The Lord of Hell
Tanat’s hand calmly stroked the crystal ball on the podium like a loving pet as he let the two ponies before him let the weight of his story settle on their shoulders.
Twilight sat in passive thought, the information sitting in her mind, filling in a hole she’d never noticed or even considered. What they’d just been told was not only huge, but virtually unknown. Celestia had mentioned several times that it was an Alicorn that had brought her into the world, but never why, not even a when. She’d never given her a name either, but then again she’d never asked. It also told her more about Unicorns; they’re water-based ponies, and she knew then and there she had many experiments to run and old records to pull up to try and connect the theory. Even more than that, Anemone’s madness infecting the land and his followers could explain the eccentricies and sometimes sociopathic actions and feelings of some unicorns, right down to Rarity ignoring everything in existence when she was ‘in the zone, as it were’.
But no, she was derailing herself again, this story, Anemone’s request, the more she realized what she was being asked to do, the heavier this whole situation began to feel. She was already running away from a group of foreigners who didn’t like her and wanted her magic, had a close friend nearby being asked to join who’d had her pride and joy literally clipped away, and, if Tanat was right, an entire world that needed help. She turned her head to look to Dash.
The former Pegasus was sitting stock-still, her eyes wide and her mouth very small. It must have been just as heavy on her. “So…” Dash broke the silence, and Tanat opened his eyes. “You want us to… Calm down Terraria and Atmos.” A nod. “And help the world get better?”
“In a way.” Tanat nodded. “The leylines from Equestria to the rest of the world are either dead or tainted with the dead. Reopening and purifying the leylines will bring back the Lords’ generous magic, bringing life back to the dead lands, and soothe the desire for war.”
“Hold on.” Twilight interrupted as she stood. “Tapping into the leylines is impossible unless you’re an Alicorn. Only two Alicorns are known to exist: Celestia and Luna.”
“There are other methods. You will learn them, soon, but your manipulation of the leylines will be limited, as you are but a mere unicorn.” Twilight quieted and frowned a little as Dash stood up next to her.
“You’re asking us to do all of this by ourselves?” She asked. Twilight turned to face her, hearing the hint of fear in her voice, and saw the near panicking look in her eyes. She agreed, this was too much, this was far too much for them both. They weren’t warriors or adventurers, they were simple ponies with simple jobs. Even if that did mean moving a dragon once. Twilight gently wrapped her tail around Dash’s and squeezed, comforting her friend. “We’re just two ponies…”
Tanat’s face stretched in what could have been a smile. “You do not have to be alone. You two by yourselves, even with Anemone’s gifts would have a long, painful road ahead of you. You have an entire country, an entire world that, thanks to Equestria’s invaders, may be torn apart if they tap into the leylines. Danger is powerful in bringing together the people, as the Brothers have proven.”
Dash calmed further, and her tail flipped at Twilight’s… Until the memory of her test came back, and she slipped away with a nervous jump. Twilight smiled in embarrassment, causing her to turn back to Tanat. “Well, okay, even then… We’re chosen because we passed the tests, we can go in with people and with ‘gifts’, we’ll keep the world protected… Is there more?”
“Dash!” Twilight asked in astonishment. “Don’t you think protecting the world is kind of a good reward in itself? So we don’t, y’know, die?”
Dash shook her head. “I’ve been following this entire trail to find my brother. Is this just some big set-up letdown for me? Have you just tricked me into coming this whole way thinking I can meet my brother? Was that just what I wanted to see? My brother being happy, being nice, loving me still?” She hung her head, so Twilight wouldn’t see her eyes through her hair. “Is he not actually here?” Twilight felt her heart sting a little at the breaking in Dash’s voice.
Twilight wanted to approach her, comfort her, tell her it would be okay, but she knew it wouldn’t help, and Dash had every right to be angry, deserved to be mad and sad, didn’t need a friend to tell her that it was okay. It wasn’t okay, Dash had been toyed with. She looked to Tanat.
Tanat said nothing. When Dash looked up to him, to be mad at him for tricking her, she saw his arms raised silently, and his eyes glowing blue. He lowered his arms, and his eyes stopped glowing. “I have conferred with Anemone directly. What you saw was not images taken from your mind, your Teller Pen was there the whole time, guiding you.” Dash’s eyes widened, and her stance changed completely into one of excitement. “Anemone wishes you to know, Rainbow Dash, that you will be rewarded appropriately. You will see Teller again, and you will have all the time in the world to speak to him.”
It started with her tail, flipping with agitation, then Twilight watched the shivers run up from her hind to her torso, and went up her neck to her head. Twilight didn’t know how else to describe it, other than excitement and energy so powerful that it paralyzed her. “I’ll do it.” Dash whispered, pawing the floor rapidly.
Tanat nodded low, and turned to Twilight. “What about you, Soul? Your guardian has agreed to it.” Twilight turned to Dash, who was now eagerly pacing the room. She would have to talk to her later about this, about Teller, about this whole ordeal. When they were comfortable again, when they were in a situation that could bare to waste time.
“I’ll do it. For the sake of the world. Speaking of which, the amount of help we’ll need-”
“Has been measured and provided for accordingly. Anemone has had a long time to prepare for this event, do not think otherwise.” Tanat told them. “Now please back away while I prepare the Guardian. I myself do not have the privilege of giving you your gifts.”
The two stepped away as Tanat swept his hand. The crystal ball and the stand it sat on were swept away in an instant, into seemingly nothingness as Tanat looked to Dash. “First, an explanation.” He made his hands into fists, and then opened his fingers as if holding something. He closed his eyes, and slowly his robe swirled around him. “All Ponies, Earth, Pegasus, and Unicorn have magic. The Unicorns have the most proficiency as they have direct access to their inner talents. Mastering them and gaining more is a matter of experimenting and practice.”
Twilight nodded in agreement while Dash thought about it. Sounded like flying tricks, just had to be brave and be willing the face the danger of your consequences. “Pegasus ponies and Earth ponies do not tap into magic like Unicorns do. Theirs’ is natural, and comes with age rather than practice. Where as a child Unicorn would be unable to cast even the most basic of spells without constant practice, an equally young Earth pony may grow a seed with care and tenderness at an adult’s rate depending on their personal magic. There was a time though, when this was temporarily rendered untrue.”
His hands began to glow white, and his tentacles worked and wriggled as he seemed to be casting a spell. “During the great war, and even now, Pegasi and Earth ponies were being given access to magic. While it was never as potent as the magic given to Unicorns, it worked the same, none-the-less, and could manipulate specific things, rather than a whole slew of time and space. If a Pegasus was given lightning…” A triangular piece of glass appeared in his hands, “they were expected to work solely with lightning, but that lightning could get more powerful if they practiced and became creative.”
“… Okay.” Dash nodded, understanding yet… Not. She recalled the huge Pegasus that had hurled lightning at them. He had been given magic… Like back in the war Tanat described. She remembered with some unease that Tanat had told them non-Unicorns had been given very powerful magic that could devastate the land and lives of many… Like the huge Pegasus.
“Rainbow Dash, Guardian of the Soul.” Tanat spoke, and approached Dash, holding the prism. “Your test was not only the greatest reflection of who you were and how to show it, but it was also the greatest test of what magic you would be most powerful with. You’re constantly looking to yourself for advice, for flaws, for perfections, you prefer to be with close and competent allies, and you hate to fly alone, so I grant you this.”
He held out a prism. Dash and Twilight both stared at it quizzically, and Dash approach it carefully, staring at it closely. She could feel the power coming from it. She recognized the feel of magic from when she’d first become the Element of Loyalty and helped pacify Nightmare Moon. It was a brilliant rush of solid energy, like the wind whipping around her, pressing into her body, but without the wind. There was the heat and the almost static-filled air around it that tickled her snout. It was powerful, she knew, and possibly dangerous, but it was a gift from Tanat, from Anemone, the Alicorn that promised to let her see her brother.
So, with her teeth grit, she stopped resisting in her mind and body, and felt the pressure push into her body as she drew it in. The prism glowed softly at first as it raised from Tanat’s hand, and slowly moved to Dash’s chest. Dash didn’t dare look, but Twilight watched with surprise as she saw the magic glow intensify around it.
It pressed itself to Dash’s chest, and sunk in slowly, making the Pegasus wince in discomfort as it became a part of her. She could feel it, the massive amount of balled energy right where her heart would be, and she felt it slowly uncurl itself and shoot through every vein in her body. She could feel the power in her snout, eyes, and ears, every time she took a breath it felt like a sugar rush in her throat, her legs wouldn’t stop shaking and heart was pounding. She was suddenly aware of every single part of her body at once.
Twilight watched with wide eyes as Dash’s eyes slid upwards into her head, and her mouth hung open as she began to shake violently. A white glow began to appear around her, slowly becoming tinged with a ring of rainbow, which only grew brighter and brighter. The whole room began to glow with the six brilliant colors of the rainbow, and then everything went white.
Dash was looking at Twilight now, and she felt safe. She was also looking at Tanat and felt indecisive. She couldn’t make heads or tails of the writing of the book in front of her. She thought having her tail one solid color was kind of a bland look for her. Also, she was staring into her own eyes while she stared into her own eyes. She blinked. Then she, or rather the other she, or the other other she that she was because honestly, she didn’t know anymore, blinked back.
“So… This is weird.” She told her green-haired counterpart.
“… I feel dizzy.” Her green-haired counterpart told her.
“Twilight, you look… Off.” She told Twilight a few feet away.
Twilight turned and looked at the one that just spoke, then all around the room. Dash did the same from all directions, and then found herself staring at five copies of herself… From six perspectives. Twilight watched the six Dashes get confused, then rapidly understand what was happening. Twilight counted several times and found that yes, there were definitely six Dashes, no she was not going mad, and she found it easy to tell which one was which since they all had exactly one hair and tail color.
The red-haired one sat next to the green-haired one. The green one was pawing the floor in confusion. The blue one sat next to a book shelf. The purple one backed away from Tanat. The yellow one went back to staring at the orange one’s tail, and the orange one just kept an eye on Twilight. “Twilight, you’re getting that weird twitch in your right eye.” The orange one said, on her left. The twitch was a sign that something was frustrating her.
“How would you know that!?” Twilight demanded, having enough of not knowing what was going on, and was frankly about to kick all six of Dashes collective rumps into line if it meant righting the situation.
“I think I know from that one.” The orange one pointed to the blue one, who waved awkwardly from Twilight’s right as she watched Twilight’s eye. It clicked. The prism had split her into six Rainbow Dashes, and they apparently shared knowledge.
“The Prism of the Many is an awkward item to use for those it’s not suited for.” Tanat explained with a slight chuckle. “You are six reflections of yourself, each no better or worse than the other. Gather your energy back into your soul.” Tanat ordered.
Each of the Dashes looked from Tanat then to each other. “What number am I thinking of!?” The green one shouted.
“You aren’t thinking of a number, dolt!” The yellow shouted back.
“Don’t insult me!” The green one shouted again, and then they all began to shout. Twilight wanted to appreciate watching Dash effectively insult herself, but honestly, she was still fixed on the idea of kicking them.
“ENOUGH!” Twilight shouted. The Dashes froze and the red one looked at her directly, but she understood just enough of what was going on to know that meant they could all see her, the exact same way, just fine. In fact, the rest froze in place. It was really weird to see. “Do what Tanat says. Gather all that energy, the magic in you, into one place.” She ordered.
The red one nodded slowly, and closed her eyes. Twilight watched her tiny wings flair as she tried to do what she was told, watching her take several deep breaths before finally, in another flash of white, there stood the original Rainbow Dash. No, that was wrong, because she only had red, yellow, and orange in her hair. The second Rainbow Dash, with green, blue, and purple, sat right next to the more brightly colored one.
“Ugh…” Bright Dash panted a little. “Only place I know where to use any sort of ‘power’ is my wings.”
“Which explains why there’s two of you…” Twilight mumbled, her fascination kicking in as Dark Dash turned towards Tanat.
“This is seriously my gift? This is stupid!” She grumbled, while Bright Dash nodded her agreement.
“For now, it is a confusing object. But with much practice, you will find it has many practical uses. But no, practice putting yourself together while I retrieve your next gift.” Tanat explained and began to focus his hands again.
Dash wasn’t a very good listener. She was more of the “I’m going to fix this” mindset than “I’m going to sit and listen to it”, which was probably why the only thing she ever managed to do was trade a color stripe between her two selves. Dark Dash was growing more and more increasingly annoyed while Bright Dash grit her teeth and concentrated while Twilight tried to talk her through it.
“You just have to pull it together, rather than split it in your wings.” She insisted again while Dash’s eye popped open as she concentrated.
“Am… Trying… Not… Easy!” She grunted, her yellow stripe turning purple as Dark Dash’s purple stripe turned yellow.
Twilight stared for a couple seconds, then pushed Dark Dash towards Bright Dash. “Okay, now, brace her and try to help.” Twilight instructed. Dark Dash raised an eyebrow, but carefully wrapped her hooves around her reflection, and concentrated. As Twilight watched, it seemed like a valiant effort was being put into this, but it did little to make it look like more than the weakest wrestling match in history.
“I think…” Bright started, her tensing decreasing as the twos’ eyes began to glow. “Just a little more…” Dark whispered, and there was a brief flash of light, and there stood Rainbow Dash. “Omigosh I did it!” She grinned cockily, counting the number of colors in her hair and tail.
“Congratulations Dash. How does it feel to have magic?” Twilight asked curiously as Dash confirmed her hair was six colors again.
“It’s like trying out a new flying style… Like switching away from Cloudsdale style to Fillydelphia style. But… Without flying.” She shrugged, not really knowing what else to call it. They both required effort, focus and practice, but magic didn’t require her physical abilities. It was felt like she had to focus her mind and very essence just to get it to work with her. She could still feel it inside her, circulating through her like her own blood.
While Twilight nodded and began to explain the boring basics of magic, she tested it inside of her. She wanted it to flare up so it did, and she could feel it brimming inside of her, threatening to spill out if she didn’t keep it on the hair-thin edge of useless and useful. As Twilight continued to speak and be ignored, she let a bit spill out.
She hadn’t intended to at first but she could feel it as it spread through her body, and could feel herself splitting, both physically and mentally. It did not hurt, but what she knew and what she saw was now in two places. What she knew what that Twilight hadn’t noticed, since she’d let the bare minimum through and found it had cut down on the flash. Twilight was still talking mindlessly, looking up to the ceiling as she spoke about a lesson she’d learned from the academy.
What she also knew was that Twilight had a pretty skinny set of hind legs. Bright walked around Twilight’s side and looked at her body in full as Dark did the same. Her mind and eyes were split, and she could see everything they both saw and knew what they did. She didn’t even have a body to call her own, she was literally two bodies and minds.
… Oh she could cause a few messes with this. Bright grinned hugely as Twilight continued to talk. Twilight hadn’t noticed, since the front of her hair was always red, yellow, and orange anyways.
Twilight felt something on her ear and it twitched. “-and the sharpest focus gives the best results, which is why Celestia trained me to be able to cast magic while I’m running or being chased and-” her eyes flicked upwards as something wet touched her ear, and she flicked it again, “-generally just a really good idea to-” she turned her head, and stared into Dark’s grinning face and outstretched tongue.
“Keep talking Twilight, I’m just grooming.”
Twilight’s shout managed to draw both Tanat’s attention and send both of the Dashes tumbling to the floor with laughter. “Oh man, I take back what I said, this is awesome!” Bright giggled loudly. Twilight just glared poisonously.
Dash finally began to listen to Twilight some and was walked through using her abilities. Twilight was right, absolute focus and a basic understanding of magic made it easier and easier to create the six copies of herself. Twilight also took the time to test some of the more interesting parts of having six identical copies that shared a mind.
Tanat interrupted them after several minutes with his presence alone. Twilight stopped quizzing the green Dash on what the orange Dash was looking at, and all seven of the ponies looked up to Tanat. “I am glad you are growing more used to your abilities, but I have the next gift.” The Dashes nodded, and took the better half of a minute to become one again.
Twilight waited in apprehension. So far Tanat had, under Anemone’s orders, given Dash magic. Not just any magic either, very powerful magic. Sure she could only use it as the item allowed her to, but it was still incredible. The uses of it were practically endless! She could get chores done with such amazing efficiency, the amount of research that could be performed in the most minimum of time spans could stretch across several books per copy, though the amount of data you could retain was still in question, but even in the short term…
And of course, dealing with those ponies who were chasing her…
Twilight remembered Tanat saying that it was not his “privilege” to give her her gifts… She wondered who would, and why Tanat couldn’t? She wondered what sort of gifts were waiting for her…
Tanat leaned forward, holding out the next gift to Dash, who stared at it for a long while. Twilight edged closer to see what it was, and found herself staring at a short sword, one with two edges and a sharp tip, a circular pommel with wing-shaped guards, and a hilt shaped like a mouth bit for grasping. The pommel had a symbol on it, one of a cloud with a three-part lightning bolt. Twilight glanced at Dash’s flank and saw it was a match of her Cutie Mark.
“Um…” Dash stared at the sword and touched it lightly with her hoof. She then leaned down and picked it up in her teeth, and held it as Tanat drew away. She turned her head and swung it gently into open space, testing its weight, and then looked back at the sheath she still wore. With a little mouth work, she managed to fit it in and slide it into place. It was the perfect fit. She looked up to Tanat with an unsure look.
“A Guardian, and a pony of action must be prepared for any danger they fight. Whenever you cannot run, or solve a problem through diplomacy or magic, there are times when you must solve a problem with blood. It is not pleasant, but it is better to go prepared.” He explained, as Twilight politely took the blade and examined it. It was too heavy for her, but for somepony like Dash, it’d be perfect. “You may use it as you wish. It was a gift from Atmos to his most loyal and brave of soldiers. It is enchanted to be unbreakable, and to always remain sharp. In the presence of old magic, it also grows even stronger.” Anemone bowed his head slightly, and Dash took it back.
She backed away from Twilight, and began to swing it around slowly. Twilight watched with a mixture of awe and hesitation. A powerful, useful gift for sure, but it was clearly intended to take lives. Dash was not a killer. She was a fighter, but she knew Dash had never personally killed anypony. Dash didn’t even seem to be too happy with it, but she kept it close.
Her two gifts, a good blade and magic… As she became six of herself, all eyeing the sword closely, she began to feel… Powerful. Twilight sensed it too. Dash looked like a genuine warrior, even if she did lack the armor, but she now had the senses and the numbers to make up for it. Curiously, she noted, only the red one had the sword and the sheath.
“Your gifts as a guardian will grow in power and utility as you become more familiar with them, and you will find yourself in a good position to protect the Soul. As for the Soul, it is time to bring you to your gifts.” Tanat turned suddenly, and walked towards the mirror they’d met each other at.
Twilight and the Dashes looked to each other briefly, and watched as Tanat moved the mirror to the side with a wave of his hand. He beckoned them, and went through a door that had been behind the mirror. “Man,” Yellow Dash whispered as they followed him through the door, up a spiraling staircase, “If I got magic, what crazy thing could be waiting for you?”
“You’re ‘the Soul’ after all.” Blue Dash said from behind, and the Dash’s nodded in agreement. Twilight had to admit, having so many of them around her, behind her and beside her felt comforting. It was like being in a crowd. She didn’t feel like she stuck out so much, even if technically six of them did look the exact same…
“I don’t know.” Twilight hummed as they saw Tanat swirl his hands, and two stone slabs blocking off their route were pushed to the side, and he walked upwards. They emerged from the staircase, and could only stare in awe. Twilight didn’t notice at least four Dashes walking past her and around the platform to stare.
They were on top of the tallest tower of Laputa, surrounded by a faintly glowing bubble of magical air. The entire top had no features other than a raised dais in the middle with a softly glowing blue sphere floating above it. There were no guard rails, no statues, no mirrors or walls or bookshelves, and when the stone door to the staircase closed, there were no lines to indicate there was an entrance or an exit.
All around them was pitch dark. They couldn’t see beyond the veil of black, out into the sea, but every now and then they swore they could see something float by in the blackness. It was horrifying, it was awe-inspiring, it was mystical and at the same time they knew it was real, and knew it was something entire centuries-worth’s of ponies had never experienced
“Twilight?” Twilight turned to the Red-Haired Dash, who gulped heavily. “You see that?”
Twilight followed her eyes, and saw an enormous mass of tentacles hidden cleverly in the shadows, and the creature they were attached to watched them with dull eyes. “… I hope I really don’t.” She admitted, shuffling uncomfortably.
“Twilight Sparkle.” All the ponies turned to face Tanat as he stepped up onto the dais and beckoned her to follow her. Twilight approached the raised platform, and two of the Dashes started helping her up. The whole thing was about her height, and could hold her, maybe ten others, and Tanat.
Stepping into the middle of the platform she found her eyes immediately going to the glowing blue sphere just slightly above her, which Tanat watched with a look of great reverence. The Dashes climbed on with her, but kept to the edges as they watched her. “So,” Twilight finally broke Tanat’s concentration, and chuckled meekly, “is this my gift?”
Tanat shook his head and looked back to the sphere, his face falling into deep relaxation as he did. “No, what you are staring at is your benefactor.” His voice was deeper, softer, a whisper in their heads as he raised a hand as if to touch it, but he pulled it back to his chest just as quickly.
It took Twilight several seconds to understand, and she looked back to the orb with wide eyes. She took a step back, and bowed. Dash watched her, then the orb, and finally it clicked, and the six Dashes all awkwardly bowed before the sphere.
“Lord Anemone never really left the world, but he has been isolating himself from contact with the land for fear of tainting it with his magic. You have a strong mind and strong magic, Twilight Sparkle, you will be able to meet the Alicorn of Life and Death, the Alicorn of Hell, the Alicorn of Water personally.” Tanat held his arms out, and his hands seemed to cup the air around the soul as he gently lead it towards Twilight’s face.
Twilight stared into the glow with wide eyes, while Dash pawed the ground nervously in all six of her reflections. Twilight looked into, and swore she could see…
.. Joy.
----------
Her eyes opened lazily. She didn’t want to wake up. She was so warm and comfortable, the soft pressure around her swirling her about aimlessly as she floated through what felt like water. It was so nice, so peaceful, so restful. She wanted to stay here forever, and close her eyes and sleee~eeep…
She felt a mouth close around her tail, and she was about to pull away from it when it suddenly started to chew. Of all the indecent things a pony could do! She opened her eyes and turned her head angrily at the source, and found herself looking into wide, bright, baby-blue eyes, the longest horn she’d ever seen, and a magnificent pair of scaled wings. On a pony.
She had to blink twice. Was she being chewed on by a-… An Alicorn?
“Hi.” The Alicorn finally said, before chewing her tail again.
Twilight screeched and suddenly hit the sandy floor of wherever she was and hopped up to stare at her “attacker”. The Alicorn had beautiful blue eyes, but the most devilish looking black scarlet coat she’d ever seen, being the color of a deep scar except for his hair, which was blood red. He smiled kindly, hopefully.
Twilight looked around herself. She was standing in an opening of a coral reef. The ocean around her was the most beautiful blue, but when she looked up it swiftly became too bright to see any further. All around her was coral of all colors, teeming with fish, and octopi, and eels. A shark passed by, chasing very quick fish. It was almost pretty… Almost, because the sand beneath her hooves was a rusted red color, which made it clash garishly with its surroundings.
“Um… So…” The Alicorn nervously scraped his hoof along the sand, and smiled nervously. “I’m…” He then began to chuckle a little, like a little foal with a crush. “I guess I should start talking. So, you’re Twilight Sparkle, right? My daughter’s student?” He asked.
Twilight’s ears flattened against her head as she stared at the Alicorn. “Anemone?” She asked breathlessly, her eyes going over his coat and his hair.
“Oh! Yes, sorry for not introducing myself, I’m not used to having company that doesn’t already know my name.” He laughed, then smiled cheekily, “And floats about wagging their rears at me, then again, I suppose you wouldn’t be used to Comfort Currents.”
That ever so pleasant pressure and feeling of floating went away suddenly, and Twilight felt… A bit sad, but she felt less sleepy. “Um… Sorry I guess.” Twilight blushed a little. Shaking her rump at royalty… Maybe she’d leave that part out of her explanation to Celestia.
“Don’t apologize. It was kind of funny.” Anemone nervously kicked some sand and bowed his head. “I haven’t had company in a while so my manners aren’t really up to par too…” He then lifted his head and shook it. “No no no, I mean, not that yours aren’t! We all make mistakes, I understand.” He insisted, making Twilight blink.
He was incredibly shy, much like Luna was. Luna hadn’t said a word the first five minutes Twilight had spent with her out of Nightmare Moon, and only began to open up when they started talking about Spike. Like Fluttershy. Odd, that. “Well, I’m still sorry. And it’s okay.”
They stood quietly, staring at each other. Anemone looked both nervous and excited, but Twilight could tell he was desperately trying to keep calm so he wouldn’t frighten her. He was Celestia’s height at the very least after all. Twilight wasn’t sure how to feel. Awed? Happy? Angry? She felt a little bit of all those. She also felt confused. She wouldn’t consider red a color of the ocean.
“So…” Anemone rubbed his forelegs together as he tried to spark up a conversation.
“You don’t really look like I pictured you.” Twilight finally said, making Anemone stiffen, then relax immediately.
“Oh?”
“Yeah, I figured you’d be shades of blue, not red. Maybe even a manilla color due to the sand but red? Other than the coral and the fish I can’t think of anything red about the ocean, it was always so blue in my opinion.” Twilight mumbled, looking embarrassed.
“Ah, yes, well, see… Uh, Tanat told you the story, did he?” Anemone asked, and Twilight nodded. The Alicorn of the Sea smiled sadly. “Well… Madness can do strange things to ones’ complexion when they, uh, lose it. I was blue, once, but then when my brothers…” He took a deep little breath, and let it out slowly. “Well, when their armies began to let blood spill into the ocean, I began to feel that it was apart of me.” He paused, collecting his thoughts, while Twilight looked down at the red sand. “There was so much it would often turn my waters my color. When I lost myself to the violence and anger, I took this color to be what I thought I represented. ‘I was the Alicorn of Death, wasn’t I?’ I told myself. I never changed back.” He admitted quietly, staring around slowly at his surroundings, looking at certain things as he did. “I can never forgive myself for allowing my anger to get ahold of me, so everything you see around here is my constant reminder of my rage.”
Twilight followed his eyes to the corral around her, and she noticed with a tightened gut that the ends of the coral, which should have been circular tubes, ended in the shapes of pony heads, the openings being gaping mouth. The corral heads had faces twisted in agony, and suddenly she didn’t like standing on the red sand. She could see the coral heads everywhere, and even the teeming life around it just added a new layer of terror to it. They were thriving here, in a grave of tortured souls.
“Ah…” Twilight answered, focusing back on the Alicorn before her.
“I don’t mean to be startling, but you deserve to know the truth. I am asking you to do quite a bit after all, which I apologize for.” He bowed his head politely. “What I’m asking you to do is no light thing, I understand. I have been waiting for a long, long time for somepony as moral and powerful as you to come by. I’d been watching those who are invading Equestria. None but one would have come past the final tests.” Anemone calmly looked up into the brightness above them, and sighed.
“I understand.” Twilight answered automatically, still lost in the world around her..
“Do you?” Anemone asked, for the first time sounding old. “Do you know what it’s like to ask a perfect stranger to do what nopony has ever dreamed of doing? Sending two innocent little fillies into danger for a mistake that you made and due to your own short-sightedness cannot repent alone? Do you understand Twilight?”
Twilight stood speechless. She could see it was tearing him apart, but did she understand? “I… I guess I don’t. I mean, after everything I learned today I can see why you need me to do this, but I guess I don’t see it from your eyes.”
“Very few do. None do, in fact, as my brothers wouldn’t understand the heartache. They’ve already sent many of their own to fight each other and each death toughened their spirits until the deaths reported merely became numbers. That is why I apologize, I don’t want to come off as callous or cruel, but-”
“It’s the only way, Anemone, I know. It’s okay, I forgive you for this.” He reared back just a bit as Twilight interrupted him, and she smiled a little. “I feel good to be in the loop. This whole dilemma saddens me for sure, but I know what’s happening. The invaders are trying to get into the leylines, right? If they do, it’ll screw up the world. Somepony has to stop them, and it might as well be me, right?”
Anemone stared at her for a few moments. “You truly do forgive me?”
“Yes.” Twilight bowed her head at him.
----------
“Twilight?” Purple Dash whispered as her friend sat, immobile, doing little more than breathing as she stared at the ball of light.
“She is with Anemone now, speaking to him. She will be fine, Anemone is benevolent and kind.” Tanat assured her, watching Twilight with… Was that jealousy?
Dash wasn’t sure what to do or say. She couldn’t talk to Twilight, or help her at all, and she was alone with the tentacle guy. Even with so many of her around she felt alone. They all calmly stood around her, watching her body, just in case.
Then Orange Dash gasped, and watched one of the three rings on Twilight’s horn crumble away.
----------
“When they had asked me to create a place to put the ‘undeserving’ soldiers, I did not know what to do. In part, I understood their plight: They did not wish to share an afterlife with their enemies, and they wanted a reward for being on what they assumed was the right side. I created Anathema and a hell, but I was worried. I was terrified, in fact.” He closed his eyes and breathed in deep, then opened them again. They were wide with fear. “Anathema was a terrible terrible creature, a direct line to a place of torture and pain, a creature so ghastly that merely looking into his gaze seals your soul to a damned fate. Anathema was a loyal and valuable friend though. He was never hungry for souls, but he enjoyed the few I gave him, and thanked me with his companionship. At times I felt he was less of a hellgate and more of a close friend, but he was still made to be a hellgate, first and foremost.”
Twilight listened as Anathema walked the perimeter of the coral reef’s open spot, and he smiled quietly to himself. “I remember…” He chuckled darkly. “I remember the first time I’d felt angry. Earth’s faction had a priest dedicated to me, and he was an enthusiastic supporter of Terraria and a wild speaker. He would stand on his platform and bring a crowd to tears with his speeches of their dead soldiers, but then he would drive them to riot when he spoke of the enemies’ perceived heresy. He would cast their bodies in himself, calling them mean names, trampling them before throwing them, soon letting the crowd trample them themselves before casting them in. I watched him defile loyal dead again and again, and I would grow angry. In secret, just to spite him, I fed the so called ‘noble warriors’ he blessed to Anathema, for being so cruel.”
Twilight stared at Anemone, and felt the need to shrink away as she watched his bemused face as his head swung around slowly in agitation.
“He never knew, it did not deter him. He sent more of his side to Anathema than his enemies without knowing it. It felt good to enact revenge for the poor bodies he abused, and I’d forgotten what it meant to send a soul to hell. The day came when he died, hit by a bolt of lightning while escaping Sky soldiers. They tossed him to me, and we met face to face.” His own face lit up, as if recalling a fond memory. It frightened her.
The sand suddenly swelled up, and Twilight took a few steps back as Anemone waltzed around the sand-figure of the old priest. “Anemone! I have finally made it to you, and I am ready to accept my place in the afterlife.” The figure said with triumph.
“Good.” Anemone answered in a low voice. “I am glad that you understand your sins.”
Twilight watched the priest leap back in fright, as if something had emerged from the depths. “B-but lord Anemone! I served my people so well! I don’t-” he gulped, “I don’t deserve Anathema’s wrath!”
“And who were you to say that Sky did? Were they not as noble and loyal as you to their Lord? You would defile their dead, spit curses at them and you prayed - you prayed! - to me to give them to Anathema, and you consider yourself a good, generous man? If you are so loving and generous, then share the pain of your enemies.”
Twilight started to shiver as Anemone’s face was consumed by peaceful pleasure as the sand figure screamed, and was suddenly a cloud of dust. “I felt so… Happy then and there. He had deserved it, for being so cruel to the dead he was supposed to shepherd. I don’t know what came over me. It was some form of glee, that I now know was Sadism. I never thought I would take such happiness from it, so I suppose my madness started well before then, probably when I first had to watch the deaths. It hurts to see today.”
It was hard to tell because they were in the ocean, but Twilight could see that Anemone was crying. Anemone regretted condemning that cruel priest, Anemone was terrified that he was capable of enjoying it. Yet what little sick pleasure Anemone still took from it made a smile on his face. “You were a victim of circumstance.” Twilight told him, trying to sound sure of herself.
“A victim?” Anemone began to chuckle. “Twilight Sparkle, you’re so kind. You forget that, despite my emotions I am a god to these people. I was a living idol of power and change, that could better or worsen lives on a whim. I was like the great god dragons of lore, who had grown so big and strong the weak worshipped them since one flap from their wings, or a sneeze in their direction meant disaster. I am an intelligent being, I should have known better than to create a hell. I was an idiot, I deserve to be isolated from the world for even imagining the concept.” His great wings spread, and the red sand was pushed around him.
Twilight stared up at the powerful imposing creature, the great Alicorn of Water and Death, and all she could feel for him was pity. He was not a disgusting monster, he was not a cold tyrant, he was an Alicorn who had grown angry. “It’s okay, Anemone.”
“Is it?” Anemone snorted.
“We all have a part of ourselves we don’t like. A cold, dark, sociopathic bit of our minds and souls that drive us to do bad things when pressured. You were watching the people you loved die again and again, because of your beloved brothers. You lashed out at them because of anger and sorrow, driven mad by wanting to please everypony, but to do so you had create a terrible place. It’s okay Anemone, you were a victim of the circumstance. You weren’t in the right state of mind.” Twilight approached him, slowly, staring up at him quietly. She reached a hoof out and touched his leg, causing him to shake as the tears flowed free from the Alicorn’s eyes. “You’re just a pony like the rest of us, even with all your power. You have feelings, and more pressure than anypony else. It’s okay, your people would forgive you.”
“And you?” Anemone turned his head away and grit his teeth. “You saw my madness, and how pleased I was to hurt him.”
“I forgive you. You’re trying to make up for it, aren’t you? That’s all that counts. You realized your mistakes, you’re trying to make up for them, to everypony. You still care for Equestria, the world, and its ponies.” She smiled reassuringly, causing Anemone to stop shaking. “I do forgive you, okay? So don’t beat yourself up over it.”
Anemone stared down at her, and managed a real smile as the red sand faded to very light yellow, and the horse heads became shapeless coral once again.
----------
Dash stared at the dust left behind from the ring that had dissolved off Twilight’s horn, while still staring into her face. Her eyes were blank, and her mouth closed tightly, while her horn still had two more rings.
What was going on? Was she actually talking to Anemone or was this some freaky spell? She wasn’t sure she trusted it. She didn’t trust magic. Heck, she hardly trusted her own, which was odd since the reflections were agreeing.
She looked to Tanat, but he had closed his eyes and seemed to drift off into a trance. She screwed up her face angrily, wanting answers but nothing around her could give any! She hated being forced to sit back and wait!
The second ring suddenly turned to dust, and fell to the ground.
----------
The world around them seemed so much less terrifying as Anemone was forgiven. Thousands of years of isolation, and all this time his guilt had been so maddeningly powerful that it altered his realm, essentially his soul’s resting spot, his own individual afterlife. It was a mixture of both paradise and hell, with the things he loved swimming around him, and his guilt morphing the environment to match his pain.
All that had changed. The coral was plain coral again, the sand was yellow, and it was more beautiful than Twilight had thought it would be. He just needed forgiveness, from both a subject of his land, and himself. It felt good to give him that, to put his mind and soul at ease. There was no more pain in his voice or in his steps. No, she shouldn’t say that, there was just no guilt; there was still a hint of pain though whenever he looked at her…
Twilight watched Anemone casually walk around the area again, this time not stricken with energy and sadness, but rather a pace to clear his head. “I’m going to tell you some things about what I need you to do.” He spoke, “It’s going to be a long, very dangerous path, and there will be many trials along the way. Like myself, my brothers protected themselves with powerful wards and defenses. Fortunately, they have been deactivated for a long time.” He smiled as Twilight sighed in relief. “To get to them, you must reactivate them.”
He chuckled a little at the look she gave him. It was a look that was appropriate. The sort of look that one gave when asked to do the absolutely unthinkable, when the best solution was also the most insane, when what must be done sounded like it was completely void of all logic and reason.
It was also the greatest wtf face he’d ever seen. She had very flexible eyelids to pull that off. “Would you like a little more detail?” He asked, making her nod very slowly. “Every lock has its key, but the locks to my brothers’ prisons require the ancient magic to unlock them. The invaders have somehow come across the magic necessary to do so. While they seem lost for now, they are picking up ground quickly. What we must do, to ensure my brothers’ safety while you seek them, is repower their old tests. You are capable, intelligent, and stronger than you think. You and your friend have passed my tests, I have little doubt that you will pass theirs’. There will be a certain amount of danger you must inform my daughter of once the old magic is circulating through the leylines naturally again.”
He was a reassuring sort, but Twilight wasn’t sure what to think. Sure she had passed his tests, but there was a certain amount of luck that went into them, weren’t there? If she’d known what they were, or stopped to consider harder where she was, how impossible it was, what it could have meant, she was sure she would have stopped dead in her tracks. Besides, what sort of tests had he put them through? Tests of the mind, tests of the soul? Logic had not applied to any of them, merely her clarity and dedication. What about Terraria, the Earth Alicorn? Would his tests involve physical might? Twilight was not a strong filly. Applejack and Rainbow Dash were strong. If she had to face those tests alone again, she would be stuck there. She was worried.
All of Equestria was in danger, and nopony but herself or Dash knew what was happening. There were ponies around that would not hesitate to draw blood, and if they stayed hidden then who knew how much damage they could inflict before Celestia responded? And Anemone thought reactivating the old magic was logical? She hoped the effects weren’t as bad as she assumed.
“What sort of dangers are we talking about? Equestria’s already in a lot of danger with the invaders, how much worse can it get?” Twilight asked. She knew it could get a lot worse, but she had to ask.
Anemone paused, looked to Twilight, then stared off into the distance, as he sighed out loud. She did not like that sigh. “The creatures I had made will come to life. Each made to be an absolute engine of destruction. Each an unfeeling, unthinking, uncompromising monster meant to take all they encountered to Anathema. Their hibernation will leave them dazed and underpowered for a day or so once the magic is brought back, so word must spread immediately.”
“How will we even get home after all this?” Twilight asked, her eyes looking down to the sand.
“Do not worry Twilight. For your pains and aches, I plan to make it more than up to you. Returning to you Equestria will be an easy task with the gifts I plan to impart on you. Speaking of which, I suppose I should quite wasting time.” He approached her, standing directly in front of her as he took in a deep breath of the water, the first time Twilight noticed she was actually breathing underwater unaided, and he smiled.
“You’ve seen the books in the library, correct? And that they’re incomprehensible?” He asked. She nodded quietly as his horn tip began to glow. “They are books gathered far and wide across the land, my knowledge of the world turned into a long series of books, and in a language nopony has ever heard or written. I made them that way so no visitor could ever simply walk in and read my thoughts unaided. You, however, are deserving.” His eyes began to glow a soft blue along with his horns, and Twilight stood very still as she felt absolute power radiate from him.
Then it hit her mind with what felt like a hammer, yet there was no pain, even as she buckled from the pressure of such power filling her up. Lights flashed before her eyes and she gasped as the memories of that weird language came to surface and she realized she could understand the few symbols she memorized. She twisted and jerked until the power settled, and Anemone politely helped her stop twitching so much.
He leaned down, and smiled. “For you, Twilight Sparkle, I give you Comprehension. If there is a language written to make any amount of sense, you can read it. You can speak it. When you hear it you can understand it. I have given you the power to go anywhere and know what to say, what you’re hearing, and read their books. There will be no barrier between you and the world’s knowledge now. Speaking of which, my second gift somewhat involves the first one…”
----------
Her stomach twisted as she felt - felt! - Twilight radiating power that seemed so foreign yet so familiar! She had experienced a few of Twilight’s spells, and her magic always felt so direct, controlling as it guided her, yet it had a friendly familiarity about it, much like Twilight did. Was it because it was Twilight it felt so pleasant? She did not know, but the amount of it she felt in her wings and hooves was making her squirm as she watched the unicorn’s horn glow a soft blue.
In an instant, the third and final ring melted away, and Dash let out a small sigh of relief. Their last bond of imprisonment, gone. What did it mean though? Could Twilight perform magic again? What was happening with Anemone?
All six of her were pacing uneasily. She wanted Twilight out of there soon. She wanted to talk to somebody.
She was also wondering who left a stupid book in some weird language laying by Twilight’s side.
----------
“That’s…” Twilight gasped as Anemone presented her with a piece of paper with many varied symbols written on it, but as she looked it over she saw she could not only understand it, but perfectly. It wasn’t like translating old Equestrian where she converted the old words into new ones, she knew the language, knew the sentence structure, and knew what each symbol meant in their language and hers. “This is amazing Anemone…” She whispered softly.
Anemone smiled, and looked down on her as the paper disappeared. “I figured you would like it. It will also become useful in your coming journey to find my brothers. Now for my next gift, I’m going to do something kind of odd.” Twilight watched him move in closer, and she felt her legs quiver as he began to lean his head down. What was he doing? What was he planning? Was he really going to-
The tips of their horns touched, and she leapt back with a shout as her entire body began to suddenly glow and burn with energy. She shivered where she stood and grit her teeth, feeling immense power circulate through her body as that strange orange glow appeared again. “That ancient power that you’ve been carrying is now fully in your grasp. You may access it as you would your typical magic, but I would advise you to not be too showy with it, it can be absolutely devastating if precise control is not exercised.”
Twilight felt her body calm down, and she gasped heavily as her heart beat a new power throughout her body. It felt as old and strong as Anemone did before her, but it was running through her leylines now. She could even feel it circling around her, and in a way, felt it begging to be used. She hadn’t cast and magical spells in a while, she felt a little dry because of it. “How…” She gasped and lifted her head. “I’ve been meaning to ask, how did I even get this power?”
Anemone stared at her calmly, looked up, thought carefully, and hummed. “When the foreigners reactivated the ancient magic, it sent out a pulse of energy that touches all whom are sensitive to it. This includes old objects, ancient lands, mythical beasts, and any unicorn who may be capable of absorbing it. You are different from other unicorns, as you did just that, you absorbed the magic. You did not have access to it because you lacked the knowledge of how. This is my theory at least, the truth you’ll have to find for yourself. Anyways…”
He sat down in front of her, and she looked up from her hooves as she thought to watch his wings spread, his eyes close, and his horn glow. “Twilight Sparkle, for your service to me, the Alicorn of the Sea and the Alicorn of Death, Anemone, I give you the blessings of the sea, the land, of the afterlife, and of the beasts.” His voice resonated with a power she had not heard since Nightmare Moon’s passionate speeches of anger and revenge, and she felt his strength closing around her. “I give you my blessings to ease your journey, and to give you access to places in the world long sealed by our magic. Take my blessings, as a gift, and go forth to protect Equestria, the world, and all of its inhabitants.” The strength that held her so tightly, suddenly pushed into her.
Again, she gasped, but there was no burning magic, no more magic circulating her body than usual, and she didn’t feel the need to collapse. She felt unusual though, but she could not explain how. “What did you do?” She asked, holding up her hooves to stare at them.
“Gave you the blessings of an Alicorn. It is considered a great and rare gift, as it often offers the given pony a certain enlightenment to the world. You may notice a connection to the land and beasts around you that you did not have before, as well as the ability to access any area sealed by our magic. You will see its benefits in time.” He bowed his head politely and smiled.
She did not feel that connection or much more enlightened like he said, but he said ‘in time’. Anemone seemed to know what he was doing though, and did seem like he was actively looking out for her. She would just wait and see, it was the best she could do after all.
“I have one final gift to grant you. It is my way of saying ‘thank you’ in all that I can, and I hope you appreciate what it is. Understand I do not give this away lightly, as it is old, and is an artifact of my brother Atmos’ cruelty and pride, but you deserve it, as I have no doubt you’ll need this in time for personal and protection reasons.” He closed his eyes, and from his chest, where his heart would be, a sphere of energy came out. It was small, tightly packed, and glowing bright red as it passed to Twilight. Twilight stared at it, unsure she was happy having so much energy shoved into her at once, but before she could ask, it pushed into her heart.
She grunted loudly, and felt it almost immediately disappear. She paused in her cringing, and carefully felt around inside of herself for some sort of indication where it went, but it was gone. She froze up, and gave Anemone a panicked look. “It’s gone!”
Anemone smiled, and shook his head. “It is there, but you simply cannot feel it. What I have given you is direct control to the most spectacular artifact in my brothers’ history, one of the most shining examples of power, pride, and wealth. Twilight Sparkle, from this day forth, I deem you the master and queen of Laputa.”
Silence. She heard his words. Well she assumed she did. Maybe his blessing was messing with her head now and she was actually unconscious, because she swore he said he was giving her the castle. She had to confirm what he‘d said. She had to ask. She needed to pick her words wisely for this, she didn’t want to offend him after all, it was a grave mistake to offend an Alicorn, especially when giving you a gift, and not just any gift but an entire castle. So, drawing upon the deepest reaches of her vocabulary, she articulated out the best answer she could manage without hurting his feelings: “… Uh!?”
Anemone grinned. “You heard me right. I am giving you control, and ownership, of Atmos’ grand flying castle, Laputa.” Twilight’s eyes were still huge. He snickered. “Of course, I’ll take out all the tests and put the normal rooms back. No point in giving you a castle that makes sure the ponies inside get lost and stay lost. You don’t have to worry about losing yourself again. As soon as you come out of our meeting, the castle is yours, and you will have absolute control over it. Any who say otherwise will have to face the castle’s trials themselves until they know better.”
“… Uh!?”
“Exactly. That is the last of my gifts.” He stood up to his full height and sighed as he looked her over, and held out his hoof. Twilight stared at it, shook her head free of confusion, and then gently accepted it with her own. They shook. “Twilight Sparkle, you carry my hopes and dreams for this world. Were I still apart of Equestria, I would have happily accepted you as my grand daughter. Your morals, your mind, and your heart is strong, and your spirit is unstoppable. You have my blessings and my gifts, as does your friend. I suggest as soon as you get a little time to yourself, you look through the book I gave you. It will be very beneficial.” He smiled down at her quietly, and Twilight frowned just a little.
“I’m still so confused though. Will you still be there in Laputa to help me? What if I have questions?” She asked, looking desperate.
“If we speak again, it will not be in Laputa. As for your questions, your Princesses are wise and intelligent, and you are all but destined to find your answers. Please go forth Twilight, and protect this world from itself.” He leaned down, and softly nuzzled her, making Twilight freeze up and blush at the comforting affection the Alicorn of Water offered her. “I trust you. When I return you to your body, Tanat will assist you in reactivating the magic of the world. Be careful, and good luck.”
----------
All the Dashes launched to their feet as they heard a loud gasp, and they turned to Twilight as she came to. Tanat ended his trance and stared down at the Unicorn, while Twilight stared around slowly. She was aware of a book underneath her hoof, but right now she was still brimming with questions and confusion. She stared at the Dashes, and the blue-maned one approached. “Are you okay?”
“How was your visit to Anemone?” Tanat asked behind her.
“I’m fine, just a little off, and Anemone was…” She stared down castle beneath her. “Amazing.” She whispered in slight awe as she began to move around a bit, feeling stiff. “He gave me all this weird,” she worked her mouth slowly as she tried to find the words, “I don’t know how to explain it. Knowledge? He said he gave me access to the magic around me, and gave me his blessings.”
Tanat’s tentacles wiggled a little as he tried to smile. “Glorious. He has not given his blessings in a long time. Even when he was alive he blessed only one other pony.”
“And then he gave me Laputa.” Twilight shrugged, making Orange Dash jump.
“Whoa whoa whoa whoa whoooaaaa. Hold up. He’s giving you a dead, sunken castle that tried to eat our minds with mirrors? Are you sure he’s on our side?” All six of them raised an eyebrow as they nodded in agreement.
“He said he’d change it back to normal and give me control of it. I’m not sure how to control it though.” Twilight admitted with a little shrug.
“Then allow me to help you Miss Sparkle. Laputa is instrumental in resurrecting the ancient magic in the leylines, so merely do as I ask.” Tanat approached the softly glowing blue sphere, and cupped his hands around it like there was an invisible barrier around it. “Stand before me and point your horn at the lord.”
Twilight nervously did as she was asked, and glanced to one of the Dashes. “We’ll be okay, we have plenty of allies.” She whispered, but the nods she got were as nervous as she was. She pointed her horn at Anemone’s floating soul.
“Now then, use the magic around you. Gather it inside of you, and focus it out of your horn. Point out the Lord, and wish us to rise.” He told her in his guttural tone. Twilight gulped, and did as he asked.
It took her a moment to feel the magic all around her, as until now she had never sensed the magic. It was odd, since now that she could detect the enormous amount of power around her she couldn’t ignore it. It swam into her as she drew it in, and she could feel her body get pumped with energy that defied any amount of power she previously knew. Her eyes began to glow orange, as did her horn, and Dash watched as the glowing blue sphere began to glow orange as well. Then all around them, the castle began to glow.
Dash jumped as she felt it shift, and all of them glanced around, unsure of what happened, until the ocean began to slowly brighten around them.
They were rising.
----------
The river was running faster beside them as they walked. Pinkie stood by her side, never once leaving her for a moment as they went. Even when Applejack had offered to let her go find some berries, Pinkie stayed firmly next to her and ate the grass with her, never once complaining. She barely spoke more than a peep.
They followed the river around a hard corner and found themselves staring at the beach. The river poured into the ocean while the trees stopped just before the sand. It was a gorgeous sight, but Pinkie hadn’t said anything. Applejack was now firmly believing whatever happened to Pinkie was not a figment of her imagination. Either she really believed an evil clown attacked her, or one did actually do so. Pinkie was excitable but not crazy. “Alright Pinkie, we’re here.” Applejack said with a small sigh as they stared out at the ocean. She’d never been this far south before, and this whole adventure had been both pretty and a bit terrifying. She was far from home, she knew, and here they were, at the very end.
They didn’t see anything as they walked along the river towards the beach, but Applejack gasped as Pinkie suddenly pushed her into a nearby bush, back into the trees. She looked to her pink friend with surprise, but Pinkie was staring at something intensely down the shore. Applejack followed her eyes, and immediately covered her mouth to hide another gasp.
Dragons. There were a lot of dragons, each maybe twelve feet tall from foot to head as they stood in a raptor-like fashion, each covered in bronze, silver, gold, or in the case of the biggest, most elaborate one, black armor. There were ponies down with them, wearing armor as well, fitting what must have been saddles on the bored-looked dragons while a huge Pegasus pony, and an even bigger Earth pony shouted orders. They were gearing up for something.
“You think that’s them?” Pinkie asked, speaking for the first time in what felt like hours. Applejack stared. Dragons, ponies getting ready to ride them, all of them looking ready for war… She had no doubt.
“Yeah. That’s gotta be.” She whispered, her voice dropping a few octaves as her fury grew. She was aware they were outnumbered and they were probably more dangerous than anything she’d ever faced, but she was going to find Twilight and Dash and drag them out of there alive, no matter what it meant. “You see ‘em?” She asked in a low voice.
Pinkie shook her head as she scanned along all the dragons, taking note that one at the far end was struggling with the pony trying to ride it, preferring to throw him off than be ridden. Nobody paid them much attention. “No Twilight or Dashie…” She whispered sadly.
“Well, we gotta keep lookin’. C’mon Pinkie, let’s go-” She was interrupted as the world around them began to shake.
Chapter in summary:
Anemone: "Take this shit and go save the world."
Twilight: "Okay!"
Dash: "Fuck."
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My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
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This is the very first fan fiction that I have ever read, and it also by far at the utmost peak of my favourites. That being said, I also need to mention that even having read this before on fanfiction.net, this is probably one of my most favourite chapters so far.
The six Dashes all awkwardly bowed before the sphere.
...my manners aren’t really up to par either...
...I began to feel that [blood] was a part of me.
"I never changed back,” [comma,] He admitted quietly...
[They] ended in the shapes of pony heads, the openings being gaping mouths. (might consider reworking this description.)
The coral heads had faces twisted in agony...
"I have been waiting for a long, long time for somepony as moral and powerful as you to come by." To 'come by'? Overly casual language that doesn't fit Anemone's mood, in my opinion. If that was a conscious choice, ignore me.
"Do you understand, [comma,] Twilight?”
"The creatures I made will come to life." (no had)
"Your morals, your mind, and your heart are strong..."
All the Dashes launched to their feet as they heard a loud gasp...
(Dashes is the plural of Dash. Dash's is the possessive, for Dash's belongings.)
To be able to split herself into six! Reminds me of that one episode of the Magic School Bus. Pranking opportunities aside, this will be supremely useful in surveillance and in battle. One thing wasn't clear to me, though. Can she recall factions of herself long-distance? Or does there have to be physical contact to reassimilate portions of herself? Yellow and Purple were switching back and forth, without any physical contact. So if Green is out spying, and gets captured, can she be recalled? And if she's hit over the head with a bludgeon, does Blue feel it?
*Sees Dragon riders*
AJ: "Awww, son of a..."
*Earthquakes*
PP: "What the..."
*World goes batshit insane around AJ and Pinkie*
Both: "Damn."
I don't know why but the "chapter summary" at the end is my favorite part of this chapter. I think it's cause of how true it is.
Screaming For Vengeance - Judas Priest
Summary for the win.
On another note... where is that obssessed fashionista and that shrinking violet!? Why didn't they get any powers? Fate can be crue... I see what you did there. I SEE IT!
There's still a pair of alicorn progenitors left after all, and and two pairs of ponies of the elements of harmony that haven't taken their 10 levels in badass yet. Marvelous.
446431
But are they the giving types?
That remains to be seen (even after 25 chapters of story).
446495
The others get stuff eventually, though maybe not as cool as Dash and Twilight. Keep reading.
Besides, why would Flutts need anything except the Stare?
Oh. My. God. That summary KILLED ME!
Still laughing at it now...
*Deep breaths...*
I'm calming down now. Thank you for this wonderful story, and I'm not even half way through
OMYGOSHOMYGOSHOMYGOSHOMYGOSHOMYGOSHOMYGOSHOMYGOSHOMYGOSHOMYGOSH
This is epic so far, but I've got one question: Did Dash get her wings back, and if not, why the crap didn't she? Seriously, if Squid man and Sea god can do all the crazy stuff they've already done, they could fix her wings like nothing. Maybe I missed the part where they regenerated (I admit, I skimmed a few parts slightly) but a non-flying Dash never sits well with me. Anywho, awesome story so far, I can tell I'll be up later than is probably healthy trying to get caught up.
Also, dat summary 
LOL at that chapter summary
Dash: Wha-? Don't I get some say in this?!
Twilight: Nope.
Dash: Aww, come on, not cool.
Twilight: Quiet Dash, if I let you voice your opinions all the time you wouldn't end end up in half the crap I lead us head long into, now would you?
Dash: ...
Twilight: Exactly, now be quiet and listen to the Cthulu monster.
Dat summary
I'm with Lady. Dashie needs her some wings!
They were still fubar as of the mirror maze. If they have been fixed since then no one said anything about it.
Fix the wings or give her some steel wings AKA Archangel (Xmen)
Wait a sec if "Teller Pan" had been real the whole time, then why was she trying to make Dashie go die?
Black and red?
Seriously?
1085946 The ones calling for Rainbow-colored blood were all fake colts. The real Teller Pen was the one encouraging her with the chant, "You can do it!"
Oh Great, just remembered something in the last chapter....
If somepony else had gotten the mirror test and said pony was not worthy too pass.....
Would them ponies die in there watching porn of themselves and others they may find hot?
what the heck? anyways another Excellent Chapter!!
"It was also the greatest wtf face he’d ever seen. She had very flexible eyelids to pull that off."
Things like this really interrupt the flow of the story. Enjoying it otherwise.
tl'dr much?
also, i know it describes twi's face as a "wtf" face....but i just can't help but picture it like this
denver.mylittlefacewhen.com/media/f/img/mlfw6184-poker_face_by_cloudshadezer0-d5856tv.png
"It was also the greatest wtf face he’d ever seen. She had very flexible eyelids to pull that off."
OH GOD MY SUSPENSION OF DISBELIEF.
In all seriousness, I love this story, but reading this line broke this chapter for me. It just doesn't fit.
I love those moments
Important mysterious figure of powerful importantness: He's some magical knowledge, a key type magical thingy, control of your new powers... oh, and here, have this floating skyfortress castle thing too.
My imagination always runs off and drags me with it down the roads of amazing and I just have to pull a rainbow dash and go
Me: That...is so... Awesome!
The only moment even more awesome, is when onlookers, enemies, or even better, desperate allies, get a face full of 'holy shit, where'd that castle come from and why is[isn't] it on our side?!' XD
Word of power learned:
Magic and shit
Those little notes at the bottom of the page are great.
5885336
They're the best part of the chapter, and That's saying a LOT