Test of Courage3,332 words
Chapter 8: Journey to the Bottom of the Sea3,991 words
Chapter 9: To the Flying Fortress3,627 words
Chatper 10: Defeat the Queen!2,459 words
Chapter 11: The Final Battle2,203 words
Epilogue1,623 words

Epilogue

Sometime later...

All Twilight Sparkle could see was a bright flash of light. She shook her head to rub off the pain, but as she did, her hearing began to improve.

"...ily?"

"Huh?" she muttered. "Shining Armor...?"

"Please wake up, Twilight..."

"P-Princess...?"

"Everypony give them some room!" shouted Cadence.

As her vision returned, she saw her friends regaining consciousness as well. The purple alicorn observed their surroundings: they had returned to the resting place of the Crystal Heart. She then turned and saw several smiling faces; faces that she knew very well.

"Princess Celestia!"

"Twilight Sparkle, my prize pupil!" the white alicorn proclaimed as she trotted to her student and gave her a motherly hug.

"Twily!" Shining Armor approached and embraced his little sister. Cadence and Luna got in on the hug, too.

"Twilight!" cried Spike as he gave his friend a warm hug. The purple dragon ran over to the other girls and embraced them as well. "Rarity! Rainbow Dash! Applejack! Pinkie Pie! Fluttershy!" Everypony returned the hug.

"It's nice to see you again, Spike," said Fluttershy.

Twilight trotted over to her friends and joined in on the hug, and so did everyone else.

"Well done, my little ponies..." a familiar voice spoke.

The Equestrians looked up toward the Crystal Heart and noticed something different about the voice.

"You have successfully broken the time loop and restored harmony to the world. Control of the four elements--Earth, Fire, Water, and Wind--once again belongs to nature."

The girls stood silent.

"I thought you said you'd 'cease to exist,'" said a suspicious Princess Luna.

"What?!" our heroes exclaimed.

"But if that same voice is here now," said Shining Armor, "then that must mean this is one of those 'possibilities' it mentioned!"

"Correct, Shining Armor," the voice confirmed.

"Just..." Rainbow Dash said, straining her thoughts. "Who are you, anyway?"

"Excited as ever, Rainbow Dash. Just as you were when you and the others took my airship off the ground, am I right?"

This caught the girls' attention. "What did you say...?" asked Twilight.

"Your airship?" Rarity added.

"'Airship?'" Cadence voiced. She then thought back to the images the Crystal Heart had displayed before all this began.

"But that's just can't be...!" said Applejack. "Yer the one who built that thing?!"

The voice stood silent for a moment and answered, "Yes... I am Cid of the Lufaine."

"Cid?!" said Twilight. "But what if we changed history, shouldn't you be--"

"As perplexing as this seems, I will tell you."

Everyone looked at each other and thought the same thing. They agreed as the voice of Cid explained everything.

"As you six are well aware by now, Garland was sent back in time two millennia after you had defeated him in combat by the very four elements that brought peace to the world. For those same millennia, Garland's hatred for you and the Warriors of Light had burned, leading to his transformation as Chaos as well as the birth of the Four Fiends, and thus darkness had veiled the world in shadow."

"But what does have to do with you...?"

"Simple. I was one of the people who evacuated our stronghold, the Flying Fortress. Tiamat arrived and occupied our home, corrupting the Crystal of Wind and sending me to my death."

Everyone gasped. "How terrible...!" said Cadence.

"Yes, it was. However, my spirit was able to rest within the nearest crystal: the Water Crystal which brought tranquility to the Shrine. From there, I was able to learn the languages of several other creatures and the abilities to look into other worlds beyond my home."

"And that's how you found Equestria and learned about us," said Twilight.

"Correct. At least, that is how it was at first. But with Chaos defeated and the past altered, my fate remains the same."

"But how could that be?" asked Princess Celestia. "Since Chaos was defeated, these Four Fiends shouldn't exist. So why...?"

"It is because of the new legend: the legend of the four humans and the six ponies who traveled across time and saved the world from the grasp of evil."

Twilight gasped in realization. "Speaking of which: what happened to them? Where are Setro and Zauver and Flora and Teol?"

Cid answered by showing everyone the human warriors regaining consciousness out on the field near the ruined Temple of Fiends. "They have successfully returned to the present and as they did, the world returned to normal. The entirety of Cornelia waits for them. The King, Queen Jayne, Princess Sarah, her sister all wait... As does Garland."

"WHAT?!" Rainbow Dash and Rarity shouted.

"That jerk's there, too?! I bet he's just ready to kill them!"

"That is where you are wrong, Rainbow Dash," said Cid.

"Why do you think that monster is there?" Rarity asked, eyes burning with fury. "After all he done, from kidnapping the princess and bringing the world down to its knees? Is there anything he is incapable of?!"

"It's because none of the events you experienced had happened. When did it...?"

Pinkie Pie gasped. "It's 'cause we went back in time and beat the Four Fiends of Chaos and Chaos himself before they got back through that portal, isn't it? I'm right, aren't I?"

Cid chuckled at the pink earth pony's antics. "Yes. You and the Chosen Four had become one and fought against the evil forces that set darkness upon our world. This is not their present, but their past. All signs of the battle with the Four Fiends has been erased."

"You mean...?" Twilight said in horror. "No one knows?"

"No, but the legend will live on, passed down by the dwarves, the elves, and the dragons... Passed on by those who are unsure of the story's origin."

"'Dragons?'" asked Celestia and Luna.

"We saw them, too," Cadence confirmed; she and Shining Armor nodded as they saw the images before.

"But what about our friends?" the purple alicorn cried, her eyes tearing up. After all they had been through, surely they wouldn't have been forgotten, the girls hoped.

"No need to fear, Twilight Sparkle," Cid assured her.

The Crystal Heart continued displaying the Light Warriors marching towards Cornelia. As they arrived at their destination, they stopped and looked upwards to the sky.

The knight Setro spoke, "Twilght, Rainbow, Applejack, Pinkie, Rarity, and Fluttershy... Thank you for your aid. We will never forget your kindness, your generosity, your penchant for laughter, your loyalty, your honesty, and your friendship. You have given us the strength we needed to overcome several hardships and save the lives of millions. You have our gratitude... forever..."

"Again, I'm sorry for my behavior when we first met," Zauver added. "But hey, we did pretty good, didn't we?"

"Please be careful, my little ponies," said Flora with a smile on her face. "Ever since you came into our lives, you've been like another family."

"That's how I feel about you all as well," said Teol.

The girls smiled at their friends words. "The memories stored deep in their hearts will protect their world. They must never forget the good and true, never turn the Four Powers to evil. And truth will always live on in the hearts of people.

"And as for me, I heard of this legend and decided to study the Crystals further. As before, I had gained the knowledge of several other worlds and found myself in the Chamber of Crystals, where I discovered many other worlds like the one you returned from."

"Speaking of the Chamber of Crystals, Cid," said Twilight.

"Yes, my dear?"

The lavender pony stepped forward and asked, "How will we know if you contact us again?"

The entire group was shocked.

"Are you serious, Twilight Sparkle?" Princess Celestia said sternly.

"I am indeed serious, Princess, but what I mean is..." she looked over to her friends. "Everypony's been through a lot and we all need to rest for a while."

Cid immediately answered. "Very well. You all deserve it. I will not contact all of you exactly, but only the ones I believe to be most capable of handling whatever tasks there are to undertake."

"Thank you, Cid."

"It is I should thank you, my little pony friends. The warriors who have restored peace and harmony to my world alongside the Chosen Four were you all! Consider yourselves honorary Light Warriors!! May the Light of the Crystals shine forever...!" As Cid finished his speech, the Crystal Heart began to return to normal as the light of the spirit faded.

"Hoo-wee...!" Applejack cheered. "Glad we're back, y'all!"

"We're so sorry to have worried you all," said Fluttershy.

"It's alright, Fluttershy," said Princess Luna, hugging the yellow pegasus. "There is no need for apologies."

"All that matters now is that you have safely returned home and you even saved another world in the process," said Celestia. "You've all done it again."

Twilight chuckled. "Yeah... we sure did." She glanced over at Spike who was still looking worried. "What's wrong, Spike?"

Spike put his claw on his chin, as if he were thinking about something...

"Spike?"

The purple dragon still thought...

*music fades out*

"Spike!" Twilight yelled causing him to scream.

"What is it?"

"You've been in deep thought ever since we talked with Cid. What's on your mind?"

"Well, I've been wondering..."

"Yes...?"

Spike took a deep breath and blurted out, "Can I go to the next world with you? I don't wanna be by myself while you're out somewhere else, Twilight!"

"Oh, Spike," said Twilight. "Of course you can... Just as long as you stick by me and whoever else comes with me, right?"

The others nodded as they left the chamber and headed for the Friendship Express, making a return trip to Ponyville.

THE END

Author's Note:

And that is that... for now. On the next adventure, we'll see how Twilight and a select few ponies along with Spike will tackle the evil Empire of Palemecia.

Please let me know what you thought of my story. Thank you.

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