Chapter Two: “Nostalgia”
Buried miles beneath the Everfree Forest was a pony-made complex. Ponies worked together to maintain a stable livelihood, using the forest as a source of sustenance and materials. It was a covert base, intended as a last resort if the previous hideout was discovered, which it was a few years ago. Inside, a mare sat at a round table in a small office, drawing diagrams over a map of Equestria. Photos of ponies were plastered across the wall, each with names and dates inscribed underneath.
The room somewhat resembled a memoriam rather than an office. Still, the mare continued to work. Her bright emerald eyes scrolled through each section of the map diligently, only looking up when a grey unicorn trotted into the room with a piece of paper in her mouth. The mare sitting at the table brushed a hoof through the lavender stripe of her long mane before taking the missive, pausing to straighten the black latex suit she wore.
After reading through the text, she reached underneath the table and took out a scroll, its ribbon bearing a Crusader insignia. “Dinky, take this to the pegasi and inform them to follow this exact route to Manehattan. It’s the safest route to take. Don’t stray. Otherwise, you’ll run into a hive. If we don’t take out the hives in the southern part of the city, we’ll have another five hundred changelings to deal with. Come back as soon as you finish that. We need to talk about matters for tomorrow.”
Dinky straightened her posture before raising a hoof over her forehead in the form of a salute. “Yes, ma’am.”
Once the unicorn exited the room, Pinkamena dropped from the shadows and landed gracefully a few hoof-lengths behind the mare. “Hey, Rebel Leader.”
A smile formed on the lavender and white-maned pony’s face as she turned around, placing a greeting hoof on Pinkamena’s shoulder. “Welcome back. I’m glad to see you’re still in one piece.”
Pinkamena nodded, pausing to scan her surroundings. “We need to talk. There is something I have to show you. Alone. Is this a good time?”
The unicorn lightly chuckled as her horn glowed with magical energy, prompting every lock in the room to click shut. “Even if it wasn’t, I’m willing to make an exception for you.” The mare’s brow furrowed. “What is it? It must be serious if you’re in such a hurry to see me, Pinkamena.”
Pinkamena huffed. “There’s no point in me trying to explain this. I’ll just let you see for yourself.” She leaned against the wall before glancing off to the side. “Come on down. It’s clear.”
The mare frowned briefly, before her eyes widened as a stallion flipped from the ceiling and gracefully landed just hoof-lengths from her position. She inhaled sharply, clamping a hoof over her gaping mouth. The stallion’s unkempt chocolate mane was a shade darker than his bright hazel irises. Images of her childhood cascaded through her mind like the waves of a whirlpool. Tears formed at the corner of her eyes as she stood from her seat, slowly approaching the costumed unicorn with an extended, quivering hoof.
She choked back rising tears. “Peter? Is that... really you?”
Peter arched a brow before smiling. “Sweetie Belle?! Whoa!” He stared intently at the mare, tapping a hoof against his chin. “I just saw you yesterday, and you were so tiny then. You really grew--”
Sweetie Belle staggered to an upright position before wrapping her hooves around Peter’s neck. Her tearful gaze met his soft eyes. “Everypony said you were dead.”
The mare tightened her embrace, and the stallion lost his balance as Sweetie brought him to the ground. Flat on his back, Peter could barely return the gesture, but his smile softened as the sound of quiet sobbing reached his ears. He felt the fur around his neck grow wet as Sweetie Belle’s sobs grew in intensity. The mare buried her face into the crook of the stallion’s neck as she tightened her hold on his body.
“You really came back…” Sweetie whispered, her voice barely audible. She brushed the side of her wet cheek against Peter’s affectionately. “Twilight always said you would come back. Rarity, too.”
Peter asked half-jokingly. “Where is Rarity? I could use that mare to make me a new mask since I somehow lost my old one.”
Sweetie didn’t respond, only loosening her embrace slightly. Peter managed to glance at Pinkamena, who shook her head in response. The entire room grew silent for a long moment, as reality sank in. Peter turned his gaze to a small portrait on the wall. Rarity smiled from out of a sepia-toned photograph as a black ribbon hung over its edges. Sweetie made her way to a standing position as Peter mirrored her action with a grave expression.
“We have a lot of catching up to do,” Sweetie said, clearing her throat. She rubbed her eyes before taking a seat at the round table. Peter and Pinkamena followed her example, each taking a chair from around the room. Sweetie edged her seat closer to the stallion’s until they were inches apart. After that was done, she rested her chin against her hooves. “I’ll start with the obvious question first… How are you here? How did you come back to us after all this time?”
Peter scratched the back of his head. “Well, it really hasn’t been as long for me as it’s been for you all.” Seeing Sweetie arch a brow, the stallion explained what had happened to him, from his experiment going awry to the blinding light that rendered him unconscious. “Really, I was only out for a few minutes before I woke up here,” the stallion finished. “After I saw what happened to Ponyville, I thought I’d investigate, but I was ambushed. Pinkie popped in to save the day, and then she brought me here.”
Sweetie tilted her head to the side. “That explains why you look exactly the same as I remember. You haven’t aged a bit.”
Peter managed a smile as he chuckled sheepishly. “It’s weird. Just yesterday, you were barely half my age. Now, you’re older than me. Time really flies.” He sobered, his gaze softening. “‘Rebel leader’, huh?”
Sweetie Belle nodded, placing a hoof over her chest. “That’s right. I’ve become Commander-in-Chief of the Rebel Forces. It’s been over seven years now. I only accepted the position after our former captain was killed in action. Miss Felicia Hardy.”
Taken aback, Peter’s eyes shot open. “Black Cat? How did that happen?”
Sweetie Belle laughed softly. “I understand your reaction. Miss Felicia told me about the history you two had.” Her cheeks flushed. “She was never afraid to share details.” The unicorn’s horn glowed, enveloping a small photograph sitting on the other side of the room with magical energy. “Miss Felicia worked as a reconnaissance agent for Princess Celestia sometime after you disappeared. After the invasion, a small group of us banded together, and she led the entire way.”
Once the photograph was within range, Sweetie Belle took hold of it with her hooves and offered it to Peter. The picture contained an image of several ponies with Felicia and a teenage Sweetie at the center. The older mare grinned while wrapping a hoof around the unicorn’s shoulder. Peter managed a smile as he recognized a couple of the other ponies in the photo, particularly the blonde unicorn that resembled Derpy, Dinky. Many were lost, but there were survivors in the world.
Sweetie Belle glanced off to the side. “Felicia took me under her wing as an apprentice when the Rebellion was first formed. She taught me so much; how to defend myself, among other things.”
Peter smirked. “I see. That explains your uniform. It looks exactly like something Black Cat would wear.”
“I actually made this some time after Miss Felicia passed away,” Sweetie Belle declared, rubbing a hoof across the smooth material over her leg. “Her sense of style was very similar to what Rarity used to like. I think that’s why I got along so well with Miss Felicia.” Her eyes softened. “I really miss them both.”
Peter shook his head, pausing to gently return the photograph to the mare. His expression darkened as a grim question surfaced in his mind. “Sweetie… how many of our friends are still alive? Pinkie only gave me a hint when we visited Twilight’s grave. I have to know.”
Sweetie let out a low sigh, forcing the lump in her throat down with a swallow. She reached out, taking hold of Peter’s hoof with her own. “There’s almost nopony left, Peter. We lost everypony during the invasion of Canterlot. Pinkamena, Trixie, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash were the only ones that escaped. When the changelings swarmed Ponyville, Dinky and I only escaped because Miss Felicia was there to protect us.”
Peter was slow to respond. “...My whole family? Aunt May?” The inside of his chest tightened while his stomach curled into a knot. His entire foundation was crumbling, like grains of sand helpless before a strong breeze. Peter took in shallow breaths, finding the strength to barely speak. “Mayday? What about my little girl?”
Pinkamena winced at the mention of the filly’s name. Sweetie Belle shook her head before caressing the stallion’s hoof. “I’m so sorry, Peter.”
Pinkamena folded her forelegs across her chest and sighed. “Damn it…”
Peter brushed a hoof over his eyes. “What about Trixie? Is she okay?”
Pinkamena shook her head. “I really didn’t want to bring her up. I hate to say it, but if anypony took your death the worst, it was Twilight. Trixie tried her best to keep your family intact. Twilight was just a shell of herself, and Mayday never stopped talking about you. Trixie tried to keep it together… for the most part, even after Twilight died.”
Sweetie pursed her lips. “After the invasion, Trixie took Mayday away and raised her in the safety of the Rebel Base, back when it was located near the Whitetail Woods. However, we were found. Miss Felicia and a few others tried to buy the children and mares time to escape. Some managed, but…”
Pinkamena gritted her teeth, slamming a hoof against the wall. “The changelings found where we were hiding the foals. Trixie and I tried our best to protect everypony. We managed to hold our own for a while, but when Chrysalis arrived, everything fell apart. Trixie was knocked unconscious, and I...” She trailed off, brushing a hoof over the scar on her face. “I got careless. So, I took Trixie with me and...”
Pinkamena suddenly stood from her seat, walking out of the room in a cold silence. Sweetie Belle waited patiently until the earth pony was out of earshot, then glanced at Peter. “Pinkie really took it hard. She blames herself for what happened to Mayday and the other foals. Between that and all of her best friends dying around her, her heart has been crushed beyond repair. It’s why she’s so distant nowadays. Nopony has seen her really smile in years.”
Peter took in a deep breath before exhaling. “Damn it. I remember how much Pinkie loves kids. She practically couldn’t detach herself from the Cakes’ twins or Mayday. She’s always been a bundle of positive energy. Nothing ever really got her down, but that... that would get to anyone. The fact that it drives her shows that she’s still the same deep down. I’ll try to talk to her later. I know what it’s like to fail someone close to you. It just… feels like she needs a friend again.” He paused. “What about Trixie? What happened to her after that?”
Sweetie Belle paused for a moment before she shook her head. “When Mayday died, that was the final straw. Trixie just... lost it. She would always just talk to herself, ignoring everypony else. Trixie was borderline delusional after a few months, and that’s putting it lightly. She insisted there was a way to bring you, Twilight, and Mayday back… to reunite her family.”
Peter squeezed his eyes shut, biting his lip. He had hoped that at least one member of his family had survived. “What did Trixie do then? Is she…” he hesitated, feeling weak, “still alive?”
“I... I don’t know if you could call it ‘alive’.” Sweetie’s eyes began to swell up. “I’m so sorry to have to tell you all of this bad news, but... she’s no longer with us.”
Peter took a step forward. “What do you mean?”
Peter hadn’t noticed Pinkamena had returned until she silently stepped past him, retrieving a book from the nearby desk. She flipped to a particular page, then turned the book to Peter. The page showed a picture of Trixie, and Pinkamena pointed at an amulet around the unicorn’s neck. “This happened to her.”
Sweetie glanced between the two hesitantly. “She found a mystical charm called the Alicorn Amulet. It grants its wearer untold levels of power, supposedly matching the potency of an alicorn, as its namesake implies. However, we came to learn that the amulet slowly corrupts the mind of its host. Everything was fine... at first. Trixie became our equalizer, but her mind was already unstable by the time she started using the amulet. She grew angry, empty, and cold. There were even times when she hardly recognized us as her allies. About fifteen years ago, she left the Rebellion and set out to confront Chrysalis on her own.”
Pinkamena scoffed. “Trixie was so far gone that Chrysalis managed to manipulate the magical energies of the Alicorn Amulet and erase the remnants of her mind… what little was left. She’s just another drone now. To make matters worse, Trixie’s just as powerful as Chrysalis. We couldn’t even get close to her if we tried.”
Sweetie turned to Peter, who was starting to look physically ill. She rubbed a hoof over his shoulder. “The Trixie you know is gone. There’s nothing left to save. She’s a puppet of Chrysalis, working as her second-in-command.” Her eyes softened. “I’m so sorry, Peter.”
Peter didn’t register Sweetie Belle’s words of sympathy. His mind was just registering the fact that all of the most important parts of his life in Equestria, the family he had gone through so much to build, was completely destroyed. The small part of him that had been struggling to keep him in the present moment was lost as a flood of images, memories of those he had lost long ago, swept through his mind, washing him into a sea of despair as the tears began to stream down his face.
Luna giggled, gazing lovingly at Mayday while she decorated the top of her cake. “Just like that, Mayday. Try not to use too much icing.”
Mayday smiled brightly, managing to shape a heart on the top of her sweet treat. “Like this?”
The sounds of their laughter were perfectly in sync, a harmonic tune that could make the heaviest heart as light as the clouds. “Yes. That’s perfect, dear.”
Twilight smiled mischievously after Peter shoved some batter against her mouth, holding a tube of the sweet substance with her magical telekinesis. “Okay! You asked for it, Peter!”
The stallion could only shriek and plead for mercy, begging for his wife to consider a ceasefire. “Whoa! Wait! Let us be reasonable about this!”
Luna glanced at the couple before sighing. “I only wish your parents could do as good of a job.”
Oblivious, Mayday giggled. “Cooking’s super fun when Daddy teases Mommy!”
The image faded into darkness, despite Peter’s struggle to retain it. The world grew mute as the darkness spread. It was gone. It was all gone. His best friend. His big sister. His only daughter. His wife.
They were all gone.
Peter’s eyes shot open, and the stallion rose in a sweat, panting as he struggled to catch his breath. The blanket covering his body fell to the floor. A small squeak reached Peter’s ears before the stallion peeked down at the source, finding Mayday’s teddy bear in his hooves. That agonizingly sweet memory resurfaced, filling the unicorn’s heart with misery. Peter forced himself from the bunk, pausing as his gaze fell on Sweetie Belle, sitting across the room with a book in her lap. She hummed a quiet tune, stopping when Peter approached.
Sweetie was still in uniform, the latex hugging her body tightly. “Ah, you’re awake. Were you able to rest?”
Peter shrugged. “I guess. How long was I out?”
“A few hours. It seemed your exhaustion caught up with you,” Sweetie stated, closing the book with a hoof. “We brought you to my quarters before Pinkamena retreated for the night. Everypony else is asleep right now.”
Peter glanced at his surroundings, noting there were two beds in the room on the opposite end of each other before managing a nod. “Thanks. What are you still doing up?”
Sweetie smiled. “I’m too excited to sleep. A pony I thought was dead came back after twenty-five long years. I shared the news with everypony in the base. Your return seems to have sparked some hope. Dinky was especially happy. If I went to sleep, I might have woken up only to realize this was a dream. I want to savor this… just in case.” The mare paused, patting the available spot on the bed next to her with a hoof. “Come on. Let’s talk.”
Peter took in a deep breath, nodding as he accepted Sweetie’s gesture. The pair sat in a silence as the stallion processed what she had said. Finally, he steeled himself for the questions he needed to ask. This world had only offered him misery thus far, and it seemed more was to come with upcoming revelations, but for the sake of his family, Peter had to know how it all started.
“What can you tell me about the invasion?” Peter asked, clenching his jaw.
Sweetie glanced towards the ceiling. “Well, I wasn’t there when Canterlot was invaded, but everything’s been documented for the historical record. It was nothing short of a bloodbath. Because of Princess Luna’s weakened state, Princess Celestia was forced to raise both the sun and moon occasionally. This actually drained her considerably.”
The unicorn turned her gaze to meet Peter’s. “One day, the changelings took advantage of the fact. It happened so fast. Several hundred swarmed Canterlot, some impersonating guards. Many knights were killed in the confusion, with the changelings making the most of their telepathic communications network. Canterlot’s forces were being pushed back, until Princess Celestia and Luna were outmatched and boxed in the castle. By the time Twilight and the others reached Canterlot… it was too late.”
-u-
“Set up a perimeter along the outer walls!” Celestia yelled, prompting many knights to rush out of the castle’s gates. “We must not allow any changelings inside until the kingdom is evacuated!” Exhaling, the alicorn turned to the side and addressed her younger sister. “Luna. I’ll need you on the lookout tower should any try to sneak into the castle. If they breach the walls, we will take out the opposing forces together.”
Everypony was lost in a frenzy as changelings threatened to invade the kingdom, brazenly fighting against the knights on the outer perimeter of Canterlot. The battle slowly pressed into the town and forced many residents to retreat with guards as escorts, straining Celestia’s forces further. One of the knights approached the princess with a concerned expression, pointing a hoof at the main entrance before its large doors swung open. As changelings tore through the knights in their path, Celestia turned with a scowl and lowered herself into a defensive stance.
However, the alicorn’s eyes shot wide open at a sharp pain piercing into her chest. The muscles in her body grew numb, refusing to move at her mind’s command. Celestia took in a shuddered breath as her vision blurred. Cold started to creep through her body, and her breath rasped from her lungs. Blood spilled, staining the alicorn’s once-perfect, pink-white fur. Celestia struggled to turn her gaze to her attacker, and beheld one of her knights with his blade shoved to the hilt into her chest. The stallion’s eyes flashed to a shade of green before dark green energy enveloped his entire body.
“Your guards should never cross our terrain alone,” “he” whispered in a feminine voice. Wings sprouted from the knight’s back as his mane grew long, falling over his shoulders and morphing to a dark shade of emerald. His figure grew tall and slender, revealing the form of Chrysalis. “One knight alone can become a fount of information: curfews, defensive measures, the sleeping patterns of their benevolent rulers…” She trailed off, twisting the knife lodged in Celestia’s chest until the handle broke. Chrysalis gazed intently at the wound, chuckling. “And above all, the most effective way to mortally wound a pony.”
Celestia struggled to respond, but she could only cough up blood. The alicorn staggered, struggling to stand her ground, but it was for naught, her body’s functions rapidly shutting down. Darkness took the princess. Celestia limply fell to the floor, and her crown tumbled to the ground before the changeling queen. Chrysalis chuckled wildly, crushing the golden crown under the weight of her hoof as the alicorn died in a pool of her own blood.
“My children will no longer be oppressed by you!” Chrysalis roared, her laughter echoing off of the walls of the castle. “The Age of the Changelings has begun!”
The sight that met Luna as she rushed into the main hall sent a piercing lance of pain through her heart. Her blue eyes fixed on Celestia’s lifeless body, collapsed on the floor. A horrible storm of emotions welled up inside her. Only three years after losing her best friend, Luna was losing her beloved sister.
Luna didn’t notice the tears flowing down her face, or even the way her teeth were clenched shut. Life had dealt her a cruel fate before, but Celestia had never strayed from her sister’s side, offering unyielding support and love. But now, Luna had nothing left. For ages, Celestia remained the reliable older sister and mother figure to the younger alicorn, but now, she had been taken away, stolen unjustly. Peter and Celestia, the two most important figures in Luna’s life, were gone.
The alicorn’s body quaked with rage, her very foundation falling apart. She had nothing left to live for; all she could do was lash out. While dozens of changelings joined their queen as they continued to mow down everypony in their path, everything blurred, fading behind a bright light. Waves of energy erupted from Luna, generating a shockwave potent enough to blow everypony within range away.
“Sister! No--!” Luna roared, her tears continuing to run.
Chrysalis turned at the sound, too slow to react as Princess Luna sped across the room and tackled her to the ground. The alicorn stood, her horn emitting a bright light, but before she could follow up with her attack, a trio of changelings knocked the princess away from their queen. One managed to sink its fangs deep into Luna’s shoulder, drawing blood. The alicorn unleashed a surge of electrical energy, sending countless bolts through her attackers. As they fell, more rose. One changeling landed a solid kick across Luna’s face, causing the mare to roll violently across the floor.
She disappeared from sight in a flash, returning to a standing position before firing several beams of magic through the carapaces of a good number of her attackers. Lost in rage, Luna desperately dove after Chrysalis in spite of her blood loss. The changeling Queen used her telekinesis to pull a sword from the corpse of a knight, slashing as the princess moved within reach. The blade sliced through Luna’s flesh, and the impact sent the alicorn flying across the room, until she struck the ground with a thud. The laceration on her chest was long, stretching from the collarbone to the lower stomach.
Luna’s eyes glazed over as she succumbed to blood loss, her eyelids growing impossibly heavy. “Sister… Peter… I’m sorry,” she choked out before falling into death’s embrace, and then she vanished in a flash of light.
Chrysalis smiled wickedly, staring intently at her blood-stained sword. “The day is ours! All of Equestria belongs to us!” One changeling walked up to the queen, switching its bug-like gaze between its ruler and the door. Chrysalis nodded at its telepathic report. “The Elements of Harmony have entered Canterlot? Good. Welcome them accordingly…” She howled, “Set the explosives, and slaughter them all!”
In the meantime, Twilight and the others reached the gate to Canterlot. Changelings were spotted in the distance, most engaging guards in battle. Before anypony could react, an explosion erupted from the ground several yards ahead of them. The girls skidded to a halt, with Fluttershy and Rarity losing their balance. Both mares peeked down, unable to react as the ground beneath them burst into flames. The shockwave sent everypony else careening to the ground in different directions. The ground rumbled, before the entire area erupted in an explosion of crystal shards and magic.
Several minutes passed as the embers crackled. Twilight’s eyes fluttered open with an unfocused gaze. There was an incessant ringing in her ears, muting the outside world. Flames continued to fall and spread around her. She tried to recall what happened, at first only remembering the massive explosions as she and her friends stepped onto Canterlot grounds. Twilight’s eyes shot open at the thought of her friends, but the second the princess attempted to stand, a jolt of pain ripped across her barrel.
Blood seeped from a deep wound, in which the sharp remains of a crystal were embedded. Twilight raised her eyes, only to find another trail of blood mixing with her own on the ground. Fluttershy lay across from the princess, her mane blocking a majority of her face. Twilight reached out and took her hoof, tugging at it, but the pegasus didn’t respond, and Twilight couldn’t feel a pulse. The alicorn’s senses had yet to return. She screamed out to Fluttershy, desperate to wake her friend. Twilight glanced off to the side, catching a familiar body of snow-white prone on the ground, doused in flames.
Rarity still had form, but it was mangled beyond recognition. A wave of nausea swept through Twilight, and she puked onto the ground. Rarity had to have been at the center of the explosion. Pinkie rushed to Twilight’s side, stopping upon noticing the sharp stone protruding from her open wound. Tears poured profusely from the earth pony’s eyes as she clasped both hooves over her mouth. Twilight smiled weakly on seeing her. Other than singed fur and a few bruises, Pinkie Pie was okay.
Applejack trotted over to their position with a slumped form over her back. Like Pinkie Pie, Applejack was still more or less in one piece. Twilight was quick to recognize Rainbow’s colorful mane, but the alicorn felt a twinge in her chest when she got a closer look. The pegasus was maimed, a wide gash spread across her abdomen, and her right wing had been lost, blood pouring from the gaping wound.
Before long, hundreds of changelings scaled the walls and peered down, forcing their way through the wreckage towards the survivors of the explosion.
“What are we going to do?” Pinkie bleakly asked, sliding her head underneath Twilight’s muzzle as she helped the alicorn to a standing position.
Applejack watched with a furrowed brow. “Ah don’t know. It looks like they’re about to come and finish the job.” Rainbow Dash took in a haggard breath as her body began to tremble. Applejack switched her worried gaze between the pegasus and the alicorn before turning to the other earth pony. “We have to move, Pinkie. Grab Twilight and follow me.”
Twilight shook her head. “No. That won’t work. There are way too many.” The princess broke away from the group, wincing in pain for every step she took. Her horn began to emit a bright light, summoning magical energy to envelope the bodies of her surviving friends. “I’ll teleport you to safety… and buy you all time to escape.”
Pinkie shook her head defiantly. “What? No! I won’t--!” She stopped as she was pulled away. Applejack managed to keep Rainbow Dash balanced over her shoulder while wrapping a hoof around the pink mare’s neck. Pinkie attempted to squirm free, crying out when she couldn’t. “Applejack, let go! We can’t let Twilight do this!”
Twilight winced, hissing in pain as she used her magic to swiftly pull the broken crystal lodged into her body out. The alicorn’s breathing was ragged. “I’m not going to make it regardless. Let me protect you all. At this rate, they’ll just chase after us if we run. I can… stop as many as I can before I…” Twilight trailed off into a fit of coughs, blood falling from her mouth, “before I fall.”
Applejack glanced at the gaping wound in the alicorn’s abdomen, her eyes softening. “Twilight’s mind is already made up, Pinkie.” She tightened her hold as the energy around their bodies intensified. “There… ain’t nothing we can do for Twi.”
Twilight managed a weak smile as her body levitated from the ground. “Thank you, Applejack. I’ve already lost my husband and two of my closest friends. I don’t want to lose you all, too.” Like an angel, the mare’s wings spread and flapped gracefully to maintain her airborne position. Twilight’s tears rolled down her cheeks. “Tell Mayday that Mommy loves her.” Before anypony could respond, their bodies disappeared in a flash of light. As the changelings neared the alicorn’s position, a small smile formed on Twilight’s face while her irises vanished behind a bright light. “Wait for me… Peter.”
Elsewhere, a small shockwave erupted in the forest near Canterlot along the outer plains before a burst of energy ignited. The magic dissipated, revealing Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie Pie’s forms. The pink mare shook her head and eyed her surroundings before galloping to the edge of the forest. The second she spotted Canterlot within the horizon, a violet explosion burst from the town. The pain inside of their chests swelled, instinctively telling them the horrible truth. Pinkie could only give in to her sorrow.
-u-
Sweetie Belle inhaled deeply before sighing. “That’s pretty much everything in a nutshell. As you can see, things only got worse after that. Applejack and Rainbow Dash had a big fight the next day. They haven’t seen or spoken to each other since. Rainbow Dash keeps in touch, but Applejack’s really distant nowadays. After what happened to her entire family, she just keeps to herself.”
Peter was slow to respond, merely nodding as he stood from the bed and walked across the room. His mind slowed sluggishly, processing each tragic event he had just heard. Princess Celestia’s assassination. Luna’s disappearance. Twilight’s sacrifice. It all ended in death, and Peter blamed himself for failing those that put so much faith in him. The stallion glanced at Mayday’s teddy bear, took it in his hooves, and squeezed it. He had even let his daughter down, and her death had sent Trixie into a void of madness.
A determined look formed in his features as he turned to face Sweetie Belle. He had lost everything before, nearly giving up after Gwen had died. Twilight and the others had lifted him up, and Peter had managed to create a new life from nothing. He’d found a family, friends, a beautiful wife, and cute daughter. The odds had always been stacked against him, but if he could find happiness, there was a way to save it.
Peter bumped his hooves together. “There is a way we can put an end to all of this.”
Sweetie Belle’s eyes widened. “Just like that? After everything you just heard, you’re going to fight?”
Peter nodded. “Darn right I am. I’m not Spider-Mane if I don’t at least try! While I may not have been there to stop this from happening, I’m here now, so I can help fix it. I owe Twilight and Mayday that much.”
The corner of Sweetie’s lips curled into a smile. “Now that’s the Peter I know.” The mare stood, placing a hoof over the stallion’s shoulder. “I’m with you.”
“So am I,” Pinkamena interjected, drawing the gazes of both ponies as she entered the room. “When do we get started?”
Peter gave the earth pony a smile, nudging her shoulder once she was close enough. “Right now.” The stallion turned his hazel gaze to meet the unicorn’s emerald irises. “Sweetie Belle, can you get Applejack and Rainbow Dash to meet with me?”
After a moment’s pause, Sweetie managed a nod and smile. “I’ll see what I can do.”
5686861 LOL your spoiling us.
That was fast.
So they killed mayday?!
what turned dark quickly...
5686865 Lol. Agreed!! But, doesn't mean I don't like it!!! UDATE AGAIN SOON MAXIMUS!! WHOOO!
aww
I was hoping mayday had survived to have a touching moment after learning her father's alive
Is it me or does Sweetie Belle look kind of hot in this?
This story is heartbreaking but it's very good. Keep up the good work!
Oh man everypony(except Applejack and Raindow Dash) that Peter knew and love is gone even Mayday.
a lot of holes in the world physics but otherwise it is a damn good start
Wow, that flashback was very saddening. I still liked the chapter anyway.
Doom, death, despair and just a little bit of hope. There's only one theme that can fit such an occasion.
My god! everypony...even mayday....Those bastards...they will pay
another great, if heart wrenching, chapter. keep up the good work
I just hope there is a venom or carnage in this. they are literally my favorite super villains. I know you put some form of venom/nightmare in the first, but your putting peter in a position where he can get really angry and give into hate, which makes him vulnerable to the symbiote. I mean come on! DO IT, DO IT, DO IT, DOITDOITDOITDOITDOIT *head explodes*
Meh, I'll believe Mayday died when they produce a body. Heck, given this story runs on comic tropes, maybe not even then. Right now the only confirmed dead to me are Celestia, Rarity, and Fluttershy, since we actually saw bodies. Twilight's a maybe, though it's kinda doubtful she survived, and I still hold hope for Spider-Filly, so I'm hoping Mayday is still alive. Plus, with the camps, anyone not explicitly shown killed like the three above could potentially be in one of them instead.
5686952 I feel your pain buddy. I feel your pain.
5687359
This... This needs to happen,..
Yes, Peter... Do not suppress the hatred... Fuel it, let it grow... Let it become like Venom in your soul... AND UNLEASH, THE CARNAGE!!!!
i should not be reading this. i should not be reading this. i have yet to finnish the first one. but this, this i just have to read this. and i understand everything that is going on. HOW??!!?? you sir or madam are good. really good
5687469 or venom, venom's good too
BITCHSLAPPING IS TO BE HAD! MAJOR, MAJOR BITCHSLAPPING!
NOW WHERE'S THE DAMN SANDPAPER!? CAN'T DO IT RIGHT WITHOUT SANDPAPER!!
I cried that twilight sacrifice herself.
One question where in the name tarturus are the super villians during all this chaos are they in there own damn bubble of time watching? As for Mayday and Luna yeah unless I see a body there a fair chance that those two are living in some Utopian fantasy ala what happened to May in the MC2 when the comic went all Archie. that teddy bear is gonna play a roll down the road I just feel it in my bones.
Speaking of the sparkle family where are Shining and Cadence, or are they the one being forced to maintain the fantasy and be fully aware of it. Seem's like the sadistic thing the changeling queen would do out of petty revenge. As for Twilight's mom and dad they probably died in the invasion. Also where the fridge is Spike during all of this did he take up refugee status in the dragon lands? what bout Pee Wee, The owl, and the ursa cub? I willing to believe twi went and pulled a suicide attack on them changelings then again she might be living in a fantasy world too with Luna, and Mayday...
Who's willing to bet AJ has taken to underground fights? her or Dash...
I.... Wow after the last story this one is a kick to the nibbly bits. Kinda hurts reading this.
Peter's ready for war!!!s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/eb/bb/0f/ebbb0fb3f21712da3c05af4a48b27a90.jpg
Whoo! New early chapter!
Damn... That Changeling bitch shows no mercy. And Trixie, poor Trixie.... She tried to use the Alicorn Amulet to turn the tide. But in the end, it's power consumed her and now she's Chrysalis' puppet.
A puppet tangled in.... strings..... STRINGS!!!!
Chrysalis, if I ever get my hands on you, I'm gonna tear you apart.... from the inside!
When you vanish for 25 years, people or ponies here tend to do that.
Methinks dead.
I tried to tell you.
They KILLED Black Cat? How? HOW?!
It does.
They kill not only Aunt May, but MAYDAY TOO?! OH IT IS F*CKING ON!
She got careless, of course, the only way they could possibly so much as lay a hoof on Pinkamena.
I was afraid this would happen.
Great, just great.
Bloodbath, AND they caught Celestia, oh god...
They KILLED both Fluttershy AND Rarity as well as Luna? Yikes...
Damn this got DARK, and I mean really dark. There's only one thing that bothers me, with several of the original Elements of Harmony dead, and all this chaos, you'd think Discord would have broken free if he hasn't already and what about Tirek? Or was all this already planned before Tirek? And why would the Changelings slaughter so many ponies when it'd be so much easier to simply infiltrate the populace of Equestria to feed on their love without disrupting anything making things a lot easier for them. And what about Shining Armor and Cadence? Seriously, I only know ONE Bad Future fic that's darker than this, but barely, at the rate you're going, it might get even darker than that one. Though I have one main question. Why? Why makes Peter suffer so much, why put everypony through all this crap when it'd be so much easier to simply let Twilight Peter and Mayday live a happy relatively simple life? And what about Ursa? An Ursa Minor alone is a huge threat, and in 25 years, I'd imagine it can grow SOMEWHAT.
>Princess Celestia was forced to raise both the sun and moon occasionally. This actually drained her considerably.
She was doing this for a thousand years, while Luna was banished, but I don't remember her being drained or even tired from this.
I... I am conflicted.
I want to read this so badly it hurts, but at the same time i don't know if I can... with the two last stories that was mostly light and happy-stuff, except the occasional drama and battle, it will be hard to suddenly switch to this sudden darkness that came right out of nowhere.
I have a feeling that the reconquest of Equestria will happened in chapters that will come.
Maximus be turning into the next George R. R. Martin.
I mean, look at this. Twilight's dead, Mayday's dead, Felicia's dead, Celestia's dead, Luna's dead, Rarity's dead, Fluttershy's de-
OH SWEET MAMA LLAMA, NOT FLUTTERSHY!
No, NOOOO! Why Maximus?! WHY MUST YOU WOUND ME SO?!
fc01.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2013/284/c/e/le_gif___no_no_noooooo_by_huski_fan-d6q47ad.gif
~ Ze Royal Doofus
OMG! This is awesome and sad! I need to read more!!
When I thought that we would see Peter broken, and the only way I could think of for it to happen was for everyone close to Peter to die, I didn't know you were actually going to do it.
I have a feeling Peter hasn't fully broken just yet, as the fact that this is in the possible future is kind of a life-line to him, and so he is holding onto the hope that he can get back to his time. However, the more he stays in the "future", the more it wears on his psyche and we may see slight breaking points here and there.
Now for him to fully break, there are a few things I'm calling:
1. Peter will just eventually break on his own. As he remains in the "future", everything around him, mainly the death of his family and some of his friends, will wear him down, maybe even to the point of breaking. This will make him either turn on his remaining friends for whatever reason, go for blood after Chrysalis, or just leave the scene all together and just not give a shit about anything anymore.
2. Chrysalis and Trixie use and break him. This one clearly leans on Trixie. Peter may think that he can "save" Trixie and bring her back, even if it means sacrificing himself to do so. At the same time, Chrysalis may use that to control and subjugate Peter, eventually turning him. That, or it will be something involving Trixie that breaks Peter.
3. Peter can't go back to his time. While this one doesn't seem the most likely to happen, because everyone want's that happy ending, it is still possible. It is the main hope of Peter's, that finial lifeline. If that is taken away, it may just be the final thing to push Peter over the edge.
Now before you all go "This won't happen." "How do you know this will happen?" etc, blame fiction. That being movies, books, anime/manga and video games. These days, they all follow the same guidelines, though, if it ain't broke, don't fix it.
I'm glad I was given the chance to edit this a little bit, Maximus, but I must ask this: Is there a way to get a cover artist as good as yours???
5687688
cdn.dickblick.com/items/349/16/34916-1009-3ww-l.jpg
Ah dunno...
I really like its mane?
*puts on helmet*
ONWARDS!!
5688889 Thank you
5688475
5687879 I'M FINE WITH TWILIGHTS DEATH, i NEVER LIKED HER, FLUTTERSHY'S DEATH WHAT I'M SAD ABOUT, (even though I haven't cried in over 7 years) SHE WAS INNOCENT! TWILIGHT ABUSES SPIKE SO MUCH, I mean seriously, when spike is in an episode for more than 5 minutes, he seems to get hit by someone of something. check out the group 'lets face i, spike is abused' (ore something like that and you'll see a gif of all the times when spike has been beaten to a pulp, and that doesn't include season 4 and maybe season 3
5691223
It's just my opinion
5686865 Perhaps. You guys overwhelmed me with the amazing opening reception. I felt like repaying your support in a small manner.
5686974 Since she's an adult and wearing Black Cat-like clothing, you're fine to think she's hot.
5687327 Heh. Nice. I'm glad you're enjoying it so far.
5692232 Your the best man.
You know for a world that suppose to run on friendship, and having Discord of all beings be the dark God of sorts...Gets pretty damn grimdark in a short amount of time.
Guess the smucks that said 'You are what you eat' never met changelings...cause yeeeeeeeessssshhhh are the bugs nearly always made into pure evil monsters of the highest degree. Could have mixed it up and used Tirek or something but guess when all you have is a bugpon you use it....and by sweet Faust do you use it o___o.
Peter welcome to Warhammer 40K...with 100% more bugpon and 100% less kickass power armor wearing super soldiers....Sorry Pete no awesome suit for you.
5691346 I actually had no idea where I was going with that rant. first I was bitching on about how fluttershy's death hit me in the feels area and didn't give a shit about twilight, then im talking about spike being abused. that happens a lot
5682904
How cool would it be for someone to make a fan video/opening to this story using that song from the 'Same As It Never Was' Opening fan video.
Also are considering having other Marvel characters make an appearance in this story. Maybe that Miles Morales kid from that universe in which Peter died? found out about him after I looked up if Spider-man does die against the Sinister Six in the comics. It would be interesting to see how he would deal being a pony.
Haven't even started reading it yet, but can I just say something?
HOLY MOTHER OF BALLS, THAT IS A COOL COVER! THE COVER SUMMARY IS RAD AS HELL, THIS LOOKS LIKE SOMETHING STRAIGHT OUT OF A COMIC BOOK, AND... AND... SHIIIII-
Okay, got that fangasm out of my system. Now I shall actually read this thing...
Seriously, though, JinZhan... you're artwork is bucking amazing....
hmm, future-based au. not sure if want....
changelings as bad guys, less sure if want...
I may read it later. I've enjoyed it up till this one, but this kinda thing ain't my cuppa' joe.
5686952 Tag your damn spoiler, you jerk!
5695853 sorry man i commented on the last chapter just don't read the comments before the fic
5695934 I tend to use comments to decide whether I should read or not, though no, I'm not actually mad. Just watch spoiling the story for others. The spoiler tag's there for a reason
5695941 sorry i'll use that in the future
WELL, AREN'T YOU A HAPPY, CHEERY SON-OF-A-GUN? I HAVEN'T FELT SUCH GIDDINESS SINCE FALLOUT: EQUESTRIA!
ButseriouslythoughI'mlovingitpleasekeepgoingbuthotdamnit'sdepressing.