Piercing the Heavens

by Calm Wind

Chapter 165: Wonderbolts Never Die (Arc 3 Finale Part 7: The Jester’s Game)

MLP: FiM
Piercing the Heavens
By: Calm Wind

Chapter 165: Wonderbolts Never Die (Arc 3 Finale Part 7: The Jester’s Game)

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“Hnnnggg” Dash groaned, her head spinning a mile a minute. Every time she tried to open her eyes, her vision was so intensely blurry and wavy that she was forced to immediately slam them shut. Even just a moment of the visual delirium made her feel sick to her stomach, moans and groans of discomfort continuously escaping her lips as she tried and failed to pull herself together. It wasn’t just her head that hurt, her whole body felt like it was on fire.

She had already been dealing with physical trauma from her scuffle with Nightshade, including her still-dislocated back leg, and now she had just had a massive amount of supernatural magic forced through her. It felt like something had exploded within her, every inch of her body was being stabbed by a thousand needles both inside and out.

She saw what happened, but amid all the pain she kept trying to focus while asking herself… what the hell had happened? Why did it happen? Where was Sombra? Where were her friends? Where was Spitfire? What was going on around her? Who was holding her?

Her ears were ringing, the noises around her just as muffled and blurred as her vision. She tipped her head over and tried to open her eyes again as she looked skyward. Again, she could only hold them open for a moment, but it was long enough to see blurred images of pegasi shooting every which way overhead. All she could make out for sure were colors and even those were a little blurred together. Blue, purple, black, a little red, some shimmering blue and lavender, some colors darker.

There was no mistaking it, the carnage they had left behind to make their move had caught up to them. Wonderbolts fighting Shadowbolts fighting thestrels fighting Renegades fighting each other fighting guards… what was even going on anymore? How long had she been down? More and more questions kept adding to the pile, but she was powerless to find answers.

A loud roar pierced through her ears, muffled and painful. Dash cringed opening her eyes slightly as she felt something move her. She didn’t know which direction she was looking, but two ponies were in front of her… Spitfire and Nightshade? They were grappling, close enough for her to make out their features with a little difficulty. They were pushing against one another, and neither was looking at her. Dash was forced to shut her eyes, the queasy feeling in her stomach nearly surging right into her throat as whoever was supporting her whisked her away from the two of them. She thought she could hear familiar voices, but she wasn’t sure, she was being pressed into something soft and it was obscuring the already muffled noises even more.

She didn’t know what was happening or where she was, but the only questions that were constantly coherent in her head were… Where is Sombra? Where is Soarin?

The soft surface she was being pressed against was suddenly released, and her ears picked up the voices nearby again. They were close enough that they were mostly coherent, and it sounded like… Little Star and Squall? Were they bickering? It sounded like some kind of argument. Did that mean Matteo was holding her? That would explain the soft surface. She felt like she was regaining a little bit of focus as she was held still, but her head was still pounding, her ears were still ringing, and her body was still on fire. It was still so bad that she was having a hard time even figuring out what was happening right next to her.

But as she kept trying to open her eyes and get an idea of what was happening, the blurry visions of ponies above and all around suddenly faded. She couldn’t quite tell, but it looked like they were being surrounded by a thick fog, all sight of the fighting vanishing.

“RnngggRGN!!!” Dash groaned and winced, slamming her eyes shut and tipping her head back and forth as she desperately tried to gain control of her senses. Why wouldn’t they cooperate?! What was causing all this odd pain? What was causing her head to compress so harshly? What the hell did the Elements’ magic do to her?! It was unlike anything she had ever experienced before and it just wouldn’t stop!

“Well, well, well… welly welly welly well…,”

Dash’s eyes shot open.

“Ooooo hoo hoo hoo… what do we have here?”

Dash’s ears twitched like mad. A voice? She could hear a voice. And it wasn’t muffled or drowned out by the ringing of her ears like everything else around her. She could hear it clear as day… and it took less than a second to recognize who it belonged to.

That was Ruin’s voice. She was still facing up, her head leaning back. She couldn’t see him, but that was definitely Ruin’s voice.

“Ah, what an exquisite beauty… Hmmmm… A fresh aroma of nature… Oooo…? This one’s extra solid!”

How? What was this? Why could she hear him so clearly? Dash grunted, shutting her eyes and forcing her neck to turn slowly. She didn’t care how uncomfortable it was, that was Ruin for sure! She groaned quietly, forcing her eyelids to open just a little bit as she dealt with the discomfort, but all it took was the brief glance.

She could see him too.

He was right there. Everything around him was a blurred, waving mess, but he appeared just as clearly as she could hear him… And he was looking right at her. He was smiling creepily… looking at her squad mates? Why wasn’t he wearing his flight suit and goggles?

“Pffft, don’t look so tense over there. You’ve caught me in a really good mood. Ahhhhh… the sweet, sweet noise of uncontrollable madness. I have to hoof it to you morons, you really stirred the pot with this one! So much backstabbing and double-crossing… And all without me lifting a hoof! I couldn’t have done it better myself. Color me impressed, I don’t think I’ve ever been more entertained!”

What was going on? Dash could hear him and see him without any difficulty! Like his presence alone was something materializing in her mind. She couldn’t even clearly see her squadmates right beside her, much less hear them.

“And the icing on the cake…? Look at all these lovely mares all in one place… the legendary power sure has good taste in choosing its wielders! Ah… they are a sight to behold…”

Dash gasped.

“The Elements of Harmony!”

He was standing over something purple… it had to be Twilight! That meant the other comments he made… they were about her friends! Dash squirmed slightly, but couldn’t find any strength. A sense of dread filled her from head to hoof as Ruin clearly had his attention on her friends… and the Elements of Harmony. But it also felt like it was coming directly from him, something radiating from him. Was it related to her ability to see and hear him while everything else was a blurred or muffled mess? That alone was enough to tell her something was off.

A sense of urgency pushed itself in beside the dread. She focused with every ounce of effort she had, ignoring all dizziness and pain. Her efforts made the blurriness clear up slightly. Not much, but enough to start making out some features instead of just colors. The safety of her squad and her friends pushed her through, taking priority over her own wellbeing.

But the first thing she noticed was that Fancy Pants and the detached group, her insurance policy, were nowhere to be found. They probably got sucked into the fighting, or they were forced to retreat so as not to put the more vulnerable of their group in danger.

And… of course… the one weapon they had that could answer Ruin… was still absent.

This was not good. Not good at all.

Ruin smiled wide as he reached a hoof towards Twilight.

Dash flinched as Squall suddenly yelled something nearby. Her ears picked it up, the ringing had lessened just enough for her to make out what was being said.

---

Ruin blinked, his black eyes reverting to their normal color as he glanced back towards Squall.

“Pardon?” he asked with a snicker.

“I said don't touch her!” Squall repeated, glaring while forcing strength into his voice.

“Oh?” Ruin turned slightly, keeping his eyes on Squall with a smarmy grin plastered to his face. “Why not?” he asked.

Squall gritted his teeth and inched forward, but his hooves remained anchored in place. He didn’t say a word, holding his position and scowl.

“Well?” Ruin chuckled, tipping his head. “What are ya gonna do if I touch her, hm? Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm?” he taunted.

Squall didn’t move.

“BOOP!” Ruin cutely exclaimed at he reached down and poked Twilight’s nose gently. She shuddered and rolled over. “Okay! I’m waiting!” Ruin stood upright and tipped his head back slightly, closing his eyes and bopping his head back and forth.

“Grh…” Squall growled.

Ruin blinked, looking back down towards Squall.

“Hm… that’s odd, nothing happened!” He tapped a hoof against his chin while looking back at Twilight again. “Maybe I gotta do it some more!”

He turned around and started poking Twilight repeatedly.

“Boop, beep, bap, bop, boop, bap, beep!” he giggled as Twilight cried out in discomfort, curling up. “Whoop!” Ruin threw himself to the ground beside her, landing on his side and shimmying his body on the ground until his back touched her, rubbing it against the point of her horn and the pointy tips of the Element of Magic. “Oo, OO! Right there! That’s the spot!”

Squall began shaking, his scowl growing harder. Star was glancing between him and Ruin, gingerly reaching her hooves towards Squall, but never getting close enough to touch.

“Okay, NOW!” Ruin popped back up and assumed the same upright position as before.

But again, Squall didn’t move.

After a moment, Ruin opened one eye and pouted.

“Aw, nothing? Really?” he sighed, puttering his lips as he shook his head. “What a let-down…” he said as he started slowly moving towards Dash’s squad, his path lined up with Squall. “Quite the tough talker, aren’t we?” he asked in a sly tone, his smirk growing and his eyes narrowed into a creepy stare as he grew closer. “Please don’t leave me hanging like that. If you’re going to threaten me…”

Squall didn’t budge, but he began leaning back subtly as Ruin showed no sign of stopping.

“You’d better back it up…” Ruin moved right up to Squall, getting right in his face with less than an inch between their noses. He locked his eyes on Squall’s, smiling very wide. “Or else… hee heeeee! Or else I’ll just assume you’re a coward.” He mocked while bouncing his eyebrows.

“HORYAA!!!” Squall pulled back a hoof and threw a punch. His hoof struck Ruin right in the face, but a veil of pink light shone around Ruin’s body the instant it connected. Several painful sounding cricks and pops came from Squall’s hoof. “ARGH!!!” Squall pulled his hoof back and stumbled, bending down slightly and tucking his hoof in towards his chest as pain shot through his arm.

“Aw… did that hurt?” Ruin asked in a condescending tone while tipping his head. “Sorry, did my smile get in the way of your hoof?” he asked as his grin somehow got a little wider. “Don’t blame me, it tends to do that!” He snickered while reaching out and placing a hoof on Squall’s shoulder. A crystal appeared next to him and began glowing brightly.

Bright pink sparks began erupting from Ruin’s hoof, Squall’s eyes widened, his body stiffening.

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUUUUUUUUUGH!!!!!!” Squall cried out as intense pain shot through his entire body. He immediately crumpled, falling to his haunches as his legs gave out. “AHHH! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!!!!” Squall screamed as his body twitched and jittered.

“SQUALL!!!” Star cried out, instinctively jumping out from behind Matteo and leaping at Ruin. Without looking, Ruin reached his other hoof out, grabbing Star right out of the air by the neck of her suit so abruptly that the rest of her body whiplashed forward. “GHRK!” She choked as she halted, immediately grabbing at Ruin’s arm with her little hooves. She lurched her body around, but couldn’t get free.

“Easy there, Short Stuff,” Ruin glanced at her, snickering under his breath. “There’s only so much of me to go around, please wait your turn,” he said in a frighteningly calm tone as Squall continued to scream in pain beneath his other hoof. Star’s eyes grew wide with worry, locking on Squall.

“STOP IT!” she yelled desperately, never taking her eyes off Squall.

“Hm?” Ruin blinked and cocked an eyebrow, noticing where she was looking. “Why? He punched me first! Hee hee!”

Star shifted her eyes to Ruin and glared at him harshly.

“STOP HURTING HIM!!!!!!!” She yelled angrily, slamming her hooves against his arm.

“Hmmmm…?” Ruin looked back and forth between Star and Squall. “Oh! OOOOOH!” his face lit up. “HO HO! So that's how it is, eh?” he made a cute pouty face and his pupils grew wide. “How cute, I think I’ll fart out a few puppies.” He stuck his plot out to the side and made a short poot noise with his lips. “In that case, here… you can join him!”

Ruin whipped Star around and pressed him to Squall. The sparks around Ruins hoof began leaping onto her body as well. In an instant she was screaming right beside Squall as the pain jumped between them both.

“Ah, how lovely,” Ruin tipped his head back and sighed happily. “A duet always sounds better than a solo.”

“STAR!” Squall suddenly yelled, drawing Ruin’s attention back down to them. “NO!!!”

“Quiet you,” Ruin huffed and pressed his hooves down harder on them both. “Keep singing.”

Ruin tipped his head back up and hummed to himself, swaying back and forth before blinking and turning his head to Matteo.

“Oh, I nearly forgot you were there,” Ruin chuckled. He looked Matteo up and down, he was not making any moves to help as he kept Dash’s head supported. His expression was but a stoic glare, showing no sign of emotion. “I’m surprised you’re just sitting there,” he sneered, making a subtle head motion towards Star and Squall screaming beneath his hooves. “Your friends don’t sound like they’re enjoying themselves down here, you know,” he taunted, grinning wide. Ruin’s eyes shifted, looking at Dash lying limply in Matteo’s arms. “Or are you afraid I’ll get to her the moment you come for me?”

“I do not fear you,” Matteo stated adamantly.

“Pfffft, right, right, right,” Ruin turned to face Matteo while casually leaning against Star and Squall, the magic still flowing from him into them as they twitched and groaned in pain. “I’ve read this script before.” He waved a hoof about in the air. “You say that, and then I’m supposed to say something like…” he puffed his chest out and waved a hoof in front of his face, his facial features becoming jagged and overly sharp. “Well you should!” He waved his hoof back, his face returning to normal. “Or something utterly cliché like that.” He winked and pointed at Matteo. “I gotta hoof it to ya, you almost got me to say it, HO HO! But really now, how many times have we heard that? Variety is the spice of life, we ought to change things up around here once in a while!” he continued to act casual as his torture of Star and Squall went on unchallenged.

Matteo’s glare hardened slightly, which Ruin noticed.

“By the way, that look you’re giving me,” he leaned forward a little, resting his body on top of Squall’s. “I like it, but try as you might, you can’t possibly be as much of a stiff ass as a certain pony I regularly bother,” he tipped his head, resting his cheek in his hoof while grinning and giggling under his breath. “If you really want that look to get through to me, you’ll need to clench your ass a little harder and call me names.”

Matteo stayed silent. Ruin pouted.

“That was a demand, not a suggestion,” he snickered. “I have standards, you know!”

Matteo didn’t take the bait.

“Hrm…” Ruin hummed and huffed. “You’re no fun. I guess not just anypony can be as rigid as Full Mooney! HEE HEE HEE!”

“RRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!” Squall suddenly growled from beneath him, reaching a hoof up and grabbing Ruin’s hoof pressed to him.

“Ooo?” Ruin looked down at Squall. His magic was protecting him, but he could see how hard Squall’s arm was tensing. But he quickly noticed Squall wasn’t even looking at him. His head was turned towards Star pressed into his shoulder, his eyes locked on her face as it scrunched and grimaced in pain. Squall’s teeth were grinding hard, his eyes were angled into a ferocious glare, his breaths were sharp and hissing. “Ooooooooooo?” Ruin cooed as he examined Squall’s demeanor devolving into a near feral state. Ruin’s eyes grew wide with delight as he felt pressure against his hoof… Squall was actually starting to force him back. “Now THIS is more like it!”

“HHRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!!!!!!” Squall roared as he put his whole body into it.

Ruin sneered and let up, allowing Squall to force his hoof away. He stepped backwards bouncing on his hooves giddily.

Squall nearly fell flat on his face as he stumbled forward. He managed to stay upright, grinding his hooves into the ground and glaring at Ruin as hard as he could. His breaths heaving. Pink sparks were still weakly crackling about his body, but he was clearly beyond caring.

“Ooooooo hoo hoo hoo…” Ruin edged forward. “Now THAT’S a look that makes me all tingly!” He started slowly moving towards Squall again. “It’s not often somepony pushes back against my magic… it takes more than physical strength to do that,” he stopped and slowly turned his head towards Star. “I wonder what gave you the motivation, hmmmmmmmmmm?”

Squall instantly shifted, putting himself in between Ruin and Star, his angry breaths hissing louder between his teeth and from his nose as he lowered himself slightly to completely conceal her from Ruin’s view.

“BINGO!” Ruin sneered, and pointed. “I had a feeling that was it, ho ho ho!” He started moving towards Squall. “Ah… to be so enthralled… to feel like you have… hmmm… a purpose.” He stopped right in front of Squall, just a yard away, examining him carefully and looking over Squall’s shoulder to see Star. “Pbbbthpth, yuck,” he held his nose and waved a hoof in front of his face. “The things ponies become attached to… clinging to such trivial desires like they mean something. I’ve never seen the appeal.” He shrugged. “Or maybe I’m just numb to it.” He turned to his side and sneered. “But, oh what FUN such things are… to manipulate!” He twirled a hoof in the air.

“AH!” Star shrieked as she was lifted into the air and pulled right over Squall’s shoulder, shooting right into Ruin’s hoof.

“NO!” Squall shouted, rushing forward.

“Up, up, up!” Ruin reached out and tapped a hoof against Squall’s forehead. Squall froze on the spot, his eyes open wide and his mouth stuck agape. He was surrounded by pink sparks similar to before, but he felt completely numb with all sense of touch cut off as if he was frozen in time.

“Good luck getting out of that one, I tried a little harder this time,” he taunted as he held up Star by the neck of her suit. She gasped in pain and grabbed his arm, but no matter how hard she tugged, she couldn’t get free. Ruin looked her up and down carefully. “Interesting choice,” he shrugged and looked back down at Squall. “You walk around in a group full of some absolutely juicy pieces of tail and you went for the midget?”

Squall looked like he was trying to glare, but his head and face were stuck just like the rest of him. Ruin noticed and snorted, holding back a laugh as he waved a hoof in front of Squall’s face. The bit of magic surrounding the top half of his head vanished, and Squall’s eyes and instantly hardened into the harshest scowl one could imagine, which looked a little comical with his mouth still frozen open.

“PFFFFFFFFFFFFT HOO HOO HAHAHA! Oh that’s rich…” He looked at Star again, shaking her lightly in his grip to make her squeak. “Eh, I guess everypony has their thing I guess?” He looked at Squall again, noticing his mouth jittering. He twirled his hoof to release the magic holding the rest of his head and—

“PUT HER DOWN YOU FUCKING FREAK!”

“Whooooooooooooaaaaaaaaaaaa!” Ruin leaned back with his eyes wide, blinking and sneering as he pointed at Star. “Do you kiss her with that dirty mouth of yours? Shame, shame, SHAME!”

“PUT HER DOWN! NOW!” Squall belted, pushing his voice as hard as he could.

“Oh boy, here we go again…” Ruin rolled his eyes. “Fine, you want to do this one more time, hm? Then we will,” he got right into Squall’s face, holding up Star right beside them both. Squall’s eyes kept darting back and forth between Ruin and Star. “Tell me then, tough guy… What will you do… if I don’t?” He grinned, two more crystals appearing beside him that both pointed at Star.

“I’LL KILL YOU!” Squall shouted right into Ruin’s face without any hesitation, forcing his voice so hard it nearly cracked.

“HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!” Ruin surged forward, pressing his face to Squall’s. “HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!” Ruin dropped Star on the ground as he continued to press his face into Squall’s while laughing maniacally. Star instantly curled up, hugging herself and twitching as the pain from earlier still lingered. “HAHAHA! HOHOHO!” Ruin fell over backwards to the ground and kicked his legs into the air. “OH MY MY MY!” He rolled upright. “KILL ME?!” He vanished into thin air and appeared right next to Matteo, jabbing him comically in the side with his elbow. “You hear that?! Kill me! HOHO!” He vanished again and reappeared right in front of Squall again.

Ruin cleared his throat, paused, and cleared his throat again. He blinked, and patted a hoof to his chest. He coughed, grunted, and cleared his throat very loudly, drawing it out for ten seconds before leaning towards Squall with a smarmy smile on his face.

“Good one.”

Squall growled in response, but Ruin rolled his eyes.

“Oh stop that, you’re about as menacing as a welcome mat embroidered with a rainbow,” he dismissed Squall, waving a hoof. “You couldn’t hurt me, let alone kill me, in a million years… and something tells me you already know that… but, ah… Let’s get back to the interesting part.” He turned and sauntered over to Star curled up on the ground, turning to face Squall as he stood right beside her. “Let’s talk about how you made that threat anyway… because of her.”

“Ah!” Star squeaked as Ruin grabbed her by the back leg and held her up in the air, dangling her upside-down. She tried to punch at him, but his hoof sparked, shooting pink pulses over her that caused her to curl up and yelp in pain.

“What is she to you, hm?” Ruin taunted holding her towards Squall. “What does she represent?” he asked as he moved closer to Squall. “I jest about romance, but I can’t help but be curious…” he looked over his shoulder towards Dash’s friends. “We have something incredibly important to the world like the Elements of Harmony in danger with no one to protect them… You spoke up when I was harassing them, but it was nothing… nothing like the response I got when I threatened HER.” He held up and gave her a gentle shake.

Squall gritted his teeth, holding his scowl, but never taking his eyes off Star.

“Oh, I like this…” Ruin got really close, holding Star up at eye level beside them as he remained less than an inch from Squall. “I really like this! HEE HEE!” He backed off slightly to bring Star forward and dangle her right in front of his face. “When ponies act like this, that means it’s personal. And when things get personal, things get interesting. It opens up a nice view into what others may never see or know about them… it exposes them. It shows the world what they really are, what they covet, what they fear, what really motivates them… what makes them DESPERATE.”

Ruin snickered loudly, his grin growing wide as he held up Star beside him and pointed his crystals at her again, watching carefully as Squall’s expression grew harsher and harsher the closer he moved them towards her.

“That last one is my favorite,” he said with a pleasurable sneer. “Y’see, desperation… It’s…” he put his free hoof to his chin. “It’s like… a wild card. It’s always a gamble, always a mystery. You never know what a pony will do when it kicks in because it depends on the pony who’s playing the card. Will they reveal and sacrifice all for what they desire? Or is the pressure too great to risk exposing themselves… even in a moment of life and death?”

He paused, stared at Squall, and snickered.

“Oh right, there’s another word for that… it’s coward,” he taunted while leaning into Squall’s face again, giggling as Squall’s face twitched with anger. “So… what kind of pony will you be, hm?” he pulled back a little and motioned to Star. “What is she? Are ya gonna tell me?”

“I’m going to kick your ass if you don’t let go of—”

Ruin abruptly cut off Squall by pressing his lips together and forcing air through them so hard it sounded like an elephant trumpet.

“WHAT?! HUH?!” Ruin tipped his head and pointed an ear into the air. “SORRY! COULDN’T HEAR YA! YER ASS MUST’VE BEEN TALKING AGAIN!” In the blink of an eye he was right in Squall’s face with a very flat look. “No. Answer the question.”

Squall said nothing. He just held his angry glare.

Ruin grinned.

“Or…” he giggled. “Do you want me to tell you?”

Squall blinked, his eyes widening slightly.

“Oh please don’t make me do this…” Ruin pouted, taking a forced, saddened tone. “I’m giving you the opportunity of a lifetime! A chance to be an open book! To tell all the truths you never thought would see the light of day…” he tipped his head all the way to the side. “What are you afraid of? You’re not scared to say it, are you?”

Ruin’s voice was becoming frighteningly sly as he taunted. Squall desperately glanced at Star, Ruin’s words digging into him. Star was still cringing as she was pricked by the magic volts, but she could hear what Ruin was saying too and was staring at Squall.

“Five…”

Squall blinked, his eyes darting to Ruin.

“Four…”

Squall frantically looked back and forth.

“Three…”

Squall shut his eyes.

“Two…”

Squall opened his eyes, glaring angrily at Ruin.

“Don’t you look at me in that tone of voice, young stallion…” Ruin cut off the countdown and snickered. “You think I’m bluffing don’t you?” He sneered. “Famous last glare!”

Ruin let go of Star. She squeaked as she fell to the ground.

“ONE!”

Ruin reached forward and grabbed Squall’s by the face, getting so close that their noses nearly pressed together. Ruin’s eyes turned black again, the tiny white pupils staring directly into Squall’s eyes, sending chills through him the instant they appeared.

“Your whole life you’ve been playing the same act,” Ruin began, his voice filled with an unsettling demonic echo. “Sometime around your teenage years you began to despise the perpetually happy and utterly embarrassing escapades of your mother and father. You hated the absurd physical affection because you felt it was empty. You thought they just wanted to be loud and rambunctious, and like a normal red-blooded teenage colt, you thought they were ‘uncool’ and wanted nothing to do with them.” He backed up slightly, Squall’s eyes now stuck open wide as he went on. “But, ah… sometimes habits stick, don’t they? You grew into an adult, but you had gotten so used to being a broody loner that it became who you are. Always scowling, always uninterested, always feeling as if others were not worth your time… they were just in your way. How many friends did you make with that kind of attitude, hmmm?” Ruin slowly inched back towards Squall. “Not one… and that’s the way it remained. Then you went on to join the Wonderbolts to kill two birds with one stone. Get away from your family, and become a member of the most elite pegasi without anypony’s help. But then…”

Ruin stepped back and looked up into the air. He said nothing for several seconds and then cleared his throat.

“Hm… he missed his cue…” Ruin scratched his head as he glanced around. “OH! There he is!”

“AUUUGGHHH!!!” A shout of pain suddenly came from overhead and a pony came spiraling down from above, cutting right through the mist surrounding the area and crashing hard to the snow. He bounced roughly several times, before sliding to a halt right beside Ruin.

Before any of them could make out who it was, Ruin reached down grabbed him by the neck of his suit, and hoisted him up.

It was Storm Front. His suit was badly ripped and damaged, his goggles were missing a lens, and he had minor magic burns all over his body, as well as several bruises and scratches. He gasped and wheezed as he dangled limply in Ruin’s grip.

“Nnnghhh…” Storm slowly opened his eyes, struggling to lift an arm to grab Ruin’s as he tried to focus. He was clearly knocked for a loop and trying to regain his senses. “Huh…?” he groggily glanced back and forth. “Sq…Squall? Star…?” His eyes moved to Ruin, instantly opening wide.

“Hush, you have no lines,” Ruin shushed him, his hoof sparking and sending the magic pulses through him that were afflicting Star.

“ARGH!!!” Storm cried out, twitching and cringing as the magic stabbed at him.

Ruin sneered again, looking back at Squall and making a head motion towards Storm in his hoof.

“Enter daddy’s little golden boy!” he said cheekily as the demonic echo lingered. Squall’s eyes twitched as they locked on Storm, Ruin’s smile growing wider by the second. “When you got to the Wonderbolts, you ran headfirst into this particular stallion and he was instantly everything you hated! Or… was he everything you wanted to be? I bet you couldn’t decide. He was well spoken, friendly, and made lots of friends quickly, commanding the kind of meaningful affection you always wished you had. His family background was unfortunate, but he spoke highly of his father, for whom he had the utmost respect for… Then he went on to ultimately beat you and everypony else out to fill the vacant spot in the elite Wonderbolts! But all of that… was trivial wasn’t it? Hee hee heeeeeee!” Ruin patted Squall on the head with his free hoof. “There was something about him… something that bothered you far more than ANYTHING else!”

Ruin suddenly backed away and thrust Storm forward, putting his face right in front of Squall’s.

“HE. WAS. HAPPY.” The echo in Ruin’s voice grew intense as he peeked around the back of Storm’s head, sneering from ear to ear. “He had things so much worse than you ever did. Unlike you, he had a reason to act the way you did, but he didn’t. He refused, he was better than that… better than you!” Ruin pressed his cheek to Storm’s as Storm continued to grimace in pain. “It bothered you, it clawed at you. It made you hate him, hate him so much that just seeing him smile set you off on the inside. You lashed out at him, projected your anger towards him, and made it known that you disliked him while never telling him or anypony else why. And then… Huu huu…” Ruin switched sides, ducking behind Storm and popping up on the other side, pressing his other cheek against Storm’s. “The moment of truth arrived. Your happy-go-lucky parents, the ones you tried so hard to cut from your life for such trivial reasons, showed up to your graduation banquet in all their glory. You were exposed, any façade you were trying to hold up to excuse your behavior came crashing down!”

Ruin let go of Storm. Storm grunted as he hit the ground at Squall’s hooves, rolling over as he twitched. Squall stared down at Storm, his eyes stuck open and his jaw slightly agape.

“And what did he do?” Ruin asked while Squall had his eyes on Storm. “Why, he did what anypony in his position would have done!” Ruin grabbed Squall’s chin and forced him to look into his eyes. “He threw it in your face! He let you have it for always jumping on his back about him and the way he chose to live. You had no right to berate him as you had… and ironically, you had what he wanted! But who was the one throwing shade all the time, eh, ehhhhhh?” Ruin let go of Squall and looked down upon him as Squall’s eyes looked aimlessly forward into Ruin’s chest. “It was a pathetic sight… and you deserved every bit of it. One would have to be crazy to step in and defend you in that moment, but…”

Squall’s eyes shot up as Star suddenly yelped. Ruin had grabbed her off the ground by the back of her suit and held her up.

“Ah… what’s this? There’s another player in this equation! She defended you when no one else would, she understood why you were getting a mouthful, but she refused to let it get out of hoof for your sake… how nice of her to do so!” Ruin turned around and backed up until he was standing side by side with Squall, holding Star out in front of them both. “Why would she do that? Well… let’s back up a little here and talk about what makes her so special.”

Ruin moved her closer to Squall. Their eyes met, the pain in her eyes torturing Squall as the rest of him was held in place.

“She’s a tiny pony who’s much older than she appears and she has tried to become a Wonderbolt so many times that she might as well be a veteran by now,” Ruin moved close to put his face right beside Star’s. “But this isn’t about what she is, is it? This is about her approach to you.” Ruin tapped a hoof to Squall’s forehead. “You treated her just like you did everypony else. You ignored her, you dismissed her, you scoffed at her, and you constantly used your ever-so-predictable reply of…” Ruin suddenly scowled, mimicking a face Squall often made. “Whatever…” His face shifted back instantly. “You tried to push her away as you always had, but something was different, something was off… Where others had backed off, where others had given up… she persisted!”

There was a visible twitch and shift in Squall’s expression. Any sign of strength had vanished from his eyes and was replaced by weakness and subtle panic.

“She refused to back down!” Ruin inched forward, tipping his head to partially block Squall’s view of Star. “She wanted to know why you were the way you are! Your broody act bounced right off of her! You yelled at her, you growled at her, you put up all of your best fronts, but she never went away! But you want to know the best part?” Ruin narrowed his eyes into a sly star, his lips closing into a smug grin as he bounced his eyebrows. “You LIKED it.”

Squall exhaled. It sounded like a weak gasp as if he had just been punched in the gut. Star’s eyes grew wide as she noticed Squall’s reaction, the pain caused by Ruin’s magic seemingly just weak enough so she could fully focus on Squall as Ruin continued to pry into him.

“Oh ho ho ho HO!” Ruin leaned right into Squall’s face, wearing a goofy expression that completely clashed with the frightening sight of his black eyes. “How you secretly ENJOYED it! You relished the attention she gave you! You loved the way she always came right back! You finally met your match, a pony you couldn’t push away, and it made you feel things you never knew you craved. You grew ATTACHED to her…” he moved Star closer to him as the two stared at one another. “You grew PROTECTIVE of her…” Ruin gently tipped her back and forth in front of Squall in a taunting manner. “You put yourself in harm’s way for her several times without a second thought... And when she repaid the favor? When she sacrificed her little body to protect you?”

Ruin suddenly slammed his hoof against Squall’s shoulder. Squall jolted, his eyes widening and filling with pink light. He gasped loudly as a very vivid image of Star shooting in front of him to save him from Devil’s immense magical attack replayed in his mind. It felt real, as if he were actually reliving the moment. His body felt chills as the momery of Star screaming in pain resonated through his head.

“St-STAR!” Squall yelled out instinctively as Ruin quickly removed his hoof from Squall and the light vanished from his eyes. He instantly showed signs of traumatic shock, his pupils had shrunk and were shaking. His mouth was stuck open and his breaths were heavy. All with his eyes locked on a now very alarmed Star. Ruin pulled her back and got in Squall’s face again.

“Your anger exploded! Your rage boiled over as you leapt at the one who hurt her and attacked him relentlessly! His superiority to you meant nothing in the face of your fury! You threw yourself forward and beat him senseless until he could no longer sustain his own power… and met a rather gruesome end.”

Ruin slowly tipped back, letting Squall look directly at Star. He looked completely broken, and Star was now ignoring any pain she was feeling in favor of the intense worry that was filling her.

“How touching…” Ruin cooed, turning his attention to Star. “It’s too bad you were knocked out, if only you could have seen it! The immense effect your selfless act of heroism had on him. He didn’t care that he was outmatched, he wanted to kill Devil for hurting you! Had Devil not been a dumbass and killed himself beforehoof, I’m pretty sure your dashing knight in shining armor here would have torn him limb from limb. All for you, isn’t that romantic?”

Ruin’s head turned all the way around to look at Squall without his body moving.

“And while she was recovering…” his body finally turned to follow his head. “You completely let your guard down. You stayed by her side like a lost, little colt… watching her closely and hoping, praying that she would be alright so you could feel the way she made you feel again. Luckily for you, she recovered just fine, but when she did you went right back to putting on your usual act, hoping nopony would notice.” Ruin shrugged. “I hate to break it to you, Sunshine, but everypony saw it… Everypony knows now! You can’t hide it anymore.”

Squall just kept staring at Star, which Ruin noticed. He sneered as he started moving Star back and forth, snickering as Squall’s eyes followed her everywhere she went.

“SO!” Ruin shifted over, putting himself directly in front of Squall. “Now that I’ve reminded you… Let me ask because I’m just dying to know…” He paused for an uncomfortably long ten seconds, his smile slowly changing from sly to sinister.

In a very swift and sudden motion, he let go of Star’s suit, and roughly grabbed her by the neck. Star squeaked and gasped in surprise, sputtering uncomfortably as Ruin suddenly put pressure on her throat.

Squall flinched hard, a look of shock smacking him in the face.

“What would you do…” Ruin’s voice got deeper and echoed ominously. His hoof gripping Star suddenly lit up, a loud sizzling noise filling the air complete with steam rising from it. Star’s body jolted and she cried out in pain as a faint pink glow surrounded her. His three crystals floated near her and all pointed their tips at her. "IF… I… KILLED… HER?”

Squall’s eyes changed in an instant. The look of shock vanished, replaced by a mixture of fear, anger, and desperation.

“No, NO!” Squall yelled out, lurching his head back and forth as he struggled to move his body. He subtly shifted, his motions forcing against Ruin’s magic, but he couldn’t break free. “NOOOO!” he repeated louder. Ruin was snickering so loudly that his teeth were parting to release uncontainable chuckles.

“Hee! HEE HEE HEE!!! OH I LOVE HOW THIS—oh!” Ruin looked away very suddenly, his eyes flashing brightly. Matteo’s balled up talons slammed right into a pink magic shield conjured just an inch from Ruin’s face.

“RGH!” Matteo grunted, pumping his wings and trying to push forward to no avail.

“HAHAHAHAHAAAAAA! I knew you wouldn’t let that one go!” Ruin guffawed as he watched Matteo struggle. He stared through the shield giddily as Matteo pushed with all his might, his eyes landing on Matteo’s other, injured arm tucked in to his body, clearly favoring the other arm to push with. “Ah fun times…” Ruin suddenly flattened his brow. “But sit down, fatty.” One of Ruin’s crystals flashed, a magic aura surrounding Matteo’s tucked arm. The magic forced the arm out, bending it awkwardly as it tugged hard.

“RRRRRRGGAAAAAHH!!!!!” Matteo slammed his eyes shut, howling in pain as he was yanked to the side, spun around, and thrown to the ground, landing right on top of Storm. The magic sparks appearing on his body, pricking at him as they were with Storm and keeping him down.

“The show must go on!” Ruin chuckled as Matteo rolled over, grabbing his arm and shuddering. He turned back to Squall, smiling even wider as he examined the look in Squall’s eyes. Squall was losing control of himself, instincts taking over as a crazed look of hatred flared up uncontrollably. “Yes, yes, YESSSSSSSS!” Ruin encouraged, the giggling under his breath becoming unnerving. He moved the crystals closer to Star as she continued to wail in pain. “SHOW ME!” Ruin encouraged Squall, inching closer to him with Star in tow. “SHOW ME MORE!” He demanded, backing off slightly to shove Star in his face, the sizzling noise and her cries of agony torturing Squall just as much as her. “I’ll do it! I’ll kill her! I’ll kill her! HAHAHAHA!!!!!!!” Ruin cackled madly, his breaths hissing wildly through his toothy smile as he watched Squall’s anger explode.

“HGRH! RGGGH!!!!! RRAAAAAAHHHH!!!!!” Squall lashed about, his body starting to jostle within the magic hold, gaining more and more movement the more enraged he got as if his surging emotions were the key to fighting against Ruin’s magic.

“HOO HOO HOHOHO!!!!! MY GOODNESS!!!!” Ruin yelled into his face. “YOU’D BETTER HURRY!” He tightened his grip on Star, she flinched hard, her voice cracking and her eyes sticking open wide as the pain intensified. “MY HOOF IS STARTING TO SLIP!” He taunted as Star arched her neck back and screamed even louder.

Squall’s pupils suddenly twitched, his head flinching sharply… and his mind snapped.

“GRRRRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!” Squall surged forward, roaring like a wild beast and ripping completely free of the magic hold.

The instant he was free he began throwing wild punches. Every single swing landed a hit directly into Ruin’s face, but Ruin didn’t budge an inch. Each punch met the same thin veil of light that protected him before. But Squall didn’t stop. He kept roaring out and throwing punch after violent punch with the force of a killer instinct behind every blow. Cricks and cracks kept sounding from his hooves and arms. Eventually his hooves started bleeding at their base, little droplets of blood flying from them as he ignored it and kept up the assault as if he was trying to punch through a brick wall.

But despite his intense emotions pushing him onward, he was overexerting himself. After nearly half a minute of throwing everything he had at Ruin, he began to slow down little by little. His punches weakened, his strength faded, and eventually his attempts to attack Ruin were little more than light taps against the protective magic.

Then his body gave way. Squall collapsed in a heap at Ruin’s hooves, gasping, wheezing, and groaning as his arms went limp, twitching as blood trickled from around his hooves.

Ruin looked down at Squall, shivering with delight as he sneered. He sighed contently, moving his crystal away from Star as the sizzling from his hoof died down. Star blinked, opening her eyes as the pain’s intensity died down considerably. Her body cringed and twitched with aftershocks, but the source of the pain faded alltogether. Her eyes darted about, quickly locking on Squall in a broken heap on the ground. His eyes were stuck open wide, his pupils were small and jittering, his arms and hooves were bloody, and his breaths were heavy, labored, and uneven.

“Hooooooooooooooooooooo…” Ruin blinked, his eyes returning to their normal state. “That was…” he tipped his head back and took a deep breath. “So pathetically pleasing… You know what?” he snapped his head back down and grinned goofily. “I think I’ll laugh hysterically now! HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!” He dropped Star. She landed on the ground with a surprised yelp as Ruin tipped over onto his back, gripped his stomach and kicked his hooves into the air while guffawing. “HO! HA! HEE! WAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!”

His hold on Storm and Matteo suddenly vanished, the prickling sparks fading. The two instantly rolled over and propped themselves up, Matteo still favoring one arm as they stared towards Ruin, unsure how to proceed.

The moment Star gathered herself from the fall, she rolled over and darted over to Squall.

“Squall!” She slid to a halt in front of him, gently grabbing him by the face and turning his head to look at her, but his expression was lifeless, his eyes holding a vacant, broken stare. It cut right through Star. “SQUALL!!!!!” she yelled his name again, shaking him lightly. “AH!” she yelped as Squall suddenly reached out and grabbed her, pulling her into his body and hugging her tightly. Star’s face was smushed to his neck. She quickly shifted and pushed back a little to see the look on his face hadn’t changed, but she could feel the uneven breaths and his body shaking and jittering

He looked utterly physically and mentally broken. Star covered her mouth with a hoof, inhaling a few times as the sight shook her.

All the while, Ruin was still laughing behind her.

Star’s eyes hardened into a glare. She hugged Squall’s neck tightly while turning her head and angrily growling towards Ruin.

“YOU!” she shouted as Ruin kept laughing. “WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?!”

“HOHOHO! HAHAHA! HOOOOOOooooooooooooooooooooooo…” Ruin finally stopped, holding out the last laugh like a long exhale. He rolled onto his side, facing the two of them while taking a sultry pose. “With me? Absolutely nothing,” he smiled smugly and rotated a hoof in front of his face. “Just look at this face. It radiates innocence!” he said while bouncing his eyebrows.

Star scowled harder, to which Ruin replied with puppy dog eyes and batting his eyelashes. He shifted over to lie on his stomach, lifting his back hooves and twiddling them in the air.

“Oh, come on, why all the hostility? You should be thanking me!” he pointed at her and winked. “How much of that about him did you actually know, hm?”

Star flattened her brow, taking care to keep her emotions in check after what she just witnessed.

“That look in his eyes when I threatened you…” Ruin went on, focusing his eyes on Squall. “That desperation… It filled him with anger, with strength, with a desire to destroy me, to KILL me… all just to protect you.” He slowly rose into the air without any magical assistance, or using his wings. “If I were a stinker I’d suggest you owe him a few smooches and some loving, but ah… there’s something else about this that simply gave… me… CHILLS!” He shuddered, twisting once in the air before floating forward so he could look down at them from above.

Star looked up at him, fighting back the urge to yell at him as he held tightly to Squall. Ruin sneered as he cast a shadow over them.

“YOU.” He pointed at Star. “Have become his purpose.”

Star blinked, her expression softening slightly.

“You are the reason he tries,” Ruin went on. “You are the reason he fights, the reason he sticks around. He’s made you into his motivation for everything, ABSOLUTELY everything… That is what you represent for him! And when I threatened to take you away from him, he completely lost his mind!” Ruin flipped over, holding the exact same position, only upside-down. “Ah… touching, isn’t it? But a sappy excuse for a love story is hardly the reason I squeezed it out of him.” He sneered. “I put it all on the line for him…” he slowly began turning upright. “I took his purpose and his reason… and I dangled it out in front of him where he couldn’t reach it… and threatened to destroy it… I wanted to see just how far he’d go to protect it… and boy, he did not disappoint!” Ruin ended upright, grinning slyly down at them.

“That’s… You’re…” Star stuttered, a look of disgust on her face as she glared at Ruin. “That’s so cruel!”

“Oh, whatever,” Ruin flipped a hoof at her while rolling his eyes. “Isn’t that what he says all the time? Whatever.” He tipped his head and rested his cheek on his hoof. “You can’t blame me for being so fascinated by what drives a pony to such lengths. After all… having a purpose… finding a purpose… Isn’t that what life is all about?”

He lowered himself to the ground standing on all four hooves again.

“Being denied such a thing…” Ruin suddenly shot towards them, stopping right in front of Star’s face. She flinched and squeaked as Ruin’s head began to rigidly tip to the side as he held a creepy smile. “Can really make one SNAP! HEE HEE!!!!” he shifted, lowering himself down to Squall’s face while humming happily to himself as he stared into Squall’s jittering, empty eyes. “Purpose… and desperation… Ah, it’s moments like these when ponies reveal who they really are. All shields, fronts, and secrets come crashing down. You get a glimpse into their strongest desires and their greatest fears that linger within and out of sight,” He sneered and slowly turned his head to Star. “What they worry about themselves, how they cope with their flaws, and what they cling to…” he tapped a hoof to Squall’s arm gripping Star. “In order to keep their sanity or validate their existence. When it’s all exposed, when it’s staring you right in the face…” Ruin looked back to Squall, looking eye to eye once more. “There is no escape. No matter how hard you try, the one thing in life you can never run from… is yourself.”

Ruin instantly backed off, throwing his head back and laughing into the air with his eyes open wide. He started walking in a circle, guffawing to his heart’s content.

Suddenly, loud sounds of struggle came from nearby. Everypony except for Ruin yelped and ducked as a grappling clump of Wonderbolts, Shadowbolts, and Renegades fell into the mist, crashing to the ground and bouncing in different directions. One of the Shadowbolts bounced off Ruin, but he didn’t even flinch. Ruin turned and began slowly prancing back towards Rainbow Dash as the group of pegasi all got right to their hooves and all charged at one another, clashing wildly. It was completely uncoordinated, all of them fighting without any sense of direction, taking aim at both of the other two groups and at times accidentally hitting their own. Ruin tipped his head up and laughed even harder as a few more pairs of pegasi and a few thestrels fell in from above, bopping his head back and forth as he freely moved in between the chaotic mess, as if reveling in it.

Matteo had pushed away from Storm and slid to a stop over Dash, covering her up to protect her from any collateral damage. He used his wings to push away any of the ponies that got near as they continued to clash and strike one another. Dash’s Ponyville friends all yelped and curled up, protecting themselves desperately as all the movement and commotion around them only made their migraines worse. A Wonderbolt and a Renegade slammed together right in front of Matteo and Dash, grappling and pushing against one another. Neither seemed to be aware of their surroundings, nor seemed to care about how they had suddenly entered an area with no visibility.

Ruin placed himself right beside them, sticking his head near theirs and laughing with his eyes wide, staring right between them towards Dash. It was frightening how the two didn’t seem to notice Ruin at all, remaining completely focused on fighting one another.

Ruin suddenly reared up on his back hooves and threw his arms out. His crystal flashed brightly, magic auras surrounding all the ponies that had just fallen in.

“WA HAHA!” he cackled as all the ponies yelped in surprise, all of them launching in different directions until they were all thrown back out into the fighting. “Ahhh…” Ruin touched back down. “Purpose… what a thing it is!” he continued on, picking up exactly where he left off as if nothing had happened. He made his way towards Dash again, Matteo leaning over her protectively. “Sometimes it’s defined, sometimes it’s found… but I have to say, the times when it’s defined for you can be a blessing and a curse.” He stopped abruptly two paces away from Dash, spun around to face the other way and looked towards the Elements of Harmony. “Hooo hoo hoo…” he chuckled as he started walking towards them.

As he slowly sauntered with his back turned, Storm quickly shifted over, moving past Star and Squall over to Matteo and Dash. He was still processing what he had been dragged into.

“Matteo!” he called out quietly as he approached, keeping his eyes on Ruin. “What should we—” He stopped on the spot and flinched, reclining backwards as his eyes met an intense glare from Matteo. Storm shut his mouth and swallowed. He didn’t have to ask what the look was for.

“The Elements of Harmony…” Ruin spoke up, drawing their attention back to him as he paced around Twilight. “One of the most powerful forces in existence…” He stopped and lowered himself down to the ground, lying flat right in front of Twilight’s face. She was trying to turn over, her ears twitching at Ruin’s voice, but she could barely move herself an inch. “They’re fascinating, aren’t they?” Ruin tapped a hoof to the Element of Magic, causing Twilight to stir and groan. “A power so strong that it’s split into six pieces and cannot manifest itself without the help of vessels it deems worthy to wield it. A power whose judgement is so absolute that not even a goddess can wield it without its consent!” Ruin’s hoof slid off the tiara and he edged his face closer to the star jewel piece. “Surely there is no force more powerful! I can’t imagine the burden of being a chosen Bearer! It must be… IT MUST BE…!”

Ruin paused for several seconds, holding a crazed face as his eyes remained locked on his reflection in the jewels surface.

Then he blinked, his expression flattening. He stood up, scoffed, and stuck his tongue out in disgust.

“It must really suck, to be honest,” he tapped a hoof to his nose and held out his arm, shaking his head. “Who the hell wants to put up with that kind of crap their whole life?” He tipped over, landing on his side in his sultry pose right in front of Twilight, narrowing his eyes and examining the tiara carefully. “What the hell does magic have to do with harmony or friendship, anyway? The rest of them make perfect sense, but it sounds like the power ran out of ideas when they got to the last one.” He shrugged and reversed the motion, tipping right back up without any physical effort. “But I digress…”

Ruin turned back to Dash and Matteo. Storm instantly shifted, moving away from the two of them as Ruin approached. Matteo held his ground, steeling himself defensively over Dash while resisting the urge to preemptively attack. Ruin’s crystals began to glow and he lifted a hoof in the air.

“Move over, Fluffasaurus,” Ruin said with a light chuckle, gently flipping his hoof to the side. Matteo squawked as he was pinched all over by small blips of light and effortlessly yanked aside, tossing him to the ground and rolling to a stop.

With Dash uncovered, Ruin moved right up to her. She was on her back, staring up with her eyes open halfway and her breaths labored. Ruin sneered as he saw her eyes looking directly at him. Dash groaned and struggled to roll over, turning to her side to look away from him. Ruin watched with amusement, waiting for her to finish turning over.

“So, Rainbow Dash, tell me…” Ruin turned around. “How does it feel to be an Element Bearer?” he asked as he sat his plot down right on her side.

“OOF! GRRrrrgh…” Dash grunted and groaned.

“That good, huh?” Ruin glanced back at her. “Personally, it doesn’t sound too appealing, but it’s not like I know,” he spoke casually while lifting a hoof and turning it over, blowing on it lightly as he examined it. “If I were you, I’d have told the Elements to get bent and find somepony else to do their bidding…” he let his hoof fall and exhaled through his nose. “Alas… I’m sure that thought never crossed your mind,” he snickered, turned and patted her on the head. “LOYALTY is your strength, is it not?” His tone became condescending as he jokingly rubbed his plot back and forth on her back. “You simply radiate it! So much so that you stabbed your own captain in the back!”

Ruin blinked, a blank look on his face.

“Wait… that doesn’t sound right…” he scratched his chin, unable to hold in a devious snicker. “But I’m sure you had your reasons! HEE HEE!”

He scooted off of Dash and made his way over to the rest of the Element Bearers, humming to himself as he approached Rarity.

“The chosen wielder of Generosity… hmmmmmmmmmm…” he stopped in front of her and lowered himself down to the ground, lounging on his stomach and staring at her inches from her face. “The act of being selfless, not hesitating to do something for another even if you gain nothing from it…” he stared a little more, watching as Rarity let out very gentle and lady-like noises to voice the discomfort of her splitting headache compared to the grunts and groans of her friends. “Hmmmmmmm…” Ruin hummed, smiling happily as he looked her face all over. “I have to say, she’s real generous on the eyes too!” He stood up and started pacing around her, examining her all over while remaining uncomfortably close. “Such a sleek figure, curvaceous and voluptuous…” he blinked and sniffed the air twice. “WHOO! A little heavy on the perfume though!” He sneered as he touched a hoof to her side near her flank and slowly slid it along the curve of her waist all the way to her shoulder and neck. Rarity shivered and whined at his touch. “Such effort into your appearance… Such devotion to being visually pleasing… So many hour spent in front of a mirror… Somepony clearly wants to get noticed, but to what end, eh?” He suddenly bent down, nearly touching his nose to her ear. “Something tells me you like to be real ‘generous’ in other ways too…” he whispered into her ear. He pulled back and sneered. “Though you’d think with the good looks you so adore, you’d have gotten something out of it by now… you HAVE… haven’t you?”

Rarity’s eyes open suddenly. They were bloodshot and shaking, unable to focus. They snapped to Ruin, but she shut her eyes quickly, groaning as her whole body shuddered.

“Hooooo hoo hoo, oh my…” Ruin turned away from her, making his way over to Pinkie Pie… who was still face down in the snow with only the lower half of her body sticking up out of the snow. “The wielder of Laughter!” Ruin called out in an exaggerated tone as he stopped in front of her and made a forced goofy face. Three seconds later his expression turned completely upside down into a scrunched, annoyed look. “Though I’m hardly laughing.” He flicked Pinkie’s tail back and forth with a hoof. “What are you, really? Just a pudgy pink pony who’s addicted to spontaneity and overindulges in sweets. How long can you keep up the act? What happens the day that wears out?” He sat down and leaned back, using her as a back rest.

He shook his face rapidly, his features blurring. When he stopped his face and mane looked like Pinkie’s.

“Don’t be silly! That would never happen!” he mocked Pinkie’s voice. “I’ll just find new ways to make everypony smile, smile, smile! PBTHBTPBTH.” Ruin blew raspberries as his Pinkie-style mane deflated back to normal and his face instantly reverted. “Spare me. When does silly become annoying? I bet you’ve never considered that,” he said as he jabbed an elbow into Pinkie’s back. “Take it from me, Sugar High, I’m in your shoes all the time. Ponies have limits and unless you like to test them like I do, you’re in for a rude awakening. You love being the way you are, but you fear the day you can no longer crack even a subtle giggle out of a pony…” Ruin lifted an eyebrow and cracked a grin. “What would your precious Element think of you then?” he asked in a condescending tone. “You certainly wouldn’t be laughing anymore, would you?” he asked while grabbing her tail and tugging on it once.

SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee…

Ruin blinked and let go of her tail.

“Neat.”

Ruin stood up and started moving towards Applejack. His eyes narrowed and a sneer formed on his face as he grew close, watching as she, unlike the others, was constantly giving maximum effort to pick herself up. She failed over and over again, but she was stubborn and persistent. Ruin licked his lips as he watched her give it her all.

“Honesty, honesty, honesty…” he said smoothly as he stopped in front of her. She turned her head and glared, pain and discomfort hidden in her strong expression. “HONESTLY!” Ruin pressed a hoof to her head and forced her back down.

“AH!” Applejack yelped and fell flat.

“Just how honest can a pony be?” Ruin cooed as he lied down on his side with his arm on top of Applejack’s mid-section, treating her like an armrest. “How does one even qualify for this element, anyway?” he asked, scratching his chin. “By never telling a lie? WHEW!” he tapped the back of his hoof to his forehead and draped himself over her in a fainting motion. “What a stiff way to live!” he yelled out while upside down. “How can you stand it?!” he turned over resting his stomach and both arms on her. He paused, blinked, and poked the side of her chest and shoulder once before resting his cheek on his arm. “Though maybe it’s a little more specific, I’m sure the contract doesn’t cover little fibs or bending the truth to be nice about something… though you strike me as the blunt type.” He switched which cheek he was resting, noticing that Applejack was scowling and trying to open her eyes to glare at him. Ruin sneered. “It must be that angry scowl you’re giving me right now while struggling, HEE HEE!” he reached over and patted her on the head, earning a loud growl that he completely ignored. “But let’s be… HONEST… for a moment. Have you really never told a lie?”

“HHHHRRRRRGGGNNNNHHH!!!!!” Applejack suddenly roared. Ruin flinched in surprise as Applejack suddenly forced herself up, nearly throwing him to the ground. She wobbled, turned, and swung at him, but was completely off the mark. Ruin simply leaned a little, letting her miss and fall right back to the ground, groaning.

“WHOA HO HO!” Ruin chortled as Applejack hit the snow and rolled onto her side. “You’re definitely the rough and tough one of the bunch. I’m impressed you can move with your brain scrambled as it is,” he pointed to his head, his eyes spinning in a circle once as he snickered.

Ruin paused, staring at her as she continued to struggle, going right back to her efforts to move and stand. His eyes scanned her all over, his grin widening by the second.

“Dear me, I can’t help it!” He leaned down and poked her shoulder again, tapping his hoof over her muscles. “PHEEEE YEEEW!” he whistled loudly as he shook his head. “Somepony get this workhorse a cart to pull. Farm work sure pays off, doesn’t it?” He ran a hoof along her chest, down her side and stopped at her flank, tapping his hoof repeatedly against her cutie mark. “Sheesh, I bet you could crush a head like a walnut with these thighs…” He blinked and smirked. “Actually I know some ponies who are into that, should I call ‘em up?” He snickered while holding one of his crystals to his ear.

“NGRRRHHH!!!!” Applejack growled while glaring at him.

“No?” Ruin pouted, then shrugged. “Eh… HONESTLY, that’s too bad! HOOOO HO HO HO!!!!” he turned his back to her and locked his eyes on Fluttershy. “Talk about a shift, hee hee…” He chuckled as he sauntered over to the little yellow ball with pink hair shivering and whimpering in the snow. “Going from the big, strong, and burly to the small, weak, and utterly adorable…”

Fluttershy squeaked as she heard his voice grow closer, curling up tighter on the ground. Ruin stopped right over her and made an exaggerated pouty face.

“Awwwwwwww… would you look at this…” He bent down and poked his nose against her back. Fluttershy yelped and shivered. “What a pwecious wittle Pegasus…”

“YEEP!” Fluttershy yelped as Ruin suddenly scooped her up off the ground and nuzzled his check against her body.

“She’s so itty bitty, shy, and scared.” He rocked her back and forth. “How perfect for the Element of Kindness! You must be a complete pushover that gets taken advantage of all the time!” he taunted while sticking his nose uncomfortably close to her ear.

Fluttershy stiffened briefly before whimpering and sniffling loudly.

“Ohhhhhhh sweetie pie, don’t cry!” Ruin continued to baby talk her. “Don’t let a big old meanie like me get you down! I only call it as I see it... OOPS!” He burst out laughing, Fluttershy freezing in fear as his laughter rang through her ears. He suddenly let go, dropping her back to the ground with a quiet yelp. “Sorry, Element of Honesty must’ve rubbed off on me, HOHO!!!!!”

Fluttershy shuddered on the ground, still curled up and shaking as she started crying. Ruin scoffed and shook his head as he looked down upon her.

“What a joke…” Ruin shrugged. “All of you,” he looked around at the Elements, then back down at Fluttershy. “Makes me wonder if this supposed great power has a brain or if it’s just some mindless mass of bullsh—”

Ruin blinked, cutting himself off as a large shadow suddenly loomed over him. He casually looked up, a very large, red hoof was directly above him… and plunged down.

There was a loud crash, followed by a flash and purple sparks flying everywhere.

Ruin had not moved an inch, the large hoof grinding against a thin veil of light surrounding Ruin.

“Well now…” Ruin’s body turned around without any physical effort. “Is that any way to say hello?” Ruin blinked in surprise when he noticed he was looking at a stomach. He slowly tipped his head up… and further up. “Well now… aren’t you a big fella?”

It was Big Macintosh.

Dash blinked, noticing a blur of red in her vision near the clear sight of Ruin. More colors began moving nearby, she couldn’t see them well, but the colors were familiar.

Ruin looked back and forth from beneath Mac’s hoof as Thunderlane, Braeburn, Derpy, and Bulk Biceps all moved in. They all looked a little banged up, some bumps and bruises, but for the most part appeared to stay away from the major fighting. Thunderlane was the one exception, his suit torn and his goggles damaged, but still in top form it seemed as he rushed right to Applejack’s side. The other’s moved about to the Elements as well. Braeburn tried to uproot Pinkie. Derpy and Bulk Biceps made their way towards Dash, putting themselves in front of her and Matteo.

“Hm?” Ruin glanced up at Mac who was glaring and still trying to push down on him, looking completely unfazed by the fact that his strength couldn’t budge him. “Oh right, the tagalongs!” Ruin mused. “What took you guys so long?” He snickered as he turned around again, barely paying Mac any mind.

He watched briefly as Thunderlane gently helped prop up Applejack, a clear tenderness in his touch. Braeburn had finally uprooted Pinkie Pie and was shaking her lightly to get a response out of her. Ruin looked down at Fluttershy, who was staring up at Big Mac.

“Well, isn’t this romantic?” Ruin rolled his eyes. “Look at all the knights in shining armor coming to save their damsels in distress. Hold on, I need to eject my lunch.” He slammed a hoof to his chest, making loud, forced coughing and gagging noises, lurching from side to side and crumpling down, Mac’s hoof going with him.

Mac’s glare hardened further, the large muscles in his chest and arms tensing and flexing as he pushed harder. But he still couldn’t move Ruin even a smidge.

“Ahhh… Needed that…” Ruin sighed contently. “Alright let’s see here, we have…” he sat down and crossed his arms, Mac still pressing down to no avail. Ruin made a casual hoof motion towards Thunderlane. “A stallion that got laid by accident and later ran away from a fake dragon like a wuss.”

Thunderlane flinched hard as Ruin motioned to Braeburn.

“A Brokeback Apple that everypony wants to take a bite out of… apparently…”

“Say what now?” said Braeburn as his eye twitched. Ruin glanced over towards Derpy and Bulk.

“A blowhard that skipped leg day… The unintentional mascot of an unexpected fandom…”

Derpy blinked and tipped her head in confusion. Ruin turned and looked up at Big Mac, shifting slightly to see past his hoof.

“And an enormous hulking brute with the conversational capacity of a rock.” Ruin sneered. “Oh what fun! It’s like my own personal stage show of rejects!” Ruin giggled to himself as he looked around again and his eyes landed on Rarity… unprotected. “Hmm… wait…” he taped a hoof to his chin. “Now hold on,” he pointed at her. “I swear there was one more of you, I know Miss Princess Friendship over there is a different case, but… where’s your stallion protector? We’ve got the others covered and Dashie poo’s boo boo is, well, busy, hee hee!”

Ruin sneered, glancing up briefly and rubbing his hoof against Mac’s arm before looking at his hoof and blowing on it briefly.

“The hot apple rejected from his home, seeking a new life with the help of a silly pony… A blundering Pegasus breaking what doesn’t belong to him… earning back respect through work and bagging a mare that could break him if he’s not careful…” Ruin’s eyes shifted down to Fluttershy on the ground.

He paused, his face going blank and his eyes growing wider. He glanced over his shoulder at Big Mac.

“WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIT…” he turned and faced Big Mac, holding his arms out towards him for a moment. He slowly turned, moving his hooves over to Fluttershy. “You…? And her…?!” Ruin’s jaw dropped. “You’re kidding me right? How in the world do you two even…” He trailed off and started making hip thrusting motions. Mac’s calm, yet stern glare finally snapped, his face scrunching up with anger. “That’s just preposterous!” Ruin placed the back of his hoof on his forehead, chuckling to himself as a smile crept back onto his face. “How has she not disintegrated from the pressure yet?” he held his hooves towards Fluttershy, crudely measuring the size of her body with his hooves before motioning them towards Mac’s crotch. “She's practically the same size as your—whoa, whoa, whoa, WHOA, WHOA!!!!!!!”

Ruin suddenly reacted, flailing his arms slightly as he realized he was starting to sink into the snow. Mac was actually forcing him down, his breaths hissing through his nose, his muscles in his arms and chest bulging and popping veins as Mac pressed down with so much force that he was moving Ruin’s magic.

Ruin’s other two crystals quickly darted around to join the other, both shining brightly to bolster the magic already flowing. The veil of light around him grew brighter and he stopped sinking.

“WOW!” Ruin stared in awe at Mac. “That shouldn’t even be possible! You are no slouch, eh? Ho ho ho!” He sneered as Mac grunted and growled down at him, trying to push even harder. “All that bulk ain’t just for show, eh? You’re a genuine power house!” Ruin glanced over his shoulder towards Bulk Biceps. “Hey, you. Meat Slam Chops, take notes.” He motioned towards Mac. “This is what muscles are for. Maybe if you did more than yell and scream in the gym you’d be more than just a pony filled with overinflated balloons.”

Without making a sound, Mac suddenly picked up his other hoof and slammed it down to double the pressure.

“WHOOOF!” Ruin grunted as he was immediately flattened into the snow. With a brief bright blip of light, he teleported out from beneath and appeared one yard away, giving Mac a flat look. “Alright, that’s enough of that, Tiny. You’ve made your—”

Mac quickly stepped up in front of Fluttershy and reared back on his hooves, a low pitched nicker roaring from his throat as he thrust all his weight down, his hooves plunging towards Ruin.

A blinding flash of pink light shone forth as Mac’s hooves connected. Everypony blinked, several gasping as Mac flew backwards, landing with a loud thud and rolling to a stop in the snow several yards away.

“I said that’s enough,” Ruin snorted, his aura calming down. “Now, come on… Where’s the brains of this outfit?” Ruin asked while looking towards Rarity again. “The one of you I’m actually interested in didn’t even show up!”

Mac quickly picked himself up, snorting like a bull, chest and nostrils flaring as he charged towards Ruin. Thunderlane shook his head out, deciding to follow Mac’s lead as he spread his wings and launched. Bulk yelled out, encouraged by the charge and made a move as well with Braeburn reluctantly following behind.

Ruin sneered, instantly sensing all of them coming. His three crystals lit up.

But before they could get halfway to him, several yellow magic walls popped up in their paths. They all abruptly stopped, Thunderlane landing and the rest skidding to a halt.

“Stop,” A new voice came from nearby. They all turned and looked, Ruin included, to see Fancy Pants emerging from the mist and walking towards them, horn alight as he maintained the barriers. Unlike the others, he looked completely untouched, his suit and mane in perfect condition despite the mess of fighting all around them. “Don’t waste your energy,” Fancy added calmly as he dropped the shields.

“Ooooooooo?” Ruin cooed as he faced Fancy and grinned. “There you are!” he mused as he looked Fancy up and down.

“His magic is not to be taken lightly,” Fancy continued to address the others. “A physical altercation would not be to our advantage,” he explained as he placed himself in front of Thunderlane, Braeburn, and Bulk, motioning past Ruin for Big Mac to step back.

“But… he…” Thunderlane stuttered, still not quite sure how to approach the situation. Fancy shook his head.

“Did you see what he did to Macintosh?” he asked, glancing back at Thunderlane. Thunderlane bit his lip and took a step back. “You would be wise to analyze your opponents more carefully.”

“Hoooooooo hoo hoo hoo…” Ruin started slowly pacing towards Fancy. Thunderlane gulped and shuffled back further as Ruin came forward. “Interesting… Is that why you didn’t come forward with the rest? Stayed back to get a good look at lil’ ol me, eh?” Ruin’s voice slithered, but Fancy kept calm as he faced him.

“Perhaps…” Fancy replied as Ruin stopped just a yard away.

“I’ll take that as a yes,” Ruin tipped his head, opening his eyes wider and sneering. “Smart move… but then again, I can’t say I’m surprised. The way you eluded and mislead those elite Wonderbolts away from these mares…. Thanks to you, the subversion plan was successfully executed despite Spitfire’s attempts to shut it down. That was some fancy hoofwork and advanced trickery. Color me impressed.”

“You saw that, eh?” Fancy chuckled. “You’ve been watching this whole event unfold, haven’t you?”

“Oh of course!” Ruin exclaimed joyfully, throwing his hooves into the air. “This is the kind of carnage I live for! And it’s not often it goes this far without me pulling a few strings, so this has been an especially delicious treat,” he snickered while licking his lips very slowly.

“Indeed,” Fancy smiled. “It has been quite thrilling, hasn’t it?”

Ruin blinked in surprise. The others all quickly looked towards Fancy in confusion.

“Pardon?” Ruin blinked again, his ears twitching. He slid forward, turning his head slightly and closing one eye as he got really close to Fancy’s face. Fancy didn’t budge as Ruin looked him hard in the eye. “You’re enjoying this?”

“Why, of course I am…” Fancy smirked, grabbing his monocle with his magic and wiping it with a cloth. “How often does one get a chance to take part in a justified insurgency?” he asked as he replaced the monocle on his face.

Ruin shifted back a little, looking Fancy over carefully with a clear bit of skepticism.

“This is the opportunity of a lifetime,” Fancy went on. “A chance for a kind of excitement I doubt I’ll ever find again. It would be a shame to simply let it pass, and so far I’ve not been disappointed.” He nodded and placed a hoof on his chest. “I’m a stallion of sport, my friend. Yet, there is only so much one can find among the motions of everyday life. The unknown… the unexpected… the unnatural… taking on these moments are what complete me. I relish anything that challenges me in new and interesting ways… and what a better time to take advantage of than all hell breaking loose like this?”

By now the rest of Fancy’s group and Dash’s squad were staring wide eyed at Fancy, perplexed. Ruin remained quiet for a moment, only to have his unnerving, deceptively jovial expression suddenly return in an instant.

“HA!” He leaned back. “HAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!” he guffawed heartily, but abruptly cut himself off and cleared his throat, quickly leaning forward and resting a hoof on his chin. “You know what, I like you.” He poked Fancy in the chest. “You’ve got good taste.”

“So I’m told…” Fancy bopped his head from side to side. Ruin sat back and crossed his arms, grinning with a troubling interest in his eyes.

“The way you frame it is interesting. It’s the same as me, yet very different at its base. I love causing a ruckus, but it’s for my own visual entertainment. You on the other hoof… You don’t create the mess, but when one presents itself, you partake? For the hell of it?” Ruin held a hoof to his ear. “Stop the presses and call the cops! We could be partners in crime, hee hee hee!”

Ruin lifted into the air and leaned sideways into his favorite sultry pose.

“But enough chummy chit chat…” he chuckled while scratching his plot. “You’ve made this much more interesting. You’re the first pony…” he suddenly paused and scowled. “SANE… pony… around here to recognize that hostility towards me typically doesn’t end well.”

“I never said I’d—”

“Stop. You’re not going to attack me,” Ruin abruptly cut Fancy off. Fancy did not waver, but snorted quietly. “What?” Ruin snickered. “You thought you had something like that to hide up your well-dressed sleeve? You’re not the only observant one around here, you know. You know you can’t beat me like that.”

“I suppose not,” Fancy admitted as Ruin began to hover around him.

“And I find that fascinating…” Ruin snickered as he slowly moved behind Fancy. “You wouldn’t believe how rare a find this is… Hell, some of the dingbats among the Shadowbolts still haven’t pieced that one together. But you… YOU!” he floated back around in front. “This is the first time we’ve met, and you’ve already caught on. You’re a rare one for sure.”

Fancy cocked an eyebrow as Ruin floated before him, grinning from ear to ear.

“You speak as if whatever my intentions are… that you’ve already won,” Fancy pointed out.

“Win?” Ruin closed the gap between them in an instant, getting right into Fancy’s face. Again, Fancy held his ground. “What’s here to win or lose?”

Fancy and Ruin held eye contact for several seconds. Then Fancy glanced away, his eyes shifting between all the Elements of Harmony. Ruin noticed and followed Fancy’s eyes.

“What… those?” Ruin stated flatly while motioning towards the Elements and Dash’s friends. “Them? That crap?” He pointed to his neck and forehead. “Spare me, I’d rather get a rub down with hooves full of nails.”

“Hm…” Fancy hummed briefly to himself, tipping his head slightly. “Interesting… Then consider my analysis flawed.”

“Oh?” Ruin tipped his head too to line up with Fancy’s.

“I observed you speaking condescendingly to the Element Bearers,” Fancy began. “You jested at what they all stood for and showed disrespect towards the power they represent. You also hid the area in a misty fog,” Fancy motioned a hoof above. “Which, but the way, I am at a loss as to how you did such a thing, but that’s beside the point. I had come to the conclusion that you wanted something with or from the Elements of Harmony. Perhaps their power for yourself… or to destroy them.”

Ruin stared as Fancy finished. His head slowly began to tip to one side with his smile inching wider as he leaned.

“Boy… did you get that one wrong, HAHAHA!” he threw an arm out towards the Elements. “Take them? Destroy them? For what reason? Why would I remove key pieces from the board while the game is still in full swing?” Ruin mused, giggling to himself the whole way through.

“Then perhaps—”

“No.” Ruin suddenly popped up less than an inch from Fancy’s face. Fancy flinched, startled and taking a small step backwards. “I’m going to stop you RIGHT there, Mr. Flashy Chaps.”

“Fancy Pants.”

“Lavish Leggings,” Ruin giggled as Fancy flattened his brow. Ruin poked him on the shoulder. “Wear it and live with it. Now listen closely because I’m onto you!”

Ruin sneered very wide, but Fancy played it cool.

“Do tell.”

“Oh I will…” Ruin giggled creepily into Fancy’s face before pulling back an inch or two. “You’re calm and collected. You’re clever and tenacious. You act all suave and have a smooth tongue, but allow me to show you just how OUTMATCHED you truly are here.”

Fancy subtly flinched as Ruin leaned in again, nearly touching their noses together. He opened his eyes very wide, staring directly into Fancy’s.

“You started with a passive approach. You did so to pique my interest. You then voiced pleasure in the situation in an attempt to put us on agreeable ground.” He pushed his hoof against Fancy’s suit collar. “You then tried to misdirect by framing out little meeting here as a battle of wits and minds, one to be won or lost. You used that as a means to segue and poke into my intentions with the Elements of Harmony even though your prior observations from a distance should have been enough to conclude I don’t care!”

Fancy’s eyes twitched and widened subtly.

“And from there…” Ruin tapped a hoof against Fancy’s cheek while chuckling. “You acted as if you made a flawed conclusion to throw up false curiosity, prying into my intentions in hopes that your attempts to butter me up beforehoof would make me careless and spill all the beans!” Ruin tipped his head all the way sideways and puckered his lips a little. “Well? On a scale of one to ‘holy shit,’ how hard have I blown your mind?”

Fancy just stared at Ruin, a calm look of surprise stuck to his face as his lips parted, but he said nothing. His mouth simply hung slightly ajar.

“Ho ho ho!” Ruin turned his head upright and pressed his hooves into his cheeks. “That look on your face says it all!” He leaned back slightly and crossed his arms, a sly grin forming on his lips. “You fancy yourself a clever pony… but with me, you’re sticking your nose into a whole different world. One you could never be prepared for,” he taunted while tapping his hoof against the tip of Fancy’s horn. “Let’s see… after getting me to talk, you were going to propose something to keep me occupied. Perhaps a competition, or a game? You’d use your wits to keep my interest on you while your hench ponies behind you whisk the Element of Harmony to safety. Perhaps if you were right about my intentions and I were a sucker that would have been a very solid plan. But…” Ruin floated into the air and lay flat, keeping his face at eye level with Fancy. “If you’re trying to play mind games…” He slowly twisted until he was upside-down, his smile growing larger and creepier as he rotated. “You picked the WRONG pony to play them with.”

“I…” Fancy stuttered as Ruin kept turning until he was upright, but the new expression remained. “My word…” Fancy smirked nervously as Ruin landed and inched backwards. “You are far more dangerous than I presumed…”

“I aim to please…” Ruin bowed, tilting his head up as he reached the bottom of the motion, holding the wide grin still. “…myself. SO!” He popped right back up and stepped around to stand side by side with Fancy. “Now that I’ve firmly put you in your place,” He casually leaned and rested an elbow on Fancy’s shoulder. “What’s your next move, hm?” he stared at Fancy, who was still staring straight ahead. “A pony of your keenness undoubtedly knows how to improvise.”

Fancy swallowed, his eyes shifting away, but Ruin popped up on the other side of him.

“Think quickly and carefully…” Ruin’s voice slithered as he snickered. “Wouldn’t want to fall short of daddy now, eh?”

Fancy gasped, flinching as his eyes grew wide and his monocle fell from his face.

“OOPS!” Ruin shifted away from him and placed a hoof over his mouth. “Pardon me, that slipped out… I suppose most don’t know about that one, eh? EH? OH HO HO!” Ruin laughed to himself as Fancy looked down and gritted his teeth. “Tell you what, I’ll make that one up to you,” Ruin suggested as he sauntered around and faced Fancy again. “You weren’t completely wrong, actually… just mostly.” He snickered as he bent down to get into Fancy’s field of view. “The Elements of Harmony are technically part of all of this, but… in reality…” he slowly turned and looked towards the others. “I really only care about one of them…” his eyes landed on Dash.

Matteo quickly turned and shifted a wing to cover up Dash and get her out of view. But Ruin refocused on Fancy, who was still looking down silently.

“Why, you may be wondering? That’s for me to know,” he said slyly while giving Fancy a single condescending pat on the shoulder. “And you’ll have to live with the fact that I’m a mystery you’ll never solve no matter how hard you try.”

Fancy shuddered lightly as Ruin spoke those words, as if his voice was chilling him inside out. His head remained down as Ruin stood up and took a step to the side.

“Now, if you’ll excuse me… I have things to do,” Ruin nodded contently as he started moving towards Dash.

Fancy remained still as Ruin left him behind. Matteo quickly put Dash down behind him and took a defensive position. Bulk, Derpy, and Storm all stepped in front as well. Matteo glanced briefly at Storm, but quickly returned his attention to Ruin. Ruin grinned wide as he saw Dash’s protectors take their places, his crystals hovering along with him and glowing as he drew closer.

“Heh… heh heh…”

Ruin paused, glancing over his shoulder as he heard the chuckling behind him. Fancy was… shaking?

“Ha… Haha…” Fancy looked up into the air. “HAHAHA!!!!” he laughed in a somewhat unnerving manner.

“Was it something I said?” Ruin lifted an eyebrow. “What’s so funny?” he asked as he turned around to face Fancy again. Fancy himself whipped around, a big smile on his lips as he lifted the monocle back onto his face with his magic.

“Remarkable… simply remarkable!” He said with excitement. “You are a challenge unlike anything I’ve ever faced! I’ve never once found myself so soundly beaten at a game of wits… this is exhilarating!” he said, chuckling to himself.

“Whoa there, don’t relieve yourself while you’re at it…” Ruin looked him up and down. “That looks like an expensive suit.” Ruin snorted, locking his eyes on Fancy’s and examining them carefully. Hmmmmm…” He hummed to himself before changing course and approaching Fancy once again. “Fine… I’ll bite. If this really is making you pop a stiffy in your cummerbund then you must have your next move in mind… and I’m just stupid enough to think you’ll keep me entertained.” Ruin smirked as he stopped a yard away from Fancy, tipping his head in a taunting manner. “Well, lay it on me… What will a clever pony backed in a corner do?”

“Me?” Fancy smirked right back. “Why, I’ve done all I can,” he said very calmly. Ruin stared for a moment before flattening his brow.

“Look here, Bourgeois, I can make this much worse for you if you’re just going to feed me full of bullsh—”

“At least…” Fancy cut him off.

“By myself.”

Ruin’s eyes shot open as his ears turned. Everypony else flinched and quickly glanced around. That was Fancy’s voice but… it came from a different direction. Ruin’s eyes snapped to his right… as another pony emerged from the mist.

It was…

Another Fancy Pants?

Everypony glanced back and forth as a second Fancy Pants leisurely strolled into view, moving towards Ruin until he stood before him a little ways to the left of the first Fancy.

But despite the bewilderment rushing through the others, Ruin immediately scrunched his face and scoffed.

“Really?” Ruin rolled his eyes, looking at the first Fancy and motioning his arm to the second. “That’s it? THIS is your next move? A magic clone?” Ruin stated in a monotonous tone.

Both of the Fancys just kept smiling. Ruin’s face suddenly puffed up.

“PAAAAAAAAAAAAAH HAHAHAHA!!!!! OOOOOOOH HOHOHO HOOOOO!!!!!!” Ruin fell over and rolled on the ground. “Hooooooooooooooo…” His laughter died down as he lay on his back, staring straight up with his les in the air. “How… unimaginative.” He hovered into the air and turned himself upright, standing on all fours again. “And here I was actually interested in seeing what you might try. Guess I really was stupid enough to believe you’d impress me.” He shook his head and shrugged. “Well thanks, that’s a large dollop of disappointment my jimmies most certainly didn’t need. This is such an elementary visual trick. All it takes is finding the one made of pure magical energy. And if you really thought I’d be incapable of sensing such a simple thing, then I’m insulted.”

Both the first and second Fancy just continued to smile.

“Alright…” Ruin sighed and grinned. “Let’s see, the real one is…” he looked closely at them both.

But his grin disappeared quickly. He blinked, his expression going neutral as he glanced back and forth between them. He squinted really hard, pink light glowing from his eyes and his mouth scrunching up. His lips parted, revealing slightly gritted teeth as he snorted and brought one of his crystals around. He held it up in front of him and looked through its translucent surface, once again shifting back and forth between the two Fancys.

This continued for several seconds, Ruin’s eyes growing slightly wider with each glance.

“What…?” Ruin suddenly spoke up. The glow around the crystal grew brighter. “What?!” he repeated, a little more frantically. “WHAT?!” He jammed his face against the crystal, his head turning back and forth over and over. “You’re…” Ruin’s jaw hung open as the crystal fell from his face, revealing two wide, confused eyes. “You’re both real…?”

“Indeed…” said the first Fancy.

“I am,” finished the second Fancy.

Ruin stared at the two of them with a blank expression while everypony else sat completely still, too confused to even begin to figure out what they were looking at. Both Fancy’s chuckled at the same time as Ruin looked completely perplexed.

“You were saying something about…” said the first.

“This being elementary?” the second finished.

Ruin flinched and blinked, suddenly shaking his head out rapidly before taking a long, deep breath. He looked at both Fancys with a flat expression before a slight smirk grew on his face.

“Alright… alright…” he said with a subtle snicker. “I must admit, this is a very cute trick.” He sat down and leaned back, taking a very casual position while crossing his arms. But the smirk faded quickly, his mouth scrunching up. After a few seconds he shut his eyes and held his breath, puffing his cheeks out. Eventually he let the air out, puttering his lips as he released a heavy sigh. He pouted, and stared at the two of them with a frustrated glare. “How did you do it?”

“The tables have turned, haven’t they?” the first Fancy said with a chuckle.

“Can’t resist something you don’t understand?” the second Fancy added with an identical chuckle.

“There is NOTHING I don’t understand!” Ruin suddenly lashed out, growling under his breath. “There is no trace of manipulated magical force within either of you. Neither of you has the properties of being magically generated,” he explained, sounding very annoyed. He motioned a hoof towards both of them. “This… Isn’t possible. You can’t create a living, breathing copy of yourself out of thin air. Not even with magic. And if one of you were a different pony that would have been even easier to detect.”

“And yet…” said the second Fancy

“Here I am,” finished the first.

Ruin’s eyes twitched as the Fancys switched which one of them spoke first.

“Alright, cut that out.” Ruin pointed angrily. “I only need ONE of you talking at a time.”

“No,” both Fancys said at the same time. Ruin clenched his hooves, shut his eyes, and bit his bottom lip while inhaling sharply through his nose.

“Okay… okay…” Ruin exhaled and stared at them grumpily. “Congratulations, you have my attention. Now what?” he tapped one hoof against the ground.

“How about a little game?” asked the first Fancy.

“Figure out which one of me is the true Fancy Pants?” added the second.

“Not interested, I have better things to do.” Ruin quickly stood up and turned around.

“Why the hostility? It’s because you can’t, isn’t it?” The first Fancy asked before Ruin could take a step.

“Does it bother you?” the second added with a smirk.

Ruin flinched, shutting his eyes tight.

“What…” he started to turn. “Did you…” his eyes opened to reveal the black eyes with white dot pupils. “Just say…?”

“You heard me,” the Fancys said in unison.

Ruin snarled in their direction, his nose scrunching up. But a moment later, he quickly shut his eyes and mouth.

“No,” he said as he opened his eyes and they were back to normal. “Not one bit.” He faced them and cracked his neck from side to side. “Because I can and WILL figure this out. It’s just some neat trick I haven’t seen before, nothing more.” He pointed at the second Fancy. “You, Mr. Fashionably Late, get over here and stand next to your early bird twin.”

The two Fancys looked at one another and exchanged confident grins before the second Fancy did as Ruin asked, strolling over to the first and standing right next to him. The moment he was in place Ruin got right up in their faces, getting very close and shifting back and forth between them. His eyes darted rapidly, examining their faces all over as he looked for anything off. He rubbed his chin, humming to himself and scrunching his face as he tried to pick up anything, ANYTHING that set them apart.

He spent a while looking. Seconds turned into minutes, or at least it seemed that way. All those watching from further back were nearly holding their breath wondering what was going to happen. None of them, not even those from Fancy’s group had any idea how Fancy had apparently duplicated himself. They knew he was a skilled pony in more things than just magic, but how did he pull this off? This wasn’t part of their plan.

Eventually signs of frustration started creeping onto Ruin’s face. No matter how hard he looked, both of the Fancys did, in fact, appear to be perfectly identical.

“Rnngg…” Ruin growled quietly to himself as he kept trying.

“Having trouble?” the second Fancy asked.

“No,” Ruin instantly replied and kept looking.

“Your face says otherwise,” said the first.

“Quiet!” Ruin snapped at them. “There needs to be something here! Something that lets me see through this blatant façade!” He pointed back and forth angrily. “No trickery is without strings attached, especially for a run of the mill, regular, normal unicorn like you!”

“Perhaps I’m not as normal as I appear,” the first Fancy said as both of them bounced their eyebrows.

“Does that bother you?” the second added.

“STOP… asking that question!” Ruin growled, visibly seething as he took a step back and continued to glance back and forth. Both Fancys looked at one another and chuckled.

“Shoe’s on the other hoof now, eh?” the first Fancy said to the second.

“He was so confident in himself earlier,” the second said to the first.

Ruin snarled quietly, but ignored them.

“It’s hard to be confronted by something you can’t understand, isn’t it?” the first asked Ruin.

Ruin’s eyes twitched.

“Wouldn’t want a ‘normal’ pony to best you now, would you?” the second taunted.

Ruin scowled hard, but refused to make eye contact with them as he kept focused.

“Does it make you mad?” the second Fancy asked.

“Does it bother you?” the first repeated. Ruin suddenly shifted forward and got right in the first Fancy’s face.

“Say it one more time…” he snarled, jabbing a hoof against his chest. “I dare you to say it ONE… MORE… TIME.” He emphasized while glancing at the second Fancy.

Both Fancys looked at one another and smiled devilishly.

“It bothers you,” they said in unison.

Ruin’s eyes twitched twice.

“And you’re holding back,” they continued to speak together. “Because if you hurt me…. If you kill me… then you’ve lost.”

Ruin flinched, his eyes growing very wide.

“And…” both Fancy’s lifted their outside eyebrow. “You’ll have to live with the fact that I’m a mystery you never solved no matter how hard you tried.”

“THAT’S IT!” Ruin shouted, leaping backwards as his eyes turned black and his crystals shined brightly. “I WARNED YOU!” His wild spheres seeped up from the ground around him, darting about and multiplying. “AND YOU BLEW IT!” The spheres doubled, then tripled, hundreds of them flying in erratic patterns around him.

All at once the spheres shot towards the Fancys, but neither of them budged. Everypony else gasped and shielded themselves as the barrage of countless magical spheres struck home, causing rapid explosions that rang out and flashed brightly. Ruin roared wildly as more spheres appeared and followed behind the first wave, not letting up for a moment until he was firing blindly into a cloud of kicked up mist and snow.

But he eventually stopped, ceasing in an instant. He stared at the mist as it slowly began to dissipate, everypony else peeking out and staring in dread at where the two Fancys were standing…

But as the mist vanished and the last of the snow debris fell… The two Fancys were still there! For a moment everypony just stared, but as the sight became clearer… The second Fancy, the one who had entered later, was untouched. He had a shield of his own magic generated around him holding together, but fractured from the amount of punishment it had taken. The first Fancy was still there too, but there was no shield around him. His suit and monocle had been completely blown away. Both of them were still smiling.

But then the first Fancy… began to melt?

White his colors appeared to start running, droplets appearing on his body, white from his fur and blue from his mane dripping down. His moustache and horn began to droop and his mane began to wither and flatten out. But the whole time he didn’t drop the smile and the second Fancy didn’t seem to react.

“HA!” Ruin pointed, his eyes returning to normal and a triumphant expression plastered to his face. “Called your bluff!” he pointed at the first Fancy. “The first one was fake the whole time! Clever, but you never said I couldn’t force the answer out! Bet you didn’t think I’d hold back enough to make sure you lived to see me beat you!” He grinned from ear to ear, shooting a condescending look towards Fancy as he casually lowered his shield and brushed himself off. “So there!” Ruin pointed his nose into the air. “I figured it out. Your little game was pathetic, your plan failed, how do ya feel?” He asked with a sarcastic smarminess, seemingly unaffected by the horrific sight of the fake Fancy literally melting beside him, a sight that had the rest staring in horror as one half of the fake’s features began to literally ooze away and lose form like melting ice cream in summer heat.

But Fancy just chuckled as he continued to brush off his suit, smiling towards Ruin as the fake beside him became more horrifically deformed by the second, half its face literally about to fall off as it just kept smiling.

“I’m terribly sorry, but you must be mistaken,” Fancy smiled and adjusted his monocle. “This was never MY plan.” He made a slight head motion towards the melting clone.

Ruin blinked several times.

His eyes frantically snapped to the fake Fancy, his pupils shrinking as the drooping half of its face finally gave way and fell off…

Revealing Twister underneath, a crazed smile and eyes stuck to his face.

“HEYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY! BUDDY! YA MISS ME?!?!”

---To Be Continued---

Author's Note:

Art in this chapter by: Foxenawolf

Enter the Silly One!

But sheesh, what took him so long? Poor Squall.

Betcha all thought Fancy was gonna come in and be overpowered again. Mr. Witty may have bamboozled Discord earlier in the story, but Ruin doesn't mess around... too bad the only one who can throw it back in his face just made a grand entrance

As i mentioned in my blogs, this is only HALF of my chapter outline i originally had planned. So if it feels detached from the way the previous chapter ended, thats because it was SUPPOSED to be followed up. But on the flip side, ive already started work on the second half of this original chapter plan, so we'll get it sooner than usual.

Thanks for Reading! Hope you enjoyed!

Comments

[coldsilverd]

He had to show up at some point. The only true foil we have ever found for Ruin. Twister. Interesting, and entertaining, that he was so good to be able to trick Ruin so thoroughly. Everyone thinks Nightshade is the most dangerous of the Shadowbolts. No, its Ruin. Its just that he is like Discord in many ways; he's just screwing around for his own enjoyment.

Now the real battle against Ruin begins. It takes crazy to know crazy, and apparently to beat crazy. Though I'd have loved to see him face off against Silver.

[Night Frost 18]

Bravo and welcome back twister

[Gargon94]

The way this chapter ends is very creepy. On the otherhoof it's nice to see Ruin taste his own pill from Fancy Pants. Will we find out what the Elements of Harmony are doing to the Mare Six?

[WildStallion]

Twister vs Ruin! Round 2!

[KnightMysterio]

One move. In ONE MOVE, Ruin's ENTIRE PLAN gets upended by that demonic little ABRIDGED ALUCARDIAN GOOFBALL. Calm you BEAUTIFUL BEASTIE YOU!

[Hello_85]

Fluffasaurus,

I LUV IT!!!!!!!!

[TexasDragon1995]

...
...
...
Small headed Heavy Weapons Guy from Team Fortress 2: Hold the fuk up?

Nice seeing another chapter from you, but I have to ask, why only go after Squall? Why not Dash's entire squad? Feels a little random to me, but at least it solidified Star and Sqaull's romance

But seriously, DAMN! Didn't see that one coming. Next chapter: Reaction of a lifetime

Keep up the good work you sack of jacks

[Hooper_Canson]

“And you’re holding back,” they continued to speak together. “Because if you hurt me…. If you kill me… then you’ve lost.”

Oh shit, he pulled a Tien

[SunnyDazz]

Wouhooo a new chapter, i cought up on this hippopotamonstrusly long story 3 weeks ago and started to check everyday for a new chapter and it's finally time ! But reading will have to wait tomorrow for i am to tired of my we right now and need to sleep (yes i am weak). Will respond after with my thoughts on it

[Those Kids In The Corner]

Nice break between all the brawling. Love me a good game of wits. Sadly for Ruin, Twister doesn't have very orthodox wits, not to be confused with none.

[coldsilverd]

9909282
Probably because he could get the best rise out of him over the others. Everyone has their sore spots, but react to it differently. This is the kind of reaction Ruin gets off to.

[TexasDragon1995]

9909566
Mmm, good point.

[Midday Giggle]

I KNEW IT WAS TWISTER! Is it wrong I laughed at the picture...? I burst out laughing, maybe I'm going insane... help...

[Animak]

Ha ha ha ha, A bit after Fancy Pants showed up I kind of figured he'd flip the script on Ruin here, I just wasn't sure how heh heh

[NyOs29]

Bloody hell Twister where have you been?! On second thought do answer that!!!

[0PinkamenaDianePie0]

Thank u for this my monthly supply of Twister was running out

[HeartfireFirebrand]

Why doe sit seem like Twister is the only one in this whole situation that is truly in control.

[Wolven5]

I shouldn't be surprised and yet I am

[Chillean]

Where were you!?
Man I can't wait for the next chapter...

[Perpetually Confused]

I have nothing to say here because, well, nothing happened. You blue balled me man.

[Calm Wind]

9909168
Makes you wonder how Ruin didn't suspect him right away, who else can bamboozle him like that?

[Calm Wind]

9909174
Time to get silly

[Calm Wind]

9909222
Creepy, yes, but at least we have our silly goose back Not much to say about the elements aside from them basically causing massive headaches and body spasms due to a blow back of powerful magic forces more or less being forced through each of them.

[Calm Wind]

9909247
BUCKLE UP!

[Calm Wind]

9909271
The game has only just begun!

[Calm Wind]

9909280
i.postimg.cc/81STdQ2x/fluffed.png

[Calm Wind]

9909282

why only go after Squall?

Squall made the mistake of speaking out defiantly when Ruin was going for Twilight. This was all just Ruin's very complicated, intricate, and downright frightening way of saying "No U."

[Calm Wind]

9909306
Ki...Ko...F--k yourself...

[Calm Wind]

9909463
Twister doesn't have wits.

Twister has anchovies.

[Calm Wind]

9909612
Even when creepy things happen Twister brings the lulz

[Calm Wind]

9909657
In the end Fancy was just playing his part, but he did it quite well

[Calm Wind]

9909776
He took a wrong turn while coming back from the pants store

[Calm Wind]

9909853
Oh you're gonna get lots more soon

[Calm Wind]

9910192
Now isn't that an interesting thought?

[Calm Wind]

9910225

[Calm Wind]

9910616
THESE SOCKS DON'T SLAP SHARKS BY THEMSELVES YOU KNOW!

[Calm Wind]

9910865
I did say this chapter outline was split in two due to length (In my last update blog). I had a full second part including payoff from chapter 164 planned, but i would have hit 30k+ words if i had kept going. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ So yeah, this chapter is missing its flow into relevant info aside from getting a nice look at more of what Ruin is capable of.

[Perpetually Confused]

9911155
I don't read you're blogs. That would eat up my allotted Calm Wind points.

[TexasDragon1995]

9911131

Someone needs to stop him!

After we take care of Hitler first

[Gargon94]

9911098
Ok, good to know.

[SunnyDazz]

9909418
Holly hay i forgot how creepy Ruin was
I really hoped to see Fancy taking care of him but we got the usual 4th wall breaker in ghe end.
Also

“Think quickly and carefully…” Ruin’s voice slithered as he snickered. “Wouldn’t want to fall short of daddy now, eh?”

Would Fancy Pants be the son of somepony of great wits, that was in this kind of situation in the past, batteling with some reality defying wierdo... Like Blizzard Strike maybe

[SunnyDazz]

9911155
That would have pushed the entire story above 2million though, guess we'll have to wait a bit more to celebrate that

[KnightMysterio]

9911102
(In all seriousness, did you have Alucard from Hellsing Abridged in mind when writing Twister? Because that's the vibe I get from him from time to time.)

[Animak]

9911142
yup

[Delphina34]

9911143
Um, Rarity, we don’t normally wear clothes.

[sonicx]

Revealing Twister underneath, a crazed smile and eyes stuck to his face.

“HEYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY! BUDDY! YA MISS ME?!?!”

he pulls out black sun glasses ( the opening theme of csi miami plays)

[SilverDiamond]

Hey now! With how Discord was Grogar, and played a long game, CONVINCINGLY playing a REALLY bad guy... And how he can duplicate himself, and how he PRETENDED to struggle against some characters, such as Sombra... Just what is YOUR Discord trying to do, now? Rainbow Power, or reform Shadobolts, or what?

Then again - I probably read too much into it, but still...

[Calm Wind]

9911559
Thats actually a reference to the second of my two Rarity focused stories that feature Fancy Pants. Flaws of perfection. All of my stories outside of the Soarindash trilogy all take place in the same world as the trilogy, so i often throw in little tidbits that people who have read my other fics will get. Thats why Ruin made reference to "Not many know about that one" because he's referencing something personal to Fancy, much like how he inexplicably dug into Squall's personal life earlier in the chapter. If you want to know what he was talking about, then reading Hard Pressed to Impress and Flaws of Perfection will answer it (shameless advertising)

[Calm Wind]

9911573
Yeah i totally noticed that i will officially hit 2 million words after next chapter... halp

[Calm Wind]

9911632
Nope! Twister is twister, any similarities to outside characters is purely coincidental.