Willpower, Hope, Compassion, and Love must battle Rage, Fear, and Avarice to protect their new home.
After being freed from their bonds, the Emotional Entities seek out a world where they can live in peace and harmony. What better place to live than Equestria, a land which embodies the very powers of will, hope, compassion, and love. But can the entities of the Emotional Spectrum fit in with the pony race? And can they truly escape the turmoil of the universe they left behind, or will a new War of Light be ignited?
I like this place, thought the green earth pony stallion. He was young, about twenty years of age, with confident hazel green eyes, and a strange cutie mark that was a white circle with a green colored lantern at its center. Currently the stallion was walking the streets of the quaint little village of Ponyville. The residents were very friendly, always smiling, of course that may have something to do with a pink mare he had met the earlier today who seemed to make others smile and laugh.
Wonder where she went? She just took one look at me, gasped, and ran off faster than the wind. Was there something abnormal about my appearance? I thought I was normal looking…Oh no! Could she have some ability to see what I really am?!
The stallion shook his head, trying to dispel the negative thoughts that tried to enter his mind. He had to think positive, especially since he needed to find, not only a job, but also a place to stay. The green stallion visited many shops and stalls around the town. At first he stopped by the Floral Shop, owned by three earth pony sisters, Rose, Lily, and Daisy. Unfortunately, although he had a good knack for it, the work wasn’t as satisfying to him.
His journey for employment then took him to another shop called Quills & Sofas. While the physical aspect of moving the sofas around seemed a good way to use his strength, it wasn’t as fulfilling to him. That’s when he realized he needed a job that combined both cultivating and physical labor, and then it hit him, farming!
After some talking around, the green stallion finally found a good tip about where the biggest farming business around Ponyville was, Sweet Apple Acres. From what they told him, the farm had been around since the creation of Ponyville, and was responsible for the town’s existence. Now it was time for him to see if they would take him. But before the stallion even trotted in the direction of the farm, he was once again greeted by the pink mare he met before, and she seemed to be towing something with her.
“Hello Miss –”
The pink mare in question grabbed the stallion’s right hoof with both of her hooves and started shaking it cutting him off. To his own astonishment, the mare was able to lift him in the air as she shook his hoof.
“Sorry I ran away earlier! When I saw you I was like ‘I don’t know him, he’s new to town – and I should know, I know everypony in Ponyville!’ So I rushed on over to get my official ‘Welcome to Ponyville Welcome Wagon.’ Sooooooooooooo…”
Pinkie Pie let go of the stallion’s right hoof, his eyes were spinning about as his body readjusted itself to a state stillness. It was at this time that Pinkie Pie went over to her wagon; she then kicked it which made the wagon produce musical horns. After that she began to sing and dance to the music being played out of the wagon.
“Welcome, welcome, welcome! A fine welcome to you! Welcome, welcome, welcome! I say how you do you do!? Welcome, welcome, welcome! I say hip, hip hurray! Welcome, welcome, welcome To Ponyville today!”
The green stallion just stood there, both surprised and impressed by Pinkie’s routine. He was about to open his mouth to speak but stopped the moment Pinkie said…
“Wait for it…!”
Just then the cart’s oven door popped open and blasted the two of them with confetti. Which was kind of cool, but what he what didn’t see coming was the large amount of gooey substance exploding from the candy cane colored stacks. Pinkie Pie was covered in the gooey mess, obscuring her vision of the stallion.
“Silly me, I put the cake batter in the confetti cannons, and confetti in the oven, again!” Pinkie Pie quickly, and comically, lapped up the cake batter covering her body. “Sorry about that.”
Oddly enough, the stallion wasn’t covered in cake batter; in fact, the batter was lying in a ring around him.
“It’s alright, no harm done,” he said.
“Great, in that case, you should come with me to Sugar Cube Corner! I got a big ‘Welcome to Ponyville’ party all set up for you there!”
The stallion blinked at that statement. “Really…you have a party already set up? For me?”
“Of course I do, c’mon, they’re all waiting for you,” said Pinkie Pie.
Before he could say another word, the green earth pony was whisked away by the mysteriously peppy and strong pink mare known as Pinkie Pie. If he really wanted to, he could slip away from her iron grip at any time, but since she went through all the trouble.
The least I can do is go to the party. Besides, it’ll probably be just a few ponies, nothing big.
(Sugar Cube Corner)
I stand corrected…
When the stallion arrived at the sweet shop, he was surprised to see that the inside was filled with many ponies from town. Everypony from stallions, mares, and even little foals all showed up to welcome this complete stranger to their town. It was, to say the least, heartwarming. Considering everything he went through in his last home, Ponyville was very accepting.
Pinkie Pie had gotten atop a makeshift stage, dragging the guest of honor with her. She then produced a microphone seemingly out of nowhere and gained the attention of every pony in the room.
“Hi everypony, today we’re here to welcome a new pony coming to live in Ponyville –!” Pinkie Pie quickly placed a hoof over the mike. “You are staying in Ponyville, right,” she asked in a hushed tone.
The stallion nodded.
“So then why don’t you introduce yourself Mr. Mystery Stallion!?”
Pinkie Pie threw the mike over to him, he fumbled with it for a few seconds, being caught off guard by the sudden pass. All eyes were on him as the other Ponyvillians awaited the name of their newest resident. Regaining his hoofing, the stallion stood proudly before the crowd.
“Hi everypony! My name is Ion, and I’m looking forward to living here with all of you!”
The crowd of ponies all clapped their hooves together and let out a big cheer. Afterwards, Ion left the stage to enjoy his own party. He quickly got acquainted with the owners of the shop, Mr. and Mrs. Cake, as well as their twin foals, Pumpkin and Pound Cake. Ion felt an overwhelming urge to ask why one foal was a pegasus and the other a unicorn, but one look at the couple’s faces told him that it was a question that was answered many times over, so he decided to spare them having to answer it again.
Ion was led by Pinkie Pie so she could introduce him to two ponies talking to each other, a pegasus with a rainbow mane, and a rather attractive looking unicorn mare beside her.
“Oh Rainbow Dash please, it would only be for a little while,” said the white unicorn mare.
“Forget it Rarity, I’m not going to model for you again, just get Fluttershy to do it,” retorted Rainbow Dash.
“As lovely as she is, Fluttershy doesn’t have exactly what you have that I need for my model.”
Rainbow Dash raised an eyebrow curiously. “Yeah, and what’s that?”
Rarity immediately made herself presentable from her pleading demeanor just moments before as Pinkie and Ion arrived.
“I thought I’d introduce you to my gal pals! Ion, this is Rainbow Dash and Rarity. Rainbow Dash is like the fastest flyer ever, and Rarity makes the most beautirific clothes you’ve ever seen and –!”
Just then Pinkies eye lids began to flutter rapidly, making Ion raise an eyebrow at the odd gesture of the pink party pony.
“Sorry, gotta run, we’re about to run out of punch!”
With that said Pinkie Pie dashed off into the back of the bakery, leaving behind an outline of herself in the form of smoke, which was smiling at the three of them till it faded away.
“Umm, what just happened,” asked Ion.
“Pinkie Sense,” said Rainbow Dash and Rarity together.
Ion still looked confused.
“Trust us darling, better to accept it as it is. So, Ion, what brings you to Ponyville, relatives, business, or a fillyfriend perhaps?” Rarity gave the green stallion a salacious look.
“What!? No, no, no, nothing like that! I’m actually just roaming around, looking for some work,” said Ion.
“Work, huh, so what were you thinking of doing,” asked Rainbow.
“Well I wanted to try my hoof at farm work, and folks around town say that Sweet Apple Acres is the best around here.”
“Cool, so where are you staying tonight, going to the Inn?”
Ion seemed to hesitate at that question, eliciting looks of concern from the two mares.
“…I was hoping to barter with the Inn Keeper, once I was able to get said job.”
“Darling, are you saying you have no money,” asked Rarity.
“Not at the moment, no,” confessed Ion.
The white unicorn mare shook her head. “Well that simply won’t do at all.” Rarity’s horn glowed; she then produced, in a flash of light, a few bits. “Here, this should get you a room, at least for the night.”
“Oh no, I couldn’t,” said Ion, astonished by the generosity of the mare before him.
“Think nothing of it; a new resident to Ponyville shouldn’t have to sleep on the streets, not after the fabulous party Pinkie Pie has thrown.”
Rainbow Dash clasped Ion the shoulder as she shot him a grin. “Yeah, and I’ll do you one better. Sweet Apple Acres is run by a friend of ours, her name is Applejack. I’ll take you there tomorrow and we can talk to her. It shouldn’t be too hard, considering Cider Season’s coming up, she’ll need all the help she can get.”
“I really don’t know what to say…thank you,” said Ion, sounding a bit overwhelmed.
“Guess we have a reason to really party now, c’mon Ion!”
Before he could say anymore, Rainbow Dash grabbed the stallion and started having him cut a rug. It was awkward, clumsy, and sporadic, but to tell the truth, Ion was having fun, and admittedly, everyone else was either bad or worse than he was.
I really like this place!
(The Next Day)
Ion’s sleep was a peaceful one, best he’d had in a long time. The green earth pony stallion stared out through his window, watching all the citizens of the town move about their day. He saw a little gray unicorn filly running around, while a pegasus mare with same coat and mane color caught up with her. She then drew the little filly into a hug and the two trotted along. The sight of the mother and daughter warmed his heart; even now it still amazed him how happy this world was.
Just then Ion saw a rainbow streak fly across the sky; it looped around and headed straight for the Inn. Ion already had a good idea about who this was and proceeded downstairs. His timing was perfect as the speedster mare landed a foot away from him, flashing him a confident smile.
“Mornin’ Ion, ready to head to Applejack’s,” asked Rainbow.
“Ready when you are.”
Rainbow Dash wasted no time in showing Ion the way to Sweet Apple Acres. Along the way Rainbow pointed out the different places in Ponyville that she liked to take a nap in, and Applejack’s orchard trees were one of them. There was something that Ion did find particularly interesting. When the two of them trotted, or in Rainbow’s case flew, he couldn’t help but notice that the pegasus mare held her gaze upon a tree that appeared to have been fashioned into a house.
“Miss Rainbow Dash –”
“Call me Rainbow, I don’t like all that formality stuff.”
“Okay, Rainbow Dash, what is that place exactly, that weird tree,” asked Ion.
“Oh there, that’s Golden Oak Library, my ma– uh – I mean – my best friend Twilight Sparkle lives there, and she’s the librarian as well. She’s kind of an egghead, but she’s awesome, well not as awesome as me, but still pretty awesome!”
“She’s also one of the Princesses, right? It must be nice to have royalty living so close.”
“Y-yeah, she’s not all that used to being a Princess yet, so she’s still the same as she was before she became one, which is fine with me. I like her the way she is,” said Rainbow.
Ion smirked a little. “Oh, Twilight must be a very dear friend to you?”
Rainbow nodded, but quickly shook her head upon feeling a warmth grow on her cheeks. “C’mon, we need to get AJ’s!” The cyan pegasus increased her speed, moving on as fast as she could.
If Predator was here she’d have a field day with her reaction.
Sweet Apple Acres, it was rustic, quaint, and as advertised, a large farm. A big red barn house was offset beside secondary barn; the air was filled with the smell of fresh apples and of fertile soil, wafting on the winds that blew through the orchard to the any who inhaled their scent.
As Rainbow and Ion entered the farm through the white fence they trotted towards the main house. On the porch there was an old mare sitting in a rocking chair, her coat was bright lime green, and her mane white from old age. Next to her, lying on a cushion and looking miffed, was a large red stallion, with an orange mane and green eyes. His midsection seemed to be wrapped up in bandages.
“Hi there Granny Smith, hi Big Macintosh,” said Rainbow Dash.
“Hello there youngin’,” replied Granny Smith.
Big Mac only snorted and nodded in their direction, noting the new face that was accompanying the rainbow maned mare.
“What can we do ya’fer?”
“Well we needed to talk to Applejack, is she around?”
“Oh she should be off in the orchard buckin’ down some apples with Apple Bloom, with Cider Season comin’ and all.”
“Thanks, c’mon Ion.”
Ion followed Rainbow Dash as she hovered off to the rows of apple trees. For many ponies, the trees just looked like regular apple trees, but to Ion, they were more. Through his eyes, Ion could see the energy shimmering off of them, a great deal of hard work and willpower put into caring and nurturing their growth. Even the land beneath his hooves radiated a similar light, all a green tint. It filled him with joy to see such an abundance of this energy.
After walking for about ten minutes Ion could hear a weird thudding noise echoing through the trees. Rainbow Dash moved faster, invigorated by the noise, a possible indicator that they were getting closer. Once they cleared another row of trees that’s when he saw her. She was an orange earth pony mare, with a blonde mane and tail that was tied off at the end with a red string, and lovely green eyes. Her cutie mark was that of three shiny red apples, while atop her head she wore a Stetson hat.
Ion watched the mare as she balanced on her forelegs, folded her hind legs, and kicked the tree, loosening its contents of red apples. The multitudes of delicious fruit fell out of the tree branches, landing in the neatly placed baskets, filling them up to the brim. A couple of trees down from the orange mare, there was a filly, with a yellow coat and red mane and a pink bow tied in it.
The little filly was doing the same thing as the older mare, kicking the apple trees and making the apples fall from the branches. The mare with the Stetson hat took a moment to scan her surroundings, at which point she finally noticed both Rainbow and Ion standing across from her.
“Howdy Rainbow,” she called out.
“Hey Applejack!”
The two mares met each other halfway and performed a “hoof bump” as they did. Ion followed behind, trying not to interrupt the two friends. It wasn’t long before Applejack became curious about the new face among them.
“Hey there, Ah don’t reckon Ah’ve seen ya around these parts, name’s Applejack.”
“Ion and it’s nice to meet you Miss Applejack. You have a beautiful orchard,” said Ion.
“Thank ya kindly, so what brings you and Rainbow here?”
Ion started to fidget nervously, “You see…I was hoping that I could come and work for you on your farm Miss Applejack.”
“You wanna work on Sweet Apple Acres? Well Ah don’t normally turn down hard workers, but as it stands, Ah can’t take ya on,” said Applejack.
That was a bit of a disappointment to Ion, he really liked the way it felt around there, and the mare who exhumed great willpower from her soul. However, Rainbow Dash seemed to take this rejection a little more seriously than he did.
“C’mon Applejack, you can’t –!”
“Applejack!?”
“Yeah Apple Bloom,” she responded while glancing over her shoulder.
“Ah’m gonna go and keep buckin’ more of the trees further in,” said Apple Bloom.
“Alright, just don’t go too far. Ah’ll be there in a minute.” Once Applejack was certain that Apple Bloom was far enough not to hear their conversation she turned her attention back to Ion and Rainbow Dash. “Like Ah said, Ah can’t afford to hire help right now.”
“I really don’t mind the amount you give me; as long as I can assure the Inn Keeper that I have a job, and that money will be coming, I can make do,” said Ion.
“Ah appreciate yer enthusiasm, but at the moment Ah can’t, and any amount Ah can pay ya probably wouldn’t be that much to cover a month’s rent at the Inn.”
“Applejack c’mon, cut the guy some slack! We just came here from your house and we saw the condition Big Mac is in. You’ll need help, especially with Cider Season, you need someone like Big Macintosh to help you buck, carry, and press apples,” said Rainbow Dash.
Applejack looked over Ion, to which he stood completely still. He wasn’t an overly muscular stallion, but he was well toned, the kind of build you’d expect of a fighter.
“Ah don’t know…Ah want to, but Ah gotta think about the long run, plus we’re about to make a huge investment in land later this year, and we need every bit we can save up…”
“I understand…”
“Ion!”
“No, it’s okay Rainbow Dash, I’m not going to force the issue. Thank you anyway Miss Applejack.”
“Look, if it’s any constellation, Ah’ll recommend ya to some other farmers around Ponyville, Ah’m sure they’d –!”
“APPLEJACK!!!!!!”
Ion, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash turned in the direction of the voice. It sounded like Apple Bloom, but there was a level of fear and distress in her tone. Not wasting any time, Applejack galloped off in the direction her sister last went. Ion and Rainbow Dash followed close behind to offer whatever help they could. It wasn’t long before they saw Apple Bloom galloping at full speed towards them, her eyes wide as saucers, with a frightened expression on her face. She skidded to stop as the three older ponies met up with her.
“Apple Bloom what’s the matter, are ya alright little sis!?”
“Ti-ti-ti – TIMBERWOLF!!!”
Ion was confused by that name, but it appeared that Rainbow Dash and Applejack were aware of what it was she was talking about, and it filled them with fear that he knew all too well.
“That’s impossible; Timberwolves don’t come this far out of the Everfree Forest!”
“Apple Bloom, are ya sure it was a Timberwolf? Are ya absolutely sure!?”
Apple Bloom pointed her hoof in the direction she was running from. Straining his ears, Ion tried to listen for whatever danger the little filly was pointing to. Soon he heard the sounds of many trees snapping and breaking, and a low tremor vibrated beneath his hooves that came in succession, as if something were drawing closer. What confirmed the suspicions of the two mares was the loud, horrible roar that echoed through the tree line ahead.
“Run?” Rainbow asked.
“Run!” Applejack confirmed.
Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Apple Bloom took off, leaving Ion standing there looking confused as to what the creature was. He didn’t have to wait long before his question was answered. A large beast came bursting through the tree line, its body made up of wood and leaves. A crown sat upon its head, with glowing eyes and sharp fangs. The Alpha Timberwolf spotted Ion, snarled, and roared. Now knowing the identity of the beast, Ion quickly did an about face and galloped like the wind after the three ponies.
Ion managed to catch up to the two mares and filly, surprising Rainbow and Applejack at the incredible speed of the stallion. “What in Equestria is that thing!?”
“A Timberwolf, it comes from the Everfree Forest,” shouted Rainbow.
“Only they aren’t supposed to come out this far, they only roam around the edge of the forest or hunt inside of it! This is definitely not normal!” Applejack shouted.
“Sis, didn’t ya mention a Timberwolf that looked like that that Spike saved you from last year,” asked Apple Bloom.
“What?! Oh shoot, it must be the same one! It’s trackin’ me, and it probably smelled mah scent on ya, that’s why it found us!”
“Ah’m sorry,” apologized Apple Bloom.
“Don’t worry about it Apple Bloom, just run!”
Ion glanced over his shoulder, and then back in front him. A clearing was coming up, and the beast was just a few yards behind them. No doubt it would continue hunting them, and most likely harm other ponies trying to find Applejack. That’s when Ion made his decision. Once they got to the clearing, the green earth pony stallion skidded to a halt, doing a one-hundred and eighty degree turn, facing in the direction of the oncoming Alpha Timberwolf. The other three ponies stopped abruptly, watching the stallion stand his ground.
“What’re ya doin’, keep runnin’!”
“No! That thing will just keep coming after us! I’ll take care of it!”
“You’ll WHAT!!!?” Rainbow shouted. “Have you lost your mind!? You can’t take on that thing alone!”
“I don’t plan on fighting it; I plan on leading it away long enough for you three to get away! You can bring help later, alright?!” Ion shouted.
Rainbow Dash looked to Applejack, Applejack looked to Rainbow Dash, they then glanced down at Apple Bloom and that’s when they reluctantly made their decision.
“C’mon Apple Bloom…”
Apple Bloom gazed up and gave her big sister and incredulous look, as if not believing what she just heard. “Applejack ya can’t be serious?!”
“NOW!!!” AJ ordered.
Rainbow Dash flew down quickly and scooped up the little filly, even as she continued protesting what they were doing. As Applejack turned around to gallop after them, she turned her head and stared directly into the stallion’s eyes.
“Don’t ya dare die on my farm…!”
Ion simply nodded and watched as Applejack ran into the trees behind him, following Rainbow Dash. The green stallion then stared down the tree line, the sounds of the beast approaching were becoming louder and louder with each passing second.
“In Brightest Day, in Blackest Night
No evil shall escape my sight,
Let those who worship evil’s might
Beware my power, Will’s grand light!”
Ion’s cutie marks began to glow, covering him in a thin layer of green energy; his eyes glowed, pulsating with the same power. At that moment, the Alpha Timberwolf burst forth from the tree line ahead. The beast snarled as it spotted Ion, quirking its head at the odd glow coming from the earth pony’s body.
“Come beast, attack me if you dare,” said Ion in a calm even tone, his voice sounding deeper, stronger, and ancient.
The Alpha Timberwolf howled, answering his challenge. The lupine creature ran towards the stallion, narrowing its glowing eyes as it charged for him. The Timberwolf lunged for Ion, baring its fangs and claws.
Ion’s eyes flashed, sending out a wave of energy flying towards the Alpha Timberwolf. When the blast hit it engulfed the creature, completely freezing it in place. The Timberwolf floated just three feet from Ion, its eyes wide with shock. It then let out a deep breath, allowing Ion to get a nose full of the wolf’s malodorous breath. Ion then waved his hoof in front of his nose, coughing from the scent that evaded his nostrils.
“Ugh, foul stench. Well, compared to the Butcher’s, it’s like a fresh spring breeze.”
Ion’s right hoof shined with power, he then waved it from left to right, causing the Alpha Timberwolf to fly off into the other direction! It tumbled a few times on the ground before coming to a stop. The creature’s body lit up, its scattered bits recollecting and fusing back into its body. The monster lupine roared in anger at the stallion who threw him like a rag doll. Apparently not learning its lesson from the first attack, the Alpha Timberwolf charged for Ion yet again.
Ion let out a disappointed sigh. The green stallion rose on his hind legs, Ion’s left and right forehooves burned with the light of willpower. He thrust his forelegs forward, sending out another wave of energy at the Alpha Timberwolf. Suddenly two ball and chain weight constructs appeared around the wolf’s hind legs, jerking the monstrous lupine back and sprawling onto the ground.
Two more constructs formed around its paws, clamping them to the ground. Ion raised his hooves into the air, just above the Timberwolf, a pair of giant swords slammed down on either side of its neck, forming an X with the head sticking through the gap.
“I see your body is made up of a collective consciousness. One connected to many, melding your individual portions to form a whole.” Ion approached the Alpha Timberwolf, staring directly into its eyes. “Listen to me, you will go back to your home and stay there! You will never come out to harm any ponies or…” Ion’s eyes shined brighter, incasing the Timberwolf in green energy yet again.
The Alpha Timberwolf could feel it’s body become unstable, every part of it threatening to burst apart at the seams.
“I’ll use all my power to break you down to your atomic structure, it’ll be years before you can gather enough of yourself to form even a single thought…Are we in agreement,” asked Ion.
The creature nodded carefully, making sure not to anger the powerful stallion.
“Good.”
With a flash of his eyes the Alpha Timberwolf burst apart into a thousand plus pieces. Ion’s other constructs had vanished without a trace to be seen.
“Now let’s make sure you don’t come back for a while.” Ion raised his left hoof and fired another collection of green energy. The blast exploded a few feet away, transforming into a giant catapult construct. Ion pointed the same hoof towards the pieces, levitating them into the catapult. “Happy landings!”
With a wave of his hoof the catapult released, hurling the pieces of the Alpha Timberwolf clear across the sky, aiming towards the Everfree Forest where they disappeared beyond the tree tops.
Once that was done Ion closed his eyes, the green aura around him started to dissipate till it was gone completely, his cutie marks no longer glowing. With a heavy sigh Ion glanced in the direction where Applejack and the others ran off to.
“As peaceful as this world is, there still seem to be some dangers. I’ll keep that in mind. Now…time to work on my cover story.”
Applejack galloped as fast and hard as she could, knowing that she just probably left a pony to die made her angry, partly at Ion, but mostly at herself. But she had no choice, she had to think of Apple Bloom’s safety, and Rainbow Dash’s. Soon they came upon the farmhouse, AJ noted that Big Mac had shot up from his resting spot, and that Granny Smith jumped out of her rocking chair at the sight of the three of them.
“GRANNY, BIG MAC, WE GOT A PROBLEM!” Applejack shouted as she dug her hooves into the ground, bringing herself to a stop.
“What’s all the commotion about,” asked Granny Smith.
“Timberwolf, a big one, chasing us,” answered Rainbow Dash.
“WHAT!!? Where is it,” asked Big Macintosh.
“It was right behind us, but Ion stayed back to lead it away from us,” said Apple Bloom in dismay.
“Ya mean that stallion that stopped by here earlier?” Granny asked.
“Yes! Now listen, we need to get some ponies together to help drive that thing away before that fool stallion gets himself killed,” said Applejack.
“I guess that makes me the fool stallion?” All eyes quickly snapped into the direction of the voice. Applejack gasped as she saw Ion trotting leisurely towards the worried group of ponies. “Although I will admit, it was a stupid thing to do.”
“ION!” Applejack ran ahead of the others to Ion. When she arrived Applejack quickly inspected the green earth pony, circling around him to make sure that he didn’t sustain any injuries, to her relief, he did not.
Soon the others gathered to Ion with expressions of surprise and curiosity.
“I can’t believe it, you got away,” said Rainbow Dash.
“Is it comin’ for us,” asked Big Macintosh.
“No, trust me, the Timberwolf won’t be coming back for a long time,” said Ion.
Apple Bloom pushed past the older ponies and stared in awe of the stallion. “Seriously, how’d ya do it?! What happened to it?!”
“Well I ran as fast as I could, I didn’t have clue where I was but the next thing I knew I was staring over the edge of a steep cliff. When the Timberwolf lunged for me, I ducked down and rolled under its legs. Once I got behind it, I kicked that thing as hard as I could over the cliff and broke it into a thousand pieces.”
Rainbow Dash came up and patted the green stallion on the back, giving her congrats on not dying. Granny Smith came up and mushed his cheeks and thanked him for saving her granddaughters. Big Mac just simply smiled and nodded in Ion’s direction. Applejack just stood back, her mind at work as she looked at the stallion.
“Applejack, again, thank you, I’ll see you later,” said Ion.
“Hold on now.” Ion froze. “Cider Season is comin’ up, and with Big Macintosh injured, we could use an extra hoof around here.”
“Applejack?”
“So, fer the time bein’, you can work at the farm.”
“Really,” asked Ion completely astonished.
“But yer on probation, we’ll see how ya do durin’ Cider Season, afterwards we’ll negotiate. You’ll also be livin’ in the barn beside the house till Ah’m more sure about ya, so you won’t have to worry about rent at the Inn. The least Ah can do since ya saved me the trauma of having to find yer body out in the orchard,” said Applejack with a smirk.
Rainbow Dash gave Ion a hard slap on the back, knocking him off balance, her little way of congratulating him. The other Apples came up and officially introduced themselves, with Ion doing the same, everypony smiling and laughing from today’s ordeal.
Applejack didn’t know it at the time; after all, she just invited a complete stranger to live with her and her family. But something about Ion intrigued her, she didn’t know what or why, but there was definitely something about him. Something…more…
The day was bright, with a few light clouds in the sky. Up above there was a little pegasus filly, about the age of ten. She had a blue coat, a long light blue mane, and navy blue eyes. Her cutie mark however was that of a strange white symbol. She rather enjoyed flying through the skies; it was in her nature after all. When she heard that she’d be assuming the form a pony, she worried about not being able to fly. Thankfully this world had ponies that could not only use magic, but could fly as well as control the weather. A pegasus, that’s what she remembered this particular form was called.
Equestria was a beautiful place, from the skies and on the ground, so full of hope and wonder. In the town below, Ponyville if she wasn’t mistaken, the filly found that she liked this town, especially three fillies that seemed to get into one crazy shenanigan after the other. A group comprised of a unicorn, an earth pony, and a pegasus, who went by the name the Cutie Mark Crusaders.
She’d often watch them from afar, admiring their “crusading,” how even through their repeated failures to obtain their cutie marks it never dampened their spirits. They always kept hoping, hoping that their next endeavor would lead them to their prize. One of the Crusaders, in particular, caught the filly’s eye. It was the pegasus with an orange coat and violet mane, her wings could not lift her off the ground, but they could propel her far, if she remembered correctly, her name was Scootaloo.
Today was starting off like any normal day for the mysterious filly. She watched the Crusaders from high above, hiding behind a cloud. The one thing she was grateful for was that her pegasus form did not hinder her acute hearing and keen binocular sight, allowing her to see and hear what they were doing. Currently she was watching the Crusaders mount a red wagon, while Scootaloo hooked her scooter to it. Scootaloo then placed her helmet on her head and flapped her wings, propelling her scooter and the wagon at an amazing rate of speed.
“Today’s the day guys, I can feel it! Today’s the day we get our cutie marks in…Sky Diving,” proclaimed Scootaloo.
“Ah’m glad we didn’t get rid of these things,” said Apple Bloom, gesturing to the parachute pack, “Since Spike stopped us last time and all, we never did get to try out this idea.”
“Scootaloo, you never said where it was we were going to Sky Dive from,” said Sweetie Belle.
“Dead Mare’s Drop,” she said plainly.
“Oh, okay.”
There was a long pause, but it seemed that after a few seconds to process Scootaloo’s words, Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom’s jaws dropped with their eyes wide as saucers.
“DEAD MARE’S DROP,” the two fillies shouted in unison.
“What?”
“Are ya crazy Scoots!? That place is too high, what happened to just jumpin’ off that bridge over the stream!?”
“There’s no way that would’ve worked. Besides, I checked the place out; it’s not as bad as everypony says it is.”
The mysterious filly, while confident in Scootaloo, did not like the sound of this “Dead Mare’s Drop.” After contemplating it for a minute she made her decision to follow them all the way to the location, even if it meant being spotted.
Maybe it isn’t as bad as they make it out to be? It’s probably just a very steep hill or something like that.
Then again…maybe not…
The mysterious filly, while taking cover behind a cloud, stared down at the infamously named, Dead Mare’s Drop. Even from her perch, she could tell that this cliff was high, at least a two hundred foot drop, with only a small clearing below and a sea of trees further ahead. All three fillies examined the cliff, noting the long drop.
“This has got to be, by far, the most dangerous crusade we’ve ever done,” stated Sweetie Belle.
“Eeyup,” said Apple Bloom.
“Definitely,” added Scootaloo.
Thank goodness, they know how dangerous it is, thought the mysterious filly.
“Let’s do it!” Apple Bloom shouted.
Or maybe they do and they just don’t care…
Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle positioned themselves at the edge of Dead Mare’s Drop. The blue pegasus filly was gripping the cloud she hid on tightly, her brow sweating, the anxiety building. Although she held out hope that they would succeed, there was a small part of her that hoped that they wouldn’t.
Oh great Life Entity, please do not let any harm befall these three, she silently prayed.
“CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS SKY DIVERS! YAY!”
With their group battle cry shouted, their parachutes and goggles fastened, the three fillies jumped off the edge of the cliff. The blue pegasus watched as they fell faster and faster, with each foot they plummeted the mysterious pegasus bit her hooves. Soon enough the Crusader’s parachutes deployed, three chutes, for three ponies. She let out a sigh of relief, from her vantage point, she could determine that they had deployed at the right time, and at their current descent, would land safely at the bottom.
“We did it!” Scootaloo shouted.
“Thank Celestia,” said Sweetie Belle.
“Can ya see anythin’,” asked Apple Bloom.
Each filly angled their heads to check the flanks of the other, sadly, not a one had that which they sought. With a collective groan they sagged in midair, pouting at how even though they did everything right, they still didn’t have their mark. Although the mysterious pegasus was glad that nothing had gone wrong, she still felt sorry that they did not gain their marks.
Suddenly something shifted; the blue filly could feel a change in the air currents surrounding the area. Her fears were realized when she saw the three Crusaders struggling to hang onto their chute strings. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle seemed to maneuver their chutes to keep them stable. However the same could not be said about Scootaloo. A big gust of air rushed the orange pegasus filly, quickly slamming her into the side of the cliff.
“AAAAAHHHHHH!!!!!” Scootaloo screamed.
The blue pegasus eyes zoomed in, showing that Scootaloo’s wing was bent at an odd angle. Another gust of wind blew in again, smashing her into the side of the cliff for a second time. At this point her parachute got caught on a jutting piece of stone, an audible tearing sound echoed up to her ears. She could hear Scootaloo cry out in pain as her friends looked on helplessly, unable to rise up and get their friend. From what she could tell Scootaloo wasn’t moving, in fact, her eyes were closed.
After a minute Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle landed on the ground, they quickly removed their parachute gear and stared up at their friend, still caught on the rock up above.
“SCOOTALOO!!!” Apple Bloom shouted.
“SAY SOMETHING, ARE YOU ALRIGHT!!? SCOOTALOO!!?” Sweetie Belle shouted.
The tearing sound grew louder and longer, as Scootaloo’s body dropped down lower, the cloth slowly ripping apart. With the last thread torn, Scootaloo was released, going into free fall. No longer able to watch, the mysterious filly sprang up to her hooves, spread her wings, and took off. She spiraled in the air for a few seconds before diving down. The wind whistled in her ears, protesting her amazing speed as she almost literally cut through the air itself.
Scootaloo’s body quickly came into view; she was mere inches away from her. In one motion, the blue pegasus filly scooped up Scootaloo into her forelegs, she then angled her wings, allowing herself to change course and aim directly for the trees. She noted that Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle must’ve seen her, but at the rate of speed she was going, she most likely appeared as a blue and orange blur.
The mysterious pegasus held Scootaloo close, her eyes fluttered open for just a brief second.
“…R-Rainbow Dash…?”
Scootaloo’s eyes closed, losing consciousness. The blue pegasus filly slowed to a hover, frantically looking around for a spot to land. Her keen eyes spotted a small clearing down below. With her target in sight, she flew down. As she slowed she found a small bed of soft moss, she then lowered Scootaloo gently onto it belly first, minding her broken wing. Once she was relieved of her load, the filly landed next to Scootaloo.
“Can you hear me, Scootaloo,” she asked.
No response.
“Oh great Life Entity, please…” She lowered her head, placing an ear next to Scootaloo’s head. She could hear soft, low, raspy breathes. “Alive, but that doesn’t sound good.”
Forgive me everyone, but I must use some of my power or this filly might die!
“In fearful day, in raging night,
With strong hearts full, our souls ignite.
When all seems lost in the War of Light,
Look to the stars, for hope burns bright!”
The marks on the filly’s flanks began to glow, her body erupting with a powerful blue aura, her eyes brimming with the same power. Using this power, she peered into Scootaloo’s body, allowing her to see the extent of the damage done.
“Just as I thought,” her voice echoed a mixture between young filly and grown mare, “A rib has punctured her lung, and she’s broken her left wing…” Her head drifted to Scootaloo’s, she then raised a hoof and rested it gently on the filly’s head. “I won’t let you die, you who are so full of hope.”
The blue power of the pegasus shined brighter, the aura surrounding her washing over Scootaloo. There was a pained expression on Scootaloo’s face, but once the blue light enveloped her small body, it changed to one of relief and comfort.
Show me your hopes, your dreams, use these, that I may heal you!
The blue energy pulsated, with small sparkles leaving Scootaloo and traveling to the blue pegasus filly. She smiled; she could see the hopes Scootaloo held in her heart. She wanted to be like her idol, to be fast, brave, and strong like her, this Rainbow Dash. Another hope of Scootaloo’s was that one day she could fly like all the other pegasi, to soar among the clouds and zip through the clear blue sky above, to laugh in the face of gravity. The last hope was obvious, her cutie mark, she wanted to know her special talent, and in so doing, learn who she really was.
“I was right about you, Scootaloo. You are a wonderful filly, and that is why…I won’t let you go. Do not fear, death will not have you. All will be well.”
The mysterious filly focused the aura of her power, letting it completely surround Scootaloo like a cocoon. Scootaloo’s body completely disappeared as the blue light obscured her. With a flash of light from the blue pegasus’ eyes, the light shattered, revealing Scootaloo. Any visible bruises had completely vanished, her left wing was no longer broken, and her breathing was clear and normal.
The power she summoned slowly dissipated, she then trotted over to Scootaloo’s left side and laid down next her, watching over her as a mother bird would watch over her hatchlings.
“Now we wait, but…” she looked towards her own flank, “I’ll have to do something about this.”
Scootaloo yawned and groaned, raising her head slightly and blinking her eyes to focus. All around her were trees; her body felt the soft touch of the moss below her as her ears caught the sounds of many chirping song birds. Scootaloo was confused; the last thing she remembered was jumping off a cliff with her friends…the parachute released…no cutie mark…and then…
“HOLY HORSEFEATHERS!!!”
“I see you’re awake.”
Scootaloo jumped up from her resting spot and scooted back. Lying next to her was a blue pegasus filly, about the same age as herself.
“Hello, I’m Adara. I’m glad you’re alright,” she said.
“W-w-what – you – but I was –! What happened to me!?”
“You and your friends were parachuting off a cliff, Dead Mare’s Drop I think it’s called. I was flying by when I saw you getting swept up by rogue wind, it slammed you against the side of the cliff, it must’ve knocked you out, because when your chute tore you weren’t moving,” explained Adara.
Scootaloo thought over what Adara had told her, she racked her brain trying to remember what had happened to her. Soon the metaphorical light bulb popped on in Scootaloo’s head.
“That’s right…I…I got swept up, I remember getting hurt, but after that nothing!” Scootaloo then looked to Adara. “You…you saved my life!?” Adara nodded.
Scootaloo quickly dashed to Adara and drew her into a tight hug, practically lifting her up with amazing strength. Scootaloo quickly broke the embrace and whipped her head frantically from side to side.
“Oh my gosh, Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, what happened to them!?”
“Your friends are fine; I saw them land on the ground safely. They’re probably worried about you since I kind of whisked you away rather quickly,” Adara admitted.
Scootaloo let out a sigh of relief. “Thank Celestia…” Scootaloo lowered her head as her ears flattened. “I could’ve gotten them killed…I almost died…I can’t believe how stupid I was…”
“Do not blame yourself, you and you’re friends are safe and unharmed, that’s all that matters now,” said Adara.
“I guess…thank you Adara, I owe you big time.”
“No need to, just happy you’re okay.” Adara began to rise up on her hooves. “We should get going; your friends must be really worried by now. Follow me, I know the way back.”
Scootaloo didn’t hesitate, she trotted up next to Adara and the two began their walk back to where her friends were. Along the way, Scootaloo and Adara trotted in silence, admiring the scenery. Adara had asked why she had called her Rainbow Dash at one point; Scootaloo blushed and became embarrassed that she had mistaken her for her idol. After a shared laugh between them, they pressed forward. After walking for about twenty minutes Scootaloo noticed something she hadn’t earlier, both of Adara’s flanks were blank.
“You don’t have a cutie mark either!?”
“Hmm, no, I don’t, is that strange?”
“No, no, it’s just, there aren’t a lot of blank flanks like us in Ponyville, come to think of it, I’ve never actually seen you around town,” said Scootaloo.
“That’s because I’m not from Ponyville, like I said, I was flying by when I saw what happened,” said Adara.
“Oh, so where’re you from,” she asked.
“I actually I don’t have a home of my own, but –”
Scootaloo came to a full stop and stared wide eyed at Adara. “You don’t have a home?! You’re telling me you’re homeless?!”
Adara was taken by surprise at Scootaloo’s reaction.
“Well yes…”
“What about your parents, where are they?”
“I don’t have any,” the blue pegasus placed a hoof to her chin, “come to think of it I don’t believe I ever had any,” said Adara in a matter-of-fact tone.
“I’m sorry…I shouldn’t have said anything.” Scootaloo started to feel guilty about how she must’ve reacted, feeling that she may have opened an old wound for her new friend.
“No, it’s alright, I’m not bothered by it at all,” assured Adara, placing a hoof on Scootaloo’s withers.
The orange pegasus filly looked into Adara’s eyes, they were completely sincere, no sadness at all about bringing up the subject.
“Hey Adara…do you…do you want to stay with me, at my place? It may not be much, but at least you’ll have some place to sleep tonight,” Scootaloo offered, noticing the lowering sun.
“Well…if it isn’t an inconvenience to you, then sure.”
Scootaloo’s ears perked up, she jumped into the air excitedly and hovered for a moment thanks to her buzzing wings before landing back on terra firma.
“Awesome!”
“Scootaloo…” echoed a voice.
Scootaloo and Adara’s ears twitched in the direction of the voice.
“Scootaloo…” echoed a different voice.
“That’s Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom! C’mon Adara they’re close!”
Scootaloo ran in the direction of the voices, with Adara following close behind her. Five minutes later Scootaloo spotted her fellow Crusaders, calling out her name and scanning the area for any sign of her. Scootaloo galloped faster as she called out their names, immediately their eyes caught sight of the orange filly. All three of them galloped for each other, colliding into a combined ball of hugs and tears.
“Scootaloo yer alright,” said Apple Bloom.
“You had us worried sick! After you got thrown into the cliff we thought…we thought…”
Sweetie Belle was about break down into a full sob, but Scootaloo brought up her right hoof and wiped off some of the tears that were accumulating on her eyes.
“It’s okay Sweetie Belle I’m fine, see?” Scootaloo got up from under the two fillies and struck a pose and fluttered her wings, assuring her two friends that she wasn’t injured.
“Scootaloo what happened, one minute we saw ya fallin’ and the next we saw ya disappear when a blue streak passed by ya,” asked Apple Bloom.
“Wow, just a streak, you really must’ve been moving fast when you caught me Adara,” said Scootaloo.
Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle looked to Scootaloo, and then turned around to see Adara slowly walking towards them, a gentle smile arched across her face.
“I didn’t notice really, I was just really focused on getting to you before you hit the ground.”
Scootaloo trotted around her friends and next to Adara, draping a foreleg around the filly.
“Guys, this is Adara, she’s the pony who saved my life!”
“Hi,” said Adara meekly.
Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom looked to each other and then back to Adara. In a blur of yellow and white, Adara vanished from Scootaloo’s side. When she didn’t feel her savior’s presence, Scootaloo whipped around and saw that both the unicorn and earth pony fillies were hugging Adara tightly, and from the look on her face, Adara was being squeezed to death by the thankful pair.
“Oh boy, better save her before they crush her spine.”
Night had finally fallen over Ponyville; Luna’s moon was high in the sky, beaming down its milky blue light upon the world below. After saying goodbye to Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo then led Adara through the familiar apple trees from which she had traversed many times over with her friends. She noticed that Adara had a confused look on her face, it was understandable, after all, Scootaloo had offered her place to sleep, but she never said exactly where.
Soon their destination came into view. It was the Cutie Mark Crusaders clubhouse. She had to admit, Apple Bloom did a great job fixing the place up. It was a little chilly sometimes, but nothing a good blanket couldn’t cure.
“Well, this is it,” said Scootaloo.
“You live in a tree house,” asked Adara.
“Yeah, because I’m the same as you, I don’t have a home, or parents, not anymore…”
Scootaloo trotted up the steps, with Adara following. She then pushed the door open. It was dark inside, with a little bit of moonlight pouring in from the windows, but Scootaloo knew the inside of the clubhouse by memory alone so moving around wasn’t hard. Scootaloo trotted further inside and went to a corner of the clubhouse and grabbed a lantern. She brought it to the table and shook it a bit. Immediately the fireflies inside came to life and buzzed around, illuminating a good portion of the clubhouse.
“Welcome to my home, and the Cutie Mark Crusaders clubhouse!”
Adara stepped inside and closed the door behind her. Once inside she took a look around, taking note of all the different knickknacks and things inside.
“Let me give you the grand tour! This is where we eat and do our roll call.” Scootaloo buzzed on over to a piece of paper that hung on the wall, a drawn face each of Scootaloo, Apple Bloom, and Sweetie Belle, with a check marked box next to it. She then buzzed on over to a little red and white carpet underneath another lantern. “And this great spot for thinking of ideas to get our cutie marks.”
Adara giggled.
“If you go up the ladder you’ll be able to look through our little observatory, we have a great view of Sweet Apple Acres from up there and –!”
*Grumble*
“What was that,” asked Adara.
*Grumble*
Scootaloo moved her hoof to her stomach; she felt her stomach grumble and rumble as it made noises. Scootaloo blushed in embarrassment at her grumbling stomach, noticing for the first time how hungry she was.
“Guess I’m a little hungry,” said Scootaloo.
Adara looked out the window, “You said those are apple trees out there, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Be right back.”
Adara leaped through the open window swiftly, making Scootaloo do a double take at her new friend’s speed. Such a thing she’d only seen Rainbow Dash do on occasion, and without hurting herself. The orange filly quickly went to the window to see where Adara went, but she couldn’t see her anywhere. After about thirty seconds Scootaloo heard a knock at the front door, curious, she trotted over and opened the door, only to find the swift blue pegasus standing there with a foreleg full of apples.
“I got dinner!” Adara proclaimed proudly as she walked in passed Scootaloo.
While Scootaloo was a bit happy about having food she also felt guilty, “Thanks Adara…but…I don’t think we should…”
Adara did an about face and stared questioningly at her new friend, a worried expression steadily growing on her face.
“I’m sorry I should’ve asked if you even liked apples I just assumed –!”
“No, no, it’s not that!” Scootaloo said quickly. “It’s just that those belong to Apple Bloom’s family, this is all their land, so…” Adara seemed to figure out just what she meant, “Oh…well…How about we eat just the two?”
Two wasn’t bad, out of the ten she picked, although she still felt guilty her hunger won out in the end. The filly’s slowly munched on their large apples, savoring the juicy sweet taste. Scootaloo and Adara talked long, well it was Scootaloo who did most of the talking, Adara just wanted to know more about what she and her friends did as Cutie Mark Crusaders. There was a little miniature alarm clock that read ten o’clock on the table. Scootaloo yawned and stretched her forelegs.
“I think it’s time we hit the hay,” said Scootaloo.
“Sounds good to me, it’s been a long day,” replied Adara.
Scootaloo went over to one of her secret caches and pulled out a large blanket and draped it over the rug in the middle of the clubhouse. The little orange filly wiggled herself underneath the wool blanket and laid down on her stomach. She then watched as Adara laid down across from her, cocking an eyebrow the orange filly just had to ask.
“What are you doing?”
“Getting ready to sleep, I thought that’s what you said,” asked Adara.
“Well yeah, but you don’t have to be over there. It gets pretty cold around this time of year, and this blanket and rug will be a lot warmer than the floor.” Scootaloo used her foreleg and gently lifted the blanket, making an opening for her new friend to enter.
“You…you want me to sleep next to you…?”
Something about the way Adara sounded made Scootaloo blush for some unknown reason.
“I mean, you know it gets drafty in here sometimes – I need to talk to Apple Bloom about that someday – but I didn’t mean anything weird by it!” Scootaloo confessed.
Why am I acting like such a spaz right now!?
“Well…as-as long as you’re okay with it…”
Adara rose up and trotted over to Scootaloo, she then maneuvered herself into the space provided by the orange pegasus and gently laid down. Scootaloo couldn’t help but notice how quickly it warmed up under the blanket, not uncomfortably, more like a warm feeling of falling asleep by a fire, and it was honestly making her feel a bit drowsy and peaceful.
“So are you staying in Ponyville long, or just passing through,” she asked.
“I don’t know, I’ve been traveling for a while now, just trying to find the right place to settle I guess,” said Adara.
Scootaloo lowered her head and rested it on her forelegs. “Ponyville isn’t a bad place stay, especially when you have friends that make it worth staying.”
“That’s nice to know.”
Scootaloo didn’t know why, but she suddenly felt herself snuggle closer to the blue filly. Adara didn’t seem to flinch or shirk away, instead she felt something else. A single wing draped upon her back underneath the covers. If it wasn’t for the warmth and her lulling into sleep Scootaloo would’ve been more shocked and embarrassed. Draping a wing over another was, to a pegasus, a sign of closeness, reserved only for parents and their children, very close friends, or even…
“A-Adara…?”
“Yes?”
Scootaloo gulped, “Your wing…”
“Is it bothering you,” asked Adara.
Scootaloo turned to face the filly, Adara was resting her head on her forelegs in much the same way she was. When Scootaloo looked into those cerulean eyes something inside them resonated with her, something she knew all too well.
“No, it isn’t. Goodnight Adara…”
“Goodnight Scootaloo…”
(Dawn)
Adara watched as the sun began to rise above the trees of the orchard, having used her powers to open the curtains. She then looked down at the filly snuggled up against her, and then to the eight apples that were still on the table. Adara’s eyes flashed with blue light and suddenly a field of energy wrapped around all eight apples. They gently hovered towards her, Adara looked from the fruit and then back to Scootaloo, a smile slowly started to creep onto her lips.
You would forgo an ample supply of food, and suffer hunger rather than steal from your friend.
Adara raised her right hoof which had the same colored aura about it. The door to the clubhouse opened, and with another wave of her hoof, the apples flew outside in a single file line, with the door closing behind them. She then felt a stirring beside her; Scootaloo let out a yawn and slowly opened her eyes. Adara moved her wing and watched as her friend began moving from the warmth of the blanket. Scootaloo shivered a bit, the slightly brisk air not to her liking, she then quickly returned back to the warmth of her blanket, cocooning herself the best she could.
Adara giggled at Scootaloo, but laughed when said filly popped her head out and set her gaze on the blue pegasus.
“Good morning,” said Adara.
“Y-you’re still here,” asked Scootaloo.
“Yeeeesss…did-did you want me to leave?”
“No! Ugh! Open mouth insert hoof.” Scootaloo calmed herself before speaking again. “No I mean I didn’t know if you would still be here. You said you were moving around so I just assumed you’d be gone before I woke up, sorry.”
“Oh, no harm done,” she said with a smile.
Now looking fully awake, Scootaloo got out from under the blanket and began to stretch her limps, groaning from each movement. It was then that something dawned upon the orange filly that made her right eye twitch.
“Hey what time is it, it’s past dawn right!?”
“Yes.”
“Oh no, Apple Bloom and her family wake up early! I need to clean up the place! Would you mind lending me a hoof Adara,” asked Scootaloo.
“Be happy to.”
“Great! I’m going to go move my scooter and wagon outside, I’ll be back and lend you a hoof!”
Scootaloo quickly went out the door, leaving Adara alone inside the clubhouse. Once sure that her friend was gone the blue filly pegasus went to work. Her body glowed with blue energy, swiftly and quickly the room was washed in blue light.
Items were returned to their designated spots, the blanket was folded and placed back in its hiding spot, the remains of their dinner was tossed out the window, gaining good distance and landing somewhere in the next town. Finally, a fine layer of dust was lifted off everything in the clubhouse. Adara then collected it into a ball and then began to compress it, smaller and smaller she made it, till it was no bigger than the size of a grain of sand, and then finally, poof, it was gone.
Adara looked around the clubhouse, a bit of pride swelling up in her heart at the fine work she did, now hopefully it met her new friend’s expectations. At that moment Adara heard the tapping of hooves coming up the walkway, she quickly dispelled her aura and pretended to do something. Just then Scootaloo opened up the door and gasped at what she saw. The entire room was almost sparkling, as if an entire team of cleaners had come in and made the place shine.
“Adara…did you do this?”
“Y-yeah…too much?”
“No way, this is awesome,” exclaimed Scootaloo.
“Oh thank you,” said Adara, feeling a bit happy at her complement.
“C’mon, we need to get out of here, follow me!”
Adara watched as Scootaloo ran outside and down the walkway, when Adara got outside she saw the orange filly strap on her helmet and get on her scooter, motioning with her hoof, Scootaloo’s wings buzzed as they propelled her and zoomed away.
The blue pegasus extended her wings and leapt up into the air, now following the mobile filly from up above. The two of them continued onward till they were clear off of Apple Family property, even going further down the dirt road. Scootaloo stopped her scooter, skidding to a halt. Adara noticed this and flew down, landing beside her.
“Thanks for all your help this morning Adara, and thanks again for saving my life,” said Scootaloo.
“No problem, just promise me you won’t go leaping off of any more cliffs,” asked Adara.
The two fillies shared a light hearted laugh. Scootaloo’s laughter started to die out a little, making Adara wonder and worry as the filly’s expression became a little sad.
“I guess you’ll be leaving, I don’t know if I’ll see you again, but if you ever fly by Ponyville again…well…you know where to find me.”
“Well, as a matter of fact, I think I’ll stay,” said Adara.
Scootaloo’s sad expression quickly disappeared upon hearing this bit of news.
“Seriously, I thought you were only passing through!?”
“I was, but, you did say that Ponyville wasn’t a bad place to stay, especially when you have friends that make it worth staying.”
Scootaloo’s cheeks turned a noticeable shade of pink upon hearing those words repeated to her, apparently in disbelieve that she could say something that sappy. After shaking her head to make sure the blush was gone, the orange pegasus filly regained her more confident bravado.
“Well then let’s head into town, the Cakes at Sugar Cube Corner usually give out free samples to early risers!”
“Let’s go!”
With that Adara and Scootaloo took off in the direction of the town proper. Adara would look down from time to time, admiring the filly below her, not from afar, but up close. The thought of staying in this quaint little town, so full of hope, alongside one who practically exhumed it, made her heart flutter. Scootaloo looked up for just a second, smiled, and then winked at her flying friend. The action, for some unknown reason, made same said heart skip a beat and made Adara’s cheeks feel hot.
The birds were singing, the little critters were scurrying about, and Harry the bear enjoying was some tea on a picnic blanket. Fluttershy was out having one of her usual Critter Picnics. Harry the bear was in attendance of course, not being able to get enough of the kind mare's honey toast. A few of the beavers were there as well, opting to chew on wood and occasionally asking for some tea to wash down their meal. Angel bunny was there was as well, it was somewhat hard to get the cranky rabbit to join the picnics. He didn't much mind when it was the two of them, but some of the other critters did get on his nerves.
Fluttershy's picnic was taking place in a nice clearing in White Tail Wood; butterflies were flying about across from the picnic, settling on some flowers. From far away Fluttershy could see that some foals were playing. One was a little filly earth pony, with a unicorn colt who couldn't be more than a year or two older than the filly. Fluttershy had seen them around town; they were brother and sister, a pair of nice and rambunctious siblings.
Suddenly the little filly, while running around chasing after her brother, tripped on a rock and fell over, tumbling about till she landed up against a tree. The filly began to cry and Fluttershy immediately shot up and flared her wings prepared to rush to her side, but she didn't need to. The filly's brother quickly rushed to his sister's side, she couldn't make out what the older brother said to her, but whatever it was it seemed to be just what she needed to hear. The filly's eyes were still watering, but she had stopped crying. The unicorn colt then used his telekinesis to left his little sister off the ground and onto his back.
Although still watery eyed, the filly smiled at her brother, and the brother to his little sister. The two then left the woods in the direction towards Ponyville, probably going home, or to get the little filly a treat. Fluttershy laid back down on the blanket, smiling warmly at what she witnessed, but also feeling a bit sad.
What a nice big brother…
The other critters were able to pick up on the change in their caretaker's mood. They chirped, squawked, and squeaked, asking if she was alright. Fluttershy realized that her animal friends were worried and she quickly gave them her best confident smile.
"Don't worry I'm fine, really," she said.
While some were only half convinced, a certain white rabbit was not. He crossed his front legs and glared up at his owner, tapping his one foot as if waiting for an explanation he was owed.
"Angel, really I am…it's just…seeing them…brought back some memories…"
Angel stopped tapping his foot and uncrossed his paws. The usually irate rabbit seemed to know what Fluttershy was talking about and decided to drop it, those words were enough to confirm what she was saying without anymore being said.
Fluttershy sighed heavily, she then looked up into the blue sky, a few clouds wafted by, a memory she tried not to remember too much found itself creeping back to the forefront of her mind.
"Head Wind," she whispered.
"Fluttershy…"
The cream colored mare's head shot up at the sound of her name.
"Head Wind?"
"Fluttershy…!"
The pegasus mare shot up once again, looking around in many directions, making her animal friends worry even more. The look in Fluttershy's eyes was desperate.
"Head Wind is that you!?"
"FLUTTERSHY!!!"
That's when the voice came in more clearly; Fluttershy looked straight up and found not this mysterious Head Wind, but instead a rainbow maned mare quickly coming to a midair stop just above her. Fluttershy was one part relieved that she wasn't going crazy, and two parts sad that it wasn't who she thought it was. But something else made those feelings change when she saw the look on Rainbow Dash's face, it was panicked, and not much panicked the daredevil mare.
"Rainbow Dash what's wrong!?" Fluttershy asked.
"You have to come quick; Cloudsdale is in trouble – BIG TROUBLE!" Rainbow shouted.
"Trouble, from who, what, why," she asked.
"No time – Twilight's waiting – army of Royal Guard ponies – Big BIG trouble!"
Without warning the cyan pegasus swiftly scooped up her long time friend and carried her into the air. Fluttershy's confused and terrified screams could be heard echoing through the woods and sky as they soon receded and began to fade. The critters and Angel all looked at each in confusion. After a collective shrug, they all went back to enjoying the picnic. This wasn't the first time their pegasus caretaker was whisked away by the rainbow maned pegasus and it wouldn't be the last.
(In the skies, ten miles from Cloudsdale)
"Oh…my…"
That's all that Fluttershy could say upon seeing the sight before her. A large number of the Elite Royal Guard pegasi were assembled, ten battalions, all armed and ready to engage in battle. Twilight was at the head of the army, standing on a cloud as she peered through some binoculars. Fluttershy looked in the direction that the newly crowned Princess was staring at; she nearly stopped flying when she saw it. A giant storm front was heading towards them, spewing lightning, roaring with thunder – no it wasn't thunder – well it was thunder, but there was something else mixed in with the sound, something that Fluttershy couldn't quite put her hoof on.
Rainbow Dash led the shy mare through the ranks of soldiers, landing on the large cloud that Twilight was on. The magical mare turned around quickly hugged her friend, happy to see her.
"Fluttershy, I'm glad you came!" Twilight said.
"No problem Twilight, but, why am I here?"
Twilight looked to Rainbow Dash, who was now staring out at the storm front that was slowly making its way towards them.
"Rainbow Dash, didn't you tell Fluttershy what's going on!?"
"Sorry Twi, I was a little too focused on getting her here," said Rainbow Dash, barely sparing a glance.
Twilight let out a frustrated sigh, "Alright, here's the situation: approximately five hours ago a massive storm front was seen making its way from the Badlands. It's already left a trail of destruction in its wake and is now heading towards Cloudsdale, if it keeps going Ponyville will be next, and then Canterlot!"
Fluttershy gulped, "Tha-that's horrible Twilight, but I don't see why I'm here? Did you need the Elements of Harmony, are Pinkie, Rarity, and Applejack on their way too!?"
"No Fluttershy, this isn't some supernatural or villainous attempt to destroy Equestria, rather, it's more along the lines of natural."
"What do you mean," asked Fluttershy.
"Take a look."
The purple alicorn used her telekinesis to levitate the binoculars up to eye level, pointed straight at the storm front. Fluttershy cautiously stepped up and peered through them. Now she could see the storm, in all its fury. She could also see that there was something moving inside of that storm, something big. Fluttershy squinted her eyes, focusing on the movement inside the dark clouds, and that's when she saw it. Its body was a bright light blue; its wings were crackling as electrified wings discharged dozens of lightning bolts, its silver legs and beak sheened in the light of the storm, its eyes were two pools of glowing energy that seemed to wisp from the corners of its eyes. The beast was nearly fifty feet tall, with a wingspan of twenty feet. The three feathered crest upon its head seemed to shimmer with power as the giant bird released a powerful call that was a mixture between a falcon's screech and rolling thunder.
Fluttershy pulled back, she almost couldn't believe what she was seeing. "Twilight that's-that's-that's a –!"
"A thunderbird, yes, and now you know why we need your help. I'm sorry to ask this of you Fluttershy, but you're the only one who can find out why the thunderbird is doing this, and maybe can convince it stop," said Twilight.
Fluttershy wasn't opposed to the idea, from what she could discern, the creature sounded pained. However, there was something that Fluttershy needed to know.
"What are you going to do if the thunderbird doesn't stop or change course," she asked.
Twilight looked down at the white cloud they were standing on, she then turned towards the storm cloud.
"If-If we can't stop the thunderbird through negotiation, or persuasion, then…I've been given authorization to stop it, by any means necessary…"
"Any means…" It took a minute for Fluttershy to put it together, the assembled army of Royal Guard ponies, her presence here at the frontline like some kind of commander. "Twilight Sparkle you wouldn't dare!!?"
"What else do you expect me to do…? I've given the order to evacuate Cloudsdale, and every other town and city in its path…But that won't mean a thing if it decides to speed up or change course towards a place that isn't evacuated!" Twilight shouted.
"You want to kill that poor creature, how do you know it's doing this on purpose, for all you know it could be physically injured and lashing out! It's perfectly normal animal behavior," argued Fluttershy.
Twilight turned towards her friend, matching the angry glare in her eyes. "I don't want to kill it; I want it to stop destroying things and endangering everypony's life! But I will do what I have to in order to protect the lives of the many ponies who could be killed! That's why you're here!"
Fluttershy flared her wings angrily, she then looked at Twilight, and then towards the thunderbird.
"You won't kill it, I'm going to stop him," she said firmly.
"Good. Rainbow Dash will go with you, along with a squad of –"
"No. Just Rainbow Dash, I don't want any Guard ponies there to make him even angrier."
Twilight was hesitant about sending her shy friend into the raging storm of the thunderbird, but with time running out, the chances of somepony getting seriously hurt was rising steadily. It was then that Twilight looked towards Rainbow Dash, the prismatic mare finally spared her a glance, she nodded towards her, as if agreeing to Fluttershy's request.
"Alright, but be careful. If it gets to hairy out there get back here immediately," said Twilight.
"Is that an order, Princess Twilight," asked Fluttershy, her back turned as she spoke.
"Fluttershy…"
"Let's go Rainbow Dash."
Without barely speaking another word Fluttershy flew in the direction of the raging thunderbird. Rainbow Dash quickly took off after her longtime friend, worried about her state of mind concerning Twilight. The storm front continued to spout lightning and thunder, its avian conjurer still making its horrible screeches.
When Rainbow Dash caught up to Fluttershy, she could see the anger in her expression.
"Fluttershy, you didn't have to bite Twilight's head off like that, this whole thing wasn't her idea in the first place," said Rainbow Dash.
"Rainbow, I know Twilight's your marefriend, and I know you want to defend her, but right now I'm not in the mood," said Fluttershy.
Rainbow Dash's face became tad shade of red, which definitely showed through her cyan coat, both out of embarrassment and annoyance.
"Okay first of all: that's way over the line! Second: I'm serious about it not being her idea! When the ponies up in Canterlot found out about this, they got all freaked out. The Defense Minister guy told Princess Celestia and Luna that they needed to dispatch battalions of Royal Guards."
"…"
"Twilight didn't want to use Royal Guards, that's why she sent me to get you, but…"
"It's okay, I'm sorry, I'll apologize to Twilight later," said Fluttershy.
"Thanks…So…how long have you known about me and Twilight," asked Rainbow Dash.
Fluttershy lost her angered expression and was replaced with her usual shy and embarrassed one.
"Um…about seven months now – but I swear I haven't told anypony!"
Rainbow Dash didn't have time to inquire any further as the two pegasi arrived at the squall line of the storm. Steeling their nerves they entered the storm, lightning fired from every direction, thunder roared in sync with the calls of the thunderbird. Something about them made Fluttershy wince, not because of the intensity.
Soon the two pegasi were close, not so close, but just enough to qualify as relatively "safe distance." Now that they were closer, the thunderbird was a little more intimidating. It didn't seem to notice them, and why shouldn't it, the two of them were practically the size of humming birds to this giant creature.
"Fluttershy, do you think you can talk that thing down!?" Rainbow Dash shouted.
"I'm going to try!"
Fluttershy dared to fly a little closer to the raging thunderbird. Its eyes still blazed with white electrical energy, its wings discharging one blast of lightning after the other. With an audible gulp, the pink maned pegasus began her negotiation with the thunderbird.
"Excuse me, Mr. Thunderbird, could you please –" Fluttershy quickly shifted to the right, narrowly dodging a lightning bolt. "I was wondering what could possibly be troubling you –!?" Another bolt flashed towards the cream colored pegasus, quickly descending a bit to let it fly over her head. "Please, I just want to help you if you would just –!"
The kind mare retreated back to where Rainbow Dash was; sensing that the "safe distance" was becoming less safe.
"Fluttershy that thunderbird isn't listening, what's up!?"
"I don't know, it's like he can't hear me!"
"Are you kidding, I can barely you over all this wind and thunder," said Rainbow Dash.
"No it's not that! I can communicate with animals not just with my voice, but with my feelings, and for some reason something is blocking me from reaching him," explained Fluttershy.
"Alright, I think it's time you used The Stare on him," suggested Rainbow.
Fluttershy looked back at the enraged thunderbird, wondering if her special ability, The Stare, would even affect it. Especially with its eyes filled to the brim with white lightning. As Fluttershy turned back to speak to Rainbow Dash, the brash mare quickly grabbed her by the shoulders and shoved Fluttershy away.
"Rainbow Dash why did –!?"
Fluttershy soon got her answer, a strong blast of wind rushed by and slammed against Rainbow Dash, sending her flying out of the storm. Fluttershy knew what that was; it was something that all pegasi foals are taught to be watchful for when flying into storm clouds. A Micro Burst, a sudden and powerful blast of wind that can flatten an entire house and force a pegasus to plummet and crash into the ground, and Rainbow Dash just got hit with one.
"RAINBOW DASH!!!"
Damn it, how could I let that happen!?
Rainbow Dash was spinning rapidly in the air, out of control. The Micro Burst had almost literally knocked the wind out of her lungs, and nearly broke a rib bone or two.
Rainbow Dash tried to regain control, but the speed at which she was spinning threatened to snap her wings if she dared tried. She had kept her eyes shut tight, trying to stave off the dizziness that would ensue if she were to look.
That's when she felt it, Rainbow Dash had stopped spinning. There was a tingling feeling all around her; it was familiar, very familiar. When she opened her eyes Rainbow noticed that her entire body was covered in a magenta aura. Rainbow Dash then found herself right side up and staring at Twilight, her face full of worry.
"Rainbow Dash, are you alright!?"
"Y-y-yeah, although I feel like I just had the Cloudisium smash into me," said Rainbow.
"Thank goodness, what about Fluttershy," asked Twilight.
Rainbow's eyes suddenly shot wide open as she turned towards the storm.
"Oh my gosh, Fluttershy's still in there! Twilight let me go, I need to go and save her!"
"After you just got tossed around like a rag doll, no way, fall back and I…I'll…"
Rainbow Dash looked back at Twilight in disbelief was she really about to purpose to do what she thought she was going to do.
"Twilight you can't do that, Fluttershy will never forgive you for that!"
"…I'll try and stop it, without using force, maybe I can –!"
Before Twilight could finish her thought a blur of purple shot passed the two of them, aiming straight for the storm front. Rainbow Dash and Twilight did a double take at how fast the streak was.
"What the hay was that!? Twilight, Twilight?"
The Princess of Magic didn't say a word; she only looked on in wonder. Was that…?
Fluttershy continued to dodge one lightning bolt after another, she couldn't give up on reaching the thunderbird, but there was no way she could reach out to it. Normally Fluttershy would be scared out of her mind and would've left by now; of course, she couldn't ignore this poor creature, not when its life was in danger.
Out of the corner of her eye, Fluttershy dodged yet another lightning bolt. The yellow pegasus mare decided to make one last attempt at trying to reach the raging thunderbird. She flew towards it yet again, nearly in front of the beast.
"Mr. Thunderbird, please listen to me! If you keep going you're going to be in trouble! They'll hurt you if you don't stop, please I know you're not bad, so just calm down and –!"
The thunderbird stared directly at Fluttershy, its white eyes shining with electrical power. The giant avian beast opened its beak, wind started to coalesce at the opening, becoming pressurized and condensed with each passing second. Fluttershy could tell what it was about to unleash, another Micro Burst aimed right at her. The shy mare did not falter; she stood her ground, so to speak, and held her gaze, radiating both seriousness and kindness.
"I won't give up on you!"
*SQUAAAAAAAAAAAWWWWKKKK!*
The thunderbird fired its Micro Burst; the blast distorted everything around it as it traveled towards Fluttershy. Before Fluttershy could wonder if this was a good idea or not she was pushed out of the way. The Micro Burst shot through the clouds, creating a hole to view Cloudsdale up ahead. The burst was a short ranged attack, so it didn't travel any further than the clouds.
Fluttershy looked down at her midsection and saw what pushed her out of the way was another pegasus. When they were both at a relatively "safe distance" the other pegasus stopped and parted with Fluttershy, allowing her to get a good look at her savior. It was a colt, about twelve years old, with a purple coat, dark purple tail and mane, and amethyst colored eyes. There was a strange cutie mark upon his flanks; it was a white circle with two triangles connected at the top and bottom.
"Are you hurt," asked the colt.
"N-no, I'm alright, are you," asked Fluttershy.
"Worry not about me, the raging one is more in need of help. You were trying to sooth him, were you not?"
"Um, yes, but he won't listen, or, maybe it's more like he can't…"
The young colt seemed to be looking over Fluttershy, as if judging something about her; he then turned his attention back to the thunderbird, noting the distance he had covered.
"You may be able to reach him, but you will need my help," said the colt.
"What, no, you can't stay here! You need to leave before you get hurt!"
"My well being is of little concern; if nothing is done then an innocent life may be snuffed out before its time. Please Miss, will you not aid me?"
Fluttershy looked at the colt, his eyes held strong, but behind them was a genuine concern for the thunderbird, a kind of compassion that she hadn't seen in a long time. It almost reminded her of a certain pony…I won't back away, not again!
"Okay!"
"You have great compassion, Miss, and I thank you."
"My name is Fluttershy, what's yours?"
The colt seemed to hesitate, wondering if it was okay to reveal his name to this mare. But something inside him told the young colt to trust this mare, if she was willing to help this creature at the risk of her life; surely there was no harm in telling her his name.
"I am Proselyte, but you may call me Lyte," he said.
Fluttershy nodded, and the two of them rushed off, one final attempt to get through to the thunderbird. The two pegasi finally caught up and moved in front of it. Proselyte hovered in midair, placing his two hooves together in a sort of prayer position.
"I'll help you in reaching out to the thunderbird, use your compassion and kindness to touch his heart, and free him of his anger!"
"But how, he can't…hear…me…"
Proselytes body began to glow with indigo light, flaring up like an inferno. His wings no longer flapped, being supported by the energy that surrounded his body. It was then that Fluttershy heard him speak in a language that wasn't Equestrian, or any other she'd ever heard of.
"Tor lorek san, bor naka mur, Natromo fann, tornek wot ur! Ter Lantern ker lo Abin Sur, Taan lek lek nok, Formorrow Sur!"
Just then the aura surrounding Proselyte transformed, solidifying into seven tentacles made of indigo light. Two of the tentacles lashed out and grabbed hold of the thunderbirds right wing and right talon. Another two grabbed onto its left wing and left talon. The fifth and sixth tentacles wrapped around its body and closed its beak so that it could not fire another Micro Burst. It was at this time that Proselyte turned to Fluttershy, his eyes shining with the same power his body emanated.
"Miss Shy, please place your hooves on my shoulders, and concentrate on reaching out to him, I will give you a direct line to his heart and soul!"
Fluttershy was hesitant; here was a pegasus, a young colt, restraining a giant thunderbird with some sort of strange power. Now that she looked closer, she saw that his cutie marks were glowing as well. Although despite all this strange power, Fluttershy did not feel threatened by the colt. Which was strange, she was always shy around others, foals not as much, but you'd think she'd stay away from a foal that could tie up a thunderbird so easily. But Fluttershy had already resolved to not let this thunderbird be harmed, so, doing as Lyte instructed, she placed her hooves on his shoulders.
The aura latched onto Fluttershy, covering her entire body, she winced, expecting the energy to hurt, surprisingly though, it did not. Instead it felt warm, welcoming, calming, she felt safe. Lyte saw the content look in her eyes and proceeded to enact his plan. The seventh tentacle lashed out at great speed, aimed directly at the thunderbird's head. The point of the tentacle came to a soft stop. The tip gently touched the thrashing head of the avian storm bringer, immediately his body went still, the strange symbol appearing where the tentacle was now resting.
"Go…"
Fluttershy suddenly felt lighter than a feather, her world was now awash in indigo light, traveling down a tunnel made of the light. Faster and faster she felt her mind and soul speed through, Fluttershy could've sworn she was moving faster than Rainbow Dash when performing a Sonic Rainboom.
The cream colored pegasus was gradually slowing down, there was a gray space at the end of the tunnel, Fluttershy flapped her wings and entered the gray nexus. She flew, guided by a small light that flickered in the distance; something told Fluttershy that that was her target, the source. As she continued flying, her goal quickly coming into view, something happened. A giant wall made of red and yellow light appeared around the glimmer, barring Fluttershy from going any further. This was unlike anything she'd ever seen before.
"W-w-what is that!?"
"His heart is closed off by the lights of rage and fear, whatever turmoil he is going through, this wall is a manifestation of that," echoed Proselyte's voice.
"How am I supposed to get around it," asked Fluttershy.
"You cannot, you must go through it."
"WHAT!?"
"I can weaken the light of rage, but fear must be conquered with compassion."
Suddenly from behind Fluttershy, a ray of blue light shined down upon the wall. The red light that made up half the wall seemed to react violently to it, but dimmed considerably, now all that was left was the yellow light, which was sending out an aura of fear. Fluttershy could feel it making her fearful. Suddenly all the worries and doubts, all the things she feared, were rising up from within her. The indigo aura surrounding her was steadily starting to change to the same color as the yellow light, drawing her in.
"You mustn't let your fears overpower you Miss Shy, you are stronger than fear," said Proselyte.
"No…I'm not, I'm going to fail, just like with Head Wind! He'll die and it'll be all my fault!"
"Do not lose the compassion within you, beyond this wall is a creature seeking comfort, you are the only one who has a chance of quelling his rage and fear…"
Fluttershy looked at the wall of yellow light; a small light flickered behind it, calling out. Her fears were quickly dissipating; she concentrated on the light beyond the fear. The yellow light was soon overpowered by Fluttershy's indigo aura, till it disappeared altogether. With her courage restored Fluttershy flew at the wall, indigo and yellow light clashed, the wall screeching in protest of her intrusion. For a brief moment, the pink maned pegasus' eyes shined with the same power as Proselyte, her form becoming one with the energy. In a giant burst of power she blasted through the wall, destroying the wall of rage and fear.
Now she was able to see what lay behind the wall, it was a bird. It appeared to be a smaller version of the thunderbird; it was crying tears of light. Its faint light blue aura was bright within the gray nexus; the small bird didn't seem to notice Fluttershy, who was now back to normal. Her protective indigo aura shined down upon the small bird, who had now taken notice of her.
"Shh, it's okay, what's the matter little one," asked Fluttershy.
"I-I-I can't find my mommy," said the blue bird.
"Alright what's you name sweetie?"
"Storm…"
Fluttershy chuckled a bit at the irony of his name. "Storm, my name is Fluttershy, where did your mommy go?"
Storm sniffled as he wiped his beak with his left wing. "I don't know…?"
Fluttershy, with a kind expression, reached out to Storm. The little thunderbird seemed a bit nervous, but after looking into her eyes he seemed to understand that she wasn't here to hurt him. The moment Storm hopped into her hoof Fluttershy saw everything, his memories laid bare before her eyes as the indigo light showed her the source of his fear and anger. It was then that she looked down upon him with tearful, comforting eyes. She brought Storm close to her chest, and with the other hoof, gently stroked his head and back.
"You poor thing…"
'Nok..."
"Twilight what in the name of Celestia is going on in there!?"
The Royal Guard battalions were now in attack formation, ready to engage with the thunderbird the moment it got close to their battle line. But for the past couple of minutes Twilight and Rainbow Dash watched as the storm front was aglow with purple light. The storm itself had stopped dead in its tracks, which only made the alicorn and pegasus worry about the fate of their friend who was still inside.
"That's it, I'm going in," said Rainbow Dash.
"Wait a minute Rainbow; we don't know what's happening in there!" Twilight said.
"Look Fluttershy's alone in there, and I swear to Luna if that thing so much as hurt her I'll –!"
All of a sudden the storm front erupted with purple light, blinding all who looked upon it. The airborne ponies had to close their eyes or turn away, unable to face its brilliance. When the light finally dimmed all were able to get a good look. There was the thunderbird, no longer was it discharging lightning, nor were its eyes white as snow. Instead, its feathers were a pristine light blue that gave off a nice sheen in the sunlight, its long tail feathers undulated up and down with each flap of its mighty wings.
The large bird started to descend downwards, it wasn't diving, and it wasn't plummeting, it was just slowly going down. All the pegasi Royal Guards followed after it, with Twilight and Rainbow Dash flying ahead of them. Luckily the thunderbird found a large enough clearing down below, its large talons touched the ground, gently laying down and bringing its head to a rest on the soft grass. The Princess of Magic and Wonderbolt trainee touched down just a few feet away. Rainbow Dash was about to lash out at the thunderbird, but that was before she saw her long time friend sitting on top of the bird's head, along with another pegasus that she didn't recognize.
Fluttershy jumped off its head and gently flew down to the ground, with the mysterious colt following close behind. Twilight and Rainbow Dash couldn't believe it, she was alright, and she managed to calm the thunderbird, although it looked really sad for some reason. One of the Royal Guard ponies trotted up next to the new Princess and whispered into her ear.
"Do you wish for us to restrain it, Princess," he asked.
"No, I don't think that'll be necessary," said Twilight.
"But ma'am, that thing nearly came close to destroying Cloudsdale, not mention the other towns and villages it already devastated along the way. I strongly insist that we tie it down before it has the chance to resume its rampage."
"Commander, I'm a Princess, am I not?"
"Well yes."
"And as a Princess, I carry the same authority as Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, even in matters such as these, don't I?"
"Yes you do, but –"
"Then this is an order, you and the other Royal Guards are not to engage or approach the thunderbird unless I give you the order to, is that understood," asked Twilight, her voice having a noticeable edge to it.
"Yes, your highness…"
The Royal Guard commander flew away to relay the message to the other troops. Once out of range and earshot, Rainbow Dash trotted up to Twilight and gave her a peck on the cheek, earning a fierce blush from the alicorn of magic.
"W-what was that for!?" Twilight asked, placing a hoof on the spot Rainbow just kissed.
"That's for being an awesome Princess and this…" Rainbow Dash quickly moved in and kissed Twilight fully on the lips, it was about ten seconds before she pulled away and grinned at her marefriend. "That's for being the coolest marefriend I could ask for."
Twilight smiled at the comment, but she quickly regained her composure, trying not to let Rainbow Dash's displays of affection distract her from the matter at hoof.
"Thanks Dashie, ahem, c'mon, we need to talk to Fluttershy."
The couple trotted slowly towards their location, being weary to not startle the thunderbird, lest the whole event start up all over again. They were about ten feet from the thunderbird and waited for Fluttershy's okay to continue. Their friend waved a hoof at them, gesturing for them to come closer. Once they arrived they were able to see just how sad the thunderbird was, the rage it had before seemed to have utterly disappeared, it was hard to believe this beautiful creature could become such a force of destruction.
"Fluttershy, you alright," asked Rainbow Dash.
"I'm fine, but…Storm's another story," she said.
"Is that his name, did you find out why he did all this," asked Twilight.
Fluttershy looked saddened by the request, it seemed that the young colt beside her caught onto her sadness and stepped forward. "I'll answer that."
Rainbow Dash looked down at the colt, suspiciously. "Who the hay are you, and where did you come from?"
"My name is Proselyte, I was flying by and saw what was happening and did what I could to help Miss Shy get through to Storm," he said.
Rainbow Dash leaned in close to Twilight and whispered into her ear, "I don't like the looks of this kid Twi, what kind of name is 'Proselyte,' and what's with that weird cutie mark?"
"Let's just hear him out Rainbow, besides, he helped Fluttershy, he can't be all that bad," whispered Twilight. "Please tell us what happened."
"Ahem, Storm here is a young thunderbird. He originated in the Badlands where he and his mother resided. One day, when they were out flying, a pack of Hydras attacked them…"
"Badland Hydras…"
"What, you've dealt with a Hydra before, they got nothing on thunderbirds," said Rainbow Dash.
"The one at Froggy Bottom Bog is of a lesser species of Hydras, Badland Hydras are twice as big, with five extra heads, have acid venom, and are deadly fierce! They're the alpha type Hydras, the most deadly, and a pack consists of at least seven Hydras, so seven times nine heads, that's sixty-four acid-spitting-heads versus one adult thunderbird and one young thunderbird…"
Rainbow Dash was silent, allowing Lyte to continue.
"The young one, Storm, watched his mother die in front of him, she protected him the best she could. Storm was filled with rage and fear, lost, he tapped into his weather manipulation powers, and created this storm front, but thankfully, Miss Shy was able to calm him," finished Proselyte.
Twilight eyed the young purple pegasus, his short cut mane partially covering his right eye. She also noticed that Fluttershy seemed surprised by his statement, but tried to keep her attention on soothing Storm.
"So," Twilight began, "is he going to be alright?"
"He really has no place to go Twilight, his mother's gone, and his home is overrun with Hydras –"
Storm raised his head a little and looked upon the gathered ponies; he then let out a few chirps and squawks. Twilight and Rainbow Dash had no idea what the thunderbird was saying, but it seemed clear that Fluttershy, and even Lyte, understood what he was saying.
"Storm no, you can't just leave!" Fluttershy gasped.
"What, what's he saying," asked Rainbow Dash.
"He says 'I'm sorry for all the damage I've caused, and for those I may've hurt. I do not wish to be a burden to you, I will leave, please don't worry about me,'" said Proselyte translating.
"NO!"
All, even Storm, seemed startled by Fluttershy's harsh tone. The pegasus mare looked at Twilight with pleading eyes, desperate even. It honestly made her feel a little uneasy.
"Twilight, please, is there anything you could do to help him!? Please!?"
Twilight thought about it, long and hard. Storm was no longer a threat, if anything he was apologetic about his actions. And, to be completely honest, if she had lost somepony she cared about that much, Twilight doubted she wouldn't act any differently. That's when her gaze drifted towards Rainbow Dash, she too was wondering what Twilight's decision would be. For a brief moment Twilight imagined would happen if she lost Rainbow Dash, she almost started to cry.
"I'll talk to Princess Celestia, but for now, I think it best that Storm stay here. Is that fare for now," asked Twilight.
Fluttershy nodded, smiling and somewhat relieved. Twilight's gaze fell to the young pegasus he was now looking back at her, giving the Princess of Magic a confident grin, bowing his head a little.
(Fluttershy's Cottage, 3 days later)
The incident with the thunderbird Storm had been pacified. He had been moved to a reserve near Canterlot, where Fluttershy could visit, and where he wouldn't be alone. Proselyte had taken trips, in secret, to check in on Storm. The thunderbird would often thank him for helping Fluttershy to reach him in his distraught state.
Recently though, the purple pegasus had found himself drawn to the shy mare. He had disappeared when Storm was moved and hadn't been seen since. Although, he found himself drawn to the mare he met that day. Compassion, true compassion, was something seldom felt, but it was strong in that mare, Fluttershy.
Maybe it was for that reason he came to see her, well, at least to see her. Proselyte was standing on the edge of the forest near Fluttershy's cottage, watching her from a distance. He watched as she took care of the animals, some very small, others large and intimidating. Through his eyes he could see the indigo light surround the area; compassion's light was strong here. He had to mask his presence by emitting some his own energy, to convey to other animals close by that he wasn't a threat to the winged caretaker.
At the very least he wanted to see how she was doing. This is silly; I'm an omni-powerful entity of compassion, why should I be anxious about meeting with this mare.
Proselyte trotted along, following the trail to the cottage on the hill. Fluttershy seemed to be in the middle of feeding her various animal companions; Proselyte stopped at the gate entrance and called out to her.
"Miss Shy?"
"EEEP!"
Proselyte watched as the cream colored mare shot up into the sky, with a rather impressive amount of speed, and hung onto a tuft of cloud that was floating in the sky.
"Miss Shy, are you alright," asked Proselyte as he stared up at her.
At that moment Proselyte felt a thumping against his right hoof. When he looked down he saw a little white rabbit kicking him repeatedly. He could sense the little rabbit's anger, he was quite irate.
"I am sorry; I did not mean to frighten her."
" #$%!"
"I certainly do not wish to cause her harm."
" #$%!"
"You're quite the foul mouthed little creature aren't you," said Proselyte.
"#$%!"
"Excuse me, what!?"
"Lyte…?"
The purple pegasus colt looked up and saw that Fluttershy was already descending towards them. She landed a couple of feet from him, her expression happy and relieved.
"It is you Lyte! I was so worried!"
"Sorry, I scared you," he apologized.
"No, not that, after what happened with Storm you disappeared, I didn't know if you were hurt or –!" Fluttershy stopped her little rant and blushed a bit. "Sorry, I guess I shouldn't have been so worried about you, not after what I saw you can do."
Proselyte rubbed the back of his hoof at that statement, "Yes…you didn't tell anyone about what I can do…did you?"
"Oh no, I didn't. I promised didn't I," she said smiling. "Do you want to come in for some tea, I just finished feeding my animal friends, so I have time to chat, that is, of course, if you don't mind?"
"No…no I don't, thank you."
Fluttershy began to lead Proselyte into her cottage; the little white rabbit was hopping alongside her. He looked back at Proselyte, he pointed his paw at his eyes and then back at him. The colt used his powers to peer into the rabbit and noticed that he was mostly filled with red light. Not surprising. But he also saw something else, at his center, was a sizeable amount of violet light. For all his bravado, he seems to genuinely care about her. I guess that is acceptable, for now.
"Oh Lyte, what was that chant you were saying back then," asked Fluttershy.
"It is a type of oath, it helps me to focus my power," he said.
"So then that word, 'nok,' it seemed to have a different meaning when you said it alone."
Proselyte stopped in his tracks and stared wide eyed at Fluttershy. "You could understand the language!?"
"Well…not all of it, just that one word at the end, I think you said 'compassion be with you.' Is that right?"
Proselyte nodded, confirming that that was its meaning. Her connection to my light is stronger than I thought…
The Crystal Empire, once ruled by an evil tyrant king, its citizens forced to be his slaves; a kingdom once lost to the passages of time was now thriving and as beautiful as ever. Thanks in no small part to six mares, a dragon, and a royal couple who now ruled over the land. At the moment the crystal ponies seemed to be on edge, some looking up at the Crystal Palace with anxious gazes, as if worrying something would burst forth from its sparkling halls and attack them. But for the moment that wasn't the case, so they tried to go about their day.
Inside, Princess Cadance was entertaining a guest, a newcomer to both the Crystal Empire and Equestria itself. She was lying on a cushion across from her guest. The other pony was a unicorn mare of sixteen, with a dark pink coat. Her long mane and tail were pink, with red highlights. Her eyes were a brilliant violet color; it was as if beauty and ferocity were mixed together within those eyes. Her cutie mark was that of an eight pointed star, an odd cutie mark, but Cadance knew of its origins.
"I must say Princess Cadenza, it's such wondrous thing to meet another who shares in my power," said the unicorn excitedly.
"T-thank you, but please, call me Cadance."
"Oh, my apologies, Cadance, but honestly, I've never felt this much love energy upon one world, it's almost overwhelming, how do you cope with it!?"
"Well it's actually not that hard, but –"
"And this Empire," the unicorn mare stood up from her cushion and moved around the room, "such beautiful crystals, they shine so brilliantly, and so do the citizens! Tell me, are they actually made of crystal or are they just magically enchanted to look like that?"
"It's an interesting story, but please could you –"
"You simply must show me around your Empire, I want to hear all about it –!"
"PREDATOR!"
The pink unicorn mare went silent and stared at Cadance.
"Sorry, Predator, I would love to show you around, but could you please do me one little favor?"
Predator smiled happily, "Of course, anything."
"Would you please release my husband," she asked pointing a hoof towards the other side of the room.
There was Shining Armor, the older brother of Twilight Sparkle, Captain of the Royal Guard, Prince of the Crystal of Empire, and he was trapped in large violet crystal pillar with a look that was a mixture of anger and shock. Predator frowned.
"Must I, we were having such a wonderful time. And it's not as if it's hurting him, if anything I'm sure he's enjoying being in there. The crystal puts him in a state of suspended animation and shows him his desires," she said.
"Be that as it may, Shining Armor is my husband and if you're going to be living here that means you'll also be staying here with him as well."
Predator sighed, "Very well, but keep in mind I did it out of self-defense."
Cadance just smacked herself on the forehead at that statement. Predator's horn glowed with violet light, with flash of energy the crystal prison shattered completely, releasing Shining Armor. The white unicorn stallion shook his head multiple times, holding a hoof to his head. Cadance moved towards her husband and placed a hoof on his shoulder.
"Honey, are you alright?"
"Y-Yeah, I think so. I was having some weird dreams…well not weird, they were nice dreams, about you and…" Shining Armor quickly went silent as his cheeks went red.
"What, what did you see," asked Cadance.
"Probably something he's always desired of you, but was afraid to ask," said Predator.
That's when Shining Armor, grateful for the distraction, looked upon the unicorn mare curiously. "Hello Miss, um, who are you, I don't believe we've met."
"Oh we did, I just wasn't in this form when we did."
Shining Armor cocked an eyebrow, Cadance decided to fill in the gaps. "You might want to sit down; this is going to be a long story. Do you remember when I was summoned to Cantertlot a few days ago?"
Shining Armor rubbed his chin, trying to recall that particular day. After about a minute the metaphorical light bulb clicked and he nodded in confirmation.
"Well…"
(Canterlot, a few hours ago)
Cadance was walking down the grand halls of the Royal Palace. She, along with Twilight and her Aunts, had found out that the other three entities had all somehow settled in Ponyville. Cadance didn't know if that was for best, seeing as how some natural disaster or world ending scenario usually starts there, and having the entities of willpower, hope, and compassion there did little to ease her mind. However, the fourth would be a different story. The Entity had tasked Princess Cadance with a mission concerning the fourth entity, one that she wasn't sure she could accomplish.
"Help her understand love?" What kind of a request is that, the fourth is supposed to be love incarnate, my title may be the "Princess of Love," but compared to her I might as well be a considered little more than a fly, probably less than that.
Cadance sighed.
Oh well, I can't really ignore this, who knows, I might be able to help. Hope Shining Armor's ready to receive a new house guest, she thought.
The pink alicorn made it to the large double doors of the west wing; she knocked on the doors with a hoof, announcing her presence.
"Enter," said a voice from within.
Cadance used her telekinesis to open the one of the doors; suddenly her vision was filled with violet light, making her squint her eyes in order to see. The light dimmed a bit, allowing her to see a young, dark pink unicorn mare standing at the epicenter of the light. It dimmed down considerably, allowing her to look upon the mare more clearly. When the young mare spotted the alicorn her expression lightened, she smiled widely as she approached.
"Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, you came to see me!"
"O-Of course, why wouldn't I," asked Cadance.
"I just thought after you first saw me in my true form you'd be a little apprehensive about seeing me again…not everyone is as accepting that a creature like myself is the entity of love," said the mare frowning.
"Predator, it's fine. I'm not going to pretend I understand why you all look the way you do, but that's just how you were born, and what you all came to be, besides, I think your true form sorta captures what love is, fierce and powerful."
The young unicorn's eyes lit up upon hearing those words of praise and moved in to embrace Cadance. The pink alicorn felt a surge of energy flow through her body whenever she came into contact with Predator; she was love energy in its purest form, given life. Her own special talent allowed Cadance to feel the love of other ponies, but with Predator latched onto her, it was as if she became an antenna of for every living creature's amorous affections. So, rather quickly, Cadance broke the embrace, smiling gently at Predator.
"So, what did you wish to discuss with me, Mi Amore Cadenza?"
"Ahem, well, since it appears that your fellow entities have settled in I thought it was about time you did as well," said Cadance.
Predator's ears flattened against her skull, her expression becoming worried. "You're going to send me away…? Am I to go where the others are?"
"No, the opposite in fact, Ponyville is…let's just say it has one too many power players for my comfort, and I don't want to add a fourth. So, I was wondering if you wanted to come and live with me in my kingdom."
Predator lit up once again, her ears perked up, eyes glittering. "The Crystal Empire, I've heard that's where you live, yes I would love to!"
"Good, well, when you're ready, I have a carriage waiting to take us –"
"Oh no, that will not do for one who wields the same power as I! We will return to your Empire in a fashion more befitting of our titles!"
"O-Okay…just what did you have in mi –?"
"For hearts long lost and full of fright, For those alone in Blackest Night. Accept this power and join our fight, Love conquers all with violet light!"
Another flash of violet light engulfed the room; it was powerful, and brighter than the previous flash before. Suddenly Cadance heard a loud boom, a rush of cool air swept over her body, along with some dust, making her cough and sneeze a bit. When the light faded Cadance gasped at what she saw. A creature with a violet crystal like exoskeleton, standing a hundred feet tall, four arms with razor sharp talons, and large dagger like fangs, was now looming just a few feet outside the broken wall of the palace. Predator's true form, which exhumed a powerful love aura, was only matched by her intimidating and monstrous appearance.
"P-Predator what are you doing!?"
"As I said, we will away to your Empire in a fashion most befitting our titles! And what better way than for the both us to arrive together, with our power radiating down upon your subjects," said Predator.
"That's a nice idea, but remember, the Entity said that you and the others were to keep a low profile and –!"
Cadance suddenly felt something coil around her midsection, the next thing she realized she hoisted into the air, and quickly placed on Predator's back. The large violet beast turned its head and looked at her fellow love wielder.
'Then let us away with great haste! Point me in the direction of your Empire!'
Knowing that it wouldn't take long before all of Canterlot was in a state of panic, Cadance frantically pointed her hoof to the north. With her direction made clear, Predator rose into the air and shot off towards the frozen north. The wind whistled in her ears as the land below them became a literal blur of colors. Being this close to Predator, in her true form was very overwhelming to Cadance. It brought up a lot of embarrassing feelings inside her, ones that she hadn't felt since she found her special talent and was a little overwhelmed about feeling the love energy of those around her. It led to some rather embarrassing situations, both humorous, humiliating, and some leaning a tad on the side of sensual. It felt like when she was a filly all over again, only multiplied by the power of ten.
Cadance, feeling a little light headed, and hot, saw the landscape change beneath them. From the greens, blues, and browns of the lush land, now only white flowed. She barely felt the cold; in fact, Cadance didn't feel any of the cold. Predator's energy created a warm glow around them, keeping the bone chilling cold at bay. It wasn't long before Cadance saw the Empire come into view, it was the only place where the clouds were opened and sunlight shined down.
'Is that it, is that your Empire?!' Predator asked.
"Y-Y-Yes…!"
'Are you feeling sick, am I going too fast?'
Right now Cadance was wishing it was motion sickness, instead of this burning feeling within her. Soon Predator slowed down, allowing the distinct shapes and figures to come into focus. The crystal ponies down below all gasped, their faces frozen in shock and terror as Princess Cadance and the Predator came flying into the Crystal Empire. Many ran inside their homes, the newly inducted Diamond Knights had assembled around the Crystal Palace, all armored, wielding spears, shields, and swords. At the balcony of the palace, one guard, none crystal, wearing purple and gold armor, stood proud and fearless. This white unicorn stallion, horn glowing with a rosy aura, created a giant force field around the Crystal Palace.
'The nerve, your warriors bear arms at the sight of their Princess! And that one, he wishes to deny us entry! Well, challenge accepted!'
"Predator wait don't –!"
Too late, the violet beast swiped its talons at the barrier, easily shattering it with a single blow. The stallion was blown back the recoil of his spell being destroyed, but just as quickly regained his composure, ready to fight against the Predator.
'Such a cocky male, to think he can match me. I do admire his courage and tenacity, you shall be spared!'
Predator slammed its claws into the balcony; suddenly three trails of violet crystals rose up from the point of impact. The three strands became and snaked their way towards the stallion. He didn't have time to react, as the violet crystal surrounded him, shooting upwards and incasing him in a pillar made of the crystal. Satisfied that the stallion would no longer be a threat, Predator used her tail to gently grab Cadance, who looked positively flustered, and gently placed her on the undamaged portion of the balcony. Afterwards, her form changed to that of the teenage mare she was before as she joined Cadance on the balcony.
"Well that was fun," said Predator with a smile.
Cadance, now coming down off the euphoric love energy, was now able to fully grasp the situation at hoof.
(Present)
"So basically after that it took me hours to calm down the Diamond Knights, and even longer to reassure the citizens that Predator was not a threat to any of us," Cadance let out a long drawn out sigh, retelling the events thus far was a little more stressful than she had realized.
Shining Armor just sat there, going over the details about what Cadance had just told him. What was a little unsettling was that Predator was sitting next to Cadance, closer than the stallion would like after hearing that story. The unicorn stallion shook his head, bringing his train of thought back to the present elephant in the room.
"Okay, so, she'll be staying with us for…how long exactly?"
"Ahem, well, um, the entities are all going to live here in Equestria, indefinitely, so…for the time being…Predator will be staying with us, indefinitely," said Cadance, offering a weak smile to her husband.
Hearing the word "indefinitely" made Shining Armor feel uneasy, having a violet- colored-skeleton-crystal-love-raptor living with them for the foreseeable future was a little disconcerting. A feeling that was only made even worse by what he saw happen in front of him, Predator, without any shame, leaned up against Cadance and began to nuzzle the side of her neck. It wasn't a normal nuzzle, like one between friends or family, it was more like the kind that she would do for him, or vice versa, the nuzzle of a loving couple. Cadance was aware of Predator's nuzzle and tried not to let it bother her, but it was obvious to Shining Armor that it was, and he himself was getting a little ticked.
"Ahem! Cadance, do you mind if we step out for a minute, there's an important matter that needed our attention," said Shining Armor.
Cadance immediately caught onto her husband's distraction, "Oh darn, are they still having trouble with that silly tax law?! Ugh, alright, let's go hash it out before everypony starts rioting about the taxes."
Predator looked up at Cadance, "Ah, do you really have to go? I wanted see the Empire with you."
"I promise I'll give you the grand tour. But we are the Prince and Princess of the Crystal Empire, and duty calls."
Sighing deeply Predator nodded, "I understand, the joys of ruling do come with equal responsibilities. I will await your return."
With that said Cadance and Shining Armor rose up and left the room. The couple trotted down the hallway for about ten minutes before either one of them let out a heavy sigh of relief. Shining Armor slumped against the pillar closest to him, while Cadance just plopped herself on the floor.
"Thanks Shiny," said Cadance.
"No problem. Seriously though, what's her deal? She was nuzzling you like you two were dating or something," said Shining Armor.
"Cut her some slack, she's the Emotional Entity of Love itself, and with me being the Princess of Love, I guess she's taken a liking to me." Cadance let out a weak chuckle.
"Alright, but really, why is she living with us, not that I don't understand the reasoning, but…do you think it's safe, for anypony?"
Cadance got back on her hooves; she then moved towards the open window and stared out to her kingdom below. "I think I understand, a little, about why the Entity wanted me to look after her. When we were flying, I was surrounded by her violet light; normally I can feel the love of ponies nearby. But…when I was in that light, I felt the love of every pony, dragon, griffon, and animal within Equestria, and not just love like the one we share. But…other kinds…"
Shining Armor raised an eyebrow at that, "'Other kinds,' what's that supposed to mean?"
Cadance turned her head and looked at her husband, her cheeks tinted with red. "Please don't make me say it Shining, it's really embarrassing…!"
"I don't understand what can be so embarrassing that…Oh…Oh – OH!" Shining Armor finally got it and his cheeks, too, were tinted red. "You, uh, you felt those kind of things…?"
"I used to when I was filly, when I first got my cutie mark, I could feel all sorts of love, even the more intimate types…needless to say it took a while before I could fully control what I was feeling, and now it's little more than a feeling in the back of my head. But after being with Predator," Cadance shook her head. "Never mind, point is, I felt something chaotic inside her, she's open to many different forms of love that she doesn't know which to follow."
"And that's what you're going to do, help her sort it out," asked Shining Armor.
"I'm going to try, but, I could really use her help, at least so that I can make sure that I'm still grounded."
Shining Armor trotted up to his wife and nuzzled her cheek, comforting the pink alicorn, his silent way of saying that he would be there to help her through this. He two of them then stared into each other's eyes, their muzzles slowly gravitating towards the other, eyes closing as they prepared to kiss…
*RUMBLE*
"Did I just feel the ground shake," asked Shining Armor.
"It does whenever I'm around you," responded Cadance.
*RUMBLE*
"There it is again," Shining Armor drew back.
"Shining c'mon, don't tease me like that –"
*KA-CHEEEEEENG*
*RUMBLE*
*CRASH*
This time Cadance definitely felt that. Both the husband and wife galloped down to where they felt the strong surges coming from. It was only now that Cadance could feel the energy coming from the direction of the room they left Predator in. She feared the worst.
They turned down the next corridor and gasped at what they saw. The door had been completely blown away. Cadance and Shining Armor sprinted to the blown entrance and dared to peer inside the room. Rosy-violet crystals permeated the room, no longer were they the bright hues of blue. Some jetted from the floor, creating large pillars, with several other tiny shards protruding from it. The bed was gone, now switched in favor of, what appeared to be, a nest which was neatly carved out of the same crystal.
The Co-rulers of the Crystal Empire stood there slack jawed at the transformation the room had gone through. Predator had been standing in the center of the room; she seemed to be surveying her recent changes to her, yet-to-be-decided, living space. When the dark pink mare turned her head she spotted the couple and smiled gleefully at them.
"Cadance, Prince Shining Armor, I decided to make a few alterations to this room. If you don't mind I'd like to keep this one, the view of the Empire from here wonderful. So, what do you think of my changes!?"
The Royal Couple shook their heads to snap them out of their daze. It was Shining Armor that found his voice first.
"Eh, yeah, it's…it's certainly is different Miss."
"Please Prince Shining Armor, call me Predator!" The dark pink mare struck a proud pose.
Shining Armor leaned close to Cadance in order to whisper into her ear.
"How long did you say she'd be staying here…?"
Cadance blushed, embarrassed at Predator's actions. She then gave him a sheepish smile.
Adara was dreaming peacefully, as she always did. As an entity, sleep was a foreign thing to her, but it was relaxing. She didn't really dream, she mostly wandered the dreamscape, her powers allowing her a glimpse into the long held hopes of many of the ponies in Equestria. She found that the dreams of the young foals were the strongest, each one dreaming of what their cutie mark would be, what they want to become when they were older.
Some wanted to be explorers, doctors, Wonderbolts, teachers, great magicians, and even strong and brave Royal Guards. Adara discarded her mortal form in favor of her true form. Within a dream you're liable to see many things you don't usually see in the real world, and a three faced, giant blue glowing bird definitely counts as one of those things.
Currently Adara was shifting from one dreamer to another, having just exited the dream of a young colt looking to profess his love for a young filly he admired. She decided to enter the dreams of a particular friend of hers, one that had taken her in and whose life she saved.
Adara was flying through the Astral Plain, a vast ephemeral universe that allowed all spiritually or magically aware beings to traverse and enter higher states of consciousness. It is often a dangerous thing to enter the Astral Plain, especially for those who are not centered enough, or lose their way when trying to return to their physical body. For an entity like Adara it was little more than second nature. The vast ethereal strands of energy, wafting about like sparkling stardust, it was a beautiful sight to behold, and one that she never got tired of seeing.
Soon Adara could see the twinkling of a distant star; it was how all dreams marked their location. Unfiltered, there would be many stars, enough to match the ones that hung in the night sky, but since Adara was looking for a specific dreamer all she needed to do was focus and fly towards that one star. Once upon it, Adara changed into cerulean light and shot straight into the star.
The scenery had changed a lot. She was no longer in the vast sparkling space, but instead she was in the bright blue skies. Adara glided through the air, wondering where Scootaloo was. It didn't take long before her keen eyes spotted a V formation of pegasi flying a few miles below her. Adara could easily spot Scootaloo; she was wearing a jumpsuit that resembled the famous aerial team known as the Wonderbolts, but it didn't seem to cover her body like the normal ones.
The formation zipped and zoomed around, performing loop-de-loops, spins, and different forms of aerial stunts. Soon the team of five made their way to a tall megalith pillar of land jetting clear into the sky. There were trees, grass, and even a runway on the mountain pillar, with dozens of pegasi flying around dressed in similar uniforms.
The Wonderbolts Academy, you made mention of this once before.
Scootaloo seemed to be much older, at least in her twenties; Adara had to admit she did look rather…MOVING ON.
The formation of ponies landed on the runway and quickly stood at attention. Soon a rainbow maned mare in uniform came trotting along; she marched up and down the line, staring behind black colored sunglasses. Around her neck was a clipboard and a stopwatch, both of which she looked back and forth from. She then turned her attention to the group, but from what Adara could tell, her gaze was more focused on Scootaloo.
"Your time was ten minutes, and five seconds. Not bad, but not record breaking good either," said the mare.
Scootaloo gave the uniformed pegasus a smart-alecky grin. "Kinda hard to do that when you're the one who holds the most amount of broken Academy records, ma'am."
"True, but that still doesn't mean that you couldn't do better, now give me one-hundred laps around the Academy – ON THE DOUBLE!!" Rainbow Dash shouted.
"YES MA'AM!"
As the other pegasi were about to take off Rainbow Dash flared open her left wing, making Scootaloo stop in her tracks. The orange pegasus mare looked up to her idol and drill sergeant confused. Rainbow Dash lifted her sunglasses, revealing her rose colored eyes; she then gave the young flyer a confident smirk.
"Not bad kid, now smoke those guys so we can go out and get some grub."
"You got it," said Scootaloo.
With that said Rainbow Dash lowered her sunglasses and folded her wing to allow Scootaloo to take off. She was fast, ridiculously fast, zooming past her fellow cadets and leaving behind an almost fiery orange streak in her wake. Adara watched as the grown mare wore a bright smile upon her face, knowing her idol and sister figure was watching her from below, silently cheering her on as she zoomed through the bright blue skies.
The Entity of Hope couldn't help but let a smile appear on her three different beaks, a happy feeling in her heart as she watched the dream unfurl before her.
"Her dreams are quite inspiring, wouldn't you agree?"
Adara was pulled away from watching Scootaloo, startled as she heard a voice that was not her own or any of the other dream ponies. She turned to her right and saw a midnight-blue alicorn floating next to her. The alicorn had a starry mane and tail, undulating of their accord, her brilliant turquoise eyes looking up at Adara as she gave the blue, three faced bird a kind smile.
"Princess Luna, how are you here," asked Adara.
"I am the Princess of the Night, and as such, I am tasked with the duty to watch over the dreams of my sleeping subjects," explained Luna.
Adara gasped and quickly bowed her head, "Forgive me; I did not know the dream plain was under your dominion! I meant no disrespect."
Luna chuckled a bit, "Do not fret, you're intentions were not malicious, like me, you wish to grant peaceful dreams with your light of hope. I do not mind the company." The Princess of the Night then turned her attention back to the mare version of Scootaloo who was flying circles around the other cadets. "She is quite the strong little filly isn't she?"
Adara returned her gaze back to the filly she had come to call friend, "Yes, yes she is. She aspires to do great things, I feel honored to know such a filly." Adara turned to Luna and saw that her expression had darkened. "Princess Luna, are you alright?"
"Adara, Entity of Hope, while we are here there is something I need to show you," spoke Luna.
Adara nodded her head and motioned for Luna to proceed. The lunar alicorn's horn glowed and immediately the scenery before them shifted. No more the serene blue skies of Wonderbolts Academy; instead there was darkness, with wafting strands of dark purple mist all around. Adara's face scrunched up, the miasmic mist reeked of negative emotions and evil impulses. The two winged dream walkers flew through the void for what felt like hours, after a while Luna stopped flying, prompting Adara to do the same.
"Princess Luna –"
"Please, just call me Luna," she corrected.
"Luna, why have you brought me to this…place," asked Adara.
"This 'place' lies within the mind of our dear Scootaloo."
Adara gave the lunar princess an incredulous look. Luna picked up on the skepticism of the Entity of Hope, upon which her horn was aglow with her azure mana. Suddenly the void seemed to rumble and groan; from seemingly out of nowhere a giant gate appeared. It was made of iron, wrapped in jingling chains that crisscrossed all over the front. The symbol of the crescent moon was emblazoned on the front, acting as a magical seal. The miasmic mist was pouring out of the cracks of the gate, the groaning noises still echoed through the void, its point of origin the giant gate.
"Luna…what in the name of the Entity is that," asked Adara aghast.
"That is the Gate of Nightmares, behind that gate lies all of Scootaloo's greatest fears. I am unaware of her past, as I am sure you are, but whatever this young filly has gone through it has left her with memories that have grown into powerful nightmares," explained Luna.
"Are they so strong that keeping them locked behind such a construct is necessary," asked Adara.
"Whatever her life was before coming to Ponyville it must have been painful; those memories have become nightmares that wish to plague her relentlessly." Luna stopped speaking as a loud groaning roar echoed through the void, emanating from the gate. "When I first entered her dreams, it was only to help her face the fears she had at that time, little did I know that there were worse ones hidden within her mind. So I collected them all and placed them behind this gate within her mind, unfortunately, the gate isn't strong enough. The miasma is its way of trying to influence her dreams and bring her into a nightmare."
Adara looked between Luna and the gate; she then flew towards the gate and examined its surface. The Entity of Hope then placed her left wing against the gate, suddenly the gate shook violently, the chains rattling and swaying to and fro. Whatever lied behind the gate did not like the light that Adara emitted.
"Thanks to you, Adara, Scootaloo's dreams have been peaceful as of late." Luna floated towards Adara and gently placed a hoof on her right wing, gaining the attention of the blue bird. "Adara, I have a favor to ask of you…"
(Monday: Morning)
Today was pleasant, a bit chilly, but pleasant. The seasons were changing, soon summer was going to change to fall and the leaves would change their colors. Currently, Adara was perched in a tree overlooking the schoolhouse.
Since Adara was a new filly, and had no parents, she couldn't go to school with Scootaloo. So she contented herself with watching from affair. Time and again she saw Apple Bloom walk to school with a pony she knew quite well and today was no different. As this particular pony, a stallion, trotted down the dirt road his body suddenly went aglow with green energy, much to his surprise as well as hers.
Oh my, thought Adara.
"Adara," called out the stallion.
The blue filly opened her wings and flew down from her perch; she glided on the air currents till she was brought to the side of the green earth pony stallion. Adara looked up at the stallion apologetically.
"Sorry Ion," she said.
"No problem Adara, but could you turn down your power so that I'm not glowing like a lightning bug," asked Ion.
Adara closed her eyes and concentrated, even though her powers weren't being called upon, the blue light of hope had a passive ability to power-up the green light of willpower, so Adara had to concentrate on lowering her power's influence when in proximity to Ion. As she did so Ion's emerald aura began to dissipate till it no longer shined brightly. Giving a sigh of relief Ion smiled down at the filly Adara.
"Thanks," he said.
"No need, I will try and make sure it doesn't happen again," said Adara smiling back.
"Well, I'll be seeing you Adara; I have to get back to the farm."
Ion started walking down the dirt road, but something compelled him to spare his fellow entity a sideways glance. When he did Ion saw that Adara was looking a little down, prompting him to stop and turn towards her.
"Adara, was there something you needed to ask me?"
"Um…well…if you don't mind Ion, I'd like your council on a certain matter," said Adara.
Ion nodded towards the little filly pegasus, she then fluttered over to the earth pony stallion and the two emotional entities started to trot down the road. For half the trip there was silence between them, Adara didn't know just how to phrase her position. Adara saw Ion as not just a fellow entity and friend, but as a sort of older brother figure, so there was no one else she'd rather get advice from than him.
"Ion, Princess Luna has requested my help with a certain matter," she said.
"I'm listening."
Adara began her explanation, telling Ion how Luna wanted the Entity of Hope to find out what Scootaloo had gone through in her life that had caused her to develop such extreme and violent nightmares, nightmares that the Princess of the Night had to lock behind a giant gate within the young filly's mind. Ion listened intently; the blue pegasus filly could tell that Ion was thinking hard about the subject.
"So you believe that Scootaloo has gone through something terrible in her life, but you don't know how to go about asking her. Using your light might reveal the source of her nightmares, but something tells me that is not the route you wish to go, is it," asked Ion.
Adara sighed, "You are right, but I'm – and this is completely absurd to begin with mind you – a-afraid to ask."
Ion shook his head, "It's not absurd at all, she's your friend, she'll understand."
"We'll see."
Ion placed a hoof on Adara's withers and smiled down at her, "I'm always here for you, whether you need to talk or anything."
The cerulean filly chuckled, "Thank you, Ion."
After their talk the two entities went their separate ways. Adara took to the skies and made her way back to the school house, returning to her tree branch perch and overlooking the playground. She couldn't imagine what Scootaloo had gone through in her life to cause such nightmares, as wonderful as this world seemed to her, there still appeared to be skeletons hidden in some of the ponies' closets. Adara started to work through a number of scenarios and questions she could ask Scootaloo, they ranged but were limited by her imagination; thinking of cruel acts wasn't something the Entity of Hope was good at.
Could…could someone have hurt her? No, why would anyone do that…but what if someone did?! The mere thought of someone even laying a finger on Scootaloo ruffled the filly's feathers, literally, her wings were extended and flapping like an agitated bird. Adara then released a long sigh. Well, guess I'll try asking after our crusade later today…
(Monday: Afternoon)
Adara was the Entity of Hope, in the universe she had left behind she and her fellow entities have seen, and been involved in, strange things. But while some things were better left unanswered, Adara couldn't help but pose this question to her fellow Crusaders, because, in all honesty, it baffled even her.
"Explain to me, how it is possible to even get covered in tree sap, when our crusade at Sugar Cube Corner was nowhere near a tree," asked Adara.
"Trust meh, Ah've been wonderin' that mahself since we started the Cutie Mark Crusaders," said Apple Bloom.
All four fillies were currently waiting for Pinkie Pie to run the bath so that they could all get rid of the sticky substance that refused to yield no matter how many times they tried to pull away from it. Adara tried to give a flap of her wings, but the sap kept her from spreading her wings to their full extent. The cerulean filly was becoming increasingly annoyed at the tree saps refusal to release her and her friends from its grasp; her frustration must've showed since Scootaloo looked a little down.
"Sorry about this Adara, guess I should've warned that this kind of stuff might happen," apologized Scootaloo.
After a few more tries Adara gave up on getting loose and just waited like the others for their bath.
"It's not your fault, as annoying as this tree sap is, our crusade for 'cake baking cutie marks' was the most fun I've had in years."
"I guess you didn't get to play a lot with your friends back home, huh," asked Sweetie Belle.
"Oh no, things were very peaceful on Ody –" Adara snapped her mouth shut, having almost spoke of her past in the other universe.
"'Ody' is that the name of the town you moved from," asked Sweetie Belle.
"W-W-Well…n-not exactly…"
Adara started to become a little nervous; the question about where she came from hadn't been raised for nearly over a month and a half, and so far she had gotten by on just the clout that she saved Scootaloo's life.
"Actually, Ah don't remember ya ever sayin' where it was ya came from," said Apple Bloom, thinking out loud.
"Um…uhhh, you see…"
"Hey look Pinkie's back," exclaimed Scootaloo, a little louder than she probably intended.
Indeed the pink party pony was trotting down the stairs, looking all happy and bubbly as she usually was. Adara let out a sigh of relief, thankful for the distraction that Pinkie Pie brought.
"Sorry for the wait everypony, but the tubs all filled up and full of bubbles…Ahh…Aachoo!" As soon as Pinkie Pie sneezed dozens of bubbles appeared out of nowhere. The pink mare shook her head and sniffled a little before putting on her big smile yet again. "Those bubbles sure do tickle a lot, which is weird, because bubbles are made of soap and water, so you wouldn't think that it make you sneeze. Wonder what they put in there to make them so tickly, I think they put something in there to make ponies sneeze on purpose what do you think?"
Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, and Adara just stood there under the anticipating gaze of Pinkie Pie, wondering if there was a right or wrong answer to this random question.
"Um…yes," they said collectively.
"I knew it! Okay then, everypony into the tub!"
Rather awkwardly, the Cutie Mark Crusaders made their way up the stairs of Sugar Cube Corner and got into the tub of soothing hot water. The tree sap literally melted away as all four of the fillies splashed around, playing with the bubbles and occasionally giving each other a hoof in washing the sap off their backs.
Adara couldn't help but notice how Scootaloo's mane and coat glistened from the water and soap, when the light hit her at the right angle Scootaloo sparkled, even her eyes seemed to shine a bit. After shaking the thoughts loose from her mind Adara continued to bathe, washing out the remaining sap from her mane and coat.
After about half an hour of washing up and drying off, the Crusaders were treated to some complementary pastries from the Cakes. After a few minutes Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom bid their two pegasi friends goodbye, for some reason though, Sweetie Belle glanced at them from over her left shoulder. She seemed to be looking straight at Scootaloo; the young unicorn's expression resembled that of concern or worry. Scootaloo seemed to pick up on her friend's look; she then waved a hoof at Sweetie Belle, silently telling her that it was alright.
After that, Sweetie Belle was finally out of sight, leaving the two pegasi foals alone.
"Well, we still have some time before the sun is completely down, shall we head back to the clubhouse," asked Adara.
"Nah, too early, I don't want to run the risk of Apple Bloom or her family to find out that we're living in the clubhouse. We could just walk around town for a while till it gets a little later then make our way back, by then they'll all be inside and not out in the fields," said Scootaloo.
Adara nodded in agreement to Scootaloo's suggestion. The two of them started their little trot around town, not really going anywhere in particular. Just two friends out for early evening stroll. The sun was starting to sink on the horizon, and most of the Ponyville residents were either at home or getting ready to wake up for their night jobs either in or outside of Ponyville. The whole time they were walking Adara was trying to think of the best moment to bring up the subject. Luna had asked her for a favor, and it was one that she wanted help with.
Scootaloo openly accepted her, despite not knowing her true identity or origins. Adara didn't want to ruin what she had with Scootaloo, her first friend, a dear friend. Her distress must have been showing as the orange pegasus filly nudged Adara with her shoulder, snapping her out her inner thoughts.
"Adara, you alright?" Scootaloo asked.
"Huh, well yes…Actually I need to thank you," said Adara.
"Don't mention it, us runaways gotta watch out for each other right?" Scootaloo punctuated her statement by giving Adara light jab to the shoulder.
"Yes, you're right. While we're on the subject, there is something I'd like to ask you…"
"Well go ahead and ask, we're friends Adara, you can ask me anything," said Scootaloo smiling.
I wish you wouldn't smile at me like that, it makes asking just that much harder…
"I was wondering, you said ran away and found yourself in Ponyville, I thought that maybe you'd want to tell me where you used to live?"
Scootaloo's happy expression fell quickly, a somber and pain filled look darkened her countenance.
"Of course I'd be willing to tell you where I came from as well, I don't intend for this to be one-sided," she added quickly.
There was silence between the two friends as Adara awaited her answer.
"…No, sorry but I just don't want to talk about where I used to live…Ponyville's my home and that's all I care about."
"I understand, but don't you miss your parents sometimes, I'm sure your mother and father are –"
"I SAID I DON'T WANT TO TALK ABOUT IT!!!" Scootaloo shouted.
Adara took stopped walking for a moment and took a few steps back, the amount of anger in Scootaloo's voice had surprised her greatly, but it wasn't just her tone of voice, there was a look in her narrowed eyes, something close to pain.
"I'm…I'm sorry, Scootaloo."
The violet maned filly seemed to realize what her outburst did; she turned her head away from her friend, ashamed of what she had done.
"Let's just…get back to the clubhouse…"
The trot to the clubhouse was a silent one that day night. Nary was a word spoken between them beyond the occasional question. When they arrived at the clubhouse the two fillies got out their sleeping blanket, although, instead of Scootaloo curling next to Adara she kept a sizeable gap between them. It hurt Adara to see what her questioning had done. As impossible at it sounded, the two of them were able to drift to sleep.
Adara had entered the dreamscape once again. She was in her true form, shining her hope light bright, signaling to a certain dream walker to come to her aid. The great three-faced bird did not have to wait long. In the distance the image of the full moon appeared, from it shot out a blue and white comet that zipped around and landed a few feet before Adara. The energy dispersed and revealed the regal form of Princess Luna.
"Adara how did…it…go?"
Luna's question died upon looking up at the three frowning beaks of the Entity of Hope.
"She was angered by my question…I fear she is displeased with me at the moment," said Adara.
Luna sighed greatly, "I am sorry, truly I do not like to burden you with this task. But Scootaloo might not open up to me. In her eyes I am the Princess of the Night, though I am a friend of hers, the fact remains I am much older than her, an adult, and she might not open up to me as easily as she may you."
"I understand your reasoning Luna. At the very least I gained something out this."
"And what would that be?"
"Whatever happened in Scootaloo's past has caused her great pain and sorrow. So, as much as I hate to admit it, my suspicions may prove correct. And from the looks of it, so have yours," spoke Adara.
Neither one of them wanted to say what was going through their minds, though it did make sense. For such nightmares to be so powerful and frightening they could only stem from some truly traumatic event in her life, the list was not a pleasant one to think of for the two immortals.
"Adara, you need to get Scootaloo to tell you the truth, barring that…I think you might have to bring the situation to somepony she trusts greatly," said Luna.
All three of Adara's face looked at Luna stunned.
"Wait, do you mean to have me tell someone that Scootaloo is homeless!? She may have not been safe before, but she is safe so long I remain with her!"
"I would rather dear Scootaloo bring such a matter up to somepony, Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, even her teacher Cheerilee, but if the nightmares grow stronger, her mental health well be at risk, and if there is something serious she is keeping secret then it must be resolved."
Adara's three faces became stern as she looked down at the lunar princess, her great wings flaring out as the symbol of the blue hope shined on her chest.
"So long as that filly is under the protection of my light, I shall not let any harm befall her, this I swear," spoke Adara, her voice echoing in the Astral Plain.
Her proclamation sounded like a mixture of love as well as a dare. Luna was not fazed; she only smiled at the Entity of Hope, happy to see that she did care for Scootaloo.
"Very well, try again if you can, maybe try asking one of her other friends. She may've even confided in adults, but be careful, use discretion, you are here in this world in disguise, so don't betray your current persona," warned Luna.
"Do not worry, I shall not."
Luna started to flap her wings and rise up; she gave a gentle smile at the entity.
"She is lucky to have a friend who cares about her so much, one could say you care about her as more than just a friend," said Luna teasingly.
If it was Luna's intention to see if an Emotional Entity was able to blush, she succeeded. Before Adara could rebut her claim Luna was gone, off to check on the many dreamers under her protection, leaving the blue bird alone.
Maybe I shall have better luck tomorrow…?
(Tuesday, Midafternoon)
Adara was perched upon her usual branch, the school bell had rang and all the foals and rushed out in a mad dash stampede. She watched her friends scramble out just like the others, each one heading out do their own separate activities. Adara watched as Scootaloo got her scooter and began flapping her wings quickly, propelling her down the dirt road and away from the school house. After a few minutes of waiting to make sure no one else was around, Adara flew off the branch and down to the front door of the school.
Forgive me for lying to you Scootaloo, and for going behind your back…but this is for your own good, she thought.
The cerulean filly pushed open door and was greeted by the sight of a maroon colored mare, with a pinkish mane, and kind light green eyes, Cheerilee if she remembered correctly. Currently she had a pencil in her mouth; there was a large stack of papers on her right side, while a smaller stack was on her left. She was using the pencil to make marks on one of the sheets in front of her, no doubt grading a recent homework assignment. Cheerilee seemed to be deeply engrossed in her work, so to get her attention Adara cleared her throat loudly. No response. That's when she opted to take a more direct approach.
"Excuse me, Miss Cheerilee!"
The school mare was snapped out of her grading mode; she dropped her pencil and yelped a bit.
"Oh my!" She looked at the blue filly a bit startled. Cheerilee then shook her head and quickly composed herself. "Sorry about that my little pony, you surprised me. I thought everypony had left a long time ago."
"Yes, well, I waited because I wished to speak to you," asked Adara.
"Is that right? Well then please sit."
Adara went to the desk closest to Cheerilee and sat down; the whole time Cheerilee studied the young filly, trying to place her face.
"I'm sorry, but you're not in my class are you?"
Adara flinched a little, forgetting that little important fact. Of course it was natural for a teacher to have memorized the names and faces of their students.
"Oh – well – uh – I'm from Cloudsdale! I just came by to ask you about a student of yours, a friend of mine actually." Adara tried to gather her thoughts, she needed to make sure that Cheerilee didn't become suspicious of her questions, or inquire about Scootaloo's housing. "It's about Scootaloo."
"What about Scootaloo, is she alright?" Cheerilee asked.
Adara began speaking to Cheerilee about Scootaloo's nightmares, or, it was more accurate to say that she spoke that she had nightmares, past tense. She tried to keep to the subject of her and Scootaloo's accommodations, or to the fact that she was homeless. After the conversation was over Cheerilee was silent, she had kept a neutral expression throughout, making it hard to figure out exactly what the school teacher was thinking.
Cheerilee looked off towards the window; she didn't seem to be staring at anything in particular.
"Adara, remind me again what your relationship with Scootaloo is?"
"I-I'm her friend – her cousin actually," she fibbed.
"You're not related to Scootaloo," said Cheerilee flatly.
Adara's eyes bulged from her skull at those words; she shook her head and tried to regain her composure.
"What are you saying, of course I am, why would you doubt that?!"
"Because if you were then you'd know why she's having the nightmares, rather than coming to me for answers." Cheerilee returned her gaze back to the cerulean filly. "I've seen you around town as well, you go crusading with Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle, and you have been for the past month and a half now. So please young lady, tell me the truth."
Adara knew Cheerilee was intelligent, but she didn't think she was this perceptive. Adara didn't know how to respond, fearing she may tell more than what she wanted the school teacher to know.
"Alright, would it be easier if I told you I know about Scootaloo's situation. That she has no home."
"How is that possible," she blanched.
Cheerilee got up and trotted from behind her desk. She then stopped and sat on her haunches, about a foot away from the desk where Adara was. The school teacher let out a long sigh before she said anything.
"A while back, when Scootaloo came to this school, she told me that her parents were very busy ponies, and didn't have time to come to school events. 'They worked till late and don't really have time to come here,' at least that what she said. I didn't think much of it at first; many parents of foals work late and sometimes don't have time to spend with their children. So I ignored it, she seemed happy enough, especially when she made a friend in Sweetie Belle, mind you this was before they met Apple Bloom and became the 'Cutie Mark Crusaders."
Cheerilee seemed to take a moment to let herself enjoy those memories, before the three incarnations of chaos got together and caused nothing but worry for her, and yet, it wasn't all that bad.
So, Sweetie Belle was friends with Scootaloo before they met Apple Bloom…Sweetie might know more, but more importantly…
"Miss Cheerilee, how did you find out," asked Adara.
The maroon mare snapped herself out her reminiscing and continued her explanation.
"I noticed one day, while walking around town. It was late and I swore I saw Scootaloo moving around the town late at night, she seemed to have a happy expression on her face, so I wanted to see why. I followed her to an alleyway; it was one that you'd never notice if you weren't actively looking for it. Anyway, I saw her duck into a little abandoned cart, I soon saw her pull out her scooter, and then a saddlebag stuffed with a blanket and pillow…I ducked away, I was…I was in shock. One of my students was living in an alley, homeless! Before I could say anything Scootaloo zoomed off towards Sweet Apple Acres on her scooter, I ran faster than I ever have that day trying to keep up with her."
"Eventually I found her at the Cutie Mark Crusaders' clubhouse. It was nice, considering what it looked like way back when Applejack was using," mused Cheerilee. "Anyway, apparently I caught her moving into the clubhouse. Every bone in my body screamed out that I should've gone there and helped her, confronted her, but…"
"But…?"
Cheerilee got up from her sitting position and made her way towards the window, she stared out into the blue sky, trying to remember something.
"Adara, do you know what 'Community Raised' means," she asked, looking over her shoulder.
The cerulean filly shook her head.
"I thought not. Community Raised: The pegasus tribe was once a race of warriors, they fought hard on the battlefield, but it belayed the kindness shared between them. Whenever a foal's parents died from illness or in battle, if the foal choose to live on their own then they were granted that option. But it didn't mean that they were alone, the pegasi of Cloudsdale have a 'flock' mentality, even though it looks like they are alone, they aren't. They are Community Raised, each of the community taking up the part of a parent, friend, or sibling, raising the orphaned foal till it was old enough and strong enough to make it on its own."
"I believe that's what's happened here in Ponyville, there may be some who know, like me, but there are also those who truly care about Scootaloo and wish to take care of her from afar. Waiting until the day she's ready to tell somepony why she's alone…So you see Adara, while Scootaloo doesn't know it she's, in a way, Ponyville's daughter. And that's the only reason why I haven't said anything, and with her friends Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle, and even you, I believe she'll be alright. We just have to wait till she's ready to tell us…"
"I never knew that," said Adara in awe.
"Not many do…you must think I'm a terrible pony…"
Adara got up from her seat and trotted over towards the school teacher. "Why would I?"
"For not telling anypony about Scootaloo…and for burdening you with all this, I just thought that, because the two you were friends and since you don't seem to be from Ponyville that you should know. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle, the three of them have done so much together that I don't want their friendship to end," said Cheerilee, a certain tremble in her voice.
Adara stood on her hind legs and placed a hoof on Cheerilee's shoulder. The school teacher looked into the blue eyes of the little filly, and for some unknown reason, she felt a wave of relief overpowering the growing sadness in her. Adara could sense Cheerilee's sincere care about her students and for Scootaloo as well.
"Miss Cheerilee, you don't need to worry. You've done all you can, Scootaloo's happy here in Ponyville, you needn't worry what I think. Though she tends to complain a bit about the homework, I still see a smile hidden behind her grumpy exterior when she does it. You enjoy teaching the others, nurturing their talents, instilling them with hope."
Adara flapped her wings and rose up, bringing her at eye level with Cheerilee. She then moved forward and touched her forehead with the teacher's. Adara could feel the connection to her light of hope within Cheerilee; she used this to calm the tempest of worries within the school teacher.
Cheerilee didn't seem to know how to respond to this new feeling, but there was comfort in this feeling, so she closed her eyes and allowed this comfort to fill her heart.
Adara retreated back a bit and floated back down to the floor. She then looked up at Cheerilee and smiled gently at her. "Don't worry Miss Cheerilee, all will be well."
Adara made her way towards the front door of the classroom, having heard all she needed to. Knowing that there were ponies in this town that cared for Scootaloo this whole time made her happy.
"Adara, sweetie, tell me are you…are you the same as Scootaloo?"
The cerulean pegasus looked back at Cheerilee and nodded in conformation.
"And…are you staying with Scootaloo, in that clubhouse on Sweet Apple Acres?"
Again, Adara nodded.
"Well then, please continue to be a good friend to Scootaloo, would you, and watch out for her?"
Adara smiled brightly, giving the school teacher one more reassuring nod before heading out the door.
Adara was trotting through the streets of Ponyville, her mind still buzzing with the knowledge she had just gained from Cheerilee. It was amazing that there was somebody in the town who knew about Scootaloo's situation, even more so, the town itself had an inkling about her.
But still, I'm no closer to figuring out her past. Cheerilee said that Sweetie Belle was Scootaloo's first friend. I should probably start at Rarity's, thought Adara.
With that in mind, the Entity of Hope made her way towards Carousel Boutique, if she wasn't there then she'd head towards Sweetie's actual house, failing that she'd have to start tracking down the little unicorn, which shouldn't be too hard considering the size of the town.
Soon Carousel Boutique came into view. Adara still marveled at the house and business of the esteemed dressmaker, and Element of Generosity, Rarity. She began knocking on the front door, but there was no response. Adara knocked a few more times, but again there was nothing. It was starting to look like there was nobody home.
Suddenly the door flew open and a plume of black smoke bellowed out from within the shop, her vision obscured completely. The cerulean filly coughed and gagged as the smoke continued to flow out of the front door. Adara started to become worried that something bad may have happened to Rarity inside the shop. Before her imagination could run wild with bad thoughts she could soon hear other voices coughing as well inside. Now that she thought about it, there was no heat, no sign of a fire. So where was all this smoke coming from?
"OH MY CELESTIA, SWEETIE BELLE!"
The worried sound of Rarity's voice propelled Adara into the Boutique, fearing that something may have happened to her friend. When she entered Adara saw that the origin of the smoke was coming from the kitchen. She quickly rushed into the kitchen and gasped audibly. Now Adara, being the Entity of Hope, had seen many a thing in her immortal life. The atrocities of war, the feeling of utter hopelessness from the creatures in the universe, being taken prisoner and forced to possess a Guardian by Krona, and even witnessed the horrors of the Blackest Night. But even all that couldn't compare with the sight before her now.
There something on the stove, a skillet, and there appeared to be something creating the smoke within the skillet itself. On the table there seemed to be an assortment of…well…food would be stretching it. Adara knew food was colorful, smelled wonderful, and was sometimes neatly arranged. However that was not the case, this "food" was black as night, charred beyond recognition. There were two plates of the black masses, and a bowl that contained a bubbling gray substance, along two glances full of the same thing.
Next to the table stood Rarity, her mouth was agape as she stared at what was created and placed on the table. Next to her was Sweetie Belle, her white coat had sooty patches on it, indicating that she was probably at the epicenter of whatever created the monstrosities before them, however the young unicorn was beaming with pride for some unknown reason.
"See Rarity, I'm getting better at this," said Sweetie Belle.
"Sweetie better implies that your skills are improving, and I feel as if we took one step forward the one time and now have taken two steps back," replied Rarity.
"What do you mean, at least the toast looks like toast this time."
"And yet you've somehow managed to burn orange juice."
"It's not that bad." Sweetie Belle went up to the glass and took a cautious sniff of the burnt liquid.
"Um excuse me, Sweetie Belle, Miss Rarity?"
Both unicorns turned around and finally took notice of young pegasus waiting quietly in the archway. Rarity quickly did an about face and greeted her guest.
"Oh Adara what perfect timing darling, what can we do for you," she asked.
"Oh, um, I was wondering, could I please talk with Sweetie Belle about something," asked Adara.
"Oh why yes of course. Sweetie why don't you go and talk with Adara, while I, uh, well, I'll bring you two something in a minute," said Rarity as she eyed the condition of her kitchen.
"Okay, c'mon Adara," said Sweetie Belle.
"Thanks Miss Rarity!"
"Oh not all, and please darling, just Rarity," she corrected.
Sweetie Belle led Adara up to the spare room that she often occupied when staying over at Rarity's. Sweetie Belle seemed happy to see the cerulean pegasus, and after what she saw downstairs she knew Rarity was glad to get the little unicorn out of the kitchen. Once in the room Sweetie Belle bounced up onto her bed and looked over at Adara.
"So what did you want to talk about," she asked.
Adara rubbed the back of her left foreleg nervously, "Well, I was wondering if you wouldn't mind telling me about Scootaloo?"
Sweetie Belle quirked her head to the side looking confused. "Um, okay, what about Scootaloo?"
"I recently found out that you two were friends long before you met Apple Bloom, so I just wanted to know more about her and so I thought I should ask you," said Adara.
Sweetie Belle started to fidget with her front legs, and her eyes were downcast a bit.
"Why?"
"Pardon?"
"Why do you want to know more about Scootaloo," clarified Sweetie.
"Well, uh, no reason really, I just kinda wanted to get to know her better."
"If anything she'd tell you more than she'd tell me," said Sweetie as she looked away from Adara.
"Oh I don't believe that, you two are best friends, why would you think Scootaloo would tell me more?"
Sweetie Belle mumbled something under her breath, Adara's ear twitched as she tried to catch what Sweetie said. She continued to stare at Sweetie, there was silence in the room for a while, that is until she asked the question again.
"Sweetie Belle, why do you believe that Scootaloo would tell me more about herself than you?"
This time Sweetie looked directly at Adara, her brow was furrowed and she stopped fidgeting with her forehooves.
"Because you're a pegasus!" Sweetie shouted, her voice cracking a bit.
Adara was taken aback by her friend's shouting, but still she pressed for an answer.
"W-Why would that mean anything?"
"You've seen the way she admires Rainbow Dash, even more now that she and Rainbow are like sisters! Scootaloo's always been self-conscious about not being able to fly like other pegasi, some the other kids haven't really bothered her about it, but Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon call her on it almost every day…"
It was at this point that Sweetie's angered look gave way to something else, a kind of forlorn sadness.
"And then…and then you showed up, you saved Scootaloo, plus, you're the only other pegasus our age who isn't bothered by the fact that she can't fly or who's made fun of her for it. If you haven't noticed you two spend a lot of time together, and the times I'm alone with her she talks about you," Sweetie Belle pointed a hoof at Adara for emphasis.
She couldn't deny that fact, and indeed there may be some truth to that, but their closeness was more due to the fact that they were living together for the past month and a half, so it wasn't unthinkable that the two of them would seem a bit closer than normal friends…Wait she talks about me when I'm not around?!
For some reason Adara felt her cheeks become warm, something that didn't go unnoticed by Sweetie Belle. The Entity of Hope shook her head quickly, dislodging whatever thoughts were rising in her mind and focused on the situation at hand.
"Sweetie Belle, I'm sorry, but despite what you might think, Scootaloo hasn't – doesn't – want to talk to me about everything. I know little about her parents, or where she was before she came to Ponyville," she confessed.
This new information caught Sweetie Belle off-guard.
"Wait, you mean…are you sure," she asked uncertain.
Adara looked down at the floor, genuinely feeling bad for the way she made Sweetie Belle feel. "Yes, that's why I came to you, her best friend…I'm sorry if I made you or Apple Bloom feel like we were excluding you or something, I really am…"
"Stop," Adara looked back up at Sweetie, "I'm the one who's sorry, I-I just…I just really worry about Scootaloo sometimes, yes she's my best friend, but she's also my first friend. And I guess I got a little, you know…"
Adara reached out a hoof and tapped Sweetie on the shoulder. The little white unicorn looked directly at Adara, who gave her a little smile.
"All is forgiven Sweetie Belle, you just care about Scootaloo and were looking out for her wellbeing, there's nothing to apologize for," she said.
Sweetie Belle allowed herself to smile back at Adara, while a crimson blush started to appear on her cheeks.
Sweetie turned around and hopped back onto the bed, she folded her legs underneath her and patted the spot next to her, motioning for her friend to join her. Adara took the hint and flew up onto the bed and laid on the spot across from Sweetie Belle.
"So…where do you want to start?"
"Well, how about when you two first met."
"Okay, it was about two years ago when I first met Scootaloo…"
Adara and Sweetie Belle talked for a long while, hours flew by, the two fillies even took the time to play together, and cause a little mayhem for Rarity. It wasn't long before the pegasus filly noticed that the sun was getting lower in the sky and that she and Scootaloo would have to head back to the clubhouse soon. Adara then bid adieu to the unicorn sisters and went about her way.
After her talk with Sweetie Belle, which went awkwardly well, Adara decided to check in on Scootaloo to see how the flying lessons were going. She didn't get that far.
Suddenly Adara heard the familiar buzzing sounds of wings. She immediately recognized this sound and looked around. The cerulean filly didn't have to search long, as the origin was fast approaching her. Adara turned around and saw Scootaloo traveling at full speed towards her, a trail of dust was kicked up in her wake. The keen eyes of the Entity of Hope focused on her friend's expression, and it worried her.
Scootaloo's scooter came to a grinding halt, kicking up even more dust into the air. Adara flinched a bit as she saw the look in Scootaloo's eyes; they were narrowed, boring deep into the cerulean filly before her. Her brow was furrowed and her grip on the steering handle was tight. Scootaloo dismounted her scooter and stared her fellow Crusader dead in the eyes. Something about her stare made Adara uneasy, even more so when Scootaloo spoke.
"Adara…why," said Scootaloo in a shaking voice.
"Why what," asked Adara timidly.
"WHY THE BUCK DID YOU TALK TO CHEERILEE ABOUT ME!!!?"
Episode 2: Freedom of the Skies, Sword of Blue Hope (Part 1)
Scootaloo felt bad the entire time she and Adara were in the clubhouse. She had yelled at her when she had asked about her past. I could've just lied, she thought, it would've been no big deal, it's not like she could tell I was lying anyway…so…why did I have to go and yell at her…?
Even now, as the two of them began getting ready to sleep, Scootaloo eyed her newest friend warily. They hadn't spoken a word beyond a question or two, and that was only when necessary. As Scootaloo lied there, she felt terrible; overreacting like that was not the way to go, especially to somepony who might've been in the same situation as she was long ago. Shaking that depressing thought away, Scootaloo decided to put a gap between them, scooting further from Adara under the blanket. The pegasus filly could tell that it made her friend a little sad, but right now she didn't' feel like she needed to be wrapped in that comforting wing.
Scootaloo sighed mentally as she stared at a nothing in particular. I'll…I'll apologize to her in the morning…
Her eyes became heavy, really heavy. Soon Scootaloo found herself drifting off to sleep…
~~~
Scootaloo…
Suddenly the orange filly's eyes snapped open, she gasped, and her jaw hung open. She was no longer in the clubhouse; it was an empty room, with a window, and a door, but no furniture. Everything seemed to be toned in different shades of gray, reminding the young filly of the educational films Miss Cheerilee would have them watch. Scootaloo quickly looked to her right, but Adara wasn't anyway where to be seen, even the blanket was gone.
Scootaloo, cautiously, got onto her hooves. She trotted over to the window, but when she looked out there was nothing. Just a grassy field, a large oak tree, and a tire swing…
"A tire swing, but…no it can't be you're just imagining things."
The violet maned filly decided to go exploring, she carefully went to the door. It was cracked, so she only had to give it a push in order to open it. The door slowly swung, creaking eerily, if not unnaturally loud. It sent a chill up the filly's spine, at the same time, it was nostalgic, and not in the good way. For such a simple sound carried with it faint feelings long forgotten. Feelings of helplessness, fear, and pain. Scootaloo shook her head violently, trying to dislodge the unpleasant thoughts out of her mind yet again.
Once the door was open she started walking down the hallway. The whole time Scootaloo couldn't shake the nostalgic feeling, it wouldn't leave her mind, and it weighed on her with every step she took. There seemed to be nothing in the hallway, no pictures, or stands, or rug, nothing to indicate whose house this was, but it seemed strangely familiar. On the wall there were rectangular spots, places were picture frames used to hang most likely.
From what she could tell there seemed to be four doors, the one she came out of, the one across from it, and two others halfway down. Scootaloo kept walking till she was at the end of the hallway, where she came to a stairwell. Scootaloo took one step forward, the moment her hoof made contact something happened. There was the sound of something falling onto the hardwood floor. The sound caused Scootaloo to retreat a few steps back, but after a minute or two of waiting to hear it again the only thing that lingered was silence.
After steeling herself, and gulping loudly, Scootaloo started back down the stairs. With each step she took her heart beat just a bit faster. She didn't understand why she was so scared right now. The house looked like something out of a cheesy horror movie, and was washed in monochrome colors, and no distinguishing features whatsoever.
"So why the hay do I feel so uneasy right now…?"
As Scootaloo reached the last step she started to look around. It was the same as upstairs, except for some minor things. The windows had their curtains drawn, all four of them. Near the front door was a chair, nothing special, just a wooden table chair. Scootaloo found the chair fascinating, since it was the only thing that seemed tangible. Scootaloo rushed towards it, but immediately came to a skidding halt. Her eyes grew wide as saucer plates, and her pupils reduced to the size of pinpricks. The filly's heart pounded in her chest, threatening to burst through her ribcage.
In the center of what she believed to be the living room was a pegasus, her body was limp as she hung from a noose that was crudely constructed into the ceiling. Scootaloo hyperventilated, her first instinct was to cry and run, but something else, in the back of her mind, told her to go and help this pegasus. As she made her way to the hanging body, the dead pegasus slowly turned, revealing a horrifying sight that made Scootaloo scream. The mare, who was hanging from her neck, didn't have a face.
Scootaloo retreated from the sight, wanting desperately to get out of the house and run for help. When she was upon the door, Scootaloo stopped. A dark violet mist was seeping from the cracks underneath the door; the moment it wafted passed her hooves it stung.
*THUMP*
Scootaloo looked up at the door.
*THUMP*
"W-W-Who's there?!"
*THUMP*
"Little bird, little bird, please let me in?"
That one sentence made Scootaloo's blood run cold as ice. Before she even realized it she was already up the stairs, her legs moving on some subconscious instinct to run at the mere utterance of those words. Her mad dash brought her to the same room she had left earlier. Scootaloo quickly slammed the door behind her, and stopped. There was a bed in the room.
"But that wasn't here last time! Where the heck did it –?!"
*THUMP*
She didn't have time to question why a bed mysteriously appeared in a room that previously had nothing in it. Scootaloo hurriedly rushed underneath the bed, hiding, trembling like a leaf.
The doorknob juggled a bit before finally clicking, slowly the door opened, that horrible creaking noise echoed through the room yet again. Scootaloo tried to back up further under the bed, but her flank hit the wall, no more room to hide. The dark violet mist poured from the doorway, creeping along the floor. A single hoof, black as night, stepped into the room.
"Scootaloo…?"
"Help me…"
"Scootaloo…?"
"Help me…"
~~~
"Scootaloo?!"
Adara shook the trembling filly next to her; Scootaloo was muttering something incoherently with small droplets of tears starting to appear at the corner of her eyes.
"Help…"
"Scootaloo, wake up!"
With a start the orange pegasus awoke gasping, jerking her head back and forth. Her eyes scanned the room, frantically searching for the figure she thought was still around. After a few seconds, Scootaloo realized that she was no longer in the house of gray, nor was the dark violet mist around. Instead she was back in the clubhouse, with a very worried Adara staring right at her.
"Scootaloo, are you alright," asked Adara.
The violet maned filly ran a hoof over her forehead, which was matted with sweat. After taking a few shaky, calming breaths, Scootaloo found her voice again.
"Y-Yeah, i-i-it was just a bad dream, really bad," she answered.
"Scootaloo…?"
"I'm fine, really. It's not the first time I've had a bad dream."
"Looked more like you had a nightmare," said Adara.
"Can we just get back to bed; I have school in the morning…"
The conversation ended there, both fillies huddled back under the blanket, except this time was different. Scootaloo, moved closer to Adara. The cerulean filly didn't shirk away from her, instead she did as she always did, which was draping her blue wing over her friend. This simple act helped keep the bad dreams away for the rest of the night.
(Tuesday)
Scootaloo woke up early that day, and not by choice. The dream she had last night was so vivid, so real, that she felt that her very life might've been in danger. It wasn't the same as during the camping trip, compared to then, those nightmares about the Headless Horse and the Olden Pony were like lighthearted bedtime stories. No, maybe because they were just stories that it didn't feel as life threatening.
"I wish it was the Headless Horse, or even the Olden Pony…I haven't had a nightmare like that for a couple of years…so why now?"
Scootaloo started to hear some moaning and groaning behind her. She turned around and saw that Adara was just now waking up, using her hoof to rub the sleep from her eyes. She couldn't help but smile and giggle at Adara's bedhead, her usually long windswept mane was disheveled, most of it covering her face. For some reason though, Scootaloo couldn't help but find this appearance rather cute – in general, for a filly, Adara was cute.
"Morning sleepy head."
Adara smacked her lips a few times, and pushed her mane out of her line of sight.
"Good morning, Scootaloo. Are you well," she asked.
"Yeah, I'm doing better." Scootaloo looked away for a moment and sighed. She then turned her head and looked directly at Adara. "Listen…I-I'm sorry for yelling at you yesterday…I just…I don't like talking about my past, it's a bit of a sore subject. For now, can we just pretend like it never happened?"
Adara stared off into the distance for a minute, not making direct eye contact with Scootaloo. The young pegasus was worried, did she hurt her friend's feelings. Adara seemed like a strong and fearless filly, maybe not Rainbow Dash level, but still strong and fearless, she did save Scootaloo's life after all. After about another minute passed, Adara looked back in her direction.
"Sure, Scootaloo, if that's what you want," she said smiling.
Scootaloo let out a relieved sigh, "Okay, um, you know we won't be doing any crusading today, right?"
"Yeah, I know, Tuesdays and Thursdays are when you and Rainbow Dash have your flying lessons. I'll be fine, don't worry."
"Cool."
The rest of the morning went as well as could be expected after that. Scootaloo and Adara caught an early breakfast at Sugar Cube Corner, compliments of Pinkie Pie having made too many pastries. Scootaloo wondered if Pinkie Pie just set aside some for her and Adara, which would be weird, but then again Pinkie was a weird pony to begin with and she, along with the other Crusaders, learned long ago that trying to figure out the pink party pony was a headache you didn't want.
After the two of them got close to the school they parted ways. Scootaloo often wondered what Adara did when she was at school, probably just flew around and enjoyed the freedom of it.
Someday I'll be able to fly like her and Rainbow Dash, I'll join them up there soon, she thought happily.
(Tuesday, Late Afternoon)
"You can do it Scootaloo, just a little more," said Rainbow Dash.
The rainbow maned mare was hovering about ten feet in the air, waiting with outstretched forelegs to grab onto her surrogate little sister, Scootaloo. The orange filly flapped her wings at a fast and furious pace, her brow beaded with sweat as she huffed and panted, trying hard to claim higher and higher into the air to meet Rainbow Dash. Scootaloo was hovering about five feet in the air, just five feet shy of meeting the speedster pegasus at the same height.
"C'mon Scoots, you're almost there!"
"I-I-I can't!" Scootaloo cried.
"Yes you can squirt, just a couple of more feet to go!"
Scootaloo flapped harder and harder, ten feet, it might as well have been ten times that as far as she was concerned. Just when she thought her task was impossible, the violet maned filly found herself in the arms of Rainbow Dash, supporting her under her forelegs. When Scootaloo felt that, she stopped flapping her wings, and allowed herself to go limp in her "big sister's" grasp.
"Not bad kid, you're getting better," said Rainbow.
"You're just…saying that…There are foals…who can do that…who are younger…than me," said Scootaloo in between deep breaths.
"Hey, it's better than what you could do a few months ago." Rainbow Dash lowered her altitude till the two of them were safely back on terra firma. She gently laid Scootaloo onto the soft grass; Rainbow then took a spot next to her and had a bit of a sad expression. "And…I guess that's sorta my fault, Scoots. I know I promised to teach you, but when Twilight got her wings, you know, after becoming an alicorn, she asked me to teach her. And then there was that whole craziness at the Crystal Empire during the Princess Summit…" Rainbow Dash hung her head low, ears flat to her skull. "So sorry if I haven't been there that much."
Scootaloo quickly shook her head vigorously. "No, no, no! Rainbow Dash don't blame yourself! Twilight's your friend, and I totally understand. I mean if you suddenly grew a horn and needed to learn magic right away, you'd probably do the same thing and ask Twilight for magic lessons, right?"
Rainbow Dash chuckled at that, her ears piqued up and her usual confident smirk returned.
"Still doesn't stop her from trying to teach me about magic, horn or no horn. I mean, I get she loves magic just as much as I love flying. Guess that's why I – I – I…"
Scootaloo looked up at Rainbow Dash and cocked her head quizzically at the soon-to-be Wonderbolt.
"That's why you what," asked Scootaloo.
Rainbow Dash seemed to look around frantically till she spotted the changing color of the sky, from blue to the setting orange and red colors.
"Whoa would ya look at the time! You need to be heading home soon squirt, same for me! Pick up where we left off on Thursday?!"
Scootaloo didn't understand why Rainbow Dash had changed the subject so quickly, but she was right, and as much as she liked to spend time with her, it would be troublesome if she or anypony else found out where she lived.
"Alright then, see you soon Rainbow Dash," said Scootaloo.
Grateful that no further questions were asked, Rainbow Dash ruffled the young filly's mane and took off, her trademark rainbow streak trailing behind her as she did.
"Well, better go and see if the Cakes have anything they didn't sell." Scootaloo hopped onto her scooter and buzzed off towards Ponyville. "One of these days I'm gonna find Adara and me an actual dinner."
As Scootaloo began to go deep into thought about how to acquire a proper, full, meal for the two of them she didn't notice that there was a maroon mare coming out from behind a stand. Luckily, Scootaloo was able to bring her scooter to a grinding halt, just mere inches from running into the mare, the rear wheel lightly tapping the right foreleg of the older pony.
"Phew…"
"Scootaloo?"
The orange pegasus filly looked up at the near crash victim and immediately recognized her.
"Miss Cheerilee?! I'm sorry, I didn't hurt you did I?!"
The school mare just lightly shook her head as she smiled at her young student.
"I'm fine Scootaloo, though you seemed to be lost in thought there for a second, everything alright," asked Cheerilee.
"Oh yeah, everything's great! Just heading to Sugar Cube Corner is all."
Scootaloo noticed something strange, but it was brief. Cheerilee seemed to look concerned for some reason, but the expression was quickly gone as her face returned to its normal kind demeanor.
"Really, I was actually heading there myself. Would you mind if we kept each other company along the way," she asked.
"Sure, that's fine."
The teacher and student began heading towards Sugar Cube Corner, Scootaloo's wings buzzed lightly, allowing her to keep pace with the longer stride of Cheerilee. Along the way the young filly couldn't help but feel that her teacher was glancing down at her now and again, Scootaloo didn't think anything of it, just typical Cheerilee looking out for her students wellbeing.
"Scootaloo, I was wondering, I'm making pasta later. I usually end up making too much for myself, I was wondering, if your parents are coming home late, you could come over and have some with me," asked Cheerilee.
The young filly nearly stopped in her tracks. This was the first time Cheerilee invited her over for a meal, and a home cooked one at that. It was tempting, very tempting. But a thought entered her mind, if she did go, Adara wouldn't be able to come, Cheerilee hadn't met her yet and it was going to be awkward to try and explain why she was there. And just going without telling would be rude to Adara, and unfair. So Scootaloo looked up at her teacher and politely declined.
"No thanks, my, uh, my parents are coming home early so I'm just going to pick up desert for us. That's why I'm going to Sugar Cube Corner," she explained.
"Oh, okay then, just offering," said Cheerilee in a disappointed tone.
"Thanks anyway," she added quickly, noticing the tone.
They were near the bakery, just a few vendor stalls away.
"Well, if something happens I'll save some for you to take home will that be okay?"
Scootaloo pondered how to respond, she didn't want to make Cheerilee sad, but it did provide an opportunity for the two of them to get a decent meal for once.
"Sure, that sounds cool," said Scootaloo.
Cheerilee breathed a sigh of relief, "Alright – oh and I'll be sure to make some extra for Adara."
"Thanks, I know she'll love – WAIT WHAT!!??"
Scootaloo came to an abrupt halt. Cheerilee's eyes went wide with realization, she had just accidentally blurted out the name of Scootaloo's friend, one whom she wasn't supposed to be aware of. The school teacher quickly did a one-eighty turn and stared straight at Scootaloo who was now giving her an incredulous look.
"What did you say?!"
"I-I…"
"You said 'Adara!' How do you know that name, Miss Cheerilee!?"
"Scootaloo, listen…"
"TELL ME!"
There was no denying it, no getting around it, there was only one thing left to do, and that was to tell the truth. Cheerilee didn't know what would happen after this, but she prayed that something good might happen.
"Scootaloo…earlier today Adara came to me, she was concerned about you. Apparently you had a bad dream, and it scared her how much it scared you. She came to ask me what I know about you Scootaloo…which, I admit, is not a lot. Scootaloo listen, your friend is just looking out for you, and…and you don't have to worry, I know about the two of you and your…situation."
The young filly's eyes were growing wider by the second, Adara, her best friend and fellow Crusader had betrayed her. She told Miss Cheerilee that she was homeless, that they were living in the Cutie Mark Crusader clubhouse together, and after the two of them agreed to forget about the argument yesterday.
"Scootaloo listen, don't blame Adara, I already knew! I promise not to say anything until you're ready to talk, but –!"
"Sorry I need to go goodbye Miss Cheerilee!"
Scootaloo turned her scooter around and sped off into the distance. Her anger was seething, how could Adara do that to her! She weaved in and out of the shopping district and straight down Mane Street. As she was making a turn Scootaloo noticed Adara stepping out of Carousel Boutique. She brought her scooter to a screeching halt and stared flabbergasted.
Did she go to Rarity's house and blab to her too!? Oh no, what if Rainbow Dash finds out, I'll be sent to the orphanage, I'll have to leave Ponyville!
Scootaloo's anger only grew as her mind started to come up with implausible scenarios. Was Adara trying to get her in trouble? Was she plotting to get her run out of town? Whether it was out of general good natured friendship or just a slip of the tongue, it wasn't going to bode well for her.
The orange pegasus watched as Adara said her goodbyes to Rarity and Sweetie Belle and started walking off. Scootaloo flapped her wings fast and kicked off with her hind leg. She sped down the street, swiftly and quickly catching up with her so called friend. Adara turned her head and spotted her approach, the moment she was close enough Scootaloo slammed the brakes, bringing her to a complete stop in front of the blue filly. It took a second, but Adara seemed to flinch slightly upon seeing her. It made Scootaloo wonder if the face she was making was as full of rage as she was feeling.
"Adara…why…?"
"Why what…?"
Scootaloo gritted her teeth and stared directly at Adara. "WHY THE BUCK DID YOU TALK TO CHEERILEE ABOUT ME!!!?"
Adara gasped.
"S-Scootaloo I can explain –"
"Don't bother!" Scootaloo dismounted her scooter and stood on all fours as she stared directly at Adara. "You promised me that you were going to drop it! Why would go and do something like that, and to CHEERILEE of all ponies, my teacher," shouted Scootaloo.
Adara winced at the harsh tone of her voice; she tilted her head to the side, eyes downcast, unable to face her friend.
"I-I just wanted to help you…and I thought that somepony like Cheerilee might –"
"I never asked for your help, why can't you understand that?!"
It was at this point that Adara's demeanor changed a bit. She stopped staring at the ground and matched Scootaloo's serious gaze with one of her own.
"Because that's what friends do Scootaloo! They worry and look out for each other! I went to her because of you, you woke up in the middle of the night looking as if you were about to be killed!"
This time it was Scootaloo's turn to flinch, recalling the nightmare she had had.
"That…That was nothing, just a bad dream – that's all!"
"You're lying, it was worse than some 'bad dream!' If you would just talk to me maybe I could help," said Adara with sincere concern.
"Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle don't seem to bother asking, so why should it matter to you…"
"Maybe that's because they don't know the truth, if they did, they'd be doing the exact same thing I'm doing! If you can't understand that then maybe we shouldn't be friends at all!"
She said it, and the look on Adara's face was one of instant regret, but the words were already spoken. Scootaloo could feel an icy, stabbing pain in her heart. The one who had saved her from falling to her death, the one filly who she could relate with, and now, that same filly was telling her that she no longer wanted to be friends. The violet maned filly took a shaky step back; Adara raised her hoof towards her.
"Scootaloo I'm sorry, I didn't mean that I was just –!"
"Adara…just go…"
"W-What?"
"Just go Adara…I don't want to see you, ever again!!!" Scootaloo mounted her scooter and looked back in her former friend's direction. "And I'm banning you from the clubhouse, if I see you there I'll – I'll – Just don't ever come near there!"
Scootaloo didn't give her friend time to respond; she only sped off, a trail of dust being kicked up in her wake. Adara just stood there stunned, her mind was blank. When she finally registered what had happened, Adara, the Entity of Hope, began to weep.
(Sweet Apple Acres, Later That Night)
It was around seven o'clock at night and the Apple Family was just about to have their dinner. Ion was out at night, moving some of the full apple carts into the cellar. The green earth pony stallion was currently hauling the last of the apple carts to the cellar. A job he had reluctantly taken on due his losing to a certain orange earth pony mare.
Get into a hoof wrestling match with AJ, it'll be fun. Of course I know she's strong, and of course I know it would be cheating if I went one hundred percent power. How the heck was I supposed to know she would beat me at ten percent?! Oh well, a bet's a bet.
As Ion approached the cellar he unhitched himself from the cart and opened the door. Once opened he repositioned the cart and unloaded the contents, with a little help from a green slide construct that funneled the fruit all the way down to its designated spot. Usually he would take the apples down there personally and place them in their designated spots, but his stomach was grumbling and he was getting really addicted to the home cooked meals of the Apple family.
"Okay just a few more and I'll be –"
Suddenly Ion felt a powerful surge of energy rush through his body. The stallion's body was covered in a bright green aura that shined almost too much. Ion panicked, his glowing eyes darted from side to side.
"What in tarnation is that light?"
Oh no!
Ion used his power to create a pair of construct hands to take the rest of the apples of the cart and, rather unceremoniously, shoved them down the cellar. He then slammed the doors shut and flew straight up and into his room on the top floor of the barn, using same said construct hands to close the doors behind him. Ion then jumped into a pile of hay and tried to hide his glow.
"Huh, it's gone," said Applejack.
"Did ya find out what that light was," called out Apple Bloom.
"Nah, nothin' out here."
"Probably just big swarm a fireflies," said Granny Smith.
Ion wiped the sweat from his brow, thankful that he hadn't been found out. But it would seem that fate wasn't as kind to him as he had hoped. Soon he heard the barn doors open and the sounds of hooves trotting upon the wooden floor, getting dangerously close to the ladder that led to the upper level where he resided.
"Hey Ion, soup's on, are ya comin' down or ain't ya," asked Applejack.
"Uhhh…actually I'm I kinda tired, I'm going to hit the hay a little early tonight," said Ion.
"Really, ya sure? Ah think ya should at least get some grub in yer stomach after haulin' all those carts."
"No, no, no, I'm fine, just tired, thanks anyway!"
Ion waited, hoping that Applejack would take the hint that she just needed to leave, like right now.
"Alright, but if ya feel like gettin' a late night snack, Ah'll save ya some."
With that Ion heard the retreating sounds of AJ's hooves out the barn door and onto the soft grass, and finally the sound of the house door closing behind her. Letting out a long held breath Ion poked his head out of the pile of hay and looked around his room. There was only one reason why his willpower energy would skyrocket in such a way, and from what he could sense, the source was very close. His search didn't last long as he spotted the source of his power up. Adara was lying on his bed, curled up with her tail and mane covering most of her face. Ion got out from the hay pile and trotted over to the edge of his bed.
"Adara, what were you thinking?! I thought we had a talk about lessening your light's influence, I…I…Adara?"
The cerulean pegasus filly slowly lifted her head, Ion almost gasped when he saw tears streaming down her face. Adara used her hoof to wipe the tears from her eyes; she then smiled at her fellow entity.
"Sorry Ion, give me a moment." Adara closed her eyes for a moment, immediately Ion's aura stopped flaring and returned back to its normal nonvisible state. "Forgive me; I must've lost control over it for a moment."
"Never mind that, what happened, why are you crying," asked Ion, concern heavy in his voice.
"I…It's…"
Fresh tears started to fall from her eyes, Ion quickly got onto the bed and laid beside Adara. It didn't take long before the pegasus filly moved closer to the green stallion, crying into his broad shoulder. Ion lowered his head and gently nuzzled the top of Adara's head, comforting her to the best of his abilities.
Hours had passed till Ion was able to calm Adara down enough for her to explain. Minutes more had gone by for the full explanation. When Adara had finished telling her story her eyes were about to tear up once again, Ion lifted a hoof and wiped the corner of her eyes.
"I'm sorry to burden you with my worries," she spoke.
"No, it's alright."
"I regret ever saying those words to her, and now…now she hates me…"
Ion didn't say anything, not having seen the fight it was hard for him to say one way or another that Scootaloo hated Adara, but, he was confident that this wasn't the case.
"She might be angry, very angry, but hate, probably not," said Ion.
"But what do I do, she doesn't want to see me, and I'm afraid if I did go she'd only yell at me and tell me to leave again…"
Ion nuzzled Adara's head once again, eliciting a small smile from his "younger-sister."
"Listen, you can stay as long as you want. Just be careful that Applejack or Apple Bloom don't find you up here," said Ion.
Adara nodded weakly.
"Let's get some sleep."
The cerulean filly curled up next to her big-brother-figure and laid her head back down and slowly closed her eyes, comforted by the strong heartbeat of the Entity of Willpower. Ion laid his head down upon the bed, keeping watch over Adara until he was sure she had fallen asleep.
Adara, don't worry, we'll fix this.
(Cutie Mark Crusaders Clubhouse, That Same Night)
"Stupid Adara…why did she have to go and do something like that, how am I supposed to face Miss Cheerilee tomorrow?! Not to mention I have to deal with whatever she told Sweetie Belle…UGH!"
Scootaloo ran her hooves through her mane frantically. She had no idea what she was going to do after the revelation that Cheerilee told her. If she didn't show up tomorrow her teacher would surely know that something was wrong, but then she'd have deal with that knowing gaze, not to mention worrying that her fellow Crusaders knew as well, or even worse, the entire class and even Rainbow Dash.
"Please, Celestia, I don't want to leave Ponyville…my friends…any of them …"
Scootaloo kicked the table, with her hind leg. Her mind was a torrent of worry, so many unanswered questions laid before her. Amongst these worries, was the guilt that she felt growing inside her this whole time.
Maybe I shouldn't have kicked out Adara like that…She has nowhere else to go…and it's not like she can just show up at Apple Bloom's or Sweetie Belle's place without raising suspicion, she thought.
Scootaloo quickly shook her head back and forth at an attempt to dislodge the thoughts. Her face now scrunching up into a scowl, as she remembered whose fault it was that she was in this predicament.
"What do I care, it's all her fault anyway! She flew here she can fly back to wherever it is she came from!"
Scootaloo stomped about the clubhouse, angrily setting her sleeping place and turning out the lamp. She got under the blanket and placed her head between her forelegs. The old saying "don't go to bed angry" suddenly popped into her head, Scootaloo remembered somepony telling that from a long time ago, but for the life of her, she couldn't remember who. With that last thought out of her mind, Scootaloo closed her eyes, concentrating on her breathing which acted as a makeshift metronome to lull her to sleep.
~~~
"Oh my Celestia, Scootaloo's homeless!"
The young pegasus awoke with a start. She suddenly found herself in the classroom of her school. Scootaloo eyes shifted about, noticing that all her fellow classmates' eyes were glued to her.
"I can't believe they, like, let some homeless filly into our school. Can you, Silver Spoon?" Diamond Tiara whispered.
"I know, isn't that like against the law or something," whispered back Silver Spoon.
The orange filly stood up in her desk and slammed her hooves onto the desk, staring daggers at the two snooty bullies.
"What are you two saying!? Why don't the two of you just say it to my face, I know you're talking about me,"shouted Scootaloo.
Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon turned around in their seats and stared condescendingly at Scootaloo. The two fillies then chuckled wickedly, as if she had told a funny joke.
"It's not like we don't know blank flank, everypony knows. Miss Cheerilee just told us," said Diamond Tiara.
"Did you fall asleep or something, she pretty much told the entire class and then went off to go get the ponies from the orphanage. Looks like somepony's going to be taken away," taunted Silver Spoon.
"LIARS!"
Scootaloo got out of her desk and began making her way towards the door. Almost immediately two of Scootaloo's classmates, Snips and Snails, blocked the doorway, barring her from exiting.
"What the heck are you two doing, get out of my way?!"
"Eh, no way, Miss Cheerilee told us to make sure you don't leave till she gets back," said Snails.
"Yeah, she didn't want you to run away, again," said Snips.
Scootaloo growled furiously, but inside she was getting scared. She quickly searched the room for a sympathetic face, but found none. Many of them either had looks of pity, disgust, and even apprehension. Amongst those faces were Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle.
"AB, Sweetie, c'mon help me out here?"Scootaloo trotted up to Sweetie Belle, her face was downcast and her eyes hidden from view by her curly bangs."Sweetie Belle you've known me for years –!"
"SHUT UP!" Sweetie Belle swiped at Scootaloo, making the pegasus filly retreat a few steps. "You've lied to me, this whole time! You said we were friends, I trusted you, and this whole time you've been laughing behind my back!"
Sweetie Belle hopped out her desk and started advancing on Scootaloo. The white unicorn's expression was a mixture of betrayal and such viciousness that she couldn't believe that his was the same Sweetie Belle she knew.
"I thought we were friends, you couldn't tell me something as important as this! I thought you trusted me, but instead you just lied to my face! I guess the only one you do trust is Adara, so sorry I'm not a pegasus like you, I guess being your friend counts for squat with you," shouted Sweetie Belle, her voice cracking.
Scootaloo was driven to Cheerilee's desk, her flank bumping up against it.
"Sweetie Belle listen, I didn't tell you because I wanted to hurt you, I was afraid and –!"
"I DON'T WANT TO HERE IT!"
Sweetie Belle brought up her right hoof and slapped Scootaloo across the face, sending the filly tumbling to the ground. The young filly propped herself up on her left elbow, she put her right hoof to her now throbbing cheek, tasting the slightest amount of blood. Scootaloo looked back up and saw that Sweetie was about to deliver a second blow, but Apple Bloom quickly got between them.
"Sweetie that's enough! Okay she lied, but that don't mean ya can just hit her like that!"
"And why not, Miss Cheerilee wouldn't have went to go get those orderly ponies from the orphanage unless she thought that blank flank was dangerous, probably a good idea to knock her out," suggested Diamond Tiara.
"W-W-What are you all saying…? I-I'm your friend…I've been your friend for the last three school years,"said Scootaloo, her voice trembling.
Suddenly, Sweetie Belle redirected her second blow to Apple Bloom, catching the earth pony filly off guard, AB's body hit the desk, her head hitting against it loudly before the rest of her fell to the ground limp. Scootaloo looked at her friend, horrified at the act of violence her best friend committed against another of her best friends.
"Apple Bloom…? Hey c'mon, this isn't funny AB…wake up. Apple Bloom…APPLE BLOOM?!"
Scootaloo shook her friend's body, she then placed a hoof near her red mane, and she jerked back her hoof when she felt something wet. She gasped as her hoof and the fur near it was stained red.
"Sweetie Belle…what did…you hurt Apple Bloom..."
The room went deathly silent, the wooden planks groaned and moaned. The shadows seemed to grow darker and thicker than normal. It was then that Scootaloo noticed the dark violet mist. It didn't seep from the floor boards; rather, it seemed to be pouring out of the mouths of the collective foals in the room. They all had their eyes closed, but when next they opened them they became narrowed, their normal eye color changing to crimson red.
"You've been a bad filly, Scootaloo," said Sweetie Belle.
"And bad fillies need to be punished," spoke Twist.
"Birds that fly away from their cages need to have their wings clipped," said Silver Spoon.
"And taught to behave," added Diamond Tiara.
*THUMP*
*THUMP*
*THUMP*
Scootaloo quickly looked towards the door, instantly recognizing the heavy knocking sounds coming from door.
"No…"
"Little bird, little bird, please let me in?"
Snips and snails moved away from the door, it then cracked open slightly. There was nothing there, but Scootaloo could feel that there was something horrible waiting for her. That's when the crack was filled with darkness and a red gleaming eye stared straight at her.
"AAAAAAAHAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!"
(Saturday, Afternoon)
Almost four days had passed since that faithful day. Adara had not returned, or even attempted to return to the clubhouse. And during those four days, the nightmares had only grown worse. So much so that Scootaloo could barely sleep without waking up in the middle of the night screaming.
Wednesday was the hardest of the days, going to school was nerve wracking; Scootaloo's eyes were constantly shifting between Cheerilee and her fellow classmates, every day she was prepared to bolt out of the classroom and run as far as she could. Luckily that fear seemed to be, for the most part, unfounded, although her nightmares did little to instill trust in her friends, having not done any crusading within these last four days Scootaloo, at least to Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle, appeared to be avoiding them. Today, Scootaloo was trying to avoid all that negative thinking. Because today was a free day that Rainbow Dash had to teach her more flying, and she wasn't going to pass that up, nightmares or not.
Rainbow Dash was keeping the training light, much to her relief, basic wing control, stretches, and other stuff that seemed repetitive. When they moved into actual flying Scootaloo was having a hard time getting off the ground, face planting more times than she could count. It was at this point that the rainbow maned mare was starting to worry for the young filly.
"Hey Scoots, are you alright," asked Rainbow Dash.
"Never better, why do you ask?"
"Well, let's see, you're mane messier than usual, your left eye's kinda twitchy, and you look like you haven't slept in a week."
"I'm alright, just some bad dreams is all, nothing to worry," said Scootaloo, the shakiness in her voice not at all convincing.
"Let's take a break," suggested Rainbow Dash.
Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo had settled for lying in the soft grass. The older pegasus looked down at the young filly, obvious concern in her eyes. Scootaloo seemed to pick up on the gazes that her idol was giving her; she then let out a deep sigh and met her gaze.
"Go on Rainbow Dash, I know you want to talk to me about something."
"I'm that transparent huh?" Rainbow let out a sigh before continuing. "Scoots, I'm worried about you. Miss Cheerilee came by the library yesterday to talk to Twilight and I overheard them talking."
At this Scootaloo's heart began to race, "R-Really, about what?"
"Cheerilee was telling us that you haven't been doing too well in school, and that you and your friends haven't been doing any Crusading. In fact, it seems like your avoiding Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle."
"I just don't feel like Crusading this week that's all, and since when is school important anyway, so not cool," said Scootaloo trying to play it off.
"Hey, don't be like that. You need to do good in school, and who knows, maybe being a teacher someday is your special talent."
"Pfft, doubt that highly. Anyway, enough with this depressing stuff, let's get back to flying."
Scootaloo got up slowly, wobbling a bit as she did so. Rainbow Dash quickly shot up and leaned against her young protégé to steady her.
"Whoa there squirt. Look maybe you should head back with me; I'm actually meeting up with Twilight. Why don't you come with and take nap over there, you look like you need some shut eye," said Rainbow Dash.
Scootaloo grunted as she pushed herself off of Rainbow Dash, looking a bit irritated by the offer.
"I don't need you to baby me Rainbow Dash, I'm ten years old I can take care of myself!"
Rainbow Dash caught the irritated tone in her voice, and she was not liking it one bit.
"Hey, I'm worried about you Scoots. I just don't want a repeat of what happened on that camping trip. Maybe I should talk to your folks –"
"NO!!!" Scootaloo shouted. "Just leave me alone, I'm fine!"
"Look squirt, when you asked me to be your 'big sister' I promised myself I was going to take this seriously. And I'm sorry that I'm not there all the time for you, but when I am there I want you to come and talk to me! And that also means getting involved with whatever's making you act like this, that's what big sisters are for," countered Rainbow Dash.
The young pegasus filly shut her eyes and growled as she took in a deep breath. "THEN MAYBE I DON'T WANT YOU AS MY BIG SISTER!"
Scootaloo's eyes went wide with realization; she quickly looked up in Rainbow Dash's direction and saw that a shocked and hurt expression was plain on her face. Scootaloo backed up slowly, her pacing quickening till she turned around galloped off, heading in no particular direction, just as far away as her hooves could carry her.
"SCOOTALOO!" Rainbow cried out.
But she didn't hear stop. The young pegasus ducked into the nearby woods and stopped to slump up against a tree. Scootaloo then hit the tree with her hoof as tears started to leak from her eyes.
How could I say something like to Rainbow Dash!? I'm such a bucking idiot!
Scootaloo picked herself up and began trotting back to her clubhouse home; she turned her head, tears still in her eyes. "I'm sorry Rainbow Dash…" She then looked up into the blue sky above, "I'm sorry…Adara…"
Episode 3: Freedom of The Skies, Sword of Blue Hope (Part 2)
Scootaloo was walking through Ponyville, but something felt off about the town. There wasn't anypony here, the shops were vacant, the stalls had no vendors, and the sounds of ponies walking about were absent from the area.
"Hello," she called out, "is there anypony here, hello?"
Scootaloo continued her walk. She couldn't even remember how she got there. The last thing she remembered was going to the clubhouse and after that…after that…
Suddenly Scootaloo caught something out the corner of her eye, the shadow of a pony on the wall. She gave chase to the shadow, hoping whoever it was that it would be somepony who would give her some answers. When Scootaloo got to the spot where the shadow was she skidded to a stop, seeing that there was no one there.
"What the – I know I saw someone here!?"
Scootaloo saw another shadow cast upon the side of the building down the street. She quickly did an about face and ran after it, but as soon as she got there, just like before, there was no one.
There was something else now, something faint in the background. The sound of hooves clopping upon the streets, Scootaloo ran out to see who it was. The violet maned filly's face lit up upon seeing the retreating images of two of her best friends. She wanted to call out to them, but an unexpected shaking from the ground stopped her. The vibrations only intensified, growing stronger and stronger by the second. No longer able to stand, Scootaloo plopped to the ground and covered her head in fear that something might fall and hit her.
The rumbling and shaking felt like it went on for hours, but soon enough the shaking stopped and everything was still. Scootaloo looked to her right and then to her left, stands were toppled over, some of the windows were either cracked or shattered altogether. The young pegasus rose from to her hooves, when she looked to see what had caused the earthquake she gasped.
From where Scootaloo was she saw something sticking up high over the homes and businesses of Ponyville. It was a giant pair of iron doors, with two giant chains crisscrossed to form an X on the front of it. Something inside Scootaloo told her that she needed to run away from this object, as fast as she could.
Unfortunately that option was no longer viable. Something latched onto the pegasus' hind leg, a stinging, burning sensation shot through her the moment of contact. When Scootaloo turned to see what was causing her the pain she nearly screamed, it was the dark violet mist from before, the mist that always plagued her whenever she had a nightmare. But it made no sense, she wasn't in a nightmare, she was in Ponyville, plus it felt too real to be a dream. Before she could contemplate the thought further, a second tendril of mist snaked its way towards her and wrapped itself around her right hind leg, making her wince even more from the searing pain.
The two tendrils then began to pull at her, hard, making her fall to the ground. Scootaloo immediately tried to drag herself away from the tendrils, even flapping her wings to give her extra momentum. But her actions only seemed to delay the inevitable; with one great tug the tendrils lifted the tiny filly off the ground and dragged through the streets.
"LET ME GO!!! LET ME GO!!!"
The tendrils continued to drag her; they seemed to be taking Scootaloo directly towards the gate. Soon she reached the center of the town, and it was here that many of the ponies of Ponyville decided to gather. Many of them were familiar, all on either sides, creating a clear path to the giant Iron Gate. Apple Bloom was with her family, Applejack, Big Macintosh, and Granny Smith. Sweetie was near Rarity, Twilight Sparkle was standing beside Rainbow Dash and Spike. There were many more, Lyra, Bon-Bon, Feather Weight, Pipsqueak, Silver Spoon and Diamond Tiara, Snips and Snails, Cheerilee, Dinky, her entire class. It was as if the entire town had come out to bear witness.
Scootaloo's mind started to think back to the history books she had read in Twilight Sparkle's library, remembering the particular sections that resembled this exact situation, back in the old kingdom days where ponies were dragged before judges and other ponies to be publicly beaten, or…executed.
The tendrils whiplashed up, bringing Scootaloo along for the ride, only to just as quickly whip back down, slamming the poor filly into the pavement. The impact knocked the wind out of her lungs, causing her to shrink into a fetal position, clutching at her stomach as she coughed and took in deep breathes of air.
"Why…what did I do wrong," she asked.
No pony answered her. As one, the group turned to face the giant gate. Scootaloo dared to look at this monstrosity. From this close she was able to see that here were in fact multiple chains, each one seemed to have been broken violently, oddly enough she also noticed that there was a symbol of a cradle crescent moon on the front of the gate. Now these last two chains were rattling, as if they were doing all they could to hold back whatever it was that resided behind them. As one the gathered ponies began to stomp their hooves on the ground, keeping a slow beat, like a drum. This only served to intensify the monster behind the gate to push and slam against it. The tendrils of mist started lashing out from the gaps in the gate, wrapping themselves around the chains and pulling at them. Scootaloo could hear the chains sizzling.
This is my chance, she thought.
Scootaloo started to rise up to her hooves, gathering the strength she would need to run away while the tendrils were busy with their work. However, the sentient mist did not let her get far, she only made it a few short steps before another tendril shot straight for her and wrapped itself around Scootaloo's neck. Once again the familiar pain had returned. The tendril lifted Scootaloo up and turned her around to face the gate, tightening its grip as if to tell her "Do not look away!"
“HELP ME, SOMEPONY, HELP ME!!! RAINBOW DASH, MISS CHEERILEE!!!” Scootaloo’s mind raced. “PRINCESS CELESTIA, PRINCESS LUNA, BUCKING DISCORD!!!” She was frantic and desperate. “MOMMY, DADDY!!!”
At last, the final chains snapped and the giant gates opened with a loud rusty creak. Scootaloo's eyes were wide as saucer plates, fear had completely taken her over and she began to claw at the tendril around her neck in a desperate attempt to break free. The chains, all the chains, fell from the gate, clanking against the ground. The inside was pitch black, darker than anything she had ever seen. Within the darkness two red eyes appeared, both staring directly at Scootaloo. A single black foreleg stepped out of the gate, and then another, followed by the head which bore a unicorn horn.
This creature was of the darkest ebony, its mouth leaked out the miasmic mist. Its barrel was just a series of ribs that seemed to house the rest of the miasma, along with holes on its back to allow it to come out in long slender tendrils. This creature was easily taller than many of the structures in Ponyville; the size of the gate apparently was not just an exaggeration, it was that tall. As soon as its tail, also made of the miasma, exited the gate the structure crumbled into dust. This thing was here to stay. The creature gave Scootaloo, what passed for, a wicked grin.
"Hello my little bird, it's time to play. "
~~~
A purple pegasus colt, twelve years of age, stood over the body of Scootaloo. He watched as the young filly squirmed and whined, her eyes watering. The colt noticed a red ring appear around her neck, at the same time, it appeared around both hind legs. The colt moved his mane away from his right eye. After about a second, both the colt's eyes glowed with indigo light. A symbol, made of yellow light, appeared above the filly, and it was at this time, the colt felt the same fear that was coursing through her mind.
The colt took his attention off of Scootaloo, the symbol vanishing as he did so. He then turned towards the door, above his forehead a symbol made of blue light appeared, it was at this moment the colt knew where he needed to go.
"Adara…"
In that moment, with a puff of purple smoke, the pegasus colt vanished from the treehouse.
(Sweet Apple Acres, Ion's Room)
Ion had been lying on the bed; totally beat from working the fields and content with a full belly. Adara watched Ion from the open barn door, smiling and giggling at the sight of her fellow entity in such a state of content.
"You seem to have taken a liking to the food here," said Adara.
"Well, the Entity wanted us to live here and enjoy this world, why not enjoy some of the simple things," answered Ion.
"I suppose."
Adara turned her attention outside, her keen eyes staring out into the dark night and in the direction of the clubhouse. Though she couldn't see passed the trees it helped that she could at least see enough. Ion sat up on his bed and gave Adara a knowing look.
"You really should just go to her. Four days is more than enough time to get over this, plus…I haven't been hearing good things from Apple Bloom."
"I want to…but…you didn't see the look she gave me, I betrayed her, how can she forgive me for that," asked Adara.
Before Ion could respond to that, the two entities heads shot up. They rushed to their hooves and stood fast, sensing something was coming towards them and not by normal means. In the corner of the room, a puff of purple smoke lit up the room. Their tension eased upon fully sensing the energy.
"Proselyte?"
The pegasus colt stepped out of the smoke and stood before his fellow entities, his cunning eyes falling directly on Adara.
"You must go to her, sister. She needs you," spoke Proselyte.
"Wait who needs…?" Adara's mind suddenly realized who it was that Proselyte spoke of. "Scootaloo, why, what has happened to her?!"
Proselyte trotted closer to her and reached out with his left foreleg. Adara touched his hoof with her own and immediately her mind was flooded with the emotional fear that Scootaloo was feeling. Adara quickly broke contact and panted heavily as if a great wait had been lifted from her.
"What's wrong Adara? Proselyte, what did you show her?!" Ion asked.
"Do not be cross with him. It is as Princess Luna had feared, the gate has been breached and now…! I need to go to her!"
Adara didn't even wait for Ion and Proselyte to join her; she only spread her wings and took off through the barn door, a small whirlwind being kicked up in her wake. Ion coughed a bit from the dust that was kicked up from sudden gust caused by Adara, he then snorted and shook off what had covered him.
"Adara wait up!" Ion called out.
The green earth pony stallion was about to call upon his power to help him fly, but his path outside was quickly blocked by Proselyte.
"You mustn't go Ion, this is Adara's trial, and it is one she must face alone," said Proselyte.
"Did you not see the look on her face, she might need us! Plus, we still don't know much about the magic and properties of this world, what if she runs into something she can't handle!?"
"Brother, trust in Adara, you know I am right. Besides, if we need to, I could always teleport us to her quicker than you can fly after her."
Ion snorted, "Fine."
(Astral Plain)
Adara wasted no time, forgoing the normal methods of entering the metaphysical border between reality and dreams; she used her omnipotent power to break through the transitional barrier and physically entered the Astral Plain. She was currently flying through the starry ether, her true form glowing brightly with blue light. Adara quickly tried to sense Scootaloo's location within the Astral Plain itself, but something was wrong. The star that usually guided her towards the specific dreamer she designated was nowhere to be seen. This worried the blue bird of hope, was she too late to do anything, and was Scootaloo…No! I refuse to believe that! She's stronger than that I know she is! Just hang on!
Adara continued to fly through the vastness of the Astral Plain, continuously trying to call forth the guiding star of Scootaloo's dream world, but to no avail. It was then that Adara picked up on something, a familiar presence. The Entity of Hope zeroed in on this feeling and flew towards it. After about a few minutes (Astral Time) of flying around Adara spotted the source of the presence, a midnight blue alicorn was currently hovering over a giant orb of light that was covered in black tendrils.
"Princes – I mean Luna!"
The starry maned princess of the night turned away from the orb, her horn was aglow with a powerful shimmering light blue aura and a fierce look in her eyes. Adara almost thought that Luna was about to attack, but the moon princess's expression softened slightly upon recognizing the entity.
"Adara, thank the goddess you're here," said Luna.
"What is happening, what is this," asked Adara, gesturing to the orb with her talon.
"It is as I've feared; the nightmares have taken corporal form, and have now started to attack Scootaloo."
Adara's eyes shifted between the alicorn princess and the orb of light behind her. Realizing that this orb was in fact the star that was Scootaloo's dream world, and that the black tendrils were the thing causing her interference in locating it. But something else was bothering the Entity of Hope.
"If you know what is happening why haven't you gone inside and put a stop to this, are you not the Princess of the Night, is the dream world not your dominion?!" Adara flared her wings in agitation, her three faces each having a mirrored expression of anger upon them.
Luna eyes were downcast now. "Because I cannot, the Astral Plain, the Dream World of an individual, works differently Adara. While I have some power over the Astral Plain, I am not its master. Just as I am not the master of another's dream. Within the dream, especially for us who can enter here physically, it is dangerous to enter one. Within a nightmare, the danger is as real as the dreamer believes it to be, which in turn fuels the nightmare even further."
"I care not for my safety; while we float here Scootaloo is in danger! If you will not do anything than stand aside I shall –!"
"HEED ME ENTITY OF HOPE! AS WE SPEAK, THE NIGHTMARE GROWS STROGNER, IT WILL CONTINUE TO UNTIL IT HAS CONSUMED HER MIND! LEAVING HER AS NOTHING MORE THAN AN EMPTY SHELL OF THE FILLY SHE WAS ONCE! IF WE MISSTEP, SHE WILL PAY THE PRICE FOR OUR FAILURE!" Luna proclaimed in the Royal Canterlot voice, an action that seemed to shake even the Astral Plain.
Adara and Luna then got into a staring contest, both of their eyes glowing with power, as if to make the other submit by sheer force of will. But after a while, it was Luna who backed down, her eyes returning to normal as a sad expression darkened her face.
"If anyone is to blame for this, it is I. If I had not coerced you into digging into her past, this would not be happening…the two of you would be in the clubhouse, protected by your light…"
Adara's fierce look faded upon seeing and hearing the sadness in Luna. "No, the blame is not just your own, in truth; I wished to know more about her as well…This was something that we must both take responsibility for."
Luna looked back up at the Entity of Hope; her normal kind visage had returned making the Princess of the Night feel a little more hopeful about the situation.
"So, how do we enter her Dream World," asked Adara, turning her attention to the giant orb.
Luna turned around and stared down the orb as well. "Your presence here has weakened the hold of the nightmare, if I apply just enough magical force, you might be able to break into the world and help Scootaloo do battle with the nightmare."
"'Help her do battle?!' I will vanquish this evil myself!"
"Listen carefully Adara, in the Dream World, in Scootaloo's nightmare, this thing is the stronger so long as you are within its domain. If, if you are able to defeat it, it will not solve the problem, the nightmare will only fester in the back of her mind, licking its wounds until it is ready to return. No, the only way for the nightmare to truly end for Scootaloo to not face the fear, but to conquer it, to slay it by her hoof!"
Adara looked upon the orb once again; the black tendrils coiled around it like thousands of snakes.
"Is there really nothing I can do…?"
"Restore her, give her strength, do what you can to bring her back. Be wary, while in there you are vulnerable. It may fear your light, but as long as Scootaloo remains afraid of the nightmare it will cease to and attack without restraint."
Adara's head nodded in conformation of Luna's warning. Seeing this, the Princess of the Night flared her wings, her horn shined with her powerful magic. Suddenly a sphere of mana energy formed at the tip of horn, it grew and condensed, building up more power by the second. When the sphere had reached its peak of power Luna unleashed the blast as an arcing azure blue lightning bolt. The bolt zapped the surface of the orb, burning away the tendrils. Luna willed the lightning bolt move in a circular pattern, creating a large enough opening for Adara to enter while keeping the rest of the tendrils at bay.
"Go now while I can still hold them back," ordered Luna.
"Are you not coming too," asked Adara.
"No, you will do her more good from the inside. I will continue to attack the nightmare from the outside, if nothing else I can provide a distraction! NOW GO!"
Adara wasted no time, taking off straight for the opening that Princess Luna had made. She dived straight down, whizzing like an arrow through the portal and into Scootaloo's Dream World. Luna recalled her magical lightning attack and just as quickly the tendrils reclaimed their spot. Now the black snake-like vines turned towards Princess Luna, hissing at her as a snake would its prey. The Princess of the Night only smirked at the darkness.
"So you now regard me as something to take notice of. Well then, allow me to show you why it is not wise to ignore me!"
Princess Luna's eyes shined brightly like before, her horn aglow the same powerful magical energy.
"I AM LUNA, PRINCESS OF THE NIGHT! THE DREAMS OF THE CHILDREN OF EQUESTRIA ARE UNDER MY PROTECTION! NOW FEEL MY WRATH!!!"
Within the Astral Plain, far in the distance, a string of powerful explosions could be seen shimmering one after the other. All those who were acutely aware of the metaphysical world could sense powerful magic rumbling through it. This was the power of Luna, in all its splendor.
Adara fell, she knew she was falling. She had no idea when it was she had closed her eyes, but when she opened them she gasped. The skies were covered in thick dark gray clouds. This world, Scootaloo's Dream World, was devoid of all the light it once had. A wave of despair, fear, and pain had permeated and stained this once beautiful dreamscape.
How could a single nightmare cause such a distortion, she thought.
When Adara attempted to correct her fall by spreading her wings something felt wrong. The Entity of Hope looked at her wings, only to find that they were not there, instead they had been replaced by forelegs. Adara quickly inspected the rest of her body. Her beaks were gone, as well as her talons and large wings. Somehow she had been transformed into her filly form, completely against her will.
Could this be Scootaloo's doing, or the nightmares? Either way, the fact that it could change by body so easily is not a good sign. I have to find Scootaloo now!
Adara broke through the clouds. She looked down at the ground only to realize that she was directly over Ponyville. Thanking the Entity for small favors, Adara spread her wings and took flight, regaining control over her earlier freefall. The cerulean pegasus swooped over the village, her keen eyes searching for any sign of her friend. After a couple of flybys Adara had resolved to search by hoof. She found a clear spot and landed near Carousel Boutique. From there Adara decided to search the usual familiar places. This Ponyville was eerie to say the least. It was quiet, and empty, with a heavy feeling of dread wafting through the air. Even within the one of the happiest establishments in the town, Sugar Cube Corner.
The cerulean filly entered the bakery. The glass case had the usual foods inside them, but they were rotted, as if they had been there for ages. Not a sound could be heard within the bakery, much like the rest of the town. After searching the upstairs and kitchen Adara was about to leave the bakery but stopped short of the basement door, which was mysteriously wide open. For some reason there was a cupcake that had a rainbow pattern upon it. It was strange; the cupcake seemed fresh, unlike the other confections. Adara slowly inched herself closer to the open door, but stopped the moment she heard a rumbling sound outside, the first actual noise she heard since she got there. When Adara turned back towards the basement door the cupcake was gone, and the silhouette of wide toothy grin could be seen in the darkness.
Not wanting to find out what dwelled below, Adara decided to exit the shop and continue her search elsewhere. Princess Luna must be fighting valiantly for that to have reached in here, thought Adara, I must find her!
The next stop was Golden Oaks Library, a long shot, but one worth taking. Upon entering the library Adara was immediately hit with cloud of dust. The cerulean filly coughed, gagged, and sneezed from the wave of dust. She wiped her eyes of the stinging particles, and started her investigation. The library was a complete wreck, books thrown everywhere, pages ripped out and scattered about. All in all, it was a sight that would've brought the wrath of Princess Twilight down upon the unfortunate soul who did this. Putting that unpleasant thought out of her mind, Adara looked throughout the library, wading through the book piles as she searched the upstairs, and the basement. But, just like Sugar Cube Corner, she could find nothing.
Adara was starting to get frustrated, searching about half a dozen other places and still no sign of Scootaloo. She was trotting down the streets of the town, wandering and starting to fear the worst.
"Hey look Ah found her!"
Adara's ears twitched at the sound of that voice. She turned around and saw Apple Bloom along with Sweetie Belle galloping towards her. The two fillies stopped short, about fifteen feet from her position. They then looked at Adara quizzically.
"That's not Scootaloo," said Sweetie Belle.
"Well Ah thought it was her! From far away all Ah could see were her darn wings," retorted Apple Bloom.
Sweetie Belle scoffed. "Whatever."
"Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle you're –!" Adara stopped. Were these dream versions of her friends here to help, or were they also part of the nightmare. "Hey, do you two remember my name?"
"What," asked Sweetie Belle.
"I asked if you know my name," asked Adara in a sterner voice.
"Don't rightly know don't rightly care. Ya ain't Scootaloo," said Apple Bloom.
"Well, she is cute, and you know how He likes cute little fillies, especially pegasuses," said Sweetie Belle.
"It's pegasi, plural, as in more than one." Apple Bloom corrected.
"And Scootaloo calls me a dictionary."
Adara's gaze grew serious, her eyes narrowing. "You wear the faces of my friends, but you are not them! Cease this façade!"
The nightmare Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle only giggled innocently at the accusation. They then closed their eyes for a second, when they reopened them their normal eye color was now changed to that of glowing crimson red, the evil miasma spilling from their mouths.
"What gave us away," asked Sweetie Belle.
Adara raised her right hoof and pointed it at Sweetie Belle. Her eyes shimmered as a helix trail of blue light swirled down her foreleg, collected into a ball, and then fired a beam right at the nightmare Sweetie Belle. The beam pierced her through the chest; the copy let out a scream of pain as the blue light engulfed her and vaporized her on the spot.
"What in tarnation?! What the heck did you –!?"
The Apple Bloom nightmare didn't get the chance to finish her question. A gust of wind blew passed the copy, with Adara appearing behind her. Her right wing was glowing, easily twice its normal size and made of blue light. The Apple Bloom nightmare's neck had a blue ring around it, after a few seconds the copy's head fell from its shoulders, disappearing much like the other. The light vanished from Adara's wing; returning to its normal size and having it fold into a resting position.
"You pervert the images of our friends in order to torment her…You. Will. Pay!"
Suddenly the ground began to shake. A loud tearing sound could be heard from every direction. Adara got into a defensive position, preparing to strike down whatever monster this nightmare could through at her. That's when she saw it, a fissure in the ground, running half the length of the town. A black mass broke the surface, demolishing most of the homes. Adara's eyes grew wide as the creature's full form and height was revealed to her. This was the source of the nightmare, this amalgamation of all her fear, the past that Scootaloo tried to forget, this was that entity.
"So you decide to show yourself! If it's a fight you want than I'll happily oblige," she shouted.
The Unicorn turned its head in her direction, its red gleaming eyes narrowed at the sight Adara.
"You…you are not part of my world. You do not belong here!"
"Neither do you, creature," she shouted.
"Have you come to take my little bird away from me? I will not allow that!"
"Little bird!" You refer to her as some sort of pet or plaything! How dare you!
The Unicorn lashed out with its giant miasma tendril, shooting it straight at Adara. The cerulean filly was preparing to counterattack the tendril, but was interrupted when someone or something pushed her out of the way. The tendril struck the spot where she once was, causing the ground to cave into a massive crater.
Adara was now on her back, rubbing her head from the tumble. "I will not be stopped by –! Scootaloo!!?"
Indeed it was her; the orange pegasus filly that Adara had been searching for had instead found her, looming over her in fact.
"C'mon we need to hide now," ordered Scootaloo.
Scootaloo got off of Adara and quickly galloped down the street. Adara quickly gave chase, following her friend. But the Unicorn did not let this go unnoticed. Turning his giant body in the direction of their retreat it began to stomp its way towards them. With each thundering step, Scootaloo's frantic and terrified expression only grew worse. Adara looked behind them and watched as the giant continued to get closer. Several times Adara tried to change into her true form, her secret be damned she was going to protect Scootaloo even if it meant revealing her true identity. But no matter how hard she tried, her body would not shift at all. The Unicorn was almost in range to snap at them with its maw, Adara had to think of something quick. That's when she was struck with an idea.
In fearful day in raging night! With strong hearts full our souls ignite! When all seems lost in the War of Light! Look to the stars –!
Adara flared her wings and jumped into the air. She turned around to face the Unicorn who was now focused on her, just as she planned.
"FOR HOPE BURNS BRIGHT!"
Adara's body shined with a blinding blue light, right in the creature's face. The Unicorn roared in pain as it felt its face burn. It reared up and retreated backwards till it lost its balance and fell mightily to the ground. Thrashing about as it roared in pain.
"THE LIGHT, IT BURNS, IT BURNS! AHHHHHHH!!! YOU WRETCHD LITTLE – AAAAAHHH!!!"
Adara dimmed her light till it was no more and returned to Scootaloo's side. The two fillies continued to run till they both ducked into town hall, closing the large double doors behind with a hard thud. Adara slumped against the door, panting hard for breath after their ordeal.
"Thank goodness, I finally found you Scoota –"
"SHUT UP!" Adara winced from the harshness of her voice. What surprised her more was the fact that she could not see her, though she could've sworn Scootaloo was right beside her when they entered? "I-I-I've been running around this place for so long…my friends…the ponies I know…THEY'RE ALL FAKE!!!"
Adara was confused for a second before remembering the Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle copies she had defeated earlier.
"Oh no, Scootaloo listen to me I'm not one of them!"
"LIAR! I've heard that before, and every time I believe one of you fakes I barely escape being dragged back to HIM! So why should I believe you, give me one good reason why I should even believe a word that comes out of your mouth!!!"
Adara stood her ground; she needed to convince Scootaloo that she was the real deal, but how. Her mind searched for any logical, or dream logic, way for her to explain her presence and get Scootaloo to trust her. That's when Adara remembered something, it was a long shot, even in Scootaloo's present state, but she had to rely on the hope that some part of her was not so gripped with fear as to allow her to believe her words.
"Princess Luna sent me here Scootaloo! She knew you were in trouble and called out to me, so she brought me into your dream in order to help you!"
There was silence and it lingered, so much so that Adara believed that Scootaloo might've left.
"Princess Luna…she sent you to help me?"
"Yes, she's out there, in the dreamscape, fighting to get in here! She needed help and I offered to come and keep you safe until she could get here! Please you have to believe me!"
"Why would you…? After what I did… I threw you out when you had nowhere else to go, why would you come and help me after that…?"
Adara gritted her teeth and widened her stance, she then took in a deep breath before bellowing, "BECAUSE YOU FEATHERBRAIN WE'RE FRIENDS!!!"
The word "friend" seemed to echo within the large room, all the way up to the rafters. Adara waited for a response, but was again met with silence. Then she heard the sounds of hooves clip clopping against the hardwood floors. She turned towards their direction and saw her friend emerge from the shadows, a weak smile upon her face.
"Yeah…we are friends, aren't we…?"
"Scootaloo."
Adara trotted up to her friend, when she was closer she nearly yelped at the sight. Scootaloo's body was covered in red gash like burns, her left wing hung limply at her side, and her mane and tail were in disarray.
"Oh Scootaloo…what has that thing done to you?"
The orange peagsus filly said not a word. She only got closer and rested her head on her friend's shoulder. Adara nuzzled Scootaloo's head in a comforting fashion and gently brought up her right hoof to bring her closer. Scootaloo didn't fight it; she seemed tired and was so grateful to be in the embrace of some pony she cared about.
"I'm sorry, and…I missed you Adara."
"The same to you…"
Adara and Scootaloo had taken to resting on the stage within the town hall. The tormented filly was lying against Adara, her wing draped over her in the same comforting fashion that she usually did. But now it was more of a wing of protection. It felt like hours since the two of them were able to catch their breath. There was no sign that Princess Luna was making any progress with breaking through into the Dream World, but for the most part the Unicorn seemed to leave them alone. Whether it was due to Luna or Adara's earlier light attack was unclear, but for now, they had a chance to rest, which was more than what Scootaloo was getting before.
Adara then felt a stirring under her wing. Scootaloo was awakening from her nap, which was somewhat unclear as to how one could sleep while they were sleeping in a dream. But that was a paradox for another time.
"Sleep well," she asked.
"Actually, yeah, I did," said Scootaloo with a smile.
"Good." Adara knew she had to tell her friend how to end this nightmare, but after seeing the harm that had befallen her and the fear she could still sense, Adara was starting to think that having Scootaloo fight the Unicorn was not an option.
"So, when is Princess Luna going to come and get us? It's been awhile since you got here right, she's probably waiting for us to give her the go ahead, right," asked Scootaloo.
"Scootaloo…Princess Luna, she can't help us."
The violet maned filly laughed a bit at what Adara said, prompting the Entity of Hope to raise a curious eyebrow.
"That's a good one Adara, Luna, the Princess of the Night, the Immortal Dream Walker, can't help us. Pfft, yeah right."
"I'm serious, she can't, and it took a lot for her to just get me here."
Scootaloo began to laugh a little again, but that laughter was slowly dying when she noticed that Adara's expression hadn't changed, nor was there any hint in the tone of her voice that she was joking.
"You can't be serious, you can't right? If Princess Luna can't come here and end this nightmare then how in Tartarus are we supposed to get out of here, that thing will kill us if we don't?!"
"Scootaloo calm down! Princess Luna did not send me here without plan. There is a way for us to get out of here, but…it might be too dangerous…"
Scootaloo rose from under Adara's wing and stared angrily at her friend. "Have you seen this place?! Dangerous is the only word that can describe this place, whatever you got planned can't be worse than this!"
"Alright then, the only way for us to end this nightmare is if we go out there, face down, and defeat that monster," said Adara.
"Okay, you see, I was right, it's not dangerous," Scootaloo smiled a bit before adding, "THAT'S A SUICIDE MISSION!!! Why do we have to fight that thing when Princess Luna is right outside," she asked.
"She explained it to me. This nightmare is only as strong as you let it be, if you can stand up to this thing, if you can conquer it, then you'll never have to worry about it again, you'll be safe from here on out."
Scootaloo scoffed at the idea. "Yeah right, did you not see that thing?! I couldn't stand up to Him back then and I can't now, especially while He's like that!"
"And just who is He Scootaloo, is He somepony who hurt you from before you came to Ponyville?!" Adara asked.
"Adara I just forgave you, don't make me mad at you again. I'm nothing but a weak flyer, weak pegasus, a little bird that deserves to live in a cage…"
Adara had heard enough, she shot back up to her hooves and made her way to her friend. She then slapped Scootaloo across the face with her left hoof, surprising both herself and Scootaloo at the same time.
"Don't you dare say that about yourself! You are anything but weak! Stubborn, reckless, daring, headstrong, hopeful even, but not weak! No pony who is weak would continue to pick themselves up after each failed attempt at getting a cutie mark, a weak filly wouldn't continue to dream about being able to fly alongside her idol, and a weak filly wouldn't work so hard to learn how to fly in order to obtain that dream!"
Adara's eyes were starting to water, but she didn't lose that edge in her voice that spoke with such authority. She then rushed to Scootaloo, embracing her in a tight hug.
"So don't you ever say that, never again!"
"Adara…"
Scootaloo, after getting over the shock of Adara's speech, returned the hug, a modicum of her confidence having been restored, but still, she was unsure if she could really face Him.
"Scootaloo?"
"Yes?"
"I want to teach you something. It's an oath that my…'friends' and I made when we were small. It may not make much sense to you, but it helps to focus yourself, and reminds you of something important. Do you wish to learn it," she asked.
Scootaloo separated herself from Adara; she then smiled and nodded a yes.
"Then close your eyes and repeat after me." Scootaloo did as she was instructed and waited for Adara to speak. "In raging day, in fearful night…"
"In fearful day, in raging night…"
"With strong hearts full our souls ignite…"
"With strong hearts full our souls ignite…"
"When all seems lost in the War of Light…"
"When all seems lost in the War of Light…"
"Look to the stars, for hope burns bright."
"Look to the stars, for hope burns bright."
Scootaloo opened her eyes, the words seemed odd, but for some reason felt right. Her fear wasn't gone, but she did feel calmer than what she was feeling earlier.
"Better?"
"Yeah, a little," she answered.
At that moment the building began to rattle and shake violently, both fillies struggled to stay on their hooves but that wasn't going to be an option. Both of them looked up as the miasmic tendrils broke through the sides of the roof, four long tentacles bursting through the wood. The four of them then began to lift upwards, the wooden planks of the building groaned under the strain in protest of the action. But the controller of the tendrils paid the noises no heed, it lifted more and more till the entire roof was ripped off in one motion. The upper half was then flung off to the sides, skipping against some rooftops till it came to a stop atop Carousel Boutique.
Both fillies watched as the giant Unicorn looked down upon them with its red eyes. Its gaze fixed squarely on Scootaloo.
"Naughty little bird, hide and seek is over, it's time to get back to our fun."
Scootaloo cowered and winced at those words. Adara's anger only increased, seeing the state that this creature put her in.
"I will not let you face these fears alone," Adara stood tall and proud before the Unicorn, staring at it through narrowed eyes like a bird of prey, "YOU WILL HAVE TO DEAL WITH ME FIRST MONSTROUSITY!"
Adara then spread her wings and flew up into the air, Scootaloo watched helplessly as her friend took flight. Adara's body erupted with a blue aura of power, turning into a blue streaking comet that whizzed around the Unicorn. She fired one beam of light after the next, hitting the creature from all angles. The Unicorn brayed and growled in pain at the stinging strikes of the blue light, but unlike the nightmare copies it was not damaging it to the extent Adara wished it to. Though it was feeling the pain, it was little more than striking the side of mountain with a sledge hammer.
The Unicorn's miasmic tendrils lashed out in all directions swiping at Adara like a fly. The Unicorn's horn began to glow the same color as the miasma. The sky above started to thunder and roar loudly, with dark violet lightning arcing from one cloud to the next.
Scootaloo watched the fight before her, staring in awe of her friend as she fought against the vile creature. Though they were in her Dream World, she was still amazed that Adara could command the dreamscape so well as to give herself such amazing powers. For a moment Scootaloo allowed herself to hope, thinking that Adara could defeat this monster all on her own and that the two of them would escape. That hope, however, was quickly diminished.
The four tendrils shot out at Adara, forcing her to retreat backwards. The Unicorn grinned happily, his horn shined and from the sky the clouds let loose a massive dark violet lightning bolt that barreled straight down on the cerulean filly. Adara looked up and quickly erected a barrier to protect herself, the lightning bolt pushed down upon her barrier, she used her power to push back but the Unicorn only funneled more power into the attack. The tug of war between them continued for what seemed like minutes, but, eventually one had to give. Adara's barrier began to crack and chip, till, with one great burst, the lightning bolt smashed through the shield and struck the filly full force.
Scootaloo watched as her friend screamed from the pain of the lightning strike, her body spasming from the powerful electric currents wracking her body.
"ADARA!"
The attack ceased and two of the tendrils lashed out, they then wrapped themselves around Adara's forelegs, holding her aloft in the air. Her body was smoking as the smell of ozone and singed fur wafted through the air. Scootaloo quickly ducked behind what was left of the stage curtain, praying that the Unicorn was too preoccupied with Adara to notice her absence.
The monster looked down at the remains of the town hall and searched for his lost prey.
"Come out and play Scootaloo~"
The remaining two tendrils sifted through the rumble piece by piece, searching for the little orange filly. Scootaloo was shaking, her best friend had just been hurt badly and no help was coming. It was over, it was all over.
"Scootaloo…"
The young filly's ear twitched.
"I-I-I…!"
Scootaloo peaked from behind the curtain and watched as Adara weakly struggled against the tendrils.
"I BELIEVE IN YOU, SCOOTALOO!!!!!"
…I can't be afraid… Scootaloo appeared from behind the curtain, still shaking, her head lowered. I have to be strong, like Rainbow Dash would be, like Adara is right now!
"In fearful day, in raging night…" The Unicorn's red eyes finally spotted his young prey. "With strong hearts full, our souls ignite…" The tendrils slowly snaked their way towards her. "When all seems lost in the war of light…" They had worked themselves onto the stage and were now slowly about to coil around her body. "Look to the stars…" One of the tentacles was about to wrap itself around her neck, Scootaloo could already feel the burning, stinging pain that accompanied the touch of these things, but she did not care. "FOR HOPE BURNS BRIGHT!!!"
Suddenly Scootaloo's body erupted into a column of blue light that shot up into the sky. The Unicorn withdrew his tentacles as they were now the ones burning. The beam let out a burst of force that struck the clouds and parted them within mere seconds. The Unicorn hissed as the bright blue sky shined down upon the dreary landscape that was Ponyville. It was then that the Unicorn watched as an orange blur flew passed it. The creature then roared in anger as it realized that the object it was holding was gone.
Adara was still in a daze from the lightning strike, but she aware that she was in the arms of somepony. She slowly opened her eyes and was greeted by the confident smirk of a pegasus mare.
"And you called me reckless," spoke the older mare.
"Scootaloo…?"
"Who else would it be? Can you fly," she asked.
Adara began to flap her wings, allowing her to hover in the air and see Scootaloo fully. She was much older, at least twenty. Her mane was a bit longer, her wings broader, and her body much more lean and toned.
"Looks like I was able to repay you for saving my life after all," said Scootaloo.
"Don't even worry about that, how were you able to do – well – all of this?!" Adara spread out her forelegs, gesturing to everything around them.
"I don't know, I just said that oath thing of yours and it just clicked, I really don't know how else to describe it, but this feels awesome!"
A loud roar from below them put interrupted Scootaloo, the Unicorn was thrashing about down below, destroying everything like a child throwing a temper tantrum.
"You need to defeat that thing, it's the only way the nightmare will end," said Adara.
"With what, I'm older, but it's not like I have a weapon or something."
"Then I will be your weapon, as well as your wings to carry you to victory!"
Before Scootaloo could inquire as to how she was going to that Adara's body transformed into blue light particles. She almost cried out in horror but soon the particles charged straight for Scootaloo. Some of them latched onto her wings, turning the avian appendages into blue light wings, giving the grown mare a ten foot wingspan. The remaining particles took the form of a sword made of light, the symbol of hope glowed a lighter shade of blue at the center of the guard.
"What…what is this?!"
It's me Scootaloo.
"Adara, what did you –!?"
I, um, used the Dream World's power to turn myself into this. Look, don't question the how; just use this to strike that thing down!
Scootaloo reached out and grabbed the sword, holding it within the crook of her hooves.
"No problem!"
A blue fiery meteor like object flew down from the sky. The Unicorn turned its head in the direction of the flaming object; it then struck with two of its tendrils. The moment they were in range, they were sliced to pieces, completely shredded. The blue meteor did not stop its descent; it kept plummeting till it was in striking distance. It then whirled around and aimed directly for the Unicorn's right foreleg. A streak of blue light shined as the limb was severed from the body of the dark beast.
Scootaloo soared back up into the sky, turned around, and aimed again for the Unicorn. Her next target was easy enough. Instead of using the sword, Scootaloo glided, keeping her light wings straight as the right wing sliced through the Unicorn's giant horn in one swift motion. The creature stumbled backwards, very much in pain from the severing of both its leg and horn. But they didn't stop there; Scootaloo then began to move at a rapid speed, slashing at the body of the monster, leaving behind blue gashes that shined brightly all over its body.
The creature wailed in pain as its power over the world was leaving its body. The ruined Ponyville was changing back to its more colorful and cheerful self, many of the nightmare ponies that were still around no longer beard the crimson eyes, but instead had regained their happy expressions and were now cheering for Scootaloo. Their collective cheers were so strong that they were drowning out the beast's own pain filled roars.
Do you hear that Scootaloo? That's for you, this is the true you! Now let's give them something to really cheer about!
"Yeah, this nightmare ends NOW," proclaimed Scootaloo.
The pegasus mare soared high into the sky, so high that the Unicorn looked like a black speck upon the land.
When she stopped in the air Scootaloo closed her eyes. This was the freedom she sought, the feeling of being in the air, unafraid, her hopes given form, this was her dream, her world, and she wasn't going to let anything, not even this monster, destroy it.
High above her, the faint image of the full moon appeared in the sky, along the shadowy silhouette of Princess Luna looking down upon this filly turned mare with her glowing eyes and smiling proudly.
"Conquer your fears, Scootaloo…!"
"Princess Luna," she whispered.
Pointing the sword downward, Scootaloo dived. Her body was once again engulfed in blue light, lapping off her body like fire. Suddenly a mach cone started to appear in front of her, the cone grew more slender by the second as if she were squeezing into a smaller space. Finally with a loud and thunderous BOOM she burst through the cone, picking up an unbelievable amount of speed. Behind her a trail of violet, blue, and orange flame could be seen in her wake. The destructively powerful fire trail continued to descend further and further, till she made contact with the Unicorn.
The monster let out a loud and earsplitting shrieking roar as its body was completely overpowered by the flames and light. Slowly it disintegrated into black particles, the particles then started to vanish into nothingness. And at last, there was a bright flash of light…
(School House, Two Weeks Later)
"Okay my little ponies, don't forget to read those chapters in your Equestrian History books, and we'll pick up from there next week. Have a great weekend," said Miss Cheerilee.
The school teacher watched as her young students cheered and swiftly exited the classroom. Cheerilee watched as three of her most precocious students got together quickly and started to make plans for the weekend. Last week had worried the maroon mare, especially with that little slip of the tongue a couple of weeks ago. Though she didn't know why or how, but to her, Scootaloo seemed to be moving as if she were a lot lighter. Almost like a huge burden had been lifted from her that she didn't know about. It troubled her still that her student still wouldn't come to her about such things, but for whatever reason, she appeared to be happier, and that's mattered.
That pleasantness out of the way, Cheerilee began to go into her normal routine of tidying up the classroom before she too left for the weekend. Just then she heard the sound of hooves knocking against the door. Cheerilee turned around and was prepared to greet a parent, which wasn't uncommon, since usually a parent would visit nearer towards the end of the week than at the beginning or middle. But when she did, she was surprised to see not an adult, but an orange pegasus filly.
"Scootaloo, what's the matter dear, did you forget something," she asked.
"No, actually, um, can I say something Miss Cheerilee?"
"I don't know, can you," said Cheerilee in a teasing tone.
"Alright, alright, may I say something?"
"Of course you can."
Scootaloo took a deep breath, steadying her nerves before saying what she wanted to say.
"I wanted to say that I'm sorry for the way I've acted a couple of weeks ago, I was just so afraid that you'd tell somepony…you-know-what… that I was acting like a complete idiot towards you, and my friends. I'm grateful that you've kept my secret for so long, and, although I can't tell you right now, I want you to know that I'm alright. So, thank you, Miss Cheerilee, for watching over me, even though I was too much a featherbrain to notice."
Cheerilee felt her herself tear up at what Scootaloo said to her, this whole time she had berated herself for not telling anypony about Scootaloo's situation. But now, now she was being told by the student she had been worried about the most that she was thankful to her.
"Miss Cheerilee, are you alright, you're crying?"
Cheerilee raised her hoof to her face and wiped a stray tear before smiling back at her student.
"I'm fine Scootaloo, and, thank you."
Scootaloo nodded happily and turned around to leave, but stopped.
"Um, Miss Cheerilee, is that offer about dinner still open," she asked.
"Of course, come by when you and your friends are done 'crusading,'" said Cheerilee. "And I'll make enough for Adara as well."
With that said Scootaloo fluttered her wings happily and ran off towards her friends. Cheerilee slowly walked over to the window and watched as Scootaloo met up with Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom. The three fillies giggled and laughed for a moment and after a minute galloped down the road, no doubt off to another one of their "crusades." Just as Cheerilee was about to leave the window she caught something moving out of the corner of her eye. Towards the tree line far away, Cheerilee could've sworn that she saw something rise up from the tree tops and fly off in the direction of the Cutie Mark Crusaders.
Episode 4: The Strongest Pony! A Hero Stands Tall!
There was darkness around him. Along with pain, there was that too. He tried to move a little, but even that seemed to make it worse. His eyes started to adjust to the dark as certain shapes came into focus. There were big shapes, some angular and irregularly, some small ones as well, with faint strands of light peeking through the cracks. After a minute or two, his senses started to pick up on something else rather than pain. There was a smell; he recognized this smell as dirt and rock. He could also taste it in his mouth, along with something metallic; it was liquid and had a bit of an iron taste to it.
My blood, he thought.
Again he tried to move, but it was impossible. It was then that he became aware of a great weight upon him. He tried to remember what it was and how he got here, to this dark place, but his head hurt, not to mention he felt a wet sensation upon his head, something that was trickling from the same area.
Probably more blood… His green eyes looked up and around the best he could, and as far as he could tell, there was no way out. How did it end up like this…? Oh right…the Iron Pony…
(Sweet Apple Acres, 2 Days Ago)
It was fall time in Ponyville and the town was abuzz with excitement. Everypony had gathered together, getting everything ready for the annual event known as the Running of the Leaves. In two days the competing ponies will gather together and race through the woods and cause the leaves to fall from the thundering of their collective hooves. Usually, the Running of the Leaves was a very big to do around Ponyville, an event that brought out the competitive side of almost everypony. But this year was different, this year the infamous and equally famous event, the Iron Pony Competition, was being held once again.
There were dozens of ponies gathered on the Apple Farm, mares, stallions, and foals alike each stretching and warming up, and others just to spectate. A banner was held up by two poles, acting as a sort of makeshift entrance to the rest of the field. There were designated areas, each one set up with obstacles or equipment for a center event. Somepony had thought it would be great idea to start up the competition yet again, to make it a traditional thing to prelude the Running of the Leaves.
Currently Ion was walking the grounds, having helped the Apple family set up the grounds and get everything ready for when everypony arrived. Apparently, from what he heard, many of the mares and stallions were doing this to see who among them would be dubbed the Iron Pony, but of course, the title was held by Rainbow Dash and Applejack, respectively. As he continued to walk around, saying hi to the occasional pony, Ion noticed Apple Bloom walking around as if searching for something. The green stallion trotted over to the young filly in hopes of helping her.
"Hey Apple Bloom, what's up," asked Ion.
"Huh – Oh – Hi Ion," said Apple Bloom, a little startled by his appearance.
"You okay AB; you look like you're looking for someone?"
"Uh, no, no pony in particular, just um, looking for…APPLEJACK!"
"Oh, okay, well let's walk around; I'm sure we'll find her."
Ion and Apple Bloom began searching for Applejack, the whole time they were walking Ion couldn't help but watch as all the ponies were getting ready and excited for when the games would start. The whole time Ion couldn't help but, ask.
"Hey, Apple Bloom."
"Yep?"
"Remind me again, what exactly is happening here?"
"Oh, yeah, Ah forgot you haven't been here that long. This is called the Iron Pony Competition. It started when mah big sister and Rainbow Dash wanted to see who the best and strongest mare was, in the end the whole thing had to be decided at the Running of the Leaves, it was hilarious," said Apple Bloom giggling.
"Hmm, 'Iron Pony,' sounds like fun. Can anypony join," asked Ion.
"Only if yer ready to have yer flank kicked."
Ion and Apple Bloom turned to the right and saw Applejack stretching out her hind legs and forelegs, a smug grin upon her face which was directed towards Ion. Apple Bloom didn't seem to notice the hint to challenge in her voice, the little filly just ran up to her older sister, excited to see her.
"Can ya believe how many ponies showed up, there's more than last time," said Apple Bloom.
"Yeah, and not just to watch neither, but it's gonna be a bit borin' this time around," said Applejack.
"Why's that," asked Ion as he trotted up to the sisters.
"Rainbow Dash's out with the feather flu. Since the both of us hold the title of Iron Pony, Ah'm the one who has to defend it. Which is pretty sad; considerin' that she wanted to be here, oh well, she made me promise to have fun, and Ah don't go back on a promise."
Ion knew that the two mares had a fierce competitive streak between them. It didn't take long for him to find out that the two of them had often butted heads when it came to certain things and that the Iron Pony and Running of the Leaves events were easily the worst of those times. Ion could tell that Applejack was a bit disappointed that Rainbow Dash was unable to compete. During his stay at the Apple family farm, Ion and Applejack were slowly starting to develop a similar relationship, with one or the other trying to outdo other. So, today, Ion had an idea that might lift his friend's spirits.
"So, you saying that there isn't anypony here that can give you a challenge," asked Ion.
"Now Ah'm not sayin' that, Ah just said it would be more fun. But if ya think ya can, go for it."
Ion smirked at that, "Alright, I will."
Once the green stallion had lift Applejack smirked at her little sister, which caused Apple Bloom to give Applejack a curious look.
"What?"
"So, what exactly were ya lookin' for, or should Ah say who?"
"What are ya talkin' about Ah wasn't lookin for anypony! Ah just wanted to see ya before everythin' started is all," said Apple Bloom.
"Fine, fine, whatever ya say." Applejack watched as AB started to leave she decided to say one last thing. "Oh and if yer wonderin' if Spike's still comin' to do the announcin' Twilight said he would be by in an hour or two."
Apple Bloom whipped around, a happy expression upon her face. "Really!?" At that moment the littlest Apple sibling noticed the cat like grin her older sister was wearing, and her cheeks gained a tint of pink. "APPLEJACK!"
(Two Hours Later)
"Mares and Gentlecolts, welcome to this year's Iron Pony competition!" True to her word, Spike did arrive to the farm and was already right at it. Spike was quite excited by the offer to be the announcer for Iron Pony competition again. "We have quite a turnout today, and it looks like everypony wants to prove themselves to be the Iron Pony! So without further ado…Let the Iron Pony Competition BEGIN!" The crowd cheered in excitement, ready to get the events started. "First up we have the Barrel Weave! In this event we have Caramel, Baritone, and Ion!"
Three stallions walked up to the starting line. Big Macintosh and Spike were standing by the line, a stopclock was sitting on a stool with the red stallion's hoof resting on the button to start and stop it. The time to beat was Applejack's; during her run of the Barrel Weave she was able to make it with a time of sixteen seconds, which was better than her last time of seventeen seconds. The first stallion to go at it was Caramel.
The brown maned earth pony stretched out his limps and jogged in place, getting himself warmed up for his run. Caramel got into a running position, Big Mac nodded towards Caramel, who nodded back in response. Big Mac then pressed the button on the clock and Caramel was off. The stallion did well for the first few barrels, but bumped up against at least two or three before making it to the finish line.
"Caramel makes it in fifty seconds, but hitting the barrels equals a five second penalty, and since you hit three, that'll bring your time to one minute, five seconds," said Spike.
"Dang it," swore Caramel under his breath.
"Better luck next time Caramel," said Baritone.
"Next up, Baritone!"
"Alright, let's do this."
The gray stallion got ready and ran through the barrels, his agility and speed was quite surprising for a stallion of his size. He effortlessly weaved in and out the barrels; he was near the finish line when his hind leg nudged the last barrel before crossing. Baritone realized his mistake and stomped the ground in anger after crossing.
"Wow Baritone, twenty seconds, and with the five second penalty, it brings you to twenty-five seconds. Alright Ion, you're up."
Ion stared down the track, before he entered this competition he promised himself that he wasn't going to use his powers, if nothing else, he wanted to see just how strong his earth pony body was, as well as how fast. Ion was able to make a general assumption of how to move between the barrels after seeing Baritone and Caramel run. Ion took a moment to steady himself, taking a deep breath and closing his eyes in concentration.
The green stallion gave a nod and Big Macintosh hit the button starting the clock. With a burst of speed Ion weaved through the barrels, fluidly and with swift ease. The crowd watched astonished at how quickly he was moving. The next thing they knew, Ion was already passed the finish line. He turned around to wait for Spike to announce his time, but it never happened. Apparently the young dragon and even Big Macintosh were staring at the clock as if it were broken.
"Um…uh…fifteen seconds," said Spike.
"E-Eeyup," said Big Mac, apparently agreeing that what they saw was real.
"Seriously!?"
There were two sets of voices saying that word. Ion looked to his left and saw that Applejack was starting to trot to the clock, checking to see if indeed the time was right.
"Well Ah'll be, looks like yer faster than Ah thought," said Applejack. "Ya managed to beat both my time and Rainbow's, not bad."
"W-Well yeah, of course I would." Dang didn’t think that I would be that fast, guess I never really tested the full limits of my body, thought Ion.
"But don't be gettin' overconfident, still plenty more events to get through," she reminded.
The first event was the beginning of a fierce battle between Applejack and Ion. During the strength event, many different ponies lined up. Most notably was the burly white pegasus Snowflake. The overly muscular stallion came up to the mechanism, turned, and bucked the target, sending the weight a good distance up but not enough to ring the bell.
At the behest of her older sister, Cloudchaser, Flitter was nudged into giving it a try; this was, of course, after Cloudchaser had a shot. Flitter turned and bucked the target and made the weight sail to the top, hitting the bell. Cloudchaser gasped, and the crowd cheered. Next up was Applejack; Ion couldn't help but notice that Big Macintosh was standing by with an extra bell. The blonde maned mare strode nonchalantly up to the target, and with one hind leg, kicked the target sending the weight rocketing upwards and sending the bell flying off into the sky. Applejack trotted past Ion who wore a similar expression to that of Rainbow Dash's back during the first Iron Pony competition, to which she gave him the same answer.
"Years of applebuckin'," she said simply.
Last was Ion, after Big Macintosh fixed the bell. The Entity of Willpower was adamant about not using his light to empower in this or any event. He truly wanted to see just how far he could push the limits of this earth pony body and he was determined to do so. Ion brought up his hind legs and took careful aim. He then bucked the target, gaining a ring of the bell for his efforts.
"Shoot," he cursed.
"Looks like Applejack wins –!"
Spike stopped, a loud cracking sound emanated from the tower. The wood began to splinter as a long fissure ran up from the base all the way up to the where the bell was. The entire strength tester split in half making the ponies on either side move out of the way as the two halves fell to the ground with a great thud. Many just stared at the destroyed object, including Ion.
"Um – Uh, Ion wins…"
"Looks like applebuckin' been doin' ya some good, huh," said Applejack dumbfounded.
"Heh, heh, yeah, guess so," replied Ion.
Spike cleared his throat; regaining his composure Spike took a look to see what the next event was.
"Alright then, next up we have…we have…" Spike lost his luster when he noticed the name of the next event. "Oh horsefeathers…" With that said Spike reached behind him and pulled out a helmet with horns and proceeded to the next event with a very dissatisfied look on his face.
It went back and forth from then on; Ion lost the Bronco Buck, along with the Calf Roping, which brought the mare and stallion to two apiece. The next event was Ball Bouncing which Ion seemed to take easily, bringing the score to two-three. It was during the Hay Bale Toss that Applejack was able to tie it back up by hurling her bale farther than Ion. The green stallion made a comeback by kicking a hoofball clear into the distance, and way passed AJ's. What once was a friendly competition was starting to turn into a duel between the stallion and mare.
It was during the Push-Up challenge that the other ponies started to see a resemblance in the two's way of competing, getting to the point where they felt more like watching a rooting for their favorite. Both the stallion and mare were at the ninety count in their push-ups before showing any real strain. The two of them locked eyes with each other, a fierce gaze with sparks igniting in the space between them. Ion couldn't help but notice the gleam in Applejack's eyes that bordered on anger and frustration. There was something else he couldn't get out his mind, Applejack looked kinda cute.
Unfortunately that stray thought messed up his rhythm and he missed the next push-up, his forelegs gave under him and he fell plopped unceremoniously to the ground, allowing Applejack to claim this event.
It continued like that, the two going tic for tat. Ion would win one, and Applejack would comeback with another victory. And endless cycle of wins and loses. Until it came at last, the Tug of War event. By this time the gathered ponies had separated into two factions, one rooting for Applejack and other for Ion. With the current tie of fifteen to fifteen this was the deciding event. Both ponies stepped up to the starting point of the event, the rope laid lose upon the ground. Ion and Applejack took both ends of the rope into their mouths, staring down the ends at their respective opponents; their eyes burned with the fire and drive to win.
Spike stood on Big Macintosh's back, the dragon and stallion looked at each other worriedly. Wondering if this was getting too intense at this point, after about a second of pondering it the two decided to roll the dice and see what would happen.
"Alright, ready…GO!" Spike shouted.
Both Applejack and Ion pulled at the rope, the center becoming taut as they bit down on and struggled to bring the other towards the mud pit. Applejack dug her hooves into the dirt and tugged hard. Ion loss some ground and stumbled slightly but quickly corrected himself and stood his ground. The green stallion retaliated by taking a few steps backwards, slowly, but surely, he began to pull Applejack towards the pit. Inch by inch the orange mare was getting closer till her right foreleg reached the edge of pit, one more powerful tug and she would be sent into its cold depths.
Not happein' again, thought Applejack.
Ion suddenly felt a shift. His head was then jerked forward as the green earth pony was beginning to be pulled forward. Ion took another look at his opponent and saw a great determination in her eyes, somehow she had found even more strength and he was now moving closer to the pit, while Applejack grew further from it. Soon Ion found himself at the edge, his two front hooves hanging mere inches over the edge.
Sorry Boss Mare, but I’m not going to give up that easily, thought Ion.
Narrowing his gaze, Ion jerked his head back and began retreating. The green bandanna tied to the center of the rope began to move closer, almost returning back to where it once was at the middle. Applejack and Ion had amazingly returned to their original positions, both pulling with all their might as the crowd chanted the names of the two competing ponies. Unheard by many and even to Applejack and Ion, there was a strange noise, a straining, tearing sound that groaned in the background of the roaring crowd.
Suddenly the rope snapped at the center, breaking apart and sending both Ion and Applejack flailing backwards onto their backs. Everypony gasped and watched as the two contestants skidded to a halt a couple of feet away from the where they once stood. All the ponies stared in surprise and awe at the sight of the rope breaking apart.
Applejack was the first to rise; her hat had fallen off and was resting to her side. After shaking off the shock of the rope breaking Applejack placed her hat back on and looked at the broken rope that lay limp in the mud pit.
"What in tarnation happened," she asked.
"Looks like the rope broke," responded Ion as he rose up.
"Okay, that was cool," said Spike.
"Eeyup."
Ion rubbed the back of his head as he stared at the broken rope before him, "Soooooo…does this mean it's over?"
"The hay it is! Big Macintosh, find another rope!"
The red earth pony shrugged and sighed. After letting Spike jump off his back the eldest Apple sibling trotted off to find another rope for the contest. A few minutes passed and Big Mac returned with another rope of similar strength and length. He then gave both ends of the rope to Applejack and Ion, letting it fall in the center. Spike waited for conformation from both parties before he gave the go-ahead.
"GO!"
Their gazes sharpened like daggers as the two ponies rooted themselves into the ground beneath their hooves. The muscles tightened in their jaws, along with every sinewy strand within their bodies, turning themselves into makeshift anchors that would not be moved. The rope became straight, snapping like a whip as it was pulled from both ends. Many thought it would be a repeat of one gaining ground over other, a back and forth, but that was not the case this time. No, neither one moved an inch, but the rope seemed to be shaking violently as it struggled to hold itself together against Applejack's and Ion's combined strength.
This proved to be for naught as the rope snapped yet again. Luckily both Ion and AJ were somewhat prepared for this and released the rope so as to not be thrown on their backs again.
"Another one, Big Mac!" Ion called out.
Big Macintosh brought back another rope, this time it seemed slightly thicker than the last two, probably thinking that this one might be less likely to break apart by them. Applejack seemed to figure it out immediately and was happy by her big brother's forethought.
Once again the two, impossibly strong, ponies pulled. This time it seemed to be working, like it would almost hold up against their combined power. "Almost," being the appropriate word. It only took three minutes of tugging before this third rope found itself meeting the same fate as its fallen brethren.
This was unprecedented, probably something that this crowd of ponies would see only once in their lifetimes. Applejack and Ion just looked at the remains of the three ropes they used. All broke and destroyed before their indomitable strength and power. It was quite the quagmire, this sort of thing had never happened before.
"Okay, I'm stumped," said Spike. "Guess it's a tie then?"
Everypony seemed to groan in annoyance, after such a great battle between the two ponies it seemed like such a waste to end it in tie.
"Not necessarily," spoke Applejack.
"Oh no," groaned Big Mac.
"Here it comes," moaned Spike.
"What'cha got in mind," asked Ion.
"The Runnin' of the Leaves!"
Thank you and goodnight, thought the stallion and drake in unison.
(Next Day, Golden Oak Library)
It was a bright sunny day at the library; unfortunately not all were out enjoying the beautiful day that Celestia brought about. And that truly annoyed one pegasus in particular, a certain rainbow maned mare. In the past week Twilight Sparkle had taken in the daredevil mare, aiding in her recovery from the Feather Flu. It hadn't been easy, as Twilight had come to realize, given Rainbow Dash's nature, she was not one for staying in one place for too long, even while sick.
Currently, Applejack had arrived at Twilight's to visit her sick friend, as well as to catch up on what happened at the Iron Pony Competition. Rainbow was lying in bed, listing intently as Applejack regaled her with the tale of how she and Ion competed against each other as the contest went on.
"Thriously, you anth Ion broke the rope – three thimes!? That's aw-aw-aw-AAAAACHOOOOO!"
"Gesundheit," said Applejack.
"Thanks," said Rainbow as she sniffled.
"Sounds like you had fun, Applejack."
The two mares watched as Twilight trotted towards them, carrying in her telekinetic aura a bowl of hot soup. The soup smelled…funny, at least from what AJ could tell, and Rainbow Dash seemed to grimace at the sight of it.
"Ugh, Twi, not more of that stuff," groaned Rainbow Dash.
"We've been over this Rainbow; this soup is full of all the necessary nutrients to help boost your immune system, as well as to un-stuff that nose of yours. You do want to get better don't you," said Twilight raising an eyebrow at the bedridden mare.
Twilight levitated the tray onto Rainbow Dash's lap. Rainbow eyed the bowl and its contents. The green broth simmered as steam rolled up from it, a few carrot bits could be seen floating in it, along with some other undistinguishable things. The aroma certainly didn't make it seem any more appetizing, even AJ took a few steps back from it. Rainbow Dash gave Twilight a defiant look, but the alicorn just shot back with a glare.
"Don't make me get the funnel," she warned.
That seemed to make Rainbow Dash change her tune rather quickly. She then took up the spoon in the crook of her hoof and took a few light sips from it, her muzzle scrunching at the mere taste of the soup touching her tongue. With a happy smile Twilight took up a spot next to Applejack to continue the conversation.
"I'm sorry we didn't go, Spike told us what happened, but it seemed too unreal. I mean, the strength required for two ponies to literally snap a rope apart is incredible! Not to mention the odds of such a thing happening, not once, but three times, it's unbelievable!"
"Yeah, ya shoulda seen our faces after the first one, but after all was said and done, the score was tied at fifteen a piece," said Applejack.
"Really, so nopony won," asked Rainbow, her stuffy nose sounding cleared.
"Well…not exactly."
"What do you mean?"
"Ah sorta challenged Ion to a tie breaker at the Runnin' of the Leaves tomorrow…"
Both Twilight and Rainbow Dash exchanged glances, this was sounding very familiar to a certain pegasus' and earth pony's sore memory of acting foolish at said Running of the Leaves.
"You're going to race Ion," asked Twilight.
"And…that's not all."
"What else," asked Rainbow.
"Ah also made a bet with him."
"Which was," piped in Twilight.
"That the loser has to do whatever the winner wants," said Applejack flatly.
A devilish grin appeared upon Rainbow Dash's face, while Twilight had a noticeable blush on hers. The rainbow maned mare seemed to take some more sips of her soup; apparently forgetting how much she hated the taste of it and just continued to stare at Applejack. Twilight was fidgeting with her hooves and from time to time rubbed the back of her head, the blush she had was still prominent.
"So, AJ, what exactly are you going make Ion do if you win?"
"Rainbow!"
"What, I'm just asking."
"Nothin' bad, if he loses, Ah'm goin' to ask him to leave the farm is all."
The needle on the record player of their minds seemed to skip. Both mares looked at Applejack incredulously; she had said that so flippantly and easily that they were sure that they heard wrong.
"Heh, heh, sorry, I think my ears are probably still stuffed a bit, mind repeating that," asked Rainbow.
"Ya heard me right, sugarcube. If Ah win, Ah'm askin' Ion to leave Sweet Apple Acres or…"
"Or," the mares asked in unison.
"Or he can tell meh what he's hidin'."
"HIDING!?" Rainbow Dash moved the tray and got up from the bed and stood on all fours, her eyes staring directly into Applejack's. "What are you talking about!? Why would you do that, he saved our flanks, including Apple Bloom's, from that giant Timberwolf! Not to mention he helped you guys out when Big Mac was out of commission for Cider Season, and now you want to kick him off your farm! Why?!"
"Ah have meh reason's Rainbow," she said simply.
"C'mon AJ that's so unfair, you can't just…just…whooo…room's spinning right now…"
Rainbow Dash started wobble in place, feeling light headed, and fell forward. Applejack quickly rushed and caught her friend with her left foreleg.
"Rainbow Dash!" Twilight enveloped the pegasus mare in her aura and carefully levitated her back into bed. "Don't do that Rainbow, you still haven't fully recovered to be moving around like that!"
"Sorry Twi…"
"Ya gave meh a scare there Dash," said Applejack.
Rainbow didn't answer; she simply turned around with her back facing both her friends. Twilight and Applejack knew this meant that she wasn't in any mood to talk anymore, at least not to AJ. Twilight used her wing to direct Applejack out of the bedroom and back downstairs. Once in the foyer, Twilight used her telekinesis to bring out two cushions for them to sit on. Once the two were comfortable, Twilight took on a troubled look.
"Now Applejack, I have to say I share Rainbow Dash's concern about this. I may not have met with him as you two had, but from what she told me he sounds like a standup guy. And this sounds so out of character for you, you who always said "actions speak louder than words," you who value hard work, I have to ask, why?"
Applejack sighed heavily, she knew she was going to have to explain herself after saying that, but she did have her reasons.
"Ah don't trust him Twilight, Ah haven't since the first day Ah let him stay on the farm…"
"But then, why would let him stay if you don't trust him?"
"For one thing, he saved our lives at the risk of his own, and that's a debt Ah intended to repay by lettin' him work durin' Cider Season. Then after Cider Season came and went Ah saw just how hard a worker he was, so I decided to keep him on…"
"So…ugh," Twilight put a hoof on the bridge of her nose, shaking her head back and forth. "I'm still having a hard time to understanding."
"It's just, Ah know everypony has things that they don't want discussed, but with him it feels like he's hidin' somethin' big, something that Ah'm not sure if it's dangerous or…or…Twi, what's wrong, ya don't look so good?"
Twilight, for some reason, seemed nervous; she was almost deliberately avoiding eye contact with her friend.
"Oh it's nothing, just worried about Rainbow, that's all," she chuckled nervously.
Applejack smiled at her friend, it was a warm and knowing smile. "Well, glad Rainbow found somepony who cares about her as much as you do. Not gonna lie, it was a bit of shocker to find out about you two bein' marefriends and all."
"We do plan on telling the others, it was just a big coincidence that you found out…or more like Rainbow Dash having bad timing when showing amorous affection," said Twilight.
Twilight shook her head.
"Don't change the subject Applejack!"
"Sorry Twi, but seriously, Ah understand what yer tryin' to do Ah can't trust him…not completely…not yet."
Twilight wanted to say more, but she knew Applejack wouldn't be easily dissuaded. With another heavy sigh Twilight rose up and placed a placating hoof on her friend's shoulder.
"Alright, I'll try and sooth Rainbow's wrath, or at least stop her from doing something stupid. Just promise me you'll think this through; really think this through, promise?"
Applejack nodded, affirming her promise to Twilight. After a few goodbyes were exchanged the farm mare left the library, with the alicorn princess watching her retreating form through the window. It was at this point that she let out another sigh and looked towards the kitchen.
"Come on out Spike, I know you're there," said Twilight.
Just as she suspected, the purple scaled drake appeared from the kitchen looking worried about what he had overheard.
"Twilight, maybe you should tell her the truth," suggested Spike.
"What, that Ion is the living embodiment of all willpower in the universe? That he's one of seven entities that represent one of seven powerful emotional energies, or maybe that his true form is that of a giant, green, space whale?"
"Um…yes?" Twilight wore a deadpan expression. "Okay, okay, you're right. But what are you going to do, you're not seriously going to let her go through with this are you," asked Spike.
"Proselyte is somewhere around Ponyville, and he visits Fluttershy from time to time. The Predator is with Cadance and Shining Armor in the Crystal Empire. Adara is, actually I don't know where she is but let's just assume she's here in Ponyville too. We have three out of four Emotional Entities living here; honestly I'm not that comfortable having that much power concentrated in one small town. But…as much as I don't like it, Applejack has the right, it's her property and family she's looking out for, and we need to respect that," said Twilight.
"Alright, I'll let you know how the Running of the Leaves turns out."
Spike then went back into the kitchen to work on whatever he was doing. Twilight just hated this whole situation.
Oh well, better go see if Rainbow’s alright…and plan for whatever fallout this will inevitably wrought, thought Twilight.
(Night Time, Same Day, Ion’s Room)
Ion was doing some push-ups on the floor of his room, his count up to a hundred. The whole time Proselyte was sitting on the floor across from him, watching his fellow entity prepare for tomorrow when the race would begin.
"So, allow me to clarify what you have just told me. You agreed to a wager with Ms. Applejack, in order to break a tie from an earlier competition, which will make either one of you subject to any request the other makes upon said victory correct," asked Proselyte.
"Right," answered Ion.
"Forgive me, brother, but you have, as the beings from Earth say, 'wrote her a blank check.'"
"How so?"
"Do you know what Ms. Applejack's intentions are? Have you taken into account that she may have ulterior motives?"
Ion stopped doing push-ups, ending at one-hundred and fifty. He then sat on his haunches and stared at his fellow entity skeptically.
"Lyte, I don't know what you're getting at, but Applejack's not like that at all, she's honest and upfront. What 'ulterior motives' could she have," he asked.
"Despite what we may believe, as peaceful and happy as this world is, it is not without its faults." Proselyte sat on his haunches as well. He then concentrated as a symbol made of yellow light appeared over his forehead.
"There is fear, fear that is subtle, fear of the unknown. It is this fear that I sense in Ms. Applejack. She worries for her family, her little sister, her elder, and even her older brother, and it mostly stems from the farm. She has doubts and worries that she may not be fit to –"
"Stop!" Proselyte looked at Ion, his gaze fierce. "Don't go sifting through other's emotions."
"I am simply telling you that there is fear in her, and it stems from you."
Ion looked shocked by what Proselyte had said. How could Applejack be afraid of him! He'd been working hard on their farm for months now, and not once has she shown distrust in him, she even let him walk Apple Bloom to school, why would she trust him to do that if she didn't trust him already! Then again…He couldn't really blame her, not too much anyway. Ion was a stranger in the Apple family household, a live in farmhoof.
"Brother, keep in mind that I do not wish to cause you undue distress. But, the others look up to you, Adara especially, and even Predator, though she'd probably be a little reluctant to fully admit it."
"Funny, I know you guys see me as an 'older brother' sometimes, and even a leader, but, out of all of us, I think you're more wise then me and Adara. Probably because of your power, so, in this case, I differ to you. What do you think I should do?"
Proselyte went silent for a moment, pondering over the situation. After a few long seconds of thinking the purple pegasus colt looked up at the green stallion and smiled.
"I suggest you prepare yourself to tell Ms. Applejack the truth." Ion sighed; he knew that would probably be his answer. "But do your best, and win, brother."
With that said Proselyte teleported away in a puff of purple smoke. Leaving Ion alone and with a bit more confidence than he had before, he then got up and walked to the second floor door and stared out at the Apple family house. His opponent slept peacefully in her bed, and soon, tomorrow would show who would come out victorious. But it left him with a dilemma. If he lost, Ion ran the risk of having to reveal the truth of his origins as well as his fellow entities' existences. Was it really worth putting all that on the outcome a race?
There’s always the power option, he thought. If I use my powers to give me an extra boost I could easily win the race, but what would that prove…
(The Next Day, White Tail Woods)
Many ponies had gathered, all were excited to participate in the famous fall event, known as the Running of the Leaves. The runners were all getting stretched out and limbered up, though the cool fall weather hadn't fully settled in yet, it was still cold enough to make the muscles tense. The word had gotten out, however, that this race was going to prove to be interesting ever since the Iron Pony Competition. Some were afraid this would be a repeat of the fiasco that occurred when Rainbow Dash and Applejack entered the race and nearly killed each other getting to the finish line. However, since both Ion and Applejack tied at the contest two days ago the race should be, more or less, safe. Right?
Ion was stretching out his hind and forelegs, popping his joints into place as he did so. A piece of paper was plastered on both sides of his flank with the number 4 printed on them, which was ironic considering his is the fourth light in the Emotional Spectrum. As he continued to stretch he noticed Applejack trotting up to him, she apparently had received the same number she had the last time she raced, which was number 8.
"Ready fer this Ion," she asked.
"Oh I'm ready, ready to leave you in the dust," he responded.
Applejack chuckled at the stallion's cocky attitude, "Well, before ya forget, there's still the matter of our bet."
"Don't worry I didn't forget, 'loser has to do whatever the winner tells them to do.' Sure you don't want to change that? I mean if I win I could make you do anything, right?" Ion smirked at Applejack, trying to see if he could get a rise out her, he did.
Applejack was starting to blush; her mind had a few stray thoughts that quickly found themselves in the gutter. Not wanting to lose face, she returned his smirk with one of her own.
"Please, what's the worst you could do?"
Ion grinned evilly, "Oh, I don't know, maybe have Rarity dress you in the frilliest, girliest, most embarrassing dress she had or could make, and have you wear it whenever you went into town."
Applejack's ears went flat against her skull; her left eye twitched a little as her confident smirk wavered. Now she was conflicted, Applejack wasn't sure if this was the lesser of another evil she had thought he was going to ask of her. After some contemplating, she decided that this was much worse.
"Yer…yer jokin' right, ya wouldn't dare!?"
"Oh and maybe have her throw some makeup in there as well," said Ion flippantly.
"ION!"
"I'm kidding AJ; I wouldn't put you through that… at least not for any longer than two to three months, maybe four," he added.
Applejack was at a loss for words, she didn't know whether to be embarrassed or angry. Either way, one thing was for sure. No matter what, she was not going to lose this race. Applejack then did an about face and trotted off.
"Don't forget, a bet's a bet," Ion called out.
After that little pre-race stare down, the contestants all started to gather at the starting line. Many ponies had entered the race this year. Derpy was there, waving to her youngest daughter, Dinky, who was cheering her mother and older sister, Derpy's oldest daughter, Amethyst Star, who also joined the race.
Along with the other mares and stallions, such as Cloud Kicker, Caramel, Bon-Bon, Lyra, Lemon Hearts, and Golden Harvest, the flower sisters Rose, Lily, and Daisy, Lucky Clover, Dizzy Twister, and Snowflake (looking at a chance for redemption). Berry Punch had been there as well, wobbling slightly as she stood with the rest of the racers. Berry Pinch, her daughter, was also waving at her mother and cheering for her, with Colgate standing right beside the young filly and watching her longtime friend worriedly.
Up above the contestants and onlookers, was a balloon that floated a few feet in the air. Inside was Pinkie Pie, along with her co-announcer Spike.
"Hello everypony and welcome to the annual Running of the Leaves," said Pinkie Pie. "Today's a beautiful day for a race, am I right Spike?"
"Right you are Pinkie, today's race is going to be an interesting one!"
For more than one reason…
"Yepperooni, Number 8: Applejack and Number 4: Ion, are in it to win it, after an amazing series of contests between the mare and stallion, their bouts ended in a tie! Can you believe it, 'cause I sure can't," said Pinkie.
"Yeah and I was there." Spike added.
"Now everything will be decided this day! So racers, on your mark…!"
All seventeen racers took one step forward to the starting line.
"Get set…!"
They all lowered into a runners stance, Ion and Applejack exchanged intense glares at each other, their hooves itching to leave their respective opponent in the dust.
"GO!!!"
And then they were off!
Applejack and Ion took off like a couple of rockets. Many of the other racers tried to keep up with them, even going so far as to try and beat them. But they soon found out that that was an impossible feat, in the end many of them resigned to just running their own race and those who were competing had just simply decided shoot for third place at this point.
The whole time the leaves upon the trees started to fall from their branches as the thundering hooves of the ponies jostled them loose. The trees with attached spigots dripped out their contents of syrup into the hanging buckets underneath them. The whole time they ran Ion spared a few glances around him, watching as the cascade of orange, yellow, and red leaves floated down to the ground. He didn't realize till now just how much the ponies of Equestria had a hand in helping nature, and he felt honored to participate.
"What's the matter Ion!?" The earth pony stallion turned his head to the left and saw that Applejack had pulled ahead of him; her tail was the only thing that met his gaze. "Ya better concentrate on the race, instead sight seein'!"
Actually, now that Ah remember, that’s how Twi beat meh and Rainbow last time, thought Applejack.
"Oh I can spare the time, catching up with you is easy, and getting ahead of you is as easy as one, two…" Ion planted his hind hooves to the ground and sprinted forward, putting Applejack right behind him. "Three!"
Applejack grunted in frustration, how could she have let him get ahead of her that easily. After a brief mental berating Applejack throttled it. Their hooves stamped against the ground, sweat trailing off in shimmering sparkles as the sun lit their way down the dirt road, and in their wake a whirlwind of falling autumn leaves. The farmpony soon saw something in the distance. A familiar tree that Rainbow used to slow her down, and for just a split second, Applejack contemplated using it in much the same way. As quick as Ion was the most it would do is slow him down a bit.
No, don’t think like that Applejack! Yer goin’ to win this thing fair and square!
Just as quickly as the thought entered her mind it left, passing the tree branch and nearing the buckets of tree sap. Again another thought entered her mind, a flashback to when she kicked one of the buckets and got Rainbow stuck in the sticky substance, only to have her use it as a slingshot to propel her passed Applejack. Yet again, she resisted the urge to do anything underhoofed.
Soon the two of the reached the cliff, Applejack was able to finally pull ahead and it seemed like victory was in sight. Ion was getting slightly winded, even after all those months of hard work on Sweet Apple Acres he still hadn't built up the necessary endurance to keep up his speed.
"What's the matter Ion, gettin' a little winded!?"
"Don't…worry…about…me," said Ion in between pants.
Suddenly Ion felt a shift, something was off. The rumbling of the other contestant's hooves felt like they were getting closer. When Ion looked over his shoulder he saw that they were indeed getting closer, but the vibrations felt like they were coming from a different source. It was then that the green stallion turned his gaze to the left and his eyes went wide as saucers. A rockslide was tumbling down the cliff towards them, giant boulders and dirt were about to descend upon them.
"Applejack move out of the way, quick!" Ion shouted.
"Not happenin' Ion, if ya want to get around meh, ya have to pass meh!" Applejack retorted.
"Applejack you don't understand there's –!"
"Look Ah ain't gonna be distracted by –!"
"APPLEJACK LOOK OUT!!!"
Before the blonde maned mare could ask she felt something push her forward, causing Applejack to tumble about in the dirt and rolled to a stop. Her hat was tossed off her head and the red straps that kept her mane together had snapped off allowing her hair to flow freely in her face. Applejack slowly rose from the ground and pushed her bangs from her eyes and gave a fierce glare.
"Ion, of all the low down dirty moves, why Ah outta…"
Applejack's train of thought came to a grinding halt. Before her was a giant pile of rock and dirt, the trail and most of the trees nearby were toppled over or buried. Her eyes darted all over the area, searching for somepony anypony. But to her dismay, she saw no one, not even the one who saved her life.
"ION!!!"
Oh right…that’s how I got here…Probably should’ve at least kept an aura field on…I know I’m going to get an earful from Proselyte and Adara…
Ion tried to move but the weight of the rocks and dirt kept him pinned. Not mention that he was bruised, bleeding, and possibly had a broken bone or five.
Well, let’s see what the situation is shall we…?
Ion concentrated his energy, closing his eyes and sensing the collective willpower of all the living things around him. From his position he felt the presence of the other racers, they were further behind him, but they seemed to be in the same position he was in. For the time being their willpower was strong, some seemed injured from what he could sense but otherwise alive. Outside the pile he felt as dozens of ponies gathered about to excavate them. Among them he sensed Applejack, working with the others and digging at a fast and furious pace. Unfortunately the situation was worse than he thought. The ridge from where the rockslide had occurred was still unstable, he could feel it, another one was coming, and here he lied with no way to warn them or protect them.
Damn it…there has to be a way to help them…but I can’t even move in this form…and if I change into my true form…
It was days like this that Ion thought back to his hosts, one in particular. A wielder of the emerald light whose imagination was creative, elaborate, and powerful, with a will that could not be beat, even when the odds seemed against him, how he wished he had that kind of ability. It was the downside of having a mortal form, though they could still command their powers, in mortal form they were limited. They lacked the vast imagination that was needed to create more complicated constructs, simple ones like a catapult or shackles, even a shield and sword were easy enough, but that was it. He needed a way to help them, a body to move in that wasn't this physical one and wasn't his true form, something that could help those outside, some sort of construct.
That's when it hit him. The answer was right there, the wielders of his power, his former hosts, or more pacifically, their forms.
This better work…first thing’s first…gotta get out of here. This is going to hurt…!
Ion's eyes shined with green light, soon his entire body shimmered as his physical body transitioned into pure light. It was a bit painful in his injured state, the pain of his injuries melded into one and it almost became too much. But the Entity of Willpower bared through it, once the transformation reached his head he motioned upwards, his entire body condensed into a beam of light and shot straight up, boring a hole through the debris.
"KEEP DIGGIN' WE GOT TA GET'EM OUT OF THERE!" Applejack shouted.
She had quickly rushed to the finish line and informed all those around of the trouble that had occurred. Luckily, Princess Celestia had been in attendance, and ordered that her guard help in the rescue operation. She too joined the horde of ponies who arrived to help the trapped ponies who got caught in the rockslide. One of the things that surprised most of the ponies was that Princess Celestia herself had thrown off her regalia and started getting in the dirt with her fellow subjects. At one point one of the ponies asked why she didn't use her magic to move the dirt and rocks.
To which she replied, "I am sorry, but if moved all of this too quickly I could trigger another rockslide, or accidentally crush somepony underneath without knowing."
Suddenly the rock pile began to rumble and shake. The ponies who were standing on the mound started to get worried that another rockslide was about to occur, but that worry was just as quickly quashed. A green bolt of lightning shot into the sky high above. All the ponies looked up, watching as an emerald star hovered high above them. In the next moment the star descended back down to terra firma, landing just a few feet away from the other ponies.
A crater, fifty feet in diameter, smoldered as a giant green being stood in it. The being was kneeling on one knee, its left fist touching the ground while its left arm rested on the raised knee. After a moment the giant rose up, standing to its full height of one-hundred feet. Its body was muscular, yet lean, flexed its hands, tightening them into fists. Its head was bald and smooth, it had no mouth, no ears, or nose, but it did have eyes. They were burning white, with wisps of green energy pouring from the corners.
"What is that thing," shouted one of the ponies.
"It's some kind of monster," screamed a mare.
The Royal Guard assembled before the giant, entering a fighting stance and preparing to defend the citizenry and their Princess as well. But it was Celestia who stepped forward, against the protests of her subjects and her guard, the snow white alicorn trotted passed the warriors and stared straight at the giant. Celestia watched as a familiar symbol flashed in its eyes, it was then that the Solar Princess knew what needed to be done.
"Let the giant pass, it means us no harm!" Celestia ordered.
"B-B-But Princess!"
"THAT IS AN ORDER," roared Celestia in the Royal Canterlot voice.
With that settled, the Giant started to stomp its way towards the pile. The ground shook with each step it took, taking care to make sure its foot landed precisely where there wasn't anypony nearby. Applejack remained on the mound watching the giant move towards it. Many of the other ponies had fled a, relatively, safe distance away. The orange farmpony mare stared up at the Giant, and the Giant stared down back at her.
The Giant knelt down once again; it then raised its right arm and balled its hand into a fist. Everypony gasped in horror as the Giant thrust its fist forward; Applejack didn't blink as she watched, in wonder actually, as the Giant's fist passed through the pile and ended up on the other side. Its fist had somehow turned into a bubble, but after a second it slowly started to open it revealing, to everypony's shock and awe, the other contestants. Gently they were lowered to the ground, some bruised but otherwise okay.
The Giant retracted its arm, its hand regaining its original form. Suddenly there was another rumble and the ponies watched as the unstable cliff once again let loose a deluge of dirt and rock upon the innocent bystanders down below. The Giant took action, positioning itself between the rockslide and the ponies below. It entered a fighting stance, cocking back its fist and preparation for an attack. Some wanted to run for the hills, others just stood and watched, wondering what the Giant was going to do.
At the moment before the wave hit the Giant punched the rockslide, unleashing a blast of emerald light, creating a shockwave that rippled through the rockslide and completely reduced it to dust. The evaporated rock now washed over everything in the form of a thick dust cloud, obscuring all visible sight.
"What the hay! Ah can't see a darn thing," coughed Applejack. It was then that she remembered, out all the ponies that the Giant saved, she didn't see one pony who saved her life. "ION!"
"Over…here…"
Applejack heard his voice and quickly tried to search for him, but the dust cloud was too thick to see clearly. At that moment the cloud started to twist and turn, a whirlwind had kicked up, Applejack felt as the wind shot upwards, taking the cloud with it. It was then, out of the corner of her eye, that she noticed the familiar gold aura of Princess Celestia. Remembering to thank the Princess later, Applejack set out to find Ion, calling out his name and following the sound of his voice.
Finally she found him, in a bed of dirt. His mane was matted with blood, he was bruised badly enough for it be visible through his coat. His eyes slowly caught sight of Applejack and he gave her a weak smile.
"'Sup Boss Mare…"
"Don't talk; ya need to save yer strength! Look at ya…Yer…" Applejack bit her lip, trying to stave back the tears. "AH NEED SOME HELP OVER HERE; WE'VE GOT AN INJURED PONY, HURRY!!!"
(Ponyville General Hospital, 3 Days Later)
Ion was lying in his hospital bed, his right hind leg in a cast and elevated. His barrel was wrapped in bandages, along with most of his head. He had been lying in hospital for long while, too long for him. Luckily he was able to get wind that the other racers were alright, minor injuries thankfully, which lead him to believe that Applejack and himself took the brunt of the rockslide. The green stallion had been visited by Princess Celestia, in secret of course, both to thank him for his heroism and to chew him out for doing something so reckless.
It didn't take long before Adara came to visit, also secretly, both to visit and give her big brother a hug, and to, as well, chew him out for going through with that bet and almost getting killed. Currently Ion was reading the latest Daring Do book, he found that Equestrian literature was very entertaining, and because he had nothing better to do. It was then that he heard a knocking at the door.
"Come in."
When the door opened he saw Applejack walk through it, this was a surprise for him, since she hadn't come to visit him in three days. She wore an uneasy smile, her eyes downcast. She too was bandaged up, but it was only a Band-Aid on her left cheek, and a bandage wrapped right foreleg.
"Hey, Ion…Are ya…are ya feelin' better," she asked.
"Yeah, the doctors say I'm healing fast, so I should be out of here and back to work soon," said Ion.
"G-Good, 'cause, ya know, the work's pilin' up and we need to harvest the last of the apple orchards before winter full sets in…"
What followed next was an awkward silence; Ion didn't know why that was. There also seemed to be a bit of tension coming from the mare.
"Hey, Applejack, are you alright?"
"…No, no Ah'm not alright…Ion, Ah had a reason fer havin' ya agree to that bet."
Ion raised a curious eyebrow, but remained silent as it appeared that Applejack had something to get off her chest.
"If Ah'd won Ah was going to make ya tell meh whatever it is yer hidin'. Ya see…Ah didn't trust, not fully anyway. It just seemed like yer were guardin' something, Ah was afraid, afraid of what that secret was, afraid for mah family, and afraid for lettin' a stranger live with us. And during the Iron Pony, Ah started to wonder how you got so strong after only beein' here for a few months…"
Applejack let out a heavy sigh and stared directly at Ion.
"Ah always say that actions speak louder than words, and an Apple values honesty. But Ah also know that some ponies have things that they want to keep to themselves, and that it's yer business whether to tell them or not…So, Ah won't bring it up again. Ya saved mah life, twice now, and that means somethin'. If ya want…ya could come back, if yer willin' to put up with a paranoid boss like meh…"
Ion listened to Applejack's words, words that were filled with sincerity and hurt, as well as concern. In truth he bared her no grudge, Ion understood the need to protect ones family, she was afraid, but by trusting him she was trying to overcome it. And that was good enough for him. Besides, how could he say no to a cute face like that…Did I really just think that? …Yes, yes I did.
"It's alright Applejack; I don't hate you or blame you for anything. And you're right; there is something I'm not telling you, but…someday, I hope to be able to tell you. I also look forward to earning your trust."
Ion raised his left hoof, stretching it out towards Applejack. The orange mare smiled happily and extended her right hoof to meet his in a hoof bump to seal their deal.
"Ah guess Ah'll let ya get some rest, Ah need to get back to the farm but Ah'll come back later with some of Granny's food, if the rockslide didn't kill ya, this hospital food will," stated Applejack with a chuckle.
"Thanks." Applejack was about to step out of the room, but before she left Ion remembered something important. "Applejack wait!"
"What?"
"Since I was going to win anyway, I'll have Rarity start on your new dress to wear in town," said Ion sinisterly.
"THE HAY AH WILL! The only way yer goin' to make me do that is if ya race meh again, except this time if you lose you wear the dress," shot back Applejack.
"Deal."
Applejack gave a smirk before closing the door behind her. It wasn't long before she left that a puff of purple smoke appeared in the corner of the room. Ion instantly knew who it was and groaned, he was not in the mood for another chewing out session, especially from Proselyte. Speaking of which, the young colt trotted to Ion's bedside and gave him a knowing look.
"I know what you're going to say, and yes, you were right, but you were also wrong. Now whatever you were going to say, say it."
Proselyte grinned at his older brother, "I was just coming here to offer to heal your wounds, but if you would like to stay here for a few more days then by all means…"
"No one likes a smartass Lyte."
"Only around you, brother," Proselyte looked towards the window, in the direction that Applejack was heading. "It would seem your trust in Applejack was not misplaced, perhaps, there is more to them than what I originally thought."
"You'd figure it out too if you spent a little more time with Fluttershy," said Ion.
"Perhaps…now let's see what I can do about that leg of yours."
It only took four days before Ion was back on his hooves again and back on Sweet Apple Acres. It would be a few weeks later that the stallion and mare would commence a private race between them, and the result was hilarious.
Episode 5: Nightmare Night, What a Fright! Love Is On The Prowl Tonight!
It was that time of year again, the night that all little fillies and colts looked forward to. The one night when they can dawn the scariest of costumes and roam the night for the delectable sugary confections that awaited them at the doors of every house in Ponyville, Nightmare Night. It was at this time that a local dressmaker, Rarity, was at her busiest. As a business owner she both loved and dreaded this time of year, Rarity would get many orders for costumes, many for foals and adults alike, and all ranging from the most innocent to the most daring, of course for more private Nightmare Night parties.
Currently the fashionista mare was resting her already fatigued mind and body. She had finished the last of the orders this morning, it was days like this that she was glad she was detail oriented, rarely did a customer return because the outfit needed adjusting or there was something off, so Rarity was able to relax and stay indoors during the festivities. Many a time did her little sister, Sweetie Belle, try to get her to join in the Nightmare Night fun, but, just like every year, she had to explain to her why she needed to stay in and rest.
Although this year Rarity decided to treat herself, she had made a lot money taking on those orders, so she decided to treat herself to a day at the spa. Rarity was trotting down the road, heading to the local Spa of which she availed herself of many a times. As she walked down the street Rarity eyed the decorations and preparations that were being done. Everypony knew that Princess Luna was going to make a visit to their little town, as she did every Nightmare Night, both to enjoy having fun among her subjects and to fulfill her promise to a young colt she had taken a shine to upon her visit.
Rarity’s destination was coming into view; soon she would be soaking in one of the Spa Twin’s soothing mud baths, and enjoying a relaxing message to work out the tension in her shoulders and neck from the constant leaning and setting in one place for so long to during her work. It was then that Rarity’s horn started to flare with her blue aura.
That’s odd…I’m not even concentrating,thought Rarity. The only reason my horn could be acting like this is A: I’m about to be pulled off into the distance to some unknown destination, or B: There’s a large amount mana being channeled and my horn’s somehow picked up on its frequency?
Rarity looked up and concluded that it was the latter of her two options. Right above her a spark of pink energy was flickering like a star. It blinked in and out of existence; oddly enough the rhythm of the blinks matched that of her horn’s mana pulsations. After about thirty seconds the pink star transformed into a sphere of violet-pink energy that expanded to a great size, and in the next moment there was a bright flash. Rarity closed her eyes in an attempt to keep herself from being blinded.
It was then that Rarity felt a great weight fall on top of her, causing her to collapse unceremoniously to the ground. The pearl white unicorn groaned and moaned from the excess weight that was now on top of her, along with the slight pain of being forced to the unforgiving dirt road.
“Wow, now that was a trip! I didn’t know that my magical range was that great!”
“Oh Twilight, after becoming an alicorn one would hope that you’ve gotten a handle on – Oh my!”
Rarity turned her head to verbally accost the mare she believed was responsible, but instead found a different mare than she expected. It was a mare, an adolescent that couldn’t be more than sixteen. She had a dark pink coat, a pink mane and tail with red stripes, and violet eyes. Rarity noticed her horn and then noticed her eight pointed star cutie mark.
“Um, pardon me but, if you wouldn’t mind, please get off of me,” asked Rarity.
The pink mare looked down at Rarity with a surprised expression. “Oh, my bad, sorry for the rough landing…!” The mystery mare quickly got off Rarity and lent her a hoof to help her up.
Once back upright, Rarity dusted herself off with her hoof and gave the young mare before her a grateful, yet suspicious look.
“Thank you dear, now, if you don’t mind, would you please tell me who you are,” she asked.
The mare seemed to straighten up and take on a more confident stance and air about her.
“My name is Pre – ahem – I mean, my name is Star, Star Sapphire. I hail from the Crystal Empire,” said Star.
Rarity went wide eyed at the mention of the Crystal Empire, but just as quickly adopted an incredulous look.
“The Crystal Empire…? Forgive me darling, but you’re not exactly crystal, and I have yet to see a unicorn crystal pony. So you can understand my skepticism right now.”
Star giggled a bit and rubbed the back of her head in an embarrassed fashion. “Well…you’re right, I’m not a crystal pony, but I do come from the Crystal Empire. I’m Princess Mi Amore Cadenza’s apprentice; you do know who she is don’t you?”
“Princess Cadance! You’re Princess Cadance’s apprentice, I wasn’t even aware she had taken on one,” gasped Rarity.
“Yes, well, she hasn’t announced it to everypony over here yet, so, mind keeping it hush-hush until she does, please,” asked Star as she gave Rarity a smile and a wink.
For some reason that made the fashionista blush slightly. “W-Well of course I wouldn’t, I happen to know the Princess myself and I wouldn’t dream of betraying a secret of hers…By the way darling, what exactly are you doing here?”
“Well…funny you should ask…only, do you mind if we talk about this someplace else? I’m kinda tired after teleporting all the way here,” petitioned Star.
Rarity smirked, “Miss Sapphire –”
“Please just call me Star, a friend of Princess Cadance, is a friend of mine.”
“Star then, why don’t you join me in the Spa?”
“The Spa…?”
By the Life Entity I never knew a “Spa” could feel this good, thought Predator.
Though it was not her intention to meet Rarity, she wasn’t entirely disappointed with the meeting. After being massaged by the twin owners of the establishment, Aloe and Lotus, the two mares were allowed to soak in a large bath after their mud bath. During that time
Rarity seemed to be hesitant to talk to her, Predator didn’t know whether if it was out of respect for her apprenticeship title or if she just didn’t feel chatty. But she did notice that Rarity seemed a bit skittish.
“Um, Miss Rarity, are you alright?” Predator asked.
“Yes darling, why do you ask?”
“Sorry, I was just a little worried that I’ve inconvenienced you, that’s all.”
Rarity raised a hoof out of the water and gave a gentle wave. “Not at all dear, and please, just Rarity will do.” Predator became noticeably less tense upon hearing that. “By the way, how did you manage to teleport exactly on top of me?”
“All the way from the Crystal Empire!?” Rarity had to admit, Princess Celestia could teleport long distances, and she was sure that Princess Luna could easily do the same, even Twilight has shown she had expert skill in teleportation before she became an alicorn.
But how could Star do such a thing from all the way in the Frozen North.
“It wasn’t easy, I haven’t used teleportation before so it was fun to try it. I couldn’t really think of a place to go, so I decided to lock onto a single – what did Cadance call it again – fixed point, yeah that’s it!”
“So…you chose Twilight as a fixed point, but then…?”
“Yeah, I met her once and thought it would be easier to sense another alicorn’s strong magic, but I guess I didn’t quite acquire the right magical frequency and somehow found yours instead,” said Predator.
Well that explains why my horn was glowing; I was picking up on her entry, a beacon to be more precise, thought Rarity.
“That explains a bit, regardless, it’s nice to meet you. And again don’t worry about it, I’m sure Twilight had more than her fair share of spell mishaps,” giggled Rarity. “Oh, don’t tell her I said that,” she quickly added.
Predator nodded and laid back, enjoying the comforting heat of the water and relaxing herbal scents that wafted from the rising steam. Rarity couldn’t help but look over the young mare, her mane was long and luxurious, soft features and enticing eyes that beckoned at the same time as intimidated. She had ample curves, like that of a supermodel, for one so young. Rarity could tell if this mare wanted to she could be a hit on the runway. And…And…why was Rarity suddenly feeling flustered and staring at her in the first place?
Rarity quickly averted her eyes; it was very unladylike to ogle somepony she just met, especially one that was clearly four years younger than her. Predator opened her eyes slightly and brought them to rest on her fellow unicorn mare. Rarity seemed to fidget when Predator looked at her, which caused the Entity of Love to raise a curious eyebrow.
“Rarity, are you alright?”
Her voice sounded sultry, almost hypnotizing. Rarity could tell that she was blushing; it was clear in the reflection of the water. She gulped down hard and tried to compose herself the best she could.
“I-I’m fine darling, w-w-why wouldn’t I be,” she asked.
“Don’t know, you just sound, nervous I guess. Is the water too hot you’re looking a bit flushed?”
Oh for the love of Celestia, please tell me I am not falling for this young mare!? Rarity felt her heart race, her eyes focusing closely on Star’s pink lips. Pardon my Prench, but, buck me sideways I am!
“Uh…Star, this may be a bit forward of me but…do you by chance have a special somepony…?”
“‘Special somepony?’ What does that – wait never mind I remember, but to answer your question…in a way…no I don’t.”
“S-So – and feel free not to answer – do you happen to like stallions or m-mares,” asked Rarity.
“I really don’t have any preference; love is love no matter who it’s from. No need to limit one’s self to things like gender,” said Predator.
“Heh, I-I shouldn’t expect anything less from one studying under the Princess of Love after all…” Rarity gulped again, she couldn’t take it anymore. The unicorn mare rushed forward and pinned Predator between her forelegs.
“Rarity, not that I’m complaining, but what are you doing?”
“I-I can’t help myself darling, I feel so incredibly drawn to you…I just…I just…”
Rarity’s mind felt as if it was in a haze of passion, something powerful was stirring her heart and it longed for this mare, against all rational thought, Rarity wanted to make this mare hers. She leaned in slowly, ready to kiss this beautiful mare before her. Suddenly Rarity felt Predator’s hoof touch her lips gently, stopping her from getting closer.
“Rarity I think I know what’s going on, here.”
“Y-You do…?”
“Yes, give me a minute to fix this.”
Predator closed her eyes, when she reopened them they were aglow with a pinkish-violet light. Rarity soon started to feel less flustered, her rapidly beating heart slowed down and the haze that was engulfing her mind was quickly lifting, allowing Rarity to fully grasp what was happening.
“Oh my, w-what am I doing!?” Rarity made a hasty retreat back to the other end of the tub panting heavily.
“Calm down Rarity, it’s my fault actually.”
“How do you mean!?”
“Like Princess Cadance, I too can spread love. Problem is I…have so much of it that it sometimes bleeds out of me against my will, and sometimes it can affect other ponies nearby, sorry,” explained Predator.
Rarity was starting to get her breathing back under control, she couldn’t believe what she was about to do, the things she wanted to do!
“I’m sorry Rarity; I guess I still have some more training to do. I’ll understand if you want me to leave.” Predator’s ears went flat against her skull as she started to frown.
Poor thing, she’s probably been dealing with this kind of reaction to her abilities for quite some time now. I can only imagine the kind of ponies she’s unwantingly attracted to her since foalhood. Chin up Rarity, you can’t be like one of of those other inconsiderate ponies who’d just as soon abandon her! If Princess Cadance can look passed this side effect of her powers then I, as the Element of Generosity, and a lady, must do the same!
Rarity composed herself and smiled sincerely at Predator. “Star think nothing of it. I’ll admit the effects of your special talent are a bit…overwhelming, but it is nothing to be ashamed of, nor is it something you need to apologize for.”
“Thank you Rarity…does this mean that we’re friends?”
“Darling, we’ve spent most of the afternoon in the spa together, and just had our own private awkward moment; I think it’s safe to say that we’re friends.”
That seemed to surprise the young mare, since her arrival to Equestria Predator has only ever counted Princess Cadance as her friend. Now she had new friend, elegant as well as attractive. Predator could count her fellow entities as friends, but they were more along the lines of family.
“Thank you Rarity and I promise to keep my power in check, better I mean.”
“I’m not saying it wasn’t all that unpleasant, it was a bit of a rush, but not one I’d like to go through more times than I have to,” she chuckled.
From that point on the two mares went on talking about this and that. Rarity would regale Predator with tales of her and her friends’ adventures, battling a, now reformed, demigod of chaos, freeing Princess Luna from her evil persona, and of course, assisting Princess Cadance in freeing the Crystal Empire from the clutches of a vengeful tyrant king. The whole time Predator listened intently, sharing her own stories of her study sessions with Cadance, as well as her various…escapades in spreading love throughout the Empire.
(Carousel Boutique)
Rarity and Predator were now back at Carousel Boutique, both fully relaxed. Since, from what she was told, Predator had made this impromptu trip without Princess Cadance or Twilight’s knowledge, she really had no place to stay tonight. Being the generous mare she is, Rarity allowed Predator to stay with her tonight until she could catch a train back, or until either of the Princesses arrived to take her back to the Crystal Empire, whichever came first.
Currently Predator was looking out the window from the kitchen in Carousel Boutique, while Rarity was busy making tea for the both of them; the dark pink mare couldn’t help but notice all the little foals walking around in costumes and the many decorations that were put up around Ponyville.
“So Rarity, what’s up with all the decorations? Is there a festival going on,” asked Predator.
“Dear it’s Nightmare Night,” said Rarity.
Predator blinked.
“Nightmare Night.”
Predator blinked again.
“You know, Nightmare Night, what a fright, give me something sweet to bite? Anything…?” Predator shrugged.
“Darling are you telling me that you’ve never been trick or treating, or been to a Nightmare Night pary, at all!?”
“No,” she answered.
Guess when you involuntarily make everypony around you feel amorous towards you, it could dampen your Nightmare Night spirit, thought Rarity.
“Hmm, it seems such a shame that you didn’t get the opportunity to do so…” Rarity’s face began to scrunch up, her mind at work as she thought. It was then that her eyes went wide and her lips curled up into a gleeful smile. “IDEAAAAAA~”
Predator almost squeaked in surprise. “W-What, what’s wrong!?”
“Why don’t I make you a Nightmare Night costume so that you can go join in the festivities,” said Rarity.
“What, but, didn’t you say you were tired from making so many? I couldn’t have you make one Rarity, not when you need to relax.”
“Oh do not worry, it would be my pleasure. And I might as well go and enjoy the party with you.”
And to make sure that your special talent doesn’t cause any trouble for anypony.
Rarity didn’t waste any time in getting Star to her Inspiration Room, holding the young mare aloft in her telekinetic aura. Star didn’t see the need in breaking the hold, she knew Rarity meant her no harm, and there was no malice in her hold. Soon the dark pink unicorn found herself placed on top of a podium, Rarity then went over to her work table, her horn aglow as she took a quill into her aura and started sketching out something on a piece of paper in front of her.
“Um Rarity –?”
“Shush!”
“Rarity –?”
“Tut-tut!”
“Rar –”
“Almost there…aaaaaaannnnnnnnnddddd…DONE!”
Rarity flipped lifted the sheet of paper she was working on and presented to her new friend. Star quirked an eyebrow at what she was seeing.
“Rarity, is that…?”
“Yes my dear, it’s your Nightmare Night costume! Granted it lacks the over-the-top ‘scare factor,’ but with combining a bit of style and your natural beauty, you’ll more than turn a few heads,” said Rarity.
Star’s ears perked up at the thought of attending her first Nightmare Night party, and the prospect of wearing costume designed by a friend only made this moment even more exhilarating.
“Let’s do it!”
“Excellent! Now hold still!”
Rarity’s horn glowed with a brighter sky-blue aura. Throughout the room thread spindles, sewing needles, pins, fabric, measuring tape, and scissors, and all manner of dressmaking equipment and material began to levitate from their resting spots. The tools of the dressmaker swirled about her in an organized and precise motion, to a song only Rarity knew. Star suddenly felt a bit overwhelmed watching the spectacle, especially when said materials and tools were starting to float in her direction. She wasn’t worried, of course, Rarity was a skilled seamstress after all, never mind the slightly happy, albeit, maniacal trance like look in her eyes. Getting a custom outfit made for you by a friend is a good thing, right?
(Later That Night)
All around Ponyville the foals of the town were on the hunt, knocking at every door, chanting their little sing songy phrase for candy and sugary treats of delight. Each of them were dressed in a different costume, some store bought, but others were dawned in the custom creations of a local dressmaker/costume-maker. Many of the town’s residence were gathered in the square, both to enjoy the party and to await the arrival of the esteemed guest of this fun holiday night.
Applejack and Ion were approaching town square, where they would meet up with their friends. Applejack decided to go a little more bold this year and was dressed as a comic book hero that she remembered liking way back when she as filly, Captain Equestria, complete with a shield. Ion was dawned in a suit of shining, silver armor, with a shimmering green cape flowing behind him. The visor was up allowing his face to be seen as he scanned the area.
“Looks like Nightmare Night in Ponyville is a big thing,” said Ion.
“Fer more than one reason, just wait until Princess Luna gets here. Things will really get excitin’ then,” said Applejack.
“Can’t wait to beat you in bobbing for apples, and that ‘Spider Toss’ game.”
“Careful ya don’t rust first.”
Soon the pair found their friends gathered together. Twilight was, once again, sporting her Star Swirl the Bearded costume, which was once again met with confused looks. Rainbow Dash was in her Shadowbolt costume and, after the last Nightmare Night scare, had abstained from pranking, at least this year. Pinkie was dressed in another, well, Pinkie costume.
“So, what exactly are you supposed to be?”
Rainbow Dash was currently examining Pinkie Pie’s latest avian costume. It had white feathers, with a black and white checkerboard pattern on its back and wings. The head and beak were black, and Pinkie’s head was sticking out of its mouth.
“I’m a loon, duh, isn’t it obvious – SQUAWK!”
Rainbow Dash leaned closer to her marefriend, a knowing grin upon her face. It only took Twilight a moment to know exactly what Rainbow was thinking.
“Don’t say it Rainbow,” she warned.
“Say what?”
“You know what so don’t.”
“Alright, alright…” Rainbow leaned away and just held her grin, while Twilight continued to glance at her. “*cough* Crazy *cough* as a loon.”
“What was that!?”
“Nothing.”
It wasn’t long before Ponyville’s resident troublemaking trio, now turned quartet, the Cutie Mark Crusaders, found the rest of the older ponies and gathered to them, each one had a very unique costume. Sweetie Belle was dressed in a slightly altered version of the Mare-Do-Well outfit. The goggles were slit and tinted a light shade of violet, the cape had a seam down the middle which allowed it flow like wings when it flapped in the wind, and the symbol upon the clasp was that of a cradle crescent with a bell hanging from it.
Apple Bloom was dawned in a sparkling crimson leotard with an attached hoody; upon her forelegs she wore golden bracers, on her hind legs were gold boots, and lastly a scarlet rope was wrapped around her waist. Scootaloo’s was a bit more simple, her suit was black, with red lines coursing around it in various patterns, some of which led directly to her chest where an S insignia carried a faint neon red glow. As for their fourth member, Adara, she was wearing a weird suit. It was black and blue, with a strange symbol in the middle of her chest. It wasn’t long before the young fillies were spotted by the others.
“Well there ya girls are, looks like ya’ve got quite the haul,” said Applejack.
“Hay yeah we did,” said Scootaloo, hoof bumping with Apple Bloom for emphasis.
“By the way, what are you four supposed to be,” asked Ion.
“I’m Wonder Filly,” said Apple Bloom.
“Midnight Belle,” said Sweetie Belle.
“Super Filly!” Scootaloo puffed out her chest and stood proud.
“Heh, lookin’ good there Scoots,” said Rainbow Dash as she ruffled the young filly’s mane.
“And what’s your costume Adara,” asked Twilight.
“Oh…um, it’s just something I had Miss Rarity make me, it was the uniform of somepony from…a book I read from when I was younger.
He was so full of hope, despite all he went through, he never gave up fighting to preserve hope, spreading it, and defending it against those who would seek to snuff it out…”
“Oh, what was this character’s name,” asked Applejack.
“…Saint Walker,” answered Adara.
“Sounds like somepony’s got a crush,” teased Scootaloo.
“What – NO – I just really admire him! That’s all!”
The others giggled at the flustered look on Adara’s face. Scootaloo was happy that the older ponies took to Adara, she was worried that they’d ask a lot of questions about where she came from, but luckily for her they didn’t.
“So how much longer do ya think till Princess Luna arrives,” asked Applejack.
“Probably not long you know how she likes to make a grand entrance.”
Suddenly swirling strands of pinkish-violet light appeared down the road. The crowd turned in the direction of the light and watched as it started to move towards them. The swirls began forming into a sphere that spun faster and faster. The ball of light burst apart, the remnants changing into bats that screeched and fluttered about.
“What the hay was that,” asked Rainbow Dash.
“I don’t know, that didn’t look like Princess Luna,” answered Twilight.
It was then that Ion and Adara glanced at each other, they had a sneaking suspicion, sensing the energy from the light show didn’t make them any less suspicious. It was then that the crowd of ponies started to part. The nine ponies trotted to where the commotion was taking place, wondering what was going on. It was then that they were able to weave through the crowd and to a clear space.
The pony behind the spectacle was, to everypony’s surprise, not Luna. There before them stood a beautiful unicorn mare. She was wearing a black silken dress done in two parts. The lower half, which started at her waist, flowed down in a long train, wrapped around her waist was a gold chain with an emerald at the center that acted as the buckle. The upper half had a bow at the center of her chest, with a similar emerald jewel in the middle of the bow. Two large puffy shoulder pads gave way to long black sleeves that stopped at her fetlocks. The young mare’s mane flowed down, her bangs hiding her eyes. The young mare used her fore hoof to move the bangs from her eyes, allowing her violet eyes to sparkle; adding to this she flashed the crowd a cattish grin, showing a pair fangs.
“Whoa…”
“I know, isn’t she just simply stunning!”
Sweetie Belle was the first to recognize the voice. Her head swiveled about searching for its origin. Immediately her eyes caught sight of a white coat and royal-violet tail. Sweetie Belle weaved her way through the crowd, her cape flapping in the breeze as she did so. The marshmallow white filly latched onto the foreleg before her and looked up, removing her mask and goggles to look upon her.
“Rarity you’re here, you came out for Nightmare Night,” she squeaked.
“Hello Sweetie, yes, indeed I did.” Rarity stroked her little sister’s mane and smiled happily at her. It wasn’t long before the others caught sight of Rarity and came to join the two unicorn sisters. Twilight, AJ, and Rainbow Dash were especially surprised to see their friend out tonight.
It wasn’t long before the others caught sight of Rarity and came to join the two unicorn sisters. Twilight, AJ, and Rainbow Dash were especially surprised to see their friend out tonight.
“Rarity, well this is a surprise, after makin’ all them costumes we’d thought ya would’ve shut yerself in yer house and sleep till tomorrow mornin’,” said Applejack.
“Well originally that was the plan, but then I had a guest… ‘drop in’ as it were,” said Rarity as her eyes drifted over to Star.
Speaking of which, the unicorn “vampony queen” started to trot towards the group, her stride was graceful, with little to no wasted effort. It was no surprise that her beauty caught the attention of a few stallions and mares alike. When she arrived, two members of the group stared blankly at her, and she to them.
Twilight tensed slightly, Ion the Entity of Willpower, Adara the Entity of Hope, and Predator the Entity of Love were all gathered together right here in front of them. The three entities stared at each other, almost as if they were waiting for one or the other to make the first move. Twilight was sweating a bit, she didn’t know how close each of them were, or whether there was a rivalry going on.
And why is Predator even here!!? She should be in the Crystal Empire with Cadance! How in the hay is she in PONYVILLE!!!? Okay, okay calm down, there’s probably nothing to worry about. I mean, I haven’t seen Proselyte around, so either he’s off somewhere, or he’s still somewhere close by…great, all four in one place…my worst nightmare, thought Twilight.
Why is Predator here!? How did she even get to Ponyville without either me or Adara sensing her!? I mean, I think either of us would’ve noticed if she used her powers to get herself all the way here from the Frozen North! Relax Ion, nothings gone wrong, yet, thought Ion.
Oh dear, Predator, in Ponyville! She seems to be more subdued than usual, probably keeping to her cover. Surprising considering what happened in Canterlot a few months ago…Okay, benefit of the doubt. I’m sure she’s just here to enjoy the holiday like rest of us; all will be well, right, thought Adara.
Crap, they’re probably ticked that I just dropped in without telling them! Ah well who cares, I hardly get to see them and I do miss them. Maybe I can avoid any unpleasantness, if I play my cards right we can all have fun tonight, thought Predator.
Hi, my name is Star Sapphire.”
“Ion.”
“Adara.”
Applejack eyed the three ponies with a quizzical look, “Y’all know each other by any chance?”
“No way.”
“Nope.”
“Uh-uh.”
It was then that Pinkie Pie decided to get in between the earth pony, pegasus, and unicorn. “Well duh, it’s sooooo obvious isn’t it?” Everypony shrugged. “These three are from an alternate dimension, where a war is being waged by other colored corps. and they’re actually omni-powerful beings from which these corps. draw their power from!”
Twilight, Ion, Adara, and Predator all stared at Pinkie Pie, mouths gaping in shock. It just wasn’t possible, for all of Pinkie Pie’s randomness, for all of her seemingly impossible, sometimes comedic, feats, this was something beyond them. The pink party pony had just figured out who these three were, without so much as a hint! Did she somehow possess some hidden ability to give her sight beyond sight!? To see passed illusions and disguises with ease and render them completely useless!?
It was then the Rainbow Dash hovered towards Pinkie, she crossed her forelegs and shook her head.
“Pinkie Pie, you are random.”
“No I’m not I’m a loon – SQUAWK!”
“She can say that again,” whispered Scootaloo to the others.
Predator was looking all kinds of confused, prompting Rarity to tell the poor mare that it was better to accept Pinkie Pie as she is, trying to figure out that mystery would cause her a headache that no amount of pain killing magic or medication would sooth or make go away. Luckily Ion and Adara were a little more used to it, but were still just as surprised. Twilight cleared her throat.
“W-Well…now that intros are done we should –”
“CITIZENS OF PONYVILLE!!!”
A powerful voice rumbled through the night sky. The clouds that had obscured the night swirled about as a giant hole opened up and showed the shining full moon. A flash of blue light shone like a star in the center of the breach, a black alicorn mare descended down upon the ground with a thunderous boom, shaking the stalls and ponies to the point of falling down. The dreaded evil alicorn, the one who promised to bring about night eternal, the fabled mare in the moon, had arrived in Ponyville, her fierce turquoise slit eyes were like daggers that stabbed them with a chilling fear, Nightmare Moon.
“BOW BEFORE YOUR QUEEN OF THE NIGHT, PRESENT UNTO ME YOUR OFFERINGS OR PREPARE TO GIVE ME YOUR LIVES!!! MWAH HA HA HA HA!!!”
Many had backed away from the frightful mare. For a moment, Predator and Ion became tense, their eyes shimmering with their respective lights, ready to fight the creature before them. It was only by Adara’s assurance that the two of them didn’t attack. Amongst the frightened ponies a young colt waded through the crowd and towards Nightmare Moon, carrying in his mouth a large bag. The colt wore a red suit, with a golden lightning bolt on his chest. His white cape with gold trim flapped in the wind, the hood drawn as to obscure his face. The young colt was now standing before Nightmare Moon; the wicked alicorn mare stared down at the colt, baring her fanged teeth.
“YOU WHO SO FOOLISHLY STANDS BEFORE ME, WHAT IS THY NAME THAT WE MAY CARVE IT ON THY TOMBSTONE!!!?”
A gust of wind blew the hood off the colt’s head, revealing young Pipsqueak, or Pip as he most preferred. “It is I, Pipsqueak the brave! And I have come to offer you my candy!” Pip placed the bag at Nightmare Moon’s hooves, opening it to show an assortment of candy treats. “Take it, that we may enjoy Nightmare Night in peace!”
Nightmare Moon looked at the bag of candy and then back at Pip. Her eyes shined as a glowered at the colt, Nightmare Moon then used her magic to lift one of the pieces of candy into the air and let it hover before her.
“THESE OFFERINGS ARE –!” Nightmare Moon then popped the piece of candy into her mouth, at that same moment her body shined. When the light dimmed she had returned to her original form, that of Princess Luna. The midnight blue alicorn chewed the piece of candy with a smile on her face, she then returned her gaze back to Pip. “Tasty!”
The fear in the ponies had disappeared almost immediately, many coming out from behind buildings and stalls, each laughing and smiling as they re-gathered at the square.
“That was fun Princess Luna,” said Pip.
“Well, you did ask for me to return and ‘scare you,’ and as a Princess I do keep my promises young Pip,” said Luna.
The rest of the night was going well after Luna’s arrival and scare, the young foals had gathered around to ‘offer’ their candy to the Princess, as well as to play . After assuring Predator and Ion that Princess Luna had not gone crazy and was not planning on attacking Ponyville, the tension was lifted and they were able to enjoy themselves. Rarity stuck by Predator, keeping to her earlier vow to make sure that the young mare’s powers did not cause any undue…romantic incidents.
While trotting about Predator did spot something peculiar. One of the mares, a mint green unicorn mare, was wearing a rather weird costume.
“Rarity, who or what is she,” asked Predator.
“Oh yes, well that’s Lyra Heartstrings, as for what she is wearing, it is a custom job. You see we had an incident her during Ponyville’s annual Running of the Leave, a rockslide had trapped many of the residents here under a pile of rocks, why Applejack would’ve been buried too if it weren’t for Ion here.”
Ion seemed to blush at the attention he was getting, which also caused Applejack to do the same.
“Anyway, during the rescue a colossal being, who’s come to be known as the Emerald Giant, appeared out of nowhere and saved everypony! I wasn’t there, but from what I heard it was quite the sight.”
Predator started to glance in Ion’s direction, the stallion only whistled a tune nervously. She started to grin wide, Ion then flipped down the visor to hide his face.
Low profile, huh, she thought.
“Now Lyra woun’t stop goin’ on about her ‘humans’ nonsense. Ah admit, just because that thing wasn’t normal, or equine in anyway, don’t mean it was a ‘human,’ everypony knows they’re just folklore and old pony tales,” said Applejack.
If she only knew, thought the three entities at once.
Predator walked around alongside Rarity, the two of them either played a few of the games or sampled some the food that was being served. Unfortunately, Predator’s power had indirectly caused a few incidents, but nothing that Rarity was able to get under control. Like the occasional flocking of stallions and young colts who looked as if they had drank the fabled “Love Poison,” even after she dispelled her power’s influence. They were honestly starting to annoy her like a swarm of parasprites. After some time to get rid of the entourage of stallions, Predator and Rarity were now resting near the fountain. The two mares watched as a group of ponies were getting the stage ready for some event that was going to transpire there. All the while Princess Luna was overseeing their efforts, with Pip watching with her.
Predator wasn’t watching the stage so much as she was looking at the two who were watching the stage itself. Rarity noticed the way Predator was looking at the Princess and her young friend, and it honestly made her worry.
“Um…Star, darling, why are you staring at Princess Luna and little Pip so…intensely,” she asked.
“Oh, nothing, just sensing their love auras,” said Predator while grinning.
“What are you talking about…?”
“Oh just how the little colt has feelings for Princess Luna, developing a crush, although I doubt he knows it himself.”
Rarity sighed in relief, “Well that’s not at all surprising, many colts and fillies love the Princesses, some even develop crushes…I myself may have had a slight crush on Princess Celestia in my youth.”
Predator’s eyes narrowed, giving her a half-lidded appearance, and not once did her cattish grin falter.
“I’d agree with you, IF I didn’t sense the exact same feelings in Princess Luna.”
Rarity’s mind just stopped at that point. Did she really just hear her friend say that Princess Luna, the Immortal Dream Walker, the Mare in the Moon, Guardian of the Night, actually had a crush on this colt!?
It just – But he’s so young! He’s barely Sweetie Belle’s age – he’s only, what, eight years old at best! She must be mistaken. Rarity tried to gather her thoughts.
“Dear, are you absolutely sure?"
Predator reached out with her hoof towards Rarity. The fashionista mare looked at her friend’s hoof confused, “Touch my hoof and you’ll see what I see.”
Rarity nervously touched her hoof with Predator’s, immediately she felt the surge of energy that made her feel like she was back at the spa again, albeit on a much lower level. Rarity blinked her eyes a few times, her gaze falling on Luna and Pip. A violet light seemed to lap off their bodies and wisp back and forth between them. It was like a flowery stream of energy that ebbed and flowed, back and forth, the little earth pony and alicorn princess connected on an ethereal level. It was, dare she say, beautiful.
“You see it now, don’t you,” asked Predator.
“Yes, I do…Is this…Is this how you see other ponies,” asked Rarity astonished.
“Mostly, depends if I wish to or not, or if the love energy I sense is particularly strong. You can see it, Pip feels something for Princess Luna, but does not know what to make of them. On the other hoof, Princess Luna has feelings for this colt, but does not act upon them,” explained Predator.
“Well for obvious reasons, he’s much too young, and I don’t think that Princess Luna doesn’t need any kind bad publicity, especially with ponies starting to like her again,” said Rarity.
“Yes, but it wouldn’t take much with my power…all I’d need do is intensify the energy within them both and it wouldn’t take long before – ”
“OKAY, you are not doing anything of the like young lady,” said Rarity.
Predator looked a Rarity confused, “Why not, they both obviously have those feelings for each other; it wouldn’t be that difficult of a task to help them realize them?”
“Star darling, I know you wish to follow in the hoofsteps of Princess Cadance, but…you just simply can’t, not with them. For one thing the difference in age is far too great!”
“She’s immortal, of course there’s an age gap,” Predator deadpanned.
“Yes, I understand, what I mean is that Pip is not of age to fully…comprehend those feelings, romantic or not,” argued Rarity.
“But…love is love; it shouldn’t matter, as long as there’s something there, right?”
“Dear, I think you need to have a little perspective on the matter, for one whose special talent is love, I would think you’d have a bit more sense on the matter,” said Rarity.
Predator’s gaze was downcast now, “You sound almost like Cadance…”
“Beg pardon?”
“She’s trying to teach me that there are good kinds of love, and that there’s bad kinds…She’s trying, and I understand…but it just doesn’t make sense to me.”
Predator looked up into the starry sky, towards the full moon. The pearly white glow of the heavenly body reminded Predator of the Life Entity, how it brought them here, her, Ion, Adara, and Proselyte. Thinking of the Entity brought her mind back to those who Predator bonded with in the past, through them, she was given a glimpse of what love was, and yet, according to Cadance, and even her new friend Rarity, she still didn’t seem to grasp that there was a difference. “Does it make me…bad that I don’t know the difference between the good kind and the bad?”
Rarity looked at the young mare; a melancholy expression darkened her countenance. “Oh Star, no it certainly does not. It’s actually wonderful that you embrace your talent, and that you are open minded about love’s different aspects. But you must be careful; there are those who would take advantage of that, I believe that’s what Princess Cadance is trying to make you understand, darling. So chin up?” Rarity placed her hoof under Predator’s chin and lifted it slightly to meet her warm, caring blue eyes.
The Entity of Love smiled at this, “Thank you, Rarity, I’ll try a little harder, I promise.”
“By chance did you leave the Empire because you were getting frustrated, be honest now.”
Predator nodded.
“Don’t worry; I’m sure if you explain to Princess Cadance everything will be alright. If you ever need to talk I’d be happy to, but please notify me ahead of time so that we might not have a repeat of our earlier encounter,” she chuckled.
“Deal, and thanks again,” said Predator.
“Fillies and gentlecolts, I Luna welcome you to another fun filled Nightmare Night!”
“Looks as if Princess Luna’s done, let’s go have a look see, shall we,” asked Rarity.
Predator nodded and the two mares got up and walked towards the stage, along the way more ponies began to congregate at the stage, wondering just what exactly the Princess of the Night had in store for them.
“This Nightmare Night we shall have a contest, a Scare Contest!”
The ponies stamped their hooves in ovation, excited for what Princess Luna had planned tonight. Luna gave the crowd a moment to absorb that information; many had looks of excitement and giddiness, probably from thinking about all the ways they could create a scare. “At midnight the contest will begin, before then, all ponies wishing to enter will need to write their names on the roster! Each one will be called up and given a chance to scare us. Contestants will be judged on one: originality, two: complexity and three: crowd reactions. While it is important to know that a panel of judges, consisting of myself, Mayor Mare, and Princess Twilight Sparkle, will make the final decision, we will take into account the audience.”
Luna paused for moment to check the crowd.
“And, as a bonus, if you manage to scare me then ye shall receive a boon!” The audience seemed to not understand what “boon” meant, Luna realized that she’d just slipped back into the olden way of speaking for just a moment. “I mean, the winner will receive a special prize, a onetime wish fulfillment by none other I!”
The eyes of the crowd widened, they were really amped up now. Ha-Ha! The fun has been doubled!
“Now my little ponies, you have four hours till midnight to come up with something, teams are also allowed, so good luck!”
With that said many ponies swarmed the sign-up sheet and just as quickly sped off in different directions, some in groups, others went somewhere else. The town was ready to both impress the Princess of the Night and to win such a contest.
When the sign-up sheet was vacant Predator found herself drawn to it, Rarity saw Predator’s interest and nudged her forward towards the clipboard.
“Well go on darling, sign up,” said Rarity.
“I-I don’t know, fear isn’t really my thing…besides I don’t even know what I would do,” said Predator.
“Well what about that grand entrance you made earlier, with the bats made of light and all?”
“That was more for effect than to scare.”
Rarity placed a hoof on Predator’s shoulder, “Star, enjoy Nightmare Night, I’ll help where I can.”
Predator looked back at the clipboard and then to Rarity. After a few moments of pondering Predator made a decision, “…Alright, I’ll do it!”
“Splendid!”
“But I want to do this on my own,” Predator added.
“Fair enough.”
Predator used her telekinesis to levitate the pencil and wrote her name down. She didn’t know what she was going to do, but it couldn’t be that hard to scare a few ponies. Parallax would love this whole thing, maybe I should go and find out where he is and ask if he’ll give me a few pointers………………………Yeah, no, never in a trillion years.
“Excuse me?” Predator was brought back from her inner dialogue and looked down to see young Pip. “Could you lend me a hoof; I can’t quite reach the sheet.”
“Certainly.”
Predator levitated the sign-up sheet to Pip’s level, allowing him to write his name under Predator’s.
“You’re going to enter the contest too,” asked Rarity.
“Yes ma’am, I want to try and win, and maybe even scare Princess Luna, it sounds like a lot of fun,” he said.
Well, we both hope you do win, but don’t forget, the most important thing is to have fun.”
“I know Miss Rarity. Bye, see you in four hours!”
As Pipsqueak ran off to begin work on his scare idea, Predator gave Rarity a sideways glance.
“Are you sure I can’t just…you know…nudge them a bit?”
“Yes darling, I am positively sure.”
(4 Hours Later)
“Thanks again for allowing me to help judge the contest Princess Luna,” said Mayor Mare.
“Not at all, tis thanks for granting us permission to hold the contest here in Ponyville, I can think of no better place than the very town that accepted me after my return, and where I met my first friend,” said Luna.
Twilight blushed a little, she and Luna had become closer friends since her ascension to Princess, and now that they were equal peers Luna and Twilight did not have to go through such lengths to spend time together.
“I’m glad you’re happy Luna, to be honest when you first told me about this little contest of yours I was really excited,” said Twilight.
“Yes, indeed so was I – ”
Princess Luna lost her train thought when she heard the pitter patters of dragon feet getting closer. Spike had come up next to Luna, holding the clipboard with names of the contestants.
“Princess Luna, here’s your copy of the roster,” said Spike as he handed the sheet to Luna.
“Thank you Spike, if you would be so kind, please go backstage so as to manage the contestants. Competition and Nightmare Night can bring out the, ugly, less hospitable side in some ponies.”
“No problem!”
With that Spike sped away towards the stage. Luna nodded towards Mayor Mare and Twilight, to which they nodded back. Princess Luna levitated the microphone that was in front of her and cleared her throat before speaking.
“Now everypony, prepare yourselves for a night of fun! Let the first Nightmare Night Scare Contest BEGIN!”
The audience stamped their hooves against the ground while cheering for the contest and for what possible scary acts the performing ponies would put on for them.
“First up are Snips and Snails,” announced Mayor Mare.
The two unicorn colts dashed for the stage from behind the curtain and proceeded to attempt to scare the crowd. Meanwhile, Predator was getting kind of nervous, scaring was definitely not her thing, she was an entity of love, not fear, what could she possibly do to try and scare everypony and not look like a complete fool out there.
*BOOM!*
Predator was jostled out of her thoughts from the sound of an explosion on the other side of the curtain. Many of the other contestants peeked to see just what the two colts were up to. Snips and Snails were standing center stage, both covered in black soot, on the stage floor there was a ring of the same black soot in the form a blast pattern.
“*cough* Snails, did you *cough* remember to measure out the amount of blasting powder,” asked Snips.
“Uh…Nope, sorry,” said Snails.
“Snails…!”
After that final word both Snips and Snails fell unconscious onto the stage floor. Spike face palmed and mentally berated himself for not double checking those two’s act before hand. Oh well, que sera sera.
“MEDIC,” yelled Spike.
Immediately Nurse Red Heart and Nurse Tender Heart burst onto the stage and quickly loaded the two colts into onto the stretchers. Spike sighed in frustration, wondering just how these guys got a hold of blasting powder of all things, and just who the hay would give those two blasting powder in the first place.
“Okay, before we start up again, I’m just going to ask. Who else is planning on doing some kind of pyrotechnic stunt?” Spike asked.
Many hooves went up.
Spiked turned towards the direction of the Emergency Triage tent, “Nurse Red Heart, gonna need some more stretchers on standby!”
(2nd Scare Act)
“Um…Luna…I don’t remember you stating any specific rules against the use of spells and other things,” asked Twilight nervously.
“Yes…I did notice the lack of during your announcements,” said Mayor Mare.
Luna looked at the two mares aghast, the way she was looking at them you would that they had just stomped a baby bunny to death.
“And limit their creativity! Never! While yes I do understand the importance of rules, but this is a Scare Contest, if they wish to impress me, then they’ll have to pull out all the stops to get to the prize I spoke of earlier. If we were to limit them then they’d stand little chance! Wouldn’t you agree?”
“Well…I suppose that makes sense…”
“Luna, just what exactly would it take to scare you,” asked Twilight.
“I do not know! But that is what makes it even more fun, the anticipation! Now on with the show! Next up is Peachy Pie and Sunny Daze,” announced Luna.
Twilight was still worried about this whole thing, no rules to regulate what was and was not permitted. Things could get out of hoof far too quickly.
Oh well, there’s plenty of adults and foals in the contest. If nothing else I can count on the foals to not go as overboard as theeeeeeeee…
Suddenly the stage erupted into flames as an ungodly roar echoed through the town, everypony’s jaws dropped as their eyes went wide with horror.
“HOLY FAUST WHAT THE HAY DID THEY DO!!!?”
“Hmm, a Tartarus demonic spirit, not bad for two foals,” said Luna.
(5th Scare Act)
The next contestant was a rather burly and large earth pony stallion. He wore a faux leather apron and a mask that seemed to be made of another pony’s face…whether it was real or not was unknown, but that wasn’t the scary part. No, the real scare was that the stallion was wielding a rather large chainsaw. He grabbed the ripcord with his teeth and pulled it, immediately the tool revved to life, the blades spinning as the saw made the horrible ominous noise.
“Wow, that’s mighty creepy,” commented Applejack.
“Yeah…is it me or is he looking this way,” asked Ion.
“UUUGHHHHHHH ARRRGGGH AAAAH!”
Just then the stallion jumped off the stage and started bounding towards the crowd, waving the chainsaw in a menacing fashion and showing no signs of slowing down.
“EVERYPONY RUN,” shouted Twilight.
“Hmmm, psychopathic, chainsaw wielding, pony butcher…not bad,” said Luna.
(10th Scare Act)
Another stallion stood on the stage, his face was that of a white mask. The eye slits were dark, whether there were eyes behind there or not was another matter. He wore a dark navy blue work suit, and from one of the side pockets was sheathed a large butcher’s knife. He just continued to stand there, not moving, standing very still. The other ponies in the crowd got increasingly nervous as this masked pony continued to stare blankly at them, with killing intent radiating from his very being. And it didn’t help that there was some mysterious music playing in the background.
“………”
“SOMEPONY STOP HIM! HE’S GOING TO KILL US ALL!!!”
“Impressive, instilling fear just by standing in one spot, I like his style,” said Luna.
“Pinkie Pie stop playing that music, this is creepy enough as it is without making it worse,” ordered Twilight.
“Okie-Dokie!”
(12th Scare Act)
Twilight was flustered, her mane disheveled and her nerves racked. “I swear to the goddesses on high, if we have to subdue another demonic spirit, restrain another psychopath, or prevent one more massive explosion, I’m going to lose my mind!”
“I second that, Princess,” said Mayor Mare.
“Come now, this has been the most exciting Nightmare Night I’ve had since my return! Bring on the next contestant!” Luna shouted.
The audience was already on edge from the last eleven scares, Twilight wasn’t sure if they could take anymore, the only thing keeping Rainbow Dash from bugging out was the fact that Scootaloo was there, and she didn’t want to lose face in front of the filly who looked up to her.
“Ugh…next up we have,” Twilight gulped, “…Star Sapphire…”
Predator heard her name and Spike ushered her onto the stage. After watching all the ponies before her, she was still at a complete loss at what she was going to do. Predator stood on the stage, her presence on stage earned her more than her fair share of catcalls, apparently some were happy to see something that wasn’t a demon or drenched in (probably) fake blood.
I gotta think of something, I really don’t want to disappoint Rarity…but what can I do that could possibly…wait…wait…I GOT IT!
The audience looked at Predator, wondering if she had a bout of stage freight. Ion and Adara glanced at each other, the two of them speculating as to how an Entity of Love would manage to scare everypony. Luna was starting to feel bad for the entity and was about to tell her she could leave, but then something changed. Predator started to sway back and forth, almost as if she were dancing to a tune only she could hear. Soon she stared out into the audience, and it was creepy.
“Nightmare Night…”
A low growl echoed through the air.
“What a – FRIGHT!”
Predator disappeared in a flash of violet-pink light; everypony jerked their heads around, trying to find out where the young mare went. It wasn’t long before she made her presence known. High above, a pink star shined, and in the next moment, that star descended upon the stage, violently. The wood splintered and cracked by the weight of what appeared upon it.
Predator had now assumed her true form, her crystalline exoskeletal body shined with violet light, showing off her jagged edges, razor sharp claws, and rows of dagger like teeth. Everypony stood speechless at the sight of this enormous creature before them. Predator then let out a powerful roar that threatened to bust the eardrums of all within the area. The giant raptor-like creature stared down at the audience.
“…GIVE ME SOMETHING SWEET TO BITE!!!”
Pretty much the entire town went into full on panic mode. Mayor Mare ran off with the rest of the citizens, leaving only Luna, Twilight, Ion, and Adara at ground zero. Both the Entities of Willpower and Hope just face hoofed themselves; they couldn’t believe what Predator had just done. Unfortunately they couldn’t stay to give their fellow entity the verbal accosting she deserved, if they stayed too long then their friends would start to wonder. So they did the only thing they could do, they turned around, ran, and screamed like banshees.
Predator was actually starting to have fun. She stamped forward, roaring and snarling as her talons raked the ground. “ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED!?”
Twilight and Luna just stood there dumbfounded as they watched Predator walk on by, this was something very unexpected. The Princess of Magic shot a glare at the Lunar Princess, Luna noticed this and a pink blush tinted her cheeks.
“Well…maybe having some rules would be beneficial next time around,” said Luna.
“Never mind that, we need to find a way to deal with THIS! How are we going to get Predator out of here without causing any more of a scene,” asked Twilight frantic.
“Perhaps creating a scene bodes better.”
Both Princesses jumped at the sound of the new voice. Behind them stood Proselyte, watching the scene transpiring before him, and smirking slightly having made the Princesses jump.
“Proselyte, what in Equestria are you doing here!?” Luna asked.
“I was visiting with Zecora when I sensed my sister’s energy spike. Predator was always the unpredictable one,” he said.
“Um, what exactly did you mean by ‘creating a scene bodes better?’” Twilight asked.
“Well…I might have a plan, but it will require a couple of things, careful timing, and most importantly…theatrics.”
(5 Minutes Later)
Luna stood next to Pip, both ponies watching as Predator continued to walk around the city, scaring the living daylights out of anypony she happened upon. The little colt looked up at the Princess of the Night with a worried expression.
“Do you think you can do it,” asked Luna.
“I-I’m not sure…but I’ll try,” spoke Pipsqueak.
Princess Luna bent down and nuzzled the young colt, “Do not worry, I promise that no harm will come to you. Just remember the plan and everything will be alright, I believe in you, Pipsqueak the brave.”
With that bit of encouragement Pipsqueak trotted out towards Predator. The giant crystalline raptor continued to prowl the streets of Ponyville, looking for unsuspecting ponies to scare, the sound coming from deep in its throat could be taken as chuckling. Wow, this is kinda fun; I never knew Nightmare Night was this exhilarating! Ooh look, it’s that Pipsqueak kid!
Predator stalked towards the earth pony colt, snarling and whipping her tail back and forth. Pipsqueak gulped, this was crazy – no not crazy – this was bloody insane! What was he going to do against such a big creature, but Princess Luna only had one job for him, all he had to do was trot up to the beast, act like a hero, and when he heard the thunder he was to say the word. Here goes nothing…
“Halt monster, I, Pipsqueak, will not allow you to continue your rampage any longer!”
Predator didn’t know what was going on, believing that this was part of some sort of Nightmare Night fun. So, naturally, Predator obliged and roared in response to Pip’s provoking.
Pip continued to stand there, watching how the clouds overhead began to churn; the full moon had been completely covered up as low a rumbling sound echoed through the sky. Now Predator was just a few feet away, standing tall and glaring down at the colt.
“Give up now and I’ll show mercy!” Pip warned.
Oh he’s so cute, acting all heroic, well, can’t disappoint him, thought Predator.
The giant violet raptor roared down at him. At that moment thunder roared from the sky above as lightning arced within the clouds. Now was the time!
“SHAZAM!!!”
Six different lightning arcs joined together in the center of the sky, the combined arcs fired straight down in a giant lightning bolt that was aimed right at Predator. The Entity of Love heard the rumble and stared up into the sky. Too late the bolt struck the crystalline raptor, bathing the area in a blinding white light. The Ponyvillians all shut their eyes from the harsh light, as well as Pip.
Soon all was quiet. The light dimmed and the clouds parted, allowing the full moon to shine its milky serene light once again. The ponies who had hidden within their homes and behind stalls and shops started to come out. When they did all they saw was Pip, standing where once Predator was. It was then that Princess Luna swooped from out of the sky and landed right next to Pip.
“FILLIES AND GENTLECOLTS, THE WINNER OF THE FIRST NIGHTMARE NIGHT SCARE CONTEST HAS BEEN CHOSEN! NOW STAMP YOUR HOOVES AND CHEER FOR PIPSQUEAK!!!"
At first many were skeptical, but after everything else that has happened tonight, why not. The citizens of Ponyville all stomped in ovation to the young colt, where there were once screams of terror now were screams of delight and joy. Pip didn’t know exactly how or why that happened, but given that the Princess asked for his help personally he was wasn’t going to question it. It was then that Luna looked down at Pip smiling.
“Since you have won, and impressed me, I shall grant you a prize. So what would you like young Pip,” asked Luna.
Pip looked down at his hooves for a moment, scuffing the dirt with his right hoof, and then looked up, his cheeks blushing a bit. He then motioned for Luna to come down closer. The midnight blue alicorn lowered her head; Pip got on his hind hooves and began to whisper something into her ear. Whatever Pip said made the Lunar Princess’s ears prick up and blush.
“Well…ahem…maybe later, when no pony is around…”
(Crystal Empire)
Within the throne room of the Crystal Palace Princess Cadance was busy pacing, going back and forth from one end of the room to the next. Shining Armor’s Adamant Guard had searched all of the Crystal Empire, and some parts beyond the boundary and into the frozen snow covered wasteland. But unfortunately, they could find neither hide nor hair of the Entity of Love.
“Where could she be Shining Armor, it’s not like she’s knows that many places to go to,” said Cadance.
“Don’t worry, my connections back at the Royal Guard in Canterlot are still searching the city, but with tonight being Nightmare Night they have their hooves full with making sure that ponies don’t go completely off the deep end with Nightmare Night pranks,” explained Shining Armor.
“I know, but…”
At that moment a giant puff of purple smoke that filled half of the throne room. The Adamant Guards stood fast with spears pointed at the smoke, Shining Armor flared up his horn, the rosy colored aura glowing intensely, prepared to strike down whatever threat dared to attack the Crystal Empire.
The smoke cleared, showing Proselyte and Predator, in pony form, and sprawled out on the floor.
“Ow, Proselyte what was all that about!?”
“PREDATOR!”
The dark pink mare looked towards the voice and was immediately rushed and drawn into a tight hug by the alicorn princess. This was a bit surprising, both because she didn’t know she was back in the Empire, and that Cadance seemed more happy than angry that she was back.
“Predator I didn’t know where you went! You had me worried!”
“I-I’m sorry Cadance…I – wait minute – how the hay did I get back to the Crystal Empire!?”
“I teleported you here, before you caused more of a ruckus sister,” said Proselyte. “Ruckus, what ruckus,” asked Cadance.
“One moment.” Proselyte vanished in a puff of smoke once again, after a few seconds he returned with something tucked under his wing. “This scroll was written by Princess Twilight, it’ll explain everything.”
Cadance took the scroll in her telekinetic aura and levitated it from under Proselyte’s wing. Seeing that she had the scroll, the purple pegasus bowed his head and teleported away.
“Wonder what this’s about,” said Shining Armor.
“Predator, exactly where did you go?”
“Ponyville,” she said simply.
That was all they needed to hear, Cadance quickly opened the scroll, both husband and wife scanned over the contents of the letter. With each sentence that they read Predator grew worried, watching the couple’s expressions change from happy, to confused, and then to shock. When they reached the end of the letter Cadance rolled it up and gave the young mare a stern look.
“You’re grounded for the next three weeks,” said Cadance.
“Three weeks!?”
“Yes, for running away, and causing mayhem in Ponyville. Room, now!”
Predator wanted to argue that she didn’t do anything wrong, but, she remembered Rarity’s words, the worried expression that she saw on Cadance’s face when she arrived. Without another word Predator nodded her submission and trotted towards the throne room doors, opening them with her telekinesis. She gave one final glance over her shoulder towards the royal couple and noticed that Cadance’s visage had become less stern, allowing her to show the unicorn a small smile.
She really does care, thought Predator.
When the door closed Shining Armor looked at his wife confused, “‘Three weeks,’ that’s it?”
“It would’ve been longer, but you saw what I saw didn’t you?”
Shining Armor sighed, taking the scroll and re-reading the last part of it again.
P.S.
Princess Cadance, this is Rarity Unicorn. Twilight and Luna informed me that you used some long distance teleportation spell to call Star back to the Empire. While I know she’s probably in trouble for running away, I must admit that part of the blame is on me. We had, in a rather awkward way, become friends and had spent most of the day together. When she informed me of her special talent and its effects on other ponies, well, I felt sorry for the poor mare, probably wasn’t able to have much of a good foalhood when her talent came into light. I assume that is why you’ve chosen her as an apprentice. I just wanted her to experience a fun filled Nightmare Night, and pushed her into the contest which inevitably caused the fiasco tonight. I ask that you’d please go easy on her, and that you reserve some punishment for me as well since it is partially my fault.
Your Friend and Star’s
Rarity
“Yeah, alright, three weeks is fine.”
Episode 6: Kindness, Compassion, and Hearth's Warming Day
It was a cold winter's day, one week before Hearth's Warming Day. Fluttershy was in bed, warm and cozy under the sheets and blankets. It wasn't long though before she heard the loud crow of her rooster, Chanticleer, telling her it was time to rise and shine. Fluttershy yawned deeply and stirred from her restful sleep. The pegasus started to get up out of her bed, it was more or less muscle memory, a routine she had gotten used to for a long time now.
Once Fluttershy was out of bed she starting making it, humming a little tune to herself as she did so. The timid pegasus moved downstairs in order to feed her little animals, and one cranky bunny. Although, when she entered the living room Fluttershy was surprised to see that she had a visitor. Usually an unannounced guest would make her zoom upstairs, lock her doors, and hide under her blankets. But this particular guest was not unwelcome.
It was a pegasus colt, with a purple mane and coat, and eyes to match. Fluttershy knew this colt by the name of Proselyte, or "Lyte" as she often called him. "Hello Lyte, it's nice to see you this morning."
"Hello Miss Shy, I already fed most of your animal friends, although, your personal pet seems to refuse my efforts to do so," said Proselyte, nodding to Angel.
Fluttershy looked down and noticed that her little pet rabbit was busy thumping Proselyte's right foreleg. "Oh my, I'm sorry! He gets a little cranky if his food isn't made just the way he likes it. I'll be right back!"
Proselyte watched as Fluttershy ducked into the kitchen and started preparing Angel's morning meal. While she was busy doing that, Proselyte stared down at the bunny who still seemed relentless in kicking him.
"You're never going to let up, are you little one?"
" #$%&*!"
"I've been visiting her at least six months now, and you still have the most foul of mouths I've ever encountered in this world," said Proselyte.
Angel stopped thumping his leg, he then jumped back and pointed an accusatory paw at the colt before chirping, " #$%&*!!!"
"Why do you constantly think that that's why I keep visiting Miss Shy, I have no impure intentions towards her."
" #$%&*."
Proselyte placed his left hoof on the bridge of his nose; he then shook his head back and forth while sighing deeply. "Taan elek fanara, naka o rem nok."
Fluttershy emerged from the kitchen, carrying a bowl full of lettuce, carrots, and cucumbers. She hovered over to where Angel was and placed the bowl on the floor for him to get to. Angel stopped giving Proselyte attitude and happily hopped over to the salad bowl, munching on the freshly prepared meal. With the other animals, and Angel, fed, Fluttershy and Proselyte moved over to her dining table, where the timid pegasus had prepared some hot tea for them to have.
"I hope you don't mind that I came over early, with most of the animals hibernating I haven't much had much to do lately," said Proselyte.
"Not at all, it's nice having you here. Although, I was wondering, why aren't you wearing a scarf, or it's getting colder outside?"
"Oh...well...I must've forgotten them, I can tend to be a little absentminded every now and again."
"You really shouldn't forget something like that. It's chilly out, and it's going to be worse in the next couple of days."
Proselyte took a sip of tea before asking his next question, "Why, is something going to happen?"
"Well my friend, Rainbow Dash, told me that a big snow storm is scheduled to hit Ponyville, and that it'll last at least until the end of Hearth's Warming Eve," she warned.
Although Proselyte, and his fellow entities, had been in Equestria for half a year now, it still amazed him how each of the pony races were so essential in manipulating the world around them. Pegasi controlled the weather, Earth Ponies helped the plants grow strong and healthy, and Unicorns used their magic to create many different spells to benefit, not just themselves, but the other tribes as well. He'd also witnessed when a particularly bad storm was in the works that the residents were given far warning, and ample time to prepare for it so as to reduce and prevent any injuries or loss of life.
"I'll be sure and keep safe during that time, thank you for the warning Miss Shy," said Proselyte.
"No problem, I –"
*Ding*
*Ding*
*Ding*
Fluttershy looked to her clock, noticing that the time was now nine o'clock. "Oh my goodness, I almost forgot! I have to go and do my Hearth's Warming shopping, I need to get presents!"
The pegasus mare was almost about to speed away when she remembered she still had a houseguest. Fluttershy turned her head and noticed that Proselyte had a confused look upon his face.
"Oh I'm sorry Lyte, I forgot I had some shopping to do early this morning, but you're welcome to stay here as long as you want, just lock up before you do, if you don't mind that is?"
"It's no problem at all, but I do have one question."
"Okay, what's your question?"
"What is Hearth's Warming?" Proselyte asked.
Fluttershy's mind stopped upon hearing those words. "What is Hearth's Warming?" that's the first time she'd ever heard a foal as old as Lyte ask such a thing. Then again, Proselyte was...different from other foals she knew. The events of that day months ago were still fresh in her mind, looking at Lyte now, you wouldn't suspect he had such great power, or how mature he was for his age.
"W-Well, hmmm...Oh I have an idea, why don't you come with me!? That way I can show and tell you at the same time," said Fluttershy.
Proselyte pondered Fluttershy's offer, it wasn't like he had anything else to do that day. Predator was back in the Crystal Empire, and so far no mishaps, yet. Adara was keeping Scootaloo safe and both were happy and warm thanks to some assistance from a small magic heating lamp that mysteriously appeared in the treehouse one day. Ion was alright, with the harvesting done at the orchard, there wasn't much for him to do but to spend time with the Apple family. After contemplating it, Proselyte made his decision.
"It would be my pleasure to accompany you Miss Shy."
(Ponyville)
Proselyte and Fluttershy had walked throughthe snow covered road all the way to Ponyville. While it may've been easier and faster to fly it wouldn't have allowed Fluttershy the time to properly explain the story of Hearth's Warming. About the three tribes who were constantly at each other's throats, about the eternal winter that was brought upon them by the Windingos and how their hate was what fueled their wintery wrath. She also spoke of the six ponies who helped in founding Equestria, and ultimately united the three tribes.
"And to this day, the songs that they sang to keep the Fire of Friendship burning are the carols that we now sing today. So every year, we celebrate, not just the founding of Equestria, but the spirit of friendship and unity between everypony," explained Fluttershy.
"So the exchanging of gifts is a way to show each other that spirit of friendship and unity, correct?"
"Yes, exactly right."
"So you wish to show how much you care for your friends by giving them gifts, it is an interesting concept," said Proselyte.
The first stop for Fluttershy was the local Ponyville Postal Service. The mare and colt entered the facility; it wasn't overly large, but for a small town it was just right. Many pegasus and earth ponies were filing in and out of the structure, some with large saddle bags full of packages and parcels, others in teams, pulling large carriages full of big packages. As they entered the mail room Fluttershy immediately recognized the pony behind the counter. A gray pegasus with a blonde mane, and yellow eyes which seemed to be looking at different directions.
"Hi Derpy," said Fluttershy.
"Hey Fluttershy," she said, waving her hoof happily at the cream colored pegasus.
Derpy watched as the two pegasi approached her, it took her a minute, but she noticed something odd about the two. Derpy then smiled wide and clapped her hooves together.
"Oh congratulations Fluttershy!"
"Um...Thanks Derpy, but, uh, why are you congratulating me," asked Fluttershy.
"Silly, you don't have to be embarrassed, I was young too when I had Dinky, you should be proud to have such a handsome young colt for a son."
"Son...?" Derpy nodded towards Proselyte, Fluttershy looked at the purple pegasus colt, back to Derpy, and then back to Proselyte. In a matter of seconds Fluttershy's face turned a bright crimson red. "Nononononononono! He's not my son! Lyte's just a friend I met in Cloudsdale!"
Proselyte seemed to catch on at the same time as Fluttershy, though it was less intense, the Entity of Compassion did blush in slight embarrassment at the confusion.
"Oh, really? My bad, well, he's still a cutie. What's your name," she asked.
"Ahem, my name is Proselyte, but you may call me Lyte, seeing as you are a friend of Miss Shy," said the colt in a polite tone.
"Nice to meet you. So, what brings you two in?"
"I was wondering if those packages I ordered have arrived yet, they're presents for my friends and I'd like to wrap them up before it gets too close to Hearth's Warming Day."
"Sure, I just saw them in the back, I'll go get them for ya," said Derpy, grinning happily.
While Derpy was off getting the packages Fluttershy and Proselyte were left alone, the awkwardness of what the walleyed pegasus said hadn't quite worn off yet.
"She mistook me for your son...that was rather, odd," said Lyte.
"Yes, it kind of was," she admitted, "Besides, if anything, you're old enough to be my little broth –"
Fluttershy quickly clamped her mouth shut; she then turned her gaze away from Proselyte, her long mane hiding part of her face from his sight.
"Miss Shy, are you alright," he asked.
"It's nothing...really..."
"But –"
"Found them – WHOA!"
Fluttershy and Proselyte watched as Derpy carried five different packages at once, blocking her view of where she was going. Derpy tried to hover over towards them, but as she flew she wobbled back and forth, till she forgot that there was a box in her flight path. The pegasus mare bumped against the box, sending the packages flying up into the air. Proselyte watched the boxes carefully, his eyes flashed with indigo light, sending his power outward. A faint aura of energy wrapped itself around the boxes, holding them in place. In the next moment the five boxes were all neatly placed on the counter.
When Derpy recovered she frantically searched for the packages, fully prepared to apologize for dropping them. But the walleyed pegasus was surprised to find out that the boxes were alright and on the counter, which was weird.
"Um…How did…I mean, I just…"
"Are you alright Derpy," asked Fluttershy.
"Um, yeah…I guess I am! Alright, well then, here you go, see ya Fluttershy and you too Lyte!"
They loaded the boxes onto their backs and said their goodbyes to Derpy. As the pegasus mare and colt walked through the streets, Proselyte couldn't help but notice that Fluttershy was smiling at him, Lyte couldn't help but smile too, curious, he asked, "Why are you smiling at me Miss Shy?"
"That was a nice thing you did Proselyte, helping out Derpy like that," said Fluttershy.
"It was nothing, really…And thank you Miss Shy, for keeping my powers a secret from everypony."
"No need to thank me, after what you did for Storm, it's the least I can do. Besides, you don't seem like the kind of pony who'd use them to hurt others…you wouldn't would you?"
Proselyte chuckled at her nervousness, "No I wouldn't. You don't have anything to worry about."
The two pegasi went about the day with fairly anything big happening. Fluttershy answered more of Lyte's questions about Hearth's Warming, becoming increasingly fascinated by it. All the while, Fluttershy couldn't help but feel as if the pegasus colt was avoiding any real questions being asked about him. She could hardly blame him, she herself kept quiet about certain things, especially to those whom Fluttershy hadn't known for very long. But with Proselyte, it felt okay to divulge a few things, well, not everything at least.
After the heading through most of Ponyville, Fluttershy decided that she had gotten most of the shopping done for today. And thanks to Proselyte, she was able to carry more back home. With a little assistance from his levitation ability, of course he only did that once they were far enough that no pony would see him. That was another thing about the colt that intrigued the pegasus mare. Proselyte's strange abilities, somehow he was acutely attuned to others emotions. His cutie mark didn't give much of an indication of what his special talent was, nor did anything else for that matter. Regardless, the two managed to get back to the cottage and unload the packages.
"Thank you for your help Lyte," said Fluttershy.
"It was no trouble. Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to take my leave. I have some business to take care of before it gets any later," said Proselyte.
"Oh…okay, well I guess I'll see you later." Proselyte nodded politely towards Fluttershy and turned to leave. It was then that a light bulb went off in Fluttershy's mind. "Wait!"
Proselyte stopped just before exiting. Fluttershy began to rummage through one of the bags from their shopping trip. When she spotted the object, the timid mare reached in with her hoof and pulled out a long purple and white stripped scarf. Fluttershy then trotted over to Proselyte and presented the scarf to him.
"I know it's a little early, and it's not much, but Happy Hearth's Warming."
Proselyte stared at the scarf for a moment, "You…bought this, for me?"
"Of course I'll understand if you don't want it. It's just, that…well I…" Fluttershy was starting to lower her foreleg, thinking herself silly for even getting the colt a scarf when he probably had many others at home.
Suddenly Fluttershy felt the scarf leave her hoof. She watched as Proselyte used his powers to wrap the scarf around his face, covering a bit of his muzzle and his neck.
Proselyte proceeded outside and closed the doors behind him. Fluttershy went to the window to see the little colt off, but what she saw surprised her greatly. The young colt trotted a few steps away from the cottage, and in the next moment, he disappeared in a puff of purple smoke. Fluttershy did a double take, rubbed her eyes, and then blinked a few times. The mysteries of her young friend were just piling up.
"I think I need to lie down, yes, that's what I need to do…"
(CMC Treehouse, a few minutes later)
Scootaloo and Adara were busy dealing with the light snow that had been falling all day. Although it wasn't a lot, they thought it best to get rid of it before it accumulated. The two pegasus fillies were busy brushing off the snow from the walkway and gangplank with their tails.
"Brrrrr, it's getting colder, if that's even possible," complained Scootaloo.
"Guess we'll need a thicker blanket for tonight. I'm happy I get to spend my first Hearth's Warming Day with you Scootaloo," said Adara.
"'You're first?' what do you mean by that? You're as old as I am." Scootaloo said, giving her fellow runaway a confused look.
Adara flinched at the mistake she just made, "I-I mean, it'll be my first Hearth's Warming – you know – away from my home, that's what I meant!" The blue pegasus filly smiled nervously, hoping that her friend bought that lie she just told.
"Ooooooooh, okay now I get it. I won't lie, spending Hearth's Warming Day without anypony is kinda sad, but now that you're here, we both won't have to spend it alone," said Scootaloo smiling. "Sorry I won't be able to get you anything though…"
"Uh-uh, don't worry about it. I'm happy just to spend the holiday with somepony I care about – AS A FRIEND!" Adara quickly added.
"Duh, hey, do you mind getting the snow that's on the roof, that stuff can be trouble if it piles up too much. Don't wanna be sleeping and get crushed in the middle of the night."
Adara shook her head in confirmation and flew up to the roof. When she arrived on the roof she gasped in surprise, but quickly covered her mouth with her hooves. Proselyte was standing on the roof, grinning a bit bemused at his fellow entities reaction.
"Proselyte, what are you doing here!?"
"I thought I'd come by and see how you're doing, I'll probably stop by Ion's dwelling and then to Predator's after a little bit. How are things," he asked.
Adara let out a sigh and landed on the roof. She then began to sweep the snow with her tail while she spoke to Proselyte.
"Not much, the weather's getting chillier, but we should be fine," she replied. It was then that something caught the filly's eyes as she looked closer at what was around Proselyte's neck. "Nice scarf, where'd you get it?"
"Oh, Miss Shy bought it for me, an early Hearth's Warming present she called it."
"That was nice of her. You really should spend more time with her, since I'm still assuming you're intrigued about how she was able to decipher part of your Language of Compassion," said Adara.
Proselyte decided to make himself useful and helped her with the sweeping of the roof's snow.
"I won't deny that, but, there also seems to be something about her that I find…well, I can't find the right words for it."
"Proselyte, are you saying that you…you know, have feelings for Fluttershy," asked Adara.
"I can say for certain no, at least, not the same feelings you harbor for Scootaloo. It's hard to put into words, I do care about her, I guess I have a bit of trouble trusting her," he admitted.
"You know, Scootaloo told me that Fluttershy and her friends are connected to something called the Elements of Harmony, and each one of them represents a different aspect of those Elements, they also wear some items that allow them to channel that power. Sounds a lot like the rings and batteries, but anyway, Fluttershy's is kindness, and, when you think about it, don't kindness and compassion go hand and hand with each other?"
Proselyte pondered Adara's words. Kindness was indeed another aspect of compassion, could that be the reason why he was drawn to her? The Entity of Compassion wasn't lying when he said he didn't have any romantic feelings for Fluttershy, but neither was he lying about feeling something for her. Being an entity that was able to sense and connect to each light of the Emotional Spectrum did have its ups and downs, one of them being that he really couldn't get a beat on his own feelings from time to time. It was at that moment that Proselyte's eye caught sight of something that Adara was doing.
"Um, sister, I don't think you should do that," he warned.
"What?"
Adara's tail swiped a large chunk of snow off the side of the roof which landed with a great plop.
"ADARA!!?"
The pegasus filly looked over the edge and winced when she saw Scootaloo buried under a pile of snow that she just swept off.
"Sorry, sorry Scootaloo!" Adara then turned her gaze onto Proselyte, "Why didn't you tell me I was about to do that!?"
"I tried," he said with a smirk. "By the way, you might want to think about better lodgings for the next couple of days. I was informed that a snow storm will be coming into Ponyville soon, and quite frankly, I don't think a treehouse will provide either of you with ample protection against the cold."
"Thanks, I'll tell Scootaloo, maybe we can find a way to stay with somepony, either Apple Bloom or Sweetie Belle. Maybe I can ask Princess Twilight if she wouldn't mind. Oh well, can you at least help me get Scootaloo out of the –"
Before Adara knew it, she was talking to a puff of purple smoke. The cerulean filly blew a stray bang out of her face and stared with annoyance at the spot where Proselyte once stood.
"Thanks a lot."
(The Next Day)
Fluttershy was sitting on the couch enjoying the warm flame emanating from her fireplace. The snowstorm was raging outside, howling and blustering like there was no tomorrow. Luckily for Fluttershy she had wrapped the presents and took them to her friends' houses before it hit. Fluttershy sighed deeply, this time of year was always a little sad for her. It wasn't because of loneliness, goodness knows she had plenty of friends who thought about her and cared for her deeply.
And of course she had her parents who sent a gift every year. Her mother, the Royal Guard Sergeant Lily Hammer, was always busy, either training new recruits or doing some official business for the good of Equestrian Guard. Then there was her father, Stratus Heights, who was in charge of the Weather Factory in Cloudsdale, so it didn't exactly leave them with much time together. Although, each year they tried to invite Fluttershy back home to Cloudsdale for a family Hearth's Warming.
But she couldn't, it was…painful, emotionally anyway. I know I should get over it…but, they've told me so many times that it wasn't my fault what happened to him…So why can't I stop blaming myself?
Fluttershy stared into the dancing flames, "Maybe because it is, no matter how many times other ponies tell me, I'll always…"
Suddenly Fluttershy heard rapid knocks at her front door, the timid pegasus mare jumped off of her couch and hid behind it. The rapid knocking persisted, making Fluttershy fear the worst. Who could be out in a storm like this? There were always warnings about Hearth's Warming robbers, but Fluttershy never gave it much thought.
"FLUTTERSHY! FLUTTERSHY!!!"
The frightened mare poked her head up from behind the couch, her ears twitching at the sound. The voice sounded desperate, frantic, and familiar.
"FLUTTERSHY ARE YOU THERE, IT'S ME DERPY, I NEED YOUR HELP PLEASE LET ME IN!"
At the mention of that name Fluttershy quickly flew up from behind the couch and flew over to the door. She then hurriedly opened and was assaulted by a gust of cold, icy wind. Fluttershy had to squint her eyes in order to see, but she was able to make out Derpy standing on her doorstep. The pegasus mare ushered her friend in and closed the door with all do haste. Once inside Derpy shook of the snow that had stuck to her coat, with Fluttershy doing the same.
"Derpy, my goodness, why are you out in this storm!? It's dangerous!"
"It's Dinky, she ran away!" Derpy cried.
"What, how, when!?"
"It's my fault…Her father sent me a letter the day before, it said that he wasn't going to come over forth Hearth's Warming Day, or ever…Dinky found it, she got sad, started crying and ran off befor the storm hit…!"
Fluttershy trotted over to her fellow pegasus and draped a comforting foreleg over her shoulders. It was true that Derpy had Dinky and Amethyst Star at a young age, and that the father was not always there for them. But to think he would flat out tell her that wasn't ever going to see them again.
"I know I've done things that've put me over my head…having Dinky and adopting Amethyst so soon after that…and now her father won't even attempt to visit anymore…"
"It's not your fault Derpy, you don't have anything to be sorry about," consoled Fluttershy.
"But now Dinky thinks she's done something wrong and now she's run away…Amethyst is looking in Ponyville, but I can't help thinking she's gone further than that…"
"Okay, we'll both go out there and find Dinky. We will find her," said Fluttershy adamantly.
Derpy snuffled a bit, she then smiled weakly at her friend and gave a light nod.
We have to find her, in this weather, she won't last long! We have to hurry!
(10 Minutes Earlier)
The storm was fierce, of that Proselyte could say with certainty. Having no real lodgings of his own, Proselyte had taken to residing in the Everfree Forest. It was a strange place compared to the rest of Equestria. The creatures inside seemed to govern themselves, without the aid of the ponies. The forest apparently was also the place where some of the more dangerous creatures resided. Though some of the creatures who lived here figured out that Proselyte wasn't a normal pony, perhaps it was their animalistic sixth sense that told them he was a being far more powerful than them.
Currently, the young colt was in the middle of a dispute between two "Star Beasts," as they were called. To his right was an Ursa Major, and her young cub an Ursa Minor. To his left stood a Canis Major, a very large dog creature, its body was made of ethereal energy, with sparkling stars inside of it and a few brighter stars that made up a constellation and frame of its body. Its silver body sheened as its yellow eyes gleamed. Next to it was a smaller version of it, a Canis Minor. Its star body was similar to the Canis Major, but its body color was more teal colored.
The two larger Star Beasts were snarling, growling, and roaring back and forth between each other. Proselyte stood at the center of the conflict, his forehead had a red symbol hovering over it, along with pinkish-violet symbol. Proselyte cleared his throat and gained the attention of the two beasts.
"Now tell me, what exactly is the problem here," he asked.
{This mutt claims that her whelp was hurt by my cub,} said the Ursa Major.
{I do not lie! The proof is right her before your eyes!} The Canis Major barked.
Proselyte looked to the Canis Minor, the young pup did have a limp in its right foreleg, a bite mark was noticeable around the lower part, and he also noticed how sad the female pup was. The pegasus colt then turned his attention to the Ursa Minor, his gaze was downcast, one of shame, but was it shame for being caught or for something else?
{I demand satisfaction, punish your cub accordingly or I will,} threatened the Canis Major.
The Ursa Major stomped its large clawed paw onto the ground, startling the cub and pup. She then roared fiercely at the Canis Major, baring her fangs and raking her claws against the ground.
{I will kill you before you lay a claw on my child,} she warned.
"Alright, that is quite enough." Both mother Star Beasts looked down at Proselyte. "I have heard both you, but I have not heard the story from the young ones. Perhaps we should allow them to speak?"
{What good does that do us, the evidence is clear!? By the laws set forth by Princess Luna, there must be reprimand,} said the Canis Major.
"ENOUGH." The tone of which he said that one word was soft and kind, but the force and strength that was behind it was more than enough to make both mother Star Beasts go silent. "Now young ones, please tell us what happened."
Both the Canis Minor and Ursa Minor traded each other nervous glances, after about a few seconds of heavy silence it was the Ursa cub who spoke up first.
{I-I-It was my fault…}
{NO,} the Canis Minor spoke, {It was mine!}
{Liaetha what are talking –!?}
"Hush," warned Proselyte, causing the adult Canis to go silent. "Go ahead Liaetha."
{Straun and I are…we've been friends for a while now.}
{We were afraid that the two of you wouldn't let us be friends, since we know the two of you don't like either one of us crossing territories,} said Straun.
{But I liked playing with Straun, he's a lot fun…but earlier today, we were playing too close to the cliffs…}
{Liaetha ran too far and almost fell over the cliff.}
At this information both mothers gasped.
{Straun caught me using his teeth, and that's why I howled! I swear mother, Straun saved my life! So please, please don't be mad,} begged Liaetha.
Straun looked up at his mother with the same pleading look. {And I really like playing with Liaetha, we're best friends! I know we lied to you both, and we're sorry…}
The Ursa Major and Canis Major both looked at each other; they really had no idea what to say. Not many Star Beasts got along with one another. Mostly because there was so many different kinds, although they were of the same origin, finding the same kind of Star Beast was hard to do, and add to the fact that many of them were fiercely territorial, it made for some poor chances to make friends.
"It seems that what we have here is a large misunderstanding. One that I see no point in making your children suffer for." Proselyte flapped his wings and began to fly over to Liaetha; he then hovered in front of her and smiled kindly at the pup. "May I see your leg?"
Liaetha didn't hesitate; she gingerly lifted her right foreleg and presented it to the pegasus colt. Proselyte then gently touched the wound with his hoof. A bright indigo light shined forth, enveloping Liaetha's foreleg and soothing the pain of her injury.
"Taan ewaya, lek lek san anarek…" The indigo light flashed and in the next moment it was gone, "…Nok."
Proselyte returned to his original spot and left Liaetha to examine her foreleg which was miraculously healed.
{Thank you,} she said.
The pegasus colt nodded happily towards the pup and to the cub as well. Now his gaze became stern, training it on both the mothers who noticeably flinched.
"It seems to me that there is room for negotiation. Your children have expressed to continue their friendship, despite what you may think of each other. Do you not think you owe it to your children to allow their friendship to continue? Such a friendship and uniting of both sides can yield great bounty in the future. What is your answer?"
The two mother Star Beasts stared at one another for what felt like hours, but eventually their expressions softened slightly.
{Very well, I will allow my Straun to continue this friendship with your daughter, but,} the Ursa Major turned her attention to her cub; {from now on you tell me when you're going to visit with the Canis pup. Is that understood?}
Straun fiercely nodded his head.
{And that goes for you too young lady. Stay within our territories so that you are both less likely to get into situations like today.}
To this Liaetha also nodded vigorously.
Proselyte smiled happily yet again, he then turned around and began to take his leave. Suddenly Lyte felt a strong surge of fear energy. He delved deeper into the energy, trying to discern what it stemmed from. This fear was rooted in being lost, and of dying. Without a moment's hesitation Proselyte teleported in a puff of smoke, leaving the Star Beasts confused as to where it was he went.
In a matter of seconds Proselyte was transported through a vast world of indigo light, he then thrust out his hoof and the symbol for fear appeared in the ether. After a couple of seconds Proselyte's eyes shined with the power of his emotional light.
"Emotional Tether established. Now let's see who calls out for help," said Proselyte.
Proselyte was then whisked through a tunnel of indigo light, with a golden yellow rope made of light pulled him towards his unknown destination. Faster and faster the rope tugged him through the tunnel of light, after a few more seconds the way was opened up and Proselyte's vision was filled with white.
The next thing he knew, Lyte's body was racked with bone chilling cold. The wind roared and howled in his ears as he was pelted with heavy snow blowing from, seemingly, every direction. This was the first time Proselyte had actually experienced cold weather, it was…brisk. Not to mention the added bonus of near zero visibility. Still, seeing where he was wasn't as important as feeling where he was.
Proselyte tried to open his wings, but the force of the wind made it too dangerous to even attempt flight. Guess I'm walking, but I should be close nonetheless.
The pegasus colt sloshed through the snow, fighting against the wind every step of the way. He couldn't see anything, and nearly bumped into a tree or two while walking. Regardless, Proselyte kept going, the only thing keeping him moving on a straight path was the tether of fear energy. Further and further he wandered in the frigid storm, meandering through the snow covered trees. Just then he felt the line becoming taut, he was close to whoever it was that was in need of help.
"Hello," he called out, "I'm here to help you! Please answer me!"
"Hello…!"
"Yes, who's there!?"
"Please help me…I'm lost!"
Proselyte moved closer, the details of the one behind the voice becoming somewhat clearer. From what he could tell it was a unicorn filly, she had a blonde mane and tail, a grayish-blue coat, and gold colored eyes. Proselyte regarded this filly, something about her struck him as familiar, yet he couldn't quite put his hoof on it…Oh well, a thought to ponder later. Proselyte ran up to the little filly, who was shivering violently from the cold.
"W-W-Who are you!? H-How did y-y-you find me," she asked.
"My name is not important right now, what is important is that we get you out of here," said Proselyte. "Where is your house, are you're parents nearby?"
At this she was silent.
"Okay different question, do you know where we are?!"
"W-W-White Tail Wood…!"
Proselyte started to go over his mental map of the general area around Ponyville. The Everfree Forest lies towards the east of Ponyville, and White Tail W-Wood i-is – By the Life Entity how can anybody, pony or otherwise, stand this cold!? Proselyte was starting to feel the effects of the cold, although pegasi were built to withstand frigid temperatures in the sky, there was a limit to how long they could withstand it. And the fact that he was a twelve-year-old foal did not help matters. Okay calm down. Think this through, if we're in White Tail Wood, that means we need to move in an easterly direction in order to get to P-Ponyville…
"Still that's too far away, especially in this s-s-snowstorm," he said to himself.
"I-I-I'm getting s-sleepy," said the filly.
Proselyte quickly placed his hooves on the filly's shoulders and shook her violently, snapping the young unicorn out of her dazed and groggy state, and bringing her back to full alertness. She then looked up to Proselyte, gazing into his left eye, the other being covered by his mane.
"What's your name!?"
"D-Dinky, Dinky Hooves," she answered.
"L-Listen to me Dinky, w-w-we need to get to Ponyville. B-But it's too far away."
At this news Dinky was the verge of a panic attack, "T-T-Then h-how are we – no pony knows I-I'm here and –!"
"Be calm Dinky, we'll make it t-through this." There's no other choice, I'll have to teleport us out of here. "Stay close to me Dinky and whatever you do, do not stray from me, understand?"
The unicorn filly nodded and quickly rushed to the colt's side, Proselyte unfurled his right wing, noting the rigid state it was in, and carefully draped it over Dinky to keep her close. Proselyte then started to concentrate, focusing his thoughts on Ponyville; however, he was finding it increasingly difficult to do so. He was quickly finding out that the cold was starting to effect his concentration; his mind wouldn't let him see Ponyville but instead made him acutely aware of his quickly plummeting body temperature.
D-Damn it…I-I can't think w-with all this COLD! Proselyte looked to the young filly, and it was then that he knew what needed to be done. Forgive me brother Ion, but it seems c-circumstances require me t-t-to shed this mortal f-form…!
"Dinky, step away from me a little," said Proselyte.
"B-But you s-said not to," said Dinky.
"I-I-I know what I said! Please listen to what I'm s-saying now!"
The sternness in the colt's voice prompted Dinky to step away from him as he instructed. Proselyte then flashed Dinky a kind and confident smile.
"Do not worry; I'll make sure you get out of this alive! You have my word!" Proselyte noticed Dinky's saddened and fear filled expression soften and give way to confidence, and, from what he could sense, hope. "Here we go…"
The wind blustered and howled once more, gusting with strong gales that almost pushed the two foals down to the ground. The trees began to make unnerving creaking noises.
Suddenly there was snapping sound that echoed from high above the two foals.
"Ter Lantern ker lo Abin Sur…"
Dinky watched as a thin layer of purple colored light started wisp off of the colt, part of her feared what would happen when stopped speaking in that strange language. However, Dinky's horn was somehow able to pick up on the energy he was emitting, it didn't feel hostile or scary to her, it felt…nice. But her uplifted feeling did not last, she started to notice that there was snow falling around them, more than what was already coming down. Dinky looked up above them and gasped audibly.
"Taan lek lek nok –!"
"LOOK OUT!!!"
Proselyte's concentration was broken upon hearing Dinky's cry. The pegasus colt looked up in the same direction she was and watched as a large tree branch started to fall down from high up in the trees. Time seemed to be moving in slow motion, Proselyte didn't have time to think, merely act. The colt rushed forward and head butted her in the side, pushing the filly far from where she was. Unfortunately, that was all he had time for.
Dinky tumbled about on the snow covered ground and shakily got back to her hooves. In that moment she heard a muffled crash, followed by a blast of snow expanding outwards. Dinky sputtered and spat the snow that entered her mouth, shaking the remnants off her face. She quickly scanned the area, looking for the colt who pushed her out of the way. When she found him her heart sank.
Proselyte was now under a pile of broken branches and snow. A steady line of blood started to flow down his head and stain the pure white snow below him. Dinky quickly went to his side, she felt like crying, she wanted to break down into tears right then and there, but then she heard groaning. The little unicorn gently nuzzled Proselyte's cheek, stirring him from unconsciousness.
"A-Are you alright, Dinky," he asked.
"I-I'm alright, please don't die please!" Dinky started to notice Proselyte's eyes were slowly drooping down. "Don't go to sleep, y-y-you n-need to stay awake!"
"I fear…that's not my call…"
"NO! You can't stay a-awake, please stay awake!" Dinky called out.
Proselyte could feel himself losing consciousness, despite Dinky's efforts. He couldn't help but chuckle, the great Entity of Compassion, a being as old as the universe itself, was about to die in the middle of a snowstorm. Just when Proselyte thought this was it his power reacted, hovering over his forehead were the glowing symbols for Hope, Love, and Compassion. Dinky was surprised by this, but it seemed that wasn't enough to make her leave the colt's side. Dinky turned her head to the right, sensing that there was somepony out there.
A figure started to trot towards the two foals, its form only visible as a blurred out image of a pony, the details hidden by the blustering blizzard.
"Who are you!? Please help us," called out Dinky.
Suddenly the raging snowstorm started to slow down around them; the snow then froze in midair. Each individual snowflake was visible as they hung motionless. Proselyte's blurring vision allowed him a brief moment of focus, wanting to see who it was that emitted the three emotional powers at once.
The being who stood before them was a pegasus mare, with a powder-blue coat and white mane. Her eye color was dulled out, making the colt and filly wonder if she was blind. Dinky looked at her cutie mark, which was that of a flower stem with a blooming snowflake. For some reason, the air wasn't as cold as it was before, it was actually tolerable. The pegasus mare unfurled her wings and gave a light flap towards Proselyte. A concentrated gust of wind whooshed towards the colt and blew away the pile of snow. Once that was gone, the only thing that kept Proselyte pinned was the large branch.
"Do you think you can move those," asked the mare in a kind tone of voice.
Dinky looked at the branch, she didn't know if she could move it, heck, all the times she tried telekinesis only ended in failure. The blind mare seemed to sense Dinky's hesitation and moved closer to her.
"I-I can't…I'm not strong enough, can't you do it," she pleaded.
The blind mare moved closer and lowered her head to gently nuzzle Dinky's cheek encouragingly.
"You can do it. You're much stronger than you think; all you need to do is believe in yourself. You're friend does too," she added.
Dinky looked from the smiling mare and then to Proselyte who was going in and out of consciousness. The unicorn filly narrowed her eyes and took a firm stance. She delved into the magic within her, calling out to the wellspring of mana that lied dormant. Dinky's horn began to spark with a pink aura, off and on, repeatedly. Until, finally, her horn shined with pink colored mana, Dinky then focused her mind on the branch that was pinning Proselyte. The filly then raised her head, her brow beaded with sweat as she mentally lifted the heavy object.
Proselyte could feel the weight on his back lift, but the throbbing pain in his head still persisted. He watched the blurry image of Dinky using her telekinetic spell to heft the large branch up a good five feet into the air. With a jerk of her head, Dinky threw the branch away from them, landing somewhere far in the woods. The unicorn filly panted heavily, feeling like she just ran a marathon, twice.
"You did great little one. Now tend to your friend, keep him awake," she said.
Dinky quickly rushed to Proselyte's side and nuzzled him a bit, gaining a groan in response.
"He's alright! Miss, he's al –!"
When Dinky turned to speak to the blind mare she was shocked to see that pegasus had vanished. What was even stranger was that the only hoof prints in the snow were Dinky's, the mysterious mare left none.
Fluttershy and Derpy continued to search through the blizzard, and still had no luck in finding Dinky anywhere. Derpy was becoming visibly upset, having had to stop many times to wipe the tears from her eyes before they froze her eyelids shut.
"This is all my fault! My little muffin's going to freeze to death, and it'll be all my fault!" Derpy cried.
"Derpy we'll find her, Dinky's a tough little filly, I'm sure she's alright," said Fluttershy.
"But we've been out here for…for…Celestia knows how long! We may be able to stand this, but Dinky's not a pegasus, she can't last as long as we can!"
Fluttershy had to admit, what Derpy said was true. Adult pegasi could withstand frigid temperatures, but only to a certain degree before they themselves succumbed to it. Dinky was just a unicorn filly, she was in no way built to withstand this blizzard. Fluttershy didn't want to say think about it, at this rate the only thing they were bound to find was Dinky's body, if they were that lucky since neither one of them could see three feet in front of them.
"Fluttershy look!" Derpy cried out.
The pink maned pegasus gazed in the direction of Derpy's hoof. In the swirling snow a figure approached them. It was too big to be Dinky, but it was definitely a pony. At that moment the snow and wind died down at an extremely fast rate, allowing the two pegasus mares to see who it was that was trotting towards them. It was another pegasus mare, but her dull colored eyes suggested to them that she was blind, she seemed as old as they were from the looks of the mare, Fluttershy's innate kindness began to go into action.
"Oh my goodness, who are you, what're you doing out here," she asked.
"Have you seen a unicorn filly, she has the same color mane as mine, and a slightly brighter version of my coat color, but she's unicorn!?" Derpy asked.
Fluttershy felt like facehoofing herself right then and there, she understood that Derpy was frantic and desperate, but even she couldn't be so oblivious as to not notice that the mare she was asking was obviously blind. Fortunately the blind mare in question seemed to catch the frantic and sad tone of Derpy's voice, for her smile conveyed both understanding.
"Be calm, there are two foals some ways behind me. I went to search for help and, thank Luna, here you are," said the blind mare.
"WHAT!?" Fluttershy and Derpy shouted in unison.
The blind mare turned around and pointed in a certain direction, "Head straight that way and you'll find them. One of them is hurt I believe and needs immediate help."
Fluttershy and Derpy both shot worried looks between each other and quickly dashed away.
"Be weary… the calm will not last much longer…"
Both pegasus mares turned around to ask what the blind one meant, but when they did she was gone. As much as they wanted to the help blind mare as well, they both knew that the foals wouldn't last much longer. Fluttershy and Derpy galloped as fast as they possibly could, taking full advantage of the break in the storm.
"Hopefully she was right, and hopefully it's my Dinky," said Derpy.
"We might have a problem getting them back, I think that mare was right, this lull in the storm won't last forever, it could start raging again the moment we start heading back. And can't afford to get lost if they're hurt," said Fluttershy.
"I-I might have an idea about how to deal with that…Oh, Rainbow Dash is probably going to yell at me for this later…Ah who cares, FOR MY MUFFIN!"
With Derpy's battle cry shouted they sprinted onward, weaving between the trees and making great haste towards their destination. The blind mare didn't say how far away they were, but the two mares had to hope that they were getting closer with each passing second. Their prayers were soon answered as they started to come upon a small clearing. They both came to a skidding halt, leaving a plowed trail in the snow. Fluttershy gasped in horror at what she saw as well as Derpy.
No…please Celestia…Not again…!
Dinky, who was now rubbing on Proselyte's back with her hoof, noticed the appearance of her mother and Fluttershy, a big relieved smile was plastered upon her face.
"Mommy, Miss Fluttershy!"
Derpy wasted no time in making her way towards her daughter; her walleyes came into focus as she stopped a few inches from the two foals.
"Oh my gosh, what happened Dinky," asked Derpy.
"This big branch fell on top of him and hit him hard on the head! I've been trying to keep him awake, but I…I…!"
"Shh, shh, it's okay Muffin, Miss Fluttershy and I are here!" It was then that Derpy noticed that Fluttershy wasn't next to her. Curious, the blonde maned pegasus turned around and noticed that Fluttershy hadn't moved from the spot she was at. "Fluttershy!?"
The timid pegasus mare was frozen in place, her heart beating so fast that she feared it would explode in her chest. Her breathing was quick, she was practically hyperventilating. The look in her eyes held something akin to sadness, fear, and, possibly, shame? Derpy quickly went back to see what was wrong only to hear Fluttershy muttering something under her breath.
"It's all my fault…It's all my fault…I'm sorry…I'm sorry…!"
"Fluttershy…?"
"It's all my fault…It's all my fault…I'm sorry…I'm sorry…!"
"Fluttershy?!"
"It's all my fault…It's all my fault…I'm sorry…I'm sorry…!"
"Fluttershy!"
"It's all my fault…It's all my fault…I'm sorry…I'm sorry…!"
"FLUTTERSHY!!!"
Derpy brought her right hoof across Fluttershy's face, effectively snapping the mare out of her trance. Afterwards Derpy put on the most apologetic look she could, although it worked she wasn't proud of having to hit one of her few good friends.
"Fluttershy I'm sorry, but you were muttering to yourself and you looked like you were a bazillion miles away from here! Please don't do that right now, I need help, my daughter needs us, and so does Proselyte!"
At the mention of the colt's name Fluttershy hurriedly made her way to the semi-conscious colt. She quickly inspected his head, seeing the dried blood trail.
A possible concussion, this is bad. Dinky's been keeping him awake, but I don't know if…if he'll…if he'll make it… Fluttershy shook her head, trying to desperately dislodge the negative thoughts. No don't think like that! I won't let either of them die, not here, not now, not EVER!
"Proselyte can you hear my voice, it's me, Fluttershy!?"
Proselyte weakly looked up and focused his vision on the blurry yellow pegasus before him.
"M-Miss Shy…?"
"Don't worry, you'll be alright, I promise," she said with stern conviction.
The roar of the snowstorm started to pick up in the distance, both mares knew that they didn't have long before the storm enveloped them once again and all hope of getting themselves to safety would be dashed.
"Derpy, you said you had an idea, what was it?!"
"Well…it's – no – it's a stupid idea…!"
"I don't care, for all of our sakes, for your daughter's, tell me what your bucking idea is," shouted Fluttershy.
Derpy, surprised by the serious tone in the usually timid mare's voice, decided best to tell her.
"Okay, I was thinking I could fly up to the clouds and cut a path towards your cottage," said Derpy.
Fluttershy had to admit, that was a rather ingenious plan, except for one minor detail, "Derpy, as cold as it is down here, it'll be ten times that up there! You could –!"
"Die," finished Derpy, "I don't care. As long as my little Muffin is safe, that's all that matters!"
"Mommy…you're not really going to die…right?" Dinky asked, her voice almost pleading.
The gray pegasus mare bent down and nuzzled her daughter lovingly. She then placed a hoof underneath her daughter's chin and slowly raised it to meet her gaze.
"Honey, listen, I'm sorry that Daddy…that Daddy doesn't want to see us anymore…That's not your fault, you did nothing wrong. Of all the things I've done in my life, for all my clumsy mistakes and accidents, you and you're sister are the only good things in my life that's made every day happy and bright…" Derpy started to choke up, but swallowed the lump in her throat. "But…I couldn't live with myself if I let you die…Amethyst wouldn't forgive me…and I wouldn't be able to forgive myself. So don't be sad, I don't plan on not coming back, okay?"
Dinky was already sobbing, but she knew that there was nothing she could do to stop her. Her mother's eyes were both looking at her, straight and focused. She knew the only times they did that was when she was very serious about something, something that no pony could dissuade her from. And so, with a heavy heart, Dinky nodded.
Derpy leaned down and allowed Dinky to wrap her forelegs around her neck, embracing her in a tight hug. Fluttershy wasn't too far off from a breakdown sob session of her own, but right now she had to be strong, for Derpy's sake and two foals whose lives were in her hooves. Derpy reluctantly broke the hug; she then looked to Fluttershy with that same serious, yet happy, expression.
"Promise me Fluttershy; promise me that you'll get them to safety no matter what."
"I will," she said.
Derpy trotted off some ways from the three ponies. She crouched low and unfurled her wings; she gave a few practice flaps, stretching out her wings before takeoff. She then turned her head and looked behind her at the anxious faces of Fluttershy and Dinky, she then mouthed the words "I love you guys" before zooming off into the cold winter sky.
"MOMMY!!!" Dinky cried out.
It took everything Fluttershy had not to cry at that moment; instead she concentrated on helping Proselyte. Although it was a risk, she had to move him.
"Dinky, I know your sad sweetie, but I need your help to get Proselyte on my back, can you do that?"
Dinky wiped her face free of the snot and tears; she then turned to Fluttershy with best determined look she could muster. Taking that as conformation of her resolve, Fluttershy lowered herself to the ground, getting as close to Proselyte as she could.
"Dinky, I need you to try and gently push Lyte onto my back. Once he's on, I want you to get on too and try to keep his head stable the best you can while you're there, can you do that?" Fluttershy asked.
"Uh-huh!" Dinky then concentrated, fueled by her mother's courage and Fluttershy's, she once again tapped into her mana reserves. Her horn flared with a pink energy as her telekinetic aura wrapped itself around Proselyte's body. Fluttershy was speechless, she had no idea Dinky could use a telekinetic spell, she'd probably be more proud if they weren't in life or death situation.
Derpy Hooves you must return alive, if for nothing else then for Dinky to show you her magic, she thought.
Dinky carefully laid Proselyte on Fluttershy's back, leaving room enough for her to sit. For added good measure, Dinky concentrated her telekinesis on his scarf; she unwrapped the long cloth and began to tie it around his and Fluttershy's midsection at the same time. The timid pegasus kept her wings unfurled as to allow Dinky few obstructions as she worked. Once Proselyte was securely fastened to Fluttershy, Dinky jumped onto the small vacant spot on her back. In order to keep his head level, Dinky lay on her side and wrapped her forelegs around Fluttershy's neck, she then carefully rested the colt's head on her blank flank, although it wasn't the best thing she could think of, it was better than nothing.
Fluttershy slowly rose up from the ground and kept her eyes on the sky. She was slightly nervous since Derpy didn't always have the best sense of direction; if she started clearing clouds in the wrong direction it would be bad for all of them. Luckily, today wasn't one of those days.
Fluttershy galloped fast and furiously. Dinky did her best to keep her new friend's head stable, bad part was that Proselyte seemed to be really unconscious this time. But so far everything was going good. Derpy was working furiously to cut a path through the clouds. A long stretch of clear skies could be seen in their wake as well as a few feet up ahead. Behind them though, the storm was quickly catching up, overlapping the gap Derpy had made.
Fluttershy was nearly out of breath, both she and Derpy had flown for most of their journey till the storm grounded them, but now she had to make the long run back to her cottage, carrying two foals, and with nearly numb limps. But one look into the sky made all those anxieties disappear, she had no right to complain, what she was going through was nothing compared to what Derpy was enduring. Busting through ice cold clouds, battling fatigue and hyperthermia at the same time, not even Rainbow Dash was that crazy. Well, actually, if either of us were in this situation I'm pretty sure she would, thought Fluttershy.
After what felt like many hours of running, an exhausted Fluttershy was able to make out the familiar trail that led to her cottage, just a few more yards and they'd be safe inside her nice warm home, at least she hoped they would.
Soon the cottage was coming into sight. Derpy must've noticed too, because she now started to swirl around, breaking apart the clouds and clearing a large enough area to allow the sun to shine through, illuminating their destination. Fluttershy continued her gallop and came to a skidding halt on the other side of the small bridge. Dinky was the first to jump off of Fluttershy's back, she stood on wobbly hooves, drained and fatigued in her own right.
Fluttershy looked up into the sky, the clouds were moving in to close the hole that Derpy had made, but neither the unicorn filly nor the pegasus mare could see her. Dinky began to fear the worst, had she fallen from the sky somewhere far from them, was she frozen to death on top of the clouds? Fortunately neither one of them had to wait long. Derpy was then spotted in the clear opening she had made; she started to dive downwards, faster, and faster, picking up way too much speed.
"Why isn't she slowing down," asked Dinky.
"Oh no…!"
Fluttershy tried to open her wings, but the cold and muscle fatigue had done their work, for when she tried to flap her avian appendages a sharp pain ran through them, her muscles threatening to seize up right then and there if she even dared try. Fluttershy just stood there, helplessly watching as Derpy went into freefall. Dinky's sight was blurred with tears, she didn't want to see this, but no matter how much she wanted to turn away, some part of her forbade her to, a glimmer hope still burned inside her heart, wishing and praying that her mother would recover quickly and land right beside her. A hope that was quickly dying with each passing second…
"MOMMY!!!!!!!"
Derpy, please, don't die! Dinky needs you, Amethyst Star needs you, and you can't abandon your family! You have to fight, pull up!
Suddenly Proselyte's body began to emit a purple aura of power; his cutie mark glowed brightly along with the rest of his body. The colt opened his eyes and they too were filled with the same indigo energy. The aura roared as it grew to an enormous size, a single tentacle made of indigo light lashed out, aimed right at Derpy. Both the mare and filly gasped in shock at what was happening, but Fluttershy remembered this power, it was the same thing Proselyte used to grab Storm and hold him still.
The tentacle continued to soar towards Derpy on an intercept course. Fluttershy and Dinky both held their breath in anticipation, hoping that the ray of indigo light would catch the fallen pegasus. Their prayers were answered as the tentacle made contact with Derpy; the tip touched the pegasus mare and surrounded her in a bubble of light. The tentacle then slowly retracted and brought Derpy safely to their level.
A second tentacle materialized from the aura and unlocked the door to Fluttershy's house. Once opened, the tentacle holding onto Derpy carefully placed her inside the house and laid her down gently on the floor. The aura then died down, the remnants of the light wisped away like dying embers.
"Nok…"
With that last word Proselyte's body stopped emitting the indigo light, his eyes closing as the light faded away. Dinky wasted no time in entering the house, Fluttershy quickly but carefully trotted inside as well, stopping for a moment to look at the colt, she then smiled and gently nuzzled him.
"Compassion be with you too."
(???)
Proselyte found himself in a dark void; the only source of illumination was his glowing form. Somehow he had reverted back to his true form, but before he could start to question why another light shone in the darkness. This light was a brilliant white color, powerful, overwhelming; it didn't take long for him to figure out who it belonged to. The white light then took on the silhouette of a being with large feathered wings. The Entity of Compassion knew who stood before him, for it was none other than the Life Entity himself.
"It is good to see you great Life Entity," said Proselyte.
"It would seem that you have found yourself in a rather, precarious situation young one," he said.
Proselyte knew what he spoke of; he was partially embarrassed to have been found in such a state as to require his progenitor to pay him a visit.
"I can tell you and your fellow entities have been doing well in this universe. But tell me, Proselyte, why have you been so hesitant to embrace this world?"
Although he had no face to show it, the Entity of Compassion was confused by the statement.
"Life Entity, what do you mean? I have mingled with its inhabitants, and even have a friend. Why would you say I have not embraced it?"
"Compassion is a powerful, often neglected, emotion," the Life Entity raised its hand and within his palm a small sphere of indigo light shined, "It allows one to feel all emotions, negative and positive, and sometimes leaves little room for one's self. You're so willing to show this emotion to others, but you seem hesitant, and maybe, you are afraid to accept others compassion as well?"
Proselyte didn't know what to say to that. It was absurd, how can he be afraid to receive compassion when he himself was the living embodiment of that very emotion, the source of it in fact. But, the more he thought about it, the more the Life Entity's words rang true. He had been avoiding Fluttershy, the one person he had truly felt a connection with in Equestria.
"Proselyte, as I have charged Princess Cadance with a specific task concerning Predator, so too do I charge you with one. Accept compassion from others and trust in those who hold you dear. Do you think you can do that?"
Proselyte thought it over for a moment, after which he came to a firm decision.
"Yes, great Life Entity, I will…try, I promise," he said.
"Good to hear my child. Now since you're hovering on the edge of life and death I'll warn you, and remind the others, that your mortal forms are not invulnerable, you CAN die in that form and I can only interject you all into this universe's Life Stream so many times before it starts to have adverse effects. Luckily you're only half dead so it's no problem."
The Entity of Compassion's body started to take on a red tint to it, and it wasn't from rage energy. The Life Entity thrust out its hand, a powerful white light shined forth from it, banishing the darkness and enveloping all in its path.
"Proselyte, life restored…!"
Proselyte slowly opened his eyes; his vision was filled with yellow fur, and the sound of light breathing. Curious, Proselyte turned his gaze upwards and found Fluttershy's sleeping visage above him. She had him wrapped in her forelegs, pressed close to her body. He also noticed that they seemed to be covered in thick blankets; no doubt Fluttershy was doing all she could to warm his body and save his life. There was also some matted fur around her face, the cause of which was from tears being shed.
"Miss Shy…?"
Fluttershy started to stir from her sleep, opening her eyes slowly. Her first reaction was to check on Proselyte, she gasped as she saw the pegasus colt flash her a weak, but kind smile.
"LYTE! Oh Celestia, you're awake, you're alive!"
Fluttershy then brought the colt into an even tighter embrace; the strength of this mare sometimes baffled him.
"Yes Miss Shy, although, if you keep hugging me this tightly I'm not sure how long that will remain true," he croaked.
She quickly released the colt from the embrace as a sheepish smile graced her lips.
"How are you feeling, how's your head feel," she asked.
"It's alright; once I've gotten my strength back I'll be able to heal us quick –!"
Proselyte clamped his mouth shut, having almost revealed his healing powers. Although it appeared that Fluttershy wasn't fazed by it.
"It's okay; I know you have abilities you don't want others to know about. But…I'm not the only one who knows now. Dinky saw how you saved Derpy's life, she was so happy she told her what had happened, I really didn't have time to come up with an explanation, sorry."
Proselyte remembered that instance, it had happened purely out of instinct, his own drive to save the life one so compassionate as to give her own life for her daughter.
"As long as they're alright…They are alright, aren't they Miss Shy?"
"Yes, they're both fine. I think they're downstairs right now."
"Good, that's…good." Proselyte still felt awkward around Fluttershy, especially now that the Life Entity had charged him with a task. But it was one that he didn't mind fulfilling. Of all the ponies in this world, he was sure, he could truly trust Fluttershy, if no one else, but her. "Miss – I mean – Fluttershy…"
The timid pegasus was surprised to hear Proselyte say her name without a "Miss" in front of it, although to be honest she preferred it like this over the other.
"There are some things I must tell you. I've…I mean…It's sometimes hard for me to trust others, my powers require me to be in tune with many emotions, and sometimes I don't always let others get too close. But you…I feel a connection with you…one that I can't explain –" Proselyte noticed the intense blush that Fluttershy was starting to develop and feared that his confession was being taken a profession of romantic love. "Purely platonic I assure you, not the other kind!"
Luckily his explanation diffused the situation before it got out of hand. After letting the awkwardness of that moment pass, Proselyte cleared his throat and began again.
"I've been visiting you, to try and find out what this feeling about you is. The problem is the more I tried to investigate it, the more I found myself getting…scared of trusting you. So I've been traveling around, keeping myself occupied with this and that, trying to keep myself from returning here, but alas, I can't…"
Something in what Proselyte said made Fluttershy raise and curious eyebrow. "Lyte, when you say 'travel around' are you saying that you don't have a home?"
Proselyte sighed, "Since I am being honest, yes, I don't have a residence. That scarf you gave me is my only possession – the scarf!" The colt's hooves immediately went to his neck and felt nothing.
Fluttershy placed her lift hoof on his shoulder in order to calm him. "It's drying by the fireplace, you didn't lose it." A relieved feeling washed over Proselyte. "That being said, I can't believe you didn't tell me you had no home of your own! No foal deserves to be homeless; it's dangerous living on the streets! As nice a place as Ponyville is, it still doesn't change that fact!"
"In my defense Fluttershy, I am not your average foal," he countered.
"No excuses, from here on out you're going to stay with me!" Fluttershy proclaimed this with such conviction that it took both of them by surprise. "I-If you don't mind, that is…?"
Live with Fluttershy, it was something that Proselyte hadn't contemplated. It was fine relegating himself to sleeping in the forests or in some vacant dwelling. Should he take a page from his fellow entities? Ion was living with Applejack on her farm, Adara was living with Scootaloo in the treehouse, and Predator was living with Princess Cadance in the Crystal Empire. Should he too live with a denizen of this world? Proselyte spared a glance into Fluttershy's eyes, those same eyes that held kindness and compassion within them.
"…don't kindness and compassion go hand and hand with each other?"
Adara's words replayed in his mind, as if telling him what the answer should be. The colt nodded to Fluttershy, "Yes, I'd be honored to stay in your home."
Fluttershy then reached out and hugged the pegasus colt, "Well then, welcome home Proselyte."
Since Proselyte was feeling a little stronger Fluttershy decided to help the young colt downstairs the in order to meet with Dinky and Derpy. The gray pegasus was busy lying on the floor, with her daughter curled up next her, sitting by the fire. Once the two reached the last step, Dinky and Derpy looked in their direction, the little unicorn filly's eyes went wide as she rose up and quickly made her way towards the colt. Dinky then threw her forelegs around his neck and hugged him tightly; Fluttershy couldn't help but smile at how cute the whole thing was. While Proselyte just stood there awkwardly.
"Thank you for saving my Mom, Proselyte," said Dinky.
"You're welcome Dinky," he said.
The unicorn filly then quickly let go of Proselyte, there was a faint tint of red upon her cheeks as she made her way back to her mother.
"We promise not to tell anypony about what you can do, right Muffin," asked Derpy, to which Dinky nodded back.
"Thank you both and I'm glad to see you're doing well Miss Hooves."
"Aw shucks, call me Derpy. And yeah I am, although…my wings still feel a little stiff, and I still have a weird numb feeling in my hind legs, but nothing serious."
Proselyte trotted over to Derpy's left side; the walleyed mare looked upon the colt with wonder and confusion. He then lifted his hoof and turned his head, "May I," he asked. Derpy nodded with a happy smile upon her face. Proselyte then placed his hoof on her body, took a few deep breathes, and concentrated. The indigo light shined from his body and lapped over Derpy's. She wasn't afraid, she had no reason to be, Derpy new Proselyte was a good colt, and that he was probably helping her. After a few seconds Proselyte's light faded and he wobbly stepped back.
"How do you feel now," he asked.
Derpy started to unfurl her wings, they were no longer stiff. In fact they felt great. The numbness in her hind legs had also gone as she stood firm on all four hooves.
"I'm alright! I feel better than ever!"
"Consider it my Hearth's Warming gift." Proselyte looked at Derpy's eyes for a moment titling his head to the side in a contemplating fashion. "Derpy, do you wish for me to…you know…your eyes?"
"Uh-uh, it's alright, you've done a lot already. I've accepted this as who I am, so you don't have to do that. Save that gift for somepony who really needs it, okay," said Derpy.
"Derpy, I'm sorry you two are going to have to spend Hearth's Warming Day here, but after everything we've been through I think it's better if we all rest up another day before going back out into the cold," said Fluttershy.
Derpy trotted over to Fluttershy and brought the timid mare into a one legged hug. "Fluttershy, Hearth's Warming is about friendship and family, and after today, I consider you and Proselyte not just my friends, but our family."
Fluttershy was overwhelmed with how Derpy regarded her; a few tears of joy fell from her eyes as she moved closer to her friend to return the hug.
"I'd be honored," said Fluttershy.
It was then that Derpy noticed a confused look on Dinky's face as she looked at Proselyte, who was apparently occupied with the book the mother and daughter were reading.
"What's the matter Dinky?" Derpy asked.
"Does this mean that Proselyte's my big brother…?"
The two mares glanced between each other; a bit of light laughter was shared.
"In a way, yeah!"
"Yay!" Dinky cantered a bit and jumped up onto Proselyte's back giving him a surprise hug and slightly startling the pegasus colt. "Proselyte's my big brother," she proclaimed happily. "What are you reading?"
"Oh, your book Hearth's Warming Tales, I've never read some of these and I…I…"
Proselyte found himself speechless as he turned the page of the book and stumbled upon one story. Dinky, confused by his reaction, looked down and soon found herself in the same predicament as Proselyte. Dinky turned her head towards her mother and Fluttershy and pointed down at the book.
"Mommy, Miss Fluttershy, you need to see this."
Curious, both mares trotted over to see what they were looking at that had left them speechless. The page was entitled The Story of Snowdrop: Wishing Snow. It was an old pegasus story, the tale of a blind filly pegasus who created the first snowflake more than a thousand or so years ago. Underneath the title was an illustration of Snowdrop, Fluttershy and Derpy's jaws dropped when they noticed that the filly in the story book bore a striking resemblance to the mare who helped them during the snowstorm, even their cutie marks were the same.
Derpy and Fluttershy stared at each for a moment before saying anything.
"Hearth's Warming miracle," asked Derpy.
"Hearth's Warming miracle," agreed Fluttershy.
This world seems to get more baffling every day, thought Proselyte.
"Oooookayyyy…let's sing some carols!" Derpy announced.
"Wait, what?"
"Carols!" Dinky cheered.
"Yes, carols would be wonderful," said Fluttershy.
The mares and filly all gathered around the Hearth's Warming tree, dragging along Proselyte with them. The young colt protested that he did not know the words to the song to Fluttershy, but was assured that all he needed to do was repeat after them.
"The fire of friendship lives in our hearts As long as it burns we cannot drift apart Though quarrels arise, their numbers are few Laughter and singing will see us through (will see us through) We are a circle of pony friends A circle of friends we'll be to the very end~"
Outside of the cottage the storm had ended, and the area was covered in fresh white snow. Near the happy home, standing at the bridge and listening to the happy singing going on within, was a powder-blue pegasus mare, her eyes were closed as she listened to the music, humming along to the tune. Afterwards she turned around and trotted off down the path, a sudden gust of wind blew towards her, kicking up the snow around her, and in the next moment she was gone. Not a trace left, except the hauntingly happy humming that was carried on the wind.
It was the month after Hearth’s Warming, and ponies were ringing in the New Year with resolutions and promises of weight loss. For a certain pegasus filly, this was the year she knew she was going to do what many thought was impossible for her. Scootaloo was going to fly, no ifs, ands, or buts about it. Currently the orange filly and her friend, the Entity of Hope, Adara were on their way to Rainbow Dash’s cloud home, where the young filly would receive flight training from the fastest flier in Equestria. As they walked through the snow covered trail Adara couldn’t help but smile at how her friend was so excited about spending time with her idol and big sister figure.
“I don’t know why Rainbow Dash wants you to train when it’s this cold outside. It’s going to make for some miserable flying,” said Adara.
“Ugh, tell me about, but Rainbow Dash says that working in the cold helps, serious athletes like her do it all the time, supposed to help your endurance or something,” said Scootaloo.
“Alright, I just don’t want you to catch a cold.”
“Thanks ‘Mom,’ but I’ll be fine.”
Adara bumped her shoulder into Scootaloo’s, getting her back for the “Mom” comment. To which Scootaloo returned with a bump of her own. The two pegasus fillies smirked at each other and then had a laugh before breaking into a gallop. After a few minutes the two fillies made it to Rainbow Dash’s cloud home. Neither one of them saw any sign of the rainbow maned mare. Scootaloo gestured for Adara to fly up and see if she was home. The cerulean filly obliged and flew to the cloud house; she landed on the door step and knocked.
There was a slight groaning sound coming from the door, making Adara tilt her head quizzically. The groaning intensified as it appeared to get closer to the door. The door opened and revealed the source of the noises, which turned out to be Rainbow Dash, who apparently looked sick for some reason.
“Rainbow Dash?”
“Ugh…who is it,” she moaned.
“It’s Adara, Scootaloo’s here with me. She said you wanted to do some flight training with her today,” explained Adara.
“Oh ponyfeathers, I totally forgot…!”
“If you don’t mind me asking, what happened to you, are you feeling ill?”
“In a way, yes…Let’s just say that I partied too hard last night at Pinkie’s New Year’s party…things happened…some of them fun…really fun…and there were some other things that should remain unsaid and never spoken of again…”
Adara wore a deadpan expression. True she had the body of a filly, but she was the cosmic embodiment of all hope and had lived far longer than any pony on Equestria, or any living thing other than the Life Entity for that matter. So, as much as Rainbow Dash tried to avoid directly saying what happened, Adara pretty much figured out that Rainbow Dash must’ve had too much of the hard cider and done things not meant to be seen or heard by a young filly. It was times like this that she wished she could say something to her, but the only ones who knew of their true identity were the Princesses of Equestria. So unfortunately she had to act her age, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t be just a tad mature for her age either.
“Miss Dash, I know you’re probably hung over real bad right now, but you can’t let Scootaloo see you like this. She really has her heart set on flying lessons today.”
Rainbow Dash turned away from the filly, ashamed that she had forgotten her obligation to her “little sister”. “I know, I know…Don’t worry I can play hurt, tell her I’ll be down in a minute.”
Adara sighed. You’re a really loyal mare Rainbow Dash, but I can’t let Scootaloo see you like this. Plus it won’t look good if you barf in the middle of the lessons.
“Rainbow Dash listen, my mom used have bad hang overs like you do,” she lied, “I always did something for her that helped her feel better. Do you want me to try?”
If her head was hurting and her stomach doing somersaults, Rainbow Dash would have talked to Adara about that. But as it stood, all she wanted to do was help her.
“Sure kid,” she replied.
“Okay, lean down, and keep your eyes closed. And no matter what, don’t open them until I say so, alright,” said Adara in stern tone.
Rainbow Dash weakly nodded and lowered her head as she was instructed. When she closed her eyes Adara sat on her haunches and lightly pressed her fore hooves on Rainbow’s temples. The older mare groaned a little in pain, Adara then made circular motions as if massaging the headache. But as she did a faint glow of blue light was being emitted from her hooves, with each circle she made Rainbow Dash could feel her hang over fade away. Adara released Rainbow Dash from her massage and let the older mare open her eyes.
“So, how do you feel,” she asked.
“I…Actually, I feel great, better than great, I feel awesome! Wow, you’ve got, like, the magic touch or something,” said Rainbow Dash.
“It’s a gift.”
“Adara is Rainbow Dash up there or not, I’m freezing down here?!” Scootaloo shouted.
Rainbow Dash quickly poked her head over the edge of her cloud house and waved down at the impatient filly.
“Sorry Squirt, my alarm didn’t go off and Adara had to come in and get me, we’ll be down in a sec!” Rainbow Dash then turned to the little filly and smiled in gratitude. “Thanks again, I promise to never let that happen again.”
“Regardless, I still think Scootaloo would’ve forgiven you, but I appreciate you saying that.”
Rainbow Dash was about to unfurl her wings when a thought crossed her mind, “When we’re done, would you two mind coming with me to Twilight’s house, ‘cause, just so you know, I wasn’t the only one who had too much fun last night.”
“No problem Rainbow Dash.”
(Later)
“C’mon Scoots, you got it, just a little higher!”
Scootaloo was beating her wings at a furious pace, her brow beaded with sweat as she pushed her wings to the limit. The little filly huffed and puffed, her breath becoming visible in the cold air. Up above her Rainbow Dash waited for her with outstretched forelegs, ready to grab hold of the young filly when she got there. Scootaloo; acting as a kind of secondary safety net should she require assistance. Scootaloo continued to push her body and wings harder and harder, she was determined to fly, nothing was going to stop her from soaring into the skies alongside her idol and her friend.
Suddenly Scootaloo’s wings cramped up, making her yelp in pain. She then began to fall out of the air; Adara quickly zoomed after her and caught the filly underneath her forelegs. Adara then gently lowered Scootaloo back to the ground. Rainbow Dash then joined the two fillies and looked upon her little sister surrogate concerned.
“Scoots you alright, what happened?!”
“I-It’s nothing, I just got a cramp in my wings, not a big deal, ouch!” Scootaloo tried to fold her wings, but every attempt resulted in her muscles threatening to seize up and spasm again.
“Okay, flying lessons are over. Twilight’s place isn’t that far, we’ll head there so you two can warm up and so that we can take care of your wings,” said Rainbow Dash.
Scootaloo groaned in annoyance, of all the times for her wings to cramp up and not work, they had to before she could even get close to Rainbow Dash in the air.
“C’mon Scootaloo, you gave it your best,” said Adara.
“I guess…”
The three pegasi then made their way towards Golden Oaks Library, both Rainbow Dash and Adara flanked Scootaloo, making sure to block the view of her flared wings. Though the concept was lost on the two fillies, Rainbow Dash knew that explaining why Scootaloo’s wings were fully flared would be both tedious and embarrassing. Thankfully there weren’t that many ponies out because of the cold, so the journey went with few stares or inquisitive looks. When they arrived at the library Rainbow Dash walked up to the door and knocked. She wasn’t at all surprised to see that it was Spike who answered.
“Heya Rainbow, hey Scoots, Adara,” said Spike.
“Hi Spike,” greeted Adara.
“Hey…”
“So let me guess, Twilight’s up in bed right now ain’t she,” asked Rainbow Dash.
“Oh yeah, c’mon in.” Spike ushered the three pegasi into the library, he then noted the odd condition of Scootaloo’s wings and snickered under his breath.
“Yeah, and she’s got a monster hang over. I told her before you guys left to avoid the hard stuff, but does she listen to me? Nope, goes in one ear and out the other,” said Spike.
“Cool, Adara, why don’t you come with me and you can work your magic on Twi.”
Adara nodded and followed Rainbow Dash towards to the upstairs bedroom. As Scootaloo watched the two ascend the stairs to Twilight’s room, she couldn’t help but notice how Spike still had a grin on his face.
“Seriously, what’s so funny about my wings being like this!?”
“Oh, um, it’s nothing – really!”
“Rainbow Dash was walking close beside me, and while I really didn’t mind that, she had Adara do the same. Is there something I’m missing here, is it bad that my wings are all cramped up like this?” Scootaloo asked.
Spike was now starting to regret ever snickering, because now he just made Scootaloo curious, and now he was put in the position of having to explain something he had read in a biology book when Twilight got her wings. The drake decided to try and do something about Scootaloo’s situation.
“Hang on; let me help you with that.”
Meanwhile Adara and Rainbow Dash were in Twilight’s room, the alicorn Princess had cocooned herself in the blankets. Both the mare and filly could hear the poor alicorn moan and groan in pain from her night of partying.
“Wake up egghead, time to rise and shine,” said Rainbow Dash.
“Ooooh…Dash, how you, of all ponies, can sound so cheery after going through the same thing I went through, is mathematically impossible. Therefore I conclude that you are in fact not here and are a product of my mind which is still feeling the effects of the cider. So I bid you adieu,” said Twilight.
Adara looked up at Rainbow Dash with a confused look, which the rainbow maned mare seemed to share. “Um, okay, first of all: I’m actually here. Second: I brought somepony who can help with your hang over.”
“That’s nice, did you also bring Princess Celestia so we could do that thing you were fantasizing about?!”
Rainbow Dash’s face was now a bright crimson upon hearing what Twilight said. She was about to lay into Twilight about saying those things while there was a foal in the room when Adara raised her foreleg and pressed it against Rainbow’s chest.
“Why don’t you go and help Scootaloo, I’ll take care of Princess Twilight,” said Adara.
“A-Are you sure about that? I mean, I don’t want you to hear something that you probably shouldn’t…?”
“I’ve heard worse and seen worse, trust me. Just go and tend to Scootaloo, those cramped wings can’t be very comfortable right now.”
Reluctantly, Rainbow Dash exited the bedroom and proceeded downstairs. Oh well, guess I can leave Twi to Adara, besides, Scoots really needs to get those wings looked at.
“Oh yeah, Spike that feels amazing~!”
Rainbow Dash froze on the stairs.
“Thanks I’ve had some practice on Twilight.”
Rainbow’s left eye was now twitching.
“Just a little more, almost there…!”
WHAT!!!!?
Rainbow Dash zoomed down the stairs in a multicolored blur. She then arrived at the spot she was hearing the noises coming from, she flared her wings and had a serious, although blushing, face, and covered her eyes with her right foreleg.
“Spike, Scootaloo, stop what you’re doing! You guys are way too young to be doing that…that…STUFF!” Rainbow ordered.
“What’re you talking about Rainbow Dash,” asked Scootaloo.
“You guys know darn well what I’m talking about!” Rainbow Dash then opened her eyes, “You guys are…are…!” Rainbow Dash removed her foreleg from blocking her vision and just stared dumbfounded.
Scootaloo was lying down on the floor next to the fireplace, while Spike was sitting on Scootaloo’s back with his claws resting at the muscles around the wing joints. The filly’s wings were lowering and appeared to be much looser than what they were when they arrived.
“Wait – What – What the hay are you two doing?”
“Scootaloo told me that her wings were cramped up, so I offered to massage her wings so they would stop hurting,” explained Spike.
“Seriously, his claws are amazing, I almost nodded off a few times,” said Scootaloo.
“Soooo…That’s all you two were doing…?”
“Yeah, I mean, what did you think we were doing?”
“NOTHING!”
Thankfully for Rainbow Dash Spike was indeed helping Scootaloo with her cramping wings, she also made a note to thank Faust on high that she didn’t have to give either of the two the infamous “birds and the bees” talk. Just thinking about it made Rainbow shudder. At this time Spike was still working on Scootaloo’s wings, complaining about all the tense muscles and knots he found. Adara was just sitting near them reading a book that she had picked out from the shelves. Twilight had joined them, after a healing session with Adara, and joined Rainbow Dash at the table as they both enjoyed mugs of hot coco.
“Seriously Rainbow, you thought they were –”
“I already feel like a featherbrain Twi, don’t remind me,” said Rainbow Dash.
Twilight couldn’t help but let out a light chuckle at the predicament Rainbow Dash thought she was about to stumble onto.
“So, how are Scootaloo’s lessons going, any improvement,” asked Twilight.
Rainbow Dash sighed, “To be honest, not as much as I would’ve hoped. She can barely lift herself ten feet into the air; the average foal can at least hover and zip around at that height without much training. I mean, her wings are strong enough to propel her on that scooter of hers, but they can’t even lift her own body weight?”
Twilight took a moment to ponder Rainbow Dash’s words. True, most pegasus foals could do that much, Pumpkin Cake being the exception, because that’s just still a mystery. It was then that Twilight started to look over Scootaloo. She didn’t seem to have much body fat, if anything she was lean and fit. Although, when Twilight’s eyes rested upon her wings, she started to think. She then looked over to Adara’s wings, folded they both looked about the same, but during the few times she did see them unfurled Twilight did notice how Scootaloo’s seemed to be stubbier than most pegasus foals.
“I can tell that big brain of yours is thinking about something Twi, care to share,” asked Rainbow Dash.
“Well…I don’t want to be right, but, what if it’s something more serious than what we originally thought?”
“Say what?”
“What if Scootaloo was born with something that prevents her wings from growing out. I’m sure you’ve noticed that they’re a little small compared to others,” said Twilight.
“Well yeah, but that doesn’t mean much. Fleetfoot is small compared to some of the other members of the Wonderbolts, but that never stopped her,” countered Rainbow.
“It would be one thing if she was small for her age, but the fact is she’s the right height and weight, but her wings seem to be developing slower than the rest of her.”
Rainbow didn’t like where this was headed, “Twi, you’re not saying that Scootaloo’s wings are –!”
“No, I am merely theorizing possible reasons. Granted that’s the worst case scenario…regardless, there is a way for me to tell, and I can do it without Scootaloo knowing. ”
“Really how!?”
“You’re about to find out.” Twilight got up from the table and started to walk over to where Spike, Scootaloo, and Adara were. Rainbow Dash was close behind, wanting to see just how her marefriend was planning on doing what she said earlier. “How’re you feeling Scootaloo?”
“A whole lot better, I haven’t felt this good in – ever!”
“Just doing what I can with what I got,” said Spike as he flexed his claws.
Twilight rolled her eyes at Spike’s comment, “Scootaloo, I want to use a Diagnostic Spell on you, is that okay?”
“Um, sure, I guess. What kind of spell is that?”
“It’s just a little spell that was developed so that unicorn doctors could quickly examine and diagnose what was wrong with ponies. It was mainly used during the ancient Griffon Wars for soldier ponies who were injured on the battlefield. Many variations were created over the years and gradually the spell has been improved as newer discoveries in magic –”
“AHEM!” Rainbow Dash grunted.
Twilight was snapped out of her little magic history lesson; her cheeks were blushing pink upon the realization of her going into lecture mode.
“Sorry, anyway, I just wanted to make sure your wings were alright. After a bad cramp like that, I want just want to check and see if didn’t pull or strain anything,” said Twilight.
“Oh, alright I get it. Well, fire away,” prompted Scootaloo as she stood up.
Twilight’s horn began to glow with a magenta colored mana. Tendrils of magic began to weave around Scootaloo’s wings, she could feel the ethereal tentacles work their way through her skin and into the tissue underneath. The pegasus filly squirmed and began to giggle, the spell was having the unfortunate side effect tickling her.
“Hold on Scootaloo, the spell’s almost rooted itself,” said Twilight.
“Okay but – heh, heh, ha – it really tickles!”
“Just a few more seconds aaaaaaannnnnnnnnnd done!”
Scootaloo no longer felt the tickling sensation. An aura had enveloped her wings, as well as the joints and muscles that connected the appendages to her back. A screen made of green light appeared in front of Twilight, a diagram of Scootaloo’s body was at the center, while all around the screen rune markings appeared. The markings were pure gibberish to Rainbow Dash, Adara was intrigued by the workings of the spell, but she couldn’t read the runes either.
Twilight began peering over the data that the runes conveyed to her. Her eyes shifted from left to right, up and down, at a rapid pace. Her mind working to process the information the screen displayed. The screen then focused more on Scootaloo’s wings; Twilight raised an eyebrow at what she saw. There was a kind of inky black substance on the joints, wing bones, and muscles. Twilight’s horn sparked as she willed the spell to analyze the unknown substance. After few more seconds the screen flashed some runes in the center of the screen which made Twilight gasp.
“What, what’s up Twilight,” asked Spike.
“Something wrong,” asked Scootaloo worriedly.
Twilight shook her head furiously and put on a happy smile, “Oh, sorry, it’s just – this darn spell doesn’t want to cooperate. Do you mind if I try again?”
Scootaloo shook her head, “Go for it, I got nothing else to do today. You can head out if you want Adara.”
Adara wasn’t going to leave, of course, but she couldn’t help sense something amiss with Twilight when the screen showed her those runic words.
“No I’m fine, I got nothing to do either, so I’ll wait,” said Adara.
“Well, unfortunately, I have chores to do, and dinner to cook, so see ya,” said Spike as he walked off.
“I’ll just hang here on the couch.” Rainbow Dash flew up to one of the bookshelves and grabbed a Daring Do book, she then plopped herself on the couch and opened to a random chapter.
Twilight started the spell once again, this time she focused more power into it, trying to get a better reading on what she saw. Rainbow Dash only pretended to read, her eyes would constantly glance from Scootaloo and then to Twilight. Rainbow had thought she was getting better at discerning Twilight’s subtle little nonverbal cues. An ever so slight tilt of the head, the steadily increasing narrowness of her gaze, the way the corner of her mouth would prop up slightly or drop down. If she remembered right, these were the telltale signs that Twilight was not liking what she was seeing, and that made Rainbow Dash worry.
“So, Squirt, you excited about your birthday coming up,” asked Rainbow Dash.
“Hay yeah I am, I’m turning eleven!” Scootaloo then turned her head and looked at her bare flank. “And still no cutie mark.”
“Maybe you’ll find your special talent at your birthday? Who knows, stranger things have happened,” said Adara.
“I’ll give you that, although it’s not like I can just blow out my candles and wish for a cutie mark.” Now that she said it, Scootaloo started to contemplate doing just that.
Rainbow Dash noticed this, “Don’t waste your wish on a cutie mark kiddo; your mark will appear when it’s good and ready. Besides, you should save your birthday wish for something big!”
“Yeah, I guess you’re right. That’d be way too easy anyway. Hey, maybe my cutie mark has something to do with being a warrior!?”
Both Rainbow Dash and Adara gave Scootaloo the most confused and flabbergasted expressions they could muster at hearing that.
“A ‘warrior,’” asked Adara.
“Well, you know, maybe I can be a Royal Guard pony,” exclaimed Scootaloo.
“Okay, I know many your Cutie Mark Crusader ideas are kinda out there, but this just came straight out of leftfield,” said Rainbow Dash.
“C’mon, how awesome would it be for me to be a Royal Guard, or Apple Bloom, or Sweetie Belle? I know you’d make a good Royal Guard Adara!”
“M-Me, I don’t know about that, I don’t really like fighting or anything like that…”
“Please, you’re fearless, you’re always looking out for everypony, and you’re the fastest flier I’ve seen, second to Rainbow Dash of course.”
“Of course,” chuckled Adara.
The light of Twilight’s horn faded away and with it the spell. Rainbow Dash and the fillies looked to her, waiting to hear what she had to say. Twilight saw that the three of them were awaiting a response; she then smiled at her guests confidently.
“Scootaloo, do you mind coming back in a couple of days? I need time to go over the data I just got and I’d like to do a follow up,” said Twilight.
“That sounds good to me; it’s nothing serious is it?” Scootaloo asked.
“No, just need to make sure everything’s alright. To be safe though, I want you lay off the flying for these couple of days and give your wings time to rest.”
“Awww, c’mon Twilight I was going to train with Rainbow Dash, I feel fine!”
“No use in arguing Squirt. When Twilight puts her hoof down, she means it. No flying, plus, we can start again right after, okay?”
Scootaloo nodded.
“Well now that that’s settled, Rainbow Dash, why don’t you take Adara and Scootaloo out to eat somewhere, I need to get to work on some things so I’ll be pretty busy,” said Twilight.
Rainbow Dash slid closer to Twilight and whispered into her ear, “Is this the kind of work that’ll require some ‘assistance’,” she said as she wiggled her eyebrows.
“No, it’ll be the kind of work that’ll require my full concentration, and no time for other side projects. Get it?”
“Got it,” groaned Rainbow dejectedly.
“Good.”
“C’mon fillies, let’s go chow down someplace!”
Rainbow Dash led Scootaloo and Adara out the door; she gave a wink towards her marefriend before closing the door behind her. Twilight was now alone, with Spike, and a library full of books.
“SPIKE!!!”
The young drake jumped up and quickly made his way to Twilight. “Who – What – Where?!”
“Spike I need you to make me some coffee – PITCHERS of it! I also need you to pull every medical book you can find, and I needed them YESTERDAY!” Twilight ordered.
“Okay, okay, what’s the big to do,” he asked.
“Spike, normally I’d indulge your curiosity, and I’m sorry for acting and sounding like a jerk right now, but I need you to just do what I say and quickly!”
Spike rushed forth and began grabbing every medical book on the shelves, Twilight began to thumb through the ones Spike had flung to the ground and started to pour over every page, her eyes scanning each word as she frantically worked to find the answer.
Please, for the love of Celestia, Luna, and the Goddesses on high, let me be wrong!
(The Next Day)
Rainbow Dash couldn’t help but feel that Twilight was on to something the other night. She didn’t want to press her then, because she knew her marefriend would probably be working on it today, if she hadn’t already. So Rainbow decided to peek in on Twilight and see what was up. The rainbow maned mare hovered through the streets of Ponyville; she could see that Pinkie Pie was already getting Sugar Cube Corner ready for Scootaloo’s party tomorrow. She’s going to freak when I give her, her own Wonderbolts jumpsuit!
Rainbow Dash approached the library; the “Closed” sign was up, which was weird considering that the library was usually open at this time in the afternoon. Rainbow Dash knocked on the door and was greeted by, not Twilight.
“Spike?”
“Good morning to you too, or is it the afternoon,” he groaned.
The purple scaled dragon had bloodshot eyes and terrible bags, along with an attitude to match his state. “Uh, what happened? You stay up too late reading comics?”
“No, Twilight has been up for the last TEN HOURS! Pacing, muttering, scribbling, casting spells and having me brew her coffee at THREE IN THE MORNING! I’m telling you Dash, Twi’s never been this bad – NEVER!”
Rainbow Dash was leaning back a bit, since Spike decided to lean forward to emphasize his point.
“Heh, heh, okay then, why don’t you go over to Rarity’s and ask if you can crash at her place for a quick nap, and I’ll find out what’s eating Twi.” Rainbow suggested.
“Ya don’t have to ask me twice! Good luck!”
With that the angry dragon took off in the direction of Rarity’s house. Huffy the Magic Dragon, Rainbow giggled at the thought, remembering the nickname they gave Spike’s grouchy persona. With that out of the way, Rainbow Dash entered the library and closed the door behind her.
“Whoa,” she exclaimed.
All over the floor there were sheets of parchment paper scattered about. Each one had words, diagrams, and other things that were way over Rainbow’s head. There were towers of books stacked up everywhere, Rainbow carefully navigated around them, only giving a sparing glance at the titles. Advanced Pegasus Anatomy, Your Foal’s Wing Development, and Diseases & Other Born Illnesses? What the hay has Twilight been doing!?
Rainbow Dash followed the trail of notes, books, and the pacing grooves all the way into her private study. She thought to find Twilight slumped over her desk but there was nobody inside.
“Twilight, ya in here!? Hey Twilight Sparkle, if you’re alive speak now or forever hold your piece!”
“I’m up here…”
Rainbow Dash heard the faint sound of Twilight’s voice. The prismatic pegasus flew up the stairs to the second floor. Her first instinct was to check the bedroom, thinking the alicorn might’ve been in bed. When she entered the bedroom she was surprised to see it still made, no signs that anypony had slept in it since last night. Rainbow Dash once again entered the second floor foyer, as she looked around she saw the doors to the balcony were open. Rainbow Dash trotted towards it and found Twilight staring out over Ponyville.
“Guess this is as close to a castle view as you’re gonna get, huh Twi,” joked Rainbow.
“Please Rainbow Dash, I’m not in the mood, I really am not…”
“Jeez, what crawled up your plot and died? I was just joking Twi.” When Rainbow Dash stood next to Twilight she recoiled at the sight. “What the hay did you do last night!? You look awful.”
Twilight’s mane was uncombed and messy, she, like Spike, had bloodshot eyes and terrible bags under them. But the key difference between her and Spike was that the fur around Twilight’s face seemed matted, and her gaze made her look like somebody just killed Owlowicious right in front of her.
“Rainbow Dash…I’m sorry…I-I looked through every medical book and spell book I have…I even racked my brain trying to come up with remedies or spells that could fix this…but there’s nothing I can do…”
“Twilight, what’re you talking about, you sound like somepony’s going to die,” asked Rainbow Dash worriedly.
“No, no pony’s going to die. Just the dreams of a little filly,” answered Twilight.
“Twilight, I-I’m trying to be supportive because obviously you’ve just found out something bad, but if you don’t tell me how can I help you?”
“There isn’t anything you can do Rainbow Dash! And there isn’t a damn thing I can do either!” Twilight shouted.
The alicorn Princess stomped back into her house; Rainbow Dash followed her and heard the doors slam shut behind her, making her jump from the sudden sound.
“Twi can we go through the whole Five Stages of Greif thing after you’ve told me what’s eating you,” asked Rainbow.
“Scootaloo will never fly…in fact; she’s going to lose her wings! There, are you happy now that you know!?”
Rainbow Dash’s expression grew dark, “That’s not funny Twilight, don’t even joke about something like that,” she warned.
Twilight scoffed, “I wish it were a joke! I really, really do! But no matter how much I want it to be, the proof keeps throwing itself in my face over and over again!”
“What proof!? What are you –!?” Rainbow’s mind suddenly clicked, remembering the spell Twilight performed on Scootaloo the day before. “No…you’re lying…!”
“…I’m not…I prayed to Faust and Zacherelle, I even prayed to Tirek – BUCKING TIREK, the god of darkness and all evil, that I was wrong! But I’m not…for once in my life…I really wish that I was…”
Rainbow Dash stopped hovering and fell to her haunches, her mind worked furiously to process the information that Twilight had told her.
“O-Okay, so-so what’s she got?”
“It’s virus, a genetic virus called Jurans ex alis.”
“In equish Twi.”
“Taker of wings.” Rainbow Dash visibly gulped at the name. “The virus begins by eating away at the bones, muscles, anything having to do with the wing’s natural mobility. One of the signs is stunted wing growth, followed by a lack of wing strength, and lastly, rotting of the flesh. It’s similar to gangrene, but the effects are localized, but if left untreated the deteriorating wings can cause serious infection.”
“So…what’s the cure,” asked Rainbow Dash. “I mean, there’s gotta be a cure right?”
“There is…” Rainbow Dash’s ears perked up, “Amputation of the wings.”
“That’s not an option Twilight,” she said flatly.
“It’s not called the ‘Taker of wings’ for nothing!”
“Well then we’ll go and take her to a hospital in Canterlot! You’re a Princess can’t you pull some strings and get her the best doctors!?” Rainbow asked.
“I could, but they’d tell us the same thing I’ve just told you…there is no way to stop this.”
“What about your magic!? You’re like the Princess of Magic, your Element is magic! Can’t you just whip up a spell that can fix this!?” Twilight’s horn glowed, from the stairwell came a torrent of the notes that were scattered on the first floor. “What do you think all THESE are!? I’ve been trying to create a spell, but every time I end up failing! Besides it’s too late, if we had caught it early, when she was a little foal, maybe then she would have a chance. But as it stands the process is too far along, plus…”
"Plus what, WHAT!?”
“I…I don’t think Scootaloo was born with this.” Twilight noted the confused look on Rainbow Dash’s face. “Jurans ex alis is contracted at birth. Normally there are steps to prevent the disease from doing what it does, but it all depends on early detection and how aggressively you attack it with treatment. But this…It feels induced!”
“Induced, you mean somepony infected Scootaloo with it!? How’s that even possible, you said you have to be born with it!?”
“I know what I said! But when I analyzed her yesterday I sensed the disease had traces of magic in it, like somepony purposefully anchored it to her! Now it’s not only attached to her cells, but the soul part that makes up her wings…” “Somepony…did this…to her…who the buck would do this to her, to anypony!?” Rainbow shouted.
“I don’t think I want to meet the pony who does. Apparently they planned to hurt Scootaloo in the one facet of her life she holds dear.”
Rainbow Dash quickly stood on all four of her hooves, “Okay, so here’s what we do. We get Scootaloo, we take her to Canterlot and ask Princess Celestia, and even Princess Luna if they can cure her!”
“Again, I thought of that already! The Princesses magic, while powerful, won’t affect it, the disease has some sort of built in Aggressor Effect. If we try and cure her of the virus will respond by accelerating the process, basically if it’s going down, it’s taking her wings with it! And your flying lessons have done enough damage without doing something stupid like that!”
Rainbow Dash’s mind ground to halt, “Whoa, whoa, whoa, wait a minute, back up. What do you mean my flying lessons, what does that have to do with it!?”
Twilight was feeling miserable enough having to explain this and just wanted to stop talking about it. “If you hadn’t promised to teach her how to fly she might – MIGHT – have had a few more years with her wings, maybe into her early teens, late teens Faust willing.”
“So…this whole time I’ve trying to help her fly, I’ve only been helping in making it worse!” Rainbow gasped horrified.
The sensible part of Twilight’s mind finally caught up with the situation. Her heart sank when she realized what she said, even more so when she saw Rainbow Dash’s stunned expression and watering eyes. Twilight quickly rushed to her lover’s side and hugged her fiercely.
“I’m sorry; I’m so sorry Rainbow Dash! I didn’t mean it to come out like that!” Twilight apologized.
“I-I-I’m the reason she’s going to lose her wings…?”
“NO! It’s the virus’s, and the pony who did this to her! You didn’t know – neither of us did…!”
Rainbow Dash, the toughest mare in Equestria, the bravest of any pony, Element of Loyalty, broke down into heavy sobbing while in Twilight’s embrace. The alicorn mare couldn’t hold back her own tears either, and the two sobbed together.
Many minutes passed since Twilight told Rainbow Dash the news. Both of them had taken to lying on the floor, too drained, emotionally, to even attempt to move anywhere more comfortable. They both just stared up at the ceiling, as if it held all the answers to life’s greatest questions. It was unclear which of them sighed first, but it was Twilight who spoke up.
“We…We need to tell Scootaloo and her parents…”
“You think they already know, and just haven’t told her because of how she’d react,” asked Rainbow.
“I don’t know, but if they don’t, then they deserve to know. At least so that they can find the best way to handle the whole situation when Scootaloo does find out, having both parents distraught while she is won’t help her in the long run…” Twilight arose from the floor. “I’ll tell them.”
“No.” Rainbow Dash stood up. “I’ll do it; I am her ‘big sister’ after all. It might soften the blow coming from me.” The prismatic mare began to walk towards the stairwell when a thought made her stop in her tracks. “Uh, Twilight, do you know where Scootaloo lives?”
Twilight was about to open her mouth in response to the question, but her mind was drawing a blank. “Actually…I have no idea where she lives. I thought you did?”
“Well she never gave me the chance; whenever the subject would come up she’d avoid the question. There were even times when I offered to walk her home, but she flat out refused. Saying stuff like she was a ‘big filly and was old enough to walk home on her own.’”
Now that they thought about, it really dawned on them both that they didn’t know where Scootaloo lives. Out of all three Crusaders, the location of her house was not known to any of them.
(10 Minutes Later)
Given the fact that neither mare knew exactly where Scootaloo lived, and since said filly seemed to avoid the subject whenever it presented itself, Rainbow Dash decided it was time to resort to more…sneaky ways. The rainbow maned pegasus had flown to the school house, the bell hadn’t rung yet, which meant that the foals would be let out any minute now. This also meant that Rainbow Dash was going to have to sneak around and watch where Scootaloo went all day until she finally went home.
So long as they don’t do any crusading that requires me to swoop in I should be fine, thought Rainbow Dash.
Soon Rainbow Dash heard the bell ring, and at the same time a torrent of fillies and colts came pouring out of the school house. Among them were Scootaloo, along with Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom close behind. Rainbow raised a curious eyebrow, out of all the fillies that rushed out she didn’t see Adara with them, which was odd, since this was the only school for foals in Ponyville. As the CMC started making their way down the dirt road Rainbow Dash heard a noise coming from the trees to her far right. She watched as a blue streak shot up into the sky and hovered in place.
Adara? What the hay is she doing hiding in the trees? Was she there the whole time?
Rainbow then watched as the filly zoomed off ahead of her friends, Rainbow Dash then flew into the air and followed the three fillies. As they made their way down the road they soon met up with Adara who was standing beside the road and waving at them. Once joined up the four of them ran off to do whatever “get-a-cutie-mark-quick-scheme” they had planned.
Okay, this is starting to get just a bit weird…
Rainbow Dash followed the Cutie Mark Crusaders all day long. From Sugar Cube Corner where they snacked on a few treats, to Rarity’s where they appeared to have failed in some attempt to obtain a cutie mark in fashion. The group of four eventually made it back to their hideout in Sweet Apple Acres, the CMC clubhouse, where they also held the Rainbow Dash Fan Club.
Rainbow had perched herself in a tree, waiting for the fillies to end whatever meeting they were having and eventually leave for their individual homes. The sun was now starting to dip below the horizon. The four fillies left the tree house, Apple Bloom obviously heading towards her house, and Sweetie Belle heading to Rarity’s. Strange thing was Adara and Scootaloo didn’t stay out of Sweet Apple Acres. In fact when they saw that Sweetie and Apple Bloom were gone they immediately headed back to the tree house.
Okay, so I guess they’re just cleaning up, at least that what she thought, after the first hour and a half. Okay they’re still there…maybe they’re going to have a sleep over with the others after a bit? Two hours passed and Rainbow Dash didn’t see any sign of Apple Bloom or Sweetie Belle’s return. They’re seriously not going to stay here all night, are they? Three hours had passed now, and by the position of the moon, Rainbow guessed that it was at least ten-thirty by now. It was right about this time that the light in the tree house went out. No way…
Rainbow Dash flew down to the treehouse and gently landed on the walkway. She peered into the window, her eyes going slightly wide at what she saw. Scootaloo was lying on the floor, wrapped in a large blanket. Adara laid beside her under the same blanket, a wing gently draped over Scootaloo.
“Scoots…Adara…you’ve been living here…this whole time,” she whispered as if expecting the two fillies to answer. “Twi, this just got a whole lot harder…”
Stealthily Rainbow Dash rose into the air and flew off into the night sky headed straight for Twilight’s house. The wind slightly stung her eyes, and didn’t help that they were watery either. How can I be so stupid…! She’s been living on her own this whole time, in a tree house! I’m the worst big sister ever; I couldn’t even tell that there was something up with her! Rainbow’s speed increased drastically to the point where she would could create a Sonic Rainboom. Great, now on top of telling the bad news to Scoots, I gotta tell Twi that she’s also homeless too…This is the worst day ever, and it ain’t over yet…
Rainbow Dash noticed her speed increase and slowed down, luckily the sudden burst got her to Twilight’s home faster than she expected or wanted. She landed on the balcony and entered the house; of course she knew Twilight was probably going to be worried that she came in at such a late hour. But that would be a small thing compared to what she was about to learn…
(Monday)
Scootaloo left school with a smile on her face, the day after tomorrow was her birthday party and she couldn’t be happier. For some reason though, Cheerilee received a note from Twilight Sparkle that requested both Scootaloo and Adara meet her and Rainbow Dash at the library after school. Cheerilee wondered why, but the little filly was able to placate her teacher, saying that it was about flying lessons and some extra homework help. Of course Scootaloo told Sweetie and Apple Bloom that she wouldn’t be able to do any crusading today and after they heard about the note they were okay with it.
As Scootaloo trotted down the dirt path she heard the familiar sound of Adara’s wing beats. Sure enough as she looked into the sky the cerulean pegasus was there, circling for a bit before finally landing right beside her. Adara looked confused, seeing that their other friends weren’t around.
“Did Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle not want do any crusading today,” she asked.
“No, apparently Rainbow Dash and Twilight want you and me to head the library, don’t know why though,” said Scootaloo.
“Maybe it has something to do with your, you know…” Adara gestured to Scootaloo’s wings.
The orange filly spared a glance at her wings, which had still felt sore, much more so than usual and a bit stiff despite the wing massage that Spike gave her the other day.
“I told you it’s no big deal. I just pushed my wings harder than I normally did yesterday, it’s normal for your body to feel like this after a hard workout.”
“If you say so…”
“You worry too much for somepony who likes to say ‘all will be will,’” chided Scootaloo.
“I only worry when it’s about you,” said Adara under her breath.
“Did you say something?”
“Nope! Um, I think we should hurry up, don’t want to keep Rainbow Dash and Princess Twilight waiting!”
Without giving Scootaloo time to respond Adara galloped down the road quickly, making her friend have to do double time in order to catch up. Adara knew that she worried for Scootaloo a lot, but she couldn’t help it, was not worrying for the one you harbored feelings for something that everypony did? Adara still, very briefly mind you, had doubts if the feelings she had for Scootaloo were the same as that of Predator’s emotional light.
At one point she had contemplated asking Princess Twilight if she could tell her about such feelings. But then again, this was meant to be partly a learning experience for all of them. Scootaloo didn’t seem to fully understand romantic love, yet. And the same could be said of her. However that line of thinking would have to wait as the two fillies arrived into town and were almost near the library.
“Well that was a fun run,” panted Scootaloo in a sarcastic tone.
“Sorry, but at least we’re here,” said Adara.
Scootaloo rolled her eyes and knocked on the door. They were greeted by Rainbow Dash, who smiled down at the two of them and ushered them inside. Adara felt something off about the room the moment they entered it. Nothing dangerous, more like there was a somber mood in the air that belayed the visage of content that was on Rainbow Dash’s face. Adara knew what this feeling was; it was something that she worked to correct in the universe, the sense of hopelessness.
The three of them soon found themselves in the upstairs part of the tree home/library. Twilight was sitting on a cushion with another to her right and two more in front of her. Rainbow Dash led the two fillies over to the cushions where all four now sat together. There was an awkward silence in the room, one that neither of the two fillies could figure out the cause.
“So,” said Twilight breaking the silence, “how was school today?”
“Alright, I guess, nothing new except the homework I gotta do,” said Scootaloo.
“Y-Yeah, pretty uneventful for me as well,” added Adara.
“Good, good…”
“Um, how’re the wings Scoots…?”
Scootaloo flexed her wings slowly out and back to their resting position. “They’re still a little stiff, even after that awesome massage from Spike. Oh which reminds me, is he around I wanted to tell him thanks?”
“No, I-I had him go to Rarity’s for a bit because we wanted to discuss something serious with you Scootaloo,” answered Twilight.
“Oh…how serious?”
“Mega serious…” Rainbow Dash let out a long sigh before staring directly at Scootaloo. “Do you remember when Twilight was using that spell of hers to check you out a couple of days ago?”
“Y-Yeah…why, I am I sick or something,” asked Scootaloo.
“…Y-You are Scoots, you’re…you’re very sick,” said Rainbow Dash.
At this news Adara shot up from her cushion, “What do you mean, how sick is she!?”
“Adara it’s fine, I’m sure it’s nothing a trip to the doctor – as much as I hate going to the hospital – won’t cure. Or we could skip all that gunk and just cure it with magic or a potion from Zecora,” said Scootaloo.
“I’m afraid neither of those options are going to work…”
“Scoots, your wings won’t grow…in fact…you might not be able to fly…ever…”
Scootaloo felt as if somepony took the ground from beneath her hooves. The saddened expressions on both Rainbow Dash and Princess Twilight were so convincing, so sure. Adara just stared at the floor, wide eyed and stunned by the news. Just then Scootaloo started to chuckle a little.
“G-Good one Rainbow Dash, I know you like telling scary stories and kudos to you Twilight for playing along so well with her prank. But seriously though, that’s not funny, even as joke,” said Scootaloo.
“It’s not a joke…I wish to Celestia that it was,” said Rainbow Dash somberly.
“Y-You guys can’t be serious…? I mean, sure I haven’t been able to fly that well – but I know I can if I keep trying! Dash you can’t give up on me, I can beat this thing j-just give me a chance! I’ll get better I promise!” Scootaloo shouted desperately.
Rainbow Dash couldn’t take it anymore and she quickly enveloped the orange filly in a tight hug, her tears starting flow from her eyes and fall on Scootaloo’s mane.
“I’m sorry…Scoots you’re…you’re gonna lose your wings…!” She could feel Scootaloo go stiff, trembling in her embrace. “It’s my fault…If I didn’t push you so hard…If I hadn’t offered at all, you could still have them for a bit longer but…but….!”
Adara grit her teeth, trying to bite back the growing sadness. Twilight was already sniffling and crying, she knew that this wasn’t going to be easy, being the bearer of bad news, especially this kind of news, was not something she wished upon anypony.
“No…”
“What,” asked Rainbow Dash.
“You’re lying…”
“Scoots…I wish we were but –”
“Let me go…!”
Rainbow Dash eased up on the hug and looked down at Scootaloo quizzically.
“I said LET! ME! GO!”
Scootaloo began to wriggle out of Rainbow Dash hug, violently shoving her hooves into the pegasus mare’s chest. When Rainbow released her Scootaloo stared angrily at the two older mares with an enraged look upon her face, tears falling from her purple eyes.
“If you didn’t want to teach me anymore then FINE!”
Scootaloo ran for the front door, opening it wildly and galloping off without another word. Both Twilight and Rainbow Dash quickly rose to go after her.
“Princess Twilight, wait!” Adara ordered. Both mares stopped nearly in unison and stared back at the cerulean pegasus. “I need to speak to you.”
“Later Adara, we need to go after –!”
“Rainbow, why don’t you go after Scootaloo? I’ll take care of Adara…I think she needs somepony to talk to, just like Scootaloo,” explained Twilight.
Rainbow Dash nodded and zoomed off without another word. Twilight then closed the door to the library and sighed heavily, knowing that there was going to be a discussion between her and the Entity of Hope, which was fine, because there were a few things she had questions about as well.
“It’s true, isn’t it…? Scootaloo’s going to lose her wings isn’t she?”
“Yes, I’m sorry Adara. It makes it worse when I think somepony might’ve done this to her, intentionally,” said Twilight.
“WHAT!?” Adara’s wings flared, her blue aura shining like fire. “Who would dare do such a thing to her!? To take her hopes and dreams away, to hurt her in such a manner in inexcusable, how could they?!”
“Calm down Adara, It’s just a theory, because this feels sorta unnatural…”
“Are you sure that there is nothing you can do!? Surely a world as magical as yours has some means of curing her,” asked Adara.
“I’ve been racking my brain all night and day trying to do just that,” Twilight looked down at the floor, internally cursing her own ineptitude at being able to help the young filly. “Adara, listen. Now that Scootaloo knows this, she’ll need a lot of support."
“I will help her through this, you need not worry.”
“As much as I trust you Adara, Scootaloo is going to need more adult supervision, she’s going to be very depressed, and if the disease runs its course all the way through then we need to be there when it does,” she explained.
“Forgive me, Princess Twilight, but don’t let my childish appearance fool you, lest you forget how long I have existed,” said Adara as she gave Twilight a stern look.
“Sorry, sorry, I forget sometimes! Look, I’m not saying you can’t keep watch over her, but you do need to convince her to find a proper place to live.”
Adara looked at Twilight confused, “What do you mean? Scootaloo has a place to live; I am living with her right now.”
“A drafty tree house in the middle of Applejack’s orchard is not would I’d call a proper place to live,” deadpanned Twilight.
“Not the whole story, but I can’t believe you didn’t come to me and tell me about it! She’s a ten-year-old filly! She shouldn’t be living on her own like that it’s dangerous! The day you found out you should’ve come to me!” Twilight scolded.
“Not the whole story, but I can’t believe you didn’t come to me and tell me about it! She’s a ten-year-old filly! She shouldn’t be living on her own like that it’s dangerous! The day you found out you should’ve come to me!” Twilight scolded.
“Maybe it was dangerous before, but I’m with her now, and I keep her safe. I saw no need to change that; if the situation was different then of course I would’ve brought it to your attention! Besides, she wasn’t in as much danger as she was before I got there,” said Adara.
“Ugh,” Twilight put a hoof to the bridge of her nose and shook her head. “Listen, please, for her sake, please convince her that she needs to seriously think about leaving the tree house and living with either myself or Rainbow Dash. Promise me, please Adara?”
The cerulean filly let out a heavy sigh and made her way to the door, opening it slowly before glancing over her shoulder towards Twilight. “I’ll try…But right now I need to be by her side, she’ll need me.”
Scootaloo galloped through the town, not even thinking about where she was going. All she knew was that she needed to get away from them, from Twilight and Rainbow Dash! How could they say that to her!? How could the pony she most respected and admired, whom she was proud to call “big sister,” tell her was going to lose her wings and never fly again!?
By now Scootaloo had left the town and was now running along the dirt roads. She felt like running away, as if thinking that distancing herself from them would somehow make everything they said not true. But no matter how far she ran, Scootaloo knew that she couldn’t out run what was happening inside of her. The pegasus filly’s eyes began to tear up, clouding her vision. One of her hooves tripped on a protruding rock in the middle of the road and sent her tumbling about on the road, rolling around till she came to a complete stop, lying sprawled out on the road.
“SCOOTALOO,” shouted a voice from way up high.
She didn’t look up, even when she heard the sound of hooves landing on the ground. Scootaloo couldn’t hold back her sobbing, her tears falling to the ground in droplets. She pounded her right hoof on the ground in anger.
“No it’s not fair! IT’S NOT FAIR!” Scootaloo shouted.
“Scoots, I-I know this is unfair, no pony deserves this, especially not you. We’ll get through this, I’ll be with you every step of the way…I promise,” said Rainbow Dash in a soft tone.
“Just when I thought everything was going alright…Just when I thought I finally got you be my big sister and teach me how to fly…It all gets taken away from me…like everything else in my life…!”
Rainbow Dash hated seeing Scootaloo like this. If she could she’d give the little filly her own wings, or at the very least trade places with her. But Rainbow knew she couldn’t do either, all she could do was be as comforting as a big sister she could be to Scootaloo.
“It’s over…”
“Look, it’s not completely over. Miracles happen all the time! Yeah, I mean who knows; maybe you’ll beat this thing! I mean you are a tough little filly –!”
“DON’T BUCKING PATRONIZE ME!!!”
The harshness of Scootaloo’s voice made Rainbow Dash flinch. After getting over the initial shock she gave Scootaloo a stern, but still caring look.
“Hey, I know you’re upset, I’m just trying to help, that’s what big sisters do,” said Rainbow.
“You don’t need to be my big sister anymore! There’s no point! You don’t need somepony like me as a sister; I wish I never asked you in the first place!”
Rainbow Dash felt a stinging sensation in her heart. “You don’t really mean that, do ya, Squirt?”
“What do you think!? Didn’t you say if you didn’t teach me that I’d have more time with my wings!?” Scootaloo saw the hurt expression on Rainbow Dash’s face, and immediately regretted saying those words. “Just…forget it! Leave me alone…I don’t want to see you or anypony…”
Rainbow Dash watched as Scootaloo turned around and started walking off. The prismatic mare thought hard, for anything that could make this whole thing better, any bit of good that could come out of this.
“If you want you can come and live me or Twilight,” blurted Rainbow Dash.
Scootaloo froze her tracks and quickly flipped around to face Rainbow Dash, staring at her with wide eyes.
“What are you talking about, why in Equestria would I need to live with you or Twilight!?”
“Because…Because I followed you…to your Cutie Mark Crusader tree house…and I saw that you lived there…with Adara.”
“No…you can’t…that was a-a-a sleepover! Yeah – I wanted to have a sleepover with Adara in the clubhouse so that’s why we stayed there overnight!”
“I know Adara isn’t going to your school either. It’s okay I’m not mad, I just wished you would’ve told me. Look it doesn’t matter, as messed up as this whole thing is, you can still get some good out it,” said Rainbow Dash as she moved closer to Scootaloo.
The pegasus mare reached out a hoof to comfort Scootaloo, but the orange filly just swiped it away. “Just leave me alone…Just. Leave. Me. Alone!”
Scootaloo turned around for the second time and walked away, her head hung low and ears flat against her skull. Rainbow Dash wanted to go to her, but she knew that it would only make it worse. So she sat there on her haunches, rubbing the hoof that Scootaloo swatted.
“I’m such an idiot…why did I say that now…of all times…?”
(Tuesday)
Adara was walking about with Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom; the three friends had helped Rarity model some of her clothes for her foal line. The whole time they were doing so they couldn’t help but wonder where Scootaloo was.
“Adara have ya heard from her, she wasn’t in class today,” asked Apple Bloom.
“Oh yeah – um – she’s not feeling well,” said Adara.
“What, is she sick,” asked Sweetie Belle concerned. “And how do you know that by the way?”
“Oh, well, I stopped by Scootaloo’s to see if she was alright. When I got there she was in bed with a tummy ache. I was staying with her till she told me to come out here and help you two with Rarity’s dress making, she practically kicked me out.”
“Oh…I guess that makes sense,” said Sweetie Belle skeptically.
“Maybe we should go and see how she’s doin’? Ya know, cheer up and such.”
“No, no, it’s fine. I’ll check in on her, you guys should enjoy the rest of the day,” said Adara.
“Obsessive much,” mumbled Sweetie Belle under her breath.
“What?”
“Nothing.”
“Okay girls, it’s time for hats!” Rarity declared, carrying several hats in her telekinetic aura.
Oh horseapples, they thought at the same time.
The rest of their time at Rarity’s was…pleasant. She finally released the three young fillies from their modeling servitude and allowing them to go about their day. Apple Bloom ran back to Sweet Apple Acres, and Sweetie Belle ran off to, Celestia knows where, which left Adara to return to see Scootaloo. Oddly enough the whole time Adara got the sneaking suspicion that she was being followed from down below. Adara peeked down and saw someone she definitely recognized. The cerulean filly banked to the left and landed behind some houses. She waited in an alleyway, patiently counting the seconds it would take for her pursuer to catch up.
Adara then jumped out of the alleyway, hearing high pitched squeal. “Is there something you needed to ask me, Sweetie Belle?”
The marshmallow white filly, who had fallen onto her back and was panting for breath, got back onto her hooves and gave Adara a serious look.
“Yes, as a matter of fact, there is. What’s really wrong with Scootaloo,” she asked.
“What are you talk –?”
“Look, Adara, I know you’re really good friends with Scootaloo, but I’ve known her longer than you or Apple Bloom. I know it isn’t something like a stomach ache keeping her from coming to school, I’ve seen her come to school feeling ill before, and that never stopped her. So that either means that you’re lying to us, or Scootaloo’s sicker than you’re really telling us.”
Adara was, to say the least, stunned by how perceptive Sweetie Belle was.
“I’m not lying Sweetie Belle, she’s really not feeling well,” said Adara.
“Then you won’t mind if I come with you to see her, you were going to her house to check on her, right?”
Sweetie Belle began to move in the direction that Adara was flying, which would have taken her right to Sweet Apple Acres if Adara hadn’t jumped in front of her to block her path.
“You can’t, she’s contagious!”
“I have a strong immune system.”
“She’s vomiting everywhere, like that pony in the Exhoresest! It’s really flying, and it’s gross, you could get messy!”
“In case you haven’t noticed I like playing in the mud, I don’t mind getting dirty.”
Adara was panicking on the inside. She was running out of excuses to keep Sweetie Belle from heading to see Scootaloo. After everything that had happened yesterday, the last thing Scootaloo needed was her friends to find out that she was not only homeless, but was also going to lose her wings.
“Well then, if there isn’t anything else, let’s go see Scootaloo,” said Sweetie Belle.
“Please understand me Sweetie, you can’t see her right now…”
“And why not, why can’t I go see one of my best friends when she’s sick!?”
“Because you’d cry if you saw how she really was right now!” Adara blurted out.
“…W-What do you mean?”
“Sweetie Belle, right now, Scootaloo is sad, very, very, very sad. She’s pretty much snapping at anypony, and she told me that she didn’t want see anyone,” said Adara sadly.
Sweetie Belle raised an eyebrow at that, “So she’ll let you see her, but doesn’t want her best friends there?”
“It’s…complicated…please trust me, if I could I would tell you Sweetie. But right now Scootaloo swore me to secrecy, I Pinkie Promised. If nothing else respect that much, for Scootaloo, not for me,” pleaded Adara.
Sweetie’s ears twitched back and forth, her face scrunched as she contemplated Adara’s words. With an exacerbated sigh, Sweetie Belle conceded defeat.
“Fine…for Scootaloo, but promise me that you’re taking good care of her,” Sweetie Belle started to make circles in the ground with the tip of her hoof, a sad, but concerned expression upon her face. “I-I really worry about her sometimes, you know…?”
Adara smiled gently at Sweetie. She then trotted up to her and hugged her with one foreleg, slightly surprising the filly. “I do know, and Scootaloo couldn’t ask for better friends.”
“…Same to you, Adara.”
Adara released Sweetie Belle; she backed away a bit and unfurled her wings. “I’ll be sure and tell Scootaloo.”
“Wait! Will…Will Scootaloo still come to her birthday tomorrow? She’ll still at least come to that, right?”
“……I can’t promise that, but that doesn’t mean I won’t at least try…Goodbye.”
With that said Adara flew into the sky and headed towards Sweet Apple Acres. She made sure to fly extra fast in case Sweetie Belle was still following her, and made double sure by looping around over terrain that she knew Sweetie wouldn’t be able to cross. Once she was sure, Adara finally made her way into the orchard. She spotted the clubhouse and landed on the walkway. Steeling herself, Adara pushed open the door and saw that Scootaloo was still hiding herself underneath the blankets.
She hasn’t left that spot sense this morning, thought Adara.
Cautiously she made her way towards the blankets, the lump that was the pegasus filly squirmed at the sound of her steps.
“I-I’m back, Scootaloo,” greeted Adara.
“I noticed…”
“Um, I told Cheerilee that you weren’t feeling well. She told me, that if you were up to it, we could stay at her home like we did during the snowstorm.”
Scootaloo scoffed at the offer, “Thanks, but no thanks. I’ve had enough of adults…I can’t stand seeing another pony give me pity…”
“Scootaloo…”
“You know, maybe I should start learning how to apple buck like Apple Bloom and Applejack? That’s all be good for when my wings are gone, I’ll be just like any other Earth Pony.”
“Please stop Scootaloo…”
“It makes sense in the long run, I mean, ponies called me a flightless chicken behind my back sometimes. I’ll ask Fluttershy if she has any I can take care of; Luna knows we’ll have lots in common!”
Adara stomped her hoof on the wooden planks, stopping Scootaloo’s rant.
“Enough, Scootaloo, stop talking like all hope is lost! I hate seeing you like this, and hate that kind of talk even more,” said Adara.
Scootaloo burst out from under the blanket, her eyes were puffy from crying and her mane was a mess. She shot Adara a withering, anger filled gaze.
“There is NO hope for me! You heard them! I’m going to lose my wings soon, oh and let’s not forget, Rainbow Dash knows I’m homeless, how long will it be before I’m sent away from Ponyville!?”
“Just listen to yourself, why would they offer to allow you to live with them if they were just planning on sending you away!? You know they’re not that kind of pony, they care about you, about us!” Adara countered.
“Yeah, because I haven’t been lied to by an adult before, it certainly isn’t the first time I haven’t been hurt by one either,” shouted Scootaloo.
“What are you talking about –!?”
Adara’s mind then flashed back to the night when she went to rescue Scootaloo from her nightmare. Remembering how the giant unicorn monster kept calling Scootaloo its “little bird.”
“Is the one who hurt you somehow related to that monster from your nightmares?”
“It doesn’t matter, that pony isn’t here anymore, trust me,” said Scootaloo.
Adara sat in front of Scootaloo; she then nuzzled the side of her face gently. “Scootaloo, don’t lose hope, please?”
As she nuzzled Scootaloo’s face Adara could feel the matted surface of her fur, still damp from crying, and getting wet from the fresh tears that were now falling.
“As much as I’ve wanted my cutie mark, the one thing I’ve wanted more than that is to be able to fly like everypony else…! To be up there with Rainbow Dash, zipping through the air, to fly beside you when we come back here…Now, now I’ll never get to any of that,” sobbed Scootaloo.
Adara’s heart was aching from hearing Scootaloo speak this way. Since yesterday, Adara kept asking herself how, how could this happen to her? She wasn’t a bad filly, she was one of the most hopeful of all three of the Cutie Mark Crusaders, never giving up, and never calling it quits even when it seemed impossible. Now, there was nothing for her, she was sinking into the depths of despair and Adara didn’t know what she could do to bring her up. No, that’s not true, she thought, there’s one thing. If this world’s magic and medicine cannot heal her, then I will.
Adara pulled away from Scootaloo, she placed a hoof under her chin, raising her head up so that they were eye level. “Scootaloo, what I’m about to tell you is a secret that I’ve been trying to keep from everypony. What I’m about to show you could possibly save your wings, but only if you keep an open mind, can you do that?”
Scootaloo slowly shook her head, noting the serious tone in Adara’s voice.
“I have a special talent, it’s one that I’ve tried to keep hidden from other ponies because of what it can do,” she lied.
Adara stood up and turned so that her left flank was facing Scootaloo. She concentrated and her eyes glowed with blue light. The blank spot was shimmering as a faint image began to appear. It was a white circle; at the center was a strange symbol that Scootaloo had never seen before. After a bit the light faded and the cutie mark was fully visible.
“Adara that’s amazing! You-You can hide your cutie mark! So, I don’t get it, what’s it stand for,” asked Scootaloo, who started to poke at Adara’s flank as if insuring that the cutie mark was indeed there.
“It stands for hope,” she said simply.
“‘Hope’? So, like, your special talent is being hopeful?”
“No, not exactly, I can harness the power of hope and use it to do amazing things, things that some ponies might consider miracles.”
“How can you harness hope, isn’t it an emotion. I mean I’ve heard emotions are powerful, but I thought that was just an expression,” said Scootaloo, still poking at Adara’s mark.
“That emotion is powerful. Hope is what we have when things are at their bleakest. Hope is what gives us the strength to continue fighting when all things seem lost. And it is hope that stands at the heart of every wish and every prayer, spoken or unspoken. I have the ability to harness that great power, and use it in whatever way I see fit. It was this same power that I used to help you in the nightmare.”
Scootaloo stopped poking Adara’s flank and stepped back, looking at her with shock. “Wait, you mean, that stuff you did in my nightmare was all you!? It wasn’t just because we were in a dream world or that Princess Luna charmed you or something!?”
Adara shook her head, “Nope, all me. And it was this same power that healed you when we first met.” At this Scootaloo gave her a confused look. “That day when you three parachuted off of Dead Mare’s Drop, you hurt yourself badly against the cliff. I took you into the forest because I didn’t want Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle to see me use my power when I healed you.”
Scootaloo tried to remember back to that day. Honestly most of it was a blank, she remembered feeling pain, and hitting her head she slammed into the side of the cliff, but after that it was all hazy. The only thing she remembered clearly was being carried and waking up in a clearing with Adara.
“Whoa…But wait! You healed me back then!? If you healed me then why am I still sick!? Why didn’t you heal my wings while you were at it,” shouted Scootaloo accusingly.
Adara’s ears fell, her gaze downcast. “I didn’t want to heal everything. I healed the wounds you suffered from the incident, but I couldn’t risk healing something that was there to begin with, I didn’t want anypony to get suspicious of me. In truth I did feel something there, but I wasn’t sure what it was till now. You have every right to be angry with me Scootaloo, but I intend to correct that mistake, here and now!”
“What do you mean, you’re going to try and heal me? But Twilight said neither magic, potions, or medicine can fix this…”
“My magic – my power – is different from magic, Scootaloo. But I can’t do it alone, I need you to believe. Believe in me, and most importantly, believe in yourself and in the dreams you once held of flying in the sky! I will use those and my power together to fix all of this I promise you!”
Scootaloo seemed hesitant. If she were any other pony, Scootaloo would’ve thought Adara was crazy. Any sane pony would think she was. But, when you live in Ponyville, are friends with at least two Princesses, and the awesomest pegasus in Equestria, and the most random party pony this – or any other – world has seen you tend be more opened minded on some impossible sounding things.
“Okay, so I just wish really hard that this virus will disappear and that my wings will heal, that’s it,” she asked.
“No, you must believe that you will be healed Scootaloo, don’t just hope but believe that it will happen…Whenever you’re ready, Scootaloo.”
Adara sat on her haunches in front of Scootaloo. The orange filly sat down as well. She took in long deep breaths, trying to center herself. She was scared, but it was a good kind of scary. Scootaloo knew that Adara wouldn’t do anything to hurt her, even now as she looked into those deep blue eyes, letting a wave of peaceful content wash over. Scootaloo then nodded her confirmation to Adara, smiling, the cerulean pegasus raised her right hoof and placed it against Scootaloo’s heart. Adara’s wings flared out as a blue shimmering aura began to appear around her body. The blue maned filly’s eyes glowed bright with hope’s light, sensing Scootaloo’s hopes and dreams. Those hopes and dreams connected with her power and with it she focused right on the problem area. Immediately Adara could sense something was amiss. The malady, it was shirking away from her light.
“Ahh!”
“Scootaloo, what’s wrong!?”
“I-It’s nothing, keep going…!”
Adara applied more power to the area. The malady continued to writhe and squirm from her light, but she could sense it doing something else. Suddenly one of Scootaloo’s feathers started fall off her right wing. Followed by two from her left wing, and then another three from her right again. The whole time Scootaloo was making pained groans and grunts.
“Scootaloo what’s going on, what’s happening,” she asked.
“It-It hurts…! My wings hurt so much!” she yelled.
“We should stop, the virus, whatever it is it’s feeling threatened by my light and it’s reacting by attacking your wings!”
“D-D-Don’t you dare stop!”
“But Scootaloo –!”
“But nothing, Adara! This may be the only chance I get to be able to fly again! I don’t care how – AHH – much it hurts just do it – UGH!”
Adara new that Scootaloo meant it, the determination in her eyes was proof enough of that. Heeding her wish, Adara began to focus her power onto the malediction, encompassing it; trying to grab hold of the disease before it could cause any more damage. Scootaloo could feel the pain in her wings, and it was excruciating. The part of her mind that was scared screamed for Adara to stop, but the stubborn and hopeful side of her psyche kept crying out for Adara to continue. Just then Scootaloo felt her wings go numb; the two appendages now dangled at her sides completely limp. Even though there was no pain, Scootaloo knew that this was bad, because the feathers hadn’t stopped falling.
Is this all I can do, is this all my power of can do!? Can I not even do this one miracle for someone I care for!? Adara saw that Scootaloo was smiling at her now, it was a pained smile, but it conveyed all the trust she had in her.
“You can do it Adara, I believe in you…!”
At that moment Adara’s aura ignited like an inferno, shining brightly within the confines of the CMC clubhouse. She used this immense power to attack the virus, and heal her wings. She could feel the virus fighting back by accelerating its efforts, but Adara would have none of it.
“I will not give up,” spoke Adara, her voice sounding stronger and older as it reverberated through the air. “I believe too Scootaloo! Now join your hopes and dreams with my power and believe! ALL WILL BE WELL!!!”
A blinding flash of blue light filled both of their vision. The light shined through the cracks, the windows, literally any opening in the clubhouse was letting out rays of blue light. The light continued to glow for another fifteen seconds before it dimmed. All was quiet…all was still…
(The Following Day)
Many of the foals from school had arrived to Sugar Cube Corner for the birthday party. The store was done up in Pinkie Pie’s usual style of party planning. Streamers were everywhere, balloons strategically placed in different areas, and one large banner that hung from the ceiling that read “Happy Birthday Scootaloo.” One table was dedicated to presents from some of the foals; another had punch and cups lined up, along with plates for the birthday cake.
Many of the children were all giggling and smiling, happy as can be. Unfortunately, not all were happy. Sweetie Belle looked worried, almost sad, Apple Bloom constantly asked why she was sad, but wouldn’t reply with much. Of the adults that were there, Applejack and Rarity did what they could to help out the Cakes and Pinkie with keeping everything organized, however, Rainbow Dash and Twilight stood by and watched the foals. Just like AB and Sweetie, they too were sad.
The older mares knew that Scootaloo wouldn’t be coming to the party. After what they had told what would happen to her wings, they doubted highly that she’d even show up, if at all. Cheerilee had come too and noticed the somber looks on their faces.
“Twilight, Rainbow, are you alright? You two seem sad for some reason,” asked Cheerilee.
“Ooookayyyy, have you two seen Scootaloo? Adara said she wasn’t feeling well yesterday, I hope she’ll be able to make it.”
“WHAT!!?” At that moment all three mares jumped at the sound of Pinkie Pie zooming out of the kitchen and appearing right next to them. “How can the birthday girl not come to her own birthday party!!? It’s – It’s –!”
“Pinkie Pie, listen…I’m sure she appreciates everything you’ve done, but…Scootaloo is –”
Twilight was interrupted when the front door to Sugar Cube Corner shot open and an orange blur rushed into the store. Many of the foals and adult ponies quickly ducked as it shot around the room, zipping from one end to the next. The blur flipped around and landed perfectly on the floor. Many ponies gasped when they saw who it was.
“SCOOTALOO,” cried out Sweetie Belle, her voice cracking.
The orange pegasus filly began stride up to the crowd, her wings, which seemed to be larger and more pristine than usual, were fully flared out, no longer small or weak. Adara flew in next, except she landed immediately upon entry, without the flashy entrance, and her cutie mark hidden once again. It took a minute for the realization to hit them, but when it did their jaws dropped.
“Scootaloo, you…you flew!” Rainbow Dash shouted with excitement.
“Hay yeah I did! Sorry I’m late everypony, I felt like taking the long way here,” said Scootaloo proudly.
A rainbow streak cut through the crowd of ponies who were gathering around, in the blink of an eye Scootaloo found herself wrapped in the crushing embrace of Rainbow Dash. Scootaloo could feel warm tears falling on her head, of course she knew why, but it probably wasn’t a good idea to bring that up here in front of everypony. But she did return the hug, causing the older mare to smile.
“I’m sorry Rainbow Dash,” said Scootaloo.
“You got nothing to apologize for Scoots…It’s a miracle,” she whispered.
Twilight stayed where she was and watched on in silence, her own tears threatening to fall at the sight of the little filly flying. Adara had unknowingly found her way to the Princess’ side. Twilight noticed the cerulean filly as a smile arched across her face.
“You did it, didn’t you? You healed her,” asked Twilight in a hushed tone.
“No, I merely acted as a conduit, a crystal to focus and magnify the hope within Scootaloo. While my powers did heal her, they were fueled by her and her alone. It’s my birthday gift to her,” said Adara.
The Entity of Hope found herself wrapped in Twilight’s wing, bringing her closer to the alicorn princess as she hugged her tightly and whispered a soft “Thank you.”
It took a moment for Rainbow and Scootaloo to remember that they were in public and that they were being all mushy in front of everypony. Quickly the two pegasi released each other and chuckled awkwardly, feeling that they just completely embarrassed themselves. Luckily for them Pinkie Pie had a knack for changing the mood of the situation, no matter how awkward.
“Well that was emotional – Now that the birthday girl is here let’s PARTY!!!”
Thankfully everypony got went along with it and partied hard. Music started blare out, and the mood was immediately lifted. Everypony started to dance to the beat, Scootaloo joined with Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom, the trio dancing up a storm. Well Scootaloo was, amazingly in fact. Twilight started dancing as well, and it took all Rainbow Dash had to keep from facehoofing herself in embarrassment of her marefriend’s dance moves.
Many of the other foals had approached Scootaloo several times, asking how her wings had become so full and how long she was able to fly. After the barrage of questions, and a promise of more to come from Sweetie Belle, Pinkie Pie brought out the cake at which point the lights dimmed signaling the partygoers to sing happy birthday to Scootaloo. Pinkie placed the cake on the table, all eleven candles lighting up the inside of the store.
“Make a wish Scootaloo,” said Pinkie Pie.
Scootaloo stared at the candles; she didn’t know what to wish for. Her eyes darted to Adara who stood with Twilight and Rainbow Dash; she then smiled at her friend. My wish already came true…Scootaloo took in a deep breath. But it wouldn’t hurt to wish for a cutie mark too!
Scootaloo blew out her candles and cheers of congratulations were heard all around. The party continued on after that, opening gifts and playing party games, for Scootaloo, it was the best birthday she’d had in years. After everypony started to leave and said their goodbyes, Scootaloo and Adara asked Twilight and Rainbow Dash if they could talk. The two mares agreed and decided to go to Twilight’s for privacy.
Once inside the air became a bit tense. Scootaloo sighed, “Well, I guess you want to know how my wings are better, huh?”
“Honestly Scoots, I don’t care, I’m just glad you’re better! You are better, right? I mean, this isn’t one of this movie dramas when somepony gets a bad disease, gets better, but then gets sick all over again, ‘cause that would be a sick joke,” said Rainbow Dash.
“You can have Twilight check, if it’ll make you feel better,” said Adara.
Of course Twilight knew that Scootaloo was fully healed, but the look on her marefriend’s face told her that she wouldn’t stop worrying if Twilight didn’t do the test. Happily, the Princess of Magic cast the spell again. After a few seconds the magical screen displayed runic symbols that put a smile on Twilight’s face.
“She’s one-hundred percent cured Rainbow, no signs of the virus whatsoever,” confirmed Twilight.
“AWESOME,” shouted Rainbow Dash, adding a hoof pump for emphasis.
Scootaloo couldn’t help but giggle at Rainbow’s reaction. She then started to feel Adara’s shoulder bumping up against hers. The orange filly looked at her friend as she nodded in the two mares’ direction. Scootaloo knew what she was getting at, and she had to admit, maybe it was time to leave that nest in favor of a new and better one.
“Um, Twilight, Rainbow Dash…?” The two mares looked right at Scootaloo, giving her their full attention. “I-I know I was acting like a complete plot a couple of days ago…but I was wondering – if you don’t mind – could…could me and Adara live here, with Princess Twilight?”
Rainbow Dash trotted closer to Scootaloo and ruffled her mane playfully. “The offer never expired Squirt, right Twilight?”
“Right, you two are more than welcome to live here. And I think Spike would be happy to have company his own age,” said Twilight happily.
“By the way, where was he? I haven’t seen him all day,” asked Rainbow Dash.
“Yeah, he wasn’t at my party either? Is he sick or something?”
“…………OH MY CELESTIA, I COMPLETELY FORGOT!!!!” Twilight shouted.
(At That Same Time)
In the night sky a chariot pulled by two bat-ponies was flying in the direction of Ponyville. Within the chariot sat Princess Luna, and beside her was a very angry looking Spike.
“She completely forgot to pick me up, didn’t she?” Spike asked, crossing his arms.
“It would seem so,” agreed Luna. “I still don’t understand why you must go to such extremes, Spike? Twilight informed my sister and me that you had overcome your draconic greed, why must you be away during this time?”
“I know, but I don’t want to risk turning into that monster again. When it’s Twilight’s birthday, or any of her friends, I can handle myself. But I’m just a bit skittish when it comes to going to party’s with ponies my age, I might see something really cool and want it badly enough to…you know.”
Princess Luna placed a comforting hoof on his shoulder, “You are stronger than you let yourself believe. But if doing this is what puts your mind at ease, then I will not question it. Although I do wonder what kept dear Twilight, she is usually very attentive when it comes to you.”
“All I can say is that she better have a good explanation or she’s going to be fixing her own meals for the next two weeks!”
Princess Luna raised an eyebrow, “How is that punishment, exactly?”
“Have you ever seen Twilight cook?”
There was a long silence between the dragon and alicorn.
“…Yes, I have, it was…it was…” Princess Luna visibly shuddered.
Princess Cadance had been summoned to Canterlot Palace, the message she received said it was urgent and that it was of the utmost importance that this be kept secret. It was a little disconcerting to receive such a message from her Aunt, the last time she got a letter like that it was to go to the Crystal Empire and protect it from King Sombra. She could only imagine what new threat was popping up. Currently the Princess of Love was in her royal carriage pulled by two pegasi, this time alone allowed her to contemplate just what the situation was.
Let’s see, Chrysalis trying to take over again? Possible. Aunt Luna being taken over by Nightmare Moon again…highly unlikely, but plausible. Discord causing trouble, again? Even more likely, but I wouldn’t discount it just yet. That incident with Sunset Shimmer was resolved, but you never know. Oh well, guess I’ll find out soon enough.
The carriage had entered Canterlot airspace and was making its way towards the landing site. Once the carriage touched down Cadance was greeted by the sight of the mare she once foal sat for, who had last year been ascended to an alicorn and crowned Princess.
“Twilight!”
“Cadance!”
Both mares quickly trotted towards each other and hugged. “It’s been awhile Ladybug; we really need to get together more often when there isn’t a crisis.”
Twilight giggled, “I agree whole heartedly. C’mon, the Princesses are waiting for us inside.”
Cadance and Twilight trotted casually towards the doorway, once inside the large double doors closed with a great THUD. The two grown mares gave each other a sideways glance. Twilight raised an eyebrow, Cadance did the same. The two alicorn mares then did a quick scan of the area, and after confirming that there was no pony in sight, they started their little ritual.
“Sunshine, sunshine, ladybugs awake, clap your hooves and do a little shake!” “Sunshine, sunshine, ladybugs awake, clap your hooves and do a little shake!”
Both Cadance and Twilight began to laugh, as old as they were; this little ritual between them that started when they were younger hadn’t lost its flare. And both suspected that they would probably continue doing this even when they were way older. Afterwards, the two of them trotted down the hall, heading in the direction of the throne room. Twilight gave her sister-in-law an inquisitive look.
“Hey Cadance, you think we’re getting a little too old to be doing that,” asked Twilight.
The pink alicorn stared off into space, pretending to seriously think about it, which took all of ten seconds.
“Nah!”
The confirmation put a smile on her little sister-in-law’s face, something that always made Cadance smile as well. As they made their way down the hall, now passing by the main commons area, Cadance couldn’t help but wonder about something. She used a little of her magic, sensing something within Twilight. A slight magical peek into the lavender alicorn’s heart revealed something that made Cadance gasp with joy, startling Twilight.
“What, what’s wrong!?”
“You’re in love with somepony aren’t you,” asked Cadance.
“WHAT!? How did you – I never told –!” It took a second for Twilight to realize the “how.” “Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, did you look into my heart!?”
“Hmm, just a peek,” she said with a devilish grin, “but I didn’t see who it was, only that you are in love.”
Twilight sighed.
“So are you going to tell me who your special somepony is?”
The younger alicorn seemed to blush and stared away from Cadance.
“Twilight…?”
“It’s just…the pony I like is…well…isn’t what you might call a traditional special somepony…”
“Ladybug, if there’s anypony who wouldn’t judge you, it would be me. I know love doesn’t have any boundaries, and you can’t help who you fall in love with, but, if you don’t want to tell me that’s fine.”
Twilight looked up at Cadance, smiling and relieved by her words. “Thank you.” Twilight stepped a bit closer and nuzzled Cadance neck.
“No problem.” Cadance nuzzled the top of Twilight’s head, returning the affection. “So, is it a stallion or a mare?”
“…Mare…”
“I knew it!” Cadance whispered.
“What was that?!”
“Nothing.”
Soon the two alicorns reached the doors of the throne room, Royal Guards were stationed out front, as per usual. The two unicorns used their magic to open the way for the two Princesses, inside were Celestia and Luna, they seemed to be having a conversation, talking low as to not let prying ears hear them. Their attention was now brought to the two Princesses who entered the throne room, the doors closing behind them as they trotted further into inside.
“Twilight, Cadance, I’m glad you were able to make it on such short notice,” said Celestia.
“It’s no problem Princess, from what your letter said, how could we not come quickly,” said Twilight.
Cadance glanced over towards Luna; she scanned her form and sighed in relief. Oh thank goodness, Aunt Luna hasn’t turned into Nightmare Moon. Well, at least I can scratch that off my “Worst Case Scenarios” list.
“Niece, is there something wrong?” Luna asked, now noticing the relieved expression directed towards her.
Cadance quickly regained her composure and smiled guiltily, “No, no, I’m fine! So, uh, ahem, what is threatening Equestria, exactly?”
Both Celestia and Luna looked at each other, and then back at Twilight and Cadance.
“There isn’t any threat to Equestria,” said Celestia.
“Seriously,” asked Cadance.
“None at all,” answered Luna.
“Then why the urgency,” asked Twilight.
“That answer will come in the next ten seconds, which reminds me.” Celestia’s horn flashed with a bright magical glow, a wave of energy was sent throughout the room, layering on top of it.
A sound damping spell, whatever Aunty Celestia and Luna want to discuss must be really important –
Cadance’s train of thought was interrupted when a bright light lit up the room. Cadance squinted her eyes in order to see, it didn’t come from Twilight, or from Celestia, or Luna. The light seemed to emanate from the center of the room. The light finally dimmed down enough for all of them to open their eyes. Cadance and Twilight let out an audible gasp.
There was being before them, white as snow. Its features were alien in origin, his lower body was covered in white cloth, and giant feathered wings on its back. Cadance could feel this creature wielded immense power, more than Celestia and Luna combined, and possibly even more than Twilight. Speaking of, Twilight seemed to sense the amount of power this creature possessed, being more attuned to magic than she was. The creature seemed to give them a gentle smile, to which Celestia and Luna returned in kind.
“Celestia, Luna, it’s been a long time,” said the being.
“Too long great Entity,” said Luna.
“P-Princess Celestia, who is this!?” Twilight asked in shock.
“Do not be frightened Twilight Sparkle, I mean you no harm. I am the Life Entity, I from whom all life was created,” said the Life Entity.
“All life…?” Cadance asked.
“Correct Mi Amore Cadenza – sorry – Cadance.”
“You know our names too!?” Twilight gasped.
“He knows the names of all living things, because his light gave life to Equestria, as well as many other worlds,” said Celestia.
Both Cadance and Twilight looked upon the Life Entity once more; there was a symbol on its chest that they missed before. It was a triangle, with an arch above it, and seven lines radiating from it. They just couldn’t believe what they were seeing; this alien being before them was really the source of all life itself. It’d be hard not to believe it, with the amount of power they could feel radiating from the Life Entity, and it couldn’t be anything less than godlike.
“We got your message old friend, tell us, why is it that you needed to meet us,” asked Luna.
The Life Entity became saddened, his white light dimmed slightly as if reacting to his change in emotion.
“I seek refuge, not for myself, but for four of my fellow entities.”
Cadance’s head was spinning, and from the looks of it, so was Twilight’s. “Okay, back up, there are more!?”
The Life Entity, Celesita, and Luna all glanced at each other coming to a consensus.
“Perhaps it is better if we start at the beginning,” said Luna.
And so they did, the story was told of how the universe came into existence. How when the universe was filled with light, and from that light were born the Emotional Spectrum. Seven other entities were created when the first creatures to come into existence felt different things. Rage was born from the first murder, fear from the first being afraid to die, avarice from the first temptation, willpower from the first to move, hope from the first prayer, compassion from when rage and hope entered the universe, and love came into existence before that.
The telling of this information was more than a little shocking; it was basically rocking their world view. Everything Cadance and Twilight knew about Equestria, the universe, was mostly and irrevocably shattered at that moment.
“The seven emotions have entities, similar to me, who embody them, and give power to those who wield that light. A great battle has been waged in the universe where we reside, currently they are freed, but I wish to find them all places where they can find peace. And for four of them, I decided that Equestria was the best fit for them,” said the Life Entity.
“Surely you wouldn’t call this place home to Rage, Avarice, and Fear, so you must mean the other entities,” said Celestia.
“Yes.” The Entity held out its hand, before four spheres of light appeared, green, blue, indigo, and violet. Inside each sphere was the image of infant creatures. “Ion, Entity of Willpower, Adara, Entity of Hope, Proselyte, Entity of Compassion, and Preadtor, Entity of Love, here on your world is where I believe they can live peacefully, away from the conflicts that threaten them. I come here asking for permission for them to live in your world, and if you would, watch over them?”
“Hence the reason why we called you two here,” said Luna.
“We are not the only rulers, Twilight, Cadance, you are also royalty, and therefore have just as much authority to grant permission, we wish to be in accordance,” said Celestia.
Cadance and Twilight looked to each other; they didn’t know what to say. It was obvious that Celestia and Luna were going to give the Life Entity their permission. The two alicorn mares looked at the four spheres, the energies being emitted from them drifted through them. Cadance felt herself drawn to the violet sphere, and the creature held within. It felt confused, fierce, and lonely.
“Twilight, what do you think,” asked Cadance.
The Princess of Magic looked up to the Life Entity, and then to the four spheres. After about a minute of silence, Twilight came to a decision.
“I can see that you don’t mean any harm, and I trust the Princesses. Plus as powerful as you are, if you really wanted to you could just do whatever you want without asking for our permission. So, you have my permission.”
“The same goes for me,” said Cadance.
The Entity smiled down at the two mares, “Thank you. It will take me a few weeks to insert them into your world’s Life Web, and a day to craft them bodies.”
“We will grant you access to the Canterlot Mines under the city, you’ll be able to work in private there, undisturbed,” said Celestia.
“Thank you.” The Life Entity’s eyes then fell on Cadance, “Princess Cadance, may I have a word with you,” he asked, gesturing with his left hand
Cadance suddenly became very nervous. She glanced over to Celestia and Luna, neither of them seemed worried, Twilight appeared to be just as nervous, but appeared to be ready to spring to her defense should anything occur. The Princess of Love then looked up at the Life Entity and nodded her response. She carefully trotted over to him, pulling up to his left side. The Life Entity then began to float a bit further from the other alicorn mares, keeping his left hand hovering over Candance’s back as if to shepherd her in his direction.
Cadance believed that being this close to such an omni-powerful being would feel oppressing, but it was just the opposite. The light from his body felt gentle and powerful. The Life Entity brought his right wing close to his right hand; he then allowed the indigo, green, and blue spheres to be cradled in his downy white wing.
“I saw you looking at this one,” he said.
“O-Oh, sorry, I didn’t mean to –!”
“No, no, it is fine. I’m not surprised your eyes were drawn to this particular sphere. The entity that resides in this sphere is fierce, intimidating, but confused, and almost childish. Her name is Predator.”
“Sounds…strange, which emotion does she represent, something dangerous I presume," asked Cadance.
A bemused smirk appeared on the Life Entity’s face, “No my dear, Predator and you share the same talent, she is the Entity of Love.”
Cadance stopped walking, her left eye twitching as she looked at the sphere and saw the sleeping, raptor-like creature wiggle and squirm as if it were dreaming. She couldn’t believe it, this little creature was the progenitor of all love energy, and it was named “Predator!?”
“I-I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to I…” Cadance hung her head low, ashamed of assuming that the creature inside was of some kind of monster of destruction.
“I hold no ill will towards you, Cadance. But there is something that I want to ask of you.” Cadance looked up once again. “The seven are, in a sense, my children, wielding different shades of the unified light I wield. I have been dormant for many years, but certain events have reawakened me. Like a parent, I worry for my spawn, in particular this little one.” The Life Entity brought Predator’s sphere closer to Cadance. “Predator may be the Entity of Love, but…she has trouble understanding love.”
“I don’t follow, what is it that you wish for me to do,” asked Cadance.
“Princess Cadance, I would like to ask you to look after Predator personally. Teach her what love truly means, and what it is to love. She has combined her power with multiple hosts, and her views of love have been skewed. I can think of no other for this task, but it is your choice in the end…”
(Present Day)
“…Cadance…Cadance…CADANCE!”
The pink alicorn was snapped out of her thoughts, frantically jerking her head from side to side as if expecting to be attacked.
“Who – what – I – huh!?”
Predator, who was sitting across from Cadance, giggled a bit as she watched her startled mentor/teacher/friend look around the carriage as if she had missed something important. When she realized that nothing was wrong Cadance blushed in embarrassment, which only served to make Predator giggle more.
“You seemed deep in thought, Cadance. Were you daydreaming about Shining Armor,” she teased.
“No, I wasn’t, Predator,” replied Cadance.
“Oh, then maybe it was about a past coltfriend…or perhaps a marefriend?” Predator began to form a devilish grin.
Cadance’s blush deepened as she tried to keep her wings from flaring out instinctually. After a few shakes of the head, Cadance cleared her throat loudly and composed herself before speaking to Predator.
“No, and if you must know, I was actually thinking about the day I first met the Life Entity, and the day he asked me to teach you what love is.”
Predator’s grin faded upon hearing that, her expression becoming less gleeful as she turned to look out the carriage window. The Princess of Love found that bringing up the subject often put her into this kind of mood. Although the Life Entity had informed Predator of why Cadance was to look after her, the notion of Cadance teaching the cosmic origin of all love energy what love is was a monumental task in her mind. But for Predator, the topic made her a little sad, and less talkative.
“So…you, uh, never told me why we’re heading to Canterlot today. Is it for something important,” asked Predator.
Cadance smiled, “I think you’re going to enjoy it. Do you remember when I was telling you about Hearts and Hooves Day?” Predator nodded an affirmative. “Well, every year in Canterlot, on Hearts and Hooves Day, the city throws a big festival, which is simply called, for a lack of better term, the Love Festival. A day full of activities for couples to come and enjoy the day in one of Equestria’s top romantic destinations, there’ll be games, entertainment, and a whole bunch of different things!”
Predator seemed to brighten up upon hearing this, her smile even returned as a twinkle of excitement flashed in her eyes. “That…That actually sounds like fun; I can’t wait to get there! Wait a minute, if this is for couples then why are we going together – not that I don’t mind, a romantic date with you sounds rather fun – but shouldn’t you and Shining Armor be going to this instead?”
As much as Cadance wanted to jump on Predator and ask her about that “romantic date” bit, she decided to let it slide, for the moment. “I would like to have brought Shining Armor too, but the Crystal Empire can’t have both its rulers gone, somepony has to stay behind and make sure there’s still an empire to come back to. And besides, ever since I became a Princess and it was known that my special talent was love, the ponies around Canterlot officially declared me Master of Ceremonies.”
“And that is why you are going?”
“Yes, and the reason you’re going also is because a: you are technically my apprentice, as far as anypony is concerned, and b: I think you’ll enjoy it.” Predator opened her mouth but Cadance was quick to answer, “And no it is not a date whatsoever.” Predator frowned slightly. “Okay, maybe it is one – a date between friends, got it!?”
The pink unicorn mare happily shook her head in agreement. The carriage finally came to a stop, alerting Cadance that they had arrived to at their destination. The Adamant Knight Guards quickly opened the door to the carriage and allowed Princess Cadance and Predator to disembark. Predator’s eyes opened in wide astonishment at what she was seeing.
“This is how Canterlot does Hearts and Hooves Day.”
Most of downtown Canterlot had been transformed into a giant festival ground. Booths lined up many of the sidewalks, everything from games, food, and a few kissing booths as well. Rides were scattered about, teacup rides, a giant Ferris wheel, and of course a Tunnel of Love, there was a long line for that. As Cadance and Predator walked down the street she couldn’t help but notice how all the ponies were looking straight at them, the teenage mare did her best to stay close to Cadance, maintaining the guise of apprentice, and holding herself with a certain level of dignity that came with such a title.
Predator couldn’t help but marvel at how much love energy was being emitted from this one location. It was in the air, in the ground, indeed every molecule that drifted in the ether. Such a display almost made the pink pony bounce from the happiness of it all. Cadance noticed how giddy the mare beside was getting and it brought a smile to her face.
“I guess you can sense it too, huh Star?” Predator didn’t respond. “Star…? Star…! STAR!?”
Oh wait, that’s me – ugh, I keep forgetting! “Sorry Ca – I mean, sorry Princess Cadance. But yes I do! There’s so much love energy it’s much different from that of Zamaron!”
Cadance gave the young unicorn a confused look, “‘Zamaron?’”
“Never mind.”
Princess Cadance and Predator kept walking through the crowd, heading towards a makeshift throne that was prepared for the two mares. Predator couldn’t help but looked into the sea of ponies; each was standing close to another, some with their tails intertwined with another’s. Mares with mares, stallions with mares, and, although secretly, stallions with other stallions, Predator was also acutely aware of groups of four or three who seemed to be emitting equal amounts of love energy towards each other.
The two mares finally made it to the stage where Cadance’s throne awaited. Once on the stage, Cadance walked up to the microphone that had been prepared in advance for her arrival. She then cleared her throat a prepared to address everypony.
“Hello everypony, and welcome to the Canterlot Love Festival. I would like to thank all of the couples who ventured here to join in the celebration of love and happiness!” The crowd cheered in response. “Enjoy the festivities and when you depart, I hope that your bonds of love will have strengthened even more!”
Cadance charged her horn; light-blue mana began to flare as she fired a beam straight into the air. The beam soared higher and higher till Cadance decided it was high enough. She then released the energy, causing the beam to collect in the air and explode into a giant sparkling heart in the sky. Many of the couples looked up and stared in awe of the giant symbol of love, causing a few to nuzzle their companions out of affection.
Once the announcement was made, many went back to enjoying the festival. Cadance and Predator sat atop the stage, watching the couples take part in some of the activities. The two of them were getting their fair share of ogling while perched on the makeshift thrones. The fact that Cadance was married didn’t deter some of the stallions and mares, and neither did it deter them from staring at her young protégé. The whole while Predator couldn’t help but look at each of them, she especially couldn’t help but bring her eyes to the groups.
“Cadance,” she whispered, “I sense a lot of love energy coming from that group of ponies,” Predator pointed a hoof at a particular group of ponies, two were pegasi, one was a unicorn, and the other an earth pony. “Strange thing is it seems to be a shared amount of love between them, why is that?”
Princess Cadance couldn’t help but giggle at Predator’s question. “That’s probably because they’re in a herd, Predator.” “Herd? What’s that?”
Cadance pondered this question, she was going to teach Predator about Equestrian Relationships when they got back, but she figured giving her a little info here wouldn’t hurt the lessons later. “Herds are actually rare, well I say rare because many don’t openly admit to them. You see, Herds are formed when one or more consenting ponies decide they don’t mind sharing a lover, or lovers. It usually happens when one pony loves another pony, but still has feelings for a second. If both are in agreement and show that they can not only share their partner, but also show mutual respect for the first significant other. They can all from one herd, a mix of tribes, all mares, in some cases all stallions, and of course a mixture of both,” explained Cadance.
Something about this topic seemed to make Predator’s eyes gleam with excitement. “Really, but why do they seem like their trying to hide the fact they are in a herd!? It sounds like something wonderful! I’ve often heard of ponies who confess their love but their feelings are not returned because they are already in a relationship. This sounds like a perfect way to settle such things!”
Cadances smile weakened slightly, “Well…It’s not very accepted. While the laws regarding herding still stand they are from an older time in Equestrian history. Though the laws haven’t been changed, herding has slowly been on the decline in favor of more monogamous relationships. Some see the idea of multiple partners as selfish and unacceptable, thinking that their trying to bring back the old days of Equestria. Because of this, many ponies who seek herding as a means to keep their shared love alive must do so in secret. So, while it isn’t against the law per se, it is a kind of social stigma.”
Predator’s eyes seem to narrow upon hearing this information, a low growl rumbling in her throat. “How dare they!? What right do others have to say how they express their love is wrong!? They should not have to hide it! Love is not something to be kept in the dark or ashamed of!”
Cadance quickly placed hoof on Predator’s shoulder, trying to calm the mare down before she went into a frenzy and transformed in the middle of all the festival.
“I know Predator, it’s not fair, believe me I know. But that’s just how others think. We haven’t the right to tell them that one way is better than the other…”
Predator snorted, she then rose from her smaller throne and started to make her way backstage. “I’m going for a walk, Cadance. I’ll be back later, is that alright?”
Cadance nodded, prompting Predator to begin to take her leave. It was then that the pink alicorn thought that maybe it wasn’t such a good idea to leave Predator to her own devices. Alone, in the middle of a festival dedicated to love, with hundreds of ponies who practically wreaked of the amorous energy…Maybe it’ll be alright, besides, how much trouble can she get into…? Cadance let out an audible gulp.
Predator began walking through the festival grounds. She was still a bit miffed about what Cadance had told her. The Entity of Love didn’t understand why others would persecute another sentient beings’ right to express their love towards those they care for. While walking through the grounds, head down, not really watching where she was going, Predator suddenly ran into somepony, causing her to fall backwards onto the ground.
“Sorry, sorry, my bad, I wasn’t looking where I was going,” apologized Predator.
“Why don’t you watch where you’re go…ing…Star Sapphire?”
Predator shot up straight, cocking her head to the side in confusion. She finally rested her eyes on the pony she knocked over. It was a sun-yellow unicorn mare, with a red mane and yellow highlights. Her teal eyes stared at the young unicorn as if wondering if the knock on her head was harder than she originally thought.
“Sunset Shimmer!? Wow, what’re you doing here!?” Predator asked excitedly.
“I…I was…I…I don’t know anymore…” Whatever retort Sunset was about throw at Predator died out before it even was voiced. Her gaze was downcast and her ears were flat against her skull.
Predator looked at the older mare quizzically, “Sunset are you alright?”
“Not really…no…”
Predator eyes shifted for a moment, shimmering with a tint of violet-pink energy. She could sense something inside this mare, she was hurting, in her heart. She had lost love.
“Why don’t we walk around for a bit,” she suggested.
“Uh, yeah, I’m not going to walk around with a sixteen-year-old mare, in a festival for couples!
“Why not?”
“I’m twenty-one, and you’re jailbait,” Sunset deadpanned.
“But, Princess Twilight said that you were the same age as me –?”
“Parallel world me might be, but Equestria me isn’t, I don’t make the rules how I end up on the other side, I just happen to look like that.”
Predator just sighed, “Oh c’mon, I’ll buy!”
Sunset opened her mouth to once again deny the mare, but after hearing that she decided to change her tune. “Fine…”
With an elated smile, Predator and Sunset trotted off to one of the more fancy restaurants nearby. The two mares then found themselves at a nearby outdoor restaurant and then sat on a couple of cushions across from each other. Sunset ordered some wine for herself, and also ordered some water, exclusively, for Predator.
The pink mare found Sunset Shimmer fascinating. She was the only pony in Equestria, besides Twilight Sparkle, who had knowledge of humans. Granted it was a parallel version of Equestria, but regardless it was filled with humans. The first time she saw Sunset jump out that mirror it did spook her a bit, but she quickly got over it and became more inquisitive than anything. Although, right now, Sunset’s heart seemed to be aching, at least that’s what her power was telling her.
“So, what happened,” asked Predator.
“Nothing ‘happened,’ I’m just having a bit of an off day,” replied Sunset.
“Why’s that, on such a day as this I would think happiness would be infectious,” she beamed.
The sun-yellow unicorn couldn’t help but roll her eyes at that statement. “Look, if you really want to know. I just found out that the mare I had a crush on…and somewhat hurt a while back…doesn’t really like me that way! Not that I blame her…after what I did in the other world…and after what I said to her before I left…” Sunset took a sip of the wine, downing the contents in one go.
Predator was starting to get curious as to the mare in question, so, secretly; she used her power to gleam into Sunset’s heart. Not fully, just enough to get an image of the object of her affection. Within her mind a picture started to form. A tall mare, white as snow, with a flowing mane and tail, wings…a horn…and gentle magenta colored eyes. Predator gasped and placed her hooves over her mouth, looking at Sunset with a surprised expression.
“You have feelings for Princess Celestia!” Predator gasped.
Unfortunately, Sunset was taking a sip of wine at that moment and spat the contents in her mouth out. Luckily, Predator had learned how to cast a quick-fire barrier to block the wine from reaching her. Sunset coughed a bit more before she regained her composure.
“I never said that! How did you even –!?” Sunset took a moment to think it over, arriving at a conclusion pretty quick. “You used some kind of spell, right!? Or does that have something to do with your special talent!?”
Predator shrugged innocently.
“Whatever!” Sunset threw her forelegs up in defeat. “Yeah, alright, I did…”
“Did, as in past tense?”
Sunset sighed sadly, “I was an idiot for even trying. Of course she wouldn’t like me back, not after what I did! I turned my back on her teachings, ran away to another world, plotted world domination, and stole an Element of Harmony in order to take over Equestria! Anypony in their right mind wouldn’t even think about being near me!” The sun-yellow unicorn glanced over at Predator. “Well…anypony but you, apparently.”
It should be noted that many of the patrons heard Sunset’s little rant, making some scoot their tables just a bit further away from the two unicorns. There were also some Royal Guards eyeing her suspiciously at the same time.
“Sunset you shouldn’t just give up on love, and I’m sure that Princess Celestia still cares about you,” said Predator.
“That’s exactly what she said. ‘She couldn’t return my affections, but she still cares greatly for me…’” Sunset scoffed dejectedly, “Not like I care…I almost expected it to happen…But still…I guess it was foalish of me to think that she’d feel the same. Faust, I can’t believe I did that, acting like such a schoolfilly!”
Sunset poured herself another glass of wine, downed its contents, and did so again for the fourth time.
“Well you can’t just give up, I mean, it is Hearts and Hooves Day! Maybe we can find your special somepony here at the festival,” suggested Predator.
“Your optimism is…annoying.” She downed a fifth glass, and still not drunk yet. Sunset then eyed the teenage mare up down as if sizing her up. “You up for a one night stand?”
“It’s the middle of the day –”
“Okay a one day stand then?”
“Um, what do those mean, exactly,” asked Predator.
Sunset couldn’t help but facehoof herself. “As a gesture of my changed ways, I’m just going to drop it, also forget I ever asked.”
“Okay, now, back to finding you a special somepony!”
Sunset groaned, this mare was determined, of that she was certain of. Predator however ignored Sunset’s annoyed noise and happily rose up from her cushion. “C’mon, Hearts and Hooves Day only lasts, well, today! No pony should be alone on this day! Not on my watch!”
Before Sunset could offer protest, she found herself wrapped in Predator’s telekinetic aura, lifting the poor mare into the air and dragging her away from her bottle of wine. Predator then trotted nonchalantly, as if toting a mare around in a telekinetic field of magic was the most natural thing in the world. Several times did Sunset try to free herself, but she found that the young mare had a strong magical hold around her. After groaning and grunting in frustration many times, the former student of Celestia just gave up.
“Oh, what about that mare, the one with the lyre cutie mark, she looks cute,” asked Predator while pointing a hoof at her target.
Sunset humored the overzealous unicorn and looked in the direction she was pointing. “No.”
“Ah, why not!?”
“For one thing, she looks like she’d annoy the Tartarus out of me, and two: she’s taken,” Sunset explained.
Predator took another look at the mint-green unicorn and saw that she was affectionately nuzzling an earth pony mare with a three candy drops cutie mark. Her ears fell in disappointment, “Oh, sorry Sunset – On to the next!”
For the latter part of three hours, Predator dragged Sunset Shimmer around the festival grounds, pointing out, in Sunset’s opinion, some attractive mares. But still, none of them caught her eye. This however did not deter the Entity of Love, as the apprentice of Princess Cadance, and the embodiment of love itself, she was determined to find this grumpy mare her soulmate! Whether she liked it or not, and she didn’t. And so, after much protest, Sunset was able to convince Predator to let her walk of her own accord, after promising that she wouldn’t run or teleport away.
Taking a break from their search, the two unicorns decided to rest up on a nearby bench. Across from them, there was a miniature stage where couples were quickly gathering for a show to start. Predator sighed; a bit disappointed that she wasn’t able to find a decent match for her companion.
“Sorry, Sunset, I thought that last one would be the one, guess I’m not so good at this matchmaker thing,” said Predator.
“Let’s see…for an apprentice of Princess Cadance, the alicorn of love and ruler of the Crystal Empire, not very – no.” Sunset Shimmer saw the frown that formed on the younger’s lips, to which she quickly added, “But you gave it your best, alright. Not every mare’s love troubles can be fixed in one day.” Sunset bumped her shoulder against the Predator’s, making the pink unicorn beam with renewed vigor.
“Thanks, maybe we should try –!”
“Mares and gentlecolts!” A boisterous voice cut off Predator, making both mares stare at the stage just a few feet away. The crowd of couples seemed excited by what was about to happen. “Today and today only, the greatest magician in Equestria will perform feats of magic that will dazzle and excite you! So all you happy little couples, give a round of applauds for the Great and Powerful Trixie!”
A big puff of pink smoke burst upon the stage, at the same time firecrackers and pinwheel rockets flared up and sputtered their multicolored flames. From the smoke emerged an azure unicorn mare, with a shiny silver mane and tail, and wearing a star spangled wizards hat and cloak. Sunset and Predator watched from the bench, something about her reminded Sunset of a girl she saw back in the Parallel World, particularly her magenta eyes, which held within them a boundless confidence and a hint of superiority not akin to Sunset’s.
Predator felt a slight spark of love emanate from Sunset; she tapped her hoof to her chin, wondering if something might come out of this. “Let’s take a closer look.”
“W-What!?”
There it was again, “C’mon, a little entertainment never hurt a mare. Besides you could use it.”
Predator lit up her horn in preparation to tote Sunset over towards the crowd. The sun-yellow mare saw what was about to happen and quickly rose to her hooves and began to walk towards the crowd, not wanting to be suspended in the air twice in one day.
Trixie began her magic tricks, some pyrotechnic work that impressed Sunset; she used the minimalist amount of magic, while still putting on quite a light show. However, when she started doing audience participation things went a little south. The azure unicorn tried her hoof at tarot card reading, trying to predict the futures of the lovers that had come up to her stage. It ended with her predicting, for one couple, that they would both die a horrible, agonizing death at the claws of a pack of timberwolves. Trixie tried to play it off as a joke, but Sunset could tell that she was hiding the fact that she had no idea what she was doing.
Her next trick involved sawing a pony in half. The mint-green unicorn from earlier volunteered her paramour to be sawed, even after the earth pony mare refused vehemently, she still found herself in the box. It was then that the showmare produced a long, rusty, dull looking saw.
“Now this shouldn’t hurt, much,” said Trixie with a devilish smile.
“Lyra, whatever I did to make you put me through this torture, I swear to Celestia I’m sorry,” pleaded the mare.
“Bonny come on, it’s just a magic show. Try and enjoy it,” said Lyra.
“You do know who she is, right!?”
“Yeah, and?”
“Enough talk, now let us begin!” Trixie proclaimed.
The sound of slicing wood started to fill the air; the pony crowd winced and averted their gazes, afraid that the trick might actually turn into a disaster. Bon-Bon, or Bonny as her marefriend called her, watched in horror as the saw blade continued to cut down, inch by agonizing inch, getting closer and closer to her midsection. It was then that Sunset saw something that made her curious; there was a very brief flash of light from her horn.
“What’s wrong, Sunset?”
“Nothing…maybe, but we’re about to find out.”
The blade finally passed through the midsection of Bon-Bon, she found herself still as a board, afraid that whatever magic was keeping her together would vanish if she so much as moved an inch. The saw at last made it all the way through, a sizeable mound of saw dust was piled underneath the box. Trixie then placed the saw down and rested her forehooves on the both parts of the severed box.
“Behold and be amazed as Trixie now separates this mare,” announced Trixie.
She pushed on both halves of the box, making them part at the middle. The crowd gasped and Lyra spat out her beverage she was drinking. Even Bon-Bon gasped in surprise at what she saw. The earth pony mare was cut in half, her hind legs kicked about frantically, while Bon-Bon herself still gasped at what she saw. Trixie then turned the box containing Bon-Bon’s lower half so that it faced the audience. What they saw puzzled them; it was as if they were staring into a black hole. Trixie then turned the other one containing the upper half and faced it in the same way as the first, showing the exact same black hole.
“I get it, she’s very clever,” said Sunset.
“What, do you know how she did that,” asked Predator.
“It’s a slightly advanced spell,” she whispered, “It’s called a Dimension Sever, basically you enchant a cutting tool, or in this case a saw blade, and cut through any object. It creates a sort of pocket dimension that keeps the other half connected to the severed half, even if they’re separated from a great distance, they can still be affected by whatever the other half is doing. In this case, she used to sever that mare’s upper and lower halves, all her internal organs are actually being kept together through that black hole, although we can’t see it, that’s what’s happening.”
Predator blinked a few times, “Equestrian magic is weird…and so totally cool!”
“Hey Trixie, mind keeping Bonny like that, I’ve got a few ideas for some fun later tonight,” shouted Lyra.
“LYRA!!!”
Trixie cleared her throat as her cheeks tinged with pink. “Yes, well then, as amusing as that would be, it is time to rejoin the halves!” Trixie brought both ends together; she then concentrated her magic on the cut area. An intense flash of mana followed soon after, making many in the audience shield their eyes. After a few seconds Trixie wiped her brow and magicked the doors open.
“Voila!”
Bon-Bon jumped out of the box, everypony then just stared blankly at the earth pony, Lyra’s beverage fell straight to the ground as her telekinesis was interrupted by what she was seeing. Bon-Bon’s body was still split in half, yet, when the upper half moved, her lower half did as well. In all, the whole thing was downright freaky.
“What’s everypony staring aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa – OH MY CELESTIA!” Bon-Bon turned around several times, her lower half was always one step behind her as she did so. “W-W-What’s going, w-why am I – I thought – and you – Put me back together!” Trixie smiled sheepishly, and cleared her throat before starting saying anything. “It is just a slight hiccup, nothing to get hysterical about.” Trixie once again cast the spell to rejoin the halves, but just like last time, nothing happened. “Okay, maybe there is some cause for alarm…”
Lyra made her way onto the stage and brought her foreleg around the upper half, bringing her into a half-hug. “C’mon Bonny, I think I saw Twilight here somewhere. She’ll get you fixed up.”
“A-Alright…” Bon-Bon allowed Lyra to lead her off the stage, with her hindquarters following them. It was then that the earth pony mare raised her left hoof and bopped her marefriend upside the head.
“Ouch, what was that for?!”
“The next time your mind decides to wander into the gutter, keep it in your head where it belongs!”
Lyra rolled her eyes playfully, knowing that her marefriend still loved her, even though she was a little ticked at the moment.
Now Trixie was in a bit of pickle, the crowd was starting to turn on her; the mare’s confident façade was starting to drain a little after both her debacles. Sunset Shimmer was wincing with every insult and jeer that the crowd threw at Trixie. In some ways the azure unicorn reminded Sunset of herself, only, unlike Trixie at the moment, she wouldn’t just accept such insults, true or not. Even though she was reformed, it didn’t mean she couldn’t be good in her own way.
“Star sorry, but, I-I need to do something about this,” asked Sunset.
Predator already had a knowing grin on her face and happily nodded to Sunset.
“Trixie!” All eyes were now on Sunset, “How dare you start the magic show without me!”
Trixie Lulamoon just started dumbly at the mare in the crowd, “Excuse me, what –?”
“This is supposed to be a couples magic show, and you can’t very well do couple magic without your partner.” Sunset’s horn lit up with teal colored magic. One minute she disappeared in a flash of magical light and in the next she reappeared before Trixie. She stared at the mare with half-lidded eyes and moved slowly towards her. The sun-yellow mare then caressed Trixie under her chin with her tail, making her shudder. Whether it was out of disturbance or delight was yet to be determined. “Listen, the crowd’s turning on you, and I don’t want you to take this,” she whispered. “Just follow my lead, and we can end the show on a high note.”
Trixie had no idea what the mare was getting at, but judging from the way the crowd’s attitude was changing she decided to go with it.
Predator then sat up and started to stealthily trot away from the stage, she knew where this headed, and the Entity of Love didn’t want to meddle in whatever was about to happen between them.
(A Couple of Hours Later)
Predator was continuing her trot through the festival. Having been on a frantic search for Sunset Shimmer’s soulmate didn’t give her enough time to fully take in the sights and events that were going on around her.
Everypony looks so happy, she thought to herself. I wonder…if my special somepony and I will –
Predator cut herself off mid-thought. She couldn’t be thinking about something like that! Yes she was the Entity of Love, and yes Adara has voiced her concerns about her and her friend, but Predator couldn’t believe she was feeling like this.
It’s absurd, why would I need to be loved by someone!? I’m the embodiment of love itself! I’m surrounded by its energy every minute, of every second, of every day – I practically ooze love energy!
And yet, there seemed to be a longing in her heart. Along the way Predator spotted a karaoke game station. Couples and soloists performed one after the other, belting out almost every genre of Equestrian music. Predator often heard that singing was good for those in her position. And she thought it might provide her with a distraction from thinking about not having a special somepo – Oh wait, too late, I thought about it again. Never mind, let’s just sing the song.
Predator used her magic flip through a song book, her eyes resting on a particular song that would be up Adara’s alley. After nodding to the DJ, Predator got up on stage and held the microphone in her magical aura. The music started to play as the pink unicorn began swaying to the melody.
“This world we live of dark and pain Beneath a veil, so cold and vain Safe and alone~”
Everypony seemed to stop what they were doing as their ears perked up.
“I sing a song of prayer and faith To keep you warm, to keep you safe These lonely fields will hear my fears And shine anew~”
Mare and stallion alike all started to drift towards her melodic voice, gathering into a small crowd near the karaoke stage.
“I watched as you dreamed through the darkest nights A laugh and a smile to bring forth the light So near, yet so far, I’ll find where you are And we’ll keep to tomorrow within my heart~”
Predator started to rise from her sitting position, feeling the music overtake her as if resonating with her power.
“A day of a morning so pure and green That day we will wake to a brand new sheen The sky gray with snow will fade away slow But believe that we’ll make it through Fields of Hope~”
The small crowd had grown twice as big now. Couples and – secret – herds started to gather around, closing their eyes as they leaned against their lovers and swayed to the hypnotic and wondrous voice of this young unicorn mare. Predator herself seemed to be getting into the music as well, for some reason, she felt like she was singing this to the pony she liked but didn’t know.
“This world we came from gentle hooves And now we seek that warmth again So lost and cold it’s hard to hold All that’s been lost~”
“I sing a song of prayer and faith As nothing lasts forever, we learn to cope And start again where we begin the flow again~”
“Together we’ll travel the lonely nights To morning to so green, to the purest lights The place we all seek from darkness too deep Lights will guide us through always, its path we’ll keep~”
“I pray with my heart in this song I sing To keep you in warmth as you take your wing So near yet so far, you’ll find where you are In peace I pray that you’ll find Fields of Hope~”
Predator’s movement slowed now, as she felt the song come to a close.
“So near, yet so far…I’ll find where you are With a promising faith you’ll find Fields of Hope~”
With that the music ended Predator let out a content sigh, feeling as if she had gotten all her worries and anxieties out through the song. Although, when she opened her eyes she was not expecting the ginormous crowd of ponies all clopping their hooves together in ovation to her singing. It came as quite a surprise to Predator, but in the end she gave a bow to the audience. It was then as she left the stage that she was approached. It was the DJ who was playing the music to her song. She was a white unicorn mare, with a two toned blue mane and tail; her rose colored sunglasses hid her eyes, giving her an air of mystique.
“Gotta say filly, you killed out there,” said the mare.
“I didn’t kill anyone, I just sang the song!” stated Predator.
“I mean you were good, pardon my Prench, but you were better than good, you were damn good!”
Predator eyed the DJ nervously, “Um…thanks, I guess.”
“Sorry, I kinda got ahead of myself. Name’s Vinyl Scratch, but everypony knows me by my stage name, DJ PON-3,” said the white unicorn.
“Oh, yeah, didn’t you DJ Prince Shining Armor’s and Princess Cadance’s wedding reception a couple of years back?”
Vinyl chuckled, “Yeah, not one of my better days, you know, Changeling Invasion and all that.”
“What’s a Change –?”
“So, kid, walk with me.” Vinyl started to trot off from the crowd, Predator quickly caught up to the mare, having noticed that she got ahead of her. The two of them walked side-by-side for a bit before Vinyl spoke again. “Kid, I gotta ask, where did you learn to sing like that? You had those ponies eating out of your hooves!”
“Oh, um, to be honest I don’t know. It just felt, right, I guess that’s the best way to describe it.” In truth Predator didn’t know how to describe it, it was as if the music and her power became one and the two worked in harmony.
“Listen, I was wondering, would you mind doing me a solid, I’d owe you BIG time if you did,” asked Vinyl.
Predator raised a suspicious eyebrow, “What kind of ‘solid’ is it?”
“Nothing seedy, I need your help for the Love Festival’s concert tonight.”
“The concert…Oh yes, I remember, there’s supposed to be a live concert tonight with Ca – I mean – Princess Cadance singing duet with Sapphire Shores,” said Predator.
Vinyl chuckled nervously upon hearing the name Sapphire Shores. “Y-Yeah, listen, kid –”
“Star Sapphire,” she corrected.
“Sorry listen – Star Sapphire, really, weird, never mind – Miss Shores won’t be able to perform with the Princess tonight.”
Predator stopped abruptly and stared at Vinyl Scratch with wide eyes. “WHAT!!?”
“Shh, shh, shh, quiet Star! I don’t want the other ponies to catch wind of this, at least not yet!” Vinyl glanced to her right and then to her left, checking to see if anypony was eavesdropping on their conversation, thankfully, no pony was. “We’ve been secretly looking for a singer as good or good enough to duet with Princess Cadance. That’s not to say that she couldn’t do them herself, but many of the songs, stage effects, not to mention the countless hours it took to mix those songs just right to compliment two ponies, would take way too long to reorganize. So I’ve been DJ-ing at different karaoke stands and you were the only one I’ve heard all day that could probably hold their own with the Princess.”
Predator didn’t know what to say. She wanted to help Cadance that much she was sure of, but she didn’t know if that singing voice would appear a second time. She didn’t even know how she conjured it in the first time. “I-I want to help…but, I’m not really sure I’m the right pony for the job…” Vinyl turned around and faced the mare directly; she then raised her sunglasses up, allowing her scarlet eyes to show as she gave Predator a sympathetic look.
“Star, I know what you’re going through. I’ve had stage fright before when I first started out, still do. But once you start to feel the music, let it carry you, become you, everything else is tuned out. There’s just you, you’re voice, and the song. I’d love it if you would, but I don’t want you to do it if you’re not ready.” Vinyl put her glasses back on. Her horn then lit up as an aqua-blue aura brought a business card in front of her. “Whether you decide to or not, I’d like to help you out, I think ya got potential. Smell ya later, kid.”
Predator took the card into her own telekinetic aura, allowing Vinyl Scratch to turn and walk towards the concert hall. The Entity of Love just stared at the card for the longest time. Though, the more she thought about Cadance appearing on that lonely stage with no pony at her side, the more Predator felt compelled to do something. She could do this one thing, right? This one thing for somepony she admired and took her under her wing? With a confident expression Predator galloped after Vinyl Scratch.
“I’m participating in WHAT now!?”
“A-A concert your highness…Apparently it was put together by a musician by the name of DJ PON-3, she somehow convinced the organizers to put it together…”
Cadance was trotting towards the Canterlot Concert Hall, she was a bit flustered that she had to actually sing, even though it was known that the Princess of Love had a particularly wonderful singing voice and didn’t mind singing at all, she still would’ve liked the opportunity to know ahead of time.
“Thank you, Quill. I’ll handle the rest from here,” said Cadance.
With a respectful bow, the glasses wearing unicorn took her leave. Cadance found the back entrance of the building and proceeded inside. Naturally many of the staff members all bowed to her, and of course she smiled demurely, not exactly wanting to announce so soon how irritated she was that this event was planned without her knowing.
“Excuse me, can anypony spare a minute,” asked Cadance.
“I might, your highness.”
Cadance turned to her left and saw a gray earth pony mare walking towards her. She had a black mane and tail, with violet eyes, a pink bowtie, and a treble clef cutie mark.
“Thank you, Miss…?”
“Octavia, Octavia Melody,” she announced while bowing.
“Oh, I’ve heard of you. You play for the Canterlot Philharmonic, and your solos are very lovely.” Cadance noticed the slight blush the sophisticated musician had upon her face. “But, more importantly, I need help in locating the organizer of this entire thing,” she said while gesturing with her hoof.
“Of course, Princess Cadance, please follow me.”
Octavia led the Princess of Love towards the main stage. Many of the stage crew were putting the final touches, such as the lights, the backdrop, and of course securing the drapes. Towards the left side of the stage (aka stage right) there were large electronic speakers being brought in. In between the speakers was a sound control dashboard along with some turntables, and in the control seat was the mare Cadance was looking for. Her head bobbed up and down to the music being played on her headphones, constantly messing with the dials and switches to tune the music just right.
Cadance put on a stern expression and trotted towards the DJ at a brisk pace. Slightly worried, Octavia matched her pace. Soon the pink alicorn was upon the DJ, she then cleared her throat loudly in an attempt to gain her attention.
“Excuse me, DJ PON-3?”
The white unicorn mare just continued to bob her head to the music.
“Miss?”
Still no response.
“MISS!?”
“Princess Cadance,” Octavia interjected, “allow me, if you please.”
Octavia moved behind the speakers and control panels and approached the DJ. She then let out a long exacerbated sigh as she lifted the left earphone.
“VINYL!!!”
Vinyl Scratch yelped and flailed her forelegs about as she fell backwards in surprise from the sudden shouting of her name into her ear. Vinyl regained her senses and shook her head, scanning for the unfortunate soul who was about to get their flank kicked from Canterlot all the way to the Badlands. That is, until she saw Octavia standing there.
“Oh, hey babe, what’s up?”
“Vinyl, we have a visitor,” said Octavia.
Vinyl Scratch finally stood up and stared at Princess Cadance. She saw that the Princess was less than pleased, and of course, Vinyl knew exactly why that was.
“Miss Vinyl, correct,” asked Cadance in an even tone.
“Yes…Look, I know why you’re here,” she said.
“Oh, do you now?”
Octavia raised a suspicious eyebrow, “What’s going on here, Vinyl?”
The DJ pony gulped under the scrutinizing gazes of the two mares, “You’re ticked because I set up this little concert without running it by you, right?”
Cadance simply nodded. She was ticked, but it wasn’t in her nature to hold grudges, her plan was to sternly lecture her, afterwards she’d agree to do the concert, but only after Vinyl Scratch promised to never do this kind of thing again, at least not without informing her first. However, Cadance’s plan was quickly derailed somewhat as Octavia glowered at her incredulously.
“YOU DID WHAT!!!?” Octavia shouted, flabbergasted.
“Heh, heh…oops…”
Octavia face hoofed herself and slowly dragged it down her face in frustration. “I cannot believe you! Of all the irresponsible, half-witted, harebrained things you ever done, this by far takes the cake!” Octavia then quickly trotted from behind the control panel and stomped about on the stage. “Do you even realize what you’ve done!?”
Vinyl quickly jumped over her control panel and hurried to her lover’s side. “Tavi, c’mon, I-I…ugh, alright you’re right I messed up, royally – no pun intended. But, Tavi, babe, we can’t just cancel the whole thing! A lot of ponies are coming, and they’ll be disappointed if –!”
Octavia then whipped around and stared directly at Vinyl. “Well you should’ve of thought about that before you decided to go rogue and put all this together!” The gray mare looked towards the pink alicorn, her face completely apologetic. “Princess Cadance, I apologize for my…marefriend’s, forwardness, and recklessness. I unknowingly agreed to this whole thing as well. You are certainly under no obligation to go through with this.”
Cadance’s magic was passively acting of its own accord. She could sense the love between them, but there was also some hurt in the unicorn mare’s heart. Apparently she wasn’t afraid of royalty, orchestrating this whole event was proof enough of that, but she was afraid of disappointing her marefriend; and that feeling was only growing by the second the longer this dragged out.
Cadance didn’t want to be the reason for a couple breaking up, especially on Hearts and Hooves Day. So she quickly put on a sincere and kind smile.
“Vinyl Scratch, Octavia Melody, I am not angry with either of you. A little annoyed by this concert being arranged behind my back, but not angry, that being said I would be happy to perform tonight.”
Both mares stared at Princess Cadance blankly, not sure if they heard her right.
“You will,” they said in unison.
“Of course, but promise me that the next time you want to plan something like this, you go through the proper channels, alright?”
“ALRIGHT! Thanks Princess Cadance, ya know, you’re alright and –”
Octavia pushed Vinyl’s head down, forcing her to bow and to stop her from saying anything that might ruin the Princess of Love’s benevolent mood.
“Thank you, your highness. I promise to keep a closer eye on this one. Anyway, may I show you to makeup and wardrobe,” asked Octavia.
Cadance nodded at the offer, Octavia then gave a light bop on Vinyl’s head before going leading the Princess backstage. As they left, the gray mare glanced over her shoulder, she then flashed her marefriend a smile, to which Vinyl smiled back. As the two walked towards the rooms a thought popped into Octavia’s mind.
“Oh, I almost forgot, Sapphire Shores – another pony Vinyl wrangled into this – is indisposed at the moment and won’t be able to join the concert. So you’ll be singing duet with another mare tonight.”
“That’s fine, who is she? Do I know her by chance?”
Octavia thought for a moment, “Well, to be honest, I don’t know her either. Vinyl scouted her at one of the karaoke stations. According to her she has quite the singing voice, and if I know Vinyl, which I do, she’s a very good judge of talent.”
The prospect of working with an unknown singer was actually quite exciting. Cadance had met a few of the famous ones, chief among them Sapphire Shores, but she liked the idea of working with an up and comer. Soon the two mares arrived at the door with a big gold star on it. Octavia knocked on the door a few times.
“Yes?”
“Miss Swoon, Princess Cadance is here, are you ready?”
“I’m putting the final touches on Miss Sapphire here, you two can come in if you please,” said Vidala Swoon.
With that out of the way, Octavia opened door and at that moment, Cadance’s mouth dropped. The mare in the styling chair smiled nervously at the alicorn princess and waved at her.
“Hi, Princess…”
(Later That Night)
Both Cadance and Predator stood on the platform underneath the stage. The muffled roar of the crowd up above was deafening, even through the thick wood and metal rigging. Predator would constantly glance over to Cadance, but whenever she suspected the mare to turn and look at her, she’d quickly avert her gaze and look down at her hooves like the most interesting thing in world was on the floor. The Princess of Love flexed her wing and tapped Predator on the shoulder.
“Just relax Predator, you’ll do great,” said Cadance.
“I-I’ve never done anything like this before…The whole thing at the karaoke stage was just a fluke. The ponies were probably just being nice.” Predator’s ears went flat as a frown appeared on her lips.
“Hey, don’t talk like that. You can’t be nervous, this from the entity that blew out part of Canterlot Castle and whisked me away to the Crystal Empire? And, if I might add, scared the living daylights out of Ponyville during Nightmare Night?”
“That was different! I was in my true form, not being myself – like this!” Predator gestured to her body. “I already mess up when it comes to our lessons, and I…I don’t want to embarrass you in front of so many ponies…”
“Predator I know you’re nervous –”
“‘Nervous’! I am the Entity of Love, a cosmic being as old as time itself, I don’t get ‘nervous’, I don’t even know the meaning of the word…!” Even though she said that, Predator wasn’t so sure it was true. Dealing with intergalactic villains, rogue guardians, a bringer of death, these things she could handle, but when it comes to something as simple as singing in front of crowds, it just felt different. Cadance moved closer to her “protégé” and rested a foreleg around her neck in a half-hug. “You won’t embarrass me or yourself for that matter.” Cadance thought for a moment and the metaphorical light bulb clicked on in her head. “If you’re feeling nervous, just look at me. Block out everypony else, don’t even think about them. Just concentrate on the music and sing as if you’re singing to me and me alone.”
Predator looked up into the kind and gentle eyes of her fellow love wielder. Can it really be that simple…? The Entity of Love felt her heart skip a beat for a moment, but she didn’t really pay too much attention to it. “Thank you, Cadance.”
“HELLO CANTERLOT, AND ALL YOU LOVEY DOVEY LOVEBIRDS OUT THERE, I’M DJ PON-3 AND WELCOME TO OUR SPECIAL HEARTS AND HOOVES DAY CONCERT!!!” The crowd stamped their hooves in ovation to Vinyl Scratch’s words, making the entire room rumble. “WE’VE GOT A REAL TREAT FOR YOU MARES AND STALLIONS OUT THERE, TONIGHT WE HAVE PRINCESS CADANCE PERFORMING LIVE FOR YOU ALL, WE’RE GOING TO END TODAY’S FESTIVAL WITH A BANG!”
Cadance glanced back to Predator, “Are you ready?”
“Not so much, but I guess so.”
“TONIGHT THE PRINCESS WILL BE SINGING A DUET WITH HER APPRENTICE, AND SHE’S GOT QUITE A VOICE TOO. SO MAY I INTRODUCE, PRINCESS CADANCE AND STAR SAPPHIRE!!!”
At that moment the metal rigging began to whir. The platform they were standing on started to raddle and shake, a sudden feeling of weightlessness overcame them. The trapdoors opened above them as they were hoisted to the stage. Immediately the two mares’ ears were assaulted with the roar of the crowd and the bright lights. When they were fully lifted up the two disembarked from the platform and allowed it to submerge. Princess Cadance waved to the crowd; Predator just smiled and gave little bows towards the large audience.
Let’s see, hope I remember how to do this right, ahem.
“WELCOME CITIZENS OF CANTERLOT, AND ALL THOSE WHO HAVE TRAVELED HERE,” said Cadance in the Royal Canterlot Voice. “I’M VERY EXCITED TO BE HERE, AND AM THRILLED TO END TODAY’S FESTIVAL SINGING WITH MY APPRENTICE, STAR SAPPHIRE!”
Cadance heard the Entity of Love let out a little “eep” sound from the mention of her name. The Princess of Love then nodded towards Vinyl Scratch, the white unicorn mare then levitated two microphones towards the singers. Both mares took hold of the microphones in their telekinetic auras. Cadance remembered to clear her throat to make sure she didn’t use the Voice while speaking into the device, else the entire Concert Hall be obliterated, and everypony along with it.
“Now, mares and gentlecolts let the concert begin!”
The overhanging lights dimmed slightly, leaving only two spotlights on Cadance and Predator. The mare’s heart began to race; she could feel the eyes of all the ponies in the audience peer over her, judging, waiting. Predator felt an overwhelming urge to transform and burst out through the roof and fly back to the Crystal Empire. Heck, fighting the Butcher would be more enjoyable than this.
“If you’re feeling nervous, just look at me…”
Predator glanced at Cadance, and just like earlier the pink alicorn held her gentle smile.
“Block out everypony else, don’t even think about them. Just concentrate on the music and sing as if you’re singing to me and me alone…”
To you…and you alone… Predator closed her eyes, blocking out the murmur of the crowd. The world became silent as she focused all her senses on Cadance, and when she next opened her eyes, all she saw, was Cadance.
The Princess of Love nodded off towards Vinyl Scratch once again. The DJ used her magic operate her control panel, the music began to play over the speakers. Soft and gentle, flowing and steady, there was only them and the music.
“Somewhere, out there, Beneath the pale moonlight. Someone’s thinking of me, And loving me tonight~”
Predator was ready, right here and now, she would sing to this beautiful mare before her. Did she just seriously think that!? Concentrate, the music, the song, and Cadance, nothing else.
“Somewhere, out there, Someone’s saying a prayer. That we’ll find one another, In that big somewhere, out there~”
Predator’s horn began to glow, a feeling of magic and her cosmic light melding together. Cadance could also feel a resonating energy within herself, it was exciting, powerful, and somewhat scary, but still she continued to sing, Predator was counting on her and she wouldn’t let her down.
“And even though I know how very far apart we are, It helps to think we might be wishing on the same bright star~”
“And when the night wind starts to sing a lonesome lullaby, It helps to think we’re sleeping underneath the same big sky~”
“Somewhere out there, if love can see us through~” “Somewhere out there, if love can see us through~”
“Then we’ll be together, somewhere out there…” “Then we’ll be together, somewhere out there…”
“Out where dreams, come true~” “Out where dreams, come true~”
Something started to happen; their horns glowed bright with their individual auras. The two auras sparked out like lightning, uniting with the another’s, till the lightning harmonized with each other, and created a wave of combined love filled energy that washed over the auditorium. The couples, and secret herdmates, all began to feel an incredible rush of energy, along with the beautiful voices of the two mares; it was as if they were stepping into an ethereal dream. Vinyl Scratch continued to control the flow of the music, using her skill to match the awesome singing of the two mares. Whether she was affected by their magic was hard to say, but she didn’t let it interrupt her flow.
Cadance could feel the same rush of energy, it was intoxicating. It reminded her of the time when she rode on Predator’s back, but this time it wasn’t as wild or overpowering, it was calm and soothing. Predator could also feel Cadance’s energy passing through her; it felt right, like they were truly one.
“And even though I know how very far apart we are, It helps to think we might be wishing on the same bright star~”
“And when the night wind starts to sing a lonesome lullaby, It helps to think we’re sleeping underneath the same big sky~”
“Somewhere out there~” “Somewhere out there~”
“If love can see us through~”
“Can see us through~”
“Then we’ll be together~”
“Somewhere out there…” “Somewhere out there…”
“Out where dreams, come true~” “Out where dreams, come true~”
They’re eyes met as the song came to an end, they held their stare for what felt like hours, but really it was more like a few seconds. Once the crowd had come down off of the love energy high, they all erupted into thunderous applause and cheers. The sound of which snapped the two mares out of their joint trance and making them both blush. The entire auditorium was a cacophony of whooping, yelling, whistling, and a few catcalls too. The alicorn and unicorn both bowed to the audience, flashing big smiles to their fans.
“GIVE IT UP FOR PRINCESS CADANCE AND STAR SAPPHIRE MARES AND GENTLECOLTS!!!” Vinyl shouted.
The crowd grew even louder, if that were even possible, continuing their applause. Predator couldn’t help but spare a glance at Cadance, something was…different. She liked Cadance of course; I mean how often you find someone with the same power as you. But right now, she glowed.
(After The Concert)
The evening found Cadance and Predator walking the festival grounds together. After their song was over, along with a couple of encores, the two of them decided to just wander around, enjoying the lovely night that Luna had made. Predator couldn’t look Cadance directly in the eye, and apparently neither could Cadance. They had shared something on that stage tonight, a connection – and a familiar one at that.
“Cadance I…I’m sorry,” said Predator.
“For what?”
“For…my power, it resonated with yours. I know you’ve told me to take it easy when I’m using it, especially when I’m around you. But it…it just happened, so I’m-I’m sorry…”
Cadance leaned closer to Predator and gave her comforting nuzzle. “Yes, I was a little overwhelmed, but it’s not like I didn’t like it. It wasn’t the same as the first time we met. It was more…loving, I guess. That’s pretty much the only word I can think of to describe it.”
The Entity of Love smiled at that, it was a small one, but she meant it. As they continued on their trek Predator noticed a couple of mares coming towards them. The pink unicorn mare immediately recognized them, as too did Cadance. It wasn’t surprising to see these two particular mares, but it was surprising to see them so close to each other, tails linked.
“Star, there you are!”
“Sunset,” called out Predator.
The two mares met each other halfway, with Sunset Shimmer giving Predator a hug, a sight that Cadance thought she’d never see from the usually irritated mare.
“I’m glad I found you I – Oh!” Sunset noticed Cadance coming up behind Predator and immediately bowed. “Sorry, I didn’t see you there Princess Cadance.”
“No, it’s fine,” said Cadance as she waved her hoof dismissively. “I just didn’t expect to see you, or…her.”
The mare, Trixie, walked up beside Sunset and gave a respectful bow as well. “Greetings Princess Cadance, I am –”
“Trixie Lulamoon.”
All three were struck speechless, but Trixie quickly regained her voice and puffed out her chest proudly. “I’m not surprised you know my name, Trixie’s great and powerful status does precede her.”
“Actually Twilight wrote to me about both your visits to Ponyville.”
The mention of Twilight Sparkle made Sunset and Trixie cringe in equal amounts of embarrassment and shame, more so Trixie at the mention of her infamous visits to Ponyville. The azure mare was now acutely aware that Princess Cadance was Twilight Sparkle’s sister-in-law, and wife to the former Captain of the Guard, Prince, and the big brother of said pony, Shining Armor. Trixie gulped and shrank a bit.
“Trixie would like to apologize…I never meant to hurt Twilight, I just –”
“Wanted to humiliate her, and prove that you were the better unicorn sorceress,” interrupted Cadance. “I know. Twilight seems to attract unicorns who want to ‘prove themselves’ or use her for their own evil agenda.” At this she glanced at Sunset Shimmer, who averted her gaze when she heard that statement.
“Trixie promises that those days are over, I’m trying to do better, Princess,” said Trixie in an almost pleading tone.
Cadance glowered at the two mares, even though she wasn’t as intimidating as Celestia, or as scary as Luna, when she looked at you it was as if you were staring into the disappointed eyes of your own mother.
“Cadance…I can sense that they aren’t like that. There’s love in their hearts, real love,” said Predator, trying to defuse the situation.
After another minute of Cadance’s intense stare, her gaze began to soften as a smile crept along her lips. “It’s alright everypony, I’m not mad. I just wanted the chance to grill the two mares who gave my little Ladybug a lot of grief. But now that I have, we’re okay.”
Sunset and Trixie didn’t question the Princess of Love’s decision. They both bowed low, thankful that they didn’t incur the wrath of the alicorn that controlled love.
“Thank you, Princess Cadance, I – we – swear that something like that will never happen again,” said Sunset Shimmer.
“I promise as well,” added Trixie, “the Great and Apologetic Trixie will never do any harm by anypony ever again.”
Cadance chuckled at Trixie’s apology. “It’s alright, and I see that you two are happy. I hope you two continue to be happy.”
Sunset and Trixie blushed at the compliment. Sunset then looked at Predator. “Star, thank you for your help earlier today, and for…you know.” Sunset nodded her head towards Trixie.
“I understand, and it was no problem,” said Predator.
“Well, we must be going, this one promised me dinner, on her of course,” said Trixie.
“‘On me’, I thought we were splitting the bill,” said Sunset raising an eyebrow.
“Details, details, come now, Trixie’s famished!”
The azure mare slid up against Sunset and gave her an affectionate nuzzle under her chin. With a defeated sigh, and an eye roll, Sunset bowed one last time to Princess Cadance before the two of them started to walk off, tails intertwined as they trotted along. Once the two were gone, Cadance looked at Predator with a grin.
“What?”
“How did you manage to get them together?”
“Um…the power of love…?” Cadance gave Predator a dubious look. “Not like that, I didn’t use my power I swear I –!”Predator stopped upon realizing that Cadance was laughing at how flustered the entity was getting. “That’s not funny!”
“Oh yes it is!” Cadance then ran down the street as Predator growled.
“Come back here, Cadance!”
“Gotta catch me first, Star!”
There it was, that feeling again, it was one that she felt in everypony here, and in others before. But this was the first time she genuinely felt in her own heart and not as a result of her power. It was love, for another, love… for Cadance.
Spring time was finally upon Ponyville, with Winter Wrap Up being another huge success thanks to the organizational skills of Twilight, and with the extra help of one or three different Entities. In all that time Proselyte had gotten to enjoy staying with Fluttershy. She was quite different from the wielders of his light, and the others of the dimension they left behind. She displayed true acts of kindness to all around her, to the animals in the forest, and to ponies in the town. Although he could tell that Fluttershy was able to be stern and strong when the need arose, like now for instance.
Proselyte was watching as Fluttershy was talking to Angel, her pet rabbit, about his current attitude towards the young pegasus colt. He was somehow covered in a sticky substance, later identified as syrup from the kitchen. Somehow the little rabbit had filled a bucket full of the stuff and dumped it off the top of the stairs all over the colt.
“Angel, now you know what you did was wrong. You need to be nice to Lyte while he’s living with us, he’s as much a part of this home as you are, mister,” scolded Fluttershy.
Angel chirped and chattered, doing his part to at least appear to be apologetic.
“Angel I know this wasn’t an accident. All of the bottles of maple syrup are empty and the bucket for my chicken feed isn’t in the back shed. And I know I told you many times not to go in my shed, you could hurt yourself.”
Proselyte cleared his throat, gaining Fluttershy’s attention. “Fluttershy, it’s really alright, it’s was just a harmless prank.”
“It won’t be that harmless if you stand there any longer. Now go to the bathroom and take a shower to get rid of that syrup before it dries and hardens. If you don’t, we’ll have to cut your fur and hair till there’s almost nothing and let it regrow,” said Fluttershy.
Proselyte didn’t say another word; he quickly made his way to the bathroom, whereupon the sound of running water was heard. Angel began to snicker, imagining the colt completely shaved and bald. Fluttershy’s stern expression was returned to Angel, but it soon softened as she lowered her body as to not tower over the bunny.
“Angel, I know it’s a big adjustment, having Proselyte live here with us. But he has no place to go, and he’s a really nice colt. Can you at least try and get along with him, for me?” Fluttershy asked.
Angel let out a huff and crossed his forelegs across his chest. Fluttershy let out a sigh, not really sure if she would ever get her pet bunny under control or find a way to help him get along with Proselyte.
“Well…I’m going out then, since we’re out of maple syrup.” Fluttershy threw on her saddle bags and made her way to the door before turning back to Angel. “Angel, when I get back, we’re going to have a serious discussion.” With that said Fluttershy walked out the door.
Angel hopped a few times to the window and watched as Fluttershy trotted down the road towards Ponyville. When the little critter was sure she was a good distance away Angel went into action. He quickly dashed towards the bathroom door, a plan working through his head as he got closer. But when Angel tried to grasp the doorknob he found himself being repelled from it. Angel fell on his rear and rubbed his head; he then looked up and saw that there was a thin layer of indigo light over the door.
“@#$%&,” he squeaked.
Just then the room began to rumble. A small spark of light began flickering in the living room. Angel hid behind the sofa, waiting to see what was going to happen. The spark then flashed brightly and something skidded into the living room, trails of fire hot on its heels. Angel peeked behind the sofa and slapped his forehead in annoyance. Standing with a serpentine body, and a mishmash of different animal parts, was Discord, the Spirit of Chaos. He was wearing a white lab coat, with a sort of platinum visor over his eyes, and had wild silvery hair.
“Great Scott,” he exclaimed, “Whatever you do, do NOT go back to 145 BCL, they are some of the craziest bunch of ponies you’ll ever meet! But they do know how to party.”
The draconequus then snapped his lion’s paw and the outfit vanished. He then then looked around and saw that there was no one inside. Discord scratched his head in confusion.
“Oh Fluttershy! Dear, little, Fluttershy! Your good friend, Discord, is here!” Discord continued to look around the living room, poking his head into a birdhouse and scaring its occupants, lifting up chairs and tables, looking for Fluttershy and growing frustrated that he wasn’t able to find her.
“Now where is that adorable little bundle of shyness?!”
It was then that the draconequus heard a creaking noise coming from behind him. He then spotted the source, Fluttershy’s ill tempered, grouchy bunny, Angel, was quietly trying to sneak away from Discord. Angel looked behind him to see if Discord had spied him, the little bunny let out a sigh of relief, happy that he hadn’t been found out. As he turned his head to continue to sneak away, Angel’s eyes were soon met with the red and yellow eyes of one Spirit of Chaos.
“Boo!”
Angel let out a squeal of fright as he jumped into the air and clung to one of the low lying supports. The bunny looked back down and saw that Discord had somehow shrunk down to the same size as Angel, and was now currently laughing it up. Angel scrunched his eyes shut, his anger boiling up from being pranked by the draconequus for the umpteenth time. The white bunny was about to lay into Discord, but when he opened his eyes Discord had once again disappeared to who-knows-where.
“Ha, ha, priceless, simply priceless, oh Angel you are a quite easy.”
Angel looked up and saw that he was hanging onto Discord instead of the wooden support beam. He quickly let go of Discord’s body and fell to the floor with a THUMP.
“Okay, all joking aside, tell me, where is Fluttershy? I came to visit – now that Celestia’s errands are done – so where is she?!”
Angel rose up from the floor, rubbing his rear from where he landed. Now facing Discord, Angel began to chirp and chatter angrily at the draconequus. All the while Discord was stroking his goatee, listening intently to Angel’s rant.
“I see…Uh-huh…That’s interesting…”
Angel stared at Discord, giving him a look that said, “Do you actually understand me?”
“Of course I don’t understand a word you’re saying, do I look like a speak bunny!?”
Suddenly the door to the bathroom opened up, steam began to pour out as a figure began to walk out. Discord looked at the steam confused, he could tell that the silhouette was that of a pegasus, but it seemed too small to be Fluttershy. Soon the steam cleared away, showing a purple pegasus colt drying his mane with a towel.
“What is going on, I’ve been sensing many different emotions and –!” Proselyte stared at Discord, his uncovered eye scanning his form as if trying to determine what exactly he was looking at. “Um, pardon me, who are you?”
“Who am I!?” Discord cried out aghast. “‘WHO AM I!?’ I am the guardian of lost souls! I am the powerful, the pleasurable! The great and powerful wizard of – wait, wait sorry wrong speech – ahem – I am Discord, the Spirit of Chaos!” Discord then pointed an accusatory talon at the colt. “And who might you be, and why are you here, in Fluttershy’s bathroom no less!?”
Proselyte blinked a few times, “I am Proselyte, and I live here.”
Discord’s talon went limp upon hearing those words, “You…you live here!? With Fluttershy!?”
“Um, yes, this is Fluttershy’s residence and she has invited me to live with her.”
A large book appeared out of nowhere in his lion’s paw that read “My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Script”. He then flipped through the pages of the book, pulling out a pair of reading glasses with his tail and putting them on as he glanced over the text. Both Angel and Proselyte watched as Discord continued to read the manuscript, wondering what he was trying to find.
“Let’s see, ‘Discord arrives at Fluttershy’s. Discord then messes with Angel’s head by doing random things. And a mysterious colt appears from the bathroom and announces that he is Fluttershy’s housemate…’” Discord glanced from the script to Proselyte, back to the script, and then back to Proselyte again. He then closed it and tossed the script over his shoulder, which somehow resulted in an explosion that didn’t destroy anything. “Okay, I’m going rogue here. Since when does Fluttershy, the pony who’s practically scared of her own shadow, allow a colt to stay with her? Are you her younger brother!?”
“No.”
“Her cousin?”
“No.”
“A brother-in-law?”
“No, again.”
“A second cousin twice removed on her mother’s side?”
“Um…no, I guess.”
Discord then gasped loudly and looked like he had seen Faust herself. “ARE YOU HER SON!!?”
Proselyte couldn’t help but facehoof himself. “You are the second, um, being to think that. I am twelve years old, and Miss Fluttershy is nearly twenty-three. She would’ve been eleven years old when she had me.”
Discord thought it over for a moment, his argument was valid, and honestly he couldn’t imagine his dear Fluttershy acting in such a promiscuous manner, even at such a young age. Still, that didn’t mean anything to him right now.
“Listen you I –!”
“Discord!?” All three occupants turned towards the front door and saw Fluttershy standing there with a saddlebag full of maple syrup and a smile upon her face. “I didn’t know you were coming over. Oh my goodness, I’m sorry that I wasn’t here to greet you!”
Discord slithered up next to Proselyte and slung his lion arm across his shoulders, “Oh not at all, dear Fluttershy. I only arrived just a moment ago, by the way who is this colt; I’ve never seen him before?”
Proselyte looked up at Discord confused, “But I just –gack!” Proselyte suddenly felt a strong pressure around his neck. Fluttershy smiled kindly at Discord and obliged him, “No problem. Discord, I’d like you to meet Proselyte. For, um, certain reasons that I can’t go into detail about, Lyte is living with me. He has nowhere to go, and I couldn’t very well let him be on his own.”
“Of course not, you were just being your kind and caring self.”
“Well, let me put these bottles up and I’ll fix us all something to eat,” said Fluttershy happily.
When Fluttershy was out of earshot Discord looked down at the colt, “I got my eye on you, ‘Proselyte’.” The Spirit of Chaos punctuated his point by having both of his eyes pop out his head and start hovering around the colt like electrons on an atom.
This…is going to be a tiresome ordeal, of this I am sure.
(That Following Morning)
Discord watched as Fluttershy went about the grounds, feeding the animals that the timid mare took care of, tending to their wellbeing, and humming happily as she did so. At the same time Proselyte seemed to be doing the same thing, handling some the more difficult animals that came stomping in from the forest. The young colt merely shot them a glance (Discord swore he saw a flash of purple light when he did so) and the animal suddenly went more lax, not afraid, but more out of a profound respect that he didn’t think he deserved for such a youngling.
The Spirit of Chaos kept his vigil from the window of Fluttershy’s cottage. Noting that there was another who watched with annoyance and a slight degree of distrust. “It would seem that I am not alone. So tell me, Angel, what or who is this Proselyte?”
Angel regarded the draconequus, although he disliked him, compared to Proselyte, he was the lesser of two evils, so to speak. So Angel started speaking, of course it was in his chattering squeaks and chirps that only another animal would understand. Discord sighed.
“I don’t have time to learn ‘bunny rabbit’, so I’ll just have to change that!” Discord snapped his talons and immediately Angel went still and the top of his head unscrewed like a lid on a jar, revealing his brain. “Now, let’s see what I can do about your language problem.”
Cracking his knuckles, Discord went to work on Angel’s brain. The sounds of drills, hammering, and a jackhammer could be heard within the cottage. After about a few seconds Discord stepped away and screwed Angel’s scalp back on and snapped his talons again.
“Okay, say something.”
Angel rubbed his head for a moment, looking disoriented from what Discord did.
“Nani... Anata wa watashi ni seikaku ni nani o shimashita ka? Nē, watashi no kuchi kara dete kuru no ka, chottomatte!”
Discord blinked a few times, “Guess I somehow rewired your brain for Neighponese. Easy fix!” Discord snapped his fingers yet again and went to work rewiring the bunny’s brain. Once again the room was filled with the random sounds of various tools. The Spirit of Chaos shut the lid on Angel’s brain and stepped back. “Okay, how about now?”
Angel coughed for a moment, his voice sounding deep and raspy. “Könnten Sie damit aufhören! Na toll jetzt bin ich sprechen eine andere seltsame Sprache! Können Sie etwas richtig machen Sie verdammt mischen von Tierteilen ! Ich meine, wie viele Möglichkeiten diese Schraube auf!?”
Discord scrached at his chin, confused as to how he transitioned him into Germane? With yet another snap, and various power tools, Discord went to work again and hopefully third time was the charm.
“Bon, c'est assez, si vous ne vous arrêtez pas, je vous jure que je vais planter mon pied droit dans le cul sale fils de -!”
Alright maybe fourth time was the charm. “This better be it, because I am not going to spend hours translating our conversations.” With one last snap the lid of Angel’s scalp slammed shut.
“Would you stop messing with – I CAN TALK!” Angel quickly covered his head with his paws and scowled at Discord. “No more brain surgery! Ya got that!”
Discord clapped joyfully, “Success! Now we can carry out a civilized conversation.”
“Bite me, Discord,” spat Angel.
“……Well, at least we can carry out a conversation. So tell me, Angel, what’s the news on that colt out there?”
Angel thought it over, again. And after weighing in the comical brain surgery he had undergone, he still believed, as crazy as it sounds, that Discord was the lesser of two evils. At least he knew that Fluttershy and her friends could use the Elements of Harmony on him and turn the draconequus to stone, Proselyte on the other hand, he wasn’t as sure.
So Angel told Discord, well, everything. From the unnatural way he made a purple light shine from his body, how he would often create constructs made of light to help Fluttershy around the house, and how he often had strange symbols of light appear over his forehead sometimes. He even went into detail about an incident that happened around Hearth’s Warming.
When all was said and done Discord regarded the colt from the window and narrowed his eye, contemplating. “Looks like the enemy of my enemy is my friend, Angel,” he concluded.
Angel looked up at Discord confused, “Say what?”
“You don’t like him, and I don’t like him. And after what you just told me, it explains this weird vibe I got from him when I first laid eyes on that colt. I purpose we work together, for Fluttershy’s own good, we have to drive this unknown being out!” Plus, I’m bored and need some fun.
Angel stared down the draconequus, was it really in his best interest to team up with this spawn of destructive, chaotic force? On the other hand he did want to get rid of Proselyte, plus something about him didn’t sit well and he didn’t want to see Fluttershy hurt…Angel then extended his paw up to Discord.
“Against my better judgment, and for her sake, I’m willing to agree to this unholy alliance, for now,” said Angel.
Discord smiled and reached out his own paw, but before he could grasp Angel’s paw the bunny retracted his it.
“Also, no weird bodily transformations on me, or messing around with my brain,” he quickly added.
A frown appeared on Discord’s face; he then sighed and shook his paw. And with that the unholy alliance was formed and Equestria would burn for all eternity in a war that could tear the very fabric of reality and thrust its habitants into the event horizon of destruction…Nah I’m just kidding, they’re going to make Proselyte’s life a living Tartarus.
“Now who says we can’t do all that other stuff?” ~~~
Discord I get enough with Pinkie Pie, I don’t need you breaking the 4th Wall too! Just stick to the script – and don’t destroy reality, again!
~~~
“Who are you talking to,” asked Angel in confusion.
(War: Day 1)
Proselyte was sleeping soundly in his bed. The morning sun rose up on the horizon as the rays poured into his room. The pegasus colt found himself squinting at the intruding harsh light, turning in his bed to avoid the light in his eyes. Unfortunately he remembered that it was his turn to feed the chickens this morning. With a sigh, Proselyte got up, made his bed, and headed towards the shower.
Proselyte was feeling a little lazy this morning, so he decided to concentrate a bit of his energy on the knobs, turning them till the water started to shoot out of the shower head. The Entity of Compassion waited a moment for the temperature to get just right, placing a hoof in the stream to test the water. Once he was certain that it was at the optimal temperature Proselyte entered the shower and started to rinse his fur.
As he continued to wash, Proselyte started to feel that something was off. His hooves were starting to feel heavy; as a matter of fact the water’s viscosity was feeling rather odd. Proselyte opened his eyes to see what was happening and saw that the shower head was not pouring out water, but instead was spewing a blue jelly like substance, and it was quickly filling up the tub, and the spilling out into the bathroom itself.
“What in the name of –!”
Suddenly the shower head burst apart and a flood of the blue substance began to fill the room. Proselyte held his breath and tried to swim in the jelly-like substance, but it was like moving in molasses, each movement hindered by the jelly. The Entity of Compassion had had enough of this and focused his power on the door, a bright flash of indigo light blasted the door off its hinges and allowed the blue jelly substance to pour out of the room and carried Proselyte with it.
The pegasus colt gagged and took in deep breaths of life giving air. Some of the substance got into his mouth, he then smacked his lips. “Blueberry Jelly, how did that happen?”
At that moment Fluttershy rushed downstairs and saw what had happened to Proselyte, with a worried look, she quickly rushed to his side and helped him up. “Oh my goodness, Lyte, what happened to you, what is this stuff,” she asked frantic.
“I’m alright Fluttershy, and to answer your other question this appears to be…blueberry jelly of some sort, at least that’s what it tastes like.”
Fluttershy placed her hoof in the substance and brought it up to the nose; she then took a cautious sniff of the blue goo and found that it did contain the scent of blueberries. Fluttershy then took a look inside her bathroom and saw the destruction the jelly had caused.
“Oh my, now what happened here!?”
Both pegasi turned around and saw that Discord had appeared behind them, wearing a monogrammed robe and holding a bowl filled with…shredded paper. The Spirit of Chaos craned his neck over the two and scanned the inside of the bathroom, looking positively shocked at its state.
“My goodness, whatever happened in here,” he asked.
Proselyte eyed the draconequus wearily as he answered, “I was taking a shower and somehow the water turned into blueberry jelly. Quite an odd thing to happen to water, wouldn’t you agree?”
“Oh very, somepony must’ve tampered with the water pipes. I mean, there’s no other way that this could’ve happened to just you, although I do hope it is blueberry jelly,” said Discord with a hint of mirth in his voice.
Fluttershy then began to inspect Proselyte’s body, checking his wings, legs, and head for any sign of injury. When she saw that there were no physical injuries she breathed a sigh of relief and hugged the colt.
“Fluttershy, you shouldn’t – you’ll get it this stuff all over your coat and mane,” warned Proselyte.
“I don’t care, I’m just glad you’re alright.”
As Discord watched the display of affection, his left eye began to twitch. He then cleared his throat, making Fluttershy separate herself from Proselyte, a pink blush adorning her cheeks.
“Well, um, I guess I should call a plumber to come over and fix this,” she said.
“Nonsense!” Discord then tossed the bowl of shredded paper over his shoulder (resulting in another non-destructive explosion) and disrobed rather dramatically. Underneath however was a workpony’s belt, with various tools holstered, and a light-blue shirt with a name tag that read “Bob”. “You just leave everything to me, dear Fluttershy, and I’ll have this mess cleaned up in a jiffy.”
“Thank you, Discord, that’s very kind of you,” said Fluttershy as she beamed at the draconequus. “Lyte, you can use it first after Discord’s finished fixing it.”
Proselyte shifted his glance between Discord and the shower; an uneasy feeling began to form in his mind. “No…that’s alright, I’ll go outside and see if the hose is still working properly. You can use it first, I insist.”
“Okay, well, if it’s too cold be sure to come back inside and warm up.”
Proselyte nodded and took his leave. The pegasus colt trotted to the back of the cottage and found the water hose. Not wanting to experience a second round of jelly, Proselyte decided to hold the hose aloft in an aura of indigo light, aiming it off towards the grass. He then turned on the hose and immediately water poured from the other end. Thinking it safe, Proselyte held the hose in his teeth, watching the water carefully as he rinsed out the sticky substance from his fur and wings.
Strange…water changing into jelly of all things. Could Discord have – no, he’s Fluttershy’s friend, and even so, it was probably an accident, he thought.
Giving Discord the benefit of the doubt, Proselyte shook his body free of any water that still clung to his coat. He could hear the hens clucking for their breakfast and smiled at their impatience. Proselyte went to Fluttershy’s shed, a place that she thoroughly warned Angel never to go to, and always told Proselyte to be careful of as well. Thankfully the chicken feed was in a container attached to the side, so he didn’t need to go in there. Proselyte dragged out the feed and took it to the chickens, spreading it out upon the ground so that the hens could eat.
Thankfully the rest of Proselyte’s day turned out to be uneventful. Spending most of the day helping whatever animal wandered onto the grounds, running errands for Fluttershy, or checking up on Ion and Adara when he felt the need to.
It was now three in the afternoon and still everything was normal. Apparently, during the time he was out, no pony else seemed to encounter any strange jelly coming from their showers. Proselyte decided to file that away for investigation later. As he was finishing up taking care of a dispute between some beavers and a bear, Proselyte decided to clean up a bit and then head back inside the cottage. It was then that he felt a light thumping on his left hind leg. He looked down and saw Angel, looking apologetic for some reason and holding his paws behind him.
“What’s wrong little one, are you not well,” he asked.
Angel’s gaze became downcast as he produced something from behind his back. It was a blue flower, one that Proselyte hadn’t seen before; he then looked at the bunny confused.
“Is this for me?”
Angel nodded.
“Is this for what happened a couple of days ago?”
Again, the bunny nodded.
Proselyte took the flower into the crook of his hoof and sniffed it.
“You did not need to, all was forgiven. But I thank you nonetheless. I hope we can become better friends.”
With that Proselyte tucked the flower carefully under his wing and went back to work. Angel then hopped away back to the cottage; all the while a mischievous smile grew wide upon his face.
“Sucker,” he whispered.
(War: Day 2)
“WHAT IS THIS!!?”
The door to Proselyte’s room suddenly burst open, revealing Fluttershy.
“Proselyte what’s wrrrrrr – OH MY CELESTIA!!!”
Fluttershy couldn’t believe what she was looking at. Proselyte was out of bed, standing on, well, not hooves. They were wiggly, long, purple tentacles. Proselyte wore a deadpan expression as he looked upon his transformed appendages; the surprise had worn off and now was replaced with curiosity and annoyance.
“Lyte…what, what happened to your legs, they’re, they’re tentacles,” cried out Fluttershy.
“It would seem so.”
“H-How did this happen – when did this happen!?”
Proselyte brought up one of his tentacles to his chin in thought. Nothing particularly strange was coming to mind, as far as he was concerned, yesterday, except for the jelly incident, was pretty much a normal day. And it was this that he conveyed to the panicky pegasus before him.
“O-Okay, well, did you come into contact with anything strange, anything,” she asked desperately.
The purple colt thought it over once again, at that moment something popped to the forefront of his mind. “There was this flower that Angel gave to me…”
Fluttershy looked at Proselyte inquisitively. “Flower, what kind of flower?!” Proselyte then pointed his tentacle to a vase that held the flower in question. Fluttershy inspected the specimen carefully and gasped when she realized what it was. “Proselyte this is Poison Joke!”
“Poison what?”
“Poison Joke, when you come into contact with this flower it causes strange things to happen to the pony who touches it. My friends and I ran into a patch of these flowers once, and it made me ‘Flutterguy’!”
Proselyte looked confused at that name. “‘Flutterguy…?’ Did it turn you into a stallion?”
Fluttershy’s face blushed red, “Oh no, no, no, no, it didn’t! It just made me have a really deep voice. Fortunately Zecora has the antidote for Poison Joke! Just wait here and I’ll go and get it!”
Before Proselyte could say another word Fluttershy had zipped away down the stairs and out the door, heading straight for the Everfree Forest. The young colt sighed and proceeded downstairs, his suction cups making annoying popping noises with every step he took. Now Proselyte’s true form was that of a giant squid-like creature, so he was used to moving with tentacles, but this was an awkward feeling to have them as his actual legs.
“I can’t believe that actually worked,” said a voice.
“Ha, ha, it must’ve been a horrible sight to make Fluttershy rush out the front door like that. I got to say, the Poison Joke was a nice one,” complemented Discord.
Proselyte peeked from the top of the stairs and saw that Discord and Angel were both laughing it up, had he not been in a his current state, Proselyte would’ve inquired as to how Angel was speaking Equuish, but that could wait until later.
“Hello Discord, Angel.”
Both the draconequus and bunny looked up at the staircase as Proselyte descended it. The two of them were barely trying to contain their laughter at seeing the colt’s current state.
“My Proselyte, whatever happened to you,” asked Discord feigning concern.
“Apparently Angel ‘accidentally’ gave me a Poison Joke flower yesterday, and when I woke up this morning I had these.” Proselyte made the ends of his four tentacles wiggle to emphasize his point. “Oh and Angel, you can drop the act, I know you can talk now.”
Discord and Angel stopped laughing and looked at Proselyte in slight surprise. Angel looked up at Discord, who only shrugged as if saying “No point now.”
“Yeah, I can talk now. And I got a few things to say to you,” said Angel pointing his paw at the colt.
Proselyte sighed and crossed his tentacle forelegs across his chest while he sat on his haunches. “Proceed.”
“I don’t like you, I don’t trust you, and ever since that Hearth’s Warming thing it’s only made me more suspicious of you! As far as I’m concerned, I don’t think you should be around Fluttershy, you’re dangerous!”
“I-I assure you – as I have countless other times – I mean Fluttershy no harm,” said Proselyte.
“Hmm, true, but then there’s my problem,” Discord rose from the couch he was sitting on and began to circle Proselyte. “You don’t feel right, and there seems to be a strange aura about you that unsettles me. And I don’t suppose you’re in a mood to fill us in as to what you are?”
Proselyte remained silent.
“Very well, until you either admit to Fluttershy what you are, or leave altogether, the Prank War shall continue,” declared Discord.
Proselyte looked between the two beings before him, “Be very sure you want to pursue this path. Because once you do, know that I am not so easily dissuaded.”
Angel then hopped till he was in front of Proselyte; he then narrowed his little beady eyes as he stared at the young colt, “Game on then, game on…!”
(War: Day 10)
The last few days had been mildly unpleasant, but not very. Angel and Discord had been true to their word about pursuing their path of a Prank War in order to drive out Proselyte from Fluttershy’s home. He didn’t retaliate, but he did find ways to get around their little pranks, some were unavoidable, but when he got the chance, Proselyte would use his powers to disable or hinder them.
Currently however, Proselyte was accompanying his fellow Entity, Adara, Scootaloo, and Rainbow Dash today. Apparently Rainbow Dash, well her and most of Ponyville, had heard about how Proselyte risked his life to help find Dinky. For her part, Rainbow Dash was skittish of the young colt, especially after the whole incident with the thunderbird, Storm.
Nevertheless, she decided to bring the colt in for some flying with the two fillies, being that he was homeless and Scootaloo and Adara were also homeless till now, she thought they would have something in common.
Right now Proselyte and Adara were hovering in the air, side-by-side, watching as Scootaloo flew through the skies, trying to catch up to Rainbow Dash in a game of air tag. Proselyte had to admit he was impressed after hearing what Adara did to heal her friend.
“It would seem that our circumstances warranted the use of our powers,” said Proselyte.
“Well…Ion used his to save Applejack and those ponies during the Running of the Leaves, and…I couldn’t just let that happen to her, Proselyte,” said Adara, a bit of sadness to her voice.
“But it didn’t, you saved her wings and now she’s happier than ever, your light shines brightly within her, even more so than before,” said Proselyte.
Adara smiled at the colt, glad that he saw the good in her actions. “Anyway, how’s it going with Fluttershy? Has anything good happened lately?”
Proselyte let out a slight groan, remembering the situation that was going on at Fluttershy’s house. Which reminds me…“You might want to duck right about now.”
Before Adara could ask why Proselyte forced her head down as a pink cloud zoomed over their heads, Proselyte looked behind them, below, and to the sides before he removed his hoof from the cerulean pegasus filly.
“What was that!?”
“That would be the answer to your earlier questions. And it would seem that we are needed,” said Proselyte pointing with his other hoof.
Adara looked straight ahead and was confused by the scene before her. Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo had somehow gotten caught in the strange pink cloud. No matter how much either pegasus struggled to get out, the cloud would not yield.
“DISCORD,” shouted Rainbow Dash at the top of her lungs. “You get your rear out here and get us loose, NOW!”
(War: Day 15)
Proselyte was hungry after helping out Derpy with an errand. The mare had the poor colt running all over the place looking for a package she had accidentally delivered to the wrong pony.
Once he got home he decided to help himself to some leftovers from a restaurant Fluttershy and the rest visited a couple of days ago. At least Discord can remain civil around Fluttershy’s presence, and out in the open where it’s easier to see him do something. So with that in mind it was only during the times when he was alone at the cottage that he had to keep his guard up.
Proselyte took out the hayburger and used Fluttershy’s oven to warm up the food a bit. Once hot enough Proselyte took out the food and placed it on the counter and went to the refrigerator to get himself something to drink.
Suddenly he heard the pitter patter of something scampering about. The pegasus colt turned around to see what made the sound, but nothing was there. Proselyte shrugged it off and continued to rummage through the fridge, but stopped when heard the sounds once again. He scanned the area, looking for anything out of the ordinary. For now, at least, there seemed to be nothing.
Proselyte turned once again to the open fridge, but quickly glanced over his shoulder in an effort to catch whoever it was that was crawling around. There was no noise this time, and no one to be seen. Although not completely satisfied, Proselyte hurriedly chose his beverage and took it out of the refrigerator. He then took the beverage to the table, and soon his meal. The colt sat on his haunches and grabbed the burger in the crook of his forehooves. Proselyte cautiously raised the sandwich to his mouth but paused to make sure that no one was around.
Truly, am I that weary of those two that I can’t enjoy a meal? Stop worrying, and eat the burger.
With his resolve steeled Proselyte took a bite out of his burger. An action he soon came to regret. Suddenly his body temperature rose drastically, tears formed in his eyes, and sweat started to drip down for his forehead.
“HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOTTTTTTT!!!!”
Proselyte felt as if he had just swallowed a small piece of the sun, his mouth was burning up as he cried out in pain. He quickly chugged his drink, but it did little to quill the flames in his mouth.
“IS NOTHING SACRED!!!?”
Unbeknownst to the colt, Angel was standing behind the wall that separated the kitchen from the living room, grinning evilly as he held a bottle labeled: Celestia’s Sun Fire Hot Sauce.
“Guaranteed to spice up any meal or your money back, best fifty bits I ever spent…Actually that the first fifty bits I ever spent…or owned…I hate you, Discord.”
(War: Day 25)
Truly the devious duo were wearing on Proselyte’s nerves. He may be the Entity of Compassion, but if this continued any longer he may have to fight Butcher for the title of Entity of Rage. In order to calm himself, Proselyte journeyed into the Everfree Forest and visited the zebra, Zecora. In her he found a sort of kindred spirit, she reminded him a lot of the Indigo Tribe back in the universe from which he hailed, and she too had the light of compassion within her. Though, if he was being honest, Fluttershy’s shined much brighter.
At this moment both the colt and zebra mare were standing on a lake. Well, ‘stand’ being a relative word. Zecora was balancing on a wooden pole, one hind hoof on the pole and the other tucked up. She had her forehooves in a sort of prayer position while her eyes were closed, remaining perfectly still, and the other end of the pole never breaking the surface. Proselyte was sitting on his haunches, hind legs crossed, his rear touching the water’s surface, but like the pole, he didn’t break the stillness. He found meditating with Zecora helped him sort out and relief his stress from the past few days of this “Prank War”.
“No muss, no fuss, must interrupt your focus,” spoke Zecora.
“Nata amon rek leira, nok,” he responded.
A single ripple appeared between them and flowed outwards till it hit the edge of pond and faded away. The Everfree still made its usual noises, birds chirping, animals roaring and snorting, and the occasional rustle of the leaves as the wind blew through the branches. But to them it was all merely background noise, barely audible to them, there was only the now.
While the two meditated Discord and Angel spied on them from a distant bush. Ever since the Hot Sauce Incident Proselyte had been even more diligent than before, and up till now he had countered every one of their pranks, or managed to avoid them altogether. But this time, this time the draconequus and bunny would get his goat.
“Bleeeeeeah.”
“Why are you holding a goat,” asked Angel.
“What, you mean this isn’t his goat?”
Angel smacked his forehead (and the author simultaneously does the same). Groaning indignantly, Angel jumped up and slapped Discord across the snout.
“Focus would you!? We have the perfect opportunity, the element of surprise, so don’t blow it! And get rid of that goat!”
“Humph, sorry Billy.” Discord was about to chuck the goat over his shoulder. The goat seemed to have an idea of what happened to objects that were thrown over his shoulder and was about to bleat in an attempt at begging for mercy.
“Don’t do that! They’ll here it!” Angel yelled quietly.
“Oh very well,” Discord then set the goat down, “run along now.”
Billy the goat then ran through the forest, thankful to be alive and happy not have blown up nonsensically. That is until a pack of Timberwolves found him and Billy began to run for dear life.
“Okay, I swiped some of these bottles and stuff from Zecora’s hut,” Angel then opened a bag filled with a few bottles and vials filled with unknown powders and liquids and showed it to Discord, “what do think we can do with this?”
“Well I don’t know, I’m not a chemist,” a white lab coat appeared on Discord, “or an alchemist,” followed by a red cloak with a cross on the back and snake entwined in it, “or a witch doctor,” and to top it off a tribal mask appeared over his face, “So how am I supposed to know which these things does what!?”
While Discord and Angel were arguing, unbeknownst to them, Proselyte and Zecora were very aware of their presence, their peace of mind allowing them to extend their senses further, helping them to locate their position.
“They’re going to try something,” said Proselyte.
“Let them try, there shall be no harm, no cause for alarm,” replied Zecora.
“Think they have any idea of what’s about to happen?”
A smile appeared on Zecora’s face as she shook her head.
Meanwhile Angel and Discord were busy mixing the various ingredients that were taken from Zecora’s hut. Discord had summoned a bowl for them to create their concoction, the strange liquid within was bubbling and churning as they continued to pour more and more of the vials into the bowl.
“Something’s happening,” said Angel.
“Really, well make sure it’s pointed their way!”
“Not that I care mind you. But shouldn’t we wait until that zebra is gone, we’re only after Proselyte after all?”
“Collateral Damage my dear boy, some sacrifices must be made for the greater good,” proclaimed Discord.
“Works for me!”
With that Angel pushed the bowl outside of the bush and waited for something to happen. A few seconds passed, but there was only silence. Curious, the dastardly duo poked their heads through the bushes to see what was taking so long. The liquid within the bowl was still, no longer bubbling. Angel reached out and dragged the bowl back to them, inspecting it.
“What happened, shouldn’t something have happened,” asked Angel.
“Maybe we neutralized whatever was going to happen when we poured that stuff in it, oh well,” Discord cracked his knuckles, “guess we do this my –!”
At that moment a giant explosion burst forth before them. The blast cloud soared high over the canopy of trees, forming a mushroom cloud overhead. When it was over, Discord and Angel stood still at ground zero, both charred black with a blast ring extending at least ten feet. Angel opened his mouth as a puff of black smoke escaped his maw, while Discord turned to a pile of ash, his eyeballs the only things left, blinking in confusion at what had just happened. Both of their eyes wandered to find Proselyte and Zecora trotting by with bemused expressions.
“If you were wondering, Proselyte told me of your little war. I knew of your presence and purposefully laid out those ingredients for you to find,” said Zecora.
“At my behest, of course, well, see you guys back at the cottage.” The two equines trotted off, Proselyte then looked a Zecora. “I thought you only spoke in rhymes?”
“Not always,” she answered.
As Zecora and Proselyte began to vanish in the distance, Angel and Discord were finally able to get over the shock and paralyzing effect of the explosion. Angel shook off the soot that marred his white fur, and Discord’s ashes collected until his body had reformed back to his normal self. The rabbit began to fume at how they were so easily deceived.
“I can’t believe it, he got us!”
“Looks like he’s not above retaliating, this could prove to be a problem,” said Discord.
“Well, I’m out of ideas, unless you got something?”
A light bulb, literally, went off above Discord’s head. Without a word the Spirit of Chaos snapped his digits and transported Angel and himself away from the Everfree Forest. When next they reappeared the two of them were a large space. Angel looked around and saw that there mountains of papers, stacked higher than most of the structures in Ponyville. The only clear space was the one the two of them were standing in, along with a board that seemed to have mathematical problems, most having to do with physics, logistics, and other things Angel didn’t care about, or didn’t quite understand.
“Okay, I’ll bite, where are we,” he asked.
“This is my little ‘War Room’; in here I have many a prank ready to use, about eight-hundred thousand to be exact.” Discord paused for a moment to allow that number to sink into Angel’s brain. Once he saw the bunny’s jaw drop he continued. “I’ve been saving this because I thought our previous pranks were good enough. But it seems we need to up the ante!”
Angel had to admit he was seriously impressed, knowing that Discord was taking this seriously.
“Hold on, why haven’t you used any of these in the first place?”
“Oh well, the answer to that is simple: many of these could kill, maim, or seriously injure somepony,” said Discord in a matter-of-fact tone.
The brakes in Angel’s mind came to a screeching halt upon hearing that. “Whoa-whoa-whoa, we don’t want to kill him! We just want him to leave, and in one piece! Or else Fluttershy’s going to be crying about it and blame herself for weeks, and I’m not ready to put up with that! Now get rid of all the things that could kill him,” he ordered.
Discord sighed and snapped his digits, a good chunk of the papers vanished but there was still a sizeable amount. Angel looked up at the draconequus, knowing that Discord was known for pulling a “monkey’s paw” kind of wish.
“Now the ones that involve anything having to do with fire.”
Once again Discord whisked away chunk from the stacks, but they were still pretty tall.
“Dangerous animals.”
Another snap and now the stacks were as tall as Discord was.
“Evil spirits?”
Now the stacks came up to Angel’s ears.
“Maiming…?”
Now only one stack remained, but it only came up to Angel’s chest.
“Broken anything…?”
And with that last filter only one paper was left. Angel hopped over to the remaining parchment and read over it, and the more he read the broader his smile became till it was particularly wicked.
“Now this is what I’m talking about,” said Angel.
Discord leaned over and read over the prank plan, “Eh, not one of my better ones, but I guess it’ll do. Still, if you ever change your mind~”
“Yeah…no.”
(War: Judgment Day)
It was all set, today was the day, soon Discord and Angel would finally be rid of Proselyte or at the very least get him to confess who or what he really was. It had taken a long while and much preparation, waiting for both pegasi to be gone from the cottage, using Discord’s magic to keep the trap hidden and out of sight, but it was worth the wait and time spent making it, and now their plan was about to go into action. Discord and Angel hid behind a nearby bush, waiting to hear the satisfying snap of the trap springing into action.
Luckily both Fluttershy and Proselyte were out on separate errands, Fluttershy told them that she would be home late, but Proselyte would be walking down the dirt path to the cottage, it was all perfect.
“You sure this’ll work,” asked Angel.
“No problem, I’ve planned for every contingency,” said Discord.
*TWANG*
“And there it goes!”
There was the sound of something bubbling and being ejected from a spring board. Whatever was launched sounded as if it struck the ground, with its contents spilling out.
“That was phase one, I anticipated that that colt would be able to dodge that, so the first trap will lead him into the second.”
There was another sound, leaves being rustled and falling down in one big pile. There was also sloshing water and the crackling of electricity going off in the background.
“Hmm…sounds like he avoided phase two, but now that should lead him into the final phase, the one where he’ll really get it,” said Discord giddily.
“Who will get what?”
“You know, who, Proselyte you dunce,” said Angel.
“And exactly what will I get?”
Angel and Discord couldn’t believe it, they didn’t want to believe it, there was no chance in Equestria that it was true. They both slowly turned their heads, only to find Proselyte standing not but a couple of feet from them, his left eyebrow rose as he awaited the answer to his question.
“B-B-B-But how did – you were supposed to be trotting down that road! How did you get around it!?” Angel asked dumbfounded.
“I flew and got here about an hour ago. I saw you two building that contraption out there, so I decided to wait till you hid and awaited my arrival,” explained Proselyte.
“Hold on one moment, if you’re standing here, then who sprung the…”
Both Angel and Discord stuck their heads out through the bushes and saw the mayhem that had occurred. A tripwire had been laid out and triggered a nearby springboard and launched a pot containing tar, with a pile of feathers on top of it. A few feet from that was a pitfall, some leaves still rested on the outer ring of the pit, which lead down to water, and swimming in that water were some electric eels. When their eyes drifted further from the second trap they were able to see, to their horror, Fluttershy. She was panting hard, completely terrified at what had just happened, narrowly dodging their prank traps.
“I THOUGHT SHE WAS SUPPOSED TO BE LATE!?” Discord shouted.
“Discord, what the buck, this isn’t the prank trap I saw on that paper! What happened!?”
Discord reached behind his back and produced a piece of paper with a diagram of the prank trap they had just constructed. “This is the one you gave me, it says Prank #3…hold on now,” Discord licked the thumb of his lion’s paw and swiped it across the number, revealing a second number, “oh my, this isn’t Prank #3, it’s actually Prank #33…Well, I guess that explains why we needed Tom, and here I thought it was a counterweight to something, silly me.”
“What or who is Tom,” asked Proselyte.
“Just some huge boulder that mix-mash over here tricked that uppity unicorn into thinking it was a diamond or something,” answered Angel.
There was a brief silence between the three of them. At that moment there was a whistling sound that seemed to break the silence, growing closer and closer with each passing second. It was then that it dawned on them at the same time.
“A HUGE BOULDER!!?” They shouted in unison.
All three stuck their heads through the bushes and gazed skywards as a giant boulder hurdled towards an unsuspecting Fluttershy, who was ironically standing on a bull’s-eye. Proselyte wasted no time; he burst through the bushes and made the leaves explode off the branches.
Proselyte flew fast, concentrating his energy at the last second he disappeared in a puff of purple smoke. Fluttershy, having gotten over her fright from the other two prank traps, started to notice a growing shadow. She then looked down and saw the target, and then finally up to see the huge boulder about to smash her into the ground. Normally a pegasus would unfurl their wings and zoom away at the sight of danger, but that’s not the case with Fluttershy, instead her wings snapped shut and refused to flare out when she was scared bad enough, and right now she was terrified. Fluttershy could only stare at the incoming object, fear gripping her and paralyzing her completely.
At that moment, Proselyte appeared on Fluttershy’s back, his forelegs encircling her neck. “HANG ON!”
The boulder finally hit its mark, landing with a great thundering THUD. Both Discord and Angel started to walk to the site, mouths agape. They couldn’t believe it, Fluttershy was gone, and so was Proselyte. Angel hopped up to Tom; tears began to form in his eyes. Discord just stood there, silently, stunned at what he had seen happen, knowing that he had killed the only friend he ever truly had.
*POOMPH*
The bunny and draconequus quickly turned around and saw a puff of purple smoke. It quickly faded away and revealed both Fluttershy and Proselyte, safe and sound. Proselyte let go of Fluttershy and landed on the ground next to her. She seemed confused until she noticed the boulder that nearly killed her, and it clicked. Fluttershy looked down at the colt and nuzzled him graciously.
“That’s the second time you’ve saved me, Lyte,” said Fluttershy.
Proselyte chuckled a bit, “Yes it is, we must stop this from becoming a habit.”
“FLUTTERSHY!” Angel ran towards his owner and quickly hugged her foreleg. “You’re alive, you’re alive!”
“It’s alright Angel, I’m alright, thanks to – YOU CAN TALK!?” Fluttershy cried.
Angel winced upon realizing that he just blew his secret. Fluttershy didn’t need long to figure out exactly who it was that made it possible for Angel to speak Equuish. Before Fluttershy could ask the draconequus, a bright, indigo light flared into existence, the others looked upon the purple pegasus, his eyes and body exhuming the light of compassion. Fluttershy saw something that she thought she’d never see…Proselyte angry.
“Fluttershy, may I have use of your home? I wish to speak with these two, alone.”
The tone of his voice suggested that this wasn’t a requested. Fluttershy nodded slowly. He smiled at Fluttershy, but then quickly turned his stern gaze upon Angel and Discord; he did not need to say it. They knew what he wanted. The bunny and draconequus walked towards the cottage, wondering if it was such a good idea to follow the glowing purple pegasus into the house, alone. Proselyte opened the door and pointed his hoof to the open doorway, gesturing for them to enter. With a collective gulp the duo walked inside until they were in the middle of the living room. There was an ominous thudding of the front door, and the two of them turned around slowly.
“I have tolerated your antics because you both are dear to Fluttershy. I have tolerated it, evaded, and retaliated, that’s fine, I didn’t mind, they were pointed at me and no pony else,” he said in calm even tone. “But…when you endanger those around you – especially Fluttershy – that is when I do mind!”
Discord gave the colt an indignant look, “Now see here, that was a complete and total accident! I would never –!”
“SILENCE!” Proselyte’s voice rang out deep and strong, but still steady and even.
The room seemed to shake a bit from his voice, the area growing darker, and the light of indigo acted as the only light source. Angel’s more innate animal senses were telling him many things right now. To run, to stay, to get to safety, that this place was safe, but all this only confirmed to him that Proselyte wasn’t an ordinary pony, not even by alicorn standards.
“I knew you weren’t normal, not even close! So what are you,” demanded Angel.
“I am a being much older than you, Angel, and even far older than Discord.” At this the Spirit of Chaos did a double take. “I am an Entity, one of seven that controls and embodies the power of the Emotional Spectrum. My light is that of Compassion, and its color is indigo. It affords me the power to empathize with all living things, and connect to the other six lights of emotional energy.”
Proselyte’s body began to hover in the air; his indigo light shined brighter, washing over Discord and Angel. Suddenly the seven symbols of the Emotional Spectrum appeared above Proselyte’s forehead, shining with their own individual shade of light. Discord and Angel looked upon these symbols wearily, not knowing what Proselyte was going to do to them.
“The seven lights live within each of us, though one may shine stronger than the others, all living things are driven by their power. And it is through them, that a living beings life story can be told…like yours, Angel.”
The bunny rabbit looked up at the glowing pegasus incredulously, but then gasped when the seven symbols grew larger and formed large portals before them.
“The red light of Rage burns within you. Abandoned at a young age, and no family of your own, you lashed out at any woodland creature that dared to approach you, even ponies, and never joining others of your kind, you basically isolated yourself.”
Angel snorted, but he knew what Proselyte was saying was true, although good luck getting him to admit it. At that moment the orange symbol appeared, taking the place of red one.
“The orange light of Avarice, this power is all consuming, and never satisfied. After giving into your rage and isolation you began to feel a sense of entitlement. You took from other animals, their food mostly, bullying them into getting whatever you needed or wanted, even when it wasn’t needed. This only further isolated you from others of your kind.”
Angel felt his anger rise and was about to protest this, but the appearance of a yellow symbol cut him off before he had the chance.
“The yellow light of Fear; in the following years you became overconfident and found yourself hunted down by Timberwolves. You believed you were the fastest, but their numbers, their cunning and speed, far outmatched yours. You were cornered, hurt, and for the first time in your life, you were gripped with fear.”
Angel looked upon this image within the portal, remembering that day vividly. It was the worst day of his life, one that still haunts his nightmares even today. But the yellow portal vanished and two others replaced it.
“The green light of Willpower bathes over you and protects you from harm. And its bearer is Fluttershy. She was a young teenage filly, yet she fearlessly stepped between you and the Timberwolves. Fluttershy used her unique ability to force the Timberwolves into submission and made them leave. At the same time the blue light of Hope shines, and gives you comfort. Your life is saved and a great feeling of relief washes over you.”
The next portal opened up and it was the same symbol that Proselyte had upon his flanks.
“And now we arrive at my light, Compassion. Fluttershy took you into her care, nurtured you, and nursed you back to health. It was the first time in your life that someone ever cared for you or about you. Of course you were skeptical, no one had ever cared for you unconditionally, so why would she?”
The indigo symbol faded, giving way to the final symbol, that of a violet star. Angel felt an unusual comfort from this light, something that he had felt before, but from a certain mare.
“And finally, the violet light of Love enters your heart. For the first time in your life you cared about someone other than yourself, and that same one cared for you the same way, but…” The red symbol reappeared next to the violet symbol. “You saw how fragile, timid, and indecisive she was. You also saw how some would take advantage of that, and while her kindness to others in disregard for her own self angered you, you were more angered by those who took advantage of that. So, you decided to protect her, and even try to bolster her through your abrasive – if not irritating – attitude.”
Angel wanted to say something, anything to prove that this colt was lying, but he knew in his heart, although he never admitted it, this was his truth. He then felt a gentle hoof rest upon his tiny head, looking up, Angel saw the kind and compassionate smile of Proselyte, he still glowed with power but it wasn’t as intense.
“…I just…she can be so frustrating sometimes! She looks after others without first considering what might happen to her! I like that about her…but,” Angel was shaking, some part of him wanted to say what was in his heart, but it was difficult.
“There is no need to say it Angel, I know what you mean. Your emotions, the strongest being Love and Rage, lie on the opposite ends of the Emotional Spectrum, so it is no surprise that you act as you do. And now I understand you better, tam Angel eylan waya klek, nou uru barark daran, nok,” said Proselyte.
Discord was silent throughout the entire thing, but after seeing the way that Proselyte unraveled his entire life’s story in less than a minute, it made him weary that he might be on the receiving end of that power. Just as Discord was about to turn around and leave his muzzle came face to face with that of Proselyte’s. Discord jumped back a bit, surprised by his sudden appearance.
“Do not think I have forgotten you Discord, yours is an interesting story,” spoke Proselyte.
“Well that’s nice to hear, but you really don’t have to…”
“No…I believe we do. During the time you have been here it was hard for me to discern your emotional energies. Your chaotic powers made it hard for me to understand you, but now that I’ve exerted more power, I can now see more clearly.” Unlike Angel, the first symbol to appear before Discord was that of the violet star. “Your story begins with Love. Love for one whom you’ve met many millennia ago. But you were not in this form, no, you were a pony once, a unicorn at that. And your name was Spell Binder.”
Discord glared at Proselyte, his talon and paw glowing with chaos magic. “How did you know that, no pony alive knows about my old name, or who I was as matter fact!?”
“The light reveals all to me, Discord. Your love stemmed from a being who was, or rather is beautiful, regal, and powerful. Princess Celestia.” At this Discord gritted his teeth, his magic flaring dangerously, but still Proselyte carried on. “Others admired and revered her, but you fell in love with her. You were also part of her royal staff, a scholarly mage who wished to become closer to her, though you and Celestia enjoyed the others company, Spell Binder, could never be with Celestia, because he was not an immortal like she was, nor were you on her level of power.”
The blue and green symbols appeared now, along with indigo. They seemed to interlock with each other, showing how the events of the past took shape.
“You were a great mage back then, an inspiration to many young ones; it is this that the blue light of Hope shows me. Compassion motivated you to help others, and Willpower gave you the drive to see your works through. But it was your love that drove you to seek out powers, powers that would allow you to be with the mare you loved. And so you found that power, in chaos. And so, Discord was born, however, you did not take into account that the chaotic powers would warp your mind.”
The red, orange, and yellow symbols appeared now. Scenes of destruction and mayhem appeared within them, making Discord turn his gaze. Surprisingly, the chaos magic faded upon seeing these scenes.
“Celestia looked upon your new form, and thought you a monster, not seeing the true you underneath. Rage took hold, and you decided to unleash that rage upon others. Fear sprung the very fear from the chaos that you spread throughout the land. And then Avarice took hold, claiming all that you saw before you with your power, you would have everything that was precious to Celestia if you couldn’t have her.”
Discord saw the look on Angel’s face; he did not know any of this, the shocking truth that Discord, the Spirit of Chaos, was once a pony like Fluttershy. The draconequus became angered at the pitied look he was receiving and glared hatefully at Proselyte.
“You have no right to look into my past as you did! You say that your light of ‘compassion’ is powerful!? Emotions have no power! They are but feelings…painful…sometimes overwhelming…but not the source of power,” shouted Discord.
Proselyte’s glowing eyes narrowed at that statement, it was if he were calling his very existence into question. “Know this Discord, you too Angel. My light nurtures and protects the innocent, and helps to bring understanding to all. The only ones who need fear my light are those with wicked hearts, and who wish to do others harm. That is why neither of you need to worry about me ever hurting Fluttershy, I’ll never harm her, nor allow her to be harmed. But you Discord, you have more to fear than me.” Proselyte’s right hoof glowed, an orb of indigo light appeared around it, brimming with power. “If I so wished, I could use my power to make you experience all the fear and pain you brought about during your reign. The many lives who cried out for help, I can tap into that and bombard you with that combined power. It will eat at your psyche and rack your body with pain unimaginable. That is the extreme of my light.”
Discord stared at Proselyte’s hoof, somehow he could feel the power gathered within his hoof, and he knew Proselyte’s words to be true. “Then do it.”
Proselyte snorted, “I will not.”
“And why not,” he asked.
Proselyte’s aura began to fade, his eyes returning to normal as the energy within his hoof dissipated and the air in the room became less heavy and ominous. The young colt then hovered back to the floor and smirked up at the draconequus. “Because Fluttershy wouldn’t like that, and I stand by her decision to trust you. That is why.”
Discord and Angel looked at each for a while. Proselyte was indeed not from this world; his powers were proof enough of that, as well as his explanation. After all this, they were fairly sure that he did indeed pose no threat to Fluttershy, and they’ve seen how attached she was to him. But there was still one more thing that they needed to know.
“What do you really look like,” asked Angel.
“I don’t think that’s wise,” said Proselyte.
“After everything you’ve showed and told us, and after revealing who I really was, I think it is only fair,” protested Discord.
Proselyte thought this over, was it a good idea to reveal his true form before them, and in this confined space. “If I show you, will you finally agree to stop this ‘Prank War’ and be satisfied?”
Angel and Discord nodded at the same time.
“Very well…but you are not to tell Fluttershy, or anyone else besides the Princesses, about what you’ve seen.”
Fluttershy had been waiting outside this whole time, pacing back and forth, watching as the indigo light brightened and faded at different intervals within her cottage. She had been waiting for some ten minutes now and there was no sign that either of them were coming out yet. When the light faded she sighed, thinking that whatever they were discussing was over.
At that moment the indigo light shined brighter than she had ever seen, pouring out of the windows. Fluttershy felt the power of the light; it was a familiar feeling, similar to the incident with Storm. It empowered her, comforted her, and made her feel safe and strong at the same time. Just as quickly as it appeared the light vanished, the feelings she had disappearing along with it. At that moment the front door opened and Proselyte stood before her.
“Lyte, what happened in there,” asked Fluttershy.
“Oh, we just came to an understanding.”
Fluttershy looked over Proselyte’s shoulder and saw a stunned Discord and Angel standing there, frozen like statues. Their mouths were agape, eyes bulging out of their skulls.
“That was uh…yeah…that was…I uh…I think I need to go have a talk with Celestia…yes…I think I will.” Discord began to walk out of the cottage, passing Fluttershy and Proselyte. “It was nice visiting you Fluttershy, but I really must get back. And Proselyte…please keep watch over her, will you?”
Proselyte nodded, smiling happily.
With that Discord vanished from sight. Leaving only Angel and the two of them, “Does Angel still talk, or did Discord fix that?”
“I’m sure I could reverse that, but that’s Angel’s decision,” said Proselyte.
It was then that Fluttershy felt something warm and furry grab onto her foreleg. She looked down and saw that Angel was hugging her right foreleg, nuzzling her affectionately. “My goodness, Angel, are you alright?”
“I’m fine, Fluttershy, really. And…thank you,” he said.
Fluttershy cocked an eyebrow, “For what?”
“For saving me and for letting me stay with you…” Angel let go of her leg and looked up at her with a frown. “I don’t remember if I ever told you that…so I wanted to make sure you knew…”
Fluttershy’s lips curled up into a happy smile, she then scooped up the bunny and hugged him close to her chest. “I always knew, Angel.”
Usually Angel would try and get out of the hugs that Fluttershy would give him, but he found that he didn’t feel like leaving the hug, instead he held out his paws and wrapped them across her chest the best he could. The two of them stayed like for a while, with Proselyte smiling contently as he watched the display. Angel then opened one eye and smirked at the colt, to which Proselyte did the same, a kind of mutual understanding being established.
It had been a long road to get here, but it was finally done. Applejack, Big Macintosh, Granny Smith, Apple Bloom, and Ion stood upon a hill that overlooked a plot of land. A vast emptiness that existed just a few ways from the east orchard, untapped fertile land that was good for planting a new field of apple trees. The Apple Family stood proud atop that hill, overlooking their newly acquired land, taking in the sight.
“It took us a few years, but now it’s ours,” said Applejack.
“Eeyup. Now we can expand the orchard and plant more trees, and canter to more clients,” said Big Macintosh.
Granny Smith dug her hoof into the lush ground and pulled up a pile of dirt, almost immediately a small flower sprung from the clod. “And right fertile ta boot! Them new trees will grow quicker than weed,” said Granny Smith.
“That’s gonna be a lot of trees to plant, ya really think we can do it,” asked Apple Bloom.
Ion placed a hoof on Apple Bloom’s head and ruffled her mane, eliciting a giggle from the little filly. “Of course we can, where there’s a will, there’s a way.”
“Precisely!” The five ponies turned around at the sound of the voice. A tan colored stallion with a black mane and a cutie mark of three money bags walked towards them. Beside him was a pink filly, sporting a bejeweled tiara and carrying herself with an air of superiority. “I must say, I was glad to hear that you were able to get this land, prime real estate it is. Of course I drove down the price, considerin’ that our families have done business for a long time.”
“And we thank ya kindly, Filthy,” said Granny.
Filthy Rich groaned in annoyance and rolled his eyes, knowing that he might never get Granny Smith to call him Mr. Rich. “Anyway, just came by to tell ya that the contracts are all ready to sign back at my office so we can finalize this purchase.”
“No problem Fil – ahem – Ah mean, Mr. Rich. We’ll head on back to Barnyard Bargains and sign’em right now,” said Applejack. “Big Macintosh, Ion, why don’t y’all get started on plowin’ the field, Ah’ll be back to lend ya a hoof soon as Ah can.”
“You got it Boss Mare,” said Ion.
Big Macintosh nodded an affirmative and followed Ion as they made their way to Sweet Apple Acres. Applejack, Granny Smith, and Filthy Rich began to head towards Ponyville, with Diamond Tiara and Apple Bloom in tow. The farm filly tried her best to keep from making direct eye contact with her archenemy, she knew how important this whole thing was and she didn’t want to mess it up by getting into a fight with Diamond Tiara. The good thing was that as long as Filthy Rich was around she was less likely to start calling her names or picking on her, not wanting her father to see her at her worst.
As they trotted towards Ponyville Filthy Rich leaned in closer to Applejack, and whispered to her quietly. “I hope you know that I’m takin’ a leap of faith with you on this deal, Applejack?”
“Don’t you worry nothin’ about that, it’s all planned out. Ah promise you won’t regret it,” whispered Applejack.
While this was going on, Apple Bloom was being engaged in a conversation with Diamond Tiara, one that she tried hard to ignore.
“You know this whole deal is going to hurt you more than it’ll hurt us, right Blank Flank,” asked Diamond Tiara.
“Ah have no idea what yer talkin’ about,” said Apple Bloom.
“Your sister pretty much swindled my Daddy into giving you that land.”
Apple Bloom knitted her eyebrows upon hearing that accusation, “Mah sister didn’t ‘swindle’ anythin’ from yer Dad! We saved up that money to buy that land, fair and square.”
Diamond Tiara scoffed at that, “Yeah right, there were a lot of buyers for that land. But your sister, like, totally came into my Daddy’s business and pretty much made him give it him, and that land wasn’t cheap.” At this a devious grin appeared upon her lips. “Oh well, if you and your hayseed family screw this up, you’ll be in big trouble.”
Apple Bloom gritted her teeth, holding back the multiple, so called, “bad words” and urges to push this obnoxious filly into the dirt. I swear to Celestia, Diamond, you just don’t know when to shut yer yap!
(3 Hours Later)
The stallions were making quick work of tilling and plowing the vast field. Ion and Big Mac had split the field into sectors, each one taking that portion assigned to them. They had set aside some for Applejack, but were fully prepared to take care of that portion should she be delayed. The work was a little bit more straining on Ion today, mostly because of his little secret.
Ever since that incident with the Running of the Leaves, Ion had been secretly using his power to stop natural disasters around Equestria. Taking on the form of that giant construct, now dubbed the Emerald Giant, and saving lives in the process. It was a bit hard to balance his hero life and simple farm life, but he found he could relax doing this, albeit, laborious work.
Maybe I should cut down on the hero work, if it’s going to be this much trouble. Ugh, how do Jordan and Ryner do it, thought Ion.
Having finished his sector, Ion reported back to the meeting spot to discuss with Big Macintosh how far they’ve gotten, and how much more they could get done today. When they arrived they saw Applejack, perusing the map of the field, beside her stood Apple Bloom, her face scrunched up into a frown.
“Hey y’all, seems like the two of ya’ve been givin’ it yer all,” said Applejack.
“Close to it,” said Ion.
“There’s still a lot more to go,” added Big Mac. He then moved closer to the table that they had brought with them to get a better look at the map. “We’ve pretty much worked this much of the land; we were hopin’ to get at least this far before sundown. The more we do today, the less we have to do later, and the more we can focus on the important stuff.”
Applejack looked over the map, indeed her brother and Ion had made tremendous ground in just a short amount of time. The blonde mare was starting to feel confident in this endeavor. Maybe this wasn’t such a long shot after all. “That’s good you two, Ah’ll start helpin’ out so we can get even more done. Apple Bloom, ya can head back home, nothin’ much fer ya to do right now.”
“Got yer plow over here, c’mon,” said Big Macintosh.
Big Mac led Applejack to the plow he brought for her. Ion was about to leave when he noticed that Apple Bloom hadn’t left, curious, the green stallion trotted up to the little filly. “Bit for your thoughts?”
“It’s…it’s nothin’,” she replied.
“Doesn’t sound like ‘nothing’ to me, what’s eating ya, kid?”
Apple Bloom didn’t respond, but there was a look in her eyes that was mixture of anger and nervousness that he didn’t quite understand. Applejack and Big Mac came back, with AJ sporting her plow and ready to get to work. Applejack noticed that her little sister hadn’t left yet and raised a curious eyebrow.
“Somethin’ wrong, sugarcube, did ya need somethin’,” she asked.
“Well…Ah –”
“She was wondering if she could help me with the plowing,” interjected Ion.
“Apple Bloom,” asked Applejack skeptically.
“Yeah, the sector I’m heading to has some hidden rocks in the dirt and it’d help if I had somepony to scout ahead of me. So I don’t chip the blade.”
“It’s true, almost chipped mine on a sneaky one,” explained Big Macintosh.
Applejack shifted her gaze between Ion and Apple Bloom. Though she did trust Ion a little more than she did months ago, Applejack was still a little apprehensive about leaving Apple Bloom alone with him. Applejack was about to protest, but she was cut off by none other than her little sister.
“Ah want to help him, sis. Please?” Apple Bloom asked.
“…Alright…you can go. Watch mah sister, Ion, ya hear?!”
Ion saluted Applejack, a serious expression adorning his face. “Yes ma’am!”
Apple Bloom giggled at his action and started to follow him to his sector of land to plow. Once they had arrived Apple Bloom had taken the lead, carefully examining the ground they walked upon as Ion pulled the plow behind her. The green stallion thought it cute how serious she took her assignment, and as much as he didn’t want to stop her, he had to have a talk with her. Ion pulled the plow harder, bringing him alongside Apple Bloom.
“Ion, what’re ya doin’? Ya need to stay behind meh so Ah can make sure ya don’t hit any rocks,” said Apple Bloom.
“Trust me, Apple Bloom; there are no rocks around here. Now, do you want to tell me what’s been eating you this whole time,” asked Ion.
Apple Bloom mentally slapped herself on the forehead; she couldn’t believe she was tricked that easily, although, if she was being honest, a part of her wanted to talk to somepony else besides her big brother and sister. With that in mind, Apple Bloom inhaled deeply and let out a long sigh.
“It’s…Diamond Tiara…”
Ion thought for a moment before he remembered the filly, “Oh, you mean that filly who was with Filthy Rich, the one that bullies you at and your friends at school?” Apple Bloom nodded a yes. “What happened, did she do something to you when you and AJ left?” The young filly was silent. “I can’t help if you don’t tell me something, Apple Bloom. You can tell me anything, I promise I won’t tell AJ or Big Mac if you don’t want me to.”
Apple Bloom looked up at the green stallion, he smile broad and full of confidence. It was kind of infectious, making Apple Bloom smile, a small one, but a smile all the same. “She was talkin’ ‘bout how Applejack tricked her Dad into giving us this land here. Ah just can’t stand it when she says stuff like that! Diamond doesn’t understand how much Applejack, Granny, and Big Macintosh have done to be able to get enough money together! It’s like Diamond Tiara has made it her personal mission in life to make my life miserable!”
“Hey, AB, don’t let her get to you. You and I both know how hard your family has worked to get this far, so long as you know the truth, Diamond can blow hot air all she wants, ‘cause y’know, she’s full it,” said Ion.
Apple Bloom couldn’t help but laugh at that. “Thanks, Ion, fer listenin’.”
“No problem, why don’t you go ahead run out of here, I’ll cover for you.”
“Nuh-uh, Ah wanna stay, in fact, why don’t’cha let me try!?”
Ion stopped in his tracks, he looked at Apple Bloom, and then glanced back to the, rather heavy, plow he had been lugging around most of the day. “I don’t know, Apple Bloom. This thing’s pretty dang heavy, I don’t want you hurting yourself…”
Apple Bloom blew a raspberry at that statement, “Please, Ah’m just as strong as you or meh sis, now let me at it!” Ion just sighed, he knew that Apple Bloom was too stubborn to take no for an answer. So he unhitched himself from the plow and placed the apparatus on Apple Bloom, she let out an “oomph” sound upon feeling the weight of the yoke. Apple Bloom began to pull, her hooves digging into the dirt as she strained to get the plow moving.
“Hold on a sec, almost…got it…!”
Ion only shook his head, grinning at the little filly’s attempt to pull the plow. The green stallion glanced around the area, making sure that there was no one else around. Ion’s eyes then flashed with green light, from his left shoulder a long arm and hand construct formed. The hand gripped the plow handle and gave it a gentle push.
“Ha, told ya Ah could do it!” Apple Bloom began to trot proudly, believing she was pulling the plow under her own power. Ion had to stifle his chuckling, but was otherwise happy to give Apple Bloom this much. “By the way, Ion, Ah’ve been meanin’ to ask. What’s yer cutie mark mean?”
“Huh, oh, it’s a little complicated,” answered Ion. “C’mon, Ah won’t tell anypony if it’s somethin’ yer embarrassed about. It might help me and the girls figure out new ways to earn ours,” said Apple Bloom.
“Maybe one day, AB. For now, why don’t you focus on pulling the plow?”
Mine…all…mine…
The green stallion stopped dead in his tracks. He quickly scanned the area, his body language indicating that he was prepared to fight. But there was nothing there, nothing except him and Apple Bloom. Ion was sure he had heard that voice before, and at that moment an impossible idea ran through his head, he quickly shook it from his mind.
Can’t be…
(1 ½ Months Later)
From then on the Apple Family, and Ion, had been working tirelessly to cultivate the new plot of land they had just purchased. From the early morning and into the wee hours of the night, never ending, never stopping. Planting the seeds, watering, fertilizing, all to see the fruits of their labor blossom forth.
And in just over a month and a half they saw it. The rows they had created had little saplings starting to sprout from the ground. When the group of Earth Pony farmers saw this they were as happy as can be, their hard work was already starting to payoff. There was only one thing to do in this situation, and that was to celebrate!
That night, Sweet Apple Acres was home to a grand time of celebration, thrown together by the premier party planner of Ponyville, Pinkie Pie. The barn was filled with the friends of the family, Twilight and Rainbow, along with Adara, Scootaloo, and Spike, Rarity and Sweetie Belle, Fluttershy and Proselyte, and even Miss Cheerilee, specially invited by Big Mac himself.
It was a private party, but one that was cause for rejoicing. A large table was set up, with numerous “apple-tastic” treats, and even some of the Sweet Apple Acres’ famous Cider was made for the occasion. A little makeshift stage was created, with a karaoke machine set up for those who felt like singing their hearts out. Above the stage was a banner that read: Congratulations on Your Apple Seeds Sprouting So Quickly Party. Applejack, who was all smiles, approached the stage and stood at its center. She then grabbed the mike and blew into it, making sure it was working.
“Howdy everypony, and thanks for comin’ to this party, I know it may not be that big a deal to ya, but it means a whole lot to have y’all’s support,” announced Applejack.
A hardy round of clopping hooves and whistles where heard in affirmation to her thanks.
“Ah’ll admit, it was a bit of a gamble taking on this project, but now, after seein’ what’s sprouted in just this short a time, Ah have no doubt that Sweet Apple Acres is going to be just fine, so party on everypony!”
Everyone cheered loudly for Applejack and her family; it was truly a night for celebration. As Applejack made her way down from the stage she noticed that somepony was messing from the fun, a certain green stallion. Eventually she found Ion standing near the barn door, talking to Adara. For some reason Applejack could’ve sworn she saw Ion’s and Adara’s coats shimmer a bit, but then she shook her head, thinking that it was just the moonlight or something.
“Hey, Ion,” she called out.
Ion and Adara’s heads turned and saw the orange mare approach them. With a nod, Adara left the two adult ponies. Applejack stood next to Ion, smiling at him.
“What’s goin’ on, not up to celebratin’?”
“Nah, just talking with Adara, she needed some advice about something,” said Ion.
“That filly treats ya like yer her big brother,” Ion gulped, “which is really nice. Since on account that she’s a runaway, Ah think havin’ a role model like yerself is a good thing for her.”
Ion let out a relieved sigh. “Uh, yeah, never really saw it that way.” The two of them sat on their haunches, side-by-side, as an awkward silence was starting to build between them. After a minute, Ion cleared his throat, gaining AJ’s attention. “So, wanna take a walk around? I’m kinda getting restless just sitting here.”
“Yeah…a walk sounds nice.”
Both Ion and Applejack got up from their sitting positions and started to take a light trot around the grounds. All the while, Ion couldn’t help but look at the happy grin that Applejack had plastered on her face. It was a sight that he found was growing on him, he liked seeing her smile. But, uh, that was totally natural, it’s perfectly normal to be admire your friend’s/boss’s smile, right?
“I’m glad this all worked out for you and your family, Applejack,” said Ion.
“Heh, heh, yeah, so am Ah. Ah just can’t stop grinnin’ like a darn schoolfilly! Ah mean this is really goin’ to drum up business for the farm! We’ll be able to take on more orders, and canter to more clients outside of Ponyville!” Applejack noticed how loud and excited she was getting and quickly went silent. “Sorry for ramblin’ like that.”
Ion shook his head, “No, don’t be, you deserve to be proud and happy about what you’ve achieved. All thanks to you, Applejack.”
The farmpony couldn’t help but blush a little at the praise. “Nah, not just me, Ion, it was everypony. Ah’ll admit Ah have a knack for the business part of runnin’ the farm, and for the work involved in maintainin’ it. But Big Macintosh is just as smart, if not more so, he just doesn’t like to admit it to anypony. Apple Bloom helps out a lot too, and she’ll be even more helpful when she finally figures out her special talent.”
Both ponies sighed heavily, knowing that Apple Bloom and her friends are so very close to finding their special talents, but somehow always manage to veer of course in pursuit of something wild and crazy.
“We’ll all be happy when that day comes,” said Ion.
“Ditto. Then of course there’s Granny Smith, she’s lived on Sweet Apple Acres ever since she was a filly, heck, she was the reason why it’s even here in the first place! She’s taught me and mah brother all we know about apple farmin’, and even when ya think there’s nothin’ left to learn, she’ll surprise ya with something new,” said Applejack.
Yeah, I’m still trying to figure out how she’s lived that long, but I will admit her stories are interesting, thought Ion.
“And then there’s you.”
Ion stopped in his tracks and looked at Applejack, her expression silently telling him that he had not heard wrong. “Me? I mean…I haven’t really done that much, Applejack.”
“No, ya have. You put up with mah suspicious attitude towards ya, did work that was sometimes a two pony job without complaint, paid a wage that would’ve made anypony in their right mind quit, and most importantly, you’ve been nothing but kind and considerate towards mah kin and friends.” Applejack placed her left hoof on Ion’s shoulder and looked him in the eye. “And that speaks volumes to the kind of stallion ya are. Thanks for all yer help, Ion.”
It was now Ion’s turn to blush. Thinking that he hadn’t really done anything worth such praise, “I’m just being me, Applejack. I like working on the farm with you and your family.”
“Well, don’t worry, once the sales come through, Ah’ll make sure you’re paid for everythin’ you’ve done for us,” said Applejack.
“Wait what?”
“Ah talked it over with Big Mac and Granny, and we all agreed that you should get a large portion of the profits we get from the apple sales when harvest comes around.”
Ion was struck speechless; he actually had to take a minute to let that sink into mind. “Applejack, you really don’t need to! You’ve been paying me with the meals at your family’s home and a place to stay. Besides, I know you were trying to buy that land, so I understand why you couldn’t.”
Applejack scoffed, “Yeah, well, that don’t make up for makin’ ya live in the upper part of the barn we’re partyin’ in. By the way, Ah’ll make sure everypony cleans up before the party’s over. No, Ion, you deserve it. Now keep in mind it may not be enough to buy yerself a home of yer own, but it’ll get ya started.”
Ion was about open his mouth to kindly decline the offer, but was quickly beat to it by Applejack.
“And Ah won’t take no fer an answer,” she said with finality.
With a frustrated sigh, the stallion agreed to the compensation, knowing full well that arguing the point with Applejack was like arguing with a boulder, it wouldn’t do any good and it was completely useless to do so.
“Anypony ever told you you’re as stubborn as a mule sometimes,” asked Ion, bumping his shoulder against Applejack’s. AJ smirked, “Constantly, but they come ‘round.” She punctuated her point by returning the bump with a stronger one, making Ion stumble a bit.
“There ya are!” Both AJ and Ion turned around and saw Apple Bloom running towards them. “Everypony was wonderin’ where ya went and –!” Apple Bloom stopped for minute, taking in the sight before her. The relaxed demeanor of her sister and Ion, the two of them, alone, taking a stroll underneath the moon and stars. It was then that an impish grin graced the filly’s lips. “Oooh, now Ah get it.”
“Get what,” asked Applejack.
“Y’all tryin’ to get some privacy,” responded Apple Bloom.
“‘Privacy,’ what do you mean ‘priva –?”
At that moment the two older ponies understood what Apple Bloom meant. Applejack’s face was noticeably becoming as red as an apple, which only increased even more when she turned to look at Ion, who was also sporting a fierce blush of embarrassment.
“Apple Bloom it ain’t like that!” Applejack protested.
“Alright, alright, Ah believe ya, sis.” Apple Bloom turned around, still holding her impish grin as she glanced at them over her shoulder. “…Applejack and Ion sittin’ in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G!”
“APPLE BLOOM!”
The little filly then took off into a gallop, with Applejack running right after her little sister. The whole time this was going, Ion couldn’t help but grin at the sight of the two sisters running around, a sight that made his heart beat just a bit faster after remembering what Apple Bloom accused the two of them of doing. Then his brain kicked in.
“APPLE BLOOM, we weren’t doing anything, I swear!”
(Northeast Orchard)
That night, while all were sound asleep, something was stirring. Towards the trees nearest the newly cultivated field, a strange occurrence was taking place. One of the apple trees, which seemed larger than the others, began to creak and groan. Its hanging red, luscious apples were beginning ripen, while the others around it started to wither and rot. But the trunk of the tree expanded, growing outward. The tree’s wood began to splinter as something began to push its way through. An ominous orange light glowed from the cracks in the tree’s wood.
*THUNK*
Something pounded at the tree, causing the bulge to crack.
*THUNK*
Yet again the unknown creature within struck, trying to free itself from the wooden confines of the apple tree.
*THU-CRASH!!!*
With one mighty strike the wooden bulge burst open, as orange light poured out from the hole like a gaping, bleeding wound. Something started to emerge from the opening, a large snake, with armor thick scales, and colored a bright vermillion. The snake slithered from the opening, its forked tongue licking at the air, getting familiar with its surroundings.
The snake had a strange symbol upon its head, that of a circle, with four lines coming in at angles, and one V like mark, like a spike, that pierced the top of the circle. Its slit, reptilian eyes gazed upon this new world it had just entered. The snake slithered forth, parting the trees as it pushed its way through and into the open field.
The snake looked upon this fertile land, seeing something it wanted. It could feel it, there was magic in the earth, along with Willpower. The snake grinned happily, he wanted the magic, and he wanted the power, for that was his way. It was the bases of his power, for he was Ophidian, the Entity of Avarice.
“Thisss isss mine… ”
The great serpent floated up into the air till he was a good one-hundred feet up. He then opened his great maw and unleashed a torrent of orange energy into the ground. Ophidian’s fangs dripped, his appetite whited from the taste and feeling of this lands energy. Soon something began to enter the torrent, a mixture of green light, and something shimmering and ethereal mixed with it. Ophidian greedily continued to syphon the energy, finding its taste quite delicious.
At the same time the land began to feel the effects of Ophidians drain. The saplings started to wither and the dirt turned red. When Ophidian ceased his syphoning, he looked upon his work and grinned evilly, his hunger satisfied, but only for the moment. The Entity of Avarice rose higher into the air and gazed upon this new world he had entered. “Hmmm, I wonder if thisss isss the placcce that the Life Entity sssent you all? I feel your lightsss, they are ssstrong here, oh ssso very ssstrong and sssoon they’ll be mine. But for now, let thisss be a warning to you my brothersss and sssistersss. ”
Ophidian could indeed sense the powers of the positive emotional lights, they were strong in this world, but there were sparks of Avarice, he could sense them, both far and close by. With that, Ophidian shot through the air, disappearing on the horizon, for now…
(Northeast Orchard, the Next Morning)
The four Earth Ponies stood upon the hill dumbfounded. They couldn’t comprehend what they were seeing, or, it was more like they didn’t want to comprehend it. Because if they did, it would affirm that the land they had poured their blood, sweat, and tears into cultivating was dead and barren. Unfortunately, this was not a dream nor was it a nightmare, although, some of them wished it was.
“What…what happened,” asked Apple Bloom, in shock.
“It’s gone…all of it…gone…” Applejack felt weak kneed, swaying as if somepony had just struck her in the head with a two-by-four.
Ion saw this and quickly went to her side, making sure she didn’t fall. “Whoa now, stay with me AJ.”
“What coulda done this,” asked Big Macintosh.
Granny Smith trotted closer to the line that divided the dark-brown soil with the red dirt. She then thrust her hoof into it, grimacing at the feel of the earth upon her hoof. She then brought it up to her face, sniffing a bit and then examining it with an experienced and keen eye. Her expression did not encourage good news.
“Youngins, we have a problem,” said Granny Smith.
“Ya think Granny!?” Applejack snapped.
The elderly mare let it slide, knowing how distraught Applejack was on the inside. “This soil’s gone and lost its fertility. Mah Pa told me about this, but Ah never thought Ah see it here.” Granny Smith held the dirt up so that the others could get a better look at it. “This here’s Red Earth, back when Ah was a little filly; mah family had to move from our original stompin’ grounds because of this. When the dirt’s this color, it means it’s lost all the minerals and natural magic that keeps it nice, lush, and fertile. Ah’m sorry, but…ain’t nothin’ gonna grow here…ever.”
“THAT’S AH LIE!” Applejack stomped her hoof into ground, some it sinking in under her anger fueled strength. “This land was perfect! Ah staked it out for years! Ah’ve checked it over and over again, Ah made sure that this land – THIS CELESTIA FORSAKEN LAND – was good and ready for planting! It was fine a month ago, there’s no reason for this to be happenin’!”
Apple Bloom was starting to get a little scared of her sister, she’d seen Applejack angry before, but right now, she was beyond angry, she was furious, actually there were no words to accurately describe how ticked off she was.
“Applejack, calm down, we need to start thinking about how we can fix this,” said Ion.
“Oh don’t you worry about that, we are definitely goin’ to fix this! But first, Ah need to go have me a talk with Filthy Rich! Ah knew he gave me this land too easily, even for the amount of bits we paid him!”
Applejack stormed off, stomping rather than trotting towards Ponyville. “Oh boy, Ah think we better do somethin’ before AJ goes into Barnyard Bargains and destroys the place,” suggested Big Mac.
“Apple Bloom, Ah want ya to go and find Applejack’s friends, ya know, the real smart one, Ah got a feelin’ we’re goin to need a Princess to diffuse this if’n things get outta hoof,” ordered Granny Smith.
Big Macintosh and Granny Smith started to go after AJ, while Apple Bloom was about head in the direction of Twilight’s home. But she stopped momentarily when she noticed that Ion was still standing in the same spot, although, he seemed to be looking at something.
“Hey, Ion, aren’t’cha comein’, Ah think Granny and Big Mac are gonna need yer help with mah sis.” Ion continued to stare in whatever direction he was staring, his eyes narrowing into intense slits, “No…no you go ahead. I’m going to look around; maybe I’ll be able to find out what happened.”
As much as her curiosity nagged at her to stay behind and find out what Ion was up to, she still had a mission to accomplish, and if she didn’t get Twilight to intervene, Apple Bloom knew that her big sister might do something she might regret later. So without another moment to lose, Apple Bloom hightailed it to Golden Oaks Library.
Now alone, Ion began his investigation. There was something wrong the moment he got near this place. It felt wrong, and heavy, like a great presence was once here. Ion noticed something strange in the ground, a large indention that seemed to indicate that something huge was slithering across the ground. The green stallion followed the trail into the orchard of apple trees. Many of them were pushed to the sides, as if something really big had forced its way through and created a path.
After some trotting, Ion happened upon a large apple tree. This tree was split open, as if something gigantic had emerged from it. The other trees within a ten foot radius were dead, the leaves had withered, and the fruit that they bore was rotted. But the destroyed tree’s fruit was not rotten, in fact, they were big and ripe, some easily the size of his head.
Ion touched the apple with his hoof and immediately the fruit reacted. The Entity of Willpower felt his energy being syphoned on contact. It was then that his suspicions was confirmed when he saw the apple glow with a familiar orange aura. Ion knitted his brow and gritted his teeth, knowing exactly who was to blame for all of this.
“Ophidian…!”
(Later That Afternoon)
Adara, Proselyte, and Ion stood before the tree that had ushered the Entity of Avarice into this world. Proselyte’s forehead glowed with the orange symbol of Avarice, his grimace prominent upon confirming this.
“There is no doubt, Ophidian has entered Equestria,” said Proselyte.
“This cannot be…Ophidian and the others were taken to dimensions where their light was ideal! Why would he be here, how did he even find Equestria,” asked Adara.
“I wish we knew where he was so we could ask him, because as it stands we have the Entity of Avarice loose in this peaceful world. I’m not about to let him infect these ponies with his greed, we’ve already seen the damage one wielder of the orange light can do,” said Ion.
“There’s still some hope here, Ion. The Life Entity weaved us into Equestria’s Life Web, and crafted our bodies. So he should be easy to find, concealing his true form will be difficult, especially with all four of us here,” said Adara.
“Proselyte, you should inform Predator about Ophidian, a place as shiny and rare as the Crystal Empire is bound to attract him at some point. Adara, can you neutralize the remaining Avarice energy from the land,” asked Ion.
Adara nodded her head, “I can, but, I’m not sure if I can restore what has been lost. Even with our synergistic power, brother, I can’t restore the magic that once flowed through it. But I can at least rid this portion of the orchard of Ophidian’s taint, so that the rest of trees are not affected.”
Ion snorted in frustration, but he then placed his hoof on Adara ruffled her mane playfully, “Thanks Adara, at least we can fix this much.”
“It’s fortunate that we were in town, had Applejack not made such a scene in Ponyville we wouldn’t have thought to come here,” said Proselyte.
Ion groaned upon hearing the details when the two pegasi Entities arrived. From what they said, Applejack had stormed her way into Barnyard Bargains and demanded to see Filthy Rich. After being told, multiple times, that he wasn’t there, the Earth Pony mare went on the hunt for the stallion. Unfortunately he was in town, with Diamond Tiara and her friend, Silver Spoon, apparently having had stopped by at Sugar Cube Corner for a treat after a shopping spree at the toy store.
Applejack, more or less, bucked the door down to the sweets shop and got right in Filthy Rich’s face, calling the stallion a con artist of the highest caliber, and that he’d put the Flim Flam Brothers to shame. Sufficed to say he didn’t take that very well. The two ponies got into a heated argument in the middle of the store, despite Pinkie Pie’s best efforts to calm them down and persuade them to possibly take it outside. Luckily, Big Mac was able to catch up with Applejack, with Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Rarity and Fluttershy in toe. It took several hours, but the five friends, and her brother, were finally able to calm the raging mare, and to a lesser extent, Filthy Rich.
“AJ, what were you thinking,” said Ion.
“I sensed great rage within her, and fear as well, Ion. What’s happened here has hurt her, deeply, and now she worries.”
“I also sensed hopelessness…I didn’t like it.”
Great, can this day get any worse? Ion immediately winced upon thinking those words, if there’s one thing that he has learned throughout the cosmos; it was that when you tempt fate, she usually takes the bait.
“THIS IS WHAT YA SOLD MEH, YA THEVIN’ VARMINT!!!”
Oh great…
Ion galloped through the trees, with Adara and Proselyte following close behind him. The three Entities emerged from the trees and saw everpony standing on the hill that overlooked the field. Applejack was staring daggers at Filthy Rich, while the stallion just gawked at the state of the land, his brain unable to process what he was seeing before him.
The Entities quickly made their towards the crowd, Adara joined up with Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle, who were doing their best to comfort their friend, despite the angry glares that Diamond and Silver were giving them when they thought no pony was looking. Proselyte rejoined Fluttershy; he could tell that she was very worried about AJ and her family. Twilight was standing between AJ and Filthy Rich, keeping both at a wing’s distance from each other; though she was ready to subdue them with her magic should this altercation get physical.
“What in the name of my great granddaddy Stinkin’ Rich happened here!?”
“What’s it look like!? Ya swindled me and mah family out of our hard earned money, and sold us a lemon!” Applejack shouted.
“I sold you a lemon! Missy, I’ll have you know, Barnyard Bargains prides itself on excellence and honesty! We insure that all our lands are healthy and viable farming land! Most likely, you did this!”
Applejack looked aghast at the accusation, “Now why would Ah do this to property that Ah paid that whole heap of money for!? It doesn’t make sense!?”
Filthy Rich snorted indignantly, “Oh it does Miss Applejack! You go and wreck the land and make it worthless and then comeback at me with a faulty claim that I conned you out of your money! Then later you sue me for all I’m worth, humph, well I wasn’t born yesterday, now own up to what you did!”
“Excuse me!?”
“And apologize to me and my daughter for causing a scene and frightening her the way you did,” demanded Filthy Rich.
As if on cue Diamond Tiara made the best pitiful, sad, and frightened face she could make, trying to help her Father’s case. This only earned them a double glare, one from Applejack, directed at Filthy Rich, and one from Apple Bloom, directed at Diamond Tiara for faking her expression.
“Ah won’t, and as for yer spoiled filly, Ah’ll apologize to her if she apologizes to mah sister and her friends for bullyin’ them all the damn time!”
“How dare you use such language in front of children, and accuse my daughter of such things! I should sue you for slander!”
“ENOUGH!!!” All went quite as Twilight flared her wings and glowered angrily at both Filthy Rich and Applejack, using the Royal Canterlot voice that she had been practicing for a while now to get their attention. “NO MORE ARGUING, THIS IS NOT GETTING US ANYWHERE! NOW YOU TWO WILL BE SILENT, OR SO HELP ME, I WILL USE THAT SPELL THAT TRIXIE USED TO TAKE PINKIE PIE’S MOUTH AWAY AND USE IT ON YOU TWO! DO YOU UNDERSTAND!!?”
Filthy and AJ immediately zipped their lips; everypony just stared at Twilight in surprise, fear, and a slight amount reverence to her use of the Voice. Rainbow Dash was giving her a different look, one that pretty much said, “She is so hot when she does that!” After calming herself down, Twilight looked between the two arguing ponies and then the land in question.
“There can be no arguing that something has happened to the field, Red Earth is not an uncommon affliction, extremely rare, yes, but not uncommon. Now I doubt Filthy Rich sold you this land knowing that this would happen, right Mr. Rich?”
“Of course,” said Filthy Rich, thinking it best to keep his answers short.
“And Applejack, I know a proud and dedicated farmer like yourself, and your family, would never willingly or purposefully do this to your own property and the land itself, correct?”
“Of course not!”
“Well then, it’s obvious that there is something wrong here. Now before anypony starts accusing OR suing, we need to find out the cause of this first,” said Twilight in a calm and dignified manner. “Mr. Rich, I would like you to please give me access to your records pertaining to this land. Everypony else, we need to look over the field and see what we can find, make note of everything, even if it might seem insignificant, every detail could be crucial into understanding why this happened,” ordered Twilight.
Applejack, although still angry, nodded her confirmation and proceeded to round up the others to do just that.
“Wait a moment now; I still require an apology for her violent outburst in front of my daughter and her friend! Such behavior cannot be excuse –!” At that moment Twilight shot the stallion a piercing glare, warning him to be silent.
“I believe that there are bigger problems at hoof here, such as the reputation of your business, and the satisfaction of your oldest, and best business partners, the Apples. Less you forget how it was your family became so fortunate in the first place.”
Filthy Rich opened and closed his mouth several times in vain attempt to argue with Princess Twilight, but the fact of the matter was he had no good argument, it was true, in the history books, passed down from generation to generation, that the Apple Family was the whole reason Ponyville even existed in the first place, and the reason why his family was so wealthy. To deny that now would make him look like the biggest plot on planet, and in front of a Princess and his daughter no less. So, with a bit of bile in his throat, he turned around and began trotting to his office back in Ponyville.
Meanwhile Diamond Tiara looked positively distraught, she couldn’t believe that her Daddy was taking that so easily and not getting, in her mind, a well-deserved apology. The pink filly ran up to her Father and looked up at him incredulously, “Daddy, aren’t you going to make them apologize!? That mean mare scared me and Silver Spoon!”
“Not now Diamond Tiara…as the Princess said, ‘there are bigger problems at hoof…’”
“B-But Daddy!”
“Not another word young lady, you and Silver Spoon head back to our house, until this matter is settle, and do so now,” he ordered in a stern voice.
Diamond Tiara couldn’t believe she just heard her Father say that, even worse, he was taking orders from a bookworm, egghead of a Princess, who was clearly siding with Apple Bloom’s family because they’re “friends”. The pink filly turned her head and glared at Apple Bloom, to which the yellow filly shot back one of her own. It was then that Diamond mouthed the word, “This isn’t over, Blank Flanks.”
When Filthy Rich and the two fillies left, Applejack and the rest of the Apples lead groups to search the land for any sign of wrongdoing or any natural cause for the Red Earth. Big Macintosh decided to team with AJ, figuring he could keep his sister calm for a bit. Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo teamed up, Rarity with Sweetie Belle, Fluttershy with Pinkie Pie, and Apple Bloom with Granny Smith. Twilight decided to follow Filthy Rich to make sure that he would keep up on his end of their arrangements, but only after prompting Applejack to inform her of their findings later. The three Entities formed their own party, so as to discuss privately what course of action they should take. All the teams fanned out across the field, eyes glued to the ground, searching for any minute detail as to why this had happened. At this time Ion, Adara, and Proselyte started to discuss how to proceed in this situation.
“Do you think we should inform the Princesses of Ophidian’s arrival, his presence could upset the balance of this world,” asked Adara.
Ion thought hard about it. Informing the Princesses would be wise, but it wasn’t a good idea. “No, we should handle this ourselves.” Proselyte raised a questioning eyebrow at that, “Ion, do not forget we are a guests in their world. And as such, we must respect their authority and rule so long as we continue to live amongst them.”
“You both know that Ophidian’s light can steal our light, and even magic, what do you think he’ll do when he finds out that there are two Princesses that can control the Sun and Moon, as well as others who can wield great Magic and Love? He’ll either capture them or syphon their power like he has done to this land. Or worse, he could steal their identity and make them his own construct Lantern Corps!”
Adara and Proselyte thought that over. It was true, the light of Avarice could syphon their power and turn the Princesses into his own construct army. If that were to occur, Equestria would lose its leaders, and be susceptible to all manner of attack and evil in the world, including Ophidian. With reluctance, they knew Ion was right.
“Okay, you have a point, brother. So what are we to do in the meantime,” asked Proselyte.
“For now we pretend like we’re looking. I’ll think of something to fix what he has destroyed. On that note, Adara, have you neutralized his taint?”
“I have been sending waves of Hope light into the ground since we’ve been walking upon it, and it’s mostly gone, another couple of minutes and all traces of Avarice energy will be gone. The fact that we’re both here helps the process go faster,” said Adara.
Well, that’s at least one other problem dealt with. I swear, Ophidian, if I can’t fix this, I’m going to take it out of your scaly hide!
The whole time that this was going on, unbeknownst to the three Entities, Apple Bloom watched them from the distance, noting the serious expression on Ion’s face, as well as the ones on Adara and Proselyte.
(Later That Night, Golden Oaks Library)
Twilight racked her brain as she peered over the various documents she had requested of Filthy Rich, as well as testing and retesting the samples of Red Earth in her basement laboratory. But no matter how many times she reread the papers, she could find no sign, legally, that Filthy Rich did anything to con Applejack out of her money. His data on the land was accurate, corresponding to the times that Applejack herself went out there to check. So, for the most part, it seemed that Filthy Rich could keep his good name and the reputation of Barnyard Bargains would not be tarnished.
However, Twilight was also showing zero results in the samples that were brought to her. Twilight had gathered every book on agriculture, farming, plants, and phenomenon associated with the Red Earth, including documented cases from other areas in Equestria, and the Griffon Empire. But yet, all her tests were inconclusive. It frustrated her to no end, and she made that stress vocal, letting out loud groans and moans from one failed test after another.
While this was going on, Adara and Scootaloo were listening by the door to the basement, having been told not to enter. At that moment Spike appeared behind them, carrying a tray filled with snacks and some tea, knowing his sister surrogate would be needing it.
“Hey, how come you can go down there, but we can’t,” asked Scootaloo.
“Well, maybe it’s because I’m her assistant, and that I have thick scales and am fireproof, you know, in case Twilight accidentally blows something up,” he explained. “Look, I know you two are worried about Apple Bloom and her family…I’m worried about her too…but we gotta give Twilight her space and hope she find an answer soon. She’s the smartest pony I know, don’t worry too much.”
With that said Spike gave a few knocks at the basement door to announce his arrival and then let himself in. Scootaloo sighed heavily, feeling helpless that she couldn’t do anything for one of her best friends. “Hope…Hope? HOPE! That’s it!”
“What’s ‘it,’” asked Adara.
“Your special talent, you can use it to heal the ground, like you healed my wings,” said Scootaloo excitedly.
Adara frowned upon hearing this, “I already tried, Scootaloo…”
“You…you did? When!?”
“When I got there, and a bit from when we were walking around, I was sending waves of my power, invisibly, through the ground, trying to see if the color would change, but it didn’t. Whatever did that, my power can’t fix it…”
“Sorry, Adara, I-I didn’t mean to put that all on you. It’s just…what if they can’t fix this? What will happen to Apple Bloom and her family? I heard that they paid a lot of money for it, will they be alright or will they…will they…?”
“Be like we were,” Adara finished, “homeless, with no place to call home?”
Scootaloo hung her head low, ears flat against her skull, “Yes…”
“That won’t happen, Scoots.” The two pegasi fillies turned towards the door and saw Rainbow Dash walking in, a smile upon her lips. “Even if Twi can’t fix this – which is impossible, because she’s an awesome egghead – no pony here will let the Apple Family go down like that. They’re the backbone of Ponyville, and they’re friends to pretty much everypony here. I mean, heck, look where you are now.”
Scootaloo took a moment to let Rainbow’s words sink in. She was right, she thought she would lose her wings and remain a homeless foal on the streets, but now she was living with a Princess, flying with her big sister figure, and having the filly who gave her all that staying with her. Rainbow Dash then came up to the two fillies, she sat on her haunches and drew them in close with her wings.
“Look, I’m about to say something really sappy so…”
“If anypony asks you’ll deny it,” said Scootaloo and Adara in unison, giggling at same time.
“I never really believed in miracles. I mean, yeah, I am an Element of Harmony, the only pony in Equestria who can do a Sonic Rainboom and friends with the best group of ponies I could ever ask for. But you know, I always saw that stuff as luck, you know, I thought I was just really, really lucky. But…” Rainbow Dash directed her gaze towards Scootaloo, “…After I found out what was wrong with you, I started to think how unfair it was, I almost felt like it was my fault. Like, ‘I’m the fastest flyer, but did that mean somepony else had to not be able to fly in order for that to happen?’ that’s what I thought. But then, you came bursting into Sugar Cube Corner, sporting these bad boys,” Rainbow poked at Scootaloo’s wings for emphasis. “Point is I didn’t used to believe in miracles, but…I do now. You’re proof of that Scoots. So, I believe that if it happened once, it can happen again. I mean, why not, right?”
Adara could sense it with her light; she could truly feel that Rainbow Dash believed that all would be well. And, it seemed it was infectious, because the light of Hope burned brighter in Scootaloo after hearing what Rainbow Dash said.
“Alright fillies, it’s getting late, we need to wake up early in morning to help out. C’mon I’ll tuck you guys in.”
(Sweet Apple Acres)
The mood in the Apple household was somber. The prospect of losing their newly acquired land was daunting. And it weighed heavily on Applejack’s mind; she couldn’t believe she did that, blowing all that saved up money like that, and for what? An acre of land that’s now worth as much as a rusty nail…The business and sales part of the farm was my responsibility, and look where Ah’ve gotten us into…
“AJ…?”
Applejack glanced over to the door and watched as her big brother entered her room, she snorted and turned her attention back to the ceiling.
“What, come to say how this whole endeavor was a fool’s errand?”
“Nope.”
“Well what then?”
“Ah came to check on mah little sister, who’s obviously blamin’ herself for somethin’ that was out of her control,” answered Big Macintosh.
Applejack laughed mockingly, “Oh really!? Ah checked and double checked that land mahself, there weren’t nothin’ wrong with it! As a matter of fact, everythin’ was right! Ah got too excited and overconfident that Ah obviously missed something, a sign, a hint, that this was goin’ to happen! It’s all mah fault!”
Big Mac sighed heavily, “No it ain’t, sis. This…this whole thing, is just a freak accident. Heck we should count our blessings that it’s only that patch of land and hasn’t spread to the other trees.”
“Oh great, thank you for puttin’ that in my mind,” Applejack threw her arms into air, flailing them angrily. “As if Ah didn’t have enough to worry about, now Ah got think of some way to quarantine that stuff so that it don’t mess up the rest of the orchard!”
“Applejack, it’s not all on you,” Big Mac moved closer and sat on his haunches at the edge of her bed. “We’re in this together, as a family, and we’ll get through this, as a family.”
“…You really don’t get it, do ya?” Applejack sat up, leaning on her forelegs for support. “Ah took into account how much we would need to keep going until the harvest came. The money we’ll make with just the normal harvest won’t help us, big brother, we might just lose the farm altogether! If not to the banks, then to Filthy once he comes at us with a lawsuit. No doubt he’ll blame us for what happened, and since it was in our care, he’ll probably win!” It was then that her thoughts turned dark, “Ah’ll probably have to find some…‘alternative’ ways to make sure we can keep a roof over our heads…”
It was then that Big Macintosh slammed his right hoof into the floor, causing it to splinter and cave under his tremendous strength. “Would ya please stop talkin’ like you’re the only one to blame!” The red stallion glared at his little sister. “Ah don’t ever want you to think or say stuff like that ever again! What if Apple Bloom heard you say that!? If anythin’ Ah’m the one who should be to blame! Ah’m the stallion of the house, all that should be MY responsibility not yours, AJ!”
Applejack was slightly taken aback by her brother’s response. He didn’t often raise his voice, or speak with a furious tone, but when he did, it made Applejack feel like she was a little filly being scolded by their father. Big Macintosh saw the fearful look in his sister’s eyes and looked away, disgusted with himself.
“…Pa would be ashamed of me…”
“Big Mac –”
“Don’t say it ain’t true. You shouldn’t have to shoulder all this responsibility. Ah know workin’ on the farm is your passion, but you should also be lookin’ for somepony ya like, someone who’ll treat ya right and look after ya. Somepony who’s just as passionate as yerself about the farm…”
“Big Mac…please…don’t go makin’ this about meh findin’ a special somepony. You deserve that more than meh, puttin’ up with me leavin’ the farm a long time ago, and mah stubbornness. You and Granny practically raised meh and Apple Bloom after…” Applejack couldn’t finish the sentence, even though it was a long time ago, the loss of their parents still hurt. It was gaping wound that she was sure wound never heal. “And for the record, Pa wouldn’t be ashamed of ya. If anythin’ he’d be proud of you for lookin’ after mah fool self, Granny, and Apple Bloom.”
“…Thanks, AJ…” Applejack leaned her head over and nuzzled her big brother comfortingly, with Big Mac returning the favor. “How is it that Ah came in her to comfort you, and you end up doing the comfortin’?”
“Ah’m good like that,” she said with a smug look.
Big Macintosh just bobbed her upside the head, making Applejack stick her tongue out at him. The large stallion got up onto his hooves and was prepared to leave, but he stopped when he felt Applejack’s hoof on his back. She had a pink blush on her face as she stared down at the floor.
“……Can ya…Can ya sleep in mah room tonight……Ah just…just don’t feel like being on mah own right now…at least until Ah fall asleep…?”
Big Macintosh smiled gently and turned to pat his little sister’s head. AJ turned around with her back facing him. Bag Mac snuffed out the light of the lamp and got into bed next to AJ. Despite his size, the bed was able to comfortably hold them both. He then pressed his back against Applejack’s, his way of saying that he was right there. She took comfort in the warmth and broadness of her big brother’s back, his presence alone helping her become more relaxed.
“G’night, AJ.”
“G’night…big brother.”
Ion lied awake in his bed. He couldn’t sleep, not with everything that has happened. The Entity of Willpower was waiting for the right time to leave, he had a plan, but he wasn’t sure if it was going to work or not. But still, Ion thought that it was better to try and fail then to not try at all. The green stallion got out from his bed and trotted over to the door; he opened it and saw that every light in the house was off. Judging by the position of the moon, he was fairly sure that all of the Apples had fallen asleep by now.
It’s time.
Ion leaped from the second story of the barn, and landed gently on the ground. He scanned the area, making sure that there was no pony around. Once sure that he was alone, Ion quickly went to work. He raided the shed where the apple seed bags were kept. He dragged at least ten of the large, heavy bags out of the shed and closed the door. Ion then quietly hitched himself to a wagon, pulling it and backing it up till it was close enough for him to put the bags of seed onto it.
Swiftly and silently he hauled the bags onto the wagon, being careful not make the wooden conveyance creak under the weight of the bags. On the ninth bag the wagon let out a creaking sound, along with some unknown rustling in the darkness. Ion went still, frozen in place, his eyes darting around and watching for any hit of movement from the house. After two tense minutes, Ion quickly put the last bag onto the wagon and proceeded to his destination.
While making the trek to the Northeast Orchard, Ion was having doubts about his plan. But he knew he had to try something, he owed it to the Apple Family, to Applejack. Ophidian was, in a sense, his family, and since this was his mess, Ion was obligated to clean it up. Soon the hill came into view, when he reached the top Ion unhitched himself from the wagon and looked over the vast field of Red Earth. It was going to take a lot of work, and he needed to be fast before anypony arrived here the next morning. Speaking of there not being anypony…
“Apple Bloom, come on out.” There was no response. “I know you’re hiding in the wagon, so if you don’t want me to take you back you’ll show yourself.”
There was another creaking sound coming from the wagon. At that moment Apple Bloom jumped out of the wagon and landed on the ground next to the wheel. “How’d you know Ah was there? Ah was quiet as a mouse.”
“I have my ways. So, care to explain why you’re up so late, and following me?”
“Ah couldn’t sleep, not with everythin’ that’s happened. Ah was just in mah bed, wide awake. Then Ah saw ya jump from the second story door, and land on the ground like you were a pegasus or somethin’, and then Ah saw ya gettin’ those bags of apple seeds, and the wagon. So I hitched a ride to see what yer doin’.”
Ion looked at Apple Bloom regarding her. Was it wise to reveal his powers to her? Adara had already told them about how she revealed her powers to Scootaloo when she healed her wings. And apparently Fluttershy saw Proselyte’s powers when they first met. So far, they are the only two ponies, outside of the Princesses, who are aware of their abilities, true forms aside. Well, if Adara and Proselyte were going to take a leap of faith with Scootaloo and Fluttershy, why not him too?
“Okay, I’ll tell you. But, you have to swear to me, Apple Bloom, that you won’t tell anypony about what you see here tonight,” he then gave Apple Bloom a stern look. “I mean it. Not even your sister or brother.”
Apple Bloom didn’t know what to say. This was the first time she had seen Ion so serious. “Well…what about mah friends, Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, and Adara…?”
“…I’ll think about that, but for now, I need know that you won’t tell anypony.” With a serious expression of her own, Apple Bloom made an unbreakable promise. “Cross mah heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in mah eye!”
Ion cracked a smile, recognizing the infamous Pinkie Promise. “Alright, well, Apple Bloom, I’m going to try and save this field and hopefully bring it back to the way it was.”
Apple Bloom’s eyes immediately grew wide and sparkling with renewed hope. “Ya are, ya can, how!?”
“You asked me almost two months ago what my cutie mark represented, do you remember?” Apple Bloom nodded vigorously. “I couldn’t tell you then, but I will now. My mark represents my ability to channel Willpower.”
Apple Bloom was now confused, “‘Willpower’, isn’t that that thing that ponies say when their tryin’ to diet or when their working hard at somethin’?”
Ion chuckled a bit at her description, “In a way, you’re not far off. Willpower comes from within. It’s a power based in courage and determination. The ability to overcome fear, to stand up against something you know in your heart of hearts is wrong. Willpower gives us the strength we need to push on, to live, and to fight. All living things have Willpower, Apple Bloom, from the ground that we stand on,” Ion stomped the ground, “to the plants and trees,” he then gestured to the orchard behind them, “even you and me.”
“Ah have Willpower too,” she asked.
“You and your friends do. Never giving up, no matter how many times you fail, you never stop trying to find your cutie mark, that’s not just Willpower, that’s also Hope, but we’ll talk about that later.” Ion held out his right hoof, extending it in front of him. “My special talent allows me tap into that great energy, and use it however I wish.”
At that moment a sphere of green light appeared around his hoof, lighting the darkness and bathing everything in its warm glow. Apple Bloom stared in fascination at the light; she then noticed how Ion’s cutie mark was glowing the same color as the orb, and his eyes shimmering with a brighter shade of green. As Apple Bloom continued to stare at Ion and the orb, a thought popped into her head, it was inconceivable, but she had to ask.
“Ion…are you…are you the Emerald Giant?” Ion smiled at Apple Bloom, he then dismissed the orb and simply nodded a yes. “OH MAH GOSH, you’re the Emerald Giant!”
Apple Bloom quickly latched onto his right foreleg, hugging it tightly. “Whoa, what’s this for?”
“Thank you for savin’ Applejack,” said Apple Bloom.
“You thanked me when I got out of the hospital, dozens of times.”
“Yeah, but Ah thanked Ion, not the Emerald Giant, so, thanks again!” Apple Bloom then let go of the hero’s leg and looked up at him with newfound respect and adoration. “So what’s the plan? What can Ah do to help?”
Ion looked to the wagon, his marks glowed again as he levitated the ten bags of apple seeds out of the wagon and onto the ground. “For starters, we need to open these bags of seeds up, and I’ll take care of the rest from there.”
“Yes sir!” Apple Bloom immediately went to work opening the bags, tearing off their tops with great haste.
Heh, I like her spirit. Now…Let’s see. Ion concentrated, a sphere of emerald light appeared a few feet in front him, he tried to create something that would quickly scatter the seeds and plant them. But it was no use, every time the sphere shattered, reforming, and shattering again. Just like I thought…my powers are limited in this form, that’s why I could only create that humanoid construct around myself. If I was in my true form…who am I kidding, I need someone with a strong imagination to create more complex constructs. Although I’d like to avoid possessing anypony, if possible.
“Ion, Ah finished openin’ the bags, what’s next? Ion, Ion, ya listenin’?”
Ion was snapped from his thoughts from hearing Apple Bloom, but it was then that a new idea popped into his mind. A crazy idea, but it was crazy enough to work. “Apple Bloom, I just thought of a way for you to help in a very big way.”
The excitement was building in the little filly, “Really, how!?”
“I’ve seen and heard about how creative you are Apple Bloom. The tree house you rebuilt, that float you built for the Summer Harvest Parade, the advice you gave your friend, Sweetie Belle, when you made your backgrounds for your talent show. You have a wonderful talent.”
Apple Bloom blushed upon hearing that, “No…it’s not anythin’ special, it’s just somethin’ Ah do sometimes.”
“Well, we’re going to put it to good use. My power is…limited in what I can use it for. All I can create are simple things, like the Giant. But, if someone with a more creative mind used my power, there’s no limit to what you can create.”
“Wait, what are ya sayin’?”
“I want you to use my power, Apple Bloom, create constructs that can take these seeds and plant them into the ground, can you do that?” Ion asked.
“What’s a ‘construct’?”
“Basically, it’s something that you see in your mind, or something that you build. Like my Emerald Giant. So, what do you say?” Ion held out his hoof to the filly. “All you need to do is hold my hoof and you’ll be able to wield Willpower.”
Apple Bloom looked at Ion’s hoof, skeptically. She was unsure if this would work, she was more unsure of herself and the confidence that Ion had in her. Apple Bloom gingerly reached out with her hoof, but stopped halfway. “What’ll happen to meh when I grab your hoof?”
“You’ll feel an intense surge of power coursing through your body. It may feel overwhelming, but I’ll be here to make sure you don’t get hurt.” Ion could see the hesitation in her eyes, he knew he was asking a lot of Apple Bloom, but it was only an idea, more from where that came from. “Apple Bloom, you don’t have to if you don’t want to. I’m not forcing you. I can find another way, I promise.”
The yellow filly looked up into Ion’s eyes, and saw nothing but sincerity and kindness within them. “No, Ah’ll do it, for Applejack, for mah family.”
Apple Bloom then grasped Ion’s hoof with her left. Almost immediately she felt a surge of power course through her veins. Energizing every cell, every molecule within her body, it was amazing. Apple Bloom felt strong, stronger than Big Macintosh and Applejack combined. A green light aura started to lap off of Ion and Apple Bloom, his eyes shining brightly with green energy, unknown to Apple Bloom. Her amber eye color had changed as well, now a stunning emerald color, the same as her sister’s eyes.
“You alright, Apple Bloom,” asked Ion.
“Y-Yeah, Ah am, it’s just a rush, but Ah’m okay,” said Apple Bloom.
“Okay, if it gets to be too much, let go, understand?” Apple Bloom nodded. “Alright, now try to imagine something to spread and plant the seeds, no matter how crazy or fantastical it may be, we can make it real. Picture it in your mind, and will it to be real.”
Apple Bloom took Ion’s advice to heart. She closed her eyes and began to concentrate hard on what she wanted to create. At that moment a sphere of emerald light appeared before them, it twisted and churned, as if uncertain what it wanted to become. Ion looked at Apple Bloom, he watched as she knitted her brow, straining to create a construct. It was then that Ion was starting to have second thoughts about having Apple Bloom do this.
It takes those Green Lantern recruits months of training to form a simple construct and even longer for something more complex, I know, I felt their struggle. To ask a child to do that which takes months of training and to do it in just a few minutes, what was I thinking?
“Apple Bloom…maybe we should stop –”
“No way,” she interrupted, “Mah sis wouldn’t give up, and Ah ain’t givin’ up either!”
Upon her declaration, the sphere burst forth into a myriad of light fragments, each fragment began to change its form, becoming something else. Some became nuts and bolt, others turned into panels, wires, and various other components. The pieces started to combine together into some sort of contraption. Ion didn’t know what it was he was looking at, but he trusted Apple Bloom knew what she was dong.
“Okay, the ‘Loader’ is ready; now let’s smooth out the field.”
High above the field another orb popped into existence. The orb then reformed into a giant flatiron. The giant construct then fell upon the field with a great THUD and began pressing down, smoothing out the rows that they had painstakingly made a month ago, and ridding the ground of the dead plants that weren’t weeded out earlier yesterday. After a minute the flatiron rose up and vanished, leaving behind a smooth and level ground, the field of Red Earth looked like a bad rash upon the land.
“Now for the rows,” said Apple Bloom.
Another orb formed above the field, transforming into a giant comb. But this comb was different. It had about twelve dozen teeth and at the ends were razor sharp blades. The comb lowered itself to the ground and gently raked itself across the field, in no time at all the rows that were erased reappeared, fresh, and ready for planting.
“You’re doing great Apple Bloom, you’re almost done,” said Ion.
Apple Bloom dismissed the last construct and gave her full concentration into creating this next one. The “Loader” that she had created before had two ports, one facing the field, and another one pointed up. A long apparatus formed at the port pointing towards the field, it snaked its way towards the field and rose high into the air, towering a good fifty feet above the ground. It then divided itself, creating a long bar that extended over each individual row. Long tubes then shot forth from the bars, halting just a mere three inches from the ground, many tubes continued to form till they reached end.
A new tube formed around the port pointed up on the Loader. It grew in length and weaved its way around Ion and Apple Bloom, stopping at the open seed bags. The Loader then activated, making mechanical noises as it whirred to life. A suction sound could be heard coming from the tube, the living tube then dove into the first bag, sucking up every last one of the apple seeds in the bag till it was empty. It proceeded to do the same with the other nine till all the bags were emptied of their contents. When that was done, the tube vanished and a lid capped off the port.
The device then went into high gear. Ion watched as the multitudes of apple seeds entered the tubes and filed into the individual ones over the field. Once Apple Bloom was sure that each tube had at least one seed, she gave the mental command to release. Fast as an arrow, the seeds sped down and were shot into the soft soil that awaited them below. Apple Bloom waited until all of the apple seeds had been planted, holding onto the construct so that it would not fall apart.
“We did it…the seeds are all planted…” Apple Bloom released Ion’s hoof and began to sway when the power left her body. Now fatigued and weak kneed from the loss of power.
Ion quickly caught her in a protective energy field to keep her from falling. “You did great Apple Bloom, told you, you were creative!” Apple Bloom giggled weakly, “Thanks, but what now…? Ah mean, the seeds are in the ground, but Granny said the soil’s bad, they won’t grow.”
“Let me worry about that.” Ion turned the wagon around and had face towards the field; he then gently placed Apple Bloom on it, her legs tucked under her as she struggled to stay awake. “Apple Bloom, tell me, did you learn about the different types of magic that each of three different ponies have?”
“Uh-huh, Miss Cheerilee taught as a while back. Pegasus Ponies have magic that allows them to make weather, and that that magic becomes more re…re…oh what’s that word – refined, yeah, more refined when they get their cutie mark, which is how some pegasi can do different things. Same for unicorns, they all can use magic, but some are better at it than others.”
“And what about Earth Ponies like you and me?”
“Miss Cheerilee said our magic’s different. Fer one thing, we’re a bit stronger. Second we can help make plants and things grow bigger, better, and stronger,” answered Apple Bloom.
“Of course, it’s also refined based on ones cutie mark. Like your sister and brother with apples,” said Ion.
“Yeah, but what are ya gettin’ at? What’re ya tryin’ to do?”
Ion stood at the edge of field, where the ground transitioned into Red Earth. The Entity of Willpower sat on his haunches and raised his forehooves to eye level, staring at them intently. Green energy began to shimmer around them, sparkling as he tapped into another power, one that he had been using passively since he was incarnated into his Earth Pony form, but now he had to knowingly, will that passive magic to flow at his command. “We’re going to see what happens when you mix Earth Pony magic and Willpower!”
Ion then thrust his hooves into the Red Earth soil. At first there was nothing, but then something amazing happened. A green sparkling mist started to rise from the point of contact, the darkness of the night was illuminated with shimmering green light as it spread across the vast field, seeping into the soil. Apple Bloom shakily rose to her hooves, watching in awe as Ion’s power flowed through the ground. The red color of the soil started to fade, giving way to a lusher, dark brown color. Ion continued to pour his magic and light into the earth, healing it with his power. After a few more seconds the mist settled into the ground, and the night was once again dark. Ion removed his dirt covered hooves from the indentions he made, suddenly glad that he was sitting rather than standing.
“Ion…that…that was amazin’,” said Apple Bloom.
“Yeah, but it’s not enough, we need one more thing to really give it a kick start, something like…” Ion scanned the area, looking for that one something that would give the field the “kick start” that it needed. It was then that Ion spotted something strange in the sky, a dark blotch marring the moon. “What is that?”
Apple Bloom turned her gaze skywards and spotted the blotch. “Oh that’s a cloud; it musta drifted here from the Everfree Forest. Ah remember mah sis tellin’ meh that Rainbow Dash gets angry when a stray cloud wanders here, because it makes ponies think she’s lazy.”
Ion smirked at the fortuitous appearance of this stray cloud. “Well I’m glad either way, because that’s exactly what I need”
The Entity of Willpower stood on his hooves and locked his eyes on the cloud that hovered precariously over the field. He then took in a deep breath, pooling the same magic and light energy he used before. Ion then released his breath, but instead of air, he released a stream of sparkling green light that zoomed through air. The magical breath struck the small cloud, instantly it began to grow bigger and bigger, rumbling low and strong. In the next minute the cloud covered the entire field as green lightning arced through it. With one mighty thunder crash, the clouds unleashed a deluge of rain, pouring over the field in waves upon waves of rejuvenating water. Ion had created a barrier around Apple Bloom and himself, keeping them nice and dry. Apple Bloom couldn’t believe all she had seen and done tonight. What Ion did was nothing short of fantastic and magical, even by alicorn standards.
“You did it Ion, you saved the field, the farm, and mah family,” said Apple Bloom.
“Well, we’ll know for sure tomorrow. I’ve never done anything like that, so all we can do is hope from here.” As Ion made his way to the wagon he smiled upon getting a closer look at Apple Bloom. “Oh and just so you know you earned that yourself, not because of my power, I was only a tool.”
“What the heck are ya talkin’ ‘bout, now,” she asked.
Though he had expanded his powers a lot already, he was sure he could at least create a simple mirror. And just like that it appeared, Ion angled the mirror towards Apple Bloom’s right flank and an image appeared in the reflection. It was an apple, but it was only the background to something else. A triangle straightedge, with a hammer balanced on the flat of the measuring tool. Apple Bloom was at a complete loss for words, after all the Crusades, after all the lessons about waiting for your cutie mark to appear, and there it was, not on one, both of her flanks!
“Congratulations, Apple Bloom.”
The little filly threw herself at Ion, wrapping her forelegs around his neck and hugging him fiercely, which was having the same effect as being strangled. All he could hear was Apple Bloom continuously repeating “thank you” over and over again, and he could’ve sworn that he felt warm tears on his coat, but decided not to ask. Ion then called upon his power to levitate Apple Bloom onto his back.
“C’mon, let’s get back before anypony notices we’re gone,” said Ion.
“But, what about the storm,” she asked.
“I gave it enough power to last for another hour or two, after that it’ll just break apart into nothing.”
Apple Bloom assisted Ion in hitching himself to the wagon, once secured the two of them made their way back to the farm. It was a long trek, like always, but now Ion wasn’t dragging a wagon full of apple seeds that weighed nearly a ton, minus the weight of one filly.
(The Next Morning)
Applejack groggily woke up; the fur around her face was matted from her crying during the night, she was vaguely aware of being in the embrace of a pair of strong forelegs. When her vision came into focus, Applejack saw that those forelegs belonged to Big Macintosh. Most likely sensing the distress of his little sister, Big Mac drew her in close to his chest and held her tight; it was something that she remembered their father doing for Applejack whenever she had a nightmare.
Applejack smiled at her big brother and stealthily wriggled out of his forelegs as to not disturb him. She stood at the edge of her bed, looking at the sleeping form of her big brother. After puttin’ up with mah nonsense last night, you deserve a little more sleep, Big Mac.
Applejack exited her room and decided to pay her little sister a visit. No doubt she was more worried than Applejack, foals often picked up on the nervous and negative emotions of their elders, and right now it must be scary for her. But Applejack was determined to make sure that her little sister didn’t worry, even if this did mess everything up, she’d be damned if she wasn’t going to make sure Apple Bloom still had future. Whether it be on the farm, or somewhere else, preferably the former, sense she wasn’t sure how long the farm would be the Apple Family’s.
Applejack gave a few light knocks to the door to Apple Bloom’s room to announce her presence; she then opened the door and quietly entered inside, “Apple Bloom, sugarcube, are ya awake? Ah wanted to talk to ya about –” Applejack cut herself off when she noticed that Apple Bloom’s bed was vacant. “What the hay? Oh great, she must’ve gone off to try and fix this mess Ah got us in. Hope Ion’s in the mood for a filly hunt.”
Applejack made her way outside, trotting up to the barn where Ion resided. On her way though, she couldn’t help notice that one of the wagons looked wet for some reason. Applejack looked up and saw that there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. Weird, Rainbow didn’t say there was storm scheduled until a couple a weeks from now. Oh well.
Applejack went inside barn and climbed the latter to the upper part of the barn. Once she was up, Applejack saw another strange thing. Ion wasn’t sleeping in his bed, but on a pile of hay, sprawled out, and snoring softly. Curious, Applejack got closer to the green stallion, she was about to nudge him to wake up, but stopped upon hearing a noise coming from behind her. The orange mare turned around and gasped upon what she saw, Apple Bloom, curled up in his bed. Wha-wait-what!? How – what the hay is my little sister doing sleeping in Ion’s bed!?
Apple Bloom began to mumble something incoherent. Applejack leaned in closer, trying to catch what she was saying, and possibly get an idea of why she was here. “Hmm… Ion…that…that was amazin’”
WHAT!?
“Ah can’t believe… we were able to do that…together…”
OH THAT TEARS IT!
Applejack glared at the stallion, still blissfully unaware of what was about to occur. Applejack turned around, she then balanced her weight on her forelegs and bent her hind legs. “RISE AND SHINE!”
At that moment a high pitched noise, strong enough to shatter even the Crystal Palace, resonated through the air and further out into Ponyville, where dozens of residents would wonder if some famous opera singer was practicing at an unreasonably early hour. It was this very sound that also startled Apple Bloom into full alertness, jumping out of the blankets and standing on the bed, her head swiveling every which way as her wide eyes searched for the source of the strange noise.
“Who, what, where, when!?”
“Apple Bloom!” Applejack cried out.
The older apple sibling wrapped her little sister in bone crushing hug, Apple Bloom didn’t know exactly how to react to this. “Uh, mornin’ sis…?”
“Apple Bloom, are ya alright, are ya hurtin’ anywhere!?”
“Uh…not really, Ah got a bit of headache though, but Ah’m fine,” said Apple Bloom. “Where am Ah anyway?”
“Morning Apple Bloom,” said a high falsetto voice.
“Who or what was that?” Apple Bloom wriggled free of her sister’s embrace and made her way to the edge of the bed. She then saw Ion, on floor, his pupils the size of pinpricks, with tears in the corners of each eye. He was in a strange position; Ion was in a fetal position, his forelegs tucked between his hind legs. “What happened to ya, and why am Ah in your room?”
“Exactly what Ah want to know too! Think Apple Bloom, Ah know it might not seem like somethin’ bad, but ya got to tell me the truth, did Ion do…anything, to you!?”
“Um, no, I –” At that moment Apple Bloom recalled the events of last night. She remembered being really sleepy, and that Ion wasn’t able to get her back to her room without waking her sister, brother, or Granny. So he opted to let her sleep in his bed while he took the pile of hay. “Nothin’ happened.”
“Apple Bloom, ya remember when Miss Cheerilee was talkin’ to yer class about ‘Stranger Danger’ and how you should say no?”
“Yeah, but what does…” It finally clicked in her mind what Applejack was getting at and a fierce crimson blush colored her cheeks. “APPLEJACK HE DID NO SUCH THING! If you wanna know, he helped me get this!”
Apple Bloom angled her flank as to allow Applejack a glimpse of her cutie mark. Applejack looked upon the mark, her eyes growing wide with pride and happiness for her little sister, replacing the earlier anger she was feeling.
“Oh Apple Bloom, you got yer cutie mark! Ya got yer cutie mark!”
“Yeah, Ah did, and Ion helped meh! He didn’t do anythin’ weird! Ah couldn’t sleep last night and Ah didn’t want to wake ya. Ah came out here because Ion was awake too, so we talked, and he helped me figure out what my special talent is! So, why’s he like that?” It was now AJ’s turn to blush, mostly out of shame. “Well…um…you said some things in yer sleep…and Ah may’ve overreacted. And Ah might have…apple bucked him in a place that’s private…”
Suddenly, Ion’s position on the floor made a lot more sense. Apple Bloom quickly jumped off the bed and went to the injured stallion’s side. “Applejack are ya crazy!? Ya never kick a colt in that spot, you could really hurt’em!”
“Oh my gosh, Ion, Ah’m so sorry, are ya alright – okay poor choice of words – can you breathe,” she asked, genuinely concerned now.
“I’m in a catastrophic amount of pain…and I don’t think I can feel my hind legs,” said Ion in his falsetto voice.
Apple Bloom looked up at Applejack with an angry, yet disappointed look. In this moment, their roles were reversed, Applejack felt like a ten-year-old filly who just got caught fighting, and Apple Bloom was the big sister who was giving her a scolding stare.
I think I need to go to the hospital…
(Northeast Orchard, 3 Hours Later)
Laughter could be heard ringing out through the trees. It’s origin coming from two pegasi. One was Rainbow Dash, laughing like crazy to the point where she couldn’t fly, and that Twilight had to levitate the prismatic mare just so she wouldn’t get left behind. Applejack had her hat rim pulled down low, not wanting to make eye contact with anypony after the fiasco earlier this morning.
On the opposite end, Adara was laughing, although not as hard as Rainbow Dash, it was still hearty. Ion just continued to walk, awkwardly, forward, keeping his gaze focused straight ahead and doing his best to ignore Adara. Proselyte was walking beside Ion, having used his light to heal his, ahem, injury. The whole time the purple pegasus wore a bemused grin as the events of that morning played in his head for the fifth time, and still it was funny.
“Alright, Adara, it wasn’t that funny you know,” said Ion.
“Forgive me, brother, but…but…HA HA HA, oh my, I still can’t believe it. Applejack, apple bucked you between your –!”
“Yes, she kicked me there, okay!?”
“Well, at least that explains the strange sound that startled the animals this morning. I must say,” Proselyte started to chuckle, “the fact that you were assailed,” his chuckling grew stronger, “in that particular area, is quite hilarious.”
“Oh Proselyte, great Entity of Compassion, how little of your famous compassion I feel from you right now,” mocked Ion.
“Come now, Ion, I only jest. I healed you didn’t I?”
“And I thank you for that. None of you are to tell Predator about this, she’d have a field day with it.”
Adara took a few calming breathes, bringing herself back to the matter at hoof. “You have our word. So, did your plan work at all?”
“We’re about to find out.”
While they were walking, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle couldn’t help but batter Apple Bloom with dozens of questions about how she acquired her cutie mark. As much as Apple Bloom wanted to tell them, she knew she couldn’t, especially after Pinkie Promising that she wouldn’t tell anypony unless Ion said it was okay. And after everything he did, she was determined not break it or risk losing him as a friend.
“FOR-EVERRRRRRR!”
Apple Bloom’s vision was suddenly filled with pink fur and piercing blue eyes. “Uh, is there somethin’ ya need Pinkie Pie?”
“Nope, said what I needed to say. La-la-la-la-la-la-la.” The Crusaders watched as Pinkie Pie hopped her way back to the head of the group, acting as if nothing happened at all. Of course, by now they’ve just come to simply accept any Pinkie randomness.
“I’ve worked pretty much through the night coming up with different solutions to fix the Red Earth problem, herbal, and magical, so hopefully something is bound to work, I promise Applejack,” said Twilight.
“Don’t worry Twi, Ah was actin’ like a darn fool yesterday,” said Applejack.
“Well it’s understandable, darling, given what has occurred, one can hardly be expected to keep calm and rational. Goodness knows how many times that’s happened to me when I was filling a client order,” said Rarity.
“But don’t worry, Applejack, I’m sure we’ll be able to fix this. And if all else fails I might be able to ask Discord for help,” said Fluttershy.
The five mares cringed at the thought of asking Discord for help, let alone owing the Spirit of Chaos a debt like that. “Still, that might be a viable option…but we aren’t that desperate yet, are we?” Twilight asked as she looked at AJ.
“Nope, not that desperate, yet,” she agreed.
The hill was in sight, and everypony got ready to go to work on fixing the Red Earth problem. But when they reached the hill, they gasped. The barren red field was no longer red, or barren. Instead dozens, upon dozens of rows of apple trees stood tall and strong, as far as the eye could see. Many mouths were agape, except Apple Bloom and Ion, who were more overjoyed than surprised. The group slowly made its way towards the newly created orchard, Big Mac, Granny Smith, and Applejack gazed upon the trees, touching a few so as to insure that this was in fact reality, and not some elaborate dream they were having.
“How far along do ya reckon they are,” asked Applejack.
“If Ah had to guess, they’re just about the same age as the ones from east orchard,” said Granny Smith.
“Twilight…did you –?”
“No, Applejack, I haven’t done anything, this, this isn’t my doing,” said Twilight.
“Ah can’t believe it, we’ll be able to keep the farm, and still make it, we’ll be alright!” Applejack shouted.
Rainbow Dash trotted next to Scootaloo, she ruffled the young filly’s mane, causing her to smile. “What’d I tell ya? You gotta believe in miracles, Squirt.”
Applejack separated from the group, making her way back to the hill. She overlooked the vast canopy of apple trees. Yesterday the field was worthless, nothing would grow again according to Granny Smith, but now, apple trees were everywhere, and somehow they were now the same age as the trees in the orchard next to it. Applejack could hardly believe it; this was beyond what she had previously calculated. Now these new trees will be ready for harvest at the same time as the others.
“But how…?”
Applejack took a few steps and nearly tripped, after catching herself, she looked down to see what she tripped on. In the ground, right where the Red Earth transitioned into the normal soil was a pair of holes. They didn’t look like gopher holes, or anything an animal would make, but upon closer inspection, Applejack was able discern the hoofprints further in.
Whoever did this must’ve stuck most of their foreleg into the…ground…
It was then that her mind snapped back to that morning in the barn. When she saw Ion sprawled out on the pile of hay, and finding it strange that half his forelegs were covered in, what looked like, dirt.
“Ion, can ya come up here? Ah need to talk to ya!”
Ion heard Applejack’s call and was preparing to meet her up on the hill, until he heard Rainbow Dash snickering.
“Make sure she doesn’t buck your ‘apples’ a second time, Ion,” warned Rainbow.
“Hardy, har, har, that was so funny I forgot to laugh, Dash,” said Ion.
The green stallion walked up to the hill to where AJ was. A knowing look on her face as she stared at Ion, her eyes then traveled down, her gaze now fixated on his still dirty fetlocks and forelegs. Her head drifted back up to eyelevel and a smug smile formed.
“So, how’d ya do it?”
“Say what?”
“Ah’m askin’ how did ya save the field,” said Applejack, clarifying the question.
“Seriously, Applejack, I don’t know what you’re talking about. I was busy helping Apple Bloom last night,” said Ion.
The orange mare eyed the stallion suspiciously. “Uh-huh, so, you helped mah sister figure out her special talent, and she gets her cutie mark last night. And now, this morning, the Red Earth is gone, and a field of full grown apple trees sprouts up. Mighty big coincidence that both happen not too far in between each other, especially considerin’ that your hooves are all dirtied with dried dirt and mud, and they seem to match those.”
Applejack pointed a hoof at the holes in the dirt, Ion followed her hoof to the holes, his eyes immediately went wide as he mentally facehoofed himself for not even bothering to cover his tracks, literally!
“Now, want to try and explain?”
“Applejack…it’s not that I don’t want to…It’s more like I can’t…” Ion noticed the skeptical look that Applejack was giving him. He knew that the only way to get out of this was by telling the truth, but something told him that the explanation that he gave Apple Bloom wouldn’t fully suffice when it came to Applejack; she had a knack for making you want to tell the truth. Ion sighed heavily, ready to spill his guts at that moment.
“Alright, Ah understand.”
Ion did a double take, “Excuse me?”
“Look, you’ve been nothing but helpful and supportive to mah family. Ya helped Apple Bloom get her cutie mark, and, even though it’ll confound me for the longest time, Ah know YOU had a hoof in fixin’ this mess.” Applejack watched as Ion was about to open his mouth, but she raised her hoof up, indicating that she wasn’t done speaking. “Ah know ya probably don’t want to say anythin’, and that’s fine. Because, honestly, Ah think you’ve earned somethin’ that’s been a long time a comin’.”
“What’s that,” asked Ion.
“Mah trust…” Applejack rushed towards Ion and hugged the stallion. Ion froze in place, eyes wide, not exactly sure how to respond to this. Well, he had an inkling, but he was a little gun shy after what happened this morning. “Ah don’t know how ya did it, but Ah know you did. You’ve done so much for mah family already, thank you.”
It was then that Applejack did something unexpected, even for her. She released Ion but then she leaned forward and gave the stallion a peck on the cheek and quickly stepped back. Ion’s cheeks blushed crimson red, his left eye twitching by the fact that Applejack just kissed him. Applejack had pulled the rim of her hat down over her face, trying to hide the blush that was forming on her freckled cheeks. AJ then turned back to Ion and stared sternly at him.
“If ya tell anypony about that, Ah’ll have ya singin’ falsetto again,” she warned. Ion simply nodded, satisfied that she had got her point across, Applejack walked down back to the newly created orchard only stopping momentarily to glance at him before continuing further down. Ion just continued to stare at Applejack’s retreating form, completely frozen in place.
“Well, that was somethin’.”
“Y-yeah, it was…Wait – what!?” Ion looked down to his left side and saw Apple Bloom standing next to him, smirking the whole time. “How long have you been there!?”
“Oh, Ah just got here, but Ah did see the whole thing,” teased Apple Bloom.
If it were possible for an Entity to blush harder, it was happening right now. “Not one word Apple Bloom,” said Ion as he began walking down to the orchard.
The little filly rolled her eyes playfully and trotted beside the stallion. “K-I-S-S-I-N-G.”
Scootaloo sat on a cloud, the fur around her eyes was matted from tears, and more were still being shed as she sniffled. Her mind was a battle ground of doubt and worry, her heart filled with uncertainty and pain. Right now she wished to fly away, use her wings and leave Ponyville behind forever, maybe then she wouldn’t have to deal with this pain in her heart, or continue to hurt those closest to her.
Why…why do I have to feel this way about her!? They’re both my best friends…so why!?
Scootaloo had no idea how to deal with her feelings right now, everything was crashing down around her, and she knew that no matter what she decided, one of her friends was going to be hurt.
(4 Weeks Ago)
The morning rays of the sun crept into Scootaloo and Adara’s room. Since living with Twilight, both fillies were given a room to sleep in; it was the first time, for either of them, since they had a nice soft bed to sleep on and not a wood floor. There was one thing that they did miss from that time in the treehouse, the closeness they had with each other.
Scootaloo was awake as she lied in her bed, staring across and watching her cerulean pegasus friend sleep peacefully. They now slept in separate beds and Scootaloo found herself missing having Adara’s wing draped over her. Up until the two started to live with Twilight, Scootaloo never once corrected Adara about the Wing Embrace. She didn’t know why, but every time she felt Adara’s wing on her back, or was close to her, she felt at peace. And then there were times when her heart would race a bit when she saw Adara smile.
Scootaloo shook her head. These thoughts had been occupying her mind ever since…that day. The day Adara gave Scootaloo the gift of flight. No, if she were honest, these feelings existed a bit longer than that. Scootaloo quietly got out of her bed and began to make it, a habit she had to back into after not having one for a couple of years. Once it was made Scootaloo noticed that Adara was still asleep.
“How is it that you were the earlier riser, and now I’m the one waking you up?” Scootaloo walked to the edge of the bed and gently pushed against Adara, trying to nudge her awake.
Adara’s response was wrapping herself tighter in the blankets. Scootaloo bit down on the loose end of the blankets and yanked at them.
The action caused the sleeping filly to be pulled towards Scootaloo; it was too late for either to do a thing as both fillies crashed into each other. Groans of discomfort could be heard coming from the floor, Adara slowly got up and rubbed her head.
“Ow, well that hurt, you okay Scootaloo,” asked Adara.
“Yeah I’m…fine…”
It was then that Scootaloo finally noticed the position she was in. She was lying on her back, with Adara looming over her, and their muzzles only a few inches away. Scootaloo’s heart was racing, her cheeks growing hot. It took a few seconds, but Adara noticed how close she was to Scootaloo, and it didn’t take long before her heartbeats began to quicken and a blush to form on her face. Both fillies gulped. It was then that they heard knocking at their door, their heads snapped in that direction as the door opened up.
“Scoots, Adara, are you two awake yet, ‘cause I already made break…fast…” Spike trailed off as he saw the two fillies on top of each other, both blushing hard at being found in such a way. “Uh…I’m a…yeah…I’ll just be going now…Come down whenever…” Spike then slowly closed the door behind him and left.
Adara and Scootaloo quickly got up and left a sizeable gap between them. “Ahem, so…are you alright, Adara?”
“Y-Yeah, I’m fine…” Adara kept her eyes focused on the floor, finding it hard to look at Scootaloo at the moment. “Sorry…”
“It was just an accident, totally my fault! Well, let’s head down for breakfast, we don’t need Spike getting the wrong idea now, right!?”
Adara put on a weak smile, “Yeah, don’t want that.” Scootaloo hurried out the door to catch the drake, leaving Adara behind to fix her bed. Yeah…we wouldn’t want that, would we…?
(School House)
Scootaloo wanted to pay attention to Cheerilee’s lecture, really she did. But her thoughts couldn’t stop returning to earlier this morning. How Adara and her almost…almost…Scootaloo quickly shook her head, trying to dislodge those thoughts from her mind. Stop thinking like that Scootaloo! I’m finally not a flightless pegasus anymore! I’m still a blank flank…but I don’t need to add fillyfooler on top of that!
Apparently her odd behavior wasn’t going unnoticed; Sweetie Belle was giving her a curious look. Scootaloo had to wave off her friend and give a placating smile. Sweetie seemed to take her smile at face value and returned her attention to Cheerilee. And to top off her unwanted thoughts for today, thinking about Adara was starting to stir up her old feelings, feelings she had thought buried a long time ago.
Soon the bell rang, indicating that it was now lunch time. The foals field out of the school building and headed towards their specific tables. Apple Bloom had already gone ahead and secured their usual eating spot, waving to Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle to come over. Even now she couldn’t help but admire the cutie mark on her friend’s flank, they had all worked hard for months to figure out their special talents, and now one of them has finally succeeded in doing so. In truth, Scootaloo had a feeling Apple Bloom would be the first among them. After all, it was because of her that the two of them got up the courage to stand up to Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon, and it was Apple Bloom who decided to create the Cutie Mark Crusaders.
Initially, Sweetie and Scootaloo were afraid that once Apple Bloom got her cutie mark, they’d drift apart and the Crusaders would be disbanded. Actually that was the underlining fear from the beginning, being the last Crusader without her mark and going off to further pursue their career and talent, leaving the one behind. Thankfully though, Apple Bloom proved to be a true leader of the Crusaders, even though now she had her mark, she vowed to remain a Crusader in order to help Sweetie and Scootaloo to find their own special talent.
“At least now, Ah don’t have to worry about my cutie mark anymore, which frees up more time for me to help y’all with yours,” said Apple Bloom as she took a bite out of her sandwich.
"Totally awesome, but, you still never told us how you got it,” said Scootaloo.
“Yeah, you were kinda vague about the whole thing. You just said that Ion helped you figure it out.” At that moment a light bulb clicked on in Sweetie Belle’s mind. “Maybe he could help me and Scootaloo figure out our special talents!?”
The suggestion caught Apple Bloom off guard as she swallowed the food in her mouth, some of it caught in her throat, making her gag and choke. Apple Bloom struck her chest a couple of times to dislodge the food from her throat. After finally getting the food free, Apple Bloom took in some deep breaths before finally regaining her composure.
“Uh, yeah, Ah don’t think so. That first time was a complete fluke, ‘sides, we can think of somethin’ together, like always,” suggested Apple Bloom, trying hard not to blow Ion’s secret.
“Oh well, at least we can figure it out as,” Sweetie Belle hooked her foreleg around Scootaloo’s neck, drawing her in close, “the Cutie Mark Crusaders!”
Scootaloo didn’t really struggle against the hold, but neither was she feeling particularly comfortable, but despite this she allowed herself a smile. Those particular feelings were starting to resurface as Sweetie Belle held her like that.
“Oh wow, look at the two lovebirds,” said a grating, irritating voice.
The three Crusaders turned to their heads and saw Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon walking towards them, shooting a brief scowl Apple Bloom’s way before returning her attention to the other two fillies. Upon hearing that remark Scootaloo quickly separated herself from Sweetie Belle, thinking it wise not to get give the obnoxious filly more ammo.
“What do you want Diamond Tiara,” asked Apple Bloom indignantly.
“Just admiring the fact the you’re still hanging out with these loser blank flanks, even though you’ve already got your cutie mark. But I guess once a loser, always a loser. Right, Silver Spoon,” asked Diamond, awaiting a response.
“Right Diamond Tiara,” responded Silver Spoon on cue.
“Maybe it’s because she’s our friend and isn’t some stuck up, spoiled, self-centered, egotistical, rich filly. Who needs to berate and belittle other ponies just make her feel better about herself,” said Scootaloo.
Diamond Tiara, Silver Spoon, Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom just stared at Scootaloo, both impressed at what she said and surprised that she was the one who said all of that. All them seemed to been mentally slapped upside the head, because it took a moment before anypony said anything.
“Wow,” said Sweetie Belle.
It was only after saying that did Scootaloo realize what she had said. “Sorry, guess some of Twilight’s eggheadedness is rubbing off on me,” said Scootaloo as she rubbed the back of her head embarrassed.
Diamond Tiara didn’t seem to like what Scootaloo said about her, even though she barely understood half of it that still didn’t mean she liked the way she had said. Diamond Tiara’s face began to get red as her anger flared. “Well at least I’m not some fillyfooling loser, blank flanked, pegasus!”
“I am not!”
The pink filly seemed to have found a way get under the pegasus’ skin. “Please, why else would you snub Rumble during Hearts and Hooves Day?”
“I didn’t snub him! I like him, as a friend, I just don’t like, like him!”
“Oh yeah, and the fact that you, like, stare at the other fillies in our class is because you like their mane cuts, right? Face it you’re, a fillyfooler, a freak like always. ”
I don’t stare at you two…Scootaloo shook her head, “Stop calling me a fillyfooler, Diamond!”
“Oh c’mon, you probably only hang out with these two because you’re hoping to kiss them,” said Silver Spoon.
Diamond Tiara glanced over her partner in crime and smiled at her remark, “Nice one, Silver Spoon.”
“Thanks, Diamond Tiara.”
Scootaloo looked around the table and saw that Apple Bloom was now shifting in her seat awkwardly, while Sweetie Belle looked away, a slight blush forming on her face. It was then that the pegasus filly had had enough of both them. She quickly shot up onto her hooves and turned in the direction of the two fillies.
“That’s it! I’ve had it with you two!” Scootaloo started towards the duo till she was just a foot away from them. With a serious gaze Scootaloo flared out her wings, making Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon jump back a bit in surprise. The flaring of a pegasus’ wings was an intimidation technique, one to make the pony look bigger than their opponent and to show that they were prepared for confrontation. And right now, Scootaloo was using that very tactic to show the two bullies that she meant business. Ever since they were healed, Scootaloo’s wings had grown, becoming fuller and longer than they were before. They were nearly the size of Adara’s wings, which was saying something since the cerulean filly had an impressive wingspan.
“You’ve been dogging us since the beginning, making fun of us for being blank flanks, nearly humiliating Apple Bloom at your Cutenceanera because she didn’t have a cutie mark! And what’s worse, you seemed be happy when Apple Bloom almost lost her farm, her home! Are you really that insecure and rotten that you have to make fun of somepony who’s different or less fortunate!?”
“Well I – I don’t –!”
“No!” Scootaloo interrupted. “You’ve gotten to talk long enough now it’s my turn to say something! You don’t have the right to make fun of us anymore! And do you know why!? Because Apple Bloom got her cutie mark, for one, which means that me and Sweetie Belle will get ours soon! And now I can FLY! So you can’t call me a flightless pegasus anymore!”
Scootaloo started to advance on Diamond Tiara, getting right in her face and making the pink filly fall back onto her haunches. Silver Spoon stood by, stunned at Scootaloo’s courage, unable to say anything to take her attention away from Diamond or to knock her down a peg, but she had to admit, even though she’d never admit it to Diamond, she was impressed by her.
“Now you realize that the impossible IS possible for us! I can fly, Apple Bloom has her mark, and soon the two us will too! And do you know what the sad part is!? When we do, you’ll have no pony else to make fun of, so go ahead make fun of us, call us names, it doesn’t matter, because now everyone knows that you’re wrong, and always will be!” Scootaloo accentuated her point by jabbing her left hoof into Diamond Tiara’s chest, making her fall onto her back. “So leave us alone. C’mon girls, lunch is almost over, let’s head back to class.”
Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle happily joined their friend’s side as she began her trot. Apple Bloom shoulder bumped Scootaloo, and smiled broadly, proud to have a friend like her by her side. For Sweetie Belle, it was a bit different, she always admired Scootaloo’s brash and tomcoltish attitude, but now, after that little display, there was no doubt about it, she was infatuated, even more, with the pegasus filly and had to restrain herself from hugging her tightly and confessing on the spot. So instead she just settled with flashing Scootaloo the sweetest smile she could muster.
Diamond Tiara stood up slowly as she watched Scootaloo and the others walk towards the school house. A mixture of emotions raged inside of the rich filly, rage, humiliation, confusion, and something that she hadn’t felt sense she was little baby, helplessness. Diamond Tiara looked around and saw the faces of the other fillies and colts; many had confident smiles on their faces after seeing Scootaloo dig into Diamond Tiara, and now they knew that they didn’t have to be afraid or intimidated by her anymore. The pink filly could feel her hold on the other foals slipping, all her hard work to make the other foals respect her was more or less shattered in just under a minute. Her body trembled, not with fear, but with anger. Who was this filly that thought she could talk to her like that!? It was then that something clicked inside Diamond Tiara, something that made an evil grin appear on her face.
“That’s all well and good, but at least I’m not some little orphan runaway,” said Diamond Tiara loudly for all to hear. Scootaloo stopped in her tracks, “What was that?”
“Oh please, why else would Princess Twilight suddenly let you stay with her? It’s no surprise, I mean, no pony’s ever seen your parents, even during school functions, you always had some convenient excuse for why they weren’t there. I’m just surprised that Miss Cheerilee bought those pitiful excuses,” said Diamond Tiara.
Scootaloo’s eyes narrowed, but she kept her back facing Diamond Tiara as Sweetie Belle leaned in close, “Don’t let her get to you, Scootaloo. She’s just trying to get back at you, let’s just keep walking.”
Apple Bloom leaned in as well, “She’s right, Scoots. Ya won, and she’s just ticked is all. She’s just tryin’ to get a rise outta ya, don’t give her the satisfaction.”
Scootaloo took a few calming breathes before pressing forward. Diamond Tiara knew that it was going to take a little more than that, she was not going to be humiliated like that in front of everypony, not without dishing out her own brand of humiliation back to Scootaloo. It was then that she decided to pull out her trump card.
“What about that other filly who hangs out with you guys, what was her name, oh yeah, Adara.”
Now she had Scootaloo’s attention. The orange filly spun on her right hind leg, rather gracefully, and stared down Diamond Tiara. “What about Adara!?”
“C’mon, you were homeless, you two pretty much hung out a lot in town when you weren’t palling around with those two.” Diamond Tiara adopted her trademarked devious look, knowing that she had got a hook in her nemesis. “It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that the both of you were staying in that rundown treehouse on Apple Bloom’s farm.”
Scootaloo’s eyes went wide. Sure, she had told both AB and Sweetie that she had been living in the treehouse this whole time, but she never told them that Adara was staying with her. Scootaloo glanced to Apple Bloom, she didn’t seem too fazed by that revelation, but when she glanced to Sweetie Belle she was in shock, staring at Scootaloo in disbelief.
“Scootaloo…is that true,” asked Sweetie Belle.
“Well…I…”
“Were you and Adara living in the clubhouse, together!?”
“It’s just that…she had nowhere else to go…and I couldn’t just make her go somewhere else,” she pleaded.
“And you said that you weren’t a fillyfooler. Who knows what kind of perverted stuff you two did alone up there,” said Diamond Tiara.
“Probably a whole bunch of naughty things, they could get in trouble, Princess Twilight could get in trouble for just letting them live in her house,” added Silver Spoon.
“Well, it wouldn’t surprise me. After all, what else would a vagabond out-of-town pegasus do? It’s not like she’d be good for anything –” Diamond Tiara didn’t get to finish her sentence, for at that moment, she was cut off by the speedy jab of Scootaloo’s right hoof. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle had blinked for only a second, before a rush of air and a trail of dust was all that indicated that Scootaloo had left their side. Diamond Tiara was flung backwards from the force of the punch, sending her flying a good five feet from where she was standing.
Scootaloo was standing there, wings flared, foreleg out, panting hard from accelerating and stopping at such a short distance. Her fetlock throbbed from the impact to Diamond’s jaw, but she didn’t care, her anger and adrenaline more than numbed the pain. Besides, her narrow gaze was fixated on Diamond Tiara, staring daggers at her. Did she know that she just punched Diamond Tiara in face with everypony watching? Yes. Did she care? Not one bit. She wouldn’t stand for anypony insulting Adara, the one who gave her hope, the one who restored her wings and gave Scootaloo the gift of flight.
Silver Spoon, after getting over the initial shock of Scootaloo’s mind blowing speed, she then rushed to her friend’s side to see if she was alright, Silver Spoon gasped when she saw Diamond’s swollen lip and blood coming from her mouth.
“Don’t you ever talk about Adara like that – EVER!” Scootaloo warned.
(A Couple of Hours Later)
“Spike, are you okay,” asked Twilight.
Spike was looking rather queasy, holding his stomach with his claws as he waddled toward Twilight.
“Don’t know…it feels like – like – like –!”
*BURP*
From Spike’s maw he burped up some dragon fire, the flames and smoke coalescing till they took the form of a scroll. The little drake caught the scroll and stared at it quizzically.
“Huh, that’s not the usual seal that Princess Celestia puts on her scrolls, or Princess Luna, or Cadance,” said Spike, starring at the metal seal that resembled the image on the schoolhouse’s sign.
Twilight took the scroll into her aura to examine it, after seeing the seal; she realized who it was from. “That’s because it’s not from the Princess, it’s from Cheerilee.”
Spike scratched his head in confusion, “Since when does Cheerilee send you letters through me?”
“Since I decided to take over overseeing Scootaloo’s teaching. Cheerilee and I discussed this when Rainbow and I decided to let Scootaloo and Adara live with us here in the library. She’s a lot smarter than she realizes and I wanted to make sure that I was kept up to date with her lessons, in case there was something that I could help her with or perhaps give her some extra tutoring,” explained Twilight. “So I gave her special parchment paper that, when burned, would be sent through your dragon fire and thusly to me.”
Spike groaned in annoyance, “Alright, just warn me next time you decide to give out this ‘special parchment’. Seriously, it’s hard to tell what’s coming up if I don’t know who it may be from, so a little heads up would be nice.”
“Sorry Spike, I promise, she’s the only one,” apologized Twilight, genuinely sorry for causing her assistant such discomfort.
Spike waved it off as no big deal and proceeded to go about his chores. But still, it’s strange that she’d send me a letter now, especially when school isn’t to be let out for another hour. Twilight opened the scroll and read its contents carefully, her expression turning from one of curiosity, to complete horror.
Dear Twilight
Scootaloo was involved in a fight with one of her fellow classmates, and as such, has injured said classmate. I would like for you to come down to the schoolhouse to discuss what happened today. Her classmate’s parents have already arrived, since I cannot reach them as fast as I can you. We await your arrival.
Sincerely, Miss Cheerilee
Your friend, Cheerilee
The scroll laid on the floor as the door to the library was swiftly flung open as a gust of wind whooshed out and slammed the door shut behind it. Twilight soared through the sky, her heart racing, her worries building. All her thoughts were on Scootaloo. Was she hurt? Why did she do it? Did Twilight do something to provoke such aggression? Twilight had read many books on the psychology of children ever since she found out about Scootaloo being a runaway. The filly never told Rainbow Dash or herself about why she ran away, or who, or what. So she kept an eye out for anything that would indicate abuse of any kind, but Scootaloo didn’t seem to show anything that resembled the telltale signs, if anything, she was happier than she had ever been. So why did this happen…Did I say or do something wrong?! I know she really likes Rainbow Dash, maybe she’s angry that Rainbow didn’t offer to take her in? But that’s only because we were going to –!
Twilight’s thoughts were silent once she arrived at the schoolhouse. The purple alicorn landed at the gate entrance, looking around to see any sign of the other foals. There were none, not a sound to be heard, it was eerily quiet. Must’ve sent the other foals home after what happened… Twilight saw that Scootaloo was sitting at one of the outdoor lunch tables, beside her were Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle. Twilight wanted nothing more than to go over to her, but right now she had to find out what happened. So she walked towards the schoolhouse and stopped once she reached the door. She then knocked on the door and awaited a response.
Come in,” came Cheerilee’s voice.
Twilight pushed the door till it was fully open. Six pairs of eyes fell on her, it was strange. Twilight was a model student, never once got in trouble, she had often heard of these kinds of situations from other foals, or seen such scenes from a movie. Even though it wasn’t Twilight who was in trouble, she felt like a schoolfilly about to be punished. But she quickly banished those thoughts from her mind; she was here for Scootaloo.
Sitting on their haunches across from Cheerilee’s desk were two ponies. One she recognized as Filthy Rich, beside him was a beautiful mare, her coat a pristine white and a two toned mane colored pink with purple highlights. Around her neck was a kind of scarf, it glittered like it was made of gold, which matched the cutie mark on her flank surprisingly. Her deep blue eyes glanced Twilight’s way, she scowled, and then turned her nose towards the air haughtily. Twilight trotted further into the class room and sat some distance from the couple.
“Thank you for coming Twilight,” said Cheerilee.
“It’s no problem, but I don’t understand, what happened,” she asked.
“Humph, what happened is that that little urchin struck my daughter,” shouted the mare.
“Now Goldie, please, there’s no need to –”
“Oh please, don’t think just because she’s a princess now, that I won’t hesitate to press charges!”
“Mrs. Golden Fleece, please calm down. Princess Twilight has yet to be fully informed about the situation,” said Cheerilee in a calm and even tone.
“Charges…struck…would somepony please tell me what happened?” Twilight asked.
Cheerilee cleared her throat, “Earlier today, Twilight, Scootaloo punched Diamond Tiara.” Twilight let out a sharp gasp and brought her forehooves to cover her mouth. “That can’t be! She wouldn’t do that! Scootaloo’s not like that!”
“She is, and she did. The swollen lip and blood from my dear little Diamond are proof of that,” said Golden Fleece.
“She’s going to need stitches, luckily, I know of a cosmetic doctor in Canterlot that can erase the eventual scar that will undoubtedly form from such a procedure. But that doesn’t mean that it will erase what she did,” said Filthy Rich.
“I’m so very sorry, I promise to pay for your daughter’s medical expenses and pay for the doctor you mentioned,” said Twilight, lowering her head in apology.
“Well great, because, you know, we’re dirt poor, and we could never afford the bills. We just look rich to fool everypony else. Please, we don’t want your money!” Golden Fleece spat.
“Well…I promise to punish Scootaloo severely, I guarantee you that this will never happen again. Upon my word as a Princess of Equestria,” declared Twilight.
“That’s not good enough, what’s to stop this from happening again!? No, I want that little ruffian expelled! And I want her locked up in juvenile hall!”
Twilight stared wide eyed at Golden Fleece; she then turned to Filthy Rich who nodded in agreement with his wife’s demand. Twilight felt like she was going to be sick, Scootaloo expelled and locked up like some common criminal. Twilight didn’t know what was coming over her, maybe it was the way that Golden Fleece was talking to her, maybe it was the stress of the situation, or maybe it was her latent motherly instincts kicking in, but there was no way she was going to let that happen to Scootaloo, not on her watch.
“Before we go any further,” Cheerilee interjected, “it would do good to note that Scootaloo is not the only one at fault here.”
“Excuse me, Miss Cheerilee, but what are you inferring,” asked Filthy Rich.
There was a clipboard on Cheerilee’s desk, resting beneath her forehooves. The schoolteacher lifted the clipboard and held it within the crook of her left hoof and used her right to flip through the papers. “Apparently Diamond Tiara had coerced Scootaloo into punching her. According to my students and her friends, all of whom saw and heard the altercation, Diamond Tiara walked up to Scootaloo and her friends and proceeded to badger them. Whereupon Scootaloo quote: “Told Diamond Tiara off” and was leaving with her friends. Diamond Tiara then started to say other things to Scootaloo, chief among them were calling her homeless and a fillyfooler.”
That last one made Twilight wince, remembering some of Rainbow Dash’s childhood stories, and her own. This didn’t seem to faze either of the rich ponies who seemed to wave it off as inconsequential.
“Preposterous, my little Diamond would never stoop so low as to ‘name calling’, she doesn’t even know what the word ‘fillyfooler’ means,” said Golden Fleece.
“Actually, Mrs. Fleece, if you remember, I held a special Sex Ed. class not too long ago, describing such relationships. I gave out permission slips to my students to give to their parents, otherwise they couldn’t attend,” said Cheerilee.
Golden Fleece gave the teacher an incredulous look, “I received no such slip!” Filthy Rich began to clear his throat, gaining her attention. “Yes Dear?”
“You were away on your modeling trip to Manelan when this happened, so I signed the slip for her to attend,” said Filthy Rich wearily.
“Oh…Well it still doesn’t matter. It doesn’t dismiss the fact that she is a runaway,” Golden Fleece rose up and stared down Twilight, “You have no idea what or who she was! For all you know she’s a violent child, or escaped from a detention center somewhere! What do you actually know about that filly you’ve so graciously brought into your home, Princess Twilight?!”
Twilight opened her mouth to retort but soon closed it; she did this several times, not able to think of a good answer to that question. As much as she hated to admit it, Golden Fleece was right, neither Twilight nor Rainbow Dash knew anything about Scootaloo’s past life before coming to Ponyville. Golden Fleece seemed to catch onto Twilight’s hesitation at answering the question and decided to press forward.
“Miss Cheerilee, I want that filly out of this school, and locked up. She’s a danger to everypony, and who knows what else she’s planning!”
“Mrs. Fleece, I am not going to expel Scootaloo,” said Cheerilee.
All three ponies looked at the mulberry mare in shock at what she said. Twilight was starting to feel a little relieved, but Filthy Rich and Golden Fleece seemed to be outraged at Cheerilee’s decision. Both parents made their way to the front of her desk, leaning their heads over to stare directly at Cheerilee in a sort of tag team effort to intimidate her.
“Now see here, I will not stand for this biased treatment!” Filthy Rich shouted.
“Do you know how much we give to the Ponyville Education Fund!? If you don’t do something about this Miss Cheerilee, I can see to it that you never teach in school, anywhere, again!” Golden Fleece threatened.
Twilight was now starting to get angry, both for what they wanted to do to Scootaloo, and for the way they were talking to Cheerilee. But she had to admit; she was impressed by the way Cheerilee remained cool and composed throughout their shouting. Calmness she no doubt honed during her many years of teaching, and dealing with upset parents. Her expression was neutral, showing no sign that their berating was affecting her whatsoever, it reminded Twilight of Princess Celestia, how she dealt with foreign dignitaries and kept her cool when they would start to shout or get violent. Twilight was starting to gain a newfound respect for Cheerilee.
“If I expelled Scootaloo, I would also have to expel Diamond Tiara as well.”
That one sentence caught both parents off guard, backing up from Cheerilee’s desk as they both shot her incredulous looks. Cheerilee reached down and pulled open one of her desk drawers. She hefted a large stack of papers onto her desk and stared down the two parents.
“These are the documented incidents that I have been told about or have personally witnessed. Each of these is a report about Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon’s various altercations with the other students. Everything from so called ‘harmless name calling,’ to Diamond pushing, hazing, or otherwise hurting another fellow classmate, either physically or mentally, it’s all right here in black and white.”
Golden Fleece stared at the intimidatingly large stack of papers, at a complete loss for words. Filthy Rich shifted uncomfortably, he too becoming unsettled by the papers.
“I am fully aware that Scootaloo striking your daughter was wrong, and she will be punished, but the blame is equally hefted to Diamond Tiara for provoking the matter further. Insulting one’s sexual orientation is something I do not tolerate, whether true or not, but neither do I condone violence among my students. So, both Scootaloo and Diamond Tiara will be suspended for the next four weeks. They will also write apology letters to each other, and receive detention, on alternating days, of course.
Cheerilee then gave Filthy Rich and Golden Fleece a stern look. “And just so you know, this is the worst thing, by far, that Diamond Tiara has done. She will be permitted to come back, but with a warning. If I hear of her or Silver Spoon doing something like this again, whether in school or outside it, I will not hesitate to expel her from the school and put everything you see here, including this most recent event, in her Permanent Record.”
Twilight noted the shocked expressions on their faces. She knew how a Permanent Record could follow a pony all the way into high school and further. Diamond Tiara would not be able to hide her cruel streak so easily with the ponies of whatever school she went to in the future from keeping an eye on her. And it would also tarnish whatever high society school she got into, money may be money, but a school’s reputation was hard to come by. The two earth ponies sat down on their haunches once again, knowingly pressured into submission.
“Ms. Sparkle,” Twilight turned her attention to Cheerilee, “can I trust that this will never happen again? Scootaloo has a bright future, especially under your supervision. This is her first major disciplinary incident, I know for a fact that she is not violent, but I can’t tolerate this happening again. Is that understood?”
“Yes Miss Cheerilee, I promise you, this will never, ever, happen again,” said Twilight as sincerely as she could.
“Very well, our business is adjourned; I look forward to seeing both Scootaloo and Diamond Tiara back in school four weeks from now. I will send you each a copy of the curriculum we will cover during those weeks so that they don’t fall behind.”
Filthy Rich and Golden Fleece rose up and made their way to the door, Twilight silently mouthed a “thank you” to Cheerilee. The teacher smiled back at her and went about her business of getting ready for the next day of school. Once outside, Twilight was about to head on over to Scootaloo when she heard something that she couldn’t ignore.
“Honestly, a fillyfooler, around my Diamond, ugh, as much as I hate to say it, we should be thankful that filly only punched her. Who knows what depraved things she could’ve done to her if Diamond was alone,” said Golden Fleece.
“Excuse me,” Twilight called out, gaining the attention of the two rich ponies, “what was that you just said?!”
“Dear, perhaps we should go,” said Filthy Rich.
“I did not stutter. A tomcoltish, fillyfooler like that filly could’ve done far worse! It really wouldn’t surprise me if she was.”
“And if she was what of it? Mare couples aren’t illegal, neither are Stallion couples either,” argued Twilight.
“Pfft, just because the law says it’s not, doesn’t mean it isn’t wrong. Mares dating other mares, stallions dating other stallions,” Golden
Fleece made a disgusted sound as if she were gagging before continuing, “Mares are to date and marry stallions, it not only serves a purpose, it’s the way things have been and should remain.”
Twilight furrowed her brow, if there was one thing that she truly hated it was ignorance of the close minded, like Golden Fleece. “It’s not always about what’s natural. It’s about what the heart wants, whether we find happiness with a pony of the opposite or same sex is up to the individual. Procreation isn’t that much of a problem either, considering that stallion couples can have surrogate mares to have a foal for them, or, through the use of certain spells, a mare couple can have children like any other hetero couple can.”
“Ugh, disgusting, augmenting one’s body just to have a child, it’s exactly that kind of stuff I don’t want my Diamond getting near!” Golden Fleece then raised an eyebrow as thought popped into her head. “I believe that you have another filly staying at your abode, a runaway like her?”
“And what are you insinuating,” asked Twilight.
“Merely wondering if I should call Health and Pony Services, one can only know what two runaway fillyfoolers are up to when they’re alone, and if remember from what my daughter told me, they were alone together for quite a while before you took them in,” said Golden Fleece, the tone in her voice was almost sing-songy.
That was it. She had had enough of listening to this mare. Calling upon her Earth Pony strength, Twilight raised her right hoof and stomped the ground, hard. The result caused a miniature quake to rumble through the ground, making both Filthy Rich and Golden Fleece wobble uneasily. “That filly has a name! It’s Scootaloo, stop referring to her as if she were an it, she’s a foal with a name, use it! And another thing, I happen to be one of those ‘disgusting’ fillyfoolers!” Twilight stopped mid-rant and thought for a moment. “Well, really, I’m more bisexual – but that’s not the point! I may not know what Scootaloo or my other ‘runaway,’ as you call her, have been through, but I will be damned if I’m not going to give them a good home to live in! I will not tolerate such ignorance, do I make myself CLEAR!!!” Twilight used the Royal Canterlot Voice on the last word to emphasize her point.
Both earth ponies shook their heads and quickly took off like the wind. Twilight let out a long sigh, she hated such ignorance, but neither did she like the look of fear somepony had when she got like that, it was if they were afraid she was going to banish them to the moon. Before, if she got angry like that, most ponies would either yell back, give up, or just huff and puff as they walked away. Now though, now ponies just nod and agree. It was times like this Twilight was grateful that she had friends who would argue with her if she were wrong, or just weren’t afraid to plain argue with her, and a marefriend who saw her for the “egghead” mare she was before her ascension.
“Oh well…”
Twilight decided on flying back home, albeit at a slower pace in order for her and Scootaloo to talk to each other. The orange filly had her head hung low, not really wanting to look at Twilight, mostly out of worry and shame. Scootaloo wasn’t sorry in the least for punching Diamond Tiara, the way she saw it, if it didn’t happen now it was going one day. In fact, she thought. Diamond Tiara should be grateful that it was me. Any other pony probably would’ve beaten her up worse! All I did was just punch her once. Celestia knows she could’ve used another punch or five.
Despite this, there was no denying that she did feel bad for doing that. She didn’t mean to send Diamond Tiara to the hospital for stitches, make her shut up, oh most definitely, but not send her to the hospital. Was it wrong to feel bad that you hurt somepony, especially when that somepony spent most of her time tormenting you and you’re friends? Even though these thoughts were running through her head, Scootaloo couldn’t shake the overwhelming fear of what Twilight would do. She had taken her and Adara into her home, a real home. A place where it was warm, where they could continue to stay in Ponyville, a place where Rainbow Dash frequently visited now, and she might’ve just missed that all up.
“Scootaloo…”
She flinched, with a gulp she answered, “Yes…Twilight?”
“Do you understand what Miss Cheerilee told me,” she asked.
“Yes…I do, I’m sorry, Twilight. I promise I won’t do that again…I swear.”
“I know you won’t, Scootaloo. And I understand why you did it, I’m not proud of it, but I understand.” Twilight glanced over to Scootaloo, her eyes were a little wet, and she heard some sniffling. “I’m not mad you, Scootaloo. I’m just worried about what happened. Tell me, are you at least sorry about what happened?”
“No,” she said quickly, “Diamond Tiara’s always bullying us, I finally stand up to her, and she goes and says all that stuff about me and Adara! I just…I just lost it! One minute I was standing beside Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle, and then the next thing I know they’re far behind me with my right hoof out in front me and Diamond Tiara on the ground.” Scootaloo saw the disappointed look on Twilight’s face, so she decided to voice the rest of what she was feeling. “But…I do feel bad about sending her to the hospital. I didn’t mean to hurt her, I just…I just wanted her to stop! So, yes, I am sorry that I hurt Diamond Tiara, but not sorry for sticking up for myself or Adara either!”
Twilight’s disappointment turned to small smile, “Well, I’m glad to know that you at least feel a little sorry for hurting her. But violence is never the answer, Scootaloo. You can’t just punch somepony when they call you names, or say something you disagree with. You need to learn how to walk away –”
“But I did!” Scootaloo flew till she was in front of Twilight, cutting the alicorn mare off both mid-sentence and in the air. “I finally stood up to her! I said what wanted to say, and it felt great! She was completely at a loss for words! And that’s when me and girls walked away…but, it was like she couldn’t stand that I said all that to her! Like she needed to say all that stuff just to get even with me!”
“Like saying that you’re a fillyfooler?” Twilight noticed a change in Scootaloo the moment she said that. Her body became tense; she hugged herself with her forelegs, and looked away from Twilight. “I’m not a fillyfooler, Twilight, she just said all that stuff to get under my skin…and I let her. It won’t happen again.”
“Scootaloo, I just want you to know that it’s alright if you are, there’s nothing wrong with that,” said Twilight.
“Yeah, well, I’m not…”
“Scootaloo, I’m just saying –”
“I’M NOT! Jeez, do I have to make out with some colt just to prove that I’m not!!?” Scootaloo shouted while flailing her forelegs.
Twilight blushed upon hearing Scootaloo say that. She then shook it off and stared at her sternly. “Scootaloo enough, why are you getting so defensive, I never said that you were!? In fact, I’m probably the only one – well not the only one – but I’m still somepony who would accept you one way or the other because I am one!”
Scootaloo almost forgot to flap her wings when she heard that, “You…you’re a…a fillyfooler…Twilight?” The Princess of Magic let out a long held sigh, “I am. Although it’s not the correct term for me, I’m bisexual…”
“Wait, I’ve heard of that, during Miss Cheerilee’s class. That means you like colts and fillies, right?” Scootaloo asked.
“Yes, it took me a long time to figure it out.” Twilight started to rub her right foreleg as she recounted those times. “I wasn’t the most social pony, back in Canterlot. I devoted myself to my studies under Princess Celestia, so I kind of let my social life fall by the way side. But then, when I came to Ponyville, and made friends, I started to notice things about myself. How my heart raced whenever I saw an attractive stallion, and how my heart seemed to do the same thing whenever my gaze would linger on a mare.”
“So…You didn’t really know who you liked, mare or stallion,” asked Scootaloo.
“No, I was confused, so I just decided to throw myself into my friendship studies. And the more I did, the more I learned about myself. It was kind of thrilling, it was like I was discovering who I was for the first time. And I finally knew what, or rather, who I wanted after a long time of soul searching. It’s funny what happens to you when you ascend to an alicorn, puts a lot of things in perspective,” said Twilight as she chuckled.
“That means you have a special somepony?” Twilight nodded. “Can you tell me who is it?”
“I…I think that’s something that I’ll have to talk to her about. But you see, Scootaloo, it’s not always easy, finding yourself like that, and if you deny that part of yourself, the only pony who suffers in the end is you.” Scootaloo didn’t exactly know what to say, but for now she just wanted to go back home. “I understand Twilight…but, I’m not one or the other.”
Twilight moved closer to Scootaloo and enveloped her in a hug. It was comforting to her. She never thought she’d feel this safe in Twilight’s embrace. Scootaloo certainly did when Rainbow Dash hugged her, but she was finding out that she liked it when Twilight hugged her too. The alicorn mare looked down at her charge and smiled warmly.
“This isn’t awkward for you, is it? I mean, now that you know and all. We can stop hugging, if you want?”
“Uh-uh, it’s not…and…not yet.”
(1 Week Later)
It was currently the weekend, a while had past and Twilight had made sure that Scootaloo wasn’t behind in her studies, if anything the mare was doing her best to make sure Scootaloo was ahead of the class. Rainbow Dash and Twilight had talked about what Scootaloo said and it wasn’t much of a surprise to the prismatic mare. There was a twinkling of pride her eyes when Twilight regaled her with the details of what Scootaloo did to the filly.
Twilight had convinced Rainbow Dash that she needed to confirm what Adara’s feelings were, before either of them were to talk to Scootaloo. Rainbow Dash decided to take Scootaloo out for some “intense flying lessons”, needless to say, Scootaloo practically jumped at the invitation, zooming out the door. Twilight made a mental note to make sure that the cyan pegasus didn’t teach Scootaloo any of her more extreme flying techniques.
Twilight had told Adara to stay behind, for what she did not know, yet. The cerulean filly was brought to the foyer, with Twilight setting on a cushion across from her. Twilight didn’t exactly like this; it reminded her of the day they had talked about Scootaloo’s possible wingless existence. This area is starting to become synonymous with bad news, or at least weighted discussions.
“Princess Twilight, what was it that you wanted to talk to me about?”
Twilight sighed, “There’s no easy way to go about this. So, I’ll just ask you directly. Adara, do you…do you…love, Scootaloo?”
Adara blinked her eyes and tilted her head in confusion, “Of course I love her, and I care about her greatly.”
“Not in the way a friend would. I mean, in the way that Rainbow and I do…as lovers do…?”
Adara’s cheeks went red under her coat, “Oh…well…ahem…Yes, I do.”
“Since when?”
“I didn’t fully realize my feelings, not at first. I was drawn to her because the light of Hope shined greatly in her, but as time went on, I slowly started to see her as something more, and before I knew it, I had developed feelings for Scootaloo, romantic ones. But…after the altercation with Diamond Tiara, I not certain that I should reveal my feelings anytime soon,” said Adara.
“Answer me this, if you knew she had the same feelings for you, would you tell her, and if so, what would you do?” Twilight asked, curious to find out what her answer would be.
“I…I’d be happy, really happy. It would be the first time I have ever had someone whom I could truly love, and who would love me back.” There was happiness in Adara’s voice, the thought of having someone to love and be with excited her.
Twilight could tell the prospect of such made Adara happy, but then again, there was an elephant in the room that needed to be addressed before Twilight could even consider allowing a relationship to blossom. “Adara, you do know what you are? You’re the Entity of Hope, the cosmic embodiment of all hope in the universe. You’re also immortal, which means you know things that Scootaloo doesn’t know.”
“What are you implying, Princess. I would never push Scootaloo into something she wasn’t ready for. I know I’m older than any living thing in this, or any, universe. But…that doesn’t’ mean that I’m as old as you might believe me to be…” Adara raised her right and inspected it. “I understand why the Life Entity gave me this form. Children have hope, their born with it. But as time goes on, and they grow older, some lose sight of it. Scootaloo’s different, she truly hopes for a better tomorrow, she has doubts like any other, but does her best to not let them get her down. She’s also brash, outspoken at times, kind, and loyal. I’m thankful that I was incarnated into this form, because otherwise I wouldn’t have been able to meet her, and feel for her the way I do now.” Adara looked up at Twilight. “Is it wrong for me to love Scootaloo, even though I am not a true pony…?”
Twilight took in Adara’s words, in some way she felt a connection to her. But most importantly, she could tell how much Adara cared about Scootaloo, her words carried a weight to them that one could only have if they were enamored with other pony. “Alright, I understand. I needed to make sure that you had her best interests at heart, but…I needed to make sure that you were alright if she didn’t return your affections.”
“Do not worry, Princess Twilight, though I might be saddened if she did not love me or found love from another. Knowing that she has found somepony to make her feel loved is enough, and I will always be here for her nonetheless. All will be well.” Adara smiled at Twilight, reassuring her of her words.
Twilight smiled back, “Thank you, Adara. Oh, and one more thing. You don’t need to call me Princess. Friends and family never need bow to me or call me Princess; it’s the one thing I won’t allow. Understand?”
Adara chuckled a bit, “Yes, I understand, Twilight.”
(3rd Week)
Sweetie Belle knew she had to tell Scootaloo about her feelings, but she just didn’t know how to go about it. Especially with her fierce declaration that she was in fact, not, a fillyfooler, just how was she to tell her about her hidden feelings and not ruin her friendship with her best friend? It was times like these she wished Princess Cadance was around; having the alicorn of love would help tremendously right now. But, since she was in the Crystal Empire, Sweetie Belle had to settle for the next best thing, her big sister, Rarity.
“She’s always reading those romance novels and seeing those mushy movies, she has to know something,” muttered Sweetie Belle. The little marshmallow white filly took a deep breath and knocked at the door to Rarity’s inspiration room. It wasn’t long before she heard the sound of her big sister’s sing-song voice say, “Come in~” That was a good sign at least, Rarity only ever sounded like that when she was happy and in a good mood while designing.
Sweetie Belle entered her Inspiration Room and found Rarity scrutinizing a sketch of her latest design. It was nice to see that Rarity had kept the room in the same neat and organized manner from when she was last in there.
“What can I do for you Sweetie?” Rarity turned from her sketch and looked down at her little sister, noting the troubled expression on her face. “Goodness, Sweetie Belle, what has you looking so down?”
“I…I kind of need advice about something,” said Sweetie Belle.
Rarity released the charcoal she was using to sketch with and placed it on her desk. She then removed her glasses and turned her full attention to Sweetie Belle. “But of course, Sweetie, what is it?”
“Well…I was wondering…” Sweetie knew that the longer she dragged this out the more awkward this was going to feel. So, gathering her courage, she spat it out. “I have a crush on somepony but we’ve been friends for a long time and I don’t know how to tell them or if they even like me back and I’m afraid that I’ll ruin our friendships if I do so I thought I could ask you how to ask them the right way so that I don’t lose them as a friend!” Sweetie Belle started to pant, never once pausing to take a breath during her long explanation.
Rarity just stood there, processing everything her little sister just said to her. It took a minute she was finally able to register that Sweetie Belle had a crush on somepony and was asking her for romantic advice. When this notion finally dawned on her, Rarity let out a squee of joy as she danced in place.
“My little sister has a special somepony!”
Sweetie Belle panicked and waved her forelegs in front her, “Shh, shh, not so loud!”
“Oh this is simply wonderful! Who is the lucky colt that has swept my little sister off their hooves?!” Rarity asked, her eyes sparkling with anticipation.
Now things were even more awkward, Rarity thought that she was talking about a colt. But, if she played this right, she could get the answers to her problem. After all, in some ways, Scootaloo did act like a colt.
………Yeah, no, never making that connection again, she thought.
“I don’t really feel like telling you, not right now anyway…”
“Oh come now Sweetie, I’d tell you if I were dating somepony,” countered Rarity.
“Yeah, well, I’m not even sure if sh – HE likes me or not. I just don’t know how to go about asking them if they like me or like, like me.”
Rarity brought her hoof to her chin in thought. “Quite the conundrum, to ask or not ask; both have risks and merits.”
“Well…there’s something else,” said Sweetie Belle, rubbing her right foreleg nervously, “or, really, somepony else.”
Rarity raised an eyebrow in curiosity. “Sweetie Belle, are you saying that this colt likes another filly? Or…is that you like another colt as well?”
“……The first one……”
“Oh my…” Rarity was now a bit stunned. To think that her little sister would be in the middle of a love triangle, and at such a young age too. Well…are you and this other filly friends?”
Sweetie nodded.
“Oh dear…this does complicate things…”
“I know…”
“Does she know, the other filly,” asked Rarity.
“No…and that’s why it’s so hard…I get frustrated around her, when I see them together I start to feel…mad…sometimes. But when I see he – him smile, I feel bad for thinking like that, does that make me a…a bad pony,” asked Sweetie, sniffling as she tried to hold back some tears.
“Oh Sweetie,” Rarity reached out with her forelegs and held Sweetie Belle close to comfort her, “no, that doesn’t, it just means that you’re in love. It’s hard sometimes to see somepony we really care about love someone else, but tell me, are you at least happy when this colt smiles?”
Rarity felt Sweetie Belle nod her head.
“Well then, there you go. You’re not a bad pony, despite how you feel when they’re together; you genuinely care about his happiness. "And as far as telling this colt you love him, I think it best to just tell them directly.”
Sweetie looked up at her sister with shock. “What!?”
“Beating around the bush won’t do you or your special somepony any good. Better to tell them directly, otherwise you’ll never be able to tell them how you really feel and you might lose your chance altogether. And,” Rarity began to stroke Sweetie’s mane soothingly, “you owe it to them both, as their friend, to get this out in the open. If they’re truly your friends then they will not abandon you, and I expect you to do the same.”
Sweetie contemplated her words, not entirely sure if she had the courage to tell Scootaloo how she really felt about her. But if she didn’t, then she’d never know. Plus, Sweetie figured that Scootaloo was the type that you probably had to be blunt with.
“……Okay, I’ll try…”
“Atta girl, just remember I’ll always be here for you. Whether you need a shoulder to cry on, or somepony to celebrate with,” said Rarity.
Sweetie Belle hugged her big sister tight, happy to have her support through this, even though she didn’t know that she was planning on confessing to a filly, or that that filly was Scootaloo.
“Hey, Rarity, is it okay if I invite Scootaloo over tomorrow?”
~~~
“Sweetie Belle, you alright, Equus to Sweetie Belle, are you there?”
Sweetie was snapped out of her reminiscing. Scootaloo was looking over at Sweetie from her position on the floor. The unicorn filly shook her head back and forth, getting herself back in the now. “Oh, yeah, I’m alright. I was just…um, remembering a talk I had with Rarity.”
“Must’ve been serious to make you stare off into space like that,” commented Scootaloo.
“You have no idea…”
“What was that?”
“Nothing!”
Scootaloo shrugged it off and went back to her work of cutting fabric. Sweetie had invited the pegasus filly over, under the pretense that they should try and earn their cutie marks at clothes making. Although Sweetie knew that making dresses or clothes in general wasn’t exactly Scootaloo’s cup of tea, she knew that Scootaloo would rather say she tried and failed then not trying and possibly not getting her cutie mark. Sweetie Belle lied on her bed as she used her telekinesis to scribble out an outfit, while Scootaloo cut out swatches of fabric to different lengths she thought that they might need. Rarity’s going to be a little miffed that her fabrics are being cut up for no reason, but it’s for a good cause…hopefully.
“So, Scootaloo, how’s the suspension going,” she asked.
Scootaloo shrugged, “It’s not all that bad. Twilight’s teaching me on the weekdays, so it’s not like I won’t be behind you guys. In fact, I bet I know three times more by the time I come back. I’ll probably be able to teach the class!”
Sweetie Belle giggled at the thought. “I don’t think Miss Cheerilee would mind, it’d give her time to relax. Maybe you could get a cutie mark for being a teacher like her!?”
“Pfft, please, me a teacher,” said Scootaloo skeptically.
“It could happen, I mean, you’re smart Scoots, you could if you wanted to,” said Sweetie Belle.
Scootaloo noticeably blushed from Sweetie Belle’s confidence in her intellect. “Maybe…but it doesn’t feel right. If anything it’d be like Pinkie Pie, how like she’s a great ice skater, but it’s not her special talent. So you might be right……you really think I’d make a good teacher?”
“Of course, I wouldn’t say it if I didn’t mean it,” said Sweetie Belle.
“Thanks Sweetie.”
The marshmallow white filly blushed, but held up the sketch pad to hide it. For the most part she was comfortable, and so was Scootaloo. Now all she had to do was find a way to confess to Scootaloo, but in a way that wasn’t totally awkward and haphazard. That’s when a thought popped into her head.
“So, did you really have to write an apology letter to Diamond Tiara?”
Scootaloo groaned loudly, “Unfortunately, yes. I wrote mine first, since I didn’t get one back until after I sent mine a week ago.”
“And…what did she say,” asked Sweetie Belle, almost dreading what Diamond Tiara wrote.
“It sounded like she was sorry, too…but I’m not holding my breath. Who knows, maybe that punch knocked her sympathy loose,” Scootaloo chuckled, “if she had any to begin with. Weirdly enough, it did sound like she was sorry about what she said to Apple Bloom, about her almost losing her home, anyway.”
“Oh, well, that’s good, at least. You know, you kind of freaked out us out when you punched Diamond Tiara –” Sweetie watched as Scootaloo flinched upon the mentioning of that event, “– but we weren’t scared! We were just surprised, you were there one minute and then gone the next, you were really fast!”
“Guess all my flying lessons with Rainbow Dash are paying off…”
Great, now I made her sad, stupid! Although, there was one question that she wanted to know the answer to, “Did you feel bad, after it was over?”
Scootaloo turned around to face Sweetie Belle and sighed heavily. “It’s weird, I’m sorry that I sent her to the hospital, but I’m not sorry for sticking up for you guys. I mean, I should be glad that I punched her; she always messes with us, always getting on our case about being blank flanks! And being mean to the other foals in our class, it was bound to happen sooner or later, if not me then by somepony else! So…why do I feel bad about it…?”
Sweetie Belle put down the sketch pad and hopped off her bed. She walked over to Scootaloo and sat in front of her. “Because you’re not a bad pony, Scootaloo, you’re kind, loyal, and you have a big heart. You don’t like hurting other ponies, if you did, you’d be worse than Diamond Tiara. So it’s a good thing that you feel like that.”
Scootaloo met Sweetie’s eyes, “You really think so?”
“I know so; it’s one of the things I love about you.”
“Love?”
Oh no! “I mean like! It’s one of the things I like about you!” Sweetie corrected, her voice cracking a bit.
Scootaloo gave her friend a dubious look before confirming her suspicions. “You’re a worse liar than Apple Bloom, and that’s saying something.”
“I am not!”
“Yes you are, I know, because your voice cracks,” said Scootaloo.
“So what, my sister tells me my voice cracks a lot,” retorted Sweetie.
“Yeah, it does, but it cracks in a certain high tone when you’re lying, and right now it just did, so what did you mean by love?”
“Just forget I said anything!”
“I would if you weren’t blushing right now!”
Sweetie didn’t realize it, but her cheeks were hot. Perfect, my own body can’t even lie!
“Tell me what you meant, Sweetie Belle,” asked Scootaloo.
“I can’t…!”
“Why not?”
“Because!”
“Because why!?”
“Because I love you, alright!”
Sweetie Belle clasped her hooves over her mouth as she stared wide eyed at Scootaloo. The pegasus filly didn’t exactly know how to respond right now, she was stunned. “You…you love me…? You’re joking right? You’re just pulling a prank on me, right Sweetie Belle, right?”
Sweetie could hear the desperation in her voice. Part of her wanted to just come out and say “Yes this was all an elaborate prank! You should see the look on your face!” But she knew better, saying that now, while presenting her a way out of this situation, would just make any future confession appear as if she was being mean to her. It was now or never…it wasn’t ideal, but this was her chance to tell Scootaloo exactly how she felt.
“No…it’s not a prank, or a joke, or anything that’s meant to be funny. I…I like you, I mean I like, like you, Scootaloo.”
Scootaloo’s heart was racing she didn’t know what to say, or do. Part of her was happy, while another was angry, and one third of her felt…unsettled. At this point, there was only one thing Scootaloo could say. “I’m sorry, Sweetie Belle, but…I…I’m not…I don’t like fillies…I’m sorry.”
“You don’t have to pretend, Scootaloo. Not with me, not ever! We don’t have to tell anypony, we can keep it secret, I promise,” said Sweetie Belle.
“It’s not that, I’m not into fillies, I…I like colts –”
“Please stop lying to yourself!” Sweetie shouted. “I know how much it hurts, how you can only look and never say a thing, afraid of what other ponies will think of you! Afraid that you’ll lose that pony as a friend forever! I even talked to Rarity, Rarity, about how I should confess to you, and I led her to think I was talking about somepony else! So you’re not the only one, Scoots! It’s okay to admit to me, because I’m admitting it to you.”
Scootaloo’s head was spinning; she got to her hooves but swayed as if she had been put through the Dizzitron at the Wonderbolts Academy. Images of Sweetie and Adara flashed through her head, of the times they spent together and separately, all the while seeing all the telltale signs. Longing looks, the occasional blush, and then there was that kiss that almost happened at – No, no I can’t!
“I-I have to go, I can’t – I’m sorry Sweetie!”
Scootaloo made her way to Sweetie Belle’s door, but she only got as far as putting her hoof on the doorknob before hearing Sweetie shout, “IT’S BECAUSE OF ADARA, ISN’T IT!?”
Scootaloo froze in her tracks. “What…what are you talking about…?”
“I know you like her too! I’ve seen the way you look at her and the way she looks at you! It’s the exact same way I do whenever I stare, she likes you too!”
“That’s ridiculous, I don’t like Adara like that, you don’t understand we –!”
“Lived together,” Sweetie interrupted, “It makes sense now. That time when you were ‘sick’ and Adara seemed really nervous about me coming to see you, how you seemed down during that one time and all of a sudden you’re feeling better! If you two are fillyfriends –!”
“WE’RE NOT FILLYFRIENDS! And for the last time I’m not a fillyfooler!”
Sweetie stared down Scootaloo, she was determined to get her answer, and to make Scootaloo stop lying about herself. “Then prove it!”
“Oh yeah, how!?”
“Kiss me,” said Sweetie plainly.
“K-K-Kiss you, why!?”
“If you kiss me, and don’t feel anything, then congratulations Scoots, you’re not a fillyfooler and we can pretend like this never happened!”
“And if I do…feel something that is…what then…?”
Sweetie was silent for a minute before saying, “That’s up to you, I guess…”
Scootaloo was shaking, doing this would prove to Sweetie Belle that she wasn’t one; all she had to do was fake her reaction. But what if she did feel something? Could she even hide it? It was all a risk, and either way, if she didn’t, this could put a serious strain on their friendship, and Scootaloo didn’t want to lose Sweetie Belle’s friendship, or any of their friends.
Scootaloo trotted towards Sweetie Belle till they were a foot away from each other. A fierce blush was prominent on both fillies’ faces, every now and again staring at a random spot in the room, trying to avoid eye contact. “So…how do we do this?”
“I guess, we can close our eyes, and just lean forward,” suggested Sweetie Belle.
“Y-Yeah…that sounds okay…”
Both gulped audibly, neither one trying to hide their nervousness. Sweetie was the first to close her eyes and lean forward, only a few inches, and was waiting for Scootaloo to meet her halfway. Scootaloo stared at Sweet Belle, her lips really, excitement and nervousness building in her at the same time, this was going to be her first kiss, she was completely nervicited. Eventually, Scootaloo did the same, closing her eyes and slowly inching her muzzle closer to Sweetie Belle’s.
In that moment, their lips met. It wasn’t some passionate kiss, more like an innocent butterfly kiss. They lingered there, a jolt of electricity shot through them both. It felt…right, Scootaloo couldn’t believe it, well she did, but she’d been spending so much time trying to deny that she wasn’t like that, that she was surprised at how nice it felt. But…something was wrong. There was something missing. Both fillies had always heard about how ponies in love always felt a “spark” when they kissed, the connection that told them they were meant to be.
Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle ended their kiss, confusion and tears plain in the unicorn’s eyes. Scootaloo didn’t know what to say, or if she even could say anything to make her feel better. Unfortunately, there was nothing she knew she could say that wouldn’t make this situation worse than it already was.
“Sweetie I…I…”
The unicorn filly lowered her head, hiding her face with her bangs. “Just…please leave, Scootaloo…”
The orange pegasus wanted to protest, she wanted nothing more than to go to her and give Sweetie Belle a hug. But the droplets of water that fell to the floor told her otherwise. With an aching heart, Scootaloo turned to leave the room, opening the door slowly, waiting to see if Sweetie Belle would call out to her. She glanced over her shoulder and saw that Sweetie had turned her back to Scootaloo.
She then opened the door, her heart and mind telling her to stay and leave at the same time. With last glance to make sure, Scootaloo stepped on the other side of the door and slowly closed it.
“I’m sorry…”
Scootaloo closed the door and started to walk downstairs to leave Carousel Boutique. She was spotted by Rarity, who was busy sewing together some new dress.
“Oh, Scootaloo, leaving so soon,” asked Rarity.
“…Yeah…”
Rarity was caught off guard by the normal spunky filly’s lackluster response. “Well…um, are you alright?”
“Rarity…I think…I think you should go and see Sweetie Belle, she needs you.”
“Wait, why does Sweetie Belle need me? Scootaloo, would please answer me, Scootaloo!?”
Rarity might as well have been talking to one of her mannequuins. Scootaloo had long since tuned her out, her feelings weighed heavy on her heart as she opened the door and left the Boutique.
(3 Days Later)
Adara had been wondering what was wrong with Scootaloo. For the past few days she had been acting strangely around her, avoiding her gaze, speaking less a few words to her, and anytime she tried to touch her Scootaloo would shirk away or swat her hoof.
For some reason, Scootaloo didn’t even want to go to Crusader meetings anymore, and curiously, Sweetie Belle was also absent from the meetings. Apple Bloom had no idea what was going on, and with her helping with the new orchard, couldn’t get away long enough to find out. So she entrusted Adara with the task of finding out.
Now that she thought about it, Scootaloo started acting weird the day she got back from Crusading with Sweetie Belle. Thinking it as good a place as any to start, Adara headed to Carousel Boutique to try and find out the cause behind her friends’ strange behavior. Adara appeared at the doorstep to the Boutique and gently pushed the door open, “Hello…?”
“Just a minute, please, I’ll be right with you in a minute.” Adara watched as Rarity appeared from her workroom, carrying herself with all the poise of a professional. “Welcome to Carousel Boutique where –!” Rarity stopped in the middle of her introduction when she recognized the cerulean filly, “Oh, Adara, what brings you here?”
“Hi Ms. Rarity, I was wondering if I could speak to Sweetie Belle,” she asked.
Rarity seemed a bit hesitant to answer, her eyes glancing towards the stairs, or more accurately, she was looking beyond the stairs and at Sweetie Belle thoughtfully. “I’m not sure if Sweetie’s up for visitors at the moment, she’s been feeling…under the weather, as it were.”
Adara could tell by her tone that she knew that something was wrong with Sweetie Belle, but whether if it was out of sisterly concern or because she didn’t really know, Rarity seemed to not want her little sister disturbed. “Please, Rarity, I need to talk to her. Scootaloo’s been acting weird and so has she. Neither of them are talking to each other, and Scootaloo’s been…avoiding me, lately. It all seemed to start after they met up a couple of days ago, and I want to know what happened. I don’t like seeing either of them like this, please let me try and figure out what happened?”
Rarity looked at Adara; genuine concern was in her eyes, for Sweetie and Scootaloo. “Hmm…very well, I’ll let you go and see Sweetie, but please, she’s in a bit of fragile state.”
Rarity then led Adara up to Sweetie Belle’s room. The white unicorn knocked on her door attentively.
“Go away, I don’t want to talk right now, sis,” said Sweetie Belle, her voice sounding strained.
Adara looked up at Rarity, silently asking for her to try again. With a sigh, Rarity knocked once again, this time adding, “Sweetie Belle…I know you don’t want to see me, but there’s someone here to see you.”
There was silence for a moment, and then they heard the scuffling of hooves approaching the door. The knob twisted as Sweetie Belle slowly opened the door, a small smile on her face as she did so. But, when she fully opened the door, that smile faded into an annoyed frown as she turned her gaze on a particularly interesting part of the floor.
“…Oh, it’s you…”
“Now Sweetie Belle, is that anyway to talk to your friend? She’s come all the way here to see you, the least you could do is say hi,” scolded Rarity.
“…Hi…”
Adara wasn’t sure why, but she felt a large amount of tension and suppressed anger radiating from Sweetie Belle. “Hi…I was wondering if we could talk, you and Scootaloo have been acting a little weird as of late and…I wanted to see what was wrong.”
Sweetie glanced back at Adara, contemplating. After what felt like the most tension filled and slowly dragged out five seconds of Adara’s life, Sweetie Belle opened the door wider, inviting the pegasus filly in. Adara happily took the invitation and walked in, with Rarity close behind. That is, until Sweetie Belle got in front of her and put a hoof on Rarity’s chest to stop her from advancing any further.
“Only Adara,” she said.
“Sweetie, please, I want to help as well. How can I if you won’t tell me what’s happening,” asked Rarity.
“……You can’t, now go away.”
Sweetie backed away from her sister, closing the door in her face and leaving her looking flabbergasted. Adara turned around and saw that the frown she had was still prominent, only now, her eyes were focused on the pegasus filly, making Adara feel like she had just been caged in with a lioness who was stalking its prey.
Sweetie Belle walked towards Adara, paused for a moment, and then moved to hop onto her bed. Settling into the divot she made in her bed. “So, what do you want?”
Adara winced at that question, her words were dipped with a slight amount of hate, her Hope light could easily sense that there was a small amount of Rage building in Sweetie Belle, and whether if she was holding in for Adara’s or her own sake was anyone’s guess.
“Sweetie Belle, I know you’re upset –”
“What was your first clue?”
“ – but I can’t help you if you don’t tell me anything. Scootaloo is…sad, and she gives me these strange, pained filled looks and I don’t know why. We’re friends Sweetie Belle, so please, talk to me.”
Suddenly, Adara felt the Rage in Sweetie Belle spike. The unicorn filly jumped off her bed and stared angrily at Adara. “You want to know WHY!? It’s because she doesn’t…doesn’t love me, she loves YOU!”
Out of the thousand and one possible responses Adara anticipated Sweetie Belle to make, this didn’t even make it in the top five, in fact, this completely shattered any plans she had concocted to bring about a remedy to the situation. “Wh-what do you mean ‘loves me’?”
“Exactly what it sounds like…she loves you, Adara! I…I confessed to her, a few days ago, I promised myself that I was going to tell her how I really felt about her…” Sweetie Belle’s eyes began to well with tears. “It didn’t go like I wanted it to, but I did it, I told Scootaloo how I felt, and of course she denied liking fillies! I expected that! But…when we kissed…”
Adara felt a sharp pain in her heart when she heard that. “Y-y-you…kissed…?”
Hearing Adara’s strained voice seemed to only make her angrier. “Yes, my first kiss! But when we did I…I…I didn’t feel it! There was no connection, no spark, she didn’t love me…because somepony else was already there in her heart…!”
Adara now understood why Scootaloo was acting strange around her. She was confused, and possibly frightened with the feelings she had for her, and the pain she had inadvertently caused Sweetie Belle was hurting Scootaloo as well. It’s all my fault…Adara’s gaze was downcast as she spoke, “I’m sorry, Sweetie Belle…”
Sweetie Belle looked upon the pegasus filly incredulously, her brow knitted as she steadily advanced on Adara. “‘You’re sorry’…YOU’RE SORRY!!?” What happened next surprised Adara; Sweetie Belle had lunged at the cerulean filly, tackling her. The two of them tumbled about till Adara found herself on the floor, with Sweetie Belle’s teary eyed, rage filled, face looming over her. “If you weren’t here, Scootaloo would like me, not you! If you weren’t here I could make her happy, I could help her not feel ashamed of liking fillies, and we could’ve helped each other! But that’ll never happen because of you! Spending time with her in our clubhouse – our Cutie Mark Crusader Clubhouse – growing closer in a way I can’t even begin to understand! I WISH YOU WERE GONE!!!”
Adara knew Sweetie Belle was right, if she hadn’t intruded into their lives Sweetie Belle would be free to pursue Scootaloo. Indeed, if she never arrived in Ponyville, the two of them could be together. But…that’s not the case now. Adara loved, Scootaloo, she didn’t deny it. As much of a friend as she was to Sweetie Belle, she wasn’t going to just lie here on the floor and let Sweetie Belle speak to her that way. Adara was prepared to throw Sweetie Belle off her and give her few choice words of her own, but stopped.
Sweetie Belle’s rage filled expression slowly bled away, giving way to sadness. She began to sob, chocking back a lump that was forming her throat. “But…it’s also because of you that Scootaloo’s alive…” The unicorn filly’s legs began to tremble. “If you weren’t there, on that day, Scootaloo would be dead…I’d have lost her…and when I think about it, I don’t want you gone…You help me to keep Apple Bloom and Scootaloo from doing something stupid…you watched over Scootaloo when all of us couldn’t…you…you understand her in a way I can’t…as angry as I am at you…I can’t hate you…I-I just can’t…! You’re…you’re my friend…”
Sweetie Belle couldn’t stand anymore; she collapsed onto Adara and cried into her chest. The Entity of Hope was surprised, at first, but that quickly changed as she carefully hugged Sweetie Belle, doing her best to comfort her and allow the heartbroken filly to let it out. After a while, Sweetie Belle stopped crying and the two of them laid side-by-side on the floor, looking up at the ceiling. A heavy silence reigned within the room, neither filly really ready to talk, but knew that they had to. With a sigh, Adara spoke first, “So…what happens now?”
“I guess…You go and tell Scootaloo how you feel,” said Sweetie Belle.
“I really am sorry, for causing you all this heartache…”
Sweetie Belle placed her left hoof over Adara’s right. “No…don’t be. It does hurt, and, I don’t think it’ll stop, at least…not soon anyway. But, as long as Scootaloo’s happy…then I’m happy.” Sweetie then turned her head to face Adara, “So you better make her happy. If you don’t I’ll take her away from you.”
“If it comes to that, then it’ll give me peace of mind knowing you’ll be there to do so,” replied Adara. “Do you…want me to stay…?” “No, go and find her, and tell her. She’s probably off moping somewhere, blaming herself. Tell her I said hi.” Adara rose up and got to her hooves, she then gave Sweetie Belle a kind smile, “I will.”
(Present)
“I can’t see Adara…I just can’t…”
Scootaloo’s emotions were still warring within her. The kiss she shared with Sweetie Belle had brought up what she had been trying hard to bury, dredging up feelings that she thought weren’t true. At one point, they were, she did have feelings for Sweetie Belle, but was too afraid, too scared about being ridiculed and called a fillyfooler to pursue them. And now, after all this time, when she shared her first kiss with Sweetie Belle, a filly, there was nothing. She liked kissing her, but there was nothing, she loved her, but not in the way she once had. Scootaloo knew exactly who occupied the space in her heart that was once Sweetie’s, but right now, it felt like she was betraying her.
But what was worse, was that all those fillies and colts from before she came to Ponyville, the ones who labeled her a fillyfooler, they were right, what was worse, Diamond Tiara was right. She could still deny it, that was an option, Scootaloo knew that Sweetie Belle wouldn’t say anything about their kiss, despite what happened, she was still her friend, and she knew that she still loved her regardless. But then Adara…if she had feelings for her, then continuing her façade would be unfair to her, and avoiding the filly wasn’t a viable option, Scootaloo had found herself in the proverbial rock and a hard place.
It was then that Scootaloo caught sight of something, but before she could blink the object sped by her in a multicolored trail. When she looked up, Scootaloo saw Rainbow Dash flying up above her. The cyan pegasus spotted her “little sister” and descended down to meet her.
Scootaloo couldn’t look her in the eye right now, she felt ashamed of herself. Twilight’s disappointment would hurt her when she found out the truth, but Rainbow Dash’s disappointment would crush her as effectively as somepony dropping a whole mountain on top of her. Rainbow Dash landed next to Scootaloo, sitting beside her on the cloud. “We need to talk, Scoots.”
“About what…?”
Rainbow Dash sighed heavily, “I know what’s going on with you and Sweetie Belle.”
Scootaloo flinched, but kept her gaze low, “How did you…?”
“Know,” she finished, “Rarity told me.”
“You don’t have to worry; things are a little awkward right now. Sweetie Belle misunderstood how I felt about her, and she’s sad about it. I promise I’ll talk to her soon and get everything straightened out.”
“That’s good, but that’s not the real issue here, is it?”
Scootaloo looked up at her idol, “What issue, there is no issue?”
“Yes there is, Scoots. It’s about you lying to everypony, even yourself, about your real feelings,” said Rainbow Dash.
“What ‘real feelings,’ look, it was just a misunderstanding, that’s all!”
“A misunderstanding, huh, tell me, which part about you and Sweetie Belle kissing am I ‘misunderstanding’?”
Scootaloo jumped to her hooves and stared at Rainbow Dash wide eyed, “H-H-How do you know that!?”
“Because Rarity told us, that’s how.” Rainbow Dash turned her body to face Scootaloo as she prepared herself. “Adara went to go see Sweetie Belle today, she overheard them talking and found out what really happened between you two. Apparently they talk-argued about you, mostly Sweetie Belle talk-argued, but it sounds like they resolved it, so you shouldn’t need to sweat it.”
“……Did…Did Rarity overhear what Adara said about me?”
“She did, but I think that’s something she deserves to tell you personally, but right now, we have a bigger problem,” said Rainbow Dash.
“What,” she asked.
“The problem with you lying to yourself about what makes you happy, or in this case, who makes you happy.”
Scootaloo tensed up, and clenched her jaw; she then narrowed her gaze at Rainbow Dash. “Look, I. Am. Not. A. Fillyfooler! I can’t be because…because…!”
“Because then they’d be right.”
Scootaloo went silent, looking upon Rainbow Dash as if she had read her mind, or just guessed lucky at what she was going to say. “How did you know what I was going to say!?”
“‘Cause, you’re not the only one, Scoots.” Rainbow Dash took a moment to collect herself, dredging up memories, especially painful ones, wasn’t exactly something she liked. “This is something I should’ve told you the day you and Adara came to live with Twi.”
“When I was filly, I got teased. I was tomcolt growing up, I didn’t really care for dressing up or any of that girly stuff, still don’t really, and a lot of other fillies didn’t really want to play with me. When I would hang out with some of the colts, it was fun, but…every now and again I liked hanging with other fillies. I didn’t know why, but it was different, I felt…I guess the right word is, attracted to them. Course, I didn’t know what it meant, I was a kid, well, younger than you, Squirt.”
“Anyway, the older kids started to notice the way I acted around other fillies and started calling me, you guessed it, a fillyfooler. It spread to the colts and fillies in my class, and after that, no pony wanted to be around me. My only real friend back then was Fluttershy. I suspected she was one, too, but that’s not what made us friends. I thought that the only way to stop them from making fun of me was to bury my feelings, so deep, that it was barely a thought in the back of my head. I went through most of my life like that, I didn’t date anypony, the only friend I kept close was Fluttershy, and I thought that was enough. But then…”
Scootaloo gulped, “Then what…?”
Rainbow Dash smiled, “Then I met Twilight. It wasn’t the best of first impressions, but it’s not one she or I will ever forget. After she got coroneted, guess who she asked to teach her how to fly?” Rainbow Dash paused for a moment. “Yep, me. After that we hung out more and more, and not just during flying lessons. I found out that we had a lot in common, especially when it came to our love lives. And then, she did something that even surprised me. Twilight kissed me, and I kissed her back, and all the fear, all the angst and anger I felt about being labeled and teased, it all disappeared. And from then on, we became marefriends. We’ve been going slowly, telling our friends, at least, the ones who didn’t already figure it out. In a lot of ways, Scootaloo, we’re the same.”
Scootaloo had to sit down for a minute, to think that her idol, her big sister figure, had gone through the same things she was going through when she was a filly, it was, uplifting, it made her hopeful. “So, when Twilight mentioned her special somepony, she was talking about you!?”
“Bingo.”
“Oh wow…”
Rainbow Dash leaned forward and brought a hoof to rest on her shoulder. “I don’t want to see you making the same mistakes I did, Scoots. It took me a long time before I accepted who I am. You can lie to everypony if you want, they don’t need to know your personal stuff, so long as you stop lying to yourself, and stop denying what makes you happy. Otherwise, you’ll end up suffering, and not just you, either.”
Scootaloo smiled up at Rainbow Dash, “That sounded mushy. Don’t worry. I know you’ll deny it.”
“Actually, I won’t, not this time.” Scootaloo rushed forward and hugged Rainbow Dash. The prismatic mare wrapped a foreleg around Scootaloo, bringing her closer and nuzzling the top of her head.
Scootaloo separated herself from Rainbow Dash; she then went to the edge of the cloud and spread her wings. “I…I need to go and find Adara.”
“Go, Scoots, I’ll see you both back at Twilight’s later,” said Rainbow Dash.
Scootaloo smiled confidently as she leaped off the cloud and zoomed off in search of her friend. Rainbow Dash watched the little filly fly until she vanished from sight.
“Good luck."
Adara flew through sky in search of Scootaloo. She stopped by the library to see if she was there, but did not find her. She then flew to Sweet Apple Acres and checked the clubhouse. Sadly, there was no sign that she was there. Adara once again searched, this time scanning the sky. She knew Scootaloo flew any chance she got; it was her way of making up for the time she spent grounded for so long. After what felt like hours, Adara was starting to think the unthinkable, that maybe Scootaloo had ran away from Ponyville. She wouldn’t, despite what has happened Scootaloo wouldn’t abandon all of us like that. Without realizing, Adara’s speed increased, her subconscious fueling her desperation to find Scootaloo, making her fly faster.
Suddenly, Adara rammed into something head first, knocking her back a few feet. She rubbed her throbbing head, wincing from the pain that radiated from the point of impact.
“Jeez, watch where you’re going! The sky’s big enough! Adara!?”
Her eyes flew open as she stared at the one she crashed into. “Scootaloo!?”
Both fillies seemed as if they had to resist the urge to hug one another, for fear of making the situation more awkward than it already was. Neither one spoke for a while, they just hovered there in the sky.
“Scootaloo –!”
“Adara –!”
“…….You first, Scootaloo,” said Adara.
“I think, we should talk, about…you know.” Adara nodded her head in agreement. Scootaloo looked around the area till her eyes spotted a cloud. “We can talk there, follow me.”
Scootaloo lead the way to a large fluffy cloud that drifted about. The two fillies landed on the large cloud, sitting across from each other. There was a good amount of tension, both had something to say, but were skittish about how the other would react. In the end, though, it seemed Scootaloo had something to get off her chest.
“Adara…I…I like fillies.”
Adara blinked, “Oh, okay.”
“And…I think I love you.” Scootaloo groaned loudly, ruffling her mane with her forehooves. “Ugh, that sucked! What kind of a confession is that!? Sorry, this – I had this whole thing planned out in my head and now my mind’s a blank!”
Adara cracked a smile and chuckled lightly, glad for the change in the heavy mood that was settling on them earlier. “It’s fine, because I have feelings for you as well, Scootaloo.”
The orange filly stopped mussing her mane and looked at Adara. “Y-You do?”
“I do, I’ve been keeping my feelings secret for a long while. Practically sense the first day we met. I wasn’t sure what I was feeling, if I was simply infatuated with you, or if was a mere crush. But as time went on, I realized that it was more than that. Scootaloo, these past few months I’ve spent with you have been the happiest of my life, and believe me when I say, that is truly saying something.” It was here that Adara’s voice turned just a bit somber. “But, I know of your unwillingness to admit to the kind of pony you like, I am happy that you told me, but I don’t want you be the subject of ridicule. That’s why I won’t force you into anything; know that I’ll be here when you’re ready.”
Scootaloo smirked, “Wow that blew away anything I had planned. But you’re right, I don’t want to be made fun of, and you’re also right about how I don’t want to tell anypony. But you know what I say?” Scootaloo paused watching Adara look upon her in anticipation for her answer. “Buck them and what they think!”
“Scootaloo!”
“Look, you’ve been there for me, helping me through not one, but two of the worst moments of my life. You’ve seen me when I was at my lowest, and I got really, really low last time. You even trusted me with your secret, something that you were afraid to show any other pony and saved me at least four times with it! Compared to your secret, mine’s nothing.” Scootaloo moved closer to Adara. “You make me happy Adara, I mean that.”
A tear ran down Adara’s cheek as a joyous smile spread across her face. Smiling was infectious, because Scootaloo seemed to mimic the same one Adara had. It was then that the orange filly got an idea.
“Adara?”
“Yes?”
“Do you remember all those times when you draped your wing over me when we slept in the clubhouse?” Adara thought it over and nodded an affirmative. “Did you know that’s called a Wing Embrace? It’s a pegasus custom that shows affection, it’s mostly used, for parents and children, close friends or siblings, and…special someponies.”
Adara’s face went red, “Oh, I’m sorry, Scootaloo! I had no idea that I was making you uncomfortable!”
“No I liked it, it made me feel safe, but, this time,” Scootaloo extended her right wing, “I want to do it for you.”
Adara needed no convincing she stepped forward till she was sitting next to Scootaloo, allowing her wing to fold around Adara and bring her close to where their forelegs were rubbing against each other. Adara felt the warmth of Scootaloo’s body and the close downy soft feeling of her feathers as they brushed against her back and side. It felt right, for the both of them. But, for Scootaloo, there was one last thing she needed to do make sure of.
“There’s something else I want to do, but we don’t have to, it’s totally up to you,” said Scootaloo.
“Go on, ask,” she said.
“Can we…kiss?”
Adara slowly separated from Scooatloo, but still remained in the Wing Embrace. She knew why Scootaloo asked, after what Sweetie Belle told her. It made Adara nervous, would the “spark” happen if they did kiss? If it didn’t, did that mean that all these feelings she felt for Scootaloo meant nothing, a product of her imagination? She almost said no, if it weren’t for the look in Scootaloo’s eyes. There was glint in her eyes, like a blue star.
Adara nodded her head.
Scootaloo and Adara leaned forward, closing their eyes. Slowly but surely they drifted towards each other. And then it happened. Their lips met. And the “spark” was lit. Adara and Scootaloo felt a kind of intense surge, like electricity, course through their bodies. It was powerful, yet not overwhelming, connecting them. At that same time, Adara’s cutie mark appeared on her flanks. The symbol upon them glowed with a soft blue light; this light flowed up into the sky and burst forth, filling the skies in every direction with the blue light of Hope. The light flowed like an aurora, spider webbing out far over the land.
(Library, 10 Seconds Earlier)
Twilight awaited Rainbow Dash’s return, standing outside the library as she paced back and forth. Soon she spotted her lover zooming in her direction. The daredevil mare did a somersault in the air before landing on the ground in one fluid motion.
“So…?”
“I told her, she looked like she got the idea, now I guess we wait,” said Rainbow Dash.
“That’s good, at least. Did you tell her the reason why she came to live me and not you,” asked Twilight.
“I figured telling her that I’m moving in with you would be too much, better to not overwhelm Scoots,” said Rainbow Dash.
Twilight smiled at the thoughtfulness of her marefriend. She then stepped closer and gave the rainbow maned mare an affectionate nuzzle, in plain view of everypony who was walking about.
“Um, Twi, you do know what you’re doing right?”
“I do, and I don’t care.” She stopped for a moment and looked into Rainbow Dash’s eyes. “How can we tell Scootaloo that it’s okay to feel this way, if we don’t come clean in front of everypony? It’s not only hypocritical, but it’s wrong to her.”
Rainbow Dash smirked, she then leaned in closer and returned the affectionate nuzzle. “And that’s why I love you.”
At that moment the sky lit up with blue shimmering light. Everypony in town stopped and stared at the spectacle in awe, there was no fear, the light did not feel threatening or hostile, but instead, it felt strong, protective, and comforting. Twilight and Rainbow Dash both gazed up at the waving blue light. Twilight had a good idea where this light was originating from, and silently offered up a small prayer of thanks.
“Twi, what’s going on? I feel, funny. Not in a bad way, but like in a good way, does that make sense” asked Rainbow Dash.
“Don’t worry, Rainbow. This light, it’s just a sign of good things to come.”
(Fluttershy’s Cottage)
Fluttershy, Angel, and Proselyte looked up into the sky as the blue aurora flowed overhead. Many of the animals around the area also stopped and watched as the blue light bathed everything in its radiance.
“Oh my, what’s going on,” asked Fluttershy, more in awe than out of fear.
Above Proselyte’s forehead, the symbols of Hope and Love shined brightly. The pegasus colt smiled knowingly.
“Nothing to be alarmed of Fluttershy, it is merely the promise of different light,” said Proselyte.
“That made no sense whatsoever,” commented Angel.
Fluttershy then gave him a scolding look.
“Well it doesn’t,” he muttered.
(Crystal Empire)
The blue aurora continued to reach out to the furthest parts of Equestria. The Crystal Ponies of the Empire all stopped what they were doing and watched as the light fell over their empire, filling their hearts with Hope’s light. At the Crystal Palace, standing at the balcony, were Shining Armor, Princess Cadance, and Predator, all three gazing up together at the beautiful sight before them.
“What the hay is going on,” asked Shining Armor.
Cadance’s horn lit up, the light was laced with strong feelings of love and hope, washing over everything and giving those under its light peace. She glanced over to Predator; her body was flaring with her light of Love, taking on the form of sparkling, floral like patterns.
“Predator?”
“I’m fine, it would seem my ‘little sister’ has just discovered the joys of love,” said Predator.
I’m proud of you, Adara.
The light of Hope began to fade, returning the skies to their original blue tint. Adara and Scootaloo separated from their kiss, a fierce blush mirrored in the other’s face. They both looked up into the sky and watched as the last remnants of the blue aurora faded away. Scootaloo noticed that Adara’s cutie mark had appeared as well, which seemed to also surprise Adara herself. It was then that she put two and two together, making Scootaloo get a little bit nervous.
Spike, Twilight Sparkle’s number one assistant, the only dragon to ever be raised by ponies and live amongst them, and often times the most level headed of their friends, had just seen something that he won’t get out his mind for a bit. Spike had just gone up to wake the newest residents of the Golden Oaks Library, Adara and Scootaloo, and found the two fillies, on the floor, blushing like crazy, with Adara on top of Scootaloo. The purple dragon just stared at the sight before him.
“Uh…I’m a…yeah…I’ll just be going now…Come down whenever…”
Spike slowly closed the door behind him; he then paused for a moment after hearing the shuffling of hooves. After shaking his head a bit Spike started towards the kitchen. He got about halfway before Scootaloo came rushing out her bedroom and cut him off.
“Spike, it wasn’t what it looked like! Stuff happened, I pulled at Adara’s bedsheets and –!”
“Scoots it’s fine,” Spike held up his claws in a placating fashion, “you don’t have to get all worked up. Trust me; it’s not the first time I’ve…walked in on…some things…” Spike shuddered a bit, certain memories that had accidentally been seared into his brain were coming up.
“It was just an accident! We weren’t doing anything!” Scootaloo insisted.
Spike crossed his arms and gave the filly a smug smile, “Uh-huh, whatever you say Scoots. I’ll see ya downstairs.” As Spike walked passed Scootaloo the young drake gave the pegasus a nudge in the rips with his elbow. “You two are so cute to together,” he teased.
“Ugh, you’re impossible!” Scootaloo fumed and went back to her room to help Adara make her bed.
Spike chuckled a bit as he continued downstairs to the kitchen, where Twilight was already enjoying the wonderful spread her assistant had created. The alicorn mare looked up at her assistant quizzically.
“Where are Scootaloo and Adara,” asked Twilight.
“Oh…uh…they’re just making their beds, give them another couple of minutes and they’ll be down,” said Spike.
“Okay, and Spike, I really appreciate how well you’ve taken to both Scootaloo and Adara staying with us.” A guilty look came over Twilight’s face. “I really should’ve talked it over with you, since I’m not the only one living in this house. But after everything that happened…I just wanted to give them a good home, someplace safe.”
Spike sat across from Twilight and waved his claw as if to dismiss her worries. “Twilight it’s fine, it’s not like you were inviting Nightmare Moon to stay with us, this is Scootaloo and Adara. I like Scoots, and Adara’s okay, I mean, she is the Entity of Hope. Honestly it’s not like I’m mad about it, especially after Scoots almost lost her wings…” Spike shuddered, “I don’t even want to think how her life would be if that happened.”
Twilight seemed to shudder as well, “Me neither, but luckily it didn’t happen. Her wing growth and strength is progressing impressively, I wouldn’t be surprised if she becomes as fast a flyer as Rainbow Dash. Speaking of which, I’m also thankful that you’re okay with Rainbow moving in, too.”
“Yeah, but you already talked it over with me a while back, but after all this mess started happening it kinda got put on the backburner,” Spike took in a mouthful of his specially made stack of pancakes, with bits of crushed gemstones, “by the way, why haven’t you told Scootaloo yet?”
“I figured that we’d save it as a surprise, that way we can tell her about mine and Rainbow’s relationship and it won’t be as big a shock,” said Twilight.
“Guess so, gotta say, it’s nice having her as a niece,” said Spike.
Twilight chuckled at his statement, “‘Niece’, Spike, you two are practically the same age, if anything you two are brother and sister.”
“Seriously, ah, c’mon!? You’re her guardian, and I’m like your LBBFF! Doesn’t that mean I’m her uncle and not her brother!?”
Twilight actually stopped to think that over. “Hmm…that is interesting…what is your role? I mean, technically I’m her legal guardian now, but what title does that pass to you…?”
Oh great, now I’ve lost her.
At that moment Scootaloo and Adara were had come downstairs, both just as cheerful as ever, especially after looking at the spread Spike had made for them. The two fillies sat at the table and were about to start eating, but Spike, wanting to settle the debate, decided to ask Scootaloo directly.
“Hey Scoots, what do you see me as, you know, since Twilight’s yours and Adara’s guardian now,” asked Spike.
Scootaloo gave the young drake an annoyed look, “If anything you’re like an annoying little brother.”
“WHAT!? I’m at least an annoying uncle, right!?” Spike asked pleadingly.
“Nope, annoying little brother works fine. Ugh, thinking of you as my ‘uncle’ feels wrong, I mean we’re the same age, right?”
Spike just deadpanned and slammed his head onto the table, groaning and moaning in defeat. Scootaloo and Adara looked at Twilight quizzically.
“Is something the matter with Spike,” asked Adara.
Twilight couldn’t help but giggle. “No, he’s just wallowing in despair is all.”
(4 Weeks Later)
The last few weeks were tense. After what Spike found out what happened with Scootaloo at her school, the drake had to admit, despite the fact that she got punished for it, he congratulated the filly for sticking up for her friends. That seemed to lift her mood a little. Spike was finding that Scoots liked to confide in the young drake, finally resigning himself to the role of a brother, not little or big, just a brother. He may’ve not understood all of what she was going through, but Spike could tell that it did help to have an ear, or his case a frill, to bend.
Lately though, Scootaloo had been avoiding Adara within the library, and this did not go unnoticed by him or Twilight. He found the young filly gazing out on the balcony of the library, sighing heavily, deep in thought. Spike waddled up to the filly and rested his arms on the guardrail.
“So, what’s eating you,” asked Spike.
“…Nothing…”
“Yeah right, ‘nothing’, Scoots you can talk to me, I promise I won’t tell Twilight if you don’t want me to.”
Scootaloo remained quiet for a while, so Spike decided to just stay till she felt like talking. Several minutes passed and Scootaloo still hadn’t spoken a word, and Spike was starting to lose feeling in his legs.
“Spike…?”
The drake glanced over to Scootaloo.
“If you found out that two ponies really liked you, like say, Rarity and…ugh, I don’t know, Apple Bloom.”
Spike quirked an eyebrow at that second name. “Apple Bloom, why her, I mean Rarity I understand, but, Apple Bloom?”
“It’s just a hypothetical question, Spike, jeez, you don’t have to read into it,” snapped Scootaloo.
“Okay, okay, I get.”
Scootaloo sighed again, “Alright, so like I said, what if…what if Rarity, hypothetically, loved you and kissed you.” The young filly noticed the red blush tinting his cheeks as he sighed happily. “But when you kissed, neither of you didn’t feel anything…no spark. I mean, you liked it, but there was no connection, how would that make you feel?”
Spike took a moment to digest Scootaloo’s words. To have kissed Rarity and not to have felt anything, no “love connection” at all, to realize that your crush was simply that, a crush. Spike lowered his head and rested his chin on his crossed arms.
“I guess…I’d feel sad, I mean, I do like Rarity, and I know what everypony says about us never getting together. But I still hold out some hope of her liking me like that,” said Spike.
“Okay, but what if Apple Bloom had feelings for you too? Would you go for it, and risk not feeling a connection,” she asked.
“I still question why you think I want to kiss Apple Bloom. I mean, yeah, she’s cute, funny, headstrong, adventurous, hardheaded sometimes, a hard worker, and has – ahem!” Spike cut himself off there, realizing that his description was getting a little too detailed for his liking. This only caused Scootaloo to smirk knowingly, but she didn’t press it. “Well, I mean, how else would I know unless I asked her? There’s no getting around it, either you say something now or you just end up wondering what could’ve been.”
“Even if it means risking your friendship…? Even when other ponies might not see it as something natural…?”
Spike opened his mouth to rebuttal, but no words came out. That was a subject that was a sore spot for him, not many ponies would smile happily upon a dragon and pony relationship. Too many unknowns, too much ridicule, what would their children look like? Would it work out between him and his special somepony? Could he even stay in Ponyville or any place when he got too big, could he even have a family if he grew to the mighty size he once did when he was on his greed fueled rampage? There too many questions and too few answers.
Scootaloo seemed to pick up on the mood she inadvertently put him in, “Oh, Spike, I’m sorry! I didn’t mean anything by it, I swear! I –!”
“Scoots, it’s fine. Don’t worry about it.” He smiled gently, placing a claw on his ‘sister’s’ hoof. “I don’t really have a good answer. Guess…that’s a question I gotta figure out when I’m older. But that doesn’t mean that you have to wait. I know you’ll figure it out.”
Scootaloo gave a small smile and drew Spike in closer for a hug. “Thanks…bro.”
Spike couldn’t help but chuckle, “Anytime, sis.”
The orange pegasus separated from Spike and stood back a few steps, “I’m going to fly around a bit…I’ll see you later…”
Without another word, Scootaloo flapped her wings and took off into the sky. Spike had given up on trying to follow her take offs, finding that doing so nearly gave him whiplash. With that weighted discussion over, Spike decided to head on over Rarity’s. Today was Gem Hunting Day, a whole day with Rarity finding and digging up gemstones for her to use in her fashion lines, and of course Spike got a generous helping of the spoils for his hard work.
The little drake headed to Rarity’s, pulling an empty wagon behind him. His talk with Scootaloo was buzzing about in his head, kissing Rarity and not feeling anything. It really got to him. And if she really wasn’t the special somepony for him, then who was? Would anypony want to date or even be with a dragon? Spike shook his head, trying to dislodge these negative thoughts from his head.
C’mon, Spike, get it together! You’re going Gem Hunting with Rarity, just block out all that other stuff and focus on having fun, yeah! Today’s going to be a good day!
Spike had arrived at Carousel Boutique, he was about to knock on the door – it wasn’t necessary, being a business and all, but he did it anyway out of respect of her home/business. But before he could rap at the door it opened and revealed Rarity standing there, looking rather distraught at the moment.
“Rarity, are you okay,” asked Spike.
“Well…I am, but Sweetie Belle isn’t. I’m sorry Spike, but I can’t go gem hunting with you today,” explained Rarity.
“Oh…”
“I’m really sorry, Spikey. But I have to take care of my little sister – and have a little talk with Twilight and Rainbow Dash here in a minute. But,” Rarity’s horn lit up as she brought forth a crystal and gave it to Spike, “this crystal’s enchanted with my special locator spell. It’ll lead you to all the gemstones in the immediate area, sort of a crystal divining rod. I’d appreciate it if you could go and get the gems that I’ll need, and I promise to reward you greatly for the assistance.”
Spike was disappointed, but he could tell that Rarity was in need of some help, especially if there was something wrong with Sweetie Belle. “No problem Rarity, I find as many as I can!”
“Oh I knew I could count on you my little Spikey-poo.” Rarity leaned down and kissed the drake on the forehead. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I really must talk to Twilight and Rainbow Dash.”
With that said Rarity took off passed Spike and headed in some unknown direction. Leaving Spike holding a crystal in one claw and an empty wagon in another, with a heavy sigh he made his way towards the quarry where all the gems they usually hunted were located in masse.
Along the way, Spike was passing Sweet Apple Acres, and it just so happened that Apple Bloom was out in the yard, fixing up the fence that sectioned off their land from the rest of Ponyville. Apple Bloom had finished hammering a nail into the stake with a swipe of her hoof, and looked around when she heard squeaky wheels.
“Heya Spike!”
Spike’s head shot in Apple Bloom’s direction. The yellow farm filly was trotting towards Spike, carrying toolbox on her back as she did. Spike waved to Apple Bloom happily.
“Hey, Apple Bloom, what’s –” Apple Bloom then walked passed him. “– up?”
Apple Bloom examined the wagon Spike was toting around. She then set her toolbox down and took out a little oil can, clasping it between her hooves, she positioned the nozzle at the left back wheel and squeezed the can a few times, letting small drops of oil run over the wheel joint. Afterwards she placed the can back in the toolbox and started to maneuver the wagon back and forth, the squeakiness of the wagon was now silenced.
“Wow, I’ve been trying to get that thing to stop squeaking for weeks, thanks AB,” said Spike.
“Sorry ‘bout that, Ah just can’t help it, whenever somethin’ needs fixin’ Ah just go and fix it, Ah-Ah didn’t mean to ignore you or nothin’,” apologized Apple Bloom.
Spike shrugged it off as no big deal.
“So…where ya headin’?”
“Oh, well, today was mine and Rarity’s Gem Hunting Day, but something came up with Sweetie Belle and she asked me to go and do the hunting,” said Spike.
“Ah hope everythin’s alright, the girls have been actin’ funny lately, and Ah don’t know what to do.” Apple Bloom scuffed the ground with her hoof. “Some leader and friend Ah am. Ah can’t even help’em with whatever problems are buggin’em.”
“What are you talking about?! Apple Bloom you’re great leader, and an even better friend. It’s just, whatever they’re going through is personal, they just don’t want to worry you,” said Spike.
“Well, they’re doin’ a good job of makein’ me worry. But…yer right, Ah’m sure they’ll tell meh what’s wrong when their good an’ ready. Hopefully that’s soon,” said Apple Bloom, throwing her forelegs in the air in frustration.
In mock frustration ended with a giggle, which for some reason, Spike found cute. “Ahem, so, guess you’re really getting into your special talent, huh?”
“Heck yeah Ah am! Ah been fixin’ things all over the farm! Ah mean, no offense to Big Mac and Applejack, but they can only do so much when it comes to maintenance. Ah’ve just been sprucin’ up things here and there, and thinkin’ of ways to make the farm better and other stuff.”
And if that wasn’t enough, Spike started to like the way Apple Bloom got when she was talking about her special talent. There was an elated and joyous tone in her voice that made you feel the same way. Her eyes seemed to sparkle as she continued on. At some point Spike had stopped listening to Apple Bloom and just started to actually stare at her.
“So Ah was wonderin’, if ya got time afterwards, you think you good help me check out some books from the library? Spike, Spike?”
The young drake snapped himself out of revere upon hearing his name. “Huh – Oh yeah, what kind of books?!”
“Well, maybe some basic archy-arci darn it, what’s that fancy word for buildings and such?!”
“Um, architecture?”
“Yeah, that’s it! Some books on architecture! Ah wanted to see if any of them could give me ideas,” said Apple Bloom.
“Sure, no problem, I’ll swing by here after I’m done and we can go to the library together.”
“Yeah mean…you and me, walkin’ side-by-side, together?” Apple Bloom asked with a nervous tone.
“Well unless you want to meet me there –?”
“No, no, Ah was just makin’ sure that’s what ya meant is all, heh, heh.”
Spike started to notice a pink blush tinting Apple Bloom’s cheeks. “…Okay, but what if Apple Bloom had feelings for you too? Would you go for it…?” Spike suddenly felt his own cheeks warm up from remembering the talk he had with Scootaloo.
“Okay, so, I’ll meet you here, later, around four o’clock?” Spike asked, wanting to end the awkwardness.
“Y-Yeah, sounds great, Ah’ll see ya then! Bye, Spike!”
With that said, Apple Bloom ran off back into the yard, and to whatever little work she could occupy herself with. He just stood there, watching her retreating form, her well-toned, surprisingly cute form. Spike then brought up his right claw and slapped himself across the face and was now silently cursing Scootaloo for putting those thoughts in his mind. Thoughts, he might add, that he didn’t find all that unpleasant.
(Rock Quarry)
Spike had arrived at his usual gem hunting spot, a place he and Rarity frequented. With a sigh, the little dragon held out the crystal and immediately the spell went to work, leading him to hidden gem deposits in the ground. Spike immediately started digging up the tasty, yet fashionable to some, morsels. As much as gem hunting was helping to ease the young drake’s thoughts, it really wasn’t.
I am happy…but…why do I still feel alone…
It was the one thing that Spike never truly got over, the little niggling feeling in the back of his head that told him that he wasn’t a part of their group, their society, that he was just a dragon pretending to be part of a pony family and falling for ponies. And that was quickly becoming more apparent, with Twilight and Rainbow Dash becoming marefriends and probably soon, they might actually get married. Scootaloo and Adara would most likely be their daughters.
But where does that leave me…
Spike sighed heavily, knowing that his family was growing was a happy thing, and he felt happier knowing that Twilight had finally found somepony to spend the rest of her life with. Still, some part of him wished he knew a bit more about his real family, at the very least could talk to a dragon that wasn’t a complete and total jerk. Then maybe he could make sense of his feelings and emotions towards others, whether or not it was right to love a pony, or to find a dragoness somewhere. But still, he wasn’t about to give up, not by a long shot.
“Well, at least I got a great haul,” said Spike.
He marveled at the amount of gemstones that he was able to find. Spike’s wagon was filled to capacity, most of it towering higher than him. It made Spike dismay at the fact that he should’ve brought an extra wagon with him. Just then the ground began to shake beneath his feet, rumbling and shuttering as something tried to make its way to the surface. The pile of gems toppled over and spilled onto the ground as the shaking reached its zenith.
At that moment twenty figures popped out of the ground and surrounded Spike. The beings were clad in light gray armor, each one a large canine, with muscular forearms and sharp black claws. The armored beasts snarled and growled at Spike, baring their fangs and drooling a bit. Spike instantly recognized them, they were Diamond Dogs. The young dragon nervously chuckled.
“H-H-Hey guys, what’s up,” he asked, gulping. “Is there anything I can help you with…?”
“Yes, there is!” Spike watched as the twenty armored dogs opened a path for their leaders. Rover, Fido, and Spot, all three slowly making their way towards him, Rover was looking especially angry. “You were with the ponies! They care about you, they would do anything get you back!”
“What’re you talking about!?”
“The fussy pony,” said Spot, “She tricked us out of our gems, our precious gems! All of them!”
“Y-You mean, Rarity? You guys gave her those gems,” said Spike.
“Yeah, to make her stop the horrible noises,” said Fido, covering his ears as if he could hear Rarity’s whining right now.
“Yes, and now she will give us back that which she stole from us and more when we hold their precious dragon hostage! Get the dragon; we’ll make those ponies pay!”
The other Diamond Dogs lowered into attack position, cutting off any escape route for Spike. He couldn’t believe it, the Diamond Dogs were going to take him hostage for gems that Spike was sure Rarity didn’t have. He knew for a fact that those were long since used and or spent, and there was no way she could accumulate that many gems. Spike tried to appear ferocious, scratching with his claws and letting out sparks of dragon fire. But it was futile, his diminutive size and unintimidating childlike appearance did little to scare or frighten the Diamond Dogs.
“My, my, what have we here? Sssomething exciting!?”
The Diamond Dogs halted their charge and looked in the direction of the unknown voice. Spike, too, gazed in the same direction and was shocked at what he saw. It was a dragon. He was as tall as Rover, his body was like that of a pegasus, lean, but strong, a stark contrast to Spike’s more lanky form when he was like that. His scales were a vermillion color, with a lighter shade on his underbelly. A long tail whipped back and forth, giving out a cracking sound. Dark orange spines ran down from his head to his tail, their shape resembling flickering flames. On his forehead was strange symbol, almost as if he were etched into his scales.
“Who are you,” asked Rover.
“Hmm, I senssse much Avarice in you creaturesss, yesss, you’ll do nicccely,” said the mysterious dragon.
“What do we do with that one,” asked Fido.
“Humph, he’s not valuable, not like him,” Rover pointed to Spike, making him jump. “Get rid of that other dragon, and do it NOW!!!”
Three of the armored Diamond Dogs detached from the group and charged for the orange dragon. Spike watched in horror as his fellow dragon was about to be attacked. However, the orange dragon did not flinch, he merely smirked confidently. The lead armored dog jumped up and swiped with his claws. But the orange dragon was ready. The moment before impact, the dragon held up his left claw and caught the Diamond Dog’s forearm, cancelling his attack completely. The orange dragon then pulled up and then slammed down the canine right into the ground, creating a rather large crater. Everyone present just stood there slacked jawed.
“Who esssle, isss next,” he asked.
“Grrrrrr, kill him! Rip his scales off,” ordered Rover with venom.
Ten of the armored Diamond Dogs rushed the orange dragon. They surrounded him in a tight circle, watching him, trying to find an opening. The dragon stood in the center of the death ring, completely unimpressed with their show of force. To accentuate his point, the orange dragon crossed his arms in front of his chest, and waited patiently for the Diamond Dogs to attack.
They didn’t wait long, the armored canines all leapt at once, thinking it better to rush the dragon in a dog pile. The orange dragon snickered at them as his body began to flare with vermillion light. At the last second, the light burst forth, engulfing the ten Diamond Dogs in a field of orange light energy. Rover, Fido, Spot, Spike, and the remaining armored dogs all covered their eyes from the blinding, powerful light emitted from the dragon’s power. When the light faded, the ten armored beasts were all strewn upon the ground, unconscious and groaning in discomfort. Strangely though, the orange dragon was nowhere to be seen.
“Where’d he go, where’d he go,” asked Spot frantically.
“Here I am.”
Before either of the Diamond Dog leaders could yelp, the orange dragon slammed both Fido and Spot into the ground, face first. He then spun on his heel, and whipped in tail across Rover’s face, sending him into a spin before landing on the ground, KO’ed like his two friends.
The last ten of the armored canines abandoned Spike and barreled towards the dragon. With the same great, ruthless strength and speed, the orange dragon assaulted the last ten. Striking two down with a kick to the back of the neck, and one to the face, while three others tried to jump him from the back and the sides. The vermillion reptile spun around swiftly; using his tail to whip each of the three and send them hurdling to the ground unconscious like the rest. He then gathered his orange energy into his claws and fired two orbs of light at two retreating Diamond Dogs, the orbs exploded at their backs, their armor saving them from a lethal blow. The remaining five tried to retreat as well, but he wasn’t having none of that. The orange dragon leapt into the air, somersaulted twice, and landed a few feet ahead of them. He then inhaled deeply and bellowed a jet of dragon fire, the flames hit the ground in front of the canines, exploding in their faces and sending them flying and landing sprawled out on the ground. When it was over the orange dragon snorted, letting out wisps of flames and smiling smugly, proud of his work in the defeat of the mongrel beasts.
Spike had been standing in the same spot since the fight had begun, awestruck at the ferocity, strength, and skill of the teenage dragon before him. The orange dragon seemed to finally take notice of Spike and leisurely started to walk over to him.
Oh my gosh, he’s walking over here! Oh man, what am I going to say!? Well he just saved me, so maybe thanks? But what if he thinks I’m a total wimp for not being able to fight back!? C’mon Spike, dragon up now!
The orange dragon stopped before Spike and looked him over with a critical eye. Spike gulped, wondering if this dragon was anything like Garble and his gang from the Dragon Migration, and if he was, did that mean he knew Garble? But his savior had no wings, just like him. So maybe there was sliver of hope here.
“Ssso, who are you? Haven’t ssseen one of your kind here,” said the orange dragon.
“Um…uh…my-my name is Spike, and I live in Ponyville,” he said simply.
“Hmm, intersssting, and here I thought I wasss the only one around here, guesss I was wrong. Ssso, who or what were thessse thingsss that I jussst defeated?”
“What? Oh yeah! They’re, uh, called Diamond Dogs. My friends and I had a run in with them a long time ago, and I guess they’re still a bit ticked about losing their gems,” explained Spike.
The orange dragon looked upon his fellow drake with intrigued. “Can I asssume that you are the one that pilfered their gemsss?”
Spike shook his claws in protest, “No, no, that was my friend, Rarity! She kinda messed with them and got on their nerves to the point where they just wanted her out of their tunnels. It was actually funny.” Spike took another look around, seeing the squirming forms of the Diamond Dogs. “Um, shouldn’t we get out of here? I mean, they’re going to be ticked when they wake up.”
The orang dragon chuckled superiorly, “If you want.”
Spike hurriedly gathered the gems he had collected back into his wagon and started walking in the direction towards Ponyville. The orange dragon and Spike kept leisurely pace, even though Spike was worried that the Diamond Dogs might wake and come after him, his new friend didn’t seem worried at all, his confidence helping to put Spike at ease.
“Oh, I didn’t catch your name before,” said Spike.
The orange dragon thought for a minute, he then looked at Spike once again before coming to his decision, “My name isss Ophidian.”
“Cool, my name’s Spike. And thanks for saving me, I didn’t know that there were any dragons living around here, well, other than the bigger ones,” said Spike.
“To be honessst I haven’t been here long. I’ve been…wandering around, ssseaching for a place to call my own.”
Spike could relate a bit to what Ophidian said. In way, that was how he felt during the Dragon Migration, looking for a place to call his own, a place to really fit in and know who he was. It was comforting to find a kindred spirit in Ophidian.
“So…um, are you living around here, or just passing through,” asked Spike.
Ophidian glanced over his shoulder, towards the Diamond Dogs who were starting to awaken and retreat back into their tunnels. “Actually, I might be ssstaying for a while,” he turned his gaze back to Spike, “now that I’ve found sssomeone like me here.”
“Really, that’s great – ahem – I mean, that’s cool,” said Spike in a smooth attempt not appear like a fanfilly. “Maybe you could drop by Ponyville; I could introduce you to my friends?”
“Sssorry, but no…I’d like to keep my presssence here a secret, at leassst between usss. Nothing againssst your friendsss, but I’ve been…run out of town more than once, and would rather not have to up and move,” said Ophidian.
“Oh…I’m sorry, I promise I won’t tell anyone!” Spike said with conviction. “Is there, uh, any chance we could, you know, hang out sometime? I wanted to ask you some things, but if you don’t want…”
Ophidian regarded the young drake for a moment, thinking if it was in his best interest, but after a few seconds he smirked, “Yesss, why don’t we meet up again. Right here in a couple of days, same time.”
Spike looked worried about that, “But, the Diamond Dogs…”
“Don’t worry, they won’t be a problem, trust me on that,” said Ophidian.
Spike and Ophidian reached the crossroads from the quarry to Ponyville. The purple dragon waved a goodbye to his new friend and happily made his trip back to Ponyville.
I can’t wait to tell Twilight, well, at least when Ophidian is ready, but I can’t believe I found another dragon! And he isn’t a complete jerk!
At that moment a radiant, shimmering blue light burst forth spread across the sky and further on towards the horizon. Spike didn’t know why, but his light actually made him feel, hopeful, like it was a sign that everything was going to be alright, and that meeting Ophidian would be a sign of good things to come. With that in mind, Spike raced back to Ponyville, a pip in his step as he made the journey home.
(Diamond Dogs Lair)
Deep in the vast, underground network of tunnels, the Diamond Dogs regrouped in their central hall, licking their wounds whilst the three leaders of the pack stood at the center, surrounded by their twenty injured and the rest of the pack that hadn’t gone with them, for a grand total of sixty Diamond Dogs. Rover fumed and growled angrily at their loss, their great plan foiled by the intrusion of Ophidian.
“I can’t believe we got beaten, by a dragon! A DRAGON! And not even a BIG one at that,” growled Rover.
Fido was rubbing his head, still sore from when Ophidian slammed him and Spot into the ground. “But he wasn’t like the little one.”
“Y-Yeah, he was strong, very strong,” said Spot.
“Ugh, no matter how strong, we are stronger, we are many! Next time we all gets the dragon, both the orange and purple one! We well make the ponies pay, kills the orange one, and hurt the purple one till they begs for mercy!” Rover declared.
This earned Rover howling cheers and barks of agreement over his plan. He was right, their gems were their own, and the unicorn Rarity had taken that which was most precious to the Diamond Dogs. It was disgraceful and humiliating to give into her demands. Well Rover wouldn’t stand for it, no, he would make them pay, either by ransom, or even getting his claws on the uppity unicorn and making her the Diamond Dogs’ slave, but only after gagging her.
“I think not.” All eyes turned towards one of the tunnels, orange irises pierced the darkness and stared menacingly at the pack. “I need that ‘purple dragon’ asss you put it, and I can’t have you run wild through that town. Not while they’re there anyway.”
“YOU! What are you doing here!? How did you find us!?”
Ophidian strode through the pack as they parted to give him a clear path to their leaders, even they could tell that he was dangerous. “Avarice is ssstrong within you all, and I’m in need of a new army. That damn warthog, Larfleeze hasss command over all of the constructsss, and I couldn’t take any of them with me! But no matter, he can keep them! I’ve entered a new world – a whole other universsse – and it’sss time for me to create my own corps!”
“What is he talking about,” asked Spot.
Ophidian was now at the center, his smile turning sinister. “Don’t worry. Sssoon, you’ll only do what I sssay!”
Ophidian raised his right claw and slammed it onto the ground. The dirt surged with orange light, encasing the pack, and himself, in a giant barrier. The pack became anxious, nervous, and scared at what was happening, but soon their horror would be magnified. The ground beneath their feet started to shift, creeping up their legs. Many tried to claw at the creeping earth, some even resorting to chewing through their legs. But it was no use, the earth started to swallow them, bringing them down into the cold dirt. Fido and Spot howled in dismay and fear as they were completely swallowed up, Rover continued to fight, unwilling to be consumed by the dirt. He looked around frantically, seeing his whole pack being consumed by the very ground upon which they strode. As far as he could tell, Rover was the only one still with his upper half sticking out.
“What are you doing, what have you done!?”
Ophidian rose up and walked over to Rover, his wicked glee showing in his fanged smile. “Merely making you all MINE!”
With that last statement, the ground opened up like a great maw and completely consumed Rover. Ophidian dismissed the barrier with a wave of his claw, the entire tunnel network still echoed with the howling screams of the Diamond Dogs. The Entity of Avarice closed his eyes, concentrating. When next he opened them his eyes were glowing with the orange light of Avarice. His body flared with orange light as the symbol began to shine.
“Identity Stolen!”
At that moment, the spots where each of the Diamond Dogs was sucked into the ground began to glow with the same orange light. A pillar of light shot forth from the glowing spots as figures began spring out from them. Each one was a construct made of the orange light, but they all bared the exact likeness of the fallen Diamond Dogs. The armored canines each had the symbol of Avarice on their chest plates, while the Rover, Fido, and Spot constructs had it dangling from their dog tags. Ophidian looked around, his sinister smile only growing.
“Welcome to myOrange Lantern Corps!”
“Kckt, kckt, kckt…”
Ophidian glanced over his shoulder, his construct army doing the same. In the darkness two slit, yellow eyes peered at the Entity of Avarice. He wasn’t shaken nor was he worried, for he knew exactly who it was that had graced him with his presence.
“Parallax, sssneaking around and ssskulking in the ssshadowsss asss per usssual,” said Ophidian.
“You know me, I love a good scare. I see you’ve gathered quite the collection already.”
Ophidian glanced about his newly formed Orange Lantern Corps and shrugged. “Not exactly the brightessst lot, but they’re competent for menial tasssksss and for combat. Anyway, what of your progresss, Parallax? I asssume this isssn’t a social visit.”
“Kckt, kckt, no it is not. I have found one suitable for our needs, but it might require some…convincing and prodding on my part. And what of you, besides these mongrels, have you found the one?”
Ophidian smirked, “Yesss, asss a matter of fact I have.” The Entity of Avarice held out his claw, within it formed a construct form of Spike. “He isss perfect, he conceals his Avarice, keeping it locked in a cage. But the beassst that liesss within yearnsss for freedom, and I ssseek to releassse it, and make it mine!” Ophidian emphasized his point by clenching his fist around construct of Spike, making it turn into particles.
“Very well, all that is left is for Butcher to arrive, and the plan can be put into motion.”
Ophidian snorted, twin jets of dragon fire flaring from his nostrils, “And what makesss you think that that lummox will follow through. He knowsss nothing of sssubtlety.”
“Kckt says the one that burst out of a tree and stole the energy from a field of apple trees.”
Ophidian merely glared at his fellow Entity.
“Relax, the time will soon arrive. I leave you to your fun, Ophidian. I’ve yet to have mine…”
The yellow eyes of Parallax then vanished into the darkness, leaving Ophidian and his new Orange Lantern Corps alone in the tunnels. Rover then approached Ophidian, bowing before his new alpha pack leader.
“What is it that you wish of us, lord Ophidian,” he asked.
The Entity looked upon his new army, and then took cursory glance about the chamber, and he notice how…empty it felt. “I think it’s time to start a collection. We’re heading to Canterlot.”
Deep in the catacombs of the mountains, far from the prying eyes of the Royal Guards and Elements of Harmony Bearers, lived the Changelings, a race of insectoid creatures who had the ability to change their form at will. These pony-like creatures were a feared race, having come very close to taking over Equestria a couple of years ago. They were unique in more than appearance, these Changelings gained sustenance from the love energy of another living being, in this case, the pony race.
Ever since their debacle of a defeat in the royal capital of Canterlot, being blasted from the Royal Palace by a unicorn stallion and alicorn mare, and thrown into the wind like rag dolls, the Changelings had been keeping to a secret location within the mountain region, creating a hive as to live close to their main food source, although food was becoming a bit of a hard commodity to come by.
All of Equestria was on alert for the Changelings, although they were defeated, the Princesses did not wish a repeat of the infamous “Royal Wedding Incident,” so many ponies were warned about Changelings, how to spot one, how to break their hypnotic spells, almost everything. Needless to say this made it hard for them to get their food, having to sneak about and take it by sometimes unsavory means.
And all this was not lost on the ruler of the Changeling race, no indeed, in fact, this weighed heavily on her mind day in and day out. Even more so when she reached the Nursery, the Queen sighed heavily, more in mourning than disappointment. A female changeling, a nurse drone, stood beside Chrysalis. She had light pink eyes that matched her carapace. Her features weren’t as harsh as the Worker or Sentinel drones, they were softer, and, if she dare say, more feminine. They also lacked fangs, and their wings weren’t as jagged and torn like the others.
Chrysalis didn’t say it aloud, but she slightly despised the Nurse drones, they reminded her too much of what they once were, as if someone were playing a cruel joke whenever one of them hatched out of an egg. Plus, their demeanor was kinder, they had to be, they helped in the maintaining of the young, and often times the food.
“What’s the count, Murmur,” asked Chrysalis.
“Over one-hundred and fifty eggs have been lost, your highness. About eleven-hundred are iffy, and another two-thousand are showing signs of Creeping Death disease…”
Chrysalis did her best to stifle a growl of displeasure. “How many are still viable?”
“Three-thousand, but even they aren’t assured a safe hatching,” said Murmur.
“We can’t afford these loses…Quarantine the infected eggs, I want the Nurse drones to start picking through the eggs that appear suspect and move them. Once you’ve done that, I want the infected and weaker eggs destroyed.”
Murmur stopped in her tracks and looked up at her Queen in horror. “My Queen, you can’t issue another Culling! Please, I know some of them can fight off the disease, we’ve seen it before! I beg of you…please don’t…!”
“If we don’t, they are liable to infect the other eggs, and soon the rest will die off. The weak ones that do hatch have less than a ten percent chance of living outside their shell after hatching. The Culling will save them a lot of pain, and ensure that remaining eggs survive.”
“Yes…as you command,” said Murmur.
The Queen watched as Murmur walked away, she stopped in front of an egg, casting a loving and kind gaze upon it. She rubbed her hoof against the side of the egg tenderly. Nurse drones were sometimes prone to adopting an egg as their own, even though Chrysalis was mother to all her Changelings. The Queen accessed the Hive Mind, peering into the thoughts of Murmur.
Do not worry little ones. I won’t let that cruel monster kill you. I’ll find a way to save you, even if…if it means defying her orders…even if…if…
You think me cruel, Murmur,” asked Chrysalis. The Nurse drone went still, the Queen did not often use the Hive Mind to read minds, but when she did, there was no unhearing what has been heard, fear rose in her heart as she turned to the Queen. “N-No, my Queen, I don’t –!”
“You think it is easy for me to issue the death of thousands of un-hatched Changelings so easily!?”
“O-o-of course not –!”
“SILENCE!” The Queen used the Hive Mind to issue the command on both a verbal and telepathic level. Murmur went silent, making strained noise as if someone had her by the throat. “Do you think being the Queen is such an easy task!? The lives of every Changeling in this hive rest upon my back, and I must shoulder that burden with every decision I make, be it cruel, merciful, kind, or murderess!”
Chrysalis advanced on Murmur, towering over her. The Nurse Drone crouched low and averted her gaze to not have to look into her piercing green slit eyes.
Look upon me! Murmur felt the Hive Mind command, she tried to resist. LOOK UPON ME! Her head immediately snapped up as her eyes flew open. She was utterly powerless.
“If you want cruel, Murmur, I could command you to personally set forth the Culling Spell, it’s simple enough that even you can do it,” said Chrysalis menacingly.
“No…please…anything but that, I beg you! I can’t bear seeing it; to do it…I’d rather die!” Murmur cried as tears began to form in her.
“Don’t be so quick to ask for death, I need every able bodied Changeling I have, and you, unfortunately, are among my best Nurse drones. Still…do you thing you can do better?” Chrysalis stepped back a few feet from Murmur, she then turned around, her back facing the Nurse Drone. “You know the way to Ascend, don’t you? If you think you can do a better job as Queen of the Changelings then by all means, do.”
Chrysalis ended her Hive Mind control over Murmur, the Nurse Drone trembled. Yes she did know the way to ascend, but what good would that do her people, the unborn Changelings? They could not afford a civil war within the hive if did such a thing. As painful as it was to admit, Chrysalis was the only one capable of leading them, after all, she was the oldest of all the Changelings, around even during the Before Time.
“No…my Queen, forgive me, I was out of line,” said Murmur, bowing her head in defeat.
“During the Culling, I want you in the Food Chamber, surround yourself with the love they provide you, let it comfort you the best it can.” Murmur was surprised by this, but she did not let it show. Chrysalis glanced over her shoulder, a solemn look in her eyes, “I am cruel…but I do care…”
The rest of the hive was no better; many Changelings had to go into early hibernation in order to conserve love energy. The Worker drones were taken off Expansion duty; there was no point in expanding a hive when many of its populace was slowly dying. The Hunter-Gather drones were the elite of getting love energy, but with the new precautions in place, even they were having trouble infiltrating and gathering food.
Chrysalis stood at the center of her hive. A giant rotunda that extended many stories up, easily the height of one of the high mountain peaks. All around were different levels of ledges with doorways that led to different parts of the hive, the center of it all, the inner sanctum. Chrysalis looked upon this achievement of her Changelings, a hive hidden within Equestria, and away from the prying eyes of the Royal Sisters.
“But it is not enough…Lily…I’ve tried so hard to keep this going, our people…what more can I do…?”
“Yes, kckt, kckt, kckt, what more can you do?”
Chrysalis’ head shot up as she scanned the area for the voice. “Who is there, I demand you show yourself, now!?”
“Fear of loss, fear of loneliness, you remind me a lot of myself.”
SHOW YOURSELF, NOW!!! Chrysalis shouted through the Hive Mind. But she felt nothing, who or whatever was talking to her wasn’t a Changeling; otherwise the command would’ve been followed.
“No need to use the Hive Mind, Chrysalis. Kckt, kckt, here I am.” From the shadows of the tunnel across from the Queen, appeared a Changeling. It was stalky, yet tall. Not exactly her height, more like a head lower. It even had a mane and tail, dark shades giving way to golden yellow. On its head, instead a single horn, it had two sharp curved horns near its eyelids. And its eyes, large portals of yellow, with a black slit running down them. This Changeling wasn’t a female, it was definitely male, it was different then Worker, Hunter-Gatherers, or Sentinel drones.
“Who are you…what are you,” she asked, prepared to attack the intruder.
“What I am…well, let us keep that under wraps for now. If it’s a name you’re looking for, you may call me, Parallax,” he said.
Something about this Changeling, Parallax, made Chrysalis very uneasy. It was as if he was radiating energy opposite to what they normally fed upon. “What do you want?”
“Merely to help in the restoration of the Changeling race,” he said.
“And what miracle do you bring to make this happen!?”
“The miracle known as Fear!” Chrysalis looked upon Parallax incredulously. “I understand your skepticism, but you must know that your talents are being vastly underutilized. With my solution, you’ll have all the power you need to ensure your race’s survival, and even take over Equestria while you’re at it.”
Chrysalis scoffed, “A bold claim, but I need no help in that department. I was close to doing that not too long ago.”
“Yes, a haphazard plan of impersonating a Princess without learning anything about her, and eventually being tossed out like trash, yes, you did come very close, bravo,” mocked Parallax.
Chrysalis did not take kindly to that. Her horn blazed with dark green mana, she then fired a single beam at Parallax, hoping to vaporize the unknown Changeling on the spot. However, when the beam reached him his body became incased in a yellow sphere of light. The beam smashed against the barrier and exploded. When the dust settled, Chrysalis gasped. Parallax was uninjured; the barrier had withstood her attack. His wings were unfurled, within their inner markings was a circular symbol at the center of his four translucent wings. Parallax’s eyes and even the symbols on his wings seemed to shine with this strange energy.
“Well that was rude.”
“What…what are you!?”
Parallax grinned, “I can be many things, an ally, a friend, an enemy, or even your worst nightmare. That all depends on you, Queen Chrysalis.”
Chrysalis didn’t know how to go about this peculiar Changeling. He was powerful, of that she had no doubt. One wrong move and he could easily kill her, but the fact that he hadn’t gave her little ease, it only made the tension greater.
“What you saw, Chrysalis, was a mere demonstration of the kind of power Fear can give you and your Changelings. I could show you how,” he offered.
“And what would you gain from this, surely you’re not doing this out of the kindness of your heart,” said Chrysalis.
“Hardly, no, but I gain an ally, and you gain power, beyond anything you could imagine. Not even the Princesses can stand against you. So what do you say, do we have a deal?”
Chrysalis contemplated his offer. A new source of power and nourishment of her subjects, a way to ensure that they would not starve to death or have to kill un-hatched younglings, could such an answer to her prayers truly be standing before her?
“Don’t do it…”
What?
“Chrysie, please, you can’t stray from the path of love…”
Lilianna!?
Chrysalis swiveled her head around frantically, hearing the voice of someone from long, long ago. Parallax stood there and watched the strange behavior of the Changeling Queen, unsure of what to make of it.
Lily, big sister, I have to! I have to help our people! If this works then everything will be alright!
“We must never forget who we once were, no matter what…”
Chrysalis realized that the voice was nothing but a memory, an echo of her big sister’s words to her before she became the Queen. But why was she hearing her voice now of all times?
“Chrysie, we can’t ever stop loving, it will sustain us, and one day it will become our salvation…”
You always said that to me…but what did you mean!? We aren’t what we used to be, we must take love! You wouldn’t allow us to lose sight of what made us who we are, who we once were, our one link to that past life…! And neither will I!
“Leave my hive, Parallax! I have no need of your kind of help! I will be the one lead my Changelings through this crisis and see them thriving, by the sweat of my brow, and the strength of my back alone!” Chrysalis declared, stamping her hoof upon the ground for emphasis.
Parallax was disappointed, but only a little, allowing himself a sly smile. “Very well, if that is indeed your decision, oh wise Queen. But, if you ever change your mind, I’ll be close by…Kckt, kckt…Oh, if you’re intent on this path, you may want to make a quick stop to Canterlot, you might find something interesting there.”
Parallax turned around walked back into the shadows. Chrysalis snarled and charged for the male Changeling, but when she entered the same tunnel that Parallax had, she found nothing. There was no one there. She felt no change in the mana, so he didn’t teleport, and he couldn’t have flown or ran fast enough to not leave any trace of his whereabouts.
“Canterlot…?”
“I just don’t know what I’m going to do with you; first you try to make that colt try to kiss a filly …”
Predator looked a little miffed, “Now hold on! He loved her, I could sense it, kissing isn’t wrong especially when it’s between those who love each other!”
“They were eight, in elementary school, and the colt only had a crush,” said Cadance.
Predator was about to retort but stopped upon remembering the incident. The colt did express to her that he liked a certain filly in his class but wasn’t sure about how to tell her. Predator decided to burst into the classroom vacate all but the colt and filly, telling him to profess his love and kiss her, while she was still there even. Now in hindsight Predator might’ve gone overboard a little, but she was doing it in the name of love.
“And then you tried to get that pegasus mare and griffoness together…”
Predator looked confused.
“Are not interspecies relationships legal,” she asked.
“They are, but those two were having an affair, and now I have to play marriage counselor for the pegasus mare, her marefriend, and deal with an irate griffoness who apparently didn’t know about her partner’s wife,” groaned Cadance.
“I thought marriage between more than one was allowed?”
“Only with the knowing consent of all parties involved, Predator! And the word you’re looking for is herd, or polyamory,” she added.
Predator once again reflected on her actions, much to her displeasure. Yes she did recall that the griffoness seemed enraged and hurt by the pegasus mare’s lies, and the hurt she sensed in her wife when they were found out. She tried to have them all live in peace and form their own herd, but it didn’t seem to work considering that none of them knew about the other’s actions. The dark pink mare huffed in agitation.
“And then there was last week…”
“What about ‘last week?’”
Cadance blushed furiously, “You barged in on me and Shining Armor!”
“Sorry if I sensed an overabundance of love energy coming from your bedroom, I’m drawn to it, to you!” Predator stared out the window. “Plus it seemed as if the two of you were having fun…”
Cadance blushed furiously, diminishing the pink in her coat and changing it to a bright red. Her mind wandered as she stared at the scenery passing by.
Things had been somewhat different since Cadance and Predator’s last trip to Canterlot. During the festival, Cadance had noticed a change in Predator’s demeanor. She still acted in her usual reckless, unpredictable, and well-meaning self, but every now and then Cadance found that Predator would give her long sideways glances. A batting of the eyelashes, a blush when she commended her, a more pained look when she scolded her for doing something wrong, it was all so strange.
Cadance knew that Predator thought highly of her, since she was the only other being Predator knew that could wield love in almost the same manner. Maybe she was more sensitive than Cadance originally thought. Predator often times displayed her wisdom as an ancient being, but just as often she would also show how naïve she could be. It made Cadance worry, such a powerful entity, being manipulated for somepony else’s ambitions, mostly it was fear of her being taken advantage of. Cadance had more than her fair share of times, being overwhelmed with love energy, and almost letting herself steep herself into it, without regard for any consequences that may come after.
But that was long ago, she was older now, married to a wonderful husband, and had a sister-in-law who was practically a little sister to her before that. And she ruled over an Empire that both revered and worshiped her, her husband, and Spike, as saviors.
“Cadance, we’re here,” spoke Predator.
The pink alicorn snapped herself back to reality, remembering why the two of them were heading back to Canterlot. The train came to a screeching halt, steam hissing out of the stack and vents. The special train for the Crystal Empire wasn’t exactly easy to hide, decked out in shimmering crystals, so when it arrived it made quite an entrance.
Cadance and Predator stood side-by-side, her Adamant Royal Guard on standby for when she was ready to disembark. With a nod of her head, the guards opened the door and quickly took their posts on either side to make way for the Princess and her protégé. Cadance and Predator casually strolled out of the train car and onto the platform.
They were greeted by a contingent Royal Guards, one of which Shining Armor had told her about and another she didn’t recognize. The first was an old and gruff looking Earth Pony stallion, with a brown coat, intelligent gray eyes, a weathered black mane, and a rather large build. His armor had red tints to it, much like Shining Armor when he was once captain, except his were a dark purple.
Beside him was a rare sight, a pegasus mare garbed in Royal Guard armor, although it seemed more tailored to her sleek and lean physique. She had dingy yellow eyes, a navy blue coat, and a windswept black mane. She seemed fierce and intimidating, but younger looking, possibly Twilight’s age. Both the mare and stallion saluted Cadance in almost perfect sync.
“Greetings your highness, I am Major – ahem – sorry, Captain Broadside of the Royal Guard,” said the stallion.
“And I am Lieutenant Ballista, welcome back to Canterlot,” she said.
“At ease, and it’s nice to be back.” Cadance took a moment to look over the platform. There were many Royal Guards, at least ten on the right and left. “Is all this really necessary? Princess Celestia doesn’t usually send this many for a simple pick up.”
Both the stallion and mare glanced at each other. “It was her idea ma’am,” spoke Ballista, “She believed, given the strange nature of the incident, that you might require additional security during transport to the Royal Palace.”
Both Cadance and Predator shrugged, not really seeing a way around the increased security. “Alright, then let’s be off.”
“Yes your highness. We’re moving out! Bring the chariot around,” shouted Broadside.
Cadance and Predator both entered the chariot and soon were off to the palace. Ballista flew overhead, watching the convoy from a bird’s eye view. Advance Royal Guard troops had cleared the roads leading to the castle, allowing them to move quickly through the city. Predator leaned over to Cadance.
“Who are these two? I didn’t see them when we were last here,” asked Predator.
“Broadside is the pony who trained Shining Armor during his time in the Royal Guard. He served on border patrol at Stalliongrad and has seen many battles against griffons, dragons, and other things I can’t imagine. After Shiny left, Princess Celestia brought him back to Canterlot to serve as the new captain. Shiny said they called him the ‘Warhorse’.”
Predator gazed up ahead at the stallion riding in the chariot ahead of them, looking upon the stallion with intrigue. “And what about her, Ballista?”
“Well…I don’t really know, Shining Armor never mentioned anything about her, she must be a new recruit or a transfer from another division,” said Cadance.
“She’s rather cute, in a tomcoltish sort of way, wouldn’t you agree,” asked Predator.
“Star, I’m happily married, and yes, she is.”
Predator was sort of caught off guard by how frank she was with that last part, making her raise an eyebrow in curiosity. “So, you like mares too, I didn’t know that.”
Cadance sighed and then smiled, “What did I teach you on the first day? Love has no boundaries. Gender, tribe, or species doesn’t matter, so long as there is love, and it’s genuine, then that’s all that matters.”
“So Shining Armor doesn’t mind if you ogle a mare or stallion?”
“If he did and I did the same to him, we’d be arguing almost every other day. Besides…we often find ourselves ogling the same mare…” Cadance felt her cheeks warming just a tad.
Predator began to form a sly smile, “Interesting…”
Soon the chariot pulled in front of the palace. The contingent of Royal Guards all took positions around Cadance and Predator, walking on either side in a sort of phalanx maneuver to keep them safe. Once they were inside, the Guards were dismissed by Broadside, with him and Ballista leading the rest of the way to the throne room. After a long walk through the halls of the castle, Cadance and Predator arrived within the throne room. Princess Celestia and Princess Luna sat near the throne as they awaited her arrival.
“Aunty Luna, Aunty Tia!” Cadance separated herself from the group and galloped up to her aunts.
The alabaster alicorn nuzzled her niece, with the midnight blue alicorn doing the same after her.
“It is good to see you again, Niece,” said Luna.
“Though, we wish it were under better circumstances,” added Celestia.
“Yeah, you weren’t exactly clear on those ‘circumstances’. But whatever it is I’ll be glad to help,” said Cadance.
The two Royal Sisters nodded. Celestia turned her gaze onto unicorn, pegasus, and earth pony. “Captain Broadside, would you accompany us?” The stallion nodded. “Lieutenant, I would like you and Star Sapphire to remain here while we conduct our business.”
Cadance watched as Predator made a face that conveyed her displeasure about being left out like this. “Star, it’s probably nothing. Why don’t you and Ballista have a walk around so you don’t get bored? I know you’re not one to sit still for too long.”
Predator was about to open her mouth in protest, but cut herself off. Reluctantly she agreed to do just that. The three Princesses and the guard captain watched as Ballista and Predator left the throne room. The doors closing behind them, and their privacy assured.
“So, what’s going on,” asked Cadance.
“Captain, if you please,” said Luna.
“Yes your highness. Approximately five days ago, a routine patrol was sent into the mines under Canterlot at 0600. When the patrol entered they found that the mine had been stripped clean, no sign of the crystals that once made up the walls, ceiling, or floor.”
“You can’t be serious, the mines that were sealed off, the same ones that Twilight and I were trapped in, those mines,” asked Cadance incredulously.
“It would appear so,” said Luna.
“But how!?”
“That’s why we summoned you. We’ve kept the mine off limits to everypony, Royal Guard or otherwise. We wanted the chance to inspect it ourselves before launching a full scale investigation,” said Celestia.
“Well…shouldn’t we wait for Twilight, she might have a better insight to this than us,” suggested Cadance.
“Twilight is…well…we don’t wish to burden her with this, given what has occurred at her home in Ponyville. We did not want this to intrude upon her happiness,” said Luna.
Cadance knew what she was talking about. Twilight had sent her and Shining Armor a letter stating that she had taken in an orphan foal, and the Entity of Hope, Adara. To top it all off she announced that she was bisexual (something that Cadance had waited forever for her to admit) and was dating one of her best friends, Rainbow Dash. Needless to say that this came as a shock to Shining Armor, learning that your little sister swung ways both and adopted two foals was a little overwhelming. So basically, Twilight had inadvertently become a mother, before her, the Princess of Love, it was kind of annoying.
Oh we are SO getting busy, Shining Armor! The moment I get back to the Empire – oh-ho-oh-ho-oh nelly – you are going to give me so many –!
“Ahem.”
Cadance was brought out of her internal dialogue and found that both her aunts were giving her knowing looks. Even Broadside seemed to be a little on edge for some reason. Now she was wondering if she had voiced those thoughts aloud, or that maybe the look on her face was a dead giveaway and they pretty much discerned what was going on in her head.
“Anyway…Let us head down to the mine, and have a look around,” said Luna. Princess Celestia’s horn flared with her sun-yellow mana. All at once, the four of them were gone in a flash of magical light. When next they appeared, the four ponies were at the main entrance to the mine. Cadance gasped when she saw the condition of the mine. Indeed it had been stripped clean. Carefully and quickly, the crystals were removed from the entirety of the mine, as far as the eye could see.
Although it wasn’t a pleasant memory, Cadance remembered how vast and large the crystals were, stretching as far as they eye could see. Some of the mine carts that were filled with dug up crystals were also empty, almost everything was gone, leaving behind a hollow, empty cavern underneath the city of Canterlot.
“How in the world…This isn’t possible…”
“Agreed, but the evidence is before us and it cannot be ignored. Someone or something has completely taken everything out of this mine, down to the last particles of dust,” said Luna.
Broadside examined the area, his mind already at work at trying to come up with possible reasons or suspects responsible for the theft of the crystal mines. “Did the crystals have any special properties, Princess Celesita?”
“Not particularly. The crystals were orichalcum, the rare metal that is nearly indestructible, but it can only be created by heating the crystal ore to an absurd temperature and maintaining it to keep the metal from solidifying,” said Celestia.
“That is why it was often deemed the Metal of the Goddesses, since it would take so much power and skill to craft anything from them, a simple shield and sword were the only things one could make from it, but once made, they were mighty weapons,” said Luna.
Cadance raised an eyebrow at that. “You…seem to know a lot about how to make use of it…”
“Of course, Niece, it is the same metal my scimitar, Midnight Crescent, is made of.”
“And my halberd, Daylight Glare,” added Celestia.
Cadance couldn’t help her left eye from twitching a bit. She knew her Aunts were powerful, but knowing that dangerous weapons like that in their secret arsenal made her just a bit uneasy, and ticked that she didn’t have her own cool sounding weapon.
“So, other than monetary value, there really isn’t much one could do with them,” said Broadside. “These markings are intriguing though.”
“What markings,” asked Cadance.
Broadside pointed to the almost smoothed out surface the crystals were once attached to. There were deep grooves in the rock, as if something had raked the crystals from the rock with its bare claws.
“I would’ve thought it might be Chrysalis and the Changelings, sense they are among the few who know about this place, outside us, the guards, and Twilight. Now I’m not so sure,” said Cadance.
“Broadside, I want you to assemble a team of geologists, cave divers, and miners to help in stabilizing this mine. We need to make sure that it doesn’t cause any harm to the city above now that most of its support has been taken.”
“As you command!” Broadside saluted and galloped up the entrance back to the castle to assemble the ponies needed.
“Let us investigate a little further, flying would be more appropriate, seeing as the area might be unstable,” said Celestia.
The younger alicorns agreed and took flight, soaring through the large cavern to find out the truth of what took the orichalcum crystals. Not noticing that a pair of orange eyes smiled at their ignorance and faded into the shadows.
Meanwhile, Ballista was starting to regret not going with the Princesses and the captain. The whole time they were walking around the castle, Predator wouldn’t stop asking her questions about the palace or random things in general. Ballista had to admit, for a protégé of the Princess, she was acting like a schoolfilly on a fieldtrip, although, a schoolfilly wouldn’t be asking her the sort of questions she was.
“So do you have a coltfriend,” asked Predator.
“No.”
“A marefriend?”
“No.”
“Do you like mares or stallions?”
“I swung both ways.”
“Ever kissed a stallion?”
“Yes.”
“Ever kissed a mare?”
“Yes.”
“Do you want to make out?”
“Yes. Wait – What!?”
“Gotcha!”
Ballista facehoofed herself, she couldn’t believe she got tricked like that. She slowly composed herself, trying very hard to restrain her angry tone before she somehow offended the apprentice to Princess Cadance.
“Miss Sapphire –”
“Oh no, no ‘Miss’, just call me Star,” interrupted Predator.
“Star then, could you please refrain from asking such personal questions, or better yet, ask me something that isn’t about my love life,” asked Ballista in a calm even tone.
“Oh, why not,” asked Predator with a pouty face.
“Because, for one: I am a Royal Guard, my duty is to protect and serve the people and Princesses, and by extension, their protégés. So being flirty as you are is fraternizing and is strictly prohibited.”
Predator looked at the mare incredulously. “So…you don’t find me attractive, at all?”
“What, no, that’s not – UGH!” Ballista took off her helm and rubbed the temples of her head, trying to stave off a migraine. “Look, you are a very attractive mare, Star, alright? But, you’re an apprentice, and I’m a guard, we can’t be flirting like this.”
Predator started to grin a bit as an idea formed in her head. “So, you’re saying that if I wasn’t a protégé of Princess Cadance, that you’d – oh I don’t know – drag me into the nearest empty room and do unimaginable things to me?”
“In a heartbeat,” muttered Ballista in low tone of voice. “But that’s not the point!”
“Ballista, you really need unwind.” Predator began to stalk towards Ballista. Her gaze was half lidded and sultry. The dark pink mare passed by Ballista, swishing her tail under the lieutenant’s chin, allowing her a whiff of the scent of the pleasant fragrance of her tail.
She then leaned against Ballista’s right side, nuzzling against her neck and making the soldiermare moan softly. “I can help…”
Ballista gulped, this was a major breach in conduct. Allowing it to go further would mean her job and career. She looked down to tell Predator no, but one look into those violet-pink eyes sparked something, Ballista swore she saw a violet twinkle in her eyes.
“I-If I decided to…what uh…what did you have in mind,” asked Ballista nervously.
Predator hummed as if thinking hard about the question. “Well… how about you and me, an empty room, and maybe a stallion, sound like fun?”
Ballista’s ears perked up as a crimson blush began to form. “A little fun…yeah…”
“Good, maybe we can have the Captain join in.”
And that’s where it all came crashing down. Ballista’s face went from blushing red to a sickening green color. Predator separated herself from Ballista and looked upon the mare worryingly.
“Ballista, are you alright?”
The pegasus mare had no time to answer, her cheeks puffed out as her eyes went wide. She quickly looked around till she spotted her helmet on the ground. Grabbing it with both hooves, Ballista held the helm over her face and then…well…
*BLUGH*
“Oh my…”
*BLUGH*
“Ballista do you need a doctor!?”
The mare held up one hoof as if to say “One minute please”.
*BLUGH*
Ballista set down her helmet, which was now heavy and filled with most of her lunch. She wiped her mouth and spat out the vile taste.
“Well, you just shot that fantasy to Tartarus,” said Ballista in a strained voice.
“Why, I sensed that you loved the Captain, I just thought that –!”
“Yeah, I do love him! I love him because he’s my FATHER!”
Silence reigned in that empty hallway. Predator facehoofed herself as hard as she could, berating herself for not being able to tell the difference between familial and romantic love.
“I am so sorry, Ballista! I-I didn’t know, I swear I didn’t! I was just trying to…”
Ballista raised her hoof up again, prompting Predator to be silent.
“Look, I’m going to go and, ugh, clean my helmet…actually, forget it, I’m getting a new one. Just…I don’t know…”
Ballista grabbed her helmet with her hooves and began to fly down the hallway to dispose of the ruined helm. Predator groaned and yelled in frustration. She couldn’t believe that she had just done that to her. The dark pink mare then faced a wall and began to smack her face against it.
“Why! Do! You! Always! Mess! Up! Like! That!?”
If there was one flaw that Predator would admit to, it would be what just happened. Being the Entity of Love, Predator could sense the different kinds of love within an individual. Who they love, who loves them, how they want to be loved, all of these are laid bare before Predator’s power. And sometimes she acts upon instinct, seeking to fill that void in their heart. For Ballista, she could sense that she wanted to be loved, to be treated like a mare. The insecurities she held inside of her, fearing that no pony, mare of stallion, would want to be with her because of how intimidating she was. The only one that Predator saw who loved her unconditionally was Captain Broadside, and somehow she had mixed the two up and greatly offended Ballista.
“I…I really am a screw up…”
“On the contrary, I think you’re wonderful.”
Predator turned her head and spotted a maid standing a few feet away. It was an earth pony, with a light orange coat, dark violet hair, and magenta eyes. Predator stepped back from the wall.
“Who are you…?”
Chrysalis didn’t know what she would expect to find back in Canterlot, the sight of her biggest blunder. Being in this city did not bring back fond memories, it only filled her with a bitterness that teetered on the edge of rage. The Changeling Queen had taken a disguise, knowing that taking on the exact likeness of somepony might be risky, she decided to mix mash the forms she already knew of and create an original body. She choose Applejack’s earth pony body and coat color, albeit a shade lighter and no freckles. She then used Rainbow Dash’s mane style and colored it the same as Rarity’s mane. To finish it off, she colored her eyes the same as Celestia’s. It wasn’t the most creative, or possibly best of disguises she used in the past, but given the heightened alertness of Canterlot, she didn’t have many options.
Chrysalis then began her jaunt about the city. Not knowing where to start looking or even if there was something worth looking for in this forsaken city. She had made it all the way to the even more ritzy part of Canterlot, but was stopped from going any further. Apparently so was everypony.
“What’s going on, is there a parade or something,” she asked.
“No, it’s Princess Cadance and her protégé, Star Sapphire, they’re in Canterlot,” said a mare.
Chrysalis scowled hearing that name. Between her and Twilight, they were the source of her downfall. She’d try something if she wasn’t sure she’d get spotted. Just then the chariots whizzed by, the first had a stallion, and right behind it, came Cadance’s chariot. Chrysalis almost turned around when she sensed something. Like a great surge of power had been awakened inside of her. When the chariot containing the Princess drove by, she spotted the second mare sitting next to Cadance.
Chrysalis could see it, love energy was pouring out of this unknown mare’s body like an endless wellspring of power. She knew it wasn’t from Cadance, she never emitted love energy, at least not in the volumes that the mare next to her did. It was almost too much; Chrysalis could feel herself sway as if drunk. But just as fast as it arrived, the energy dissipated when the chariot kept on driving towards the palace.
The Changeling Queen felt energized beyond her wildest dreams! I could march into castle right now and take that mare! Not even Celestia and Luna combined could stop me! It was a musing thought, and as powerful as she felt, Chrysalis knew she could do it. But, that’s not her now. She may be desperate to find a source of food for her Changelings, but repeating the mistakes of the past wouldn’t do her or them any good. No, calm down. Think this through. I have to get her away from everypony. Lure her to someplace I can teleport us both away without anypony knowing.
The hard part was getting the mare to come with her, willingly would be easy, but if it came to using force a simple sleeping spell would hopefully suffice in subduing her.
And so, Chrysalis made her way to Canterlot Castle. Luckily, not all of her secret entrances into the castle had been found out. Chrysalis slipped into the palace, finding the maids quarters. Hurriedly, she found a maid outfit, it was beneath her, but it had to be done. When she put it on, Chrysalis found it a bit too tight in the flank region, and this uniform’s skirt, in particular, was notoriously short. Upon further inspection of the locker Chrysalis quickly slammed it shut. She then glanced into one or two more and blushed.
What do they have these maids doing here?
After resizing her form, Chrysalis went about her search of the castle, being extremely careful not to run into too many ponies, lest they ask questions. After about thirty minutes of searching Chrysalis was beginning to wonder if they even arrived at the palace at all. It was then that she heard a strange noise coming from around the corner.
Chrysalis peeked around the corner and gasped. There she was, the mare with the great amount of love energy. She cursed when she saw a Royal Guard pony there, but that mare seemed busy spewing into her helmet. She then returned to hiding behind the corner. Okay, she’s right there, and the guard is apparently sick for some reason. I can take care of the guard easily enough, but I might lose my chance to take her. I need to get rid of her before I can make my move.
As if fate was on her side, Chrysalis heard the wing beats of a pegasus. The guard mare had turned the corner opposite hers and kept on flying down the hallway. When Chrysalis turned to look at the mare, she was banging her head against the wall. Thinking this her perfect opportunity, Chrysalis strode out from behind the corner and casually walked up to the mare.
“I…I really am a screw up…”
Oh no you’re not…
“On the contrary, I think you’re wonderful.”
The dark pink mare looked at Chrysalis.
“Who are you…?”
“I’m Chrysalis, a maid here in the castle. And you are?”
“Star Sapphire…”
“Forgive me, but what troubles you, you seem to be upset,” asked Chrysalis.
Her prey sighed heavily. “I just messed up, again. I tried to help somepony, but I ended up offending her, rather than helping her. My special talent often leads me astray, I just…”
Chrysalis trotted closer to this mare and placed a comforting hoof upon her shoulder. The moment she did, Chrysalis felt a surge of power coursing through her; it was almost like touching fire, or a drug you couldn’t get enough of. She had to concentrate to keep herself from ravaging this young mare and draining her till there was nothing left.
“You meant well, Star, and that’s what mattered. Yes, she may’ve been ‘offended’ as you might say. But that doesn’t mean that your intentions towards her were born of ill will.”
Chrysalis found that she was surprising herself with how comforting her words were. The image of her sister, Lilianna, flashed through her head. How her elder sister would comfort her whenever she messed up or got in trouble. She didn’t like it, but Chrysalis channeled those memories and used them as a guide to help coax her prey back to the hive.
“Thank you, Chrysalis,” she said with a sad yet happy tone in her voice.
“You know, there might be way for you to help using that power of yours,” said Chrysalis.
Star’s ears perked up, “Really, how!?”
Chrysalis scanned the area, making sure that they were alone. Once sure that there was no pony in sight, the Queen set her plan into motion.
“I am not really an Earth Pony, in fact, this isn’t my real form.” Please be as naïve as you look. “I am a Changeling, a creature that can take on the form of any other pony or being we so choose.”
Star’s eyes widened with surprise. “I’ve never heard of you’re kind, and you can really change your form!? Please show me!”
“Yes, I can. But…what you might see could frighten you. We are not the most pleasant of creatures to behold,” said Chrysalis feigning shame.
“Please, whatever form you take won’t scare me,” said Star with confidence.
“Very well…” Chrysalis’s body began to change. Green flame like mana began to burn away at her form. She grew taller, her coat changing into a black as night carapace. Jagged insectoid wings protruded from her back. Her neck elongated as her teeth bore sharp fangs. And finally, a long horn shot forth from her forehead. “This is my true form. I am Chrysalis, Queen of the Changelings.”
Star just shrugged at the true form of the Queen. “That was interesting, but I’ve seen scarier things.”
For once, Chrysalis was actually surprised that she didn’t scream or run away upon gazing at her true form. In some way it made her feel happy, but then she remembered that Star was to be food.
“Star, I want – no – I need your help.”
“What can I do?”
“My Changelings, we survive on the energy and power of love. We can’t live without it, and right now, my people starve to death, and my unborn hatchlings might die,” said Chrysalis. “Because of our appearance, ponies and others hate us, fear us. We could survive on the ambient love energy that they provide, but all we receive is scorning hatred and it kills us, literally.”
A look of horror fell upon Star’s face. “That’s terrible! You and your people shouldn’t have to suffer just because of how you look! I know, we can talk to the Princesses, with me there they’ll listen and won’t shun you I promise!”
Crap, no!
“You can’t! My Changelings are dying right now, I’ve tried every avenue to help them but nothing worked! But when I saw you, felt your power, I knew you could be our savior! If there is any chance of saving them it has to be now! Will you come with me…?”
Funny thing is part of what Chrysalis was saying was true. Star was the only hope her Changelings had of surviving at all. This was the Queen’s last shot at saving them, and one way or another, either willingly or forcefully, she was going to bring Star Sapphire to her hive and save them all! Imagine her surprise when Star answered her.
“Yes! I’ll go with you!”
“You’ve done a great thing here today,” said Chrysalis.
The Changeling Queen’s horn glowed, a ring of green mana formed around them, shooting up like fire.
“STAR!!!”
Both Chrysalis and Star looked down the hallway and saw Ballista hovering at the other end, a look of disbelief and shock present upon her face.
“It’s okay Ballista, I’ll explain it to Cadance and the Princesses, you won’t get in trouble, I promise. And I’m sorry, again!”
“YOU IDIOT DON’T GO!!!”
Ballista shot forth like an arrow in their direction, hoping to grab Star or to cancel whatever magic the Changeling Queen was performing. But it was too late. The green mana fire engulfed the two mares and in the next instant, they were gone. Ballista flew through the flames, wincing from the stinging sensation they caused. The pegasus mare came to a screeching halt as she landed on her hooves. Ballista looked back at the scorch marks left on the floor where Star Sapphire and Chrysalis once stood.
“No!”
The Princesses had teleported back to the throne room, having done as thorough an inspection of the mine as possible. They weren’t able to find any magical or physical evidence as to what took all the orichalcum, for now they would have to leave that mystery to the investigation team.
“But really, you think Twilight is ready to be a mother,” asked Luna.
“Of course she is Aunty, I’d trust her with my newborn, if I had one that is,” said Cadance.
“Do I detect a bit of jealousy, Cadance,” asked Celestia.
The pink alicorn huffed. “Well…It’s not like Shining and I haven’t been trying, Faust knows we have. I’m starting to wonder if I might be…”
Celestia used her right wing to left her niece’s chin up to meet her gaze. “You will have a child, Cadance. I know you will,” said Celestia.
“Thank you Aunt Tia.”
“If the traditional method doesn’t work, you could always go with a surrogate,” said Luna. “Oh, you could use me or Tia!”
Cadance and Celestia halted and stared at Luna with wide eyed disbelief, crying in unison, “WHAT!!?”
“Well, it makes sense. A normal mare would be able to carry the child of an alicorn, so logically; Tia and I are the perfect candidates.” Luna paused as she thought for a moment. “Then again, maybe Twilight would make for a better–”
“YOUR HIGHNESSES!!!” a Royal Guard cried out.
Oh thank you merciful Faust I did not need that image in my head, thought Cadance.
“What’s wrong,” asked Celestaia.
“I am sorry Princess Cadance, but your apprentice, Star Sapphire, has been kidnapped by the Changeling Queen!”
Time ground to a halt for Cadance. Her mind was doing the math of what the implications that this turn of events has possibly brought about. The Entity of Love, the source of all love energy in the universe, was now a prisoner of the Changeling Queen, Chrysalis. A race of creatures that fed on love, and now they had a being that’s the ever abundant source of it right in their hive. This was beyond disastrous. This was a: “Equestria will burn and the Changelings shall inherit the world” kind of apocalyptic scenario.
“How did this happen!? The Royal Guard received ample training on how to spot a Changeling! We know for a fact that she was not alone when we left her,” said Luna.
Before the guard could say anything, Ballista flew into the throne room. She bowed before the Princesses in shame.
“It was my fault your majesties! I…I left her alone! There’s no excuse for what I’ve done…”
Cadance’s wings flared out as she approached the mare before her. “You’re right…THERE IS NO EXCUSE! HOW COULD YOU ALLOW HER TO BE TAKEN!? YOU WERE TO STAY BY HER SIDE THE ENTIRE TIME WE WERE GONE, THAT WAS YOUR ASSIGNMENT, THE TASK GIVEN TO YOU! DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT YOU’VE DONE!!?”
“I-I’m sorry, Princess…I…” There was no real way to say why she abandoned Star to the Queen. How was she going to tell the Princess that she left because of what Star said about her and her father, and that she threw up in her helmet and left her in the hallway to find a new one?
“SORRY WON’T BE GOOD ENOUGH WHEN THE CHANGELINGS MARCH ON EQUESTRIA AND –!”
“ENOUGH!!!” roared the combined Royal Voice of Celestia and Luna.
“Blaming will get no pony anywhere, Cadance. Ballista, we will discuss this matter at another time, but for now, we need every Royal Guard to search for Star Sapphire and Queen Chrysalis,” said Celestia.
“That won’t work.” Everypony looked to Cadance. “If she was able to hide this long, under our noses, then there’s little chance that we’ll find them now.”
“Then what do you suggest, Niece!? Negativity isn’t going to help us right now,” scolded Luna.
“You’re right, which why I’m going to bring Star back!”
“How,” asked Celestia.
Cadance rushed out of the throne room, she dashed quickly as she made her way to the landing platform. Luna, Celestia, and Ballista had all gathered outside.
“Pre – Star gives off a lot of love based energy. I’ve had to lower my own ability to sense it because it was so overwhelming at times. But now, I shall open my senses to it!”
Cadance’s horn glowed with royal blue mana. The energy shined brightly, blinding many who looked directly at the Princess of Love. Cadance could feel the power of love; it was everywhere, and nowhere. Young couples enjoying a day out, two foals who have crushes on each other, unrequited love from others, but none of them was the source. She needed to follow the trail of light, the violet light of Love that was the source of all love energy. Cadance probed further into the ether of mana and light. That’s when she saw it, or rather felt it, a star like beacon that connected all the lines of love, no, it was the connection.
“I found her!”
With a flash of light, Cadance teleported from the platform, leaving all left behind to wait and hope that both love wielders would return safely.
(Changeling Hive)
Chrysalis was happy, truly happy. The hive had come alive the moment she and Star stepped hoof into it. The drones could already feel the love energy flow through them. It was amazing; it was as if Star Sapphire had breathed new life into the Changeling hive. She had to use her Hive Mind to instruct the Changelings not to harm Star or make her suspicious about them. As long as she was fooled into thinking that they were friends, the more power should would willing give up.
Chrysalis made a trip to the Nursery, where all the un-hatched Changeling eggs resided. Star was at her side at all times, making sure to keep the unicorn mare far from the Food Chamber. The Nurse drone, Murmur, had bounded to her Queen as excited as can be.
“My Queen, the eggs are making a miraculous recovery! They’re fighting off the Creeping Death and the weaker ones are becoming stronger!” Murmur looked up at Star. “You are the one who made this possible?”
Star smiled a bit, she found this particular Changeling’s appearance to be cute. “I am, I guess.”
Murmur grasped Star’s right hoof and held onto it tight, bringing it to touch her forehead. “Thank you, thank you so much…these little ones will have a chance, thanks to you…!”
The Nurse drone was bold to say such things in front of her Queen, if it wasn’t for her risking her life, then none of this would be possible. But, this was the one time where she agreed with Murmur.
“You’re welcome, um…?”
“Murmur, my name is Murmur,” she answered.
“You’re welcome, Murmur.” The Nurse Drone released her hoof and bowed before her Queen, silently thanking her as well. “Chrysalis, can you show me the rest of your hive?”
“Sure, follow me.” As Chrysalis and Star began to walk, the Changeling Queen accessed the Hive Mind. Murmur, release the ones kept in the Food Chamber.
Are you sure my Queen?
You felt it did you not? She has enough power to keep us thriving for many generations. Plus, when this ruse is over and she gets wise, we’ll need everything in there to make sure she stays alive and nourished. For the sake of those hatchlings, you will do this.
Yes, my Queen, it will be done.
The two continued their tour of the hive, Chrysalis watched how fascinated Star was as she observed some Worker drones expanding the hive. Cutting new tunnels and using a special secretion to keep the walls fortified and sturdy. Their tour ended when Chrysalis brought the teenage mare to her chambers, it was as lavish as she could make it. A large bed, a vanity mirror, and other things that made Chrysalis hurry up and hide them.
Years ago she and her kind were driven underground, long after, they tried to take over Canterlot, for the sake of survival and the continuation of their forgotten race. They’ve faced many challenges, some won, some lost, others ending bittersweet. That was in the past though, here, and now, in the present, all that was going to change.
Today was different; today was the day the Changeling’s mighty Queen Chrysalis had triumphed, succeeding in obtaining a near endless amount of love energy for them to feed on. The hive was all abuzz, both literally and figuratively speaking. Workers expanded the hive, driven by the newfound energy that dwelled inside.
While the drones were busy doing their Queens will, Chrysalis was busy “entertaining,” her “guest.” Chrysalis was setting on her lavish bed. Across from Star, looking positively giddy. It amazed Chrysalis, no matter how much power she syphoned from this mare, she still showed no signs of weakening. The Changeling Queen contemplated what kind of unicorn could produce this much power, an alicorn she could understand, but just a simple teenage unicorn, such a thing was uncanny.
“You’re hive is beautiful, Chrysalis. And your Changelings, so nice and caring, I especially like that one, Murmur, she’s cute,” said Star.
“Yes, she is the best of my Nurse drones, kind, caring, and loving. Were she born a pony instead of a Changeling she would’ve made a good mother to some foals,” commented Chrysalis.
“What’s stopping her from doing that? There are orphan foals that require good homes and loving parents, I would think she’d be perfect. Also, can you show me more of your transformations!? I want see who else you can imitated!” Star said excitedly.
Such a fool, you don’t understand the precarious situation you find yourself in. You naïve little thing, I almost feel bad about not telling you that you’ll be the instrument of Equestria’s downfall. Oh well, best to indulge her now, when the fireworks start I’ll miss that cute expression of yours.
Chrysalis’ body was engulfed in green fire-like mana, her insect body quickly shifting to that of another. In mere seconds she had taken the form a lavender alicorn mare, the form of Princess Twilight Sparkle. The unicorn clapped her hooves excitedly.
“What an ability, I knew the magic of this world gave certain wielders special abilities as your own. But yours is a part of you! Such a natural ability is quite extrodinary!” The unicorn mare started to examine her own body and blew raspberry, “Not like me, wish I could change my form into something older or even more appealing.”
“Oh don’t worry, you’re a lovely young mare, and you’re easy on the eyes if you don’t mind me saying,” spoke Chrysalis in Twilight’s voice.
The unicorn snorted, “Well, I can’t complain too much, my body is attractive, at least by this worlds standards. And I’m coming to enjoy Princess Cadance’s body as well.”
At this Chrysalis changed her form yet again, becoming Princess Cadance, believing that this would make the love energy coming from her become more powerful.
“Is this more to your liking,” asked Chrysalis in Cadance’s voice.
“You can even change into Cadance!?”
Chrysalis immediately felt a stronger surge radiate outwards. Oh my, that caused a spike. My Changelings and I are going to drain you for all your worth till your just a mere husk of your former self!
Just then a loud explosion could be heard raging from the inner sanctum of the hive. Chrysalis returned to her normal form and quickly rose to her hooves. The unicorn mare, also curious, followed the Changeling Queen. The two galloped into the center of the hive, looking around for the source of the explosions. Dust fell from up above them, prompting them to look towards the ceiling. Immediately they saw a wall burst open as a beam of royal blue mana shot through it. Changeling drones were thrown out from the force of the shockwave, along with some debris.
Chrysalis watched as a figure flew out from the hole, a scowl forming on her face. It was her arch nemesis, the pony whom she trapped and impersonated years ago, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, Cadance!
The Princess of Love hovered in the air for a few seconds before spotting her targets down below. She quickly angled herself downwards, folded her wings, and dove. After about ten seconds of nose diving, she flared her wings and gently landed on the ground floor of the hive. Her eyes met Chrysalis’ eyes, the two holding a stare down as sparks flew between them. It was then that a voice broke the intensity of their little stare down.
“Hi Cadance,” said the mare.
“Predator what are you doing here,” she asked.
“I’m sorry I wasn’t able to tell you sooner, but Queen Chrysalis needed my help desperately! Her people were going to die, they needed love energy to survive and so I’m providing it for them! I finally did something right, Cadance,” explained Star in a giddy happy tone. “Plus this Queen and her ‘drones’ can change into any pony they see, I couldn’t pass up a chance to see that.”
Cadance had to resist the urge to facehoof herself, especially in front of her enemy, but that didn’t stop her from doing in mentally over and over again.
“Predator she’s a Changeling, they are not our friends or allies! They can change like that because it’s how they operate, they become the pony you most love and they feed off that love energy! They even use a spell to brainwash the victim into believing it, no matter if they act out of character! They feed and feed until the pony they fed upon is either a withered husk, dead, or kept alive to continue feeding on them!”
Predator raised an eyebrow in both confusion and shock at the Princesses’ statement. She then turned to Queen Chrysalis, looking to see if she would refute her friend’s claims. Unfortunately, Chrysalis showed no signs that what Cadance had said was wrong or insulting.
“Is this true…It can’t be, Murmur, the other Changelings…It can’t be?’
“…Well, I guess the fun couldn’t last forever,” said Chrysalis. “Yes ‘Predator,’ ‘Star Sapphire,’ or whatever your name is, it is true! My race feeds on love, and you’ve been supplying us with more power than we could ever dream of!”
Predator retreated back towards Cadance in disbelief; the alicorn of love placed herself in front of her charge and glared at Chrysalis.
“We’re leaving, now!”
“Sorry, but that’s not going to happen.”
A loud buzzing sound resounded within the Hive. Hundreds of Changelings had flooded into the inner sanctum, floating in the air while others blocked any ground based escape routes. The two ponies were effectively trapped.
“I’ve been feeding on her love energy so long that I feel I could move the very sun and moon myself! Now, we’ll cocoon you both, and you’ll both feed my Changelings for the rest of your lives!”
Chrysalis let out a wicked, evil laugh. The Changelings also snickered and chuckled at the helpless duo, knowing just how strong they had become thanks to Predator’s power, nothing could stand in their way, nothing.
“You…you tricked me…” All eyes shifted to Predator. “What’s worse…you feed on love…by tricking others! You lied to me, you made me feel as if I was doing something righteous, when instead I was helping you wicked and selfish creatures! Using love to harm others, is unacceptable!”
Predator stepped from behind Cadance, glaring daggers at Chrysalis for her trickery. The dark pink mare’s body flared up with violet energy, her eyes filling with the light of her power. At that moment her body erupted into a pillar of violet light, causing many of the airborne Changelings to clear away, and making the others take a few cautious steps back. The pillar broke away, revealing Predator’s true form! She roared loudly into the hive, echoing throughout the mountain.
Predator growled as she scanned over all the Changelings, noting the fear she had instilled in them. Cadance watched as the Changelings, and Chrysalis, all began to flare with green mana energy. Chrysalis stared at the mighty beast, unafraid.
“Predator, stop, you’re only making them stronger in your true form!!!”
“Cadance, do not presume that these creatures hold sway over me, their power originated from me!” Predator widened her stance, the ground shaking from the impact of her stomps. “All that I have given freely, I can take back!”
Predator’s body glowed brightly, her violet light radiating from her crystalline exoskeleton. Violet light began to stream out of the bodies of the Changelings, the effects were immediate. The ones floating in the air had dropped like flies; the ones on the ground had collapsed onto the floor, their boundless energy now sapped from their bodies. Chrysalis tried to hold onto her power, she even fired a few mana beams at the giant beast, but to little success, she was, in that moment, nothing more than a mere fly compared to this creature before her. The Queen of the Changelings had never felt so powerless, so small, she was at this beast’s mercy. This creature was truly…a predator.
“That’s enough, Predator!” Cadance shouted, noticing the state of the Changelings.
Predator looked down at her fellow love wielder, “Why, are they not your enemies! I merely have to take back a little more and then they will never harm another living creature again! No more will they make a mockery of the power of love or corrupt its meaning! ”
“I know, but this isn’t right! It’s not my place, nor yours, to condemn an entire race to genocide! Stop this now or you’ll kill them! Please Predator!?”
Predator didn’t want to stop; these Changelings were the enemies of love. Feeding off it like parasites. That’s when it struck her; they reminded her of someone she knew all too well, another parasite that fed on something else, Fear. They were no better, and needed to be ended. But she did not wish to disappoint Cadance. Love and tolerance, which was what Predator was taught by Cadance since she came to live with the alicorn, and she wanted to show that she had learned both. Yet still, these creatures knew nothing of either, as far as she was concerned, it was a public service to exterminate them. At least, that was what Predator thought until she saw her. The crystal raptor’s eyes gazed out and spotted the pink Nurse drone known as Murmur. Her eyes were fixated on Predator, where once there was hope in her eyes, now there was only fear.
Predator roared once again, ceasing the syphon. Chrysalis was weak kneed; she could barely keep herself from collapsing with the rest her Changelings. Predator leaned in close, allowing the Queen to get a good look at the razor sharp rows of teeth.
“Heed my words Queen Chrysalis; it is by Princess Cadance’s good grace that I spare you and your Changeling race. But should you ever threaten her, or the love of the pony race, I will return…And devour you.”
The Queen of the Changelings didn’t make eye contact with this beast, not wanting to show just how fearful she was of the Entity of Love. With a simple weak nod from the Queen, Predator drew back from Chrysalis and stared up at the ceiling. She then released a blast of violet light from her maw that punched a hole in the roof of the hive, vaporizing any debris that had broken off. Predator began to ascend, covered in the violet aura as she rose high above them all.
Cadance flared her wings and was prepared to fly, but the pink alicorn spared the Changeling Queen a passing glance. Her nemesis was weak, so too were her Changelings. A small part of her felt sorry for them. Cadance looked up and saw that Predator was waiting for her; she then turned back to Chrysalis who was now glaring at her from the corners of her eyes. Cadance’s horn glowed brightly, creating an energy bubble in the shape of a heart. The heart shaped energy floated between them, hovering in place.
“What’s this,” asked Chrysalis.
“It’s food for you and your Changelings,” said Cadance.
“I don’t need your damn pity or your mercy,” she scoffed.
“I do not pity you, nor am I showing you mercy. All I’m doing is making sure that Predator doesn’t accidentally kill you all. There should be enough condensed in there to sustain you for the next forty-eight hours, longer if you ration it, after that…you’re on your own.”
Cadance flapped her wings and took off into the air, rising to meet Predator at the newly created entrance. The two love wielders then flew away, leaving the Changelings and their Queen alone with the love energy.
One of the drones dared to approach his Queen, both afraid and concerned.
“My Queen, what do you wish to do,” he asked.
“Nothing…” Chrysalis rose up shakily to her hooves and started to walk off.
“My Queen, what do you want to do with the love energy,” asked another drone.
Chrysalis stopped, she turned and glared daggers at the floating pink heart.
“Absorb it, all of you…”
“You do not wish to partake first?”
“I don’t want any of it, it will last you all longer if I don’t take any, and I am not as weak as the rest of you. No more questions, do as I command,” ordered Chrysalis.
With that Chrysalis returned to her chambers without ever taking any of the love energy provided by Princess Cadance. She plopped onto her bed and curled up into a fetal position. Chrysalis had never experienced fear and terror like that before, the feeling of being regarded as nothing more than a mere insect by a being more powerful than any mortal being she’d encountered. She dare say, Predator may’ve even been more powerful than Celestia and Luna combined. This being, this entity, who was like a god and a demon, who could save her race and provide them with unlimited amounts of nourishment was also one who could wipe them out on a whim.
“How could I be so weak,” whispered Chrysalis, cursing herself.
As she lay there, the Changeling Queen had no idea that she was being watched from the shadows, by a pair of yellow, menacing eyes.
You’re ready, kckt, kckt…
(3 Hours Later)
Cadance was frustrated and angry. The two of them had landed somewhere out of the range of the hive, yet far enough in the woods as to not be spotted by any passerby ponies. Predator had reassumed her pony form, sitting on her haunches and looking downcast, Cadance sat some distance from her, catching her breath, and trying to come down off the powerful, euphoric love high from opening up her senses in order to track down Predator.
Predator didn’t like it that she disappointed Cadance, again. More than that, she hated that she was so easily tricked into being taken away by Chrysalis.
“C-Cadance, I am sorry that I was foolish enough to go to the Changeling hive, and believe me I hate it that I let myself be taken in by that creature’s words! Please, forgive me,” said Predator.
The Princess of Love finally looked at Predator and yet again sighed.
“It’s fine Predator, I never told you about the Changelings so you didn’t know they were our enemies. This is my fault, I should’ve told you about them when you arrived in Equestria. I never thought that Chrysalis would catch wind of your power. One of the advantages of living in the Crystal Empire, the Changelings don’t seem to like the cold of the Frozen North, so they pretty much stay away from there. So it never seemed like that big a problem to tell you about, well that, and the fact that I thought that Shining Armor and I had gotten rid of them a long time ago,” said Cadance.
Predator’s ears flattened against her skull in slight shame. “I also want to apologize; this wouldn’t have happened had I not made Lieutenant Ballista leave me…”
Cadance quirked an eyebrow at that, “What do you mean?”
“I said some…things, to Ballista…and ended up making her leave my side. So, you are still in the right for blaming me for this. I almost caused your enemies to gain great power! I would never forgive myself if they harmed you…or any other living thing in this world!” Predator cried. “All I seem to do is mess up! I try to learn what you teach me, but every time I think I understand I end up doing something stupid! I’m nothing but a burden on you Cadance!” Predator began to sob, her tears falling to the ground in large drops.
Cadance trotted up to Predator, she then brought the unicorn close to her chest, wrapping them both in her soft wings. “You have a big heart, Predator. I know you wish to bring love to all, and sometimes you cause trouble while doing so. You aren’t stupid, you’re strong, fierce, and sometimes a little airheaded, and that’s just who you are. But I never once thought of you as a burden, I care about you, Predator, I really do.”
“Really…?”
“Of course…”
Predator looked up at Cadance, and their eyes met. For a brief moment there was something. The violet light of Love was flowing between them, making Cadance’s head feel fuzzy and strangely happy. Predator had the same feeling, except for the fuzziness in her mind, hers was clear, she could see the forgiveness and love in her equal’s eyes. Before either of them realized it, their lips met each other. Kissing each other as if they were they other’s long lost love. It took a few moments, but Cadance finally regained her senses. The pink alicorn broke the kiss and separated herself from Predator. Cadance looked away from Predator, embarrassed that she had done something like that to her.
“I-I-I’m sorry…I didn’t mean for that happen! I’m still feeling the effects of your light,” she explained.
“It’s fine, really. I didn’t mind.” Predator looked to Cadance and gave a small smile. “You weren’t bad at it, kissing I mean.”
Cadance cleared her throat and recomposed herself. “Well…that’s natural. I am the Princess of Love after all.”
Both mares began to giggle a little, the first real laughter they’ve had sense escaping the hive.
“Let’s head back to the castle. You aren’t the only one who needs to apologize to Ballista.”
Predator quirked an eyebrow at that remark, “What do you mean?”
“I’ll explain when we get there, stay close.”
Predator moved closer to Cadance. The pink alicorn’s horn glowed with royal blue light. The energy surrounded them in a sphere of mana. In the next moment there was a bright flash of light and they were gone. Unknown to either of them, and many others within Equestria, a low rumbling echoed through the ground. Its resonance was the subtle heralding of something to come. Something that was sure to change the face of Equus and every living thing in it.
Rage…Hate…Kill…
Episode 13: Ponyville in Crisis! The Emerald Giant's Indominable Will!
The sky was blanketed with pitch black clouds, the likes of which no pegasus has ever dealt with. Gray snow descended upon the land, covering everything in thick, depressing sheets, suffocating the land. In the distance, the residents of Ponyville could see a red, orange-yellow glow, and from that glow a large voluminous black clouds shot forth into the sky. The ground occasional shook as a low, bellowing, rumbling sound echoed through the air. There was only one word that the ponies of Ponyville could use to describe these events…
The end of the world…
Twilight Sparkle, newly crowned Princess of Equestria, hovered over the site of the powerful volcano in the land. A protective charm hung around her neck, a specially made one that acted as an environmental protection field, keeping the wearer safe from extreme heat, to a degree, as well as filtering the ash from the air they breathed in.
She surveyed the area, watching as ponies, unicorn, pegasi, and earth alike, all scrambled about in organized chaos. The volcano was deep in ground, the only point of origin being the large hole in the ground, were molten lava spewed forth, turning the surrounding mountains into a bowl of lava soup.
“Twilight!”
The alicorn princess turned around and watched as her marefriend, Rainbow Dash, wearing the same warding charm.
“Rainbow Dash, what’s the news,” asked Twilight.
“I’ve gathered as many pegasi as I could from Cloudsdale. We’re doing all we can to keep the ash cloud from going any further, but they won’t be able to keep that up forever,” said Rainbow Dash.
“Okay. What about Applejack and Ion’s group, how are they doing?”
“AJ’s team is working on the dams to block the lava flow, and Ion’s working with his team on another. There are few more working on dams as well.” Rainbow Dash let out a frustrated growl. “I hate to say this Twi, but it feels like we’re putting a band-aide on this thing.”
“Unfortunately that’s all we can do until we can figure something out…”
“Can’t you and the Princesses just – I don’t know – combine your magic to stop this or something!?”
“Don’t you think I thought about that already!?” Twilight snapped. “Pooling the collective magic of three alicorns and funneling it to stop a super volcanic eruption of this size and magnitude, if I had a week I still couldn’t list all the ways that could end badly! How could I let this happen, Ponyville and Equestria, it’s all my fault!”
Rainbow Dash cursed under her breath, if anything, causing her marefriend more stress was not the best thing for the situation at hoof. Rainbow hovered closer to Twilight, and rested her hoof on the alicorn’s shoulder.
“Hey, hey, hey, don’t start that, Twi. This isn’t your fault, not by a mile,” said Rainbow Dash.
“If only I paid more attention to the signs…there must’ve been something I missed…?”
(15 Hours Earlier)
The skies were clear and it was bright sunny day in Ponyville. Many ponies were out enjoying the nice weather, going to the park and to enjoy it. Amongst those ponies were Applejack, Ion, and Apple Bloom. Deciding that they deserved a break after all their hard work with the new orchard, the group of earth ponies went out to the park. Ion, after all this time, still didn’t have any idea on how to interpret that kiss he received from Applejack a couple of months ago. Nothing had really changed, she was still her usually sassy self, and they still got into little competitions with each other. But every now and then, whenever the two of them got too close or stared too long, they’d start to blush.
Ugh, c’mon Ion! Trillions of years you’ve existed, captured by Krona, fought side-by-side with two Lanterns, and yet saying that you like Applejack is the most difficult thing you’ve ever faced, thought Ion.
“Ya alright there, Ion?”
The green stallion was snapped out his thoughts by the yellow filly walking beside him. In the last few months, Apple Bloom and Ion had gotten a lot closer, now seeing him as a second older brother. The obvious attraction between him and Applejack did not get passed this filly’s eyes, every now and again she would tease the Entity of Willpower, but just as quickly, he turned the tables and started to tease her about a certain young dragon.
“Yeah, I’m fine, AB,” said Ion.
“No ya ain’t, you were thinkin’ about meh sister. You really should tell her, Ah mean, you said it yourself she has an inklin’ about yer…” Apple Bloom looked around; making sure her sister wasn’t in earshot. “Powers,” she whispered.
“Having an ‘inkling’ and actually knowing, like you, are two completely different things. There are…things, about me Apple Bloom; my powers are only the tip of the iceberg.”
“So, does it matter? If ya like her, and she likes ya back, then nothin’ else matters right? Isn’t that what love is, carin’ about another pony even though they’re different, ‘cause when ya think about it, that’s why ya like them, ain’t it?”
Ion had to admit, sometimes he was amazed at how mature Apple Bloom could be, and if Predator was here, she’d say she was right. But then again, he wasn’t exactly a pony. Their mortal shells were stronger than many of them thought, with respect to each of their tribes, but did that mean he had the right to be with her?
“Hey look! There’s Twilight!” Apple Bloom shouted.
The green stallion watched as the yellow filly bounded towards the alicorn princess, with Applejack following. Twilight’s horn was aglow with magic, a little picnic basket was grasped within her aura, with multiple items flying out of it and placing them on the blanket neatly. As he made his way towards her, Ion couldn’t help but notice that her gaze would turn skyward every now and again.
“Heya, Twi, nice seein’ ya out on this nice day,” said Applejack.
“It’s nice to see you too,” greeted Twilight.
“If you don’t mind me asking, what were you looking at,” asked Ion.
“Oh, just admiring those three.”
They were confused for a second until they looked up. Up in the air, three different streaks whizzed through the clear sky. A blurred rainbow, followed by an orange and purple streak and another streak of cerulean and light-blue shot through the sky. The two other steaks seemed as if they were trying to catch the rainbow one, but it didn’t appear that the rainbow was going to let itself get caught that easily. Both of the streaks stopped for a moment, revealing both Scootaloo and Adara, hovering near Rainbow Dash. After that brief pause, the three pegasi went back at it, zooming through the air at high speed.
“What are they doin’,” asked Apple Bloom.
“Oh they’re just having some high speed game of tag,” said Twilight as she sat on the blanket.
Applejack looked over at the lavender alicorn, “How come ya ain’t up there with’em?”
“Are you crazy, you know how competitive Rainbow Dash is, she’d hunt me down like I was rabid dog and I’d be screaming my head off trying to get away from her. Plus, I’m not on Rainbow’s level of speed, but Scootaloo and Adara seem to keep up with her, so I just let them have it.”
Apple Bloom looked around and seemed just a tad disappointed. “Hey, Twilight, where’s Spike at? Didn’t he come with ya?”
“Actually, he decided to go off and spend the day by himself. I don’t blame him really, ever since Rainbow and girls moved in, the library’s been getting a little crowded. He probably just wants some alone time,” explained Twilight.
Ion, while watching his fellow Entity flying through the sky, felt something strange. It was like a tremor, radiating from the ground and up his hooves. The stallion looked around, scanning the faces of his friends and the other park goers, strangely, none of them seemed to have felt what he had.
Odd…
After deciding that they would all join in, Applejack and Ion sat with Twilight and enjoyed some the food they had brought, talking about this and that to pass the time. After a few minutes had gone by, the three pegasi descended down to the ground a couple of feet away. Rainbow, Scootaloo, and Adara all appeared to be a bit out of breath, but otherwise fine.
“Heh, dang Scoots, you’re getting faster. And Adara, didn’t know you could move that fast, it’s like you’ve been flying longer than me,” said Rainbow Dash.
Adara let out a nervous chuckle. “Oh me, nah, just always been like that, a fast flyer.”
“Wouldn’t expect any less from you,” said Scootaloo, playfully elbowing Adara in the side.
“Well, keep it up you two. At this rate, you’ll both be Wonderbolts in no time, you know, if that’s what you want when you get older, I mean. No pressure, just thought it’d be cool to have you guys on the team,” said Rainbow Dash.
“Are you kidding, that’d be awesome! All three of us, in the Wonderbolts, we’d be the fastest trio in the team!” Scootaloo then hooked her right foreleg around Adara’s neck. “What do you think?!”
“Well…”
“Well, first off, I think you need to hold your horses there Rainbow.” The three pegasi looked off in the direction of Twilight’s voice, noticing their guests.
“Apple Bloom,” shouted the two fillies.
The yellow filly quickly got up and ran to her friends. Rainbow made her way to her marefriend, plopping herself next to Twilight.
“Why not, they’re freakin’ fast, and they can only get better from here, they’d be great,” said Rainbow.
“Um, I’m pretty sure there’s an age limit, if I’m not mistaken, I believe the legal age is eighteen,” said Twilight.
“So?”
“They’re eleven.”
“What’s your point?”
“Ugh!”
Applejack and Ion laughed at the conversation of the two mares, earning them both confused stares.
“What’s so funny,” asked Rainbow.
“You two fight like an old married couple,” said Ion.
Twilight and Rainbow blushed at nearly the same time.
“M-M-Married?! I mean, that’s…I, it’s not like I haven’t thought about it, but Rainbow just moved in not too long ago, marriage is a big step!”
“Settle down Twi, settle down, no need to lose your head,” said Applejack.
Rainbow Dash, knowing that frantic look, opened her right wing and draped it over her marefriend’s body. Twilight squeaked from the sudden wing embrace, but nonetheless, the nervous alicorn started to relax, leaning more into Rainbow as she did so.
“Seems like you two have gotten more, um, comfortable with doing that,” observed Ion.
“Yeah, gotta say, I like not having to tip-hoof around. Now I can kiss her in public,” said Rainbow Dash.
“Rainbow!” Twilight smiled in the end and nuzzled up against her marefriend’s neck. “Anyway, no Wonderbolts, at least not until they’re both eighteen.”
“Alright fine,” she conceded, “but we’re still sending them to Junior Speedsters Flight Camp for the summer, right?”
At this, both Ion and Applejack noticed Twilight’s smile waver a bit.
“What is it, sugarcube, ya look a little down,” asked Applejack.
Twilight then turned her gaze upon the three fillies playing in the distance. “I just don’t know if we should so soon. I mean, Scootaloo’s still adjusting to living with us, and I’m still not certain what our relationship with her is.”
“What, ‘our relationship’, Twi, we’re her guardians.”
“Yes, but not her parents, believe me, there’s a whole different stack of paper work to adopt her….and I don’t want to pressure her into calling us her parents, I was thinking of bringing it up when she was older…”
“Oh…yeah, we’re her guardians, does that mean I can’t be her big sister anymore? And if I become her…mom, that’s going be all kinds of weird,” said Rainbow.
Applejack flashed her two friends a warm and comforting smile, another thing Ion liked about the mare that he couldn’t stop staring at.
“Y’all got nothin’ to worry about. Scootaloo well decide on what to call ya when she’s good and ready. Just take things one day at a time, believe meh, Ah speak from experience. It wasn’t the easiest thing helpin’ Granny raise Apple Bloom, there were times when Ah got low…real low and sad…” Applejack pause for a minute, trying not to let the memories of her deceased parents get her choked up.
“AJ?”
“Ah’m alright, Ion, don’t fret. Point bein’, you two can make it work, if’n there’s anypony Ah know that can raise them fillies right, it’s Ponyville’s resident genius princess, and the most loyal and fastest pegasus in Equestria.”
That was another thing that Ion found he liked about her, she always kept a level head, and wasn’t afraid to offer up some encouraging words to her friends, and somehow, after hearing them, you felt like whatever you were afraid of or worried about just doesn’t seem as big a deal as it was before. And Ion could see that relief in the two mares’ eyes. Although there was one thing that he did have a question on.
“So, you’re not going to adopt Adara, too,” asked Ion.
“Oh, well…”
“Ion, you remember when I said that being her mom and sister at the same time felt kinda weird,” asked Rainbow.
“Yeah.”
“It’ll be weirder for Scootaloo if we did adopt Adara, I don’t think she’d be too eager to date her adopted sister.”
“Date!?” Applejack and Ion blurted out.
“You didn’t know,” asked Twilight.
“Y’all are what?!” Apple Bloom shouted.
“Looks like Apple Bloom just found out too,” said Rainbow Dash. Ion and Applejack looked over at the fillies; Apple Bloom had a surprised, yet, happy expression on her face. Scootaloo and Adara seemed relieved; the both of them probably worried what their friend would think about them. Now that they looked closer, the two fillies were standing closer together. Ion dared to glance at Applejack; wondering if now may be a good time, amongst friends, on a nice sunny day.
Rage…
Suddenly, Ion shot to his hooves. He felt something, something that was wrong, and now he was feeling the tremors again.
Hate…
“ADARA!!!” Apple Bloom and Scootaloo shouted in fear.
Twilight and Rainbow Dash started to make their way towards the fillies. Adara was trembling, but it looked as if she was trying to fight something off, trying to keep something at bay.
“Adara, what’s wrong, talk to me,” asked Scootaloo.
Oddly enough, Applejack noticed that Ion was stuck where he was, as if rooted to that spot or afraid to move at all.
“Ion, what’s wrong, why aren’t ya movin’,” asked Applejack.
…Kill…
At that moment the entire area began to rumble and quake. A low rumbling like growl could be heard echoing through the air, the ponies all started to panic; staying low and trying to keep themselves steady from all the shaking. It felt as if the ground was trying to tear itself apart.
“What’s going on?!” Rainbow Dash yelled, keeping Scootaloo close to her.
“I don’t know but hang on,” ordered Twilight, keeping Apple Bloom and Adara close to her as well.
Applejack was finding it increasingly hard to keep her balance on the shaking dirt, but for some reason Ion remained steady, not budging, as if defying the natural disaster that was occurring. Just as quickly as the quake began, it stopped, silence reigned over everything, and it was a deathly silence. No one dared to make a sound, fearing that breaking the silence might incur the disaster to continue. They didn’t need to wait long. The quiet was broken by a thunderous explosion, many had to cover their ears and duck low to the ground. It was deafening, like heaven’s thunder. The explosion was soon followed by a large column of black smoke bellowing out from the mountains, spewing it’s darkness into the sky. At the epicenter, an ominous orange-red glow appeared.
The sky then began to rain down a strange gray snow; everypony looked in fear and dismay, wondering what this gray snow was.
Twilight reached out with her hoof, letting a few of the flakes land on her upturned hoof. She then brought it close to her face, inspecting it, giving the substance a light sniff.
“This can’t be…”
“What, what is it Twi!?” Rainbow asked.
“This stuff, I’ve only ever read about it in my books, ones like these are rare…!”
“What is it!?”
“This stuff, it’s ash…volcanic ash…”
(Present)
“You had no idea that a damn Super Volcano was hiding underground! Tartarus, even Princess Celestia didn’t know, and she’s been around, like, forever!”
Twilight shook her head. “That’s still no excuse! As a Princess, more importantly, as a scientist and mage, I should have looked into the geography of Ponyville when I moved here all those years ago! Volcanos like this are the most dangerous kind, and one of them has been hiding under our noses the entire time!”
“Sulk about it later, Twi! We need you to focus, if there’s anypony who can get us out of this mess, it’s you, so start thinking, I’m going to go around and get a status report from the teams,” said Rainbow Dash.
Rainbow Dash sped away, only barely catching the sound of Twilight thanking her. The rainbow maned pegasus flew fast and swift, making her way to every team she could. She hurried to the dam builders, checking on Ion first.
When she arrived, Rainbow Dash watched the green stallion was busy leading his team of fifty, directing them where they should best set the TNT that they had procured to create their dams. Somehow Ion had an innate sense of where the rocks were weakest. Rainbow had nothing against the guy, but she didn’t think that Ion was the best at figuring out complex stuff like that to lead the team, she was glad she was wrong.
After seeing that the ground teams were doing alright, Rainbow checked on the air teams. The pegasi she had brought with her from Cloudsdale, along with others from Ponyville and the surrounding towns, were doing their best to keep the ash cloud from veering any further than the boundary they set, even the ones above the cloud were keeping it as flat as possible, compacting it so that the cloud wouldn’t spread up into the upper atmosphere.
If that happened it wouldn’t be just Equestria that gets hit, thought Rainbow Dash.
The cyan pegasus gazed out towards Canterlot, the royal capital looked so small from her height, but she could see it. Her thoughts strayed to the Scootaloo and Adara, they, along with others, were shipped by train to the city in order to get them as far from the cloud as possible. Rainbow couldn’t believe that this was happening, so soon after she had just moved into the library, and started living with everyone there. Twilight, Spike, Scootaloo, and Adara, they were like her family now, just like their friends.
I’ll be damned if that’s going to end, I know we can beat this thing!
The low roaring of the volcano grew more prominent; as if it knew what she was thinking and was doing that to affirm that there was no way they could.
“You heard it, same as me, it’s him, there’s no doubt about it.”
“First Ophidian, now this, how is it that they found Equestria, out of the endless universes that we could be in, why this one,” said Adara
“Ophidian appeared rather subtly, if this power is really him –”
“You know it is Proselyte.”
“Then we have to assume the worst, that in addition to Ophidian, Parallax might also be in Equestria. Unlike the others, he’s probably entered here unnoticed. Butcher on the other hand…”
“If he’s trying to manifest himself into Equestria, then we have time to stop him from doing so,” said Adara.
“Princess Twilight’s getting groups of ponies together to start damming projects to stop the eventual lava flow. I’ll get on one those teams and get closer to the epicenter, from there I’ll figure something out,” said Ion.
“I’ll go too.”
“No, Adara, your place is by Scootaloo’s side.”
“My place is by your side if it is Butcher! You know his light erodes at your willpower, you’ll need my light to weaken his and empower yours!”
“She has a point, Ion,” added Proselyte.
“I know she does! But we can’t afford that. You said it yourself; our bodies are vulnerable while we’re in mortal form. Adara, you need to stay here in case Butcher does arrive, your light will be the one thing that’ll keep everypony here safe, yours, and Proselytes.”
~~~
“Dam the lava flow or we’ll lose the town!”
Ion stood and watched as the TNT they had setup exploded. The result was a rock slide that filled a canyon, effectively blocking it. Applejack’s team had to rendezvous with Ion’s, the number of explosives they had weren’t enough, and so by combining their explosives, they were able to create the makeshift rock dam down below.
“Alright everypony, we’ve used up what we have, let’s head on back to base camp and find out what else needs doin’,” ordered Applejack.
The large group of ponies started making their way back to base camp, Ion brought up the rear as they galloped down the dirt path. When he was sure that they weren’t aware of him at that moment, he stopped, and turned around in the opposite direction. The Entity of Willpower continued to gallop as fast as he could. Ion then spotted a splintering path that led towards the center of this disaster. With conviction in his heart, Ion ran, he wasn’t about to let his new home, the home of his friends and fellow positive entities, become the Butcher’s bloodstained playground.
After about ten minutes of continuous galloping, Ion was reaching his destination. The heat was intense, though it wasn’t as hot as the primordial flames when Earth was born, now that was HOT. And thanks to the charm on his neck, Ion barely felt a thing.
The green stallion approached the cliff that overlooked the lake of molten lava that was slowly building, the ash flakes danced in the air as the center continued to bellow out the suffocating ash cloud. Lightning arced through the cloud, heat lightning if he remembered from Twilight’s lecture/briefing. Ion crept closer to the edge of the cliff, staring directly at the center. For at that center, without a doubt, was where the Butcher would soon arrive.
“Not if I have anything to say about, you won’t,” he muttered to himself.
“What in tarnation are ya doin’ out here!?”
Ion quickly turned around and saw that Applejack was standing a few feet behind him. Her coat was soaked with perspiration, no doubt a result of the intense heat radiating from everywhere, her breathing was also labored, another sign that she wasn’t used these kinds of extreme conditions like he was.
“Applejack you need to go, right now! You shouldn’t be here,” said Ion.
“And neither should you! Ah mean – gosh darn it, it’s hot – I don’t get it, Ah can barely stand it, even with the charm, how in the hay aren’t you passin’ out bein’ that close,” asked Applejack.
Ion looked frantically between Applejack and the lava lake, grunting in frustration. “AJ, I promise I’ll explain, but right now –!”
“No Ion, no explaining later, ya tell me right now what y’all are up to?! Ah want to trust you, Ion, and I do, but how do ya expect me to fully trust you when ya go and hide everythin’,” shouted Applejack.
“I swear to Celestia and Faust on high, Applejack, I will, after all this is over, I will! But right now you need to get out of here before –!”
*KA-BOOM!!!*
Applejack and Ion watched as the column of ash became a raging inferno, lava spewing in its stead. The surge caused a lava wave to hurl towards them, fifty feet high. There was no time to run away from it, no time to think, there was only time for action. Ion’s cutie marks began to glow, his eyes shined, and in that moment, the only thing that Applejack saw was a blinding flash of emerald light. A giant pillar of green light shot up into the sky, with a thunderous boom. Everypony for a hundred miles could see the column of light, shining like a beacon in the darkness. The pillar then dispersed into tiny particles as a figure emerged. The figure was humanoid, with white eyes and a body made of emerald light. Standing at a hundred feet tall, the giant crossed its arms to form an X. A barrier of light formed as the lava wave crashed against the shield, effectively cancelling the wave.
The unknown, rarely seen creature that saved many ponies during the Running of the Leaves event, and others around Equestria had arrived at the critical moment, the Emerald Giant was here.
Applejack had shut her eyes, not wanting to see the impending doom coming. She expected a searing burning sensation to overcome her at any moment, and hoping to Celestia that the pain of being burned alive by lava would be quick. But instead, she felt no pain, only warmth, a comforting, yet powerful presence surrounded her. Applejack dared to open one of her eyes and gasped in surprise.
Okay…this is…this is new…
All around Applejack was green light. She felt weightless, as if floating in nothing. The earth pony mare thought she might be flying or that she was in Elysium and was about to be reunited with her parents.
“Applejack, are you alright?”
“Ion?! That you, where are ya, Ah can’t see ya?!”
“I’m here…actually, I’m all around you.”
“Come again?”
“It’s kinda hard to explain, but I didn’t have much time to get you out of the way, so I created the construct around you.”
“‘Construct’? Look just tell me where the heck Ah am, ‘cause Ah’m freakin’ out a bit right now,” warned Applejack.
“……I’m the Emerald Giant, Applejack. I changed to protect you from the lava wave…I wanted to tell you, but…”
Applejack had to take a minute to let that sink in. Ion was the Emerald Giant, and she was inside of its body. The very same giant that saved her during the Running of the Leaves, it was Ion. So many questions swam through Applejack’s mind, she felt as if her head was going to explode. Unfortunately, she wouldn’t have the time to ask them. Applejack looked straight ahead, the emerald light, as if answering her unspoken request, cleared a bit to allow her to see outside. The roaring, fiery geyser was building up, becoming stronger and raising the lava tide. Both of them knew that their makeshift dams wouldn’t be able to take the strain of the increased lava flow and would either break or the lava would just overflow.
“This ain’t good, at this rate, all our hard work’s goin’ to go down the drain,” said Applejack.
“These dams aren’t strong or high enough to hold this in. Unless…”
“What?!”
“Forget it, doing it like this…! I don’t know what kind of strain that would put on you!”
“Whatever bright idea ya have to fix this mess tell me or do it, ‘cause we don’t exactly have a lot of time,” shouted Applejack.
“Ugh! We have to work together! I’ve seen what Earth Pony magic and my power can do together. In my current form, and with you at my center, we may be able to use our energies to build something that’ll keep the lava from escaping!”
Applejack was hesitant for a second, “What’ll happen, to me Ah mean?”
“I don’t know… I’ve done this before, but nothing on this scale. Forget it I’ll get you out of here and think of –!”
“Do it.”
“Applejack?”
“We’re the only ones that can keep Ponyville and the rest of Equestria from bein’ destroyed, and besides, Ah said ya earned meh trust, so do what ya have to do, Ah’m ready!”
Ion was weary of doing something like this; this was practically an inverse possession. Still, the options were limited and this was the best shot they had.
“You’re going to feel a slight tingling sensation, and a rush of power. The energy works via willpower and your imagination. Just think about something and then will it into existence!”
“GOT IT!”
With that said the connection was made. Applejack opened her mind and body to the emerald light of Willpower, letting it course through her being, charging every cell, every molecule of her body. It was indeed a rush, she felt as if she could move the mountains themselves if she so chose. Applejack scanned over the area, watching the geyser continue to pump more and more lava out. She closed her eyes, sensing the molten earth through the feet of the construct. It was then that Applejack felt it, the way to block it. And thanks to their connection, so did Ion.
“Let’s do it, partner!” Applejack yelled.
The Emerald Giant raised its right leg, and in one swift motion, stomped down on the ground below. Green light surged through the ground, spider webbing in different directions. The surges stopped when they reached their designated spots, which so happened to be all the spots where the dams were. The Emerald Giant then raised its arms up slowly, as if trying to pull at something. The ground around the dams shivered and quaked, responding to the power that coursed through it. With great effort the Emerald Giant thrust its arms high into the air, and at that same time, great slab walls made of hardened rock jutted out from the earth, each bearing the insignia of Ion. The walls of stone stood as tall as the mountain peaks. The Emerald Giant then waved its arms, sending out a wave of green energy.
The energy struck the slabs, activating their latent power. Each of the slabs fired off a beam into the air, ten in all. The beams met at the center and united into a giant dome that cutoff the ash and lava geyser. Applejack was amazed at what they had accomplished; she never knew this kind of power was even possible.
“Rainbow said we were puttin’ a band aid on a broken leg, but now it’s more like a cast. All we need to now is figure out a way to stop this,” said Applejack.
“It’s not going to be easy.”
“And why not?”
“Because HE won’t make it easy.”
As if on cue, the geyser burst apart revealing a pillar of crimson light that shot straight up, the light struck the barrier and smashed through it, leaving a gaping hole. The barrier, although damaged, seemed mostly intact. Applejack looked at the epicenter of the pillar, and what emerged made her think that the gates of Tartarus had been opened.
The beast trotted out from the pillar, it resembled a bull, but its body was red as blood, and stood at roughly the same height as the emerald giant. On its face the bull had two long tusks, and the horns on its head had a slight curve to them. The center of its head was slightly bulbous and round, a hardened cranium, perfect for ramming and smashing. This creature, born of the first act of murder, and the Entity of Rage, was the Butcher. The beast snarled and snorted as its red eyes gleamed over its surroundings.
“So this is the place Ophidian and Parallax were bragging about,” Butcher snorted indignantly, “I’ve seen better.”
Applejack couldn’t help but quiver at the sight of the monster before her, but regardless, she did not turn her gaze away from the monster.
“Let me handle this, Applejack.”
“At this point, Ah’ll follow your lead,” she said.
“BUTCHER!!!” Ion yelled.
The Entity of Rage finally settled its gaze on the humanoid construct a few feet away from it. It’s eyes narrowing at the sight.
“Willpower…what’s a Green Lantern doing here?! Wait a minute…” Butcher sniffed the air a bit. “Ion? So this is where the Life Entity dumped you.”
“I’m only going to say this once, Butcher. Leave this world and return to the one that the Life Entity had taken you to!”
Butcher stomped the ground with his right forehoof, causing a mini-quake. “You DO NOT give me orders! I do as I please, kill who I want, hate what I want! That is my way! And if I want to stay here then I will, challenge me, and you’ll find that I have killed for less!”
Scary thing is, he has killed for less, thought Ion.
The Emerald Giant then widened its stance and balled up its fists as it entered a fighting stance.
“Then I’ll MAKE you leave!”
Butcher then released a boisterous laugh, “I’d like to see you try! It’s been eons since we last fought! Let us see if your Will is stronger than my Rage!”
Butcher roared into the air as he charged the Emerald Giant. Ion readied himself and took the charge head on. He quickly grabbed Butcher’s tusks, holding them firmly in his hands and forcing the demonic bull’s head up. Butcher tried to kick Ion with its forelegs, but only managed to scratch at the constructs chest. With a great heave, Ion threw Butcher into the molten lava, slamming his head and submerging it. But that did not last long as Butcher began to thrash about, kicking and goring with his horns and tusks. One of his horns cut into the midsection of Emerald Giant’s body, causing Ion to release Butcher and fallback.
“Ion you okay,” asked Applejack.
“Fine…!”
The wound on the giant’s stomach had wisps of crimson energy coming off of it, almost mimicking blood loss. But Ion knew what it was, Rage erodes Willpower, and although his construct was strong, it was still vulnerable to the effects of the red light of Rage. And right now, he couldn’t afford to be reckless, not with Applejack inside.
Butcher got back onto his hooves and faced Ion. He raked his hooves and snorted, preparing to charge yet again.
“Ion, listen to me, let me help!”
“How exactly?!”
“Watch!”
At that moment a green lasso appeared in front of the Emerald Giant. Ion quickly understood what Applejack was getting at and grabbed the rope. He then began to twirl it in the air, his eyes fixated on his target.
Bellowing roar, Butcher charged at the Emerald Giant for the second time. “Not yet…” Ion waited on Applejack’s cue, channeling her experience through their link. “Not yet…!” Butcher continued to get closer, his curved horns ready to gore the construct. “NOW!”
Ion released the lasso. The loop flew through the air as Butcher charged forth, his head fitting through the hole. Ion pulled back on the rope and tightened the noose. Butcher gagged for a second from the sudden constriction, but Butcher kept on going.
“Now run!”
Ion did as Applejack instructed. Keeping a tight grip on the lasso, he dashed towards Butcher. The two Entities were on a collision course, neither one willing to deviate.
“Feint right, stop, and then pull forward!”
A mere few seconds before Ion crashed into Butcher, he feinted right, with the Entity of Rage whizzing by him. The Emerald Giant then planted its feet and pulled on the rope. The result was the momentum that carried Ion forward was transferred into the rope, causing it snap back and pull Butcher backwards. Butcher felt the jerking pull on his throat, abruptly stopping him and causing the entity to fall his back. Ion, under Applejack’s direction, sprinted for the downed Entity. Ion then quickly grabbed each of the demonic bull’s legs and tied the remainder of the lasso around them, effectively hogtieing him.
“And that’s how we do it rodeo style, yeehaw!”
“I WILL NOT BE MADE A FOOL OF!!!”
Butcher’s body then began to emit a red aura; the harsh energy ate away at the green lasso, the light fibers quickly snapping under the power of Rage. Ion went to a fallback position and watched as Butcher freed himself from his bonds.
“I don’t get it, how come everythin’ we try doesn’t seem to be makin’ a dent in him!?”
“My power doesn’t exactly do well against his. It weakens mine, but we’ve lasted longer than I thought we would, mostly thanks to your willpower, Applejack,” said Ion.
“Then how do we beat’em if we can barely hurt’em?!”
Butcher widened his stance, his nostrils flaring with anger. He then took in a deep breath, and upon exhaling, released a powerful blast of crimson red energy. The energy had a liquid, almost fire-like appearance as it shot towards them.
“OH CRAP!!!”
Ion created a shield, bearing his insignia, in front of them, pouring all his and Applejack’s Willpower into it. The inferno smashed against the shield with resounding force, pushing back the Emerald Giant. The blast continued to berate the shield, showing no signs of stopping. At that moment, Butcher’s aura raged and the blood-fire breath doubled in power and size. They watched as the shield shattered and Emerald Giant swept away by the blaze. The blast struck the side of one of the mountains, exploding violently. Butcher ceased his attack and inspected the damage.
The Emerald Giant lay sprawled out on the mountainside, which was steaming and melting from the blast. Its body had several light green cracks all over it, and tiny wisps of crimson lapped off its body. Ion peeled his construct off the mountain, staggering to his feet and swaying from side to side as if disoriented.
Napalm blood breath, Rayner was right, grossest fireworks display, ever, thought Ion.
“Oh, meh head, feels like Ah had ten barns dropped on me, all of them on fire,” groaned Applejack.
“Applejack, are you alright?”
The earth pony mare rubbed the back of her head and winced a bit. When she pulled back her hoof, she saw that it had traces of blood on it.
“Ah…Ah’m fine, Ah can still keep fightin’!”
“You’re a terrible liar, Applejack. That attack took a lot out of me, even if you were protected; I doubt that it was any less pleasant for you.”
He was right, it wasn’t. During the whole fight, Applejack could feel the red light affecting her. Eating away at her will, Applejack didn’t want to abandon Ion, not when he needed her.
“Look Ah’m fine! We can beat’em Ah know we can, we just gotta hit him and hit him hard!”
“……Sorry Applejack, I can’t risk it. For your family’s sake and yours…goodbye…”
“Say what?!”
Before Applejack could protest, she felt a strange tugging sensation on her body. In less than a few seconds, Applejack was sent flying through the Emerald Giant’s body, exiting out of the middle of his back in a sphere of green energy. Applejack continuously pounded against the sphere, trying to break it or force it to go back.
“ION, DON’T YOU DARE DO THIS TO ME!!! LET ME HELP YA, ION!!!”
The sphere continued to carry Applejack further from the fight, it was then that the sphere passed through the barrier and landed in one of the safe zones. The sphere then released Applejack as it deteriorated into small particles of green light. Applejack gazed in the direction of the barrier, flashes of green and red light could be seen warring within it. She wanted to stay, to continue fighting with Ion, but she knew that he wouldn’t have sent her away if he didn’t think the fight was going for them, and she knew well that it wasn’t.
“Not again…! Why is this happening again!? I’m older and stronger, Ah’m not a weak little filly anymore! Every time…first with meh parents…and now… Damn you Ion…Damn it…Damn it…Damn it!!!”
Applejack furiously stomped at the rocky ground, venting her anger at the whole situation. AJ stopped when her hoof became sore, tears started to fall from her green eyes, old memories returning and mixing with the sorrows of the present. She hadn’t done it in a long time, and only rarely when the situation was bad enough, but now she thought now was a good a time as any. Applejack removed her Stetson hat and then bowed her head.
Ah don’t know if this will do any good, but I don’t want to have to go through that ever again…So please, whoever’s listenin’, Ah’m prayin’, Ah’m beggin’, don’t let Ion die…
(Elsewhere)
During the disaster, many residents of Ponyville were evacuated to safer distances from the super volcano. Because of its high elevation and distance, Canterlot was chosen as the destination to shuttle the evacuees. Royal Guards had set up tents to house the overflow, while the hotels opened up their doors to help with sheltering. Others didn’t have to use tents or hotels, but instead, took to the family they knew in Canterlot. Many of their relatives were more than happy to open up their home during the crisis.
When it started, Twilight had sent for a royal chariot to shuttle Spike, Scootaloo, and Adara to Canterlot to stay with Twilight’s parents. The young ones protested this arrangement, declaring that their place was at their side. But Twilight and Rainbow Dash would not be swayed. So, reluctantly, and with sad looks upon their faces, they were taken to Canterlot, where they were escorted to the home of Twilight Velvet and Night Light, Twilight’s parents. The mare and stallion were happy to see Spike again, but paused when they noticed the two fillies behind him.
“Oh yeah, you haven’t met yet. This is Scootaloo and Adara,” said Spike.
“Oh, now I remember! Yes Twilight described you two in her letter last month, well, I’m Night Light.”
“And I’m Twilight Velvet. Our little Sparkle told us so much about you two.”
“Thanks for taking us in,” said Scootaloo.
“It’s nice to meet you both,” said Adara.
A few hours after their arrival, Scootaloo and Adara were getting restless. They could spot the ominous orangey glow and black clouds that settled over Ponyville and the mountain range, both were gazing out the open window when they heard the door to the room open.
“Hey guys, maybe you want to come down and get something to eat, Velvet made it for us,” said Spike.
“How can you eat at a time like this, Spike?! Rainbow Dash andTwilight are still back in Ponyville doing – Luna knows what – to stop this thing!”
“Believe me, I know you’re worried Scoots, but that doesn’t mean I’m not either. We’re not helping them by starving.” Scootaloo snorted, “We can’t help them at all.”
“Scootaloo, have faith, they’ll be alright,” said Adara.
The orange pegasus met the gaze of her fillyfriend, there was worry in those eyes, but also a glimmer of hope. She knew by now, of course, that Adara might’ve had an inkling as to the outcome of this situation. Her special talent was Hope after all. However, she could’ve sworn that Adara flinched uneasily when they saw the flashes of green and red light coming from the volcano.
Her suspicions were cut short when a grumbling noise was heard within the room. Spike and Adara’s eyes looked to Scootaloo and her stomach. She blushed in embarrassment but then quickly regained her composure.
“Yeah, I guess we can eat something. Don’t wanna be rude to Mrs. Velvet,” said Scootaloo.
Spike smiled and rolled his eyes, while Adara giggled from Scootaloo’s show of coolness. As they were about to leave the room, Adara halted in her tracks.
“Adara,” said Spike.
The cerulean filly turned around and gazed towards the open window.
“Adara, you alright,” asked Scootaloo.
It was then that Scootaloo saw it; Adara’s cutie mark was starting to become slightly visible. Thinking fast, Scootaloo pushed Spike out the door and quickly shut it behind him, propping herself against it to prevent reentry.
“Hey!”
“Sorry, Spike, just – uh – give Adara me a few minutes, we’ll be down in minute,” said Scootaloo.
“Oh no, you two aren’t having a make out session in Twilight’s parents’ house, they’ll kill me!”
“We are NOT MAKING OUT! Please just go, Spike.”
“Humph, fine!” Scootaloo started to hear the pitter-patter of dragon feet walking away. “But you two owe me for this!” Spike shouted back.
“Fine, we owe you big, thank you!”
Scootaloo slumped to the floor and wiped her forehead with her hoof. Adara was still gazing out the window; her cutie mark was now completely visible.
“Adara, what’s wrong?”
“Somepony is crying…praying for the wellbeing of someone close and dear to them,” she spoke.
Scootaloo got up off the floor and stood beside Adara. “Who is it, and where is it?”
Adara raised her right hoof and pointed towards Ponyville.
“There, somepony is praying for a miracle. I have to go.”
“WHAT!!? Over there, where the eruption is happening, forget it!” Scootaloo shouted.
“Scootaloo, please, I have to. There’s something wrong going on, and my power tells me I am needed,” said Adara.
“NO! You’re needed here!” Scootaloo quickly wrapped her forelegs around Adara’s neck, embracing her tightly. “I don’t want to lose you, or Rainbow Dash, or Twilight! I don’t want to be alone again, not now!”
Adara felt Scootaloo’s warm tears on her shoulder, she returned the embrace, and Scootaloo cried a little more. “That will never happen, I promise you. You will never be alone again, and believe me when I say I’m not going to die so soon after getting fillyfriend.” Scootaloo pulled back and saw Adara smirking kindly at her. The orange filly returned the smirk with a confident grin.
“All will be well, right?”
“Yes, yes it will.”
Scootaloo slowly released Adara, but not before planting a kiss on her cheek.
“You better come back…”
“I will. Also, I suggest you stand back, behind the bed would be best.”
Scootaloo did as Adara instructed and peeked over the bed to watch what was happening. Adara’s body began to glow with the blue light of Hope. Her cutie mark shined as her eyes were filled with the azure light. Adara slowly rose five feet into the air; she then flared her wings and, with one flap, took off through the open window. The resulting takeoff created a mini-gust that nearly blew Scootaloo against the wall. After getting over the initial shock, she bounded towards the open window and watched as a blue stream of light zoomed off in the volcano’s direction.
Ion was starting to lose his strength. The Emerald Giant construct had several cracks all over its body. The way its body swayed indicated that it was tired and nearly out of breath. On the other hand, Butcher didn’t seem to be breaking a sweat; he was still full of fervor, ready to go another round.
“Why do you keep fighting with that weak construct, Ion?! Change into your true form and fight me for real,” ordered Butcher.
“Really, I thought you might’ve liked the little handicap,” said Ion.
Butcher snorted, “Humph, do what you want; I’ll end your life like I have everything else that has crossed my path!”
Ion let out a fierce battle cry as he dashed towards Butcher. Balling up his right fist, Ion threw his punch. Butcher met the attack head on, literally. He used his hardened skull to intercept the strike, when the fist made contact there was a powerful shockwave that resonated outwards, pushing some of the lava away. Unfortunately, cracks in the right arm spread out faster. A second later the entire right arm burst apart, shattering like fragile glass. Ion recoiled from the loss of his appendage. Butcher took this opportunity to lunge toward Ion. He aimed his right curved horn and thrust into the midsection of the Emerald Giant.
Ion could feel the Rage energy begin to eat away at his construct form, corroding him from the inside out. Butcher pulled and launched a flurry of goring strikes to the injured area. Slashing with his tusks, piercing with his horns, kicking at him with his hooves, it was a regular frenzied melee. Ion could barely react as he felt his construct getting torn apart. It was starting to become hard to concentrate, the red corruption spread throughout his form, breaking him down. Ion’s mind started to drift, thinking about all he had been through, and everyone he encountered while in Equestria. One face kept popping up again, and again, Applejack.
Sorry AJ…Thought I could beat him…
Butcher stopped his attack, watching as the one armed giant swayed about. Butcher’s body flared with crimson light once again, charging for Ion to finish the job.
Everything was happening in slow motion, Butcher’s charge. The various, spreading cracks all over his body, the rumbling of the ground as it continued to erupt…Huh, so this is death…NOT HAPPENING!!!
Ion took a firm stance and sprinted after Butcher, creating a tidal wave of lava in his wake. Ion tightened his left fist, drew back, and punched Butcher in the jaw. The resulting impact shattered his left arm, but sent Butcher flying in the opposite direction. The Entity of Rage caught himself and stared daggers at Ion. He then reared back and bellowed out another deluge of his blood-fire breath. Ion wasn’t going to get hit twice. He quickly jumped into the air, the blast striking only the spot where he once was. Ion then did a front flip and reared his head back.
When he descended Ion head butted Butcher. A powerful shockwave blasted everywhere, pushing the lava away in a giant ring, allowing sight of the molten ground below. Butcher pushed up, while Ion pushed down, neither one willing to give an inch. Unfortunately, Butcher had been doing head butts a lot longer than Ion. So he knew just how to work the momentum in order to throw the Emerald Giant backwards.
Butcher gave some slack, when felt that there was a significant gap he raised his head up, striking with renewed force at Ion’s head. The giant skidded back, till he stopped fifty feet away from Butcher. He was a total mess now, both arms gone, his head on the verge of shattering, and his power levels were low. All in all, it wasn’t a good day.
“Caught your second wind, huh?! Just admit it, Entity of Willpower, you’re beaten, it’s over!”
Ion stood up straight, rooting himself as his eyes glared at Butcher. “I’m not beaten, not while there’s stillHOPE!”
At that moment a bright blue star shined in the darkness of the ash ridden skies. Butcher looked up and watched as the clouds began to shrivel and disappear into nothingness. The star shined brighter and brighter till a beam of blue light shot down from the star and struck Ion. The white eyes of the Emerald Giant blazed with blue light, its aura erupted like the very volcano beneath their feet. Instantly his arms regenerated, all the cracks on his body vanished without a trace. The insignia for Hope hovered over Ion’s chest as the energy continued to course through him. The muscles of the construct began bulk and smooth out. Just then, four beams of light shot out from Ion’s back, the light then took form and became four additional arms. And finally, Ion’s Willpower insignia appeared behind him, as a giant ring. The twin symbols shined forth with resonating power as Ion let loose a powerful war cry.
“Just who do you think I am, Butcher?! Don’t think I’m in this alone, I never am! Where there is Will, there will always be Hope!” Ion proclaimed as he pointed a finger towards the blue star overhead.
Butcher snarled and growled as he looked upon the blue star. “DAMN YOU, ADARA!!! I’LL STILL KILL YOU!!!”
Butcher wrapped himself in his crimson aura and charged for Ion, his body turning into a red, blazing fireball. Ion did not move. He merely widened his stance, crossing his two middle arms in front of his chest, while the other four flexed their fingers. When the fireball reached him, Ion’s upper and lower arms thrust out and grabbed Butcher by the tusks and horns simultaneously. The sudden stop cancelled out Butcher’s aura, leaving him staring at Ion as he struggled to land his attack.
“Your Rage no longer corrupts my Willpower, but instead, the Hope energy that courses through me now purifies your Rage!”
Ion uncrossed his middle arms, drew them both back, and double punched Butcher right in the face. He released the demonic bull at the right moment, the power and force of the punches sent the Entity of Rage sailing across the lava and into a mountain.
“Time to finish this!!!”
In one swift step, Ion crossed the distance between him and Butcher. With his six fists, Ion unleashed a flurry of punches at the Entity of Rage. Butcher had nowhere to dodge or run, he, and the mountain were being pummeled into the ground. Ion drew back all three of his right fists, each one blazing with blue and green energy. Butcher wasn’t going to take this anymore. The Entity of Rage then bellowed another blood-fire stream. Ion’s fists and Butcher’s blast collided at point-blank range. A giant explosion erupted from the attacks causing a blinding light to shower over everything.
Ion was crouched on one knee, eyes narrowed, with all six arms ready to fight once again. Butcher was breathing heavily, snarling as he stared down Ion. His eyes flicked to another direction for just a split second before he snorted angrily.
“This isn’t over Ion,” Butcher then turned his gaze skywards, “or for you Adara! Next time, the outcome will be different!”
Butcher’s body then glowed with crimson light, changing into pure light that shot up into the sky and zipped off into the horizon. Ion followed the light with his eyes, standing up and preparing to go after the demonic bull.
“Ion stop, you can’t go after him now! We need to cap this volcano, now,” said Adara through their link.
Ion continued to stare off in Butcher’s direction, but he knew Adara was right. He could sense that the pressure was starting to reach its zenith, and that their resent rumble didn’t exactly help matters. Ion then jumped into the air and began hovering over the lava geyser.
“Adara I have a plan, but I’m it’s going to require a little of your pegasus magic to work. Listen closely!”
Applejack galloped frantically to find a better vantage point to view what was happening. Ion had ejected Applejack from his body, knowing full well that the fight might be going bad for him. She had no idea that he was the Emerald Giant, but now it all made sense. The Running of the Leaves, how the giant just happened to know where the buried ponies where, plus Ion’s quick recovery. Not to mention, the incident with the revived apple trees, why he was so secretive. It all fit.
But right now, that didn’t matter, what did matter was that Ion was fighting for his life, and the lives of everypony around. Now that blue star appeared and the ash cloud was destroyed, which only made Applejack worry more. As she continued to gallop up the mountain she noticed two figures flying towards her. Applejack skidded to halt and readied herself for a fight, given today’s events, it was reasonable to be on edge and weary. Luckily, these two figures happened to be ponies she knew well.
“TWILIGHT, RAINBOW DASH!!!”
The alicorn and pegasus spotted their friend and dove down to meet her. Once they landed, Rainbow Dash quickly enveloped the farm pony in a tight hug.
“When we went to base camp your team said that you had run off somewhere, and after everything that’s happened we thought…we thought…” Twilight couldn’t finish her sentence.
“Ah’m alright, sugarcube, but we got bigger things goin’on. Twi, Dash, have ya seen what’s been goin’ on, tell me ya saw the Emerald Giant fightin’ up there!?”
Rainbow Dash separated herself from Applejack and looked in the direction of the barrier. “Oh, we saw alright, and the Giant had that big red bull on the run!”
“Ya mean he – IT – won!?”
“Apparently the tide turned when that blue star appeared,” said Twilight, as she pointed a hoof to the glowing star. And that’s when she noticed something else. “What is THAT?!”
Rainbow Dash and Applejack both looked up to the blue star and watched was as black clouds began to swirl around the shining blue star. Applejack broke off and galloped faster, watching as the barrier began to fully deteriorate. Twilight and Rainbow Dash flew to catch up with the earth pony mare, watching as she frantically made her way to the edge of a cliff. Applejack finally stopped, reaching a place where she had a good view of what was happening.
The Emerald Giant, or Ion as she now knew, had six arms and had a blue symbol on his chest and another floating a few inches behind him. He was hovering over the geyser of lava, the demonic bull having left the fight, and stared down at the rumbling hole in the ground. The storm clouds overhead started to tighten their swirling pattern, for some reason, even amidst the sweltering heat of the lava, the air began to cool. Applejack saw her breath with each exhale, wondering what exactly was going on. Rainbow and Twilight finally caught up to her and landed beside her.
“Dash, Twi, do you know what’s goin’ on,” asked Applejack.
“The temperature’s dropping considerably, and those clouds aren’t made of ash, they’re actual storm clouds,” observed Twilight.
“I don’t remember anypony at the Weather Factory sending in a storm front. The ash cloud would’ve made it impossible to do that, plus, given the looks of those clouds, that’s a winter storm front, it’d take at least a couple of months to get that ready. They would’ve sent rain clouds instead,” said Rainbow Dash.
Suddenly the clouds nearest the blue star let loose a concentrated blast of ice, snow, and rain water all at once. Ion raised his fists into the air, his insignia growing in size as the deluge aimed straight towards it. The flurry passed through the insignia, transforming into energy that coalesced around each of the fists. The blue insignia shot forth from his chest and grew three times the size it once was. Ion then flew towards the blue symbol, passing through it and becoming a giant made of blue-green light. All three mares watched as the Giant continued to descend further and further down to the geyser.
As if sensing his incoming attack, the geyser let loose its pent up fury, exploding magnificently upwards toward the Giant. The Emerald Giant then thrust each of its six fists at the gushing lava.
“GET DOWN,” ordered Twilight.
Her friends didn’t have to be told twice. All three of them hit the dirt. The next thing they heard was a thunderous explosion, followed by an equally powerful shockwave and a rush of strangely cold air. Another sound rang out, Applejack dared to crack open one eye to see what was happening. She almost screamed in terror as a lava wave started heading in their direction. But just as quickly as she spotted it the glowing magma started to lose its reddish yellow color and turn brown. There was what sounded like, a hardening and cracking of rock. The wave then came to a dead stop, having turned into solid rock and frozen in place. Applejack then nudged her two friends, urging them to look up and see what she was seeing.
Twilight and Rainbow Dash’s mouths gaped at the sight of the solidified wave. The three of them gazed over the land, the lava pool and the rivers that were dammed had become solid rock, instantly cooled. The giant wave obscured the view of what happened to the Emerald Giant, Applejack slightly feared the worst, but some part of her felt that Ion wasn’t one to be defeated so easily. At that moment, the rock started to crack, each of the fissures glowed with the combined light of blue and green. The fissures spider webbed outwards, continuing to grow and spreading out towards the now hardened rock. All at once the fissures radiated the unified light and flashed, destroying the giant rock wave and shattering the remnants that splintered off.
The entire area was bathed in a blinding blue-green light, making them shield their eyes with their forelegs. After a bit of time the light faded away, allowing Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Twilight to slowly open their eyes. When they did, they gasped. The rock that was once the lava had completely disappeared. The Emerald Giant stood tall and proud with its back turned to them. The glow of the blue star then faded away, disappearing altogether. The Giant’s body lost its powerful dual glow, the insignia on its back vanishing, along with its six arms.
“How…how did it do that,” asked Rainbow Dash.
“Somehow, the Giant used the super cooled flurry, combined it with its power, and used it to instantly cool the lava into rock. The hole it’s standing on, where the caldera used to be, it must’ve hardened it all the way down to the core. Amazing,” said Twilight in awe.
Applejack took a tentative step forward, her eyes never straying from the strong and broad back of the Emerald Giant. After gulping down a lump that had formed in her throat, she spoke quietly, “Ion…?”
The Emerald Giant straightened up, and then turned its head to glance over its right shoulder. It’s white eye seeming to have locked with Applejack’s. It wasn’t apparent on its face, but somehow, Applejack knew that Ion was smiling at her. After that, the Giant’s body dissolved into particles of emerald light and shot into the air, disappearing from sight. Applejack smiled a little and breathed a sigh of relief.
“Well, y’all, guess we’d better start the cleanup.”
(A few hours later)
Ion had reconstituted himself a mile or two from base camp. He slowly walked back, his head hung low, ears flat against his skull. In order to save Applejack, Ion had to quickly form the Emerald Giant construct around her, and in the process revealing his powers. It was one thing to have Apple Bloom know and there were extenuating circumstances when showing her his powers. And such circumstances had arisen once again today, but this wasn’t exactly how he had thought he would tell her. And it wasn’t as if she knew of his true form, now that was a can of worms that had yet to be opened, but still, this wasn’t how he wanted it to happen.
Ion let out a deep sigh, “Oh well, better go and face the music. Ah crap, we still need to tell the Princesses about what’s going on! No way we’ll be able to handle this quietly, not after that spectacle! Thanks a lot Butcher, I’ll remember to give you an extra special beating when I see you next time!”
The base camp was coming into sight, many of the Royal Guards and volunteer ponies were busy scrambling about, trying to organize everyone. Compared to the last time they were scrambling about, there wasn’t a hint of fear in their actions, it was more relaxed, and without worry that things were going to get worse. Princess Twilight Sparkle was under the main tent, talking to different team leaders. Now that the ash cloud was gone, and the volcano silenced, there was only the clean up to worry about. Thankfully the preventative measures taken by the Princesses and pegasus ponies kept the ash from spreading too far into Equestria. Apparently there wasn’t that much ash around Ponyville either, some of it had been blown away by the shockwaves that erupted from the fight and the subsequent flurry Adara had created.
It wasn’t long before Ion spotted Applejack. She was leaning up against some crates, a sprig of wheat in her mouth as she stood there. The relaxed, nonchalant way she was standing there, it was almost as if she was waiting for him to return. At this point he wasn’t sure which of the two evils was the lesser. Telling Princess Twilight about the appearance of the Negative Entities of Emotion or telling Applejack that he was the Entity of Willpower and that he was from another universe? Oh yes, those are great options! Damn…well, it was fun while it lasted.
Ion trotted up to Applejack, once he got there, she turned to him and smiled. The green stallion chuckled nervously, wondering where this was going to go.
“Um…heh, heh…Hi, Applejack, are you alright,” asked Ion.
“Ah’m fine, Ion. But…”
Ion blinked once, but then felt pain resonating through his jaw. The world spun about till he finally landed on something hard and unforgiving. Ion realized that he was on the ground, the inside of his mouth tasted of iron, blood. When he looked up Ion saw that Applejack’s right foreleg was stretched out, putting two and two together, he figured that the farm mare had just punched him out, which sent him spiraling to the ground.
“That’s for throwing me out of the fight, and getting me all worked up and worried about you,” growled Applejack. Ion slowly rose up, wiping the blood from his lip. “Okay, okay, I admit it, I deserved that.”
“And this –!”
“Wait let me –!”
Ion was struck speechless, for the second time. Applejack had wrapped her forelegs around Ion, hugging him tightly. He then felt warm tears falling on his shoulder. When Applejack pulled away Ion saw the same smile from before, but with tears streaming down her muzzle.
“That’s for comin’ back in one piece, and for savin’ the town and Equestria.”
Ion wanted to say thanks, but that wasn’t the first thing that popped into his head. “I haven’t saved anything…that thing; it’s still loose, for now he’ll be lying low. I’m sorry Applejack; I wanted to tell you…”
“Well, Ah guess, now that the big secret is out of the way, Ah can do this…”
Ion didn’t have much time to register what was happening. One minute Applejack was looking at him, and the next, she was kissing him on the lips. His mind had ceased up, Ion didn’t know how to respond to this action. But it felt, nice. Applejack pulled back and stared at the stallion with the dumbfounded expression, her eyes flicked between his face and the ground, feeling very embarrassed about what she did. Her muzzle was red, blushing hard, but her smile didn’t waver.
“Ah didn’t feel right, tellin’ ya how Ah felt. Yer secret, it just made it hard for me to tell ya, it was like a wall that Ah couldn’t see over, and Ah was afraid. ‘Cause, Ah didn’t know what was over that wall. Was the Ion Ah knew right now the same one as the one behind that wall, or was he something else completely? But now Ah saw what’s beyond that wall, and Ah ain’t afraid.”
Ion bit his lip, “Applejack, you haven’t seen beyond that ‘wall’. There’s still a lot I haven’t told you…”
“Well at least Ah got to get a peek. And now, we can work from there, sugarcube.” Applejack separated herself from Ion and put on her usual smirk. “C’mon now, we got a ton of work to do, cleanin’ up this mess and such.”
Ion happily followed Applejack, not certain of where this was going to go. Ion knew he’d have to tell her about his origins, about what he really was, but, at least for now, the two of them were honest with each other about how they felt, and for the time being, that was enough.
A month had passed since the volcanic eruption in the mountain range near Ponyville. Luckily, the damage was minimal, and the cleanup had gone smoothly. Crops didn’t suffer much, and weather patterns hadn’t been thrown too off schedule. Unfortunately, now that the cleanup was over, it was time to address the problem concerning the arrival of Butcher, Ophidian, and quite possibly, Parallax. The four Positive Entities were gathered in Canterlot Castle, in secret, to discuss with the four ruling Princesses of Equestria.
“So, it is as you’ve feared, the other Entities have found a way into Equestria’s universe,” said Celestia.
“I’m sorry we didn’t come to you sooner with this information, I take full responsibility for this,” said Ion.
“What we don’t understand is why you did not tell us when the first incident occurred,” asked Luna, eyeing each of them suspiciously. “We know that they are fellow Entities, but surely you don’t wish for them to cohabitate with you here?”
“Ugh, no, they were sent to places that best suited them. That’s what the Life Entity told us before we allowed him to take us from the universe we once lived in. Of course we were never told where they were placed, but we assumed that they were,” said Predator.
“‘Assumed,’ as in the Life Entity never told you?” asked Cadance.
“No, the Life Entity came to us and said that he would take us away from our universe. He told us that we, although cosmic, eternal beings, deserved to live lives like any other creature that existed. That is why he said he would take us to places that best represented our lights. The Life Entity must’ve deemed your world a good fit for us four and, quite honestly, I’m in agreement,” spoke Proselyte.
“So, when Applejack’s land became barren and lifeless, that was the work of one of the Negative Entities?” Twilight asked.
“Yes, it was. Ophidian is the Entity of Avarice; he takes and takes, and is never satisfied. The one that Ion faced last month, his name is the Butcher, the Entity of Rage. Ophidian is dangerous, but somewhat manageable. Butcher though…Butcher is pure rage, he’ll fight and kill anything that’s in his way. And, if those two have found their way here, we can also assume that Parallax, the Entity of Fear, is here as well,” said Adara.
The four Princesses sat on their haunches as they mulled over the information the Entities had just been told them. All in all, the four Entities were kind of worried. They thought they could handle just Ophidian, but the arrival of Butcher, and the possibility that Parallax was already there, made this too big to keep secret or handle quietly without help. Despite being what they were, the four of them were still guests in this universe, should the Princesses deem it necessary, they might send them away after expunging the other three first. And neither one of them wanted that, not now, not with all they’ve achieved thus far.
After some time of contemplating, the four Princesses seemed to come to a consensus.
“We’ll aid you in the locating of the remaining Entities. My threstral Night Guard can more easily conduct covert assignments,” said Luna.
“The Day Guard will also be alerted to keep vigilant and to report strange happenings, the bigger and wider out net is, the better chance we have of finding them,” said Celestia.
The four Entities blinked.
“That’s it…?” asked Predator.
“Shh!” Adara hissed.
“What are you talking about,” asked Twilight.
“Aren’t you going to banish us, you know, after we’ve gotten rid of them?”
Ion wanted to smack Predator upside the head for saying that, but to their surprise the Princesses seemed confused.
“Why would we do that,” asked Cadance.
Proselyte stepped forward, “It is most likely because of us that they were able to find Equestria. Their influence could disrupt the balance of your world, and it wouldn’t surprise us if you wished for us to depart after we’ve dealt with them.”
“We couldn’t do that to you, this wasn’t your fault to begin with. You all live here now and are a part of Equestria, you’ve proven that and more than earned your right to stay,” said Twilight with a kind smile.
“Honestly, did the rumors of us being ‘banish happy’ finally get to you all,” asked Celestia.
No words were spoken, but plenty of whistling, leg rubbing, and blushes could be seen by the four rulers, earning a round a laughter from all assembled.
(3 Weeks Later)
The meeting with the Princesses was a bit nerve wracking, but nothing that the stoic Entity of Compassion couldn’t handle. However, today might prove to be yet another one of those days. Dinky Hooves, Derpy’s daughter, had come to invite Proselyte on a, what she called, “siblings only picnic”. Now that didn’t seem like anything unusual, at first. Seeing as how Amethyst Star, or Sparkler as she was known by her friends and sister, was there, but it confounded when she asked him to join, but then he remembered their little incident during Hearth’s Warming Day some months back, how Derpy and Fluttershy more or less said they were family.
Currently the pegasus colt was walking along a dirt road, with Dinky in the middle, and Sparkler beside her carrying the basket in her telekinetic aura. The whole time they were walking, Proselyte couldn’t shake the suspicious glances that Sparkler would often give him. At first he thought it was nothing, this was the first time the two of them have officially met. And Dinky’s innocent affection for him didn’t quite make it any easier for the older sister, most likely her protective sisterly instincts were in high gear.
“Isn’t this great!? Being out together,” asked Dinky cheerfully.
“Ah, any day’s great when I get to spend it with you Dinks,” said Sparkler.
“And now it’s even more fun because we have a brother.” Dinky emphasized her point by sliding up next to Proselyte and nuzzling him.
It wasn’t an overly affectionate nuzzle, more along the lines of a friendly one between family members. However, Proselyte noticed that Sparkler’s hold on the basket wavered a bit, and there was also the distinct sound of something cracking. Proselyte sensed the slight change in her emotional aura. Using his power, he analyzed her emotions trying to determine what she was feeling.
She’s feeling a bit of Rage at the moment, stemming from Fear for her little sister. Ugh, does everypony believe me to be that much of a threat, I’m sure Parallax gets less fearful looks than I do.
Eventually the three of them made it to the picnic spot. Amethyst laid out the blanket with her magic, while Dinky took out the food one by one with her telekinesis. Once everything was out, the three sat down and began enjoying the peaceful day and delicious food.
“So, your name is ‘Proselyte’, right? You’re the one who saved my little sister, huh?” asked Sparkler.
“Um, I wouldn’t go so far as to say that, I really didn’t do much. What exactly, did you tell her Dinky,” asked Proselyte feeling just a teensy bit nervous.
“Oh, I told Sparkler how you came to save me, and then helped Mom and Miss Fltuttershy find us in the blizzard,” she said.
Proselyte let out a little sigh of relief, true to her word, Dinky had kept the truth about his powers a secret. Too many ponies are learning about our powers, at this point keeping them secret might not be a viable option anymore.
“Uh-huh, you and Dinky seem to be…close,” said Sparkler eyeing the colt.
“Well he did save me, sis. And Mommy said that we should consider Miss Shy and Proselyte family too. Oh! We should enter the Bro Hooves Blast,” suggested Dinky.
Sparkler, while eating her sandwich, was now chocking on the little bit she had swallowed. The magenta unicorn levitated a thermos with some tea and chugged it to help the food make its way down her throat.
Proselyte raised an eyebrow at that, “The ‘Bro Hooves Blast,’ what is that exactly?”
After regaining her composure, Sparkler answered the question. “It’s a little competition, much like the Sister Hooves Social here in Ponyville, where brothers or brothers and sisters can have fun and participate in some siblings on siblings competitions. But, sweetie, I don’t think you can. I mean, no offense, but Proselyte isn’t your real brother.”
Dinky stopped mid-bite of her sandwich and gave her sister an incredulous look. “What do you mean!? They let Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo compete last year! And they aren’t related! You and I aren’t either, but we’re still sisters!”
Sparkler rubbed the back of her head with her hoof as she tried to figure out the best way to explain adoption and familial relation.
“Well… ya see Dinks, when Mom adopted me she signed a whole bunch of legal papers and stuff that says I’m officially, your sister. Even though we aren’t related by blood, adoption works differently. And, as far as I know, Rainbow Dash is Scootaloo’s legal guardian, but acts like a surrogate sister since Scootaloo doesn’t have one. Do you understand Dinks?”
Dinky just sat there, blinked, and then turned to Proselyte. “What’s ‘surgate’ mean?”
“It means that, in a way, Rainbow Dash is acting like a substitute. But now it’s official, like Spar –” Proselyte watched as the unicorn mare’s gaze rested on him in a sort of warning fashion. “– Amethyst and you.”
“Oh, so that’s all. Then we don’t have to worry about that, Mommy will take care of that,” said Dinky.
Sparkler and Proselyte looked to each other and then to Dinky, blinked, and spoke at the same time, “What?”
(Fluttershy’s Cottage)
Fluttershy was enjoying a day of quiet time. Her critter friends were all taken care of and went about their day, Angel was busy doing…whatever it was he was doing since the little bunny rabbit constantly repeated “None of your business, Shy. But I’ll see ya later.” So with that said, Fluttershy decided to have some tea and take the day to relax. The month before had been quite hectic, what with the whole volcano business, and arrival of the Emerald Giant.
Fluttershy was sitting outside, gazing over the peaceful scenery of her home as she remembered the news of Rainbow Dash and Twilight adopting Scootaloo, and taking in her little filly friend, Adara. When she first heard about Scootaloo’s situation, she was heartbroken, to think that that little filly was living alone, with nopony to look after her. Fluttershy shuddered, her mind wandering to bad places as she imagined all the bad things that could’ve happened to her while she was alone. It made her think about Proselyte, had she not taken him in the colt might’ve been in the same situation that Scootaloo was, she didn’t even know how long he had been on his own.
But that was in the past, Lyte was with her now, she was his family, his…his…what was she exactly? Fluttershy put her teacup down as she contemplated this fact.
Am I his sister? I’m too young to really be his mother – despite what other ponies think – I’m not even his legal guardian. Oh my, I’ve been harboring a runaway foal for months now!
And just like that, her peaceful teatime was now shattered as her mind now filled with the latent worries of Proselyte’s situation. It was true, Fluttershy had made no attempt at finding out where Lyte used to live, who his parents were, or if he was running from something bad that happened his life.
Although, given his abilities, I can’t really blame him for wanting to run away. I mean, yes, his powers were a bit scary when I first saw them. But they’re just the opposite, he’s used them to help ponies and animals alike, he’s kind, compassionate, and thoughtful of others. How could anypony want to abandon him!? Or…was it that somepony took advantage of him?! Wanted to abuse his powers!?
It just continued to devolve from there.
I haven’t even filed a report with the Royal Guard! Or gone to Town Hall to apply for legal guardianship, he could be taken away at any time and I’d have no way to stop them! If…if they were bad ponies, that is…Maybe I can talk to Twilight, I hate to ask, but maybe she could use her royal status to help me get custody of Lyte, maybe –!
“LOOK OUT!”
Fluttershy heard a mysterious voice and quietly ducked under her table. There was a sudden whooshing sound before a rather loud crash, and then a thudding noise followed. The pink maned mare poked her head up from the table. Her eyes followed the trail of destruction. Her fence had been broken through, some lawn care tools scattered about, and the chickens were flipping out as they flapped and clucked. Fluttershy continued to scan the area till her eyes rested on an odd looking bush, which had two gray hooves sticking out of it, along with a pair of gray wings to match, and a blonde tail.
“Couldn’t be…” Fluttershy thought it over for a moment. “As a matter of fact, it could.”
Fluttershy quickly left the safety of her table and rushed to the bush, by the time she got there a gray pegasus mare rolled out of it, with some leaves tangled in her blonde mane as she flashed Fluttershy a sheepish grin.
“Hi Fluttershy,” greeted Derpy.
“Oh my goodness, Derpy, are you alright?!” asked Fluttershy concerned.
Derpy rose up onto her hooves. She then lightly brushed the leaves out of her mane and smiled her usual carefree smile.
“I’m okay, that was actually one of my softer landings.” Derpy’s eyes then wandered over towards the small trail of destruction she had caused, she frowned slightly as her ears flattened. “Oh no, I was at least trying to aim for the bush. Sorry Fluttershy, I’ll pay for the damages, I promise.”
Fluttershy couldn’t help but smile at Derpy, maybe it was her kind heart, or that childlike quality in her, but it never failed to help lift somepony’s spirits.
“No, that’s okay. It’s easily fixed; you don’t have to worry about it. But, why exactly did you come? Did I get a package?”
Derpy’s ears rose up as her smile returned, but now there was a slight tinge of pink to her cheeks. Was Derpy embarrassed about something?
“Actually…there was something I wanted to talk to you about, can sit we somewhere.”
“Of course.”
Fluttershy led Derpy Hooves to the table where she was having tea earlier. The walleyed pegasus sat across from Fluttershy, even though her eyes normally didn’t focus too well, Derpy seemed to be actively avoiding eye contact with the mare, fidgeting with her hooves every once and a while. It got to the point where Fluttershy was starting to feel awkward about the silence. She coughed a bit to break the silence before speaking.
“So Derpy, what did you want to talk about? Lyte, Dinky, and Sparkler are out having a picnic right now. Did you want to join them?” Fluttershy asked.
“No, but it does have something to do with the three of them…” Derpy sighed heavily. “Um, Fluttershy, I have a favor to ask you. Have you heard about the Bro Hooves Blast?”
“Yes, I have. It’s similar to the Sister Hooves Social.”
“Okay, so…you know how Sparkler and Dinky compete in the Sister Hooves Social? Well, this year…um, Dinky wants to compete in the BBB in Canterlot in a couple of days.”
Fluttershy raised an eyebrow at that. As far as she knew, the competition required that one of the siblings be an older brother. To her knowledge, Derpy only had the two daughters, which made since why they’d join the Sister Hooves Social plenty of times before.
“I don’t understand. Do you have another foal I don’t know about?”
“Actually…you already met him. He’s having a picnic with Dinky and Sparkler as we speak…”
Immediately Fluttershy knew exactly who she was talking about, her mouth forming an “O” of realization. But then something else made her rethink it.
“But, Derpy, I don’t mean to be negative, but Proselyte isn’t your son. So he couldn’t enter the competition, I know we said we were like family now, but I don’t know if you could get away with that,” said Fluttershy.
The blush started to become deeper on Derpy. “Well…there is a way, if you could – but you have to – um…you could pretend to…you know, be my marefriend…”
The world came to a grinding halt at that moment. The gears in Fluttershy’s head squeaked as they tried to turn, processing the request of the pegasus mare before her. She must’ve been in that silent paused state for a bit because Derpy was waving her hoof in front of Fluttershy’s face, calling her name.
“Fluttershy? Fluttershy, you in there?” asked Derpy.
The light–yellow mare shook her head a bit as if waking from a daze.
“Oh…Oh my, I’m sorry Derpy. I guess I spaced out a little. I could’ve sworn that you said you wanted me to be your marefriend, I must’ve imagined it.”
“Well, technically, marefriend wouldn’t be the right word for it…more along the lines of wife…”
Suddenly Derpy heard a dull thud. She then saw four hooves sticking straight up into the air. The gray pegasus mare quickly sat up, craning her neck to see Fluttershy on the ground, still as a statue. Derpy walked around to the other side to see of if her friend was alright, she did note the odd twitch in Fluttershy’s left eye, Derpy then facehoofed herself, which comically knocked her eyes into the correct position before she blinked.
“Stupid, I knew I should’ve done this differently! Oh no, now I’ve put Fluttershy into a coma! What am I going to tell Proselyte! Oh, what am I going to tell Rainbow Dash! She’ll definitely get mad me for this!” Derpy panicked.
It took several seconds before Fluttershy’s brain rebooted itself. Her hooves went lax as she regained control of her frozen limps. She then blinked a few times since her eyes were a bit dried from being open so long.
“I’m…I’m alright Derpy,” said Fluttershy.
Derpy quickly lent her friend a hoof up, slowly getting Fluttershy back onto her hooves. When Fluttershy was up, she noticed that both her hoof and Derpy’s were still interlocked. The two mares then quickly released the other’s hoof; a bright crimson blush was glowing on both their faces.
“Um…Derpy…I…I don’t know what to say…I mean, I like you, you’re a good friend, you’re cute, and adorable, but…marriage is moving a little too fast! I-I-I’d be fine with being marefriends. I just don’t want you to be disappointed if I’m not what you expected if we got…married…”
Derpy then looked at Fluttershy with a confused expression, “What are you talking about?” That’s when the realization struck Derpy and her eyes went wide with embarrassment. “OH NO! Nonononononononono! That’s not what I meant at all!”
Now it was Fluttershy’s turn to look confused and flustered.
“I wanted you to PRETEND that we were married, just until the Bro Hooves Blast is over. You know, that way Dinky and Proselyte can enter…and nopony would be suspicious…”
Fluttershy didn’t know if it was possible to blush even harder than she already was, her whole body was a bright shade of red now. “Oh…”
“I-I understand if you say no…it’s dumb idea. I just…When Dinky called Proselyte her ‘big brother’, and the way she acts around him, I just brought it up when we were all having dinner at one night. But Fluttershy, you should’ve seen her face, she was smiling so beautifully that I…I wanted to make her wish come true. I thought giving her a day with a full family, even if it was just pretend and for a day, it’d make her happy.”
Derpy then hung her head in shame, turning her back to Fluttershy.
“It…It was a stupid idea, I’m sorry for embarrassing you Shy…Forget I said anything.”
As Derpy spread her wings to take off she felt a tug at her tail. She then turned around and that Fluttershy was preventing her from flying away. The pink maned pegasus then released Derpy’s tail and smiled sheepishly at her.
“I…didn’t say no, Derpy. But…could you give me till tomorrow to think it over and talk to Lyte about it first?”
Derpy’s ears perked up as she beamed at Fluttershy.
“Yes, of course, thank you Fluttershy! We’ll come by later in the afternoon, that alright?”
Fluttershy nodded.
“Great, see you tomorrow!”
Derpy then zoomed off into the sky, adding a few loop-de-loops into her flying as she did so. There was one thing, however, that both mares couldn’t get over that stuck out in their heads.
Wait…did Fluttershy think I was cute?
Did I just offer to be Derpy’s marefriend?
(Later That Night)
Fluttershy awaited Proselyte’s return from his picnic with Dinky and Sparkler. The young colt was a little bewildered by Sparkler’s accusing and suspicious gaze throughout most of their time. Proselyte had informed Fluttershy that the three of them played a few games, most of them involving a Frisbee and quick game of tag, which, Proselyte admitted, was enjoyable.
The two of them were currently at the dining table, Fluttershy had prepared a nice pasta for dinner, and Angel had received one of his “requested” salads.
“Fluttershy, have you ever heard of the Bro Hooves Blast?” asked Proselyte.
The pink maned mare nearly choked on her pasta when he mentioned it.
“Um, yes, as a matter of fact I have. Where did you hear about it?”
“Oh, Dinky mentioned that she wanted to enter with me as her ‘big brother’.”
Fluttershy studied the colt carefully, trying to gauge whether or not the idea appealed to him.
“And…what did you say,” she asked.
“Well…we got into a slight discussion about what it meant to be a sibling. Come to think of it, Dinky did say something rather odd. She said that her mother would take care of the part about us being a family or something. I really didn’t understand that,” said Proselyte.
Fluttershy gulped. So Dinky knew what her mother was doing then…or at least had an idea. Oh dear…well, here it goes.
“Lyte, would you mind entering the Bro Hooves Blast with Dinky?”
Proselyte thought it over for a moment before he grinned. “Not really, it actually sounds like fun. But, again, there’s still that little wrinkle about my not being adopted by or related to Miss Derpy.”
“That’s good to hear, because Derpy stopped by and proposed – EEP!”
Fluttershy clasped her hooves over her mouth as she blushed yet again; using the word “proposed” brought back the memories of that awkward conversation. Proselyte and Angel both looked at Fluttershy with both concern and confusion.
“Hey, Shy, are you alright? You’re acting more…skittish than usual?” Angel asked.
“No, no, everything’s fine, just fine! It’s not like Derpy came by earlier and asked me to marry her – EEP!”
The fork that Proselyte was holding in the crook of his hoof dropped, both the bunny and colt had stunned expressions plastered on their faces as the information slowly sunk into their heads.
“You were…proposed to…by Miss Derpy?” asked Proselyte.
“That clumsy pegasus asked you to marry her!?” asked Angel.
“Nononono, she just asked me to pretend to be her wife so that we could pretend to be a family, so that you and Dinky can enter the Bro Hooves Blast!” Fluttershy clarified.
Angel gave the mare a skeptical look. “Uh-huh, ‘cause that’s a perfectly reasonable way to enter this thing.”
“It would only be for one day! Please understand you two! I want to do this for Dinky…and for Derpy and Sparkler. They’ve been through a lot since Hearth’s Warming. If we can give some semblance of being a whole family, then I think we should at least try to,” said Fluttershy with confidence.
“What’s this we stuff, I’m kicking back here,” said Angel.
“Angel…” The rabbit looked up at Proselyte. The colt grinned happily, but that was only to mask the great amount of intimidating pressure he was exerting on Angel. “…Miss Derpy, Dinky, and Amethyst Star are our friends, and as their friends, we should help and support them in this endeavor. Do you not agree?”
Angel gulped, although he was staring at a colt, he knew exactly what lay underneath the façade, which was the only reason why he wasn’t telling Proselyte off.
“Um…yeah, sure, whatever you say,” said Angel, chuckling nervously.
“Oh thank you for understanding Angel! And Lyte, I know I’m asking a lot of you, and I also know you like Derpy and Dinky, but I don’t want to force you into something you don’t want to do. This is as much your decision as it is mine.”
It didn’t take long at all for Proselyte to answer. “I’d be honored to play the role of Dinky’s ‘big brother’, if only for a day.”
“Oh I can’t wait; Derpy’s going to be so happy when we tell her tomorrow.”
As Fluttershy went back to eating her pasta she couldn’t help notice that both Proselyte and Angel were smirking at her for some unknown reason.
“Um, do I have sauce on my muzzle?”
“No, just wondering, Fluttershy, do you like the idea of being Miss Derpy’s paramour?”
Fluttershy spluttered her food when she heard the implication.
“Now that Miss-look-at-me-I-the-fastest-flyer-ever is taken, guess ya gotta find somepony to pine over. And really, so long as it’s not Miss-prissy-prim-and-proper, you could do a lot worse,” said Angel as he nibbled on a lettuce leaf.
That’s when they both heard a thudding noise and both sets of Fluttershy’s hooves pointed straight to the ceiling. Her entire body was glowing red as she started to mutter incoherently.
“I think we may’ve gone a bit far,” said Proselyte.
Angel glanced over Fluttershy before shrugging. “Eh, not really. Ten bits says it doesn’t go anywhere.”
“Oh, why not up the ante?”
Angel raised an eyebrow, “Keep talking squid-boy.”
“I wager that Fluttershy and Miss Derpy seek each other out after the Bro Hooves Blast, and if I win, you have to be kind and cordial to every animal and pony you meet, and help out with chores all around the house for the next eight months.”
Angel furrowed his brow, but smirked nonetheless.
“Alright, and I bet that Shy doesn’t even say a thing about how she feels by the end of that Blast thing. And you have to wait on me hoof and paw from now until next year.”
Proselyte’s left eye twitched at the prospect of serving this arrogant and ill-tempered rabbit for a whole year. Still, this did not stop him from mimicking the rabbit’s expression. He then reached out his hoof and met Angel’s paw as they shook on it.
“You’re gonna lose, kid. I know Shy, trust me, better to just give up now then suffer an ‘I told you so’ later.”
“Yes, but I believe in Fluttershy, and in her heart. So I wouldn’t celebrate just yet.”
Fluttershy finally stirred back to consciousness, rising up off the floor as she looked around. She then noticed the odd expressions on both Proselyte and Angel.
“Is there something wrong?”
“Nope,” they said at the same time.
(That Same Night, Derpy Hooves’ Residence)
Derpy was busy tucking in Dinky, the little unicorn filly nestled into her pillow as her mother draped the blankets over her. Derpy then gently placed a kiss on Dinky’s forehead before saying, “Goodnight my little muffin.” She then quietly closed the door behind her, taking one last look at her sleeping daughter before closing the door.
Afterwards, Derpy made her way downstairs. There in the living room, Sparkler awaited her. Derpy had been vague on the details about how she asked Fluttershy about getting Proselyte to compete with Dinky in the Bro Hooves Blast. She knew Sparkler was especially protective of Dinky, Celestia knows she was a wreck when she found out Dinky had ran away and almost froze to death. And she wasn’t oblivious to the fact that Sparkler was a little suspicious of Proselyte. Derpy knew it was just her sisterly instincts, she wanted to tell her about the young colt’s special powers, but she was sworn to secrecy, and if Dinky could keep a secret then so could she.
Derpy sat on the couch next to Sparkler, her adopted daughter gave her an inquisitive look.
“Alright, so tell me Mom, how did you convince Miss Fluttershy to get Proselyte to join Dinky in the BBB?” asked Sparkler.
“Uh…well, honey, I…I kinda sorta asked Fluttershy to…uh…pretend to be married to me…”
Derpy let that information hang in the air, she was prepared for a lot of things, but what she wasn’t prepared for was the boisterous laughter she heard coming from Sparkler. The unicorn mare laughed hard, holding her sides as if afraid they might burst open. Despite her initial reaction, Derpy was starting to take her laughter the wrong way.
“What’s so funny?”
“S-Sorry Mom, I just – it’s just so funny! You didn’t actually say that to her, did you?!”
Derpy started to blush, which was all the evidence Sparkler needed.
“Oh Celestia, you did, didn’t you?”
“It seemed like a good idea at the time…Besides, it’s not like they’re going to check the Public Archives and Family Registry to make sure we are actually related, right?”
Sparkler face hoofed and groaned loudly. “Mom, do you realize what you’re asking of Miss Fluttershy, you’re asking her to be your wife – your wife! Do you really think you can pretend to be into a mare?!”
“………Who said that I’d be pretending………”
That statement struck Sparkler like a ton of bricks, followed by a five ton safe, and then the entirety of Canterlot Castle. Sparkler shook her head, trying to wrap her head around what she just heard her mother confess to.
“B-B-But you – and Dad – and Dinky – and – WHAT!!?”
“I guess the term for it is ‘my barn door swings both ways’?” Derpy said sheepishly.
Sparkler jumped off the couch and started pacing about, trying to come to grips with the fact that her mother was in fact bi this whole time.
“So is this really about Dinky!? Or are you just trying to grab some tail off of Miss Fluttershy because you’re feeling lonely?!”
Derpy took slight offense at that, giving her daughter a scolding look.
“Don’t you use that kind of language young lady! That’s not what this is about! Fluttershy’s a good friend, she’s kind, caring, gentle……..So what if I might have a crush on her, she’s wonderful mare…And in any case, yes, this is about Dinky! I just want her to have a complete family, is that so much to ask?”
Sparkler stared her mother down, “Are you saying we aren’t ‘complete’? So what if Dad wants to never see us again, fine, good riddance! He didn’t deserve you anyway. We can be a family just by ourselves. But…c’mon…Mom, how are you going to explain this to Dinky? She still asks me questions about why Bon-Bon and Lyra are living together and hugging each other in public! I’m running out of excuses!”
“Well then, maybe it’s time she learns that it’s okay to like both colts and fillies, it’s not really about gender, it’s about what makes you happy, Sparkler. Are you saying that it’s wrong for me to be happy around Fluttershy…?”
Sparkler opened her mouth to retort, but nothing came out. Deep in her heart, she knew she had no right to tell her mom who she can and can’t be happy with, if her heart told her that she loved Fluttershy, then who was she to tell her that those feelings were wrong.
“I still think Dinky’s too young to learn about that stuff…”
“She’s ten going on eleven. We’re not having the talk with her, we’re just answering some questions she’ll have is all. I mean, look at Scootaloo and that nice filly, Adara, they’re fillyfriends, and I’m sure that Dinky will notice soon enough.”
Sparkler walked over to the fireplace mantle; on it were pictures of her, Dinky, and her mother. Only one had their father in it, it was a picture of the day that Sparkler was adopted from the orphanage. She remembered that day, saying goodbye to the other ponies, not too long before her, Lyra was adopted and they were saying goodbye to her. It was nice to know after all these years her “big sister” figure had come back to Ponyville, and found a special somepony. Sparkler wanted to be like Lyra, she was a great big sister to all the foals in the orphanage, and she swore she’d be the best big sister to Dinky. So far she has kept her promise, which was why there was something else that made this whole situation not right with her.
“Mom, do…do you really think that Proselyte is best for Dinky,” asked Sparkler.
“I know he is, he’ll be a great big brother for Dinky, she already adores him,” said Derpy.
“But what do you really know about him Mom? I know he saved Dinky from dying in that blizzard at the risk of his own life, believe me I’m grateful, but I don’t know how you can just automatically trust some colt that’s living with Miss Fluttershy. Living with Miss Fluttershy! She’s practically afraid of her own shadow, and she just let’s some random colt live with her all of a sudden, you can’t tell me there isn’t something up with that,” said Sparkler.
Derpy tensed up a bit, true the circumstances surrounding Fluttershy’s decision to take in Proselyte did strike her as a bit odd, given how painfully shy the pegasus mare was. She’d either have to trust this colt a whole lot, be family, or something else entirely. But regardless, the look in Fluttershy’s eyes told her enough, besides, Proselyte didn’t just save her daughter’s life, he saved hers too.
“Trust me, honey, Lyte’s a good colt, he would never hurt Dinky or Fluttershy. I need you to help me with this.” Derpy trotted up to Sparkler, taking one of the unicorn’s hooves in both of hers. “You don’t have to do it for me, but at least do it for Dinky, for your sister.”
Sparkler looked away for a moment; her mom’s eyes were focused squarely on her. They only ever did that when she was serious about something, so it spoke volumes to Sparkler how serious her mother was about doing this. With a heavy sigh, and a half smile, Sparkler moved forward and hugged her mother.
“Alright Mom, for Dinky.”
“Thank you.”
(2 Days Later, Canterlot)
The city square of the royal capitol was decorated in celebration of the one of the most anticipated days of the year. Many believed that it wouldn’t happen given the recent near disaster that nearly befell Equestria. But all those fears were put to rest, because today was a time for fun, competition, and glory! Today was the day of the annual Bro Hooves Blast. Children from Canterlot and the surrounding villages all gathered to Canterlot, some older, some younger, but they all had one thing in common, an older brother. Yes, much like the Sister Hooves Social, which was geared towards sister siblings, the Bro Hooves Blast allows siblings who are just brothers or big brothers with little sisters. Each one gathered came for the fun, but mostly it was to prove that they were the better sibling team.
Entering the large archway that was plastered with decorations and a large banner that read “Welcome to the Bro Hooves Blast” were two of Canterlot’s native siblings. One of them was a purple alicorn mare, followed closely by a white unicorn stallion. The mare wore a joyous smile as she and the stallion walked side-by-side together.
“I can’t believe you made it, Shining Armor! I thought you would be too busy,” said Twilight.
“Well, Cadance said I should spend some quality time with you. You know, since the only other times we seem to get together are during world ending events. That, and I needed a break from Predator,” said Shining Armor.
Twilight frowned a little at the mention of the Entity of Love. “Why, are you two not getting along…?”
“No, it’s just…I don’t know how to say it without sounding paranoid. It just seems like Predator’s becoming just a tad bit…possessive of Cadance lately.”
Twilight smirked at the way her brother said that.
“Sounds like somepony’s jealous,” said Twilight.
“I am SO NOT jealous of Predator!”
“Are too.”
“Are not.”
“Are too!”
“Are not!”
“Are too infinity!”
Shining Armor had to admit, she was good, but he was better.
“Are not infinity, plus one! HA!”
Twilight opened and closed her mouth several times to try and counter, but no matter what she thought of, there was nothing she could do to counteract the dreaded “Infinity + 1”, it was absolute. Twilight then pointed her nose into the air in a haughty fashion.
“Cheater.”
“Sore loser,” he threw back, smirking.
“Well lookey here.”
Both Twilight and Shining Armor turned towards the familiar voice and saw Applejack, with her big brother, Big Macintosh, walking towards them. Twilight waved to them as they joined up.
“Applejack, I didn’t know you and Big Mac were competing as well,” said Twilight.
“Well, Big Mac and Ah haven’t been able to on account of all the work we do. But Granny Smith pretty much scooted us out of the house to get on the train to come here, said somethin’ about ‘brothers and sisters should have some quality time together every once and a while’, so here we are. Ain’t that right, Big Mac?”
“Eeyup,” he responded.
“Well, it’s most likely we’ll be competing against each other in some of the events, so no matter what, may the best sibling team win, no hard feelings,” said Twilight.
Applejack smiled at her friend, “Sure, no hard feelings. And Ah gotta say, it’s right good of ya to show some humility like that Twi.”
“What do you mean?”
“Ah mean, no offense, but Big Mac and Ah are the best bro-sis team around here, have the trophies and ribbons to prove it too, so don’t feel bad,” said Applejack.
“Oh ho ho ho, wait a minute Applejack, it sounds like you’re implying that Shining Armor and I aren’t even competition, we’ve won plenty of events when we lived in Canterlot, right Shining Armor!?”
“Um Twi –”
“Exactly,” interrupted Twilight.
“Now Twi,” Applejack laid a foreleg on Twilight’s withers, “sugarcube, confidence is good and all, but there ain’t no way Shining Armor is gonna beat Big Macintosh, right big brother?”
“AJ –”
“Right,” said Applejack, cutting off her brother.
“Well, Applejack, Shining Armor is a trained Royal Guard Captain, so if it’s a contest of strength then that won’t be a problem.” Twilight used her magic to levitate her friend’s foreleg off her back. “When it comes to skill, Shining Armor has Big Macintosh beat! No offense.”
“Oh yeah!” Applejack snorted.
“Yeah!” Twilight replied.
Both mares were head to head, staring each other down like a couple of rabid timberwolves. Big Macintosh sighed and shrugged at Shining Armor, to which the unicorn stallion nodded his head in silent understanding.
“Well what do we have here, oh brother of mine?!”
“Seems like these two mares can’t decide who’s the better brother team!”
Applejack and Twilight groaned in unison, of all the ponies they were going to see today, they most certainly didn’t want to see these two.
“Flim,” said Applejack.
“Flam,” finished Twilight.
The two stallions in question popped out of nowhere in their usual grandiose style. Both sported their trademark stripped shirts and straw hats, and both of them had very smug and superior expressions on their faces.
“If you’re looking for the best brother team,” started Flim.
“Then look no further than the world famous, Flim-Flam Brothers,” finished Flam.
Applejack gave both the brothers a venomous glare, “Now who in tarnation let you two into the Bro Hooves Blast! After what y’all almost did to take our farm, our home, away from us! Ah can’t believe you’d even show yer faces!”
“Tut, tut, little filly. If you recall it was a fair competition –”
“One that you entered of your own free will, we might add.”
Big Macintosh snorted angrily. Twilight was already using her telekinetic aura to hold Applejack in place, fearing she might actually assault the two scam artist brothers. And if she was being honest, a part of her wanted to let Applejack have at them. Twilight took a moment to glance over to Shining Armor; he too was fixing the Flim-Flam brothers with a steely gaze of his own. He may not know as much about them as Twilight, Applejack, and Big Mac did, but that didn’t stop his own instincts from seeing the two brothers for who they really were underneath.
“Now if you excuse us –”
“We have a Bro Hooves Blast to win –”
“And show them who’s the best,” they finished in unison.
The Flim-Flam brothers started to trot away, smug smiles on their faces as they laughed mockingly at the ponies they just left. It was at this moment that
Twilight and Applejack came to a silent agreement.
“Truce,” asked Twilight.
“Truce, you in Big Mac,” asked Applejack.
“Eeyup,” he responded with firm convection.
“Shining Armor?”
“Oh you know it,” confirmed the unicorn stallion.
With that the four siblings raced off down the path to sign up for today’s events. While this was all going on, neither of the four ponies knew that they were being watched by two pegasus mares, one pegasus colt, a unicorn filly, and unicorn mare, each one with a slightly stunned and frightened expression on their faces.
“It looks like fierce competition this year,” commented Sparkler with trepidation.
“Indeed,” affirmed Proselyte.
“I’m sure they’re just…um, excited about the games,” said Fluttershy, trying to make the situation look less intimidating than it was.
“Wow…Twilight and Applejack can be scary when they wanna be. Maybe we should rethink this whole thing Dinky,” suggested Derpy.
“What, no way!? This is cool! It just means that we’ll just have to work even harder to beat ‘em!” Dinky then sidled next to Proselyte. “Right big brother!?”
The piercing gaze of Sparkler was not lost on Proselyte, and with Dinky now pressed close up against him her piercing gaze was more along the lines of claymore swords and spears digging into his back. Proselyte had to constantly remind himself that she was just being an overprotective sister and she meant no real harm, at least none that could be viewed by Dinky or in the general public.
“C’mon we need to sign up too!”
Dinky then dragged Proselyte by the foreleg as she made her way to the sign up booth. Judging from what Proselyte saw, Dinky’s enthusiasm, and Sparkler’s attitude, something told the Entity of Compassion that this was going to be a very long, and trying, day.
The, well, um, false family of five, arrived at the sign up booth. Many ponies had gathered around it, siblings and family members all ready to have fun at this year’s events. This whole time as they approached the official’s booth, Fluttershy and Derpy were sweating bullets.
Was it a crime to lie about being married to somepony? Would they do some sort of magical paternity test? Since they were a mare couple they could get away with saying they adopted all three of them. But then again there was the overwhelming fact that Dinky matched Derpy in coat, mane, and eye color, the only difference was that her mother was a pegasus but the filly was a unicorn. How would they explain that?!
When it was finally their turn, the five ponies bravely stepped up as the official, a unicorn mare, started to fill out the necessary paperwork for the parents to sign as she glanced from the papers to the five ponies before her, making all them gulp collectively.
“Oh my, quite the unusual family we have here,” said the mare.
“We-We – um – you see – I’m – and she’s –!”
“We get that a lot. This is my wife, Derpy, and these are our wonderful children. Amethyst Star, Dinky, and Proselyte,” said Fluttershy, taking the initiative.
The mare official looked over the three children. The whole time Sparkler was starting to wish she had studied up more on teleportation magic, because right about now it would be handy for a quick escape. After about several tense seconds, the official simply smiled at the odd family, nodding her approval.
“I think it so wonderful that you’ve adopted these children, too few are willing to because it singles them out, but I’m glad they have you two. Just like my boys do,” the mare then whispered in a low tone, “and my wife.”
The heavens above must be looking out for them, at least that’s what they thought.
“Thank you…so, your sons, they’re signing up too,” asked Derpy, now able to form coherent sentences.
“Oh yes, in fact they’re around here somewhere…actually…it’s gotten rather quite –”
*BOOM!*
Many of the ponies turned their heads towards the mini-explosion that had just taken place a few feet away from the sign up booth. At the epicenter were two unicorn colts, one with a pair of scissors for a cutie mark, and the other with a snail. Both colts were covered in soot from the explosion, and coughing up smoke as they regained their bearings.
The unicorn mare quickly lit up her horn, aiming it at the two colts. She levitated the two over to the table, giving them both a scolding stare.
“Snips, Snails, what have I told you two about performing spells higher than illumination and levitation, especially without me or your mother present?”
“Sorry Mom,” said the two in unison.
“Now go wash up and please try not to set Canterlot on fire.”
The mare set Snips and Snails down as they hurriedly ran off to do just what they were told. The mare then let out an exacerbated sigh.
“Sorry about that, my boys, from my first marriage, they can be a hoofful.”
“We know,” said all five of them at once.
“So, I take it that you two will be signing up.”
The mare then levitated a signup sheet along with a pencil for Dinky and Proselyte to use. After writing their names down, she then levitated a clipboard to Fluttershy and Derpy.
“What’s this?” asked Derpy.
“Emergency Contact information, so we’ll know who to call in the event a medical situation occurs.”
One of the lines said “Current Residence”, Fluttershy was still living in her cottage and Derpy at her home, now it was either lie on an official document or come up with a brilliant excuse, fortunately, Sparkler took the reins on this one.
“My Mom, Fluttershy, isn’t currently living with us. We’re in the process of looking for a bigger home, so she still lives at her old place and us out ours. Is that going to be a problem,” asked Sparkler.
“Oh not at all, just list both, it’s really just a formality. It’s expected that parents of younger contestants be present during the events, since it only lasts a day, so no need to sweat it.”
With that out of the way, Derpy signed her name to the residence and primary, with Fluttershy as secondary, followed by Sparkler. After that stressful situation, the five decided to get something sweet to lift their moods. The five ponies watched as all the other sibling teams we talking strategy, thinking of the best ways to get the one up on their competition. It was then that a thought popped into Dinky’s head, she then leaned close to Proselyte so as to whisper into his ear.
“Lyte, I forgot to mention, some of these events have rules against using magic or flying. So try not to use your special powers,” warned Dinky.
“No troubles there, I really didn’t plan to. I think we win these games without your magic and my powers,” said Proselyte, smiling confidently at Dinky.
“What are you two talking about,” asked Sparkler.
“Nothing,” they said together.
“Welcome to the annual Bro Hooves Blast! We got a lot of exciting games to be played here today, all in the name of promoting the bond between brothers and brother and sister alike! I’m your host, you know me, you love me! I’m DJ PON-3!”
DJ PON-3, a white unicorn mare with an electric blue mane and rose color tinted sunglasses, levitated her microphone out towards the crowd, allowing their cheers to be amplified.
“And with me is my, equally talented big brother, if not more so – just kidding, seriously, don’t let it go to your head bro – STALL-NEON!”
The pony next to her, a unicorn stallion, with a black coat, wearing purple tinted sunglasses, and a mane with different shades of neon colors of blue, purple, and yellow, was STALL-NEON the King of the Night Scene. Using his magic, he brought his mike and gave his sister and cheeky smirk.
“Nice to know I’m so loved, ain’t it folks. But seriously, yeah, we got tons of fun stuff lined up, and as always, we have plenty of games to prove which bros or bro-sis teams are the best of the best!”
“Each event will be elimination style; where the two remaining teams will face off in the final event for the glory of being number one!”
“So let’s get started, with our first event! Which is –” STALL-NEON looked down at his clipboard, “– Pool Volleyball! The game will be a four on four matches, so this will be a great way to eliminate a good chunk of the competition for you guys! Now all contestants move to your designated pools!”
In a great rush the gathered ponies hurried to the site of their first event. DJ PON-3 put down her mike and smirked at her big brother suspiciously.
“Pretty convenient that the first game involves pools, eh, Dub Step?”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about Vinyl.”
“Oh please, I know you dig the ‘wet mane’ look on mares, admit it, you had a hoof in arranging the events, didn’t you,” asked Vinyl.
“Lil’ sis, I’m insulted! You think I’d purposefully set up such an event, just to ogle mares in a pool,” said Dub, feigning hurt.
“Oh yeah, it’s so your style.”
“And that’s why I can always count on you to understand Vinyl!” Dub then draped his foreleg around his sister’s neck and drew her into a sort of half-hug.
I truly pity the poor mare that gets stuck with you. Oh well, since I’m stuck commenting this event, might as well enjoy the view too. Sorry ‘Tavi, will totally make it up to you, she thought.
Meanwhile, the contestants were already in their designated pools. A common fact that many of them knew, yes, but that still didn’t stop many of them from showing so great teamwork. Applejack and Big Macintosh were currently going against a brother and sister from Mareland and some twin brothers from Seaddle. The two of them pretty much did most of the work, their teammates waited to be served so they could spike it, but much of that was left up to the farm pony duo.
Applejack would set up the shot, while Big delivered a powerful smack to the ball, sending it flying at such a speed that it ricocheted off the water and through – that’s right – through a promotional billboard. When it was Big Mac’s serve, Applejack was a slight more reserved, only slightly. When the ball went up, Applejack would punch the ball and send it flying. One of stallions on the other team dared to catch it, the moment he did he was being pushed back, the ball had not stopped spinning and had not lost its momentum, continuing to drive itself till it loss the built up kinetic energy. That stallion eventually found himself at the other end of the pool before releasing the ball, and going belly up.
“Oh, he is definitely going to be feeling that when he wakes up,” commented Vinyl.
“Medic,” called Dub.
In another pool, an intense match was going on. Proselyte, Dinky, Twilight, and Shining Armor were on the same team, up against Bulk Biceps and his, if you can believe it, bigger brother, Roid Rage, and two young colt brothers. Bulk was already a massively muscular pegasus, but his big brother (emphasis on BIG), had at least twice the muscle, a tannish brown coat, and a black mane that was longer. The red eyes seemed to be inherent, since Roid Rage had them too, making the two hulking pegasi even more intimidating.
Bulk Biceps set up the serve. Roid Rage hopped up, raised his hoof and spiked the volleyball with a loud cry of, “YEAAAAAAAH!!!”
Now it was a known fact that alicorns embody the attributes of the three pony tribes. The speed and flight of the pegasi, the grace and magical prowess of the unicorns, and of course, the strength and endurance of the earth ponies, Twilight was at this moment very thankful for the earth pony part of her abilities. The alicorn Princess quickly intercepted the ball, hitting with the edge of her left hoof and sending the ball up over her.
Dinky was quick, she paddled quickly and got right under it. She then reached up with her forelegs and bumped the ball, sending it up into the air and in perfect position.
“Lyte!”
With amazing speed, Proselyte zoomed under water, bursting up from the depths in a shower of water droplets. The pegasus colt made it into the air alongside the ball, he then spun around and backhoofed the ball back the other side. The fluid motion of the play was too quick for the other team as the ball whizzed by them and struck the open space of the water. Proselyte did a backflip before splashing down in the water.
“Nice save, Twily,” said Shining Armor.
Twilight spluttered some water out her mouth before answering, “Thanks Shiny, I wasn’t sure I was going to make that one.”
“You did great Princess Twilight,” said Dinky.
Proselyte then popped out from under the water and joined the others.
“And you too big bro! I didn’t know you could swim like that!”
Well before I became one with the indigo light of Compassion, I was a mere cephalopod in Earth’s oceans. Deep sea water pressure is a great way to build up your muscles, guess it translated well into my new body, thought Proselyte.
“Match point! Blue Team serves,” announced the referee.
Shining Armor served the ball, Bulk Biceps bumped for the setup, allowing one of the colts to come up hit it over. Twilight hurriedly hit it back. The ball flew over the net and right in into Roid Rage’s range. Sensing the inevitable strike from the overly muscular stallion, Proselyte ducked under water and built up some momentum in order to spring out of the water. Roid Rage bumped the ball, setting it up for himself. Proselyte saw this and watched as he prepared to spike it. At that moment Proselyte burst out of the pool. Roid Rage’s timing was perfect, spiking the ball a mere few seconds after Proselyte leaped up.
The ball sailed right under Proselyte as he continued his ascent. The purple pegasus turned around and watched as the ball came careening for the only pony close enough to return it, Dinky. There wasn’t enough time for either Twilight or Shining Armor to hurry to her aid. Derpy and Fluttershy watched helplessly as the ball got closer to Dinky; Sparkler’s horn had a faint aura glowing on it, preparing to do whatever she had to protect Dinky. But then something unexpected happened.
Instead of ducking out of the way, Dinky met the ball head on. Literally, she literally, hit the ball with her head, or to be more specific, she hit it with her horn. The volleyballs were enchanted to prevent them from being punctured accidentally by unicorn horns, Dinky took careful aim and, in much the same way as Proselyte, pushed up out of the water and struck the ball with the tip of her horn. The ball grinded against the hard bone appendage for a few short seconds before it recoiled off her horn. The ball then simply looped over the net and landed with a light splash on the other side.
Roid Rage, Bulk Biceps, and their two colt teammates just floated there, mouths agape.
The referee then blew his whistle, “The match is over! Blue Team wins!”
The crowd in the stands cheered loudly for the winners, but more so for Dinky’s last minute save with her horn. Proselyte unfurled his wings so that he could fly back down to the poolside. Shining Armor and Twilight helped Dinky out of the pool as the four of them were immediately surrounded by Derpy, Fluttershy, and Sparkler. Derpy brought her daughter into tight hug, despite her still being dripping wet.
“That was amazing, Dinky!” Derpy gushed.
“Thanks, I…I got the idea from watching Lyte,” said Dinky a little embarrassed.
“How’s your horn Dinks, that couldn’t have felt good,” asked Sparkler as she examined Dinky’s horn.
Twilight trotted up next to Dinky and gave her horn a quick look. “It doesn’t seem to be chipped or worn, do you have a headache at all sweetie?”
“Just a little one,” she admitted.
“Still can’t believe you took on that spike horn first, you got guts kid,” admonished Shining Armor.
Dinky blushed from the attention, but winced a little from the headache that she was now aware of.
“Dinky, maybe you should lie down for a bit, I’ll go and get some medicine for the headache,” said Fluttershy.
“Thanks Mi – um – Mom, but…” Dinky nudged Proselyte gaining his attention. “I think a kiss on the forehead from my big brother would make it feel better.”
Proselyte then sensed a sharp increase in Rage energy, all of which was originating from Sparkler. At this rate we won’t need to search for Butcher, he’ll come running back because Amethyst Star wants my head right now.
Nonetheless, Proselyte chuckled at her request. “Sorry Dinky, but you’ll have to settle for a pat on the head instead.”
The pegasus colt gently padded Dinky’s head, channeling a small amount of his healing light onto the flat of his hoof, and sending healing waves with each pat. After about three pats on the head, Dinky felt her headache vanish as if it never existed.
“You got off easy this time,” Dinky pouted, but smiled nonetheless.
While this was going on, Twilight silently scooted closer to Fluttershy, fixing a suspicious gaze upon her friend. Fluttershy saw the way Twilight was looking at her and raised a curious eyebrow.
“So…‘mom’, huh?”
“Eep!”
After a private conversation with Twilight, Fluttershy was able to convince her friend of why they were doing this. Luckily, Twilight agreed to keep quiet about it, besides, she really couldn’t say no to that cute little filly, and Proselyte genuinely looked happy. Fluttershy was sitting at a bench, her heart felt like it had just run a marathon, she closed her eyes to help calm herself down. She wasn’t sure if her friends’ appearance in the Bro Hooves Blast would complicate things or not, but from what Twilight said, she seemed okay with it and promised to relay the information over to Applejack.
“You alright Fluttershy?” asked Derpy.
Fluttershy opened her eyes and saw her fake wife standing a foot away from the bench.
“Oh, yes, everything’s alright,” she said.
Derpy took a seat next to Fluttershy, for some reason the gray pegasus mare had a frown upon her face. “I’m sorry if you got in trouble with your friends, Fluttershy. I knew this was a bad idea.”
“No Derpy, Twilight’s okay with this, and she’ll explain it to Applejack too. Besides, it’s only for a day.”
Derpy winced a little, “Y-Yeah, it’s only…only for a day.”
The two mares sat there in silence, watching Dinky and Proselyte talk with Sparkler close by. The two of them unconsciously sighed at the same time, content with the image before them.
“Fluttershy…?”
“Yes Derpy?”
“Thank you for going through with this. I know it must be embarrassing for you, pretending to be married to me…”
“Not at all! You’re wonderful Derpy, and in truth, if it were anypony else I’d probably be held up in my cottage.”
Derpy couldn’t help but blush at the compliment; she even started to wonder if this fake marriage might go somewhere. But that was probably just wishful thinking, I mean, why would Fluttershy even consider going out with a clumsy mare like her? There wasn’t anything special about her. She wasn’t superfast or a Reserve Wonderbolt like Rainbow Dash, and she certainly didn’t have Rarity’s beauty or drive to become a famous fashionista. In truth, now that Derpy thought about it, Fluttershy was practically surrounded by big successes, and not to mention that Fluttershy was an Element of Harmony, thanks to her and her friends they saved Equestria more times than she could count. What did she have to offer this mare?
“Derpy, are you alright?” asked Fluttershy.
The gray pegasus mare shook her head, snapping herself out her daze and smiled sheepishly at Fluttershy.
“Oh nothing…” Derpy then looked back at Sparkler, Dinky, and Proselyte. “…Nothing at all…”
From there the Bro Hooves Blast became a fierce competition between Shining/Twilight team, the Big Mac/Applejack team, and of course, the Flim-Flam team. All through the games one team had been creating an upset, beating out some of the older siblings and veterans of the games, the Proselyte/Dinky team. The team of Proselyte and Dinky surprised many when they beat out Twilight and Shining Armor in the five legged race. Another upset occurred when the Flim-Flam brothers beat Applejack and Big Mac at a game of horseshoes, now Applejack was severely ticked off about that, being that she never lost at that particular game.
Twilight and Applejack suspected that the two unicorn brothers must be cheating to have made it all the way to the final event, but so far they couldn’t prove anything. So with the favored teams to take it all out of the game, they placed their hopes on the youngest team to go up against the crafty scam artists.
“Mares and gentlecolts, it’s now time for the final event of the Bro Hooves Blast!” Vinyl announced.
“That’s right, sis! It’s time for the traditional obstacle course race!”
The entire group of ponies had moved to large park where the course was set up. It was a unified theme of both the Sister Hooves Social and Bro Hooves Blast to have obstacle courses, whereas the SSS started with one, the BBB ends with it instead. Twilight and Shining Armor, Applejack and Big Macintosh, Derpy, Fluttershy, and Sparkler all gathered around Proselyte and Dinky as they all glanced over the course. It began with a large pool of water, about five meters long, six feet deep, and ten feet wide. Following a crawl under a net, over a one hundred foot wall, down a zip line, and ending with chariot race.
“Just remember you two, keep an eye out for them Flim-Flams, no tellin’ what they might do,” warned Applejack.
“They may use magic, or something else to distract or deter you, so be on your guard,” added Twilight.
“Also, try to have fun,” said Derpy.
“We’ll be waiting for you two at the finish line, afterwards we’ll all go and get some ice cream to celebrate,” said Fluttershy.
The offer of ice cream seemed to intensify Dinky’s resolve to win this game. Sparkler, unexpectedly, scooped up Proselyte in the crook of her foreleg and proceeded to give the colt a noogie.
“Go and kick some flank out there,” she then whispered into his ear, “If you let Dinky get hurt I’m holding you responsible! So don’t push her!” Sparkler then released the young colt and gave them both a happy smile. “You guys can do this!”
The word “two-faced” seems appropriate at this moment, thought Proselyte.
“Alright contestants, to the starting line,” shouted Dub.
Proselyte and Dinky quickly headed to the line, Flim and Flam were already waiting, stretching their limps as they watched the two foals trot towards them. The two brothers then flashed a couple of confident smirks them.
“Don’t be disappointed if you lose,” started Flim.
“You should be proud to have made it this far,” finished Flam.
Dinky, for the first time during this competition, was starting to feel a little bit doubtful that the two of them could win. The Flim-Flam brothers had made it all this way just like they had, but with Twilight Sparkle’s warning about the possible cheating ways of the brothers, and given their history in Ponyville a while back, she was convinced that their chances might be a little slim.
“Lyte…are you…Do you think we can win,” asked Dinky.
Proselyte looked over at the two brothers. He sensed something in them, something that he knew well. Their auras were tented with a slight amount of orange light, which wasn’t all too surprising given what he had learned about them. He then looked down at Dinky, her expression had turned uncertain. Proselyte then smiled confidently, nudging her with his wing to gain her attention.
“Don’t start thinking like that just yet Dinky. We’ve come too far to give up now, you’re big brother won’t let you quit,” said Proselyte.
The little gray unicorn filly’s smile returned as her resolve was renewed. “Do you think we can win?!”
“Oh we’re going to win this, Dinky, make no mistake!”
“Racers on your marks get set – GO!!!”
With that the race was on, Flim and Flam had jumped into the pool and started swimming their way towards the other side. Dinky and Proselyte stopped at the edge and watched as the two brothers were gaining a good lead on them. Proselyte considered what better way they could cross the five meter long pool. Dinky wasn’t as fast a swimmer as he was, but then again, she didn’t have to be.
“Dinky, jump on my back and hang on tight!”
“Gotcha!”
Without question, Dinky hopped onto Proselyte’s back and wrapped her forelegs around his neck. Proselyte jumped into the pool and immediately dove under the water. Just as the Flim-Flam brothers made it to the other side, they turned around and saw how the water became a raging torrent in Proselyte’s wake. The two brothers’ eyes bulged at the sight, not believing how fast the colt was. They quickly made their way to the net and started to crawl underneath it.
Dinky and Proselyte made it to shore, the little unicorn hopped off and shook her body free from the water. She then looked up concerned at her brother figure.
“You okay Lyte?”
“Don’t underestimate your big brother Dinky.” That’s starting to get easier to say. “Let’s go!”
The crawling under the net was more difficult than was expected. Their wet fur was making the dirt muddy and slippery. Since the net was quite low it required them to get as low to the ground as possible, otherwise a unicorn’s horn could get tangled up, or a pegasus’ wing. As they approached the end of the net crawl Proselyte heard a little yelp beside him, he turned his head and saw that Dinky had accidentally got her horn tangled in the net. She thrashed her head back and forth, but it only helped in getting her tangled further.
“Tough luck there little filly, but I’d suggest you hurry up and get out of that soon,” said Flim.
“Just to remind you, if you can’t make it to the final part of course, then it’s an automatic win for us,” said Flam.
The Flim-Flams made out of the net, dirty and muddy, and proceeded to crawl up the wall. Dinky continued to try and get her horn loose, but was failing with every attempt.
“Dinky, calm down, let me help you,” said Proselyte.
Proselyte examined the net that was now encircling Dinky’s horn. Her thrashing hadn’t helped her situation, since now the net was wrapped from the base of the horn to the tip. Even if he bit down as hard as he could, Proselyte doubted he could get it untangled in time. Well, it isn’t cheating if I get Dinky free. Proselyte concentrated, channeling the anger he felt for Dinky’s situation, how the brothers mocked them for Dinky’s misfortune. A red symbol appeared over his forehead.
Dinky immediately recognized what he was doing and gave a stern look. “Lyte, you promised you wouldn’t use you your powers!”
“Not to help us win! To get you free! Close your eyes!”
Dinky did as she was told, Proselyte quickly let out a focused burst of red light. The red energy burned away at the rope. Proselyte then quickly channeled the blue light of Hope, using it to dampen the burning red flames from spreading and from hurting Dinky. Dinky watched Proselyte release his power and motioned with his head to indicate they needed to keep moving.
Once free from the net the pegasus and unicorn started to climb the wall, which was a grueling task for the two of them, thankfully, the Flim-Flam brothers hadn’t made much headway either. It was a long five minutes but eventually, the two unicorn stallions made it up to the top and prepared to strap themselves into the harness for the zip-line. Flim looked over the edge and saw the Dinky and Proselyte were not far behind.
“Brother of mine, I don’t like to be a worrywart, but I think these two might actually have a chance,” said Flim.
“Guess we’ll have change their odds a little, the Flim-Flam way,” said Flam.
The stallions nodded to each other at the same time, their dastardly plan having been agreed upon. As Dinky and Proselyte made it to the top, the Flim-Flams jumped off. The two young ponies quickly strapped themselves in, Proselyte kept a watchful eye on their opponents as they made their way towards the chariots.
“You ready Dinky,” asked Proselyte.
“Ready!”
With that said the two of them jumped off the top and descended down to the awaiting chariots, the Flim-Flams seemed to be having a little trouble with the harness giving them ample time get there, for a moment, Proselyte could’ve sworn he saw a flash of green light near their designated chariot. He wrote it off as a trick of the eyes and focused on their goal.
Once they landed, Dinky immediately helped Proselyte into the harness, having decided beforehand that he would pull while Dinky rode in the back. The Blindfolded Chariot Race was a test of sibling trust, one running while the other directed, basically they had to be both in tune with each other and completely trusting of their riders directions. Both teams finished at the same time, and with great speed the two teams dashed off.
It was a straight path for the most part, so neither had need to say anything, however, the first turn was coming up and it would be a trick to keep both of them from crashing into each other.
“There’s a turn coming up! Lean in left,” shouted Dinky.
It was apparent that Proselyte was the stronger, the chariots were made to be somewhat lightweight, but they still required a good amount of effort to pull. Proselyte did as Dinky instructed and leaned into the left, slowly gauging how far he should go and waiting for Dinky to correct him.
Meanwhile, Flim wasn’t doing so hot. Despite their earlier lead, they were falling behind; the two brothers knew that the pegasus colt possessed some uncanny strength from what they saw during the volleyball event and the mote obstacle. Neither of the brothers were the most athletic, relying mostly on their quick wit and brains to outsmart or browbeat somepony into submission. At the moment, Flam was considering if they should hurry and try to beat the other team to the first turn or fallback a bit and avoid a possible collision. Fortunately, Flam chose the latter.
“Slow down and lean left,” he ordered.
The two chariots were now at the first turn, and as predicted, Proselyte and Dinky took the first turn, getting ahead of the Flim-Flam brothers. One turn down, three to go, thought Proselyte.
The second turn happened much like the first, the unicorn stallions slowing while the younger ponies sped up to take the turn. Many ponies along the racing trail were cheering on Dinky and Proselyte, apparently having very little love for the scam artist duo. The third turn was fast approaching; Dinky looked behind them and saw that their opponents were far behind them. If they kept it up they’d win it for sure.
“Dinky do you hear something?” asked Proselyte.
“Hear what?”
“There’s a sort of creaking sound, I’ve been noticing it since we made that second turn! Is the chariot alright!?”
Dinky did a quick inspection of the chariot, although she was limited. She checked the area she was in, the walls looked fine, and so did the platform. But now that she was lower, the young filly was starting to hear a creaking sound reverberating within. Dinky closed her eyes and listened closely to the sound, her left ear flicked as the origin of the sound became more apparent. Dinky quickly looked over the edge to view the left wheel, one of the spokes was sticking out, a lot actually. Dinky quickly looked to the right wheel and saw that it was perfectly fine.
“Um, Lyte, these spoke thingies aren’t supposed to be sticking out are they,” asked Dinky with a hint of concern.
“Not to my knowledge…why?”
“Uh-oh…!”
At that moment the wheel spoke shot off and now the wheel itself was wobbling uncontrollably! Proselyte could only hear the sounds of something metallic flinging off, a horrible wooden rattling sound, and the additional cries of Dinky as well as a few loud gasps from the crowd.
“Oh my, now this is disconcerting,” said Flam.
Dinky looked to their right and watched as the Flim-Flam brothers started to catch up to them, she was about to ask for help but then she noticed the smug looks on their faces.
“Sounds like our little friends are in trouble, brother,” said Flim.
“Sorry we can’t stick around, but we have a race to win!”
With that said the two brothers whizzed past Proselyte and Dinky. The turn was coming and Dinky and Proselyte didn’t know what to do, slowing down was risky, but continuing was also risky. Dinky tried to think quickly as the turn got closer and closer.
“It’s not cheating if it keeps us safe, right?!”
“Dinky?!”
“Just get ready to turn when I tell you,” she ordered.
The turn was now upon them!
“NOW!”
Proselyte reluctantly made the turn. He then felt the chariot jostle and shake and the loud sound of, what he assumed to be, the wheel flying off the rod. Proselyte awaited the shift in weight and was prepared to do what was necessary to save Dinky. But it never happened. In fact, they were still rolling which only baffled Proselyte further.
“Dinky what’s going on!?”
“Holding up…chariot…with my…magic!”
It was true; Dinky’s pink telekinetic aura was wrapped around the rod where the wheel used to be, holding the chariot level with the other wheel. The little unicorn filly’s brow furrowed as sweat started to bead down her face, her horn glowed brightly as she struggled to keep them aloft.
“Dinky, we should stop now! It’s too dangerous to keep going!”
“No way…! We’re finishing this…! You promised we’d win big bro!”
Proselyte grunted in slight frustration of Dinky’s stubbornness, although, it was a trait he found admirable when it came to these kind of situations. Proselyte proceeded at full speed, trying to make this last leg a short one. His hooves thundered against ground as they made their valiant comeback.
Further down the track everypony was waiting with peak anticipation. One group of ponies in particular was very anxious to see who would emerge from this turn. Sparkler was pacing in a circle, stopping only for a few seconds to look at the bend in the path and then returned to pacing. Twilight couldn’t help but watch as the young unicorn mare continued to do this, which started to get Twilight wondering about something.
“Shiny,” asked Twilight.
“Yeah?”
“Is that how I look when I get…you know…?”
Shining Armor took a moment to watch Sparkler pace about, “Yeah, actually it is – OUCH!” Twilight had, at that moment, jabbed her elbow into her big brother’s side. “What was that for?!”
“The correct answer was: No. But thanks for playing,” said Twilight with a smirk.
“Oh ho ho, alright, you’re getting yours, Twily,” he warned.
“Where are they?! They should’ve been here by now,” said Sparkler.
Fluttershy, no longer able to watch her ‘daughter’ pace herself into six foot ditch, trotted into Sparkler’s path and effectively stopped her in her tracks.
“Sparkler, dear, you have nothing to worry about. Just watch, any minute now, Dinky and Lyte will round that corner and take first place, just imagine the smile on her face when that happens,” said Fluttershy.
Sparkler sighed, “I…I know. It’s just…how can you be so trusting of that colt Miss Fluttershy? It’s not like you to take in some strange pony you’ve just met…he’s, don’t you get the feeling that he’s hiding something.”
“He isn’t hiding anything, honey,” spoke Derpy. “We actually know what his secret is, Fluttershy, Dinky, and I do. But it’s his business whether or not to tell you. Dinky trusts him, I do, and even Fluttershy, and shouldn’t that be enough?”
Sparkler looked away for a moment, her mother was smiling at her, and in that moment she felt unworthy of it. You all know, yet you still trust him, even Dinky. It should be enough, but…
“Whoa now! Bad news everypony! The Dinky/Proselyte team has lost their chariot wheel during the race!” Vinyl announced.
“WHAT!!!?” the group of ponies shouted in unison.
“Currently, though, the Flim-Flam brothers are in the lead…” Dub was then given sheet of paper which made him blink in confusion. “And apparently so are Dinky and Proselyte!”
At that very moment the Flim-Flam brothers rounded the corner, with Dinky and Proselyte right on their tail. The group gasped in horror as they watched the chariot carrying the two young ponies was indeed missing its wheel. Dinky’s horn was glowing bright, doing all she could to hold up the chariot while Proselyte ran as fast and as hard as he could to make it to the finish!
“What in tarnation!? How did they lose their wheel!? Those things were checked and double checked before the start of the course,” exclaimed Applejack.
“Who cares how!” Sparkler rushed towards Twilight, giving her a pleadingly desperate look. “Princess Twilight you’ve got to do something! Teleport them out of there! SOMETHING!”
Twilight looked from Sparkler and to the chariots now making their way towards the finish line. The alicorn princess was ready to get the two ponies out of harm’s way, but there was something in the Dinky’s eyes, a look of determination and strength that almost reminded Twilight of herself.
“They can make it,” said Twilight.
“WHAT!?” Sparkler shouted.
“I now they can,” added Derpy.
“Mom, are you serious! Dinky’s never done anything like that with her magic! She could pass out at any minute from exerting that much power!”
To the surprise of many, Big Macintosh actually strode up next to Sparkler. “Look there,” he pointed his hoof at the two incoming teams, “really look at yer sister and Proselyte, they ain’t givein’ up. Ah got a feelin’ that they aren’t separate on this, they know the risks and are still pushing to finish and win this.”
Sparkler looked hard at her little sister and the colt. Though they seemed exhausted, sweat dripping from their forms, their breathing heavy, their coats muddy and dirty, and yet, they both had a smile on their faces. It wasn’t a happy-go-lucky kind of smile; it was the kind you get when you’re giving your all and pushing towards a goal together.
“YOU CAN DO IT MUFFIN,” shouted Derpy.
“WE BELIEVE IN YOU, KEEP RUNNING LYTE,” cheered Fluttershy.
“KICK THOSE FLIM-FLAM BROTHERS’ FLANKS YOU TWO,” cried Applejack.
“JUST HOLD ON DINKY, YOU’RE ALMOST THERE,” encouraged Twilight.
“PUSH IT PROSELYTE, POUR IT ON,” yelled Shining Armor.
There cheering was infectious, soon the crowd was starting to cheer on the underdog team, yelling and cheering, keeping them motivated to beat the cheating brothers. Dinky and Proselyte heard their cries and used it as their fuel to push their limits even further. Flam watched as their opponents continued to advance on them, getting closer with each passing second. Soon Proselyte were at Flim’s position, both chariots were neck and neck.
“C’MON DINKY/PROSELYTE TEAM, FASTER, FASTER!” Vinyl yelled over her microphone.
“Lil’ sis, you know we’re supposed to be impartial – Oh who am I kidding! KICK IT INTO OVERDRIVE YOU TWO!” Dub joined.
Sparkler continued to watch the race, her sister and Proselyte were almost there, the finish line only a few feet away. Hearing the cheers of the crowd, the cries for their victory, this is was what Dinky wanted, the family moment they that even Sparkler herself believed to have almost been lost, was now rekindled within her heart. The magenta unicorn mare stood at the head the group. She then sucked in as much air as her lungs could without bursting. Sparkler then let loose the words she didn’t think she would ever speak in a booming voice.
“LYTE, GOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!”
Sparkler’s cry carried over the roaring crowd and right to Proselyte’s ears. It was all the boost he needed. Channeling every ounce of strength he had, barring his light powers, Proselyte sprinted forward, the gap between their team and Flim and Flams was growing every second. One foot, two feet, five feet, ten feet, fifteen feet, and it just kept growing wider.
At last Proselyte stretched out his neck and broke the thin paper strip that marked the finish line, they had done it, and they had won. What followed suit was a cacophony of cheers coming from almost everypony in attendance! But there wasn’t much time to celebrate yet, the chariot carrying the two young ponies was wobbling now, Dinky’s magical aura was fading and it was apparent that Proselyte had used up all his strength during that last sprint and was a about to collapse.
Twilight and Shining Armor looked to each other and nodded in quick understanding. With great precision, Twilight engulfed the two tired ponies in her telekinetic aura, lifting them both up into the air and away from the chariot. Shining Armor then flared up his horn and captured the speeding chariot, bringing it to an immediate halt. Twilight levitated the two tired ponies back towards them and gently laid them on the ground, removing Proselyte’s blindfold afterwards. Both Dinky and Proselyte were panting hard, thoroughly exhausted, and completely tapped out of physical and, in Dinky’s case, magical energy.
Derpy quickly went to her daughter’s side, nuzzling her gently, forgetting how sweaty and dirty she was. “You did great, Dinky! I’m so proud of you!”
Fluttershy did the same, nuzzling the side of Proselyte’s head gently. “And I’m proud of you Lyte, you deserve a good rest.”
Both Dinky and Proselyte allowed themselves a weak smile. Sparkler walked up to Dinky and mimicked her mother’s nuzzle. She then walked over to Proselyte; he must’ve sensed her presence because he lazily opened his eyes to look up at her. Gone was the Rage and Fear, now only Compassion and Love colored her aura. Sparkler then leaned down and nuzzled the
“Thank you, for doing your best, and for making this fun for Dinky,” she said happily.
“They cheated!”
All eyes shot towards the Flim-Flam brothers, Flim looking particularly wiped out.
“They used magic, and it’s against the rules to use magic or flight during the events,” said Flam.
Sparkler turned towards the two brothers and glared angrily, “My sister…and my brother did not cheat! She used magic to stabilize that messed up chariot!”
“A…A likely story! That little filly’s horn was practically shining like a star! She must’ve used a spell to give them a push for that last leg,” accused Flim.
“Are ya kiddin’ me, just look at ‘em!?” Applejack pointed in Dinky’s and Proselyte’s direction. “They can barely stand! That don’t come from just magic helpin’ them the whole way, that’s from hard work!”
“Also, Dinky doesn’t know any spells beyond levitation, which is why she’s so tired! It took all of her concentration to keep them from falling!” Sparkler yelled.
“Humph and how are we to believe that, can you prove that, the young colt’s performance during the Pool Volleyball event makes me think that he may’ve been using his wings to give himself a boost! Even an experienced swimmer couldn’t exit the water at that speed and height, not without some help,” accused Flam.
“Now see here you two low down snakes in the –!”
“Interestin’…”
Everypony now looked at Big Macintosh who was currently inspecting the broken chariot.
“These spoke caps don’t come off easy. Looks like their either screwed or hammered in real good. Take a lot for these to just come off like that. What do you think, Miss Sparkle?”
Twilight seemed to catch onto Big Macintosh’s line of thinking and quickly made her way to the broken part of the chariot. She gave it a quick glance and nodded to the red stallion, agreeing with his analysis.
“And what…does that have to do…with anything?!” asked Flim.
“Well, for starters, it would if the chariot was somehow sabotaged. If you look closely inside the rod, where the screw went, there are tiny scratches that indicate that this was forcibly loosened. And since Dinky and you two were the only three unicorns around, I think I can find a way to see who tampered with what…”
Twilight let that information hang in the air, the two unicorn brothers had a feeling she wasn’t bluffing. Twilight Sparkle was a gifted unicorn mage before her ascension, and now she’s an alicorn, with all the power granted thereto. Which meant that there was little that was out of the realm of possibility, especially when it came to magic, and definitely when it pertained to this alicorn princess.
“Well gee, will ya look at the time! We must be going now, congrats little filly –”
“And to you too, young colt, good race!”
“Goodbye,” they said in unison.
Before anypony could say a word the Flim-Flam brothers bid a hasty exit, not wanting to be in the general vicinity when they were found out, the wrath of two mothers was a force to be reckoned with, and they weren’t stupid enough to stick around for that. With that out of the way, Sparkler went up to Vinyl Scratch and Dub Step to receive Dinky’s and Proselyte’s prize on their behalf, seeing as the two of them were very much knocked out.
(One train ride later…)
The Bro Hooves Blast was now done and over, with Celestia’s sun now setting down on the horizon, and giving way for Luna’s bright moon, everypony decided that it was time to say goodbye. Despite the shenanigans that went on during the BBB, everypony had a good time. Twilight was just a little sad to see her brother leave, knowing that his duties awaited him upon his return so he could not linger long. But it wasn’t all that bad, especially when she had a marefriend and two fillies ready to greet her. Applejack and Big Macintosh headed back to the farm, their sibling bond made just a little stronger thanks to the BBB, but of course, when you’re an Apple, you’re family bond will always remain strong and only get stronger.
That only left Fluttershy, Derpy, Sparkler, and the still sleeping Dinky and Proselyte. Sparkler had levitated the two of them through the streets as gently as she could so as not to wake them, and given everything they did and went through today, she was determined to make sure their sleep wasn’t interrupted. Derpy and Fluttershy walked a few paces behind Sparkler, the two mares just enjoying the sight of the three ponies, each with a slight smile.
“It’s been a long time since we did anything that fun as a family, and sorry, again, for all that trouble and awkwardness I caused you, thank you Fluttershy,” said Derpy.
Fluttershy shook her head, “It was no trouble at all, and I really did have fun! And…if you don’t mind me saying…it was nice being your…‘wife’.”
Derpy noticeably blushed at the compliment, which only served to make Fluttershy blush as well. Soon the group found themselves at Derpy’s residence. The walleyed pegasus mare looked from Proselyte and then to Fluttershy.
“Hey…Fluttershy, why don’t you stay over for the night?”
“Mom!” Sparkler hissed, her cheeks filling with crimson.
“Not like that! I just meant, so that we didn’t interrupt their sleep.”
Fluttershy, despite the growing intensity of her blush, nodded graciously. Now that she thought about, looking at Proselyte sleeping, she really didn’t have the heart to wake him or Dinky for a goodbye after today.
With that settled the ‘family’ entered the home. Sparkler went and laid Dinky down in her bed first and was about to make a place for Proselyte to sleep, but then she heard Dinky whimper in her sleep, her little hooves groping at something that wasn’t there. Or rather, somepony she wanted there. Sparkler then levitated Proselyte right next to Dinky and the little unicorn immediately latched onto the sleeping colt as a content smile spread across her face.
Fluttershy watched the display from the doorway, smiling the whole time. Her smile wavered a bit when she saw something…for a brief moment, in the blink of an eye it was no longer Proselyte and Dinky cuddling in that bed. It was instead there was a pegasus filly with a light-yellow coat and a pink mane, and in her forelegs, she was cuddled up next to a younger looking Pegasus colt. He had a white mane, and a coat of sky-blue. For a moment, Fluttershy’s heart ached and raced at the same time. But then she blinked once again and the image was gone, leaving only Proselyte and Dinky in its place.
Fluttershy shook her head and left the room as she headed downstairs. Awaiting her arrival was Derpy, who had fashioned a make shift bed out of the couch.
“I’ll sleep her tonight, you can take my bed,” said Derpy.
“No, I couldn’t! It’s your home; I’m fine sleeping on the couch.” Fluttershy contested.
“Oh no, after everything you’ve done for us, I insist you sleep in my bed tonight. Besides, it’s not like you’re putting me out, silly, you’d do the same.”
Unbeknownst to the two mares, a little visitor had tracked the group down, he watched from the window as his floppy ears twitched to hear the conversation better. Okay Shy, just assert yourself and sleep on the couch and I’ll have won myself a butler from now until next year!
“Well…I know, but I just feel like I’m imposing…”
Derpy scuffed the floor with her hooves, her odd eyes trying not to directly look at Fluttershy as her face slowly grew redder.
“T-There’s a third option, if you want,” said Derpy timidly.
“What is it?”
Oh no…!
“We could, um…share the bed, me on one side, and you on another…?”
If Fluttershy wasn’t so sure that Derpy was just a sincere and kind mare, she would’ve thought that there was a deeper meaning to this. As a matter of fact, she did agree to be Derpy’s “wife” for the day and the day wasn’t completely over yet, so Flutterhy thought she’d be okay with it, just this once.
“I…I wouldn’t mind that at all,” she replied.
Derpy’s smile was all the confirmation she needed. The mares then made their way towards the bedroom, with the white rabbit watching with a growing horrified expression.
No…
They entered the bedroom.
No…!
The bedroom door then closed behind them.
No, no, no, no, no!
And then the lights went off.
NNNNNNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!
At that same time, in Dinky’s room, a violet-pink star symbol appeared over Proselyte’s forehead. He then smiled in triumph as he muttered under his breath.
Parallax roamed the Changeling hive. Ever since the departure of the pink alicorn known as Cadance and Predator the hive has seen better days. The changelings didn’t have much energy to carry out their normal routines. A good percentage of the changeling drones had to go into early hibernation in order to conserve what love energy the Princess of Love left behind, others, such as the Sentinel guards, and the nurse drones, were the only ones still moving around.
The Entity of Fear remained in an invisible state, keeping his presence suppressed. Though he was a changeling, he was not like the others and would surely draw attention. He had sneaked into Chrysalis’ chambers more than once to see how she was doing, and she was devastated. The Queen of the Changelings had been brought low before the towering might that was the Entity of Love, all according to Parallax’s plan.
Tantalize her with infinite power and have it taken away from her, desperation and fear are great motivators and can make anyone do what needs to be done, or take salvation from one who offers it, thought Parallax.
Unfortunately, the Entity of Fear was getting just a bit bored with watching and waiting for Chrysalis to hit her lowest point. Considering what she and her hive experienced, the Queen was less than willing to give up hope that she would find a way to help her precious changelings.
Parallax spat at that, hope, it was a weak concept. Hope did not save him when he was but a mere insect at the beginning, he did not “hope” he would survive, he did not hope that he would not be crushed by some bigger, stronger creature. No, it was Fear! The power of fear is what saved his life, the fear that drove him to flee from danger, the fear born from doing whatever it took to survive! It was that Fear that he embodied and gave him power, now there was nothing he feared, for all things feared him!
He then visited the nursery; the number of eggs had been cut down considerably since his last visit. The nurse drones worked tirelessly trying to keep the healthy ones alive. Parallax noticed that the healthy eggs had a sort of green bioluminescence glowing within them, humming and beating like a heart. While the light of the sick ones dimmed and brightened, showing that they were less than alright. And the ones that had gone dark were, of course, dead. He noticed one nurse drone, Murmur, if he remembered correctly, sitting at the edge of the dead eggs.
Her sobs had filled the nursery when she saw the lights dim and could do nothing to stop it. The other nurse drones did all they could to console Murmur, but she didn’t hear any of it. Parallax strode up beside her to see if he could hear what Murmur was muttering to herself.
“I’m sorry little ones…If I my love was enough to keep you alive I would gladly have given it to you…”
Ugh. More of her little pity party drivel. Sadness and despair are good, but it’s nothing that I can feed on or connect with!
Parallax eventually made his way to the center of the hive. The large rotunda that Predator and Cadance left through had quickly been repaired. He then scuffed the ground with his hole-ridden hoof and scoffed in annoyance.
“I’m getting bored waiting for Chrysalis, maybe it’s time I had some fun for a change, kckt, kckt, kckt,” he mused.
(Ponyville)
The Entity of Fear was had entered Ponyville, walking amongst them in the form of a random unicorn stallion form. Parallax couldn’t see what the appeal in this world was. This world reeked of all of the positive emotional energies of Willpower, Hope, Compassion, and Love. Fear was present, very little Rage, and even less of Avarice. The last two he didn’t really care about, but Fear. These ponies knew of it, but their collective hope and willpower saw them through and made it hard for fear to take root.
Well that will change so enough, we’ll see to it personally.
Parallax stopped walking, sensing the presence of another emotional energy. He watched from the corner of a house, seeing two mares exit a treehouse, which also appeared to double as a library. One was a blue pegasus pony and had a rainbow mane and tail, the other was purple and had both wings and a horn, an alicorn if he remembered the terminology correctly. Followed closely behind them was an orange pegasus filly, and right next to her was…Adara!
Though in pony form, Parallax could sense her power. Luckily for him, his Changeling powers didn’t just allow him to mask his appearance, but also gave Parallax the added bonus of masking his energy, allowing him to go undetected by any of his fellow entities. Parallax watched as Adara nuzzled the filly next to her, rather very affectionately he might add. And it seemed that the other filly returned the affection.
Hmm…Seems Adara has found a host, strange she does not take residence in her. Humph, no matter.
Parallax decided to allow Adara a reprieve, their time would come soon enough. For now, Parallax wanted to visit an old friend, so to speak.
The Entity of Fear headed towards largest concentration of Willpower was, for surely that was where Ion would be. His journey through town eventually led him to a farm named “Sweet Apple Acres.” Parallax looked at the sign and then the farm itself, raising an eyebrow at the location.
Of all the places for you to inhabit, Ion, you choose a farm? The almighty Entity of Willpower, decided to live on a farm?
Parallax could sense Ion’s power coming from the house, but something else drew his attention. It was surprising, amongst all the Willpower that this farm put out, he never expected to sense even a minute spark of Fear. Parallax decided to investigate, shedding his stallion form and disappearing from sight before entering the farm. He flew through the trees, trying to find the source of the Fear energy. After a few minutes of searching he finally found it, emanating from an orange earth pony mare wearing a hat. She was apparently kicking down some fruit from the trees, while a little filly watched.
“Soooooo…?”
“So what, Apple Bloom?”
“Are ya gonna go on a date with Ion or not!?”
Applejack was busy tending to the apple trees, bucking down their fruit as it landed into the baskets with a thud. She then stared down at her little sister with a surprised expression and with a slight shade of red on her cheeks.
“Apple Bloom – Ah – well –” Applejack then shook her head. “And what business is it of yours if Ah do or don’t little missy?”
Apple Bloom gave her sister an indignant look, “Really, after y’all went and kissed!?”
“Who told you that!?” Applejack half yelled, half squeaked.
“Oh, well, Rainbow Dash told Scootaloo that she saw ya kissin’ Ion after the whole thing with the volcano, and then Scootaloo told me,” said Apple Bloom with a proud smile.
Applejack made a mental note to hogtie Rainbow Dash, but that was for a later time. Right now Applejack had to think of something to get her little sister off the subject of dates. As she moved to the next apple tree a thought popped into her head.
“Well, first off, how could ya not tell meh about Ion’s real special talent?”
The little filly squirmed a bit, “It was a secret sis…Ah couldn’t break a promise! Especially after what he did to save our farm and you, Ah know Ah should’ve told ya…”
After bucking down another round of apples, the farm mare moved towards her little sister and placed a hoof on her shoulder.
“Ah ain’t mad at ya, Bloomy. To be honest, it’s better Ah found it out for mehself, Ah probably wouldn’t have believed it unless Ah saw it.”
“Thanks, so, when are ya goin’ to go on a date!?”
Applejack smacked her forehead.
“Tell ya what, Ah’ll ask Ion on a date, if you ask Spike on a date.”
Apple Blooms yellow cheeks flushed red at the mention of Spike’s name, and the word “date”.
“Wh-Wh-Why would Ah ask Spike on a date!?”
Applejack couldn’t help but chuckle at Apple Bloom’s flustered state.
“C’mon now, Ah’ve seen the way ya look at him, and how happy ya look when you talk to him.”
“Ah don’t like Spike like that! And besides…even if Ah did, he’s still got a crush on Rarity.”
Applejack admitted she did forget about that one little bump in the road. That little dragon had been pining for Rarity since he and Twilight first arrived in Ponyville. She had hoped that Spike’s crush on her friend would just fade given enough time, but his devotion to the fashionista bordered on obsession sometimes. Twilight and the others didn’t really have the heart to say he stood no chance with her, besides the obvious age gap, Rarity’s romantic interests leaned towards the fairer type of pony as well as stallions. Although said fashionista would never admit it openly.
Of course, none of this was fair to Apple Bloom. She felt for her little sister, and wanted her to be happy, but Applejack knew that when the day came when Spike figured out that Rarity didn’t like him the same way he did, she knew Apple Bloom would be there to help him. Although, Applejack wasn’t too sure how much she liked her sister catching Spike on the rebound. Shaking those thoughts from her mind, Applejack placed a hoof under Apple Bloom’s chin and lifted it so that she could look into the filly’s eyes.
“Don’t fret now, sugarcube. Spike will get over his crush eventually, and when that’s happened, he’ll be able to see the filly who’s been there for him and will care for him even when he’s actin’ like a love sick fool,” said Applejack.
Apple Bloom blushed at her sister’s words, but it did bring a confident smile to her face nonetheless.
“Thanks sis.”
“Any time.”
“So when are ya goin’ to date Ion?”
“Apple Bloom!”
Ion had stared down many a foe, had united with two different Green Lanterns and fought side by side with them, he even suffered being enslaved by Krona and forced to possess a Guardian. But right now, Ion was facing down a foe that rivaled his dominant willpower, feeling the pressure of the analyzing and critical gaze of the red stallion before him. Both Ion, and his opponent in a contest of wills, Big Macintosh, were sitting in the living room of the Apple Family house.
Apparently, Big Macintosh had also gotten wind of Applejack’s romantic interest in their farmhand. And, like any big brother, at least that’s what Ion assumed, he was grilling the Entity of Willpower, judging to see if the green earth pony stallion would flinch before him, or give him a reason to jettison Ion out the front door and off the farm.
“So, ya like meh sister,” asked Big Macintosh.
It was less of question and more of a statement, but despite that Ion felt that he should at least make himself clear on his matter.
“I do…yes. Actually, I-I love her,” said Ion.
“Really, ya don’t sound sure?”
“I am sure!”
Big Macintosh narrowed his gaze at Ion, “Let me be clear here, Ion. Applejack don’t need somepony who’s half-flanked in their convictions. She’s a good mare, and deserves to be with somepony who’ll make her happy, and treat her as such. Are you that pony?”
Ion puffed out his chest and gave Big Mac a stern look.
“I am, Big Macintosh. And I will make her happy, I don’t know how, but I will!”
Big Mac leaned in towards Ion, staring him right in the eye.
“Are ya sure? Really sure Ah mean?”
At that moment Big Macintosh felt somepony swat him upside the head. The large stallion rubbed the back of his head tenderly and turned to see who it was. To both the stallions’ surprise, it was Granny Smith.
“Big Mac, quit scarin’ the poor boy.” Granny scolded.
“But –”
“No buts!”
Big Macintosh pouted but relented to his grandmother. Granny Smith then looked upon Ion with her usual kind expression.
“Now, Ion, Ah know ya care deeply for meh granddaughter. And Celestia knows, that girl’s never goin’ to find her special somepony workin’ the fields day in and day out. Now don’t get me wrong, tendin’ to the fields and workin’ on Sweet Apple Acres makes Applejack happy. But Ah don’t want her to spend the rest of her life not knowin’ what love is or wonderin’ what coulda been when she gets to be my age!”
Granny Smith then walked closer to Ion and placed her hooves on either side of his cheeks.
“All Ah’m askin’ is that ya be patient with her, and be there for her when she needs ya. She’ll always have her family, but family can only do so much, sometimes we need the strength and love of the pony we care most fer to give us a helpin’ hoof.”
Big Macintosh and Ion just stood there in stunned silence at Granny Smith’s wisdom. She may act kooky and can be forgetful at times, but that never seemed to stop her from dispensing great advice and deep stuff from time to time. The elder mare then released Ion and smiled at him, making the green stallion respond with one of his own.
“Now that that’s outta the way, hurry up and marry meh granddaughter and give me some grandchildren! `Cause this one here hasn’t done the deed with that school teacher friend of his, yet, and Ah want to at least see one before Ah go,” said Granny Smith, pointing a hoof at Big Macintosh.
It was hard to see if Big Mac was actually blushing, but from the look on his face, he was definitely blushing underneath that red fur of his. That’s not to say that Ion wasn’t glowing red either, the notion of having children with Applejack sent his mind into places that he wasn’t sure he could imagine, until now that is. Granny Smith then exited the room, cackling like a madmare at the flustered appearances on her grandson’s and Ion’s faces.
The two stallions shook off the awkwardness of what Granny Smith said and proceeded outside to finish their work, having taken a break to have this impromptu conversation. Once outside, Big Mac put on an apologetic look.
“Sorry, Ion. Ah was just lookin’ out for meh sister; Ah didn’t mean to give ya a hard time.”
“No it’s alright, I understand. And, to be honest, I’m not sure what Applejack and I have right now…”
Big Macintosh raised an eyebrow at that.
“Ya havin’ second thoughts?”
“No, nothing like that… It’s just, ever since that incident with the volcano, she hasn’t…well…it kinda feels like she’s avoiding me now. I haven’t pressed her about it because I don’t want to push Applejack into something she’s not ready for, or doesn’t want.”
Big Macintosh found that rather odd. Given his sister wasn’t the romantic type; she was straight forward with pretty much everything she did. So it seemed odd that Applejack would just kiss Ion, and then not pursue it further. He knew for a fact that Applejack wasn’t for stringing anypony along, so why is she doing that now?
“Ya want me to talk to her?” Big Macintosh asked.
Ion shook his head, “No it’s okay I –”
Just then Ion heard something in the distance, a rustling of leaves, but that wasn’t all. For some reason he vaguely sensed Fear energy, it was very faint, almost nonexistent, but it was there for a moment. Recent events have made the Entity of Willpower more suspicious, with Butcher and Ophidian’s arrival, Ion was sure that a visit from Parallax wouldn’t be too far behind. However, the sensation was gone, and he didn’t see a need in getting paranoid and worried, yet. For now he would remain vigilant.
Snarling and howling echoed in the darkness. Applejack looked around her, not knowing where she was. The orange mare looked to right and then the left, frantically searching for the origin of the noises. If there was one thing Applejack hated, it was fighting an opponent who hid in the shadows like a coward.
“Show yerself! Ah’m right here!” Applejack shouted into the darkness.
It was then that something in the darkness shifted and changed. A flash of yellow light blinded Applejack for a moment before she saw two ponies. An earth pony mare and stallion were standing in the distance, both had their backs turned to her, but the stallion seemed to be wearing her favorite Stetson hat. Applejack was about to yell at the two ponies and ask for their identities when she gasped.
The stallion turned around, big and burly, much like Big Macintosh, with the same stoic expression. Applejack could never forget that stallion, never in a million years. It was her father, Alexander Apple. And the mare beside him, bearing a kind smile and eyes that belayed the boundless energy she had that allowed her to play all day with her children no matter how tired she got, Applejack’s mother and youngest daughter of the Orange family of Manehattan, Citrus Mist.
“Ma…Pa…?”
It had been a long time since she had seen them, even though for some reason they both looked yellow, she didn’t care. Applejack started to feel an overwhelming sense of joy at seeing her beloved parents again, but that was not to last. Soon Alexander and Citrus were overshadowed by a large timberwolf like creature. The giant yellow wolf howled loudly, sending the two ponies into a panic. Applejack’s heart raced with fear, she quickly galloped for her parents, and at the same time, her parents ran for her.
Applejack ran as fast as she could, but every time she thought she was getting closer, it appeared that she was instead getting further away from them. The timberwolf was on their heels, despite her efforts, the timberwolf was getting closer to Applejack’s parents than she was. Alexander reached out with his right hoof in desperate attempt to get closer to Applejack. The orange mare dove forward, reaching out with her hoof as well, hoping beyond all hope that she could pull her mother and father away from the beast. Sadly that was not the case.
The timberwolf raised its right claw and swiped it. The claw connected, Citrus Mist only seeing a rush of yellow strike her. The blow sent the mare hurdling into the air, her body slashed apart by the wolf’s razor sharp claws. Applejack stared in wide eyed horror as the divided pieces of her mother laid on the black nothingness, still and lifeless. It was then that Applejack heard a scream; she turned around to see that the timberwolf had Alexander Apple trapped between its rows of dagger like teeth. Once again the stallion tried to reach out for his daughter, and Applejack pathetically did the same, thinking that she could snatch her father away from the jaws of death.
Her hopes were once again dashed when she saw the wolf clamp its muzzle shut, biting her father in half. Applejack collapsed onto the ground, tears welling up in her eyes as she let loose a sorrowful sob.
“Not again…Ah can’t lose ya again…!”
Just then, Applejack felt a hoof touch her shoulder. The farm mare dared to look up and was greeted by the strong smile of Ion, like the others, he too was yellow. Applejack quickly rose up from the nonexistent ground and embraced the stallion, hugging him tightly as she sobbed into his shoulder.
“Ion…it-it killed my Ma and Pa! And Ah couldn’t do anythin’ to stop it!”
Applejack then felt Ion’s hoof gently stroke her mane comfortingly, she felt safe in his grasp, like nothing could harm him or her. But then, suddenly, she felt nothing. Applejack opened her eyes and gasped once again. Ion was gone, vanished from sight. Applejack frantically looked around and called out his name, but alas, she couldn’t see him or hear him. Then she felt a rumbling vibration through her forelegs, the thunderous thudding sound coming from behind her. Applejack stared in disbelief, seeing the Emerald Giant standing tall behind her, although, it was more of a Topaz Giant rather than emerald.
A few feet away, the creature that called itself the Butcher snorted and snarled as it stared down Ion’s hero persona. The Butcher then let loose its fiery blast right in Applejack’s direction. Ion quickly stepped between the farm mare and the attack, taking the full brunt of the blast. Applejack watched as the Giant’s body began to crack and dissolve under the fiery blast. In no time the Emerald Giant’s form was destroyed and completely shattered, leaving behind only Ion.
“ION!!!”
At that moment the stallion’s body broke apart, dissolving into particles of light.
“NO!!!”
~~~
Applejack awoke with a start. The sun had just started cresting over the horizon. The blond mare was sweating profusely, her fur matted and mane disheveled. Applejack hugged herself tightly, feeling her body shake. She had never had a nightmare that horrible before, not since she was a little filly and her parents…
“It was just a nightmare, nothin’ more,” she told herself.
Applejack decided to push that little episode down and keep it to herself. There was no need to worry her family or Ion. Applejack quickly made her way to the bathroom and took a shower to wash the sweat off her body, and then combed her mane before she placed her hair bands on. After her morning routine was done Applejack made her way downstairs, eager to get to work and clear her mind of the unpleasantness of last night, however, the moment that Applejack opened the door she paused before taking a step outside.
C’mon Applejack, just one hoof in front of the other. Applejack again attempted to leave the house, but froze as if stepping one hoof outside that door would invite some sort of disaster. The normally brave and bold mare started to retreat back into the house a little. W-What’s wrong with meh…? Why Ah’m Ah afraid to leave the house!?
It wasn’t long before Big Macintosh and Apple Bloom walked passed Applejack and were now outside when they noticed that their sister hadn’t been right behind them, the two siblings paused and turned to see Applejack still standing inside the house.
“Aren’t ya comin’ sis,” asked Apple Bloom.
“You alright, AJ,” asked Big Macintosh.
“A…Actually y’all, Ah don’t feel too good. Ah’m gonna sit a spell and catch up with ya later.”
Both Apple Bloom and Big Macintosh looked curiously at Applejack, she hadn’t missed a day of apple bucking in a long time, even when she wasn’t feeling good Big Mac had to drag her back inside to properly rest. So he didn’t argue with Applejack, if she felt she needed to rest and wasn’t feeling good, he certainly wasn’t going to push her and risk getting Applejack sicker.
“That’s fine, c’mon Apple Bloom. Looks like yer helpin’ me out in the fields for a bit.”
Apple Bloom nodded her response. Applejack then watched as her siblings made their way to the orchard when Ion exited the barn. He stopped to talk to Big Mac and Apple Bloom, both he and AB glancing over in Applejack’s direction. Big Macintosh must’ve convinced Ion because now he was following them towards the orchard.
With a heavy sigh, Applejack closed the door. She then made her way towards one of the couches and just curled up on it. She wasn’t really lying she did feel tired, as if that nightmare had sucked out the energy from her. And then there was that little paranoid part of her that she just couldn’t shake. Applejack wasn’t one to worry, but for some reason, the thought of stepping outside scared her.
Minutes turned to hours as Applejack stayed curled up on the couch, every so often her gaze would drift to the window. Wondering how Apple Bloom, Big Mac, and Ion were doing. They were surely done and were probably heading back to the house soon.
“What’s got ya lookin’ so down Applejack?”
The farm mare’s head swiveled in Granny Smith’s direction, but her surprise was short lived as Applejack returned to her curled up position on the couch.
“Hi, Granny, it’s nothin’.”
“Nothin’ my hind quarters, ya look like somepony went and ate yer last apple fritter. Now what’s wrong?”
Applejack sighed, Granny Smith was as stubborn as she was and knew the old mare wouldn’t leave her granddaughter, especially with her looking so downtrodden. So, reluctantly, Applejack told Granny Smith about the nightmare she had, minus the part about Ion turning into the Emerald Giant and fighting a massive red bull, opting to instead tell her about Ion disappearing, which wasn’t a total lie. Granny Smith listened intently to her granddaughter’s tale; it disturbed her that Applejack was having those kinds of dreams. She remembered how distraught and how hard it was for her to sleep when they lost their parents.
“Applejack, I know what happened to you, Apple Bloom, and Big Macintosh was a tragedy, and Celestia knows that ain’t the kind of thing one gets over too easily. But ya can’t let fear keep ya from doing things ya like.” It was then that Granny Smith had a thought pop into her head. “Is that the reason why ya haven’t done or said anythin’ to Ion?”
Applejack flinched a little upon hearing that.
“Ah’m afraid…Granny…Afraid that he’ll get taken away like Ma and Pa…Ah don’t know why, Ion’s a strong stallion, really strong. But…”
Granny Smith silenced Applejack by bringing the mare into a comforting hug. The elderly pony rocked back and forth a little, holding Applejack the whole time. It was something that Granny Smith would do with Apple Bloom when she was younger, she did it for all of them when they were younger, and it never failed to calm them down.
“Honey, ya can’t keep thinkin’ about all the bad stuff that’ll happen to ‘em. That’s life, we live, we love, and eventually, we die. Ah was sad when yer grandfather died, but Ah had Alexander, and he had yer mother. And, they had you three. They ain’t really gone AJ, they live in yer heart, they always will.”
“But…”
“No buts! Ya can’t let this stand in yer way of bein’ happy with somepony you care about. Don’t be afraid to show him that ya love him, Applejack. He’s worried somethin’ fierce about ya, and if that ain’t love then Ah’m seventeen years old.”
Granny Smith punctuated her remark by stretching out her wrinkles, making her face look like her younger self before the wrinkles snapped back and her face returned to normal. Applejack couldn’t help but let out a chuckle from seeing that, Granny Smith joined in as well, finding solace that her granddaughter was smiling again.
( Later that afternoon)
Ion, Big Macintosh, and Apple Bloom were heading back towards their family home. The whole trek back, Ion couldn’t stop thinking about Applejack. Wondering if she had caught something, or maybe it was that she was avoiding him? So many questions and very few answers, it was starting to wear on him a little. It was strange, when he was just a cosmic entity, Ion really didn’t have to worry about things like this, and all he had to worry about was channeling his power to the Green Lanterns so that they could battle evil.
Being a demi-mortal can get real complicated sometimes, thought Ion.
Just as the trio reached the farm they saw Applejack leaning up against the house as if waiting for their arrival. Apple Bloom detached from the group and quickly ran up to her big sister. The earth pony filly then began to inspect Applejack’s body, much to her annoyance, looking for any cut, or abnormality.
“How’re ya feelin’ Applejack, any better?”
“Ah’m fine, sugarcube, nothin’ to fret over. Ah just didn’t sleep well last night.”
Apple Bloom then wiped her brow with a hoof; Applejack playfully rolled her eyes at her little sister’s worry.
“Ion, ya mind takin’ a walk with meh…There’s somethin’ that Ah want to show ya, alone.” Applejack added that last part to tell her younger and older siblings to not come with or follow them.
The two apple siblings, with worried glances, entered the house and left Applejack and Ion alone. She didn’t say a word, but Ion could tell by her body language that he was to follow her, and so he did. Applejack led Ion through the orchard; all the while neither one of them said anything. She did, however, move closer to him, making Ion blush slightly from the close proximity, he could almost feel her body heat.
The two of them walked for a long while, with the farm mare leading Ion into a part of the orchard he hadn’t been to before. The trees around this area seemed bigger and presumably older. They continued on through the dense forest of apple trees till they happened upon a clearing. It was like the one that Ion fought the Alpha Timberwolf when he first arrived at Sweet Apple Acres, but unlike that clearing, this one had two objects sticking out of the ground in the distance. Ion was about to ask what they were, but Applejack continued forward.
After walking a good distance from the tree line, Ion was able to see just what exactly the objects were. They were headstones. The one on his left read “Alexander Apple, a good stallion, devoted husband, and a loving father.” Ion then looked to the one on his right adjacent to the first and read silently, “Citrus ‘Misty’ Mist, a wonderful spunky mare, a dear wife, and loving mother.” Ion glanced over at Applejack; her expression was solemn upon looking at the headstones. He had an idea who these ponies were, but felt that he needed Applejack to confirm this verbally.
“Applejack…are these, are they…?”
“Meh Ma and Pa…they were good ponies, Ion. Ah wish you could’ve met them. Pa was a strong one, like you and Big Mac. He could lift a whole boulder with no sweat, and he had to buck the trees with one leg, because he almost knocked one over hittin’ it with two.” Applejack chuckled at the memory of seeing her father nearly snap a full grown apple tree in half. “Ma, she was a feisty one. Always full of energy, guess that’s were Apple Bloom gets it from, and her sass too. Ma always had time to play with us, even if she was worn out, she made the time.”
“Sounds like you had wonderful parents,” said Ion.
“……Then…one day, when we were all out havin’ a little picnic, IT came for us.”
Ion felt that he shouldn’t press the “it”, but the look in Applejack’s eyes was that of one waiting for the question to be asked.
“What was ‘it’?”
“Ah timberwolf, but not just some ordinary one, no, it was an Ironwood Timberwolf! Their bodies are as hard as iron, they’re bigger, meaner, and unrelentin’ when they find their prey. All of us were there, me, Big Mac, Apple Bloom, even Granny. That thing rushed for us, Pa went to distract it while Granny and Ma got us to someplace to hide. Ah watched that thing fight Pa. He was strong, bucking that thing’s legs and leavin’ dents in it, you could tell that thing was scared.
But that’s when that thing sideswiped Pa against a tree. Ma ran out to stop it from bringing down its claws, but ended up gettin’ slashed by ‘em. She had three big gashes on her side…Ah-Ah never seen so much blood…” Applejack shook her head, trying to block the dreadful memory from resurfacing.
Ion placed a hoof on her shaking shoulders, “AJ, you don’t have to continue, I can tell it’s too painful for you.”
“No…Ah, Ah need to tell ya this. When Pa saw her on the ground, bleedin’ and dyin’, he got up and grappled with the wolf, Pa found a big tree branch and used it like a spear. He then used an opening and jammed that thing right in the timberwolf’s eye, all the way through. That creature let out an unholy howl of pain that Ah’ll never forget. But…right before it died, that wolf released a long sharp five foot long splinter and…and…it hit Pa right in his heart…” Applejack eyes started to water, recalling these painful memories and baring her soul to her potential paramour. “Pa died instantly, but Ma just bled out before anypoy could save her…”
Ion brought Applejack into a hug, letting the mare cry into his chest. He wanted to say he understood, that he felt her pain of lose, but really he didn’t. Ion was the Entity of Willpower, a creature whose life was endless, never having any parents or family outside of the other Entities, if that even counted. But even then, they too were eternal. All Ion could do was sit there and hold Applejack, letting her vent all her sorrow, after a bit, she separated herself from Ion and wiped her face with her foreleg.
“Sorry, Ah…Ah just wanted you to know why Ah haven’t done anythin’. With us Ah mean.”
“Your parents are the reason?”
“Ah just…with you bein’ the Emerald Giant and fightin’ monsters like that bull, Ah’m afraid of-of losin’ ya…”
“Applejack, you and your friends go on dangerous adventures all the time. You stood against Nightmare Moon, thwarted a Changeling invasion, defeated and reformed Discord, and helped save an Empire from that tyrant, King Sombra. You risked your life plenty of times, and walked away each time.”
“Yeah…but that was different, Ah wasn’t alone, Ah had meh friends helpin’ and watchin’ each other’s backs. You…you fight alone, with nopony to help you!”
Well that’s not entirely true, thought Ion.
“Applejack, I promise you, I’m not alone. Before, I did this hero thing to help others, which was good, but then, during that fight at the volcano, I realized, when I came close to losing, it was you. I wanted to keep fighting, no matter what, I wanted to come back and see you again. As long as I have you, Applejack, I’m never alone!”
Ion’s cheeks were burning red, he couldn’t believe he had said something so embarrassingly cliché. Applejack stood there as well, fidgeting with her hooves and sporting a red blush that burned with equal intensity. As corny as that was, Applejack couldn’t deny the warm feeling in her heart that it gave her.
“Ion…”
*AWWWWOOOOOOOO*
Applejack’s eyes went wide as her pupils shrunk to the size of pinpricks. The mare’s body began to tremble with fright at that Faust awful sound.
“No…!”
*AWWWWWOOOOOOOOOOOOO*
“What was that!?” Ion shouted, assuming a defensive stance.
The birds in the trees started to fly away, sensing the danger that was fast approaching. And from the rustling sounds, they were surrounded.
Just then, from the tree line behind the headstones some ways down burst forth a giant timberwolf. But this timberwolf was different. Its body was twice the size of the Alpha he fought long ago; the bark color was a kind of dark sliver that sheened in the sunlight. Its bushy tail was comprised of hundreds of sharp splinter quills, hooked claws, large dagger like teeth, and yellow glowing eyes that stared down the two ponies. This was the dreaded beast that Applejack spoke of, the very creature that took her parents away from her, the Ironwood Timberwolf.
Ion was about to make a break for it, and ready to haul Applejack along with him. But then, multiple timberwolves popped out the tree line, creating a perfect circle, they were completely surrounded. Ion kept Applejack close, prepared to do what was necessary to protect her. There was something wrong about this, a familiar aura that Ion knew he had felt before. As they grew closer, the green stallion was able to look into their yellow eyes, for a brief instance, a familiar symbol flashed in their eyes. It was one that Ion would never forget – could never forget.
Parallax! He’s behind this!?
The Ironwood Timberwolf stared directly at Applejack. The orange mare cowered before its gaze, a look of disbelief and terror were mixed upon her face.
“What are you doing here!? Y-You can’t be alive!”
“Applejack, I don’t think this is an accident, these may not even be real timberwolves!”
Whatever Ion said was lost on Applejack, her mind was too idled with fear that she was visibly shaking, the beast that took her parents from her was now standing before her, threatening to do the same thing.
Ion watched as the wolves started to get closer and closer, there was only one option left.
In Brightest Day, in Blackest Night, No evil shall escape my sight! Let those who worship evil’s might, Beware my power, Will’s grand light!
Ion’s body erupted into a pillar of emerald light that shot up into the air, making the other twenty timberwolves, and Ironwood Timberwolf, take a few steps back. The light then took form, growing arms, legs, a chest, and finally a head. The Emerald Giant had risen once again, eyes glowing with the symbol of Willpower. Ion quickly erected a barrier around Applejack and her parents’ headstones. The wolves snarled in disapproval that their mare target was cut off from them, but they didn’t seem to mind too much, switching their focus to the Emerald Giant instead. Suddenly the smaller timberwolves glowed with yellow light, growing twice the size they once were, becoming near equals to the Alpha Timberwolf.
Ion assumed a defensive stance, bringing up his fists in preparation for battle. One of the wolves lunged for the Emerald Giant; Ion saw this attack coming and punched the beast right in the snout, sending it flying back to the ground. When he retracted his fist, Ion noticed that there very tiny cracks on his knuckles. Fear was the enemy of Willpower, and the yellow light, much like the red light of Rage, disrupted and destroyed green light constructs. Ion looked down at Applejack, who was staring at the scene before her in terror.
He couldn’t afford for his Emerald Giant construct to dissolve, so he opted for a different approach. Ion held out his hands as particles of green light began to coalesce in his open palms, he gripped the particles which then transformed into two, double-edged broadswords. Ion twirled the blades around and assumed a combative stance, keeping the left sword in a reverse-grip style, while the right sword remained in a normal-grip style. Ion shifted his eyes from one wolf to the next, watching them as they circled Applejack and himself.
One wolf attacked from behind, Ion spun in place and brought the blade of his sword right at the beast’s midsection, slicing it in half. The two halves fell off to the sides, twitching at separate intervals from each other. Ion noted that the insides of this wolf were filled with yellow light, furthering his suspicions that Parallax was behind this attack, but it didn’t make any sense to him. If they were constructs, they’d be glowing yellow like his body or swords, had Parallax acquired a magic from this world that allowed him to mask the obvious glow of the light constructs and make them appear more like the real thing?
Unfortunately, Ion didn’t have time to ponder that question as two wolves lunged form him. Ion stabbed the first wolf through the head with the right sword, retracting it, and then spinning in place to bring the left sword to slice the other wolf clean through. The other wolves took this as the initiative to attack at random. Ion went into a flurry of blade strikes, ducking, down and stabbing one through the stomach as it sailed overhead. Keeping the wolf on the blade, he then flicked the blade in the direction of three oncoming timberwolves, using the impaled wolf’s body as a projectile to bowl down the attackers. Ion was starting to get a good momentum going, keeping the wolves at bay by creating a zone-of-death with his swords.
Soon the last timberwolf, save for Ironwood, lunged for him. Ion brought his left sword into a normal-grip style He then struck with both swords at once, slashing in an X pattern that scattered the timberwolf’s wooden body into pieces. Ion then turned to the Ironwood Timberwolf and pointed a blade at it.
“Is this all the force you can muster against me, Parallax! You’re losing your touch,” he mocked.
The Ironwood Timberwolf merely smirked. The symbol of Fear shined in its eyes once again. At that moment all the severed bodies of the timberwolves began to rise up, wrapped in an aura of yellow light. The ones that he had been sliced apart regrew into new timberwolves, and the ones he had stabbed had their wounds healed, where once he was facing down twenty timberwolves, now had been doubled to forty.
Then again, maybe not!
Ion could see that slicing and dicing would only create more of these things, so he changed tactics. He decided to take a lesson from one of the Green Lanterns, and created a certain ones favorite weapon construct. Ion melded the swords together, weaving a new weapon. The two blades became one new weapon, with a twenty foot shaft and a large, heavy, blunt object at the tip. Ion lifted the war-hammer and twirled it around in his hands to get a good feel for it. Once he was satisfied, he entered a fighting stance. If he couldn’t shred these things then he’d just have to smash them with a hammer instead!
The ten wolves lunged at once, the Emerald Giant then swung the hammer in a wide arc, smashing the heads of all ten in one blow. Their headless bodies hit the ground and broke apart into piles of wood. Ion then felt a shooting pain in his left leg, when he looked down he saw that one of the wolves had sunk its fangs into it. The timberwolf’s teeth glowed with yellow light as it worked to tear off his appendage. Ion brought the butt of his war-hammer right onto the assailing beast’s head, driving the shaft straight through. The creature’s jaw went lax, allowing Ion to get himself free; however, the yellow impurity was in his construct. Yellow fissures spread out through the lower half of his left leg slowly, like the venom of a snake.
Still, Ion didn’t let this stop him. Even with a limp he was still stronger than these things! That’s when he felt even more pain in his body, feeling five thuds striking his back, along with a sharp, piercing pain. The pain made Ion lose focus, making his war-hammer disappear into light particles. He turned his head and saw that five, ten foot long splinter-quills were lodged into his back. Ion saw that the Ironwood Timberwolf had its large paw right on top of Applejack’s barrier, and its tail pointed right at him, each quill tipped with yellow light.
Ion could feel the yellow light of Fear invade his construct body, weakening him. He watched as Ironwood began to press on the barrier, which was now showing visible cracks. Fear started to grip Ion, knowing that if his barrier failed Applejack would be dead. He then tried to make his way towards her, but felt his right leg burn with the familiar pain of fangs digging into his construct body. The wolves he had smashed had resurrected, but, despite not being cut in half, divided once again, now a force of sixty timberwolves. The wolves all started to pile on Ion, each one biting down on different parts of his body, and raking their glowing yellow claws against his form to force him back. With great effort, the timberwolves brought the Emerald Giant falling onto his back. The timberwolves took advantage of this and piled into a feeding frenzy, tearing apart his construct as green patches of the construct’s body flew off and burst into tiny particles of green light.
Applejack watched in sheer horror, her nightmare was coming true. Ion was going to die right in front of her, and she couldn’t do a thing stop it. No matter how much she cried or pounded against the barrier, they wouldn’t let up.
“STOP IT!!! LEAVE HIM ALONE!!! PLEASE!!!” Applejack cried out.
Tears began to stream down her muzzle, feeling completely useless, like she was a little filly all over again.
“You can’t help him…” Applejack turned up to the Ironwood Timberwolf, who now stared down at her with its terrifying yellow eyes. “He’s going to die, and it’s because of you! Because you’re weak, because, despite all your bravado, at your core, you’re nothing but a scared, weak, pathetic little girl! Crying for someone to save her, and sadly, causing those around you to die, just like your parents! ”
Applejack stared at the headstones of her mother and father.
“Ma…Pa…Ah’m sorry…and now Ion…!”
“All you love will be taken from you, everything you’ve worked hard for will vanish, and all because of you, your family and friends will suffer, Applejack!”
“WILL YOU PLEASE SHUT UP!!?”
Applejack and the Ironwood Timberwolf both looked to the pile of timberwolves who were still going to town on the Emerald Giant’s body. At that moment a powerful burst of green light erupted forth, blasting the wolves off the Giant’s body. The Emerald Giant was riddled with glowing yellow scars, along with fissures of yellow light that threatened to shatter his form. The right leg was bleeding out green energy, while the left arm was completely gone. Against the pain, Ion charged forward, roaring with defiant anger as he cocked back his fist. Brass knuckles materialized around the Giant’s fist, and, putting all his strength into it, Ion punched Ironwood right in the face, sending the beast sailing into the tree line, and taking out a few of the trees as he skidded to a halt.
Ion then collapsed onto his knees as he supported his himself with his only arm, looking down on Applejack as he felt the yellow light infect his body. The orange earth pony looked up at Ion with distress and concern at his current state, to her it was like the Butcher fight all over again.
“Ion…Ah…Ah did this to you…”
“No, you didn’t, Applejack,” grunted Ion, in pain from the yellow light, trying to fight its influence.
“Ah’m no good for you…for anypony…All Ah do is hurt the ponies Ah care about…”
“Applejack, you can’t listen to that thing! It’s messing with your head!”
“Ah’m better off dead…better than meh family, friends, or you sufferin’ for meh weakness…”
The Emerald Giant’s brow furrowed, he then brought up his right fist and slammed it down on the ground, causing the earth to quake beneath Applejacks’ hooves.
“Overcome your fears, Applejack!!!” Ion shouted.
Applejack paused as she looked into the eyes of the Emerald Giant.
“You’re not weak! You’re not any of those things that Parallax said! You’re the most stubborn, headstrong, bullheaded, and hardworking pony I’ve ever met! But you’re also kind, caring, courageous, honest, and…and the most beautiful mare I’ve ever seen…!”
Applejack felt her cheeks heat up at those words; the fear she was gripped with was starting to wane a little.
“You…You really think all that about me?”
“I do, and I’m willing to bet my life on it! On YOU! Granny Smith told me that, sometimes, ‘you need the strength and love of somepony you care about to give you a helping hoof.’ My strength is your strength Applejack, and yours is mine! You don’t have to face this alone!”
“Alone” that was the thing that Applejack feared, that everypony around her, friends, family, all would die and she could do nothing to stop it, thinking that it was her weakness, her lack of strength and conviction that would eventually leave her with no one to love or care about. And here, Ion was standing, barely, but even after seeing her at her weakest, he was willing to be her strength, and at the same time, allow her to be his.
“Ion…Ah-Ah love you…”
The corners of the Emerald Giant’s face rose slightly, imitating a smile on its faceless visage.
“I love you too, Applejack.”
An angry roar and multiple howls echoed through the air as the timberwolves started to rise up again and make their way to their prey. Applejack and Ion looked to see that they were once again surrounded, but instead of a fearful expression on Applejack’s face, she now bore her usual cocky, smug smile.
“Ion, Ah think you know what to do!”
“Damn right!”
Ion opened a hole in his chest, a swirling vortex of emerald light. Applejack took a few steps back, giving a nod to her parents’ headstones, and then galloped at full speed. She then jumped straight into the vortex in the Emerald Giant’s chest, the opening closing behind her. At that moment, the Giant’s eyes blazed with green light as its body once again erupted into a pillar of emerald light. But this time was different, the power and force behind the light was stronger than it once was.
Within the pillar a transformation was taking place. The destroyed arm reformed, the bleeding wound on the right leg sealed shut, and all the scars and cracks were healed with the power of Will. The Emerald Giant then started to sprout armor around its body, with large panel shoulder plates that bared the insignia of Willpower. The Giant’s head formed a helmet with a crescent horn mantel on its forehead. And lastly two fierce glowing eyes appeared on the chest of the giant, with the chest armor slightly resembling the face of a horse.
With a battle cry the pillar shattered apart and revealed the new form of the Emerald Giant.
“Fear has no place in our hearts, even when it’s staring us in the face, our strength will never waver!”
“We’ll gather up all our courage and face whatever comes at us, we’ll tear it down like a wall that blocks our path!”
“We are courage, we are Willpower! We are the Emerald Knight!!!” “We are courage, we are Willpower! We are the Emerald Knight!!!”
The Knight’s body then flared up with green power, raging like an inferno as its twin eyes blazed with unbridled determination. The timberwolves cowered a little in the presence of the newly revived Emerald Giant. One of the wolves dared to attack the empowered warrior, but the duo were more than ready. The Knight cocked back its right fist.
“If cutting and smashing don’t stop ya –!” The Knight then punched forward, making contact with the wolf’s midsection and causing the beast to let out a pained grunt. “Then we’ll just have to turn ya to dust!”
At that moment, the Willpower insignia shined in front of the Knight’s fist, collecting energy until it released it in a powerful burst that blew the timberwolf’s body away, turning into dust, and leaving behind a yellow timberwolf construct in its place. Within mere seconds the construct too disappeared. The wolves all roared and growled with anger at seeing their own taken down so easily. All fifty-nine wolves then leaped into the air and charged straight for the Knight, trying to overwhelm it like before. The twin eyes of the Knight glowed brighter, along with its entire body.
“Not gonna happen!!!”
At that moment multiple Willpower insignias appeared all around Knight’s body. The centers of the symbols then shot out, blasting green energy beams in every direction. Fifty-nine beams for fifty-nine timberwolves; each one was suspended in the air by the light, until each light sent a powerful bolt of green energy straight into the wolves’ bodies. When the beams disappeared, each one of the wolves shattered apart in mini explosions of yellow light. The Ironwood Timberwolf roared in defiance, aimed its tail, and let loose a stream of yellow tipped quills at the Emerald Knight.
The Knight then created a shield in front of it, bearing the symbol of Willpower. All of the quills bounced off the shield like toothpicks being thrown at a window. Ironwood was visibly starting to panic, it had them on the ropes and now it was the one in danger. The Emerald Knight then ran straight for the wolf and then punched the wolf right through their own shield. The Knight then sped past the wolf and grabbed its tail with its left hand. With its mighty strength, the Knight crushed the base of the tail, making the quill shooting appendage dissolve into nothingness.
“Let’s end this!” “Let’s end this!”
The Emerald Giant then fired an energy blast at the Ironwood Timberwolf, when it struck it did not explode but instead it captured the wolf, surprising the beast. The sphere then lifted into the air and stopped at a certain height in the air. The creature tried to move, but the power of the sphere kept it still.
The Knight’s twin sets of eyes once again blazed as it lifted its right arm into the air, particles of emerald light collected around the Knights’ forearm, forming a ridiculously, enormous drill! Leveling the thing with its left hand, the Giant took off into the air! Its body transforming into pure light energy as it propelled the gigantic weapon forward, the drill then spun at a fast rate, accelerating with each passing second. The drill made contact immediately, piercing through the sphere and right into the wolf’s body.
The power of the drill completely annihilated the wolf and the construct underneath, tearing apart the particles and body until there was little to nothing left of the nightmarish creature. The Emerald Knight then landed thunderously back on terra firma. The sphere containing the blast released the full force, lighting up the sky while the twin eyes of the Knight shined through it all.
Off to the in the shadows of the trees, Parallax watched the spectacle with intrigue. His lips forming a fanged smile as he contemplated the events that just transpired.
Neither possession nor unification, merely piggybacking off one another’s willpower, well played Ion, I really must remember to thank you when everything is set and done. You’ve obviously chosen a host, as I’m sure the others have, but from the looks of it, none of you are willing to inhabit them. An advantage we will see fit to exploit. But nonetheless, that was entertaining.
With that the Entity of Fear disappeared from sight, off to concoct whatever nefarious plans he and his fellow Negative Entities had put together.
Unfortunately, Applejack’s parents’ headstones were wrecked during the fight. Luckily, there were enough pieces lying around for Ion to put them back together. Once that was done, the stallion and mare paid their respects to the two long dead ponies, and apologized for disrupting their sleep. When they were done, Applejack and Ion decided to walk back to the farm.
During their trek, Applejack had saw fit to walk very close to Ion, even going so far as to interlock their tails, an act which was only reserved for intimate couples.
“So…”
“So…”
“What do we do now, y’know, since we just proclaimed our love for each other and all,” asked Ion.
“Well, Ah reckon that the right proper thing for ya to do is to ask me out on a date,” answered Applejack.
Ion gulped nervously at the prospect of dating Applejack, when you’re a cosmic entity of all Willpower in the universe, your dating knowledge is very, very limited, if not nonexistent. But one look into those emerald green eyes of Applejack’s and Ion’s nervousness flew away, so what if he didn’t know how to date, he’d figure it out.
“Alright, Applejack do you want to –?”
“Not now, sugarcube, the mood ain’t right. Let’s just enjoy the walk for now.”
“I can deal with that.”
Applejack then rested her head against Ion’s neck, nuzzling him affectionately.
The train ride from the Crystal Empire to Ponyville was a long one; it had been some time since Predator had been back to that quaint small town. She had been keeping in regular contact with Rarity, sending letters to tell her of her days studying under Cadance, minus the growing feelings for the Princess of Love of course. She would’ve visited Rarity when she and her fellow Entities were in Canterlot, but decided against it, seeing as how they were recovering from a recent near disaster.
“Butcher,” whispered Predator with venom.
It was no secret that the lights of Rage and Love were on the opposite ends of the Emotional Spectrum. Predator knew it wouldn’t be long before the Entity of Rage showed his ugly face. And when he does, I’m going to make sure he doesn’t breed hate within this world!
Thankfully her thoughts of how to deal with her polar opposite kept her mind entertained long enough for the train to pull into Ponyville Station. With jerking motion of the train stopping and the hiss of the steam, Predator took hold of her bags and disembarked along with other ponies who had visited the Empire. It wasn’t long before Predator spotted her fellow unicorn friend, waving and looking excited to see her. The Entity of Love grinned happily as she trotted up to Rarity, the two sharing a hug.
“Star, it’s been a long time darling!”
“Sure has, at least this time I warned you in advance.”
The two mares shared a laugh over their private joke. After their initial meeting, Predator and Rarity made their way to Carousel Boutique. All the while Predator was looking over the town, happy to see that her friend’s home was not damaged during the incident a couple of months ago.
“It’s amazing that Ponyville has recovered so quickly from that volcano thing,” said Predator.
“Oh, it was quite the harrowing experience. Mind you, I was not involved with the actual fighting of the disaster; I was one of the many ponies helping with the evacuation. But it was horrible, thankfully though, Ponyville didn’t suffer much damage aside from some collapsed roofs and some polluted water. But we were able to get that all that settled fairly quickly.”
“Sounds like you guys are used to disasters hitting the town from time to time.”
Rarity chuckled nervously, blushing slightly. “Well…that is thanks, in no small part, to my friends and me. We tend to get involved in some of the most bizarre and dangerous situations, either here in town or somewhere nearby. It’s gotten to the point that Twilight had to help Mayor Mare create a ‘Rainy Day Fund’, as it were.”
Predator raised an eyebrow in confusion, “‘Rainy Day Fund’, what’s that?”
“Oh just a portion of Ponyville’s money set aside for when disasters such as the last one should happen. It’s meant to help recovery efforts should a natural disaster or…ahem…ones caused, inadvertently, by us.” Rarity chuckled nervously at mentioning a special fund set up to protect the town from the six’s adventures.
“Hmm, does that thing I did during Nightmare Night fall on you guys or me?”
Rarity actually stopped walking to think about it for a moment. “I don’t really think that really counts, since Twilight and Princess Luna were able to convince most of Ponyville it was an elaborate Nightmare Night stage act. By the way darling, that was an impressive illusion spell you cast.”
“Illusion spell, yeah, that’s what it was! A-Anyway, you think anypony will remember that?”
“Oh Star, that was months ago, I doubt anypony remembers that particular incident with everything that happens around here.”
Just as Rarity said that a group of ponies was passing by, they stopped for a moment and stared at the pony walking alongside her. The dark pink, violet eyed unicorn mare, who held a strong mixed aura of intimidation and allure. Many of the ponies’ eyes twitched.
“SHE’S BACK!” They shouted.
After that they all scattered to whereabouts unknown. Predator gave Rarity a look that said “Yeah right they don’t remember.” Rarity cleared her throat and began walking again towards her home, not really giving a response to her friend.
Eventually Rarity and Predator made it to Carousel Boutique, with Rarity ushering the young mare into her establishment. When Predator entered the home/business she noticed that Rarity had added new clothes to her line, if the ones on display in the windows and on the rack of any indication, it was good to see that her friend’s business was still good. Rarity showed Predator to the guest room where she began to unpack what sparse stuff she owned.
“So, despite near disasters, has anything else happened?”
“Actually you’ll never believe it, but one of my friends, Applejack finally has a –!”
*Ding*
The familiar chime was heard ringing all the way upstairs, alerting Rarity that somepony had entered the boutique.
“I’ll be right back,” she said quickly.
Predator was about to take out the first item from her bag when something made her snap to attention. There was dull ache in her heart, her eyes shifted from the normal eyes of a pony into slit, cat-like eyes, glowing with the violet-pink light of Love. Her head jerked towards the door, the source of the ache emanating from downstairs.
Love lost! Someone’s heart is broken!
The Entity of Love quickly rushed towards the stairs, creeping down them silently as to not alert Rarity or the new arrival of her presence.
“Sweetie Belle you’re home early, I thought you would be out with your friends a little longer,” said Rarity’s voice.
“I…I really didn’t feel like hanging out with them…it’s hard, still. Besides, I thought we could hang out together, you know, have some sister time?”
“Well…Sweetie I…”
Rarity stopped when she heard the creaking of the stairs behind her. Predator had cursed under her breath for not paying attention. No point in being stealthy now. After regaining her composure, Predator descended the rest of the stairs and flashed the visitor a smile. Predator eyed the visitor quizzically, she had the same coat color as Rarity, her pink and purple mane even had the same natural curls. The little unicorn filly eyed Predator with suspicion.
“Who’s that,” asked Sweetie Belle.
“Well, Sweetie, this is my friend, Star Sapphire. She’s the apprentice of Princess Cadance.”
Predator slowly trotted towards the two sisters and smiled kindly at Sweetie Belle.
“Hi there, so you’re the Sweetie Belle that I’ve heard about. It’s nice to finally meet you.”
Sweetie Belle shifted her gaze between Rarity and Predator, an annoyed expression was starting to form on her face, along with a slight amount of anger.
“Now I know why you were surprised to see me back so early. Sorry to interrupt your make out time, sis,” said Sweetie.
“Sweetie Belle! We were doing no such thing!”
“Isn’t she a little young for you, she’s like, what, sixteen or something?”
“That is enough! Star is a friend I met during Nightmare Night last year, and where are your manners,” scolded Rarity.
Sweetie Belle lowered her gaze and then huffed. The unicorn filly pushed past Rarity and Predator and made her way upstairs to her room. It wasn’t long before the two unicorn mares heard the stomping of hooves and the slam of a door, making Rarity wince from the sound.
“I am terribly sorry, Star. Sweetie is…well…she’s going through a rough patch at the moment.”
“She’s heart broken,” said Predator simply.
Rarity blinked at that, “W-What!? You can tell!?”
Predator gave the mare a sly smile.
“Right, apprentice to the Princess of Love. It’s a bit of a long story; I’ll make us some tea.”
After the tea was made, and they were comfortably seated at the dining table, Rarity began to tell Predator the rather sad tale about Sweetie Belle’s crush.
“I never really saw it as such, I blame myself. Had I’d paid more attention I could’ve helped Sweetie Belle cope with her eventual heartache concerning Scootaloo. I just wrote it off as nothing more than the two of them being very close friends…”
Predator took a sip of her tea before answering, “Don’t blame yourself Rarity, it seems obvious that Sweetie Belle was dealing with new emotions she wasn’t sure of. From the sounds of it, she was afraid to ruin the friendship she had with Scootaloo, while at the same time not wanting to hurt Adara, her friend as well.”
Rarity sighed heavily at the predicament her little sister was in. “What she did for them was the greatest act of love and generosity I’ve seen. Sacrificing her chance to allow another to have theirs, even though she says she is alright, Sweetie is spending less and less time with Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Adara. I really don’t want their friendships to just slowly deteriorate as time goes on and she grows to resent them.”
The Entity of Love absorbed the information, periodically glancing in the general direction of the ceiling where Sweetie Belle’s room was. It saddened her to see such a young filly already give up on finding love. And because of it, her love for her friends was suffering for it. What weighed on Predator at the moment was the best way to approach this, used to she would just possess the being and fill their heart with the light of love. Of course, the downside to that was that the host would soon after hunt down the object of their love, steal them away, and place them in crystal stasis. Predator thought that that wouldn’t go over too well.
“Would you like me to talk with her, Rarity?” Predator asked.
“I’ve tried to talk to her about it, but she usually walks away or tells me to drop it. Ugh! I’m now starting to understand how my parents felt when I was that age…” Rarity then smacked her forehead, realizing that she just called herself old.
“Well, maybe a fresher perspective might help?”
“I’d love it if Sweetie could find some way to feel better about this, but you’re on vacation Star, I couldn’t just ask you to put that on hold to deal my family’s personal problems.”
“Friends help friends, simple as that. Besides, my special talent won’t stop nagging at me till I do something about it.”
Rarity had almost forgotten how powerful Star’s love magic could be, maybe there was a chance for her to get Sweetie Belle out of her dower mood. But then another thought entered her mind.
“Remember, Star, she’s just a filly, just a filly. Not a grown mare, so go easy on her in whatever you discuss with her.”
Predator rose up and started walking towards the staircase, “Jeez Rarity, you think I was about to set your sister up with me or something.”
“Yes that, that kind of stuff. Don’t, just don’t.”
Predator rolled her eyes but complied with her request. The pink unicorn ascended the stairs, the dull ache growing stronger when she reached Sweetie Belle’s room. There was sorrow behind that door and from one so young. Among other things, Predator also sensed a faint glimmer of hope in her heart, and now she was wondering if bringing Adara with her to this little talk would be helpful. No that would definitely make it worse, probably. Here goes nothing…
She gingerly knocked at the door and waited for a response. It didn’t take long for Sweetie Belle to come to the door with a hopeful look on her face, but when she noticed that it was Predator that expression morphed into a frown.
“Hi, again, Sweetie.”
“…Look, I’m sorry about what I said…”
“Actually I –”
“I didn’t mean to go off on you and Rarity, it’s none of my business who my sisters does and doesn’t date.”
“Well to be honest we aren’t dating Sweetie Belle, we’re just friends.” Predator clarified.
“Oh…sorry…”
“Don’t be, I understand why you’re sad, it’s the reason why I came to see you. Do you mind if I come in?”
Sweetie Belle stuck her neck out from the door, glancing down each end of the hall to see if her big sister was lurking about, trying to pull something.
“I guess…”
The unicorn filly retreated back into her room, leaving the door open for Predator to enter. The sensation was intensified within Sweetie’s room, the aching was stronger here, and it took most of Predator’s concentration not to leap inside of Sweetie Belle and use her light to comfort her. This must’ve been where it all happened…
Predator watched as Sweetie Belle climbed up onto her bed and curled up into a ball, with her tail wrapping around to complete her closed off body language.
“So, what was it that you wanted?”
“I wanted to talk you about Adara and Scootaloo, and, most importantly, you.”
Sweetie Belle winced upon hearing those names. “What about Adara and Scoots…?”
“I know you love Scootaloo,” answered Predator.
“It doesn’t matter, Scootaloo and Adara are…are fillyfriends now…”
“That doesn’t mean you have to give up on love, or think that you cannot be loved.”
Sweetie rose up and looked at the unicorn mare as if she were crazy. “I am too loved, my parents, and my sister love me! So do my friends!”
“That is familial love Sweetie, born from the bonds of mother, father, and siblings, that kind of love will never abandon you. The other you speak of is platonic, one born from close friendships of others who care about you and your wellbeing. Those you still have within you, and are strong. It is the third that you have trouble believing in.”
“And what is the third?”
“Romantic, love given and reciprocated in kind, Sweetie Belle you needn’t bottle up the hurt in your heart –”
“I’m fine! Why do you and Rarity think I’m not!? I’m happy that Scootaloo is happy! What kind of pony would I be to get angry at Adara because she also loves her!? I want them to be happy!”
Predator moved closer to the edge of Sweetie’s bed. “But you think that you have lost your chance, your only chance. Am I right?” Sweetie Belle open and closed her mouth several times, trying to come up with an argument to tell the mare before that she was wrong. But every time an idea popped into her head it was quickly quashed by this mare’s ability to read her. Finally, Sweetie Belle gave up on arguing the point and conceded to Star.
“Yes…I never felt like that about anypony…I used to think I only liked colts, I would get a kind of fluttering feeling in my stomach…but then I noticed I got that same feeling when around other fillies, Scootaloo in particular.” Sweetie Belle blushed at revealing her feelings about colts and fillies to a stranger, but something about this mare made Sweetie believe she was trustworthy and would not judge.
“You needn’t be shy with me, Sweetie Belle, you may continue.”
Sweetie Belle sighed, the weight of being judged having been lifted from her small shoulders. “I’ve wanted to tell her, but every time I want to I remember how ticked Scootaloo would get when somepony called her a…a…” Sweetie Belle looked to Predator with an almost pleading expression, as if asking if she really needed to say it. Luckily, the dark pink mare nodded, silently telling Sweetie that she knew what she was going to say. “Well whenever they’d call her that I was scared that she’d think I was making fun of her, or she’d say no because she was afraid being labeled that.”
“Obviously she does not fear being called that now, correct?”
Sweetie nodded.
“I can’t help but notice all the good Adara’s done for her, I don’t know how to explain it, but I feel like she’s the one who’s been giving Scootaloo the strength to get through the things that have happened to her…So…” Sweetie eyes began to water. “So…after I said what I had to say to Adara and Scootaloo, I let them be…but it’s hard to be around them, seeing them together.”
Predator could see that this was hard for Sweetie to talk about; she moved closer to the bed till her chest bumped against it. She then held out her forelegs, offering a hug. Sweetie Belle took the offered hug, crawling towards Predator and allowing her to embrace her. It pained Predator, truly, to see a young one such as herself so forlorn. It was then that Predator got an idea.
“Sweetie Belle?”
“Hmm…?”
Predator separated herself from Sweetie a little, looking directly into her eyes. “You think you have lost your only chance to be happy, and for that you believe love has forsaken you, it hasn’t. You’re still young, one day you’ll meet your special somepony.”
“I doubt it…”
“What if I could show you,” she queried.
Sweetie Belle gave Predator a skeptical look, “How?”
Predator separated herself further from Sweetie Belle, scooting till she was at the center of the room. She then motioned for the young filly to join her. With a shrug, Sweetie Belle hopped off her bed and sat on her haunches beside Predator.
“Now place your hoof on me, and open your mind.” Sweetie gave her an incredulous look. “I’m serious!”
Sighing in indignation, Sweetie Belle placed her right hoof on Predator’s side, and “opened her mind” the best she could. After making sure the filly was ready, Predator tapped into her light of Love. Her eyes shined with the violet-pink energy that engulfed the two ponies. Sweetie Belle closed her eyes for a moment, slightly startled by what the unicorn mare was up to. After a few seconds Sweetie Belle opened her eyes and gasped.
Gone was her room, now she and Predator stood in a vast network of violet-pink lights that streaked across the expansive nothingness. Sweetie Belle looked down and yelped when she realized that there was no floor. She quickly latched herself to Predator, eliciting a chuckle from the Entity of Love.
“W-W-Where are we!? What is the place!?”
“We’re still in your room Sweetie Belle. I’ve merely stripped away the surface and granted you a peek into something that only a chosen few can see. Do you see these?”
Predator stretched out her right hoof and grasped onto one of the many light streams. To Sweetie’s surprise it didn’t pass through her, or burn her. Though Predator did hold it with tenderness and care as if it were a newborn.
“What is that?” Sweetie asked.
“It goes by many names, in Neighpon myth, it is often called the ‘String of Fate’, the invisible thread that links one ponies life with another’s, the two destined to become a couple. For me, I call them Sapphire Tethers, a tightly woven thread connecting to your true love, and taking you to them no matter where they are.”
Sweetie Belle eventually released Predator, after tapping the nonexistent ground with a cautious hoof. Once assured that she wasn’t going to fall into forever, Sweetie Belle began examining the Tether. She touched it lightly and felt a great surge of love, the love of two different ponies who were separated by great distances. Sweetie removed her hoof from the Tether, shaking her head to regain her senses.
“This is pretty, and wonderful, but I don’t get it? What does this place have to do with me?”
“Watch, I shall isolate your Sapphire Tethers.” With a flash of her horn and wave of her hoof, Predator wiped away the incalculable amount of Sapphire Tethers, leaving behind a sparse few, all of which lead directly to Sweetie Belle’s heart. “These are yours.” Sweetie jumped at the sight of so many Tethers connected to her heart, afraid that they might remove her heart if she wasn’t careful.
“These Tethers belong to those whose love stems from a familial bond.” Predator tapped three of the Sapphire Tethers each of which, at the opposite ends, showed a construct image of Sweetie Belle’s mother, father, and her big sister, Rarity. Predator dismissed those Tethers. “These are the ones that stem from platonic love, born of friendship.” Another tap of the strings and Sweetie was presented with the images of Twilight Sparkle, Applejack, Apple Bloom, Twist, Spike, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Cheerilee…there was even one for Adara and Scootaloo. “Lastly, the remaining Tethers from romantic love.”
With another flash the Emotional Tethers were thinned out leaving behind ten to twenty threads, each one going off into a different direction. Sweetie Belle’s eyes widened at the sight of so many Tethers, she knew she couldn’t possibly be in love or have that many crushes.
“What’s going on here, I thought you said that these ones were supposed to show me my special somepony?!”
“I never said I’d show you, I said I would show you that you are loved. These Tethers are connected to you because they hold possibility.” Predator noticed the confused look on Sweetie’s face. “In other words, although Scootaloo was precious to you and you do indeed hold onto that love.” Predator reached out and touched one of the Tethers, its form becoming that of Scootaloo’s. “But there are others, ones that you have yet to realize, and others who have yet to notice you.”
“So you’re saying that these are ponies that I’m in love with?”
“They are ones that you could fall in love with. The future is full of possibilities Sweetie Belle and you are still young, and full of life. One day, one of these Tethers will lead you to your special somepony, and you will again find the love you seek.” Predator placed a hoof on Sweetie Belle’s chin, raising it up to meet her eyes. “Fret not, Sweetie Belle, for love has not forsaken you. So please, do not forsake it.”
Sweetie Belle took a moment to think, seeing so many of those Tethers, knowing that one of them would one day lead her to her special somepony, it made her happy. Yes, it still hurt that Scootaloo would no longer be the center of her thoughts, but she was still in her heart, loved as friend and more than a friend at the same time. There was even one connected to Adara, which actually made her even more happy, even if she still felt like she did, her heart was telling her that there was still a place for Adara in it, and everypony else she cared about.
The unicorn filly cried a little, and Predator sensed that love had found its place in Sweetie’s heart once again.
“Thank you, Ms. Sapphire.”
“Call me Star. We’re friends too aren’t we?”
Sweetie Belle hugged the leg of the teenage mare and smiled happily. “Yes, of course we’re friends.” After hugging Star, Sweetie separated herself from the teenage mare and smiled sheepishly. “Guess I need to apologize to Scootaloo, Apple Bloom, and Adara…right?”
“That would be a good start, if they are the wonderful friends that I sensed from your Tethers then I am sure they will be understanding.”
Predator’s horn flashed blindingly bright, and within the next few seconds, both of them were back in Sweetie Belle’s room. With newfound determination Sweetie Belle opened her door and rushed out, passing by her big sister and through the doors of Carousel Boutique.
Rarity looked out the door with worry as to where her little sister was going, she then heard Predator coming down the stairs and immediately trotted to her.
“Star, what happened, is she alright, did you remember to keep your power in check?!”
“Ahem, in order, I just had a talk with her and reminded Sweetie that she was still loved, yes she’s alright, she’s just going off to talk with her friends, and lastly, I resent that.”
(The Next Day)
Predator and Rarity were taking a Spa Day, an activity that the Entity of Love was starting to enjoy, soaking in the mud baths and resting while they each traded little tidbits of gossip.
“C’mon Rarity, you’ve been holding onto something juicy sense yesterday, so dish, what is it!?” Predator asked.
“Well you remember my friend Applejack, don’t you?”
“Orange earth pony mare, blond mane and tail, three apples for a cutie mark, cute freckles, and always wears a Stetson hat? Yes, I remember her.”
“Well – wait – what about her freckles?”
“I didn’t stutter, go on Rarity,” said Predator, trying to get past the description.
“Yes, well, apparently she’s finally gotten a special somepony!” Rarity gushed a bit upon revealing the news.
“Wow, that’s great! So who’s the lucky stallion, or mare? I always saw her as having bi-curious tendencies.”
Rarity’s eye twitched at the thought of Applejack being into mares; though for some reason the thought was tempting to fantasize about. The fashionista quickly shook her head to dislodge those thoughts, and to prevent her from blushing.
“Really darling, I’m starting to think you enjoy saying those embarrassing things, either that or you’re completely unaware of it.”
Predator stared at Rarity, and then cocked her head to the side. “Unaware of what?”
Apparently it is the latter.
“Never mind, anyway, it is a stallion, and it turns out to be that Ion fellow who started working as their farmhand last year!”
“ION HAS A FILLYFRIEND!?”
“I know, isn’t it just like something out of a romance novel!? The handsome farmpony stallion and the headstrong and beautiful farm filly, both working side by side, their passion smoldering while giving each other loving glances from afar, oooh it’s so cute, and completely not what I expected from Applejack!”
I can’t believe this! Adara AND Ion have fillyfriends now! I mean, Adara, I could see that happening easily, but ION, that lunk head!? I swear, if Butcher, Parallax, or Ophidian manage to find some kind of love connection there is no justice!
“NO JUSTICE!” Predator shouted aloud, rising from the mud bath and shaking her hooves in the air angrily.
“No justice for what, Star?”
“Oh, did I just – What I meant was – Um – There’s no justice in this world if Applejack wasn’t able to find her special somepony!”
“Honestly, I think that mare was married to her work. I know she loves Sweet Apple Acres, heaven knows Twilight and I know what it can be like to wrap yourself up in your work. But there comes a time when the heart wants more, I know her cutie mark represents her drive and love for her family’s farm, but that doesn’t mean she has share in that joy alone.”
Predator looked at Rarity, “So, has she told you anything?”
“Ugh! Unfortunately no, she won’t divulge any information, like, when did she realize that she had feelings for Ion?”
I’d like to know that too.
“Did Ion feel the same way, obviously he did, but for how long?”
Again, something else I’d like to know.
“Did you know that those two kissed already and right after the whole volcano incident?”
At least they haven’t gone further than that…Come to think of it, could we even go further?
Rarity then sighed, “Sadly neither of them has even propositioned the other for a date! And I would so relish the chance to help Applejack with her first real date!”
“Yeah…”
After another hour or two of pampering, Rarity and Predator exited the Spa, feeling refreshed and rejuvenated, ready to take on whatever the day was going to throw at them. And apparently the day decided to throw a green earth pony stallion there way. Predator immediately sensed the presence of Willpower as the stallion got closer, now that Star looked closer, Ion was actually galloping towards her.
“Is that Ion?”
“Yes, yes it is.”
The stallion skidded to a stop right in front of the two mares, he then quickly grabbed hold of Predator.
“Need help, need to talk, now! Hi Rarity, bye Rarity! C’mon!”
Ion then lifted Predator up and threw her on his back and shot off into the distance like the wind. Rarity stood there, blinking several times as her mind tried to grasp what just occurred.
“Rarity?”
The unicorn mare turned to the familiar southern accented voice, watching as Applejack trotted towards her with a confused and slightly angered look on her face.
“Applejack?”
“Care to tell me why Ion just marehandled that teenage friend of yours, threw her onto his back and took off like the wind?”
“I have no idea. That was almost as random as Pinkie Pie.”
“Oh no, I could be way more random than that.”
“WAH!”
Rarity jumped into the air, prompting Applejack to catch her startled friend. Both mares then noticed that Pinkie Pie had suddenly appeared right next to the spot Rarity was standing at a moment ago.
“Told ya, anyway, see ya later girls, la-la-la-la-la-la.” Pinkie Pie then happily bounced away down the road as if nothing was out of the ordinary.
After a minute past Applejack let Rarity go so that she could stand up.
“Thank you Applejack, but to answer your question I don’t really know why he did that, Ion almost looked desperate.” Applejack sighed, “Well, Ion probably just wants to catch up with her or somethin’, been awhile since Ah saw that filly, last year’s Nightmare Night, right?”
Rarity nodded, but then a devious grin split her face. “Oh Applejack, now that you’re here, perhaps you can indulge me my curiosity into yours and Ion’s relationship…?”
Applejack’s face went slightly pale, knowing that when it came to Rarity and gossip the mare wouldn’t let go of juicy sources when it was presented.
“Oh, gee, would ya look at the time! Ah gotta go finish grocery shoppin’, see ya later Rare!”
Applejack was about to make a mad dash towards the market, but was effectively ensnared by Rarity’s strong telekinetic grip around her tail.
“Oh Applejack, it’s been such a long time since you and I girl talked. Come, let us adjourn to my house where you may divulge every, sorted, detail.”
Applejack tried to get loose of her friends hold, and several times tried anchor herself to some random object, sadly this was a wasted effort as Rarity started to suspend Applejack in midair. Soon they reached the Boutique, the last thing that anypony heard was the chiming of the little bell that hung above the door.
After being unceremoniously carried off by Ion, the two Entities finally stopped somewhere a little outside of town. Predator was looking a little peeved at having been taken away in such a manner
“Okay, so, mind telling me why I was just kidnapped?” Predator asked.
“Well…um…you see…” Ion was rubbing the back of his head nervously, his eyes darting to random spots, trying to avoid direct eye contact with Predator.
The dark pink unicorn was starting to get a little irritated by Ion’s pensive demeanor. “Look, when you feel like you can form a coherent sentence, feel free to come and kidnap me again, till then, I was busy trying to enjoy my vacation.”
Predator turned her back to the stallion and began to walk away when Ion finally blurted out, “I need your help!”
The Entity of Love stopped mid step and turned around to face Ion. Now the Entities of the Emotional Spectrum considered themselves family, a dysfunctional, sometimes want to rule the universe and beat the other to pulp, but a family nonetheless. Ion often acted as the older brother, since he was technically the first of the seven to be born, taking charge and looking after Proselyte, Adara, and herself, while trying to keep Butcher, Ophidian, and Parallax in line. So it was a rare occurrence when the Entity of Willpower needed help, and Predator wasn’t about to pass up the chance to find out why.
“What exactly do you need my help with?”
“Predator, what exactly am I going to do for a date!?”
She blinked, “Huh?”
“I don’t know the first thing about dating! I mean, we’re freaking cosmic entities, dating wasn’t exactly a thing to worry about! I really don’t want to blow it with Applejack, so I was wondering if you could give me some advice or something…Predator, you alright?”
The dark pink mare’s cheeks were bulging, after about ten whole seconds Predator broke into a fit of laughter. She then collapsed onto the ground, rolling back and forth as she held onto her aching sides. Ion just stared at the display with a deadpan expression.
“Your compassion for my troubles is very comforting.”
“AHA HA HA…S-S-Sorry, Ion, if you wanted compassion, talk to Proselyte!” Predator started to come down off of her laughing fit and regained her composure. “Okay, but seriously, you want me to give you dating advice!?”
“You have been studying love under Princess Cadance. I thought maybe there was something I needed to know when it came to dating in Equestria. Any customs, rituals, or presents I’m supposed to bring, anything!?” Ion asked throwing his forelegs into the air.
“Firstly, no, there aren’t any special customs as far as I know. From what I understand, dating here is similar to that of Earth, with some minor variations. So you should be fine.”
Ion didn’t seem sure about that. “But…”
Predator walked up to Ion and placed a hoof on his shoulder to gain his attention. “Look, just take her out to dinner and see a movie, that’s pretty much standard OP for dating. After that, you’re on your own.” The look of skepticism was still etched upon Ion’s face. “Believe me when I say, you could have the crappiest date in history, but so long as you two are having a good time, and she’s happy, that’s all that really matters. My only real advice is to not plan everything.” Ion raised a curious eyebrow, “Isn’t it good to plan it out?”
“To a degree, yes, but love is spontaneous and chaotic, you have to quickly adapt to the situation or you’ll end up being devoured by it,” Predator gave Ion a playful wink, “take it from the Predator.”
“ION!!!”
The Entities turned towards the voice, recognizing it as Applejack’s. The earth pony mare was angry, and blushing at the same time.
“And that’s my cue to leave! Wow, she looks mad, good luck with that!”
Without a second to lose, Predator’s horn flashed and in an instant she had teleported away, leaving Ion at the mercy of his fillyfriend.
“Hey, AJ, what’s u – OMPH!”
When Applejack got close enough, she jabbed the stallion in the gut. “That’s fer leavin’ me alone with Rarity after that little display! Do ya have any idea what she put me through!? She started grillin’ me about every little detail about meh love life, Ah swear, if hadn’t said anythin’ she probably would’ve tied me to a chair and tortured meh till Ah did! Now what do ya got to say fer yerself!?’
Ion waited till his lungs got in enough air to form a sentence. “Do you want to go out next week…?”
(3 Days Later)
Predator was lying on one of Rarity’s couches, it was nearing the end of the day and the sun was starting to set. The Entity of Love draped her right foreleg across her forehead, although her day wasn’t eventful, the last two were quite exhausting, prompting another trip to the Spa, something that Rarity didn’t mind at all. For the last three days Predator had, for some odd reason, has been helping others with their own relationships. Counting Sweetie Belle and Ion, others had come forth wanting her help.
Bonbon and Lyra had needed some help with, ahem, “spicing up” their love life. That hadn’t been an entirely unpleasant conversation. The day after that she was asked by a schoolteacher named Cheerilee on how to ask out a stallion by the name of Big Macintosh, apparently the two were friends and she didn’t want to risk ruining that friendship and making things awkward between them. Today was almost over, and it looked like there was going to be no one to bother her, but still.
Looks like almost everyone has someone…Ion and Applejack…Adara and Scootaloo…Proselyte and Fluttershy – even though their relationship is ambiguous at best…So what am I going to do with me and Cadance…?
Ever since their shared kiss atop that hill after the encounter with the Changelings, Predator and Cadance had been going about normal business as if it didn’t happen, it weighed on Predator about what Cadance thought of her? Yes she was married, and Predator respected that, not to mention that she did find Shining Armor attractive to a degree. She wouldn’t even mind being in polyamorous relationship with them! Yet still, without any real sign from Cadance that their relationship was nothing more than friends and master and apprentice, Predator could only go on what she felt.
Am I just grasping at straws…? If there’s anyone more suited for me to be with then I haven’t met them yet.
*Knock*
*Knock*
“Star, could see who’s at the door please? I’m ‘in the zone’ as it were and can’t step away at the moment.” Rarity asked from her workroom.
“On it!”
Predator got up from the couch and made her way to the front door. Upon opening it she was surprised to see two ponies she’d thought she’d never see again.
“Sunset, Trixie!”
“Hi, Star,” said Sunset.
“Hello Ms. Sapphire,” spoke Trixie.
Predator looked between the mares, sensing that something was amiss. “Not that it isn’t good to see you guys again, but, how did you know I was here?”
“Oh, well, Sunset used a locator spell to track you down. Trixie must admit, she didn’t think it would work, given all that was involved, but apparently you have a strong and unique magical aura, lucky us!”
“Okay…but, why did you look for me?”
At this both mares had uneasy looks, shifting their glances between each other and Predator.
“It’s kinda private, do you mind if we talk inside?”
“Ummm…I’m just visiting, this isn’t my place, it’s my friend’s so I’ll need to ask her.” Predator took a few steps back till she was at the base of the stairs. “Rarity, um, a couple of friends of mine stopped by to talk! Do you mind if I let them in?!”
“Of course Star, go right ahead!” Rarity shouted back.
Predator thought if Rarity knew who exactly was visiting she wouldn’t be quite as hospitable. With that settled, Predator ushered the two mares inside, once inside she directed them towards the dining room table. All three sat down, with Predator glancing between Trixie and Sunset Shimmer.
“Okay, so, what was so important that you two needed to track down me of all ponies?” That’s not to say Predator wasn’t flattered that by the act.
“You see…Sunset and I we’ve…Well, this is hard to put into words exactly…”
“We’ve hit a wall in our relationship!” Sunset blurted.
Predator fixed the two mares with a blank stare. “Define ‘a wall’.”
“Like Trixie said, it’s hard to put into words…” Sunset stopped for a moment, tapping her chin with her hoof as she thought about how best to describe it. “It just feels like we’ve hit brick wall in our relationship, like something’s keeping us from really moving forward…”
“Do you two still…?” Predator left the question hanging to gauge their response.
“Oh no! We do still love each other!” Trixie said quickly. “And Sunset isn’t the only one feeling it, I am as well…”
Predator loved these two, really she did, but that still didn’t stop her from letting out an exasperated sigh. “So you two came to me to find out what this ‘wall’ is?”
“Since you are studying under Princess Cadance, we believed that you were the best choice to ask.” Trixie explained.
“And the only one who probably wouldn’t run away when we did. We don’t have the best reputations when it comes to Ponyville and Twilight Sparkle…”
Predator didn’t know how much more she could take now. She was basically playing love doctor for three days straight now! It was fine with Sweetie Belle, I wanted to help her. Ion, funny, but he was clueless, so he needed help. But after three days of helping other ponies in the town with their love problems, it’s starting to wear on me! How am I supposed to relax and sort out my own feelings, when everypony in Equestria asking me questions!
“Uh, Star, you okay there…?” Sunset asked with trepidation.
“F-Fine, why do you ask?”
“Your face seems to be twitching and your horn is giving off sparks of magic.” Trixie answered.
Predator glanced up at her horn, which was indeed giving off magical sparks. She then set her sights back on the two mares, grinning nonchalantly as if there was nothing wrong, though her twitching eye would say otherwise.
“Oh I’m fine, just fine!” Predator tried to calm her frustrations down. “Look, I’m not the goddess of love or anything,” I’m actually the Entity of Love but that’s beside the point, “I can’t really help you guys with this supposed ‘wall’ unless you two know, it’s either that or take wild pot shots at figuring it out.”
Sunset and Trixie looked to each other worriedly, Predator could sense that the two of them did not want whatever this problem was to ruin what they have, as the embodiment of all love in the universe, it was pretty much Predator’s duty to ensure love thrived everywhere.
“Alright, I might, might be able to help.” Predator noticed how Trixie and Sunset’s faces lit up. “I want you both to close your eyes and concentrate on the thing that you believe is keeping you from each other. I’m going to try a spell, so hope for the best.”
The two unicorn mares did as instructed, shutting their eyes as they brought up the image their supposed blight in their minds’ eye. Predator concentrated, channeling the combined powers of her violet light of Love and the magical powers. Predator went for a variation of one of Cadance’s spells that would stop two ponies who loved each other from arguing over petty things, and reminding them of their love for one another. The only difference was, hopefully, this spell would bring to light the problem and once out in open, again hopefully, should be relatively easy to handle.
Predator let loose the spell, a heart made of violet light and magical energy floated in front of her. The heart then broke into two halves; one half flew around Trixie’s head, while the other flew around Sunset’s. The two halves then met at the center of the couple, bathing them in its radiance and flowing into their bodies. After a few seconds the spell died out, and there was silence in the room. A minute passed and both unicorn mares opened their eyes, making Predator quirk an eyebrow at what she saw.
Both Trixie and Sunset’s eyes had a faint glow of violet light on the edge of their irises. Predator didn’t know what to make of this, since this was the first time she used this spell and it was the first time altering it with her light. The two mares then started to smile; it wasn’t a normal smile either. It bordered on devious and sultry, and Predator didn’t know if that was good thing or a bad thing, yet.
“Trixie…Sunset…you guys okay?”
Sunset Shimmer glanced to her lover, “Trixie, I didn’t know that was what was bothering you too.”
Trixie gave Sunset the same sideways glance, “Same to you, guess we really are meant for each other.”
“Sooooo…you two know what’s been bothering you?”
They both nodded in unison.
“And there’s nothing else you need.”
Trixie and Sunset shook their heads. Sunset then rose to her hooves looking out the window to an unknown location. “Then I guess there’s only one thing for me and Trixie to do…”
The azure mare then rose up as well, “Yes, there is indeed Sunset…”
Before Predator could inquire further Sunset’s horn flashed with aquamarine light, teleporting the two of them away to parts unknown. Predator wondered if she should be worried about the altered states of the two mares, they seemed too calm and both sported very…unsettling expression. Predator simply shrugged, they were happy, the problem was solved, the sun had set, and it was officially time for some rest.
“And that was my good deed for the day.”
Predator was currently sleeping in her bed, wondering if she would have the dream about her, Cadance, Rarity, and some strangely alluring stripped socks. That was until she was given a rude awakening when the door to her room swung open. Predator opened her eyes and saw that it was in fact Rarity, looking all kinds of distressed.
“Rarity what’s wrong!?”
“Star, you have to come see this, Twilight might be in danger and you might be the only one who can help, hurry and follow me, quickly!”
Predator wasted little time, she immediately bolted from her bed followed Rarity as quickly as she could. All kinds of thoughts raced through Predator’s mind, especially considering that Princess Twilight was in trouble. Could it be Butcher, I wouldn’t put it past him to try and attack one of the royals just to draw us out!? Maybe Ophidian, from what I hear Princess Twilight has a lot of magical power, he’d probably want to steal that and make it his own!? Parallax…Ion said that he encountered him a few weeks ago, but otherwise he hasn’t seen him again! This would so be his style, sneak and attack when everybody’s got their guard down! Well, whichever one them it is, they’ll see the might of Love unleashed!
Soon the two unicorn mares arrived at their destination, Golden Oaks Library. The library was strangely encased in a dual layered shield; one layer glowed with a magenta colored light, while the second had a aquamarine glow. Predator immediately smacked her forehead; she knew exactly who it was that did this. The Entity of Love took a look around and saw Rainbow Dash beating against the barrier, while Spike, Scootaloo, Adara, and Owloicious were standing outside, watching with worried looks.
“What happened?” Predator asked.
Rainbow Dash didn’t stop her assault to tell, prompting Spike to be the bearer of bad news. “You won’t believe this! Both Trixie and Sunset Shimmer are in the library! One minute everything’s fine, and then suddenly, those two appear out nowhere! Sunset teleported all four of us outside the library, and afterwards they put up these barriers so we can’t get in!”
Rarity looked to Predator with a pleading gaze, “Star, you must know of a way to break through it! Oh poor Twilight, trapped with those two of all ponies, one who stole her Element of Magic and the other who nearly enslaved Ponyville!”
Predator sighed heavily; she was really hoping that this wouldn’t come back and bite her in the flank. With a flash of her horn, Predator summoned forth a quill and parchment paper, and floated the two over to Spike.
“Spike, I want you send a letter to Princess Cadance, tell her it’s a Code Violet.”
The baby dragon looked at her skeptically, “‘Code Violet’?”
“Trust me she’ll know what it means and be here in the blink of an eye.”
Spike didn’t have time to argue, if it would get Cadance there fast he wasn’t going to question the how and why. After writing the two words on the letter Spike lit up the paper and sent it off.
“And now we wait…” After about five seconds there was a flash of royal blue light coming from the space next to Predator. The light faded and revealed Princess Cadance, who apparently wasn’t wearing her regalia, most likely having been woken from sleep. “…Wait’s over.”
“Okay, what happened here?” asked Cadance.
Rainbow Dash had finally given up on trying to breach the dual barrier and flew down to catch Cadance up to speed with the situation. “Code Violet” was something that Cadance came up with, a simple phrase that would alert her to rush over to Predator because somehow or another her powers caused something to happen, whether voluntary or involuntarily. After getting briefed on the situation, Cadance had an idea of what to do.
“Alright, Rainbow Dash, keep the others back. Star get ready to tear down the barrier!”
“Right!” Predator’s horn flared along with Cadance’s, she then glanced to her fellow love wielder and smiled sheepishly. “I honestly didn’t think this would happen, at all! I’m going to get an earful about this later, aren’t I?”
“Right now I’m more concerned about Twilight than giving you a lecture!” Cadance spoke in a hushed tone.
And that’s my only saving grace at the moment.
The pink alicorn and dark pink unicorn then fired twin magical blasts that struck the side of the barriers. The two attacks proved effective as the barrier began to crack and shatter from their combined power.
“Rainbow Dash, Rarity, stay out here in case they try to make a break for it. Star and I will head inside and deal with them!”
After getting nods of agreement, Cadance and Star rushed inside the house. There was nobody on the first level. They could hear Twilight’s voice, which sounded like it was in pain. Cadance and Predator gulped, wondering what kind of scene they would walk in on. With that noted they disappeared up the stairs. A minute passed and nothing could be heard. Thirty seconds elapsed after and soon both the Princess and Entity of Love came walking down the stairs. Their eyes were bulging out of their skulls while their jaws slacked. Cadance was blushing hard, her pink coat turning a bright crimson at what she witnessed.
“Was Trixie on to –?”
“Yes.” Cadance answered
“And was Sunset at the botto –?”
“Yes.”
“And Twilight was in the mid –”
“Yes.”
The two of them stood there in stunned silence for a while, while the numerous noises from upstairs only served to make it worse.
“S-Should we help her…?” Predator asked.
Cadance thought this over carefully, “I don’t know…She wasn’t resisting…and I didn’t sense any spells that were manipulating her mind…Also, I could…could feel that she was…enjoying it…”
“Oh, so you weren’t the one only either…I was wondering if I should say anything…So, what do we do now…?”
Cadance looked back at the stairs, hearing another round of mortifying noises. “Keep the others outside until…Ugh…until they’re done…”
The next day couldn’t arrive any quicker for Predator. Luckily, whatever her spell made them do also wiped their memory of last night’s events, which helped tremendously, since she didn’t feel like telling them.
“So…You guys really don’t remember what happened last night,” asked Predator.
“Not really, it’s just a great big blur,” said Sunset.
“And yet, for some reason, I feel…free, I guess that’s the right word. As if whatever was bothering us was resolved,” said Trixie.
Sunset nuzzled her marefriend, showing that she too was of the same mind. Predator looked upon the two mares, wondering if it was a good idea to tell them what it was they did to get over the “wall” in their relationship. Apparently they both had some sort of unresolved issues concerning Twilight Sparkle, and neither one of them wanted to voice that they had…less than pure thoughts about the Princess. So, without realizing it, Predator’s spell actually freed them of their inhibitions and allowed them to…“release” their pent up frustrations.
Can’t believe they both harbored feelings for Twilight, yet they wanted to be with each other. And all it took for them to get over their feelings was –!
“Star, you alright, you look deep in thought?” Trixie asked.
Predator shook her head vigorously, smiling kindly at her two friends. “Oh no, I’m alright, just glad I could help you two.”
“We’re glad too, thank you Star. And sorry for cutting into your vacation time,” said Sunset.
“No problem.”
The three of them eventually made it to Ponyville Station without any incident. Now that they’re problem was resolved Sunset Shimmer and Trixie no longer had a reason to stay, though they did want to spend some time with Predator, they didn’t want to intrude further into her vacation.
“I hope we can return the favor someday, Star. After what you did to help us, I feel like we owe you one,” said Sunset.
“Trixie doesn’t normally like owing others, but in your case, we’ll make an exception.”
Predator blushed slightly, as much as she appreciated the gesture, she didn’t think she needed that kind of “help,” although, it might be worth considering. With that said, both mares hugged Predator and said their goodbyes.
“I hope you two will be very happy together…” Predator glanced down the road, her eyes resting on the sight of Cadance who was currently talking with a blushing Twilight and a slightly angry Rainbow Dash, “…I wonder if we’ll ever be that happy…?”
It was today, she hated this day and at the same time, she could never forget it. Fluttershy had made the journey to Cloudsdale several times in her life, but it was on this particular day that she dreaded it. But it was something she had to do, something that her conscious and heart wouldn’t allow her to forget something as sad as this day. But, for some reason, the pilgrimage to her former home was tougher this year, it wasn’t because of storm clouds or illness, there was just something, but Fluttershy didn’t know what it was. That’s why she was relieved when Rainbow Dash was more than happy to accompany Fluttershy to Cloudsdale, she knew what this day meant to her and she knew that her oldest friend needed the company.
“Thank you for coming with me Rainbow, and I’m sorry for inconveniencing you.”
“Shy, don’t sweat it. I know this isn’t easy for you to do. Anyway, let’s talk about something else for now. How’re you and Derpy doing? I heard about what happened at the BBB from Applejack and Twi, but I didn’t know if that was all pretend. So spill, you and Derpy marefirends now?”
As always, Rainbow Dash was being forward with her questioning, but she already knew that. “Well…at first it was pretend, but…we’ve started to date, a little. It’s nice, being around her. Dinky and Sparkler don’t seem to have a problem with it, even Lyte is happy that Derpy and I are dating.”
Rainbow Dash groaned at the thought of that pegasus colt, she didn’t know why, but ever since that incident with the thunderbird, she never truly trusted Proselyte. She thought him suspicious, and the fact that Fluttershy took him in so easily and with no fear made her think that there was another reason why she had taken in the colt, but that was another time, deciding that today wasn’t the best time to get into it with Fluttershy about Proselyte.
“So, Rainbow Dash, I heard…Well…How are you and Twilight doing after what happened? Are you still angry with her?”
Rainbow’s response was grunt.
“Oh Dash, please don’t be angry at Twilight. She didn’t know what was happening, and she really loves you! Give her another chance or at least hear her out.” Fluttershy pleaded.
Rainbow Dash let out a long sigh. “I’m not mad because of her having a threesome with Trixie and Sunset…”
Fluttershy cocked her head quizzically at that statement. “You aren’t, but then, why are you mad?”
“I’m mad because I’ve been trying to convince Twilight into having one for the last year and a half now! Then all of a sudden, Trixie and Sunset Shimmer show up out of nowhere, and suddenly, Twilight finds out that she likes it! I mean – UGH – that was supposed our first, not there’s!
I mean, I won’t lie, Trixie has a nice flank, despite her being a total pain, and Sunset’s actually kinda hot, but the worst part is that they didn’t even stick around so I could’ve at least had my first foursome with Twi! But nooooooo, apparently they don’t remember a dang thing they did and we have to play dump to preserve their relationship!” Rainbow Dash then crossed her forelegs in front of her chest and huffed in annoyance. “I had it all planned out if I could’ve convinced her, it would’ve been hot and romantic, I even had a pony in mind for our third!”
Fluttershy’s cheeks were blushing, but she chuckled despite this. Over the years she had come to expect these kinds of things from Rainbow Dash, so it would make sense that she was angry because she wasn’t the first at something – it equivocated to being slow for her – and right now Rainbow Dash felt like she was way behind in some imaginary race.
“Well, as long as that’s all it is, just make sure Twilight knows that. You’re not always good at conveying these kinds of things properly.” Rainbow Dash sighed and then nodded, which made Fluttershy wonder about something. “So, if you did manage to convince Twilight, who were you going to ask to be the third?”
“Um…I don’t think you want to know…It might be awkward.”
“Rainbow Dash, I’m flying and discussing threesomes with my oldest, and best friend since foalhood, we left awkward behind a while back.”
“…You…”
“Pardon me?”
“…I was thinking of asking…you.”
Fluttershy’s body then turned bright red as she stared forward. “Oh my…”
“Told ya.”
It wasn’t long before the awkward mood became somber as they reached their destination. The two pegasus mares landed at the top of the stairs of a large column structure. There were others around it, at least ten in all, each one a hundred stories tall and as wide as two hoofball fields. The entryway had no doors, just an opening with a plaque resting just above it that read “Cloudsdale Mausoleum III”. Fluttershy took a shaky breath, her body becoming cold upon seeing this place. Rainbow Dash noticed her friend’s discomfort and draped her wing over her back, doing what she could to comfort her friend.
Fluttershy smiled at the gesture and proceeded forward. The inside of the Mausoleum was massive, rows upon rows of platforms extended out a bit, going all the way up to the ceiling. Rainbow Dash stepped back a bit and let Fluttershy unfurl her wings so that they may fly up. The two mares ascended the interior, going higher and higher as different numbered plaques passed them by. Finally, the two of them reached a platform that had the number “58” stamped on it. Fluttershy led the way, she didn’t need to read the numbers or the directions…she had come here enough times to navigate by memory alone.
It wasn’t long before Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash arrived at their destination. Lying within a carefully sculpted block of diamond hard ice was the body of a young colt, with a white mane and a coat of sky-blue. Pegasi didn’t bury their dead like the unicorns or earth ponies, living in the clouds, your options were limited on how to properly send off your dead. The most popular method was cremation, using high voltage lightning to turn the deceased into ash in an instant, and keep their ashes in a sealed urn.
However, for those who did not wish to do that, a second option was made. By incasing the dead in a block of super cooled ice, they found that their body would be preserved and their family could visit them. It was strange for Rainbow Dash, seeing the colt, lying in that block of ice, it almost looked like he was just sleeping, but the tombstone that rested at the head of the ice block was a sobering reminder that he was indeed dead every time she read “Hear rests Headwind Zephyr. A colt with dreams as big as the sky, may you soar in the heavens above with Faust almighty.”
It never failed to make Rainbow choke up at the sight of this, even more so when seeing the look on her best friend’s face. A look that was a mixture of sadness, sorrow, and…guilt, a kind of guilt that was, in Rainbow Dash’s opinion, carried for too long, but she didn’t need to lecture her friend right now, all she needed to be was a shoulder to cry on, someone to prop her up, whatever Fluttershy needed.
Fluttershy walked up to the ice coffin and rested a hoof on it. She then smiled sadly at the colt. “Hi, Headwind…It’s…It’s your big sister, Fluttershy. A-A lot has happened since the last time I visited you, I…I met somepony, a mare, although, I’m sure you’re not too surprised by that, being around other boys wasn’t exactly easy for me…You’d like her, her name’s Derpy Hooves. She can be a bit clumsy and goofy at times, but she’s sweet, kind, and loving, and…I do care for her.
Also, I-I’ve taken in a colt, he almost reminds of you…Kind, willing to help others, fearless…You two would’ve probably been good friends…Of course…that’s my fault…”
Rainbow Dash gritted her teeth, biting her tongue to keep from saying the same thing she always did, but she refrained from doing so here.
Fluttershy lowered her head as tears began to fall from her eyes. Her body shook as she sat on her haunches, the heartache taking hold. Rainbow Dash walked up beside Fluttershy and draped her wing on her, keeping close to give her strength, and to keep herself from breaking down.
“I’m sorry…I’m so sorry…You should be here instead of me…I should’ve been a better big sister! Instead…I was…I was a coward!” Fluttershy took a few shaky breathes, trying to regain her composure, and thankful for having her friend nearby. “I love you, Headwind…even if you hate me, I wouldn’t blame you if you did, but I’ll always love you…I’ll be back, same time, as always.”
Fluttershy then removed her hoof from the ice coffin. She then kissed the flat of her hoof and tapped it on the coffin, right above Headwind’s head. The grieving mare then nodded to Rainbow Dash, telling her that she was ready to leave. Rainbow Dash drew back her wing and helped Fluttershy stand up. The two of them then made it to the edge of the platform and spread their wings, preparing to fly down to the ground floor. Fluttershy then glanced over her shoulder at her little brother’s resting place as if to remind her that this was not a bad dream, that this was in fact reality. With that, the two of them took off.
(Ponyville)
Proselyte was on his way to the school house, by request of Sparkler. Today was Dinky’s birthday and Sparkler was busy helping Pinkie Pie complete the preparations at their house. Her job for him was to pick up the little filly and stall for at least a couple of hours. Proselyte wasn’t sure what he was going to do to stall her for two hours, but he was confident that he could think of something.
It wasn’t long before the school came into view. Many of the foals had already left, with the exception of a few who were waiting to be picked up. Among them was Proselyte’s surrogate little sister, Dinky. The unicorn filly immediately spotted the pegasus colt and bounded for him, wearing the same sweet smile she always did. Dinky quickly latched onto his neck, hugging him, and nearly cutting off his oxygen supply.
“Hi, Lyte!”
“Hello…to you too…Dinky.”
The unicorn filly finally let go of Proselyte’s neck, allowing him to breathe in the life giving air.
“So why are you here? I thought sis was going to pick me up – not that I’m complaining!”
“Relax, I just decided to come and get you, and to see if there was anything special you wanted to do for your birthday?” asked Proselyte.
Dinky’s grin grew wide, almost mimicking the Cheshire cat’s. “Can we visit those two Star Beasts again!? You know, Liaetha and Straun!?”
Proselyte’s eye visibly twitched. A few days ago, unknown to Fluttershy, Derpy, and Sparkler, Proselyte had made an expedition into the Everfree Forest to check up on the Star Beast inhabitants. Without knowing, Dinky had tagged along, and by the time he had noticed it was already too late, teasing that she would tell Fluttershy and Derpy about him going into Everfree Forest. It was in there that she was introduced to the Ursa and Canis Minors. They hadn’t seen another pony besides Proselyte and were happy to meet another.
Luckily, all three seemed to get along quite nicely, and they played together. Of course Proselyte was supervising the playtime, fortunately, Liaetha and Straun were quite gentle and thoughtful while playing with a creature that was three times smaller than they were. Now, however, Dinky wanted to visit them again, and he knew he was pushing it. But then again he did need to stall, and playing with two Star Beasts would easily do that, plus, he could teleport them if they were going to be running late.
“Alright, alright, you win; we’ll go see Straun and Liaetha.”
“Yay!” Dinky cheered.
With that decided, Proselyte and Dinky began walking down the dirt road, along the way Dinky regaled the pegasus colt of her activities from earlier today, and of the things her teacher, Miss Cheerilee, taught. She had also talked about how, for a while now, a filly by the name of Diamond Tiara hadn’t been bullying the other kids which was actually making school a lot more fun for her and them.
“Well, I’m glad to hear that you’re having fun,” said Proselyte.
“Thanks…By the way, how come I never see you going to school?”
Proselyte froze in place, he hadn’t accounted for this. Princess Twilight had been able to keep suspicion off of Adara by “homeschooling” her. In reality they really didn’t need much of an education, being Entities; they’ve been around for a while and learned a lot from the influence of their light. True they did have to learn some things before fully integrating into pony society, but the question of where they received their education had never come up, until now that is.
“Well…Dinky…There’s a perfectly good reason why…It’s um…It’s because uh…I’m really, really smart…?”
Dinky gave him a deadpan expression.
“Not buying it, huh?”
“Not a bit.”
“Leave me alone Diamond Tiara!”
Suddenly the two heard a voice. They looked about until they found the source. A little further down the road, they saw a white unicorn filly, a pink earth pony filly, and a gray earth pony filly. The two seemed to be ganging up on the unicorn, making her retreat from them.
“Honestly, I can’t believe how pathetic you are. You’ve been pining over that fillyfooling blank friend for years and you go and blow it! How dumb can you be to let that happen?” Diamond mocked.
“Seriously, like, I thought she was the normal one of the group, but apparently not,” added Sliver Spoon.
“Dinky, isn’t that the filly you were talking about…” Proselyte turned his head to speak directly to Dinky, but when he did, she was gone. “Dinky…?”
“Leave her alone!”
Oh no…
Proselyte turned in the direction of the confrontation, and just as he thought, Dinky was there, putting herself right between Sweetie and the bullies.
“Dinky, what’re you –!?”
“Why don’t you just leave Sweetie Belle alone Diamond Tiara, you know if Miss Cheerilee finds out, you’ll get in trouble!”
At the mention of this, Diamond Tiara’s face scrunched in anger. Proselyte sensed a change in her, above his forehead appeared the red symbol of Rage. At that moment, Diamond Tiara got right in Dinky’s face, making both her and Sweetie Belle flinch from the sudden anger in her eyes. Proselyte could feel something trying to take control of him, the instincts of his indigo light of Compassion was trying to make him do something he didn’t want to – couldn’t do. Not without showing his true powers.
“‘I’ll get in trouble’!? I won’t get in trouble, because you two won’t say a word about this! There’s nopony else here that’ll back you up, it’ll be your word against mine, and everypony knows how much Sweetie Belle and her Cutie Mark Whatever’s don’t like me, they’ll think you’re just trying get me in trouble! Plus, Silver Spoon will back me up, right Silver Spoon?”
“Uh, right, DT.”
“You see, so…why don’t you two just face it,” Diamond Tiara then pushed Dinky, making her tumble into Sweetie Belle and sending both fillies falling to the ground, “I’m never going to stop, because I can get away with it, and you, and those other blank flanks, should be glad I don’t do any worse!”
That did it, Proselyte couldn’t take it anymore, and assaulting Dinky was the final straw. The young colt’s body glowed with indigo light as he teleported in a flash of purple smoke, and just as quickly, reappeared between the four fillies, startling Diamond and Silver. Dinky looked upon her surrogate brother with a happy and awestruck expression, Sweetie Belle, well, Sweetie had a strange feeling inside her. Not fear or panic, but different.
Proselyte looked down upon the pink filly and narrowed his gaze. “I sense great rage within you, Diamond Tiara, as well as avarice, and fear. Do you enjoy reveling in these negative lights that you must spread them, and inflict their blight upon others?”
Diamond and Silver looked upon the pegasus colt with a mixture of fear and confusion. Diamond Tiara got up and stared the colt dead in the eyes, barely intimidated by his presence.
“You think you can scare me!? Go ahead and do something, my Mommy and Daddy will make you wish you hadn’t,” she threatened. To answer her threat, Proselyte’s body flared with indigo light, spreading his wings to make himself look more intimidating, and it was working. “You who show no remorse for your actions, maybe it is time you felt true compassion!”
Proselyte raised his right hoof. Indigo energy began to gather around his hoof as he concentrated. Before Diamond Tiara could say or do anything, Proselyte quickly, yet lightly, touched the Diamond’s forehead. Immediately Diamond’s eyes went from their usual blue color to purple, shackles made of indigo light appeared around her hooves, next a collar manifested around her neck, and lastly, the symbol of Compassion appeared on her forehead as if painted on with light. The change in demeanor was immediate, the rebellious, and angered filled expression she had earlier melted away, replaced with a stoic one, and a slight grin upon her lips.
“Nok.”
“Nok,” she replied.
The three fillies looked on in shock at what had occurred. Silver Spoon dared to approach Diamond Tiara, deeply concerned for what had befallen her only friend.
“D-Diamond, are…are you okay?”
The pink filly turned to her friend, startling her a bit. Diamond Tiara then smiled slightly, resting a hoof on her friend’s shoulder. “Silver Spoon, I’m sorry for the way I’ve treated you. I know you don’t feel the same way I do when I do these terrible things to other ponies, I sense compassion within you,” at that moment a violet-pink star symbol appeared over her forehead, “as well as love. You shouldn’t have to keep it locked away for my sake.”
“What…What’s wrong with you!? Why are you apologizing!?”
“I’ve just finally seen the light,” another symbol appeared, the yellow symbol of Fear, “I know you’re afraid Silver Spoon, but please don’t be, it really is a wonderful thing Proselyte has blessed me with.”
Silver Spoon looked back at the pegasus colt, who was still glowing with indigo light. Sweetie Belle and Dinky got up off the ground, not really sure what to make of this situation. Diamond Tiara was angry and aggressive a moment ago, and now, she was docile, and apologetic. Dinky knew of his power, but she didn’t know what else it could do beyond the teleportation and making himself glow, now she was even more curious than ever about her ‘big brother’s’ powers.
As for Sweetie Belle, well, she didn’t know what to think. Saying “thank you” felt appropriate, but given what has happened to Diamond Tiara, she wasn’t so sure. The white unicorn filly moved closer to the newest, involuntary, member of the Indigo Tribe, wondering what her reaction to her would be.
“D-Diamond Tiara…?”
“Yes?”
“Um…why…why do you pick on us…my friends and me, and well, all the other blank flanks in our school?”
“Don’t answer them Diamond!” Silver Spoon got in between Diamond and Sweetie Belle, anger plain on her face. “Y-You’re not yourself! You don’t have anything to tell them!”
Diamond Tiara gently pushed past Silver Spoon, “But I do, Silver Spoon, otherwise it wouldn’t be fair to them, or to you.”
Silver Spoon rounded on Diamond again, placing both her forehooves on her friend’s shoulders trying to stop her. “Please Diamond…don’t…we promised!”
Proselyte’s eyes flashed for second, Silver Spoon then disappeared and reappeared behind them. The gray filly was about to make a run for Diamond Tiara when Proselyte glanced at her from over his shoulder.
“Let her speak.”
“It was when we were little, about five or so…during one summer when Silver and I went to this fancy finishing school we –”
“WHAT THE HAY!?”
All five ponies looked down the road and saw that Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Adara were trotting towards them. Each of them held worried expressions, except for Adara, whose expression was more disbelief and disappointment. When they reached the group, Apple Bloom and Scootaloo gasped seeing what Diamond Tiara looked like now. Silver Spoon, still trying to defend her only friend, rushed past Proselyte, Dinky, and Sweetie, stood on her hind legs, and spread out her forelegs in a vain attempt at hiding Diamond Tiara.
“Apple Bloom, Adara, Scootaloo, what are you doing here!?” asked Sweetie.
“Well…we were goin’ to Dinky’s party, a-and her big sis wanted us to go and get her and Proselyte…but now…W-What the heck happened to her!?” asked Apple Bloom.
“N-Nothing’s wrong with her! She’s fine, just leave, it’s none of your business!” Silver ordered.
“Hey, when you two are here, and my friends look like they’ve been pushed in the dirt, it is my problem!” Scootaloo retorted.
Diamond Tiara turned towards the new comers, her slightly happy grin became a frown. She then walked around Silver Spoon, much to her own protests, and stood before the three new fillies. The red symbol of Rage now floated above her head as her gaze rested on Scootaloo. The orange pegasus filly saw something on Diamond’s face she thought she’d never, see (besides the glowing symbols and light shackles), remorse.
“Scootaloo…I know you are angry at me, and that you hate me, and you have every right to be.” Diamond moved closer, unafraid of Scootaloo’s dangerous gaze. “…I caused you the most pain, out of everypony else in our school and I know you want to hit me again –”
“I-I don’t want to hit you, again!” Scootaloo rebuked.
“No, you do, I sense it.”
“Enough…” Everypony looked to Adara, who had been keeping silent for a bit but could no longer watch and listen. “Proselyte, release her!”
“She has a heart filled with the three negative emotions; left unchecked Diamond Tiara could become something worse than she is now. I am insuring that that does not come to pass.”
“By forcing Compassion onto her, you know that’s not right! You even swore that you would never do that!” Adara yelled.
Adara and Proselyte stared each other down. Scootaloo was starting to get worried, especially when she saw Adara’s cutie mark starting to show slightly. She knew first hand that the appearance of her cutie mark meant that she was going to call upon her power. Scootaloo then looked around nervously, this Proselyte wasn’t afraid to show his mysterious power, and it seemed like they had some similarities, but Adara had been trying to hide her power, and she certainly didn’t want it to come out like this!
Oh please, please let something happen to keep Adara from using her powers.
“DIAMOND TIARA!”
All of the foals saw a new pony coming down the road, except this one was a grown mare, and was Golden Fleece, Diamond Tiara’s mother.
Crap, I didn’t mean something like that! Ugh, where’s a natural disaster when you need it!
The white mare gasped upon seeing her daughter, she then rushed towards her, pushing Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Adara away. Goldie then scooped up her daughter in her forelegs and looked her over with equal measures of dread and concern.
“M-My little Diamond, what’s wrong, what happened to you!?”
“Nothing Mother,” she spoke calmly, “I’ve just seen the light.”
Golden Fleece shook her head at hearing those words; they were not her Diamond’s words. She wouldn’t speak in such a calm voice, especially with her legs and neck shackled as they were. She then turned her fury filled gaze onto Scootaloo, who was getting back onto her hooves after being bowled over.
“YOU! You did this to her didn’t you!? What kind of sick things did you do to break her!? I knew getting the Local Guard was a good idea, and they should be along any minute!”
Silver Spoon trotted up to Golden Fleece, shaking her head at her accusation, “No, Mrs. Fleece, it wasn’t her! It was HIM!” Silver Spoon pointed at Proselyte. “He did this to Diamond, he touched her forehead and now she’s all…like this!”
At that moment, the orange symbol of Avarice and the violet-pink symbol of Love appeared above Diamond’s forehead. “Mother, I know you are concerned, but you mustn’t take action against Proselyte, he didn’t do anything but show me the error of my ways, and I’m fully prepared to make up for everything I’ve done.”
“Silver Spoon…” Golden Fleece put her daughter down next to the gray filly, “watch Diamond.”
“Lyte…I don’t know what you did, but maybe you should stop. Mrs. Fleece looks angry, really angry!” Dinky warned.
“I’m with her, that’s enough,” said Sweetie Belle.
Proselyte walked up to the mare, who was now standing tall, looking down at the colt with a murderous gaze. “I don’t care what they do to me, but nopony hurts my daughter,” Golden Fleece then quickly rose up on her hind legs and brought her forelegs into stomping position, “NOPONY!”
The fillies gasped as they watched Golden Fleece bring down her hooves, but before she could make contact, Proselyte disappeared in a puff of purple smoke. The only thing that Golden Fleece struck was the ground, which made her wince from the sudden impact of stomping the ground instead of somepony. Proselyte then reappeared behind her.
“I see, you love, and you covet as well.” Proselyte teleported to her right. “But you have little room for compassion.” His next teleportation brought him to her left side. “You must learn as well…” Proselyte teleported once again, but he did not reappear. The mare and fillies searched frantically for him, looking up, down, and to the sides for him. At last he reappeared, but right in front of Golden Fleece with a glowing right hoof. “You too must feel Compassion.”
Proselyte touched the mare’s forehead. Golden Fleece let out a small scream before going quiet. Upon her legs and neck appeared shackles of indigo light, similar to Diamond Tiara’s, and like her daughter, she too bore the glowing, painted symbol of Compassion upon her.
“Nok.”
“Nok,” replied Golden Fleece.
“Nok,” responded Diamond Tiara.
Adara shook her head in disbelief, her brow then furrowed as she saw the blank stares of the mother and daughter, that same stoic expression and complacent look in their eyes that came from having the light of Compassion forced upon them, instead of freely accepting it. Scootaloo saw that the cerulean filly’s eyes were starting get a slight blue glow to them, and after seeing what Proselyte could do, she was afraid of what might happen to her fillyfriend. Luckily (or unlucky depending on your opinion), Scootaloo’s prayers were once again answered, in the form of a rainbow streak the plowed into Proselyte.
The two of them tumbled about in the grass for a few seconds before coming to a dead stop. Rainbow Dash loomed over the pegasus colt, glaring at him with her intense magenta eyes.
“I knew you were up to something! What did you do to them, spit it out!?” Rainbow ordered.
Proselyte’s answer was to teleport right from under Rainbow Dash and reappear a few feet away from the mare. “I don’t recommend this course of action Miss Dash.”
Rainbow snorted and raked her right hoof against the ground as she stared down the Entity of Compassion. Without warning she charged straight for him, ready to deliver a punch right to the colt’s face. Proselyte was also ready, she did not know to whom she raised her hoof against, and now Rainbow Dash would learn. However, before any of them could do anything, a second pegasus landed right between them, holding out her forelegs to stop both Rainbow and Proselyte.
“STOP!!!”
The prismatic mare came to a skidding halt, tearing up the ground as she did so. Proselyte stayed where he was, his body and eyes still glowing with the power of the indigo light. Fluttershy looked to the colt, returning to all fours, and walked towards him. She then looked into his eyes, for a brief moment everyone held their breath, wondering what might come of this. What happened next both stunned and surprised everyone, even Dash. Fluttershy raised her right hoof and slapped Proselyte across the cheek, it wasn’t a slap meant to hurt, more like one to snap someone out of a daze.
“Lyte, that’s enough,” she said sternly, “I don’t know what you’ve done, but you need to snap out of it, right this second mister!”
The indigo glow around Proselyte’s body began to fade away, his cute marks no longer shined, and his eyes returned to normal. Proselyte shook his head and then winced when he felt a stinging sensation on his cheek.
“What…Fluttershy…? What happened?”
“I think that’s something I should be asking, Lyte, look.”
Fluttershy pointed to Golden Fleece and Diamond Tiara. Proselyte’s eyes grew wide with distress at the sight of them, immediately recognizing the binding shackles of the Indigo Tribe, and the familiar, stoic expressions they held. And it didn’t really help that they said “Nok” when they looked at him. Proselyte, without another word, pointed his left hoof at the mother and daughter. A flash of indigo light was emitted from his hoof, sending a command that made the shackles break apart and dissolve into particles. The painted light symbol of Compassion faded from their foreheads and both mother and daughter collapsed onto the ground.
“What the – he killed them!” Rainbow shouted.
Adara quickly went to their side and checked them both. She knew that Proselyte only released them from the indigo light’s influence, and its power did not cause harm to those who released from it, well, physical harm anyway. The cerulean filly mock checked them, since she could already sense that they were perfectly fine, more for show than anything.
“They’re alright Rainbow, they’re just knocked out!”
Many breathed a sigh of relief, but not Proselyte. He couldn’t believe he allowed himself to slip back into the old ways of his indigo light, and worse, he showed that side of himself to Dinky, a filly who looked up to him and saw him as her big brother. And, even worse than that, Fluttershy saw that side of him. She didn’t look scared or angry, more disappointed and concerned than either of those.
“Fluttershy…I…I…”
“Go back home, Lyte. I’ll help Rainbow Dash with Mrs. Fleece and Diamond, but I want you to go back home, now. And I expect you to be there when I come back.”
Her voice was kind, yet scolding. With a long sigh, Proselyte vanished before them, the only indicator that he was there was the purple smoke left in his wake.
(3 Hours Later, Fluttershy’s Cottage)
Proselyte had waited diligently and patiently for Fluttershy to return, and when she did, she merely sat on the couch next to him and asked what had happened. It wasn’t a pleasant conversation, especially when the memories of what he did came back to him. It eventually got to where there was no real way to hide what he was, so, reluctantly, Proselyte told Fluttershy what he was. That he was in fact the Entity of Compassion, the source of all kindness and compassion in the universe, and that that power shined from his indigo light.
He also explained how he wasn’t really a pony and that he had arrived from another universe. Of course, he kept the identity of Adara, Ion, and Predator to himself, only explaining his own existence. Proselyte also spoke of the Indigo Tribe, which was made up of psychotic sociopaths who knew nothing of remorse. He explained how his indigo light was the key in reforming them, altering their minds, and forcing them to feel Compassion. It was this way that they could better serve others, and help spread Compassion’s light to others.
Fluttershy, for her part, had listened intently to the colt’s explanation, absorbing all the information before saying anything. Eventually, Proselyte finished, stopping as to not reveal more than what was needed, and because, well, he felt ashamed.
“That is all…Fluttershy.”
“Lyte, did anyone in this ‘Indigo Tribe’ ever reform?”
“Only one, as far as I can remember. She…She killed the child of a warrior, her enemy. It took many years, but when my light no longer shined on that world, and all those under its influence were set free, she was the only one who had felt true compassion, and was instrumental in reviving it. She now leads the Indigo Tribe, as she always has, but deep down, she has changed, she is the only one to truly accept my light into her heart.”
There were a few minutes of silence, and Proselyte didn’t dare look Fluttershy in the eye. It was then that the colt felt Fluttershy bring Proselyte into a hug, surprising him.
“I knew you weren’t a bad pony,” whispered Fluttershy.
“B-But…I…what I did to them…”
“You were just doing what you thought was right to help Sweetie and Dinky. You didn’t mean to hurt them, you wanted to help them.” Fluttershy separated herself a little from Lyte, raising his chin with her hoof so there eyes met. “I’ll admit, it was a little scary seeing them like that, but it’s all you know how to stop ponies like that. Just promise me that you’ll never do that again, if you have to, poof away like you do sometimes.”
“You…you forgive me…?”
Fluttershy nuzzled the side of his cheek comfortingly, “I do, and I’ll be there for you Lyte, no matter what happens. And I’ll never let anything happen to you.”
As if on cue, the front door to Fluttershy’s cottage was assaulted with furious knocks.
“Fluttershy, you in there!? Talk to me, let me know you’re alright!”
The pink maned mare sighed upon hearing the familiar voice of Rainbow Dash. Fluttershy then told Proselyte to go upstairs and wait until she had diffused the situation. The colt complied and flew upstairs to wait for a, hopefully, peaceful resolution. Steeling herself, Fluttershy walked to her front door and calmly opened it. In one swift motion, Rainbow Dash entered the cottage, creating a gust of wind that almost blew Fluttershy away. The cyan pegasus swiveled her head to and fro, searching.
“Where is he,” she asked.
Fluttershy closed the door and fixed her mane before answering. “You mean Lyte?”
“No, Angel. Of course bucking Lyte!”
“I don’t think telling you is such a good idea right now.”
Rainbow Dash gave her friend an incredulous look. “Are you kidding me!? I know you saw the same thing I did! He was glowing, glowing and made that filly and mare wear those shackle thingies like they were his prisoners or something!”
“Well…yes I did see that, but they weren’t being hurt. Lyte was just trying to help them.”
Rainbow scoffed at that. “‘Help them’!? What part of making them go into some kind of hypnotic trance and slapping cuffs on somepony qualify as helping!? I knew he wasn’t normal, that he was hiding something!” Rainbow Dash then moved towards Fluttershy, placing her forelegs on her shoulders. “Fluttershy, you can tell me, did he do anything to you? Anything at all!? Try and remember! I swear if he did anything funny to you I’ll –!”
“ENOUGH!” Fluttershy yelled.
Rainbow Dash quickly released her, noting the angry look in her eyes.
“Lyte didn’t do anything to me. He explained to me what he did, and he’s really sorry that he did that. But I know that neither one of those two were innocent either. Am I wrong?”
Rainbow Dash nervously rubbed the back of her head, remembering exactly what she meant. “Well…yeah, I know that that was the filly that was picking on Scoots and her friends…and Twilight told me about her mother…” She then shook her head and put on an angry face. “But still, that doesn’t mean that they deserved that! I went to check on them afterwards, they don’t remember what happened, but now they’re all sad and crying! Are you seriously going to tell me that’s ‘helping them’, well!?”
Well, after what Lyte said, that’s probably not unexpected.
“I don’t condone what they did or what Lyte did. I made that clear to him. And he promised he wouldn’t do that again.”
Rainbow Dash groaned in frustration, she needed Fluttershy to see how dangerous he was, she feared for her safety, Faust knows she can do what is necessary when push comes to shove, but ninety percent of the time Fluttershy can be complacent and passive of situations. Why wouldn’t she be worried about her friend’s wellbeing!?
“He’s a dangerous kid Fluttershy! You can’t treat him like he’s Headwind!”
Rainbow immediately covered her mouth, she had crossed the line and she knew it. Fluttershy’s expression was one of shock and sadness. Tears started to form in her eyes, her head hung low as her long mane covered most of her face, but that didn’t silence the quiet whimpers that were coming from her. Rainbow Dash felt her heart break. How could she say something like that, especially today of all days!?
“Shy…I…I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to say that I –!”
“You did mean it…”
“What?”
“You wouldn’t have said it otherwise! I know he isn’t Headwind, I-I know that! I was too weak before to protect him! But I won’t let that happen, not to Lyte!”
Rainbow understood now, it was plain all along, she was just afraid to say it. But now that it was said, she couldn’t dance around it anymore.
“This is all because of that accident. You still can’t get over it! You’re still blaming yourself, even when there was nothing you could’ve done!” Rainbow shouted.
“I should’ve been braver! I’m supposed to look after him, not the other way around! I was his big sister, but I was a coward! He…Headwind…He should be the one here today, not me!”
Rainbow Dash bit her lip and let out a shaky sigh. “You’re right…you are a coward.” Fluttershy looked up at Rainbow in disbelief. “You’re a coward for thinking that you were better off dead than alive. If Headwind was alive, you’d think he could live knowing that his big sister died because he couldn’t do anything to save her!? No! Headwind did what he had to, to save his big sister, the pony who loved and cared about him! You! Every time you say that, wishing that it was you instead of him, makes me want to punch you in the face Fluttershy!”
Fluttershy’s saddened expression turned furious, “Then why don’t you!? Since I’m such a damn coward!?”
“Like it’d matter…I won’t punish you for something you think you did wrong, when there was nothing you could do in the first place………Screw it, I’m tired, forget him. I don’t care what you do anymore, with him or yourself.” Rainbow Dash walked past Fluttershy, shoving her with her shoulder a little as she did so. When she opened the door, Rainbow paused for a moment. “Stop living in the past Fluttershy, `cause you can’t change it. You’re here, he’s not, if you can’t live for yourself than live for him, Shy. You can’t make up for it by covering for…you-know-who.”
Rainbow Dash then closed the door behind her, leaving Fluttershy alone in the living room. Fluttershy’s legs became shaky, eventually, she collapsed onto the floor, crying. Unbeknownst to her, Proselyte was standing at the top of the stairs, listening and watching what had transpired. Proselyte, delved into his indigo light, and unknowingly, probed the memories of Fluttershy’s mind.
Proselyte had passed the Mortal Plain and entered the Astral Plain. This was the place where dreams and higher forms of consciousness could be reached, but, to the trained, it could act as a gateway to memories. Lyte had shed his mortal form, taking on instead his true form, that of the giant indigo arthropod.
He then focused squarely on Fluttershy, the Astral Plain shifted all around, moving at light speed till he arrived at the sphere of Fluttershy’s mind. The Entity of Compassion then tapped into his light and brought forth the symbols of the Emotional Spectrum. The symbols then shot tiny slivers of their light into Fluttershy’s sphere. The symbols then rippled and wavered, changing to reflect what each of them could find.
The first to appear before him was Love. The light told him about this lost loved one. Headwind, Fluttershy’s little brother. Born weak of body, but strong of heart, and despite his frailty, Headwind was quick. Fluttershy loved him dearly, and from what the light showed so too did Headwind. Their family was a happy one, filled with love.
The next to appear was his own, Compassion. Fluttershy was often tasked with the responsibility of watching over him. She didn’t mind, being the caring and kind pony she is. Often she would dote on him, even when he protested such treatment.
The next was Willpower, mostly stemming from Headwind. Just as was shown, he didn’t let his frail body keep him from soaring into the skies. Memories showed that Fluttershy, Headwind, and even Rainbow Dash would fly together, his courage, giving Fluttershy the confidence and strength to fly despite her fears.
“So that is where Rainbow Dash knows of him. They were all once friends.”
Next was Hope. Fluttershy would often pray, and wish for her brother to grow up strong and healthy. There was also guilt in his light, thinking it unfair that she was given a healthy body, yet feared to fly and go out like other pegasi. But still, she never lost faith that one day Headwind would soar like the rest of them, and might even give Rainbow Dash a run for money.
Fear showed itself. Fear stemming from a fierce storm. Fluttershy had spent her time on the ground, something she had kept secret for a while, but Headwind knew. One day, Headwind went with Fluttershy to see the land below and the creatures that lived in it. Unfortunately, a freak storm, created by the Everfree Forest, blew in as they tried to return to Cloudsdale.
The storm raged on, the wind blustering and blowing in every direction. Fluttershy did her best to keep her little brother safe. Proselyte could see it; she was willing to give her life to protect his. But then she got separated from him. Fear was rising, the wind and rain dulled her visibility. Several times did she call out his name, but thunder drowned out any sound her voice made.
Suddenly, a microburst struck Fluttershy, forcing the young pegasus filly into a tailspin and knocking her out. She descended faster and faster as the ground got closer. Fluttershy regained consciousness and panicked when she saw the quickly approaching ground. Her wings snapped shut, fear gripping her, keeping the one thing that could save her from opening.
At the last second, Headwind swooped in and pushed Fluttershy into the direction of a bush. Fluttershy crash landed into a couple of bushes before stopping, her body achy and scratched, but otherwise okay. Headwind wasn’t so lucky, crashing through a tree and plowing into the earth. Fluttershy ran to her little brother, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.
The next to appear, well, it was one that Proselyte hadn’t seen in a long while, the black light ofDeath. Sadness and sorrow were heavy in this memory, the helplessness of standing at his bedside in a hospital, and the last vestiges of life slipping away and the darkness settling in.
The last symbol to appear was Rage. This anger was not directed at anything, not the storm, but herself. She hated her weakness, hated being afraid, and hated that she lived instead of Headwind.
The blue symbol of Hope appeared once again, in the form of Proselyte himself. The Entity of Compassion could feel it; he was her new hope, a second chance to make up for the loss of her little brother.
“So…that’s why…I never knew I meant that much to her…”
Fluttershy was still crying on the floor, although her wails had devolved into whimpers. She then heard the sound of hooves coming towards her; she flinched when she heard them stop right in front of her. Fluttershy dared to look up and saw the saddened face of Proselyte, looking down at her with sympathetic eyes. Fluttershy’s eyes were red and puffy from crying so much, and her throat felt raw from crying so hard. Still, the shy pegasus found enough will to speak to him.
“I’m so sorry Lyte…” Fluttershy took a few shaky breathes before speaking again. “I know it isn’t fair to you…Treating you like this…Trying to make up for my mistakes…”
Proselyte slowly lowered himself till he was lying on his belly. His body then emitted a soft glow of indigo light. Fluttershy watched wordlessly as Proselyte moved closer to her cheek and nuzzled her comfortingly. The light of Compassion washed over Fluttershy, making her body glow as if being hugged by it. She then moved forward and rested her head on his shoulder, which Proselyte did on her shoulder as well. The two of them just lied there, letting each other’s presence bring them comfort and solace.
“Fluttershy…I-I’m not Headwind.” Fluttershy flinched, realizing that he must’ve heard their conversation. “And…I’m not a real pony either…but, if you want, we could be like family. Start anew, if you want to.”
Fluttershy felt like she was going to cry again after hearing those words. “I don’t know…I want to but…how can you forgive me…? What Rainbow Dash said was true…I am just trying to make up for Headwind…I’m a-a bad pony…”
“No, you’re not. You only think you are. I know what and who you really are deep inside, otherwise, my light wouldn’t be so strong within you. Nor would it resonate with my own aura as it is now.” Proselyte then drew back, prompting Fluttershy to do the same. “You must forgive yourself Fluttershy…”
“I don’t think I can…”
Proselyte drew back a bit more, standing to his full height. “Then maybe, what you really need, in addition to Compassion, is Hope.”
The young colt concentrated, his aura shifting from indigo to a bright, azure blue. The symbol of Hope appeared above his forehead. Proselyte could channel and cycle through the seven lights of the Spectrum, but this time, he wasn’t channeling, he was calling upon it, calling to the greatest source of Hope there was, Adara.
The connection was almost instant, his mind connecting with that of his fellow Entity. Within their minds, Proselyte and Adara saw each other; the three-faced blue bird looked particularly miffed.
\*****/
“Proselyte, what do you think you’re doing?”
“I need your help Adara.”
“After you swore to me that you wouldn’t implement your way of forcing Compassion on others, you broke that promise, brother!”
“I am sorry, I truly am…I had thought I purged that part of myself before we arrived in Equestria…I make no excuses for my actions. I was in the wrong, but right now, I must ask that you shine your light of Hope upon one who needs it.”
“……It’s Fluttershy, isn’t it?”
“Yes…”
“I do sense it, her hope wavers. But any light of mine you use will only be simulated; the effects won’t be as strong.”
“That’s why I want you to shine your light through me.”
“WHAT!?”
“Shine your blue light of Hope through me, and heal Fluttershy’s grief. Please Adara…!”
“…Can you even handle that…? You’ve never attempted that before.”
“I will merely act as bridge. I shall become a lantern to shine your light through.”
“You’re really serious about this, aren’t you?”
“I am!”
\*****/
Fluttershy stood up and watched as Proselyte’s body erupted with blue light. Suddenly, giant blue wings shot forth from his body, wrapping around him like a cloak. Fluttershy grew worried upon seeing this, but something about his didn’t feel harmful nor was it scary. The blue wings then dissolved into a cascade of feathers, revealing, a pegasus colt, but it wasn’t Proselyte. Fluttershy nearly broke into another crying fit upon seeing him.
“H-H-Headwind!?”
The colt nodded his head.
“H-How…?”
“Hope called to me, and told me that you were sad sis.”
Fluttershy slowly approached Headwind. She reached out a hoof to the blue light form of her little brother, but stopped, afraid that he might break apart if she did. Headwind gently grabbed his big sister’s hoof and placed it on his cheek, showing her that he was real and wasn’t a fragile thing.
“Oh…my…You’re really here…!”
“Only for a little bit Shy, listen. I’ve heard and seen everything, how you blame yourself for not being strong enough to help me, for being afraid and all that. Sis, I don’t blame you, I never did!”
“B-But if wasn’t so scared –!”
“And you think I wasn’t?”
“No, you were, but you were brave enough to overcome it and save my life…You should be the one here!”
Headwind shook his head, “Shy, I’m not saying that I wish I wasn’t still alive. After seeing how sad you, Mom, and Dad were, I wanted nothing more than to tell you that I was okay. I mean, I’m dead, but I’m alright. I got to see Faust herself! And I got to see you and your friends save Equestria like a dozen times!”
Fluttershy blushed upon hearing Headwind praise her.
“You have a good life, Shy. I wish I was there to share it with you, but I wouldn’t change anything. I saved you because I loved you, and had our positions been changed, I know you would’ve done the same thing. I don’t regret what I did, so you shouldn’t either.”
Fluttershy didn’t think she could cry anymore, but she did. Instead of tears of sadness, these were tears of happiness. Headwind didn’t hate her or regret saving her life. This whole time he was worried about her, watching over her ever since that day.
“So, will you finally let it go, sis?”
“Hmm-hmm, I will, I’m sorry for worrying you Windy,” said Fluttershy, using her old nickname for him.
“Geez, sis, please think of something better. You make me sound like I’m a filly! At least come up with something better,” he huffed.
Fluttershy giggled at his reaction, she could always get a rise out of Headwind with that. “I promise, I’ll think of something better.”
“Humph, you’d better.” Headwind grinned playfully. He then looked off into space as if seeing someone there. The colt then nodded solemnly and put on a sad smile. “My time’s up Shy, I have to go back now.”
Fluttershy opened her mouth to protest, but whatever she was going to say died in her throat. She knew that she couldn’t hold onto him any longer, it wasn’t fair to Proselyte or herself, Headwind had made that clear to her.
“Okay.”
Headwind nodded approvingly. “You’re getting stronger than you think sis. Oh, one more thing, take it easy on this Lyte guy. He’s way stronger than you think, though I’m sure you figured that out.”
The colt’s body then began to dissolve into particles of blue light. Headwind then moved closer to Fluttershy and hugged her tight. The pegasus mare hugged him as well, this time, there was no sadness or sorrow in this parting, because it really wasn’t a parting, he would always be there whether she saw him or not, and that was all she needed know to move on.
“I love you, Headwind.”
“I love you too, big sister…”
Fluttershy released him and Headwind stepped back a bit. With those final words spoken, his body flashed and the blue light rose into the air in the form of tiny particles. Proselyte now stood where Headwind once did, he wobbled back and forth, stumbling towards Fluttershy. The light-yellow mare quickly caught him. Proselyte’s eyes fluttered open, seeing the content smile on her face.
“Did…you get to say what you needed to…?”
Fluttershy nodded.
“Okay…I’m really tired now…”
With those last words, Proselyte nodded off. Fluttershy giggled at his sudden drift into sleep. She decided to not move from this spot, Fluttershy curled up on the floor and brought Proselyte to rest beside her. She then moved some of his bangs away from his face and kissed him on the forehead.
“Goodnight, Lyte, and thank you.”
At last, for the first time in a long time, Fluttershy could sleep without the burden of guilt. This was a new beginning, a gift from her little brother, and she was going to make sure she didn’t waste it.
Episode 18: Cutie Mark Crusaders Matchmakers, YAY!
“Ah can’t believe you two are goin’ on a date, finally!”
Yes, it was all the rave on the Apple farm. Ion the farmhoof, was finally going to on a date with his co-worker and boss, Applejack. Apple Bloom had been keeping close tabs on both the stallion and mare, seeing what, if anything, they were going to do. For the most part, Ion was nervous from what she could tell. Applejack, she was nervous too, but it seemed different.
“I-It’s not that big a deal, is it?” asked Ion.
“Are you kiddin’!? After all the stuff that’s happened lately, and all the times Ah caught ya starin’ at meh big sis, it took ya too long if ya ask me.”
Ion blushed, “I-I wasn’t staring at Applejack!”
“Yeah ya were.”
“Was not.”
“Was too.”
“Was not!”
“Was too.”
Ion stopped himself before this went any further. “Look, Apple Bloom, keep this between you and me alright. Back where I’m from, dating was exactly a priority for me.”
Apple Bloom quirked an eyebrow at that last bit, “Really? Well, what were ya doin’ that kept ya busy? Superhero stuff?”
“You could say that…There was always some crisis going on somewhere, and my power was needed to keep the peace and keep others safe from harm. It was basically a twenty-four-seven job.”
“Huh, kinda like Applejack and Sweet Apple Acres. She never dated much when she was younger, not at all really. Every time Ah ask she tells me that ‘maintainin’ the farm and takin’ care of the land is a twenty-four-seven job. Things like datin’ and such aren’t really important.’”
“She said all that?”
“Yep.” Apple Bloom noted the concern on Ion’s face, and quickly added. “But Ah’m sure doesn’t feel that way now! Ah mean that was years ago, and this is now! She wouldn’t have said yes unless she really wanted to go out with ya!”
“I guess that makes sense…”
Oh boy, Ah don’t like the sound of that…
(CMC Clubhouse, Later That Afternoon)
Three fillies were walking through the Sweet Apple Acres orchards. Scootaloo, Adara, and Sweetie Belle didn’t exactly know why they were told to come to the farm or why it was so important. All they knew was that Apple Bloom looked a bit panicked and it usually took a Ponyville level disaster to make her get like that. So, being the good friends that they were, the three Crusaders made their way to their secret base/clubhouse.
“So what’s this ‘emergency meeting’ that Apple Bloom wanted us for,” asked Sweetie Belle.
“Don’t know, but she did seem a little on edge when she told us,” said Adara.
“Wonder if she’s thought of a new way to get our cutie marks, `cause with all the craziness that’s been going on around here lately, we really haven’t had much time to do any real Crusading,” said Scootaloo.
Sweetie Belle noticed something different that Scootaloo had been doing lately. Instead of walking like she usually did, the orange pegasus filly was hovering along beside them, much like Rainbow Dash did whenever she was with her friends.
“Enjoying yourself, Scoots?” asked Sweetie.
“Hay yeah! I totally get why she does this all the time, it’s fun, and it’s like getting in some extra flying practice!” Scootaloo exclaimed.
“Well, don’t tire yourself out. You have the rest of your life to fly around.”
Scootaloo smirked; she then flipped on her back and cradled her head with her forelegs, letting her wings do all the work while she leisurely floated forward. “Pfft, please Adara, I got stamina to spa –!”
It was at that time that a random, low hanging tree branch found itself in Scootaloo’s flight path and knocked the filly in the back of her head, sending her twirling around the branch till she plopped onto the ground.
“SCOOTALOO!” Adara and Sweetie cried out.
The two fillies rushed to Scootaloo’s side, who was now sporting a loopy expression.
“Scoots you alright!? Say something!”
Scootaloo sat up and then looked to Adara and Sweetie in turn. “Easy peesy lemon Breezie…” And with that Scootaloo collapsed back onto the ground splayed out. Adara and Sweetie rolled their eyes.
“She’s fine, if she can take Tank hitting her in the head, this is nothing,” said Adara, she then looked down to their KOed friend and then to Sweetie Belle. “Mind lending me a hoof?”
Sweetie Belle smiled and nodded a yes. The unicorn filly used her magic to gently left Scootaloo, Sweetie and Adara then stood close to each other as Scoots was lowered onto their backs. After taking a few cautious steps and insuring that their knocked out friend wouldn’t fall, the two fillies trotted along towards the club house.
It made Adara happy that they could share this kind of moment again, especially after unknowingly stealing the object of Sweetie Belle’s affections. But, thankfully, it was all resolved and now the two of them could be real friends again. It was at this time that Adara noticed that Sweetie Belle was glancing at her nervously from time to time.
“What’s wrong Sweetie?”
“Oh…um, I was just wondering about something, so I waited a couple of weeks till you cooled down to ask.”
“Ask me what?”
“………What do you know about the colt that Dinky hangs out with?”
Adara almost dropped Scootaloo from the suddenness of this question. After regaining her balance, and composure, Adara addressed the question. “You mean, Proselyte? The colt who did those weird things to Diamond Tiara and her mother, right?”
Sweetie chuckled nervously, “Well…yeah, I mean, it was weird and kinda scary, but he did it to protect Dinky and me. So I don’t think he’s a bad pony, and from what I saw, it looked like you knew him.”
As much as Adara knew this question was going to come up, she really didn’t want to answer it, since revealing anything about him would reveal her abilities and she wasn’t too keen on letting others, outside the circle that knew of her true origins and those who just know about her powers, know what she could do. So Adara did the only she could do and has done since she and the others arrived in this world. She lied her flank off!
“Oh, well, when I was alone and roaming around, a couple a years before I arrived at Ponyville, I met Proselyte in…Fillydelphia. We watched each other’s backs and with his powers he kept some of the, well, what you’d call ‘bad ponies’ away.”
“So he was homeless like you and Scoots? Did he say why he ran away?”
“Not really, he just kept to himself about that, he cared more about others more than himself really. His power does more than just what you saw, it can heal almost anything.”
Sweetie Belle had a look on awe on her face. “So…do you think you could introduce me to him?”
Adara looked to her unicorn friend with surprise, “Y-You like, like him!?”
“I-I don’t know I just think he looks cute!” Sweetie Belle immediately shut her mouth, her blushing cheeks becoming very visible against her white coat. “Don’t tell anypony, please, I just want to meet him first…Please?”
Adara thought this over, sure she didn’t want to stand in the way of Sweetie Belle finding love again, it wasn’t like she could object to it, since Adara herself was with Scootaloo, and now, apparently, Ion was with Applejack.
“Are you still angry at him…?” asked Sweetie.
“Not so much angry as disappointed, he promised me that he’d never do that again and would try to rise above it. But he and I had a talk, a meeting of the minds so to speak. For now, we’re okay. And, if you really want, I could introduce you.”
“You would, thank you!” Sweetie exclaimed.
You’re going to owe me one Lyte…
Eventually the three of them made it to the clubhouse. Scootaloo awoke with a throbbing headache, to which Adara was more than happy to relieve with the subtle use of her light. After about two minutes of waiting, the door to the clubhouse opened, revealing Apple Bloom as she strode in and walked towards the podium with a serious expression. The three blank flanked fillies shifted glances between each other, wondering why their friend looked so serious. Once Apple Bloom was behind the podium, she cleared her throat and tried to look as official as possible.
“Thanks for comin’ y’all, Ah really appreciate it,” said Apple Bloom.
“Well, when you come to our houses and say there’s an emergency meeting looking all frantic, how could we not,” said Adara.
“So what’s going on, what’s the big emergency?” asked Scootaloo.
“It has come to my attention that Ion and my big sis are goin’ to have their big date later tonight.”
“Finally!” Sweetie exclaimed while throwing her forelegs into the air. “It was starting to get annoying waiting for one of them to do something!”
“Tell me about it. But that’s exactly why Ah have called this meetin’. Cutie Mark Crusaders, Ah’m goin’ to make sure that their date goes off without a hitch!” Apple Bloom proclaimed. “And Ah’d like you guys to help!”
Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle looked nervously to each other, this was suspiciously familiar to something that trio attempted not too long ago involving a certain mulberry earth pony mare and a red earth pony stallion.
“This won’t be like Big Mac and Cheerilee, right?” asked Scootaloo.
“You know how well that turned out,” added Sweetie Belle.
Adara was totally confused. “Wait, what happened with Miss Cheerilee and Big Macintosh.?”
At the mention of this, all three senior Crusaders’ cheeks went pink from embarrassment. “It, um, it was during Hearts and Hooves Day a year and a half ago…We tried to get Big Macintosh to be Miss Cheerilee’s special somepony…” Scootaloo started.
“We gave them a love potion,” said Sweetie Belle, “that we made from the instructions in a book about the holiday, but then we found out that we accidentally gave them a love poison instead…”
“And it almost ended up with them fallin’ so madly in love that they’d forget about everythin’ else and just stared at each other all day long actin’ all goofy. But we managed to break the poison’s curse…and ended up doin’ all meh brother’s chores…” Apple Bloom finished.
“Oh…” Adara had considered for a long time that the trio of fillies were a magnet for crazy stuff to happen to them, although, she was now starting to change her hypothesis.
“But it won’t be like that! We won’t give them potions or nothin’ we’re just goin to make sure that nothin’ messes up their date!”
“How exactly are we going to do that?” asked Sweetie Belle skeptically.
“By follwin’ them of course!”
A deadpan expression befell Scootaloo and Sweetie at the mention of this.
“We’re not really going to tail them on their date, are we?” asked Scootaloo.
“How else are we goin’ to make sure that their date goes well!?”
“Apple Bloom,” spoke Adara, “Why are you so driven to see this through. I’m sure that Applejack and Ion will be fine.”
“Ah know…Ah just…” Apple Bloom stepped down from the podium and walked around to sit before her fellow Crusaders. “Ah worry about meh sister sometimes, girls. Ah don’t want her to be alone, and Ah really like Ion, he’s good fer her, y’know? Ah just want to be extra sure that they’ll be alright, `sides, Ion was kinda nervous about the whole thing, and Applejack won’t say anythin’ to me about how she’s doin’…”
Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo looked upon their friend with sympathy and concern; they didn’t know that she was this worried about her big sister. Apple Bloom and Applejack were as close as two sisters could be, so it’d make sense that she worry about her big sister, despite the fact that Applejack was grown mare and could take care of herself just fine. But, out of all three, Adara was probably the one who most understood how she felt.
Ion was like a big brother to her, to all of them really, he was the first of the seven to obtain the power of the Emotional Spectrum and transcend into an Entity of Willpower. Though she mostly refereed to the others as her brothers and sisters, Ion was probably the one out of all of them she considered a true “big brother”. Maybe it was because of the joint power of Will and Hope, maybe it was because that the two of them were, in her opinion, two of the more stable lights of the Spectrum and could more easily relate to each other? Whatever the link was, it was there, and Adara didn’t deny that she too often worried about Ion.
Adara then walked up to Apple Bloom, sat down, and held the earth filly’s hoof within hers. “Apple Bloom, I understand, believe me I do. And…as much as I’m sure I’m worrying for nothing, I too worry for Ion. I consider him a big brother, and like you, I want him to be happy. So I’ll help you.”
Apple Bloom’s amber eyes went wide with joy at hearing this. “Y-You will Adara!?”
The cerulean pegasus filly nodded with conviction. Scootaloo groaned, but smiled nonetheless as she walked up beside Adara and placed her hoof on top of theirs, “Well, I’m not letting you go through this alone, wherever you go I go!”
Sweetie Belle placed her hoof in the center as well, smiling gleefully. “I guess I have to too, I know if it was my sister, you’d do the same. Besides, we may be able to get a cutie mark out of this.”
Apple Bloom tapped her chin with her free hoof as she pondered what Sweetie Belle said. “Huh, that might work we could be Cutie Mark Crusader Matchmakers.”
All four fillies looked across from each other, and in one loud shout they cried as one, “CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS MATCHMAKERS! YAY!” The clubhouse shook and apples tumbled from the trees in the distance from the sheer volume of their battle cry.
“C’mon y’all, we better get ready!”
Apple Bloom led the way with Sweetie Belle right behind her, Scootaloo was about to take off as but stopped momentarily to speak with Adara. “You really sure that this is a good idea?”
“Since when do you back down from a potential cutie mark?” Adara teased.
“I’m not backing down!”
“Then don’t worry, all will be well.”
Scootaloo scoffed and playfully rolled her eyes. “That’s your answer to everything.”
“Because it’s true, when have I been wrong?”
Scootaloo opened her mouth to counter, but every time she thought she had come up with a good comeback it died before it left her mouth, leading to a bunch of stuttering and false starts. The orange pegasus filly then blew a raspberry in defeat.
“You suck, Adara.”
“Love you too, Scoots.”
(Later That Night)
It was only a couple of hours before Applejack’s big date. The farm mare decided to get some last minute pep talks from her friends, Twilight and Rainbow. The three mares were standing in the den of the library, with Applejack pacing back and forth nervously, doing a very good imitation of Twilight by Rainbow’s account.
“Chillax AJ, it’s just a date. Ion’s a good guy, you got nothing to worry about,” said Rainbow Dash.
“Ah know, Ah know,” she replied.
“Geez, you’re acting like it’s your first date ever.”
Applejack paused mid-step, causing Twilight and Rainbow Dash to look at Applejack in confusion.
“Applejack, you okay,” asked Twilight.
“Um…S-So what if it is!?”
Twilight’s eyes widened at the same time as Rainbows, jaws going slack at the stark realization. They couldn’t believe it; it was just a little too farfetched to believe.
“Applejack,” Twilight began, “are you saying that this will really be your first date, ever?”
She wanted to say no, she wanted to lie out of her flank and just say she was kidding. But there was no way her pride as an Apple would let her do that, dishonesty was not her way, plus she apparently had a poor “poker face”. Sometimes bein’ the Element of Honesty ain’t all it’s cracked up to be… Knowing what was to come, Applejack lowered her hat to cover her face and uttered that one condemning word.
“Yep…”
Silence reigned within the library, the alicorn mare and pegasus mare just stood there, completely stunned by her admittance of never having gone on even one date in her whole life, it all made sense why she was so jittery and nervous about this date, it was going to the first date! After a minute passed, the snickers and snorts began to break the silence, in another thirty seconds those snickers and snorts turned to chuckling, and finally, full out laughter. The source, which was of no surprise to either mare, was Rainbow Dash, who was now rolling on her back, holding her sides as tears began to fall from her eyes.
Applejack returned her hat to its normal position, showing her face which was now as red as the apples on her flank, both out of anger and embarrassment. “It ain’t that funny, Rainbow!”
“Oh-ho-oh my sides! Y-You never been on a date! Not even once! Oh my Celestia ha, ha, ha!”
“Dashie!” Twilight called in stern voice. “That’s enough.”
Rainbow Dash eventually stopped her hysterical laughter and stood back up, wiping a stray tear from her eye. “Sorry AJ, seriously, you never went on a date?”
Applejack took a few moments to calm herself down and to let the redness fade from her face. “Ah just didn’t have time is all…Ah was always workin’ on the farm, keepin’ it goin, carin’ for the trees, fixin’ up this and that, and helpin’ Granny raise Apple Bloom…Ah just let things like datin’ fall by the wayside.”
Rainbow Dash walked up to her friend and placed a hoof on her shoulder. “I can kinda relate to that. When I was teenager, I pretty much focused on flying and racing, I’m not going to lie, I did date a few stallions and a mare or two back then.”
“Wait – What!? I-I thought you were only into mares!?” asked Twilight.
“I was still trying to figure out which way my barn door swung, plus I really wasn’t in the mood to be labeled a fillyfooler while still in high school. But I think you both know which way it swings now.” Rainbow Dash shook her head. “Getting off track, I threw myself into flying and racing, thinking that I was better off not thinking about whether or not I liked mares or stallions. Same way you’re doin’ it now.”
AJ still didn’t look too convinced, “Ah get where ya comin’ from sugarcube, but…”
“AJ, Rainbow’s right. I was the same way; I didn’t think dating was important; it was pretty much the same way I thought about friendship. It can be scary, I know, you should’ve seen me on my first date with Rainbow.”
Rainbow Dash giggled at the memory, remembering how the egghead mare tried to plan out everything on their date, down to the route to the restaurant, the price of the meals, even going as far as to make flashcards for dinner conversation. It took a lot of hard work to get Twilight to stop with the list making and planning of every date, and just to get her to wing it.
“Trust me, she’s right. You don’t even know what I had to go through to convince that we didn’t need a schedule for the ‘bedroom activities’,” Rainbow Dash made air quotes with her hooves for emphasis.
Applejack blushed and then looked at Twilight, she knew the mare liked to be organized, but she didn’t think she liked to be that organized. Twilight for her part just stood there in silence, blushing hard as she too remembered the awkwardness of creating a schedule for those particular activities.
“I still think if we did some work on it, we could’ve published it as a dirty novel.”
“Not a chance in Tartarus! I don’t want be known was the Princess who writes smut! And do you know how embarrassing it would be knowing that everypony was…was…pleasuring themselves to our love lives!”
“Oh silly filly, there are plenty of ponies doing that as we speak right now,” said Pinkie Pie, staring directly at nothing, but at the same time as someone.
Twilight, Rainbow Dash, and Applejack yelped at the sudden appearance of Pinkie Pie, standing right behind them as if she had been there the entire time.
“Pinkie Pie! What the – How did you – When did you – What are you doing in my house!?” Twilight asked.
Pinkie Pie cocked her head in confusion, “Your house?” She then took a moment to scan her surroundings. “Wow, how did I get here? I was just looking for a rubber chicken back at Sugar Cube Corner. Hmm, oh well, bye Twi and Dashie, good luck on your date with Ion, Applejack! And remember the three date rule!”
With that Pinkie Pie exited the library, leaving both Rainbow and Twilight to face hoof themselves out of sheer frustration.
“Three date what now?”
“You seriously don’t know about the Three Date Rule?”
Applejack just blinked.
“Faust help us,” sighed Rainbow.
Twilight then went to her writing desk and began jotting down something on a piece of parchment. “Twi, what are ya doin’?”
“Writing a letter to have Ion pick you up here, we’re going to need as much time as possible before you two actually go anywhere.”
(One Hour and Thirty Minutes Later)
It took some doing, but Apple Bloom was able to slip away from Sweet Apple Acres before Ion and Applejack started their date. Her first stop was to pick up Sweetie Belle who was, once again, staying with Rarity due to her parents going out of town, again. Luckily the unicorn filly managed to get out the back entrance and joined up with Apple Bloom down below.
“Hey.”
“Hey,” replied Apple Bloom.
“What’s with those saddle bags?”
“Just some…stuff. C’mon let’s get a move on!”
The next stop was Golden Oaks Library, where they would pick up Scootaloo and Adara. Apple Bloom knew that her sister was coming over to talk with Twilight and Rainbow Dash, and that she and Ion would head out on their date when she got back. From there it was a simple task of following the two grown ponies and ensuring that they had the best date ever.
As Sweetie and Apple Bloom approached the library, they noticed that Ion was standing at the front door. In a panic, Apple Bloom shoved Sweetie Belle into the nearest alley and ducked in as well.
“What was that for!?”
“Shh! Ion’s right over there!”
Both fillies stuck out their heads and saw that the green stallion was indeed standing at the front door to the library, shuffling nervously as he stood there.
“What’s he doing here, I thought Applejack was going to meet him back at the farm?” asked Sweetie Belle.
“Ah don’t know, maybe they made a last minute change? Oh no, what if meh sister forgot the date was tonight!? What if Ion’s comin’ to find out why she missed their date!? What if – FFFWRH”
Sweetie Belle quickly jammed her hoof into Apple Bloom’s mouth, preventing her from going into a panic fueled rant.
“He doesn’t look angry, just nervous. I think he’s here to pick Applejack up.”
The two fillies watched as the door to the library opened, with Applejack standing there with a nervous smile on her face. From the distance they were at, neither one could hear what was being said, but from the looks of it, Sweetie was right in thinking that Ion was just picking her up here instead of Applejack going back home to start.
Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle watched as the couple left the library walking down the street side-by-side. Once they were sure they were far enough away, and that Twilight and Rainbow Dash were gone. They quickly made their way to the window that belonged to their friends and threw two pebbles at it.
The window opened slightly, with Scootaloo and Adara looking down cautiously. Once they saw Sweetie and Apple Bloom, the two pegasi quietly flew down to them.
“Hey, what’s goin’ on, why did Ion pick up Applejack here?” asked Apple Bloom.
“Don’t know, I couldn’t hear too much of it, something about having a talk with your sister about something,” said Scootaloo.
Oh, I know what they were talking about………And I wish I didn’t.
“Well, let’s get goin’!”
With the team assembled, the Crusaders moved swiftly, yet silently through the streets of Ponyville. Though the town was a pretty peaceful place that still didn’t mean that their folks were lenient when it came to four unsupervised foals skulking about town, knowing that, the Crusaders kept to places where they could easily hide, Adara and Scootaloo stuck to the air, hiding behind rooftops and keeping a bird’s eye view of the stallion and mare.
Meanwhile, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle kept an eye on them from the ground. Sticking close to any alley or stall that could hide them, if even one of the other Ponyville ponies saw them, they’re cover would be blown and they’d have to face the wrath of their respective sisters. The only advantage of this split up is if they were to somehow be caught; one team could still try and fulfill the mission.
The four fillies followed Applejack and Ion to a restaurant; it was one of Ponyville’s more fancy establishments, an offshoot of the one in Canterlot, catering to those who wanted a romantic dinner or a place to dine for special occasions. The name at the top of the restaurant read “The Mayleen Rose”.
“He’s takenin’ her here?”
“Rarity talks about this place all the time, it’s some fancy restaurant, very romantic,” said Sweetie Belle with hint of approval.
“Eh…Ah’m not sure, Applejack doesn’t really like frou-frou or fancy schmansy things like this.”
Scootaloo and Adara landed beside them after they saw the couple enter the building.
“He’s probably trying to impress her or something,” said Adara.
“Makes sense, Ah guess. So how are we goin’ to get inside?”
Scootaloo stepped forward, “I have an idea.”
“This is a dumb idea!”
Scootaloo and Adara helped their friends up onto the roof and entered the restaurant through a ventilation shaft. Their nostrils were being assaulted by the tantalizing aroma of the various foods that wafted through the confined space. Apple Bloom led the way, with Sweetie Belle behind her, followed by Adara, and finally Scootaloo.
“Well do you know any better way of getting in without somepony noticing us,” hissed Scootaloo.
“How do we even know this goes into the dining room, we could be heading towards the kitchen for all we know,” said Sweetie Belle.
“Just have faith Sweetie Belle,” responded Adara.
After carefully crawling and navigating the notoriously long maze-like air ducts, the four fillies found a large enough space for them look down into the dining room through the grates. From what they could tell, there were dozens of ponies inside, each one eating various special entrees of restaurant. Ion and Applejack were seated near a window, allowing them to view the back of the establishment, which was a beautiful rose garden, illuminated by the soft candle light burning within the lampposts.
“This ain’t too bad Ion, kinda reminds me of Manehattan,” said Applejack.
“You went to Manehattan, when?” asked Ion.
“It was when Ah was a little filly, a bit before Apple Bloom was born. Ah was still tryin’ to find out what meh what Ah was goin’ to do with my life. So I headed to Manehattan to stay with my Aunt and Uncle Orange, and they taught me all about high society and other fancy stuff, even got me to talk differently too.”
“Really?”
Applejack grinned; she then cleared her throat and sat up straight. The air around her changed slightly, as if more refined. “I must say, Ion, I can’t believe you doubt that I can act sophisticated even for a short time. I may not like all of its rules, but I am aware of how a proper mare is to act around others. Sometimes I just choose not to.”
Ion and the fillies in the air duct, stared slack jawed at Applejack. There wasn’t a hint of her southern accent at all, and she almost talked like Rarity, all fancy and proper. Subtle as it was, she even looked different. Her eyes were focused and half-lidded.
“Uh…Apple Bloom, did you know that she could still do that…?” Scootaloo asked.
“Uh-uh,” answered Apple Bloom dumbfounded.
After a few more seconds, Applejack returned to her more comfortable, slouching posture and wiped away the look on her face. “Yeah, Ah still know how talk like that after all these years.”
“Just don’t let Rarity hear you talk like that, she’d probably foalnap you and keep you to herself,” said Ion.
“Heh, wouldn’t surprise me, Ah could tell she was droppin’ some subtle hints a while back, but Ah told her that Ah don’t swing that way.”
“You’d think that stop her?”
There was long pause before Applejack’s eyes widened in, what Ion could assume, was horrific realization. “Not a word to her!”
“I don’t know, I mean, it is a tempting thought…Rarity doing unspeakable things to you as you –”
Applejack quickly shoved a bread roll into Ion’s mouth, effectively silencing the stallion. The mare was blushing, but she grinned slightly. But inside the grate, Adara and Apple Bloom simultaneously face hoofed themselves. Apple Bloom for watching her sister just shove a piece bread down her coltfriend’s throat, and Adara for when Ion was painting a rather racy image with his words.
After a while past, the two ponies had ordered their food and filled the gap with small talk, so far so good. Soon their meal arrived and the waiter departed. It was then that he was approached by one of the other restaurant staff and looked concerned.
“Hey, we’re making an order that calls for smoked carrots, a whole bunch of them, for that party in the private room. Think we can redirect some of the vents to siphon off the excess?”
“Sure, I’ll close the ones in here so that we can keep it from disturbing the patrons and vent it to the outside.”
The four Crusaders looked to each other with a slight amount of panic. Before they could figure out if the waiter meant that he would do that right now, the vents that allowed them to see into the dining room shut tight. The unmistakable low rumble of the fans further down in the shaft a clear indicator that it was happening right this second, and if they didn’t get out they’d die of smoke inhalation.
Quickly they made their way through maze like array of air shafts. Each time they were going to make a turn a shutter would slam shut, one after the other their exits were being cut off and it wouldn’t be long before the smoke would hit them, they could already smell the faint aroma of it even now. Soon the fillies reached the end of the line, a faint light glowed and they realized that the vent at end ramped upwards diagonally. Apple Bloom was the first to reach it and looked up to see that it was open.
“We can get out through here, hurry!”
The four fillies hurried along, climbing up the ramp to safety. Apple Bloom bumped against one of the sides of the duct, causing something to fall out of her saddle and clink against the metal as it fell behind them.
“Oh shoot…”
“What was that!? Was that potion vial!? You brought potions!?” asked Sweetie in a frantic state.
“Talk later, need to get out, double time!”
Apple Bloom was at the exit and shot forward to get out, unfortunately, she didn’t get past her flanks, becoming stuck.
“Uh…girls, we have a problem.”
Scootaloo and Adara looked from behind Sweetie Belle, eyes widening in panic.
“You got to be kidding me!” Adara exclaimed.
“This isn’t happening!” Scootaloo yelled.
Sweetie hurried to the exit and thrust her forelegs forward, trying to push Apple Bloom out. On the other side, Apple Bloom was pushing against the wall, trying to free herself from her end. She was in too much of panic and hurry to accurately take in the dimensions and measurements of the opening and match them against her own, if she had, she would’ve realized sooner that she would become stuck.
The shaft was starting to fill with light traces of gray smoke, the need to get out was intensifying, making Adara seriously consider busting open the restaurant to save her friends. Meanwhile, Sweetie Belle had given up on pushing and was busy trying to think of a way to get Apple Bloom loose. It was then an idea struck an unpleasant one at that.
“Apple Bloom, please forgive me after this!”
“Forgive what!? What’re ya goin’ do!?” Apple Bloom cried out.
“Scoots, Adara, back up a little, give me some room.”
The pegasus fillies complied with her request, moving back to give her as much room as she probably needed. Sweetie Belle backed up a little and lowered her head, matching the angle of her horn with, well…
“Sorry, again.”
Sweetie Belle then lurched forward and her horn made contact. On the other end, Apple Bloom’s eye twitched, and in one powerful motion she dislodged herself from the vent and screamed bloody murder into the night.
“Y’all hear somethin’ Ion?”
“Um, I don’t think so.”
“Huh, must be my imagination, oh well.”
Sometime later the dinner ended and the Cutie Mark Crusaders were once again on the move. Apple Bloom, unfortunately, was walking funny most of the way, her face scrunched in anger. Sweetie Belle wore an apologetic expression as she tried to assuage her friend’s anger towards what she did.
“I’m sorry Apple Bloom! How many times do I have to say it,” pleaded Sweetie Belle.
Apple Bloom turned to her friend, her face still angry, but her cheeks were tinted pink. “Ya stuck yer horn up meh rump and sent meh salin’ across three rooftops!”
“…You landed in a hay bale though…”
Apple Bloom snorted and then continued walking awkwardly, “Won’t be able to sit right after that.”
“I. Am. Sorry!”
Apple Bloom then glanced up to the sky and glared a warning, “If anypony here’s about this Scoots, Ah’m goin’ to apple buck you all the way to the Crystal Empire!”
With her threats uttered and her peace of mind secured, the Crusaders continued their little mission, which found them at Ponyville Movie Theater. Lots of different movie titles were displayed upon the marquee as Ion and Applejack decided on which one to watch.
“How `bout that one,” asked Ion, pointing to the movie title “The Legend of Slendermane”. “It’s supposed to be scary, but good from what I hear.”
“Pfft, Ion, considerin’ what we’ve been through, what we fought, Ah don’t think some movie monster is goin’ to scare meh.”
“Sooooo…You chickening out?”
Applejack raised an eyebrow at Ion’s question. “Now hold on, sugarcube, Ah didn’t say that.” She then looked up at the marquee again, and really, she wasn’t up for much of what was up there, the horror movie sounding like the only thing that might be any good. “Alright, Ah’m in.”
Ion and Applejack then got their tickets and went into the theater. The four fillies stood at the corner of the theater, having just heard what they were going to see.
“We’re not really –?”
“Yes,” said Apple Bloom.
“Couldn’t we just –?”
“Nope.”
“You’re still angry, aren’t you?”
“Eeyup.”
Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, and Adara all sighed in defeat. So, adding “stealing a movie” to the growing list of possibly illegal things they were doing, the Crusaders snuck into the theater. They searched about till they found the projector room doors. Once inside they walked up and down the aisles of numerous doors that led to different theaters. Finally they found the door labeled “TLOSM Projector Room”.
They made their way inside and, luckily, there was no pony inside. “They must’ve left when the movie started,” said Scootaloo.
“We can see them from the windows over here.”
All four fillies moved towards the two windows that allowed the projectionist to see if the film was running alright. Down below they were able to pick out Ion and Applejack easily, thankfully the orange earth pony mare had the courtesy to take off her hat while inside the Movie Theater.
“Now where did it go!?
The Crusaders started to look at the movie screen, showing a mare and her friends staring at a pony with no face, wearing a black business suit with a bright red tie.
“How did he get behind us!?”
“Don’t take your eyes off him, circle up!”
The fillies continued to watch was the group of mares got into circle so that they could look from every direction. At the last moment the girl who was watching the strange pony blinked and it vanished. They searched frantically until it appeared again, somehow getting much closer than it originally was.
“Is…Is that that Slendermane thing…?” Sweetie asked.
“It doesn’t look as scary as ponies said. It’s just a pony in a black suit wearing a mask to hide his face…T-Totally not c-creepy at all,” said Scootaloo.
The streetlamps in the movie flickered for a moment and Slendermane was gone yet again, sending the mares into a panic. Sweetie Belle had clung to Apple Bloom, and Apple Bloom, having gotten over the incident earlier, reciprocated the action by clinging onto Sweetie as tight as she could. Scootaloo was starting to shake, even though she put on a brave face, this movie was downright scary.
Suddenly Slendermane vanished yet again, leaving the mares to search frantically, neither one daring to move for fear of being picked off. Suddenly, in literally the blink of an eye, Slendermane stood before the mare. Everything was deathly quiet, even the eerie suspenseful music had ceased. It was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
Without warning Slendermane’s body burst out into dozens of black tendrils as a terrifyingly large, mouth on the faceless creature opened, whisking away the mare. The music was back tenfold, one after another the mares were being picked off, screams of terror and bloody murder echoing into the darkness as the last one was left alone. The streetlamps flickered once again, now completely alone, the mare backed up against the only streetlamp that wasn’t flickering. Her eyes frantically looked in every possible direction, searching for any hint or sign that Slendermane was about to come out and take her.
Suddenly the lamp she was under flickered once, and in that next flicker Slendermane appeared behind her, unknown to the mare. The only thing she had time to do was scream before the tendrils latched onto her from behind, digging into her from behind the pole. Slendermane titled its head as if curious by this reaction or the result that such an action would result in.
As much as the fillies wanted to turn away they couldn’t, and the price for their curiosity was…
(One Hour and Thirty-Two Minutes Later)
“That…was…the most…terrifying thing…I’ve ever seen,” said Sweetie Belle in a kind of horror induced trance.
“With the…the tentacles…and the mare…and then the stallion…the woods,” said Apple Bloom in same state as her friend.
Honestly I’ve seen scarier things in universe than that creature, but it was very entertaining, thought Adara happily.
Scootaloo hadn’t said much since they left; she just stuck close to Adara, really, really, really close, like she was trying to become one with her coat through osmosis close. Though, Adara didn’t mind the closeness, it was nice, even if it was out of pure fright. Adara reasoned that Scootaloo was seeking protection because of her powers.
“Okay…I think we’ve done enough,” spoke Scootaloo for the first time since they left the movie. “They’re fine, they’re good, nothing bad happening. Ion and Applejack look like they’re going to be A-OK! Can we go home now…?”
“…Well…Maybe yer right…”
The Crusaders had now followed Applejack and Ion into White Tail Wood, both taking a walk under the moonlit night, as the cool summer breeze blew through the trees. Part of Apple Bloom knew that her sister and Ion would be fine, if nothing bad had happened by now then certainly nothing was.
“Yeah, yer right…” Apple Bloom sighed in defeat, “Guess we ain’t much in the way of ‘Matchmakers’, huh?”
“Probably not,” said the three in unison.
“What in tarnation!?”
“APPLEJACK!” Apple Bloom cried out. The yellow earth pony filly quickly opened her saddle bag and rummaged through it. “Pony feathers, Ah only have one potion left!?”
“Wait, so that thing I saw fall out of your saddle bag back at the restaurant, that really was a potion!?”
“Yeah, what’s the problem?”
“The problem is that we’ve been running around town with potions! How many did you make!?” asked Sweetie Belle.
“Only three, Ah looked up some recipes in one of Twilight’s books and thought Ah give it another try, and no, there’s no Heart’s Desire in any of these. Now if you’ll excuse me, Ah’m comin’ Applejack!!!”
Before the other three Crusaders could stop her Apple Bloom was already on her way, vial in hoof. The little filly continued to gallop to the where she heard Applejack, she then burst through the bushes and got ready to chuck the vial of unknown brew, but stopped when she took in the situation.
Applejack’s hat was now hanging off a branch on one of the trees. Ion was using his power to create a construct hand to grab it; he then placed it back on Applejack’s head. It was at that time that both adult ponies noticed Apple Bloom’s appearance and looked at her with confusion.
“Apple Bloom, what’re you doin’ out here,” asked Applejack.
“And what’s that in your hoof,” asked Ion.
“Uh…” Apple Bloom quickly chucked the vial behind her and tried to appear as innocent as possible, “Well… heh, heh, funny story there…”
*POOF*
An explosion of pink smoke burst behind Apple Bloom, surprising the filly, but not daring to turn around to see what the potion may or may not have created. Soon she heard the coughing of her three friends, Apple Bloom winced knowing the jig was up.
“Apple Bloom, what the hay was that!?”
“Hey, do you feel funny?”
“A little…Why does my voice sound different?”
Applejack looked from the smoke cloud and then to Apple Bloom with a stern gaze. “Okay, come on out, and you y’all better have a good explanation fer bein’ out so late.”
Apple Bloom sighed sadly, “Girls, you might as well come on out…”
There was a rustling in the bushes behind Apple Bloom, the youngest apple sibling then watched as Applejack’s jaw went slack, along with Ion’s. She turned around to see what they were gawking at and it wasn’t long before she mirrored the expression.
Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, and Adara were older, way older, like in their early twenties older! Adara’s mane was longer and flowed down to her shoulders, her fairly large wings were now even bigger, adding to this with a slender and nimble body. Scootaloo’s mane only grew to neck length, and was a little spikier, with some of her bangs covering part of her face, and a svelte body, perfect for racing. Sweetie Belle’s curly mane grew out, flowing beautifully down her back, and her body was curvy, like a supermodel.
“What’s wrong,” asked Scootaloo, her voice had a raspy tone much like Rainbow Dash’s, “Why are you guys looking at us like that?”
“Apple Bloom,” said Adara with a calming gentle voice that almost matched her true form’s voice, “how come you look…smaller?”
“Did everything get bigger, was that a growth potion?” asked Sweetie with a beautiful singing voice, and without a single crack.
“Well…Uh…Ah guess ‘growth’ is a good word, but ‘grownup’ fit’s better.”
The three fillies looked at their friend with confusion, they then turned to each other, gasped, and yelped at the sight of each other.
“What the hay!? I-I’m older – We’re older!”
“We’re grownups! H-How did that happen!?”
“It must’ve been that cloud of smoke!”
Applejack stamped her hoof, gaining the attention of the Crusaders. “You four front and center!” The four Crusaders hurriedly stood before Applejack. “Sit, now!” They did, and Apple Bloom now seemed annoyed that her friends sat higher than her. “Now, one at a time, Ah want you to tell us what y’all are doin’ out here.”
Reluctantly, all four of them told why they were out at night and following the both of them. It took all of thirty minutes to explain the whole situation and why they did what they did. Applejack and Ion met each other’s gazes, they knew their hearts were in the right place but it was still unnecessary to follow them and go through all that stuff they did. Ion and Applejack looked down at Apple Bloom, who was sadder than anything right now.
“Look, we’re upset, but we’re not mad at you guys,” said Ion.
“You had nothin’ to worry about sugarcube, and worryin’ about me isn’t yer your job, it’s the other way around,” said Applejack.
“Ah know…Ah just…Ah just wanted to make sure that everythin’ went alright with y’all, `cause…Ah really want Ion to be part of the family…and Ah want to see ya happy…”
Applejack stepped forward and lowered her head to nuzzle Apple Bloom comfortingly. With an encouraging nod from the elder apple, Ion did the same, gaining a smile from Apple Bloom from the joint affection.
“We understand, but we’re fine Apple Bloom. I do love your sister, and you know I’ll do whatever I can to make her happy,” he proclaimed.
Adara and Sweetie Belle “awwwww’d” at those words, thinking them romantic, Scootaloo just rolled her eyes but conceded, mentally, that it was romantic. Applejack blushed a little and tapped Ion with her shoulder.
“Do ya hafta say embarrassin’ stuff like that?”
“If only to make you blush, then yes, yes I do – OW!”
Sweetie, Scootaloo, and Apple Bloom looked to Applejack who shrugged that it wasn’t her. They then noticed that Adara was now standing next to Ion.
“Brother, please stop teasing Applejack, too much.”
“Whatever you say,” Ion then ruffled the Adara’s long mane, earning him a groan of indignation, “little sis.”
“Not so little right now,” she said under her breath.
“Well, Ah reckon we outta get y’all back home. We’ll talk to Twi and Zecora tomorrow to see what we can do about…this.” Applejack waved a hoof in front of the three grown fillies to indicate the problem. It was then that a thought popped into Applejack’s head. “Wait a minute, Apple Bloom; you said you had three of those potion vials, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Where are the other two?”
“Uh-oh,” spoke the four.
There was a loud explosion coming from the distance. The group of six quickly exited the woods just in time to see a large column of smoke rise up into the air. The column then took the form of a puffy, gray smoke monster that roared and bellowed in the air. What followed next were loud screams of terror that repeated:
“SLENDERMANE IS REAL!!!”
“HE JUMPED OFF THE MOVIE SCREEN!! OFF. THE. MOIVE. SCREEN!!!”
Apple Bloom and her friends all face hoofed themselves, Applejack let out an annoyed groan at the same time as Ion. This was going to be a very long night.
Intermission Episode 2: The Fiery Bull vs. The Icy Spirits
The Badlands, a place that was inhospitable for life, pony life anyway. Further into its reaches, a transformation was taking place, one that was slow, tedious, and somewhat painful. Roars of pain and rage echoed through it, any creatures that dwelled here kept their distance, their animal instincts telling them that a creature far stronger and far more dangerous was here.
In a canyon further away, crimson light blazed. Within it, a monstrous creature thrashed back and forth, slamming its body against the canyon walls, and letting loose a blistering torrent of blood-fire breath at anything that happened to be in its sights. Above the beast, standing and watching from the canyon’s edge, were two beings, one a changeling, taller than most, with yellow eyes that could peer into your deepest fears, Parallax. And next to him was a teenage dragon, standing a head taller than him, with his arms crossed and wearing a look of impatience, and the symbol of Avarice upon his forehead, Ophidian.
“How much longer will thisss take?” Ophidian asked impatiently.
“Calm yourself, you know Butcher isn’t one for concentration, and forming a suitable body requires focus,” said Parallax.
“No argument here, that rampaging bull never wasss one for thinking things through, surprised he’s lasted this long. Are you absolutely sssure we need him for the plan?”
Parallax gave the Entity of Avarice a shifty eyed glance, “Do you want to go up against Ion, Adara, Proselyte, and Predator alone?” The Entity of Fear only received a frustrated sigh from Ophidian. “Two of us have a chance, but the three of us are in a better position to go up against them. They won’t even take on hosts, so we already have a huge advantage over them. By the way, how’s your end going?”
Before Ophidian answered that, he erected a barrier of orange light in front of them, protecting them from a random blast of the burning, acidic fiery blood blast. “Well, thisss, Spike, has great Avarice within him. But he’s guarded; he won’t let it take hold. I believe he’s actively fighting it every day, but once I find the one thing, or thingsss, he wants the most, that’s when hisss guard will be down and I can take root.”
“Are you sure he’s the right host for you? He barely comes up to your waist, and you want to make him your host?”
“I see the true beast that liesss within. What makes you think you can convert and entire speciesss that’s dependent on love to fear?”
Parallax thought it over for a moment and eventually shrugged, “Touché.” The fear parasite then looked down in the canyon, “Oh look, he’s almost done.”
Butcher was thrashing about, his fiery red light merging with the magic of this new world, it sickened him, there were elements of good emotions as well as bad, but he wouldn’t let these stop him from getting what he wanted. With one powerful roar, his body exploded into blinding red light.
When the light subsided the canyon was gone, reduced to nothing but a smoldering crater that hissed from the intense heat. Ophidian and Parallax floated in orbs formed of their respective lights. They floated down towards the epicenter of the explosion to see if their fellow Entity didn’t blow himself into oblivion.
What stood at the center was no longer the giant red bull from before, but rather something close to it. Standing at six foot-five, his upper body was rippling with muscles, evenly toned out underneath his dark red fur. His lower body was a dark gray, matching that of his shaved down Mohawk that went halfway down the back of his head. His curved horns were still there, but his mouth no longer sported his goring tusks. Instead, they connected to his horns and ran close beside his face. His eyes were a harsh red, and battle hardened, accompanied with a body littered with scars, his arms, chest, and back were covered. Even his face sported a long one going across his face diagonally.
Butcher examined his new form, flexing his digits and cracking his knuckles. He then worked the kinks out his neck; popping it a few times till he was satisfied that it no longer bothered him.
“I assume that you like it?” asked Ophidian.
“I don’t ‘like’ anything.”
He then held out his right arm with his palm open. Red light gathered to it and in less than a second it changed. The light took the form of an ax, but when he gripped it, the light dispersed and a real ax appeared in its stead. The shaft was at least five feet long; the ax blade was a dark crimson, bearing the symbol of Rage, his symbol. Butcher then gave his ax a few practice swings, twirling it around in his hands, getting a feel for his favored weapon. He then plunged the blade of the ax into the ground and gave a satisfied snort.
“This body will do, what’s it called anyway?”
“A minotaur, which oddly enough suits you well,” said Parallax.
“Now all you need to do is find a host and the plan can proceed,” said Ophidian.
“‘The plan’, ‘the plan, ‘the plan’! All you ever talk about is ‘the plan’, when do I get to fight!?” Butcher then hit the palm of his left hand with his right fist. “We should strike now and get the drop on them!”
Both the Entity of Fear and the Entity of Avarice released frustrated sighs. They knew Butcher was a glutton for war, destruction, hate, and battle, but he truly lacked a strategist’s mindset.
“If we were to do battle with them, it would either end in a ssstalemate or they might win. We cannot fight them as we are,” said Ophidian.
“And why the hell not!?” Butcher growled.
“Look at it from this perspective.” Parallax used his light to grab a large rock that survived Butcher’s explosion. “Our powers are as equivalent to this rock, powerful, but blunt. We cannot form complex constructs, we are power, and we can only do so much with it. However, as you may or may not realize, when we are within suitable hosts, our power becomes as honed and refined as that blade upon your ax.”
“It all boils down to which isss more lethal: a club or a sssword.”
Butcher merely scoffed. “Both can kill, it just depends on who’s using them. Besides, I need no host! Don’t forget, I nearly destroyed Ion!”
“Yesss and then Adara showed up and snuffed out the flame of your rage and Ion gave you the asss kicking of the millennium.”
Butcher grabbed his ax and took a combative stance, “Maybe I’ll show you how powerful I am, by skinning your reptilian hide!”
Ophidian widened his stance, he then snapped his claws and in no time the area was surrounded by the construct Orange Lantern Diamond Dogs. “Did you forget, I consume all the lights, yours included.”
“Don’t act tough with me Ophidian! Against Adara or Predator, we both know that you wouldn’t stand a snowball’s chance in hell against them!”
Ophidian’s brow furrowed at the mention of the Love and Hope Entities. The teenage dragon and burly minotaur were about to go at it, until Parallax stepped in.
“Enough, the both you! We haven’t the time to waste fighting each other! If we are to make this world ideal for us then we have to be a cohesive unit!” Parallax argued.
Butcher relaxed, although his face was still contorted in anger, and Ophidian called off his constructs. The red minotaur then rested his ax on his shoulder, looking to Parallax and Ophidian in turn.
“You two can do whatever little ‘plan’ you like. Me? I’m leaving!” Butcher then turned around and started walking, his whip-like tail lashed from side to side in agitation.
“And where do you think you’re going!?” asked Ophidian.
“To do what I want! Get in my way and you will find that I have killed for far less!”
Without another word, Butcher’s body erupted into red light, shooting off into the sky to wherever he cared to go. Ophidian face clawed himself, dragging it down his face and groaning in complete annoyance of Butcher’s actions.
“Great! Just great! Now we have to ssstep up the time table!”
“Kckt. Maybe, maybe not.”
Ophidian looked to Parallax incredulously. “What are you talking about?!”
“If there’s anything that I’ve gathered from probing this world’s knowledge, it’s that things often are more than what they appear. Butcher has, out of pure instinct, possessed a fair number of sentient beings in the past. We merely leave him to his devices and, without him realizing it, he’ll fall in line.”
(1 ½ Months Later)
Butcher had ventured to many different parts of this world called Equus. He’s faced down a horde of dragons and proved himself the stronger, taking a few of their fangs and chiseling down small enough to make bracelets around his wrists.
He then came across a land filled with more like him. They were an unruly bunch, much like himself, but found little in common with them. This world had made, what appeared to be fierce creatures, soft. He made sure to show them what the true meaning of strength was before he left their homeland.
All throughout, rumors were being spread about him. Rumors about a rogue minotaur that fought without mercy and without relent. They nicknamed him the Berserker, for no matter what was thrown at him, magic or otherwise, no matter how many times he was injured, he never stopped.
Butcher traveled farther, seeking the beasts that dwelled within the Eastern Everfree Forest. Many a deadly creature were said to dwell within, to Butcher, it was just another forest. By the time he had left the forest, he wore a necklace made of the claws of an Alpha Ironwood Timberwolf. That creature was particularly fun to fight, so he gave it a quick death.
At one point, a large manticore foolishly tried to attack him. He thanked whatever forces that were, because the place he was going to was getting colder and he needed a coat.
Now donned in his manticore skin cloak, and with his ax slung across his back, Butcher continued his journey. His travels eventually brought him to the large city of Stalliongrad, which was currently in the middle of having a snowstorm. He could sense the tension in this place, there was rage here, and a smoldering anger. He casually walked through the city streets, many ponies, and even a few griffons stepped out of his way. Some gasping at the sight of his garb, and other, less unsavory denizens, eyed him as if a potential target for a robbery.
Butcher found himself at one of the taverns within the city. He snorted, annoyed that this new body had some limitations, like rest. The Entity of Rage pushed open the door to the tavern, letting in a rush of cold air and snow before closing it behind him.
Many of the patrons paused to glance at the new addition. Butcher kept his hood up, the only thing that could be seen within the hoods shadows were his burning red eyes. The patrons quickly took note of his garment, some gulped, others returned to what they were doing, pretending not notice him, and others took it as unspoken challenge.
Butcher took in the surroundings. It was a fairly large establishment, big enough to allow him entry and free movement. Many chairs and tables were set up all around, with ponies mostly to one side of the room, and some griffons to the other, both barely tolerating the others presence. There was a stage further back, where a few mares were dancing to the music of a pony playing the piano.
The Entity of Rage then walked towards the bar area. His hoofsteps thudded against the wooden floor; shaking some of the tables he passed by. He then found an empty stool and sat, luckily it supported his weight. The patrons that were sitting nearby scooted down further away from the hulking minotaur in fear that just being near him would get them thrown across the room.
Butcher glanced up at the bar; it was an oaken wood counter, lacquered and cleaned enough to eat off of. Behind it was an assortment of drinks, ranging from alcoholic, to sodas, and other beverages, although the alcoholic drinks took up the majority of the wall space.
“Real howler out there ain’t it.”
Butcher glanced in the direction of the voice. The barkeep was a female griffon, with silver fur and wings, and cobalt feathers around her head. Her plumage was long, covering one side of her face and giving her an air of mystique, especially with those lavender eyes.
“What?”
“The storm, weird stuff. Stalliongrad’s usually cold but it tends to be fairly pleasant around here during summer. Guess the pegasus ponies at the Weather Factory messed up somewhere.”
Butcher snorted.
“Friendly aren’t we? I can tell you aren’t from around here, we don’t get many minotaurs here.”
“What business is it of yours why I’ve come here?”
“Well,” the griffoness casually grabbed an empty glass and started to clean it, “for one: I own this place and I don’t want you stirring up trouble in my bar. Stalliongrad is neutral territory, and my bar even more so, and I intend to keep it that way. Second: You see that mare up there, the lead dancer?”
The griffoness nudged her head in the direction of the stage. Butcher turned his head and saw that one of the mares, a pegasus pony, leading the group of dancers. She had a light orange coat and a white mane that flowed back and forth as she danced and even sang.
“That’s my girl, and I love her. And I don’t like anyone who comes here and starts crap that could potentially hurt her or my other dancers and friends. So, keep this in mind. Don’t start nothing, won’t be nothing.”
Butcher drew his hood back, allowing his face to be seen. The griffoness didn’t even flinch from the sight. “Is that a threat?”
“A warning, trust me, you’ll know when I’m threatening you,” she clarified.
Butcher wanted to put this griffoness in her place, show her that he wasn’t one to be ordered around, but this body of his, while sturdy, did still require time to recuperate. So he begrudgingly accepted her warning.
“Fine.”
“The name’s Sonya by the way.”
Butcher snorted again.
“Tell ya what, as incentive, your first two rounds are on the house. Just tell me what you want when you’re ready.”
The dark red minotaur waved off Sonya and returned to his brooding. She shrugged it off, Sonya had seen more than her share of moody patrons and it didn’t faze her when they blew her off. Still, this guy was different, and just because of his looks either, there was an air about him that radiated hostility. Sonya then motioned to one of the barmaids and whispered something into her ear; the mare nodded and left the room without anyone being the wiser.
Several minutes past and Butcher was starting to get back his strength, but his energy, for some reason, felt like it was being syphoned. He just attributed this to his mortal body, empowered or not, it was still slightly vulnerable. But, he had to admit, that was half the fun. It added an extra edge of excitement in the fights.
Butcher then sensed a shifting of the air, and heard a strange whinny like howl that echoed faintly in the background. He turned around to see if where the source was, thinking that it was either a griffon or pony, but none of them were making that sound, nor did any of them seem to hear it either. Butcher released a sigh, but quirked an eyebrow when he noticed that he could see his breath. Which was odd, considering how comfortably warm it was inside, even with his cloak on.
“Hey watch where you’re going ya feather duster!”
The red minotaur glanced over his shoulder and noticed that a Royal Guard unicorn and a griffon Border Patrol Officer were getting in each other’s faces.
“Who are you calling a ‘feather duster’!”
“If the horseshoe fits!”
The griffon leered at the unicorn, “You damn Royal Guard’s think you’re so high and mighty, but I guess I’d feel the same way if I had rulers who controlled the sun and moon!”
“Watch it, griffon, the Royal Guard are the protectors of the crown!”
“More like glorified lawn ornaments.” Another griffon walked towards the first, standing beside him. “All you do is stand around and look ‘intimidating’ while your collective flanks are saved time and again by your oh-so-special princesses.”
“Like you have any right to talk.” Another Royal Guard came to the aid of the first. “If it wasn’t for Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, Discord would’ve made this world chaos central! If anything you should show a little appreciation.”
“Appreciation!?” They said in unison.
“Yes, I think you and the rest of your kind should be down on your knees, thanking them for saving your collective rears!”
The griffons laughed at that, boisterously. “Oh yeah, right, ‘thanking them’ he says! Tell me, wasn’t it your own ‘goddesses’ that went mad and almost plunged the entire world in Eternal Night? What was her name, oh right, Nightmare Moon.”
The Royal Guards were, ironically, caught off-guard by that retort. “Well…She was not herself! She was purified and returned to us!”
“‘Purified’, yeah, because it makes so much sense to put one of the rulers who tried to stage a coup back in power, and speaking of Discord, didn’t your princesses, in all their infinite wisdom, release the Spirit of Chaos?”
Once again the Royal Guard ponies were verbally slapped upside the head. Although they had to admit, the release of Discord wasn’t exactly a thing that was made clear to them.
“Face it; your rulers just like to jerk you around, sitting on their fat flanks and looking regal and perfect while they leave the rest of you to fend for yourselves.”
“I bet they even keep a few of these guys around for other ‘Royal Duties’.” A griffon spoke, wiggling his brow in a suggestive manner.
“Now that you mention it, I wouldn’t mind being part of the Royal Guard. The fringe benefits sound awesome –!”
The griffon didn’t get to finish his sentence as a punch from the unicorn effectively silenced him. The second Guard barreled into the other griffon, plowing through tables and griffons alike. The ponies and the griffons then went into a full out brawl, both sides clashing within the tavern. Glass shattered, mugs were thrown, tables flipped, and many cursing like sailors at each other. All the while, Butcher watched this, shrugged, and then turned his back to it.
“HEY, HEY, BREAK IT UP!!!” Sonya yelled.
Butcher still didn’t pay the barroom brawl any mind, only glancing once or twice to see how it was progressing and finding slight entertainment in the fight.
Now I see why I find my light keeps popping up within places like this. Still, not worth my time, he thought.
“STAY AWAY!” A mare cried out.
Butcher watched as Sonya’s head popped up and looked in the direction of the voice. She leaped over the counter and fought her way through the warring sides, finding her rather impressive as she did so with ease. The dark red minotaur watched as Sonya rushed to the aid of the pegasus mare she had deemed ‘her girl’ and put herself between the mare and a group of male griffons who were surrounding them. The pegasus mare was, at that time, acting as a shield, blocking the other mares from the griffons, who were now had looks in their eyes that teetered on the edge of lecherous.
“Summer, are you alright!?” Sonya asked.
“We’re fine…for now…”
“I can’t believe you’d protect these weak mares, let alone have them as entertainment,” said one of the griffons.
“She probably keeps them for ‘other purposes’,” suggested another.
“Touch one of them and I swear I’ll gut you all right here and now with my bare claws!” Sonya snarled.
The male griffons, eight in all, all lowered into attack position. All the while Butcher wasn’t liking this fight, there was something else driving it. Sure he was the Entity of Rage and his presence almost always caused something to happen, but this, this didn’t feel right. It was as if an outside force of rage was fueling it, feeding on it. His ears started to pick up on the sound of the snowstorm outside, the wind sounded like it had increased dramatically. And yet again he heard the howling whinny.
Butcher tried to focus, for once, wanting to locate the source of this outside force and that annoying noise. But he was finding it rather difficult, not just because of the constant mugs shattering on his back, or the occasional pony or griffon hitting against his back, not even that one pony who tried to sucker punch him only to receive a backhanded fist to the face and sending sailing back into the brawl.
No, it was something else, an aspect of his light that he hadn’t felt for a long time, one that emanated from Sonya, who was now engaged with the male griffons. Butcher looked to see that Sonya was now on her back pinned by the griffons she was fighting. She struggled and thrashed, snapping at whomever was close enough to bite. One of the griffons had grabbed Summer and held her in a choke hold.
“You know what, I think these two are banging each other,” said the griffon holding summer.
“Gross, maybe we should show her why she shouldn’t stray from her own kind,” said the lead griffon, inching closer to the pinned griffoness.
That’s when it hit Butcher, this familiar aspect of his light that was neither anger nor hate. It was righteous fury!
The dark red minotaur turned in the direction of brawl and bellowed out a great roar that shook the inside of the tavern, and caused the brawling patrons to stop their fight. Many looked upon the minotaur with a degree of fear and edge, wondering what he was going to do. Butcher, now having ceased the chaos, walked towards Sonya and the male griffons. His hoofs thundered against the floorboards as he approached the male griffons, stopping right before them. He let his cloak open up more, showing his thick muscly arms and scarred body.
“Release her, now!” Butcher ordered.
The griffons that were pinning Sonya looked to each other, as if wondering if they could take this hulking minotaur on. Butcher then released his manticore cloak, letting fall to the floor, revealing his macabre ornaments, and of course, the giant red steel ax on his back.
“That wasn’t a request.”
The griffons immediately released Sonya, backing away from her. The griffoness got up and stared at Butcher, part of her was relieved to have been saved from whatever perverse acts they were going to do to her, and on the other hand, those eight griffons might have been the lesser of two evils. Butcher then looked to the one holding Summer.
“Her too.”
The griffon released his choke hold and backed off real quick. The pegasus mare quickly ran to the side of her lover, nuzzling up against her for both comfort and security. Butcher then looked to the other pony dancers who were cowering in fear, waiting to see what their fate would be. The dark red minotaur locked his fiery red eyes with that of Sonya’s.
“Get them out, now.”
Summer glanced worriedly to her lover, “Sonya…?”
“Girls, c’mon, stay close.”
The other dancers stuck close to the barkeep as they walked through the crowd of griffons and ponies. Summer took the lead once they were past the initial brawling line, and Sonya took up the rear to make sure no one was going to attack them from behind.
Seeing that they were now leaving the fight zone, Butcher grabbed his manticore cloak and slung it over his shoulder, walking confidently towards the bar. Now that that settled, maybe I can finally find out what that –!
*Crash*
Butcher stopped walking; he placed his left hand on the back of his neck, feeling tiny pieces of glass in his hair. Turning around, he saw that one of the griffons, in probably the first act of mercy he had ever shown in his eternal existence, had thrown a mug at his head. Butcher immediately recognized the face that the griffon was making, it was the infamous “Oh crap why did I do that, I’m such an idiot” look.
The Entity of Rage turned to face the griffons completely. He then tossed his manticore cloak over his shoulder and towards the bar area. Cracking his knuckles, the minotaur was about to teach these glorified turkeys the true meaning of pain.
“You do realize that you just screwed us big time right?” asked the griffon.
“Oh please! We aren’t going to be intimidated by an overgrown, moronic, carved up –!”
In the blink of an eye Butcher threw an uppercut at the griffon, right in the beak, sending him sailing into the roof where he found himself dangling from. He then grabbed the nearest one by the throat and tossed him into the crowd of ponies and griffons. The other six were now angry and terrified at the same time. Two of them tried to rush him, but Butcher dashed forward, holding out his massive arms. The result was a clothesline hit to their jugulars, sending them into a spin and slamming back onto the floor, hard.
Another tried to slash at him with his claws, one hit digging into his flesh and causing a bit of his blood to flow. Ignoring the pain, and using it as further fuel for the fire, Butcher grabbed the griffon by the wings, broke them, and tossed him like a rag doll against the table, breaking it in the process.
From the corner of his eye, Butcher saw as one of the griffons tried to crawl away. The dark red minotaur got into a running position and dashed away. He took perfect aim as his hooves thundered against the floor, and with one swift punt kick, delivered the blow right to the griffon’s privates, sending him careening into the crowd, and screaming in a high falsetto.
During this fight, Butcher yet again heard the howling whinny, and it was stronger, yet none of the ponies and griffons heard a thing. It was irritatingly frustrating. Out of nowhere a pony lashed out and tried to land a punch on Butcher. He easily caught the blow and threw him into another pony. A griffon, who wasn’t a part of the original eight he was fighting, entered the brawl as well. And then another pony, and then another griffon, and then another, and another, and another, and another. Soon Butcher was fending off multiple attackers at once. He thought it so easy to just burn them all, but again, this bar fight was beneath the use of his powers and unworthy of staining his ax with their blood.
“BRING IT ON!!!!”
( Meanwhile)
“I freaking hate this Border Patrol crap – ACHOO!”
Gilda had been walking about town, dressed in her uniform. It was basically a faux black leather jacket, with a brown furry inseam to keep the heat in. She also wore a black beanie, bearing the official shield emblem of the Border Patrol Force. She fluttered her wings from time to time, trying to keep them from freezing and locking up. Her tail twitched in agitation from this freak snowstorm.
She didn’t even know there was a scheduled snowstorm! Had she known she wouldn’t have reported for duty, sure she flew high in the air where the temperature was cold, but this cold, this was something different. It chilled her very core, and she couldn’t shake the annoying feeling that there was someone or something watching her. Maybe not her specifically, but it was still creepy. Especially when every time Gilda thought she saw it out of the corner of her eye, it vanished.
Lately, Stalliongrad had been getting hectic, which was right around the same time this snowstorm hit. There was always tension in the city. It was populated by griffons and ponies alike, so unfortunately at one point or another, you were going to have some fights and culture clashes. But recently the tension in the city seemed to be boiling, escalating to the point where more patrols were needed.
“Humph, anything’s better than being back there and being reminded of her!”
“Gilda!”
The griffoness looked around, hearing her name amongst the wind and snow. It took her but a moment to recognize who it was, one of Sonya’s barmaids at her tavern. The pony walked up to her, slightly panting.
“What’s up?”
“Sonya, she asked me to come and get you. There’s this minotaur at the tavern and he looks kinda shady…”
Gilda raised an eyebrow. “Minotaur, huh? Don’t normally get many minotaurs up here, they don’t like the cold. So what, how ‘shady’ does this guy look?”
“Well…he came in wearing a cloak made of a manticore’s pelt, he’s wearing bracelets that look like they were made of teeth, sharp teeth at that, and…He’s just overall scary.”
“Does Sonya want me to arrest him or something? `Cause that place of hers is half filled with Royal Guards and BP Officers like me,” said Gilda.
The earth pony mare scoffed. “Please, half of them are either too plastered out of their minds or too busy trying to grope mine and my friends’ flanks! I think Sonya just wants someone there who’s clear headed enough to react when something bad goes down.”
Gilda thought it over. It was part of her job to keep the peace in Stalliongrad, and a possibly dangerous stranger was probably good grounds to get somewhere warm, that and she really didn’t want to be in the cold any longer than she had to.
“Alright, alright, I’ll come with. I owe her and Summer Breeze for putting me up.”
“Thanks Gilda.”
The mare and griffoness made their way to Sonya’s tavern. As they did, they noticed how the storm seemed to be increasing in intensity the closer they got, getting to the point that the barmaid had to stay close to get Gilda to keep from getting separated.
“What the –! Why in the Tartarus is this storm getting worse!?”
“I don’t know! I’ve never seen snowstorms this bad!”
The wind blustered and blew, creating a whiteout with all the falling snow and turbulent wind. Gilda felt the area getting colder, and right now she couldn’t see three feet in front of her beak! Suddenly she started to hear a strange noise, a sort of howl mixed with a whinny. She watched and listened, keeping the earth pony mare close . In the swirling snow she barely made out a pony like figure.
“HEY YOU!” Gilda yelled. “GIVE US A HOOF OVER HERE, WE CAN’T SEE IN THIS MESS!”
The pony figure turned towards the mare and griffoness, Gilda now amended her earlier analysis, whatever or whoever it was in front of them, it was taller than the average pony, stallion or mare. It could be a Saddle Arabian, but again, a rare thing to see here.
The figure started to get closer, and for a split second, Gilda could’ve sworn she saw its eyes shine with a white and blue flash. But then something happened, it disappeared, and at that same time, the wind died down and the snow settled, becoming eerily silent.
“W-What just h-happened?”
“I don’t know, but I don’t like it. C’mon, I can see Sonya’s tavern.”
At that moment one of the windows shattered, with a pony sailing out of it and falling into the large heaps of snow. At nearly the same time, the other window shattered and a griffon was thrown through it, landing face first into the, thankfully, large piles of fresh powder.
Fearing the worst, Gilda had the barmaid go and find other Guards and Officers while she went in and dealt with whatever was going on. Gilda quickly busted the door open and went slacked jawed at what she beheld.
A muscular, dark red minotaur was standing on the stage. A pile of bodies, live ones, and groaning in pain, were strewn in sort of a pathway, leading right to him. The minotaur was currently fending off three opponents. They decided, in a desperate attempt, to bum rush the minotaur and bring him down. When they piled on, the minotaur fell to one knee, but it was only for a brief moment. He then rose up and threw the three off his body and onto the pile of other beat up bodies.
From what Gilda could tell it was pretty much just the patrons, there wasn’t any sign of Sonya and Summer Breeze, or any of the other tavern workers. Gilda then glared at the minotaur, who was now panting heavily after having fought so many.
“You! Don’t move!” Gilda ordered, flaring her wings and entering an attack position.
The minotaur looked towards Gilda, his fiery red eyes almost caught her by surprise, but as intimidating as his gaze was, she had one just as intimidating.
“I thought I got them all, guess I missed one,” he said.
“You’re under arrest for inciting a riot and –” Gilda took a moment to take a count of how many of the patrons he beat up, “– and multiple counts of assault!”
“Arrest me?! You can damn well try!”
“Oh I intend to!”
The minotaur readied himself for one more brawl and Gilda extended her talons, preparing to bring down this hulking mass. Just as the two of them were about to charge for one another, the door near the bar area burst open, with Sonya flying in and waving off the two from fighting.
“GILDA STOP, YOU TOO!”
Gilda and the minotaur both halted in their tracks. “Sonya, you’re alright?”
“We all are, we were hiding out in the back room when this mess started,” said Sonya.
“And this guy,” Gilda pointed a talon at the minotaur, “was he the one who started it?”
“No,” he said, “But I did finish it.”
“He helped us! Saved me and Summer from getting…well…we were almost…”
Gilda didn’t need to hear the rest, she could pretty much figure out the rest from there. The griffoness then looked to the minotaur and sighed heavily.
“Guess I outta thank you, whatever your name is.”
“I am the Butcher.”
Sonya and Gilda both glanced at each other and face clawed themselves at nearly the same time.
“Yeah, that’s going to go over well with the Guard and Officers when they get here,” said Sonya.
“How about Butch?” Gilda offered.
“What,” shouted Butcher.
“Yeah, I like it! Anypony asks, your names’ Butch, got it?!”
Butcher groaned in indignation, but relented, both because he was too tired after that little brawl, and because he got most of the fight out him. “Fine, I’m Butch, happy!?”
“No, but it’ll be better than you spending time behind bars,” said Gilda.
(3 Hours Later)
Answering all those questions and dealing with all those Guards and Officers nearly made Butcher, or Butch, go into another rampage. But luckily this, ‘Gilda’, was able to speed him through the process and now he, Sonya, Summer Breeze, and Gilda herself, were at the home of the griffon and mare couple.
It was a nice place, considering that Sonya owned the bar and her lover worked there as well, their combined income was able to help them afford a place of their own in the city. It was a two story house; the inside had warm colors all around, a good contrast to the white of the snow and grays of the city.
Butcher had to admit, it felt strange to be actually invited to anyone’s home. He mostly smashed through anything and “invited” himself in. Noticing the couch, Butcher walked over to it and sat down, making the room shake from the impact. Luckily the couch held up against his weight and size.
“You couldn’t let go of the ax, could you?” asked Gilda.
“No one touches my ax, unless I make you touch it,” said Butcher.
“Geez, do you ever lighten up, Butch?”
“It’s Butcher, not ‘Butch’!”
“It’s a whole lot better than ‘Butcher’, I feel like I’m talking to an executioner every time I say it!”
You’re not far off.
“So…” Butcher crossed his arms in front his chest, “You live with those two?”
“Yeah…I kinda wandered here, ended up in Sonya’s bar, got a little too grabby with Summer Breeze, and Sonya and I had a throw down. Next thing I know, Summer’s offering me a place to stay, although Sonya was a little reluctant when I did.”
Butcher just sat there on the couch from then on. Sonya and Summer Breeze entered the room and began talking with Gilda about the day before the fiasco that occurred earlier that afternoon. All the while, Butcher was getting edgy, calm atmospheres made him uneasy. It was still, and stifling. In the end he decided to leave.
“Wait, where are you going, it’s the middle of the night!?” asked Summer Breeze.
“What’s it look like, I’m leaving.”
Butcher lumbered over to the front door, but soon found Summer Breeze blocking the way. The Entity of Rage was a little surprised by this action, but quickly got over it.
“Move.”
“You can’t, it’s too cold out there and you said you just got into town. Unless you’re planning on sleeping on the streets, you’re better off here where it’s warm.”
“I’m made of stronger stuff than the average creature, now move.”
Summer Breeze didn’t relent, keeping herself between Butcher and the door. Sonya watched with trepidation as her marefriend stood before the hulking minotaur. Gilda however was impressed by Summer’s gutsiness.
“I can easily just pick you up and move you,” said Butcher.
“Then I’ll hold onto your arm and wont’ let go.”
“I could toss you over my shoulder like a rag doll!”
“Then I’ll hold onto your neck with everything I got.”
“I could also just simply cleave you in half and walk over your dead body!”
Summer Breeze hesitated slightly, but nonetheless stood her ground. “Then I’ll hang onto your legs until the life leaves my body! Please, just stay for the night; you’ll die out there in the cold!”
“Would lay off already Butch.” Summer and Butcher turned to Gilda. “She’s not going to move, she’s as much stubborn as she is cute.”
“Watch it Gilda,” warned Sonya.
“Just making an observation. Anyway, back off.”
“Why don’t you make me!?” Butcher dared.
Gilda shot him a sly smile. “Sure, we’ll throw down.”
“Gilda are you crazy!?” Sonya yelled.
The corner of Butcher’s lip curled up, half-smiling at the notion of another fight. “Good, I was getting restless.”
“Hold on big boy, I’m not in the mood for a fist fight, so let’s settle this a different way. Sonya, set `em up!”
“Gilda…I’m not so sure that’s a good idea, considering our guest’s temperament, and yours.”
“Look, either he and I fight it out here and you and Sonya get an early renovation to your den, or you can set up the drinks and one of us ends up passing out. Which sounds less destructive?”
Sonya really didn’t like either choice, but, at the very least, this would prevent a brawl from breaking out, once every other week was more than enough for Sonya. So reluctantly, the griffoness went into the kitchen and brought out a large bottle labeled Crazy Horse Fire Water along with two shot glasses and put them down next to the bottle.
“C’mon Summer, let’s leave these two.”
Sonya led her marefriend up the stairs, glancing every so often from behind her shoulder until they had ascended the stairs. With the two lovebirds gone, Gilda filled the first shot glass and then the second, moving it to other side of the coffee table. Butcher walked back to the couch and plopped himself back onto it.
“What kind of fight is this?”
“Drinking Contest, what else. First one to pass out loses.”
“This is not a real fight!” Butcher growled.
“What’s the matter, afraid of getting beat by a girl?”
“I fear nothing!”
“If you think you can drink me under the table, bring it!”
Butcher snorted and grabbed the shot glass. Gilda drank hers down in one gulp, slamming the glass back down on the table. Butcher followed suit, throwing it back and, lightly, slamming his glass onto the table. He held back since he didn’t want to break the glass and table and risk losing by default.
“Just so you know, no one’s been able to match me, pony or otherwise,” warned Gilda.
“I’m not ‘otherwise’ either, so pour it.”
Gilda poured them another shot.
(Ten Shots Later)
Gilda and Butcher both had a forearm on the table, staring each other down as they held their respective glasses in their grasps.
“Feeling buzzed yet,” teased Gilda.
“I feel angry, does that count,” deadpanned Butcher.
“Ugh…You really need to lighten up. Even a drinking contest can be fun between two strangers!” Gilda gulped down her drink and growled as she felt the beverage flow down her throat. “Rainbow Dash would be better fun than you.”
“Who the hell is Rainbow Dash?” Butcher drank his as well, finding that he liked the taste of this stuff. He could understand why so many fights were started over it. “She an enemy of yours?”
“……It’s complicated……We used to go to the same high school back in Cloudsdale. “ Gilda poured the two of them another shot before continuing. “We were labeled the ‘bad girls’ of the school, never really understood that. What’s bad about pranking and having a good time!?”
“So, you two were comrades in arms?”
“…Something like that…” The griffoness drank this glass a little more reverently.
(25 Shots Later)
“I swear that colt had it coming! Rainbow Dash just straight out flew up into the air, turned around, and did a flying kick right between his legs! It’s funny, he didn’t react right away.”
Gilda and Butcher were now three quarters of the way through the bottle, and Gilda was already starting to loosen up, feeling a little giddy, she started to reminisce about her childhood and all the fun things she did with her best, and apparently only friend, Rainbow Dash.
Surprisingly enough, Butcher found himself listening to every word. He had to admit some of her stories were funny, especially the amount of fights these two got into when they were younger, and with themselves, only to just laugh it off later.
“So what happened, she miss?” asked Butcher.
“No, she hit the bull’s eye,” Butcher never liked that saying, “but the kick was so fast and sudden, that Hoops’ brain didn’t register it until a minute after she had kicked him! I swear to Celestia, he was mouthing how weak Rainbow was and then all of a sudden he’s cupping his crotch and screaming in this high squeaky voice! It was a freaking delayed reaction HA, HA, HA!”
Butcher had to admit, that one was very amusing, finding himself chuckling as he imagined this colt doing just that. “Either your friend was too quick and it didn’t register as you said, or he was too stupid to realize what happened to him.”
“I know right!? I said the same damn thing to her!”
This time it was Butcher who poured the next drink, and Gilda happily allowed him to do so.
(48 Shots Later)
“So, did you have feelings for this Rainbow Dash?”
Butcher reclined on the couch, resting his ax on the side of the couch and allowing himself to get comfortable. Gilda was only slightly swaying, but still seemed to keep herself speaking clearly, however, the alcohol may’ve loosened her tongue more than she wanted.
“I did, not goin’ to lie about that. Never really liked guys, no offense, always found girls hotter, I mean you know what I’m talking about,” said Gilda.
“Not a clue.”
Gilda rolled her eyes. “Anyway, yeah, I did like her, a lot actually! Of course I never said anything, she was too afraid of being called a fillyfooler, and honestly I didn’t want to put her in that light and make her loose her shot at the Junior Speedsters flight camp…”
“Hmm, for her sake, you kept your feelings secret. Not many good things come of that, they often end violently, believe me I know,” said Butcher.
“Yeah, well, that didn’t stop me from teasing her from time to time. I’d swat her on the flank with my tail, ‘accidentally’ land on top of her whenever I messed up a stunt and other junk…” Gilda took another drink, her mood somewhat getting sad. “One time, I told her that we should just do it! Right there in our dorm room. We ended up fighting, but it weirdly enough turned to into the two of us –”
“I get the picture, so what happened next.” Romance made Butcher’s stomach churn, that was more Predator’s thing, not his.
“We woke the next morning, and then she told me that that would be the only time that we’d ever do something like that. I remember being really annoyed with the way she said that, like she had a moment of weakness in middle of a rehab program or something………We still stayed best friends, we just pretended it never happened…”
(More Than Halfway Through The Bottle Later)
“I mean she’s-she’s such a dweeb! If she had just given us a chance we could be as happy as those two lovebirds upstairs! Probably getting it on as we speak!”
Gilda was now laying back on the couch splayed out, her shot glass empty, and having entered an angry state of mind. Butcher, however was the complete opposite, he was resting his arms on his lap as he sat hunched over, hearing the anguish and longing in the griffoness’ words.
“If any one had ever called her fillyfooler, I would’ve beat the crap out them for her! But does she decide to give us a chance?! Noooooooooooo! She just goes on pretending like it didn’t happen! Now I hear she’s with that egghead princess! I can’t believe her, those are the kind of ponies we used to make fun off back in school, and she goes and hooks up with a nerd!”
Gilda pounded her left fist against the couch, growling from the thought of the mare she had feelings for. Butcher was witnessing something really strange; he hadn’t seen such a mixture of red and violet light within one being before.
“I mean, we didn’t really start to change until after we left high school. She got a job as Weather Manager for that Podunk town, Ponyville, and I came back to my homeland to do some military training, per my wonderful Father’s suggestion” Gilda flailed her forelegs into the air, spilling her drink a little. “I understood why she took the job; it meant some good money, and the time to work on her moves to become a Wonderbolt!
But when I come to see her, I find out that she’s changed completely! It’s like only bits and pieces of the old Dash are there, but this new Dash is so…so…LAME!”
Butcher decided to chime in right around here. “So do you hate her or love her?” he queried.
Gilda groaned loudly. “I don’t know! She’s…She’s gone farther in that little, one horse town! She’s more or less in the Wonderbolt Reserves, and, despite her being a nerd, dating a Princess! Heck, Dash is even one of those Elements of Harmony! I hate it that she’s changed so much! But at the same time I-I-I love it that she’s come so far and found somepony she loves! And I also hate myself for feeling like this! Maybe I am a jerk………Give me that bottle!”
Butcher handed the less than full bottle to Gilda; she then looked at the bottle in her left claw and the glass in her right. “Buck it.” She threw the glass over her shoulder and downed the remaining amount of liquid inside. Once the bottle was downed of its contents, Gilda released a loud belch and, ironically, passed out right then and there.
“Hmmm, guess I win.”
It was right around that time that Butcher heard noises coming from the stairs. He glanced in the direction of the staircase and watched as Sonya and Summer Breeze walked down to check on them.
“Wow, that’s the first time I’ve seen Gilda passed out before the other guy,” said Sonya.
Summer Breeze walked over to them and noticed that the bottle was completely empty. She then looked to Butcher with confusion, this was one of their stronger alcoholic beverages, and it usually even put minotaurs as big as Butcher right out before they got to the bottom. Gilda was fortunate to have her opponents pass out before her, but this guy looked wide awake.
“So…you’re okay, not drunk?”
“Not drunk…!” Summer, Sonya, and Butcher looked to Gilda, “I’m Buzzzzzzzzzzzz…ed.” And then she was out again.
“To answer your question, yes, I am.” Butcher answered.
Both the griffoness and mare gave him a quizzical look. “We kinda expected the living room to be a warzone when we gave you guys this stuff…but, how can you be drunk and calm at the same time?”
Butcher shrugged, he admitted to himself, he did find thinking rationally a lot easier right now, and he felt, oddly enough, mellow. “I suppose ‘drunk’ for me is the opposite of how I usually am……Now if you excuse me, I’m going to go fall asleep by that window over there, with my ax. Thank you.”
True to his word, Butcher grabbed his ax, walked over to the wall nearest them, sat beside the window, and plopped himself right on the floor. No sooner did he do that did Butcher knock right out, cradling his ax close to him.
Sonya and Summer Breeze looked upon the odd duo. Gilda passed out on the couch, now for some reason, cuddling with the bottle she and the minotaur were drinking from, and Butcher passed out sitting up against the wall.
“Considering what could’ve happened, I think this better.”
(Later That Night)
Summer Breeze was quietly making her way downstairs, carrying some blankets on her back. She made her way to the couch and gently draped the blanket on Gilda, hearing her mutter “Thanks Dash…” Summer smiled, a little sad that she wasn’t this “Rainbow Dash” she liked, but content to allow her to think so.
“G’night G,” she said, attempting to mimic how she believed this mare would talk.
That seemed to put a smile on the griffoness’ face. Summer then moved to Butcher, who was lightly snoring as he held fast to his large ax. She scrutinized how she was going to properly put the blanket on him while he held that ax; it made covering him nearly impossible. Carefully, very carefully, she draped the blanket on him. Starting at his right shoulder and unfurling it further down his large form, thankful that she instead brought three blankets, considering how big Butcher was.
She stepped back and looked him over, Summer managed to cover him up, even hiding the ax, but the crimson blade still shone. The pegasus mare was about to head back to her lovers’ side when she took one more glance behind her and saw Butcher watching her with his fiery red eyes.
“That’s a good way to get yourself killed, mare. Had I not been aware of your presence I could’ve struck you down,” he warned.
“I knew the risks before attempting, don’t worry,” said Summer.
Butcher snorted a little. “You’re compassion is wasted on me, I have nothing to give back, and I’m not one for ‘thank yous’.”
“I’m being kind because I want you to be, I just want thank you the best way I can. My girlfriend believes you’re some kind of mercenary, or some kind of beast hunter. That must be a lonely life.”
“Humph, not quite either of those things. I just fight, whether it’s good or evil, it doesn’t matter to me, it’s the battle that I live for, and all I am.”
Summer became saddened by the way Butcher talked about himself. Seeing the many scars, and his attitude, coupled with the way he keeps that weapon close, made her believe he had a hard life growing up.
“You’re like Gilda, in some small ways.”
Butcher raised a quizzical eyebrow. “Pray, tell? Just how do I remind you of her?”
“When she came to Stalliongrad, Gilda wandered into our tavern, she drank and drank, she got so drunk she started globing onto me and calling me Rainbow Dash. Needless to say, Sonya and her got into a scrap. Afterwards we found out she really had nowhere to go and we did the same thing we did with you, we brought her to our home. It took almost two years, but eventually she opened up to us, and now we’re friends. Even though she can get grabby sometimes, I don’t mind really.”
“Point being?” asked Butcher impatiently.
“Point is, she was full of anger and hate, the hate’s slightly simmered down, but I think she’s still angry…I’m sure you’ve been through a lot, but anger, violence, and rage, it doesn’t have to define your life, that’s not all you are.”
Butcher couldn’t help but laugh at the remark, genuinely finding it hilarious. After a bit, Butcher gave Summer a serious look. “Look into my eyes pony. I am not like any living creature that lives on this world. I was born from the first murder of another living creature. I was spawned and personify all that is violence, hate, and rage! That is my existence, and that is all I am.”
“I don’t believe that, not at all. Would a being such as the one you described be willing to keep me and my love from being violated, and stop all the fighting? You could’ve just as easily left us to our fate, but you didn’t.”
Butcher went silent; it wasn’t like he wanted to. There was this strangeness within the room that he didn’t like, and his light of Rage had flared up with righteous fury, and wouldn’t stop nagging at him to save them.
“Anyway, goodnight, Butch.”
Summer then ascended the stairs, leaving Butcher to digest her words.
(The Next Day)
Butcher awoke with a slightly pounding headache, experiencing his first ever hangover. Gilda had one as well, placing an ice pack on her head, provided for and prepared in advance by, Sonya. Butcher was just standing at the window, staring out into the city and the snowstorm that didn’t seem to let up.
“How the Tartarus do you not have a hangover right now,” asked Gilda.
“I do, my head hurts.”
“So why do you look so damn calm like its nothing?”
“Because I’ve suffered worse than this, it’s more annoying than painful.”
Gilda groaned in misery, but smiled despite herself. “You’re the first guy who could hold his own against me, color me impressed. You’re alright Butch.”
The minotaur shrugged.
“Not going to moan and groan about the name?”
“If that’s what you want to call me, then do as you please.”
Suddenly the front door opened up and a gust of icy air blew into the house, Sonya hurried inside and closed the door behind her quickly. Summer entered from the kitchen, wearing a cute little pink apron.
“How’s the tavern?” asked Summer.
Sonya shook off the excess snow from her wings and fur; she then took off her parka and scarf before answering. “We’re going to have to call our contractor, get more tables and mugs, fix the windows, and replace the front door that someone busted down.”
“Love you too Sonya!” Gilda said, not bothering to look at her as she recovered from the hangover.
“And there’s the cleanup of all the teeth, blood, and…other excretions that, courtesy of another someone, will have to be taken care of.”
“Not my fault they soiled themselves in fear of me, it’s a given.”
“So…all and all, how bad?”
Sonya, despite everything she just said, smiled happily at her girlfriend. “Very salvageable. The bar and the drinks weren’t damaged, and the inventory’s still there. Hate to say it, but this storm’s actually helping to keep some of the looters from breaking in. Once it dies down we’ll close it up properly and start fixing up.”
Sonya then walked over to Summer and gave a kiss on the cheek, making the mare blush, and as she passed Summer to move to the fireplace, she gave her mare a quick smack on the rear with her tail, causing Summer to blush harder.
“Sonya!”
The griffoness gave her playful wink; Summer sighed, but smiled as she headed back into the kitchen to finish their food.
“Could you two flirt when I’m not this hung over, and I can enjoy it better?” Gilda groaned.
“Deal with it, consider it punishment for drinking the entire bottle.” Sonya raised her claws to the warm fire, letting its warmth fill her; she then turned her gaze over to Butcher. “And you’re going to help too, Butch.”
“And why should I?”
“`Cause most of the damage was yours. You could learn to hold back, considering how ridiculously strong you are.”
Butcher scoffed at the notion. “One doesn’t ‘hold back’ in the middle of a fight. Either give it your all or fall.”
“Heh, heh, he’s got a point Sonya,” added Gilda.
“Summer could you come in here for a sec, I wanna make out in front of Gilda!” Sonya called out.
“Find another way to torture her, honey!” Summer cried out from the kitchen, before adding, “Besides, that’s not until next weekend!”
Butcher raised an eyebrow as he glanced at the two griffonesses from the corner of his eye. Sonya blushed; Summer wasn’t one for letting embarrassing things happen to her without reciprocating in kind.
“Case you’re wondering, friends with benefits,” said Gilda.
Butcher just shrugged in a none caring way and continued to stare out the window. The storm had increased in intensity since yesterday, and still, Butcher couldn’t stop feeling like there was a force behind it, the strangest thing out of all of this, was that this force felt somewhat similar to his power. And then there was that howling whinny that would echo in the distance from time to time, Butcher had faced many a beast and foe before coming to Stalliongrad, but none of them made a sound quite like this one. It was almost otherworldly.
Suddenly there was fast rapping at the front door. Sonya and Gilda looked to each other, confused as to who would be visiting them during this freak blizzard.
“This is BP Officer Sawback, we have an emergency!”
Gilda, forgetting her hangover, got up from the couch and walked quickly to the front door. She opened it to find that it was indeed one of the Border Patrol Officers.
“What’s going on?!”
“There’s a riot in the center of town! Most of the inner city is having a full out brawl right at its center! The worst part is it’s like its spreading like a disease! We’ve got it contained, but stopping it is another story! The Royal Guard and Border Patrol Chiefs are putting a call to all law enforcers to head to the scene immediately!”
“Understood.”
The griffon quickly turned around and headed out to inform other off duty officers. Gilda’s demeanor changed drastically, she was more serious, and had an air of authority about her. She quickly went into the closet and pulled out her BP Officers jacket, complete with badge, and beanie. Before Gilda opened the door to head out, she turned to Butcher, who was still staring out the window.
“Butch! If something happens, I want you to promise me you’ll make sure that Sonya and Summer Breeze are safe!”
Butcher snorted. “Trust me, whatever you’re going to face is far less dangerous than me.”
“Butch, promise me!” Gilda shouted, not asking, but telling.
The dark red minotaur turned his head and gave Gilda a sideways glance. “So long as I’m here, whatever’s out there is better off far away from me.”
“Good enough!”
With that established, Gilda opened the door and slammed it shut behind her. leaving behind Sonya and Summer to wonder what was going on in the city center, and if she’d be okay. She was a tough as nails gal, but that still didn’t stop them from worrying.
All the while Butcher’s narrowed his eyes as he caught a glimpse of something running through the air that wasn’t a pegasus pony or griffon. His eyes glowed with the red light of Rage as his suspicions were confirmed.
“Time to get acquainted.”
The center of Stalliongrad was in chaos, and the blizzard wasn’t helping any, in fact, it just made stopping it worse. You’d think that a snowstorm wasn’t the ideal condition for a full scale riot to go down, but that didn’t seem to stop any of the citizens one little bit.
Gilda, along with several other Officers and Guards, entered the brawl to try and diffuse it. It was pure and simple chaos. Ponies fighting ponies, griffons fighting griffons, ponies fighting griffons, children fighting adults and vice versa, and even children, both pony and griffon, fighting each other, this was all kinds of messed up.
Many a swear word was said, along with cheap shots, and brandished weapons, at least those they could use from the surrounding area. It was madness. Gilda had just stopped a mare who had tried to suffocate, or drown depending on your perspective, another mare in a pile of thick snow.
Another incident found her wrenching a long icicle from a foal’s magical grasp as he brought up to slay another foal! Needless to say, Gilda was working overtime. She tried to talk sense into them, intimidating them, threatening them, even throwing her authority as a BP Officer and the law to scare them into stopping, but despite all this, it did little to nothing, in fact, it made some of them attack her!
“Buck this!”
Gilda had had enough, the only way to stop this riot, she reasoned, was to knock them out and put them down before this reached the outer edge of Stalliongrad. The griffoness went to work, putting down one griffon and pony after the other, her headache wasn’t even present as her body surged with adrenaline, the constant frenzy keeping her senses sharp and reactions quick.
Before she knew it, Gilda had knocked out or incapacitated forty to fifty of the rioters, and yet, when she paused to look into the expanse, at all the fighting that was still going on, it hadn’t made a difference, they were still going strong, even some of the officers and guards had thrown off their helmets and entered the fray.
“This is…what the heck is going on with everyone!?”
Gilda opted to leave the battle, she needed to get backup or at least come up with a better plan before she succumbed to this wild melee. She spread her wings and flew as hard as she could against the wind. Gilda was then caught up in a strong gust of wind, thrown about a like a rag doll, and thrown to the ground, hard, and hearing the unsettling sound of bone cracking.
She yelped, feeling a great amount of pain from her left wing. Gilda looked at her wing and gritted her teeth in anger, it was dislocated, and right now she didn’t have time to reset it. The griffoness looked up trying to see what had thrown her around and gasped. Somehow, the snow and wind had created a wall around the fighting, and, from what she saw, it was expanding.
“What…what is this!!?”
Gilda’s eyes went wide when she heard howling whinny echo on the wind currents. Her eyes turned skyward, widening at the sight. A swirling vortex spun overhead, like the eye of a hurricane. Only at the center of this eye, Gilda saw three ethereal, horse-like creatures running around, spurring the storm on. Their bodies were see-through and light-blue; they had forelegs but no hind legs, but instead a wispy lower half, and their eyes, shining with a bright white and blue color, and continuing to let loose their howling whinny.
She had never fully believed these things existed, only hearing about them in those Hearth’s Warming stories, thinking them some sort of made up figment of those ancient ponies’ imaginations in order to explain a really harsh and out of control blizzard. But here they were, right above her, the infamous creatures that both spurred and fed upon hate and anger, the Windigos!
The Windigos then shot straight down towards the rioters before hitting the ground; they shot out in three different directions, bringing with them a gust of icy wind. The ponies and griffons they passed by immediately froze, incased in solid ice, frozen in the moment of their rage and hate. The freezing continued, with the rioters completely oblivious to what was happening, too drunk on their hate and fighting to notice or to care.
Gilda just stood there, injured, and freezing cold, trying to stave off the urge to fall asleep as her body became numb. On the upside, she didn’t feel the pain from broken wing anymore.
The Windigos, after turning everyone in the insanely large crowd into living ice statues, turned their gazes on Gilda, the only one who was still in control. As they approached, Gilda watched as the ground below them turned to ice. It crept up to her fast, surrounding her from every direction. This wasn’t how she pictured her end would come; there was still a lot she wanted to do, and things that were left unsaid. Gilda stood there helplessly as the ice started to crawl up her forelegs and hind legs, anchoring her to the ground and creeping up her body slowly. One thing came to mind, one pony, and with her last breath Gilda spoke
“I’m sorry…Rainbow…Da–”
The ice had completely covered her now, the Windigos then rose up to the eye of the storm, preparing to use their new sources of power to further expand the storm and their influence.
Just then, they stopped. Behind were Gilda was, the wall of wind and snow began to glow a bright red. Piercing the howling wind came a battle cry as fierce and as loud as any explosion or raging storm could muster.
“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARHAAAAAA!!!!”
A giant red gash of light sliced through the wall of wind and snow like a hot knife through butter. Behind the attack, was a burly red minotaur, wielding his crimson ax as he cut through the storm.
Butcher landed with giant thud against the ice covered ground, shattering it like fragile glass. His body hissed as the heat of his light of Rage evaporated the moisture in the air around him. He then looked to his left and saw Gilda, frozen in a block of ice. Butcher released more his power, expanding his aura into a field of red light. When the shield passed over Gilda, the ice incasing her immediately began to melt. Cracks and fissures appeared as her eyes shined with the same light as his. And in that moment, Gilda burst forth from the ice, roaring angrily and proudly into the air. Butcher then released the field, bringing it back to him.
Gilda, now coming down from the rage surge, wobbled around in a daze, “Wha…What happened…?”
“You were trapped in ice like a fool, so I freed you.”
The griffoness started to regain her senses, now looking at Butcher as his body flared with red, wavy light. “I thought I told you to watch Sonya and Summer!”
“This takes precedence. Now tell me. What are those things!?” Butcher pointed his ax at the three spirits, directing Gilda’s gaze skyward.
“Those are Windigos…They feed on hate and anger, and perpetuate it, and the result is a winter storm that freezes all those whose hearts are cold…We need to get out of here, now,” said Gilda.
“Ice and snow, hate and rage is not cold, it is fiery and blazing! Like a fire that cannot be contained! And yet, it is interesting that they share my power.”
Gilda looked up Butcher with confusion. He then walked towards the three Windigos, who were even now eyeing him cautiously, circling him as they determined what he was.
“Who are you,” spoke the first spirit.
“What are you,” spoke the second.
“I am the Butcher, the Entity of Rage. The source of all hate and anger in the universe,” he proclaimed.
“Impossible,” said the third.
“No living creature is ‘the source’,” said the first.
“And yet here I stand before you.” Butcher released a little more of his red light, his aura changing into an inferno of Rage energy. “You may prove useful, and are among the first creatures I’ve met that share in my power. Fight by my side, become my Red Lantern Corps!”
“We belong to no one,” said the first.
“We do not follow, we are not yours to command…”
“It is not wise to go against me. Either follow my orders and obey, or perish by my ax and my might!” Butcher clenched his left fist, now blazing with red light like his eyes.
The third spirit got closer to Butcher, snorting, and staring him down with its shining eyes. “The spirits do not suffer the living…!”
Butcher then reached out and grabbed the Windigo spirit by the throat. The other two gave a startled and surprised bray from what they saw. The spirit in Butcher’s left hand struggled against his burning grip as he applied more and more pressure, bringing the spirit’s face closer as to stare it dead in the eyes.
“YOU WILL SUFFER ME!!!”
The dark red minotaur then threw the spirit upwards, inhaling deeply, Butcher then released a stream of his napalm blood-fire at the third spirit. The creature howled in pain from the burning and searing power, though this was rage energy, and it should be feeding off it, the power was drastically different. The spirit ran around in the air, trying to put out the red flames that engulfed its body.
Butcher then raised his ax into the air and channeled his energy into the blade. “I am the only Entity of Rage!”
The blade then fired a beam of red light straight into the air, striking the storm and instantly evaporating the clouds, killing the storm as it spread out for miles till there was nothing left. The citizens that were frozen began to break free of their icy prisons, each one in a daze and stumbling about, confused as to why they were there.
Gilda didn’t know what to say, Butcher was powerful, he grabbed a Windigo spirit – grabbed a SPIRIT– and set it on fire! What kind of messed up magic is this!?
The two other Windigo spirits blasted the third with dual icy winds, putting out the flames of rage. They looked to each other, then to Butcher, and back to each other before nodding. The Windigos then took off into the distance, heading straight out of city.
“Oh, where do you think you’re going!?” Butcher yelled.
He jumped into the air and at the same time, his body erupted with red light propelling Butcher into the air and hot on the trail of the Windigos!
“WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU’RE GOING!!?”
Butcher was following the three spirits, leaving the city and now heading to the outskirts. The whole way he would lob a blast of red light from his ax. Multiple explosions littered the way, the Windigos only once in a while counterattacking.
Just then, Butcher was slammed from above by a powerful blast of icy wind. The force was strong enough that it forced him down to the ground, impacting the land with a loud explosion and creating a large crater. The Entity of Rage rose up, shaking his head as he regained his bearings. When Butcher looked up, he saw dozens of Windigos, all circling him and letting loose their howling whinnies.
Butcher smirked at the mini-army of Windigos. “Oh now I get it. You’re going to try and overwhelm me with your numbers and power.”
Some of the Windigos landed on the ground, prowling towards the Entity of Rage. Butcher twirled his ax in his right hand and assumed a combative stance.
“It doesn’t matter where you attack from! COME AT ME FROM ANYWHERE!!!”
Taking his invitation, three Windigos flew towards him, hitting him with their icy wind breath. Butcher created a barrier of red light with a wave of his left hand, blocking the attack and turning it to steam. With a single step, Butcher dashed towards one of the Windigos and slashed with his ax, cleaving it in twain. The spirit released one last whinny before burning away in red flames.
Five more Windigos attacked at once. Together they created a tornado of snow, ice, and wind. The tornado grew to monstrous proportions, nearly big enough to rip apart Canterlot, and the mountain along with it.
Butcher did not falter; he charged head first towards the tornado. He jumped high into the air, channeling his power into the crimson steel ax. With one wide slash, Butcher let loose an arc blade of pure scarlet energy. The arc cut the tornado in half, leaving a giant breach between the upper and lower halves. Butcher then went into a flurry of slashes, casting one energy arc after the other. The blades of energy sliced up the giant tornado, and the as collateral damage, lopped the tops off a few mountains in the distance.
Without realizing, the Windigos had created a second tornado, but waited until it was right above him. When he finished the attack, the Windigos brought the second tornado right on top him. The gale force winds blew at improbable speeds, strong enough to strip rock off of rock. Butcher was held in place at the center, unable to move. The Windigos then fired multiple diamond hard shards of ice right at him.
Butcher grunted in pain as the shards pierced his body, lodging themselves in his back, chest, arms and legs. They must’ve thought by keeping his arms and legs immobilized that he couldn’t fight back, but they were wrong. Butcher concentrated, within the gap between his horns a ball of red light glowed. Butcher then fired the ball into the air, sailing higher and higher till it burst out, firing a barrage of red light beams in every direction.
Many of the beams pierced the tornado, and others struck the Windigos directly, burning them up into nothingness. Eventually the tornado broke apart, no longer able to suffer the onslaught of the death blossom attack. Butcher flipped once in the air before landing on the ground on his right fist and knee, using them to prop himself. The shards quickly melted, and the pure white snow beneath him was stained with the red droplets of his blood from the wounds.
Butcher flared his aura, cauterizing the open wounds on his body and adding to the numerous scars he had earned during and before his time in this world. The Windigos decided that now was the time to attack, many of them descended down from the sky and heading straight at him. The Entity of Rage could feel his power somewhat diminish, these things may not like his Rage energy when hit them directly, but that didn’t stop them from sapping it from him. Butcher could feel it, each of his attacks were taking more out of him than they should.
For once, Butcher decided to use constructs. He stood to his full height and bellowed loudly as the light of Rage coalesced on his back. Four orbs formed above and below his shoulders, and with one powerful grunt, the orbs broke apart, growing four muscular and burly arms that matched his. Butcher held up his real arm, calling to his ax that had been thrown in the turbulent wind.
As the first Windigo reached him, the ax flew into his right hand, and brought its blade down on the spirit. Another tried to attack from behind him, but the upper left construct arm grabbed the Windigo by the throat. The upper right arm grabbed the tail end of the spirit, and together, the arms tore the spirit in two! The remnants faded away as the next two attacked. Butcher grabbed the first, threw it to the ground, and bathed it in his blood-fire breath. The other sped towards him, but Butcher spun in place, bringing the flat of his ax impacting against the Windigo’s head sending him flying in the other direction.
It was a repetitious dance of death consisting of the four beats of grab, slash, smash, burn, repeat. Grab, slash, smash, burn, repeat! Grab, slash, smash, burn, repeat! GRAB! SLASH! SMASH! BURN!
The Windigos were getting stronger, but at this rate their numbers would be drastically, tremendously cut down. With no other option, the three original Windigos cried out with their howling whinny.
Butcher watched as the Windigos ceased their attack. He dismissed the construct arms and used his ax to steady himself. He then watched as the many Windigos swirled about, turning into a ball of blue and white light. The sphere then descended down to the ground a few yards away. The ball of light took shape, changing before his eyes. It looked like the Windigos, but its mane and tail were like a raging snowstorm. Its ethereal body shimmered with sparkling ice, and it had hind legs. The eyes of this Windigo were shining as bright as stars, looking right at Butcher. The Windigo then inhaled deeply and Butcher knew what was coming.
“Oh buck me –!”
The Windigo fired a concentrated blast of ice, snow, wind, and its own spiritual energy. The spiraling attack roared towards Butcher, smashing against him with a bone crushing force, but it wasn’t done just yet. The Windigo summoned forth large shards of diamond ice and launched them at the spot it was hitting. Thousands upon thousands of shards rained down in a seemingly never ending barrage. After a few more seconds of the onslaught, the spirit horse closed its mouth, and with a flash of its eyes the shards stopped their assault. The united spirit slowly approached the impact site, wanting to see if their foe had been felled.
At that moment, a large burst of red light destroyed gargantuan ice shards, clearing an area of about fifty feet. Butcher was still standing, slowly walking out of the destruction towards the Windigo. His body was battered and beaten, he was sure he had a broken bone or two, and he was bleeding from fresh cuts. In all, he was a total mess, leaving a trail of blood behind him as he kept walking.
“You are an anomaly…Your great rage sustains you, even with your body in its current state. Yet your heart is not cold, it burns…”
Butcher stopped walking, chuckling a little at the irony. “My heart…Guess that explains some things…I haven’t had much use for it…”
“With such rage, you will feed us and give us strength for many years…We will rise again…!”
The red minotaurs body erupted with crimson light. The giant Windigo spirit backed away, both out of surprise and from the sheer heat of the power. Butcher knew that he had to beat this thing; this was more than a fight now. This was a battle for the title of the Entity of Rage. And he wasn’t about to let his title be taken by some ice spewing ghost horse. Rage is not cold, but fiery and blazing hot!
“With blood and rage of crimson red, Ripped from a corpse so freshly dead! Empowered by my hellish hate, I’ll burn you all – THAT IS YOUR FATE!!!”
Butcher was engulfed in a sphere of red light, growing in size till it matched the size of the Windigo. The sphere then broke apart, revealing Butcher’s true form. He roared savagely into the open air, snarling and snorting. The snow and ice near him melted in the blink of an eye, the rock turning molten. Butcher then stared down the Windigo, which now sported a shocked expression.
“Allow me to show you all what true Rage is!”
The Windigo had never felt such power before, it was enticing and terrifying at the same time. This was their very power source, given physical form and staring them down. It was a power that was the same and yet the opposite of theirs, and they were drawn to it. And like a moth to a flame they would surely burn.
The Windigo reared on its hind legs, howl-whinnied and charged for the Entity of Rage. Butcher did the same, rearing on his hind legs and roaring into the air before charging for the Windigo! The two powers raced towards each other, the Windigo leaving behind a trail of ice, snow, wind, and blue energy in its wake. Everything in Butcher’s wake burned, melting or incinerating as he stepped on it, leaving a behind a red energy trail as he charged forward. At the last moment, the two powers struck head first. And everything was washed away in a blinding flash of fire and ice………
( Hours Later)
The city of Stalliongrad was freed from the cold grip of the Windigos, many apologies were given needless to say, while others were either arrested or given counseling after taking a life during the frenzy. During the recovery, the loud sounds of explosions and concussive waves washed over the city, making many wonder what could be behind it.
At one point, there was a bright blue and red light coming from the distance, and then a bright flash of light. Afterwards, it got quiet and still. An investigative team was commissioned to find out where the dark red minotaur and Windigo spirits left to, in order to determine the threat level as they called for backup.
Gilda, after getting her wing popped back into its socket, stubbornly joined the team. She wanted – no needed and explanation. Butch…what was all that!? How did he drive off the Windigos, and what was with that red light!?
With more questions than answers, Gilda and the team headed in the direction that Butcher went. It took them awhile, but they eventually found the site of the battle. Gilda couldn’t believe what she saw, it was a warzone. There was no other way to describe it. There were large gash marks in the ground, along with sharp ice shards jutting from the battlefield. Craters littered the area, and in the distance some of the mountains looked as if they were decapitated.
Gilda followed the trail of destruction, piecing together the fight in her mind. It was a knack she had, finding that she could figure out how a fight went based on what was left behind, teeth, hair, blood, broken objects, it all painted a picture. But this place was a hodgepodge of pieces, so many of them and all connected.
She noticed some hoof prints in the ground, along with some blood. The snow around the prints had many streaks around them, indicating that Butcher was shuffling, attacking and defending from multiple directions. Gilda then saw where the ground had been peeled away, leading into the distance where something shimmered.
“THIS WAY, FOLLOW ME!” Gilda yelled.
The Royal Guards and Border Patrol Officers followed Gilda as she led the way. It took them all of thirty minutes before they reached the next battle site, and when they did, many of the ponies and griffons let out yelps of terror from what they saw.
Within a giant block of ruby ice, was a creature unlike anything Gilda had seen. Its body was red, or maybe that was due to the color of the ice. It resembled a bull, rippling with muscle. Its horns however did not look like normal bull horns, they curved upwards. Close to its mouth were a couple tusks, and its forehead had hard bone in the shape of dome, suggesting that this monster could ram through anything in its path.
The more she looked upon this creature, the more she realized how it resembled Butch. But this thing couldn’t have been him, but deep down, she couldn’t deny it, after seeing what he could do back in Stalliongrad, there was no doubt that this had to be that very same minotaur. And now he was trapped in ice, after all he did for them, this was his fate.
Gilda raised her right claw and rested it upon the ice, close to one of his hooves and silently thanked him. Thank you Butch, I don’t know what or who you are, but thanks to you, Stalliongrad, Sonya and Summer Breeze, we’re all alive. Whether you like it or not, you’re a hero, as far as I’m concerned. Thanks.
Unknown to Gilda, two of the Royal Guard ponies whispered to each other after seeing the giant red bull trapped in the iceberg.
“Do you think this is what we were asked to keep an eye out for?”
“It is strange, and after everything that happened, I don’t doubt that this is worth telling the Princesses.”
Two ponies were walking down the hallway of the Crystal Palace, one a pink alicorn mare, and a younger, dark pink unicorn mare. All the while, the unicorn mare was staring longingly at the older mare ahead of her.
Predator, the Entity of Love, found herself, for the first time, in love with another living being. Problem was, this other, who also shared in the power to spread love wherever they went, the alicorn mare known as Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, or Cadance as she liked to be called, was married to a unicorn stallion, Prince Shining Armor. Their love for each other was true, of this she was certain. This was the problem, although Cadance was open minded to many forms of love, she herself, however, preferred to be faithful to the one who captured her heart. It slightly irritated Predator, to be so close to the one she wanted, and yet so far away, to have shared a kiss and for it be so easily forgotten.
Why can’t we be together…We perfect for each other…She’s practically an Entity of Love herself, granted I’ve been around a lot longer than she has, but that’s beside the point. How can she preach about fairness of allowing polyamorous relationships when SHE won’t even consider it!? I mean, Shining Armor’s good looking, I wouldn’t mind sharing. I mean just look at her! That beautiful coat, those long slender legs, her downy feathered wings, those eyes, and that rocking flan –
“Predator why are you staring at me like that?”
The dark pink mare blinked her eyes a few times, shaking her head for good measure before putting on an innocent smile. “I-I wasn’t staring!”
“You kinda were…Rather intently on my flank for that matter,” said Cadance.
“W-Who said I was staring at your flank!? I sooo wasn’t!”
“Then why are you blushing?”
Predator looked to the wall and saw her reflection, the mare groaned when she saw that her face was indeed beet red, which only further intensified her embarrassment.
“Sorry…”
“It’s alright, flattering really, but just don’t do that when Shining Armor’s around. He’s already edgy about you, and I don’t want him getting the wrong idea.”
Predator stopped walking, finding those words a bit upsetting. “What do you mean ‘the wrong idea’? And so what if he does.”
Cadance glanced over her shoulder and saw that Predator was frowning a bit. “Predator, you know I’m married, I just don’t want Shining Armor to think –”
“That what, you’re fooling around with your apprentice, `cause that’s not happening as far as I know!? Or that we kissed on that hilltop after you came to get me from the Changeling Hive!? Which one Cadance?! Because, to tell you the truth, I’m tired of tiptoeing around this!?”
The Princess of Love was a little taken aback by the harshness in Predator’s words. “Predator…What are you saying? Are you…”
“Forget it!” Predator trotted forward, pushing Cadance out of the way. “I’m leaving!”
“To where!?”
“None of your business!”
Cadance’s horn glowed and in a flash she appeared in front of Predator. “It is my business Predator. You’re my responsibility, the Life Entity wanted me to help you understand love and watch over you, and that’s what I plan to do.”
Predator let out a chortle, “Oh, so you only tolerate my presence because you were asked to!?”
“I want you here, I want to help you understand!”
“I ‘understand’ love enough to know that you are a hypocrite!”
Cadance’s feathers ruffled at that statement, now giving Predator as stern look. “I’m a hypocrite!? How exactly am I a hypocrite!?”
The Entity of Love scoffed at that. “You preach love to all, but you are bound to one. You are accepting of those who have more than one love, but you are unwilling to let in another. That’s how!”
“What I tolerate and accept and what I practice are two very different things! When I married I promised to devote myself to my love, Shining Armor, don’t you think we haven’t talked about things like that!? I brought it up to him on the first date!”
Predator’s eyes went wide with surprise, she hadn’t thought Cadance would bring up on the first date, maybe the third or tenth, but not the first date. “And…what did he say?”
“He’s open minded, otherwise we wouldn’t get along so well. Shining said that he’d be alright with it, but…” Cadance frowned upon remembering that day. “I saw something in his eyes, like he thought that his love wasn’t enough for me. He may’ve said that would be okay, but his eyes betrayed him. That’s when I realized how much he loved me, he was willing to do anything to earn my love, even allow me to bring in another into our relationship. That’s when I knew I couldn’t do that to him, and the power that we generated on our wedding day confirmed just how strong our love is.”
Predator wanted to say something to that, but she knew that Cadance was right. Even she had to admit; there was a strong bond of love between the alicorn and unicorn, a great power that shined unknown to all, and seen only by Cadance and Predator. If anything that’s what frustrated Predator the most, the fact that she couldn’t deny the love between them, and that she might not be able to find a place for herself within that love.
“And you really can’t find it within you to at least allow me into that love…? To let me show you how much I care about you…!” Predator looked up into Cadance’s eyes. “I love you Cadance!”
Cadance was taken aback by her confession. Eyes widening and jaw slacking. Predator had the same reaction, she had just blurted out her true feelings for this mare without thinking. Predator’s eyes darted around the hall in panic, and not soon after, she turned tail and ran down the hall.
Cadance was about to go after her, but bright flash of violet-pink light lit up the hallway. The pink alicorn mare rushed to where the flash emanated from, only to find that Predator was nowhere to be found. Lighting up her horn, Cadance used her magic and sensed the traces of a teleportation spell. It wasn’t hard to figure out where she probably had teleported to; there were few places that Predator knew to go. But…there was still the nagging question.
“S-Should I go after her…?”
After that confession, Cadance was feeling conflicted. She did care for Predator, but it was the kind of love that one would feel for a close friend, or even a little sister. And there were a few times were she was overwhelmed by the power of Predator’s light and almost gave into the feeling. But was the Entity of Love mistaking their resonating talents as something else, could that be the reason she was in love with Cadance?
Although, I haven’t had much luck when it comes to teaching her, most of the things I try to teach look like they’re taking root, but I still feel like she doesn’t understand deep down inside her, and I don’t know how to reach that part…
Cadance looked out the window, gazing in the general direction of a certain town that was most likely going to get an unannounced visit from the Entity of Love.
“Maybe some time away will help clear her head…”
(Ponyville, Sometime Later)
Predator didn’t teleport herself directly into the town, she appeared just on the edge of the Ponyville, opting to take a walk to Rarity’s before she met with her best friend in an attempt to collect her thoughts, best not to repeat that blunder twice in a day. Predator couldn’t believe she had done that! If she ever did get the guts to tell Cadance, it would’ve been a lot more romantic and less angry.
I hope Rarity won’t be too upset that I popped in on her without advanced warning…?
As Predator made her way through Ponyville, she couldn’t help but notice a few…minor details. For one thing, one of the restaurants she passed by was black and covered in soot, the name on the sign read “Mayleen Rose”. Predator had heard about this place from Rarity and was told it was one of Ponyville’s more refined eating establishments. So it was a little strange to see such a place all dirty and black. Predator shrugged, the place must’ve had an accident to make it look like that.
Along the way she noticed that the movie theatre ponies were removing a movie name from the marquee. Predator saw that it was “The Legend of Slendermane”, now that confused her, from what the mare heard it had gotten a lot of good reviews and was a particularly scary horror movie. Again, Predator shrugged it off; it was a movie theatre, if they didn’t want to show it then that was there business, probably too scary for everypony in the town.
Which is weird considering what befalls this place from time to time, oh well?
Predator, eventually, made it to Carousel Boutique. The sign in the window read as “Closed”, so instead of walking in, Predator opted to knock on the door.
“I got it, I got it,” came a voice from inside.
Predator quirked an eyebrow, she hadn’t heard that voice before, and yet it carried a hint of familiarity. When the door opened, Predator gawked at the sight before her. Now Rarity was beautiful, of that there was no doubt, but the unicorn mare standing before her, WOW. She had a coat as white and pristine as Rarity’s, with a long curly mane that was pink with purple highlights, and gorgeous, sparkling emerald eyes. Predator loved Cadance, yes, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t be struck by the beauty of another mare, and appreciate as well.
The unicorn mare frowned, but it quickly morphed into a smile. “Star?! I didn’t know you were coming!”
Predator blinked. “I’m sorry, do I know you?”
The mare cocked her head to the side in confusion, but seemed to remember something that caused her to face hoof herself.
“Duh, I forgot I still look like this. Star it’s me, Sweetie Belle!”
That caused Predator to go slack jawed as her eyes scanned over the mare’s body. This couldn’t be Sweetie Belle! Sweetie Belle was a cute and innocent little ten-year-old filly, not a hot twenty-something year old mare with the body of a super model! Predator shook her head, Cadance had told her once of certain spells that could alter one’s age, but those could only be cast by unicorns who had a high level of magical skill, not to put Rarity down, but she knew the fashionista didn’t have the magic power required to perform such a spell, nor did Sweetie Belle for that matter.
“Okay, seriously, who are you?” asked Predator.
“I know I look older, but it’s me I swear!”
“Uh-huh, if you really are Sweetie Belle, then do you have proof?”
The unicorn mare went deep into thought about how to prove that she was the genuine article, but seemed to be drawing a blank. That’s when her eyes went wide, “I got it!”
Predator watched as the mare opened the door more, backed up, and pointed her left flank towards her, and what a flank. That’s when Predator noticed that the unicorn mare had no cutie mark, she was blank flanked. Now Predator knew well that by this age a pony surely would have their cutie mark, so that must’ve meant that…
“Sweetie Belle!?”
“Yep,” she squeaked.
The Entity of Love face hoofed herself now, and groaned that she had thought such things about the little filly. “B-But how – I mean – You were cute – But now you’re gorgeous – I mean – You were small – And now you’re taller and curvy – I mean –!” Predator slapped herself across the face, trying to regain her composure. “What happened!?”
Sweetie Belle’s cheeks tinted pink, looking a bit bashful. Dammit even when embarrassed she looks hot!
“Well, my friends and I were tailing Applejack and Ion on their day a few weeks ago, and Apple Bloom had this potion, and she accidentally threw it at us. The next thing we knew, Scootaloo, Adara, and I were grownups.”
“I-I can’t believe it, I mean you look beautiful and –! Wait a minute! Did you say Adara and Scootaloo!?”
“Yes, indeed she did.”
Predator cringed at hearing the familiar voice of Adara. She remembered the Entity of Hope’s voice from when she was a filly, but right now, it sounded akin to that of her true form’s voice. She didn’t know if she should turn around right now. If Sweetie Belle was a knockout, Predator dreaded what lurked behind her. Sighing deeply, Predator dared to turn around and face what come. Oh buck me…why, why do they have to look hot too!?
Standing behind her was Adara, Scootaloo, and Apple Bloom. The tomcoltish Scootaloo was, hot, there was no other word for it, a slender body, medium long hair that was spikey and covered part of her face, giving her a roguish, bad girl look. And Adara, she was cute and hot! Thankfully, Predator was just speaking objectively; I mean Adara was practically her sister. Luckily, Apple Bloom was still small, cute, and a ten-year-old. Oh thank you merciful Entity, at least one of them isn’t older. I don’t know if I could handle Apple Bloom as well.
“Star?” Predator turned around and saw Rarity appearing beside Sweetie Belle. “Oh Star, darling, it is you!”
“H-Hey Rarity,” said Predator as innocently as she could, trying not to appear as flustered as she was feeling around these mares.
“Hey, sis, can I go?”
“Oh yes, go right ahead Sweetie Belle. You girls have a good time now.”
With that said, Sweetie Belle joined her friends and the four of them were off. Predator couldn’t help but notice how strange the sight was. Scootaloo and Adara sticking close together, and how Apple Bloom walked between the three older mares like she was the adopted love child of the filly couple.
“Now Star –”
“I WASN’T THINKING DIRTY THOUGHTS ABOUT YOUR SISTER, OR ABOUT SCOOTALOO AND ADARA, I SWEAR!”
Predator immediately clasped her hooves around her mouth, but the damage was done. Rarity was now standing there, eye twitching as her mind processed the words of the teenage mare. After taking a moment to calm herself, Rarity smiled demurely at her visitor.
“It’s alright Star, no need to be worried. But…” Rarity’s gaze turned dangerous, “If you try to make a move on her, or even try to do something inappropriate with Sweetie, I will not hesitate to kill you right on the spot.”
“I-I promise I would never –!”
“And I don’t mean quickly either,” Rarity interrupted, “I would kill you in the most humiliating, graphic, and most painfully slow way imaginable, and Princess Cadance’s protégé or not, I shall show no mercy. Are we clear, Star?”
Predator gulped, “Crystal.”
“Wonderful!” Rarity’s cheery demeanor returned and her dangerous gaze vanished. “So, what brings you by?”
Predator’s expression changed fast, her ears went flat, and a frown appeared on her face. Rarity noticed the sudden change in Predator’s mood and she grew concerned.
“Star, darling, whatever is the matter?”
“I…I messed up, and I needed to talk to somepony…”
“Oh dear, well, I was just on my way to the Spa, do you wish to go with me and we can talk there?” asked Rarity.
“……Sure, I could use some relaxation. Also, how long will they be like that?”
“Unfortunately, Zecora and Twilight weren’t able to reverse the effects of Apple Bloom’s potion, but luckily it will wear off in a week or two.”
Thank the Life Entity!
Predator and Rarity, after going through a round of pampering, were now soaking in the luxurious bath, the Spa Twins, Aloe and Lotus, left the room and allowed their clients some privacy. Once they were out of the room, Rarity decided to broach the subject of why Predator was feeling down.
“Now dear, what is it that makes you think you ‘messed up’?”
Predator sighed once again, “I…I like somepony, no, more like I’m in love with them, Rarity.”
The fashionista’s eye went wide as they sparkled with happiness, feeling giddy that Star had finally found somepony who accepts her and her special talents. “That’s wonderful darling! But, pray tell, why are you so down about being in love?”
“Because I blurted it out in front of her, and I know for a fact that there’s somepony else that she likes, and that that pony likes her too,” said Predator.
“Oh dear… a love triangle?”
“In a way, yes…”
Oh Star, you finally find somepony you can give your heart to…A pony who can love others, give advice, and be open with her thoughts, is now in quite a quagmire of her own.
“I just don’t know how to tell her Rarity…” Predator slammed a hoof in the water, causing it to splash the area. “I mean…after just blurting it out like that, how can I just tell her that I’m sorry! Dammit I want a do over!”
Rarity sat in the tub, contemplating what Star should do. A love triangle was a tricky thing, as she has experienced with Sweetie Belle earlier this year. “Star, do you love this mare, yes or no?”
Predator gave Rarity an incredulous look. “Of course I do, that’s the problem!”
“Are you willing to fight for this mare, to keep her safe, to take care of her?”
“Ugh, yes! I am! I’d claw through a horde of Black Lanterns all on my own just if I had to in order to keep her safe!”
“Um, what exactly is a ‘Black Lantern’?”
“Never mind! Point is I love her enough to fight and keep anything from happening to her!”
Rarity saw that Predator’s horn was glowing, and at the same time she could feel the powerful love energy being emitted from the young unicorn mare, and it was strong, really strong. Rarity was staring to get dizzy, her body heating up as the love power pulsed through the room, her own horn lighting in response to the magical love energy that Predator was putting out. It was exhilarating and terrifying at the same time, and Rarity felt that familiar carnal urge to jump Star like when they first met. But Rarity tried to control herself, doing something like that would only complicate matters and Star was in a delicate state.
“S-Star dear…”
“I love her Rarity, and I even made it clear that I wouldn’t mind sharing her with another! I’d love this stallion too! But we’re…we’re practically cut from the same cloth, destined to be together since the birth of the universe!”
Without realizing it, Predator released even more love energy; it was getting to the point that Rarity wondered if Aloe and Lotus had been affected by it. She slightly shuddered at the thought of what Star’s power would make them do if she didn’t stop this from going on. But right now, Rarity was struggling to keep control of herself, her eyes were locked on Star, that beautiful mare who needed comfort and affection, and being a good friend, she was oh so willing to alleviate the poor mare’s heartache.
“Star darling…! I don’t mean to be rude or insensitive…But could you please get a handle on your magic?! Because, at this rate, I don’t know how much longer I can keep myself from ravaging you right here and now!”
Predator crossed her forelegs in front of her chest and then huffed. “Go ahead; at least it’ll take my mind off of this mess for a few hours.”
“STAR SAPPHIRE YOU STOP THIS NOW!”
“…Fine…”
Predator concentrated and ceased the flow of love light flowing through the room. Rarity immediately felt the heat within her body ebb away, her head feeling clear and less riddled with dirty, perverted thoughts. Rarity shook her head, making sure her senses were clear before she spoke.
“Really Star! I know you are upset, but that is no reason for you to allow something like that to happen! Do you seriously want to cheat on the mare you love with another mare!?”
“At this rate it might not even matter, so why not?! At least I know you care about me!” Rarity glared at the teenage mare. “Of course I care about you, Star! I am your friend, and I always care about their wellbeing!”
“Oh please,” Predator scoffed, “My power wouldn’t have such a strong effect on you to quote: ‘ravage me’, if you already didn’t have those thoughts somewhere deep down in your heart!” Predator then looked to Rarity, her eyes shimmering with the power of her light. “So why don’t you be honest with yourself just go ahead and do it! At least one of us will feel good!”
Rarity let out a shocked gasp; she couldn’t believe that Star would say such things to her. “Star…”
Predator eyes went wide, her eyes stung with tears as her anger quickly left her. She had reverted to her old self, the part of her that was a hunter, seeking out love, craving it, willing to thrust herself into the hearts of those she possessed in order to fill their hearts with love, that was her more fearsome aspect, and she had done well to keep it in check, up till now that is.
“R-Rarity, I-I didn’t mean that…I’m just…” Predator couldn’t stand it anymore, she had had made a fool of herself in front of the pony she loved, and had hurt the feelings of the one other pony who supported and called her friend. “I’m sorry…!”
Predator got out of the bath and rushed out of the room, it took Rarity a moment to get over the shock of Star’s words before she was able to register the sad and apologetic tone in her voice.
“Star wait, please don’t run!” Rarity hurried out of the bath and ran after the young mare.
Rarity was able to catch up with her, but before she could do or say anything, Star teleported just as the young unicorn got out the door, leaving Rarity standing there, saddened, dripping wet, and wishing she hadn’t pushed her to admit all that at once.
“I’m sorry…Star.” Rarity turned to head back and dry herself off but noticed something that made her eye twitch. Aloe was on top of Lotus; both mares were staring at the white unicorn mare, faces blushing red. “Um…”
“Miss Rarity…” Lotus spoke.
“W-We can explain this,” said Aloe.
“Explain what? I was busy taking a bath, and on that note I have to cut this spa trip short, I must dry myself off and go after my friend!”
Aloe and Lotus watched as Rarity did just that, disappearing into the changing room and emerging just as quickly, completely dry, and running out the door. The Spa Twins let out a sigh of relief, their business was about privacy, and being a long time customer, they knew Rarity wouldn’t breathe a word of this to anypony.
“Aloe.”
“Yes, Lotus?”
“You can get off me now, and you can stop touching me there as well!”
(The Crystal Empire, 2 Hours Later)
Cadance was pacing back and forth within the throne room. She didn’t know if she should go after Predator or not. Then again, there was the confession of love earlier. That was probably the one thing that was getting to her. Cadance went over every little detail in her head, from when they first met until now, trying to find the one thing that could’ve tipped her off earlier that Predator was developing feelings for her.
Every time she did, her mind came back to at least two instances. The night of the Festival of Love, when they sang together and their powers resonated with each other. She was starting to act a little differently then. The second was, most likely, the biggest cause for all this. The night when Cadance went after Predator after being foalnapped by the Changelings, the distraught look on her face for almost dooming her world was something that Cadance couldn’t stand, and all her self-doubt only made it worse. I kissed her…I still can’t believe I did that! And…and I liked it! Sweet Celestia, why did I like kissing her!? I’m married for Luna’s sake!
Oh there was a reason; it was there from their first encounter. Predator’s light of Love. It was raw power, raw emotional love energy, it reminded Cadance of her younger years when she got her cutie mark and then ascended. She could feel all the love energy on Equestria; it was as if she was there with every lover and couple, sharing in their passion and lust. It took a while, but with Celestia’s help, Cadance was able to master her heightened magical power and abilities, allowing Cadance to focus her mind and shut out all the “background noise” as she called it.
But with Predator, it felt like all those past feelings were concentrated and magnified to the power of infinity! And it felt like Entity of Love was bathing her in all that passion, it was intoxicating, frightening, and Cadance feared what she might become if she were to allow that power to flow into her.
“And now…Now she wants to love me, the Entity of Love, the source of all love energy, wants to be with me…”
In a way it was flattering to Cadance, it’s not every day one is told that the embodiment of all love in the universe is actually in love with you. That’s when Cadance raised her right hoof and slapped herself across the face.
“Get it together Cadance! Why did I ever kiss her in the first place!? I just wanted to comfort her, not seduce her!”
Or was it the other way around? Cadance didn’t know anymore, all she knew was that she had let down the Life Entity; the great being that embodied all life had given her the task of watching over Predator and helping her to understand the true meaning of love. And up till now that’s what Cadance had been doing, and it seemed as if Predator understood, but somehow, it felt like she wasn’t getting it completely. Cadance didn’t know if it was because she was a bad teacher, or, after all this, if Predator was too preoccupied having fantasies about her flank.
“I just…I just need to be clear with her, I need to be firm. I have to make sure she understands that, even though I do love and care about her, it is only in the regard of a family member or best friend.”
“But Cadance, I told you I was okay with sharing you! I don’t want you to choose between me and Shining Armor, I know how much he means to you,” said Cadance, imitating Predator’s voice.
“I know Predator, and I am not saying that being open to that kind of thinking isn’t bad, but it just isn’t for me and Shining Armor, we just want to be with each other.”
“Then have me as a mistress or something, I don’t care so long as I can be with you!”
“Predator, I’m not going to send you away, you’ll always be my side.”
“Then why won’t you love me like I do you!? Are you just keeping me around because of an obligation or do you really want me here!?”
“That’s ridiculous; of course I want you here! I…I…I do…don’t I?”
Cadance actually shocked herself with her improve dialog, now that she thought about, Predator had been causing a lot of trouble, both here in the Empire and other places that she took her. She was always trying to search for love, trying to make connections where she saw them, no matter if they were not exactly the most comfortable of things to be done. But now that Cadance really thought about it, did she really keep Predator around because of an obligation or did she genuinely want her around.
The pink alicorn sighed heavily, “I’m a horrible pony to have to take this long to answer the question. I need some rest.” Shining Armor was going to be busy doing paperwork and going over reports from the Guards. Just as well, she wouldn’t feel right sleeping next to him right now, not with all this stuff going on in her head.
Why shouldn’t I get to love her…?
Predator skulked through the halls of the Crystal Palace. It was night time, and the moon was high in the sky, but the passing clouds would make the shadows dance. It was in those shadows that Predator’s eyes shined with violet light, briefly changing between her alluring violet eyes, and that of her true form’s eyes.
She was done with it all, she was done trying to win over Cadance the other way, now Predator was going to try her way. Cadance showed an affinity for her light, and that would be her advantage. It had been awhile since Predator allowed her more primal instincts to take hold; she never understood why she even suppressed them in the first place. This was thrilling, the hunting of her prey, and the euphoric high of the “kill”.
Predator more than once skirted a patrolling Guard, she could be outrageous and powerful, but when she wanted, she could be stealthy and quick. It wasn’t long before Predator found Cadance’s room, and just as she assumed, the Princess of Love was alone in her bed. Perfect…
The unicorn mare quickly made her way inside and lightly shut the door behind her. Predator then cast a sound dampening spell on the room. The last thing she wanted was for somepony, mainly Shining Armor, to come barging in here and ruin her night with her true love. Predator stalked closer to the bed, creeping right to the foot of the queen sized bed. For a moment, Predator just stood there, her shimmering, violet eyes just staring at Cadance, drinking in her image.
The pink alicorn lay peacefully within the bed she shared with her husband. She had removed her regalia, and honestly, Predator liked it better when Cadance had them off. Those pieces of gilded gold were just mere trinkets that obscured Cadance’s natural beauty. Even as Cadance slept, she was still the most beautiful thing Predator had ever seen. The steady rise and fall of her chest as she breathed, the light shuffling of her wings as she moved into a more comfortable position, she loved it all.
Predator, levitating herself, got onto the bed with all the swiftness of a falling feather. She lied on her stomach, head resting on her forelegs as she waited for Cadance to notice her presence. Predator’s tail swished back and forth, like a lion waiting for the perfect moment to strike.
“Cadance,” she whispered.
Her words carried on the air, making the pink alicorn’s ear twitch.
“Cadance,” she whispered again.
This time Cadance’s ear twitched in her general direction. Groggily the pink alicorn awoke, thinking that Shining Armor had returned to their room and was alerting her to his presence before entering the bed. However, Cadance bolted upright when she saw the glowing irises of Predator, staring right at her from the foot of her bed.
“PREDATOR!?”
“Yes?”
Cadance placed a hoof to her chest, taking in calming breathes as she tried to slow her now racing heart. “You scared me, where have you –!?” The alicorn princess stopped talking; now taking in the full details of Predator’s expression. It bordered on sultry, hunger, and intimidation. “P-Predator, why are you looking at me like that?”
A sly smile curled upon the young mare’s lips. “Like what, Cadance?”
“Like…Like you have something devious in mind…”
Predator chuckled, she was scared, that was understandable, but there was no room for fear, no, soon she’d replace that fear with something else, pure, unadulterated passion and love.
Cadance, for some reason, felt like a mouse cornered by a cat, “Predator, we need to talk about…about what happened earlier today…I do care about you, but I –!”
“Shush.”
In the blink of an eye, Predator had closed the distance between them, placing her hoof on Cadance’s lips and effectively cutting her off. Cadance’s eyes went wide as saucer plates, she didn’t even see her move, and now she was practically a hair’s breathe away from her.
“I know you care about me Cadance. I can tell…” Predator moved her hoof from Cadance’s lips, dragging the tip down to her throat. “You don’t want to say it aloud, and that’s fine.”
Predator’s hoof tip when sparked with violet light. Cadance felt the love light energy course through her from that single point, nearly knocking her out from the rush it gave her. The unicorn mare then dragged her hoof further down, crossing from Cadance’s neck to her chest, and from there she slid further before stopping at the middle of her barrel, leaving behind a long violet light trail from where she started.
Cadance’s breathing became slightly erratic; the power of the love light was flowing through her, spreading out from the line Predator drawn. “W-W-What a-are you d-doing…Predator!?”
“Freeing you of your inhibitions, Cadance, you’re not being honest with yourself, and it’s time you allowed yourself to feel more.” Predator purred into her ear.
The energy continued to spread through Cadance’s body, eroding at her will to resist, she didn’t even know if she wanted to resist. As if an act of betrayal, her wings suddenly flared out from her sides, knocking the blankets off and making Predator back off a bit to see the spectacle. A fierce blush overcame Cadance’s face; she covered her face with her hooves in a desperate attempt to hide her shame.
“Cadance~”
“I-I-It doesn’t mean anything! It’s just a-a-a bodily reaction!”
“Don’t worry Cadance, you needn’t hide from this,” Predator placed her hoof on Cadance’s, moving them down to uncover her face, “I’m very flattered.”
“P-Predator, please stop this…before this goes too far, please just stop…!”
Predator moved closer to Cadance. The alicorn mare lit up her horn in an attempt at pushing Predator off of her, but it was all for naught. The Entity of Love crossed her horn with Cadance’s, setting it aglow with her own magical aura combined with her light of Love. Cadance lost all control of her magic as their energies mingled at that point, sending the Princess of Love into a euphoric bliss. She could feel it all! All the love in Equestria, every lover embracing their love, every passionate kiss and act of lust committed and reciprocated in kind, it was all washing over Cadance’s mind and body at once.
The unicorn mare separated herself a little from Cadance, though the tendrils of magical energy were still latched onto the alicorn’s horn. Predator smiled as she gazed upon Cadance’s face, she was in heaven, such a look of longing and happiness all rolled into one, and knowing that it was Predator herself who granted her this happiness, it was beautiful.
“P-Predator…”
“Yes, my love?”
“K-K…Kiss me…Please…”
Predator almost cried from hearing those words, this was the Cadance she had always wanted to see, uninhibited, unleashed, a being of pure love like herself, finally, the Predator had found someone who could make her happy. Cadance closed her eyes in anticipation of the passionate kiss, and Predator was more than happy to give her new love the most passionate kiss she’d ever felt, enough to steal her breath away. Predator leaned down, her eyes slowly closing, savoring this moment before their lips met.
“Cadance?”
Predator stopped.
“Cadance, you in there?”
The bedroom door jiggled a bit. Predator, reluctantly, tore her gaze away from Cadance and scowled at the door, or more accurately, who was behind the door. “Leave us alone!” Predator growled.
“Predator, when did you get back? And where’s Cadance?!”
“She’s with me, we’re fine, leave us alone!”
Cadance’s eyes looked in the direction of the door. “S-Shining Armor…?”
“CADANCE!? What’s going on in there!? That’s it!”
Suddenly a bright flash of rose colored magical energy blasted its way through the bedroom doors, sending the wooden double doors slamming to floor. Shining Armor rushed into the room and gasped at what he beheld. Predator was on top of Cadance, in a rather suggestive way, and Cadance herself had this look in her eyes, a mix between passionate want, ecstasy, and bliss. But Shining could see further, he could see behind that look to the mare beneath, the one crying out for this to stop.
Shining Armor flared his horn and narrowed his gaze at Predator. “Get off of her Predator! NOW!”
Predator glared at the Prince, she then turned to her love and gave her a quick peck on the lips, a light butterfly kiss. “Wait my love, I must teach your husband how it is not nice to barge in on one’s private time.”
Predator got off of Cadance and leaped from the bed onto the floor. The two unicorns stared each other down. Predator and Shining Armor were circling the other, waiting and watching for a good moment to strike.
“You’ve gone too far, Predator! I didn’t mind you having a crush on Cadance –!”
“So you knew, and said nothing!?” Predator snarled.
“Of course I noticed, but I kept quiet. I thought Cadance would figure it out and straighten this matter on her own, but now I think I should’ve done something sooner.”
“It’s still not too late, Shining Armor. We can all be happy together, I don’t mind sharing Cadance, so long as the relationship is mutual, then it is not cheating. I offered this same option to Cadance earlier today, and now I give it you. Besides, isn’t every stallion’s dream to have many mares wanting him, having their cake and eating it too as the expression goes!?”
Shining Armor paused causing Predator to stop as well. “Listen, Predator, I’m happy with just Cadance. You don’t think I know she could have dozens, even hundreds of stallions and mares for herself, instead of being tied down to me!? I even…I…I even said I would accept her bringing others into our relationship if it would make her happy!”
Predator scoffed at that, “Why would you do that!? You made Cadance have no other choice but to marry you! She could’ve had you and others, spreading her love to those who need it!”
“Because that was my sacrifice, I was willing to put up with it, for the one I love! And Cadance…Cadance said that she would never do that to me, that she would devote herself to me, that was her sacrifice, and I in turn devoted my love and life to her! That’s what love is, Predator, Entity of Love! Something that I’m beginning to think you’ll never understand!”
That was the final nail in the coffin, Predator’s body shined with the light of Love, transforming her into her crystalline-raptor form. The Entity of Love growled and thrust her claw right at Shining Armor, grabbing the unicorn stallion and slamming him into the wall. Shining Armor tried to get out of Predator’s grasp, but found that his power was dwarfed by the raw power of this cosmic being.
Suddenly, the violet-pink exoskeleton of Predator began to creep out from her arm and started to cover Shining Armor, creating a cocoon. “You shan’t keep me from the one I love! I was willing to let you in, but instead you want to push us away from each other! Only I can understand Cadance, and she me! We are beings of love!”
Cadance watched this entire scene transpire in a daze, she saw what was happening, but the euphoric energy still coursed through her body. The pink alicorn dug deep inside herself, her husband, her true love was in trouble. To Cadance, it felt like her mind was in a fog, while her body was swimming in molasses, barely able to move. But somehow, she found the strength to get up and start to crawl to the foot of the bed. Cadance mustered as much of her inner strength as she could and focused it all on her voice.
“Predator…wait…stop!”
Predator turned around to look at Cadance, but when she did her crystal eyes went wide with shock. Cadance was crying. The Entity of Love released Shining Armor, the crystal cocoon shattering, letting him fall to the floor. Predator brought up one of her claws to Cadance’s cheek, catching a teardrop as she did so.
“These tears…there is no happiness in them…only…sadness.”
“Predator…I beg you…please don’t hurt him! If…If I give myself to you…will you promise not hurt to him!?”
Shining Armor rose unsteadily to his hooves, trying to shake off the draining effect of the crystal cocoon. “N-No Cadance, don’t do it!”
“I…I don’t want to hurt him…I just…I just wanted him to…” Predator’s mind went blank, her ancient instincts giving way to her more sensible side. She looked to Cadance, her body shaking as she looked upon her with such sadness. “This…This isn’t what I wanted! I wanted you to see – to understand how much I love you I…!”
Predator backed away, taking in the whole scene, this was one of those things that Cadance had taught her about, one of the forms of love that was wrong; she violated Cadance with her power, subduing her mind and body to her will. Liquid light started to fall from Predator’s eyes, and as the drops fell from her face, they quickly changed into sapphires before hitting the floor.
“What…What have I done…”
“Predator…?”
“No…I’m a monster…Stay away from me!”
Predator’s body ignited as she shot through the window and into the night sky. Leaving Cadance to weep and Shining Armor to comfort her the best he could.
Chrysalis stood there, tears streaming down her face as her slit green eyes shrank at what she beheld. Her hive was in ruins, completely destroyed, decimated beyond repair, but that wasn’t the worst part of it all. No, the worst, most horrifying thing she saw, was the bodies of her Changelings, her entire race lying dead all around her.
The sight was enough to make the Queen of the Changelings retch, the wretched taste of bile tainting her sense of taste. She noticed something else; the entire area was engulfed in a pink fire and pink crystals that jutted out from the ground. Some of them were sharp, having skewered some of her subjects, their bodies hanging limply from them like some sort of macabre trophies.
Chrysalis wandered the field of massacre, the yellow-green blood staining the ground upon which she treaded. It made the Changeling Queen shutter and wince each time her hoof stepped into a pool of Changeling blood. She could’ve flown over them, but there was an oppressive feeling in the air, her instincts telling the insectoid equine that if she were to take to the air she’d be spotted and killed immediately. So she pressed onward, silently apologizing for not being able to protect her subjects, and for having to step over their bodies.
It wasn’t long before Chrysalis found the perpetrators of this heinous act of slaughter. She recognized them all too well, the giant violet beast with a violet crystal exoskeleton, stood among the bodies, towering over them, its claws and body were marked with the blood of her drones, the creature known as Predator. Standing upon her back was the Princess of Love, Mi Amore Cadenza. The Princesses’ gaze was fierce and sadistic, as if she was relishing the sight before her.
Chrysalis gritted her fanged teeth in anger and fury, her horn was aglow with her green aura. She marched up to the killers, a mere ten feet of distance between them.
“YOU TWO…! HOW DARE YOU DO THIS TO MY SUBJECTS! YOU KILLED THEM ALL!”
The two love wielders looked down at the Queen, barely regarding her as a threat.
“Well, not all of them,” said Cadance.
“There’s still one left,” corrected Predator.
The beast opened one of its claws and revealed one lone Nurse Drone, Murmur, shivering in fear. Her light-pink eyes locked onto her Queen and she quickly tried to escape Predator’s grasp. But the creature would have none of that, as soon the drone began to move, Predator tightened her grasp around Murmur, trapping the weak little thing.
“My Queen, please help me,” cried Murmur.
“Don’t worry, I’ll save you, I swear,” proclaimed Chrysalis.
“How sweet, you actually care about this insignificant thing,” said Predator.
“I care about all my Changelings!!!”
“If that’s true, then I guess you’ll save this one. C’mon Chrissy, show us how much you care about this drone of yours, save her,” said Cadance.
Chrysalis watched as Predator began to close its fist around Murmur, audible cracks could be heard echoing in the silence. Queen Chrysalis fired multiple mana blasts from her horn, each blast struck Predator’s crystalized hide, and not one fazed the beast, in fact, they seemed amused.
“Please…my Queen…help me…”
The Changeling Queen’s body flared up with her green mana, she then charged straight for Predator and Cadance. Predator saw the attack coming, and with a swipe of her giant claw she swatted Chrysalis out of the air, sending her into a spiral as she crash landed, impacting hard into the ground. Chrysalis rose slowly, her body was cut up from the jagged edges of Predators claw, she tried to muster up the strength to fight again but just as she was about to fight again, it happened.
“Time’s up,” spoke Predator.
The beast tightened its fist, and just like that, Murmur was crushed completely. She opened her claw and showed the remains of the Changeling, barely anything was left; only the blood and small bits of its exoskeleton shell remained. But with one flare of violet energy the remains were quickly burned away.
Chrysalis’ eyes were once again in tears, her body was shaking uncontrollably, she had just witnessed the death of one of her Changelings, and she was powerless to stop it.
“Not again…please not again…”
“You are nothing Chrysalis, nothing but a mere insect,” began Predator.
“You’re race was doomed from the start, such a weak and pathetic species, escaping death by becoming lowly parasites,” finished Cadance.
The thundering footsteps of Predator could be heard as she slowly approached the fearful Changeling Queen. Her giant muzzle was inches away from Chrysalis, the rows of razor sharp teeth glistening in the violet light.
“I promised you that I’d devour you, and I keep my promises…”
Predator opened its massive jaws; Chrysalis was paralyzed with fear, unable to move, unable to think. All that was left for her was terror and death…
(Changeling Hive)
Queen Chrysalis awoke with a start, letting out a loud terrified scream. Her body drenched in sweat, her mane matted, and her heart pounding in her chest. Chrysalis’ eyes darted around her chamber, there was nothing there, but that did not stop her, she hurriedly jumped out of the bed and burst through her doors. The Changeling Sentinels who stood guard watched as their Queen wore a panicked expression as she whipped her head around.
“My Queen, what is the matter?! Did something happen,” asked the first sentinel.
Chrysalis looked back at the Changeling Sentinel, her eyes still wide with fear.
“Is the hive alright!!!? Are your fellow brothers and sisters still alive,” she asked frantic.
The two Sentinels stared at their Queen, and then at each other. After a few seconds they decided to answer their Queen’s strange request, not that they had a choice in not answering.
“The hive is fine my Queen,” answered the first Sentinel.
“The others are also okay, some are resting as we speak,” said the second Sentinel.
Queen Chrysalis released a sigh of relief, a pent up breath she had no idea she was holding. She began to slowly trot back towards her chamber, feeling foolish for panicking and showing fear in front of her guards.
“My Queen, are you feeling well?”
“I am fine, just a bad dream…in fact…the two of you are relieved of duty till tomorrow…” The two Sentinels looked flabbergasted at the order; it went against their purpose, their instinct. “This is a direct order from your Queen! Now GO!”
With that said the two Sentinels, reluctantly, trotted away, leaving Chrysalis alone in her room. The chamber was sparsely furnished, nothing much, just her ornate bed, and a vanity mirror. Chrysalis trotted up to the mirror, examining her image. She looked straight into her reflection’s eyes, the very eyes that struck fear into the ponies she sought to rule over, were now filled with the same wide eyed terror she had seen in others. It sickened her, she hated being afraid.
I thought I was stronger than this?! We became like this in order to become strong enough to fight against anything, to be above anyone! So why, Lily, why…?
“You’re not weak because you’re afraid; you’re weak because you do not embrace its power!”
Chrysalis’ head jerked from side to side, she scanned her entire room, but there was nothing there, no one.
“Can it be that I’m finally losing my mind…?”
“Quite the opposite actually…”
“Who’s there, show yourself, NOW!!!” Chrysalis shouted.
“As you wish.”
Suddenly the room was filled with a blinding golden light. The light was powerful, overwhelming, it felt similar to that of Predator, but this light was not energized with love. This light radiated fear in its purest form. When the light finally died down Chrysalis was able to open her eyes. The room had become a vast blackness, the mirror and bed were still there, and the floor acted as a platform in the middle of the void. But that wasn’t the only thing she saw.
Walking towards her from the void was a Changeling, one she had recognized that caused her to feel even more on edge.
“It’s been awhile Chrysalis.”
“Parallax, what do you want!? And where have you brought me!?” Chrysalis demanded.
“Oh just to a place where we could have some privacy, especially after your little episode just now,” said Parallax.
Chrysalis glared at the odd Changeling, she didn’t like this creature. He was unconnected to her Hive Mind, and he radiated with a strange power that somehow allowed him to go undetected and counter her own strength. As much she didn’t want to push Parallax, Chrysalis was in no mood to see him.
“What do you want Parallax, state your business or I’ll throw you out of my hive personally?!”
Parallax chuckled at the veiled threat. “Chrysalis, come now, we both know that you don’t have the strength or power to do that, not in your current condition.”
Chrysalis gritted her teeth, as much as she didn’t want to admit it, he was right. Chrysalis was able to help the rest of her subjects by letting them take the majority of the love energy that Cadance left her hive before she and the creature known as “Predator” left the hive. As a result Chrysalis had become weaker, she didn’t know if it was out of sheer loyalty that one of her Changelings hadn’t tried to ascend to take control for themselves, or if one was just biding its time. Parallax would definitely fit that category right now.
“But to answer your question, it’s not so much what I want, as what I’ve come to offer you,” said Parallax.
“And what is it that you offer…?”
“Power, real power,” Queen Chrysalis looked skeptical, but the Entity of Fear seemed to catch on to this, “I was once like you, afraid, a mere insect ready to be trampled, squashed, and killed. Fear was all I knew, until I decided to embrace that fear, make it my own, to wield it, to become it, and now I am FEAR incarnate, and all livings cower in my presence!”
Chrysalis looked upon the Changeling skeptically, but her encounter with Predator a few months ago had taught her not to underestimate something just by their looks, her and her race were living proof of that. “What are you?”
“Are you sure you want to know the answer to that?”
“I know that you are not one my Changelings! You’re different from them, from me, so tell me what you are?!”
Parallax smirked at this and bowed respectively to the Changeling Queen. “Be warned, my true form can be a little…intimidating.”
A flash of yellow light shined before Chrysalis’ eyes, briefly blinding her. After a little bit, the Changeling Queen dared to open her eyes as soon as the light dimmed down, and she was suddenly wishing she hadn’t. She beheld a giant creature, insect like in appearance. It was yellow, with giant clear wings, its long body undulating as it walked around on its four legs. It wore a wicked smile, baring its dagger like fangs in a toothy grin, while its long slender fingers were intertwined in a contemplating gesture.
The giant yellow insectoid stopped its hovering pacing, Parallax then stared directly at the Queen of the Changelings, both with curiosity and a hint of something else that she couldn’t quit read.
“W-W-What are you…who are you…!”
“Kckt, kckt, kckt. I am Parallax, the Entity of Fear,” he said.
“‘Entity of Fear’….?”
Chrysalis watched as this Entity of Fear floated around the platform. Could such a being exist, a living manifestation of fear itself? Such a thing was absurd, fear was an emotion, not a living thing, it resided in all things and it did not come from a single being. But then again, was such a thing absurd? An entity made up of fear energy, it would make sense. If Parallax was an Entity of Fear, it would then stand to reason that there could also be an Entity of Love as well.
“Parallax, tell me, are there others like you? Perhaps, one that used love energy,” asked Chrysalis.
“Yes, another entity, her name is Predator, the Entity of Love.” Parallax sniffed the air and then made a disgusted expression. “I see you’ve had a run in with her, the stink of her love energy lingers on you.”
“Y-Yes…She almost killed my Changelings and myself…That monster nearly killed us all…”
“You’re afraid of her, aren’t you?”
Chrysalis looked straight up at Parallax, eyes narrowed in anger. “I am not afraid of her, or anything!”
"DO NOT DENY WHAT IS CLEAR IN MY SIGHT!!!"
The golden light of fear shined with a powerful intensity, Parallax opened his mouth revealing his razor sharp teeth and a strange symbol within his jaws that matched the one on his chest and wings. Chrysalis shrank away, falling to the floor and covering her face with her forelegs like a frightened filly. The light dimmed yet again, the Changeling Queen dared to peek at the Entity, he retreated back, no longer showing his fangs, but instead held his wicked smile.
“What do you want with me…?”
“I want you to be my host, Queen Chrysalis. With my power, you no longer need fear Predator; all will feel the terror of our light!” Parallax said with glee.
“But why…my Changelings and I feed on love not fear, not just for power, but for nourishment,” said Chrysalis.
“And therein lays the problem. You have the ability to take the form of almost any creature you choose, ‘pony’ or otherwise. You have to trick and hypnotize others into ‘loving’ you in order to gain your food. So much work and with such high risks of failure, that is why you are in the position you’re in now! Fear is so much easier to obtain, and so much more potent, with your abilities you can become that which they fear, and with my power you and your Changelings will be able to know what others fear! This is the opportunity of a lifetime Chrysalis, and all you have to do is admit you’re afraid…”
Chrysalis didn’t know how to respond. Could this entity really do what he promised, was it possible for her and her Changelings to feed on fear rather than love. The more she thought about it the more it made sense, the ponies already feared them, and she had to admit, it took some work to trick Shining Armor into believing she was the real Princess Cadance, and it all came crashing down thanks to Twilight Sparkle! How was she supposed to know that that blasted unicorn mare would know all of Cadance’s quirks and personality traits, she never thought that obsessive mare would question everything about her and the validity of her brother’s marriage.
Parallax did make another good point, they were feared, and they could easily take the form of something that another pony feared the most. Striking fear into another’s heart was much simpler and, in a way, much more fun. She stared up at the Entity of Fear, and then stared at her reflection in the vanity mirror. That’s when she saw something, her image changed, and not because of her magic. The form in the mirror rippled before solidifying into the image of a strange pony like being. Its body was softer, no exoskeleton or carapace, although it did have large butterfly wings, clear and shimmering with a rainbow of different colors. Her mane was golden and her coat was pink, she even sported pointed ears.
This other being, staring at her with aquamarine eyes, had a saddened look upon her face. “Chrissy, what are you doing?”
I…I have to do what is best for our subjects big sister…
“But fear is not our way, remember what I said to you. ‘Love will save us.’”
“Love will save us”!? Our people are on the brink of extinction yet again! I have done everything I can to see our survival through! I have stolen the love of others, harvested it from living beings, keeping them here to nourish us until they were bled dry and left emotionless husks of their former selves!
The reflection went silent, its expression changing to one of disappointment. “Oh Chrissy, how could you?”
I did it for all of them! You’re not here anymore and I’m sorry that I’m not you!
“I never wanted you to be me, Chrissy. If it were up to me, you’d still be that carefree, spirited little filly. Enjoying your freedom and playing all the time.”
I can’t be that filly anymore…I have to be strong, I have to be powerful, for them!
“Chrissy –”
NO! I am Queen Chrysalis! And I will not be weak, not anymore!
Chrysalis looked down at the floor, biting her lip as she spoke, “I am afraid…Afraid of not being able to protect my Changelings, of losing everything all over again! Most importantly…” Chrysalis looked up at Parallax; he seemed to be waiting with baited breath for her to utter the truth. She narrowed her gaze once and bellowed aloud. “I FEAR MY OWN WEAKNESS!!!”
The vanity mirror shattered at that moment, along with the image of Lily before her expression turned sorrowful. Parallax’s body immediately shrank down to where he was now a head or two taller than the Queen. His hands quickly shot out and grabbed the upper and lower jaws of Chrysalis, holding her mouth open and making the Changeling Queen stare in shock at what was happening.
“Queen Chrysalis of Equestria, you have the ability to instill great fear!”
The golden yellow aura of Parallax enveloped Chrysalis’ body, immediately the Entity of Fear pulled at her lower jaw, forcing it to widen. Chrysalis felt the pain of her jaw being stretched beyond its normal range, her eyes watered as the pain continued despite her protesting grunts and thrashing. At that moment, Parallax did the unthinkable. He dove, head first, into Chrysalis’ overly extended mouth. The Changeling Queen’s eyes bulged from her skull as she gagged and coughed having Parallax’s entire form slipped down her throat. New surges of pain wracked her body as she felt the Entity of Fear enter her body. Tears streamed from Chrysalis’ eyes as she prayed for the agony and horrifying event happening before her to stop.
Soon the tail end of Parallax entered Chrysalis’ mouth, her jaws immediately returned to their normal state, as if what had happened was just nothing more than a terrifying illusion. Chrysalis coughed and sputtered, taking in deep gasping breathes of air. After about a minute or two the Changeling Queen was able to find her voice yet again.
“P-P-Parallax, what in the name of creation were you trying to do to me!!? Where are you, tell me!!?”
No response.
“PARALLAX!!?”
“I’m here Chrysalis, inside you. Now is the time to take your true form!”
A new sensation began to overtake her. Her eyeballs shrink into the back of her skull, a wave of pain completely dulling all of her senses. Chrysalis screamed and shouted, what little part of her rational mind was able to wonder if her Changeling Sentinels could hear her screams of pain, and if they did, where were they? Did Parallax’s power keep them secluded; cut off from any prying eyes or ears? Was she doomed to be stuck in this eternal, never ending pain?
Suddenly the Changeling Queen went silent. No more did she scream, no more did she move, and she just fell to the ground limp and seemingly lifeless. Then her body flinched, which was followed by a second spasm, and then a third, a fourth, and even a fifth. Chrysalis’ back started to arch upwards, as if something was trying to escape from within. A sizeable crack could be seen forming; it started at the base of Chrysalis’ horn and ran all the way to her tail. Golden light shined from the fissure, till it happened.
A slender black and yellow arm burst forth from the crack, followed by a second. The two arms had long nimble claws that grabbed each end of the fissure and began to push it open. The two hands ripped open the body, shattering the remains of Chrysalis as if they were as fragile as glass. The room was bathed in golden light, warping the space, and in the next moment the room had returned to normal, no longer in the dark void. But what returned was not Chrysalis. What appeared in her place was something completely alien.
The new creature had a pitch black exoskeleton, with glowing, yellow luminescent lines etched into its body, forming interact designs. Its lower body resembled an insect’s thorax, with six equine legs. Four large translucent wings flapped up and down, shimmering with the same golden light. Its upper half was different, upon her chest the lines converged to form the same symbol that was on Parallax’s chest. Her horn was still jagged as it once was, her hair long and colored the same, but her eyes were different. They were mostly yellow, with light green irises and black slit pupils. Upon her head was not the simple crown that she wore before, it was now made of the fear energy, with three spiked tips and the fear symbol at its center.
Chrysalis took a moment to analyze her new form, her long slender arms and curved clawed fingers. On her forearms there were raised openings with something sharp stinking out of them, Chrysalis flexed her forearms and immediately two six foot long, scythe-like mantis blades appeared. Chrysalis grinned evilly at the sight of her transformation, a sharped toothed grin at that.
Was the pain worth it, asked Parallax.
“Indeed it was! I’ve never felt so powerful! I can feel the fear in all living things, their as plain to me as the sun in the sky,” proclaimed Chrysalis.
I’m glad you approve. Thanks to our union, you’ll be able to convert your Changelings to feed off fear instead of love, all of Equestria, this entire world, will know what true fear is!
“Heh, heh, how do we begin?!”
You are connected to all your Changelings; no doubt they have sensed the change in you. Use that connection to convert them, let our power flow through them and evolve them into a higher form! Speak our oath, and let our united power flow!
Chrysalis closed her eyes and summoned her newfound energy, connecting to the Hive Mind, allowing her consciousness to flow through all of her Changelings, allowing them to experience the same power she felt. It was then that the words to the oath appeared in her mind, and at the same time, Parallax and Chrysalis spoke their oath together.
“In blackest day, in brightest night, Beware your fears made into light! Let those who try to stop my fright, Burn like my power – terror’s might!”
The hive was bathed in the yellow light of fear, all the Changelings in the hive released simultaneous shrieks of pain filled fear as their bodies were infused with the yellow light. From outside, to all who even looked in the direction of the mountains, glimmers of golden light seemed to seep through cracks and cave openings of one particular mountain, no one knowing that Equestria was about to be invaded for a second time, by an army that literally wielded the power of fear.
“From this day forward, they will fear us!”
(The Crystal Empire, Sometime Later)
It had been weeks since Predator had ran away, and Cadance was…worried. But she still couldn’t release the memories of the disguised Entity of Love, her mind still flashed with the images of what she intended, and her body still felt the warmth of the violet light of Love. It was a nice, albeit unwanted feeling at the moment. No one was more upset about this than Shining Armor, having almost witnessed his wife be manipulated and violated by the crystalline raptor.
“I can’t believe she did that to you!” Shining Armor fumed.
“Shining let it go, we…we need to start looking for her, it’s been four weeks now,” said Cadance.
“As far as I’m concerned, she can stay gone! Cadance, she almost…she almost raped you for crying out loud!”
Cadance winced upon hearing that word; she didn’t feel like that was the right word for it. Overwhelming, welcoming, enticing, pleasuring, passionate, and even a little wonderful, but…‘rape’ it didn’t feel like it at all. Predator wasn’t forcing herself onto her, but merely showing her affection in the only way she knew how, which apparently consisted of drowning her in the power of her light and bringing feelings to the forefront of her mind that she had suppressed for years now.
“Please don’t use that word, Shining Armor. It didn’t feel like that.”
“Well sorry, I don’t know any other word for what I saw!”
“We still need to tell Aunt Celestia and Luna about this. The other Entities will want to know as well, and maybe they can even help her……Faust knows I haven’t been much help…”
Shining Armor stopped his fuming and walked over to his wife, nuzzling her gently to offer his comfort. “You did everything you could; it’s not your fault she didn’t understand.”
“‘There are no bad students, only bad teachers’. That’s what I was, I thought I was getting through to her, but I wasn’t. She didn’t understand, otherwise I don’t think Predator would’ve done that,” said Cadance.
The unicorn stallion sighed, “Why do you keep trying to defend her?”
“Because this is my fault! I should’ve seen this, I should’ve…I should’ve told you…”
“Told me what?” he asked.
The pink alicorn’s shoulders slumped, she had to tell him. “A few months back, when Predator was captured by the Changelings and I went to rescue her, after I got her out of there she was so…sad. She thought she had let me down; I hugged her, trying to be comforting. And…for some reason…I-I kissed her…”
“Cadance…”
“I don’t know why I did it!? It just felt right, like that was the only thing that would help calm her! But now…” Cadance lowered her head in shame, crying as she did so. “I’m the worst…you don’t deserve a weak mare like me…”
To her surprise, Shining Armor brought the Princess of Love close, hugging tightly against him. “You’re not weak.”
“Shining…?”
“You told me about your abilities, and what effect they could have on you. You have so much love that sometimes it just comes out, and I understand that, trust me, sometimes I can’t believe I’m married to a mare as loving as you. But if there’s anything I know Cadance, it’s that you aren’t weak, it takes a strong mare to bare all the weight of love in Equestria as you do.”
Cadance let herself sink further into Shining Armor’s embrace, feeling like the luckiest mare to have such an understanding stallion like him. “Thank you, Shining Armor.”
“Anytime.”
Suddenly a frantic knock rapped at the throne room doors. The Prince and Princess released each other, and stood up straight just in time for an Adamant Guard to swing the doors open and come galloping inside.
“Your highnesses, we have a problem!”
“What’s going on?” asked Shining Armor.
“A changeling has appeared at the entrance to the city and is slowly making its way towards the Palace!”
Both Cadance and Shining Armor’s eyes went wide from hearing the news; Changelings didn’t normally come this far north. The frigid temperatures were too much for them and prevent them from reaching the Empire all together. But then, they took a moment to register their Guard’s words.
“Did you say ‘a changeling’? As in only one?” asked Cadance.
“Yes ma’am!”
“They usually don’t travel singularly; they usually travel in a swarm. Did you or any other Guards report seeing a massive swarm of them heading towards us?” Shining queried.
“Um, no your highness, it’s just the one. Also it seems…injured and weak at the moment. It’s not even bothering with anypony in its path.”
Cadance and Shining Armor glanced to each other, curious as to what was going on. The two of them exchanged a nod and proceeded to have the Guard take them to the Changeling. The three of them hurried down the Palace to the ground floor and proceeded to where the Changeling was. It didn’t take long before the Prince and Princess were at the sight of where the Changeling was, a crowd of crystal ponies had gathered, intrigued about seeing a Changeling but keeping a safe distance from it.
Adamant Guards were slowly walking at the same pace as the small Changeling, ready to strike if it showed any sign of hostility. Cadance and Shining Armor made their way towards the lone Changeling and stood before it with their Guards flanking them.
“That’s far enough,” ordered Shining Armor, his horn set aglow.
The Changeling stopped, its legs were wobbly and its body trembled. Cadance couldn’t help but notice how different this one looked from the others. It was a light pink color, and it lacked the more intimidating and jagged features of the other Changelings. It seemed to be female from what she could tell, and for some reason it was covered in bruises and scratches, taking in ragged, raspy breaths of air.
Cadance dared to walk closer to the little Changeling, despite the protests of her Guards and husband. “Are you alright?”
“Please…you have to help us!?” The Changeling then collapsed onto the ground.
The Princess of Love immediately rushed to the little one’s side and inspected it. Her breathing was irregular and her body had even more injuries than she previously thought. Cadance then lit up her horn and channeled her love magic into the Changeling’s body.
“Cadance what are you doing!?” asked Shining Armor.
“She’s going to die if I don’t do something!” Cadance shouted.
“That’s a Changeling; she’s probably a spy sent by Chrysalis!”
“Look at her Shining Armor! Look at her body closely, does it look like she got here easily and – Oh my gosh!”
“What?!”
Cadance gently moved the Changeling’s bangs away from her forehead, revealing a jagged stub where her horn once was, a few drips of light-green mana fluid oozed from the broken appendage. Shining Armor was definitely confused right now, not even a Changeling would willingly break off their own horn.
“We need to get her to the Palace now!” Shining Armor nodded to Cadance and hurried to get the Guards to clear a path for them. She then turned her attention back to the pink Changeling. “It’s alright, you’re safe now. Can you tell me your name?”
The Changeling slowly looked up at Cadance with its pink eyes spoke in a gentle and weak voice, “My name is Murmur…”
(A few hours later)
The western town of Appleloosa was under attack, all around settler ponies were running around, screaming in terror as they tried to run and hide from the Changelings that pursued them. The Changelings had changed from before. Their eyes glowed with yellow light, their horns were a little longer, and their features were more jagged. Queen Chrysalis, in her new form, wielding the power of the yellow light of Fear, strode leisurely through the town, feeling positively giddy as she watched her Changelings feast upon the fear the induced upon these settlers. In fact, she was so happy, she started to sing.
“In the dark of night I was tossing and turning. And the nightmare I had was as bad as can be! It scared me out of my wits A changeling falling to bits Then I opened my eyes And the nightmare was…ME!!!”
Frontier Royal Guards charged for the Queen, but with a wave of her clawed hand she produced a line of yellow construct demons. They snarled and roared at the incoming Guards, who quickly halted their advance and tried to run away from the beasts.
“I was once the most beautiful bride in all of Canterlot. When the royals found me they made a mistake! My power made them my prey But two mares made it go all awry Beware my little ponies, The Queen is awake!”
So powerful and strong were the Changelings becoming that their Queen’s song inspire them to join along.
“IN THE DARK OF THE NIGHT EVIL WILL FIND THEM! IN THE DARK OF THE NIGHT JUST BEFORE DAWN!”
The Changelings swarmed about the town, hunting down one pony after another, changing into the pony or creature they feared the most. The night echoed with their screams and it only added to the insane melody that Chrysalis sang to.
“Revenge will be sweet When they kneel at my feet!”
“IN THE DARK OF THE NIGHT!”
Some more Guards foolishly tried to attack her. Chrysalis channeled the yellow light of Fear to her hands and unleashed it in a wave of concussive force that sent the ten Guards flying into homes and buildings, shattering windows and busting down doors.
“They’ll be gone! I can feel that my powers are drastically growing! How about a chimera and a hydra for a shrill!”
Two Changeling drones morphed into a hydra and a chimera, causing a group of trapped ponies to let out a shrill in pure terror.
“As the pieces fall into place I’ll see them fall in disgrace! So long, Princess Cadance! Farewell…”
Chrysalis felt the thundering stampede of hooves striking the ground. She looked into the distance and saw that a herd of buffalo were heading towards Appleloosa, wearing war paint and looks of determination as they charged to come to the aid of their pony friends. The Queen of Fear chuckled mockingly at the incoming stampede, they weren’t backup. They were food. Chrysalis then directed her swarm with a wave of her clawed hands, like the conductor of an orchestra.
“IN THE DARK OF THE NIGHT TERROR WILL STRIKE THEM!”
“Terrors the least I can do!”
“IN DARK OF THE NIGHT EVIL WILL BREW.OOH!”
“Soon they will feel that their nightmares are real.”
“IN THE DARK OF THE NIGHT –”
“They’ll be through!”
The swarm charged for the buffalo. The brave tribe did not back down, showing their fearlessness and strength in battle as they thundered towards the incoming swarm. The swarm then circled and surrounded them, becoming a black veil that blocked out everything in sight and effectively trapped the buffalo.
“IN THE DARK OF THE NIGHT EVIL WILL FIND THEM FIND THEM! OOH! IN THE DARK OF THE NIGHT TERROR COMES TRUE! DOOM THEM!”
Chrysalis watched and listened as the song of the Changelings mixed with now horror filled screams and shrieks of the proud and mighty buffalo tribe. When the swarm lifted, it showed the buffalos, all lying on the ground, eyes wide with terror as they flinched in a comatose state. The changelings all regrouped on their Queen, buzzing around as they awaited their Queen’s orders. Chrysalis never imagined how powerful fear was. Her Changelings all looked so healthy and strong, she could sense it. Although the transition from love to fear was a bit harsher than expected, they allowed their Queen to transform them.
All except for one, she thought.
“You needn’t worry about that one. Now that you have the power, you must take your vengeance.”
“IN DARK OF THE NIGHT… IN THE DARK OF NIGHT… IN THE DARK OF THE NIGHT…!”
Chrysalis’ body flared with yellow light as she rose up into the air, giving an unspoken command to the swarm to follow. The Changelings all began to glow with the same light as they swarmed about their Queen, lighting the night sky like the sun.
“Come my minions Rise for your master, Let your evil be shone! Find them now, Yes, fly ever faster!”
The Changelings and Chrysalis all flew in a northerly direction, right for a kingdom that epitomized love and unity, where sat upon its throne was the alicorn Princess of Love. The swarm buzzed through the air as they flew with a speed that none of them could have flown at before, not even the cold seemed to faze them in the slightest.
“THEY’LL BE DONE!”
(Crystal Empire)
The Changeling, Murmur, had been resting for some time now under Princess Cadance’s supervision. Guards were placed outside of the room, listening for anything strange as to clue them in if their Princess needed help. All the while, Cadance sat by Murmur’s bedside, her body covered in bandages for the wounds that didn’t heal right away from the infusion of love magic.
Cadance didn’t particularly care for the Changelings, not after they almost stole her husband and took over Canterlot. But, this one Changeling, who braved the frigid temperatures, suffered numerous wounds, and even the loss of her horn, managed to get all the way to the Crystal Empire. Shining Armor had put the Guards on high alert, thinking Murmur was a spy, but what spy would be this hurt? Cadance figured that there were better ways for Chrysalis to sneak in a spy. For all her negative traits, she couldn’t deny the Queen did indeed love her Changelings, so Cadance couldn’t imagine that Chrysalis made one of her own go through such pain.
Could…Could Predator have gone back to the Changeling Hive and attacked them? No…No she wouldn’t, even her state of mind, I know she wouldn’t go and…
Just then, Murmur began to stir. She fidgeted and whimpered with a twinge of fear in her voice. Cadance lit up her horn once again, and bathed the Changeling in the nourishing glow of her love magic. It seemed to calm Murmur down a bit, as she began to slowly open her eyes.
“W-Where am I…”
“You’re in the Crystal Empire, more precisely, you’re in my Palace.”
Murmur rested her tired eyes on Princess Cadance, “Your…highness…I-I seek your help.”
“You said that before, help for what? Is your hive dying?”
Murmur began to tear up, “They might as well have…They are not my people anymore…not after what they have become…!”
“Shh, shh, it’s alright,” consoled Cadance, brushing Murmur’s cheek softly, “tell me what happened.”
The pink Nurse Drone sniffled a bit, she knew she had to tell the Princess, otherwise there would be no chance of stopping her fellow Changelings, or reversing what has been done to them.
“It all started a few days ago. I was tending to our eggs, doing whatever I could to make sure they survived. But…”
~~~
Murmur was busy rotating the eggs around, making sure none of them were too warm or too cold, and constantly checking for signs of disease. Ever since the unicorn known as Star Sapphire left their hive, the eggs had been losing their vitality. They were once the healthiest things and now they were worse off than before. Murmur had even volunteered to go out and gather love from the ponies. She lacked the, slightly, devious ability to hypnotize another, but Murmur believed that her usual pony disguise was good enough, the last time she ventured out it certainly caught the eye of many stallions and mares.
Unfortunately, the Queen had forbid anyone from leaving the hive. It was just as well though, it took energy to hunt for love, and that was in very short supply.
“A slow death…that’s all it is now,” whispered Murmur.
She knew that at the rate things were going, either the eggs would die from lack of nourishment, or the older Changelings would first and leave the eggs unattended to which, in the end, they too would soon die.
Suddenly, something rang out through the Hive Mind. A surge of energy that roared with a terrible strength and frightening power, she could feel something fill her, it was vile, sickening, and it tasted of fear. It rammed at her senses, trying to force its way into the very core of her body to take root. Murmur retched as the putrid taste of fear ignited her taste buds. She panted hard, both from throwing up the yellow bile and from the assault on her being from within.
Hear me my Changelings. It was the Queen. I know what you are feeling is painful, and that this emotional energy goes against what we have been sustaining ourselves with for countless centuries, but that needs to change. We can no longer afford to hide our presence and die quietly in the shadows! We must rise up, my Changelings, rise and strike fear into the hearts of the ponies who have driven us to these desperate measures!
“Stop feeding on love…Th-That’s ludicrous…! We have always lived on love, what are you doing!?”
Let the power of Fear course through you, let it empower you, and give you strength as we rise up and instill great fear into all who have driven us to hide and die a dog’s death! We are the mighty Changeling race! And they will fear us, now and forever!
“NO!!!” Murmur shouted in the nursery.
She fell to the ground and began thrashing about, holding her head as her body trembled with pain. Murmur could feel the fear energy trying to change her, trying to corrupt her. Her eyes darted to one of the eggs and noticed that it was now had a yellow glow within it.
“No…No little one! You mustn’t accept this power! It’s wrong, it’s vile, it’s – AAAHHHHH!!!”
Murmur could feel something else, along with the overwhelming oppressiveness of the Hive Mind was another presence. It was older, stronger, and more terrifying than anything Murmur had ever seen or felt in her entire life. She could take it no more; she would not become an abomination! Murmur rose up to her hooves, stumbling as each movement only served to intensify the pain of her resistance. She walked up to one of the stone walls.
The Nurse Drone panted as sweat poured down her body, staring wide eyed at the wall before her. With one long and powerful scream, Murmur drew back her head and slammed her horn into the wall. The pain from the act just doubled it, only now it was slightly more concentrated in her brain. The Changeling’s horn served as their way to use their magic, sense love energy, collect it, and also doubled as their connection to the Hive Mind. Murmur doubted that she’d have the energy to regenerate a vital part of her body, but it had to be done.
The pink Changeling drew back again and slammed her horn into the wall a second time, noticing a light cracking sound when she did. Greater pain shot through her mind and body, a small trickle of lime-green mana fluid started to seep from the crack on her horn. As horrible as this was, it helped her, knowing that she hit it hard enough to make this happen meant that it only required one more good blow to sever it completely. Steeling herself one last time, Murmur went full force and smashed her head against the wall, snapping her horn off and sending it flying into the shadows of the cavernous nursery.
Murmur stumbled back forth as she walked away from the wall, her vision blurred in and out, and she even saw double a couple of times. More of her lime-green essence dripped down her face, feeling woozy as the urge to retch started to rise again. Despite this, she had done it, her connection was severed. No longer did she hear the voice of her Queen or the strange presence. No more was her body wracked with pain from the fear energy, well, it was still in pain, but considering what she felt earlier, this current pain was more preferable, only slightly.
The Nurse Drone made her way to one of the eggs, thinking that she could at least save one from the corruption spreading through its kin.
“Murmur, out of all my Changelings, I thought you would welcome what I’ve done.”
Murmur froze where she stood as a chill ran up her spine, or maybe that was shock from the loss of mana fluid. Either way, she slowly turned around and beheld the new form of her Queen, had she the strength and concentration to cringe or run away, she surely would have. But right now, she was being driven by a need to save the unborn Changelings.
“M-My Queen…”
“And you severed your own horn. Really Murmur, I understand it is a harsh transition, but if you had just bared with it you would’ve been rewarded with power and strength.”
“N-Not this kind of p-power…it’s wrong, so very wrong…!”
Chrysalis bent down and cupped Murmur’s chin in her hand. “Murmur, you were always one of my favorites, and yes, I mean that wholeheartedly. You reminded me of the days before all this, before we became what we are. You almost remind me of myself in my youth. I don’t wish to see you suffer; I know how much you care for these unborn. They will need your nurturing and caring to continue on, and I will need you close to me when the time comes that I may lay more.”
“W-W-What are you s-s-saying…? I-I can’t…You’ve turned away from everything that we once were…! If Queen Lilianna saw what you have done she…she would be ashamed of you…!”
Chrysalis removed her hand and, in that same motion, backhanded Murmur across her face, sending the Nurse Drone spiraling to the ground. She could taste some of her own blood in her mouth, along with the mana fluid that still dripped from the broken horn.
“Don’t you DARE speak my sister’s name in my presence! If you wish to shun and stay stuck in the old ways then you can die with them!”
~~~
“And that’s when she cast me out of the hive…I traveled north, as much as I knew that I was probably going to die out there, I needed to find you Princess Cadance, you and your apprentice, Star Sapphire! You two are the only ones who can save my race now,” said Murmur with teary eyes.
Cadance couldn’t believe what she was hearing, Chrysalis had converted her hive from feeding on love to feeding on fear instead, and what was this “other presence” that Murmur spoke of? Could it be one of the Negative Entities? Parallax is the Entity of Fear, but why would he side with Chrysalis? What does he stand to gain from this?
“Murmur…I’m not sure of what I can do to help your race. And, on top of that, my apprentice and I are…estranged at that moment, I don’t know where she is, or if she’ll even come if knew how to contact her,” said Cadance solemnly.
“Then…Then you must prepare yourselves, Princess Cadance. I know that my Queen – no…She is no longer my Queen, at least not the one I follow. Chrysalis will most likely invade the Crystal Empire.”
Cadance looked to Murmur with a serious gaze, “When?!”
“I do not know a specific time, but it was the one thing I was able to gleam from her mind when Ieas still connected. She intends revenge on you and your lifemate.”
“Thank you Murmur, I don’t know what I can do save the other Changelings, but I won’t let Chrysalis win.”
Murmur nodded to Cadance, she couldn’t really ask for more. And really, the Nurse Drone didn’t think that there wouldn’t be a way to avert the coming conflict at this point. Cadance however had to prepare for the inevitable, Love and Fear were about to go to war.
Luna was flying through the Astral Plains. As was her duty every night, the midnight blue alicorn would traverse this wondrous vastness, watching over the dreams of the ponies of Equestria. This was one of the things she missed during her imprisonment on the moon, being cut off from the realm of dreams and possibilities. Celestia had told Luna that she had on one or more occasions tried to become a protector of dreams, but every time Celestia entered and tried to be the Astral Plains’ warden, it would often force the solar mare back.
But the Astral Plains were happy again now that their caretaker had returned. Another thing that she was happy about, something that gave her even more joy was that the foals of Equestria had welcomed her back with open forelegs. Though they knew of the tales of Nightmare Moon and Luna’s connection with her that still didn’t stop the children of Equestria from seeing her as their “Dream Guardian” and their “Light in the Night”, Luna giggled whenever she first heard of those titles.
The Princess of the Night was just about done with her rounds of patrolling the Plains for any abnormalities or signs of nightmares plaguing a child. She even dispensed some advice here and there, although, whether or not the pony she gave it to would follow through with it was up to them.
This night, Luna had been watching over the dreams of three particular Equestrian citizens. The midnight blue mare hovered over the first orb of the night, it was a familiar one, but she also noticed that another orb hovered very close by. Luna used her magic to tap into both dreamscapes, sensing Scootaloo’s and Adara’s dreamscapes hovering next to each other. Proximity in the Physical World did not always equal closeness in the Astral Plains, but, when one feels deeply enough for another, they can connect through dreams, even from far distances.
Luna smiled as she saw both fillies having a joint dream, apparently one of them being older and living together in a house of their own in the skies. In this dream, Scootaloo was an accomplished Wonderbolt Ace, while Adara was also part of the team, and the medic of Scootaloo, Rainbow Dash, and other team members.
Satisfied that they were alright, Luna moved on to the next. The next dreamscape belonged to the Element of Generosity’s little sister, Sweetie Belle. In this dream she apparently seemed to be in a music hall, and Sweetie herself seemed to be a young mare. Sweetie was nervous, about to perform in front of a large audience, possibly going to sing. She backed up a few steps, rethinking the notion of going on and performing in front of so many. But Sweetie Belle stopped the moment she bumped into somepony. When she turned around, she gasped, and so did Luna.
Proselyte?!
Indeed it was, the one that Luna knew as the Entity of Compassion, was now standing behind Sweetie Belle, smiling kindly and reassuringly at the young mare. They exchanged a few words, Sweetie Belle smiled, and then they…Oh my…The two ponies kissed, it was a short, yet tender moment for the two of them. Sweetie Belle blushed when they separated, but it quickly diminished now that she was filled with new found confidence. The young mare then strode onto the stage where a crowd of hundreds was waiting, cheering for the star to appear. Luna stayed for a time to listen to the beautiful music young mare made. It lasted for a few minutes and Luna stayed to listen to the concert.
The Princess of the Night moved on, sensing her time within the Astral Plains was almost up, she needed to make one more stop. And it was one that she didn’t like. Luna flew back to where she began her jaunt, her own dreamscape. It was like a giant blue jewel in the endless expanse of the Astral Plains, but there one part that was kept segregated from her sphere. It was a black mass, with heavy chains wrapped around it. They were more symbolic than an actual means of restraint.
Luna flew up to the mass and stopped a few feet from its surface. The part she was staring at began to churn, swirling as it formed and grew out. Soon a face appeared, equine in appearance, with a singular long horn on its forehead. The eyes of this head opened, showing portals of turquoise that immediately contracted into slits. The head smiled at Luna, which only made her furrow her brow in anger.
“Well, well, well, nice to see you again, Luna.”
“I can’t say the same for you, Nightmare.”
“I’ve been meaning to ask you, why do you keep me here? You claim to never want to see again, and yet you keep me here. Why?”
“As much as I wish you gone from my mind…whether out of some misguided notion that you might be able to become something more than what you are…or just because I fear what might happen if you were to actually leave me…”
Nightmare chuckled upon hearing this. “Oh my, you really think you can make me be like you!? Weak, willing to do anything our ‘big sister’ tells us?! Luna, after all this time, you still take orders from her.”
“I do not ‘take orders’ from Tia. Everything has changed, Nightmare, I know you know this to be true. You’ve seen the world through my eyes, ponies appreciate the night, and even the foals see us as their protector.”
Nightmare Moon scoffed. “Hooray, the little snot nosed brats of Equestria love us, and it only took our banishment and a thousand years of loneliness upon the moon to make everypony see it! Face it Luna, you still resent Celestia, otherwise I wouldn’t have been able to latch onto your psyche for this long!”
Luna turned her back to Nightmare and snorted a little in frustration. “Perhaps, one day soon, you will learn that anger is not worth holding onto.”
(The Next Morning)
Luna didn’t like the fact that she had to hide Nightmare Moon away in her mind, especially from her dear older sister, Celestia. After how the elder alicorn welcomed her back with open forelegs, it was a jarring experience to say the least, seeing how much Equestria had changed since her banishment, and how the castle they once called home was now in ruins, and that a new one was erected on a mountainside. On that same day, away from the prying eyes and ears of all ponies, within the privacy of Celestia’s private chambers, the confident elder sister broke down and cried, apologizing and begging Luna for forgiveness when she was sent to the moon.
The Princess of the Moon had never seen her sister so heartbroken, so distraught, and knowing that it was her selfish actions that made her harbor these feelings for a thousand years, it tore her heart in two. The two sisters had spent a long time crying and holding each other, not wanting to be separated for a good long time, Luna’s presence brought Celestia peace and happiness, and it was the same for Luna. The long lonely millennia spent on the moon, with nopony to talk to but her own dark persona and she only fed her more and more reasons why Luna should not forgive Celestia, how they were the rightful rulers.
But that didn’t matter; none of it did, Luna was happy to be back with Celestia, to be held by her loving and caring older sister. Luna remembered that Celestia had canceled many of her meetings for the next couple of weeks, wanting nothing more than to be with her and her alone. It was in that comforting embrace that made Luna wish she had never become Nightmare Moon, thinking that her big sister didn’t care about her, how could she have thought such things back then? The rage, the sadness, it all blocked out the good memories of her life, and anchored onto the bad, letting them occupy her mind, festering like an open wound.
That’s the past, Luna thought. Focus on the now, and what’s ahead of you.
Luna was currently heading to the dining hall. Some nights she ran the Night Court, and didn’t bother to get up in the morning, if at all. While on others, Luna did as she had last night, traverse the Astral Plain and see into the dreams of her subjects, setting aside certain nights for her duties as Princess and her duties as a Dream Walker. It was during those times when her body rested and she could move about during the day and interact with her big sister and other ponies. She tried to fit these dream jaunts with any important meetings that took place during the day, so that she could be alert and be of better use to Celestia.
“Even though you don’t really do anything other than sit there and look pretty next to Tia.” Nightmare spoke within her mind.
My presence assures those attending such meetings that we take the matter seriously, Luna thought.
Luna heard Nightmare scoff. “Don’t give me that same placating drivel that she feeds Twilight Sparkle! Her only excuse is that she just became an alicorn, so her limited role is to be expected! But you – we – have lived just as long as Celestia, and know just as much.”
Maybe a thousand years ago, but things have changed, you know this. They’ve changed a lot…
“And whose fault do you think that is?!”
And who do you think was responsible for that happening in the first place? Luna countered, resulting in silence from her counterpart. Tia is just weaning us into the political system that was established long ago, so that we do not overstep our boundaries.
“Bureaucrats and Nobles, a thousand years ago the so called ‘nobility’ didn’t so much as breathe without our say so, and now they constantly come to Celestia and to you, whining and demanding this and that, trivial things that no one gives a rat’s ass about!”
……In that I will agree with you, but this is the way things are, now hush so that I may enjoy my breakfast with my sister.
“Hmm, wonder how she’d react if she knew you were still harboring me within your mind?”
Do not speak of things that will never be.
Breakfast was one of the few times that Luna could speak freely with her big sister. The dining room itself was a private one, not overtly enormous like some of the others in the castle, this was their designated place, shielded with spells to prevent eavesdropping and only allowing the cooks to come in and bring their meal for that morning. It was here, as well as in their private chambers, that the sisters could speak openly and freely, forgetting for that period of time that they were Princesses and just ponies.
“Why don’t you tell her Luna, I’m sure ‘Tia’ would be happy to hear that I’m still kicking around up here in your mind?”
You really need to be silent now.
Despite her annoying dark persona, Luna did notice that Celestia’s features seemed droopy, as if troubled by something. “Sister, what is wrong?”
“Huh – What?” Celestia was snapped out of her deep thinking and blushed a little for her rudeness of ignoring Luna. “I’m sorry Lulu, did you say something?”
“I merely asked if there was something the matter, but seeing as how you reacted, I would assume there was.”
Celestia sighed a little, “I’ve been combing over the reports from the various Royal Guard stations around Equestria, looking for any signs that the Negative Entities have tried to cause harm to our subjects. But so far there is nothing. No mass paranoia onset by fear, no looting and rioting from sheer greed, and, thankfully, no loss of life, at least, ones that weren’t of natural causes and accidents,” she amended.
“Maybe the Negative Entities are just as the others, curious about our world, and maybe wanting to find a place in it.”
Luna thought to her own dark entity, Nightmare Moon. She was born from the anger and jealousy that Luna felt long ago, her alter ego was born from darkness, but, like Discord, there was still maybe a chance that the Nightmare could be reformed if given a reason to. Luna mentally chastised herself, keeping Nightmare Moon contained. She knew it was better to destroy the dark one and be rid of it forever. But…Luna couldn’t help but feel that it was not her fault for being what she was, born of negativity and not given a chance to live. And then, there was the nagging feeling that if she did get rid of Nightmare Moon, that some part of her would be going along with her.
“Quite the conundrum, isn’t it Luna?”
Silence!
Suddenly there was flash of light and a scroll appeared. Hovering a couple of feet above the table they sat at. “I thought this dining room was warded against interruptions?”
“It is, but look closer.” Celestia took the scroll in her magical grasp, bringing it closer for Luna to inspect. “Three red ribbons, the only time when these are put on a scroll is when –”
“When there is a matter of great urgency,” finished Luna.
Celestia nodded and quickly opened it. Her magenta eyes scanned over the message, let out a few gasps here and there, and would scrunch her face in contemplation at other points. It was starting to make Luna anxious, not knowing what she was reading. Three ribbons could have meant anything, a natural disaster, a potential war, the death of some pony important or close to them. Luna silently prayed it wasn’t the third possibility. After a minute and a half of reading the letter, Celestia looked to her younger sister with a troubled expression.
“What does it say?!”
“There has been an incident in Stalliongrad, Windigos appeared in the city and caused mayhem…”
Luna immediately rose from her sitting position, adopting a stern and determined expression. “Then we must away, assemble Twilight and her friends dear sister and we’ll –!”
“There’s no need Luna,” she assured, “From the looks of it, the incident was resolved…By one of the Negative Entities no less.”
The Princess of the Night raised a curious eyebrow at this news. “One of the Negatives, which one?!”
Celestia reread the letter to make sure she was right before answering, “From what it says, there was an abundance of ‘red light’, from a minotaur. If I remember correctly from what the others told us, red is the color of the light of Rage, the Butcher!”
“So, what is it that needs to be done?” asked Luna.
“From what it says, their asking for help to identify a creature that they believe was fighting the Windigos, it’s apparently trapped in a giant, ruby red glacier.” Celestia went silent for a moment, her gaze narrowed as her mind went to work.
“Uh-oh, you know that look, she’s already thinking of the best way to handle the situation. No doubt she will ask you to take care of things here in Canterlot, while she goes off to do something important, leaving you to do all the busy work, not trusting you to handle such a serious situation.”
“Sister,” said Luna quickly, “I shall investigate whether or not the creature is the Butcher or not.”
Celestia looked to her younger sister with trepidation, “I-I don’t know Lulu, perhaps we should ask one of the other four to accompany you to Stalliongrad, just in case this is a trap.”
“And now she doubts your power, typical Tia.”
“I assure you that I will be fine, Entity of Rage or not, I do not fall easily. Trust me Tia, let me do this, besides, it is not as if I have much to do in the day.”
Celestia felt a pang of guilt; it was true that Luna’s duties during the day were far less than those of hers. Even during the Night Court, although she did get some ponies in to see her, Luna didn’t have the same amount of nobles and petitioners come to see her as they did during the day, and many of those who did were from earlier in the day, thinking that they might get a different answer from Luna. After thinking it over for a minute, Celestia came to a decision.
(Stalliongrad, 24 Hours Later)
Luna had made the long journey to the border city of Stalliongrad, and when she arrived, her heart sank. The hospitals were filled with many victims from the Windigos hate influence. Some had died, lost limbs, were crippled, severely injured, or had a psychotic break from the knowledge that they had harmed their fellow pony or griffon, most of these types came from when they found out they had killed or harmed their best friend, lover, or family member.
What made it worse was that adults weren’t the only ones involved in the frenzy, all ponies and griffons, of many varying ages, were engaged in the brawl. No doubt she’d have to visit these ponies in their dreams, knowing full well that they will need a lot of counseling, and a little aid within their dreams to help cope and heal from this tragedy.
But, as tragic as this was, this was not her main worry. The Royal Guards and the Border Patrol Officers had guided the Princess of the Night to the frozen wasteland that had served as the battlefield for the Windigos and the mysterious red minotaur. Once there, Luna gasped at the sight. A giant glacier stood before her, blood red like a ruby. Luna unfurled her wings and flew up to the glacier, climbing higher and higher until she could see the face of the creature that dwelled within. It was just as Ion and Adara had described him, the Butcher, Entity of Rage.
Luna landed on the ground, where several unicorn scientist busy trying to figure out what the ice was made of and what the creature was inside, of course Luna knew, but the Entities identities were to be kept secret from the public at large. A large perimeter had been set up to prevent anypony or griffon from coming near the glacier, both because this fight still took place on Equestrian soil, and because Luna didn’t want anything setting off the Butcher.
“What have you discovered thus far?” asked Luna.
“It’s…uncanny, this ice is unlike anything I’ve ever seen! It’s energized with a unknown power, the crazy thing is, the power seems to be emanating from within the glacier, charging the ice, and making it stronger, but the source doesn’t seem to be weakening!”
Luna looked back to the red glacier and scrunched her face in contemplation. So, the Butcher’s infinite light of Rage keeps the ice from breaking. The Windigos must’ve not been able to defeat him, so they instead froze him, he’ll trapped in there so long as he continues to emit rage energy, the ice will keep him captive.
“You’re highness, what do you suppose we do with it then? The locals on both sides of the border are, understandably, restless at having this thing here any longer,” said the BP Officer.
Luna pondered the question; obviously they couldn’t keep the thing near the border of Griffonia and Equestria, not with all that had happened here. And there was too great a risk that some radicals might find a way to release the Butcher. There was only one other option. Tia’s not going to like this…
(Two days and one airship ride later)
Thankfully, Luna was able to move the giant glacier into an underground section of Canterlot Castle. Since the mines were, mysteriously, stripped of all their crystals, the inside was reinforced to prevent a cave in, and now serves as a temporary prison for the Entity of Rage.
Luna looked upon the icy prison of the red bull from the platform, the Butcher frozen in a moment of fierce expression. She had moved the giant thing closer to where the other Positive Entities were, considering that three out of the four lived in Ponyville, if something were to happen, they could easily rush to Canterlot and subdue the beast.
Just as they told us, this ice will not melt so long as he continues to feed it rage, but this thing…It is unsettling.
“In a good way Luna, it is power, pure, unbridled power! Could you imagine the kind of might we’d wield if we united our strength with its!?”
I’d rather not.
Luna continued to stare at the glacier, her eyes drifting to that of the Butcher’s eyes. For a moment they were locked, a stirring began to happen within Luna. Old memories started to resurface, ones she had moved passed and was willing to forget, but for some reason they started to gnaw at her mind.
“Luna?”
“WHAT!?” she snapped.
Luna turned her head and saw that it was Celestia, who was now looking at her with concern. “I…I was looking for you, the Guards said that you were down here, checking the on the glacier. Is…Is everything alright?”
The midnight blue alicorn shook her head, feeling her face contort into a scowl. She centered herself, taking in a deep breath before saying anything to her sister.
“I’m fine, Tia. Just a little edgy from this thing being here, but, rather somewhere we can keep an eye on it than far away where we can’t.”
Celestia approached her little sister, and stood beside Luna. She too gazed upon the solid block of ice that housed the Butcher, and it made her shiver knowing that the only thing that kept the a creature with such enormous power from wreaking havoc on the city and everypony in it was a few hundred yards of blood red ice.
“We’ll inform the other Entities tomorrow, maybe they might be able to figure out where the remaining two are through the Butcher.” Celestia said.
“Tia…I was, during my time in Stallinongrad, I was told that the Butcher assumed the form a minotaur, and that he was the one responsible for stopping the Windigos. This was corroborated by at least two griffonesses, and one pegasus mare who claimed to have been saved by him during an altercation the day before the incident.”
Celestia looked to Luna curiously. “Where are you going with this?”
“I was simply wondering, do you think that he might be able to change his ways?”
The Princess of the Day pondered her little sister’s query, looking down at the floor as her mind came to a conclusion. “In truth, Luna, I do not.”
Luna’s expression became surprised the moment she heard this. “How could you say that Tia, if Discord could be reformed just by taking on a friend, is it not possible for this creature to do the same, he has already showed that he is willing to protect others!”
“Lulu…Discord is…was…something else. He wasn’t always the Spirit of Chaos…In my folly, I failed to stop what he was to become…”
“You did not tell me this,” said Luna, “You told me that Discord rose up from the disharmony that still resided in the hearts of the three pony tribes, and that disharmony was given form in Discord.”
Celestia wore a look of shame on her face, and it only confirmed Luna’s suspicions that her sister had lied to her about something important as Discord. “In truth, he was a unicorn, a gifted one. A young colt I mentored from a young age…He grew up to be Spell Binder, but little did I know that the colt, now a stallion, had not just grown to see me as a mentor, but did also grow attached to me.”
“Attached…?”
Celestia’s expression of shame grew. “He was…infatuated with me. Spell Binder was an orphan foal, but I saw in him the potential for greatness. Do you remember him?”
Luna thought back to long ago, about a unicorn colt whom her older sister took in and taught the art of magic to. She also remembered talking to Spell Binder, watching him grow into a handsome stallion, and, if she was being honest with herself, Luna had developed a little crush on him as well. She even tried to make advances on him, subtle ones, since it was considered un-princess like conduct to openly pursue a colt back then. Especially when said colt was her sister’s pupil, some would consider it a scandal.
The young mare at the time didn’t get farther than an honest friendship with the unicorn mage, but she thought in time he might grow to like her. But now Luna learns that Spell Binder didn’t take notice because she wasn’t being forward, he only had eyes for Celestia.
“Seems Celestia still doesn’t trust you with some of her dark secrets, how unfortunate, but then again, how did he become that mishmash of chaos?”
“How did he become Discord, Tia!?”
Celestia sighed heavily, “He…Spell Binder, he tried to become like us. He knew that, even if I were to return his affections, there was no way to escape his mortality. That I would live on and he would eventually pass away, he found a way to become like us, immortal, through the power of chaos, but he did not realize what it would do to him…I –”
Luna stamped her hoof on the floor, causing Celestia to flinch. “You kept something like this from me!? Why!? Did you not think I could handle the truth!?”
“No, because I was afraid how much it would hurt you to know of this. Especially when you heard of the passing of Snowdrop…”
Luna’s eyes went wide when she heard the name of her friend and she scowled at Celestia for mentioning her dear friend’s name.
“Don’t you dare speak her name in front of me!”
Celestia could hear the harshness in her little sister’s voice, she then extended a wing to hug her, but her downy white wing was slapped away by Luna’s, causing Celestia to back away in shock.
“Don’t you touch me! Even after all this time, you still treat me like a child Tia!”
Luna then turned around and stormed out of the cavern, leaving Celestia behind to wallow in her shame and sadness for not being straight and honest with her sister from the beginning.
Luna found herself back in her old Castle, the palace looked the same, but there was something wrong, something ominous about the place she was once called home. Luna found that things were bigger than she once remembered as she walked the halls, it wasn’t until she passed by a suit of armor and looked at herself in its shield did she notice why things were bigger.
Luna was a filly, at least twelve years of age. Her coat was cobalt blue, and her mane had not the ethereal starry flow it used to, instead it was a light shade of blue, the same as her tail. Of course it didn’t startle her that much, this was the form Tia and herself had before they had become more attuned to their new alicorn powers. It made Luna think how Cadance and Twilight would look once they had aged and got more attuned to their alicorn magic. But those thoughts could wait, Luna needed to find Celestia, she didn’t know why, but she felt an overwhelming urge to go to her big sister.
The alicorn filly made her way into the throne room, seeing her big sister sitting upon her personal throne. She was different as well, her mane wasn’t flowing and multicolored, it was normal like hers, but a vibrant pink color. She looked to be fourteen years of age, but somehow she always managed to look older than she really appeared, it wasn’t a spell or some illusion, it was just the way she was, much like how Luna looked younger than her real age.
Celestia was busy looking over some documents when Luna trotted up to her older sister, “Tia…?”
The white alicorn mare stopped her perusing of her papers and lowered them to look at her little sister. “What’s the matter Lulu, you should be in bed, it’s late.”
“I…I know, I just had a bad dream is all…”
Celestia smiled comfortingly, she then scooted over in her throne and patted the empty space. Luna walked up to the throne and sat in the empty space next to her big sister, she then felt as Celestia draped her wing over her shoulders, bringing the young alicorn close to her. Luna nuzzled Celestia’s foreleg, humming contently as she did so.
“Now, tell me what happened, what was your bad dream about?”
Luna hesitated, but confided in her big sister. “It…It was about us…when we’re older. I…I get really angry with you, because you thought I was weak, useless, and that nopony likes me, and I become something, a monster. And then you use some kind of magic to send me to the moon for a thousand years…”
Celestia tightened her embrace upon hearing this, “Luna, I would never do that to you! And you would never become a monster, not so long as I am here!”
“I know…But it felt so real…And you were lonely, and the only thing I could think about while on the moon was how I was going to hurt you, all I could see and think were bad things, really bad things!”
Luna shook, remembering all the tortures and degrading acts her bad dream had shown her that she would do to her sister. Tears started to stream down her face, thinking herself an awful little sister, and a bad pony for even having such a dream. The little alicorn filly felt her sister’s hoof touch her chin, gently raising it to meet her loving gaze.
“Luna, I love you, and would never ever make you feel that way, nor allow anypony to make you think that you that you are. You know that.”
The cobalt blue alicorn smiled and nuzzled closer to her big sister. “Thank you, Tia, I love you.”
“I know you do…In fact, I think it’s time I showed you just how much I love you.”
Luna looked up at Celestia curiously, “I don’t understand, how?”
“Luna, you know that you and I will live for a long time, longer than anypony. I think it’s time we strengthen our bond and take it further than just that of sisters…”
“Tia, what are you sa –!”
The alicorn filly was silenced when her sister’s lips crashed onto hers. Luna’s eyes went wide with shock, Celestia was kissing her! And not just some harmless peck, she was kissing her as if she were her lover. Luna tried to move away, but the limited space of the throne made it hard for her to get away. Celestia continued to kiss her passionately, pushing her against the throne. She separated, and looked down lustfully at her younger sister.
“Only you and I can be together forever, nopony else can love you the way I do, Lulu.”
Luna stared at Celestia, her mouth agape with shock and disgust at what Celestia had just done. Luna slipped away and fell off the throne, tumbling down the steps until she landed on the floor in a heap. She then looked back up at the throne, to her sister, and continued to back away, crawling on the ground.
“No…Tia no! We’re sisters, this is incest! You can’t do this even if we are immortal! I love you but…I don’t love you that way!”
“Luna,” Celestia started walking down from her throne, stalking towards Luna like a predator, “I know it will be difficult, but you’ll see, once you accept these feelings, that it’s natural, no one will look down on us, we’re stronger than them, and we’re royalty.”
“No…No…NO!!!”
Luna ran through the throne room doors and kept on running through the halls, hearing the voice of her sister from behind her.
“You can’t run from this Lulu, I’ll always be here waiting for you…”
Luna continued to gallop through the halls, the scenery started to change along with her body, she grew taller and older. Soon the entire area changed and the castle had become that of the one she and Celestia occupied, the Castle of the Two Sisters. Luna found herself in a laboratory, filled with beakers and test tubes, and books of the arcane arts. She saw Spell Binder in the distance and ran faster to him, she needed to feel safe, and right now, even knowing that he had no romantic affection for her, she needed a friend.
“Spell Binder, thank goodness, I need your help! Tia – I mean – Celestia, she…she…she kissed me! She said she wanted to be more than sisters! I don’t know what to do! Spell Binder, I know this may sound disturbing, but swear I am not making this up!” There was no response from the unicorn.
“Okay, I have everything I need to become more than a simple unicorn! Finally I’ll be able to become an immortal being, one that can stand side by side with you!”
Luna looked to the shadows in the corner of the room and watched as Celestia walked towards Spell Binder. “Of course, we’ll be together forever.”
“NO SPELL BINDER, DON’T DO IT!!!”
But it was too late; the unicorn stallion cast the spell and was quickly engulfed in the light of chaos magic. The power twisted his form and changed him into the Spirit of Chaos, Discord. Celestia moved around the draconequus and looked directly at Luna.
“Luna, I don’t do this because I like it, you have to realize that only you and I can be together.”
“NO!!! GET AWAY FROM ME YOU SICK MARE!!!”
Luna ran, but once again the scenery changed, she was no longer in the castle, but instead she was standing on the moon, staring out into the darkness and the blue orb that is planet Equus. Luna was now in her older form, with a flowing mane and midnight blue coat.
“No, how am I on the moon!?”
“It’s where I sent you, remember?”
Luna turned around and watched as Celestia slowly walked towards her, taking her time. The Princess of the Night entered a combative stance, lowering her horn and scowling at Celestia.
“Enough Tia, this obsession ends now!”
“‘Obsession’? This is love, if you’d only accept my feelings than this would all be needless. Luna, the further you push, the more I’m afraid I’m going to have to resort to drastic measures to make you understand.”
“What ‘drastic measures’!?”
Celestia’s horn lit up and in a flash of light, Snowdrop appeared on the lunar surface. Luna’s heard filled with joy upon seeing her beloved friend, but it was not to last. Snowdrop immediately started to gasp for air, Luna remembered that they were on the moon; she and Celestia may be able to exist in this void, but not Snowdrop. Luna readied to cast a spell to save the pegasus mare, but was stopped by Celestia, casting a spell of restriction around her horn. She even bound her legs in glowing gold mana chains, keeping her rooted to the spot where she stood.
The solar mare trotted around Snowdrop and right to Luna’s side. With a spark of her horn she forced her younger sister to the ground as she lay beside her, gently stroking her mane as she made Luna watch her friend slowly suffocate.
“Tia please save her! Please, I’ll do anything!”
“I’m sorry Lulu,” Celestia nuzzled Luna’s neck affectionately, sniffing her to take in her scent, “but you have to learn your lesson.”
The powder blue pegasus mare reached out to Luna, and Luna struggled to do the same. But it was too late; Snowdrop stopped her gasping breaths and went still. Luna’s eyes filled with tears at seeing the only friend she had left die before her eyes. Despite this, Celestia continued to show her affection for her younger sister, and Luna felt no need to fight it.
“That’s right Lulu. I am the only one who can make you happy. Be mine, body and soul, and let us deepen our bond as eternal sisters…”
“…I…I will make you pay for this…!”
(That Morning)
Celestia was resting in her chambers, her night had been anything but peaceful as thoughts of Luna and her subsequent anger from the revelation of Spell Binder was made known. The solar mare got out from her bed and made her way to the balcony from which she oversaw the raising of the sun. Although, for some reason, the moon hadn’t been lowered at all, which made Celestia worry, perhaps Luna was still angry about the other day, but she supposed she could lower the moon this time.
Setting her horn aglow, Celestia tapped into the magic she hadn’t used for a long time. It was always a little more draining to lower the moon, since it was against her alignment, that, and she hadn’t done it for a while since Luna returned. Celestia grasped the moon, it was a little resistant to her call, but the moon eventually yielded to her and allowed itself to sink below the horizon. Celestia took a moment to compose herself, she then began to raise the sun, making it peak over the horizon. Once it had reached that point, Celestia let it go and allowed the sun to move under its own power. With that done, Celestia returned to her earlier thoughts.
Honestly she had meant to tell Luna about Discord’s origins and the reason behind his reform, but she didn’t know how best to break it to her, knowing that she had feelings for the young spell caster. The look of betrayal and hurt in Luna’s eyes, it almost reminded her of…
“No,” she spoke, “things have changed, Luna is more understanding now, she knows…I’m lying to myself, I need to be more open with her, I need –”
Suddenly Celestia’s bedroom wall was blasted open, sending the mare sprawling to the floor from the shockwave. Celestia tried to regain her senses but was stopped from the looming over her, and staring down with hate filled eyes. Her appearance was disheveled as if she hadn’t gotten a good night sleep, her regalia wasn’t even on, much like herself, either she had discarded it or Luna just got out of bed the same as her.
“L-Luna what are you –!?”
“SILENCE!” Luna slammed her hoof onto her chest, knocking the wind out of Celestia’s lungs. “Do you enjoy this Tia!?”
“W-What…do you…mean!?”
“Do you enjoy tormenting me!? Taking away all those who mean anything to me! You steal Spell Binder’s heart and drive him to turn himself into that monstrosity! And then…you send me to the moon, and prevent me even saying goodbye to Snowdrop!” Celestia watched as her younger sister stared at her, tears welling up in her eyes. “Luna…I’m sorry I did not tell you…And I’m sorry you did not get to see Snowdrop before her passing…”
“You love this don’t you!? Because we’re immortal, we only have each other, but you don’t want to see me happy do you!? You want me totally dependent on you! To do anything and everything you say without question! Is this just some kind of sick game to you!? Or do you have some sick wish to bed me once I’ve completely submitted to you!?”
Celestia couldn’t let that one go. “THAT IS ABSURD! I WOULD NEVER DO ANY OF THAT TO YOU!”
“Maybe it’s time for our subjects to see the real you! Even if…if…!”
Suddenly, something snapped inside of Luna, she felt it, something had broken deep, deep down inside of her.
“Well done Luna, now it’s my time to shine again!”
Luna jumped back from Celestia, screaming in agony as the transformation started. Darkness swirled around her, obscuring her from view. Celestia watched in horror as the silhouette of her younger sister was being changed into something else, a sense of déjà vu was quickly washing over her and Celestia knew what this meant. The silhouette grew taller, her horn longer and sharper, and glowing turquoise eyes that turned into menacing slits.
The sphere broke apart, sending shards of dark energy splintering off and piercing through the walls, shredding everything in their path. Celestia opened her eyes and saw the mare that she had hoped was gone forever. Bearing her dagger like fangs, a coat as black as night, and a starry, ethereal mane that undulated unbidden of the wind, the dreaded Mare in the Moon, the dark persona of her little sister, Nightmare Moon.
Celestia rose up, staring at the dark mare before her in disbelief and resentment. “How are you here?! The Elements of Harmony destroyed you and set Luna free!”
“Humph, yes, but I survived. My physical form was gone, yes, but my mind and spirit lived. Luna, unfortunately, found out about my presence and contained me within the deepest parts of her mind. But enough about me, time to focus on you!”
Nightmare Moon charged her horn and fired a beam of black and blue energy at Celestia. The Princess of the Day quickly erected a golden barrier around herself just as the beam smashed against her shield. The beam pushed her further and further back, edging her closer to the balcony. Nightmare Moon released a second burst, bolstering the beam’s might and pushing Celestia right out of her room and into the open air. A large scorching hole was left where the balcony once was, the stone hissing from the intense heat of the attack.
Celestia floated in midair, her shield still holding, barely. She had lowered the moon and raised the sun earlier and her magic wasn’t at its full strength, the alabaster mare thought to teleport to Ponyville and call upon the aid of Twilight and her friends. But before she could contemplate such a thing, Nightmare Moon flew out of the scorching hole and right at Celestia, her entire body glowing with her dark magical energy. The Mare in the Moon hurled herself at the barrier; the force of her charge combined with her magical energy shattered the barrier. Celestia quickly folded her wings and dropped out the sky, evading the piercing horn of the dark mare.
Celestia unfurled her wings and hovered in midair, looking up at the creature that was once her sister. “Luna, listen to me! You mustn’t allow Nightmare Moon to take control! You’re stronger than her, fight it!”
Nightmare Moon turned to look down at Celestia, laughing mockingly loud. “She wanted this dear big sister! She wanted me to come back, because of you! Always looking down on us,” Nightmare Moon’s horn was aglow, and suddenly Celestia was wrapped in her telekinetic aura, “never treating us as real equals,” she then hoisted Celestia up to her level, and with a burst of telekinesis, shot the alicorn mare through the air.
Celestia smashed through several walls before stopping in the throne room. Royal Guards all scrambled to her side upon seeing the spectacle, but before Celestia could warn them to leave her another explosion was heard further down the hall. The explosions got closer, and closer.
“Form a defensive line around the Princess, now!”
Royal Guard unicorns all assembled before Celestia, horns blazing with mana as they formed a barrier wall with their united magical power. Nightmare Moon eventually destroyed the next wall, entering the throne room and seeing the barrier that had been created to stop her. She chuckled at the sight. You’d think they would’ve learned their lesson.
Nightmare Moon’s ethereal mane rose up above her and joined at the center. A sphere of energy formed, growing in mass with each passing second. With a great cry, Nightmare Moon hurled the sphere right at the barrier, destroying it and sending the Royal Guards flying to all corners of the room. The Mare in the Moon grinned at seeing the alabaster mare on the floor, bare without her regalia, she felt as if she had stripped her of her dignity and was relishing the thought of parading her around like this. Beaten, weak, and helpless, oh how she would love to see the faces of her soon-to-be subjects once they beheld the sight.
The dark mare approached Celestia, listening as she heard soft whimpers coming from the regal Princess. “Oh don’t worry, Tia. It will only hurt for a little while longer, I’ll put you out of your pathetic misery soon enough. Who knows, I may even keep you around for entertainment purposes.”
Suddenly, a flash of light appeared from under Celestia, and that same moment, the flash of light zoomed forth past Nightmare Moon’s left cheek. The Mare in the Moon felt searing pain as she quickly jumped back. Her slit turquoise eyes looked at the damage and saw a scar on her cheek, bleeding and hissing. Nightmare gazed angrily at her opposite and scowled upon what she saw.
Celestia stood to her full height, horn glowing, wings flared, and eyes narrowed as she stared down Nightmare Moon. Beside her was the instrument from which caused her injury. It was a halberd, with a polished white oak shaft at least eight feet in length. At the butt of the shaft was a golden cap, with three blades shooting off to the right, left, and down. Further up the shaft the Crest of the Sun was at the center connecting it to a long golden ax blade, a three foot spike, and a five foot long blade at the top, perfect for stabbing or slashing. This was Celestia’s prized weapon, her greatest tool in combating evil, Daylight Glare.
“I was hesitant to use this when we first met, Nightmare. Because I was hoping beyond hope, that I could reach my little sister, but now I see that I cannot hold back against you! I made that mistake once, it will not happen again! You will not prevail, Nightmare! Elements of Harmony or no Elements, I will set my sister free from you once and for all!!!”
Nightmare Moon fired yet another powerful mana beam at the infuriating Princess, but Celestia was ready. She brought Daylight Glare up and slashed the beam in half, parting it down the middle as the two halves shot through the wall behind her. Nightmare Moon stopped her beam attack and launched a volley of energy blasts at Celestia.
The solar mare took a defensive stance, swatting the blasts away with her halberd one after the other. Celestia decided to take this opportunity; it may be her one shot. With a flap of her wings, Celestia zoomed towards Nightmare Moon. The Mare in the Moon continued to lob one blast after the other, but Celestia continued to deflect them or cut them in half as she drew closer. Celestia took careful aim and, with a fierce and teary eyed glare, pierced the blade of her halberd into Nightmare Moon’s chest, resulting in a thunderous boom that echoed through the palace.
The two alicorns were still as statues. Nightmare Moon’s mouth was gaping open in shock, her pupils reduced to thin slits. Surprisingly, there was no blood dripping from the point where the blade pierced her chest, only a faint light glowed from the wound.
~~~
Celestia was in an abyss, the darkness that was Nightmare Moon. She searched through this seemingly endless ocean of nothingness until she found something glimmering in the shadows. Celestia flew towards this light and gasped happily upon what she saw. It was a sphere of shimmering blue and silver light, and within it was Luna, curled up into a ball, unchanged by the power of Nightmare Moon. She could hear faint crying coming from the orb, and it made her heart ache.
“Lulu, can you hear me?!”
Luna stopped crying for a moment and uncurled herself. Her eyes went wide at the sight of her older sister, but just as quickly, she looked away in shame. “Leave me Tia…”
“I will not! Not this time, never again!”
“I cause you nothing but pain and heartache…”
“That is not true Lulu!” Celestia shouted.
“Even when you try to do the right thing, to try and make me understand, and yet I still act like a damn child…selfish and willing to believe the worst of you…”
Celestia couldn’t help but feel even more guilt forming within her. “In truth…Luna, you are not the one who is selfish…I am…” Luna looked back to Celestia curiously. “Maybe it was just my protective instincts as your big sister, but everything we went through, all the trials and tribulations, all the pain and sorrow, and then having the responsibility of ruling Equestria on the day we ascended. It all got to me, I knew things would be different, that there would be those who would want to gain power through us, or take our lives in search of it. I tried to keep all that focus on me, the responsibility, and the burden, that you may focus on having a happy foalhood…”
Luna wiped her eyes and allowed herself a small smile. “It was a happy foalhood, Tia. Despite some things, but other than those few things, the good always outweighed the bad.”
“But I kept you too close to me! I kept you from spreading your wings fully, even when you asked me for more responsibility, all I could think about was the fear of what may come. In so doing, I allowed Spell Binder to become Discord…And I only wanted you closer after that…I was foolish…”
The midnight blue alicorn stood up and faced her sister with a stern look. “No, Tia, the blame is equally mine! I should’ve seen what you were doing, but all I did was focus on the negatives of your actions, and never the reasons behind them…”
Celestia ventured a smile, “I know I said once that we wouldn’t make any more mistakes like those of the past, but this time I’m willing to make that promise again, and for it to be truer now than it was before!” The solar mare reached out her right hoof. “Please Luna, let me take you away from this cold isolation, from this darkness!?”
Luna, eyes filled with tears, tentatively she reached out with her own hoof, but stopped and retracted it. “I…I’m afraid, Tia…What will happen if I separate myself from Nightmare…? She was born from me and I feel a connection, I thought she could be changed like Discord, but now I see that she is a nothing more than darkness, but it is my darkness…”
Celestia wanted to say that she wouldn’t let anything happen to her, but that’s what got her and Luna into this mess in the first place, and so, she had to say the words that she knew a big sister would say to her little sister. “What do you think you should do, Lulu? Will you allow the Nightmare to be stronger than you, or will you, Princess Luna, rise above it. This choice is yours dear little sister.”
Luna was surprised by that response, but it also filled her with confidence, Celestia was trusting Luna’s judgment in this situation. In this, she was given the burden; her decision would either set her free or trap here in the hate, sorrow, and darkness. Luna looked to the confident expression on Celestia’s face, and her decision was made clear.
The midnight blue alicorn’s horn shined with the light of her mana, blazing forth like a star. Celestia closed her eyes for a moment, but quickly opened them, smiling at what she saw. Floating beside Luna was a scimitar, with a powder blue hilt, a golden crescent guard, and a five foot long, curved blade, sparkling like silver starlight. This was Luna’s mighty weapon. That which cut down the dark creatures that dared haunt her night, Midnight Crescent.
Luna raised the sword over her head, and with a loud battle cry, slashed the sphere open. Celestia sidestepped to the left, allowing the power radiated by the sword to continue cutting through the darkness. The wave of silver-blue light continued to expand farther and farther until it smashed against something in the abyss, creating cracks of light.
“Let’s go, Tia.”
~~~
Celestia removed her halberd quickly and jumped back several feet. Nightmare Moon’s body began to writhe, glowing with conflicting auras of blue, silver, and black light. Something strange began to occur, Midnight Crescent’s blade started to pierce through Nightmare Moon’s body, letting loose a bright light. In the next moment an explosion of light flooded the room and Celestia heard the distinct “oomph’s” of two separate ponies. When the light died down, Celestia saw that Luna was laying against the wall to her right; she immediately rushed to her little sister’s side and began to nuzzle her, rousing her to wake.
Luna moaned and groaned, feeling the strain of whatever it was she did. Her eyes opened as she gazed on the blurry sight of something white. Once her vision came back into focus, Luna smiled happily to see Celestia, returning the affectionate nuzzle.
“Welcome back, Lulu,” said Celestia with a slight tremble in her voice.
“I missed you, Tia.” Luna responded in kind.
But the celebration was not to last, the sound of approaching hoofsteps caught the two sisters’ attention.
“It…It can’t be…!”
“How is this possible!?”
Nightmare Moon stood before them, panting and glaring daggers at the two sisters. “You thought you could be rid of me that easily Luna!? I knew that one day you might try and end our bond, so I sought to keep enough of your magic left over to make sure I could create a new body! And now you shall feel my wrath, both of you!”
Nightmare Moon fired a torrential beam of black and blue mana at the two alicorns. Celestia immediately created a barrier to block the attack, preparing for the powerful force that was soon to impact her shield. But once it did, the impact itself felt light, barely anything at all. Celestia looked in confusion at Nightmare Moon and indeed saw that she was pouring a good amount of magic into the attack. Celestia didn’t know if this was just to psych her out, but she was going to act fast before the dark mare had a chance. Celestia raised Daylight Glare and slashed the air, dispersing the beam and cancelling it out completely.
Nightmare Moon recoiled from forced cancellation of her attack, nearly sending her mind reeling from the mental impact, it surprised her. “What…How did you do that!?”
“I’ve felt gusts of wind that carried more punch than that Nightmare!” Celestia gazed over Nightmare’s form, her eyes locking onto something that made the solar diarch smirk. “And now I know why.”
“WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT!!?” Nightmare Moon looked in the direction that Celestia was and gasped in horror at the sight. “My…My cutie mark…! WHAT DID YOU DO TO MY CUTIE MARK!!?”
Luna rose from the floor and gave Nightmare Moon a stern look. “You mean my cutie mark, Nightmare. You are a product of myself, everything that I was, everything that you were, is and always was me. Without me at your center, you are a nothing, a phantom, a shadow. Even the greatest of your magic came from me. You may’ve taken a good portion of my power, but on my way out I severed many of the coils that anchor you to the physical world.”
Nightmare Moon’s eyes went wide; she didn’t realize that Luna had done so much to her before being expelled from her body. “You…how could you do this to me!!?”
“You brought this on yourself,” began Luna.
“And now we’ll finish it,” said Celestia.
Midnight Crescent and Daylight Glare crossed before Luna and Celestia, forming an X shape. The two alicorn mares rose up into the air, their bodies glowing with the joint magical power of Day and Night.
“TOGETHER!!!”
Gold and white light, mixed with blue and silver light, united together, forming the crest of the united sun and moon before releasing a giant blast of energy upon Nightmare Moon. The Mare in the Moon had no energy to teleport, nor did she feel she had the strength to fly away fast enough, so she did the only thing she could do. Nightmare Moon brought up a barrier, knowing that it might not be able to take the full force, but maybe it would hold long enough to take the majority of the damage.
The beam washed over Nightmare’s barrier, forcing her down. The floor buckled under the strain of the conflicting powers and eventually broke open. The beam continued to throw Nightmare further down through the palace into the mountain itself.
Nightmare Moon was in a cavern, her vision was filled with shades of glittering red. She cracked open one of her eyes and saw the giant glacier that housed the Butcher; she realized now how far Celestia’s and Luna’s attack had taken her. Groggily she rose up, feeling all the cuts and scratches upon her body. Her turquoise eyes stung with tears, she hated this, this whole situation. Even now that she had finally obtained a body once again it would not last. She could already feel the magic that was sustaining her start to leave her body, and soon she’d become nothing.
Just then, Luna and Celestia flew through the tunnel their beam had created and landed on the platform a few feet from where Nightmare Moon was. Their ancient weapons floated beside them, ready to strike down the maleficent mare.
“Nightmare, it’s over,” said Celestia, “but it doesn’t have to be.”
“There may still be hope for you yet, as you are now a living being. Surrender now, and we can help you, you may still be able to turn away from the path of darkness and hate,” said Luna, genuinely taking pity upon her dark persona.
Nightmare Moon gritted her teeth as her anger seethed within her eyes. “I hate you…both of you!”
BA-DUM…
“I was born from both of you, do you realize that!?” Nightmare looked to Celestia. “You! The source of Luna’s anger and jealousy, if it weren’t for your overprotectiveness, I would not be formed at all! And you!” She now turned her gaze to Luna. “You gave birth to me, from day one I was nothing more than what you made me to be!”
BA-DUM…!
“I am your bastard child, Celestia, Luna! I am what you have created me from! I will never change! I will never stop hating you or those who worship and kiss the very ground upon which you two tread!”
BA-DUM!
BA-DUM!
BA-DUM!
Behind Nightmare Moon the glacier began to rumble. Tearing sounds echoed within the cavern, and large fissures started to open up on the glacier’s surface. Red light poured from the cracks, increasing in intensity with each passing second.
“I WILL NEVER BE A MEMORY, I WILL NEVER FADE AWAY! EVEN IF I MUST USE EVERY LAST DROP OF ENERGY IN THIS BODY, I WILL KILL YOU!!!!!!”
At that moment the glacier burst apart, the fragments evaporating into puffs of steam. A great roar bellowed within the cavern, causing Luna and Celestia to flatten their ears to spare their eardrums the force of the roar. Nightmare Moon turned around and saw the wild and fierce red eyes of the Butcher gazing at her, piercing her very core as it snarled.
“Nightmare Moon of Equestria, you have great rage in your heart!”
Before Nightmare could realize it, her entire body was wrapped in burning red light. It swirled around her like a raging inferno, filling her with the raw power of the light of Rage. Something built up in Nightmare’s throat, forcing her to vomit out large amounts of her blood. Seeing this made her panic, but the loss of blood was soon replaced with the burning surge of power, replacing the blood with pure, unbridled rage energy. Cries of pain and fury could be heard from within the spiraling red light. Luna and Celestia could only watch as the transformation took hold. After a minute, the light imploded, returning to its origin. What stood before the two sisters was not Nightmare Moon.
Her ethereal mane and tail were no longer starry and sparkling; it was transformed into blazing red fire that singed whatever it touched. Her regalia was twisted, no longer the shade of the night, but now blood red. Three spikes jutted out from the bracers on her forelegs, while three others shot out from the sides of the greaves on her hind legs. Her collar was now a chest plate, with the burning glow of the Butcher’s insignia. Nightmare Moon’s fangs were more feral, sharper, and longer. The helmet sported boney white tusks on the sides, while two horns extended from her skull, forming a triangle with her own black horn. Nightmare Moon’s flank was no longer bare, but instead, bore the symbol of a crimson full moon.
“What…Did the Butcher just…possesses Nightmare Moon!?” Luna shouted incredulously.
The black mare turned to Luna, her eyes still the same shade of turquoise, but her slits were red. “I am no longer Nightmare Moon! I am the NIGHTMARE BUTCHER!!!”
Celestia and Luna entered into attack stances, bringing their weapons close to prepare for het coming assault. Nightmare Butcher saw this and summoned forth the signature weapon of the Entity of Rage, his crimson battle ax.
Luna dashed towards Nightmare, slashing with Midnight Crescent. The blow was swiftly blocked by Nightmare’s ax, causing Luna to stare wide eyed in shock at the speed. Nightmare’s tri horns glowed with red light, wrapping Luna in a vice like grip and hurling the Princess of the Night into the cavern wall several feet away.
“LUNA!!!”
“Worry about yourself, ‘dear’ sister!!!”
Nightmare sped towards Celestia. The solar mare flared her golden aura and brought her halberd before her. The two weapons struck with a powerful concussive wave, shaking the cave and causing stalactites to fall from the ceiling. But neither mare paid the falling stones no mind. Nightmare and Celestia clashed blades again and again, sparks of gold and red light shooting out from the points of contact.
Luna, painfully, peeled herself off the cave wall and looked to see her sister was engaged in combat with Nightmare Butcher. She flared her magical aura and zoomed towards them. Nightmare sensed the young alicorn’s movement and lit up her three horns. Behind her formed a red construct of an Ursa Major, but this one was more feral than a normal one, with longer claws, and jagged teeth. Luna stopped as the construct beast swiped at her with its claws, barely missing her.
Celestia locked blades with Nightmare; both mares’ auras were pushing against each other, fighting for dominance. The raging mare released her power in a burst, ending the blade lock. Nightmare Butcher then swatted Celestia’s halberd away, making the solar mare stumble. This was her chance. Nightmare drew back, feeling a burning sensation in the back of her throat. All at once Nightmare Butcher opened her mouth and unleashed a torrent of glowing, fiery blood.
Celestia saw the attack coming, thinking quickly, she brought Daylight Glare up and fired a beam from the weapon, forcing her to move far from the attack, but not far enough. The red liquid splashed onto Celestia’s right wing, making the alabaster mare scream in agonizing pain. Celestia flopped onto the ground, her grip on the Daylight Glare was lost and the weapon disappeared completely. She looked to her wing and stared in wide eyed horror as the wing was completely melted away, she quickly rolled over to prevent the acidic liquid from getting anymore of her body.
The solar mare howled in pain again when she felt the remainder of her wing fall off. She heaved and whimpered from the excruciating pain roaring through her from lost limb, the nerves and tendons nearest the wing joints were blazing with pain. Nightmare Moon slowly crept towards Celestia, relishing the screams of pain and the sight of the once regal mare writhing on the dirty cave floor.
“Now, Tia, I think I’ll remove your head and mount it on a pike for all to see!”
Luna saw what was about to happen and a fire was lit within her. She rushed towards the Ursa Major construct, dodging its swipe and running along the length of its arm. Luna then plunged her sword into its arm as she ran, dragging it through the bear’s arm. Once she reached the shoulder Luna dashed, bringing Midnight Crescent with her, the blade glowed with the light of her mana as she slashed through the Ursa Major’s neck, lopping off its head completely and shattering the construct. The night alicorn wasn’t stopping there; she gave another slash of her scimitar and let loose an arc of light that sailed towards Nightmare Butcher.
Nightmare turned just in time to see the light blade coming at her. She swiftly cut the beam in half with her ax, letting the fragments of light sail off and impact in the distance. Luna then teleported herself between Nightmare and Celestia, staring at the dark mare through narrowed eyes, floating Midnight Crescent close to her, ready to defend her beloved sister to the death. Nightmare Butcher looked down upon the two alicorn sisters, her fury filled eyes betraying a bit of mirth from seeing the sight of her two most hated enemies so weak and helpless, so powerless before her might.
“This is the end for both of you. Any last words, Luna, Celestia?”
“Three actually.”
All three alicorns looked about, hearing an unknown voice echo in the cavern. In a flash of light, a being appeared next to Luna and Celestia, the Spirit of Chaos, Discord, making all three look at him in confusion. With a snap of his eagles claw an orb of chaotic energy wrapped around Celestia and Luna, along with Discord himself.
“So long sucker!” Discord mocked.
With another snap of his claw, Discord, Luna, and Celestia disappeared in a flash of light, with Discord’s mocking laughter ringing out within the caverns. Nightmare Butcher’s body blazed with the light of Rage as she unleashed a powerful roar that shook the entire cave and Canterlot above.
“THIS ISN’T OVER!!!”
(Fluttershy’s Cottage)
Fluttershy, Proselyte, and Angel were staring in confusion at the empty seat where Discord sat. They draconequus had dropped by to have lunch with the shy pegasus mare and her roommate, and to just mess with Proselyte. But not too long into their meal, Discord’s body began to wiggle and shake, proclaiming he, “Sensed a disturbance in the force.” After that, he snapped his claw and disappeared, leaving the three of them to wonder where he went.
“Do you think he’s alright?” asked Fluttershy with a worried tone.
“It’s Discord, watch, I bet he’ll come back with some strange, mortifying thing that’ll either blow up the house or make us run for the hills,” said Angel.
“Ahem, Angel, did we forget our agreement?” asked Proselyte, raising an eyebrow.
The white rabbit choked a bit on his lettuce before catching that the eight month politeness agreement from Proselyte winning the bet about Fluttershy’s affection towards Derpy was still in effect.
“Sorry…”
“All is forgiven.”
Just then a bright flash illuminated the den. Fluttershy, Lyte, and Angel all looked in the direction of the sound and gasped when they saw that Discord had teleported back with Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, and both didn’t exactly look all that good, especially Celestia.
“OH MY GOODNESS!” Fluttershy shouted upon seeing Celestia’s missing wing.
The light-yellow mare rushed to the Princess’s side. Luna still seemed on edge from the sudden teleportation, but her features relaxed slightly upon seeing where she and her sister had arrived. The Princess of the Night looked up to the draconequus in confusion and surprise. “Discord…You…You saved us?”
“I felt that there was something wrong, didn’t know what it was exactly, but there was definitely something very wrong going on with the two of you. So I hurried to you,” Discord then looked to Celestia, seeing her missing wing and the painful expression upon her face, “I only wished I could’ve gotten to you sooner.”
Luna trotted up to Discord and placed a hoof on his lions paw; she then whispered in a low tone of voice, “……Thank you, Spell Binder.”
Discord’s eyes went wide from hearing his former pony name, but didn’t say anything; nevertheless it didn’t stop him from smiling hearing it spoke from the alicorn whom he once considered a friend.
Meanwhile, Proselyte had used his light to levitate Celestia in the air while Fluttershy hurriedly cleared the couch and made it as comfortable as possible for the injured alicorn. The Entity of Compassion gently lowered Celestia onto the couch, making sure her head rested upon the pillows. Fluttershy quickly went to work, checking on the alicorn mare’s injury. Luna hurried to her sister’s side, gently rubbing her right foreleg soothingly.
Fluttershy walked back and lowered her head, some tears starting to flow down her cheeks as she looked at the two Princesses. “I…I’m sorry, Princess Celestia, the muscles…and all the nerves, their burned badly, corroded.”
“What caused this?” asked Proselyte as he ventured closer to examine the wound.
“Nightmare Moon…” Luna spoke with venom.
Fluttershy’s eyes went wide upon hearing that name, but it didn’t make sense, how could Nightmare Moon have done this when Luna was sitting right here? For that matter, how was she back at all!?
“There’s more to this isn’t there,” above Lyte’s forehead shined the red symbol of Rage, “This wasn’t done by magic alone, there is strong Rage energy here.”
Celestia, strained to maneuver her neck so she could face Proselyte and Fluttershy. “It…It’s the Butcher…He was on ice and we thought the Entity of Rage was contained…but…”
“It was my fault,” Luna intervened, “but please, we must act quickly! Proselyte, can you heal my sister’s wing!?”
Lyte looked upon the wound and scowled, “This is bad, it is possible, but I am afraid it might be more than my light can manage.” The pegasus colt summoned a little of his light of Compassion to his hoof and gently touched it against Celestia’s raw wound. The alicorn mare winced from the contact, but it only lasted for a moment before the pain evaporated. “My light can heal, but as far as re-growing lost limbs, Adara’s light of Hope is better suited for that.”
“We still have one problem,” said Discord, “We have an alicorn with breathtaking anger management issues, empowered by a force of pure rage, and is still loose back at Canterlot.”
“I will contact the others, and we shall –!”
At that moment a great roar erupted throughout the air, shaking the cottage and startling all the little critters that were inside. Luna and Celestia, along with Discord and Fluttershy all seemed confused as to what the sound was, but whatever it was the sound was definitely not equine.
“Okay, what in the name of my lucky foot was that?!” Angel exclaimed.
Above Proselyte’s forehead a new symbol appeared, orange in color. The colt looked in the direction the feeling was emanating from and narrowed his gaze as he flared his wings.
Spike the dragon, for as long as he’s been on this green world of Equus, has never had the opportunity to actually interact with his fellow dragons. Oh sure, there was that time he went on a journey during the Great Dragon Migration, but his time spent there amongst the teenage dragons was…less than helpful. It really didn’t help him learn anymore about his heritage or where he came from. But that didn’t really matter too much; he decided that he was going to live the life of a pony, like that of his surrogate sister, and/or mother figure depending on the event of the day, Twilight Sparkle.
But sometimes, there were things that a young male drake couldn’t talk about with a mare, sister figure or not, even talking to stallions he knew wouldn’t be much help, that is, until he met a friend in Ophidian. It was a stroke of luck that the orange dragon saved him from being a hostage of the Diamond Dogs, and agreed to be his friend. For a while now, the two of them met in secret, of course, he didn’t have to keep it secret, he just thought that, given Twilight and Rainbow Dash’s last encounter with a teenage dragon, they would be less inclined to allow Spike to see Ophidian. Having pony friends was nice, but it didn’t hurt to hang out with one of his own kind, especially one that was willing to let him be there in his cool cave.
Speaking of which, Spike was making his usual jaunt to Ophidian’s place. Spike recognized this cave, it was hard not to, since it was the one where he almost got killed by a large green dragon. Funny thing though, that dragon was gone. Ophidian had told Spike that he and the dragon had a little “dragon negotiation” in which Ophidian won the cave, and its contents.
Spike entered the cave, seeing the glow of gold and sparkling jewels further down. When he got closer, Spike saw the huge mounds of gold, along with some strange crystals that he had never seen before. He had once asked where Ophidian had gotten them, to which he replied, “Sssome cave far away from here. They looked cool ssso I took them.” Spike noticed that the teenage dragon had a strong hoarding instinct, and was surprised that he hadn’t gone full grown dragon like he had.
Once past most of the mounds of gold, Spike saw Ophidian munching on some jewels, along with some fruit, and…was that a fish?
“Spike, was wondering when you’d ssshow up,” said Ophidian.
“Sorry dude, I got held up with uh…some…chores.” Spike winced, preparing himself to be bombarded with teases.
“Oh, no big then, you’re here now, so let’sss get started.”
Spike let out a sigh of relief and walked side by side with Ophidian, it was then that he mentally face palmed himself… I keep forgetting, Ophidian is different. Come to think of it, he’s never made fun of me for living with Twilight, or doing chores…
“Sssomething on your mind Spike?” Ophidian asked.
Spike was snapped out of his reverie and looked up at the orange dragon, “Oh no! Nothing’s wrong at all, it’s just…well…I just noticed that, ever since we first met, and every time we’ve met after that, you’ve never made fun of me for being raised by ponies.”
Ophidian shrugged. “I don’t sssee much point in it; one can’t help who they are raised by more often than naught. You seem happy enough, doesss there need to be a reason why that should be a cause for mockery?”
Spike shook his head, “No, I just, I told you about the other dragons I met, and they didn’t exactly think much of me when they found out…”
“Humph, fools the whole lot. It takes a critical and discerning to see the value in another object or living thing. And you, Spike, have such an eye.”
“T-Thanks dude.”
“We’re here.”
Spike and Ophidian were a good ways into the cave. There were scorch marks all over the place, some were just that, but others appeared as if a hole had been bored into them by pure flames. “I’m glad you wanted me to help train you in ssstrengthening your dragon fire, but tell me, why is that exactly?
Spike sighed heavily. “During the times I’ve gone with Twilight and her friends on an adventure, I usually just end up getting in the way, or having to be saved by them. And when I try to use my dragon fire, it usually…it either does what I want it to do or doesn’t! Sometimes it’ll come out a big torrent or just a spark, and not always the latter when my friends are in trouble! I want to be able to protect them, even if I’m not as big and strong as other dragons, my fire is one of the things I can use to contribute!”
Ophidian raised his claws in a placating manner. “Alright, alright, sssimmer down Spike. I understand. But, you will have to learn more than just how to use your fire, we dragons boast tremendous physical strength, I could help get you in tune with that as well.”
“I’d like that, but let’s do the fire training first.”
Spike stood at attention and saluted the orange dragon. “Yes sir!”
Spike was huffing and panting, the cave had been painted with new scorch marks, some still smoldering. For the past hour, Spike had been able to more than double the size of his fire blasts, as well as their duration and range. Their intensity varied though, some could melt straight through a rock, and others just toasted the surface. This, in Spike’s opinion, wasn’t necessarily a bad thing, if he ever needed to scare someone or something away and not hurt them, such a flame would work better. But he was getting better at controlling the intensity, it just took a little more of his inner magic to make it stronger, and of course it was a little more draining than sending a message.
All the while, Ophidian stood by, arms crossed, watching as Spike worked hard to better his greatest weapon of defense. At the same time, Ophidian was seeing more and more of the inner dragon that Spike was afraid to bring out, but little by little, Ophidian was determined to break the beast within free, and then the young drake would become a suitable host for him.
Still, I need sssomething to bring forth that inner creature. Hmm, I wonder…?
“Spike, let usss take a break, no point in continuing when you’re this exhausted.”
Spike more than happily agreed, waddling over to sit on a flat surfaced rock. Ophidian tossed the drake a large jewel to munch on, it pained him to give anything away, but, he reasoned, it was all for a much bigger payoff later. Ophidian had taken quite the liking to eating jewels, among other things; it never occurred to him that he could actually eat his treasure. Downside to that he could potentially eat everything he had hoarded and be left with nothing, forcing him to go out and take more, but at the same time running the risk of eating it like the first. It was a deliciously vicious cycle, and perfectly suited for an Entity of Avarice.
“Ssso, Spike, how goes things with that mare you were telling me about? What was her name? Oh yes, Rarity!”
Spike choked on the bit of gemstone he was eating upon mentioning of the unicorn mare. After gagging for a good ten seconds, Spike managed to swallow the remainder and compose himself shortly thereafter.
“R-Rarity well – I mean – I’ve tried but,” Spike sighed remorsefully, “Ophidian, I…I’m starting to think I don’t stand a chance with her…”
The orange looked at him curiously, “Now why’sss that? Was not part of this training for her sake as well as your caretaker and her friends?”
“It still is, but, Rarity still won’t see me as anything than her ‘little Spikey-Wikey’ to be honest, I liked it, but now it’s starting to get annoying. I used to take it as just her pet name for me, but now I’m starting to think she doesn’t take my feelings seriously…”
Ophidian eyed Spike, but not physically, he read his aura, seeing the slight tinge of orange light sparking at the mere mention of that mare’s name. But, there was another that this light hungered for, and it was these two, Ophidian believed, were the key to unlocking his full potential.
“Was there another you were telling me about, an earth pony filly?”
“Oh, you mean Apple Bloom…” Spike’s cheeks flushed a bit about thinking of her. “I don’t know, she’s cute, she can be a clawful sometimes, but she’s kind, easy to talk to, and really hardworking since she found her special talent, and loyal to her friends. I…I think she like-likes me…but…I still have feelings for Rarity. You must think I’m weird.”
“And why’s that?”
“I’m talking about dating ponies, I mean; I’ve grown up around them my whole life. Twilight thinks that’s the reason I’m more attracted to mares than dragonesses, but then again, I’ve never seen a dragoness, so I wouldn’t know…And because, well, I kinda want them both…”
It was here that Ophidian smiled, “And that’s bad becaussse why? If you care for two, and want them both, why not take them both?”
Spike blushed as his mind entertained a fantasy of himself, Rarity, and Apple Bloom all in a relationship. It was a thought that filled him with mixed emotions, shame for clinging onto Rarity at the expense of Apple Bloom’s feelings, disappointment for choosing such a cowardly way of being with either one of them, but there was also intrigue, both had qualities that Spike liked, and he did enjoy being around the both of them. Maybe it wasn’t such a farfetched idea after all…
“Break time’sss over, strength training is next.”
“Oh boy…”
(Golden Oaks Library)
“You can put your hoof there Rainbow Dash it’s okay.”
“Are you sure Squirt, I don’t want to hurt you.”
“Trust me, you are in good hooves Scootaloo, I’m more worried about Twilight being over me right now.”
“It can’t be helped Adara, you’re too small for me to be under, I have a better vantage point if I’m on top!”
Spike was standing outside the door to the library with a mortified expression on his face. He had yet to open the door, but hesitated to do so. Listening from his spot in front of it, and hearing all the weird things that the mares and fillies were saying inside made his face blush. Of course, Rainbow and Twi would never do that kind of stuff with Scootaloo and Adara, although, Adara was the Entity of Hope, and way older than Celestia and Luna combined, so it wouldn’t be too much of a stretch to think they would be doing…that, even if her current form was that of a filly. But Scootaloo?! No, there had to be a line drawn in the sand with that!
“AH! Watch my tail Rainbow Dash!”
“Well left it up a bit so it won’t get in the way.”
“Wait, Rainbow don’t move too quickly!”
“Princess Twilight!”
There was a loud thud along with screams coming from the other side. That’s it!
Spike threw open the door was a prepared to lay into his sister/mother figure and her marefriend, but that stopped the moment he took a look at was happening. There was a large, thin plastic mat on the floor, with multiple colored dots all over it. At the center of the mat, Rainbow Dash, Twilight, Scootaloo, and Adara all lay in a heap on the floor in a tangled up mess. Scootaloo was the first to see Spike and smiled as she greeted him.
“Hey Spike, you’re back!”
“Uh…yeah, I am. Um, what uh, what exactly am I looking at here?” asked Spike.
“Oh, we decided to play Twister!” Rainbow Dash answered.
“Four on four, to be precise, Adara and I, Scootaloo and Rainbow Dash, although it was getting a little close for comfort towards the end there,” said Twilight.
“Indeed, but, since Rainbow Dash tripped up, that means Princess Twilight and I win!” Adara said victoriously.
Rainbow Dash shot the little cerulean filly an incredulous glare, “No way! It ends in a tie!”
“According to the official rules, Rainbow, the pony who lost balance first, and subsequently, knocks over the other contestants, is automatically disqualified. Furthermore, if said pony causes their teammate to lose balance as well, then the opposing team wins.”
“You’re making that up Twi!”
Twilight floated the rule before her marefriend and Scootaloo. The orange pegasus filly read over the part that read “Team Play” to see if she was indeed telling the truth. And of course, she was.
“She’s right Rainbow, it says it right here.”
“Dang, I want a rematch! You up for it Squirt?!”
“Oh yeah!”
“HA! Bring it Rainbow!”
“Do not think we’ll take it easy on you during the second round,” said Adara.
As the mares and fillies moved to reposition themselves they found out something rather inconvenient, they were stuck. Forelegs and hind legs were tangled up with two or three other pairs, along with tails and manes of all things, and even wings. All four of them tried to release themselves from the entanglement, but further pulling and tugging only resulted in getting woven tighter into the embarrassing bundle.
Spike couldn’t help but fall to the floor, laughing loudly as he watched his family’s efforts to get free. “Oh my gosh! You guys – HA AH HA – you actually got stuck like that – HA HA HA!!!”
Twilight grumbled as she saw her number one assistant laughing at their expense. “Yes, ha-ha-ha, it’s all very humorous, but quit laughing your tail off and help us out of – EEEP! RAINBOW DASH!”
“I’m sorry Twi, I-I didn’t mean to uh, I don’t even know what I’m touching!”
“Um…Adara…”
“Y-Yes?”
“Um…I know we’re, uh, fillyfriends and all…but um, it’s kinda embarrassing for you to touch my flank like that.”
Adara looked to Scootaloo confused. “My hooves are right here.” The cerulean filly wiggled her forelegs in front of her, showing Scootaloo that she was indeed not touching her flank.
“Oh…then who’s…?”
“Sorry, I’m really sorry!” whispered Twilight.
Spike guffawed louder, causing the two mares and two fillies to glare at him in annoyance. Luckily, the young drake caught onto this and slowly rose up to his feet, holding his stomach from the raucous laughing fit he just had.
“Alright, alright, I’ll help you guys out.” Spike walked over to the entangled ponies, eyeing them at all possible angles, finally, after thinking it over, Spike looked into the mash up of ponies and found Rainbow Dash’s tail. He then gave it a quick tug and just like that, all four were released from the intertwined bundle of limbs. “No need to thank me.”
Twilight, Rainbow, Scootaloo, and Adara all stared at each other in confusion, and then to Spike, wondering how in Equestria he was able to do that. Pushing the thought aside for a moment, all four of them rose to their hooves, groaning as their various joints popped and cracked from being in such a jumbled form.
“Ugh, I think I have a kink in my neck,” said Twilight.
Rainbow Dash sidled next Twilight, wiggling her eyebrow as she said, “I know a great way to loosen that kink, Twi.”
Adara giggled, Scootaloo stuck out her tongue in mock disgust, and Spike just rolled his eyes, having gotten used to the pegasus mare’s open flirting.
“Oooookay, well, I’m going to go make us something to eat. Scoots, come lend me a hoof,” said Spike.
Scootaloo looked to Adara in confusion, the cerulean filly shrugged, not knowing why he asked for her help either. So, Scootaloo followed Spike into the kitchen, watching him as he began pulling out various pots and pans, and ingredients for whatever meal he was going to serve to them all. After a minute or two of just standing and watching, Scootaloo sighed heavily and decided she had waited long enough.
“So, what’s the real reason you wanted me in here?”
“W-What? I just wanted you to lend me a hoof.”
“I’ve been sitting here for five minutes and you haven’t asked me to get you anything. Plus, after what happened last time, I don’t see you too eager to let me back in here.”
Spike smiled sheepishly, “Well…okay, so you almost burned down the whole library, but the soufflé was completely intact, and it tasted good!”
“Yeah, I don’t think Twilight and Rainbow would like it if I burned our house down just so I could cook us a meal……Whoa.”
Spike looked over his shoulder and saw that Scootaloo had an odd expression on her face. “What’s up, you alright?”
“Y-Yeah, I just realized how easily that came out. ‘Our house’, it feels…oddly natural,” said Scootaloo smiling a bit.
Spike put down the bowl of veggies he was chopping up and jumped off his step stool to be at eye level with Scootaloo. “Scoots, this is your home. I don’t know where you were living before, but this place is your home. And, you know, we’re your family now. Plus, how many ponies can say they have a dragon for a big brother.”
Scootaloo scoffed, “‘Big brother’, you’re only a month or two older than me.”
Spike wagged his finger back and forth, “Maybe physically, but mentally, I’m a year or two older than you.”
“Psh, you wish!” Scootaloo punched Spike in the, playfully. “Thanks though, I mean it.”
“No problem,” said Spike.
“Now, will you tell me the real reason you asked me in here? I know this is, like, your private sanctuary in a way.”
She wasn’t far off, not one of these mares and fillies knew how to cook to save their lives. Honestly, Spike imagined them starving to death if he wasn’t around to make a decent meal for them every now and again.
Spike shuffled his feet nervously as he rubbed the back of his head. “I uh, I wanted to know how it was when you realized that you liked Adara, but Sweetie Belle also liked you too.” The young drake could already tell that there was apprehension in Scootaloo’s visage, to which he quickly added, “But it’s totally okay if you don’t want to talk about!”
“……Why do you want know?”
It was now or never. “I kinda, sorta, may be in the same boat as you were…”
“NO WAY! With Rarity and who else?!”
“It’s – HEY, how did you know the other was ready?!”
“Spike, pretty much the entire town knows you have a crush on Rarity.” Scootaloo deadpanned.
The purple dragon growled, “I knew Twilight couldn’t keep it a secret.”
“No, it wasn’t Twilight. This is you whenever you’re with Rarity.” Scootaloo flapped her wings and hovered a couple of feet off the floor. She then made exaggerated swooning noises, sighing heavily, and made love sick faces. Scootaloo stopped flapping her wings and landed back onto the floor. “That’s you, every time you’re with Rarity, or talk about her.”
“Okay, okay, point taken.”
“So who’s this other pony? Do I know her?”
“Yeah, kind of…”
“Oh, is she a filly from my class or –!”
“Scootaloo,” Spike interrupted, “I kind of want to keep it secret for now, and I don’t want to make things awkward for anypony, alright?”
Scootaloo thought it over, Spike did look serious about whatever this dilemma was, and so, she sat on her haunches and nodded. “Fair enough, so why do you want to know about that, exactly?”
Spike hopped back up on his stepstool, continuing to make dinner, he found it helped him focus his thoughts when he kept his claws busy. Scootaloo hovered up next to him and listened as he spoke.
“Like you said, I like Rarity, but I also like this other pony. I was planning on flat out confessing how I really feel to Rarity, and to this other filly. With the filly, I’m ninety percent sure she’ll say yes, with Rarity…maybe seventy to seventy-five percent sure –”
Still higher than the odds I gave you.
“The thing is…I want to tell them both how I feel…because, I want to be with both of them.”
Scootaloo almost stopped hovering for a second as she took in that information. Was Spike really contemplating going out with both ponies at once?! “Spike, you can’t cheat on them!” Even if your chances with Rarity are slim to none. “You’d break their hearts!”
“That’s not what I want to do at all…” Spike moved onto the next dish as he continued. “I want to be open with both of them, tell them together.”
Scootaloo was still having a hard time understanding this. “B-B-But, why?!”
“Well, there are things I love about Rarity, and there are things I love about this other filly, and honestly, I can’t imagine breaking that filly’s heart, or missing my chance with Rarity. But, that’s also why I wanted to know about the three of you. Sweetie Belle seems better now, but it took a bit, I’m just scared that Rarity does say yes and doesn’t want me to be with this other filly too, that it might end up the same way! How did you choose, Scoots?!”
Scootaloo just hovered there in deep thought, thinking back to how she felt for both Sweetie and Adara. “Spike…What I went through isn’t exactly the same…I mean, I was working through some issues about…you know, being a fillyfooler and all…So our situations aren’t exactly the same.”
“But if you could’ve, would you have chosen both of them?!”
“I…I don’t know…I care a lot for Sweetie Belle, and I know she still has those feelings for me, but I like Adara a lot too…!”
“Scoots, hypothetically speaking, if you knew how Sweetie Belle was going to be after you made your decision, and knowing that she and Adara would be okay with sharing you, would you chose both of them then?” asked Spike earnestly.
Scootaloo was starting to get a headache thinking about this. Questions about what she was taught about how a pony was only supposed to have one special somepony were beginning to be put into question. Scootaloo had read about ponies who loved more than just one pony and how they seemed to be happy, but others didn’t exactly like that they were.
Was that even an option at that point, to be with two ponies at once? Surely Scootaloo believed she had enough love in her heart for both, they both supported her, and, although for very different reasons, had earned a place in her heart. But was it fair to Adara? To just up and say she was still going to be her fillyfriend, and have Sweetie Belle in the mix just to spare her feelings?!
“I…I don’t know Spike…Everypony is different I guess…I’m happy with Adara, and, if Sweetie Belle had said something to me sooner, I don’t doubt that she and I would be fillyfriends too. But…I guess, do whatever you think is best.” Scootaloo began to leave the kitchen, seeing as Spike had more than finished preparing the meal. “Can you at least tell me who this filly is, maybe I can smooth things out before you do anything?”
“No, it’s cool.”
Scootaloo sighed, a little bit of fear entering her heart as she worried over what would happen when Spike spoke his true feelings to the ponies he desired. She would like to be there when he did, if nothing else she’d like to be close by for support, but he was keeping this a secret, for all she knew, it was going down tomorrow, but just as easily the day after tomorrow.
I really need a hug from Adara for some reason…
(2 Days Later)
“So you’ve made your decisssion?”
“Yeah, at least I think I have…I just hope it goes well…”
“‘Hope’ is not what you need here Ssspike, it is desire! Pure and simple, you desire these two, yesss?”
“Well…yeah, I really want to be with them…!”
“Then take what is yoursss! For a dragon, there is only the love of his hoard, and in your case, your hoard consistsss of the affections of a mare and a filly! Trust your intinctsss Spike, and your intentions will surely shine through.”
The pep talk he had received from Ophidian was a little weird, but it gave him confidence. Spike knew what he wanted; he wanted Rarity, a talented mare with a beauty that outshone other mares. Apple Bloom, she was a cute filly, and Spike knew, given some time, she’d grow up to be an even cuter mare. Not only that, she was nice to talk to, and had a great future ahead of her. Why shouldn’t all three of them get together, between Rarity’s fashion career, Spike’s connections to Royalty, and Apple Bloom’s talent, which can only get better at, the three of them would be great!
Of course, he thought, my mares will need a suitable place to live later on. I’ll just find us the biggest house in Equestria and take it! Who’s gonna say no to a dragon! And I dare any plothole to try and take them away, I’ll make sure they rue the day they even so much as looked at what’s mine!
Spike stopped walking and shook his head a bit. “Whoa, I think I went off track with that last thought. But…‘my mares’ has a nice ring to it, heh, heh.”
Regardless, this was all a moot point until he actually said something to the two ponies in question. Spike had taken the time to inform both Rarity and Apple Bloom that he wanted to speak with them in private about an important matter, and he made sure to look as serious as possible so that they’d both understand that he was not joking. Thankfully, both had agreed to meet up at Carousel Boutique. He stressed to Rarity how they needed privacy for this and had asked her to make sure Sweetie Belle was out during that time.
Thankfully, yet again, the fashionista’s little sister was more than happy to be out for a bit, having said something about “getting to know a certain purple colt a bit better”, whatever that meant. And so we come upon it at last, Spike stood before the whimsically styled home of his crush. Standing before the door, Spike could hear the distinct voices of two ponies, one with a more Canterlot like manner of speaking, and another with country twang, and a little sass behind it. There was no turning back now, he had steeled himself for this, but there was the option to run away still.
With a snort, Spike puffed out his chest and made the decision to dragon up! He then grabbed the doorknob and gave it a twist. The door opened just as the bell that hung on it chimed, signaling Spike’s entrance. Rarity and Apple Bloom were in the middle of talking about something before they heard the bell and noticed Spike walking towards them with a determined look on his face.
“Ah, Spike, there you are,” said Rarity.
“I hope I didn’t keep you guys waiting too long…”
“Nope, we’ve just been talkin’ is all. So why are we here?” asked Apple Bloom.
“Indeed, I too would like to know as well. You were a little vague on the details there, darling.”
Spike took a steadying breath, standing before Rarity and Apple Bloom. “Well…What I have to say concerns you, both you. And, I just want you to know that I did think this through, and I did do all of research and soul searching, so please, hear me out?”
Rarity and Apple Bloom exchanged worried glances between each other, they had never seen Spike look so determined, so steadfast in whatever it was he was going to convey to them.
“Of course dear, we will,” said Rarity.
“Whatever it is, we promise to help ya,” replied Apple Bloom, sincerely.
Knowing that they would at least hear him out was something, although, how long they would entertain him talking about it was another story. Steeling his nerves for, what felt like, the fifth time today, Spike collected his thoughts and presented his case.
“Rarity…I…I love you.” Spike noticed that Rarity was about to flash that same smile she always did whenever he made mention of his feelings, but he was going to set the record straight. “I’m not saying this as if I have a crush, I mean it Rarity, I. Love. You! I’m in love with you to be more specific!”
That smile on Rarity’s face faltered quite a bit, changing into a slightly stunned expression. At first, the unicorn mare believed it was just a crush, and treated it as such, knowing that one day he would find a filly closer to his age, and being more than happy to assist him in his romantic endeavors towards that filly. But now, seeing the seriousness in Spike’s eyes, his unwavering resolve in making that declaration, and it worried her slightly.
One the other hand, Apple Bloom felt a stinging sensation in her heart. She knew that Spike did like Rarity, but…why did he have to confess that in front of her? Was he trying to make a point? Or was she merely there to offer moral support, all the same, she tried to maintain a stoic expression like her big brother, not wanting to let on how much it hurt to hear that.
“Oh, Spikey-Wikey, I…I’m ever so flattered but…” Rarity searched for the right words to see if she could deter this without breaking the drake’s heart. “I…I am much too old for you, mind you I am young, but for you our age gap is too great!”
“I don’t care about age, and neither should you! What should matter is how I feel, I may be little, I may be younger than you, but seriously, after living with Twilight for so long, I feel I aged more years than what I look! And besides, that’s not the only thing I have to say.”
“There’s more?!” Rarity dreaded.
“Yeah, and it’s about Apple Bloom.”
At this, the yellow earth pony filly dropped her stoic mask and looked genuinely surprised to be addressed after that confession. “What’s about me?”
“AB, I know you like me, actually, I know you like-like me.”
Spike watched as the young filly blushed profusely, her face matching the color of her mane. She glanced over to Rarity and noticed that the fashionista was staring at her in shock, and also blushing at the same time, although hers was tame compared to Apple Bloom’s.
“S-S-SPIKE! Ah – Ah mean – Well ya see – How did ya know?!”
“Call it hunch; I could…feel it, in a way. Am I wrong,” he asked.
The farm filly shuffled in place, wishing that she had a mane as long as Fluttershy’s to hide behind. “N-No, ya-ya ain’t wrong…Ah do like-like ya…a lot, a real lot.” Apple Bloom took another glance at Rarity, judging by her body language she was starting to feel a little uncomfortable by this whole situation. “Spike…Ah know ya like Rarity, but maybe…” She sighed, “Maybe ya could give me a chance…?”
“YES!” Rarity spoke up. “That is an excellent idea! Why don’t you and Apple Bloom have a nice romantic date together, who knows, maybe you might feel differently after you do!” Her voice was almost frantic as she tried to convince Spike to reconsider his feelings towards her.
“No, I love you Rarity, and…the same goes for Apple Bloom. I love the both you.”
If they weren’t stunned before or blushing up to their ears, they were now. The mare and filly couldn’t help it, they were being confessed to by Spike, with all three of them standing in the same room. Rarity thought that these kinds of situations only happened in romance novels, or movie dramas, but right now she felt as if she were trapped in one of those kinds of stories.
“Spike, d-darling, I don’t – or rather – Apple Bloom and I don’t understand what the point is in all this…? You’ve made it clear that you have…feelings for the both of us are you expecting us to choose or – I’m having quite the hard time following your train of thought.”
“I thought that…maybe…we could all be together, you, Apple Bloom, and me like a…a herd?”
Rarity had to suppress the urge to faint right then and there; she needed every facet of her consciousness alert and thinking. Spike had just proposed to form a…a herd! That word in and of itself was hard enough for Rarity to think, for Spike to so easily throw it out there, she hadn’t the words right this moment. The fashionista turned to see Apple Bloom; she apparently knew what a herd meant, if the shocked look on her face was any indication.
“S-S-Spike Wh –!”
“Why would you ask us somethin’ like that?!” Apple Bloom yelled.
Spike felt like he was carefully tiptoeing around sleeping manticore tails, and at any moment he might step on one and get himself mauled. “I just thought that, this way, we could all be happy together!”
“Spike, darling, a-a, ahem, herd isn’t something that one just brings up lightly! It’s a very…complicated thing and it…well…for me, it would be criminal!” Rarity gasped.
“Criminal?”
“Spike dear, I am a mare in her twenties, you two are at least ten years my youngers. Ponies would think I coerced you two or that I am some kind of deviant!”
Rarity was starting to hyperventilate, thinking about all the things that ponies would say or do to her if the mere mention that she was in such a relationship, or was heard talking about such a thing with two children! Her family would disown her, her friends would shun her, Sweetie Belle would look at her with disgust, and she would probably be thrown in jail. The white unicorn mare snapped herself out her worry for herself for a moment, and checked on Apple Bloom, this was hard enough for Rarity to fathom, and she couldn’t imagine what the young filly must be feeling now.
“Am Ah…Am Ah not good enough Spike?!” asked Apple Bloom with tear filled eyes.
“What do you mean?”
“Ah mean, can ya not just be happy with me?! Ya have to have Rarity or it’s nothin’?!”
Spike waved his claws in front of him, “Nononono! That’s not what I want! I want us all to be happy, and I thought that this was the best way to spare everypony’s feelings!”
“Ya mean your feelin’s! What about us?! Did ya take into account that maybe we might not want to be like that?! Do ya even know what herdin’ means?!”
“Y-Yeah, I got the gist of it, three or more ponies enter into a mutual relationship, where all parties agree to share their love. And I love you both a lot!”
“Ya dingbat! It means all ponies gotta love each other! That means I gotta love Rarity, as much as Ah love you!” Apple Bloom shouted.
Spike looked to Rarity for clarification; he had to admit that part in the text was a bit confusing when he read it. Rarity nodded to Spike, confirming that what Apple Bloom said was true.
“B-But…!”
“Ferget it!” Apple Bloom stormed passed Spike marching for the front door.
“Apple Bloom wait!” Spike shouted about to go after her.
“Don’t! Just don’t! Ah…Just leave me alone, okay!”
Apple Bloom flung open the door and ran off, leaving Spike and Rarity alone in the Boutique. Spike’s shoulders slumped in defeat, he didn’t mean for this to happen, not all, and now Apple Bloom…she most likely hated him now. Spike jumped a little when he felt Rarity’s hoof rest on his shoulder.
“Rarity…I didn’t mean to make her sad, or you. But…if you just gave me a chance I promise I could –!”
The unicorn mare raised her other hoof up, signaling Spike to stop. “Darling, it’s not that simple. Honestly, you’re everything that I ever wanted in a stallion, loyal, protective, supportive in my endeavors, and devoted, but…I thought that these feelings were just a passing fancy, and would one day be nothing and you’d look upon me as a friend and nothing more. Spike, I can’t be with you.” Spike was about to open his mouth to retort with the reason why she wouldn’t, but Rarity beat him to it.
“And no, it is not because you are a dragon. I want you to bury that notion right now.”
Spike looked up at Rarity confused. “Then why?”
“Spike, you are much too young to be thinking about…herds, and the like. And I am, well not old, but much older than you, and it would not be healthy for you.”
“What are you talking about?! Scootaloo, Adara, and even Sweetie Belle were, more or less in the same position!”
“Yes, but they were the same age, and, quite frankly, and thankfully, were not thinking about sharing each other as it were. Spike, you are a baby dragon; you should fall for a filly closer to your age. Apple Bloom may be a little mad right now, but give her time and I’m sure –”
Spike removed Rarity’s hoof from his shoulder. “That’s all I am, a baby dragon; I can’t even be taken seriously when I’m talking about serious stuff! I thought you would be different; see me for me, and not the ‘baby dragon’!” Rarity had never heard that cross tone in Spikes voice, “Spike…”
“I can’t believe this, forget it – forget all of it!”
Spike was the second to storm out Carousel Boutique, slamming the door behind him and causing said door to form splintering cracks all around it. Rarity let out a heavy sigh, “I definitely need to talk to Twilight…”
(The Cave)
Ophidian was keeping close watch over Spike, but discreetly from the shadows. The little dragon was sitting on a rock, hunched over; light whimpers could be heard echoing from within the cave. Ophidian believed that two hours’ worth of sulking was plenty, couldn’t let the fire within Spike die out too soon, he needed to strike while the iron was hot. The orange dragon walked out of the shadows and towards Spike, making sure his footsteps could be heard. Spike seemed to be aware of his approach and tried to compose himself before he arrived, so Ophidian increased his pace and ended up standing right beside Spike.
“Well, this is a surprise, didn’t expect to sssee you here till later,” said Ophidian.
“S-Sorry…I just…”
Ophidian rubbed his chin, feigning curiosity. “You seem troubled.”
“Just go ahead and make fun of me! I’m a crybaby dragon! A stupid little kid that knows nothing and is too damn selfish to know when he’s hurting somepony he cares about!” Spike snapped.
“You truly think little of yourself, and expect the worssst from me. Tell me, did it not go well?”
“I…I bucked up…I tried to make Rarity and AB understand. I know Rarity’s older, and I know she’s into mares and stallions. She could’ve learned to love Apple Bloom like I do, and, yes AB and me are younger, but as long as we didn’t do anything wrong or inappropriate, we would’ve been fine!”
“I see your problem,” said Ophidian. “You were being generous, giving them a choice and all.”
“Why is that a bad thing?” asked Spike.
“As dragons, our nature is not to give, but to take! You should have made those two yours, Spike! Made the decision for them, made them you mares!”
Spike thought over what Ophidian said, there was something about that, making them “his mares”, it sounded so wrong, so possessive, and yet, it had a nice ring to it. “But…they’re not objects…they’re living breathing ponies, I can’t treat them like property!”
“You’d be surprised to what lengths one would protect personal property, kill, raze kingdoms, and fight off beings of immense power, truthfully, it is through avarice that dragon’s full power is shown, and only then can he take hold of what he wants!” Ophidian proclaimed as he threw his arms into the air, gesturing to, well, everything.
Spike found his words intriguing, yes, he could make them his, and if they were, he would give them everything…well…maybe not everything, there were still things that needed to remain his, but they would be amongst those particular things.
“I…I don’t know…I like the idea of them being…mine.”
Ophidian turned to Spike and grinned. “And why shouldn’t you, and who says you can only stick with two?! They may be your favorites, but it’s always good to have variety! Rightfully, Spike, you are owed so much more than you think!”
Ophidian was right, why shouldn’t he have everything he wanted. All his life he had been taking orders from Twilight, and in that time, has she ever done anything more than take care of him as if he were her pet?! Her “number one assistant”, he was a glorified “helper monkey”! Sleeping in a basket instead of a bed, being taken to veterinarian when he was going through his greed phase, even that parallel world sought to drive the point home when he turned into a dog, A DOG! It was like the universe was saying that he had no chance of being with, or getting, any mare or filly, because nopony took him seriously.
Spike stopped feeling sorry for himself and started to feel angry, “Why shouldn’t I have everything I want, I’m a dragon?!” He clenched his fists tight as puffs of smoke exited his nostrils. “I deserve more, better even! If I want my own treasure, I’ll take it! If I want more than one fillyfriend, I will! If I want a home bigger than Canterlot Castle, hay, why not Canterlot Castle, it should be mine! All of it!”
Unknown to Spike, his body began to grow, his limbs stretching, muscles, bone, and sinew all building upon itself, becoming taught to form strong muscles with each passing second.
“I’ll show’em, Rarity and Apple Bloom will be mine! And anypony else I want too!”
Ophidian walked up to Spike and placed his claw on his shoulder, forcing the young drake to look the orange dragon in the eyes. The symbol etched into his forehead began to glow with the same colored light, erupting like flames and wrapping up both Spike and himself in its power.
“Spike of Equestria, you want it all!”
At that moment, Ophidian’s body burst into particles of light and melded into Spike’s body. At first, Spike was afraid of the sudden rush of power that coursed through him, but soon he couldn’t get enough of it, this strong power that flowed through his body, that energized every single cell of very being, it all cried out, hungered, wanting to be set free.
Outside, the cave exploded forth in a burst of orange light, sending debris flying into the surrounding forest. A giant dragon stood where the cave once was, roughly the same height of Spike’s full grown form, but it was different. The symbol of Avarice was etched in glowing orange lines upon forehead, his spines were longer, pointed, and colored orange, his underbelly scales were the same shade of vermillion, but the rest of his body was pitch black. His eyes were two glowing orbs of orange fire, with a single black slit in each.
This new dragon bellowed out a torrent of dragon fire all around him. The treasure that Ophidian once kept was now melting into molten metal. The dragon then flared out its aura, channeling it into the molten slag, using its light to change it. The molten slag parted into five parts. Two of which wrapped around his forearms, becoming shiny, metallic orange colored bracers. It formed over his claws as well, turning them into long scythe-like claws. The other two did the same, latching onto the lower half of his hind legs, forming over the claws on his feet and making them into sharp weapons of death. The last piece formed a chest plate, fixing itself upon his broad chest, and forming to long vertical slits on the back.
“It’s time I took what is mine!”
Spike then roared mightily into the air, and immediately, constructs began rise up around the now possessed Spike. Diamond Dogs, another dragon, and a chimera, all bearing the symbol of Avarice on one part of them or another.
“This power is mine, this is my light, Be it in Bright of Day or Black of Night! I lay claim to all that falls within my sight, To take what is MINE, that is my right!”
The sky was blanketed with thousands upon thousands of changelings, at the center of the swarm Queen Chrysalis, now empowered by the Entity of Fear, Parallax. She gazed upon her target and grinned deviously as they quickly approached the Crystal Empire. A giant shield had been erected around the Empire, one that Chrysalis recognized as love energy. She scoffed at this.
“Foolish, do they honestly believe that this will be enough to stop me from getting to them?!”
“Then show them Chrysalis, show them how foolish and weak they truly are.”
“Yes! Fear will consume the all!”
Chrysalis bade her changelings to scatter, giving her a clear line of sight to her target. The Changeling Queen of Fear raised her arms into the air, and instantly two giant mantis claw constructs formed above her. Chrysalis then brought the two claws down, slamming them against the barrier surrounding the Empire, causing the ground to rumble from the tremendous force. The other changelings sneered and were prepared to hurl themselves at the barrier to break it for their Queen, but Chrysalis mentally commanded them to stay where they were.
She then brought up her arms yet again and slammed the barrier, repeatedly pounding away at it again and again. Finally, Chrysalis got tired of pounding away at the shield and opted for a more direct approach. She channeled the power of the light of Fear into her clawed hands and held a massive sphere of yellow light over her head. Many of the changelings believed she was going to throw it at the barrier and shatter it, but they were wrong. The sphere condensed till it was the size of a walnut. Chrysalis took the sphere into her right hand and pointed it at the barrier; the sphere burst open and let loose a powerful beam of yellow light that roared through the sky.
The beam impacted the barrier, rushing over it like a tidal wave and putting immense pressure and strain on it. The Changeling Queen smiled wickedly as the cracking sounds began to echo out. With one final push of the blast the barrier shattered to pieces, the fragments dissolving into particles of mana. With another wave of her hand, she gave the order for her changelings to attack the Crystal Empire.
Many of the changelings hissed with glee at the prospect of bringing fear to the crystal ponies below. Dozens of the creatures dive bombed towards the Empire, but just as they did, several crystal shards were launched from the city like missiles. One of the changelings impacted against one of them, causing it to detonate and explode with great enough force that the shockwave disoriented some of the changelings near the blast zone. The one that had made contact fell out of the sky, a charred husk of what he once was. Several more were launched from the Empire as the Changelings more or less suicide bombed the city, some made it through, but others were having a hard time doing so with the crystal missile barrage going on.
On the ground, the Adamant Guard stood ready to attack the few changelings that made it through the barrage. Hissing could be heard coming from the craters, along with some insect like clicking noises. The Guards assumed an attack stance; a battalion of the warriors arranged themselves into a phalanx, shields covering their sides, their front, and overhead. The first four changelings to emerge spotted the Adamant Guards and quickly transformed themselves. One became an Alpha timberwolf; another turned into a manticore, the next a basilisk, and finally a monstrous cockatrice.
The manticore lunged at the phalanx, but the crystal ponies were stronger than the manticore, even more so as a single unit. The shields held fast as the beast clawed at them repeatedly, trying to break through. One of the shield walls opened slightly, allowing a spear to come zooming out and pierce the manticore in its right shoulder, going through till it came out the other side. The manticore roared in pain and used its good arm to break the shaft of the spear as it flew backwards to retreat from Guards. Yellow-green blood oozed out from the wound, making the changeling revert back to its normal form.
The basilisk changeling was about to attack, but was suddenly blindsided by something striking its head, sending the beast tumbling against one of the buildings. Up above the pegasi division of the Adamant Guard were armed with javelins, one of which had a spot of yellow-green blood on it, indicating that they were the ones that had attacked the basilisk changeling.
All around the Crystal Empire it was the same, the Adamant Guard was holding its own against the Changeling invaders. Meanwhile, the citizenry were relocated to the caverns beneath the Empire, a safe haven that was meant to be used in case of invasions. All the while, Cadance and Shining Armor stood tall atop the balcony of the palace. Shining Armor was donned in his Royal Guard Captain armor, but Cadance was different.
She wore sparkling, sky-blue crystal armor, fashioned for her by the crystal ponies. It was made of the toughest and strongest of the crystals that were found in the Empire, which served to not only protect, but guarantee freedom of movement. Her bracers and greaves shone brightly in the sunlight, her chest plate emblazoned with the united symbol of the Crystal Empire and her cutie mark. They had even crafted the armor to fit around the bone of the wings, though it felt weird when tucked, it was good to know that her wings wouldn’t be easily hurt. And lastly, her helmet, with a pink sapphire placed at the center of the helm just below her horn.
Cadance stood beside her husband, wielding a custom made double-edged, javelin. “Are you ready, Shining Armor?”
“Compared to the last time we were in this kind of situation? I feel better knowing that our enemy is coming at us head on instead sneaking around manipulating everything, so yeah, I am,” said Shining in a nonchalant manner.
Cadance smiled a little, knowing that her husband was ready to face the danger with her was comforting. The Princess of Love looked up into the sky, seeing the glowing form of Chrysalis as she too watched the event transpire before her. Cadance remembered Murmur, and her request to help her people, right now she wasn’t sure if she could help them.
Chrysalis is being powered by the Entity of Fear itself, and with the two acting as one they’re even stronger. Predator, you couldn’t have picked a worse time to run away…
Just then the Prince and Princess saw something in the sky. A bright yellow light seemed to be building up right around where Chrysalis was hovering. Suddenly the light was shot towards them, hurtling towards the Crystal Palace as it crackled with power. Cadance unfurled her wings and took flight away from the balcony, while Shining Armor teleported himself to the nearest building.
An orb of yellow light crashed into the balcony where they once stood and exploded, sending debris falling down to the ground. Shining had made it to one of the nearby structures and Cadance swooped down and landed beside him. But the excitement wasn’t over. Chrysalis came crashing down onto the rooftop, her eyes glaring at the Prince and Princess as her body glowed with a yellow aura.
“Shining Armor, long time no see,” said Chrysalis coyly.
The alicorn and unicorn stared blankly at the new form of the Changeling Queen. They heard the voice, but the creature standing before them was completely different from the Chrysalis they saw before. Chrysalis herself seemed to notice the wide eyed looks she was getting from the two lovers and grinned evilly.
“Do you like it? It’s my new form, a reward for embracing the power of Fear.”
“Possessed by an Entity that is completely against what you and the other changelings feed upon, how could you Chrysalis!” Cadance shouted.
The Changeling Queen glared daggers at the Princess. “Love has made us weak, we can no longer rely on it to save and nourish us. We must take a new course, that of fear! The ponies of Equestria already fear us, we just simply need to stoke that fire, and the more terror we inspire, the stronger we become!”
“Don’t let all that power go to your head Chrysalis! You lost in Canterlot, and you’ll lose here as well!” Shining Armor proclaimed.
A cacophony of explosions, magical energy, and yellow light went off around that rooftop, signaling to all that the battle for the Crystal Empire was now fully underway.
(Ponyville)
“Really, Spike wanted you and Rarity both?!” Scootaloo exclaimed.
After hearing Spike talk about trying to form some sort of herd with Rarity, Apple Bloom ran out of Carousel Boutique and right for Golden Oaks Library, she needed to be near her friends right now and, plus, she was hoping she could talk to Princess Twilight about what Spike was suggesting. She arrived to find that neither Twilight, nor Rainbow Dash, were there at the moment. So Apple Bloom settled for the comfort of her friends. She sat on the couch, crying a little as she got through telling Adara and Scootaloo about what had happened.
“Well, that explains why he was asking me about Sweetie Belle and me…”
Apple Bloom and Adara both stared at Scootaloo. “What did Spike ask?! Did ya know he was gonna spring that on me beforehoof?!”
Scootaloo brought up her forehooves defensively, “No, no, I seriously didn’t know he was going to ask that! But…now that I think about it, he did ask what I would do if I could be with Adara and Sweetie Belle both…” A light blush started to appear on the pegasus filly’s face.
Adara could feel her cheeks getting hot at thought of all three of them being in a relationship together. “What did you say…?”
“I said I didn’t know, that it would be unfair to you and Sweetie Belle if I just chose the both of you, and…” Scootaloo rubbed her head furiously as groaned frustratingly. “UGH, Spike I’m going to kick your butt when you get back!”
Just then there was a knock at the front door, Adara separated from the two and left to answer it. When she opened it, Adara was surprised to see who it was.
“Hello Adara,” said Rarity.
“Oh, Miss Rarity…”
“Please dear, just Rarity. And, would you happen to know if Twilight is here at all?” she asked.
“No, but there is somepony else who is.”
Adara opened the door wider and revealed saddened Apple Bloom, with Scootaloo doing her best to comfort her, and slightly fuming at Spike’s thoughtlessness. “Apple Bloom, darling?”
Apple Bloom looked up and saw Rarity; she didn’t really know how to feel towards the mare right now. Part of her was jealous because she had stolen Spike’s heart, another part of her was angry at her because of Spike, and a small part of her felt wrong for, even a moment, contemplating going along with that cockamamie plan, even if it meant trying to be lovey-dovey with Rarity! So, Apple Bloom opted for another approach, turning away from the unicorn mare and trying to ignore her.
The little farm filly’s anger was not lost on Rarity, and honestly she couldn’t blame her. Rarity walked in and made her way towards Apple Bloom, Scootaloo moved aside so that she could sit next to Apple Bloom. The yellow filly scooted to the other side of the couch, not wanting to be near the unicorn mare.
“Apple Bloom, sweetie, we need to talk about what happened,” said Rarity.
“Ah don’t want to talk about nothin’! Just go back to Spike, he wants ya anyway! Ah mean, why wouldn’t he?! Ah know Ah’m not grown up like you are, not as pretty as ya either, but still…”
Rarity furrowed her brow, she then moved closer to Apple Bloom, making the filly move till there was no room to go further. She then got off the couch and stood before the filly, Rarity carefully folded her legs under her so that she was lying on the floor and at eye level with Apple Bloom.
“Listen to me Apple Bloom, you are a beautiful filly, and you will certainly grow up to be an even more beautiful mare. In many ways you remind me of your sister, she has a rugged farm mare beauty that one can only obtain from hard work and dedication, and I see you the same in you. You, Apple Bloom, will grow up to be something great, and Spike knows this as well.”
Apple Bloom began to sniffle a little, “Then…why did he want to that with us? Ah mean, Ah like ya Rarity, but it ain’t that much different than how Sweetie Belle likes ya…And Ah don’t know if I can…”
Rarity brought the young filly into a half hug, trying to comfort Apple Bloom. “Apple Bloom, he’s just confused at the moment, but I assure you, once Twilight and Spike come back we can have this sorted out.”
Just then there was a giant earthquake that rocked the entire library. Books fell off the shelves, the horse head statue toppled over onto the floor, and the occupants within, at least those who were standing up, fell to the floor, trying to hang on as the shockwaves subsided.
“What in the name of Celestia was that?!” yelled Rarity.
Adara slowly rose up from being thrown to floor; it was then that her senses picked up on something, something familiar and dangerous. She looked towards the door and shook. “No…It can’t be him!”
The cerulean filly bolted for the door and threw it open. Scootaloo quickly followed after her, with Apple Bloom and Rarity not far behind. When they were outside their jaws dropped at the sight of a giant, monstrous, black and orange dragon standing in the middle of Ponyville, its body had a roaring orange aura of light lapping off it, and its eyes roamed around the city as if searching for something.
“A-A-A d-dragon!!!” Apple Bloom screamed.
“W-What the hay is that thing doing here!!?” Scootaloo shouted.
Suddenly, beams of orange light came shooting from the dragon’s aura. These beams then took the form of various creatures; one was a chimera, the other a dragon, but two heads smaller than the black and orange one, and an army of Diamond Dogs. The orange beasts spread out across the town, tearing apart anything and everything, but not taking. They seemed to be searching for something, but did not know where to find it.
“Girls listen to me, we must get back inside and –!”
Rarity was interrupted when three of the Diamond Dogs surrounded them. At first Rarity didn’t recognize them, but, upon further inspection, she noticed that the three bared a striking resemblance to the Diamond Dogs that had foalnapped her a couple of years back. But these versions looked more feral, with longer claws, sharper fangs, and their tags had a strange symbol on it where once a diamond once was.
“Master wants the pretty, whinny mare,” said Spot.
“I thought he wanted a pony filly, but there are three, which one?” asked Fido.
“You dolts he wants them ALL! Now grab them!” Rover ordered.
Rarity stood in front of the three fillies, trying to act as a shield to protect them. “Now, now, darlings, I thought there were no hard feelings. We can talk about this; we’re all civilized creatures here.” Rarity forgot for a moment who she was talking to. “Oh, right, never mind…The three of you run – NOW!”
The Rover, Fido, and Spot constructs all lunged at once for the four ponies. Rarity charged her horn and fired a magic bolt at the oncoming Diamond Dog. The bolt struck Rover in the chest causing him double over. The others paused for a moment and Rarity had thought her attack had worked, but to her dismay, Rover had caught the bolt in his claws and crushed it, absorbing the magical energy. Rarity chuckled nervously.
“If Master didn’t want you, I would tear your horn off! But he does, so, again, GET THEM!!!”
Rarity turned around and tried to keep the fillies safe, but enough was enough. At that moment, a bright blue light shined from the group of four. The light bathed over Rover, Fido, and Spot, causing them to roar in pain as they were dispersed into particles of orange light. The others had closed their eyes; they felt no danger from this new light, just safety. When they opened their eyes, Rarity, Apple Bloom, and Scootaloo saw that Adara was the source of this light, her cutie mark visible for all to see.
“Are you alright?” asked Adara.
“We are now, nice save Adara,” said Scootaloo relieved.
“W-Wait, what the hay was that, and how did Adara get a cutie mark?!” asked Apple Bloom.
Rarity looked to Scootaloo, who oddly enough didn’t seem at all surprised by Adara’s sudden cutie mark appearance, or the strange blue light that was emanating from her body. “Scootaloo, you’ve seen this before, haven’t you?”
Scootaloo fidgeted where she stood, not knowing if it was okay to talk about Adara’s power. But one nod from the cerulean filly eased her nervousness. “Yes I have…Adara’s power, her light, is the reason why I’m able to fly again, she healed my wings. But don’t worry it’s not scary or bad or anything!”
Apple Bloom looked to the orange pegasus with an annoyed expression. “Ya’ll are goin’ to give me a good explanation about all this. But other than that, thanks Adara.”
“Do not thank me just yet, we are far from safe.” Adara separated herself from the group as she slowly walked in the direction of the black and orange dragon. “Rarity, get Scootaloo and Apple Bloom to safety, find Princess Twilight and tell her what’s happening, tell her that one of them has appeared in Ponyville.”
Rarity looked flabbergasted at the pegasus filly, speaking with such authority and strength. “Adara, dear, where are you going?!”
Adara knew what had to be done, Ophidian had possessed a creature, and in so doing had made himself and that creature that much more powerful. Though her light of Hope gave Adara an edge against the light of Avarice, in her true form she stood a chance, but a hosted Entity was stronger, and Adara knew she’d need help to defeat Ophidian and drive him out. But then, there was a downside to this, Scootaloo. She would see her true form; her fillyfriend would no longer see a filly of the same age, but that of a being far more powerful and alien than any pony had ever seen.
“ADARA!!!”
The cerulean filly was brought out of her reverie to see Scootaloo standing before her. The orange pegasus’ wings were flared out in an attempt to stop her from moving forward.
“Scootaloo, you need to go.”
“No way, I can’t let you!”
“I am the only one who can stand a chance of beating that thing,” said Adara.
“I know your power is strong and all but…that’s a dragon! Even a group of unicorn Royal Guards has trouble taking down one of them, and this thing looks like it has some kind of weird powers!”
“What you are seeing is the power of Avarice given light and form, my light, Hope’s light, can stop it. You have to let me pass Scootaloo, I won’t be swayed.”
Scootaloo then lunged for Adara, wrapping her forelegs around her neck, and bringing her wings around her as well. She tightened her embrace, hanging on for dear life.
“I don’t want to lose you, besides my friends, besides Rainbow Dash and Twilight taking us in, and besides even my healed wings, you’re the one thing I love more than anything!” Scootaloo’s eyes watered, a few drops landing on Adara’s shoulder. “Please, I know your power is strong, but that dragon is on a different level! Please let’s just run and get Twilight and the others, please?!”
Adara relaxed in the embrace, she sat back on her haunches and brought her own forelegs to wrap around Scootaloo’s barrel so that she could hug her back. “Scootaloo, before I arrived here, finding my special somepony wasn’t even on my mind. But then I met you and your friends, so full of hope and determination, I wanted to be around that every day. But this last year I’ve spent with you, I’ll treasure it forever.”
“Don’t talk like that; you sound like you’re going to die!”
“No, nothing like that, but…after today, you may not ever want to see me again…”
A sphere of blue light surrounded the two of them, causing Rarity and Apple Bloom to gasp in surprise. Scootaloo released Adara a little, seeing and feeling the light of Hope surrounding them. She then looked into the eyes of the cerulean filly, they were happy, and at the same time, held some sadness. Adara then kissed Scootaloo lightly on her nose, causing the orange filly to blush. The cerulean pegasus began to ascend away from Scootaloo, looking down on her with a sad smile. The sphere rose higher and higher into the sky until it was high above Ponyville. Rarity and Apple Bloom rushed to Scootaloo’s side, who just stared up and watched her fillyfriend from the ground.
“In fearful day, in raging night With strong hearts full, our souls ignite! When all seems lost in the War of Light, Look to the stars for hope burns bright!”
The sphere of blue light expanded until it was big enough that it could swallow Ponyville whole. The dragon turned its gaze upwards and scowled at the blue light that hung overhead. The sphere then broke apart, shattering into pieces of blue particles of light and blue downy feathers. What emerged from the sphere was no longer a pony, but the embodiment of all hope in the universe, the progenitor of the blue light that was infused with that hope and spread its wonder across the universe, and touched all living souls. This great bird, with large blue feathered wings, and the symbol of Hope glowing on its chest, this was Adara, the Entity of Hope.
The giant, three-faced bird released a call that was like a hawk, but held a tune of a song within it. Scootaloo, Apple Bloom, and Rarity could only stare in awe at the creature that hovered over their town, as to did the rest of the Ponyville residents. Though reason dictated that they should be afraid of this creature, one look at it made any notion of fear leave their minds, that this was not something they should fear. Adara gazed down at Scootaloo, the same sad smile plastered on its three beaks. She then turned her attention to Ophidian, and her expression became serious.
“Ophidian, you dare enter this world and seek to taint it with your light of Avarice?! I will not allow this to come to pass, release the creature that you have possessed and return from whence you came!”
The dragon sprouted two large membrane wings and gave a mighty flap, propelling itself into the air to meet with the great bird. The dragon’s eyes locked with that of Adara’s as it growled menacingly at her.
“Little Adara, sssorry, but I can’t allow that. You see my friend here wantsss something and I plan to help him obtain it.”
“SPIKE WANT!!!” The dragon roared.
Shocked expressions appeared on all three of Adara’s faces, the dragons voice was familiar. “Spike?!”
“I…WANT…RARITY… AND APPLE BLOOM…NOW!!!”
“Ophidian release Spike, NOW! You have gone too far! ”
“Come and get him if you can!”
Adara released another screech; blue light particles began to gather before her, building power with each passing second. She then gave a flap of her wings and fired the pent up energy in beam of pure light. Spike formed a shield construct in front of him, the beam slammed against the shield, forcing Spike back. The possessed dragon held his ground, roaring his defiance into the air as he pushed back against Adara’s power.
Spike then created a sword construct in his left claw, grasped it, and slashed at the beam. Cutting it half and making the divided beam part around him. Adara ceased her attack and flew up into the air. Her wings glowed with blue light and released dozens of smaller beams, each one zipping and angling as they made their way towards Spike. The armored dragon took off, using the combined strength of his wings and the power the orange light of Avarice to propel him. The beams followed his every movement, dogging him no matter which way he turned. Spike stopped for a moment and produced a giant spherical barrier, the beams all struck the side of the barrier, not a one making it to their target.
“Adara wants to take your mares away, she’s jealousss, she won’t stop at Scootaloo, she’ll take Apple Bloom and Rarity too unlesss you stop her!”
“I WON’T LET YOU TAKE THEM AWAY, ADARA!!! THEY’RE MINE THEY BELONG TO ME!!!” Spike roared.
Spike drew back his head bellowed out a powerful blast of dragon fire, mixed with the light of Avarice, creating a fiery plasma beam. Adara produced a shield around herself and took the full brunt of Spike’s attack. It was stronger than she had anticipated, the flames washed over her defensive bubble, creating small cracks in it. Her three faces scrunched up in frustration as she tried to maintain the shield. Though Avarice could not absorb the light of Hope and was weak against it, while in a host, the light of Avarice shines with greater strength, and unfortunately, Adara was feeling that power and strength for herself. For a moment, she contemplated possessing Scootaloo.
NO, she thought, I will not possess her! This is my home and I will defend it! And I promise to free you Spike, no matter what!
The fissures in the shield finally gave way and Adara was hit with the full force of the plasma dragon fire, resulting in an explosion that thundered through the sky. The Entity of Hope emerged from a dust cloud that had formed as a result of the explosion, when she opened her eyes she was greeted to the sight of a dragon Avarice construct sailing towards her. The construct body slammed itself against Adara, sending her flying, but just as quickly, Spike appeared overhead. He created a giant morning star, twirling it around and bringing it down on Adara. The spiked ball smashed against Adara’s left wing, sending her spiraling straight into the ground for a crash landing outside of Ponyville.
The Entity of Hope groaned as her body ached from the earlier attacks, her wing was already healing itself and in mere seconds would be back to flying capacity. Standing on her legs, Adara looked up and saw that Spike had called on the rest of his Avarice constructs, prepared to take her down. Adara narrowed her eyes and flew right back at the possessed drake. The sky then erupted with flashes of orange and blue light, echoing with the roars of a dragon and the screeches of a mighty bird.
(Sweet Apple Acres)
“Ion, ya know where Apple Bloom went? She said somethin’ about goin’ into town but didn’t say why or where.”
Ion heard Applejack’s voice, but he didn’t answer back, his attention was focused primarily on the spectacle before him. The sky near Ponyville was aglow with orange and blue light, his own body was glowing with the green light of Will, feeling the synergistic power of the blue light of Hope even from this distance. Which could have meant only one thing, Ophidian and Adara were fighting. Ion knew this day would come, but he had hoped (no pun intended) that it would be further away, or at least until he had had time to properly explain his origins to Applejack. Speaking of which…
Applejack was exiting the main house and looked upon her coltfriend with a mixture of uncertainty and worry. His body was glowing, along with his cutie mark, the only other time she had seen that happen was right before he transformed into the Emerald Giant. Applejack hurriedly made her way to the stallion and skidded to stop a little past him.
“Ion what’s wrong?!” Applejack then heard several thudding booms echo in the air; she then turned her gaze to the sky and watched as flashes of blue and orange went off in the distance. “What’s with those lights?!”
“Ponyville’s in trouble,” he stated.
Before Applejack could ask what kind of trouble, she spotted two figures flying in the air, one a cyan blue and the other purple. “TWILIGHT, RAINBOW DASH!!!”
The two figures stopped and then descended down to ground. The two mares joined Applejack and Ion on the ground, and both of them had worried looks.
“Applejack something bad is going down in Ponyville! Twi and I could see it from the sky and –” Rainbow finally took notice of Ion. “– why is Ion glowing like a lightning bug?!”
“Um…well, to be honest Dash…Ah kinda owe you and Twi an explanation,” said Applejack nervously.
“Later,” said Ion, “I need to go, Adara needs my help.”
Twilight and Rainbow Dash both gave Ion a look of shock when he said that. The Princess of Magic ran in front of Ion and looked him dead in the eye. “Ion, it’s them isn’t it?”
“One of them, the one responsible for nearly ruining Applejack’s field.”
“Wait – what?!” Applejack gasped.
Twilight nodded her understanding. “Alright, go!”
“Wait, what the hay is going on?!” asked Rainbow Dash in total confusion.
“You might want to stand back.”
Twilight backed away, as too did Applejack and Rainbow Dash. The aura around Ion, which was glowing involuntarily, now roared to life, becoming a sphere of emerald green energy that floated up into the sky and grew larger and larger with each passing second.
“In Brightest Day, in Blackest Night, No evil shall escape my sight! Let those who worship evil’s might, Beware my power, Will’s grand light!”
The sphere shattered and revealed the true form of the Entity of Willpower. Applejack, Twilight, and Rainbow Dash stared with slacked jaws at the sight of the giant whale-like beast hovering over them. The fins on its sides were long and wide, they could almost be mistaken for wings. The giant beast had three symbols of Willpower, starting from its head and going down its back. It then released a low moan, like a song. Ion moved his enormous body, angling his head so that he could look down at the three mares staring up at him. Rainbow Dash’s defensive and shocked state was to be expected, Twilight was just simply surprised, having never seen his true form other than when he was in his infancy stage when the Life Entity brought him and the others to Equestria, and what she and the other Princesses were told. And then there was Applejack, she just stared at him, her green eyes meeting that of his big green ones as well. Ion couldn’t tell what she was feeling. Was she awestruck? Afraid? Disgusted?
With another echoing song from the whale-like creature, Ion pointed himself in the direction of Ponyville. With a flick of his tail and a flap of his four fins Ion took off towards the battle. He didn’t so much fly as swim through the air, his movements more fluid and agile as he raced through the sky.
It wasn’t long before he spotted Adara, locked in mortal combat with a dragon, Ophidian’s host. The moment that Ion got within a certain range his power doubled, his green aura blazing like star fire. Ion concentrated his energy; the symbol of Willpower appeared in front of him. At the center, energy started to coalesce. The energy then unleashed itself in a torrent of emerald light that roared right for the dragon. The host of Ophidian didn’t have time to counter as the beam swallowed him up in its power, sending the creature hurtling to White Tail Wood, and making its Avarice constructs follow after it.
Ion swam next to Adara, giving her a quick inspection to see if she was badly injured. “Are you alright Adara?”
The Entity of Hope’s body flared up as well, her blue aura blazing with a similar intensity to Ion, her three beaks each smiled at the Entity of Willpower. “I am now, thank you brother.”
“Don’t thank me yet, that attack won’t keep him down for long. We’ll have to hit him with everything we have combined, it may be hell on the host, but it might be enough to drive out Ophidian,” suggested Ion.
“Wait! We can’t, the host of Ophidian is Spike!” Adara warned. “I don’t know how he did it, but he is possessing Spike and is using his want for Apple Bloom and Rarity to fuel his Avarice light! We have to separate them!”
Ion let out a dejected moan; this was going to be harder than he originally thought, especially without the use of constructs. Just then a pillar of orange light fired off into the air, which was followed by an enraged roar. Spike flew at them, having created a giant claw construct around his right fist. He reached out with the claw and tried to grab hold of Ion, but Adara and Ion quickly melded their power and created a barrier around themselves. The vermillion construct hissed upon making contact with the sphere, causing it to shatter into pieces. Spike reared back and unleashed another torrent of plasma fire, unlike last time, the shield did not shatter. Bolstered by the power of Will and Hope, their barrier remained strong. Unfortunately, this meant that they were unable to attack, a stalemate.
“Nok!”
At that moment a giant cloud of purple smoke exploded from above Spike and the two Entities. The smoke quickly cleared away, revealing Proselyte in his true form as well. The Entity of Compassion lashed out with its four tentacles, wrapping them around Spike’s arms and legs. He thrashed about, roaring, and snapping with his jaws as he tried to free himself. But Proselyte wasn’t letting go, channeling the light of Hope; he was able to immobilize Spike’s movements.
“Sister, use your light to expel Ophidian, and brother, use yours to empower her light and hold him still, and I shall try to extract Ophidian!”
Apple Bloom, Rarity, and Scootaloo were staring up at the battle in complete awe. The farm filly gawked when she saw, and somewhat felt, the familiar green light, wondering if this was one of Ion’s “constructs”. Before long a purple flash of light appeared before the three ponies, revealing Twilight, Rainbow Dash, and Applejack.
“SIS?!” cried out Apple Bloom.
The filly quickly ran to her big sister and latched onto her right foreleg. “Apple Bloom, thank the stars you’re alright!” Applejack looked up and saw Ion and Adara as they prepared to combine their lights. “Looks like Ion is doin’ alright.”
Apple Bloom separated from Applejack to look her in the eyes. “So that is Ion! Ah knew it!”
“Yeah, it is…‘cept that’s the real Ion, that’s not some Emerald Giant creation…”
“Okay, before this gets any crazier, what’s been going on?!” Twilight shouted.
“Let’s see, a few minutes ago that dragon appeared and sic’ed some rather horrifying versions of the Diamond Dogs on us, Adara used some strange magic to protect us, and then she turned herself into that lovely giant blue bird. And apparently the dragon is Spike…”
“WHAT!!?” Twilight screamed. Her eyes began to water as she looked upon the giant creature that was Spike. “Oh Faust, what have they done to him!?”
The ponies assembled started to hear a great roar and an increase in the light. All of them looked up and watched as the three Entities worked together.
Ion was shining his green light of Willpower, using its overwhelming might to hold Spike in place. Adara’s blue light of Hope bathed over all, Spike tried to avert his eyes, but soon the symbol of Hope shined within them.
“No, what are you doing?! STOP IT NOW!!!”
“No Ophidian, we will not!” Proselyte released Spike, now being held by the green light of Will. The Entity of Compassion then reached out with its tentacles, each one glowing with blue light. The tentacles then passed through into Spike’s chest, causing him to roar. “Forgive me Spike, this will be an unpleasant experience…but it is necessary!”
The tentacles seemed to latch onto something and slowly retracted. The tentacles then began to drag something out of Spike’s chest, a snake’s head, with the symbol of Avarice on its head. The creature hissed and snapped its jaws, trying desperately to stay inside its host.
“Look, I think they’re doing it!” Scootaloo yelled excitedly.
“If this works Spike will be okay,” said Twilight with a hopeful tone.
The vermillion snake continued to be drawn out by Proselyte more and more, but something unexpected occurred. A crimson beam of light roared down and struck Proselyte’s tentacles, causing him to cry out in pain and release Ophidian back into Spike. More crimson bolts of light rained down, aiming right for Adara and Ion. The two Entities refocused their power to shield themselves and the ponies below them. The Positive Entities stared up at that moment, along with the group of ponies they were protecting, and gasped at who it was.
“GREETINGS MY SUBJECTS, I HAVE RETURNED?!” Nightmare Butcher proclaimed loudly.
Rainbow Dash face hoofed herself, flattening her ears to her head as she gave a dejected groan. “Oh c’mon! On top of all this crazy crap, now Nightmare Moon’s back too!!?”
Twilight was shaking her head in disbelief. “No…it can’t be…Princess Luna…we destroyed Nightmare Moon and purified Luna of her!” That’s when it struck Twilight. “THE ELEMENTS!”
Nightmare Butcher looked down and saw the pony who had ascended to the rank of Princess, her rage building at the memories of her defeat at the hooves of this mare. She then turned her withering gaze onto Golden Oaks Library. Nightmare’s tri-horns flared up, creating a massive sphere of red light. With a flick of her head, she launched the sphere. Ion and Adara moved closer to their friends, shielding them with their power, but the attack sailed past them. The group of ponies watched with wide-eyed horror as the sphere struck the library and detonated, causing a powerful explosion to erupt.
When the dust settled, Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Scootaloo, and even Adara gaped at what they saw. The library, the place the four had called home for some time now, was completely, and utterly, destroyed. Ash and burning debris was all that was left, pages of books fell from the sky, crimson flames slowly engulfing them as they floated down.
“So much for your Elements of Harmony, Twilight Sparkle, and so sorry about your ‘royal palace’, but hey, at least you have room for a new one!” Nightmare mocked.
Twilight just simply dropped to the ground, her legs becoming like jelly and could not support her. She stared at the charred ruins of her home, tears falling down her face as the impact of what had occurred hit her. Scootaloo joined Twilight, nestling beside the alicorn mare as she too cried over the loss, although she had not lived in the library as long as Twilight, she had come to call it home ever since she and Rainbow Dash took her in.
Adara felt the pain of the loss just as much as her fillyfriend and the two mares who looked after them. She then turned to face Nightmare Butcher; her three faces all contorting with disdain. “You are infused with the power of the Butcher! Creature of darkness and rage, you shall regret your actions here today!!!”
(Meanwhile…)
The Crystal Empire was smoking with the barely contained destruction of the changeling swarm and the Adamant Guards’ fighting. But the fiercest of the fighting was being conducted near the palace. Shining Armor and Cadance worked in tandem to fend off Chrysalis. Shining Armor created a polygon shaped barrier as Chrysalis unleashed a powerful beam of yellow light upon him. The shield held fast as Shining Armor held his ground, gritting his teeth as he poured his magical energy into maintaining it.
At that moment Cadance jumped up from behind Shining Armor, her dual-edged crystal lance aimed directly for the Changeling Queen as she thrust forward with the finely tipped weapon. Chrysalis ceased her attack and created a shield of her own just as the lance made contact. Cadance infused the lance with her own magical love energy, counteracting Chrysalis’ fear based power. The lance sparked as it tried to pierce through the construct, forcing Chrysalis back a bit as her hooves scrapped against the street. The Queen of the Changelings flexed her right arm, making the hidden forearm blade extend out. She then gave a quick slash with the blade.
Cadance lurched back as the blade scraped along the chest plate of her armor as she retreated from Chrysalis. Shining Armor stepped in, preparing to show that his defense was just as good as offense. Galloping a great speed, Shining Armor encased his body in the barrier, elongated it and focusing the bulk of his magical energy at the front. The hardened barrier struck Chrysalis right in her chest, Shining Armor then halted, but the barrier continued forward, now propelled by the magical energy. Chrysalis was lifted off like a rocket, speeding right into a nearby structure.
The Changeling Queen broke through the wall and into the building itself. Cadance flew up, channeling her magic into the lance; she fired a concentrated beam of light-blue mana right at the base of the building, causing it to collapse right on top of their enemy. Cadance joined Shining Armor on the ground, both of them panting and huffing from their long battle with the Entity empowered Chrysalis.
“Any chance that that stopped her?” asked Shining Armor.
“Well…judging from the, oh, fifty other times we threw her into something and she burst out from the rubble…” Just then a pillar of yellow light erupted from the rubble, and a very PO’ed Chrysalis glared at them. “No…”
The Queen of the Changelings dusted herself off as she casually strode towards the Royal Couple. “Hmm, this is certainly getting old.”
“Couldn’t agree more,” said Cadance.
“Then let us end this shall we!?”
Chrysalis flared her wings, the symbols upon her wings shined with the light of Fear. Shining Armor and Cadance shut their eyes tightly, trying to not to be hypnotized or succumb to the yellow light’s power. Chrysalis laughed mockingly at the couple as she watched their feeble attempts at trying to keep her power from affecting them.
“It’s no use, the yellow light of Fear shows me everything, whether your eyes are open or not!”
Chrysalis’ eyes shined with the same light as she peered into Shining Armor’s mind, all his fears laid bare before her, seen as easily as if brought forth into the light of day. Images of the Changeling invasion from the Royal Wedding flooded his mind, showing him as the brainwashed servant of Chrysalis, watching as all of Canterlot fell around him, the city he had been charged to protect, and all who dwelled within it, captured and made as food for their new masters. Twilight and Cadance were also shown, both begging for his help as they were cocooned alive, letting their love energy be syphoned off by the insectoid equines.
Shining Armor’s eyes were glowing yellow as his mind continued to be bombarded with the shock images of his fears. Chrysalis stood there, absorbing and basking in the sweetness that was the stallion’s deepest fears. She then turned her attention to Cadance, who was doing her best to fight against her, but with a flick of her wrist, Chrysalis brushed away her last mental defensive wall and entered her mind.
Cadance’s deepest fears were laid before her; it was quite surprising for the Queen of Fear. She saw debauchery of the highest level, the Princess of Love engaged in numerous salacious and lewd acts. She was out of control, and the whole time she had a smile on her face. This was the thing Cadance feared the most out of everything, becoming a slave to the love magic of which she wielded. To lose herself in the powerful passion that was the love of all creatures on the planet, and letting it fill her, motivate her into acting out and indulging in its power, and the whole time she saw the looks of disgust and contempt from her Aunts, Celestia and Luna, and from her husband and sister-in-law, Shining Armor and Twilight.
Cadance’s eyes were also yellow, but she was crying sorrowfully, her body collapsing onto the ground from the terror of what she was seeing. All of this only made the Changeling Queen even stronger; enjoying the expressions and pain she was causing these two.
“You seem to be reveling in this power. And to think you wanted to turn your back on it.”
“I was foolish then, I will never be again Parallax! I will feast on these two until they are withered up husks and make this Crystal Empire my own! An Empire of Terror and Fright!” Chrysalis shouted.
“For hearts long lost and full of fright…”
Chrysalis paused for a moment, hearing a familiar voice.
“For those alone in Blackest Night…!”
The Changeling Queen looked behind Shining Armor and Cadance and saw a dark pink unicorn mare walking towards them. Her body was blazing with violet-pink light as her eyes became reptilian slits. Her narrowed gaze was aimed right for Chrysalis, making the Changeling Queen back away a bit.
“Accept this power and join our fight…”
The mare trotted passed Shining Armor and Cadance, standing before them as a shield. The violet light shined over the couple, covering them in its powerful, yet gentle radiance. The yellow light that shined in the eyes of the unicorn and alicorn faded away, allowing them to regain their senses. Cadance shook her head and stared wide eyed at who stood before them.
“Predator…?”
The mare glanced over her shoulder at the Princess of Love and gave a sad smile before returning her fierce gaze back onto Chrysalis.
“Love conquers all with violet light!!!”
A column of violet light shot into the air, growing bigger and bigger with each passing second. A powerful roar erupted from the pillar and at that moment, two long arms appeared each sporting razor sharp claws. Two long legs pierced the pillar walls next, creating a thunderous boom as they landed on the ground, and then a tail, and finally, the pillar shattered apart, revealing the full, crystalline form of Predator, the Entity of Love. The giant, crystal raptor snorted and growled as it looked down upon the Changeling Queen, baring its dagger like teeth at her.
“Chrysalis, I warned you that if you ever threatened Cadance, or the ponies of this world, that I’d devour you! I will keep that promise!”
Chrysalis was visibly trembling; it was just like her nightmare. “Do not fear Predator! She may be strong, but you Chrysalis, are the stronger! So long as we are you united, Predator’s power is but a nuisance to be stamped out under our heel!”
A smile started to appear on the lips of the Queen, her fists clenching as Parallax’s words emboldened her. “I no longer fear you Predator! I have real power now! And you shall feel its wrath!”
Chrysalis spread her wings and took off into the air. Predator roared and followed after her, she lashed out with her right claw, but Chrysalis created a giant shield construct that blocked the attack, creating a dual shockwave of yellow and violet. Predator quickly retracted her claw and spun around, tail whipping Chrysalis from her right side and sending the possessed Queen flying. Chrysalis spun out of control for a good few seconds before she released a shockwave of yellow light, bringing her to a complete stop.
Predator roared and arched her back, angling it towards Chrysalis. Thousands of sapphire shards poked out and fired from her body like rockets. The violet crystals zoomed through the air, as they sailed for their target. Chrysalis created a giant wall construct, with each of the shards embedding themselves into it. Without her knowing, Chrysalis fired a ball of yellow light in Predator’s direction, intentionally aiming low.
The Entity of Love continued her assault but stopped when she felt something off. She looked down and watched as the sphere of yellow light burst forth and transformed into a nine-headed hydra. Predator snarled as the heads surrounded her, roaring at each of them in turn. The first head struck, but Predator dodged it and chomped down on the constructs neck, her sharp teeth digging into it. Another head snapped at her tail and caught her in its jaws; it then pulled Predator off of the injured head, biting down hard on the crystal beast.
Predator roared from the sting of pain, but quickly rounded on the head that had her tail. The Entity of Love manipulated its left claw, transforming it into a crystal spike that she drove right into the beast’s head; she then changed it into a blade and dragged through, slicing it off and destroying the head. Two others lashed out and bit down on both of her arms while another pair came up and bit her two legs, holding in place. The remaining four heads stared her down, ready to tear her apart. But Predator wasn’t about to give up.
The Entity of Love opened its mouth as violet light began to collect within it. She then pointed her head down and bellowed out a powerful blast of violet light. The beam struck the center of the hydra body, and immediately, sapphire crystals began to encase the construct. The hydra released Predator, trying to free itself from the crystal that was creeping up its body and slowly engulfing the heads. Too late, the creeping crystal completely covered the construct. Predator formed a sphere of violet light in its right claw and threw it down at the base of the construct’s body, shattering it like fragile glass.
Unfortunately, Chrysalis used this brief opening to assault Predator. She flew fast as she delivered a powerful punch from an enlarged claw construct, smashing Predator in the face. Chrysalis then followed up with a right hook to the crystalline raptor’s jaw, and then an uppercut, sending the Entity of Love up higher into the air. Using her magic, Chrysalis teleported higher to intercept Predator, she then brought up her hands, creating hammer construct and slamming it down on Predator’s back.
Predator went right down into the city, creating a massive crater upon impact. Cadance and Shining Armor gasped when they saw what happened. The pink alicorn spread her wings and flew towards the crater and landed at the edge. As she did, Predator slowly rose up, dirt and crystals fell off her body as she stood to her full height.
“Predator, are you alright!!?” Cadance shouted.
The Entity of Love did not look away from her opponent, but neither did she ignore Cadance. “You need to get away from here! Tend to the rest of your subjects and drive out the changelings that are invading! I can handle Chrysalis, even with Parallax giving her power! Fear cannot outshine Love!”
“Predator you can’t fight her alone! Let me help you!”
Predator looked down at Cadance. “Why would you want to help me after what I almost did to you?! Why would want to help a monster like me?!”
Suddenly Predator’s head snapped in a southerly direction, staring into the distance as if seeing something that Cadance could not. Chrysalis was doing the same thing; she looked out in the same direction, sensing a disturbance far off from the Crystal Empire.
“It would seem Butcher and Ophidian are in need of assistance.”
“And who are they?” asked Chrysalis.
“Allies, other Entities like myself, and their hosts are with us as well. We must go; I can sense the others battling them as we speak. Your changelings can handle the rest from here.”
“Very well.”
Chrysalis horn was ablaze with her magical energy, a ring of yellow fire appeared behind her as she prepared to teleport herself to the destination of the other Negative Entities.
“NO!”
Predator jumped up into the air and flew towards Chrysalis. Cadance, nervous after hearing that the other Entities were locked in combat, flew after the Entity of Love.
Chrysalis saw this and prepared to counterattack when Predator grabbed her in both claws and snarled at the Queen. Cadance jumped onto Predator’s back just as the ring of yellow fire created an image of Ponyville and then enclosed around them, teleporting them in that instant.
(Ponyville, a few minutes later)
Sweetie Belle, along with Dinky, were hiding under her the dining room table in Derpy’s house. The pegasus mare and her adopted daughter, Amethyst “Sparkler” Star, were sitting close to both the fillies, trying to offer their protection and comfort after hearing all the explosions and roars, and feeling the powerful shockwaves and earthquakes the rumbled beneath their hooves.
The unicorn filly had visited the Hooves family, thinking that Proselyte might be there, but unfortunately he wasn’t, but she was guaranteed that Fluttershy and Proselyte would arrive later that day after a previous engagement. So she opted to wait, playing with Dinky and listening to her talk about her “big brother”. Sweetie Belle didn’t mind, she wanted to know more about the mysterious pegasus colt who helped her. But now that plan was moot as the commotion outside sounded scary and wasn’t getting any better.
“We need to see what’s going on out there,” said Amethyst.
“You think it might be one of Pinkie Pie’s more wild parties?” asked Derpy with a hopeful tone.
A bird screech and a bloodthirsty roar echoed out.
“Maybe not…” Derpy gulped. “Let’s have a look then.”
“Don’t leave us alone Mommy!” cried Dinky.
“We’re just going to the window Muffin, don’t worry,” said Derpy, trying to calm her youngest.
Sweetie placed her foreleg over Dinky, bringing her close and trying to help her feel safe. Amethyst and Derpy hurried out from under the table and looked out the window, their eyes widening at the sight they were beholding.
Nightmare Moon, dressed in blood red armor, was battling a giant blue bird, while a black and orange colored dragon was fighting off a giant, green…whale and an almost equally giant, purple squid. Red, blue, green, purple, and orange lights were being shot out in different directions, some hitting nearby houses and others were zooming off into the distance. Derpy and Sparkler slumped down low under the window, both had worried expressions.
“So what do you think Mom?!”
“I think it’s way too dangerous to leave, that’s what I think,” said Derpy.
*BOOM!*
“No argument here!”
Both mares stopped talking as they heard a strange noise. It was like a hissing, bubbling sound, but neither of them could figure out where it was coming from. They then looked up to the ceiling and watched as something red dripped down, eating through the wood and continuing to eat through the floor and further still. Soon even more of the red liquid ate away at the ceiling and made the hole that it came through bigger.
“Um…on second thought, maybe we should think about leaving,” Sparkler amended.
“Seconded!” Derpy agreed.
Derpy and Sparkler hurried towards the two unicorn fillies and helped them up so that they could leave. They rushed to the front door, with Derpy at the front, Sparkler at the rear, and the two fillies between them. Derpy opened the door slightly to take a look outside and to make sure that the coast was clear. It was about as clear as a warzone, but really, there wasn’t much of a choice, they needed to at least get out of the house, since, at this rate, one of those stray beams or strange acidic liquid might hit their house. Or worse, Nightmare Moon or the dragon could come crashing through their home.
The walleyed pegasus mare looked back at the fillies, “Now listen, it’s going to be a little scary out there, but I need you two to stay close to Sparkler and me, and run as fast as you can, don’t look at anything else, just keep looking at me.”
“B-B-But Mommy…I thought it wasn’t safe out there!” Dinky protested.
“I know Muffin, it isn’t, but we can’t stay here with all that going on. We might get hurt even in our own home, so we need to hurry and get out of Ponyville, at least until all the weird stuff stops.” Derpy explained as calmly as she could.
“But weird stuff happens in Ponyville all the time and we haven’t ever had to leave before,” said Sweetie Belle.
“Well…Sweetie…This doesn’t look like the ‘normal’ kind of weird stuff…Please just trust us on this one,” said Sparkler.
Another round of explosions went off outside, making the two fillies jump in surprise. Derpy and Sparkler took a deep breath, they needed to do this. They needed to get the foals out of the town. For Derpy, her motherly instincts were kicking into full drive, while her oldest may’ve been thinking of how to keep Sweetie and Dinky safe, she was thinking how she was going to make sure all three of them made it. She was prepared to do whatever it took to ensure that they would make it out safe, besides, it wouldn’t be the first time she did something life threatening for their sake.
“Okay everypony, on three. One…Two………THREE!!!”
Derpy threw open the front door and ran outside, with Sweetie and Dinky, and Sparkler right behind her. The four ponies ran through the town, maneuvering through buildings and alleyways to get out of the warzone that was Ponyville. Derpy looked to the sky a few times, watching the great beings above do battle back and forth, making sure that they weren’t spotted or hit with some stray shot.
Unfortunately, every way Derpy took them was either filled with debris, or a freaky orange Diamond Dog was around the next corner and they didn’t want to get caught by it. Eventually the four of them made it to an opening and kept running, hoping that it was a way out of town. It wasn’t.
The alleyway lead right to the middle of the action, Derpy held out her foreleg to signal the others to stop. Sparkler, Dinky, and Sweetie peeked from behind the gray pegasus mare and gasped at what they saw. Golden Oaks Library was completely turned to ash, where once the giant treehouse filled with books once stood in Ponyville for years was now gone forever. Derpy couldn’t help but shed a tear or two from seeing this, having many fond memories from when she was a filly, reading through the books, checking them out for projects at school. Even the old librarian was nice, especially to Derpy when she was sometimes late bringing back a book.
“Rarity!” Sweetie Belle cried out. “Scootaloo, and Apple Bloom, everypony’s there!”
Derpy extended her wing to keep the young filly from going to her big sister, she didn’t like it, but Rarity and the others were smack dab in the middle of the chaos, and she wasn’t about to let Sweetie Belle run out there while it was going on.
Adara, the Entity of Hope, was locked in an aerial battle with Nightmare Butcher. The black alicorn summoned her crimson battle ax and brought it down on the blue bird, but Adara created a shield, blocking the blade of the ax. Nightmare poured more of her power into the ax, the blade steadily grinding against the barrier and cutting through it. Adara saw this and opened her beak, blue light started to gather in her maw and, the instant the barrier broke, she unleashed the blast in a powerful sonic energy pulse. The pulse slammed against Nightmare and threw her into Town Hall.
Meanwhile, Ion and Proselyte were busy trying to rein in Spike. The Entity of Compassion channeled the blue light of Hope, using it to counter Spike’s constructs. The possessed dragon would call forth one Avarice construct after the other, but Proselyte, with his blue light tipped tentacles, would slash at the creations, destroying them on contact. Ion would come in while he was distracted, slamming his massive body into Spike’s and firing a concentrated beam of green light at point blank range. The blast then exploded, making Spike clutch his stomach in slight pain as he leered at the Entity of Willpower. Neither Ion nor Proselyte liked fighting Spike, knowing that this wouldn’t have happened had Ophidian not tempted him, but such was the situation, and now they needed to rid him of the Entity of Avarice.
“What say you, Ion? Do you think we can attempt another removal of Ophidian?” asked Proselyte.
“Risky, but we’ll need Adara, and she’s busy with that alicorn possessed by Butcher. Strange though…I haven’t heard his thoughts since their arrival,” said Ion.
“Well, glad I’m not the only one finding that odd.”
“Why don’t you both just sssurrender now?! You know you can’t defeat both of usss!”
“You seem to forget, even with you two inside of hosts, the three of us are still on par with you!”
As if to contradict the Entity of Willpower, a portal opened in the sky above Ponyville. It’s yellow, fiery edges glowed as a giant object fell from the opening. Predator, holding Chrysalis, and with Cadance on her back, descended down and landed on a house with a thunderous crash and a booming quake that rumbled through the ground itself. The Entity of Love and the Princess of Love looked to and fro, confused for a moment but then realization hit them both at the same time.
“We’re in Ponyville?!” Cadance gasped.
“We’ve been teleported here, but why?!” asked Predator.
“To render aid – now Chrysalis!”
The Changeling Queen fired a beam of mana and yellow light energy from her horn, striking the crystalline raptor in the face. The Entity of Love roared when she felt the sting of the blast, releasing the Changeling Queen and forcing her back. Chrysalis flew towards Spike and noticed the two other Entities facing him, she then flew beside the massive dragon who looked at her and snarled.
“So nice of you to finally join usss, Parallax! What took you so long!?” asked Ophidian.
“Kckt, sorry, we were having a little fun, Chrysalis and I, in the Crystal Empire.”
“Need I ask why we are helping this dragon when it looks like he’s going to eat me at any moment?” asked Chrysalis.
“Do not worry Spike will not harm you. Spike, Chrysalis is here to help get you what you want. She is our ally.”
“AL…LY…CHRYSALIS IS MY ALLY!” Spike growled.
“Looks like the gang’s all here,” said Ion.
Chrysalis looked upon the Entity of Willpower, Parallax’s power made it known to her that this particular Entity was the natural enemy to her power. Spike and Chrysalis glanced at each other, their eyes meeting for a brief moment before each broke away. Chrysalis flew up, making Ion pursue.
Adara saw what was coming and readied herself to help Ion, but a pillar of crimson light erupted from Town Hall, with a glowing red streak flying out from it and heading right for the Entity of Hope. Nightmare Butcher cut off Adara, appearing before her and glaring at her with glowing red eyes.
“If you think that was enough to keep me down, you are sorely mistaken!” Nightmare roared.
“I will not yield to you, destroyer!”
“I don’t want you to yield I want you –” Nightmare Butcher rushed Adara bringing her battle ax right down on the Entity of Hope’s right shoulder, causing her to let out a screech of pain. “– TO DIE!!!”
Nightmare Butcher forced Adara back down to the ground with a great boom, kicking up dust and debris from the impact. Nightmare Butcher dug the blade deeper into Adara’s body, causing blue ichor to come seeping out from the wound. But, before Nightmare could finish her work, Predator appeared behind her and gave a mighty swipe of her sapphire crystal claw, striking Nightmare and sending her skidding across the ground. Predator then looked down to her fellow Entity with concern.
“Are you alright, Adara?”
The Entity of Hope slowly floated up and onto her feet, the wound was already starting to close but Adara panted a bit from the searing pain that was the light of Rage. “I am fine, sister. Nothing that cannot be healed…I am surprised to see you here…and Parallax as well.”
“We can discuss more of the surprises later, but for now, you and I shall deal with that lout and his host!” Predator glared at Nightmare Butcher and the up to Chrysalis.“Love will conquer Fear and Rage!”
The group of ponies could only watch this spectacle in complete shock and awe, seeing these titanic cosmic beings duke it out with two of their worst enemies, and one who was a dear friend. Twilight had never felt so helpless in all her life, her home was destroyed, her books, the memories, and the Elements of Harmony, all went up in smoke. The home she had planned to live in with Rainbow, raising Scootaloo and, to some extent, Adara, was gone, and now, she had lost Spike to the Entity of Avarice, and was now locked in mortal combat with the other Positive Entities. Scootaloo and Rainbow Dash stayed close to her for comfort, feeling the sense of loss just as much as she was.
It was during this time that a new visitor had appeared, flying towards the group. “Princess Cadance?!” Rarity gasped.
Twilight looked up and saw her old foalsitter, garbed in battle armor and holding a double-edged lance in her telekinetic aura. The pink alicorn landed before the group, looking at them and to the smoldering ruins across from them.
“Twilight…everypony…W-What happened here?!”
Twilight rose up and quickly rushed to her sister-in-law, resting her head against the older alicorn’s chest and crying into it, her tears dripping down the sleek crystal armor. There was no need for words, Cadance could tell what happened, she then placed her lance into the ground and brought both her wings around to hug Twilight close. Sadly, there wasn’t much time for Twilight to properly convey her sadness or for Cadance to truly comfort her.
“Cadance…What are you doing here?!” asked Twilight.
“Chrysalis invaded the Crystal Empire, she and her changelings are empowered by Parallax. Now we’re here, which I’m willing to bet to help the other Negative Entities.”
A roar silenced any further talking as Spike and Proselyte continued their battle. Up above, Chrysalis was fighting against Ion, she somehow managed to get on top of the massive creature, using a yellow rope construct to wrap around his neck and using to rein him in. She then flexed her forearm again, making the exoskeletal blade extend. She energized the blade and plunged it into Ion’s back, making the Entity of Willpower let out a painful groan as he was forced down to the ground, skidding through three homes before stopping.
“ION” Applejack cried out.
Proselyte was currently battling multiple Avarice constructs, using his powers to channel Love and Hope to keep them from getting close to him. But Spike used this to his advantage, using his unnatural speed he flew right at Proselyte and, with his powerful jaws, bit down on the Entity of Compassion’s tentacle. He thrashed his head about, his fangs digging into the light flesh of the cosmic creature, and, with a mighty jerk, Spike tore off the tentacle from Proselyte. The purple cephalopod released a pained noise as his tentacle bled indigo ichor. Spike then opened his maw and inhaled, causing Proselyte’s indigo light to fly into his maw, draining the Entity of Compassion.
When he thought he was weak enough, Spike grabbed Proselyte’s body and tossed him down to the ground. He then impacted against one of the larger structures, but when the dust cleared, Proselyte was no longer in his true form. He was now in his pony form, with one wing missing and bleeding the indigo ichor.
Far away, Sweetie Belle, Dinky, Derpy, and Sparkler all gasped in horror at what they saw. Lyte, Dinky’s surrogate big brother, and Fluttershy’s ward, was the giant indigo squid fighting off the other creatures. Derpy, Dinky, and Sweetie Belle knew he had strange abilities, but nothing like this.
Up above Predator and Adara were engaged in a dogfight with Nightmare Butcher, attacking her from different angles. But the combined power of the light of Rage, Nightmare’s dark magic, and of course, her unrelenting hatred, made her a tough opponent even for the two Entities to handle. During this fight, Nightmare Butcher saw that Proselyte was down and in mortal form. Sensing his vulnerability, Nightmare Butcher released a powerful shockwave of red light, making Adara and Predator back away from her. She then charged her tri-horns and fired a crimson lightning bolt straight for Proselyte.
Predator and Adara saw this and quickly fired their own beams to intercept the attack. The three beams crashed into each other, creating an explosion of red, violet, and blue light. But then, the red lightning zipped through the dust cloud and continued on.
Sweetie Belle looked up at this time, watching as the crimson bolt sailed down. She traced the angle of the bolt and found that it was heading directly for…
“PROSELYTE!!!” Sweetie shouted.
She quickly maneuvered her way around Derpy and galloped as fast as her filly legs could take her. Several protests rang out from Sparkler, Derpy, and Dinky, but Sweetie Belle ignored them, her main focus was getting to Proselyte. It wasn’t long before Scootaloo and Apple Bloom took notice of their friend and quickly called out to her, making the other mares see her running towards the downed Entity of Compassion.
Sweetie Belle kept one eye on the sky, watching the bolt continue to speed towards its target. Proselyte wasn’t moving much, his wound was slowly starting to heal itself but he still didn’t seem to have the strength to move. Sweetie ran faster, her heart pounding in her chest as she huffed and panted. It was then that she came to the realization.
I-I’m not going to make it! Her pace slowed for just a microsecond before her face grew serious. No! I will make it! I have to! Proselyte helped me and Dinky, and now I can help him! I gotta make it – I WILL make it!!! Suddenly, Sweetie Belle’s horn sparked with green mana. The sparks flew from her horn at a rapid pace until it was fully glowing. Without even trying, Sweetie Belle’s body was wrapped up in her magical aura, and in the next second a flash of light made her disappear.
Proselyte was groggily starting to come to, his body feeling sluggish from the wound and the drain of his indigo light. The Entity of Compassion then saw a flash of light and suddenly felt someone ram into him, throwing the pegasus colt a good distance from where he was standing. When Proselyte turned to see who it was, his eyes grew wide at seeing that it was Sweetie Belle. The white unicorn filly had a relieved smile on her face, but it did not last. The red bolt struck Sweetie Belle in the chest, slamming her against the wall. She didn’t even scream…there was no time to. Her eyes went wide for a moment before the light left them and they closed, her body falling limp on ground.
The Entity of Compassion picked himself off the ground staring blankly at what just happened, his mind trying to comprehend what just occurred. Scootaloo collapsed onto her haunches, tears streaming down her face as she shook her head in disbelief. Applejack covered her mouth with one hoof, trying to stifle her sobbing. Rainbow Dash gritted her teeth as her tears flowed down. Twilight and Cadance weren’t any better, but the real reaction came from Rarity.
“SWEETIE BELLE – NO!!!!”
The white unicorn mare galloped towards the body of her little sister, with Apple Bloom right behind her. She couldn’t be dead; at least that’s what the farm filly was hoping. But, before either one of them could get to Sweetie Belle’s body, a cage made of orange light slammed on top of them, making the two ponies stop dead in their tracks. The cage slowly lifted upwards, moving towards Spike’s waiting claw. The cage landed in Spike’s claw as he brought them up to his eye level, grinning satisfactorily.
“MY… MARES…ALL MINE!”
“SPIKE YOU LET ME GO THIS INSTANT!!! LET ME GO TO SWEETIE BELLE PLEASE!!!” Rarity pleaded.
“SPIKE, CAN’T YA SEE SWEETIE DOWN THERE!!? SHE NEEDS US, PLEASE HELP HER!!!” Apple Bloom shouted.
Spike looked down at the body of Sweetie Belle, he then turned his attention back to the two he had in his claw. “SHE’S GONE…I DON’T WANT HER!”
Nightmare Butcher flew down and hovered beside Spike, grinning evilly as she saw the opportunity presented to them. “As much fun as it would be to keep fighting you all, this is getting tiresome!” Nightmare then pointed her battle ax at the group of ponies below, the blade glowing with the light of Rage. “Entities! Revert to your mortal forms now and surrender! Or what happened to that foolish filly will befall the rest of them! The choice is yours!”
Chrysalis flew off of Ion and hovered overhead as the Entity of Willpower flew to meet his fellow Entities Adara and Predator. Adara was already weeping from Sweetie Belle’s death, and Predator was glaring daggers at Nightmare Butcher, wanting to tear her limb from limb in retribution for killing the sister of her first friend. But…there was one thing that they seemed to agree on, they did not want the same thing to happen to others, especially now that Spike had Rarity and Apple Bloom captive. The three looked down to Proselyte, who, with a heavy heart, nodded to them.
Ion, Predator, and Adara turned into their respective lights and reappeared on the ground, now in their pony forms. Proselyte walked over to them, head held down as he did so.
“ION don’t do it!” Applejack shouted.
“Adara no, you can’t let them do this!” Scootaloo yelled.
Proselyte looked back at the group with sad eyes, “This is the only way to protect you…we have caused more than enough harm to you already…”
The other three did not disagree with that statement. Spike, Chrysalis, and Nightmare combined their three different negative lights and fired them at each of the pony formed Entities. Cages made of the three lights formed over each separate Entity, isolating them from the other.
“Come, we shall enjoy our spoils at my castle.”
The cages lifted up and joined the three possessed hosts. Before they left, Spike noticed something shiny in the rumble of Golden Oaks Library; he then pointed his left claw at the debris, shooting an orange construct right at it. The group jumped back as the beam hit the rumble of the library, it then rose up, bringing with it six objects.
“THE ELEMENTS OF HARMONY!” Twilight yelled.
The construct then brought them to Spike’s left claw, keeping them contained in a sphere of orange light. “MY ELEMENTS!” Spike growled.
Nightmare Butcher’s horns glowed with red light. Magical energy and rage infused light swirled about them, concealing them from view. And in that instant the energy flashed and the Negative Entities, along with the Positive Entities and their captives, were gone.
The cleanup was extensive; many of the ponies of Ponyville lost much of their town during the battle with the Entities. It was going to take a lot of effort to rebuild and fix the damage done. But there were other problems that still persisted, namely the capture of the Positive Entities, as well as Rarity and Apple Bloom, and there were the Negative Entities and the hosts they inhabited.
Pinkie Pie, after having helped Mr. and Mrs. Cake get their foals out of Ponyville, went back in to search for her friends, thinking that they would no doubt need to come together once again to use the Elements of Harmony to rainbow blast those weird flying monsters in the sky. Pinkie, using her amazing (if somewhat unnatural) speed, rushed through the ruins of the town, making her way to Twilight’s house where the Elements were kept. As she rounded the next corner, Pinkie came to a screeching halt, her mane dropped, losing its curls and poofiness as she gasped loudly after beholding the sight that was the charred remnants of Golden Oaks Library.
“No…” she whispered with dread, fearing the worst.
It was then that Pinkie Pie felt an itch on her left flank, along with a flopping right ear, her mysterious “Pinkie Sense” taking effect.
“L-Let’s see…itchy left flank, flopping right ear…uh…uh…t-that’s the combo for…DEATH –ACHOO!” Pinkie Pie suddenly sneezed, it was then that her feeling of dread vanished and was filled with relief, her mane returning to its normal poofy appearance. “Oh good, and a-a-ACHOO, sneezing fit, combo for everypony is alive and well…so, where are they…?”
Pinkie Pie scanned the area more thoroughly, running around to the other side of the destroyed library. The pink earth pony mare then caught sight of her friends in a group, she quickly ran to them, happy as can be to see them all alive.
“Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh, you guys, I was so worried! I saw the library and was about to break down into tears thinking Twilight, Scoots, Dashie, and Adara died, but my Pinkie Sense told me that everypony was alive, and I was right so I’m happy again!” Pinkie exclaimed.
“WELL YOU’RE WRONG PINKIE!!!” Rainbow Dash shouted as she broke through and parted the rest. “DOES SWEETIE BELLE LOOK ALIVE!!?”
Pinkie Pie moved closer and saw Twilight holding Sweetie Belle, checking and rechecking her. The white unicorn filly’s chest had a burn mark on it, evidence of where Nightmare Butcher’s attack struck her heart. Pinkie shook her head, eyes stinging with tears as she looked upon the lifeless body of Sweetie Belle.
“That…That can’t be! M-My Pinkie Sense is never wrong…!”
“For once it bucking is!” Rainbow shouted.
“Rainbow! I know you’re sad, but there are still foals here!” Derpy scolded.
“Sorry…”
“How could this of happened…it ain’t fair…she was just a filly!” Applejack cried.
Scootaloo continued to stare at her friend’s lifeless form, but, upon hearing Pinkie’s claim that Sweetie Belle might be alive something sparked within her.
“Twilight, can you check her?!” asked Scootaloo.
“Scootaloo…there’s nothing I can –”
“Please Twilight just check over her again!”
Twilight could hear the desperation in Scootaloo’s voice, so with a heavy heart, Twilight cast her diagnostic spell. A field of rosy magical energy flowed over Sweetie Belle’s body as the spell checked all her vital organs and brain functions, that’s when her eyes went wide. Something was off, it had been a while since her death and rigor hadn’t set in yet, her body hadn’t paled that much either. Twilight focused more of her magic into the spell, trying to see if maybe Sweetie Belle was still alive. That’s when she stumbled upon it, Sweetie Belle’s mana reservoir; it was still there, and right now, the only thing keeping the filly grounded to this plain of existence.
“She’s alive isn’t she?!” asked Scootlaoo, seeing the answer on the alicorn’s face.
“Her life force is very fragile right now; she has one hoof here and the other at death’s door! When Sweetie Belle used her magic, it must’ve reacted to save her life, using itself as an anchor to keep her here, but her reservoir is running low fast!”
Cadance stepped forward upon hearing this, “Twilight, transfer some of my magic into Sweetie Belle, it might be enough to bring her back!”
Twilight considered this, but shook her head. “No, draining your magic would dip into your own life force energy as well. I don’t know how deep Sweetie’s reservoir is, if it’s bigger than I initially suspected the transfer could kill you!”
“Then use us Twilight! Take a little from me, Rainbow, Pinkie, and Cadance,” said Applejack.
“Not just them,” Derpy spoke up, “take a little from me too.”
“Same here,” said Sparkler.
“We’re still running into the same problem, it’s too risky!”
“So one of us might have to die, but Sweetie Belle will live? No brainer Twi, take my –!”
“No one has to do anything!” Scootaloo interrupted.
All ponies in attendance looked to the pegasus filly who wore a look of determination on her face.
“What are ya sayin’ sugarcube?”
“…Adara…her power was Hope, she said to me once that it was ‘one of the – if not the most – powerful things in the universe. Hope shines in the face of darkness, hope lifts us up when we think we’ve lost it all, and…it’s hope that can bring about miracles.’” Scootaloo flared her wings, looking at them both in their majesty, grown out and fully functional. She gave them a few flaps before sighing sadly. “Twilight put Sweetie Belle down on the ground.”
Twilight did as Scootaloo asked, curious to see what Scootaloo had planned. Scootaloo placed her forehooves over Sweetie Belle’s heart; she then took one more look at her friend, her face made her appear to be sleeping.
It’s time to wake up Sweetie Belle…!
Scootaloo concentrated, remembering back to that day months ago when Adara used her power to heal her wings. What healed Scootaloo would now heal her friend! Suddenly, Scootaloo’s wings started to glow with blue light, the others backed away a bit after seeing this occur, wondering what was happening. The blue light then flowed through Scootaloo’s body, and from there into her forelegs, which acted as a conduit to redirect that energy right at the point where her two hooves rested over.
That’s when she felt it, a shooting, searing pain wracked Scootaloo’s wings. She dared to glance at her avian appendages and nearly gasped at what she saw. Her wings were slowly starting to shrink, Scootaloo thought this might happen, but, if it meant her friend could live then it was worth it.
Rainbow Dash watched this in horror as her surrogate little sister’s wings began to shrink down, she also noticed the painful expression that was plastered on Scootaloo’s face as she continued. Finally, Rainbow Dash couldn’t take it anymore.
“Scoots you have to stop now! Your wings are –!”
“I…know!” Scootaloo grunted.
Twilight noticed the decrease in Scootaloo’s wings as well and now fear gripped her heart. “Scootaloo, Rainbow’s right you need to stop! We’ll think of a better way!”
“There isn’t one! I’m not scared – yes…my wings are changing back to what they were, but that doesn’t mean I’ve given up! I know I’ll fly again, I believe it! Just like I believe that this will bring Sweetie back! Adara taught me this, to have faith and always believe that all will be well!”
At that moment, the light that coalesced at Scootaloo’s hooves flashed brilliantly. The blue light of Hope washed over Sweetie Belle, erasing the burn mark on her chest. Scootaloo started feeling Sweetie Belle’s chest steadily rise and fall, she was breathing! The orange pegasus filly focused more, pouring every last bit of the blue light from her body and into Sweetie Belle. There was a flash of blue, making everypony shut their eyes lest they be blinded.
When they opened them they saw Scootaloo, hunched over and panting hard. Her wings had lost their impressive span and were now back to their original state from when she was sick. For a brief moment, Scootaloo thought that the disease may have come back as well, but that was barely an afterthought as she looked to Sweetie Belle.
The unicorn filly’s eyes lazily opened halfway, allowing her to see Scootaloo, to whom she smiled at. “S…Scootaloo…?”
“It’s okay Sweetie Belle,” the tomcolt filly couldn’t help her voice from trembling, nor stop the tears that followed, “you’re okay!”
“Oh…alright…I feel tired…”
Sweetie Belle then closed her eyes again. Twilight quickly recast her spell, after a quick scan, Twilight released a sigh of relief. “It’s okay; she’s just tired right now. Sweetie’s going to be fine Scootaloo, you did it.”
Relief washed over everypony, thankful that Sweetie Belle was now alive. Rainbow Dash brought Scootaloo in for a tight hug, “That was the most noble thing I’ve ever seen Scoots, and I’m so proud of you!”
Sacrificing my wings to bring back my friend…totally worth it! Scootaloo thought.
“Whew, well, I’m glad you were able to heal her…”
Everypony looked to each other and then around them when they heard that mysterious voice, although, to certain ponies in attendance, it wasn’t so mysterious. In a flash of magical light, the draconequss, Discord, appeared overhead.
“…I really didn’t want to have to show Fluttershy that, but I would’ve felt bad leaving the poor filly’s body here. But, thankfully, that’s not necessary!”
“Discord?! Where the hay have you been?! With all this chaos goin’ on Ah think you’d be the first one here!” Applejack shouted.
“Not so loud now, Applejack. And for your information, I was asked to stay behind and keep Fluttershy and the Princesses safe while Proselyte came out here. By the way, where is the ol’ squid boy anyway?”
“Gone…the Negative Entities captured them and – wait – Fluttershy and the Princesses!!?” Twilight shouted.
Discord covered his ears with some huge balls of cotton while Twilight had shouted. He then removed them and gave the alicorn Princess a stern look. “Really Twilight, you and your friends are going to make me go deaf! And yes, the Princesses are currently at Fluttershy’s cottage. I came here as a matter of fact to take you all to them, it’ll be much safer there anyway.”
“Then what are we waiting for, let’s go,” said Rainbow Dash.
Discord agreed and, with a snap of his eagle talon, whisked them all away in a flash of magical light.
(Canterlot)
The city was in mayhem, Royal Guards tried to keep the peace and fight back against the new occupants of Canterlot Castle, but their efforts proved futile in the end. Against the might of Rage, Avarice, and Fear, the Royal Guards were not even a threat. Nightmare Butcher had the three of them meet in the throne room, whereupon she sat on Celestia’s throne, now hers. Spike, after making himself a dragon sized entrance, sat on his haunches, his eyes glued to the cage that held Rarity and Apple Bloom, the first of his horde, and soon there would be others, not just pretty mares and fillies, but mountains of jewels to eat, gold, and treasures of all kinds.
Chrysalis, for her part, stood aside with her arms crossed over her chest. She stared, annoyed, between the cages that held the four Positive Entities and Nightmare herself. “So, what is the point in keeping them alive in these cages? As they are, we can kill them and be done with it!”
“I agree with the insect, why don’t we kill them?!” asked Nightmare.
“Patience you two, kckt. You both want your vengeance, yes?” asked Parallax.
“OF COURSE!” They answered in unison.
“Then we mussst lure the rest out of hiding. No doubt they will try and mount a ressscue of these four, and when they do, we ssstrike the final blow,” said Ophidian. “Butcher, care to comment?”
“RAARGGGHH!!!” was all they got back in response.
“Seems his time in the ice has made him revert to a more primal state of mind…well, more so than usual.”
“It doesn’t matter! I have the Butcher’s power, and that is enough! And for the record, Equestria is mine and so are its territories!” Nightmare proclaimed.
“Fine by me,” said Chrysalis, “I’ll start my new hive in the Crystal Empire, so you we won’t have to see each other as much. And what of the dragon?”
“Don’t worry, I can persssuade Spike here to leave you two alone. But, I wish to visit this Land of Dragons, which is apparently where more of his kind reside. We’ll use them to grow the ranks of our Corps, and from there, well, I want to see how much SSSpike’s horde can grow.”
Nightmare Butcher looked off to the cages containing the four Entities. Each of them had solemn looks upon their faces, especially Proselyte, having seen Sweetie Belle die in front of him, giving her life in order to save his. Nightmare smirked at how powerless the Positive Entities looked.
“What, no comments from the peanut gallery?” asked Nightmare mockingly.
Predator shifted from her pony form into her true form in the blink of an eye and roared her defiance at the possessed dark alicorn. The cage made of combined Rage, Avarice, and Fear lights kept Predator from escaping, but that didn’t mean that she couldn’t try. She slashed at the bars with her claws again and again; adding tail whips to the melee as she tried to free herself.
“I swear creature, I will make you pay for killing little Sweetie Belle! To end love in one so young is unforgivable!” Predator turned her steely glared onto Chrysalis next.“And don’t worry; you will be the next to feel my wrath after HER!”
Chrysalis feigned fear, but quickly shifted to her cackling laughter, finding amusement in Predator’s situation. “I think it best if we separate them. We don’t want our friends here hatching any plans behind our backs.”
Nightmare snorted, “Agreed, put them in different parts of the palace.”
Spike summoned his Avarice constructs and had them take away all four of the cages, each one splintering off to section of the palace, keeping the four Positive Entities far from each other.
“This world will be ruled by Rage, Fear, and Avarice, a befitting home.”
(Fluttershy’s Cottage, 3 Hours Later)
To say that Twilight nearly had a heart attack would be putting it mildly. She almost flipped the buck out when she saw the condition Celestia was in, beaten, and missing a wing. There was also shock upon seeing that Luna was there, confirming that Nightmare Moon was now an independent agent, and did not need Luna as a host body anymore. Most of the time was spent resting and sharing information about what had occurred during and prior to the battle in Ponyville.
In the meantime Fluttershy had brought Sweetie Belle up to her bed and let the unicorn filly rest. Luna was there, using her magic to advance Sweetie Belle’s healing process and to get rid of the marring black mark on her chest. The Princess of the Night looked down upon the filly with sorrow and guilt.
“I did this to her…”
“Princess Luna, you didn’t do this, Nightmare Moon did,” said Fluttershy.
“There is little difference, she is – was – a part of me. In my foolishness I sought to reform her as Tia did Discord, and at the same time, my fear kept me from ridding myself of her, believing that a part of myself would go along with her.”
Fluttershy reached out with her wing and brushed it against Luna in a comforting fashion. “I was the same way Princess Luna, believing that if I had done things differently, wallowing in the fear and sadness of what my actions, or rather, my inactions did.”
The light-yellow mare told Luna of her younger brother, Headwind. The midnight blue alicorn’s face was a mixture of empathy, sadness, and a little wonder by the end of the story.
“So you see, Princess, you can’t dwell on something that’s in the past. We can only learn from it, and do what we can to avoid or prevent such tragedies.”
Luna nodded sagely to the pegasus mare. “Wise words dear Fluttershy, even immortals need to be reminded of such things from time to time.”
Fluttershy smiled happily at Luna’s praise.
“Come, we must adjourn downstairs, it’s about time we came up with a course of action.”
If it wasn’t for Discord’s chaos magic, the room would feel very cramped with all the ponies now occupying it, but thanks to said magic, Discord had expanded the inner space of the cottage to twice its normal square footage. This allowed everypony to find a comfortable spot to sit, although some of the small critters were complaining about the sudden shift in their shared home, but a sharp glance from Luna made them all go silent and scurry back to their homes. By this time, Celestia, Luna, Cadance, and Twilight revealed the true identities of the four ponies that had appeared in Ponyville a year ago. They told them of the Emotional Spectrum, the seven rainbow lights that represent a specific emotion that was tied to each individual color.
From there, they spoke of how the universe came into existence through the light of the Life Entity, and from him, were born the seven lights and their embodiments. The Princesses also told them of how and why they were here, how the Life Entity wanted the Entities to live in relative peace, far from the turmoil of the universe they left behind. The Negatives were given separate realms to inhabit, while the four Positives were sent to live in Equestria, and that the Princesses were the only ones who knew, well, them and Spike, but only because Twilight told him.
With that information dispensed among them, Scootaloo and Applejack tried to wrap their heads around the fact they had more or less fallen for and were now in a relationship with two, alien, cosmic gods. Fluttershy, for her part, was a bit surprised. Granted that Proselyte had told her some of his origins and what he really was, but not the whole story as the Princesses told. A “War of Light” between seven different Corps who wielded the lights through rings and did battle against each other, and other times together to save the universe from a great threat.
The others seemed to mull over the information, Dinky seemed partly confused until Twilight explained it in a more fairytale like manner. After thirty minutes of silence, it was Rainbow Dash who decided to break the silence.
“Well, it’s a trap,” said Rainbow Dash.
“Yep,” responded Applejack.
“Obviously,” agreed Luna.
“What’s a trap?” asked Scootaloo.
“Nightmare Moon and the others took Ion, Predator, Adara, and Proselyte because they knew we would come after them, and try to rescue them so that they could finish us all off in one swift motion. The unfortunate thing is, we may not have the means to do so as we currently are,” said Celestia.
Dinky and Scootaloo looked worried upon hearing those words from the wounded alicorn. “B-B-But there’s got to be something that you can do Princess?!” asked Dinky.
Twilight had a disappointed look on her face. “If we had the Elements of Harmony we would have had a chance. But as it stands…Spike took them, along with Rarity and Apple Bloom. Even if he hadn’t taken the Elements, they wouldn’t have worked without all six of us present.”
“Our options are limited, and our resources few…they would surely guard the Elements of Harmony, knowing that that would be our obvious choice to defeat them,” said Luna.
“Then we do something they won’t expect.” All eyes shifted to Cadance. “At this point we have to fight fire with fire…we have to unite with Positive Entities!”
Scootaloo looked at Cadance with slight confusion, “You mean…like with what happened to Spike and Nightmare Moon?”
“Different, but essentially yes. The Negatives are possessing their hosts, influencing them while giving them free reign, but, if we work together with the Positives and unite we’ll be able to match them if not overpower them!”
The idea was possible, if the thoughtful expressions on the other Princesses faces were any indication. Rainbow Dash stood up from her seating position and stepped forward.
“If that’s what we need to do, then I’ll volunteer to unite with one of ‘em. Ion’s power sounds close to my personality, so maybe I’ll go with him.”
“Sorry Rainbow Dash, but you can’t,” said Cadance.
“Why the hay not?!”
“Because the Entities chose their hosts, and those who were chosen, whether they were aware of it or did so subconsciously, are standing in this room right now.” Cadance turned her gaze to the orange earth pony mare. “Applejack, Ion’s light of Willpower shines strongly within you, both for your steadfast and hardworking attitude, and your courage in the face of danger. Plus, you have already experienced the use of his power through a sort of pseudo-unification.”
Applejack remembered back to the day when she was inside the Emerald Giant, feeling the great power of the green light flow over her.
Cadance then looked to the timid pegasus mare across from her. “Fluttershy, Proselyte was drawn to you because of your kind and caring nature, and you’ve also connected to his light during the incident with the thunderbird a year ago.”
Fluttershy’s mind flashed back to that day, channeling that mysterious power to bring comfort to the raging and fearful thunderbird, how she pierced through the wall of Rage and Fear that Storm had put up around his mind, and that it was her compassion that allowed her to help the poor creature.
“The Predator…well, we’re both beings of love, let’s just keep it at that. And, as for Adara, the Entity of Hope,” Cadance’s gaze fell to Scootaloo, “I think you know better than anypony why Adara would choose you, Scootaloo.”
The orange pegasus filly glanced at her wings, and, in her heart, she knew what Cadance meant.
“So…basically Fluttershy, Scoots, AJ, and you Princess, have to ‘unite’ with them, and we’ll be able to beat ‘em?” asked Pinkie Pie.
“It may not be as simple as that, but it will even the playing field,” said Luna.
“The only problem now is, how do we get their attention away long enough for the four to find the Positive Entities?” queried Celestia.
The ponies sat in silence, thinking hard on how they should go about storming Canterlot Castle. That’s when a suggestion came from one of the most unlikely of ponies.
“How about a distraction?” Derpy spoke. “It…It might be dangerous, but it seems the only way to get to them is to get Spike, Nightmare Moon, and Queen Chrysalis focused on something else rather than us trying to get in.”
“That’s…actually a great idea!” Twilight said with smile, a smile which quickly faded upon her intelligent mind formulating a plan. “Oh…and I think I have a plan…Discord!”
The draconequus, who was for some reason lying in a floating hammock, turned to the newly crowned Princess and gave her an innocent smile. “Yes~”
“I can’t believe I’m going to say this…but, Discord, I need you to cause as much chaos as you can in Canterlot, go wild!”
Discord’s hammock disappeared in a flash, and just as quickly, he enveloped Twilight in a near bone crushing hug as he “squeed” with delight. “Oh thank you Twilight; you have no idea how long I’ve been waiting to hear somepony say that! What should I do first?! Turn the roads into soap?! Make it rain malted milk balls?! Flip the entire mountain upside down?! Oh ho the possibilities!”
Twilight teleported herself out of Discord’s hug and stood before him again, after taking in some gulps of air. “Not too wild as so we can’t get in and rescue the Entities! And make sure you don’t hurt anypony either; the citizens of Canterlot are probably freaked out enough as it is! That’s only half the plan, getting them to come outside and face us, from there we need to delay them and buy as much time for Fluttershy, Cadance, Applejack and…Scootaloo, to get inside and find them. We’ll need a little more help…”
“We’ll be there as well,” said Celestia as she rose from the couch on wobbly legs.
“Oh no, you are not going back out there in your condition!” Luna ordered.
“We need all the power we can get, if we’re there than Nightmare will for sure come out to face us.”
Luna didn’t like it, although Celestia was right, she didn’t want to put her big sister in harm’s way. She already lost a wing, and Luna feared that in this coming battle, she may lose more than just an appendage.
“Um…Princess Twilight.” All eyes shifted to the unicorn filly, Dinky. “I think I know where we can get some more help, but I might need Princess Luna’s help translating.”
(Canterlot, 2 Hours Later)
Spike had decided to break away from the other two, having had enough of their company once the Positive Entities had been moved. Besides, he wanted to go and check on his mares. He dropped to all fours, lumbering through the halls as he made his way to one of the more luxurious rooms, using his orange light of Avarice to create a field of light energy to keep Rarity from doing any magic that might get them out. He laid down on the floor, tapping on the field like a glass bowl, gaining the attention of the unicorn mare and earth pony filly.
“RARITY…APPLE BLOOM,” Spike spoke with a prideful glint in his eyes; his voice was still a booming rumble even when he spoke normally.
Just then Rarity threw a vase that shattered when it hit the light screen, Spike quirked his head in confusion at the action.
“GO AWAY YOU BRUTISH MONSTER!” Rarity shouted.
Her usually well groomed mane was frazzled, with stray hairs sticking out of multiple directions. The mascara around her eyes was washed away in a flood of tears, leaving behind black streaks, indicating where it was once applied. Her eyes were red and puffy as well, showing how much she had cried since they arrived, but that didn’t make her glare at the dragon any less intimidating.
“You just left Sweetie Belle there! You wouldn’t even let me go to her! To hold my baby sister! Why…? Do you not feel anything Spike?! For Celestia’s sake, you all were friends as well!”
Spike narrowed his gaze a little, “SWEETIE BELLE ALIVE, SHE WOULD’VE BEEN PART OF MY HORDE. BUT NOW SHE’S DEAD, DEAD THINGS HAVE NO VALUE, I DON’T WANT DEAD THINGS, I WANT MARES WHO ARE ALIVE! APPLE BLOOM CAN BE YOUR SISTER NOW…THERE WILL BE OTHERS, AND TREASURE, GOLD, GEM STONES, SHINY THINGS, AND PRETTY CLOTHES FOR YOU TO WEAR, I CAN GET YOU ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING.”
“But you can’t bring Sweetie Belle back to life! You can’t go back and stop Nightmare Moon from killing my precious little sister! No, you cannot, even with that mysterious power of yours!” Rarity then trotted up to the light screen and looked squarely into the large draconic eyes. “You want me to be your mare, fine, be the monster you’ve shown to be! Take me and use me as monster would, after all you consider me a thing to own! But if you have any semblance of the Spike I once knew, you’ll release Apple Bloom! She’s just a filly!”
Spike looked over to Apple Bloom, who was currently hiding behind the bed after seeing Rarity go crazy mad like that at Spike. “FILLY, YES, BUT FILLIES GROW. SHE WILL BE A PRETTY MARE, LIKE YOU, LIKE ALL THE TREASURES I’LL TAKE AND MAKE MINE.”
Rarity gave the dragon a disgusted look. “If you dare touch Apple Bloom – whether you are in control of your actions or not – so help me I will make you regret it!”
With that said, Rarity walked over to the bed and plopped herself on it, keeping her back turned to the dragon. Apple Bloom emerged from her hiding spot and walked over to the light screen. She then sat before it, staring at the fearsome looking dragon that was once her crush and friend.
“Spike…please come back.” Apple Bloom placed her hoof on the light screen. “Ah know this ain’t the real you, it can’t be…Yeah you became a big scary dragon before, but nothin’ like this…Please, ah believe in ya, just try and fight whatever’s makin’ ya do these things!”
For the briefest of moments, Spike’s orange eyes shifted back to their normal green color. His index claw rose up as he reached out to touch to where Apple Bloom’s hoof was. But before anything else could happen, Spike pulled away, shook his head and growled a little as he rose up to walk away. Leaving Apple Bloom there to watch his retreating form, saddened that she might’ve come close to getting through to him.
“That filly and mare are somewhat annoying, cute as they. Perhaps it would be easier to just make them part of the Corps?”
“NO! THEY STAY AS THEY ARE!!!” Spike growled.
“Very well, just saying, it’s an option to consider.”
Just then a low rumble shook the entirety of Canterlot Castle, making Spike dig his claws into the floor for balance. When it was over, the dragon ran down the hall and found the nearest window. He then looked outside and stared wide eyed at what was going on.
The sky was raining malted milk balls, lamp posts were sprouting legs and running about all over the city, and the pigeons were flying backwards and upside down at the same time. There was a table filled with dogs playing poker in the park, one of which had a hidden ace under the table, cheater. A line of mares was doing the Can-can dance up and down the roads, and seemed to not be tired in the slightest. Two buildings (abandoned ones) grew arms and legs and lifted themselves out of the ground. The two buildings then raised their fists, wearing boxing gloves. They began to have a match right then and there, with one of them hitting the other in the face, sending glass flying into the air.
“Talk about having a glass jaw.” Discord commented while sitting in a chair and eating a popcorn bag filled with metal nails. “Oh c’mon, stick and move, stick and move!”
Just then a bright flash of crimson, yellow, and orange light appeared from behind Discord. The Spirit of Chaos glanced over his shoulder and saw that the three Entity possessed beings were floating just a few feet away.
“Discord, how dare you meddle in my affairs! Canterlot is mine! You leave here or die!” Nightmare ordered.
“Oh I would, really I would, but then, I’d miss the show. Why don’t you pull up a seat Miss Grouchy, this fight is getting good – Oh for the love of – right hook and follow through with an uppercut, who taught you how to fight a warehouse?!”
Spike merely rolled his eyes, knowing that when it came to Discord there was no reasoning or threatening him. Chrysalis, for her part, just floated there with her arms crossed. This was her first encounter with the Spirit of Chaos, sure she heard stories, but seeing the draconequus in action was amusing. Nightmare, however, found no such amusement in Discord’s actions; he had messed with her newly acquired capital.
“Now you listen Discord –!”
At that moment a twin beam of navy-blue and sun-yellow light struck Nightmare Butcher and sent her flying into one of the towers. Discord cupped his ear as if straining to hear something.
“I’m listening?”
“What was that?!” Chrysalis shouted.
Before any answers could be given, a howl echoed through the sky along with a powerful roar. Chrysalis and Spike looked up at that moment and saw two Star Beasts descend from the heavens. One was an Ursa Major and the other a Canis Major, the dog and bear Star Beasts rushed Spike, plowing him into a nearby building and having the structure collapse upon them. Chrysalis was about call forth a construct to attack the two creatures, but was thwarted when a random bolt of lightning struck her in the back, forcing the Changeling Queen to plummet to the ground.
Chrysalis rose up slowly, shaking her head before she gave Discord a death glare. Discord was offended by the look she was giving him. “I didn’t do it! It’s a milk ball shower, not a chocolate thunderstorm!”
The Changeling Queen looked above her and saw that a giant bird had appeared overhead. The bright, light-blue thunderbird, Storm, loomed over the city. Its eyes white with power as its wings crackled with electricity. Storm let out a powerful screeching call of thunder as it stared down at Chrysalis.
Nightmare had finally wrenched herself free of the rubble and debris of the tower she had crashed into. She then looked off into the distance, searching for the source of the twin mana beams, she knew well who fired them, but the problem was their location. Unfortunately, Nightmare didn’t have much time to even glance about when a sphere of dark-violet light, interlaced with grid lines of green and red smashed into the tower and exploded, demolishing what was left of the tower.
The red armored alicorn was blown from the tower and landed far into the face of the mountain. Storm looked to the draconequus, whose lion paw was ablaze with chaos magic. The thunderbird then quirked his head as if confused that Discord actually attacked. Discord saw that Storm was giving him a quizzical look.
“What, I can’t get in on the action?”
Suddenly Spike burst forth from the rubble flying up into the air with spread wings and a flaring orange aura. The dragon looked to and fro, seeing the two Star Beasts rise up from the debris as well. The shimmering silver Canis Major and the bright purple Ursa Major stared up at the dragon, baring their fangs and growling at him. Spike roared at them and reared back, preparing to douse them in orange fire plasma, but Spike was quickly slammed from behind by a blue Ursa Minor, cancelling his fire breath.
Spike was then assaulted by a barrage of claw strikes from a teal blur that rushed all over him. Spike released a burst of orange light, pushing away whatever was attacking him. The creature that attacked him appeared a few feet away, floating in the air beside the Ursa Minor, which was a Canis Minor. The two Star Beast cup and pup floated down and landed on either side of their respective mothers.
Chrysalis stared at the Star Beasts, and then to the thunderbird that was building up electrical energy in its wings. The Changeling Queen’s eyes drifted further down the road and noticed a group of ponies standing at the center of the city. Twilight Sparkle, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Cadance, Luna, and Celestia were standing ready to do battle with the possessed ones. Chrysalis grunted at the sight of her mortal enemies.
“So you’ve all come die in one last stand, is that right?!”
“One last stand? Yes. But we shall not fall here this day!” Luna shouted.
Twilight quickly glanced to Cadance, Applejack, and Fluttershy before steeling her gaze upon the possessed Changeling Queen.
Please be safe.
It was a miracle, that’s for sure. Thanks to Discord’s chaotic fun Fluttershy, Applejack, Scootaloo, and Cadance were all able to slip quietly into Canterlot Castle, via the mines underneath the mountain which Cadance and Twilight once used to get inside the Castle during Chrysalis’ invasion. The four of them finally got inside the castle itself, and were now quietly moving through the halls.
The plan was working so far, Twilight, with Discord’s help, created illusion constructs of Fluttershy, Cadance, and Applejack, making the possessed ones believe that they were there. After a bit of sneaking around, the four ponies rallied at a ball room.
“Okay, so where do we go from here?” asked Scootaloo.
“Well, chances are they’ve separated them, and might be in different places in the palace. If that’s the case then we’ll have to split up and search for them.”
“They could be anywhere! How in the hay are we supposed to find ‘em?!” asked Applejack.
Fluttershy looked into the distance, down a hallway a few feet from them. She said nothing, her body seemingly moving towards it of its own accord. The two mares and filly watched as their timid friend began to slowly walk.
“Um, Fluttershy, you okay there sugarcube?”
“I think we just need to feel them. I don’t know how to explain it, but I can feel Proselyte’s light coming from this way. I think if you really concentrate hard enough, you might be able to feel them too. I have to go!”
Before any of them could say a word, Fluttershy had flapped her wings and took off down the hallway, leaving Cadance, Applejack, and Scootaloo slightly dumbfounded.
“She wasn’t this gung-ho in the past.” Cadance observed.
“Guess it’s a testament to just how much Lyte helped Shy, but Ah guess we should try it out. What do ya say Scootaloo?”
Scootaloo nodded and closed her eyes, prompting the others to do the same. Cadance’s horn lit up, her magic attuning itself to Predator’s love energy right away. Scootaloo’s wings fluttered lightly as she turned towards an opposite hallway. Applejack could feel it as well, a strong pulsing energy that flowed through the walls and into her very core. With their destinations locked, the remaining three ponies ran in their own directions.
Applejack galloped fast, skidding to a halt and making sharp turns around every corner as she made her way to the source of the power she was feeling. As she passed by one set of doors she stopped suddenly, turning her head, Applejack focused her senses once again. The steady thrum of energy seemed to be pulsating from the doors she just passed. Applejack ran back to them and gave the large double doors a quick buck with her hind legs, nearly knocking the doors down completely.
When she looked inside Applejack saw the one she was looking for. Ion was in his cage made of red, orange, and yellow light, and inside he was in his true form. It surprised Applejack to see this, where once he was a behemoth whale floating in the sky, now he was a whale the size of a grown stallion, floating in the cage. Ion noticed Applejack, his head lifting up as a small smile arched across his face, but it fell quickly as he looked away from the earth pony mare.
Applejack steeled herself as she walked slowly towards the cage. A mixture of emotions were raging inside her, all this time she knew Ion was hiding a secret, something big that seemed to go beyond just his power and the Emerald Giant. She cursed herself, because she was right in thinking that Ion wasn’t really giving her the whole story, and that if she knew he was this powerful, this dangerous, she most likely wouldn’t have even considered having him be on the farm, let alone be near Apple Bloom.
But if she hadn’t, she would never have learned how hard a worker he was, how selfless he could be sometimes, and how annoyingly cute he was. If Ion had never come, Apple Bloom wouldn’t have discovered her special talent as quickly as she did, and then, there was the fact that Applejack herself would never know what it meant to be in love somepony. Sure, she glanced at the occasional good looking stallion, but her thoughts were always drawn back to Sweet Apple Acres. And part of her dreaded leaving the farm, the farm that has been in her family for generations. The very farm her mother and father lived on and raised the three siblings in since they were born. She couldn’t ask any stallion to give up their passion or business just because she was afraid of leaving her home, or devote themselves so much to maintaining it. Applejack knew that this life wasn’t for everypony, but it made her happy.
But Ion, he was happy about working on the farm. Whenever they were out apple bucking or planting a new tree, she could see a little happy glint in his eyes, as if the act of helping something to grow big and strong with his own hooves was the greatest feeling in the world, and that same glint was there whenever he was around her, sharing in this.
Applejack stopped before the cage, sensing that getting closer was dangerous with the three lights that comprised it. She then stared at the Entity of Willpower and gave a little smile.
“So, this is the real you, huh sugarcube?”
Ion winced slightly, knowing that his marefriend (potentially ex-marefriend) was now seeing him fully for the first time. Applejack rubbed the back of her head nervously, not knowing what else to say to Ion or of how to get him out of the cage.
“Ya don’t look quite as big as ya did when you were fightin’ in Ponyville…”
“……We, um, we can change our size, the others and I. Since we are primarily cosmic energy beings, we aren’t physically limited to how big or small we can be. I can be this small to fit into rooms, or I can be my true size when I’m in wide open spaces…I’m sure you’d rather see me in my pony form, but since I’m far from the others, I need to be in my true form in order to keep these three lights from getting to me.”
“Oh…are ya…okay?”
“For now, I am. You being here kinda helps though…”
“Good…”
It was an awkward feeling for the both of them. But Applejack knew she had to say what she needed to say.
“Applejack I need to tell you –”
“Ion, let me speak please.” The Entity of Willpower went silent and allowed the earth pony mare to say her peace. “The Princesses told us everythin’, about you, the others, and the three that are inside Nightmare Moon, Spike, and Chrysalis. How you came here to live a peaceful life away from the fightin’ and stuff goin’ on from your universe. Ah believe the Princesses, they ain’t ones for lyin’ at a time like this. But Ah want to know, Ah want to hear from you, is it true? Ah want the truth Ion, please.”
The Entity of Willpower looked upon Applejack with sad eyes; there was no getting around it now. “It is…My origins, where I’m from, who the others are, why we’re here – all of it. I always meant to tell you Applejack, seeing as where our relationship was going, I knew I had to be honest with you and come clean about who and what I was.” Ion flicked his tail angrily. “This wasn’t how I wanted you to find out, not like this!”
The tension in Applejack’s shoulders released, her smile widening after hearing what Ion said. “Well, good, Ah’m glad yer bein’ honest, and what’s this ‘was goin’’ ya breakin’ up with me or soemthin’?”
Ion stared at Applejack with wide eyes. “What?! But I thought…I mean, I’m – and you’re – I’m not even a pony, I’m not from this world Applejack!”
“And, so what? Ah…Ah fell in love with Ion, not the Entity of Willpower, not the earth pony stallion, or the Emerald Giant, but you Ion. This,” Applejack motioned to his current form, “doesn’t bother me, everythin’ you’ve said and done since the day Ah met ya, has been from the deepest part of you. Do ya understand what Ah mean?”
Ion thought over Applejack’s words, as an Entity, such things like love were never part of his existence, or even on his mind. The one thing that he feared when he entered into this relationship was losing her when she found out what he really was, but now, here she was. A pony mare saying that she doesn’t care what he is, that his actions spoke louder than his words.
“I…I don’t know what to say…”
“Say that you’ll help me protect our friends, and fight against Chrysalis and Nightmare Moon, and save Spike. Ion, Ah want you to possess me.”
Ion’s eyes widened even more. “Applejack I won’t possess you! I can’t do that to you!”
“Look…How different can it be from when Ah was inside that Emerald Giant thing ya made?”
“Very different! Possession means I take you over, influence your actions! I won’t have that happen again!” Ion’s memories of Krona forcing him into a Guardian were bubbling up at the mention of possession. “But…there’s another way…if we unite…”
“How’s that any different?” asked Applejack.
“Unity means we act as one, and that our spirits and minds are the same. In a way, we become one powerful being, working together mutually. But it’s all a moot point if I can’t get out of this cage…!”
Applejack moved a hoof closer to the cage and the triple light construct gave the mare a sharp zap, stinging her right hoof and making her retract it quick. “Damn that hurt! Okay, that is a problem…”
Suddenly a blue wave of power rushed through the palace, erasing the cage into nothingness and making Ion glow with blazing emerald light. Ion knew what this was, somehow Adara’s power reached him all the way here, but it was different. Stronger, more powerful than it ever was, and yet, it held something else, another presence.
“Looks like Hope is on our side!”
Good job Scootaloo, thought Applejack.
“So, how do we do this?”
“We must synchronize our willpower, and speak our oath.”
“Ya mean that one you were sayin’ before ya transformed?”
“Yes, but it must be one that is born from us and represents our united resolve. Do not worry; the words will come to us. Are you ready Applejack?”
The farm mare widened her stance and gave the Entity of Willpower a determined look. “Whenever yer ready!”
Applejack closed her eyes and so too did Ion. The gentle thrum of power echoed through Applejack’s being as she felt her spirit resonating with Ion’s power. The Entity of Willpower could feel it as well, Applejack’s willpower was strong. Indeed it possessed the very resolve and strength of an entire Corps. The earth pony mare’s body began to glow with the green light of will, her aura rising up to meet that of Ion’s. Ion’s eyes glowed with his light and that moment, Applejack opened hers as well and they too glowed a bright green.
“In Brightest Day, in Blackest Night,
We will stand against evil’s blight!
Let all those who doubt our might,
Behold this power – Will’s grand light!”
Ion’s body broke down into tiny particles of light. The light then spiraled around Applejack, each one infusing itself into her very being. Applejack felt the power surge through her body, her every cell, molecule, and atom empowered by this light. The spiral closed in, weaving tighter and tighter till Applejack’s body couldn’t be seen anymore. At last the spiral broke open, transforming into a sparkling green aura that blazed around her.
Applejack found herself donned in a uniform. Green and black, with a shimmering mask of energy covering her face. Two bars with a circle between them appeared upon her chest, the same symbol that was on Ion’s body. The symbol glowed with the emerald light, shining as if giving a glimpse into her very soul. Applejack’s white eyes peered over her new form, feeling the willpower of every living thing in Equestria, down to the very trees, plants, animals, insects, and ponies that inhabited their world.
“Ion can ya hear me?”
“I can Applejack, I am with you.”
“This is…wow! Ah never felt anythin’ like this!”
“It’s been a long time since I was combined with a sentient being. But…this is first time I’ve combined with one that I care about, I like it.”
“Thanks, sugarcube, it’s not that bad, but, if we’re one then you know what’s goin’ on right?”
Scootaloo had gone down her own path, sensing Adara’s light. It was an odd feeling to say the least, it was as if she was close and yet far away, but the feeling deep inside her was guiding her to the Entity the Hope, bringing her ever closer. The young pegasus filly stopped for a moment, feeling a painful ache in her wings. She didn’t want them to know, she couldn’t, even though it saved Sweetie Belle’s life, her wings still rang out the painful protest of having been reduced back to the useless small size they once were. It was getting to her enough that she had to slump against a wall just to maintain her balance.
“I can’t let this slow me down, not after how much of a pain in the flank it was to get Rainbow Dash and Twilight to let me come on this mission…!” She spoke aloud as her mind flashed back to that very conversation.
~~~
“You’re not going Scoots, it’s way too dangerous!” Rainbow yelled.
Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo had exited Fluttershy’s cottage and spoke alone with each other a few ways away from the others. The plan was set for Scootaloo, Fluttershy, Cadance, and Applejack to infiltrate Canterlot Castle, find the Positive Entities, and become one with them to fight against the Negatives. Although the plan was sound, Rainbow Dash had major reservations with sending a child to do something this dangerous, especially when that filly was her surrogate little sister.
Scootaloo, for her part, was vehement about going on this mission. Yes she knew it was dangerous, yes she knew that there was a chance she might be killed, but she didn’t care. Scootaloo needed – no wanted – to go and help Adara. She needed to understand, to hear it from the mouth of her…fillyfriend? That was another thing that needed to be addressed, but only when she met with the cosmic being, face to face.
“Rainbow Dash you heard what Princess Cadance said about only certain ponies they chose could ‘unite’ with them! And I’m one of them!” Scootaloo argued.
“Look, I know you’re a hopeful filly, like your friends. But I have enough hope for all of you, just let me go instead, I don’t think Adara would mind.”
Scootaloo groaned in frustration. “Rainbow Dash you don’t know if it works like that! What happens if you turn into something like Spike or Nightmare Moon! You don’t know if them choosing somepony is important or not, for all we know it’s very important!”
Rainbow Dash rubbed the bridge of her nose, trying to get through to the little filly that she really didn’t want to have her be anywhere near Canterlot when all this went down. Thankfully, some aid appeared in the form of a purple alicorn princess, having been worried about her marefriend and their charge.
“What’s going on out here?” asked Twilight.
Scootaloo trotted up to her second guardian, “Rainbow Dash won’t let me go on the mission in Canterlot! Even though Princess Cadance told us that I’m the one Adara chose, tell Rainbow that she doesn’t have to worry and that I’ll be fine!”
Twilight gave her marefriend a worried look, which was mirrored in the cyan pegasus. She then looked down at the pegasus filly with an apologetic expression. “I’m sorry Scootaloo, but…but I think Rainbow is right.”
“What?!” Came the combined reaction from Scootaloo and Rainbow Dash. Scootaloo for not believing she was agreeing with what her idol said, and Rainbow Dash for actually hearing her “well-read” lover say she was right.
“It’s just too dangerous Scootaloo! You saw what Nightmare Moon did to Sweetie Belle, if she’s willing to harm a filly, then she’ll show even less mercy when she sees you and Adara in a singular form! Nightmare Moon will kill you Scootaloo…and…” Twilight lowered her head, her bangs covering her eyes a little. “I just don’t want to lose you…!”
Scootaloo looked upon the alicorn with sadness, hearing the pain in her voice. Rainbow Dash walked over to Twilight; standing beside her she draped her wing over her marefriend.
“When we thought that you would never fly again…it broke my heart…knowing that there was nothing I could do, I felt powerless for the first time in my life…Even with everything I’ve learned from Celestia, even after ascending, I still didn’t have the power to make you better, to give you your wings…”
“T-Twilight…”
Rainbow Dash sighed, “She isn’t the only one squirt. It was the same for me…I was supposed to be your big sister, and that meant looking out for you. I should’ve noticed something was up with your wings a long time ago, I never even thought that you might’ve been sick before…and then there was the whole, you know, you living in a treehouse and stuff…”
Scootaloo rubbed her left foreleg as she looked down at the ground. “It’s…It’s not your fault Rainbow or yours Twilight…They’re just things that happened to me…the whole homeless thing was my choice, but my wings…” Scootaloo glanced at her avian appendages. “…That was a shocker even to me…” Though it would make sense if he was the one who did it…
“All we’re saying is that we don’t want to risk losing you, you’re a part of our family Scootaloo, one that I…” Twilight looked to Rainbow. “I was hoping to make with Dashie here.”
Scootaloo looked up at the mention of her idol’s pet name and snickered a little when she noticed Rainbow Dash blushing hard from hearing Twilight utter it in front of the pegasus filly.
“Twi, seriously…don’t start with the sappy stuff right now, you’re gonna make me act sappy next…” Rainbow sniffled.
“I…I love being part of this – our – family. But Spike and Adara are part of that family too. I can’t turn my back on Adara, not after everything she’s done for me, and I definitely can’t turn my back on Spike either. After all, I can’t just let my big brother suffer like that.” Scootaloo blushed upon hearing the words that exited her mouth. “D-Don’t tell Spike I said that!”
Twilight and Rainbow chuckled from Scootaloo’s embarrassed look, which made Scootaloo join in. After a minute the laughter died down and the two mares looked upon the filly once more.
“This is something you really feel that you need to do?” asked Rainbow Dash.
Scootaloo nodded an affirmative.
“Even knowing how dangerous it will be? That there is a real possibility of you…dying…are you still willing to go? ” asked Twilight.
There was a pause, Scootaloo thought it over. Yes she would be hurling herself into the proverbial warzone, yes there was a very strong possibility that she might get killed by Nightmare Moon or Queen Chrysalis, but really, in a morbid way, it wasn’t like Scootaloo was a stranger this situation, despite what the two mares before her knew about her. But there was more at stake here than just her life, Adara and Spike, indeed, everypony she loved and cared about was in danger if she did nothing.
Scootaloo looked up at her guardians, making sure her resolve was showing in her eyes. “Yes, I am.”
~~~
“And that was that…GAH!” Scootaloo winced when a surge of pain shot through her wings. “Although, I could’ve done without the pain…Just get it together Scootaloo, think about Adara. Find Adara!”
Steeling herself, Scootaloo pressed on through the hallway, galloping as fast as her little hooves could carry her. Which was pretty fast considering the majority of her life she relied on them, her scooter, and her wings if for nothing else than propulsion. She found herself wishing she had her favorite, and only, scooter with her, knowing it would make traversing the maze like castle that much easier. Of course, when she did think about having it, Scootaloo remembered that it was now amongst the charred remnants of the library.
Pushing that depressing thought out of her mind, Scootaloo pressed onward, trying to find Adara before anything really bad happened outside. There was no telling how long everypony would last against the super powered Nightmare and Chrysalis, along with Spike and his greed incarnate possessor.
The pegasus filly had ran down one hall after the other, passing by several doors only to find that not a one had Adara in it. She tried to focus on the feeling, but it was garbled, almost like hearing static. But she couldn’t let that discourage her, just like Adara, she had to believe, to keep the faith even in this trying time.
That’s when she stopped; she glanced to her right and stared at the door next to her. She knew it, this had to be where she was, Scootaloo was certain of it. Taking a deep breath, Scootaloo pushed open the door, revealing a cage made of yellow, red, and orange light, and a large, three-faced blue bird sitting within it. Each of her three beaks had a sullen look; it was a tragedy to see such a majestic and wonderful being like her sad. Adara seemed to finally take notice of the filly since her eyes went wide with surprise.
“Hi Adara,” said Scootaloo. “Wow…I can’t believe this what you really were the whole time…”
“Scootaloo!” A smile graced the faces of the Entity of Hope, but they quickly became serious upon realizing the situation. “What are you doing here?! It’s too dangerous you have to leave now!”
Scootaloo rolled her eyes at the warning. “Seriously, first Twilight and Rainbow Dash give me the same warnings, and now I hear it from you. It’s a little late for me to turn back now Adara, that chance was gone the moment I came here.”
Adara looked aghast at what Scootaloo had said. “W-Why would you do that?! Why would you risk your life like that?!”
“Like you need to ask…” Scootaloo walked closer to the cage, but stopped half way when she noticed the energy that made up the cage react to her presence. “You’re my fillyfriend, why wouldn’t I come to help you?”
Adara looked away from Scootaloo, a feeling of shame washing over the Entity of Hope. “I don’t deserve to be…I’ve been lying to you since the first day we met, deceiving you into thinking I was a filly like you…but in reality this is what I am. A being that’s been in existence since the beginning of the universe.”
“Then tell me, why did you…you know, say you love me? Was that a lie too?”
Adara shot back a panicked look at Scootaloo. “NO! By the Life Entity that was not a lie, none if it was!”
“So why is it bad that you say you care that much about me?”
“Because…I am…I am scared of how I feel…”
Now that earned a confused look from Scootaloo. “Scared? I mean, yeah, it was kinda scary when we became fillyfriends, I mean, I don’t know what being a fillyfriend fully means, but we’re learning and Twilight and Rainbow Dash will help us.”
Adara shook her head, “No, it’s not that. I am the Entity of Hope, while I do care about all living things; I never knew what love actually meant or was. That was always Predator’s light. But when I met you, I felt my heart – my mortal heart – begin to flutter. I did know what it meant, but as I spent more and more time with you and everypony else, I began to understand what it was. That’s when doubt entered my mind. How would you feel about me once you saw me in this form? Would you even still look at me? Would I even feel the same way about you in my true form as I did in my mortal form?! These questions plagued me, and I never had to think about them until they arrived. So now you know, Scootaloo.”
The pegasus filly remained silent for a moment to digest the words Adara spoke to her. “I’ll admit, when the Princesses told us about who and what you guys are I couldn’t wrap my head around much of it, to be honest some parts of it are still confusing.” Scootaloo then looked up at the Entity of Hope and grinned at her confidently. “But I know one thing: none of that matters to me.”
Adara looked upon Scootaloo with shocked expression plastered on all three of her faces.
“I don’t care that you’re the Entity of Hope, to me, you’re just Adara. The filly who saved me from plunging to my death, the filly who helped me conquer my worst nightmare, literally. The same filly who gave me the greatest gift I could ever ask for and, it was that filly I…that I, ahem, fell in love with…” Scootaloo could feel her face burning with embarrassment from saying those words. They were so mushy and sappy that she couldn’t believe that they actually came out of her mouth. But she needed to let Adara know, she needed to tell her just how much she meant to the filly.
“Scootaloo…”
“If anything, you being the Entity of Hope is just one more thing I love about you…so, please, don’t look sad, you look cuter when you smile.”
Happiness swelled within Adara, it was strong, invigorating, and powerful. The moment the three-faced bird smiled her aura pulsated outwards, striking the cage and nullifying the confining power of the three negative lights. When the cage disappeared, Adara quickly shifted into her pony filly form, lunging at Scootaloo and hugging her fiercely. The cerulean pegasus cried a few tears into Scootaloo’s shoulder as she continued to smile. Scootaloo hugged Adara back, happy to have the one she cared about in her forelegs again.
“I thank you, Scootaloo.” However, when Adara opened her eyes she finally took notice of Scootaloo’s diminished wings, letting out a shocked gasp of realization. “Scootaloo what happened to your wings?!”
Scootaloo separated herself a little from Adara and put on a sheepish smile. “Well, when you guys were taken, I used the gift you gave me and used it to bring Sweetie Belle back.”
“She’s…She’s alive, and you brought her back?!” asked Adara happily.
“Yes, I learned it from you. Honestly I didn’t know if it would work, but, I had hope.” Scootaloo punctuated her sentence by “booping” Adara on her snout, making the filly scrunch her nose in a cute manner.
“I’m glad, but we’re not out of the woods yet. There is still the matter of the others outside.”
“Yeah, Twilight, Rainbow Dash, and some of the others are keeping those three occupied while the four of us got inside the castle to meet up with you.”
Adara cocked her head to the side in a questioning manner. “But we didn’t have much luck the last time; even with everypony fighting together we’ll be hard pressed for victory.”
“That’s why we should do what they did, the two of us becoming one. Princess Cadance called it ‘uniting’ or something.”
Adara thought this over. Yes, uniting would give them the power they needed to counter the others, and her light would shine brighter and stronger, weakening the others to a degree. But was she really ready to do something like this with Scootaloo? The determined look on her face made her sure that Scootaloo had already made up her mind upon entering the castle, and that it had not been swayed in the slightest.
“Be aware Scootaloo, uniting will make you attuned to the power of Hope, and you’ll become that power. It can be a bit overwhelming, carrying the hopes of many on your shoulders. Do you think you can carry that burden, and wield its power?”
The confident smirk on Scootaloo’s face spoke volumes. “Who the hay do you think I am, Adara?! We beat my nightmare together, and we’ll beat Nightmare Moon together too!”
Adara’s smile broadened. “Very well, close your eyes and concentrate. Just like before use your hope to reach out to my light, and through it, feel the hope of all others. When you feel it is right, speak our oath and it will be done.”
“You make it sound like a different oath than the one you told me before.”
“It is. It will be our oath, born of our united mind and body.”
Scootaloo nodded her understanding and closed her eyes, with Adara doing the same. The cerulean filly’s body flared with the peaceful light of Hope, the energy rising and falling like the beating of a heart. Scootaloo could feel that same comforting power, and as she was instructed, she reached out to it. The hope that Sweetie Belle would be okay, the hope that they would defeat the Negatives, the hope that Adara, herself, Twilight, and Rainbow Dash would become a family, and be together forever, these hopes combined within the orange pegasus and made her body glow with a similar light. The two auras grew and grew till they joined together as one. Scootaloo and Adara could feel it, their spirits and minds becoming one as the power of Hope gave them the words to their oath.
“In fearful day, in raging night,
With our wings we now take flight!
Open your eyes and see this sight,
All will be well – Hope’s shining light!”
Adara’s body broke down into particles of blue light that swirled around Scootaloo, lifting her up into the air. The particles entered her body, empowering Scootaloo beyond anything she could ever believe was possible. The light energy continued to swirl around her, obscuring her from view. In a few short seconds two large blue light wings emerged from the ball of energy, followed by another pair of shorter blue light wings. The sphere then shattered apart, revealing the one attached to the wings.
Scootaloo’s body was adorned with a uniform all her own. A black suit that covered most of her body, with blue boots upon her hind and forelegs, and a small upper chest plated that covered most of her upper half. A circle was at the center of her chest, glowing with the blue light of Hope like a rare and beautiful jewel. Scootaloo’s four large wings fluttered lightly as she floated back down to the floor, touching it softly. The young pegasus filly examined her body, but mostly staring at the four wings that protruded from her back, hardly believing that she was moving them with little to no effort.
“Do you feel it Scootaloo?”
“Yeah, all the hopes of everypony on Equus, they’re all so clear to me. Even…Apple Bloom’s, and Rarity too! I can feel them! And they’re close!”
“Then let us free them, but first, let us give aid to our friends.”
“Okay, but how?”
“Radiate the light of Hope, shine it through the whole castle and ignite Willpower, with Ion empowered by our light, and with his bolstering ours, we will be unbeatable.”
“Alright then!”
Scootaloo flared her four wings as her eyes shined with the blue light of Hope. The filly’s body let loose a radiant wave of light that went out in all directions. After a minute of waiting, the familiar surge of Willpower was sensed, doubling the already awesome power of the united duo, and making Scootaloo’s aura flare with a new vigor.
Fluttershy darted through the hallways, beating her wings as fast as she could as she zoomed with a speed that wasn’t unlike that of Rainbow Dash. The normally shy mare felt a change in her, a situation like this, going off alone and into a potentially dangerous outcome would make her flee to the nearest hidey hole. But that wasn’t the case this time, no, she was done with being shy and timid, well, not all the time, but when her friends and loved ones lives were on the line all bets were off.
She had to admit, learning about Proselyte’s full origins was a shocker. Yes he did mention a lot about where he came from, and what he did, but it was mostly limited to his actions with the filly, Diamond Tiara, and her mother, Golden Fleece. But finding out that Proselyte was one of seven cosmic beings that controlled a powerful light that was connected to compassion, finding out that he himself was the embodiment of all compassion did throw her for a loop.
But that didn’t matter, what did matter was that Proselyte needed her help and she was the only one who could.
“I will not let another pony I love die or be hurt, never again.”
Fluttershy followed the strong connection to Proselyte’s light all the way to its source, the timid mare stopping before a pair of double doors. With a swift kick of her hind legs Fluttershy forced the doors open. She quickly entered and saw the occupant. Proselyte was in his true form, the form he had told her about that laid underneath that of his pony form. And just like the others told her, he was captured within a cage of three different lights. The Entity of Compassion had multiple symbols of floating about him, Fear, Rage, Avarice, and Compassion.
Proselyte saw Fluttershy, although he had no face to express how he was feeling, Fluttershy could sense that he was happy to see her. “Fluttershy!”
His voice echoed through the air, communicating through the light and directing his voice to Fluttershy for her to hear. The pegasus mare made her way to the cage, smiling reassuringly the whole time.
“Don’t worry Lyte, I’ll get you out of there,” said Fluttershy.
Suddenly the cage started to let out sparking arcs of the tricolored Negative lights, the moment she got within three meters of the cage it let loose a bolt of lightning. The bolt struck right before Fluttershy’s forehooves, making her stop her advance.
“Fluttershy no, don’t come any closer to this cage! The lights will attack you!”
The tricolored cage was reacting violently to the appearance of the shy pegasus, throwing off arcs of energy that crackled in different intervals.
“Lyte are you okay at least?”
“Somewhat…I’m not in close proximity to the others so I cannot channel Hope or Willpower to counteract the cage’s negative effects. The only thing I can do is channel Rage, Avarice, Fear, and Compassion to keep the cage from weakening me. For now, at least, it is working, but I can’t affect it to release me or keep it from hurting you Fluttershy.”
Fluttershy looked upon the cage; she could sense the negative power radiating from it. The situation was oddly nostalgic, then it hit her, this was just like the time when she and Proselyte worked together to calm Storm the thunderbird. Fluttershy remembered entering the metaphysical world of Storm’s mind, crashing through the barrier of Rage and Fear that kept him from hearing anypony’s words. This was practically the same thing. She may’ve shown a bit of fear back then, but she wasn’t the same mare she was a year ago. Fluttershy boldly stepped forward as a bolt of electrical energy struck right before her hooves.
Proselyte let out a worried low as he saw Fluttershy approach the cage. She took another step forward and then another. The cage fired another bolt, this time passing by her left cheek. The energy was searing and painful as it left an angry red scar on her cheek, making the pegasus mare wince in pain. But this did not deter her in the slightest, Fluttershy kept pressing on. The cage let loose three more bolts, Fluttershy ducked to her left, missing her face but instead burned off part of her long flowing mane. The second bolt struck the lower part of her left foreleg, and the third arched enough to strike her right wing. The pain from both attacks made Fluttershy stumble, but she quickly caught herself and pressed on.
“Fluttershy I said stay back! I can’t stop this cage from hurting you!”
“It’ll be okay Lyte, I can do this! I will get you out!”
The cage seemed to protest this show of will. The cage then fired a single bolt, but just before it hit her, the bolt opened up and turned into a net. The tricolored net fell over Fluttershy in a matter of seconds as she stared at the incoming object wide eyed. The moment it made contact Fluttershy’s body was racked with pain unlike any she’d known before. Burning, stinging, twisting, all her pain receptors were being set ablaze in a spectrum of different painful sensations, so much so that they blended together into one big tormenting cycle. Fluttershy let out a cry of pain and fell to the floor as her body convulsed from the sensations her body was forced to feel. Proselyte moved towards the bars of the cage, but found that the cage recoiled, sending him back with the same angry energy bursts, preventing him from getting close to Fluttershy.
“FLUTTERSHY!!! STOP, PLEASE, I DON’T WANT TO SEE ANYONE ELSE DIE FOR ME!!!”
Fluttershy heard the voice of the Entity of Compassion; she gritted her teeth and rose from the floor. The pain seemed to intensify, as if saying “Stay down, don’t you dare get back up!”, but despite this she rose to her hooves, her left foreleg drawn up as she limped her way to the cage. The energy of the net doubled in strength, where it once was stopping her with pain it was now threatening to kill her. Nonetheless she continued to walk towards the cage, just a mere five feet from it now. Proselyte reached out again, the recoil of the cage was warning him to not step one part of his body outside the bars, but he didn’t care. The Entity of Compassion concentrated all three of the negative lights, plus his own positive light, around his tentacle. The appendage pierced through the bars’ barrier and allowed him to stick it out at least three quarters.
Fluttershy hurried and reached out with her injured foreleg to Proselyte. The moment the pegasus mare’s hoof made contact with the tentacle the symbol of Compassion shined before them, the two sources of compassion were weakening the barrier, tipping it to the breaking point, but it was all that Proselyte could do to keep it from dealing Fluttershy a killing blow. Suddenly, the symbol of Hope appeared before him. A wave of blue energy washed over the room and completely erased the cage from existence.
With the source of pain gone, Fluttershy’s body went lax as she collapsed. Proselyte lashed out and caught the mare with his tentacles, gently cradling her in his grasp. He then shined his light of Compassion, resonating it with her own kindness to boost the healing effects.
“Fluttershy…” He lightly shook the mare. “Fluttershy please wake up…Tell me you’re alright!”
Fluttershy’s eyes slowly opened, she then looked up at the Entity of Compassion and gave him a gentle smile. “Hi Lyte…you’re free now.”
“That was insane Fluttershy! Why did you do that?! You nearly died!”
“I…I wanted to help you, I couldn’t just let you stay in that awful cage.”
If he could cry Proselyte would’ve, instead, he made a sad lowing sound, which was the best he could do in his true form. “I never meant to cause you harm…it seems that’s all I bring…Distrust from your closest friend, forced conversion, and now death and pain to the innocent…”
Fluttershy raised her uninjured right hoof and gently stroked the tentacle closest to her in a comforting motion.
“Lyte, that’s not true, you’ve made me happy. You allowed me to have closure with Headwind, you saved Dinky and Derpy during the blizzard last year, and you made that same filly the happiest she’s been in years by being a big brother to her. And let’s not forget, you protected Sweetie Belle and Dinky from a bully…”
“From a bully, and yet not from that she-witch possessed by Butcher!” Proselyte held Fluttershy tighter. “I couldn’t even protect her…how could you forgive me for that?!”
“I do forgive you, because she isn’t dead, she’s alive Proselyte.”
“She is, how?! How is that possible?!”
“Apparently Scootaloo gave up her wings, whatever power Adara used to heal her she gave to Sweetie Belle to save her life. And I think she’d like to see you when she finally wakes up.”
Proselyte put Fluttershy down on the ground, setting on all four hooves now that she was completely healed.
“Proselyte, Princess Cadance and the other Princesses believe that ‘uniting’ will help us defeat Nightmare Moon and Chrysalis, and possibly save Spike too.”
The Entity of Compassion had reservations with that tactic. “Fluttershy…I…I know it would give us the edge, but I don’t want to alter your mind. The last time I entered a host I possessed them, and changed them. I don’t ever want to do that again, especially not to you.”
Fluttershy shook her head as if dismissing the allegation. “You won’t Lyte, and do you know why?” The light-yellow mare pressed her left hoof to her chest, over where her heart would be. “Because I am the Element of Kindness, and you are the Entity of Compassion. They are both sides to the same coin, one never apart from the other.” Fluttershy then trotted up to Proselyte and beamed a confident smile to the cosmic cephalopod. “Kindness and Compassion will always be together, like brother and sister.”
The Entity of Compassion could see it; the light of Compassion was stronger within Fluttershy now than it had ever been. He knew it, deep down inside, he knew this could work. “Very well, speak this oath with me; the words will come to you. And let the light of Compassion within you shine forth.”
Fluttershy did as Proselyte told her. She closed her eyes and focused on the light within her. A gentle aura of indigo light appeared over her body, rising up to the air. The Entity of Compassion’s body brightened as the indigo lights mingled with each other and became a giant mass of energy; multiple symbols of Compassion appeared around them, each one thrumming rhythmically.
“In Blackest Night, when fear may show,
Like Brightest Day, let our power glow!
Unite as one as our feelings grow,
Through Compassion’s light we dispel all woe!”
The symbols joined together below the two, becoming one giant symbol of Compassion. Smoke and light swirled around Fluttershy and Proselyte as his body broke down into light particles and meshed themselves with Fluttershy’s body and soul. The sensation was surprising to Fluttershy, but not scary, it was as if her heart was being opened up to all sorts of feelings. She felt Rage, Avarice, Fear, Willpower, Hope, and Love, all seven emotions, all seven lights, each one cycling within her, but the dominant light that quelled the others and brought peace to her mind was that of Compassion. The swirling smoke and light continued to spin about until it burst apart, revealing the new form of Fluttershy and Proselyte’s unity.
Fluttershy’s mane, tail, and wings had become pure indigo light, undulating of their own accord. Her coat had turned completely purple; the only evidence of her former color was that in the markings of the Indigo Tribe. Fluttershy opened her eyes and looked upon her new form; a shocked and awed expression was on her face, but at the same time excitement and a sense of oneness with everything.
“We are one, Fluttershy.”
“This feeling, Lyte, this is the true power of Compassion?”
“Yes.”
“But…” Fluttershy maneuvered her wings, which were now made up of three tentacles each, and brought the tips before her. Each one glowed with a different color of the Emotional Spectrum, along with the correlating symbol hovering over it. “I feel everything Lyte. Rage for what those meanies have done! Avarice for wanting to keep all those close to me safe and sound, Fear for what might happen to them. I even feel the Willpower to fight back, and the Hope that it will all be well. And Love, love for all my friends, and even you…How is this you’re power when you can feel all the others?”
“Compassion must be able to feel and understand the other emotions. There is balance to everything, and it is the power of Compassion that gives us the ability to connect with these differing emotional energies and bring balance to the Spectrum.”
Fluttershy nodded in understanding. When her friends tried to make be more assertive, she ended up becoming a monster, instilling fear and letting her rage take control of her. But it was only when finding a balance between the two was she able to stand up to Iron Will and become a stronger mare for it.
“Well then, let’s bring balance to our world Proselyte.”
As Cadance made her way through the hallways she found herself dreading each step. This was her plan after all, become one with the Positive Entities and defeat the ones who were possessed by the Negative Entities. It was simple, but it would work as long as they banded together, but there was one little problem…okay it was a big problem for Cadance. She didn’t know if she wanted to see Predator. Her mind kept flashing back to that night at the Crystal Palace, when Predator almost…and she almost…
Cadance stopped, feeling the heat in her cheeks. Her feelings about that night were conflicted to say the least. She felt angry for how Predator manipulated her with the light of Love, but at the same time completely at peace and content with the feeling of the light. Fear for letting herself give in so easily to the light and Predator’s teasing, letting her years of control be eroded away in just a matter of seconds by the cosmic entity.
Am I really that weak and lust ridden deep inside that I’d allow Predator to control me like that…to get me all hot and bothered!
Yes this was her plan, but even now she didn’t know if she could go through with it. Yes it would make her powerful enough to fight back against the possessed, but the thought of becoming one being filled her with excitement and horror all at once. What if she couldn’t control the power that their union would bring about? What if she became a worse threat than the three currently waging war with her friends and family? There were too many possibilities and too many of them ending badly for Cadance’s tastes.
But I have no choice…I have to try and control that part of me and Predator’s power…If I don’t, Equestria will pay for it…and so will those I care for…
With her resolve, somewhat, firmly set, Cadance continued her search for the Entity of Love. Several explosions could be heard outside, one right after the other. And with each detonation or powerful roar, Cadance winced, knowing that every second she spent internally debating this decision only further decreased their chances of success and their survival. Putting that into her thought process seemed to spur her hooves to move faster, from a trot to a gallop.
After meandering through the halls of the castle Cadance appeared before a room. There was powerful love energy being emitted from behind the doors, but it also felt contained, restricted. Cadance could feel her heart rate increase at the prospect of seeing Predator again, one on one. Would she be happy to see her? If her reaction back at the Crystal Empire was any indication, probably not. Or, would she misinterpret her actions as a validation of her actions a few weeks ago? Neither scenario was appeasing to the Princess of Love, at best the made her anxious.
Cadance raised her trembling hoof to her chest and began employing her calming technique, the very same she taught Twilight whenever she’d have one of her epic freak outs. Hoof to the chest, breathe in, extend the hoof, breathe out, and repeat. Cadance did this about ten times, with each exhale she felt her worry and anxiety ebb away, after about the twentieth time Cadance was less anxious, but it wasn’t as nerve wracking as it was a moment ago. Steeling herself, the pink alicorn used her magic to open the doors to the room and beheld the sight before her.
Predator was trapped in a cage made of the lights of Rage, Avarice, and Fear, in her true form. She lashed out the cage, slashing at it with her ridiculously sharp claws, striking the energy bars with her tail, and slamming her crystalline body into it as well; doing almost everything she could to break herself free. Cadance knew this must’ve been like torture to the Entity of Love; she was free spirit, unrestrained by her own will and power. To keep love itself contained by such negativity was nothing short of insulting and a travesty to all that the Entity of Love represented.
The raptor stopped its thrashing about, sensing a familiar presence within the room. Predator then turned her slit eyes to the approaching alicorn, her body noticeably tensing at the sight.
“Cadance…”
“H-Hi Predator…”
There was silence in the room, an awkward and tense silence. Neither the Entity of Love nor the Princess of Love looked directly at each other. Cadance’s face became slightly red as flashes of that night started to appear in her mind, if Predator’s nervous body language was to be interpreted as her anxiety about the night in question, then it was clear that the crystalline raptor was feeling the same way. The only sound that could really be heard was the warbling of the cage’s fluctuating energy, and the destruction occurring outside the castle.
“What are you doing here…?”
The question was not asked with malice or contempt; it was more akin to a child who had realized that they had done something bad and was afraid of what was to happen to them. Hearing the Predator’s tone of voice made Cadance less tense, at least she did not hate her.
“I…I came to help you, to release you Predator.”
“Why would you even want to look at me, let alone help me after I…I almost…forced myself upon you?”
Cadance lowered her head, her gaze downcast as she spoke. “I won’t lie to you Predator, I did have some apprehension about coming to see you…but then I remembered that you came to mine and Shining Armor’s rescue at the Empire, how could I do any less?”
“So…this is just to repay a debt is it?”
Cadance looked up at Predator wide eyed. “No of course not!”
“Then why have you come for me?”
Cadance sighed heavily as she prepared to divulge her reasons, and probably the truth while she was it. “Because, Predator, despite what you did to me…what you planned on doing with me, I…I still can’t abandon you…You can call me crazy or whatever, but I just can’t!”
The Entity of Love looked down upon the Princess of Love and glared. “Out of obligation you come to save me?! That’s it?!! I…! I…” The fury that was building in Predator quickly extinguished when she saw Cadance wince and cower slightly from the glare in her eyes and the tone of her voice. “I only wanted to show you how much I loved you…cared about you…I never meant to hurt you…I thought, of all being in this world, you would be able to understand me, and in so doing I could learn to understand love as you yourself have spoken of. But I was wrong…After everything I’ve done, why would you risk your life for a monster like me?!”
“Predator you…you embody all love in the universe, and I can’t even fathom controlling that power…” There was no point in hiding it anymore; Cadance had to tell the truth to Predator. “Before I became an alicorn, I was a pegasus…”
The Entity of Love stared at her fellow love wielder in confusion for a moment, until she remembered a particular lesson way back when. “You speak of your ‘Rite of Ascension’?”
Cadance nodded.
“I was born into the royal family from a long lost bloodline sired by Celestia…during Nightmare Moon’s arrival, and the subsequent banishment of Nightmare Moon to the moon, Celestia went into a period of seclusion. Denying any visits. The only thing she did was raise and lower the sun, and the moon as well. The family that was sired by her tried to maintain order within Equestria, but it soon became too much and anarchists and usurpers saw it as a chance to bring about a new regime.
In the end, much of the bloodline was slaughtered, but it just the wakeup call Celestia needed to come back to the world. So from then on the remaining royals were kept safe and allowed to remain under Princess Celestia’s care and protection as thanks for keeping Equestria from completely collapsing. Which brings me to now, I was born a pegasus pony, while my brother was born a unicorn, you might know him as Blueblood.
Celestia decided that it was time for a new alicorn to rise, Equestria was meant to be ruled by two, and so I was chosen to be that second. My special talent back then was promoting love, helping others to realize their feelings for their special somepony. When I was granted the power of an alicorn and the unicorn horn to go with it, I became the Princess of Love. My mind and body were…overwhelmed when I was first exposed to the raw power of my newly acquired love magic. It was exciting, intoxicating, I could feel the love from everypony far and close by, and I never wanted to be parted from it.
My actions back then were…less than noble. I became completely driven by my magic, wanting to bring others together to love and be loved, and…I also wanted to be smothered in their love, lust, and carnal desire! But…it was Celestia that eventually brought me around and helped me to control myself, I mean, I was so bad, I actually fantasized about bedding Aunt Tia! My own family!”
As Cadance spoke of her life and the history connected to it, Predator could see the pain from years ago show in her eyes. It wasn’t that Cadance was afraid to love others; it was that she was afraid of what that love would turn her into.
“And when I’m around you... I feel myself becoming that mare again. And during that night, for that moment when our eyes locked, I wanted to give into that part of myself so badly! To feel as if it wasn’t a burden because I knew you were only one who could satisfy that part of me that I buried long ago! But when I saw you fighting Shining Armor, those feelings left, and the only thing on my mind was him, wanting to protect him at all costs.”
Predator let out a sad growl. “You would make a better Entity of Love than me Cadance…I was born through the power of Love’s light, it became me, and it is all that I am. I’ve known love since I was created eons ago, and yet, I’ve never understood it…I thought being with you would help me to understand…but I was wrong!” Predator then slammed her tail on the floor of the cage in anger. “I understand nothing! Even when I was within the Power Battery, it was the eternal love of Khufu and Chay-Ara that kept me placid and content. Within Carrol Ferris, I thought I knew what love was about through her eyes and love for a Green Lantern! And then there was Queen Shrike and Abraham Pointe, both had corrupted senses of love, I know that now but…”
Cadance could hear something falling to the floor of the energy cage, that’s when she saw that Predator was…crying. Her tears streamed down her large muzzle in the form of liquid light, but when the drops fell, they solidified into star sapphire crystals before hitting the ground. It was now that Cadance saw just how much torment Predator was feeling, and it now made sense why the Life Entity chose her to help this cosmic being understand love. Suddenly, Cadance was struck with realization.
“Predator, those others you mentioned, tell me, did you inhabit them? Possess them?” asked Cadance.
“It may’ve been I who initiated the possession, but once together the roles are reversed. I become possessed by my host, I am a slave to their emotion, to their needs and desires, and at that point I am merely a means to an end.”
“And your current knowledge on love is based on these past hosts, correct?”
Predator let out an annoyed growl. “Yes, have I not made that clear?! I am what others have made me! Now you know why I have been trying so hard to erase all that they imparted onto me!”
Now Cadance understood where Predator picked up some of her bad habits, but that was for another time, a plan was forming in Cadance’s mind and if she was right, then this would fix everything. The Princess of Love boldly stared up at Predator, a confident smirk forming on her lips.
“I think I know how to help you understand what love means! Predator, we have to unite!”
The Entity of Love gawked at Cadance. “HOW COULD YOU EVEN SUGGEST THAT!!? Did you not hear me when I was telling you what happens to those who become one with me?! If you’re afraid of yourself now then you’ll be terrified when we unite! You’ll become that which you fear and more!”
Cadance stood her ground in this decision. “No Predator, I know this will help us both.”
“You can’t know that! I don’t…I don’t want to hurt you again…I’m just a monster, that’s all I am, all that I’ve become!”
“Would a monster come back and protect the one she supposedly hurt? Would a monster help a little filly whose heart almost gave up on love? Would a monster bother to care about another’s happiness of the heart that she’d hunt down a suitable and kindred heart?”
Cadance slowly moved closer to the cage. She could see that Predator was slightly cringing as she got closer, afraid of herself and of what Cadance was planning.
“The answer is no Predator. Despite your screw ups, despite all your flirtatious come-ons, none of it takes away the fact that you,Predator, are worthy of being called the Entity of Love. And I stand by my decision, this will work, we will prevail together!”
At that moment a wave of blue light washed over the room, erasing the tri-colored cage and leaving Predator without her barrier between her and Cadance. The pink alicorn kept walking till she was standing directly below the crystalline raptor. Predator looked down to meet the gaze of the Princess, finding solace and confidence in her eyes.
“This is what I choose, what is your choice?”
Predator took a couple of steps back and lowered her head so that she was eye level with Cadance. A grin appeared on her muzzle, showing off her razor sharp teeth.
“I think you are the craziest and most alluring life form I have ever met. And I trust in you, Cadance.”
No further words were needed, only the words spoken through magic and light. A whirlwind whipped up within the room, with royal blue and violet-pink light shining bright. Cadance closed her eyes as she began to open her mind, body, and soul to the violet light of Love…Predator began to curl her body around Cadance, as she felt the light of Cadance’s magic ebb through her very being. The royal blue light shifted to the same color as Predator’s light, an ethereal display of their uniting powers. The Entity of Love and the Princess of Love’s eyes began to shine white and violet as their power became as one.
“For hearts long lost and black as night,
For those filled sorrow and spite!
Accept this power, let it shine bright,
Triumph forevermore – Love’s violet light!”
Predator released a powerful roar from her maw as the violet light of Love shined forth. Star sapphire crystal began to grow from Predator’s body, encasing both her and Cadance in a cocoon. The light continued to shine from within the cocoon, a transformation taking place that melded the two wielders of love to a degree neither of them had ever known.
At that moment, the crystal cocoon shattered apart. The shards and fragments of the cocoon quickly changing into shimmering particles of violet light around them, glittering like stars. Two large violet-pink crystal wings extended forth, giving the new alicorn a larger wingspan than in her previous form. Her body was clothed in a black suit, her lower forelegs and hind legs. The alicorn’s hooves were covered in sapphire crystal, four long claws flexed on the end of each foreleg, and three on the hind hooves as well, getting a feel for the new talons.
Around Cadance’s chest was a silver mantle, and at the center was a crystal Star Sapphire symbol. Cadance’s long mane was tucked beneath a silver helmet, with a pink visor, and a slot for her horn to show proudly. Her tail had changed as well, becoming a silver, metallic blade that ringed with each swish. Cadance flexed her wings, hearing the symphony of crackling sounds they made.
Cadance had never known such power; this dwarfed anything her ascension bestowed upon her. She could feel further beyond Equus itself, linking to every spark of love that flared into existence somewhere in the cosmos. Her aura began to flare like fire, her claws digging into the floor as the intensity of the love energy flowed through the alicorn mare’s body. A maniacal grin formed upon her lips, much like Twilight’s infamous “Tardy Freak Out”. Her teeth were starting to become fanged as sapphire crystals began to jut out of her body. She was becoming something dangerous, something powerful, a beast driven by the power of love and the lust of all living things in the universe. And she was perfectly content to delve into these perverse fantasies and revel in the debauchery that would no doubt ensue from her actions.
No…This power does not control me…I CONTROL IT!
Suddenly the flaring aura became steady and calm, her bestial transformation halted, her fangs and extra crystals disappeared as she regained control of herself.
“You did it Cadance, you were able to conquer yourself.”
“I don’t deserve all the credit Predator, I could feel you fighting back as well, helping me.”
Cadance swore she could feel Predator blush.
“Cadance, thank you.”
“Now let’s fight together!”
Both Cadance and Predator released a powerful roar as their aura blazed forth, their voices blending together into the roar so perfectly that no one could tell the difference from the alicorn Princess and the Entity that inhabited her body.
Canterlot was turned into a battlefield, most of the buildings were either charred from constant energy, light, and magic blasts, and others were completely destroyed. The popular and beautiful capital of Equestria was now nearly in ruins thanks to the battle that had been going on. Discord was proving to be a great asset during the fight, using his chaos magic to trip up or disable the possessed for a time, allowing the alicorns, Star Beasts, and thunderbird to counterattack.
Unfortunately, the powers of Rage, Avarice, and Fear were proving to be more than a match for the small assembled fighting force. Spike’s Avarice constructs constantly went after Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, and the magic simulacrums of Applejack and Fluttershy. Rainbow Dash was able to keep them off her, using her great speed and agility to out maneuver the construct Diamond Dogs. Pinkie Pie used her Pinkie Sense to avoid many of the creatures as they lunged and popped out of the ground, each one trying to grab hold of her. Every once and a while, the earth pony mare and pegasus mare would double team the constructs anytime they got near one of the fake ponies.
Nightmare Butcher, during the duration of this battle, had been focusing all her rage at the wounded Celestia, taking advantage of her flightless form. The white alicorn mare hated this, she could only fire powerful beams of magic from her halberd and summon shields to defend herself or the others, basically acting as a fixed heavy cannon. Luna did the majority of the engaging, fighting Nightmare one on one. The crimson blade of the ax clashed with the silver curved edge of the Luna’s sword, creating sparks of red light and blue mana with each strike.
Nightmare Butcher and Luna were locked, blades grinding against each other as their auras flared up. “Heh, heh, how long do you think you can prolong the inevitable Luna?! I’ll kill Celestia!”
“Shut up!” Luna ordered.
“I’ll break each bone in her wing, one by one, and then I’ll rip it off slowly and watch as each strand of bloody tissue and muscle snaps with each tug!”
“Shut up!”
“Then I’ll use my ax to gut her alive! And she’ll remain conscious long enough to see my good work before I choke her with her own intestines! Her screams will be like music to my ears!”
“SHUT UP!!!”
Nightmare Butcher’s aura doubled in size as she grinned happily at the rise in Luna’s anger. With a single swipe of the ax, Nightmare sent Luna spiraling into a nearby building, smashing through the wall. The midnight blue alicorn slowly picked herself up from the rubble as she glared angrily at her former dark persona.
“Oh Lulu, you are so easily riled up. Did you forget that I am Rage itself now?! The angrier you get the more powerful I become! Well, technically I’m already powerful, you feeding my power is just the frosting on the cake.”
Luna shook off the remaining debris before she flared her wings, preparing to take off. Nightmare Butcher then inhaled deeply and bellowed forth a torrent of blazing blood-fire at Luna. The Princess of the Night barely made it out of there before the red plasma drenched the building and ate away at the stone and glass, turning it into molten sludge.
Meanwhile, Chrysalis was having an aerial battle with Storm. The thunderbird fired off multiple lightning bolts at the Changeling Queen, making the possessed insectoid erect a barrier of yellow light around herself. One after another the lightning bolts struck the shield with a powerful, thunderous boom, forcing Chrysalis to hold fast. It was a strange thing, a bird fighting an insect, like some overly dramatic circle of life thing. But Chrysalis didn’t dwell on the irony right now; she needed to get around this bird’s offense.
Fanning her wings, Chrysalis unleashed her light of Fear, gazing into the deep recesses of Storm’s mind. Deeper and deeper she probed until she found what she was looking for. Chrysalis created a burst of power that gave her an opening to fly up and away from Storm. The Changeling Queen, from her new vantage point, thrust her right claw into the air, calling upon the power of Parallax. The yellow light of Fear coalesced around her claw, blazing like the sun. She then pointed it at the thunderbird and released it. The energy began to take the form of a giant hydra, its nine heads hissing and roaring at the young avian creature.
Storm’s mind immediately flashed back to that dreadful day, the day his mother died protecting him, and the image of her body being torn apart by the hydras, forever burned into his memory. The sight of this beast brought back the terror of that time, making him feel as if he were a hatchling all over again. The lightning and thunder died down, the clouds evaporating above as the thunderbirds unique weather magic wavered.
The Star Beasts saw this happening and were preparing to aid Storm, but the giant dragon that was Spike blocked their path. Even though the thunderbird was not their child, the two mother Star Beasts knew well the look of genuine fear in a young one and their motherly instincts fueled their strength to want to protect Storm, as well as stoke the fires of anger at the creature that kept them from doing so.
The Ursa Major charged for Spike, raising its right paw in preparation for a swipe of its claw. But Spike, despite his larger size, was quicker. He immediately grabbed the Ursa Major’s paw, applying pressure onto it and digging his claws into the starry, somewhat ethereal flesh. The Ursa Major roared in pain, but it only made her more determined. She then brought her second claw up to strike again. But this time Spike shot forward, opening his mouth and chomping down on the bear’s left shoulder, making his fangs sink deep into her body.
The Canis Major roared and dashed for Spike. The possessed dragon then raised the Ursa with his maw and tossed her like a rag doll at the incoming Canis Major. The two elder Star Beasts crashed into each other, skidding upon the ground until they landed up against a building. Unknown to Spike, the children of the two beasts, stealthily made their way around Spike. Straun, the Ursa Minor, leaped up and onto Spike’s back, chomping down on his exposed long neck. Liaetha bared her fangs and bit down on the dragon’s leg, making Spike drop to one knee. With an orange glow in his eyes, Spike unleashed his aura; making both younger Star Beasts fly out in two different directions.
“There’s something not right about this,” said Parallax.
Chrysalis quirked her head in confusion at the sound of the Entity of Fear’s voice, “What do you mean ‘not right’? We’re winning.”
“They have been fighting, but they seem…distracted. For some reason I don’t feel as if they’re trying to fight us for the sake of fighting, not even trying…Chrysalis, never mind with that overgrown canary, strike Princess Cadance! NOW!”
Chrysalis looked to the thunderbird and then to Cadance, who was standing beside Twilight Sparkle. The equine insectoid flew towards Twilight, her left forearm blade extended and gleaming from the yellow light. The young alicorn mare saw Chrysalis charging for her and fired multiple magic bolts at the possessed Changeling Queen. Chrysalis created a shield in front of her, but noticed that Twilight Sparkle was the only one attacking, while Princess Cadance stood idly by and did nothing.
Princess Cadance wouldn’t let her beloved sister-in-law fight alone, something is up!
The Changeling Queen lit up her horn and teleported in a blaze of yellow flames. Twilight frantically looked about, trying to determine where Chrysalis had gone. Suddenly, Twilight felt a tug around her waist; she looked back and saw that there was a yellow chain that resembled a spinal column. Twilight was then hoisted up into the air and slammed on the other side of the road, knocking the breath out of her lungs and making her let out a gasp. The chain whipped up again and threw her up into the air. Twilight caught a glimpse of her attacker, Chrysalis. The wielder of Fear then brought down her right hand, making the chain follow her movements as it sent her right back down into terra firma, creating a body sized crater.
With Twilight out of the way, Chrysalis turned her attention to Cadance, who was still standing, not moving an inch. Chrysalis made the boney chain tip change into an arrowhead spike. After a few movements she whipped the chain in Cadance’s direction, piercing the side of the alicorn mare. But, after a few seconds, Cadance’s body began to destabilize and fade into nothingness. Chrysalis’ face contorted in anger as she saw this and turned to the remaining two mares who hadn’t moved at all during the battle. Chrysalis lashed out with the spiked tip of the chain, making it slash in a wide arc. Pinkie Pie, sensing the attack coming, immediately ducked low to the ground just in time to watch the arrowhead spike cut the heads off the simulacrums’ heads. The illusions faded just as the first did, confirming to Chrysalis and Parallax that something was definitely going on.
Before she could sound off to her fellow possessed allies, Chrysalis was blasted with a powerful beam of sun yellow mana that sent her flying away down the street. Now with the equine insectoid gone, Rainbow Dash quickly made her way to the crater to help her marefriend. Worriedly she went down and helped her lover out of the crater and onto even ground. Twilight coughed a bit, groaning in pain from the blitz attack.
“Twi, I hate to say it, but our secret might’ve just been blown!”
Twilight looked around and gasped when she noticed the absence of three simulacrums. “Oh no…Nonononononono – NO!”
Chrysalis shot up into the air and made to rally the others to her. Spike made his way to her side, while Nightmare Butcher, reluctantly, disengaged with Luna and made her way to Chrysalis. It didn’t take long for the small band of resistance to notice the angered glares they were receiving from all three of them. The final indicator was that they were slowly stalking towards them. Making Twilight, Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie Pie regroup to Celestia and Luna. Discord landed next Luna, his eagle’s claw and lion’s paw glowing with chaos magic.
“Do you think they had enough time?” asked Pinkie Pie.
“I don’t know Pinkie, we never worked out a way for them to signal us if they did,” said Twilight.
“Have faith Twilight Sparkle, they will succeed,” said Luna.
“Just to be sure, you don’t want me to blow up the entire mountain? ‘Cause that option is still on the table.” Discord commented.
“NO!” The mares yelled at once.
Twilight continued to watch the hosts of the Negative Entities approach them. Spike’s Avarice constructs were gathering around him as fire dripped from his maw. Chrysalis had her forearm blades extended, and her horn glowing brightly as she stared at them with sadistic intent. Nightmare Butcher’s eye shined blood red as her ax floated beside her, ready to behead and eviscerate every single one of them. Twilight closed her eyes and silently prayed.
Please, let them be okay…I know you guys can do it, I believe in all of you! Especially you, Scootaloo!
At that moment a low rumble spread out through the ground and air. The hosts of the Negative Entities each stopped in their tracks as they sensed the disturbance. From the direction of the castle, four pillars of light erupted into the air. The four pillars then united into a single blinding light that shined out over the city of Canterlot, and further out around the mountain. Through squinting eyes the ponies below could make out four beings in the light as they descended to the city. From what they could make out, the beings within the light were equine, but at the same time appeared different. But there was one pony that Twilight noticed above the others, and seeing her made the alicorn’s heart swell with hope and cheer at the sight.
“Don’t worry Twilight…”
The light dimmed slightly, revealing the transformed states of Applejack, Cadance, Fluttershy, and Scootaloo, each donned in the uniform and gear of their respective Entity. Their bodies wrapped in the auras of the four different positive lights of the Emotional Spectrum.
“All will be well!”
The four of them incased themselves in spheres of green, blue, indigo, and violet light and shot towards their friends, zooming around the Negatives and landing before them. With light spheres faded away the ponies, and draconequus, looked in awe at their new forms. Rainbow Dash quickly trotted up to the pegasus filly, admiring the four blue shimmering wings on her back. Despite seeing them, Dash hurriedly enveloped the filly in a fierce hug, followed closely by Twilight who wrapped her forelegs as best she could around Rainbow and Scootaloo.
“Oh Faust, Scoots, I can’t believe it! You guys made it! And you have, like, four wings now!” Rainbow Dash separated herself a little from Scootaloo and looked at her for a moment. “So…is Adara…you know, with you?”
Scootaloo smirked at that question. “I am indeed Rainbow Dash. And you and Twilight give warm hugs.”
Twilight and Rainbow Dash looked upon Scootaloo. Her lips didn’t move, but they clearly heard Adara’s voice. “She’s inside me – Actually, I think the better way to say it is that she’s in my soul or something like that, it’s the same with the rest of us, right?” Scootaloo looked to the others, each of whom nodded.
“What about Rarity and Apple Bloom…are they alright?” asked Pinkie Pie.
“Don’t worry, Pinkie,” said Fluttershy, “we just wanted to be sure of where everypony was before we moved them. Give me just a moment.”
Fluttershy then disappeared in a puff of purple smoke. Not two seconds later did she reappear with Rarity and Apple Bloom at her side, both looking very confused at how they got there.
“Rarity!” Twilight, Rainbow, and Pinkie yelled in unison.
“Girls,” cried Rarity.
The fashionista was quickly swarmed by the three mares, having a group hug. She didn’t care that she looked a mess; she just missed everypony and needed her friends right now. Apple Bloom walked up to Applejack, looking upon her with wide eyes. She had never seen her big sister like this before, she was always her hero growing up, but now she actually looked like one. Her green uniform, the glowing symbol upon her chest, and of course the outline of her emerald aura, it was all fantastic. For a moment she contemplated that this appearance might’ve changed more than her body, that maybe her personality was different too.
“Um…sis, are ya still you?” asked Apple Bloom with trepidation.
Applejack’s gaze softened at the question, she then leaned down and nuzzled the side of Apple Bloom’s cheek. “Don’t worry little sis, Ah’m still me. And Ion is still Ion, ain’t that right?”
“Eeyup,” responded the Entity of Willpower.
Luna’s eyes were transfixed on the fierce form of Cadance. The pink alicorn took notice of this, and so too did Predator.
“Cadance, I think Luna is checking you out,” said Predator.
“I am doing no such thing!” Luna yelled with a blushing face.
“Now Predator, no teasing right now, even if Aunt Luna looks cute when flustered,” said Cadance with a grin.
Celestia smiled at her niece, sensing a change within the Princess of Love. “I am proud of you Cadance, you and Predator appear to have found harmony between each other.”
“Yes, although it was a bit difficult, I think we’re better for it.”
“Princess Celestia…”
The older ponies ceased talking as they looked to Scootaloo. She leisurely walked up to the elder Princess and motioned for Celestia to lower herself down. Curious, the white alicorn mare did as she asked, folding her legs beneath her. Scootaloo’s aura began to ignite, expanding and shimmering. The filly looked deep into the alicorn’s eyes; the symbol of Hope appeared in them, as well as in Celestia’s eyes.
“Celestia of Equus, you who bring the day and warm sunlight upon this world. You carry the hope of all on your shoulders, for with each dawn brings the promise of a new day and renewed hope for a better future. You have great hope, and you inspire others to spread that hope throughout this world. For this you shall be made whole.”
Celestia closed her eyes as Scootaloo brought their foreheads to touch. The blue light of Hope gathered to the stump that was once her right wing. The blue light then surged forth, expanding and taking the shape of Celestia’s missing wing. The blue light then shattered, revealing Celestia’s white feathered wing. It was unreal; it was as if it had been erased, all the damage to the muscles and bone around the wound, it was all just gone. Scootaloo separated their foreheads and stood before the Princess with a smile. Celestia slowly opened her eyes, gasping at the familiar presence of her once missing wing. She looked back and saw that it was indeed there, her lower lip trembling. With tears in her eyes, Celestia smiled back Scootaloo.
“Thank you, Scootaloo, Adara.”
“No problem Princess.”
“No one should be denied the freedom of the skies.”
Just then a blast of orange plasma fire roared towards the group of ponies and untied hosts. Sensing the attack, Cadance raised her left claw in a sweeping motion. A line formed in front of them as a wall made of star sapphire crystal rose up and blocked the roaring inferno. The flames lost a good amount of power as it tried to demolish the crystal wall. When the flames died out, Cadance dismissed the wall and glared at the ones who dared to interrupt their reunion. The four united hosts each looked to each other and nodded. They rose up into the air and moved towards the possessed hosts, keeping a sizeable gap between them as they stared each other down.
“Kckt, it would seem that you have decided to finally get serious,” said Parallax.
“You unfortunately made it come to this, Parallax, all of you,” retorted Ion.
“There’s still a chance to stop this. Leave your hosts and surrender peacefully, and we shall show you mercy,” said Cadance.
“Relatively speaking, I still plan on tearing Nightmare Moon apart for nearly killing Sweetie Belle!” Predator growled.
Ophidian’s mocking laughter could be heard echoing through the air as Spike gave them a toothy grin.
“And so a new ‘War of Light’ ssshall be waged!”
Spike raised his fist and struck the ground, sending a burst of orange light erupting between them. Applejack flared her emerald aura, allowing it to grow and take shape around her. The aura solidified itself, taking the shape of the Emerald Giant, but donned in battle armor and with the glowing symbol of Willpower on its chest. The construct rushed through the explosion and tackled Spike, sending the both of them hurling down the street. Scootaloo took off after them, wanting to help her “big brother”.
“Do you mind taking on Chrysalis, Fluttershy? I want to deal with Nightmare, since Predator, and I as well, have a score to settle.” Fluttershy shook her head, “No, I don’t mind. Go right ahead.”
With Fluttershy’s okay, Cadance lunged for Nightmare Butcher, catching the black and red mare by surprise. The two mares growled ferociously as they plummeted to the street below, sending up star sapphire crystals and acidic blood blasting from the point of impact. With both sets of teams set on their specific targets, Fluttershy was now alone with Chrysalis, floating in the sky as the Changeling Queen looked at the transformed mare with a disapproving shake of the head.
“Of all the ponies I was expecting to fight, you weren’t even on the list,” said Chrysalis. Her muzzle then split into a sinister grin. “But, that doesn’t mean that this won’t be any fun. A timid scaredy cat like you, fighting me on your own, there’s no limit to the frightful things I can torture you with!”
Fluttershy’s calm expression did not falter; she merely shook her head in disagreement. “I am not afraid of you Chrysalis, maybe once a long time ago, but not now. Not when my friends need me, and I’m not alone, my friends are with me even now.” The first two tentacles that made up Fluttershy’s wings as well as the one that acted as her tail began to change color, the symbols of Willpower, Hope, Rage, Avarice, and Love forming around them. “I have Applejack and Ion’s courage, Scootaloo and Adara’s hope, Princess Cadance and Predator’s love, the rage to fight back, and the avarice to protect what’s mine.”
Chrysalis got tired of Fluttershy’s drivel and fired a concentrated beam of yellow light at the pegasus mare. The powerful blast sailed towards Fluttershy, but she didn’t dodge it. Right before it hit, Fluttershy’s mane tentacle glowed yellow. She then commanded the tentacle to lash out at the beam, coiling into a spiral. The beam smashed against the yellow tentacle, making Chrysalis grit her teeth from the resistance. The Changeling Queen poured more of her power into the attack, forcing Fluttershy back. But with a flick of the tentacle, Fluttershy redirected the beam letting it flyby harmlessly past her and into the open sky.
Agitated, Chrysalis flew at Fluttershy, creating a yellow scythe construct. She slashed in a wide arc at Fluttershy, but at the last second, a puff of purple smoke appeared where Fluttershy was. The Changeling Queen continued her cut, but the yellow blade only passed through the cloud, parting it and revealing nothing. Chrysalis heard a poof sound from behind her; from the corner of her left eye she spotted Fluttershy reappear. Chrysalis extended her forearm blade and swung her arm in a backhand motion.
But just as before, her blade only passed through smoke and air. Chrysalis scanned the area, looking for any sign of the tricky pegasus. Just then a giant purple smoke cloud poofed up around her, obscuring Chrysalis’ vision, she swung wildly within the cloud, hoping to land a decisive blow to the shy mare. Chrysalis found her right arm constricted in an indigo tentacle, another latched onto her left arm, and then one around her midsection, and one last one around her throat. The tentacles went taut, making the Changeling Queen gag from the sudden vice grip. She was then hoisted above the cloud and brought before Fluttershy as the mare stared at her with a stoic expression.
“The war between Fear and Compassion is an ancient one, Parallax. If a new War of Light is to be waged, then so too will ours!”
Fluttershy whipped Chrysalis higher into the air and slammed her back down to the ground with a thunderous boom. She then dragged the insectoid along the ground and right into a building. The tentacles retracted and pointed their tips in Chrysalis’ direction; each one glowed with one of the seven lights of the Emotional Spectrum, gathering the energy of the respective lights into a sphere.
“Nok.”
Fluttershy’s tentacles then unleashed a barrage of energy blasts at the rubble that Chrysalis was under. A yellow barrier was quickly brought up, just in time to get pummeled by a rainbow of light blasts that exploded on impact in rapid succession.
Cadance and Nightmare Butcher were fighting a fierce battle. The pink alicorn had smashed Nightmare Butcher clear through the street and out the other side of the mountain. Both of them squared off on the side of the mountain, from their vantage point, they were looking at each other straight on, but from further away, they were standing vertical on the mountain, gravity having no power over them.
“Love and Rage, always destined to be on the opposite ends, both never willing to back down to the other, how fitting that you and I are fighting, dear niece!” Nightmare shouted with tone of slight mirth.
“You are willing to kill everything and anyone, even little foals; such evil will not be tolerated, not in this world!” Cadance yelled.
Nightmare Butcher let out an evil cackle at hearing Cadance’s outrage. “Have you forgotten the Nightmare Night tales?! I eat little foals who don’t run and hide!” Nightmare then bared her sharp teeth at mare. “Of course that’s just a made up tale, but, who says I can’t live up to the legend?!”
Cadance, letting a little of her more bestial side out, channeled Predator’s ferocity and roared at Nightmare Butcher, her teeth becoming pointy to match the dark alicorn’s. Nightmare Butcher bellowed out a roar as well, and with the challenge accepted, the two alicorns took off towards each other. Cadance lashed out with her right claw, and Nightmare Butcher slashed with her ax. The claw and blade made contact, creating a shockwave of power that made a crater appear below them. Their auras flared up as they went at it again, with each powerful strike the crater got bigger and bigger, nearly boring a hole in the mountain itself.
Nightmare then bellowed forth her acidic blood stream at Cadance. The Princess of Love brought her crystalline wings forward, increasing their size till they formed a makeshift shield in front of her. The force from the blood blast made Cadance dig her claws into the rock to keep her rooted, when the stream ended, Cadance flicked her wings to the side, making the acidic blood splash against the rock as the surface sizzled and bubbled.
Cadance then slammed her left claw onto the mountain’s surface, making star sapphire crystals jut out from the ground in sharp spikes. When the spikes reached Nightmare, she flapped her wings and took the skies, with Cadance following close behind. The dark alicorn summoned a demonic construct, a giant bipedal monster with four razor sharp pincers around its mouth, three protruding spines from its back, four long talons on both hands, and a long whip like tail. In essence it was a grotesque creature. Cadance countered with her own creation, her light-crystal construct formed behind her, creating a lion with giant feathered wings. The beast roared at the demonic construct, to which the red demon hissed and clicked back.
The winged lion soared at the demon, swiping its paw across its face making the demon construct retreat a few steps. Four violet-pink claw marks appeared on the monster’s face, but it quickly sealed them up and counterattacked. The red demon delivered a punch to the right side of the lion’s face, and then another to left, and finally, as the lion flailed, the demon construct sunk its pincers into the left foreleg of the winged lion. The crystalline cat roared in pain, but quickly rounded on the demon by biting it back, right in its neck, and, using it free foreleg, dug its claws into the creature’s body.
Meanwhile, Candance and Nightmare were exchanging fire, one blasting with violent red light, and the other with clear violet-pink light. The two contrasting lights of Rage and Love lit up the sky and detonated along the mountainside and forest below. Several times did Nightmare Butcher unleash her blood-fire breath, and Cadance countered with jagged spikes and shields of star sapphire crystals. The forest and mountainside boiled and sizzled from the acidic liquid life essence, turning almost everything into bubbling pools of red sludge. Several violet crystals obscured the landscape, piercing the rocks and trees, and acting as dams to stop the progression of the still acidic sludge.
The winged lion and demonic monster separated from each other, growling at their respective enemies. The Cadance stood beside her construct, and so too did Nightmare Butcher. Both mares were panting hard from their primal battle, what wounds that were dealt to each of them were quickly healed by the power of the Entities dwelling within them. It was quickly becoming apparent that this battle would not end anytime soon.
“Heh, you’re better at this than Celestia, she has no taste for the savagery of battle! No way of seeing the elegance of being unrestrained and primal, indulging in your desires! We’re not so different Cadance; we both want to indulge in our vices. And it would be a shame to kill such an attractive mare, niece or not.”
“First of all: Ew, not even if you were the last mare on Equus! And second: We may be two halves of the same bit, but we are nothing alike!” Cadance shouted.
Nightmare Butcher scoffed, “You can’t rid the world of all hate! It will always exist!”
“True, but at least we can overpower it!”
The constructs and mares roared viciously into the air as they both charged for each other. From a distance, all that could be seen was a giant winged lion and red demon battling in the forest below, as well as torrents of acidic blood and star sapphire crystals jutting out from the ground and snaking their way around and through everything in their path.
Applejack was in the middle of grappling with Spike, the Emerald Giant’s hands locked with that of Spike’s claws, both trying to overpower the other. The orange earth pony could feel the draining effects of the Avarice light, seeing some of the green light seeping into Spikes arms as he grinned evilly at her. Applejack pivoted on her right foot and used the momentum to toss Spike into the air. His hulking form spiraled for a bit before he stopped himself and glared down at the construct.
“The Emerald Giant again? Really Ion, I thought you and your hossst would be more creative than that!” Ophidian mocked.
Applejack dismissed her giant construct and smirked underneath her face mask. “Who said Ah ain’t creative?!”
Spike felt a surge of Willpower light behind him, watching as three flashes of emerald light went off behind him. The light took shape and form, turning into constructs of varying size. Spike’s eyes widened at the sight of them, they each looked like him, but in various forms. The one on his left was a bulky beast, with large forearms that were riddled with sharp spikes, a squared jaw, and powerful muscles. The one on the right was a more regal, standing on all fours, with a broad chest, well sculpted muscles, a fierce visage, and large membrane wings. The center one was bipedal, slender, but with well-toned muscles, his wings were spread out, and his fists were clenched tight. Spike didn’t know what to say as he saw his counterparts, but he didn’t have time to say anything as the bulky construct raised its large forearms and brought them down on either side of Spike’s collar bone.
The impact made Spike let out a painful roar and sent him crash landing into the streets below, demolishing many of the structures nearby. The regal construct opened its maw and unleashed a blazing inferno of emerald flames that poured over the crater Spike created. Spike pushed against the powerful torrent, gritting his sharp teeth as he tried to absorb the green light of Willpower. But in the blink of an eye, the fighter construct appeared in front of Spike. Emerald light gathered to its right fist as the construct thrust forward, connecting with its fist with Spike’s armored chest and throwing him back at least thirty feet. Spike dug his claws into the ground, tearing up the street as he did so to bring himself to a stop.
“Ferget somepony?!”
Spike turned around and watched as Applejack gathered the green light of Willpower overhead. Applejack then brought down the sphere of energy on Spike, exploding as soon as it struck him. The earth pony mare floated in the air, watching to make sure she didn’t overdo it. A powerful roar erupted from the dust cloud, Spike’s dragon Avarice construct appeared and began fighting with the regal construct. Spike then let loose a torrent of plasma fire at the bulky construct, hitting it right in the chest and making it topple to the ground. The Diamond Dog constructs rose up and started heading in Applejack’s direction. The fighter construct moved swiftly to the possessed dragon but Spike quickly caught it by the throat, applying pressure and making the construct squirm under his power.
“No matter how powerful you and Ion are, you are still able to be affected by my light!”
“The same holds true for you Ophidian.”
All of a sudden the fighter constructs’ aura roared and its eyes glowed with blue light. The bulky construct rose back to its feet, and the regal construct made quick work of the Avarice construct dragon. The fighter construct wrenched himself free from Spike’s grip, and struck him in the jaw with an uppercut, and followed with a kick to the chest, sending him into a building. Sparrows made of blue light flew from behind Applejack and towards the Diamond Dog constructs. The birds continued to speed towards them, glowing brighter as they got closer. The moment the birds got into range they exploded, destroying the Diamond Dog Avarice constructs. Applejack looked behind her and saw Scootaloo flying up beside her.
“Thanks for the save Scootaloo,” said Applejack.
“No problem Applejack,” Scootaloo then turned her attention Spike, “Can you hold him steady, I might be able to our power to bring him back!”
Applejack nodded and willed her three constructs to converge on Spike. The bulky construct wrapped his powerful arms around Spike, keeping him pinned to his chest. Scootaloo flew towards her surrogate big brother. The possessed dragon roared and writhed under the strong grip of the empowered construct; Spike saw Scootaloo coming and released an orange plasma fire blast at her. Scootaloo, didn’t stop, she merely created a spherical shield to protect herself from the attack. The pegasus filly got closer and closer, despite the raging inferno, she floated right before Spike’s face. The possessed dragon growled angrily at the filly, baring his fangs.
“LET ME GO!!!”
“No Spike, this isn’t you. You’re head’s messed up because that Ophidian Entity inside you. Please listen to me, come back to us.”
“NO, I WANT WHAT’S MINE, YOU TOOK MY MARES! I WANT THEM BACK, AND I WANT YOUR LIGHT!!! GIVE ME YOUR LIGHT!!!”
Scootaloo eyes grew determined as she spread her wings and her aura expanded. “You want my light? Fine, here it is! The light of Hope!”
At that moment Scootaloo’s body shined, lighting up the whole area. Her eyes were filled with sparkling blue light as she reached out with her hoof. The symbol of Hope appeared in Spike’s eyes and his thrashing ceased.
“It isn’t too late Spike; everypony believes that you’re still in there. Even Rarity still believes in you, and Apple Bloom never lost hope. Just let go of that power…you can do it, I believe in you big brother.”
Spike’s eyes softened at hearing those last words. “BIG…BROTHER…? YOU…You called me your big brother…”
Spike’s aura raged into an inferno, rising up and taking the form of Ophidian himself. The Entity of Avarice’s face was contorted in pure rage. The construct that was holding Spike could not withstand the pure power of Avarice that was Ophidian and shattered apart.
“I will not be thrown from this host! I have found a true being of Avarice and I will not be separated from what is MINE!”
The sheer power and force of Ophidian’s outburst pushed Scootaloo away, making Applejack create a pillow construct to catch the filly before she hit the ground or castle.
“Don’t worry sugarcube, ya almost got through to him,” said Applejack.
“We’ll have to weaken Spike physically if we want to have a chance of exorcising Ophidian from Spike,” said Ion.
“It’ll be hard; Ophidian is not one to give up a host easily.”
“That doesn’t mean we can give up, we will get Spike back, and defeat that overgrown orange snake!” Scootaloo proclaimed.
Scootaloo flew towards Spike; ten dozen sparrow constructs appeared around her as she had them fly at the armored dragon. The shadow of Ophidian retracted back into Spike and flew at Scootaloo, summoning his own constructs to match her own. As hard as this was, Scootaloo knew it had be done, to save Spike and to stop the Negative Entities, she had the faith, and she was going to see this through.
During all this mayhem, the group of ponies waited and watched. Rainbow Dash and Luna were especially anxious, they were both not the kind of ponies to just stand by and let others do the fighting for them. Discord on the other hand had decided to take the initiative and pop into the castle in search of the Elements of Harmony. Not three minutes later, the draconequus reappeared, holding within his paw and claw the very objects that imprisoned him for a thousand years. For a moment Discord considered maybe plunging the items into a black hole, or hide them away so that none of these ponies could try that again.
An explosion drew his attention. Turning around he saw Fluttershy and Chrysalis battle. The timid mare was doing her best to confuse and disorient Chrysalis, teleporting instantly all over the place and launching one attack after the other. Seeing the pegasus mare fight so valiantly for everyone, even him, it made Discord feel…bad. With a sigh Discord presented the Elements to Twilight.
“Here you are, six Elements of Harmony as requested.”
“Thank you Discord, although they won’t do us much good without all of us together, it’s better than not having them,” said Twilight.
Rainbow Dash growled loudly as she watched Scootaloo fight Spike. “Twilight are you sure we can’t use them to fight back or something?! Scoots and AJ are fighting alone against Spike! And Fluttershy is up against Chrysalis – Chrysalis!”
“You must be patient Rainbow Dash, have faith in our friends that they will stop them,” said Celestia.
“Does anypony else feel that?” asked Luna.
Everyone stopped moving and talking, now listening intently. There was a deep rumbling emanating from deep below. The ground beneath their hooves began to shake violently and only got worse as the seconds ticked by. Before any of them could get to safety, the ground exploded, sending everyone flying in different directions. Apple Bloom was flailing in midair and on a collision course with a street lamp. Thankfully, Luna rushed towards the apple filly and held her close to her body. Luna then used Midnight Crescent to cut the pole down so that their landing was unobscured. Rarity and Pinkie were about to smash into a building, but Pinkie quickly reached into her mane and tossed an object at the incoming wall. The object struck the wall and burst open into a raft. Both mares landed, somewhat, softly within the rubber raft, cushioning their impact. Rarity then looked to Pinkie confused, grateful, but confused.
“Why in Equestria did you have a raft in your mane darling?”
“Well duh, I always keep a raft somewhere close, in case of raft emergencies,” said Pinkie Pie as if that was the most obvious question in the world.
Celestia and Rainbow Dash were in the air, but quickly corrected themselves. Twilight was blown further away, she groaned as she raised her head to see just what sent them all flying in different directions. The spot where they were all standing was riddled with violet star sapphire crystals and a little acidic blood. Twilight looked up and saw Cadance and Nightmare dueling in the skies above. The Princess of Magic watched as Cadance grabbed Nightmare by the throat and threw her to the ground like a rag doll, striking the ground with tremendous force. The pink alicorn mare was about to attack again when Chrysalis fired a beam of yellow light, sending Cadance into one of the castle towers.
Twilight looked back down the street where Nightmare Butcher had landed. The dark alicorn mare was already starting to recover from the attack, shaking off the debris of the crater. It was then that her bloodthirsty eyes locked onto Twilight and her anger shifted to the young alicorn.
“Twilight Sparkle…How I’ve waited to kill you! Without you, I would’ve still had my eternal night, and I wouldn’t have been condemned to being a mere shadow within the body of a weak, scared mare!”
Nightmare’s horn glowed blood red with her dark magic and red light of Rage. Twilight was about to create a shield to protect herself, but suddenly felt a sharp pain within her right wing, when she looked, Twilight saw that the wing was bent at an awkward angle. Twilight didn’t feel it a first because of the adrenalin, but now that she saw it, she was becoming aware of the pain shooting through her wing and into her back, making her concentration falter.
Twilight then heard a discharge of magical energy; she quickly looked up and watched as the beam of red light sailed towards her. Time slowed in that moment, her mind becoming acutely aware of the details around her. The smell of burning rubble, the thunderous sounds of explosions, the sweat dripping from her brow, the pain within her, and the rush of cyan that somehow filled her vision…
Wait cyan?!
The alicorn mare snapped out of her stupor as the painful cry of Rainbow Dash ran in her ears. The beam shot straight through the pegasus mare’s torso, exiting out her back and farther into the distance. When the beam stopped, Rainbow Dash stood on her hind legs, forelegs and wings spread out in a protective fashion. Twilight’s eyes widened with horror at the sight of the gaping wound on her marefriend’s back, she could barely speak as the tears began to flow from her eyes. Rainbow Dash seemed to have lost all control of her limps and began to fall towards Twilight.
Twilight quickly used her telekinesis to grab Rainbow Dash and ease her down in front of her. Rainbow Dash coughed up a little blood as she stared up at her marefriend, smiling her usual cocky smile.
“You okay…Twi?”
“Rainbow Dash, that was so – so stupid! Why did you do that?!”
“You mean, why did I save my marefriend…? ‘Cause I love you Twi, what other reason do I need…?”
Twilight took Rainbow’s hoof into her own, squeezing it as she trembled. “I could’ve teleported away! I could’ve blocked that attack! You didn’t…You didn’t…” Twilight shook her head, trying to focus her thoughts. “I’m going to heal, I know some healing spells!” Rainbow Dash coughed a few times before speaking again. “Twi…you and I both know that your magic doesn’t work too well on this light stuff…I’m fine…I got to be who I really am, and share part of my life with somepony I called my best friend and then marefriend…”
Twilight shook her head slowly. “No…I don’t want to lose you…!”
Twilight looked around, Scootaloo and Applejack were busying fighting Spike, but they continued to try and to make to them. Fluttershy was too, but Chrysalis was making it nearly impossible to do so. The only ones who could help Rainbow Dash were being prevented from getting to her, and Twilight was utterly powerless to save the first pony whom she loved honestly.
It’s not fair…none of this is! Why do you have to die?! Why should those who wish to be happy have to be forced into battle and strife?! They all deserve to live their lives! Adara and Scootaloo, Applejack and Ion, Proselyte and Fluttershy, Cadance and Predator, Rarity, Pinkie, Celestia, Luna, Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and even bucking Discord!
Twilight looked towards Nightmare Butcher who grinned evilly back at her.
“You have no respect for life Nightmare! I won’t let you take away another loved one! I won’t let you extinguish another life!”
Just then a pillar of white light rose from beneath Twilight causing her to gasp from the sudden rush of power. The fighting stopped immediately as the possessed hosts and the united hosts, along with the Twilight’s friends, all looked upon the pillar in awe. But to the Entities that dwelled within their hosts, this was no ordinary light, this white light was familiar.
Within the column of light Twilight’s head swiveled about. This light wasn’t threatening, but it was powerful, yet familiar, as if Twilight had always known it. Twilight looked back down to Rainbow Dash and gasped happily when she saw the white light begin to heal the wound on the pegasus mare’s chest, as well as her broken wing.
“She will live, Twilight Sparkle…”
Twilight recognized that voice. She looked up and stared with wide eyes as the Entity of Life floated before her. His large feathered wings fanned out, encircling them. A kind smile was upon his face as he looked at the two mares, but his eyes seemed to be focused directly at Twilight.
“Great Life Entity…what…how are you here?” asked Twilight.
“I am not entirely here, Twilight Sparkle, you are seeing a projection of myself. I have sensed your willingness to protect life, and your love for it as well. It is time I granted you a gift, something to bring order and balance to the warring lights.”
The Life Entity brought his hand before Twilight; he then opened it and revealed a white ring, one that bared the same symbol on his chest.
“With this, you will be able to channel the power of my light. With it, you will do wonders Twilight Sparkle. Will you accept it?”
Twilight looked from the ring, to Rainbow Dash, and then to the Life Entity. There was no sign, verbal or nonverbal, that he was ordering her to do it. This was a sincere and honest question. Twilight didn’t take long to answer.
“If it will help me to protect my friends and loved ones, then I accept this power!”
“Then…Twilight Sparkle of Equus…”
The ring rose from the Life Entity’s hand and flew to Twilight, slipping over horn. The power of life flowed through the alicorn mare, her eyes lighting up with the same white light that surrounded them.
The pillar of light continued to shine forth, its power resonating with every living thing that lived and breathed on this world. The three Princesses knew of this light, having once before stood in its radiant presence, but for others, they were trying to grasp the magnitude of this awesome power. When the pillar finally disappeared, what was left in its wake was surprising to see. Twilight was donned in royal regalia, but it was platinum white, with bracers and greaves that only came up to cover half her forelegs and hind legs. A gleaming chest plate that was emblazoned with the symbol of Life, and a tiara that wrapped around the base of her horn and around her head. The ring that was gifted to her by the Life Entity shined upon her horn, making it glow with a combination of magic and white light.
Rainbow Dash stirred from her momentary state of unconsciousness, her eyes opening wide at the sight of her marefriend. “Twilight…? What the…What the heck happened?!”
“Short version, we have chance of winning now.”
Through Chrysalis’ eyes Parallax looked upon the new wielder of the white light of Life, utterly flabbergasted at the sight. “A WHITE LANTERN?!! THIS ISN’T POSSIBLE!!!”
“Would you calm down Parallax?! So what if Twilight Sparkle got a silly ring, it’s nothing compared your power,” said Chrysalis.
“You have no idea how powerful that light is! It is the origin, the beginning of all life in the universe! It is the very light from which I and the other Entities were born from!”
At hearing this, Chrysalis, and even Nightmare, felt a pit form in their stomachs at the revelation.
“Although…We may have a chance. The mare doesss not know how to wield that light, and it isss only a ring, not the Life Entity himself. If we attack, we may be able to wrench that ring from her!”
Without even giving it a second thought, the hosts of the Negative Entities were thrust into battle, all three of them flying towards Twilight Sparkle and Rainbow Dash. The cyan pegasus took a fighting stance, fully prepared to protect her love a second time, but Twilight extended a wing that made Rainbow look at Twilight in confusion.
“This is my fight, as a Princess of Equestria, and a wielder of Life’s light! No more innocent lives will die today!”
LIFE… Suddenly, a giant wall of white light shot up in front of Rainbow and Twilight. Spike let loose his plasma dragon fire, Chrysalis unleashed a powerful yellow light blast from her horn, and Nightmare Butcher spewed a torrent of acidic blood. The three attacks struck the wall of light, but the wall showed no signs of strain, in fact, the three attacks weren’t doing any damage to the wall at all. The wall then fell down and three symbols of Life appeared in its stead. The three symbols fired powerful beams of white light at all three of the possessed hosts, smashing against them with great force.
The three were sent flying in different directions, smashing into one building after another, even into the mountain itself. With this lapse in the battle, the four hosts of the Positive Entities flew towards Twilight, gathering in a circle around her and Rainbow.
“Twi…What in Equestria is this?!” asked Applejack.
“Something we needed,” answered Twilight.
Cadance eyed Twilight, scanning her regalia uniform and smirking the whole time. “Huh, you pull off that platinum white armor look little Ladybug. Quite heroic.”
“And attractive, speaking objectively.”
Twilight blushed from the compliment Cadance gave her, as well as the awkward one that Predator said as well. It was uncanny for Twilight, whereas before she could only hear the Entities voices, she could now see them. They were like shadows hovering nearby their hosts; this was a sight only those harboring an Entity and wielding the white light could see. Her attention turned to Proselyte, who seemed to be in deep thought at the moment.
“Proselyte, what’s wrong?” asked Twilight.
“This bodes well for us, in fact, this is exactly what we need,” said Proselyte.
“Do you have something in mind brother?” asked Adara.
“Indeed, Fluttershy and I will exorcise them from their hosts.”
“What?!” Fluttershy squeaked.
“Hold on, I saw you try and do that with Spike back in Ponyville, it didn’t go so well,” said Rainbow Dash.
“Yes, but now that we have the white light of Life, Fluttershy and I can channel that power, and use it to remove Ophidian and the others by overpowering their essence, and allowing the original life force of the host to take control again.”
“This could work.”
“It will work!”
“Then what’re we waiting for, let’s do it!” Scootaloo shouted.
The possessed hosts awoke from their earlier bashing and started to regain their senses. The five wielders of the Positive Lights quickly entered fighting stances, ready to enact their plan. Twilight’s eyes locked onto Spike, Fluttershy followed her gaze and knew exactly who was first on their list.
“Everypony, keep Chrysalis and Nightmare busy, Fluttershy and I will release Spike first.
“GOT IT!” “GOTIT!”
Scootaloo moved like a bullet, zipping around Spike and creating blue construct chains in her wake. She quickly wrapped the chains around his limbs, even encircling his torso, and his muzzle as well, preventing him from venting more of his Avarice fueled dragon fire. Applejack assisted by creating pegs that secured the chains to the ground, the combined powers of Will and Hope empowered each other, helping to secure Spike where he was.
“He’s all yours Twi, Shy!”
“Now get that thing out of him, we’ll deal with the others!”
Fluttershy was the first to appear before Spike, the giant dragon thrashed back and forth, trying to get himself free from the binding chains, but Avarice had no effect on Hope, and the bolstering power of Will only made the chains that much stronger. Twilight flew beside Fluttershy, she watched as the pegasus mare drew upon the power of Proselyte, at that moment the symbol of Life appeared over Fluttershy’s head, her eyes turning white as snow. The tips of her eight tentacles glowed white and quickly launched them at Spike.
All eight struck right at his chest, piercing the barrier between the physical and spiritual realms. Ripple like distortions appeared around the tentacles entry, showing that this did not pierce flesh but were instead diving into his soul. Fluttershy felt the familiar presence of Ophidian and quickly latched onto the Tempter. The Entity of Avarice fought hard to stay in his host, like a stubborn leech. Spike’s aura flared up, Ophidian’s desperation to stay ignited his greed instincts, making him fight back even harder to keep what was his.
“He’s…strong…I don’t know…if we can extract him!” Fluttershy grunted.
Twilight looked upon the beast that was once her ward and surrogate little brother and child at the same time. It pained her to see this once happy, gentle, and often times overzealous drake roar and thrash about savagely to hang onto a power that corrupts all who wield it. Twilight loved Spike, she wished she had said it to him more now, but she did, he was family, and just like with Rainbow Dash, she wouldn’t lose another.
Love…Life…
Twilight’s body blazed with a powerful white aura, her horn now glowing with the violet light of Love. She let this light guide her, trusting in her feelings to bring about a positive outcome. Twilight floated till she was hovering in front of Spike’s face. Spike glared at her with burning orange eyes as he tried to free his mouth to either burn her or eat her alive. Twilight continued to float closer to him, despite all the angry growls and bloodthirsty look in his eyes.
“Spike…I love you, we all love you! Just let go of Ophidian, his power isn’t want you need. Greed is not all that you are Spike…”
Within the dragon’s eyes the symbol of Love appeared, like before, his thrashing ceased as the light filled the emptiness within his heart. Ophidian was aware of the presence of the light of Love, and tried his best to get Spike back to his side.
“NO SPIKE! LOVE IS FALSE; IT IS WEAK AND EASILY DESTROYED! AVARICE LASTS, SO LONG AS THERE ARE THINGS IN THIS WORLD TO WANT, YOU WILL NEVER HAVE NOTHING, YOU’LL HAVE IT ALL! THE WORLD CAN BE YOURS SPIKE!”
“Don’t listen to him Spike; you have to make the choice!”
The warring voices were making Spike’s head throb with pain, he wanted this violet light to fill the emptiness within him, but at the same time the hunger of the orange light was so alluring, promising more and more. It wasn’t until his mind flashed back to the faces of Rarity, Apple Bloom, and Scootaloo; they pleaded, and fought to bring him back to his senses, despite his avid want of everything.
Hope… Suddenly, Twilight’s horn glowed with the blue light of Hope, the two emotion driven lights combined with that of that of the white light of Life. At that moment, Ophidian’s head started to get dragged out from Spike’s chest, the serpent hissed and roared at the two ponies who were wrenching him free of his prized host. More and more of Ophidian’s body was pulled out of Spike. Fluttershy poured everything she had into this last tug, her tentacles surging with Compassion and Life’s light all at once. The combined powers made Ophidian writhe in pain, making him lose his concentration and grip on his host, his body flung out completely, now being held aloft by the eight tentacles of Fluttershy and Proselyte.
Spike’s body reverted almost immediately. His armor falling apart like fragile glass, his feral appearance tapering back to that of his more fully-grown form, and his angry vermillion coloring went back to his original purple and green scales. Soon even that was changing, his body was becoming smaller and smaller with each passing second, the blue and green construct chains loosened and eventually turned into particles of light. In a matter of seconds Spike was back to his original form, lying splayed on the ground in exhaustion from his ordeal.
Twilight looked up angrily at the Entity of Avarice, who still thrashed in Fluttershy’s grip. Twilight used the power of Hope, Love, and Life, combining the three lights into a sphere and then hurling it at Ophidian. When the sphere struck, it did not explode, but merely enveloped Ophidian, trapping him within. Fluttershy retracted her tentacles, smiling happily that they were able to save Spike.
“Now let’s deal with the others!”
Scootaloo and Cadance were double teaming Nightmare Butcher, Love and Hope battling fiercely against Rage.
Nightmare Butcher raised her deadly ax and brought it down on the pegasus filly. But Scootaloo countered by summoning a blue construct sword, which oddly enough resembled the one she used to defeat her personal nightmare. Scootaloo smiled at the irony of this, which only made Nightmare growl from the smug look on her face.
“I killed that filly, and I’ll you too! Entity or no, I will tear your wings off and your head soon after!” Nightmare roared.
“Not happening! I’m not scared of you, if anything, you’re scared of me!” Scootaloo retorted.
“I FEAR NOTHING!!!”
Nightmare and Scootaloo clashed with their blades, shockwaves and sparks of red and blue light went off in the sky in rapid succession. The came down for an overhead blow, but Scootaloo swiftly dodged that attack with an aerial pirouette. She then rushed forward and slashed with her sword, catching Nightmare in one of the exposed areas of her armor, making the black alicorn hiss and growl with pain from the opposing light. The pegasus filly darted around Nightmare Butcher, slashing at her armor and exposed areas with great speed and swiftness that it was almost dizzying.
Finally, Nightmare had had enough. She swung her ax, aiming with the flat of it, and caught Scootaloo upside her head as she was passing by. The sudden impact made pain jolt through Scootaloo’s head, making her lose the sword and nearly rendered her unconscious, but that was all the time Nightmare needed. The red armored alicorn used her telekinetic power to focus her grip on Scootaloo’s throat, applying pressure as to almost crush her neck, but thankfully the protective aura kept that from happening, but the added Rage light wasn’t going to make that last for long.
“GET AWAY FROM MY NIECE YOU WITCH!!!”
Nightmare suddenly felt a powerfully hard punch strike the right side of her face, sending her shooting right for the street down below. Scootaloo, now able to take in air, saw that it was Cadance who had come to her rescue. The pink alicorn mare then fanned out her wings and pointed them in Nightmare’s direction. The crystalline wings then fired a barrage of star sapphire shards, each one imbued with the violet light of Love. The shards whistled as they cut through the air and struck the landing spot where Nightmare was, making multiple explosions go off one after the other.
Cadance ceased her attack for a moment and looked in Scootaloo’s direction. “Are you okay Scootaloo?”
“Y-Yeah, I am. Did…Did you just call me your ‘niece’?”
“Of course I did, you’re a part of my little Ladybug’s family. So that means you and I are aunt and niece now, and you can always count on me to help you out. That goes for you too Adara,” Cadance added with a warm and loving smile.
Scootaloo’s cheeks turned red from hearing that, she almost cried, realizing just how much these ponies who took her in really cared about her. From within, she could feel Adara’s reassurance and comfort.
“YOU’RE GOING TO PAY FOR THAT YOU MISERABLE WHORSE!!!” Nightmare yelled.
The pegasus filly’s eyes narrowed in anger. She then positioned herself in front of Cadance and spread her four large wings. At the center of each one a glowing sphere of blue light formed, Scootaloo then gave a mighty flap of her wings and the four orbs combined, transforming into a tornado of blue light that roared towards Nightmare Butcher. The dark alicorn had no time to dodge as the twister of light struck her and blasted her up the mountainside.
“DON’T YOU DARE CALL MY AUNT THAT – EVER!!!”
“She’s so cute when she’s being defending your honor.”
“Down Predator.”
“I agree she is.”
Applejack and Chrysalis were locked in a battle of opposites, Will and Fear clashing with such ferocity that it lit up the sky. Beams of green light would collide with beams of yellow light, constructs of frightful creatures would do battle with constructs of heroic figures.
Applejack swung her mace construct at Chrysalis, but the equine insectoid quickly brought up her shield. The impact made Chrysalis wince in pain, thinking that her forearm was going to snap. But she recovered quickly and struck back with a claw construct that was five times the size of her own hand. Applejack saw this and raised her right hoof, concentrating the light of Willpower and forming it into a large drill.
The drill spun rapidly as AJ launched herself at the claw. The tip of the drill struck the flat of the opposing construct’s palm, and after a few short seconds of resistance, the drill pierced the hand, shattering the construct to pieces. Chrysalis decided to match her, creating a more jagged drill to AJ’s smoother one. Cocking back her left arm, Chrysalis thrust forward at the same time as Applejack. The two drills struck with a thunderous boom and screeched as the two opposing forces pushed against each other.
“You can’t win this; Fear is the enemy of Will! It weakens and shatters it! Your fears are as plain to me as the sun is in the sky! I see it all, your fear of losing your precious farm, your family slipping into poverty and living on the streets, the shame of not being able to live up and be the mare you think you should be! And…hello, what is this?”
“THAT’S ENOUGH!!!” AJ’s drill grew ten times larger, dwarfing Chrysalis’ drill. The earth pony mare willed her aura to roar like an inferno, propelling her and the drill, forcing Chrysalis back with every passing second. “Yeah, Ah got fears; there ain’t a pony alive who isn’t afraid of somethin’! But that doesn’t mean Ah let my fears rule and control me!” Chrysalis’ drill shattered apart, and at the same time AJ’s did as well. “You went from a race that fed on love to one that feeds off fear, what’s wrong with you?! How could ya do this to yer own kind?!”
Chrysalis summoned another drill and so did Applejack, the two mares clashed in the air as their weapons spun out and smashed into each other, but AJ’s didn’t shatter like Chrysalis’. With almost every impact, the Changeling Queen’s constructs were breaking apart. “Usin’ the power of Fear to get what ya want is the coward’s way out, Chrysalis! Even now Ah can see, ya’ll are scared, ‘cause you know, you know yer gonna lose this fight!”
“WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT ME?!!” Chrysalis’ constructs glowed brighter and shattered Applejack’s, prompting her to create another to counterattack. “I did what I had to, for my race, for all my changelings! We can no longer hide in the shadows and be doomed to die a miserable death in some hole in the ground! I wouldn’t allow that, I am the Queen; my duty is to my subjects! That means I will do whatever is necessary to ensure their survival! Even if that means becoming a monster, even if that means I must terrorize every living thing on this planet and syphon their fear until they are withered husks then SO BE IT!!!”
Chrysalis’ body blazed with the yellow light of Fear, throwing Applejack back a few feet. She stopped herself and gazed upon what was happening to the Changeling Queen. Her body expanded, the six hooves changing to pointed tips like an insect, her arms elongated and her claws sharpened. Chrysalis’ neck stretched till it was fifty feet long, and her eyes became pools of yellow energy, even her sharp teeth became more menacing than before, in essence, Chrysalis became a true monster of fear.
“Kckt, now Chrysalis, you have become a true being worthy of my power! Let Fear drive you to heights of power and ability that you never knew were possible!”
“Parallax, you twisted son of a – Does your madness know no end!” Ion shouted.
“‘Madness’ he says, this is not madness! This is enlightenment!”
“No, this is fear, pure and simple,” said Fluttershy.
Before Chrysalis could react, Fluttershy had teleported herself behind the Changeling Queen and took hold of her. Five of the tentacles wrapped around Chrysalis, keeping her held still while the remaining two readied themselves to remove the fear parasite known as Parallax.
“You will not take this power away from me! I need it to save them, to protect my changelings!”
“No…you’re harming them Chrissy.” A familiar voice echoed in Chrysalis head, snapping her to attention, before her stood her long since passed older sister, Lilianna, her body made of indigo light.
Compassion… “What…What do you mean I’m harming them?!” asked Chrysalis.
Love…
Another version of Lilianna appeared, this time her body was constructed of violet-pink light. “You’ve turned your back on everything that we once were. Love was the one thing that still linked us to what were before we became this…But now…now you rely on fear and our people cannot bear this poison.”
Chrysalis shook her head back and forth vehemently. “What would you have me do?! I’m not like you! I never was! I had to become a leader once you died! I had to, or else our race would’ve perished then and there! I did this to save them!”
Willpower… A third Lilianna appeared, made of green light and leveling a stern gaze at the Changeling Queen. “No, you took the easy way out, and there is always a better way. You chose fear over love, and it is slowly turning you and rest of our race into the monsters the world believes us to be! Instead of mustering the courage to stand and fight, or even to find peace, you damned our race to be forever seen as true monsters!”
Chrysalis began to feel shame; the fury that was building inside her was slowly being replaced with sadness and regret. Needless to say, this was making Parallax’s hold on the Queen that much weaker.
“I don’t know what to do anymore…You were always the one I looked to for strength and comfort…I miss you big sister…I miss you so much that it hurts…” Chrysalis’ eyes returned to their normal state, but now she was weeping, unable to hide how vulnerable she felt and how scared she was.
Hope…
The fourth Lilianna, made of blue light, floated gently towards Chrysalis and pressed her forehead to her own, their horns crossing as they did. “Chrissy, I’m always beside you, even if you can’t see me. It’s okay to feel scared sometimes, but you aren’t alone…you kept hope alive, believing in my words. It’s not too late for you, or our race.”
“NO! NONONONONONONONO!!!!”
“It’s time to end the war between Fear and Compassion,” said Fluttershy.
“NOK!”
The tentacles zoomed into Chrysalis, latching onto Parallax and pulling him out from the depths of her soul. Chrysalis felt the painful extract, which confused Fluttershy and Twilight sense it didn’t seem to hurt Spike, make him angry, but they sensed no pain. When Parallax was fully exorcised, the Changeling Queen’s body began to crack, fissures ran all along her body, spider webbing like a window about to shatter. At that moment, her body broke apart, the remains falling away like a shed carapace, revealing the original form of Queen Chrysalis.
Twilight caught the unconscious Queen within a bubble made of white light, floating her down to the ground. Afterwards, she changed the bubble into a cage, imprisoning the villainess until the battle was over. She then looked to Parallax and fired a sphere made of the five positive lights, trapping Parallax like she did Ophidian.
Nightmare Butcher was panting and sweating, her mouth dripping with blood as the droplets hit the ground, sizzling from the acidity. She looked to her left, and Cadance was there, crystal claws bared and ready for the attack. To her right was Scootaloo, floating in the air as her four luminescent wings flapped lightly, and a blue sword construct held between her hooves. Nightmare was too lost in her rage and anger to notice the sounds of battle and destruction had lessened considerably in past few minutes. Just then, Fluttershy, Applejack, and Twilight appeared between Cadance and Scootaloo, five against one, the odds were officially not in her favor.
“And then there was one,” spoke Predator.
“This war ends – NOW!” Applejack shouted.
Nightmare Butcher growled furiously at the five assembled wielders of light. “I don’t care, I will kill you all! I don’t need those two, I began my fight alone, and I’ll end it the same way! With the Butcher’s power I am invincible!”
“Strange that we haven’t heard a word from him during this entire ordeal,” said Proselyte.
“Truly, I would expect him to start saying something to the degree of us being weaker than him, or how unskilled we are in combat.” Adara commented.
“Not like him to be this quiet, period.”
After hearing the discussion amongst the Entities, Twilight decided to find out exactly why. Using the white light, she connected to the Entity of Rage that dwelled within Nightmare. She sensed something wrong with the red bull, he was struggling, his mind caught in a haze of some sort. But she also sensed that the Butcher was healing, slowly due to his rampant need for battle, but healing all the same.
Could it be that he hasn’t been in control since the beginning? That he’s been running on pure instinct, thought Twilight.
The alicorn mare strode away from the group as her horn lit with the light from the ring. Nightmare readied her ax and was prepared to strike down Twilight Sparkle once and for all.
“Butcher, Entity of Rage, now… AWAKEN!”
A dual beam of white and red fired from Twilight’s horn and struck Nightmare in the chest, but the attack did not explode nor did it cause her any physical damage. She frantically looked over her chest plate, not seeing a dent or a hole where the beam had pierced.
“What was that supposed to be, huh Sparkle?!”
“RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRGH!!!!!”
The familiar roar of the Butcher echoed in and through Nightmare’s very soul. Soon the shadow of the Entity of Rage came into view for all to see, the crimson beast snorted and shook his head back forth as if clearing something from his mind. The beast looked around, his eyes falling upon the shadows of the Positive Entities, and then to their hosts.
“Heh-ha, so you all finally decided to challenge me! Good, I’ve been itching for a fight and –!” Butcher stopped when his tunnel vision finally expanded, allowing him to take in the sight of the ruined city of Canterlot. “Where the hell am I? This isn’t Stalliongrad, or that frozen wasteland! How did I get here?!”
Twilight looked upon the Butcher with confusion. “You mean…You haven’t been aware of anything that has happened in these past few days?”
Butcher snorted irritatingly. “No, I do not! That’s why I’m asking! And will one of you tell me why I’m talking to a pony wearing a White Lantern getup?!”
The Positive Entities, the two contained Negative Entities, and the hosts couldn’t believe what they were hearing. The Butcher had not been aware of anything that has been happening since he was trapped in the glacier, now that the Positives thought it over Nightmare had too good control over the Entity of Rage’s powers. Butcher was not known to be fully cooperative with his hosts, either taking them over completely or the host himself or exerting their dominant will over Butcher to take control.
“BUTCHER!” Nightmare called.
The Entity of Rage slowly turned to the dark alicorn mare, noticing that she was wearing his colors, and was glowing with Rage energy, his Rage energy.
“And who the hell are you?!”
“I am Nightmare Moon, the one who freed you from the glacier! I need your power Butcher, fight with me and we can be rid of these fools once and for all!” Nightmare then glared at her enemies. “They would have you imprisoned and destroyed; they don’t know you like I do! Together, we will rule Equus with an iron hoof and banner of blood!”
The Butcher let out a dejected snort, his eyes scanned over her form, judging, criticizing, scrutinizing every inch of her, but it wasn’t just the outside, he peered deeper into his host, and looked directly at the core of this dark creature.
“No…!”
Nightmare’s eyes went wide with shock. “W-What do you mean ‘no’?!”
“You have no real strength, all you are is just a an empty shell, a shadow destined to fade into nothingness! I do not fight for one who isn’t even a real existence!”
“No…No you will obey me! I am your host! And I demand –!”
Suddenly a red flash of light blinded everyone in sight, the light gathered till it became a large, powerful crimson bull, the Entity of Rage. The giant beast was now outside of Nightmare, standing before everyone in his true form. Butcher then turned to Nightmare Moon behind him, looking down at the pathetic sight she had become. The alicorn mare was no longer in full armor, the fearsome look she once had was gone completely. Nightmare Moon was bare, her black coat the only clothing upon her. Her starry, ethereal mane had lost its luster, changing into stringy hair.
“No one commands the Butcher, and I will not be the one to hold you up, worthless shadow!”
Butcher inhaled deeply and released his blood-fire breath at Nightmare Moon, engulfing the dark alicorn and utterly destroying her, not even a scream was heard as the ground bubbled and sizzled, turning into molten sludge. Butcher grunted, not at all sorry to end Nightmare Moon’s life, or what little would be left without Luna at her core. The Butcher then turned to the group of his fellow Entities and one White Lantern. Twilight boldly stepped forward, staring the red beast in the eyes.
“Now what, Butcher? What will you do now?” asked Twilight.
Butcher looked to Twilight and then to the four united hosts behind her. His eyes traveled further up to Parallax and Ophidian, who were thrashing about in their spheres. The Entity of Rage scanned the area as well, at the devastation that was caused by a fight he wasn’t even conscious for. He contemplated restarting the fight, seeing as how he didn’t get the chance to truly enjoy the fight, but when his eyes landed on the group of ponies in the distance, more specifically, to the two filly foals who were cowering under the protective older mares, he paused. Butcher snorted once more and looked directly at Twilight.
“Nothing, nothing happens. It’s over.”
“Butcher you traitor! Fight them; it’s what you’re good at!”Parallax yelled.
“You brainlesss brute get in there and tear them apart! Our plan –!”
Butcher stared up angrily at his fellow Negative Entities. “Your plan, not mine! Battle is not just charging and fighting till you collapse! It’s also knowing when to pick your fights, you idiots!” Butcher once again looked down to Twilight. “To the victor the spoils. Do it.”
Twilight, cautiously, summoned her sphere of five lights and hurled it at Butcher, capturing the Entity of Rage. It was over, it was finally over…
(Several Hours Later)
The cleanup of Canterlot was long and arduous, but thankfully using the power of the Emotional Spectrum helped in making the reconstruction and clean up go ten times faster. Scootaloo and Adara, as well as Fluttershy and Proselyte, used their lights to heal those who had been caught in the middle of their War of Light. Applejack and Ion, and Twilight used the their power to clean up debris, as well as fix buildings and streets that were torn up and damaged. Predator and Cadance used their power to find those had been lost during the fighting, and propping up places that seemed like they would buckle with their crystals.
After the battle, Cadance and Predator faced Chrysalis. They had found her writhing in pain on the within the cage Twilight had created, coughing up a yellow substance. Predator recognized this as the fear essence of Parallax. Without the Entity of Fear to filter the raw fear into sustainable energy, Chrysalis naturally love attuned body was rejecting the power she had gathered, acting as a poison that was eating her away from the inside out. Chrysalis looked up to the two mares with pleading eyes.
“M-M-My changelings…They’re going to die…Please…I beg of you…save them!”
Both mares knew that without Chrysalis, the other changelings would’ve reverted back to their original forms, and with that, they would be in the same state as Chrysalis, probably worse since she was stronger than them. A part of Cadance, a dark part, was content with letting the entire changeling race expire this day. But, in her heart, she knew this was not the way. The pink alicorn mare looked to her apprentice; Predator seemed to be of a like mind as her eyes appeared to silently ask to help her.
“Let’s go.”
“Thank you…”
“I do this because I made a promise to one who didn’t lose hope, and it is for her sake that I do this, not yours Chrysalis.”
The three of them teleported themselves back to the Crystal Empire, Cadance and Predator knew that while they were battling in Canterlot and Ponyville, that the invasion was still going on back in the Empire. Luckily, the damage appeared to be minimal to a degree. The Adamant Guard were in the middle of rounding up the sick changelings. Shining Armor was among them; beside him was the nurse drone, Murmur, who had a frightfully worried look upon her face as she went from one changeling to the next.
It didn’t take long for the ponies to notice their presence, especially when they were helping Chrysalis along. Murmur was the first to rush to them, stopping a couple of feet before the three.
“Queen Chrysalis are you alright?!” asked Murmur.
Chrysalis smiled upon hearing Murmur’s voice, but she turned her head in shame once she saw the broken horn of the nurse changeling, knowing that it was her who drove Murmur to do this to herself.
“I am unworthy of that title…and even more unworthy of your concern…”
“Then make it right Chrysalis,” said Predator. Her tone was not harsh, it was helpful, encouraging even.
“Only you can save them, Entity of Love…You can heal them by using your light –” Chrysalis coughed up more of the yellow substance, causing the Changeling Queen to take in raspy, strained gasps of air. “Hurry, please!”
Predator looked to her fellow love wielder, “Cadance, let me do this.”
The pink alicorn mare nodded, sensing the sincerity in Predator’s words. The Entity of Love maneuvered herself so that she was now standing in front of Chrysalis, looking the Queen right in the eyes.
“Chrysalis, I can provide the power your race needs to live, but it has to be you who channels it to them. This change was brought about by you, and so, it must be the Queen who makes it right. Can you do this, will you do this?”
Chrysalis looked deep into Predator’s eyes; she thought she would see the same fearsome raptor-like beast that threatened to kill her all those months ago. But now, her eyes were different, that same intensity was there, but it was put aside, allowing Chrysalis to see the sincere love that was there, whatever uniting with Cadance did for Predator, it showed, in her voice, her eyes, and her nature. The Changeling Queen looked to Murmur, who was waiting and hoping that she would make the right choice. With a heavy sigh, Chrysalis gave a determined nod.
“Good…”
With a gentle swiftness, Predator placed her lips upon Chrysalis’, kissing the Changeling Queen. Cadance, Shining Armor, some of the Crystal Ponies, and even Murmur, stared at the spectacle before them. Many had blushing faces and others looked away out of sheer awkwardness. Chrysalis’ eyes had almost bulged out of her skull at the sudden, yet soft, kiss of the pony disguised Entity of Love. There was no disgust or revulsion in Predator’s face, her eyes were closed and her horn glowing. Chrysalis now started to feel it, the warm sensation of the violet light of Love, so familiar, so gentle and contrarily strong. The Queen found herself melt into the kiss, closing her eyes as if drifting to sleep.
Suddenly Chrysalis’ horn glowed, sparked with the violet light of Love. The energy built up to a critical mass, surging through the insectoid’s body, heating her up from the inside out. The ground beneath them suddenly began to glow just as a violet colored streak of light shot from them and snaked its way to the Crystal Heart. The Crystal Heart absorbed the violet light, magnifying its power and firing it through the crystal structure of the palace. The result was an aurora of violet light, spreading out over the Crystal Empire.
For a moment, Cadance feared that the light might cause some ponies’ more amorous sides to come out. But when she attuned herself to the magical light, Cadance felt only the caring power that the violet light of Love had, caressing everything under its light with warmth and nurturing care. Many of the Crystal Ponies looked up into this light, feeling a sort of kinship with it. The changelings that were slowly dying a painful death suddenly felt fine.
A yellow vapor rose from their bodies and began to disintegrate as soon as it was exposed to the light. Many changelings let this light flow through them, basking in it, letting it rejuvenate and purify them. The changelings all moved to the source of this power, they felt that it was their Queen, but it was so drastically different from anything she had ever done before that they just had to see it with their own eyes. And no sooner did they gather to the Crystal Palace were their suspicions confirmed.
During this, Murmur looked on, blushing, but happy at seeing the healthy appearance of all her brothers and sisters. Just then, Murmur felt a strange tingling sensation coming from her broken horn. Murmur crossed her eyes to look at the broken stub and gasped when she saw that it was glowing. After a few seconds, the glow grew out, taking the shape of her missing appendage. When the light faded away, Murmur gasped upon seeing that her horn had been completely regrown, she lightly touched it, afraid that it was some sort of illusion, but when she did it was solid.
When the Changeling Queen and Entity of Love ended their kiss, so too did the light that radiated through the sky end. The skies were now their usual clear blue, and the Crystal Heart stopped spinning and floated normally between the two pillars that held it in place. Predator opened her eyes at the same time that Chrysalis did, the dark pink unicorn gave the Changeling Queen a coy smile.
“You’re not bad at kissing Chrysalis.”
Chrysalis averted her gaze, using her mane to hide her obviously blushing face. “I-I-I just got caught up in the moment! You have potent love energy after all and I feed on it, so I…indulged!” After getting over the comment, Chrysalis took a moment to look over the multitudes of changelings that were still alive, all of which looked healthier and stronger than she had ever seen them. With a smiling face, she turned to the Entity of Love. “Thank you, Predator.”
“My Queen…Look…your wings!” Murmur gasped.
“What –?”
It was now Chrysalis’ turn to gasp. When she extended her clear wings she saw that they weren’t their usual jagged and torn appearance, instead, they were large and whole. They were more akin to butterfly wings, with intricate designs, swirls and dips. The light of day made them shimmer and sparkle as if they were drizzled with morning dew, allowing them to create a prism effect, letting a rainbow-like light shine within them. But now that Chrysalis noticed this change, she looked upon herself to see if there were any others, and there were two small changes. The jagged and hole ridden forelegs of the Queen were filled, and smoothed out, and her horn was long and pointed, it actually resembled Cadance’s and Predator’s horns.
Cadance and Shining Armor couldn’t believe what they were seeing, even Predator was surprised. Chrysalis rose to her hooves, continuously inspecting her body for any more changes that she should be aware of.
“Um, Chrysalis is this some sort of transformation thing you’re doing?” asked Cadance.
“I swear I didn’t do this! I can’t have these wings…even with my powers, and the boost we just received, there’s no way I could recreate that pattern…not these wings…”
“Love will save us…” Lily is this what you meant…? Did you somehow know that this would happen…?
(The Next Day)
Now that the majority of the heavy lifting and reconstruction was done, it was only a matter of touching up a few things here and there. But there was one matter that needed to be addressed. The Positive Entities, the Element Bearers, and the Princesses all stood in the throne room of Canterlot Palace, the orbs containing the three Negative Entities floated within the room. Parallax glared at them vengefully, Ophidian looked like he wanted to devour one of them, and Butcher merely made irritated grunting noises here and there, wanting his confinement to end.
“So, time to address the elephant in the room,” said Rainbow Dash.
“Dashie, they’re not elephants, they’re Entities,” said Pinkie.
Rainbow Dash face hoofed herself and groaned, which only made Scootaloo and Adara giggle.
“No, darling, it was a figure of speech,” said Rarity.
“Oh I know, I just like seeing Dashie face hoof herself.” Rainbow Dash unconsciously face hoofed again. “Just like that!”
“Ahem, my little ponies,” said Celestia in an even tone, “We must get back to the matter at hoof.”
“Indeed,” said Luna, glaring at the three, Butcher in particular, “What exactly do we do with them?”
“Well it’s not like you can kill us! We’re beings of light, nothing can kill us!” Parallax shouted.
Ion sighed, “He, unfortunately, has a point. We cannot die, at least by any conventional means this world or otherwise. We could always send them back to where the Life Entity sent them.”
Ophidian laughed mockingly, “Good luck with that! Without knowing the exact place, you run the risssk of sending us to a dimension filled with innocent bystanders! You’d be condemning them to our powersss!”
“Again, another good point, we have no way of knowing where the Life Entity sent them, and we could potentially harm unsuspecting dwellers of whatever dimension we send them to,” said Proselyte.
“All around, it sounds like they got us stumped,” commented Applejack.
“Can’t we just leave those dreadful beasts where they are? Faust knows I have no problem with leaving those creatures where they are,” said Rarity, her gaze falling on Ophidian, to which the vermillion serpent hissed and stuck out his forked tongue. “Yes, I do believe that to be the best course of action.”
“Rarity, I know they’ve done horrible things, but it’s never right to imprison somepony without a chance to redeem themselves.” Fluttershy winced upon remembering who was in attendance with them. “Sorry Princess Celestia.”
“None taken, I assure. But the point is made.”
Several hours were spent from that point on discussing many different ways and possible solutions they could implement in keeping the Negative Entities under control, banish them from their world, or just out right locking them away in the deepest darkest hole they could imagine or create. It seemed as if a decision wasn’t going to be found, today, but they knew that those orbs may not hold them forever and the longer they stayed in there, the longer they had to make another plan.
Twilight was starting to get frustrated, wishing that the Life Entity had done something to keep those three from coming to Equestria and causing all this undue mayhem and destruction. But how else were they to keep them from doing this all over again. Twilight’s eyes drifted to the ponies around her, particularly to Discord and Luna.
One who was the legendary terror of all ponies, and the other was one who ruled over the world and kept it in a state of pure chaos. But through the magic of friendship, they were both transformed. Luna was freed of Nightmare Moon and allowed to find a place back in a world that had left her behind. Discord, once a brilliant unicorn many millennia ago, discarded all notions of friendship. And yet, when he met Fluttershy, the one and only friend he had made after his transformation, he changed his ways to keep that friendship. Truly, were these three that much different?
Yes, they were born from their light and became the very embodiment of it. How can one change that which defines their very existence? Then again, the Butcher was said to be a monster that rampaged, killing and destroying everything in its path. And yet, he fought Windigos, subsequently saving Stalliongrad and its residents, he even separated himself from Nightmare Moon and…destroyed her. He could’ve kept fighting after that, but he freely surrendered…
Just then, Twilight’s ring flashed for a moment.
Could that work…?
“Everypony,” said Twilight, gaining the attention of all, “I think I may have a solution, maybe.”
After much arguing, some placating, apologizing, and discussion, Twilight was able to convince the others of her plan, and to the reluctance of a one or two, it was time to set it into motion. Twilight strode up to the three spheres, the three Negative Entities each looked at her, one curious, but the other two glared daggers at her.
“We have come to a decision regarding your fates.”
“Oh pray tell, kckt, just what horrible fate awaits us?” asked Parallax in a mocking tone.
“You three are to be confined to mortal forms and have your powers restricted. From there, well, we’ll see.”
Ophidian and Parallax stared at the young alicorn mare, as if waiting for the punch line of joke, but they quickly realized that she wasn’t at all joking.
“You can’t do that! You don’t have the power to do that!” Ophidian yelled.
Twilight shook her head. “Wrong, I do have that power! When you three entered our world, you manipulated the Life Web of our world, allowing you to walk amongst us in mortal form. It’s different from the others, they were inserted into it the Life Web, and made a part of this world. You three however, used that alteration to allow you take on mortal forms, but not be bound to our world. That changes today.”
Ophidian and Parallax now redoubled their efforts to break free of their confinement, the last thing they wanted was to be stuck in a mortal body, especially if they’re powers were going to be sealed away. Butcher growled at the two cowardly Entities.
“You damn cowards! Take this like men!”
“DO WE LOOK HUMAN TO YOU?!!”
“QUIT BABBLING AND HURRY!!!”
Twilight concentrated, focusing her magic and the power of the white ring together. The others kept a good distance away, giving Twilight all the room she needed to work. The power of the white light of Life began to shine brightly, illuminating the throne room. Suddenly, the backdrop of the world fell away, leaving only vast and intricately woven lines of white light. They shot every which way, some were connected, and others shot off into the distance. There was a sense of familiarity with these lines of white light, as if they knew they were always there, even before they were born, ingrained into the deepest, parts of their subconscious.
“Behold, the Life Web of our world. These lines represent a life, how they intersect and cross with one another, one life touching the other, and from that new life is created, their journey continuing through till the end. And this,” Twilight waved her hoof, bringing up a particular cluster, from which all the lines originated, “is the Centre of our Life Web.”
Twilight then concentrated on the Centre, within the this cluster they saw the four positive lights of the Emotional Spectrum. One blue, green, indigo, and violet string of light appeared, connecting right to each of the Positive Entities’ chests.
“This is where you three will be connected. Now, Ophidian…” Twilight pointed her horn at the sphere containing the serpent. He thrashed and writhed as a long orange thread shot out from him and coiled before Twilight. “You’re avarice knows no bounds, and you care not for others, only your own satisfaction. So…your powers, your true form, will be sealed until the day comes when you feel genuine and honest Compassion for somepony other than yourself and to their needs before your own.”
Twilight tapped the thread of orange light, when she did the symbol of Compassion appeared over it. Next was Parallax, Twilight repeated the process with the parasitic creature and brought his yellow thread before her sight.
“Parallax, you bring fear to all you meet. You revel in the terror you bring to another and in so doing bring harm to other living beings. Until you can inspire Hope, fight to bring about a positive outcome and believe in something greater than yourself, your powers too will be sealed.”
The symbol of Hope appeared over the thread and now Twilight moved on to the last of the Negatives. Butcher snorted as their gazes met.
“Butcher, born of murder and rage, until you feel Love, and not the love of battle, but love for somepony and others in your life, so too will you share in this fate.”
And finally the symbol of Love appeared over Butcher’s red thread. Twilight then cast all three threads to the Centre Cluster near the other four. The white light of Life, as well as Hope, Compassion, and Love, shot along each of the selected three threads and struck the three Negative Entities, the power was too great, they could already feel their bodies begin to change and revert.
“Now…Parallax, Entity of Fear, Ophidian, Entity of Avarice, and Butcher, Entity of Rage, of Equus…LIVE!”
With those spoken words the spheres shattered apart, the large forms of the three Negative Entities began to shrink down and change shape. When the light faded Parallax was in his changeling body, Ophidian was once again a teenage dragon, and Butcher a minotaur. The room returned to normal, with Twilight’s horn and ring no longer glowing. The others gathered to the purple alicorn, staring at the transformed states of the three Entities.
“Welcome to Equestria.”
When all was said and done, the heroes all decided to relax and unwind, with the exception of Ion and Proselyte, opting to keep an eye on the three while they were imprisoned down in the dungeons. The others, however, decided to take advantage of Celestia’s and Luna’s invitation to join them in the Royal Spa of the castle.
Within the steamy room, the mares soaked their bodies in the warm waters of the bath, their tired and achy muscles loosening as they all let out content and relaxed sighs.
“This feels fantastic~” Rarity sighed in bliss.
Cadance slumped up against the edge of the large bath, resting her head as the rest of her body was submerged, closing her eyes in relaxation. “I never realized how sore I was until now, but this helps a lot…” The pink alicorn then heard some sloshing of water near her, she opened one eye and saw Predator’s head sticking out of the water, her tail swishing back and forth and giving her a grin. “What are you doing?” she asked knowingly.
“Well, I just thought I’d help you with all that tension~” Predator purred.
“Predato this is hardly the place or time to ask me that.” Cadance noticed the Entity of Love pout and grinned. “But you can sit by me if you want.”
Predator’s ears perked up and she quickly made her way to Cadance, nuzzling the crook of her neck as she purred, some of her more animalistic instincts coming out in this moment. Twilight just stared at with a twitching eye at the spectacle.
“Um…So…Cadance, I thought you explained to Predator about ‘personal space’, especially yours?”
Cadance opened both eyes and looked at Twilight. “I guess you can say I understand her more after our unification, and she me.”
“And…Shining Armor’s okay with this?”
Predator giggled, “Oh, more than okay, trust me.”
Twilight couldn’t help but shudder.
“Predator, we’re here to unwind, please don’t make others feel uncomfortable,” said Adara.
“Yes Adara,” groaned Predator.
Adara’s eyes traveled to the ring that still adorned Twilight’s horn, she stared intensely at the object, her mind trying to make sense of something. Twilight noticed the look Adara had on her face and, concerned, asked. “Is there something wrong Adara?”
The Entity of Hope considered if answering was a good thing. But she knew that this was an issue that was going to need to be discussed at some point, best do it while everybody was relaxed.
“It’s just…the Life Entity giving a power ring is…somewhat unusual.”
“Why’s that? Twilight Sparkle has proven that she cares for life and is willing to protect it as the Life Entity said to her,” said Luna.
“Well, not that particularly, it’s the conditions that bother me.” Adara noticed that there was some confusion amongst the mares. “You know of our universe, of the warriors who wield our light. These warriors, ‘Lanterns’, would receive rings based upon certain criteria. For my light, only those who can inspire great hope can have the privilege of wielding my light.”
“The same for me, only those who have great love in their hearts can wear a ring of the violet light.”
Adara nodded. “But, for the white light of Life, there is rarely an emotional criteria to be met, but there is one that must be met before all others.”
“And that is?” asked Celestia.
“There was an event, a long time ago in our universe, where darkness threatened to destroy everything that lived. That darkness tried to destroy the Life Entity but a brave band of warriors fought back. One of them merged himself with the Life Entity and was able to use the light to create rings similar to Twilights. But only these chosen warriors could do it, because they all had one thing in common. They all had died at one point in their life.”
Silence reigned in the bath, the only sound that could be heard was that of the water dripping into the bath, and the flow of water coming from the waterfall faucet. Shaking herself from the stunned silence, Applejack spoke up.
“Uh, Adara, sugarcube, what do ya’ll mean ‘they all had died at one point in their life’?” asked Applejack with dread.
“Well, not died per say, but died and were somehow brought back to life, resurrected if you will. It shows that the wielder is willing to overcome death itself and continue to hold onto life. And then that’s where the qualities that make up the other half come from.”
Rainbow Dash brought her hooves up out of the water and made a motion as if she was stopping an incoming pony. “Whoa, whoa, whoa, time out! You’re saying the only way to become a ‘White Lantern’ is to have died and come back to life like a zombie?!”
Adara and Predator shuddered upon hearing that word, bringing back a lot of unpleasant memories related to that word. “No, not a zombie! She means having come back to life, resurrection, rebirth, coming back to life. The only other way for one to become a White Lantern is to master the seven lights and unite them within themselves. To this date, there has only been two, one being who has become a White Lantern via the first way, and the second White Lantern by mastering the lights.”
Everypony in the room had confused looks, now too wondering how and why the Life Entity would give a ring to Twilight when she hadn’t met any of the criteria. But for some reason, Celestia had a worried look in her eyes, and Luna was glancing at her knowingly.
“Well, as far as I know, I haven’t mastered any of the seven lights. I didn’t even know about them till a year ago,” said Twilight.
“And we know you haven’t died. Believe me, I’d remember that if it happened,” said Fluttershy with twinge of sadness in her voice, prompting Rarity to float over and comfort the mare.
“Oh, oh, what about that time when Twilight became an alicorn?! Remember, we were watching Twilight as she wrote down in that old book thingy, and then when she put the period on the paper our Elements glowed and shot her with a super bright magic beam! Then there was a flash and she was gone and we all thought we had vaporized her, but it turned out she was somewhere else and came back an alicorn!” Pinkie recalled.
“Well…yes there was that time. But I wasn’t ‘vaporized’, I was sent to the Celestial Plain.”
“AHEM!” Everypony looked to Luna who had cleared her throat loudly. The Princess of the Night was staring at her big sister with a scolding look, Celestia’s expression was something similar to when a child did something bad and lied, and was pressured to tell the truth. “Well, sister?”
Twilight felt a bit uneasy at the tension between the two alicorn mares. “What…What’s wrong?”
With an audible gulp, Celestia turned to look directly at Twilight. “Um…Twilight, there’s something I need to tell you.”
Episode 30: What Lies Ahead? The Future of Course!
Twilight and Rainbow Dash, along with Scootaloo, Adara, Spike, Owlowiscious, and Tank made their way back to the charred remains of Golden Oaks Library. The tree turned household and public library was still gone, the only things that made any indication that it was there was the burned sign and the debris that the towns ponies collected and piled where it once stood. Hundreds of books gone in a single blast, almost everything they owned gone. It was made all the sadder knowing that Scootaloo had finally gotten a real roof over her head and not too soon after, having it taken away from her.
All the craziness hadn’t allowed the odd family time to sift through the debris to see if there was anything worth saving. Most likely there wasn’t, but it didn’t hurt to try. Scootaloo, Adara, and Spike, having borrowed Apple Bloom’s wagon, started going through the debris carefully, seeing what was salvageable, with a little aerial assistance from Tank and Owlowiscious. During this, Twilight and Rainbow Dash stood and watched them.
“I still can’t believe it. All of it, all gone,” said Twilight with sadness in her voice.
“Hey, don’t worry. I know it’s hard, I mean, I was ready to call this place home too. But home’s where all of us are, you, me, Scoots, Adara, and Spike. We’re alive Twi, and we can always make new, even awesomer memories in whatever place we live,” said Rainbow Dash.
“‘Awesomer’ is not a word, the correct pronunciation is ‘more awesome’.”
“You can never turn that brain off for five minutes can you?” Twilight pouted a little, but Rainbow quickly planted a kiss on the side of Twilight’s head, making her blush. “But let’s face it; your brain’s just as sexy as your body, so I wouldn’t be getting the full package.”
“Whatever…” Though she said that, Rainbow could tell that Twilight was grinning a little.
“So, Twi, how long do you plan on holding that grudge against Celestia?”
Twilight groaned loudly at hearing the question. “As long as I am able.”
“You know you can’t stay mad at her forever, I know she’s means a lot to you Twilight,” said Rainbow.
“Well how would you feel if she told you, you had died?!”
(Five Weeks Earlier)
“I DIED?!!!”
Everypony’s jaw dropped immediately upon hearing Celestia’s confession. Apparently, upon the day when Twilight finished the spell that granted her the Rite of Ascension, the Elements of Harmony blasted her with five beams of magical light. Now it was believed that the blast teleported her into the Celestial Plain, the space where Celestia and Twilight were, and the place where Celestia enacted the spell that brought about Twilight’s transformation. But in reality, the Celestial Plains were a halfway point between Elysium and the world of the living.
“The spell that made you an alicorn deemed it necessary to remove you from the body you once had, in order to resurrect you in the form of an alicorn, a body made from scratch if you will…Spells that alter the physical body are dangerous Twilight, and turning a pony into an alicorn by other such means would have put tremendous strain on your body, if you didn’t die from the transformation there would probably be other ramifications to it later on down the road…”
“So, that is why the spell ‘vaporized’ your old unicorn body,” said Luna, taking over for Celestia. “The spell that my sister activated while within that space altered your soul form and thrust you back into the Life Web and Equestria, when you returned you came back to match your soul form, which is now that of an alicorn.”
Twilight looked to Cadance, wondering if she had gone through the same thing as well. The pink alicorn nodded, confirming her suspicions. “Twilight, I’m sorry, I thought you knew. It was the same with me, when I ascended my body was changed as well, not by the Elements, but by the magic of love. I thought you were told so I never said anything about it…”
The young alicorn mare couldn’t believe what she was hearing, she quickly teleported herself out of the bath and onto the floor. Twilight stomped her way towards the doors and pushed them open with her magic.
Celestia rushed out of the bath and called out to her. “Twilight wait please I –!”
“Leave me alone!” Twilight yelled, rounding on Celestia and showing her a teary eyed, angry face.
Twilight continued to storm out of the bath, leaving a stunned Celestia standing there like a statue. Adara and Rainbow Dash, with worried looks, quickly exited the bath and ran after Twilight.
(Present)
“Okay, so that was messed up…”
“She could’ve told me the day after my coronation, or even before then, but no, she kept it a secret for almost three years! Three years! I mean, what I am supposed to do?! I’m alive…but I died and-and now I’m alive again!”
Rainbow Dash rushed forward, getting in front of Twilight, her magenta eyes meeting the alicorn mare’s lavender eyes. “Look, I understand, and nopony expects you to do anything but be Twilight Sparkle. I mean, what’s the alternative?! You staying dead?! Going through a painful transformation?! And did you forget, if it wasn’t for you asking me to teach you how to fly, we would’ve never gotten any of that personal alone time and learned about each other’s feelings?!”
Twilight lowered her gaze. “But why would you want to stay with me, knowing this?”
Rainbow Dash blew a raspberry, “Pfft, so? Shining Armor probably knows about Cadance, and he seems alright with it. And so am I, Twi. You’re still that neurotic, eggheaded, beautiful mare I crushed hard on when we first met, and now you’re the same mare I care about.”
The cyan pegasus slowly leaned forward and kissed Twilight on the lips. She was taken by surprise, but only for a moment, returning the kiss with the same intimacy that Rainbow showed. After some time, Rainbow Dash pulled away and smiled at the blushing face of her marefriend.
“Look at all the cool things that have happened because of you changing. You’re a Princess, we met the Entities, became marefriends, adopted Scootaloo, and, if it weren’t for what happened to you, the ring wouldn’t have come to you and who knows how that fight in Canterlot would’ve turned out.”
Twilight thought over Rainbow words, and she did have a point. All the wonderful things that had happened to her and her friends came about after her resurrection transformation, and if it didn’t happen, Rainbow Dash would be the one dead. Twilight let out a heavy sigh.
“Alright, I’ll…I’ll talk to Celestia, but I’m still mad.”
“Well, it’s a start.” Rainbow Dash took her place beside Twilight, the two starting to walk towards the young trio digging through the remains of the library. “Besides, how can I ask Princess Celestia to marry us if you’re all angry at her, I mean I could ask Princess Cadance, but I thought it would make it more special for you if she did it.”
Twilight stopped in her tracks at hearing this, she then turned to face Rainbow Dash who was blushing a little. “R-Rainbow are you saying –?”
“TWILIGHT, RAINBOW!”
The two mares were brought back to the situation and continued to make their way to where Scootaloo, Adara, and Spike were.
“So, ahem, what did you guys find?” asked Rainbow.
“Not much, we managed to find a few books that weren’t destroyed, a little charred on the outside but I think the pages inside are fine,” said Scootaloo, a grin spreading across her face as she saw Twilight’s face beam from hearing the news.
“I found some of my old pots and pans,” Spike brought up one of the pans and flicked it with his claw, “yep stain resistant and explosion resistant too, who knew?”
*Hoot*
Spike looked to Owlowiscious who was perched on the edge of the red wagon. “I know who knew, right?”
*Hoot*
“I don’t know who, that’s why I asked.”
*Hoot*
“I just said I don’t know why…” Spike then face palmed himself. “I got sucked in again didn’t I?”
*Hoot*
Everypony started to laugh a little, even Spike. Adara then brought something up that rested in the middle of her hoof. “Well I found this; it’s an acorn that survived the blast. It may not be much, but maybe we could plant it here and regrow the tree?”
Twilight took the acorn into her telekinetic aura; she brought it close to her as old memories of when she lived in the tree were starting to come back.
“No, not here, c’mon, let’s plant this someplace else.”
With nods of agreement, the group of seven made their way to the outer edge of Ponyville. Spike used his claw to rake the ground a little, providing the perfect home for the acorn to rest in. It was, in a way, a way for Twilight to say goodbye to her old home, this tiny acorn would be the seed that would regrow a new tree, and when the centuries past, the tree that would sprout from this seed will grow and grow, containing within it all the memories, good and bad, past, present, and future. Twilight placed the seed gently into the hole and swept back her hoof over the small dirt pile to cover it.
“Alright everybody, let’s head back to Canterlot.”
Six of the seven walked on, but Twilight stopped when she felt her ring spark up.
Help it grow…
Twilight turned around, curious. She was separated from the group and stared at the spot where the seed was buried.
Help it grow…
The ring began to shine with the white light of Life. The power of the light awakened Twilight’s magic, causing her eyes to shine bright. From her horn, wispy shimmering light flowed out, moving like air and directing itself to the buried seedling. Twilight concentrated, channeling her magic and light. The strands of magic aether flew to the hole where the seed was and disappeared. But Twilight’s horn was still glowing, same with her eyes.
At that moment a low rumble shook the ground, making Rainbow Dash, Scootaloo, Adara, and Spike tense up. The shaking steadily grew stronger with each passing second until, at that moment, the ground burst apart and a giant white tree trunk shot into the sky. Higher and higher it climbed into the sky above, its body growing out, becoming a bulking trunk. Its branches fanned out, sticking out in different directions as lush green leaves blossomed forth. The light and magic worked together, meta-morphing the tree further. Some of the branches started to resemble castle turrets, a balcony opened up at the front similar to that of Canterlot Castle. The base of the massive white oak tree was carved out, become two large double doors with a staircase that led right to it. Lines were drawn into the tree shimmering like diamonds; actually they were diamonds, a long streak of them weaving into creative patterns. Windows and platforms were created as the canopy of the leaves shimmered.
When the event was over, there stood a tree whose size was on par with that of the Crystal Palace. Upon the center of the tree was a luminescent pink star, the same as her cutie mark. The four ponies, dragon, tortoise, and owl stared at up at the structure. It was a castle, created from the seed of the old library, a proud and mighty white oak tree.
“Oh…my…Celestia…” Rainbow whispered.
“You saw that right? The giant tree that grew out of the ground, please tell me you saw that?” asked Spike not believing his eyes.
*Hoot* responded Owlowiscious.
“Well…that’s…wow.” Adara sputtered.
Tank merely fell over on his side, still staring at the tree-castle.
“THAT IS SO COOL! WE GET TO LIVE IN OUR OWN CASTLE!”
(Stalliongrad, Weeks Later)
Gilda was sleeping comfortably splayed out on her bed, snoring loudly with each inhale and exhale. Suddenly there was knocking at her door, the former Junior Speedster grunted and rolled to her side, but the knocking persisted.
“Gilda! Gilda get your ass up or you’re going to be late for your shift!” Sonya shouted.
“Can’t hear you, asleep over here,” said Gilda groggily.
There was a frustrated sigh from the other side of the door as the handle jiggled and the tumbler clicked open. Sonya entered Gilda’s room, which had a few weights in one corner of the room, her uniform hanging on the closet door, and a poster of a mare posing provocatively while wearing a swimsuit. Gilda had hidden herself under the blankets in a desperate attempt at keeping Sonya’s voice and any other intruding light out. The gray griffonness sighed in frustration again at Gilda’s behavior, a grown adult and she acted like she was a teenager most of the time. She walked over to the windows and threw open the curtains, allowing as much light into the room as they could. She then sat on her haunches in front of the edge of Gilda’s bed and rested her fists on her hips.
“Gilda you know the policy, you want to sleep and eat here then you’re going to work. Unless you somehow broke a leg, a wing, or caught something, you’re going in,” said Sonya with finality.
“Would it make any difference if I said I wasn’t decent under here?”
Sonya blew a raspberry. “Pfft, please, like that was ever an excuse. Why I ever allowed you to roll around with Summer and me from time to time I’ll never now!”
Gilda poked her head from under the blankets as she smirked at Sonya, “Because you love your marefriend and she has some freaky kink about being ‘preyed upon’ by two girl griffons.”
The slightly older griffonness’ face went red at the mention of their more private activities, but quickly shook her head to dislodge those thoughts.
“Whatever, just get out of bed already!”
“……fine……”
With an annoyed huff Sonya left the room and closed the door behind her. Reluctantly, Gilda got out of the bed, stretching her limbs and popping out the kinks and stiffness. She groggily made her way to the bathroom, cleaned up, went back, put on her uniform and went downstairs. Sonya and Summer were already eating breakfast, although the tavern wouldn’t be open for a while, they still liked the little joy of waking up and having breakfast together.
When she first stayed with these two, Gilda had tried to take her breakfast elsewhere to eat, but that idea was quickly quashed by Summer Breeze, she apparently loved eating meals like this together, especially with guests, so from then on Gilda had a place at the table, right across from Sonya and on her right, Summer Breeze. The gray griffonness was holding the newspaper, reading it over.
On the front page was an article about a disaster in Canterlot and Ponyville, how the city and town were turned into near literal warzones. It didn’t help that there were reports of multiple colors of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet light amongst the fighting. It was mostly the mention of the red light that caught her attention, that, and the fact that the newspaper also reported that the bearers of the Elements of Harmony and the Princesses were engaged in the battle. Her thoughts were on Rainbow Dash at the time, her worry evident on her face, despite her best not to show it.
“You know…we could make a trip up to Equestria Proper.” Summer Breeze spoke up, making Gilda look directly at her. “It wouldn’t be an inconvenience.”
“Why would I want to go there?” asked Gilda.
“To see if that mare you like is alright, Rainbow Dash, right?”
“I…” Gilda looked away from Summer and down at her food.
“She’s right, I wouldn’t mind a trip at all, it’d give you an excuse y’know,” said Sonya.
“You guys don’t understand…I…I burned that bridge, Da – that mare and the town, the moment they see me they’ll all want me out…I didn’t exactly make the best first impression…”
Summer then moved her hoof and placed it over Gilda’s left claw. “But you want to make sure she’s alright, don’t you? Even if there’s bad blood right now, it might make a difference to show her that you care about her enough to check up on her.”
Gilda gently slid her claw from under Summer’s hoof. “I need to go to work…I’ll see you guys later, if I’m not pulling a double.”
With that, Gilda made her way to the front door and closed it behind her. Both Sonya and Summer sighed sadly at their housemate’s despair.
“I really can’t imagine what Gilda did to make her think she can’t see this ‘Rainbow Dash’.”
“Me neither Breezy, but if we push her too hard she won’t open up. Took her this long to get used to us, and like us.”
“Well, in retrospect, bringing her in on some of our private activates might have helped with that,” said Summer as she shot a sultry smile at her mate.
Sonya gripped the paper a bit harder, bringing it closer to her face to hide her blush. “Point being! Neither you nor I like it that she’s holding this resentment inside her.”
“…Do you think it might be time to, um, you know, pop the question?” asked Summer.
Sonya put the paper down, looking to her marefriend and to the empty spot where Gilda had sat. “Not yet, I’d rather do that when she’s found closure, but…somehow, I don’t think it will be us who gets her there.”
“But we’ll be there to help her through it, during and after.”
Summer got up from where she was sitting and walked over to Sonya, she then nuzzled the griffonness lovingly, making Sonya return the favor.
It amazed Gilda how much the city had recovered from the events of a couple of months ago. The Windigos’ influence nearly made every pony and griffon within want to tear each other’s throats out. If it wasn’t for the actions of Butch, the entire city would be a city of carnage and death, or worse, everyone could’ve spent the rest of their lives in a block of ice, slowly freezing to death. Gilda shuddered at the memory of being incased in ice; she never wanted that to happen again.
Still, despite the emotional damage the structural damage to the city from the Windigos’ blizzard didn’t cause as much damage as they thought. Thankfully most of the relief workers they got from Canterlot and other parts of Equestria, along with some assistance from her own home nation, the city was looking to get back on track. Unfortunately all this trauma didn’t stop the criminal element from doing what they did best, stirring up trouble, stealing, and other criminal acts. That was probably the one thing that Gilda found tiring about her work. She didn’t just patrol the border between Stalliongrad and the Griffon Empire; she patrolled the city as well, the BP Officers and Royal Guard acting as law enforcement. Still, it wasn’t all bad, she was assigned to patrol and enforce the law within the city, she rarely got called out to the actual border, which was another headache altogether.
During her flight through the city, even though she was worried about Rainbow Dash, she also worried about what became of Butch, or as he called himself, the Butcher. The last she saw of him was when Princess Luna and her airships whisked the giant ruby red glacier off to Celestia knows where. She knew he wasn’t exactly a regular minotaur, especially after he fought the Windigos, and even more so after she saw the, possibly, real him in the ice. Still, he saved her life, and others, hopefully he would get to tell his side of what had happened.
After a brief flight, Gilda landed before the Central Hub, a large building that was almost the same size as city hall. It had to be, it was where the Royal Guards and Border Patrol Officers would report in. Gilda made her way inside, pushing through the revolving doors of the stone building. The inside was a flurry of activity, stallions and mares dressed in the golden armor of the RGs walked about, along with the jacket and caps of the griffon BPs. Gilda didn’t make a big fuss over the fact that the ponies got armor, whereas she and some of the other griffons wore the jacket, badge, and cap. Granted they carried the same authority, but it was hardly super protective. But when she thought about it, the ponies needed it more than the griffons, despite seeing how tough they could be, if they had to face more than one griffon, they needed the extra protection.
Gilda made her way to the squad room, assigned to the 72nd Precinct, which thankfully covered a good portion of the city, mostly where Sonya’s tavern and home were. The moment she stepped claw through the front door one the officers, a male griffon named Hans, quickly made his way to Gilda.
“G, got some bad news.”
“Hans, it’s too damn early in the morning for ‘bad news’, so stow it until I’m awake,” growled Gilda as she pushed past him to get to her desk.
Hans on the other hand kept pace with her. “I’m serious Gilda; the Chief wants you in his office ASAP.”
Gilda raked her claw over her face in frustration, groaning the whole time. “What in the Tartarus did I do this time?!”
“Don’t know, but he was grumpy, more than usual.”
Figuring that delaying the inevitable wasn’t going to do her any good, Gilda headed towards the Chief’s office, knocking first before entering the room. The inside was fairly large, a big oaken desk sat at the center, with a slew of files and paperwork scattered about it. A filing cabinet was in one corner of the room, while on the other was a case full of commendations the old griffon had received during his tenure as a BP Officer.
“You wanted to see me, Sir?”
The Chief, a grizzled old griffon, looked to the young griffonness and huffed. “Officer Gilda, I need you to train a new recruit.”
Gilda would’ve cussed the old griffon out if she didn’t remember who exactly it was she was talking to. “Um, Sir, with all due respect, I don’t train rookies.”
“This one you will, by executive order.”
The griffonness arched an eyebrow at that. Executive orders usually came down from the top brass, which meant that this was most likely something good or bad.
“Who’s the new guy, or girl?”
The Chief turned to the adjacent door and called out, “You may enter.”
Gilda felt powerful thudding noises coming from the other side. She gulped at the thought of who this rookie was that he could make the floor rumble with each step. The door slowly opened and revealed the large, red form of a minotaur. He was wearing the uniform of a BP Officer, but no cap, although, his mohawk hairdo and oddly shaped horns would make that a little hard to wear. Gilda stared at the minotaur, she couldn’t believe it was him, there was no way! She hoped that he was alright, but she never imagined he’d be standing here before her.
“The rookie’s name is…Butcher…apparently. Anyways, you two seem to have history which is why you were called upon to be his trainer, and if things go well, maybe your partner. Now go out on your regular beat and clock out normally, don’t want to overwhelm the new guy right away.”
Gilda saluted the Chief, she then shot the Butcher a glare that basically translated as “Salute you idiot!”
With a grunt, Butcher brought up his right arm and mimicked Gilda’s salute.
As soon as the two were out the door, Gilda looked to the minotaur. “Explanation, now!”
(A couple of months ago…)
Butcher was sitting in his cell, arms and legs crossed as he awaited the sentencing of himself and his fellow Negatives. Parallax and Ophidian were in the adjacent cells, much to his displeasure. Every once and a while he’d spare them a glance to see what it was they were up to. Ophidian kept lobbing fire blast after fire blast at the cell doors, but the enchantment upon them made them invulnerable to any damage, magic or otherwise. Parallax was faring no better, he continuously paced the cell back and forth, muttering to himself, trying to figure out a way out of their predicament. The Entity of Fear, now trapped in a changeling body, wasn’t shy about glaring daggers at Butcher, blaming their entrapment solely on his actions.
In retrospect, Butcher thought, Parallax had a point, but really there was no point in continuing the battle. Even though he wasn’t present mentally for the battle, his urge to fight had been somewhat satiated for that time. Maybe it was because of the Windigos sapping his strength while in the glacier, or maybe he just did not want to fight that day, whatever the reason, it was a mystery.
Ophidian released another torrent of dragon fire before he finally gave up and glared angrily at Butcher. “Thisss is all your fault! If you had just kept fighting, or even stayed inside your hossst, we could’ve won the battle and the war!”
Butcher snorted loudly. “I care not for that host. She was weak, any host of mine must have the balls to stand up and fight with their own strength, to command my respect! Or in essence, make me give a crap about them! Great rage she had, but that’s all, she would fade away eventually, and let’s not forget, you two fared no better against the others and the White Lantern mare.” Ophidian clenched his fist and gritted his fangs as he hissed at Butcher.
“Will you be quiet?! I’m trying to figure out a way out of this place!” Parallax stopped pacing and sat down as he continued to ponder a plan. “Ugh, this would be much easier with my powers! Even in this mortal form, I could’ve still used a fraction of them to make the guards release us!”
“Hmph, if you ask me, you rely far too much on your powers, both of you!”
“Oh, well excussse me, we all can’t be the equivalent of a battering ram! Just because you like to smash through your enemies, doesn’t mean we like to!”
“No, you’d rather send in a horde of constructs to do the job for you! And you, Parallax, would rather play mind games and make your opponent go insane from fear! That is the difference in our power; I do not solely rely on my light to win my battles, but my physical strength as well!”
Parallax was becoming annoyed by Butcher, but that could wait for now. He was trying to figure out just how much of his powers had been restrained by the Seal of Hope. Obviously he could not use his light constructs, or take on his true form, but that did not mean all his powers were locked away. The changeling heard the approaching hoofsteps of the Guard, no doubt making the rounds and checking on them. Parallax lit up his horn, checking to see if at least his changeling powers were intact. The Entity of Fear shifted to the form of Princess Luna, Celestia, Discord, and finally back to himself.
“This will do.”
The unicorn stallion Royal Guard turned the corner to the hall where the Negative Entities were kept, but the moment he laid eyes on Parallax’s cell he saw a yellow flash. Rubbing his eyes, the Guard blinked a few times before his vision refocused itself. The stallion gasped when he saw that Parallax was no longer in his cell, but rather, it was a batpony mare. She was battered, bruised, and bleeding on the floor. He quickly rushed to the cell door and called out to her.
“Midnight!”
The batpony mare craned her neck to the stallion, coughing up blood as she did so. “Please…help me…”
The unicorn Night Guard quickly used his magic to levitate a key to the cell door and opened it. He then frantically rushed in and lowered his head down to the mare.
“I’m here Midnight, what happened?! Where’s the prisoner?! Are you alright?!”
“The prisoner…he’s…he’s…right here.”
The batpony was then engulfed in yellow flames as its body shifted, transforming into a nightmarish Timberwolf that roared in the unicorn’s face. The Night Guard screamed bloody murder as he quickly backed up to the corner of the cell, his mind shutting down all rational thought as pure terror overtook him, staring right into the gleaming yellow eyes of the monster before him. Then, all was silent, the Night Guard stopped screaming as his eyes rolled into the back of his head, foam around his mouth as he slumped down to the floor.
The Timberwolf shifted and returned to the form of Parallax, well, his changeling body anyway.
“That was empowering. Seems I can feed off the fear of others, just as Chrysalis can with love. Insightful, and it looks like my fear sensing abilities haven’t been completely quashed, another lucky break.”
Parallax grabbed the keys with his telekinetic aura and walked out of the cell. He levitated the keys to Ophidian’s cell and opened it, allowing the Entity of Avarice to leave his prison. Parallax had the keys hover over the keyhole of Butcher’s cell, his eyes glaring at the red minotaur sitting on the floor with his arms crossed.
“Last chance, Butcher, will you come with us, or will you just sit there?” asked Parallax.
“Humph, I’m through following you two weaklings, do whatever you want, but be sure to never cross my path.”
Ophidian sneered at the Entity of Rage. “Very well, we are enemiesss from here on out, expect no help from usss!”
With that, Parallax and Ophidian made their escape, leaving Butcher behind.
(Present)
Gilda and Butcher were standing outside at a street corner while she listened to Butcher’s tale. She had to admit, she was surprised, but not too surprised to find out that the minotaur wasn’t normal. Although she never imagined that he was a being of immense power from another universe, that was a new one.
“I find you lack of shock discouraging. Are you not at all surprised or afraid of at what I am?” Butcher asked.
“Well…to tell you the truth I am, but I guess I’m not as surprised after seeing what you can do. It actually makes more sense now after you’ve told me all that. Plus…you did save Sonya and Summer, my sorry ass, and every pony and griffon in Stalliongrad.”
Butcher snorted. “The saving of this little city was an afterthought; I was focused on tearing those spirits apart.”
“So what’s your excuse for saving me then?” Gilda asked with a raised brow.
The red minotaur shrugged. “Don’t know, you amuse me, I guess. And truthfully, dying in such a way would’ve been ridiculous. A fighter such as yourself deserves a more glorious end than merely becoming a frozen statue.”
Gilda smirked and elbowed the minotaur in the side. “Coming from you Butch, I’ll take that as a compliment.”
“It is a fact, not a compliment.”
“Whatever big guy. Tell you what,” Gilda flapped her wings and draped her right foreleg around Butcher’s neck in a half choke hold, “later tonight you and me will pop in at Sonya’s joint and tell’em you’re back!”
Butcher rolled his eyes in dejection.
“…And scare the crap out of some of those guys you fought last time you were here.”
Butcher now had a bemused smirk.
(1 Month Later)
Howling could be heard echoing through the Everfree Forest, packs of Timberwolves out on the hunt and searching for their prey. They followed the scent of warm blood in the air, as well as the trails of what dripped on the ground. Many creatures would’ve thought them mad for even trying, but they had been bested by its kind before, and they were not about to have that happen a second time. There was something to be said about Timberwolf tenacity, once they had you in their sights, you were not easily forgotten. And an orange, teenage dragon was finding that out first hand.
Ophidian was standing in a death circle; sixty or so Timberwolves had him surrounded. Some remained still while others walked in a circle, making it hard to discern who was going to attack first. The evidence of their brawl was shown on his body, red, bleeding gashes that ran along his arms, back, and one across his chest. Dragon scales were strong as armor plating, but with enough wear and tear, even armor can be dented and pierced.
Ophidian had been fighting fang and claw against the wooden lupines, he had used his dragon fire more than once to incinerate the hordes that charged him, but he was quickly finding out the limitations of his physical body. Without his light, his body wasn’t regenerating as quickly, and his fire had nothing but his own magic and biology to fuel it, which was quickly diminishing with each blast. Luckily, Ophidian found that one part of his powers, like Parallax, was working.
One of Timberwolves lunged for him, but Ophidian quickly ducked low, letting the beast pass overhead. When it got halfway, Ophidian thrust his right claw, like a spear, right into the midsection of the Timberwolf, the beast grunted in pain as it tried to free itself, but Ophidian had already won. The magical essence of the wolf was being drained, lime-green light flowed down from the open wound and changing into orange light halfway down his arm and was absorbed into his body.
The downside of this was that the stored power wouldn’t stick around forever, which meant he had to use it to either heal his wounds or for an attack. He tried to build it up, but the attacking wolves made it difficult. Now drained of its magic, the Timberwolf was merely a shell. The wooden body fell apart without the magic that once gave it life.
Two others stepped into the circle, one rising on its hind legs in an attempt to pin Ophidian down. The Entity of Avarice shot out both his claws and grabbed the Timberwolf’s forelegs firmly, digging his claws into the wooden limbs. This was merely a distraction however, as the second wolf snuck behind him, opened its mouth and snuck its sharp, wooden fangs into his left shoulder. Ophidian growled with pain as he felt the warm blood streak down his orange scales.
Deciding to opt for attack, Ophidian opened his maw and unleashed a burst of dragon fire at point blank range. The flames engulfed the Timberwolf he was staving off, he then gave the beast a thrust kick with his right leg, sending it flying into its comrades and setting them ablaze. The other wolf dug its fangs deeper, trying to tear his whole arm off. Ophidian extended two of his clawed fingers from his right and jabbed them straight into the eyes of the wolf. The wood lupine howled in pain, releasing Ophidian. With his injured left arm, the Entity of Avarice grabbed hold of its face and began to drain its magic. The energy was quickly put to healing his shoulder, closing the wound, but only barely numbing the pain.
This would be so much easier with my light! If this is the universes way of saying the shoe’s on the other foot or a cosmic joke, well, it ain’t funny!
Ophidian saw that the wolf pack was not about to let up, even with some of the burning. He then jumped into the air and over the circle of death. When he landed Ophidian sprinted as fast as he could through the forest. The pack was in pursuit, and he knew it. They wouldn’t give up, he was an injured animal and reeked of freshly spilt blood, not even a rabid house cat would fight with these odds.
That’s when Ophidian stopped dead in his tracks, his ear frills ringing with the words of the Butcher.
“…you rely far too much on your powers…”
“They’re our powersss, why shouldn’t I use them!” Ophidian hissed.
“… you’d rather send in a horde of constructs to do the job for you! “
“I have the numbersss, I have the power! It’sss my strength!”
“That is the difference in our power; I do not solely rely on my light to win my battles, but my physical strength as well!”
Ophidian clenched his fists and did an about face, his orange slit eyes narrowing as the wolf pack drew closer.
“You want physical ssstrength Butcher?! I’ll ssshow you physical ssstrength!!!”
Ophidian released a primal roar into the air and charged for the pack, claws bared as his tail whipped to and fro, carving gashes into the trees as he whizzed passed them. The lead Timberwolves skidded to a halt at the charging dragon. They didn’t have time to understand what he was doing till it was too late. Ophidian smashed through the frontlines of the wolf pack, sending splintered wood and limbs flying off into the air and scattering onto the ground.
Ophidian caught one by the neck and dragged it along, using the beast as a battering ram as he kept charging through their ranks. He skidded to a stop on the other side and tossed the one in his claw like a rag doll against a tree, making the Timberwolf explode into a dozen pieces upon impact. The orange dragon then leaped into the air, flipped once, and came crashing down at the center of the pack, creating a shockwave that threw the wooden monsters into the forest and into more trees. The ones beneath Ophidian when he landed were completely pulverized, turning them into sawdust.
The teenage dragon then let out a maniacal laugh that verged on insanity. “HA HA HA!!! How’sss that for real ssstrength Butcher?! I just took them all out, with no powersss at all!”
Suddenly the remaining pieces of the Timberwolves began to glow with an eerie green light. The pieces then floated into a corner of the forest; one after another the pieces from the fallen wolves gathered to that spot, making the eerie glow intensify with each passing second. The trees in that area rustled and groaned as if something was pushing against them. It was then that Ophidian noticed that there were two big, green glowing eyes staring at him from the shadows. The eyes rose up higher and higher till the creature they belonged to stood a few inches over the canopy of the forest. The Timberwolves had united their bodies to form the Alpha Timberwolf, which was now staring down at the Entity of Avarice with a predatory gaze.
“Oh ssssssh –!”
“Honestly Silver Spoon, I don’t see why I have to go to these lame doctors’ appointments,” said Diamond Tiara.
“Di, you know why! That colt did something weird to you and your mom, that’s why!” Silver Spoon clarified.
Silver Spoon and Diamond Tiara were currently taking a walk down one of the roads near the forest, with Diamond Tiara just having finished seeing the doctor at Ponyville General Hospital. Ever since the rich filly was touched by Proselyte’s light, she had been feeling different. Her drive to mess with her fellow classmates and the other foals around town had dwindled greatly. From a regular standpoint, this wasn’t a bad thing, and honestly, to Silver Spoon, it was kind of nice not having to make another pony’s life miserable as often as they used to.
But still, that didn’t deter from the fact that Diamond Tiara was slightly different. She seemed deep in thought recently, less demanding, again not bad things, but it was a drastic change from her usual self that it made Silver Spoon and Filthy Rich worry a little. Which was why they had her go and have a checkup done twice every month since then, and it was Silver Spoon who made sure her friend, her only and best friend, went to each appointment.
Diamond Tiara scoffed, “But like I keep telling you, I don’t even remember what happened. I just remember crying because I…I remembered some bad memories…”
“What kind of memories…?” Silver asked reluctantly.
“The school…”
Silver Spoon looked away from her friend, wincing as her own memories were starting to resurface.
“We said we would never talk about that place again.”
“I know Spoony, but, maybe we should…it changed us, y’know?”
“We had to change or…you know what would’ve happened so don’t make me say it!” Silver snapped.
Suddenly a great roar echoed from the forest to their far left. A whistling sound could suddenly be heard getting louder and louder with each passing second. At that moment, something orange struck the ground before them and skidded across till it stopped halfway onto the other side of the road, leaving upturned earth in its wake like a trail.
“What the hay was that?!” Diamond shrieked.
The two fillies then looked towards the tree line where they saw the orange blur emerge from and watched as a giant Timberwolf burst from the forest and landed with a thunderous boom that echoed through the ground. The Alpha looked around, to and fro, searching for its prey, sniffing the air for any trace of its sent. It was then that its sensitive ears picked up on the sounds of two screaming fillies in the distance. Within a few bounds the beast was upon Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon, both fillies hugging each other in pure terror at the giant beast above them.
The Alpha opened its giant maw, sap dripped from its mouth like drool, splattering the ground as it eyed the two fillies. Diamond and Silver held each other tight, shutting their eyes as they awaited the painful death that was about to befall them.
“HEY!!!”
The Alpha and two fillies looked in the direction of the crater. Ophidian was slowly walking towards them, clutching his left arm. Dirt stained his orange scales, smeared with blood and dotted with blotchy bruises all over his body, still, the fervor in the Entity’s eyes did not die out, and it burned with the intensity of his avaricious fury.
“YOU’RE MINE!!!”
Ophidian dashed for the Alpha and cocked back his right fist, he then thrust it forward striking the Alpha on the snout and sending it flying back into the clearing. The teenage dragon stood, arm outstretched as he panted from the attack. He then looked to the two fillies who were on the ground, both looking at him with confused expressions, as if they didn’t know whether to thank him or scream.
Unfortunately, the Alpha wasn’t going to give them time to contemplate which as it rose up from the ground. Its busted snout reconstructed itself, and once repaired the beast roared at the dragon who hurt it. Ophidian roared back, but he knew this was bad, he was on his last legs, and if he didn’t score a decisive blow the Alpha would surely kill him. There was only one other recourse. Ophidian dashed for the wolf, kicking up a dust cloud in his wake. Faster and faster he ran, making his way closer to his foe.
The Alpha had had enough of its prey fighting tooth and nail and opened its mouth, parts of the jaw and body opened up at the same time to expand its biting radius. Ophidian then jumped straight for the monsters mouth, once in range, the Alpha brought down both halves of its mouth, ingesting the dragon into its gullet. The creature gave a satisfied lick of its chops and then roared triumphantly. But there was no reason for the Alpha to celebrate. Within the body of the beast, Ophidian could already feel the magic of the Alpha, his body absorbing it little by little. He used just enough to heal his more superficial wounds, but the rest he funneled into power.
Suddenly the Alpha’s body began heat up, at first it fanned itself with a paw, but soon found out that the sweltering heat was only getting hotter and hotter. The Alpha then looked towards its stomach as a fiery orange glow began to build from within his stomach, the beast then ran around frantically, knowing what was about to happen. The Alpha then sat on his haunches, ears drooping; he then reached behind his back and pulled out a sign that read “Uh-Oh”.
And with that, the Alpha exploded from the inside out, pieces of wood turning into burning ciders as they sailed through air and turned to ash. Diamond and Silver ducked down at the sight of the explosion and waited for it all to end. When there didn’t seem to be anything else raining down around them, the two fillies dared to take a peek at what was left.
Charred earth and grass colored the ground where the dragon stood; all remnants of the Alpha Timberwolf were either in flames or ash. Ophidian then inhaled and let loose his own triumphant roar, and then he collapsed onto ground, completely spent. Diamond Tiara stood up and looked at the dragon from a distance as Silver Spoon scanned the area for anymore unwanted surprises.
“Di we should go and tell somepony what happened. Di, are you listening?!”
“Not yet Silver…c’mon, we’re helping him.”
“WHAT?!”
“You heard me now go and get my butler Randolph! Run now, hurry!”
“Twi…I know I have to, but what if she doesn’t even want to see me?”
“Spike, you can’t keep avoiding Apple Bloom. You were able to ask Rarity’s forgiveness and she gave it to you, what’s so different now?”
“Twilight, she…With Rarity it was mainly one sided, on my part, but with Apple Bloom, she like-liked me the same way Adara and Scootaloo are about each other! And after that boneheaded suggestion about herds and turning into Ophidian’s host, how can she even look at me?!”
“Spike, when Scootaloo and I used the blue light of Hope to reach you, most of the hope energy didn’t just come from all of us; Apple Bloom was a big contributor to that power. She believed that you would come back and she never stopped believing. A filly like Apple Bloom won’t turn you away Spike, just try.”
“………I’ll try.”
~~~ Spike walked to Sweet Apple Acres, he knew this was going to be tough. The young drake had apologized to Rarity, and despite everything he did, the unicorn mare knew that his actions were influenced by the Entity that had possessed him. Still, that didn’t make him feel less guilty, since it was his desire to own Rarity and make her his that allowed Ophidian to take him over and turn him into a worse monster than ever. But out of the two ponies, Spike knew he hurt Apple Bloom the worst. She had genuinely cared about him, and what did do?
“I tried to have them both because I couldn’t accept that Rarity cared about me the same way she does Sweetie Belle…” Spike sighed ruefully. “Still, Twilight’s right, I have to at least try and say I’m sorry…even if it means getting apple bucked into the next town.”
Spike started to see Sweet Apple Acres come into view. The welcoming feeling of the entrance gates felt like he was about to step through the gates of Tartarus. Yet, knowing that a verbal tongue lashing and possible physical bashing was possibly in store for him on the other side, Spike continued onward. The purple dragon looked around the homestead, at the big red barn, the house, and the orchard in the distance. Granny Smith was on the porch of the house, rocking back and forth in her chair lazily. Her eyes closed as she snored lightly.
When Spike looked towards the orchard, he spotted Apple Bloom under one of the trees. She had a pencil in her mouth, scribbling away at the paper that was laid on a smooth piece of wood. Her head would pop up and Apple Bloom would stare at, well, everything, as if taking it all in and thinking critically of it. Afterwards she would return back to the paper and scribble some more. Spike carefully made his way towards the filly, steeling himself for what was to come. When he walked right up to the yellow filly and he gulped.
“H-Hi Apple Bloom…”
The youngest apple sibling looked up from her paper and blinked a few times before registering who it was that was standing before her.
“Oh, hey Spike! Ah didn’t know you were comin’ over.”
Spike rubbed the back of his head nervously, and with a slight bit of confusion as to why this was the initial reaction.
“S-Sorry if it’s a bad time, I can come back later if you want?!”
Apple Bloom shook her head. “Uh-uh, you’re fine, but could ya move to the side please, yer kinda blockin’ my view.” Spike jumped and quickly sidestepped to his right, giving Apple Bloom an unobstructed view of her home. Apple Bloom noticed how Spike was still standing and smiled at him.
“Y’know you can sit by me, Ah don’t mind,” said Apple Bloom.
Spike once again gulped and accepted her invitation. The young drake sat at her left side, keeping a good gap between them. Spike leaned over just a smudge to see what the young filly was up to. From the looks of it, she was drawing something. It wasn’t so much a doodle; in fact, it looked more like blueprints, with tiny words scribbled to the side like notes. Curious, Spike looked to Apple Bloom.
“Um, AB, what are you drawing?”
“Just some stuff to help out on the farm, Applejack and Big Macintosh have been talkin’ about expandin’ the farm a bit, but they never got around to it. So Ah thought Ah give it a shot, see what Ah could come up with,” said Apple Bloom.
“And how’s it going so far?”
Apple Bloom moved the plaque and paper closer so Spike could see it. Spike had to admit, he was impressed. Plans for a water irrigation system for the fields, additions to the house and ideas for a possible second home, and expansion of the apple cellar to accommodate more apples, as well as a way to keep them fresher longer, along with a room to store cider, all of it was laid bare upon the paper and with impressive detail.
“Wow Apple Bloom, this is great! Looks like you really did find your special talent, huh?”
“Mmm-hmm, Ah owe it to Ion for helpin’ me realize it. Now if Ah can help Scootaloo and Sweetie figure out there’s, and hopefully help Babs out too, the Cutie Mark Crusaders will have finally reached their goal!”
Spike smiled inwardly, he found it reassuring that Apple Bloom, even after getting the one thing she wanted, that never stopped her from helping her friends achieve their goals, to earn their marks. A selfless attitude, even after getting what she was questing, striving for, practically almost close to making a deal with Discord to get a cutie mark, her friends never left her mind, and it made Spike’s heart sting.
“That’s…That’s great Apple Bloom, and I know Sweetie and Scoots will get theirs soon too.”
Apple Bloom nodded in affirmation, she then retrieved her board and paper and went back to writing. Spike just sat there watching silently. He waited and waited, knowing that all of this niceness was just the calm before the storm, or maybe she was just rubbing in how selfless she was as compared to him?
No…Apple Bloom isn’t like that. She’s like Applejack in some ways, neither of them like to dance around the subject; they just get right to the point. So why hasn’t she said anything?! Maybe she’s waiting for me to say I’m sorry? But…how can I truly apologize to her…
“Um…Apple Bloom…?”
The young filly glanced over to the drake and put the pencil down. “What’s up?”
“I’m sorry…”
Apple Bloom titled her head in confusion. “Sorry for what?”
Spike looked at the filly dumbfounded. Did she really just ask why he was saying sorry?! Spike stood up and looked at Apple Bloom incredulously.
“For what!? For hurting your feelings about that whole…herd thing…And foalnapping you and Rarity! And for me turning into a giant dragon monster! And…And…And for not helping Sweetie Belle when she got hit by Nightmare Moon! That’s what! So, I’m sorry! I’m really, really sorry!”
At this point Spike’s eyes were tearing up as he, more or less, begged for the filly’s forgiveness. He looked down as he scrunched in eyes closed, preparing himself for whatever was to come. But what happened next surprised him. He heard the rustling of the grass where Apple Bloom was sitting. He was also aware of the shifting of her position, feeling that her eyes were now upon him. Spike then felt her hoof on his shoulder and he flinched, but it wasn’t pressing hard, it was soft, gentle even. Spike dared to look up, opening one eye to see what was about to happen or was happening. To his surprise, what he saw was not an angry, sad, or even infuriated gaze, but a smiling face instead.
“Spike, Ah forgave ya a long time ago.”
“B-B-But how could you?! After what I did to you, Rarity, our friends! What I became! How I hurt your feel –!”
“You were possessed by a monster snake from another universe and it turned ya into that greedy version of yerself, but scarier and kinda bigger. But that wasn’t really you.” Apple Bloom explained. “And, as far as my feelins’ well…even after what ya said – and ya know it was a darn stupid thing to ask right?”
Spike nodded.
“Good. Anyway, Ah still cared about you Spike. Ah don’t think Ah can stop carin’. But…Ah also know, especially after what happened with Sweetie and Scoots, that Ah still cared about ya, even if you did suggest something really…really, really out there, Ah still liked ya. What ya did hurt me, but the hurt’s gone, Ah don’t want to hang onto it, especially after what happened to ya. Also…if you really want to try and woo Rarity, Ah won’t stop ya.”
Spike’s gaze lowered at the mention of the unicorn’s name. “Well, you won’t have to worry about that. Rarity made it clear to me that she cares about me like she does Sweetie Belle. And before you ask, no, I’m not here to ask you to be my fillyfriend because I couldn’t be her coltfriend. I just wanted to tell you how sorry I was, and that I’d understand if you never wanted to see me or didn’t care about me anymore.”
Apple Bloom deadpanned. “What did Ah just get through tellin’ ya?”
“I know, I know, but I don’t deserve you, you should find somepony else who won’t turn into giant monster and treat you like a possession!”
The young apple filly snorted, she then leaned forward and kissed Spike on the cheek, making his face heat up and his spine tingle from the act. With wide eyes he watched as Apple Bloom moved away, her cheeks a shade of red like her mane. Spike unconsciously placed his claw over the spot where she kissed him as if he couldn’t believe it had happened.
“Apple Bloom…?”
“Ah choose who Ah want to like-like, and that’s you Spike. That monster ain’t you, so don’t go thinkin’ that it is. And if you still think you don’t deserve me then prove that you do!”
Spike felt hope spark in his heart, but still the doubts were there, nagging at him and acting as a constant reminder of what he really was.
“But what if I lose control again…?”
At this Apple Bloom smirked. “Then I’ll be there to knock some sense into ya.”
The dragon and filly chuckled at that, and for the first time, Spike felt genuinely at peace since the incident. Maybe it was possible for him to be a better dragon, to overcome his inherent draconic greed and be the kind of drake worthy of being happy with Apple Bloom. This feeling in his heart wasn’t the same as the infatuation he felt for Rarity, although he was infatuated with Apple Bloom, it felt more real, and reciprocated.
Little did the drake and filly know, they were being carefully watched from the fence, well out of earshot, but not so far as to not be able to see what was going on.
“So…is it going alright?” Sweetie Belle asked.
A violet-pink star symbol appeared over the forehead of Proselyte as he too watched Spike and Apple Bloom.
“I’d say there’s hope for them, they’ll be fine,” said the Entity of Compassion.
A gray unicorn filly, Dinky, sighed contently and happily as she watched the spectacle from their vantage point, resting her chin on her surrogate brother’s head.
“That’s good, I’m glad that they’ll be able to work it out. By the way, there is something I’ve been meaning to ask,” said Dinky.
“Yes?”
“Why is Sweetie Belle standing so close to you?” Dinky asked with a hint of annoyance.
Proselyte took his eyes off the dragon and filly and glanced to his left. Indeed, Sweetie Belle was standing close to him, real close, close enough that he was now noticing her fur brushing against his wing. And she was giving him a dreamy eyed look. For some reason this made the Entity of Compassion a little flustered.
“W-Well, they are her friends and I wanted to be able to help if I was needed. Besides, Dinky, she saved my life, remember?”
Dinky sighed reluctantly. “I know Sweetie did, and I’m glad she did! I just want to know why she’s practically trying to mesh together with you!”
“Because I like Proselyte, that’s why. And I want to get to know him better.” Sweetie Belle explained with a hint of annoyance at Dinky’s words.
Dinky hopped down from Proselyte’s back and got between the colt and filly, pushing them back till they were at least two arm lengths away. She then turned towards Sweetie Belle and stared her down.
“Like him?! I thought you liked other fillies not colts?!”
“Rarity and Star told me that a filly can like fillies and colts at the same time. It’s called being bi – bicycle – bi-curious…whatever, point is I like Proselyte.”
Dinky raised an eyebrow at the explanation. “Uh-huh, until you can figure it out, no dating Lyte!”
Sweetie Belle now got in Dinky’s face, their horns crossing as their respective magical auras flared around their horns.
“And why not?!”
“Because I’m his little sister and I say so that’s why!”
“You’re not even related!”
“So, Sparkler is adopted! And when Miss Fluttershy marries my Mommy, Lyte will officially be my big brother!” Dinky shot back.
“Okay, so, that doesn’t give you the right to be possessive!”
“I’m not being possessive; I just want to make sure my big bro doesn’t go dating some filly who doesn’t have her head on straight!”
Proselyte didn’t like how this conversation was going. So, being the compassionate peacemaker he was, the Entity of Compassion decided to intervene and settle the dispute between the two fillies.
“Dinky, Sweetie, let’s just take a moment to calm down and –”
“BUTT OUT LYTE!” Dinky and Sweetie shouted.
Proselyte zipped his lip and took a cautionary five steps back.
“I don’t need your permission to date him, Dinky!”
“Well excuse me for looking out for him, Sweetie Belle!”
Great Life Entity fillies can be scary sometimes…and somehow I can tell that this won’t end well, for me mostly…
(Far away in the city of Manehattan)
Canterlot was the capital of Equestria, and it could also be argued that it was a city of the unicorns. But if that was true then Manehattan was the city of the earth ponies. Built by the strength of their backs and their ingenuity, this metropolis towered and sprawled out for miles across. Although the city was populated by more than one tribe, the majority of the population – much like in regard to Canterlot and unicorns – was inhabited by earth ponies. Indeed, this densely populated city was a bustling hub of all things innovative and modern. And the perfect place for Parallax to hide in.
Ever since his jailbreak and split up with Ophidian, the Entity of Fear needed a place to remain hidden. Being in his changeling form allowed him to blend in with much of the populace, but he couldn’t stay in the small villages and towns that he passed through, and the Hive was definitely out ever since Chrysalis and Predator were working together to heal the changeling race. So that only left one option, Manehattan. With so many ponies living close together, and the ponies themselves barely batting an eye at the occasional strange happenings, brushing it off by the infamous saying “Only in Manehattan”, it was the perfect place to hide, at least until he could figure out what the next move was.
Currently, the Entity of Fear was staying in a cheap apartment. Living under the guise of a pegasus stallion. He chose that form so that he could freely use his wings without worrying about changing back to use them, however, what he didn’t account for was that Manehattan had a limit to how long a pegasus pony could stay in the air, of course this did not apply to those ponies in the Weather Patrol, emergency services, and construction.
Parallax was currently looking out the window of his apartment; he spared his living area a glance. A couch, a table with a single chair, and a small kitchen off to the side, the wallpaper was old and looked torn in inconspicuous locations. All in all it was a dump and he knew it, but Parallax bore with it, it was the best he could do without getting caught, and there was no real need to draw attention to himself. He then looked back towards the window, his room giving him a perfect view of the Manehattan skyline as he watched the sun dip below the horizon and the moon bega rise.
Time to go out.
Parallax made his way down the flights of stairs and into the lobby, not even bothering to nod to the landlord before exiting the building. The Entity of Fear found Manehattan to be quite a different place when day beget night, it seemed more alive, and equally dangerous. There was a slight fear that hung on the wind as it blew through the city, and it made him feel great. Parallax began his nightly walk through the city streets, it wasn’t unusual for him do this, there were many ponies who came out at night. Some had jobs that required them to work only at night, others, mostly the younger, teenage ponies, went out to go “clubbing”. Of course, there were seedier places, places often known infamously as the “red light district”. Parallax wasn’t an idiot, he knew what went on in those places, but he wasn’t interested in that, no, what he was interested in was the crime that so often permeated these places.
Fear was what Parallax needed to stay strong and powerful. And he did so by finding unknowing victims and scaring the living daylights out of them, to the point where they were nearly comatose from having their worst fear brought to life before them. Of course he knew how to moderate himself, unlike Ophidian. If he brought about too much fear and panic his fellow Entities would surely come running to Manehattan and seek him out. In a way, Parallax was grateful for what Princess Twilight did to him. True he did not have access to his true powers and form, but he was undetectable. The same could be said of Ophidian, but he didn’t know or care at the moment.
His little stents into the night allowed him to bring fear at random and without warning. He found a mare couple, making out in the alley a few blocks from where he was living. It was a good horror movie scenario, and it would be very easy to kill them, but again, he didn’t need the attention. Luckily, both these mares feared the same thing so it was easy for Parallax to change shape. He changed his coat color to pitch black and blended into the shadows, silently hovering over the street lamps as to not make a sound on the pavement. Once in the alley he got into position at the other end, dropping to the ground as to cause some noise. The two mares gasped in surprise at the sound of trashcans falling over and glass bottles shattering. One of the mares, a unicorn, stepped forward and stared down into the darkness.
Parallax let the golden flames of his magic ignite, illuminating the alley for a brief moment before it went dark again. There was however one other source of light, a lamp that hung over the backdoor of a business. Suddenly the sound of approaching hoofsteps echoed in the alley, step by step they echoed louder as they got closer. Both mares were unnerved by this, not knowing who or what was going to come out under that light. Just then a single black hoof stepped into the light, followed closely by another, and finally the full body. It was a stallion, dressed in a black suit with a red tie, his head and neck were completely white, but the stallion had no face whatsoever. The mares knew of this being, an infamous urban legend boogey man known as Slendermane.
Tentacles of darkness started to creep out from his back, slowly extending out towards the mares. The unicorn mare was the first to scream and the second, an earth pony mare, screamed just as loudly in sheer terror. They were about to bolt from the alley, but two tentacles wrapped around their left hind hooves and started dragging them to Slendermane. They clawed at the ground with their hooves, screaming and yelling the whole time. Parallax was using his magical abilities to create a sound dampening field within the alley, blocking out their terrified screams, and an illusion spell to make it look like there was nopony in the alley.
He then drew them in closer and closer, giving some slack as to let them think they could get away, but then he would wrap around them tighter and continue to drag them towards him. Parallax could feel their fear, absorbing it and letting it energize the cells in his body. These two were a good catch, but he knew he shouldn’t linger. Parallax then loosened the tentacle around the unicorn mare; she seemed to notice and quickly wrenched herself free. But Parallax continued to drag the earth pony mare, hearing her beg and call out for her lover to save her.
The unicorn mare didn’t hesitate; she charged her horn and fired a magic bolt right at Slendermane. Parallax could sense the amount of magic in the attack, it wasn’t that powerful, not even close. But still, he let the attack hit him in the chest, pretending to be hurt as he let out an unholy screeching sound and releasing the earth pony mare as he retreated into the shadows. Parallax released the spells and let them run out of the alley and to whatever law enforcement station they could find. But he would be long gone.
Three hours passed since nightfall and Parallax was having a good night. He had found two other couples, a group of construction workers, and some security guards watching an abandoned warehouse. His hunger would be satiated for a good while, at least for a few months barring any unforeseen run ins with the Positive Entities or the Princesses. Just as he was about to call it a night Parallax heard something in the distance.
“Well lookey who came out past her bedtime gals.”
Parallax looked to the direction of the sound. On the other side of the street were three older looking fillies. One of them, the leader from what he could infer, was a unicorn mare with auburn coat and a flowing dark brown mane; her eyes were a fierce color of violet as she stared down at the younger filly in front of them. This other filly was bronze colored, with a light-red mane, freckles, and green eyes.
“What the hay do youse three want?” The younger filly asked with venom.
“Heh, wow, look at the attitude on little Babsy,” said the mare to the leaders left.
“Yeah, ever since she came back from that Podunk town she’s gotten uppity,” said the mare on the right.
“Yes she has, and it’s getting a little annoying. You know the pecking order Babs, you don’t say no to me. I’m the big mare around here.”
Babs scoffed at the older filly before her. “You ain’t nothin’ special Grace. I used to think that there couldn’t be ponies as bad as youse anywhere but here, but when I was in Ponyville, I got to see that there are other stuck up little rich witches out there who think they’re better than everypony. So don’t go flaunting that status crap around me!”
Grace narrowed her gaze at the Babs Seed. “That’s Graceful Step to you Seed!”
“Don’t care; I’m done with you and yer bullyin’. The only reason yer even here is because yer scared!” Babs accused.
All three older fillies looked at Babs in confusion.
“What the hay would I be afraid of you?!” Grace asked.
“Because I’ve started the Cutie Mark Crusaders, because all the blank flanks that you make fun of are comin’ together and aren’t afraid of youse anymore. See, I know how youse think, because while I was in Ponyville, I became youse, I bullied my own cousin and her friends because I was afraid of bein’ made fun of by some other stuck up rich fillies!” Babs Seed then took a confident step forward, making Graceful Step and her cronies stepped back in surprise of what she was going to do.
“I almost became youse, and because of it, I almost ruined my friendship with my cousin, who did nothin’ but welcome meh with open hooves and treat meh like we’ve been friends forever! No more, I won’t let youse keep makin’ other ponies feel like I did and become somethin’ like what I was! It ends here! So, get ready to be knocked off your pedestal, because it’s a long way down and there ain’t no safety net! Now get out of my way, I got milk to go buy!”
Babs then shoved her way through Graceful Step and the two mares flanking her. The sudden shove caused Grace to fall into a pile of trash that had been put on the sidewalk for pick up. The young bronze filly glanced at what she had done, normally Babs would’ve been terrified at what she had done and be begging for forgiveness. But that was the old her, the new Babs was stronger and wasn’t afraid of Grace. So she kept on walking, ignoring the unicorn mare.
Big mistake, thought Parallax.
The unicorn filly got up from the pile looking over her pristine and well groomed coat, now ruined by the smell of garbage and whatever foul liquid leaked out from the torn plastic. Grace glared at Babs with fury; she then lit up her horn and aimed it at Babs. The bronze filly felt her body seize up; she then felt a tugging sensation pull her back to Graceful Step, bringing her face to face with the rich filly.
“You little bitch! How dare you! How dare you think you’re better than me! You need to be taught some respect!”
Grace then flung Babs into the nearest alleyway, making her crash into some trashcans. The two earth pony mares looked at Grace with a bit of worry.
“Um, Grace, be careful, roughing her up is alright, but you don’t want to hurt her too badly.”
“SHUT UP! You two stand guard here, I’m going to show her to respect her betters, and I’ll take great pleasure in it! And if you two don’t want a piece of this, you’ll do what I say!” Grace yelled.
The two mares gulped, they then turned their backs to Grace and took up lookout positions at the entrance to the alley. Grace ducked into the alley, glaring at the earth filly that dared to stand up to her. Babs was busy picking herself up from the ground, coughing from the impact that knocked the air out of her lungs. She didn’t have time to get her bearings however, as Graceful Step backhoofed Babs across her face, sending the filly falling onto her back. Grace then used her magic to pick Babs up and slam her against the wall. The magic aura holding Babs made her head straighten up so that Grace could stare her dead in the eye.
“Still think you’re better than me?! If you beg and promise to be my good little filly, then maybe I’ll overlook all of this.”
“Go to Tartarus!”
Parallax stood by and watched this all go down, the Entity of Fear was about to leave but stopped when he heard the painful grunting noises that were echoing from the alley. Something about this whole situation was familiar. Although he sensed the sickening glow of Willpower emanating from the filly known as Babs, there was also a touch of fear there. Fear that her life would be taken in that alley, a fear that reminded Parallax of himself. It was the fear of dying; of being crushed by the world around him or eaten by a predator five times his size. The strong preying upon the weak, instilling fear within them, but he overcame that fear, by becoming the very embodiment of its power and eventually its source. Parallax gnashed his teeth, there was a growing urge to act that he was trying to fight.
Another painful grunt was released and that was it. Parallax engulfed himself in yellow flames and transformed into demonic batpony, he soared overhead and dropped down with a powerful stomp. The two mares standing sentry looked behind them and saw the batpony. The stallion had dark gray fur, it’s wings black as night and twice the size of normal wings, it’s fangs were large and teeth sharp. The demonic batpony turned its glowing yellow eyes at the two mares, making them scream bloody murder and run with their tails between their legs. Parallax then turned his eyes on Graceful Step. The unicorn had ceased her beating of Babs and was now cowering in fear from the sight of the creature before her.
“You like to bring fear to the weak! You think you are strong?! You don’t know what real strength – real power is! I am power! I am shadow in the night! I. AM. FEAR!”
Parallax flared his wings and allowed his yellow aura to shine forth. Graceful Step screamed so loud he thought her vocal cords would bust apart, and the fear energy he felt emanating from her made him even stronger. The older filly then went hoarse, her eyes rolling into the back of her head as she fell to the ground. Grace’s legs would twitch here and there, but she was not dead, merely scared to the point of shock inducing. Parallax closed his wings and snorted, satisfied with his work as he began to exit the alley.
“H-Hey…”
Parallax stopped. He then glanced to his right, at Babs who was slowly picking herself up, clutching at her midsection as a little blood trickled from her mouth.
“T-Thank you…”
The Entity of Fear lowered his gaze; his horn then glowed and flashed a bright yellow. When the light faded Parallax was gone, transformed into just another average pegasus stallion as he watched some ponies gather around the alley and help the young filly. Parallax then blended back into the shadows, his glowing eyes fading away. He then looked up into the sky, to the light of the white moon.
“Don’t you think that that little act of heroism means anything Entity, not my style at all, not for one who evokes fear. Because this is where I stay…in the shadows of the night…”
(Sometime Later)
Applejack and Ion were lying atop a hill that overlooked the orchard. The light of day was just cresting over the horizon, ushering in a new day for the farmer and Entity of Willpower. Even though their relationship was still that of coltfriend and marefriend, that still didn’t mean that they couldn’t have little competitions between each other now and then. The two of them had just got through with a race to see who could buck down the most apples before the sun rose up, and unfortunately it ended in a tie. It didn’t really bother them that much; it just meant no bragging rights for either of them.
The green stallion laid on his back, enjoying the cool air and warmth of the sun as it shone down on his body. But there was another warmth he was enjoying even more, that of Applejack, who was currently laying right beside him, their sides touching enough for their fur to mash together. He enjoyed this feeling, so many times had he sensed other life forms settle close to their lovers and loved ones, whether out of a need for security or a need for comfort, it was all the same, they wanted to be close to the one they cared for. It was funny, in all the eons that Ion had lived, he never imagined himself in this situation.
“This is nice,” said Applejack.
“What is exactly?”
“This peaceful feelin’, nothin’ threatenin’ to destroy Ponyville or the world, and especially nothin’ threatenin’ our friends, that’s what Ah meant.” Applejack clarified.
Ion sighed, “I agree, but Parallax and Ophidian are still out there. Butcher may be compliant for now, but who knows for how long. If I could I’d be out there searching for them.”
Applejack glanced over to her coltfriend and frowned a little. “But ya can’t sense them like before. The seals Twilight put on them make it so ya can’t. Ah know she didn’t mean for that to happen, but searching for a changeling is like searching for a needle in a haystack. And that Ophidian…well, he should pop up sooner or later, not many of ‘em around ‘sides Spike.”
“I know, and I also know that their powers are sealed, but apparently not all of it was sealed. Some of their abilities are still active, or else they wouldn’t have escaped so easily. But like I said, Butcher concerns me…”
“Ya said yerself he was different, he could’ve escaped with the others, but he didn’t. If ya ask me, somethin’s changed about him. He wasn’t like the monster we fought when he first got here.”
Ion let out another sigh of frustration. “Guess I just can’t stop worrying about them. My light sits at the center of the spectrum, Proselyte’s light may keep us balanced, but it’s the light of Will that keeps the negative emotions in check.”
Applejack groaned a little in annoyance from her lover’s worries. She then smirked as a thought crossed her mind. Applejack, without warning, rolled on her side and pinned Ion beneath her, staring down with her emerald green eyes into his own. The Entity of Willpower’s face went crimson red at how Applejack positioned herself. His mind scrambled to utter a word but it all came out as gibberish.
“Stop yer worryin’ sugarcube. When the time comes we’ll deal with ‘em. We ain’t as unprepared as we were when this first happened. We know what to expect.”
Applejack then leaned forward and kissed Ion on the lips lightly. Ion felt all the tension that was building up inside him melt away, the only thing that his mind was occupied with was how soft Applejack’s lips were, and her natural earthy scent. When she broke the kiss, Ion looked up at the mare’s blushing, freckled face.
“It’s time for us to enjoy what we earned,” said Applejack.
“And that would be?”
“The future of course, ours, yer kin, and my friends’.”
Ion admitted she did have a point. They had gone through a lot in just the one year they had been living in Equestria, heartaches, awkward moments, disputes, mistrust, kindness, love, friendship, and many other events that shaped the Entities into who they are now. Ion, Adara, Proselyte, and Predator never imagined themselves to be wholly rounded beings capable of feeling more than just the emotion their lights represented. They had experienced a myriad of emotions, and all of them from mortal beings. Ion didn’t know what the future had in store for them, where his relationship with Applejack would lead, what the other Negative Entities would do, or how his fellow Positive Entities would fair in their individual relationships.
But such was the new life they were granted, and Ion and the others were determined to make the best of it.
In the caves of the Frozen North, miles away from the Crystal Empire, there laid a secret hidden within the dark depths. Something glowed inside the jagged interior, a soft red glow the hummed with faint energy. The glow of this energy kept many a creature from claiming this cave as their home, for they feared what this power was and what it would do if they got near it. But the animals and monstrous creatures could sense that the faint life that was in the cave would soon come to an end, so they merely passed the cave by, awaiting the presence’s eventual death.
The source of the glow came not from a rock, but a small sharp spike like object. It was curved and red in color, the humming energy slowly radiating from it was as gentle as a slowing heartbeat. This object was well known to those of the Crystal Empire, it was the weapon from which an evil tyrant once channeled his dark power, a monster in the form of a unicorn who enslaved them all and instilled so much fear in their hearts that they dare not speak his name. And now, all that was left of this once evil ruler was this piece of his horn, which was more alive than they may have believed.
I was beaten...Destroyed...Cast away like some common piece of trash...I who was once the ruler of a great empire...now...now I am condemned to eternal nothingness...is this my fate...?
The light was growing dimmer by the second, and so too was the consciousness that dwelled within it.
Dethroned by sisters of the sun and moon...Defeated by that meddling little unicorn mare...My Crystal Heart taken from me...I swear, with my dying breath I curse you all...May you know the cold embrace of death...!
The light in the cave soon faded into nothingness, allowing the shadows to reclaim the cave once more. King Sombra, former ruler of the Crystal Empire, had died.
Sombra...
Suddenly the shadows of the cave came to life, a dark energy fueling their life. An ethereal, black light started to seep from the shadows themselves and began to snake their way towards the horn of King Sombra. The energy swarmed around the horn, enveloping it in a sphere of dark power.
Sombra, you misunderstand what death truly is. Death is not something to curse others with; death is a blessing, for within its darkness all can know peace.
Peace...?
Yes, can you not feel it, all your anger, and all your hatred, gone; never again will you be beholden to the strife and pain of life. Death welcomes you, great and small, good or evil, all are welcome.
Yes...yes...I feel it...you are right.
There are those who continue to foolishly cling to the light of life, you must bring them the peace, show them the true way. What once was denied can now begin again, King Sombra, will you take hold of this power? Will you become the new Entity of Death?
Sombra could feel the darkness, it was so inviting, so vast and powerful, and oh so welcoming. He understood now why death was peace, and was it not his duty as a king to bring peace to those whom he ruled over?
I SHALL!
King Sombra of Equus, RISE.
Suddenly the dark sphere swirled around the horn, growing bigger. The power generated by the light destroyed the nearby stalagmites and stalactites, tearing up the cave floor from the force generated by the power of the sphere. Inside the sphere something was happening. From the horn something white formed, it continued to grow until it was the skull of a pony. At the base of the skull more began to grow, a spine, ribcage, femurs, hooves, and a tail. Black sludge started to seep from the joints and vertebra, transforming into a sickly pale and lifeless flesh that covered the entire skeletal structure. Muscle and sinew was formed, along with gums around the fanged teeth of the skull, which soon gave way to skin. Fur sprouted from the flesh, black as the night, with gray fur appearing around the face. Lastly, the sphere broke apart, the remnants of the energy latching onto the body of the resurrected king. Around his forelegs and hind legs it became sleek and shiny black armor, along with a chest plate and a crown. Upon the chest plate a white symbol appeared. It was an upside down triangle, with five vertical bars rising from it.
Sombra’s empty sockets flashed with red light. The dark unicorn closed his eyes, when he reopened them the light had vanished, becoming crimson vertical slits. The shadows of the cave rushed to the back of the evil tyrant king, taking the form of a tattered black cape. King Sombra had been reborn, no longer a pony bound to life, now he was death incarnate. Sombra inspected his new form, with each passing second his grin grew more manical till he released a deep and terrible laugh that echoed through the entire cave and further still.
