My little pony: An Equestrian Journey

by Swifteye

Chapter 22

As they sat in the train ride anxious with their upcoming encounter with Tirek they thought about the fight with Nightmare Moon. The thought of losing this fight simply wasn't an option to consider. If they lost it was truly well and over for all things good and pleasant. Celestia had well and truly put the future of the land in their hooves. And they had no intention of failing the ponies who depend on them.

Chapter twenty two: A piece of rainbow

The train arrived at the station which was in a state of disrepair. One by one the ponies walked out of the train and looked at what Manehattan was reduced too. The was little more than a pile of rubble. Fire and smoke billowed out of buildings while sounds fighting can be heard from the distance. Screams of terror can be heard. “All those poor ponies...how can any creature do this to another living thing?” Fluttershy said saddened by everything she was seeing and hearing. “The one time I get to visit Manehattan and this is what I get to see...” Rarity said with a sigh. “This must end here. Spitfire told us that Tirek was heading towards Clockwork Rhombus. Let's not waste a single moment and head straight there.” Twilight Sparkle said getting the others too follow her.

The vestiges of the rebellion was just about evaporated as there standoff in Clockwork ended in failure. Tirek obliterated them taking very few as prisoners. Tirek prepared to lay the final blow on the pony rebels. He shot out a blast of dark energy. The ponies prepared to for the inevitable when just then. A barrier shielded the ponies from harm completely blocking the blast. Both the ponies and Tirek were confused by the sudden event. He turned around and saw the Twilight and the others all in their Paragon forms and ready to fight.

“You ponies are like vermin, how many of you must I squash before you submit to my will?” Tirek said bemused by the paragon's presence. “Tirek. What you have done to these ponies is truly reprehensible!” Twilight Sparkle said. “I do not care what you think. You're thoughts are of no consequence to me!” Tirek said. “How could you do this to other creatures? All those lives lost. All those homes destroyed. Don't you feel any sympathy at all?” Fluttershy asked. “Hmph. When one steps on a bug they do not cry for the life that is now lost. For that life was worthless. A mindless husk wandering through existence without a true thought to guide them.
You ponies are nothing more than cattle. Your existence has no meaning when compared to me.” Tirek said smugly. “Weren't you supposed to be dead?” Pinkie Pie asked. “Death was but a momentary hindrance. I knew how to cross voids and planes and could easily make my way back here. But I lacked a certain component. At first I was more than likely out of luck but as it so happens a fool fell right into my lap.” Tirek said. “An Alicorn wanted my power to enact her vengeance. You can guess what I wanted.” Tirek said holding his the dark satchel strung over his neck. “Wait. You were the voice she was talking too in Midnight Castle!” Twilight said putting it all together in her head. “That foolish mare offered me her fractured soul upon death and after that it was all a matter of just waiting. When she passed on I ripped her soul from it's proper destination and used it to tear a way through this realm to this one. It was all too easy.” Tirek said with an evil grin.

“Luna...No. I won't let you do this. This must stop and we will stop you. You have one chance to relinquish Luna's soul and head back to wherever you came from and never return to the realm of the living.” Twilight Sparkle said pointing her horn at Tirek. Tirek let out a laugh that echoed through the city. “You ponies are a waste of my time.” Tirek said as he shot a blast of darkness at the ponies. The ponies looked like they were enveloped by the blast but quickly burst out it unscathed. Twilight and Rarity counterattacked with beams of energy going straight for Tirek. Tirek quickly pulled up a barrier to block the blast. Rainbow Dash then slammed the barrier with her hoofs shattering it. Tirek tried to blast Rainbow Dash but was interrupted by Fluttershy who struck him square in the temple. The attack befuddled him leaving him open for Pinkie Pie and Applejack who charged him head on. Pinkie Pie swept Tirek's feet knocking him to the ground and Applejack followed up with a headbutt that knocked Tirek onto his side.

“What sort of foolishness is this!” Tirek said furious at the ponies competence and skill. “I am the nightmare that all creatures fear. I am the warlock of darkness. You will bow before me!” Tirek yelled as he got up. He opened his bag of darkness letting out a stream of darkness that attacked the ponies. The ponies dispatched the darkness and began attacking him yet again. Tirek could only remain on the defense as the ponies fought in such harmony that it was impossible to exploit a weakness of any kind.
Tirek lost his confidence and started conceiving the thought of an actual defeat. This thought drove him mad.

“No! I will not be defeated by a bunch of ponies! I have killed greater creatures. I have slain more powerful abominations! You will not make a fool out of me!” Tirek yelled. He then teleported away. Tirek then appeared away from the ponies and covered in a fortified barrier. He then open the bag containing darkness completely. “You. You will all know the everlasting touch of oblivion!” Tirek said as he dipped his hand into the bag grabbing a amorphous creature of indeterminate shape and form and swallowing it. The area began to darken as Tirek changed. The ponies tried to intervene but it was too late. All at once a huge explosion of darkness coated the entire area for miles. The colors of the sky and the earth were lost, buildings and innocent creatures floated lifelessly as if they were frozen in time, a huge pillar of darkness began to take shape. It turned into a dark horned beast with blood red. Eyes and four gargantuan arms. The bottom of the body was the bag but twice the size it was originally. legs burst from the bag giving the creature feet. A slimy forked tongue also tore through the bag exterior.
Not wasting a moment the ponies immediately go the attack. Twilight Sparkle and Rarity blast Tirek with beams of energy but Tirek acts un-phased by the attack. He extended one of his hands at the ponies and let loose a flurry of dark orbs that race towards Rarity and Twilight. They create a barrier to defend themselves but the blasts are so powerful that it takes them a real combined effort to even hold off the seemingly endless barrage. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy fly around Tirek hitting him with there wind and weather abilities. Tirek seemed completely unmoved by the attacks and extends on his hands to the air. Dark gusts of wind pierce the sky and attack Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy The gusts are vicious and fast and put Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy on evasive maneuvers just to stop getting hit by the wind.
Applejack and Pinkie Pie attack the bag like bottom of the creature. The creature spews a dark cloud that blinds and warps their senses leaving them confused befuddled.
One by one the ponies started losing the fight with Tirek. The ponies began to collapse under pain and exhaustion until it was just Twilight left standing. Tirek let out a laugh. “Do you see where you're struggle has led you? Your endeavors are an exercise in futility. All there exists is evil. It courses through all of us and through everything. It is easy to unleash and yields great results. You can never destroy darkness. It will rule this land and I shall be the ruler who wields the darkness that rules absolute. You and you're allies never stood a chance.” Tirek said with mocking laughter.

“They aren't my allies. They are my friends and we promised everyone that we would do whatever can to keep this world safe from terrible creatures like you!” Twilight Sparkle said as her tiara began to glow. Suddenly the bracelets on the other ponies began to glow like Twilight's tiara and they rose up and gathered around her. “Rggh, What is this now?” Tirek asked annoyed by their defiance. “This is the power of our friendship. We embraced each other and ourselves and grown into warriors who will fight for the harmony of all creatures. Nothing will break our bond. It ends here Tirek.” Twilight Sparkle said. “Pft. Friendship. That is not a power in and of itself, you speak the words of a moron!” Tirek said annoyed by Twilight's words. He shot a blast at the ponies but a powerful orb of light protected them from harm. The ponies began to glow and float off the ground.

“What stands up to evil, courage!” Rainbow Dash said as her element burst from her bracelet and circled around her. “What overcomes evil, determination!” Applejack said as he element circled around her as well. “What undermines evil, optimism!” Pinkie Pie said as he element orbited her body. “What ends evil's chaos, Order!” Rarity said as her element made her body glowed with her element. “What foils evil's plans, Cunning!” Fluttershy said as she was enveloped by the light of her element. “What out thinks evil, Intelligence!” Twilight Sparkle said as her body centered around the other ponies.
Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Fluttershy turned into orbs of light and circled around Twilight's body. The orbs obscured Twilight's body which was beginning to change in form. The elements went into the tiara and all at once a huge ray of light burst from the orb of light they had created.
The light broke through the darkness blinding Tirek for moment. When his sight cleared he laid his eyes on a creature that was and wasn't the ponies at the same time. It had the pegasi wingspan, the unicorn's horn magic and the earth ponies physical features. Around it's neck was a necklace that was a single heart that glowed furiously. The Alicorn had an otherworldly form and gave of a powerful yet calming presence. Tirek immediately threatened by this form gives it a full medley of his attacks. All to no avail as the attacks would just disappear shy of touching it. It pointed it's horn at Tirek. Light pierced the darkness and stored into the horn. And in one move a powerful rainbow burst from her horn and started swallowing up Tirek. Tirek screamed and wailed as he tried to escape from the rainbow's grasp but it was impossible and his form exploded with light destroying him and all of his darkness. The area was covered briefly in a blinding light. And just like that Tirek's dark magic, Evil incantations, malevolent transformations, And his haunting Midnight Castle, Evaporated as if they were never there.

Equestria was free once more.

Cheering could be heard from all over Equestria as the ponies praised and thanked Twilight Sparkle and her friends on there victory. They wanted to celebrate but it was decided that the people had to be informed on what they went through and what happened during their journey. They gathered at Canterlot to a large audience of ponies from all over the land. With her friends at her side she told them the basic idea of the mission that they were presented with. She talked about the trials they had to go through. And Nightmare Moon and her dark ponies. She mentioned the other lands and some of the creatures. The audience seemed fairly entertained by her information and saw it as a fun bit of story telling. That was until they got into the part where they described Princess Celestia's relationship with Nightmare Moon and their shared fates. The information polarized and shocked the ponies. The mere thought of their princess being dead and through such means seemed like a nightmare in and of itself.
However harsh and terrible it seemed. It was the truth as Princess Celestia never returned to her thrown.
This threw the kingdom into a disarray as they tried to figure out what to do and decide which relative should be sovereign ruler in Celestia's place. After much debacle between nobles and other higher ups. It was decided that Prince Blueblood would rule the country in her stead. Prince Blueblood seemed like a good choice but it was clear that he was no Celestia as he lacked the benevolent and cooperative attitude she was known for.
A fair portion of the land was decimated by Tirek's rampage but as the months went on they began to reverse the damage he had done and rebuilt most that he destroyed. A lot of ponies saw this as an opportunity to expand the land. The Everfree forest no longer being cursed, the ponies started tearing parts of the forest down to create new cities and towns for them to live in.
It didn't take very long for neighboring creatures to acknowledge the ponies of Equestria. Many different creatures arrived to either pay respects to the Paragon ponies or to travel into uncharted territory. This instilled a powerful level of curiosity in the ponies and soon they were traveling out of the land as much as others were traveling into it.
While casual interaction with foreign creatures was perfectly fine. Diplomacy was shaky. Prince Blue Blood refused foreign creatures from living in certain parts of Equestria. Diamond Dogs in particular started showing up in gemstone mines in Equestrian borders and the response was a very violent expulsion from the territory The buffalo were displeased by the Appleloosians expansion into their lands interrupting their way of life in the process. Neither side was truly able to come to a compromise and the relationship is always tense between them although some ponies have taken to siding with the buffalo.
As the years went by ponies began to change. No one is quite sure what exactly caused this but the ponies of Equestria started becoming more powerful and started wielding distinct powers and abilities. Ponies also started mutating growing butterfly wings and having diamond shaped iris's. For the first time ever there were Alicorns born that were not blood related to the Celestia in the slightest.
Most of the ponies of Equestria idolize the Paragon ponies but few find there status and power to be disconcerting and suspicious. Canterlot Royalty finds that the common pony looks up to them more than even the prince.
Twilight and her friends discovered that they no longer aged like normal ponies. They had gained the power of longevity but it became a double edged sword as their friends and family faded away over time. Applejack still had the apple family but it wasn't the same as it was before.