> Avatar: Legend of Diamond Tiara. Book 4: Immortals
>  by Jeweled Pen
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Prologue: Her world
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Silver Spoon stared out over her kingdom, her home, her world.

Harmony, the great city in the middle of the four kingdoms, a place of unity and power. A place where all ponies could come and be safe. Be secure. Be happy. Now the very seat of Discord herself. A city where her armies had sprung from, washing over the other nations. Capturing them. Binding them. Enslaving them.

Over the lake that had once held the Avatar was a single massive portal to the Spirit World. A testament to her power. It had been difficult to create as it had required not only her power, but the power she had stolen from Diamond. But it was necessary. She was Discord. She ruled both worlds now. It was her destiny. What she HAD to do. Just like Diamond had to try and stop her, like Harmony had directed. She felt yet another burst of frustration at her frie-- rival.

Diamond had lost. Silver now ruled. Her magic had rippled across the Spirit World, destroying every binding, every hindrance, every barrier. Everything the past avatars had done to contain and control the Spirit World was now undone. Gone. Crushed beneath her might. And now this world felt it was well. Harmony had been the first to fall. The first to taste her hoof.

A soft pang of regret echoed across her heart, but she ignored it. Her moment of victory. No! Her moment of triumph. So many ponies had come to her and knelt before her. Sided with her.

And yet, her own father had gone and disappeared. Somehow, Acrylic and Button had escaped their binds as well. Of all the ponies she’d expected to disappear, they hadn’t been one of them. She understood why, of course. But her own father…

She shook her head and narrowed her eyes. “No matter. All of you fear me. All of you fear Discord,” she whispered, glaring down at the city. “No wonder you flee. No wonder you hide. You cower. I’m the monster of legends. The pony you held festivals celebrating the demise of. Well? Celebrate this. Celebrate the fact I came and I won,” she said bitterly.

The world had fallen beneath her hoof. Without Diamond to stop her, without an Avatar, it seemed nopony could stand in her way. She’d left her friends behind, taken their cutie marks and left. The ponies who opposed her, who fought her, met a similar fate. Were she a normal pony, what she had done would have been impossible. The countries could not be defeated so quickly.

But she was Discord. Her powers were beyond them. And she had what nopony else expected. She had unleashed an army on the world, the forces by which she now ruled. Her march on Harmony had been something different. She had wielded the power of some of the most powerful benders in Equestria. None of them had been able to stop her from creating the portal to the Spirit World. Stopped her from exerting her power over HER realm.

They couldn't stop her from calling on the spirits, all of the spirits, that had so long not had a master. And the changelings had answered. Thousands of them. Millions of them. An army of spirits that had washed over Harmony and then slowly spread out over the land. Spirits unlike anything normal ponies had been able to deal with.

Granted, it took more than just that to stop ponies. An army of spirits couldn’t do it alone… It had taken her touch. Her eyes wavered to a creature made of writhing, swirling water, that slowly moved around the lake. Her greatest creation. Her ‘Immortals’. One of four changelings, each one molded with one of the four aspects of Diamond’s cutie mark. Then infused with a small fraction of her own considerable power and finally, fused with cutie marks from all the different ponies and benders who had had their marks stolen by her. With every battle, more marks of those who opposed her were taken. With every battle, they grew ever stronger.

With every battle, her victory became more and more assured.

Some ponies had flocked to her side, she told herself again. Powerful ponies. It seemed almost too easy. The first ones had seemed to come to her on their own, almost as if they were seeking her out. But then more and more joined her. They were not foals. They knew there was no Diamond to save them. No great Avatar to rescue them. The Immortals marched on every battle, the Avatar’s mark emblazoned on their hip. More cutie marks stolen. More power drawn to her side. More ponies surrendered or joined her. Fell under her hoof.

In a few short months she had managed to do what the Water Nation had attempted for decades.

Then again, she supposed the original Discord had managed the same feat in a few days. Chaos magic truly was cheating. But this time there was nothing left to chance. There were no ‘Elements’ to save them, the past Discord had tended to that. Diamond was powerless. ALL of her magic stolen. There was nothing more to be done. She’d won, the words repeated through her mind over and over. All that remained, now, was to sweep away the last remnants of rebellion that kept managing to appear underhoof. She had generals for that, of course. And her army. She’d won. She’d won. She’d won.

Her eyes were brought back to a pair of changelings flying by, focused ahead. Chaotic, strange creatures. They were the only spirits that had come at her call. She wondered where the others were hiding, or perhaps they hadn’t desired to fight back against the ponies, to come to their master? But perhaps she had been gone too long.

Or maybe the changelings saw much of themselves in her. The kind of creatures that would turn on their friends. The kinds of creatures that would betray them and trick them and hurt them and--

“Your highness?” a voice called out, making her jump. She quickly wiped the flowing tears from her eyes before turning around. A green coated unicorn with a blue mane stood in the doorway. Gracious Warmth, one of the first to join her. One of the ponies who saw her fight. Saw her win. Because she had won. She had.

“W-what?” Silver asked softly, choking on the words.

“News from the Earth Kingdom. The siege on Metal Orchard has begun.”

“Metal Orchard?”

“The primary outpost of the rebellion remaining in the Earth Kingdom. Where councilmare Octavia and Vinyl retreated,” the mare answered, giving a small, gentle smile. Of course she was smiling. She was following Silver. And Silver had won. No matter what, she was on the winning side.

“Y-yes. They did. Right,” Silver said, shaking her head. Acrylic and Button’s mothers. She wondered how they felt. Scared? Angry? Hurt? Hatred, she suspected. They’d known her. Been close to her. She wondered if they ever suspected how close they were to pure evil. That if they had just struck, when she was weak and vulnerable, all the misery they could have prevented. Ended her before she had risen to power.

But no. This was her destiny. Her victory. She’d played her part perfectly. Played everypony else for foals, made them believe that she was the good, kind, obedient little heiress who just wanted to help them. Made them think she was a friend. Capable of being a friend. And it had worked.

She turned back towards the portal. Then, she found her eyes lowering towards her Immortal. Her creation. Crafted using her best friend’s cutie mark. She felt tears rise in her eyes.

“Your highness?” Gracious asked, walking up behind the mare and softly placing a hoof on her back. “Are you not feeling well? Are you worried about your Immortal? The wounds the rebellion did will fade soon. Your power is too much to weaken it for long.”

“It’s fine. I just… I have a headache.” Sometimes victory came with headaches, she was sure. But she had won. Wounded or not, there was nothing that could truly stand against her Immortal. Even if it was taking a lot longer to heal than she suspected it should have, it was nothing she had to worry about. Because she had won, she reminded herself once more.

“I see. You should take better care of yourself. You are the only Avatar of Discord, are you not? Every eye in the world is on you now. Watching you. Waiting for their moment to strike. You must keep yourself strong.”

Silver nodded, before closing her eyes. “Things are never going to be the same, are they?” She knew it was a stupid question. She won, why would she want things to go back to the way they were?

“No, they will not,” the mare said soothingly. “But is that truly so bad? You’re creating something new and special, your highness. A brand new world.”

She tried to keep the words contained, but they refused. “So did Discord, and we all know how well that turned out.”

Gracious was silent for a moment, staring out over the world. “No. You’re doing something far, far greater than he. He changed the world, altered it. But you, your highness. Are making it kneel to you. You are doing something even the previous Avatar couldn’t do. Something even Twilight couldn’t do. You are the most powerful pony in the world. This is your destiny. This is your right.”

Silver ground her hoof into the ground. She’d won. “I… you’re right.” But it still didn’t feel right. No matter how hard she tried, there was one thing she couldn’t deny. “I just… I miss my friends.”

“Were they ever truly your friends? Would they have accepted you? No. You’re Discord. But now, you have us. We understand you,” Gracious said, gently patting her withers. “We are friends, are we not?”

“… Yes. Yes we are.” She reached up and gently rubbed the amulet around her neck. The alicorn amulet. She still couldn’t believe she had come to this point. She’d had so many plans. So many schemes. She’d always intended to ‘defeat’ the Avatar. She’d been so certain it was her destiny to fight her and, win or lose, things would end there. Yet, she had always suspected it would be ‘lose’. But...

She was the big, scary, terrifying Discord. The spirit that ponies threw celebrations about defeating. The pony that everypony hated. The one creature, in all the world, that could never, ever, EVER be forgiven. And, for just a moment, she’d forgotten that. She’d allowed herself to believe that friendship would win. That she didn’t need plans. That she didn’t have to fight. That Diamond would still…

Would forgive her.

‘I trusted you.’ Diamond’s words played back in her mind. The fire on her horn. The look of betrayal. It was fair, though. Maybe, just maybe, Silver could have earned their forgiveness. If she had admitted to Diamond what she was. Who she was. If she could go back, back before they went to the Badlands. Back when they were fighting Meadowbrook. Back when they first met. If she could go back to the very beginning and just tell her the truth. Tell her everything. Undo everything.

Instead she had lied. Instead she had betrayed. Instead she had been so focused on following her ‘destiny’ that she had cut off and hurt so many ponies around her. It was no wonder that Diamond had found that revelation to be too much to forgive. She truly was just like Discord, in the end. All she had cared about was victory. And she’d won a victory that made her sick.

“Your highness?”

“R-right, sorry. I just have a lot on my mind. Has there been any news about… my… about...”

“Alicity’s airship hasn’t been found. Tittering believes it’s still in the Water Nation, however. But...”

“But there’s an entire kingdom of water benders there. Islands they could hide on. And a whole world of ponies who would like nothing more than to see us all fail?” she asked, her eyes narrowing. She took a long, slow breath. Steeling herself for what she knew she had to do.

She’d been stupid. She’d hesitated. She’d messed up again and again. But there was no forgiveness, now. There never had been. This was her destiny, and she would face it with strength and confidence. With authority. With the iron resolve that she had once held. The world was hers. She had won. All of the nations had fallen to her hoof and were being united under a single banner. Soon, the rebellions would fall as well. “Will I be needed on any of the fronts?”

“Against the rebellion? No. You have won. We have this handled, your highness.”

“Then… go. Please.”

“Your highness?”

“I just wish to be alone.”

“As you wish,” the mare said before bowing her head and turning, trotting away.

Silver sighed, watching the other mare until the door was closed behind her. She then slowly dragged herself to her bed, tossing herself into it. She closed her eyes and tried to focus. Tried to peer ahead.

She had altered the ‘story’ once, as Discord would put it. She had been able to see the words. But now, she couldn’t. She had healed. The headache from her overuse of power was now gone.

But she still couldn’t see anymore. There was something blocking it. Something changing things around her in a way even she couldn’t understand.

Had she thrown everything so off? In such a wild direction that even she couldn’t make sense out of the chaos any more? Tirek was gone. Harmony was gone. The elements were gone. The Avatar was gone. There weren’t any more threats to her. There wasn’t anything that could stand against her. And yet, it felt as if there was just something so, so wrong. Like there was something obvious that she was missing. Something in her path, blocking her. Something that was changing everything. And yet, she’d won. She’d fulfilled her destiny. Perhaps she had shattered the ‘story’ entirely. Perhaps there was nothing left for her to see. Or maybe it was something else. Something she missed.

If it was something she missed, she suspected that Diamond was at the center of it. As much as she hoped she’d never see her friend again, she couldn’t help dreading that, before long, their paths would cross one final time.

Somehow, the thought made her both happy and sad.

What if she had to win again?
> Chapter 1: A forgotten home
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Secretary lightly hummed while she worked, slowly stirring the pot while eyeing the delicious smelling soup within. Made of a mix of seaweed, potatoes and a few other odds and ends they’d managed to scrounge together, she was quite proud of her concoction.

Of course, she wasn’t the only pony working in the kitchen. Behind her, working on the other stoves were a unicorn and a pegasus, preparing the food for the majority of their forces. On the one hoof, she was a bit sad that they had to make such a small amount of food. On the other hoof, she supposed it was for the best. If they’d managed to gather too large a force, then their rations would have quickly been depleted.

Besides. Quality over quantity, she supposed. She sipped the soup and gave a nod. “Perfect.” She quickly poured some into a bowl, before turning to leave the kitchen.

“Hey, St--”

“Please, call me Secretary,” she interrupted, glancing towards the pegasus.

“Right. You know, you don’t have to make his meals for him. You have a lot more important things to--”

“I have been preparing Dr. Alicity’s meals as far back as I can remember,” she said firmly. “And, the world falling apart or not, it is STILL of the utmost importance. I will not allow such a trifle to come between me and my duty.” With those words, she started towards the door again, only pausing a moment before walking out. “This should be sufficient for him. If you so desire, you may do with the rest as you please.”

The pegasus nodded with a chuckle, glancing to the unicorn once the mare disappeared around the corner. “Buck. I wish half of the Shadowbolts had her kind of work ethic.”

The unicorn snorted but shook her head. “If half the moon raisers in training had it, we wouldn’t have to be so careful about losing any of them.”

Secretary sighed, shaking her head at their words while she continued down the cold, icy halls of the hideout. The walls themselves were crafted of ice, though so dark they almost seemed black. Candle holders had been recently embedded deep in the walls, all lit with enchanted candles.

It did little to lessen the cold, icy feeling of isolation. She did have to give it to the Water Nation of old. When they created an outpost of despair, they didn’t hold back. The cold chill that always seemed to linger in the air was terrible. But ever worse was the darkness that seemed to close in on them from all sides. It wasn’t magic, of course. They’d checked many, many times.

No, the former home of the Shadowbolts, once the Water Nations most dangerous and impenetrable prison, had a dark magic all its own. Deep under the ice of the South Pole, light couldn’t penetrate these icy halls. Giving it the impression of a frozen, impregnatable tomb. No matter how many lights they put up, there was nothing they could do to brighten the place.

Even after years of being abandoned, the prison stood almost empty. Animals seemed unwilling to seek shelter within its dark, cold walls. Not that it would have been easy for them. But even so, she could see the effect such a place was having on the ponies here. Tower watch had become the most requested duty amongst all of their soldiers, even the Shadowbolts of Harmony seemed to despise being in the home of their ancestors.

She couldn’t blame them though. The light reflections in the ice and the darkness always gave her the odd impression she was being watched. That there were eyes out there in the darkness, waiting for her to turn her back. She knew it was preposterous. They had defenses setup. There were ponies EVERYWHERE, many of them water benders who had made sure that there was NOTHING else here with them. They did multiple checks throughout the day to ensure that EVERYPONY was accounted for. Passwords and extra passwords to ensure that there were no changelings that could sneak in, either.

They were safe. Protected.

But, despite all that, she couldn’t feel secure… except in one place. One place where, despite all of the darkness and gloom, light seemed to shine without being stifled. Already she could hear the gentle buzzing sound. She trotted a little faster, a small smile flickering onto her lips. She pushed open the door…

And entered somewhere new entirely. What had once been one of the many rooms for the Shadowbolts had been converted into a workshop for Alicity. The earth pony was wearing his lab coat, a pair of goggles over his head. He seemed completely lost in thought, tapping away at some strange… cube. It seemed to be buzzing, though she didn’t worry. Years as his assistant had taught her the difference between ‘According to plans’ buzzing and ‘Time to erect a barrier NOW!’ buzzing.

She paused when the buzzing shifted. Her horn glowed with a greater light and the stallion was enveloped in a small, magical shield. Sparks shot from the cube, bouncing off of the shield to land harmlessly on the ground. She gave a sigh and rolled her eyes. “Doctor? Your food is ready. Please be careful, you don’t wish to lose your eyebrows again.”

“Huh? Is it dinner already?” he asked, glancing back at her.

“Breakfast, sir.” She couldn’t keep the smile from her lips. The world could fall apart entirely, no, it WAS falling apart entirely. And yet, he still refused to be anything but himself. To be that same, warm glow she had grown so accustomed to over the years. Even knowing what his daughter was doing seemed to do little to stifle his energy. Though he had seemed just a little more serious of late.

“But didn’t we just have lunch? I remember these delicious cauliflower bites.”

“That was yesterday, sir,” she said, walking over to him. “Remember? You fell asleep at your desk again.”

“I did? Oh, right, yes,” he said, before glancing back towards his cube. Idly, she trotted besides him and her magic pulled him back.

“Sir, it’s time for a break.”

“But I think I have it. If I can just re-calibrate the--”

“Eat, and I’ll take notes,” she said firmly. “Now.”

He sighed and gave a nod. “Very well, I need to re-calibrate the gorgenal adixtes,” he said, speaking through the soup.

Secretary nodded, pulling out her notepad and pen and beginning to write. She’d spent years learning all of his little quirks, deciphering what he said while he ate was easy for her. She listened along, quickly jotting down all of his notes. However, after a few minutes she frowned. “Sir? Are you sure you want to use a double five-point array, there? Considering the output, wouldn’t a triple array using topaz be more stable?”

“No, no, it--” He stopped, staring at her. “SECRETARY! You are a GENIUS! I don’t know WHY I didn’t think of that! Secretary, get the thing,” he said with a wave of his hoof, his eyes glimmering with excitement. “I know how to--”

“Notes are taken, but you have a meeting.”

“But--”

“I will drag you, if I have to,” she said firmly, glaring at him.

He gave a soft sigh, before nodding. “Fine. Let’s go take care of things,” he mumbled softly, turning around. Secretary eyed the half-eaten bowl of soup and picked it up in her magic, moving it in front of him.

“Eat, first. THEN the meeting.”

The doctor gave another sigh, before relenting.

------  

“As you can see,” Colgate said, slowly moving a hoof along the map of the four nations. A dozen small pins had been pushed throughout it. The blue unicorn tapped on the city of Harmony. “Her forces are growing ever stronger. While… her Water Immortal was damaged in the attack on Canterlot, the other three are still out there. As dangerous as ever.”

Colgate’s eyes wandered to the southern pins. Her Water Nation. She still couldn’t believe that it had fallen. How close SHE had been to falling with it. If it hadn’t been for Luna and Celestia, she would have met a fate similar to so many of her soldiers. “The resistance is gaining new members every day. However...”

She motioned a hoof to the Earth Kingdom. She placed a hoof down, against the pins that made up the majority of the ones in the Earth Kingdom. “Metal Orchard is under siege. Vinyl has sent a message that they will be trying to get as many ponies out as they can, but...” She gave a soft, gentle sigh. “There is no reason to expect their resistance will do any better than the others. For time being, they’ll be delaying as long as they can.” She glanced over at the three other ponies in the room.

Copper Shield, the red-coated leader of the metal benders. She found it almost humorously funny that SHE was the only military leader of the Harmony forces to have escaped, considering the metal benders who had escaped had been moved to Metal Orchard, leaving their gathered forces as only the Moon Raisers and Shadowbolts. No, she supposed only Stratios had fallen of the three leaders. Tittering had turned out to be a traitor.

She felt a small burst of anger at that thought. She had KNOWN Tittering. She trusted her. The mare had always been so chipper and full of… well, terrible humor. But this? Turning on Harmony? No, not just on Harmony, but the Water Nation entirely? The world? Joining DISCORD of all ponies? Had somepony told her a year ago that the once happy, chipper water bender was capable of such a deed, she’d have politely snorted at the audacity of such a comment.

Yet, there was no denying what had happened. That it had been Tittering leading the forces against Canterlot. That it had been a pony she had once trusted as one of her soldiers directing the powerful spirit to steal the cutie marks of her soldiers, of HER.

She stared at the map, willing her tears to not form. How did her mother do this? How could Rarity rule over her nation through times like these? How could she stay strong even as everything fell apart around them? She felt overwhelmed. She felt like everything was going to come crashing down. No, that everything was crashing down. She was just trying to pick up the pieces and hold things together, to stop as many things from breaking as possible. She wasn’t the Water Lord, not yet. But now she was forced to bear that title and it was far, far heavier than she had ever imagined.

“They might wound it,” Copper finally said, shaking her from her thoughts.

“Huh?” Colgate asked, glancing to the other mare. “The Earth Immortal?”

“Possible.”

“Unlikely, however,” Alicity said, eyeing the map. “Possible, but highly unlikely. It’s not just that spirit that they have to contend with. There’s an army of changelings, as well as the defectors. Not to mention Stony. He’s been to the Metal Orchard and trained under Big Mac,” the stallion said, motioning back to the city. “The wounds that were inflicted on the Water Immortal were earlier, as well. Near the beginning of this campaign. With every attack, with every stolen mark, they grow stronger and stronger. On top of it, well...”

“Their forces grow as well,” Colgate said, keeping her voice calm and even. Not allowing the despair she felt, the hopelessness, to enter her voice. She was the ruler of the Water Nation, deposed or not. Without her mother to lead them, she was the only pony her people had to turn to. “The chances of them being able to isolate the spirit, like we did back in Canterlot, are very slim.”

“At least during a siege,” Alicity said with a shake of his head. “For now, we just have to hope they can sneak ponies out through their lines. However… They have three of the greatest benders the world knows in that city. It won’t be a quick fight. And if anypony could get ponies out, it’s those three. But...”

“Hope for the best, prepare for the worst,” Copper offered, her eyes on the map. Colgate eyed the other mare’s neutral face. She had to admire the earth pony’s resolve. Of all of them, the Metal Orchard falling had to be the roughest. Yet, as always, she seemed as calm and peaceful as could be. Truly she lived up to her parent’s legacy.

“Exactly,” Alicity mumbled. “This attack is quite brilliant,” he mumbled. “Forcing so many of the resistance to pull back to the Metal Orchard, then close the trap down on it. Their leadership is quite impressive. Silver truly is learning, she must have excellent advisers. Or maybe it’s one of her generals. Either way, it’s quite impressive. Turning the impenetrable fortress into an inescapable cage.”

Colgate glanced to the stallion. “You sound almost proud, Alicity.”

“Of course I’m proud,” he said with a laugh.

That managed to snap the unicorn’s calm facade, making her stare at him with a mixture of fury and annoyance. “What?! Our world is falling apart and you are PROUD?”

“Why, yes,” he said with a smile. “To imagine, my little girl eventually trying for world domination. And succeeding! Well, for the most part. What parent wouldn’t be proud?” he asked.

Colgate started to step forward, but Secretary quickly interposed herself between the two, her eyes narrowed on the ruler. She idly wondered if she could take the assistant. Logically, she knew the mare wasn’t a bender and would have been easy to defeat. After all, Colgate WAS the ruler of the Water Nation and one of the most powerful water benders in the world, now that her mother and aunt were missing. But, for some reason she didn’t feel confident about going against the mare when she was guarding the doctor.

“Of course she’s wrong,” Alicity said with another laugh, shaking his head. “Who would want to rule the world? So much work,” he said with a wave of his hoof. “Bad enough running a company. But even a city would just be so… heh. Silly! But yes, of course I’m proud of her. When she’s trying so hard, how can I NOT be proud of her?” He then idly tapped on the pins of the city again. “But that doesn’t mean I won’t try to stop her, if that’s what you’re worried about. She is my daughter, after all. It’s my responsibility. After all, is it not a father’s duty to guide their child? Especially when they’re being unruly.”

“Unruly?” Colgate asked, letting out a low growl, her eyes narrowed to slits. “My nation is collapsing and you dare to… to be proud of her? To call this merely ‘unruly’? To support this… this madness?”

“She’s my daughter. I’ll always support her. Otherwise, who will?” he asked. “In this case, though, support means stopping her before she goes too far.”

“GOES TOO FAR?!” Colgate asked, her front hooves leaping onto the table, making the pins quiver. “My ponies are losing their marks, being ENSLAVED by a SPIRIT OF CHAOS, and you dare to NOT call this too far?!” she screamed.

Alicity sighed. “Yes, I do. She’s making mistake after mistake. Children often do. But--”

“She’s not a child! She’s a DEMON! No. Worse. She’s DISCORD!” the water bender yelled, her fury raising. She didn’t know if she could get through Secretary to him, but she was quickly beginning to be willing to take the risk.

“Nonsense. Foalish mistake or not, she’s still Silver,” he said with a small shake of his head. “She’ll come to her senses eventually. Now, is there any more news from the rebellions?”

Colgate slowly pulled herself back, slowly adapting her calm, careful mask. She had to give Copper credit. The mare had kept herself as calm as ever. She envied that ability. The earth pony hadn’t even offered a word, one way or the other. “Of course. Other than the siege, there haven’t been any new updates. Luna and Celestia have been trying to make headway against the forces of Tittering’s, but… it hasn’t proved to be easy.”

“I see… oh. That reminds me! Button is with them, correct? What has he been up to?”

Colgate blinked a few times. She glanced off to the side, a small blush on her cheeks. How could he even ask such a thing? “They are… Luna and Button are… They are fine.”

“Oh, that’s good. If anything were to happen to Button or Acrylic, Silver would never forgive me,” he said with a light laugh.

Colgate lunged across the table.
> Chapter 2: Our dark history
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Button’s eyes slowly opened and for a small moment, he panicked. He flailed his hooves out. Where was--

A familiar warmth pressed against his back and he urked. “Button? What’s wrong?” Luna asked.

The brown earth pony flushed and rolled over, giving the dark blue stallion a worried look. “I uhhhh… didn’t… err… You weren’t next to me.”

“You were tossing and turning last night,” the unicorn said with a small, calm smile. “I merely re-positioned myself behind you so I could rub your back. It seemed to help you calm down.”

“R-right. Yes. It’s… right,” he said, staring at the other pony. He still didn’t get it, all of it. All of his feelings. He’d never even looked at a stallion before. But Luna…

Luna was special. Having him here just felt right to him. It didn’t hurt that Luna was probably one of the most feminine stallions he’d ever met. But there was more to it than that. There was just… something special about him. About everything about him. The thought of waking up without Luna being there just filled him with dread.

Button couldn’t stop himself. He pushed forward, catching Luna’s mouth with his and kissing him.

Luna didn’t object, closing his eyes and relaxing into it.

“Oh my gosh, you two, get a room,” Celestia’s voice rang through the tent, making Button jump and pull back.

“Dear sister, we have a tent. It is effectively a room. On top of that, the entrance is closed.”

“I can HEAR it,” the mare’s voice rang out. “Will you two hurry it up. We’re leaving soon. Ugh.”

Luna gave a soft, gently laugh before slowly pulling himself to his hooves and walking out of the tent, pushing the flap aside with a delicate, gentle grace.

Button followed a moment later, though he was far less graceful and ended up tripping over the entrance, tumbling down in front of it. “Ow!”

“Do be careful, dear Button,” Luna said, glancing back. “I am quite attached to your face.”

Celestia rolled her eyes, gently turning the vegetables roasting over an open fire pit. “Ugh. Bad enough I have to sleep next to you two when you’re all snuggly. Do you have to do it first thing in the morning?”

The water bender cocked an eye. “Oh, my. Dear sister, whenever did you become so prudish? Was it not you who would often awaken me with… rather risque tales of your own… frolics?”

“I NEVER called them frolics. And that was different. They never...”

“Yes?”

“Nothing,” she said with a shake of her head. “I hope you two are ready, though. Today isn’t going to be easy,” she mumbled, lightly spinning the vegetables again. She gripped a carrot from the assortment, bringing it to her lips and taking a nibble, before re-adding it to the pile. “Should be ready soon. Luna, can you take care of the tent?”

“Of course,” he said, before turning back to the tent. His horn glowed and slowly their supplies were moved out from the tent and into the small campsite. The tent then began to fold itself back up, neatly sliding into Button’s saddlebag. Satisfied, he nodded and moved back to the fire, sitting down. “Button, how are you feeling?”

“Nervous, mostly,” he said with a soft chuckle. “I mean. I know we’ve been preparing for this for… weeks now. But… well...”

“Meh, it’ll be fine,” Celestia said before splitting the vegetables onto three separate plates and then sliding them in front of the assorted ponies. “We’ll kick flank. And if Tittering shows her face, we’ll crush her. Easy.”

“Do not be so cocky, sister,” Luna said softly. “It is only natural that we’d be nervous. I know I certainly am.”

Button glanced over. The unicorn was, as always, the epitome of refinement. Despite having woken up, he’d already straightened his mane and coat. He looked as if there wasn’t a single worry on his mind. Except there were the small, tiny signs that Button was getting better at noticing. The way his withers were tightened. The way his jaw was set. The way his tail was just a little bit limp. In a way, it almost felt like earth bending. Noticing all the small, tiny movements the unicorn made, in order to determine a far greater meaning.

“We’re three of the best benders here,” Celestia said with a shrug. “We’re going to crush their lines. Changelings or not.”

“Do remember that there will be more than just changelings,” Luna said carefully. “There will be many water benders who have joined under Discord’s banner.”

“Bah. You’re worth ten of them,” she said with a dismissive wave of her hoof.

“And there may be twenty or thirty of them. Fifty. Possibly even more. Then there will be those who can’t fight. Those who are civilians. Those it is our duty to protect. While it is unlikely our mission will involve them, there is always the possibility they will become involved.”

The fire bender gave an exasperated sigh. “Yeah, I know...”

“And if we succeed… Tittering, and who knows how many other ponies, will be following us. Fighting against us. It is distinctly possible that we will be captured. Or worse, if they don’t fall for the bait, then all of this is for naught.”

“Well, congratulations. Now I’M nervous as buck,” Celestia muttered, moving a brussel sprout along on her plate. “It’s going to be fine, though. The two of us? Nothing we can’t handle. And now that we’ve got your… well, Button,” she said, her tone shifting to a teasing tone. “There’s nothing we can’t handle.”

“So long as we are all very careful and exercise due caution, I agree.” He then glanced to Button. “We’re going to be depending heavily on you, Button. We couldn’t do this without you. So… if you need anything. Please, let us know.”

He chuckled. “Don’t worry, I’ll do my part. I won’t let either of you down, no matter what.” He stared at the plate in front of him. He wasn’t hungry, but he knew he had to eat. Chances were he wouldn’t get another meal until a lot later in the day.

------  

“There it is,” Celestia said gently, holding a hoof out towards a small, walled off town. Besides it there had once been a lake.

Now the lake was entirely frozen, turned into a massive ice prison. Inside the icy structure were dozens, possibly hundreds of ponies. Tied, bound, who knew what else?

All awaiting the return of the Water Immortal. With it, their cutie marks could be removed as punishment for their crimes. There was no telling how much longer they had. If they were going to rescue the ponies, they had to do it and soon.

Worse yet, it was an obvious move. Anypony with half a brain would be able to tell that an attack from the rebellion would come through here. Which was why the general, Tittering, was residing in that city. A direct attack wouldn’t work. Their best option was simple. Lure as many of the forces away as they could with a bait they couldn’t resist. Primarily, Celestia and Luna.

Which meant attacking close enough that Tittering would come herself, but far enough away that they could still escape when she made her move. It wasn’t going to be easy. They could see their target, off in the distance. A small outpost, up in the mountains. The primary source of materials for one of the few towns in the Water Nation that were land locked. Airships came through often, delivering food and supplies to the town as needed.

“Are they ready?” Button asked softly, staring at the prison. If they didn’t buy enough time, everything would come crashing down. But if they stayed too long, there was a good chance THEY would be captured and imprisoned. If they were, there was no chance they’d be able to escape. The twins were too big a target to risk escaping and would likely be moved quickly. The rebellion still hadn’t managed to find the location where all of the captured leaders were being held and it was unlikely a rescue would be able to arrive in time even if they could.

“As ready as they can be,” Celestia mumbled, before beginning a light trot towards the outpost. “Remember, we go in and out. The moment there’s any sign of Tittering, we get ready to move. Luna, Button, you know your jobs.”

Button nodded. “Of course. Luna, will you be okay?”

The unicorn gave a nod in response. “Yes. Enchanted water such as… that, will be difficult. But not impossible to deal with,” he said firmly. “I’ll be able to stop it from hindering your bending at least. Escape should be possible.”

Sharing one last, final look, the three began their walk towards the outpost, keeping hidden under the treeline. They walked with heavy hearts, knowing this could be their final fight.

“Do you think this is how our mother felt when they went up against Discord before?” Luna asked, glancing to Button.

The stallion stumbled, before shrugging. “I don’t know. I doubt it. I mean, Discord was evil.”

Celestia let out a low groan. “You’ve GOT to be kidding me. You STILL don’t think Silver is evil? I mean, look at what she’s doing,” she said, motioning towards the prison. “Not to mention her little Immortals. How could anything NOT evil make such a… a monster? An abomination? It steals cutie marks. It steals the very essence of a pony. That’s as evil as evil can be,” she said firmly.

“I… know it’s wrong. But it’s Silver. I’ve known her since I was a colt. There’s absolutely no way that this is her.”

“It didn’t stop her from locking you away,” Celestia said firmly. “She played you, that’s all there is to it. Discord is an evil abomination. His little ‘avatar’ is just as bad, if not worse.”

Button sighed and shook his head. “Discord may be evil, but Silver isn’t. Trust me. I know her as well as anypony. She’s bucked up, sure, but--”

“Bucked up? She’s destroying the world! You can’t just go ‘oops’ when you imprison and torture ponies!”

The earth pony cringed. “I-I don’t think she tortures--”

“Stealing a cutie mark IS torture. Why are you even trying to fight her if you like her so much? Luna, aren’t you going to say anything?” Celestia asked, glancing to her brother.

Luna shook his head. “No. I do not have much to add.”

“Wait, YOU don’t trust her too, do you?! Oh come ON! Listen, we’re about to go and do… well. THIS. Enough of your little quiet mood. I wanna know the truth. Do you trust her, too?”

“Of course not,” he said with a shake of his head. He didn’t react to the look of triumph on his sister’s face, or the look of hurt on Button’s. Though he firmly desired to reach out and nuzzle the wounded stallion. “But I do trust Button. I had only known Silver for a very, very short time and, if not for this, I would have assumed she was a kind, generous soul. However, you are correct. She has brought the world to its knees and shattered so many of the bonds us ponies hold dear, as well as stolen many, many cutie marks.”

“See? Evil!” Celestia said with a smirk.

“And destroying lives, ruining countries was something that, before our mother’s hard work, was something that our country held a firm grip on,” Luna added.

“… Oh. That’s… that’s different,” Celestia mumbled. “It was under Discord’s influence, too, that--”

“The ruler, yes,” Luna said quickly. “The ponies under her? The ones who refused to oppose her? The ones who fought against those trying to stop it? They had no such excuse. Our country is one drowning in bloodshed, dear sister. The water benders in particular are, again and again, the focus of many stories of hate and suffering. Removing horns, wings, all in an effort to control and destroy. If we had the ability, removing cutie marks would have been something we would have done without hesitation.”

Celestia cringed again. “W-well, I mean. Yeah. But… but that was then. Besides, we never did that stuff. We’d never--”

“Can you be quite so sure?” Luna asked, glancing to his sister. “It must be nice to be so good, to know that you would remain untainted by a world of such darkness. I, however, am not so certain of myself. Were I to be surrounded by ponies of such blood thirstyness, if I were to have grown up in such a place? I cannot guarantee I wouldn’t have become like that. I may have become even worse, in fact. After all… I have two sisters I’d have wanted to remove from succession in order to achieve power.”

Celestia blanched. “You’d… have never hurt me. Besides, you wouldn’t want to rule, anyway. Colgate’s always--”

“Colgate will make a fine ruler. She is caring and kind, but firm. She will not allow herself to yield to pettiness or cruelty. And her path ahead will be quite difficult, one I imagine she would cast aside if she could. But that is to be a kind ruler. That is difficult, something I would never desire. But to be cruel? To be cold? To only care for power? To be like the Nightmare Moon of old, who rules through fear and might? That is far easier. Even a complete foal could do it. And, were our situations to be different, were Discord’s taint to have afflicted me? There is no telling what I could or would be willing to do. To care is difficult, but to not is easy.”

“I don’t… see what this has to do with anything,” Celestia mumbled, her voice unsure. “That was then. We cast aside his taint and… now we’re just normal ponies again. We’re trying to fight Discord, right? And he’s evil.”

“Discord IS evil,” Luna said. “But that does not mean that Silver is. The atrocities that our mother has seen. Those she committed herself. Not to mention our aunt. Many of them were evil. But that does not mean they are. We have no way of knowing what control over Silver currently exists. In fact, we know very, very little about her to begin with, aside from the fact she is powerful. It is entirely possible that the Silver that Button knows is still in there. That we can remove this… piece of Discord from her. That it is all just a terrible, horrible corruption that we can purge like the disease it is.”

Button nodded, slowly smiling. “Exactly! There’s no way that Silver is behind--”

“However, we must accept the possibility that this is, in fact, the true Silver,” Luna said, cutting him off.

“B-but you just said--”

“Discord was a master manipulator, working for generations, millenia even, to destroy the Elements of Harmony. He tricked, trapped, divided, corrupted and altered so, so many. Were we able to know for certain, we’d probably find his tainted claws stirring the chaos and destruction across all of history. How many events do you think he caused through his own touch and machinations? How many whispered words or false guidances? He always played with us as if we were toys. It is quite possible that Silver is what we’ve all heard. The true Spirit of Discord. And if she was… pretending to be a good pony? Pretending to be kind and sweet, tricking all of us? That would likely be easy for one such as her.”

Button flushed, glancing away. “I-I… guess she could. But this is Silver we’re talking about. She’d never hurt a fly. She--”

“The Silver shown to us? Perhaps she wouldn’t. But the true Silver? We have no way of currently knowing. As it is, we can only act on what we know. And, what we currently know, is she is a tyrant and ruining the world around her. If this is her own machinations or corruption from Discord himself, we have no way of knowing. When the time comes, when we have the Avatar again, we can only hope we’ll know what to do then. But we must remain flexible. Willing to strike her down, or show her mercy, regardless.”

Button and Celestia sighed, shaking their heads in unison. After a moment, the mare spoke up. “Spoken like a true water bender. Just keep putting it off.”

“Being flexible in a situation where you lack information is the best way to create the ideal outcome,” Luna said firmly. “Rushing in blindly, without care, would make us no different than our predecessors, dear sister. On the other hoof, denying the evidence in front of us and refusing to act when the time comes, standing firm in what we believe is ideal despite the consequences? That, dear Button, would be foalish.”

The stallion grumbled before shaking his head. “I know. I still don’t believe this is what she wants for a second, though. We’ll show her, somehow. Get all this fixed. I know we will,” he mumbled. He then glanced to Celestia. “Is he always like this?”

The mare groaned and gave a nod. “Yeah. It’s why I hate having arguments with him. He’s just so… ugh.”

“Patience, dear sister,” Luna said firmly. “It is one of the finest tools at our disposal. It has served me well throughout my life, after all.”

Celestia rolled her eyes. “Patience sucks. Patience is why we’re running around with our tails between our legs, waiting for Diamond to finish whatever she has cooked up in that brain of hers. I’d much rather just take the fight to Silver and end this now. If I could...”

Luna gave a soft, gentle chuckle. “Oh, dear sister. The best things in life are worth waiting for,” he said, before his eyes flickered to Button. Then, slowly, he looked ahead. “We’re here...” The three stopped and turned, glancing up at the outpost. He closed his eyes and his horn began to glow. Slowly, a frown formed on his face. “This… doesn’t make any sense.”

“What is it?” Button asked. “Can you not break it?”

“No. It’s not that,” he whispered. “There’s nothing to break.”

Celestia paused before glancing back to her brother. “Wait, what? There’s no enchanted water? Are you sure? Shouldn’t the ground be filled with it?”

“Yes, it should. But… it’s not. It’s just...” Luna dug his hooves deep into the ground, before shaking his head. “No. There’s nothing. This… doesn’t make any sense.”

“Maybe they didn’t suspect there’d be any earth benders? Or maybe Tittering can’t use the spell?” Button offered.

“It’s… possible. But foalish. Tittering knows that there are a few earth benders amongst the rebels operating in this region. The idea of her being unable to perform such a simple spell is laughable. We’ve all seen her poison bend. If she can do such a technique, she can use this spell to create such water. Even if she couldn’t, she would have soldiers who could. It’s not a difficult spell for a unicorn to cast.” Luna shook his head again. “But there is nothing. Why would Tittering leave such an obvious hole in their defenses?”

“Maybe she’s just not as smart as you think,” Button said. “Either way, that means I’m good to bend without any issues, right?”

“Indeed. Just… be careful. Sister?” Luna asked, glancing over.

“On it. Remember, you two. Move quick, hard and fast. Attack, attack, then we get out of here.”

The three shared a nod, before galloping forward, breaking cover and racing towards the outpost.
> Chapter 3: Pier pressure
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Alarms filled the air as Button felt the rush of adrenaline surge through him. The three had been spotted as they had intended.

Granted, even he was starting to feel like this was a terrible idea. They were vastly outnumbered, but the three of them were good. They could do this. No, would do this.

The outpost was simple enough. Surrounded by a thick wooden wall, with a three story tall building built into the mountains itself. At the top of the building, the pier jutted out from the mountain, where the airships would dock and bring more supplies in. Destroying the pier was up to Celestia and Luna.

He was their entrance and exit, as well as delaying tactic.

A buzzing sound filled the air, though he paid it no heed, yet. He had one goal. Destroy the wall so the other two could run inside. He leaped forward and then landed hard, driving his hooves into the ground. There was a sickening crunch when stone and dirt rushed up, shoving at the bottom of the wall. The buzzing got louder and he glanced up.

His heart raced faster. There were dozens of black, buzzing ponies. The changelings reminded him of bugs.

Then a moment later they flashed green and they were splitting images of him, Luna and Celestia. Fire shot up, blocking them from view a second later, when Celestia galloped past. “Less gawking more breaking!” she yelled at him.

“R-right!” he yelled. He took a deep breath, digging his hooves in as hard as he could. Sweat started to form on his body while he shoved with all his might, the ground imitating his movements. “Come on… come on… THERE!” he yelled.

With a much louder crunch, part of the wall gave way and a hole big enough for three or four ponies to get through was made, one of the massive posts of the wall flying away from the fort and crashing to the ground. He panted with exertion, watching the twins disappear inside.

He wiped the sweat from his brow before glancing up. Some of the changelings had disappeared, but there were still a dozen or so, who flew down at him. No telling how many more would be coming out to fight him, too. He gulped and raced away from the hole he made, heading towards the main towers that stood on either side of the primary entrance. He growled and then shoved both his hooves forward with all his might.

Lava formed in front of him, a veritable river of it. It shot out over the road and then under the main gate and tower. More angry buzzing filled the air when more of the changelings shot out from the, now burning, tower.

Button then turned, the lava at his back, while the changelings landed behind him. Now all images of Celestia and Luna. “Come on, guys,” he mumbled, narrowing his eyes. “Do you have to wear my coltfriend’s face? You’re just making this awk-- eep!” He leaped to the left, narrowly avoiding a blast of green magic from one of their horns. “Okay, fine!” He then tapped his hooves, forming a wall of rock in front of him, blocking more magical beams.

“Don’t say I didn’t warn you! I’ll kick ALL your flanks!” he yelled, before turning and bucking. The wall shot out, striking two of the changelings and sending them toppling back. He then whipped around to face the veritable horde.

He really hoped Celestia and Luna were doing better. He leaped up, the ground rising to help shoot him into the air, moments before his prior position was enveloped in green magic beams. He landed, skidding along the ground, before sending more stones hurtling at the crowd. At least with so many, he didn’t have to worry about aiming.

------  

Celestia let out a giddy laugh when she burst into the outpost. Her eyes narrowed on the large, metal door of the main building and she quickly leaped into the air, sending out a powerful, crashing burst of flame at the door.

The door crumbled like paper, bursting in and taking out a few of the ponies inside. Luna raced in, ahead of her, his horn glowing. Spikes of ice raced at him, but he quickly turned in a tight circle, turning the spikes to water and then forming a whip in front of himself. The whip lashed out at the nearest unicorn, gripping the pony’s front hooves and yanking him forward in time for Celestia to race forward and swirl into a powerful buck to the pony’s chest. He sailed through the air.

Luna saw three more unicorns and two copies of himself and his sister. The unicorns were staring at the two in shock, however. He didn’t blame them. It wasn’t everyday you saw the prince and princess of your nation burst in through your front door. While he would have preferred to take his time and talk with them, time was something they had in very limited supplies. His whip lashed out, gripping the withers of the other two unicorns and slamming them together, sending them toppling to the ground.

Celestia sent a firm stream of fire forward, forcing their duplicates to scatter from the heat and open the stairway to them, before she galloped up it. Luna followed closely behind, tossing the limited water he’d gathered onto the steps behind them and quickly freezing it solid. He was rewarded by the sound of a startled shriek, then a few scattered thumps and shrieks.

He smiled, galloping after his sister, who slowed down just enough so he could pass her. Her horn lit up once again and she lit the wall behind them aflame, blocking off their pursuers.

“You never were one for subtlety, dear sister. Are you not worried you’ll burn the place to the ground?”

“There are water benders EVERYWHERE here,” she said quickly.

“Point.” He burst up to the top of the steps as well and quickly ducked and rolled. A changeling flew over where he had been, crashing into the wall by the steps. Celestia stomped on the poor creature’s body on her way up, moving to his side.

The hallway had three more ponies, two unicorns and a pegasus. Thankfully they didn’t look like the twins. Luna readied her horn, but the two unicorns bowed their head. “Y-your highnesses! What are you doing here? You’re in grave danger!”

Celestia’s left hoof was raised, fire in it, but it was paused. “We’re here for the pier. Which way is up?”

“Down this hall, on the left. But you can’t be here. Tittering will--”

“Don’t worry about that. We kicked your butts, okay?” Celestia said, before galloping past the three. They moved aside, not raising any objections.

Luna raced after his sister, sparring only a small glance back. Fortunately, it seemed not all ponies were so easily beaten. No matter what Silver did, she was just one pony. She couldn’t control every individual pony and many of them still knew where their loyalties lie.

Of course, when he raced up the steps behind his sister he was forced to remember that, while some would still side with them, it didn’t apply to all of them. A veritable wall of water came surging down the steps at the two. He barely had time to step in and hold it back, forming a wall of rushing water in front of the two. He could feel another bender, possibly more than one, shoving at the top of the steps to try and shove them back down.

“S-sister...”

“On it,” Celestia said, backing up. “Let it go when I say. You ready?”

“Yes.”

She nodded. Fire erupted from her horn. She dug her hooves firmly into the wood. Red fire formed on the tip of her horn. She took a deep breath before, slowly, the fire got hotter and hotter. Shifting from red to orange, yellow and then blue. The heat radiating off it gave even Luna pause, especially in the tight stairway.

“NOW!” Celestia yelled, thrusting her horn forward.

Luna let the water go and focused all of her efforts on the steam that filled the stairway. Or rather, would have filled the stairway and killed the two of them. He forced it up and above, redirecting it away from them. It wasn’t easy, as the super heated water wanted to escape and fill the area and it took all his efforts to stop it from burning them, redirecting it back behind them while they made their way up the tunnel.

They burst through the water at the top of the stairwell and a jet of Celestia’s flame shot forward, burning a hole through the wall of the compound and searing the stone behind it. The pair of water benders at the top of the steps stared at the pair, unwilling to come closer. Four changelings stared at the two, seemingly unsure now if they should transform or not.

Celestia didn’t give them time to recover, her horn flame quickly fading out moments before she leaped forward, slamming her front hoof into the nearest bender, crashing them to the ground. She then charged two of the changelings, spinning around and bucking with enough power that two of them were sent flying across the room to crash into the wall.

Luna flicked his head, gathering the small remaining dregs of water. It fashioned quickly into a dull hook, before reaching forward, gripping around the remaining water bender’s neck and drawing him down, slamming his head against the ground. He then melted the hook back into water and formed a small swirl of water, which moved up to deflect one of the charging changelings past him. The first skidded to a halt, whipping around to rush at him, while the second charged from ahead.

Luna sighed and, with practiced ease, he stepped towards the one in front of him. The water he held moved in front of the changelings vision for a second to distract him, before he gripped the changeling’s front hoof and spun, sending the changeling into its partner. The two crashed to the ground a second later.

Celestia galloped past him, a grin on her lips. “You know, this is kind of fun! We haven’t had a workout like this in ages!”

Luna gave a soft chuckle, following besides his sister. “Quite. I will admit it is a bit… exhilarating.”

“How do you think Button’s doing?”

“I’m certain he’s doing fine. Come along, we still have a bit left to go, and we must be out of here before Tittering shows her face.”

------  

Button shrieked and galloped as fast as he could, the sound of angry buzzing behind him. He leaped forward, hitting the ground and skidding along it. Behind him, a wall of stone rose up and he was rewarded by a loud, satisfying splatting sound when the changelings slammed into it. He whipped around, quickly sending the stone wall toppling back onto them, burying the creatures in rubble. He panted with exhilaration, before digging his hooves back into the ground.

There were at least a dozen changelings, two, maybe more, water benders. He saw a few unicorns who he’d seen water bend, but with the changelings mixed in and taking on different forms, it was near impossible for him to determine what everypony was.

A scream, LUNA’S scream tore his attention. He turned back to face the hole in the wall he’d made, and saw Luna fly out from it, crashing to the ground.

His heart almost stopped and he stared with abject horror. 'No no no no. Have they failed?' he thought as a water bender raced towards Luna, lifting her horn up and formed spears of ice overhead.

Button galloped towards them.

Unstopping. Punching through everything. His eyes narrowed and stone formed around him. He wasn’t a rock or dirt or stone or any of that.

He was the avalanche.

The water bender glanced up at the earth pony. Her eyes widened and she had only a split second to try and re-direct the spears, but she was too slow. Button slammed into the unicorn and sent her soaring back through the air, making the spears fall to the ground. He then turned towards Luna. “Luna, Luna are you okay?” Behind him, a ditch had been dug into the ground from his unstoppable charge.  

The stallion whimpered. “B-Button. It’s… Celestia. She’s in danger. Y-you have to help her. S-she’s… ugh… She’s hurt, they captured her.”

Button nodded. “On it.” He lifted his right hoof up and turned towards the hole. “I--”

Luna smirked, her horn glowing with a green light and sending a blast of changeling magic at the earth pony.

A wall of stone rose up between the two when he put his hoof down. “-- am not dumb enough to fall for such a silly trick. You actually had me for a second when you came crashing out. But you’re not nearly as good a pretender as you think you are.”

The changeling let out a shriek when the stone wall fell on top of him, leaving him groaning in a pile of rubble.

Button snickered, rolling his eyes. “They really think low of me, don’t they? As if I’d ever be fooled by a fake Luna.” He whipped around, narrowing his eyes on the encroaching forces. “Come on, everypony! Let’s--”

The words stopped in his mouth. Off in the distance, he could see the town. A few dozen changelings were already in the air, some of them pulling chariots. Reinforcements were coming.

Which likely meant Tittering. He gulped. “WAIT!” he yelled, giving the slowly advancing forces pause. “Before we continue on, I need to ask you one very, very important question.”

The changelings buzzed, staring at him. Finally, one of the water benders spoke up. “Err… yes?”

“Are you ready to rock?” he asked.

“Huh?”

Button grinned and then sat down. He started rotating his front left and right hooves, tapping them on the ground. The confused ponies shared looks, before charging forward.

The earth pony smirked, digging his hooves in harder and harder with each tap. The ground around him began to shake and rumble. “You reallllllly should have enchanted the ground,” he said softly. Moments later, the ground around him erupted, sending a veritable tidal wave of dirt and rock out at the encroaching ponies. There were shrieks while the ponies tried to reverse course, but they were too slow.

The earth pony gulped, staring at the destruction he’d wrought. Slowly, a grin formed on his lips. “Oh yeah! That’s how I-- GAHHHHH!” He stumbled forward, moments before a second and third blast of green magic struck him in the back, sending him toppling forward. He groaned, his body feeling numb. He stared at the hole in the fort, seeing more changelings and possible ponies. Three of the changelings shot more blasts of their magic at him, but he quickly tapped a hoof and formed a wall of dirt, before rolling to his feet.

“I’m… not done yet...” he mumbled, staring at the ponies. It hurt, though. He could feel the numbness slowly beginning to spread from the blast, somehow worse than the pain they were taking. Still, he couldn’t fall here. The others were depending on him. “Come on, let’s go!” he yelled, before shoving his hooves forward and sending more rocks at the crowd.

------  

Luna’s horn dipped forward and the small whip of water he’d made lashed out, gripping the hoof of the changeling blocking their way and yanking, bringing the creature down to the ground. A quick strike from his sister and the changeling went flying. The twins then burst through the last door, the bright light outside almost blinding them.

But the pair had made it. They stepped out onto the docks. There were four unicorns there, along with dozens of changelings. One of the unicorns spoke up. “Princess Celestia. Prince Luna. Cease this destruction. Please, I’m begging you. Surrender peacefully.”

Celestia snorted. “Why would I ever do that? You’re barely making this a challenge for us.”

The stallion bristled. “I am Commander Icyveil, this is my outpost you’ve been damaging. We’ve all heard tales of your… rebellion,” the stallion said, shaking his head. “It’s foolhardy. Discord has won, he rules now. All you’re doing is making foals of yourselves and putting ponies at risk.”

Luna sighed. “And you would rather us take it lying down?” he asked. He glanced off to the left, however, before turning back to the unicorn. He could see the reinforcements quickly making their way towards them. They didn’t have much time left.

“Yes. You two have already caused enough disgrace for our nation, need you add a hopeless rebellion to your list?” he asked, his voice cold and hard.

The twins froze. “Disgrace?” Celestia asked. “How could standing up to a tyrant possibly be a disgrace?”

The stallion shook his head, his cold facade breaking and anger covering his features. “Truly? You ask me of disgrace? Your whole history is nothing but a cycle of disgrace. A fire bender in line for the throne of the WATER nation?” he asked, his eyes narrowing. “A colt who shares the appearance of the great Nightmare Moon and yet shares none of the traits that made her the powerful ruler she was? And then there’s the heir and your mother. So timid and frightened to act when it is required. So frightened of disturbing the other nations that they refuse to show the strength our nation once held. It is far, far better that our kingdom fall now, under the hoof of this abomination. Than letting it crumble to pieces from the weakness of your family’s disgrace. The Water Nation can recover its former glory, but not if it rots from the inside out.”

Celestia took a slow, deep breath. “Ah. So you’re one of those types, then?” she asked, fire forming at the tip of her horn. “You know what I have to say to that?”

“What? You still wish to fight? You can’t possibly believe you can defeat all of us,” he asked with an amused smirk.

“One, so what if I’m a fire bender? My mother taught me that there’s not much difference between the benders, different nations or not. A pony is still a pony.” The fire on her horn glowed brighter, slowly growing. “Two, my brother is one of the greatest ponies you’ll EVER have the honor of meeting. His traits are incredible and you’d wish you were half the pony he was if you could see out through your own tail hole!” The flame shifted colors again, until settling on blue. The opposing unicorns took a small step back. “Three, my mother and big sister? They’re trying to heal the damage the Water Nation did. Who cares if we’re seen as weak? They aren’t. Anypony with half a brain can see they aren’t. You have no idea how hard they are working to fix everything.” She then smirked. “And four...”

“Y-yes?” the stallion asked, his eyes locked on the fire on her horn.

“I don’t need to beat any of you to destroy this pier.” She then whipped her head forward. The fire shot out, scorching forward and searing the docks, instantly incinerating the boards it touched. The changelings and ponies scattered aside, trying to avoid the inferno. Celestia soon stumbled back, the fire on her horn going out. However, the damage was done. The fire quickly began to spread through the dock and they could see the supports catching alight through the holes in the wood. “Whew… think I over did it a bit?” she asked with a soft chuckle. “Come on, let’s go back.”

“We can’t,” Luna mumbled. “Tittering is almost upon us.”

“W-what?” the unicorn asked, glancing towards the town. She paled at the sight of the fast approaching forces. “O-oh...”

“… How much do you trust Button?” Luna asked.

“Huh? Wh-- EEEEEEE!” the mare shrieked when she was shoved OFF the burning pier. Luna followed a moment later. “LUNA WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?!!” she shrieked, staring at the fast approaching ground. Down below, she could see Button facing off against a hoard of changelings.

The stallion shrugged. “I believe this is called a trust fall. BUTTON!” he yelled.

The earth pony glanced up and his heart almost stopped. “LUNA!” He stumbled back when another blast of changeling magic hit him. He shook his head and then glared. “OH BUCK THIS!” he yelled. He thrust his hooves forward and the ground rose up around him, dirt and rock swirling around him in a protective barrier. He then surged forward, the green blasts bouncing off the armor. He raced towards the twins, pushing everything he had into it.

He snagged the two, barely, out of the air and quickly made the dirt give way, slowing their fall while the earth carried them forward. The three tumbled forward, before bursting into and then through one of the outer walls of the outpost, making the thick wall post crack with a mighty crash.

The three ponies were sent toppling out from the wave of stone, hitting the ground and rolling forward, laying still. After a few moments, Celestia spoke up. “Trust. Fall. My. Little. White. Flank. Ow.”

“I-I don’t… wanna do that… again...” Button mumbled, shaking his head. “Luna?”

“Yes… Button?” he asked, slowly getting to his hooves. “Dear sister… you’d best… get up. It is time for us to… depart...” he said, before reaching a hoof up to his forehead and shaking it.

“That’s my Luna. We should… oh buck,” he said softly. The changelings were almost upon them. He could make out Tittering on one of the chariots, her eyes locked on them. “Time to go! Sorry!” he said before tapping the ground again. The dirt under them opened up, swallowing the three.

------  

Celestia hacked up dirt, laying on her side. Luna didn’t fare much better, the stallion laying opposite her and coughing up a small bit of dirt as well.

“Sorry! Sorry!” Button said for the thousandth time, bowing his head profusely. “They were right there! I had to move fast! I’m so, so sorry!”

“It’s… quite alright...” Luna muttered, before coughing up a few more specks of dirt. “Emergency situations call for… emergency reactions. You… got us out under… Tittering’s nose. That, in and of itself, is a success… Even if the methods had to be a bit… harsh...” he mumbled, before slowly getting to his hooves. He then shook his head, sitting back down. Slowly, he reached a hoof out and placed it on Button’s withers, giving the stallion a small smile. “There are… dozens of different methods that… water benders have to stop earth benders when they flee. You got us out before they could--” He was cut off by another fit of coughing. “-- before they could unleash any of them on us. A rough trip is far, far preferable to being captured.”

“Ugh… I swear I swallowed some rocks,” Celestia groaned, before snorting. “And it’s up my nose… but yeah. What Luna said. You did good, Button. Got us out of there. Ready to go meet with the rebels?”

Button nodded. “Yeah. Here’s hoping they succeeded. We’ve… still got quite the road ahead of us, don’t we?”

Luna nodded. “Yes. Indeed we do. But...” He gently moved besides Button and bumped his flank against the other stallion’s. “So long as we face it together, I know we’ll succeed. Now come, Dear Button. Sister. Our people require our presence.”

------  

“They escaped. I can’t believe you let them escape!” Icyveil said, storming back and forth across his office. His outpost had been nearly destroyed. The pier was in tatters, the lower floors had been burned as well. It would take weeks to repair the damage.

“I wasn’t here,” Tittering said with a light giggle. “I never really mastered teleportation, my bad. Still, you have to admire their courage. Charging in, wiping out the pier like that? Especially with the main force so close? Impressive.”

“Do you find this FUNNY?” Icyveil asked. “Her highness is going to be furious with us!”

“Oh, relax,” Tittering said with a dismissive wave of her hoof. “So a small outpost got wrecked. The rebels do stuff like that all the time. She won’t even care.”

“The prince and princess were there! And that other one, Button. He was one of the Avatar’s friends! If you’d just let me lay down the poisoned water like I asked, they never would have escaped. I would have caught them here and now!”

“Hmmm. Probably. Totally my bad, sorry, big guy,” Tittering said with a shrug.

“How can you be so--” He was cut off when the door burst open. A changeling burst in, glancing to Tittering.

“General Tittering. The ponies, while you were here, they launched an attack on the prison. All of the prisoners, they’re gone.”

Tittering blinked, her eyes widening. She nodded before motioning the changeling to leave. “I… see. Thank you. Bye bye now!” She waited for the changeling to leave, before she leaned back in her seat and giggled into her hoof.

Icyveil stared at the mare. He’d heard of her, of course he had. Lots of ponies assumed she was mad, but he had never believed it until now. How could she be laughing at this? Prisoners had escaped. They were going to be in so much trouble! Slowly, his mouth fell open. “W-why… why are you laughing?”

“Oh, it’s just so funny! The perfect joke! Come here, draw us off. Then, BAM! The perfect punchline. I really have to give it to them. If Silver heard about this, we’d look like total idiots,” she said with a giggle.

He narrowed his eyes. “If? How do you expect to keep it from her?”

Tittering shrugged. “I just won’t tell her. Well, not everything. Still, they got us good. Smart ponies, them. Amazing delivery,” she said with another giggle.

Icyveil glared. He could see it now. She truly was mad. There was only one way to deal with a pony such as this. His left hoof shot forward. Water shot from a nearby decanter, turning to shards of ice and flying at the general.

They stopped centimeter’s from her throat and she gave a soft sigh, shaking her head. “Now now, commander. I wasn’t going to make you take the fall for this… but if you insist? I’ll oblige,” she said with a little giggle. Her right hoof slid gently forward while the water from the decanter rose up into the air.

He gulped, taking a step back. “G-general, wait, I wasn’t, I didn’t mean to-- AGHHHHHHHHH!”
> Chapter 4: Prepare for her return
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Button slowly walked through the small camp, glancing left and right. Ponies were tending to the wounded, training, eating a few bites of what they could or resting. He didn’t blame them. The small camp was nothing more than just enough tents for those who would be resting. They’d all be back on the move first thing tomorrow, trying to get as far from Tittering’s forces as they could.

He glanced over to Luna, eyeing the look of concern on his face. He then glanced to Celestia. The twins couldn’t be much different than in their movements. He’d spent quite a bit of time with them, ever since Diamond’s departure, and he was beginning to pick up all their little signs and tells. They were both nervous, but showing it in different ways.

Luna was worried, though he kept his face calm. A steely facade, only betrayed by how tense he was. Each step seemed overly precise, overly fluid. Carefully measured. So smooth he barely disturbed the grass and could have easily avoided being noticed at all. Button supposed that was what it meant to be a member of the royal family, always certain to walk with care and grace, to not let anything slip under the mask. To be able to melt away when needed.

But he’d seen Luna when he was truly relaxed. Truly calm. When he wasn’t worried about being watched and judged. At those times the unicorn was truly breathtaking, he moved with a natural grace and smoothness that flowed like the water he used so perfectly. He felt honored to be able to see that side of the prince as often as he did.

Celestia? Celestia was something else entirely. She seemed almost carefree by comparison. While Luna was the graceful spring, Celestia was the wild flame. Each step she took was her way of announcing ‘I AM HERE!’ to the world and no small amount of ponies glanced up at the regal, powerful mare.

But Button knew it was an act. The way she tossed her mane back, took each step firmly and roughly, digging her hooves into the ground. Pretending she wasn’t anxious or worried at all. She was just as nervous as Luna, hiding it under a mask of confidence and power.

In a way, it was the same. While the twins expressed themselves in different ways, he’d been with them long enough to know just how in tune their emotions were. If one was worried, the other probably was as well.

“Princess Celestia! Prince Luna!” a voice called out. Button’s thoughts were shattered by the presence of a red unicorn stallion galloping forward. He noticed Luna tensed a little bit more. The unicorn quickly bowed his head. “It… it was an honor to be rescued by you two,” he said firmly.

Luna stared at the stallion. Finally, he spoke up. “Captain Bubbledash, we did nothing more than our duty. It wasn’t us who rescued you, it was--”

“You may not have been there, but it was only thanks to your efforts that we were freed. We all know about the battle of Canterlot. I was there and, while I didn’t see the final fight, I still heard from those who did,” he said, raising his head and staring at the two. “If not for your efforts, the Immortal of Water would have never been defeated. Our cutie marks would have been stolen. On top of that, you put yourselves at great risk to rescue us. I… I can never thank you enough for all you have done for us. You truly are your mother’s children.”

Celestia nodded. “Of course. We only did our duty, nothing more, nothing less. Now, if you don’t mind, we need to meet with Commander Greendye. If you’ll excuse us?”

“Of course,” he said, moving aside.

After a few moments of walking, Button noticed Luna relaxing. “Feeling better?” he asked. “Did you know him?”

“I made an effort to know most of our higher ranking officers,” Luna offered.

“But you knew him personally,” Button asked, already knowing and dreading the answer.

“… Yes,” the stallion said softly. “He was… not… my biggest supporter.”

Celestia snorted. “He was one of those idiots who believed that Luna would one day try to rise up and kill all of us or something,” she said flatly. “Even helped organize one of the rallies.”

Button stumbled. “There… were rallies? I… didn’t know that.”

“They were foalish things,” Luna said firmly. “I have no claim to the throne, anyway. That... honor lies with Colgate. Celestia and I were never...” He gave another sigh. “Were either of us to ever ascend to the throne, it would be disastrous.”

Button nodded. “I… see… I think he was an idiot.”

“He was just one of many, Dear Button,” Luna mumbled.

“Yeah. Apparently the fact we were born as twins kind of freaked a lot of ponies out,” Celestia muttered. “You should hear some of the things said about us. Apparently it’s a ‘bad omen’ and we’re destined to follow in Nightmare Moon’s hoofsteps or something. It’s a load of brain dead fears is what it is.” She gave another shake of her head. “I tried to never put much worry into it. Neither of us would ever want the throne, anyway. Talk about boring. You can never do ANYTHING fun.”

Button chuckled. “Yeah, seems like it’d be a lot of work. I think you two do quite enough for the nation just as the prince and princess, let alone running it.”

“Besides...” Luna said softly, before inching just a little closer and leaning his head in, gently rubbing it against Button’s and drawing a light squeak from the earth pony. “If… I was the heir? I would not be allowed to enjoy myself in such manners.”

Celestia snorted. “Oh come on, Luna. You call that a public display of affection? You didn’t even give him tongue.”

Button flushed. From the stoic water bender it had all but been one. “I-I think it was plenty...” he mumbled, his heart pounding. He could see the bright glow of pleasure in the other stallion’s eyes. “Besides...” He then leaned in and kissed the unicorn on the lips, drawing a small hint of red to the dark coated cheeks. “That’s usually for me to do.”

Celestia rolled her eyes. “I will never understand you two.”

The three then stopped, staring up at a small collapsible table that made up the current ‘base’ of their operations. They would be moving soon and there wasn’t much time to worry about setting up a full tent, when that time could be better spent setting up personal tents for those who needed to rest. By dusk, even the table would likely be gone.

Three ponies were discussing things in front of the table, though only one truly drew their attention. A green unicorn in full Water Nation armor. Greendye. Button didn’t know him very well, but apparently he had originally been a designer before all of this, focusing on using his bending with different dyes to create all kinds of designs. He couldn’t imagine how he’d ended up becoming a commander of the rebellion, though.

“Princess Celestia, Prince Luna… Noblepony… Button Mash,” the stallion offered, looking up from the map.

Button barely suppressed a chuckle at the unicorn trying to come up with a title for him.

“Commander Greendye,” Luna said calmly. “I see the operation was a success.”

He nodded. “They had light resistance, but we were able to get everypony out. It was thanks to the risk you took. However...”

“Yes?” the prince asked.

“… Has there been any news from Princess Colgate?”

The twins each shared a sigh. Celestia spoke up this time. “Not yet, but we’re waiting for now. You have a plan on where to spread those rescued?”

“We do, but...” he said, before chewing on his lip. After a few moments he spoke up. “With all due respect, your highnesses...”

“Yes?” Celestia asked.

“This plan is foolhardy. With this, our forces are stronger than ever. Many of these ponies were the ones captured during the invasion of Canterlot. Now is the time to take this fight to Tittering and to Discord, if we gathered our hidden forces we would--”

“Would be foals to rush in, now. Our greatest weapon hasn’t returned yet,” Celestia said firmly.

“What if the Avatar DOESN’T come back? We all know the stories. Her lost cutie mark. Discord beat her! If we want to strike, we have to strike while she’s at her weakest, while--”

“Attacking now would only result in us being destroyed,” Luna cut him off, staring intently into the stallion’s eyes. “I will be direct. We have no chance against her. Against the power she currently wields. We barely managed to damage, not destroy, one of her immortals. There are three more.”

“And they are constantly getting stronger! With every cutie mark they steal, they become more and more dangerous!”

“Even now they have more power than we could hope to defeat in a head on conflict,” Luna said before trotting forward, placing a hoof on the map. “If we were to gather every single pony with a cutie mark into one spot and attack them? We would likely still lose.”

The stallion paled. “But… we have more numbers than--”

“So?” Luna asked. “In the last generation, Discord turned this world to chaos with a flick of his wrist. Do you really believe if we attack Silver with raw power we’ll, somehow, miraculously win? We need the Avatar to face this foe. The Immortals alone are dangerous. The changelings? Unlike anything we’ve ever experienced. We aren’t in the world of power and might, commander. We’re fighting a foe who is different than anything we’ve ever fought. Nopony, save the Avatar, can hope to stand against them as they are now. On top of that, we know very little about what she is. If we kill her, what then? A new Discord takes her place? Or maybe she just comes back?” He shook his head and tapped the map. “For now, we must be patient. We must trust the Avatar. We must trust Diamond.”

The stallion sighed and shook his head. “If Twilight Sparkle were still the avatar, then--”

“Diamond was chosen for a reason,” Luna said firmly, cutting him off again. “I’ve seen her. I’ve fought alongside her. More importantly, I trust her. Not just with my life, but with the future of the Water Nation. Of all the nations.”

The stallion gulped. “But… she should be here, helping--”

“She is where she needs to be,” Luna cut him off again. “For now, our task is simple. We prepare. We ready ourselves. We fight and dodge and weave and do everything we can to slow this tide as long as we can. We buy Diamond the time she needs. We make sure that when she returns, she has ponies ready to fight by her side. To fight for her. Because when she goes up against Discord, like her predecessor did before her, then she will need all the help she can get. That is our duty. That is what we must do. My sister understands that. That is why she is preparing. That is why we are here, why we are fighting. Tell me, what do you fight for?” he asked, staring at the stallion with a gaze that could pierce iron.

Slowly, the commander lowered his eyes back to the map. Finally, he spoke up. “Do you really believe she’ll come back?”

“Yes,” Celestia said. “But we don’t trust her because she’s the Avatar. We trust her because we’ve met her. We’ve seen what she’s like, who she is. We know she’s the pony who has taken on the mantle of the Avatar. And we know she is worthy of it.”

The stallion sighed. “But without her cutie mark, how can she possibly win?”

“The same way she always has,” Button said with a shrug. “Hard work, dedication and a whole lot of luck. Besides, it’s Silver. If anypony can get her to shake off Discord’s influence, it’s Diamond.”

The commander sighed. “Very well. If you’re so certain… I will spread the word. We will continue to prepare for the final fight,” Greendye said firmly. “I… hope you’re right.”

“Of course we’re right,” Luna said firmly. “After all, she’s the Avatar. If anypony can fix things, she can.” He turned around. “We’ll be heading out again, drawing a different trail from your group. Get them away as fast and quietly as you can. We’ll send more messages as needed. As always, be prepared and be ready.”

The stallion nodded. “I will. We will. You can count on that,” he said softly. His eyes lingered on the three when they turned and slowly walked away, before once again his eyes were drawn to the map before them. Could Diamond really, truly save them?

------  

“You were certainly vocal there, Luna,” Celestia teased. “I’m guessing you must trust Diamond a lot more than even I thought.”

Luna sighed. “Now is not the time to be silent and watch, Dear Sister. We stand on the edge of a ship sailing towards an iceberg. Diamond is our only hope, we can only trust that she knows what she’s doing. As small a chance as it may be, it is all we have.”

“So… you aren’t certain she’ll succeed?” Button asked softly.

“Of course not. We may all fall,” Luna said softly. “Despite your hopes, Silver may be irredeemable. She may be the true personification of Discord. All of the belief you have in her may be ill placed. Worse, Diamond may not be up to this task. She has lost her cutie mark and already fallen, once.”

“But… you said...” Button mumbled gently.

“If we fight her now, there is no chance. We lose. Discord wins. That is the sum total,” Luna said firmly. “Her immortals, all four of them together? Would crush any force we could muster. Our only hope now is Diamond. And it is a small, tiny chance. But it IS a chance. Right now? Our ponies need to believe in that chance. They need to believe that Diamond can and will solve this. That there is no doubt, no question that she will win. But...”

The earth pony nodded. “I know. But… I still think we can save Silver, too. And I believe in Diamond. She’s out there, working. So…”

Luna nodded. “I believe she will do her best. That whatever she has planned will be our best chance. But… I cannot be certain. Our world has been shattered and I do not know if one pony can fix this.”

Celestia shrugged. “Hey. I for one believe in her.”

“Oh?” Luna asked, glancing over to her.

“She’s stubborn. She’s not going to take ANY of this lying down. If she’s got a plan, then I trust she’ll figure it out. Cutie mark or no. Besides, she lost her cutie mark once.”

“This time is different,” Button mumbled softly.

“I mean, sure, she hasn’t regained a new one with a new bending, but--”

“No, not that,” the earth pony mumbled. “This time… she was still Diamond. She was still… herself. Last time was different. When ponies lost their cutie marks before, they ended up so… broken. They weren’t themselves. But Diamond, she was...”

“She seemed broken to me,” Celestia said softly. “Until she decided to go, though. Then she seemed...”

“That’s just it. Her powers are gone, but she’s still Diamond. That’s the difference, now,” Button said with a smile. “So, bending or no, she’s still the Avatar. That’s why we have to trust her. Believe in her. Know she’ll set everything right.” He then glanced off to the right. “It’s also why I know Silver will be okay in the end. Because, Discord or no, I know she’s still herself, somewhere in there. And we’ll show her.”

Celestia let out a sigh of exasperation. “Ugh. I swear, Luna. You picked the weirdest stallion to fall for.”

“Technically, he picked me,” Luna said with a shrug. “I was just… not… ill disposed to his advances.”

“Blegh,” the fire bender said with a roll of her eyes. “Gag me with a spoon. Okay then, Button. What about Acrylic? He’s out there, now. What if Silver gets a hold of him? Do you still think she’ll be ‘good’ and not hurt him?”

Button snickered. “Oh, I’m not worried about him at all. He’s Acrylic, one of the best benders I know! Besides, with Pearl and Pinkie there keeping an eye on him? No way they’ll be in much danger.”

Celestia sighed. “Do you ever have an answer other than ‘everything will be okay in the end’?”

“Not really. Things will be okay in the end. Because we’re all going to make them okay. Besides. There’s a whole bunch of things I can’t do. Like, I’m not a ruler or an avatar or a spirit or any of that stuff. But… what I can do? I can believe in all of them. I can believe in them no matter what, no matter how dark things get. Because Silver and Diamond are my friends, you know? And somepony has to believe in them. Always.”

“I wish I could have your boundless optimism.”

“If it wasn’t for that boundless optimism, I wouldn’t have Luna. Don’t tell him, but he’s way outside of my league,” he mock whispered, smiling to the water bender.

Luna snorted, shaking his head and glancing over at the stallion. “I for one like his boundless optimism. It’s… refreshing on some of those darker days. So never change, Dear Button.”

The earth pony snickered and glanced away, his cheeks red. “For you? I’ll be the same forever...”

“Ughhhhhh...” Celestia said with yet another roll of her eyes.
> Chapter 5: Hot and sticky
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Acrylic paced back and forth, trying to keep himself calm and unfortunately failing. “Where is she? She’s taking too long. We should go check on her!” he said firmly, wiping his sweaty yellow mane back. His blue coat was covered in a thin sheen of sweat and sand, unfortunately making each step mildly uncomfortable even without his panic. Even the sand colored cloak he wore could only do so much in such intense heat.

“Calm down,” the pink mare lounging on a rock nearby said with a shake of her head. “It’s only been like, an hour. Even I wouldn’t be done this fast,” Pinkie Pie said with a light giggle. “Well, okay. I guess if I was planning a party, maybe. Or if it was an emergency, but--”

“How is this not an emergency, Pinkie?!” Acrylic asked, before shaking his head. He then turned, glancing out over the sandy dunes and towards the massive city off in the distance. Manehatten. Heart of the Fire Tribe nation. Hanging above it was, for lack of a better word, a second sun. The Fire Immortal. Housing dozens, possibly hundreds of fire bender cutie marks.

“Because, for the moment, nopony is dying, or about to die, or about to be captured, or--”

“EVERYPONY is about to be captured! Every moment we’re waiting is another moment that--”

“That’s war,” Pinkie said with a shake of her head. “It sucks. It’s terrible. Nopony likes it. But when it happens? You need to be careful and pick your battles.” She reached out and put a hoof on Acrylic’s chest. “Trust me. We were doing this for years. Nightmare Moon, Discord, Sweetie. If you burn yourself out and spend all your time worrying about what might happen, then you’ll never be able to fight when there’s something you CAN do. Remember that, okay?” she said with a gentle smile. “Now, we’ve still got a lot of work to do. There’s a lot of things we CAN’T do yet. So we have to be patient and calm.”

Acrylic let out a frustrated growl and shook his head. “Fine. But… but I STILL hate this. We should be out there, with her. What if she’s in danger?”

“Then she’s in danger and there isn’t much we can do from here. Unless you want to run in and challenge Scorched to a hoof fight, we have to trust her,” Pinkie said dismissively, before giving a light yawn. “Besides. You’re kiiiiind of recognizable. So am I. She’s the best pony for this job.”

Acrylic nodded before giving a soft sigh. He KNEW the elder mare was right. But he hated standing here and waiting. He stared at the massive city, that knot of dread in his stomach refusing to leave.

There were changelings occasionally flying in and out of the city, with guards posted on the entrances, stopping anypony who was too recognizable from getting in without notice. Were it just food and water, it would have been easy for them to acquire them by other means.

Instead, they needed traders. Ponies who could get them supplies that were just not very common anywhere BUT the capital. So instead they were stuck, here, in the very heart of the Fire Tribes, where the majority of Silver’s forces were waiting. The only positive was that trade was still going on in the nation, so ponies could get in and out of the city so long as they weren’t identified as rebels.

“I hate this...” Acrylic mumbled.

“So do I,” Pinkie mumbled, glancing back towards the city. “That, unfortunately, won’t go away. Even if you know they’ll be okay, you’ll always worry. Same as you worry about Button or Diamond or Silver. You never stop worrying until you know with a hundred percent certainty that they’re safe. And even then? You still worry. You worry that they’re not eating enough, or that they’re pushing themselves too hard, or that some assassin will get the drop on them, or that they’ll decide to wander off alone and do something foalish like trying to reason with Trixie, or--”

“I get it,” Acrylic mumbled, shaking his head. “And I am NOT worried about Silver. She’s the one who’s caused this whole mess. If it wasn’t for her, she’d… there wouldn’t be anything like this going on,” he muttered.

“Really?” Pinkie asked, eyeing him. “You’re not worried about her at all?”

“I’m… not… maybe...” he trailed off, shifting nervously from side to side. He hated talking about Silver. If he hadn’t seen first hoof what she was capable of, he would have never believed it.

But he had. He’d been trapped, locked away in that weird form by her. By somepony he had considered a friend. He felt a light, burning pain in his heart. By somepony he’d had more than just friend feelings for. He wanted to hate her. Wanted to be one of the many who wanted her defeated. But despite his words, he still couldn’t bring himself to really believe that Silver was doing all this. That she’d stolen Diamond’s cutie mark and was terrorizing the world, binding it to her will. That she had summoned the changelings and was now using them to wage war. He wanted to deny it. But he knew he couldn’t. The facts were staring him in the face. With every battle, ponies got hurt and it was entirely her fault. No matter how much he wanted to believe it wasn’t her, locking himself in denial helped nopony. He glanced to Pinkie. “Well… you met her. What do you think?”

“I mean, it’s Silver, she seemed nice enough,” the earth pony said with a shrug. “And she’s got Diamond of all ponies trying to save her. DIAMOND!” She gave a light giggle. “If anypony can kick her out of this bratty mood, she can. She’s a good friend, after all. She’s got a bit of Twilight and everypony else in her. How could she fail? If anypony can change this script, she can,” Pinkie said before glancing back out over the city. “Besides. Good friends are friends forever, even if they’re Discord.”

Acrylic sighed and shook his head. “Maybe...” he muttered. He wished they could talk about something else. He really wanted to believe in those words, that they could save Silver. But it was impossible. She’d gone bad, there was nothing he could do about it.

But that same part of him wondered if maybe she was right. He didn’t want to believe he was being too quick to judge, but he’d been hurt by her. In more ways than one. His hoof reached up to his heart. What if he was letting old hurts color his judgment? What if she could be saved and he just wasn’t giving her the chance? What if rather than being foalish and melting in denial by wanting to believe in her, he was actually doing the same thing by believing she HAD to be evil? He let out another soft growl, shaking his head. “I… hope you’re right. But I don’t think Diamond is looking for a way to ‘fix’ Silver, just beat her.”

“Eh,” Pinkie said with a shrug. “It can be the same thing in some cases. Sometimes, your friends just need a firm and solid slap to the face.”

“I think we’d all like to give her one of those,” Acrylic muttered. He glanced back out over the city and his heart jumped when he saw a pony step off the main road. “Is that her?”

“… No. Give her some time,” Pinkie said with a light giggle once the pony turned back around and started on the road again. “Trust her. She’s smart and capable. Besides, she’s like an honorary member of Team Avatar. It’s a very important position which you don’t get by not being able to be careful and sneaky.”

He sighed and rubbed his forehead, wiping more sweat away. “Fine. I just don’t like her being out there...” Once again he found his gaze drawn to the immortal hovering over the city. His heart jumped when he saw it was beginning to move, panic beginning to course through him.

Movement at the main city gates made him freeze, his heart pounding in his ears. “Oh no...” he whispered.

Armored ponies were walking out from the city, at least a few dozen of them. He suspected that most of them were changelings in other forms. Walking in the center of them was a unicorn in golden fire tribe armor that covered their entire body. General Scorched Legacy. One of the most powerful fire benders they’d ever seen. Acrylic doubted even Diamond in her prime or Sunset herself could have out fire bent the master. Maybe Twilight could have, with luck.

However, to make it even worse, the general controlled the Fire Immortal. They’d run into her a few times, though the general never spoke. She moved with ruthless precision and wielded power that would have crushed them, had they not been careful and retreated when they did.

“The general is moving again,” he whispered softly, staring at the general. “You don’t think he knows, do you?”

“No. He’s not coming at us. He’s probably going on patrol,” Pinkie said, before shaking her head.

His heart beat heavier when the forces came to a turn in the road. North or south.

His breath calmed when they went south. “See? Patrol,” Pinkie said, before reaching out and lightly patting his withers. “He’s not heading towards the dragons at all. He doesn’t know.”

“No, he’s not...” Acrylic muttered. “Good. He must not have found Pearl. But...”

“Still not done worrying, are you?”

“… Nope.”

------ 

“There she is!” Acrylic said, nearly hopping in place at the sight of the silver coated pony making her way from the city. While the majority of her body was hidden by the cloak she wore and her large supply bag on her back, he would have recognized her anywhere. Namely because a bit of her coat peaked out from under the cloak.

“Okay then, let’s go,” Pinkie said before slowly getting to her hooves and stretching out. “Nnnnnngggg… I’m getting way too old for this...” she said with a soft yawn.

Acrylic blinked and eyed the mare. If he didn’t know better, he’d have thought the mare wasn’t much older than him. He often found himself barely able to keep up with her energy. ‘Too old for this’ his flank. He turned and started walking away from their vantage point, making his way towards a large rock off in the distance.

Pinkie suddenly dashed past him. “Come on, race yah!” she yelled after him. He rolled his eyes, but refused to move any faster. It was hot and he had no desire to push himself too hard when they had a long trip ahead of them.

Of course, soon after he arrived, he saw Pearl walking around the edges of one of the dunes. The hood she had down hid all but her mouth, which was curled in a small smile. “I got everything we need. We can go.”

“Are you okay? Did you run into any trouble? Do you need a rest? Did--” Acrylic was cut off by the earth pony raising a hoof.

“I’m fine and no. It wasn’t too hard. The capital has more than a few sympathizers, it was mostly just an issue of going through the right channels,” she said, before stepping forward and rubbing her nose against his, drawing a blush from the stallion. “The general was out and about, though, so I had to be careful. Once she left the city, it was a lot easier.”

“Did you get any information on where she was going?” Acrylic asked.

The earth pony shook her head. “Not this time, sorry. I think it’s just a normal patrol. There weren’t any rumors about… well. You know. Dragons. I don’t think she has any idea what they’re planning. Now, let’s go. The sooner we get away from there, the better off we’ll be.”

“Good,” Acrylic mumbled. His horn glowed and a moment later the bag disappeared off her back, only to reappear onto his a moment later. “If we’re going, I’ll carry this.”

“I can--”

“You had to do all the work. At least let me take care of this. Please?” he asked, eyeing her.

“… Fine,” she said with a small, knowing smile. “Just be ready in case anything happens, okay?” She turned and started walking towards Pinkie. “Shall we?”

The earth pony nodded. “Of course! Spike is going to be giddy when he sees what we’ve brought!”

Acrylic nodded, following after the two mares. Once again, he felt that bit of dread in his stomach. He eyed Pearl again, feeling that knot in his stomach. In the end, she was just an earth pony. Where they were going was dangerous. If she’d been a bender, it would have been different. At least she hadn’t run into any trouble, though.

“That move you taught me, Miss Pinkie? The flip? It was really useful. Thank you.”

“Please, just call me Aunt Pie,” the pink mare said with a laugh. “Really? What happened?”

“Oh, I ran into this one pony who tried to mug me,” she said with a shake of her head. “A fire bender. She didn’t expect that at all.”

“Benders never do,” Pinkie said with a giggle.

“Wait, somepony tried to mug you?” Acrylic asked, his heart plummeting. “Were you hurt? Did you--”

“I was fine,” Pearl said with a shake of her head. “One quick thump to the head and the pony was on the ground begging for mercy. She barely even knew what hit her. Honestly? I feel a bit bad for her. I left her some bread, but well… we needed these supplies a lot more. I couldn’t let her have them.”

Acrylic stared. “You gave her FOOD after she tried to mug you?”

“It’s tough times in there,” she said with a shake of her head. “Lots of ponies are scared. Anypony who even whispers the notion of rebellion is imprisoned and loses their cutie mark. Ponies are losing jobs, struggling to make ends meet. It’s, frankly, a disaster. On top of that, with the changelings shifting into other ponies all the time? It’s hard for anypony to trust anypony else. Some ponies are surviving. Others are just trying to survive. I can’t fault them for that.”

“You can’t reward people who try to hurt you.”

“Eh. They were doing a terrible job of it, anyway,” she said flatly. “Their stance was awful. I’ve seen proper fire benders, they were not that. Not to mention the fire they tried to use was more like a tiny fire cracker. They weren’t going to come close to hurting me.”

“But they were going to try and--”

“If I was in their position, I might do the same thing,” she said with a shrug.

“You could have been hurt!”

“If I was afraid of getting a bit hurt, I wouldn’t be here,” she said flatly, before glancing back at him. “Besides. I know if anything happens I can’t handle, you’ll save me. My hero,” she said with a small, teasing grin.

He stumbled and almost fell over, lowering his eyes. “I-I wasn’t there...”

“And I didn’t need you. But when I did? You were. Obviously this just means I didn’t need you to be there today.”

His mouth fell open, then closed. Finally, he glanced to Pinkie. “You taught her that bit of logic, didn’t you?”

“What? Me? No. No no no no. Yes. But it is a good piece of advice! Very logical.”

Acrylic face hoofed. “How in the world is that logical? I can’t just… appear because she needs me!”

“Of course you can. You can teleport now.”

“That’s not what I mean! I mean, if I don’t know she needs me, then I won’t be able to appear and save her.”

“Ah, but if you don’t know, then she wouldn’t need you.”

“But what if she does need me and I don’t know she needs me!” he asked, feeling his temper rising.

“Then obviously she has it handled.”

“… That… that’s not...” Acrylic shook his head. He didn’t understand how this mare could call ANY of that logic. It was like arguing with a donut. Circular and yet, somehow, in the end you felt silly, annoyed and somewhat sticky.

“Besides, I can handle myself. I’ve taken care of myself for years, Acrylic,” Pearl said firmly. “Both before and after you. Besides. You have enough things to worry about as it is.” She slowed down a little so she could walk besides him and gently push up against him. “I’m okay, Acrylic. Relax,” she said soothingly. “You don’t need to protect me just because I can’t bend. Pinkie has been teaching me all kinds of different things. Even before that, I’ve had more than a few years of training. I worked on the pier, I saw all kinds of trouble all the time. Unless somepony tries to drop a five ton crate on my head, I’ll be fine. Okay?”

He nodded slowly, before sighing. “Fine. I just… worry about you, is all.”

She nodded and then leaned up, kissing his cheek and drawing another small blush from him. “I know. But trust me. Just because you had to save me the first time we met, doesn’t mean you always need to protect me from everything. I can handle myself, promise.”

He nodded, giving a small smile and nuzzling her back. He idly wondered if this was how the prior avatar and her friends felt when they traveled with Pinkie. He really wanted to believe that she could be okay.

He frowned when his mind traveled back to Silver. She’d always been the non-bender of their group before. She too had wanted to jump into everything, even when it was dangerous. Now? She was the most dangerous pony he knew, having brought the world down around her. Ruling with a tyrannical hoof.

How could he have been so stupid? If only he had let himself see the true danger that was in front of him. He couldn’t allow himself to fall for it again. He had to see Silver as the threat she truly was. A danger to ponies. To ALL ponies. Not his friend. Not the earth pony without any magic. The smart, clever mare who fought using tools rather than any kind of bending. Who’d always been generous and supported them no matter what. She was an enemy, now.

She was an enemy of all of them. No matter how much he found his mind drawn back to their childhood together. The games they’d played. The support she offered them in their pro bending. How scared or worried she seemed for them. All of it was lies, a trick to make them trust her.

All so she could turn on them in the end, betray them. No matter what Button or Pinkie said, he couldn’t allow himself to hope that she would turn out to be okay in the end. That, somehow, she wouldn’t just trick them again.

But he wished he could believe, just for a moment, that the Silver he knew would come back. He wished so, so badly it hurt.
> Chapter 6: Tears
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“There it is...” Pinkie mumbled, her eyes locking on the cave in the distance.

Acrylic and Pearl quickly lifted their hoods, covering themselves as much as possible and blending in with the sand. Slowly, they made their way towards the cave.

The entrance was tiny, barely big enough for them to walk into the cave one by one. In the end, it was less a ‘cave’ so much as a crevice in the desert. Easy to miss, leading deep into the darkness. Pinkie went in first, followed by Pearl and Acrylic in the very back. Slowly they walked down the dark stuffy tunnel, their hoofsteps light on the ground.

Before long, they were enveloped entirely in darkness and they had to move ever slower. Careful to reach out and make sure they didn’t slam into a wall. It was incredibly claustrophobic, even moreso whenever Acrylic let his mind wander to the fact that, above them, were thousands of pounds of sand and stone. That they could all come falling down on their heads, trapping them.

He shuddered at that mental image. He felt intense relief when the narrow gap they walked through opened up considerably. The heat began to get more intense and a dim, red glow could be seen off in the distance.

He saw Pinkie and Pearl pick up the pace and he couldn’t help but join them, walking a little faster towards the main, opened chamber. They walked around the last corner and were hit by the intense heat, enough to almost make them stumble back.

Even with the heat however, it was at least safer feeling. They were inside a massive cavern, housing great steaming pools of boiling water, as well as lava. Inside many of these pools were the very creatures they’d been tasked with getting the items for. Dragons. Ponies, mostly fire benders were working along with the dragons, however the appearance of the three brought a few looks of concern.

“You’ve come,” one of the unicorns whispered, stepping forward. He was wearing colorful garments of the fire tribes. “Have… you had any success?”

“Yes,” Acrylic said, slowly lifting the bag and placing it onto the ground, he pulled it open, revealing the plants within.

The unicorn gave a sigh of relief, taking the bag. “Thank you for your assistance,” he said gently. “Please continue on to Spike. I will have these prepared.”

Acrylic nodded, glancing over to the largest pool of lava, which housed Spike. Easily the largest dragon here. Though, he couldn’t help but notice a few of the dragons were growing well, one of the largest was easily the size of four or five minotaurs now.

The three stepped forward, towards the massive pool. While the fire benders who tended the dragons were able to deal with the heat, primarily through their bending, the three of them had no such luck. Instead, they were forced to slowly make their way through the pools, feeling the thick layers of sweat flowing across their coats. Even though they dared not get too close to the pools of magma, Acrylic swore he could feel himself burning.

The massive, dark purple dragon turned to them, slowly rising from the lava and giving them a concerned look. “Are you three okay? Did you run into any problems sneaking past the barriers?”

“Not at all, silly!” Pinkie said with a light giggle. “We have those hidden paths for a reason. Have you had anymore trouble with the changelings?”

The dragon shook his head, though his gaze wandered over towards the exit of the caverns. Fortunately for them, the dragons had been spared most of the dangers of this new war. Primarily because the Fire Tribes were quick to surrender. However, it did mean that the majority of the entrances to these caverns were now locked tightly, with changeling guards watching over it closely.

The heat managed to keep them from coming too deep inside, as the spirits seemed to be incredibly sensitive to the heat. Only the keepers of the dragons now remained within the caves, doing what they could to aid the dragons in preparations.

In this case, the preparations were for a mass exodus. The dragons stood as a symbol of the fire tribes and nopony wanted to see them become almost extinct again. Escaping, however, wasn’t quite that easy. Dragons were massive and powerful, but they required a specific type of location to survive. Volcanoes and the like. Finding a place like that, where they couldn’t be trapped, was difficult. It required special preparations, special medicines. Things they couldn’t get by themselves without the guards noticing that something was up.

So for now, they plotted, schemed and prepared. The crevice they came from was not the only secret entrance into these caverns, nor were the dragons the only creatures that now resided in them. “Did you get everything you were sent for?”

“Yes, it’s being prepared now,” Acrylic said quickly, before wiping his brow.

The dragon nodded, before motioning behind himself. “Go on, then. Thank you,” he said.

The three nodded and made their way around the pool housing the massive dragon. Behind it, tucked away and easily hidden behind the massive dragon’s bathing form, was a hard to see crevice in the wall. One by one the three ponies headed inside.

Instantly the temperature dropped considerably and they let out a sigh of relief. The hidden cavern went deeper into the ground, surrounding them on all side with rock. He let out a soft, gentle sigh of relief when he felt cool air for the first time in days, closing his eyes. There was moisture as well, a nice damp feeling washing over him. Eventually, the winding path down into the earth opened up, letting them step out into a well-lit, massive chamber.

Housing the majority of the Fire Tribe resistance. It hadn’t been easy to make such a place, now maintained by a few teams of earth benders working around the clock in order to create it. There were also a few water benders who worked to draw water needed from the ground, often working with the earth benders to locate it and the fire benders to ensure they stayed as far from the lava flows above as they could.

“Mom!” a voice yelled, making them look up at the blue coated, white maned unicorn stallion galloping forward, a clipboard suspended in his magic. “We heard there was an issue, that the general was on the move. Did you--”

“Just a patrol, Coral,” Pinkie said with a light smile, before giving her son a tight hug. “Don’t be such a silly goose! I wouldn’t let myself get captured THAT easily. Where would everypony be if I wasn’t here?” she asked with a snicker.

The stallion blushed, but gave her a one hoofed hug back. “Right. Sorry. I just… worry, sometimes. When you go out like that. You could have warned us. Err, thanks for watching over her for us,” he said to the pair.

Acrylic nodded. “Of… course,” he said sheepishly. Try as he might, he couldn’t remember which one of Pinkie’s kids he was. Even the name Coral didn’t help his confusion either. At least a dozen of Pinkie’s children were helping to maintain the resistance hideout, not even including the dozen or so who were hiding out throughout the country as well. He wondered how old the stallion was, he looked older than Pinkie. Then again, some days Acrylic did, too. “We didn’t run into any trouble. Has there been any news from the other teams?”

Coral nodded. “Yes. We haven’t had any losses today, fortunately. Rose’s team is currently hiding out and waiting for some changeling forces to abandon the area, but they’re good. Did you get everything needed?”

“Yes,” he said smoothly. “Manehatten wasn’t any issue. Pearl got everything as requested,” he said, giving the mare a small smile.

“It really wasn’t hard,” she said sheepishly, lightly tapping the ground with her hoof.

Coral nodded, before coughing. “Um… mom? You can let go. Err...”

The pink mare snickered, pulling back from the hug. “You feel better, then?”

He chuckled. “Y-yeah. I just… we just wish you wouldn’t go out like that. What if there was a fight? You--”

“Oh, please,” the mare said with a light giggle. “I wouldn’t get in a fight.”

“But--”

“This is Acrylic and Pearl’s time to shine! I can’t just show them up!” she said before turning and trotting deeper into the compound. “You worry too much. I’m gonna go help with cooking, bye bye!”

Coral sighed, before glancing back to the two of them. “Thank you. I really hope she wasn’t too much trouble. I just...”

“She’s your mom, it’s normal to worry about your mom,” Acrylic said with a shrug.

The unicorn paused, before coughing. “Speaking… of that. Have… you talked to anypony yet?”

“… No? We just got back. Why? What’s wrong?” he asked, his heart beating faster.

“Well… we got news a little bit ago. Metal Orchard is under siege by Discord’s forces.”

Acrylic felt the floor fall out of his stomach and barely managed to contain himself. “I-I see,” he managed to choke out, keeping his face as calm as possible, though his suddenly dry mouth made him stutter.

“Acrylic...” Pearl whispered softly.

“It’s fine. My mother knows what she’s doing,” he said firmly, shoving down the worry bubbling inside. He tried to ignore all the times he’d seen her act recklessly, or almost get herself killed, or ignored all the consequences. That was during peace. There was a war going on, now. There was no way she’d mess up now. She was once commander of the entire Water Nation military, she was amazing at this kind of thing. She had to be able to handle herself. He hoped.

“Indeed,” Coral said softly. “We haven’t heard any news yet, aside from the fact it has started. But the moment we do, we’ll inform you. In the mean time, it might be best that you rest and relax. Its been a long trip and we may need you to go out again before long.”

He nodded and started walking away from them. “Noted...”

“Acrylic...” Pearl mumbled, following after him. “You should rest.”

“Huh?” he asked, glancing back. “I will. I just need to--” A hoof covered his mouth.

“No,” she said firmly. “Allow me to rephrase. You are GOING to go rest.”

His eyes widened. “W-what?”

“I see that look in your eyes. You’re planning to burn yourself out on more spell casting, aren’t you?”

“I wasn’t going to--”

“You’re literally walking towards the training cavern right now.”

He paused and looked up. Sure enough, he was walking straight towards the cavern they’d set up to allow ponies to practice, out of the way of the main camp. His cheeks went red. “I just… need to work on that for a little--”

“You need to rest. We’ve been out all day, running around, through the desert. We all need rest.”

“Pinkie’s not--”

“Pinkie’s a statistical anomaly,” Pearl said flatly, giving him an unamused look. “She’s probably twice our age and I SWEAR sometimes she moves and acts as if she’s half it. But you are not her. You are a pony who does a lot of work, will have to do more work and needs to be rested to, again, do said work.”

He ground his hoof into the stone floor. “Pearl, it’s fine, I can take care of myself.”

“Oh, the buck you can,” she said flatly. “You’re getting some sleep if I have to carry you to the cots myself.”

His cheeks turned scarlet when the memory flashed of the last time she’d done that. He choked softly. “Y-you can’t… tell me what to--”

“Can to. Marefriend. In matters that concern your health and safety, I have special veto powers to make you take care of yourself.”

“… That’s… you can’t… what? I never agreed to that, I--”

“Don’t make me carry you off,” she warned.

He stared at her, before shaking his head with exasperation. “Fine! Whatever! If you want me to take a nap I’ll take a nap! Just give me a minute to clean off first, sheesh...” he muttered before storming off.

She slowly followed after him, shaking her own head.

------ 

Acrylic woke with a start, staring up, into the darkness in confusion. He could faintly make out the other beds in the room, many filled with lightly snoring ponies.

As much as he hated to admit it, Pearl was right. He’d been exhausted. After he’d finished rinsing off and came to bed, he’d fallen asleep almost instantly. He’d been exhausted and trying to practice likely would have been stupid.

But now he was up. He glanced towards the exit, another tunnel. Light could be seen illuminating from down the hall, where the main forces were. He closed his eyes and, with a soft flash, appeared in the entrance.

He shook his head, the light feeling of wooziness disorienting him for a moment. Once everything cleared, however, he started to walk down the dim hall.

His mother was in danger, every bit of him wanted to run after her, to rescue her. He knew that was foalish. She was a far, far better bender than he’d ever be. He’d likely only get in her way.

Another part of him wanted to believe that Silver would show mercy. That if she won, she wouldn’t take Vinyl’s cutie mark. After all, Vinyl had been friends with Silver for years, practically a mother, or at least an aunt, to the filly.

But then, Diamond had been one of her best friends. He’d always thought he and Button were her best friends. If she had no qualms, no guilt about hurting them, how could he ever expect her to show mercy to his mother? Besides, Vinyl had been a leader, one of the few that Silver hadn’t yet captured and taken to who knew where.

If the Metal Orchard fell, then there would be nothing he could do about it. Even if his magic was ten times better than it was now, there was no way he could cross over two countries in order to get to her in time to make any difference. He’d need an airship for that. Which would only draw more attention towards them, likely resulting in him being captured and putting them all at risk.

He knew the plan. Wait. Just wait. Trust Diamond and wait. But it didn’t make him any less frustrated. He wanted to be out there, fighting. But they couldn’t, yet. They had to be careful. If they rushed off, there wouldn’t be enough of them to help Diamond when the time came. Anypony who was captured lost their marks almost instantly, making the Fire Immortal all the stronger. Making defeating it seemingly more impossible.

He grabbed a few apples in his magic when he passed by the dining section of their cave. He supposed, in the end, they were lucky. They weren’t hurting for supplies, while more than a few ponies in different sections of the resistance were.

Wait. It was all they could do now. He wanted to believe in Diamond, he really did. She was incredible.

But he didn’t see how any of this could be fixed. So much had been lost and destroyed. Silver had played them all for foals.

He glanced down at the cores of the apples. He couldn’t even remember eating them. With a small flash of magic, the two cores disappeared and reappeared in the disposal containers, before he trotted lightly towards the training dummies. Gathering some water from one of the jars, he began to practice.

She’d played them all for fools. It was his fault. He played it over and over in his head.

There were three of them who had been closest to her. Who had known her and seen her for so long. But it wasn’t fair to have expected Diamond to have noticed. She was the avatar, she had enough duties without noticing every little subtle thing that could or would go wrong. Moreso, she hadn’t even known Silver that long, how could she have expected to notice things like that?

Then there was Button. Button had known her just as long as Acrylic had. But he’d always been the kind of colt to forgive and forget. Even now he still swore up and down that Silver would turn around and become the pony they knew. He trusted, unceasingly, in his friends. It was part of what made him Button. Lying to him, tricking him? That was easy.

But Acrylic stopped, closing his eyes and willing the tears to not fall, trying to force his eyes to dry themselves.

‘I lov--’ he thought to himself, stopping. ‘I thought I loved her. And I let it blind me. I let myself believe that she was a friend. That she cared about us. I was an idiot. I was a foal...’

Yet, despite all of that, he couldn’t bring himself to hate her. He couldn’t wish her dead, no matter how much he tried. The thought of fighting her, of hurting her, made his heart feel like it was being torn in two. He shook his head again.

He refused to admit it, though he knew it was true. He still loved her. Despite everything that happened, the first thoughts that sprang to mind were of who she had been. Who she had pretended to be. The kind, sweet, gentle mare that he’d known for so long. Trusted so much. The mare who, over the years, had always been by their side and supported them.

No matter how much he told himself that he hated her, that she had only been tricking them. Lying to them. No matter what she did, all he could see was the pony who he’d fallen in love with. He teleported the water through the air, trying to hold his pain in and bury it deep.

He felt hooves suddenly wrap around him from behind. He jumped and glanced back, his eyes widening when he saw Pearl. “W-what?”

“It’s okay...” she whispered softly.

“I...” He stopped when he realized that, despite his best efforts, some of the tears had fallen. “I just...”

“It’s okay...” she whispered. “I understand.”

“I’m not… I don’t...” he whispered, his body quivering against the warm mare. He tried to deny it, but with her words, even more of the tears fell. “I just...”

“You don’t need to explain. You don’t...” she whispered. “It’s okay. You’re allowed to cry...” she whispered softly to him. “It’s okay. Everyone needs to cry sometime. There’s nothing wrong with that.”

He couldn’t stop himself. He buried his head in her withers and did just that, letting the tears fall while his thoughts flew to everything he felt destroying him from the inside.

The betrayal from the pony he loved. Knowing his mother was in danger and might lose her cutie mark, or worse. The feeling of helplessness while they waited for Diamond, without any idea how long she would take or even if she could succeed. Not knowing if Button was really safe without him to look over him. The very state the world was in. It refused to stay stifled and, slowly, he found himself wrapping his hooves around the other mare, holding on. Using her as a rock in this storm of pain.

Eventually, however, the tears faded and he pulled back, staring up at her. His horn glowed and his magic wiped the tears across his face away, before doing the same to her coat. “S-sorry. I… I just...”

“It’s fine. We all need to cry sometimes,” she reeated with a light chuckle. “I cry all the time! Well, used to. Everyone needs it sometimes. We all get overwhelmed,” she said before reaching out to gently pat his head. “Feel better?”

“A bit...”

“Good. Then it was worth it.”

He nodded, slowly pulling back. If anypony else had noticed his little breakdown, he couldn’t tell. None of the other practicing ponies were looking at him. He suspected it was out of courtesy, though.

He was thankful for it.

“Now. Do you want to join me for breakfast?” she asked with a small smile.

“I already ate...”

“Not what I asked.”

He gave a soft chuckle, before nodding. “I’d… love to. Thank you.”

She nodded before turning around and trotting away. “Good! We’re hoping to hear from Cloudsdale soon, it’s about time for them to report in. Do you want to go there for the briefing?”

He shrugged. “Eh. Maybe. I mean, they’ve got Scootaloo and Prism. If anypony knows what they’re doing, it’s those two.”

“What about Daring?” she asked, glancing back.

“Eh. Ironwing can keep her in line. Sorta. As good as anypony else can. Probably. As long as they stay together, they’ll be fine.”
> Chapter 7: Forgiveness
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ironwing paced back and forth across the soft clouds, his eyes focused on the cloud. His red coated hooves dug deep into the soft surface, pulling free with an unsatisfying boing sound when the clouds just bounced back. That was one of the many, many things he hated about being in a cloud city. Everything was so soft that it just bounced back into position. On the ground, if you bucked a wall, it STAYED bucked.

“He’s going to be fine,” a mare said. He glanced over to a chair where a brown coated pony with a streaked, gray mane was sitting. Her wide rimmed hat was resting over her eyes while she leaned back, hiding her face.

“Not when I get my hooves on him, Daring,” Ironwing said through gritted teeth. “It was stupid and reckless. He KNEW better,” he snapped.

“He got away, didn’t he?” Daring offered. “If you know you can get away, then--”

“He almost got his wings snapped! If it hadn’t been for Blaze, he’d be captured right now. He--”

“You’re just mad you weren’t the one to rescue him, aren’t you?” the mare asked with a teasing grin. “Or are you mad you didn’t get to take a few swings at True yourself?”

The shadowbolt froze in place, barely shoving down his anger. He’d have loved to get a chance to tear the traitor to the Wonderbolts apart. To imagine the stallion had actually been Prism’s student not too long ago. He couldn’t imagine HOW Prism had allowed himself to get beaten so soundly. He had to have let down his guard.

The main door opened and a brown pegasus with a light red mane walked in. Her wings had thin, metal attachments over them, which connected in a brace that went around her neck. In the center of the brace was a small jewel. “How’s he holding up?”

“We’re not sure, yet,” Daring offered. “Blaze is in there with him, but they’re not sure when he’ll wake up, Miss Scootaloo. They don’t want us going in until he does.”

The mare sighed and shook her head. “Please, stop calling me miss. You’re making me feel old,” she said before glancing towards the door. “He’s... alive though, right?”

“Yeah. Still a stubborn idiot. But he’ll survive.”

“Good. If he died on my watch, his mom would kill me. Which would really put a damper on me killing her when I get my hooves on her,” Scootaloo said flatly. “How’s Blaze?”

“She’s been with him since he got out,” Ironwing said. “She said she’d have someone get us when he woke up. That we should get some rest.” The pegasus rolled his eyes at that. “As if we could sleep right now.”

“Tell me about it...” the elder mare said with a yawn. “If I could sleep, I’d be in bed now.”

“So… how’s it looking?” Daring asked softly.

“Not too good,” Scootaloo muttered. “Our little gamble paid off. The last remaining grounded ponies are outside of these lands, at least. Unfortunately, it looks like Metal Orchard is under siege.”

“WHAT?!” Ironwing said, digging a hoof deep into the ground. “We need to go--”

“And trust them to handle their forces? Exactly,” Scootaloo cut him off, silencing him with a glare. He gulped and lowered his eyes. “Metal Orchard is where we sent most of the grounded forces in the first month of this war. Trust me, I know as well as anypony just how important they are and, more importantly, what it means if they fall.”

Daring sighed and lifted her head. “Then you know we can’t just sit here and do nothing. Mom would--”

“Twilight would understand that, sometimes, things go poorly. You have to pick and choose your battles. Octavia and Vinyl are working with them, they’ll do the best they can. But they’re in the Earth Kingdom. Our duty is down here, dealing with True and the Air Immortal. Two or three of us won’t make a difference against this siege, but we can make a difference here.”

Ironwing sighed and turned his back. “If Metal Orchard wasn’t the destination, where have the ponies been sent?”

“Some to different Earth Kingdom areas, a few hundred to the Water Nation. It’s ironic, in a way,” Scootaloo said with a sigh. “Silver’s trying to unite the whole world under her hoof. She’s coming close to uniting it against her. Maybe if we’re lucky, we’ll see an encore of that power that wiped out Discord the first time.”

“I doubt it,” Daring muttered.

“Oh? Why’s that?”

“It took almost everypony in the world uniting against him to bring whatever… that was,” the mare said gently. “But almost everypony hated him. There’s more than a few ponies working for her, under her. That and it’s not like we can gather everypony in the world again. Mom told me about that. If Discord hadn’t BROUGHT everypony together, if he hadn’t been so over confident, so certain he’d won already? He wouldn’t have lost. I don’t think Silver will make the same mistake.”

“Well, we can certainly hope she’ll make the same mistake. Or whatever Diamond’s got cooking in that head of hers will be what we need to get out of this mess,” Scootaloo muttered.

“Silver isn’t stupid,” Ironwing muttered, glancing back towards the doorway. “She won’t make the same mistake Discord made...” He stared at the door, willing it to open and have one of the medical ponies come out to retrieve them, alas, it remained closed. “They’ll solve this, somehow. Once Diamond figures it all out.”

Daring sighed. “I really wanna believe that. But… mom had a tough time against Discord and, not to be mean or anything, Diamond is definitely not my mom.”

“No, she’s not,” Ironwing mumbled, finally taking his eyes off the door. “But Silver isn’t Discord, either. She’s Silver. This is an entirely different situation.”

The two mares shared looks, before finally Scootaloo sighed. “Ironwing, I know you want to… believe that Silver is still good, but… we saw what she did. She turned on Diamond. Took Rainbow and the others. She--”

“Is still Silver, regardless,” Ironwing said with a shrug. “She’s messed up, yes. She’s messed up horribly,” he said before turning his head to meet his mother’s gaze. “But I watched the two. Diamond? She was a little obnoxious brat. Silver was… no, is a good influence on her. I don’t know why she’s done this. But I trust Diamond to figure it out.”

“Because she’s the Avatar?” Daring asked.

“No. Because she’s Diamond. I’ve watched her grow a lot since she came to Harmony and, while I could still dump her in the lake without hesitation or a hint of guilt, she’s… good at what she does. She’s persistent, obnoxious, hard working, incredibly obnoxious, stubborn and did I mention just how mind boggling obnoxious she is?” he asked flatly. “But… when it comes to her friends? I’d always gamble on those four, even against Discord.”

Scootaloo sighed. “Listen, I want to believe in her, too. But she--”

“Gave you flight,” Ironwing said firmly.

“… A trick. To make us trust her.”

“In that case, she’s done a lot of tricks,” the shadowbolt said, his tone cold as ice.

“Yeah, she has. Fine, looking at all the good she’s done doesn’t overshadow the fact she’s destroying our world!” Scootaloo snapped, grinding her own hoof into the cloud.

“And her actions now don’t nullify the good she’s done in the past,” he said calmly. “She’s done both. She’s helped countless ponies and now she’s hurt countless ponies. I’m not saying I’ll ignore what she’s done. But I’m not willing to give up on her, either. Especially not with Diamond, Acrylic and Button all working together.”

Scootaloo growled for a moment, before sighing and shaking her head. “Fine. I still think you’re insane. You know, the Ironwing from not too long ago would have been ready to lock her away and break the key.”

“Maybe I’ve grown up,” he said calmly. “Sometimes? A pony just needs a bit of forgiveness...” He closed his eyes. “Sometimes, a pony needs a lot of forgiveness...”

The elder mare paused, her gaze softening. “Ironwing… you don’t--”

The door to the inner rooms and a pegasus stepped out. “Ironwing, Daring, Miss Scootaloo? Prism has woken up. You may come and--”

She was cut off by the three ponies dashing by her so fast she spun in place with a shriek, barely managing to keep herself from falling over. “H-how rude!”
> Chapter 8: Swap places
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Prism groaned, his eyes slowly opening. He tried to spread out his wings and instantly regretted the motion, the bandages wrapped around them stopping them from moving and sending bursts of pain through the damaged limbs. “Ow ow...” he whispered.

“YOU IDIOT!” Blaze roared, stomping her hooves down besides the bed. He glanced over to his annoyed wife looking and gave a small smile.

“Hey honey...” he said with a sheepish smile. “You look as radiant as ever. Your mane looks extra orange and fiery today.”

“And your mane looks like a lemon that’s been left in the lab after one of Alicity’s ‘accidents’. You’re lucky you’re already in the hospital bed or I’d put you in one. What were you thinking?”

“Oh, you know. Heh… ow. I distracted him, didn’t I? And stuff? So… totally worth.”

Blaze let out a frustrated growl. “You truly are your mother’s child. You should--”

The door to the room opened and Daring, Scootaloo and Ironwing ran into the room.

“You idiot!” Ironwing said the moment he was in.

“Already told him,” Blaze said with a light chuckle.

“Did you tell him it was--”

“Was about to,” she cut him off, before glaring at Prism. “That was reckless. What in the world would possess you to fight him like that?”

“He was my student, weird powers from Discord or not, I figured I could take him,” Prism said with a cringe, before shaking his head.

“He was OUR student,” Blaze snapped.

“Still, a bit of extra power wasn’t enough to beat me. I just--”

“You just ran into him like an idiot. The generals have who knows what extra abilities from Discord. You cannot just run in like that. You know this!”

“I know, I know, I’m sorry,” Prism said with a weak smile. “… Did I at least look cool?”

“GAHHH! I swear! You’re just like your mother!”

“… I mean, you did look pretty cool,” Daring offered, earning a glare from Ironwing and Blaze as well as a snort from Scootaloo. “What? He did. Besides, I thought he’d be fine. He did train True, right?”

Prism closed his eyes. “I… did. But that whole thing was kind of weird.”

“Yeah, he is a general,” Ironwing muttered before walking up to sit by the bed. “Who knows how much strength they’ve gotten from Silver?”

“It’s not… that...” Prism muttered before, slowly, stretching out his hooves. “There’s more to it than that.”

Blaze sighed and leaned in, shaking her head. “Yeah? What?”

“… Just… I’ve been fighting air benders since I was a kid. Buck, mom trained me. There isn’t anypony better than her. I KNOW a good air bender when I see it.”

“And?”

“… He was not just good. His power was incredible, yeah. But there was a lot of… he was skilled. Very skilled. His precision, his movements. Everything. They were perfect. There were no flaws. It was like fighting my mom again,” he muttered. “No. It was… different than that. He was better than my mom. Well. Almost as good. Maybe a little off point. She would have had trouble, that’s all I’m saying.”

Ironwing frowned, tapping a hoof on his chin. “Wait… you trained him, right? How good was he back then?”

“He was… good. I mean… he wasn’t anything super special when I got a hold of him,” Prism muttered. “Blaze?”

“He was good enough to be a Wonderbolt, but he was hardly a stand out amongst us,” Blaze said with a sigh, shaking her head. “I trained with him enough, I’d know. There were a few times he pulled off some impressive stunts. But nothing like you used to do.”

“Exactly,” Prism muttered, shaking his head. “He’s not… he was nowhere near this good. It was like...”

“You think he was as good as your mom, then? Really?” Ironwing asked, closing his eyes.

“Maybe...”

“Rainbow’s cutie mark is in the Air Immortal. If… True is able to draw from that, if he has access to your mom’s skills...”

Prism groaned and closed his eyes. “Yeah. That's what I’ve been thinking.”

“Well… buck,” Scootaloo muttered. “The Earth Immortal has Applejack AND Applebloom inside it. The Water Immortal has Rarity and Sweetie. If their generals can draw on ALL of their abilities now, too?”

“Yup...” Prism sad. “Bad enough we don’t have them to help us fight. But if they’re actually against us?”

“Good thing we’ve got an avatar then, huh?” Daring asked with a light chuckle. “Though we’ve… got some bad news, Prism.”

“What now?” Prism muttered with a groan.

“Don’t worry about that right now,” Ironwing said quickly, shaking his head. “For now, you need to recover. You’re still healing and--”

“Just tell me,” Prism snapped, glaring at the stallion. “Things are already bucked to the skies, what else could be going wrong?”

Scootaloo sighed and then glanced to Blaze, who nodded. “Very well. Blaze, you’ll want to know this too. Metal Orchard is under siege.”

Blaze’s eyes widened. “W-what? We need to help them! We--”

“Are staying here for the time being. The last thing we need is to draw all of our forces to the Earth Kingdom. If the immortals team up? There’s no way we can defeat them like this. We have to trust them to deal with this.”

Prism let out a soft groan, but nodded. “I hate to admit it, but you’re right. But what if they get Big Mac, Octavia and Vinyl?”

“We’ll be even worse off,” Scootaloo said with a nod. “But there’s nothing we can do to help them right now. All we can do by rushing in is make things worse. So we have to wait here and do what we can. Aid the war effort in whatever way we can, without getting ourselves captured. We need to come up with a plan to take down the immortal here. They damaged the Water Immortal, so it can be done. A plan is being worked on for it now, hopefully we’ll have something soon.”

“And what about me?” Prism asked before trying to sit up, only to have Blaze put a hoof to his chest.

“You need to rest,” Blaze said firmly.

“What? But--”

“We won’t be making a move until everypony, including you, has had a chance to recover. You aren’t the only pony to get hurt by this assault,” Blaze snapped. “With those changelings of theirs, we’re already outnumbered. We’ve already lost a sizable percentage of the Wonderbolts as it is. We can’t afford to make a move while so many are laid up in bed. Right, Scootaloo?”

“Exactly.”

Prism sighed and closed his eyes. “Right… how many were lost to this?”

“… Less than we would have if you hadn’t made a move on True,” Blaze admitted. “We lost three more to the immortal, but we did our duty. You should have grabbed one of us to come with you, not ran off alone.”

Scootaloo nodded. “The result could have been far worse. We were lucky. But we’re still on the run. We have ponies on constant patrols, keeping an eye out for any sign of Discord’s forces. We’re keeping the skies filled with clouds for the time being, but our forces won’t be able to keep these clouds up forever. On the up side, our ground forces have now been fully extracted. The Air Nomads now have nothing more than pegasi in their borders. It’s… not an ideal situation, but it’s the best we can do for now. But Prism, please listen to Blaze. You’ll get your chance to fight back, eventually. For now, we need to recover and plan. We--”

“Need to wait for Diamond, I know,” Prism said softly, shaking his head. “I still don’t like it. True was my student and--”

“And is not your responsibility now. He is all of our responsibility. Running off and doing things on your own is how we end up in situations where we need you and don’t have you. On that note. While, what you did was brave, if Blaze HADN’T come in to save you when she did, we would have lost you as well.”

“If I hadn’t run off when I did, True would have intercepted the refuges. I had a split second to move, I made my choice,” Prism muttered.

“You should have signaled me,” Ironwing said.

“I thought I could take him alone, they needed you against the immortal.”

“Judging by the shape you’re in now, you needed me against him.”

Prism sighed and pulled the blanket up over his face. “I’m sorry, okay? I won’t run off on my own again, okay? I know it was reckless, I shouldn’t have gone alone. Thank you for saving me, Blaze. Can we stop the ‘pick on Prism’ hour, please?” he asked.

“One last thing,” Blaze said firmly, before smiling. “How badly would you have scolded Diamond if she’d done something like that?”

“I’m not her teacher anymore. Mom took over.”

“The position defaulted to you until we find out what happened to her,” Blaze said firmly. “So, what would you have done?”

The pegasus groaned. “Scolded her. Fine. But that’s not the same as… I’m sorry. I’ve learned my lesson. Okay?”

“Good,” Blaze said before getting to her hooves. She glanced over to Ironwing for a moment. She then turned and started to walk towards the door. “Scootaloo? Daring? Do you mind if we go and work on that thing for a bit?”

Daring glanced up. “Huh? You mean the… oh. Right. Right right. You two have fun now! Don’t kill each other!” she called before racing out the door ahead of the air bender.

Scootaloo sighed and rolled her eyes. “Don’t kill him, Ironwing. Bye,” she said, before trotting lightly after Blaze.

Once the two were alone in the room Ironwing rolled his eyes. “Your wife is subtle.”

Prism snickered and shook his head. “It could be worse. You know, last time it was you in the hospital and me worried sick.”

“You could have died, you know.”

“Doubt it.”

“You might have never flown again. You wing was broken in two places.”

“They have good healers here.”

“I had to help haul you here, Prism. Your chest was partially caved. You almost died.”

“And yet I didn’t. What’s this about, Ironwing?”

The stallion sighed and turned, leaning his back against the bed. “I feel… guilty. I guess. I should have been there, by your side. But I wasn’t. You ran off like a… well, an idiot.”

“I know, I--”

“You ran off like your mother.”

That made Prism freeze.

“You know how that turned out. You know what happened.”

“I’m not--”

“You are like her. You’re cocky, arrogant, a pain in the rear. You’re good, but you’re not perfect. You can make mistakes. Do you think I don’t notice that? That was why you and I were a team for so long. Why--”

“That was then, this was something I had to--”

“Deal with on your own? Like Shining Blast?”

“… He wasn’t as--”

“You don’t know what he’s capable of. You don’t know what the immortal is, either. They have more than just your mother’s mark in them. They have power, control, precision. They are far, far beyond just normal ponies now. Taking them on by yourself is nothing more than reckless arrogance.”

“I was--”

“You almost weren’t. You should have brought me with you. Or Blaze, even. Somepony. If Blaze hadn’t taken him by surprise, you might be dead now.”

Prism let out a soft groan. “I’m sorry. It’s just… I thought I had it handled, I--”

“You’re your mother’s child. But Rainbow is gone. The Air Nomads need every Wonderbolt they have. You’re not just putting yourself at risk when you get hurt. Just… next time… don’t. You need someone to watch your back.” Ironwing lightly tapped his hooves on the ground. “And… maybe… I need someone to watch my back. Sometimes. Too.”

“Wait… what? You mean...”

“Last time I almost died. I needed YOUR help to get out of the city before Silver got there. In that turmoil, I could have been killed by any number of…” Ironwing trailed off, before giving a sigh. “The Wonderbolts are in shambles. Most of the few remaining ponies in the Shadowbolts are in hiding. We have to use every edge we have. And you and I are...”

Prism sighed. “Just like old days, then?”

“If we work together, even your mom would have a rough time against us.”

“She’d have probably still kicked our flanks, though.”

“Probably. Your mom was merciless.”

“But… fine. I wouldn’t mind that. I guess. Kinda. Maybe. It… About mom. I didn’t mean to--”

“You didn’t try to break anypony’s wings before flying off to do something stupid and reckless. You’re not your mom.”

“Thanks.”

“You’re just an idiot.”

Prism frowned. “Gee, thanks.”

“Anytime,” Ironwing said before getting to his hooves. “Get back to your hooves when you can. We’ve got a lot of old techniques to work on.”

“I will. About the Metal Orchard. Do you think they’ll--”

“They’ll hold out as long as they can,” Ironwing cut him off. “We… just have to hope that whatever Diamond has planned, whatever she’s working on, will pay off in the end.”

“What do you think the chances are of that happening?”

“I’m willing to take that gamble.”

“Good enough for me.”
> Chapter 9: Metal Orchard
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Vinyl lifted up a bit of water, idly humming to herself before lashing out with it, forming an icy club to concuss the changeling trying to dash in through one of the holes in the wall. She then shifted the water into a wall of ice over the hall. One down, only a dozen or so more to go. The ground bounced underhoof, setting the beat to this assault. She bobbed her head with it, the world tinted by her purple glasses. It wouldn’t be long now, judging by that beat.

She didn’t even move when she saw the pair of changeling dive at her, that wasn’t for her to worry about. She twisted around, forming a small rope of water and sending it flying forward, snagging a collapsed earth pony and then yanking him away before the changelings could get a hold of him and drag him out through a hole.

The changelings diving at her were getting closer, but were still not her problem. She formed a blade of ice a moment before her eyes turned purple. The blade followed suit a moment later, rippling with toxin. Would it be enough?

Not even close. She sent it hurtling forward at the Immortal, the strange spirit comprised of so many cutie marks. The blade struck true and there was an angry cry, but it only made its assault stop for a moment.

It was never enough. It turned and launched a wave of earthen spikes at her.

The changelings were getting closer and, right on time, the ground stopped shaking. Suddenly a wall of dirt rose up in front of her, blocking both the spikes and the diving changelings. A moment later a wall of metal flew overhead, catching the changelings and tossing them out through the hole in the wall, before sealing over it.

“How many?” Octavia asked.

“Three,” Vinyl said before glancing towards the pair trotting towards her. They certainly were a fine sight, Octavia and Big Mac. Right on time, as always. Two of the greatest earth ponies there ever were. “How about on your end?”

“We lost two more,” Octavia said with a soft sigh. “The Immortal?”

“I managed to annoy it, but that’s all,” Vinyl said before glancing towards the sealed dome. “Could really use an avatar right about now.”

The sounds of the creature striking the dome echoed through the protected city.

“Mmmm hm,” Big Mac said before glancing towards the dome. “Almost time.”

Octavia gave a nod. “Vinyl, are you going to be okay?”

“I’m not so old yet that I can’t help with a civilian escape,” Vinyl said before stretching out a little. “Nngggg… still. Thought I’d be retiring before something like this would happen. Thought that was the whole reason to have kids.”

“Oh please, Vinyl,” Octavia said with a roll of her eyes. “As if you’d ever let retirement stop you from getting involved.”

“Heh, a comeback tour is always a lot more fun though,” Vinyl said before she started walking after them.

She didn’t like that beat, though. The sound of the Immortal pounding on their walls. It was only a matter of time before another hole was made and they’d lose a few more of their defenders. She wondered how long until they wouldn’t be able to reseal after an assault.

------ 

Vinyl tapped her hoof and her horn glowed. The enchanted water in the soil obeyed her once more, parting and allowing a small passage for the earth benders to create. It wasn’t much, but they couldn’t make it too big if they wanted to have any chance of slipping the ponies out from under Stony Brace’s nose.

She just hoped Octavia could keep up her efforts long enough. It had worked up to this point, but she couldn’t help but wonder how much longer until their luck ran out. A few days? A week? Would this be it?

Big Mac stomped his hooves and the tunnel formed. Almost instantly the ponies designated to leave ran forward, galloping through the tunnel while he kept a hoof to the ground. After a few moments he tapped his hoof again and it sealed itself, right before she made the water close over the ground once more.

It was out of their hooves, now. Just up to Octavia to keep Stony distracted.

“Big Mac!” an angry voice yelled out.

Oh for buck’s sake. Vinyl turned to see a small swarm of ponies stomping towards them. She rolled her eyes. She wondered what the complaints were going to be this time.

“I can’t believe you’d allow something so… so foul! Such traitorous behavior is befitting one of the Water Nation!” the earth pony yelled, stomping his hooves and making the ground shake slightly when he did.

Ah, of course. She wondered for a moment which pony this was. Rockhead. Obnoxious little rabble rouser. “Ahem?” Vinyl asked, cocking an eye behind her glasses.

“Exactly!” Rockhead yelled, stomping a hoof down. “Every day fewer and fewer Earth Kingdom ponies are sent out from the city! Today only ONE! How can you value the lives of foreign ponies more than your own flesh and blood?”

Big Mac sighed. “Now, listen here--”

“I will not!” Rockhead yelled. “This borders on treason! Our ponies MUST be made a priority in these situations! Every day we lose more and more proud Earth Kingdom ponies to these attacks, for what? To defend the ponies of other nations? When have any of them ever done ANYTHING to help us?”

Vinyl just lowered her glasses a little so her cocked eye could be seen. “Really?”

“Err, present company excluded,” Rockhead said. “We must put Earth Kingdom ponies first. Every day our glorious kingdom loses another pony, we--”

“ENOUGH!” Big Mac yelled, stomping his hoof down. “Now you listen here, Pebblebrain.”

“Rockhead,” he corrected.

“I know yer name,” Big Mac snapped. “Earth Kingdom, Air Nomads, Water Nation, Fire Tribes and Harmony. Ain’t a single one of them matter when, at the end of the day, we’re all ponies. Now, we’re sending ponies out who need tah get out. It don’t matter where they’re from.”

“You can’t truly mean to imply that the ponies from other nations are the same as us,” Rockhead said. “They--”

“I ain’t implying nothin’,” Big Mac said. “I’m SAYIN’ they are.”

“But… but this is a time for us to stick together, to--”

“A time for all us ponies to work together,” Big Mac said. “No matter where we’re from or where we’re goin’. It wasn’t the Earth Kingdom who beat Discord all those years ago an’ it ain’t gonna be the Earth Kingdom that does it today. It took every last pony workin’ together to take down that blasted spirit and focusin’ on where we’re all from don’t mean a darn thing when we otta be lookin’ at each other and seein’ we’re all supposed to be on the same side!”

“If the Earth Kingdom had faced Discord alone, I’m sure--”

“Yah weren’t there then, Pebblebrain,” Big Mac said. “Ah was. An’ it wasn’t one kingdom standin’ up tah Discord with the Avatar. It took all of us realizin’ what truly mattered to defeat that vile spirit. And it ain’t gonna be no different this time. So it don’t matter where a pony is from when it comes time to determine who sneaks out each day. All that matters is the only thing that should matter. If they’re the highest priority tah get out, then civilians from outside the kingdom have priority. The end.” The earth pony gave a derisive harumph before storming off, Vinyl snickering as she followed behind him.

It really was nice to seeing him actually get bent out of shape every once in a while. “Feel better?” she asked in a teasing tone.

“Mmmm hm,” Big Mac said with a nod.

Vinyl glanced towards the south side of the city, where the main entrance was. She couldn’t see it from here, but well… she could imagine how it was going. “Worried?”

“Mmmm hm,” Big Mac said.

“Wish the Avatar and her friends were here?” Vinyl asked.

Big Mac walked in silence for a few long moments before giving a nod.

“Think Silver is still among those friends?” Vinyl asked.

“I don’t rightly know,” Big Mac said with a sigh.

“Yeah, me either,” Vinyl said before giving a sigh of her own. “This really puts a snag in any plans for Acrylic and Silver to get together. Alas, I suppose the world may never know what the descendants of Vinyl and Alicity could have been.”

Big Mac gave a light shudder before glancing back at her with a cocked eye.

“What? I’m not getting any younger,” Vinyl said. “And unlike a certain somepony I don’t have a few dozen kids spread out across the nations to continue the awesome that is my line.” She managed to keep her face entirely serious… for about five seconds before she started snickering.

Big Mac gave a light snort and rolled his eyes.

------ 

“Please, Octavia, see reason,” Stony pleaded, his brown coat and metal armor coated in mud.

Octavia just stared at him, her face a stony mask. He could beg, plead, tear out every hair from that silver mane of his if he liked. It wouldn’t change anything. “We do see reason.”

“Every day more and more ponies fall,” Stony said. “You can’t hope to hold out forever.”

“We can and we will,” Octavia said. “No matter how much the wind howls, the mountain does now bow.”

“No, it doesn’t,” Stony said. “But the mountain that refuses to yield eventually crumbles, even if just one stone at a time. The Earth Kingdom will fall. Join us, stand besides us. Be our ally, not our enemy.”

Octavia gave a soft sigh before shaking her head. “Each time you come here, the answer is always the same. We won’t yield. The Metal Orchard will stand for its ideals, even if it must be cut down in opposition to this tyrant.”

“Imagine the good you could do,” Stony said. “How many ponies wouldn’t have to lose their cutie marks.”

“Better to fall fighting for what we believe in than to stand for this chaos you and your lot have wrought,” Octavia said before glancing towards the host of changelings that had come with him. “You trained under Big Mac. Do you truly believe he will ever give in to your demands?”

Stony gave a sigh before shaking his head. “No, not really. But just because I know he won’t doesn’t mean I won’t try. It just wouldn’t feel right.”

Octavia shook her head. “And you believe this does? This… disgusting assault of our homes?”

“Sometimes we’ve got to do things we don’t want to do in order to make things better,” Stony said. “Are you sure you won’t consider it?”

“We will not surrender,” Octavia said firmly.

“Fine,” Stony said before getting to his hooves and looking down at his cup. He picked it up and drank the rest of the tea before turning his back to her. “I guess I’ll see you again in a few days. Just remember, my offer is always open.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Octavia said while she watched him leave. Once he walked out from the gate it was sealed behind him once more. A few moments later the pounding began again.

“Went about as well as expected?” Vinyl asked as she and Big Mac trotted up.

“Indeed,” Octavia said. “Sadly, he’s not wrong. Every day we get a little weaker.”

“Yeah,” Vinyl said. “But hey, it’s not like we have to hold out forever.”

“Mmmm hm,” Big Mac said.

“Of course not,” Octavia said before before glancing up at the metal ceiling of the city. “But… I do hope whatever Diamond has planned, whatever she is doing… I hope she is ready before it’s too late.”

“Please,” Vinyl said. “If there’s one thing I’ve learned about the avatar, it’s this. There’s no such thing as too late.”

“Says the unicorn who couldn’t show up on time if her life depended on it,” Octavia said with a small, good natured smile on her lips.

Despite the gentle teasing, one thought still lingered in the air for the three.

Would the Avatar really be able to put a stop to all of this before it was too late? Or was it possibly too late already?
> Chapter 10: Tincoat
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“I thought I was doing the right thing,” Tincoat spoke somberly. “I believed the Earth Kingdom needed one ruler. Needed one hoof to guide it. I believed my mother… she would have been a good empress, I think. At first.”

Diamond nodded, though she didn’t open her eyes.

“But the war was hard on us all. I thought I was doing the right thing, bringing the kingdoms together. One nation for all earth benders. But in the end it fell. My own mother fell. I… had no choice but to stop her and break everything I had worked so hard for, only to meet my end as well,” Tincoat said.

“Thank you,” Diamond said softly before opening her eyes. “I know this can’t have been easy for you to share.”

“It has been so long since I talked to another Avatar,” Tincoat said with a soft sigh. “But…”

“I’ll still need to go further,” Diamond said.

Tincoat nodded. “Further than any Avatar ever has, likely.”

“I will,” Diamond said before slowly opening her eyes and staring at the silver alicorn before her. He began to fade away, like wisps in the wind. With a light grunt she got to her hooves and began to walk away.

It felt so odd, this. All of it. She held none of her power. No elements. No cutie mark. She should have been cut off from the reality of the Avatar entirely. Yet she’d never felt closer. Now more than ever she felt like she understood herself less and less. She stepped out from the remains of the Tree of Harmony and started to trot away, pausing only for a moment to glance towards the only physical companion she had here. “Hey, Smooze.”

It burbled at her, like it always did.

Diamond had attained some answers, though. The Avatar… was far from perfect. She wasn’t the first to make mistakes. She would hopefully not be the last.

Twilight had made mistakes. Starswirl had made mistakes. Cadence. Clover. But she had gone back even further, now. Dug into layer after layer. Past life after past life. Though it was exhausting and, sometimes, she wanted to collapse from the exertion. Still, she dug.

There were so many lives there, watching her. Waiting for her. Each one a history in its own right. She could have spent so many lifetimes just learning about all they had done. Yet it wasn’t just what they had done that she needed. She needed to know who they had been. Why they had been chosen. Had there been mistakes or had it just been a matter of not understanding.

There had been so many mistakes from what she’d seen. She’d met Avatars who had been, if not evil, at least misguided. Avatars who had fallen for lies and trickery. Avatars who had believed in their superiority or the superiority of their people. Avatars who had been cruel. Avatars who had hurt others. Avatars who hadn’t made it to adulthood. Even an Avatar who had only in their last moments discovered their own parents were never their parents at all, instead they were somepony who had killed their actual parents in order to steal their power. The deeper she dug into her past lives, the more she discovered things were not as perfect as she’d hoped. The stories she’d been told of the past… sometimes were just stories. For every heroic and noble avatar, there were three who just did as they were told. But for every ten ponies like that there could be one who was anything but the good, noble pony an avatar was supposed to be.

But it didn’t seem arbitrary, either. Even the worst of the avatars seemed to have a purpose, a reason they were chosen. Perhaps, in the end, they had failed. But they had tried. Their ideas and beliefs at the end of their journey may not have fit what they were at the end, but they did try.

She wondered if that meant she was another failure.

Diamond idly wondered where she was, now. Traveling through the Spirit World seemed… different now. Walking for days in one direction only to turn around and cover the same distance in minutes. Yet she oddly seemed better able to handle it now. As if the world itself didn’t try to confound her, instead almost guiding her.

She idly wondered if it was because she had no cutie mark. Like a ghost moving through a haunted forest, it was almost like she belonged here now.

“Twilight,” Diamond said, feeling that oddly familiar presence starting to form.

“Diamond,” Twilight said, walking besides her now.

“He didn’t have any answers either,” Diamond said.

“I’m sorry,” Twilight said.

“What if you’re right?” Diamond asked. “What if you, Starswirl, Clover, what if you’re all right? What if Discord is entirely evil?”

“Discord is,” Twilight said.

“And if Silver is Discord?” Diamond asked.

Twilight was silent for a long moment then.

“You struck Discord down,” Diamond said with a soft sigh. “What… if I can’t?”

“You aren’t me, Diamond,” Twilight said. “Our journeys, our challenges are not the same.”

“And Trixie?” Diamond asked. “When the time came she killed you. When the time came Silver took…” She glanced back towards her cutie mark. “She took being the avatar from me.”

“Severed your connection to the elements,” Twilight said. “But there’s more to being the Avatar than that. Discord never fully understood what it meant to be the Avatar.”

“Do I?” Diamond asked. “Maybe it’s because I never really had this ability yet. I guess it was a good thing I never really got the hang of it then, huh?”

Diamond received no response. When she glanced back, Twilight was gone. She was so tired. It was different from when her cutie mark had been stolen before, though. She was still herself. Just… different. No true powers. No bending or earth pony magic. Yet, somehow her past lives were better able to talk with her than ever.

A ghost now, walking through the decaying, crumbling world of spirits. It was all frozen and collapsing. Occasionally she would see a spirit flit by here or there, but it didn’t feel right either. Something terrible had happened here.

She stopped when she came to a place she knew far, far too well now. Once a barrier had been erected here. Separating the badlands from the rest of the world. Or, at least, in the Spirit World. Now it seemed like both realms were in decay. Was this her fault? Or was it Silver’s? Was it both? Neither? Neither chaos nor harmony. Just a hollow emptiness.

Where had all the spirits gone? Where were they hiding? Would they appear again, one day? If she defeated Silver? If she killed her friend would they come back? Would it matter to her then? Was this normal for the Spirit World, a season of sorts? The rules didn’t seem to apply here in many regards, so why should the look and feel be the same?

Diamond sighed and began walking again, a ghost walking amongst the hollow, bleak wasteland of the Spirit World. Out of the badlands, further from the tree. She’d met avatars of so many different lives. She’d met one that had been a pirate, raised by a griffon. One who had lived amongst the yaks and had been a destructive force. One avatar who had wanted to write books and escape what she considered the ‘mundane adventures’ of war. But she had still only scratched the surface. She’d spent so long running towards her enemies, struggling to find and defeat them…

Now she really needed to learn who her enemy was. Who Discord was. What he was.

More importantly, she needed to know who she was.

------ 

Diamond lightly sipped her tea before glancing towards Celestia and Luna. The ponies-turned-spirits merely watched her. How they always seemed to be ahead of her, she’d never know. She suspected they were following her, but perhaps it was this world.

She wondered how long she had been here. Days. Weeks. Months. Time didn’t really pass the same here. She’d been traveling all over. Exploring. Searching. Connecting to her past lives.

“I met an avatar by the name of Tincoat today,” Diamond said. “He was originally from the Earth Kingdoms, tried to create an empire. It… didn’t work.”

“Very few of their empires have been successful,” Celestia said. “Most eventually fall and are either replaced or become a new fragmented land.”

“A lot like the Water Nation,” Diamond said. “Interesting that the Fire Tribes and Air Nomads don’t unite like that.”

“Sometimes I imagine it would have been better if we hadn’t,” Luna said. “Have you managed to learn anything else about… him?”

Diamond shook her head. “Not much,” she said. “After I rest, I’m hoping to try again. One thing Tincoat mentioned, though, was interesting.”

Neither of the former ponies said anything, but they stared at her, watching.

“He mentioned that, long, long before he was alive that, supposedly, the four nations were a single, united nation. If it was true, however, well…” Diamond gave a soft sigh and lightly ate a few small… well, she wasn’t sure what they were. Some kind of pastry, she imagined. It tasted well enough and it was likely best not to question what Celestia cooked with. “I’ll hopefully know tomorrow. If I can dig in deep enough to find out what happened, what Discord was like then, if he was… alive then… who knows? Maybe it’ll give me some answers.”

“Do you truly believe this will help you defeat that monster?” Luna asked.

“I don’t know,” Diamond said before giving a light yawn. “But I hope so. If it can give me the edge I need, then it’ll be worth it. I’m going to go get some sleep.”

The pair watched her leave before Luna gave a soft sigh and glanced to her sister. “Does she truly believe she will find something that allows her to avoid what must be done?”

“Of course,” Celestia said. “Discord may be a dangerous and vicious foe. But no matter how terrible he may be, I’ve yet to meet any avatar who would just abandon their friends to him.”

Luna gave a snort and shook her head. “This isn’t just corruption, though. If this Silver truly is the Avatar of Discord, then she is likely as horrible as him. Attempting to understand a being of chaos is the work of madness.”

“Perhaps,” Celestia said with a shrug. “I’d be lying if I said I disagreed.”

“Exactly,” Luna said.

“But I am not the Avatar,” Celestia said. “I just merely have to hope that whatever choice she makes, the road she walks, is the correct one.”

“And if she’s wrong?” Luna asked.

“Well then we’re all bucked, aren’t we?” Celestia asked with a shrug.
> Chapter 11: Icemane
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Diamond lifted a hoof over Silver’s head, all she had to do was strike. One last time. One final, brutal time. She had the power. Killing her might have been possible.

But she hesitated. She hesitated… but Silver didn’t. The kick. Then the fight. That song. That dreadful, horrible song.

Knocking her away, thinking she’d cast the Alicorn Amulet from her. Her birthright. An amulet that belonged to the Avatar. Didn’t it?

Watching Tirek being drained of his power, destroyed. Shattered by Discord. Then seeing her frie-- seeing Silver turn towards her. Discord’s laugh echoing through her mind as the pony was replaced by the evil, cruel spirit. When he snapped his fingers his magic enveloped her, tearing her apart. Dragging her magic forcibly from her.

Diamond sat up with a shriek, her eyes wide and looking around frantically. She was covered in a cold sweat, but there was no danger. Only Celestia and Luna, the once powerful benders merely drinking what passed for tea. They had a spirit with them this time, a strange, small leaf-like creature. That was nice, there hadn’t been a spirit here in… she rarely saw spirits anymore.

“Another nightmare?” Celestia asked.

“Y-yes,” Diamond said before shaking her head. “I’m going… I don’t know where. I’ll… oh, who am I kidding? I’ll probably run into you again after.”

“Avatar…” Celestia said softly, before motioning towards a small bundle. “Take that. You aren’t a spirit, you’ll still require food.”

“Thank you,” Diamond said before grabbing it and tossing it into her saddlebag, then tossing that over her back. Once more she left the two behind, though she couldn’t help feeling she’d see them again. She wondered if it was the Spirit World driving them together or the two were just following her. Probably a bit of both.

Diamond didn’t know how long she walked this time, but she felt the presence soon enough. “You know, it might have made things easier if you’d done this a lot sooner.”

“Sorry,” Twilight said with a light chuckle, the alicorn walking besides her. “Couldn’t. I still don’t actually understand how this works. Honestly, I wonder if I’m here at all, or if this is just a--”

“Please don’t egghead at me right now,” Diamond said. “No offense, I’m just…”

“Not feeling well?” Twilight asked.

“More or less,” Diamond said. Still, if she had to choose which avatar would pop up and talk with her, she was happy it was Twilight. Most of the other avatars had a very… she didn’t like what they had to say. Even if they were right. “I don’t suppose you’ve had any more luck than me?”

“If I could, I would,” Twilight said. “But I’m not even entirely sure I still exist when we’re not talking. I mean, I feel like I do, but it’s not… quite the same. It’s a lot like being asleep. I sometimes can reach out a little bit, but it’s not quite the same as when I was alive.”

“Of course not,” Diamond said. “Everypony is looking to me, you know. They all think I’ll do something or pull out something. Like you did.”

“Yeah, that happens a lot,” Twilight said. “Life of being the Avatar, I guess.”

“I really wish I had been you,” Diamond said.

“You can’t be me anymore than I can be you,” Twilight said.

“I wish at least the elements still existed,” Diamond said. “Then it’d be so easy. Find out which of my friends are the five and then, bam. Done. Right?”

“It’s not… quite that simple, Diamond,” Twilight said before shaking her head. “I truly wish it was.”

“Yeah,” Diamond said. “I guess one of the five would probably be Discord then, wouldn’t she?” Try as she might, she couldn’t keep the bitterness out of her voice.

“I don’t think Discord could be an element,” Twilight said. “He’s… pretty counter to them.”

“Silver could have,” Diamond said. “Would have. Maybe. If I hadn’t… is this all my fault?”

“Your fault?” Twilight asked.

“If I hadn’t… if I hadn’t been so… if I’d not listened to Tirek,” Diamond said. “If I’d just… believed her. If I’d ignored him and just… what if we hadn’t fought there? What if we’d dealt with Tirek then and I just pretended that everything was fine. Would they be?”

“I don’t know,” Twilight said.

“She lied to me,” Diamond said softly. “It’s not… Honesty was one of the important pieces, right? Of the elements? So she lied to me. So she couldn’t be my friend, could she?”

Twilight gave a soft, gentle sigh before shaking her head. “Applejack taught me how important honesty is.”

“And?” Diamond asked.

“And so I can honestly say I don’t know,” Twilight said. “Discord was a cruel, vicious, monstrous spirit. He reveled in ruining the lives of those around him. But I don’t know how much of him is in her. Enough of my friends had been… corrupted by his influence that I can’t truly judge Silver based on that.”

For a while after that the pair walked in silence before Diamond spoke up once more. “I haven’t really changed, have I?”

“I’m sorry?” Twilight asked. “Changed how?”

“From how I started,” Diamond said softly. “I’m still just as selfish and arrogant as ever. Everypony keeps telling me I’ve grown up and matured, but I don’t really feel like I have. I still want to just have everything my way and ignore the consequences.”

“You wouldn’t have seen it this way before, would you?” Twilight asked. “You may want things the same way, but the things you want now are far different from then.”

Diamond gave another soft sigh before stepping into a small clearing. The only thing inside it was an ancient altar in the center, once overgrown but now most of the grass had wilted away. Still, it felt… oddly familiar. She supposed it must have connected in some way to her past lives then. “I don’t want to fight my friend,” Diamond said softly. “Even if she is Discord, even if she’s been playing me all this time, I don’t want to fight her. It’s not fair! I want… I want my friend back. It’d be like asking me to fight Button or Acrylic or Prism. Or Blaze. Or Daring. Heck, even Ironwing. Well, okay, him I wouldn’t mind dumping in the lake but I wouldn’t want to kill him. There’s so many…” She trailed off when she realized she was alone. She hated it when the avatars did that. It was nice that she could talk to them now, but she wished she had a bit more control over it.

Diamond trotted to the altar and leapt on top of it. It wasn’t fair. Discord wasn’t supposed to be her friend. He was supposed to corrupt her and her friends. He was supposed to fight her. Be her big enemy. He was supposed to try to kill her.

But he wasn’t supposed to be her friend. She closed her eyes and, once more, began to meditate.

------ 

Layer upon layer she peeled back, digging further and further back within herself. Questioning each past life she met, but the answers were always the same. She had a duty. A bad spirit had to be stopped. Discord was an enemy. Some avatars failed, some succeeded, some made mistakes. But in the end, they all shared the same duty. Harmony.

“You’re not going to stop, are you?” a voice asked. When Diamond’s eyes opened, a blue alicorn was sitting in front of her. Entirely blue, his coat and mane like ice.

“No,” Diamond said softly. “I need to know who Discord truly is. I need to know what we are. Why do we have to fight?”

The alicorn gave a soft sigh. “You want to know who Discord is… very well. I’ll show you.” He held out his hoof.

“Who are you?” Diamond asked.

“My name is Icemane,” he said. “As far as I know… I was the first to fall for Discord’s treachery. His first step into the destruction he wrought.”

Diamond gulped and stared at the hoof. “You… were?”

“If you wish to know what he was, I’ll show you,” Icemane said. “But… it won’t be pretty. This takes place long, long, long before anything you know. So many lifetimes. I’ll show you how cunning and wicked Discord is and the power he can truly wield. How manipulative he is.”

“Show me…” Diamond said before, very slowly, reaching a hoof out towards him.

“Very well,” Icemane said. Their hooves touched and the world vanished around them.

------ 

“Long ago the four nations--” Icemane started.

“Lived in Harmony, I know,” Diamond said, cutting him off.

“Didn’t exist,” Icemane said.

A moment later the world seemed to come into being around Diamond. She was standing  on the edges of an ancient city. Overhead, pegasi were flying, while on the ground earth ponies and unicorns were walking about.

Diamond felt a rush of excitement. Finally. Would this be the last one? Would this give her the answers she so desperately sought?

Icemane was standing in the middle of a small arena, a whip of water attached to his horn with which he was deflecting blasts of fire from a unicorn. His form seemed a little sloppy, if she was going to be honest. Sure, she wasn’t the best water bender, but he just kept deflecting and backing away. How could he hope to win if--

Then the ground erupted under him and an earth pony came from below, shooting a flurry of rocks. He took to the sky, narrowly spinning through the air and avoiding a blast of fire while the water whipped around him. He shot straight up, only to pull a tight U-turn and plummet towards the ground…

Narrowly avoiding a pegasus who had come diving from above. He landed front hooves first, swirling on them to avoid another blast of fire. The whip shot out, coiling around the hoof of the earth bender. He twisted around, spinning tightly and hauling the earth bender out of the ground and chucking him up into the air, causing him to fly into the pegasus.

“Why are you showing me this?” Diamond asked. “So you were a powerful bender.”

“No, I wasn’t,” Icemane said.

Diamond cocked an eye. A moment later the fire bender was thrown into the other two, crashing into a pile. “You look like you did pretty well.”

“I was a powerful water bender,” Icemane said. “I favored one element above the others. I knew them, but I didn’t use them. To me, wings were just for flying, fire was just to keep you warm and the earth was, well. I barely used it at all.”

“So? Most avatars favor one element,” Diamond said.

“No,” Icemane said before the world around them began to shift. “I don’t mean just in fighting.”

A moment later they were in a field and Icemane was fighting more earthbenders this time, except there were some water bender unicorns with him. It wasn’t much of a fight, either. The earth benders were outmatched quickly, shards of ice piercing the ground and digging them out of it with a rather vicious ease. Diamond couldn’t help but cringe at that. “What, uhhhh…”

“Some tensions were breaking out between a group of water benders and earth benders,” Icemane said. “I, of course, favored with who I saw as my ponies. I didn't see them as anymore than that.  But you see, that... was where it started.”

Once more the world around them seemed to move at a rapid pace. There were other ponies talking to Icemane. Yelling, screaming, finally he just turned and stormed off. Leaving the city behind.

“I was young, naive,” Icemane said. “I thought I was the only pony who knew what was right. That the other benders didn’t matter as much. Or, rather, that they were less important. The water benders raised the moon and helped to gather the water for the rain and clouds. The fire benders could make the sun, but if it was around too long it did too much damage. The air benders wove the weather. The earth benders tended to the land, but without the others they could grow nothing. There was a balance, but I didn’t see it that way. All I saw was my own authority and power. I was a water bender first, an avatar second. There were… plenty… who decided to take advantage of that fact. I chose to ignore it. When the evidence was shown to me, I grew angry and argumentative. Running from the issue rather than trying to deal with it. Even as the rift continued to grow, I did nothing.”

The vision moved about and she could see his home in more clarity. There was some damage, though. Some homes were newer, better maintained and some were crumbling apart. Damaged. But the more she looked, the more she realized the damaged home were rarely belonging to unicorns, usually pegasi and earth pony.

“Tensions had been rising for quite a while, you see,” Icemane said. “Long before I was born. My home was the focal point, the center of our world. But other smaller villages, towns and cities were experiencing the same. I didn’t realize why until it was too late.”

They were in a large room a moment later, Icemane near the back. At least a dozen unicorns were in the room, yelling. “The fire benders are too destructive. They must be reigned in! They wiped out half a field with their little ‘spat’ today.”

“The earth benders have been talking about raising their prices again! How are we supposed to feed our ponies if they just keep taking advantage of all our work?”

“Those wind storms are getting out of control! How can the air benders claim to control the weather one moment, then the next they say it’s all a freak accident?”

“I didn’t know at the time,” Icemane said a moment after the world seemed to stop. “But this was happening everywhere.”

“What about the non-benders?” Diamond asked.

“There were none,” Icemane said. “That is… we didn’t think there was. Until a child was born. A child of a fire bender and a water bender. Honestly, I can’t even remember their name. It didn’t matter, though. It wasn’t who they were. It was what they represented. They called the child the ‘tainted’. Many believed it was why I was chosen. That it was my duty to… stop it…”

“Stop… it?” Diamond asked, a small wave of dread washing over her. “Wait, how do you…”

“They were a foal,” Icemane said, shaking his head. “I was many things. But… I couldn’t kill a foal. Yet there was so much panic. I didn’t know what to do. So I went to the only place I could think to. The spirits for help. For guidance. How to fix this.”

“They wanted you to kill a foal?” Diamond asked, a hoof moving to her mouth. “Because they weren’t a bender?”

“Because they signified our end,” Icemane said. “In some ways, they did. Or rather… the panic they caused did.. The harmony that gave so many of us ponies our abilities was crumbling. And that was when I met him…”

“Him?” Diamond asked.

Suddenly they were in the Spirit World. Except it was so much more alive and bustling than the one from her time. Spirits danced through the trees and watched Icemane as he walked across the path.

Eventually he stopped in front of a strange, stone altar. The same one that she was now meditating on, except newer and surrounded by living grass, not decay. He climbed onto it and sat down, seemingly going into meditation.

A moment later a strange creature, an amalgamation of griffon, lion, dragon, pony and several other things. A draconequus. Worst of all, however, was she swore for a split second his eyes had turned to look at her.

Discord.
> Chapter 12: Tainted Foal
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Diamond gulped and slowly shifted around to the right, away from him.

Discord’s eyes definitely tracked her for a moment. She did NOT like that.

“He… can’t see me, can he? He doesn’t, I mean, this is just a memory. Right?” Diamond asked.

“Don’t be ridiculous, of course I can’t,” Discord said, making her yelp.

“W-what?” Diamond said.

“If I had the answers you need, I would be the Avatar, wouldn’t I?” Discord asked.

Diamond blinked a few times and then realized that he was talking to Icemane. Still, that was uncanny.

“But… I…” Icemane said.

“If you ask me,” Discord said. “These other ponies of yours are just being greedy. No wonder benders are fading away. Just imagine. You could be the last Avatar! Wouldn’t that be quite the show stopper?”

“The last?” Icemane asked.

“Indeed. After all, it’s total chaos and anarchy out there. A water bender and a fire bender having a child is just the tip of the iceberg compared to what else is going around out there. And trust me, I know chaos,” Discord said with a laugh.

“Who… are you, anyway?” Icemane asked.

“Oh, I have many names,” Discord said. “Spirit, Clown, Silver,” when he said that one Diamond SWORE he looked RIGHT AT HER! “But you may call me Disarray.”

“Disarray?” Icemane asked. “So you’re a part of this? You--”

“I am a symptom of this,” Discord said, making a tut tut sound. “You can hardly blame me if you ponies are forgetting what’s important.”

“And what’s that?” Icemane asked.

“Purity, obviously,” Discord said. “What happens when you start to mix fire benders and water benders? You get neither. Look around at all of your ponies. How many small little arguments and fights because they’re all together? Earth bender problems just… aren’t the same as water bender problems, now are they?”

Icemane stared at him for a while before, slowly, shaking his head and storming off.

“That was the first time I met ‘Disarray’, though I tried to shove his words out of my mind,” Icemane said. “It wasn’t the last. I tried to solve this problem myself… but I didn’t know how. The longer the tainted pony lived, the more ponies began to panic… until we had a second. Then a third. Children of benders who could not bend themselves. So I returned to Disarray. Once every few moons. Then once per moon. Eventually once a week… until finally his words began to enter my heart.”

Diamond blinked and stared over Icemane’s shoulder, where Discord was sitting on the platform and reading a book. The only thing still moving in the vision. The book was titled ‘How to Train your Avatar’.

“Over and over I returned to him,” Icemane said. “I should have ignored him. Eventually, I listened to him. I divided our people. Our home. As terrible as our situation was, I made it worse.”

Once more they were hovering over the city. Then massive walls of stone rose up between it, sectioning them off from each other.

“It started simple,” Icemane said. “Ponies were only allowed to be with their kind. Cross marriage became outlawed. After all, the Avatar had spoken. To many, my word was law and this… disaster was horrible. Most even agreed. But then it kept escalating and soon ponies weren’t even allowed to talk with those who weren’t like them. Fights were becoming commonplace. There was even a talk of war. Then the unthinkable happened.”

“Unthinkable?” Diamond asked.

“My foal was born,” Icemane said. “The child of the Avatar and a water bender. An innocent little filly… who couldn’t bend at all.”

Diamond felt a chill go down her heart. “You… didn’t…”

“I told you I couldn’t kill any foal, let alone my own,” Icemane said. “But… there was even more panic now. I felt I had no choice. I divided all of the ponies. Forcefully. I moved them away from each other. Four nations. Separated… forever.”

Diamond blinked a few times, staring as the city far below was soon more than just divided by rock. The city was forcefully hauled apart.

“I traveled the lands,” Icemane said. “Gathering every pony, every settlement, every city, every town. One by one I gathered them all and I sent them to where I believed they belonged. I tore homes apart in my quest to ensure that there would be no more… dilution. In my desperation… I doomed us all.”

“Doomed us?” Diamond asked.

“I had done Discord’s work for him,” Icemane said. “I was supposed to help unite ponies everywhere. Stop bending from falling apart. Instead I did the opposite. In separating us, I accelerated the process. More and more non-benders were born. Each nation soon only had their own benders and the non-benders. Earth ponies without earth bending, pegasi without air bending. It continued and--”

“Just because they didn’t have bending didn’t mean they were doomed,” Diamond said.

“They might as well have been,” Icemane said. “What good is a pony without bending?”

“Lots of ponies without bending do all kinds of amazing things!” Diamond said quickly. “And lots of ponies with bending do terrible things or useless things! Just because a pony didn’t have bending didn’t mean they were bad or broken.”

Icemane blinked a few times, staring at her as if she was mad. “How can you say that? My own child was tainted by this--”

“Then you were a terrible father,” Diamond said. “If you treated your daughter like they were some kind of, some kind of taint!”

“How dare you! I--”

“Screwed up,” Diamond said before glancing down at the separated nations. “You separated the ponies because rather than accepting that, maybe, things were changing, you instead gave in and decided they were different so they were wrong.”

“And you feel that way was better?” Icemane asked. “Non-benders and benders--”

“Living in harmony,” Diamond said. “Yes. Like Twilight tried. Yes, bending is awesome. I know. But if there’s one thing I’ve learned in all of this it’s that bending is not everything. And just because a pony is born or isn’t born with bending doesn’t make them any better or worse.”

“Bending was the sign of our harmony,” Icemane said. “It was what united all of us. When we lost it, Discord grew more powerful than ever.”

“Maybe that’s what it meant before,” Diamond said. “But it doesn’t mean that anymore. Benders and non-benders have just as much right to this world. It’s great to know that from the very beginning, though, that this discussion was still happening. I swear it’s like talking with Silver’s grandparents again. What, are you going to blame the first non-benders on Discord as well? Say it was all part of his master plan?”

“Perhaps it was,” Icemane said. “I was the first that he met. By my time, Discord had been nothing more than an ancient fairy tale told to keep ponies from sneaking into the woods at night. I never truly believed he could exist. Maybe he was responsible for the first tainted child. Or maybe he saw the start of the divide and drove it further. If he--”

“Then I’ll go further,” Diamond said.

“Further?” Icemane asked.

“Further,” Diamond said. “I need to know who and what Discord is.”

“He’s the divider, the taint, the--”

“Perhaps he is,” Diamond said. “Or maybe he really is just a symptom. I don’t know. You don’t either. But you know what? I intend to find out.”

“How far do you intend to dig? How far will you go?”

“As long as it takes!” Diamond yelled, stomping her hooves. “I’ll keep digging until I get my answers! Until I know!”

“Know what? Discord is an evil monster,” Icemane said. “He will lie, trick, deceive you. He will tear you and everything you care about apart if you give him the chance. The more rope you give him, the more he’ll use it to hang you with. Perhaps if I had struck him down, then none of this would have happened.”

“Struck him down, or that first foal?” Diamond asked.

“Excuse me?” Icemane asked.

“The first non-bender,” Diamond said. “Would you have struck them down? Do you think you should have?”

Icemane was silent then, lightly poking at the ground.

“Then maybe that’s why you were the avatar,” Diamond said before she started to trot away. Okay. She SWORE she saw Discord off somewhere waving at her. Just for a second. That was creepy. “Even if you bucked up everywhere else.”

“You can’t save her,” Icemane said.

“… Maybe I can’t,” Diamond said. “But I will know who she is. What Discord is. Even if I have to dig all the way back to the first Avatar. I owe her that much at least.”

“And if you fail?”

“I’ve failed plenty,” Diamond said. “One more added to the list won’t make things any worse.

The world around her vanished and, once more, she was on the altar she had found. To imagine, so long ago Discord had laid on it. She collapsed onto her back and let out a groan. She was so, so tired. Worse, despite her words she didn’t truly feel any closer. “Just another waste of time. Discord helped separate the nations. Big woop dee doo,” Diamond said with annoyance.

“I thought it was interesting,” Twilight said.

“Annnnd you’re back. Also, a nerd,” Diamond said.

“Still interesting,” Twilight said.

“Doesn’t help, though,” Diamond said before giving a soft sigh. “Why is this so hard?”

“Hmm, why is it difficult for one pony to go through the lives of hundreds of other lifetimes? I can’t imagine,” Twilight said.

“… That was sarcasm,” Diamond said. “Am I a bad influence on you?”

“Possibly,” Twilight said. “You should rest, though. Pushing yourself too hard, especially in this state, will just hurt you in the end.”

“I was gonna take a nap anyway…” Diamond said softly before rolling off the rock and onto the slightly softer ground with a grunt. “What if I am wrong?”

“I don’t know, Diamond,” Twilight said.

“Were you ever wrong about your friends?” Diamond asked.

“All the time,” Twilight said. Diamond gave another soft sigh. She really didn’t like hearing that. “They always proved me wrong. That the power of friendship could help us find our way through everything.”

“So… do you think…?”

“I still don’t know,” Twilight said. “I suppose it depends on how much of Discord is in her.”

“And how much Silver there is,” Diamond muttered before closing her eyes and letting the world drift away. Wherever Silver was… she hoped she at least wasn’t doing anything she’d regret.
> Chapter 13: Little Walks
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Are you sure you want to do this?” Gracious asked for what must have been the hundredth time.

“Please stop asking me that,” Silver said with a roll of her eyes before she stepped out from her home. A small part of her considered making it start to rain chocolate. Really put on a grand display, let everypony know she was coming. She nudged that thought down. It was probably more Trixie’s idea than hers, anyway.

Everypony knew who she was, that much hadn’t changed. Those who opposed her knew as they had been stripped of their very cutie marks and magic. They were merely fortunate that was all they had lost. Were she truly like Discord she would have taken even their minds from them. Even if a pony lost their magic like this, they at least could still function as themselves, she didn’t take that from them. Still, it didn’t stop ponies from looking up at her with those terrified looks.

Silver tensed up when she passed a pair of ponies giving her hateful looks and she heard the light crackle from her metallic wings, the weapon charging up. She quickly made it stop, but she saw Gracious glance over and the two ponies quickly flee.

“Lady Discord?” Gracious asked. “Is everything okay?”

“Of course it is,” Silver said, though she knew it wasn’t. She gave a soft sigh and glanced up to the portal that hovered over the city. “I’m a monster, aren’t I?”

“Yes,” Gracious said before looking up as well. “No pony could do what you’ve done, your highness. It is horrifying, yet spectacular.”

Silver gave a small nod. “Do you think…” She trailed off, letting the words hang in the air before shaking her head. “Never mind.”

“Lady Discord?” Gracious asked.

“Nothing, it’s nothing,” Silver said before glancing around. Everywhere she stepped the ponies fled or hid, peering out from shadows and behind windows at her as if they expected her at any moment to grab them and tear them apart. Not that she couldn’t, if she wanted to. Oh no, it was distressingly easy to do such. Though she wouldn’t tell anypony, that was part of why she had to create the Immortals to begin with.

She could hold the cutie marks and the magic of others within herself. But all of that power had a cost, in some ways. It made her feel strong, powerful. It made her feel as if there was nothing she couldn’t do. It made all of their natures spring up. Good and bad. She could mute it, if she wanted. Suppress it with ease. But it was still there. Not enough to control her, but enough to make her feel…

Guilty. It made her feel guilty. She idly wondered if this was why her spirits weren’t coming. Only the changelings and a hoofful of others had responded to her call. Even Chrysalis wasn’t here, though she knew that spirit was out there somewhere. Every time she reached out to the changelings there was this strange, small delay. As if her commands were being filtered through something before being carried out. She suspected it was the leader of the changelings. Though why she had yet to come to Discord’s summons she didn’t know. A part of her was tempted to try and force her to come, to reach out and just grab her, make it a command rather than a request.

But Chrysalis wasn’t Tirek. Even if he was disloyal and twisted, the remaining three likely weren’t. Whatever had her so far away likely was important. In the end, she’d trust her servants. After all, she’d already won. Just like Discord before her. What more was there to do?

“Your highness?” Gracious asked.

“Huh?” Silver asked before glancing over to the unicorn. Her eyes widened when she realized she was being offered a small pie. “When did you get this?”

“You really are out of it, aren’t you?” Gracious asked in a slightly teasing tone. “Did you not even notice me trot off?”

“I… right,” Silver said before her fake horn began to glow and the pie was gripped in her magic. She took a small bite. Banana cream, it was nice. “That shop is still open?”

“Shop?” Gracious asked.

Silver held up the pie and cocked an eye.

“Oh, right,” Gracious said with a small chuckle. “They seem to be. Ponies still need to eat, no? Unless you intend to change that. Could you?”

“Probably,” Silver said. She didn’t want to, though. She could have made so many changes. She’d heard the stories of the things Discord had done to ponies during his short reign. As powerful as she was, all she would have to do was reach out with her magic and she could change them as easily as she ate this pie. Some would likely resist and struggle against it, but they’d crumble before long. She couldn’t do it to everypony at once like he could, but she could do it one by one. “It wouldn’t be hard. Why, do you want to stop eating?”

“Oh, no!” Gracious said quickly, taking a step back before she could stop herself. “Err, I mean, I wouldn’t dare to ask you to expend any of your great, majestic power on somepony as insignifi--”

“Oh, knock it off,” Silver said with a roll of her eyes. “If I was going to do something terrible to you I would have already done so. We’re friends, aren’t we?”

“Err, of course, your highness,” Gracious said quickly.

Her friend. Of course Gracious was. Or at least as close as she could have. Discord didn’t have friends so she supposed the real her couldn’t truly have them either. A general would have to be close enough. Even if said general cowered at the merest thought of chaos magic being unleashed on her. Even if that general likely would turn on her in a moment if she thought she could win.

Not that Silver could blame her. Even if she wasn’t as powerful as Discord, with the Alicorn Amulet and her Immortals, few forces could stand against her. All those last bastions of resistance could do was hide and hope she wouldn’t truly turn her gaze on them, because they’d be helpless. Hopeless.

Silver felt her headache growing again and she gave a sigh. She wondered if she should go back, maybe--

She froze in place before looking around. Something was different. What was--

Her eyes fell on the source and she sighed. A crowd had gathered a block or so away, off the road they were traveling. She could hear some jeering from it, but shoved it aside. She nearly kept on walking, but stopped when she realized Gracious had looked towards it as well.

“How about we go see what all the excitement is about?” Silver asked before turning towards it.

“Your highness,” Gracious said. “Are you sure that’s wise? I think it’s just some benders. A--” She froze when a small burst of flame went over the crowd. Silver could see the way she tensed. “Perhaps I should deal with this?”

Silver rolled her eyes and started trotting towards it. She wondered if Gracious was trying to keep her safe from them or them safe from her. Most likely the latter.

Silver made her way to the group and lightly nudged the ponies blocking her way. “Hey, watch it b--” one of the ponies said before going silent when he realized who had nudged him. He quickly moved aside and practically galloped away. He wasn’t the only one. Within a few moments the crowd was quickly parting for her.

The crowd cheered and she idly wondered just what kind of performer had so many ponies gathered around. Judging by the tufts of flames overhead it was a fire breather of sorts.

“Get her!” a voice yelled out. “Sweep the leg!”

Silver tensed and readied herself for an attack, but nothing came.

“Give her what she deserves!” another voice called out.

Very few of the ponies were focused on her, though. So who were they--

Silver’s eyes went wide and she suddenly realized just what kind of ‘performance’ this was. Her eyes glowed with a green light and she found it far, far easier to slip through the crowd, her body molding and shifting to easily slip between ponies in a manner that would have been impossible for a normal pony.

It wasn’t long before she managed to get through the crowd and shove a few in the front aside. Once they saw who she was the ponies quickly moved aside, backing away.

She recognized the ponies in the middle of this ‘circle’ clearly. Well, three of them. Two of them had attempted to stop her when she had begun her assault on Harmony and been stripped of their magic accordingly. The third hadn’t been a part of that particular assault. Even if they hadn’t, though, she would have recognized them.

The Rock Bunnies. Babs Seed, a brown earth bender with a red mane. Limestone, a gray fire bender with a dusty white mane. Or rather, they had both been benders once. Since she’d stolen their magic for their place in the attack, they couldn’t bend at all anymore. The pair were covered in bruises and collapsed on the ground, their third member standing in front of them.

Marble, a water bender with a lighter gray coat and a streaked gray mane. Water swirled around her, but she looked exhausted. Her opponent, a unicorn mare, sent small tufts of flame at her again and again, each blast being scattered by the water. There were two others with the mare, an earth pony and a pegasus. It didn’t take a genius, or an embodiment of chaos, to see how this would go.

The crowd continued to cheer as Marble struggled to find off the fire blasts, unable to move from her position without putting the other two members of her team in the way of the flames. The fire bender kept lazily throwing out blasts of fire as her comrades stood behind her and watched. After a few moments the earth bender lightly tapped the ground. A rock rose up from behind Marble and sped at the two prone ponies, only for Marble to lunge in front of it and for the water to turn to ice, slicing it in half.

A moment later a narrow stream of air hit her in the side, nearly toppling her over and making her struggle to regain her balance before another blast of fire was propelled at her friends. She narrowly managed to get in front of it in time, the water scattering it but getting singed for her efforts. She let out a low whimper, while the crowd cheered.

“What’s a matter?” the fire bender asked in a taunting tone. “No referee here to help you cheat? You always said you were sooooo strong. After what you did to the Avatar and her friends I thought you’d be a whole lot better.”

Marble tried to gallop forward, the water turning to ice. However, she barely made it a few feet closer before spikes of stone rose up in front of her, driving her back. She let out a low growl, looking between the three of them.

Once again the tufts of flame shot out, forcing her to defend herself.

Babs let out a groan and tried to get to her feet, only to drop down a moment later. “G-get out of here, Marble, leave us.”

If Marble heard her, Silver didn’t know. The unicorn didn’t even acknowledge it, just deflecting the assaults again.

“Break the traitor’s horn!” a pony yelled.

Silver’s eyes widened and she was finally snapped out from her shock. She focused on her metallic wings, making them move over her head and the tips connect before releasing a large charge of electricity. The resulting zap made the crowd go silent as nearly every eye turned towards her. A moment later most of the owners of said eyes were fleeing to every nook and cranny they could get to, abandoning the fight. The air bender and earth bender took one look at her and fled for their lives while the fire bender just stared at her with horror.

Silver took a single step forward and the fire bender ran for her life with a light yelp of fear. She then gave a sigh before looking to Marble. To her surprise, the unicorn had moved between her and the two collapsed ponies.

“M-Marble, run!” Babs told her.

“Get out of here, you idiot,” Limestone snapped.

Silver couldn’t help being a tiny bit impressed at the two when they tried to stand. Considering how bruised and beaten they were, it couldn’t have been easy. Still, Limestone only made it halfway to her hooves before collapsing and while Babs did manage to fully make it, she was using all of her energy just to stand, judging by how badly she was shaking. She doubted the earth pony could even fully see her, considering one of her eyes were bruised shut. Watching the three struggle to protect each other made her own heart ache.

What in the world happened here? She wanted to reach out and ask them, but they looked even more afraid of her than they had their attackers. More importantly, she could feel every eye on them. Seeing what would happen. If she offered any comfort or aid it would only make things worse. ‘Break the traitor’s horn’. She wondered if that was what had sparked this confrontation. Was it because the three had fought the Avatar and her companions so long ago? Was it not enough that two of them had lost their marks to her? Were ponies that desperate to find a target for revenge?

She supposed so. After all, the Avatar was the hero and she was the villain. So why not attack those who had bullied her so long ago while they were defenseless?

Diamond would have been furious.

“Your highness,” Gracious said, trotting up besides her. “They’re not a threat, I-I don’t think they meant to cause any disturbances.” There was a slight tenseness to her voice, worry.

Of course. After all, Silver was a monster. THE monster. She couldn’t give comfort or she’d just make things worse. Instead, she reached out and called for her changelings. Within a few minutes there was a light buzzing and then the strange insectoid creatures began to land by them, surrounding the bruised ponies.

“And yet they did,” Silver said in a loud enough voice for their watchers to hear. “More importantly, those two once stood against me. Their blank flanks are testaments to that. Arrest them.”

“Lady Discord?” Gracious asked.

“Yes, take them to the dungeons,” Silver said. “I’ll decide what I want to do to them later. If I feel like it.” She gave a small shrug and then turned to lightly trot away.

At least she knew Gracious would take good care of them. Make sure their wounds were looked at and that they’d get proper treatment for their wounds. Maybe she could even find out if she was right before just pretending not to care about them. It wouldn’t be hard to let them escape the dungeons. After all, she was Discord. She could hardly be expected to care what happened to her prisoners.

“Don’t touch her!” Babs yelled.

Silver turned in time to see Babs try and charge Gracious. She cringed when the fire bender swept the earth pony’s front leg out from under her and drove her face first into the ground. Blue flame flickered to the tip of the unicorn’s horn and she narrowed her eyes on the others, one hoof on the back of Babs’ head. “Please do not disobey the judgment of Lady Discord,” Gracious said coldly. “I don’t want to hurt you any more than I have to.”

Silver cringed and just kept walking. Her judgment. Of course. This was everything she ever wanted, after all.

To the victor went the spoils.
> Chapter 14: Little Talks
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Do you know why she isn’t here?” Silver asked after she walked into the room, causing Ahuizotl, the large blue spirit and guide to the Spirit World, to glance up from his resting spot.

“With all due respect, my lord,” Ahuizotl said. “It has been many, many of your pony lifetimes since I last served the embodiment of chaos. I will need a tiny bit more information.”

“Chrysalis,” Silver said before walking over and sitting down in front of him. “She’s out there, isn’t she? I can feel her every time I order the changelings.”

The spirit slowly sat up with a low, pained grunt. While she had managed to return him to his true form, it seemed he was still feeling the effects from his captivity. Not to mention accidentally being absorbed when she took Tirek’s essence. “I cannot say,” he said. “She has always been a conniving one in her own way. Never openly disobedient, but she’ll follow what she truly believes is her right.”

“Is she going to be another Tirek?” Silver asked.

“Doubtful,” Ahuizotl said. “If you did not exist she would be absolutely thrilled to take over and attempt to rule in his place, she knows better than to try and directly oppose you. She would be more likely to try and curry favor with you in an attempt to gain more power for herself.”

“Yet she hasn’t come yet,” Silver said.

“Her minions have come,” Ahuizotl said. “The changelings. If she herself has not, I am certain she believes whatever it is she is doing will give her more favor in your eyes.”

Silver sighed and reached up a hoof to rub her forehead. “What was it like, serving Discord?”

“Chaotic,” Ahuizotl said.

“That’s not very informative,” Silver said.

“He was the living embodiment of chaos itself,” Ahuizotl said. “How can I properly describe that? His desires could change on a whim, the way he interacted with the world could be shifted. At times he would change not just others, but himself. He was the kind of creature who would die for a week just to see how it feels, then return to life because he was bored. To be honest, I am not even certain he is not already doing that.”

Silver froze, her eyes going wide. “Wait, what? You think… he…?”

“Unlikely, though,” Ahuizotl said. “There was truly only one creature in all the worlds that could oppose him. Harmony. And if it was her magic that finally slew him, well…”

“But the elements were destroyed,” Silver said.

“So was Discord, yet you are here,” Ahuizotl said. “Perhaps this was a magic even he could not stop. Or perhaps he desired to see what would happen if he was gone. Perhaps, even now, he still yet lives in his own way. With a creature such as him I cannot say.”

“Are you feeling any better?” Silver asked.

“Yes,” Ahuizotl said. “Being bound to Tirek was… exhausting. Being… expunged from your being was…” The spirit gave a shudder.

“Sorry about that,” Silver said. “But it was that or just keep you trapped.”

“My lord,” Ahuizotl said softly. “You do bear Discord’s power, of that none can deny. But you’re not as he was.”

“Hm? What do you mean?” Silver asked.

“A thousand pardons,” Ahuizotl said before bowing his head. “But you are nowhere near as powerful as he. He could snap his fingers and rebuild entire nations. If you so much as said his name he would know where you were. He--”

“Yes, yes, I know,” Silver said with a roll of her eyes before turning away and walking towards the door. “It’s hardly my fault. I’m just his avatar.”

“That’s not what I mean,” Ahuizotl said quickly, making her pause. “I do not mean to say you are weak. I am warning you to be careful.”

Silver paused and glanced back. “Excuse me? Careful? I’ve already won.”

“For now,” Ahuizotl said. “But you allow the ponies too many chances. You should crush them while you can. The Avatar of theirs as well.”

“I’m a pony as well,” Silver said.

“So?” Ahuizotl asked. “They will turn on you and may even harm you one day, if you don’t ensure they cannot.”

“Discord didn’t,” Silver said.

“And he died,” Ahuizotl said. “He could also see so much more than you. Even now they are likely plotting against you. Searching for a way to stop you.”

“Probably,” Silver said with a shrug.

“Does it truly not concern you?” Ahuizotl asked.

“Should it?” Silver asked. “Maybe I’m bored.”

“Is that truly it?” Ahuizotl asked.

Silver gave a soft sigh before shaking her head. “What would you say if I asked you to take on your duties again?”

“My duties?” Ahuizotl asked.

“As guide,” Silver said.

“You’d wish for me to take ponies into the Spirit World… and protect them?” Ahuizotl asked.

“Perhaps,” Silver said.

“I’d say you were a foal,” Ahuizotl said before cringing when she glared at him. “With all do respect. Many spirits are still lost. There is…” He trailed off, the hand on his tail moving over his mouth.

Silver’s eyes narrowed, but she didn’t speak past that. She just lightly tapped her hoof.

“I merely think that the ponies would do even more damage to it,” Ahuizotl said.

“You know, not everything wrong with this world is because of ponies,” Silver said. “And there is more than just ponies now. There’s buffalo, negasi, minotaurs, griffons, diamond dogs--”

“Yes, yes,” Ahuizotl said with a wave of his hands. “Many of those, at least, are more akin to spirits. They’re not ponies.”

“It’s good to know you’re recovering, Ahuizotl,” Silver said before resuming her trot towards the exit.

“My lord,” Ahuizotl said. “You are the embodiment of chaos. Discord’s legacy. But you are not him. For all good and bad that entails. Do not make the same mistakes he did, strike while you can.”

“The world is falling,” Silver said. “The holdouts won’t last much longer.”

“If you applied your own hoof, they would have already fallen,” Ahuizotl said. “There will be time to revel in the chaos after. But while you allow them to gather and unite, they may yet tap into some scraps of Harmony’s power.”

“Maybe,” Silver said before stepping out of the room, closing it behind herself. She cocked an eye when she saw Gracious waiting for her. At least the unicorn had the good judgment to wait outside for her. Showing Ahuizotl any pony would likely get him even more upset. “I take it that you’ve done as I said?”

“All three ponies are in the dungeons below, awaiting your judgment,” Gracious said.

“I guess I should go say hi, then,” Silver mumbled before lightly walking down the hall.

Silver wondered how Ahuizotl would react if he knew just how much she was hiding from him. The fact she still couldn’t see the ‘script’ as he called it. That as powerful as she was, there was still a lot she couldn’t do. She knew ponies were talking about her all over. She could feel it every time somepony said her name. If they said it in a fearful manner, an excited manner, an angry manner.

But she wasn’t Discord. She couldn’t just pop in and know what was going on when she did it. She couldn’t just know where it was. She knew they were talking about her, but she couldn’t see the context. Or rather, she didn’t want to and wasn’t willing to test if she could find out. She didn’t even want to know who they were. She wondered if the ponies in the dungeon were currently whispering about her. Fearful of what she’d do to them.

“You had their wounds tended to?” Silver asked.

“Err, yes,” Gracious said, nervously sliding a hoof on the ground in front of her. “I merely wanted to ensure they would be able to answer any questions you may have had for them. I hope I didn’t overstep my bounds.”

“Of course not,” Silver said. “After all, I knew you would.”

“Oh, of course,” Gracious said, bowing her head politely. “Nothing escapes your sight, your Highness.”

Silver nodded, though her heart wasn’t in it. Oh, how she wished that were true. If she truly was as omniscient as Discord was, she wondered if she’d be able to undo what she’d done. Buck. If she were more like him, would she even want to fix this or would she revel in the chaos she was already creating?

------ 

Thump. Thump. Thump.

Silver paused when she heard that. What in the world? Were they trying to break out?

However, it wasn’t long before she found out the cause. “Who gave her a bouncy ball?” Silver asked.

“I… don’t… know,” Gracious said. “She had it earlier. Would you like me to remove it?”

Silver paused outside the cell and then coughed.

Starlight glanced up and let out a shriek. The ball she’d thrown hit the wall and bounced back, hitting the frightened unicorn in the forehead. She barely seemed to notice, all the color drained from her face before she quickly closed her eyes and feigned sleep.

“You don’t really believe that’ll work, do you?” Silver asked before glancing down at the ball as it lightly rolled towards her. She picked it up once it rolled outside of the bars and had half a mind to destroy it.

Starlight gave a whimper and rolled off her cot and lowered herself behind it, a pathetic attempt to hide herself. “Please don’t break my mind again, Miss Discord sir.”

Silver sighed and then tossed the ball back towards her. She almost wished the mare would be as cocky and arrogant as ever. But apparently having your mind shattered by chaos magic tended to humble even the most arrogant of ponies. She then glanced towards the other creature in the cell with her. A small bunny. She glanced towards Gracious, who shrugged.

“Just keep playing with your ball and don’t cause me any more trouble, Starlight,” Silver said before lightly trotting away.

“O-of course, sir. Err, ma’am. Eh… heh heh… eh,” Starlight said before giving a soft, timid whimper.

“If you don’t mind me asking,” Gracious asked. “Why not just execute her? Do you have some plan for her?”

“Plan?” Silver asked. “She’s helpless and can’t interfere with my work anymore. No point to it.”

“I’d imagine after all the pain and suffering she caused there would be plenty of reason to,” Gracious said, her tone just a hint bitter.

“Possibly,” Silver said with a shrug. “But it’s not like I have any room to judge. If you really want to, you can kill her.”

“Very well,” Gracious said before turning around and heading back towards the cell.

Silver watched her for a moment, her breath stopping. She wouldn’t, would she? Fire formed on the tip of the unicorn’s horn a moment before she was in front of the cell again. Silver lifted a hoof, gathering her magic. Buck. No, this wasn’t right. Even if Starlight was an enemy, that didn’t mean she could just be executed like that.

Wait, no, she was Discord. What did she care if it was right or not? Starlight had attacked her. Tried to take her cutie mark. If not for her, everything would be okay. Tirek wouldn’t have had his minion to--

NO! NO NO NO!

Silver tapped her hoof on the ground and sent a burst of magic towards Gracious, intending to turn the fire to cotton candy. However, before it could change the fire sputtered out and Gracious gave a sigh. “My apologies, your highness,” she said before turning to walk back towards her.

“Huh?” Silver asked.

“Despite everything she has done, it’s not as easy as I thought it would be to just… execute her,” Gracious said. “Perhaps in the future she can face a trial for her crimes.”

Silver gave a light snort and started walking again. If anypony was going to be put on trial it would likely be her. Could a being of chaos even HAVE a trial? Perhaps Starlight’s little bunny could stand as the judge. They could sell tickets. That thought made her roll her eyes.

“For buck’s sake,” Trixie said. “Can you stop this CEASELESS complaining.”

Silver yelped, jumping and looking around. “Your highness?” Gracious asked.

“What? Nothing, nothing,” Silver said, her cheeks burning red. Oh, great. She was back.

“You and I need to have a talk,” Trixie said before appearing in front of her, an annoyed look on her face.

“Do we have to?” Silver asked before giving a light groan. “There’s that headache again…”

“I’m sorry, what?” Gracious asked. “Do we have to what?”

“Apparently we do,” Trixie said.

“Ugh,” Silver said before shaking her head. “Blabbering air head. Fine. Gracious, deal with this.”

“This?” Gracious asked, cocking her head to the side in confusion.

“Yes, this. The benders. Bender. Them. Just deal with them,” Silver said before turning and trotting away.

“Deal with them? Err, how, your highness?” Gracious asked.

“I don’t care,” Silver said. “Let them go, feed them soup, read them bedtime stories. Whatever you want.” She didn’t wait for her general to respond, storming her way back down the hall and only giving the hiding Starlight a single glance before leaving the dungeons. She didn’t have the patience for this.

------ 

Marble paced back and forth, occasionally looking at her friends. Babs and Limestone were resting on their cots, bandaged up.

This wasn’t fair. None of this should have happened. If only she’d been stronger and faster. If she hadn’t leaned on the others so much. Maybe if she--

Her thoughts were broken by the sound of hoofsteps. She braced herself, nervously chewing on her lower lip and watching for who would come across the corner.

She felt a small moment of relief when she saw it was only Gracious, the unicorn occasionally glancing back as if she expected somepony to be following her. She moved to stand in front of the cell.

Marble stopped pacing and stared at the other mare before glancing at her friends. Limestone and Babs were pointedly looking away.

“It seems today that the three of you are quite fortunate,” Gracious said. “The Avatar of Discord no longer wishes to deal with you lot and you are free to go once you answer a few simple questions.”

Marble stared, her mouth falling open.

“That’s it?” Babs asked before getting to her hooves and crawling out of the bed. She limped towards Gracious, her eyes narrowed. “She goes and takes over our city, steals our magic, throws us in this jail and then doesn’t even have the decency to see us face to face?”

“Babs,” Marble said, her voice just a little above a whisper. “Don’t…”

“No, I’ve had it up to here with that hoity toity filly,” Babs said, stomping her hoof down. “The only reason we were in that mess is because--” She was silenced when a bolt of electricity went past her head, singeing the wall behind her.

“Please, do not misunderstand,” Gracious said, her voice cold. “The only reason you are being allowed to leave is because her highness has more important things to do and, frankly, she finds it more amusing to watch you suffer from your new condition. The only pony who could even hope to stand up to her at this point is the Avatar and, until she makes an appearance, you are merely her toys to do with as she wishes.”

“I ain’t nopony’s toy,” Babs said, though her voice had gotten quite a bit softer now and she lifted a hoof to touch the singed tips of her mane.

“However, there is still the reason for that scuffle,” Gracious said. “Why were you fighting? Was it the rebellion?” Her eyes turned towards Marble and then her cutie mark.

Marble took a single small step back, but Babs quickly moved in front of her. “No, we ain’t. Those mooks just had a bit too much cider and were looking for somepony to take their grievances out on.”

“Then why did they choose you?” Gracious asked.

Babs just glared at her. Marble wanted to say something, anything, but the words stuck in her throat. It wasn’t their fault. They didn’t do anything. They’d learned their lesson.

Please give her friend’s their magic back. They didn’t deserve this.

But despite herself, she couldn’t say anything.

“I see,” Gracious said. “Very well. You two, unmarked, you--”

“We AIN’T unmarked!” Babs yelled, the anger in her voice. “That’s it, where is that--” She went silent when sparks formed on the tip of the fire bender’s horn.

“We aren’t the Avatar’s biggest fans,” Limestone said bitterly. “We had a tussle with her a while back, in the pro bending circle. Some ponies thought that was a good enough reason to attack us, said we were supporting all of… this.”

“Limestone—” Babs said, but was cut off.

“What?” Limestone asked. “You and I don’t have our bending and there’s bound to be more idiots like that. If we’re getting out of here without any more trouble, let’s not make it any worse than we have to.”

“Worse?” Babs asked. “If Silver was here then--”

“You wouldn’t be able to do anything,” Limestone said before getting to her hooves. “Just like we weren’t able to last time. So can we leave?”

“Thank you for answering my questions,” Gracious said before standing aside and opening the door to the cell. “Yes, you may. Do try to avoid drawing the gaze of Discord in the future. For now she doesn’t care about you, but there is no telling when and where her mood will settle next time.”

“I ain’t scared of her,” Babs said.

“Then you’re a fool,” Gracious said. “But maybe I should introduce you to somepony. To truly show you what she is capable of. Judging by your reaction to being called an unmarked I take it you are familiar with Meadowbrook?”

All three of the ponies cringed before slowly nodding.

“Then perhaps it is best you learn of her final fate, after what the Avatar of Discord did to her. Come along,” Gracious said before turning and trotting away.

The three shared a nervous look before beginning to follow after her, a sinking feeling welling up inside them.

------ 

Silver sighed and lightly swirled the tea leaves around in her mug before taking a slow, steady sip of it. Okay. She was calm. She was collected. She could do this. She could put up with Trixie of all ponies. At the very least she wasn’t Discord and that would have to be enough. If he started appearing then she was pretty sure she’d snap.

“So then,” Silver said slowly. “What did you want to talk about?”

“Oh, you know EXACTLY what the Great and Powerful Trixie desires to speak about,” Trixie said huffily before reaching out to smack the tea mug. Her hoof went right through it.

Silver rolled her eyes. “You’re not able to interact with the physical world. You know that.”

“Exactly,” Trixie said. “So I am trapped here, forced to watch… this.”

“And what, exactly, is ‘this’?” Silver asked.

“You wasting our time,” Trixie said.

“My time?”

“OUR time,” Trixie said. “The Avatar is still out there. Because YOU let her go. You released her. You--”

“I took her power, she’s harmless,” Silver said.

“You and I both know that’s not true,” Trixie said. “You can find her, you need to dest--”

“No,” Silver said.

“No?” Trixie asked. “Need I remind you what she is? What you are?”

“As if I could ever forget,” Silver said before taking another drink of her tea. It tasted oddly like cotton candy now.

“That’s the second thing,” Trixie said. “This mopey, pathetic, ‘oh woe is me, I won, wahhhhhh’ behavior is exhausting. We won. You should be out there and crushing the last of these pathetic resistances. Not leaving them to other ponies and cowering in your little castle.”

“I’m not cowering,” Silver said softly. “I just… I… I’m keeping busy. I--”

“You’re doing nothing,” Trixie said, standing up a little straighter and posing dramatically, her cloak billowing in the non-existent wind. “When I was in control, I had everypony cowering from me. All of the nations were crumbling beneath my hooves. Everypony in the world knew my name, even--”

“Yes, yes,” Silver said before rolling her eyes. “Your face was carved into the mountains, the only thing to match your ego. I’m not you.”

“No, you’re not,” Trixie said. “But you’re wasting this opportunity.” She then reached out, putting a hoof against the alicorn amulet. “Or is that what you’re hoping?”

Silver cringed. “I’m not--”

“Allow me to remind you,” Trixie said. “When push came to shove, when the Avatar had to choose between you or the world… she chose the world. Just like I said she would. Are you hoping that’ll change if you cower here? If you let her gather her strength? Do you honestly believe you’ll be spared?”

“I don’t--”

“Or is what you want even worse?” Trixie asked. “Are you hoping she’ll destroy you? That she’ll burst down the door, with some stupid new rainbow blasting power?”

Silver cringed and put her tea down. “I don’t want that. I just… I…”

“You want to go back to how things were?” Trixie asked. “But they never were that. From the very beginning you and the Avatar were enemies. Peace, friendship, none of that was ever an option. You hold a bit of Discord in you. She could never allow you to be her friend. Do you truly hope now that she knows, now that there is no denying what you are, that she’ll somehow change her mind and decide that, maybe, you can all be friends after all? That perhaps Discord wasn’t such a bad guy?”

“I just… I just want…” Silver said softly before finally just flipping the table, shattering her mug and spilling tea across the tile. “I don’t know what I want, okay? Is that what you want to hear? I don’t know! I don’t want this! I don’t want any of this! I was happy! Can you even begin to understand that, Trixie? Can you even begin to know what that was like? For the first time since I realized what I was, I was HAPPY and saw a FUTURE! I legitimately believed that everything could be okay! That Diamond and I could be friends! I thought… I thought she’d… I thought…” Silver couldn’t stop the tears going down her face, though she tried to calm her breathing and slowly sat down. “Why me? Why did I have to bear this? Why did I have to be a member of this stupid fight? Why couldn’t I just be her simple, mundane, normal friend?”

Trixie eyed her, cocking an eye. “Are you done?”

“No, I’m not done! I want to be done but I don’t really have a choice do I?” Silver asked. “It’s either destroy the world or lay down and die, isn’t it?”

“Yes, it is,” Trixie said before walking forward to look into her eyes. “You won. You defeated the Avatar. This is your victory. Try to enjoy it a little, okay? You’re making all of us look bad.”

Silver rolled her eyes. “Why do you even care?”

“I’m stuck watching this pathetic display,” Trixie said before turning around to trot away. “I’m tired of just seeing you waste all day moping and whining.”

“Ugh,” Silver said before glancing at the flipped table. She paused a moment before speaking up. “Trixie, what would you do if you were me?”

“Easy,” Trixie said with a light snort. “I’d crush the world beneath my hoof and make them all pay tribute to me. I would show them I was the most powerful ruler this world has ever seen and destroy those who dared to object. Is it not obvious?”

“Right,” Silver said before rolling her eyes. “And what would you do if you weren’t… you?”

“Who knows?” Trixie asked. “Why would I ever desire to be anypony but me?”

“The whole dying thing, for one,” Silver said.

“Ah, but I’m here now, aren’t I?” Trixie asked. “And, hmmm. No idea. What has happened has happened. It’s not like you can undo everything up to this point. How did you put it? ‘You’re the bad guy’, nice song by the way. Roll with it, enjoy it. Take your victory lap. Destroy the Avatar for good BEFORE she bucks everything up again.”

“Diamond isn’t a threat,” Silver said.

“The Avatar is ALWAYS a threat,” Trixie said. “Or need I remind you what happened to Discord? Destroyed, obliterated, turned to dust? Leaving me WITHOUT my wings or powers? Ringing any bells?”

“That was different,” Silver said.

Trixie sighed and walked towards her before reaching out and tapping the Alicorn Amulet again, even though her hoof just went through it. “She made her choice, Silver. You or the world. She chose the world. You chose to win. You need to finish this, stop lollygagging around and waiting for things to change. You should be leading this war, not hiding behind your little ‘Immortals’ and generals. You should be holding that power inside you, not dividing it amongst them. Not prolonging the inevitable. Because the longer you wait, the better the chance that things will go wrong. You need to strike. It is our destiny. How did Discord put it? The whole… seeing the future thing?”

Silver gave a soft sigh and looked away. “See the lines of the script,” she muttered bitterly. “I can’t even do that now, though. Ever since I… changed it. Since…”

“Another waste, that,” Trixie said with a roll of her eyes. “Why not just let that pegasus die? You two weren’t even that close. Buck, he doesn’t even know you did it. Now? He’s just like everypony else. Trying to put an end to you.”

Silver sighed and turned away from her, walking towards the window to peer outside. Below she could see the former team of the Rock Bunnies walking away, their heads hanging low. “This really is my destiny, isn’t it? This ‘script’.” She reached up and put a hoof to her head. “Just a constant reminder that no matter what I do, I can’t change it. Discord rules.”

“Why would you want to change your success?” Trixie asked.

“I guess I’m just greedy,” Silver said before glancing out over the city. “I want everything. Victory. Friends. Family.”

“Then just take what you want, like a proper Chaotic and Victorious Protege,” Trixie said. “Stop being a pathetic sad sack and do something. Break somepony.”

“I don’t want to break anything. I think… I think I’m going to go make something,” Silver said. “I’m heading to the Tomorrow Industries labs.”

“That sounds boring,” Trixie said with a roll of her eyes.

“Then I guess I’ll be the Boring and Not-Bothered-By-Her-Predecessor Silver Spoon,” Silver said with a roll of her eyes. However, when she stepped outside of the room she saw Gracious waiting nervously by the door. “Yes?”

“Err, are you… finished?” Gracious asked before glancing into the room. “With… uhhhh…”

“Yes,” Silver said. “You can use the room if you like. Though, errr, it’ll need some cleaning.”

“If, err, I may ask, your highness? What is that?” Gracious asked.

“Huh?” Silver asked before glancing back into the room. Her tea was now bright pink and the shards of the mug was white and red striped, like a candy cane. “Frustration. That is frustration,” she said before walking away.

She didn’t know what she’d make, but she’d make something. Hopefully working on something would give her some much needed perspective. She wished she could ask Diamond if talking to her past lives was this annoying. “I’m going to go work on some things for a little bit. Can you handle everything while I’m gone?”

“Of course,” Gracious said before bowing her head. “Though, there was a request sent by General Tittering?”

Silver internally groaned before looking back. “Yes?”

“The Water Immortal has recovered and she requested that it be sent back to aid her,” Gracious said.

“It has?” Silver asked. “Of course, then. Do whatever you feel is right with it.”

“As you wish,” Gracious said before pulling back from her and, slightly nervously, walking into the room. “I’ll get… this… sorted and then have it sent to her.”

Silver gave a shrug before lightly trotting off. If nothing else, at least there were ponies she could delegate tasks to. At least the Water Immortal would be able to keep things from getting too violent and causing needless pain. Better a pony lose their magic than their life.

At least, she hoped that was true.
> Chapter 15: Dark Ice
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Failure was rarely just failure.

Sure, the goal wasn't achieved from it. But it WAS closer. Something new was learned. Even simple things, like attempting a new dance, succeeded in some ways when you failed. If in no other way than helping new muscles to strengthen.

Failure often left the groundwork for success.

But failure was still failure and failure hurt. Dr. Alicity thought he’d understood failure and long gotten over that pain. He’d expected he’d fail at many things. His parents ensured he knew exactly what it was to work despite being deemed a failure. The important thing, difficult as it may be, was to just keep going. Yes, that was what was key.

Dr. Alicity never imagined he’d be a failure as a father, however.

The earth pony paused for a moment before taking a slow, deep breath. He then glanced back down at the shard of dark ice on his desk, bringing the magnifying glass back up and peering through it.

The ice here was strange. Namely, in how mundane and simple it was. Yet the darkness it seemed to almost radiate was mind boggling. Supposedly many decades ago it had been even worse. Rumors were that Avatar Twilight and her friends had purified the ice and for weeks it had been so pure and sparkling that anypony could see clear to the water below.

Now it seemed to be getting darker and darker every day. As if it was responding to the negative feelings of those who resided in these halls. If so, it was a fascinating reaction. A feedback loop, in many ways, of despair and hopelessness.

Those were dangerous things to a pony. It was another reason as to why he had chosen to retreat here. This place, more than many others, was a bastion of such feelings. The perfect place to study it. The perfect place to combat it. Ponies were strange, in many ways. While there were other creatures in this world, none seemed as connected to their emotions as ponies were. The Meadowbrook incident had been the excellent time to study it.

The unmarked had lost much of what they were and while most hadn’t noticed it, he had made a few notes. They’d seemed duller, less bright. Not just emotionally, but physically. As if their very colors had faded. As if the world dimmed around them. Pony’s emotions were incredibly powerful. There was one thing that could combat such power, at least that he knew of.

Hope.

At least, that was his theory. According to the stories he’d heard, Twilight had stood up to Discord in the very end. Despite the fact that the elements had been shattered and he seemed to have won, they hadn’t stopped fighting. Their belief had given them hope. Drawn in other ponies, brought them to the realization that they, too, could fight. Even against such an unstoppable force, they had managed to hope they could win.

It was that hope that had brought together all ponies and allowed them to win against Discord so long ago. When ponies united together, they were unstoppable. They had an impact on the world that could not be denied. Harmony, the city, had been a clear sign of that.

More than that, though, it had been the gathering place of hope. Ponies from all four nations, together. For the first time as far as he knew. But Twilight hadn’t just shared it with them. She’d shared it with negasi, zebras, diamond dogs, buffalo, any and all species who wished could join. Perhaps, one day in the future, even the griffons would join them. A city of unity. A city where they could all unite together and become new ‘ponies’ who weren’t even all ‘ponies’. He idly wondered how the dialog would change, then. Linguistics was such a fascinating subject. Would they one day consider the other species just variants of ponies, or would ‘everypony’ phase out entirely to just ‘everybody’? Would their magic spread and one day there would be bright pink buffalo and silver diamond dogs?

He’d never see that reality, but he imagined it would be spectacular. That was what he worked towards. That was what was so important about his work, about Tomorrow Industries. Even if he didn’t get to see all of the results of his work, he’d see enough. He’d help set ponies on the steps forward to bridge those gaps between each other and unite them. He’d hoped his descendants would do the same, that they’d bit by bit unite ponies more and more towards a glorious future.

Instead…

He felt as if the darkness was creeping in on him.

His own daughter was a subject of Discord. He had failed in the most spectacular, breathtaking way imaginable. He’d tried so, so hard to be the best father he could. Sure, he got distracted by his work, but he’d still tried. He loved her so much. She truly was her mother’s daughter. Kind, generous, sweet. Maybe if he’d told Silver more about her. About the light she had brought to the world around her. Her work in Fluttershy’s Legacy. About her own struggles. Her own difficulties.

If she’d been here, would this have ever happened? He’d only met Stardew’s adopted grandmother once, the legendary Fluttershy, but she was every bit as bright and kind as Stardew. Perhaps if she’d survived…

Perhaps…

“I miss her too, sir,” Secretary said from besides him.

“W-what?” Dr. Alicity asked before glancing towards her. “When did--”

“But she wouldn’t let you blame yourself,” Secretary said. “Stardew would have been so annoyed at you for even considering giving into feeling hopeless. Don’t think I will, either.” Her horn glowed and she picked up the shard of ice in her magic to pull it away, before thrusting a bowl of stew into his chest. “Now eat.”

“But—”

“Sir, with all due respect, you have another meeting in a little bit and the president of Tomorrow Industries will not collapse from hunger so long as I am working for you,” Secretary said.

Dr. Alicity blinked a few times before snickering. “Ah, true. I suppose that would put quite a bit of a damper on things, wouldn’t it? Why, ponies might lose all trust in the leadership of the organization if that started to happen! Silver would never forgive me if I ended up damaging our reputation so soundly. Thank you, Secretary, I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

“And you’ll never have to find out, sir,” Secretary said with a small smile before holding up the clear shard of ice and putting it back on the table.

Hopelessness was powerful to ponies, dangerous. But hope was every bit as strong and it could change their world. Dr. Alicity knew that as well as anypony. They would come out through this and end up on the other side, somehow. He knew that. Because there was always one bit of hope out there, waiting for him.

One single pony, one alicorn.

The Avatar. Just as she had performed a miracle so long ago to destroy Discord, he knew this time she would perform a new one. This time to save Silver. So long as he had that hope, he knew they’d make it through to the other side. He just had to make sure not to buck things up too much before then. Silver would never forgive him if he did that.

------  

Colgate let out another soft, gentle breath. She could do this. She WOULD do this.

She still didn’t like it, though. It felt weird, working as an assistant. She was certain her mother had done this before, though if she had she’d never mentioned it. A part of her longed to know more about how the spell functioned, to do more than just add her magic to the group.

Another part of her was terrified that, one day she may have to.

Still, within a few moments their magic bore fruit and the moon began its slow, gentle rise across the heavens.

“Good job, everypony,” Colgate said, struggling to add some enthusiasm to her voice. She was their Water Lord, it was her duty to be that example for all of them.

She was greeted by a few grunts and shrugs from the other moon raisers. She didn’t blame them, after all they had been doing this for… oh… she didn’t know how long now. Some of them were from Harmony, trained in the art itself. Those who had worked directly under Tittering and didn’t truly consider themselves a part of the Water Nation. Others were like her, the assistants, those who could do the magic but didn’t truly know it. None of them liked this situation, every day wondering if the moon would truly rise or if Discord would do something to alter it.

They all knew the tales, some of the oldest had even seen it. Supposedly during those final days Discord had turned night to day and day to night and then whichever to both and neither on a whim. This new Discord had yet to do it, to take over the skies, but it was possibly only a matter of time. By the stars she hoped not. But that fear, that doubt, still lingered. If only she could--

“Absolutely breathtaking!” Dr. Alicity’s voice echoed over the cold, barren wasteland of the south pole like the unwanted shriek of an airhorn in her ear. She begged the freshly arriving stars to give her strength.

“Ah. Doctor,” Colgate said before turning to see the stallion trotting towards them. Secretary was walking behind him slightly, only showing the slightest limp from their earlier scuffle. Colgate’s own horn seemed to almost ache as she remembered that quick, if vicious fight. “To what do we owe this pleasure?”

“I wished to see the stars!” Dr. Alicity said, ignoring the glares of the exhausted moon raisers. Couldn’t he tell he wasn’t wanted here? Half these ponies thought he should be in the prisons, considering it was his spawn that caused this whole mess. “To imagine, each and every one of those stars up there are set in place by such powerful magic. The moon, a powerful testament to the hard work and dedication of everypony throughout the ages. Why, some of those stars were placed by ponies so ancient I doubt we’d even recognize them as ponies! A veritable tapestry of the water benders through the ages, brought forth every day by the united efforts and magic of united ponies! It must be truly wondrous to have such a task before you, to know that you are contributing to the history and balance that has been maintained for countless centuries. To imagine you all do it so easily, almost as if it’s mundane! I would love to study the spell one day, to--”

“No,” Colgate said firmly. “That spell is incredibly protected and is not to be shared with anypony, under any circumstances, aside from those of the highest order. Even I haven’t been granted knowledge on how it works.”

“Awwwww,” the doctor said, his smile wavering. “Very well, I suppose I’ll just need to be disappointed.”

That, at least, was a little satisfying. Even Colgate couldn’t deny that a few of the water benders heading back into their current home walked a little straighter, their heads a little higher. She wondered if that was his intention all along, remind them that what they did, even if it was exhausting and did feel meaningless at times, truly was incredible. That only made him annoy her more.

Of course, once it was just the three of them, her eyes narrowed again. “So, was that it? Did you really just come here to see the stars and moon?”

“Of course!” Dr. Alicity said. “And the moon. It’s beautiful, is it not?”

“We also passed a member of the shadowbolts dashing through the halls,” Secretary said. “We felt it might be wise for you and the doctor to be in the same location in case Copper Shield required us.”

“Of course,” Colgate said, unable to keep a rush of excitement from her. “Do you have any idea what it’s about?” She couldn’t help feeling a little annoyed that she wasn’t a part of the command structure of the Moon Raisers or the Shadowbolts. But then, they were both of Harmony. The last thing anypony wanted was a stand-in ruler of the Water Nation to be trying to extend her authority. Still, she couldn’t help herself, despite her best struggles to keep it down. “Was it about the lost elements?”

“Your mother?” Dr. Alicity asked. “Doubtful.”

Colgate felt her ire rising and took a small step forward, only to pause when she saw Secretary move besides him, her eyes narrowed slightly. She really didn’t want to get into another fight right now, no matter how obnoxious he was.

“It is quite strange,” Dr. Alicity said.

“Strange?” Colgate asked.

“Indeed,” Dr. Alicity said. “Why take the magic of the previous elements, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Applejack, as well as the Avatars, but then only take the elements? Why leave Diamond Tiara by herself?”

“She’s your spawn, why don’t you tell me?” Colgate asked.

The doctor laughed, making her want to strangle him all the more. “Oh, nonsense. My little girl wouldn’t do such a thing. I’d certainly taught her better than that. She’d have taken all of them or none of them.”

Colgate gave a low, ominous growl. To her annoyance, the doctor didn’t even seem to notice, instead just smiling at the moon. “Ah, so you think it’s somepony else?”

“Perhaps,” Dr. Alicity said. “I couldn’t say who, though. Mayhaps they’re out there now, working in their own little way. Or maybe somepony found them and just happened to miss Diamond.”

“Or maybe when Silver finished with them they were left vulnerable and died to some monster in those damn woods!” Colgate snapped, unable to keep the rage out of her voice. Once again, the doctor barely seemed to notice.

“Don’t be silly,” Dr. Alicity said with a light chuckle. “If that were true then their cutie marks wouldn’t be held within the Immortals, now would they? No, wherever they are, they’d be alive and hopefully, well.  All the evidence points to that. But the question is, as always, where? Just imagine, three of the last generation’s elements, poof. Disappeared without a trace. Even Pinkie Pie doesn’t know where they are and, frankly, if anypony would know it would be her.”

Colgate took another slow, deep breath. There were no witnesses. They were surrounded by snow and ice. If she removed him now, then nopony could blame her. She’d probably be seen as a hero. Destroying the father of Discord.

But, as much as she hated to say it, he was important. His knowledge, his inventions, even his occasional quips helped keep morale higher than she ever wanted to admit. He was almost as useful as he was agitating. He also might be one of the few ponies they could use to help leverage against Silver in the end. Instead she huffed and started to trot inside, though to her annoyance he followed after her.

“That demon is the spawn of Discord,” Colgate said bitterly. “She doesn’t have to make sense.”

“Au contraire,” Dr. Alicity said. “Everything makes sense, if you look closely at it. Say what you will about Discord and his machinations, he obviously DID have a plan. Even if his methods were strange and the results we saw didn’t make sense to us, didn’t mean they didn’t make sense to him. The problem is unraveling the chaos to find how the nonsense makes sense.”

“So maybe she took them to torture them,” Colgate said. “After all, they helped destroy Discord. Maybe it’s a punishment.” Oh, those words chilled her to the bone. The thought of her mother and aunt being tortured right now while they struggled made her feel ill.

“Unlikely as well,” Dr. Alicity said, for the first time his voice actually turning serious. “Silver would never torture another pony.”

“Ah, so she draws the line at destroying our homes and lives, then?” Colgate asked bitterly.

“Perhaps,” Dr. Alicity said. “You have read the same reports I have, after all. While Silver has been conquering quite a bit of territory, her reign has been far from agonizing.”

“She strips ponies of their magic and then makes them bend the knee to her!” Colgate yelled, unable to suppress the anger in her voice. She quickly tried to pull it back when she saw two nearby guards tensing up. “How is that not agonizing?”

“She takes the magic of those who would do her harm and adds it to her own,” Dr. Alicity said. “But the ponies themselves are still safe and themselves. Their minds in tact. Compared to what Discord did, I’d say it’s quite a bit gentler. He didn’t just rule, he altered the very minds of ponies, changed them into something else entirely. Why, she has been absolutely marvelous in her methodology. I’m certain we can undo… most of what she has done.”

Colgate growled again, her eyes narrowed on him. It would be so, so easy. But he was right and she hated him for it. If they could defeat Silver, then they could likely undo most of what she’d done. Not all. But most.

“That could be her intent,” Copper Shield said, the earth pony trotting down the hall towards them. “Or it could all she can do currently.”

Colgate let out a sigh of relief before looking at the leader of the Metal Benders. It would be nice to have a sane pony to speak with. “Ah, Copper. I don’t suppose you have some good news for us?”

The earth pony just stared at her before, slowly, shaking her head. “The Water Immortal is back.”

Colgate took a slow, deep breath. Buck. Buck. Buckbuckbuck. “I see. Anything else?”

Copper shook her head.

Colgate gave another sigh. Leave it to Copper to manage to drop five little words with such horrible meanings.

“Well, that will be another problem for us to deal with,” Dr. Alicity said. “Though, I suppose that is correct. Silver is currently waging a war on four separate fronts. Even with the ability to steal our magic and push it into the immortals, it’s possible that stealing our magic and using her generals to command is all she can do for now. I suppose the true test of the kind of pony she is will be what she does if she wins.”

“She won’t win,” Colgate said before she could stop herself.

“On that, Water Lord Colgate, I must agree,” Dr. Alicity said with a light chuckle. “She can’t win.”

Colgate paused, her eyes narrowing on him. “And why, exactly, is that?”

“She may have spirits, chaos and an army at her side,” Dr. Alicity said with a light chuckle. “But we have an Avatar. And let me tell you, having seen Diamond Tiara in action, as much as I love my little girl there’s no way she can win. Why, the alicorn managed to drive my parents off for a whole day by herself. It truly is a thing of beauty when she gets going.”

Colgate gave a soft sigh. She hated him so, so much. But she really wished she could hold his confidence. She prayed that he was right. Whatever the Avatar had planned to stop that demon, she’d better do it soon.
> Chapter 16: Command
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tired. Button was so, so tired. He just longed to collapse and take the world’s longest nap. Unmoving boulder? He honestly felt more like a pebble being tossed around in the wind. He didn’t even have any avalanches left in him right now, unless there was a bed at the bottom of the cliff he fell down.

Still, he tried to be as stoic and strong as possible. Everypony else was likely just as tired as him. Even if they didn’t have to make these bunkers by themselves and exhaust themselves ensuring that nopony could get hurt in them, they had their own duties and tasks to take care of to ensure everypony stayed safe.

He tapped his hooves on the ground and another hole formed ahead, slowly spreading out through the dirt and stone. He had to make sure they were large enough that everypony who needed to could hide in them. More importantly, he had to ensure there were enough air holes that everypony could breathe, even if it was a bit stuffy. Then he had to ensure they were incredibly durable, as there would only be one earth bender around after he left. Likely one that wasn’t even as good as him or they’d be making these bunkers. Usually they wouldn’t even be a fighter like him. Just somepony to ensure that they didn’t have any accidents. But in the end, he supposed it was worth it.

“Button,” a voice called out, making him glance back at Celestia.

Oh no. He could see the look on her face. It wasn’t good. Her mane was slightly on edge, her eyes were filled with that burning anger he was becoming more and more used to. On top of all that, her hooves were shaking and he could see by the way she dug them into the ground with every step she was struggling to not break something.

“What is it?” Button asked.

“Captain Bubbledash was captured,” Celestia said. “He and his forces won’t be making it here. Tittering and her changelings managed to…” Her voice cracked and he could see the anger threatening to spill out, little wisps of flame rising off her mane. “They managed to get a message out to us before being caught. We’re moving out now in case the rendezvous has been leaked.”

“Oh,” Button said before glancing back towards the hole. He tapped his hooves and the hole closed. Of course. Another piece of the rebellion. Lost. He tried to shrug it off, to ignore it. To pretend it wasn’t as upsetting as it was. It made sense. Their opponents had the changelings. Ponies who could literally be ANYPONY at any time. Sure, they weren’t perfect.

But they were enough.

All it took was one pony getting captured and the right information being leaked. They could make all the plans they wanted to try and prevent it from getting out of hoof, but it could only do so much. They had to keep their forces small and intimate to reduce the chances of a changeling sneaking in, but that only meant if they were caught then they didn’t have enough ponies to do much more than run.

“Where’s Luna?” Button asked.

“Resting,” Celestia said before turning and walking back towards their camp. “Disenchanting the water was more exhausting than he’ll admit.”

Button nodded before trotting lightly after her. With each step he sent out a small pulse of earth bending, smoothing over the ground and removing the traces that they were ever there. He could feel the occasionally little fragment of enchanted water, almost gnawing at his earth bending abilities. He supposed Luna would need to replace it, to ensure that there was no sign they’d even been here now.

Or maybe there wasn’t any need. After all, nopony was coming to hide now. Buck.

“How are you holding up?” Celestia asked. “You look like a yak that’s been through a hurricane after being swallowed whole by a dragon.”

Button couldn’t help but snicker at that, the smile growing on his lips. “Well, you look as beautiful as ever. The second prettiest pony in our crew.”

“Naturally,” Celestia said. “But seriously, how do you feel?”

“I’m fine,” Button said in as chipper a tone as he could manage. “Tired, but fine. How about you?”

“Tired and angry,” Celestia said. “Wishing I could go and drive my hoof into Tittering’s smirking face. Still feeling that boundless optimism?”

“Mmmm hm,” Button said proudly. “Diamond’s going to show up and do something flashy. We’re going to get Silver to stop being all Discordy. I’m going to kiss Luna on the lips and carry him off into the sunset. It’s going to be awesome. When that happens this is just going to be an annoying memory. I’ll probably make it a lot flashier when I tell other ponies about it.”

Celestia made a gagging sound and rolled her eyes. “You two, I swear. I don’t think he’s the ‘carried into the sunset’ type.”

“I don’t know, I quite like the idea of being carried into the sunset,” Luna said, making both of them jump before he slowly walked out from behind the trees.

“Luna, what are you doing up?” Celestia asked, her eyes narrowing on him. “I thought you were resting.”

“I was,” Luna said. “We need to return to our base, immediately. We just received another message.”

Celestia gave a low groan. “Really? Let me guess, more captures?”

“Worse,” Luna said, his body tensing slightly. “The Water Immortal is coming.”

Celestia went still, her eyes going wide. “You… you can’t be serious.”

“When am I ever not?” Luna asked.

Celestia gave another low groan. “STILL boundlessly optimistic?”

“As ever,” Button said, though even he felt a small sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach.

------ 

“This is it,” Commander Greendye said, pacing back and forth. Button didn’t like this at all. The camp was filled with terrified ponies, not that he could blame them. More and more of their forces were dwindling every day and only a fraction of them would fight. Could fight. Even he could hear the whispers from frightened ponies trying to decide if they should just surrender to Tittering’s mercy before the choice was made for them and they lost their magic. Of those gathered for the meeting, most were quiet and solemn, barely even meeting his gaze.

“It?” Luna asked, cocking an eye. “I’m afraid I don’t know what you mean.”

“The Immortal is on its way,” Greendye said, refusing to stop his anxious pacing. “With it all of our hope to oppose Discord evaporates. If we want to strike, if we want to continue this rebellion, we need to strike now.”

“Strike now?” Luna asked.

“Yes,” Greendye said before finally stopping and turning to face them. “We have to remove Tittering.”

“If it was that easy don’t you think we would have done it already?” Celestia asked before rolling her eyes. “She’s got an army of changelings, whatever magic being one of Silver’s generals gives her and, on top of that, she wasn’t exactly a pushover BEFORE all of this. She was one of mom’s highest ranking soldiers for a reason. On top of that, even if we remove her whoever takes her place might be worse.”

“Perhaps they would, but they’d be unlikely to be as powerful,” Greendye said. “Alone she was incredibly dangerous. If we wait until the Immortal arrives we lose any and all chance to oppose her. Those who have already been captured will be stripped of their magic and added to her own. We will never get another shot like this.”

“We don’t have a shot now,” Luna said. “I can understand why you may think this, but you’ve never seen how she bends. Even my aunt would hesitate to go against her and she was a far better bender than any of us.”

“And when the Immortal arrives?” Greendye asked. “What happens then? We dwindle even more? We only just rescued Captain Bubbledash from this fate. Now he’s back in their cells!”

“We have to do what we’ve always done,” Luna said, his voice as calm and unwavering as ever. “Fight to the best of our abilities, leverage what advantages we can and avoid a direct engagement until the time to strike is here.”

“A direct engagement is all we have left!” Greendye yelled.

“Please commander, maintain your composure,” Luna said. “We still have other options. A direct assault is suicide. Our forces are scattered as it is and, on top of that, even if we could gather everypony we have we would still be drastically outnumbered by Tittering’s. Our only hope for success is to do as we have done and slip through her hooves at every opportunity.”

Greendye started to pace back and forth, his growing ire becoming more pronounced with every step. Finally, he sighed and shook his head. “I see. Is that truly how you feel? All of you? Do ANY of you have anything else to say?”

Celestia merely gave a grunt and a nod, though Button wasn’t surprised. He imagined she wanted to yell just as much as the commander did. Button gave a quick nod as well. Luna really was the better talker of them. Most of the others didn’t even give a nod, instead just staring at the ground timidly.

“Very well,” Greendye said before taking a slow, deep breath. “Everypony listen up. I hereby relinquish command and vacate my position as commander.”

“W-what?” Luna asked, for the first time looking genuinely startled and confused. “Why would--”

“I refuse to stand back any longer and just wait for those ponies to be stripped of their magic,” Greendye said. He glanced around at the gathered ponies, most keeping their eyes down. “I will fight Tittering myself if I have to.”

“Commander,” Luna said in as soothing a tone as he could manage, but Button could see even he was struggling to keep his tone as calm as always. “That’s suicide. You’d stand no chance against her. You’re not a fighter, you’re--”

“I know what I am,” Greendye yelled, stomping a hoof down. “But I will NOT stand back and WAIT for Discord to come and take everything from me! If I have to lose this fight, I will lose it on my hooves, not cowering like a scared colt!”

“We only need to be patient,” Luna said. “Ensure that--”

“The Avatar had her chance,” Greendye said, his eyes narrowing on the prince. “It might be easy for you three, running off around the nation. Only returning to see us when you’re directly called, sending messages when you find a weak point. But us? We’re here with everypony.” He motioned towards the camp. “We’re the ones they look to. We’re the ones they ask every day what we’re going to do. How we’re going to do it. Are we really going to just leave their friends, their families, to that monster. These ponies depend on us. Even if there’s only a sliver of a chance, I won’t leave them to perish.”

“You can’t be bucking serious!” Celestia finally yelled, stomping a hoof and sending a small tuft of flame from her hoof, making everypony take a step back. “You call ANY of this easy? Do you think we don’t WANT to charge in and knock Tittering on her big stupid flank? Do you think we WANT to leave any of those ponies behind? Do you think we’re HAPPY doing this?”

“Sister,” Luna said in a stern voice and tried to move in front of her. Celestia just shoved him aside and stomped forward, moving directly in front of Greendye to glare at him.

“No, we don’t want this,” Celestia said, her voice filled with fury. “If it was up to us we’d be in there right now and burning the place to the ground and tearing that kingdom down around Tittering’s ears! That’s what we WANT to do! But do you know why we DON’T do that? Because that’s our responsibility! Because THAT’S what it means, Commander.” She pushed a hoof towards the main camp, the gathered ponies they’d managed to keep safe. “It means every bucking time we go out there, when we fight, when we find somewhere to strike, we have to make sure not just that we can rescue the ponies there, we have to make sure that we’re able to come back and keep them safe. It means we have to be sure that, at the end of the day, these ponies still have somepony they can look to and believe will make things better. The moment you agreed to become commander, you took on that responsibility.” She thrust a hoof out and into his chest again, nearly knocking him over. “That means you don’t get to run off and do something stupid just because it’s unfair or because it hurts to do nothing. Because like it or not, these ponies have only us to look up to. We have a responsibility to them more than we do ourselves, our own feelings, no matter how much it hurts. These ponies trust us and they trust you. So no, I don’t accept your ‘relinquish’ of command. Like it or not, you’re the commander because these ponies need you to be. Yes, it’s going to hurt. No, it’s not fair. But we’re in a war and these ponies need us to be strong enough to take it, to make those choices. They need the little bit of hope we can give them. Do I make myself clear?”

Greendye took a small step back, his eyes lowered. “I… I didn’t mean to imply--”

“None of this is easy, Commander,” Celestia said. “Don’t you dare ever think it is. Don’t think for a moment we don’t desperately want to do the same thing you do. If it was just us, if there weren’t so many ponies depending on us, we’d be there now. Then we’d be dead or captured. We don’t get the privilege to not think about what will happen to us, there are too many ponies depending on us for that. Don’t think it doesn’t hurt every time we have to avoid a situation where we COULD fight, just because we know the consequences would drastically outweigh what we’d gain for it.”

Greendye gave a soft, gentle sigh before looking around at the others at the meeting. He finally gave a soft sigh and nodded. “I… never wanted to be a commander of anything…”

“The good ones never do,” Celestia said. “But like it or not, those ponies need you to be. There are three more Immortals out there right now, doing the same thing this one will. But that doesn’t mean we can give up or give in. We have to be strong, we have to fight and we have to be ready. No matter how many battles we lose or how often we have to run, we need to ensure that as many ponies are ready and able when the time comes for us to strike back. Not just for them, but for all those who have already been captured. Until then, we have to bear it.”

“What am I supposed to say to any of them?” Greendye asked. “When they ask, when they look at me, when they…”

“That you won’t give in,” Celestia said. “That even if we’ve lost the battle, we haven’t lost the war. That we are out there, fighting. Always. So long as they don’t give up hope, we’ll never stop fighting. We will drive Discord back a second time. Buck. We’ll do it a third, fourth, dozenth time if we have to. Because that’s what we have to do. Because that’s what these ponies need you to do. So, Commander, can you be the pony they need you to be?”

Greendye looked around once more before, very slowly, nodding. “I… yes. Thank you, princess.”

Celestia gave a soft sigh before nodding. “Don’t worry about it. I won’t lie, I’m happy as buck that I’m not in your hooves. I at least get to blast a changeling every now and again.”

Greendye gave a small nod before glancing down at the map. “Then… I suppose we’d best prepare where to move our forces. With the return of the Water Immortal, we’ll need to be ready for greater danger in the coming battles.”

Celestia nodded and turned, walking back towards the two of them. She had a smile on her lips, but Button noticed when she walked past them that she brushed against Luna’s withers for a second. He’d spent enough time with the twins at this point to know there was a lot that went into that movement, though he didn’t know exactly what the full conversation was.

But he suspected now, more than ever, both were seeking comfort after that. He wondered if he’d ever have been able to do that, had his mother stayed in her role as ruler of Cadence. Would he have been able to be a ‘Prince’ and serve in that role? Have so many ponies depend on him and resist the urge to run off and fight if he had to?

Could he look any of them in the eyes after that?

Now more than ever he hoped that he never had to find out. He was a lot happier just running around and being the lava bending pony who hung out with the pretty prince and princess. Doing what they directed him. Heck, even making bunkers. It was--

Button’s thoughts were shattered by the sound of a sudden scream. He whipped around to look back towards the camp and then up.

At the approaching cloud of changelings.

“How?” Greendye asked, his eyes wide. “Our sentries should have warned us if they were coming!”

“Apparently they failed,” Celestia said before she started galloping towards them. “Commander, get everypony you can out of here! We’ll try to draw as many of them away as we can!”

“Princess? Princess!” Greendye yelled after her, but she ignored him.

Button and Luna turned and quickly galloped after her, though any relief he’d felt was now entirely gone. Why couldn’t they just have these little victories now and again?
> Chapter 17: Tittering
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“So, what’s the plan?” Button asked as they galloped forward.

“Burn as many of them as I can, Luna freezes what he can, you bury what you can and then we run for our lives,” Celestia said.

Luna, however, didn’t say a word. It had only been a matter of time before this happened, but there were too many of them. The three of them couldn’t hope to hold them off as well as Tittering. No, even together he wasn’t sure they could fight Tittering. Even before she’d gained whatever powers being one of Silver’s generals had granted her she had been incredibly dangerous, he didn’t like his odds in fighting her.

He didn’t know how many they’d be able to distract in the end, nor how much of a difference they could make. Hopefully whatever time they’d make would be enough to allow others to escape. That still left their escape. Once again, he supposed they would have to depend on Button’s aid.

“Sooo, not that I dislike this plan,” Button said. “Buuuuuuut--”

“There are some caves to the north,” Luna said. “If we head that way, perhaps we can disappear into them. But the chances of us making it there are quite slim. Even if we do make it to them, there’s no guarantee we can hide there. While they don’t have any earth benders as far as I am aware, they outnumber us severely and spirits like the changelings are quite durable. Even if we brought the caves down on them we couldn’t guarantee our escape.”

“We’ll be fiiiiiine,” Button said, puffing out his chest a bit. “I’d never let you down, Luna.”

Celestia gave a light snort and rolled her eyes. “Gotcha. So, as I said, blow them up and run for our lives.”

“Indeed,” Luna said, his eyes narrowing on the approaching, buzzing swarm of pony and changelings. He could see Tittering near the front, being pulled on a chariot by a pair of changelings. “Sister, if you could draw their attention?” His horn glowed for a moment and he drew water from his canteen, forming a small ball of water overhead.

“Ohhhhh, with pleasure!” Celestia said before forming a small, red orb of fire above her horn. She compressed it to about the size of a grape before sending it flying up into the air. It grazed Tittering’s chariot before erupting into a massive ball of fire.

Alas, when the flame cleared the chariot it was only slightly singed and the unicorn inside it was hidden from view, only popping her head out a moment later. On the positive, the swarm HAD stopped for a moment.

“Go!” Luna yelled, galloping north. He glanced up in time to see Tittering’s eyes fall on them and then see her start motioning to her soldiers. He could hear the buzzing of the changelings already getting louder.

They made it only a few steps before a changeling landed directly in their path, blocking the way. Said changeling was then sent flying when the ground underhoof shot up, sending them flying through the air. Luna glanced up to see a small pack of changelings diving down at him and his sister. “Sister!”

“On it,” Celestia said before doing a quick spin, forming a small tornado of flame and sending it spiraling up into the air, scattering the spirits.

Luna glanced back towards the rest of them and frowned. While they’d stalled the assault and a large amount of changelings, as well as Tittering herself, had changed directions to follow them, the majority of the forces were still heading towards the main camp. He prayed to the stars that the little bit of time they’d bought would be enough for others to prepare to fight back.

Either way, there was little he could do now aside from focusing on keeping himself safe.

------ 

Button didn’t like this at all. He was used to running for his life and almost dying, fine. It came with being one of the friends of the Avatar. A perk, some might call it. He wouldn’t, but some might. But he did NOT like the idea of being captured again. Worse, he didn’t want to be turned into a toy again. He loved Silver, really, he did. But that had been just awful and he didn’t want to be helpless and trapped a second time. Even if he did get captured with Luna it wouldn’t be fun at all.

The buzzing was getting louder behind him. He dug his hooves into the ground with each step, sending rocks and dirt flying behind them scattershot, trying desperately to slow down their pursuers. If only they were on the ground, then at least he could see them through earth sensing.

Well, he probably couldn’t as well, but he might be able to a little bit. He glanced back and let out a yelp, nearly tripping over a small root but managing to keep his balance. “Careful!” Celestia yelled back at him.

“S-sorry!” Button yelled back.

But it was odd. The changelings and Tittering were gaining on them, but not nearly enough. He’d seen how fast those changelings could fly. Only a hoofful of them were breaking off from the pack and racing towards them. Why? Were they scared? Were they--

Button’s eyes went wider and he reached out with his bending, struggling to sense the ground ahead of them.

There it was. Enchanted water in the ground. Had they known that they’d flee towards the caves? Was this a trap? “Celestia, Luna!”

“What now?” Celestia asked before turning and sending up a small blast of fire, barely pausing to right herself once more and continue galloping forward.

“Enchanted water!” Button yelled. “Ahead of us, it’s a trap!”

Luna came to a sudden stop, so quickly that Button slammed into him and nearly sent both of them toppling. The prince quickly steadied himself before turning around to face their pursuers. “I see. Then I suppose we have no choice. We must make our stand here.”

“What?” Celestia asked. “You can’t be serious.”

“If we go where Button can’t bend, we’ll stand an even smaller chance of success,” Luna said.

“Because our chances are sooooo high now,” Celestia said before turning to face the swarm. “But fine. I guess this is it, huh? Its been fun.”

“Don’t worry, dear sister,” Luna said before digging his hooves into the ground. “She likely won’t kill us. Just steal our magic and add it to her hoard.”

“You never know,” Button said sheepishly before turning towards the swarm and bracing himself. “Maybe we’ll get a chance to talk to Silver. Get her to stop all of this?”

Luna and Celestia just gave him a look that, for once, was incredibly similar.

Overhead the swarm gathered, buzzing around like an angry hive of bees for a few moments before spreading out in a wide circle around them. They then dove down, surrounding the three ponies in a wide circle. They didn’t charge forward, though.

“So, uhhh, what are they waiting for?” Button asked nervously. “Should we start attacking, or…?”

“They’re just changelings,” Luna said softly.

“I know,” Button said.

“No, I mean they’re JUST changelings,” Luna said. “There’s no ponies amongst them. They’re not even transformed.”

Suddenly the buzzing stopped as all of the changelings went still, their wings having ceased all movements. The three tensed up before the swarm began to part and General Tittering slowly walked towards the three. “I really must say this is quite the little surprise,” the general said. “I expected some fighting but I didn’t think you three would come running at me like that. Here I thought we’d have to use the ponies we captured as bait to get you, yet you all but turn yourself over to me. Hilarious,” she said, an amused grin on her face. “Come on, there’s got to be something else to this, right? What’s the punchline?”

“Oh I’ve got your punchline right here,” Celestia said, glaring at her. “Why don’t you try fighting me without your spirits and we see how good you do?”

“I mean, that’s kind of the plan, silly,” Tittering said with another light giggle, a hoof covering her mouth. “It’d hardly be worth bragging about if I didn’t take the three of you down myself, now would it? Where’d be the glory in that?”

“Ah, I see,” Luna said, his eyes narrowing. “I never would have taken you for the glory hoarding type. Perhaps serving under Silver has changed you? Or were you just a good liar?”

“Oh, I’m an incredibly good liar,” Tittering said with another light giggle, waving her hoof around. “You have nooooo idea. Now now, no need to get so uptight. After all, I’m not going to hurt you. Much. You’re just going to go into a nice little prison cell and have your magic drained by Discord. Isn’t that such a nice, delicate little punishment?”

Button dug a hoof into the ground, his eyes narrowed. There was no way she intended to just fight them like this, did she? There were a lot of changelings here…

But that meant Tittering was the only bender here. If they could disable her then escape would be possible. Without the enchanted water there wouldn’t be anything to stop him from dragging them all underground and escaping.

“Come on, you all look so serious,” Tittering said, waving a hoof. “Just because your whole world is being torn apart and left in shambles, isn’t so bad. I mean, if anything you should be thanking me.”

“THANKING YOU?!” Celestia asked, stomping a hoof down and making a small blast of fire spread out from her. “You betray us, you capture our ponies, you torture them, you--”

“All under orders,” Tittering said. “If you have a problem with it, take it up with my boss. Well, if she was interested in listening to anypony,” the unicorn said with another giggle. “Just imagine, you could have had one of those really uptight, super boring serious ponies taking over. All ‘dehorn’ this and ‘poison’ that. I can’t tell you the number of ponies who’ve already tried to slip poison into my drinks or catch me unawares. The Water Nation seems to almost breed such nasty little thoughts, doesn’t it? But you two would know all about that, wouldn’t you?”

“HEY!” Button said, taking a step forward. “That’s not true! Celestia and Luna are amazing ponies! What the Water Nation did in the past isn’t their fault! They--”

“Yes, yes, Water Lord Rarity has been trying to undo some of it, now hasn’t she?” Tittering asked before giving another small wave of her hoof. “But that poison runs deep. Though, maybe I’m wrong. After all, Rarity was one of the last Elements of Harmony. Perhaps you two were intending to take up that mantle?”

“The elements were destroyed,” Luna said bitterly. “We all know the tales.”

“Yes, yes,” Tittering said dismissively. “But that was then, silly. Who knows? Maybe this new Avatar intends to try and bring them back. Do you think you two would be part of them? Because I’ll be honest, I have been thinking about it a whole lot.”

Button glanced around at the changelings, the swarm unmoving. He wondered if they even really understood what they were talking about.

“Now, I think it’s pretty clear to see who Diamond’s friends would be. Button would be laughter, I imagine Acrylic would be loyalty. At least, judging by what I heard. Now, you two? I’d say, ohhhh... Celestia, you could be generosity if half the rumors I’ve heard or true. Luna, I figure you’d be honesty. You could hardly be kindness, right? But I’m curious, do you know who the last one is? I’ve been betting on Prism, but is there somepony else I don’t know about?”

“First of all,” Luna said, his voice slightly tense. Button imagined he wanted to deck the mare just as bad as his sister did, but he kept his voice and movements as calm as ever. “As I said, the Elements of Harmony were destroyed.”

“So was Discord, but she’s here in a new body, isn’t she?” Tittering asked. “So long as the Avatar exists I don’t see why those can’t make another grand appearance. Wouldn’t that be hilarious?”

“Second of all, I doubt any of us fit into those designations,” Luna said. “Except, perhaps, Button Mash. He is quite amusing.”

“You think I’m funny?” Button asked, his cheeks getting a little hot and his heart pounding a little quicker, not just from tension this time.

“Come on, humor me,” Tittering said with another light giggle. “Maybe I’ll go easy on you. Who’d be the sixth? Button, you know, right?”

“I mean,” Button said softly. “If, ummm, I had to guess… I’d say… Celestia would be loyalty, Acrylic would be honesty, Luna would be generosity. He dates me, doesn’t he?” Tittering started laughing harder at the joke, tears in the corners of her eyes now. He didn’t think it was THAT funny. “But kindness, ummm… of Diamond’s friends? Uhhhhh… I guess Silver.”

“Oh come on!” Celestia said, turning to glare at him. “Seriously? Even if the Elements of Harmony DID still exist, you can’t just give one to her. Here we are about to fight her general and you STILL think she’s nice?”

“Would Acrylic truly be honesty?” Luna asked. “And it’s hardly me being generous when I enjoy our company together, Button.”

“What?” Button said before shrugging. “I don’t know, that was just a guess. Maybe it’d be none of us. Diamond knows a lot of ponies now, but that’s just who I think. Besides, Silver was always really kind before. I’m sure once this is all over and we get Discord out of her, or whatevers messing with her, she’ll be just as kind as ever.”

Luna gave a soft sigh and shook his head. “I truly wish I could host the same boundless optimism you do, Dear Button.”

“Somepony has to,” Button said with a small smile, only to pause when he realized something was strange. There wasn’t any more giggling. He frowned and glanced toward Tittering.

Tittering wasn’t even smiling anymore. In fact, she looked borderline furious, digging a hoof into the ground and gouging out a bit of dirt. “You think. That the Avatar of Discord. Is KINDNESS?!” Tittering asked, her voice almost boiling with rage.

Button took a single step back before quickly nodding. “Y-yes? I mean, Silver was always really kind to--”

“That’s not FUNNY!” Tittering said before her horn began to glow and water was drained from the plants near them, hovering overhead. “But FINE. I guess there’s no need for jokes anymore, is there? How about I show you some of the KINDNESS of Discord, if you want it so badly?”

“Hey, way to go,” Celestia said. “I don’t think I’ve ever actually seen Tittering get mad before.”

“W-what? What’d I say?” Button asked with a light squeak, taking a small step back. “Sorry, I--”

“Wasn’t sarcasm,” Celestia said before a smirk formed on her lips. “I mean it, good job.”

Tittering raised a hoof and the changelings took to the air, flying back from them. The orb of water overhead then turned a dark, purple color before three small tentacles of poisoned water lanced out towards them.

“Don’t boil it!” Luna yelled before diving to the left.

“Buck, I know!” Celestia yelled back at him, going towards the right.

Button tapped his hooves, lifting a small wall of stone in front of himself before sinking into the ground. The wall crumbled from the assault a moment later, but he was already gone.

Tittering barely moved, her eyes flickering between Celestia and Luna as one came from the left and the other the right. The three lances of water retracted back into the orb, swirling overhead before three tentacles of poisoned water shot out at Celestia.

Celestia stopped and leaped backwards, sending out a burst of fire from her hooves to increase her momentum. The three tentacles sharpened their ends, flying at her and picking up speed. She slammed both her front hooves down, causing an explosion of rock and dirt to fly into the air and hide her from view for a moment.

Luna swirled his own water into a small rope, flicking it out and striking at Tittering’s back legs. The general leaped up and back, swirling her horn in a tight circle and causing the orb to retract its tentacles a moment later, then forming into a thin, purple saber. It slashed out, cleaving through the rope, only to gather the water severed from Luna’s attack into its own. “Now now, prince,” Tittering said. “I’d expect you to do better than that. Hee hee, I’m not some--” Her words were cut off when she landed and suddenly the ground seemed to spread out under her. She let out a squeak before falling flat on her face, only to roll away quickly to avoid a sudden pillar of stone that tried to fall on her. “Heyyyy! That wasn’t very nice!” she objected before sliding back to her hooves. A moment later a smile formed on her lips. “It was pretty clever, though.”

Button popped out of the ground a moment later besides Luna. “Thanks, I’ve been practicing.”

“It shows,” Tittering said before pulling back to the left, narrowly avoiding a blast of fire from Celestia. The princess leaped at her, hooves aflame while she tried to land a blow on the general. Tittering flicked her horn down and the poisoned saber came down at her head.

Celestia didn’t waver, instead spinning around and bucking out with both her back hooves. Tittering managed to duck under the kick, but fire erupted from them, sending the two flying away and causing the blade to only hit the ground before collapsing into a pool of poisoned water.

Tittering skidded to a stop, only to dash back when a hail of ice spikes came flying at her. “Hey hey hey don’t you think you’re--” She glanced back and let out a yelp as the ground turned to spikes behind her. She yelped and leaped back, over the spikes. The spikes then shot up. Her horn glowed and she disappeared right as the spikes struck. A moment later she was over by her puddle of poisoned water, regathering it with her bending.

“Wait, what?” Celestia asked. “Since when could you do that?”

“Ehhhhh, a while now,” Tittering said before stretching her neck. “Ohhhh, I think you actually grazed me with that one, pretty good. I must be getting slow in my old age, hee hee.” She reached back and let out a hiss of pain before knocking a small jagged rock from her side. “Wayyyyy too slow. Ow.”

Button couldn’t look away from the wound, though. There wasn’t any blood, instead there was just a strange, white mist over it that flowed over the wound and then closed it back up. Sealing the wound over. “Ummm, I’m not a unicorn so I wouldn’t know, but Luna? What was that?”

“I’m not sure,” Luna said softly. “I’m not familiar with any spell like that. It’s not water bending healing. Chaos magic?”

Tittering gave a light giggle before stretching out a bit and forming the orb of poisoned water overhead. “Mmmmm hm. I’m just full of surprises, aren’t I? I--” Her words were cut off by a sudden explosion from the camp. She whipped around and her eyes narrowed. “For buck’s sake I was having fun! Go make sure they don’t blow themselves or anypony else up. All of you, go! I’ve got these three handled.”

There was a momentary pause before the changelings turned in the air, buzzing loudly before taking off towards the explosion.

Button wasn’t sure, but he couldn’t help feeling something was off. The changelings had always tried to confuse and distract them, using their disguises to hide themselves and bewilder them. But they hadn’t done any shapeshifting this time. All they’d done was watch them in silence while Tittering fought them. Why was--

“Button!” Luna snapped before shoving him aside. He yelped and rolled, drawing up a small wall of stone in time to block the narrow spikes of poisoned water. He looked over to see Luna narrowly weaving around, the poisoned shards raining down on him. All it would take was a single one and who knew what they’d do to him?

Button rolled to his feet and saw Celestia trying to get a blow on Tittering or draw the general’s attention away from her brother, but the water bender seemed focused mostly on the prince, dashing around and weaving around the princess’ assaults.

Well, at least he could make that a bit harder for her. He jammed both his hooves in the ground, forcing all of his anger and frustration at the mare out. The dirt in front of him turned to magma, before spreading out across the ground towards Tittering. The unicorn let out a yelp when suddenly she was surrounded by it and unable to take a step back. She ducked under Celestia’s hooves, only for the princess to spin around and manage to land a quick double hoofed buck to the chest, launching her into the air and making her poisoned water splatter to the ground.

Button slammed both his front hooves down and caused a pillar of dirt to rise up behind the flying Tittering. She slammed into it with a pained grunt, before the dirt wrapped around her and then collapsed, slamming her into the ground.

For a moment there was silence, the three staring at the collapsed general, her eyes closed and partially buried under the rock. The white mist was slowly oozing out from the binding, though. “Is she healing again?” Button asked. “Is she unconscious?”

“If she’s healing she’s not fighting,” Celestia said before turning and galloping away. “The changelings are gone! Let’s go!”

Luna stared at the general, his eyes narrowed. He gathered the little water he had left into a blade of ice, only to launch it at her head.

“Luna!” Button yelled.

The blade landed an inch past the collapsed unicorn’s head, lodging in the stone. Luna turned and galloped after his sister, Button trailing behind him.

Button kept glancing back, but he didn’t see any sign of pursuers. Still, they didn’t stop galloping until they couldn’t gallop anymore, steam rising off their bodies as their pace turned to a slow, exhausted trot.

But they’d done it. They’d made it out of there.

He couldn’t believe it, they’d escaped. “We… we did it,” Button said softly. “We beat her. I can’t believe it. We--”

“We didn’t beat her,” Luna said.

“We didn’t need to kill her to beat her,” Celestia said. “We knocked her--”

“She wasn’t unconscious,” Luna said. “She was faking it.”

“W-what?” Button asked. “Why would she fake it?”

“I don’t… know,” Luna said softly, occasionally glancing back. As calm as his expression was, there were those small signs of worry that Button was getting ever better at picking up. “Something about this seems off. Whatever Discord’s power has done to her, its given her new abilities she certainly didn’t have before. That weird healing. Teleportation is a powerful magic that very few water benders can do. Few unicorns can do it. On top of that, she made sure we were the only ones fighting her. She dispersed the non-changelings first, then dispersed them the moment the opportunity presented itself. More than that, though… her poison bending.”

“What about it?” Celestia asked.

“Our aunt ensured that I was well versed in it, even if I dislike the art itself,” Luna said. “That was certainly poison bending. But it was incredibly weak. Distilled. It looked deadly, but it was nowhere near as powerful as it could have been. There was more water there than anything else.”

“So, what, you’re saying she let us go?” Celestia asked. “Set us up to win?”

“Possibly,” Luna said. “Either Tittering has something else in mind for us or…”

“Discord’s Generals aren’t as loyal as we all thought,” Celestia said, finishing the thought with a sigh. “How are we going to test this theory?”

“I couldn’t say at this point,” Luna said. “We won’t know until we know how many other members of the resistance escaped. Even then, it’s possible that Tittering is planning something else. A general of Discord’s is not to be underestimated.”

“If any others escaped,” Button said softly, occasionally glancing back. He didn’t like it, though. His earlier unease was back with a vengeance. Something felt so very, very wrong. As much as he would love for it to turn out Tittering wasn’t entirely a bad pony, he couldn’t help feeling like they were all missing something. “Do you think there’s anything to what she said? About the Elements of Harmony returning?”

“Doubtful, but possible,” Luna said softly. “Until the Avatar returns from her journey, however, there isn’t much we could do pertaining to that.”

“Oh great,” Celestia said with a groan. “So, what, you think Tittering is hoping the Avatar will come back and fix all of this? That we’re supposed to be the new elements?”

Luna merely gave a shrug. “For now, I could not say either way. All I know is, like it or not… Tittering let us go.”

“I still think we just kicked her butt,” Celestia said confidently. “Nice moves, Button. You’ve gotten a lot better.”

Button’s cheeks turned redder. “Well, I uhhh, you know. I’ve been practicing.”

“Admit it, you just wanted to show off for your coooooolt friiiiiiiiend,” Celestia said in a teasing tone.

Button’s cheeks turned dark red and he stumbled a little, his gaze lowering. “M-maybe a little.”

Luna glanced back towards him and gave the smallest hint of a smile. “Well, I for one was quite impressed by your talents, Button. Ignore my sister, she is merely jealous that she wasn’t as impressive.”

“Hey!” Celestia snapped. “I was INCREDIBLE!”

“Of course you were,” Luna said calmly. “But you are always incredible. At this point it is to be expected and hardly as impressive.”

Button blinked a few times before he snickered and walked a little faster so he could walk besides Luna, leaning against him. “Well, I hope I keep managing to go beyond your expectations, then. I’d hate to not impress you.”

“Oh Dear Button,” Luna said with a soft, whispy sigh. “I doubt you could ever leave me less than impressed.”

“Gaaaaaaag,” Celestia said, sticking her tongue out and rolling her eyes.
> Chapter 18: Festival
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Acrylic paced back and forth, struggling to keep himself anything approaching calm. What was Pinkie thinking? There was so little time already, they couldn’t waste it on something like this. Then again, he figured the only thing that lay along the path of trying to understand Pinkie’s ‘thinking’ was madness. Even her kids couldn’t do it and they grew up with her. Even worse, their only real advice was ‘eh, just go with it’. As if he could just GO with whatever the pink mare said.

But frankly, he didn’t have the energy to argue with her. She’d blow your argument up and then tie it into funny shapes as you watched helplessly. Like a weird party clown pony of cotton candy. He was starting to see why she and his mom got along so well. Frustratingly well.

Acrylic was brought out of his thoughts by a sudden laugh. He glanced over and saw Pearl standing by the entrance, a smirk on her face. “You look ridiculous.”

“This was her idea,” Acrylic said, his voice dripping with annoyance. “Do I really look that bad?”

“Your mother would be proud,” Pearl said with another laugh. “The pink mohawk is an especially great touch, but the orange coat really helps bring it together.”

Acrylic gave a low groan and looked down at his legs, lifting the front one up and examining the dye in it. “I loathe this. What if I sweat and this washes off?”

“Oh, you know that won’t happen,” Pearl said. “Facepaint Surprise worked extra hard to make sure the only way you’re getting that stuff off is with her special cleaning goop.”

“What if we get captured and I’m trapped looking like this forever?” Acrylic asked with a shudder.

“I’m sure if we run into anypony who wants to capture us, they’ll let us go out of pity considering the way you look now,” Pearl said. “Come on, let’s go before we miss the fireworks.”

“Those aren’t until sunset,” Acrylic said with a roll of his eyes.

“If only your moping would wait until then,” Pearl said in a teasing tone. “Come on, mister serious, let’s go. Otherwise, I’ll go ask Pinkie if she can--”

“I’m going, I’m going!” Acrylic said quickly, turning and walking out from the tunnel and into the outside world.

This was a total waste of time. But he could still hear Pinkie’s voice in his head. ‘Now now, you’re tenser than a party cannon right before it erupts. You need a break before you snap like a dried out pretzel! Other party based quip.’ Okay, she probably hadn’t said that but it certainly felt like it.

“It’s not that bad spending a day with me, is it?” Pearl asked.

“What? No! I spend most days with you,” Acrylic said quickly. “I--”

“No, you spend most days around me,” Pearl said. “But you spend very few of them with me. You’re usually training, working, trying to find some way to win this war on your own, fight off a--”

“I-I know,” Acrylic said, his cheeks burning. “But I just… I mean…”

“It’s a festival, come on. Enjoy yourself,” Pearl said.

“Why are they even doing this?” Acrylic asked. “There’s a war going on. What are they even celebrating? Some garden sprouting?”

“Nope, the founding of Sire’s Hollow. Close, though,” Pearl said. “The village came about because there was this garden made by an old healing pony and apparently his daughter named it in his honor after he passed on. But that’s not really important, is it? Ponies need a chance to celebrate, to relax. To let the stress out and enjoy themselves. If a pony spends all their time on a razor’s edge, just waiting to snap, eventually they break.”

“You spend too much time around Pinkie,” Acrylic said.

“Maybe you don’t spend enough,” Pearl said in a chipper tone before lightly bumping his flank with her own. “Come on, just try to have a bit of fun? For me?”

“Fine, but--”

“If you try saying ‘But I don’t have to like it’, I will dunk you under water at some point today,” Pearl said. “I checked, the disguise will hold.”

Acrylic paused for a moment before giving a light chuckle. “Fine, fine. I’ll like it.”

“Good,” Pearl said.

------ 

Acrylic stared at the thing on his plate. He was a tiny bit nervous about it. Not that he didn’t trust the food to not be poisoned, oh no. He just knew that the ponies here tended to like… spicier foods than he was accustomed to. Very spicy foods. This thing was bright red and he suspected might almost glow if it was night.

“It’s not that bad,” Pearl said.

“That would be a little more believable if you weren’t crying right now,” Acrylic said with a light chuckle before slowly picking off a chunk of one and pushing it into his mouth. After a few moments the tingling, burning sensation filled his mouth, but it wasn’t nearly as bad as he thought it would be. His mom had put enough spicy things in his food as a prank over the years that it wasn’t even that bad. He picked one up and tossed it into his mouth. It had a nice, creamy center as well. “Mmmm. Not bad.”

“Y-you’re crying now too,” Pearl said with a light giggle, lifting a hoof over her mouth.

“Y-yeah, still a bit spicy,” Acrylic said with a light laugh before glancing around. Honestly, none of this was as bad as he’d thought it would be. The small town had dozens of visitors during the small festival, with all kinds of stalls and stands setup. Nopony was giving him so much as a second glance. He could, almost, relax.

He twitched when he heard some ponies ohhhhing and ahhhhhing. He glanced over to see what the commotion was about, only to cringe when he realized what it was. A few unicorns had flown in…

Using Tomorrow Industry’s artificial wings. Of course. He found his thoughts instantly drawn towards Silver and how she’d have felt about this festival. She probably wouldn’t have liked it, she’d never seemed to like festivals as far back as he could remember. Not that he could blame her. Every time there was some festival or celebration, her father did something major in response, creating some new display or working on a new device. Not to mention the whole alibot fiasco. Seriously. Why would ANYPONY make something like that?

“A bit for your thoughts?” Pearl asked.

“Huh?” Acrylic asked. “Oh, it’s nothing.”

“It doesn’t seem like nothing,” Pearl said. “Come on, tell me.”

“Come on, let’s just enjoy this,” Acrylic said softly. “I don’t want to bring down the mood.”

“Silver?” Pearl asked.

Acrylic gave a soft sigh before nodding. He might not have been the best with mares but even he knew it wasn’t a good idea to be thinking about one mare while out with another. “Sorry. Just…”

“She was your friend for years,” Pearl said. “And is currently doing all of… this. I think almost everypony is thinking about her these days.”

“Probably,” Acrylic said softly. “Sorry. I just… it sometimes feels unreal. I keep expecting to wake up or something and it’ll turn out this was all a nightmare. If I hadn’t seen what she was capable of first hoof, I wouldn’t even believe it.”

“What exactly DID happen?” Pearl asked.

Acrylic cringed and glanced away. “R-right. We never really talked about it, did we?”

“Not really, no,” Pearl said flatly. “If I hadn’t been called in to help with Dr. Alicity’s sudden… departure, I wouldn’t have even seen you.”

Acrylic let out a low hiss, his cheeks burning bright red as he shuffled nervously in his seat. “S-sorry. It was all, well… I just, err. It’s not important.”

“The buck it isn’t,” Pearl said, cocking an eye. “Come on, I won’t get mad. I just want to know what happened. Last thing I know is we had this adorably awkward date, we visited each other a few times. Well, I visited you. You seemed to be having a good time, though I’m not always the best judge of that. Then all of a sudden, poof, you’re gone. Vanished off the face of Equestria. Would you believe it wasn’t the first time that’s happened to me?”

“Yeah,” Acrylic said before his cheeks went red again. “Err, sorry. But… I mean, sorry. I just, you know?”

“No, I don’t,” Pearl said before rolling her eyes. “That’s what I’m trying to find out. I’ll be honest, I wanted to drop buck you off a pier and then hold your head underwater for a minute or two. I thought you were a coward who decided he didn’t like me after all and that you were going to just hide until I lost interest. Not the first stallion to do that, either, you know.”

Acrylic cringed, giving a small nod. “Sorry. I guess it was kind of a jerky thing to do.”

“At first,” Pearl said. “I was considering how to beat your face in. Then, well… you stayed gone. The first day I was furious. Second I was nervous. By the third I was really starting to worry about you. I knew you were involved in a lot of really, really dangerous stuff. By day four I thought you were dead. Finally I saw you and for a moment I was relieved. Then I was on my way towards the ship to give you a piece of my mind. Before I knew it Dr. Alicity had dragged me on board and I’m not even sure HOW he did it. One moment I was furious, the next we were taking off and apparently escaping while we could. I didn’t even know what was going on.”

“That’s just him,” Acrylic said in a flat, unamused tone. “If you told me he was a reborn Discord I would believe it in a second, but Silver? That’s still… a lot to swallow.”

“So, tell me about it,” Pearl said. “Don’t I deserve to know?”

Acrylic gave a soft sigh before nodding. “I… I guess. Okay. So, it all started when Ironwing started to wake up. Button and I were uhhh… talking about, uhhh…” His cheeks went redder and she got a knowing smile on her face.

“Me?” she asked.

“Y-yes,” Acrylic managed to stutter out. “And uhhhh, when we got the news we agreed to go tell Silver. It wasn’t supposed to be a big thing, but when we got there and walked into her office, well…”

“Yes?” Pearl said.

“She was standing there with her eyes all glowing and she had the Alicorn Amulet. It didn’t make any sense,” Acrylic said. “We’d gone all the way to the Badlands to get it, now she had it. Worse, she was doing something with it. When she stopped glowing we confronted her. Next thing I know Button and I are just in this weird, strange place. I can’t even really say what or where it was. We were just there. Like… it was dark. Occasionally we could see out, but most of the time it was like a weird dream. Or a nightmare. We saw out at times and, uhhhh… sometimes… err…” Once again his cheeks started getting redder.

“What?” Pearl asked. “What did you see?”

“Err, it was weird, I mean. I probably didn’t see it at all, it was probably just the strange void thing getting to me,” Acrylic said, unable to help himself from sinking into his seat a little.

“Come on, tell me,” Pearl said with a small smile. “If it’s got you squirming like that I’ve GOT to know.”

“I think I saw Diamond and Silver Spoon kiss,” Acrylic said.

Pearl blinked a few times before bursting into a small fit of giggles, laughing so hard she actually snorted after a moment.

“W-what? What? What’d I say?” Acrylic asked, his cheeks burning.

“I-I’m sorry, that’s just such a, well, stallion thing,” Pearl said, a hoof covering her mouth as she tried to suppress her laughter. “I mean, the Avatar? Really? Why would she kiss Silver?”

“I uhhhhh… I mean…” Acrylic said, his eyes wandering a little away from her.

“Honestly, it sounds like you just had an uhhh, interesting dream,” Pearl said before giving another light snicker. “Did you think they were that close?”

“I mean, maybe,” Acrylic said sheepishly. “We were all kind of… close. Well, they were. I think in a lot of cases I was kind of the odd pony out. I mean, err…”

The smile fell off Pearl’s face and she cocked her head to the side. “Come on, you can tell me.”

“I don’t know,” Acrylic said softly. “A lot of the time it didn’t feel like I really knew any of them except Button. Even him I didn’t really always get. I certainly couldn’t help him. Believe me, I tried. Then he met Diamond and suddenly he was advancing faster than I ever imagined. If anything I think I was just holding them all back.” He lightly nudged his food around on the plate with his hoof. “No, I definitely was. I… stagnated.”

“Really? You? But you’re so talented! You can even teleport ponies now, that’s not an easy feat,” Pearl said. “I mean, I’m not a unicorn but--”

“That was new,” Acrylic said with a sigh. “It just… I guess…”

“How long had you known all of them?” Pearl asked.

“Since I was a colt,” Acrylic said. “Well, no. That’s not true. I knew Button since I was a foal. Our moms were best friends and uhhhh… I think we were… kind of… possibly related? Neither of our parents ever really talked about our dads much, but I always kind of suspected it might be the same stallion. I never got confirmation, though.”

“They wouldn’t talk about it?” Pearl asked.

“I never really asked,” Acrylic said with a shrug. “It didn’t really matter, though. He was always like a brother to me. Silver I met when I was a colt. Met her dad first. No surprise, he and my mom got along amazingly well. Distressingly well. Was horrible. I actually thought they might date for a bit, talk about nightmares.”

Pearl gave a light shudder. “I mean, errr. Don’t get me wrong. I’ve met your mom a few times, she’s uhhh… unique. Awe inspiring, amazing. But terrifying. Adding that to Dr. Alicity…”

“Yeah,” Acrylic said before giving another soft sigh. “But then I met Silver. I never would have guessed SHE was his kid.” A small smile spread on his lips. “Funny story about that, actually. When I first met her I was with my mom at Tomorrow Industries on some council examination thing that she thought might be fun. I had actually wandered off and I thought she was a little filly who was lost from the tours. I ended up taking her to the main office to help her find her parents, only to find out she thought the same about me.”

“She thought you were lost?” Pearl asked.

“Yeah,” Acrylic said with a light snicker. “Turned out she was trying really hard to not embarrass me and help me find my parents. Afterwards we had a big laugh about it. From there we just kind of started… hanging out. I guess? It was weird. I don’t even entirely know how it happened. She just… was there.”

“Discord magic?” Pearl asked.

“No,” Acrylic said quickly, shaking his head. “More I think… a lot of the time it felt like she just wanted to be near other ponies. She was always so sad growing up. Quiet. Button could usually make her smile in one way or another, but then before long she’d go quiet again. But then, I guess that was most days. Button was pretty good at filling the silence. Some days she’d be fine, though. It was usually at its worst around the holidays. I wouldn’t say anything, but…”

“Really? She was depressed?” Pearl asked. “I mean, can’t say I’d blame her. Knowing she’s going to betray her friends one day would probably depress me too.”

“Can you stop that?” Acrylic snapped, his voice harsh for a moment before he quickly shook his head.

Pearl froze, her eyes going wide. “What?”

“Sorry,” Acrylic said. “I just…”

Pearl stared at him for a few moments before nodding. “Right. Sorry. I guess I was getting a bit snippy there. But fine, this is the Silver I know. How about you tell me about the Silver you knew? Before all of this?”

Acrylic gave another sigh. He really didn’t like this topic, it just made his heart hurt. But he supposed he couldn’t just avoid it forever. “She wasn’t like this. At least, I didn’t think she was. She was… nice. Very nice. She’d always be looking out for other ponies. She was generous, hard working. Silver had her dad’s eye for business, everything was always kept in mind as to how much of a profit it could make. But there was always…” He glanced away for a moment. “They were both very profit driven. But for them it always felt like they used it as a means to an end, if that made sense? They wanted profit so they could use it to invest in more things to help more ponies. I remember when they first started making the artificial horns and wings. Sure, now they are pretty successful. But at first they were seen as just jokes. All Silver ever talked about, though, was how one day everypony could have them. They’d all be equal and able to do things. Nopony would ever have to feel they were inferior. I… used to worry that she felt that way, because she couldn’t bend. I guess that was just another lie though, huh?”

Pearl lightly coughed and just cocked an eye at him.

“O-oh! I didn’t mean, err, I mean, I-I know that earth pony’s--”

“I know what you meant,” Pearl said with a small smile. “But it’s really not so bad. I’ll admit, when I was younger I used to get really jealous of the wings and horn thing. But you know, there’s some things us earth pony’s can do that are pretty nice. We’re a lot tougher, too.”

“Isn’t that the truth,” Acrylic said, thinking back to the number of times Diamond, Button and Silver had seemed to outpace him in that regard. “But I guess… there really was always that kind of… guilt that hovered over her. Almost as if she was trying to make up for something. I didn’t know it at the time, but I guess it makes a lot of sense now. If she knew that one day she’d do all of this. At least, when we were younger.”

“Hm? What happened?” Pearl asked.

“I don’t honestly know,” Acrylic said. “When we were foals she’d always seemed so sad. But then one day she just… stopped. I don’t know why. It was like a switch had been flipped or something. She’d seemed more determined than ever. Sometimes she’d have moments where I'd thought I caught her crying or something, but in general she just seemed happier. I hadn’t thought about it much at the time. Now I kind of wonder if I’d missed something important. It wasn’t long after that that Diamond kind of… blasted into our lives.”

“Ohhhh, that must have been exciting, meeting the Avatar like that. Did you know?” Pearl asked.

“Not until a few minutes after I met her,” Acrylic said before rolling his eyes. “And trust me. I wanted to drag her to the bottom of the lake long before I found out. Quite a few times after, as well.”

Pearl’s mouth fell open and she stared before giving a light cough. “I mean, she couldn’t be that bad, right? I heard some of the things others said, sure, but—”

“Oh, she was worse than you heard,” Acrylic said with annoyance. “So, so much worse. Obnoxious. Trust me.”

“I’ll have to take your word for it,” Pearl said sheepishly. “But… really?”

“Really. She was infuriating,” Acrylic said. “Drove off our newest team member, Piro. Undermined any confidence Button had like a dozen times. A spoiled brat who I absolutely loathed most days. Worse? She was talented and knew it. So it wasn’t like she’d listen to anypony. She got better. A lot better. They all did. I just kind of… stagnated.”

“Then you saved my life,” Pearl said.

“Yeah, uhhhh, that was new,” Acrylic said sheepishly. “I mean, saving anypony. And the teleporting. I’d been working on my magic, of course. But I hadn’t tried anything that big. Err, not that you’re big or--”

“It’s fine, I’ll let that one slide. This time,” Pearl said in a teasing tone. “Do you still feel like you’re stagnating?”

Acrylic slowly shook his head. “I… don’t think so. I mean, we haven’t done much fighting. But being able to teleport myself and others is incredibly useful.”

“It really is,” Pearl said. “I can’t deny, having a colt friend who can--” Her words were cut off by a sudden scream, followed by frantic yelling. The two looked around in confusion before finally their eyes fell on the cause of the screams.

Scorched Legacy. The armor clad unicorn was descending on the town, his gold covered body glimmering in the sunlight and a herd of changelings flying with his carriage, which was being pulled by a pair of pegasi.

Acrylic had the momentary wonder on if this would still count as ‘relaxing’ to Pinkie Pie.
> Chapter 19: Sunember
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Do you think we should try to escape?” Pearl asked, her eyes locked on the descending carriage.

“Yes,” Acrylic said softly. “Check please,” he said, raising a hoof to get the waiter’s attention. The pony didn’t even look at them, though.

“Should we just leave?” Pearl asked softly. “I don’t want to wait around for everypony to focus on--”

“CEASE YOUR SCREAMING!” Scorched Legacy’s gruff, deep voice rang out through the village, making everypony go still and focus entirely on them. “THERE IS NO DANGER FOR OBEDIENT PONIES OF THE FIRE TRIBES! WE ARE MERELY HERE IN SEARCH OF REBELS!”

“Let’s try and blend in for now,” Acrylic whispered. “Focus on ‘enjoying’ the festival until we can make our escape.”

Pearl nodded before pausing. “Ice sculptures,” she said.

“What?” Acrylic asked.

“If we get separated and aren’t sure if the pony we’re talking to is us and not a changeling, we’ll start with discussing ice sculptures,” Pearl said.

“R-right,” Acrylic said quickly, his cheeks burning. He hadn’t even considered that, at least one of them seemed to be considering things. “A buffalo one.”

“Perfect,” Pearl said before reaching into her bag and pulling out a few bits, tossing them on the table before the two of them quickly got to their hooves and left.

They weren’t the only ones, either. Already more than a few ponies were making their way towards the exit of the town.

Unfortunately, a few changelings were now outside the main entrance, scrutinizing everypony who headed that way. Acrylic glanced towards Pearl and couldn’t help but wonder just how well his disguise would hold under close scrutiny. Should he even take the risk? Could they hold out until--

“YOU TRAITOR!” a voice yelled out, silencing the bustling ponies. Acrylic would only watch helplessly when a unicorn with a grayish purple coat and a striped green and lighter green mane came running down the street at Scorched.

Well, partially running, partially stumbling. Scorched merely turned his head towards the pony, but didn’t make a move when the pony came closer. A few ponies tried to block his way, making him stumble a bit more before he shoved his way through, wobbling slightly as he ran. “You monster!” the pony yelled before taking a swing at Scorched.

Scorched merely stepped to the left, avoiding the awkward hoof before striking out with a back hoof, knocking the other pony’s front hoof out from under him and sending him crashing to the ground. The pony started to get up, but before he could a pair of changelings were on top of him, pinning him to the ground. “One of the rebellion?” Scorched asked, his head turned towards the pony. “No. You’re not even a fire bender, are you?”

“Y-you monster!” the pony yelled, tears flowing down his face. “How could you? After all the Discord did to us, after all he subjected us to? After he took EVERYTHING from us? Took our homes, our minds, our families, tore us apart? How can you side with HIM?”

Scorched didn’t say anything, his form unmoving while he stared down at the pony.

“Please, general,” one of the ponies said before quickly taking a step forward and bowing. “Firelight has just had too much cider, he’s upset. He doesn’t know what he’s--”

“I know EXACTLY what I’m saying!” the pony yelled, struggling against the changelings but unable to make them budge. “You’re a TRAITOR! Discord is a MONSTER! How could you side with him against us? Your own ponies? My wife, my little girl, I lost EVERYTHING because of what that monster d-did! You’re as bad as the Water Nation!”

Acrylic couldn’t help but cringe at that particular comment. He’d probably best not let his water bending slip, at least not here. Especially as when he glanced around, he couldn’t help but notice the ponies watching seemed concerned, but far from argumentative about his words.

“Perhaps you are right,” Scorched said. “Perhaps I am a traitor. But Discord cannot be stopped by any normal pony and neither may I. Only the Avatar could hope to defeat her now and, as you can see, she is nowhere to be seen.” Fire formed on the end of his horn. “But if you truly wish to see what happens to those who oppose Discord, would you like to make yourself an example?”

“D-do it! I don’t care!” Firelight yelled. “I’d rather die fighting a traitor like you than bending to the whims of that monster!”

Scorched stared down at the pony, his horn still on fire. Acrylic looked around the village, struggling to find something, anything, he could use. He glanced at his plate. He had two more of those little spicy orbs left, why not? He started to walk away and his horn lit up, picking both of them up.

A moment later he flung them through the air and teleported them. One appeared directly in front of Scorched’s face, splattering across his helmet, while the other appeared behind him, covering his armor in the spicy pastry. Scorched’s horn snuffed out a moment later and he reached up, wiping at the splattered helmet and trying to get it off.

Acrylic couldn’t help but feel a tiny bit disappointed. He’d hoped that the helmet had actual eye holes, but since there weren’t any screams he supposed it had to be well protected there. Second, the general didn’t take off the helmet. He’d have given his mane for a chance to see who Scorched was under that helmet of his.

Scorched stumbled back, however, turning his head wildly. “Who did that? Reveal yourself!” he yelled.

A tomato splattered against his side a moment later, making him stumble as he desperately tried to clean off his helmet, the two changelings got off Firelight and trying to protect the general from more pelting fruit from angry villagers. Acrylic gave a sharp intake of air when he saw the unicorn start to jump to his hooves and head towards the general.

Acrylic didn’t like this at all, but he couldn’t just stand there and let it happen. Angry ponies were enough of a distraction, he hoped, and he focused on casting his spell. Firelight disappeared, only to reappear by them a moment later, dropping a few inches to the ground and looking confused.

Pearl looked down at the dazed pony for a moment before quickly shoving a hoof over his mouth and shoving him, forcefully, behind the table. “If you really want to fight against Scorched, keep your mouth shut.”

The general was being pelted on all sides until, finally, his horn lit up and his entire body was enveloped in flames. A moment later the flame burst out from him, scattering ash into the air and leaving him standing there, the gold glowing in the light. Silence reigned in the town while the general scanned the area. “We see, is that truly how all of you ponies feel towards your new lord?”

He was greeted by silence.

“Very well,” Scorched Legacy said before turning around and heading back towards his chariot. “If any sign of the rebellion is found here, you will be treated to the full extent of Discord’s ‘mercy’.”

“You three, get in here.” It took Acrylic a moment to find the source of the call, an orange unicorn mare with a striped violet mane standing in a nearby doorway, motioning them in. Pearl gave a nod before shoving Firelight ahead of them, into the house. Acrylic and Pearl followed a moment later and the door was shut behind them. “Whew. Are you three okay?”

“Y-you shouldn’t have stopped me,” Firelight said, his head lightly wobbling from side to side. “That traitor--”

“You’ve had too much to drink,” the mare said, shaking her head. “You should have known better than to try and fight Scorched like that. You’re not even a bender. Thank you, you two. If you hadn’t interfered, who knows what would have happened?”

Acrylic nodded, though he couldn’t help but glance towards the door. “As much as I would love to say that it’s all over, I doubt it. Pearl and I need to get out of here before the changelings come looking or you’re all going to have a lot more trouble on your hooves than just a drunk unicorn.”

“What? Why?” the mare asked, before her eyes went wide. “You… you aren’t… you’re part of the rebellion?”

Acrylic cringed but, very slowly, he nodded.

“Perfect!” Firelight said before turning and giving an awkward salute. “Listen here, I may not look like much and I might not--”

“Oh, sit down,” the mare snapped. “If they’re part of the rebellion they have more to worry about than your vengeance.”

“You stay out of this, Stellar! This is my choice and I--”

“You don’t even have a plan,” she said before shaking her head and looking back to them. “Err, right. Sorry. I’m Stellar Flare. If not obvious, this is Firelight. He uhhh… had a little too much to drink.”

“I noticed,” Acrylic said. “I’m sorry, but we can’t stay. We don’t want to get you in any more trouble than we already have.”

“Yes, yes, fortunately for all of you I DO have a plan for situations like this,” Stellar said proudly. “Come, I have a place you can hide until things calm down. Follow me,” she said before walking down the hall.

Pearl gave Firelight a light nudge forward and the three followed the mare into a room filled with books and an old board game in the corner. In the center of the room was a carpet and a table, which she moved aside. Underneath the carpet was a small, wooden door. She lifted it with her magic before motioning them inside. “It won’t be the most comfortable place, but it should hold for now. If you need it, there’s some food, some books, a few board games, some perfume, things to make smoothies, a--”

“That’s more than enough,” Pearl said quickly, nudging Firelight down. Acrylic started to follow after him, but Stellar lifted a hoof to stop him.

“Yes?” Acrylic asked softly.

“Listen, I appreciate all that you and the rebellion are trying to do,” Stellar whispered. “But this is all we can offer you. I can offer you. Our home won’t have a future if we try to join in and--”

“I wouldn’t ask you to,” Acrylic said quickly. “We didn’t have any intention to get involved. Uhhhh, will he…?”

“He’ll be fine,” Stellar said before glancing down the stairs. “He’s… a good pony. Really, once you get to know him. He may not be from the Fire Tribes, but he’s still one of us. He just… he’s had a hard life. But he is good. Please, don’t let him get involved in this. He won’t survive.”

“Trust me, I have no intention to,” Acrylic said. “Thank you for this. I promise, I’ll do everything I can to avoid dragging you into this more than we already have. Him too.”

Stellar gave him a small smile and nodded. “It’s not your fault. If you hadn’t stepped in when you had, who knows what would have happened? That old foal just… Never mind. Just hide for now, okay? Thank you.”

Acrylic nodded before slowly walking down the stairs. A moment later the hiding hole was covered and he started trotting down. A small glow illuminated the steps slightly and he let out a sigh of relief when he saw the state of their new hiding hole. It was a lot more spacious than he would have expected, able to hold five or six ponies. Up against the wall there were some books and a small chest. A nearby lamp was glowing a white, dim light over Pearl and Firelight.

The former looking nervous and the latter looking excited. Acrylic could feel a headache growing. “So I guess we just need to wait for now,” he said.

“I knew it,” Firelight said. “I knew the rebellion would come eventually. Please, you have to let me help you.”

“You are,” Acrylic said as carefully as he could. “We’re hiding, aren’t we?”

“No, no, I mean against this new threat! This Discord! Please, I can be useful. I can fight!”

Acrylic shared a look of worry with Pearl. They didn’t need fighters, at least not now. They needed subtlety, carefulness. Ponies who could get in and out without drawing attention. Firelight looked like he was about to snap at any moment.

“Maybe you could help here,” Pearl offered. “I mean, surely there are ponies in this town who could use the help?”

Firelight paused and the excitement began to fade from his features. “I… see. You think I’ll be useless, then?”

Acrylic barely resisted the urge to say yes. Today was just supposed to be a day to relax, to calm down. Not to pick a fight with Scorched and recruit some stallion seeking vengeance for whatever. He glanced back up the stairs. Who knew how long they’d have to be here? “Not so much useless,” Acrylic said slowly. “But there’s not much fighting right now. We have to choose our battles very, very carefully. We weren’t supposed to fight at all today, but…”

“You were going to just let Scorched come here? Unabated?” Firelight asked.

“If he knew any of the rebellion were here he’d tear this village apart,” Pearl said.

“Then why come here?” Firelight asked.

“Because we needed a bucking break,” Acrylic said, unable to keep the tension out of his voice. “Because we’ve been running and hiding for who knows how long and we needed one day where we didn’t have to worry about dying or worse. But we couldn’t have that, now could we?” He cringed when Pearl glared at him. “Sorry.”

“No, you’re right,” Firelight said softly. “I… I’m sorry. I just… I… I shouldn’t have done that.” To his credit, the stallion DID look regretful.

Acrylic glanced towards the unicorn’s horn. “You called Scorched a traitor. But you aren’t a member of the Fire Tribes, are you?”

“Not by blood,” Firelight said bitterly. “I was… from the Earth Kingdoms.”

“Were?” Pearl asked.

“Yes, but ummm…” Firelight gave a soft sigh and lifted a hoof to his forehead. “When Discord came, when everything was all bucked up? I met… her. Everything had been so weird, then I found myself here. In the Fire Tribe lands. She just… she… I wasn’t…”

Acrylic gave a soft sigh before glancing towards the stairs again. Great, it wasn’t that he didn’t want to hear some pony’s life story. Wait, no, that was exactly it. He didn’t want to hear some random pony’s life story. But he supposed it was better than waiting for Scorched to maybe come and blast their way down the stairs. Maybe if they could distract this old stallion long enough he wouldn’t try to go hoof to hoof against Scorched again. “Let me guess. You came across a mare you fell for, couldn’t go home, ended up deciding to stay in these lands forever?”

“Heh, something like that,” Firelight said sheepishly, poking his hoof into the ground. “Just… she was… special. You know?”

Acrylic just cocked an eye. This stallion was wayyyyy too old to be talking like some love lost pony. Then again, the heart made a pony do strange things sometimes. His own heart left him more confused than he ever thought he’d be. “Yeah.”

“She needed me in a way nopony ever had,” Firelight said softly. “She was broken. My little Starember. I mean, she was… beautiful. But… like… an ancient vase covered in cracks. So beautiful it took your breath away, but you had to be careful lest you make the damage worse. I… loved her. No… I… I still love her. Even if she’s… even if…”

“Gone?” Pearl asked.

“Likely,” Firelight said softly. “I never found out. I tried to find her. I tried for so long to find her and our…” He took a long, slow breath. “It was all the Water Nation’s fault. That blasted Hornclipper. If he’d never…”

“Hornclipper?” Acrylic asked before cringing.

“That monster used to delight in de-horning the ponies here,” Firelight said bitterly. “Yet when the time came, when the war ended, the Avatar didn’t even properly punish him. Instead he was allowed to live out his days in peace. Instead he… oh, if only I hadn’t been so blind,” Firelight said before sitting down, the tears welling up in his eyes. “I was so… selfish. I was comfortable. We were comfortable. I didn’t… I didn’t want to… please. You have to let me help. Let me make up for the horrible things I’ve done.”

“Horrible things?” Pearl asked.

“I drove her off,” Firelight said softly. “She was so angry. That the Avatar had betrayed her. Betrayed us. She wanted to… to fight. To find Hornclipper and… when our daughter was born, she… she only got worse. I tried to calm her. Tell her that… that we had to keep calm. After all, we had a little girl to protect. To… take care of. If I had just… if I had helped. If I had risen up and helped her get her vengeance, then she’d… I’d have never lost her. Of course she hated him. He took her horn! He took so many horns… It’s all Discord’s fault. If he hadn’t… if he…”

Acrylic stared at the stallion, his mouth falling open. He didn’t know what to do as the unicorn started to cry, though Pearl mercifully reached out and patted him on the back. The stallion was… broken. In so many ways. Discord, water nation, Hornclipper. He didn’t even seem to know who he hated or if he really hated any of them. He was just lashing out where he could, trying to find something to direct his anger towards. The pony probably hated himself most of all.

He ground a hoof into the ground, his own mind turning now. Was that what he was doing? His own hatred towards Silver? She lied to him, tricked him, betrayed him. Trapped him. So why did any part of him want to protect her still? Why was it when he thought about her he struggled to focus on the hurt she’d caused and instead focused on the good she’d done for him? The times she’d offered him help and kindness?

He felt like he was adrift in a storm and not sure if he should cling to the shattered remains of a boat or let go and try to swim to shore. How he wished he could think like his mother and just continue and do, rather than over analyze everything as he struggled to find out what he should do.

------ 

“Feel better?” Pinkie asked when Acrylic and Pearl walked back into the hot, humid nest of the dragons.

“A little,” Pearl said.

“I have no idea,” Acrylic said. They’d had to hide for what felt like hours before, finally, Scorched had left. By that time night had already fallen and they’d even managed to miss the fireworks. Annoyingly, he felt like he was no closer to an answer, nor any more relaxed. All he felt like was that he’d wasted time he could have spent doing literally anything else.

“Welllll, I have some good news,” Pinkie said with a wide grin, almost seeming to be vibrating. “I managed to get some news from some old friends of ours.”

Acrylic gave a soft sigh. If it had Pinkie excited, it couldn’t really be good. “Oh? What news?”

“We may have a lead on Rarity and the others,” Pinkie said happily.

Acrylic went entirely still, his eyes going wide. “Wait, what?” he asked. “How? Why? WHEN?”

“Oh, a little birdy told me,” Pinkie said before giving a light giggle before motioning down the hall.

“I ain’t little,” a large, graying griffon said before walking out to glare at them, her talons scraping on the ground with each step.

“And I ain’t a birdy,” a pegasus with a graying green coat and blonde streaked mane said, an annoyed look on her face.

“… Who?” Acrylic asked, cocking his head to the side.

“Oh, right! Allow me to introduce some of our old friends,” Pinkie said. “Gilda and Lightning Dust.” She leaned in and stage whispered. “They’re pirates.”

“HEY!” Gilda said. “I’m a freelance mercenary now.”

“And I’ll have you know I now use the term privateer,” Lightning Dust said before smirking. “Though yeah, pirate still sounds cooler.”

“Twenty percent cooler?” Pinkie asked with a wide grin.

Lightning Dust just frowned at her. “We’re not doing that.”

Acrylic just blinked a few times, cocking his head to the other side this time. Pirates? Rainbow’s friends? What? “So, um, where are they?”

“Some group calling themselves the Remnants of Harmony may have them,” Gilda said with a shrug.

“May?” Acrylic asked.

“May,” Lightning Dust said. “Listen, do you want our help or not? The only reason we put our flanks on the line for you lot is because of Rainbow. We have information, you have benders, work it out. Either way, my ship leaves in an hour. If you want a lift, be on it.” With those words, the pegasus turned and walked away, the griffon following a moment later.

Acrylic sighed and looked to Pinkie. “Can we trust her?”

“Not at all,” Pinkie said with a light giggle. “But about this? Probably. So… gonna go?”

“Are you?” Acrylic asked.

“Well, duh,” Pinkie said with a roll of her eyes. “But I just wanna know if this is going to be one of those ‘I go and find my friends and then get captured’ things, or if it’s maybe going to be a ‘I go and guide the new generation towards the old guard so we can work to save them, only to run into some great threat at the end and have to give one last showing before leaving it all to you guys’ things. I mean, Lightning Dust AND Gilda are here. That’s realllllly pointing towards the latter.”

Acrylic just stared at her for a few moments before looking to Pearl. She looked as confused as he felt. Either way, though, one thing was clear.

It looked like they were going.
> Chapter 20: Val
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Diamond took a slow, deep breath. No. She was NOT going to find her predecessor adorable. The mare was at LEAST twice her age. Probably more like three times. If she counted the time after her passing, it was likely four or five times times. Okay so a lot older and she didn’t know the exact number. She supposed she could try and calculate it out, find out how old the mare really was, but who cared?

But watching a pony many times her age hop around like a giddy school foal and giggle with excitement was oddly adorable. Even if she was annoyed that her predecessor decided THIS was how she was going to make her appearance, she couldn’t help finding it endearing.

“Yes yes yes yes yes--” Twilight’s eyes then opened and she eeped, coming to a stop.

Diamond smiled, cocking an eye. “Are you okay?”

“Eh heh heh. Ummm… yes,” Twilight said sheepishly.

“Mind telling me what that was about?” Diamond asked.

“I made contact with an ancient avatar,” Twilight said proudly. “A really, really, really old one. Supposedly the third one.”

Diamond’s eyes went wide, her mouth falling open. “Wait, WHAT?”

“I know, right?” Twilight said. “It really adds a lot of credence to the notion that I am more than just a memory! Or not, who knows? But it’s fascinating. Am I a soul? Are we all just one soul experiencing multiple lives? Or are we something else, a spirit that possibly thinks it’s a pony, or fused with a pony, or who knows what? But it seems if I try hard enough I can still act on the world! I’m beginning to think I AM more than just a memory. Or maybe I’mnot and you just think I do and so I am perceived as thinking this. I mean, I think I’m thinking this but I suppose you can’t--”

Diamond gave a groan and face hoofed. She had a headache already. Why was her predecessor such an egghead? “The point, do you have it?”

“What? Oh! Right! Sorry,” Twilight said sheepishly. “The third avatar. Val.”

“Val?” Diamond asked. “That doesn’t sound like a very pony name.”

“Oh, it happens from time to time,” Twilight said. “Rather than giving pony’s names like ‘Sunset’ or ‘Diamond’, they’d get partial names. For example, you’d be Dia, I’d be Twi, he was likely Valley or Valiant. But that’s not important! Well, actually it is. You see it crops up from time to time where--”

“Can I talk with Val now?” Diamond asked.

“Uhhhh…” Twilight said softly before giving a nervous gulp. “I ummm… I only met him. I couldn’t really… get to him.”

“You said you made contact,” Diamond said.

“Made contact. Then he kind of… threw me out,” Twilight said sheepishly. “Twice. I don’t think he wants to talk.”

“Well, we’re going to see about that,” Diamond said. She closed her eyes and started to dig, only to pause and open her eyes after a moment. “Twilight?”

“Yes?”

“Thank you. I know you might not… well… approve of this,” Diamond said. “But I have to know. I can’t do this if I don’t.”

“I know,” Twilight said.

“Could you?” Diamond asked.

“Maybe,” Twilight said. “It depends on how mad I was or how emotional I was.”

“If it was Discord?” Diamond asked.

“Oh, in a second,” Twilight said. “No hesitation, just bam. Destroyed. Gone. Just zap. Not even that hard to consider. Bye bye big meany.”

“Then Silver?” Diamond asked.

“… I imagine she is a lot like Trixie,” Twilight said. “Another broken, tainted soul.”

“Trixie killed you,” Diamond said.

“She did,” Twilight said. “And that was partially my fault. But… I can’t say for certain I wouldn’t have made that mistake again. I knew she was capable of it. But I had to try. I’ve seen so many ponies do terrible things, make terrible choices. But I’ve seen those same ponies do everything they can to fix their mistakes. I wanted to offer Trixie the same chance. I think a part of me still does, silly as it sounds.”

“So you’d give her another chance to?” Diamond asked.

“Well, somewhat,” Twilight said. “I’d likely keep her at leg’s reach the whole time and knock her on her flank if she tried anything. Not let my guard down around her. But maybe. She was broken, Diamond. That was what Discord did. He broke ponies. He hurt us, played with us, toyed with us, destroyed us. But most of all? He broke us. He took everything we were and changed it into something else entirely. Made us into something we despised. He’d take the deepest, darkest, smallest bit of us that we loathe and make it all we were. Just to see what happened. To him it was all just a game, he didn’t see us as equals. Just toys. I can’t know how much of Trixie was truly Trixie and how much was his influence.”

“I heard the stories, though,” Diamond said. “Only Nightmare Moon was said to be possessed by his power, right?”

Twilight shook her head. “The main portion of it, yes. But his influence spread and left so much destruction in its wake. Perhaps Trixie was a monster that reveled in the environment. Or maybe she was another victim. I thought I could save her.”

“You trapped her though, didn’t you?” Diamond asked.

“I was hopeful,” Twilight said. “But I wasn’t a foal. I knew there was a chance she might be irredeemable and kill me. I had to be sure that, should I fall, she’d never hurt anypony again. Were it just me, I likely wouldn’t have. But that’s part of our responsibility. We have to consider everypony else. Honestly, I think that’s why the Element of Magic took the form of a crown. Though, for you, I think it would have been a tiara.”

“Oh? Because the Avatar rules?” Diamond asked with a light chuckle.

“No,” Twilight said. “Because the Avatar is responsible. For everypony. The world rests on our heads and there are times we have to make the choices nopony else has to. Should have to. More than that, we have to bear that burden afterwards. It’s a heavy weight, that crown.”

Diamond’s smile faded and she gave a nod. “Could you have killed one of your friends? If they’d turned? If they were Discord?”

Twilight stopped for a moment before finally shaking her head. “No. I don’t think I could have. I may have tried, but I don’t think I could have. But…”

“But?” Diamond asked.

“Discord tried every trick he could on us,” Twilight said. “He took what he could from us. Changed how we saw the world. Did all he could to break us. He even gave us everything we wanted at times. But even then we could fight him off eventually. We lost so many battles, but we won the war. If that time came, I would trust my friends to fight him off and become themselves.”

“And if they were Discord himself?” Diamond asked.

Twilight gave another soft sigh before shaking her head. “I don’t know. I really don’t, I’m sorry. That’s something you’ll need to figure out on your own. In the end, Diamond, you are the Avatar now. I can only offer advice and guidance, as our predecessors did for me. But just like them, sometimes I’ll be right, sometimes I’ll be wrong. You were chosen for a reason, Diamond. But I can’t say I know what it was.”

Diamond nodded and closed her eyes again. “Thank you.”

She was greeted with silence. She reached deep within herself. “Come on, Val. Valley. Valiant. Valuable. Val-something. Get your flank out here.”

Nothing happened. She rolled her eyes but kept digging. “Come on, I know you’re in there. Twilight may be a massive egghead, but she’s smart. If she found you and you’re the third then I know you’re there. Come out.”

She was greeted by silence.

“Don’t think I can’t do this all day. I’m an earth pony, we’re very stubborn.”

Still, silence.

“Fine then,” Diamond said before she started to sing, poorly. “Val was a pony who didn’t want to show, so I kept bugging him because he did blow. He never--”

“FINE!” a voice said, the frustration evident in his voice. “Just stop THAT.”

Diamond opened her eyes and saw a black coated unicorn with a pure white mane. “Was that so hard? Val, I take it?”

“Yes, Val,” the pony said bitterly. “You shouldn’t have called me.”

“I kind of had to,” Diamond said with a small smile. “I--”

“No, you didn’t,” Val said. “I told Twilight to leave me be, and I’ll tell you the same. There is nothing you’ll learn from me worth it.”

“And yet, I need to,” Diamond said. “So please, tell me about yourself. Tell me about your home. Tell me--”

“Very well, Avatar. But I did warn you,” Val said before his eyes glowed. The world around them shuddered and then faded away. A moment later they were hovering over a wasteland. She could see a city surrounded by a great wall. It took her a few moments to realize what else she could see.

The portal to the Spirit World that they had come through. They were in the badlands, at the place where Twilight’s village had been. Except there was a city in its place. So long ago that she doubted anypony had even an inkling it had been like this once. The fields between the city and the portal were torn to pieces, spikes of stone rising up from it.

“My name is Val, I was the third Avatar. The only Avatar who was worse, who did more damage, than the first. Than Nyx,” Val said.

“W-what?” Diamond asked. “What… happened? What is this place?”

“The battlefield,” Val said bitterly. “War. Destruction. That was my life, Avatar.”

Below them the fields came alive. Spirits, no, monsters flowed out from the portal while ponies flowed from the city. They ran into each other. Bending, weapons, fighting desperately to tear each other apart. All of them were fuzzy, slightly oozing and disjointed, as if she was watching the scene through a window that was soaking wet.

“The first Avatar started this,” Val said, the pain evident in his voice. “But I won this war. Oh by the stars I won this war. In doing so, I destroyed everything I held dear. My predecessor, the second Avatar, sought peace. She tried to fix this, tried to repair the bonds between our people. Between us and the spirits. She died in her quest. I refused to allow that to happen to me.”

Diamond felt like she was going to be sick. The world below seemed to rush by rapidly. New homes were built, new defenses. Then they’d be destroyed, battles raging on wildly, rapidly. Spirits against ponies.

“A spirit is something else,” Val said softly. “Alive in its own way, it can’t truly die. It can change, alter. But it doesn’t die. Our war was one we could never hope to win. We could drive them back, but we couldn’t win. At least, in most cases.”

Below she saw more spirits rushing out from the portal. This time an army didn’t meet them. Instead, six ponies stepped out from the city. Each glowed with a brilliant light before a beam of light blasted out, overwhelming the spirits and sending them back into the portal.

“But we could stop them,” Val said. “For now. But it wouldn’t last forever. More and more spirits would come. They’d destroy us, eventually. They were… they were hurt. They were scared. Harmony was dead. Discord was broken. Our world was torn to pieces, what was I supposed to be? What could I do? I just… I just…”

Diamond watched the pony and had to resist the urge to reach out and hug him. He looked so angry, so sad, so broken. How hard was this for him to show her? Yet, she needed to know. Needed to see this.

“I wanted peace. We were all scared, though. The spirits needed me just as much as the ponies did. But I didn’t realize that. It wouldn’t be until my successor took over that peace would be achieved. That he would…” Val choked on the words. “There was only one way to end this war that I saw. It was to win. I did something I never should have done.”

Diamond nervously gulped, chewing on her lip. “What did you do?” she asked softly.

“I lied,” Val said. “I deceived my predecessor. I did the one thing that should never have been done.”

A moment later the two of them were standing on the battlefield, the six ponies standing in front of a massive spirit that seemed to be made of ice.

The creature let out a scream when their magic touched it. It wasn’t the magic of the elements, though. It felt strange. Impure. Even though it was just a memory, she felt it sickening her. The creature turned to a strange, wispy mist before flowing into the alicorn, being absorbed by him. Instantly she saw his cuts and scrapes healing before he fell to his knees, gasping. Then a smile form on his lips.

“I did what nopony should have done,” Val said. “The very thing that started this war, that Nyx had made me swear to never do. But I was so much worse. I knew the consequences, I knew what happened. I knew what would happen. I thought I could accept the price. To win this war, to end this fighting, I would do anything. I twisted and forced the elements to do this.”

“What is that?” Diamond asked softly. “What happened?”

“A forbidden magic,” Val said. “A spirit doesn’t die, not by natural means. It can be bound into a pony. Molded into them. In some cases they become one, similar to the Avatar and our bond with the Spirit of Harmony. In other cases they can be suppressed and added to the pony. Taking the spirit’s power for their own. Breaking it to their will. Much like the Water Nation attempted, and failed, to do with Discord.”

Diamond’s eyes went wide. “W-wait, you mean when they tried to, the stories that--”

“They were nowhere near succeeding,” Val said. “It was… clever, in a way. Discord used our greatest mistake to undo his own captivity. But it wouldn’t work. That magic required power and a lot of time to study the spirits. Or… a way to cheat them. Anxiety and Beguile fell first. I bound them into myself and my dearest friend. They…” He stopped for a moment, a hoof lifting to his head. “I made a mistake. A horrible, horrible mistake. It was my duty to bring peace between the Spirit World and our world. Instead I tore the Spirit World to pieces. With the first spirit bound our power grew. With every attack the spirits grew weaker, less of them came. We were stronger. The power, it drove us mad. For lifetimes I ruled. My elements and I. We were unstoppable. Eventually we took the war into the Spirit World, binding all spirits that we came across. Many fled, but not enough.”

Diamond shuddered as the world shifted into the Spirit World now. The six ponies, once just blurry, faded shapes, were now darker and more malevolent than she’d ever imagined a pony could look. Twisted, in many ways. The Spirit World was in shambles, decaying and rotting. Much like it was in her time. With each step the Avatar and his friends took, the decay spread faster and faster.

“I saw the rot as another sign of the spirits being a threat,” Val said softly. “I saw it as… I saw it as a challenge. The spirits couldn’t stop us so long as we were together. We were too powerful. We were immortal. Immortals created by stealing the lives, the essence, of others. If not for one of us, we may well have destroyed the Spirit World forever. I would have. I shattered the portals that combined our worlds, making it harder and harder for them to escape with each victory.”

One of the ponies suddenly stopped. For a moment the pony just looked around and it was as if they began to come into focus. Diamond’s breath caught in her throat. Silver Spoon?! Wait, no, that was impossible. She just shared the coloration with this pony. Besides, that pony was a unicorn.

Still, the look of horror on her face hurt none the less.

“The Element of Kindness,” Val said softly. “Silverbelle. As our power grew, so did our corruption. We didn’t see what we were doing as bad. We were the saviors. We were the heroes. They were bad, evil. They wanted to hurt us, we wanted to protect. That was what we told ourselves. Silverbelle had her doubts, however. She told us what we were doing was wrong. That this wasn’t Harmony. This wasn’t protecting ourselves. We were destroying our world. Just like the elements required each other to keep our balance, our world needed the spirits to keep its own balance. A balance we were shattering.”

Only that one pony was clear of the six. She yelled at them, pleaded with them, begged them. She shook her head, argued, fought. Finally, with tears in her eyes, she ran and fled through a new portal.

“We lost her,” Val said softly. “Our elements were still there. But without all of us, we couldn’t do the spell any longer. Or… she thought we couldn’t.” A few fresh tears formed in his eyes. “I was afraid. We all were. We had so much power, but if the spirits came back? If we died, would they be free? Would they…”

Once more they were in the Spirit World. Except the decay which once spread was now fading away. New life springing up in its place.

“She was gone. Likely dead,” Val said softly. “In our grief for what we had lost, we… we only tried harder. We believed she was wrong, that she had tried to show kindness to these spirits and they had killed her. But they hadn’t. We did. Our greed, our selfishness. Our fear. It drove us forward until we finally discovered how to tap into our elements. Even when we weren’t all together, when we were apart, we could use them. We could bind the spirits with them. But she was right, we weren’t balanced. We needed kindness. Without it… we…”

For a long moment there was silence. Then they were back in that city once more. Except the city was rubble. Ponies were fleeing from the rubble or trapped within it. “We became obsessed with Harmony. True Unity. Any voice that spoke out was silenced. The remaining four elements turned to me. Trusted me. Believed in me. After all, I was  the Avatar. I… let them down.”

The alicorn of the five ponies now stood between the other four, an earth pony, a pegasus and two unicorns. They bowed their heads to him as he rose into the air, surrounded by a ring of fire, earth, wind and water.

“Without kindness to balance us, we were cruel. Vile. In an ironic twist of fate it was the very spirits we had waged a war on that eventually led me to my end and what I had driven away,” Val said with a hollow, cold chuckle.

The five ponies were together again, galloping through the Spirit World. Fighting. Fire, water, earth, wind. Blowing through the spirits, binding them. The alicorn galloped ahead, though, through the trees. Leaving the others behind Until eventually coming into a small clearing and a lake.

The world was clear now. Silverbelle was there, sitting on the edge of the lake. Except she looked so old, her body wrinkled and withered. As opposed to Val, who looked as young as ever. She glanced back at Val, but then turned back towards the lake. “There there, little ones. You’ll be safe.”

It took her a moment to realize there were little ice cubes in front of her and she was petting one. “They’re ice screams, I think. They’re usually so loud, but they’re scared.”

“Silver,” Val said softly, taking a step forward. “You’re alive. I thought… I thought you…”

“This world is so beautiful,” Silverbelle said. “The spirits can be as well.”

“Come back with us,” Val said before walking towards her. She didn’t move, even when he finally knelt down besides her. “Let us help you.”

Silverbelle was crying, still petting the ice scream. “You can’t help me, Val.”

“I can,” Val said. “If we bind another spirit, you’ll recover.”

“Go,” Silverbelle said quickly before lightly pushing the ice screams away. They rolled away from her, disappearing into the lake. She finally turned towards him again before giving a soft, gentle sigh. “Oh Val…”

“Silverbelle,” Val said gently. He leaned his head forward against hers, rubbing their horns together.

“Do you remember when we first met?” Silverbelle asked. “You were just a clumsy pegasus.”

“Yeah,” Val said with a light chuckle. “True knocked me into the lake and you helped me out. Tittering couldn’t stop laughing. Gracious spent ages drying my clothes out, I thought she was going to turn them to ash.”

“I miss those days. It was so much simpler then,” Silverbelle said before looking up at him. “Remember our first battle?”

“Of course,” Val said softly. “We were terrified.”

“But True was right, then. All of our efforts, all of our training, it meant nothing if we couldn’t act,” Silverbelle said. “What good was power if we didn’t use it to protect those who needed it?”

“Stony said we should run,” Val said.

Silverbelle gave a light laugh. “He did. But that was because he knew how scared I was. But we didn’t have a choice, then. Stony wouldn’t have run, though. He was far too loyal. You really did have an eye for friends, didn’t you?”

“What can I say? I was lucky,” Val said. “I knew to which ponies my heart should belong.”

Silverbelle gave the smallest of smiles before leaning against him, her hooves wrapping around his neck. “And I did as well. I will always love you, Val.”

“And I will--” Val’s words were cut off when suddenly a spike of ice rose out from the lake, piercing his heart. His eyes went wide and he stared at her. “W-what…”

Silverbelle just stared at him, the tears flowing down her aged face like two waterfalls. “Goodbye… Val… Please… let it go. Don’t let this nightmare go on.” Then the pony’s eyes closed one last time and she collapsed, a white mist flowing out from her and into the world around them.

Val shuddered, a white mist flowing over the chest wound, trying to close it around the shard of ice lodged in his heart. “It hurt,” Val said from behind Diamond, making her jump. “Not just the ice. But the betrayal. Of all the ponies who’d betray me, I never thought she would. I never thought she could. By the time my friends found me, however, I finally understood. What I had done. What I had started. Why she had to do what she did. Why I had to no longer fight it.”

Four ponies burst out from the trees, galloping towards him, only to stop when he finally collapsed. For the first time Diamond could see them clearly.

For the first time she could recognize them, even though the world turned dark a moment later.

“Your… your friends,” Diamond said softly. “Who… who were they?” It wasn’t possible. It couldn’t be possible.

“Hm? True Breeze, the Element of Honesty and my dearest friend. Stony Brace, the Element of Loyalty and one of the greatest earth benders I ever knew. Tittering Splash, the Element of Laughter and my sister-in-law, a pony who seemed to find just about everything hilarious. Gracious Warmth, the Element of Generosity and an incredible healer for more than just the body, but the heart. Then there was Silverbelle, the Element of Kindness and my wife. The pony who ended my life to protect the spirits she had grown to see the need for,” Val said. “The pony who stopped me when I had gone too far.”

Diamond stared at him, struggling to keep her calm. “They’re… they’re still alive. Aren’t they?”

Val was quiet for a time before, very slowly, he shook his head. “It’s possible, but unlikely. They--”

“I’ve met them,” Diamond said. “I’ve met some of them. Why didn’t you warn me?”

“W-what?” Val asked. “I’m sure they--”

“I’ve met them,” Diamond said again. “Is this what’s happened to the Spirit World? Is this why everything is decaying?”

“I don’t know,” Val said softly. “I’ve been trying to avoid interacting with any of the other avatars. To avoid tainting them with… me. I don’t know why they, how they—”

“Is Silver in danger?” Diamond asked.

“What? Silverbelle? She’s--”

“Silver Spoon,” Diamond said, her eyes narrowed. “Are they a danger to Silver Spoon? Discord’s Avatar?”

“I don’t… know?” Val said. “But—”

“What do you know about Discord?” Diamond asked, cutting him off. She could feel the panic rising, but she tried to suppress it.

“Only the stories I was told. That he was a cruel, vicious monster that changed ponies on a whim,” Val said. “That Nyx defeated him and--”

“Then I’m going to Nyx,” Diamond said.

“She won’t talk with you,” Val said. “After what I did, she won’t talk with anypony. She--”

“Then that’s my problem,” Diamond said. “Goodbye.”

“Avatar, don’t--”

But she didn’t listen to him, instead cutting him off.

She didn’t care anymore. She needed to know what Discord was. She needed to know what she had to do. She needed to know if she had to strike or if she had to show mercy.

She needed to see Harmony and Discord.

“Nyx,” Diamond said softly. “Show yourself. I need to see what you saw. I need to see Discord. I need to know who he was. What he was. I need to know who Harmony was. Please.” She put her hooves together, struggling to dig even deeper. Nyx was there. She had to be. She had to know.

Nothing answered.

Diamond let out a low growl. “Come out! COME OUT! I’m here! I’m trying to listen! I’m not trying to use you! I’m not trying to betray you! I just need to know! I NEED ANSWERS! WHY WON’T YOU TELL ME?”

Her words echoed through the silent Spirit World. There was no answer, though. Just silence. No spirits to run in fear from her outburst.

Diamond sighed and fell back, laying on the ground and staring up at the strange, swirling sky. There were no stars, at least not now. “Please, just help me. I can’t do this on my own. There aren’t any elements. My friends are fighting each other. The world is falling apart. The spirits are trapped. So many ponies know what they need to do and who they are. But I need to be the one to make the choice. I’m the Avatar. Discord is my enemy, but can Silver be my friend? Can I save her from him? Can I save her from herself?”

Still she was greeted by nothing but silence. She sighed and abandoned even the pretense of meditation now. Instead she just let out a scream of frustration, flailing her hooves in the air. When she stopped, it felt oddly good and she did it a second and then third time before collapsing again, laying there and lightly panting.

“Nyx, please. Help me. If you don’t want to, that’s fine. If you hate Discord, then fine. If you hate me and all the future and past avatars, that’s fine. Do it anyway. Do it because I can’t, I won’t, make a choice anymore. Because no matter what I say, it doesn’t change things. I can say I’m ready to strike, but that doesn’t mean anything when the pony I have to strike is my friend. I just… can’t. I can’t beat Discord like this. I can’t…”

Diamond gave a light sob before finally curling up on her side and lightly sobbing. “I can’t fight her. Even if it’s a trick, even if it’s all a lie. Even if she’s just playing me, I can’t. I can’t do what I’m supposed to do. Please, just please show me that I don’t have to. Give me the excuse. Give me something, anything, that tells me it’s okay for me to be selfish this time. That this time I can be greedy and it can be the correct choice. That I wasn’t chosen for the wrong reasons. Harmony chose a greedy, selfish, arrogant pony for a reason.”

Diamond didn’t know how long she laid there, curled up and letting all of her pain out. But, in the end, she felt better. She felt empty, but in a good way. “I won’t stop. Ever. I’ll keep digging. I’ve already lost my cutie mark, my bending, my friends. I have nothing left to lose. I will never, ever stop, Nyx. You’re the last pony in this line, so I will find you. I will dig and dig and dig. So help me. Please. I can’t set things right alone.”

“Are you so scared of this fight?” a voice asked softly. “What makes you think I’ll be able to tell you what’s right?”

Diamond opened her eyes and then froze. “W-what… are you?”

An alicorn stood in front of her, but not like one she’d ever seen. Her eyes were green and slitted, like a dragon’s. Her mane a light purple, though the colorations seemed to keep shifting and changing erratically. Even her wings didn’t seem like normal pegasus wings, almost see through. The pony stared at her before giving a soft sigh. “I am the first Avatar, Nyx.” Her wings spread out, casting a weak shadow over her. “If you wish to know more of Discord, then I will show you our encounters.” She held a hoof out to her.

Diamond reached out a hoof towards it, but then froze. Something felt… wrong. Off. Why--

A smile crept on the alicorn’s face. “If you take my hoof, Diamond, there will be no turning back. I am not like the others. You won’t see these spirits. You will live them. You will walk amongst Discord and Harmony. Though our encounters were few, you will see them through my eyes. It may even shake all you believe. I doubt it will give you the comfort you seek, however. Nor the answers. The excuses. All you will gain from it, if anything, is perhaps some awareness of your own insignificance. In the end what you’ll ‘have’ to do won’t change. So it’s up to you to decide if it’s worth it.”

Diamond stared at the hoof before lunging out, taking it in her own.

------ 

Nyx’s eyes opened and she stared into the eye’s of Discord’s. He looked… amused. “My my, look who’s finally decided to wake up. Sleep well?”
> Chapter 21: Nyx
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“D-Discord,” Nyx said softly, staring at him. She then gasped and looked down at her hooves. The orange spots were gone, but she looked different. Her mane was so much darker, as dark as the night. “I’m alive? But I… I thought… you saved me?”

“Oh, of course not,” Discord said as he lightly swam through the air and then teethed at a pick idly. “No, your little ‘rescue’ comes from something else entirely.”

“W-what?” Nyx asked before getting to her hooves and nearly falling flat on her face. She reached up a hoof to rub her head, only to brush it against her horn.

Only to scream when she realized SHE HAD A HORN! WHY DID SHE HAVE A HORN?!

“Ahhhh yes, and that’s why I’m here,” Discord said with a light chuckle before snapping his fingers. A moment later a picture of her horrified and confused face appeared behind him.

Except it wasn’t HER face. Her eyes weren’t like that. Her MANE wasn’t like that. She had a HORN! She didn’t look like a unicorn, though. Not a normal one, at least. She turned and galloped away, skidding to a stop in front of the lake and staring at her reflection.

Sure enough, her face stared back at her. But it wasn’t HER face. “What did you do to me? Is this another stage? Is it--”

“Now now, that would be telling, wouldn’t it?” Discord asked with a light laugh. “Much funner to have--” He was cut off when Nyx’s horn glowed and she threw the nearest boulder she could at him. Said boulder exploded into confetti, but it was the thought that counted. “Picked up that little trick awfully quick, didn’t we? Very well, if you insist on being such a spoil sport, I’ll tell you.”

A moment later he appeared in front of her, a clawed paw gripping her chin and forcing her to look up at him. “Think back to what I told you then, little pony. Hm? Oh. Right, I suppose there’s an audience now, isn’t there? When little ponies go where they’re told not to and suffer the consequences, well, that’s their problem. No matter how much they and their friends beg and plead for it to be undone.” Discord disappeared a moment later, appearing on a tree covered in yellow ropes that said ‘Caution: Do not pass go, do not collect 200 bits’. “However, if a spirit goes there, then that’s hardly the same now, is it?”

“I… I’m not a spirit,” Nyx said softly before looking down at her reflection again. “Or… I wasn’t? Am I now? Did you—”

“Nope. I already told you I didn’t do anything, didn’t I? Would I lie?”

Nyx just turned to him and raised an eye. “Harmony says that--”

“Well I’m not lying this time,” Discord said before appearing once more, so tiny he could comfortably lounge on her nose. Most annoying was that he only disappeared from his prior position a few moments after appearing. “Life is sooooo boring without a loophole here and there, isn’t it?”

“Then how did I… wait. Where’s Autumn?” Nyx asked. She let out a yelp when Discord just pointed a finger at her. “Me? How? She gave her… her life for me? But I--”

“Oh, don’t be sooooo melodramatic,” Discord said with a roll of his eyes before disappearing and appearing away from her again, his back to her. “You’ll die… eventually… and then she’ll be free again. Able to frolic around and do whatever little spirit things she wants to.”

“So, what, I’m half spirit now?” Nyx asked before lifting a hoof up to her forehead. “That’s awfully… well…”

“Convenient?” Discord asked with a light chuckle. “Oh, no no no. This is anything but convenient. You’ll understand that soon enough. But for now, well, there’s still determining where you belong.”

“Belong?” Nyx asked.

“Of course,” Discord said. “Are you a pony?” Orange spots appeared all over her body again and pain coursed through her veins. “Or are you a spirit?” As quickly as it started the pain was gone, but she felt… weird. Strange. As if the world was somehow more real and less real at the same time. She shuddered and collapsed. “Or something in the middle?” She felt like… herself again. Different. But her.

“Why are you doing this to me?” Nyx asked. “Do… do you enjoy this?”

“Ohhhhh, I know,” Discord said before turning to look at her. “Why don’t we let you decide? What are you, Nyx? A pony? A spirit? A tree? An outcast? A pointless cameo? What are you, Nyx?”

“I… I’m… I’m…” Nyx said softly before shuddering. “I’m alive.”

“Heh. That you are,” Discord said before disappearing. “Let’s see what happens now, shall we? Well, at least for those who are still trying to catch up.”

------ 

“I didn’t realize what he meant, then,” Nyx said.

Diamond yelped, jumping and looking around. “What? What was that? Ughhhhh, I feel so… icky.” The other alicorn gave her an annoyed look. “Sorry. I just haven’t done THAT before. It was like I WAS you.”

“Sorry I’m so icky,” Nyx said flatly.

“I mean, would it kill you to take a bath once in a while? Wash some of that swamp filth off? Err, I mean--”

“I was on the verge of death and had gone to die in peace,” Nyx said in a flat, unamused tone. “Cleanliness had been the last thing on my mind.”

“Sorry,” Diamond said sheepishly. “So, what, that’s Discord? He seemed… err… erratic.”

“He always was, is and will be. Even if he is gone,” Nyx said. “He could have saved me or killed me. Instead, he did neither. Within the Spirit World he held ultimate power and control. Perhaps he even knew what would happen from this event. He--”

“Oh, I could have known if I wanted to,” Discord said from behind Nyx, making her jump and yelp. “But that wouldn’t be very fun, now would it?”

Diamond shrieked and took a step back, narrowing her eyes on him. “H-how?!”

“Do you MIND?” Nyx asked, glaring at him.

“Not particularly, no,” Discord said with a shrug.

“I-impossible, y-you’re dead,” Diamond said softly before looking at Nyx. “He’s… isn’t he?”

“Well, yes, I am,” Discord said with a roll of his eyes. “I really wish you ponies would stop bringing that up, though. It’s starting to hurt my feelings.”

“T-then how are you here?” Diamond asked.

“I wasn’t dead when Nyx was around, now was I?” he asked the darker alicorn.

“Well, err, no,” Nyx said softly.

“That’s not an explanation!” Diamond yelled.

“Exactly,” Discord said before holding out a paw to Diamond. “You want to know me, don’t you? How about we go on a little trip? It’ll be fun.”

Diamond blinked and stared at the paw before, very slowly, lifting a hoof towards it. She then stopped and pulled her hoof back. “Okay, no. I may not be the best Avatar but even I know that’d be a bad idea.”

“What? Nooooo, trust me. All three judges say it would be a great idea,” Discord said before snapping his fingers and a judge’s table with three very Discord-like ponies appeared behind him. They held up signs that all showed a big ten on them… before flipping them around and spelling out ‘Don’t trust him’ on the other side. He frowned and snapped his fingers. “Ugh, everypony is just so biased these days.”

“I’m gonna… not… go with you,” Diamond said. “But, since you’re here I don’t suppose you could, say, go ahead and undo all the damage you’ve done? Mayyybe let Silver go? Give me my cutie mark and magic back? Maybe--”

“You certainly are a bossy little thing, aren’t you?” Discord said before snapping his fingers. A moment later a dice appeared on the tip of her nose. “Here. The best I can, well, the best I will do for you.”

Diamond blinked and picked up the dice before cocking her head to the side. It was six sided and all six sides were sixes. “What… even… is this? Why would I need this?”

“Pointless conjectures,” Discord said with a shrug. “Or maybe not? Who knows?” He then disappeared again.

“Does he do that often?” Diamond asked. “You know I have even more questions now. He is dead, isn’t he?”

“Don’t expect me to be able to answer them,” Nyx said with an annoyed sigh. “He’s the Lord of Chaos. I could barely figure out my own life.”

“Oh, uh, right,” Diamond said before slowly putting the dice on the ground besides her. “Where were we? So you had a spirit in you? Why?”

“Yes,” Nyx said before giving a light sigh. “We were separated then, us and spirits. But not by much. Ponies and spirits were more… one.” She waved her hoof and Diamond jumped between dozens of settlements and portals all over the world. Though, the world wasn’t like her own home, neither was the Spirit World. “We could go into the Spirit World and the spirits could come into our own. Not… all spirits, however, liked ponies. Not all ponies liked spirits. And some of us may have liked spirits too much.”

“Huh?” Diamond asked.

“I was a… strange pony, as ponies went. At least, it was how I often felt. I was an… orphan,” Nyx said softly. “I never knew my parents. Instead, I was found by another pony, a kind mare. She… didn’t have to take care of me. Or look over me. In fact, my mother could have just left me to the village. It wasn’t her responsibility, yet she took it on anyway. Yet I always felt this weird… pull to the Spirit World. The spirits there were fascinating. The kirin, the windigo, the ice screams, the--”

“I get it,” Diamond said, waving a hoof for her to get on with it and earning another glare from Nyx.

“My point is I didn’t really get along well with most ponies. But spirits? I even found the dangerous ones of them to be quite fascinating. Except grass hoppers. Those things were pure evil,” Nyx said quickly before giving a shudder. “But I was a curious pony. I had to see more of this strange, magical world. So I did. I entered the Spirit World whenever I could. Eventually I went to a place I shouldn’t have. Many spirits there didn’t like ponies and they setup… punishments for those that trespassed. I didn’t heed the warnings. Some of these punishments were fast and brutal. But some were slow and… painful. My foalishness doomed me. My village banished me, afraid of what would happen to them. My mother pleaded with them, but they refused to change their mind. I… refused to let her come with me.”

Diamond glanced away from the other mare. “Yeah, I uhhh… I guess… having parental… issues is just kind of part of the whole being the Avatar thing, huh?”

“It does seem to happen quite often,” Nyx said softly. “I traveled in search of a cure. First to Harmony, but she could do nothing aside from offer me comfort in that time. As the poison in my veins came from the Spirit World, it fell under Discord’s domain. And, well…”

“He refused to help?” Diamond said with a soft sigh. “Yeah, he said that.”

“Indeed. So I did the only thing I could do,” Nyx said. “I went into the Spirit World. A part of me… hoped for answers. That maybe I’d discover what happened to my parents all those years ago before I passed, learn why I was abandoned, who I was meant to be. Instead I found… well… comfort in my friends.” Tears welled up in her eyes and she closed them for a moment. “It was comforting, at least. To know my end wouldn’t be alone. Even if it did hurt. My closest friend had been a kirin. Autumn Blaze. She, well… she was… wellllll…”

“What’s a kirin?” Diamond asked.

“A, usually, pretty calm and fun spirit,” Nyx said. “Also, I think it’s their essence that gave us our fire bending. Or at least what Harmony used to imitate it. When they get mad they’re… well. Fun. But a different kind of fun. Dangerous, but fun.”

“Sooo… she like…”

“Saved my life,” Nyx said. “Even though she knew it would mean we’d never talk again.” She lifted a hoof to her heart. “She gave me time, binding with my very soul to save me. I was an earth pony before that, but she made me a unicorn. And uhhhhh… that… was quite the shock when I returned home.” She gave a light cough, glancing away. “Bending wasn’t… we were given bending when we needed it, by Harmony. But she then took it back. It was dangerous. Or, at least, she believed it was. But I didn’t need it from her anymore. I was… different now. I wasn’t the most thrilled about it, though. Or… I didn’t… really know what I was.”

------ 

“Hello, my little one,” Harmony’s voice echoed from the great living tree. “You are hurting?”

“So much,” Nyx said softly before looking up at the great, shimmering tree. It glimmered as if it was made of jewels, dazzling to look at. Yet, despite that it never hurt her eyes to look at it even when the sun bounced off it. In fact, it always felt so warm and inviting. Kind. Gentle. Even if it was just a tree in appearance, she could almost feel it enveloping her in its very presence. “What… am I?”

“You are one of my little ponies,” Harmony said.

“But what else am I?” Nyx asked. “They all look at me like I’m… I don’t feel… only mom will look at me some days. Half the ponies seem to think I’m some kind of monster. The others almost seem to revere me. I miss… Autumn. I want to talk with her again. I need her help.”

“She always was one of your closest friends, wasn’t she?” Harmony asked.

“Obviously,” Nyx said softly. “I just don’t feel… I don’t feel like one of us anymore. Like one of yours. Most days I don’t even feel like a pony anymore.”

“You will always be a pony,” Harmony said. “In time, they will understand. As will you.”

“I just… I want to find out where I belong,” Nyx said gently. “I think… I want to leave again. I think I need to leave again. Not to find a cure, but to find me. If that makes sense?”

For a while their was silence before the tree spoke once more. “I understand. There is still much in this world you wish to see. Need to see. But… I will… try to ease your burden. Go, with my blessing. Know you will always have a home under my branches.”

“Thank you, Harmony,” Nyx said softly before slowly turning and walking away from the tree.

------ 

Diamond managed to catch herself and not fall over this time when she was herself again. “Sooo… you talked to the tree and just left? Harmony? She seemed… nice? I guess?”

“She was,” Nyx said softly. “But… I didn’t realize how drastic an effect this would have. I now had bending and wasn’t causing problems with it. So Harmony decided perhaps it was time to grant bending to other ponies and, more importantly, allow them to keep it. That we could be trusted. Ponies grew their own arts, developed. Even trained. It was nice, for a time. That is, until I got hurt. Then… well… I was hurt very, very badly.”

“You were… crippled?” Diamond asked softly.

“If only,” Nyx said gently. “No. I was wounded, but the wounds healed almost instantly. Ponies were… excited, to say the least. Some thought it was incredible, amazing. It mostly just reminded me of the friend I had lost. I started to isolate myself from the ponies I had known. Hidden away. More time was spent with the spirits. I made three friends in particular. A breezie, a mermare and a crystal pony.”

“… A what, a what and a what pony?” Diamond asked.

Nyx rolled her eyes. “As I said, I was better with… spirits than I was ponies. I met a lot of ponies, but I never felt like I truly belonged. Bending ponies spread out more, new settlements formed. But then… spirits began to disappear. First kirin, but then more and more. It wasn’t until Seabreeze’s home was attacked that… I found out what happened. Ponies had found a way to bind spirits, much like what happened to me, but forced it on others. While Harmony gave us bending… binding spirits allowed us to take it forcefully. Taking the breezies could give them air bending and…” She took a long, slow breath. “My friends were being stolen. I had to stop them. So I fought. I… lost,” Nyx said softly. “I was one pony against many. They took Novo, the mermare. Bound her as well. I was dying, a failure.”

“Radiant Hope never gave up on me, though,” Nyx said softly. “A crystal pony, she helped me much as Autumn had once. Giving me a second chance at life and, well… bending. Earth bending, to be exact. I used these new tools to wage war on those who took my home. I…” She took a slow, deep breath. “I fought. I rescued my friends. I forced those who bound them to give them up. Then… my friends joined with me.” She lifted a hoof to her heart again. “They bound with me. So we could fight this war together, so we could stand together. And we fought. When it was all over… though… there was… I missed my friends. I missed those closest to me. But I was scared. The spirits blamed me. Ponies were scared of me. I was just so tired and alone. I went to Harmony and she… she…” Nyx took a slow, deep breath.

“What?” Diamond asked.

“She gave me everything I could ever want,” Nyx said softly. “More than I ever deserved.”

------ 

Nyx limped towards the tree. She was so tired. So, so tired. Again and again they’d fought. How many ponies had perished? It sickened her. Some ponies fought her. Yet others used her as a rallying cry, as if she condoned this. The spirits, once her friends, were now afraid of her. Blaming her for all of this.

But it was over. It was finally over. She could rest. “Harmony,” Nyx said softly.

“My little pony,” Harmony said gently.

“This war… it’s… it’s over, is it not?” Nyx asked.

“It is,” Harmony said, the sadness clear in her voice.

“Then it’s time,” Nyx said. “Release my friends from me.”

“… Nyx… you know of what you ask,” Harmony said softly.

“I do,” Nyx said.

“They are all that support you now,” Harmony said, the warmth of her voice washing over Nyx like a blanket, though the alicorn shoved that gentleness away.

“I know,” Nyx said. “When they are removed, all of the damage they protected me from, it will be undone. It will… it will all be undone.”

“You will perish,” Harmony said.

“For what I’ve done, it’s the least I deserve,” Nyx said gently.

“This war was never your fault,” Harmony said.

“We both know that’s not true. I could have prevented it,” Nyx said. “If I had just never gone where I shouldn’t. If I hadn’t let ponies know what happened. If I had just not made them aware of what could be. If I’d just considered that they’d want this. If they hadn’t… this can never happen again. This should never have happened to begin with. I would free them if I could, but I can’t. Only you can. Please. I just… I just…” The tears started to flow down her cheeks. “I don’t want to… I don’t want to go t-the rest of my life without… without my friends. I miss them so much. I want to… just… one last time hear their laughter. See their smiles. Just… please. Haven’t I done enough? Give me back my friends. Please. Please…” Nyx finally collapsed, her hooves crossed under her as she began to cry. “Please… please… please…”

“Oh my little pony…” Harmony said in a soft, soothing tone. Slowly, a passageway in the tree opened. “Come within me. I will give you what you ask.”

“T-thank… thank you,” Nyx said softly, before gently crawling to her hooves once more and stepping into the tree. She’d perish with her friends, inside Harmony. She could think of no better way to go. Finally, this nightmare would be over.

Soon she stood inside a small chamber within the great spirit, enveloped in her warmth. It was calming, kind, loving, protective. She closed her eyes and let it envelop her. Everything she could imagine it could be. Slowly, all of her pain melted away and she felt the warmth in her heart only grow. Despite her expectations, there was no pain.

“It… is done…” Harmony’s voice came, though it sounded odd. As if it was coming from all directions and within her at the same time.

“What?” Nyx asked, her eyes opening. Only to shriek when she saw four other ponies in the room. Around each of their necks was a strange necklace. It took her a moment to realize that she had one too, as well as a crown. “Harmony? What… what have you done?”

“As… I am… I cannot protect my ponies… or this balance,” Harmony said, her voice weak. “But as… you are… neither can… you. Only… together… can my purpose… truly exist…”

Nyx stared at the ponies for a few moments before tears started to flow down her face. “You… you all… you…”

“Oh, stop crying,” the golden gray unicorn said with a light chuckle. “Harmony gave us the choice, we took it. It might be fun to be a pony, only lighting things on fire when I want to. We wouldn’t want to leave you alone again, now would we?”

Nyx stared at them before fresh, new tears flowed down her cheeks. Not ones of sadness, though.

------ 

“Awwww,” Diamond said softly once she was back in herself. “That was kind of adorable. You miiiiiiissed them. So, wait, does that mean you were one of the elements?”

“Obviously,” Nyx said, her cheeks a little red. “And Harmony bound us together.”

“Wait, so does that mean I’m Harmony?” Diamond asked. “Or we are? The Avatar is?

“Not… quite,” Nyx said. “You’re more the holder of her power. Embodying her traits, that bond. The elements are wielded by others who embody the virtues of my dear friends and myself.”

“Really?” Diamond asked.

Nyx gave a shrug. “I don’t know, I assume so. She didn’t exactly give us an instructional pamphlet on how all of this worked. I don’t even think she knew. They’ve certainly been used in ways they were never meant to be,” Nyx said bitterly. “Also, I was able to still bend all four elements, even without them inside me, so I think that was her aspect.”

“But what happened then? I mean, the war was over, wasn’t it?” Diamond asked.

“Yes, for… a little bit,” Nyx said. “But not long. Discord was… angry. We had transgressed, us ponies. He decided there was no longer… there was no longer a place for ponies. That we would be changed, altered. There would ONLY be the Spirit World. I don’t know what happened, but I imagine Harmony objected. He… destroyed her. For… for a time I thought I had done it. That giving me this second chance had… ended her life. That only the piece in me was still alive. It wasn’t until I faced Discord that I learned the truth. But even then… well…”

------ 

“Discord!” Nyx yelled, galloping towards the spirit.

The draconequus turned towards her and laughed. “Ahhh, if it’s not the little fire starter herself. I see you brought those gaudy pieces of jewelry with you. Ugh, they’re so next millenia.”

“Why are you doing this?” Nyx asked.

“Doing what?” Discord asked.

Nyx just stared before waving a hoof in the direction of what had once been a village of ponies. Now the homes were made of chocolate, the ponies were sheep that ate rocks and oversized grass hoppers were sunbathing on some of the roofs.

“Ohhhhh, that,” Discord said. “I’m just having a bit of fun.”

“You can’t--”

“Oh, no, little Avatar,” Discord said with a light laugh. “I’m afraid that doesn’t work anymore. I’m Discord, Supreme Lord of Chaos. The only creature that could even consider telling me no is, welllll… nothing more than a memory propped up by jewelry.” He snapped his fingers and the five ponies were lifted into the air. “Speaking of, I really should finish them off now, shouldn’t I? At least you’ll be easier than that overgemmed oak and the traitorous centaur.”

Nyx’s eyes went wide with horror as she realized what was about to happen. She could feel Discord’s foul magic washing over her, changing her. Her and her friends. She looked back towards them before shaking her head. No. She couldn’t… she wouldn’t let them be separated again.

Six gems glowed before being connected by beams of light. The light gathered in the crown before she sent it out from herself, enveloping the draconequus…

When it ended, he was gone. The waves of magic washed over the land, however. Undoing what he had done. The chaotic magic evaporating under the assault.

------ 

“I never saw Discord again,” Nyx said softly. “I… thought he was gone. Obviously I was wrong.”

“He was going to… Harmony was the only check he had in place,” Diamond said softly. “Without her, there wasn’t any… But this doesn’t… this doesn’t help. This doesn’t--”

“Doesn’t it, though?” Discord asked from behind her, making her jump.

“Again?” Nyx asked. “Really? Don’t you have anything better to do?”

“I HATE how you do that!” Diamond snapped, glaring at him.

“Yes, yes,” Discord said dismissively, waving a paw half heartedly. “Don’t you think you’re missing the obvious though, Shiny Crown?”

“It’s Diamond Tiara,” Diamond said quickly.

“Whatever,” Discord said. “You wanted an excuse, didn’t you?”

“There’s no excuse here,” Diamond said. “Harmony kept you in line, but she’s gone. The elements helped, they’re gone. Silver is… I just…”

“Really? Is that all you got from this long, convoluted mess?” Discord asked. “Ponies really are short sighted, aren’t they?”

“Why are you even here, Discord?” Diamond asked. “I killed you. Well, Twilight did. Why help?”

“I’m dead, what else am I going to do for entertainent?” Discord asked with a shrug. “Besides, I am many, many things. But I would never be a sore loser. Well, except when I feel like it.” He disappeared again. “Maybe try thinking about it a little bit harder. Your little flank tattoo is of jewelry that goes on your head, try using yours.”

Diamond let out a low groan of frustration. “I hate him. I didn’t learn much about him at all! All I learned is that the elements weren’t always ponies at first and… and…” She trailed off, her eyes going wide. “There were five of them. Or, kind of. They weren’t, though. I mean, they were. But they weren’t…”

“Excuse me?” Nyx asked.

“The Elements of Harmony,” Diamond said softly. “They were destroyed. But they were made from your friendships and Harmony’s power. Harmony’s power was… I can bend. Well, I could. And if it’s Harmony’s power that allowed me to bend… then maybe… I can remake the Elements themselves. Maybe I can… Maybe I can be the check to Discord’s power. Or maybe even… maybe she is one of the Elements.”

“You think Discord’s Avatar could be one of the Elements of Harmony?” Nyx asked. “That’s a bit of a stretch, don’t you think?”

“I mean, maybe,” Diamond said. “But… I mean… who’d expect that?”

“It’s the kind of thing that would only show up in the most shallow and vapid, feel good warm-hearted and droll of stories,” Discord said, the annoyance clear in his voice. “Then again, why not? I’d hardly expect my chosen pony to follow the script. Where’s the fun in that?”

“So is he just tied with you?” Diamond asked, glancing to Nyx. She then snorted at the look of horror on the alicorn’s face. “Okay, yeah, that face is pretty amusing. Well, I guess this is the best answer I’m going to get, isn’t it? Hey, Discord, if you’re still there. Can you be somepony’s friend?”

“That’s a rude thing to ask, now isn’t it?” Discord asked.

Diamond rolled her eyes. At least he was just a voice now. “Do you regret anything you did? Or will do?”

That just made Discord laugh.

“Yeah, thought so,” Diamond said before rolling onto her hooves. “Fine. Get my cutie mark back, remake the elements somehow, rescue Silver from you, stop a bunch of ponies who’ve captured spirits and possibly made themselves immortal. I miss anything? Oh, right. Possibly restore balance that’s been caused by the four nations separating in the first place. Oh, and fix spirit and pony relations. You know, when I actually say it out loud it sounds like a bit much for one pony.”

She was greeted by silence.

“Um, Discord? Nyx?” Diamond asked, looking around. “H-hello? Either of you?”

Still, nothing.

“Oh, oh that’s a lot. That’s a whole lot. I don’t need to do all of that, do I? I mean, I’m just, sure. I’m amazing. But I… I need help. Oh buck I need so much help,” Diamond said, staring off into the decaying remnants of the spirit world. She, at least, now felt mildly confident that she knew what she had to do.

But now more than ever she felt she wasn’t up to this task.

“It’s going to be okay,” Twilight’s voice rang in her ears, making her look up and see the prior Avatar once more.

“What if it’s not?” Diamond asked softly. “What if I can’t do this? What if I let them all down?”

“You can’t do this alone,” Twilight said before turning and glancing off in the distance. “But with your friends, there’s nothing you can’t.”

“And what if it just makes things worse?” Diamond asked.

“Eh,” Twilight said with a shrug. “Things look pretty bad now, but they get better. Trust me, I used to freak out allllll the time when I was doing this. My friends always came and pulled me out of it when I got too deep. So if there’s one piece of advice I can give you, no matter what happens, depend on them. Because the Avatar is only as strong as their bond with the ponies closest to them.”

“And if I can’t fix the elements? Or fix the spirits? Or--”

“One thing at a time, Diamond,” Twilight said. “Even if the elements can be fixed, I wouldn’t worry about that now. Focus on your friends for now. Everything else will work itself out.”

“Really?” Diamond asked.

Twilight gave a shrug. “I don’t know, probably. Either way, I’m going to go see what else I can learn from the other avatars. Did you know that the seventy-fifth avatar was a renowned herbalist? He revolutionized quite a few medical ointments that were even used in my time!”

Diamond blinked a few times before sighing and shaking her head. “You were such an egg head.” She then started walking.

Find her friends. She could do that. How hard could it be? “Hey, Discord? Where do you think Silver is?” she asked.

He didn’t answer and she let out a soft sigh of relief. If he could only show up when and if she talked with Nyx that was something she’d be absolutely thrilled about. So long as she never had to talk with Nyx again.