//------------------------------// // Cutie Mark Re-Mark Time Lines Part 2 // Story: Pony POV Princess Twilight's Lightly visits to Grim Worlds // by Alex Warlorn //------------------------------// By Wolfram-and-Hart (Tirek Timeline) Ponies shivered as the ground shook. A giant horned shadow fell over the Everfree Forest, followed by a blast of magic that reduced trees to ash. Lord Tirek had won. He had defeated the princess and now even the Elements of Harmony had failed. He made a point of showing them all being sent off to Tartarus, except for Princess Luna and Discord. The Princess of the Night and the Spirit of Chaos lay imprisoned in a magic bubble floating near Tirek's shoulder. He didn't want them in Tartarus, he wanted his former love and his betrayed ally to watch while he used his stolen powers to wipe ponykind from the face of the Earth. He wanted them to know this was all their fault. A lone pony stood at the edge of the Everfree Forest. She sighed in resignation as she held the small case in her magic. She had found a way to hide from Tirek, and had gone off to find their last hope. Now that Moon Dancer and her friends had been beaten, she had no other choice. She slowly lifted the case lid. Yes. I will help you. "TRIXIE!" The showpony turned to see her friends gallop up to her. "Trixie, don't you dare!" "Heh, is that supposed to be a pun, A.K.?" Trixie rolled her eyes at Daring Do. "Trix, I know funny and now is a REALLY bad time for jokes! You can't be serious about going up against Tirek with that!" Cheese Sandwich pointed accusingly at the case. "They're right, kid! Quit bein' so dang stubborn and throw that darn thing back in the hole where you found it!" Cranky Doodle Donkey snapped. "It's our only chance!" Trixie defended. "You don't know that!" Gilda all but roared. "Yes I do!" Trixie roared back. She flung the case open and pulled out the Alicorn Amulet. "We barely survived the war with Sombra even WITH Moon Dancer and her friends using the Elements! The only reason we won was because I used this thing!" "And it nearly turned to into as bad a monster as Sombra!" Coloratura shook her friend. "By the time the fighting was over, you were as ruthless as he was and were about to turn around and take over yourself!" "But I didn't because you all saved me! You got me to take the amulet off! If I survive, you can do it again!" "Baubles and Bangles, Trixie, you've spent the last two years trying to recover from that experience! You told me yourself that you still have nightmares about it!" Sassy Saddles cried. "You can't do that to yourself again! Even if you beat Tirek, this amulet will end up killing you!" "THEN I'LL DIE!" Trixie's cry silenced her friends. "…I know what I am. I'm a showboat with an ounce of talent and a big mouth. I wanted to be a hero… and I almost became a villain. I'm no hero, I know that now. If anypony's a hero, it's the six of you." Her friends froze. "You're the reason I've made it this far. Even before the Crystal War, I'd never have made it without you. I was just another street performer before you taught me to believe in myself. You made me want to be a better pony. And I betrayed and murdered that better pony when I used this." She looked at the amulet. "I hate it. I hate even looking at it. But deep down, I think I'm meant to wear it again… one last time. If this is the only way I can stop Tirek, I'll go to Tartarus knowing I tried to save my friends. One way or another, this is the end of the Great and Powerful Trixie." Daring Do paced in anger. "Of all the stupid, idiotic, reckless…" "Trixie, please don't." Rara begged. Cranky Doodle Donkey growled through his watered eyes. "Dad-gum it, there's got to be another way! THERE'S GOTTA BE!!" There is no other way. Put me on! "Go home, all of you." Before anypony could stop her, she clapped the Alicorn Amulet around her neck. "And remember the good times every now and then." She vanished in a flash of red magic. When she reappeared, she stood atop the old castle of the Two Sisters. She magically magnified her voice. "TIREK!" The Dark Lord of All turned at the voice and saw a lone unicorn standing on a ruined parapet. "A PONY STANDS BETWEEN YOU AND EQUESTRIA!" "Oh, this is cute." Tirek smirked. "Who dares challenge me? And choose your words wisely as you address your new god." Show the invader who he is dealing with! "THEN LET A GOD WILL KNOW FEAR, FOR IT IS I! THE VANQUISHER OF THE URSA MAJOR! SLAYER OF SOMBRA! THE MOST MAGICAL UNICORN IN EQUESTRIA! THE GREAT AND POWERFUL TRIXIE!" She conjured a massive display of fireworks to punctuate her announcement. "One puny unicorn is going to defeat me? When goddesses, Discord, and the Elements of Harmony failed? What have I to fear from you?" "THIS!" A blast of magic erupted from Trixie's horn and hit Tirek right in the face. He was thrown back half a mile, clutching his burnt face in pain. "BEHOLD, THE BURNT FACE OF EVIL!" Trixie laughed, drunk on the power. "AND THE WRATH OF A GOD!" Tirek sent a blast of magic at Trixie. Trixie teleported away just as the roof was blown off the old palace. She appeared at Tirek's hooves and blasted right into his barrel. The titanic centaur ground and stomped his hooves, trying to crush the unicorn. She fired upwards, sending the evil titan flying. She reared up and fired a massive wave of magic as he fell through the sky. He hit the ground with an earth shattering thud. "SURRENDER, TIREK, AND I'LL MAKE YOUR DEATH QUICK!" Trixie bellowed. "Oh, will you?" Tirek chuckled as he stood. "Your magic is indeed strong. And dark. You think you can defeat me with dark magic? You pathetic child! I was there when it came into the world! I mastered it when your ancestors were bleating beasts! You are nothing!" He sent a ball of energy at Trixie, who tried to block it. She deflected most of the damage, but her mana supply was slightly depleted. She growled at the centaur and powered up her horn again. "THE GREAT AND POWERFUL TRIXIE CANNOT LOSE!" She crowed, and believed it. "NONE CAN STAND AGAINST ME! NOT EVEN TIREK HIMSELF! I HAVE THE POWER!" She sent blast after blast of magic at Tirek, creating a dust cloud that blocked out the sun. She was past wanting to save Equestria, she wanted Tirek dead! She wanted the world to see how powerful she was as she hammered the ultimate evil into the dirt. For ten minutes, she lets loose on her fallen foe to make sure he was destroyed. Finally, she stopped, panting in relief. "HAHAHAHA! THE GREAT AND POWERFUL TRIXIE WINS! EQUESTRIA IS SAFE! AND I'LL MAKE SURE IT STAYS SAFE! I'LL CRUSH ANYPONY WHO THREATENS US! I'LL LEAD EQUESTRIA INTO A NEW AGE!" Trixie's head suddenly ached. No, no, no! Not again! You're not that pony! You can't… She never saw the attack coming. Tirek had stood and blasted Trixie with everything he had. The Amulet was strong, but not strong enough to defeat the pure Alicorn magic Tirek had stolen. She lay broken and beaten in the crater with the devil himself laughing as he towered over her. Her shredded cape flapped in the wind and her hat lay tattered on the ground. The Great and Powerful Trixie was humbled yet again. I failed. I failed again. I let Tirek win. Everypony was counting on me and I still failed. "The Great and Powerful Trixie. HAHAHAHA!" Tirek laughed. "Where is your so-called greatness? Where is your power? All you are is another insignificant pony standing in my way. You can't save anyone. Even your stolen dark magic was not enough. Perhaps I should let you live and watch with the princess and my pawn as I lay waste to your world. Let you see the depths of your failure before I snap your tiny neck." Trixie shuddered as she started to stand. "You are nothing, pony. Nothing at all." "LEAVE HER ALONE!" Trixie's eyes widened as she heard Gilda's voice. She looked and saw her flying towards her, followed by Sassy, Cranky, Daring, Rara, and Cheese Sandwich. "What are you doing here?!" Trixie croaked. "Run! Get out of here, run!" "Not happening, Trix!" Daring said as she pulled Trixie to her hooves. "Well, isn't this sweet?" Tirek mocked. "Your friends are here to die with their fallen hero." "No… no, please…" Trixie gasped as she held her foreleg in pain. "Pal." Cheese Sandwich gave the centaur a steely glare and donned his hat, poncho and rubber chicken. "If you want this gal, you gotta go through me." "And me, ya giant chump!" Gilda cracked her knuckles. "Count us in too." Sassy, Cranky, and Rara stood by Trixie's side. "No, please, I can't let you all die!" Trixie gasped as she tried to stay standing. "Eh, I've had a good run. Found the girl of my dreams and met lots of great friends along the way. 'Sides, there's worse ways of goin' out than by your friends' side." Cranky gave a small smile. "Come on Tirek, you gonna stand there all day?" Daring snarked. "Well, if you insist." Tirek fired down at the ponies, griffin and donkey, who held each other as they braced for impact. Time slowed down for Trixie as she watched as the maelstrom of dark magic came crashing down on them. She was going to die. She had failed her friends and now they would all die. Equestria was doomed. She prepared for the end, but suddenly heard the siren call of the Amulet. It doesn't have to be this way. Use me. Defeat him. I can't! Yes, you can! You are the only one who can! You'll corrupt me! You'll turn me into a monster! Because you are too weak to defeat me. …What? …Nothing! Trixie's mind exploded and found herself floating inside a massive silver and red void. Facing her was a sight as horrific as any Nightmare. It looked like a twisted parody of a female human. She was pale as death and clothed in dark magic. She let out a laugh that sounded like glass breaking. I am your only hope! Give in to me or let that centaur usurper destroy your world! I… I can't! Then die! Die and let the amulet be destroyed! Let my evil free and face that magic thief myself! No! You… I can feel it, you're just as bad as he is! I AM EVIL MAGIC! I WILL NOT BE DENIED MY DESTINY NOR THE NATURE OF MY DARK MAGIC! Wait… that's not right. Dark magic is dangerous, but it's not inherently evil. Which means, the Amulet's power isn't evil…You are! You're the corrupting element of the Amulet! You made me into that heartless thing! You needed to be heartless to defeat the heartless! No! That's wrong! I've listened to your lies long enough! This isn't about me, it's about everypony! I'm not going to let my friends die! And I'm not going to let you stop me from saving them and Equestria! She concentrated on her friends and the evils trying to hurt them. She would fight for them, and she would win. Even without the Princess or the Elements of Harmony or… "The Elements…" Trixie gasped. She understood. Tirek laughed as he turned to Luna and Discord, still imprisoned in their bubbles. The smoke rising from where Trixie and her friends had been was all they could see besides Tirek's mocking face. "Enjoying the show, my pet? Are there any other so-called defenders of the realm I should know about? I could do with a little more sport before the end." Luna turned to rebuke her captor, but froze. Her eyes widened as she looked at the ground. Tirek looked and was likewise shocked. The smoke had cleared to reveal Trixie and her friends still huddled together on the ground, but were surrounded by a silver blue magic shield. Trixie stood with her hooves raised and her horn alight, protecting her friends with a new kind of magic. "Tangled taffeta, what happened?!" Sassy gasped. "And what the hay happened to the Alicorn Amulet?!" Daring gasped at the talisman around Trixie's neck. It had turned from silver to gold and the formerly red jewel glowed with rainbow colors. "I fixed it." Trixie said as she suddenly turned off the shield. "I guess I'll have to aim better this time." Tirek sneered. "It's over, Tirek. We have the key to defeat you! We always have, and never even knew it!" Trixie called up to the demon prince. "Uh… we did?" Gilda asked. "Yeah, when did that happen?" Rara asked. "From the moment you all became my friends!" Trixie smiled. "Oh please." Tirek groaned. "You may have cheated the Elements of Harmony, but you forgot there's another set!" Trixie smirked. "What?" Tirek frowned. "What? No there is..." Discord's eyes lit up. "No… No, it can't be!" "Thanks to Discord's sick antics, ponies think chaos is evil, just like ponies think the dark is evil because of you, Tirek! But it's not evil! It's part of us all the same as harmony, and can be used to protect what we love just as well!" Tirek fired again, but Trixie used he Amulet and deflected it again. "And I was lucky enough to find the full set!" Trixie grinned. "WHAT?!" Tirek yelled "Daring Do!" Trixie turned to the Pegasus in question. "She taught me to believe in myself and how my story unfolds, representing the Element of… Fantasy!" Daring Do looked at herself in shock as her body began to glow. "Cheese Sandwich! He taught me to never be afraid of being who I am and what others think of me, representing the Element of… Courage!" The super-duper party pony gave a whooping laugh as he began to glow. "Gilda! Who knew how I felt when I lost friends and was looked down on, represents the Element of… Empathy!" The griffin flared her glowing wings. "Coloratura! She taught me that being a performer doesn't mean I'm locked into being nothing more than my stage persona, representing the Element of… Free Will!" The singer smiled as her body lit up for the first time without the use of stage effects. "Sassy Saddles! She taught me to push myself to do her best and achieve my dreams, representing the the Element of… Desire!" The fashionista struck a pose as the glow spread across her. "And Cranky Doodle Donkey! He taught me to never give up, just like he never gave up in finding Matilda, representing the Element of… Hope!" The old donkey looked bewildered as he too began to glow. "The spirits of these six got me through the worst time in my life! And today, they've helped me realize the power we share and the power within me… as the Element of… MAGIC!" A flash of light engulfed the Everfree Forest. Tirek stumbled backwards as the seven heroes floated into the air, surrounded by rainbow light. A dark cloud burst out of the Alicorn amulet and flew into the sky, shrieking in rage and pain. With a final moan, the spirit of Lilith shattered in the light and faded away forever. Tirek looked and saw the seven Element bearers had floated up to eye level with him. Their eyes shut, the power flowed through them, building up strength. However, there was still one last surprise. The Alicorn Amulet shook and a jet of pure rainbow magic erupted from the jewel, and began circling the heroes. But, as it twisted and turned, the rainbow's colors changed. The bright yellow, red, and green gave way to deep blues and purples, and amidst them was a deep blackness with stars dancing through it. From the tiny shard with in the Amulet, a miracle was reborn. "It can't be…" Luna gasped stunned disbelief. "NO BUCKING WAY!" Discord cheered in ecstatic wonder. "No! No! This can't be! The Rainbow of Darkness is MINE!" Tirek roared, firing a magic blast on Trixie and her friends with no effect. "You can't use it to defeat me! It knows its master! IT IS MINE!" The Rainbow of Darkness exploded upwards. It arched across the sky and came down hard on Tirek. "NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" The power of the Rainbow of Darkness tore through its former master, destroying the evil that had enslaved it once and for all. Stolen magic shot out of Tirek's disintegrating form, returning to all the ponies and creatures it had been stolen from. The bearers of the Elements of Chaos floated to the ground, Trixie bringing the bubbles holding Luna and Discord with them. They landed on the ground with a light clop, the bubbles bursting to free the alicorn and the draconequus. The seven heroes looked between each other, each sporting an element necklace, even Cranky had one in the shape of a heart, since he lacked a cutie mark. Gilda's was a set of wings. Trixie now wore a cirlet on her head along with the purified (and currently empty) Alicorn Amulet. "We did it!" Cheese Sandwich cheered "Not quite." Trixie shook her head. "We still have some ponies to save." She closed her eyes and a doorway to Tartarus opened. She reached inside with her magic and brought out Princess Celestia and Princess Cadence, followed by Moon Dancer, Minuette, Cloudkicker, Bulk Biceps, Coco Pommel and Golden Tiara. "All right, now you may cheer." Trixie nodded to Cheese Sandwich, who brought out his industrial party cannon. "WHOO!" The cheer however did not come from Cheese, it came from Discord. "THAT WAS AWESOME! I CAN'T BELIEVE IT! THE ELEMENTS OF CHAOS SAVED EQUESTRIA! AND THEN THAT PART WITH THE RAINBOW OF DARKNESS! I'D NEVER BELIEVE IT IN A BILLION ETERNITIES IF I HADN'T SEEN IT MYSELF! YOU GUYS RULE! YOU WERE AMAZING YOU-Ow!" His cheering was cut off by Golden Tiara tossing her old beanie at him and glaring at him for betraying their friendship. The spirit of chaos turned away in shame. "Oh… right. I guess you may as well open that portal to Tartarus and send me on through then." "No, you're not getting off that easily, Discord." Celestia glared sternly at him. "You have to live with this and see if your friendship can be repaired." "What's the point?" Discord asked. "I broke our friendship, you can't just put it back together like it never happened." "No, we can't, Uncle." Golden Tiara said. "But we can try to fix it, and live with what we can salvage, dents and all." Discord smiled through the tears. "Wow, Trixie, you did something truly amazing!" Moon Dancer hugged her old friend. "Thank you, Moon Dancer." Trixie hugged her back. "The Great and Powerful Trixie had one heck of a final battle." "Oh, and here I thought you got your ego under control." Minuette joked. "I have, actually. The arrogant, angry pony who called herself the Great and Powerful Trixie died today. I'm the One and Only Trixie now. And I couldn't have done this without my friends." Sassy, Rara, Cheese Sandwich, Gilda, Daring Do and Cranky hugged Trixie. However, as they broke apart, Cranky frowned. "Um, kid?" The donkey asked as he tapped her side. "You got something stowed under your cape?" "What? No." Trixie doffed her tattered cape and looked at her sides. Trixie nearly fainted. Everycreature stared at Trixie in shock; Discord's jaw literally fell to the ground. She gingerly unfurled the wings she inexplicably now had. Celestia and Luna exchanged smiles. "Well, it seems once we finish reconstruction of Equestria, we'll have to schedule the coronation of Equestria's newest Princess." Mtangalion (with slight edits by me) (Discord Timeline) Amicitia oriented on another one of the wayward universes and opened a portal... but suddenly hesitated, unable to step through. "I'll be honest, I've been dreading this one." Deus peered over her shoulder. "Discord, huh? You wait right here, sempai! I'll take care of everything!" "No!" yelped Amicitia, holding her other self back with her magic. "Discord rules Equestria in that world, and he's definitely not reformed. Even if Fate lets you conjure all the giant robots you want, you'll never out-chaos Discord, and... sempai? Seriously?" Nightmare Mirror pushed Deus away, gently but firmly, and stared Amicitia right in the eyes. "Are ya worried that he'll overpower ya again?" "No. He's not as strong in this worldline, and I'll be working from outside the world anyway." Amicitia sighed uncomfortably. "That's what kept Paradox safe, after all..." "Are ya worried that yer gonna backslide, then? That ya'll will get to hurt Discord some more, and ya won't want to stop?" "I'm not!" shouted Amicitia, appalled. "I won't! I'll never be like that again!" "Truth," said Nightmare Mirror, with a grim smile. "Ah'd hug ya, if Ah didn't know it would burn me something fierce. Go on. Fix his wagon good." - - - Celestia paced down the halls of the former Palace of Canterlot, over checkered and polka-dotted floor tiles, sometimes trotting up walls and across ceilings backwards without ever changing direction, but she'd learned to ignore that. Today was one of the days when Master Discord had found it amusing to leave her painfully sane. In one room, Nightmare Moon lay sprawled on the floor, still wearing clown makeup and clinging to a unicycle. Wordlessly, Celestia conjured the makeup away, smoothed her mane, and tried to move on. But Nightmare Moon still jerked awake. "Celestia," she rasped. "We mean... dear sister! Don't leave us. Please! The dark, it frightens us so! We *beg* you, don't take your light away! We will even let you call us Luna!!" She'd likely BE Luna next time she wa there, it was another of Discord's games to change her into Nightmare Moon randomly just to amuse himself. In the next chamber, the former King Sombra raged at the limit of his rusted iron chain, just an incoherently yapping angry puppy. In another, a lavender mare named Toilet Sparkle labored endlessly to mop and polish the castle floors, while the Dust Maids just got it all dirty again. Sparkle never complained... cleaning was her passion. She even had a mop and bucket for a cutie mark. Celestia didn't know why Discord kept her in the castle, and she was afraid to ask. The chamber after that turned out to be Celestia's personal library... in the midst of a time-frozen explosion, with books floating and gently tumbling through space. Oddly, one of those books was glowing and vibrating as it sailed past. Celestia snatched that book in her magic, wary of some trap or prank. "This..." Her eyes widened. "This is..." The journal, the one paired with the other journal that she'd sent after Sunset Shimmer. The journal that had always been blank, until now. She opened it frantically, reading the last page.... "Princess Twilight... We managed to take care of the stolen magic problem on our own, and I have *so* much to tell you. Are you alright? Is there anything I can do to help? Even though the magic is back, the portal still seems to be sealed from your side. Please, send word. -- Sunset Shimmer." Celestia clutched the book to herself, hardly daring to believe. "My little sun... she's alive! Discord hasn't found the mirror! But who is Princess Twilight?" She looked around warily. The walls had ears, sometimes literally. "It doesn't matter. I'll burn this right away." She lifted her head, resolute, fighting back tears. "If I break the mirror, he'll find out and he'll fix it! He must never know..." (If you burn that journal, *you'll* never know.) Celestia froze. "Every moment I delay is a moment that Discord might turn his attention on me and discover everything..." (Sunset has changed! Can't you tell that, just from the few lines you've read? What if the reason you never found the Bearer of Magic you were looking for, is that it should have been her all along?) Wrestling with fresh guilt and cursing herself for her weakness, Celestia found herself a hidden nook and turned the pages of the journal back to the beginning. Her wonder only grew in the hours she spent reading, though. "The Equestria in this journal," she mused, "is *not* the Equestria I've been living in. Why?" Everything finally clicked into place. The strange magical echoes she'd sensed, starting all those years ago. "Time has been altered... but the changes had no effect on that other world beyond the mirror. There are effects there without causes." Celestia gasped. "But what matters is that Sunset and her new friends have discovered the magic of friendship in that human world. They are the key, and with this book, I can open the portal to them, today!" Kednell2 Celestia had to be very careful to get her machine made behind Discord's back. She found herself having fortunately good insight. It hurt her to know every second Discord was absent was one where her little ponies were suffering under that monster. But if this worked, then she could finally stop this nightmare... She'd placed the World Mirror in the one part of the castle Discord FEARED to go: the Truth. Whether the iris was open or not, Discord would never come to this room unless he absolutely had to. After all, Discord had been running from the truth his entire life.  Finally, she passed through the mirror once the machine had been completed. And staggered out of a portal at the base of a statue, now standing on two legs. She adjusted quickly, as a Goddess she was used to this kinda thing. "Hello Principle Celestia!" called several humans trotting by. "Looking good today!" 'Principle? Oh, right, Sunset mentioned that in the journal...' She took a deep breath, looking around the world...the normality of it made her feel...safe for a moment. For the first time in forever she could actually take a breath.  The human was wearing a white dress with golden trim, her Cutie Mark as a necklace. The Alicorn looked up to the sun, drawing sunlight into her body, the first time she'd been able to. She then walked forwards and looked for her little sun. She found her with her friends in a room. "Sunset?" The teenaged girl...she felt...bigger. Something was different, but Celestia didn't care at this point. "Principle Celestia?" Without a second thought, Celestia couldn't hold off any longer and hugged her. "My little sun..." Sunset was shocked for a moment...then blinked. "Little Sun...Wait...you're..." her eyes lit up and she hugged Celestia back. "Uh...what's going on?" asked the human Rainbow Dash. "Think Rota's gonna be mad we triggered a double timeline split?" Mirror asked. "We're not sure if did or not..." Amicitia replied. "Sunset might just return to her universe when all of this is done and meet her Twilight afterwards. It's complicated. Let's just hope this works..." "Yah do realize that if this works, Sunset won't be able tah save the other three? They're busy here," Mirror explained. "Yeah, I do...let's focus on the moment." One incredibly awkward explanation later, the group were sitting down and Celestia explained the situation.  "So...you're from another world?" Sunset asked. "Well...ANOTHER another world?" Celestia nodded. "Yes...it appears in your universe, this Twilight Sparkle defeated Discord, while in ours that never was..." she said with a sigh. "After Moondancer and her friends failed, I wasn't sure what to do..." "...Oh..." Sunset said, seeming a little...sad... "...My Little Sun, you're not the same Sunset who is linked to my world...or SHOULD be...But you're a divergent version of her. Our timelines split after you departed," Celestia explained. "Which means the foalhood you and I remember WAS between the two of us, my Little Sun." Sunset managed a small smile. "...Thanks...but...what can we do?" "...You five possess the Elements, correct?"  Sunset nodded, the five of them looking to each other and stepping back, each focusing on the part of themselves that awakened their Element, glowing with their aura. Celestia gasped in shock, looking at Sunset. "That...that's..." Sunset smiled and nodded. "The Element of Trust...we're still not sure if I REVIVED it or merely created it in this universe...But yeah, Element of Trust. That's how the six of us, well us and Princess Twilight, beat the Sirens for good." Celestia smiled with pride. "That's amazing Sunset!...But...I...we still need an Element of Magic in that case..." Sunset rubbed her chin then smirked. "I think I know a girl..." "Sunset Shimmer, can I talk to you about..." Principle Celestia stood at the door, blinking as she stared at an exact copy of herself. "...Magic thing?" "Magic thing," Rainbow Dash replied. "...Should I evacuate the school?" "Probably not this time, baddies in the OTHER world," Applejack replied. Principle Celestia stared at her other self. "...Given how often your Princess has helped save my school...I'll get you an 'excused absence slip'...So...you're me from Equestria?" Princess Celestia nodded, getting to her feet. "Yes. My name is Princess Celestia." "I'm really a Princess in another world?" The Monarch of the Day nodded. "Yes...how's your Luna doing?" Principle Celestia blinked. "Fine, she's the vice principle..." "...You're a good big sister..." After her other self left, Princess Celestia turned back to Sunset. "Should we tell her..." "Let's just keep that part our little secret," Sunset replied with a smile. "Now come on, we've got a friend to pick up..." Several hours of proper bonding later (including several musical numbers) and double checking their plan before going half cocked against the God of Chaos, ponies stepped through the portal back to Equestria, in the chamber of Truth.  "Wow! Ah know we were callin' it 'ponyin' up' but this is a bit literal!" Applejack exclaimed, trying to get used to standing on four legs, Pinkie being the only one NOT having difficulty doing so. "EEK! We're naked!" Rarity exclaimed, standing up and covering her chest with one hoof and between her hind legs with another. "Yeah, ponies are kinda always naked..." Sunset replied awkwardly. "If it makes you feel any better, most of the parts you want to cover up aren't visible if you're walking like a pony normally does..." "Oh my gosh! This is Equestria?!" Twilight Sparkle, a pair of glasses on her face, exclaimed, looking all over the place. "Twilight, settle down!" Sunset called, settling down her friend. "Sorry...just wait till AFTER we save the world before geeking out, okay?" Twilight nodded, giving a sheepish look. "Alright...So this Discord...he's not the Superintendent of Schools?" Celestia shook her head. "No, he's a monster who's taken over the world..." she explained. "Now, I've got a plan, but first..." Celestia cringed, somewhere Discord snapping his fingers...before his power could reassert itself, Sunset put her horn to Celestia's head and used the Memory Spell, shattering his hold. "...Thank you, my Little Sun..." The pony nodded. "You're welcome..." That was when something finally hit Celestia. "...Sunset...you..." Sunset spread a pair of wings off her sides and looked a little bashful. "...Long story...I was planning to tell you and Princess Twilight later..." One hug and many happy tears later, Celestia used her magic to put her clown attire on. "I hate this, but I have use for it..." Discord lunged on his throne, Golden Tiara, driven mad back to her old Screwball self, giving her 'uncle' grapes. "Bring forth the entertainment!" Celestia and Luna, both in clown make up, emerged and began their act...until a clown car came out of the hall way and Celestia spun in front of the door of it. "Oh! An unexpected twist!" Discord said. "I thought your act was getting stale, Celly!" Celestia smiled. "So did I, Dissy." Discord blinked as five ponies emerged from the car, Twilight wearing the physical Element of Magic (she wasn't yet an awakened Bearer, so she still NEEDED it, and Moon Dancer sadly wasn't using it, but thankfully Sunset knew exactly where to find them thanks to HER Twilight). Rarity had found the time to make an outfit out of the castle drapes. "Oh, I see! You got a little creative when I let you free earlier! HAHAHA!" the chaotic tyrant laughed. "Well, handing the cleaning staff the Element of Magic isn't going to get you anywhere, Celly! Who even ARE these brats?" Celestia shrugged. "I don't know!" she giggled like a harlequin...then blindsided Discord when he turned back to the Bears, hitting him in the eyes. "YOUCH! You're lucky that's not permanent!" However, while Discord was erasing the damage to his eyeballs, the five ponies in front of him were cloaked in a light of their respective Element (minus Twilight, who's element merely glowed). "What's this?" The tyrant took a step off his throne. He snapped his fingers to try and do something, but found the aura of harmony blocking it. "Impossible...You..." "Oh, you've not even seen the best part you big jerk!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed, the six glowing ponies floating side to allow Sunset to emerge from the car.  "Didn't I already...wait, seven..." Discord's eyes widened as an impossible, highly improbable thought entered his head. Sunset focused, an orange glow surrounding her as she floated. "Not that! No!" Discord screamed, his face one of pure shock and horror at the sight of the missing piece of the Rainbow of Light he himself had long destroyed. Sunset gained her dress and facial markings from her goddess form and floating among her friends. "Yes, Discord THAT!" Above her head, an orange light glowed. Particles smaller than dust began to surge in, faster and faster until a necklace began to form, an orange gem in the shape of Sunset's Cutie Mark reforming and floating down, clamping around her neck. All across the land, ponies felt something strange...ponies feeling a piece of their heart resonating with something they hadn't known was missing. The draconequus took a few steps back in blind shock. "No...It can't be...I...I destroyed the Element of Trust! THIS IS LITERALLY IMPOSSIBLE!" "With friendship, NOTHING is impossible!" Sunset exclaimed, the energy building around them. The King of Nonsense...felt like his mind was breaking at the sight before him. "This...this doesn't make any sense..."  "Behold, Discord! The true Rainbow of Light reborn!" Celestia announced, the now properly seven colored rainbow erupting from the seven ponies and arcing up into the sky above.  "I JUST DON'T GET IT!" Discord screamed in a mix of rage, terror, and disbelief as the Rainbow slammed down towards him. He began charging a red sphere in his hand. "I'll protect you Uncle!" Screwball screamed, jumping in the way...and merely falling to the ground a blinking Golden Tiara. "I'm...I'm me again?" she asked, shuddering at what she'd experienced. The Rainbow of Light surged over Discord, and THROUGH him. Discord gasped in shock as he felt two orbs be TORN from his body, one a destructive, unstable red and the other a shadow of fear itself.  The red sphere in his hand flickered out as if someone had cut off the power. "...How?" Stone began to travel up his body. "TELL ME! I DON'T GET IT AT ALL!" Discord's bewildered looking statue fell crashing to the ground...and the Rainbow formed into a portal, the two spheres floating before it. "What's that?" Twilight questioned curiously.  "The power of Destruction and His Father's Avatar, the thing that made him strong enough to do all this..." Celestia muttered. "...Of course, if the complete Rainbow combined with your friendship could shatter the Siren's pendants, it's only logical it could strip Discord of that..." The two orbs peacefully passed through the portal before it disintegrated into rainbow colored light and spread over everything, healing and undoing Discord's taint and damage. Restoring the world to normal. +++ Things had been... rather surprising after . . . for starters... Sunset... met Sunset... or rather, the Sunset aligned from this world line... who had come having learned of the return of the Element of magic, and her chance to surpass her mentor and grasp everything that should have been hers from the one who stole her place at Celestia's side. She had been in what used to be Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns... scrawling nonsense formulas and designs one moment, and saying how everypony should get along NO MATTER WHAT the next moment...  She had been shocked and broken at the sight of herself as an Alicorn... almost more than what Discord had done... of course she attacked herself... but now the Alicorn Sunset had the advantage in experience and power that her other self didn't. The unicorn Sunset and her Princess Celestia had spent a LOT of time talking. Princess Celestia had adjusted the mirror, and that Sunset Shimmer returned to her human world... she had caused so much damage to so many humans at CHS, and much of it wouldn't simply go away because she did... in particular... there were five friends who friendships she had utterly destroyed, and she needed to rebuild and repair as repentance for her sins. Applejack and the others didn't want to think about how if they had spent the last two years still hating and loathing each other. "Ya know..." Applejack said. "Thinkin' 'bout it Sunset.. it's a GOOD THING ya didn't get caught when ya stole Twilight's crown... if ya did... me and my friends? We'd have gone on hatin' each other... and the Sirens would have kept on causin' trouble and who KNOWS what else they'd have done eventually to get their power back if you didn't lure 'em in... And our Twilight at Crystal Prep, we'd have had no reason or been in a position to get her to do more than care about what school she was goin' to." "... I never thought of it that way... I guess it would have been a disaster in disguise... " - Nightmare Mirror and Princess Amicitia glared at Dues Ex Machina. "OKAY! OKAY! I ADMIT IT! It was stupid when I did Sunset getting caught before she get back to the human world.... like... a... bajillion times.. and it caused more damage than good, it was a quick fix solution and if I actually THOUGHT about it, I'd realize it was a dumb idea. There! I said it! Can we move on now please!?!?" - Meanwhile... Toilet Sparkle... was glade to be Twilight Sparkle again, and happy to have her book with a star on it cutie mark back, and to get back to her beloved library. She was just happy Cadence and Shining Armor had been OUTSIDE Equestria when the chaos had started. Being the sister-in-law of a Princess hadn't changed how she lived her life really, ponies were LEGENDARY oblivious t such things until spin masters TOLD THEM to be excited. What Golden Tiara wanted of course... was to find her friends... Coco Pommel had been found abusing her old mentor Suri, whose own personality had been made subservient and snivel, a reversal of their old roles... it had made Coco sick to her stomach, and Suri had run off before more could be said, looking terrified. Cloud Kicker... in opposite to her actual conservative personality... had been mating with anything on four hooves non-stop that put a nymphomanic to shame... she took 20 showers and still felt dirty... she was also crying to herself, about what, Golden Tiara said was private. Bulk Biceps... had been made smart... BRUTALLY smart, with no empathy, no enthusiasm he normally had, and devoid of any desire to help anypony but continue to read. Minuette... she had been ... she claimed she was possessed by an evil spirit of somepony Doctor Whooves had known... And Moon Dancer... was still discorded when they found her... it had been her friends, rather than Discord himself who had corrupted her after all... Moon Dancer had half-hearted rambled, "I'm unworthy, a failure, a stand-in, I failed to stop Discord... I don't DESERVE to be Magic." Sunset Shimmer had stepped in. This was becoming normal for her. "Moon Dancer... I failed Celestia too, far worse than you did. You failed to stop an enemy, I BECAME the enemy... and... what to a secret? The pony who would have been Magic if you hadn't would have failed too... she needed outside help to be saved... You don't need to be perfect Moon Dancer, you already did more than many could have... you saved Luna... that's something to be proud of... you're not perfect... I know whatever evil is waiting out there next... you and your friends WILL be able to handle it together!" "Yeah yeah Miss From Another World Come and Fix Our Problems, how about you let US handle this?" Golden Tiara asked. Kendell2 "...Moon Dancer," said Golden Tiara, sitting next to her friend. "...We've all failed, at a lot of things..." The mare didn't look up. "But...well...Remember when you first came to Ponyville?" she asked, looking to her. "You came to my husband's shop looking for some supplies for the Summer Sun Celebration?" the mare asked. "...You know what happened...how I'd recovered from my...illness...but couldn't look my daughter in the eye?...Even though I didn't tell you everything yet, you still told me I didn't seem like a bad pony...so I shouldn't act like I was one...and that night I went into the Ever Free with you because I wanted to make up for that...If anyone here failed at something, it was me...I failed at being a mother...But thanks to you giving me a chance, I feel whole again..." Moon Dancer looked up. "And you put up with my temper sometimes," Cloudkicker replied. "...And Celestia knows I'm not perfect...but you put up with me. I came with you to protect Alula from Nightmare Moon...I stayed with you because you're my friend and you earned it..." "...When Suri browbeat me in front of you that day, you were the one who stood up for me..." Coco replied. "...And that's why when she ran away when Nightmare Moon showed up, I decided to come with you...you gave me confidence to TRY and do something...thanks..." Moon Dancer blinked, looking to her two friends that had just spoken up. "...I don't know how much was...but I can say I'm not a total saint either..." Minuette replied, remembering THAT experience. "...But you put up with my obsession with teeth...and a little OCD when it comes to scheduling...But that never mattered to you, Moon Dancer...That's why I didn't mind following you into a forest of death to save the world...You're not a perfect leader, but you're my friend, and that's all I'd ever ask..." Bulk Biceps flapped his little wings. "...I'm not the smartest pony around...but you never treat me like I'm dumb..." he explained. He then looked to Golden. "...And you weren't afraid to tell me off for being mean for Golden...I needed that..." He had used to work at the asylum for awhile, and wasn't the kindest orderly...he looked down on the patients a bit too much...Moon Dancer had woken him up to it. He was glad, it wasn't like him to look down on somepony like that. The big stallion hugged her. "Thank you..." One by one her friends came and hugged the pony. Her greyed out fur brightened just slightly. "...Hey, remember that time Cloudkicker had to get me to get my confidence up to get my Princess to stop bullying those kids?" Golden asked. "And we all had to remind you...what happened didn't mean you should let her get everything she wanted?" Cloudkicker asked. "Yes...thank all of you..." Golden said with a smile. Moon Dancer brightened up just a little more. "What about that one time with Trixie?" Bulk Biceps asked. "And Moon Dancer was scared of humiliating her after what happened to her back in school?" "Yeah, and we had to tell you to stop holding back when the Ursa popped up?"asked Coco. Moon Dancer brightened up. "Uh...girls? And guy?" asked a voice. A slightly younger Spike came trotting in with a massive arm full of scrolls. "...I got her copies of her friendship letters, want to look over them?" he asked with a smile. Soon the group were reading them over and laughing about past memories...and Moon Dancer started crying, returning to her normal colors and hugging them. "Um...excuse me?" asked a voice. The group turned as Twilight, the human Twilight, trotted up. "I think this belongs to you, Moon Dancer..." she said, handing the Element of Magic back to her. "I was just borrowing it..." Moon Dancer looked to her friends, each giving her a nod. "...Thanks," she replied, smiling as she took it and put it back on her head, her Cutie Mark taking it's proper place again. "And thanks for filling in for me, Twilight." --- "So...yah still stayed in Manhatten-" "Manehatten, darling," Orangejack replied to the human Applejack. "Right, what is it with your world and horse puns?" the human Applejack questioned. "...And yah used your connections tah get Golden the best help possible?" "That's about right..." "...Well, even if...Ah don't think Ah'd be happy with mah aunt and uncle...if yah'd do that, yer still an Apple." Mtangalion "I... guess it's going to be time for us to return home soon," mused Sunset Shimmer. She and Princess Celestia were lounging on a high cliff, watching the sun go down. "I'm really going to miss you, even if you're not *my* Princess Celestia. Crap, I'm going to have to do this all over again with her, aren't I?" Celestia smiled. "If you wish. But I think you'll want to." Sunset nodded, wiping a tear from one eye, and then she focused her magic, removing the Element of Trust and offering it to her could-have-been mentor. "I hate to give this up... but I don't need the physical element any more, and it should stay in this world. Find a good bearer for it, okay?" Celestia smiled warmly. "I promise I will, and I have a gift for you as well." She removed three familiar books from a saddlebag. Sunset blinked. "Are those..." Celestia nodded. "About a year ago, my Sunset grew frustrated with being trapped in the human world, all her schemes thwarted, and she burned her journal in a rage. It's probably the reason why my journal connected to yours." She lifted a green journal in her magic. "I sent the twin of this volume home with her." Then she lifted a pair of blue journals. "These, I made especially for you. "Your original journal will carry your words to your own Celestia." She offered one of the blue books. "And with this, you may speak to me as well. We may not see each other again, my Little Sun, but I do hope that you will write." Sunset hugged her. "I'd love to!" Two rainbow trails went streaking across the sky. Rainbow Dash, lead guitarist of the Rainbooms, was racing Rainbow Dash from Cloudsdale, youngest member of the Wonderbolts before Discord's reign. "This is so freakin' awesome!" shouted one of them. "You haven't seen anything yet!" shouted the other. Sunset had a thought. "Do I mind if I..." Celestia chuckled. "Oh, be my guest." Sunset reared up and spread her wings, tentatively reaching for the sun with her magic. The sun's warm embrace tickled... it seemed to like her. Slowly, she guided it beneath the horizon. There were hoofsteps in the grass behind them. "I can take it from here," said Luna. She raised the moon well enough, though her eyes were still haunted. Celestia sat up straighter, turning. "Did you find him?" "I did." Luna used her magic to drag a reluctant unicorn stallion towards them... muscular and gray coated, with a curly black and blue mane, and gentle green eyes even more troubled than Luna's. Celestia gasped, recognizing him at once, even though she'd never seen him not wearing iron barding *or* a royal robe. "Sombra?" "Why did you bring me back?" asked Sombra. "I can't hear the shadows whispering any more. My dark magic, it disgusts me now!" His eyes met hers, pleading. "Lock me away, if you won't let me go perish in ice and snow. Banish me to the moon. Send me to the sun! Lock me in the depths of Tartarus. I'll confess every one of my crimes! I'm guilty! I deserve it!" Sunset touched Sombra's hoof with her own, and she felt no corruption, no clash of opposing magics. "Hey... admitting you did wrong is the first step. Do you know how long it took me to do even that much?" Celestia beamed. "Let's get back to the palace. I believe your friend Pinkie Pie has planned something of a celebration." Kendell2 "Spike?" "Yeah Moon Dancer?" Moon Dancer hovered the Element of Trust in her telekinesis. "...I think you deserve this..." she put it around his neck, the sun emblem turning into a scroll the moment it attached. "...You're the most trust worthy assistant I know..." --- Sunset was getting ready for celebration. Celestia's had mentioned. "...So...you're the one that stopped Discord..." Sunset blinked, turning to find an old, pale purple unicorn with a purple mane, her Cutie Mark a purple star with a wisp through it. "...Yes..." "...Thank you..." "Uh...your welcome...who are you?" "That's not important...I..." she looked out a window. "...A long time ago...I was a very selfish mare...and...I made a mistake...a selfish mistake...and when Discord came to power, he made sure I knew it...and turned the world into a parody of what I used to believe...were everypony is equal...young, old, rich poor...all just his playthings...and now I'm not sure what to do now that I don't have to worry about it anymore and the nightmare's over..." Sunset put a hoof on her shoulder. "...I know how that feels...more than anyone...but if you try to make up for it...you can..." The mare looked surprised. "...Thank you...you're a lot different than you were in the School for Gifted Unicorns..." Sunset blushed a little. "I've had a long time to think about it...wait, how did you know that?" "...That's a long story too...I guess I'll start over...though I think there's another pony out there somewhere I can guide...I think she's in need of a friend who understands her..." "Sometimes that's all it takes..." Alex Warlorn "Three timelines left." Nightmare Mirror said. "One where Chrysalis rules Equestria." "The one where Luna is still Nightmare Moon." Dues Ex Machina whimpered. "And the ashlands." Amicitia finished. Alex Warlorn (https://www.fimfiction.net/blog/570098/be-on-the-alert-for-this-rebel-traitor Pretty much a parallel of this.) Nightmare Moon nor her guard, nor her Seneschal (it was more formal sounding than slave in charge of interior decoration), had any way of recognizing Twilight Sparkle. They had never met after all. An Apple farm had greatly increased their family's mushroom production just to keep their farm from imploding. And an Orangejack in Manehatten... who didn't serve Nightmare Moon out of any greed or devotion (in fact she hated herself every night)... because with Celestia gone... Nightmare Moon was the only thing keeping Equestria stable. And there was any told number of death and destruction a civil war would cause. Nightmare Moon had also banned Nightmare Night in a day. And the Sun Summer Celebration was also banned. Instead Nightmare Moon's Winter Moon celebration would be held instead of being ignored as it had been even before her banishment. There was also a unseen rabble rouser somewhere in Equestria's old Capital of Canterlot. Somepony who was spreading defiant and pro-sun 'propaganda'. This mare was unknown, only that she was highly intelligent, literate, likely a unicorn (which wasn't much help in Canterlot), had access to printing equipment, and signed her pamphlets 'Captain Smarty Pants.' Some wondered if 'Captain Smarty Pants' was Celestia's student Moon Dancer, but the mare was not to be found in Canterlot. Cadence and Shining Armor had taken one look at the reports, and worried what had inspired Twiley to enact this. 'Captain Smarty Pants' meanwhile, was secretly growing in popularity from ponies who wanted the day back. Even after Nightmare Moon had figured out how to bend the heat and radiation needed from her sister's sun around the planet without disrupting her night, there plenty of ponies who wanted their sun back. Discord hadn't broken free... he was sealed in a room of utterly perfect order, it was beyond torture for him as the order ate away at his very being. Like in most other timelines, the changelings had abandoned their scheme to invade Equestria, which was no longer the land of endless love. While ponies were allowed to live their lives, Nightmare Moon ruled a police state, any mention of Celestia, or the day was forbidden. While Rarity's family was safe from Nightmare Moon's wraith, they saw the hateful looks ponies gave them for their daughter being a 'sell out' (even if Rarity could never hope to quit her job, had not sought employment from the goddess, and nothing she owned could be not taken away in a moment... and was a slave in everything but paperwork, much like most of Nightmare Moon's servants). Cadence and Shining Armor had returned to Equestria only due to the 'warnings' (threats) to their families. Cadence was sadly too popular for Nightmare Moon to simply murder (as Celestia's notes had said Cadence was heir to the throne in her absence) as she wanted to, but instead had her sealed up in a tower for 'her own protection.' Shining Armor and Cadence's wedding was much more subdued affair. But with the return of the Crystal Empire, and Sombra, Cadence and Shining Armor had convinced Nightmare Moon that they were the only ones who could retrieve the Crystal Heart for her... with help of the Nightmare Queen herself... Cadence and Shining Armor had destroyed Sombra and banished and betrayed her insane aunt... outside of the Crystal Empire. Nightmare Moon declared Cadence and her husband traitors, but their families were safely smuggle to the crystal empire. To Nightmare Moon's own fury, she found she was incapable of breaking its protective barrier anymore than Discord once had. Even all her armies combined firepower could not breach the crystal heart's protection. To the surprise of EVERYPONY ALIVE Prince Blueblood had thrown his lot in with his cousin, the cowardly prince saying that he KNEW what happened to 'heirs' of an insane immortal who had no need of them. And that no amount of proving himself useful would save his skin. Celestia was willing to let Blueblood be a happy useless idiot... Nightmare Moon was not. Cadence declared her aunt insane and not fit to rule and for her own good she must step-down. You can imagine how Nightmare Moon reacted to that. Another rabble rouser who Nightmare Moon had found and imprisoned and left to starve to death was Zecora... except Rarity had secretly fed the shaman... who had told her realistically what would happen to her family when Nightmare Moon was overthrown. And Rainbow Dash... in a dream... remember the unicorn from that day in her foalhood she had seen... fighting that other unicorn... who asked her to finish the race, but the battle was far more interesting. It was what got Rainbow Dash interested in becoming a royal guard to begin with... For Rainbow Dash it was black and white, she served the Princess, whoever she might be. Cadence had no experience ruling, let alone Celestia's eons of experience... But she kept coming back to that dream... that memory... that same Alicorn... saying she came from a reality where Celestia still ruled Equestria... where the sun still shined... asking her to finish the race... that... THAT COULDN'T be... Rainbow Dash the bat pony woke up in a cold sweat. Also... there had been Tirek... the loss of resources from that battle had been terrible indeed... so chaotic... even if Nightmare Moon had emerged victorious. The chaos had been enough... to free Discord, whose power due to Nightmare Moon's torture was at 00.01% of his power WITHOUT his father's avatar's essence or that of his brother's. He had pathetically crawled away... and been found by a kind yellow pegasus who just happened to have the idea of looking for hurt animals after Tirek's battle with Nightmare Moon... Moon Dancer meanwhile, had pieced together, the Elements of Harmony were needed for defeating Nightmare Moon... she had thought she had to fight the dark queen before in Ponyville town hall... (that had resulted in the place falling apart, and Rarity running out of the place with three terrified and injured foals on her back, ironically earning Nightmare Moon's respect (despite what many thought, Nightmare Moon wanted servants with some back bone, she'd had enough of disgusting sycophants). "Teacher I'm sorry I failed you... " Moon Dancer cried. "I'll find the Elements, beat Nightmare Moon, and get you back, I promise." ~But wasn't trying to do this alone what cost you in the first place?~ Then... Moon Dancer wanted to cry harder... now she understood what her mentor meant by 'make some friends.' Even when Twilight Sparkle went back in time again... Nightmare Moon didn't know the Nightmare was already surrounded by enemies, and didn't even know it. (To be continued by someone else?) Mtangalion Twilight Sparkle was used to working late hours... if working late even meant anything these nights. This long after moonset, she was the last pony left in the Times of Canterlot offices, hunched over a writing desk surrounded by candles. "Yesterday," she murmured aloud while writing with her magic, "representatives of the Crystal Rebellion once again rejected the generous terms of our fair Princess Nightmare Moon. With little progress in the peace talks so far, General Ranger had this to say..." Twilight quickly transcribed the quotation while stifling a yawn. "Spike, could you get me..." The unicorn froze, and then her heart sank. The memories came flooding back, even though she didn't want them, didn't need the distraction right now. Failing her magic exam in front of Celestia and her parents and everypony. Taking the dragon egg without even asking permission first and holing up in the royal library for two solid weeks, only briefly resurfacing for snatches of food and sleep. Chasing down every last bit of knowledge, cross-referencing every available scrap of lore, and finally casting the spell she'd written from scratch, earning herself a new baby brother and the scroll and quill with a six-pointed star on her flank. So what if the position of Celestia's apprentice had already been filled? That had been the happiest day of her life. And now the little drake was gone, smuggled north to the Crystal Empire along with her parents. Supposedly, Twilight Sparkle had gone with them. She might as well have... she'd had to abandon every trace of her old life to become "Aurora Gleam," eager young newspaper columnist. Twilight signed the scroll with her false name, put it in the outbox for the typesetters, then extinguished the candles and pulled a satchel out of the warded drawer in her desk, the one full of extremely subversive pamphlets. She smiled faintly. Too much work to do, just like always. Outside, Twilight triple-checked her disguise, then threw on a hooded cloak and hurried on her way. Far above the dark, lantern-lit streets of Canterlot, laying on a wispy ice-laden cloud, Shadowbolt Captain Rainbow Dash woke from her nap... that is, she stirred from her restless vigil! She'd had one eye open, anyway. "Welp... looks like Cadence isn't attacking tonight. What a waste of time." The batpony scratched her flank, muttering about armor that was clearly designed for looks and not keeping anypony warm, then hopped up and dove from her cloud. One more glide over the city, and then she could head back to the new Everfree City barracks and get some rest before... Then she spotted something out of the corner of her eye that nearly made her stall out. Way down there in an alley, a purple pony had glanced at the sky. Her. The strange Alicorn who'd barged into Nightmare Moon's castle, babbling about time travel, and then vanished without a trace. Dash only saw her for a moment, and the cloak hid her cutie mark and her hair was the wrong style and color, but she knew that face. She'd been waking up in cold sweats remembering that face! "No way..." Dash smirked as she circled back around. "Now I'm going to get some answers!" Twilight Sparkle was only halfway home when a batpony in Lunar Guard armor plummeted right out of the sky, coming to a neat landing right in her path. "So, you thought you could sneak back into Equestria and cause more trouble, huh? You're coming with me!" "I... I beg your pardon?" stammered Twilight, nervously running through all the combat spells she'd memorized, and wishing that she'd found more excuses to actually practice casting them. Alex Warlorn "Don't play dumb! You think I could forget your face after the stunt you pulled?!" Twilight was as bewildered as alarmed. "I! I don't think we've met!" "Oh come on! You think I'm gonna-" Captain Rainbow Dash tore off the cloak... only to see... "Where... what the heck happened to your wings?!" "What wings?! I've never had wings!" Now Twilight had no idea what was going on, was this Bat Pony drunk? She didn't smell it, and her motions weren't those of a drunkard.