• Published 18th Dec 2013
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The Equestrian Wind Mage: Season 2 - LordSiravant



Ganon has now come to Equestria. And as Vaati and the Mane 6 race to stop him, an even greater evil plots from the shadows.

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Episode 10: The Battle For Ponyville

Episode 10: The Battle For Ponyville

Canterlot Castle

To say that Ganondorf was having a bad day would have been a gross understatement. With each passing moment, the King of Darkness was growing to hate Equestria more and more with every fiber of his being. The magic of this place was utterly uncontrollable and annoyingly unpredictable. Just this morning, as he had sat himself down on his new throne, forged from the melted-down remains of the Princesses' old thrones, the blasted thing had promptly thrown him off and began bucking and kicking around the Throne Room like a panicking racehorse. It had taken more of his magic than it feasibly should have to contain whatever force that had been animating it.

And then there was the issue with the monsters' weapons. Once Ganondorf had completed his conquest of Canterlot, he had received frantic reports from his monsters down in the city that all hell had quite literally broken loose due to a multitude of magical traps that had been sprung on them, culminating in their weapons being transfigured into useless foam noodles. It had taken Ganondorf the better part of a day to fix that mess, as he couldn't pull off the rest of his conquest if his troops were weaponless. At the very least, none of his troops had been killed, but there were quite a few bruises dished out in the chaos.

The most frustrating thing of all was that he had so far been unable to pinpoint the source of this chaotic magic, leaving him with no option but to continue to persevere in the face of this trouble until the culprit was discovered. While Ganondorf could be patient when he wanted to be, now was not such a time. The longer the culprit remained at large, the further delayed his plans would likely be.

Ganondorf growled irritably under his breath as he strode over to the balcony that overlooked the city. He could sense that his servants were wary of any further incidents, and that it had all of them on edge. While he did not care overall for their well-being, even he knew the danger of his soldiers being unable to get any rest. They could not fight at their best if they were also battling their own fatigue, and he had yet to see the Equestrians' prowess in battle.

Based on what he had seen, they were a very magic-oriented species, much like the Wizzrobes. But this magic manifested in different ways, depending on the type of Equestrian, of which there were three, as his Wizzrobes had informed him as they raided the castle's library for research and (without his knowledge) relaxation. They were supposedly having trouble with a section of the library that was restricted, as it had powerful and complex spells in place to deter intruders. Such a place likely had invaluable information of all sorts that was probably kept from the general public, so Ganondorf planned on doing something about it once he had consolidated his position here.

As Ganondorf surveyed his new domain, something abruptly caught his eye. A fair distance from Canterlot lay a town that appeared to be heavily fortified in the style of the old Blin strongholds of yore. But that was not what his attention was drawn to; it was the Palace of Winds that hovered over it. Immediately Ganondorf remembered this as the town he had come to in order to confront the Elements of Harmony. Based on the fortifications he could make out, it looked like the town had dug itself in, expecting a fight.

And a fight he would give them.

The sorcerer called that backwater collection of hovels home, as did his miserable "friends". The fortifications suggested that Vaati possibly had monsters of his own stationed there, to aid in the town's defense. Rather ironic, he admitted; two legendary foes of Hyrule, using the same monsters against one another. He recalled the Darknuts that had been intermingled with the Diamond Dogs when he had gone there.

The town's proximity and its sentimental value to his enemies convinced him that Ponyville would be the first native town to feel his wrath. It was time to crush the fight out of these miserable ponies. With a wave of his hand, Ganondorf summoned one of his mightiest servants, who awaited his order as it bowed humbly.

"My shadow…Phantom Ganon," Ganondorf spoke. "I want you to take a thousand of my best monsters and lay siege to that village. After that, take the Palace of Winds above it for our own. Kill any who resist, whether they be monster or pony."

Phantom Ganon bowed his head lower in acknowledgment before vanishing in a curtain of blue flame. With his orders given, Ganondorf turned his attention back to seeking out the source of the prank-like spells before the culprit could strike again.

XXXXXX

Ponyville

The time had finally come. Reluctantly, the citizens of Ponyville had banded together with Vaati's monsters to learn the basics of combat. The Earth ponies were learning how to use spears under the Moblins' guidance, the pegasi were taught the basics of swordplay by Maulgrim and his Darknuts, and the unicorns practiced a number of offensive and defensive spells at the behest of the Wizzrobes, who were using an Equestrian military guidebook as a reference. Other Darknuts had hastily pounded together some armor for the ponies, using whatever spare metals they had. This training had been going on for at least three days, and while some ponies were catching on, others were having some difficulty. Meanwhile, Nigellas walked around the various sentry towers overlooking the town, carving strange symbols into the scaffolding with a magical knife. As school had ultimately been cancelled until further notice, Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, and Ruby were currently watching the Wizzrobe do his work with barely-restrained curiosity.

"What'cha doin' over there?" Applebloom finally asked.

Nigellas turned to look at the curious trio of fillies and said, "Carving some anti-teleportation runes into all the towers. It'll keep enemy Wizzrobes from teleporting behind our defenses. I put some up around the Palace too. Also adding some fireproofing runes to keep these structures from going up in flames."

Nigellas turned to resume his work when he suddenly realized something. "Wait a minute," he said, glancing between Applebloom and Sweetie Belle. "Where's Scootaloo? Isn't she always with you two?"

Applebloom and Sweetie Belle's ears folded back against their heads in sadness. "She…she's been avoiding us," Sweetie Belle glumly answered. "We haven't talked to her in a couple days. She's been spending all her time up in the Palace now since school got cancelled."

Nigellas furrowed his brow in confusion. That didn't sound good; the Cutie Mark Crusaders were practically inseparable. "Did you have some sort of argument?" the Wizzrobe asked. "I haven't seen her much either, what with being so busy with the town defenses and all, but I did notice she's been really out of it lately."

Applebloom shook her head. "A-Ah just don't know," she answered glumly. "She told us 'bout some nightmare she had a couple days back, and then she got all confrontational about it with us when we asked about it 'n screamed at us t'just leave her alone. We…we haven't seen 'er since."

"I feel guilty somehow," Ruby abruptly spoke up. "She apparently didn't start acting like this until I came. Maybe she thinks I'm replacing her or something."

Applebloom fervently shook her head in denial. "No. Ah know Scootaloo, and she ain't like that at all. Somethin' else is up."

This was starting to raise the Wizzrobe's suspicions. Scootaloo was apparently acting really strange and shutting herself away from the outside world, but why? Maybe she was lashing out because of Vaati's absence and starting to feel some sort of abandonment issues? "I've been too busy to really pay attention to her," Nigellas finally told them. "But Maulgrim and I will go talk to her tonight about what's going on and hopefully bring her out of it."

The three fillies smiled gratefully. "Thanks, Mr. Nigellas," Applebloom said. "We just want Scoots back."

Nigellas opened his mouth to offer some reassurance, but he was immediately cut off by the sound of a Moblin war horn blowing. Everyone in the town sharply turned their heads as several other horns joined in. The towers on the side of Ponyville facing Canterlot were sounding the alarm, which meant only one thing in everyone's horrorstruck minds.

Ganondorf's army was coming.

Applebloom and her friends looked around, wide-eyed, as they saw everyone's expressions. "W-what's goin' on?" Applebloom cried in fear.

Immediately Nigellas sprang into action. "Alright, all of you!" he shouted at the monsters as he began relaying orders. "Get the foals to the Palace, NOW! Man your positions! Prepare for battle! The enemy has come!"

Monsters and ponies shouted and cried out as they hurried to their designated positions. Blin archers crammed into the towers and armed their bows. A Darknut climbed up the ballista tower and manned the contraption. Moblins and Earth ponies formed a line of spears, while behind them stood the unicorns and Wizzrobes, ready to provide magical support to the front lines, with the occasional Darknut, Keaton, and Stalfos evenly divided amongst their ranks to serve as heavier infantry to keep the front line from breaking. Above them hovered the pegasi, along with a multitude of Poes armed with scythes and their signature lanterns. Hidden amongst the houses were numerous Wallmasters and Floormasters waiting in ambush, avoiding the sunlight as best they could in the shadows of the alleyways.

While this was happening, a few ponies were ushering their protesting and terrified foals towards the safety of the Palace of Winds. Applebloom and Sweetie Belle both went without question, knowing that this would be the best time for them to confront Scootaloo themselves and find out what was wrong with her. As soon as the last of the foals disappeared behind the heavy doors of the Palace, the remaining ponies joined the rest of their comrades as they awaited the enemy advance.

Eventually the ground troops could see it too; a large column of monsters steadily marching towards Ponyville. Standing in one of the towers, Maulgrim and Nigellas could make out Wizzrobes, Moblins, Stalfos, Lizalfos, Darknuts, and even an Iron Knuckle or two. A large butterfly as tall as a Moblin with a wingspan three times that flew over them, while a black humanoid figure that glowed an eerie pale blue that bore some similarity to Ganon seemingly led from the front.

"Oh, we're in for it now," Nigellas said. "Looks like Phantom Ganon's leading this posse."

"And they have a Mothula as well," Maulgrim added. "Unfortunately we have no boss-level monsters of our own to counter them. That will put us at a disadvantage."

"At least their numbers aren't too great," Nigellas offered. "I'd say there's around a thousand of them or so. With us and the ponies together, that's not even two to one odds. I think we can hold out."

"Just in case, I'll have one of our scouts try to get help from the Diamond Dogs," Maulgrim replied. "We'll certainly need all the help we can muster."

XXXXXX

Palace of Winds, Scootaloo's bedroom

Scootaloo sat on the floor of her bedroom, stock-still, as Majora's new mask hovered over her head, filling her mind with dreadful images as the God of Ruin spoke.

This nation claims to be founded on the pillars of friendship. This is not so. It never has been. Do you truly believe that old grudges and rivalries can die so quietly?

Scootaloo stubbornly tried to shake the images from her mind. "You're not even from here! How would you know anything about Equestria?!"

Stupid child, even now my influence continues to spread across this land, uncovering secrets your Princesses, false goddesses that they are, have long thought buried. I know every one of their dark truths, and the time will soon come when they are brought to light. Perhaps a history lesson is in order. Tell me, do you know what became of the old pony kingdoms, before Equestria became one nation?

Scootaloo blinked as she realized she didn't. The subject had been glossed over in school, not giving much detail as to the ultimate fates of Princess Platinum and Commander Hurricane's bloodlines.

I thought not, Majora said, slowly circling over Scootaloo's head like a vulture. The Princesses were young when the ruling families of the three pony tribes supposedly settled their differences, and helped them establish Equestria after the Windigos were driven away. It is said that the three rulers requested that the Princesses rule over them as a safeguard, but in truth, the Princesses decided this themselves, ostensibly to maintain peace between the tribes as mediators and serve as protectors from outside threats. According to them, they would permit the tribes to continue to rule themselves, but the old grudges died hard. Princess Platinum of the unicorns remained confrontational with the alicorn Princesses, fearful of the position they commanded over all others. Commander Hurricane of the pegasi continued to act spiteful towards the other races, and both unicorns and pegasi looked down upon the Earth ponies, which caused many of them to leave Equestria and establish the Crystal Empire for themselves. This was still not a land of friendship and tolerance, and the Princesses knew this.

The three apprentices of Starswirl the Bearded could not keep the peace between their superiors, and it was feared the Windigos would take advantage of this opportunity to return. And after the debacle with such beings as Discord and Tirek, showing how impotent the three tribes were in dealing with these threats themselves, the Princesses decided then that ponykind could not be trusted to govern itself, and they forcibly tore down the old kingdoms and absorbed them all into one nation, governed solely by them. Commander Hurricane withered and died, broken and penniless, and Platinum and her descendants were forced to become lesser nobility under the Princesses, their status and titles slowly becoming ever more of a bad joke to their new rulers. The Crystal Empire ultimately did not escape the Princesses' attention either. To make matters worse, Platinum's sister, Princess Amore, led a group of unicorn nobility to the Crystal Empire and wormed their way further into the Crystal Ponies' politics until they became the new rulers. The Crystal Ponies only accepted this change in dominion because they later discovered that Amore could enchant the Crystal Heart far better than they could.

After Amore's son, King Sombra, came to power, changing the way he believed the Crystal Empire should be run and governed, the Princesses saw this as an opportunity to bring the Empire under their yoke as well, using Sombra's harsher rule as an excuse. Realizing that his kingdom was in danger of absorption, as the last of the old pony kingdoms free of the Princesses' influence, he turned to darker powers for help. He became the student of a mighty being that called himself Grogar the Necromancer, and under his guidance, Sombra gained the power he needed to fight against the Princesses. But he still feared the possibility of defeat, and thus forced his subjects to mine constantly for magical gems in order to further strengthen his powers when the Princesses inevitably came.

And come they did, high and mighty, comfortable in their self-righteousness, and they did battle with the king. Sombra, unfortunately, could not prevail against the Princesses' combined power, but he would not allow the last free kingdom of ponies to become another vassal state to the Princesses, and hid it away from their reach. Before he himself was banished, he also managed to plant the seed of doubt within the Night Princess's mind that perhaps their efforts were not as noble as they so fervently believed. The Sun Princess, realizing her sister was turning on her, banished her as well, to await a time in which she could find a way to curb her dissent. The Night Princess's isolation drove her to madness and spite, and you saw what happened when she returned.

"Nightmare Moon was gonna bring about eternal night!" Scootaloo countered. "If she wasn't stopped, she would have killed us all!"

And what do you think drove her to that?

Scootaloo furrowed her brow. "What're you talking about?"

Even the Princess of the Night was no fool. Do you truly believe she didn't know that her plan would have led to the death of your world? What effect do you think the Elements of Harmony had on her?

Scootaloo said nothing, still not understanding.

The Elements were used to brainwash the Night Princess into a mad tyrant so that she could be sent to the moon with a clear conscience, so that the ponies would not question the Sun Princess's harsh punishment. And when she returned, still mad and corrupted, the Elements were used by its new, unsuspecting bearers to return her to normal, only what they truly did was wipe her mind clean of all treasonous thoughts she had, so that she would never question her sister again.

That is the truth of your Princesses and the 'harmony' they represent. Harmony is order, and the Princesses seek to maintain absolute order, by any means necessary, including by putting their niece on the throne of the Crystal Empire after Sombra was defeated once more, at last securing Equestrian rule over the last of the pony nations. Their 'harmony' has suppressed ponykind far longer than you can imagine. Their 'harmony' has suppressed your true, independent natures. Your society is an affront to nature's balance, and that is why this world has been trapped in technological stasis for so long.

Under the surface of Equestria, there is far more wrong with it than the Princesses of the Sun and Moon want you to see.

"I…I don't…" Scootaloo stuttered, wanting to deny all of this.

But it made an uncomfortable amount of sense. And it didn't help that she was seeing visions of all of this transpiring before her very eyes, as though she were there to witness all of it.

Much of ponykind has been conditioned to love and worship the Princesses unconditionally, never knowing the dark secrets behind their rise to power. They cannot survive in the world I would build. Not without you. I must rely on you, a native Equestrian, to open their eyes to the chains they have unknowingly been bound to.

"I-I don't want to believe you," Scootaloo whimpered. "I can't…"

I represent the Other Truth. I speak the truth that you don't want to hear. I dispel ignorance, and you are afraid because I am dissolving the false, perfect world you have built around yourself.

Unbeknownst to either of them, Applebloom, Ruby, and Sweetie Belle had left the other foals to go search for Scootaloo, and had finally found what they believed to be her room. They could hear Scootaloo's voice on the other side, but just as Applebloom was about to call her name and nudge the door open, they heard another voice answer Scootaloo. This other voice chilled the young fillies to the bone, and immediately tipped them off that something was terribly wrong.

"W-who's she talking to?!" Sweetie Belle whimpered.

"Shh!" Applebloom hissed. "Ah'm tryin' t'hear what they're sayin'!"

The three fillies pressed their ears against the door as the other voice monologued, their horror rising at the terrible words it was speaking. Scootaloo was arguing with it, but it was clear she was losing her resolve. And then the voice finally confirmed why Scootaloo had seen fit to avoid them for so long.

You want to save your friends, do you not? To do that, you must first accept the truth for yourself. Then you must open their eyes to it. If they are really your friends, they will listen. But if they don't, then there is nothing I can do. They will be destroyed once I have risen again.

Applebloom's eyes narrowed. "So that's what's been goin' on. Whoever's in there's been threatenin' her."

"But who is that?" Ruby asked. "They don't sound like Ganon at all. In fact, whoever it is sounds like they might be even worse."

"Scootaloo needs us! C'mon, girls!" Applebloom cried, turning around and kicking the door open with a resounding BANG. "Scoots! Don't listen t'anythin' he's sayin'!"

The three fillies saw Scootaloo turn to look at them with wide, shocked eyes. But what their attention was drawn to was the mask that had also turned to face them as it floated in the air of its own accord.

"Applebloom! S-Sweetie Belle! What are you doing here?!" Scootaloo screamed in horror.

"We heard everything, Scootaloo!" Applebloom cried. "That thing's lyin' to you! Every word!"

The mask visibly bristled in anger. Embrace a lie long enough, and it becomes the truth. That is the way your kind have lived for so long, is it not?

"Ah've been raised by the most honest ponies in all of Equestria!" Applebloom countered. "Ah can tell just as well as they can when somepony's lyin' through their teeth!"

"Y-yeah!" Sweetie Belle added, swallowing her fear. "We're your friends, Scootaloo! Did you really think we'd leave you alone to get lied to by this…whatever it is?!"

Majora suddenly laughed, echoing in their souls as much as the halls of the Palace. So, you choose ignorance and death over enlightenment and immortality? So be it.

Scootaloo snapped out of it and suddenly leapt between her friends and the homicidal god. "NO! I won't let you harm my friends! I knew I shouldn't have believed you! I'm sticking with my friends, and I will find a way to stop you!"

Stop me? I think not, child. If you will not see the truth, then you and your friends will die in ignorance!

The mask rose higher into the air, consumed by violet flames, the eyes glowing like hellish coals.

I sacrifice this meager vessel, to bring forth a mightier manifestation of my will! Come forth, my Avatar!

"Run, NOW!" Scootaloo yelled, bolting out the door.

"C'mon!" Applebloom cried to the others as she followed.

The four fillies ran as the mask was torn asunder, pulsating with magic as a new form took shape.

XXXXXX

Canterlot Caverns

Discord was laying low for a bit, observing as Ganondorf fruitlessly reached out with the Triforce of Power to locate the spirit of chaos. Discord chuckled merrily at the growing look of frustration on the King of Darkness's face. As long as Ganondorf didn't discover these secret caverns, Discord could make the Dark Lord's day miserable with relative impunity.

And then he suddenly felt something that made his fur and feathers stand on end, some of which promptly grew legs and scurried off before they poofed back onto Discord's body. "I sense a disturbance…in the force," Discord muttered, summoning a black hood over his head for good measure.

His deep connection to the magical field surrounding Equis allowed him to sense disturbances in the magical plane, and he could sense that something big, and probably very, VERY bad, was happening in the distant Palace of Winds, even as Ganondorf's troops closed in on Ponyville below. He glanced once more at the magical screen showing Ganondorf continuing to search for him and furrowed his bushy eyebrows, dispelling his hood. "That's strange," Discord muttered to himself. "It doesn't look like ol' Ganny's causing this. But if that isn't the case, then who else could it be?"

Discord was familiar with Vaati's magic, reminding himself uncomfortably of the fact that he had experienced it first-hand, and that didn't feel like Vaati's magic either. Overcome by curiosity, Discord snapped his fingers, teleporting out of the caverns over towards the Palace. To his surprise, however, instead of appearing inside it as he intended, his teleportation spell short-circuited, dropping him just outside of it.

"Eh?" Discord uttered in confusion before noticing the runes on the walls.

"Oh," he said to himself, tracing his fingers along the patterns as he felt the magic emanating from them. "Anti-teleportation runes. Figures. Guess I'll have to get in the old-fashioned way."

Discord looked up to see one of the stained-glass windows depicting Vaati's trademark eye and floated up to it. Humming the Mission Impossible theme to himself, Discord extended an eagle talon and began carving a hole in the glass in the shape of a rubber duck. Once the unconventionally-shaped hole was cut, he licked his lion paw and stuck it onto the glass before pulling out the part of the window he didn't cut, leaving a duck-shaped panel floating in the middle of the windowpane. Discord dumped the glass on the ground and proceeded to eat the duck-shaped cut like a cookie before entering the palace. "Now, to find our newest troublemaker," Discord said through a mouthful of glass-turned-rock candy.

XXXXXX

Scootaloo and her friends did not get far before the wall of the former dungeons exploded outward as something large burst through it. They stopped to see what was coming, and gasped in horror when they saw it. A tall humanoid figure carved seemingly from obsidian stared them down, its hands seemingly folded in some sort of wordless prayer. It had to be at least eighteen feet tall, not including the horns on its head. Its head was shaped like the mask, but lacked most of its tribal features. The menacing, glowing eyes remained on its face though, as evil-looking as ever. Eldritch-green tattoos trailed all over its slender, black body, serving as magical veins of sorts. On its back between its shoulders, two flanges stuck out, pointing upwards.

The Avatar of Majora hummed as Majora spoke through it. Behold; my Avatar! There is nowhere you can run from me! I'll crush the lot of you under my heel!

"RUN!" Scootaloo screamed.

The fillies fled from the Avatar's presence, the evil god laughing menacingly. Let the hunt begin!

XXXXXX

"Scootaloo, where are we gonna go?!" Sweetie Belle cried as they ran down the palace corridors. "We can't let him find the other foals! They could get hurt too!"

"Why are all the foals up here to begin with?!" Scootaloo demanded.

"Ganon's attackin' Ponyville, so they sent all the foals up here where it was safe!" Applebloom answered. "Or at least, where they thought it was safe."

The fillies suddenly heard thunderous footsteps behind them as Majora's Avatar rounded the corner behind them and gave chase, cackling hysterically. "We're the only ones who can do anything now!" Scootaloo cried. "We have to fight him ourselves! So first, we need to get to the weapons vault! It's where the monsters store extra weapons!"

"Are you crazy?!" Sweetie Belle shrieked. "We can't fight that thing!"

"Sweetie, we're the only ones that can!" Scootaloo yelled. "If Ganon's attacking Ponyville, then everypony's needed down there! I know a little bit about what we're dealing with, so it's up to us now!"

Scootaloo scoffed and looked at her friends as they rounded another corner. "Maybe…maybe we can get our Cutie Marks in saving everypony," she half-joked.

Sweetie Belle and Applebloom looked at each other and back at Scootaloo. "So, what's yer plan, Scoots?" Applebloom asked with a determined look.

"Ruby, you're good at finding stuff, right?" Scootaloo asked.

Ruby nodded her head. "Uh huh!"

"Alright! When we get to the weapons vault, we need to set up some kind of trap for him!" Scootaloo said. "Once he's down, I want Ruby to use whatever time we have to find some sort of weakness! That thing looks like it's just a golem of some kind, so it has to have a power source somewhere!"

"But where'd it come from? Who is that, Scootaloo?!" Ruby demanded.

Scootaloo's expression darkened as she answered, "Somebody a hundred times worse than Ganondorf. His name is Majora; the evil god from Hyrule folklore I dressed up as for Nightmare Night last year. That monster chasing us is just one of his creations; the real deal is as bad as Krastos."

They were so focused on their running and talking that they didn't notice someone standing in front of them until Scootaloo ran right into them. As Scootaloo shook her head, she and the other fillies looked up to see the last person they expected.

"Discord?!" Scootaloo cried in awe.

"The one and only!" Discord replied, bowing grandly.

"W-what're you doing here?!" Sweetie Belle cried. "You need to get out of here! Run! Something really bad is coming after us!"

"That's who I'm here for, actually," Discord cheerfully stated. "So who's Equestria's latest pain in the neck?"

As if on cue, Majora's Avatar appeared from around the corner, the golem's eyes ablaze with malicious intent. The Avatar abruptly stopped as it caught sight of its prey hiding behind the mismatched dragon standing before it. Majora recognized him instantly.

Discord. At last we meet.

Discord could feel the waves of power emanating from the golem, but he didn't let that deter him. "Well, it's no surprise you know all about me," he stated smugly. "After all, this handsome devil just so happens to be the Master of Chaos himself!"

You are not worthy of that title.

Discord's eyes nearly bugged out at the shocking accusation. "I…w-what?! How could…I'm Discord, for crying out loud! Chaos is literally my game!"

Exactly, Majora said, taking a step forward. You treat this warped magic you call chaos like it's all a game. Your immature pranks are more annoying than amusing, like those of another who tried wielding my power in the past with such intentions. You don't even know the true meaning of chaos, so how can you claim yourself to be its master?

Discord was shocked into silence by Majora's words.

I see you for what you are, Discord. I know exactly what it is you fear.

Discord snapped out of his shock and indignantly retorted, "What on earth are you talking about?! I'm afraid of nothing!"

Majora laughed cruelly. Oh, please. You're so predictable it's insulting. You're nothing more than an attention-seeking brat. Look at how you want to hold onto everyone's attention with your pranks like a spoiled child. That alone is proof enough that you fear being nothing. You fear being tossed aside by history, being relegated to the realm of myth and fairy tales until you are forgotten altogether. Reduced to oblivion. True chaos.

Discord was struck dumb by this, unable to form a reply as Majora mercilessly continued. You see, I know true chaos, and it is not merely the application of unpredictability and childish pranks. True chaos, blasphemer, is the power and emptiness of the primordial void, of which I am the Master.

Discord took a step back as Majora stepped forward again. And now, Discord, you will die for wasting my time.

XXXXXX

Ponyville

Ganon's army spread out to encompass the whole of Ponyville, preventing any means of escape. The ponies regarded this with varying degrees of fear, while the allied monsters looked on stoically. Eventually, Phantom Ganon took one step forward and boomed, "You are regarded as traitors in the eyes of our lord! Surrender now, and we may see fit to spare you! Defy us, and we will slaughter you to the last man, woman, and child!"

Teleporting on top of one of the towers so everyone could see him, Nigellas took one look at Ganon's doppelganger and shouted, "Piss off, you big-head wanker! Surrendering ain't in our vocabulary!"

Phantom Ganon snarled at the insult and raised his sword over his head. "Attack! I don't care if the whole lot of you get lodged on the end of all their blades in the process; WIPE THEM OUT!"

Nigellas teleported over to the rest of the troops as Ganon's forces charged. "What's say we give these twats our biggest Ponyville welcome?!"

The monsters and some of the ponies cheered as they readied for the fight of their lives. The enemy monsters charged, their weapons levelled. Soon they reached the wall of stakes, and their charge slowed. "Archers, fire!" Maulgrim bellowed.

The archers in the towers began loosing volley after volley of arrows into the horde of enemies, many hitting their mark, dropping monsters that promptly burst into puffs of black smoke. Soon, however, more of them were beginning to push past the field of stakes, ready to meet the lines of ponies and enemy monsters awaiting them.

"Let 'em have it, mages!" Nigellas cried, unleashing a stream of fireballs from his hands.

The unicorns and Wizzrobes joined him, shooting beams of fire, ice, and other elemental energies at the horde, taking down many more. Enemy Wizzrobes floated over the stakes and answered with volleys of their own. Unicorns raised shields to counter the blasts as the allied Wizzrobes fired over them. Meanwhile, the Mothula reached one of the towers, the occupants too late to notice it as it fired a volley of fireballs from its proboscis, causing the tower to explode and killing the monsters inside. Several enemy Geomancers began pushing a group of the stakes out of the ground, clearing a small path for the monsters to enter the town unhindered.

Maulgrim cursed at this. "Prepare to receive attackers! For Ponyville! For Equestria! For freedom!"

A wave of monsters poured through the breach, eager for battle to join. "CHARGE!" Maulgrim roared.

The two sides clashed to the sounds of ringing steel and magical discharges. Maulgrim easily cut a swath through a group of Stalfos, their bones and brittle armor no match for Darknut refined steel. A Moblin attempted to run him through with its spear, but he deflected it with his shield and cut the attacking monster down. The fallen Moblin was immediately replaced with a much mightier foe as an Iron Knuckle approached, brandishing its tremendous axe. Maulgrim's eyes narrowed under his helmet. "Bring it on!" he roared.

The Iron Knuckle promptly obliged, swinging its axe with an ethereal grunt. Maulgrim stepped back, avoiding the blow before going on the offensive. The Iron Knuckle, however, blocked the Black Knight's downward slash before striking him with the top of the axe head in the chest, denting his armor a bit. Maulgrim grunted as he stumbled back. The Iron Knuckle pressed forward, intending to strike him down, but Maulgrim abruptly lunged forward, shoulder-tackling the animated armor. The Iron Knuckle fell to the ground, allowing Maulgrim a moment to recover. The Iron Knuckle flailed like a downed turtle before it eventually got back to its feet and came at him again. Maulgrim blocked the attack with his shield, and couldn't suppress a grunt of pain at the force of the blow as it reverberated down his forearm. The Iron Knuckle moved to strike again, but this time, Maulgrim side-stepped the attack and brought his sword down on the shaft of the axe, forcing it out of the Iron Knuckle's hands. It barely had time to register this unfortunate change of events before Maulgrim chopped down on its shoulder, dropping the entity.

Nigellas's magic was more than what normal Wizzrobes could handle, easily besting the weaker ones that challenged him. A Stalfos attempted to chop his head off, but Nigellas saw it coming and teleported behind the skeleton. Before it could turn around, he blasted it apart with a well-placed fireball. Suddenly he heard a high-pitched, girlish scream nearby and turned to see a huge, burly pegasus with absurdly tiny wings trembling in terror at the Mothula that loomed threateningly over him. "Oh, you've got to be kidding," Nigellas grumbled, remembering that Snowflake…or was it Horse Power? Bulk Biceps? Ah, who cares, the guy was deathly afraid of moths.

Bulk Biceps slowly backed into an alley as the Mothula closed in on him. Suddenly, he saw shapes leap over his head and latch onto the startled giant moth. He watched with surprise as a trio of Floormasters distracted the Mothula, allowing him to run and hide until someone else dealt with it. The Mothula began flapping its wings harder and harder, and soon they were buzzing like a bee. The vibrations forced the Floormasters to let go, where they fell disoriented to the ground. Just as the Mothula was preparing to finish them off, it suddenly felt a fireball hit it painfully from behind. The giant moth screeched as it turned around to see Nigellas readying another fireball. The Mothula screeched angrily as it answered with multiple fireballs of its own. The Wizzrobe teleported out of the way and reappeared on a rooftop with another fireball in hand and launched it at the Mothula's unprotected back once again. However, the Mothula was expecting this and flew upward, soaring over the town in search of Nigellas.

I must be freaking nuts, Nigellas thought to himself as he saw the Mothula coming at him. Me, a stinking Wizzrobe, taking on a boss monster! If I come out of this in one piece, I'll pray to the Goddesses every day, no matter who summons me!

Suddenly a beam of fire hit the Mothula in the chest, knocking it out of the air, where it landed on the roof of Sugarcube Corner. Nigellas looked down to see who his rescuer was.

"Yo, dude! Ya looked like you could use some help!" the unicorn DJ, Vinyl Scratch, offered as she trotted towards him from one of the alleyways.

"You sure you're up for taking on a boss monster?" Nigellas asked. "They're bastards to fight compared to us regular monsters."

"Don't think it matters at this point," Vinyl said, looking at the Mothula as it recovered. "Looks like he's gettin' back up for another round."

"Alright, then!" Nigellas replied. "Mothula's just like any other bug! It's weak against fire!"

"Aw, yeah!" Vinyl yelled enthusiastically. "Kill it with fire!"

The Mothula shrieked angrily as it flew back into the air, unsure whether to go for Vinyl or Nigellas first. Vinyl decided for it, hitting it with another fire beam. The Mothula chittered in pain as it felt itself begin to weaken under the assault. Enraged, it dove at Vinyl, spitting a trio of fireballs at her in response. Vinyl, however, just teleported out of harm's way, further infuriating the frustrated boss monster. The giant moth swiftly avoided Nigellas's fireballs and went for the Wizzrobe next, only for Vinyl to hit it in the back with another fire beam. While it was painfully distracted, Nigellas launched fireball after fireball at the Mothula. Its body consumed by flames and its insides roasting from the heat, the Mothula's strength finally gave out, and the immolated monster fell out of the sky, exploding in a cloud of black mist midair. Nigellas looked up at Vinyl and gave her an impressed nod.

Lyra was focused on fending off an Ice Wizzrobe, and thus didn't see the Darknut coming up behind her. However, before it could strike, it found its face abruptly covered by fur as Bon Bon furiously jumped on its head and grasped at its helmet. As it was trying to get her off, the Darknut tripped over Lyra and fell towards the Aquamancer.

"…oh," it muttered right before the Darknut fell on top of it, stunning them both.

A Lizalfos came running at Big Macintosh, hissing angrily. Big Mac saw it coming, and said one simple word before bucking it into oblivion. "Nope."

Octavia and a Wallmaster waited in ambush as the Moblin that had been chasing her entered the alley. Gripping a wooden beam in her hooves, she looked at the disembodied hand and muttered, "Toss me."

The Wallmaster obliged, grabbing her and throwing her at the surprised Moblin with all its strength. Octavia let out a yell as she whacked the Moblin across the face with the plank with enough force to topple it and break one of its tusks in the process.

As a Lizalfos came at Lotus, the spa pony threw a hoof-ful of dirt at the monster's face, blinding it. As the Lizalfos stumbled about, trying to clear its eyes, Aloe hunkered up behind the monster's legs, causing it to trip over her and fall on its back, after which Lotus promptly smashed its head in with a large rock. They may have been the spa ponies of Ponyville, but they knew how to throw down when needed, and they ironically fought dirty.

Berry Punch clutched a Molotov cocktail in each hoof, chuckling drunkenly as she chucked them at a group of approaching enemy monsters, spilling broken glass and burning alcohol all over their bodies. The monsters scattered, screeching as their bodies went up in flames. "I'm drunk!" she cackled. "You don't have an excuse!"

A Lizalfos came at her from where she sat atop a crate of wine bottles. Seeing it coming, she picked up another bottle and smacked it across the monster's face, sending it crashing to the ground and shattering the bottle in the process. "Ugh…what a waste of good wine," she grumbled as she readied another Molotov cocktail.

Colgate, the town dentist, fired up her trusty drill as a Moblin challenged her, grinning as she saw the disgusting state of the monster's teeth. "Open wide!" she cried, avoiding the Moblin's spear and jumping on its head before promptly pressing the drill against the monster's jaw.

The Moblin positively howled with pain as it got a long-overdue check-up from a very angry dentist. It was too blinded by pain to think coherently, stumbling back until it dropped and bonked its head on the stone wall of the local tavern, knocking itself out. "Oh, that's a shame," Colgate smirked as she got off the Moblin's face. "Looks like you'll need to come in for another appointment."

Roneo and Starlet made sure to stay close to each other, neither wanting to leave the other’s sight. But the rigors of battle were making it difficult for them. A Darknut approached Starlet, intent on crushing her with its gigantic mace. Starlet, wide-eyed and overcome by fear, took a frightened step back, knowing there was no way she could harm such a beast. She gasped as she suddenly bumped against the side of a house, the Darknut looming menacingly over her with its mace raised high.

Suddenly a stone struck the back of the Darknut’s helmet with a resounding “CLANK”, causing the monster to turn. “Get away from my mare, you creep!” Roneo yelled as he threw a spear at the Darknut’s chest.

The spear harmlessly bounced off the Darknut’s thick breastplate, falling uselessly to the ground. The Darknut grinned ominously under its helmet as it turned its attention towards Roneo. However, this was Roneo’s intention, as it diverted the monster’s attention away from his beloved. As it took a step forward, though, something abruptly rammed it in the back of its leg, knocking the canid knight to the ground with a startled grunt. Gladstone rolled out from under the Darknut’s bulk as the downed monster struggled to right itself. Three Leaf quickly ran over and dragged off the Darknut’s helmet while Mitta and Starlet focused on getting the heavy mace out of the Darknut’s reach. The Darknut’s vision went black when Gladstone bucked it in the side of the head, knocking it clean out.

“…You alright?” Mitta finally asked as the former residents of Sunnytown caught their breath.

Surprised at Mitta’s show of concern, Three Leaf nodded, “Yeah…yeah, we are.”

Doctor Whooves cringed at the wanton destruction occurring all around him as the battle progressed. Unfortunately, his sonic screwdriver wouldn't be much help against these monsters; they weren't mechanical beings, after all. He suddenly noticed a Moblin bearing down on poor Daisy, who had fainted on the spot out of fright. Before he could move to help, though, he saw Lily and Roseluck attack the surprised monster from behind, getting over their collective tendency to panic and run in fear in order to help their sister. They yelled and screamed and stabbed at the Moblin with their spears as it vainly tried to throw them off. Eventually it went down, allowing them to drag their unconscious sister to safety.

Glad that that was one battle won, he focused on trying to keep anypony else from getting killed. He had failed in that endeavor so many times in the past; it was very possible he would fail here. But damn it all if he wasn't going to try! The Doctor saw a Poe and Mayor Mare cooperating to take on a Lizalfos, but a Stalfos was sneaking up on them from behind. "Oh, no you don't!" he cried out, charging forward and throwing his whole weight against the skeleton as he tackled it.

As it fell to the ground, he hastily twisted off its skull and smashed it under his hooves, causing the undead warrior to slacken in defeat. Mayor Mare and her Poe companion had, by that time, finished off the Lizalfos and went off to aid in another part of the battle. He looked around, hoping that Derpy was nearby and that she was alright.

"Doctor, look out!"

Speak of the devil…wait, what?

The Doctor turned to see Phantom Ganon about to cut him low. "BOLLOCKS!" he cried, leaping aside as the ethereal sword crashed into the spot he had just been standing in.

Phantom Ganon regarded the Doctor with evil, yet appraising eyes. "You Equestrians have much more fight in you than my master or I expected. I'm impressed. But this is where it ends!"

"Not a chance, hotshot!" Derpy cried as she came down and slammed a bucket down on Phantom Ganon's head…only for it to get stuck on his horns as Derpy clumsily tumbled to the ground and sat up. "…oh."

Phantom Ganon pried the bucket off his horns and tossed it aside. "Fools."

The Dark Lord's doppelganger swung his sword at a still-recovering Derpy as the Doctor tried to push her out of the way. However, another sword abruptly blocked Phantom Ganon's attack and forced the demonic ghost back.

"You will not harm them," Maulgrim growled, brandishing his sword and shield.

Phantom Ganon guffawed. "Ah, the Darknut code of honor shines through again! Still fighting even when the odds are impossible. How poetic."

Phantom Ganon struck first, flinging a ball of energy from his free hand at the Darknut. Maulgrim lifted his shield and blocked the attack, the energy crackling against his shield. Phantom Ganon then pressed his attack, and Maulgrim met the demon blow for blow as their massive blades clashed. The Doctor and Derpy backed up to give the two combatants some space. "Should we help him?" Derpy asked.

"Of course we're going to help the chap!" the Doctor answered, like it was the most obvious answer in the world. He glanced up at the ballista tower, which was currently unmanned, as the Darknut had gone off to join the fight below. "And I think I have an idea…"

"Whoa, watch it!" a pony wearing a full helmet the Doctor recognized as Sea Swirl cried as she ran by, swinging her tail over her head, which was currently covered in metal tubes with a spiked ball on the end, thereby converting it into an attached ball and chain.

As soon as the unconventionally-armored pony had run by, the Doctor motioned for Derpy to follow him over to the ballista tower.

Meanwhile, Maulgrim gasped for breath as he continued his struggle against Phantom Ganon. Several minutes had gone by, and the Darknut had lost several pieces of his heavier armor in the fight. Phantom Ganon never let up his assault, eager to finish off the Darknut. But Maulgrim would not yield; not while he still drew breath. Thus the Black Knight fought back, parrying and blocking Phantom Ganon's swings and thrusts and following up with some of his own. Both were skilled combatants, but it was clear Phantom Ganon was starting to gain the upper hand as the demon teleported behind Maulgrim and cut off another piece of armor. Maulgrim snarled as he swung at Phantom Ganon, but the ghost parried and readied another energy ball, flinging it point-blank at Maulgrim's chest. The Black Knight roared in agony as the force of the blow and the pain it caused him knocked him flat on his back.

Phantom Ganon moved to finish him, swinging downwards, but Maulgrim had recovered enough to see the attack coming and rolled out of the way. Phantom Ganon sneered as Maulgrim slowly stumbled to his feet. "It's hopeless, Darknut," he gloated. "You cannot win."

Maulgrim said nothing as he shrugged off the last remaining bits of his outer armor and tossed his broadsword aside, now drawing his dueling sword. Maulgrim lunged at Phantom Ganon and met him once again blade to blade. With all his heavy armor gone, Maulgrim was now much faster on his feet, and he actually managed to force Phantom Ganon back a few steps from the ferocity of his attack. However, Phantom Ganon soon regained his footing and counterattacked, regaining his ground. Maulgrim was panting from the exertion, and Phantom Ganon could tell his enemy was beginning to tire. As Maulgrim swung at him again, Phantom Ganon teleported behind him once more and threw an energy ball. Maulgrim struck it with his sword, sending it back at Phantom Ganon. Mildly surprised by this, Phantom Ganon struck it himself, sending it back at its original target. Maulgrim was no expert in Dead Man's Volley, and coupled with his fatigue, there was no way he could keep it up. An explosion of pain as it hit sent the Black Knight to his knees.

Phantom Ganon floated to the ground and strode up to the defeated Darknut. "You have fought well," he said. "But it simply was not enough. Look at me; I want you to at least face your death with dignity."

Maulgrim slowly lifted his head up and glared at Phantom Ganon.

And then that glare suddenly morphed into a smile.

Phantom Ganon's eyes narrowed. "What are you smiling for?!"

THWIP!

Suddenly, a ballista bolt pierced the shadow of Ganon through the chest, the tip protruding from between his pectorals. Phantom Ganon let out a strangled yell of pain as he too was forced to his knees, clutching at the tip of the bolt. The demonic ghost looked over his shoulder to see the two ponies whom he had tried to kill earlier manning the ballista.

"This…impossible," Phantom Ganon groaned disbelievingly.

He turned to see Maulgrim's sword levelled at his throat. "This is Equestria," Maulgrim said with a victorious, if weary grin. "And here…anything is possible!"

With that, Maulgrim plunged his blade through Phantom Ganon's neck, finally silencing the demon once and for all. The demonic spirit's body vanished in an inferno of blue flames, leaving no trace.

And as the final nail in the coffin of Ganon's troops' fortune, from out of the forest suddenly came a large force of Diamond Dogs, slamming into the unprotected rear of Ganon's ranks.

XXXXXX

Palace of Winds

Discord was slammed against the wall by Majora's Avatar, struggling to bring his magic to bear, as the entity was apparently exuding an anti-magic field of some sort, weakening his ability to counterattack. And the anti-teleportation runes around the Palace were preventing him from utilizing any teleporting tactics.

But Discord was not helpless. Not this time.

His tail fur made a finger-snapping motion, summoning several exploding pies out of thin air and splattering them against the Avatar's face. Majora's Avatar stumbled back, momentarily disoriented by the explosions, freeing Discord from his grip. Discord then summoned a giant plush hammer and cried, "Fore!"

He struck Majora, flinging him down the hall, the hammer emitting a cow's moo as it struck. The Avatar immediately got to its feet, the eyes glowing menacingly. Suddenly a fiery beam of energy shot out of the eyes. Discord used his magic to alter his body's structure, splitting his head in half and allowing the beam to pass him harmlessly by.

Majora charged at him, quickly closing the distance between himself at the chaotic spirit and charged a spell between the golem's horns. Discord prepared himself, but could not escape the all-encompassing field of magical energy that exploded from the horns, catching Discord in the chest and smashing him once more against the wall. "Ugh, that's gonna be sore in the morning," Discord muttered, cracking his back.

Majora strode towards Discord, his Avatar's hands once again folded in their default praying position. Discord quickly changed the floor to wet soap. Majora, not expecting this, lost his footing, the animated statue crashing to the floor, landing on its back. A resounding crack resonated throughout the hall as the flanges on the statue's back broke. The Avatar struggled to rise, as it could not gain a grip due to the slippery floor.

Discord skidded merrily towards him. "Not so tough now, are…" Discord began.

He was interrupted by a pair of violet tentacles that abruptly sprang out of the Avatar's back and wrapped themselves around him. Dark magic coursed through them into Discord's body, causing him to howl in pain. The tendrils flung him down the hall, allowing Majora to dispel the soap road spell and rise to his feet. The Avatar then struck the downed spirit with another stream of fire from the golem's eyes, bringing further pain to Discord.

The Avatar of Majora didn't let up its assault, keeping up the beams as it stalked towards him. You pathetic creature, Majora hissed. You never had a chance. I am a true god. You are a false idol. And now you shall die, slowly and painfully, for your blasphemy.

It was at this moment that Scootaloo and her friends emerged from around the corner and took in the scene. Scootaloo had a spear, while Sweetie Belle and Applebloom were carrying a long length of rope. Sweetie Belle put her hooves to her mouth in horror at the pain Majora was inflicting upon Discord. Ruby looked at the Avatar's back and blinked as she saw an eye staring unblinkingly out the back of the golem where the two flanges had once been, identical to the eyes of the mask itself. "Girls, I think I know what his weak point is!" she exclaimed. "It's that eye on his back! It has to be! It was protected earlier, and it looks like Discord managed to knock off whatever was guarding it!"

"Good eye, Ruby!" Scootaloo commended.

"But how're we gonna get to it?" Applebloom asked worriedly. "He's as tall as our old barn!"

"I want you and Sweetie Belle to tie up his legs while he's still distracted with Discord," Scootaloo informed them. "After that, I'll call out to him. It's me he wants, so he'll probably try to go right after me. And when he does, he'll fall over. Then we destroy that eye before he can get back up!"

Sweetie Belle gulped. "Scoots…w-what if…what if it doesn't work?"

Scootaloo gave them a teary smile and wrapped them all in a hug. "Then I'm glad I got to have such great friends like you at my side."

The four fillies fought back their tears and steeled themselves for what they knew they had to do. "Let's do this, girls," Applebloom said.

Discord's bloodcurdling screams echoed in Applebloom and Sweetie Belle's minds as they nervously approached with the rope. Luckily, it appeared that Majora had yet to notice them, and soon they reached his legs and began tying the rope around them. As this was a golem and not a living creature, it did not feel sensations such as pain or touch, and Majora's single-minded concentration on Discord's suffering blinded him to this new peril.

After a few minutes, Sweetie Belle tied the loose ends of the rope securely together, she and Applebloom hurriedly backing up as Scootaloo joined them.

"HEY! Leave him alone, Majora!" Scootaloo yelled. "It's me you want, remember?!"

Majora's beams abruptly stopped as he heard Scootaloo's voice behind him. The Avatar looked over its shoulder at them. In a hurry to die, are you? Very well, I shall fulfill your…what?!

Majora's Avatar tried to turn around, but in doing so, it fell victim to the ropes, and the mighty golem crashed to the floor. Discord managed to recover enough to magically pin Majora's arms to the ground with black, green-thorned vines. Scootaloo readied her spear as she and her two best friends stood on the golem's restrained back and glared into the defenseless eye animating it.

You think this is the end? This is but one of my Avatars. One of many. This victory of yours achieves nothing but a temporary reprieve. My influence even now is further rooting itself in this world, and you are but children. Soon I will be ready to strike, and when I am, you and everyone you care about will die!

"No," Scootaloo answered firmly. "When that time comes, I'll fight you again. I'll keep fighting you until you can't hurt anypony ever again."

"So will Ah," Applebloom added with a determined look. "Scootaloo might as well be family t'me. And Ah'm gonna protect mah family."

"And I will too!" Sweetie Belle spoke. "I'll follow my friends till the end of time!"

The eye glared at them. And then the dark god chuckled grimly. You have damned yourselves.

Without another word, Scootaloo let out a yell and plunged her spear into the eyeball, eliciting a bellow of rage that descended into a mad cackle as the Avatar disintegrated into a black sludge that promptly burned away in violet flames. Discord groaned in pain, his whole body covered with burns.

"Are you alright, Mr. Discord?" Sweetie Belle asked, coming up to him.

Discord weakly smirked. "I've had worse, trust me. But this is going to put me out of commission for a bit. I hope Ganny doesn't miss me too bad."

"Scootaloo! Sweetie Belle! Applebloom!" Ruby suddenly cried, pointing at their flanks. "Look!"

The Cutie Mark Crusaders glanced at their flanks, and gasped in shock.

Adorning each of their flanks was a Hylian shield Cutie Mark, with the trademark red bird replaced by a red silhouette of an alicorn.

"Ah…Ah don't believe it," Applebloom uttered in awe.

"W-we got them…" Sweetie Belle breathed. "We actually got our Cutie Marks!"

Scootaloo inspected hers closely, a frown etched on her face. Applebloom noticed this and said, "Scoots? What's wrong? We finally got what we've been lookin' for all this time! Aren't ya happy?"

Scootaloo looked up at them. "I am, but…look at what they represent. Those are Hylian shields, the shields used by the Legendary Hero and the Knights of Hyrule. It means we're protectors. But not just any protectors…look, the red bird's been replaced by an alicorn, showing our connection to Equestria. We've just drafted ourselves into a war that's been centuries in the making. We've been marked as warriors of the Hyrulean Goddesses. Majora was right; when his war begins, we'll be called upon in the name of two worlds to fight him and the forces of evil. I would have been okay with this, but…I didn't want you two dragged into it with me."

Applebloom smiled. "We would've gone with ya regardless, Scoots. Friends stick together."

"And, with these Cutie Marks, we can be real Crusaders now!" Sweetie Belle piped up. "All three of us, together! Like it should be!"

Scootaloo could not hold back her tears of emotion as she enveloped her two lifelong friends in a hug. "You're the best friends anypony could ever ask for. Thank you so much for being there for me when I thought I was alone. I'm honored that we're all in this together."

"Oh, GAG," Discord grumbled, though on the inside, he couldn't help but feel proud of those three little fillies.

Still, the encounter with the astoundingly-powerful golem had left his mind reeling. Now he too realized that Ganon was not the only enemy, nor was he the worst.

XXXXXX

Ponyville

After the Diamond Dogs had shown up, the battle sharply turned against Ganon's favor. And with the death of their leader, there was no one left in command to direct their forces. Coupled with the redoubled efforts of the defending monsters and their shockingly-ferocious pony allies, this was a battle Ganon's forces could not win. Finally the remaining enemies broke ranks and fled back towards the safety of Canterlot. Content with their victory, the Ponyville defenders did not pursue, and stayed behind to take note of their losses.

Most of the town was surprisingly still intact. A few houses had been damaged by smashing bodies or small fires, but otherwise the town was unharmed. After a few minutes of mingling amongst the wounded, Nigellas finally made his way up to Maulgrim, who was leaning wearily on his sword. "Unbelievable," Nigellas began, shaking his head. "I'll never doubt the strength of ponykind ever again. Every single one of them survived, Grim. ALL OF THEM."

Maulgrim managed a smile. "They may not seem like warriors at first glance, but a warrior's heart beats in every one of them."

Nigellas folded his arms. "We did lose a number of our own, though," he said grimly. "I can only hope they don't end up under Ganon's yoke in turn if they are summoned again."

Maulgrim's smile faded. "A pox on this cursed existence we're reduced to. I can only pray that it is lifted one day, Goddesses willing."

Both Wizzrobe and Darknut glanced at the horizon as Celestia's sun lowered to make way for Luna's night. "Aye," Nigellas agreed. "Goddesses willing."

Author's Note:

EDIT: Added the Sunnytown ponies, since it appears I forgot to include them.

Aaaand, that's a wrap of the Scootaloo/Majora arc! Next episode, we'll be returning to Vaati and his band of misfits.

And it looks like the Cutie Mark Crusaders have inadvertently bound themselves to the will of the Goddesses, and soon they will become part of the divine mission to defy the will of Majora and become heroes themselves. At least Scoots has an idea of what they have just gotten themselves into. What does this mean for them? Well, you'll just have to wait and see.

And as for Majora's claims...how much of it is the truth, and where is the lie? Not everything he said is false, but even the truth can be a matter of perspective...