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Nightmare Polyphony

Part 4: Nightmare Polyphony

Our own airship is one of the perks of being Queens of Equestria. I look around to see my friends getting ready for the task ahead. I am so proud of how far we come in two years and today we bring Candance home. There is just one thing that is bothering me so I think I should talk to Rainbow about it now.

“Hey Twilight, what’s up?” She asked me.

“Rainbow before we help Candance I would like to talk to you about Scootaloo.”

“Uh what about her? She’s just my assistant. The kid that does what I tell her. Wish she wouldn’t get things wrong all the time.”

“Dash, Scootaloo isn’t just some servant we assigned to you. You need to teach her; she looks up to you and you need to look ahead and mold her to the next element of Loyalty we know she can be.”

“Her, the next Element of Loyalty?”

“Dash we are not going to be around forever, so it is our responsibility to make sure the next generation is ready to maintain harmony. You have been hard on her, but we need you to start showing her the ropes of governing like Applejack is doing with Applebloom, Rarity with Sweetie Bell, or me with Spike. And please stop being so rough on her we’re starting to worry how hurt she is getting with you.”

Dash was in thought for a moment. “I guess I have been a little hard on her even if it will toughen her up for job…I guess I could pull back a bit, but do you really think I can teach? Won’t she think I’m an egghead?”

“It’ll be good for her to see another side to you and good for you to bond with her. Just think about it okay?”

“Fine.”

That’s one problem at least beginning to be fixed but going back to the task ahead I can’t help but think about how all this started.

“You did what to aunt Celestia?!” Cadence said. It was two years ago Cadence and Shining were in shock at the sight of the gold and silver statues that were once the rulers of Equestria. The couple had just come back from visiting other lands asking for help.

“They wouldn’t listen.” I explained. “This is only temporary, until they realize that what we are doing is necessary.”

“Necessary? Shining asked. “We come back after months to find you’re place crystals to watch ponies, changing them, and you have taken over Equestria and you say it’s necessary?!”

“To restore and maintain harmony to Equestria, yes.”

“Twilight this isn’t harmony! Ponies are scared of making a mistake and being punished for it!” Cadence looked at us disapprovingly.

Rainbow huffed. “Only the bad guys need to be scared of us. What we do doesn’t hurt anypony.”

“Most folks seem to think we’re doing a good job.” Applejack said.

Shining Armor shook his head. “Because things got so bad, they were desperate ANYTHING that might make them better and YOU took advantage of them!”

“To help them.” Fluttershy said cradling Flutternice.

“Don’t you see what you are doing is wrong?” Cadence asked. “I can feel it inside, what you are doing isn’t harmony!”

“What we are doing is preventing chaos, the very meaning of harmony.” I explained. “Cadence, Shining, please don’t go against us.”

“Twili please stop this, this isn’t you.” Shining Armor pleaded.

“I’m more clear-headed than before.” The next thing we knew my brother trapped us in a shield bubble while Cadence flew them out of the castle.

Over the next year they led several lands against us but in the end we have prevailed. But sadly, after we helped one of their guards see the errors of standing against us, he told us of the tragedy. It began as their war against us dragged on the newlyweds were seeing less and less of each other. Shining Armor spent most of his time with his troops and making strategies while Cadence spent most of her days making alliances and spy networks to stop our mission. In going against us they sadly were paying the price with their marriage. “Cadence, we need to talk.” Shining Armor said coming into a dark room with a large map.

“Is this about my order to place more troops on the eastern border?” Cadence asked with bags under her eyes.

“The eastern…no! Cadence we’ve haven’t spent any time with each other outside of war meetings in weeks! Doesn’t that bother you?”

Cadence took a breath and sighed. “Shining, I love you but we both must make sacrifices if we’re to stop the queens and their false harmony.”

“I know that, but I am worried about you. The staff tells me you don’t sleep much, you barely eat, shower only when you’re about to meet delegates, spend hours in this room alone making war plans! You are becoming obsessed with stopping Twili to the point that you are pushing everything else aside!”

“You don’t know what this is like for me!” Cadence screamed. “Every day I hear how someone I loved like a little sister is perverting harmony and it is feels as if I’m being twisted up inside! With each new law, each new territory they take they are making a mockery of harmony! Turning more and ponies away from it! We can’t let Twilight continue with this! A temporary time of focus on our duties is a small price to pay. We can’t stop until the queens have been captured and they are locked away for the rest of miserable lives!”

“Cadence you don’t mean that.” Shing was shocked. “Yes, they must be stopped, but…she’s still family. We can still find a way to reason with her.”

“Twilight is lost to us Shining. She is a grown mare that must face the consequences of what she’s done. If I don’t stop her and the others this whole world will become a parody of all we hold dear.”

“Cadence I…” Shining Armor then hung his head. “I have to go; I need to meet with the troops. Members of the Equestria underground want to meet to see if there is some way can coordinate our operations.”

Cadence turned back to her map. “Alright, let me know when you’ve worked something out.”

Shining’s ears drooped and he went to his office and began writing a note. When he finished it as he closed to door he said. “Goodbye Cadence.”

It was a week later when our forces were about to take her castle. The six of us were only a day away. “How did we not see they turned the five of our command staff?” Cadence asked one of her ministers.

“I…don’t know your majesty!” The minister replied. “Our troops are in disarray! What do we do?”

“Why isn’t Shining Armor rallying them? Where is he?” Cadence began franticly looking room to room to find her husband and general. “Please tell me she didn’t turn you too!” When she got to his office, she found the letter and began to read it.

“Dear Cadence, I am writing this letter because I do not have the courage to tell you what you don’t want hear. By time you read this I will have already left. Your obsession with stopping my sister has completely buried all the things I have loved about you. I no longer see the wonderful mare I married and more and more we are not husband and wife, but princess and general. Where did your forgiving heart go? You have given up on reaching Twili but I cannot stop trying. I’m joining the Equestria Underground, they need an experienced battle commander and with the state we’re in I don’t think I can any good for your guards. I need time, time away, time that will hopefully bring you back to yourself. Until then we cannot, should not be together. Goodbye.”

“No… Shining why? I…need you.” she cried. As the sounds of the battle echoed around her so did her thoughts. “How could he leave me? This isn’t right! We were supposed to live happily ever after! We were going to have the most beautiful foals! Why did this happen? Twilight! It’s Twilight and her friend’s fault! They drove us apart! They robbed us and everypony of our futures! All in the name of their false harmony! This isn’t fair! It’s not fair! It’s not fair!! It’s not fair!!!” she then began to scream. “I WILL MAKE IT FAIIIIIIIIRRRRRRRRR!” Her scream became louder and louder, her voice splitting into different pitches as smoke surrounded her.

Outside the battle continued until the screams reached outside. “What the hoof is that?” one of our guards asked as first the windows cracked and broke followed by the stone of the castle. The it exploded as the noise ended.

“Rise my subjects. We still have much to do.” Dozens of voices spoke as one, but all came from just one pony.

“Princess Cadence is that you?” one of Cadence’s guards asked the pony.

“No longer. I needed to tap into greater power to prevail over the queens of false harmony. They would call me a nightmare, so let them call me Nightmare Polyphony. Together my subjects we will free this world and bring our prince back to us. Now come while their forces are in disarray, we must find a new base of operations.”

“My queens we are about to land.” The captain said snapping me out of my revery.

I nodded to him and turned to the others. “All right girls it’s time, Candance will not get away from us this time. We landed in front of a large field of flowers. After casting a simple revealing spell, we all found Candace or Nightmare Polyphony standing before us.

I still could not believe that this was once the best foal sitter in the world. Now before us was a Nightmare with her dark red coat, hair that rippled like sound waves, and a Cutie Mark of a broken crystal heart surrounded by lightning bolts. “I will stop all of you and your false harmony. I know because I AM HARMONY!”

“No, Candace. It is not false. Come back with us and we can heal you and then we can find Shining Armor together.”

Polyphony reared up with rage in her face. “That is not my name anymore! He left me, and it is all your fault!”

She slammed her hooves down and a powerful sound wave flowed from the impact. “Everyone! Look out!” I yelled. Rainbow and Fluttershy flew Rarity and Applejack up while Pinkie bounced above the wave while I teleported.

Polyphony opened her wings circles appearing on each feather, they were like speakers. Then she took a deep breath and she then let out a scream that torn up the ground. We landed back down. “Nightmare Moon, Discord, and so many others. You have all become that which you’ve fought against! Tyrannts! With each village, fortress, and city I attack your subjects see that you are not all powerful, you do not care for them. When I defeat you here, they will know that true harmony has prevailed! Then my love will return, and all shall be as it should be.”

“No Cadence. We do care for all our subjects!” Fluttershy said.

“This is a might tricky Twi.” Applejack said as the nightmare screamed again. “How are we going to get a clear shot with all this racket?”

I thought for a moment. “I have an idea wait for my signal.”

“I will not fall to you and your tainted elements!” Polyphony ranted. The Elements tainted? She really has gone off the deep end. Sure, they seem a little dull these days, but we use them almost every day with no problems. She took one more deep breath.

This is what I was waiting for. “Now!” We fired the elements that hit the wave of sound pressure. Neither side was giving an inch but there was one big advantage we had to this thing that took hold over Cadence, we could still breath while we attacked. The scream stopped as Nightmare Polyphony tried to inhale the elements stripping the twisted form of one I care for so deeply.

I could see tears in her eyes. Did she finally realize her mistake? “Shining I was wrong.” Cadence cried as he true self. “I’m sorry, I tried my best.” What came next was not what I wanted but I did expect it as pink crystal grew around her covering her completely just like Celestia and Luna.

“It will okay Cadence.” I told her. “We’ll bring you home and find a way to free you, Celestia and Luna. We’ll find and help Shining Armor too and you can go back to being a love couple and we’ll be a family again.”

The crew carefully loaded Cadence on board and we made our way home. “Twilight dear, about Cadence…” Rarity asked. “Are we to tap into her magic like we do Celestia and Luna?”

“I, I don’t know. I’m not sure how we could use her love magic or even if we should. While couples finding love would be more harmonious none of us are match makers. We need to do more research be we can even begin to set up a proper system.”

“And besides none of us single gals are what I’d call an authority on romance.” Applejack said.

“Yeah, the mushy stuff really isn’t my thing.” Rainbow Dash agreed. “When we get back how about I have Scootaloo make us some nacho’s? Maybe she won’t forget the green chilis this time.

“Dash remember what we talked about.” I reminded her.

“Right… mentoring like Applejack and Rarity. Guess I should be asking them for pointers.”

Just then Spike sent me a letter and what it said to me shocked me to my core. “Sweetie Bell and Applebloom ran away from the castle!”

“Or not.” Rainbow said.

We had our airship increase to maximum speed. When we got back, we asked Scootaloo what she knew. “I had no idea they were planning something like this. They just said they had something to do for you before they came home. Why didn’t they…?”

Applejack and Rainbow looked at Scootaloo with thier magic. “She’s telling the truth.” Applejack said.

“And her loyalty is rock solid. G, good job kid.” Rainbow said leaving a smile on Scootaloo the made her look like she had a triple serving of Pinkie’s happy sauce.

“Still, it just doesn’t make a lick of sense! Where did those two run off two?” Applejack asked.

That was when Spike came running in. “Twilight! They’ve been spotted in Ponyville!”

“I suppose the dears were feeling a little homesick.” Rarity hummed.

“Uh…no, according to Big Mac and other ponies on the scene Applebloom and Sweetie Bell found Gilda of all people! When the ponies of the town tried to bring them back, she used something she called an Element of Chaos to somehow undo the reharmonization on several ponies there!”

This not only made us all gasp, but I felt a heavy feeling in the pit of my stomach. “Gilda must have used that thing to brainwash Applebloom and Sweetie Bell! We got to find them now!” Rainbow said touching her element. “I didn’t think of it at the time, but during the fight I felt an odd pulsing from my Element of Loyalty, like something somewhere was echoing back to it. I didn’t say anything at the time because I felt like I had to keep my focus on Cadence.”

“But where did Gilda find such a thing?” Fluttershy asked as Flutternice played with her mother’s tail blissfully unaware of what all this meant.

“I don’t know but I’m heading to the library right now!” I said turning to leave.

“Is this really the best time for that Twi?” Applejack asked.

“Gilda can undo harmonization with just this one element! If it is like the Rainbow suggests just one of a set of elements the complete opposite of ours, we need to learn all about them! The rest of you have the guards place finding Gilda, Applebloom, and Sweetie Bell! We will save them from this thing!” As I made may way to the library, I found myself passing by the clock room with Celestia, Luna, and now Cadence who was just being placed on a dais in the room. “Just as we get one back, we lose two more.”

Author's Note:

Yes it's back.

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