> A Book of Logic > by Dreamscape > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > That Makes Sense > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- That Makes Sense A small zebra striped Pegasus with a white and purple mane rode through the forest on a tall, skinny and bright yellow stallion's back. On either side of the colt's head was a set of two small horns poking through his mane. His wings were quite different than those of the average Pegasus. Instead of being feathered as a bird’s wings are, these wings were featherless and reptilian, almost like the wings of a dragon. These interesting features were nothing compared to his eyes. The colt's irises looked as though they were continuously spinning color wheels. Unlike other ponies in the same position, the yellow pony quite enjoyed letting the colt ride upon his back. His smile was huge and yellow, just like the smiling sun on his flank. His bright blue eyes flashed back and forth as he jumped over and avoided the fallen trees, rocks, and puddles at his hooves. His golden yellow hair was pushed back by the wind created from his gallop as he made his way towards Ponyville. Ginger Spice, a young orange stallion watched as the duo exited the forest. He sat lazily on a stump taking large bites out of the apple in his hoof, his dark brown eyes following the pair of ponies. The colt and the yellow stallion came to a halt before him. As they stared at him, he stared back in silence, slowly chewing the chunk of apple in his mouth. In a quick flash Ginger Spice changed from a common Earth pony into a graceful and powerful Alicorn. He slowly took another bite from his apple his face blank of any expression. The duo once again galloped away as the colt yelled "Ginger's have souls!" The yellow stallion galloped his way into the bustling streets of Ponyville. His bright blue eyes moved towards the colt riding atop him as he said "Oh, I'm so happy that we're here!" "That, we are, devil spawn, that, we are." the colt responded as he hopped off the yellow ponies back, his hooves clacking against the cobbled stone beneath them. "So, what do we do now, friend!" the stallion responded. His gigantic smile turned into an even larger and sparkling grin as he looked down at the little colt. "You'll see, possibly?" he said, finishing with a maniacal laugh. They walked passed a tree house with a sign outside signifying that it was the library. A purple unicorn opened the library's door and trotted out, followed by a small purple dragon. "Come on Spike, we have a lot to do today and don't worry it's fun stuff." she said closing the door behind him with her magic. "Yeah, I know, I know. Don't worry about it Twilight, I'm as happy as you are to spend a day with the gang." Spike said as they began walking down the street. Busy chatting, they nearly ran into the colt passing in front of them. He looked up at Twilight and she gasped at his many strange features. "Um, hi there, you must be new in town?" she said, staring into his multicolored eyes as they mesmerized her with their spinning motion. "No, I was here long ago and will probably return again." said the colt with a slight grin. "How long ago was that, you're pretty young?" Twilight asked with a chuckle. "Yes I am still quite young but many years older than you are." "But...that doesn't make any sense." "Oh, yes it does." the colt replied with pride. Twilight placed her hoof to her head in confusion but quickly placed it back on the ground. "Anyways, what's your name." she said with a smile. "My Name, oh, I didn't know I needed one? Yours is Twilight Sparkle, correct?" "So, you're saying you don't have a name?" Twilight angrily asked with a frown "... and yes, you're right, that is my name." "Well, Twilight Sparkle, I know a lot about you. I possibly even know more than you do." "That makes no sense, how could you know more about me if you’re not me?" "Maybe I am. Does anything really have to make sense?" said the colt, his mouth forming into a smirk. Twilight shook her head in anger, once again putting her hoof to her face. "I know about you too Spikey Wikey." He said, pointing his hoof towards the dragon. "I'm so sorry about my master, Twilight." the unicorn heard in a warm and happy voice. She slowly looked up and saw the glowing grin of the yellow pony. "Oh great, another wacko from the world of insanity!" she yelled, standing on her hind legs and then throwing her front legs into the air. "No we didn't mean to make you sad. Well maybe, I'm not really sure." the happy pony said with a smile. "I'm Delusional Sunshine, you can just call me Del if you want or not. Now, he doesn't really have a name but some ponies like to refer to him as Illogic." Del said pointing his hoof towards the striped Pegasus. "Oh, his eyes are so entertaining, right? Anyways, he didn't explain things very well, he never does. Although Illogic looks young, he is actually very old, well, in pony years. He's thousands of years old. He has his own idea of years that is, well, explainable. I don't even think he actually knows how old he is anymore. On the matter of him being you, I really don't know how to explain that one but its okay. Oh, and I'm his greatest minion!" "Well, thanks but I still have no clue what's going on here! What is a colt that is thousands of years old, if that's even possible, and his really happy minion doing here in Ponyville? Also, the whole eye thing, the wings, the horns, I really don't get it." Twilight said staring with confusion at the still smiling face. "Well the eye thing is magic, I know, it's great! The wings and the horn are just there because he wants them to be. As for what we're doing, I have no clue. He hasn't told me yet." "His eyes are Magical?" "Yes like your unicorn magic...only much different. He can do almost anything with them. What are we doing in Ponyville?" he asked turning his head towards Illogic. "Oh, I didn't tell you? We're taking over Equestria." "Okay sounds good." said Delusional his teeth gleaming in the sunshine. "Um, how exactly are you going to do that?" Twilight asked Illogic with a chuckle "Easy, you'll see, possibly." "Well, you do know how to confuse somepony, I'll give you that." "Exactly, you ain't seen nothin yet...ba ba ba baby." "Um, what?" "A reference, you know how it works." "No, I don't actually." Twilight said with a frown. "Well, too bad purple pony. I'd love to stay and chat but you know how it is, taking over the world and all?" "Once again, no I don't but have fun with that." "Goodbye Twilight and Spike. Hopefully we'll see you around." Del said turning to follow Illogic. "Well, that was interesting." Twilight said turning her head towards Spike. "How did he know so much, do you really think he's that old?" asked Spike. "I don't think so Spike. It's getting late, we need to hurry, the girls are probably wondering where we are by now." "You’re not worried?" "Come on, do you really think a very confusing colt and an overly happy stallion can take over Equestria?" "I don't know, Twilight, something's not right here. This is just too weird. I mean, come on, he called me Spikey Wikey, only Rarity calls me that. "I wouldn't worry about it, a lot of ponies know our names now after all we've done and I'm guessing almost anypony could come up with Spikey Wikey." Twilight said with a laugh as she began trotting towards their destination, Spike following close behind. > Oops > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Oops "That was a lovely little picnic. We simply must do this again." Rarity said as the gang entered the outskirts of Ponyville. As the gang made their way towards town, they realized that something wasn't right. Everypony they saw looked dazed and confused. Pinkie said hello as a mare passed by but she continued walking, mumbling quietly to herself, barely even noticing the bright pink pony. Pinkie frowned then shrugged not understanding why she had been ignored. "Don't worry, Pinkie, she didn't mean to ignore ya. Something else is goin' on here." Applejack said, comforting her friend. They continued forth, staring from side to side, looking at the confused citizens of Ponyville. Then, a light pink pony with a blonde mane and white Lily placed behind her ear ran past, causing Twilight's mane to flutter in the air. The passing pony then yelled "The horror, The HORROR!...or is it horrible? I just don't know anymore!" Spike began quickly tapping Twilight's leg with his claw. "Um, Twilight..." "Yes, I know Spike. I can't believe I'm saying this but I think this might have something to do with those two ponies I told you about earlier." Twilight said, turning her head towards the others. Turning her head forward once more she noticed the bright and sunshiny Delusional Sunshine happily trotting towards them. "Hello Twilight, hello Spike, it's so good to see you two again. These must be your friends." he said, smiling and waving his hoof in the direction of the other five ponies. "Hello, I'm Pinkie what’s your name? You seem really happy and nice, let's be friends" Pinkie said quickly as she shook his hoof. "Hello Pinkie, you seem very happy and nice too. I'm Delusional Sunshine call me Del or Sunshine or whatever else you like. It's a pleasure to meet you and to be your new friend..." "Wait, wait, wait" Twilight muttered as she pushed herself between the two. "What exactly did you do to everypony and where's Illogic?" "But Twilight!" Pinkie whined, the purple unicorn's hoof holding her back. "Oh, just making conversation and finding new friends I think." said the grinning Del. "Where is Illogic?" Twilight asked bluntly. "He's making friends like I said. Here, follow me, he can't be that hard to find." The tall yellow stallion motioned for the others to follow and then trotted forth. "So what's everypony else's name?" he asked as they moved along. "Just stop with the being friendly stuff for one second." Rainbow Dash responded. "What's wrong with everypony and why are you being so nice to us when we're trying to stop you?" "Well, Illogic converses differently than most ponies as Twilight might have told you and to many doesn't make much sense. It's not his fault...at least I don't think it is. I really don't understand him that well either. Anyways, he might have tried to explain a few things that just didn't sit well in your neighbor friends' brains. I'm being so nice because...I want to be nice. What's your name? I like your rainbow mane." "Rainbow Dash; Thanks, I know, it is pretty awesome..." Rainbow said flipping her mane to the side. "But we're still not buddy, buddy you know. I'm not sure about you yet." she said lifting herself into the air crossing her front legs. The group made their way around a house on the corner of the street and in their view emerged Illogic sitting in a rickety dining chair, scarred from many years of wear. "I'm surprised that you’re not sitting on a throne." commented Twilight, including a small head tilt. "I just needed a place to rest and besides, thrones are quite uncomfortable. This must be your rag tag little group of unlikely friends. Every story needs one of those." Illogic said with a smile, pointing at the group. "A story, what story?" Pinkie jumped in, literally, in front of Twilight. "Don't even bother." Twilight said pushing her away. "What did you do?" she then asked turning her attention back to Illogic. "I was just attempting to make friends. It's the easiest way to overtake any lands, you see. But, sadly my idea of friendly conversation may have confused them. I am beyond your comprehension. What I am doing is beyond your comprehension..." "Oh, no, I know exactly what you’re doing. You told me." Twilight interrupted "I'm not going to let you take over Equestria and continue doing whatever it is you're doing to its citizens. Now, we don't have to fight but..." Fluttershy's listening was then interrupted by the warm, friendly voice of Sunshine. "Hello, I'm guessing you already know my name since I said it when I first saw you girls. But, what's your name?" "Fluttershy" she quietly mumbled, her voice sounding like the fluttering of the butterflies she so adored seeing in the wild. "Oh, the quiet type, you’re name says a lot about you from what I can tell. Don't worry though, I used to be shy too...but that was a long time ago." then their conversation was interrupted by the heightened voice of Rainbow Dash. "Enough talk, either you give up or we do this the hard way!" "What exactly am I doing wrong?" Illogic questioned still sitting upon his chair. I am just trying to accomplish what I must, just as you and your friends are. That is something for you to contemplate." "He was just trying to make friends." Pinkie added "No Pinkie" Dash asserted and then looked back towards Illogic "I don't know what you're trying to do but it's not gonna work on me." She then burst towards him, a streak of rainbow appearing behind her. She braced for impact with the colt but instead fell to the ground passing right through his body. "Wha...what happened?" she asked, astonished by the act. "Well, being Illogical means not making sense or possibly making more sense than logic." the striped colt replied, viewing the not so proud pony lying on the hard cobblestone of the street. "Rainbow with rainbow, look at what I can do!" he said jumping into the air his front legs flying outwards, the color of Rainbow Dash's eyes growing brighter in his color wheel irises. He flew high into the air and then sped back downwards. A rainbow identical to the one Rainbow Dash had created just before, appeared behind him. He swooped down grabbing a hold of Dash's front hooves and then lifting her into the air. He then gently set her down back where she had originally begun her charge. Angered, she once again began to charge towards him. "Hold on." Twilight said putting her hoof in front of Rainbow "We won’t be able to stop him like this. We need to get the Elements of Harmony." "Your right." said the rainbow maned pony, backing down. "But we need to hurry before these two cause any more trouble." "Ah well, it is sad you could not stay for dinner, I told devil spawn pony to make extra." Illogic said with a frown, pointing towards Del. "Since our dinner plans are cancelled, would you mind accompanying our new friends, my sister." he said, approaching the one whom he was pointing at. "Sister?" Fluttershy quietly questioned but was quickly interrupted. "Never mind, it was probably nothing." she said, looking down at the ground as the others began to speak. "Are you kiddin' me?" Applejack asked, astonished by the colt's polite assertiveness. "Why?" asked Dash shaking her head back and forth "Wait, let him come." Twilight responded. "Are you crazy?" Spike yelled at her. "No, I'll explain everything in a second. Sunshine, do you want to say anything to Illogic before we leave?" "Oh yes, I almost forgot." said the smiley stallion trotting off towards Illogic. "Good, now I'll explain" Twilight said turning towards her friends. "I don't know exactly why he wants Delusional to come with us but who does? Even if they are planning something that overly happy pony is harmless and it seems like they work well in a pair, so if we split them up...Also just think about it, we'll already have one of them in our custody." "Nice plan, Twilight." Spike commented "Thank you, Spike. Send a letter to Princess Celestia, let her know that we're coming and why." "Okay, I'm ready." said Delusional, approaching with a smile. The ponies arrived at the train station just in time for final boarding. Finding their seats, they sat down and got settled in for the ride to Canterlot. "Oh, this is going to be so much fun." said Del, gazing out of the window at the moving hills and valleys. The large mountains upon where Canterlot was nestled, cast long shadows against the green landscape. All the other ponies, except Pinkie, glared and shook their heads, knowing that this was serious business. Pinkie leaned over Rainbow Dash and put her hooves against the window pane, getting a better look. "It already is fun! I just love trains." Pinkie yelled with excitement. "I'm just so happy I got to come with you." said an even more smiley Sunshine. "Well, since we have some time, I want to get to know the rest of you." He said staring at Applejack and Rarity. "Well, I'm Applejack, I spend most of my time runnin' Sweet Apple Acres in Ponyville with my family." "I just love apples...or food with Apples in it." Delusional said happily. "Now, what is your name he said, turning towards Rarity. "Wait, just hold on, he's one of the ponies that we're trying to stop, right?" asked Rainbow. "So, why are we all making friends with him...actually, you know what, he already knows the rest of us so why not." she then said, quickly giving up. "Well, dear, I am Rarity. I run the Carousel Boutique in Ponyville and absolutely love fashion...as you may have noticed. Actually, I don't get very many stallions in the shop, so, if you're ever interested, I have a wonderful line of clothing for stallions like yourself. "That would be great. I love to dress up fancy but don't get the chance to very often." "And why is that, dear?" Rarity asked. "Well, I never really have the occasion to." he responded "Tell Illogic that you two should get out more. Extravagant get togethers are positively amazing." said the elegant pony, shaking her head. Finally, the train began its ascent up the steep winding tracks that traveled alongside the mountains. Delusional Sunshine and the others continued to make small conversation as the train slowly crawled forward towards the royal city. > The End (Beginning) > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- The End (Beginning) "Princess, are the elements ready?" Twilight asked entering the throne room, the others following close behind. Multicolored light shone upon their fur, produced by the many mosaic windows on either side of them. "Of course, Twilight, we must hurry before he causes any more problems. I've encountered Illogic before and he can be very dangerous. I am not sure what his true goal is, as it is always misinterpreted or he never fully explains himself but I do know that whatever it is that he’s up to is very dangerous. Be careful." said Celestia, opening the case containing the Elements of Harmony. "Thank you Princess, we'll be sure to..." Twilight began to say but was interrupted by the voice of Princess Luna. "Who is this?" said the Princess of the Night, pointing her head towards Del as she approached from behind Celestia. "Oh, this is Illogic's "minion" or at least that's what he calls himself." Twilight said "It's a long story but we decided it would be best to split the two up." "You are very smart, Twilight Sparkle, I would have done the same. We will contain him here until you are finished with Illogic." "Okay" Sunshine happily agreed, beginning to walk towards the two princesses. Twilight glanced to her left and noticed a striped colt adorned in the outfit of a royal guard, standing in silence and glaring at her with a grin, his eyes squinted. Her horn lit up with pink magic as she realized what was happening. "Aren't you a little short for a royal guard...Illogic?" she asked, raising her voice. The others quickly got into a defensive position, hearing Illogic's name being spoken. "How did we not notice that?" Princess Celestia asked with a slight chuckle staring at the small colt with an overly large guard helmet hanging over his face. "I wasn't trying to hide." Illogic said slowly walking towards them. "Then why are you wearing guard armor?" Twilight asked but quickly realized his response would make no sense. "You know what, never mind. Girls, put on your Elements, now!" The six began putting their Elements around there neck as Twilight used her magic to place hers upon her head. "You've had your fun you delusional fool you, now come here." Illogic said to Del "Sure thing." he responded with a grin. "Hold up" Rainbow Dash said, grabbing onto Delusional's back and twirling him around to face her. "Why are you so happy about this? He just called you a fool and is making you go back to worship him or whatever you do. Besides, you just agreed to stay with the princesses until we're finished. I just don't get it, why are you always so happy about everything?" she yelled moving her face in closer to his, her Element slightly brushing against his chest. Del's smile for the first time she had ever seen it, transformed into a frown. Tears began to appear in his eyes. "I wasn't always so happy...but I was saved." he said as Rainbow Dash backed away, realizing the mistake she had made. "I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to..." she said beginning to frown. "Back off!" yelled Illogic as he stood up on his hind legs and began walking on two feet towards Dash. "Why would you do such a thing to him?" Everypony else began to stare back and forth at one another in surprise, their jaws hanging wide open. It was very unusual to see a pony walking on two feet. Luna was the first to react, a beam of magic shot from her horn towards the walking colt. As the beam reached Illogic, it suddenly curved back towards her and by its glow, Luna could tell it also grew stronger. She braced herself for the inevitable and as the beam struck her, she felt all traces of hatred and jealousy leave her. As she opened her eyes she realized that she was staring at herself, not who she was now but who she once was, Nightmare Moon. The others, stood shocked and in silence. Illogic smiled, he too standing still. "After all I've done to better myself, you still exist." Luna said. "I will always exist!" Nightmare Moon yelled as she jumped upon Luna. "Use the Elements on Illogic. We will take on Nightmare Moon." Celestia urgently said as she rushed to Luna's aid. "Let's do this!" Twilight said, putting on her game face. The Elements' strange magic began to power up as the six were lifted into the air. The energy surrounding them was nearly unbearable. Then in a blast of light, a rainbow filled with harmony and friendship was lashed out towards the small striped colt. But his body acted as a reverse prism. The rainbow passed through him and came out a white beam. "Really?" he asked "Well, I guess I should be thanking you for giving me even more power." he continued as his eyes began to glow brighter. Then in a flash, the six along with Spike fell into a filthy swamp of garbage and sludge. "Noooo!" Rarity screamed, clambering out of the sludge and onto a dry island of filth. "Oh, just look at me, I'm filthy! You will pay for this Illogic.” "Where are we?" asked Applejack, looking up at the four towering walls that surrounded them as she floated in the murky liquid. "I think it's the castles trash compactor." said Twilight climbing onto the garbage pile with Rarity. "I can't believe the Elements didn't work, now what?" "We should probably start by getting out of here...I didn't even know the castle had this huge thing." Spike commented. "Oh, oh, oh! Look!" yelled an excited Pinkie pointing into the murk. "What, Pinkie?" asked Rainbow, floating above the sludge. "I saw something! I know it." she continued. A sudden mechanical lurch surprised them. As they looked up, they realized that the walls were beginning to close in on them. "Oh no, we're all going to die!" screamed an overly dramatic Rarity. "Hold up there Rarity, we'll figure out something” said Applejack. " I just dunno what yet." "Well, we better hurry." Spike said with panic "Or we'll all be...compacted!" Twilight squinted her eyes as she began to think. "Um, a pipe, we need a pipe or something to wedge between the walls!" She then looked up at the two Pegasi flapping their wings to stay afloat in the air. She paused for a moment and then in a burst of thought screamed "A little help!" A look of realization appeared on Rainbow Dash's face followed by a blush from Fluttershy. The two burst into action, Rainbow put her hooves in between Rarity's front legs and body, Fluttershy did the same with Pinkie, lifting the two out of the pit. "Oh, thank you so much Rainbow Dash. You are my hero!” Rarity squealed with delight. “I can’t believe I was even near that filth, let alone in it!” "Yeah, I know, I'm pretty great and besides, what are friends for?" responded Rarity's savior, setting her on solid ground and heading back down into the muck for Twilight. The purple unicorn along with Spike upon her back was set down. The gang quickly got their bearings and then made their way back towards the throne room. As they entered the room they saw a defeated Nightmare Moon, caged in a magical barrier, the two princesses but no Illogic. "You're back. We've managed to defeat Nightmare Moon but before we could stop him, Illogic escaped. We believe he has head back to Ponyville to stage another attack." Celestia said, making her way towards them, being careful to step over the shattered glass and other remnants of the battle that occurred before. "What are you going to with Nightmare Moon?" Twilight asked "We are not sure yet. Whatever spell we cast upon her will affect Luna as well. The two are still connected as if they were one. For now we will keep her imprisoned. So, one of us must stay here to make sure she doesn't attempt to escape while the other must head to Ponyville to keep Illogic distracted. Twilight, what I need you to do is find an alternative means of defeating him. It doesn't look like the Elements of Harmony or any usual tactics will aid us this time.” "But, what will work?" Twilight asked, shaking her head back and forth. "That is for you to find out. Help us Twilight Sparkle, you and your friends are our only hope." No one noticed Luna's quiet approach. "I will stay here...with myself, sister." the princess said. "Are you sure?" asked Celestia "I will be fine. I cannot hide from this other half of me. I must face it." "Yes, then I will make my way towards Ponyville. Be safe Luna and you too." Celestia said, turning towards Twilight and the others. "We have to think of something. I just don't have any idea what." Twilight mumbled to herself as they exited the palace into its courtyard. Bright rays of sun shone down upon her, warming her back. She looked up to see the small innocent smile of Fluttershy and realized "Discord!" Everypony jumped at the sudden scream. "Illogic and Discord are pretty similar, maybe he can help." "Did somepony say my name?" Discord asked, appearing in front of her. "Hello Fluttershy" he said, waving his paw towards the yellow Pegasus, trying to hide his excitement. "Hello Discord" she said as she rushed to the draconequus and then hugged him. "It's so good to see you again. "I'm sorry to beak this up... Twilight interrupted "but we've got a problem and need your help." "What kind of problem exactly?" asked Discord as Fluttershy stepped back. "Well a colt...if you could even call him that, named Illogic, is trying to take over Equestria and we have no idea how to defeat him. We've already tried everything and it just..." "Say no more Twilight Sparkle, you just can't defeat him no matter what you do and because the two of us are quite alike, you think I will know what to do, correct? "How did you know?" "Illogic and I have… a long past, I'd love to explain but it's a long story and anything involving him makes no sense as you already know. "Well since you already know that could you please help us?" Twilight asked "Well because of mine and Illogic's history and because you asked so nicely...and because I promised Celestia I'd use my magic for good, sure I'll help." Discord responded with a sigh. "Let me think, anything even slightly close to normal won't work." The gang sat silently as the draconequus thought. After many minutes had passed, Discord finally spoke the word "Done" "What've you got?" Rainbow Dash asked, listening intently. "Well this may sound a bit unusual but that's exactly what we want, right? First..." They all listened as he told them his very complicated and what some may call insane plan but in the end they all agreed that it just might work. Then Discord was off to talk with Princess Luna. > A Tea Party for Tyrants > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- A Tea Party for Tyrants "Ah, greetings Discord. What brings you here?" asked Princess Luna watching as the draconequus slowly walked towards her, Twilight following behind him. "Well, this may seem strange but the faithful Twilight did ask for my help and this may be the only way to solve Equestria's little problem. I need you to release Nightmare Moon from that cage." He said pointing behind Luna, towards the magical cage constructed around Nightmare Moon. "Release her? Why would I ever do such a thing?" Luna asked, her eyes widening with surprise. "Hold on princess, let him explain." Twilight said "Yes, I'd love to explain. You see Princess..." Discord said with a bow and continued " the only way to defeat Illogic is to play by his rules. As the saying goes, we must fight fire with fire." "Exactly, like Illogic said when he fought Rainbow Dash with her own moves "rainbow with rainbow" he actually made sense for once. He was trying to tell us something." Twilight added, Discord and the princess shook their heads in synchronization at the random outburst. Quickly shaking off the confusion, Discord continued with his speech. "So, we must do something that makes no sense or seems impossible to accomplish. My plan is to use the Elements of Harmony against him. But not with the regular bunch, no, with all the "villains" that have been defeated by the elements in the past. We must combine forces and form the bond of friendship to defeat him. So I need you to release her. I know this whole plan seems absolutely impossible but I think I can do it. Look at what friendship has done to me. If I can show the others the magic of friendship then we can and will do this." "Should I even trust you?" Luna questioned "How do I know you’re not releasing these villains for more...ulterior reasons." "There's no way of you knowing for sure princess but that's the point isn't of asking for somepony's trust, correct?" "Trust him Luna and if you can't, trust me. I would never do anything to harm Equestria and its citizens, you know that." Twilight said in a sincere tone as she put her hoof upon Luna's shoulder. "I am very unsure of this Discord." said the worried princess. "How do you know she will comply?" "She may not. It's a risk we have to take if we want to save Equestria. If she does try something, I'm sure the three of us can defeat her. The spirit of chaos, the Princess of the Night, and an extremely skilled and powerful unicorn fighting one Nightmare Moon, It can't be that hard." "That is a good point but this plan still seems very dangerous and quite the risk. But, I trust Twilight's judgment and I understand that you've changed so, yes I will release her." Luna said heading towards the magical cage. The sound of her hooves hitting the floor echoed throughout the silent hall. She gently placed her horn into the magical blue aura which kept the cage and it's bars in constant materialization. The aura quickly vanished and out walked Nightmare Moon. "Thank you, Discord" she said walking towards him. "You are quite welcome, dear. Now then, I'm guessing you overheard our little chat. Are you willing to do this?" Discord asked with a smile. "Not willing but if I must." "Glad to hear it. Now then, I may need your help releasing Sombra from his ice cage." he said turning to Luna and Twilight. "Also convincing the queen of the Changelings, finding that magician, Trixie I believe is her name is and the griffon, Gilda." "That's quite the order, Discord but I think we could do that." Twilight responded in a cheerful tone. "Well let's get to it." The task they faced was hard and long but Discord, Luna, and the gang continued to push forward. After releasing Sombra from his prison, deep in the Arctic North and against all odds convincing Chrysalis to join their cause, Discord stayed behind to keep the three infamous villains in line while Twilight and her friends went to find Gilda and Trixie. Princess Luna went to aid her sister in Ponyville. "Here they are Discord..." Twilight said opening a door to let in Trixie and Gilda. "Whoa, this looks like an interesting little get together." she said looking around the room and watching as tea cups, the tea pot and the tea itself floated around the room. "I bet it'll be fun. Well, I better let all of you start getting to know each other, bye." "Goodbye Twilight." Discord said, waving as she closed the door. He jumped up upon the long table on which the tea and sweets were set and began making his way towards the two new comers and placing a top hat, which appeared from thin air, upon his head. Many cups, plates and cakes by their own will, got out of the way of feet as they crashed down upon the table. The non-conscious kitchenware was smashed underneath them but quickly reformed as he continued forward. Reaching the end of the table, he jumped off and landed in front of the griffon and unicorn. Chrysalis and Nightmare stared in awe at the unmannerly spectacle that had occurred in front of them while King Sombra was too engulfed in the crystal glassware and mumbling the word "crystals" to notice. "It’s nice to meet you, Trixie, Gilda. Welcome to our little get together, sit down, have some tea, and eat some treats." Discord said in a kind and welcoming voice. "That's not Trixie." commented Chrysalis staring at the blue pony. "Very funny, I have changed quite a bit from the old Trixie but I am still Trixie." said the unicorn, making her way to a chair and taking a seat. "Do you even villain?" asked Nightmare, followed by an evil chuckle. "To be quite honest I don't think any of us here are truly villains." added Chrysalis "I don't believe there really is a black and white, all a lovely gray. Just look at me, I command my changelings to take any land and then feed upon it's helpless inhabitants. Many would call me along with my fellow changelings evil and cruel. I am not saying I don't appreciate these compliments but in reality, we do what we must for survival. If we did not feed, we could not survive and our civilization would be lost forever." "Yes you do make a good point. I am just a jealous part of a princess, everypony has their jealous side and you Discord, you just do what you do. It may cause problems but that is who you are. Just look at you now, working for Equestria and following Celestia's every will. It is pity if you ask me." Nightmare said slowly shaking her head back and forth. "I don't do everything she says, just what benefits me but otherwise you're all exactly right.Take for example Sombra, over there." Discord chimed in, pointing at the king who was still entranced by the crystal ware "I don't think he ever wanted to be in the position he is now. Something happened long ago, I don't know what but it changed him. I knew him before the whole Crystal Empire fiasco and he was a pretty cool guy. Now, he's practically a lifeless husk preforming deeds of evil for quite obscure reasons. So with all of that as Chrysalis put it, we all do what we must to survive. So, by joining together to defeat Illogic, we are doing exactly this. If we cannot defeat him, we can't to continue forward in our lives." "Why exactly should we defeat this Illogic?" Trixie asked, taking a sip of tea. "He is just like all of us, why don't we all join together to help him make Equestria a better place?" "Ha, says the unicorn that can barely even cast the simplest of spells." Nightmare Moon said, nearly spitting out her tea. "Back off." Gilda said standing up from the table, her claws tensing. "She was just asking a question." "All I was going to say, griffon, is that she knows nothing of what Illogic can and will do. It is foolish to even think of teaming up with the likes of him." Nightmare said, slamming her hoof upon the table. "Long ago and as a part of Luna, I faced him and saw what he could do. He is only looking out for himself and will destroy anything or anypony in his path, even if they do have the same mindset...if you could even say that." "She does make a valid point. There is no room for decisions here. We must defeat Illogic." Chrysalis commented. "So, Discord, bro, how is this going to work exactly?" Gilda asked "Well I'm not exactly sure yet but there is supposed to be a spark of some sorts that activates these things." Discord responded, pointing at the chest containing the Elements of Harmony." But first we need to concentrate on getting to know each other better and of course being a little friendlier." "It seems that will be quite the task. We've barely even started and we're already arguing." Chrysalis stated, glaring at the griffon, unicorn, and Nightmare Moon. "I never said this was going to be easy but we can do this. After all friendship is magic." Discord said,taking a bite out of the sweet roll in his hand and then smiling. Chrysalis burst out in laughter, pounding her hooves against the table, the plates and tea cups rattled in unison with each pound. Discord's smile quickly turned into a frown as he looked downward in shame. Nightmare couldn't help but notice this enormous mood change. Something changed in her at that exact moment. It was as if her heart grew three sizes when she realized his pain. "It's okay, Discord. None of us understand this magical concept of friendship. I don't think any of us have ever really had friends. But I've noticed a strange feeling and a change whenever Luna speaks with someone in a friendly manner, whether it be her sister, Twilight or anypony else. I want to feel that for myself and experience this friendship." "Thank you, Nightmare. I'll be right back everypony." said Discord, walking up a spiraling staircase as each stair appeared in front of him. The plate of sweet rolls gladly followed, quickly sliding across the table. Just as Gilda was about to take a bite of the sweet roll in her claw, it jumped into the air and fell onto the plate with the others. "Hey, you just stole my sweet role!" she yelled, unsuccessfully attempting to grab the plate. "Come on, really!" Trixie's eyes glided down to her plate as she stared at her uneaten roll. She paused for a moment and said, "Here, you can have mine." handing her roll to the griffon. "Well, thanks Trixie." said the surprised griffon, taking the roll. "It's the least I could to after you defended me earlier." the unicorn replied. "Come on old pal, we can do this, those ponies showed you friendship, you can do the same for these ones." Discord thought to himself, continuing up the stairs but then coming to an abrupt halt, realizing the interaction between Trixie and Gilda. "Hmm, I never expected that unicorn to be so generous and Nightmare Moon was so kind, when did that happen? Wait, generosity, kindness..." The draconequus' thoughts were interrupted as Sombra finally looked up from the crystal ware and then noticed the staircase. "Stairs!" he yelled jumping up from his seat and then crashing into the bottom stairs. The others burst out in laughter at this amusing site and so too did Discord. "What...is he...doing?" asked Trixie, fading in and out of laughing fits. "He's always had a...strange obsession with stairs, ever since I've known him. It's a long story, maybe another time." Discord answered. "That must be the one thing that he loves more than crystals." said Chrysalis, still laughing at the king who was now attempting to hug the stairs." "Sombra sure knows how to make somepony laugh." Nightmare said, wiping liquid amusement from her eyes. "Laughter" Discord thought to himself and then said aloud with a spark in his eyes "Yes, I've got it! Chrysalis who told us all the truth, that none of us are true villains, represents the spirit of honesty. I never thought I'd be saying this but Nightmare Moon who realized that I was hurt by Chrysalis' laughter and then kindly helped me right back up, represents the spirit of kindness. King Sombra who made all of us laugh and smile together, represents the spirit of laughter. Trixie, who gave her only sweet role to a hungry griffon, represents the spirit of generosity and Gilda, who stood by the side of and defended a unicorn she barely even knows, represents the spirit of loyalty. The spark, it ignited in me when I realized that although this is going to a hard task, together we can and will do this and only when we are united can the sixth element be activated, the element of magic!" Then in a flash of blinding white light the Elements appeared on the party-goers necks and the crown upon Discord's head. "I cannot believe this, it actually worked." Chrysalis said with great surprise, looking down at the element upon her neck. "The Great and Generous Trixie, I like it" said the blue unicorn polishing her element with her hoof. "Crystals!" Sombra yelled with delight, staring into the sparkling balloon shaped crystals in his element, causing everypony to chuckle. "Wow, I guess Dash has taught me a lot. I never thought I'd be representing loyalty." Gilda said, lifting her head proudly. "Just look at me, Nightmare Moon representing the spirit of kindness? Luna has changed me." said Luna's counterpart with a slight smile. "It looks like through all of our encounters with those ponies, we've actually learned a thing or two and they've changed us...for the better." Discord said, adjusting the crown on his head. "I cannot believe I'm going to say this but I've had a wonderful time at this little party and for the short time we've spent with each other. Yes, I know it wasn't at all perfect and we did argue but none of us are perfect and with all that I've experienced tonight, I'm quite happy to say, I'm glad to be a friend to each and every one of you. I've never had friends before or ever expected it to be so wonderful, this is trully great." Chrysalis said, tears beginning to form in her green eyes. "Yes it is..." Discord said, smiling. "And together as friends, we can defeat Illogic with the Elements of Harmony." "Together, we can do much more than just defeat Illogic." Trixie said with a grin "Just think about everything that we could do." "Yes, but first we need to concentrate on Illogic. With him not defeated, we won't be doing anything." Discord quickly added. "Oh, alright, we better get going then but I have one question before we leave. Why didn't I get the Element of Magic?" she said in a whiny tone followed by the cutest of frowns. "....Um...well..." Discord struggled to say, trying as hard as he could not to mutter something that may dampen her feelings. "I'm not really sure. I guess it's just the way the elements work. You should be proud that you're representing the element of generosity. Not many ponies get to say that...In fact, I've only heard of one other. Well we better get moving, there's no telling when that crazy colt will blow the world to bits." "Yes, let's get moving." said the Great and Generous Trixie, now holding her head high with pride. The rather odd group of very unlikely friends exited the door out into the warm and sunny meadows just outside of Ponyville, the sounds of life entered their ears and the scent of grass baking in the warm sun wafted into their noses. "Come on, buddy" said Discord turning back and looking through the open doorway to see Sombra hugging the stairs once more. "There will be plenty more stairs to hug." The king looked at the stairs with a frown but quickly jumped up and rushed out of the doorway. With a snap of his fingers, Discord made all traces of the room in which they had bonded and became friends in, vanish. He turned away and began heading in the direction of Ponyville, the grass brushing against his feet with every step he took. The others followed close behind. > Quietness > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Quietness "Is it even possible, sister?" Luna asked Celestia as they walked down the rather empty and quiet streets of Ponyville. "It's our only chance; we must be hopeful." Celestia said as she turned to face her sister. "But what if we've allowed the most evil alliance in all of Equestria's history to come into existence?” Luna continued. "That could be the case, but I don't think so." Celestia laughed. "Even if we have, you and I both know that Illogic is more powerful than all of their powers combined. They must concentrate on him before initiating any other plans that they have. You may have a hard time believing it, Luna, but Discord has changed." "I understand that he has changed, but he is still not a true ally—not yet at least. I do trust your confidence in him, though." "I'm glad to hear that, my sister...” Celestia paused as she gazed about the quiet, deserted town. “Something isn't right." Now would be the perfect time for an old, cartoony tumbleweed to roll across the street, she thought. "You’re right, Celestia. Where are the masses of confused citizens we've been seeing for the last day...and where is Illogic and his overjoyed minion?" "It’s all too strange; let's take a look around to see if anypony is here." Celestia motioned with her hoof for Luna to follow. The six new wielders of the elements, walking along a small dirt road, reached the abandoned town soon afterwards. "Well, this is rather odd," Nightmare commented as she looked at the empty houses along the street. Some of their doors still hung wide open, creaking as they swayed in the breeze. "Odd indeed,” the changeling queen added. “I have never in all my days seen Ponyville...so silent, so lifeless. It's somewhat nice, actually." Discord scratched the back of his ear in confusion. "Well, this will complicate things a little. Twilight told me that Illogic was here harassing everypony, but it looks like nopony is here to be harassed." "Does that mean he isn't here either?" Trixie asked. "Possibly. He could have hidden them, or imprisoned them—or this could all be an elaborate trap. You just can’t tell, and there's no use in guessing what he’s up to at this point. Hmm…the Princesses should be here too. Let's make a quick loop of the town and see if we can find anything. If not, we’d better think of something else quickly.” The villains made their way through the town, scanning streets and alleys for any sign of life or movement. After an hour of vain searching (or, according to Trixie, what must have been five hours), Gilda spotted a white figure dart behind Sugarcube Corner. “Discord!” she whispered hoarsely. "Is Illogic's fur white?" "Yes, somewhat. Why?" "Well, I think I saw him up there, around the corner." she said as she tilted her head in the direction of the flash. She beckoned the others with her claw to follow her as she moved in to investigate. Steadily they approached the side of the building, their backs against the wall. Gilda put a single feather to her mouth, signaling for the others to keep quiet. The rest watched nervously as she poked her head around the wall. “EEEEEEEEEEEEEK!” The villains ran away screaming as something large and brown charged at them fiercely. Quickly they ducked out of sight and watched a tumbleweed as it rolled away. “Whew, that was close,” muttered Gilda. Discord muffled his laughter. “You mean you were afraid of that teeny-tiny tumbleweed?” “Of course not!” Gilda huffed. “In fact, I don’t think there’s anything there to be afraid of at all! Just watch me!” Head high, she strutted back to the corner of the house. I’ll show them, she thought confidently. At least, that’s what she thought until a white hoof was planted right in front of her determined face. “EEEEEEEEEEEEEK!” “AAAAAAAAAAAH!” Gilda and Celestia ran for their lives, screaming loudly. Soon everpony was running crazily about the town. Amidst the chaos, Discord cupped his hurting ears with his claw and paw. He silenced his panicking companions with a few soft, gentle words. "ALL RIGHT, CALM DOWN. IT’S OK!" Discord breathed hard as the adrenaline from the fight began to subside. "Gah! Never again, Celestia, never again... I think...I almost died." "Don't worry, you scared me too." Celestia gasped with surprise and joy as she stared at the elements around the villains' necks and the crown upon Discord's head. "I can't believe it, you've actually done it!" Discord smiled as he looked around at his new friends. "Yes, we did—but I must ask you one thing before we continue this little conversation. Did you roll that tumbleweed across the street?" Celestia giggled. “Yes.” "Why, exactly?" "Well, it seemed appropriate, considering the circumstances." Before Discord could speak again, Luna came flying down from the sky. She struck a daring pose as she glared at the villains. "Are you all right, sister? What have they done to…" She quickly stopped talking once she saw the villains bearing the elements. "Just a...slight mishap." Celestia said, turning to her sister. "It’s hard to believe, but they have actually done it. It’s”—she shook her head in disbelief—“it’s absolutely amazing." "I told you they could do it." Chrysalis cleared her throat in impatience. "Yes, it’s amazing, we know—but I think there are much more important things at hoof which we should be doing instead of standing around and gawking. Where is everypony—and more importantly, where is Illogic?" "We do not know,” Luna replied. “We have searched all across Ponyville and come up with nothing." “What a coincidence—that’s exactly what we’ve been doing!” exclaimed Trixie. "If anypony was here, they would have heard our screaming." Nightmare Moon said. "Yes, I could hear your screams all the way across town." said Luna. "So, that could either be good or bad. Whoever is hiding will stay hiding, or they will come to investigate." "Yes." Luna stared at Nightmare’s element, still in disbelief. "This cannot be true." Nightmare blushed. "So what? I guess you have influenced me." "I never thought I’d see you wielding that element. Actually, I never thought I'd witness you wielding any elements. I'm quite proud of you...me...us?" "Wait, shhh!" Gilda whispered. They all heard the very faint but comprehensible sound of voices in the distance. **** "I don't know why, but I don't like it," Rainbow Dash was saying. "Let's check it out." "I'm not so sure." Spike winced as he glanced around the deserted town. “I mean, we probably shouldn't be wasting our time looking if nopony's here, right?" "Well there must be somepony here," Rarity said. "Those horrid screams we heard had to have come from somewhere." "I…I guess.” "I...don't...like this." Fluttershy whispered. Her body shook frantically, like a washing machine set to its highest speed. "Yes, it's very strange isn't it?" Twilight said, speaking more to herself then the others. "This is a very interesting perspective on Ponyville. I've never seen it like this, and I'm guessing none of you have either?" "What was THAT?" Fluttershy whispered loudly, hearing movement up ahead. "Here we go." Rainbow Dash whispered, smacking her hooves together (for added effect, of course) and flew toward the sound of the movement as the others followed in their quiet charge. The villains and two princesses walked out from behind the wall, unsuspecting of any attack. The charge was quickly halted as the girls skidded their hoofs against the dirt avenue beneath them, their bodies seizing from fright and their lungs releasing all their air in the form of a long, drawn out scream. The frightened villains and princesses followed the example. Sombra reared his body upwards and let out a whimpering neigh and quickly ran to the nearest set of stairs for comfort. Pinkie stood in silence staring at the chaos which surrounded her, looking at her friends, the villains, the princesses, and then back again. She was so confused…what was she supposed to be doing? "Oh!" she said aloud, a light bulb appearing above her. This light bulb was, of course, only a figment of the pink pony's imagination. As the power of this inspirational glowing object hit her, she too joined in on the screaming soiree. Finally, gasping for air, the screamers began to settle down. "This is more than enough excitement for one day." Chrysalis commented. "Can we please..." “AAAAAAAAAAAH!” Pinkie began to scream once again. “AAAAAAAAAAAH!” they all screamed again, running crazily in every direction. The shrieks quickly died off this time and everypony turned their heads to glare at the culprit. "Pinkie!" Twilight snarled. "What? It was so much fun! I thought we could do it bitty bit longer." "Jesus, I think twice in one day is more than enough." Celestia said, wiping her brow. All the others turned towards her with questioning expressions. Twilight asked the same question all the others were thinking. "What is a Jesus?" "Mother of God! I have no idea." she said, putting her hoof over her mouth. "It just came out of my mouth. It must be some form of expression, although I don't recall where I heard it." "What is...God?" "I. Don’t. Know.” "Could it be referring to a deity, like Celestia is a goddess?" Discord asked. "But why would this statement be referring to this god's mother and why is this god called God?" Luna added. "Maybe it was just a colt named God and for some reason everypony was afraid of his mom." Pinkie ventured. Her suggestion, however, was only met with a chorus of “hmm’s” and a handful of shrugs. Suddenly, in a flash of glowing light, a scroll appeared out of the air and fell to Celestia's feet. A yellow aura appeared around the letter as she quickly unrolled it and held it in front of her face. She began to read the crisp and very recently written note, which although new, looked as though it had been sealed with a stamp hundreds of years earlier and set in a cave, where it had waited for an explorer to find it and read whatever contents lay inside. The sides were ripped and the paper itself was yellowed with age or coffee stains. My Princess, you must return to Canterlot immediately. There is a very large wooden structure in the shape of some fur-less creature which stands upon two long legs and has five appendages coming from each hoof. The structure appeared outside of the gates earlier today and none of the other guards know what it is, how it got here, or what its purpose is. Could this be a sign of Illogic? We ask for you to return immediately to investigate and to calm your frightened citizens and your guards. Celestia struggled to read the chicken scratch in front of her eyes but finally finished. The others peered over her shoulders, squinting and turning their heads as they too attempted to read the almost alien language written on the small note. This was obviously written by a non-unicorn—the signs of the pen being held in the mouth rather than by magic were too obvious. Celestia didn't care about this, however—she was glad that this guard was following his duties to the point and doing his best to protect her city, even if he was a bit frightened. Rainbow Dash hovered above the rest of the group as she read the letter. "Does anypony know what that is?" "I think I might." Twilight said, scratching her chin with her non-existent fingers. "One of the mythology books from the library I read a while back mentioned a savage and nearly hairless beast which stood on two legs. I think it was referred to as a “Hoomin”. I'm guessing that's what this structure resembles." "Well, do you know anything else about this “Hoomin”?" Trixie asked. "Or why there is a large structure in the form of a Hoomin resting outside of Canterlot's gates?" Luna added. Twilight looked off into the distance as she slowly replied. "In today's world, Hoomins are just a myth, but many scholars believe that these creatures did exist and may even still exist in the deepest and darkest regions of the Everfree Forest. Like the wooden structure, the Hoomins are described as nearly hairless creatures, with only a small patch of hair upon their head and small patches here and there on their bodies. They stand on two legs and have five "fingers", or movable appendages, that allow them to easily grasp things. In fact, many have noticed that they strikingly resemble a monkey. From ancient accounts—and some more recent—these creatures are described as savage, hostile, and greedy. They only care for themselves, nothing else, and would only join together out of spite for other Hoomins and creatures. If they could kill their own kind to help themselves they would gladly do so and they did. It is said that groups of Hoomins would battle each other for dominance and resources. This is thought to be what brought them into a decline in numbers if they did exist and to their possible extinction. As for the structure, I don't know. It could be a reference to these savage battles or mindsets of the Hoomins. Maybe a hint?" "So, do you think that this structure could be a harbinger for a battle to come?" Celestia asked. "Yes, that could be the case." Celestia turned back to the group. "Then we must return to Canterlot immediately, all of us. Be prepared for a battle. Discord, make sure you and the other wielders are ready. Once you see Illogic you all must strike before he has time to plan anything else. I will use a transportation spell to get us there. Although it will take much of my energy, I fear we have little time left. Luna, Twilight; use you’re magic to aid me. Don't worry, I'll take the brunt of it." Celestia's eyes began to glow a ghostly white as she cast all of her energy into the spell. An aura of golden yellow surrounded her and then reached out towards the others. Luna and Twilight stood beside her as blue and pink gradually mixed with the golden colors. Pinkie looked over at Sombra and at the element around his neck. "The Element of Laughter, huh? You don't seem very funny to me; I haven't seen one pony smile because of you. I've only seen them frown. I don't think you deserve it. I'll be waiting for you to prove me wrong!" She lifted her head in spite until she remembered the earlier confusion. "Well, I guess it was kind of funny when you got scared and started hugging those stairs." "Shall we?" Celestia asked, looking at the two ponies aiding her. "We shall." Luna responded, and in a flash of light they vanished from the deserted, silent Ponyville. > The Trojan Hoomin > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Trojan Hoomin Within seconds they appeared in the shadow of the large wooden structure. It towered above them as if it was a child and they were its play toys or perhaps, as if it was a brony and they were his collectibles. Each one of them looked up in awe at the amazing sight. They were all too distracted to notice the large squad of guards rushing towards them, their armor clinking and clanking as they galloped. "Stand back, villai..." the commander of the squad yelled but abruptly stopped and shook his head in confusion along with the other guards. "Wha...whaaa?" stuttered a grey coated guard with golden eyes. "Haven't you told them?" questioned Twilight, looking at a crowd of confusion, dressed in golden armor. "No." Celestia whispered, looking down at the unicorn. Twilight could hear the weakness caused by the spell she had cast in her voice. "I went straight to Ponyville after I gave you the task of finding a solution and have been busy ever since. I guess it never ran across my mind to tell anypony." "Well, this is going to be fun." Twilight responded, putting her hoof to her face. As Celestia walked ahead, the commander took off his helmet and stepped forward. "Princess?" he asked. She could see the confusion and growing fear in his eyes, she knew he assumed that the villains had stolen the elements and that they had won with the help of a traitorous Discord. "Do not fret, commander." She said in a calm and soothing voice. "These "villains" are here to help. They may be our only hope for defeating Illogic. "Our only hope?" he repeated. "Yes, through the power of friendship they have reformed the bond between the elements and will use their power against Illogic. This is something logic could never have foretold, something Illogical, something that can defeat Illogic." "Yes, princess." he responded, placing his helmet back upon his head. "What will you have us do?" "Return to the city, tell the other guards to prepare for battle and the citizens to return to the safety of their homes for the time being." After she finished the instructions the guard bowed his head and commanded his squad to go back the way they'd come. "Everypony else, investigate the structure and see if you can find any more clues to what it is...I must rest." she said sitting down upon the grass beneath her. She listened to the faint sound of the galloping guards, already nearly at the gates. "It's clue time!" Pinkie yelled excitedly, placing a Sherlock hat, which seemed to have appeared from nowhere, upon her head, scrunching down her pink curly mane. She then galloped off towards the structure. "Are you alright?" asked Luna and Nightmare Moon in unison, both walking towards Celestia. "Yes, I'm just a bit weak from the transportation spell but I'll be fine. Don't worry." Celestia said, turning towards her sister. "And thank you for asking, that was very kind of you." she continued, now turning to Nightmare. "The Element of Magic." Twilight said following behind Discord as he searched the freshly constructed wooden structure for clues like a detective from a noir style film. "I knew you had it in you." "I guess I did." said the draqonequus with a smile. "You and your friends have changed me quite a lot since we first met, Twilight Sparkle." he said, returning to his investigation. "That’s a good thing, right?" she asked. "Of course." he said with a magnifying glass now in his claw. "You should probably start searching." "Oh yeah, you're right." the purple unicorn responded, realizing the task at hoof. "Pinkie, give me that hat!" she yelled, looking at the hopping pony in the distance. "So, do ya think we're gonna find anything?" Applejack asked Chrysalis. "No, this is already strange enough as it is. Nothing will be logical until that...whatever he is, is gone." "Agreed, this all is pretty strange. I never in a million years thought I'd be seein' you and the other...um, ya know what a mean, helpin' us. To be honest, I'm not even sure if ya are helpin'. There could be a lot more goin' on that we don't know about." Applejack said, walking alongside the changeling. "To be honest...I don't trust you either." the queen said with a snarl. "Well, glad yer being honest. I see why ya got that element." Applejack stated, strutting on ahead. "Oh, how dreadful!" Rarity whined, looking down at the muddy earth in the shadow of the structure. "Oh, but I must." she continued, about to place her squeaky clean hoof into the muck. "Wait!" Trixie yelled, rushing towards her. "Yes, what is it?" the drama queen asked, turning around. "I'll search this side of the structure." explained Trixie. "Why, thank you, dear." Rarity said with complete joy. "I am the Great and Generous Trixie after all and I'm not afraid to get my hooves dirty every now and again." Trixie said with pride and then placed her hooves into the mud and began trotting forward. "Oh, is that what you call yourself now? Well, have fun!" Rarity said and finished with a noticeably fake smile. That fake smile quickly turned into a real frown as the sound of a repetitive clank flowed into her twitching ears. "What is that horrible sound?" she asked in the same whiny tone as before, noticing the others looking around to find the source of the clanking. "Probably that." Pinkie stated, responding to the whine and pointing up at the human structure's mouth or hoomin structure's mouth as they believed, all because of a slight mispronunciation from Twilight. With every clank, the bottom jaw of the mouth slowly lowered. "Not good." said Spike, his eyes widening as he watched intently. For a moment there was complete silence as the clanking clanked its last clank. Then, out from the mouth swarmed a flood of gigantic butterflies in complete and delicate silence but not any normal gigantic butterflies, these gigantic butterflies had wings made of nearly paper thin diamond. "Oh my, they're quite lovely." said Rarity, gazing up at the beautiful creatures. "and sooo cute." Fluttershy added along with the sweetest of smiles. "Crystals!" Sombra yelled as he jumped and skipped joyfully around in circles. "He is pretty funny." Pinkie said laughing at the oddly happy and playful tyrant stallion. As the last of the swarm exited the structure, out came the zebra striped Pegasus, maniacally laughing as he rode upon the back of an oversized origami swan, It's paper wings flapping furiously to keep it afloat. The swarm of diamond butterflies then, rather gracefully, made its way towards the walls of Canterlot with Illogic and the origami swan at its rear. "Ugh, here we go again." Twilight sighed. "We need to get into the city now! Illogic and those butterfly things...whatever they are, can fly right over the walls!" she yelled to the others and motioned for them to get moving. They then began the gallop towards the magnificent city. "Where's Shining Armor and his magical force field when you need him?...Oh yeah that's right, busy helping Cadence run the Crystal Empire, oh darn." Twilight said to herself with a smirk. Startled by a loud crash behind her, she came to a halt and turned around to see what had caused it. A completely unseen door had opened on the side of the structure and out poured the colorful inhabitants of Ponyville, looking even more confused than ever before and some even drooling at the mouth. The ecstatic ball of sunshine, Delusional, led them forward. "Z...zzz...zo...zom...ZOMBIES!" Spike shuttered, pointing his claw at the massive crowd of ponies that stood before them. "No." Twilight said, her head shaking back and forth. "But I could believe just about anything right now. I...just don't want to. If they attack, I'm not sure if I can fight back." "Well, we gotta do somethin' and fast." Applejack said, trotting back and forth in anticipation as the drooling citizens of Ponyville slowly crawled forward. They whipped around once more as they heard the sound of magic being cast behind them. An array of magical beams flew through the air as the Unicorn guards cast spells, aimed at the butterflies as they swooped downward towards the city. The diamond wings of the butterflies reflected the magic back down towards the city and it began to destroy it instead of its initial target. Twilight and the others watched as the royal city erupted in flames and explosions and listened to the chaos caused by the citizens behind its walls. Panicked, the guards continued to cast their magic, hoping that it would somehow destroy the vicious but beautiful creatures swarming towards them. "We need to get in there and help!" Rainbow Dash yelled. "No." Chrysalis stated. "The guards already have enough to deal with. If we open the gate they won't have enough time to close it and they will get in." she said pointing at the crowd of ponies, getting ever closer. "But Illogic is in there. That's the whole reason we did all this and we can't stop him out here!" Gilda roared. "This could turn out well...or not so well for both options but we must make a decision, now!" Celestia yelled. "Oh, what do we do..." Twilight said with a frown, now pacing back and forth like Applejack. Then with a loud bang the gates slammed open. A small family dressed in camouflage clothing and wearing large, over packed saddlebags filled with canned food, water and strange homemade weapons, rushed out. "This is it!" yelled the father. "The day we've been training for, the day when Equestria falls! Time to wait this war out and begin a new and better future for everypony! "Why, thank you!" Illogic yelled from above, waving at the ponies who ever so kindly opened the gate to let in his zombie horde. Then with a swoosh, he and the origami swan disappeared into the chaos. "Um, okay...then?" Rainbow questioned, scratching her multicolored mane. "Charge!" she yelled realizing that the gates were now open. They rushed through the city, now in full disarray, searching for the master of all things illogical. The posh citizens ran back and forth across the streets, letting out screams in the most uncivil of manners. Buildings fell to the ground in clouds of smoke, dust, and embers. Some struggled to stand as brilliant orange flames poured outwards from their cores. Finally, realizing that magic would not defeat the diamond butterflies the guards would wait for them to get close and then charge at the elegant creatures smashing them into walls and into the ground. Fluttershy cringed every time she heard a loud shattering noise as a butterfly's wings were crushed beneath the hoof or head of a guard. The stumbling horde of Ponyville zombies slowly made its way through the city as the guards hesitated to attack, knowing that not too long ago; these ponies were all innocent and happy townsfolk. A crowd of villains was not a comforting site to the citizens either, who still had no idea of any plan. They yelled, screamed, and ran in terror from their only saviors, just as if they were a part of the attack. Twilight noticed the origami swan, flying above the burning houses and shops in the distance. "You're not getting away this time!" she yelled as a beam of pink magic was cast from her horn. The beam hit the edge of the swan's wing leaving a hole. The smoldering paper quickly lit up in flame and the origami creation began to spiral downward, some poor pony's work of art, destroyed. "Come on!" she yelled as the others watched the flaming ball fall from the sky. "Let's go get him!" Rushing towards the center of town, everypony was sure that they'd find an injured Illogic lying upon the ground but instead all they saw were the still flaming ashes of the poor origami swan lying upon the ground. "You must be kidding me." Chrysalis muttered with anger. "Wait, look." said Fluttershy, pointing her hoof into the sky. The others looked up and watched as the zebra striped Pegasus slowly descended downwards, his legs straight and his head held proudly in the air. As his hooves reached the ground he began to speak. "I don't understand why you're still trying to fight me." "Because we've found a way to defeat you." Twilight said proudly. "No, no, not because of that but because I've done nothing wrong." Illogic responded. "Um, hello, look around!" she yelled angrily. "That." he said, looking around. "I did none of that." "That better be a joke!" roared Gilda. "No, not at all." Illogic said with a smile. "The only reason I came to Canterlot was to help these fools." He continued, pointing a hoof at the drooling crowd of ponies behind them, being slammed to the ground and held down by guards. Delusional Sunshine waved vigorously at them and then shrugged looking around at the chaos. "I seemed to have confused them so much so that they can't even think straight any longer. I brought them all here because Canterlot has the best of magical healers and I knew they could help." Twilight stood still and silent in thought not realizing that Illogic had stopped speaking, Rainbow Dash spoke instead."What about the butterfly things then?" "Oh, the diamond butterflies." he said "Those were a gift for Fluttershy." "For me?" Fluttershy asked, blushing and shyly scraping at the ground with her hoof. "Are you serious?" Rainbow asked. "Yes, they are my favorite kind of butterfly and I understand how much Fluttershy enjoys these sorts of things. So, I thought I might as well share the enjoyment of one of the rarest butterflies of all with her." Illogic stated. "Ra...rarest?" Dash stuttered, looking at the many piles of shattered diamonds around her. "Indeed." Illogic responded with a frown. "So what you're saying is that all of this wasn't meant as an attack?" asked Rarity. "Yes." responded Illogic, smirking. "Oh no!" Twilight screamed, watching the guards attack the innocent ponies. "Come on girls, we have to make them stop! I don't know how but we can't let anypony get hurt. Everypony else, stop Illogic!" Twilight, Spike and the girls dove head first into the chaotic crowd which was now surrounded them. Discord and the villains stood ready, staring with determination at Illogic. "This is very impressive, I never thought I'd see all of you in friendship's embrace and ready to wield the Elements of Harmony against me...or maybe this is exactly what I was planning all along." Illogic said with an overwhelmingly long chuckle. During this long and drawn out chuckle, the villians pondered what had just been said and looked at one another with confusion. "Why do you even fight for them?" He asked, pointing at the two princesses standing beside his challengers. "Was it just because they said I was bad? They say the same thing about each and every one of you and you saw how the Equestrians cowered and ran in fear as you walked past them. This is because of what they've been taught by their rulers and it can never be relearned. In their eyes, you will always be evil, hated, and thought of as scum. You will never be villainous heroes nor will you be heroic villains. You will just be villains. What you do here today will not be honored." "Maybe he's right. Maybe he does make sense. Maybe we're fighting for the wrong side." Trixie muttered, looking at the ground almost shamefully. "No, do not listen to him!" Luna yelled. "The only reason the citizens ran is because they didn't know of our allegiance...and trust me, you will be honored for any heroic deeds done here today and you will forever after be known and loved by all Equestrians for these deeds." Celestia said. "Well, well, for once you two are not part of this. If you would please take a seat." Illogic said and with a flash, the two princesses sat on a small row of seats ripped from some theater which was unimportant to the story. Refreshing beverages sat in the cup holders next to them. A magical barrier was wrapped around each of their bodies and mouths making them unable to speak or move. "Good one!" Discord said with a chuckle. "It looks like something I would do." "Well Discord, I am your father after all. Join me and we can rule Equestria together!" Illogic paused for a moment and looked off into the crowd of ponies surrounding them. From the way he stared, it could be seen that he was not particularly interested in the crowd but something else, something unseen by the others. "That was one too many wasn't it?" he asked. "One too many what?" Trixie asked, walking back and forth, glaring intently in the direction Illogic was staring, trying to see what he saw. Illogic turned to the unicorn and said "Too many references of the same kind of course." and then quickly turned back to say, "I apologize." "What are you talking about?" Chrysalis asked, oblivious to the true nature of everything. "The story..." Discord said, looking in the same direction as Illogic. "and it's readers. (I agree, that may have just been one too many but oh well, we can't worry about that now can we? Let's get back to it then...) "We may be similar in many ways, Illogic but we're not related, good try though." Discord said. "How do you know that?" Illogic taunted. "I just do..." "Hmm, fair enough. So, use those elements. Come on, I want to see this. Actually, can you even use them at all, are you all truly friends? I seriously doubt it. The concept of an insane Draconequus, scumbag Griffon, sadist queen, jealous princess, a self-gratifying but completely powerless Unicorn, and a former, horrid king with an unheard of background who can only say the word crystals and sometimes stairs, becoming friends and using the Elements of Harmony against me sounds completely impossible. "What did you say?" Trixie screamed in horror. "Exactly what it sounded like." a smiling Illogic answered. "You dare insult the Great and....Generous Trixie?" Trixie yelled, her face turning red with anger, smoke pouring from her nostrils. At least, that's what Discord imagined. "Indeed, I dare." Illogic said, bracing himself for a blast of magic to come flying his way. The blast did come but was more of a purple spew. The small tickling spew of magic hit the colt upon the chest and he giggled as a small portion of his eye, the same color as Trixie's, began to glow brighter. "Completely useless..." he said, casting the same spell back at the still fuming unicorn. She cowered, trying to avoid the magic but it hit her and she shook with laughter. "and you call yourself great?" He asked with disgust. Trixie hung her head in shame, a tear forming in her eye. Gilda roared in anger as she saw her new friend in pain. "No more talk, I've had enough!" the griffon screamed and then charged Illogic, tackling him to the ground, her claws tightly gripping his shoulders and digging into his skin. Her fierce eyes looked down upon him, filled with dominance. "Yeah! That's right, get'um, Gilda!" Rainbow Dash yelled from the crowd of Ponyvillians and guards which was now beginning to settle down. Gilda's proud and fierce eyes became filled with fear and confusion as the golden yellow of Illogic's eyes began to glow. Then, out from the small pony's mouth, came a blood curdling roar. Gilda, shocked with fright, loosened her grip and the colt lifted her into the air with a levitation spell and flung her backwards towards the others. She landed unsteadily upon her feet and claws and skidded to a stop then stood still in silence, her eyes wide open. "Why thank you, Gilda." Illogic said shaking the dust from his fur. "Now then, whose up next?" he asked, lifting his hooves into the air. Sombra whimpered as he saw the dark purple gemstone of one Illogic's bracelets glisten in the sun. "Crystals..." he moaned, drool dripping from his mouth. He then hopped into the air and landed in front of Illogic, quickly grasping his leg to get a closer look at the gemstone. After observing it for a few seconds, he gently brought his head forward, bit down upon the stone and locked his mouth into place. "Eww..." Illogic exclaimed, shaking his leg back and forth as Sombra's drool poured down onto it. "Would somepony please get this thing off of me?" "Aw, that was just tooo perfect." Pinkie said, squishing her face together with her hooves. "I'm...just..s..so proud!" she continued, a waterfall of tears pouring from her eyes. "Good job, Sombra." "Well, it looks as though we've discovered your weakness." Chrysalis said with a chuckle. "No, not a weakness. I'd just prefer to not have a pony drooling all over me." Illogic responded, still trying to shake the stallion from his leg. "Alright everypony, no more distractions, we need to use the elements. I mean really, it was the original plan after all, I have no idea why we haven't done it yet." Discord said with a sigh. "Sombra, buddy, please let go so you can concentrate, please." After whining, Sombra let go and closed his eyes to concentrate. Illogic quickly jerked his leg away. The others followed in Sombra's step and a powerful field of magic began to develop around them. They were slowly levitated into the air and their eyes flashed open, glowing a ghostly white. A rainbow colored beam of magic flew up into the air and fell back downwards upon Illogic. He shrugged and then began to admire the colors as they swirled around him. With a jolt the magic was gone and they're eyes shut as they fell back to the ground. Discord brushed his claw and paw together with victory but as he looked up his mouth dropped open in surprise as he saw Illogic standing in the exact same spot he was before, completely unharmed. Gasps erupted from the crowd as everypony discovered the colt's unchanged fate. "One more time, everypony." Discord said, shaking his head. Once again they were lifted into the air and a blast of rainbow flew up into the air and down upon Illogic and once again it did nothing. "Why isn't this working?" asked an angered Trixie. "I have no idea..." Discord responded. "but we have to try again, come on everypony!" "Yes, you can do it!" Illogic encouraged. Blah blah, rainbow, blah blah, nothing happened. "No..." Discord mumbled, trying to figure out what wasn't working. "This is not good." Chrysalis said with a shrug. "Not at all." added Nightmare Moon. "Well, good try everypony. That was a lot of fun, I enjoyed it." Illogic said clapping his hooves together. "But sadly, I must get going. I've done all that's been needed. Come on devil spawn, let's get moving." he said motioning for Del. The happy pony stopped at Illogic's side and let him climb onto his back. "Well, goodbye everypony, it was nice meeting all of you and it was amazing to see you use the Elements of Harmony." Delusional said, smiling at the villains who stood completely frozen in confusion. "I hope to see all of you again soon and in better circumstances of course." With a gentle kick to his side, Delushional Sunshine galloped away, the strange illogical Pegasus upon his back, his mane blowing in the wind. With a flash, the ruined city of Canterlot was returned to its former glory, the citizens of Ponyville brought back to their normal state, and the Trojan Hoomin gone. The duo raced out of the city's open gate and into the setting sun. Its glowing orange hues silhouetting them in black (Que old western movie music now). Ginger Spice was flying gracefully through the air when he was hit with a blinding flash. His wings and horn disappeared and he plummeted towards the trees beneath him. With an explosion of leaves and branches, he landed safely but rather uncomfortably in an apple tree. He looked around and shrugged then picked an apple from the tree. As he ate the shiny red fruit, he watched the two ponies continue off into the distance. *** As Celestia finished up lowering the sun, Twilight scratched her mane. "I'm just done, I don't know, I give up..." she mumbled, her eye twitching with irritation. "What...just happened?" Discord asked, looking at the others for answers. They shook their heads. "We won?" Trixie guessed, imagining a crowd of Equestrians cheering and shouting in joy for their new heroes. She soon realized that this would not be the case. The ponies around them cowered and backed away, looking suspiciously towards them. She watched the guards form a loose circle around them, trying not to show their true intentions. Celestia began making her way towards them, her head high in the air. Two guards broke from the circle and followed close behind her. "Well, I cannot truly tell you what happened here today as I do not know. You may not have necessarily defeated Illogic but you defended not only Canterlot but all of Equestria and I thank you." she said, bowing her head and then motioning for the guards to stand down. "No, this isn't over yet." Trixie said, followed by a gasp from the others, sending the guards back on high alert. "Look at them; they aren't treating us like heroes..." Trixie said, pointing at the crowd around them. "and they never will. We won't be honored, this day will be forgotten and we'll always be thought of for who we were, not who we're trying to be. So, what's the point of trying? Instead, together with the Elements of Harmony, we can take over all of Equestria and get rid of you fools. "Hmm, the girl has a point." Chrysalis said with a grin, showing off her sharp fangs. "Even after all of this, you would still do it?" Celestia asked calmly. "Yes." Gilda responded. "Loyalty, Gilda, remember that's what you're representing." Rainbow said, angered by the griffons actions. "I am loyal Dash, loyal to my new friends. If this is what they want then I'll help them get it." Gilda said assertively. "Well, that's not gonna happen!" Rainbow huffed, ready for a fight. "Please everypony!" Discord yelled, walking in front of the villains and turning to face them. "I understand where you're coming from, Trixie but it’s wrong. This may be the only chance we have to change how all of Equestria thinks of us. Yes, they're not treating the heroes that just saved all of them like they should but that's because they're scared and after all we've done to them they have the right to be. Give it time and they'll realize what we've accomplished." Trixie thought for a moment, "Oh, you're right, Discord." she said with a frown. "Yes, now please just put down the elements." None of them wanted to lose the great power that they had been given but they knew what Discord said was right and trusted him. They each reluctantly pulled their element off their neck. "Thank you." Celestia said as Discord handed her his crown. "I knew you would make the right choice and besides..." she said motioning for him to come closer. He brought his ear closer to her mouth and she began to whisper. "They wouldn't have worked anyways. The Elements of Harmony as their name suggests only work to bring harmony to our world and your taking over Equestria would've been in no way harmonious." "Just don't be too harsh with them." Discord said, straightening his body. "Well, there will be repercussions for their actions but they did save Equestria after all." she said, smiling. Nightmare Moon looked down at her element which was now lying upon the ground and thought of all she'd experienced since she'd been split away from Luna. As she touched her hoof upon the element one last time, she realized that it was beginning to disintegrate along with the rest of her body. "You have shown me much and I am very grateful to have experienced friendship first hoof." she said as the others began to notice. "Do not worry, I will still be here but as a part of Princess Luna, where I should be." As the villains said their goodbyes, Luna braced herself, prepared for the jealousy, anger, and pain to re-enter her body but instead she was filled with a warming happiness. She smiled peacefully; glad to have a missing part of her back. > Today I Learned NOTHING! > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Today I Learned NOTHING! After raising the sun for the new day, Princess Celestia sat down next to the fireplace in her chambers to warm herself. She began to read the many documents and letters that were sent to her the previous night, waiting for the sun to begin warming up her wonderful Equestria. She was soon interrupted by a knock on the door as her sister entered. "Ah, welcome back Luna. How did Queen Chrysalis fair on the way back to her kingdom?" she said, looking up from a letter. "Very well, I believe she was quite glad that we did not imprison her. I am beginning to think we made the right decision. The changelings were rather surprised by my presence there but Chrysalis told them not to worry and that any grievances to Equestria were now gone. There will be no fighting anytime soon. I could sense the honesty in her voice, when she promised to not attempt expanding her kingdom any further or to prey upon our citizens any longer." Luna responded. "That is very good to hear. I just hope she doesn't forget that oath. No matter what happens, she deserves to be free after what she did." Celestia said with a smile. "I agree. What of Sombra, how did he fair?" Luna asked, closing the door and sitting down next to her sister. "Due to his unstable condition, I had to re-imprison him within the ice tomb...but I made some improvements. Not only does it now have ample living conditions but a wonderful spiraling staircase and many new crystal decorations. I will be checking in on him frequently and if his stability is improving then one day, he may come out." Celestia explained. "What of the griffon and unicorn?" Luna asked. "Those two were not much of a threat to begin with. They have been released but will be monitored for some time. Now then, let us create the newest addition to the throne room windows." Celestia said as she stood up and walked to the door. *** With a burst of magic from the two princesses' horns, a new, bright and colorful stain glass mural was formed on wall of the throne room next to the others. It depicted the element wielding villains turned heroes, levitating in a circle above the ground beneath them, hooves, claws, and paw locked in friendship's embrace, an enormous arching rainbow above their heads, and behind them Canterlot's burning skyline. The rainbow arched downward towards a small dark figure standing in the distance. "Now then, you need to rest. I can handle the day fine by myself." Celestia said, turning to her sister." "Yes, have a good day, my sister and I will be ready when night approaches." Luna said, beginning to turn around but quickly stopped as she saw a letter burst into existence in front of Celestia. "Hmm, interesting" Celestia muttered, skimming over its contents. "What is it?" Luna asked. She stood beside her sister to get a better look. My Dear sister Princess Celestia, and Luna, I believe you are reading this too? Today I learned NOTHING! But, maybe you did. Sometimes intentions are not all that they may seem to be, correct? Sometimes what you think is bad can be good and sometimes what you think is good can be bad. Along with that, friendship can come from the strangest of places and do the strangest things to the ones that are strange. Whether for the good, the bad or the in between, friendship can give anypony a sense of love, meaning, and joy. It may even change them, make them more understanding and able to perceive the beings around them in ways they never would have before, not as something completely different than themselves but instead something they are a part of, even if it is different. In a sense, friendship can make you "better." I tested and prodded, trying to make them return to their old ways but yet they couldn’t because the magic of friendship had changed them in ways I even have never thought possible. I cannot explain everything that you should have or could have learned so I hope that you have discovered certain aspects yourself. If either of you have in fact learned anything from these events which the letter is based upon or the letter itself, I urge you to share this new found information with Celestia's protégé, Twilight Sparkle. It is no secret that all of us know what will become of her in the near future. It is her destiny after all but it could always change. Destinies can always be altered whether it be events surrounding the destiny or by the holder of the destiny him or herself. Do not fret though. I believe you have influenced her well enough already. Sincerely, Whom you refer to as Illogic ps: Delusional Sunshine sends his greetings and wishes you farewell and until next time.