My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
Pony POV Series
Dark World Part 32 "That Which Pierces All"
By Alex Warlorn
Edited By Kendell2 and Louis
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Twilight breathed. With shaking legs she looked at the Nightmare who simply looked back at her with perfect calm.
"What's the matter myself? Scared? No confidence in being in the right?" The Nightmare asked coldly. "How dare Twilight Sparkle not be confident in herself."
"Uh, Half-Light," Apple Pie asked, "Why'd ya stop?"
"Let's get this show on the road darling!" Rarity said.
"Twilight what are you waiting for! Let's blast this beotch! She's got nothin'!" Rainbow Dash shouted.
"We're ready to be defeated now ladies! Fire when ready!" Nightmare Granfalloon quickly popped out to put a big target on Nightmare Eclipse's chest.
"They're asking for it," Spike said flaming coming form his nostrils.
"Twilight! Is bad-Alicorn-you inside your head again?!" Minty asked fearfully.
Twilight's emotionless voice reminded them of Tragedy's. "...They have their Elements of Harmony. If we try to use ours, they'll cut their losses and destroy everything."
"WHAT?! That's impossible!" Rainbow Dash couldn't believe it.
"No," Derpy whispered horrified.
"Now you've gone and spoiled the surprise! Bad pony!" Granfalloon laughed.
"Elements?" Celly wondered.
"We'll explain later sister!" Princess Luna said, her eyes not able to take her eyes off the gallery of Nightmares. 'All my sins, all my failures, being repeated by others . . . and I can't stop it!'
"If we can use the Elements of Chaos for good..." Twilight's almost frozen voice said, "Then what's to keep them from using the Element of Harmony for evil?"
"We-We're not evil!" Nightmare Whisper partially emerged, and wept a few tears, Granfalloon hugged her.
"It's okay, Auntie Pinkie Pie is here," The Laugher Nightmare whispered. She was at least 999 years older than Whisper. Nightmare Manacle followed suit.
"It'll be on your heads if it comes to that Twilight! You're the one refusing to grow up!" Nightmare Banneret's shade rose above Nightmare Eclipse.
"Then...then we're really." Applejack paled. "Then how..."
Nightmare Mirror formed and spoke, "You're bucked."
Twilight had no counter-argument. 'If we can't use the Elements, then...then what? I could use the memory spell...like I did with the Valeyard. She saw that entire fight. If she's me, then she wouldn't have just used that to figure out the Doctor's weaknesses but use his strengths too.
'Minty, we're the same pony, her, Paradox, me, but... if Minty touches her, they'll both cease to exist. Minty Pie could maybe hold on for just a few seconds to distract her but...if Minty Pie gained things from us touching... what'll touching a Nightmare do to her? No! I won't sacrifice her to save the world if I don't have to. But do I? If I throw away the world just not to let go of Minty Pie... I'll just lose everyone anyway. THINK you stupid brainiac!'
*Remember Twilight, each of us is real. Not just the ponies you know. Every pony who has felt with their heart. No matter the time or world. Each of us has our right to exist. Each of us has a light that shines as bright as any other. Those lights never truly go out. Harmony doesn't come in just one combination.*
'That's . . . that it...I finally understand... I've got it! And I think you do too...can you get the others to understand what I need them to do?'
*If they'll listen.*
'Do it, I trust them.'
Twilight shook off the vision of death and the fear of sacrificing her friend. "My name isn't Twilight Sparkle, it's Twilight The Unicorn."
Paradox snarled in righteous indignation. "Our parents gave us the name 'Sparkle!' How can you just throw it away? How can you be so bucking selfish?!"
"At least I kept half of it, Nightmare Eclipse," Twilight looked up at the Nightmare...and it hit her. "The Most Vengeful Friend? Nice moniker but let me ask you one question; how many times have you erased them? Or let them die just to get what YOU wanted? If you're me, I know somewhere inside you there's a part that can't live with that, just like a part of Nightmare Moon WANTED to be beaten and return to where she belonged. Maybe it's what little bit of a heart you have left."
The Nightmare rolled her eyes, "We've been over this idiot. You think because something LOOKS and SOUNDS alive, it has to be alive. There is no pony being erased, just props being reset."
"That's where THEY come in, isn't it? Those five. They're how you live with yourself, your own little circle of friends you can designate as real so you can say the others are just copies you can kill without a second thought. You've erased them all so many times...but for one of them, on a random cycle, you pick one to bring into your herd. Because if you didn't, there's no way you could live with yourself. I know I couldn't. And I am you."
"So? What does that matter?!" asked the shade of Nightmare Granfalloon, manifesting unbidden giving a giggle.
"We ain't 'those five!' The TRUTH is we're still her friends!" Nightmare Mirror to the right of Granfalloon continued.
"I'll NEVER betray her! No matter what she does!" Nightmare Manacle followed with intensity, on the left side of the Nightmare.
"The world will be a better place when she's finished," pleaded Nightmare Whisper, moving next to Manacle. "I believe in her."
"I've given myself to her! All of myself! It doesn't matter how I joined her!" Nightmare Banneret finished, dead center of the five.
"She's our friend!" they all defend.
Paradox wore an expression identical to the one Twilight had in front of Nightmare Moon when explaining her friends being the Elements. "See? My real friends are right here! Not those dolls you keep clutching to like a spoiled brat!" The Nightmares all nuzzled Nightmare Eclipse. "And together we're stronger than any of you could hope to ever be!"
"I didn't think that would convince you, but it did a marvelous job of distracting you," Twilight stated, before she kicked her soap box square into Nightmare Paradox's face.
"BLAGH!"
Celly laughed and clapped her hooves.
"NOW!" Called Twilight.
Ender Dash and a fully healed Derpy dove in, slamming into Nightmare Manacle and taking her high into the air. The two flew in separate directions, dodging lightning before linking hooves and diving straight down at the Nightmare, Elements glowing as bright as the sun. "Sonic Endboom!" they called, an electrified rainbow with stripes of yellow and gray trailing them as they slammed straight through Manacle, electrocuting her with enough lightning to overload a city and sending her slamming to the ground below with a thud. Rainbow and Derpy both landed, panting heavily and barely able to stand.
Paradox screamed as the same injuries were dealt to her.
Applejack jumped out of an invisibility illusion and bucked Whisper in the jaw, driving her back. Upon landing, AJ slammed her hooves down, commanding several pillars of rock to erupt up, straight through the Nightmare's body. She ordered them to shatter, sending shrapnel ripping through the innards of the Nightmare. As both Nightmares screamed in agony, AJ put her hoof over her heart, panting heavily from the effort of the assault. "Ah'm sorry, Fluttershy..."
"I forgive you."
Nightmare Mirror prepared to attack, but found herself faced by Apple Pie. "Auntie, if yer supposed ta be Truth, then why are yah helpin' somepony lie ta themselves? A lot of someponies, really."
Nightmare Mirror put a hoof to her head. "Ah don't help!" the Nightmare bellowed. "Yah ain't gonna beat me with them tricks!"
"Actually, Ah'm a distraction."
"Ah, geeze!"
Celly and Luna had flown up and Mirror found herself blasted from one side and the other with wide beams of solar and lunar energy, straining from the amount of power they were putting into the attack. Mirror screamed in agony as the beams kept feeding into her as she attempted to reflect them, tearing out of her body in various places trying to escape. Apple Pie covered her eyes, unable to watch an incarnation of her Aunt suffer. "Ah'm sorry auntie..."
Banneret snarled, preparing a gout of flames, only for Spike to spit a stream of highly flammable ink into his mouth, igniting it in his throat and lighting his head and throat flame.
Spike winced, seeing a version of himself suffering so. He charged and drove his claw through the Nightmare's throat with every ounce of power he had, impaling Banneret's body on his claw. He let Banneret fall to the ground in agony, falling to his knees, from fatigue.
Granfalloon tried blasting Rarity with party cannons, but saw too late it was an illusion. Her tail twitched as the REAL Rarity rained crystal weapons down from above, turning Granfalloon into a pony pincushion. Rarity staggered as she landed, having used so much blood at once she was barely conscious as closed her eyes and used a sonic spell to shatter the crystal weapons. Rarity winced as the Nightmare roared in agony as the shards cut through and embedded themselves in her body. "...I'm sorry, Pinkie Pie..."
"OW! It's-OW-all in good-fun-OW!-fun-fun!"
Paradox fell to her knees in agony, every wound inflicted on her Gallery of Nightmares happening to her.
Minty threw the Sword of the Seasons, Twilight accelerating it with telekinesis driving it deep into one of the existing wounds in the Nightmare's chest. Twilight then jumped forwards, using a gravity spell to slam down on the hilt, slicing Paradox's chest open.
"Game over," Twilight said as the Destruction Spell charged, seeing the huge familiar-shaped black crystal situated inside the Nightmare's chest. She let loose the spell, the explosion blowing a hole straight through the Nightmare, obliterating the corrupted Element of Magic, her heart, her seat of consciousness, in the process.
Twilight took a few weary steps back, watching very closely as the Nightmare's dead body fell on its side, all other the Nightmares beginning to flicker, their anchor to this world gone. Nightmare Paradox's corpse simply bled.
The image of Paradox's eye blinked into existence in front of Twilight, clock hands spinning backwards in it.
(Time stop. Time reversal. You will wander forever.)
All their efforts were neatly undone, like a film played in reverse. The heroes found themselves standing like awkward actors.
"We all let your barrage hit us!" The Number One Assistant Nightmare roared.
"I could've dodged!" Granfalloon chimed in happily.
"They're actually being honest," said Applejack's Nightmare, wounds reversing with the flow of time.
"Did that feel good unfinished me? Make you feel big? Make you feel all tough and badflank right? Impossible to lose right?" Nightmare Manacle asked.
"Now do you understand you're just giving yourselves pain for no reason?" Nightmare Whisper pleaded with the heroes. "Please stop fighting us!!"
"Do we get 'impossible for us to lose' yet dear?" The very much alive Nightmare Eclipse dodged the soap box, and sent a destructive beam up, torching Derpy's wing and blasting her out of the air before her and Rainbow Dash could strike. "Alright my friends: punishment punishment."
Nightmare Bannaret breathed green flames over Rarity, causing a tent to materialize that fell over her.
"Ha! Ha! Ha!" Nightmare Granfalloon laughed at them, a light bulb came on inside the tent as Rarity found herself surrounded by a sphere of party canons just before they went off.
Nightmare Manacle rammed into RD before she could blink, the pegasus sailed inside one of the waiting Nightmare Mirror's reflective wings and out the other one meeting with Manacle's waiting front hooves, shattering her spine and crushing her organs.
Nightmare Whisper, made Luna and Celly drowsy as a mist rose up from the floor keeping them away from the fighting.
Spike and Nightmare Banneret's teleportation breaths met. Spike summoned more blinding ink and junk from his hoard. Nightmare Banneret's own green flames summoned a dragon-sized boulder that Spike felt break ribs as it landed on the hero.
Minty Pie's sword was caught in Eclipse's telekensis and perfectly reversed course, overwhelming Twilight's telekensis. The pommel hit Minty Pie hard and cracking her hip, making Minty cry out.
Paradox looked aside and shot a torrent of flames, burning an invisible Applejack almost to her skeleton, right where AJ had attacked Whisper before the time reverse. She followed up with a curved pressure wave, blasting the battered heroes to the ground around Twilight.
"Do you get it yet? I've HELD BACK this long because I was hoping I could reason with myself. I could've reversed your moves at ANY moment, but I'm growing tired of your massive ego, idiocy, thickheaded selfishness and asininity and so are my friends, and you HURTING MY FRIENDS! And if you're hoping I'm going to run out of mana if you make me reverse time enough: I'm not Cruelty, I don't have that problem. I believe it's time for you to realize you've lost like an adult."
Twilight caught Minty with her telekinesis and gently set her next to her applying magical first aid. Twilight quivered as the failure of her friends played in her head over and over. A pair of clock hands flickered in one eye.
Rarity got back to her hooves forcing her battered body to look up at Paradox, spitting out a tooth and some blood. "If we surrender, we die anyway, I don't see why we shouldn't inconvenience you until the end."
Nightmare Paradox groaned and facehoofed, "You're not alive. You girls really are hopeless."
Rainbow said. "No old Twilight, we're bucking full of hope."
"Ya know darlin', the Roamares thought of hope as somethin' evil that brought sufferin'," Nightmare Mirror said factually.
"I'm sorry! I promise I'll make it not hurt!" Nightmare Whisper begged the ponies and dragon. "And when the new you is made, they'll be just like you, same heart and thoughts, but without a thousand years of nothing but pain! I'm fighting for you."
"And seriously, you guys are just being sore losers right now, stop being so selfish," Nightmare Banneret scolded them. "If you all really cared about Twilight you'd be helping her go Nightmare right now!"
"Spike that was unkind, they just can't know any better," Nightmare Whisper said.
"Sorry," The dragon nightmare bowed his head.
"Guys," Spike spoke to the Nightmares, "This can't be what you all want."
"It doesn't matter what I want!" Manacle/Banneret said at the same time and looked at each other and blushed.
Apple Pie looked at Mirror. "Is it Auntie? Do yah really want tah kill meh? And the rest of the family."
Mirror looked the filly, her niece, square in the eyes, "Ah told ya before. It ain't what Ah want. Ah know Ah'm a killer! This is the price where a you and everypony else'll be happy except me! And stop callin' meh Auntie! Yer Auntie is over yonder! Ah ain't got no right to be called that!"
"I don't want this, I want what comes after," Nightmare Whisper confessed. Then sighed warmly. "Then Fluttercruel can grow up right in a world where this was all just a horrible dream."
Spike looked his dark reflection in the eyes. "How can you say you love Rarity, when you're willing to ... to... to murder her?"
"It's not murder! She'll just wake up with no memory of any of this. And because the golden world will be the most wonderful gift I could ever give her and everyone else Rarity'll wake up to, if I have to give up my everything for that then so be it, and I'll give that and more if my friends ask me to."
Nightmare Manacle looked at Mirror, "Don't you have anything to say to yourself?"
"She ain't gonna abandon her friends, and Ah ain't gonna abandon mine, what else is there ta say?"
Derpy stood up through the pain, and spread her wings to fight again, only to see the useless scorched feathers. "Dinky," She said.
"Don't worry friends, this'll all be just a bad bad bad dream you'll all wake up from when the Golden Golden Golden Ending happens," Nightmare Granfalloon cheered.
"Can you at least tell me how you became this way Pinkie Pie?" Rainbow Dash asked the Nightmare of her best friend.
"Oh! Sure! That's easy easy easy! You see, it started out when I was still meanie meanie meanie Angry Pie."
"Minty Pie," Twilight The Unicorn whispered as her other friends spoke to the Nightmares, "Get ready to touch-"
"Bad Alicorn You? She sure looked scared when we almost did."
"No, touch me, you were right, it is what's supposed to happen. Please, for just a little while, only a bit, that's all I need. All we need. Please."
Minty Pie hesitated for just moment even if it she talked about it before. Then she remembered. Her family. All her family. Still alive and who had passed on. "I'm scared to pieces, but nothing ventured, nothing gained!"
They touched. They remembered. They knew. Then something came between them!
"HEY! APPLE PIE!" Minty Pie shouted as her little cousin hugged her.
"Sorry, just happy to see ya. What Half-Light said really got mah heart pumpin'."
"It's alright, Apple Pie, can ya give me a hug too?"
"Sure Half-Light!"
The ponies hugged. Twilight's magical aura flared, to the point of making the wind howl. "Thanks, after all this fighting, shouting and arguing, I needed a quick reminder of what the OTHER half of Magic is, thank you Apple Pie."
"Yer welcome!"
"Please little filly! Get away from the fighting!" Nightmare Whisper called.
Derpy tried a ground attack but was casually held back by the Laughter Nightmare like Derpy was a foal.
Twilight had absolutely no idea if this was going to work. But she had all the seeds for the spell she needed: another look at Nightmare Paradox's time magic, and a reminder of the spiritual link with Minty Pie, and the magic of friendship from Apple Pie. And of course, all of her friends.
"And I said 'Oatmeal? That makes perfect sense!' And that's when I became the new new new and improved me!" Finish Nightmare Granfalloon.
"Say goodnight," Nightmare Paradox said in Twilight's 'I'm surrounded by idiots' tone, red energy crackling around her horn as she charged the Destruction Spell aimed at the heroes...then she heard a microphone tapping.
#Testing, test, is this thing on?#
(What?!)
#You know, it's kind of fun being the disembodied voice for once.#
(Pst. You're dead, Discord.)
#Details, details. I had something to say, Anarchy lent me his cell phone. You know, he hates you for oppressing ponies in the worst way possible.#
(That's stupid. You're stupid. They're not ponies, they're cheap quantum copy chronic clones. Counterfeits! And my world free of fate is right up his alley!)
#Strife hates seeing you nullifying the accomplishments Life, itself, earned. It scraped and clawed to the top to earn.#
(Horseapples AGAIN. I evolve further and further with each iteration. If others lose while I win, that's natural selection. She and Destruction wiped out the dinosaurs. So don't tell me she cares about the many.)
#Pandora hates you for turning so many happy endings into downer endings and shoot-the-shaggy-diamond-dog stories.#
(Now that one actually sounds in character. Fantasy never was rational. She should stick to inspiring remakes of Daring Do.)
# Rancor, now that she actually knows you-OW!!!!! ...Okay. She says she thinks you're totally hot and wish the two of you had a chance to go out spear fishing together. But orders from Dad override what she wants.#
(Web of lies catching up with you?)
#I never said I was lying about anything. Father finds your endless repetitive cycle of the same fears boring, and Mother may be...slightly less apathetic towards you for never allowing the universe to reach its conclusion?#
(Oh. Wow. The two entities that have caused the most misery on Ponykind next to you and Rota Fortuna don't like me. For a second I was worried. They DO say the best way to judge a pony is by their enemies, not their friends. And if I have them for enemies, I really am a saint. Not that I ever doubted, of course.)
#I never said how She was less apathetic, maybe She likes you having made it all pointless and meaningless, 'As Reality truly is?' As she might say? And I don't think I need to explain why I hate you.#
(Of course not. The feeling's very mutual.)
#I just wanted to tell you, Cruelty's doing well, with Fluttershy...and my Father loved her by the way.#
(So?)
#Let's see, one of the four beings in the universe STRONGER than you likes my daughter and has her with us in the spirit world. And He doesn't want to lose another Draconequus after finally filling the void left by Destruction and D____. What do you think?#
(...Wait!...You can't mean...!)
#I got a loop where I FINALLY saved Fluttercruel! And YOU won't be getting her back!#
(Asininity! I overwrote Trixie's Alicornification: I can overwrite Fluttercruel's Draconequusification.)
#Are you so sure you did? Hehe.#
(Trixie's death over and over in every loop since then says so. Moron.)
#Well, I guess there's one more thing to say...#
(If it'll make you go away faster.)
#I. Win!#
(Care to know what your 'prize' is? Thank you, Discord. For inspiring me to crush that fat little ego of yours into dust, then atoms, then electrons, and the electrons into nothing. You thought what I did to Fluttercruel was bad? Heh. Just wait till you see what I do to Screwball and Mad Tiara!!!!)
#Sorry. But that's never going to happen. Well, I would love to keep haunting you, but I've gotta go be boiled alive. Arrevederchi!CLICK!#
(He actually said 'click?')
*BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! We're sorry, the number you have reached has been a distraction.*
(What?...) She was having 'The Hydra wasn't the doozy' flashbacks. Paradox's eyes went wide as she looked down at the massive light emanating from the group as Twilight's invented on the spot spell finished charging.
= Reach For The Star Orchestra - Sonic Colors =
Applejack just smiled. All she had endured for a thousand years hadn't been a waste. She had lessened the burden of those weighted down. She had given peace to those who suffered. She had told the truth and lied, saved lives and ended suffering. Kindness was her guide. She regretted only that she had taken the easy way out in the hedge maze. But that was in the past. She honestly felt cheated that Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie had gone on ahead, to the Heaven where Applebloom awaited her. But her task wasn't done. She still had family to look after here, among the living.
Rarity was amazed. So many, there were so many, she thought the number of ponies within herself had been great. It was. But this, she felt humbled. Within herself she felt six lights plus her own. The six Elements of Chaos quivered from excitement, from Synergy. When she had been Generosity, she had been just like Spike. In spite of her avarice, she had given to the needy without expecting any personal gain. And that made her light shine brighter. Now it was time for bigger truths. What more was there to say? Sweetie Belle.
Derpy knew it would have been easy to fall to despair. Lie to herself that she had nothing left to live for. She'd failed to save Sparkler, and thus failed her promise to Dinky. She hadn't even completed her laps around the castle: she had been saved FROM them. This dark part of herself insisted that Dinky would be better off being raised by the Apples and Pies. But she could never be that selfish. Dinky would want her mother back. Derpy wouldn't disappoint her. And for all the countless mothers who had already lost hope, in themselves, in the future, Derpy aimed to serve as an example of somepony different. Of somepony who loved her foals flying alongside her instead, who knew what love was, and could give and accept love in turn. Like a mother should.
A part of Minty Pie felt like a third wheel, almost. Apple Pie was her cousin and half of the reason she had started this quest to begin with, and Twilight was the only other one here she had had a chance to bond with on a personal level. She knew the previous Minty had been friends with Rainbow Dash, but not this Rainbow Dash. And that Minty had known a PRINCESS Rarity, there had been an Applejack in that Minty's Ponyville, and a Spike. But they weren't those that Minty had known. And that was okay. She had saved Twilight, and made sure Apple Pie was okay, that was what was important. Minty Pie was not Minty, and she didn't have to be. "Rainbow Dash, everypony, I'll become your friend again for the first time. I know we'll have plenty of time to become good friends after this!"
Celly wish she understood more of what was going on. Everything was so confusing! But at least her sister was still with her. She hoped she'd get to see Dissy soon. When she first met 'em, he was so lonely, she'd been so happy that she'd turn that frown upside down. She really hoped she could get him to make more friends. The more the merrier. Hehheheh! But these lights. They felt so familiar. In fact. They made her want to laugh inside, spread kindness to those around her, they made the magic within her she liked to give others sparkle. And when she looked at the sun, it didn't hurt her eyes, she felt like... like it was a part of her, as much as her wings and hooves, a limb she could, she could move.
Princess Luna was beyond amazed. This was incredible! Amazing! Unbelievable! She searched her memories for anything that occurred like this before across time and space! This magic, the bond between ponies! She knew it for what it was, but stilll, how could the magic of friendship be this powerful? Maybe being a filly was fitting for her after all, she still had much to learn.
Rainbow Dash wished she had a camera, or some sunglasses. She really didn't think she'd get a chance to see something like this again and wanted it recorded for when the 'How We Saved The World' Museum opened its doors. She regretted Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Scootaloo, and yeah, Gilda not being there to see it. Rainbow Dash would just to have party that much harder for them. 'Your choice' Discord said in the hedge maze, alright then. Then she chose to be here for them. After a thousand years she was free. She was a hero again. The one and only Rainbow Dash. Okay, one tiny difference: she now understood that Loyalty and Free Will weren't opposing forces, they were friends who trotted along side each other. She would embody that truth and be totally cool, radical and awesome about it!
Apple Pie found it funny. There was no contradiction or chaos here. There should have been, but she couldn't find any. Maybe there was no need to point out the contradictions every time, oh it was fun no denying that, it was a riot! But maybe, just maybe, it wasn't worth trying to be smart and clever, and instead let the moment speak for itself. To enjoy something for what it was. Never had she imagined she'd change the world for the better (at least twice!). Let alone get a whole bunch of new friends. She couldn't ask for more. She wondered if Half-Light and Minty Pie would both like marble cake once they were done here.
Spike felt pride. Pure and simple. But not for himself: for Twilight. His Twilight. Twilight The Unicorn. Twilight Sparkle. The filly who Celestia had act as his care taker with the 'trivial' things that came with raising a baby dragon that Princesses didn't exactly have time for. But Celestia was always there, seeing that Twilight learn her lesson of what it meant to care for somedragon, and the joy of seeing another grow. And Spike was going to share back that love with both her and Rarity. Not out of obligation, but because he wanted to share with them all the wonderful feelings they had given him. Once upon a time he had a dream once, where he was still a baby dragon, and greed growth turned him into a feral mad-dragon, but Rarity and his love for Rarity saved him from himself. They had saved Rarity Belle from herself. Now they were going to save Twilight Sparkle from herself too.
Twilight looked up into the eyes of her Nightmare, clock hands moving forwards in her own. "Time march forward. Bonds reach across all. We'll wander no longer!" The last part was echoed by Minty.
=Ever Ever After from Enchanted=
Rainbow Dash bore witness as the Elements shone, their lights connecting to each other, their hearts touching, becoming something greater than the sum of their parts.
Then the light spread out, two lines extended from Twilight and her circle of friends, stopping, splitting apart, curving to create new circles, tugging at the distortion surrounding Nightmare Paradox and turning it into something new.
New friends appeared.
First, a pale pink unicorn mare, a purple streak in her white mane. She bore a cutie mark of a mess of purple stars. She looked with sky blue eyes filled with wonder. All of the six new ponies had bows on the base of their tails. "I wish, I wish!"
Next to the wishful pony was a smiling, hatless brown-eyed Applejack whose cutie mark was several smaller apple. "Who's a silly pony?"
Third was another unicorn mare, this one white with a purple mane with blue streaks and bright blue eyes, her cutie mark was a comet. She was wearing roller skates. "It's glorious."
Fourth was an Earth pony who bore a VERY strong resemblance to Fluttershy except her cutie mark was a collection of pink flowers. "Please let Equestria bloom again."
Fifth was a white pegasus who seemed oddly familiar, "Surprise!"
Sixth and last was a pink pegasus mare with a blue mane and a blue double lightning bolt cutie mark, whose wild heart was obvious even at a distance. "Danger is our life, right, Rainbow Dash?"
The opposite line split and curved, creating another circle. Instead of six ponies, seven emerged, all Earth Ponies teenagers.
First was a pink mare with blue eyes and a yellow mare, her cutie mark was one large yellow star a few smaller blue eyes. "Even if we drift apart as adults, we'll still be friends right?"
Second was an inquisitive-looking mare with green coat, brown eyes and reddish brown mare. Her cutie mark was a pink notebook and pen. "I'll give everything to help animals in need and protect our environment we ponies love."
Third was a vaguely familiar looking yellow mare with a mess purple mane who was well rounded. Her cutie mark was a wrapped-up piece of candy. Under one hoof, she had a journal. "I'll put my trust in each of you and the future."
Fourth was a very familiar looking white filly with a pink mane and a large heart and a couple smaller ones as her cutie mark. "If a new world is to come, I hope it's a kinder one. If we can make a wish, then nobody suffer needlessly....We've come full circle haven't we? Applejack?" She was speaking to the former Liarjack.
The fifth teenager had a dark pink mare, with a blue mane; her cutie mark was a microphone. She moved with the grace of an entertainer. "Like, what's my line again? Oh right! Heh. Even if my music doesn't make history, it'll make the gods themselves turn their heads! Right Rarity?"
Sixth was an athletic beige pony with a borderline magenta mane and yellow eyes. Her cutie mark was a patch of cloth. "No matter what adventures are waiting for me, they won't mean half as much unless you're there to share them!"
The last one was a faded purple pony with light lavender mane; her cutie mark was a four-leaf clover. "When we're touching these pieces of the Rainbow of Light, I feel like we really are a part of something bigger. I hope I never lose my bond with any of you. You understand that too, Minty? Twilight?"
But the magic was not yet done. The two new circles spawned another line each, that stretched out, split, and created a new circle. Six more ponies appeared, plus a dragon.
First was what had to be the most beautiful pegasus the world had ever seen, her coat was white, her mane was strips of blues, whites, and pinks. Her wings were larger than normal, but not absurdly so, like some fashion models had. Beautiful cursive markings were on her legs, sides and forehead. A pegasus who is willing to let go of everything she was if it means protecting her friends. Her cutie mark was a pink heart framed by blue sparkles. "Seems there are some fates we can't escape, eh, Celly?"
Second was a far plainer-looking blue pegasus with green eyes, and a pink tail, her mane was a split between yellow and pink. Her cutie mark was a bee flying over an elaborate set of pink flowers. A cowardly pegasus who faced her worst fear rather than abandon a friend. "We're not so different after all, are we, Derpy Hooves?"
Third was a mature purple earth pony with a pink tail. Her mane was stripped white, pink and a darker purple. Her cutie mark was a bundle of wild flowers. One earth pony whose gentleness never wavered even when given power and rejected power for the sake of all those she loved. "Maybe I can save you after all Rarity! Maybe I wasn't such a bad choice for Princess after all either."
Fourth was a pink little unicorn filly with eyes that sparkled like Rarity's. Her tail was blue, green and purple, while her mane was yellow, orange, and magenta! Her cutie mark was similarly over the top, a pink center with a dark pink outline, with three small diamond shapes around it and a rainbow swoosh curled around the picture. A little unicorn princess to whom life was a game and whose laughter was infectious to all she met. "I'm happy of where I came from," she looked at teenager with the microphone cutie mark, then she looked to Rarity. "And who I grew up to be."
Fifth was another purple Earth pony, her mane and tail were purple with pink streak and large green eyes. Her cutie mark was a butterfly and a kite. An Earth Pony who wished to reveal the truth of pegasus to her fellow Earth Ponies even if it disrupted the status quo. "...Patch," she said looked at the teenager with the, well, patch cutie mark. "Thank you for giving me my heart to want to improve and grow, I discovered so much, thanks to you. And Twinkle Twirl, Buddy will be with us forever."
"I know," Patch responded.
Then there was the little blue dragon. He seemed ages more mature than Spike had been at that size. Could he be a naturally small dragon? A purple crest crowned his head and contrasted nicely with his orange belly and ear fins. A dragon who'd give all his life in service of another in spite of the typical dragon ego. The dragon made a small cough and spoke with an adult cultured voice, "Ahem. Dear, erm, 'Spike. It's nice to know I'm a lady's dragon and a scholar, no matter the reality."
The last one, was a green mare with a pink mane, and three peppermint candies as her cutie mark. "I've learned to trust my friends. And Pinkie Pie! No matter what you'll always be my best friend! Right Twilight? Minty Pie? Clover?"
"Minty," Nightmare Granfalloon whispered, her smile becoming the smallest it could possibly be without turning into a frown. Her wings folded against her slide hard. "Why?"
"I'm sorry Pinkie Pie," The new arrival Minty said to her.
Yet another new circle formed, this one around the two Alicorn fillies. "Wow! Cool!" Celly declared looking around! "Hey, Lulu, isn't this fun?!"
"...yes, yes it is. Honest with myself and my family, give my gift of magic to my ponies, loyal to those who put their trust in me, I'LL NEVER THROW AWAY THOSE PARTS OF ME AGAIN!"
"Lulu, are you okay?"
"Yes..."Lulu blinked tears of joy, "Yes I am! I'm wonderful!" She put a hoof to her chest as three lights glowed around her, and three other lights did Celly. "They've forgiven me. I'm free."
A new line each extended from the two new circles, that then split apart and curved, AND MET! Forming one last circle.
Six more ponies appeared:
A purple unicorn with a purple and white star cutie mark.
An orange earth pony with a yellow mane and freckles wearing a cowpony hat.
A cyan pegasus with a rainbow mane and a rainbow lightning cutie mark.
A white unicorn with a curled purple mane who radiated sophistication.
A yellow pegasus with a long flowing pink mane, and a butterfly cutie mark.
A pink earth pony with a pink fuzzy with a balloon cutie mark who couldn't seem to sit still.
All wore necklaces except for the purple unicorn who wore a crown. They only smiled silently to the former members of the Chaos Six, and their other fellow bearers.
Twenty-six magically-summoned newcomers.
Adding Nightmare Paradox and her five cohorts, plus Apple Pie, Minty Pie, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Applejack, Spike, Derpy Hooves, and Twilight...
...A grand total of forty individuals stood upon this battlefield.
Six sets of Elements versus six Nightmares.
The lines had connected, what had been a set of smaller circles had now become one great circle of friends. And only Rainbow Dash and Minty were there to appreciate its splendor.
"You have power over time? The magic between friends transcends time, space, reality, death, beyond all barriers! Friendship doesn't just pierce the barrier between life and death, but all barriers, everywhere! This is a friendship that pierces the walls between worlds! We've been made, unmade, and remade, but the links we've forged between our souls are all still here! You have six Elements of Harmony that are absolute? We have six sets of hearts beating together in harmony! You have a gallery of Nightmares? We have a herd of FRIENDS!"
Twilight looked around at her friends, all of them. "I'm not scared. Not with all of you by my side." She gave her friends a confident smile, washing away any lingering doubts. She turned her attention back to the Nightmares, locking her eyes on her own. "And neither are they scared by my side!"
Nightmare Paradox shook her mane wildly at the army of heroes. "You think me a stupid filly?! That we'll just stand here and do nothing?!"
The Twilight of this world, Minty, and the first Twilight, and Clover all gasped out in pain, but the circled remained unbroken. They all felt their sides as though they'd been glazed by a knife. But their friends were there to support them.
Nightmare Paradox shouted in pain at the same time as the others. Her side hurt like it had been sliced opened then stuffed with dry-ice and hydrogen peroxide. Her stomach for one moment hit the ground. "You're an idiot Rancor, you think one phantom pain is enough to keep us from simply fighting back? I've won this fight a million times, I am the patron concept of the endless loop! You actually though this would change anything? LOOPERS DON'T LOSE!!! I've made many looping-"
Plants slipped through the mortar lines of the castle stones. Cactus branches and houseplant leaves wrapped themselves around the Nightmare, pinning her in place. They were unaffected by her flaming mane.
The fight has never lasted this long before.
The Nightmare stopped paying attention to the six connected circles of light. She stopped paying attention to most everything, even her friends and fellow Nightmares. "Mom? Dad? You...?" The rapidly growing plants bound her tighter. "But...but why...aren't you...don't you-"
"How could you do this to me! You're different from the Old Lady! How dare you do this! You can't do this! How can you-?!" Discord howled in rage. "MOTHER!!!"
"Mother...why?" Cruelty whimpered like a small child, "Why...why do you hate me? I...I tried so hard to let you know I loved you."
Nightmare Paradox fell to her knees, her wings went limp, her flames died down to almost nothing. Her champron and mask fell from her with a clatter.
"You can't stop heroes!" Nightmare Manacle snarled.
"We don't lose!" Nightmare Banneret hissed.
"This is for your own good Minty. So just smile-" "-lay down-" "-and go away!" Nightmare Granfalloon, Whisper, and Mirror all declared, the monstrous sized Element jewels appearing, except one.
"Twilight? Twilight! Move! Wake up!" Nightmare Manacle yelled.
"If you need strength takes ours!" Nightmare Banneret cried.
"This isn't isn't isn't funny!"
"Twilight we need you!" Nightmare Whisper declared.
But the Nightmare of Magic didn't respond.
"... So that's how it is, Twiligh'," Nightmare Mirror whispered, as her all seeing eyes fell on the vines and branches and the Nightmare she held, and blinked away tears, her voice cracked. "Ah well."
Six hearts, connected to six sets of hearts, six circles, forged into one great circle, fueled by friends from six different worlds, and the Rainbow of Light in a way never seen before, erupted from the six sets of joined hearts. Joined together, a bright light shining together as one, and crashed down on the bound Nightmare.
+++
The Rainbow continued across time and space, flowing across the mangled timeline and all its branches...and it began to move forwards once again. No longer a loop of unending misery, but a tree finally aloud to grow.
And all existence glorified in newborn freedom.
++++
=The Awakening Full Meal Alchemist Brotherhood=
(No...no logical, not logical, please, illogical...)
(Was this what Nightmare Moon felt? That night so many eternities ago, as I with my five best friends, had awakened to our Elements before her eyes, not believing, confused and dismayed? As control of her fate was torn away from her with just a few brave words and the inner conviction of a truth inside six little ponies?)
"There is no such thing as immunity from me. The wheel of fate acts the opposite of how mortals think," (said the Alicorn suddenly in front of me. One of her wings was a bronze and copper clockwork. Didn't anypony else see her?
She manifests a deck of cards with an Alicorn design on the back and puts two cards floating in front of me face down.)
"Those who 'resist' the wheel, try to defy or subdue fate, are only entangled in its spokes," (she flips the cards. The first is blank, featureless Alicorn in a reverse position, a mobius loop above its head and labeled 'The Magician. The other is a beautiful Alicorn Stallion with devil wings with two ponies chained to his throne labeled ''The Devil'. Huh? Why does she look...sad when she sees that card?)
"Those who embrace fate are the ones who can recognize it and grasp the reigns to steer the wheel in a new direction."
(The Magician suddenly reverses to its proper direction and the Devil changes. It's now a black Alicorn Stallion with skeletal wings labeled 'Death'. She puts them back in the deck and draws two more. She flips one. The Devil again.)
"Those obsessed with controlling fate, shackle themselves to the wheel.
(Except that wheel diverges, right? One of my other selves will destroy you some day, it's law of averages.)
"Normally you would be correct, but you are the genesis for every one of your alternate selves, there is not a Nightmare Eclipse that does not owe her existence to you. You are, for all intents and purposes, the Heart World Nightmare Eclipse. Normally the fate of the Heart World version does not effect all her alternate selves, it merely breaks some of their bonds with her, but you have been fusing with every Nightmare Purgatory to come into being from the very first iteration without one exception, making a bond that CAN'T be broken. Their Fate/Myself cannot separate itself/Myself from your own because in essence, you have made them a part of you. You have shackled them all to the same wheel as yourself, and when that wheel turns, they can only follow."
(I felt my blood run cold...I could feel them...all of them...all the past versions of myself I'd combined with...She was right...)
"You never outgrew your mortal mindset or your mortal desires."
(What's wrong with that?! Knowledge, perfection, justice, what's wrong with seeking these things? Why should I have to give up who and what I am?)
"You didn't give that up, you threw it away. You clung to mortal grudges, while rejecting the enlightenment of an Alicorn. Discarded every lesson Celestia taught you, then placed yourself above her throne. You denounced Morning Star and Discord, and embraced their methods. You sought a perfect world, while orchestrating a living Tartarus."
(What should that matter? Discord's earned eternal punishment. Why should he get special compensation? A cozy gray where only ponies who punish evil are scorned and monsters are treated like victims? Thinking every murderer and rapist is just 'hurt and misunderstood?!' THAT is evil!)
"You condemn Discord for the murder and sin he's done onto others, yet you use those same ponies to die and suffer for your satisfaction. He only continued to make the ponies suffer because you allowed and then forced him to do so. The very sins you claim to punish him for are now your own. You embarrass yourself!!"
(They're just lifeless, brainless, heartless, imitations! Like blobs of clay given pony shapes or MACHINES! They're less than shadows! Like toys! How can you sanely punish me for that?!)
"It's just a game...they're only toys...little pieces on the board...Smarty Pants is just a toy... I'm not evil if I take her insides out...so I'm not evil for taking other toys' insides out...they're just toys..."
(My entire body breaks out into a cold sweat. She flips the last card. It's an Alicorn Mare armed with a spear in golden armor with a scale in hoof. 'Justice'. The card seems to alternate between correct and reversed.)
"...You are right. Crimes are crimes, and we should never turn a blind eye to them. You who have judged others, you too shall be judged."
(The lights of six Bearers, times seven ponies, times seven Bearers, time two Alicorns, times six ponies, time six ponies came down upon me. My five friends rise up within and meet it head on, my heart twists in too many directions to give them unity, they give their all, but they're simply overwhelmed, and washed away in the river of rainbow light. I reach for my friends. But I can't reach them. I can't touch them. They're out of my reach. They're just swept away from me, crying my name. Applejack. Fluttershy. Pinkie Pie. Rainbow Dash. Spike. I failed you. )
Inside a sphere of magic, Twilight Sparkle, colder than cold, shivered as she turned her head her body floating helpless. She saw the outlines of her friends. She dared to hope, but then the outlines feel apart, the perfectly shaped ashes breaking apart like sand castle, not even bones remained, just ashes.
"Nothing left." Said Nightmare Eclipse in spite of there no atmosphere around her.
"N-N-N-NOOOOOO!" Twilight Sparkle cried and sobbed hysterically! "An illusion! A trick! Something! ANYTHING! CELESTIA!"
(...I drown as I hear her.)
"And by your own justice I bid you goodnight, Nightmare Eclipse...Paradox."
++++
=Face Myself Piano version Persona 4=
A normal sized gray Twilight Sparkle with pegasus wings and a unicorn horn found herself in a small dome of rainbow light. On her face was a wand shaped burn.
From four compass points, four ponies entered through the wall of light.
Minty. Clover. Twilight The First. And Twilight Sparkle. They slowly trotted closer to her.
"We've twisted time so badly," Twilight the First said, "that all of our soul must go together. As so many Nightmare Purgatories have joined you, all the Nightmare Eclipses of this dark world in all its timeline will now be with us."
"Please, Twilight! Please! Forget about Discord! We can turn the world back the way it's supposed to be!" The gray pony begged. "Ponyville, friendship reports, our friends!"
Twilight Sparkle sadly shook her head, "No, for the sake of the ponies that are here: hippogriff, virgacorns, Seaponies, changelings and all, we're going to march forward. The rest of us have accepted this world. Warts and all. We've gone through several thousand years of resets. It's time to wake up from the Nightmare and grow up."
"Twilight Sparkle, it's time," said Minty rubbing her front hooves together gingerly.
The gray pony shrunk in terror, "No... oh no...please no, I don't, please, I don't want to vanish! I don't want to die!"
"Twilight Sparkle it's okay. You're not going to to vanish. The Rainbow of Light won't hurt you," said Twilight the First.
"It's nothing to be ashamed of, I'm scared too," said Clover, "We're going to be whole."
The Alicorn Twilight Tragedy shed tears, her ears wilting, "But--but--... I just wanted to do good."
"And we will, we'll all be there together."
The four ponies hugged the gray mare in the center.
+++
The light from the Elements faded, the other bearers of the Elements were gone, except for those who had been with them before.
Nightmare Paradox was gone.
Spike and Rarity embraced passionately.
AJ openly made prays of thanks to the Alicorns.
Minty Pie and Apple Pie hugged.
Celly led Luna in a small victory dance that mostly involved kicking their legs left and right. And singing a victory song that was mostly happy shouts and "La-de-lade-ladea-doe!"
Rainbow Dash did loops de-loops, then returned to the ruined roof, laying flat on her back, and burst out laughing at the sky.
Derpy laid down on her belly for a long nap. She could finally take a real rest, and truly let her guard down.
From the tip of her tail to the end of her muzzle, Twilight Sparkle stood cocooned in warm glowing threads of white magic.
The ponies and dragon stopped what they were doing and gathered around their friend in concern. What was this? What went wrong? Couldn't she and all of them just rest yet?
"Hey look, Lulu! We're gonna have a baby sister soon!"
"Yes, Celly...I can see."
"Baby sister?" Spike asked.
"Sure! Her body's sealed up nice and tight for her soul's Alicornification! But...shouldn't that have happened to that Nightmare instead of her? Where did she go?"
Minty Pie thought, 'Just like the pool showed me.'
"Nightmare Paradox would have gone back to being Twilight once the Elements purified her," Rarity whispered, "But I'd guess reality doesn't appreciate the same thing being in two places at once. And since the Harmony Elements won't kill..."
"Um...I saw Twilight's memories, that witch...SHE caused a lot of ponies to die with the Elements."
"The Elements call upon our Mother's power and combines it with the Rainbow of Light," Luna explained. "She is Empathy, The Life GIVER. But likewise, she would not allow her power to be summoned for an evil end, the Nightmares merely supercharged the Rainbow of Light with their own extremism, letting it loose without our Mother's will. I imagine Paradox influenced the other cycles to make it appear the Elements had killed, simply to complete her own goal. When my sister and I used the Elements to...dethrone a tyrant."
Celly blinked in confusion. "We did?"
"Yes, I'll tell you later, sister. They did not cause mass death and destruction, despite having also been another thousand year reign of evil."
Apple Pie knocked on the white covering, it made a pleasant humming sound, "So...Half-Light is okay?"
Princess Luna said, "That'll depend totally on her. All the power Nightmare Paradox had couldn't simply vanish. Who and what she becomes next...I'd say it's up to fate, but she's never been a pony to tip her hoof. Her Nightmare... No pony has existed at the same time as their own Nightmare."
"Well Ah kinda-"
"Nightmare Mirror was your alternate self," Luna said, having seen it during her sealing as she'd watched over them. "You are different leaves on the same tree, no pony has existed at the same time as their own Nightmare from the same timeline, let alone an Alicorn created from a pony or when that Nightmare was purified. So she's flying blind."
Spike asked, "Can we stop it?"
Luna shook her head, "You can't stop growing up."
Celly pouted, "Which really sucks!"
"It's not so bad," Derpy said feeling lost at what was told. Twilight was going to become an Alicorn?
Rarity said, "Heh, nothing is ever neat and simple is it?"
"Anything we can do?" Rainbow Dash asked as she touched Twilight only to get it slapped away by Luna.
"Ah can think of one thing at least," AJ sat down. "We pray."
Well.
...
great job
I honestly wasn't sure we'd make it, but this is exactly right.
2922094
Something wrong?
2922096 No, everything is fine. I know it's not over yet, but an event like this sort of demands a pause, an acknowledgement of some sort.
Sorry, I try not to comment when I don't have anything meaningful to say, but this event needed some sort of marking.
We begin with the choice to not let Dark World end here. Twilight stop before giving the order to use the Elements against Paradox and the other Nightmares, the other Element users are wondering why Twilight isn't issuing the command. Twilight, in a voice that sounds exactly like Tragedy, tells the other Element users that the Nightmares will use their Elements and destroy everything but Twilight allowing Paradox to win. Twilight wonders what can be done, she guesses that having Minty Pie touch/fuse with Paradox could work but it would most likely end Minty Pie's existence. The Interloper speaks to Twilight telling her that all ponies are real and that their light will never go out. These are words that Twilight needed to hear for the light bulb to go on for a plan to defeat Paradox.
Twilight asks the Interloper to get the rest of the group to do what is needed and the Interloper agrees to do so. Twilight goes to Paradox and asks her "How can you live with what you've done?" The answer is that she can't, there is a small part of her buried inside Paradox that wants to be defeated and her group of Nightmares are there so she can continue her punishment of Discord. To the surprise of no one, Paradox completely rejects what Twilight says, to which Twilight neatly tells her that Twilight expected that answer and the whole thing was a distraction. A massive wave of attacks occur, severely injuring the other Nightmares and ending with Paradox's death. Unfortunately, Paradox is able to reverse time right in front of Twilight, healing the injuries and stopping the attacks before they can begin. The Elements ask the Nightmares if this is what they want and most of them don't exactly like the endless loop, but believe it to be necessary for whats to come after. While this is going on Twilight turns to Minty Pie and asks her to touch not Paradox, but Twilight herself. As they do this Apple Pie comes in for a group hug, reminding Twilight of the peaceful side of Friendship.
Paradox looks at this scene with complete boredom and decides to start powering up a Destruction Spell when she hears a voice in her head. Discord has been given some time off from his punishment to talk to Paradox. He tells her that of all the Draconequi, only Rancor and possibly Entropy likes what she did. Paradox of course, doesn't care and dismisses Discord's comments, until he happens to mention that Havoc likes Cruelty and has her safely with him meaning Paradox use Cruelty anymore. Paradox erupts at that saying that she undo her Draconequusification just like she undid Trixie's Alicornification, to which Discord just chuckles. Paradox then claims that if she can't go after Cruelty then she'll just go after Mad Tiara and Screwball. Discord says that he won and leaves. As Paradox wonders what just happens, she realizes that Discord was a distraction from what Twilight was doing.
A circle covers the Elements: Magic: Twilight, Honesty: Rare, Kindness: 'Jack, Laughter: Apple Pie, Generosity: Spike, and Loyalty: Derpy. Another circle appears with a group of six ponies from Paradise Estates: Magic: Twilight the First, Honesty: Applejack the First, Generosity: Glory, Kindness: Posey, Laughter: Surpise, and Loyalty:Firefly. A third circle appears with seven ponies who's tales were shared: Magic: Starlight, Generosity: Bright Eyes, Trust: Bon Bon, Kindness: Sweethart, Laughter: Melody, Loyalty: Patch, and Honesty: Clover. A fourth circle appears with six ponies and a dragon from a lost age of dreams: Magic: Star-Catcher, Loyalty: Thistle Whistle, Kindness: Princess Wysteria, Laughter: Princess Rarity, Honesty: Skywishes, Generosity: Heathspike and Trust: Minty. A fifth circle appears around Princess Celestia and Princess Luna re-awaking their Elements. A final circle appears with the six Elements before Discord's Rule: Magic: Twilight Sparkle, Honesty: Applejack, Kindness: Fluttershy, Laughter: Pinkie Pie, Generosity: Rarity, and Loyalty: Rainbow Dash. Twilight's spell brought six groups of Elements to face six Nightmares.
Paradox and her friend prepare themselves for an epic clash of Elements, but much like Shady with Discord and Fluttershy with Cruelty, the plants that happen to be Twilight's parents hold down Paradox, the pony that at one time was their daughter. As the Super Element comes down on Paradox, she is face to face with Rota Fortuna, who tells her that by trying to free herself from the wheel of fate has just gotten herself tangled in the spokes. The Rainbow comes done destroying the other Nightmares and leaving Paradox a weak, scared pony. Twilight the First, Clover, Minty, and Twilight Sparkle walk towards Paradox. Paradox pleads with them to have the time reset spell cast, but they refuse, it is time for Paradox to receive her judgment as the five merge. The Elements start to celebrate the defeat of Paradox before seeing that Twilight is wrapped up in a cocoon of white. The Elements will turn a Nightmare into an Alicorn, but Paradox's existence meant that when the Element was used on her it also affected Twilight. We must now wait to see were this goes for Twilight. Midnight didn't occur, and for the first time in Havoc-only-knows-long, The Sun Rises on A New Dawn.
Ps: I thank anyone/everyone who read this novel of a comment.
Y'know, as soon as Paradox and the rest of the Nightmare Six appeared, I had been wondering how the heck you were going to wrap all this up and make it work.
Seeing it now, I'm pretty sure this is pretty much the best way it could've been done. Extra good because I just read the last 4 chapters of 5.5/6.5 last night, so I sorta had the other generations' ponies in my head.
And extra points for the always-fun inclusion of PRONCOSS TWOOLOOT
For some reason, when all the Rainbows of Light came crashing down on the Nightmares, I couldn't help thinking of this.
I guess they showed those Nightmares THE TRUE POWER OF FRIENDSHIP!!!
2922959
Happy that you like it, and that you're satisfied with it. Thank you. :-)
2922874
You're welcome! And nice to see someone theorize on who had which Elements with the G2 ponies, that's a good feeling! Thank you!
Allow me to provide a critique that absolutely dwarfs Paleb05's on this chapter
Has Morning Light made her decision yet?
She has. She chooses to continue and try again.
We go back to where we left off, and Twilight has stopped because of what she has just seen. Rarity and Rainbow Dash are ready to get started. Nightmare Granfalloon does the exact same thing with Nightmare Eclipse that Discord did back when the Mane 6 tried using the Elements of Harmony the first time, just to drive the point home.
Spike says that the Nightmares are asking for it, and Minty fearfully asks if Eclipse has managed to get in Twilight's head again.
When Twilight reveals what the Nightmares will do if the Elements of Harmony are used against them, their reactions are all This Cannot Be! Well, all except for Celly, who has no idea what they are. The Nightmare of Laughter scolds Twilight for revealing the surprise, while Princess Luna can't take the way all of her sins and failures are being repeated by others.
When Twilight asks if there's anything to stop the Nightmares from using their Elements of Harmony for evil, just as the former members of the Chaos Six can use their Elements of Chaos for good, the Nightmare of Kindness pops out to insist that they're not evil. You Keep Telling Yourself That.
The Nightmare of Generosity scolds Twilight for refusing to grow up, and when Applejack wonders if there's anything they can do, the Nightmare of Honesty says that they're bucked. Silly Nightmares, the heroes are always able to find a way to turn things around!
Twilight realizes that the memory spell isn't an option, because the Nightmare of Magic saw the whole fight, and would know to use his strengths. She then contemplates having Minty Pie grab Paradox, but decides not to, because there's no telling what that would do to Minty Pie.
The Benevolent Voice then reminds her that all of them are real. Not just the ones they know. If it has felt with its heart, it's real, and deep inside all of them is a light that shines as bright as any other, and those lights never truly go out. Harmony doesn't come in just one combination.
Realizing this, she asks the Benevolent Voice to get some other ponies to understand what she needs them to do. When the Benevolent Voice mentions the caveat that they might not listen, Twilight says she trusts them.
Going back to the real world, Twilight says that her name isn't Twilight Sparkle, it's Twilight The Unicorn. Nightmare Eclipse calls her out on this, only for Twilight to turn those words against the Nightmare of Magic, who has left ALL of her name behind.
Twilight then attempts an Armor-Piercing Question by asking how many times her Nightmare has erased her own friends, and says that she believes that a part of her Nightmare actually can't live with that, just like Nightmare Moon, only for the Nightmare to once again say that they're all just props.
Twilight ignores this, however, and says that the other Harmony Nightmares are how her Nightmare lives with herself. She brings one of them in from a random time loop, when the guilt starts to become too much for her, designates the friend she has managed to turn into a Nightmare as real, and uses that friend to justify her killing other copies of that Element Bearer without a second thought.
However, Nightmare Granfalloon pops out and asks what difference that makes, Mirror says the TRUTH is they ain't those five, they're her friends, Manacle says that she'll never betray her, no matter what she does, Whisper says she believes that the world will be a much better place when she's finished, and Banneret basically states that he's her slave, with everything that he is belonging to her. I feel the need to point out something to Manacle. If you know your friend is doing something wrong, the best thing you can do as a friend is to stop them, not just blindly follow along.
Twilight didn't expect to convince the Nightmares with that. Luckily, she was just attempting to distract them, and it worked. She then kicks her soap box into Paradox's face and tells her friends to attack.
Ender Dash and a fully healed Derpy start by slamming into Nightmare Manacle and taking her high into the air, then flying in separate directions while dodging lightning before linking hooves and diving straight down at Manacle with a Double Sonic Endboom, electrocuting the Nightmare of Loyalty with enough lightning to overload a city and sending her slamming to the ground with a thud. While Rainbow and Derpy are exhausted, it paid off, with Paradox receiving the same injuries that Manacle had just received.
Applejack then jumps out of an invisibility illusion and bucks Whisper in the jaw, driving her back. After landing, AJ slams her hooves down, commanding several pillars of rock to erupt up, straight through Whisper's body. Talk about Impaled With Extreme Prejudice. She then orders the pillars to shatter, sending shrapnel ripping through Whisper's insides. As both Nightmares scream in pain, she apologizes to Fluttershy for what she was forced to do.
Mirror gets ready to attack, but finds Apple Pie in her way to point out a contradiction. Why would the Nightmare of Truth help somepony lie to themselves? Or in this case, a lot of someponies? When Mirror says that she's not going to be beaten by those tricks, Apple Pie says that she's actually just a distraction.
Nightmare Mirror has just enough time for an Oh Crap reaction before Celly and Luna blast her with wide beams of solar and lunar energy. Apple Pie apologizes to her auntie for doing this.
Nightmare Banneret prepares another gout of flames, but this time Spike is ready for that and counters not with his own flame, but with a stream of highly flammable ink. This ignites his Nightmare's head and throat aflame. Spike winces, but then delivers the final blow, driving his claw through the Nightmare's throat. FATALITY!
Granfalloon tries blasting Rarity with multiple party cannons, but sees too late that it's an illusion. Her tail twitches as the real Rarity rains crystal weapons down on her a la Death From Above. Rarity staggers as she lands from how much blood she used at once, but uses the last of her endurance to shatter the crystals, causing them to cut through Granfalloon's body and embed themselves in it before apologizing to Pinkie Pie.
Paradox is in agony from her Gallery of Nightmares all being devastated like that, and Minty Pie decides to try Throwing Your Sword Always Works again, with Twilight using her magic to accelerate it this time. It succeeds and cuts deep into a previously created wound on Paradox's chest. Twilight then jumps forwards and uses a gravity spell to slam down on the hilt of the Sword of the Seasons, slicing Paradox's chest open.
Twilight then says "Game Over" before using the Destruction spell on the Element of Magic in Paradox's chest, shattering it and destroying Paradox's corrupted Element of Magic.
But of course it's not going to be that easy. Paradox uses the very last bit of her strength and life force to cast the time travel spell, sending all of the Nightmares back to before the attacks started.
This time around, Eclipse dodges the soap box and sends a destructive beam up to torch Derpy's wing and blast her out of the air before she and Rainbow Dash can strike. Nightmare Banneret breathes green flames over Rarity, summoning a tent that falls over her. Granfalloon then summons a sphere of party cannons inside the tent around Rarity.
Manacle rams Rainbow Dash before she can even blink, sending her sailing inside one of Mirror's reflective wings and out the other one, where she meets Manacle's waiting front hooves, shattering her spine and crushing her organs.
Whisper makes Luna and Celly drowsy as a mist rises up from the floor, keeping her away from the fighting.
Spike and Banneret have a duel of teleportation breaths, with Spike summoning more blinding ink and junk from his hoard which his Nightmare easily counters with a dragon-sized boulder that Spike feels break his ribs as it lands on him.
Paradox uses her telekinesis to catch the Sword of the Four Seasons and make it perfectly reverse its course, overwhelming Twilight's telekinesis. The pommel hits Minty Pie hard and cracks her hip, making her cry out. Paradox then looks aside and unleashes a torrent of flames, burning an invisible Applejack almost to her skeleton before following up with a curved pressure wave that blasts all of the others to the ground around Twilight.
Paradox then asks the Mane 6 if they get it yet. She was holding back this long in the hopes of being able to convince Twilight. She could have used the time travel spell to undo what the Mane 6 did at any moment, and now she is tired of the Mane 6 and their massive ego, idiocy, thickheaded selfishness and asininity, and so are her friends, and the Mane 6 are hurting her friends. And if they were trying to exhaust her with multiple uses of the time travel spell, she's not that weak, not like Cruelty. She goes on to tell Twilight to realize that she's lost, like an adult.
Twilight catches Minty with her telekinesis and starts applying magical first aid. As she does, the failure of her friends plays in her head over and over and a pair of clock hands flickers in one eye.
Rarity then struggles back to her hooves and says since they'll all die anyway if they surrender, she sees no reason not to continue to be a thorn in Paradox's flank. Paradox then says they really are hopeless, only for Rainbow Dash to say that they're bucking full of hope. Mirror's response is to say that the Roamares thought hope was something evil that brought suffering. Whatever that's supposed to mean.
Whisper apologizes and promises to make it not hurt, and says that when they're made anew, they'll be just like they are now, same heart and thought, but without a thousand years of nothing but pain. Which just shows how naive she really is, because it's the trials they have gone through over the last thousand years that have shaped them. In other words, take all that away, and you'll never be able to get anything like them ever again!
Banneret then tells the Elements of Harmony that they're just being sore losers, and if they really cared about Twilight, they'd be helping her go Nightmare. Whisper then scolds him, saying they don't know any better, which causes him to apologize.
Spike says this can't be what they all want, only for Manacle and Banneret to say that it doesn't matter what they want, and they look at each other and blush afterwards. Oh my. I didn't know they had feelings for each other.
Apple Pie then asks Mirror if this is what she really wants, and Mirror says that it's not what she wants. She knows she's a killer. This is the price for a world where Apple Pie and everypony else except for Mirror will be happy. And she doesn't want Apple Pie to call her auntie, because she has no right to be called that.
Whisper says she doesn't want this either, she just wants what comes afterwards. Then Fluttercruel can grow up right in a world where all this was just a horrible dream.
Spike asks his dark reflection how he can still say he loves Rarity when he's willing to murder her, and Banneret once again uses the defense that it's not murder. She'll wake up with no memory of this, and because the golden world will be the most wonderful gift he could ever give her and everyone else, if he has to give up his everything for it then so be it, he'll give up all that and more if his friends ask him to.
Manacle then asks Mirror if she has anything to say for herself, and she says none of them will abandon their friends, so nothing more needs to be said.
Derpy stands up in spite of the pain and spreads her wings to fight again, only to see useless scorched feathers that would never be able to allow her to fly. She says her daughter's name in regret.
Granfalloon then says all this will be a dream that the Elements of Harmony will wake up from when the Golden Ending happens, which prompts Rainbow Dash to ask how Pinkie Pie became a Nightmare. It seems it all started when she was Angry Pie.
Twilight then tells Minty Pie to touch-Minty Pie asks if she wants her to touch Twilight's Bad Alicorn self, because she sure looked scared when that almost happened, but Twilight says to touch her instead. Minty Pie was right, it needs to happen, just for a little while, only a bit, that's all she needs. All they need.
Minty Pie hesitates for a moment, but then decides nothing ventured, nothing gained. They touch, they remember, they know, then something comes between them as Apple Pie hugs Minty Pie. Apple Pie is sorry, but she's happy to see Minty, and what Half-Light said really got her heart pumping. Twilight says it's all right, and asks if she can get a hug too. The resulting flare in her magical aura makes the wind howl as she says she needed a quick reminder of what the OTHER half of magic is. Whisper then yells for Minty Pie to get away from the fighting.
Meanwhile, Derpy tries a ground attack only to be casually held back by the Laughter Nightmare, just like a foal.
Twilight has absolutely no idea if this is going to work, but she has everything she needs for her spell. Another look at Paradox's time magic. A reminder of her spiritual link with Minty Pie. A reminder of the magic of friendship from Apple Pie. And of course, all her friends. All powers are now one.
And Granfalloon's first words were "Oatmeal? That makes perfect sense!"
Paradox gets ready to finish everything with the destruction spell...#wait a minute, I can't allow that to happen.#
(What?)
#It's so much fun being the disembodied voice for a change.#
(Discord? You're dead.)
#I had something to say, Anarchy lent me his cell phone, yada yada yada. You know, he hates you for oppressing ponies in the worst way possible.#
(That's stupid. You're stupid. They're all fake anyway. And why wouldn't he want a world free of fate? It would be right up his alley.)
#Strife hates seeing you nullifying the accomplishments Life, itself, earned. How can evolution continue if you keep hitting that Reset Button?#
(More horseapples. Every time loop allows me to evolve further and further. If others lose while I win, that's natural selection. She and Destruction wiped out the dinosaurs, so you can't tell me she actually cares about the many)
#Pandora hates you for turning all of those potential happy endings into downer endings and shoot-the-shaggy-diamond-dog stories.#
(While that one actually sounds like it's in character, fantasy was never rational. She should stick to inspiring Daring Do remakes.)
#Rancor, since she actually got to know you-OW!!!!! ...Okay. She says she thinks you're totally hot and wishes the two of you could go out spear fishing together, but Dad said no.#
(Web of lies catching up to you?)
#I never said I was lying. Father finds your endless time loops boring, and Mother may be...slightly less apathetic towards you for never allowing the universe to reach its conclusion.#
(Oh, wow. The two entities that have caused the most misery on Ponykind next to you and Rota Fortuna don't like me. I'm SO scared! They say the best way to judge a pony is by their enemies, not their friends, and if those two are my enemies, I really am a saint. Like I didn't already know that.)
#I never said how She was less apathetic, maybe she likes you having made it all pointless and meaningless. That's her opinion of reality. And it goes without saying why I hate you.#
(The feelings mutual.)
#Oh by the way, Cruelty's doing well, with Fluttershy...and my Father loved her, just so you know.#
(So?)
#Ugh, do I have to spell it out for you? One of the four beings in the universe who is actually STRONGER than you likes my daughter and has left her wiht us in the spirit world. And he doesn't want to lose another Draconequus after finally filling the void left by Destruction and D____. What does that tell you?#
(...You don't mean...!)
#I got a loop where I FINALLY saved Fluttercruel. And YOU won't be getting her back just so you can kill her again! In other words, even if it's extremely small in the grand scheme of things, I finally managed to win a victory against you!#
(How asinine! I overwrote Trixie's Alicornification, so I can do the same thing with Fluttercruel's Draconequusification.)
#Are you sure about that? Hehe.#
(Trixie's death in every. Single. Loop. Since then proves me right. Moron.)
#Well, I only have one last thing left to say...#
(Then say it and go away.)
#I. Win!#
(All you won was me crushing that fat little ego of yours into dust, then atoms, then electrons, and the electrons into nothing. You thought what I did to Fluttercruel was bad, I've got much worse planned for Screwball and Mad Tiara.)
#Sorry, but that's not going to happen. Well, I've got to be boiled alive, so goodbye! CLICK!#
(He actually said 'click?')
*Sorry, but that call was for the sake of Rule of Three with this chapter's distractions.*
(What?...)
Nice to see Discord get ANOTHER chance to troll Paradox! Then Paradox gets a massive Oh Crap as a truly epic Gondor Calls For Aid happens!
Due to how freaking long it would be, I'm afraid I'm going to have to skip how our heroes reacted to what they were feeling. Let's just say it was over 9,000% cooler then anything they had ever felt before.
Twilight casts her spell with Minty's help, the Elements of Harmony start to shine...then the light spreads out, two lines extending away from Twilight and her circle of friends, tugging at the distortion around Paradox and turning it into something new.
New friends.
Ladies and gentlemen, introducing, from Paradise Estate, TWILIGHT THE FIRST, BEARER OF MAGIC! APPLEJACK THE FIRST, BEARER OF HONESTY! GLORY, BEARER OF GENEROSITY! POSEY, BEARER OF KINDNESS! SURPRISE, BEARER OF LAUGHTER! And FIREFLY, BEARER OF LOYALTY!!!
But they're not alone! Next up are seven close earth pony friends! Presenting, STARLIGHT, BEARER OF MAGIC! BRIGHT EYES, BEARER OF GENEROSITY! BON BON, BEARER OF TRUST! SWEETHEART, BEARER OF KINDNESS! MELODY, BEARER OF LAUGHTER! PATCH, BEARER OF LOYALTY! And CLOVER, BEARER OF HONESTY!!!
And there are still six more ponies and a dragon inbound! Presenting, STAR-CATCHER, BEARER OF MAGIC! THISTLE WHISTLE, BEARER OF LOYALTY! PRINCESS WYSTERIA, BEARER OF KINDNESS! PRINCESS RARITY, BEARER OF LAUGHTER! SKYWISHES, BEARER OF HONESTY! MASTER KENBROATH GILSPOTTEN IV, BEARER OF GENEROSITY! And MINTY, BEARER OF TRUST!!! Nice to see another dragon serve as further proof that Paradox is wrong about dragons not being able to be generous!
And to bring everything full circle, there is one last group of ponies, traveling 1,000 years into the future! Presenting, TWILIGHT SPARKLE, BEARER OF MAGIC! APPLEJACK, BEARER OF HONESTY! RAINBOW DASH, BEARER OF LOYALTY! RARITY, BEARER OF GENEROSITY! FLUTTERSHY and FLUTTERCRUEL, BEARERS OF KINDNESS! And PINKAMENA DIANE PIE, BEARER OF LAUGHTER! It'll be interesting to find out what summoned these six, especially considering how four of them are working together with themselves!
The Nightmares must be wondering how this is even possible. Well, Grandmother said this: A bond is a deep connection that cannot be broken. Even if apart, heart and heart are connected. Even time itself must yield to a bond like that.
At that moment, the attack Rancor landed on Twilight The Unicorn before she left triggers. She, Clover, Twilight the First, and Minty are all injured by it, but they manage to stand firm, because they were not its target. Its true target was Nightmare Paradox, who is in much more pain then they are. But she thinks she can't lose, because she is the patron saint of the endless loop, and LOOPERS DON'T LOSE!!! But then Twilight's mother and father, who are still plants, bind her in place, unaffected by her flaming mane. No matter how massive her ego is, even she is helpless in the face of her parents disapproval, as evidenced by her falling to her knees, wings going limp and flames dying down to almost nothing as her champron and mask fall from her.
The other Nightmares are just as delusional and defiant as ever, but they can't unleash their Rainbow of Destruction with one of their members unable to do anything. They take notice of this too late, and what happens to them? To quote a certain King of Braves, "HIKARI NI NARE!!!"
The Elements of Harmony don't just purify the Nightmares, they also trim the branches from the timeline and allow a new tree to grow towards the future! Way to blaze a trail, Elements of Harmony!
And Nightmare Paradox? She gets to meet Rota Fortuna, who then proceeds to deliver her tarot and illustrate what a foal the Nightmare of Magic was. By trying to resist the wheel of fate, she and her 'friends' were caught in its spokes. As she says this, she flips two cards, The Magician, upside down, and The Devil. This second card makes her feel sad as she remembers her brother, Morning Star, and how he fell.
She then says that those who embrace fate are the ones who can recognize it and grasp the reigns to steer the wheel in a new direction. As she says this, The Magician flips to its proper direction, and The Devil is replaced by Death. Hello, Mortis.
She then puts them back in the deck and draws two more cards. She flips one to reveal The Devil again. She then says that those who are obsessed with controlling fate shackle themselves to the wheel.
Paradox then tries the argument that due to divergences, one of her other selves will eventually destroy the Concept of Destiny and Free Will, only to find that it doesn't work that way. Every other Nightmare Eclipse owes her existence to this mare, making her effectively their Heart World, and while this normally wouldn't change Paradox's theory about the law of averages allowing another version of her to succeed where she failed, the fact that she has fused with every other Nightmare Purgatory makes them unable to exist without her.
Now, count up your sins. You failed to outgrow your mortal mindset or your mortal desires. You didn't give any of that up, you threw it away, clinging to your mortal grudges while rejecting the enlightenment of an Alicorn. You discarded every single lesson Celestia ever taught you, then declared yourself to be greater then her. You denounced Morning Star and Discord, but wholly embraced their methods. You sought a perfect world while orchestrating a living Tartarus.
What's that? You think he doesn't deserve special compensation, and that anyone who would think murderers and rapists are misunderstood are evil? I'm so sorry, but it doesn't work that way. You condemn Discord for all of the murder and sin he has inflicted upon others, yet use those same victims of his to have them die and suffer for your satisfaction. He only continued to make them suffer because you forced him to. You are guilty of everything he is guilty of, and more.
The last card is flipped. It is Justice. And Justitia is switching between correct and reversed. You speak truly on one count, Paradox. Crimes are crimes. But to paraphrase a certain Black Prince: Only those who are themselves prepared to be judged should be allowed to judge others. Now you will have to face your own justice and be judged as you judged Discord.
Now that the Nightmare of Magic has been thoroughly humbled, with her beliefs deconstructed by the very Concept she was planning to eventually kill, it is time for her to truly ascend. But first, a reunion must happen. You must become one with Twilight the First, Twilight Sparkle, Clover, and Minty, so that all of you can ascend together, as a single being instead of as fragments of a whole.
With that, it's over. The heroes all get to enjoy the dawn that they fought so hard for, while Twilight Sparkle, fused with her Nightmare, undergoes Alicornification. It is time to move on. Farewell, past! Hello, future!
All in all, this was very satisfying, but at the same time, I feel like something seems to be missing. What about the rest of the Nightmares? They can't have all just vanished...right?
The circle had been BROKEN!!!
images.wikia.com/mlpfanart/images/3/30/Luna_Dance_By_Alpha_Channel.gif
Who knows a good obligatory victory song?
2926014
"Ever Ever After" as the evil is crushed doesn't count?
There's 'Up To You' and 'Wizard of the Day' from Wizard of Oz (The animated movie staring the voice of Aileen Quinn not the 1930s movie).
2926014
And thank you for your comments!
2925909
Rarity, "My my my, what boasting."
2926070
Welcomed.
Granted, I was going to suggest something a bit somber but uplifting, like "Will the Circle be Unbroken" from Bioshock Infinite, which also happens to fit the story to an extent given what the game is about, but you made it clear in DeviantART you don't really like it, so...
2926073 But you have to admit, it's true.
Gallagher.
Thumbs up some stories I forgot.
Good job team POV!
7 months of reading these stories sure go by quick.
2926561
Hot ain't it?
2926592
Gallagher level of hot watermelon of joy! (I like him.)
Just tired. Editing many works and making lots notes and dealing with ignorance. Makes me dull.
My manners suffer but my memory grows. That didn't make any sense.
I like reading these stories by you guys about this multi-story-verse. It's a joy to read something that was created with courage and love (not going ultima avatar on this sentence). Joy. If it ever stops being a joy writing team POV... you know what to do? Right?
Keep the joy.
2926085 I've got one! It's called The Sun Rises!
When you get your final power-up and this song starts playing, you've basically got the final boss beaten!
2928389
I loved that song and that game.
2926086
I think you statement kinda comes across as a putdown on Paleb05.
2932262 I guess I was a little to arrogant. I'll delete it, then post another one where I don't insult him by calling his comment a short story, and I'll also have it be like I'm raising the stakes in a game of poker.
2922874 I'll see your novel and raise you a series of novels.
2932289
He guessed the elements to the G3 and MLPTs bearers, you didn't.
2933081
LZ loves his references.
P4G's battle theme comes to mind...
"It's a war out there every day,you can't hide from it,you gotta play by the rules,play it cool.Gotta laugh in the face of the sad disgrace,when your friends and foes look alike.
In the face of it,they lose their history,but they fight for a place in it,yeah they fight.Over a place in it.
So,step on up to the plate!Meet your fate,walking straight into the li-ons lair!
Step on up to the plate!Cause this ain't no game! It's time to make history here!"
I couldn't help but hear the Reach out to the truth Genesis loop during the multi chronal element summoning though.
Also...
Do you have..any idea how much of a pain in the ass it is to find that version of I'll face myself on youtube?
Most either have the battle mix,reincarnation or -another ver.- which has the brass start and the piano chorus.
For those looking.
2938391
Nice epic and I like that song very much.
Victory at last.
but a tree finally aloud to grow.
Nice imagery, but I imagine you don't care about whether the tree makes sounds or not.
Two words. Bucking. Awesome. This was an incredible chapter! The return of the soapbox running gag, used as a weapon as well, a plan that nearly worked, and would have probably, if it weren't for Paradox's annoying ability to screw with time. If it makes you feel better Paradox, Scar knows how you feel, he's surrounded by idiots too. Discord quoting TFS Frieza. Awesome, just awesome. And a massive team up from all the wielders of the Elements of Harmony/Rainbow of Light finally taking out the team of Nightmares, a short scene between Paradox and Rota Fortuna and her tarot cards, all the Twilights uniting into one pure Alicorn, this is going to be interesting.
Two words. Bucking. Awesome. This was an incredible chapter! The return of the soapbox running gag, used as a weapon as well, a plan that nearly worked, and would have probably, if it weren't for Paradox's annoying ability to screw with time. If it makes you feel better Paradox, Scar knows how you feel, he's surrounded by idiots too. Discord quoting TFS Frieza. Awesome, just awesome. And a massive team up from all the wielders of the Elements of Harmony/Rainbow of Light finally taking out the team of Nightmares, a short scene between Paradox and Rota Fortuna and her tarot cards, all the Twilights uniting into one pure Alicorn, this is going to be interesting.
You know, I actually think this song works rather well for the final battle against Paradox:
What I like about it, is that it really reflects Paradox's hatred of Discord, but ironically, it also perfectly describes how the heroes see HER.
Damn. This chapter is a pure definition of what an epic battle means, especially when EVERYONE gets involved to partake in something great. *sigh* Finally, the btich is gone.
Some things worth mentioning here:
1)
To tell you the truth...........when the heroes apologized to these three, it felt like I was apologizing with them. I was.........very saddened that these nightmares needed to be fought against, especially Mirror.
2)
Best. Fcking. Line of the chapter. I really, REALLY love Rarity in this season. She constantly expresses how I feel.
3)
Oy Pinkie sure is random, no matter WHAT incarnation.
4) I love the wild cards that came out of nowhere and helped secure victory for the good guys. Discord, Rancor and Twilight's parents I mean.
5) First time I read it, I skimmed over them. But this time, I took in every detail of what Twilight and company were feeling and what they've been through. It was wonderful to read. And I spent time examining the element bearers from different times, spaces, and realities. It was extremely glorious how each individual contributed to something greater, supported one another as a team, and won the fight for the fate of their existence and their universe. This was the definition of epic
6) When Nightmare Eclipse was experiencing ironic scenarios and an ironic punishment, it gave me immense morbid satisfaction. Loosing her friends and being alone, being stopped by Twi's parents, facing judgment from the very being she threatened to kill, and being the source of the defeat of other nightmare eclipses. And here's my favorite:
Lady, after condemning countless, countless, COUNTLESS innocent individuals to non-existence, to suffer an eternity in oblivion, and demonstrating no remorse, mercy or compassion towards your victims, you deserve nothing less than to disappear and cease to exist. Goodbye you btch. No one will miss you.
2922874 I really love your epic descriptions.
Words can't describe my reaction properly.
So here it is in song!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=csBaUsAySSQ
Epic Twilight Alicorn-Ification is underway!
Oooo Granfalloon, you are one errant bit of knowledge away from a future curbstomping.
Well the Roamares(ugh) aren't around anymore, now are they?
.....yeah, I can ship it.
To quote Twilight from Totally Legit Recap: "Basically, collectively we're god now. Die slow motherfucker."
Meh. Everyone's entitled to their own views I guess.
9685826
Thank you for your comment.
I think Dark World has made something very clear, no one deserves eternal suffering. Even if Nightmare Eclipse was right about the fact of what the ponies of those worlds were, the simple fact is Discord did not deserve what happened to him. So what do I want from Nightmare Eclipse? If she like Discord take responsibility for her actions, then she is forgiven freely, because her soul has changed. But if she does not, if she like in all the versions above in this chapter realize what she did was wrong, then I don't know. She is quite possibly one of the greatest monsters in all universes, but no one deserves eternal suffering.
11009850
And does anyone deserve eternal happiness? It's not always about what we deserve, but what we have earned. A murder who is hit by a truck while going to his niece birthday party to give her a new doll, his house burns down from a lightning storm, and his parents were then killed in a flood... would still go to trial for his actions.
If Tartarus is where all the bad people go together, then they inflict eternal suffering ON EACH OTHER.
Twilicorn time?
11553740
It was supposed to be before the season 3 finale aired.
But I was waiting for Clover's chapter to be posted since it contained foreshadowing to this battle.