rest of his body slowly turning to desert sand as it blew away. The shell let out a small laugh. "So that's it then. I fall for one of my own tricks. The tragic character doomed by their own vendetta." He let out an agitated sigh. "Looks like I lose." "Yer darn tootin' ya lose!" "...Looks like, my revenge on HER masterwork will get undone like SHE undid so many of my works... I knew accepting Discord's alliance was a gamble, there's be a price to pay, but if it paid off, it would have all been worth it. Now all I've done is lost more." "Ya made yer choice, now live with the consequences," she said as the avatar continued to fall apart into sand. "This isn't our end. Wherever there is light, there are shadows, the base desire to see the pure corrupted, in the hearts of those-who-watch will always exist. And we will be there as their servant in the grim darkness." His tail dissolved. How he was still standing was any pony's guess as he stood on his rear legs even as one dissolved into ancient sand. "That just means as long as there's GOODNESS and those-who-watch who write it, yer never gonna completely win. Yer tragedies don't stop there from bein' a happy endin' where everypony's soul is saved." There was barely anything left of him now behind his shoulders and floating head. "Go ahead hero, let the chicken, marshmallow, undead, and puppet finish Discord, let them work niece through her mommy issues...My son endures, may he teach you the true meaning of fear some day." "And we'll teach 'em the true meanin' of friendship. And last Ah checked: friends are a great way tah overcome fear." "We'll see." "...Ah have a question before yah go...does the fact Ah had a happy endin' make mah parents dyin' any less of a tragedy?" He stared at her in awe for several seconds as his beard dissolved. "...Touche." The last of him turned back to sand and blew away. + "AAAGH!" Rabia, 'Dark Crystal' as she nicknamed fell on her side, clutching her head, looking terrified and broken. "Mother?!" King Sombra rushed her side. Queen Radiant Hope sat next to Ira, Sombra's little sister, the creature born of the crystal pony's anger was in a similar and a shocking overwhelming sense of emptiness if not as severe. "The others I can't feel the others! They're GONE! Our knowledge! Our power! I can't remember! I can't feel it!" All Rabia could remember was being born of the crystal ponies' rage, the way her son had been born from their fear. + The realm/presence/existence/Nyarlathotrot's Parent for now took the appearance to the perception of some of a black sky of blue stars above and below. Roam-mare marble columns floated about at random angles in fixed position, while rustic yellow or brown book pages the size of grand carpets served as hoof holds for any unfortunate to be present. But what everypony would notice first was the slick black house-size tendrils sticking out of random portals. And the galaxies that randomly swirled into the shape of eyes and dispersed. And something happened that shocked and alarmed every Outer Concept present. Azathorse, some said Azehorse, or Azerhorse, nicknamed by Havoc as the 'Blind Idiot Concept' spoke. "yOu've BROuGHt shAme OnTo youRSELf aND YOur famILy! HOW cOulD yoU lET a InfAnT goDDEsS sTIlL In tHE Womb dIsMiSS yOu! Not oNce BUt twIcE You've Let a nEWbORN CONCept humiLiAtE YOU!" The single Parent of All the Outer Concepts' voice terrified all present. WHAT it said was icing on the cake, but IT HAD SPOKEN! His trumpeters paused in apprehension. Nyarlathotrot knew true fear. "P-Parent, you, SPEAK?" Nearly all of Nyarlathotrot's family was present. As he lay on the 'ground', those who had accepted Discord's invitation knelt on one knee (or its equivalent) before their Parent, heads (or the like) bowed. The Beldam, Shub-Neighurath, Abandon, Great Apple Spirit/He Who Walks Behind The Corn, and others. "YoU wIlL SuFFEr FoR THIS disGrACe!" "Isn't my humiliation punishment enough?" "YOu FOrgEt! it'S noT juSt yoURSeLF you've BRoUGHT hUMilIATION UpOn! WheN yOU AlLow yoURSElF tO bE Made a fOol, yOu mAke A FOOL oF All oF uS! EVEN noW this echOES!" "These nightmarish creatures can be felled, they can be beaten!" Echoed the soul of a dead noblestallion who had opened a portal underneath his family manor to one of Ponythulu's forgotten kitchen cabinets full of things better left unsaid. "AND yoU ALloWEd yet aNoTHer mEMBer of oUr FaMilY HARm!" A mountain-sized dark and yellow eyeball laid on its 'side', covered in glowing cracks, pathetically whimpering like a beaten puppy, happy memories and the inner goodness of souls removed from its mutated victims escaping freely back into the hearts of their holders. "AlsO To BE puNIsHED, aRE the MeMBErs OF ouR FAMILY WhO tOoK pART IN ChaoS' ReVel For THIs HUMiLIATiOn AnD SHaMe you'Ve BROuGhT TO THE fAmIlY IN DefEAT, anD yOu NyARLathotrOT for SPEAR HeAdING THIS FOoliSHnESS." If they hadn't been scared before, Their Parent had spoken Nyarlathotrot's NAME! A stallion with solid blackness where eyes should have been, hooded in yellow and covered in chain like a lunatic and crowned like a king then appeared to the Outer Concepts and spoke. "Due to this huge level of humiliation, and shame for making you seem knowable and beatable, and so much work being destroyed (YOU ARE the spirits who embody the dangers of the unknown and all that entails!), doth Azehorse ACTS." This alone was quite shocking onto itself, since they couldn't REMEMBER the last time their Parent did something INTENTIONALLY. "And bans you from these ponies' world line! Only those who remain there now and alive shall remain until their deaths." All drew in sharp breaths. "WE ARt The 'UnSpeAKABlE HOrroRS froM beyoNd'. tiS oUR tAsK tO BE kNowN, uNknoWAbLe, inSAnItY INSPIriNG UNsPeaKAbLE, EldRITch IN ALl ItS gLORY. NyaRlAthotROt REPeATEDlY LESSenS OUR ENtIre famIlY. It iS OUr dutY anD tAsk To Be The DaNGErs Of THe unKNOWN So Mortal groWTH iS bAlAnCEd aS CONCEpTs thEMsELVES are BAlAnceD AND Kept In cHeCK." Nyarlathotrot dared speak back to his Parent where none would even dream of in their worst nightmares. "WHY isn't Ponythulhu considered a humiliation while I am?! All the contacts, and TEA-PARTIES he's had with mortals?!" "Ponies still RESPECT The Sleeper of R'lyeh and go out of their way to pay him proper manners at his revels. He may be NICE, but he's done nothing to HARM your standing and his wrath is still FEARED!" Said the crowned stallion in chains. "Even at tea, they still beware him! And in this case: he did not partake in this foolishness and neither did Yog-Sogthorse." "our FAmILy'S DutY is nOt WHAT PoniEs call 'EViL.' IT IS FeArEd of whaT iS not KnowN. It IS To BE UnKNoWN. The slEeper Of r'LyeH's WraTH iS stilL feAreD by aLL. HOrSecrAFt hAs neveR CAteGorIZED yOu aS 'EviL', only WHat thEY caLL 'amoraL' ... IT is CArED NOt THAt You SToOD alonGsiDe cHAos, NoR THat you AIded in hIs ReveNge noR sOughT IT yOURSeLf... hOW Much 'eviL' YOU CauSe doES nOT sTRENgThen Nor LESSeN us. FeAr IS yOur MEANInG... AnD you have lESSENED it." "If I had succeeded many more would fear us and our Family would have many more devoted." "You did not," said the crowned and chained stallion. Ponythulu said, "I realized a long time again that was a 'Horsecraft-lite' universe, it's best to be the nice horror who shows enough fear to keep up our reputation. You're the one who refuses to accept that." Nyarlathotrot said nothing to his brother. "Banned are you or any member of your family not already present or summon currently there from ever visiting that Equestria or any of its branching wordlines for the next eight billion years of its time, or when it dies of old age, whichever comes first." Ponythulu got a sad look on his face, but tried to brighten the mood. "Don't worry, now you all have extra time to play parcheesi with me!" said holding up the boardgame. He was ignored. The rest of his family looked hatefully at Nyarlathotrot and slowly closed in. +++ Golden Harvest gave up hope. She was tired. She was hungry. She was thirsty. She was hurt. She was dirty. She was lost. She was unarmed. She didn't know the way back to the surface in the mineshaft she had fallen into. And the plant-parasite mutated ponies were closing in to either eat her or assimilate her, even if they were basically the same thing. She was cornered. She could hear them. All that was left was to wait for the end. And hope that her sister Noi and her father Cherry didn't have to ever see for themselves the THING that would take her body for itself. She heard a loud grinding sound, but didn't care what it was. Then DERPY or was it DITZY, Or was it MUFFIN? Whichever it was, she moved faster than any would think the lazy-eyed pegasus could, and zig-zagged through the monsters and picked her up, carrying her to Time Turner's blue shed, for whatever reason it was here. Golden Harvest had no idea what to think... she was so sure she was going to die. She was MEANT to die. Like the meaningless secondary characters in a horror film. Buck it. "DERPY! THANK YOU!!!" She cried and hugged her crying. "I promised I'd protect you if things went crazy right? This is the second time 'I've' saved 'you', but the first time I've saved you!" "Huh?" ".... Never mind." She carried her inside the shed which then vanished, confusing the mutants on what they were supposed to do now. +++ "So much for the dinghy." Scootaloo sighed, the little magic boat had apparently 'run-a-ground' if that even made sense. The last piece of the MoonPearl now lay lifeless and grounded, unable to go further. Finding the little ship again had been a Celestia-send, but now it had run its course. "Bye bye," Sweetie said sadly, eyes barely open and slipping in and out of sleep-logic, being carried by Daring Do. "If we've gotta walk the rest of the way then we gotta!" Apple Bloom said sternly. Doing her best not to think of her sister. = SNES - Final Fantasy 6 Zozo Town = "Welcome one! Welcome all! It seems we've almost reached the finale!" "PHOBIA!" The little foal surprisingly didn't seem to be in as much pain as one would think at having his broken wings pressed against him in a triple bear hug. "Nice to see you all too, Maud Pie sends her feelings as well, thank you for reuniting us." "Yer welcome," Sweetie said politely, her thoughts floating. "It's what heroes do!" Scootaloo said. "This the kid you mentioned?" Daring Do asked point. "Indeed I am, Miss Daring Do! A pleasure to meet you face to face! Sadly we really don't have time for pleasantries. We ALL have much to do. But I do have time to give you some good news and bad news! Good news is, Applejack is safe and sent Nyarlathotrot packing!" "Go sis'!" ALL OF THEM felt excited and happy that one of the big nasty monsters was gone. Button Mash was surprised really they hadn't done it. Well, the 'unfought' thing was a twist some games pulled. Whatever, they were close to the end of their quest now... right? The CMC hugged each other and Daring Do did a hoof-pump and fluttered her wings. They'd have cake later. "And remember what they were saying about how hard his magic was to understand before all this started? I imagine he was the only one who knew HOW to cast it, so if you stop that spell, I bet it can't be recast." "That's good!" Scootaloo smiled. "...But that also means his allies aren't going to make getting into the tower any easier. I imagine there's rough goings ahead." Scootaloo said, "...That's bad... Well, with the momentum we've got, no way we're gonna stop now! Right girls and boy?" "RIGHT!" The others all agreed. "And I had better get going. Sorry, see ya soon enough," Phobia said, suddenly sounding quite sad, and just vanished into darkness. They didn't question it at this point. "GIRLS!" It was Razzaroo's turn now. She hugged them tightly. "Sorry I had to go before you woke up! But I made sure nothing hurt you while you rested I swear! Oh! Hello." She looked at Daring Do. "Hey." Daring Do said with crossed arms. "Don't mind me, legendary hero here, just bein' a third wheel." "I'M SO HAPPY FOR YOU!" She hugged Daring Do. Then whispered in her ear. "Puzzlemint." "Wait! Wha-" But Razzaroo shushed her, even as she shed tears of joy. "There's so much I want to say! So much I want to do! With you, and you, and all of you! We've had so much time together! So much LIFE together! But I barely had any time to really SPEND it with you... I'm happy I could be a part of your story..." She took out her book, she was careful not to show the inside of her bag and the cowpony had she had found (or maybe found her). "But..." She sniffled and her tears weren't happy anymore. "This will be the last time I can save your progress. We aren't likely to meet again in this life. Scootaloo, leave as big a ripple on the world as you can." The foals hugged her. They went through the ritual of Razzaroo recording their quest as slowly as they dared... taking in every detail of this mare who had helped them in such a small but somehow very important way. Scootaloo took more than one chance to nuzzle her. Razzaroo moved close to Sweetie so the unicorn could give Razz' a nuzzle too. As the book slowly closed for the final time. She sighed, with tears in her eyes. "I love all of you. You're my friends. But I think things will get too complicated if I stay any longer. Please remember the name Razzaroo, and the names of all of our friends!" "WE WILL!" The fillies said boldly. Razzaroo gave them one last look and ran off. She didn't dare say in front of Scootaloo that she had another friend who needed saving from herself more than anything. Barely a moment after she had left however... a green trail of flame and smoke appeared out of the fog... and formed into a letter in the girls' hooves... it simply said 'Here.' "HEY, GIRLS! GUESS WHO'S BACK!" Spike declared, carrying a backpack. "Geeze! You have no idea how hard it was to get past those dragon sneeze trees, AND keep following my letter through this crazy fog, I think I saw myself running a few times! HEY! I had a copy of the newspaper with me! And... you girls okay?" They hugged him. He hugged back. "Where you supposed to stay?" Mash asked. "Stay? No way! I've had enough of that With Twilight! Not with you girls!" "Where's Silver Spoon?" Sweetie asked somehow finding the strength to lift her head. "I... Uh... she didn't come?" The foals worked VERY HARD to suppress their groans. So much for their secret weapon. They resisted this in favor of being happy to see their friend. They needed all the help they could get. Button checked Spike's stats and found his picture had lit up again and his stats had leveled up. "Sweetie Belle, what's wrong?" Spike asked, noting how weak she was. "Big spell...I'll be fine." Thankfully they still had recovery items. "So... whose the Daring Do cosplayer?" Spike pointed. "I AM Daring Do! That's what you can call me and it's what I do! So you're Spike the dragon huh? Thought you would be taller." Daring smirked. "Hey! I'm plenty tall and plenty tough! Just you watch!" "I'm sure I will!" Daring Do said approvingly. Even a baby dragon was still a dragon right? And she knew herself just how hard surviving the fog was. Apple Bloom breathed in deep. Her sister was safe. Umbra Breeze was beaten. They'd said goodbye to Razzaroo. Spike was here even if Silver Spoon wasn't. They could do this! "Alright troops! Forward march!" = 'War' - Poets Of the Fall =