Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Thirteen
*******
“What do you mean, that’s exactly what Luna said?” Twilight asked.
“I’m sure of it. It was right when I threatened to leave the group and take Skids with me,” Celestia affirmed. “Your eyes glowed... It was as if you were reciting it!”
“Hmm...” Twilight thought. She shook her head. “I... I don’t know.”
“Pretty uncanny,” Olly observed. “Remembering something from a past life is tough enough; I can’t even remember what happened in my own life. Still, though... It makes sense, doesn’t it? Somehow?”
“Oh, I get it!” Pinkie exclaimed. “Every Element of Magic passes on their memories! It’s like a big game of Telephone!”
“Telephone?” Celestia asked.
“Sure! You whisper something to somepony, and then they whisper it to somepony else, and it goes down a long line! By the time it reaches the end, it’s all ker-skuffled, and that’s why Twilight doesn’t remember everything,” Pinkie explained. “She only remembers bits and pieces. It’s like the leftover crumbs on a cookie sheet!”
“Okay, so what?” Twilight asked.
“So what?” Celestia laughed a bit. “Think about it, Twilight. Memories are what make us, well, us. Without memories of some sort, we’d be like newborn foals. Even Olly has memories--they’re just out of reach to him. That means, if you really do have all of Luna’s memories, then... you’re her.”
“Celestia, that’s kind of a stretch,” Twilight scoffed.
“I want you to focus hard on the energy and anger that made you summon the memories, Twilight. If you learn how to control all of your power, we’ll have a leg up on Discord!” Celestia pleaded. “At the very least, I want you to try.”
Twilight sighed. “...Alright, if that’s what you want.” She gritted her teeth and steadied her stance. After slightly brushing back her mane, she descended into a deep silence. Her eyes glowed for a moment, but she sighed in frustration as the power left her abruptly.
“Keep trying,” Celestia encouraged.
“Fine,” Twilight mumbled. Patiently, she tried to summon the power again. Her horn began to glow as magical circles wove around her hooves and inscribed ancient texts upon the cavern floor. The ground began to vibrate slightly, and dust fell from the ceiling.
“Rrgh...” Twilight grunted. Sparks of magenta energy shot from her horn as the circle began to emanate heat.
“You’re almost there,” Celestia breathed.
“This is stupid!” Twilight shouted, her eyes glowing bright magenta. “How am I supposed to set the sun with you three watching me like hawks?”
“Calm down, Luna,” Celestia breathed, her voice barely audible.
“Calm down? How am I supposed to calm down; all of Equestria depends on-” she collapsed to her knees, panting. “...me.”
“See what I mean?” Celestia asked. That’s incredible... she even translated it from the Ancient language!
“That... was... awesome!” Dash exclaimed. “C’mon, I want to see more!”
Twilight didn’t answer; she was trying to catch her breath. Fortunately for her, Fluttershy cantered into the room, with an expression on her face that suggested something was wrong.
“What’s up?” Dash asked.
“Um... I hope I’m not interrupting anything,” she began, “but, Celestia... we really need your help.”
Dash paled slightly. “Scoot’s okay, right?”
Fluttershy glanced at her hooves, drawing a circle on the ground anxiously. “I know that you’re all in the middle of something, but this is really important.”
“I’ll be right there,” Celestia said. She looked at Twilight. “I’ll go see Scootaloo. You stay here until you recover, okay?”
Twilight nodded, too exhausted to answer. That power... That power surging through me... I... I hope I can control it.
=====================================================================
Scootaloo had her eyes shut tight. She was shivering in her cocoon of blankets as if she were wrapped in sheets of ice, yet sweat glistened on her forehead as if she were stranded in a midday desert. Centime anxiously stood nearby, his instincts begging him to shake Scootaloo awake, but his sense of reason ordering him to stay put.
“Do you know what’s wrong with her?” Celestia asked.
Rarity shook her head. “No... not exactly. All I really know is she’s getting worse.”
“Hey, Celestia? Can’t you use your immortality to make her better?” Centime asked, tugging on Celestia’s wing.
Celestia shook her head. “I can’t just go throwing my immortality around. It’s too dangerous for regular ponies; it’s barely safe enough for me.”
“Okay, um, Sw-Sweetie Belle?” Centime asked. “Can’t you sing for her?”
Sweetie Belle sighed. “I tried singing to my friend Apple Bloom when she was sick... it didn’t help. I don’t think I can battle a disease.”
“W-Well, then what do we do?” Centime asked. “There’s got to be something we can do!”
*******
“I’m glad you asked,” Discord said. He appeared in a burst of static electricity, turning the group’s manes into frizzy messes.
“My hair,” Rarity complained, trying to pat down the haphazard strands. The static locked inside them, though, zapped her hoof painfully when she tried.
“I have a deal for you,” Discord began, warping to the front of the group with a small pop of light. He was wearing a yellow coat with a black and white checkerboard pattern across the middle. “I will take you off of this mountain and deposit you... well, anywhere. Free of charge! All you have to do is let me.”
“I think I’ll pass,” Dash growled. “Get lost.”
“One vote ‘no.’ Any others?” Discord asked.
“It’s not worth it. You’ll drop us right at the Lock,” Celestia growled, though once again Discord’s magic made her hard to take seriously. Her mane was standing straight up, its watery texture stretching several meters into the air. “I wouldn’t trust you half as far as I could throw you.”
“Aw, I’m so crushed that you would think of me that way,” Discord grinned. As he said ‘crushed,’ the cave vibrated.
“So if we don’t go with you, you’ll collapse the cave on us?” Twilight asked angrily, her frizzy mane covering one of her eyes.
Discord summoned an abacus and did some quick calculations. “It’s a definite ‘maybe.’”
“Um, well, girls...” Fluttershy began. “Scootaloo can’t really... stay up here. It’s not good for her.”
That is true... Twilight thought anxiously. “Fluttershy’s right. Ponies train for weeks before even attempting to climb Mt. Nevercrest; pegasi and earth ponies alike. It’s kind of a miracle we even made it this far.”
“I suppose you could say you had a guardian angel of sorts,” Discord grinned.
Olly bit his lip. His rust-colored mane had been transformed into a star-shaped pattern. “I hate to agree with Discord, but again, if they wanted us dead, well... It’s kind of obvious what would have happened to us.”
“Ugh... fine. Fine!” Dash exclaimed, flying up to Discord. She poked him in the chest and said, “If Scootaloo doesn’t make it out of this alive, I’m going to have your head on a platter by next Tuesday!”
Discord pulled out a few graham crackers and flipped through them. “I’m booked Tuesday... Does Monday work for you?”
“Monday’s fine,” Dash growled, swooping to the back of the group.
“Then it’s settled?” Discord asked.
Pinkie bounced up to Discord. Her mane was the only one that stayed its normal fashion. “I want you to promise that Scootaloo’ll be alright. On your word.”
As if his word is worth anything, Celestia thought, gritting her teeth.
“Cross my liver, hope to pry, stabbing backs while smiling wry,” Discord recited with a toothy grin.
Pinkie mumbled something to herself, but trotted back into the group.
“All set?” Discord asked.
They nodded. Discord snapped his fingers, and almost instantly they were transported. The surroundings morphed into an almost perfect circle of rock surrounded by trees the size of skyscrapers, though no birds or animals of any sort appeared to be present. The ground was a dark, rich brown that was matted with fallen leaves and flowering weeds. The air was chilly and the sun was a light orange; it was probably mid-afternoon.
Twilight took a knee; the altitude change was enormous, and her head felt as if it were about to explode out her ears. She was about to throw up, but with another snap of his talons, Discord eased the transition.
“Oops. I forgot how fragile ponies could be. I’ll remember that for the future... for better or for worse,” he added with a grin. “Toodle-oo, and don’t forget to call the Discord Taxi Service whenever you feel the need to go anywhere but here.” And with that, he poofed away.
Standing up, Twilight shook her head to rid herself of the black spots dancing around her vision. What she saw, though, made her heart sink.
*******
Hate was wearing a black velvet jacket and standing next to Guilt. They appeared to be playing a game of chess.
“Well, look who decided to show up,” Hate said. She motioned to the chessboard. “Knight to F-4.” Guilt used telekinesis to move the piece.
“I knew it. I knew it!” Celestia groaned.
“Aw, don’t get all huffy about it,” Hate said, rolling her eyes. She pulled a bundle of herbs out of her coat pocket and tossed it to the group’s hooves. “Take this. We wouldn’t want ‘ol Scoota-flu kicking the bucket, huh?”
“Why should we trust you? How do we know it isn’t poison?” Twilight growled.
Hate laughed. “That would be overkill, Twi. Her disease is kinda strong. A few more hours, and she’s history. Pawn to E-3.”
“It’d be just like you to make her last moments as painful as possible,” Celestia hissed.
“Sheesh, just take the medicine,” Hate groaned. “We’re trying to do you a favor.”
The bundle of herbs glowed and levitated onto Rarity’s hoof. Celestia turned around angrily and shouted, “Rarity, I forbid you from using those herbs!”
“I’m afraid that’s an order that I’m going to have to refuse,” Rarity stated. “Scootaloo will die without it.”
“But how do you know that?” Celestia retorted.
“Shut up!” Dash yelled, putting her hooves over her ears. “I’m tired of the bickering! Just take the stuff and deal with these freaks!”
“She has the right idea,” Hate said, pushing a rook down the board.
Twilight put a hoof on Celestia’s shoulder and looked into the goddess’s eyes. “Now isn’t the time.” She turned to Hate. “If it’s a fight you want, it’s a fight you’ll get!”
“Glad you finally came to a consensus. I thought it would’ve taken a lot longer. Looks like Deception’s doing her job... right?” Hate asked with a sinister grin. She snickered as some of her adversaries’ expressions morphed into those of fear and hatred. “Look at you. Just the very name freaks you out. Heh. Kinda funny, I guess.”
Pinkie slowly stepped in front of the group, walking toward Hate. Guilt leapt to attention, but Hate was slower to her hooves as she watched Pinkie come nearer.
“What are you trying to pull...?” Hate asked.
“Hate...” Pinkie began. “You don’t have to do this. We really, really, really don’t want to fight you... W-... We don’t have to hate each other.”
Hate arched an eyebrow. “Wait, what?”
Pinkie offered her hoof to Hate. “If you’re willing to let bygones be bygones... th-then I am, too! Just because you’ve been super-duper mean to us doesn’t mean we can’t offer the hoof of friendship, just like we always have!”
Hate stared at her. She raised her hoof, but not to shake Pinkie’s, nor to strike her down. She gently set Pinkie’s hoof back on the ground.
“Look, Pinkie... you have no idea how much I want to believe that,” Hate sighed, looking away. “But, in the end, you’ve done so much wrong in your past lives that it’s kinda hard to... well, take you seriously. Every incarnation of the Elements after... well, the originals, I think, haven’t had any memories of their past lives.
“It’s annoying, because you always want to make amends, y’know? But you can’t. You’ve done me so much wrong, Pinkie, that I can’t forgive you. I just... It’s impossible. And I know you don’t really understand that, and I don’t really have the time to explain it to you. I mean, y’know, Deception’s keeping us all on a schedule and stuff. So just believe me when I tell you that whatever we do to you, you’ve done it to us ten-fold. I’ll tell you this, though; you’re the first Element of Humor to ever give me the time of day. So, uh... thanks. But this is war. Either we win, or you do. I wish it was different, but...” she trailed off, shrugging. “That’s just the way it goes, sometimes. Somepony’s going to have to pick up the pieces of a broken world, and it’s either gonna be you... or it’s gonna be me.”
Celestia was bristling with fury, but she was too astounded to form words. Twilight was in a similar state of shock from what Hate had said.
Hate’s supposed to be evil! At least, according to Celestia and Luna, Twilight thought. I thought Hate would have hurt Pinkie, or laughed in her face. But he didn’t; he... he tried explaining it to her! And he did it calmly... It’s... It’s exactly what I would have done. What any of my friends would have tried to do.
Guilt was trembling with rage. Fuming, he leapt up to strike Pinkie. She cringed, but opened her eyes to see Guilt lying on the ground, and a swampy green barrier hovering over her.
Hate picked Guilt up by the chin with one hoof and looked directly in his dazed eyes. “Hey, bozo. There’s a hierarchy. Learn it.” She tossed her brother aside.
“Ya... shielded her?” Applejack asked in amazement.
“Yeah. So?” Hate asked, glaring at Applejack. She glanced at Pinkie. “You’d better get back to your group. Guilt isn’t too happy with you. Never has been.”
Pinkie nodded shakily. She bounded off to the center of the group and embraced Fluttershy in a tight hug. The terror she had been hiding when she went up to meet Hate was bubbling out of her, but she tried not to cry.
“There’s a lot about me you don’t know. Betcha never stopped to think about it,” Hate assumed. “Still, I guess two wrongs don’t make a right. You have every right to strike me down, crush me into the dust. Just don’t think for a moment that I don’t feel the same way. But hey, since I’m in a generous mood and all... I’ll make you a deal. Either it’s me versus all of you... or Pinkie has a one-on-one with my bro Guilt over here. Your choice.”
“I’ll take you on!” Dash yelled. “You and your pathetic little brother, too!”
“Dash, no!” Celestia exclaimed. “Pinkie will go up against Guilt.” She turned to glare at Hate. “One on one, as you said.”
“What?!” Twilight asked in shock. “How can you make that decision on her behalf?”
Celestia looked at Twilight fiercely. “Twilight, I know you don’t trust me, but even if you never trust me again in your life, trust me on this!”
“B-But...” Twilight stammered.
Celestia threw back her head. “I don’t have time to explain it to you, Twilight. Please, it’s the only way we can win!”
“You sure ‘bout that?” Hate grinned.
Twilight saw the dire seriousness in Celestia’s eyes, and swallowed. She turned to Pinkie, who had just now recovered. “Do you think you can defeat him?”
“Rodger-dodger, cap’n!” Pinkie exclaimed, quickly saluting. “I’ll do my very, extremely, absolute bestest!”
Guilt wiped blood from his snout and grinned maliciously. Dark energy rippled from his hooves and sent harsh emotions pounding through the group.
“So it’s a deal?” Hate asked.
“You’re on!” Pinkie said, leaping to the front of the group.
“Well, then,” Hate smiled, closing her eyes, “let the games begin.”
*******
Pinkie grasped her forehead, suddenly disoriented. Shapes and sounds blended together until she was in an entirely new area. However, this one was completely empty except for the white space that surrounded her.
Let the games begin.
“Who said that?” Pinkie yelped, glancing around herself. Her blue eyes glowed intensely, but a strange, tugging sensation pulled at her heart. She flinched as she felt pressure on the inside of her skull.
Hmph. You saw me just a few moments ago, didn’t you? Not the best of memories. Though... I suppose I have something to do with that.
A young stallion with a maroon mane appeared in front of Pinkie. He pushed his glasses up on the bridge of his snout. It was Guilt, but this time his grin was feral and chaotic instead of careful and controlled. His chocolate-colored mane hung in the air as if he were underwater, and his tail had the same floaty effect. His eyes were completely black, and dark energy seeped out from them and hung in the air. Long, bleeding cuts formed artistic and dainty paths down his midsection and sides.
This being a dimension of chaos and misery, your mind is suffering greatly under the stress I’m placing upon it. But don’t worry, Pinkamena Diane Pie, it will be over much sooner than you think.
Pinkie stepped back, terrified. “Wh-What are you?”
Not going to ‘giggle at the ghosties’ this time, now are you? Yes, give me your memories, your secrets, your fears... Give me EVERYTHING!
Guilt vanished, and Pinkie felt the tugging in her heart wrench her downward. She collapsed to the floor and was forced to stare directly into Guilt’s manic eyes.
Insanity.
Guilt’s pelt washed over with an olive color and his mane turned bright rose. He shrunk into a perfect replica of Apple Bloom. The deranged expression and dripping wounds, however, remained constant.
Loss.
Pinkie was thrust up into the air. An ear-splitting roar carved into her mind, and she didn’t feel anything except the dull thud as she landed. Recovering, she summoned her energy and prepared an attack.
Guilt, as Apple Bloom, reappeared, and Pinkie shot a bolt of blue light at him. He vanished, and Pinkie was flipped onto her back by the tugging sensation.
Shadow.
Guilt, in his original form, appeared over Pinkie. She grasped at her neck as an unseen force strangled her, and Guilt stared directly into her eyes for the second time. Sparks crackled as Pinkie desperately tried to raise her own power. Guilt hissed for a moment, but soon Pinkie’s resistance failed.
So, you have a modest grasp of your powers... Interesting.
The tugging in Pinkie’s heart ebbed a little, but not before Guilt grasped her by the tail and lifted her high off the ground. They soared upward, high enough that even Pinkie felt nauseous. Then, he let her go.
Pinkie yelled as she fell, curling into a tight ball. If you can manipulate this place, then... then why can’t I?!
Guilt gasped, his black eyes seeing blue for just a moment. Orange energy shot from him sporadically as he lost control of his dimension.
Foalish mare. Your grasp of your power is akin to that of a newborn.
Ordinarily, Pinkie would have been having tremendous fun as she explored her powers to the fullest, even if she was in combat, but Guilt’s visage was horrifying and his attacks were brutal. It was all she could do fend him off and retain the positive attitude that fueled her abilities.
Gaining some control over her momentum, Pinkie uneasily hovered up and down, but Guilt interrupted her. She felt the tugging sensation again, and this time it led her straight into Guilt’s hoof. She yelped in pain before receiving a buck to the face.
Gliding downward, Pinkie almost lost consciousness. She brushed against the floor and went limp.
If you think this is over, you’re quite sadly mistaken. I wish you had put up more of a fight, but then again, beggars can’t be choosers. I might as well finish you off... slowly. It’s what you deserve, after all.
Pinkie grunted and sat up, not sure how many of her bones were broken. She saw Guilt shooting toward her and covered her eyes, draining the rest of her power from her reserves. Guilt froze in place, his heart pulling him backward. Eventually he had to comply with the force, lest he be ripped apart by it. He tumbled onto the invisible ground, coughing.
Pinkie slowly stood up, using her energy to keep Guilt pinned to the floor. “The second mistake you made... was giving me a dimension where I had control.”
Hmph. And you want me to ask what the first one was?
“Hurting. My. Friends!” Pinkie yelled, thrusting her hoof to the ground. The white space was overcome with blue as Pinkie summoned warm images of her friends and family to the battlefield. Smiling slightly as she recovered her courage, Pinkie blasted Guilt with positive emotions, and he gasped before melting back into the darkness.
“You... are going... to smile!” she yelled, looking high and low for Guilt.
My, my, what an ambitious goal. There’s quite an easy way to get me to smile, you know.
Pinkie gagged. Guilt was constricting her throat, and her concentration failed. He soared toward her, and came so close that their snouts were touching. Some of Guilt’s blood dripped onto her cheeks.
All you have to do... is die.
Guilt changed again. His pelt washed over with bright blue, and his mane turned a slightly darker shade of that blue. His body morphed until it was an exact copy of Saphira.
Other copies began to spring up as well. Shadows seeped from the floor and formed dark visages of Pinkie’s friends; even an illusion of Celestia was present. Eerie screams and moans drifted past Pinkie’s ears, and she shivered.
“Y-You think that you can scare me by making dummies of my friends?” Pinkie asked. She sent out a pulse of bright blue light that ricocheted through the crowd with sounds of laughter and warm contentment.
Some of them hissed and fizzled, but most of them simply melted into the floor and swarmed at Pinkie’s hooves. They snickered and chattered about her, and her energy couldn’t ward them all off. To make matters worse, new shadows that were only half-formed kept advancing from an unseen source.
Your efforts are laughable, really. I suppose that’s why they call you the Element of Humor. Your strongest attacks so far have done little more than tickle me.
Pinkie’s eyes flared with power she didn’t even know she possessed, and a blue tidal wave erupted from her and spread out in all directions. The shadows screamed with unknown pain before dissipating. Guilt’s own wail of pain resounded through the empty space as he skidded backwards, still holding his demonic form of Saphira. He snarled and vanished, reappearing above Pinkie and attempting to crush her.
She rolled aside, yelping in pain as she tried to use her wounded hind leg. She swatted Guilt away and emitted a burst of energy. He vanished before it hit him.
Pinkie closed her eyes, sending bursts of light out as feelers. She pictured her friends triumphantly standing in Fillydelphia as heroes before swinging her hoof out blindly. It connected, though--right in Guilt’s stomach. A demonic screech erupted from his mouth, and when Pinkie cringed, he pinned her down.
Guilt was in a perfect position to snap Pinkie’s neck, but he hesitated. That allowed her enough time to conjure a blast of positive energy and knock him aside, following up with a beam of energy right between his dark black eyes. He gasped, his form of Saphira melting away. He crumpled to his knees, allowing Pinkie to deliver a final smack to the side of his head.
Collapsing in defeat, Guilt watched the white space around him dissolve into orange. The wounds around his midsection had scabbed over, but fresh blood leaked from his mouth and ears.
You... You are a worthy opponent. I am glad... glad that I was able to duel you once more.
*******
The false reality peeled away. Pinkie’s wounds vanished, and were replaced with pure exhaustion. When the rock platform finally became clear, Guilt was on his knees, but for the most part, it was as if the battle never happened.
Pinkie looked back at her friends, smiling slightly. She turned around and took a step. Then, she took one more before crumpling to the floor, unconscious.
“Pinkie!” Dash yelled, racing over to her. She glared at Guilt and yelled, “What did you do to her?!” but he only grinned slightly in response.
Hate raised an eyebrow at Guilt, then knocked over the black king on his chessboard. “Oh, and, uh, by the way... Checkmate.”
Guilt collapsed, panting. Hate walked over to him and gave him a noogie, which earned him an irritated glance in response. “I know how it feels, trust me. You take a break.” She turned to the group, who had rushed around Pinkie to make sure she was alright, and pointed a hoof at them. “You. Freaks. Over here.”
Twilight glared at Hate. “What do you want?”
Hate tossed them a satchel and grinned. “To the victors go the spoils. Celestia made a good bet this time. Just make sure you place your chips on the right board, y’know what I’m saying? See, I wouldn’t have hesitated to strike you down. Your princess over there had enough sense to understand the hierarchy.”
“You mentioned that earlier,” Rarity said. “What is it?”
“Harmony within Discord,” Hate grinned. “My sister’s code. She found out every Element has a place--we’re not equal. Least of all in power. I’m the second most powerful pony on the planet until Kindness and Magic realize their Potential. And when that happens, well...” she smiled, turning around. “I’ve got something planned.”
“Just be straightforward!” Twilight yelled. “Give us some answers! Ugh, I feel like a broken record from saying it so much!”
Hate laughed, looking at Twilight over her shoulder. “Yeah, I bet. I felt the same way twenty-five thousand years ago, when you had that grand master plan to eliminate us. How’s it feel to be at the bottom of the pecking order? Huh, Magic?”
Twilight’s cheeks burned, but she didn’t quite know why. Her redness evoked another harsh snicker from Hate.
“Yeah, he’s still in there, somewhere,” Hate grinned. “More than you think. ...Toodles.”
“Wait!” Twilight yelled, but Hate had already vanished in a burst of smoke, and Guilt had already sunk into the shadows. She stomped her hooves in agitation.
“No matter what I do, we’re still stuck in their web!” she complained.
“It doesn’t matter,” Celestia said, picking up the satchel. “Now that we’re in mainland Equestria, I should be able to-...” she cut herself off, staring at the bag’s contents. “Oh my.”
“What now?” Twilight moaned.
“Th-... The necklaces,” Celestia breathed. She pulled out each necklace and Twilight’s crown, each in pristine condition. “I thought they had been destroyed.”
“It’s got to be a trick,” Dash assumed. She pawed at her ruby necklace, and it glowed slightly. She frowned and said, “No... I’d know my necklace anywhere. It’s the only jewelry I own. This is it, but... why didn’t they destroy it?”
“You tell me,” Applejack gaped. She paused. “Um, Celestia? Whadda the necklaces, um, do, exactly?”
“They serve as amplifiers. The Elements of Harmony are several times more powerful while wearing them. Also, it’s almost impossible for an Element to realize their Potential without their necklace or crown, and even if they do, they don’t have the surge of power that the necklace brings. If Dash and Pinkie hadn’t had their necklaces when they were about to realize their Potential, then Luna wouldn’t have found you, or Fillydelphia would have been destroyed... probably both.” She shivered. “It’s frightening to think about, really.”
“But what’s the rub?” Olly asked, beginning to pace. “Why would they just give us so much power?”
“They must want us to realize our Potential,” Twilight said bitterly.
“But... But why?!” Sweetie Belle asked. “Every time one of you realized your Potential, we crushed Discord! Wouldn’t they want us to stay powerless?”
Celestia shook her head. “Of all the possible actions I’ve seen Discord take... this one, by far, makes the least sense. Still, it doesn’t mean that we’re invincible if one of the Elements realize their Potential, Sweetie Belle. We’ve escaped by the skin of our teeth each time so far.”
“Could they be tampered with?” Rarity asked warily.
Twilight’s horn glowed for a moment, but she shook her head in agitation. “I don’t detect anything out of the ordinary. Any spell they would have planted would have left some kind of magical residue, but I’m just detecting the same magical hum as usual.” She kicked a stone aside in frustration. “I’m tired of all these questions!”
“Then how about we go answer them?” Olly asked, putting a hoof on Twilight’s shoulder. “As friends.”
Twilight rolled her eyes, but smiled nonetheless. “Thanks, Olly. I was having corny adventure withdrawal.”
He shoved her friendlily. “I, for one, can hardly fathom anypony else having that kind of addiction. You read too much.”
“It comes with living in a library,” Twilight said. She turned to Celestia. “I think we should set up camp. We might have been able to travel with a sick Scootaloo, but Pinkie needs her rest, and I’m not itching to take another ride on the Discord express.”
“Neither am I,” Celestia admitted. “I should be able to conjure some food. In the meantime; you need to set up camp. Where’s the medicine Hate gave us?”
“What medicine?” Fluttershy asked, a little too suddenly.
Celestia looked at her. “You gave it to Scootaloo, didn’t you?”
Fluttershy drew a circle with her hoof and glanced at Celestia nervously. “I might have, a little, but I really thought she needed it... But I’m really, really sorry for disobeying you, Celestia.”
Celestia sighed. “Don’t be. I wasn’t in my right mind, and I should never have given Rarity that order. I just hope you know what you’re doing, Fluttershy.”
Fluttershy nodded. Olly motioned to a ramp leading down from the plateau. “Shall we?”
=====================================================================
Scootaloo had finally descended into a light slumber, with Centime tending to her as Fluttershy directed. She was greatly relieved that Scootaloo had stabilized, almost to the point where she collapsed herself, but the various tasks of setting up camp had forbidden her from doing so. Twilight had went to take a nap, telling the others that she needed to contact Verba as soon as she could.
“You really ought to take a break, darling,” Rarity said as she helped Fluttershy lay out the cots and prepare the campfire.
“Oh, no, I couldn’t possibly. There’s just so much still to be done; there’re clothes to be folded, water we need to find, and I haven’t even begun unfolding the tarp yet,” Fluttershy replied.
Olly, who was bouncing a foam ball off a tree, said, “Well, I haven’t done anything to help out so far aside from keeping Cent here distracted, so why don’t I take a chore or two off your hooves?”
“I’d really appreciate that, but I’m fine, really,” Fluttershy insisted.
Rarity trotted over to her and patted down a few strands on her slightly messy mane. “Take a break. Olly and I can handle setting up camp, and you look like you’ve just received the tail end of a blizzard.”
“Literally,” Dash added. She was busy gathering firewood to ignite later.
Fluttershy sighed. “Okay, Rarity.” She went down to lie on her cot, but rest wouldn’t come to her until late in the night.
Once Dash had the firewood all in place, she lit up her mane, only to produce a massive fireball that nearly set the forest on fire and blew almost everypony backward, narrowly missing the sleeping Scootaloo and Pinkie.
“Jeez!” Dash yelped, calming her powers. She tapped her necklace, which was glowing with a familiar ruby light. “Wow...”
“What in tarnation was that all about?” Applejack yelled, lying upside-down against a tree the blast had blown her into.
Dash glanced around sheepishly. Even the floor of the forest had been singed various hues through the force of her rainbow. Luckily, nopony was injured, but she still felt a little guilty. “I’m going a little farther into the forest,” she said. “I don’t want anything like that happening again, so I’m going to practice a bit. Seeya.” And with that, she flew off.
“Ngh... What?” Scootaloo asked, her eyes creaking open.
“Scootaloo?” Fluttershy asked, leaping from her cot. Centime had a similar reaction, and they were the first ones by Scootaloo’s side.
“How do you feel?” Fluttershy asked, lifting blankets off of Scootaloo and checking to make sure her heart and lungs were still in working order.
“Really... weird,” Scootaloo said, taking a deep breath as Fluttershy prompted it. “We’re still on the mountain, right?”
Fluttershy shook her head, though Scootaloo couldn’t see it because her eyes were still adjusting. “Discord moved us deep into a forest. We’re not sure where we are. Does anything still hurt?”
“No, not really,” Scootaloo said before she felt a bear hug collide with her. “Ow!”
“I’m so glad you’re okay!” Centime exclaimed, his eyes shut tight.
Olly telekinetically pulled him off of Scootaloo with a bit of effort and said, “Sorry, squirt, but Scootaloo needs a little bit more time to recover before you two can get a room.”
“Oliver,” Rarity complained.
Olly laughed and set Centime down. “Kidding, kidding. You’re so uptight sometimes, Rarity.”
Scootaloo sat up, her eyes having finally adjusted. She looked around for a few moments before standing up, her steps slightly wobbly. Applejack helped steady her.
“Where’s Sweetie Belle?” Scootaloo asked.
“She went off to find Twilight. It’s nearing sunset, and she should be back by now,” Fluttershy said, suddenly worried.
“Didn’t Twi go off ta find Celestia?” Applejack asked. “It’s nearin’ dinnertime, and she was supposed ta bring food back by now.”
“I wonder where they could be,” Olly thought aloud, rubbing his chin.
“Sweetie Belle did what?” Rarity asked.
=====================================================================
*******
“Hey, Verba?” Twilight asked. For once, everything was normal; Verba was casually bouncing from object to object when she entered the dream world, and his typically expressionless face crinkled into a smile when he saw her. Twilight, though, was far too worried to try and relax. “What happened? You said somepony was trying to take control of my mind.”
The smile vanished from Verba’s face. “Well, not exactly. They weren’t trying to control you as much as steal from you.”
“Who? And what?” Twilight asked.
“Jeez, Louise, Twilight; I don’t have all the answers,” Verba said. “All I can really tell you is that whoever’s been messing you feels an awful lot like one of my siblings; Deception in particular, though there’s a little bit of Obsidian mixed in there, too, so I really can’t be sure. I mean, s’not like the two of them mingle very often, and Obsidian would tell me if he saw any of ‘em, or if he wanted to mess around inside your head. Your guess is as good as mine on this one.”
Twilight sighed. “That wasn’t what I was hoping to hear, but I guess it never is. So you think Deception is trying to possess me?”
“Again, it wasn’t control. My best guess is that Deception--if it’s her, which it might not be--is trying to steal information from you. Kind of like a trickier form of spying,” Verba suggested.
“What do you think she was trying to steal?” Twilight asked.
“I wanna stress that it might not be Deception. There’re plenty of Elements of Discord that wanna get inside your head, Twilight; not just her. And again, I don’t really have any idea what she was trying to steal; I mean, we don’t really know when we forget something, right? We only realize we’ve forgotten it once we need the information, you get what I’m saying?”
Twilight nodded. “Yeah, I think so. ...So how did you realize my mind was being invaded?”
“Well, what tipped me off first was that you didn’t go here like you normally do when you dream. ‘Course, that happens every now and then anyway and it turns out fine, but then I saw this space begin to widen a little. That’s what really got me suspicious, and I started to snoop around. Once I’d found you in a different section of your dreams, the danger-zone filled with nightmares and chaos, everything started to go crazy. I was able to save you, though, just in the nick of time,” Verba finished.
“And... what about Scootaloo? Didn’t you say that she was a fake?” Twilight asked.
Verba paused for a moment, thinking. “...Well, maybe, maybe not. I know that sometimes the dreams of two different ponies can combine and form a larger dream--that’s how the Dreamscape you fought the Daymare in was created. It was really just one big pile of dreams that was stable enough to be its own little dimension. So it’s possible Scootaloo was in your dream--but we won’t really know until you ask her. It was an imposter if she doesn’t remember anything about the dream.”
Twilight nodded, and the conversation ended. She continued to work on her replica of Ponyville, having just completed her own house and was now working on constructing Rarity’s boutique. “Hey... I was thinking about apologizing to Celestia,” she began after a while.
“Yeah?” Verba asked. He was lying on top of the Carousel Boutique’s roof.
“Well... I know this doesn’t sound good, but... I’m not sure if I should. I don’t know why I shouldn’t, but I still don’t really know why I should. So what do you think?” Twilight asked, looking up at Verba.
“Well... I honestly think you should. I mean, because it’s always better to keep friends than to lose them, especially during this war. I’ve seen Celestia through the necklaces a little bit, but I still don’t know what she’s really like, but I know enough,” he said.
“How so?” Twilight asked.
“Try seeing things from her perspective,” Verba began. “She and Luna were inseparable, from the day they were born, practically. Then Celestia had to banish Luna to the moon because she had been possessed by Envy. So no more sister.She wrestled with Arrogance for four thousand years, only to lose the fight in the end. That’s a really, really, really long time. She had one beacon of hope, though, and that was your letters. See, you really looked up to her, and not just because she had a position of power. You looked up to her as a beacon of truth, of light, and your letters not only helped her get through the day, but I’m sure they made Arrogance writhe.
“And then the war happened, and you were cut off from here and sent to us. For over one thousand days, Celestia wasn’t only frustrated with being trapped inside her own soul and not being able to do anything about it, she was lonely as lonely can be. She didn’t have anypony to talk to, and even if she did, Arrogance would prevent her from saying anything at all. When you finally freed her, I’m not sure she was ever really able to show how grateful she was to you. She wanted nothing else than to be your friend, Twilight, since the day she saw you earn your cutie mark. And you were so... so mean to her, Twilight. I hate to say it, but you were nasty to her. You know that just as well as I do. So when you ask me if you should give her an apology... well, I kinda think you’re being a little stingy with your kindness,” Verba finished.
“Wow...” Twilight breathed. I... I feel awful for treating her the way I did. She’s been through so much, and I treated her like dirt just because I was upset.
“Well, don’t get the wrong idea,” Verba began, seeing Twilight’s expression. “You weren’t all in the wrong. Celestia made a lot of mistakes on your journey so far. But even if she does, y’know, just be a little nicer about it from here on out, you get what I’m saying? Whatever happens, make sure that, at the end of the day, you’re still friends.”
Twilight swallowed, nodded. “So now the question is, how should I apologize to her?”
Verba smiled as wide as his runic structure would allow. “Nothing’ll make the Princess happier than a little nostalgia. You have a quill and ink at your camp, right?”
=====================================================================
*******
Celestia exhaled, and warm beams of sunlight wove their way into the grass. Tiny strands began to grow into red dots, and these dots grew larger and fuller until they were bright red apples and strawberries. Other dots grew into oranges and blueberries. Celestia was about to gather these in a straw basket when she saw Twilight standing behind her, awed at the display of magic.
“What school of magic is that?” Twilight asked.
“Transmutation, I think,” Celestia said. “It’s a power that I gained once I had absorbed a fragment of Magic. Nothing too special, even; you could probably learn it in a couple weeks.”
“I can do the spell now, but it requires a lot more effort than it should,” Twilight sighed. She shook her head and said, “Anyway, I have something for you.”
She drew a piece of parchment out of her saddlebags and levitated it to Celestia, who surrounded the coarse paper with her own telekinetic field.
Dear Princess Celestia,
Today I learned never to give up on a friend, no matter how bad things look. Even in the worst of situations, your friends will always look out for you, so you should keep them safe, too. I learned how important it is to always support your friends, and to work together and solve problems instead of letting those problems drive you apart.
Your faithful student and friend,
Twilight Sparkle
Celestia looked up from the parchment and wiped her eyes. Twilight smiled sheepishly for a moment, then looked at her hooves.
“I... I’m sorry, Celestia,” Twilight said.
Celestia stood up and tucked Twilight under her wing, hugging her tight. A pleasant feeling of warmth and contentment flowed through Twilight, as if she was just waking up on a Saturday morning, or lying on a cot by a cozy fireplace.
“I’m the one who should apologize. I don’t know how you’ve been putting up with me all this time, and I’m really not too sure if you’ll be able to for much longer,” Celestia mumbled. “I’m the one who dragged us into this deep a mess, and now I can’t get us back out on my own.”
“We’ll make it,” Twilight said confidently, looking up at Celestia.
“How can you tell?” she asked.
“Because I made a promise, and it’s a promise I intend to keep,” Twilight said. “I promised that no matter how much trouble you got us into, no matter how much you go off your path, that I’ll always be there to drag you back to your friends. Friends help each other, and that means knowing when they need help, and knowing when you need it, too.”
Celestia nodded. “You’re right, Twilight. You... You’re always right, aren’t you?”
Twilight laughed slightly. “Well, more often than I’d like, sometimes.”
Twilight heard some branches rustle over her head. She looked up, but nopony was there.
=====================================================================
[Note]: I do not own anything in this story that already belongs to someone else.
This story takes place BEFORE season two, but AFTER season one.
Please let me know if a link doesn’t work.
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Hmm... I always thought Guilt could only use his telepathy with Hate... Meh, it was a world that he could manipulate, so it makes sense.
I just realized something from some chapters back. Hate said he might not be there any longer... He gunna disspate into an ethereal body like Obsidian? Or will Hate be reincarnated like Elements of Harmony are! Or, like Obsidian said, the magic wasn't perfect, so Hate could be starting to disappear! Or maybe his soul is finally settling into the afterlife. So many possibilities...
Elements of Discord Heiarchy? Hmmm....
I'm assuming Vengeance is at the top as of now, and Hate is still right below that... Arrogance should be around third or fourth, along with Envy. And Guilt and Deception bring up the end of the line.
YOU DESERVE IT!
GRATZ AGAIN!!
"That's barbaric!"
"That's wizard's chess."
This was the only thing I could think of during the chess scene. Seriously.
Pinkie vs. Guilt dreamscape battle? One free internetz for you, sir! It was truly epic giving them both free reign in such an environment.
And I think I now know who Deception is again, it's-
Can't wait for the next chapter!
Frostwyrm
Woah, Pinkie vs. Guilt, awesome battle, and Pinkie PWNED! And the prize is...!
The Elements?! That was something I never expected to happen. Another amazing chapter down, cant wait for next week! 
Holy moley. Epic battle is epic.
Hate is currently second powerful, until Kindness and Magic realize their Potential. So basically... Fluttershy will be a boss? haha
Hate is just such an enigma. I mean... his name is Hate. In your first story before Hate was introduced, I expected him to be sadistic, cruel, and even despise both Elements of Harmony AND Discord. Yet... he's the kindest of them all so far! He gives medicine, protects Sweetie Belle and Pinkie Pie, and is truly remorseful of Arrogance's "death." Granted, he's an asshole at times and he DOES hate the EoH, but is still much better than the other EoD so far. I just want to know his deal. This chapter does give some insight-- apparently earlier EoH wanted to eliminate EoD, but he seems like a generally kind soul. He DOES NOT like Fluttershy, the element of Kindness, yet he's the kindest EoD? Man, what? If anything, Guilt is the sadistic one and Hate is the one who "grew up."
I've said it before, but man... this is a great story. Keep it up!
hooray celestia twilight reconciliation party! I haven't put much though into who Deception could be at this point... probably going to
spend the rest of the night pondering. Anywhoo, looking forward to more!
Interesting... Dreams seem to be the motif of this story...
Hmmm, lets think slightly differently.
Laughter > Guilt
Magic OR Kindness > Hate
But Hate said he was the second strongest until magic and kindness gain potential, the who is the first? Can't be Discord because he is like a lackey, or is it Vengeance or Deception. Except, Hate could be thinking in power, so who is the first on the tier list?
I think I know who deception is, if he actually is possessing somepony, but I ain't telling.
Wow, I'm actually kinda rooting for Hate! The Discord scene was pure chaos at it's best, the battle was plain epic, and to top it all off, I kinda liked the Verba scene in this chapter and, of course, the apology. I guess I just really liked this chapter!
Keep up the good work!
Wow, everyone knows who Deception is but me...
But I have some suspicions. (None of the EoH so far, nor Princess Celestia.)
But everybody else knows!
Yes, awesome battle! And Hate isn't, well, hateful? This fic is really starting to mess with my head.
Hate is really starting to blow my mind. Wonder if his personality is being influenced by his partner, Guilt? After all, the latter can cancel it out, depending on the situation. Awesome battle, I got goosebumps when Pinkie turned the tide. That, and the apology. Mucho gusta!
632631 Oh! I know I know! It's Candlejack! I just kn-
Very awesome, but I have a major complaint:
I've run out of chapters!
635454
And it couldn't possibly be him.
Candlejack doesn't ex-
632793
From E&A Chapter 11 (been using this one a lot): “That is the original Kindness,” Obsidian explained, “the oldest in our family. She, like Humor, was somepony to go to when sad or unhappy, but she was very weak otherwise. Nopony can or will attack her, however.”
So basically Fluttershy won't be a boss, my guess is that Kindness works like Humor against Guilt but with Hate: her ability will most likely completely shut down Hate (whose's ability if I remember correctly is basically recieving no damage when you attack him while feeling hatred towards him).
This chapter pretty much cements that every EoD is just on a crusade for petty revenge against ponies long gone (no, as I said last chapter, inheriting powers and virtues does not count) and that they do not give a crap about how stupid that sounds when you think about it: had they stopped their plans after finally slaying the originals they could have vanished and lived in peace, instead, they prove to be no better than the ones they hate by repeating an endless cycle for no reason other than self-satisfaction (of course they keep telling themselves that it's justified no matter what to the point that I'm sure they are so pretentious that this fella' Justice they keep mentioning is their way to call Vengeance). If no one points them that out, Hate will pretty much stumble across the thought soon since he is pretty close to getting it.
I also know who deception is! ....
<--- doesn't have a clue but says so anyway so he doesn't look clueless
Seeing Pinkie finally being epic and kicking some negative-energy-producing flank was awesome
when she realized her potential she kinda just acted as a magic beacon and didn't get much of a chance to shine. Now that I think about it, that was without the necklace... how powerful is she?
Great chapter all around!
I'm starting to have my suspicions about who Deception is, and if I'm right then you're a tremendous
Okay. One thing.
AWESOME CHAPTER!
1. Pinkie vs. Guilt
2. Necklaces + Crown back, so we can get more realized potentials
3. Twilight and Celestia finally apologize to each other!
4. I'm shipping Pinkie with Hate on a boat.
i55.tinypic.com/x1elc5.jpg
Heh heh, he won't be much hate for long
atleast guilt didn't show Pinkie any "Special" cupcakes after he called her by her full name, if you catch my drift
They got their necklaces back. Excellent.
That match between Guilt and Pinkie was great.
“You... are going... to smile!” Is it strange if I read that like Fluttershy said "You're going to love me!"?
The apology from Twilight to Celestia was very cute.
Deception... Sweetie Belle, maybe? I dislike not knowing and casting around the finger of suspicion like this
719705 Hmmm. Me as well....
Mindblower you have turned my parents and my siblings and most of my friends into bronies after they read envy and arrogance for that im truly grateful
Pinkie said that Guilt's biggest mistake was to place her in a dimension she has control over it. That makes no sense at all. She ALREADY HAS CONTROL ONER THIS ONE!!
643988
Lol Hate and Pinkie would be a cute and strange pair and it would be a very interesting way to go in the story wouldn't it. I could see Pinkie wanting to help Guilt with Hate but Guilt wanting nothing to do with her. It would be a very tense situation.