New Tarot
I= One Piece OST - To Victory =
Royal Canterlot Gardens
Twilight Sparkle was blown away from Nightmare Nhilis, landing with a groan.
The chains summoned by Princess Fidelitas rusted through and crumbled away. A dark barrier sprang up around Nightmare Nhilis as she reared back on her hind legs... and closed her eyes. The death jewel on her neck began to vibrate, the storm within churning faster and faster, and Twilight could only watch in horror.
Suddenly, the barrier popped like a soap bubble. Nightmare Nhilis stood frozen, gaping at something only she could see, and then she screamed.
Cracks appeared along her body, bright rainbow colored light shining from within. The cracks grew and connected with each other. The Nightmare was like a statue that had been struck in just the right place!
The cracks spread to the jewel, and it was simply unmade from existence.
Sweetie Belle stood as stiff as a board, eyes wide and mouth slightly ajar, her insides feeling like soup.
Before anypony could react to any of this... Nightmare Nhilis exploded. A whirlwind of rainbow colored light enveloped her, and at last... Nightmare Nhilis shattered. The light grew so blinding that everything faded to white...
???
Celestia squinted, shading her eyes with a hoof, then slowly peeked her eyes open and beheld a vast and deep starry expanse. She wore no armor or regalia. In this place, she was simply herself... all of herself, if only for the moment.
"Um, what just happened?" said Fidelitas, hovering beside her. She twitched her wings and flickered, slightly out of phase with her surroundings.
Gaia was here too, still weak but with a ghostly horn on her forehead. "Oh my..." She looked around, eyes darting to her Alicorn sisters, and then she gasped, seeing the ones who had called her awareness to this place. "Oh my goodness!"
Luna nuzzled Gaia soothingly. "Do not fear, sister." She glared sternly at the eight young stallions and mares arrayed ominously before them, each a unicorn with a deep purple coat, each with eyes of a different color. "It is difficult not to hold a grudge, but you know as well as I that the Spirits of Dark Magic only grant power to those who call to them willingly." She narrowed her eyes. "Unless that has also changed..."
The Spirits exchanged troubled glances, some scowling, some bowing their heads.
We've... wronged you.
We're so, so sorry that we made everyone sad.
I'm not crying! I'm mad at myself for messing up!
We should be better than this!
We want to do better!
"You did wrong us," said Celestia sternly. "You caused a great deal of pain to a great many creatures." She took a deep breath. "But, admitting you did wrong is often the first step to making things right."
Gaia looked to Luna for reassurance, then stepped forward. "I'll forgive you... if you promise not to play those games with any more creatures. No more Nightmares."
One of spirits, a tall mare with an especially long and sharp horn and glittering stars in the elegant curl of her mane, glided out of the dark herd to meet Gaia. Of course, that's exactly what we intend, darling. She looked to Fidelitas. I don't believe we've met, but you've been touched by others like us, in another world. Can you... would you help them as well, so they won't have to be alone anymore?
Fidelitas smiled, blinking back tears. "Sure, I'll spread the word, but I can't do what Rarity did for you..." She blinked. "But if you come back here in, oh, about a year, I bet there'll be somepony who can show all your cousins the right way, and she WILL be the best pony for the job!"
Royal Canterlot Gardens
Twilight instinctively teleported safely away from the rainbow explosion, but the shockwave sent Princess Fidelitas flying! Rainbow Dash, Scootaloo and Fluttershy caught her before she crashed into anyone.
"There you go, Princess," Fluttershy said warmly.
Fidelitas was no bigger than Rainbow Dash beside her. "Thanks 'Shy," she said, coughing.
Eight darkly gleaming lights rose into the sky.
Free!
Thank you.
The lights flew away, scattering in all directions.
(Interviewer's Notes: (Dawn): Huh? Where'd they go?!)
(Interviewer's Notes: (Dusk): That is their own business now.)
As the dust settled, Pinkie Pie picked up the ghostly dagger that Discord had dropped, reaching her hoof behind her back, and somehow snatching the dagger from the opposite corner of Celestia's vision, relative to where Pinkie Pie stood. Practically no one noticed.
If there was a record for group gasps for the Elements of Harmony Squad, this next one was definitely in the top ten!
Diamond Tiara lay limp on her side, just a small little filly. Her eyes were closed and her chest slowly rose and fell. She had a little stubby horn and the little wings of a young pegasus. On her flanks, the barbed circle was gone, replaced by a cutie mark in the familiar shape of a crown.
Silver Spoon didn't hesitate to run and gently slip her best friend's namesake back onto her head before hugging her tightly, tears in her eyes. For the first time in what felt like forever, she had her best friend in her hooves again.
"Without the Spirits of Dark Magic, she couldn't retain that form," observed Princess Celestia.
"Welcome to the world... Tarot of the Eight of Swords," Princess Luna said, still standing next to Trixie. Luna teleported next to Diamond, examining her more closely. "There is nothing to fear, my little ponies! She is no longer a threat to anything..." She turned towards Celestia. "That said, sister, I think it would be best if we take precautions."
Celestia sighed. "Only for the sake of her recovery." Celestia teleported as well, standing over Diamond Tiara, side by side with Luna.
Silver Spoon clutched her friend harder.
"Do not worry, Silver Spoon," Princess Luna said. "We swear, we mean no harm of any kind to her."
Princess Celestia's horn glowed like the noonday sun, and Princess Luna's horn glowed like a brilliant full moon. They bowed their heads and touched Diamond Tiara's horn together.
Diamond Tiara's horn and wings became white light, which became sparkles, which all flew into the jewels inside Diamond Tiara's crown... leaving behind a sleeping, deceptively normal looking Earth Pony filly.
"It is done," said Luna. "Alicornification can never truly be reversed... but for the sake of herself and those around her, it is best to give her time to grow into her power, and learn empathy, compassion, restraint, and maturity in the meantime... "
"Celestia didn't do that to you," Silver Spoon said, only slightly accusingly.
"I was an Alicorn BEFORE I was driven to madness and the Elements cured me," Princess Luna explained patiently. "Believe me, we've been filly Alicorns and our mother from this plane of existence still struggled despite being one of the most powerful unicorns you could ever meet. Oh dear... Mother, watch over Cadence when Kifuko reaches the terrible twos."
"Trust me, this is the best thing for her right now," said Fluttershy.
"MY BABY!" cried Golden Tiara. She leapt across half the field, landing perfectly on all fours before hugging and nuzzling her most precious treasure in all the world for all she was worth!
"But where's Discord?" Twilight asked, looking around in confusion and concern.
Spike and Sweetie Belle weren't paying attention to any of that, though.
"It's done, Rarity!" Spike said, worry ripping through him. "You can come back to your body now!"
Sweetie Belle chimed in, "Come on Rarity... time for the happy ending... please? You aren't really leaving are you? ... You... You wouldn't really do that, not after all this?!"
Stepping through folds in the fabric of space that only she could really see and understand, Pinkie Pie slipped away behind a hedge that had somehow survived. Using just her hoof like it had a magnet in it, she held up the wicked-looking, ghostly blade. Discord had offered it to her way back at the start of the battle, saying that it could recreate Minty by carving her soul out of Twilight's.
= Taben's Peak - Lunar 3 Eternal Blue =
Pinkie Pie took in a deep breath and looked all around to make sure none of her friends were watching. "Oh boy, is THIS gonna hurt!" Pinkie Pie stuffed her mouth with an extra chewy cupcake to keep from shattering her own teeth. "One, two... two and a half... two and three quarters THREE!"
Pinkie Pie stabbed herself right in the heart! The dagger seemed to pass through her flesh like it wasn't even there, but it was the worst absolute pain Pinkie Pie had ever experienced in her life! She wouldn't wish this on her worst enemy. She'd sooner cannon ball into the waiting jaws of a Quarray Eel before doing this again!
She was surprised when Princess Luna herself appeared, teleporting beside her. "Fool! Let an expert do this, before ye permanently damage thy soul."
Princess Luna's magic took hold of the dagger, carving an invisible but very real to Pinkie Diane path through Pinkie Diane.
"We'd ask ye if ye art sure of this, but we're well past that point. For the greater good then...If only because our possible sister made to do this doesn't exist yet."
Pinkie Diane never screamed, or maybe the cupcake muffled it, who can tell?
Just when Pinkie Pie was sure she was about to pop like a balloon from the pain... it stopped. There wasn't even the slightest residue of the pain ever having been there, and Pinkie was as healthy as the day she was born.
Princess Luna kept the dagger. That was fine by Pinkie Pie, because Pinkie took the real prize... a glowing fragment of light. When she listened carefully, she could hear a little filly's laughter, and the sound of roller skates crashing into stuff without a care in the world.
Pinkie Pie cradled it with a smile. "Been holdin' onto you since before I was born. Time for you to go home!"
Luna shook her head. "Of every scheme you have ever had thus far, Pinkamena Diane Pie, this is by far your most insane."
"Hey, the first part was Rarity's plan! I just figured out the second part to keep stuff from being worse."
"You do realize, the friend that you knew is gone, and nothing can bring that Rarity back again? Is it truly worth it to you, to sacrifice so much for this?” Princess Luna seemed resigned, as if she was asking more as a formality than anything. “While you'll retain your optimism and good cheer to be the Element of Laughter, the childlike joy of the world that has always been yours will be lost to you forever."
"A little of my happiness, for a whole lot of everypony else’s happiness?" Pinkie Pie grinned and shrugged. “Meh, fair trade!” She whipped out a dinner bell, ringing it vigorously. "Ohhh, Rarity! Come and get it!"
An empty shadow of existence rose out of the ground. The faded white unicorn looked at the light of existence with naked hunger. A spark of a memory existed in the shadow... her friend Pinkie Pie with crayon wings and horn, telling her it was okay since the Twilight with the flaming mane said Rarity didn't really exist, and it was all a joke, and she wouldn't feel anything, that last part had been horribly true.
"That's right, Rarity!" sang Pinkie Pie, like she was luring a pet to take a bath. "Here it is... " Pinkie Pie slowly trotted backwards as the shadow of existence followed like a moth to the flame. "Now... FETCH!"
Pinkie Pie lobbed the light of existence at the grayed out form of Rarity's husk. The shadow leapt after it, snatching the light just as they both entered Rarity's body.
None of the other ponies seemed aware of any of this, but everypony noticed when the color returned to Rarity's body! Rarity blinked open her eyes. She drew in a deep breath, and her cutie mark faded back into view!
"... Wha... who... "
= Ending Theme - Final Fight Soundtrack =
With Silver Spoon and Golden Tiara still hugging Diamond Tiara, the others swarmed in and dogpiled Rarity: Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy... Sweetie Belle and Spike were crowding each other over the best hugging position, and even Trixie joined them.
Celestia kept an eye on Diamond Tiara, while Luna politely kept her distance watching over Rarity.
Apple Bloom and Scootaloo were split on who needed emotional support and who needed space. Ultimately, they stayed near the Tiaras in case they needed some help.
(Apple Bloom's Insert: Ah can't say Ah didn't feel a mite left out. Cheated, in a way. Like it was our responsibility, me and other the Crusaders, to finish what we started in the broken world and get Diamond Tiara to see the light. But Rarity had gone inside Diamond Tiara's heart and fixed her up herself. Ah guess not everythin' can go the way ya think it should... and at this point Ah guess maybe we should just all be happy that Nightmare Nhilis is gone for good. Ah have a feelin' Diamond Tiara's gonna need a lot of friendship.)
Twilight Sparkle stood back, however, feeling relieved but also uncertain, and maybe a little uncomfortable.
Princess Fidelitas had a kind of radiant serenity about her, but her smile also seemed hesitant.
Then Pinkie Pie stepped out from behind them somehow and nudged the two of them forward. "Come on! You know you wanna!"
Princess Fidelitas and Twilight glanced at each other sheepishly, and finally joined the others, with Fidelitas taking wing and Twilight teleporting to Rarity's side.
Pinkie Pie touched a hoof to her chest, feeling a phantom ache, then glanced away, smiling. 'So, this is what it's like to not have joy as a constant default state. Heh, I'm gonna have to put some extra effort into being happy from now on!'
Rarity's friends talked over each other all at once.
"Dagnabbit, Ah thought ya were a goner!"
"Please, please, please don't do that again, even if you really want to!"
"I have no clue what you just did, but that was awesome!"
"... I'm just happy you're here, Rarity," Twilight whispered.
And Princess Fidelitas said, "Welcome to the party, Rares."
Spike cried hot dragon tears. "RAAAARIIIITY!"
"Big sister! You're okay! You're okay!" Sweetie Belle hesitated. "You are okay, aren't you? What happened? How did you make Nightmare Nhilis explode like that?"
"I... I don't remember." Rarity seemed genuinely distraught for a moment, before recovering her poise. "I remember planning everything with Twilight, letting her take me inside her, but..." 'At the same time I was still here, and nothing mattered. I had no idea who I was, or what I was... I didn't care about myself or anything or anypony. I felt... hollow. I saw everything happening, but I couldn't have cared less. But now I'm myself again, so Pinkie Pie's plan must have worked,' "But I'm afraid I don't remember anything of what happened in Diamond Tiara's mind."
'Because the Rarity that went in didn't come back out again,' thought Pinkie Pie, and then she had to think of kitties and puppies to keep her mane from going all sad.
"Well, that's peculiar," said Trixie. "When Twilight Sparkle went inside Trixie's head, Twilight remembered every detail afterwards."
"I didn't actually leave my body," said Twilight, honestly and quickly. "Our minds were linked. And the environment was much more...controlled."
Fidelitas hoof-shrugged. "Maybe when those 'dark spirits' got freed, your spirit was freed too!" 'It's amazing what you can say when you stick 'maybe' in front,' the Princess of Loyalty thought to herself.
Rarity gave her friends a big warm hug, smiling and nuzzling each of them in turn, and especially lingering on Spike and Sweetie Belle... but her throat was dry.
Rarity reached for a glass of water without thinking about it, and was surprised when she found one just outside her line of sight! All her friends were too busy hugging to notice, except one.
'That light of existence was inside me for a while...' thought Pinkie Pie before she whispered in Rarity's ear. "But maybe... just don't count on that happening for serious stuff. It might not work!"
"What about grabbing sewing supplies out of nowhere?"' Rarity whispered back, with an almost filly-like excitement in her tone.
(Interviewer's Notes (Dawn): Whoa! So that's how she can cannonball all over the place in Manehatten in the future?)
(Interviewer's Notes (Noon): Shhhhh! Spoilers!)
"Oh! Hey, Rarity!" Spike reached up to his neck, unclasped the Element of Generosity, and held it out to her. "I completely forgot! Here's your Element back!"
Rarity accepted her necklace from the drake as if it was a gift from Celestia herself. She looked a little out of place now, compared to her friends who were still wearing their golden armor. The Element glowed its violet light around her neck. "Why, thank you, Spike! Thank you for looking after it for me. I must say, it looked good on you as well."
"Heh, thanks!" Spike smiled at her, blushing.
Princess Celestia's Notes
Forgive me, dears. There is a difficult thing to say, but it must be said.
One of my little ponies has given up not only her life, but her very soul to defeat a dangerous Nightmare. She may have even reformed one of the greatest and most enduring threats to Equestria, nay, to all creatures in this world.
Pinkie Pie and my sister have managed to provide a successor. A mare with the same body, and the same memories save for after the original Rarity abandoned her vessel. She holds the light of existence from herself in a former life, freely given by Pinkie Pie, and the shadow of a Rarity lost when reality itself was unfairly erased from existence by a mad goddess. (I know no more than that.) The Element of Generosity recognizes its own, and she recognizes her predecessor's friends as her own, and they recognize her as their friend.
But being a goddess, I can see that this Rarity Belle was just born. Don't you dare say 'imposter' or 'replacement.' Imposter implies deceit or manipulation. Everything she remembers happened. Everything she knows is hers. Everything she believes she can do, she can. Everypony who loves her, she loves them back.
This is no stranger given false memories, or a pony forced into a role not her own, and she knows it. If you must call her anything, call her a reincarnation. It is not entirely inaccurate.
Rarity herself knew this would happen, and she approved. She knew this Rarity would continue on. In a way, Nightmare Nhilis got what she wanted, a sacrifice with the least pain and suffering.
But just because she has a successor, doesn't mean nothing has been lost.
We will hold a ceremony for her in the Tower of the Tribes, the sacred chamber accessible only by teleport, where we honor those who are lost and should not be forgotten. I think Rarity would appreciate a private eulogy. She didn't want Spike, Sweetie, her parents, and the others to know, and I will honor her request. She made her co-conspirator Pinkie Pie swear to keep silent for at least a thousand years.
Lulu and myself will preside over the eulogy. Our invitees will be Silver Spoon, Diamond Tiara if she is able, Dissy if he is available, Pinkie Pie of course, Twilight Sparkle... and Miss Rarity Belle. If any has a right to speak on her predecessor's behalf, it will be her.
May the part of you that is now in the emotions those eight personify be at peace, Rarity Belle... you succeeded.
+++
Rarity Belle II
To say I was enjoying the hugs from my friends and little sister would be an understatement, to say nothing of the fact they were overjoyed to see me alive and well was an even greater one. I don't believe little Sweetie Belle has been this happy since she realized I'd been in the race with her at the Sisterhooves Social from the very start. We shall most certainly be doing that again this year!
But, all good things must end, and there still many more things to do. I looked upon the form I hadn't seen Diamond Tiara in since she'd stabbed me with my own scissors.
I reluctantly slipped out of the pony-pile of hugs and made my way over to Diamond Tiara, where the sleeping filly was in the midst of a smaller but no less heartfelt group hug of her own. I took out the dress she'd made for herself under my tutelage, and draped it across her back. Not the most refined way of wearing it, but it felt proper for this moment.
Silver Spoon and Golden Tiara looked at me, not letting go of Diamond. I decide to join them with as reassuring a smile as possible, something that I must admit came quite naturally to me now.
+++
"... sugar, baking powder, and salt," purred Gilda, in a dreamy daze. Slowly, her half-lidded eyes began to focus. "Stir into flour mixture... eh?" Gilda's eyes snapped fully open. In a flash, she was back on her feet, feathers ruffled and tail lashing. "WHERE'S THAT NAG?!" she roared. "I'VE GOT ANOTHER SHOT RESERVED JUST FOR HER!"
Everypony present turned their heads towards Gilda, frozen in whatever poses they'd been in.
"Oh, um... hello Gilda!" said Fluttershy, awkwardly polite. "Are you feeling better?"
"YOU BET I AM! WHERE'S THAT WITCH?! I'M GONNA SHOW HER WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU MESS WITH A GRIFFON!"
"Well, she's over there, but..."
"YOU READY, NAG?! HERE'S ROUND TWO!" Gilda charged, claws and beak ready to rip and tear... and she skidded to a halt right in front of the little herd of ponies, all giving her death glares. All except for one filly peacefully sleeping in the warm embrace of her mother and friends.
Gilda blinked in confusion. "What the hay, Flutters?! Is this supposed to be a joke? Come on, where is she really?!"
"Well..." Princess Fidelitas flapped over to her friend, followed closely by Rainbow Dash, who didn't seem to know whether to feel inspired, humbled, or just plain freaked out, standing next to herself as an Alicorn. "Ya know how the Elements of Harmony turned that super evil Nightmare Moon back into Princess Luna? And Nightmare Whisper back into Fluttershy? Well... kinda the same thing happened with Nightmare Nhilis, and she's back to being an emotionally maladjusted filly who's gonna need loads of therapy."
"That's seriously her?! I ain't buying it!"
"SHHHHHH!!!!" Golden Tiara shushed the griffon harshly. "My baby is sleeping."
"But... but... I gotta clean somebody's clock! My honor as a warrior hen demands it!"
"Then come to our estate, and Shiny Star will provide you a maid's uniform!" Golden Tiara snapped.
Rainbow Dash looked at her skeptically. "Since when have you ever cared about griffon honor, Gilda?"
Gilda grimaced. "Well, never, but it's the principle of the... Wait, what?" Gilda looked at Dash, then turned her head sharply to gawk at Fidelitas, then back and forth several more times. "There's a regular you AND a Princess You? Am I still dreaming?"
Fidelitas patted Gilda's shoulder smugly. "Just pretend I'm not here. Seriously, my existence depends on it."
Gilda drew back from her, squinting. "How do I know you're not a changeling?"
'Leaving aside the fact that I can shapeshift,' Fidelitas thought just before she sprang into the air and hovered before Gilda, grinning. "Would a changeling do... this?!"
"Junior Speedsters are our lives,
Sky-bound soars and daring dives!
Junior Speedsters, it's our quest,
To some day be the very best!"
It was a once in a lifetime sight, watching an an Alicorn repeat the Junior Speedsters motto, complete with poses.
Gilda just stared, beak hanging open. "Welp, I'm convinced. Only Dash could get excited about that stupid motto."
"HEY!" shouted both Rainbows. They gave her a synchronized stink-eye.
Gilda winced, already imagining her renewed friendship with Dash going down in flames. She thought, 'What was it that ponies always said?' "Not that there's anything wrong with that!"
Dash still looked kinda peeved, so Gilda fell back on Griffon tradition: When in doubt, rant and shout! "Sure, great, be the very best. That's fine for you, princess, but I don't have much to brag about here. I just lost a fight with a pony, and then it turned out she was a little filly the whole time!"
(Interviewer's Notes (Earth Pony): Should we tell Gilda she could have used Rainbow's letter as a weapon against Nightmare Nhilis?)
(Interviewer's Notes (Unicorn): That won't help!)
The two Rainbow Dashes glanced at each other. "I'm thinking it's all about how you sell it!" said Fidelitas brightly. "Did you get beaten up by a filly? Or... did you fight Discord and a Nightmare at the same time solo and walk away? Name the last time anypony other than a Princess did that!"
"She does have a point," said Rainbow. "I've seen three different Nightmares now, and I wouldn't even think of fighting one without my Element of Harmony and all my friends backing me up." Never mind that was exactly what Rainbow did against Nightmare Moon. "You fought Nightmare Nhilis with nothing but griffon toughness and a whole lotta guts!"
Gilda blinked. "Huh. I guess when you put it like that... Thanks, Dash."
"It's pretty awesome that you were willing to do that for a friend," said Fidelitas. "Trust me, I know from experience how tough that can be."
"Thanks... other Rainbow Dash?"
"...And Gilda?" Rainbow asked.
"What?"
"I really AM glad to have you back."
Gilda looked at the smiling faces warily. Things were getting dangerously sappy around here! Dash was way too cool to try hugging her or something like that, but Gilda still felt more comfortable after she took a few steps back just to be safe.
Princess Fidelitas politely backed off as well. She'd just heard a faint howl in the distance that made the fur rise on the back of her neck. 'The sooner I'm out of here the better,' she thought.
"Uh, don't think anything of it." Gilda assumed her aloof tough-girl pose. "I just came back 'cause you sent me that letter. You can't trust mail from Griffonstone to get anywhere without paying a ton for it, and I don't have that kinda money to burn over a stupid letter. Coming here myself was the cheaper way to go, see? Don't go reading into it!"
Pinkie Pie sprang out of nowhere right behind Gilda. "I get it! Don't read into it, because it's a letter! You can be really funny when you want to, Gildie!"
Gilda pushed back Pinkie Pie's head with her rear paw. "Ugh, I did not miss you!"
"So does that mean you did miss me?" Rainbow Dash asked uncharacteristically gently, trotting a bit closer.
Gilda backed off a little more, instinctively spreading her wings out and raising herself up to make herself look bigger. "I... I uh..." She cleared her throat loudly. "Ya mind tellin' me why the buck there's TWO of you and why the other you has a horn on her head?!"
"I'm pretty sure she's me from the future! She confirmed that I'm gonna be a Wonderbolt and everything! Isn't that awesome?"
Gilda gave Rainbow a flat stare. "You find out you're gonna be a princess and that's what you're concerned about?"
"Heh, she said the same thing!"
"Hey!" shouted Scootaloo, trotting right over and glaring up at the griffon, bold as brass. "You never said you were sorry for any of that stuff in Ponyville last year! Are you gonna apologize to Dash or not?!" Apple Bloom shoved a hoof in Scootaloo's mouth before she could dig herself any deeper.
Gilda scowled at Scootaloo. So this was the filly Dash was taking care of now? It took a moment for Gilda to realize she was cornered. The filly had trapped her. She had no means of escape! She looked at Rainbow Dash's face awkwardly, her wings fidgeting.
Gilda's salvation came from an unexpected source. Diamond Tiara woke up.
The little filly stirred in the loving arms of her mother, her best friend, and her mentor, with the second dress she'd made under Miss Rarity covering her like a blanket. Her eyes darted left and right.
'Uh-oh,' Fluttercruel thought, 'this isn't going to be pretty.'
'Oh don't worry, dear,' Fluttershy thought back with a smile. 'She won't remember a thing! She's going to be confused, and ask what happened, and we'll have to spend a few minutes explaining everything to her, and she can then get on with her life. Please be okay, please be okay...'
"Tarnished, it's okay, mommy's here," Golden said, nuzzling her.
"Diamond, it's me, Silvey! Everything's okay now."
Princess Luna thought, 'Three, two, one...'
"What have I done? WHAT HAVE I DONE?!" screamed Diamond Tiara, crying rivers and shaking. Tightness gripped her chest so hard that she thought her heart might stop. Revulsion shuddered through her as if she'd been dipped in raw sewage. The weight of everything she'd done felt like it would crush her, but there was no shirking, no denying it now.
Princess Luna watched with a heavy heart, knowing that all of Diamond's disgust was directed at Diamond Tiara herself. 'The first moments are the worst by far, seeing all ye have wrought, reliving each act of destructive selfishness with crystal clear memory and sanity restored. No longer able to say, 'Even the most heinous deed is justified, for I am making the world fair.' It is pure and absolute AGONY.
'Tis' why we were so harsh with ye, Princess Gaia... ye didn't feel that agony and stubbornly stuck to what you had been doing after being restored.'
'Mom, you were a Nightmare! Did you really think she'd just forget?!' Fluttercruel asked.
Fluttershy hung her head. 'No... but I was hoping so, for her sake.'
Diamond Tiara wailed, clinging to her mother like the earth would open and swallow her if she dared let go.
'Do I have the heart to tell Golden Tiara that a Nightmare desires what they desired before?' wondered Princess Luna. 'Stripped of everything else: empathy, guilt, remorse, conscience, compassion, sympathy, pity, honor, depending on the Nightmare... Ironically, what they can feel is regret... That is why it hurts so when they return: the realization that it was all them, even if insanity clouded their judgement. The monster they became was a monster they themselves created...'
As the other heroes edged closer, Princess Celestia stopped them with a look. She silently turned to the crying child. 'Let it all out, my little pony, let it all out.'
= Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood - 'Let It Out' =
Silver Spoon
It's been so long. That horrible argument... being separated before we could make up. Facing her in a nightmare, spending a year wondering where she could have gone. Now here she is, back to herself, and all I can do is hug her. I thought of a million things I wanted to say to her once I had her back, but they all fell apart in my mind like a tower of wooden blocks.
I feel her heartbeat, listen to her sobbing. I should say something, anything, but there are no words. What are you supposed to say to your best friend when she tried to tear the world apart, and now she's finally herself again?
Diamond Tiara was always the speaker, the planner. I just supported her. Apple Bloom and the others taught me about standing up for myself. Spike spoke to me as an equal, not a servant. Diamond, what are the two of us supposed to do now?
"I'm still your best friend, Diamond Tiara, I promise."
Golden Tiara
The doctors used to say that I don't feel pain. I know that's not true, because my heart aches, but at the same time I'm so happy. My only regret is that Filthy isn't here to see this moment. I suppose we really should get back to him and tell him the good news. Fancy Pants and Fleur de Lis will want to hear the story too. Did I send a message to Randolph and Shiny Star to get the house ready? Oh wait, silly me, they've been keeping the house ready for Diamond Tiara's return this whole time!
I rock my baby as she cries; sometimes the oldest methods are the best. I'm not stupid... I may not know everything about what just happened, but I know my baby tried to force Equestria's protectors to destroy her, or else she'd destroy much more than just herself.
Yes, I fully intend to defend her legally if it comes to that, she is my child after all. I know insanity better than most, and if that didn't count as 'not guilty by reason of insanity' then I don't know what does! Yes, I realize the irony. I'm being paranoid, but I have a right to be, after my baby was missing for so long. My baby was sick like I was, but now the infection is gone, and she can start healing too.
"Mommy isn't going anywhere this time, dear. Mommy will stay with you, she'll help you become a wonderful mare. She'll be there for you, she promises."
"... Don't become bad mommy, please."
"... I won't, I promise. We can both be good. Bad mommy is gone and she's never coming back..." 'And the other bad mommy will never exist.'
Gilda
All eyes are off me, and I'm actually grateful for once. I don't have a clue about what's going on. It's like I stumbled into a show in the middle of the last act. I do get that the evil monster Princess got ka-zapped back to normal or something. That's gotta suck, right? Going from ultimate badflank to a little girl crying her eyes out?
We griffons aren't weak like you ponies. No real griffon would cry over her kid or her mom or anything. My mother? I was raised by my grandpa, and that's all you're getting out of me about that!
Ugh, ponies are so lame sometimes... Always having to rely on each other, and share and care, cause they don't know to watch their own backs like a griffon would. Not treating every interaction like a chance to use each other, accepting each other... even when there's nothing in it for them... Forgiving each other...
Wha? No! I'm not crying!
Trixie
This is why the Great and Powerful Trixie never employed assistants or familiars if she could help it. It's so much easier for all eyes to be on you when you're a solo act.
Huh, maybe that's why Trixie was alone for so long. She didn't want to share the spotlight, the credit, the recognition, she wanted everything to be her own. Not like my sisters, who were happy to share everything together.
But, as any good storyteller knows, any decently long epic requires you to develop your supporting cast, or you'll eventually bore your audience to tears. Trixie kept her stories short and sweet, easier for the crowds in the street to assimilate... though it's not like Trixie had many chances to perform a true epic in a proper venue.
Trixie never knew this filly before. She never saw her before today, not even once... so Trixie doesn't have the same sense of a grand finale that many of her friends here do.
I wonder... is this how Twilight Sparkle and the others felt when they defeated Nightmare Moon, and found Princess Luna in her place?
Do not think Trixie heartless, though! Seeing a foal reunited with her mother? How could Trixie's heartstrings not be pulled by such a scene? And shame on any who do not feel the same! As a pony who loves her own parents very much, how could Trixie NOT appreciate this moment?
...Especially seeing a mother be overjoyed that her little girl has finally come home.
Princess Celestia
Here we are again.
I'm actually relieved, when I consider how much worse this could have been. Diamond Tiara won't have to endure nearly as much public scrutiny as Fluttershy and Luna did. Few ponies saw her as Nightmare Nhilis, and the damage she did was on a much smaller scale... at least as far as ponies can remember. Those who do remember everything have already forgiven her.
Hopefully, when this is over, she can leave it all behind her and just be an ordinary filly for a time. Being an Alicorn and Princess can wait until she becomes a mare.
There are many times I wish I could just seal my power away, and disappear among my ponies and live a normal, simple life. For that reason, I'll be damned before I deny this little girl the chance to live the life that has been denied me. She still has her parents. She still has her friends. She has those willing to help her. Learning to be a better person should come before learning any spell or magic.
I'm sorry I had it backwards, Sunset.
I pray that she should be so blessed as to never need to undo that seal. At least, not before the time when her new nature simply cannot be hidden. Not to mention... an Alicorn created from a Nightmare whose nature was despair and nihilism? What could her magic even be? Don't think me paranoid or prejudiced, only cautious. All the more reason to proceed slowly, and give her chance just to grow up and live.
Still... if she can become a leader, as the true mark on her flank indicates, maybe someday the future will be bright for her and everypony around her. I am the optimist, it is in my nature to hope for the best, and Luna's to plan for the worst.
Princess Luna
So this is what it looks like from the outside, seeing a little pony pathetically crying her eyes out in shame and guilt over what she's done. The Elements of Harmony removed the insanity, and her ability to act out that insanity for the most part, but that is only the beginning of the true healing process.
At least Diamond Tiara is the last, and there will be no Nightmares ever again. I shall dare to hope that is true.
I shall be checking on her dreams on a regular basis for a long time to come, I think. Perhaps if I'd been able to visit her there sooner, this would not have happened, but it solves nothing, dwelling on what might have been.
The worst part is... not everything Nightmare Nhilis said was entirely wrong. Ponies are driven to find a villain to blame, somepony to focus all their frustration and wrong upon, if only so they can be assured that if that bad apple is removed, their lives will be happy. And when there is no villain to be found, or worst of all, when the bad apple awakens to their own follies on their own and seeks to make amends without being 'defeated,' the results can be ugly indeed. Some things never change.
You knew that too, didn't you, Discord? All that time. You knew they'd need a villain to blame, and who better for a villain than you? It's what you wanted more than anything, wasn't it? To be the great evil, so that none would pass judgement on Diamond Tiara, leaving her to heal in peace. Mayhap you and Celly are more alike than I ever realized.
Sweetie Belle
I wish I could say my link with Diamond Tiara is gone, that all the loose ends were tied up nice and neat when Nightmare Nhilis was beaten. But with how much I'm crying right now... I know that isn't the case. My friends hug me, knowing that by proxy they're hugging Diamond Tiara too.
Oh boy, what's going to happen between us now? Is Diamond Tiara going to find herself liking Button Mash whether she wants to or not? What if Diamond Tiara finds a colt she really likes?
This is sure gonna be complicated. No fairy tale I've ever read had a solution for something like this. Can we really live separate lives, with both of us feeling what the other feels? Now that Diamond Tiara has her heart back for real, will both of us marry Button Mash? Will it have to be a four way wedding if Diamond Tiara meets somepony?!
I have NOT been reading Rarity's soap operas! She'd spank me until Daisy-Jo came home if I did that!
Maybe I should ask Princess Cadence. She probably knows all about this stuff.
Even without pieces of our souls being inside each other, I've been in Diamond's shoes, only it's worse for her. Mom, dad, they never saw me being Chrysalis' apprentice. After the Rumors, I got to tell them on my terms with Rarity's help. Diamond Tiara's mom had to see her like that, and her dad's gonna hear the whole story too. And I got to show mom and dad that I could use what Chrysalis taught me for good, but Diamond can't do that either...
I never thought the day would come when I would feel bad for Diamond Tiara, but I feel as sorry for her as feeling sorry can be. Her friends have got their work cut out for them... Here's hoping we can help, in this new world Apple Bloom created, with different shades instead of everything being a neat solid color.
Spike
I wish I could help Silver Spoon with this, but this is her territory, her battle, her friend. Diamond Tiara might be a friend of a friend, but I'm no Pinkie Pie. Heck, I never even met her before she ran off.
Me and Silver Spoon, we're so much alike, always supporting others. Makes me wonder how I would have turned out if Twilight had been a not so nice pony. Would I have been like Silver Spoon? Going along with whatever she wanted no matter how awful? I'm happy I'll never find out.
I wonder how much I've changed. I came here to support my friends, and my family, and those I really care about. I came here for Trixie, for Rarity, for Silver Spoon, for Sweetie Belle, for the Crusaders, for the Elements of Harmony, for the Princesses, for Moon Dancer. Heh, maybe it's not such a bad thing to have so many ponies who know they can depend on you. Makes me wonder if my ancestors who've been protecting ponies since the beginning of time are proud of me for that.
After all, if Rarity has shown me anything, it's that there's no shame in being helpful.
You can't say I wasn't useful on this adventure! Punching Discord's greed in the face as a giant dragon was totally awesome, even I don't know how much I'll be able to tell anypony about it. I wonder if this is how Sweetie and the others feel about that adventure Nightmare Nhilis said nopony remembers but them... Was I cool? Seriously, I want to know!
I saved Twilight from a horde of evil twin versions of herself inside her? And another me defeated a relative of Discord's to save Rarity?! Whoa, cool! Thanks!
Scootaloo
So here's our worst enemy, reduced to a crying mess. Did she really become a super-mega-villain like something out of Daring Do, all because she thought if she ever turned good her mom would turn evil? If... if I became a rotten filly, and I thought Dash would turn rotten if I ever turned good, would I have acted any different? Dangit...
All the times we thwarted Diamond Tiara's stupid little schemes, and it finally ends like this. Her crying in her mom's arms because she's sorry for everything. I guess I shouldn't complain. It sure was one awesome adventure. I feel like we missed out on a great crusade for a lost mark, but eh, it's okay! We got to look cool and really kick some flank, even if we weren't the ultimate heroes.
Alula, Tootsie, we got Diamond Tiara back. I expect to see you two at her side when we get back to Ponyville if you were really her friends. And Diamond Tiara, don't you dare think you'll be able to shut everypony out. Your friends are going to help you whether you like it or not, and dangit, Silver Spoon is our friend too, and we all want to see you get better.
No, we DIDN'T steal Silver Spoon... friendship doesn't work like that. I don't think we could have taken her from you if we tried. That filly is one of the most determined ponies I've ever seen. Just like if mom and dad ever come around, I'll welcome them with open forelegs, but Dash is my family too.
Apple Bloom
What comes next? Ah haven't the foggiest.
Ah think this is as far as Ah wrote. Us, all comin' together fer the big battle. Ah didn't write the outcome, and Ah didn't plan past this, so Ah guess we're flyin' blind from now on. But that's life for ya.
It's hard to believe this all started with us three getting teased by a school bully fer not having our marks. After everythin', all the danger, all the fightin', all the adventures... Here we are, together again.
Princess Celestia stands in front of Diamond to keep everypony from crowding her too much, but Ah trot right on ahead. Ah've known Diamond Tiara longer than most ponies realize. Our families were friends before either of us were born. Heck, we've known each other since we were in diapers.
At least, Ah think we have. Ah guess that's the problem with patching up time and space. At some point ya gotta just shrug yer shoulders and move on. Especially since Ah don't have some super library of knowledge in mah head anymore.
What's more... in that world where Ah'm like her and she's like meh... maybe it was meh who was the Nightmare today and not her.
Ah trot past Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, and they don't stop me.
Wish Ah could say Ah was jealous of ya Diamond Tiara, of still havin' yer parents. But even though Ah never got a chance to know mine, Applejack, Big Mac, and Granny Smith were like parents to me. Ah never really even thought about it. It's not the same sting that Scootaloo's got, not at all. Ah'd be happy if they'd been here, and Ah know Ah'll be happy to see 'em in the here after, but Ah can't say Ah've ever felt all alone.
But that sure as heck doesn't mean that Ah can't be happy for you, or yer Ma, finally bein' back together where ya belong!
Ah trot up ta Diamond Tiara, with Rarity, Silvery Spoon, and Mrs. Rich huggin' her. Without a word, Ah join in. Nopony protests.
"Part of mah special talent is fixin' stuff, Diamond. Ah promise, Ah'll help fix ya up as much as ya need, and as a Crusader Ah promise to help ya find yer cutie mark's light. It's the least Ah can do for a filly as special as you, right?" Ah smile.
What, Ah can't just decide Ah'm gonna be nice to her now? (No, it ain't cause Ah've seen worse.) She needs help, and Ah'm one of the ponies who can help 'er...and Ah think she's finally ready to accept help.
Diamond Tiara
"I just wanted you better, mommy."
"I know, sweetie... I know... shhh, you just rest now, everypony is here, you're safe, everything is fine now, you can just rest."
I. Remember. Everything.
"I'm sorry..."
"I know."
Fighting with Silvey. Stabbing Miss Rarity. Canterlot. Neatly Spell. That pegasus butler. Remembering what mommy did. Shattering, breaking...
Broken.
The emptiness, the horrible emptiness even with Discord inside. My 'adoption.' Meeting Discord's cousins. The wedding. What I did to Alula and Tootsie. What I tried to do to Silvey.
Breaking the world. Trying to break everything, everywhere, everywhen. The shield flanks and their friends ruining everything.
Nothing left.
Helping here and there even though nopony would ever know... human me, Camp Everfree, time travel and that stupid rock. Seeing so many different versions of me and knowing I was the worst one of all. Apple Bloom's writing making me have to be here. Knowing Fate wouldn't let me kill anypony, so I'd just cripple them for life or worse...
What it cost to save me, in the end. Who it cost.
I remember everything.
And the only one who kept it going on for so long... was me.
Princess Fidelitas
Sucks, doesn't it kiddo? Seeing it all with a clear head, the shame, the guilt, and all that horseapples.
Wish I could hang around to help you out, but I've overstayed my welcome already, and the Blank Beast is hot on my trail. Heck, he should have been here already! Maybe he doesn't want to erase this outcome? I know he won't hold off forever, though.
Besides, each Nightmare is different. We each went Nightmare for different things, so it's hard to tell how much help I'd even be. You've got Luna and Flutters, if you need somepony who's been where you are now.
And don't forget, you've got an army of ponies all set and ready to help you, and hopefully you'll be a lot more eager to listen than I was. Just let it go kid. Whatever it is, it won't be worth it. The grudges, the fixations, they won't do you or anypony else good in the end.
At least you don't have the blood of worlds on your hooves, be grateful that you were saved from that. You have no idea. You can go back to your life now. You have something to go back to. You didn't have to start from scratch like I have. Just be happy.
Fluttercruel
I was sure that this was gonna end with me stabbing Discord, and him trying to suck me back into himself to power himself up somehow, and absorbing me, and me ruining everything for him from the inside. And his last act of evil would be returning me to nothing, and mom would get some mega-rage power up and blow Discord away with the power she never knew she had.
Why would I dream up something like that? Heh, maybe my imagination ran away with me just a bit!
Instead, I have to live. I have to see what this world's got in store. I've got to figure out what I'm going to do with myself eventually. I can't live at mom's forever... right?
And we've now got another little girl demon who's super sad over all the bad stuff she did. Can't say I don't relate just a little, ya know? Mom stopped me before I could do anything super-evil, too. And what the hay, living isn't so bad. Maybe the former demon and former devil can find out what life has in store for us together. Sometime, maybe. Girl's got buncha complicated stuff ahead of her, no need to make it even crazier just yet.
Still, one other thing we've got in common: our moms aren't giving up on us being better.
Fluttershy
Is that so? Well, if Discord had tried to reabsorb Fluttercruel, I wouldn't be the only one inside our soul to stop that from happening. It would be me, me as a filly, me as a stallion, Flutterrage, and all the other pieces of me that make up me. We'd all have done our hardest to save her, and we would have succeeded! You know why? Because my love for my little filly is stronger than any claim Discord could have. I know better than most how powerful bonds can be, and I know ours is stronger than that.
Diamond Tiara, she's like Princess Luna, not like me. She wasn't trying to convince anypony to make her never-heard-from-again even after losing all her dark magic. Instead she's just... sorry for everything she did. She wants to make it right. Or at least, or that's how I see it. Maybe things will be better for her than they were for me after Nightmare Whisper? I can hope, can't I? Her mother, her father, her best friend, I think they've all suffered enough. Nightmares should fade with the dawn.
Applejack
She's back to normal, and that's no lie. Ah can tell ya that much. Ah know it seems silly to say that now, but with all the bait-and-switches we've had bad guys throw at us again and again and again, Ah had to check. So yeah, with her Alicorn magic sealed in that jewelry, all Ah see when Ah look at 'er is just a normal little filly. A sad little filly who needs her ma more than anythin' right now.
Even after me and the other Applejacks beat Nightmare Mirror and fixed 'er with the Elements... she still had to be convinced what she was doin' was wrong, like Nightmare Whisper. But this filly... it hit her like a ton of bricks that she messed up and messed up bad. Guess different Nightmares take it different ways.
Would Ah take the 'get turned into a Nightmare and get zapped by the Elements' quick way of becomin' an Alicorn? Not in a bajillion years. Ah'll take the long hard road, thank yah very much.
So good luck there, Diamond Tiara. At least ya got yer ma and pa both there for ya to help ya through it. They're still there to love ya, to tell ya everythin' is gonna be alright. They're there for ya again to keep the monsters away. Ya may not realize it yet, but at least ya got yer happy endin', and ya can bet Ah'll be there for ya too if ya need me. Our families are friends, like the Hearts and Apples if not as long, but since when has that mattered to friendship?
Ah wasn't able to help ya like Ah should have... when Ah was able to ta help all of Ponyville start to get their heads back on straight. And ya know what? Better late than never!
Ah march right on over ta mah sister, daring the Princesses ta stop me. They don't even try... they understand. We're part of this too. The Apples an' the Riches have always been tied at the hip, and it's about time to finally sew us back together!
Ah don't hug 'er. That ain't what Ah'm here for, and it's not what she needs from me. Ah reach over and tap mah Element of Harmony, makin' the armor turn back into mah necklace in a pretty show of sparkles, so Ah can sit down and look 'er in the eyes.
"Let me spell out some things for ya, little filly. Yer Ma, yer Pa? Yer friends? They all love ya. And if ya went away, they wouldn't just feel sad about it for a little while and have another foal and forget ya were ever around. That pain stays with ya! That hole in the world never fills up! It ain't just yer life! It's the life of their daughter, their friend! Ya goin' away won't make things better. If ya really feel sorry 'bout somethin', make it right if ya can, but don't go thinkin' ya have to destroy yerself to do it, livin' is a lot harder than the other way.
"Yer responsible for what ya do! And yer Ma is responsible for what she does!" Ah lean and whisper. "And if ya see a bajillion Diamond Tiaras who are jerks, be the bajillionth-and-one who's the exception. If other ponies need somepony to blame for bad stuff happenin'... Ah don't. Bad things happen so we can get stronger for it. Ah accept there ain't usually a bad guy to blame, and if Ah can, then ya can too, and so can yer Ma. Parents make mistakes, but that don't mean they HAVE to be awful. Let'em help ya, and ya won't have'ta be afraid!"
Diamond looks at meh, eyes still so full of pain, but she manages to smile, even if it's just a lil' bit. Ah smile too, so does her ma, her friend, 'Bloom, and Rarity.
What's that, ya say? Ah just got closer tah bein' the Alicorn of Honesty than Mirror ever did?...Thank yah kindly, but this ain't about meh. It's about the little filly who's got a lot tah think about. Ah just gave her a truth she needed tah hear.
Rarity Belle II
Well done, Applejack! I suspect you've been waiting a year to say that. While I've often felt your way of sharing things lacks subtlety, I can admit there are times where that is exactly what's needed, and you are simply better than me in that regard. I'm proud to be your friend.
Rarity... thank you for giving Diamond Tiara this happy ending. Thank you for giving her family this happy ending. Thank you for giving her friends this happy ending, and her friends of friends, friends of family, family of friends, thank you for all of them. And lest I forget, thank you for giving me this happy ending. I promise, I shall not waste it.
Diamond Tiara, you're more than welcome to continue your sewing lessons with me, once you're feeling up to it. If I dare say so myself, if anypony can teach you how to be a proper lady without losing your heart or joy, it is I. Then again, you have another teacher ready to show you.
Hmm... and given what I've heard, perhaps now that she is sane again your mother and I can teach you a little about the fun side of competition. Perhaps we could all take roller skating lessons together! It's time you started making fun memories, good memories, darling. What a happy day this is!
Pinkie Pie
Hi there! Excuse me, I'm busy planning the 'save the world' party, the 'welcome back to your family' party, the 'friends back together' party, the 'we saved Equestria' party, the 'welcome to the redeemed villains' party, the 'welcome to redeemed jerks' party (they are two very different things you know) all at once! And I've still got the Cutie Mark Crusaders' Cute-ceaneras, and the 'revealing you're still an Alicorn' party, and oh my! I've got so many to plan, even I might need some help! Do you think those other Pinkie Pies can come back and lend a hoof? Might disrupt the space-time continuum? Oh, prunes.
I don't want to interrupt hugging time just yet, but I can't wait to wheel out my favorite party cannon and start blasting away, because yippee, we won! Maybe now we can get a good long break before we need to fix stuff up again! Nightmare Nhilis is gone and Diamond's all better and- hey wait a minute!
Rainbow Dash
And the day is saved, thanks to yours truly and my totally amazing friends! Whew, I could really use a nap now. All this awesome actually managed to tire me out.
I'm proud to see a filly like Silver Spoon stay true to her best friend, even in the darkest of times. Now there's a pony who knows that loyalty is more than just doing what you're told. I always thought I'd pass the Element of Loyalty on to Scootaloo when I retire, but she might have a partner like Twilight has Trixie, if Silver is up to it. And Diamond Tiara... loyal to her mom in the darkest of times, and not just doing what she was told either. Both doin' what was best for the one they were loyal to, even if it wasn't what was best for themselves.
Dangit. Maybe there's more to loyalty than I thought. A year later and all I know is that there's plenty I don't know. I hope I can figure it all out. I've got a lot to teach Scootaloo, after all.
I've still got a bajillion questions to ask Princess Me. Gilda kinda had a point... how does somepony like me even become a princess? I can't say I don't look cool, though! At least I know I turn out awesome, right?
What, were you expecting a big speech? We saved the day, and nopony got hurt, all around win for me. But I can't help but feel like we're forgetting something...
Twilight Sparkle
To be perfectly honest, this isn't how I expected things to turn out. The Elements of Harmony didn't deliver an impressive rainbow finish like the previous three times, but the armor helped a whole lot, and I'm pretty sure it saved our lives more times than I could count during this battle. We all had parts to play, and we all overcame what was thrown at us.
And here we are again, a Nightmare cured of her corruption and crying into the withers of those she loves, ready to start healing. Funny how things repeat themselves isn't it? Maybe it's just all in a day's work for a "chosen hero."
Spike, Trixie, I'm so proud of you both.
Rarity, thank you for everything! I promise not to forget.
Princess Luna, Princess Celestia, this was an honor! I can only hope I made you proud!
Gilda... I was so wrong about you, you aren't a false friend at all. I AM writing an addendum to that friendship report as soon as we get home.
Fluttershy... I am certain you'll grow into a wonderful Princess.
Fluttercruel... we have GOT to get you a babysitter. Bringing a baby into battle just isn't responsible. Yes yes, I know, Spike and the Crusaders. That wasn't okay either! And yet, we did need everyone's help.
Rainbow Dash... I know you're the kind to swoop in and save the day, but I'm proud of you for remembering what we as Mare-Do-Well showed you: 'Save lives first, showboat second.' Scootaloo is in good hooves with you.
Cutie Mark Crusaders, well done! You pulled your own weight and you may have in fact been the entire key to this battle turning out as well as it did! And you can bet I'll be taking as many security precautions as needed to make sure you DON'T tag along on our future world saving adventures, as they are apparently not something we'll be getting away from for a while, and I'd rather have you girls as a backup, in case something happens to us. Never lose your hearts, and remember that brutality and ruthlessness is not the pony way. I just can't believe none of us thought to get you some helmets.
I'm happy for you, Silver Spoon, and impressed too. You managed to stop an entire army with nothing but your own wit and heart. Take pride in that, you've earned it.
Applejack, if there was ever a battle where you were needed, it was this one.
Pinkie Pie... thank you. I may not understand everything about you, but I suppose that's part of your charm, isn't it? For the record, I'd still like to figure you out, just not dismiss something I don't understand as impossible.
Golden Tiara... I can't say I'm HAPPY to have you rush in here... you're definitely needed now, and I know you'll do a good job. Mothers know how to heal their children better than anypony.
Diamond Tiara? ... Just rest and heal.
... Something isn't right.
Just then, Spike got a dragon mail. He read the scroll and looked up at us. "Moon Dancer says that they can't keep the barrier up much longer. She wants to know if it's over."
"Almost," said Princess Celestia, with a surprisingly calm face.
If the world had a musical score, this is where it would all stop.
And it all clicked into place. The one item on my checklist that wasn't checked off yet. With two dozen ponies around to coordinate, shocking reveals of every kind, and victory finally within our grasp, perhaps I could be forgiven for forgetting about a mad demigod.
Discord... Was that Discord? It looked like a child version of him... what did you call a young god of chaos?! The foal-sized spirit was still tethered to Diamond Tiara via his tail.
"DISSY!" shouted Celestia, galloping towards him.
Discord waved his claws frantically, shouting like a pony running from a house on fire. "Celly! STAY BACK! They're coming! I..." He clutched his head. "Between Diamond, Goatcord, and Rarity, I've changed too much! I can't contain them any more! THEY HATE YOU! THEY'LL DESTROY YOU ALL! CELLY, LULU! GET BACK!"
Princess Luna teleported in, grabbed hold of her sister, and teleported both of them farther away. I felt a chill right down to my bones, a feeling of sick terror churning inside me.
(Interviewer's Private Notes (Earth Pony): But... but this NEVER happened in the loops, not once!)
(Interviewer's Private Notes (Unicorn): Yes it did... remember the last loop? When Fluttercruel became a Draconequus? After she was hit by the Elements as a spirit? This time it's worse because Rancor never ripped Destruction out of Discord.)
Diamond Tiara wiped her tears, looking at Discord in alarm, and then all of us. "EVERYPONY! THIS ISN'T A JOKE! YOU HAVE TO SEND US TO THE SPIRIT WORLD RIGHT NOW!"
Little Discord cringed, forcing himself to snap his fingers, almost like his own body was fighting him. A door painted with clashing spots and stripes flashed into existence, then swung open and upwards to reveal fields of checkerboard grass and a sky full of floating upside-down buildings. I saw a squirrel, the Pinkie Pie Army, and a green blob with a bowtie waiting on the other side.
Diamond struggled to get up and reach the portal, but her alarmed friends and family held her down.
I knew that it wasn't angst that drove Diamond Tiara now. I also knew how serious this was. That didn't stop me from shouting "No!" I slammed the door shut and it vanished. "We'll defeat them here and end this!"
"You can't win!" she shouted, looking honestly horrified by what I'd just done. None of her friends let go of her.
I stamped my hoof. "Cadence's Harmony beat them once! Our Harmony will beat them again!" Rarity didn't sacrifice her soul for nothing, darn it!
"TRIXIE DEMANDS WE STOP PLAYING THE PRONOUN GAME!"
"Discord wasn't always so powerful!" I told her. Hidden truths be darned. "Part of his powers came from his brother and the worst side of his father-"
Discord clutched at his own head again, tugging on his horns. "I betrayed their natures by helping to save Diamond Tiara, and now they're going WILD!"
Whatever dam Discord had been frantically patching, it finally broke. A ghostly hand reached for Dissy: a bony hand with six fingers and suction cups on the inside, shaped like a dragon's claw, but with carapace like that of an insect. Then it was made out of six snakes webbed like bat wings, with eyes like wasps! Then-
Princess Celestia flared her horn, blinding us, and Princess Luna seemed to tap everypony present with her horn, all at once. The horrible headache that I hadn't even registered yet faded.
Celestia had described Discord's Father in one of those tales months ago, I suddenly recalled. To see Him completely, as he truly was, would drive any mortal pony insane from sheer terror, leaving them with nightmares that even Princess Luna couldn't cure. Apparently, even this avatar was just as dangerous, or dangerous enough that it made no difference to us.
What I saw now through the filter of Luna's magic... was something like a bigger, meaner looking, symmetrical version of Discord, with a longer body and extra limbs. Maybe. It was like a ghost. It seized Discord and pulled a torrent of red energy out of him, which formed into a constantly shifting red sphere engulfing Discord. The thing emitted such a pure, primal roar that I'm sure only Celestia and Luna's magic kept me sane, and then it shot free of Diamond Tiara, no longer tethered at all. It streaked into the sky, flying away from Canterlot Mountain.
"Oh no you don't!" I shouted. "You're not getting away!"
"Twilight, this is my-" Princess Celestia began to say.
I dared interrupted my goddess, princess, and teacher. "You and Luna are out of practice with the Elements! We aren't and we both know they're the only way to stop that thing! We'll finish this, I promise! We don't have time before it gets away!"
Celestia... smiled at me. "You defied me when it was wise to, Twilight. I'm so proud of you."
I didn't have time to enjoy her praise, so I'm sad to say, it fell on deaf ears for a long while.
Diamond Tiara, twitching on the ground, but otherwise fine, looked up with desperate, pleading eyes. "Please, you have to help him. He's reformed... he helped save me-"
"GIRLS! FORMATION! NOW! Spike-!"
"Nuh uh, no way I'm staying behind this time!"
"WASN'T ASKING YOU TO! EVERYPONY ELSE, STAY HERE IN CASE IT DOUBLES BACK! I can only cast this spell a few times anyway, and you'll be needing everything you can get! NO ARGUING FROM ANYONE! THAT MEANS YOU TRIXIE!" My better judgement stopped me from threatening that anypony who protested would sit this out as a potted plant.
Trixie gulped and nodded. Gilda definitely looked like she wanted to argue, but Princess Fidelitas whispered something in her ear that made the griffon sit back down soberly.
My friends heard the commanding urgency in my voice and formed up. Rarity and Applejack reformed their harmony armor as they ran into place. There was no time or chatter or arguments here, and I had no time to think of a better plan before Havoc's avatar did who knew how much damage.
= Sonic Rush Music: Metamorphosis =
My horn flared like a purple beacon, definitely a magic surge. I thought I felt somepony's horn on my shoulder, but I might have imagined it.
I cast a familiar spell on myself, Applejack, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie, a spell that a year ago I could barely cast once. Even with a magic surge this shouldn't be possible, but it works all the same. I'd be shocked if I cared right now. As much as it pains me, research can come later.
The result? Four sets of gossamer wings, one for each of us who isn't a pegasus already. Each with its own unique pattern.
I wish I could say I'd gone crazy, but this was the best I could think of.
(Princess Luna's Insert: Sadly, even with our 'moment of time' conversation spell, we could not think of a much better plan than Twilight Sparkle's.)
Without missing a beat, I turned and fired a spell at Spike. His body grew rapidly, gaining the size and bulk of a teenage dragon. To cap it off, a pair of leathery wings sprouted from his back. Spike's surprise burned away like flash paper in a furnace to a toothy grin, and he struck some bodybuilder poses and flapped the wings I'm sure he never expected to have a second time today.
"Don't get used to it," I said quickly.
Rarity looked a bit uncomfortable, but she didn't waste time we didn't have with angst. She knew better than to blame a spell that had no effect on the mind for her old behavior. "Darling, I do imagine that the Crusaders would enjoy at least one dragon ride on Spike's back while they're still foals and can enjoy it to the fullest... after this nightmare is over, that is."
Pinkie Pie flapped off the ground with a smile, like she had a lifetime of practice.
Me? It might have only been in Trixie's mind, but I had practice.
AJ looked at her new appendages awkwardly, though, moving them clumsily.
"Don't think about it dear," Rarity said, always willing to help. "It's no different from walking. Just do what comes naturally."
"Easy fer you ta say!"
"It's not like walking," Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy said together. While Fluttershy blushed, Rainbow continued, "Seriously Rare' do I tell you 'do what comes natural' with your horn?"
"I begin to see your point, darling."
"Now, if you want some real advice," said Rainbow Dash, "keep your head and legs forwards. Angle your wings like this when you want to fly faster." She nudged Applejack's wings into the correct position. "Angle like this when you want to hover, and like this when you want to turn right, left, up, and down," she continued, continuing to demonstrate the proper wing position. "Sharper the angle, faster the turn. Otherwise just flap evenly, don't panic and beat 'em like a hummingbird."
Applejack blinked, trying to follow. "What if Ah wanna stop?!"
"Don't. Hover if you just want to stop and talk to us, but if you need to stop fast, TURN sharply. Stopping will make you a sitting duck. In a dog fight NEVER just stop. Speed is your FRIEND."
Applejack tried to imitate what she was told, doing better but still clumsy and not quite getting it.
"Applejack, are ye not forgetting something?" asked Luna.
"What's that, Princess?" Applejack asked.
"Thy dream, of course. The one where ye fought the bald stallion from Ponygypt."
Applejack... blushed. "Oh, right... Heh, forgot about that..." She focused and seemed to become a little more comfortable with her wings... almost too comfortable. I'm not questioning it. "Sorry about that."
"Still, just in case and because those wings are fragile... Fluttershy, stay close to Applejack!" I ordered. Rainbow might've been the better stunt flier, but when her friends are in danger, her cowardice simply shuts off. "Fluttercruel, guard your mother!"
"You need to ask?" she answered, manifesting.
"Spike! Cover us! Girls! Follow me in formation!"
Gilda gave Rainbow a claws-up. "I'm leaving this to you, Dash. Kick its ass."
Rainbow Dash grinned slyly. "Hey, Princess Me from the future is here. That means we can't possibly lose."
Fidelitas winced. "It's... uh... more complicated than that! Time could be rewritten and stuff."
"Then I'd better make sure we win! Heh, it's not like I was planning on losing anyway!"
I sparked my horn to grab everyone's attention, "We need to go, NOW!"
And off we flew.
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Can't wait to see the rest.
9175012
I hope you're enjoying the journey and not just rushing to the end. Thank you very much for the comment.
9175046
Definitely not. Just, you have a way of surprising me with just how happy making your endings are.