Twilight Sparkle has died. Now she is free from earthly bonds that once shackled her. Beginning a new life, one that can be compared to godhood, she returns. But for what purpose?
What are you doing here, little pony? Don't you know that this is not a place for mortals to be?
It was a voice. One she did not recognize, but also felt like she had known all her life. "What? No. I'm in Ponyville, defending them from... Oh no. Ponyville! I have to save it!"
Calm down. Now can you remember what occured? We haven't had much company over these millennia, so will you be so kind as to tell us what happened?
Another voice, with the same properties, but this one was in a more caring and kindly tone. "I was... cold."
Cold? Tell us about it.
Twilight felt cold, which was amazing given the fact that there was a burning hole in her body. She assumed that her legs and some organs in her abdomen were gone. So much for eventual foals, then. Since she didn't feel that her spine must have been severed. She felt that though. Having a pulverized spine would hurt like hell. Beside the pain, her life was flashing before her eyes. She saw many recognizable events. Times she played with Shining Armor as a filly. Earning her cutie mark and bringing Spike into the world. Becoming Celestia's protege. Meeting the rest of the Mane 6. The defeat of Nightmare Moon. The Crystal Empire. Becoming a princess.
Then, shortly after her coronation, an insane unicorn escaped captivity. Twilight felt she had to prove herself worthy of her new title to the denizens of Equestria, for she had basically become a princess out of nowhere. A significant portion of the population had only heard of her on the coronation day. She tracked the crazed one to Appleoosa. Twilight told Sheriff Silverstar to get the townsfolk to safe distance. He did, and they were safe from the confrontation that later ensued. Twilight tried to explain to him that she was one of the four princesses and that she was here to help
Alas, he was not only insane, but old. He had a few gaps in his memory. He responded with: "Ha! There are only 3 princesses! Die, you foul demon!" He attacked, magical bolts flew everywhere, on both sides. In the heat of battle, Twilight must have inadvertently triggered a teleport spell, because they were just outside Ponyville. The insane one did not notice this, and kept on his attack. One bolt struck Twilight, stunning her. He may have been old and crazy, but he was still smart compared to others in his league. He capitalized on his new-found advantage, charging up a larger, more powerful, more lethal, bolt. When Twilight recovered from her daze, it was too late to get out of the way. The bolt struck her abdomen at full force, inflicting the life-threatening injures that she assumed. But she couldn't be 100% sure. She was unable to move her head much. But it burned so much.
As the crazy unicorn moved in to deal his coup de grâce, he charged up one last bolt to put her out of her misery. Before he could unleash it, a supersonic kick slammed into his face. It was Rainbow Dash, using a sonic rainboom kick to save her friend, even if it did send the head flying for miles. The others arrived a few seconds after. Fluttershy turned around and vomited. Pinkie Pie's mane dropped. Rarity dd the best she could with her magic to reduce the bleeding. Dash and Applejack lifted Twilight onto their backs to get her to the nearest hospital.
"Nurse Redheart! Help her please!" was the general pattern Twilight could discern from their panic-filled cries. Redheart got her on a gurney and rushed to the closet operating room, occupied or not.
"Clear a table! Any table!" The nurse/doctor ordered. A light went on and Twilight was put under anesthesia.
Minutes later, Nurse Readheart came to the waiting room to see the rest of the Mane 6.
"Well?" Rainbow asked with hope.
"You're her friends, right?" They nodded. She took off her hat and put it close to her heart. "Then I must offer my condolences. her injuries were too severe." Even Rainbow Dash shed a tear.
"No. No, no this cannot be right. I'm... dead. Oh my Celestia. I'm dead."
"No, I can't be dead. It isn't possible! If I'm dead, then how do I see this?"
If you're dead, then you know what these images are, yes? The first voice answered.
It had been days since her death on the operating table, but it still felt like Twilight had just passed. It had left quite the impact on Ponyville, and Equestria as a whole. It seemed that she didn't have to prove a thing after all. Everyone in Ponyville was coping it their own way. Vinyl and Octavia played "taps" at the exact time of her battle with the crazed one: 3:42, every day, without fail. The flower ponies had replaced all their available flowers to ones colored purple. Nurse Readheart traveled to north to break the news to Twilight's family. Derpy lost her appetite for muffins. Pinkie Pie took some time to see her family back at the rock farm. Lyra pleaded to the humans in the internet to help her with know what happened. One of them had to have written a fanfiction detailing this. If she was thinking that, she really had gone mad. Rarity tailored a magnificent banner of her late best friend and had it hung on the Golden Oak Library, Twilight's home. Time Turner tinkered endlessly to find a way to turn back time and undo what had been done, secluding himself to all others, even Derpy. Fluttershy cried herself to sleep, multiple times. Rainbow Dash took extra care of Scootaloo. She would not lose another who was close to her if she could do something about it. Not again. Applejack did the same for her family. Guess AJ and RBD really did have something in common after all. Twilight's parents put up a memorial of their late daughter outside their house, and many participated in helping. Many more across Equestria grieved, countless in number, and they never even knew her personally.
When Shining Armor got the news, he sent a table flying out his room in the Crystal Empire's ridiculously overdone castle. "No!" he yelled for hour upon hour, tearing up massive amounts of furniture in the process. By the time he was done, there was not a table to be seen in the castle. Later, Cadence came in to find Shining Armor sobbing on the bedroom floor. A pool of tears surrounded him. Cadence went to comfort him.
"I feel your pain, Shining. I loved her too."
"Everyone did. Hell, even Luna. She didn't have anything left to prove, but she tried anyway. And I couldn't protect her from what happened. If only... If only she lived."
Alas, the cycle of life continues. Twilight understood that all things end. That didn't stop her from being in denial about her own death. "No! This can't be real! I'm in a nightmare. Luna, help me!"
You are dead! All of your country and some beyond realize this! What more do we need to show you to make you understand?
I believe a nicer way of putting it is that you are in denial. Allow me to show you some undeniable evidence to end this state of denial. The second voice showed Twilight a scene that confirmed her fears.
A line of pones could be witnessed on the north side of Ponyville. It went south, snaking through the town, and ended at a hill shaded with a tree. In front of the line was an unfilled grave... and a casket. Behind the grave, a statue of Princess Twilight Sparkle.
Shining armor was at the front of the line, holding a lavender rose. He laid it on the casket and said a few words to his late family member. "Well, I never expected for either of us to go out like this. I hope you understand... you had everything to prove to yourself, but to me... you had nothing left to prove. Goodbye, my LSBFF." He left the grave, tears streaming from his eyes. Next came Twilight's parents, then her sister-in-law, her best friends, Spike, the lunar and solar princesses, every resident of Ponyville, many residents of Canterlot, Appleoosa, Manehatten, Vanhoover, Las Pegasus, Fillydelphia, Baltimare, and so many others came to pay their respects. The line took around a baker's dozen hours to die out, but those that had grown closer with her over the past couple years stayed.
Now will you believe us? We have shown you the ultimate proof of your demise. There is no denying it now. The first voice, the aggressive one said.
"It's true. I'm actually dead."
Yes, and we are sorry about that, but we haven't had any contact with anything but each other. Eventually we run out of stories to tell. We should talk with you in a less shocking way. Let us tell you about ourselves.
At least the other voice is kind. Twilight thought to herself.
Hey! What's that supposed to mean? It seemed that she had insulted it. Wait, insulted or pleased? This place is strange.
So she was dead, and she had two opposite voices in the afterlife to talk to. At least they were exciting, to say the least. There was an odd air around them like they were alive and dead at the same time. Was there an air in this place? Twilight had no clue. Was she breathing or drowning?
"So who, or what are you two?"
The nicer voice began to attempt to answer the question. To the immortal deities of other existences, it would be simple to explain, but explaining this to the mortal mind should be fun. We have been here since time immemorial. Many names have been used to try and describe our existence. We are push and pull. The ocean and the moon.
Harmony and Discord. No, that was you, mortal.
Life and Death. Yin and Yang. Burning passion and cold logic.
God and the Devil. Satan Lucifer and Jehovah. Jesus and the Antichrist. Oh, religious wars were so much fun to witness, weren't they?
The Aether and the Nether. Heaven and Hell. Olympus and the Underworld. Asgard and Hel. Why they named us as places I do not know, for whatever reason. The kind voice lost her train of thought for a second, thinking. How rude of me! We have a guest! Need to stay focused, but also ignorant.
We are the Alpha and the Omega. The beginning and the end. Space and Time. Hate and Love. We are Order and Chaos; Ma'at and Apophis. So many more names wed have to list, but that would take up too much time. And your mind is not capable of recognizing or understanding some of them. You cannot even process many of the sounds that are used to pronounce them. To put it more simply...
They both spoke in one, fluid, indivisible, voice for just a moment. We are. There weren't enough words in any universe to describe the voice. But one word that described how Twilight felt at the voice: overwhelmed.
In a way, Twilight understood completely, but did not get any of it at the same time. "So what else is interesting about you?" Wait, interesting or boring?
The first voice returned in speech. Ah. Well, our existence is a strange one, to the mortal mind. We always live in two states of existence, at the same time. We are dead every second, and yet we are immortal.
We know all, but know nothing. We are young, but ancient. We are united, but divided. Our forms are soothing, but terrifying. We are as close as can be, but complete strangers to each other.
"Do you... reside (it would not be accurate to say "live") anywhere?"
The soothing one thought for a second, trying to find the right words to describe it. We were each born in a primordial dimension. There was no live, no stars, no black holes, no space nor time. There was nothing, except for us.
As we learned about our worlds, we realized that we could shape the universes to our will. They became sandboxes, for lack of a better word. We did not know what to create or destroy, for we had never seen outside our empty worlds.
So, we looked to other places in the multiverse. We looked at millions of worlds, each bearing their own balance of positive and negative. We soaked up the concepts, and since opposites attract, we found each other.
When we collided, an entire universe formed. The Balance, we called it. It became our playground, and we have been here ever since. We squeezed our worlds of origin into this place, so we were always at home. But, we were always homesick as well.
Not much else happened during our existence. We saw gods rise and kings fall. We saw armies clash and diplomats make peace. But it was like watching a recording. We also saw you, Miss Twilight Sparkle.
"Me?"
Yes, you. There is much knowledge and power within you, so you have been chosen.
"For what?"
Our existence is nearly over. Though we are immortal and all-powerful, we are not eternal. Eventually, our energies will run out, and everything will cease to exist. Unless...
"You pass on the mantle to someone."
We decided to bring you to us after you died, but you decided to die unexpectedly. We had to put your disembodied self back together. Thanks a lot for wasting our dwindling power a bit. The aggressive one remarked sarcastically.
"I think this should be some kind of honor, or insult given this place, but why me? I'm sure that there are other beings that can take on this role." She stopped herself, realizing the answer. "You don't have enough power left to search other worlds, do you? I'm the only logical choice."
We spent too long contemplating who to choose, and the doors started closing. You realize our plight, so you are smart enough for the task we ask of you, but will you accept it? It is a new life, but we know not what will become of it. You will live again, but be Twilight Sparkle no more. You will see your friends eventually, but be something else. Do you accept our offer?
"I will see my friends again?"
Why, you could do anything you wish! So long as balance is maintained in the multiverse, you are able to do whatever you want. Anything you think of can be yours. Just embrace both sides of the Balance, and is yours.
"So I might become a tad bit... chaotic in the process?"
Just a smidge. But who cares? I think it would be fun to have a dual personality!
"Hmm. A new friend in my head. Might as well make a new friend in the process. Okay. I'll do it."
The blended voice returned. Then let us begin. A glow full of all the colors and no colors filled the Balance. Goodbye, Savior. and that was the last she heard of them.
The transformation was strange, to say the least. The least or the most? First, the energies of the gods... No. "Gods" isn't a strong enough word to describe them. The nigh-immortal's energies fell away from them, leaving only imprints on the universe. Those energies were transferred to Twilight's through every opening in her body, even her pores. That feeling had no words to her knowledge that could describe it. The energy snaked through her bloodstream to her very heart, mind, and soul. The body she was been using in the presence of the two beings was then destroyed completely, leaving a great glow that lit up even the darkest corners of the Balance. But on the lighter side of the Balance, the light was filled with pure darkness. The place was changing, but not its role. It would still stay to accommodate its master, but the master was changing, too.
Twilight could feel so much knowledge flowing into her mind, and so many new emotions into her heart. She couldn't describe many of them to a mortal mind, for it would be overwhelming for any onlooker to even watch. Well, if they did watch, their soul would probably explode, or possibly implode. She learned that there were centuries left until the beings would eventually die, but to them it would seem like a few seconds, given how long they had existed. Then, it was over. To Equestria, it had been a couple minutes, but to the new Twilight, it had been twenty-five years. She had neither been conscious, nor comatose for the main duration of the process. Now she had awoken once more, with the most cleared and clouded mind in this existence.
What has happened to me? Oh wow, I speak differently. What is all of this... these things I know? This is beyond any science or that Equestria could reach in decades. No, centuries! I can now create something from nothing, and I have the power to delete that something from existence. This is exhilarating! And my thoughts. So much, so fast! Amazing!
She demonstrated her new powers to herself, creating and destroying an entire planet over the course of billions of years. She studied it, watching and documenting all the life that flourished, all the extinction level events, all the civilizations built. All the progress they achieved in the fields of science and mathematics, literature and philosophy, through war and peace until it eventually ended. Much like other worlds. Much like her own.
Peace. She stopped time on that world at that realization. Peace. Equestria had been at peace for a millennium. Equestria was out of balance. Chaos must reign on that realm! No! Why was she thinking this? In her heart she knew that they deserved peace. They had lost so much. They had lost her. They wouldn't be prepared for an age of chaos with one of the Alicorns dead.
But she wasn't dead anymore, now was she? And they needed a new enemy, a new antagonist to fight. A new Nemesis. Nemesis. She liked the sound of that. Nemesis Sparkle. From that point on, she knew herself as that, and only that. No more, no less.
But she couldn't do that to them. They were her friends, her mentors, her allies, her comrades. Her family. She needed to think about this. She moved herself from the plane of Balance to observe another world in the multiverse.
She eventually found the Greeks and the Olympian Pantheon. She asked the gods for help on what to do in her plight. They ushered her to Nemesis, the goddess of revenge. She was the only one who knew how to help her in this.
"You still choose the form of a hybrid horse creature when you have been bestowed godhood? Have you not tried to change forms yet?"
Honestly, the thought had not occurred to me. But can you help me in what I ask? The other Olympians could not.
"They sent you to me because you have a problem in balance, in the golden mean. I am the only one who understands such a thing."
I have lived almost twenty-five years in the side of the light, only to die in combat to what you would call a madman.
"To the men of Sparta and many other cultures, that would be an honor."
After death, two beings took my soul from the grave and made me an offer. They were dying, and if they did, existence would destabilize and be thrown out of balance. They offered to make me their successor, and the multiverse was restored.
"I foresee a 'but' approaching."
But I now know not what to do with this power. I have a voice in my mind, telling me to bring chaos to my homeland. They've lost so much with my death; I can't hurt them any more than they already have been.
"How long has it been in your world since there was a long duration of chaos?"
A thousand years, give or take. Why?
"That is how long chaos must reign upon your realm."
But I cannot do that to them! I have told you this already.
There was silence for a few seconds, then Nemesis gave her the answer. "Emotion."
What?
"Emotion keeps you from your duty as a deity. As does attachment to those in your past life. If you do not rid yourself of these things soon, your world will fall out of balance! I suggest you do that immediately, or I shall do it for you!"
No! Those two things are the some of the only unaltered pieces of my soul that remain. You can't have them!
"Then I am sorry," Nemesis plunged her hands into Twilight's consciousness, pulling out emotion and attachment. "But you are mortal no more. You must be freed of these things. As I have myself." She crushed them in the palm of her hand.
Twilight fell to her knees from the experience, but she also landed upright. What else could be expected of her now? She was angry... and then she wasn't anything. She no longer cared what Nemesis had just done. She no longer cared about anything, or anyone. Nemesis' action had come to fruition. Now, Twilight Sparkle was officially no more. Now there was only Nemesis Sparkle, the Keeper of Balance. And somthing in this world was out of balance.
So how long has it been since your realm had an age of chaos?
The goddess' eyes widened behind her blindfold as she realized her critical mistake. The blindfold she donned wasn't because she was blind, but rather because of her enlightened sight. But even with that, she didn't see this coming. "You wouldn't. Our time of peace is not yet over. Besides, I am the only one with the authority to judge when that time is over."
Your realm had plenty of peace before the Titans! The age of their chaotic rule didn't last as long as the age when of Gaea and Uranus were the only things in your world. Then Cronus was defeated, and the gods took over with their peaceful but selfish rule. I'd say that your world is out of balance. Now, to whatever version of hell this universe has with you!
The Keeper of Balance took Nemesis by the throat and tossed her through Mother Earth, directly into the realm of Hades, and even further into Tartarus. (NOT TAR-TARRUS!) She fell, and fell, and fell, and fell, and fell... And that was the last the above world would ever hear of the goddess of revenge.
Draw the curtains on the Olympians, a new show is about to start. With little effort, Nemesis Sparkle took Mount Olympus and turned it on its side, allowing all the monsters and spawn of Tartarus to overwhelm the Gods in a battle that would take twelve years; one year for each of the twelve Olympian gods to falter.
Demeter was the first to surrender after her daughter, Persephone, was kidnapped, though they would later be rescued by Hades and kept safe in the Underworld. Artemis, who believed that she and her huntresses could shoot down the opposition. An arrow flew through her eye, and the rest of her head for that matter, incapacitating her. Her twin, Apollo, enraged at the downing of his sister, was eventually taken down after he plunged into the fray. Eventually, the city on the mountain was breached, and Hermes ran as fast as he could way from the place. He would carry the shame on his shoulders for the rest of his time, even after this passed. Hephaestus' body was crippled beyond the measure it had been before. Athena was taken down by a literal splitting headache with an ax in her skull. Ares fought for his years non-stop to protect Aphrodite. Eventually, after he had taken down thousands of opponents, one manage to get a crippling blow in. Aphrodite stunned everyone that came to face her in a false love with imaginary things until one was immune to these charms, and beat her with her greater charms. The next god, Dionysus, who had been stained with alcohol in all his years, was tricky to beat, until someone got the idea to throw a torch at him. The god of wine burned without end. Then the throne room was breached, and Poseidon jumped turned into an aquatic animal, and fled into the sea. He, lie Hermes would share the shame, but would also share the responsibility of eventually freeing the others. Hera also fled, leaving Zeus to fight everything that came to combat him until help came to him after many years.
The new age of chaos for the Greeks had begun, and so had the campaign of Nemesis Sparkle.
...and all which they fear
Luna's Rise to Power (and other, less important stuff)
In the following years the alarm bells and sirens rang out across Equestria and its surrounding countries, confirming the danger that they were in. Millions of mares and stallions ran around the cities, panicking and looking for shelter or escape from the doom that was raining upon them. Among the panic and chaos were the occasional criminals and looters taking advantage of the situation, obviously breaking into TV stores.
The first to die were the ones in the orbital stations, one of which was clipped by a small meteorite directly in the orbital stabilizers. This took away their ability to stay and orbit and they were sent down on a crash course with the massive city of Manehatten. To minimize the civilian casualties, they steered it at an angle where it only crashed down on the Pony of Liberty. The copper statue did not brace the station's impact enough though, for when it splashed down into the water, a 2-story tidal wave made it's way through the outermost sections of the city. It washed away most of the populous caught in the chaos on the streets. (It was a big satellite)
As one might imagine, there were survivors, sitting on the rooftops of small buildings and in the higher levels of taller ones. However, the one who died in the flood were the lucky ones. There was still a barrage of meteorites pounding the city, rupturing fuel depots and toppling buildings. The Equestria State Building was one of them. To top it all off, Manehatten didn't get hit the worst.
Las Pegasus and the other cities in the western section of the country were bombarded with tidal waves, courtesy of the meteors striking the west coast, with no end in sight. That area of Equestria became flooded with salt water for the next few months. Canterlot, Ponyville, and The Crystal Empire were relatively safe because of a few powerful shielding spells from Luna, Celestia, Cadence, and Shining Armor. The residents of nearby towns took shelter in theses places, with thousands of displaced mares and stallions among these three cities. Occasionally, there would be the odd meteor that would cause significant damage to the shields. Some of them burst the spells, and they had to be reset.
Eventually, the nation and those surrounding it rode out the storm of rock and metal from beyond the sky. When the last one fell to the ground, they all thought that they were safe. The meteor shower was over, but they weren't out of the woods just yet. A few short days later, Smokey Mountain erupted. It was not just smokey, but a dormant volcano letting out some pressure. One day, it eventually blew, and that day was soon after the devastating meteor shower. This was quite the stroke of bad luck Equestria was having.
The volcano's eruption sent out a plume of ash and rock that covered the western half of Equestria. The survivors endured a living hell. Crops stopped growing, thousands were buried by falling ash, and the Neighvada desert's main power source, solar power (obviously), was rendered useless. Cloudsdale managed to get out of the way of the ash cloud in time, being a flying city. Lucky weather producers.
Thankfully, that was all. For now. The "natural" disasters had stopped causing chaos, but in it's wake, there was panic, death, anarchy, and thousands of citizens misplaced. Canterlot, Ponyville, and Appleoosa became places where the displaced went, seeking refuge from what was left of their land. The Crystal Empire was reached by some, but many others died from the sudden shift from burning cities to blizzards.
Some good actually came out of this. Luna's popularity in the west skyrocketed through the ash when she helped them through this dire time of need. She didn't need the sun, only the Darkness, her servant. Her unofficial title there became the Guardian Angel of Darkness, and they adored her more than Celestia herself. At last, someone favored her over her sister. They not only survived the ash, they thrived without dependence on the sun. It is easier to accomplish things when you don't have to wait 12 hours for the day to arise. Some radical voices even demanded she have more influence than the solar princess.
The ash would probably not fade for years, even with the help of all the Pegasi in Equestria. This was irrelevant to those under the cloud, for Luna was all they needed. She was their provider.
But while Luna prospered, Celestia suffered. The death of her former student still weighed heavily upon her. If only Twilight was still here. If she was still here, she could help everyone. She could help her.
She also had a sore throat, but that's beside the point.
Is that what you wish, Celestia?
"What? Who's there?"
You don't remember me?
"I have a lot of enemies."
An enemy? After all we've been through? I'm insulted, but also amused.
"You find me amusing? How dare you!"
Oh, you've always been amusing, I've just never had the strength to say it! Before, I was just some modest little creature that you thought you could control. Well guess what? You have no control anymore. Your prized student is dead, and your sister has began to sap your power, hasn't she?
"I don't know what you mean."
Don't play dumb with me, Celly! I know you feel it, even if you don't! That one little thing in the back of your mind, hidden by everything else. The thing you don't even know you are hiding.
"What could I possibly be hiding that you would know about? You're bluffing; I am an Alicorn Princess, and you are a coward!"
Now that's just hurtful. After everything I did for you, I thought myself and my friends unstoppable. Silly me! But I know what you are feeling, and I will tell you now. You are jealous of your sister, am I right?
"You lie! She is my family! You don't know anything about me!"
I know you are at least 1,500 years old. I know that when the sun rises, so does your power, but you wither during the night. I know you are addicted to cake. I know you eat it two times a day, every day. I also know that you are allergic to almonds, and that there are some in the cake you consumed a minute or two ago. Have fun with that, by the way.
Celestia realized why her throat was sore, and began to panic.
In about 10 minutes you'll suffocate, so I'd get help. Well, I would get help if I wasn't a seriously overpowered, basically omnipotent being. Speaking of omnpotent, I wonder how Discord is doing. Well, as he would say: Toodles!
"You won't get away with-"
Then it really kicked in. Now she was having trouble breathing. The bodyless voice and the presence it belonged to left the area, leaving Celestia to suffer in silence. She burst through the door to the hallway, clutching her neck. She coughed out in a weakened voice: "Hospital. Now." One of the guards nodded and flew off to get the hospital to work, and the other escorted Celestia there.
"Come on, we won't let anything happen to you. It's our duty."
But Celestia didn't receive his reassurance. She was already trying to figure out who could do such a thing to her, and why.
Though hundreds of thousands of lives were lost in the disasters spanning the years, and it seemed like all hope was lost, there was in fact a bright side to this storm. In the Sunless West of Equestria, research was done to aid in development of plants and crops that required no sunlight to survive, and efforts were made to remove the massive cloud hanging over them.
With Luna's continued assistance to the west, and Celestia's recent hospitalization, citizens of the west became conflicted, supporting Luna more than they had Celestia nowadays.
In short, everything was going accordingly to plan.
