//------------------------------// // Race against time // Story: Divided We Stand // by Nexas //------------------------------// "There he is!" "I still need to charge up my magic!" "Look out! He got to the chocolate milk!" "Chrysalis! Put that house down!" "Why? Nopony is using it." Ponyville was a disaster area; buildings warped beyond reality would allow, things flying through the air that normally wouldn't be able to, anything and everything could be a threat. But the strangest part was that Chrysalis was enjoying it. She gallivanted through the wreckage of Ponyville, firing green energy blasts with glee at the dodging Draconeguus. "Why are you laughing at a time like this?!" Luna questioned the Changeling Queen who was cackling with joy. "Because this is Discord I'm fighting!" She laughed, levitating more boulders to fire at the mad monster. "I've wanted to do this for a long time!" Luna shook her head. "We should not be having fun here! This is the fate of Equestria on our shoulders! We need to protect it from certain destruction, right sister?" Celestia couldn't hear Luna as she was busy talking to Chrysalis. "Watch this, I'm going to build the house around him and then collapse it." Luna watched as the two charged the Draconequus side by side, gleefully tormenting the Draconequus. She sighed and charged in alongside them. Sister, always the mischievous one. *** "There, that should do it." Applejack stepped back to admire her handy work; Rainbow Dash had put up a massive struggle but in the end she had managed to hogtie the Pegasus to keep her from starting anymore fights. While Dash calmed down, Pinkie Pie and Mirror Edge had taken it upon themselves to bring Copycat up to speed with what was going on. "How did you know that Discord was the one who cursed us?" Mirror asked. The Changeling shifted from one hoof to the other in slight embarrassment. "My ancestor was one of the guards that survived Discord's attack. In hindsight I probably shouldn't have just announced it." She looked at Mirror. "How did you figure it out?" "Princess Celestia told me." Copycat whistled, "Straight from the Princess herself. You really started something here didn't you?" He nodded looking through the broken ceiling of the ruins to the treeline, he could see smoke rising from Poniville. Is this all my fault? he wondered. "I guess I can't really go back to the swarm now." She sheepishly rubbed her head. "Is it okay if I hang with you guys for a while?" "No!" Rainbow Dash yelled. "Sure!" Pinkie Pie chirped. "But I have one question." She walked right up to Copycat and looked at her with narrowed eyes and a emotionless expression. "You are uncomfortably close." Copycat said rather offhandedly "Ignore that, she does this a lot." Mirror said from behind Pinkie. "Do you... like parties?" Pinkie asked, poking the Changeling for emphasis. Copy grinned. "I sure do! I remember when I went to a high class party in Manehatten; hundreds were there. The food and everything was awesome!" Pinkie gained a grin of her own. "You were invited to a party in Manehatten?!" "Invited, snuck in, it's all the same when you get down to it." She shrugged. The two started talking excitedly about their party exploits, leaving Mirror alone. He didn't want to interrupt the two so he walked over to the other Ponies who were currently watching the scene. "They're going to be a strange pair of friends aren't they?" He asked. "This whole thing is strange." Rarity answered. "Stranger than a snake with legs." Applejack added. The five of them watched Pinkie and Copycat chat excitedly in silence. "...Can you guys untie me now?" Rainbow Dash piped up. "Not just yet." Applejack smiled. *** The Princesses and the Queen were getting tired from fighting. Chocolate milk rained down around them and contrary to its looks it burned like acid. "My remaining soldiers are taking shelter." Chrysalis walked over the rubble to the Princesses. With every step she felt white hot pain shoot through her back hind leg. "The royal guards have evacuated the citizens." Luna reported. Her entire body was covered in burn marks; Discord had trapped her into a massive explosion. "Excellent." Celestia responded. She was sitting on the ground, focusing all of her magic into a healing spell. All three of them had suffered injuries at the hands of Discord and were running out of tricks. "I don't think we will be able to defeat him though." Chrysalis spoke, feeling her injuries begin to disappear. "Even with the three of us fighting, we are evenly matched." "We don't need to defeat him." Celestia responded, rising up with a stern look. "We only need to stall." "I know your plan, Princess." Chrysalis looked around them once but there was nopony else but them. "It is only a matter of time before Discord becomes tired of fighting us and-" *SHWOMP* "...Traps us." Out of nowhere a large magic dome had materialized around the three. Celestia took an experimental shot at it with a magic bolt and the blast simply dissolved into the dome. All around them they could suddenly hear Discord's mocking laughter. He rose out of the ground in front of them, not a scratch on his body despite everything the three had done. "I have to say Tia; you certainly put up more of a fight then before." He crossed his arms and nodded. "But the outcome will always be the same." "And you." He pointed an accusing finger at the Changeling Queen. "I am deeply ashamed of you for doing this." He wagged his finger. "For shame." Chrysalis only glared dagger at him, fangs barred. Luna beat against the dome with her hind hooves. "Don't bother, little Lulu." Discord smirked. "That dome is unbreakable from the inside." He breathed on the dome and wiped an imaginary smudge. "Call it karma for trying to trap me all those times." "We will defeat you Discord." Luna told him. "We always do." Discord groaned. "Seriously Celestia; first you were the serious one and now you have your sister doing it?!" He pouted. "It's really starting to get on my nerves." "You are just delaying the inevitable Discord!" Chrysalis shouted. "While you sit here trying to insult us, the Elements of Harmony are regrouping and are going to bring you down!" "Oh, that 'friendship' thing again." He gagged. "What a touching but ridiculous sentiment. Besides," He snapped his fingers. "I've set a little something up for them." With a final laugh, he vanished in a flash of light leaving the three rulers along again. "...Didn't I say that love was a ridiculous thing before?" Chrysalis suddenly asked. "Yes, yes you did." Celestia answered. "That was kind of stupid wasn't it?" She admitted. "Yes, yes it was." Celestia smirked. "Someday you really need to tell me what happened sister." Luna demanded. *** "Aw yeah!" Rainbow Dash soared through the trees, swerving and twisting along the branches. "It feels so good to stretch my wings!" She dropped to the ground but pulled up at the last second, creating a gust of wind that hit everyone else. "My hair!" Rarity exclaimed, covering her head with her hooves to prevent it from being ruined. "Dash! We need to be quiet and avoid making a scene!" Twilight shouted to the multicolored Pegasus. "Discord could be anywhere!" It had taken them a while but the group had finally left the ruins that Twilight called 'The Ancient Ruins of The Royal Pony Sisters'. She admitted that it was a bit of a mouthful. They had even untied Rainbow Dash but only if she Pinkie promised that she wouldn't fight with Copycat anymore. Dash had taken it very seriously when she mentioned Pinkie promise. "She really didn't have to do that." Copycat glumly said. "I was having so much fun too." "Don't worry Copy Printer!" Pinkie bounced up beside her. "We'll have all kinds of fun when we get back to Poniville!" "Did you just call me 'Copy Printer'?" She realized and tried to ask but Pinkie had already bounced off to talk to somepony else. Mirror Edge walked up front with Twilight; she knew the way to Poniville from here the most. "What are we going to do?" He asked suddenly. "What do you mean?" Twilight turned to him. "How are you going to defeat Discord now that he destroyed those gems?" They had all seen it happen. This stopped Twilight. "I... I don't know." She admitted. "But we still need to try and with you two with us I'm sure we can think of something!" She waved a hoof at all of her friends. "Chaos may be strong but the ties of friendship are even stronger." Copycat applauded. "Very good, were you saving that one for a while?" Twilight blushed and nodded. "I just needed the right moment to say it." Mirror looked at the Ponies around him. "So now were all friends now are we?" Applejack nodded. "Ah can't say that ya'll are forgiven for the ruckus-" "Fracas!" Pinkie chimed in. "-that you caused at the wedding but you Changelings are in as much need of help as us Ponies are." Everypony else nodded in agreement. Mirror and Copycat smiled. These Ponies were actually going to help them. But suddenly everyone's smiles turned to looks of surprise and fear. Mirror turned around and his expression masked everyone else's. Beasts from every corner of the Everfree were standing in front of them. Manticores, cockatrices, timberwolves and even a Ursa Minor growled angrily at them. "This is all wrong." Twilight whispered to Mirror. "These creatures can't even stand the sight of each other. Why are they suddenly together and after us?" A Timberwolf stepped forward ahead of the mob of monster. It opened its mouth and to the astonishment of everyone, It spoke. "Hello Mane six and guests." It said in a recognized voice. "I've missed you all so much." That's when Mirror Edge realized that all of the animal's eyes were pure white. Just like Fluttershy's. "Discord..."