The End/Beginning
Alex Warlorn
Amicitia wondered... if Quick Fix was Dues Ex Machina's angel (where did he come from anyway? Knowing Dues, she just zapped into existence whole cloth with no backstory or forethought) ... who was Nightmare Mirror's messenger for this? Who had shined the light of uncompromising and cruel truth on this mad house?
"Howdy."
It was an Apple Bloom. She had a shield polished to mirrored perfection, and her wings were mechanical and again polished to being mirrors. Around her neck was an emerald pendant shaped like an eye. Nightmare Mirror's symbol.
"When big sister got told that Nightmares usually had knights... she didn't give a buck, she wasn't about to drag anypony into on this, all she ever did was stop ponies from lyin', she didn't wanna conquer anythin'. But she needed... to be elsewhere, Ah volunteered... "
Kendell2
"Honestly, I think it works better this way..."
Nythy, or rather the Avatar of Nythy who they had been speaking to, turned to see Horror standing next to another pony, a pegasus with raven wings. This one was white furred with a brown mane and tail, his mane, beard, and mustache resembling William Shakespony's while his Cutie Mark was a raven, wearing 16th century clothing. "...Horror, Tragedy."
"Darkness," Horror replied.
Amicitia blinked. "Okay, I've met Horror but, who's this?"
The second Avatar, Tragedy, bowed. "I am Tragedy. Or rather our more refined version of Tragedy."
Darkness, apparently the Avatar of the Crawling Chaos they were speaking to, growled. "No, you're the OLD definition. This is what the shadows desire now!"
Tragedy rolled his eyes. "Please. Tragedy needs to be emotional, painful. It needs to provide it's own form of catharis. That mess you created was nothing more than a sad mess. Where's the tragedy when there's no emotional impact!"
Tragedy took out a quill and stroke it through the air and showing a picture of Applejack crying at her parent's death. "THIS? THIS is good tragedy! A pony who lost her parents and must live life without them."
Darkness snarled. "That isn't how the story ends!"
Tragedy shrugged. "Does it NEED to be? Tragedy can exist in moments. Like, for example, in Amicitia's refined version of your 'masterpiece." The raven winged pegasus flew over and looked down rewinding the vision to when Sweetie Belle first lost her voice. "THAT! That is Tragedy! A person losing one of the few bits of solace they had remaining as a price to provide a little more hope to the world."
Horror looked down as well. "Honesty, I find this a better horror story when there's TENSION. Darkness, darkness, darkness with no break has no surprises. A dark world with risks, but also potential to win, keeps the audience guessing. So when the frightening parts are happening, they're surprised and taken off guard. If they know everything is hopeless, why fear for the characters involved?"
Tragedy nodded. "Honesty, some parts of us are so immature, you'd think they were born from novice writers trying to be edgy and cool...oh wait...they are..."
Darkness looked more and more furious at the other parts of the same entity. Of course being they were the same entity, actually HARMING them would do no good.
"At least our ORIGINAL Avatar is born from primal, unyielding fears and tragedies," Horror replied. "I wish someone would teach our younger incarnations a lesson. This is getting out of hoof."
Tragedy tapped his quill to his chin. "Oh, I knew we wasted our mortal life being a virus. Experiencing things from a mortal perspective could do wonders to remind ourself of what true fear and sorrow feels like and how important connections between characters for the audience to fear and feel bad for them properly. Instead we just wasted it on more darkness."
Alex Warlorn
"Don't let yourself get you down yourself." It was another incarnation of the Crawling Chaos, truly it was getting crowded somehow in the infinite space. She floated near the Darkness, and patted it on the back.
This avatar was a teenage unicorn filly with pale peach colored fur. Her mane was faded silver. Her eyes were ghoulish green. Her expression suggested a wrongness with her that was not quite physical. Her green magic held a red tipped tire iron to one side. She was wearing a checkered colored school unicorn.
"There is always another tragedy, another futile struggle against the inevitable. The heroes doing their hardest, only to learn right at the end that their entire quest was doomed from the start. And Miss Moral Busy Body?... I think you've earned a 'reward' for all your hard work!" She growled. "Let me make an adaption, a merged world line especially for you! Which wouldn't have existed if you had KEEP YOUR MUZZLE OUT OF OUR BUSINESS!" She snarled, blood lust clear in her eyes.
"Abra-ca-buking-dabra!" Her eyes and horn glowed green like a dying star whose civilization had never developed space travel. Or even had time to realize the world wasn't flat.
"I give you, Equestria: Hide and Seek."
Amicitia saw it...
An Equestria that had taken heavy influence from Neighpon from the old eastern lands rather than the Isle of Pony's old western lands.
There eight foals all wearing fox masks.
Pound, around the CMC's age, was looking for his sister Pumpkin had had gone missing while playing the mysterious game 'Otokoyo'.
In spite of, or rather because of (because of how foals thought), the equally strong rumor that foals who played the game were taken away by monsters... eight foals entered the old city under part of the city where the 'game' was to take place...
No pony thought to ask who was 'it' in what was supposed to be a game of tag, nor think about how the prerequisites was for SEVEN foal to enter.
The CMC, Button Mash, Babs Seed, Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon, plus an unknown filly also wearing a fox mask had entered. Others wanting to debunk the myth, like Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon (as was their role as the 'always wrong' ponies). The CMC wanting to capture the monster. And Button Mash playing to help Pound to find Pumpkin's fate. And Babs simply noted for having a 'dark past.'
Then it turned out there was not one monster, there were five.
Four were living wooden mechanical monsters with one purpose, to collect the foals who came here. An ogre, a spider, etc. None ever made it till morning. The monsters were unbeatable. Each one unique with its own name and title and fighting style.
Pound ended up the only one left... making him the 'winner'... to be possessed by the fifth monster, a mechanical nine-tailed-fox, so he could spread the rumors and attract more victims (just as his sister had been the previous 'winner'), and why? To power the city that may or may even have a population anymore!
"Now... you're it," said Pumpkin Cake, as her fox mask became that of a fiend, and removed it, showing only darkness and a pair of glowing yellow eyes.
The life of the foals, used as batteries to power this city... an innocent game of hide and seek, stripped of its innocence in the name of progress. Which had been the point the tale was trying to show all along.
And later Pound Cake, now a vessel for the Mechanical Nine Tails spirit like his sister before him, began the next game of hide and seek, just as last of Diamond Tiara's life energy gave out, and the harvest needed to begin again.
---
"And that's the end! Ta-da! It has a point! It had tension! And the bad guys win! Nya nya!" The anime filly Crawling Chaos made a face of Amicitia.
Amicitia remembered what it was like to be the most wrathful friend, Nightmare Purgatory.
"No... more... RAINBOW FACTORIES!!!!!!!"
It happened in less than a moment. The anime filly Crawling Chaos screamed as Amicitia brutally tore her connection from the rest of the Concept of Tragedy... the avatar stripped of so much... and Amicitia pumped her full of love and friendship... it couldn't undo her bloodlust or obsessive behavior... but the anime filly screamed loader at the infection that consumed her.
Then Animicitia teleported the avatar to a world line where the various Outer Concepts had similar mostly 'harmless' avatars, that were interested in personal relationships (MOST of the time) and buying and selling pony media to the various species of countless different galaxies clusters than corrupting all that was into a reflection of themselves... (Well, maybe corrupting a little that was and make friends). It had been Ponythulhu's idea he'd somehow convinced his siblings to try...except the Crawling Chaos. Until now.
"Hi! I'm Nyaruko! Part of the Space Defence Agency! I'll protect Equus' video games and manega with space CQC and my 'Some Kind of Unspeakable Bar Thing'!"
Princess Twilight Sparkle panted, her power from that exertion lessened...
Darkness' many jaws dropped. Tragedy and Horror teleported away swiftly.
Darkness pointed a tentacle at Princess Twilight Sparkle. "YOU HAVE TAKE A PART OF ME FROM US! WE WILL HAVE OUR REVENGE FOR THIS ONE DAY! THE DAY YOU CAN DO NOTHING TO STOP US! FAIR BADLY! WE WILL NOT MEET AGAIN!"
Nyarlathotrot's avatar of Darkness vanished.
"... Nightmare Mirror... Deus Ex Machina... I can't wait any longer... I need to say goodbye." Princess Twilight Sparkle whispered.
whitebearboy
Having dealt with Nyarlothotrot's masterpiece against all odds, Amicitia next found a timeline where Diamond Tiara had fallen into the Nightmare. However, instead of being a malicious villain, this Nightmare Diamond had been driven into becoming a willing scapegoat for everyone's problems, even mundane ones. Amicitia watched in horror as this worldline's versions of her former self, her friends, and the CMC burst into Nightmare Diamond's throne room and beat her into black sludge, only for her to reform as soon as the "heroes" had left, knowing that the process would be repeated in mere days.
At first, Amicitia wasn't sure what to do, in that this worldline had no hero or villain in the traditional sense of those words. But then, she formed an idea that just might work.
"Is this really solving anything?" came Amicitia's voice inside Nightmare Diamond's head. "If two ponies have an argument and blame it on you, you KNOW the argument will happen again, since you're not responsible and nothing gets resolved by beating you into sludge. You might have had good intentions when you fell into this state, but all you've succeeded in doing is making a cycle of violence and vengeance that will never end."
After giving Nightmare Diamond that piece of wisdom in the hope it would bring her to her senses, the alicorn of happy endings spoke into the subconscious mind of her mortal counterpart in this timeline as an added measure.
"Do you really think beating up Nightmare Diamond Tiara week after week gets rid of anypony's problems? No matter how thoroughly you beat her into submission, she always comes back, and nothing ever gets better for any pony, dragon, griffon, buffalo, yak, zebra, or any creature. Remember, the definition of insanity is doing the same thing and expecting different results. You are a scholar and a lover of books, you know better than this!"
(OOC: I'll let someone else write how they respond to Amicitia's advice.)
Alex Warlorn
Meanwhile, somewhere else.
"My favorite color is silver." Diamond Tiara boldly to Nightmare Mirror. The Nightmare herself simply nodded, she was busy bucking trees, just because she'd created the mirror tower to create an Equestria without lies meant she didn't have chores for the farm after all.
"True."
"... But my favorite color before was red."
"Yep."
Diamond Tiara narrowed her eyes. "You're supposed to have a nervous break down that truth isn't black and white and constantly changing!"
"And Apple Bloom was eight years old before, then she turned nine, ya don't see me havin' a nervous breakdown over that now do ya?" The Nightmare said rolling her draconic eyes as she telekinetically moved a basket full of apples out from under Brigglebig and placed an empty one, her magic color was red, and bucked the tree again, getting the exact amount the basket could hold, and repeated the process with Whistlethick next, the apple trees doing rather well this year.
"This worked in Starwand Vs The Armies of Evil!" Diamond Tiara stomped her hoof.
"That's the thing about fiction, it doesn't need to be true." Nightmare Mirror was actually grateful for the power boast being a Nightmare gave to her earth pony traits. Since Big Mac and Cheerilee had been honest about their feelings with each other, her brother had had...erm, new concerns besides just looking after the farm. "So yer parents put ya up to this? Not that Ah care really, ponies tryin' to brain fry me or tryin' to get rid of me Ah've gotten used to."
"Mom and her so-called friends can't lie to each other anymore! They actually have to say what they actually think about each other! They can't give empty meaningless nice sounding words while guarding their real thoughts and feelings and have to be honest with how all of them see each other as rivals and none of them have any real friends! She's miserable!"
"She was always miserable darlin', now she's just admittin' it to 'erself. Ya should see Apple Bloom, she was hopin' ya could play together after ya tried to zap my brain. She'll be back in a few seconds."
After Nightmare Mirror rose to power (and unlike other Nightmare Mirrors across the universe had mind to actually cure her little sister of the curse of Sunny Town), one of the first things that happened was Tiara shouting out she didn't hate Apple Bloom, she was JEALOUS of her for "not being stuck being stuck up" like her, and her mother. (And Scootaloo facing the truth of how much her words had haunted Diamond Tiara).
Apple Bloom stepped through a mirror portal in the mirror tower, and flew down to meet her friend and sister.
"It got done big sister," Angel Apple Bloom said, setting aside mirror shield and emerald eye pendant her sister saw everything through. Her shinny mechanical wings folded behind he back.
"Hey Tiara... didn't work?"
"Didn't work."
"Apple Bloom," Nightmare Mirror said, "Ah'm proud of ya... what ya did? It was really brave, going into... that place to help point out the truth of the absurdities and loop holes in all that stuff. Deconstruction really had some good pointers. But none of that would've mattered if ya didn't have the courage to help. Ah'm sorry ya got put in harm's way like that."
"Ah volunteered remember? And Ah made a new friend too."
"Ah know, Ah saw it all remember? ... It's just about time fer me and Dues Ex Machina to see Amicitia off for the last time."
"Who?" Diamond Tiara asked.
"Another version of Twilight Sparkle, used to be super-evil, then decided she had a responsibility to balance out all the bad stuff she did or at least put her magic to better use... Now... when we next meet, it'll be the last time me and Dues will ever see her." So spoke the Nightmare who only spoke the absolute truth.
Ardashir
A while later back in the farm house...
A knock came at the door. Rolling her eyes, Nightmare Mirror opened it to find a small herd of wide-eyed ponies staring at her in awe. Most of them had painted their hides, manes, and tails to match those of Applejack-that-was, and all wore stetsons.
"Ugh. Y'all want some words o' wisdom from the Great Truthbringer, is that it?"
The ponies nodded so hard their heads practically fell off.
"Fine." Nightmare Mirror sighed. "Go home, work hard n' support your families, an' do right by other ponies." The looks on their faces turned to disappointment; they obviously expected something more evil from a Nightmare. She leaned forward, her eyes glowing and draconic fangs showing at her ebon lips as she hissed, "An' don't you NEVER tell lies. Because if you do, I'll find you."
The ponies backed away, their eyes wide, before they wheeled and fled.
Nightmare Mirror slammed the door as Big Mac walked up behind her.
"More o' yore wanna-be worshippers, Sis?"
"Yep. Ah got rid o' them."
"'Least we don't get no door ta door salesponies no more."
Alex Warlorn
Back with Nightmare Diamond Tiara timeline where she'd turned herself into Equestria's eternal scapegoat, the Nightmare Filly indeed found herself questioning herself, but as a Nightmare, she couldn't pull herself out of the filth by herself. She began asking herself what would happen if ponies found out that indeed, all their problems weren't to blame on her, but on their weaknesses, mistakes, and OTHER PONIES who'd gotten away problem free, and villains were already dead or a storm or a freak wind that knocked over a lantern and set a barn on fire, where there was no pony to blame, no pony to hate. No one to direct all that anger at the wrongs of the world at. Would they turn that anger on each other if they knew the truth?
Meanewhile, Twilight Sparkle, was searching about, realizing that yes... this was an endless cycle, and that there was no point to anything they'd done to Diamond Tiara's Nightmare. No... there wasn't... it made them feel better about themselves... like Diamond Tiara back when she bullied foals. She wished there was some kind of spell or geass on her mind that had prevented her fro realizing all this. But no. She also just wanted somepony to blame when there was nopony TO blame.
Alex Warlorn
Amicitia blinked into Dues Ex Machina's realm, the pantheon shared by her and her friends.
"This is it. I get her and Nightmare Mirror. And ... I finally say good bye to them, before I say goodbye to my family, like Cadence. But... should I? . . . There are... there are so many stories still... so many world lines that need happy endings... should I really, maybe it's too soon?"
There was that world where Lyra and Bon Bon were secretly responsible for making sure the mane six won their victories of saving the world, trivializing everything Twilight and her friends had accomplished, and an organization that answered to no one but itself, which was always a recipe for disaster.
Or the one where vampire ponies (like Vinyl who there was centuries old) existed and Luna and half-vampire herself. and they kept a massive eons lid on vampire's existence from ponies, wasting countless resources and making ponies ignorant and vulnerable to the criminal element of their kind, in spite ponies having accepted changelings and seaponies who were as different as different could be from other ponies . . .
As she thought about this one though, A Alicorn Fluttershy winked into existence around Twilight, her pink mane in a bun, wearing glasses like a school teacher.
"You're... Ex Machina's Fluttershy aren't you?"
The Alicorn nodded. "That's me... my princess name is Aesop. It's nice to meet you Amicitia, you've done so much good... Which is why I don't like having to be the one to tell you, not all stories should have happy endings."
Amicitia blanched. "How can any Fluttershy say that?"
"Part of Kindness is knowing to avoid its misuse... Some lessons are meant to be cruel. There's a difference between an innocent mare being doomed for picking up a watch. And a mare who lets her fear of being old consume her to the point of giving up what makes life worth living.
"Roneo and Starlet, Dr. Heckle and Mrs. Hide, would their lessons have meant as much with a happy ending?" She did not sound happy saying any of this. "Or should have Bambi's mom and Old Yeller have lived? Death is a part of life, one lesson story tellers have grown more and more afraid of teaching foals."
"I don't like it. The idea that some ponies have to suffer, even if it's to benefit many others. Tell me you don't go around making making moral problems when you can't find a moral problem, just to write it up in... well, a moral report!"
"Don't make mountains out of mole hills, don't mistake mountains for mole hills, and remember different ponies view the same problem differently."
Amicitia realized in awe in alarm. "Nyarlathotrot, you've worked with Nyarlathotrot."
Aesop maintained her dignity. "Only for tragedies that have a moral to them. I have no interest in suffering for suffering's sake. Let alone for tragedy that is there simply to add to the ... 'tension' of a world line. Though even meaningless suffering can sometimes have meaning, if that is the meaning."
"What kind of horrible double talk is that?"
"Good things happen to bad ponies, bad things happen to good ponies, and there isn't always somepony you can blame, somepony to focus your anger on. Why do you think conspiracy theories exist looking for somepony to blame horrible accidents or a lone mad pony on? Or have been long dead? ... And there isn't always a magical solution that fixes everything... Even fairy tales didn't always have happy endings." Aesop looked down. "The moral 'don't talk to strangers' in Little Red Riding Pony has been lost. When I was mortal, I lied to foals left and right about what 'really happened' at the end of some stories. And so they missed the point."
"That sounds like something Nyarlathotrot would say."
"He's awful. He's terrible. But he's not always wrong. And I don't mean just his polite and sincere parts. There's a fine line between inspiring somepony to think, and accusation." Aesop folded her wing around herself. "I... as a goddess... I've had to learn the hard way there's a line between protecting foals from being traumatized with ideas and material they're just not ready for yet, and making a story meaningless and shallow by cutting out what make it have a moral. It's a balancing act I have to deal with every moment of existing.
Would the story of the foal who cried wolf have had as much meaning if he didn't get eaten? Would the story of the Princess' New Dress have had as much meaning if she just banished everypony who'd seen her naked? Or would they have missed the point?"
"The worst part is that she's right." Nightmare Mirror appeared behind Amicitia and put a hoof on the purple princess' shoulder. "Twiley', it's time to us to start sayin' our goodbyes."
Mtangalion
Aesop brought a map over to them, unrolling it with her magic. “Deus is waiting for you by the world gate in her kingdom,” she told them earnestly. “With these coordinates, you shouldn’t have any trouble at all teleporting directly there.”
Amicitia started to nod, but something about the map caught her eye. “Wait, are we in… Neighpon?!”
Aesop blinked, honestly puzzled. “Well, of course. Why? Are the Sun Kingdom and Crystal Ponyville somewhere else in your world?”
Amicitia and Nightmare Mirror shared a glance. “Suddenly,” mused Mirror.
“Certain things make a lot more sense,” finished Amicitia.
Deus was waiting for them when they arrived, all done up in an elaborate, fanciful lace gown with jewelry and ribbons. “My dear friends!” she began. “Welcome to my home. All of us here are honored that you were finally able to come and grace us… with…” She choked up, eyes shimmering with tears, and then she began to cry waterfalls at them, wailing like a filly. “Oh no, I said I wouldn’t cry! Focus helped me write this whole speech, but it’s all so sad I can’t bear it, and it’s just not fair!” She glomped Amicitia, hugging her tight. “We had such an amazing time and I don’t want you to go!”
Amicitia smiled, hugging her distraught twin back. “So, you’re not going to secretly conjure up an ultimate time traveling ninja robot, and claim that our one chance to defeat it is teaming up again, and goodbyes will just have to wait?”
Deus sniffled a bit more, grinning and wiping her eyes. “I was good this time, I promise. Barely… heehee!” She looked at the rest of her friends, the Trope Pantheon, who were all lined up now, waiting in case they were called upon. “Everypony’s been teaching me more about my Concept, and the part it plays in the weave of Fate… so I could give this gift to you.”
Amicitia looked at her suspiciously. “Deus? Did you build me a suit of invincible plot armor so I couldn’t possibly…”
Nightmare Mirror coughed loudly, nudging her. “Let the poor filly finish, Twi.”
“It’s okay!” said Deus. “I know I make a lot of mistakes, and I’m not a super-quick thinker like you, Ami-sempai.” She stood up taller, beaming at them. “But I am Deus ex Machina. I am the will of the Shadows to have a happy ending, when all reason to hope for one is gone, and in that spirit, I give you this gift.” Her horn began to glow. “When the Goddess of Magic has met her end, and even those who most long to see her again acknowledge that the sacrifice to see her returned would be too great… Magic will be born anew, in a way that nopony ever expected, and nopony will have be sacrificed at all!”
Amicitia froze, suddenly recalling the last vision that Nyarlathotrot had showed her… a mistake in her planned spell, splitting her into five, not four. A tiny, tiny flaw in her casting that could have ruined everything, a mistake that she dared not make on purpose. Did that mean… Amicitia *was* expecting this loophole, so Deus’ wish would fail? Had Nyarlathotrot ultimately defeated her after all, with her never suspecting a thing?
Amicitia was at peace with her decision to divide herself and never exist as a whole again… but looking into Deus’s eyes, even with Mirror starting to frown at her… she couldn’t say it, couldn’t break Deus’s heart and dash her hopes like that. “That… that’s a wonderful gift, Deus! Whether it works or not… I’m glad we met! You helped me so much, when I’d lost my dearest friends forever, and those seven timelines couldn’t have been saved without all three of us working together.”
Kendell2
It had almost been a daily thing by this point Diamond Tiara trotted out, claimed she was responsible for all the world's ills, got beaten up, destroyed, hammered, ect. And then recovered just to do it all over again.
The heroes were there, with their weapons and armies all ready to go...
"Come on. It's time for my punishment. Go for it. I deserve it."
They prepared to move in and do just that...
"STOP!"
This was new.
Everypony turned as Twilight arrived and looked up at Diamond Tiara.
"Twilight? You want to take care of her this time?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"...Yes...I do...and I will, for real this time," Twilight said, getting a nod and allowing her to trot forwards. Celestia's student looked Diamond in the eyes. "...For real this time...how many times have ALL of us said that?"
Diamond blinked as Twilight turned and looked to the others.
"How many times, how many ways have we done this same thing over and over and over and over and over and over again?" Twilight questioned.
The assembled pony desiring to take out their take revenge on the 'source of their ills' collectively blinked and looked at each other.
"...Ah lost count..." Applejack said, blinking as that hit her.
"Yes! You're right! You've done this so many time and I'll keep causing you trouble until you do it again!" Diamond argued.
"...You'll keep doing this if we DO," Twilight replied. "...That's the thing here! Think! What has doing this EVER changed!" she yelled. "Rarity, did doing this make you and Sweetie Belle's argument magically go away?"
Rarity blinked. "I...No...but..."
"Applejack, did beating her up make Granny Smith's hip suddenly get better?"
Applejack...lowered her head slightly. "...No...it didn't..."
Twilight looked around everyone. "Can ANY of you name ONE time doing this solved ANYTHING? Made ANY of our problems go away?"
The group looked to each other and all tried to find something...but to their shock, none of them could.
Whatever they blamed her for...it didn't go away.
Arguments remained arguments. Disagreements remained. Injuries didn't suddenly heal. Townhall didn't fix itself. The damage Rainbow Dash did to the weather factory for Tank's sake didn't suddenly fix itself. NOTHING changed.
"That's because you haven't hurt me enough yet! I'm sure this time you'll fix everything!" Diamond said, suddenly seeming scared.
"...Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result," Twilight replied. "...And we've all been insane this entire time!...We wanted somepony to blame for everything wrong with the world so badly, we WANTED to have somepony to blame!...But that isn't helping us...it makes us feel better, like a BULLY beating up or insulting somepony else! But it doesn't make the problems go AWAY!"
"I'm a bully! I did that! So I deserve this!"
"...Maybe once you did, but NO ONE deserves this..." Twilight replied, trotting up to her.
Diamond Tiara reared back, horn glowing and preparing to attack. "HIT ME OR I'LL BLAST YOU!"
Twilight kept approaching her.
"I SWEAR I'LL DO IT!"
Twilight didn't stop and was blasted to the ground, causing everyone to gasp.
"SEE! I DID IT! I HURT HER! I'M EVIL! I'M THE BAD GUY! COME ON! GIVE ME WHAT I DESERVE!" Diamond screamed.
"...I will..." Twilight said, getting back to her hooves, a burn on her chest. "No...I'll give you what you need...what we all need."
"And what is that?!" the Nightmare replied.
"...I forgive you."
Those words seemed to cut the Nightmare deeper than the thousands of beatings and injuries she'd gotten. "You...you what?!"
Twilight looked up at her with a look of pure sympathy. "I. Forgive. You."
"...You...you can't forgive me!" Diamond roared, terror now in her face. "IF YOU FORGIVE ME THEN-"
"Then me hurting you isn't punishment?" Twilight asked. "Hurting a pony I've forgiven...has no meaning, does it?"
Diamond backpeddled away from her. "No...Don't you see! I don't deserve it! I don't deserve forgiveness!"
"NO ONE DOES!" Twilight replied. "...If we had to EARN forgiveness, how could Luna? How could I for the Smartypants incident?...How could Rainbow for the weather factory incident?"
Rainbow lowered her head.
"...Fogiveness needs GIVEN...And I give you mine..."
Diamond prepared to speak back...
"I forgive you."
Diamond's head snapped to look at Rainbow Dash.
"I forgive you for hurting Twilight and everything else!...I'm sorry I used you as my punching back running away from MY problems!" the cyan pegasus yelled.
"Ah do too," Applejack replied.
"Me too!" Pinkie said, her mane straight from the realization this had wrought.
"...I'm sorry I hurt you...I forgive you..." Fluttershy continued.
"...I do too, darling. I forgive you. And I'm sorry," Rarity continued, shame in her face.
Diamond looked around as one by one, the words 'I forgive you' and 'I'm sorry' came again and again and again. "STOP! HATE ME! HURT ME! DESTROY ME! KILL ME! BUT DON'T FORGIVE ME! IF YOU FORGIVE ME THIS WAS ALL MEANINGLESS!"
"Don't you see, Diamond?" Twilight asked, giving a frown. "It already was..."
Diamond looked like she was about to spread her wings and RUN...when three forms broke through the crowd.
"DIAMOND!"
The Nightmare gasped, looking at the CMC. "Y-You."
The trio looked to one another...and slowly nodded.
"We forgive you..." all three said, and did something that shocked Diamond to her core. They HUGGED HER. "We're sorry!"
"N-No...that's...that's impossible..." Diamond muttered, trying to get away...when something landed on her back. She looked back...and found Silver Spoon had lept on her to stop her from getting away.
"Diamond...I forgive you too."
Alex Warlorn
Amicitia, wasn't all that surprised when the mane six powered up to their rainbow forms and blasted the Nightfilly, leaving a little girl Alicorn in her place. Instead of her Alicorn form being sealed away, several magic limiter spells were placed on her that were discovered within the crystal empire.
And Equestria... its ponies suddenly realize they only had themselves to blame for unfair and hurtful things that happened, or much MUCH WORSE... there was NOPONY to blame! No pony to focus their anger and frustration on. Nightmare Tiara service as a scapegoat and stress-ball was gone, it would take time for adapt to her absence.
"Morning Star made me do it has never been a working excuse." Amicitia admitted to herself.
Alex Warlorn
"Princess Twilight Sparkle!" A pink Alicorn with yellow, pink, and purple mane, and amethyst eyes, flew towards the Alicorn of Magic. "IT'S TIME TO DIE! I WILL HAVE MY REVENGE FOR MY HUMILIATION!"
Amicitia rolled her eyes. "Go away Morning Star."
'Cadenza' changed into the Alicorn of the Devil Tarot. "WHAT?! HOW?! My disguise was perfect! LIKE ME!"
"Cadence attacked me to protect the world from magic being abused. Not because of stupid prejudice or grudge."
Nightmare Mirror and Dues Ex Machina both punched him in the face, sending hm flying from the impact.
"STRUCK BY AN IMPERFECT ALICORN AND A IMPERFECTION OF STORY TELLING! THIS CRIME IS UNFORGIIIIIIIIIIIIIVAAAAAAA-" He sailed away.
Alex Warlorn
"Ah've gotta ask," Nightmare Mirror said, "Ain't he supposed to be sealed up in Tartarus? Like, VIP Maximum Prisoner?"
Amiticia explain, "Time doesn't exist in the spirit world, only cause and effect, I imagine that was Morning Star BEFORE he was sealed away, or when he was released during the Alicorn Draconequus war."
"See? That combination of words makes perfect sense." Deus Ex Machina said.
"Humph!... Hey, Twili? Thank ya... fer not tryin' to do one last 'zap and purify' me stunt. Like ya did the last couple Nightmare Mirrors... since a Nightmare Mirror is need to have happen the stuff with her that HAS happened. An' so, Ah gotta be it, than a buncha OTHER Applejack linin' up to take that my job. This is the path Ah chose sugarcube, and Ah'm gonna see it to the end."
"... I understand that now."
Kendell2
"Did you forget me about me? Minty?"
Amicitia turned to find Jiniri behind her. "Are you..."
"I can say it for sure this time: yes yes yes," Jiniri replied with a smile.
The two gave each other a hug. "I'm glad one day you make it, Razzaroo."
"Yes yes yes," the Alicorn of wishes replied. "...I know nothing I can say will stop you...this will be a miracle...just like you've done for my world before...but...maybe there's one last thing we could all do before you go."
Amicitia blinked. "Do what?"
Jiniri trotted up to her and gave a smile. "...One thing I often hear as Concept of Miracles?" she asked, horn glowing and several glowing spheres circling around them.
'If I had one more day, I'd...' each of them said, leading into a different answer with each one. But most of them speaking of doing one thing.
"...Ponies wishing to have one more day to spend with those they love...Yes yes yes..." Razzaroo explained, almost sadly. "...So...that one more day must be really important, isn't it?"
Anasi teleported in, stepping up beside her. "...If today is one of the last days of your life...shouldn't we make it have more meaning than just saying goodbyes?"
Amicitia blinked...then slowly smiled. "...Eclipse never got to say goodbye to her friends...rightfully so, she deserved it...that was really all I was thinking of...You're right."
"I know how you feel...You've got the Concept of Wishes right here...make a wish and I'll do my best. Yes yes yes," Razzaroo said, giving a smile.
OOC: Leaving it to others just WHAT happens, but the idea is 'one last day with those she loves' before Amicitia's sacrifice.
Mtangalion
Amicitia stood lost in thought for so long, Jiniri was tempted to wave a hoof before her eyes. “Heh, you know… you can always ask for more time if you can’t decide! I’d never say ‘Wish granted!’ and disappear on you. That’s not…”
Amicitia smiled. “I’ve decided.”
Everyone held their breath.
“I want to meet the one who will change the world, the pony who will inspire Twilight Sparkle to keep fighting against Discord when all hope seems lost... before it happens.” Amicitia looked earnestly at Jiniri, clasping her hoof. “Can you do that?”
Jiniri furrowed her brow, thinking hard before she nodded. “Yes.”
“Huh!?” Anasi blinked, leaning close. “No ‘Yes, yes, yes’?”
Jiniri beamed at Amicitia. “Say your goodbyes first.”
Deus threw her forelegs around Amicitia without hesitation. “Gonna miss you so much!” She promptly started bawling again.
“You gave me one heck of a lot to think about,” said Nightmare Mirror, hugging her too. “And here Ah thought Ah had all the answers already.”
Amicitia hesitated, hugging her back. “But Applejack… doesn’t this hurt you, hugging an Alicorn?”
Mirror rolled her eyes, smirking mildly. “Truth always hurts, sugarcube. That’s the whole point.”
Mirror stepped aside, and Amicitia was surprised to see Snow Bound waiting next in line.
“The Blank Wolf of the past,” he said solemnly, “will not acknowledge or approve of your plan. Tell your foals to be on their guard.” He bowed low, then cloaked himself in deep shadows and faded away, gone back to his own world and time.
“Thank you,” whispered Amicitia, wondering if he’d heard her.
That left Anasi, who shrugged, holding out a hoof. “Anasi supposes that she will miss you as well.”
Amicitia smiled. “No joy buzzer?”
Anasi gasped. “Such a crass and amateur trick, at a time like this?! I’d never...”
“She was gonna, but she changed her mind,” said Nightmare Mirror dryly.
“Oh fine!” grumbled Anasi. “Spoil my last bit of fun, why don’t you?” She started to stalk away, before giving up and rushing back to hug Amicitia too.
After that… more and more people kept showing up to offer their farewells. King Heathspike brought a recording in a magic crystal that allowed Queen Libra to join him in offering a tearful goodbye, and he made a joke when Libra thanked Amicitia for “everything.” An Alicorn filly version of Apple Bloom took pictures of them with some kind of floating machine, promising that the photos were for a good friend who couldn’t come in person. A young Doctor arrived in his blue box, strangely without companions, and he shook her hoof, saying that it was an honor and confessing that this was the first time he’d met her face to face. Fillimon, too, somehow knew exactly when and where to show up, bringing the Rainbow Dash from that one time in the cloak of a full-fledged reaper. Every time Amicitia thought she was done, there was another, and yet another after that.
Until finally, there weren’t any others.
Jiniri was the last to hug her. “Are you ready, Minty?”
Amicitia nodded. “I’m ready.” She lit her horn, channeling an immense surge of magic to open a portal into the void between worlds. She stepped up to the threshold, then looked back at her friends one last time. “I… I just…” She wiped her tears and smiled at them all. “Good bye!”
Amicitia plunged into the portal. Reality rippled and forked, and so did she. The Goddess of Truth passed by, making sure all the facts were straight, and the Goddess of Fate trotted on ahead, making paths to the future.
What kind of pony would Amicitia’s spell choose? Who could make the minimum necessary change to ensure Discord’s defeat? A new sibling or special somepony would probably make too great of an impact. Perhaps the pony would be a friend, or even somepony that Twilight would never even meet until the day Discord broke free.
She came back to consciousness slowly, waking into a fuzzy blur of a world, filled with familiar scents. “Mom? Dad?” she tried to say, but the tiny purple unicorn foal stretched and yawned on her own, and Amicitia could only watch.
The blankets shifted, and someone new entered her world. A white colt with a blue mane smiled down at her, eyes wide with wonder. “Good morning, little sis. I love you.”
“Love you too, Shiny,” Amicitia wanted to murmur, all sleepy warm and safe.
Shiny?
Shining Armor?!
Like two peas in a pod, they did everything together. Shiny helped little Twily learn to read and practiced levitation with her. Not even a loving big brother could stop her from walking everywhere with a book floating in front of her face, though. He protected her from bullies, rescuing Smarty Pants, and rescuing Twilight herself when she climbed up where the bullies couldn’t reach her, and the branch broke. Shiny got his cutie mark that day, a mark for protecting others.
Sometimes, a Wolf howled on the wind, and scary growls came from under the sleeping colt’s bed. Amicitia, who could only watch, protected Shining Armor by knowing where he was at all times, even when Twily was sleeping or off in her own world with a book.
It was only a few short years, but Amicitia treasured every moment with her mortal parents and her new brother, reliving foal-sitting time with Cadence, her brother joining the guard, and the day she got her own cutie mark and hatched Spike.
A day finally came that she knew would be their last together for a long while… the day Shining Armor took her to a hoofball game and told her that he was being promoted to captain. His first mission would be escort Princess Cadence on a goodwill tour, journeying to Roedina and the Griffon Kingdom by train, and then sailing to the Tauran Peninsula, the zebra homeland, Draco Island, Chineigh, and Neighpon far across the sea.
It was time. Amicitia marked the proper place in that timeline that would exist but didn't yet, as if she’d put a bookmark into reality itself, and then she stepped out of Twilight, out the world altogether. Most of her doubts were laid to rest now. Of course, she wasn’t about to take the final step without one last round of intense soul searching, and a heart to heart talk with Mother Fauna Luster, but…
Light sparked in the darkness, and Jiniri floated beside her, panting with exhaustion but seeming happy. “Did you see him? Was it everything you hoped for? Yes, yes, yes?”
“Yes!” Amicitia grinned from ear to ear. “I’m still afraid, but I know the world will be in good hooves. All will be well.”
(See Amicitia’s final chapter in: Pony POV Light World - The Connection) http://alexwarlorn.deviantart.com/art/Pony-POV-Light-World-38-The-Connection-425052184
~The End
= Hopes and Dreams - Undertale =
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That is hilarious and awesome
Congratulations. This is the funniest typo I have ever found on this site.
Amicitia sensed her cry being echoed by shadows of all sorts, including an impeccably-dressed human, a red-haired elf, and, somehow, a giant M.
...Dang. Good job Deus.
Not much else to say. This was a wonderful sendoff.
1. Oy. Too many crawiling chaos personalities gives me a headache.
2. *Read the "8 foal hide and seek" story*....................Wtf is this?
3. Applebloom as Nightmare Mirror's angel..................interesting.
4. Nightmare Diamond's dilemma................is messed up.
5. That exchange between Mirror and Diamond Tiara was pretty humorous to me.
7. Huh, Nightmare's frustrations with her would-be-worshipers and sales-ponies actually...............humanized her for a lack of better term. I knew there was a reason I liked this Nightmare Mirror.
8.
Not familiar with that story.
9. What Aesop said to Amicitia...............was unfortunately right when it comes to pushing a point in some narrattives.
10. Damn.............how Twilight and the others freed Nightmare Diamond sure did hit me in the feels.
11. ...........................Morning Star's appearance was random...............
12. Seeing all the characters say goodbye was............very hard to see. My favorite being Nightmare Mirror, Anasi, Rainbow Dash the Grim Reaper, and the Alicorn Filly Applebloom.
Well, it appears that this project is coming to a close and it is saddening to see it go. But I will say that it was wonderful reading what you guys wrote, because many of the stories you wrote put my mind at ease and returned my faith in humanity and their love for a happy ending. It was a fun ride that was worth enjoying and I commend you all fr your efforts. *Tips hat*
This is David Crespo signing off.
7855866
How was Amicita facing her worst fear?
I bloody bloody bloody bloody wish I'd used that somewhere.
I'd ****ING READ IT!!!!!!!! YES I WOULD!!!!!
????
You mean Hyrule Warriors and click games.
Funny how John Adams rarely makes the history books.
-_- Boo.
A fan comic I hated.
That the damn point.
Assuming he has one.
If ya wanna.
Yes. Likely.
7856003
I'm confused you didn't say more about the heroes finding a way to give a happy ending to the "not war hammer" pony fan comic.
I wish I'd worded it differently.
Personally, I find it infuriating people hate on a preschooler show.
Any of the 'classic' stories were this.
????
Don't rouse up Azerhorse.
7856056
:-(
0-0
:-)
7856674
http://uno.wikia.com/wiki/Kakurenbo_Hide_and_Seek
THANKS!
Emperor's New Clothes, look it up.
*looks in awe*
:=)
7855866
Yeah, a lot of the wolf stuff is my fault. :)
In my mind, all of the potential Bearers of Honesty have, at some point in the multiverse, befriended a Blank Wolf at a Variety Show. Anywolf we missed out there? (Granny Smith, Apple Bloom, and Red Gala each raise a paw)
7856056
Thanks. :)
7856674
And someday, one more big goodbye when Apple Bloom shares those pictures with Fidelitas and the others...
Unhappiness is useless to me.
7857190
???
7856691
One off jokes that are now running gags. Derpy and muffins, Lyra and humans, Celestia and cake, and the CMC and tree sap
I actually kinda like warhammer. The near-infinite amounts of lore and Rule of Cool logic make it near-perfect for me, but the hopelessness brings it down to just so-so.
I'm exaggerating greatly. Barney is the perfect example of a show that's great for little kids, but that adults can't stand. However, that song is pure evil.
Bonnie Zachrele. The one entity higher than the 4 Parent Concepts
I meant that as a compliment. I laughed so hard I choked
Why is your pic a giant M anyway?
7856691 Y'know what, I'm actually going to write that Pinkie Pie vs Rainbow Dash story. It'll take forever and won't be near as good as what you or your contributors write, but, as a wise man once said, Yol-(gets growled at by my dog who is as sick of this as the rest of the internet. I'm not kidding, she actually growled at me as i typed that)
7860083
It...does kinda fit.
7857416 If all I remember is how something makes me feel, then what is more unhappiness but poison for my better moods? I'm already full up of unhappiness. I don't need anymore.
7860782
I think this was nice.
7860784 this was kinda nice. Bittersweet. But I was responding to the thing you wrote about stories with sad endings.
8073208 Ok, good.
8320946
Thanks for the comments. Looking back, the Nightmare Moon timeline was one of the most epic segments. :)
Gilda and Dash are just super best friends! Probably. :) Gilda lived some of their adventures out of order, thanks to the Doctor.
As Alex pointed, there's room to interpret the dual Elements as Twilight's actually being a restored Element of Trust. Maybe if this was a continuing thing, there'd be a "The Mystery of Twilight's Element!" episode.
Also looking back, I noticed that we never addressed Fluttershy being an adult blank flank. I guess her cutie mark will come later too, unless she got it along with the Element of Kindness, and nopony noticed.
Some other notes...
After the changeling timeline was established, and the adventure party was ready to set out... the story writing stalled for weeks. I decided that maybe another epic Quest for the Elements had been too much, and tried cutting to the chase. We find out a little more about the time in between later.
About the Crystal Army reaching Everfree City and attacking unrealistically quickly... magic. :)
Shining Armor and Cadence had been making plans for such an assault for months, with tests and drills. When the word was given, Spike and the other airborne forces flew ahead at top speed, carrying as many talented unicorn wizards as they could, and secured a hoofhold. The wizards laid out ritual circles, and mass-teleported the ground forces to the battlefield.
Such tactics, with combined ground, air, and magical forces, hadn't been seen since the earliest days of Equestria. Nightmare Moon was arrogant, and even a little self-sabotaging, and didn't prepare adequate defenses and counters to it.
Yeah, I kinda justified it after the fact, and there totally should have been a scene in the story where the army deployed. :)
8320946
https://www.fimfiction.net/story/258792/15/pony-pov-princess-twilights-lightly-visits-to-grim-worlds/the-endbeginning#comment/8321890 More of wha they have to say.
8321890
You forgot to include a reply tag.
Just reading these tidbits, makes me gald that I will probably never read the parent story for that world. None sound that friendly.
And makes me also wonder "What the fuck is wrong with some people in this fandom for writting those worlds?"
Plus Goddess Twilight is always awesome. And there is never enough of it.
8772844
Which parent story for which world? There are a lot.