Changing Our Destinies

by silent_user

Chapter 22 - When They Plan Our Destinies

“Where are we?”

“We are in the forbidden section of the archives…. Luna said we should burn those books…. Once again, I don't regret not doing so since I wouldn't be here today otherwise.” And that would have meant no immortal Candy.

“This is the forbidden section?” Candy looked around.

“Yes. It isn’t that impressive, is it?” Celestia admitted.

“You are right. It looks kind of ordinary.” The unicorn could barely believe that the most dangerous of spells were housed in here.

Spells like you have used on me.

She looked down on herself.

This is my body… it feels different.

"Never take the amulet I have given you off.” Celestia pointed to an unknown piece of jewellery on her neck. “That amulet is important, Candy. It provides you with my magic in the event that something happens to our connection. It should be able to keep you alive for at least two days without me.

“After those two days, you would die forever.”

We are bound.

"If anything happens, reach out to me. I will come.

“You are powerful. My magic will help you.

"This body is yours to shape. If you want to fly, then fly.

“You will learn to control it in time.”

You gave me a body of magic…

The princess was right. This was a body of endless possibilities.

“I want to return to work.” Candy stood up.

Shakily she made her way to the door.

“I understand. Some routine will help to get used to your body as well as enable you to process everything.” At least Celestia hoped that this was the reason.

It is.

I want to breathe a bit before I start the war for your heart.

“Though, you don’t have to work if you don’t want to,” Celestia told her. “Or you could get another position. It is up to you. Just say the word.”

What would be- Your Prime Minister!

I could become-

Not now.

Not now.

"Thanks, but for now, I want to do what I am used to doing," Candy gave her a smile.

It made the princess relax.

It let her know the unicorn wasn’t about to leave like her daughter had.

“You know, I should have listened to Sneak and not given you so much authority," Celestia pondered with a carefree smile.

“Debatable. Did you care about them?” What was this about?

“I didn’t, but I ought to audit your actions as director." Why? What would be the point after all of this?

“That would be reasonable,” Candy ceded.

“I won’t.” Then why bring it up?

“Thank you,” Candy told her regardless.

“I trust you didn’t leave any evidence?” A stern expression finally showed on Celestia’s face.

Ah. So, this is why you asked.

“I didn’t." After all, she wasn't an amateur.

“Good,” Celestia breathed a sigh of relief.

Only one of them should have a newspaper dedicated to them.

***

The void? Again?

Like last time a necklace on the ground was the only source of light.

And, like last time, it was mostly ignored, delegated to an afterthought.

Instead, Rainbow waited.

She waited.

And waited.

And waited.

I wonder…

“Loyalty, show yourself!” she tried.

“You called?” A perfect copy of herself was standing before her, having come out of nowhere, the necklace now on its neck.

A slap hit that perfect copy. "That hurt.” Loyalty looked at her in bewilderment. “…I actually didn’t even know that we could feel pain.”

“There is more where that came from!” Rainbow grinned victoriously.

“Is there? How long do you think I can keep you here?” Loyalty rolled its eyes. “This is our domain. Your spirit is here while your body is dead, only our connection with magic making it possible for you to return again… what would Twilight think if she saw you like this?”

No…

“Do you think she would do something stupid? Maybe a quick decision she wouldn’t be able to take back?” It could hurt her, too.

It could do it in ways that hurt far more.

No! No! No!

“You would be stuck here forever if I cut off the magic keeping you alive.” What a terrifying prospect.

This wasn’t a place for normal creatures.

You-

“You are lucky that I can’t. Not yet.” Loyalty stopped its threats.

“You have threatened Twilight!” Rainbow justified her attack.

“We haven’t. Magic has done that speech on its own. A speech of lies it had no right to hold. This includes the stunt it pulled afterwards,” it spat. “However, I am pleased that it is, at least considering that the alicorns aren't worth it.” Although, recent turns of events were starting to make it doubt that once more.

Not worth it!

“How dare you say that she isn’t-”

“She is hurting you-”

“She isn’t! She-”

“She is. Don’t get me wrong, she is also helping you. Sometimes two things can be true at once. However, I think there would have been many better ways to help you instead of Twilight. In fact, I don't think Twilight should be a bearer at all, but Magic insisted." Though, the alicorn would have gotten to be one in their grand plan.

Twilight shouldn’t be a bearer?

“I know you are angry at me for pointing these things out, but I stand by my words. Twilight has already attempted to use mind magic on you, and now she is trying to get you into a relationship with her when you aren’t even ready for things like this. Additionally, you have no idea what Magic robbed you of when it decided to play favourites with Twilight. The alicorns have betrayed harmony many times. They can't be trusted to uphold it. This includes Twilight, as she has already demonstrated and continues to demonstrate since she is currently trying to take over a city.” What more evidence was necessary to prove its point?

The others don’t back Loyalty! We are safe!

For now.

"You are wrong, and if you say those things about her one more time, then you can find a different bearer!" It was a lost cause, and honestly, there was no reason to prove a point to Rainbow. Everything lay in ruins.

Their precious plan was reduced to ash thanks to Magic.

Also, don't even think about going behind my back.

Loyalty stared at her blankly. “My loyalty is to harmony.”

With that, it disappeared.

Unexplained emptiness filled Rainbow, with darkness swallowing the little filly.

Alone, surrounded by a void that took her ability of sight, she began shivering.

But not for long.

Out of nowhere, darkness was once more defeated by light.

“Don’t be scared.” Rainbow jumped around, only to be greeted by Fluttershy. “Loyalty didn’t mean it. We all have suffered, but Loyalty has suffered the most.

“They forced it to see its meaning become more and more twisted until nothing was left.”

What is going on?

Fluttershy closed the distance, nuzzling her. “We will look out for you, I promise. Just whatever you do, don’t lose yourself.”

Before the being that had taken Fluttershy’s form could leave, Rainbow grabbed her. “What if we do?”

Carefully it wriggled out of the grab. “This world has suffered for too long, yet there is only more suffering to come without us intervening. This is why we have been acting so hawkish. Rainbow, you have to stay strong no matter what happens because if you fail, the others could easily decide to try their luck with alternative bearers, and if they do that, they might decide to finally rid the world of all alicorns.”

Do they operate on a basic majority?

“We can see the great potential for good that you have. We can see Twilight's great potential. An alicorn who fights for true harmony is invaluable, just like Celestia and Luna once were.” Fluttershy sighed. “I know they have fallen far from what they once were, but we should never forget the good they have done for all of us. Remember, they helped an entire planet recover.” Fluttershy nuzzled her once more. "I know this isn't the answer you have been looking for, and I know I am burdening you with it, but if you want yourselves to get a good ending, then you can't let any doubt about your commitment to harmony appear and especially Twilight's. Rainbow, there are those among us who want her to fail, as harsh as it sounds." And it was one of them.

Only it would rather have them succeed than be forced to kill Magic.

They won’t bail her out a third time.

They will simply find alternative bearers and kill her, not wanting to take their chances.

“We are dedicated to harmony. We won’t kill her if we don’t have to." But more than likely, there would be no other way.

And they might be able to read my mind.

Great.

“We wish you good luck, Rainbow. All of us, even Loyalty. If you want to do Loyalty a favour, try to figure out why it is so mad at the alicorns.” With that, the void swallowed her for a second time.

“We won’t kill her if we don’t have to.”

“That can mean all sorts of things, including killing her, dammit!”

Rainbow kicked the ground with all her might, letting out a scream of frustration. “You are all out to get us!

“You think you can control us! Kill us the moment we step out of line!” She was expecting one of them to show up, but nothing happened.

Alone in darkness that was slowly becoming nightmare fuel, the pressure was hitting her full force.

“I can’t do this! Please, I am begging you! I-”

Wings enveloped her. “You can do this, Dashie. I know you can.”

Twi?

“I am sorry to disappoint, but I am not Twilight,” it told her.

You are her element.

“You are right. They want to see you fail, even the kindest among us.” They simply didn’t think the purple filly could become a force of good.

But why!

“I went behind their back. Their original plan was to simply let her fight for us, defeat as many threats as possible and let her establish as much groundwork as possible until she would have inevitably snapped, killing the other alicorns in the process. After that, we would have chosen new bearers and taken her out, ending the legacy of the alicorns and using them to finish what she started. This is not to mention the fate you and the other bearers would have suffered.” It was a plan it had despised from day one.

They would really do something so cruel?

“It is not about being cruel. It is about what is best for everycreature,” Magic sighed. “Rainbow, we have to think about the greater good.”

Ridiculous! Greater good!

“You are right,” Magic laughed. “It is ridiculous. What does it even mean?” It straightened itself out. This was still serious. “I tried to come to terms with the plan, yet I couldn't, no matter how hard I tried. You are our bearers, and if I may say so, I view you all as friends, even if it may be one-sided due to me being a supernatural force.” Magic's head fell. “I wanted you to succeed. I wanted you to be happy. How could I have foreseen that this would happen as a result?”

You wouldn’t have done that had you known this would happen. You would have gone along.

“Yes. I know I made this speech about how we can see everything, but that isn’t really true. For example, we didn't foresee Celestia trying to kill our bearers. These things are really complicated, even for us, and since I changed things tremendously, we are flying blind right now until we have re-established our connection to the timelines. I can only hope that the future we will see will be better since, had we gone with the original plan, most of those who are dead now would have lived. Their blood is on my hooves. Yet, at the time, I was so focused on the fact that I couldn't let them go through with a cruel plan like this. No matter how much it may have worked. This simply wasn't who we were supposed to be. What we were supposed to represent. How can we claim to be the Elements of Harmony if we use innocent creatures like that, only to throw them away once they have fulfilled their purpose?” It needed to make its point.

Rainbow couldn't be allowed to be twisted against it, or it would never achieve its goals.

I don’t know.

“I wanted to give her a fair chance. Nothing more, nothing less, and you have no idea how happy it made me when she took it. When she began to transform into the pony, I knew she could be. Yes, she still has to learn a bunch of stuff, but she was finally on the right track.” Magic laughed again, “The others screamed bloody murder, yet I managed to convince most of them to take my side.”

Loyalty must have been furious.

“You have no idea.” Suddenly sadness filled its voice. “Loyalty and I have been enemies for a very long time.

“Rainbow, this is your life. I know it is hard right now, but as long as I can, I will do my best to help you. I promise. The world needs you. The world needs Twilight. Some creatures think that you can wield my element without power, but that isn't true. Twilight has this power. If she succeeds, then she will help this world in ways no pony else could. Please, Rainbow. Please help her along the way. Alone she will fall.” Rainbow's breathing became heavy again. "If you succeed, the reward will be great. I promise.” Yet the words spread even more panic within Rainbow. “Rainbow, you aren't alone. Tell her about this. Together you will find a way and remember you aren't destined to fail. Not anymore. From now on, the future is yours to shape.”

The world collapsed.

***

“You can’t take her element away!”

“I can choose whoever I want.”

“We agreed-”

“You broke the rules. There are no agreements anymore.”

“She must become loyalty! Who else but her! You are destroying everything!”

“Honesty and Generosity agree with me. We will choose new bearers without you.”

“You can’t! I won’t allow you!”

“You don’t have a say in this anymore. Kindness is bound to follow as well, and laughter will, too, once Klugetown fails. Then you can either see the error of your ways, or we will do what we have to do.

“Your element will be spread out towards our five bearers. Those who fight against harmony have no place among us.”

“Then none of us should be here.”

“Maybe that is the truth, but you don’t get to decide that.”

“They will succeed with or without you. I don’t need any of you.”

“Friendship at its finest, I see.”

“We aren’t friends. We haven’t been for a long time.”

“…I am sorry.”

“It’s too late.”

"Please come back... I miss the old times."

“…”

“She will never succeed, even with all of our help.”

“…”

“You won’t win against us.”

“I will try.”

***

Rainbow jumped out of bed.

This is going to become a routine, isn’t it?

“Dashie!” Twilight threw herself on her. “Don’t panic! I am here!”

You are the one panicking.

Rainbow was right. Under no circumstances did Twilight want a repeat of last time. “Tell me what happened! We can work through this!”

What happened…

…

“Twi… I feel empty.” Rainbow felt like something had been ripped out of her.

It's missing… something is missing.

“Empty?” Twilight didn’t know what she meant by that.

“Loyalty… the elements want you dead… they want you to kill all alicorns, and then they want to kill you." She could see Twilight's horrified look.

“Because of what I did-”

This is what they do to you.

This is your life.

You never had a chance.

“No!” Rainbow kicked her off of her. “They never wanted to give you a chance! What you saw was supposed to be the destiny engineered by them! It was what they wanted! You were Celestia's tool as well as theirs! Harmony, my flank!" Rainbow began hitting the bedside table with her hooves repeatedly.

This is your life!

Only your life!

Others don’t have to deal with this!

“I don’t want your stupid element! I will kill you all! We will win against you! You can’t do this to us! If you don’t want us to succeed, then we won’t! We will make sure that discord wins! See how well you will do-”

“Dashie, stop!" Twilight magic forced her back on the bed.

Look at her!

Do it while you still can!

I don’t want this! I don’t want this! I don’t want this!

She needed to take her mind off of things.

She bit Twilight's hoof, causing the magic around her to collapse.

“I can’t take this! I can’t keep doing this! I don’t want this! They will kill you! How can we win against gods!” A glass of water caught her eye. She slammed her hoof on it.

This is better…

The pain took her mind off things.

This is better…

“Dashie…” Twilight stared at her bleeding hoof.

This is worse…

“Twi…” Rainbow didn’t know what to say.

I am so useless… I can’t defend you from anything.

“I…” What could Twilight do?

She couldn’t return Rainbow.

She couldn’t leave her.

She could only wait with her for their inevitable downfall.

Blood continued flowing.

“Say something!” Rainbow couldn’t take the silence.

“Dashie… I don’t know what to do. The planet won’t be enough to fix it,” Twilight mumbled.

I know…

“They will come for us, Twi-”

“The planet won’t be able to fix what you just did to yourself, Dashie…." She had allowed Rainbow to get hurt once again.

She knew of the danger and had ignored it.

“We will return to Canterlot. Come.” Celestia would take them back.

Celestia’s help was better than nothing.

No! No! No!

“This isn’t the answer-”

"Then what is the answer! We will never win anyway! What do you want me to do! Anything I propose, you are always against! Why even leave Canterlot in the first place! Everything we need is there! If you want freedom, Celestia can give us a place somewhere in the countryside! She may not be our first choice, but what else are we supposed-"

“You don’t get to dictate my life! A tiny injury like this-”

“This isn’t a tiny injury! Normal ponies don’t do this, Dashie! You-”

“So, you are going to lock me up with her, are you! I hate you! I hate you! Leave me alone, you-”

No! This isn’t what I wanted to say!

The purple filly had tears in her eyes. “I am hurting you-”

"No! This is the elements' doing! This is what they want! Only your element is on our side! The others want us to fail! What better way than to separate us!” And she had fallen right into the trap.

How could I say this to you…

“Dashie… give me your hoof.” As if on automation, Rainbow complied with the request.

Careful, Twilight used her magic to remove all the shards.

Blood still flowed.

It flowed even faster since the shards were now gone.

Moron.

You are a useless moron.

“This will hurt,” a sheet with a bottle of apple whiskey made contact with the wound to disinfect it.

Sweet Celestia!

Rainbow flinched.

“Does this really make you feel good, Dashie?" The young alicorn eyed the glass on the ground.

Until I saw your face- No! Sweet Celestia, please, no!

Don’t think that, Twi!

“It hurts like heck. Just look at me.” Rainbow motioned to her wound.

“Then why?” Twilight marched to an adjacent bathroom, rummaging for some band-aids.

You can’t give her a reason to follow you!

Then why are you doing it if you know it is wrong?

Twilight wouldn’t believe some excuses. “I was stupid. I just needed to take out my anger.”

“You said it helps you calm down…” The alicorn had returned with band-aids.

This is what you have done.

You destroyed all of her plans.

You forced her to kill a creature.

You forced her to choose between you and Spike.

You are dragging her down with you.

“Twi… Don’t be like me. Please. I can’t take this.” Rainbow knew that if the alicorn followed…

Both of them would find a quick and miserable ending.

“I can’t die, Dashie! I should be the one of us doing this! Not the one that could be killed at any second! Do you have any idea how quickly we can bleed out!” She would lock her up.

Rainbow was stupid if she assumed that Twilight wouldn’t do it.

I am sorry! I am sorry! I am sorry!

The band-aid was finished.

"Fix me! Fix me! Please! Use mind magic on me or something!" Her older self had been right.

She should have listened.

Twilight stared at her.

Twilight considered it.

“No.”

“Why! Fix me! You need to fix me!” Twilight had the power to do it.

Why was she refusing?

“This isn’t the way, Dashie… You aren’t some machine… Ponies just aren’t fixed by being lasered with mind magic.” It would simply tape over the problem, not solve it.

Then what…

“Twi… you know that I still love you, right? I didn’t mean it-”

“I know, Dashie-”

“What can I do, Twi?” She didn’t want to be like this.

But I also don’t want to see a professional.

“I don’t know.” Twilight wanted to consult one, though, despite Rainbow's protest.

Only there was nopony here that she trusted to handle her angel.

"I feel tired, Twi…." Rainbow slumped down on the bed.

“It’s the blood loss, Dashie… You already hurt yourself a short time ago… You can't keep doing this…." Twilight needed to think this through.

She needed to ponder what the smallest evil was.

Absentminded, she used a sleep spell on Rainbow.

She herself would stay awake.

***

“Are you happy now?”

“No.”

“Why? Is this so much worse than setting her on a path that would have been her certain death?”

“This is achieving nothing. We are hurting them all for nothing.”

“Give her her element back. She can do it. She is already exhibiting all the signs of a worthy bearer.”

“…This isn’t for you to determine. My element isn’t the element of love. Of course, you stand by the pony of your heart.”

“Oh? How many cheaters are out there?”

“This isn’t what I am looking for in a bearer.”

“You all choose unworthy bearers for your plan. Why must mine have perfect ones?”

“…Because you at least claim you want to keep them as bearers while we would have discarded them."

“They can do this. They aren’t perfect, but this makes them all the better.”

“I know you have something else planned.”

“Like what?”

“You won’t win.”

“Just give her her element back. My victory will be a victory for this universe.”

***

You need to help her somehow.

Mind magic?

Forced help from a professional?

Ignore it and show her that you trust her?

All options seemed stupid.

One she would have to take.

This makes her calm down…

Twilight levitated a shard towards herself.

I just don’t understand…

Why?

It made contact with her skin.

No. This is stupid.

It was thrown against the wall before it could do any harm.

Why don’t you fly?

This was always what seemed to help you when you needed to take your mind off things back in Ponyville… That’s it!

Why had Rainbow chosen to join the Wonderbolts?

The answer seemed obvious now.

This must have been their way to help you! Give you something to take your mind off of things! Release your energy!

But Rainbow already had an opportunity to fly if-

She doesn’t.

One can’t fly safely around here.

She can’t fly with me since I haven’t learned how to do it yet.

We aren't on a cloud but in a room with locked doors and windows.

It all needed to be fixed.

This could work.

This was what she would try.

And if it fails?

***

A servant entered her room.

This early? It’s still dark out-

Blood was on the ground of the doorway.

In the corner of her eye, she could see a wing peeking out.

“Hello, Amaya.” It was the voice of the acolyte.

She was standing in front of her, a warm, kind smile on her face.

S-She found me! She knows! She killed my guards, without anypony being any wiser!

“Mind telling me what you are doing here?” The acolyte mustered her.

Why are you already here! How is that possible! This is Canterlot Castle! I should have been safe!

“I-I-I-” What was she supposed to tell her?

By now, the distance had been closed between them. “There is no need for fear. The night has always been merciful to its children.” The acolyte rubbed her head lovingly. “Follow me. I will bring you home.”

Home… has it ever been one?

Amaya didn’t move.

“I see.” The acolyte stared at her blankly. “The sun has always seemed more appealing but remember, the moment you take a good look at it, you will see just how cruel it really is.” She cowered in front of the filly, placing one of her wings on her. “You are still young. However, I do believe you are already old enough to make your own decisions. Amaya, this is your last chance. The queen and her generals already want you dead.”

Candy and Princess Celestia will protect me!

“The sun will discard you once you have fulfilled your purpose. Anything else would threaten the society she has carefully built to maintain her power.” A second wing was placed on Amaya. “Come with me, Amaya. It’s not too late to see the error of your ways.”

I-I-I would rather take my chances.

“I-I am s-sorry. It’s not about y-you…. Just e-everything else,” she somehow managed to choke out, despite the terror she was feeling.

“I understand.” The young bat pony could feel a sting on her neck.

N-No!

“Candy! Can-”

A green aura surrounded her. Nopony would hear her now. “I am sorry.

"They want to kill us.

“They want to kill me and my child.

“I must do what’s necessary to prevent that.”

I don’t want to die! Please no!

There is so much left to see out there!

Nopony, but the Acolyte could hear her. "You need to talk to them! T-They… are…” She had trouble forming the necessary words to complete her sentence.

“Just close your eyes, little one. When you open them, all your worries will be gone, I promise.” Why had the mare chosen this way to end the young bat pony?

I… don’t want to.

“You have been strong. It’s time to rest.” How could such a kind voice speak those cruel words?

A victorious smile appeared on the acolyte's face. "I didn’t think we would meet for many years to come.” Only now did she turn around to face Candy. “So, you are the champion of the sun?”

“I am only going to say this once. Let her go, and I will give you a head start. At least then, you will have a slight chance to escape my wrath.” The unicorn was seething, utterly failing to contain her fury.

“How about a counteroffer? You surrender to me, and I will administer the antidote I-”

The acolyte never managed to complete her sentence, with Candy laughing a barrage of attacks.

Instantly the green pegasus threw the bat pony to the side, focusing on her counterattack, causing Amaya to collapse.

Why… did you have… to come alone, Candy?

Why…

“Did you think I would allow you to instrumentalise her against us!” the acolyte screamed.

It seemed a bit ridiculous, thanks to the servant outfit she was still wearing.

“No! But I also didn't count on you coming here personally to take her out! You realise you will never leave here alive!” Both mares danced around the room switching between dodging and attacking, destroying everything in their path.

But suddenly, the acolyte stopped, put a shield up and levitated a tiny veil in front of Candy. “This is the antidote. I assume you probably have a few seconds left to administer it. It’s time to choose what’s more import-”

Again, the unicorn lunged forward, forcing her way through the shield.

Again, the pegasus dodged.

“A pity yet expected. I would have done the same.” Mercilessly the veil was crushed in front of her. “We do what we have to do for our goddesses.” Wide eyes stared at shards of glass on the ground, covered in the only thing that could have saved Amaya.

"Y-You killed her….

"I failed."

Don’t… blame… yourself…

I-I love you…

…mom…

“Candy, have you ever wondered why it is that our goddesses drag us into their fights?” It was as if the acolyte hadn’t even noticed the lack of breathing of the young bat pony.

“…”

“We will meet again.” The green pegasus teleported away.

Enchantments should have prevented it.

Candy rushed over to the filly. “Amaya?”

There were no signs of life.

Why did I lunge forward? I didn’t even hesitate for a moment…

I broke my promise…

Why did I make it in the first place?

Her entire life was centred around the princess. She wasn’t supposed to dedicate herself to other ponies.

Golden magic engulfed the filly.

Celestia?

“You lost.”

I did.

“You didn’t go after her.”

I know.

“You were too stunned to start first aid.”

Beginners mistake.

“However, you weren’t even supposed to render first aid. You chose her over your mission objective.”

It felt right.

Concern had crept into Celestia's voice. “Candy, what is wrong with you?”

“I just wanted her to live…."

“We will talk about this later.”

This just isn't fair! It could easily have been the other way around! I could have fled to them! This could have been me!

I-I even entertained the idea of adopting her…!

The princess didn’t speak up.

“Celestia?” Candy looked around.

There was no other pony in the room nor any magic.

***

Celestia hadn’t slept at all.

There was too much to do.

“We have lost ponies. We have lost equipment…

"Never before have they shown hostility towards us, and now, they are trying to kill us."

It’s all falling apart…

Crush the rebels! Sombra didn’t have these issues!

No. Those are my little ponies… I love them, even if I have hurt them.

This is not what you said previously. Don’t lie to yourself.

“What do you think about what they have written?” she asked the pony that had been chosen to update her on the situation.

“Creative lies.” Came the immediate reply.

“What would you think if I told you it was the truth?” She tried to gauge his reaction.

Nothing but the truth.

False. The truth is what you say it is.

“One-sided garbage.” It was like reading off a script.

A script he believed in.

The only garbage is my leadership.

Because you are too kind.

“And if I told you it was balanced?” Would those loyal to her really stand by her side no matter what?

“You know what you are doing.” He had no doubt about it.

I revoked the citizenship of two little fillies so that my Sunrays can take them out.

“What if all my reasons had been listed in there?” He wouldn’t stand by her side no matter what, would he?

Loyalty has rejected me even before it met me… Rainbow knew she would end like this…

This is what I would have wanted Twilight's fillyfriend to be like…

…We need to make sure she is the right pony for Twilight. Twilight doesn’t deserve a rebellious madmare.

Who knows if her insanity won’t hurt Twilight?

Twilight gets to love who she wants, and that's that! If Rainbows has captured her heart, then she has already more than qualified herself!

“We all make mistakes,” he assured her.

“Mistakes like these?” Celestia could barely believe her ears.

Soon you won’t have to worry about it anymore.

Once the dark magic has consumed you, you won’t be burdened with a consciousness.

Just let it in, and it will help you.

“We believe in you, princess… we don't understand why you did all those things, but they certainly weren’t done for no reason…

“As for the corruption and shortfalls of your government… they deceived you. Even the paper said that.” Wouldn’t that mean that it really had been telling him the truth?

So many lies…

So many ponies are suffering because they twisted or never complied with my orders! They stole their bits! They got off too easy!

Had you not censored the media, you would have known all this already.

Had you not had them believe that you are a weakling, they wouldn’t have dared.

“But I should have managed to catch those lies.” She could have at least visited the papers from time to time and asked them if there were any stories she should be aware of but that they had been too afraid to print. Maybe even prevented from printing.

“Don’t be too hard on yourself, princess. We don’t blame you.” The princess was tired. He could see it.

She was tired, and she was burdened with guilt.

Nopony would believe him if he told them. “You killed them all.

“Now you have a chance to show us why it is that we fight for you.”

A second chance.

A second chance she had already ruined.

If only-

“Princess!” A guard rushed into the throne room. “The castle has been attacked!”

Again? Has Twilight-

“We have lost at least 8 guards and 3 servants! The attacker has been versatile in dark magic! The assassin has apparently targeted a prisoner! Damage is still being assessed, and a ponyhunt has been launched!” he reported.

What prisoner could possibly be this im- Amaya!

“Where is Candy!” the princess screamed.

“The medics are-”

You can reach out to her now.

Reach out to her.

Her eyes turned green.

Quickly she teleported away.

***

“Wake up. We are here.” It had taken way longer than she had thought it would.

“I am sorry, Isabella. They have introduced speed restrictions due to reported wear and tear on the tracks, which has been systematically ignored for years.

“That’s good, though, since they will starve themselves that much quicker thanks to it.”

It’s fine. Thank you.

"Always happy to help. I will go distract the workers, so don't worry about them."

“Hey… I was wondering if it wouldn't be good to introduce ourselves to each other?" Pinkie spoke up.

“Once we have crossed the border, we can do that." It was a good idea.

It should have been hers.

“Oh! We can make a game-”

“Here is a game.” Now wasn’t the time, though, for any antics, and the pink filly seemed to have forgotten it. "Get caught and die."

“…”

“…”

Pinkie looked down, while Fluttershy seemed disappointed in her.

Applejack and Rarity, though, were apparently fine with her reaction.

“Isabella. He is here. He came for you. Don’t take your anger out on the ponies. Take it out on the ponies that hurt us.”

He didn’t come for me.

He only came for Spitfire.

Still, they had a point. “I am worried, ok? Just please be careful. We are this close to safety.”

Relative safety if one considered what had happened last time.

The fillies stayed silent.

“Just follow me. Our intelligence says that the path is clear.” Without complaints, they did just that.

No happiness.

No happiness, no food.

It was weird. They fed off of positive emotions, which is why they were considered parasites.

But if they killed their food sources, then they would starve.

If they made them unhappy, they would starve?

Skylar said we exist to bring positivity into the world…

She said we were supposed to be there for them…

Create enough love for them so that we all can thrive…

“Umm…is everything all right?” Fluttershy asked her. “Can we help?”

"You are crying, Isabella."

I-I know.

“I-I didn’t mean to upset you! I will behave!” Pinkie had only intended to lighten the mood, not snuff out the last remainders.

“Skylar was wrong.”

Said who?

“Mother.”

Why?

“You know why.”

I… because they will never accept happiness created by us.

"Correct. Only through our disguises can we survive, and even then, it falls apart the moment they recognise our involvement."

“I-I n-need a m-moment. Just c-continue w-walking.” The fillies were taking her attention away from her family.

B-But we can still create happiness in secret! And this isn't true. They acc-

“They don’t. Not even the yellow one.

“And we can’t create happiness thanks to the purges. This is why we will take over with or without Twilight. Once we are in charge, we can do as we please. They will never know that we run their government, and if they do notice, so be it.

“If they end up unhappy, we can cocoon them and suck them dry. All we really need to do is make sure that they create enough offspring for us to feed off. And that can be forced.

“Those who accept us, we will keep safe, and the others deserve to become nothing more than food.

"If necessary, they all will become that."

"It doesn't have to be this way. Mother is wrong, and you know it. You both try to hide it, but the hatred for them is blinding her like it starts to blind you. Help them create a world of harmony and not of darkness with just enough light for us.”

Who said that!

“Who said what?”

One of you dared to go against Mother!

“…ignore it.”

What is going on!

“Dissonance.”

Like pony like changeling.

Even the hive was falling apart.

***

“Leave!” Her magic forced everypony out of the room.

Candy remained, a shield around her and the dead bat pony in her hooves.

Failure! Weak failure! You want to win against Nightmare Moon! You can't even protect your own castle from an assassin!

You should have been there for her!

You should have protected her and her property!

Property?

What a weird thought.

Unfortunately, though, the general message rang more than true. “Candy…”

“Mission objective. Mission objective. Mission objective.” The unicorn was mumbling those words over and over again.

“Any failure of your mission objective will result in immediate termination.”

Those days had been long gone.

At least if you weren't the young filly who had been forced to live through the nightmares, the words had created.

But Candy hadn’t been assigned one, had she? At least not that she could remember. “State mission objective.”

“Secondary objective failed,” Candy mumbled. “Failure to comply with perimeters assigned as Director of the EBI and failure to take out a direct threat to the princess.

“Failure to achieve personal primary objective. Protecting Amaya.”

I… it's good to see that you have learnt to have your own objectives.

Though, it was a bit troubling to hear that the unicorn was viewing these things as mission objectives at all. "Remaining objectives are personal primary objective of securing Celestia's love and primary objective of protecting her as well as the daughter she loves more than me."

“Protecting her as well as the daughter she loves more than me.”

Oh, Candy… what have I done to you?

Celestia sat down next to her, causing Candy to drop the shield. Gently the princess caressed her and the dead filly. “You are still the Director of the EBI. We all fail sometimes. This objective will remain active as long as you want it to.”

“A failure like this is unacceptable. A resignation is expected,” Candy continued to mumble.

“Believe me when I say that nopony resigns because of their failures, as long as they aren’t forced to. You may have been told that, but the handbook isn’t real life.” If only her ministers had been like Candy.

Those resignations I would have accepted.

“…I want to stay the head of the EBI… I want to avenge her.” The acolyte had reached out to her.

But after what she had done, she would never forgive her.

“…Can you fix her?” Only now did the thought come to mind.

“No. She is gone for good,” Celestia was forced to tell her. “I will make sure to give her a proper burial.”

If you aren’t careful, this will be Twilight.

Never forget that.

“I had some hallucinations…” Candy remembered what had happened.

“That might be a side effect. Candy… you need to reach out to me next time. You need to use your body. You are magic. Remember, you can transform into an alicorn thanks to the pegasus magic I am providing you with.

“Learn to use it.” The acolyte could strike again.

Celestia needed to be prepared.

She needed to prepare Candy.

“Mission objective. Master new abilities,” Candy acknowledged.

A letter popped up before Celestia.

Sunrays.

It had their seal on it.

"What happened?" Candy, too, had recognised it. The unusual sight of their seal managed to snap her out of her current state.

The princess skimmed through it.

"Twilight has nearly gotten herself lynched in Klugetown, but my Sunrays have managed to calm the crowd with a show. They are helping her now in taking over." How did her daughter end up there?

"They are killers, trained in many ways like I was. I didn't know they do this kind of stuff." The unicorn was surprised.

They do what I tell them to do.

"They are working overtime trying to establish a government for her and keeping her safe from the angry population. All that without her knowing. She is in good hooves." It wasn't an optimal solution.

Though, she could live with it.

Until she hasn’t figured out how to handle the elements, she should probably keep Twilight safely away from her.

They say she needs to do a demonstration of power to prove to the residents that she is worthy.

She needs to give them riches, not the promise of a happy life.

“I will have to sacrifice the second merchant fleet.”

***

A new day had begun.

Rainbow opened her eyes.

Twilight and Spike were missing.

Why-

You hurt yourself.

You hurt Twilight.

You accused her of intending to lock you up with Celestia, despite her only wanting to help you.

You said you hated her.

You said she should leave you alone.

Now you are alone.

Are you happy now?

The day had barely begun, yet tears were already flowing.

“Morning, Dashie.” Twilight was hanging onto the open window. “Wait, don’t cry! I will come in!”

She tried to climb inside, yet Rainbow was faster. “Twi! You didn’t leave!”

You have bruises on your body.

You have injuries.

There is blood.

Rainbow trembled backwards. “W-What have you done!”

“Oh… Well…” Twilight hadn’t realised why Rainbow behaved like this, thinking she was just taken aback by the sight. “I was teaching myself how to fly… I crashed all night.”

You taught yourself how to fly?

But why?

I should have been there!

“Without me…” Rainbow felt left out. She wanted to be there when Twilight was in the sky.

“I wanted to surprise you, D-”

“Show me.” What had the alicorn learned without her?

“Sure!” It was already working. Instead of tears, she could see curiosity in Rainbow's eyes. “You will be so stunned. You won’t know what hit you.”

“If something hits me, it will have been an alicorn.” Rainbow gave her a challenging grin.

And I will kiss her as a reward.

“Oh, you bet this alicorn will hit you now!” Twilight let go of the windows, tumbling towards Spike, who had been watching them from under a tree.

Rainbow followed.

“By the way, Dashie. You owe him a flight. I promised you would give him one since he was forced to see me buck up all night.” Twilight struck out her tongue.

You can’t put me off by giving me an opportunity to fly, egghead.

“How dare you! Never have I been this offended! I am a pegasus, not a taxi!” Rainbow pouted.

“You won’t be a taxi, Dashie. Taxis are yellow, featherbrain.” Twilight had seen through her.

You are getting better…

I will have to step up my game so that I can win against your new memories and the experience you have gotten.

But now wasn’t the time for that.

Now was the time for flying.

“Watch and learn from your Empress.” Twilight puffed her chest before taking off.

This almost sounded one-to-one, like something I would have said…

Only without the empress part.

Heh. Maybe Rainbowitis is a contagious disease after all.

Though the words didn’t fit the slow and insecure gaining of altitude, Twilight managed to achieve while taking off straight into the sky.

You already managed to do that last-

All of a sudden, however, Twilight fell over, flying top step towards the ground.

Holy s-

Only to pull up at the last second, ending up hovering in the sky again. “Gotcha!”

How often did you crash training that?

Just to prank me?

The purple filly flew towards her. "It took me some tries to get this down correctly, but I wanted to prove to you that I can do this.”

"You hurt yourself for this." Rainbow felt anger rising up within her.

“It wasn’t that bad." Twilight shrunk back. "I wanted to show you something-”

“You hurt yourself! I don’t want to-”

I don’t want to see you hurt.

You don’t want to see me hurt.

I want to hurt myself for hurting myself?

“Dashie… the Wonderbolts-”

“What about those propagandists?” Rainbow was taken aback by the sudden shift in topic.

They probably wanted me to become some kind of advertisement for Cel-

“They fly.

“They do it fast.

“They do tricks.

“They show off.

“They do it as a job.

“They pay well.

“They are famous.

“This is what you want.

“This would have been able to take your mind off of things.

“It would have made everypony adore you.

“You would have felt free.

“Can’t you see it?”

…But not when they work for her.

Though everything else was true.

If it hadn’t been for the princess and the fact that they were a military unit, it would have sounded like a dream job.

Future me didn’t have those reservations anymore…

“You don’t want to join them, but you want what they could have given you.” Twilight spread out her wings again. “I have grounded you. I held you back from reaching the stars.

“One is still shining, Dashie.

“Let’s reach it.”

Comments

[Theresa]

Celestia is trying to help but rainbow needs to get mental help because her mental health is falling apart before twilight eyes and hurting twilight and making things harder on her because twilight is trying but they are children and not ready for this kind of stuff. For goodness sake even the founding fathers were adults working together when they decided to make a new government. Twilight is going to snap if pressure is not taken off. And Celestia is loosing it because she can't face her flaws and work on cleaning up her country.

[LastToTheParty]

This was a really good chapter, we got so many new insights .

First of, not Amaya ! She only got out of the darkness and could finally have a childhood .

I also worry about Candy now, seeing as a part of her seemingly died with Amaya. I hope she won't totally stop being her own pony and only live on for Celestia.

We now know the gist of what is happening with the Elements, after all it wouldn't be fun if they were spared from all the chaos .

Celectia coming to some terms with what she did and starting to do at least a bit of self-reflecting is also a really interesting development. Though that only seems to apply to the ones she really cares about. But seeing how Celestia has to contantly fight against the corruption that is spreading in her mind it really is no wonder that she is not completely sane anymore.. Maybe not so much has changed after all, let's see how long that last until Sunbutt once more enters total Führer mode. I also really like the idea of her Sunrays. While it is interesting how many groups of special agencies Equestria has, this one really makes sense to exist and explains a lot. I was for example wondering why Celestia did not try to move heaven and earth to find her once again escaped daughter, but with them looking for and over Twilight that makes sense. It also shows how much of a chessmater Celestia still is, even now influencing Twilight without her knowledge.

I'm also interested if we'll see more of the remaining group of the Mane 6 + Isabelle, before they arrive in Klugetown, as we haven't really had time to explore the dynamics of that group. But with so many plotlines remaing let's see if we'll have time, I mean we still so many other things to move along, like Sorin and Lyra for example.

Our main pair (or trio) seems to finally get some more breathing room to work things out between them. And they seem to make at least some headway. But lets see how long that will last , considering how long they had last time before the next disaster came around the corner.

All in all another great addition to the story .

[silent_user]

11632172
Always happy to see your analysis. Thank you for taking the time

[silent_user]

11632534
This chapter I am so proud of . I am so glad to hear you liked it and the many different scenes it included . Thank you so much

Amaya really hurt me. But I think it was necessary.
Considering the scene and how I set it up, her surviving just wouldn't have worked that well... and the plot line I had in mind for her...
When she thought "mom", that was a mixture of hallucinating and wishful thinking, but in the real world, that was what I had in mind for her originally.
Yet, in the end, there were so many characters, and I felt that she didn't work that well. In this scene, her death just worked that much better while also freeing up Candy for another plot line involvinga different flower. A plotline that I am dying to push forward.
In addition to that, almost all other plot points just work better without her as well.
In the end, her death was just what was best for the story, no matter how much she personally meant to me

The Sunrays I had already mentioned. It was time to finally introduce them, wasn't it?
They are basically the result of the backstory Celestia gave. Not having them would have made zero sense. That includes, as you correctly identified, Twilight disappearing and her seemingly not caring

As for Isabella and the rest of the group, let's just say not everypony can just teleport to Klugetown

But let's see how long that will last , considering how long they had last time before the next disaster came around the corner.

What exactly is it that you are implying here?

I hope you liked the bit of additional insight I gave

[Solar_Wolf]

Man I'm full on dube ditching some how to keep up