Guardians of Harmony: Rise of the Knights

by Postwarmonkey50

Chapter 11: A Knight's trial part 7.2

Soon the five ships arrived at the large island. The islanders were really nervous about all of this. Beau approached the edge of the deck and shouted, “Ahoy there!! Bring the crew of the Rogue Diamond and all of your Island leaders!! We need to talk!!”

From within the galley of the Rogue Diamond, the Mane 6 were down in the dumps over what Beau had said to them while the pain consumed them. Fluttershy was tearfully petting angel and thinking about all the animals she had lost. Rainbow sat on the table, in her drunken state and shedding tears, thinking about her parents and Scootaloo and how she threw them away. Applejack did the same, but with a stronger drink and thinking about how she let her grandmother down, even Big Mac, wherever he is, even Apple Bloom being turned into a slutty mare. Rarity sat on her chair, with her head lowered and her mascara messed up and sniffling, thinking about how she had failed her family when they needed her the most, with Spike sitting next to her, then ended up hugging her and comforting her, which she accepted and slightly blushed too. Pinkie Pie sat on the chair, with her mane deflated, thinking about how her sisters would be ashamed of her. And Twilight sat on the corner, thinking about what Beau had said. He was right about everything. They really did turn their backs on Equestria when they needed them the most.

After thinking it over, Twilight sighed, stood up, and looked at the rest. For it was time she stopped hiding…and started being a leader.

“Girls…,” said Twilight; the others slowly looked at her, with Twilight taking a deep

breath, then saying, “I really hate to say it. But Beau’s right.”

They looked at her with flexed eyebrows while thinking she’d be the last person to agree with him, considering the knuckle sandwich he had given her.

“Ever since the world flooded, we didn’t step up trying to protect Equestria.” Said Twilight as she started. “Instead, we turned our backs on everypony who needed us, our loved ones, family, and friends. We were the element bearers who were chosen to protect Equestria. But now…look at us. We’re not the same anymore. Everything we had, everypony we loved and cared about…gone.”

The others looked down in sadness and despair.

But Twilight took another deep breath and, this time did something she hadn’t done in a long time…spoke with determination.

“I’m done running away from my past. I’m done, running from this fight. It’s time we stopped hiding and turning our backs on Equestria. If it means dying, then so be it. I’m willing to move forward and save Equestria.”

The others looked at one another, realizing that she was right; it was time for them to stop running. Applejack was the first one to stand up.

“Ah, have to admit, what he said was true.” Said Applejack as she took off her hat and placed it against her chest. “Mah sister turned into a succubus, and ah haven’t heard of mah brother in years. But after the floods, ah lost mah granny, mah farm, and every Apple Clan out there.”

She gripped her hat and placed it back on her head as she said, “And ya know what? Ah’m done running too. It’s time ah avenged mah family and restore the honor of the Apple family name.”

Rainbow smashed her goblet on the table hard while sharply standing up simultaneously.

“I’m with you.” said Rainbow, “The Pegasi were proud ponies, and the Wonderbolts once stood for something. And I’m done running. It’s time I stand up for those who lost everything.”

Rarity wanted to stand up, but Spike held her hand, gaining her attention as he smiled at her gently. She couldn’t explain it, but she felt allured to the smile, making her smile back and hold his hand. The two of them stood up while still holding hands.

“I will try too.” Said Rarity, “For far too long, I have done nothing but failed in my generosity to those who needed it, and I let them all down. I let Suri take advantage of me and nearly got us all killed; she was this close to killing me too. But now…it’s time I stopped hiding and truly gave back to what I should’ve done all those years ago.”

Fluttershy was scared to stand up until Angel encouraged her to make a stand. She took a deep breath and stood up.

“I will too. I failed the animals. All I wanted to do was to hide. It’s time I avenged all the animals I lost.

Pinkie looked down for a minute, then suddenly gained her poofy hair and zipped right over.

“I’m ready to help those in need. I’ll help others smile. They lost their smiles a long time ago, and it’s about time I helped them smile again.”

Twilight nearly shed a tear for missing this. She took a deep breath and smiled, saying, “Thank you, girls. As soon as Beau returns, let’s show that were no longer afraid to fight back. That were willing to take a stand and fight for our freedom.

The Mane 6 cheered at this while Spike hugged Twilight.

“Welcome back, Twilight.” Said Spike.

“Good to be back, Spike.” Said Twilight as she hugged her little brother back.

That’s when a pony came through the door, surprising the group as he said,

“Attention, crew of the Rogue Diamond. You need to get to the docks now. The leaders of the Islands are on their way right now.”

They wondered what was going on but chose to oblige.

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They soon arrived at the docks, and to their surprise, Mayor Mare, Zacora, Lyra, Bonbon, Octavia, and Vinyl were also there, with tons of other people.

“What’s going on?” said Rarity as she was the first to approach them.

“That dude you traveled with?” said Vinyl as she pointed to the ship. “He somehow got to Canterlot and got five yachts. Besides that, he got a ton of folks who wanted to escape and a ton of their guards too.”

“What?” said Rainbow. “How the heck is that possible?!!”

“We’ll find out soon enough.” Told Octavia when they saw the ramp being lowered.

When it was lowered, they saw Beau coming down, then pointed to the ship and said, “Well, you coming or what?”

They were cautious at first but eventually climbed onto the ramp and made it toward the ship.

“First, we’ll meet at the dining hall; we got a lot to talk about.” Said Beau.

They followed him down and wondered what he was planning. As soon as they stopped, he held the door handle and looked at them.

“Now remember, whatever happens, don’t do anything. I’ll explain once everyone gathers in the same room.” Said Beau.

They soon entered the room, with Beau closing the door. But to make sure, he secretly locked it just to ensure no one would enter. He walked over to the center as the others waited.

“Fellow warrior from across the ocean,” said Zecora. “Do you mind telling me what this is about?”

Suddenly, Beau spoke her language, which surprised Zecora. After saying a few words, Zacora bowed in respect, knowing that there was one who respected her culture.

“I am also wondering what this is about.” Said, Mayor Mare.

“We can explain.” Said a voice.

When they turned, they were shocked to see Princess Celestia.

“What the hell?!!” shouted Vinyl.

“What the hack’s the meaning of this?!!” shouted Lyra.

“Hold it!!” shouted Beau as he stood between them.

“No way!!” shouted Rainbow. “First, you saved our ass, then scolded us, and now you sold us out to Princess Celestia?!!!”

“I told you I could explain everything.” Reassured Beau.

“What, other than the fact that she drowned the world and destroyed everything?!!” shouted Applejack.

“She didn’t cause any of this.” Said Beau.

“She was the only one who can control the sun!!” shouted Bonbon “Why would you say she isn’t responsible?!”

“Because the one who caused all this was a fake.” Said Beau.

The others were confused by this but still kept their guard up.

“Twilight,” came another voice. When they looked, to their shock, it was Princess Luna, alive and well, and she gave them a reassuring look. “He’s telling the truth.”

“P…Princess Luna?” said Mayor Mare in shock. “How are you…?”

“You can thank him for that.” Told Luna when she pointed at Beau, which shocked the others.

“It’s true, Twiley.” Said another voice.

Twilight was shocked to hear a familiar voice. When they looked, to their shock, especially Twilight, it was none other than her brother Shining Armour and her old foal sitter, Cadance.

“He’s telling the truth.” Said Cadance.

Twilight wanted to be sure it was her, then she walked to her and did the one thing she hadn’t done in a long time with her.

They chanted and danced. “Sunshine, sunshine, ladybugs awake. Clap your hooves and do a little shake.”

And in tears, she hugged Cadance and Shining Armour, overjoyed to see them again. The girls seemed confused, with Spike stepping forward.

“In case you wonder, that Unicorn over there is Shining Armour, Twilight’s brother.” Said Spike as he introduced them. “The other is Princess Cadance, Shining Armour’s girlfriend.”

“Goodness,” said Rarity as she saw what they looked like. “So that’s what they look like.”

After tears were wiped, Twilight looked at her brother and asked, “Where have you been all these years?”

“We’ve been held imprisoned for a long time.” Said Cadance, “We uncovered that Celestia was a fake, but before we could reveal this to Princess Luna and the rest of the public, she captured us and locked us up.”

“But we’ll let him explain.” Said another voice, which happened to be Sunset Shimmer.

Beau said “This is Sunset Shimmer. She also happens to be Princess Celestia’s student until they had a falling out and ran away from home. I was able to convince her to come along.”

“Oh, uh, nice to meet you.” Said Twilight as she shook Sunset’s hand. She then looked at Beau and said, “So what did you mean the Celestia caused it was a fake?”

Beau looked at Spike and said, “Tell me. When you saw “Celestia” holding what appeared to be a limb, was it black and had holes through them?”

Spike remembered with wide eyes and said, “Yes, she did.”

“The limb was from a Changeling.” Said Beau.

Everyone in the room was a little surprised. Beau closed his eyes and pieced the evidence he had together in his head and the brief conversation he had with his grandmother about what had happened. He opened his eyes and told them.

“A few nights after Discord was defeated,” said Beau as he started, “Princess Celestia was under attack by a group of Changelings. She put up a fight, but she was soon overpowered. The remaining Changelings took her away while their leader, the one responsible, took her place and made everyone think Luna would overthrow her. And seeing that the fake didn’t have enough power to stop her, she used an old Talisman of Solar Force to control the sun, so she began to dry the lands and melt the ice, causing the flooding. Shining Armour and Cadance discovered who she truly was, but they were caught before they had the chance to tell anypony, causing the fake to overpower them and lock them up in Canterlot’s tower. The fake tried to kill Luna, but like her sister, she was too powerful, putting her in a comatose state. The fake placed a strong spell in that container to ensure she stayed that way while drowning it to the bottom of the ocean. As for how I could tell, when I saw the fake, her magical aura was Emerald Green, and the real one was Golden Yellow. And from the state of her dress, I could tell. They said that the fake flooded the world ten years and six months ago, while the state of her dress was ten years and nine months old. Meaning the real one was taken prisoner and held underneath the castle for more than ten years, while the fake had been running the show the whole time.”

The said ponies were shocked and horrified to hear this, with Twilight nearly fainting, but Shining Armour and Cadance were able to catch her before she fell onto the ground.

“So that’s what the limbs were.” Muttered Spike when he sweated in fear.

Applejack had kept an eye on Beau the whole time, and she realized in horror and said, “Ya…ya’ll are telling the truth.”

The leaders of the Island were just as shocked to hear this.

“This changes everything.” Said Vinyl as she looked at the others.

“Indeed.” said Mayor Mare. “If anypony figured out that the one on the throne is fake, we could turn the tide of the war.”

“But wait,” said Lyra as she was confused, “How did the fake control the sun?”

“Yeah, so far Celestia’s the only one who knew how.” Said Bonbon.

Lyra and Bonbon heard Beau chuckle, gaining their attention as he said, “You two are so much alike. No wonder you two fell in love and got married.”

The two couldn’t help but blush and smile at that comment.

“Artifacts are in Canterlot’s vault; that is a fact.” Said Zecora as they looked at her. “Including the one that can control the sun.”

“And it would be impossible to go to Canterlot since Fancy Pants controls the shipping lanes.” Said Bonbon.

“Fancy Pants is dead.” Said Beau, gaining everyone’s attention with widened eyes and shock. “He knew who the fake was and sided with her.”

“This is good news.” said Mayor Mare. “With the fakes right-hand man dead, the military is tactless without a leader.”

“But if we’re going to face them, how are we going to do that without an army?” asked Shining Armour.

Beau pondered his thoughts while Celestia spoke. The real Princess Celestia and Princess Luna are reunited, and the fake has been known. Sunset might turn in favor. They may have the elements of harmony, but it would take another power to help them.

He then went to the room where the Elements of Harmony were stored. He opened the case and saw that they were still intact. He knew the Elements wouldn’t choose the Mane 6 because they turned their back on the world. He placed his hand on the Element of Magic and spoke to it.

“I don’t know if you can hear me.” Said Beau as he looked at the Elements. “But we need your help.”

The elements were still inactive, but he never gave up.

“The world is in great peril once more,” said Beau “The Element Bearers have lost their way. All I ask is that you could give them another chance to help them save their world that suffered greatly. But I also ask that you make two Unicorns I know into Princesses. The world needs hope, and after what the fake had done, the real Princess Celestia’s name and reputation have been tarnished, and everyone thinks that Princess Luna is dead. All I ask…is for you to help me save the world. For their sakes.”

Beau stood up and headed back to the door. Until the entire room began to glow. He turned around and was surprised to see what was happening. He suddenly managed a smile.

“Now we have a chance.” Said Beau.

At the same time, everypony continued to ponder what they could do in the room. “There might be a way.” Said Celestia, gaining all of their attention. “Before I was captured, I was able to send a distress call to the other kingdoms and warned them that the fake had planned to destroy the world, so with what time they had, they quickly created pocket dimensions and quickly fled through there before the floodings started. I tried to warn Equestria, but it was too late.”

“But it would also be impossible to find them and let them out,” said Princess Luna when she knew what Celestia was talking about. “The portals were located in every town and city, but they were now underwater. If we let them go, they would perish.”

“But isn’t there a way to open their portals to our location?” asked Spike.

“That won’t work. The portals must be opened in specific locations. To open them would be mass extinction.” said Sunset.

“But there’s gotta be something we can do?” said Fluttershy in her worried tone.

“There is one way.” Said Beau as he walked into the room, gaining everyone’s attention. “We can find a way to level the playing field.”

“How?” said Rainbow, though a little nicer this time, which Beau noticed and smiled underneath the helmet.

“We drain the world’s oceans and have them return to their natural state while restoring all the lands consumed by the floods. If we can do that, we will cut off their fleets completely and have a major advantage on the field. While at the same time….”

“We’ll be able to open the portals for the other kingdoms to come out.” Said Sunset as she pondered over this.

“It could work.” Said Luna. “But there would be no way we could harness that much magic to accomplish this.”

“That’s why there’s another that can help,” said Beau “Someone that can manipulate reality. Someone that can bend it to their will. Someone who once hid the Elements of Harmony when he came back.”

“When he…” muttered Twilight, until she widened her eyes in shock, looked at him, and said, “No. You don’t mean…?”

And that’s when he delivered the big kicker.

“We need to bring back Discord.”

Everyone was taken aback by this by what he said, especially the Princesses.

“Are you nuts?!!” shouted Rainbow “We locked him up for a reason!!”

“I know what I’m suggesting is psychotic and mad,” said Beau, “But desperate times call for drastic measures. He can also control most elements, allowing us some breathing ground to gain an advantage. Besides, as they said, we need the other kingdoms to help us, and Princess Celestia and Princess Luna can’t help us with that either.”

“Why not?” asked Princess Luna as she and Princess Celestia looked at him.

Beau looked at the two and said, “For one thing, your link to the elements has been cut. And second, because of the fake Celestia, everyone thinks that you’re dead, and the real ones reputation has been tarnished.”

“Then what else can we do?” said Princess Celestia.

“The ones who should lead are those two.” Said Beau as he pointed to Twilight and Sunset, much to their shock.

“What?!” said Twilight in shock. “But I…I can’t…!!”

“It’s the only option.” Said Beau. “You know this better than anyone.”

“I don’t know if I can.” Said Twilight. “Remember, we’ve been hiding for far too long. Even if we fight, I don’t think I’m worthy enough.”

“I may be talented in my magic,” said Sunset in a disheartened tone, much to Beau’s surprise. “I’m not brave or strong enough to face this. Plus, after everything I’ve done in the past, I don’t think I’d be worthy of it.”

Beau could tell that those two were broken. Then again, what the power of Harmony did to Sunset and the ten years of trauma Twilight went through was understandable. However, he suddenly remembered something he told his wife during a summit a while back and what he told Sunset when she was unsure of herself when she wanted to take the next step with her husband, Ignis. He didn’t know if it would work with them, but he had to try. He took a deep breath and released it, knowing it was a gamble, but he had to try.

“You two…” he began. “Don’t have to be…afraid anymore.”

The two didn’t look back, but he knew he had to try.

“You two are more important than you realize.” Said Beau, making their ears perk up. “For you two…are the most talented. Most Interesting. And most amazing ponies in the world.”

They partially turned their heads as they kept listening.

“And both of you are capable of amazing things.” Said Beau. “Because both of you…are special.”

They looked at him surprised, wondering where he was going with this.

“And so are your friends.” Said Beau as he kept going, which got everyone else’s attention in the room as they saw what he was doing. Despite how violent he was, he used his gentle nature. “So is everyone in the room. The world may be terrifying, but there’s also good in it. For it’s about every creature in this world, but more importantly, it’s also about you two.”

He reached for the back of his jacket and said, “And you…still….”

He then pulled out the crown, the Element of Magic, and showed it to them while saying, “Can change everything.”

Both Sunset and Twilight looked at the Element of Magic. Sunset was surprised to see it in person as the stories were true, and she felt something she had never felt before…the spark of friendship. Twilight, on the other hand…for her, it felt like it had been years since she had seen it. Twilight and Sunset looked at one another, realizing that this was the time to fix their mistakes, causing the two to have gentle expressions and smile while nodding in agreement.

The two approached the crown and gently placed their hand on the crown’s star. The crown began to glow within mere moments, taking them by surprise. At the same time, from the case that Beau carried, the Elements of Harmony also appeared, which took the rest of the Mane 6 by surprise. The Elements of Honesty, Kindness, Laughter, Generosity, and Loyalty flew back to their rightful bearers, which took them all by surprise. They felt the magic from within their elements. Some had sad smiles, and some had tears falling from their eyes.

“I…I’ve forgotten what it felt like.” Said Rarity as she looked at hers.

Rainbow looked at hers, then had a sad expression while mumbling, “I’m so sorry I haven’t lived up to your title. I hope I’m worthy of you again. Please forgive me.” The element suddenly glowed, showing it had forgiven her, and she smiled again.

Before they could react, the Elements of Harmony fired at Twilight and Sunset, engulfing them in a bright light. Twilight and Sunset gained their wings within mere moments whilst their horns grew a bit. At the same time, the rest also began to feel energized by the Elements. Within moments, they lowered themselves and were surprised to see their change. To Sunset’s surprise, she also had her crown and element. Beau walked over to Sunset and Twilight and placed his hands on their shoulders.

“From this day on…” said Beau, gaining both of their attention.

“Twilight Sparkle,” said Beau as he looked at her. “From this moment on, you shall be known as the Princess of Friendship.”

He then looked at Sunset and said, “And you, Sunset Shimmer, will be forever known as the Princess of Peace.”

The Elements Bearers and the ponies in the room all smiled while some shed tears, for they hadn’t felt this feeling in a long time. It had been a long time since they had felt any hope.

Twilight looked at Beau and asked, “What do you need us to do?”

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They soon entered the large room where Discord had been placed. The others entered the room, too, as they looked at the Draconequus.

“I still can’t believe that were doing this.” Said Rainbow Dash.

“I know this plan is insane.” Said Beau, “But desperate times call for drastic measures.”

“He is right,” said Princess Celestia. “We’ll need Discord for this.”

Twilight and the others nodded, allowing them to use their elements on Discord. Within mere moments, Discord had been freed from his imprisonment. He laughed his head off as he was freed.

“I’m free; I’m finally free.” Said Discord while he hovered a bit. Then he noticed the Element Bearers. “Oh, what’s this?”

He looked at them closely and said, “My, you girls have changed a lot since I last saw any of you.”

He then hovered back and said, “But it doesn’t matter. Now that I’m free, I can finally spread some….”

“Ahem!!”

Discord was brought out of his thoughts and looked down and noticed every creature. He saw Twilight and the others.

“Goodness, whatever happened to you lot?” said Discord playfully whilst he flew to them and said “All of you look a little older than last time I saw you. Though with ten years that’s gone by, I would assume so.”

“Wait,” said Sunset. “You knew how long time passed?”

“I may be trapped in stone, but I could tell what time passed. I got an eerie feeling of what was going on.

“A lot has changed since the last time you were around.” Said Beau, gaining Discord’s attention.

“Oh?” said Discord, “And who are you, I suppose?”

“Someone who doesn’t like being your plaything.” Said Beau. “And before you cause any chaos, follow me. There’s something I need to show you.”

Beau walked to the door and left the room, with Discord wondering where he was going and followed. Fluttershy; on the other hand, wondered what Beau was going to do, causing her to follow them while the others remained behind and wondered what Beau would be doing.

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Beau and Discord were soon outside on the deck. When Beau was on the deck, Discord appeared next to him and suddenly had a tourism guise on.

“Ooh, I didn’t know we were in the middle of a cruise.” Said Discord as he took some photos. Then he turned to his right and said, “And there’s even an island….”

But then he stopped, widened his eyes while lowering his camera, and said, “Wait a minute.”

He flew up in the air and used his imagination; he saw the volcano he recognized there. He flew back down to Beau and looked at him.

“I know that volcano.” Said Discord while pointing at it and looking at Beau. “That’s where I caused my fartlek. But…I don’t remember it being part of the ocean.”

Beau looked at Discord and said, “You may want to sit down for this. It’s not a pretty tale.”

Discord then made himself a chair, saying, “Oooh, Storytime.”

From around the corner, Fluttershy watched as Beau explained what happened after ten years. The fake Celestia attacked the real one and held her hostage while she used her magic to make the ice melt, and the world flooded. Princess Luna tried to stop her but was overthrown and defeated, placing her in suspended animation and drowning her body. And the entire world had been thrown in disarray.

“And after that,” said Beau before ending the story, “The entire world fell to madness. Half of the ponies live on islands trying to survive, while the other half drown at the ocean’s bottom with their cities. And Twilight and her friends were no longer the same ponies you encountered. And the rest was history.”

Discord shivered at that for a bit, then said, “Okay, I love chaos as much as the next creature, but this is way too much. And this isn’t Chaos; this is anarchy.”

“Which is why we need your help.” Said Beau.

Discord was suddenly surprised by this, looked at Beau, and said, “I’m sorry, what?”

“You can shape the world as you see fit.” Said Beau, “You have the power to reshape reality as you see fit. I need you to use your power to restore the world to how it was ten years ago before the flooding started, with no ice to melt that caused it.”

“Have you gone mad?” said Discord as he leaned close to Beau. “I cannot do that; it goes against my very nature.”

“And if you use too much Order, you’ll disappear, I know.” Said Beau.

“Precisely.” Said Discord, “Besides, I am the Lord of Chaos, and doing something like this, like restoring the world order, is something I would never do.”

Beau sighed harshly while placing his hand against his head and muttered, “This is getting pointless.”

“Um, excuse me, Discord?”

Beau and Discord looked and saw Fluttershy looking at him, all timid. Then she approached him and stood near him.

She took a deep breath, relaxed, looked at him, and said, “I know you don’t like to do Orderly things. But…can’t you please bring everything back. We lost everything when the floods happened. Our home, our friends. We just want to find those we lost some justice against the one responsible. We just want our homes back. Can’t you please help us?”

When Discord saw her, he felt mesmerized by her cute face, even the cuteness, and kindness she had been showing. He ended up blushing at seeing her. However, Beau took notice of this and used his eyes to dart back and forth between Fluttershy and Discord. He suddenly smirked and had a great idea that might work.

He walked over to Fluttershy, gaining her attention as she looked at him. Beau whispered something to her in her ear. After hearing what he had to say, she blushed madly and looked at him. He whispered to her that it was the only way. She looked at him and suddenly felt mesmerized by seeing him. She took a deep breath and flew over to him, gaining Discord’s attention as he watched her fly to him.

“I know you’re a creature of chaos and don’t like to do orderly things.” Said Fluttershy. “But instead of acting like single entities, why not be an Equalizer. One that can keep the balance.”

Discord was surprised by this and said, “Equalizer?”

He then pondered while having his back turned. “I could also restore order and have some fun with chaos simultaneously?” said Discord to himself. “It almost sounds too good to be true.”

He suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder, gaining his attention as he looked at her while she still had her cute face.

“Please do this for us and something good. Just this once?” asked Fluttershy.

Then she did the unthinkable. She ended up kissing Discord full on the lips, which shocked him as he felt steam just come out of his ears. Fluttershy slowly departed her lips from Discord’s, while the Lord of Chaos was too stunned to speak. He then cleared his throat and shook his head.

“Alright then,” said Discord as he rolled his imaginary sleeve, “I’ll do it. Be right back.”

Discord then flew away to do what needed to be done. At the same time, Fluttershy blushed madly and held her face as embarrassment began to take hold of her.

“Why did I just do that?” said Fluttershy in a panicked tone.

“You did what you had to do.” Said Beau, until he smirked and said, “Also, glad you’re bold for once.”

“S-shut up.” Muttered Fluttershy.

Discord was high and could see nothing but oceans. Realizing that the fake had destroyed everything, he realized they were right. It was time for him to be an equalizer.

“Alright then, world of worlds.” Said Discord as he raised his hands in the air and was suddenly charged up with his chaos and order power. “Time for you to return the way you once were.”

Within an instant, Discord snapped both his fingers, causing the entire world to be engulfed in a large light while all the citizens closed their eyes. When the light had faded, Beau took a good look at the ocean. The boat suddenly moved, and to his surprise.

“Look!!” shouted Beau, causing Fluttershy and all the ponies to look at the other side.

To their shock and awe, the oceans were suddenly beginning to recede and retreat back to whence they came, while at the same time, every plant, tree, and even animal was being restored to how they were, from green hills to grass plains to large sums of forests. And every town and city around the world was restored. Everyone on the island was shocked and couldn’t believe what was happening.

Discord then realized that the boats near the docks would be in a difficult spot to stand, making him smirk and snap his fingers. The boats suddenly grew legs, allowing them to stand on the side of the mountain to be docked near the docks.

“I…I don’t believe it…” said a random pony as he smiled. “It’s a miracle.”

“The world’s being restored to how it was!!” shouted another pony.

Pretty soon, everypony on the island cheered in an uproar. The world ocean was gone, and their lands were restored to how they were. Discord soon landed and suddenly had wobbly legs, making him unable to stand until Fluttershy could catch him.

“That took a lot out of me.” Said Discord while wiping his forehead.

“Thank you, by the way.” Said Fluttershy as she had a blush on her face.

“Er, you’re welcome.” Said Discord while he also blushed and rubbed the back of his head.

The Mane 6 came together and was ecstatic that everything was restored.

“This is great,” said Sunset as she came along. “With the oceans restored to normal, we can finally set our plan in motion.”

“He’s right,” said Cadance as she and Shining Armour looked at Beau. “What should we do now?”

“What we do best.” Said Beau while looking at them. “We improvise. Now that the ocean has receded, we’ll have twice as much room to move our forces around, and the fake Celestia won’t even have a fleet of ships under her control.”

Princess Celestia pondered at this for a moment, then had an idea.

“There was this one idea I had before Luna came back.” Said, Celestia.

“Allow me.” Said Discord before he snapped his fingers.

Within moments, their ships had large balloon-like features tied up around them, making them hover against the docks, turning them into Zeppelins.

“Whoa, awesome.” Said Rainbow as she liked the ships.

“We got out ships,” said Beau “Now all we need to do is to set the course. So what’s next on the list?”

“We’ll need to go to the former kingdoms of the other creatures,” said Princess Celestia. “Once we get there, we’ll need to open the pocket dimension and let them out.”

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Once that was done, the five yachts that Beau and the others stole traveled to five locations, each containing Princesses Celestia, Luna, Cadance, Sunset, and Twilight. Once they arrived, they opened the pocket dimensions on every bit of land they could find. Soon, many creatures, the Dragons, Yaks, Griffons, and Changelings (Beau secretly went there alone and encountered many. He called out both Thorax and Pharynx, much to their surprise. Beau was able to convince them to share love, thus allowing them to change their forms). There were even the cat, parrot kingdoms, and a ton of Kirin. The Hippogriffs were easy to get help from because they used the pearl to turn themselves into Sea ponies. But thankfully, they weren’t alone in going there. Each Mane 5 was left to those specific parts through Beau’s instructions. Rainbow headed for Griffonstone to convince the Griffons, Pinkie Pie headed to Yakyakistan, Rarity and Spike went to the Dragon Lands, Applejack went to Mount Aris, and Fluttershy, while being accompanied by Discord, went to the Kirin homeland. Soon, the leaders organized every creature to arm themselves to assault Canterlot to defeat the fake Celestia.

On the other hand, Beau stood on the docks and mediated, something he hadn’t done in a long time. He overlooked the countryside and smiled, for he was happy that he could help save this world’s Equestria from watery despair. Though given once this is over, I doubt anyone would ever want to go to the beach again except Pinkie Pie. He heard hoof steps coming. He slowly turned around and saw Celestia, Luna, Cadance, Sunset Shimmer, Shining Armour, Twilight, Spike, and the rest of the Mane 6 coming in.

“Oh, hey there.” Said Beau as he finally stood up and looked at them. “What can I do

for you?”

“It’s just…we never had the chance to thank you.” Said Princess Celestia, “For what you did for all of us here.”

“Anyone could’ve done the same thing.” Said Beau with a shrug on his shoulders.

“Except none of them are as brave as you for what you did today.” Said Princess Luna.

“All of us are merely strangers here,” said Twilight. “But because of you, you were able to remind us of who we are. And we can’t thank you enough for what you did for us.”

“After everything is over…” said Sunset “We don’t know how we could ever repay you for what you did.”

Beau merely looked at them for a few moments and said, “Save and protect your home.”

They were initially confused, but Beau soon explained why “Huh?”

“We’re not so completely different.” Said Beau. “Our stories are much alike than you think.”

“How so?” asked Rarity.

Beau turned his head, looked at the horizon, and said the unexpected.

“I was a Prince once.” Said Beau.

Many were taken aback by this. “Huh?!!”

“Wait,” said Rainbow Dash, “You were a Prince once?!!”

“I was.” Said Beau, “I was born from the house of Rohan, which existed about five hundred years before Princess Luna’s banish. It was a time when Grogar and Gusty were the same age. They greatly mistrust each other, causing the creatures to live separately.

“Land sakes,” said Applejack “Ah didn’t know ya’ll were a Prince.”

“So…what happened?” asked Fluttershy.

“The house of Rohan fell. My remaining family chose to leave and settle in another country. We first lived in a country called Prance. It went fine until the Prench Revolution came along. My family was able to flee to another country before things got worse.”

He looked down and said, “By the time I was born…things weren’t that great.”

“Whatever do you mean darling?” asked Rarity.

“Well, for one thing, I never wanted to be a Prince; I wanted a normal life.” Said Silverbolt, with the others being surprised by this. “My mother didn’t approve. She forced me to learn and fight since I was about seven. And my father was a gambler, so he didn’t say much. For many years I had to study. I had to train, through books or experience, on how to be a leader. But by the time I graduated, I had left home. I didn’t want to do anything with my family.”

He had to develop a cover story, so he did his best.

“When Equestria began to flood, I lost everything and did what I could to survive. A being came and told me that for Equestria to be freed, I needed to put aside the lone wolf life and become what I was born to be.”

He turned around and looked at them. “So that’s why from that day on, I took it upon myself and made a vow to one day help restore Equestria, but I couldn’t do it alone. I knew you were still alive but were reduced to your previous states when things got too much for you.”

Many were surprised by what he revealed.

“Wow,” said Sunset. “That would explain why you’re such a good leader.”

“Sometimes we all need to trust our instincts. And sometimes, we must embrace what fate has given us and not give up.” Said Beau.

“Do you think…” said Twilight before she paused. Then asked him, “If we could see what you look like?”

Before Beau could respond, Vinyl and Octavia arrived.

“Hey there,” said Vinyl. “There are two creatures here who’d like to talk to you.”

They saw two creatures appear, which were Changelings but different.

“Who the heck are you guys?” asked Rainbow.

“These two are Thorax and Pharynx.” Said Beau “Brothers mind you. And they’re on our side. They hate the one responsible just as much as you do.”

“He’s right.” Said Pharynx while speaking for his brother, “All of us were left behind when our leader left us to rot.”

“And when the worlds began to flood,” said Thorax, “We fled in the same pocket dimension just like all the others did.”

The ponies were surprised to have learned of this.

“Whoa,” said Spike, “Who would leave you guys to dust?”

“Oh, don’t worry,” said Beau. “I know who’s responsible.”

They looked at him surprised, with Beau adding, “But all will be revealed once we get to Canterlot.”

“Just…” said Princess Celestia, gaining Beau’s attention. “Make sure to spare Canterlot’s citizens and guards. They only sided with the fraud because they’re afraid and only follow orders.”

Beau crossed his arms while keeping his head lowered, thinking about it. He looked at Celestia and said, “I can’t make any promises, but I promise I’ll try. Every bit of life is precious, no matter how others view it.”

Celestia and Luna smiled at this, with Luna saying “Thank you.”

Some thought the next few days would be rough. The crew offered Beau a Captain’s Cabin to say thanks for saving them. He walked over to his bed while removing his helmet.

“I don’t know how much longer I can keep this up.” Said Beau. “I feel like walking into a shark’s tank without experience.”

He soon lay his head down on his pillow and went fast asleep. However, what he didn’t know, was that through his sleep, something unexpected would happen.

*********************************************************************

********************

Beau was still fast asleep, but he soon felt a slight chill while drifting…wait, drifting? He slowly opened his eyes and, to his surprise, was surrounded by nothing but darkness. He had no idea where he was or what was going on. But from below, he saw what he thought looked like a plain glass window, but it also looked like it was painted on. On it was the symbol of Harmony itself, as well as what appeared to be seven different weapons and colors surrounding the symbol of Harmony. He soon slowly landed on top of it, looking around in confusion.

“Where the heck am I?” said Beau as he looked around.

Suddenly, he saw three pedestals all around him. Each of them bears its own weapons. He didn’t know what to make of them.

“Retrieve one of these items, and find your destiny.”

He looked at the weapons around him. He first went over to the sword and saw what was written.

Beau read out loud, “Power of the Warrior. Invincible Courage. A sword to combat the darkest of warriors.”

He went to the shield and read out loud, “Power of the Guardian. Who aids those in need. A shield to repel all.”

Then he went over to the staff and read out loud, “The power of the Mystic. Inner Strength. A staff of wonder and leadership.”

Beau looked at all three weapons, wondering what he would choose to be the smartest and strongest warrior. Train to be the smartest and the strongest warrior.

“It’s time to stop running. I don’t need to choose one! I know what I was meant to do! So I choose all three!!”

“Is that your final choice?” said the voice.

Beau looked down and closed his eyes, thinking more clearly about what he should do. He then opened his eyes, raised his right hand out of instinct, and said, “Yes, I do.”

Within a split second, all three weapons glowed and went straight to him, but when they were close, they turned into pure energy and merged with him. While at the same time, it created a horse-shaped gauntlet on his arm. On his arm, he saw three different weapon symbols on top of the gauntlet, each in different colored gemstones. One in pink, one in purple, and one in dark or midnight blue, which strangely made him think of his wife. The staff, the sword, and the shield. But strangely, when he looked at the staff, he saw that it had another feature, which looked like a bow of some sort. He will have to figure it out later, for he needed to get out of wherever he was. That was until he saw the stained glass, he was standing on suddenly shake, then begin to shatter piece by piece at a rapid rate.

“Oh, this can’t be good.” Said Beau.

The moment when the glass was gone, he instantly fell down again. He would’ve flailed and wailed but slowly descended from above and landed on the secondarily stained glass. He looked around a bit, still very confused. But when he took another look, the stained glass he was standing on somehow had a different set of images on it. This time, it was images of seven different people who appeared to have different knight helmets. Each of them had different colors, which didn’t make any sense.

“Okay, this is weird.” Said Beau to himself.

He heard rumbling noises. He didn’t know where the noises were coming from. He saw a wooden horse. But when he took a closer look, something felt off.

“Wait,” said Beau, “I know that type of horse. The Trojan horse, the same wooden horse that the Greeks used to infiltrate the city of Troy, allowed the Greeks inside to open the gates so that the rest of their armies could attack through.”

Suddenly, he saw that plenty more wooden horses came from out of nowhere, all of them surrounding him to ensure that he would never escape. He quickly moved to the center for him to get some elbow room.

“What the heck is going on?” said Beau.

Then all of a sudden, the first Wooden Horse turned into a humanoid form, wearing Trojan-like armor but with its face covered. Pretty soon, every wooden horse did the same as all of them had surrounded Beau.

“O-kay.” Said Beau to himself as he looked anxious, “This doesn’t look….”

But before he could finish his sentence, a few of them instantly jumped in the air and raised their swords. Beau yelped and raised his right arm out of instinct, causing the purple gem to glow bright and flash as if it were a flashbang grenade. Beau was practically standing on one knee and had his eyes closed shut. But when he looked up, to his shock, he saw he had created a shield, which was the color purple. He couldn’t explain it, but it had just saved his life by blocking the weapons of the few Trojans that attacked him.

Beau struggled with all his strength to try and gain a proper foothold, but it proved to be more difficult than he could’ve imagined.

“Damn,” said Beau to himself, “Never figured that it would be this hard.”

Beau struggled again, but he kept saying, “Come on, Beau, you can do it. Do it for Equestria. Do it for your friends. Do it…”

He then remembered Twilight, the day he first met her, the time he spent with her. How the two of them fell head over heels for one another within a month, then got married before realizing that she was pregnant. Then came Moonlight, with Beau holding her in his hands, and he couldn’t help but smile. How he raised her after so many years and enjoyed raising her alongside Twilight.

Beau, for some reason, suddenly found his drive. He pushed the Trojans away from him, allowing him to summon a midnight blue sword, allowing him to use it and slice the Trojans. Many continued to try and surround him.

“Okay then,” said Beau, “Let’s see if I remember how to do this.”

Beau charged forward to the first Trojan. But just as he blocked the first Trojan, Beau cut him down. Then he blocked the right Trojan’s attack and twirled the blade to strike it down. Beau then blocked the third ones attack and struck it down after he jumped in the air and did what he did. He charged towards the next two Trojans, only to cut and block them down.

He saw another group of Trojans charging, then he thought of something and said, “Just like Captain America.”

He placed his sword away and threw his shield, allowing it to bounce against five Trojans while it struck them down before he grabbed it and bashed his shield against another Trojan that tried to attack him. The five Trojans suddenly had crossbows and fired them at him, causing Beau to quickly block them and throw them like a discuss, allowing them to bounce off their targets and then catch them.

“Whoa,” said Beau as he realized something. “Really glad I took those aerobic classes.”

He saw the next group coming in; thus, he decided to put his shield away and drew out his sword, but at the same time, he used both his hands to hold the sword and positioned it to attack samurai style.

“If I remember my swordsmanship technique.” Muttered Beau.

The Trojans attacked again, causing John to swing his sword like a true expert. Cutting one Trojan to the next down. Beau soon jumped in the air and sliced one in half before it disappeared. He darted to the left while holding his sword still in his right hand. He darted straight toward the first three Trojans. First, Beau would cut the first one down with three strikes and did the same thing with the next two. Beau jumped in the air and performed a twister move with his sword, allowing him to cut them down before they had a chance to respond.

He decided to step up his game a bit and put his sword away while, at the same time, he pulled out his staff and was about to see what he could do with it. He twirled it around like a bo-staff and knocked a few out of the way, then he used it to vault himself over, trying to avoid attacks from the Trojans. He twirled it around on his one hand, then struck a few aside. His staff suddenly generated some electricity and used it to fire lightning at a few. Then it ended up being on fire and used to burn the Trojans until they were turned into wooden figures.

Soon, all of them were beaten, with Beau wiping his forehead.

“That was rough.” Said Beau, “Now what else is….”

He then felt himself falling down again, but there was a second platform, allowing him to land this time.

“Is it just me,” said Beau to himself. “Or does this feel like…?”

“Beau….”

Beau looked around and found nothing until he spotted a figure approaching from the darkness. Beau kept his stance, not wanting to take chances. That was until he spotted a familiar-looking figure.

“Twilight?” said Beau. He partially lowered his guard but kept his eye on her. “What are you…?”

But then he remembered, Twilight was still back in Equestria, and she and ponykind weren’t allowed to enter Caribouria because of the law. But what he noticed was the color of her eyes.

“Wait,” said Beau, recalling what Sunset had told them months ago. “You’re not Twilight. You’re…Midnight Sparkle.”

The pony merely chuckled and laughed sinisterly, causing her to transform into Midnight Sparkle, but in pony form. He was taken aback by how she looked in the outfit, which nearly made him blush.

“Maybe I should ask Twilight to model that for me on our next special night.” Thought

Beau to himself, but shook his head while he tried to focus on what was in front of him.

“Hello, Beau,” said Midnight Sparkle. “Or should I say, Thomas Rohan?”

“And you must be Midnight Sparkle.” Said Beau.

“Oh?” said Midnight as she hovered close to him. “Do you know me?”

“From Sunset Shimmer, yeah.” Said Silverbolt, which made Midnight frown, remembering that name. At the same time, Beau continued, “From what she told me, my wife’s human counterpart let her curiosity get the better, causing her to take her friends” magic by accident. Then during the final part of the Friendship Games, Cinch blackmailed her into releasing the magic, turning her into her darker self. And because of it, her unhealthy thirst for knowledge ended up nearly destroying both our worlds. Sunset stopped her, but if it weren’t for Twilight’s dog Spike, she would’ve succeeded in destroying the world. And after she was freed, she was accepted by those who understood her. Though the nightmares of Midnight haunted her for a long time.”

He pointed the staff at her and said, “You were exactly what my wife was trying to steer clear of. Like she told Starlight, Knowledge can only take you so far, and if it weren’t for them, they wouldn’t have woken up the magic of friendship inside of her.”

“I should’ve won that day.” Said Midnight. “But instead, they made a fool out of me.”

“And you’ll always lose.” Said Beau. “All Twilight wanted was a friend and a family, while you did the fool thing, all by yourself.”

Midnight merely scowled before she growled. But then she smirked and said, “Just like you chose to be by yourself when you abandoned your family?”

Beau was slightly taken aback by this.

“Your family, the so-called famous royal line from the house of Rohan,” said Midnight as she slowly hovered towards him. “But instead of following a family tradition, you simply chose to run away from it all, turning your back on what your family tried to teach you.”

She leaned closer as she stroked his face. “But I couldn’t blame you, considering your family didn’t love you.”

She landed on both her hooves, walked around him, and continued taunting him.

“Your father was an irresponsible gambler, going from one place to another, spending and wasting money as if there were no tomorrow. How long would it be until the family fortune runs out? And then there was your mother, who constantly went on business from one place to another, never bothering to spend time with her only child, and paid many teachers to teach and train you until your bones cracked.”

Beau had bitter memories of those years growing up. Wishing his parents had more time to spend with them. Midnight continued talking to him as she stood at his right side.

“And then came school life.” Said Midnight with her voice of darkness. “In addition to not having any siblings, you didn’t have any friends either. You were recognized as the child prodigy during your insignificant childhood and always made perfect grades in your subjects. Disappointing, really, considering that you thought schoolwork was too easy for you and that you preferred a bigger challenge. And while you’re always learning, you were never interested in taking the time to build any relationships. No friend to lean on whenever you’re knocked down, no friend to comfort you during your struggles. And more importantly. No girl to fall in love with so that you can have your own family. Not that you could ever get one anyway.”

Beau winced at that, remembering the loneliness he was forced to endure. But among the studying, he remembered that he was also shunned by many people, even the women, who’d prefer men with muscles instead of intelligence.

“Finding someone right for you was like trying to find a needle in a haystack,” said Midnight as she stood behind him while stroking his body and talking to his ear.

“Today’s modern women only seek men with brawns rather than brains. Though you may have kept your shape, you weren’t exactly muscular, to begin with. Maybe the reason for that was that they wanted to feel smarter. Though then again, it didn’t matter to you anymore. After all, your world was rotten to the core, and the only thing that kept you from going insane was the books you loved to read. Especially the sounds of the lake’s rippling waters.”

She whispered in his ear, “You even abandoned your own lineage as the Prince of Rohan.”

Beau winced at that, remembering what Bright Star once said about him abandoning his family, but he lowered both his arms, thinking about his past.

“To get away from it all,” said Midnight. “You decided to go to the local lake to camp away from all the drama and all the pain. And you couldn’t go back to your own family, not after you yelled at them and refused to follow the lineage that they had set out for you.”

Beau gripped his hands in anger.

“You will never understand.” Said Beau, “I never wanted that life; I wanted a normal life. Was that too much to ask?”

She chuckled again and said, “Why would she fall in love with a hairless ape like you? Why would she fall in love with a hairless ape like you? Why would she use you for her benefits?”

Beau partially looked at her in shock. “What are you talking about?”

“Oh, that’s quite the long story.” Said Midnight “Shortly after Twilight moved to Ponyville, she kept learning lessons, yes, but most times, she kept letting stress get too far. For one, going crazy over a report about Friendship, thinking it needs to be sent every week, instead of writing a message whenever she learns something. And her own friends didn’t try to calm her down better, thinking she was just being ridiculous. They tried to sway her, but her own madness refused to listen. Hence, they didn’t believe her about the fake bride because she acted like a mad person and didn’t make a good case without proof or evidence.”

She chuckled again and said, “Though it’s probably why she never trusted her friends again. After all, she didn’t tell them that the Princesses had given her their Alicorn magic just to make sure Tirek didn’t get his hands on them.”

She stopped and said, “She should have told them.” said Midnight. “It nearly cost her everything because of a lie. She thinks she knows her responsibility. But is it really? She leaned close to him and said, “And one day soon, she will again.”

He looked at her and said, “What do you mean again?”

“I mean, that one day, a powerful tyrant, under Lord Dainn’s training and command, will invade Equestria.” Said Midnight, much to Beau’s shock. “When they leave, the stress will soon consume her, and she’ll use her own friends for selfish reasons. In the end, she’ll backstab them, and their friendships will fall apart.”

She leaned close to him and said, “Who’s to say that she won’t do the same with you once all of this is over?”

Beau began to feel doubt. “Face it,” she said. “You’ll never be free unless you cut one another loose. So... What’s it going to be?

Beau looked down a bit, thinking about what Midnight said. Twilight would mess up when Equestria was invaded, and the kingdom wouldn’t stand a chance.

“You’re right about a few things.” Said Beau, “Twilight does mess up all the time without thinking things through. Twilight does sometimes act without thinking about things selfishly. We never did get what we wanted.”

But then he remembered all the hard times she went through, and they would always return stronger for it.

“But we both ended up getting what we needed.” Said Beau while gripping his hands before looking at Midnight.

“We both gained friends. We both gained a family.” Said Beau as he glared at Midnight, making the said being flex an eyebrow.

“Sure, we may have made mistakes along the way, and we all ended up paying a heavier price than we never could’ve imagined. And in the end, it cost us everything. But we didn’t choose a life; it chose us.”

Suddenly, to Midnight’s shock, Beau began slowly glowing in the same color Twilight’s magic is.

“Coming to Equestria may not have been my idea,” said Beau as he slowly walked over to her. “But meeting Twilight was the best thing that’s ever happened to me. She did for me what no one else did. She helped me fit in, she helped me find friends, and she helped me find love. And in the end, we ended up having a daughter. I made a

promise I would protect her. But when Chrysalis came along, we never felt so helpless in all our lives; we felt we failed them.”

Beau gripped his right hand as magical energies began to take form.

“But ever since a Caribou came to Equestria, we were chosen by the map. And we made a promise right then and there that we would do anything to protect our wives. Both from themselves and from others who would hurt them.”

He looked at her in anger.

“And if you think I’m going to let another monster, try to stop me from protecting my family and my new home.”

He then jumped high in the air as the magic was about to take shape.

“Then you’ve got another thing coming!!” shouted Beau.

And then, with one strike, Midnight ended up blocking something. To her shock, she saw the Star Calibur, aka Stardust. The Sacred Sword of Cosmos itself, made from the Element of Magic itself, was once forged during the beginning of the Caribou reign during the Caribou wars.

Midnight slowly looked at him in shock and said, “Who are you?”

Beau thought about all the times they asked him who he was. What he said to himself was true... It’s time he stopped running from his past. He looked at her with determination.

“Before my name was Beau...,” said Beau. “My name is Thomas Rohan, son of Bianca Rohan. Descendent of Achilles of the House of Rohan. I am the Prince, and I...

Beau suddenly charged up with energy combined with the sword, much to her shock.

“Will…not…be…stopped…I…possess the one power that had been passed down from many others.” Said Beau before he suddenly sprouted wings and what appeared to be a Unicorn’s horn.

“THE MAGIC OF FRIENDSHIP!!!” shouted Beau and, with one thrust, blasted Midnight away in a huge flash as she screamed in agony and crash landed.

He walked over to her while holding onto his sword. He stood a few inches away, expecting her to attack again. However, to his surprise, Midnight’s form had changed and had a staff. When she got up, it was none other than Brightstar who looked at him with tears of happiness and a smile.

“Congratulations.” Said Brightstar, “You’ve succeeded where many have failed. You embraced who you were born to be.”

Beau was taken aback by this and said, “I don’t understand.”

“You turned your back on your family because of what your parents had turned into.” Said Brightstar. “They were the ones who turned their backs on their heritage and taught you wrong.”

She then looked at him with a smile “But you have embraced who you are, and the role you have chosen. You’ve finally accepted who you are. And for that, I’m proud of you.”

Brightstar slowly hugged her grandson, with Beau accepting it in return. They broke the hug as she said, “But there is still more road ahead for you. And you must lead those who are willing to do the same.”

“I understand.” Said Beau, “Where do I start?”

“How about I teach you further before you wake up?” said Brightstar. “That way, you can learn more about your wife and her friends. Then Bucky and the others.”

Beau smiled and said, “Let’s get started.”

And so, Brightstar began to teach Beau so that he could learn more about his friends, both humans, and ponies, even his wife.

*********************************************************************

*************

The sun began to rise with Beau stirring. He woke up and slowly got up. He realized he had the sword in his right hand. Realizing that it wasn’t a dream but what he faced. He smiled to himself and said, “Thanks, grandma. I promise I won’t fail you.” He heard a knock on the door, with him calling out, “Yes?”

“Sir,” said one of the ponies, “The royals request your presence for their invasion plan.”

“Tell them to wait for me in an hour.” Said Beau “That’ll give everyone enough time to gather their bearings.”

“Yes sir.” Said the pony before he left.

Beau stood up from bed and began to wash, then got dressed and armed himself, including the weapon his grandmother had gifted him. Once he was done, he picked up his helmet and looked at himself. He ended up smiling and said “Show time.”

He put his helmet on and left the cabin. For the road to freedom has only just begun.

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*****************

Soon Beau made his way to the briefing room, where Dragon Lord Ember, Prince Rutherford, Queen Novo, Gilda the Griffon (Who somehow became their leader), a few other leaders, along with Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, and Princess Cadance, along with their two new Princesses, Twilight and Sunset, along with Shining Armour, were waiting for him.

“I see all of you have slept well.” Said Beau.

“Indeed we have.” Said Luna. Though she didn’t want to sleep through the night, deciding to sleep was all she needed.

“Then let’s get started.”

They overlooked the map and looked at all of Canterlot, including the different buildings that are all around.

“Canterlot is much different than all of you remember.” Said Beau, “Ever since the fake took over, many of the civilians who tried to live in Canterlot would soon overcrowd the entire city, so they constructed more buildings wherever they could, and the poor were forced to live there in harsh conditions. And from what the Night Guards have told us, though seventy-five percent of the civilians left with us, the others refused to leave as they feared the fake.”

Some looked at the map and pondered what he had said, though Celestia and Luna were angered by what the fake had done, with Twilight and Sunset also showing concern.

“And I brought Captain Night Watch with me,” said Beau as he motioned to the Captain while he took a step forward. “Because he had been stationed there for years to ensure the local population would not rise against them. But through one of the buildings, he was able to determine and uncover a secret passage that leads straight to Canterlot Castle, past the city walls, where we will pass the castle undetected. But seeing that we didn’t quietly escape one night, the guards would be on high alert. They don’t know that they serve the fake, so they’ll do whatever they can to keep their enemies away from their castle. And knowing them, they’ll put the civilians in danger. Thankfully, since no ocean is left and the waters have receded back to where they belong, we have a huge advantage in the landscape.”

“And the question is, where would they be deployed?” asked Shining Armour.

“I got an idea on that.” Said Beau as he directed them to wherever they went.

He first pointed at Canterlot’s landscape. “Half of the Dragons, Griffons, and Hippogriffs will take to the skies and distract the Pegasi division, while the Yaks and Changelings will keep the Unicorn and Earth Pony division distracted too.”

He aimed at the poor district and said, “And many guards will be stationed there too, so a quarter of our forces will be here all over the poorer districts to ensure that they subdued the guards, while myself, the leaders, and their forces and guards will sneak

into the passageway and make our way through towards the castle from underground within the tunnels.”

“Which will allow us to go into the castle and subdue the remaining guards while the leader will corner the fake from within.” Said Shining Armour.

“And with our combined power, we’ll be able to face the faker together.” Said Sunset Shimmer.

“We’ll just have to ensure they don’t escape, though.” Said Cadance, “If they do, who knows who else would want to seek revenge if they do.”

“Which is why we need to be precise and quiet.” Said Beau. “It all depends on the execution.”

“But where should we strike?” asked Dragon Lord Ember.

“We strike from both the sky and the land.” Said Beau.

“Then let us prepare for war.” Said Celestia as she and the other leaders stood up. “We have much to do.”

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Every creature began to arm themselves for the great battle ahead within the first few hours. They armed their weapons, and they ensured that they used non-lethal. The citizens of Canterlot are innocent, and the soldiers are following orders. Soon as everyone was ready, they boarded their newly made airships and took to the skies.

They continued to fly towards their destination while everyone looked at the landscape. The Mane 6 and Spike soon join him and watch the ground with them.

“You think most of the countryside was dry after the ordeal?” said Spike.

“Discord said that when the waters receded, he made sure they were dry enough.” Said Fluttershy.

“And thankfully, all her animals and every other animal are now safe.” Said Discord. “Soon everything will return back to normal.”

“Not everything.” Said Rarity, “We had lost many over the years when the floods happened. Now everything is normal...I wonder what will happen after that. I haven’t seen Sweetie Belle in a long time. To hear she was sold...”

Spike then reassured her and said, “Don’t worry, Rarity. We’ll find a way; we always do.”

“I suppose.” Said Rarity as she walked away to ponder her thoughts.

Beau noticed the way Spike looked at her. He remembered that Spike was in love with Rarity, but since Silver came along, he became depressed and lost his chance before Emily came into the picture. Realizing that since humans weren’t around, maybe this Spike could find a little romance.

“Hey Spike can I talk to you for a moment?” asked Beau, gaining the dragon’s attention.

“Uh, sure.” Said Spike, wondering where he was going with this.

The two of them walked to a corner in private.

“So what…?” said Spike before Beau cut him off.

“Do you love Rarity?” he asked.

Spike immediately went red on this. And before he could respond, Beau placed his hand over the dragon’s mouth.

“I’ve seen the way you looked at her.” Said Beau as he had a serious tone in his voice. “Plus, I assume you fell in love with her the moment you met her?”

Spike didn’t know how to respond as the guy in front read him like an open book. Spike sighed through his nose as he calmed down with Beau removing his hand from the dragon’s mouth.

“Yeah, I did.” Admitted Spike. “Ever since I met her, I fell head over heels for her. When she defended me from Rainbow, accepted me to be part of her crew, and helped me reunite with Twilight when I had no idea, she was alive. I had never felt so happy. But when she was poisoned, I was scared out of my mind. I thought I could never save her. In the end, I did. Though Rainbow hated me because I didn’t want to help her.”

“Why not?” asked Beau.

“Because she didn’t like me when we first met.” Said Spike, “Ever since I got onboard, all she ever did was treat me like garbage, even wanted to kill me a couple of times. She only liked me when she wanted me to be her meat shield and berserker. I told her I was a protector, not a killer like her. Plus, you were right about her too. Twilight and the others did everything they could to protect their families and friends while she threw away her parents and Scootaloo.”

“Well, you have to remember.” said Beau. “When an apocalypse occurs, folks tend to get reduced to their feral state. They became former parts of themselves.”

“He did?” said Spike while looking at Beau.

“Yeah,” said Beau “Discord turned them into former parts of themselves. He made Fluttershy cruel, he made Pinkie Pie mean, he made Applejack a liar, he made Rainbow disloyal, he made Rarity greedy, and he made Twilight give up hope. But when Princess Celestia sent her the letters of what Twilight had learned from Ponyville, she began to remember the times she had, causing her to turn back to normal. She then used the same tact on the others, which restored them too. And thanks to her, they were able to defeat Discord.”

“Wow,” said Spike as he was surprised, “I had no idea.”

“But a good friend once told me that just because someone stumbles and loses their way doesn’t mean they’re lost forever. Sometimes we all need a little help in the right direction.”

“Thanks for snapping us out of our funk, by the way.” Said Spike.

“Pleasure.” Said Beau. “But sometimes we gotta learn that were not gonna be around forever. And in the end, we might regret not telling how we feel. Maybe now is the time to tell her. But don’t talk like a perv.”

Spike was confused by the last part, but he looked at Rarity again, watching the horizon. He took a deep breath and relaxed, allowing him to walk over to Rarity. Soon he stood next to her, watching the horizon with her.

“Nice horizon, isn’t it?” said Spike.

“It is.” Said Rarity “Much better than watching the ocean.”

The two continued staring at the horizon until Spike decided to be bold.

“Listen, Rarity.” Said Spike.

“Yes?” said Rarity as she looked at him.

Spike took a pause and then confessed.

“Ever since the floodings happened, all of us lost everything.” Began Spike “The lives we had, the people we knew, were all gone. Our lives were never the same anymore.”

He looked down and smiled a little, “But ever since we met, you were the only one who showed me kindness that day when no one else did. You accepted me without hesitation; you even tried to stand up for me when no one else did.”

He then had a saddened look.

“But when you were hurt and poisoned, I was scared out of my mind. I thought I was going to lose you. I promised I’d look after you right then and there.”

He blushed a little but continued.

“I don’t know how to explain things. But…I think since that day, I made a promise to protect you…I think I fell in love with you.”

Rarity was speechless by his words with widened eyes.

“When I overheard that the only antidotes were extinct from Twilight,” said Spike, “I

overheard her saying that there were also military supplies that could help. I didn’t care if I wasn’t strong enough; I only thought about saving you. When we did, I never felt so happy. You’re the reason I lived. And you’re the reason I keep living, the only one that shined like the brightest diamond.”

There was silence for a moment. Spike merely assumed the worst and said.

“Anyway, that’s how I feel.” Said Spike as he stood up. “I’m sorry that I wasted your time.”

But just as he was about to turn around and walk away…

“Spike, wait.”

He felt his hand being held, which caused Spike to look at her. She had a blush on her face as she looked sideways a bit while also feeling nervous for some reason.

“Did you…really mean what you said?” asked Rarity.

Spike was a little taken aback by this, but he remembered what Beau said, then said calmly, “Yes. I did.”

Rarity looked at him for a moment and took a breather.

“Truth be told…” said Rarity as she partially looked away. “I feel the same way.”

Now Spike was surprised.

“When I first met you, I thought you were an innocent soul forced to be part of Princess Celestia’s group. But when we brought you onboard, Twilight was so happy to be reunited with you. But most importantly, I was impressed and intrigued by your manners and actions. You didn’t take advantage of us or me despite certain accidents. You even bravely stood up for us.”

She looked at him and said, “But while I was poisoned, I overheard everything. I wanted to scold Rainbow for wanting to use you again or treat you horribly, but I couldn’t because of my condition. But then you bravely went to the other ship when you remembered there were other ways to make the antidote. Even if Fluttershy did make it, you were the one who saved me. I think that’s when I fell in love with you.”

She walked closer to him and placed her hands on his chest while her face was

lowered. “Spike the Dragon.”

She looked straight at him in the eyes and said, “Please show me that you love me, and I will do the same in return.”

Spike blushed, but Beau’s words still rang in his head. Spike took a breath, leaned towards her face, and placed his lips on hers, with Rarity doing the same as their eyes

were closed. Spike held Rarity close to him, with Rarity doing the same. From afar, Beau couldn’t help but smile when he saw this.

“Even though Spike may have lost his chance when Silver arrived,” thought Beau, “It doesn’t mean that there isn’t a world where they shouldn’t be together.”

Beau walked away and left them alone to have their moment.

*********************************************************************

****************

An hour before the sun rose, the airships soon arrived right above Ponyville, with other crewmembers signaling them to stop before they did anything. Beau was at the front of the ship and used a telescope to look at Canterlot Castle from his position; with the leaders and the Mane 6 and Spike coming towards him.

“What’s the status?” asked Princess Celestia.

“See for yourself.” Said Beau as he presented the telescope.

Princess Luna approached and looked through the telescope. And thanks to her eyes, she can see through the night. She was able to assess what was going on.

“The guards have doubled.” Said Princess Luna as she looked back at the others. “They are right. With the oceans receding, fleets won’t be able to protect Canterlot.”

“Then we find a way to smash.” Said Rutherford.

“Thankfully, we’ll be able to sneak in undetected.” said Gilda.

“Indeed, a divide and conquer strategy.” Said Sky Beak.

“Then let’s get started.” Said Beau as he looked at Twilight and Sunset. “I assume you two can teleport us to the city close enough.”

“Yes, we can.” Said Twilight.

“But we’ll do that once everyone is in place.” Said Sunset.

“But once we go inside,” said Celestia, as she felt uncertain, “How do we…?”

She felt a hand on her shoulder, gaining her attention, and saw Beau looking at her.

“You have my word,” said Beau “We’ll do the best to spare them. They’re only following orders and don’t know they are being used.”

Celestia managed a smile before she said, “Thank you.”

Beau then noticed the sun was coming up. He realized what he had to do. “It’s time.” Said Beau.

He walked to the side of the ship and used his flashlight. He used it to signal the rest of the ships.

Within moments, half of all the Pegasi, Dragons, Changelings, Hippogriffs, Harpies, and Griffons flew while carrying the Yaks, Earth Ponies, Unicorns, Kirin, Ahuizotl, Abyssinia, and Diamond Dogs to place them onto the ground to launch a full-scale attack.

From the walls of Canterlot, a few guards walked by. When they looked up, to their shock, they saw many creatures attacking from above.

“Intruders!!” shouted the guard. “Raise the alarm!!”

The guards quickly got to their station, but before some of them could get into position, the battle had already begun. The Pegasi Dragons, Changelings, Hippogriffs, Harpies, and Griffons were dealing with the Pegasi Royal Guards, while the Earth Ponies, Unicorns, Yaks, Kirin, Ahuizotl, Abyssinia, and Diamond Dogs were dealing with the Earth Pony and Unicorn Royal Guards. Many civilians from within the city tried to stay in hiding, while just as some were about to get dressed for guard duty, they were already pinned down by enemy invaders.

At the same time, from the poorer districts, the guards stationed there were about to return to the Castle to help strengthen their defenses until they got ambushed by others from all over the city, with the guards doing their best to defend themselves. In contrast, the invaders did their best not to kill them.

*********************************************************************

********************************

While the invasion started, a massive teleportation took place. Revealing as the infiltration party. He looked back and said, “Coast is clear; follow me.”

They followed him down the street while looking around, trying to ensure no one would spot them. Soon they made their way toward an abandoned building. “Alright, this is it.”

Night Watch and the group made their way toward the door. Rutherford did the honors of breaking the door down, allowing them to enter.

“Hey, look,” said Pinkie as she pointed at the trap door. “There it is.”

“Ah’ll open it.” Said Applejack as she moved towards it and opened it. Twilight and Sunset inspected it.

“From the looks of it, it looks large enough for any creature.” Said Twilight.

“But they’ll have to move in single file.” Said Sunset.

“I’ll go first.” Said Beau while making his way toward the door. “Ember, you’re with

me.”

“Why?” asked Ember, wondering what he had in mind.

“You have a strong sense of smell and can sense danger,” said Beau “We’ll be able to get in and have the element of surprise.”

“Good call.” Said Ember while she signaled two dragons to go with her.

“The royals and Mane 6 and Spike will be at the center,” said Beau, “While the guards look after them on both sides.”

“Let us win the day.” Said Sky Beak as he was eager for a battle.

Beau, Ember, and two of her guards entered first, with everyone following behind, while at the same time, they closed the hatch so that no one would follow them. They followed the tunnel to make their way toward the other side. Soon, they stopped near a door, with Beau signaling them to stop. He looked at Ember to confirm something. She smelled a bit, then shook her head, signaling to him that everything was clear.

Beau was able to open the door and looked around. He saw that they were in the Castle’s armory. Beau and Ember entered, with the guards following behind, and made their way toward the door. Once everyone entered, Beau leaned against the door, with Ember signaling that there were guards. Beau signaled the leaders to stay behind while their guards cleared the way. Beau counted three…two…one…

“Now!!” shouted Beau.

Within a split second, the Yaks burst through the doors, shocking the guards as they were easily overpowered.

They went from hall to hall, where the Royal Guards were being dealt with by their small army. Beau made his way to the doors of the Throne room. He looked behind to ensure every leader was there.

The Mane 6, Spike, Sunset, Celestia, Luna, Night Watch, Rutherford, Ember, Gilda, Thorax, Pharynx, Sky Beak, Novo, Lyra, Bonbon, Vinyl, Octavia, Mayor Mare, Zecora, and others were standing in position.

Beau nodded, signaling the strong ones to knock down the door. The moment they did, they immediately rushed in, where a handful of guards were waiting for them; on the throne was none other than the fake Celestia, who had a deadpanned cold expression, and stared at them with a smirk.

“So, you all made it here.” Said the fake Celestia. “I should’ve guessed the fighting outside was just a distraction.”

The Royal Guards were suddenly shocked to see not just Princess Luna but Princess Celestia, which left many of them confused.

“Alright then!!” shouted Sunset. “Who are you, and why have you done this?!!”

“That’s for me to know, and you never find out.” Said the Fake, “And don’t bother trying to attack, for I have all the power in the world to fight the good fight.”

“It doesn’t matter.” Said Beau, gaining everyone’s attention as he took a few steps away from the crowd. “Because I know who you really are.”

“Oh?” said the fake with a smile as she leaned forward. “Do you really?”

“Yeah,” said Beau as he kept his stare on her, “You had to be someone who knows how to spread lies and deceit throughout the kingdom. You also had to be a master of disguise and would know how to intimidate folks. But more importantly, you had to be someone with a grudge against Princess Celestia.”

Beau then dropped the final bomb as he said, “Why don’t you drop the disguise, Chrysalis?”

Many were surprised by what he said, with Chrysalis chuckling, saying, “So you figured it out.”

The fake soon transformed into a familiar face that Beau knew, which was none other than Queen Chrysalis, which shocked everyone in the room, including the Solar Guards.

“I must admit, I’m surprised some creature actually figured it out,” said Chrysalis while resting her one leg on the arm of the throne, “Considering the others were complete fools.”

Celestia got angry as she yelled, “You turned all of Equestria into a nightmare!! You tried to kill my sister!! You even tried to hunt Twilight and her friends down!! And for what?!!”

Chrysalis merely chuckled and said, “And all of you were so easy to fool after all these years.”

“And you left your own kind and subjects to rot!!” shouted Pharynx. “We were loyal to you till the end, and you betrayed us!!”

“Please,” said Chrysalis playfully, “I couldn’t care less about the Changeling Swarm. All of you are nothing but expendable husks anyway.”

Pharynx and Thorax growled at her for that insult, as she had just thrown away her own kind.

“At first,” began Chrysalis, “I had planned on invading Canterlot, considering that my spies told me there would be a wedding soon. But then I realized, why not go straight for the top of the food chain? So I decided to attack Celestia with my former Changelings and use her for my own benefit. Once that was taken care of, I took our dear Princess’s role here. I pretended to go mad to throw everyone off guard so none could be the wiser.”

“But how did you flood the world?” said Spike. “Only Princess Celestia could control the sun.”

“You forget two crucial artifacts that could help me in the long run.” Said Chrysalis as she showed them two certain artifacts on her neck.

“The Alicorn Pendant?” said Twilight surprised.

“And the Medallion of the Ahuizotl Sun god?” said Sunset.

“With this power, I could control the sun, allowing me full reign on the most powerful element.” Said Chrysalis with a grin on her face. “Once I had accomplished this, I continued to play the role and drown many of those pathetic ponies and all who attempted to stand in my way. And once I got rid of Luna and imprisoned both Shining Armour and Cadenza, I could have the full power of the world, where none would stand in my way.”

“And what about bombing the islands?!” shouted Spike “They were innocent ponies trying to live their lives and survive the best they could!!”

“I knew that sooner or later those pathetic ponies would one day rebel against me,” said Chrysalis, “So I had many of those fools under my payroll to ensure that none would rise up against me. Fancy Pants and Suri Polomare did their jobs to the fullest.”

“Until their demise.” Said Rarity.

“Indeed.” Said Chrysalis. “Though it doesn’t matter. I mean, who would even believe a word you have said. I impersonated Celestia, imprisoned the real one, attempted to kill Luna, and drove anyone who could stand in my way. No matter how much you try to prove and say…no one will believe you.”

Beau smirked underneath his helmet, but Chrysalis didn’t see that.

“Oh, they already do.” Said Beau.

Everyone looked at him, even Chrysalis, with a flexed eyebrow.

“Excuse me?” said Chrysalis.

Beau dug into his pocket and pulled out a type of stone while smiling with a smirk on his face. Twilight and Sunset were surprised to see what it was.

“Is that…?” began Twilight.

“A communication stone of Starswirl the Bearded?” finished Sunset.

“That’s right.” Said Beau, then looked back at Chrysalis. “The moment we entered the room, I secretly activated the stone, and through my thoughts, I commanded it to broadcast magical footage of you around the world to every creature still out there. And from what you didn’t guess…”

Beau continued to grin while looking directly at Chrysalis. “You just confessed to everything you have done.”

Chrysalis was shocked by what he revealed, including everyone in the room. While at the same time, every creature throughout the world had witnessed it, and all of them were horrified, angered, and enraged at what she had done and what she had done to Equestria’s monarchy.

“In other words…” said Beau while placing the stone away. “You’re busted.”

“No, no…” responded Chrysalis. “That’s not possible….”

She then saw the Solar Guards pointing their spears at her, daring her to make a move. The ones accompanying Beau looked at him, stunned.

“That was…truly ingenious.” Responded Luna.

“Did you also swipe it from the vault?” asked Sunset.

“Only as a precaution.” Said Beau, “Luck favors the prepared.”

“That’s what I always said.” Said Twilight in equal surprise.

“You…” growled Chrysalis as she got up. “You will pay for what you have done.”

“If you want to fight me, you must do it according to tradition.” Said Beau.

“What tradition?” said Chrysalis.

Beau took a deep breath and tried to remember if he knew how to do this right.

“Chrysalis, queen of the Changelings.” Said Beau before he sharply pointed his finger at the Changeling Queen and shouted, “I challenge you to Mock Gnarl Na!!!”

Everyone in the room and worldwide was shocked by what he had said, even Chrysalis. For Beau had just issued a fight to the death against the Changeling, a fight that only allowed weapons and skill. Chrysalis squinted her eyes and looked at him, only for her to smirk at him.

“Very well.” Said Chrysalis, “I accept.”

She hovered across the hall while Beau walked in a circle around her, both keeping their eyes firmly on one another.

“This will be interesting.” Said Chrysalis.

“You know how this will end, Chrysalis.” Responded Beau.

“How many more must fall until all will submit?” Said Chrysalis.

“Just…one.” Said Beau while he pulled out his spear and shield.

He moved towards her, with Chrysalis summoning a spear and shield. Beau moved left and right, then thrusted his spear, with Chrysalis dodging it to her left while he swung his shield; Chrysalis managed to block but could see he was close. He continued to circle her to make a perfect strike. Before she could react, Beau darted towards her, jumped, and thrusted his spear, making her quickly block it before he landed. Everyone else was tense from what they were seeing.

Beau attempted to smack Chrysalis with his shield, but she could block it with her own while avoiding the thrust of his spear, but instead got her head bashed when he struck her back. Both attempted to duck and block, tried to strike and thrust, and matched. However, when Chrysalis attempted to hold onto Beau’s spear, he used his shield to snap hers in half.

Beau and Chrysalis continued to fight until Chrysalis knocked his spear away as it skidded on the ground, but he failed to notice that it got turned into a bow. Chrysalis, out of instinct, pulled out a sword, with Beau doing the same as they were now clashing from sword to sword. Beau ended up placing the shield over his head with his left arm while his right arm was busy striking the sword all around, making Chrysalis stammer backward, with Beau keeping his stance and gaze upon Chrysalis. Half of the creatures, even Shining Armour, were impressed with his skills.

Chrysalis attacked again, attempting to strike Beau, but he kept moving to and fro, trying his best to get to her, but Chrysalis was truly a tough opponent. The moment she was close enough, Beau elbowed her in the face, then darted towards the left and jumped in the air to strike her down, but she could block it while moving backward. Both continued to swing their swords and use their shields to keep one another at bay. Beau jumped to slash at her, but Chrysalis blocked him. But before she could react, he tripped her as he kicked her backward, making her crash onto the ground.

“Get up, you bug-eyed freak.” Said Beau, “Prove that you’re still a leader and not a coward.”

Chrysalis growled, grabbed her broken spear, and used it to fight against him. The moment after the sixth clash, Beau slashed her leg, making her yelp in pain as she held her leg while she watched Beau and kept his stare at her.

“Enough of this!!” shouted Chrysalis as she instantly turned into a bear and charged.

Beau dodged her, put his sword away, and pulled out his knife.

Chrysalis charged once more, and Beau used his knife to cut her side, making her roar in pain; Chrysalis turned around and saw Beau raising his left arm in the air and using his shield to strike her in the face before being kicked in the face. She got mad and turned into a Minotaur, and charged at Beau. But he, in turn, charged her back and slid on the ground while cutting the side of her leg, making her yelp and yell in pain again when Beau jabbed his knife into her thigh before bashing his shield against her stomach and then her head.

Having enough, Chrysalis turned into what appeared to be a mole monster. And before Beau could react, Chrysalis knocked Beau so hard that he was flung across the floor and skidded until he was at the center, making him drop his shield and knife. The others were shocked when they watched this. They wanted to intervene, but they knew the laws regarding duels and couldn’t interfere, no matter how hard they wanted to. Before Beau could do anything, Chrysalis grabbed Beau, picking him up and making him look her straight.

“Before I finish you off,” said Chrysalis, “Any last words you wanna say to me?”

Beau then looked to his right, and to his surprise, he saw his spear, but it had turned into a bow with an arrow placed next to it. He wondered what he should do. That was until he remembered his days in the human world, the last part of his training, which he remembers all too well. Two techniques would be the strongest that any warrior in his family had ever produced. He wasn’t sure if he was ready, but he knew he had to try. He looked at her sternly.

“Yeah,” said Beau while looking straight at her. “Two sentences, in fact.”

Beau instantly headbutted Chrysalis, making him drop Beau, while the human immediately ran towards the bow and picked both it and the arrow. He aimed his arrow right at her and pulled it with his bow. However, the moment he did that, his bow began to glow.

Once he knew it was ready, he shouted, “Ryuu ga waga teki wo kurau!!”

The moment he released the bow and fired the arrow, the arrow instantly exploded, transforming it into two twin blue dragons while they roared. Everyone was in shock and awe from seeing that as it flew straight toward Chrysalis.

“Twilight!!” shouted Beau, making the Princess look at her. “Use your teleportation spell to switch my place with Chrysalis!!”

Twilight was taken aback by this and said, “What, why?!”

“Just do it!!” shouted Beau.

Not wanting to second guess him now, Twilight instantly teleported Beau and Chrysalis, making them switch places. They wondered what he had in mind until he pulled out his Star Calibur sword, Stardust.

Beau twirled his sword and shouted, “Ryujin no ken wo kurae!!”

Within a split second, he summoned a green dragon. And to their shock, they saw Beau had controlled all three dragons while he swung them around in the room.

“All of you!!” shouted Beau, gaining their attention “Concentrate all your power, combine it with both the dragons!! Trust me on this!!”

“You heard him, everyone!!” shouted Twilight. “Let’s do this!!”

With the combined power of their elements and magic, they combined it with the dragons, making them glow brighter and more powerful, which shocked Chrysalis when she saw this new power firsthand.

“Chrysalis!!” shouted Beau. “You’re done!!”

And with one mighty strike, Beau threw all the power against Chrysalis.

“NOOOOOOOOO!!!!!” shouted Chrysalis before she was engulfed in its power, causing her own power to be stripped and reducing her back to her changeling form, taking away all of her power from both her Alicorn Amulet and the Sun Pendant. At the same time, their power went straight to both the sun and move, causing both elements to move on their own accord.

The smoke soon died down, and everyone saw that Chrysalis was on the ground but shaking. Beau walked towards her with his Stardust Calibur still in his hand. He walked towards her while the weakened Changeling Queen stood on her knees and looked at him directly with hatred.

“I…impossible.” Said Chrysalis as she looked at Beau in anger. “Nopony can defeat me. So…how can you?”

Beau then stood before her, staring down at the former Changeling Queen, now a vicious tyrant. Beau then reached his right hand towards his helmet and hood and held onto them. The moment he removed his helmet, he revealed his face, his human face, staring at her in anger, taking Chrysalis in shock as she stared at his face, with every creature in the room and witnessing around the world just as shocked.

He simply replied, “I am no pony.”

He twirled his sword and shouted in rage, while with one mighty blow, he struck the blade right through her chest, taking her by shock as she grunted. She slowly looked up at him as he was angry at her.

“Go to hell!!” shouted Beau “And take your evil and likeminded friends with you!!!”

With another plunge, Chrysalis screamed in agony as all the other power she had stored within herself over the years had been returned to the world, making Chrysalis collapse onto the ground, for the queen of the Changelings…was lifeless and no more.

Beau turned around to the shocked audience when they saw what his face really looked like. He simply responded, “It’s over. It’s time for all of us to wake up, for the nightmare is over.”

*********************************************************************

**********************************

A few hours later, the reconstruction of Equestria had finally begun. With many of the cities and towns in ruins, it would be long before anywhere else could be the total population again. Thankfully, many of the world’s creatures wish to live in those towns and cities, as it would give them a chance to mingle with Ponykind. Beau stood at the edge of a familiar town that was the first to be fully rebuilt, and its former occupants came to live there, the town of Ponyville.

Beau couldn’t help but smile as he said, “Glad to see some things will never change.”

He then felt a presence, making him turn around and see. There stood Spike (holding Rarity’s hand), the Mane 6, Sunset Shimmer, Shining Armour, Cadance, Celestia, Luna, and Discord, who had a hard time wrapping their heads around to see what was before them, except for Sunset, considering she had experience.

“I’m sensing all of you have questions.” Said Beau.

“You darn right we do.” said Applejack “What in tarnation are ya’ll?”

“He’s a human.” Said Sunset, earning confused looks from the others. “Humans are almost like we are, but without any pony or creature features.”

“Exactly.” Said Beau, “I did tell the truth that I was once a prince. But my origins, not so much.”

“Then…” said Twilight as Beau noticed she was going into geek mode again. “Where did you come from?”

“I believe I can answer that.” Said a voice as they watched the person in the cloak coming. She stood next to Beau and removed her hood.

“Everyone,” said Beau, “Meet my grandmother, Brightstar. She lived around during the time of Gusty the Great.”

They were surprised at first, with Brightstar slightly bowing to them.

“Greetings, everypony.” Said Brightstar.

“You lived during Gusty’s time?” asked Princess Luna.

“I did.” Said Brightstar.

“How did humans even exist in this world?” said Sunset.

“To start with, were from a different Equestria,” said Beau, “One where the floodings never took place.”

Again they were surprised, with Brightstar continuing.

“Long ago, before the time of Gusty,” said Brightstar as she projected images from the past. “There were many creatures from different kingdoms, including humans, who

didn’t live apart but together in harmony. The Caribou and many other kingdoms had

sought to create trees of harmony where they could be spread worldwide. But we had to plant trees in certain parts of Equestria to shield them from the darkest evils. One in Equestria, one in the kingdom of Caninia, one in the kingdom of Abyssinia, one in Ornithia, and one in Farasi. We were planning to plant a tree in Equestria, but there were complications.”

“What kind of complications?” asked Applejack.

“You can blame him for that.” Said Beau as he pointed at Discord while they looked at him.

“Oh yes,” said Discord sheepishly, “During my…chaotic days.”

“By the time we got there,” said Brightstar, “Discord had already begun to spread chaos all around. And Discord, realizing that he couldn’t defeat them, turned the element bearers from around the world against their own people and them. Angered, they wanted to destroy the Tree of Harmonies from all over the world.”

“They would’ve succeeded if it weren’t for my grandmother, Gusty, and my great grandfather Achilles.” Said Beau, “They were able to warn Caribouria in time, and thanks to them, they were able to hide the trees before any more damage could be done. But Cunabula caught wind of it, so they sold us out to Grogar and his legion of monsters.”

“Because of it, a great battle has spread worldwide.” Said Beau, “Seeing that they had a common enemy, every Knight of Harmony from around the world, along with the creatures they protected, they launched their attacks and succeeded.”

Beau then had a saddened look. “But it came at a price.”

“What price would that be?” asked a concerned Rarity.

“After the battle,” said Brightstar, “Many of the Knights, besides myself, Gusty and Achilles, had fallen, along with half of every creature that fought alongside us. But overtime, however, they blamed one another for the misery and pain they had caused; even loved ones had turned on one another. Most of the blames ended up being shifted to humans. Having no choice, we were forced to send them to another world, another Earth, where they could be safe. But I also had to say goodbye to my husband Achilles and our baby child.”

They felt really bad for Brightstar, with Fluttershy and Cadance comforting her.

“As for how I got to Equestria.” said Beau, “I died there, drowned in a whirlpool.”

They were taken aback by this, but Beau continued on.

“See, I didn’t exactly have a happy childhood.” Said Beau. “My father was an irresponsible gambler, and my mother always worked from one place to another. None

of my parents had time for me, so I ended up being focused on my studies. Then one day, a few years after I graduated from college, I was camping out at the lake just to clear my head. But while I was swimming, I suddenly got pulled into a whirlpool. I think I drowned, and everything blacked out. The next thing I knew, I ended up in Equestria. Before I knew it, I bumped into a certain pony there, who eventually became my first friend. At first, the citizens thought I was strange, but they later accepted me as I grew on them. Soon after a month, we ended up falling for one another.”

He then sheepishly rubbed his arm and blushed red, “And we also kinda made love on our first night before our first date.”

Everyone was surprised by that while also amused at the same time.

“In time, we got married after we found out she was pregnant.” Said Beau. He suddenly couldn’t help but smile and said, “And we ended up having a baby girl.”

“Aw, that’s so sweet.” Said Pinkie Pie.

“Who’s the lucky girl?” said Sunset as she was also interested.

Beau rubbed the back of his head and said, “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”

“Try us.” Said Rainbow.

Beau reluctantly pulled out a photo and presented it to them, allowing one of them to accept it. However, what was on it, none of them had ever expected. It was a picture of Beau alongside Twilight Sparkle and their daughter.

“Wait!!” said a shocked Twilight. “In another world, were married?!!”

“That’s right.” Said Beau, “And I wasn’t the first human to get there.”

He presented them with more pictures, and all of them accepted. And to their surprise, it was pictures of them, but also pictures with Bucky, Silver, Genus, Bolt, Frosty, Emily, Ignis, Platinum, Nebula, and Blades. All of them were taken aback by this when they saw their own kids.

“Each of them died of a horrible fate.” Said Beau. “Bucky died when he saved a child before the child was run over. Silver died in a terrible crash. Genus died of gas poisoning. Bolt died when he fell, and Frosty and his sister were crushed by a collapsing building. Don’t know how Ignis got there, but Blade died of a heart attack, Platinum fell off of a cliff due to his blindness, and Nebula died because of his Narcolepsy, a sleeping disorder. We arrived in Equestria, and each of them fell in love with all of you.”

Beau couldn’t help but smile and said, “You have no idea that you all saved us that day.”

They kept staring at the pictures, but they were attracted to the young children with them. Twilight was the first to ask as she said, “What are the kids” names?”

Beau kept his smile and said, “Moonlight Sparkle. Apple Slice. Crystal Gem. Warm Breeze. Bolt Jr. Peacon and Lemon Pie. Searing Shimmer. Sun Gleam and Bright Day. Dark Void. Flurry Heart and Raging Halbert.”

The girls were amazed by the kids they had. Then they looked at Beau and Brightstar.

“Did…did we have a good life in the end?” asked Twilight.

Beau couldn’t help but smile and said, “More than you could imagine.”

They couldn’t help but smile at this, with Spike holding Rarity’s hand, gaining her attention as the two smiled at one another, with Beau adding, “But I’m afraid it’s not over yet.”

They looked at him in concern, with Beau telling them.

“Even though Chrysalis may be gone and Discord is at your side,” said Beau, “There will still be more danger ahead.”

“What kind of danger?” asked a concerned Sunset.

“The Crystal Empire will return, and so will the tyrant Sombra in phantom form.” Began Beau, which shocked many “After that, there’s still the matter with the mad Centaur Tirek, who will escape from Tartarus and begin a rampage by stealing all of your magic. But before that, all of you will need to go to the Castle of the Two Sisters; that’s where you will find the Tree of Harmony, the same tree that the Elements of Harmony came from.”

“And the tree will present a chest to all of you.” Said Brightstar as she created six different keys and handed them to them, allowing them to accept them while she said,

“These keys will allow you to unlock the chest and give both Princess Twilight and Sunset Shimmer a single castle. From there, it will even make a map for all of you, which will allow you to go on missions to those who need to solve a friendship problem for you to spread the magic of friendship across Equestria.”

“After that,” said Beau, “All of you were meant to help a pony named Starlight Glimmer when she went down the wrong path.”

He looked down, saddened. “But with her gone…that’s no longer possible.”

“What do you mean?” said Twilight.

“After you stopped her,” said Beau, “You gave her another chance, and she became your student. In turn, she helped the Changelings change their ways and rescued all of you from Chrysalis” grasp. In the other world, it was like that, but in yours…not anymore.”

“Wow, big difference.” Said Pinkie, agreeing with that notion.

“Afterwards, all of you will continue to help those along the way.” Said Beau. “There will be difficult challenges, but I believe all of you will succeed in the end.”

“We will.” Said a determined Shining Armour. “We promise you.”

“So what will all of you do now?” asked Beau.

“While Twilight and her friends continue with that path,” said Luna, “Tia and I will choose to stand down.”

“She’s right.” said Celestia. “Even though Chrysalis may be gone and even when others have seen through her lies, many will never accept or trust us again. This is why we will travel and ensure that we will earn everypony’s trust again. Which is why Twilight and Sunset will make excellent rulers.”

“I’m afraid I can’t just yet.” Said Sunset, gaining their attention. “I still need to go back to Canterlot High and make up for my mistakes.”

“Has the Fall Formal happened yet?” asked Beau. Sunset was surprised by this, but she shook her head. “Before that happens, reach out to Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash. Make it up to those five first. Then, use the power of harmony to give them their Equestrian Magic. But after doing so, look for the Sirens, for Starswirl banished them years ago, but they will still run amuck. Afterward, when the Friendship Games starts, reach out to that Twilight and, tell her the truth, invite her to your friendship circle. But…you will also have to blow the top of the statue to do it.”

“What? Why?” asked a confused Sunset.

“Because in doing so, Equestrian Magic will leak through into that world.” Said Beau, which surprised Sunset, “Which, in turn, will grant you seven powers beyond your imagination. But along your journey through redemption, reach out to many others like Gloriosa Daisy, Juniper Montage, Wallflower Blush, Vignette Valencia, and Post Crush. They will no doubt likely be infected with Equestrian Magic, but their own fears, paranoia, and greed will lead them down a dark path. Do what you can to help them and teach them from right to wrong. Help them become better people. And start spreading the magic of friendship there. And in the end, you’ll see that it’ll be worth it.”

Sunset pondered about this, then looked at him and said, “I promise I’ll try.”

“I know you will.” Said a smiling Beau.

“Congratulations Beau.” Said Brightstar as he looked at her, with Twilight and the others watching. “Because of your actions and you finally embracing your role and becoming the leader you were meant to be, by leading by example and reminding them of who they were, you have passed your test. Therefore, I will give you this.”

Within an instant, she teleported a chest in front of him, allowing it to open itself, allowing a single object to float out of it and towards him, making him catch it as it was glowing purple, which surprised them.

“This is called the Driver,” said Brightstar. “For it gives the leader the power to lead the team and become a beacon of hope to those who have none. Take this with pride, and lead others to a better tomorrow. Normally I’d give you the weapons to go with it, but you have already gained them through your trials.”

Beau accepted it while he bowed in respect. “Thank you…grandmother.”

Suddenly, they all saw a circle of light beneath him, with Beau saying to them, “It’s time for me to go.”

“Beau,” asked Twilight, gaining his attention as they gathered around him. “Will we ever see you again?”

“When the time is right, I know we will.” Said Beau with a smile on his face. “I look forward to it when the time comes.”

“So do we.” Said Sunset as all of them hugged him goodbye, with him returning the gesture.

Once they departed, everyone waved goodbye to him.

“Bye Beau, hope we meet again.” Said Pinkie Pie, “And when we do, we’ll throw you the biggest reunion party ever!!”

“I look forward to it!!” said Beau as he waved back at them.

“We can’t thank you enough, Beau.” Said Princess Celestia.

“We’ll find a way to visit one day.” Said Princess Luna.

Beau soon disappeared, with Brightstar smiling.

“Well done, everyone,” said Brightstar within her mind. “The set is not complete. The rest will be up to you.”

“Hey, Brightstar.” Said Pinkie Pie, shaking the immortal mare out of her thoughts as she and the others looked at her. “Before either of us do anything, wanna have that celebration party I’ve been working on?”

Brightstar couldn’t help but smile while saying, “I suppose so; why not? I could use a break.”

“YAY!!” cheered Pinkie Pie as she grabbed her while they walked towards Ponyville.

“Maybe I could use a break.” Thought Brightstar to herself while walking Pinkie and the others to Ponyville.

Comments

[HailHydraz]

Beau looked at Spike and said, “Tell me. When you saw “Celestia” holding what appeared to be a limb, was it black and had holes through them?”

I never saw spike mention that, where did this come from?

[Postwarmonkey50]

11495541
Eh, I don't know if you know the story, "Rogue Diamond" by Pia-Sama, I sort of place Beau in that world, where he would help them restore their world to the way it was, to where he will be tested on what it really means to be a leader.

Plus, during the boat ride, Brightstar explained to Beau over what happened.