Revelations
When Nick got back to his body, he saw Discord had come through on his promise. They were out of Tartarus and appeared to be in the desert.
“Ah good, you’re back!” Discord greeted Nick. “How’d things go with the princesses?”
Nick, still angry and sad that he did what he did, shook his head. “I’d rather not talk about it. I appreciate your help Discord, I really do. You saved so much time in Tartarus, but right now I just want to be alone. You can go back to Ponyville or do what you want, I can handle everything from here.”
“What part of ‘You’re not having all the fun’ did you not understand? Maybe we should get your ears checked,” Discord said, snapping his claws. He had the full doctor outfit along with a flashlight. He then shrunk down and hopped into Nick’s ear, a whole bunch of clanging and machinery noises coming out of Nick. Discord appeared out of Nick’s other ear, wiping his “hands” off and transforming back to normal size.
“Ears are clean, but had a little dust in your brain,” he gave the wolf’s bill of health.
“Discord this is not a laughing matter,” Nick shook his head. “I just want to be left alone.”
“What, because you had to make a tough decision? Or that you couldn’t see other solutions to your problems?”
“What do you know about making tough decisions?!” Nick snapped back. “Tell me one tough decision that you’ve had to make? Oh, maybe just how much chaos you should cause? You couldn’t over do it or else you’d might break some pony’s mind and they couldn’t enjoy it.”
“You’re right, I have no experience in making tough decisions,” Discord calmly replied. “That’s reserved for the hero. It’s always the hero having to make the hard choices, and also living with them. I mean, didn’t you realize that when you first accepted your role?”
Nick paused his retort. Discord was right, again. He didn’t think about how hard the journey would be, just about the end result. He figured it would be challenging, but not this hard. He sat down, bringing his paws to his face.
“You’re right Discord,” he sighed, rubbing his temples. “I should have figured that there would be mental tests as well as physical ones. What do I do now?”
Discord smiled at Nick’s admittance. “Well of course I’m right. I’m the omnipotent, benevolent, charming and handsome Spirit of Chaos!” he boasted. Knowing that Nick needed help, he quickly transitioned into the role of mentor. “Anyway, it’s too late to turn back now, you’ve already killed Tirek, which has started a chain of events which even I don’t know how they will exactly end. You do still have a choice, just like Tirek mentioned. You can go off on your own and banish all the darkness, sacrificing yourself in the process and save Equestria. Or, you can reconcile with your marefriends, find a way to contain the darkness, and live, but at the price of leaving Equestria at the risk of them rising back to power.”
“So why wouldn’t the Tree of Harmony give me that second choice? Why would she purposefully send me to my death when there was a less severe choice?”
“I don’t know, why don’t you ask her? I don’t try to understand what she’s thinking in those roots of hers. My best guess is that way, she wouldn’t have to look for another hero to take your place when you die, of old age or trying to contain the darkness.”
“How could you make that kind of inference?” Nick was now curious as to how omniscient Discord actually was.
“Me and my big mouth,” the draconequus facepawed, his mouth growing comically large compared to his body. “You were never supposed to find out, but I guess you deserve to know.” He poofed two logs and a campfire, despite it being a few hours till sunset. He gestured for the wolf to sit.
“Now where to begin?” Discord pondered. “I guess how all of this started. After the defeat of Tirek, the last vessel of darkness, I was summoned by the Tree of Harmony. Although Twilight, her friends, even Tia and Luna forgave me, Harmony still saw to it that I was punished for risking the future of Equestria.”
“Yeah, but the Elements still defeated him right? Was there really any danger when they’d always come through?”
“Of course there was, considering each time they ‘saved the day’, it was some deus ex machina or just plain luck that was doing the actual work. Nightmare Moon was the only one they managed to defeat without any help. If Celestia didn’t have the foresight to actually use your marefriend’s friendship reports to boost her morale, she would’ve left Ponyville and I would’ve won. I should’ve known better and imprisoned her, oh well. Spike really was the hero of the Crystal Empire, snapping Twilight out of her trance in front of Sombra’s cursed mirror. Chrysalis was defeated by the Elements, but if Cadance hadn’t helped Twilight and herself get out of the caves under Canterlot, everypony wouldn’t have found out the truth till it was too late. Then there’s Tirek. He gave me the last key to a chest created by the Tree herself. Had I not betrayed them or if he didn’t give me it, he’d be reigning right now. Even Starlight was only stopped when Twilight was able to diplomatically convince her how she was in the wrong. If that overpowered mare had won, I’d be bored with the Equestria she’d created.”
“So what does that have to do with your punishment?” Nick now seeing the pattern.
“Well the Tree didn’t want Equestria’s fate to be left to chance so she decided to find a creature from another dimension that would rid this world of any evil once and for all.”
“Isn’t that just as risky?” Nick was now bemused.
“Like I said, I will never understand the workings of a female mind. It’s way more bewildering than any chaos I can conjure,” Discord shrugged. “Maybe I should recruit a female assistant,” he stroked his goatee.
“Back to the topic at hand,” Nick reminded his companion. “How come it seems like I’m the first ‘hero’ to have come here? Celestia herself said that the gem can only pick those ‘pure of heart’.”
“That’s where I came in,” Discord grinned. “Being the spirit of chaos, one of my greatest powers is the ability to transverse multiple dimensions. After all, why should only one dimension get special treatment? If a hero failed, I’d simply teleport the Tree and myself to a parallel dimension and we’d start all over.”
“So you just doomed the previous dimension to its fate?” Nick realized in horror what just being there meant.
“Oh you heroes and your ethics,” Discord raspberried. “It was one of many, a dime a dozen. Some die out and others adapt. At least with this, once we finally solved the problem all other realities will cease to exist, since a major component is missing.”
“So because each time you try out a ‘hero’, it branches off the main stem and thus, the ‘good’ reality is preserved until the ‘right solution’ is found and purifies it from the mistakes.”
“Exactly!” Discord clapped. “Impressive you could keep up with all that.”
“Still one question: Why didn’t you tell the other heros about this? Surely this would’ve helped them in their journey.”
“No, it wouldn’t have,” Discord sighed. “The outcome of that dimension was purely up to the hero, the only flaw in the Tree’s plan. Out of all the choices, humans seemed to be the best, but were so unpredictable. Your race can be both kind and cruel, but it depends on the individual. We couldn’t pick purely good creatures, since they cannot kill, just like what we have here in Equestria with most ponies. Those that do have bad in them change to that extreme, not able to find the balance. Obviously we couldn’t pick purely bad creatures as well.”
“And you can’t do it, because like Tirek said, once you made your choice to reform, you became pure good as well.”
“I like to consider myself, chaotic good,” Discord chuckled, a pair of black shades popping onto his snout.
“So what you’re telling me is that all the human’s before me chose to be evil? That is both depressing and somewhat doesn’t surprise me,” Nick sighed.
“Well they faced the same decisions you had. The Tree told them they would have to die in order to save Equestria, while the villains told them what you’ve heard.”
“Why didn’t you tell them what you’re telling me?”
“It wouldn’t have changed a thing. They were already headed down the path to the dark side.”
Nick groaned. “So, you think I have a better chance at saving Equestria?”
“Slightly, yes,” Discord nodded. “Your past plays a good part in those chances, but I can’t tell until the final decision comes. Each journey has varied, but yours has been the most interesting. The humans end up in relationships just like yours, and not all of them were male, but by this point they’d already have taken their relationships to the next level, if you get my drift. You’re the only one that tried to end your relationship.”
Nick blushed at that mention, thinking that in another reality, Luna and Twilight had loved another human, maybe at the same time, maybe separately, he honestly didn’t want to know. This made him wonder how ‘special’ he really was.
“So pretty much, if I decide to not sacrifice myself, I’ll be stuck in a living hell?” Nick summarized. “Just knowing that, sacrificing myself sounds like the obvious choice.”
“You would think, but we won’t know until you are actually presented with that choice. Anyway
enough talk, we got another villain to take down,” Discord stretched. “Also, she will be toughest as her throne nullifies all magic besides changeling’s. I’m curious as to how you’ll approach it.”
“Instead of just teleporting us directly to her fortress, can we travel there on paw and hoof? I’ll need some time and details from you to figure out how to infiltrate probably a heavily guarded place if my dreams were accurate,” Nick asked of the draconequus.
“It’s all fine with me,” Discord replied. “If it means you’re the one to break this never ending cycle, take all the time you want.”
With a new plan in place as well as a new outlook on his role in Equestria, the two continued on. Both thinking: How is this going to end?
Luna stamped her hoof again. It had been half an hour since Nick “disappeared”, and they were waiting for her sister’s carriage. She still couldn’t believe that after she poured her heart out to Nick, he still went off on his own. Then there were his words that haunted her. It’s better to hurt now when I have control than when I don’t. What did he mean by that other than he was still hiding something from them?
Twilight wasn’t faring any better. At first she was just shocked, how convincing and unnerving the likeness of Nick’s clone was. From that point on she wouldn’t be sure if the Nick she was talking to was the real one. Now she was just sobbing, for the same reasons Luna was furious, her friends trying to comfort her to the best of their abilities.
“Why in tarnation would Nick just up and leave without us?” Applejack rubbed her friend’s back. “We’re the Elements of Harmony, we’ve faced these villains before and were put in danger many times. Why would this be any different?”
“Unless of course he’s an agent of this so called ‘darkness’,” Rainbow Dash growled. “What if Sombra possessing him was actually Nick just being a vessel to that creep? You guys said he even thought Tirek had possessed him. Makes me regret not clobbering him when I had the chance!”
“Rainbow Dash! The last thing Twilight or Princess Luna needs is you criticizing Nick,” Rarity scolded, box of tissues floating at her side for when Twilight stopped crying. “I agree that what Nick did was selfish and irresponsible, but right now we need to show both of them our support and try to track him down for answers.”
“We- we don’t e-even know … wh-wh-where he went,” Twilight sobbed louder. Luna broke her concentration at being furious with Nick to be at her marefriend’s side. This was hard for both of them and it would be better if they supported each other instead of trying to cope on their own.
She motioned politely for her friends to move aside, then sat down next to Twilight, wrapping a protective wing around her. She just let her cry, both her and the younger mare not ready for words yet.
After a few minutes of silence, Twilight was now sniffling and Luna was ready to talk in a more calm, collected manner.
“Do you want to start sharing or shall I?” Luna asked Twilight.
“Y-ou can go-o first,” Twilight slightly shuddered.
“Alright,” Luna sighed, trying to figure out a good place to start. “I still love Nick, despite all of this mess. I don’t like how he decided to just deal with Tirek without us and now is going after the rest of the villains on his own. I’m hurt that he didn’t think we could be helpful to him. I’m glad he’s worried about us getting hurt, but the same can be said vice versa. There would be a less likely chance of that if we all stuck together. But, I trust Nick has a good reason for all of this. At least he better come up with one when we find him.”
Luna looked at Twilight, who nodded that she was ready to go.
“At first I was bewildered and then scared,” Twilight admitted. “We had spent most of the afternoon with his clone and didn’t even feel like anything was wrong. It was just like a perfect version of the changelings’ magic. What if they kidnapped him and used his clone to trick us?” She shook her head, thinking thoughts like that wouldn’t do any good. “I was also hurt, but because he didn’t trust us to understand. He thought that by using a clone, he didn’t need to discuss with us why he was doing this.”
“Well once we see if Tirek truly is gone, I won’t stop until we find him and make him explain himself,” Luna vowed, picking herself and Twilight off the ground. Her sister’s chariot was approaching, as if on time.
The Princess of the Sun rushed to her sister and former pupil once it came to a stop.
“I’m sorry I couldn’t get here any sooner,” Celestia bowed her head. “I had to make sure everything would be taken care of - ”
“It’s alright sister,” Luna held up her forehoof and hugged Celestia. “You’re here now and that’s all that matters.”
Breathing a sigh of relief, Celestia looked at both of them. It was obvious they were still hurting from Nick’s sudden departure. “How are the both of you?” she worried.
“It still hurts, but I’m ready to move onto what we need to do next,” Twilight put on a brave face for her former teacher.
Celestia went over to her and hugged her as well, something Twilight greatly appreciated.
“I guess Nick didn’t believe my threat when there would be consequence for breaking the hearts of the two mares I love most,” she tried to lighten the mood. “So, is everypony ready to make the trip to Tartarus? Normally if my sister or I wasn’t present, you all would have to go the way Twilight and I guess Nick did, but our chariots are enchanted to travel directly there.”
With a nod of approval from the group, they all boarded her chariot. Before they embarked, she and Luna performed their duties, so they could take their time down there. Celestia’s horn lit up, as did the chariot and her guards, and in a flash they popped out of sight.
Upon arriving, the change in temperature was the first thing everypony noticed. Allowing their eyes to adjust to the change in lighting, they carefully disembarked from the chariot. Cerberus was still standing guard, but his tail started wagging once he saw Fluttershy.
“Why hello again Cerberus,” the yellow pegasus greeted, going over to him and giving him a quick belly rub. “You look like you’re doing well.”
Celestia looked around to see if anything was out of place, and her eyes fell to what was at the canine’s feet. A bone, at least three pieces of bone lay there, slightly chewed.
“Fluttershy, can you ask Cerberus where he got that bone?” she politely asked, although a little uneasy about the source of said bone. When she asked that, everypony’s gaze found what she was talking about. There were some gasps of shock and groans of queasiness.
“Oh my,” Fluttershy brought her hooves to her muzzle. “Um Cerberus, where did you get such a, juicy looking bone?”
The dog barked, and Fluttershy immediately gasped.
“Nick!?”
The dog barked again, explaining what exactly happened. As he did, Fluttershy translated to everypony else.
When they found out it wasn’t Tirek’s or the wolf’s they let out a sigh of relief only to gasp in horror when they found out the centaur’s fate.
“He just, tossed him into the magma?!” Twilight ran to the edge, despite her knowledge of knowing how quickly magma can melt most objects, expecting to see the cage or Tirek’s body there.
“And Discord was accompanying him as well?” Luna repeated, deep in thought.
“See, even Discord has turned!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed. “Wouldn’t be surprising after what he did with Tirek. Probably wanted revenge for turning on him.”
“No, Discord truly is reformed,” Fluttershy defended her friend. “Nick also didn’t show any signs of ‘evil’ either, at least not permanently.” That brought some ease to Twilight’s and Luna’s minds, except for that last part. “There was a slight jump in darkness, but Cerberus thought it was the dark energy Nick absorbed from Tirek’s body.”
That explained why the clone acted the way it did. “What did Discord and Nick do after he absorbed Tirek’s magic?” Luna asked Fluttershy.
“Well, they just left. They didn’t say where they were going, only that Discord said that they would need Cerberus’ services later in the future,” Fluttershy replied.
“Do you know what any of that can mean, Princess?” Applejack asked Celestia.
The white alicorn sadly shook her head. “I’m afraid not Applejack. I knew that when I brought Nick here he would have to have to do these things but I didn’t expect him to go off on his own. No pony, unless they are truly evil could take another’s life.”
“So that means Nick is evil!” Dash exasperatedly repeated.
“That’s only half true,” Celestia tried to calm down the pegasus. “You see, Nick is not actually a ‘wolf’. He is from another dimension.”
Everypony except Twilight and Luna was surprised. They looked all three princesses, who nodded their head in agreement.
“We didn’t tell you as we didn’t see the need to bring a scare,” Twilight admitted. “It didn’t seem all too important at the time. Nick wasn’t acting up like he is now.”
“I can only assume that would be the human’s second nature,” Luna looked to her sister for more answers.
“Yes it is,” Celestia sighed, not telling the truth finally rearing its ugly head. “See unlike ponies, humans can swap between the two, being both good and bad at the same time. I know that sounds like our friend Starlight here, but she was either one of the extremes, she is all good now,” she reassured everypony including the mare in question. “Human’s, are more complicated. They have ‘potential’, the potential to be good or bad, thus they have both within them. Even those that are the purest of heart, like Nick, can have evil tendencies. I just wouldn’t think Nick would be forced to act this quickly. I know he was able to fight off Sombra at the Gala, but his willpower must be weakening.”
“What do you mean by that, Princess?” Twilight worried even more.
“It means that the next time we meet Nick, he may not be himself,” Celestia bit her lip. “Nick is a vessel, which is why he was able to absorb all those creatures’ powers. Now that he’s absorbing pure darkness, it’s affecting him. What I had hoped would happen is that we would be there for each villain he defeated, to help keep him in check and once all three villains were defeated and all the darkness absorbed, we would purify him by using the Elements along with Cadance’s, , Luna’s and my magic. Then Nick would return to his normal self and the darkness gone for good. I assume Nick did all of this just like he told both of you. He’d rather hurt your hearts now rather than cause bodily damage when he couldn’t control it anymore.”
“Then that means we need to find Nick as soon as we can before he absorbs any more darkness,” Luna stated.
“Exactly. While you all were waiting, I doubled the scouting parties in the Badlands to the southeast and informed Princess Cadance to double efforts in the Frozen North. With Sombra and Chrysalis the only remaining villains, those are the two places they were last ‘seen’.”
“What about Discord?” Applejack suggested. “If he’s travelling with Nick, then we can just get him to tell us where he is.”
“That or he will just lead us on a wild goosechase,” Luna flatly answered. “He must have agreed with Nick to be travelling with him, instead of letting us know. I’m not sure I like the idea of a powerful being that is easily swayed matched with our growingly unstable wolf friend.”
“I know you all have your doubts about Discord, but I trust him,” Fluttershy spoke up. “Yes he acts in ways that we don’t understand, but he no longer has any wish to do harm. A joke here and there yes, but he won’t be turning back to his evil ways. Also with him being as powerful as he is, he could keep Nick in check.”
Celestia looked at the once timid mare and smiled. “I sure hope you’re right Fluttershy. For all of our sakes. It still wouldn’t hurt to look for them anyway.”
Now with some better understanding about Nick’s predicament, Twilight and Luna felt increasingly better. He honestly was trying to keep them safe, even if that meant hurting them. If anything they had sympathy for him, making such a tough decision. But it still didn’t make everything alright. He still didn’t discuss with them fully what he was going through, even if he felt his “time” was growing short. Now they could only hope Fluttershy was right, that Discord would steer Nick in the right direction, and that the scouting parties could find them before it was too late.
Nick, wherever you are, you better come back to us safe.
The moon was starting to rise, and Discord and Nick decided to set up camp. Nick was now glad that the draconequus was persistent in tagging along, as they had a comfy place to rest. It wasn’t so flamboyant that they’d be seen easily, but at least they weren’t sleeping on the ground.
Despite Discord’s insistence, Nick still wanted to be slightly independent, turning down a delicious meal for what he packed in his satchel.
“So I guess you accompanying me makes you a fugitive as well?” Nick asked his companion. “After all, if you popped up back in Ponyville they’d pester for my location.”
“You and your extremes,” Discord waved his paw. “Celestia just finished explaining our situation, and” he wiped a tear from his eye, “sweet, sweet Fluttershy came to my defense, assuring them that I would take care of you.”
Nick cocked his brow at that.
“Well just fyi, you’re not the only one who can make clones,” Discord scoffed, summoning a full set of himself in servants outfits that presented him with his meal.
“Yeah, but my clones don’t talk back,” Nick smirked, as one of the Discord’s looked at him wide eyed.
“The pooch is right,” he gasped. “Why do we have to serve you?”
“Because if you don’t then you get sent to the void along with everything else that annoys me,” the draconequus leaned back and took a sip of his drink.
The rebellious draconequus gulped and resumed his duties.
“And to save your breath, no I can’t just send the villains to the void,” Discord acknowledge the question in the back of Nick’s mind. “They’d eventually find a way to escape. You banishing them is different. You will be there as well and it’ll be your job to keep them in check.”
“So I’ll just be fighting an eternal battle of good and evil until the end of time?”
“Well it can be that or you can cease to exist when the right hero finally does the task,” the spirit threatened him. “Which honestly is worse in my opinion.”
Nick decided to not press the subject further. Instead he just laid back on his sleeping bag, gazing at Luna’s beautiful night. It brought a tear to his eye, thinking about how much they were hurting because of him.
“You’re marefriends are fine as well,” Discord spoke up. “Yeah they’re still hurt by your deception and something about not trusting them, but they understand why you’re doing this. Seriously they’re the least of your troubles.”
Nick sat up, and looked the draconequus in the eyes. “Have you ever known what it’s like to love someone Discord? Or is friendship the only source of affection you’ve come to know in all these dimensions you’ve travelled.”
“I know enough to know that it is a silly emotion to have and makes you weak and vulnerable,” Discord crossed his arms.
“Well that is one of the effects it has,” Nick admitted, thinking about those he loved. “But there’s something that overshadows those negative effects. I’m sure Twilight knows this just as well from all her friendship lessons. It is more than just a lustful feeling, it is a selfless feeling. That you care for someone other than yourself that you would be willing to do anything, even if it causes pain to yourself. It feels even better when they feel the same, that you know they’ve got your back, will be there for you for better or worse, and will never give up on you.”
“Yawn,” Discord sighed. “If I wanted a lesson in love I’d just go the overly cheery pink princess herself.”
“I truly pity you Discord,” Nick shook his head. “I’m sure Fluttershy loves you just as much as you love her. It may not be physical attraction, but she cares for you just like any of her friends and her being your first friend, I’m sure you have deep feelings for her as well.”
“Don’t try to analyze me wolf,” Discord got in his face. “You don’t know anything about me.”
“Did I strike a sensitive chord Discord?” Now it was Nick’s turn be the tormentor. “That reaction sure says so. I bet there’s more to you doing all of this than just the punishment of the Tree. I bet you don’t want Fluttershy to ever get hurt, and if you can be the one who helps get rid of the darkness, then you’d feel really good. Am I right?”
For once Discord remained silent. Nick smiled.
“It’s nothing to be ashamed of,” he sighed, going back to his star gazing. “Just shows you're more ‘human’ is what I’d normally say. Don’t worry, your ‘secret’ will die with me.” A few minutes of silence and Nick decided to ease the tension. What are the other dimensions like?”
“You can find out when you’re dead,” Discord huffed. “Battle the villains in any dimension you wish, I’m sure you’ll have enough power to pull off that feat.”
“Touchy,” Nick sighed. “Well get some rest Discord, got another long day tomorrow,” he got up and stretched.
“Aren’t you going to sleep? You’ll need your energy for tomorrow.”
“Marefriend is the Princess of Dreams remember? Once I go into dreamland, she’ll swoop in and pop out of my head, then teleport me away.”
“Already ahead of you, have a barrier up that won’t let them track us. She’ll be able to get into your dreams but can’t leave them.”
“That’s great, now I won’t get any rest then.”
Knowing he’d have to face both mares eventually, sleep was necessary to take on villain, he laid down once more on the sleeping bag. He took one last look at the night sky and closed his eyes.
He was thrust into the ground. Coughing, Nick staggered up, trying to get a better idea of his “surroundings”. It was a big field, similar to the one in his first dream. There wasn’t any smoke or carnage, it was like a normal night in Equestria. Well, if you consider no stars or moon in the sky a “normal” night.
“NICK!” an all too familiar voice rang out.
Oh boy, here she comes.
Nick turned towards his marefriend, even when she was angry, she was still beautiful. Of course he couldn’t use that line on her, not by the expression she had.
“Hello my blue moon,” Nick meekly greeted.
“DON’T GIVE ME ANY OF THAT SWEET TALK!!” Luna bellowed at him. “DO YOU EVEN KNOW WHAT YOU DID TO TWILIGHT AND I?!?” The lavender mare made herself known by stepping out from behind the infuriated alicorn. She didn’t even look up to acknowledge Nick.
“I-I didn’t want either one of you to get hurt because of me,” Nick tried to explain but was cut off.
“WELL YOU FAILED MISERABLY AT THAT YOU DOG!!! TWILIGHT CRIED FOR THREE HOURS STRAIGHT AFTER YOU JUST UP AND VANISHED, AND FOR WHAT?! SO YOU CAN BE THE HERO?! THEN YOU COULD HAVE ANY MARE YOU WANT BESIDES TWILIGHT AND I?!”
“No, never,” Nick shut his eyes. “I would never want anypony other than you two.”
“LIAR!! I’VE SEEN YOU LOOK AT RARITY, APPLEJACK, EVEN MY SISTER!! YOU PIG!!”
“Luna-” Nick shook his head. This was going too far, there was no way Luna would be this upset, would she?
“SHUT UP!” she screamed. “NOT ONLY DO YOU LUST AFTER THEM, YOU LUST AFTER POWER!! YOU DEFEAT A FEW DANGEROUS CREATURES IN THE EVERFREE AND YOU THINK YOU CAN TAKE ON THREE SUPER VILLAINS ON BY YOURSELF?! YOU DON’T EVEN NEED ANY HELP, WE’RE JUST SUPPOSED TO SIT AROUND OUR CASTLE AND WAIT FOR YOU TO SAVE THE DAY, BE GOOD LITTLE WIVES?!!”
“Luna, stop-” Nick grabbed his head. He wasn’t sure what was happening, but he knew it wasn’t good.
“WHAT, YOU CAN’T HANDLE THE TRUTH?! SEE YOURSELF FOR WHO YOU REALLY ARE? AN AGENT OF DARKNESS!!!”
“NOO!!!!” Nick yelled back, beams of darkness shooting off him and forming a concentrated beam and hitting Luna squarely in her chest, knocking her back.
“Luna!” Twilight cried out flying towards her marefriend. Nick tried to follow suit, but couldn’t move.
“Finally, I thought she’d never shut up,” Sombra’s voice echoed. “Honestly Nick, why do you need them? There’s plenty of mares out there who would love to be with ‘The Hero of Equestria’.”
“Yes,” a full feminine voice agreed. “And I could even help keep those relationships everlasting.”
“And think of all the power!” Tirek chuckled. “I miss my body, but your’s would be just as good. Already a powerful base, and can just keep absorbing magic until none can oppose you.”
“No,” Nick shook his head. “I’m not one of you.”
“Are you sure?” a stern but motherly voice questioned. Nick turned to see Celestia as well as the other Elements standing there, protectively around Luna.
“What are all of you doing here?” Nick was surprised and relieved at the same time.
“Luna wanted to see why you left in such a hurry,” Celestia explained. “But now we understand your true intentions here. I was foolish to trust that gem to find the right human to solve our problems. But we can’t let you escape now, not while we have you stuck in your dreams.”
“No, I don’t want to fight you,” Nick pleaded, looking at all of them. They definitely weren’t happy with him.
“Good, that means taking you down will be easy,” Rainbow Dash grinned.
“Careful Rainbow Dash,” Luna warned. “That blast was pretty strong and he wasn’t even trying. Best we all attack together.”
“Alright,” the pegasus sighed, lining up with her friends.
They all charged him, and Nick just threw up a shield, staying on the defensive. The Elements charged up their attack and blasted a beam of light at the shield, shattering it and knocking Nick back. Unconsciously, his body maneuvered and landing him on his feet.
“You may not want to attack them, but I’ve got a score to settle with that dumb little bookworm,” the female voice spoke within him.
“And after they just banished me into some abyss in the Frozen North, it’s payback time,” Sombra growled.
“They left me to rot in Tartarus, living in abysmal conditions,” Tirek sneered. “If I hadn’t given that traitor Discord the final key I would be in power.”
“No, I’m supposed to die and I’d rather do that than hurt any of them,” Nick shook his head, trying to stop his progression towards the group.
“Well then, try resisting us,” Sombra laughed, lunging Nick’s body at the Elements. With three villains trying to take control, it was down right impossible. An aerial battle ensued, Nick trying to line himself in the path of the Elements’ and sisters’ blasts while trying to stop his body from firing off any magic of his own. One lucky shot hit him right in the chest, knocking his body out of the air.
Mentally he cheered, it would soon be over. He ached all over from crashing into the ground from the blast. He looked up and saw the mares coming towards him, readying to finish him off. Nick however felt something building up within him. Looking down he could see light being emitted by his necklace. Then he felt a ripping sensation along his entire body, followed by another blast of darkness.
He opened his eyes once the pain stopped, and immediately wanted to shut them again. He was standing upright, with two “clones” to his side, except they weren’t exact copies of him.
“Ah,” the Tirek clone sighed. “It feels good to not be confined to just one body. It may not be mine, but it will do.”
“Yess,” Chrysalis clone hissed. “Besides this fight was unfair, 8 vs 1. Now’s the time to even the odds.”
“I’ve grown accustomed to your body, so why make another clone?” Sombra’s voice echoed in his head. “Struggle all you like, I’m in control now.”
Nick was helpless as he saw himself charging right at the mares, Tirek and Chrysalis not too far behind. He could feel Sombra’s wickedness surge through him, every blast of darkness part of him, every injury sustained shared. The fight between good and evil seemed to last hours, without either side gaining the advantage, at least so it seemed.
“It’s time to release your true potential,” Sombra laughed, closing Nick’s eyes. Flashes of his memory flew by: losing Sabrina, watching Alex grow weak in his arms, and seeing the driver that killed his parents walk away. Each one filled Nick with sadness, helplessness and most importantly, rage.
“NOOO!!” he cried out, a massive shockwave blasting out of him, knocking over anything in its path, Element and villain alike.
“Good, now finish them,” Sombra whispered.
Every figure that appeared before him was something that he hated and did not hesitate in cutting them down. The driver, people who had treated him as the loner, every woman he had tried dating, until there were three left standing. His brother, Alex and Sabrina.
He paused, still filled with rage, but his anger subsiding slightly. He understood why he hated his brother, but tried to reason why Alex and Sabrina were there. After a few minutes of thinking, he finally figured it out. The people weren’t something that he just hated. They had hurt him in their own way: taking away those he loved, being the ones he lost or just ignoring him.
He struck down his brother without hesitation, there was no remorse for killing someone who abandoned him. He hesitated when it was now down to the two people he loved the most. Sabrina, his first love and heartbreak. Alex, the brother that filled the void of his actual one.
“Strike them down and they can never hurt you again,” Sombra goaded Nick on. “Every memory will be erased, no more pain or suffering. You can create new one’s with us, happier ones.”
He looked at both of them, neither one speaking, not a hint of fear in their eyes. They just stared back at him, awaiting his next move.
“As you wish,” Nick closed his eyes, and struck his paw at both of them, feeling warm liquid soak his fur. When he opened his eyes, the figures had vanished, replaced with the broken bodies of the Elements and the princesses. Celestia lay off to the side, her once pristine white coat corrupted with her own blood as well as the mares that fell before her. Twilight and Luna lay at his paws, breathing heavily and gurgling blood, various cuts and bruises adorning their bodies.
“I *cough* thought you loved us,” Twilight weakly spoke, the pain too much for her to continue talking.
“I hope you’re happy,” Luna mustered her strength to speak. “You- got what you wan-ted. To be alone so n-nopony could hurt you. I. Hate. You.”
Nick’s heart sunk, his rage quelled. He looked around him, at all the carnage he wrought, Sombra’s control or not. He saw now all three villains behind him, Sombra claiming his own clone.
“Well done Nick,” he applauded. “You did what you were brought here to do. Welcome to the darkness.”
“Nick! Nick! Wake up!”
Nick’s eyes flew open, and he jumped to his paws, taking a quick surveillance of where he was. They were still in the desert, their campfire illuminating everything around it. He saw Discord next to him, holding something sizeable in his paw.
“Discord what happened?
“You had a bad dream, no thanks to this cretin right here,” the draconequus shoved the object into the light. It was like nothing Nick had ever seen before. It was similar to a pony in it’s basic structure but what stuck out was its shiny black plating, porous appendages and bright shiny blue eyes.
“What is that thing?” Nick, now more awake, started walking around the creature further observing it.
“A changeling, one of Chrysalis’ many drones,” Discord explained. “They feed off emotions, love being their preference, but apparently you ran out of that and it started using other feelings. It’s odd that this one is all alone though, unless bug queen is sending scouts of her own.”
“I’m not a scout!” the changeling thrashed in Discord’s grasp. “I left the hive because I didn’t fit in there at all.”
“How can you not fit in with your kind?” Nick sat down, motioning for Discord to release the drone. Now that he was awake, the two of them could stop the changeling if they needed.
“All I wanted was a friend,” the changeling continued, trying his best not to appear threatening. “I never really fit in with the other changelings my age. They always were plotting new ways to steal emotions from other creatures. While we were usually starving, I didn’t want to get my food that way. It always left a bad taste in my mouth. I was there when we invaded Canterlot, and seeing the Elements of Harmony in action, feeling the love through friendship they had was more satisfying than any stolen love I ever tasted. After we were scattered across Equestria, I decided not to return to the hive. I was no longer one of them.”
“Yet you tried to feed off my dreams while I was asleep,” Nick pointed out, but for some unknown reason he knew the bug was telling the truth.
“It was too tempting and I was starving!” the changeling waved his hooves defensively. “Originally I was headed towards the Frozen North. Something up there is emitting a lot of love and I figured if I could just blend in, maybe I’d be able to make friends and receive some of that. But then I felt your’s nearby and it was stronger than that up north. Even the Elements or Princess Cadance’s and her husband’s love paled in comparison. But like your friend said, you didn’t just have love. As I got into deeper emotions, I felt your pain, anger, fear and was even able to glimpse into your dream. I didn’t like that I was causing you to feel all those emotions so I woke up your friend, knowing that I’d probably be punished.”
“Puhlease,” Discord scoffed. “As if we’d believe that story. I woke up after hearing you struggling in your sleep. What shall we do with him Nick? Enslave him and have him lead us to Chrysalis? Or just kill him here and now, one less changeling is never a bad thing.”
Nick looked at the intruder, shaking in fear at what consequences would fall upon him. An idea hit him as he thought about the changeling’s powers.
“Hold on Discord, let’s not be to rash,” he went over to the shivering insectoid. “You’re able to absorb other’s feelings, right?” he asked him.
The changeling nodded his head. “That and to gain the love from a pony, we can change form into somepony they love most.”
“I want to try something out,” Nick proposed. “But try any funny business and I’ll have Discord here conjure a huge fly swatter and end you here and now.” At the mention, Discord snapped his talons and said fly swatter appeared.
“Al-alright, what do you want me to do?” the changeling’s eyes widened.
“I want you to feed off my emotions.” Both the changeling’s and Discord’s jaws dropped.
“What?!!?” they exclaimed in unison.
“I have a similar ability,” Nick explained. “I can absorb the power of those I defeat. But unknowingly, I think you shared some of your memories with me as well by feeding off my emotions. I wonder, if by letting you continue to feed off my emotions, we can strengthen that ‘tether’ and I can gain your powers to shapeshift.”
“And if you can’t,” the changeling was afraid to ask.
“Then I may have to kill you anyway,” Nick sighed, that nightmare had made him sick with killing. “My magic is nullified by your queen’s throne and having your magic may prove useful.”
“She’s not my queen,” the changeling spat. “At least not in the current state she’s in. But I guess fair is fair. I did try to feed on your memories. If anything i should be grateful you’re giving me a second chance.”
“Isn’t that what friendship is all about?” Nick quoted Twilight. “Alright, I’ll start thinking of one of my good memories. You start feeding when you sense it and after a few minutes we’ll see if it worked or not.”
“None of the heroes ever did this,” Discord mused. “Maybe there is a greater chance at succeeding.”
Nick closed his eyes and thought to a night he, Twilight and Luna were simply gazing at the night sky. He imagined the soft blanket they placed down, in the fields surrounding Canterlot, both of them on each side. He felt a slight tugging, probably the changeling feeding off the memory. Now aware of what was happening, Nick looked for a way to access the changeling’s memory in return. A shooting star flew across the sky, something not in his memory, and Nick chased after it. The scenery transitioned until he was in a damp cave. As his eyes adjusted, he saw he wasn’t alone.
It was like a scene from an alien horror film, eggs, a lot of eggs, scattered everywhere. And they were all hatching. His focus was directed to a lone egg off to the side, no others near it. A baby changeling popped its head out, and looked around at its surroundings. While the other baby’s hissed and crawled to a recently emerged Chrysalis, this one cowered in fear.
Time fast forwarded, showing glimpses of events that the changeling had told them. Apparently the memory transfer had worked. Nick saw the raids on neighboring villages, how the one changeling didn’t do much and actually looked depressed. The memory fast forwarded to the Canterlot invasion, and the changeling just floated among the chaos. It turned towards the Elements, and Nick could see its expression change into one of awe. Everything the changeling said was true. A fabricated memory would be hazy, be missing details. This memory was almost like Nick was living it.
He opened his eyes, breaking the tether. The changeling look satisfied, rubbing his belly.
“Well, at least I had a good last meal,” he sighed. “Do with me as you please.”
“What’s your name?” Nick ignored his self pitying. “Assuming changelings have them.”
“Uh, my name?” the changeling was thrown off. “It’s, uh, Thorax.”
Nick stuck out a paw, which caused Thorax to flinch.
“Well Thorax, welcome to the team.”
That is a lot of exposition and a really long chapter. 
But I'm not sorry! It's needed for the end of the story. 
So with that you think you know the end, but remember there's a 'twist'. What will it be? Well dear reader, you'll need to continue reading to find out. 
P.S. Wow, I'm just churning these out. 
Maybe because my research so far has been slow and I've had a lot of free time. Maybe its trying to beat the new episodes so I don't go against too much canon. 
Oh well. We're almost done here, and I want to thank you for sticking with me for this long. I promise, I'll make it worth it in the end. 
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🐺<--Wolf face emote. Perfect for a certain story.
8261086
Thanks for pointing that out! Might use it in future comments. 🐺
Yay! Thorax is here! 🐺🐺
8288084
She has her reasons though. Reasons that will be explained soon.
How goes the next chapter
8292131
Should be uploaded tomorrow or Friday.
Pretty well actually. Thanks for asking.
Umm chrysalis was defeated by the power of Shining Armor’s and Cadance’s love the M6 were stopped at the tower that held the elements. Spike while helping Twilight break out DID still bring the heart to Cadance so he is still it’s savior as for Tirek if Discord had done his job from the start the Treebary would still be there and Tirek would be back in Tartarus with no big mega-battle like in the show.
10165933
Your points are correct based on the canon in the show, however, in the second chapter (aka the plot exposition dump) I left an author's note saying that for simplicity sake and not having to explain everything over again, that the Elements just saved the day each time. Thank you for liking the story enough to bring up this point and I hope you enjoy the sequel to this story!
10165933
Well there was some luck involved. Considering if chrysalis hadn't sent twilight to the cave she might have not gotten back with the real bride. Triek lost when twilight gave up power for friendship and saved discord. Sombra lost to spike's loyalty to twilight and her brains and magic. It was luck that she stumbled upon the entrance to the tower where the heart was kept.