Oh my. The deviations from what we know keep stacking up. I suppose something as beautiful and inspiring as the Sonic Rainboom can't be allowed to exist in universe as grim as this one.

In any case, Blueblood and Fancy both know he likely won't survive this. The question is how long he'll last.

there is no such thing as ‘evil.’

Oh dear, the tempting of fate's begun already

Thanks for all the comments so far, everypony!

I guess I should mention chapter three has a higher word count than the prologue, chapter one, and chapter two... combined.

9718753
Such maddening prose...

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Umm, yup it’s permanent. From the show transcript:

Fluttershy: And every day, the unicorns helping Star Swirl would use so much magic, they lost their powers forever.

Forrrrrrrrrreverrrrrrrrrrrrrr!

9718849
Umm... well... you’re not wrong...

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Why’d you have to go and make things so complicated?

9719431
Thank you much!

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This is going live even if it kills us! Or me... or you... both, it’s got to be both.

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Celestia didn’t listen to her dietician and decided to eat a lead salad. Alas, the guards were not faster than the muzzle velocity of a black-powder swallow.

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I love writing for seen-too-much Best Pony.
Knowing your tastes and limits... I think you have a few more chapters before the nope-out happens.
9722350
Aren’t alternate universes without the Rainboom just... spectacular?
Unless the positive and negative furies in Blueblood are out of balance, as they are in Lo Pan; then they turn into demon and live forever.

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Best way to propagate evil is to deny its existence.

So harden your heart and recall: there can be no friendship without sacrifice. The Everfree Road Will take you to Tartarus, but in that looming abyss we will find our salvation.

9813812
Ooooh. I may steal that.