A Darker path for Equestria. Based around the events of Season 1 and 2, and inspired by a playlist of songs by SlyphStorm, the My Little Pony story will be retold, reshaped and unraveled into a twisted, tragic tale of great destruction and loss.
Shatter Storm twists the events of the earlier episodes into a darker tale, triggered by the return of Nightmare Moon and lingering turmoil of the last Thousand years, all driven by the power of Discord. Without anypony able to rein him in, and enough troubles to go around, the world of Equestria begins to crumble under ever growing wickedness and despair. Twilight Sparkle and her friends face challenges that will bring them to the breaking point, and no pony is safe from the ceaseless storm.
Each chapter will begin and end in different parts of the greater story, some overlapping, others being stories all their own, and all connecting in one way or another. It will get a bit chaotic, try not to get too lost in the destruction of all you hold dear.
Backstory: Back in 2013/14, I created a playlist of songs by SlyphStorm https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLGfw6f5oWW8aRKYQ8SVjgw As I listen to the tracks, I had ordered by where they fit in episode order or just felt good in a story, I started to play out a tale, one much darker than the show. It grew and evolved into a grim re-imagined version of My Little Pony Friendship is Magic. I wrote out a couple chapters, then abandoned it for a sequel story. After writing that, I decided to revisit the source, and in 2015 I put together my pieces and made the story whole.
Because of the source inspiration, I decided to title Prologues as Intro, Epilogue as Outro, and Chapters as Tracks.
Original version written between 09/24/2015 - 10/03/2016 This is an older story, written when the show was only at Season 5, I have been cleaning it up, but will not add things to updated it, only refine my original words and stories.
So young, the two Princesses to be were. Groomed to became rulers, but what was left behind in their rearing?
As the youngest of the pair was struggling to keep with her sister, she found her comfort where it had always been for her. She loved nothing more than to watch the night, she was even named so perfectly “Luna” like the moon that was her oldest and truest friend. In those quiet, lonely nocturnal escapes, she concerned herself only with forgetting the trails of her training, and not the approaching destiny sneaking up on her and her sister. Her sadness repressed by the heavens laid out so bare, her heart repossessed by the darkness that covered all. Those calming moments would conceal the truer fate, neither sister would ever guess the their greater destiny was not to become Equestria’s rulers, but its salvation.
Looking back now it seems so easy to place these two in the roles, ponies in those days were barely out of the turmoil of being a divided people. All of the troubles behind them were nothing to what would come; with the chaos of Discord, the enslavement of King Sombra, the cruelty of Lord Tirek, and so many other terrors forgot. Yet these two stepped up and faced their destiny, the first Alicorns to be seen in records, and beloved heroes to all. Yet this did not win Princess Luna her place of attention, or her proper respects that she so deserved.
Our little Stargazer had faced much, but loneliness is an enemy not so easily defeated.
II. Luna’s Lament
Princess Luna saw more and more that the ponies were not interest in the wonders of the night. Shunned and ignored, a Princess and her creation left to neglect.
Bitterly, in the darkness of her solitude, she served the ungrateful ponies who had an undeserving and peacefully sleep through her glorious nights. With nothing but herself, the whispers could come to her, telling her that it was the ponies who should serve her. The ponies should be made to see the wonders of night, and forced to enjoy or suffer if they resist. Consuming her every thought, the twisted words of the unseen now dictated her motives by setting her to make the first moves into a new order.
Princess Luna raised herself an army, seeking out the only ponies who saw things her way. The feared and shunned Bat Ponies of Hollow Shade, and with them she spread her growing wickedness across the land, little by little drawing Equestria into a darkness of her new Republic. Refusing all the while the day more, until she completely stopped it from coming.
Luna’s Lament would be turned into Lunacy
III. Raise the Sun
Forced to confront her sister, Princess Celestia challenged Princess Luna’s actions, pleading to her to end all the madness and return to the way things were. When this did not work, and the pony she once knew became the wicked Nightmare Moon, she was again pushed to act against all her heart and fight what was her sister.
Battling, and eventually defeating Nightmare Moon was not to be the end of the story, though the rest was buried to history and time. The soldiers of the Lunar Republic did not relent with their leader gone, and Princess Celestia had to call upon her own faithful ponies to combat the Bat Ponies still clinging to their master. Brave and loyal ponies of the two Princesses battled for their respective camps, across the seas and fields, from pony to parasprite, dragon and bird, all watching as the war raged on. Those victory of this struggle is well known, the story itself and all those who fought it is not. Silently, the Solar Empire again endured, but not without one last great battle.
Calling out “Raise the Sun” Princess Celestia’s warriors went into the fray.
IV. Battle of the Third Day’s Moon Rise
The final battle, the last push for those desperate to achieve for their Princess a defeat of the one who taken her from them. All lost to the annuls of time, and not even the mistress, Princess Luna, would know of these brave and bold champions to her lost cause. Holding their ground until the rise of the Full Moon, knowing that in the full light of their now imprisoned Princess they would turn the tide of their war. Sadly despite their efforts, they could not hold to the end of the third day.
The Bat Ponies, for all their noble loyalty, would be forgotten in time. Forever banished to their small, hidden lands of Hollow Shade. Over the long coming years of solitude, even they would start to forget their history. As the generations passed, and the new caring less for the previous, knowing only their fate to be left to themselves in their dark paradise and focusing on their own pleasures. They found little need to concern themselves with anything but the moment, almost forgetting that their was anything beyond their hidden woods.
The Battle of the Third Day’s Moon Rise, had set before the first ray ever shown.
V. In the Morning Mist
Alone for hundreds of years, Princess Celestia suffers the lingering memories of what she was forced to do, haunted by choices and regrets. She attempted looks into the future, as the images of Princess Luna stand in the corners of her foresight. The echoes of Nightmare Moon’s prophecy now more clearer than her lost sister’s voice whispering those gentle blessings. “Hush now, rest your head, off to sleep with thee” With each passing year, the risk of the return drawing the moment nearer.
Much has changed in Equestria, as new towns and cities grew like the people, and the pains of the past so far removed that old dangers seemed only like old mare’s tales. Hope seems that even a suspended threat still waiting this year’s longest day, could be no more than lost history to never be fulfilled. Passing like a bitter breeze, leaving but a shiver but no danger. However, Princess Celestia had become far more wise to such risks, and knew that if precaution was to be taken, effort must be made to ensure that her ponies would not suffer her neglect again. With the Elements of Harmony not but stones left to collect dust in her former, forgotten home, she had to seek another means to aid against a foe who nearly defeated her before. Hope seemed lost without the Elements, but yet a spark has called to her, and in the surprise of a young Unicorn, the future was clear to the Princess.
Taking a special interest in the young pony who held such great power, Princess Celestia presented the Unicorn with much to help shape her into her destiny. The young pony had what others dreamed of glimpsing, what others thought only legend, artifacts and records unknown to all but the Princess herself. She absorbed all this, still wanting more. Princess Celestia had found her champion, and a friend that would revive her expectations and dreams for a greater tomorrow.
VI. Heroes
Now it is time for the student to meet her own calling as Luna and Celestia once did before the Tree, as the moment long awaited arrived, and the mythic dread became reality once more. Nightmare Moon made good her promise, and returned in all her glory and fury. Equestria, refreshed in the name and all the fear it once invoked, was again bathed in an endless night. No Princess to stop the wicked mare, no Elements to challenge her. Equestria was doomed.
Six heroes would be there when the longest day of the year became the beginning of night time eternal, as Nightmare Moon returned to enact her revenge. As other coward, Twilight Sparkle rushes to act. Joining her boldness to act, Applejack charged in the truth of the cause, Rainbow Dash flew to loyalty’s call, Rarity graced the need with all her generosity, Fluttershy dared to show kindness in adversity, and Pinkie Pie boldly laughed at the challenge of wickedness. Together they made the trek to the Everfree Forest, each meeting challenges that showed their truest nature.
Every trial bested, and friendships forged, they made their way to the castle of the Royal Sisters. Their courage was the last chance for Equestria, and prove themselves the heroes needed. Sticking together they would get through the storm, knowing that the bonds developed in their quest would not shatter here.
Twilight Sparkle believe she alone was to undo the wicked acts, but in her foolish attempt, she nearly lost it all, but the comforting calls of her new friends seeking her awoke what was needed to revive the Elements of Harmony. The six young ponies had became Spirits of Harmony, and together won and defeating Nightmare Moon. Their work undid the damage a thousand years unmended, and freed Princess Celestia. Their efforts also returned Princess Luna to the light, and reunited two sisters.
All seemed well for Equestria now, with both Princesses and the Spirits of Harmony. The ponies of the land embraced their heroes and Princesses, surely ushering in the dawn of a new era of peace and Harmony…
“Now What kind of story would that be to read? Happy ponies, and friendships. Far too sickening a thought, if you ask me” The a figure lingers just beyond the sight of any peering eyes, his smooth and charming voice was tainted with twisted desire. “Let us be done with these preliminaries, and join in the chaos of an Equestria plunged into The Shatter Storm”
Following through the ruin and ravaged castle, fires spreading like haphazard decor, where as other areas are melting due to the flowing lava throughout. Where there was any space not engulfed in blaze or molten rock and stone, corpses of defeated royal guards, their blood splattered as careless as the fire, painting in wild strokes across the crumbling and decomposing building; some of these unlucky few were already being devoured by the hungry fury of nature’s most destructive elements. The air was heavy in the stench of brimstone, and burnt bodies and stone, spiced by the wood and other lighter materials that once properly graced the vision of those who happily wondered this castle before all chaos broke across the entire land. Their was an eerie silence, apart from the flames crackling, or rolling flows and crumbling structure. No living soul lingered here, any quickly killed in one horrific way or another, leaving nothing but death to reside in the capitol city.
Deep in the bowls, in one room barely keeping together, a single chair stands against all the destruction. Atop this defiant seat, is one who is secondly known for his defiance, firstly for his role in the world. The Lord of Chaos, Discord. A being of many beings, with the serpent body, patched together with a red scaled tail, brown furred body, and a tan head. A goat and dragon legs, bird and lion arms, bat and pegasus wings, horse mane, mismatched horns, goat ears, and a single fang displaying out of his mouth. His beard is long and white like his differed sized brows. His eyes scan over a book, as he sits before a pyre. The book seemed to cast more light upon the flame, than the other way about, making it hard to see that the book is actually a DVD for the first season of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic.
“My, my, how charming” He said to himself in a deep, dark, and alluring voice, not concerned with all that was happening. “I thought 4chan was full of it, but giving it a chance I can see the draw. Not enough of my though” He closed the plastic case, it clapped like an ancient tome, the draconequus looked up finally taking notice of his audience. “Oh, I didn’t see you there” He spoke stilted, like reading from a prompter, he did not even look focused on anything. “I see you have come to see what I’ve been during these days, since that whole ‘Shatter Storm’… What?” He mustered his best to look shocked. “You do not know of the ‘Shatter Storm’? Well, you are in for a real disappointment”
Discord floated up from his chair, moments before a geyser flared up and consumed the chair. “Equestria is not quiet the place you remember” He was now using the DVD like a marshmallow, roasting over what was his chair moments before. Satisfied by the roast, he placed it with a generic chocolate bar, and gram crackers, eating his s’more. “Like many others before, and likely still to come, we have re-imagined our beloved story in a dark and twisted way. Our author is a huge fan of the show, and loves it,” He leans closer to the read. “A little too much if you ask me, should see his shelf of pony toys” Going back to his original distance, he continues on. “Like many bronies, he is older, and a bit-” Discord points at his head, rotating in a circle as it makes a sound like a rusty gear. “But who doesn’t love a good retelling of a story? Look at all the movies coming out. He wanted to write a big story of tragedy, strife and struggle, wanting to push characters to their limits, but sadly sometimes when you push too far, when you let things get out of control, things break”
With a snap of his fingers, Discord was back into his own realm of chaos. A spinning and endless space of things unimaginable or impossible. Rules flipped, and laws broken. “That place was pretty close to being destroyed, and I have more to tell before we get into the real story.
“So, after listening to too much brony music, inspiration was found in a playlist made from music by Sylphstorm’s pony music. As each song was not necessarily meant to be piece together, the author struggled with forming a story in the same order as the playlist, so with a little help from a certain master of chaos...” He paused, become very annoyed. “Loki?! Of course not!” Taking a moment to compose himself, Discord cleared his throat and held up a finger. “Be warned, for this story is not for the faint of heart, we’re talking some twisted shit… and some language. For those of you who didn’t read or understand the foreword in the (air quote)Chapter 1-6(air quote), here we are again, a bit more clear this time. Each chapter of this story will be more of individualize stories that all connect together, meaning they start and stop in different parts of the whole tale. To help keep track, I will be here at the start and end of the chapters, breaking 4wallchan, and making sense of things. No, they will not all be this long, and the story itself will not be this cartoonish, that is just for here”
Discord picked up a script, and started to read. After several minutes, he stopped. “Oh, right. Funny how we you are in a story, you just assume people can read your thoughts. So this first chapter is set pretty soon after Princess Luna’s return from her imprisonment in the moon, facing the reality of one-thousand years lost to her.
Track 02: Those who’ve Passed Away
The celebrations had passed, as the royal sister of the night has returned and she enjoyed all the love and attention she had sought a thousand years ago. So much had changed in the ages, and the Equestria that was reluctant to enjoy night, was replaced by one that seemed almost sleepless in places. Though the nights were still not as busy as the days, at least in the ways of the comings and goings of ponies in the halls of the castle in Canterlot, Princess Luna enjoyed enough attention that she was able to carry on her task so long abandoned. Princess Celestia could not take this role, and it left so many left unprotected in their sleep for many moons than the Night pony cared to think of. She almost felt overwhelmed by her calling now, given that Equestria before was not so populated as it is today. Although the demand was far greater, Princess Luna still had some time to be left alone to think, and in those silent moments her mind traveled to the past. She was not worried about loneliness once felt or potentially returning, but more of what she had lost due to her recklessness. Well known was the isolation of Princess Luna, lesser known and forgotten by time, was those few friends she did manage to find; if too briefly.
Princess Luna trotted down the dark halls of the Canterlot castle, met by some of the guards stationed, and only a few others besides. Princess Luna was not entirely restored in her form from old, not trapped to the filly-like body from her escape of Nightmare Moon, but her mane hung limply and not at all like her sister’s. She needed some aid in finding her destination, not knowing this castle, despite the history she did have in it. It may as well be an entirely different place than the one she witness being constructed. The cold night air greeted her like a forgotten rival, chilling her to the core, but not halting her in the slightest. To the sky her eyes traveled, a stranger to her now. In it, was the place she was forced to call home, a place she knew now better than the foreign castle, and much more than her original home in Everfree. She stopped moving, bumping into the iron railing that saved her from tumbling into the air.
Everything seemed to rush to her, the realities of all that was now her life. She had gained her sister’s forgiveness, embraced by the ponies, and dove right back into her role, not allowing herself much time to adjust to any of it. Her mind and heart grew heavy, mind assaulted, and as she turned to find some comfort, she only found further reminders of how far removed she was. The castle displayed only her sister, the guards just her ponies that took night duties. This was not a castle of two princesses, it was a glittering jewel of solar dominance. “Where are we?” she began to wonder. “This temple to our sister, the very air serves her. Ponies may now call to we two, embracing us where once they shunned. How can we find comfort here, where not any place has us in mind?” She thought of the room of stain glass, finding herself corrected. “Apart from a place that has our defeat of foes, and our own turn to wickedness in the same breath”
Gazing downward, to the sparkling lights of those still active at the hour, looking like stars in the blue velvet of dark in the spaces between. “They greet us, praise us, and yet we remain unsatisfied by the warmth. How long we dreamed of this time, to know out there ponies are enjoying our creation… how bitter it is to have it ask such a cost, after a great mistake…” She could feel warmth suddenly, but only around her eyes, trickling down her cheeks. “I lost so much time,” She now spoke aloud, catching a near by pair of guards. “I abandoned my ponies, my duties, and all the joy I could have found working toward this future”
“My Princess,” a guard came of the two. “Is all well, can we aid you somehow?” They had been instructed to watch and render aid to Princess Luna by her sister, to keep her from falling victim to the shock of such changes, or reverting.
She considered him for a time, seeking any sign that this single guard or his partner could actually save her. “YOUR PRINCESS SEEKS NOTHING YOU CAN OFFER” She spoke now in the Royal Canterlot Voice, though not as booming as she would outside or to a larger audience, it still caught the guard by surprise.
Leaving him behind, going to the place she had thought of earlier, Princess Luna gazed upon the glass art of key moments in Equestrian history. It was no surprise that she did not know every one, like a factory in the clouds, or one of a fiery mare and what looked like one of Starswirl, the Bearded’s portals into another reality. One of the displays Luna knew all too well, and of all of them, it struck her the hardest. It was simple, but to those who had the fortune to know this story, it said more than any other. A snow-white filly, smiling, with a single snowflake above her. Her eyes were closed, for they saw nothing but black. This pony was as gentle, fragile, and unique as her creation of the art in the snowflakes. Her death was sudden and painful to the young Princess so desperately looking for friendship, and left her wounded. That wound was easily reopened, along with another they came soon after.
Lost in her memories, Luna now recalled the child she had taken in. She leaned against the far wall, away from the glass barely able to stand against the assault of her almost forgotten past. The child had seemed a gift of the Tree of Harmony, to heal her from the loss of Snowdrop. The young stallion was found by the Tree during one of the nights, and had taken to Princess Luna like a mother, and she took to him like a son. He loved all that she was and did, and even was showing gifts in Night Magic. Although he was one of the purest souls Princess Luna had ever known, his talent in magic was leaning toward a much darker cast than anything seen in many years. Necromancy, and he was determined to prove that it was not just a wicked craft, but something to benefit all of pony-kind.
“Why…” Luna whispered, lost in the horrors replaying in her mind. “Why did I not stop him?” Her eyes were held tight, but neither tears nor vision were halted by the attempt.
One night, hoping to prove to her the lengths he had grown, and the good of his special craft, the young pony summoned a demon. Against all warnings, and command, he had learned the spell and followed through. He smiled with the ignorance of one not knowing the sense failure, nor the dangers of the world. He would never know the monstrosity that ripped into his throat, or tore his legs from him. The creatures feasted upon him, as Princess Luna screamed in horror at the sight, the image of his hopeful face, frozen in the joy of befriending a demon and making her proud. Not one of those demons would survive long enough to enjoy the meal they made of the poor pony, as Princess Luna made her first turn towards Nightmare Moon in her savage, and complete destruction of the demons.
Outside of her visions, the princess had collapsed fully, both these beautiful souls who once brought her such joy now linger in her mind as sorrow. “How can such innocence and purity be destroyed by such cruel fate?”
Shifting suddenly, opening her eyes with a focused determination. “What is there to gain in our past, to linger in self pity of others demise? How unfair it was, but it does they no good” She began to lift herself, reforging her pain into an armor to defend her heart against such pointless suffering. “I do them no good to suffer these many years after, they will serve as our driving force to change the future” A new light was shinning her eyes, her mane was again imbued with the same magic as Princess Celestia’s. “Our past will no longer be one of bitterness, but the means to make us better!”
Princess Luna marched out of the stain glass room like a true, and proud ruler. “Equestria needs protection, defenders to work In the shadows. No longer shale ponies suffer loss of loneliness” Giving simple nods to those who greeted her as she moved about the castle, moving like she had been here for the last thousand years. Princess Luna had a purpose, and was moving toward the place that would allow her to view a place far beyond, and long buried in the forgotten history. “We need soldiers, and we know just where first to recruit” She said out loud, now at an open window in a high tower looking far off into the distance at a nestled forest so close to bustling cities yet hidden from the world.
******
The moons pasted by so quickly, and the warmth of summer had gone to become the frost of winter. In that time much had been experienced, as Princess Luna sought out not only her soldiers, but also the culture of those she was set out to save. The world had remained so strange, the ponies no longer accustom to the use of the Royal Voice, and in her reluctant journey to see Nightmare Night, she felt initially validated in her assumption that Equestria had learned to enjoy night but also now feared its Princess. She was already subscribed to the fact that her mistakes would keep ponies at leg length, but it would not matter in her cause. Twilight Sparkle urged her to not withdraw so soon, and when all came clear she knew that the spirit of the celebration was what helped Princess Luna become also celebrated and fully embraced.
Fresh from her revelation in Ponyville, and a number of nightmares averted in her subjects, Princess Luna was now filled with confidence and conviction in her purpose in the modern era. She stood unwavering before the assembled ponies of all kinds, each one finding cause in her call, and willing to give themselves over to the Princess of the Night, as her army.
The winter was full, and cold. Ponies across Equestria readied to celebrate Hearth Warming, and family. Her army was fuller, and blazing in their duty now. Ponies before the ruins of the old castle ready to listen to their Princess, and become a new family.
“My soldiers of the Night,” Princess Luna began, careful to scan across the sea before her, taking in the faces and eyes of each member to find any who may not have constancy, or not one who belongs. “You have trained, and learned a new way of life. We stand at a cross road of history, as this modern age is threatened, at danger of reverting to the world my sister and I had found. Discord brought us great strife, plunging those champions into torment they had never known before. It was unfair to saddle the world on their backs, and they shale no longer be the singular source of hope in Equestria. You gave away your pasts, and anything that you were, to serve a greater good” Her ponies hung on her words, mesmerized like hearing their own words back at them. She spoke, from their hearts. “as this threat remains, and others no less dangerous, we shale rise like the full moon, shining light of clarification in the dark, and guidance for those lost; as many of you once were. We will meet these foes, and challenge their wickedness with wickedness!” As her voice rose, so did the spirit and excitement in her army. Their night-blending dark armor beginning to shutter with their wearer, like chimes moving in rhythmic song.
“Once, I sought to rule this land, keeping an eternal night” She began anew. “Now, I wish to only serve for the betterment of Equestria, by making the night no longer a place to fear, unless you be wicked” She pointed out in vague places as she went on. “You all share this desire, each chosen to join in this cause. Together we shall march into the shadows, and bring about hope to those who cannot do as we do, or protect themselves from our enemies. We will undo the damage of yesterday, bring hope for tonight, and secure a better futurity!” No longer able to hold back, the ponies beyond the princess now stomped their hooves in a drumming sound to add to their chimes. They sang out the calling of their army. Their melody echoed out into the dark, the sound of the start of a war against wickedness. “Now go forth, and rain down terror upon all those who would wrong us!”
Spread throughout the crowd, the soldiers faded into shadow one by one, then in groups growing smaller until they all were gone. As Princess Luna watched on, another figure moved their way to join her on the simple stage. Not much could be seen of the pony, beside her strong red colouring. This new pony was clad much like the army now off to do battle, only far more decorated and singular. She “Rousing, my princess” She said with a grin, in a fashion of one who felt they were the true cause of what they praised another for. Her voice was smooth and dark, like fresh blood. “You have brought the night to a new stage, and now our precious citizens will sleep or wonder it freely without fear”
“This is only the start, commander Redmare” The eager and mysterious pony beside the princess echoed her statement with the same tone as before, and grinning with motive. She was rather obvious, hiding only in the shadow of Princess Luna’s focus in other matters. She was unaware to the desire in the mare, seeing only a pony who shares the drive and passion in a common cause.
Over the coming moons, as Discord’s madness spread, the Lunar Army found more to fight in their war for Equestria. Princess Luna was proud of their achievements, raising some to higher ranks for their duties, yet not all saw the good in this battle in dark allies and moonlit nights. Princess Celestia was with growing concern by this, and attentively made her attempt to speak to her sister; this meeting would do little to change fate.
Unshaken by these doubts, and understanding of her sister’s worries, Luna still responded with hesitation or question of her cause or her knights. “We act against the tides of chaos, breaching our shores of peace like the first waves of the coming flood. We meet the wickedness in kind, doing in the dark what would not be so in the light. You may rule the Day and act only by what is viewed as ‘right’, but more is required. As Always, it is the night that must be the beast to burden that which the day will not cart”
“Listen to yourself!” Pricess Celestia challenged back. “Can you be so foalish to think fire negates fire?” There was more fear in her tone, than condemning. She did not want to see her sister go back down the path by another trail. “To save Equestria by wicked means cannot justify the ends, it will breed only more evil if you trot with evil” She held her sister in a gaze of deep worry and fear, nearly in tears.
“You are a good sister, and a loving princess. You are a good soul, and how easy it is for one to deem others or their acts as evil” Princess Luna looked back at her sister, only with a distance to her gaze. “You do right for Equestria, in an ironic way, as you cast such light that it blinds ponies to things. You make them ignorant, and to a certain degree, you too are blind. Keep doing this, swaddling the little ones in blissful, blinding light of joy and happiness. They shall suckle upon the need for peace from the teats of deception, not wanting to know the harsher truths of life” She took a pause, only a moment long enough to reflect on the goings on in the land. She looked away, only briefly to gaze into those events before returning to her passing stare. “The Spirits of Harmony have drifted from the safety of ignorance. They have faced trails, and dangers. No longer can they be at ease, or even peace” Her mind drifted again, but much further back. Her eyes saw the memories of what drove her to these missions. “I will allow others to be fools, but I will not let them be hurt for it. I will not stand by, and watch another innocent be tore apart by their innocent wants and hopes. I will not allow the unknown to go unchallenged in their wicked desires to prey upon purity”
There was a long moment between them, as Princess Celestia had long forgotten the events that were still as fresh to her sister as if they had just happened. Celestia needed to journey through her own memories to realize what haunted Luna. “Would you act as a demon, to stop monsters?”
“YES!” Luna’s eyes flared, almost in the same way as Nightmare Moon’s, her passion and conviction challenged. “Life is cruel to the innocent, so we must be even crueler to the wicked things that threaten us and those we love! We protect Equestria is ways others will not, but we must”
Princess Celestia struggled with the arguments, knowing that in some ways there was merit and truth to what she was saying. Still, she had to argue. “I am just unsure how wise it is to take such drastic actions, given what has happened before. I am not so much worried in you falling again, as I am in this breeding others who would”
“We know what is it to suffer loss, and it is that which motivates us and keeps us on the proper path” Luna countered.
“All ponies know loss, sister, but not all find it a cause to stop suffering; some find it just the reasoning to spread it further. Yes ponies need protection, it is what we do as Princesses, but to gather the worst of Equestria together and hope rehabilitation through such drastic means, is only asking for trouble. Sure some other way is better for them,” Celestia knew what Luna was attempting, and did not wish to end that cause. “and seek less devious champions to act in more acceptable ways is more in order?”
Princess Luna scoffed at these suggestions, finding them to be precisely what she explained earlier in Celestia’s blindness. “Would you have them doing arts and crafts? Maybe leave them in the streets, to rote away like dropped apples found rotten? It is a cute notion to think healing can come so easy for ponies like us, but we cannot simply pretend to write letters to those we have lost, or try to paint happy faces on the suffering we have endured” Princess Luna was finished in the debate, finding no further point in the round-about ride flashing images of things outside, but spinning on an axis of pointlessness. “I have faced corrupting demons of haunting memories and suffering, lessons I learned in my long imprisonment of mine, an incarceration that was only possible by extreme actions of using the same Elements of Harmony we had also taken against others, and also were the only means to bring me back” Celestia staggered a bit at this, having her own lingering wounds in those choices she had to make. “I know the signs and will remain observant of my soldiers, to prevent them from following in their princess’ hoofsteps” Luna now moved to leave, adding one last part to her long speech. “Keep to the Day, dear sister, I shale tend the Night, as always”
Outro
Discord turned off a radio, shaking his head in disappointment. “Our dear Princess Luna looks to be suffering from an over compensation of her own past. Has she not heard the saying ‘Let your past make you better, not bitter’? It made a lovely shirt, but oh well”
Pulling out a wax cylinder from the radio, and placing it into a CD jewel case, Discord continued. “You might have noticed some hints to the plots on coming chapters, if not, well then it will be a surprise what is to come. I will not spoil anything, but this is a tamer chapter, and little brief. There was a bit of the story with Luna’s little student, and his rather gruesome death, but that is a mere taste to what will follow. Many references are made to other works, by other bronies, but that little pony on her past was Harmony Spirit, the ponisona of the author. Self loathing, a cry for help, or just a plot device? Only therapy can tell”
The darkness drapes across the room, with faint reflections of light hinting to the structures in the blackness. A sudden light shines upon Discord, who is dressed in period clothing of the bards of old. Within his paw arm, he holds a skull of a pony. Elevating the skull, Discord readies to deliver his diction. With a deep breath just before speaking. “… Line?!”
The theater lights come on, and another Discord dressed as a director stands from the seat in the empty room, throwing his hands up in frustration, “For Aris’ sake! Take five!” As this Discord rants, a number of other Discords start filling the stage to reset for a retake. “My Kingdom for a decent Troupe…” His eyes trail over to the reader. “Oh, expecting a lead in?” He sighs in frustration. “This chapter deals with those who will become the Lunar Army, so there you go” Discord turns away, heading for the prep room. “Where is my latte?!”
Track 03: Solders of the Night
-A few years before Nightmare Moon’s return-
East of Canterlot, not nearly as far as Filly Delphia, and hidden deep in the forest in the shadow of Foal Mountain. A mysterious land of Hallow Shade, a nearly forgotten place by all outside the dense woods. Everfree is known for its dangers, but the forbidden forest with no name is a place of danger and fear. No pony dares the boarders, few choose to even glance into the depths from beyond, dreading a sight that could draw them in, or into madness. Princess Celestia, In the last thousand years has not even braved these lands. Legend surrounded these woods even before, however the events of Nightmare Moon’s attack left the place festering in fear and rumor.
The Bat Ponies of Hollow Shade once stood with Princess Luna, and even after against the Solar Empire, and in defeat won a banishment to their home indefinite. Through the ages in exile, the loyal ponies remained the only in Equestria to remember that Princess Luna existed, however the generations had worn down the memories to just why they had been banished. They continued to worship Princess Luna, but nearly all forgot their service to her. The elders have kept the tale going these many moons, but each telling has degraded the story, leaving those who hear it now to believe that one day their princess will return for them, but not the same revenge army as before, but just to bring a new world to them.
“-she then took the throne, and promised our place beside her!” An old pony cried out in a retelling of the tale of Princess Luna. So advanced in his age, his faded brown coat no longer caught the eyes of others, his ears drooping and frayed more than the normal points, he leathery wings were bound at his sides, no longer able to hold them up, much less use them to fly. He is from an ancient line, ones who drive the tales of their princess return. “In her return, she will reclaim the lands beyond, and bring Bat Ponies back to the skies beyond our trees. She will make the nights so dark, our suited eyes will not strain against light. Watch the sky upon the thousandth year’s longest day, the stars shall aid in her return!”
A group of four younger bat ponies watched at a distance, listening to the ramblings of an old foal. The gather consisted of Bliss Star, a mare with a red coat like the last hints of sun before the end of the day. Her ears were large and rounded, curving slightly back. Her mane was swept back and long, coloured like a comet tail, which also matched her own tail. Her eyes were brown, and seemed to hold a deeper concern, though at the moment she was snickering.
One of the two males one was Shortwing, a violet bat pony with heavily feathered ears, and a wild silver mane of great volume swooping downward in large spikes with a tail to match. His eyes are a shade of emerald, and he was named for his smaller than average wings. He turned to the other stallion, who also had a silver mane and tail. “There goes your grandfather again, ya?” The stallion he directed it toward, who is coat is black as night, was not at happy.
Groaning, the dark stallion looked away in shame, hauntingly golden eyes narrowed in disgust. He had similar mane to Shortwing, only shorter and more managed “Yes Shortwing… and every year on the anniversary of the banishment he goes out and embarrasses me with the nonsense” He rolled his eyes now, with a slight shake of his head. “I cannot stand being of the remaining bloodlines who served the princess, and being pushed to keep her story alive” He flared his wings in annoyance, a much fuller set than his male friend. “I get that Princess Celestia isn’t our ruler, but how much is she doing for us?” His tone sharpened as he pointed up at the sky to whom he was referring, being the winter solstice it was one of the few times of the year when the fog was thin enough and the sky clear. The Moon shinned into the hidden town, the image of Nightmare Moon looking back at those peering skyward. “Not doing much up there, so why waste time?”
No longer snickering, Bliss Star now agreed as she added “Celestia had these years to ready for a return, so who is to say she will win when she couldn’t beat Celestia before?”
“Because, Bliss Star” A forth member of the group, who had been silent, now spoke against the conversation. She is a foggy gray-white colour, who’s nose pointed up in the middle. Her eyes were clean water blue, and mane and tail of sea-foam. She kept it short, with the mane swept up above her brow. “Princess Luna was greater than her sister, and would have defeated her if not for the Elements!” The three of them looked at her, eyes asking “so?” prompting frustrated sigh. “The Elements were drained that night, they are nothing but stones now. When she returns, she will have had a thousand years of focus to strike back”
“Mare!” Bliss Star exclaimed. “I had no idea you were so in that old history, Mist Dancer”
Frustration only growing, the mare responded “I enjoy history, and how things happen. Like it or not, this is our history, even if it has twisted over time, learning about the past will plan the future. Most have lost the point of the tale those like Roost recounts, all be in lacking in some details, but I know the old words. In a few years, the prophecy will come to pass, and if it comes true, and likely she will win the bout. I expect our princess will come to call,” The humor of the group receded, as worry grew between them. “and our ancestor made a pact that we may be faced with honouring it”
“Mare, I don’t want to go to war” Shortwing looked very concerned. “Equestria may have left us here, but I don’t want to fight ponies I don’t know” He nearly receded into himself, looking off timidly.
The grandson of the pony who started their conversation, took the weight heaviest. His linage was only part of the problem. “We might not have a choice, I certainly won’t. When she hears that a pony not only descendant of one of her solders, but also shares his name… She will definitely want another Moonrazor in her ranks”
******
-Thirty years before Nightmare Moon’s return-
A gathering of ponies in benches sat in great anticipation at the spectacle not seen in any of their lifetimes, and on the other side of the room stood a gray coloured judge, with a lighter gray mane, and dull blue eyes. He was at his podium ready to finish out a case that was so very clear cut that it was all a display for those collected. Between the observers and the law, a ragged steel-maned stallion stood beside his lawyer, not sharing the defeated look of the council, but rather no expression at all. The metallic pony looked nowhere with soft blue eyes, yet far into his own mind as the judge spoke. “Have you anything to say in your defense, before I pass my judgement? Have you any words, that could explain your grievous crimes and actions, that are, without a doubt, enacted by nobody else but you?” He remained silent before the court, sending a wave of muttering in the crowd behind and irritation in the judge before. “Very well, silence is a roar of the remorseless criminal. Since you offer no defense, with no show of concern in your actions or those surviving them, I can only sentence and convict you to the only penalty our society had deemed worthy of your actions. In accordance with the laws created over seven-hundred years ago, when the last murder had been committed, for your slaughter of three innocent ponies I sentence you to be hung by the neck until dead!” The Judge raised his hoof to slam it down in solidifying the judgement, he was stopped when Princess Celestia entered the courtroom in purposeful disruption.
“Halt these proceedings!” She ordered, nopony able to ignore the purity of her white coat, and the shimmering flowing mane. She stood taller than any, for no other Alicorns existed in Equestria. “I apologize, but I must interrupt”
At first the judge was in shock, as with most of the ponies in the room, even the accused seemed to return to the room to glance back without actually looking at the princess. The Judge became annoyed, though keeping as professional as he could under the circumstances. “With all due respect, my princess, but in this house, in this room, I hold order. You cannot pardon this pony, and hope to expect any here will accept such an order when there is no question of his guilt and requirement for justice. By the very laws you set forth, I hold the power to condemn him to the punishment fit such a horrible crime and give some peace to those victimized”
Princess Celestia noted his claims, and tried to show him the respect afforded him by his title, yet she was not to stop in her course. “You do indeed hold court here, and you keep to the laws well, but this law is archaic and cruel. We no longer brand thieves or adulterers, and just because no pony has committed a crime like this in several centuries, does not mean we must dredge up old judgments into a modern court”
Hoping to regain control, the judge responded calmly. “I agree with you, my princess, had he shown any sign of remorse, but this pony remains silent and indifferent, even as you stand at his defense” He looked again at the accused, solidifying the fact he was right about the detestable character. “Justice demands his punishment, and no punishment short of death can satisfy it”
“One life will not return three, nor will it truly undo the suffering of those most afflicted in the wake. It would be a fleeting sense of satisfaction, just as it had done little for the last time such punishment had been served. He must face a punishment, face what he has done, and that can only come from living on to be shown the light of his crimes” She gestured toward him. “He is unmoved, I see it clearly, but he can hopefully be affected if we give it time and proper punishment. A sentence of serving time, working off a debt that cannot be fully returned. This can be used for the greater good of society, for more than a forth life taken”
The judge was silent as he pondered the argument, and when he finally spoke he was no longer talking to a princess in his mind, but one questioning his authority. “You make an interesting proposal, however my judgement still stands, and nothing shale undermine my determination of justice”
Princess Celestia was not yet defeated, and now took her full role as the ruler of Equestria. “You are a servant of the law, and as such must obey them. You who speaks of upholding outdated rulings, will now be conformed to those very orders. By the old rules, ‘any case of murder in Equestria shall be overseen and judged by the royalty of Equestria’ and so with due respect,” She now trotted toward the bench, taking a place to see all in the room at once. “This case is not yours to judge, less you happen to be a prince?” She awaited, if only in mockery of one who so challenged her own authority, for a response. “As the one to hold this case, and issue punishment, I sentence you, Silver Grace, to twenty years in prison, to serve laboring for the community, and work off a debt that cannot be paid. The sentence is meant to give back to those you have stolen so much from, and to hopefully make you see the error of your ways. This is not to go soft on the punished, but send a message that something more than death can come from such crimes. I prey you will learn remorse, and understand the pain you inflicted. The only way the souls of the taken can rest, is if you either learn to weep for them, and loose a portion of your life and freedom”
******
-16 Years after Nightmare Moon’s Defeat-
Princess Celestia stood before a creature that had some resemblance to a pony, but its form was shadowy and what was detailed enough to see in the darkness of night was demonic. Proportions twisted, and shapes deformed. Between them lay a hero nearly forgotten by time, a crimson pegasus. She had returned to avenge her friend’s loss not so long ago, back on the night Princess Luna betrayed her ponies. This beast had brought low this former champion, only stopped by the royal mare before the final strike. Just as Light Bringer bought time for Princess Celestia with his life, so now Crimson Thunder spends herself.
“Shadow Colt!” The princess called, knowing her focus was returned. “You have no where to run, the shadows that hid you in the corners of the land will no longer keep you from my knowing! There is no place to go, and I offer you the only chance to surrender” The monstrosity only laughed, in a way that seemed to echo with other voices. “You have spread suffering and darkness since the fall of Nightmare Moon, corrupting countless innocence ponies, killing others, and attempt to break apart this land! Time remains, if you give yourself over, the punishment will be lenient”
“That is your greatest weakness,” Shadow Colt returned. “You spared your sister, who will return to ruin you, and now you offer me an easy sentence?” He spoke with the same many voice sound as his laugh, and as much humor to what he said. “Look at this pony here” A tendril of shadow raised Crimson Thunder’s head, she was only able to shutter as she clung to the last bits of life. “She watched as her beloved friend died at Luna’s hooves, and countless others suffered her armies. You spare us in her shadows, but punish those in your light. Where is their justice?” He paused, looking over the broken pony. “You let him die, as you attempted to save her. Will you repeat this with this with her and I? Just what will it take for you to actually do what is needed?” He halted again, not seeking a response, but thinking of an idea of just what to do. “Will witnessing her death be the key? Will this break the great Princess Celestia?!” Just as he spoke, several spikes of shadows, solid as steel, impaled the dying mare. She gasped in silent pain, not able to even summon the strength to cry out.
It was hard to see the passing life against a coat coloured just the same, only the trails down the blackness, and the growing pools below showed the damage. Princess Celestia cried out as Crimson Thunder could not, unable to stop this horror, unable to save yet another from the endless wickedness that plagued Equestria. She could do no more now, then before. “The radiant glow of Light Bringer has long faded, and now the echoes of Crimson Thunder finally passes in the cold night! So goes the last hero of the Royal Age” He laughed in a maddening way, that pierced as deeply as his shadows.
Celestia had fallen silent like the poor, aged champion, laughter was the only sound for a time. A dangerous look began to creep across the Princess’ face, brewing into her eyes like a stirring volcano. “So, you enjoy suffering? Bringing ponies to their breaking point?” She began, calming the humor in Shadow Colt. “Since you thrive in the dark, surely you will writhe in the light” Her caldron eyes, once so full of love and compassion, now erupted into a blaze of fury and spite. Her luminous mane of colours, all turned into a rolling flame, and the yellow glow of her magick roared from her horn like a wild fire.
Shadow Colt watched the change of the princess, his amusement now as dead as the pegasus between them, his mood turning to concerned. None had seen this side of Celestia, nothing more than a raised brow, or a stern voice before, now she was a white hot anger that was directed solely at him. He stepped back, as her glow stretched toward him, the heat of it reaching far sooner and warned of the dangers of the light that hungered for him. As it encompassed the broken form of Crimson Thunder, the corpse smoked, and grass caught fire. Seeing his doom, and folly, Shadow attempted to escape into the fleeting shadow, only to be overtaken in the speed of light. Resisting at first, he soon was over come by the searing pain and cried out as his body burned, his mane curled and singed, his flesh peeled and flared, and his fluids boiled. No longer a being a shadows, barely a figure at all, he collapsed into a heap, every last, bitter part of his existence agonizing in torturous pain without a hope of escape but the now desired escape of death; yet no matter how long he suffered, how much he was torn part by the endless flame, he never found his end.
Princess Celestia had regained herself, and composure, stood observing the stallion rolling around in anguish, and not the chard, crispy heap he believed to be. A royal guard garrison had arrived not long ago, witnessing only the part where the shadow pony was transformed into a screaming mess. They had become confused by this, and one approached. “What afflicts him, my princess?”
“A Spell,” She responded with a pain in her tone, by what she was forced into casting. “He shall be trapped in his own mind, eternally consumed in flame” Celestia trotted to the body of the fallen pegasus and knelt to her. “Once, you condemned me for my reluctance to permanently deal with my sister, and you abandoned Equestria. Your returned to save it, and aid me in ending this threatening wickedness. I could not kill her, and still I refuse to take such a course. I prey never to need to make such an order, however I do believe this would have met with your approval. I believe you understand how living on can be a fate worse than death.
She stood again, and looked to her assembly of guards. “Take Shadow Colt to my Solar Cells, where even if he manages to escape his mind, the endless and all spreading light of those walls will not allow even the tiniest shadow to aid him” She then looked down at the champion. “Ensure that Crimson Thunder is laid to rest beside Light Bringer, no place is better for her in death, than by his side. So in life, as in death”
Shaken, and hesitant; either by what was his question, and questioning the princess, the guard responded “B-but princess, does not the legendary hero rest in the cemetery of Everfree, at the castle ruins?” Her look raised further doubt in his choice to second guess her orders. “I merely wonder why such a hero would not be placed in Canterlot, to be honoured by all and not somewhere she would surely go forgotten”
Princess Celestia smiled, only confusing him further. “I was unable to do right by her with my sister, but I will do right by her in the only desire she had left. To be with her friend, and to be forgotten. In Everfree, she will have both. She will pass to dust, as her pages in history”
******
-After Princess Luna’s Return-
The events in Ponyville, during the longest day of the year, would race across Equestria after the six young mares who would become heroes undid the spell of eternal night, and returned not one, but two princesses to the land. Princess Luna’s revival became the great surprise of the era, and not one area of Equestria was untouched by the fever of this new royal mare. Where most heard from the regular means of news and gossip, those in Hallow Shade knew by the clear signs that came during the Summer Solstice.
As the thousandth year neared, the seriousness was rekindled in the bat ponies. The ramblings of select elder ponies, became the sermons of the people as they now prepared for the uncertainty of what was coming. When the longest day of the year was delayed, and the haunting image on the moon was gone, the ponies of Hallow Shade knew their princess was back. As each day that fallowed left the bat ponies wondering what would be coming for them, or if she had also forgotten them as the rest of the world.
Into the early moments of the Autumnal Equinox, the moment waited upon with even greater anxiety than the thousandth day. With the air clear, and the moon casting its full glow, a figure briefly returned to her silhouette before landing in the center of the town with the full attention of every eye that saw her approach. Word carried fast, and soon the area was a crowd of every bat pony with a singular focus. She had been silent, taking in the lost members of Equestria, and those who so long suffered for her crimes. It was a powerful moment for princess and ponies, and when she finally spoke, it was not loud, yet nopony missed a word.
“I do not know who among you know of me, or why this stranger has come into your lives when so much of Equestria has avoided even thinking of Hallow Shade” She had her head level, but eyes low. Slowly, she looked up and around, taking in the faces of these ponies. “One thousand years ago my mistake cost far more than I had accounted for, and not only did it tarnish the name of those of the night, but dragged those who had been so loyal to me down into my punishment” Her voice was near to breaking, and vision blurring to the tears dancing at the edges of her eyes. “Your ancestors stood by me, fell for me, and suffered for me, and that lingered on through the years and generations”
Princess Luna looked up, seeing a statue of herself, or rather of Nightmare Moon looking more like a ruler than a warrior. It almost made her happy, that those who erected it saw her not as the cruel dictator, but as a regal princess even in that form. “Those ponies made a pact with me, that when I returned they were rejoin my mission to rule Equestria” The mood quickly shifted, and the crowd had regained their fear. “I cannot now ask you hold to those words, or continue your suffering for those who had listened then. I did not come here to recruit an army, but free a people. I came to offer my deepest apologies, and demand not loyalty but plea for forgiveness”
Muttering and questions drifted around the crowd, as the princess sought some response, though feared it as well. Now she was place upon the uncertain edge that the ponies here were when she arrived. Not until a single figure made his way toward her, did she see a sign of an end to her waiting. A black pony, with a silver mane and golden eyes. He moved with purpose and dedication, holding himself like one with authority and no hesitation. He only stopped when he was about a few hoof steps away. He looked upon her, and she at him. She study him for his intentions, and he looked more like a soldier.
“After many years,” He began, speaking with authority. “We forgot much of what was the cause of our banishment. There were some families that kept the stories, but as each generation went on they turned to legend and myth. Details were lost, but all we knew that Equestria was gone from us, and Princess Celestia shunned us. When the prophecy neared the end date, we became more concerned, and prepared ourselves to be faced with rejoining our ruler” He paused looking around at his friends, neighbors and family. “We harbor no ill-will toward the other ponies beyond our forest, and though we have no loyalties to Celestia, we do not wish her any harm. So now that you come, and issue an apology and our freedom… as a free-pony…” He knelt before her. “I wish to offer my services to you”
Princess Luna was not alone in surprise, and she took stock of him. “Why would you give yourself to me, after all the trouble caused by my actions? You know nothing about who I am now, yet you are ready to give me your loyalty?” Uncertain tears rolled on, as she struggled to grasp this turn of fate.
He glanced up, still keeping his resolve. “I can see my future with you, beyond all I have known to all that is yet to be learned. You have spent a thousand years away from the world, and I have known nothing but Hallow Shade all my life” Around them more of the bat ponies talked, and some began to move closer to show their willingness to join Princess Luna.
She felt moved by this display, the sorrow she felt for her mistake turning to joy at the acceptance of those she had sought it nearly as much as her sister’s forgiveness. “I had dared to dream that you would welcome me, but I did not fool myself into thinking any would want to rejoin the ranks of the Night Guard. None of you should feel that you must do this, nothing will change if you do not”
“We have chosen this, we want to serve our Princess. You had once accepted our kind, and now return us to Equestria. I, for one, want to return under your banner”
Looking around, taking in the face of every pony who was standing with her now before returning to the first. “My court will swell with great ponies, but I must know the name of my first knight”
Shaken for the first time this night, not expecting to be risen to such a rank. He collected himself and responded with a new pride in his linage. “Moonrazor, seventh to carry the name, and just as the first who stood with you, I now stand proudly with you now”
Searching her memories, she recalled that pony and could see a strong resemblance; Luna understood why she felt a connection to him. “I could not rule the night, without a Moonrazor”
******
A few moons after Princess Luna’s first Nightmare Night
In the lower parts of Canterlot, where the pristine city gives way to a run down pit of those clinging to the fringes of society. A figure shuffled his way through unkempt streets, using anything that looked stable to keep himself from collapsing. Soft blue eyes had faded to a near ghostly hue, and metallic steel coat more like a buried pipe. He did not give much thought to where he was going, or those around him, ignoring those who made effort to not look toward him. He drifted like a tumble weed among the other discarded ponies, giving them no more concern than anything else. Unlike the rest, he was avoided not for his appearance, but his history that invisibly marked him. Silver Grace, the only murderer of the last few centuries.
He had served the sentence, even learning to place a value on life, having lost his for so many years; ten more than intended, as he was left to rot in prison. He was finally released, but his spirit had died in that place, and no one cared that he had nothing now.
Trusting the wrong railing, Silver crashed to the ground, his last bits of life seeming to drift from him as he stared blankly at the ground beyond him. The faint light in his eyes, a struggling ember was now fading to nothing. Just as the last vestige was passing, a shadow draped over him. He no longer had anything to care or more to see who was watching the sight of a murderer die in the gutter. He only believed it to be death, a friend, the only one who was eagerly awaiting him.
“Yet another of our sister’s discarded, forgotten projects” A voice drifted into the fleeting moments of his life, one that he did not know, yet felt knew him. Not in the way others did, but one who had faced trails much like his own. “Ignored by society, even after enduring punishment many times beyond intention. For shame!” The last was shouted out to all around. “Rise, a place yet awaits you in this living realm. A home for thee, where crime is not your label”
Managing a scoff, his breath kicked the dirty ground into small clouds. “The only place… my only home… is the grave…” He lingered on that a moment, perhaps to muster more strength. “…or, the gutter”
Something filled his vision suddenly, and it took a moment for weary eyes to adjust to it. A helmet, much like the royal guard, only darker with a style much the same. “In a thousand years, much has changed in our home of Equestria. In our time, it was outside forces who threatened ponies, but now it seems they attack one another. Murder is a rare case, though we do not see you as a murderer any longer. Dangers linger all around, and an illusion of perfection is disillusioning the ponies, but ones like you know the truth. We need soldiers like that, ponies able to do what is needed to protect those nursing on their lies” Listening to her words caused some of what he thought long gone to return, and he could feel himself actually want to live on. “Take our armor, fly our banner, and throw away a life that has abandoned you, or you can freeze here in the coming winter and be lost to Equestria like fallen leaves or carcasses of dead beasts”
Sparks returned into his eyes, turning into strength to stand again, and now he could see the tall mare who stood with him. Not Princess Celestia, though close to her height, and the same enchanted mane. Where one was so clearly the Princess of Day, this one could only be the one of Night. He did not care to learn the events of the word since his imprisonment, and knew nothing of this pony, who stood with a gaze of absolute resolve and passion. “W-who… are you?”
She wished to smirk, but the sorrow of knowing that he was so lost to the world he did not learn what every other pony had because of his sentence was too great. “We are Princess Luna, ruler of the Night, sister to Princess Celestia. We had been imprisoned for a great crime a thousand years ago, but were returned to the world recently”
“Another princess? A thousand years?” He laughed a little, thinking how small his sentence was compared. “Why would you seek me, why scrape the scum of the gutter?”
“A battle lies in the darkness, and it must be fought by those who know the dark” She began, not truly looking at him as she focused on her words. “Wickedness cannot always be met by the lawful armies of our sister. Only those who have known suffering can know the importance of stopping it at any cost, and doing it!” The passion in her eyes warmed him, and he felt his life returning as she fueled his own rising desire. “You are no longer a cold killer, but the world still see you as such. You are suited to cast aside a tragic life, for one as a silent hero. Let this world go, so you can became apart of an army that will save it from itself. We had be given a second chance, now we offer it to thee. Will you be burdened by memories, or bare the torch of a new hope?”
Princess Luna addressed a gathering of ponies, delivering a speech to stir their hearts for a cause she believed so deeply in. Moonrazor was close by his Princess, looking out at the crowd assembled. He was not alone as some of her most trusted knights, another of the ranks was filled by one of his oldest friends, Mist Dancer, who was also taking in the sight.
“I wonder if this is how we looked, when our ancestors were banished?” Mist whispered to him. “A broken lot, huddling together to see what the future would be”
Making a thoughtful sound, Moonrazor nodded. “We share in their plight, as viewed as Equestria’s worst. Who would have imagined that some ponies beyond our forest were just as isolated. Maybe not so obvious as us” He gave his bat ears a flick.
“Don’t be so easily foaled by your ignorance of our kind” Another voice, belonging to a pony who also enjoyed the higher ranks. “We find criminals just as easy as if they were another species, and we punish them just the same” She was a blood-red mare, coat and mane. She had a devious look in eyes just as crimson as the rest of her.
She did not linger, moving along to the other side of the stage. “How is it,” Mist began, when the mare was far enough from them. “in an assembly of criminals, deviants, and offenders, Commander Redmare remains the one I am most concerned with? Earth ponies have no magic like Unicorns, nor fly like Pegasus or us, yet…”
Another pony made his way onto the stage, another of the few non-bat ponies in the higher ranks of the Night Guard. Where Moonrazor was a knight, and Mist Dancer a commander, both passed on this new pony’s role as Captain of the Guard. He seemed a decent enough pony, but they had not had time in past few moons to get to know Silver Grace as training and gathering more ponies to the cause took all their time. He was a good captain, and was even now speaking, inspiring the gathered as he was once inspired. “You are the best and greatest, and will leave behind all the weakness of your old lives! You are all now Soldiers of the Night!” The huddled masses had become an army, stomping together in perfect time, so much that Moonrazor though the earth would split and mountains fall.
Shortly after the great gathering, they were challenged to face the horrors of Discord. Recently awoken, and spreading his chaos across Equestria. Soon the few numbers of troubles, became vast and challenging. The Celestia Guard was at its limits, and the Lunar Knights pushed further and further into actions of questionable nature.
Commander Redmare had used these events to become ever closer to Princess Luna, earning her place as the Royal adviser, and this drew concern in the two he should have been the closest to the princess.
“The lines of good and evil are being blurred in shades of gray, Mist” Moonrazor said, reflecting on the troubles on their cause and the future of Equestria. The pair sat in a garden of Canterlot, one of many times they had come to get a break from the never ending strife of the world. “I know we are doing what we must, but just as much as we save the ponies, we spread fear” He hung his head, not feeling pride he had at the start. It had no been a year, yet it felt like ages ago when they started this journey. “Princess Luna holds a demon in her highest regard… demons, with those twins Redmare found”
Mist took stock of all around her, keeping her voice low as she spoke. “Do you think she might become… Nightmare Moon again? Do you think we should speak to Princess Celestia?” Though she was not one often turned too by the bat ponies, the princess was still of the royal court, and the sister to their princess.
Moonrazor did not like the idea of going behind Princess Luna’s back, but he cared less for her turning back into a monster. As Redmare fueled a dangerous fire, and the twins surely fans to it, this maybe the only chance to avoid the risk. “We are Soldiers of the Night, and we must do what is for the greater good of all Equestria… I only hope Princess Luna will look back on this fondly, and not betrayal… but it must be so”
“I have spoken to her once, and she has proven determined upon this course” Princess Celestia responded, after Sir Moonrazor and Commander Mist Dancer informed her of the growing concerns. “I could not sway her then, and was even talked into allow this, but now two of her most loyal are here with similar fears? My sister has a good, loving heart, but passion can cloud judgement, and the wrong words by the right voice can manipulate hearts like that” She stood from the seat in her private chamber, and trotted toward the pair.”You do well by her, and she is most fortunate to have two so loyal and faithful to her. I will confront her again, and insist that she rethink her actions, and at the very least cast aside that troublesome mare”
Moonrazor and Mist Dancer trotted down the street from their meeting, still not sure in what they had done. Mist was first to speak, hoping to convince her friend as much as herself, that what they had done was right. “Princess Celestia is the the closest pony to her, and she able to save her”
“Close?” Another voice came from the dark. “She is a thousand years away”
The two soldiers took position to defend themselves, yet as they sought a opponent, they saw nothing. “Show yourself!” Moonrazor called. “We are members of Princess Luna’s Royal Guard, and in her name we demand you to come out!”
“Not much fun in that, now is there? You who operate in the shadows can’t truly expect another to come out?” Returned the hidden pony. “You also are diluted to think that blood hold bonds after so long, when those were once challenged. Redmare holds Luna’s ear, and the reins of the Lunar Armies”
“She holds nothing but lies and deception, fooling even herself!” Mist challenged. “Princess Luna will understand this soon enough!”
Laughing, and openly mocking them, the faceless one went on. “You bat ponies are all idealistic foals! Living too long in isolation to know who the real world works. Following a lead who was once defeated, and keeping a blind loyalty during exile at her fault. Now, as chaos is swelling, and darkness is ruling, you think your little mare’s tale is one to end happily?” Several Soldiers of the Night formed out of the shadows, and attacked the pair. The swelling numbers was too much for them, and the hidden figure knew this.
Stepping out of the shadows, yet never leaving them, a shadowy stallion form as much of the darkness as a void. “The wickedness in the world is ancient and all consuming. However, as you two are so ignorant, I shale spare you the suffering of reality that you all fought for falling to ash” Without motion, he sent two piercing spears of shadows into them, impaling them high into the air. Their blood flowed easily from great wounds, but as it poured out, it was consumed into the shadows of the implements of their deaths. “Princess Celestia is too soft, and remains so. Sparing the bat ponies may well be fine, but imprisoning me in that cell was a great mistake. She should have killed me, but I will not miss my chances to take out my enemies!”
When satisfied that the pair were dead, he lowered them into voids, that would leave no trace of them. He then turned to the other assembled, with not a single bat in the ranks. “The bat ponies are a problem, and all must die. They are far too loyal!” It was now clear that not a single bat pony was in these treacherous ranks. “Wipe them out, all of them!”
Outro
“Alas we end this tale with lingering tragedy, when a sister blind in her ambition, she could not see how those about her used her. Sister, too accustom to things being well when kindness is given, trots into her… Oh wait, that part will come later. Damned revisions.
“So forlorn our tale, yet barely begun it is. What remains to be told, and will it lead to any other course but what has come before?”
The director Discord looks on at the on on the stage and blinks in disbelieve, standing and shouting out “What in Tartarus are you doing?! Those aren’t the lines!” Frustrated, he trows the script and storms out.
An older mare, lead a group of colts and fillies to a field trip to the Canterlot Sculpture Garden. She was pink like sakura petals, and mane much lighter, with full, bright green eyes that looks upon her class like a shepherd. Attempting to break up and guides three students away from a statue they had been bickering at, she only took the bout across the gardens. The yellow coated filly, with a red mane like a ripe apple, still exchanges words with the orange filly, with a purple mane. Applebloom, the first, has a blaze in her already morning sun orange eyes. Scootaloo, with softer violet colour eyes, reflects the same passion in her own sight. The third, a white filly, with soft pink and purple mane, struggles to try to bring reason to the two as Cheerilee attempts to break the argument up.
As soon as the fight began, it is over, and the three friends with their class and teacher are wondering out of the Royal Maze and it’s statues. Though through the discourse, and by the time any of them quieted enough to hear, small cracks formed on the statue that was the start of their bickering. From the stone figure of the draconequus, a wicked laugh crept out, rich and dark like blood.
“Show time”
Track 04: Never Ending Strife
Equestria, in a peaceful, happy and calming atmosphere where ponies and creatures of all kinds can come together and enjoy the fruits of their coexistence with everything around them. With two princesses to rule them, and six little mares to protect them, there was so much time to just have fun, and enjoy things like dresses, and cupcakes. Exploring the depths of friendship, and growing relationships. Sisters bond, friendships form, as seasons go on. It would be so hard to imagine such a wonderful place could ever know true suffering or sadness. Not with all the holidays, celebrations, and bla bla BLA!..
Discord spiraled into existence with a grin. “Please excuse me, I don’t mean to alarm, and I certainly mean you no physical harm… Originally performed by H8_SEED, cover by SlyphStorm” He points to a link on youtube, before going on. “Give credit where it is due… oh, you are wondering why this chapter is playing out a little differently? Well, what else to you expect from a chapter inspired by a song dedicated to me?” He floated high up above Equestria, the lord of chaos observed the land below. “As you might expect, this is where the world truly begins to fall to Hades. Although I did not make the ‘shit’ nor the ‘fan’, this is the point I introduce them”
Track 04: Never Ending Strife (For real)
After escaping his stone prison that the princesses Celestia and Luna had sealed him in those many thousands of years ago, Discord raced to make up for lost time, sowing discourse and mayhem as he took a scenic route to remove those powerful Elements of Harmony from the board. Without those gems, there could be no means by which to seal him again. He wanted to have his fun, but he knew that some steps needed to be taken first. Observing the ponies for a little bit, he created a plan, and then immediately threw it out. Setting up a dart board with the faces of the six new challengers, he tossed a rubber ball. The sphere stuck to the picture of Fluttershy, and a grin grew upon his face.
Snatching the yellow mare, leaving not even a light pink hair behind, he whisked her away to his realm of chaos where he attempted to corrupt her. Her soft colours, including those gentle blue eyes, he thought her a easy mark, but she seemed to resist his games. Every word he used to trigger her insecurities, only made her strengthen her resolve to her ties in the world.
“Have I lost my touch?” He asked himself.
“Of course not” He responded from across the room from himself. “We have our senses, all 11.5”
Handing off a cup to himself, Discord thought about it. “I would have missed smevision” They all nodded. “But why is she fighting our efforts?”
“We must try another, she must be a fluke”
“Right”
One of the Discords took up a noodle, and threw it in no particular direction, and it stuck in the next room to the dart board, and he was gone again.
In the time a way, he had successfully corrupted two other ponies of the six. With a renewed sense of achievement, and his work starting to spread around from several places he detoured before returning, Discord came home. He threw open the door, and it drifted into the void. “Honey, I’m home!” He shouted to an empty room. “Oh wait, I forgot… I’m not married” He strolled in, and tripped over an ottoman, ans canned laughter played. “Now I know how the Romans felt” He said to even more automated laughs.
He appeared in the space he had been holding Fluttershy, who upon seeing him coward in her cornering, whimpering. This was an annoying sound to Discord, so he snapped his fingers to place earplugs in her ears, silencing her. “How is it you are of the same stock as those other Elements of Harmony ponies?” He asked, not really expecting an answer. His goal was to invert the six mares, and possibly turn them to agents of chaos, but after dealing with the other two, he knew they would not work quite that way, though they were spread the insanity just as well. As the pony in his keep started to tear up, he threw back his head, and as it bounced around his body floated around her. “Is this all you are, all you are capable of? No wonder no pony has come looking for you”
“L-liar…” She said, with an unexpected bit of defiance. Discord pulled himself together, as his claims roused her spirit. She believed in her friends, and could not find truth in his words. “My friends wouldn’t abandon me”
He loomed over her, a shadow cast over everything but his mouth. He spoke each word clearly, and moved his lips to be clearly read. “Ya sure? Because not one of them even knows that you are missing, not one even cares. I’ve been a little distracting, but not a thought has drifted to their poor, pathetic little friend. A pegasus who fears flight, a pony who spends all her time with animals of other species”
Feeding on his challenge of her believe, she continued to fight back his falsehoods. “If you are causing them trouble, I can’t blame them for not worrying about me. You also can’t hurt me with things like my fears, I accept them. Plus, I like my animal friends, so that’s not much of an insult”
“How much do you like them?” He gave an uncomfortable look, hinting to something that the pony caught on and shook her head too. “Save it for Derpibooru”
“I don’t care what you say or do, I won’t distrust my friends because… a big MEANIE says so!”
Discord’s eye twitched, and twittered too. He was loosing ground on her again, as she refused to be broken by his manipulations. Inside his head he gathered him-selves. “She is more of a challenge than any pony I’ve faced. There must be a way to crack this omelette…” Returning to an outward conversation, he pressed on. “What sort of friends don’t keep you at their forethought? If we were friends, I would notice anytime you were in trouble. Although, if I had any friends, they would be worthy of my attention, so there is that” He tried to two pronged attack, at her friendships, and self worth.
Fluttershy took this in and gave it thought. “Well,” she started, stubbornly not effected by his strike. “I’ve never really tried to give them the impression that they needed to so obsessively watch over me, or come off as somepony who needed to be protected all the time. That’s not really the point of friendship. You are there when you can, they are there when they can, but seeing how you are giving them so much trouble, I can understand why they are thinking about more immediate things. Friendship should not be a burden, but I guess you don’t have friends, like you said, so I suppose you don’t understand that” Though not her intention, she had landed a blow on the draconequus.
With a mixture of shock, and anger at her resolve, with a light dusting of frustration, stirred to a soupy consistency, Discord was brought to a full boil before he simmered. “I’ll go out there and prove that they don’t care, now or ever, about you! You are just a burden, only kept because of the ties to the Elements of Harmony you all share!” He turned around, ready to serve. “Need to do more than this bit any way, there is plot to develop” With a sharp wave of his single finger, he was gone in a flash.
Back in Equestria, Discord formed together from several little dots, becoming a stallion, that to those who knew what to look for, was Discord. To those not so familiar, he just seemed like a strangely coloured pony, possibly with some disease. He was in a hospital hall, and could hear down the way the voices of two ponies. He knew them, through his observations, as Rainbow Dash and her super fan Scootaloo. “Ah, one of my little liberators” He thought, as he moved closer. He could hear the frustration in the older pony, as she complained about her status and boredom. “Perfect timing… I have to work on that”
Scootaloo came rushing out of the room, exclaiming that she would help solve the problem. She crashed into the Discord pony, and was put off by his appearance. “Uh, sorry dude”
He raised one of his different sized brows. “Quite alright… homie” This put a sour expression on both of them. “I couldn’t help but hear that your friend there is feeling blue” He pushed past the awkward start of their conservation to the point of his arrival.
“Rainbow Dash is blue, like all the time. It’s her colour” Scootaloo remarked. “Some day her coat will be a legendary shade for those who want to have their stuff tons cooler, she is the greatest flyer in history!”
“How fortuitous!” The filly seemed lost on this word, and Discord groaned a bit in silence. “You speak of legends and history, well I have here a book of both” He placed it on the ground before her. “This will change her life, and I bet all of Equestria”
She scoffed. “Book? She’s no nerd, books are for dweebs with no talents” She mocked, but soon was gripped by the spell placed on the object. “… but, not all books are bad… I bet Rainbow Dash will know what to do with this!” She picked it up, and galloped full gait to the room.
Forgiving her rudeness, Discord grinned and was off again. Where he appeared, he was almost trampled by a group of ponies flocking to a newsstand. “Hey!” He shouted out, taken off guard by this crowd. “I must have time skipped… what is this, an anime?” He thought. “What is all this?” He was still in pony form, so he did not stand out in the crowd… too much.
“You haven’t heard?” One stopped, shocked that anypony had not been alerted to the story of the century. “There is another princess in Equestria!”
This caught Discord’s full attention. The last he had known, that there was Celestia, Luna, and that third one no pony seemed to know about until she had been abducted by that Changeling Queen, then it was like she had been there the hole time.
Popping into an alley, Discord held a paper with the headline “Pony Princess Parade: A Forth Royal Alicorn!” He quickly skimmed the pages, muttering parts as he went. Princess Twilight Sparkle joins the Equestria elite and small pantheon of Alicorn royals. Still fresh from the battles at Canterlot during the Royal wedding of her own brother, Captain Shining Armor, and now Sister-in-law bla bla… Their heroine adventures against bla bla bla… The return of the Crystal BLA! Fight with so much bla…” Having his fill with the filler, he pressed ctrl F and typed until he found what he was looking for. “-her many adventures seem to have awoke her as another of the rare Alicorns. She is marked as the Princess of Friendship, in spite of the loses of her closest friends, the drive to find and help them, and all of Equestria during these troubled times has been the pushed needed to find her true calling. In a statement by our newest princess, she said ‘Equestria has become a cauldron of dark forces, and drawn much of our once peaceful, happy and calm home into despair. The same reasons that allowed me to become an Alicorn, are the ones that drive me to undo the wickedness of those villains who threaten all we hold dear. We have lost much, and my own friends rank in those numbers, but I swear that I will not stop until I have returned Equestria to a place were ponies can feel safe. No villain will go unchallenged, and I will continue to work against them. Six of us stood against Nightmare Moon, and awoke as the Elements of Harmony, and those some are gone, we all swore to fight for Equestria. My heart is divided, but the Elements cannot be destroyed, so long as we all stand together and embody what they mean. Equestria will prevail’” With a sneer, Discord crumpled the paper. “Oh gag!” He remarked, tossing the rubbish into a trash can, that soon self-destructed. “Wowzers” He turned, dressed now in a gray trench coat, and matching fedora. “What ever happened to there only being two Alicorns in this generation of My Little Pony? Lauren won’t be happy”
Returning to his home, Discord traveled purposefully, and proudly to the room with Fluttershy, who seemed to be distracted by a strange creature that even Discord did not know what it was. Shooing it away, he addressed her. “Well, it seems that your friends have all moved on, the ones left. You will be happy to know that Rainbow Dash has taken up reading, and Twilight Sparkle becomes a Princess Alicorn… I like Pegacorn better, seeing how the alicorn is what the horn of a Unicorn is called” He gave a shrug. “At any rate, you seemed to be holding them all back”
Without hesitation, she responded. “Well, I’m happy for them. I hope they keep growing and becoming better, despite what ever you try to do to them”
Letting out a roar of frustration, Discord could bare no more. “How can you be so relentlessly positive?! You’re afraid of your own shadow, can’t sing in front of anyone, and get used by that horrid little rabbit, and yet you are so damn happy for every other pony, when your own fate is questionable. I can snap my fingers, and you would be inside out, or tormented to an inch of life with death always beyond your desperate reach! How can you, the frailest of all the mane six, be the one who resists me?!” He panted, staring at her with all his exasperated fury. “They left you to rot here, does this not bother you, do you care so little about yourself?”
“I rather be here, face what ever… t-torment you can image” Looking around, she could assume that his imagination was vast. “I rather that, than hold anypony back, or keep them from being happy. Am I happy here? No. Do I get scared? Yes. Is Angel difficult? Of course. Being nice, doesn’t always mean you are happy, but really, I am content in others happiness”
“Well, it’s about time to change all of that, and you’ll be happier than you have ever been, when you become cruel” His finger began to glow, ready to place a curse upon her that will force her to become the opposite of who she is.
Fluttershy gave a heavy, accepting sigh. “If that is what you wish, then go ahead. Just please don’t hurt my friends anymore”
Discord froze, dumbfounded by this request. A plea in the final moments before she was turned to a monster, but not for herself. “Y-you would stay here, if I personally don’t hurt your friends?” She gave him a nod. “You are such a fool… yet, so fascinating. Even the most selfless have cracked under less, yet you remain dedicated to this… kindness” He retracted his hand, and stopped the glow. “Very well, you will remain here as a pet, of sorts, and I shale do no more direct harm to any your friends” He muttered out of a second head. “Not to say anything about indirect, or incidental”
The dead silence of the soothing night, was shattered to the sound of pots and pans being brought together in loud bangs that echoed deep and far into the distance of the evening. Granny Smith was striking up a racket as the signs of the annual Zap Apples were shown to her, and she had a long established traditions to uphold. She cried out for all on Sweet Apple Arches to hear, to let her kin know it was time for this special harvest.
Apple Bloom was enlisted to aid her grandmother, to take the steps to ensure that the Zap Apples would come, and the bounty of their rare fruit would be utilized to their fullest. Big Mac and Applejack would focus on other areas of the preparations, with every Apple Family pony here to work for another grand year of the Equestria famous jam.
Deep in the Everfree forest the Timber Wolves gathered, drawn by the activities of the orchard and the Zap Apples. They were kept at bay by Granny Smith’s noise, just as they had been for so many years.
Track 05: Adventure
The Zap Apple harvest had gone smoothly, and the sales were greater than any year in recent times. The trees that bore the fruit, were generous this year, and with all hooves on their marks, the preparations and efforts yielded a prosperous turn out. The three youngest Apples were cleaning up, as Granny took her rest in the house. Apple Bloom was excited, as ever, about the season. Any other time, Applejack would have been so proud to see her sister so into the family business, but she was elsewhere in attention.
“This was amazing!” Apple Bloom exclaimed, with a nod by Big Mac to show at least one of her siblings were paying attention. She finished loading up the cart of supplies, but before Big Mac pulled it way, the youngest turned to Applejack and asked what both of them were noticing. “Hey sis, what’s up?”
It had taken a few attempts, but finally the spunky filly got her sister to return. “Huh? Oh, sorry, just a bit distracted… thinkin’ about stuff”
“What about?” Not that the little yellow pony needed to really ask, they all could find a reason to Applejack’s wondering mind. The fact that it was getting to her, required some attention, and though silent, Big Mac reflected the worry.
It would be a few moments before another word was spoken, and Applejack was the one to break the silence. “It’s hard to appreciate the good of this harvest, with everything go’n on right now. That dirty scoundrel Discord is mucking things up, no pony has heard from Fluttershy in awhile, and Rainbow got herself all tangled up and in a hospital bed”
Hoping to dwindle some of the worry, Apple Bloom focused on the last part. “Well, she is always up to such risky fly’n, not a surprise the ground finally caught up with that one”
“Rainbow is a bit wild, a tad lazy, and a might extreme, but she ain’t never been put out like that before. With all this, kinda hard to not lump this in with the same events that’s got the air feel’n heavy with trouble”
******
A couple nights passed since the harvest, and the ponies had gone to bed at Sweet Apple Archers. From the depths of the forest, low growls and howls preceded the sounds of movement in the thick brush. The echoing calls became unified, and soon a howl that was greater than any the ponies on the orchard had ever heard, and it roused them all out of bed.
“A second Zap Apple harvest?” Apple Bloom innocently questioned, not knowing the way of things, or the impossibility of such a hopeful even.
Granny Smith was first to respond, and silenced the doubt. “Ain’t no sign of Zap Apples, never been more than one in a year, not in all the time I’ve been here no how… this is something far rarer and loads more dangerous”
“Been only one time I seen this…” Applejack started, with a heavy heart at the memories that came with those words. She looked to Big Mac, who shared in the feelings and knowledge then to Granny. “This won’t be like that time!”
“Like what?” Apple Bloom, for better or worse, did not know what had happened. “What ‘that time’?”
Turning fast, the three older ponies urged her to follow as they moved with purpose. “We’ll tell y’all after, we need to ready now!” She glanced back once, before adding “We gotta prepare for the Timber wolves”
Applejack and Big Mac set to putting up defenses around key places on the farm, with protection around any live stock, and buildings. The wolves would not bother too much with the trees, but the living creatures were at risk. With only the four of them here, there was not enough to guard all those locations, but they would ensure that those fences would not even be needed, as they would make noise to draw the invaders to them instead.
“Should we get help?” Apple Bloom asked, as her sister returned to sure up their position.
“Ain’t got time fer that, we need all ponies we got now. Any pony who tried to go, would be a target anyhow” Applejack explained, hoof pounding a pole to the ground. “Besides, who’d come? Everypony out there is caught up with all that chaos. We’re Apples, and this is Sweet Apple Archers! We’ll protect our own”
When the last of the posts were in place, and Big Mac returned to the group, Applejack commanded Apple Bloom to go into the house. “Protect Granny, and stay inside. Me and Big Mac can fend off ornery wolves”
Reluctantly, Apple Bloom obeyed. Inside she met with Granny, and asked “Are we gonna be ok? I ain’t never seen Applejack so… serious”
The elder mare had to take a moment to respond, knowing that she was dealing with a little filly, but she was not one to sugar coat things. “I… don’t know, little seed. The last, and only other time the Timber wolves attacked, it were a complete surprise, they ain’t done nothin’ like that afor, but this time we’re ready for it… but they can’t be taken lightly, they is mean beasts”
Outside Big Mac was scanning around the trees for any signs of the wolves, as Applejack repeatedly checked the barriers. “It won’t be like last time” He said, stopping his sister for a moment. “We are ready this time, and we have that advantage”
“I won’t let it be like last time, I ain’t loosing any pony else this time!” She made her vow, like she was pledging before a higher power.
After a long, and uneasy silence a howl went out from the forest, and soon followed a number of living wooden creatures in the form of wolves emerged. Big Mac started to count them, taking in the foes they would need to fend off. When he was into the thirties, another howl from in the woods came and the pack charged. “Damn things are smart” Big Mac remarked, noticing their organization and movements.
“Ain’t too smart” Applejack said, stomping on a button near her. Across the field several holes opened and claimed a number of the wolves, and nearly as suddenly, flames shot out of the pits to ensure that the reconstruct-able beasts were dead. These traps cut deep into the numbers, but more raced from the forest, and the next wave were not following the first into the pits.
“Got to thank Rarity for those fire gems” Big Mac commented, glad that their efforts had been well worth the result.
“Them, and these uncut ones too” Applejack added, stepping on another button, activating catapults and sending several volatile gems crashing into the pack, exploding into flames that spread through the wood creature’s ranks hungrily.
Despite these defenses, a few still got through, and Big Mac, armed with more gems met the first few wolves, shattering them with powerful legs, and ending them with smaller fire gems good enough for one or two wolves.
The battle seemed to near an end, as only a few remained on the Timber Wolves’ side, leaving the two ponies to feel victorious. They could not imagine that they were press such a futile attack, and this seemed confirmed when another howl in the forest called back those remaining.
“Something ain’t right” Applejack said, as her brother returned to her side.
With another call that shook the trees like a gale, something worse was coming. The trees creaked and groaned in protest, some toppling, as the ground shuttered from the distance. The howl came again, much closer, and fiercer than those before. This was no command to troops, but a challenge to an enemy. Several trees were sent crashing to the ground, as the largest Timber Wolf anypony had ever seen came into view, larger than any tree on the farm, and made the Everfree Forest look like uncut grass.
“What in tarnation?” Applejack lost her focus for a moment, stepping back before the massive creature. She was quick to regain herself, and opened more pits to no avail. The holes were too small, and without anything to strike them, the gems remained inactive. Pressing on, she sent more catapults to work, lobbing the gems in large groups. She was afraid of the fire it would start, but the destruction by this beast would easily dwarf that. The gems sounded like they fell through a dense forest, but they still found something to strike. The fire quickly took to the all wood beast, but the creature took a few swipes with redwood sized paws, and the gust from the swings blew out the flames like candles.
Annoyed more than anything, the Timber Wolf let out a howl equal to a hurricane, and soon was being just as destructive. Crushing or swatting at trees, sending them far across the land as easy as sticks. Any structure near it, was reduced to rubble. The rain of fire gems did nothing to halt the beast, and it was locked in to the home defended by the two ponies.
Big Mac, against any protest by Applejack, charged out to challenge the wolf. Without any other thought but to defeat this foe and protect his home and family, the stallion unleashed a powerful kick that echoed with cannon fire against a ship. No pony had seen him at full force, even Applejack was shocked, but the wolf was not so easily impressed. It raised a large paw to the sky, to stomp the pony gnat. With another well placed kick, Big Mac’s hooves met the wood, and shattered it to the joint. Now the creature was surprised, and nearly fell in trying to gain balance from the shock wave.
Not to be left as dumbfounded as the beast, Applejack used this new opportunity to unload every last fire gem she had. The wolf could likely rebuild, but it would take time, and with one leg down it would find it harder to swipe out the fires. The risk of the blaze to the farm did not matter now, for they could regrow and rebuild, but only if they survive.
Letting out a painful cry, one that would cripple lesser beings and could be heard as far as Ponyville, more wolves rushed out of the forest. They swarmed the larger, and at great self sacrifice, began to pull away burning bits of their alpha. Their numbers were too great for the ponies to do much about, and they could only hope that time would be on their side.
A wolf came bursting from the blaze, with something heart shaped in it’s jaws. It flung it to another, as the first was consumed in the fire. Applejack saw this and did not need to know much about Timber Wolves to assume that this was the key to it’s survival. She darted into the fray, to stop the heart from recreating the nightmare that took all they had to destroy. The pack was ready to die in fire to save their alpha, one pony was not enough to scare them. They jumped into her path, slowing her down from catching the heart.
Big Mac noticed the urgency, and broke through wave after wave of wolves, but his speed was no match for the unhindered creature.
All around, trees from Everfree and the orchard, started to come toward the heart and gather. The construction took time, but it was still too fast for Big Mac to reach the heart before the new, larger Alpha Timber Wolf body was finished. It loomed above him, and growled at a foe so bold that cause it to loose one body. It raised the new paw as before, and drove it down to do what it had attempted before. Just as he had before, Big Mac aimed to strike, and shatter another limb, only now the body of the wolf was made up of trees that had been seasoned by generations of Apples bucking at them.
A cry rang out, nearly drowning out the wet sound of flesh and bone being crushed beneath such a force. The proud, loyal stallion was reduced to a bloody stain on the battlefield. Applejack pained cries at seeing her brother disappear forever from her carried far, and she nearly passed out from the anguish that wrapped around her.
Finding a second breath, Applejack became fueled by hatred that she had never known before. There was no creature in this world filled with my anger and lust for revenge. She became blinded by it, and charged foolishly toward the alpha. It seemed to care little about her now, and swung it’s blood, pony tangled paw at her. Striking the mare hard, splattering her with what little remained of Big Mac, she was sent flying into a building. Her force caused the weakened structure to collapse, and left both building and mare in a broken heap.
Breathing became hard, and her mouth filled with the taste of iron, and wet with crimson. She felt her end was near, and that meant the end of her family, with only a filly and an old mare to defend what two young, strong ponies could not stop. “Pa… Ma…” She struggled, calling out to her long lost family. “I failed y’all… I failed the whole family… I couldn’t stop this… I ain’t worthy of this hat y’all trusted me with…” It was about that moment that she noticed that she had lost the hat during the fight. With what she knew to be her last breaths, she sighed mournfully before her world went black.
…Minutes… hours… days or weeks… Applejack did not know what had passed, only that she awoke from a sleep she thought her last, and in pain she had never known to such a level. This was soon forgotten, when she looked as far as she could to see nothing but ruin. She struggled to move from her tomb, and was quickly reminded of the physical pains.
Sweet Apple Arches looked like a tornado had hit, only this one made sure to kill everything in sight. The corpses of animals, and blood trails leading into the forest, was clear enough that the wolves had their way with the place. Fires stretched on, consuming as hungrily as the wolves. By the destruction of things not even in their way, defecation and urine stains, it was not a pack looking for a hunt, it was personal.
Shuffling along the ravaged fields, Applejack looked as much the living dead as she felt. What was not broken, was sore, leaving her movement a task almost as impossible as fighting the alpha. When she finally reached the wreckage of what was their home, she collapsed at the edge of the mess, face freshly soaked, tears clearing away blood as they streamed unrestricted. “Granny… Big Mac… Apple Bloom…” She called the names of her fallen kin, ready to join them when a sound caught her ear through the soft ringing.
She could have been paralyzed, and still find the power and will to move as she did. Rushing to the rubble with the faintest hope that her family lived, as she flung away bit of the home to reveal what she sought. Splinters and twisted metal bit into her, but these were bug bites, she had a purpose more demanding of her attention.
Apple Bloom lie under the rubble, looking not so much effected by the destruction, but more in the shock of it. She had cuts and bruises, but given the state of things, she was unharmed. This did not factor into Applejack’s mind, as she embraced her sister so tight they nearly fused as one. The two survivors wept together, in happiness of reunion, and sorrow of their loss.
Recovering, and talking, the two ponies filled one another in on the horrors. Applejack explained what had happened outside, and Apple Bloom covered what happened after her sister fell. She had seen much of the destruction, as the wolves destroyed anything they found, and killed any animal not lucky enough to get away. When the only place left was the house, the alpha simple struck it and destroyed it in one strong blow. The filly had been shoved into storage below the kitchen, where they aged food. Granny Smith had sacrificed herself, as any Apple would. Applejack took some comfort, in a twisted way, that the same paw that crushed Big Mac destroyed their home in one shot. It took that much to bring down her great brother.
“I wanna find that damn wolf, and kill it for all they did to us!” Apple Bloom said in frustration and pain, but took a moment to calm herself. “but, I know that won’t bring our family back…”
Applejack had a cold, distant look in her eyes, she was not the same as she had been before all of this. “No, but they ain’t getting away with this” She said in a tone that frightened the filly. “They’ll pay just the same. Nothing messes with the Apple Family and gets away” She stood from where the pair had been sitting. “Those fuck’n monsters took our Ma and Pa, now Granny and Big Mac!” She gritted her teeth hard enough that they audibly creaked. “If’n it’s the last thing I do, I’m gonna kill every last one of those murderers. I’m gonna find that alpha bitch, rip out her heart, and burn it to ash, then piss right on it!”
The filly was impressionable, and feed upon this rage, and twisted it right with her own. “We’ll get em for this!”
Stopping, Applejack whirled around to Apple Bloom. “We?” She questioned. “Y’all are go’n to some cousins, y’all too young for-”
“No I ain’t!” Apple Bloom cut her sister off. “Yer all I got left, and I was right here when it all happened and didn’t get to do anything but hide with some old food! Granny did more, by save’n me… I want this too, I want to give it back” She was growing ever more soaked by her tears, as she made her passion plea. “I lost kin too, I never knew my parents ‘cause of them monsters… I gotta do something…” She drew one last bit of rage, and said. “I’ll be damned if’n I let my sister go off alone, and stay behind like a useless old plow!”
Looking down at her, Applejack wanted to argue against this more, but she saw herself staring back. She had faced this when the attack happened so long ago, and felt all the same ways. She was stopped, because there was too much to worry about in the absence of their parents, but now there was nothing to keep either of them here.
******
Gathering their supplies, and what little they could salvage for the quest ahead, the two remaining Apples of the no longer Sweet Apple Arches marched into town to get what they could not find on their land. Applejack had managed to find her hat, before they left, and now had nothing to return for. When they bid their goodbyes to anypony they believed they should, or could find of them, they had nothing left here. No pleas or attempts by anypony could stop them, and no pony was allowed to join. This was a family matter.
Not looking back, the two sisters marched into the forest of Everfree to face challenges few would dare to face. They would find themselves on an adventure that stretched far beyond the forest or even Equestria, and the pair would not be seen in Ponyville again, not until the hunt was done, and even then they may never find reason to return to where they lost everything.
Outro:
Next time on Ponyball SS
Applejack and Apple Bloom disappear into the forest, and Scootaloo is glued to Rainbow Dash’s side, leaving the remaining Cutie Mark Crusader to be left alone. Sweetie Belle attempts to seek solace in her sister, only to find that she too seems beyond her reach.
What does Discord have in store for Equestria next? Find out on the next exciting episode of Ponyball SS
So… the original version of this part was written about a year before any of the rest of this story was even being considered to be made… So I got nothing for an intro like the rest of the story. Trying not to change too much from the original source… so… um…
*Plays with Discord doll* “doo doop, ponies, and plots. Weird reference to something else”
-Author
Track 06: Stripes and Spells
Fluttershy was still missing, Applejack and Apple Bloom were off to avenge their family, Rainbow Dash in traction, and Scootaloo refusing to leave her side, and the remaining three mares who carried the Elements of Harmony were struggling to keep the land from falling further into chaos and leaving their families to wonder what they can do. For Sweetie Belle, she had lost both family and friend to the troubles. Rarity was distracted by her duties with Twilight, and her fellow Cutie Mark Crusaders were beyond her reach now. Feeling left out, she decided that she would do something to help, at the very least, push back the loneliness. The path ahead was frightening and long, and she stood before the entrance to the Everfree Forest with hesitation.
Most would have avoided going to this place, even on a good day, but despite herself and everything else, Sweetie Belle felt that her friend Zecora was the answer. In the brief time she had know the zebra, she had proven to have some mystic insight and talent to help where all others failed. She believed that the foreign mare could fix things, or maybe her magick. Breaking the hold of her doubts, she forged ahead into the darkness that seemed to move away as she neared, and followed close behind.
Time became as distant as Ponyville, as soon the very concept of it was lost and so was the filly. She could not know just how long or far she had gone, but she did understand that she was now stranded. All around Sweetie Belle could sense, and at times, see the creatures around her in the cloak of the woods.
Finding doubt in her quest, she swallowed hard and turned right around to head back, only to find that the trail had gone. “What?” She squeaked out. “Oh no…” Turning again, to find the trail that was ahead, but also gone from her. Again she turned, facing all different directions in turn, and each time the forest around her became something else. She had not gone in any direction, but the changes made it seem she had traveled far. Everfree was now playing games with her, and it was assured that the pony would became victim to a terrible fate. Crying out in terror, Sweetie Belle collapsed into a shivering mass.
Gone from sense, or senses, the filly did not hear the approach of another, not until a familiar voice drew her back to reality. “Worry not my dear, all is well. You’ve fallen victim, to the Baffledel” When the young unicorn looked for the source of the words, she found the hooded figure that she had sought. Zecora held out her hoof, and with a quick blow, sent some kind of dust at the filly that sent her into a coughing fit. Once the moment passed, the pony could see the path that she had been on. “Now that you are free, did you come for me?”
Cutting the distance, Sweetie Belle clung to the mare. “Oh Zecora!” She cried, knowing that she was saved, and with little control of herself, gushed out everything that had gone on and her concerns. After the hysterical tale, the zebra looked troubled, and lead the filly back to her hut setting to work on a cauldron.
“Zecora will do all she can do, and only can hope it will help you” She began, as she added somethings to her broth. “Remember what I see, holds no guarantee. The future is not in stone, only a possibility is shown” She dropped the last bits in, and the brew boiled violently, causing both to step back. “Never have I before seen-” before she could finish, the caldron exploded in a flash, rocking the hut and destroying anything the shards hit.
Fortunately, the pair had been spared, left only in shock. Sweetie Belle found Zecora starring blankly at the empty space, looking to be gripped just as the filly had been when the zebra had found her earlier. “Zecora?” She attempted, nudging the mare to little response. “What did that mean?”
Once sense returned, the zebra’s eye began to tear up, and her words came out with a great trouble, mutual to what she spoke of. “I… I can hardly say… cannot put to words, and this is completely absurd… There will be a high cost, and the Equestria we know lost”
Sweetie Belle processed this prophecy, and had to question it. “You said it was not set in stone, right? What can we do to stop it?”
The shamanistic zebra turned from her, head low to the ground in shame. “Yes, that is what I said, but I fear I have mislead… In most cases it is true, and fate changed by what you do. A vision like this one, however, cannot be much changed by any endeavor” She found a place and sat in silence for a time, unable to withhold her sorrow, as streams soaked into her black and white fur, leaving the filly to struggle with the hopelessness of her situation, and now the world’s too.
After a long time baring the weight of her vision, Zecora spoke again. “Although all seemed doomed, some life will resume. I shall show you a special path, so you will survive the aftermath”
******
Being true to her word, Zecora taught the pony things that no other pony in Equestria would have even known. She was learning the ways of the Zebra people, and thought not easy, they were enlightening. They seemed strange at first, as any Equestrian would have found, but each night the filly returned home to Ponyville more and more aware of the world around her. Everfree, once so frightening, was becoming familiar and safe. With nothing seeming to ease outside Everfree, it became harder for Sweetie Belle to leave the forest.
Zecora’s teachings were more of the natural flow of the world, not one of manipulation like most pony magick or effort, even more in harmony than even the most ingrained Earth pony. The knowledge and insight opened new possibilities, that would allow Sweetie Belle to survive even the most dangerous of challenges facing her in the world.
With the trouble of the world beyond the forest ever growing, and reason to leave the sanctum dwindling, Sweetie Belle lingered longer and longer, until she rarely left. She was focused in her training, and each lesson, every experience, made pony life harder to tolerate. She was forgetting the pain of missing her friends and family, though not the memories, she knew that with the dangers ahead, she was to be one to survive the storm and to carry on the memories she held.
******
“As hard as it is to take,” Zecora started to say to her young apprentice, long after their time together had begun. The filly stood before her master, ready for this very special moment, so many moons in the making. A ritual that would finally make her as Zecora, a shaman. “This path is no mistake. Everypony will have their role to play, their place to be, and here for you, will be alongside me”
Zecora dabbled and drew on Sweetie Belle’s flank, and around her horn. “The solution to a tale so tragic, is in the gentle touch of zebra magick” She paused, as the pony started to glow, not in her own magick, but that of the ritual. “Even after the judgment bells…” Magick enveloped Sweetie Belle, and when it cleared her white coat now bore black stripes and makes much like that of Zecora. “You’ll always have your stripes and spells.
Sweetie Belle felt different, changed, yet so much the same as she had been shaped. She studied herself to see the physical shift, a old part of her felt pride in the fact the she had done what no other pony had, but the new self calmed that foolish passion. “I have no regrets, and I’m proud to be your apprentice…” She stopped, confused by a small detail. “Should I be rhyming?”
Snickering at the question, Zecora shook her head. “It is simply Zecora’s way, to be poetic with what I say”
Sighing with the weight of that off her, she remarked. “Good, I failed that in school…” She soon became melancholy, as her past again caught up with her. “I used to only care about cutie marks, and impressing ponies with my talents, but now that I’m a Zebracorn… those things don’t matter any more” She posed a question, one asked many times during her training, always hoping for a new answer. She looked at her mentor with a knowing gaze. “Does Equestria’s future still look… bad?”
Zecora never liked giving the harsh truth of the matters, but it had not differed in her visions. “Little has changed in looking time and again,” She looked over at the pot. “And I’m running low on cauldrons” Her attempt to lighten the mood was overtaken by a noise.
The sounds outside alerted the pair to caution, as they seemed very near the hut they were in. Zecora went to investigate with Sweetie Belle close behind. The sound of crashing came just outside the door, and raised the need for action. Zecora open the door with caution, but it was the only way to better understand what was happening out of their relative safety.
Lying upon the ground and looking near to death, a blue unicorn in a torn cape with a beaten, matching purple pointed hat was clinging to life. Zecora was quick to the aid, with her apprentice ever near to identify the pony.
“Trixie?” Sweetie Belle studied the area. “What is she doing here?” Her training alerted her to the presence of something else, and soon the answer to what it was revealed itself in all clarity. The trees groaned just ahead, and creaked before breaking with a giant beast forcing its way to the gathering.
Taking a better stance against the beast, Zecora answered. “Of all the creatures I have learned, this can only be a Wyvern”
The most ancient and terrifying of draconic kind, the creature had a look more savage and fierce than any dragon could claim, with a more primal and unchanged form. The two forearms were also its wings, and they spread wide as it stood on powerful hind legs. The large, crowned head swung to face down the trio, and let out a roar that could strike fear into the boldest beast. The sight gripped Sweetie Belle, and she froze before the creature.
With a greater experience, Zecora steeled herself and drew forth a vial and tossed it. The frail container shattered and formed a thick smoke that infuriated the Wyvern. It roared out a few more times in frustration, seeking its prey through the fog. The cover also came with a heavy stench like an old bog, marinated with the worst smells one could imagine. With powerful swoops, the wings launched it into the air and it hover above the trees, still finding nothing but the cloud. With another call of anger, the beast circled only a few times before flying away.
Long after the Wyvern left, the spell finally had passed; but before that the two locals had returned to their hut, with the new pony taken in and tended too. When Trixie awoke she was in a panic, with good reason, but as she tried to sit up, her ravaged body refused to leave the comfort of the bed. When she accepted that the true danger passed, she looked around to find what new risks were upon her.
She found a zebra, and something she had never seen. Nopony had ever seen a Zebracorn, so it was no surprise that a stern brow was raised at the sight. “Trixie must know where she is”
“Really? No ‘thanks’ or anything for those who saved you?” Sweetie Belle remarked, coming closer. “I guess I should expect that from the Ungrateful and Impolite Trixie”
“Now, now, don’t taunt our guest, she is weak and in need of rest” Zecora approached, offering a bowl to the mare. Trixie studied it, and decided to claim what seemed to be soup. After a quick drink, she was regretting the choice, as she coughed and spat out the broth. “The taste is far from being sweet, but the get you back from beat” She had not put much in, expecting such a response, so Zecora went to fill it more in hopes this one would find its way to being consumed.
“Trixie thinks she would rather be in pain…” She made a sour face, watching the zebra get more. “How did you get Trixie from that monster?”
Returning, setting the bow beside the unicorn, Zecora said “A Wyvern doesn’t always know when to to go and when to stay, however when faced with instinct it will always avoid the small of a bay” She went now to a shelf, and looked over a collection of vials. “Many dangers are in the water, and only a fool goes into a slaughter”
“Trixie finds the way you speak very strange, but she accepts your aid” She displayed the nearest thing Trixie could as gratitude.
“Strange?” Sweetie Belle muttered to herself. “That’s the pot calling the kettle black”
Ignoring the comment, Zecora pulled out a vial and opened it to let out a more pleasant smell than the one that was clinging to them from the Wyvern attack. “I have lived her many a year, but never has such a creature been here. How did you find it in this place, and why ever did it give chase?”
Lying back on the bed flat, looking right to the ceiling, the mare answered briefly after. “Trixie is no fool, and sees how the world is falling apart. Survival demanded a bit of a change in Trixie’s ways, so I came to Everfree to train and learn less prestidigitation and more combative magick” She lingered on an internal thought, before sharing it. “Trixie could not best an Ursa Minor…” It was hard for her to admit such a defeat, and more so the memories around it. “Trixie was able to take on Timber Wolves, and Black and Bruiseberry bushes, so Trixie decided to move to the next level. She found a nest, and thought it a Roc or Harpy, turned out to be that thing… Seemed like an oversized drake, but was more fierce than a dragon”
“Wyverns are of an ancient line, from the very start of time” Zecora explained more on the subject. “Dragons may claim to be the same, but they differ in more than just name. Drakes are to Dragons as far in my concern, just the way as Dragons are to Wyverns”
Trixie would stayed with them a few days as she recovered, but she was proving a most unwelcome guest. From near endless complaints, to the most absurd demands. It was clear that the mare cared for nothing beyond herself, and certainly not for the world beyond even just the hut. There came a day when the sun seemed to disappear, and the only thing she could say was “Finally, Trixie will not have to suffer to look upon all those pathetic faces”
For all her changes, Sweetie Belle was still a problem solver and wanted to help. She attempted many times to try and shift the mare’s thinking, adjust her feelings to see the benefit of friendship and helping them. With nothing working, and getting back only more arrogance and spite, the zebracorn finally lost her cool.
“You are so heartless!” The filly exploded. “We took you in, saved your flank, and still you are just… rude!” Sweetie Belle panted a bit as she winded herself in rage, as Trixie merely raised an annoyed brow to the shout. “I haven’t seen my sister, or any of those I loved in… forever! Then finally a face I knew from Ponyville shows up, and it’s a horrible witch like you!”
Zecora lead her away, to calm her and separate the two. Trixe just turned away, starring out the window into the Everfree beyond.
******
One night, not much like any other, soon made it self distinct. The sky seemed to shatter like glass, and colours bled across the stars and clouds. Zecora sensed the danger, and ran out to see for herself. She nearly collapsed at the sight, feeling a wicked turn of events that marked a much greater horror in the sky than had been on the ground. After that night, each colour in the sky was vivid and alive, and looked almost wet like fresh paint.
Not to be left out, it seemed, the ground bred its own horrors to match the sky’s, and it festered within the forest. The usual risks of Everfree were nothing before the fresh ones creeping throughout the trees, spreading a corruption as quickly as a plague.
“What is happening?” Trixie asked, unable to ignore the feeling in the very air.
“I thought Trixie didn’t care?” Sweetie Belle chided.
Ignoring the filly, Zecora answered the question. “I felt a sudden burst, and now I fear the worst. Zecora isn’t one to lie, and now I fear the very end is nigh”
Sweetie Belle was quick to the window, with Trixie attempting to look calm as she slowly approached. It was easy to see the fear growing in the mare, and outside it was only reinforcing those feelings. The pair could see all kinds of horrors racing around the trees, hearing the cries of animals and even some beasts that called the forest home. Above the canopy of trees, the sky was filled with flying figures, some moving away, with others clearly in pursuit.
“What is going on?!” Trixie backed away from the scene outside, no longer able to put even a thin veil to her terror.
“We must leave this place, as this is a wickedness we cannot face” Zecora said as she gathered what she could to abandon her home of so long, with an urgency that was soon matched by Sweetie Belle as she did the same collecting. “Hurry as we must flee, a new darkness rules Everfree” Trixie knew not what to do, as it all seemed to just be too sudden, leaving her frozen.
Not long after her warnings, Zecora burst through her hut door to the outside, with Sweetie Belle soon after. Terror filled the filly, as the demons took a quick stock of new prey, but something further away was now claiming Sweetie Belle’s attention. It felt doubly familiar to her, yet the two distinct memories did not match one another and caused a sense of confusion to how they were now one.
Moving with a grace of royalty, and purpose of a tyrant, the figure beyond was leading its forces until it too felt a familiar pair of eyes upon it and it stopped in its march. Slowly, it turned to lock eyes with the filly, and caused her to shake. “Rarity?” Sweetie asked aloud, just nearly all she could do in that moment.
Grabbing the filly, Zecora galloped hard to expand the distance between them and danger, Trixe already well ahead of them with no thought of those who had taken her in. Sweetie Belle, for ever length traveled, remained behind in thought. The creature was too tall, and not much to appear to be her sister, yet that which beheld her had a distant resemblance of the mare she knew so well.
“Sweetie Belle focus ahead, less you wish us both dead!” Zecora snapped, finding it hard to carry the filly and fend off the demons keeping close chase to the pair. “We are abandoned by Trixie, it is just you and me”
By the time the filly caught up with herself, the ground heaved and sent the pair flying into the air and crashing down again. Being so close, it was easy for the demonic pursuers to encircle the pair. Zecora was fast to go on the offensive, sending out her vials at the attackers. Sweetie Belle did not take much longer to render aid, and cast what she could, but her magick was not yet refined enough to do much; likewise, the potions were doing little to beat back the hoards.
“I have failed you Sweetie Belle, and the demons will take us into the darkest wells. With only my potions touch, after all did not do much…” Zecora spoke defeated, but she did not give up on trying to keep the filly protected, even if her own body would be the shield.
“No, if my magick was any stronger, I could have helped…” Sweetie Belle was not going to allow them to die with Zecora taking the blame on herself.
With the final hour appearing to be near, the two pressed close to go together. Just as their hope nearly passed, and with the timing found in legends and tales, the tides of demons were turned. The crowd exploded, flying into the air and far from the pair, leaving them to wonder just what had come to their aid. Another blast of a tainted, red sort, ripped through another group of horrors that came to replace those from before. Zecora could sense great power in the spells, but even greater wickedness lacing it.
Not to far from them, a familiar, and until now, unwanted pony stood. Her eyes and horn illuminated with a red aura, the was trailing from their sources like the smoke of a wild fire. Around the blue mare’s neck, a heavy amulet radiated in the same unsettling glow. “Come to Trixie!” She shouted to them, looking almost partly crazed, unleashing more of her new found power at the foes.
Gripped in shock, the pair nearly claimed by darkness, needed a moment before rushing to the unlikely savior. “Such luck for you both, as Trixie has found what she had come to this dreadful forest for”
“Y-you came back?” Sweetie Belle asked, not even seeming to hear the others words. “I thought…” Doubt in such a turn was heavily draped over her.
“Let’s not make this cliche, just run” Trixie responded, starting a charge with the other two quick to follow. She was blasting a path through the forest, going for the nearest edge to leave Everfree and its new inhabitants behind.
The entire forest seemed to be alive now, everything trying to claim the trio, but the magick of Trixie was easily keeping them all safe, the strange necklace she now bore generating the might she was enjoying so suddenly. With needing only to focus on moving, Sweetie Belle had her mind free to wonder, and she was sensing the same figure from before they fled lurking somewhere just beyond their sight.
Hope, that thing so rare and precious now, was just ahead of them. The trees were thinning, and soon they would be free of Everfree, but a force greater than anything they had faced so far grabbed Trixie, and dragged her back into the forest. Zecora and Sweetie Belle did not get caught, but they were not going to abandon Trixie; despite all her faults up to this point. They circled around, and charged to save her, but the Unicorn was not ready to allow them to all to be caught after so much effort. She focused, and with great effort, transported the two far from the forest, and right before they too would be grabbed.
“Trixie!!!” Sweetie Belle cried out, trying to summon the spell used to whisk them away, but she did not know it. She collapsed on the ground, feeling sorrow in failure of her abilities and the sacrifice made for her. She sobbed hard, thinking about how much she had mocked and despised the mare before.
“In the end she proved herself to be good, just as I had believed she would” Zecora said with a heavy heart, knowing that she too was to blame for the need of one sacrifice, and failure to be able to stop the wickedness. “Let us honor her sacrifice, and survive all this strife”
******
Deep in the Everfree Forest, Trixie struggled against the many demons who had taken her by surprise, and now held her down. They had somehow stopped her from being able to summon her magic, and were attempting to remove the source. “Foals!” She mocked, with an arrogance that only she could poses in such a circumstance. “Once the Alicorn Amulet is worn, it cannot be removed by any but the wearer!” Disappointed, but not defeated, the demons turned their attention to what else the mare had to offer ones so depraved, and this changed the mare’s attitude to one of desperation. “Do not dare defile Trixie!”
“Enough!” A new, far more menacing voice swept across the area with the force of a tidal wave, and striking a fear into all who were swept up in it. “Remover yourselves from her at once!” The demons scattered from the mare, not daring to challenge this new unseen force. Even as Trixie stood, she did not find the one who spoke, yet in some passing memory, it had a hint of somepony she had dealt with, perhaps just in a crowd. When is spoke again, finishing its thoughts, Trixie felt a new wave of fear curl about her very soul. “This one, is mine”
Outro:
*Holding a Discord doll* Golly, I wonder what will become of Trixie, and who is this mysterious figure who commands Everfree? Well, I wrote it, so I know, but you all will just have to wait.
As the music plays a black line is drawn over a white background, the line takes a vague form, like part of an outline of a person. From the corner, just out of sight, a figure in shadows moves to align itself with that mark. The lights come up on the figure, unavailing that it is Discord.
“Good evening, tonight’s tale is one of flying high and reaching farther than one dared dream, or what was even imaginable. One would go far with such a spirit, but in going too far a spirit becomes a curse. When our young, raising star falls, does she, in turn, fall all other stars as she ascends again?
“A storm is coming, one that will shatter all we know, and in this we find this story of…”
Track 07: Last Chance to Fly
The blue sky stretched far beyond even the best sight, truly a vision of the wonders of the world that the ponies shared. The sun shined brightly, giving the land below a heavenly glow that was hindered slightly by a few stray clouds. The Pegasi were busy cleaning up these rogues, leaving only a few choice ones to make the ceiling of the world like a skilled painting. The sky, the responsibility of the Pegasus was kept well and beautiful for all their friends below.
Moments like these were few and growing rarer since Discord’s coming, and though Fluttershy was missing and the rest of the Elements of Harmony barer were active in keeping up with protecting Equestria, it was also important to take time to keep from getting too caught up in a fight. Some looked to the time beyond now, and Rainbow Dash was one such mare. She did not let too much keep her down, and she was using her time off to push her limits so when the battle was done she would be ready to pick up where she left off.
Below, observing the daring of such a tame-less and bold daredevil, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Twilight Sparkle are in awe at her display and skill. Applejack was not much to care for Rainbow’s showing off, and she also had the Zap Apple Harvest to worry about. The remaining three were here to show their support, but it was growing to concern with the risks that the mare was taking. They all were stressed, and found means to ease it, and this was Rainbows, and it was becoming more reckless as her stress seemed to peak. Rainbow banked hard, and twisted in ways that seemed impossible. Sharp turns, and deep dives, she was proving that she was better than any other.
“Rainbow!” Twilight called out, hoping to reign in her friend. “This is getting dangerous, don’t you think?”
Rarity added her own concern, though with a bit more support in her words. “You look spectacular darling, yet it does seem a bit careless how you are taking those impressive turns. Perhaps you should take it easy, and rest a bit?”
Pinkie Pie was just watching, twisting and contorting in ways impossible for anypony else as she kept eyes on her friend.
High above them, Rainbow heard every word, and was not halted, but driven even harder. She did not hear them speak, but there was another in her mind who was saying these things to her now. The voice was one who had inspired her, yet discouraged her all the same. “I’ll beat you one day, and everypony will remember the great-” She focused more on her thoughts than moves, and in the redirection she lost control of herself. She had turned and moved her wing the wrong way to be caught by the strong winds, and it twisted her appendage violently, sending her into an unavoidable tailspin. The air rushed around her, and mixed with her own screams as she rocketed to meet the ground.
Rainbow Dash left an impressive trail in her crash, a long trail of disheveled earth that tried to grabber her as momentum dragged her along. Pain surged through her broken body, and a ringing in her ears combined to muffle out the cried of her friends as they rushed to her. Shadows, blurry shadows stood over her, was what she saw just before the world was swallowed in darkness.
Beeping, hums, and that stench of sterilization, single use containers and the white walls of a hospital was what awaited Rainbow’s first clear vision. She did not know how she got here, or how long the coma had her, but she was here just the same. She scanned the room as she put her thoughts together, and only found herself in occupancy of the room. “Oh mare…” She sighed, as a soft pain started to return to her, filling in some gaps in her memory. “I screwed it again…”
The sound of rushing hooves echoed through the hall outside the room, and the the voice of another sternly ordering the other to stop their running. Rainbow attempted to sit up, but the distant pain caught her fast, and she found too much to try doing anything but lie there. She took a quick stock of herself again, with a busted wing in a cast, and many placed around her person bound up, she knew that her crash was a lot worse than any she had ever had before. She settled for looking less like a victim, and more of just a pony relaxing by the time the rule breaker busted through the door.
Unmistakably the filly who charged in was Scootaloo, but the orange blue, with a purple mane. “Rainbow Dash, you’re awake!” the little filly did not stop until she was at the older mare’s side. “And I wasn’t here… damn”
“Hey Scoot” Rainbow said weakly, and with a difficulty that came from being silent for a few days. It almost felt like ages since she had said anything, and she set to righting her voice by clearing her throat.
“I’m so sorry! I wanted to be here, and never leave your side, but I had to pee, and those stupid doctors wouldn’t let me use a bed pan” She looked extremely upset by this failure in some self imposed duty, and Rainbow looked around the floor to see some wrappers that hinted that food was being brought to her.
Reaching out, fighting any protest by her stagnate body, she patted the filly on the head with a smile. “S’ok kid, I totally just woke up as you came in” She lied, but she knew that it would mean to world to the pony so devoted to her. “Didn’t miss much”
Scootaloo looked like she had won the lottery, and was so much more excited than before in her idol being back. She pulled a chair close, and sat beside the mare. “How are you feeling?”
“Like shit” Was her first though, but did not want to worry the filly too much. “Been better” She rested her head back and turned to look straight up. “I can barely feel my wing under this cast, like the weight is there, but not much more than that” Though Scootaloo said nothing, she did look away, and Rainbow could see this just inside her peripheral vision. “What?” She asked, looking with her eyes only at the filly.
Hesitant to say, the filly struggled to speak the knowledge she held. “Th-they said… said that your wing… is crippled…”
“What?!” Rainbow shot up with immediate regret, then slammed back down to even more agony, though not nearly as much as that diagnosis. “Shit!” She did not have the focus to restrain herself now. “Crippled?” She groaned, that turned into a roar and became another exclamation “Shit!!!”
A nurse, now aware of the mare’s status, came into the room. “I see you are awaken now, and clearly informed of the situation” She moved closer, looking over the chart at the end of the bed, and some readouts on the machines. “I would say you are handling it better than your friends said you would, but you did suffer a great trauma, miss Dash, you could have lost much more than a wing”
“May as well have been my legs, my body, my life!” She snapped back, the pain the only thing keeping her at bay. “Without my wings… I’m nothing…” Her anger was strong, but a sorrow was flowing under it.
“Terribly sorry, but there is only so much legal medicines can do” The nurse turned away. “Somepony will be in to check on you in a little bit” Facing away, neither of the ponies could see a grin upon the nurse, with a single, long fang poking out.
******
A few days into her stint, Rainbow Dash was growing to the end of her limits of patience. She had seen a few ponies come and go, nurses mostly, and at least one roommate that seemed worse off than her. He was so bound up that he could not speak, serving no reprieve from her own suffering. She learned of the things going on beyond her room, mostly from Scootaloo when she had to take leave for errands, or just nature’s call. There were rare times friends had stopped by, Pinkie Pie had been one, doing her best to bring up the mare’s spirit, but nothing could fix her wing, and much less, Rainbow’s mood.
When more days passed, and no pony else of her supposed friends visited her, she was feeling abandoned. The only friend she had was Scootaloo, and when the parade of doctors, experts, and miracle workers ended, that was all she had to contend with her solitude.
“I’m so damn bored” She groaned to her single companion.
Scootaloo offered. “The doctors said you can leave soon, probably now, and you could-”
The days not being kind to her, Rainbow was growing unkind to others. She cut the filly off, and snapped. “And what? Trot around like some Earth pony? My body is still in pain, I couldn’t even move around at a prance, let alone a gallop to at least feel some wind in my mane again!”
The little pony looked down, not fairing much better in the situation, knowing she could do nothing to help her one care in the world she had left. “Sorry…”
Recovering a bit of her old self, Rainbow sighed in frustration in her actions at the other pony, and attempted to fix her mistake. “You’ve done all you can do kid, better than any other pony that has. If your concern was magic, I’d be flying again” She put on a smile, meant all for Scootaloo, but in her eyes was still the defeat and frustration of her life. “Say, maybe there is a game or something we can play?”
“Yeah!” She became the excited Scootaloo Rainbow preferred, and darted out the room. “Don’t worry, I’ll find something, and solve this!” She did not get far out, before crashing into another pony. The stallion was sickly looking, not unusual for a hospital, but he seemed to be a mixture of different features a pony could have, most notably was his big and little eye brows, and the long fang sticking out of his closed mouth. “Uh…” She was distracted by his appearance. “Sorry dude”
Rainbow could hear commotion just outside, but figured it was another of the staff just reprimanding Scootaloo for her galloping through the halls. She did not care much beyond this, and when the filly returned not long after she did not even ask. It was strange that she was now carrying a book, and that became the subject.
“Look at this cool book a weird dude gave me” She glanced back. “He might be dying, he looked really weird and sick”
“Cool?” Rainbow responded, find the sentence hard to understand. “They seem similar, but ‘cool’ and ‘book’ don’t go together” The filly put it on the bed so Rainbow could see it, and she looked at the cover. “Forbidden and Forgotten Legends of Equestria” That moment she became taken by the book, like a spell had made it all she wanted to do. “Well… at risk of becoming an Egghead, I’ll give it a look. What else do I got?”
Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo took turns reading through the book, some times it was Rainbow reading to the filly, and more days seem to go by without either caring about anything besides the tome. No news of more enemies, or what happened to the royalty of Equestria itself mattered. It would not be until one day that the two even spoke to another pony, a day that would change their course forever.
******
Into the room trotted a stallion neither of the ponies had ever seen before, but he carried himself with an authority. He was dressed in a lab coat, not like those of the doctors here; it seemed more scientific than medicine. A crimson stallion, with a black mane, the glasses one expected of one dressed so. He spoke with a voice that was learned, with tones of superiority. “Miss Dash, I was informed of your tragic status, and to your side I have come”
With a heavy scowl, Rainbow looked at him in contempt. Something of this pony reminded her of Twilight in her worst form of know-it-all, and annoying nerdy arrogance. Given the sense of abandonment, reminders of her old friends were not welcome. “Yeah? Just who are you?” She met him with distance, and defense.
“Dr. Atmosphere,” He responded, very proud of himself by the sound of it. “and though you neglected to ask, I am a scientist who seeks to push Pegasus to their greatest potential. Upon hearing of how one of our greatest rising stars falling so low, it should be felt by all our kind as a tragedy”
Rolling her head away, her interest fading fast, not that she had much to offer. “Nothing can be done about that, so thanks for stopping by and reminding me how much my life sucks”
He moved closer, taking sight of her readouts and charts. For display, and to gain her attention, he slapped the clipboard with his powerful wing. Rainbow watched it skitter across the floor. “These foals know nothing, being in concord with convention, they will not look past or beyond! Such is the limited scope of these ground ponies”
“I’ve had Pegasus doctors say my wing is shit, so what does that have to do with anything?”
Grinning, a knowing and frightening grin, he clarified. “Magick, dark magick” She moved her head enough to look at him questionably. “I know, the Unicorns have proven little better than than the Earth ponies, yet I have an associate who shares in the visions of our glorious race, and with them we can ascend higher”
Scootaloo trotted into the room, hearing only the very last few words. “Ascend?” She looked at the stallion, not sure just where he came from in the brief time she was away.
Dr. Atmosphere turned to glare at the intruder, and was about to order her out but Rainbow Dash spoke first. “Scootaloo, come her” As the filly did so, the mare explained what she had understood. “This guy thinks his friend can do some magick spell and I’ll no longer be crippled” Her tone was not one of belief or confidence, and openly mocking the idea of it all sounding too good. “Not even Twilight Sparkle could do anything, and she’s as good as it gets”
“Good? Hmm, I see” Now he was mocking her. “That is the problem, the limitations. Princess Celestia and Luna were good, but wore the bridle of righteousness, and no matter how one chomps that bit, their greatness is hindered. Nothing more than a show pony”
Rainbow groaned and sat up, no longer bound to the bed and trapped to a life on her back. “You’re saying a lot, but not meaning much. So what ever you are selling, no”
He dared a laugh at her, something in another time no pony would do without repercussion. She was ignorant and simple to what he was saying. “Oh such limited understanding, though I suppose our kind is not known for wisdom; better suited to action than thinking. I offer you a great chance, one better than even your old life offered, and you can not even comprehend it. Your friend, these so called ‘doctors’, and nearly any other pony who claims to be authority or leaders, lack the freedom to use means that can go truly great things for those most deserving”
Rainbow looked at Scootaloo, both a bit lost on how pompous he was, and long winded. “I thought Twilight was bad” Rainbow said.
Ignoring them, he carried on his speech. “Dark Magick is forbidden, and given a negative opinion, simply because the cost that often comes with the reward, ponies fear the charge” He was starting to ascend in his energy and near madness, as his dialog went. “My associate is willing to spend whatever is needed, to ensure that the best become legends!” He pointed at her, a fire in his eyes that was enhanced by the glasses he wore. “You could rule the Pegasus Empire, but here you lie, grounded because you dared to be better! You are better, the best… or you were” He turned away, lowering his voice. “You paid a price, and lost the treasure. That is not fair, not for you. We can change that,” He turned again, nearly upon her bed. “Will you be willing to reclaim your rightful place, and climb higher than the stars, no matter the cost?”
Rainbow stared at him for awhile, feeling a fire inside she had not know for far too long now. She was not completely sold, and looked away to see the book on the table, and recalling one story in it. “The Rainbow Factory…” She thought, and spoke internally. “Sacrificing the unfit and weak for the greater good of the flock…” Returning the conversation outward, she asked. “Just what is this cost, and how can their magick do what no other spell could?”
“Simple, take the wings of another” The twisted Doctor said, so casual, it seemed routine to him. It was clearly no matter of concern to him, but Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo were of a different mind. They were repulsed by the idea, though it did seem Scootaloo was less so. “A natural reaction, for one so accustom to life with these Ground Trotters, however the sacrificed do not have need of their wings” He began trotted about the room. “These are the lowest of our kind, of any pony. Being born with such great gifts, only to choose life on the ground, or worse, readily choose not to even fly! They are failures, degenerates who shame us all, providing nothing to our glory”
Scootaloo was stung deep by these words, feeling that she was in that lot, being born with such limp wings. Rainbow Dash was quick to her defense. “Hey, Dr. Asshole-sphere, not all Pegasus who have bad wings, or choose to live down here are bad! Scootaloo would fly if she could, and she is just as awesome as any pony I’ve known” This soothed the filly, and filled her with such pride that she felt she was flying. “My friend Fluttershy was fucked up by jerks like you, and chose a better life down here. You want me to take the wings from another pony, just because they got a messed up deal? Fuck you!”
Dr. Atmosphere was not yet beat, and knew a new approach was needed. He studied the filly, under Rainbow’s heavy gaze. “Hmm, yes. Another case of a Pegasus who was kept from full potential. It is not her fault that her wings are stunted, she is more in your lot than the others I spoke of. This Fluttershy, she was claimed by the same poison that spreads to our weaker members. We all face trials in life, and yet the best of us do not just hide away. What would Pegasus kind be, if we all let the words and actions of others hold us back? Where would ponies be if we all hide from trouble and suffering? We should give up our wings now, the Unicorns their alicorns, and Earth ponies their very legs. We would become just worms, wriggling in the muck of the world, fodder for those who dominate us” He paused a moment, letting the two catch up. “Earth ponies and Unicorns do loose their claims to fame, and are able to live a happy enough life, but Pegasi, we loose our wings and we become nothing. That is how those who do not fly by choice, shame us! They flaunt that their flight is a choice, where proud, legendary ponies like you two are forced! There is a choice now, and you both have it, if you are willing”
Neither seemed ready to make a choice in either direction, everything was making sense, but also it seemed wrong just the same. The Doctor was not yet done in his course, and took their silence to go on. “How does it feel, Rainbow Dash, daredevil, and greatest flyer, that you are stuck now, striped of those titles, and a pony like that Fluttershy chooses to hug the ground? Scootaloo, how do you feel that you were never given the chance to be up there, and there are Pegasi not fit to have the wings they bare, can saunter around the sky at any time, but you can only jump into it to be drawn right back down to the ground they choose to be married too? One day, when all Pegasus kind understand the importance of our glory, they will look back at the pioneers who made them all appreciate the gifts we were bestowed, and praise them from changing the Flock for the better. Will you be those ponies, become those legends?”
Hesitantly, Rainbow Dash finally spoke. “How does it work?”
The hook was in, and by his smirk, Dr. Atmosphere knew all he needed to do was reel her in. “With my associate’s magick, we enhance or replace the wing with that of another. The colour does not matter, for it can be easily changed. There is a slight risk, but mainly for the ‘donor’, otherwise it is really very simple”
“Risk?” Rainbow did not like the sound of that. “Could I die from this, or what?”
“Well… possibly, as this will be the first attempt to go from Pegasus to Pegasus. We did try on an Earth pony, a fellow who had the passion of a Pegasus, but not our anatomy. We would have had the same success on gluing them to cardboard”
The procedure no longer was sounding too good to Rainbow, hearing that it had not be attempted in success. She had no use in her wing now, but she did not want to be mangled with some other poor pony’s wing. Scootaloo was of another mind, and quickly filled the silence. “Try it on me!” They both looked at her, surprised by her sudden willingness. “My wings suck, I don’t loose anything, but can gain flight. If it doesn’t work, we can figure it out and get it right for Rainbow Dash”
“Oh brave and noble little Sky Sister, you are to become a legend for this, and are truly worthy to soar with us!” He praised her, but came to a pause, not even knowing who she was. “Are you an attendant here, or something?”
“She’s my sister” Rainbow said fast and proudly. She long had noted the filly’s devotion to her, and in the past days, had been closer to her than any other. No friend, no family, not a single soul had been so devoted to her, and stayed with her in her lowest place. She could imagine nopony better to have as a real sister. Rainbow turned her attention on the stallion. “You better hope nothing happens to her either, or my busted wing and all the damage from my accident, will be a loose feather to the pain I’ll bring on you and this ‘associate’ or yours”
******
Finally leaving the hospital, Rainbow Dash was greeted with a different world, one that no longer held the bright, hopeful air that had even been still present before her accident. She did not much care though, for she was on a path to change things for herself, and Scootaloo. Dr. Atmosphere had taken the two too a distant place, to meet a the associate he had spoke of so often. She did not know what to expect in this Unicorn, but was still surprised by the sight of the mare. She was tall, white, with short, military style gray-white mane and tail. She wore a three-piece suit, though the jacket was replaced by a lab coat, she kept on the bow tie. She had deeply intelligent blue eyes, that also held a cruelty of those who chose logic over compassion.
Within the cambers of the place that looked more like a butchery, the group came upon two very strange tables, and beyond all the equipment, several cages; two holding bond and gagged Pegasi. They struggled when they saw Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo, hoping for some rescue, but the associate trotted over with sharp zaps of her magick, silenced their fleeting hope. “You are shame, worth only the wings you neglect with your debaucherous lifestyles. Do not fight this one chance you have to do something good, this opportunity to redeem yourselves”
Both Rainbow and Scootaloo stopped, having some doubts about all of this, now seeing the two who would be sacrificing themselves for their benefit. Neither could speak against it though, now feeling they owed the other to continue. “This could be the only chance Scootaloo can fly,” Rainbow thought. “This is wrong… but… why should grounded ponies keep what Scoot never had a choice to have? After all she has done for me, I can’t take this from her”
The filly was going over similar thoughts. “I don’t like this, I don’t know those two, but I do know Rainbow Dash. This could be her last chance to fly, I can’t turn back now. She’d probably hate me if I did…”
The unicorn trotted away from the cages and to the pair, she was looking every elated. “I cannot express my delight in the chance to transfer wings from these failures to two such stunning and proud members of the Pegasus race!”
“Failures? A little harsh, don’t you think?” Rainbow asked, trying to hide her doubts.
Waving it off, the Unicorn laughed at this. “Hardly a term could fit better. They’ve failed to live up to the potential of Pegasus kind in every way. Failed flight school, dropped out of regular school, no real jobs or families, and worst of it all, they dwell on the ground, not even a cloud home!” None of these reasons did much to sooth their minds. “You both are sympathetic ponies, a good quality in most cases, but do not waste your minds upon this trash, when it can be better served for all of us”
The path was set, and moving forward. Secretly the reluctant volunteers had hoped that the other would back out, but neither wanted to be a disappointment. With nothing to stop them, the plan went ahead. Scootaloo was first, lying on one of the strange beds face down. It supported her well, but also restrained her to it, keeping her wings spread and easily reached.
The Unicorn came around to explain to the filly. “Now, brave little sister, I will warn that this will hurt. I will be removing your wings from your body, so to reconstruct them. They will be bigger, more functional, and I will solve any fault or flaw I find, before reattaching them; this too will be uncomfortable. After the initial removal, the return will not be as bad. Do try your best not to move, even though your body will surely demand it. Relax, think happy thoughts, and you will be flying in no time… after recovery, of course” Not giving another moment, as Scootaloo stifled a whimper, the Unicorn’s alicorn illuminated. She focused upon the spell, and the very delicate work ahead.
Scootaloo remained in place, trying all she could to ignore what pain was ahead. “For Rainbow Dash” She told herself, over and over, as a tingling sensation started in her wings. The feeling was like that when a limb started to fall asleep, it shortly turned to a warm feeling, then burning like hot metal on flesh. Gritting her teeth on the bit placed before her, she continued her chant in growing intensity. “For Rainbow DaaaAAAAAAHHH!!!” As much as she fought it, she screamed out as her tendons, ligaments, veins, and anything else that was going from body to wing was flayed off her. She could feel magick around every connection, keeping them from being lost in her body, or bleeding her dry. The agony was not yet done, until the bones were pulled from their joints. She looked up, seeing the concern on Rainbow Dash’s face, and it worked like an anesthesia that faded her pain. “For my sister” she softly said.
Next to her, the Pegasus donor could hear, and see some of what was going on. They trashed against their restraints, but it proved to be useless. Their effort only encouraged the twisted unicorn, who delighted her as she watched the futile tries. Without the same slow, careful pace, she tore into the Pegasus with a surgeon’s skill, but a butcher’s concern. There was not bit for the sacrificed, and no clamping for the severed arteries, as the wings were removed only carefully enough to not damage them. Now two sets floated above their owners, though one would never get them back. They grew dizzy and faint as they bled out, likely to be dead before their wings were offered up.
Too focused on keeping herself together, Scootaloo did not notice the death beside her, or the display above. Rainbow Dash and Dr. Atmosphere watched on, amazed at the sight so skillfully executed. The two pairs seem to explode into several pieces, and the Unicorn set to work sorting. She moved pieces around, and in the hypnotic display it was done before the observers even thought it possible to be. When done, they were much bigger than Scootaloo’s original set, bigger than a filly’s should be, but otherwise they were perfect.
“She is beyond any other” Dr. Atmosphere remarked. “I’ve seen her do this with living creatures, break them apart and put them back together. A few died in the early attempts, but as she grasped the process, she was able to keep them alive after. This is why I had every confidence in her being able to manage a simple set of wings”
“Scootaloo is going to be fine then?” Rainbow asked, as it was her prime concern at this moment.
“It is all on that filly now, that is the only chance that this will fail. Her will is admirable, beyond even some of the most harden soldiers. I do admit, when she cried out, I was starting to worry, but she looks to be in a kind of trance. This pony will be a legend of our kind one day”
Rainbow Dash felt pride in his words, that such a pony so long had been so devoted to her, and wanting to be just like her. At this point, Rainbow was hoping that she would not disappoint the filly, and show the same strength that she had.
The operation was a success, both reassembly and attachment. The size difference was notable now, and the Unicorn explained. “Going from a full stallion to a filly I could only adjust size so much, without compromising structure or functions. You will grow into them, but first you will need to recover” She drew forth wrapping and supports to wrap the wings up to allow them to set and heal without risk. “A couple days, maybe weeks, you will be able to use them. It will take some time for them to graft, and synchronize with your mental relays and body. Thanks to my magick therapy, it will not be months” The final note was said with a smug pride, in a self promoting tone.
Releasing Scootaloo from the straps and helping her to the floor, the filly could feel the weight of the new wings so much bigger than her old pair. She struggled to stand, both under them, and the exhaustion of the procedure. “I… can’t wait to make use of them, to make the Pegasus proud” She looked at Rainbow Dash with such fiery passion it took the mare by surprise. “To make my sister proud” Scootaloo looked back at the Unicorn. “Thank you, Dr…” She realized she never got the mare’s name.
“Dr. Hufa Gruber” The pony smiled greatly, as one did when full of themselves, and having another praise them. It was a bloated ego, made only worse by each success, and Rainbow Dash would be her next, and likely the one to send her into legendary status.
When Rainbow Dash’s time came, Dr. Gruber offered to do a full replacement like she had with Scootaloo, but the Pegasus felt it would be unnecessary, given that only one wing was ruined. She only needed some minor work in her body, with most all of the damage being in the wing and the nerves.
Scootaloo, against the suggestion by the doctors, remain to be there for Rainbow Dash. She fought passing out a number of times, with Dr. Atmosphere helping her stay up. The devotion would be a great help to Rainbow during the process, and she hoped to always be as steadfast in being there for the filly as she had all this time.
The pain was intense, more than even Scootaloo had faced, given that Dr. Gruber had to cut into the body much deeper to remove dead or broken connections. She worked right to the spine and muscle. Rainbow Dash felt it all, even when parts of her spine needed replacing. She did not understand any of the magick behind it, only that it was worse than any pain she had ever known. Rainbow felt that she would have been paralyzed, yet she only felt more sensations as repairs were made. When Dr. Atmosphere had said the story of the animals being torn apart and put back together, she doubted the truth of it, but as she became a living puzzle, the doubt was being destroyed. One could not deny how skilled this pony was, only the requirements for these miracles were high.
When it was done, Rainbow Dash had gone through the worst experience of her life, worse than when she thought it was all over from her crash. For all of this, she felt fine, everything she lost from the crash was restored, and she could feel her wings again. She was whole again.
The pair of Pegasi recovered at about the same rate, and had been changed forever by their experiences. They now understood what they had lost, when they had gained, and what some choose to let go to waste. They first resisted the experimentation on “failures”, only to find that they did not deserve what they neglected, or to be treated like anything less than fodder for the processes to make Pegasus kind great again. They were an injustice to those who never got the gifts that they wasted, and needed to be removed or repurposed.
A musical outro:
“Interesting how we can suffer so much and desire to spread that pain to others” Discord stood in a suit against a black wall. “In a moment we can loose it all, and find something far worse to desire.
As Rainbow Dash readies to change the world, we begin to see the changes of hearts and minds. Last chance to fly, or last chance for hope? We shale see…”
A series of clips play from different episodes. S2E25: -Applejack goes to congratulation Twilight Sparkle upon hearing her read the royal wedding invitation: “Your brother is get’n married Twilight? That’s great news” S2E26: -Princess Celestia to Queen Chrysalis: “Now that you have so foolishly revealed your true self,” The two clash horns. “I can protect my subjects…” Princess Celestia flies back, and charges her magick. “from you!” The two match magicks, until Celestia’s is over taken and Princess Celestia is defeated. -Battering against Shining Armor’s protective spell, the Changelings break through its weaken state and swarm Canterlot. -Queen Chrysalis to the captured ponies: Laughing “Its funny really, Twilight here was suspicious of my behavior all along, too bad the rest of you were too caught up in your wedding planning to realize those suspicions were correct” Laughs again. -Princess Cadence is able to break Queen Chrysalis spell over Shining Armor -Shining Armor and Princess Cadence come together with their love and together their magick is able to defeat the Changelings, and scatter them to the far corners of Equestria. S3E1: -Princess Celestia: “The Crystal Empire has returned” Twilight Sparkle to Princess Celestia: “You want me to find a way to protect an entire empire?” -Princess Celestia to Twilight Sparkle: “It is, as I said, a different kind of test, but one I am certain you will pass” -Twilight Sparkle travels to the Crystal Empire -King Sombra Returns S3E2: -Spike to Twilight Sparkle, as she struggles with King Sombra’s trap. “You have to get out of their Twilight, you have to be the one to bring the crystal heart to Princess Cadence; if you don’t you fail Princess Celestia’s test” Twilight Sparkle to Spike: “You have to be the one to bring the Crystal Heart to the Fair” Spike to Twilight Sparkle: “Me? But?” Twilight interrupting: “Go” Spike continuing to question her “But?” Twilight again interrupting with more force. “GOOOO!!!” -Spike falls as he attempts to bring the Crystal Heart to Princess Cadence. Thrown by Shining Armor, she catches Spike and the Heart, and together they save the Crystal Empire, banishing King Sombra once more.
And now, the continuation.
Track 08: Through Sombra’s Door
Twilight Sparkle was in the Golden Oaks Library, her home in Ponyville, surrounded at every angle by large stacks of books that towered high, and precariously. Though many of her shelves now sat bare, there was a vast majority of collections here from those of Canterlot at Twilight’s request. Princess Celestia had sent over large shipments, hoping that they could aid her student’s mission. Ever since Discord’s victory over what had remained of the Mares of the Elements of Harmony, the unicorn had gone over every book she believed held even the slightest, vaguest hope of besting the lord of Chaos. Since that dreadful day, she was unsure of Fluttershy’s fate. Unfortunately, she was also unable to do much to search for her friend either, no more then she could to stop Sweet Apple Acres and the Apple Family destruction, or even heal her friend’s broken wing. The mare was feeling the weight of each of these failings, blaming herself for the fact that Discord was still roaming free. Besides him, the Queen of changelings was also out there after the miracle defeat by Shining Armor and Princess Cadence. Along with these two troubles, King Sombra had returned with the Crystal Empire, and though, again no real thanks to her, he was defeated by Cadence and Spike, he was not any less a risk. She felt the only victory she could even claim, was showing up Trixie, by putting a baby Ursa Minor to sleep. This was a great feat, but by no means a real aid to the greater problems of the land.
Sending Spike off to help Pinkie Pie in spreading some hope and happiness, as they kept the peace in Ponyville the best they could; she felt a bit lonely without him. His service was better to fight against all the threats lurking around the shadows, than here shelving books as the mare frantically tore them from their homes as she reread them finding nothing more than the first, second, fourth, sixth reading. Logic did not always help, when she missed her number one assistant, and oldest friend.
As she consumed page by page, section by section, volume by volume, Twilight felt ever less sure in her abilities to end the threat. Then one of the books flung open, pages flapping noisily to catch her attention with success as she looked over to the disruption. She was confused by the sudden animation, then a few words were highlighted. Destructive Insanity Sensual Chaotic Omnipotent Random Demented Peeling away from the pages, the first letters of each word floated above the book. From his own name, the Lord of Chaos formed, not being much bigger than the original font. “Twilight Sparkle, we meet again” He grinned like one who had just reunited with a long lost friend, then made a contemplative expression. “You seem different. Mane? A little mess, but no. Did you put on weight?”
With a low growl, due more to his very existence than anything he said, she snapped “What do you want, to torment me even more?” Although she felt she had no power to really stop him, she would not just sit and take his abuse.
“Me?” A warped and bent halo appeared above his head. “Why would I do anything of the sort?” The halo burst into flames that drifted into bubbles to none existence. “I’ve simply come to check up on you, and see how you are doing, especially with everything going on” He held up his pawed hand, becoming a cheap looking puppet of Queen Chrysalis, and then his other claw hand becoming similarly King Sombra. “A certain movie company sure nailed it, Queens and Kings can’t be trusted. Good thing Hasbro made sure to demote the rulers of all Equestria to princesses, or the little ones would have viewed them as evil too” He made the two dance about, detaching from the wrists “hands” and all. “They sure have you busy”
“Yeah, thanks to you!” She snapped, causing his to simply laugh. “Enjoy it now, but I will find a way to stop you and all this trouble you’ve caused us!”
With a “tsk-tsk” Discord shook his head slowly. “Mon petite pone, I have only played a small role in the troubles in this world. These times are the result of many centuries of troubles all coming to a head. Chrysalis, Sombra, not even Trixie or that Ursa were any of my doing”
Twilight rolled her eyes, and continued to accuse the draconequus.”And I’m to believe you, why?”
“Oh there is not much fun in letting others cause trouble, and the bug and shadow are rivals of sorts” Remaining small, he transformed himself into a portly, shorter version of himself. Now he was sitting in an armchair and dressed in an open suit, looking like some character that Twilight did not know. He added to his parody a voice that was a bit whinny, and changing from high to a deeper tone as he shifted in his seat. “Now, now, Twilight! Why would I bring in rivals, when I want Equestria to myself? Why, now, would I do that?” Despite his strange way of saying it, he did have a point, not lost in the childish, and obnoxious character he was depicting.
Remaining small, Discord returned to “normal” before going on to say. “I will admit to capturing Fluttershy, and agitating those Timber Wolves, but I did also get Rainbow Dash to think about something besides her broken body, so there is that”
Twilight tried to take the opportunity to stomp his small self in a uncontrolled fit of rage. “You stole my friend, and killed two members of another friend’s family?!” Discord poofed under the hoof, becoming smoke and avoiding any damage. “I can only imagine what you did to Rainbow Dash!”
Appearing now in full size, and much higher up in the library he defended himself. “Hey, I only said to the wolves that it seemed unfair that the Apples hoard all the Zap Apples. They never bothered to learn why the Timber Wolves and the Zap Apples were connected, plus, it wasn’t the only time the two groups butted heads. As far as Rainbow goes, I gave her a book. It seemed to bring her some joy, and motivation. She needed it, seeing how no pony seemed to have any way to help her, or even went to see her in awhile”
She wanted to be mad at him, but she was madder at the fact he made another point. “I… I’m trying to save Equestria…” Even though it was true, it did not soothe her guilt.
“You forgot all about Fluttershy, until you and your friends tried to stand against me. Since then, you’ve done nothing to even get her back. She is doing well, I keep her comfortable. All part of our deal”
“Deal? What are you talking about?” She looked up at him, both inquisitively, and with sternness.
Discord pulled out a contract, and began to read from it. “I, Discord, Lord of Chaos, shale not directly harm those of whom Fluttershy deems her friends at the time of the sign of this contract. So Long as Fluttershy remains with Discord, as his in whatever capacity he chooses upon the signing of this contract. I left out some of the fancy, and legal (because the author didn’t want to go that far)” He let the document poof away, and he looked down at Twilight. “She named a good number of you, and I chose her to be my companion”
“Why would she agree to that, with a deceiver like you?!”
“Hey!” He came down, and was eye to eye with her now. “I am a thing of my word” He floated back away, now formed out of the words he used to spell his name before. “Now that doesn’t mean I can’t play with those words a little” Another Discord appeared, and scooped up the word formed draconequus, depositing them into a Scrabble box and started to shake them up. “See, I still can do one of two things here” A book appeared on a stack near Twilight, sending the already precarious tower into a topple. It did not land on the mare, much to her surprise.
“I think you missed there, Lord of Chaos” She mocked him, feeling some small victory in his mistake, not seeing how the books ricochet and struck other towers that did come crashing down on her. She climbed out of the pile, and gave him a dirty look.
“Wasn’t me” He grinned. “I put that book there, but I did not make it fall, or bring down all those other poorly stacked collections. You could have cleaned up in here, but instead you chose to mock me” Twilight was growing sick of how his logic was actually making sense. “My other option is to have her renounce her friendships, and choose how to attack those she renounces. It’s all in the find print”
“Fine” Twilight corrected absentmindedly, while she was getting completely out of the mess.
Discord snickered at this. “’Fine’, ‘find’, it won’t be ‘found’, and that is all that matter here”
Ignoring his wordplay, she said her opinion. “Maybe you can indirectly mess with us, however you will not turn her against us” She laughed at the idea of it. “Fluttershy is the kindest and most pure pony I have ever known, and she would sooner sacrifice herself before turning on any of her friends”
“Amusing that you seem to miss that she already did that, and now that I have her to myself, it is only a matter of time before she realizes that she gave up everything for ponies who will never save her. She has an annoying resilience to my corruption, but I feel a few years together, and even she will break. I’ve been in stone for a thousand years, what’s about 10 or thirteen years? Give or take. Besides all that, you must face it, see it. You have failed them all, you have failed being a friend. Failed to save Fluttershy, failed to help Applejack or Rainbow Dash, you have Rarity working so hard that she can’t rest, Pinkie Pie will also succumb to depression in no time when she realizes that nothing she can do will ever help. You’ve all failed, and you are like the princess of failure” As he said that, a crown the drooped down like a wilting flower appeared on her head, as well as a pair of cheap looking wings.
Twilight shook it off, and shot back. “We will stop you, and every villain that is out there. Princess Celestia and Luna are still powerful without the Elements of Harmony, My brother and sister-in-law rule over the Crystal Empire, successfully stopping King Sombra from retaking it, and maybe our numbers are low, those of us who wield the Elements are still strong enough to join together and beat you back!”
He held up the Scrabble box with the letters from before, but now they were all in a runic style. “Sorry Twilie, but I read a lot in these, and I just don’t see success here. Your royal leaders are all jokes, especially Princess Celestia” He dodged a blast of magick, from Twilight’s horn. “Oh dear, have I struck a nerve? I’m so sorry that the truth hurts, but you dear teacher couldn’t stop me, Sombra, Nightmare Moon or Chrysalis, and the only reason she seemed to, was because of the Elements of Harmony or some other outside intervention. That Cadenza has a better record at this point. Now, Celestia has no Elements, and all those allies she has are too caught up in other, more pressing problems. You six, or rather three, are here only champions left, and you can’t stand against me either.” He laughed hard at her, with a complete contempt for her and her friends. “Such fools all!”
“I’ll stop you right now!” She challenged, blasting at him again, but he disappeared. “Afraid? Why not stand still!”
Only his grin reappeared. “I am standing still, just I’m teleporting, silly pony” He laughed again, and each time it was driving her ever more crazy.
“If you are so great, let me hit you. Let’s see just how mighty you really are” She had seen through his attempts to goad her into frustration, which was working more than she cared to admit, and now was attempting to use the tactic upon him.
“That’s not very much fun, but this is” A claw appeared and tapped Twilight on the shoulder. “Tag, you’re it” Then all of him was gone again.
Screaming in frustration, Twilight shouted at him. “How can I catch what I can’t see?!”
“Come now, surely your pathetic master showed you how to track magick, or am I giving her far too much credit to know such a simple skill? Prove to me, just how good of a teacher she is, and find me”
Now that the reputation of Princess Celestia was on her, Twilight was pushed far enough and would not have his insults anymore. She closed her eyes and focused on the magickal world around her, finding Discord’s particular aura stand out against the more natural and harmonious ones. He was not far away, obviously trying out her ability, and she was quick to show him. When it was clear she was able to keep up, he moved farther and more sporadic, all the while Twilight keeping pace as his grand game traversed the realm of Equestria.
They appeared and disappeared, and surprised those nearby each time. The journey went from Everfree Forest, to Canterlot, Manehatten, the Horseshoe Bay, Baltimare, Cloudsdale, Hallow Shade and a number more locations until they were within the Crystal Empire, in King Sombra’s secrete sanctum before his dreaded door.
Twilight starred at the door, forgetting to look for Discord, focusing solely upon yet another failure that had near broke her; and yet, it had proven that she was not a failure in how she was able to seek aid from others. She had learned much of this door’s power, and how it worked. “This showed my worst nightmares before,” She thought, getting an idea. “I wonder if I can use it to work out ideas to end all of this suffering and strife? A staging environment in which I may engage with different virtual reality environments”
“I wouldn’t” Discord said, casually standing beside her dressed in a purple velvet coat and top hat, drinking from a flower. “I’ve seen the holo- I mean such things produce some pretty weird stuff. Dark magick, plus your magick, and of course the fact that you just not that good”
“I am so!” Twilight argued, seeming to be loosing herself to the moment. “I figured out a lot about this kind of magick since that day” Discord scoffed at her deceleration, prompting her to feel the need to prove herself again. Taking the challenge, she cast a spell upon the crystal above the door and it turned from dark to clear. “Ha, told you”
“Oh, you sure proved me wrong” He fanned defeat and surprise. “You are so great and powerful, and gullible” He quickly pushed her through the doorway and closed it after. “Have fun” Discord laughed and snapped his fingers, the crystal returning to its blacken colour. Satisfied and amused by his trickery, he left Twilight to her fate in the room, but he did not see the crystal shifting into a prism of colours, leaving this for Twilight to learn the meaning of.
******
Inside the existence behind Sombra’s Door, Twilight stood in Ponyville, looking around in expecting confusion. She knew she was in a false world, only not what may come of it. The scene shifted and she found herself at night and surrounded by all her closest friends, inside Golden Oaks Library. By some power of the room, she was aware of her recent victory in solving an ancient spell that not even her idol Starswirl had been able too; reawakening what each of her friends destinies and what the Elements meant to them. Then, those Elements they were all wearing shot out at her, surprising all six mares and sending her into another realm of existence.
Princess Celestia was with her again, not condemning her for failure as before, but praising her for all she had achieved in her time since leaving Canterlot. She had explained the journey to her, and all that a new chapter to her story was starting. When Celestia finished, Twilight was again in Ponyville, and again with her friends, who all looked upon her with shock. Twilight Sparkle was now an Alicorn.
Before she could even take this new form in, she was gone to Everfree Forest, with new memories. The princesses Celestia and Luna were missing, and the forest had begun to creep into Ponyville. She stood with her friends before a great, and strange tree, and they knew it needed their Elements to end the current troubles gripping this alternate world.
Launching into another time and place, events seemed to rush past her as her friends were now captured by a villain she had never seen before. As before, the knowledge filled her, and she knew him a Tirek, and he was consuming all of the magick in Equestria. Though she had put up a great fight, she was forced to give up her power to free them. Shifting again in these events, the six ponies gathered around a box, and six keys opened it. With this, the six mares were given new, greater powers, that were able to defeat Tirek and return him to Tartarus.
All went black, but in the void was a soundless voice that filled Twilight’s mind. “Learn from these events of another reality, seek me out… seek the place from which much of this calamity owes its beginnings…”
Twilight awoke, not clear to just how long after all she had experienced inside the room, but now she was outside the door again. Everything she had seen was like dreams in the way that they were so fresh, and quickly faded and lost meaning or form, but of all the things she had seen one remained just as strong as when she was in the room. “Tree of Harmony”
Twilight had not wasted any time in sending a message to Princess Celestia about what she remembered of the special chamber, and upon hearing this Twilight was told where to find it. The princess was explicit in her urgency that Twilight go to this location in all haste, fearing that any delay would give time to their foes. Twilight was never one to refuse her teacher’s commands, so she used her teleportation spell to cut the distance back to Everfree. It took great effort to do so, despite that she was very drained, she was there in very little time.
Outside the ruins of the Castle of the Two Pony Sisters, Twilight was in awe of the sight, a little lost in a moment when she and her friends first came together to defeat Nightmare Moon. Shaking off the nostalgia, she went to the deep cut in the ground near the castle where the tree would be found below. In her experience, the Tree was impressive and colourful, but now it was looking sickly and faded. All around the cave and the tree itself were plants Twilight had not seen before, but she could tell from faded memories that they were of the Plunderseeds Vines. They were feeding off the tree like ivy did any other plant, but by they fed differently, it was magick they drained.
Making quick work of a few of the vines, the rest retreated from the assault, leaving the tree free of their vampiric molestation. Taking in the unhindered view, Twilight could see the trunk, near the base, had the cutie marks of Princess Celestia and Luna, and a star like her own where five branches sprung out with places for some missing gems.
“The Elements of Harmony” Twilight concluded, remembering more of her time in the chamber beyond Sombra’s door. “That must be why the tree is so… sick” She pondered on this, wondering it this was the reason why the tree had summoned her. “I hope it doesn’t need them back…” She continued to think, knowing that right now there was only four gems in reach. She took note of each of the placeholders, and some seemed afflicted by something different than the vines could have caused. One had a green oozing liquid dripping from it, another had black spots, and a third was withered and shriveled. The holders were not alone, as around the moon mark was a blackness that was creeping. “If this is what I think it is,” She spoke out loud. “Three of us are in immediate danger, and Princess Luna, I fear, is being corrupted again”
Attempting to heal the tree, or hoping that in some way it would reach those marked by the sicknesses, Twilight cast a spell on the tree. The magick connected, and immediately something shot back at her. Twilight fought it at first, fearing something dangerous was now trying to consume her, but the soundless voice spoke to her again as the tree reached out to her.
“Twilight Sparkle” It began. “You are the best hope for Equestria. I have attempted to protect Equestia long before the ponies came, as one of the long forgotten ancients, I battled against the Umbra and was of the last to survive that ancient war.
“When ponies came, bickering over their minor differences I was worried another trouble was now upon me, but when they came together and beat back the Wendigo I believed they would protect this land with their love and understanding.
“For a time, your kind had done just as I hoped, and with the Crystal Empire being a beacon of that hope as it defeated the Umbra. Princess Amora had sealed away the remaining Umbra, and all in the land was pleasant and peaceful. Then doubt grew, as the young Sombra and Radiant Hope nearly destroyed the empire and unleashed the Umbra. Then came Discord, and the powers of the ponies again proceeded to fall short of need”
In an attempt to defend her kind, Twilight stepped in. “Princess Celestia and Luna stopped both Sombra and Discord”
“As I made it” The tree shot back, with the two cutie marks flashing in emphasis. “Those young Unicorn sisters had shown a great potential, and so I tied our fates and summoned them after their defeat against Discord. Granting them my power, they bested those two villains. They kept those powers, and I allowed this as they resided now above me and peace was again back in the world. I knew that danger was always but moments away, as shadow always skirts the light, and so they would be my champions.
“Ponies again brought about their own trouble, and this time it was my youngest champion who paid the price. As she was being consumed by sadness in her neglect, I spent more of myself to craft her a companion, a colt who would be devoted to her and keep her from feeling alone. I do not know how it would go so wrong, but my power was now greatly divided and drained as darkness pushed back the light”
“Nightmare Moon?” Twilight questioned, though she was sure that was where the story was going. “With the Elements of Harmony gone, did you at least take back the colt you created?”
“Perhaps I was too vague in that detail. The colt, Luna’s student, destroyed himself in summoning things he could not control. He sole away my powers, and set into motion the turning of Luna in Nightmare Moon. Everfree was being consumed by darkness and is took all I had to slow its spread, but against the lingering darkness, and Discord’s Plunderseeds, my battle was a loosing one that now is coming to its inevitable end”
Twilight took off her tiara, and offered it up to the tree. “We recharged the Elements, and thought I can’t get them all back just now, maybe mine can at least turn the tides for your battle?”
Giving her a feeling that seemed to be laughter, the Tree of Harmony was amused by her. “Your Element? Child of Equestria, they are all mine. This is besides the point, the reason I summoned you here was not to reclaim what is mine. The darkness has gathered again. The wicked of the past and ones of new grow in power and numbers, and there are not the Elements of Harmony or those reborn with their power to face them. There is simply me, and a few ponies who are not able to fully utilize what they have. You, Twilight Sparkle, you must face this darkness, as my final champion. To become this, you must be greater than you are now, and I will again spend myself to reshape you to protect this land I have come to cherish, and the lesser beings I have vowed to protect. I will give all that I am to you, and give Equestria one last chance to survive this storm that is shattering all that I have struggled to keep for these countless millennia”
Twilight was not so sure in this plan, and questioned it openly. “If you give me all your power, what will stop the Plunderseeds from coming back, or all the dangers of Everfree from spreading past the forest?”
A new sense was filling her mind, and it was of annoyance, but also weakness. “Child of Equestria, you are so wise and ignorant. I hoped by recounting events, it would enlighten you. Each moment spent in debating this leaves me weaker, so I will now be direct. Fate preceded you long before you were even born, and my power is now fleeting. If I do not give you what I have now, the chance of survival diminished just as much. Between darkness, and these vines, my power will no longer be mine to give. I choose to spend it upon you, as my end is neigh”
Lowering her head, seeing no other way, and not wanting to risk this chance to change the course of this disaster, Twilight yielded. “I am humble to be chosen for this, and accept your power to save Equestria in your absence”
“Good, for you waste so much on words and ceremony. Open yourself to me, and receive what I have, and we will be together in unity” Although Twilight was not sure just how to do this, the tree was not at any convenience to wait for her to figure it out. Without any further delay, the Tree of Harmony sent out a wave of magick that enveloped the mare.
Warmth, is what Twilight first felt, surprised by the sudden burst, she was not sure if she needed to do anything more than just stand there. The warmth soon became a blazing sensation, one she could not fight or resist. Twilight struggled to stand, with her mind racing to wonder if she had just made a huge mistake in trusting the tree. The heat around her was starting to fade, or be replaced by new pain, the kind one felt during their growing phase of life. Her entire body felt like it was rushing through a childhood worth of growing pains in moments. The stretching did not limit to her legs, but her body, neck and alicorn all felt like they were being pulled from her in different directions. She cried out, believing that her skin would tear from her.
The agony seemed done, at least long enough for her to gasp and pant, tears streaming from her as she endured what she thought was the worse pain she would ever feel; then it started again. Now her back alone was the source of torment. From withers to loins, it felt like things were growing and being formed under her flesh. When they started to push out, she lost all control of herself and voided her body. Blood trailed from protrusions out of her back, adding to the tears and urine pooling around her. Her joints had locked like in standing sleep, and this was the only reason she stood at all. Twilight was nearly into a trance, knowing only suffering as the internal mystery now stood out from her. Bones, muscle, flesh, and the connection to make her new limbs that functional. Any damage to her body was healed instantly as the appendages finished, now sprouting full feathers to finish her agonizing change. Just as she nearly passed out but vomited up instead, adding to the list of involuntary fluids and byproducts she had expelled during the process that neared its end. She was coming around into focus again, as the horror passed.
Weak, tired, and feeling empty, Twilight was also feeling suddenly more in-tune with the magick around and in her. She had a power that she could recall knowing in her trip inside Sombra’s door, and looking to where the height of her pain had been, it was confirmed to her that she had gone through a similar transformation. Though apart of her expected there to be spears jutting from her back, they were instead a full pair of wings. They were impressive, the envy of even the greatest of Pegasus. She used a spell to look at herself from another view, and found that she had grown lengthier, along with the wings. She also noted the tears and bile that covered her face, and the mess around her. She stepped from it, and cleaned herself up, taking a fresher look at what she was.
“I… I’m an… Alicorn?” She did not need to ask, but it felt necessary somehow. “The Tree of Harmony made me into…” She looked at the tree, and saw it was already withering, with the vines quickly going on the attack. “It was the worst thing I have ever been through, physically, but I will not waste this gift. I will fulfil your last request, ancient one, and rescue Equestria from all the gathering darkness. For you, Equestria, and all my friends!”
Before leaving, she cast a spell that destroyed the Plunderseeds in the area, and stop any more from disgracing the memories of this place.
Long ago, upon a tiny rock farm, a simple family lived well enough. Most of these simple ponies were content, never needing anything beyond what they had. Not everypony there was. Something had been calling to this young filly for many years, yet she never understood just what that was. She had heard stories from her grandmother about all the wonders beyond the humble farm, so it came as no surprise that she would one day see the world.
After a fateful event that awoke her true calling, Pinkamena was now dedicated to spreading happiness to ever corner of this wondrous land and beyond. No matter how grim things became, Pinkie Pie could always turn the situation around, she could always inspire a smile…
Track 09: Picture Perfect Lie
The town of Ponyville, no longer the happy place it had been for so long, it was now one of the locations deepest in the turmoils of chaos. When Sweet Apple Acres fell, the impact hit everypony in town hard, leaving none to doubt just how bad things had been getting.
Keeping to her traits, Pinkie Pie worked hard, harder than she had ever to spread her joy to the suffering ponies. She was joined by Spike, sending their goodwill and optimism far as they could between just the two of them. Though they had done great work, they gave all they had to care for Ponyville, and it was not even a success.
A number of ponies had fled the dangerous areas, some not just leaving towns, but the very land of Equestria. They would dare the harsh lands of the Dragons, Gryphons, or beyond. Those who stayed, took other measures. Some ended their own lives to escape the suffering, and others still had turned against their own and joined in the wickedness of the villains. These broken ponies killed and tormented, not even fearing the Lunar Armies that had been striking down such rouges.
This was far too much for a single mare and her dragon friend to combat, and the failure ate at them.
Pinkie Pie sat in the foal’s room in the Sugar Cube Corner, hoping to gain some kind of recharge and escape a bit of the loosing battle by spending time with the Cake Twins that she had become rather close too. The pair had fallen asleep in her arms, forcing her into a quiet status. It was rare for the mare to be so calm or silent, but her mind was abuzz while she was using the moment to contemplate her options.
“The world has gone nuts,” She thought, drifting between her mind and the room. “You two don’t even know it though. I wish I could pretend to be a foal, and not deal with all this reality” A single tear had slipped from her, joined by another and a few more as they became a steady stream. “I want to protect you two, and bring everypony out of this… but how can I? I’m only just me”
After Pound and Pumpkin had woken from their nap, Pinkie returned them to the care for their parents, who were grateful for the chance to focus on other things for the time. “You are so great with them” Mrs. Cake praised. “Plus you work so hard you do around the shop, and not to forget just how hard you have been going in Ponyville. We’re lucky to have you around”
The younger mare smiled at the compliment and appreciation, it was almost enough to forget all about her worries for a moment, then Mr. Cake added. “Just don’t burn yourself out, take some time for yourself too. You are only one pony, after all” Though meant to get her to relax, it only furthered Pinkie’s concerns.
“Yeah, only just me” She said, before given them her goodbyes. She wanted some of that alone time that Carrot suggested, yet she knew it would not be anytime soon. When Spike came up to her with some big news, she knew events were going to keep her busy even longer.
“Pinkie!” The little dragon shouted, as she found her leaving the Cake’s home and business. “Twilight has returned, and she is an Alicorn now!” He was understandably filled with excitement, but also confusing as well. It had never been known just where Alicorns came from, if it was a matter of being made into one or just born into it. Twilight was now the former case. When it was clear that Pinkie had her own questions, Spike added “She said something about a Tree of Harmony”
No longer burdened by the problems of the world, Pinkie was bounding at this news. “That is amazing! Does this mean she also has some great power that will allow her to combat the villains and-” She stopped in mid sentence, redirecting herself. “Does this mean she can fly?! Is she a princess now? What would she be a princess of?”
“I think she can fly, but I’m not sure about the princess thing. She wants us all to meet her back in Canterlot, to speak to Princess Celestia about this, and what we’re gonna do next”
Not wasting any time, Spike and Pinkie traveled together to Canterlot, leaving the others to come at their own time. Being the first there, the pair were all over the newly reformed mare with Pinkie leading the conversation. “You’re taller, oooh your horn, are your wings bigger than Rainbow Dash’s?.. maybe because of your new height, oh are the the same proportions as Princess Celestia, Luna, and Cadence? Can you make another an Alicorn, cause I fell like I was meant to have wings; like, originally designed too but something changed me to be an Earth pony. Weird huh?”
Twilight had to admit that, although she could barely keep up, it was nice to be with Pinkie like this again. Just as she was about to speak, answering some of the ramblings, Rarity trotted into the room. She was alone, leaving Twilight to wonder about the missing member. Addressing Rarity first, she said. “Glad to see you Rarity, did you hear from Rainbow?”
“Hello,” Rarity was first with a pleasant greeting, before bitterly responding. “Not directly, but I wouldn’t expect her” She was clearly annoyed, not even really taking in Twilight’s new form. “Some Doctor, I’ve never hear of, said she was unfit to move and to leave her alone”
“Doctor? Doctor who?” Twilight asked, not liking the sound of this development.
“I doubt it was Doctor Whooves. The Doctor is not really that kind of Doctor, you see” Pinkie explained, in a bit of her randomness.
Ignoring this, Rarity answered. “Dr. Atmosphere, or something. Must be from Cloudsdale, and rather rude, even for them”
Twilight was about to scold Rarity for such a comment, but Pinkie let out a gasp that called their attentions. “Dr. Atmosphere?!”
“I suppose you know him, you do usually know everypony?” Rarity asked, with a bit more of a mocking tone, than sincerity.
Pinkie did not respond right away, thinking about what she had heard. “Oh wait, I’m thinking of Dr. Mcintyre”
“Dear that makes no sense, even for you. They don’t even sound the same” Rarity replied, seeming even more annoyed by the mare, not receiving the same charm that Twilight had felt for it after so long.
Regaining control of the situation, Twilight brought the topic back to at hoof. “Doesn’t much matter, as much as the loss of Rainbow Dash is to the cause, we have already lost two others, and really one is all is needed to negate the use of the Elements of Harmony”
“Does it also ne-fence them too? Can’t have a gate without a fence” Pinkie asked.
“I suppose it does” Twilight allowed herself a brief smile, before going back to her serious tone. “I want to help our friends, but until we can control these bigger problems, until the very fate of Equestria is not upon our backs, we have to hope that they can manage while we focus our efforts and achieve a victory for all of us”
Without announcing herself, the three ponies and dragon became aware of Princess Celestia as she trotted into the room. “It is a hard choice,” She started, dwindling the distance between them. “Sometimes we have to choose the greater good” She was now before them, and turned toward Twilight. “You have made a choice like this before, a couple of times. Though not on this scale, it was just as hard of a decision for you. I cite such events as when you had given Spike the Crystal Heart, at the risk of your own future in going against the rules of the test. I too had to make such a choice, more like what you face now, when I chose Equestria over my sister those many years ago”
Not to waste more time on formalities or pleasantries, the royal mare moved right into the topic of their gathering. “My faithful student, dearest friend, you have achieved something I had only dared dreamed of for you. Very, very few Unicorn can reach your status, those who are especially gifted, dedicated and true. As a cutie mark is the physical appearance of our change to a more aware state, becoming an Alicorn marks that you have now reached the height of your awareness. You have also gained a royal status with this new form, along with being chosen as the Tree of Harmony’s champion. My sister and I had once enjoyed such a privilege, and now you have it”
Feeling humbled by such praise by one she revered for so long, Twilight slightly bowed her head to the princess. “I hardly feel worthy of such an honour or your compliments, but I will do my best to live up to your expectations…” The notable sound in her voice, hinted to what she was about to say next. “I only wish the price was not so high, or I might be able to enjoy this more…”
“The losses of Equestria will echo through the coming years, and the death of the Tree will be a blow to our future that too few will know to even mourn. We must honour all those who have suffered and fallen, by seizing the chance we have to change the course of fate…”
As Twilight and Princess Celestia talked, Pinkie was thinking to herself about her own role in all of this. “All this fighting and struggling, there needs to be something to bring the spirits up. More now than ever!” She processed what she could do, loosing any track of what the two mares spoke of now, focusing on what had been said. “Princess Celestia said that Twilight was gifted, dedicated and true. I think I’m pretty gifted, I give them all the time. Am I dedicated? What can I do to prove myself, to really make a difference? Twilight has given so much, and I know I can give as much as she has. I will find a way to match what she does in the battle against the wicked, by fighting against the sadness!”
Spending the better part of the day going over the details of what they could do, Princess Celestia and Twilight lead the discussion, with Rarity being rather aloof in her interaction, and Pinkie drifting in and out of reality and her own mind. Absently she processed what was being said, adding bits of her humor that broke up the tension at the right moments.
Into the evening, just as the two Alicorns were nearly done, a pair of Bat ponies had come to speak to the princess. It was clear by their armor that they were both part of the New Lunar Republic Army, both of a high rank. They had to wait until the two mares finished, leaving the Bats to linger and they looked uneasy to even be here. The Stallion trotted around the room, while the mare stood a little more collected.
Pinkie had never seen a Bat pony, and could not miss the opportunity to talk with one, choosing the mare who was called Mist Dancer. “How long have you been in Equestria?”
“All my life” She responded with a bit of confusion, and a little offended. “Hallow Shade has always been apart of Equestria, even if it was forgotten by the rest of it” This was one of the few times that Mist had been around a non-bat pony in a casual setting, and the strange question was only making her a bit more unsettled.
“Really?” Pinkie was a little distracted by her thoughts again, but spoke out loud. “Wow, a whole place to explore and meet new ponies to befriend” Her excitement was brief, as sadness claimed it.
Despite her unease, Mist Dancer could not ignore the shift in the others mood. “What’s wrong?” She asked, putting aside her own feelings.
With a sigh, Pinkie explained what had brought her down. In quick, Pinkie style, she gave a recap of the events since Nightmare Moon’s return. “-So lately I’ve been so busy in keeping everypony I can happy, it’s all I do. I miss meeting ponies, seeing new places, but I just have no time anymore. I’m glad to help, it is something I love, but I would need like a baker’s dozen of me to be able to do all the things I want to do again and help everypony!”
Mist Dancer, to her credited, was able to keep up with the ramblings of the earth pony. It did take a moment to process it all, as she looked blankly at her as she did. Seeing how distraught the mare was, she hesitantly moved to comfort the strange pony. “You’re not alone,” Mist began, putting a leathery wing on the mare. “A lot of us in the New Lunar Army wish we could do more, and we are doing a lot as it is. Just because you are only one pony, does not mean you can’t do all you can do. You can’t be expected to do any more than your best. Remember, every little bit helps”
Pinkie felt slightly better, but it was still not completely erasing her feeling of lacking. “Thanks, I guess you are right. I can only do so much, even if I wish I could do more”
Moonrazor trotted back toward his friend, seeing that Princess Celestia and Twilight had finished. “Time to do our duty, and help Princess Luna”
Nodding to him, she wanted to make sure to leave Pinkie with the best advice she could, and has learned from joining the ranks of the New Lunar Republic’s Army. “When we feel we have done all we can, but more is still needed, don’t be afraid to ask for help. Combining your resources, even if it is just one or two more can give you the power of many” These, of all things Mist had said, sank deep into Pinkie’s mind.
******
Returning to Ponyville, Pinkie Pie left the rest behind to their own courses. Twilight sought information in the sealed off areas of the Grand Library, while Rarity decided to enjoy some of the Canterlot Nightlife, and Spike had a friend in the city that he did not often get to see. With the words of the Bat Pony sparked a new thought in the earth mare, and the city offered nothing for her new quest.
She had arrived early in the morning, but that was only a stop toward her destination. Pinkie traveled into Everfree without hesitation, or preparation. The forest felt different to her, she did not know just why. She believed it to be due to the loss of the Tree of Harmony, and that it no longer gave what protection it could. Her concern for this was brief, for with or without the tree, she had something else as mysterious and forgotten within the legendary forest.
“Where is it, where is tha-” The lone mare whipped her head around, not paying attention to the terrain, she missed the sudden drop. She tumbled down the hill, and rolling toward a large hole in the ground where she stopped just short of it. Opening her eyes, she looked into the void and found the unknown. “Wow, I almost fell into this…” Taking in the surroundings, Pinkie noticed a couple landmarks she had been seeking. Taking a deep breath, she rolled into the opening.
The drop was great, but she landed on a ledge a part of the way down. She slid to an incline, that was steep enough for her weight to pull her down in a steady, safe speed; not sturdy enough to simply trot. The she felt that the deeper she went the darker it would get, for a brief moment it seemed so, then it started to get lighter deeper down. Near to the bottom, it was almost as bright as midday. All around the walls, ceiling, and ground were crystals that illuminated the hidden cavern. Deep below Everfree, a pool sat calm in its long solitude. Pinkie moved toward it, now on flat ground, she noted that it looked to be purer than any body of water she had ever seen. When she moved to see how deep it was, she saw that it was not clear, but a liquid mirror. She placed a hoof into it, and it gave no ripple or resistance to the intrusion. “Twilight would have a field day down here, or cavern day?” When she spoke the name, Twilight appeared in the pool, so clear and real that Pinkie looked around expecting to see her friend with her. When she looked back, doubting what she saw, the image was gone.
Pinkie stepped back and took a seat at the edge, she was now trying to recover memories of her grandmother’s, involving the pool. “Let’s see… ‘where the brambles are thickest,’” she recalled. “A pond beyond the twisted vines” then she said ‘And into her own reflection she stared, Yearning for one whose reflection she shared, And solemnly sweared not to be scared At the prospect of being doubly mared’” As she recited these words, she stepped into the pool water. To her, the world seemed to completely turn over, and yet when she passed through she was still standing in place like she had never moved. When the disorientation passed, she was staring at herself, but not in the pool. “Holy Cockpit!” The original Pinkie exclaimed.
“Who’s that?” The second asked, with the same level of excitement.
“A Wonderbolt, but anywho, I have a copy!.. Hearths Warming is gonna be interesting this year”
The second Pinkie started to bounce in place. “Yeah! What is that?!”
Pinkie classic scratched her chin. “Hmm… you’re kinda… not smart… no offense”
“Who’s that?!”
“Oh mare” Pinkie wondered about what went wrong. “Maybe it was my state of mind going in? Well, I’ll try a few more times, I’ll need a bit of help anyhow” She then went in a few more times, repeating the rhyme each time, but trying to think or feel differently each time. Each copy resulted differently, coming out in a verity of ways, they all did have extreme personalities.
After finishing her experiment, she took stock of the group to an alarming find. “Wait… I didn’t go in that many times” She counted them, and the numbers were much more than they should have been.
“Cus we joined you a couple of times” One copy responded, sounding a little shady in her tone.
“Then a couple more times on our own!” A particularly excited one stated.
Taking in the group, Pinkie saw reflections of herself in many personalities and traits, with multiples of each. “Maybe I shouldn’t have let them watch… I guess when dealing with magic, I should expect a Surprise” She looked a white Pegasus mare in the group, with a blond mane and tail, and violet eyes. Her cutie mark was like the rest, only the same colour as her eyes. “My OC”
Refocusing herself, she gather herselves to go on with her plans. She was first concerned by the numbers, but also felt that the more the merrier. “Ok Pinkies, and Surprise” The white Pegasus shouted out at her name being called. “Equestria is in dire need of help, we mares are its best hope to turn the frowns upside down!” She was trying to pull some inspiration from Princess Celestia’s speech to Twilight. “Now I can’t teach you all the names of our friends across the land, and unfortunately while you all have my personalities, you lack my memories. I have prepared some flash cards, some key ponies that who you will likely talk to you when you see them”
“How’d you do that?” One asked. “You’ve never left the cave, and its been like a half hour” This caused some muttering in the ranks.
“Well, as a Pinkie Pie you will learn that we are able to do things beyond explanation” The original explained, then she paused as she watch one of her leaving. “Um, sorry, but the seminar is not over yet. You’ll need to know these ponies and pointers if you are going to go Pinkie”
Stopping, the dull coloured, and limp maned mare turned to look back at the bright group. “I won’t need to know ant of this useless information, because I don’t care” Her voice matched the rest of her, depressed and cold. Without anything further, she just left.
Making a pouting face, Pinkie original wondered. “Will that have some unexpected consequences? Na, when I get like that, I don’t do much of anything but sulk. I’ll fix it later” Turning her attention back to the group, she went over the notes and cards, giving them the information she felt they needed to deal with the ponies out there. When they seemed ready to take on the task, she made different groups of them and pointed them to different parts of Equestria. Each group had a focus, on who and what to expect in the places they would go.
******
Nearly a week had passed since the secret mission of Pinkie Pie, but it did not seem her effort was doing much to help Ponyville. Although the Pinkies were set to their tasks, and no pony had caught on, the copies were not very much like her. Lacking her memories or seeming to grasp what they had been taught, they were simply too one dimensional to actually do any good. Things began to unravel as ponies started to notice the strangeness in the copies, even for Pinkie. One pony had come across a copy, and then shortly after another, with the time and location of the two making it impossible for Pinkie to have been both places. The worst of these encounters would start to get back to the original, who had been spending more of her time with the Cake Twins.
Mr. And Mrs. Cake came home in great annoyance and called to Pinkie, who was coming down the stares with some trash. “Oh, you’re home early. I just laid the twins down, but haven’t changed-”
“Pinkie,” Mr. Cake cut her off. “Why were you out of the house when you were suppose to be watching our babies?”
“Out? I’ve been here the whole time” She protested.
“We saw you, leaving the hay burger stand” Mrs. Cake countered. “Without our children! If you wanted to go out, that is fine, but do not leave out babies alone!”
Pinkie looked between them with honest confusion. “But, I didn’t. If Pumpkin and Pound could talk, they would agree”
Not taking her at her word, they shook their heads in disappointment. Although the years together had proven Pinkie to be trustworthy, one could not deny what their own eyes had see without a doubt. “Now you are lying to us?” Mr. Cake asked bitterly. “No pony in Ponyville, or even most of Equestria is like you. That aside, we’ve known you for long enough that we wouldn’t mistake just any pony for you. Pink coat, pink cotton candy-like mane, you are the only mare like that, and we saw you clear as day”
“Tell us, did you leave them alone, or did you at least have somepony here?” Mrs. Cake asked, hoping to save the situation.
Pinkie realized the situation, and her eyes grew wet. She could not explain what she had done, and if she was to be honest, to them it would always be a lie. A story about a magick mirror pool, it would likely be seen as some cover up, leaving her stuck in her own mess. “I swear I was here the whole time, I would never leave them alone, or abandon my duty!” She took a deep breath and taking a chance, daring to tell the full truth. As she explained the pool and its magic, the worst fear came and they only saw it as more lies.
Angrier now, Mr. Cake snapped. “If you can’t be honest and admit that you made a mistake, then… you can leave” He had a hard time saying this, but his family came first. He pointed at the door, emphasizing his seriousness.
“But…” Pinkie had a choice in actually lying to get out of loosing what she had, or keep to telling the truth and being called a liar for it. Applejack was known for her honesty, but Pinkie was just as truthful, and it would cost her by loosing the only home she had known since leaving her farm. She lost the friends she had made here, and the two foals she had come to care for as much as any pony she had ever called a friend.
The loss of her home and dearest friends in Ponyville was only the start of her troubles in the town, and the more and more she was seeing what her experiment was doing to her. As she wondered the town, she was noticing more ponies turning from her or giving dirty looks. Some blamed her for various situations where a pink mare just like her was seen: the ruining of Rose Luck’s garden, flooding at the Spa, a fire at the Smith’s, even a rogue tornado; it was clear the copies were out of control.
Gathering every Pinkie she could find, the original hope to regain the control she believed she had, until she noticed that the numbers had grown. Many of the Pinkies were utterly wild, and it was looking like the copies had made copied; and also seemed the same degradation of character after the first copies also multiplied with each time. With Twilight gone, occupied in Canterlot and not likely to return soon, Pinkie utilized the Gold Oak’s Library as a place to keep the copies locked up. The copies would likely wreck the room they were in, and though it would cause Twilight to be angry with her, she had little choice. What was one more pony mad at her?
Spike was still around town, being the liaison to Twilight as she served a larger plan. With Rarity gone, the dragon was less then enthusiastic with being in the small town.
Upon finding Spike, Pinkie Pie quickly explained everything going on. At first he believed it to be just another of her random fantasies, but he could sense her seriousness was not a delusion or trick as she went on. Calming her down, Spike agreed to send word to Princess Twilight; She was just as sceptical of the tale. Spike sent another letter that reinforced the urgency of the situation, verifying it after seeing the copies. Twilight was stuck in Canterlot however, and not able to come as immediately as she would have liked. Instead of coming herself, she told Spike to inform the citizens of Ponyville of the situation and that Pirncess Twilight Sparkle would come as soon as she could find a solution. They would need to be cautious of the copies still loose, and avoid them if at all possible.
With aid from the Mayor, a meeting was held and word was spread to every part of Ponyville. These effort would be too late for Pinkie and Spike to undo the damage upon the former’s reputation, the copies were still growing in numbers and risk. They broke out of the room, and soon the library completely. They discovered that they could use any reflective surface to multiply, cloning themselves all over town and spreading like locus. They were swarming and destroying anywhere they went, lying waste to much of Ponyville by the time Spike was able to send another message to Twilight. This new message forced the new Princess to come to the embattled town,and luckily she had spent time researching the situation and the Mirror Pool. Twilight had discovered the trick to the pool, and knew a way to deal with the copies.
Princess Twilight was able to strike out each copy in the town, after using tracking spells to hunt them down.. Soon it was back to just the original Pinkie, who informed them that there were likely even more problems throughout Equestria, or soon would be. The princess gathered a special force of royal guards to track down the copies and use the spell to rid all of Equestria of their plague.
Although the ponies of Ponyville forgave Pinkie, as well as apologize for lashing out at her, Pinkie could tell that there was a lingering sense of resentment for unleashing the chaos upon them. Life could not be the same for her, even after how much Mr. and Mrs. Cake professed their shame in doubting her. They expressed to her how they loved her, but Pinkie felt too broken by what she had done and wrought upon all she cared for to ever be able to go back.
When all the copies were believed to be gone, Pinkie met with Spike.
“You can’t go!” the dragon protested, once the mare spoke of her plan. “You and Twilight are the last of the Elements of Harmony ponies, Equestria needs you!”
“Equestria doesn’t need a pony who can be so careless that she unleashes too many Pinkies upon” She was looking more like the Pinkie who had left the cave, with lifeless mane and tail, and colour seeming to be darker. “No pony can look at me without fear or resentment, and I can’t undo the damage I have done. I’ll never make that mistake again, and I’ll never be the pony I was” She put down a box, and pushed it toward Spike. “Princess Twilight has all the power of the Tree of Harmony, but maybe she will one day need this, and if not, give it to the Cake twins. That are too young to remember my mistake, maybe this will let them recall their aunt as she was, not she she became…”
As she turned to leave, Spike grabbed her leg. “Please, don’t go” He was tearing up as he spoke, voice breaking. “We’ve lost so many already, we can’t loose you too. I’ve lost almost all my friends…”
She broke his hold and trotted on, just stopping briefly to say. “We all lost Pinkie Pie, the moment she made that first copy” She took a deep breath. “You will make better friends, some day”
Outro:
Use your smile to change the world, Don’t let the world change your smile. -Chinese Proverb
Discord here, it feels like it has been awhile since I’ve made an appearance here doing an introduction. I’ve been awful busy you see, what with converting the stubborn Fluttershy into my pawn, and using indirect means to shake up the pony world.
As we near the end of this journey, we reflect back upon all the wondrous chaos of the story…
What? Expecting some retelling of everything in a “best of” or clip show kind of last minute, production crunch sort of thing? I think we are a little bit better than that desperate, over used tactic. We did that in Sombra’s Door for a point of view thing, and we pretty much cover the goings on at the start of each track already.
Great things about stories, there is a little limitations on productions, no worries about sets, costumes, actor advisability, budget or any of that. Which it good, because these locations and sets would be so expensive.
Track 09: Castle of Shadows
Twilight trotted around her room in Canterlot, pacing in thought as Spike stood by with his claws around a scroll and quill as he awaited her words to be recorded.
“Are… are you gonna say anything?!” He asked after waiting far too long for her to do anything. “If all you are gonna do it scratch grooves in the floor, maybe I should get a blank record instead of a scroll to record all this”
She Stopped and gave him a dirty look, then sighed. “Sorry Spike, but after everything, what can I say? Life seemed so hopeful after we defeated Nightmare Moon and won back Princess Luna, but then-”
“I know, I was there” Spike cut her off. “Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, and Applejack. It stinks what has happened, but at least we still have Rarity, and Pinkie. We gotta keep focused on what we have, not what we lost”
“Wise, but not too easy to just brush off our friends like that” She reminded. “You are right about one thing, we need to focus on what we have left to protect”
Spike added to his point with “We still have Ponyville too, everypony there still loves you. Maybe things have gone a bit crazy, but you are Twilight Sparkle, and you always figure something out”
Twilight smiled at him, taking in his words as he calmed her as he usually did. “I also have you, Spike, and you remain one he best parts of my life. You have always stood by my side, and helped me keep my head straight.
“Ok, I have decided to send you back to Ponyville to work with Pinkie Pie as she keeps the peace there. The princesses and I will keep our efforts going here in Canterlot, Princess Cadence and Shining Armor are doing what they can in the Crystal Empire. We need as many places as we can get to be safe havens and orderly, and with all we still have in Ponyville, that is the next best option to fortify. Maybe Rainbow Dash will clear her head and join in the effort too”
“You can count on me!” Spike gave a little salute, as they agreed on their mission.
******
Twilight returned to Canterlot, after going to the Tree of Harmony, and was feeling especially frazzled by how things had played out. She inspected her newly acquired wings, not yet testing them to fly, as so much had happened it was not very important to her at the moment. She was surging with new power, and it was at times difficult to focus them. After speaking with Princess Celestia, she felt a little better about her status as an Alicorn.
Using Princess Celestia’s spell to send messages, she informed Spike on some of the key details and that he should come to Canterlot along with Pinkie, Rarity, and Rainbow. It was upsetting that Rainbow had not joined them, but she moved ahead with her plan any ways.
The group talked for a long time, until two Bat Ponies had shown up. The conference ended shortly after, with Spike and Pinkie heading back to Ponyville, Rarity deciding to go into the city to enjoy herself, and Twilight studying more of the forgotten works in the Grand Library.
Twilight felt that more answers were hidden in the original castle of the pony sisters, and set her path to go explore it. She did not want to go alone, and so she tracked down Rarity to join her.
Finding her friend in a den of pleasures, the mare was not too excited to leave. “But Rarity, there is so much tied to Everfree Forest, especially with the Tree of Harmony’s influences through the ages. I believe it may hold the answers to how we can turn the storm around, and I would really like to have one of my closest friends beside me”
Rarity was lounging with a stallion stroking her mane, and with Twilight’s intrusion, she was looking more annoyed than pleased. “Dear, I believe you can do anything, but really, what can I offer to this?” Throwing her head back, but keeping eyes on Twilight, Rarity tried to relax again. “I cannot help but think how I am but the last option, seeing how few friends we even have anymore”
“Not true!” Twilight defended. “I need your talents, your careful eye for details, and need for perfection”
Giggling, Rarity traced a hoof on the stallion. “My eyes do like detail, and perfection”
Ignoring this, Twilight pressed on. “Please, imagine the finds we might uncover. The artifacts of an age long gone, and all the designs that might inspire a new future after all the chaos”
Rarity took this in, imagining the old decor that was waiting for a revival. “Very well, I feel a calling to the mysteries of the past” She sat up, giving the stallion a dismissive nod, and he trotted away. “When do we leave?”
******
Twilight and Rarity made their preparations for their trip into the Everfree forest, ready to brave and explore the lost castle. Since the sacrifice of the Tree of Harmony, the forest had become increasingly dangerous. Twilight had received updates from Zecora on the situation, but it would not be until she saw it for herself that it would sank in.
On her way to Rarity, Twilight could have sworn that she had seen Pinkie a dozen times, but not once did she greet Twilight. This seemed odd, but the mare was focused more on other matters to worry about Pinkie suddenly turning neglectful.
“Do not worry about it Twilight” Rarity dismissed her friend’s concern about taking her from her home for this mission. “With all this abhorrent Discord mess, my own business has been lacking. Much to my dislike of it, I cannot blame ponies for not thinking about my finery over survival. It has afforded me some time to enjoy some other things, as you well know when you found me in Canterlot. This is not to say, I do not hope to find some inspiration or something in that castle that might inspire ponies to escape their despair from awhile”
Twilight hung her head a bit, with the weight of everything it was understandable. “I wish I could be so optimistic, I don’t know if I will find anything to help at all. I know you will find something, you have always been able to find inspiration, but I need to find something so there is a world for your creativity after”
Giving Twilight a nuzzle, Rarity said to her friend. “A good designer sees a problem and finds solutions, and a good friend helps her friends find ways to over come their problems” Spurred on by this, Twilight knew that Rarity was right. She would need to her all her friends find ways to get past these problems.
Their journey together to Everfree was mostly calm, but they seemed to see Pinkie a lot on their way, but again she never approached the pair. They both felt it was just that she was busy with keeping Ponyville together, and did not give it much thought. Then before them was the edge of the forest, and this is when it finally struck her just how bad things had become.
“Zecora had told me that matters were getting worse, giving her and her new apprentice trouble, but I was not expecting this” Twilight said to Rarity, as they inspected the treeline.
The once normal looking forest, was now looking darker in the cover the trees. The trees themselves looked twisted and mutated into unnatural forms. All over the Plunderseed vines had crept, and twisted around many of the other plants. None of the bright flowers, even the dangerous ones, were blooming. There was a lot of tracks on the ground, and the earth was torn up in several places were things had run from the forest. This explained why Twilight could not hear, or sense any animals.
“Apprentice?” Rarity asked, after taking in what she saw. “Who ever joined Zecora out in THIS?” She swept you hoof across the air to display what she referred, though not truly needed.
“Didn’t ask” Twilight responded, trying to steel herself. She gave a snort of a laugh. “I thought maybe Trixie trying to redeem herself”
“That would be something” Rarity mused. “I bet that little troublemaker has made for the Gryphon empire by now, I would happy not to see her again”
Laughing a little at this, the two of them forged ahead, using their magick to keep that dangerous and snapping vines from them. Twilight used her knowledge to avoid any kinds of dangers that were not as noticeable a thrashing plants. It was clearer, the deeper they were, not everything escaped the forest. The disturbed earth was a frightening reminder of the battles fought for survival, but the splatters of blood, patches of fur, and pieces of animals of all kinds littering the forest told how gruesome the loosing the war was. There was not many whole corpses, seeming that what ever attacked left nothing much to be found, but the larger creatures of the forest were not so easy to dispose of. A Manticore was left, with a strange looking plant sowing into what remained of its mangled body.
Rarity had to look at the ground, using Twilight’s shadow to guide her. She was not accustom to these atrocities, and did not wish to see them. It was hard to avoid, with the ground still dotted by death.
“You said your sales are down, but I bet you still have projects you are working on” Twilight started, she was more able to handle these sights. Despite this, she wanted to focus on something else, and knew her friend did too.
Picking up on her friend’s tactic, Rarity let herself indulge in idol conversation. It was only partly successful, as it was hard not have a wondering eye to the horror all all around. “I have made some attempts at improving survival gear” She began. “Ponies like Daring Do can pull off the look, however it is not for everypony. Ponies of a certain upbringing might not be suited to the rigors of survival, and cannot bare the looks and styles of garments of that nature. Most attempts have not been productive, as they sacrifice too much appeal for practicality, or much the same in the reverse”
“I’ve never had much of an eye for fashion, or understand it” Twilight stated, as they continued on the path. “I can, however, appreciate the effort it must take to get things to ponies that catches the eye and gets them to want it. Marrying form and function is well beyond me” She thought on something she had seen a number of times. “The books I have seen some early examples, perhaps you would like to look over them when we’re done? I’m sure by today’s standards, the looks are a bit plan, but I think they looked nice when modified”
“What sort of designs were they?” Rarity did have an interest in this, and believed a new source of information might do good.
“Some of them were Wonderbolts, they modified early designs of the Royal Air Force to better suit their stunts. There was an article I saw about Sir Light Bringer and Crimson Thunder, modifying their Royal armor to work for them, but keeping to the appearance of the Royal Guard. They were around the time that the Castle of Everfree was in service, I bet there will be something about them”
Although they had been alert to what was around them and where they were going, when they came upon the spanning bridge to the castle they were a bit surprised that their conversation had distracted them that much.
“Not to put a damper on our fortune in arriving so soon, but it does feel a bit sudden” Rarity noted
Equally put on guard, Twilight took a moment to scan around the area to find any dangers or illusions. Apart from the background noise, and magick already flowing in the forest, nothing felt out of the “norm”. That worried her more. “I don’t like this, with the Tree being gone, and everything going on beyond it, this place should be much worse. This should be the epicenter of danger”
“Maybe things are spreading outward, leaving the center the calmer part of the storm?” Rarity offered. “Given how much trouble is out there, and what we had to deal with getting here, it would make some sense” She mused. “Funny how this was the very place where everything changed for us, and we became friends”
“Now here we are, at another cross road to save our friends and change destiny” Twilight added.
It was fortunate that the bridge had been fixed, and not destroyed in the more recent chaos, allowing the mares to cross over to the castle. The structure was looking more ravaged, with weeds and vines pulling and crushing the stone. Still no fauna was seen, just deadly flora. Statues and displays that had survived the Battle of Night and Day were now scattered around, and tapestries that once proudly displayed their princesses were torn to flutter in ribbons.
“Oh this is some of the greatest horror I’ve seen yet!” Rarity shouted, looking at all of the ruins. “All this precious craftsponyship left to rot and ravaged by these monstrous weeds. Such fine works, left like… like… the remnants of the end of bolts! Displayed like this, is a crime against the ages”
Twilight was slightly amused by how the same old Rarity was still here with her, just as passionate about her craft as ever. “Perhaps we can gather some of these and recover them? I think you could fix these up, and bring back a reminder of just what we are fighting for”
Rarity looked around as they moved into the castle, seeing some that had not been as exposed to the elements and more salvageable. “It would be difficult, even with these, but it would be a nice escape… what about fighting Discord?”
“I think they could help serve a better fight, and the story behind them would inspire ponies. Tapestries that were from before Princess Luna’s fall, surviving through the hardships of a thousand years, and the troubles we face now, to be recovered and restored. They would be the story of Equestria”
Seeing how inspired Twilight was getting, and believing that the same could be given to others, Rarity was seeing this as a great chance to do something better for her friend, and all the ponies out there needing hope. This was what she loved about fashion, about design, and this is what she lived for. “That sounds like a grand idea, and it clearly has an impact already. We can’t let Discord take away everything we hold dear, and we have to fight any way we can”
“Thank you Rarity, I feel like things will finally be turning around. Things have become so crazy, but at least you are still with me” Looking around, Twilight set up her plan. “I will need to go to the library, if I am going to find anything about the past, that is the best place to look”
“Take your time dear, I will just trot around to find anything I can use. Gathering supplies and inspiration, there is a lot here to work with” As they parted, Rarity went right to work doing as she said and using her magick to pull down delicate tapestries and moving heavy rubble. She was amazed that the fabrics were holding together, after thousands of years of age and being exposed to the elements. Moths, mold, and bacteria were a danger to everything, yet the skill and material here seemed to make these items resistant to all these.
Twilight was going through the shelves, moving some to stand again, and gathering the books to go through them. She had been struck in awe when she first came, even in ruin, the collection here was impressive, and the age of it all was unquestionable. She knew that in here were books that were even older than just the thousand years since Princess Celestia and Luna last lived here. She also noted that the collection did not seem subject to the ravages of time, or dangers of nature that had made a way into the hold. “Are these so preserved because of some spell, or was it the Tree of Harmony?” She analyzed it all, hoping to find maybe some way to use this to protect her own collections.
Gathering as she went, cleaning up a bit here and there to use tables to put together a start to her research. She scanned carefully, but quickly over each title, hoping that somewhere was the answers she sought.
When she had made a first pass around the whole library, and collected large stacks of books; that she neatly piled into small stacks because of a lesson she learned from her last encounter with Discord. She set to use her years of studying to go through the books, where normally she took pleasure in reading books in more attentiveness manor, she needed now to work fast. Using a spell, she was able to process a book in moments instead of hours. After several moments, and dozens of books, she was growing frustrated that nothing was turning up. She had a bit of frustration, and tossed a book to the ground, where is echoed through the remaining walls and slide in a loud scraping sound until is suddenly stopped. Twilight was not listening, not until a shushing came out of the echoes. She jumped up and looked around. “Who’s there?”
A loud whistle blew, followed by a equally loud and obnoxious voice. “QUITE! THIS IS A LIBRARY!!!” Twilight followed the path of the book, and found a green claw resting on it. Trailing up the leg, she saw Discord dressed in purple dress and a brownish coat, with a long string of pearls and a whistle he had used. “IF YOU CAN’T BE QUIET, GET OUT!”
“Discord!” He went to shout again, but she used her magick to muzzle him. This only seemed to amuse him. “What are you doing here?” She was not into playing his games any more, and not allowing him to trick her into one.
Removing the muzzle, he grinned. “You know, you might actually enjoy yourself if you loosen up Clarice”
Ignoring whatever reference to something she did not care to know, Twilight returned. “I would enjoy myself, if you hadn’t destroyed all I care about, and plunged Equestria into your selfishness”
“Shell fish? I’m allergic to it” Discord continued, pulling out a script. “Now if you recall back to part 8, row 45 of the original doc file, I discussed how I’m not but a piece of the larger puzzle of all this, in fact: you are also part of it. I feel like I’m repeating myself here, but you’ve had numerous chances to change things, and you failed each time. Every one of your little Harmony group has fallen to one thing or another, and you’ve done nothing to stop it”
“Don’t even try that, you’ve been the cause of so much of that trouble, or at least been an accessory to the problems. I have done the best I could each time one of you villains did something, so don’t go trying to make me feel to blame for cleaning up the mess you jerks make!”
“Jerk? Oh, you cut deep” He shook it off, along with the clothing he had until now. “As much as I love to take the credit for all this wonderful chaos, and as much as their is blame on those others around cause trouble, but it’s simply not so clear cut as your words” He moved closer, poking at her with his claw finger. “You always seek answers, look for reasons and rationality in everything, but somethings are just not so easy to be explained. Sometimes, the fault lies in those we refuse to see. Don’t go pointing hoofs at others, especially me. Of all the animals I’m made up of, a Scapegoat isn’t one”
“Yeah, but a… Passing Buck… is one…” She tried to play his game at word play, to which a panel of Discords looked at one another and held up score cards, all with low scores. “Whatever” She groaned. “I know that trouble has plagued this land for much longer than you have, but I also know that things have been increasingly bad since you’ve been around, and especially since returning recently. Your Plunderseeds weakened the Tree of Harmony, and that was the original protector of Equestria”
Discord collected back into one, and spoke. “Plunderseeds? Oh yeah! I forgot about that, as far as that sap goes, it really needed to branch out besides relying on ponies to help. It was too rooted in the past, and needed to leaf awhile ago. This is how to do word play” Twilight gave him an amused expression, and summoned up a card with a low number on it, then smirked a bit. “I like this sassy side of you. You are still so close but just outside the truth of it all. All of this is the blame of your precious teacher. Letting Princess Luna become lonely, using the Elements of Harmony given to them both, to destroy their harmony. Then you six took the Elements, and she never attempted to try and reforge the bonds that those Elements were spawned from. All because she was a bad friend and sister, has allowed the balance of Equestria be lost, and you certainly did not help. Being so frantic and out of control about ‘fixing’ everything, only to make it all worse. You really did learn Celestia’s lessons well”
“Enough!” Twilight snapped, not wanting to hear any more slander and lies directed at her teacher. “You will not pass this onto her, Princess Luna, or me!”
“Face it, she is part of the key reasons everything has gone to ruin, and you are part of why it is getting worse. She failed to see the obvious flaws and troubles in her own sister, save the Crystal Empire from a crazed stallion, could not stop me, weakened the tree and took the Elements away from it, and when things started to repeat she allowed an inexperienced mare make all those mistakes again. Y’all fucked up” She was trying to ignore him, not let him get into her head, but he was relentless. “Even the situation with Fluttershy is like what happened to Luna. You all ignored that frail pony, and let her fall into my hands like Luna fall into the darkness. Applejack you couldn’t save her family, Rainbow Dash is left to rot in the hospital, and Pinkie Pie is on the fast track to her own self destruction, and none of it you could stop, because you are careless and let them all go off with the dangers around every corner. I wonder what will become of Rarity?”
“SHUT UP!!!” Twilight exploded. “I’m done with these games, or letting you get into my head. I’m going to use the power the Tree gave me, and-” She only stopped when she heard a scream from another part of the castle, one that was coming from Rarity.
“Strange” Discord wondered, as both of them looked toward the source in similar confusion. “I didn’t set anything up here for Rarity… wait… no!”
******
Rarity had been making quick work of the project at hoof, feeling pretty good about her progress and the ideas coming to her. She was pretty well lost into her thoughts, but not so much that she did not feel the eeriness of the old castle. The longer she was here, the more she did not want to be. There was a haunting chill in the air, and she could almost hear echoes from the past.
“... Do not worry sister… I shale take care of everything…” One of those echoes was sounding clear enough to understand, causing Rarity to look around for the source. “You no longer have to bare the burden of Equestria…”
“Hello?” She called back, finding the voices to be too real to just be in her mind, and feared somepony was playing a game. “Who is speaking?”
“...there is room for only one princess in Equestria…” The voice came back, sending shivers up the mare’s spine.
She started to back out of the room, the voices were clearly not an illusion and the room was feeling ever more dangerous. More sounds were creeping all around, and the wind outside was starting to howl, as shadows seem to grow greater. “Who ever this is, this is not humorous!” She attempted to reach a decent soul, but it was nothing decent here. “I demand you to show yourself!” She stamped her hoof to show authority, and all the noises stopped dead.
“Demand? You dare Demand me?” The voice sounded a little different than before, but it was now no longer an echo of the past but a presence of the here and now. When she realized just who it sounded like, she also understood who the echoes had sounded like. The same, yet very different, and the former she did not wish to deal with again. “Just who are you to command Royalty? However, if you insist” Shadows sprang out around her, binding each leg to prevent her escape. Before her, in a swirling gathering of shadows, a figure formed. Rising out of the darkness, bones with flesh rotting off them, barely any remaining to be covered by a useless set of worn, broken, blue armor. Under the cracked helm, a pony skull aimed right at the struggling mare, with hauntingly blue eyes of a demoness gazing upon its prey. “How do you receive me now, that I have abided to your order?”
The shadowy mane of the wicked mare still clung to her ravaged body, and it was all too clear to Rarity that this wraith was Nightmare Moon in an even more twisted form. “We destroyed you…”
“Yes, for the most part, you did” The ghost responded, with annoyance. “You six little interlopers separated me from Luna, and left me in a tormented state of essence. I have lost so much of my power as I rotted here in this castle, but I did not, nor will not be expunged! I am suffering, the ache in the heart, the fear in your eyes, an endless torment of the very soul! Equestria is shaping into just my kind of place, and it fuels me. I will return, and claim my place in this glorious horror!”
Even though bound, Rarity challenged this. “I will not allow that!”
Laughing at her, Nightmare Moon show no concern for such an idol threat. “Please, you are not more than a seamstress with a over ambitions nature, and yet you act like a princess with these demand and orders” Snickering at the next of her retorts. “I suppose a mare with your looks is accustom to others doing your bidding, and getting the royal treatment. I bet you get all the stallion cock your little whore cunt desires”
“How dare you! I am a lady, not some tramp! Perhaps you would act so, but not I” Rarity shot back, still not allowing her situation to dissuade her pride. “You are nothing, just the bad feelings of a pony who lost her way. You are no villain against those like Discord, so crawl back into your hole and begone”
Nightmare Moon just studied her, with little face left, it was not easy to read her feelings. “You are rather talkative for one in my power. You should learn to keep that mouth shut, though I imagine that is not the only part of you that you cannot keep closed” She gave a grin, with what little of her face she had left on her bony jaws. “Suits me, you will be a fine replacement for Princess Luna. You do sound rather similar, and both share a complex of undeserved superiority with frail egos” Focused on Nightmare, Rarity did not notice even more shadow limbs would creeping closer. “I’m sure this has been said behind you back before, but you will be an easy conquest”
“How dare you-” She stopped, feeling her legs being pulled part. “What do you think you are doing?!” She struggled against the raising danger. “Unhoof me!”
“Why, I have none upon you, but do keep talking, and scream when I hit the right spots. I’m taking you in every way your little slutty body has to give, until you spirit is broken and then I will take that body and make it mine” A shadowy tentacle drove deep between Rarity’s hind legs, forcing the mare to cry out in surprise and pain of the sudden invasion. “My mistake with Luna was relying upon her emotions to keep her in my thrall, after this, little will remain for you to ever resist me. Just enough to amuse me, as you are trapped in your own body… You are a loose little slut” Another tendril found her other opening in the rear.
“No! Stop, release me!!!” Rarity fought in vain, completely over powered as the pain of the violation tore through her. “Please… stop…” She lost her aggression, and began to plea.
Laughing at her plight, Nightmare Moon was only driven further. “Already dropping this pretense of might? You are so easy”
Tear streamed out of Rarity, as she could do little else. “Why… why are you doing this?.. Y-you were evil… but this… is so much worse…”
Getting close to the mare, the specter locked her ghostly eyes with the wet, pained set of the mare. “My name is Nightmare for a reason, I feed on them! Yours are about being reduced to nothing but an object, to be used and abused. A proud, lovely mare who does as she wished, reduced to begging and pleading for her life. Powerless. I said I would break you, and this is one of the best ways I could. Now, scream for me, my little whore” More shadows drove into the already raped holes, forcing the mare to do just as the specter wanted. “I feel that you are far too accepting of all these, my what a loose pony you are. What is your record for taking cock? I think I will break that as well” Even more tentacles grew out of the shadows, filling Rarity’s mouth, ears, nose, and even her teats. “You will be filled like never before!”
******
Twilight charged out of the library, leaving her concern for anything else behind with Discord. She had to save her friend, she couldn’t loose another or let herself feel responsible for another one. The urgency escalated when all the screams stopped, leaving only the thundering of Twilight’s own hooves to be the sound she heard in the entire castle as they reverberated off the stone. The sound seemed to warp, and travel freely on its own, beating almost as hard as her own heart.
Entering the last room she had seen Rarity, she frantically looked around to find her or some trace. She was so desperate, that she lost all thought about using her magick or any skill to do the job, focusing on obvious clues that just where not there. “I’ve failed too many,” She thought, almost tripping on some of the gathered tapestries. “I cannot fail Rarity”
So lost in her panic, Twilight had not seen the pair of blue eyes opening in the shadows. Luminous, slitted eyes of a predator, gazing at its quarry with lustful anticipation. “Twilight Sparkle” She said slowly, let each syllable drip out of her lips like the poison of deadly plant, but too softly for the mare to notice. “My little nuisance” She now said louder to get that attention.
Turning fast to the voice in the shadow, Twilight was aghast by the tall figure that was still partly hidden in the dress of the night. “Nightmare Moon… but.. but how?” She asked at first, then shouted out once she remembered what had sent her charging into the room. “Where is Rarity?!”
Stepping from her realm, the figure moved closer and exposed herself. The same dark, void-like body, but now the mane was now a wave flowing down into a waterfall, with the colour of the animated hair being much more vibrant and coloured more like the mare Twilight had been seeking. “I see now why that commoner thought herself so special, having a friend like you to fill that delusion. You seek that pretender, but find true royalty! I’ve done her a great service, and made her so much more” Twilight was confused at first, but soon pieces were becoming clear. “Behold, young Alicorn, Nightmare Rarity!” A group of creatures formed from the darkness, surrounding Twilight. “As much as I would love to catch up, and learn how you became Alicorn, you are trespassing in my castle. By order of the Shadow Queen, you will be punished for all crimes committed here. From your dared striking of a Queen, to defiling my sanctum, and attempting to steal my property!”
Twilight was forced to the center of the room, trying to process everything as the shadow creatures drew nearer. “Rarity, if you are in there, fight her! You have will, you have power to resist her! Princess Luna had been weakened by loneliness, and bitterness, but Nightmare Moon doesn’t have those holds on you! You are not alone, you are loved, creative, and my friend!!!”
“Are we done?” Nightmare Rarity questioned. “I have many means by which to break a pony, some use emotions, and some just need to be ridden hard” She looked herself over. “Do you not like how I took that little mare, and made her so much more glorious? She did love looking her best. I do miss my wings, but this body does have an appeal that nopony can deny” With her eyes alone, she looked at Twilight. “Although you have many faults I could exploit, you lack the beauty of your friend, even with those wings and power. No, I think you will serve better as a minion” One of the shadow creatures separated from the rest, something dangling between its legs. “Would you like to fight as your friend had, or accept this opportunity to join my ranks as my second?”
“You won’t keep her, or take me!” Twilight shot back. “I’ll be back for you Rarity!” She flared her horn, and was gone from the castle, far across Everfree where she did not think the new threat could get her.
With some disinterest, Nightmare Rarity sighed. “Oh well, hmm…” She stretched her magickal sense to follow Twilight, but when she had lost her she found something else instead. “There are far too many of those weeds about, but there are some lives still lingering” Then one particular pony caught her attention. “How interesting, my little sister is here. I had wondered where she had been going. Well, I should clean up a little bit first, it would be uncouth to bring her to her new home, when it looks so…” She shuddered. “Unkempt”
******
Twilight appeared in the middle of Golden Oaks Library in Ponyville, and collapsed on the floor in a mess of tears. She was again broken by her failures, and each one was taking a toll on her. Yet another of her friends had been taken by the madness, but this time she was turned into a monster. Try as she could, she could not seem to actually do anything to help ponies, not even those closest to her.
“Twilight Sparkle, you must never give into failure” She heard a voice in her mind, a memory of encouragement. “You must not allow yourself to become overwhelmed. Try, and try again. Give your best, and do your best each time. The only true failure one can commit, is when they do not put themselves behind what they seek to do. Even if it does not work out, so long as you tried as hard as you could, you are never a failure. Worry not about what others think or say, you can only worry about what you think about yourself”
Standing from the floor, she cleared away the tears and was again steadfast, putting on a determined face. “Of course, we can only do what we are capable of. We can push our limits and grow, but if you cannot after giving a hundred percent you only reached your limit. I cannot fault myself!” After she gave herself a bit more motivational thoughts while clearing her doubts, she rushed back to Canterlot to prepare as best that she could for this war, and how to end it.
******
Nightmare Rarity sat in her reconstructed throne room, with glamour and design that put Canterlot to shame. The tapestries and statues had been replaced with images of her own wickedness, and every turn was more reminders of just how self-indulgent she was. The castle, she now called The Castle of Shadows, was filled with creatures to fit the name. She was collecting survivors and possessing them with her minions to make her army, stretching out into Ponyville to claim ponies there as well.
There were some who she had yet to challenge until she felt the time was right, one was her sister and Zecora, as well as a mysterious third pony familiar but not of importance to her. The other group she had allowed to linger in her Forest of Shadows, was the Changelings. Today was the moment she would claim all of the forest.
The Changelings had put up a fight, but were quickly overwhelmed and fled the forest, but not before turning Everfree into chaos.
Nightmare Rarity had marched out to meet Queen Chrysalis, but the coward fled faster than her drones. So when her march brought her close to her sister, she stopped and locked eyes with the filly who had been staring from a distance.
“Hmm, Trixie is that strange pony I sensed” She was looking at Sweetie Belle, but feeling out the forest. Trixie had bolted off, while Zecora scooped up Sweetie Belle to escape. “How rude, to refuse to meet their Queen of Shadows!” Nightmare Rarity nearly growled, sending her minions that did not chase after the changelings to go after the two, ignoring the illusionist pony all together.
They had near caught the pair, and Nightmare Rarity was closing in when Trixie returned with a new power that actually felt like a threat. The Queen lingered back, watching as events played out.
Observing in curiosity of what her sister had become, and the unusual alliance with Trixie and Zecora, Nightmare Rarity had kept a distance believing she would have them all for her new army. When they had reached the edge of the forest, that was when she made her move, but only managed to grab Trixie, not expecting her to send the rest of her quarry away. Growing aggravated by this, she violently dragged the ensnared mare by into the depths of her dominion.
The demonic-like minions had piled onto Trixie, holding her down and preventing her from cast any spells. The master watched in amusement as her pawns attempt to remove the amulet she now believed to be the source of the suddenly acquired power, being more aware of this item as she studied.
When the minions became frustrated by not getting the necklace off, some turned toward more carnal endeavors. They were focusing on her rear, with lust in their otherworldly eyes. This was when Nightmare Rarity stepped in.
“Enough!” She bellowed, causing her demons to scatter in terror of their Queen. “Remove yourself from her” She came closer, as some still lingered, daring to defy their master’s will for their own desires. When she was nearly upon them, those desires where soon driven away. Trixie stood, looking to see just who had “saved” her from the hoards, not seeing the wicked mare until she had said. “This one is mine” She turned to the voice, then stepped back.
“D-dose Trixie… know you?” She did not know many ponies well, save for Twilight, and with Rarity’s new form as Nightmare Rarity, she was at a near complete loss to who it was.
Taking a moment to think, Nightmare responded. “I know you, at least a part of me does. Sometime ago you had come to Ponyville, and been rather boastful about your skills. I had attempted to explain the need of etiquette, especially for us Unicorns, only to have my mane turned into a rat’s nest” There was some bitterness in her tone, however she brushed it aside. “Ever after other transgressions, I’m passed that now that I am one with the Nightmare entity”
Trixie scoffed, emboldened by her Alicorn Amulet against a foe that was very likely even more powerful. “Trixie cannot recall ever instance when she has outdone another pony, and humiliate them. It happens so often” She noticed that the demonic hoards were returning to surround her, and also one that she knew had attempted to defile her. She blasted at the ground beneath it, and a pike shot out to impale it right through where its anus should be.
Nightmare Rarity found humor in this, and mused. “Ah, so the potential rapist, is in turn sodomized to death. I like the way you think, Great and Powerful Trixie” The Unicorn turned her attention back to the leader of this group. “I could use one such as you in my ranks” She trotted away, to start pacing around the clearing. “I don’t know what you know of the world, but Equestria is doomed, plunged deep into a level chaos that even Discord himself is not capable of alone. New wicked forces are gathering, and fighting to claim this land, and I aim to dominate them all!”
A little skeptical of her abilities, Trixie observed for a moment the other mare. “What makes you think you can? What makes you think Trixie would join you?”
“Because, my dear, of Power! I have it, and you want it” She moved back toward Trixie. “I have access to the greatest stores of magick and its knowledge, I posses the skills to use them and so could you. Join me Trixie, and reach levels of power you could not even dream of” She locked eyes with the mare. “Think of it: you could be head of my armies, or the greatest Unicorn in all history. You could rule by my side, as my partner” She caressed Trixie’s cheek. “Or, my lover”
Trixie stepped back, taking it all in, and she found a lot to digest. “Is Trixie to assume, that if she refuses, Trixie would be killed, or worse?”
Nightmare Rarity did not give the answer right away, taking a moment to be entertained by the thought. “Rather perceptive. I would enjoy you amongst my legions, but why would you not choose my way?” She turned, to look more seductive. “As powerful as you are with that trinket, I could make you more powerful without it”
“How could Trixie refuse?” She said, with sarcasm. “Why would you want Trixie, if she had humiliate you before?”
Strutting around the clearing again, displaying her wicked beauty. “Part of me is that old pony, yes, however more of me is what was Nightmare Moon. She was partly defeated by Rarity, and it is amusing to me that I would have you as my second. All the aside, you are powerful, ambitious, and simply attractive, these are the greater reasons I would choose you. I want to take all of that, and make it greater, to have somepony worthy to share in my conquest”
“Can Trixie guarantee her safety, that you will not just kill her when you grow tired of her company?”
“I do so adore how you speak in the third pony” Nightmare Rarity grinned with desire. “You already act as a royal, why not just accept a place at my side?” Trixie repeated her question, with more sternness. “And so wise, however I can only say that boredom would not sever out ties, no, only a sense of betrayal would be cause of termination. Once I was the Element of Generosity, but now I am Greed, and I would not part with my property so readily”
Not overly excited to be somepony’s property, Trixie snapped. “Trixie is not to be owned by anypony!” In her bit of anger, she shot out bolts of energy that connected with the Queen, and sending her crashing back a distance away. The shock forced out cries of pain and surprise, as the demons around her bristled in rage at the sight of their master being struck. Trixie felt a new surge of power, and lost any fear she held. “You cannot have Trixie like some trophy! She will claim Equestria, and show all why she is Great and Powerful!” Laughing wickedly, the Unicorn teleported herself from Everfree.
Nightmare Rarity climbed to her hooves, with her minions closing in to observe the status of their master; seeking to exploit and weakness. She frowned deeply, and took a few deep, angry breaths until she calmed herself back to a regal posture. “She has made a grave mistake, nopony escapes me…” She turned from clearing, and traveled back into the forest to her castle.
Outro:
“What?!” Discord stormed about his home in the realm of chaos, as the realm itself stormed at his anger. The existence twisted and warped into new horrors and confusion. “Now Nightmare Moon is back?! What’s next, Tirek, Cavity Creeps, the Borg?!” He picked up a statue and threw it, shattering the wall it struck. “It’s bad enough I have to compete with these wanna be villains, but now a true force of darkness…”
“Why is Nightmare Moon so bad?” Fluttershy asked, stepping into the room from the other side of where the wall had been broken. “I know she is a meanie, but you are the Lord of Chaos. With all your magick, can’t you just ‘poof’ her away or something?”
He looked down at here, feeling a bit less angry, even if he had to explain himself. “The Nightmare essence that corrupted Luna, and now Rarity, is an ancient being like the Wendigo, or sirens. Originally it was a Tantabus, it feeds upon fears and doubts of whom ever it finds. Luna being a powerful pony with powerful emotions, allowed it to grow and gave it a whole new power and life. Now it is a being as great as I, and will likely continue to spread its power with its demons”
Fluttershy took in this information and though upon it. “Well, you will just have to do better than her. You both were beaten by the Elements of Harmony, but where she was destroyed, you were just imprisoned in stone. You have that on her”
“Oh Fluttershy, you are a delight to have around” Discord grinned. “I chose so well, when I picked you over all the others”
“I just don’t like to see others upset, even if you did steal me. I don’t think you are as bad or mean as you let on, and maybe you will one day come around and help rebuild Equestria”
Discord studied her for a long while, dumbfounded by either her naivety or delusion. He then busted out into a wild fit of laughter. “Don’t be such a foal. I am Lord of Chaos, master of disharmony, and so forth. What would I ever do as a bringer of peace and love? I can’t even imagine such a world where I choose anything but chaos” He tucked away a DVD of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, as he continued to laugh at her.
“Well, you could have friends if you stopped being selfish” He went on laughing at her attempts. At first, she looked down in defeat, but as his mockery went on, her lips tightened and a look of anger was glinting in her eyes.
Princess Twilight Sparkle sat alone in the study of Princess Celestia, going over the journals and logs that the former, great ruler of Equestria had stored away her. She had kept a rather impressive record of many ponies who lived in Equestria, such as the forgotten Crimson Thunder. She was a champion of the First Royal Age, who had abandoned Equestria shortly after the defeat of Nightmare Moon, only to return again to once more put her life for the country she had given up on. Even during the years she was gone, the princess had followed the wayward hero. Reading on these ancient heroes gave the young princess some inspiration and hope, she had also discovered that Crimson Thunder was once apart of what would become Rainbow Dash’s family. Interestingly, her partner, Sir Light Bringer, also had ties in the Apple family. There were a number of heroes of the old age that had links to some of Twilight’s lost friends. Fluttershy’s family went back to some Bat ponies clans, even one of Twilight’s own ancestors had connections to the Bat ponies, in the same way they were loyal to Princess Luna during the brief battle. Twilight was relieved that they did not continue to revolt after the battles were lost.
“That makes sense” Twilight though to herself. “Several of my family have night-themed names, and it was my uncle who had given me the book that lead me to learn about the Royal Pony Sisters that I would later learn was Princess Celestia and Luna. What was it he said when he gave it to me? ‘Old stores contain truths, but not always those upon the surface’” So much was connecting in her mind now, and things seemed to fall into place. “Dad was a bit distant with his brother, apart from Uncle Librations, and even they seemed at odds. Strange how fate can work just inside your understanding”
She was about to go into more records, when a knock came at the door. The interruption was one of the castle guards reporting in on the affairs out in Equestria. “The Pinkie Pie copies have been dealt with, and the pool was sealed off… for now…” This hesitance prompted a questioning look from Princess Twilight, and without being asked, the guard explained. “With Nightmare M- Rarity growing in power, and her demonic hordes matching, we cannot risk a detail to watch over the location. We lost a few getting there. It was under orders by Prince Shining Armor that we not spread so thin over minor issues… since we lost nearly ever Pegasi to whatever is going on in Cloudsdale”
“He should have spoken to me first… However I do agree in his choice to keep our resources from being diluted. Please relay this, to my brother, and Sister-in-Law: I would like to be consulted before any more decisions are made like this, especially when they undermine orders I have given’” She trusted his judgement, but it did not lessen the feeling of being disrespected. “Princess Cadence and I were given rule, but where their power is the Crystal Empire, my charge is Equestria. Even if demons claim Everfree, and radicals draw a fourth of our numbers into the clouds, these are in my domain and jurisdiction”
The guard nodded, and added something he felt relevant. “The princess has expressed that we share intel; I have heard that since the attack by the Shadow Cult, the Bat ponies have returned to Hallow Shade. They do not seem interested in whatever plans the Pegasus nation has planned, sadly, they seem to have no interest in aiding us either”
“Shadow Colt…” Another name in the old records. “Who would have guessed that name would resurface?”
-Several nights ago-
The Night was cold, colder than it should be for the season, and the moon almost was ablaze in the sky above, shunning the stars that attempted to give their own light. Those who could read the signs knew that there was trouble, but not many knew or cared to understand these signs. To them, the night was just a problem that did not need their concern, with all else going on. One, however, did understand, and knew that if not fixed the threat here would change all to come.
As the Sun chases the Moon, the trap is set.
After speaking to the two Bat ponies that had sought out her aid, Princess Celestia tracked down here sister Luna, only to find her in the ranks of her Lunar Guard. The night princess was standing before the assembly, with the mare Celestia had long believed to be a demon, Redmare.
“What is all this?” Celestia demanded, as she marched through the collective toward her sister. She did not see this as an innocent gathering, but one of an army before battle. “Why do you gather like this?”
Princess Luna did not seem herself, as she shot back. “Just who are you to question the actions of the night? Do I judge how you conduct the day?”
Baffled by the return, the elder sister was becoming stricken by a much deeper fear of what this now meant. “I would hope you would challenge me, if I was assembling my entire forces for no clear reason?”
Laughing at her, both Luna and Redmare. “’Entire’? Hardly, these are my most elite and loyal” This did nothing to sooth the solar ruler. “Now, return home, this does not yet concern you”
Looking around, knowing that these were not normal members of a royal guard, not finding a single Bat pony in the ranks, she knew these were truly the worst of those Luna had taken in, ponies who did not reform. When she spotted a criminal she was well familiar with, she was confirmed by their inclusion. A deep black Unicorn stallion, with deep red eyes “Black Knight?! You’ve collected the worst and most wicked ponies in Equestria, and gave them power and privilege?”
Moving toward her now, Princess Luna responded. “I released them, gave forgiveness, for I know how harsh you can be toward those in the night”
Another stallion appeared, looking much like Black Knight, only he was just as white as he was black, with the same piercing red gaze. “Even those in the day”
The choices of Luna were staggering, and adding the equally wicked brothers together was beyond insanity. “Radiant Dawn? How can you find anything if these ponies, but their depravity?”
“You rejected me, in favor of that foal Shining Armor” He spoke with a seething resentment. “All because he is the brother to your little precious puppet”
Adding delusion to his record, Princess Celestia was astounded by his words. “Shining Armor is a pure hearted pony, who would put the needs of others far before his own, and gives everything to keep Equestria safe. You are none of these things, in fact, you are polar opposites!” She was not given to restrain herself. “You are selfish, cruel, greedy and corrupt, just the same as your brother. I imprisoned him for his crimes, and hoped that expulsion would have taught you a lesson in being decent. Clearly you have learned only to be more depraved”
Returning her attention to Luna, Celestia went back to reaching for her decency. “You are not a fool, nor are consumed by the desired the polluted those two, and very likely Redmare as well. Come to your senses sister! You will not do them any favors by showing them your kindness, they’ve long abandoned hope of being anything but wicked”
Princess Luna was not being reached, and aimed her horn at her sister. “You know nothing about me, sister” She spoke dangerously. “Equestria is dying, only the wicked will survive”
“Then slay me!” Princess Celestia stop back, catching all of them in shock. “Pierce my breaking heart, end my suffering. I lost you once, and was forced to do the hardest thing I have ever done in my long life. I blamed myself for a thousand years, for all the neglect in your needs, and the sorrow it brought you as we grew apart. I will not sentence myself again, this time it is you who will choose this fall, as a pawn to that demon you entertain” She had started out with a few tears, but they now flowed freely in streams. “I’ve lost my sister… more times than anypony should be forced too, and I cannot bare it again… So end me, and finish the process of my shattering heart, snuff out a miserable life…”
Listening to her, the words reaching a distant mind, Princess Luna was able to think clearly again. “S-sister… forgive me… I was manipulated and now I see the truth and hope still remains. Together, as Sisters, we shall be the ones to turn back the tide of this war for Equestria” She smiled at her sister, and received one in return, as the two were no longer at odds and ready to be a combined force.
As they spoke, the brothers were growing concerned over their future. It may have been desperate, but they made their move. As Princess Luna turned to face them, she saw that they were no longer flanking her. They moved in unison, going at different directions toward their target. Luna turned again to try and suggest a strategy, only to find that they had done their attack. Their magick imbued horns were driven into Celestia’s sides before any could react, delivering two fatal blows at once.
“CELESTIA!!!” Princess Luna cried out, charging at her collapsing sister, while the two murderers stepped back to admire their work. The damage was done, and even with her own power, Luna could not save Celestia from this. All there could be, was a younger sister clinging to her elder, as the life slipped from her.
“I feared death… When it w-was a chance… to be y-you, but I know y-you are still… still the sister I have loved for s-so long…” Celestia could barely move, the magick working like poison to destroy her. She gave all her effort to look at her sister, with joy in her eyes. “My beloved… Luna… All I can think of… is all t-the good m-moments of our… lives… N-no bad memories… o-only my s-sweet little… moon…”
Luna struggled to smile, to give her sister that bright face she wanted to remember in her dying moments, but it was nearly impossible. The flood from her burning eyes, betrayed any illusion she could muster. Desperately, she wished that she could change time, but she knew it could not be so. Even if the spell that Twilight had uncovered, she knew that fate could not be altered in the brief time she would have to explain or even attempt to stop the brothers. “I love you sister! Even as a foal, when I wanted my way, and you got yours. Every time I said I hated you, it was a lie! Even when I was so stupid and became Nightmare Moon! As we fought, I was trapped inside, trying to stop what I had become… I always kept love in my heart for you…”
Gasping, trying to get enough breath to speak, Celestia fought her last moment to say “I… l-love… y-y-… you… L-” Her last breath was too brief, and ended before should could say the name one last time. The light in her eyes was gone, the final sign that the sun was gone, survived by the moon.
Redmare, clearly thinking that without the solar mare, Luna was her’s, made a mistake. “Finally, free of her oppression my, Equestria’s true and only Princess” She grinned, then made another mistake. Black magick swirled around her, and with a brief eclipse, Redmare was gone, and his true self was there. A stallion of pure shadows, save for piercing white eyes, and a void-like mouth twisted with the lingering grin. “I no longer have to hide behind that mare. Shadow Colt is free again!”
As he spoke, Princess Luna was miles away in her mind. She used her magick to pull the gem from Celestia’s crown, and it drew out the energies of the fallen mare. Another gem from Luna’s own crown was plucked and brought to the first. They danced, as energy flared from them, until the two became one. This unified gem was affixed to Luna’s crown, and a change took over her as well. A vortex of magick, both Day and Night, swallowed the mare, changing her. Her body grew taller, even more so than Celestia’s impressive stature. Her wings too grew, but they were much bigger than needed for her added height. The starry mane and tail, now became a galactic night sky, with the shimmering of northern lights through the magickal hair as it flowed from her. The blue alicorn atop her royal brow, twisted with a new white one, and together they stretched farther out to outdo any Unicorn or Alicorn pony. She kept her eyes closed through the change, but when all else was done, they flashed open. Her right eye had now become pink like Celestia’s.
Shadow Colt was impressed by the change, and moved closer to her. “Amazing, I had no idea you could achieve such a form!”
Now, the being that once was Luna, took notice of the stallion. Her voice was a fusion of both princesses, but spoke in a monotone. “WE had planned this, long ago. Should one fall, the other claim the enchanted gem. Together, the gem and sisters would be one. Unified, WE would protect Equestria”
“This is advantageous! Now, we can truly rule Equestria!”
“Yes, WE could” She turned from him, looking at the two brothers. “It is owed to these two, if not for their actions, WE would not be as WE are now” Radiant Dawn and Black Night looked at one another, not feeling to good in her words.
With no warning, not even the flash of magick off a horn, the ground under the brothers erupted. Two spires, one of black, one of white, impaled the two and drove them high into the air. The weapons were horns, atop matching Unicorn heard that symbolized Celestia and Luna respectively. The white, solar magick alicorn was through Radiant, and the black, night magick alicorn was through Black.
“What’s going on now?!” He looked about frantically, not knowing just where the spell came from. He had a feeling, but given that the being that was Luna had no aura off her twisted horn, made him question many things, most of all his safety.
Just as sudden as they came, the heads were gone, leaving the brothers to fall to a hard ground. The unified mare trotted slowly toward them, standing between as she spoke. “Say that you love your brother” Her monotone was now dark, and cold, like the hurried howl of the wind on a stormy night. “Go on, say your brothers name…” She was sounding crazed, driven by her suffering. “Before death steals you, and you can never again hear your sibling speak it again”
They looked at one another, not near the point Celestia had been, but their pain and fear were great. “At the same time!” She demanded. They struggled a bit, but they followed her orders, they started to say the names of their respective other.
“Bla-”
“Rai-”
As they started, the unified being smashed their heads in with her hooves, with a sound that shook the ground and every pony near. The forces of the Lunar Army scattered, as their ruler looked insane, with pure hate and fury upon her. She stood in their gore, breathing heavily as her anger seemed to simmer off her like real heat. Shadow Colt, feeling fear that he had not since the moment Princess Celestia beat him near a thousand years ago, knew he was next. He attempted to escape, but a wall of pure light surrounded him.
“Just where…” The unified being turned to him, back into the monotone voice, sounding even more frightening than before. “do you think you can go? WE have magick beyond near any being, WE would find you instantly” She closed her left eye. “I can see the future” Her voice was now just Celestia. “With this eye, no matter where you go I will finish what my leniency had perverted me”
The light gripped at him, stopping him from moving, but he did still try. “Luna, stop this. Redmare is your friend, and helped form that band of discarded ponies into an army, your army!”
“Army? Where?” The being mockingly looked around. “I see nothing but empty fields” She closed her right eye and opened the left, now with the voice of Luna. “I can see the past, with this eye I see that you manipulated me. Those ponies who had a chance to change their lot in life, used it to only become worse. Some, yes, will be spared for they were true, but most will also be subject to my vengeance, especially your followers in the Shadow Cult” She scoffed. “Such a terrible name”
The entity mused over the stallion’s words. “It is funny, how friendship becomes betrayal, sisters turned to corpses, as well as brothers. You were key in so much of the suffering in the past, claiming so many lives for your wicked desires” Her eyes shifted again, and Celestia now spoke. “Dark days are ahead, so much torment and suffering”
“What can I do against you now? You have a great power that I pale in comparison too. Why seek revenge, when it won’t bring her back, it won’t change the course of history, it won’t soothe any pain” He was hoping to escape this situation, thinking that logic may win out. “They killed her, not me, and you brought them justice. You still hurt, so what will my death give you?”
“I spoke of Equestria, not you” Now bot eyes were open, and her voice shifted to the pair. “You are right, as WE searched all the possible futures, none saw anything that your death solved anything. Nothing WE can do to you, will take away OUR pain. It will have to be waited out” He gave a sigh of relief, only for the grip about him to tighten. “That does not mean WE won’t try every single thing we can, finding the most wretched acts to inflict upon you as WE wait to heal. When you have long gone past being able to bare OUR punishment, you will endure it even longer. WE have not looked far enough to see when WE choose to end your suffering”
“W-why?..” He asked, finding the breath to do so hard to take.
“It is the last joy WE will get, it will be OUR gift to all those who suffered by you. Not the least of which will be Crimson Thunder. You have stolen everything else from US, you will not take this away by dying. WE will keep you alive, but not well”
Back in Canterlot
“... Cosmatia dealt with those of the Shadow Cult, but what of the rest of the Lunar Army? Do we have any of the Soldiers of the Night who will still fight for Equestria?” Princess Twilight wondered.
The guard was growing nervous about continuing to deliver bad news. “We cannot track them, they are shadows in dark times. None have come forward either to offer any aid”
She did not like this answer, but it was not something she could do anything about. “Perhaps we can request some small assistance from the Bat ponies who were apart of the Lunar Republic” Twilight could read the guard, and he had more on his mind. “Share your thoughts, do you have anything to add?”
“It is not my place,” He attempted to hold it back, but she insisted that he speak. “We could reach out to our neighbors, even if our relations with the Dragons and Gryphons are tentative they might be persuaded into seeing that our plight will likely spread to them as well”
Princess Twilight took this in, and began to trot about the room in her thoughts. She processed all the pros and cons of the action suggested, if it would be better or worse for Equestria to reach out to dangerous borders. “The idea has merit, but I fear what might come if we reach out and like the Dragons or Gryphons know that we are in a weakened state. The Gryphons have no love for ponies, and the Dragons are better known to crush those who are weak. If only Spike was more like them, we might have a chance to make a meeting work. The kingdom of Mer have shown us that they are friendly, but they are restricted to the water. The yaks of Yakyakistan is too far away, and our relations to them are practically nonexistent. We haven’t even reached a common ground… Pinkie was our best effort in those relations”
Feeling less restricted, the guard offered more options. “What about the Harpies, Arachi, Stonefolk or… the Centaurs?” He was hesitant to offer the last, given bitter history between the two.
“Perhaps, Harpies keep to themselves, but they have never given us any trouble before. Maybe we can find something to offer them for their assistance. The Spiderkin of the Arach dessert get a bad image because of some radicals, but they are kind and caring people who may listen to our pleas. The Stonefolk are hard to know just where they might stand, if asked to assist us. As for the Centaurs, we have had a long peace since the incident with Tirek. They seem to have condemned him, but they might not be willing to aid us either” She turned from him, drawing scrolls and a quill from the desk. She set to work in writing out carefully worded letters to each recipient, using what knowledge she had to make them respectful and clear. “I want you to take these to our best translators for these four species, make sure they clean them as needed, and be ready to go out to with an ambassador to each of the different lands they reside in. If there are any questions, I want the translators there to aid the ambassadors in smoothing and relations” She passed the scrolls to him, and sent him off.
“As you wish, princess” He bowed, and hurried to carry out her order.
Twilight was feeling a bit better about their chances, and hopeful that at least one of them would aid them. If they could not steam the tides, they may offer asylum in the most drastic need for fleeing Equestria. “Fluttershy, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, I will end all of this and save you all. Cosmatia put Equestria in my care, and its ponies, one way or another, I will save them”
Years ago
“I think back to when I first met her, when she stood there oh so proud and tall…”
Standing in the kind of room where you would find a professor giving a lecture to their students, it was Twilight Sparkle at the front of the room with the heads of the School for Gifted Unicorn sitting in attendance. She was a filly, not even with a cutie mark, and looking as nervous as one with their future hinging upon their performance. Her mother and father stood off to the side, trying to give their encouragement. They held pride in their eyes, knowing that no matter what, they would always be proud of her. The filly felt differently.
Twilight had studied, and practiced, but as the final exam was before her, she was unable to do anything. Try as she might, the little egg would not hatch. She accepted her failure, and turned to apologize to the assembly, when an explosion rocked the air outside. She did not know why, she felt something inside her erupt from where it had been hiding. The surge of magickal energies were untamed, and consumed her. Twilight was unleashing wild spells, ones she did not even know, and was showing skill greater than even some of the most learned Unicorns.
The egg hatched, in the flung spells, and the Dragon grew much greater than it should be for a newborn, ripping a hole in the roof. From this opening, the sun shone down in a radiant beam. From the pillar of light, a white mare flew in, glowing greater than the lumination she rode. She was calm and collected, as she moved to the uncontrolled pony, and with a gentle touch, brought Twilight back. She quickly undid all the wild magick, and regained order. The only thing she did not reverse, was the hatchling, she restored his baby size, but left him free of the egg.
It was clear that the professors were stunned by such a show of power, at a loss as much as the little filly had been. Of those assembled, the only one not looking shocked was the mare who fixed the damage. Princess Celestia, who quickly informed the filly that she wished her to be her personal student.
For the next few years, the young Twilight grew into a mare, driven by her own natural desire to learn and become better, but now she was pushed to impress the one who believed in her more than any other. Princess Celestia stood behind her faithful student, looking upon her with the pride of a loved one. Behind her shimmering eyes, there always seemed to be a sense of knowing Twilight had a greater future. Perhaps she had always known that the little filly with the uncontrolled magick, would one day become an Alicorn and rise to such a level that would match Celestia and Luna.
Flashes of two wicked twins began to overtake the visions of the past, as they grinned with dark desire, just before driving their horns into Princess Celestia. She lay dead between them, with their horns glistening in her fresh blood as they laughed.
Back in Canterlot
“...I became her most faithful student, but how could my royal teacher fall?”
Twilight found herself muttering alone at the meeting table in Canterlot’s great hall. She was lost in thoughts of her past, as she awaited any news of her delegations. She had not been alone long, and was joined before she took notice, by Princess Cadence, who was wondering just what she meant.
“Fall? What about fall?” Cadence was confused by this, given that it was still summer. She assumed she meant the next season.
Looking over, now aware of her sister-in-law, Twilight was a bit embarrassed by talking to herself. “Oh, nothing. I miss the simpler events I was dealing with, like the Running of the Leaves” She redirected from her true thoughts, and luckily Cadence had no way of knowing.
Attempting to ease her longtime friend’s mind, the older mare offered. “We will get to enjoy them again, and I’m going to personally gallop in the next one we get too. I hope you will join me, and we can show Shine just how formidable we sisters are” Her words reached Twilight, and brought a smile to the mare. It was nice to think of a future with such happy events being possible.
The distraction was brought to an end, as the present demanded attention. The first group of the delegation returned, entering the room to bring the news of their journey. Twilight stood from her seat in anticipation of what they had to say, too blinded by her hope to notice the state of the two. They were haggard, and beaten. Looking defeated, with scars and bruises to match their state of mind.
Princess Cadence was not so lost in hope of the past few weeks of waiting to ignore their status, and was the first to speak. “Need I ask?” She started. “Just why did they attack you, we came in peace? Between a skilled ambassador and Twilight’s careful words, how could they react to violently?”
“I-I don’t know… what happened…” The white coated translator began, looking like she was standing before the hangmare. She brushed a frazzled strand of her seafoam mane from in front of sad green eyes. “We presented ourselves, and they seemed to accept us with no hostilities… I spoke very well for our intentions, and gave them the scroll... that is when things turned” She sniffled a this point, looking hard into the floor. “They r-read the message… and then they attacked” Frantic, she looked up again with a great need of clarity. “I swear I translated the scroll into proper Screech, double checking it to make sure not one word was wrong!” Twilight took the scroll, looking it over with the notes the mare had given after. “I retranslated it, and there is no possible way that this was the same scroll I had made from them!”
“You are within our borders, and we demand your service in our armies. Harpies shall serve the superior Ponies, and by glad for it. Resist this order and be punished. Princess Twilight Sparkle” Growling, putting more fear into the pair, Twilight crumpled the scroll in destroyed it. As the translator feared the worst, the princess said to them. “You did well, and I trust you had done your job. I am glad that you managed to return safely, for the most part, after this sabotage” She motioned for a couple of her guards. “Go rest, recover, and enjoy the full hospitality of my court can offer. This was not your doing, or failing”
She trotted away from them, leaving them to wonder where she was going, when she shouted out. “DISCORD!” She was furious, more so than she had even been. “You conniving interloper, how dare you play your games with my ponies!”
A twisted laugh filled the room, and in a flash the accused appeared. “Have you met me? I love to play games, especially with you foalish ponies. Did I use your terminology correctly? No matter” He held up his arms, which were bound in words. “My varied hands are tied, I cannot directly do harm to you. Indirectly, I still have the freedom to cause you trouble”
“Your interference, no matter how ‘indirect’ you claim, threatened not only my ponies, but war with another species! You directly changed what I wrote, so they would not aid us. I see this as a violation of that contract you claim you are held too, so what does this say of your honour?!”
“Funny, you look unharmed by my actions” He popped in and out of existence, as he inspected her from every angle. She nearly kicked him, when he was looking under her. “Your ‘plot’ is so much nicer than Celestia’s” He was gone again, now between the two ponies who had returned. “As for these two, Fluttershy didn’t name them, or any of the others for that matter. I would worry about them more, especially those who went to the Centaurs. I may have written ‘Free Tirek’ or ‘execute’, not too god with their language”
“Why are you so devoted to causing us harm, in any way you can?” Princess Cadence stepped in, hoping to let Twilight calm down a bit, she seemed ready to explode. She was hoping to end the fight with diplomacy. “I can understand games, my husband is fond of some I find rather silly, still I indulge him and let him have fun. Surely there is some way for us to end these squabbles, find a compromise that allows us to be friends and stop the suffering?”
Discord was digging around in his ear, acting like he wasn’t paying attention. “Indulge huh? Is that why you allow him to fool around with the stallions?” Cadence was struck by this, not sure how to react to his claims. “He did seem close to Big Mac, how did he take the news of his death? I heard he sure loved to-” Not allowing the slander to go on, Cadence fired at him, but it missed.
“Do not talk that way of my husband! He is no whore, and I will not hear anything of the sort. He is a devoted, and loving stallion, and has been nothing but true!”
Reforming, laughing sinisterly, Discord danced around the air. “I suppose a magickal cock is just as good as the real thing, if only Celestia and Luna were here, they would be able to tell us”
“You vile, hateful monster!” Twilight cut in. “Have you no shame, or respect?!” She summoned the power she was given, and cast a spell that entrapped the draconequus. “I will not allow you a moment more of your wickedness to be unchecked. I will deconstructed you like an experiment, and then leave you in pieces across Equestria!” Cadence stood close by, her own horn aglow as she was ready to aid in this. “Maybe, before I end this, you will redeem yourself and show us that there is some good in there. Undo your lies, and fix the scrolls!”
Tisking at them, he pulled off one leg. “Such weak name calling, and challenges will not get my goat” The leg was now formed into the animal. “I will, however, change those scrolls. Don’t think it is because I actually feel any kind of threat, but I want to watch as more of your hard efforts fall to pieces before you. I have journeyed all over this ponyland, watched as each of your fickle plans fall apart. Funny how little rumours and whispers can do so much damage, and raising your anger to blistering levels” He turned to you, and gave a wink. “See what I did?” Looking back at the princesses, he went on. “Why would I give up absolute freedom, for a confined existence where all my power is hindered and makes everything so great for you?” He finally responded to Cadence’s question.
“Power is nothing, at the end of the day. Friendship is far more rewarding, and gets you things you just can’t achieve on your own” She was far more of an expert, and understood now what she had lost. “I use to want nothing but to study and impress Princess Celestia, but making time for friends has taught me more than books could have ever given me”
“Huh?” He looked around, ignoring her. “Sorry, I was too busy not caring” Discord laughed more, until the magickal cage drew in on him. “Friendship is boring. Dragons and Gryphons do fine without it, and their rejection of it is why those delegations don’t need my meddling to fail all on their own. Ponies waste so much time and energy on friendship, while the rest of the world goes on. You think that you are so advanced and learned, but really you are all just so small minded and selfish. You cannot see past your limited, narrow views and understandings of the greater reality of existence. You struggle to grow, but ultimately fail to change or even accept another way. I had such high hopes for your kind, that one day you might actually be worthy of my respect, but even as you are pushed to grow beyond limitations, you cling to these pretentious, backwards concepts that barely changed since the days you crawled from the goop of your cesspool. How could I possibly find any friendship in such primitive beings? You are so far below me, just as far as you are from an ameba” He toss the goat at them, and it clamered around and darted off. “Make friends with my leg, but don’t think you can ever reach my level” He snapped, and the cage was gone, and soon after so we he.
A few moons ago, during the battle with Nightmare Moon
"I think back to when I first saw her, with her coat and armor black as night..."
Within the ruins of the Castle of the Two Pony Sisters, as the unnatural night dug its claws deep into the land, and the wicked moon illuminated the terror of Nightmare Moon as she played against the six ponies working their way to undo her revenge. With one move after another, she worked to stop the ponies, only strengthening their forming bonds. They were quickly through the forest, and now stood in challenge of her. She felt something was poetic that here as her first reign was to begin, her second one was again threatened, only this time she did not find concern in the six ponies who did little but annoy her. With Celestia trapped, and the Elements of Harmony lying as so much dust and shards of broken times long past.
With all the time she had spend pouring over the prophecy of the Mare in the Moon, Twilight Sparkle had not understood the final piece of the puzzle, the missing element. When Nightmare Moon broke the orbs that were supposed to be the Elements of Harmony, she was feeling all hope to be lost. She did not even have the sixth, but as the voices carried from the halls, she finally understood the value of friendship. She was so happy to hear these strangers turned friends, coming to aid her in this dark hour, then the missing spark was there. Friendship is Magick, and it was the missing part of the collection. The other five elements could be understood by just their meaning, but the hidden one would have lost its true value if just spelled out. She needed to experience it, and now as she was joined by Honesty, Loyalty, Generosity, Laughter, and Kindness, she could awake as Magick, and again bring Harmony to the land.
Twilight had not know a feeling of joy like this, since the day she was taken in by Princess Celestia. She had found something she did not know was missing, she saved her beloved teacher, and earned another friendship in Princess Luna that together the six mares had freed from the holds of Nightmare Moon. She had gained so much in that night.
Again, these sweet memories were twisted into the same scene of horror of Princess Celestia’s death, only now she saw from Princess Luna’s eyes, and could feel what she felt. The frail heart, shattering, and blame in being unable to save her sister setting in. She fought the feelings, to not be again claimed by darkness, thought it had found another host. Twilight was now forced to travel with the demonic force, as it tormented Rarity, and she was trapped in witnessing the brutal and cruel attack and rape of her friends. The beautiful, proud mare, broken into nothing, and weakened to be twisted and turned into the horror of Nightmare Rarity.
Back in Canterlot Castle
"...with the help of all my friends, we brought long lost Luna to the light"
The last of the delegations had returned with the very news that Discord had predicted, with not any one of the species deciding to lend aid to the ponies. Twilight went over the scrolls, and spoke to the translators, and the draconequus had not meddled in them. Equestria was on its own, and the hope was fleeting.
“Cadence,” Twilight called to the other princess, as they traveled down the hall. “A moment?” She requested, and so they went to a room where they could have privacy. “My time as princess has been filled with turmoil and strife, and where the ponies of Ponyville once looked at me with the established trust and confidence, the rest of Equestria has no really knowledge of my past deeds and do not see me as anything but a failure. Every corner of the land has become corrupted, and broken. I don’t even have those I once held dear, all save for you, my brother, and Spike. The ponies know you and Shining though, and they see you as a true princess. I think it is time that you make preparations in making the Crystal Empire a safe haven, and evacuate Equestria”
Princess Cadence did not like to see her sister-in-law so low, and as much as she wished to argue her, the important details were far too true. Equestria did not take to Twilight, and with everything going wrong, she had not changed their opinions. It was not her fault, but the rest did not see it like this. They had discussed this plan before, but Cadence did not like the idea. “Why the empire? Why not fortify Canterlot, where Equestria has turned to for a millennium as its pillar of hope?”
“As symbolic as it is, Canterlot does not have the Crystal Heart, and the devotion of the Crystal Ponies. Their devotion and love for you and my brother alone has powered the heart and stopped Sombra, and with the increase of ponies from all over Equestria to see you and him as their savior, it will make the heart even greater and no threat will breach those shields. We need to unify as a nation, and our strongest defense is in the north”
“Why do I sense a prelude to a goodbye? What are you planning?” Cadence knew the younger mare too well, and read between her words.
Twilight did not answer at once, instead she waited for a few moments, the last she would have with her old friend. “I did not ask, or even seek this power and title. Some would call this a blessing, or even that I’m lucky to be an Alicorn. I have achieved a level of power few can imagine, yet against all my planning and efforts, I fail time and again. On lonely nights, I would imagine what all of my friends were up too, but I can’t even have that now. All my effort and research to be a better friend and safe Equestria has been left in vain.
“I use to look up to Princess Celestia, and you, then after defeating Nightmare Moon, Princess Luna. Your uniqueness, and power was something truly to behold. It seemed limitless, unbeatable. Now, as the fourth, I wonder why this has happened at all, and I was so bold as to think I could have stopped fate. Each new day dawns, bringing a start to the cycle all over again, and I know I must do as those I have looked up to have already done. I must give all of myself to save Equestria, and likely be destroyed in the process. Please tell my brother and Spike, I love them, so much. I love you too, Cadence. Try to get the ponies to remember me, not as the failure I was, but the friend I had been. With my last act as princess of Equestria, I will sacrifice myself to save it. Draw in as many of the ponies you can, for I will soon unleash the extent of my power, and much of Equestria will burn, as will those villains who destroyed it before me. Do not stop me, do not come for me, just leave. I’ve lost too much, all I have left to live for, is what I must die to safe”
Princess Cadence just stared at her, wanting so much to change the mare’s mind, but she could tell that no words would sway her. All she could do, was honour this request, and save all she could before whatever scheme was enacted.
The Day Princess Celestia Died
Princess Luna stood silently in a room with only a few candles to light it, when the door was opened by a guard, letting the Princesses Twilight and Cadence in. The former was first to speak, as Luna faced away. “I… I’m so sorry…” She could find little else to say, as she tried to relate, thinking of how she would feel losing her brother. “If we can do anything, just let us know” Cadence echoed this sentiment.
Looking into the mirror that stood before her, with her right eye focused on the reflection. She closed her right, and opened the left and she spoke, it was Luna’s voice alone. She spoke like she was alone. “So many moons have come and gone, so much time wasted and lost” She made the first reference to the fact she addressed the other two mares. “Do you know how light travels?” Twilight wanted to answer, but she could tell this was not the time. “There is a delay between the point the light is emitted, and when it reaches somepony. A star’s light from far away can travel for ages, and by the time it reaches an eye to see it, the star could be long gone” She closed her eye, leaving both shut. “The sun illuminates the Moon, and it reflects that when the world turns from the Sun”
Twilight and Cadence looked at one another, not sure what this was all about. “The mirror is reflecting the candle but the flame has died, and it is only a matter of time before the remnants of its memory are lost to the dark” She turned to them, both eyes still closed. “I am waning, eclipsed for the last time to never again shine” She opened her right eye, with the voice of Celestia coming through. “Equestria has a dark future ahead, full of trouble and turmoil, and I cannot lead it through… it needs two whose heart are bound but can bring different views. That is why I called you here, for you both are like WE were; sisters, but very distinct”
It was hard to hear the voice, and Twilight could not restrain her tears. Cadence stepped closer, better able to resist her pain. She was not sure of this idea being laid out, and questioned it. “I do not think this is the right course” She protested. “With all the chaos plaguing Equestria, the losses suffered, it needs all the stability it can keep. Losing both the princesses that have guided us for all these years…” the unified being stopped her.
Speaking with both voices, the one who had taken to being called Cosmatia explained. “WE have pierced through the vale of time, and seen all options. What is to come for Equestria from this path, is going to be difficult, however, it will be a better road than if WE remain. All futures that WE attempt to aid, end in ruin, but a hope remains out there, only if WE leave” with both eyes opened, she looked at each of them. “Equestria is now in your hooves. Take this as a last request of a friend, or the last order of a princess” Spreading her wings out, she did not give them any further choice.
“It… pains me to succeed Princess Celestia and yourself, under these conditions…” Twilight began, lowering her head slightly. “However, I have come to trust your decisions. So with a heavy heart… I a-accept”
Princess Cadence looked at her sister-in-law then to Cosmatia, giving a sigh of begrudging acceptance. “I do not like this, but… if you believe this to be the right choice, then I too accept…”
“Then it is done, and the old era has eclipsed and in its darkness is born a new era” She swept her wings, and the candles around were blown out. “I may return, depending upon which path the future goes down. Follow your heart, and do what you feel is best. WE believe in you”
Outro:
“W-w-w-well, that’s all folks!” Discord popped out of a multicolored circle, and waved his claw before him. “What? You want more?! Questions unanswered, and what the hell is Rainbow Dash doing in the clouds? Fine, I guess there are a couple more tracks to this story to go. Friendship, nothing but needed ponies. Give an inch, they want more chapters.
Deep in the pages of history, lies a story steeped in mystery.
A late night tale buried far away, unlit it once again sees the light of day.
-SylphStorm
Track 12: Pegasus Device
A group of Pegasi march across the collected clouds that form Cloudsdale, dressed in the dark uniforms of the organization known as The Third Flock
“Below us is a land corrupted by the weak and feeble, those who cannot even save themselves from the simple villainy of Discord, King Sombra or Queen Chrysalis. So weak, that their own Princesses have both abandoned them!”
Breaking into some of the homes, the soldiers of the Flock drag out different ponies, carrying them off in chains.
“The new princesses are just as inferior and incompetent! Allowing more evils to run rampant, further threatening our very existence! That is why I have called to every Pegasus to return to Cloudsdale and our other glorious cities in the sky, to strengthen the Flock, and abandon those lowly ponies who trot not fly!”
Taking the imprisoned, the grim soldiers cart off their prey to the imposing gates of some secrete facility in the dark, forgotten part of the skies.
“Every Pegasus must unite or be fated to suffer along with the Earth and Unicorns, and those bleeding heart Alicorns who do not even deserve the wings they bare! We are the greatest race, born from the blood of warriors and champions! The Pegasi have the drive! Pegasi have the endurance! Pegasi have the ambition! We are glorious, we are powerful, and you all share in that greatness and promise of being legends! Raise up, be the best, and make the world cower to our beating wings. We are the hurricane! We are the storm! We are Pegasus! WE ARE THE FLOCK!!!”
Struggling in vain, the first of this batch of victims is placed into restraints and delivered to a machine that towers high above. A figure steps out of the shadows, looming just outside the pony’s sight.
“I ask nothing of you that I am not willing to do myself, what I HAVE done! I have pushed myself to my limits, broken barriers and bones. I have risen to the rank of your president, and unified the Pegasus Nation. Now I ask you all to push yourselves, to break limitations and prove to all others just what a flock of Pegasus are, and what it means to be apart of a unified force. These are not unreachable goals, these are born in all of us. It is up to each of us to live to our fullest and to bring glory to our cause and people. Anything less is to be weak, like those below”
With a silent nod, the hidden pony instructed another at the controls to begin the process. A loud “thud” of the main switch echoed in the room, lacing with the screams and cries of others unwillingly awaiting their destiny to be fed to the monstrosity. The demon was awake, and the gathered were substance for its hunger. They all look away to escape into some delusion of not being here, the commanding pony was not so fearful as they watched like a proud parent. In the brief glimmers of light, a pair of wings spread in excitement, as she did not spare a moment to blink and miss the sight of the machine taking its victim.
“Let no failures remain, let no inferior go unpunished. We are the greatest race, and must embody that. For ourselves, for our children, for our history and future. Do your best, be the best, earn your place in society, and reclaim Equestria from those below! Commander Hurricane found this land first, a Pegasus, and it was the trickery of those lesser beings that made her think the Wendigo had returned. Their lies forced us to work for them, and divide what is rightfully ours! The time is approaching that we right that wrong, but we all must reach our highest levels, and be ready to give everything to achieve mastery of all races! The Flock needs every one of you, for each and every Pegasus is important. The Flock will lift you up, and make you greater, but it is up to you to go even higher and be even better. I believe in every one of you, because I believe in the Flock, and the Flock is all of us!”
******
-Many Moons ago-
In the great hall in the foremost capital of the Pegasus nation, Cloudsdale, a large gathering of Pegasi had collected for an important meeting called by their president.
The mare at the podium was violet in colour, with a fading gray mane. “My beloved citizens” She began, forgoing the usual pomp that most officials did at the start of their speeches or meetings. There was muttering in the crowd, but not enough to overlap the talker. “A great evil is on the rise, throughout our beloved Equestria, and it plagues our brothers and sisters who dwell below. They cannot escape as we can, but we should not flee and ignore their cries. We need to support them in this strife, and help put a stop to it before it grows too great to be stopped. With the loss of Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, now more than ever the Pegasus, Unicorn, and Earth ponies need to be united”
The entrance doors were pushed open with a great force, causing all eyes to be drawn toward the source. Within the outside light stood four figures, three being Pegasus, the third a Unicorn, and of the three was Rainbow Dash. She slowly looked toward the president, with something dark in her eyes.
“Explain this intrusion!” The president snapped. “There is no need to be so disruptive at an open meeting, so I demand an answer for such rudeness!”
Rainbow Dash started forward, still silent, keeping her wicked eyes upon the other mare. Sensing the danger, two guards moved from the president to block the advancing mare. Rainbow made her own move, in one swift move. With wings spread wide, she made a gust greater than what one Pegasus should be able to produce. The wind flung the two guards to crash into opposite walls, and broke the podium, spilling the president to the floor.
“WEAK!!!” Rainbow Dash shouted loud enough for everypony there to hear. “Your weakness, and cowardice! These are but a couple of the reasons I have come to their mockery of a gathering” She continued closer to the center of the room. “Every Pegasus is born apart of a great legacy, and it is our duty to live up to that, to push it and surpass it! But you reach the highest office, and sit in a plush chair, signing the works of better Pegasus. To further shame our heritage, you throw us into a war that is not ours to fight? Sending good Pegasi to die for those who could not aid us if we needed it, and even if they had wings, would likely just ignore our problems. You should be thinking of how to save our kind, not those of the betrayers that forced us into their servitude as cloud chasers and wind bringers”
The gathered audience was now muttering about the things Rainbow was saying, as the president regained her composure and countered. “You believe us weak then, for compassion? Calling us cowards for not hiding away, when danger looms before those who have been our friends and allies for so many ages?”
“We are weak!” Rainbow shot back. “We do not push ourselves as our ancestors did, and the only ones who even come close to bring out the true potential of the Pegasus ponies, is the Wonderbolts, and they even fall short of true glory! If we were strong, and breaking our boundaries all these years, and not cuddling to those who hold us back for their own benefits, we could face the problems below without any fear. Plump, pencil pushing, windbags like you are why we need to fear the dangers on the ground. You cry over a fallen princess, who used her influence to brainwash our kind into being slaves, because she knew the power we hold inside each and every Pegasus heart! Now she’s gone, and WE endure, finally free to spread OUR wings fully, unclipped by those who do not truly know what it is to be Pegasus!”
“You speak so much of oppression, and yet Princess Celestia did nothing but encourage US to be who WE wished to be!” The president responded, not knowing the reason her opponent was using pronouns so hard.
Rainbow shook her head, amused by her ignorance. She stomped her forehoof, and several members of the gathering stood, with the rest looking around in confusion. The standing all wore black armbands with a cloud emblem, like Rainbow’s cutie mark, with wings. “No, you foal, I speak of WE, as in the Flock! We still survive, even as she attempted to crush us when we wanted to bring the Pegasus Nation to rightful glory. WE live on in every colt and filly, stallion and mare who dares to be their best. Against her, we remain, and will take back our rightful place in glory and greatness!” Fear was growing with the confusion, for those not baring her mark. “We have risen to bring Pegasi to greatness, and twice the Flock was stopped by those who feared what our kind could be as a free race! The Third Flock will not be stopped, not by those who should hold no power on Pegasus destiny.
“In these hard times, we need leadership who will stand for the betterment of all Pegasus, the good of our people, and survival! I demand that we hold an election to let the ponies decide who will be best to do that!” She looked around the room, making it appear that she was looking at each pony there. “You all should decide if we will live on past the horrors of below, or give up our future to protect those ungrateful, and jealous ponies who will never understand us”
“That is out of the question!” The president moved closer to the troublesome mare.
“One month!” Rainbow defied. “We will see after all the Pegasi get a chance to see what the Flock can bring and offer. After one month to look at everything and think over our future, we will either take the reigns, or leave to form our own nation”
Now right before Rainbow, the president was spitting mad. “This is absurd, and unorthodox! Barging in here, placing your pawns in the crowd to instill fear, and then pretend to offer choice to us when assuredly you will use the next month to spread more fear and force more to vote you in! Your clever ruse and tyranny will not settle here, under the guise of hope and glory. The wickedness below now creeps into our homes, and I will not stand by for it to poison our minds!”
Rainbow Dash grinned at her, with a darker smile than before. “If we are that same wickedness, then you’ve just proven how much of a failure you are in protecting the Pegasus from it. If we do succeed in winning the election, then it only shows how completely weak you are as a leader. You can think us bad, but the Flock only wishes to make our kind the best it can be, and that we survive. If you can’t stop as small gathering of radicals, what is to stop another villain from moving in, that does not care if Pegasus live or die?”
The four left the hall, leaving the seeds of their movement behind.
“Wow, you really put it to President Violet Dart” Scootaloo remarked, as the group gathered back in their apartment, secured by those who have already joined the growing cause. “She thought she could stop you, but nothing can stop Rainbow Dash!”
Not being as convinced in her victory, Dash was knew that she had not achieved a pure triumph, and in fact felt that she had displayed a weakness that would need to be removed. “She spoke better than me,” She said in annoyance, as she dropped into a chair. “Maybe I out thought her, and turned her words back at her, but she had better words to use. If I was smarter, had more bookish words, I would have claimed the election in that moment. So long as she has her smarts, she has an edge and a chance”
“How true” Dr. Atmosphere said as he entered the room, catching part of what had been said. “You are the physical best of what Pegasi are, yet in the mental acuity aspect, you are lacking. You will need to sharpen this, and make it your weapon against the skirmish with that misguided sympathizer. If you truly wish to gain this, I can help you achieve this. I will vastly improve your mind, and soon nopony will be a challenge to you in flight or thought”
After a brief moment, Rainbow was in agreement. “Do it! As Dr. Gruber works the factory and Scootaloo spread the good word of the Flock, I’ll take on whatever you’ve got planned to make me smarter. I must become what is the very best of our kind in order to lead and rally our people. My failure today will become a strength. In a mere month, I will return and show that I can become better by pushing my limits. It will show those with any doubt that greatness is never out of reach for those willing to reach for it!”
“We are already of the same mind, you and I. A two pronged attack, with displays of greatness in skill of the body, and then another show of mental force as you outshine the president. The Flock will be undeniable as the future for all Pegasus kind! To the Flock!”
“To The Flock!” Dash echoed, and Scootaloo soon after. “Then,” Rainbow went on. “She’ll be the first to be fed to the Pegasus Device”
******
The propaganda machine went fast to work, as the Flock members posted banners and bills to spread the message of what it was to be in the Flock, and what they went for the future of all Pegasus and the realm of the sky. There were messages that spoke of ending the threat to the Glory of Pegasus kind, and vastly improving the lives of the members of the Flock. Posters depicted images of Pegasus at the peak of physical health, and the prominent displays of Rainbow Dash doing her famed Sonic Rainboom over the emblem of The Third Flock and reading “Unity, Glory, Greatness” under that.
With the poster teams putting up their task, they also stripped down anything that challenged or mocked the Flock. There was another group that had gone to parts of Equestria to draw back any lingering Pegasus, and announce the coming of Rainbow Dash as the future for their people. They were met with challengers, but they were better at speaking louder and prouder. Their conviction was drawing more attention, and as they did not speak directly of the discrimination they were truly about, they spoke to the strength in all Pegasus joining together in the clouds. This was giving some a sense of hope in all the horrors.
Far from Equestria’s eye, in the Dark Skies Region, Dr. Gruber was fast at work in constructing the first Rainbow Factory, enlisting the genius designer Contrail. Together they had the plans laid out and the skeleton was erected soon after. While Contrail was leading the building teams, Dr. Gruber worked on what would be housed in it. The first Pegasus Device, dubbed Mark 1. Leaving a team to work on her baby, the Doctor left to take care of another matter.
“Hello, Cat Walk” She said to a Pegasus strapped to an operation table, deep in the bowels of the growing factory. “Such a shame today, with the destruction of the generator pushing back our E.T.A. to be after the election” Her calm and focused tone, did little to hide the fury that demanded release. Dr. Gruber circled the table, as the captive struggled. “Miss Dash will not be pleased, as she was very adamant about the device being ready by the time she wins” Slamming her hoof in the first show of her true anger, she looked at him dead in the terror filled eyes. “You are a failure! Had we the machine, you would be upon the seat, to have your spectra harvested, only, well you know”
“Is this what being apart of the Flock means?! Punishment for a minor accident?!” He argued.
Stepping back, she looked surprised, however it was all a ruse. “Dear boy, you are not being punished for a simple mistake, you are being punished for being a failure! A crime that is unforgivable in the Flock. Yes, that is what it means to be in our glorious organization. The Flock is made up of best of the greatest race in the world, so how can we tolerate the setbacks made by one not their best? Your ‘accident’ not only reflects a weakness, but has directly hindered our efforts to be greater! Our leader will not suffer any that threaten what is dear to her, and this date was most dear indeed”
“You preach of the ‘greatness’ of being Pegasus, yet you’re not one. You are an ‘inferior race” His attempt to strike her back, only amused the Unicorn.
“Not a Pegasus, yet” She grinned a dark grin, and loomed closer. “I suppose I will become an Alicorn, but it is better to be partly a Pegasus, than not to be one at all. That is where you come in, where you will earn a redemption”
“W-what do you mean?” He was growing more aware of his mortality, and then the rumors of what Dr. Gruber had done to restore Rainbow Dash’s flight, and give Scootaloo her’s. As her horn illuminated, he asked. “What are you going to do?”
She did not answer at first, instead she removed the bindings, but kept him bound in her magick. She turned him over to get at his back before drawing another table close. “Why, I plan to do as any Pegasus, part or whole would, SHOULD do… I’m gonna do the best I can” She positioned herself on the table, and added. “You should feel proud, that you will get this last chance to do right for the Flock. Failure”
“You mean do something for you? Which I still don’t even know what you want!” He could imagine, but what seemed her goal did not seem possible for her to do to herself.
“A disappointment to the very end, I almost wish to reevaluate my choice in using you, yet your glorious wings should not share the fate the failure they had no choice in being apart of. Soon, glorious appendages, you will have a host that will bring your glory. I will bare you proudly, and without fault!”
******
-One Week Before the Election-
The wildfire that was the Flock had spread to every corner of Equestria, igniting a much needed passion and pride in the Pegasus ponies, at least at some level. Even the Pegasus in the ranks of the royal guard were moved by the words of the Flock, causing a great number to abandon their posts to join the rest of their kind in the sky. Not a single pony in Equestria did not know of the Flock and Rainbow Dash, with nearly every Pegasus in the sky and the election drawing closer, the event was looking to be one of the biggest in Equestria.
Dr. Atmosphere had kept to his word, and worked with Rainbow Dash to make her a greater threat in the mental sense, and he took the role of council as the mare worked to form her speech that would make or break their cause. Rainbow was never one to shrink from a challenge, especially when the stakes were so high and her reputation was on the line. This would be a true test of her ability to lead the Flock.
Although the true intentions of the Flock was masked, they were clear to any who could read through the words of the mare. She had become a master in manipulation, getting her people to take her words as reconstructing an empire, not the genocide that would come with it.
No longer stored away in a little room, Rainbow Dash and her top ponies were in a suite that was suited for the president herself. With the election dangerously close, they gathered for one last meeting before the big moment. Dr. Gruber was due to join at any moment with her news on the Rainbow Factory. It would be the first time either had seen one another since the beginning of the countdown to the election, and Rainbow was in for a surprise when the Dr. strolled in with arrogance and a new pair of wings.
Taking the chance to jab at his rival as Rainbow Dash’s top pony, Dr. Atmosphere remarked. “Look at you, I see you had time to experiment again, are we to assume this means the Pegasus Device has been completed?” Dash sat back to observe her two master minds bicker.
Spreading her wings to full splendor, with an attitude that befits the most self-proud Pegasus. “Experiment? This is a success, dear doctor, I have achieved the impossible! A full and complete grafting of wings to a non-Pegasus pony. Scootaloo and Madam Dash were rousing, and informational masterpieces, but now I have achieved a step above reconstruction or replacement. This is full hybridization!”
“Am I to take this that our, Scootaloo and my, wing work has now been reduced to a hoofnote in your own legacy as a body modifier?” Rainbow asked with a dangerous elegance in real time practice of her newly acquired skills, as well as bring down the doctor “Were we nothing but test subjects, to the achievement of a lifetime?”
Dr. Gruber was not shaken, prepared, it seemed, for such a response. “Of course you both remain crowning achievements, in another field of surgery. Your wing and part of your spine was beyond saving, Scootaloo was born with crippled wings. You both are successes at reconstructing from the worst of affiliations, I can now save any Pegasus from such a fate. With my newest achievement, I have made a new science of taking the incompatible and making them work! I can help those like myself, who were born of the wrong breed, but have the Pegasus heart and drive. Both of these stand alone, and together, as great feats that will carry through history. If anything, the fact you were brought back from so low, and that was able to be applied to strengthen the Flock, will only make your name even more prominent”
Getting up from her seat, Dash replied. “Good” Then she started toward the mare, while looking at Dr. Atmosphere. “I wonder though, should I have had her to coach me in dealing with the public? She met my words with equal determination, and readily defended herself to satisfy her and my own ego” She did enjoy toying with the two of them, and their rivalry. “So, doctor… or should I say Princess Gruber, seeing how those with horn and wing seem to be given that title like an undeserved badge? What does this now mean for the Flock? You were let in, because you have that special spark that is so Pegasus despite your.. affliction, yet now you are of a breed that is often viewed as a superior one. Are you a greater being, or simply a freak?”
Dr. Atmosphere hid it, but he was enjoying this dressing down. She was getting the wind taking from her undeserved wings. “Had I, or the Flock, no need for my horn, I would remove it to with pride!” Gruber responded quickly. “I would become a true Pegasus, if you so wished it. I am no superior being, only the display of hope for all those like me who dream of being Pegasus, but born the wrong pony”
Rainbow made a thoughtful sound, then asked. “Putting aside further linguistic posturing, you have so far eluded the question from earlier, in regards to the factory and my machine. Some wonder remains to just how you found a donor for those wings, but the more important inquiry remains”
“I can address both, as there is a common thread. During the construction of the main generator, a key system in the Pegasus Device was damaged. One of the workers failed to rig the supports and destroyed the generator in the process; pushing our competition date back” Dash did not like this, and made a sound of growing anger. “Contrail and Pipewrench have taken great efforts to fix this, and divided that time it would have taken. We are now looking at a completion by the day after the election. For the failure who cost us a prompt finish in time with your victory, I personally punished it” She finished, flexing the wings to emphasis just what she meant.
“I see,” Rainbow’s rage was mostly cooled, but it was settled into annoyance. “Next time a failure is to be dealt with, I will be informed and consulted before any actions are taken” She snapped a stern look at the Doctors. “Understood?!” Though he was wondering how he was included, Dr. Atmosphere joined Gruber in agreement.
Rainbow trotted back to the lavish desk that had been moved to the room, thinking over something else. “This poses an opportunity for growth, however, it will change our direction a little bit” Both the doctors glanced at one another in mutual confusion and concern.
******
-Election-
Standing before her adoring subjects-to-be, Rainbow Dash made her last speech before the election, announcing her boldest plan yet. “My Flock!” She called out, sending the crowd into a frenzy. “We are near a very beginning of a new era, one of glory, promise and survival. Below us, the ground bound scurry about in their chaos, as we above the clouds gather and unite to be a stronger force against the wickedness of the world. Flying together under the banner that has fought through the ages to make us great! It speaks of of unity for the great winged ones, and until recently I believed this to mean something else. I have analyzed the words and visions of our ancestors, and come to the understanding that it was not meant solely for those born Pegasus. As my very close adviser, and the one who has given me back my flight has shown me, other ponies can carry the fire that in the Pegasus spirit. She was born a Unicorn, but through the same perseverance and determination that the Flock holds as its core values. She has achieved the ability to not only save us who lost our flight to being bold enough to dare, she has also gifted my sister with that which nature cruel kept from a Pegasus daughter! Now, she has pushed it further, and granted flight to herself and soon any other not born in Pegasus body, but with Pegasus soul!” A light moved to show off Dr. Gruber’s wings, as the crowd quickly ate up this news without any doubt of it being what was meant to be. “Some may doubt this course, but she has stood as one of the Flock’s greatest allies and champions. The Flock is about being the best, and pushing harder than any other pony. She has broken boundaries and used herself to prove that she could become what she was denied as a sister of the Flock, as a daughter of the Aerial Nation!” She stamped a hoof, to keep attention on herself. “That being said, it is still that the Pegasus are the pure race, but as we welcome what is a science born Alicorn, we also need to recognize the other winged members of the Aerial Nation, ones even outside ponykind”
This was where the crowd was starting to turn, not sure of what this new direction was meaning. Many seem to question the move, but none spoke out in fear that loyalists in the group might turn on them. The question was hanging in the air, silently, and it was up to Rainbow Dash to answer it regardless. When a new figure joined the group on the stage, many gasped, others muttered, and still others shifted silently in discomfort. The new members of the Flock were ones known for the danger they posed to ponies of all kinds, especially the Pegasus. Standing defiantly against the sea of ponies, the white feather capped, brown bodied, stern, yellow eyed Gryphon sneered, as she scanned the room.
“The only other race to match our glory, are the ones whose blood runs as deep into our ancient histories as our own kind. Though we have fought for nearly as long as we have flown, the Pegasus and Gryphons are the original masters of the skies, the very first in the Aerial Nation. Under the Flock, our long lost nation will again be reunited, and the more who fly that share our passion will only make our nation stronger. The weakest will be the weakness of our people, so it will be required that we all are stronger than the strongest of any other kind outside our nation. We will again dominate the skies, and soon the land itself. We will be the ruling power of the world! It is our way to rise up, and we will reach heights not reached before, and beyond!”
Rainbow Dash and the Gryphon spread their wings and launched into the air, rocketing past at speeds greater than any other could reach. With her words, and the show of their might, the crowd was whipped into a frenzy of chanting “To Rainbow Dash!” and “To The Flock!” The only ones not joining in the revelry were Scootaloo, and the two Doctors. Scootaloo was willing to do anything Rainbow Dash wanted, but she did not like the Gryphons, especially the one who came from nowhere, yet held a deep friendship with Dash. The Doctors were of another concern, though it was linked to the same topic.
“She could shit, and make it currency at this point” Dr, Atmosphere whispered to Dr. Gruber. “She has skillfully manipulated them into that story of ‘bloodlines’ and ancestry, and this does mark that we will sweep the election… however…”
“Hmm, yet,” Dr. Gruber picked up. “She has now pushed her own agenda, and will likely be unstoppable in whatever desire she will have after the election. She will bring the Flock glory, and do what has been halted until now, but will she continue on our course, or forge her own?”
“A danger in creating a dictatorship, the one on top will be uncontrollable, if so they choose. We can only hope that she will not stray too far from the vision, and we will need to be there to council and guide her so she does remain on the path” He turned to leave, as did Dr. Gruber. “We will play our little game, so when we agree on something, it will keep her from going astray”
“I will be watching both of you” Scootaloo said, having been there as they spoke. “Yes, she can be impulsive, but she will do a good job. So don’t try to mess with her” She took off, as the pair watched her with a dark intention.
When she was fully gone, Dr. Gruber started. “She is a risk, and will need to be dealt with”
“Agreed, Rainbow Dash has only two ears, and do not need a third voice cutting in between us. Her advisory council needs thinning”
******
Chaos erupts in the skies in the moments after Rainbow Dash is made president of the Pegasus Nation, and every part of it was affected. Every city, town, and any place that the Pegasus called home now displayed the colours of the Flock. The banners had been changed, from the Cloud with wings, to have the lightning bolt that now made it look more like President Rainbow Dash’s cutie mark. Just as fast as the celebrations started, so did the new president start her work. She declared that all Pegasus, Alicorns, and Gryphons were part of the Aerial Nation, and were to end any aid given to those parts of Equestria and neighboring lands that were not part of the nation. While these changes went into effect, any opposition to these changes were rounded up and imprisoned. They would be given a chance to swear themselves to the Flock, all save the former president.
Within the Dark Skies Region, a place once fear and avoided for the legends spoken of about it, sat the first Rainbow Factory of the Aerial Nation. It towered above the stormy clouds and wild lightning bolts, and it was these conditions that not only allowed it to be built in secret, but also helped fuel it. The gloom was now given another purpose, a display of hopelessness to any who were sent here.
A hum shook the walls and floors, as the machine slowly awakens for the first time. Its parts moaned and groaned to life, with President Rainbow Dash, Scootaloo, the doctors Atmosphere and Gruber, and Vice President Gilda watched. As the first device takes its demonic breaths and made its first steps into life, each observed in a different way, as did the many assembled workers who were there to make sure it would not stall or fail. Some laughed, some cried, but most were silent. The highest ranks knew just what this moment meant, and Dash was transfixed upon the machine, taking in every move and function. She wanted to know the Pegasus Device as well as those her built it. As she observed the functions and movements, her eyes locked upon the empty vats and her excitement only grew.
“Bring her” Rainbow said lustfully, and it turned more deranged. “Bring her!” with that, Gilda flew off, as Rainbow turned to the two lead engineers. “Contrail, Pipewrench, if this works to expectations, you will both enjoy my full favor” She grinned then turned back to her prized machine, but continued to address them. “If it fails, you will fix it and then be the next to feed it”
Contrail was first to respond, not with a hint of doubt. “This is a masterpiece, my crowning achievement as an engineer. I would fly straight into the collector, before allowing it to fail”
Still looking away, watching the operators work the controls, as she remarked. “I wonder if you will feel that way, when you make another machine that will likely outshine this one?” She was looking at Dr. Gruber with her eyes alone, by the time she finished.
“You only achieve greatness like this once, anything else either improves upon it, or owes credit to it. In either situation, they will pale to that original masterpiece’s achievement” The sky-blue stallion responded.
Still watching the Doctor, Rainbow smiled in satisfaction. “Well said, I truly hope you survive this day. I look forward to seeing what greatness you can bring to the Flock, however do not feel sheltered by this either, until we see how your machine works”
A commotion drew the attention of those waiting, it was coming from the adjoining hall. Without seeing who it was, nearly everyone there knew just what soul was being dragged to their death. The former president was flanked by two Gryphons, though really only one was needed. She was looking beaten, bloody, and broken, yet she still had a fight in her yet. She shouted out at the two dragging her, and as she found a new audience, she called for sense to the Pegasus in the room. The cries fell to deaf ears, and the display only served to amuse the new president and her Doctors.
Before the machine a fear grew within the mare, as she was forced into the chair upon a track. The conveyor would draw the seat into a large cylinder, the was suspended just enough to allow the chair in. “What is this?!” The former leader demanded answers. “Some kind of interrogation, for what purpose? You have complete access to any knowledge or records now that I would have”
Rainbow Dash moved closer to where the other was strapped in, clearing up the misunderstanding. “I want nothing that your feeble mind holds, Madam Dart. You serve no purpose anymore, even with your lineage, you are a worthless failure; save for this” She motioned to the machine, even though the former president could no longer see it. “This will be the last change you have to fly, to be productive to society as it is now. As you know, we Pegasi rely upon the magick of rainbows, and it infuses everything we do. Harnessing natural light is all well and good, but even refined it is a poor substitute for the true magick. You may not be aware of how each pony has a magick in them that is unlike anything else. The Earth ponies are blessed with strength and skill with nature, and we are aware of the range that Unicorns have, but the Pegasus hold a magick just as unique as they do. A power, that if we had the means to focus it, we could be greater than even the Unicorns. This machine is designed to collect and focus the magick in each of us, so we can! We have taken to calling it Spectra”
“Extract, you mean syphon! You are no better than Tirek, or vampires” The former president tried to be defiant, but the fear was growing stronger.
Laughing, Rainbow responded. “Tirek, and even vampires, drain but leave a body behind, sometimes even alive. Oh no, that is such a waste. This takes everything, collecting every bit of Spectra, and leaving no miserable husk of a failure to be left in the world” She gave a nod, and one of the others started the machine draw in the victim.
Following the seat as it moved down the track, Rainbow smirked at the mare as she fought in a panic. “To answer you directly: I want nothing from you, but to accept your fate and die in the Pegasus Device”
Scootaloo stood and watched, seeing the one she loved most become more deranged in her wickedness and cruelty. She feared what was to become of her sister, if she continued on this path. “Must trust in her” She thought. “It is for the good of all..” She deceived herself.
The sounds of the consumed was a choir to the glory of success, as the body was converted into a new substance. Tubes and vats began to fill with a rainbow of colours of the transformed pony’s remains. The bright, grim spectrum illuminated the face of Dr. Hufa Gruber, another success in the cruel works of the Third Flock. The twisted mare appeared ready to climax at the sight of her dirty work, wanting more be fed to her pet. Although Pipewrench and Contrail were given the credit for building the machine, the science was hers, and she felt that she was a master of the Rainbow Factory and Pegasus Device.
******
-A few days after the Demon awoke-
With the success of the Pegasus Device, the Rainbow Factory was in full swing. When production was taken from the old factories, Rainbow Dash celebrated it with a sonic rainboom. As she tore through the sky, it was changed by the colours made of ponies and the world look more vibrant but wet like blood. Nopony could deny that something was changing in the clouds, and President Rainbow Dash made another announcement to the Aerial Nation. She praised Contrail, and spoke openly about the factory. She told of how the failures would be collected, and given the honour of making the world better by working in the Rainbow Factory. Soon, the factory was running hard, and producing more Spectra than either Contrail or Gruber expected.
As all eyes were focused on the president and her factory, Dr. Gruber orchestrated a situation between Gilda and Scootaloo. She hoped the filly would be mangled, but she survived and was again being cared for. This did not stop the doctor from pushing her agenda to remove the annoyance and threat, going so far as to address Rainbow Dash on the subject.
“She was born useless, and even now fails to live up to the glory of her wings” Dr. Gruber started as she trotted with the president. “Family or not, failures must pay their toll”
“I agree” Rainbow responded, surprising the other mare. “Any who serve no purpose should be dealt with” They entered a room, and two Gryphons seized the doctor. “And I intend to dull out those punishments this time”
Dr. Gruber looked across the room to see Dr. Atmosphere grinning in foreknowledge. “What do you mean by this? I’m the means by which you can create more Pegasus, and the reason why you have wings! I thought up the means to extract Spectra!”
“All past tense, dear doctor, all but the creation of Pegasus” Rainbow turned hard, and locked eyes with the doctor. “I have re-evaluated the course of the Flock, and who are meant to be in it. Alicorns are pretenders, made into greatness by magick or scientific intervention, and you are the architect of those delusions. If ponies were meant to be Aerial, they would be born Pegasus or Gryphon!” She turned again, moving closer to the stallion. “I commend you on your desire to be one of us, and your achievements in the name of the Flock, however you are no longer of any service to us, and in fact remain a reminder of disgusting idea that inferior beings can be made to appear like us. You are also a self-serving traitor!” Rainbow stamped her hoof in anger. “Dealing with one of mine without speaking to me, turning yourself into an Alicorn abomination without any permission, plotting to manipulate me and keep me from doing what I choose to do! All of this I could find forgiveness in, even admire, but you moved against my sister. You dare use my old friend in your plot, and then have the audacity to openly try to speak against her to remove the witness to your plotting?!”
“Hide! You underhooved traitor! You were plotting with me, and spoke against her as well! You are just as guilty as I!” Dr. Gruber attempted to drag the other in with her.
Rainbow went to her desk, and dressed in a new uniform. It was dark in colour, and looked just as the Captains of the aerial forces from long ago. “The doctor has done well to explain his duplicity. He was the right choice, after all, in teaching me in the art of language. He also has many qualities that yet serve me.”
“One being the there to inform our leader of traitors working against her” Dr. Atmosphere started. “I made no moves against her, as you did. I did not act without her consent, as you did. Perhaps I was worried over sharing the ear of our leader, but I did not make a move against her sister! You bare our wings, but you act like a manipulative Unicorn. Your kind is known for being self-subservient and arrogant, and even with all your ambition, you are clearly an example of why only Pegasus and Gryphons can be trusted and be in the Aerial Nation as true members of the master breed”
Regaining the conversation, President Dash said. “I reward those who achieve greatness, and you had done so in a number of occasions” Rainbow praised. “That is why I will show some mercy” She looked to one of the Gryphons holding the doctor and he knew what to do. Gripping at the alicorn of the so named breed, he broke off Dr. Gruber’s horn in one swift motion. She cried out in intense pain of such a violent move, and with the break not being a clean one. It fractured her skull and tore flesh, letting blood gush out and cover her and the Gryphons who seemed to enjoy the display.
When the loss of blood claimed her, she came back as she was being dragged into the room she knew too well. She looked at Rainbow Dash, still in agony of what seemed only moments ago. “I-I thought… you said mercy?” She knew her fate now, and struggled to keep awake.
As the doctor was being strapped in, the president responded coldly. “Yes, I did. I gave you mercy by allowing you to die a Pegasus, and I do so hope you enjoy your final moments as one of the true breed of the Aerial Nation”
Weakly, Dr, Hufa Gruber smiled. “I have given the Flock all I can, and I have no regrets” She closed her eyes, as the machine made the sounds she knew meant that she was going to be pulled in. “For the Flock”
It had been the order of Princess Twilight Sparkle to evacuate, however it was Princess Cadence and Prince Shining Armor who were charged with the task of rounding up every free pony. They did not waste any time in clearing out Canterlot, sending everypony to the Crystal Empire. Units of the royal guard and volunteer ponies were sent to every corner of Equestria to save as many ponies as they could. A number of ponies were too stubborn to leave their long held homes, others just saw no point to leaving. These numbers added with those already taken by Nightmare Rarity’s demons, and President Rainbow Dash’s Third Flock, left the amount of survivors was small.
While the two married royal ponies did their duties, Twilight was deep in Canterlot forgotten gem mines. She was set on a plan that would be too dangerous for any to be in Canterlot, and it failed, the Crystal Empire was the best and last hope for survival making the evacuation absolutely necessary, and it freed her from worry of doing any more harm to innocent lives.
When she had been sent here by Chrysalis, Twilight took quick note of the caverns and tunnels. Later she returned to learn more of them, and with some help of Pinkie Pie’s sister Maud, she knew this was formed largely by a volcano that had long fallen asleep. The size of Canterlot as a mountain, and the formations, it was clear that the volcano was one of the largest in the history of this part of the world, likely even further beyond. She was assured that she would find the magma chamber, even though it was likely no longer beneath the mountain due to time and the movements of the earth, it was still assuredly near enough for her plan.
“It’s me, the real Princess Cadence” Twilight tried to ignore the echoes in her mind. “Sunshine, sunshine, ladybugs awake, clap your hooves and give a little shake” She shook her head, driving deeper into the naturally formed tunnels.
“Twilight Sparkle is the finest student I could have ever hoped for, and has proven herself worthy of the title of Valedictorian of this class of Gifted Unicorns” Princess Celestia’s voice passed by, in another lifetime.
“We are so proud of you” Now her own father’s voice haunted her. “First a son that became captain, and not a daughter that is Princess Celestia’s personal assistant? Our family has never been so blessed”
“You’ll be fine, that’s the honest truth” Echoed Applejack.
“I could not let such a crime against fabulosity go unchecked!” Mirrored Rarity.
“I’d never leave my friends hanging” Rang out Rainbow Dash.
Each of her friends came through in the formative moments before Twilight even knew she had made friends, and those voices lost to her now stabbed at her. She fought breaking down as each voice spoke to her as clearly as they did then, cutting deep into her wounded heart and mind.
She did stop her march when another Twilight stood before her. This version seemed older and to be in a much better place in life. “Turn back, this is not the way to save Equestria” The other said.
“I have no choice! Unless you have something else in mind?” The present Twilight responded.
“What is now, is set to be, nothing will change fate. All you can do is wait for the Elements of Harmony to rejoin and stop all of this”
“If you are an illusion, future Twilight, or just my own fractured mind, you should know that it is impossible for the Elements of Harmony to return. The Tree is dead, and those of us who held them as either likewise dead, gone, or turned evil. Even with the last of the Tree’s power, I could do nothing! Celestia and Luna are gone, Cadence and Shining can only protect the Empire. So I fail to see how this will just get better by sitting on my flank?!”
“I took a great risk in telling you not to follow this path, and I shall not risk anything further by telling you just what is to come. I calculated the course you are on, and it is the moment where you can make everything worse than it already is. If you stop now, things will work out in time”
Anger building in her, Twilight blasted the other Twilight, and shattered the crystal that was creating the illusion. “I will not fall for more of Discord’s, or any other illusions! I will awaken this volcano, and use the terrible force of nature as my weapon against he and those like him! I will purge Equestria of villains, even if I must raze it to the ground!!!”
With new drive, and a growing touch of madness, Twilight followed the old vents and finally came upon a molten river. The vast red-orange, melted and churning rock stretched far in both directions, and if she did not know better, she would swear she found one of the rivers of the underworld. The heat was intense, but she pushed back her discomfort. She took flight over the magma, and summoned her power to fire into the calm flow, upsetting it as it bubbled and shifted. She kept at it, using her magick to create gas and pressure that would force the magma up. As she angered this sleeping beast, she also made sure that the flow would find its way back into the old vent. She would see to it that Canterlot would again be a volcano, allying herself with a force greater than any of those monsters above.
As below, so above was their a growing chaos, both of the same source. Her meddling in the mantle was being felt all around Canterlot and beyond, as those locations nearest the epicenter saw fissures and quacks that toppled buildings and swallowed anything near enough. Ponyville and Everfree also felt great shakes, prompting Nightmare Rarity to send out some spies to investigate the sudden change in the calmness of the ground.
Twilight was ascending fast, keeping a pressure behind her to allow her to control lava. She was first to burst out of the top of Canterlot mountain, and as gathered herself to find aim for this weapon she now wielded. She first target would be Everfree, to destroy the forest and all its evils. She hovered for several seconds as she calculated the best way to achieve this, as she was in debate if it should be at Nightmare alone, or minimally creating controlled damage. As she spent the time to think, she misjudged the power of nature and it did not wish to wait for a small mare to make up her mind. Finding and making new paths, the super pressured flow spread in different directions, and quickly several new cones formed all around Canterlot.
“No, no, no!” Twilight panicked, trying her best to regain control, however each attempt only made more redirection of the magma and in moments she lost all control. Without her force against it, the original cone exploded just where it once had ages before ponies ever lived here. The force was so great that it ripped through the city, like a wave through a sand castle. Twilight could only fly back, and watch helpless at this mess she made. “I… I thought… I could control t-this?!” She cried out, as she realized her folly. “What was I thinking?!”
“You know, Celestia once harnessed lave too” Discord appeared, holding a bag of marshmallows. “She had little success, and that is one reason the Badlands are so ‘bad’” He held out a stick. “Join me?” She looked at him, nearly devoid of all life in her eyes. “Oh, my mistake” The marshmallow at the end of the stick became a book on roasting said confection.
She ignored his antics, too lost in her own mind to care. As the two of them hovered in the air, Canterlot below, her home, where her teacher had taken her in. The place that she spend her formative years, and where she would take the first steps to become who she would become, was quickly being consumed by lava and fire. Twilight was feeling herself slipping, losing nearly all will to do anything. She would have dropped from the sky, but Discord grabbed her, holding her in his arms. “I failed… completely failed… and brought about another disaster in this already broken land… Every single one of my friends are gone, in one way or another, and it is all my fault”
“I wouldn’t be so hard on yourself, think of all the good you did” Discord started, as the mare looked back at him. At this point, Twilight was so beaten that she was actually hoping that this was not a setup to kick her more. She clung to this, believing that he might actually show a genuine act of kindness. She fooled herself into believing this. “Rainbow Dash has gotten what she always wanted, she is the best and most famous Pegasus alive. Rarity now has endless adoring minions to worship her. Applejack finally has Apple Bloom listening and following her hoofsteps as they work for their family. Pinkie Pie was able to be everywhere, and spread her fun all over Equestria. Fluttershy is now somewhere that she doesn’t need to be afraid or intimidated by other ponies. Have to look at it all in a perspective; sure Equestria is royally screwed, but at least your friends are doing well”
Going limp in his arms, and looking at the ground far below, Twilight said weakly. “You are a horrible monster…”
“Fluttershy doesn’t think so, she really grown to me” He replied, taking a bite out of the roasting stick, he had been holding with his tail.
“You delight in misery and suffering. You manipulate and corrupt” Twilight’s fire was returning, as her anger rose. “You brought about so much destruction, and you don’t even care one bit”
Tossing her out of his arms, she took to flying on her own as Discord grew annoyed. “Can you not open your eyes, even now? I am but a small part of a greater problem, one that has been growing since before Equestria existed. The Tree of Harmony put everything in motion, and you, Celestia and Luna were pawns in its mahjong game. It gambled on ponies and lost, then hoped they would eventually destroy themselves. You control nature, and burn resources, and look at what you’ve done” He swept an arm out to point at the inferno below. “The last gambit of the Tree was to die and leave one behind that would take out Equestria. Between you and your friends, ponies should be extinct in a couple decades” He snickered at her reaction of horror to his revelation, as she tried to fight believing it. “Congratulations, you fulfilled your destiny” He threw up his arms, literally, in excitement. “Not many can claim that you know?” Arm growing back, he went on. “Yes, I am the lord of Chaos, I enjoy having my fun, but that Tree you all put so much faith in, was not the great provider you all thought. Maybe once, but by the time it lured you into its plot, it was just as wicked as the rest of us. Playing you ponies like a kazoo”
At another point in her life, she would have fought this, but her fractured, tired mind was seeing everything he said as fact. Her heart sank, seeming to completely escape her body. Though debatable, the evidence supported his claims. The visions she saw behind Sombra’s door, the fact the Tree had called to her, using her as a linchpin to reawakening the Elements, and nearly as soon as she was granted the powers, even greater disasters struck, far worse than those before. “I am the cause… I was the final move, and I destroyed it all. My friends, my home…” As the guilt began to consume her, she started to fall from the sky. She did not notice, not even as the heat rose up to meet her as she neared a flow of lava. Moments from taking the final plunge, she was flashed away, reappearing just outside the destruction.
Discord floated there, watching as she dropped. He mused. “Such an inglorious end, although a fitting one, to die by your own mistake. Still, I would rather see what will become of you, now that your sanity is hanging like a kitting from a branch, and that you have lost nearly everything. I guess I am a monster” He snickered, then it grew into a full fit of laughter. When he disappeared, another came out from hiding.
Looming over her, Trixie stared down at Twilight in disgust. “How far you have fallen, and now you have given up” She sneered at her rival. “Is this truly who Trixie has come in second too? A pony who cannot bare being knocked off her pedestal? A crippled minded princess? Trixie has known the highs and lows of life, and it affords her the ability to cope” Her eyes flared red, as she presented the amulet she wore. “Trixie has moved past you now, and with this, she’ll be second to none! Trixie can use this charm to absorb magick from others, and Trixie’s power will grow”
“Take it,” Twilight said so weak, that it was nearly lost to the wind. “What good has it done for me, or my friends, or Equestria? Take my power, and do what you want… just leave me here to die and be forgotten…”
Raising her brow, Trixie was further appalled by this. “You think Trixie a murder? How offensive you are in your hole of self-pity. Trixie will take your magick, but out of what little respect Trixie had in our rivalry, she will drop you in Ponyville”
“No!” Twilight sat up, but slumped over. “I can’t face anypony there, not anywhere…”
“Trixie is not a taxi! She admits how similar it sounds, but she is no service. She will not just leave you to die, but where else is left in Equestria after the evacuations?”
“At least I did one thing right…” She sighed, taking no comfort in this. “I don’t belong in Equestria. My home is gone, my friends betrayed, and now I’m so low that the very last pony I would ever expect aid from, is here trying to help me find a better place to die…”
Scoffing at her, Trixie said “This self loathing does not suit you, and seeing you like this brings shame to Trixie and her legacy. The reasons for her aid does not mean any kind of sympathy or concern for you, but the fact you are tied to Trixie. Trixie cannot earn glory and fame, if the one pony she lost too had given in so easily. If Trixie is to have your power, and use it to destroy those villains who think so lowly of her, you cannot parish here at the skirt of your poor choices. Trixie will not have you be a stain on Trixie’s legacy when she rises as the true ruler of all villains and the world!”
Briefly, Twilight regains herself and looked at Trixie in disgust. “So you finally admit it? That your not just some simple illusionist, but actually a bad pony?”
“Nightmare Rarity believed Trixie to be weak, a minion! Trixie proved to her that she is not one to be claimed, or looked down upon. Now Trixie has the power, and she will seek her vengeance on all who underestimated her, and bring all of Equestria under her hoof!”
She wanted so much not to care, but she could not pass this world to allow herself to be a party to another villain’s rise. She would not donate her powers to the cause of the wicked again. A fire burned in the mare once more, and she stood with the fury of one who was beaten once too many times. “No!” She locked eyes with the other mare. “My last moments will not be in the benefit of evil, but the burden! You’ll not have my power for your mad bid for power and supremacy. I am Princess Twilight Sparkle, appointed ruler of Equestria by Cosmatia-” One of the stars of her cutie mark began to glow. “I swore to uphold the protection of Equestria and to save my friends!” Another star joined the first. “I will give my all, until there is nothing left to give!” Now a trio of star shined off her. “I trust in fate and hope, and know Equestria will enjoy happiness again!” A fourth added its light, and soon it was five. “I will not allow goodness to die, and will spare anymore from suffering” With all five smaller stars glowing, it was the final, largest turn. It flared to life as Twilight went on. “In my friends memories and all those I love and who loved me, I will not go down, not without stopping you and all those who are threatening Equestria!!!”
Trixie stepped back, as the mare’s cutie mark and eyes became too brilliant to look upon. A power awoke in the mare, and she had finally gained the powers of all of the Elements of Harmony.
The president of the Aerial Nation was joined by Dr. Atmosphere and Scootaloo, in the middle of a discussion. “-Without her, we are still capable of harnessing the gift of restored flight. Contrail had discovered that Spectra can heal and improve, as well as reduce aging” Rainbow explained, tapping a jar of brightly colored liquid on the purest tones. “A treatment I intend to indulge in, and suggest the same of all my top-”
Hesitant to interrupt, Scootaloo pointed out. “Sis, the drawer is glowing!” This caught all the other two attentions, and Rainbow went to investigate.
Slowly opening the drawer, thinking a trap may lie in wait, she peered inside to find her Element of Loyalty glowing brightly. At first, she took it as a positive sign, but when the stone turned black, she was enraged.
“What is that?” Dr. Atmosphere inquired, coming around beside her.
“A relic… now” She responded bitterly. “Seems my old friend Twilight has claimed my Element’s power for herself. Almost amusing that Loyalty would be taken in an act of betrayal”
-Everfree forest, in The Castle of Shadows-
Nightmare Rarity observed her demonic minions moving like ants, reinforcing and building her glorious castle ever grander. She had remade several banners and statues to better suit her likeness. “A shame these wonders will go unseen by those who cling to the lowly princesses. Such exquisite works of art, seen by so few” She suddenly felt something shift in her realm, as she was using her magick to stretch out like a spiderweb, she knew any and all movements in the forest; physical or otherwise. She changed to smoke, and hastened to the source. She had sent her minions to retrieve some things from her old life, and here she found her Element upon a pedestal. “What is this?” She wondered, as she seamlessly shifted back into her regular form. As she trotted to the spot, the stone went black. “How dreadful! It will no longer stand out against my gloriously dark coat, this will not do” She levitated the necklace, and tossed it unceremoniously into a bid labeled “Rejected designs”
-Far beyond Equestria, in a small camp-
Applejack was finishing setting up the site, when Apple Bloom pointed as a glowing pouch. “Golly sis, what is that? Y’all got some kinda lamp in there?”
Investigating, the mare looked over the gem. “My Element…” She responded, with a heavy heart. “I figured it might come useful, but looks to be dying’” The glow was slowly fading away, unlike the first two. Applejack was silent as she watched yet another part of her disappear before her. “Guess’n this means there ain’t no reason to go back” Her voice was near to breaking, as Apple Bloom went to her.
“So’k sis,” The filly said, embracing her. “we got one another, and will avenge our kin someday. No matter where it takes us, we’ll always be together”
Smiling at her, Applejack felt pride in her sister. “”Y’all truly grown up, and the best sister in the world” She that the filly would like hearing this praise. “They’d be so proud of ya”
Fluttershy was playing with some animals that looked like the rejected ideas to some game, and despite their appearance, she still found them lovable. She could always see past those things others are blinded by, to see the good inside.
Discord came into the room, as a theme song played. He silently greeted her, and tumbled over an ottoman, causing Fluttershy to snicker.
“You are such a silly villain” She said, as he stood.
“Only for you,” He returned. “Got the mail!” He sorted through them. “Letter, letter, birthday card,” Each he tossed away in disinterest. “Oh, a bill!” After reading it, he noticed his realm quivering. “What in the heaven is that?” He snapped his fingers, but nothing happened. “Fluttershy, go check your Element”
She got up and went into another room, then a scream rang out moments after. Discord rushed to her, and found her looming over a blackened necklace. “My… Element!” Her voice rose in anger. “They took my Element! I want it back!!” She turned, showing such fury the animals scattered and Discord floated back. “Get it back!!!” She spun around and looked at him.
“I can’t, it is one of the few magicks mine can’t effect” He explained, then squealed in fear.
Fluttershy shot into the air right at him, grabbing his face in her hooves. “What about when you stole them and turned all of us against ourselves? You could move them then!”
He was not sure why this triggered her, but he was too occupied to find out. “Well, yes… Because Celestia had them in that sad little vault. They were dormant and disconnected from you six. In use or with their barer, I can’t do much to them. That is why they can turn me to stone, and keep me stuck”
Letting him go with a growl, she asked. “Who has my Element then?”
-In Sugar Cube Corner, one of the last occupants of Ponyville-
Spike had been working to convince the ponies of Ponyville who refused to leave, to see the danger. The Cakes were among the holdouts, and they did not want to abandon all they had struggled for.
“You guys are nuts!” Spike stressed. “Canterlot is a volcano, Everfree is full of demons, the sky looks like a wet oil painting, and we have no idea what Discord is doing, but it’s likely bad. Think of your kids, what about them? Is this shop worth their safety?”
“We worked hard for this, it is our family legacy, our dream after so long” Mr. Cake countered. “We want to give this to our children when they get older, so we have to fight for it now!”
Spike could not win against them, and threw up is arms in frustration as he paced. Mrs. Cake interjected. “It’s late, and it is dangerous outside. Stay in Pinkie’s old room, just be careful of her stuff. She left everything, and we want it to be just how she left it when she returns”
He gave in, finding them both to be too delusional. He was tired, and they did at least understand the risks of the outside, so he retired to the room of a friend he did not believe to be ever coming back. He had carried the box she had given him, and placed it on the dresser as he fell into her bed. So defeated, he did not notice a shimmer in the box that lasted only moments.
-Back in the fields, just beyond where Canterlot once was-
Twilight had taken to the sky, and used the powers of the Elements to attack Trixie, who was doing well to avoid the blasts, as the Alicorn tried again and again.
“Foal! Nopony can catch Trixie!” She spun around, and drew in the stray energies and growing her own power. “You only make her Greater and more Powerful!”
“You will not dissuade me, I will achieve victory here against you! Then as you lay defeated, I will systematically take down each villain and regain Equestria!”
“Not likely” Trixie raised her brow in smug achievement, as she stood against her rival so easily now. “Let’s see just what the Alicorn Amulet can do against an Alicorn Amateur!” She switched her tactics, and went on the attack. Her corrupted, red magick fired out like a wild stream of lightning, aimed right for Twilight who summoned the full range of the Elements of Harmony to crush the opponent. The two beams met in midair, and at first it was clear the Elements held greater power, but as the Amulet and its barer pushed back, it was starting to lose strength. The stray bits of their magick was not flying off in random directions, but going right back into the Amulet, giving it even more power. Twilight realized her folly, and ended her attack. “Giving up, but Trixie can take so much more!”
Backing off to think, Twilight observed how best to deal with her vampiric foe without using magick to simply fuel her. “You can absorb magick, but I doubt you can absorb what it can control” As she finished, the ground right under the unicorn ripped open, and a new flume of lava shot out. With a terrible scream, Trixie was consumed in the fires and silenced as suddenly. “I’m sorry, but I will not allow an evil to thrive” She waited for the fires to die, and when she found nothing left, Twilight moved to her next target.
Now above Everfree, the Alicorn summoned all her magick, the magick of the Elements of Harmony, and that of the Tree. She unleashed the forces of nature upon the Castle of Shadows, and destroyed it in violent and wild display of rage. The rubble and corpses of demons scattered far, and with it Twilight was gone again.
Entering the most dangerous of places, Twilight traveled to the Realm of Chaos. “Discord!!!” She roared. “Release Fluttershy and surrender to your fate!!!”
Stepping out from his mailbox, Discord stood before her in amusement by her challenge. “Fate, my horoscope said nothing of this. Try again tomorrow”
“No more of these games, I have the full power of the Elements of Harmony, and you are finished!” She pointed at him, emphasizing her claim. “I made a promise to come for Fluttershy, and now I’m here”
“I’m not so sure that is a good idea, but I do enjoy a bit of drama” He turned his head, now dressed like a red, flamboyant pirate captain. “Fluttershy, someone to see you… dear”
Fluttershy came from the house, standing beside Discord and looking up at Twilight in confusion. “Who is that Discord?”
Twilight’s heart sank, fearing that she had been brainwashed, or her mind controlled. “It’s me, your friend, Twilight Sparkle! Fluttershy, give me your hoof, we’re going home”
“But… I am home” She moved closer to Discord, as he laughed.
“Good form, Fluttershy, good form” He looked to Twilight with an unshaken sense of triumph. “You see, you’ve lost long before you came. She is mine, and I am ready to do whatever it takes to keep her. You can fight, you can fly, and now you die!” The objects adrift became projectile, and was flying at Twilight at every angle. She fought some, dodged others, but she knew she could not keep it up. “You see, just like the movie I showed you. She has all this power, but still can’t do even the simplest task of saving a friend!”
As she struggled with the debris, as she continued to try and reach Fluttershy. “I discovered the power I needed to fight the villains, I found how I can use the Elements of Harmony to save everypony. It was you, and all our friends!”
Fluttershy looked at her, almost appearing to change, but then a darkness washed over her and she dropped this act she and Discord had designed to get at her. “You stole my Element of Harmony, Twilight Sparkle, killed it. I have no friends anymore, none beyond this realm and the animals and Discord who live here!”
“Oh, did you just renounce your friendships?” Discord grinned. “That means…” In a quick move, he used his clawed left hand to slash at her. Twilight flew back, thinking she would be diced up, but no marks were there to both their surprise. “Oh, right” He then used the pawed hand and several gashes appeared across her.
Twilight was not backing down, to be beat as she was feeling so near victory. “I will fight, even if I die, I will fight!” Teleporting, she struck Discord in the chest with her horn, and with a large blast of her energy, shot him across his realm into his home, and leaving both in a hole.
Getting up, losing any humor in his face, he healed the hole in his chest and aimed a hand at her. He was willing her to turn inside out, but she was fighting his twisted spell with her powers. “Damn, you are one with those stones” He was now chafe. “No matter, my magick is not completely blunted by this, and even with them, you can’t heal like me”
Allowing herself a moment to reach Fluttershy one last time, she attempted to break any hold he might have. “Let’s get out of here while we can, I came to save you!”
“You came to beat Discord, saving me is just a second thought” She responded, with a hateful tone. “All this time, and only now you want to help me? Well, it’s too late! I like it here, and nopony is here to judge or stop me from doing what I want. They can’t hurt me, or put me down anymore. Discord, the evil monster who stole me from my ‘friends’, is the only one who lets me be me, without any terms”
“You cannot be serious, he’s using you to get to me” She pleaded for sanity, but it was not to be found. “He put a spell on you, and gave you a Trotholm syndrome” Twilight cried out in pain, as she flew from her spot. Discord had appeared and struck her hard. She crashed through a tree, that turned to toothpicks with a few sticking in her as she passed.
Recovering and brushing away the splinters, she focused back on Discord. She was a good distance away, yet she charged up a ball of energy anyhow. He took amusement in this, and mocked her. “What are your doing? You are too far away, I can just dodge it, or redirect it, way before it-” He stopped, as Twilight disappeared. Looking right below himself, her saw her too late to do much more than yell out. The blast engulfed him, and exploded. As the smoke cleared, his top half was gone, leaving his legs and tail to crashed to the ground.
Fluttershy cried out, briefly confusing Twilight. She was starting to fear that her friend was far gone, too far gone. “He’s done, and you’re free. Let’s go back and-” Twilgiht reached out for her friend, but was again rejected.
A sound from where Discord lie caused Twilight to turn to see the legs jump up, and stand. The coagulated part of the torso started to shift and ungulate, and in a moment Discord was again fully formed in a bloody mess. “Remind me to thank Piccolo for the regeneration” He snickered. “A worthy try, only not nearly enough to defeat imperfection like me. I commend you on the efforts, but sadly, you just cannot win. Not here, not now”-
In the wintry wastes just beyond the Crystal Empire, a wild storm was tearing through at a deadly pace. In the chaos, a portal opened and Twilight came screaming out, crashing to the bitterly cold frost in a bloody mess. She struggled to stand, only to collapse again as the snows covered her.
Discord peered out of the portal, and remarked. “Have a nice moment to chill out, and think about your failures. Fluttershy and I have some Shrinky Dinks to make. Ta ta for now” He was gone, and so was the portal.
Twilight lie upon the ground, covered ever more by the snow, as the light faded from her one open eye. Weakly, as her world went dark and body going white, she said. “Sorry… everypony…”
A land, our once beautiful land, filled with such joy and happiness, now lies in ruin. The proud capitol that once housed royalty and was a beacon of peace and harmony, is a volcano that is ever consuming itself it blind fury of being forced awake. Everfree forest, where so much myth and mystery was nestled away, no longer is veiled in obscure, as the terrors of a demonic hoard are all too real. So many of the once bustling, lively towns and cities remain as skeletons, abandoned for the last bastion of salvation. Only those foolish enough to remain, or equally, stubborn, remain in the now barren stretches of Equestria, prey to the nightmares and monsters that spread ever farther. Wickedness all clamoring for their dominion, as they battle over ashes of our lost lands. Even the sky hangs heavy above, as much of a danger as the ground, with the awoken Rainbow Factory and its hungry Pegasus Device. A newer model of the same demon, more ravenous and effective than the last, and surely but a step toward another, even vile creature to come. The last line, the only safe place left, is besieged by King Sombra and the unlikely ally Queen Chrysalis.
My student, my friend… you have suffered so much. Do not put the blame on yourself, for I too was blinded to see how fast chaos was spreading. I was too consumed by other matters to help those nearest me… Your only true failing, was in being too much like your fool teacher…
Princess Celestia stood over the broken body of Twilight Sparkle, now resting in a cave high in the mountain range of the Frozen Wastes. She looked upon the fallen mare, with a deep concern, and a deeper guilt.
*
Twilight sat alone in the cave she had found herself in when waking from death. A soft fire was burning, giving little light and only but a little more in heat. She was inside her mind, as she evaluated herself. “Gave… it… all… everything I had, and it didn’t matter in the slightest… Fluttershy is happier now, or is that some game Discord dragged her into? Not that I can do anything about it… how cruel… if I had some powerful force I could ally myself with, I could fight these forces… then maybe I could actually do something…”
She fell hard back into the simple bed-like patch she had made, and curled into a ball. She was fast to sleep, not having enough energy to be awake, or motivation too.
**
“My dearest Twilight, if only you could rise now, and join with me” Celestia said as she watched Twilight sleep. “Together we could undo all this damage, and be together again” She gave a heavy sigh, the kind one did when feeling defeated by fate. “One day, you will be strong enough to come back”
***
Weeks passed as Twilight adjusted to life in the cave. She learned to live off the natural resources close by. The cave grew a foul, but nourishing kind of plant, and with the warmth of a thermal vent somewhere outside, a steady stream of water flowed in through a crack that was purified by the rocks. If not for the circumstances for being here, this would be a paradise. It remained though, a reminder of her imprisonment here, or she would risked the dangers of the broken world beyond. That was a world she would not return too, be choice or force. King Sombra prowled these wastes, with his newly risen army of Umbra.
Her stay passed into months, and Twilight had grown very adept at this life, yet she always envisioned herself finding someway to escape and save Equestria, this is why she continued to practice her magick.
****
Princess Celestia cleaned up the cave, sorting some of the records Twilight started to keep. The mare looked happier, with an anticipation. “Oh Twilight, my beloved and faithful student, I could never teach you to keep your study area in order as you go” She snickered. “Almost too bad you will be saving Equestria soon, for poor Spike will have to go back to cleaning up after you. I think he will welcome having to keep up with you again though” She looked at the sleeping mare, and held a loving gaze. “Rest, for tomorrow you reach a new level, and Equestria will again be free”
*****
Waking up more energized than she had even felt before, Twilight felt she could take on the world. She rushed through her morning routine, and was quick to practice her spells. During this worn trial, she felt a new sensation, and a rush of power. She stood engulfed in an aura of harmonic magick. The power was greater than any before, and there was no doubt in her mind that she was finally ready to face, and beat, all the villains.
“You have done it, my amazing friend” Princes Celestia appeared in the cave, surprising Twilight as tears began to stream down her face. We can not achieve victory so long sought, against all those who wronged Equestria! We can save everypony!”
“Yes!” Twilight responded. “How did you return, Princess Luna said that you were now one”
“Our merger was only temporary, that is why we really left, to heal up and recover. Now all three of us are back, and my sister awaits us. Let’s go!”
Twilight did not hesitate, and together they flew out of the cave at great speeds. King Sombra seemed ready for them, but he was no match for the two most powerful ponies in Equestria. They then made short work in destroying the Umbra. Queen Chrysalis was also waiting for them, and she swarmed them with her Changelings, but the Queen and her hive were just as easily bested.
Speeding to Cloudsdale, the two Princesses used their magick to undo the wickedness around Rainbow Dash, saving the Pegasus and restoring the mare to her true self. Now with Rainbow, they all flew to join Princess Luna, and combined they all destroyed the Nightmare entity, and brought back Rarity.
Making great time, the group grew as the collected Pinkie Pie and Applejack, healing their mental wounds, and nearly restoring the six mares of Harmony. To finish, they entered the Chaos realm, and readily defeated Discord. Turning the draconequus to stone again, and undo his spell on Fluttershy.
Standing together, Twilight Sparkle, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie, with the princesses Celestia and Luna, they all combined their powers. Pulling from the harmonic energies and in a great rainbow wave, their magick washed Equestria on their power and cleansed the lands of all wickedness and taint of the last couple years. The spell turned the pages of history back, and Equestria was as it was, with all the love and happiness…
******
Princess Cadence was looking at a map in the meeting room of the Crystal Empire, she was alone, using her magick on the map to try and find ponies who were still lost out in the untamed wilds that once was Equestria. “What is this?” She asked to the empty room, seeing something abnormal upon the map.
Secretly, the mare left the castle and headed for the source of her interest. She had a suspicion, but Cadence did not want to get Shining Armor’s hopes up, if it was not Twilight she found… or if she had, but not alive.
******
Twilight Stood with her friends and the princesses, in a restored and saved Equestria. She noticed the new arrival, and greeted her warmly. “Dear sister-in-law, I’m so happy to see you again, and here after we’ve won back our home, and families and friends. With Princess Celestia and Princess Luna back, we can go back to being just normal ponies”
Cadence looked at her strangely. “I am a princess, Twilight, and have been for some time. Your brother and I rule the Crystal Empire, going back to ‘normal’ just isn’t possible. You are an Alicorn now, those days of being ‘just another pony’ are in the past. We must accept our fates…” She shook her head, and getting out of this odd debate. “That is not what concerns me at the moment. What are you doing here in… this barren cave?” To Cadence, in reality, it was just as she described. Twilight was haggard, dirty, and spouting nonsense. The cave was dank and empty, save for the bit things Cadence could not begin to describe or understand.
In Twilight’s reality, she was at Canterlot, with her friends after a great victory. “Barren? Open your eyes, this is the royal throne room of Canterlot. Princess Celestia is seated right there, Applejack and Rarity are socializing, Rainbow Dash is trying to impress the Wonderbolts, Pinkie Pie is having fun with the guests and I’m sure Fluttershy is in the royal garden with the animals. It's the Grand Galloping Gala!”
The clear minded mare felt her heart sink and crack on its plunge into the depths of pain and sorrow. She wished it not to be so, but it was all too clear that Twilight had snapped and was lost in a safe delusion. She tried to hide her tears and pain, as she fed into the illusion. “O-of… of course, dear sister-in-law, Equestria has never looked better, and what could be better than to hold the Gala?.. Y-you saved us all…” She was too far gone, too far for Cadence to hope she could bring her old friend back from. All she could do, was help Twilight stay where she would no longer suffer. Twilight had endured so much, with so much placed upon her. Here, in her mind, she could finally be happy again. Cadence would make it safe for the mare to remain here, letting her old friend pass into obscurity and remembered as a champion who gave it all for the good of Equestria, and not be the broke mare rambling in a cave.
Every moment here drove the emotional dagger deeper into her heart, but Cadence had to wait until Twilight was asleep to truly get to work. She set up self-substantiated ecosystem in the cave, so Twilight could life here in illusion, and then she set up a protective spell and ward that would keep all dangers out and Twilight in. If only to make Cadence suffer more, it seemed that Twilight’s dreams were not as safe as her waking moments. As Cadence worked, she could hear the mare mutter in her sleep. “Just keep on walking and don’t look back, just keep your eyes forward and stay on track. We’ll find a way out of this mess I’ve made, as long as the spirits guide our way” It was spoken slow, melodic, like an old song. It was clearer that Twilight was lost between two fractured minds, one where all was well, and one much closer to reality.
Returning to the castle, Princess Cadence was confronted by her husband. The whole Empire had been searching for her, and she had to explain why she had been gone and just where too. “You had us all worried, not a trace of you could be found, not even a message!” Shining scolded her. “Times like these, we can’t just disappear. What remains of Equestria is looking to us now. What caused you to act like this?”
“Twilight!” she started, wanting to yell back at him for treating her like a filly, but she understood it was out of fear and concern her had acted so. She was at fault for going so suddenly. When he heard the name, his reaction twisted like a knife in her as it was filled with both fear and hope. She knew which would win, and it was her to give it victory. “I… I thought I found her…” She had to weigh her options, of telling him the truth or a lie. Eventually she felt it would be better for him to think her dead, not mad and lingering like a suffering spirit in a spiral of madness. He could mourn her like a hero, not suffering a specter of guilt like she had to; knowing that nothing could be done. “She’s… dead… Killed by Sombra… I’m certain it was him or the Umbra” She knew he hated the villain and his shadowy monsters already, and why not place the blame on them? “I wanted to reclaim her, but it is too deep into the Frozen Wastes. I didn’t want to raise your hopes, or get you involved when the living here need us more as you said”
A fury burned in him, it seemed he would explode and destroy part of the castle as he sought blood. To his credit, her kept himself in check, and refocused the anger to motivation. “I vow revenge on King Sombra, and the Umbra. I will personally see to it that he dies by my hooves or my horn! He and the Umbra will all die for what they have done!”
As he stormed away, likely to cry to himself, Cadence questioned herself. “I preserved Twilight, but I’ve also condemned another in doing so. Shining will at least be focused upon his vengeance, fighting Sombra not searching for his lost sister” Slumping into a nearby chair, she was too heavy with all that had happened today. “I do not thing any path would have ended well, I just hope I didn’t just choose the worst one…”
Many Years Later:
A figure darted in and out of the ruins of an old town long left to its decay and rot, not lingering long enough to be noticed, not making much of a sound to be heard. As their shadow passed over the ground, the distinctive shape of a western hat was the only hint to who was now exploring the remains of Ponyville.
Despite their efforts to be hidden, this long lost pony was being watched by another who was even better at hiding themselves. In an old cloak that covered all but the single striped leg adorned with bangles, the other watched to figure who was this mystery pony and the risk them may pose or be in…
