Breaking free from his stone prison yet again, but with the help of a malevolent force known only as Caltroth, Discord rains chaos and oppression back down on Equestria. But with his new accomplice by his side, even the elements and its holders are rendered useless. How can Woodwind and the mane 6 hope to save Equestria from these nightmares incarnate?
The creature slunk its way out of Tartarus, the soft, gentle earth beneath his feet was alien to him. The guards attempted to subdue the beast but their efforts were for naught. They fell to the ground, engulfed in flame, writhing in agony before the end. He knew what had happened in the events he was away. He saw everything that went on in Equestria, even though he had been locked away in the lowest levels of Tartarus for more than three thousand years. He slunk through the forrest and headed for Canterlot. The only one who he saw fit to aid him in this world of peace, the Draconquue, Discord. Being a creature of chaos, he could easily turn the world upside down while the creature worked on freeing his fellow brethren who were still trapped in hell. Freeing Discord was how it would happen. He would get his revenge on Equestria, on the Elements of Harmony; And the Princesses.
o*O*o
It was a beautiful winter morning. A month had passed since Fluttershy was out of the hospital and everypony was doing the usual routine like nothing had ever happened. "Hey Squeak!" Woodwind yelled toward the house, "Come help your mother and I with the pets." Squeak got up from the couch with a long sigh. She had been up late all week practicing her ABC's and numbers since she was starting school after the winter break. Her mom and dad had her home schooled for the first half of the year since they couldn't afford the costs. But Woodwind had gotten a second job to help put his daughter in school, and she wasn't going to let him down. "But dad! I'm still practicing my Alphabet!" She protested as she stood in the doorway. He sighed; at least she was taking her studies seriously. "Fluttershy, why don't you head back inside and help Squeak study. I'll finish up out here." He said, taking her bag of feed off her back. "Oh, sweetie, I can't let you do all this alone. You're doing so much already." She said, trying to take the bag back. He quickly pecked her on the lips when she got close enough. "My treat. You still haven't been feeling well since we got back. I can handle this. But right now, our daughter needs help with her studies." He stated, pointing to the house at the tiny pink and green poof standing in the doorway. "Ok, if you insist." She said floating to the house.
Woodwind had been exhausted for the past month, working mornings at the post office, and nights as a doorman at a hotel in Manehatten. He was stretched thin, but it was for his family. Fluttershy couldn't work, she was still feeling pretty cruddy; occasional vomiting and complaining about bad cramps. And he couldn't ask for help from his friends, that wasn't the kind of pony he was. He flew into the gardens and began to feed the animals, one by one.
"Hello? Anypony home?" Twilight called out and began knocking on the cottage door. Fluttershy quickly answered it. "Hello Twilight, come on in." She said stepping aside, making way for the purple unicorn. The living room was a mess. The twins played on the quilt in the corner, their toys strewn across the floor, and Squeak was laying on the couch, drawing a picture. Twilight's initial reaction was to tidy up the mess of the children, but she didn't want to impose. She resumed what she was to come here for and pulled something out of her bag. "Alright i got what you asked me to bring. But are you sure you don't want to tell Woodwind?" She asked Fluttershy. Fluttershy frowned and quickly grabbed the thing in her mouth. She quickly began to fly up the stairs. "I couldn't put this burden on him. Not now." She said disappearing into the bathroom. Twilight went into the kitchen and grabbed herself some coffee. A tired Woodwind entered the kitchen with empty bags on his back. The heavy bags under his eyes were a good indication he hadn't gotten any sleep in a long time. "Oh hello Twilight." He said just noticing her. "What brings you by." Twilight began to search for an answer to help keep Fluttershy's secret safe. "Oh, you know, just catching up with Fluttershy, thats all." She said taking another swig of coffee. The twins began to cry in the next room. "Whelp, thats my cue." He said grabbing fresh diapers from the cabinet. Twilight felt bad for Woodwind. He was doing everything while Fluttershy was getting better. Working night and day, and spending the time he did have at home doing chores and taking care of the children. How could one pony do all this and still function? "Twilight, come up stairs." Fluttershy yelled down to her. Good it was ready. She chugged the last of her coffee and trotted up the stairs, taking one last looked at the bewildered Woodwind. She entered the bedroom, Fluttershy was sitting on the bed, her head hung low. "Well?" Twilight asked her when Fluttershy didn't give her an answer quick enough. Fluttershy nodded her head slowly. Twilights head dropped. "You have to tell him." She started the lecture. "He has every rite to know." Fluttershy looked up with tears in her eyes. "But he's doing so much for us already. I can't put another burden on him. I just can't." Twilight looked at the floor. "I'm sorry. It's not my place to make you do anything. But sooner or later he'll find out." Fluttershy gulped. "I don't know what to do." She said hugging her friend, letting the tears flow freely. They heard hoofsteps coming up the stairs. Fluttershy quickly wiped the tears from her eyes and threw the plastic thing in her hoof out the window. "Hey, is everything ok up here?" He asked poking his head through the door. Fluttershy smiled at him "Everything's fine, Woodwind." "Ok, well I have to go to the store. We're out of diapers. I'll be back in a little while." He said leaving. Fluttershy took another deep breath and watched out the window as he walked down the road. Twilight came over to her. "I'll be here for you if you need anything." She said, putting a hoof on her shoulder. Fluttershy kept watching the road as Woodwind disappeared into town.
The dark creature continued down the beautiful halls of the castle leaving nothing but death in his wake. All who stood up to it failed miserably, their corpses left behind as grim reminders as to what should happen to all who stood in his way. It continued on to the dungeon and blasted the doors open. Inside was a stone statue of a beast that looked like a hogwash of parts from various creatures. Even the creature itself was made of pure chaos. He set his mighty black claw on Discord and the stone broke away in a million pieces. Discord shot up from the ground and was on the defensive. "Where am I? What happened?" He demanded. "I freed you." The booming voice said as he looked over Discord. "I need your aid." Discord began to brush himself off with the painstaking care that only the narcissist could muster. "Ahh, it appears the Element of Chaos is need once again. So do tell me, who might you be?" He asked, placing a finger on his chin, looking over the black dragon like creature standing before him. "Caltroth." It bellowed, the name echoing through the dungeon. Discord smiled, "I've never heard of you." He said waving his paw at him. "But, you have heard of me and call for my aid. So, what is it you need from me old chum?" Caltroth became inpatient with Discords playful demeanor. He was like a grown child, but a child who played the world like a game of chess, each move calculated three steps before hand. Caltroth knew the creature before him was an evil genius. "I need you to distract the world, while my activities go unchecked. I'm going to bring all of Equestria into eternal suffering." Discord got in close to Caltroth now wrapping his dragon like arm around him. "Ah, so you need me to be the diversion for your scheme. It seems you don't know who I am, do you?" He asked snapping his finger, bringing forth a glass filled with some type of copper colored beverage. He drank the glass leaving the liquid free standing in his hand. Caltroth sighed at the parlor trick. "Your antics don't amuse me, Draconequue. So why don't you do the job i freed you to do. Or would you like to return to your prison?" Discord gulped but kept his composure. "Oh alright. If it means I get to spread chaos over the land, then so be it." He disappeared in a cloud of smoke, set to wreak his revenge. Caltroth was about to do the same, when a familiar voice echoed behind him. "You." Princess Celestia said as she lowered her head staring angrily at the creature. Caltroth smiled at the princess. "Why Celestia. My how you've grown!" He said, mocking the Alicorn. "How did you escape Tartarus?" She yelled, her voice echoing off the walls. Caltroth laughed an evil laugh. "All magic weakens over time. You should know." He said pointing at the now empty pedestal. Celestia was horrified. "You don't know what you've done!" She yelled and charged the Creature, but he disappeared before her eyes and she crashed into the wall behind where he stood just a second before. Luna came running in, "Sister! I heard the commotion and came to-" She was cut off by the sight of her sister on the floor. "Tia!" She yelled rushing to help her sister up. "Are you alright?" Celestia stood and looked around the dungeon. "Caltroth has returned." Luna shuddered, "But how? We trapped him in the seventh level of Tartarus! There was no escape!" She finished with defiance. Celestia walked out of the dungeon, her sister in tow. "He's not all we have to worry about either."
Discord set his goal in motion. Turning anything that moved and lived into a walking catastrophe. Animals became hilariously disproportionate, ponies began to behave like wild animals and act like complete fools. Woodwind stood in the kitchen with an awed look on his face at the scene unfolding. "Um, Fluttershy? I'm no scientist, but I don't think this is right." he said taking a sip of coffee. She came downstairs and looked at the horrible scene. "Oh no! It can't be! Not again!" She yelled running out of the room. "What?" Woodwind asked, still standing there perplexed. "No time to explain!" She yelled grabbing him and the kids. "We have to get to Twilights!"
Twilight was frantically trying to hold the library door shut as crazed ponies tried to break in. "SPIKE? Wheres that shield spell?!" She yelled as another wave of ponies bashed at the door. "I got it!" He said pushing aside the other four elements wielders and their family and friends who weren't affected by the chaos going on. "Twilight? What in the heck is going on?" Rainbow asked perplexed. "Yeah! Why is everypony acting loco in the coco?!" Pinkie finished. "I don't know, but we have to find out." She said reading over the spell. The girls turned as the door burst open, but it wasn't from the mob of crazed ponies; Woodwind had kicked the door in and was busy pushing back the mob as Fluttershy and the kids entered. "Fluttershy, darling!" Rarity yelled racing for her friend. "Are you ok?" Fluttershy began to pale. "I think I'm going to be sick!" She said and raced for the bathroom. Woodwind looked puzzled by her behavior, but let it go past him as he placed the door back into the frame and held it there as another barrage of ponies hit it. "Do y'all have any idea whats happenin' ta Ponyville?" AppleJack asked rushing forward to help with the door. "Not a clue." Woodwind grunted as another wave pummeled the unhinged slab of wood. "But on the way here Fluttershy said she thinks it's Discord? Does that name ring any bells to you?" The girls began to look angry. "How in tha hay did that psycho break free again?!" AppleJack yelled, placing her hind legs firmly against the door as yet another wave hit it. "Hey, Twilight? That spell would come in handy right about now!" Rainbow yelled. "Got it" She said as a purple bubble flew past them, sending their attackers flying away from the house. Woodwind and AppleJack let the door fall and looked outside. Ponies were pounding on the shield like a drum, trying frantically to gain entrance. They let out a sigh and joined the others. "If Discord escaped his prison, we should have no trouble sending him back, especially since we have a seventh element in our arsenal." She said pointing to Woodwind. As if to mock them, Discord began to play his voice around the library. "Oh i'm afraid it will be of no use." He said, seeming to come from everywhere. all the ponies stood, huddled in a tight circle around the children. "Why don't you show yourself you coward!" Rainbow yelled defiantly. Discord laughed at her attempts to coax him. "Oh i'm afraid we have bigger plans in store for you, so we won't be coming out to play just yet." Discord said sniggering. "We?" Twilight repeated, perplexed by his statement. "Oh, just a friend who helped me escape is all." He replied. "But don't worry. We'll come to you soon enough." He bellowed another laugh and his voice faded from their minds. "Who is this other clown who freed him?" Rarity asked, stamping her hooves onto the floor."Don't they know how dangerous Discord can be?" "Jeesh! Everypony now a days really IS loco in the coco!" Pinkie yelled. A bright flash illuminated the room, blinding everypony, and Princess Celestia appeared out of nowhere. The ponies bowed in unison. "The Creature is known as Caltroth." She said as if her magical appearance were nothing. "Cal-who?" Pinkie Pie asked scratching her head. "Caltroth was the leader of the beasts that used to roam Equestria. They wanted nothing more than to bring tyranny and oppression to all the citizens of old. My sister and I soundly did away with them-" She hung her head low. "Or so we thought..." Twilight went to reassure her old teacher. "It's not your fault, Princess. It's noponies fault that Caltroth escaped." "No, Twilight. It is my fault." She said again, hanging her head lower. "I was the one who placed the spell on the seventh level of Tartarus, which was supposed to trap them all there forever." Woodwind stepped forward, "So one escaped. It's not like we can't send him back right? I mean, we can use the Elements against him." The others nodded in agreement at his statement. "This monster is like no other." She said softly. "Even with all eight pieces of the Elements of Harmony, we still couldn't defeat him." Twilight was awed by what the princess had said. Eight Elements? the book only said there were six, and Woodwind had just discovered a seventh. What could it possibly be? "Princess, why is there no record of the last two Elements?" Twilight asked, looking at all the other confused faces in the room. "Because, my faithful student, they vanished. The element of love went into hiding with his family in the Badlands, and the final element revealed itself only when the other seven were present." Woodwind was confused. "But you said you couldn't defeat him even with all eight. How did you defeat him with six?" He asked. Celestia continued. "We set up a diversion. One brave sole sacrificed his life to distract them long enough, so that my sister and I could unleash the six elements to trap the monsters forever in Tartarus." The memory hit Woodwind like a train. He remembered the snapping jaws of the shadows below him as he used himself as a diversion for the princess'. But that was just an illusion played up by the stallion in the cave. Wasn't it? "Princess, might I have a word with you alone?" Woodwind asked. He wanted to keep this from the others and if it did mean something, then maybe the mysterious stallion was preparing him for this occasion. He and Celestia went into the spare room of the library and shut the door. "Princess, I need to tell you about what happened in the cave." He said gazing into her eyes. "Of course. please." She said smiling at him. "Well, you see, my first trial was that of bravery. I was transported back into a past event in Equestria history. There, I fought alongside you and your sister against horrible creatures. Tell me, What happened that day?" Celestia was thinking long and hard about that day. It was one she hardly remembered, but she pieced together the memories as best she could. ***** Luna and her sister were the only two left. The other wielders of the elements had perished, but not before bestowing their powers to the two young sister. To make matters worse, IronHeart, holder of the element of love, had run away with his family. He had doomed them all with his selfishness. Without him, the eighth element could not appear, and without it they had no hope of destroying the monsters over running the land. The two sisters continued running for their lives, even though they had lost the monsters a while back. "Luna, There!" Celestia shouted, pointing to a crevice in the cliff where they could hide. They both bounded for it to see it was not abandon. inside stood a young light green Pegasi. Why was he out this far in the middle of a war? Celestia ground to a halt with Luna on her heals. "You! Nave! Luna bellowed at the confused looking pony. "Why art thou here? You are no warrior." The pony cocked his head quizzically, "What do you mean?" Luna continued on, clearly this pony was a little bit slow. "Thou art but a common pegasus. Why hath thou come to the land of shadow?" "Land of shadow? What is that?" He asked still looking confused. Luna continued on. "The land of Shadow is where the enemies of Equestria call home! We must ask of thee, young pegasi. Whilst thou aid us in our battle?" Celestia looked at her sister, then back at the Pegasus. Luna never would ask a lowly commoner for aid unless she truly needed it. Things were not going well. The colt murmured something under his breath and Luna answered him back, but Celestia was lost in thought. This Pony seemed a little familiar. like she knew him somehow. She couldn't place her hoof on it. Luna continued talking about how they needed his help. He had agreed to and Luna was looking to her older sister to aid her in telling him how "Aiding them" really meant, "Your going to die playing hero". "What we ask of thee is nye easy. But to save Equestria, thou must agree." He nodded his head, letting them know that no matter what it was, he would do it. "Anything." He confirmed. Luna made short work of explaining it. "Thou must act as our diversion, so we may use our power to banish the darkness off the earth." The Pegasus scoffed at the task. To him it seemed like nothing, but the princesses knew all to well what happened to those who tried to attack the monsters head on. Luna had to make him understand. "Thou doth not understand the consequences of thy actions, young pegasi." Celestia warned, stepping forward. Luna marched forward as well, speaking for her sister, "My sister speaks truth. What we ask, will require your life." The Pegasus looked somewhat nervous, "Is there any other way?" He asked, but Celestia confirmed his fears. "Nay." Celestia said, stepping forward again toward the colt. "Thou wilt be caught in the blast. Thou shalt not survive." He began to look nervous, but any doubt that he showed on his face before, quickly dissolved into determination. "Alright. I'll do it." He said. The two regal sisters let out a sigh of relief. They had him follow them into their camp. Soldiers and guards stood at ridged attention as the two princesses marched through the camp, heavy looks on their faces. The pegasus just walked in silence, most likely preparing himself for what was to come. "Art thou sure about this, Pegasus?" Celestia asked him again as servants began to adorn him with a set of jet black armor, encrusted with some of the finest jewels in all of Equestria. He stood there in silence and nodded. "Alright. Luna, Pegasus? let us march. For we have a nation to save! The battle was fierce. The creatures had been pushed back into the pit by Celestias light spell. But it wasnt enough. Soon they would crawl out of the trap and be on them in seconds. "Hurry, young pegesi!" Celestia yelled "If thou wishes to save thine home and family, thou must divert their attention from us so we may perform our spell!" The Pegasus dove into the crater, flying nimbly through the mix of horrid monsters below. She saw their leader, trying to organize the attack. Caltroth. It was now or never, as Luna and Celestia focused their powers on the opening to Tartarus, preparing to trap the monsters there for all eternity. Celestia took one last look at the brave soul below them. He was continuing the intricate ballet of war, dancing through the horrible creatures with the bravery and grace of a true warrior. She couldn't bare the thought of what the two of them were asking of the Pegasus. What if this pony had a home? A family? Children? Luna called out to him in his last moments. "Thou art doing great, young Pegasi! Stories shall be told of your bravery!" She closed her eyes, "Farewell!" And with that, the two sisters released their powerful blast. The entire area was lit as bright as the sun; The screams of the dark army filled the air. The ground opened up, sucking them all into the depths of the earth. What could have happened to the brave pegasus? Was he vaporized instantly by the blast? Or did he survive it? He would suffer an eternity of agony and pain in Tartarus if he did. The thought chilled Celestia to the core. Nothing could be more horrifying than staring death in the face. Not only that, but having death loom over your shoulder for more than a day, and still having the bravery to follow him into the howling dark. Such bravery... The two sisters hung their heads at the now baron waste land. While the Elements could not destroy the beasts, they were at least powerful enough to banish them to the lowest levels of hell. "We have done it, Celestia!" Luna yelled in triumph. "The Earth hath been saved." Celestia hung her head to her sister. "But at the cost of a brave young soul. We must not forget what hath been done here today Luna." Luna nodded her head in solemn agreement. The day was won all thanks to the bravery of just one soul.
While the rest of the ponies huddled outside the door, trying to listen in on the private conversation, Twilight slipped away and headed upstairs. She found Fluttershy sitting on her bed. "Are you alright?" Twilight asked taking a seat next to her friend. Fluttershy looked distraught. "I can't do this." She said sobbing. "I can't keep putting Woodwind in the state he's in anymore!" Twilight held her friend closer, hoping to comfort her. "You've done nothing wrong. I'm sure he'll be so excited about it!" Fluttershy looked at her with bloodshot eyes. "But with Buck and Tinyhooves turning two, and Squeak starting school in a few weeks, how can we afford another foal?" Twilight sighed. She didn't know what to say. She knew all the sacrifices they made together to keep their family afloat. Fluttershy had to sell a lot of her animals, Woodwind was working about two or three jobs now, and Squeak had to be home schooled just so they could save enough money to keep her house. "I don't know, Fluttershy. But you need to tell him, one way or another. This foal is unexpected, but also a blessing." Twilight said hoping that would calm her down. The door creaked open to reveal a tiny face poking through. "You're having a baby?" Squeak asked, walking slowly up to her mother. Twilight twiddled her hooves and Fluttershy didn't know what to do. "Umm-" She started, then sighed, knowing she couldn't hide it anymore. "Yes Squeak... I am." Squeak let out a little squee and bounced around the room, "Yay! I get to be a big sister again!" Twilight knew how much Squeak meant to her father. If she was happy about it, then Woodwind would be, too. "Woodwind will be thrilled Fluttershy. Just tell him." Twilight pleaded. Fluttershy let out a long sigh. "I'll tell him when i'm ready. I promise." She said holding up her hoof in honesty. "But, lets go see what's going on down stairs."
"C'mon what are they saying in there?" Rainbow asked Pinkie, who had her whole head placed against the door. "I dunno. I can't hear anything." She said, pressing her face harder into the wood. The door opened and she crashed to the floor. Celestia and Woodwind looked down at her quizzically. "Well, i'm glad the word "privacy" means something to you, guys." Woodwind said sarcastically, rolling his eyes at the bright red Pinkie Pie at his feet. "Yeah, yeah, yeah. Enough chit-chat! So what's the deal?" Rainbow demanded, hovering over them with her arms crossed. Woodwind looked up at Celestia, who nodded in agreement. Woodwind told the tale. The cave of power, traveling back in time helping Celestia and Luna in the past, and of Caltroth, the demon leader who lead the conquest for Equestria thousands of years ago. "Do ya think we have any chance of stoppin' those two?" AppleJack asked, "We had a hard enough time beatin' Discord on his own!" "He is a master manipulator." Twilight added coming down the stairs, a sheepish Fluttershy on her heels. "He corrupted us before, so if we're going to fight him again, we have to prepare ourselves for this time." Woodwind nodded. "Sounds reasonable. Should we all head to Canterlot now?" Celestia nodded. "Come. Let us prepare for what is to come." She opened up a portal to the capital city, and they all disappeared in the bright light.
Luna strode down the dark empty halls of the castle. She knew how this would end for the Elements if they were to go against Discord AND Caltroth. They would fall. And hard, too. She sought out the only pony who she knew would aid her in her fight. Woodwind. Woodwind slept peacefully in the comfy bed, beside his wife and children. The bed was large enough to fit his family three times over. The twins were curled under their mothers arms and Squeak snuggled close to him, still scared by all the happenings going on. He felt a hoof shake him. He tried to ignore it but it shook him again, harder. He leaned over to see Luna. What in Equestria did she want? She held a hoof to her mouth, a "shush" gesture, and waved him to follow her. He slowly rose, careful not to wake Squeak up, and left. "What is it you need Princess Luna?" Woodwind asked, running a hoof over his sleepy eyes. "I know you don't want to wait to destroy them. Which is why i need your help now." She said bluntly. "What do you want to do?" He pried, hoping to get a clear answer out of the princess of the night. "Discord and Caltroth are at the entrance to Tartarus. They killed Cerberus and are amassing an army greater than Equestria has ever seen. I know what they plan to do..." She said sadly. "And that is?" Woodwind asked her. She sighed and stared out towards the mountains across the land. "They are going to attack, holding all they find captive, forcing us to release the other dangerous beasts from the lowest levels of Tartarus. I know that you were there with us all those centuries ago. You know what they could do to Equestria if they were to escape. How did she know? Did Princess Celestia tell her? He gulped and tried to keep a brave face. "Yes i do. And I don't want to see Equestria in their hands again. So what would you have me do?" He asked again, hoping to get a clear answer. "Fly out and meet them head on with me." She said. "You hold the most powerful Element at your disposal. You can vanquish them with ease." She lied. She had to say something to coax his soldier's ego out. He smiled as the neckless appeared around his neck, summoned by his will. "Well, I hope I don't have to play the sacrifice again." Luna frowned, the sarcasm going right over her head. "Not again, Woodwind. This time, it's my turn."
Fluttershy rolled over, hoping to snuggle close to her husband, but she only felt the empty space where he had once been. She sat up slowly, brushing her flowing, pink mane from her face. "Woodwind?" She called out quietly. Maybe he went to use the bathroom, but the light in there was off, so thats not where he could be. She looked over, made sure the children stayed asleep, and headed for the corridor. It was as dark and empty as a tomb, and there was no sign of Woodwind. She was heading back to her room, when she heard a whisper calling for Luna. "Thats strange-" she thought. "Who would be calling for Luna at this time of night?" Celestia rounded the corner and saw Fluttershy standing in the hall. She quickly walked to her, a look of panic on her face. "Is Woodwind still in your room?" She asked hastily. "N-no. He's not. I was just looking for him." She replied, looking over the princess' worried face. "I know where they went. Luna and him went to the entrance to Tartarus, to face Caltroth and Discord." Fluttershy couldn't believe it. Woodwind would never do anything so brash. Why would he follow Luna into a fight they couldn't win. "W-what do we do?" She asked, beginning to sob. Celestia looked down at her, thinking why Woodwind would do this to her. The two had started their lives together not to long ago. He had given up that rough and tumble lifestyle he once had to become a family pony. He loved his family, so his decision didn't make much sense. "We can do nothing, but wait."
Discord sat on his throne, filing his razor sharp nails out of boredom. The spell to open Tartarus was taking longer than he would have liked. He had Chaos to spread. "Is this going to take much longer?" He whined. "I have destruction to rain down on this miserable world." Caltroth was losing patience with him fast. Discord didn't take any threat seriously and he didn't believe in the power of the damned. He was an egotistical, narcissistic child. "I shall be done soon. You must have SOME amount of patience in that miss-matched body of yours." Discord smiled and gave an amused snort. "Ah. Someone is a little high strung. You need to loosen up a little, have some fun!" Discord yelled as he sent an avalanche of cotton candy into the small village below. Caltroth rolled his bright red eyes and kept up the spell. If Discord hadn't been distracting him so much, it would have been done by now. "Discord, just go sit over there and let me-" A blast of magic exploded the ground next to them. Discord jumped out of the way, nearly getting hit by the second blast. Caltroth stood his ground and glowered in anger at the dark princess raining fire down upon them. With her was a pegasus, who dove at Discord with tremendous speed, nearly taking the Draconequues head off. "You know i'm not the only one here!" He yelled, pointing to Caltroth. Caltroth strained his eyes at the pegasus, who was flying back into the sky. He was wearing a gold and crystal neckless. The kind of neckless he knew all too well. An Element of Harmony. He called to the night princess. "It was foolish for you two to come here! I will take pride in turning you both into agents of evil once more!" They ignored him and continued their assault. Caltroth had enough.
"Princess, this isn't working! What were we thinking!?" Woodwind yelled, shooting a beam of bright red light at the pair below. "We can prevail, Woodwind! We just have-" She was cut off as the two were grabbed in midair by an invisible hand, and slammed into the ground. The wind was knocked out of Woodwind and he saw stars. He coughed and gasped as his lungs tried to fill back up. Luna bolted to her feet and shot at Caltroth, Who disappeared in the blink of an eye- Then reappeared in front of her, smashing her across the face with a massive black hand. "Princess!" Woodwind yelled, hopping to his feet. His Element glowed and shot another bright red beam at the monster. He quickly avoided it and launched forward. The Element was firing on its own. Woodwind had little to no control over it. Caltroth appeared behind Woodwind, and swung at him the same way he did the princess. His Element raised a protective barrier over him and the fist slammed into it, sending him flying. Woodwind crashed to the dirt, dazed. Caltroth and Discord approached them both. Luna struggled to stand. "Y-you! Stay back! You will regret it when my sister arrives!" Discord and Caltroth looked over the princess and laughed. "Oh, dear child-" Discord said, slithering over to her and putting his lion arm over her shoulder. "Do you really think anyone cares about what happens to the dreaded NightMare Moon?" She turned away and banished the name from her mind. "No! They will come for us!" She yelled. Woodwind could tell she was breaking from the get go. Discords voice was both chilling and hypnotic at the same time. He could bend anyones will to his own, making him the most dangerous creature known to pony. "Oh NightMare, why lie to yourself? You know your sister resents you. She would like nothing more than for her little sister of the stars to burn out." Discord pressed. Luna began to tear. "My sister loves me!" She yelled louder and began to sob. "We would never let anything happen to Night Mare Moon. The most powerful Alicorn in the universe. You could become so much more if you join us. Take back your crown as rightful ruler of Equestria, my dear. We will always be there for you, unlike your weak sister." Woodwind couldn't take it anymore. "Luna! Don't listen to him! He's tricking you! He just wants-" Luna bellowed her voice, and her form shifted. "No, Woodwind. He speaks truth! Who am I, the queen of darkness, to take orders from her?" Her form became that of the terrible NightMare. Her size had doubled and her jet black armor formed to the now more slender, elegant form. "You would be wise to join me." Woodwind stood, and faced the three. He was all alone now. Just a Pegasus against three of the most powerful creatures in the known world. His odds weren't so good. Discord smiled and approached him, Woodwind backed away. "Why do you, of all ponies, join the loosing side? You were a soldier!-" His smile got even wider. "You were the leader of an entire race!" Woodwind wouldn't let the monster get to him. "I know what you're trying to do! You wont get me! And I don't join the winning side. I join the side with the most nobel intentions!" Discord took Woodwind around his arm and walked with him toward the cliff edge, ignoring the sappy answer Woodwind had given him and decided to press another way. "Celestia never wanted you to live you know. Do you know why she saved you that day?" Discord asked him. Woodwind remained quiet. NightMare stepped forward. "I had asked her to save you, I had pleaded with her to save you! She said you were nothing but a human monster like the rest. I saved your life. You owe it to me!" Woodwind hung his head low. Did Celestia really do that, or was NightMare lying to him? "But my family, My friends..." he murmured, clearly feeling the effects of the hypnotic voice. "You think they really like you? You're just a nameless human to them! What pony in the world would understand you? What you've gone through?" Discord pressed hoping the weight of his words would crush Woodwind. "No! My wife, my daughters, my son! They all love me! I know they do!" He yelled, trying to get Discords voice out of his head. "Do you think, that after what happened here today, you'll be able to see them again? Celestia will lock you and Luna away for treason! Your family will leave and forget all about you. You screwed up coming here. But we can make it your greatest moment!" Woodwind broke. His eyes pooled with tears and he yelled as loud as he could. Discord let loose an evil smile. Woodwind stood, his face heavy with the darkness now filling his soul. "What will you have me do?" All three of the dark creatures smiled. Caltroth stepped forward. "In your form, you can do nothing, But I can make you into Something much more. Perhaps an Alicorn of darkness, much like NightMare Moon, would suit you?" He said pointing to the graceful princess of evil. "Do it!" Woodwind yelled. He rose from the ground, light and shadow mixing around his rapidly reshaping body. He had gained an extra five feet of height, his wings stretching into elegant and slender shapes, and a long, razor sharp horn sprouted from his head. Woodwind had never felt power like this. He no longer felt the shackles of his old life around his ankles. All he felt was pure, dark power. And it felt good. He gracefully floated to the ground, his new mighty body wrapped in jet black armor. He let out a loud laugh. NightMare looked him over, obviously admiring his... strong appearance. "A pony could get used to this... I don't know how held your power in check so long, Luna." He said looking over his new body. She smiled and ran a hoof across his powerful chest getting as close as she could to him. "I don't know either..." She said, just inches away, smiling an evil smile. She locked her lips around his. Woodwind took the kiss in shock. Why was she doing this? Was she drawn to him for him? Or his power? Either way, the kiss felt... kind of good. The fact that it was from the princess upped the wow factor. An image of Fluttershy snapped in his mind and he quickly pushed the princess away, his cheeks a bright crimson red. She looked at him and smiled. He felt a huge pang of regret for allowing that to happen. "Ah, I can see you're weak when it comes to your emotions." NightMare said, with a mocking laugh. Woodwind shot her an evil, piercing glare. "Emotions make one weak." He growled. He shot his head back at his own statement. But something inside him made him feel... right about it. He looked down as he felt a small weight fall from his neck. The Element of Love fell into the dirt. He looked down at it, questioning why it fell. The crystal began to dull, losing its light from within. Something dark inside him scoffed and brought his hoof down, smashing the crystal to pieces. "Oh, my my." NightMare mocked. "The great Element of Love is no more." "Come, my puppets, we have work to do." Caltroth said as they followed him back by the portal. Out of the pieces of the remaining crystal, only the butterflies remained. A breeze picked up blowing the tiny butterflies away.
Everypony gathered in the ball room, waiting for Luna and Woodwind to return. They had been waiting for half the day, and still no sign of them. Pinkie Pie was trying to play with Rainbow Dash, Rarity and Twilight sat at a table talking amongst themselves, and Princess Celestia stood at the window, looking to the distant mountain top where the entrance to Tartarus was located. Fluttershy sat in the garden just outside, watching her children play. She let out a heavy sigh, thinking of what could have happened to Woodwind. Did they capture him? Was he hurt? Or killed? She banished the last thought from her mind. How could Luna do this? She knew the dangers of Caltroth and Discord, and yet she and Woodwind went to fight them together? Fluttershy felt sick to her stomach again, and tried to hold in it. This baby was going to change their already fragile family. And if something had happened to Woodwind, she would be left all alone with the foals. She heard hoof steps behind her, expecting Twilight to be there, she let out a frustrated sigh. "I don't need to be lectured again. Please, I just want to be left alone." The tall and elegant princess sat beside the bewildered Fluttershy. "Oh, Princess, I-i'm sorry for-" Celestia cut her off. "It's ok. I came to see how you were doing." "Fluttershy sighed. "Not so well. Why would Woodwind do this? He wouldn't just abandon his family like this. What came over him? To both of them?" Celestia put a hoof on her shoulder. "I don't know, but if I know my sister, she thought she could handle them. Why she asked for Woodwind's help, i'll never know." Fluttershy hung her head low, and Celestia, as if by magic, asked Fluttershy about her predicament. "How far along is your pregnancy?" She asked. Fluttershy stutterd, not knowing what to say. "I know you feel like you can't handle this, but a foal is a blessing. You should always trust the love you two feel for one another. That will get you through any situation you face." Fluttershy smiled. "You really think so?" She asked. Celestia smiled. "I know so." she said. "And you and the foals are more important to him that anything in all of Equestria." Fluttershy smiled. Everything seemed much more clear now, and she knew she was ready. She looked down and smiled wider running her hoof in circular motions around her stomach. "Another foal." She said giggling.
The agents of chaos were hard at work, preparing the portal of Tartarus. Woodwind stood on the cliff, with an enchanted NightMare at his side. He looked to the small wooded area below. His new powers needed testing. He sent out a powerful blast and the forrest lit up in a ball of flame. Little creatures scattered in every direction trying to escape the blaze. This wasn't who Woodwind was, but he knew he had no choice. His old life had determined who he always was. A monster. NightMare let out a loud laugh. "Very good. I can see you handled your transition nicely." She said running her hoof across his back. "Any mare would be lucky to have someone with your power." she hissed He just grunted, an angry look on his face. He already had a mare, somepony who loved him more than anyone ever could. But he couldn't face her now. He couldn't show her the monster he had become. Discord came over after hearing the explosion. "Hmm, not bad. Could use more "oomph". But if you'll excuse me, I have some friends to visit." He said snapping his fingers, and vanished into thin air. Woodwind took one last look back to Canterlot, and walked back to the portal in progress.
Celestia and Fluttershy watched has the forrest to the north had burst into flames, The fire spreading to the small village a couple miles away. "It has begun." She said, as the girls came rushing out into the garden. "What the hay was that?" Rainbow yelled, flying above the trees to get a better view. "It was a magic blast!" Twilight said startled. "Could Discord or Caltroth have done this?" She asked Celestia. "No, That is not Discords style and if Caltroth had done something like that, we would all be dead." Rarity cocked her head, "But, it's just the two of them. Who else could have done that?" "I don't know. But I know they didn't open the portal to Tartarus yet." Celestia said. Her eye suddenly widened. "Oh no.. Please no!" The other ponies looked at her as she ran inside. They began to follow, but Discord appeared from no where and blocked the door. He plucked an apple from the tree and nodded to the girls. "Ah, It's so wonderful to see you all again. Did you miss me as much as I missed you?" He asked them, taking a bite from the fruit. Rainbow Dash charged for him, but AppleJack grabbed her tail. Discord let out a snort. "Now thats no way to treat a guest, is it, Rainbow Dash?" "What the heck do you want?!" She yelled, struggling to break free of AppleJack's grip. "Oh I just came to tell you your friends won't be coming home. They belong to us now." He said, throwing the apple back up into the tree. It re-attached itself to the branch, and reassembled itself. Fluttershy stepped forward, her children hiding behind the others. "W-what did you do to Woodwind?" She asked quietly. Discord came forward and wrapped his arm around her. The other ponies were on the brink of attacking, but kept their rage in check. "I showed him who he truly was, same with Luna. They had no problem accepting the power we offered them. He has been transformed into a new Alicorn of darkness! My greatest achievement!" He said, letting her go. "You can't expect to stop all four of us in time. So gather your Elements and head for the mountain to battle us all if you want. We eagerly await your arrival." He bellowed one last laugh and vanished into the dusk. Fluttershy began to weep, Squeak came over to comfort her, as did all the other ponies. "Mommy? What happened to daddy?" Squeak asked. Fluttershy gave no reply. "Fluttershy, it'll be ok. We'll save him and Luna. We won't let them down." Rainbow said, giving her a helping hoof up. Fluttershy wiped her face of tears and looked at them all. "Lets go. We have to save him!" She said bolting off to the Element vault. Twilight smiled, watching her as she ran for the vault. She had changed so much since she met Woodwind. She was certainly braver than ever before, and she loved him too much to let her fears interfere with saving him. They smiled and ran to catch the others. Squeak sat their with her siblings, a guard coming over to bring them back to their room. But before he came over, three small butterflies landed on Squeaks lap. She didn't know why, but she somehow knew to take them. The guard scooped them up and walked inside. "Come on little ones. Time for bed." He said smiling. Squeak knew she had to help the grown ups anyway she could. She was going to prove that she was a big brave pony. "Just like daddy." she thought
Woodwind and NightMare had been talking for hours. Well, she had been talking for hours. For one so dark, she seemed to have quite the soft spot for him. She talked about her plans for when Equestria was plummeted into eternal darkness, and how they would vanquish both Discord and Caltroth. And how she wanted to spend her time with him. "So," She continued. "What plans to you have for me?" She asked Woodwind flirtatiously as they lay in the grass. He didn't say a thing, he just continued to stare at Canterlot. The lights of the castle glowing in the dusk. "Oh the strong, silent type, are we? I like that." She said, with a hint of pleasure in her voice. "Oh please-" Discord said, as he trotted over to the two. "When you two are finished making googly eyes at eachother, come join us. The portal is almost ready." Night Mare stood, smiling at Woodwind, "Are you coming?" She asked offering a hoof to help him up. He ignored the help, stood and strode off without a single word.
Squeak was left behind at the castle with her brother and sister. She was told it wasn't safe to go when Fluttershy came to say goodbye to them, despite Squeaks protest. She didn't care what the grown ups said. While there were guards outside the room, there were none outside the window. "Ahah!" She said as the lock fell from window, She flew over to her siblings. "I'll be back soon, ok? I just have to help Mom and dad." She kissed her brother and sister on the forehead and flew off into the distance.
The girls were now at the smoldering carnage that was once a forest. The glowing husks of trees and burnt carcasses of animals were everywhere. AppleJack, Twilight, Pinkie Pie and Rarity had the misfortune of walking through it to the path up the mountain. "Oh this is just dreadful!" Rarity said, trying to shake the soot and ash off her hooves. "I know. But which one of them do you think could have done this?" Rainbow Dash said, looking away as they passed a chard deer. "It couldn't have been Woodwind." Fluttershy said, saddened by the scene. "He could never do this..." Twilight brought in her analysis to the conversation, no matter how hard it was for them to hear it. "Remember, we were all transformed into complete opposites of who we are. Woodwind and Luna are just as seceptable to Discords magic, too." The girls gulped at the thought of a reversed Woodwind. Not only that, but Discord said he was a new Alicorn of darkness, a point that Rainbow Dash brought up quickly. "So what did Discord mean when he said that he was transformed into an Alicorn? Is that even possible?" Pinkie was wondering that, too. "Yea, how can someone just change what they are like, poof?" "Well-" Twilight said bringing up her constant studies, "I've read that since everypony has magic in them already, if someone with the power wanted to, they could give somepony the power to use theirs, even if they aren't adept to using it." She sighed and frowned, looking at the scene before her. "I think this could have been Woodwind who did this... He was probably testing his power." The others gulped and hung their heads low. Fluttershy began to silently cry to herself. How could he let his darkness get to him like that? Didn't he think about his home, his friends, his family? Her? She banished the thoughts away quickly and continued on, but knowing in the deepest depths of her heart that Woodwind was now a dangerous foe, and she'd have to do everything in her power to help her friends deal with him, no matter the cost. No matter how much she loved him, the safety of her family and friends always came first. Love was beginning to fade...
Caltroth continued his chanting as the blood-red portal began to increase in brightness. NightMare stood with Woodwind, who still refused to talk, and Discord was snoring on his throne. For a creature of extraordinary power, he certainly never took anypony else's seriously. A mistake he'd soon regret. Woodwind had worked the plan over and over in his mind. While he could no longer wield the Element of Love, he figured his new powers would be enough to vanquish his foes. But the darkness... His soul was full of it. Every hateful feeling he ever had in his life; every doubt, sadness, and pain, all wrapping his soul like a cocoon. But it wasn't painful like he would have thought. It's feelings were the exact opposite. Pleasurable. It felt like his soul was in a constant state of climax. Every muscle quivering with the power Caltroth had so foolishly given him. It was easy to appear to give in, and apparently easier to get one of them on his side, although he hadn't done anything to convince her. Had Luna really felt these feelings for him? Or was it NightMare feeling the power in him that made her quiver in ecstasy at his very presence? He could never give her what she sought, despite her, "persuasive" advances on him. But his time to strike was soon, the portal was nearly open, and he'd send Discord and Caltroth back into the depths of hell where they belonged. The climb up the mountain was taking longer than Twilight would have hoped for. They had to be slow and quiet, which meant that their enemy had more time to achieve their goal. "C'mon!" Rainbow yelled, getting more frustrated by the minute. "Let me just fly up there! I'll give em the ol' one two!" She said, swinging her front hooves in punching motions. "Please, Rainbow," Rarity said, shaking disapprovingly at her barbaric behavior. "This requires a bit of restraint. We don't know what we're walking into." Rainbow sighed "Can we at least walk a little faster?" she said folding her arms in frustration. "Ok, fine." Twilight said beginning to trot faster. "Girls, lets move!" They all began to run, and fly up the mountain, but still making sure to be as quiet as possible. Squeak had reached the edge of the burnt forest. The smell of the decaying animals overwhelmed her, and she began to gag. "What the heck happened?" she asked herself, flying over the still red hot ground. Was it that monster who everypony was talking about? Or was it that other creature who came to them back at the castle? She remembered what he said about her daddy and began to tear. What if her daddy did this? The one who spent every moment with her; playing zombie ponies in the yard, making her favorite snacks everyday. How could he hurt anypony like this? A loud humming sound was coming from the top of the mountain, accompanied by a bright red light. Squeak couldn't even look at the top of the mountain it was so bright. But she knew thats where she had to be. Her daddy was up there and needed her. "Here I come daddy!" She said and zoomed for the top. Twilight and the others hunkered down in the bushes a couple hundred feet from where Discord and Caltroth had set up shop. They saw Woodwind and Luna, too, but their appearances had changed drastically. While the girls knew what NightMare Moon looked like, they had no idea what Woodwinds appearance would hold. He stood a good six and a half feet tall; his wings now elegant and regal looking. A long tapering horn protruded from the top of his head, engulfed by light. The girls stood in awe at him. He was now a creature of terrible power, and they had to be prepared for anything. But they weren't prepared for what happened next.
The portal had begun to stabilize as Caltroth ceased his chanting. "That's it. It is done." he said as he wiped the sweat from his brow with a massive black claw. Discord stood and looked into the hole. "Looks pretty empty.." He said scratching his head. He looked in deeper and ducked as a blast of shadow nearly took his head off. The darkness shooting from the portal looked like bats leaving a cave. They graced the sky in circles before falling to the earth, and began rearranging themselves into full bodied horrors. Woodwind smirked, feeling their power. It paled in comparison to his. He tried to hide the extent of what he was capable from the others. Although his half baked scheme would probably fail, he needed to try it anyway. Show time. His horn glowed as brilliant streams of light blasted the area. The creatures of shadow trying to create themselves squealed and disintegrated in the light. Caltroth shielded his eyes, as did Discord and Luna. "Are you mad?!" Caltroth yelled in rage. "What are you doing?!" "Something I should have done hours ago!" Woodwind yelled sending a blast of magic at the monster.
The girls covered their eyes as Woodwind shot the light. Even through shut eyes, however, they were almost blinded by its brilliance. It was like staring at the sun with a telescope. "Holy moly!" Pinkie yelled as she blinked the spots from her eyes. "What the hay happened?" Rainbow shook her head and began rubbing her face with her hooves. "Did Woody do that?" she asked trying to see what was happening. Twilight ran closer, the bright light still nearly blinding her. "It is Woodwind." She said, "He's not on their side!" The others let out a sigh of relief. Fluttershy began to quietly cheer to herself. "How could i have doubted him?" She thought. "I knew he would never do anything that would hurt his family." "C'mon gals, Let's go wrangle us up some critters!" AppleJack yelled, rushing towards the fray.
The blast flew straight and true, sending Caltroth headlong into the portal. He grabbed the rim and hung on as shadows and monsters tugged at his limbs. Discord skillfully dodged the blast sent his way; slithering behind trees, through the grass, and closing his distance with Woodwind. "You call these attacks?" He bellowed and threw a dark flaming ball his way. Woodwind couldn't dodge it. He hit the ground with a solid crack, as his leg was twisted in an unnatural position. He winced in pain and tried to stand. Discord lunged. Woodwind braced for the attack that was about to come. But it didn't. A cloaked figure stood in front of the two. A long, black, solid stone staff in one hand, and a shield made of the same material in the other. It was blocking the magic with ease. "Well, well. Somepony who knows his stuff." Discord said smiling. The figure let out a grumbling laugh. "I'm no pony." He said swinging the razor sharp staff at Discords head. He expertly dodged it and swung a massive paw at the figure, who dodged that as well. Woodwind tried to stand as the two figures fought in a deadly ballet. Luna rushed to Woodwinds side, and helped him up. "What did you do? You ruined our plans!" She yelled, taking in the scene. Woodwind pinned her to the ground, his horn glowing. "There are no plans! You are not NightMare Moon! You're Luna!" He hit her with a blast of magic. The other ponies ran to him, yelling for him to stop, but he didn't. Twilight jumped on him, pinning him to the ground. "What's wrong with you!?" She yelled, her own horn glowing a bright purple. Fluttershy bolted over and tried to pull her off. "Twilight wait! Don't he didn't-" "You saw it! He blasted the princess! He IS evil! He deserves no better!" Twilight yelled, her horn flashing brighter. Fluttershy placed herself in front of Twilight, blocking her shot. "No Twilight. I won't let you!" She said, sobbing. "Just look!" She yelled pointing towards Luna. Twilight looked, but it didn't make sense. In place of NightMare Moon, was Luna, being helped up by the others and rubbing her head in confusion. She looked back down at Woodwind. Fluttershy had wrapped her arms around him and was looking imploringly at Twilight. Woodwind had a look on his face that would turn water to ice. He stared at Twilight with stone cold eyes, waiting for her to end him. She lowered her head and her horn ceased glowing. She released him and walked to the others and Luna. "Princess, are you ok?" She asked with a heavy heart. Luna just looked around, "Where am I, Twilight Sparkle? What has happened?" Twilight put a hoof around her, making sure she was steady enough to sit up on her own. "You're at the entrance to Tartarus. Discord tricked you and Woodwind when you came here to stop them last night. Do you remember?" Luna shook her head. She looked over Twilights shoulder at Woodwind; her cheeks turning a bright red when she remembered what she felt for him. Twilight looked at her curiously, but ignored it for now as she tried to explain everything to her.
Fluttershy pulled Woodwind close. His chest was burnt to a crisp from Discords blast. Every time he took a breath, she could here the skin crackle like someone crumpling paper. She laid with him, keeping him comfortable. She looked over his new, breathtaking form. He stood clear over her by a couple of feet now, and his wings had grown elegantly long. "Woodwind, are you ok?" She asked, touching the wound gingerly with her hoof. He grunted in pain and coughed up blood. "Why is it that I never seem to get a break, Fluttershy?" he asked, smiling with blood caked teeth. She let out a sigh, and looked back up to the chaotic scene around them. Discord and the mysterious figure were still locked in an epic struggle, the girls were trying to get Luna to her feet, and Caltroth was trying to climb his way out of the portal. "Woodwind, we need your help. Your element is the only thing that can help us defeat them." She said trying to sit him up. He sighed and shook his head, "I-i can't. It left me." He said standing up, then looking kind of guilty, "I-I kind of smashed it. It no longer exists." "No... You can still use it. YOU are the element of love!" She said pleading. "You're the only one who can stop them!" He looked back at the battle, whoever this was, knew their stuff. But, something was wrong. This was no creature. It was Human!
The human continued the elegant battle with the master of disharmony. His staff and his shield, made out of what appeared to be obsidian, were striking vicious blows. All of which discord blocked with magic. "So you think your attempts are going to help them? It's only prolonging the inevitable!" Discord spouted sending another blast at him. The human smashed it away with his shield and continued his advance. "I have many sins to atone for. It doesn't matter if I win or lose here today, as long as I make up what I have done, then that will be enough for me!" He flung the shield at Discord and stabbed at him in his confusion, striking a glancing, but severe enough blow, to send Discord reeling backwards. The human yelled a war cry and charged.
Squeak reached the top of the mountain to see, what she could only describe as pure chaos. While the girls were helping Luna, her mom was helping her dad get to his feet. But was it her dad? He looked so much taller now. His wings too. He also had a horn like her Auntie Twilight and Rarity. What happened to him? She cautiously stepped out of the bushes and approached her parents. She fell to the ground as a large black claw wrapped itself around her hind legs. She screamed in terror at what she saw.
Everypony seised what they were doing and went into attack mode. Caltroth had crawled his way out of the portal, his black hide riddled with claw marks and bites from the demons. He was holding Squeak in his powerful claw smiling. He stared dead into Woodwinds eyes. "Ah, is this your daughter?" He asked smiling, running a sharp claw across her cheek. She screamed in pain as the wound began to trickle blood. Woodwind stood, ignoring the pain, and grunted in anger. Fluttershy was hiding behind him in tears. "Sweetie." He whispered to her, "Go to the girls. get ready to use the elements." She nodded and flew to the others, never taking her eyes off the standoff.
"You don't want to hurt her, Caltroth. It's me you want! Let her go!" Caltroth bellowed with laughter. "Do you really think I have to chose between the two of you? Why can't I destroy you both?" Squeak sobbed and reached for her father. "Daddy! Please help!" He had to think. What could he do? His thoughts bubbled away as rage took its place. He felt something deep within. An ancient, almost primal power was building. He tried to contain it, but failed. A burst of light shot from his horn. He felt all the power in his body drain into the blast. As the power drained, he felt his body returning to its normal state. He shrunk down to his normal size, his wings had lost their elegant beauty, and his horn shrank into his skull. Everyone stared in awe at the magic befalling them. Woodwind looked up to see himself. Well, not really himself, anyway. The magic was in the form of the Alicorn he once was, transparent and glowing. It looked to Woodwind with a smile, and back to the others. It walked towards the mane 6, glowing brighter with each step. They were all paralyzed by the spectacle. The magic began to speak. "It has been far too long since I have been awoken." It bellowed, it's voice echoing off the dusty mountainside. "Who are you?" Luna demanded, now on her feet. The creature cocked a quizzical head at her. "My identity is of little concern. I have been summoned by the Pegasi there." He said pointing toward Woodwind, who still had his eye on Caltroth. "He is the only element which has command over my power." he bellowed. All the girls continued to stare at the entity with wide eyes. "If you're here, you mind helping us?" Rainbow yelled, frustrated by its apparent lack of caring. The creature shook its head. "Only if Woodwind accepts the Element of Harmony back into his heart. Otherwise, I can do nothing." Caltroth yelled in frustration. "Alright, I've had about enough of this!" He slid his claw across Squeaks throat. Fluttershy screamed at the sight and Woodwind rushed the beast, yelling the entire way. Caltroth sidestepped, threw the filly to the dirt, and bashed Woodwind on the head. The other ponies were weeping as they rushed to Squeak, her tiny body now lying in the dirt. They scooped her up and tried to aid her. But it was too late. All the ponies looked at the horrible beast now raising a massive hand to Woodwind. "You now know true pain, you pathetic horse! Now you'll die, along with the rest of your world!" He brought the fist down. Woodwind was in tears and braced himself for the hit. Nothing. He looked up to see Caltroth, the staff now sticking through his chest, his blood seemed to blend with the pure black, crystal like object. The human peered from behind the body and spoke. "I think you've caused enough hell for one life time." He said pulling his staff out of the creatures abdomen. Caltroth gave a few choking gags and fell to the ground, no longer breathing. Woodwind knew that voice all to well. Even though he had an idea who it was a long time ago. Cole pulled the hood back and smiled at his old friend. "It's been far too long." He said whipping his staff on a nearby boulder. Woodwind would deal with this later. He rushed to the others and to Squeak. Fluttershy screamed and cried as her daughter lay lifeless in Twilights arms. Woodwind gingerly picked up her limp body and cradled it. "Squeaks?! Squeaks please!" He pleaded, tears running hot down his cheeks. Her lifeless eyes just stared back at him. He yelled back at the body of Caltroth, obscenities and all. "You heartless sonofabitch! You fucking piece of no good garbage!" He fell to the ground, sobbing. Twilight and the others came to him, trying to comfort him as best they could. But their tears only added to the pain. The large magical being trotted forward. "You loved her, didn't you?" He asked. Woodwind looked up furious. "Of course I fucking loved her! She was my first child! My little miracle!" He said looking back down at her. He closed her eyes and embraced Fluttershy, who was sobbing uncontrollably. Feeling forgotten, Discord came forward, actually looking genuinely upset. "Girls, I-I never wanted anypony to get hurt. All I wanted was pure, fun chaos. I'm-" He was cut off. Everyone gasped in horror by what they saw. The black claw was sticking through Discords midsection. He looked at all the terrified faces around him as the blood drained from his face. His eyes rolled to the back of his head and he collapsed to the ground. Caltroth loomed over the body as a fine red mist began to emanate from it. Caltroth inhaled deeply and sucked it in. He instantly began to change. His body grew an extra three feet, muscles bulged from his leathery black hide. His voice became a deep grumble from what it was before as he began to bellow an evil laugh. "After all these years, i've forgotten what TRUE power felt like." He said smiling, looking over his now imposing form. Woodwind put Squeak down gingerly, and stood. Still trailing tears. He gave Caltroth a horrible stare. The only kind of stare one can muster from a pain unimaginable. "You only came back to life to die again, Caltroth!" He yelled and charged the beast. Cole went to join the others, who took instant defensive posses. Except for Twilight. "Everypony, relax. It's ok. He's here to help us." Twilight said going up to him. "Glad you could make it." she smiled, but with tears still in her eyes. Cole went over and brushed the lifeless filly's mane. The others watched him, unsure why he felt upset for her. He looked up to the specter, "Is there anything we can do for her?" He asked pleadingly with the magical being. "There is always something someone can do. But are they willing to do it? That's the real question." It said gazing up at the stars. "Anything." Cole said. The creature now returned his stare. "Are you willing to trade your life energy to save her? Are you willing to die?" It said gazing into his eyes. "My life was forefit long ago." He stated bluntly, looking back down at the little corpse. "Do it." The creature looked over to the fight between Woodwind and Caltroth. "For it to work, no evil must be near. Which means Caltroth must be dealt with first." "Well isn't that fan-fucking-tastic!" Rainbow yelled, taking all the girls aback by her language. They expected it from Woodwind, but from her? Well, actually... Fluttershy looked Cole dead in the eyes. "You're going to save her?" She asked, grabbing him by his collar. He looked her dead in her bright blue eyes. "I promise."
Woodwind didn't care about the beating he was receiving. The blows didn't hurt as much as his emotional pain. He managed a few glancing blows but other than that, he was getting his ass handed to him on a platter. The girls watched as he was punted back into their midst. Fluttershy grabbed his forearm, pleading with him. "Please, Woodwind, I can't loose you too. I need you!" He stood back up, and was about to continue the fruitless battle. "Woodwind! I'm pregnant!" She yelled Everypony looked in shock, except Twilight, who knew all along. Woodwind froze in place, but only for a minute as Caltroth charged them. He flew and bucked him in the face, sending him reeling backwards. "Fluttershy, why didn't you tell me before?!" He yelled, taking another blow to the stomach. "I couldn't! I thought it would cause you more distress than you're already in!" She yelled over the chaos of their fight. "Well, nothing could stress me out more than today!" He said, taking a kick to the back of the leg. He crumpled to the ground and rolled as a fist came down where his head was. "If you're going to vanquish Caltroth, you must use your elements now. It's the only way." The magical being said staring at the fight. "But tha elements won't have any affect on 'im." AppleJack said, wiping away tears. "You're right." The being said flatly. "But if you don't try, your entire world is doomed." The girls gulped and looked down at the elements around their necks. "Alright girls, lets do this. For Squeak..." Twilight said trailing off, staring at the little filly. New tears began to form in her eyes. "I love you, Squeak..." Fluttershy sobbed. The girls got into position. They all levitated four feet off the ground, beams of light emanating from their being. Luna and Cole, who was still holding Squeak in his massive arms, backed away from the spectacle.
Woodwind took another bash to the face. He felt his jaw snap and he fell to the ground. Caltroth dove on him, pinning him to the ground. "I took your daughter away, next i'll take your wife away, then everypony you hold near and dear to you, then you!" He said getting right in his face. A blast hit Caltroth and he turned to respond to the threat.
Woodwind watched as Caltroth stood and faced his attackers head on, laughing as the blast of rainbow light hit him square in the chest. "Is that all you can muster?!" He yelled amused by their feeble attempts. "Come on girls!" Twilight yelled, "More power! We need more power!" The girls tried with all their might, but Fluttershy couldn't concentrate. She was staring at Squeaks corpse, tears rimming her eyes once more. Woodwind looked over at them. He was in awe at their true potential, but he noticed Fluttershy not using her power. He called out to her "Fluttershy! Focus! You need to do this! For Squeaks!" he yelled, hoping she heard. She looked at his battered bruised form laying on the ground. "B-but I..." she began to stammer but Woodwind cut her off. "I know! I know how you feel! I know Squeak's death hurts, but if I can do it, you can do it!" He smiled at her, but began to tear. "I love you, Fluttershy. Always remember that. Use that to draw your strength from." he said as he stood to face down Caltroth. Caltroth was unaware that he had placed himself directly in front of the gaping portal. Woodwind rushed and tackled the great beast- Right into it. Fluttershy screamed to him and the others were too stunned to continue the Elements spell, and they fell to the ground unceremoniously. Cole rushed for them and dove to the portal as they fell through. Woodwind felt the portal sucking him in, the demon spawns within tugging at him, wanting him. Caltroth hung onto his hind legs as Cole held onto his forelegs. Woodwind stared up at him imploringly. Cole had to let him go! Caltroth was dug in tightly into his legs and he'd never get free. He yelled to him over the roar of the portal. "Cole! You have to let go!" Cole looked into Woodwinds eyes. They still had that glint of honor and bravery they always had back when he was human. Cole looked away, unable to meet his gaze anymore. "No! You have a wife, children, and kid on the way! I'm not letting go no matter what!" he yelled, grabbing tighter onto his hooves. Woodwind smiled at him, "It's out of your hands marine!" He winked and snapped his left hoof free. "Please no!" Cole yelled, trying to grab it back. "Semper Fi." Woodwind said wrenching his other hoof free. Woodwind and Caltroth plummeted into the depths of Tartarus. Cole yelled his name reaching in for him, but it was too late. Woodwind let the creatures grab and tear at his flesh, Caltroth fought them the entire way down, and let out screams of terror. Woodwind began to feel time and space warp around him. He no longer felt the stings of the monsters claws, or the screams of the damned. He felt nothing but space.
Cole was shot back as Woodwind pushed his hands away. He stumbled back to the portal in time to see Woodwind plummeting into the depths, creatures clawing at his flesh the entire way down. "No!" He screamed, reaching for the dead air. He was again launched back as the portal collapsed in on itself. The others flew over to Cole, who was digging frantically at the ground. He looked to Fluttershy who was unable to cry anymore. How could she still be on her feet after losing both her daughter AND husband. She was braver than she appeared. Braver than anyone else by his standards. The lumbering magical beast now stood beside them. "You may now save the young one." He bellowed, levitating her body towards them. Cole stood up, looking over all of them. "I'm sorry. I couldn't save him, I couldn't bring him back to you. I couldn't give you all the fairy tale ending you desperately needed after today." He went to Fluttershy, who flinched as he putt his hands on her shoulder. "But I can atone for some of my sins against you all. The life of a damned soul, to give life to an innocent." He stared into the empty eyes of Squeak, then up into the ghostly Alicorns. "I'm ready..." He said. The Alicorn nodded, and began his spell. Twilight and the others had been so quiet all night. Even the energetic Pinkie Pie was as silent as the grave. They all huddled around Fluttershy as she watched her baby girl lift off the ground and spiral around Cole like a tornado. "Hey, Fluttershy. You get your Squeak back." Rainbow said rubbing her hoof across her back. "Aren't you happy?" "Yea!" AppleJack said, putting on a brave face for the sheepish mare. "You and Squeak will be together again real soon." Fluttershy sighed, and closed her eyes. Pinkie Pie, who put a hoof on her so gently, an ant would probably barely feel it chimed in. "I-I know you've heard all this Fluttershy, but... but..." Pinkie Pie began to tear up, "I'm so glad we're able to bring Squeak back. But... Woody..." Fluttershy looked to all her friends. The most important ponies in her life always there for her in her time of need. But now it was just her and the foals. She took a deep breath, thinking about him. He sacrificed himself to save them all and she knew that he'd do it again. That darn stallion of hers. She smiled at the thoughts of that brave fool, never thinking about himself. "Fluttershy, dear, If you need anything, come to me, alright?" Rarity said stepping forward. Fluttershy nodded, still not able to speak. The ghostly Alicorn set both bodies on the ground, neither moving. The ponies gathered around them. "Well, did it work?" Rainbow asked puzzled. Twilight went to check on Coal. But as she approached, he disappeared like dust caught in a breeze. Only his cloak and clothing remained. She went to Squeak and put her ear to her mouth. She jumped back as the filly began to cough, inhaling deeply. Fluttershy bounded and cradled her precious little filly in her arms. "Mommy? What happened?" She said weakly, sitting herself up. "It's ok." Fluttershy said sobbing for joy, "You're safe. It's ok." The ghostly Alicorn smiled. Or at least what they thought was a smile. "I take my leave. Live long and happy lives." With that he blew away into the wind, giving a final nod. The others watched as he faded, then went over and joyfully welcomed Squeak back, giving her mane tussles and heartfelt hugs and kisses. She smiled at them all, but realized something was wrong... "Wheres daddy?" She asked nervously. Everypony's face sunk. How could they tell her what had happened? How could they tell her her father was gone to save her? No pony was brave enough to step forward and say what needed to be said,except for one. Fluttershy. "Squeak, daddy is..." She tried to say it but the words evaporated off her tongue. "He's..." She couldn't say it. She tried to be brave for her, but no matter what, she'd always be a scardy pony. Even though after all these years she had been with him, how he taught her to trust her feelings and always be the best she knew she could be. But lessons don't help when your child asks where her father is. But Squeak put two and two together. She was only five, but she was smarter than pony's gave her. "Daddy's dead. Isn't he?" Everyones heart sank as they all huddled around Fluttershy and Squeak, embracing the two tightly.
The bubble dissipated around Woodwind as he was flung out at the bottom of the mountain side. He looked up to see Celestia standing over him, his children wrapped gingerly under her wing. "But... how did-" Woodwind stammered, but she cut him short. "I saw what you did." She said forcing a smile. "It was very noble of you. That you would sacrifice your own life to give the others their chance to survive. It takes courage beyond my comprehension." She handed him his children, who were cooing in their sleep. "Why did you do it, princess? Why did you bring me back?" She smiled at him and shook her head. "I didn't save you." She said bluntly. He looked up at her with confusion written on his face like a book. She simply pointed to his neck. "Look." She said. He looked down, and latched to his neck once again, was the Element of Love. He stared deep into the facets he missed so much, but the butterflies were no longer there. It was just an empty green crystal. "What? But I destroyed it." He said, a pang of regret etched in his voice. "I know you did. But as a wielder of an Element, it is bound to you until the day you die, and pass it along to somepony else." Celestia stated making it sound like law instead of a tradition. "You know, your daughter is one loving filly." Celestia finished, patting him on the back. "She is..." he said, lost in thought. His daughter was an amazing filly. More loving than him. She had done more for her friends and family in her five years being alive than he had in his entire life. She was going to be a great mare someday. His smile quickly faded as he remembered... "But she was killed... Caltroth slit-" He cut himself off as tears began to stream down his face. Celestia looked to the top of the mountain. "Do you want to know who that shadow Alicorn was? The one you summoned?" She asked, looking back down to him. He looked up at her, eyes wide. "You know who he was?" He asked astonished. "I do." she said smiling wide. "He was my father." Woodwinds jaw nearly hit the ground he opened his mouth so wide. "Y-your father?!" he stammered, collecting his jaw off the floor. She chuckled. "Yes. Long ago, he was the Element of hope. An Element that died with him. It accepted nopony else but him. But today, you held the hopes of all your friends, your family, and everypony in Equestria on your shoulders; including me." her smile was like a hug to him. She genuinely meant all that she said. "Wow. Kinda makes you wonder, what if I had died that day, during the battle with Cole, all those years ago?" he asked hypothetically. She shrugged and began to walk away. "I guess we'll never know." She said and disappeared in a ball of light. "Well, death, maybe someday i'll follow you into the shadow." He said looking up at the dawn. Death was like a close friend to him. It was always looming over his shoulder ever since he became a soldier on Earth. And it still stayed, even in this peaceful world. It would take him soon, he knew that much. But when? Well, that's the mystery isn't it? Woodwind wrapped the foals in his forelegs and began his long flight up the mountain.
Squeak had asked to be alone for a while, which her mother hesitantly agreed to. She had fluttered to an adjacent hilltop, looking out at the rising sun. "Daddy. I wish you were here to watch the sun come up with me." She let out a sigh and put her head in her hooves. "Why do you always have to leave me? Why can't you just stay with me, and let us be a family like the normal mares and colts at school?" She began to sob. Sob not only for her daddy, but for mommy and her brother and sister. The twins wouldn't even remember daddy. And what about mommy? She loved him so much. Didn't he think of her before he did something dangerous? What was he thinking? She let all her tears flow free, falling from her face onto her folded forelegs. She felt something land beside her, but she didn't look up. She expected it to be Mommy or Auntie Dashy. "I just want to be alone right now. Please?" she pleaded to whoever was there with her. "Oh, well I thought i'd watch the sunrise with my favorite little filly, but if thats how you feel..." She shot up at the voice and lunged onto his neck. "DADDY, DADDY, DADDY!" She yelled squeezing him as tight as she could. "How are you here? How did you- Oh nevermind! Daddy!" He laughed, and stood as she still clung to his neck. "Lets go see mommy! I want to show her what I found!" She continued, flapping her little wings with such joy, he swore they'd fall off. "Alright, sweetiepie. Lets give them another beyond the grave surprise." He laughed. He continued walking down the path, Squeak now nestled on his head, and the twins balanced on his wings, awake now and giggling to each other. "Daddy? How many times have you died now?" He thought about it and laughed. He really only died once, technically, but he thought he'd humor her. "Oh I don't know... three? Maybe four times?" he said looking up at her. She leaned into his face, "You're not a zombie pony are you?" She asked, a look of suspicion etched into hers. "I might be. And now i'm going to eat your brains!" he said raising his forelegs into the air. She squeed loudly and flew into the air trying to avoid his reach.
Fluttershy and the others heard her yell and shot up faster than lighting. "Squeak? Ya lil' filly! What in tarnation is goin' on out there?" AppleJack yelled, running for the path. Squeak shot out from the bushes, giggling loudly. She hid behind Fluttershy and continued her giggle fit. "Sweetie? What is it? Why are you laughing so much?" Fluttershy asked, lifting the hind leg Squeak was hiding behind. "The zombie! He's gonna get me!" she yelled The other ponies stood there puzzled, but Fluttershy knew exactly what she was talking about. Her face was now aglow, she flew up just above the ground, as she scanned the path for Woodwind. She heard giggles as the twins burst from the woods, trotting to the mares in front of them. They turned to Rainbow Dash, who tried to scramble away. But it was fruitless. They jumped on her back and pinned her down, at least she played along with it anyway. "Great. Fluttershy? Why do your rugrats love me so much?" She asked as she placed a frustrated hoof under her chin. Fluttershy giggled. "They love their Auntie Dashy. But, where did they come from? Who-" She was cut off as a green flash bolted from the trees behind them, and grabbed her in it's forearms. She was scared, but only for a second until she realized who it was.
The others jumped in surprise as Fluttershy and the green flash hit the ground, but smiles quickly spread across their faces when they saw who it was holding Fluttershy in his arms. Rainbow Dash began to stammer and shake when she saw him. "Z-z-z-zombie pony!" She yelled and dove into the bushes, leaving Buck and Tinyhooves on the ground giggling. AppleJack scooped them up and put them on her stetson hat. Everyone laughed at her attempts to hide, and Woodwind decided to play along with it. He dove into the bush and growled at her. She screamed again and bolted out, only to be tackled by Woodwind. He pinned her to the ground. "Heya Rainbow! Didja miss me?" He asked smiling right in her face, nose to nose with her. She kneed him in the stomach and looked pissed. "Woody! What the heck is the matter with you?! You scared- I mean- surprised- I mean-" But he cut her off giving her a big hug. "God, I was going to miss that smug attitude of yours, you know that?" She began to smile and hugged him back and the other girls joined in. "How did you escape?!" Twilight asked as they all gave him some space. He cleared his throat and began to tell the tale. "Well, as you know, I fell into Tartarus. But because I decided to sacrifice to save those I love, The Element of Love came back to me and teleported me back here." The others looked perplexed by his story. "But, what about the big meany Caltroth?" Pinkie Pie asked looking angry at the name. Woodwind chuckled. "Last I saw of him, he was falling into the depths of hell, right where he belongs." The others looked relieved . Squeak smiled and jumped back on her fathers head, ruffling his mane. "Can we go home now, Daddy? I'm sleepy." the others awed as Squeak yawned and curled up in his mane. "Sure Squeaks, lets get out of here." "Well, all's well that ends well, ah reckon." AppleJack said happily. "Now lets get on back to town and get some well deserved-" She was cut off as Woodwinds Element began to glow. "What the heck is happening?" Rainbow asked, shielding her eyes. As the element grew brighter, a small light began to come from Squeak's mane and three little crystal butterflies came flying out. The others looked on in wonder as they began to flap their paper thin crystal wings, and melding back into the crystal when they touched it. "Wow!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed when the spectacle was over. "That was super dooper cool!" Woodwind just laughed. He looked down to the crystal and at the butterflies inside it. Somehow, it didn't feel right without them. He looked back to Fluttershy and smiled, knowing that she was the biggest part of his life, and the only reason he was the holder of the element. The rest of the trip back was spent with Rainbow and Pinkie talking about what had happened after Woodwind had fell in the portal. How Cole sacrificed his life to save Squeak's, and mostly just about how cool it was when he fought Discord. Twilight hung in the back of the group with Luna, who was still acting a bit sheepish. "Is there something wrong Princess?" Twilight asked, nudging her to get her attention. "Oh, uh n-no, everything's fine, Twilight Sparkle. Why do you ask?" Twilight tilted her head and gave her a sly smile. "Well, it's just that you've been acting nervous all night and trying to keep your distance from Woodwind. Why is that?" Luna looked away, trying to hide her blushing cheeks, but Twilight already saw. "Oh, you noticed. I-it's nothing, really. I-I just can't believe how lucky Fluttershy is to have somepony as brave as Woodwind. That's all." Luna said as she turned back and smiled. It was all to clear to Twilight at that point. The princess liked Woodwind! She looked at Luna, who now had her eyes glued to Woodwind, then to Woodwind who was up in the front of the group, chatting with the girls. "Your secret is safe with me, Luna. I promise." Twilight said giving the princess a wink. Luna smiled and continued on walking, enjoying the cool morning air. She didn't think anymore about what happened, because quite frankly, nothing did if no one knows about it except the two of them. The rest of the trip home was in smiles and laughter.
It was around two in the morning. Woodwind, the girls, and Hairline and Teeny had been waiting for at least seven hours in the Hospital waiting room. Doctors and nurses walked by, continuing their rounds, leaving them to wonder and wait about Fluttershy. "C'mon! When are we going to go see her?" Pinkie asked, getting more and more anxious by the minute. Rainbow, who had been out cold, tossed the magazine that was draped over her face at her. "Pinkie Pie! Come on! We've been her for hours and I finally just gotten to sleep!" She groaned rolling back over on her makeshift bed of two chairs pushed together. Pinkie stuck her tongue out at her and continued her anxious pacing. "Hmmm, Twilight, could you be a dear and turn out the lights?" Rarity asked, just barely keeping her eyes open. Twilight used her magic to dim the lights in the baron waiting room. She put her book down since she couldn't read in the dark and walked over to Woodwind, who was pacing just as much as Pinkie. "Woodwind, you need to calm down. She'll be ok." Twilight said, placing her hoof on his shoulder. He sighed and sat down on the floor, looking at Squeak and the twins who were out cold snuggled up next to AppleJack. "I know, Twilight. But I can't help but worry about her. Remember how much trouble she had with the twins? And don't get me started on her pregnancy with Squeak." He said getting a little more anxious now. Twilight forgot how much of a scardy pony he could be when it came to his family. "She's fine. Soon we'll be able-" She was cut off as one of the doctors opened the ER wing doors and approached them. "Told you." She said nudging his shoulder. "Are you Woodwind?" The Doctor asked, checking his clipboard. Woodwind approached him anxiously. "How is she doctor? Is she ok?" The doctor smiled. "She's fine. She wants to see you." The girls were now awake smiling at him, waving him anxiously off to go see her. Squeak woke up and ran to his side. "I wanna see her, too!" She said hopping up and down.
The walk to her room seemed to take an eternity. The winding halls and twists and turns of the hospital threw him off. The Doctor stopped at a closed door and checked his clipboard again. "She's in here. She's pretty tired so keep it brief." He strolled off down the hall and continued his work. Woodwind slowly opened the door; nurses going every which way, cleaning up sheets and throwing away medical gloves and other things. Fluttershy was laying in the bed, smiling down at the blanket in her arms. She looked over to see Woodwind in the doorway with Squeak sitting on his head like usual. "Hi." She whispered as soft as she could. "Come in you two." Squeak flew off and fluttered over her mother, looking down at the small foal in her arms. Woodwind tiptoed over to them and looked down. The foal was sound asleep. It's light brown mane sticking out, covering its tiny yellow face. Woodwind smiled as the foal began to yawn and suck its hoof. Woodwind motioned to a nurse, who came over to them. "Hey squirt," He whispered to Squeak. "Why don't you go with the nurse and get the others. Sound good?" Squeak smiled and nodded, following the nurse back to the lobby. Woodwind crawled into the bed with Fluttershy, holding her close and stoking the foals face. "Well? Is it a mare or a colt?" He asked smiling widely. She giggled. "Its a colt. What should we name him?" He thought hard about it. He had so many names on his mind over the past few months, but after seeing him, none of them seemed to fit. "I-I don't know. What do you think?" He asked, scratching his head. "Well, I named the twins, so I think you should name him. If that's ok with you." she said, giving him a kiss. He thought for a few minutes. What would be a good name for him? He only had one name in mind. Someone he never thought would save him, his family. "How about Cole?" Fluttershy was taken aback by the suggestion. "Why Cole? If you don't mind me asking." She said quizzically. "Well if it weren't for what he did, we wouldn't be here today. He stepped in and fought two of the most powerful creatures imaginable. He may have been bad once, but I owe him. And I think carrying on his name is the least we can do." Fluttershy smiled at the loyalty he showed for one of his oldest friends. "Well, if that's what you want, then ok, Cole it is." The foal smiled and cooed slightly at his name. The door opened to the room and the others came in. "Hey, y'all. How is everythin' goin'?" AppleJack asked walking to the bed. "I wanna see the new baby!" Pinkie Pie yelled running through everyone to get a glimpse. The baby looked up at her and giggled, reaching for her hair. "Can I hold the baby? Please, please pleeeeaaase?" She pleaded, giving them the puppy dog eyes. Fluttershy rolled her eyes and smiled, passing the foal to her. She carefully took him and sat on the chair in the corner, rocking him while he wrapped his hooves on her hair giving it playful tugs. "So, girl, thats baby number four, huh?" Rainbow said nudging her old friend. She went to Woodwind and whispered in his ear. "Take it easy, huh? She's pretty delicate." He had to chuckle at that. Fluttershy may have a shy and delicate demeanor, but when she wanted to spend some "personal" time with him... There was nothing "delicate" about her. Woodwind smiled as everypony said their "ooh's" and "awes". Teeny and Hair-line brought their camera and took a picture with all of them together. It was a great family gathering. Woodwind was feeling a little cramped. He kissed Fluttershy and stepped out for a little bit to get some air in the gardens. He sat on the bench, watching the moths fly around the torches that lit the way. He smiled and laid down, putting his forelegs behind his head. He felt his legs being pushed off and somepony sit down beside him. He looked up to see Teeny lighting one of Hair-lines famous grape flavored cigarettes on the lamp next to them. "Brought another one down for you, sir." She said smiling. He grinned and snatched it up, lighting it on the lamppost as well. "You know you don't have to call me sir anymore right? It's been so many years and i'd like to forget that part of my past." She smiled and stared into his eyes. "Every part of it?" She said quietly. He knew what she was referring to. It was obvious. "I thought it was you who'd want to forget about that." He said taking a long drag of the cigarette. "Well, some things are just hard to forget I guess. I mean, don't get me wrong, I love Hair-line and everything, but some wounds just don't heal." "Both physical and mental." He said smirking. "I remember Cole saying that when he talked about his girlfriend leaving him. Poor guy." "So I heard you named your son after him." She said as she blew out the grape smelling smoke. "After what that bastard did to us?" He frowned and remembered Earth. It was gone, he knew that, and Cole was the last surviving human in existence. "The human race died with him on that mountain top. He gave his life so my daughter could have hers back. I owe him a debt I can't repay." Teeny took this all in. She felt a pang of regret thinking about home and all the people she left behind. "Do you think they found a new world? I mean, that machine was a dimension breaker." "I wouldn't know. I'd like to think so, but..." He trailed off, trying not to think about it. Teeny placed her hoof on his. "Hey, Woody. It's ok. Don't think about it." She said frowning. He ran his free arm across his face and it came away wet. He didn't realize he'd been crying. "Woody, we have our lives here. Lives we would have never been able to have if it weren't for this world. I have a family, you have a family, granted we're ponies so it's kind of weird, but I love my children and my husband with all my heart. I know you do, too. If we had been sent back to Earth, we'd be skeletons in the dirt." She finished her cigarette and spit it into the trash. "And I know after all the fighting we've gone through, we weren't meant to die in a battle we couldn't even fight." She said standing him up and hugging him. "We're marines, and we fight for what we believe is right. And we fight to win!" she finished. "Ho-rah." Woodwind said, letting go of his friend. "I'm going back inside. I'll see you in there?" He smiled and sat back down. "Yeah, I'll be in in a few. Just tell Fluttershy for me." "Can do, sir." she yelled back as the door closed.
Woodwind lifted up his wing and pulled a pipe out from under it. He hadn't told Fluttershy he smoked since she'd most likely disapprove, but after over a year of working two jobs non-stop to support her and the foals? Well, some habits were made in the process. "Never been one for grape." He said smiling, lighting up the clove flavor tobacco inside. The taste reminded him of Christmas ham with his family before the war started. He hadn't eaten meat in about ten years, but it didn't matter too much to him. Plants and hay actually grows on you once you get used to it. He sat there another few minutes until all the tobacco was gone. He gingerly placed the pipe back under his wing and turned to go back inside. "Ahem." a voice came from behind. But before he could react, something hit him and the world went black.