Sky Dancer, the First Flying Unicorn

by Scroll

Chapter Twenty Six: The Third Joker

{When I thought about all the problems we endured over these past two years to get this far, it was the last two days that was by far the easiest, and that only came after one of our most intense battles. It felt like a reward for our bravery and for making the right choices along the way. We felt like we were empowered by something far greater than ourselves. The will of the stars, and perhaps by extension a piece of the universe, stretched down its divine hoof and gave us aid and respite in our hour of need.

{I won't say the Crystal Carriage was fast. It was about double the speed we normally traveled every previous day, but the Crystal Carriage plowed through any obstacle in its way. It crawled over hills and rock slides with no problem. It drove through or over rivers of lava. On top of the defense of the Crystal Heart barrier, the Crystal Carriage also blocked out the external horrific screams from outside and the ghastly illusions The Dark Star conjured against us. For once, we had complete sanctuary. Luna did not need to defend our dreams either. The Crystal Carriage protected our minds and hearts too while we slept inside the Carriage, and speaking of sleeping . . . beds literally grew out of the wall. Usually it was an oval shaped crystal but, just like the food, this Carriage apparently had the power to manifest other kinds of objects and edible things. In my case, it created the most comfortable cloud I ever slept in but, for others, their bed was made of whatever was most ideal for them if they bothered to ever use it. I have not slept that good in years, maybe even ever. The air inside the Carriage was also clean and crisp. Every breath we took filled us with more and more life. I even regained back much of my stolen magic over those two days. The Crystal Carriage was like a portable paradise on wheels.

{It would be exhaustive to mention all the features the Crystal Carriage offered. I could mention the spas, the steam room, crystal benches or chairs that massaged us as we sat on them, the humming crystals that soothed our bodies, minds and spirits with tranquil chiming songs, but I think you get the point. Suffice it to say, it was really magical and really comfortable.

{But I didn't just look upon it as our reward for a battle well fought before. I looked upon it as the hope of higher powers to prepare us for the next pivotal battle. Very few of us did any of this with the hopes of a reward. I could possibly name a few exceptions, but I choose not to at this time. Primarily we did all of this to protect what we already love and in the hopes to protect what was good for every generation to follow before and after us. This was why I could not completely relax. I knew what was coming next, but I was no longer afraid of it either. I knew it was likely to be a hard fight, and probably full of surprises both good and bad, but I kept my mind and heart locked on the goal. I was filled with hope.

{The Crystal Carriage also made me feel connected to even higher powers, powers out there that really cared for us. I felt appreciated, so it was much easier to return the favor. We've all come together here to do whatever we could.

{So onward we drove, day and night. The Crystal Carriage never ceased and it was not slowed down by obstacles that really would have seriously impeded the rest of us, so we made it to our destination what felt like all too soon but, at the same time, we felt ready and hyped to get this over with so we could return to the lives we all enjoyed, and for those of us who could remember . . . our lives were forever changed by the extraordinary and epic journey we shared together. This was a journey we made outwardly, and a journey we made inwardly. We were all united in a bond of friendship, and those feelings would last in things like the Crystal Carriage even if those who enchanted it disappeared.

{But, at last, we made it. We had arrived at the heart of The Dark Star, as well as the trio of visitors ready to greet us.}

xoxo

Card Shark, also known as Double Dealer, also known as the Master, stabbed his gentlecolt's cane into the earth as he regarded all the visitors that gathered before him as they exited the giant Crystal Carriage.

His outfit had not changed, but Fluttershy's outfit changed drastically. She wore a gothic looking dress which seemed to be made of black spider webs which hung in loose tatters at the edges. Her mane was dyed black, and so too was the back of her eyelids and her lips. She also wore a collar on her neck which had an onyx gem shaped like a rose at the front.

“Behold, my pet! Your friends have come to 'rescue' you. Isn't that sweet?” the Master asked with a devilish, sinful charm.

Fluttershy gave a dark giggle, then said, “Oh, those fools don't know what they're doing, but you will show them. Won't you, my love?”

“Fluttershy,” Discord lamented behind them, he himself trapped inside a floating transparent sphere apparently made of glass but was, in fact, far more endurant. He also looked very tired and drained of most of his color. Because of the bubble he was trapped in, it gave his voice a slight echo when he spoke.

“Of course, my pet!” the Master agreed. “I will soon educate them all who their master really is!”

“Fluttershy, can you hear us?” Pinkie Pie called out desperately. “It's us. You know,” she pulled out a loudspeaker from out of nowhere then shouted through it, “YOUR FRIENDS!!!” Her voice visibly boomed so loud it caused a sonic boom and made the whole terrain bend away from her for a second. This caused every creature to wince in tight pain because of the volume. There wasn't one exception to this except Pinkie Pie herself. The last two words also echoed across the terrain and faded across the next eight seconds.

“Well it's difficult to hear you now that my EARS ARE RINGING!” Fluttershy cried back in intense annoyance. “But of course you feel the need to SHOUT your feelings all the time. How else are you supposed to maintain your annoying attitude? Do you want to know why you have to shout so loud? It's because you've learned, long ago, that's the only way you'll be heard. We're all trying to ignore your stupid antics, but you make it so darn difficult when you are SHOUTING AT US ALL THE TIME!”

Fluttershy's ridicule at first sharply took Pinkie aback, but then her mane deflated as she frowned in bewailment. “Flah . . . Fluttershy!” Pinkie cried sadly with tears glistening in her eyes.

“Fluttershy, what are you saying?” Twilight asked in horrified astonishment. “This isn't you.”

“Well LA-DE-DAH!” Fluttershy spat back. “It is Princess Twilight Sparkle that speaks. Behold . . . behold. The know-it-all bookworm who thinks she knows everything so hang on her every word, little ponies. Her word is law! Don't you dare cross Princess Twilight Sparkle, or she'll banish you to Tartarus too.”

When Twilight recovered from her gasp, she then glared at the Master in accusation. “What have you done to our friend? I demand you change her back this instant!” Twilight insisted firmly.

“Why? So you can banish him too with our fancy 'Rainbow Powers'?” Fluttershy asked in a mocking tone. “Isn't that how we always deal with everything that annoys us too much? It's too bad we can't turn that power back on Pinkie Pie. Maybe then we'd all get some PEACE and QUIET!”

“Fluttershy!” Pinkie wailed into her own forward hooves.

“Release her!” Twilight demanded to Card Shark with a hoof stomp.

“As you wish,” the Master said surprisingly easily. “My pet,” he half turned his head towards Fluttershy, “you are free to go if you wish.”

“But I do not want to leave your side, my master,” Fluttershy said to the Master submissively.

“Well then. That's a problem,” he said mockingly as he regarded Princess Twilight. “Any more requests, your Majesty? Should I order her to your side anyway? Oh, but that wouldn't be very nice of me, would it? She wants to stay by my side after all. We don't want to make her do anything she does not want to do, right? That would be quite immoral of us to try.”

“She's only like this because you forced her with your mind tricks!” Twilight accused. “Release her mind and give us back our friend.”

“But this is your friend,” the Master countered with a narrow stare and a sly grin. “What you see before you now has always been a part of her. This,” he twisted his gentlecolt's cane to point at Fluttershy to his side, “is a manifestation of her superego. This is the part of her that's always been suppressed by the bottle of her overabundance of kindness, but no pony is that shy or kind without bottling up their truer, larger self. I'm sure some of you noticed this temper of hers crack out occasionally.”

“I certainly did,” Discord lamented behind them with regret, “but I had to force her to be that way, just like you are doing now. Fluttershy would never give in to her dark side alone. I know. I tried to trick her into it once, but she was the only one of the Elements of Harmony that would not give up her faith in her friends. I had to cheat to get my way.”

“Your tactics are irrelevant,” the Master said to Discord without looking back at him. “Unless, of course, you implanted something within her that wasn't in there to begin with, but that's not what you did, is it? No. Instead, you forcefully unleashed something that was already buried within her like precious gemstones, and I think this Fluttershy is going to make a most suitable slave!”

The Master tilted his head as he regarded the Doctor. “What do you think, Doctor? You've been quiet so far. What do you think of my new companion? You've got yours and I've got mine. Now we're all happy, aren't we?”

“I accept my companions only if they are willing,” the Doctor returned. “In exchange, they offer me true love, faith and loyalty. What you have there is nothing but an empty puppet of your own creation. Do you enjoy talking to yourself? Because that's basically all you have achieved here. You're talking to your own imagination. Discord is right. She would never behave this way on her own.” The Doctor sighed as he touched his own chest. “It is true that, buried deep into each and every one of us, is the capacity for light and darkness. What I have achieved with my friends is . . .”

“Shhht! Zip it!” the Master interrupted as he swiped a hoof across the air in front of him, in this case the hoof that did not hold his cane. “I'm tired of your little spiel. We've been over this and over this. I'm sure, by now, that your newest protege has filled you in on my dirty little secret identity?”

“You mean about the fact that you are the Master?” the Doctor asked in a tone of innocent curiosity.

“Yessss!” the Master hissed in great, evil satisfaction. “At last I don't have to hold back with you. The last horse has finally crossed the finish line.”

“Speaking of horses, what do you think of this pony universe?!” the Doctor asked the Master brightly. “Isn't this great? Oh, and you look so adorable as a talking horse! I don't care how evil your plans are anymore! I can't take you seriously when you look so adorable! It makes me want to just pinch and pull on your widdle itty-bitty cheek.”

The Master rolled his eyes in annoyance. “Spoken from the horse's own mouth!”

The Doctor burst out laughing for that comment. Many other ponies that were gathered there looked at each other in confusion and shrugged. Seeing that made Feather Wind think to himself, Heh-heh! Rookies!

“Actually,” the Master waved his cane at the Doctor with a considerably more normal expression. “I do have to talk to you later about that one. I have other concerns for the moment but, in regards to this repulsive universe . . . I do need to vent out some frustration to an ear that actually understands me so consider this a scheduled appointment for you, Doctor.”

The Doctor saluted the Master. “Done and done. Now how about we talk about the fact that we are the last two Time Lords in this universe . . . again . . . or have you met any others besides us? I'm really curious on that point.”

The Master shook his head a little somberly and, for a very brief moment, it looked like he and the Doctor had a true rapport between them. “No. I have not encountered another of our kind. Truthfully, I was hoping you had. After all, you're the one always swinging around the universe in your TARDIS. I really, really, REALLY hate being stuck with you as the last of my kind. You don't know how many times I've said to myself, 'I'd only befriend you if you were the last Time Lord in existence,' but now it actually has come to that. Curse my fate, and curse you!

“Before you get into your little, 'You don't have to conquer the universe to enjoy it' speech, let me just cut you off there right now and save you the effort. I would no more join you in that capacity than you would join me in my efforts to conquer this universe. It's really too bad, too. You and I would be so good at it. We are Time Lords, Doctor! Do you know what that means? The fate of our race is built right into the name. We were meant to rule, but instead you squander all your years away flirting around and playing with pathetic and pitiable little meaningless mortals. How you make me sick!”

The Master released a heavy sigh and calmed down in the process. “But the truth is . . . your offer to join you in exploring the stars actually is quite tempting, especially given our mutual circumstances. While I would never have considered this before, the truth is you are the last that comes the closest to understanding me.”

“That's how I feel!” the Doctor cried out with hope.

The Master looked back up at the Doctor. “But I would only join you on one condition. You and I should explore the universe with the intent to conquer it. It is our destiny and . . .”

The Master cut himself off when he saw the Doctor's look of regret. The Master resumed speaking in frustration. “There! That's the look! That-is-the-look! The same one you keep giving me over and over again whenever I give you this little spiel. We sound like an old married couple at this point, Doctor, and frankly it's growing embarrassing. You'll never change and I'll never change. We should both learn to swallow our pride and move on from this. Despite the both of us being the last of our kind, we will never be compatible together.”

The Master looked down a little sadly. “It's too bad. A part of me really does want to be your friend, just like all those years ago when we were still children. I think I'll never stop wanting that, but I can only continue our relationship together on my terms. I need to be myself, Doctor. I feel that way every bit as much as you do. If we stayed together, we'd only end up hurting each other with painful reminders of empty promises and broken dreams.”

“Eternity is a long time to change,” the Doctor put forward. “Every new face we get is another chance for a fresh start, but we really don't even need to hold out that long. I will continue to live in hope that we can live happily together. You may choose to abandon hope, but I won't.”

“And that's your prerogative,” the Master said evenly. “To a point, I can even respect that.”

“Fine!” the Doctor waved a hoof across the air. “So we are not getting along very well right now. I still live in hope that will change someday but, for now, we're dealing with our own problems here. I get the fact that you like to conquer, but it's not your style to want to be conquered. That's exactly what you are doing right now by submitting yourself to The Dark Star. Why now? After all this time, why submit yourself to anyone or anything? What could possibly make it worth it?”

“First of all, it's a partnership,” the Master explained. “I have not submitted to anything or anyone. I will punish you later for that assumption. The Dark Star has tremendous power,” the Master said with a brief gesture behind him at the tremendous utterly black sphere, “but I have an equally formidable mind. By itself, The Dark Star is just a wild animal but, by working through another agent, it gains sentience, and who better than my mind? Second of all, I established this partnership in pursuit of ultimate power, like the power to bend all of time and space to my will.

“I suppose you've noticed, by now, that Discord isn't as colorful as he used to be, nor did he break himself out of that bubble back there when he'd normally have all the motivation to do so.”

“Yes. I've noticed,” the Doctor assured. “Truthfully, I hoped you wouldn't.”

“Uh-oh! You don't mean . . .” Twilight began fearfully.

The Master gave a sinister grin as he explained, “The Dark Star caught Discord in a perpetual stalemate when it copied his powers, but that was before The Dark Star started working with my vast intellect. Using the power of The Dark Star and the magic draining potential of this little gem here, I managed to help The Dark Star end its little game with Discord in our favor. After I drained Shadow Discord using this gem here, with The Dark Star's cooperation of course, Discord himself fell shortly after with no problem at all. Everything has proceeded according to my masterfully calculated design. Discord's mighty reality bending powers pales in comparison to a true master of fate. A little demonstration is in order, I think,” the Master decided.

“How about we rip out all of their hearts and eat it right in front of them, master?” Fluttershy suggested hopefully.

“Wow, that's dark!” Spitfire said with a stunned expression. “I can't believe that's really Fluttershy.”

“It's not Fluttershy!” Rainbow Dash corrected in anger.

“No, my pet. If we killed them then who would we have left to rule over? Besides, the thought of actually consuming hearts is a little revolting,” the Master informed his slave. “I already have two hearts. There is no need to add to it unnecessarily.”

“I see your point,” Fluttershy conceded, “then how about you make them bow to you, my master?”

“Now there is a good idea!” the Master agreed then lifted up the Black Crystal. As he brought it down a bit he cried out, “BOW . . . to your Master!”

The Master used the power he stole from both Discord and Shadow Discord to greatly enhance the gravity of the entire area around them.

{Almost instantly many of the creatures around me fell to their knees, unable to oppose it. The crushing gravity that was brought down upon us was too much to bear for many of us, myself included. The more strong and stubborn of us held their ground for a moment. Ramadon managed to stay on his hooves. So did Rockhoof, your mother, and all of the ponies native to this timeline except for Shayla. Since they fell to their knees a moment later, I could only assume he enhanced gravity even further for them alone, but your mother crawled back up on her hooves a second time as her body flared with magical energy flowing from her veins. This caused the Master to sigh in annoyance then he made most of your mother's magic suddenly vanish. She was instantly crushed to the ground after that. She still continued to struggle, but she had not succeeded to stand back up again while being forced down for the second time.}

“There you go! Now doesn't that feel better?” the Master asked the entire assembled group. “Doesn't that feel more proper to bow in respect to your betters? You will all learn to have better lives as soon as you learn to submit willingly. I can be a cruel master, or I can be kind. The choice is up to you.”

“We'll never submit to you!” Rainbow Dash cried out in a grunt of effort and pain.

“You . . . may have us down for the moment, but we will get back up on our hooves,” Star Swirl promised. “Or claws,” he amended as he glanced at Ember for a brief moment.

“Benevolent ponies like us will never submit to a monster like you,” Somnambula swore. “We will always fight with every ounce of our strength. The moment we give in to our darkest desires and surrender to the darkness, that is when true death consumes us all.”

“Talk, talk, talk! That's all whinny little pests can do!” Fluttershy taunted. “If you really had the power to get up, you'd have already done so. My master has all the power now, because he is meant to rule.”

“Fluttershy, this isn't you!” Twilight called out. “Remember who you are. Remember us, your friends! You are an Element of Harmony, so your spirit can never be crushed by the force of evil. No matter what he has done to you, you are still you! I know the darkness is inside of you. It exists in us all, but that means goodness and light exists within you as well. Be assertive and take charge of your destiny. He is not your master, Fluttershy. You are!”

Fluttershy replied a little more softly, “I know, Twilight, but you're wrong about one thing. I am not an Element of Harmony,” Fluttershy argued back. “That honor belongs to another, the real Fluttershy!”

“But you are the real Fluttershy!” Twilight cried out desperately.

“No . . . I'm . . . NOT!” Fluttershy insisted. “I'll prove it to you. Would a kind pony really do this?” She reached to her side and ripped out the Black Crystal from the Master's grasp.

“What the . . .?” the Master gasped in astonishment.

With her grip on it, Fluttershy threw the Black Crystal down where it shattered with suspicious ease, almost as if it were actually made of glass rather than crystal. After it shattered, the stolen magic that was contained in it slowly started to leak back into Feather Wind and Discord. This had not undone what the Master had already created, however. Intense gravity continued to crush down on all of the allied friends.

“Why you . . .!” The Master tried to whack at Fluttershy with his cane but she flew back out of his reach.

“Oh! Did smashing your pwetty widdle stone hurt yo itty-bitty widdle feewings?” Fluttershy taunted like talking down to a little baby, then she said, “Well ha-ha-ha!” With each “ha” sound she made, she shook her hip left then right then left again. “I'm glad your feelings are hurt! You made me this way, my master,” she said in a mocking tone with a curtsy while still flying in mid air. “Isn't being evil so much fun?”

“You will pay for daring to cross me!” the Master growled harshly. “I wasn't stupid. I did not contain all the energy in the stone. Now you bow to your master!” He reached a hoof up then brought it down. Fluttershy yelped, startled, when she was forcefully dragged down and crushed to the ground. As she continued to be pressed hard into the ground, she started to yelp in pain.

“Aren't you overlooking something?” the Doctor called out in desperation.

“Not now, Doctor! I'm a little busy killing your friend here!” the Master said in intense anger and concentration. “After I kill her, there will be no way to use the Elements of Harmony against me or The Dark Star! That's the weakness in your little trump card here. I have six separate targets I can aim at, and I only have to take down one of you to permanently disable your greatest asset. Isn't friendship MAGICAL!”

“But you are really overlooking something important. You might want to let up and take a look,” the Doctor pressed.

The Master sighed in annoyance then addressed the Doctor as he roared, “WHAT?!” While he said that and turned to look at the Doctor, Fluttershy was still being crushed but not as hard. Meanwhile overwhelming weight continued to press down upon the others. During that time the leaking magic from the shattered Black Crystal continued to restore Feather Wind and Discord's magic with each passing second. In fact, since Feather Wind recovered most of his former magical strength before this moment, he was actually being magically augmented past any of his previous limits then continued to keep that extra strength from then on.

“Haven't you noticed anyone missing from this group?” the Doctor asked to stall for time and to make a point.

Still annoyed but also a bit curious, the Master scanned across the group carefully. He almost said no but eventually he noticed the missing character here. He then asked the Doctor, “Wasn't there two changelings among you earlier? Where's the other one? The cooler one? Where is Pharynx?”

“Congratulations! You spotted the missing companion! You get a gold star!” the Doctor cheered.

The Master shrugged. “Yeah? So what? Pharynx is a changeling. He could be any one of you, or even an object worn on your person. It's also possible he was killed in that battle earlier.” The Master narrowed his eyes at the Doctor. “What are you getting at?”

Then the Master noticed, to his surprise, Thorax morphed into Pharynx, but he calmed down a moment later. “That proves nothing. You changelings can also morph into each other. In fact, you just proved that right now, but this form might be the disguise as well.”

“It's tricky to keep track of them, isn't it?” the Doctor asked. “You never know where they might be hiding. There could even be one right in front of you.”

To the Master's far greater surprise, Fluttershy morphed away into a form too tiny to spot. Since he lost sight of his target, he could no longer oppress her.

“Wait.” The Master blinked, a bit stunned and confused. “So . . . if Thorax was actually Pharynx then Fluttershy was actually Thorax?”

“You get another gold star!” the Doctor cheered. “Man, you're on a roll right now.”

“It was quite irritating to imitate my brother. Bleh!” Pharynx announced in disgust. “But there was no way that I was going to pass off as a convincing Fluttershy, so I left that up to my panzy brother while I took . . . shall we say . . . a somewhat more masculine route in this case.”

The Master faced the group in confusion. “In that case . . . where is the real Fluttershy?”

“Safe in my home, of course!” Discord announced cheerfully before popping himself out of his bubble. He then snapped a lion paw and gravity returned to normal for all of his friends. “I wasn't about to let you continue to mess with the head of my dear little pegasus friend. After the Doctor tipped me off to your little scheme, I whisked her away to my home where she still thinks we're having a nice tea party along with one of my many dimensional clones. Ooo, how lovely was our devious little scheme?” Discord asked with a very trollish grin and brought his claw and paws tapping against each other near his face.

“And, in the meantime,” the Doctor said as he crawled back up to his hooves along with every other creature around him, “I convinced Thorax to replace Fluttershy then counseled him in what you would expect from him. Meanwhile Pharynx replaced his brother to hide the fact that Thorax was missing.”

“I still think we could have just as easily claimed that it was my brother that went missing instead of me,” Pharynx said in irritation. “No other creature was around to replace me. Since one of us would be missing anyway, why did I have to impersonate my brother?”

“Because he would be less intimidated by your brother's presence,” the Doctor explained to Pharynx. “No offense to him or his performance, but the Master knows that you would be on your guard more. That, in turn, would put him on guard more.”

“Well, I still didn't like it,” Pharynx groaned irritably.

“How long have you known?” the Master asked the Doctor in bewilderment.

“Longer than you might expect,” the Doctor said to the Master then gave Feather Wind a sly wink. “I told you I had a brilliant plan in motion. Even your loss of faith in me was all part of my plan. If I could convince even you that I was a fool, then The Dark Star would believe the same, and so would the Master.”

“Then you also always knew that I was the Master!” the Master realized.

“Correct,” the Doctor confirmed. “In fact, I have to say this wasn't your best performance. You've done better than this in the past. You're slipping in the pony universe, my friend, but I can hardly blame you for that when we're both so distracted by all these adorable little ponies!”

“Then you also pretended that the Master messed with your head!” Feather Wind realized. “You were consciously aware of your four rhythm tapping and you relied upon my knowledge to identify it since you knew I found the TARDIS's secret library.”

“Wait. You did what?!” the Master asked in a surprised, offended tone towards the Doctor.

“Correct again. Now you get a gold star!” the Doctor proudly bragged to Feather Wind. “The Master isn't the only master of deception. I've had practice too. To fool your enemies, you must also be willing to fool your friends sometimes, especially in this case. If any of you had been aware of my true intentions and goals then he would have easily sensed it from you, and so would The Dark Star. I had to give them that much credit, at least. I had to pretend to be dumb so that they would actually be dumb.”

The Master fumed. “I HATE YOU, Doctor! DIE!” He lifted a hoof to unleash some of the powers he drained from both Discords earlier but his hoof seized up as Discord popped in front of him and held up his own limbs as well. That action suspended them both to a mutual stalemate.

“Unleash the Stars now!” Discord cried out.

That was the signal the third Joker was waiting for.

xoxo

Feather Wind paused his story because he knew he could proceed no further. Not without crossing a hurdle.

“What? What happened next?” Star Breeze cried out anxiously.

“I can't tell you that,” Feather Wind announced.

“Why?” Star Breeze asked in confusion and objection.

“Because it is not up to me to decide,” he said, then gave his daughter a meaningful look. “I told you already, I would not tell you about your future.” Star Breeze looked shocked. “Only you can tell me that. This next part of the story is up to you, Star Breeze. You continue the story. This time I am your audience.”

“You mean . . . I was there back then . . . that whole time?” Star Breeze asked in astonishment.

“You tell me,” Feather Wind returned. “Were you?”

Star Breeze's stunned eyes gazed forward in blank shock for several minutes. Her father waited patiently for her to absorb this then decide what had already happened for him.

“So I was there . . . that whole time,” Star Breeze realized numbly. “That's why you can't proceed. That's why you won't tell me what happens next. If my future self decided the outcome of the next action and you refuse to tell me what she did, then your only choice is to either stop right here permanently, wait for me to finish this section or skip over my actions entirely . . . but I'm guessing I played a role too critical to skip at this point.”

“That makes some sense,” Feather Wind partially agreed.

Star Breeze closed her eyes.

So . . . I was there . . . that whole time. Everything my father is telling me now, my future self will personally witness. Because of what he told me, what would I most likely decide later on?

Star Breeze continued to think on it for a long period of silence before she spoke.

“Based on everything that you told me and what you told me about the Doctor . . . I don't think he'd want to invite me as a companion when I'm still a foal. He would also factor in the degree of danger we are likely to face. It sounds to me like he knew that his old frenemy, the Master, was going to be involved all along. In fact, the Doctor really did invite the Master to this mission while simultaneously allowing the Master to think that it was the Master who planted the idea into the Doctor's head. I'm guessing their relationship is often complicated like that.” She glanced at her father for any signs she was on the right track, but he just continued to stare at her kindly but otherwise blankly. He was being careful not to tip his hoof in this affair. He really wanted his daughter to decide her own fate without any interference from him.

“So . . .” Star Breeze went on, “. . . chances are strong that I was only invited when I grew up into an adult mare. At that age, I would be physically more endurant, but also more knowledgeable, and I also had years to prepare for my journey. Thanks to my father's heads up, I was actually prepared for this journey on multiple fronts, or at least as much as I could be at the time. I worked out a lot with my mother. I practiced magic with my father. I listened to more stories of their adventures together in the ancient past and the TARDIS. They told me this because they knew that, someday, it would be important. They knew that information would save my life one day, and they also knew that it would help me to save the world, but not just on this one occasion.

“Plot twist; it turns out I was not a time clone all along! Somehow the Doctor helped me to pretend to be, else it was a spell or technique I had learned earlier. Something that helped me to not need sleep or eat or not get exhausted like all the other time clones, but I was in fact there for real. I probably had been traveling with the Doctor for years before this point. I suspect he was testing me to make sure I was ready for this most dangerous mission, but also the most fulfilling. I will tell him what I'm telling you now, I was born ready! I was literally born for this purpose, because my parents knew about me and my destiny before I was even born and they did their best to prepare me for it. The journey that my parents had with him also taught them why it is important to pass on the torch to the next generation, and so here I am!

“So I was actually there in the past, for real. Despite my ability to hide that fact somehow, I was in real mortal peril along with you, Father, but that also meant I got to keep the memories of this journey when I was done with it. Because of the stories you told me as a young foal, I knew that things would eventually work out. I knew how this particular story would end, at least my future self does, so she also knew there was nothing really to worry about. She knew she would come home safely, along with the rest of her friends. Besides . . . how many times do foals get to see their own parents marry each other before the foal was even born? I couldn't miss out on this, nor Pinkie Pie or Applejack's delicious cakes or pies which my father said years ago were legendary.

“But, since my father said years ago that he would skip over every part of the story that I was personally involved with, then that was the reason I will decide to lay low. I was there all along, pretending to be one of the Wonderbolts or Royal Legion or Mighty Helm or the Princesses' Guards or just another pony not associated with any organization but was still there all along. I kept my head low and did not do anything important because, if I did, then that would be part of the story I knew my father would skip. To minimize the parts that got skipped in order to maximize the amounts I heard about what would happen, I kept my head down and deliberately had not done anything important until that moment when Discord wrestled with the Master with the last of Discord's stolen chaos powers. If Discord had not been holding the Master back, the Master could have turned us all into Swiss cheese in one move so Discord had to hold him in check but that also held Discord in check. Both were frozen, waiting for something to happen to end this stalemate.

“Then, all of the sudden, Discord yells out, 'Unleash the Stars now!' It turned out I'd been in cahoots with Discord for quite a while. I heard this story from my father years ago, after all, and I probably also read the book several times over that Discord had summoned. I knew it backwards and forwards by that point, so Discord knew that I knew what was going to happen because of what I am saying right now. What I am saying right now is being written in that book even as I speak, and since Discord read the book as well, he knew we had equal knowledge so he did not hold back his pranks and secrets as much to me. Actually, it rather pleased him to have a partner in crime. In fact all of this was just another critical layer of his carefully designed strategy. Not only had he created the book for kicks, he also did it because he knew it was necessary for me to fulfill my destiny in order to inspire me to help him save the world and the friends he held so dear.

“Because we were working together on this grand master plan, we also decided to come up with a code sentence that would be the signal I was waiting for before I finally acted in a meaningful way in this story, and then I did what the both of us knew I was meant to do.

“Because you paused the story at this point, I don't know how it happened, but somehow the Red Crystal survived this adventure. Maybe the time clone version of Sombra recreated it. Maybe the Doctor went back in time to rescue it and replace it with a fake, or maybe it really was destroyed but Discord snapped his claws and it was instantly repaired. I'm going to assume my grandfather and your father couldn't restore an item that powerful with his restoration magic. Restoring a burnt scroll was one thing, but this was and is a magical artifact we're talking about. It was probably beyond his ability to repair so some other strategy was necessary to repair this thing. Whatever the case may be, it was done. I mean, I'm looking at it right now.” Star Breeze did precisely that. “So the Red Crystal survives . . . somehow . . . and eventually gets passed on to me. I had used it for years by that point. I knew how to tap into its power, and I paid my great grandfather Crystal Sage a visit from time to time. He may have grown more detached from the physical world, but we still talk from time to time. He knows that I love him, and he knows that I know that he loves me. We probably talked to each other less and less over the years but we still kept in touch on occasion.

“One thing I know I had on me was the Red Crystal, albeit a future version of it from the one you've been telling me about all along. It's even ahead of the timeline of the one staring me in the face right now. I had it but I hid it and did not use it. If I used it then the Master would know that I had it, but since I did not use it this whole time, he was completely unprepared to face me with it. Somehow he knew I was the third Joker. I don't know how, but he seemed to indicate knowledge in that regard. Just because he knew that, however, didn't mean he also knew how or when I would strike.

“When Discord called out the signal, I finally pulled out the Red Crystal after hiding it for years. With it, I conjured a red crystal javelin then I simply touched it. I projected my energy out of my hoof and launched the crystal javelin at high speeds just like you saw me do to those rocks earlier. By that point I had gained much more practice. I probably could have launched an entire boulder if I wanted to just with a simple touch.

“Come to think of it, I wonder if Maud Pie knows this trick as well. She learned how to project her energy into rocks to launch them at high speed. Fast and far and hard enough to create a mushroom cloud when the rock finally landed, but she had not done the same to Holders Boulder because she could not use this technique with precision. She could have launched the rock if she wanted to, but she would have launched it too far and it would likely damage an item her family considered a precious family relic, so she tried to push it with her own normal strength and that didn't work out for her even with her whole immediate family trying to help.

“By the way, that reminds me, did they ever manage to get that boulder out of that quarry?”

“First of all, yes,” Feather Wind answered. “I did ask Maud about the ending to that story eventually and she told me in her . . . colorful little way. You'll see what I mean when you get there.

“Secondly, I remind you . . . it isn't wise to try to apply logic to the Pie family. They defy it far too often to make the effort worth it. Sometimes I think they are descended from Discord or some other similar being, but I digress. Analyze Maud Pie or any of the Pie family if you want to, but I warn you that it is a fool's errand.”

Star Breeze looked forward again with a shrug as she said, “Eh. Well, anyway, I launched that crystal javelin at high speed and plunged it into one of the Master's two hearts before any other creature had a chance to respond, and that's . . . pretty much it. The brief but glorious legacy of the third Joker.” She looked back at her father and shrugged again, this time with a questioning look, wondering if she had to continue to carry the story further.

Feather Wind smiled at her, then pulled her into a hug. He didn't resume for several minutes, but eventually he did. As he did, they slowly pulled apart so she could look up at him again.

“Well . . . since you put it that way . . . I guess what I have to say is every creature there was stunned. That attack came from out of nowhere. A bunch of us probably thought that Sombra initiated that attack, including me but, as I looked over at him, I saw his shocked expression and realized he had not done this. At the time I was totally bewildered. Recall the fact that, unlike you by that point, I hadn't read the book Discord gave me to its conclusion nor did I have the benefit or curse of some other pony telling me what would happen in my future when I grew up. I was playing all of this blind at the time, so it took me a while to ascertain the truth which, eventually, I had. Let me just tell you that now. I am a pretty bright pony but sometimes, when too many things happen at once and something happens with no warning at all, it could catch us all off guard enough to prevent us from solving the mystery right away.

“Regardless of how it happened, it happened. This might surprise you to hear, but the Doctor was actually pretty upset about the outcome. He is the Doctor, after all. He is a hero and a healer first and foremost. He tries to save every creature, even his enemies. There wasn't much he could do back then, though. That javelin attack was indeed a fatal blow but, because the Master had a second heart, he lingered on for a little while.”

The Master collapsed to his knees after a jolt. He looked down into his chest, stunned to see a crystal javelin sticking through it. This also suspended his concentration. Discord could have easily finished him at that point, but he hadn't. Instead Discord backed off for some reason. In mid air, he snapped his eagle talon and the real Fluttershy suddenly appeared.

“Oh my goodness!” the real Fluttershy exclaimed as she looked around at her unexpected surroundings. “Where am I? One second I was having lovely tea with Discord, and the next I find myself here!”

Fluttershy was even more surprised when a bunch of her friends tackled her to hug her in relief from multiple angles. They repeated her name several times ecstatically which only served to confuse and concern her more.

“Goodness! You're all behaving so strangely. It's almost as if you think I died or something else just as awful,” Fluttershy said in surprise and concern which was based on her friends' reaction. She even saw tears in their eyes. This was really off-putting for the innocent and adorable little mare.

“Never ever-ever-ever-ever change!” Pinkie Pie begged as she cried tears of joy on Fluttershy. “That's like four evers. That's like forever!”

“Oh my!” Fluttershy's concerns deepened. “What happened to me? What happened to all of you? Where are we?”

“I hate to break up this tearful reunion, but we do have a Dark Star to purge,” Author Scroll reminded the tearful group of girls in a serious tone.

“He's right, my friends,” Luna agreed. “Let's take out this nightmare once and for all!”

The Doctor aimed his sonic screwdriver at the Master at close range. It buzzed for only a few seconds before the Master slapped it away in annoyance.

“Go away!” the Master barked irritably then bent over and coughed out blood. He then seethed with rage, breathing heavily but also with great difficulty. “I don't need your pity! Besides, you know what will happen next.”

“We don't have to just give up like that. Let me help you!” the Doctor urged.

The Master lowered his head and shook it. “It's too late. This life is done for. Go on, then. Save the rest of your precious ponies!” he spat.

“Don't hold back your regeneration this time!” the Doctor cried out to his frenemy insistently. “If you do, you won't get the chance to torture me later on, and I'll go on gallivanting and saving the universe without a worthy opponent to stop me.”

The Master laughed for just a moment then winced in sharp pain as doing that tore him up further inside. With great strain he muttered, “Well . . . you drive a hard bargain. I'll think about it. Now go! Save your precious friends.”

{It was difficult for the other members of the Mane Six to convince Fluttershy to have the courage to summon her power enough to spark her element once she realized where she was, but her friends made a convincing argument. They knew her well and knew what was important to her. Just because the pony was easily scared, did not mean she lacked the means to summon her courage. It only meant it was more difficult for her, but that was also what made her more courageous. Facing fear that was more difficult for her but she still managed to pull it off showed great growth in her. She went from being scared of her own shadow to facing down ultimate evil. That was such a huge leap for a pony with such emotional handicaps.

{Why did she do it? For her friends, of course, and for the world that she loved. The Dark Star threatened her animal friends too and, if there was one thing that Fluttershy was all about, it was the care of animals. For their sake as well as everything else that she cared for, she mustered up an amazing amount of courage.

{The Mane Six initiated their attack first by singing. That helped to unite their spirit and make the attack stronger. As their song continued, a rainbow light forged a link between each of the Elements of Harmony's crystals that they wore. Eventually that completed a circle, ending on Twilight Sparkle's tiara. When the link was complete, a brilliant ball of pulsating light issued around them as they floated off the ground. That ball grew brighter and brighter with each pulse it made. Every other creature looked up at this in awe. Many of them had never seen this before, myself included.}

“We are the Elements of Harmony,” Twilight called out with a booming voice that filled the sky from the center of the bright glowing orb. As she spoke, the rest of her friends continued singing. “and we're here to stop you! For all the evil that you have caused this world, and for all the evil you intend to do, we are here to show you that we have the most powerful magic of all. The magic . . . of friendship!”

Finally a rainbow beam exploded from the center of the rainbow glowing orb. That beam went unopposed all the way up to the giant black orb that sucked in light. At that point, however, it finally fought back. The Dark Star had no true intelligence of its own, so it could not mimic its opponents until they pulled off an attack first. Learning from their strategy, The Dark Star countered with a dark copy of their powers. It shot back a shadow rainbow that easily pushed back the rainbow beam of the Mane Six. Easy to the point of being almost effortless for The Dark Star.

{The Mane Six had never encountered that much resistance to their ultimate power. Even against threats powerful enough to annihilate whole countrysides with a single blast could not endure even a few seconds of the Elements of Harmony rainbow blast, until now. The source of all evil magic in Equestria was apparently more than a little prepared against their attack. Compared to its full power, their attack was actually pretty feeble. It seemed the magic of friendship finally met its match.

{Actually, not even that. The magic of friendship wasn't even a threat to it.

{That was, if they were alone in this fight. Considering how powerful the magic of just six group of friends were in every single encounter they ever faced in the past with this type of attack, it could only get stronger if that energy was joined by their other friends.}

“WE HAVE TO ALL HELP THEM!” Princess Cadence pleaded loudly.

“I ALWAYS ASSUMED THAT WAS THE PLAN,” Flurry Heart called back. “THAT'S WHY WE'RE ALL HERE. EVERY CREATURE, PLEASE TOUCH THE CRYSTAL CARRIAGE. CHARGE YOUR HEART AND EMOTIONS INTO THE CRYSTAL HEART. WHEN YOU DO, I'LL SEND THE ENERGY UP TO THEM. HURRY, MY FRIENDS.”

{And so we did. I assume you did too. We touched the Carriage and thought about all of our positive feelings then projected it into the Carriage. That, in turn, got soaked up into the Crystal Heart which it then projected that energy high into the air as a brilliant rainbow which then shot to the Mane Six and added to the strength of their rainbow beam struggle.

{I know it might be hard for you to imagine just how powerful the Elements of Harmony was all by itself. Likely it was because they already drew upon all the hearts in Equestria every time they summoned this power before. I'm not sure if summoning it in this time period made a difference in terms of strength. Maybe it did, but I can tell you that, as soon as we added all of our strength to that beam, it was definitely significantly stronger. The Dark Star struggled against the rainbow beam with a greater degree of effort, but it still wasn't enough.}

“We must give it more power,” Flurry Heart announced in that multi-voice again. “Think of all of your friends. Think of all of your family. Think of all of your loved ones. Think of your home. Think of your pets. Think of your country. Draw upon every single shred of emotion that ever caused you to care about anything in your life. Take all of that energy and pour it into the Crystal Heart. For all your past mistakes, for all your future triumphs, for all that shall be born, please . . . lend us all of your strength!”

{Speaking for myself, I know I sure did. In a way, my life flashed before my eyes, only it was not quite that fast.

{I remember all of my studies in my room. I remember my mother's lullaby as she sung me to sleep. I remember my meeting with my uncle as he taught me about the spirit of magic. I remember the first time I saw the Wonderbolts and had such a small idea how much they would later influence my life. I remember galloping away from home, meeting the Orchard family then later myself up on that cliff as I leapt off the cliff and floated with the wind for the first time. I remember the joy I felt at that moment as I experienced true freedom for the first time. I remember meeting Dunken Doo along my way back as the friendly mail delivery pegasus helped me make it all the way back home. I fondly remember my flight training lessons with Sky Dancer, a moment that felt like one of my own fictional characters sprung to life and helped me to achieve my own destiny. I remember the time your mom and I were trapped in a cave by a rainstorm outside and we confessed our feelings for each other for the first time. I remember your mother's games at Puffball and how I cheered her on. I remember the time I went back to the Orchard family and saved them from a goblin attack and saved their only daughter from a burning home, or rather tried to, but ended up getting saved myself by the Wonderbolts which, in turn, inspired me to join them in the hopes of also becoming a hero. I remember the Orchards' family heroism as they refused to let their spirits down by reminding each other they would endure as long as they had each other and their love. I remember my first meeting with Princess Celestia as she told me about one of the threats out in the world. She was so majestic, but I also learned how much of an ordinary pony she was deep down and felt sympathy for her loneliness. I remember training with the Wonderbolts, and how they helped me to improve my flight skills to levels far beyond anything I had ever achieved before. I remember leaving to connect with nature on a deeper level and realized, for the first time, it wasn't just the wind I could access but all of the weather. I remember the peace I felt with that connection as I learned who I truly was. I remember my first meeting with the quirky Doctor and his adorable assistant, and I remember meeting Vision for the first time and how innocent she was back then. Innocent but wise far beyond her age. I remember meeting with Crystal Sage for the first time and the deal we made ever since. Not only had I gained a new friend and mentor at that time, but I felt my destiny gain a greater sense of importance because of the promise I gave to him. I remember my many adventures in the TARDIS with the Doctor and his companions. Not only did we perform important heroic deeds for so many creatures we met throughout the universe, but it also helped to solidify my bond with my new extended family. I remember the first time I came to this timeline and helped to rescue a whole village. I remember learning about the existence of The Dark Star as well as the remarkable origins of magic. I remember all my adventures in this timeline as I helped to build up a brand new society and forge tight bonds of friendship with ponies and creatures that would help shape the future of this entire world, largely for the better. I remember the time the Doctor came back with a flood of new friends I may have seen distantly in some cases but got to know them better for the first time. I remember the bonds we shared during our harrowing journey together as we marched up north and continued to get to know each other better. The stories we traded with each other, as well as the ones we were forging together, already made the entire journey feel worth it. I remember the stories my friends told me about their struggle when they got separated by the volcanic blast and their conflict with Fang. Every creature showed their true colors during that battle, for ill but mostly for good. It was a battle that proved how strong we all were, and it also united us with the Crystal Carriage which proved instrumental at that very moment. Finally, I remember this fight and everything it had that was transpiring. I remember how every creature set aside all of their differences and poured their hearts and souls into this project in the desperate hope to create a better world.

{And that was where we stood. All of those feelings, all of those emotions poured out of me, and I also thought about the adventures I probably would have in the future. By that point I already knew my future daughter's name, as well as the fact that I would one day tell her my story. Beyond that, I looked forward to all the things the book hadn't talked about such as your first words, your first crawl, your first flight. I thought about all the places that I looked forward to showing you. I thought about all the friends I was eager to introduce you to. This, too, was among my emotions I poured into the Crystal. I truly gave this my all. There was simply not any more I could give.

{Past, present and future all came down together in that moment. All of those memories and experiences and emotions and hopes and dreams flooded through me and into the Crystal. The journey strengthened me in ways I never thought possible when I was a young foal and, in that moment, I found myself so grateful for my life. I loved my life, and I celebrated it, and this too I poured into the Crystal. Everything. All of my heart and soul.}

“And that did the trick, right?” Star Breeze checked. “We're all still here so I can't assume you failed your mission.”

{No, my Sweet, it did not do the trick. I will say it helped. Our rainbow beam pushed back the shadow beam all the way to The Dark Star, but there it held itself in one final desperate effort. I don't know about every other creature, but I sure gave this my all. I poured out my maximum effort and we discovered, to our horror, it was still not enough. That Dark Star was EXTREMELY powerful. More powerful than anything we had ever met. At least our efforts seemed to strain its strength, but it was not enough to pour it over the edge. We needed something more. We needed a miracle.

{Then, suddenly, I felt a familiar pulse. I kept my hooves on the Crystal Carriage, but I also turned my head to see what that was, and there I beheld yet another plot twist of the day.

{The Master . . . it turned out he was from Derpy and The Doctor's universe, one in which ponies all had built-in pockets on their flanks. With his dying breath, he pulled out from his pocket the real Red Crystal. It turned out the one he used before to suck in all of my magic was a fake temporal copy of the Red Crystal but the real Red Crystal he had in his pocket ever since he attacked me. He pulled out his own trump card at that moment, then used that Crystal somehow to pull forth a great deal of positive energy I collected in that Crystal up to that time.

{In hindsight, I later realized that the only way he could have done that was for him to draw upon his own love. I have no doubt he was thinking about his daughter at that moment.

{The positive feelings poured out of the Red Crystal and created a safe zone similar to what the Crystal Heart could do except the barrier was much smaller. It was enough, however, to accomplish something that he and the Doctor planned many years ago. In that small safe zone, The Dark Star temporarily had no influence, despite the close proximity to the heart of the world's corruption. He also had it in a very specific time and very specific place. Once the safe zone was created, the TARDIS itself appeared shortly later. It turned out the Doctor programmed the TARDIS to appear at a certain time and place, but a path had to be created for it first in order to allow it to appear on the battlefield. The energy projected from the Red Crystal gave it the means to appear at that exact moment.

{The TARDIS appeared around the Master which made him, in turn, disappear inside of it. A short while later he opened the TARDIS doors then he collapsed to the side. Behind him, one of the consoles of the TARDIS was torn off somehow and, leaking from that, was the Heart of the TARDIS. The TARDIS poured out energy which was directed at the Mane Six. The TARDIS projected the hearts and feelings of all creatures on this planet throughout all time. Every positive feeling that ever will or had already happened from an infinite number of souls joined our spirit stream. While The Dark Star put up a good fight, it really could not match truly infinite power.

{Our rainbow beam finally collided with The Dark Star sphere. From there, it spread cracks all throughout the sphere from which rainbow light poured out. The cracks kept spreading until there was more light than darkness then, after that, the orb became pure rainbow light until our attacks finally relented.

{That was it. The Dark Star was banished from our world, into the shadow world, where it has existed ever since, connected to our world close enough to influence it but also too distant to directly destroy it. I imagine its existence is liken to dangling a juicy steak in front of a hungry dog but forever holding it back from actually taking a bite. On occasion, however, there would be a few dark souls who willingly called upon the power of The Dark Star, knowingly or not. From that point on, it was through them that the remaining influences of The Dark Star were felt the most in our world's history.

{As for my friends and I, it was finally time to have our happily ever after, at least when it came to that particular chapter in our lives.}