Differences

Chapters

Band of Misfits
Alliance Across the Races
Stories of the Harmed
Arrival of the Heroes
Telling of the Stories
Change of the Hearts
Duel of the Fates

Band of Misfits

Today was a special day, as it was the first time Discord would be visiting Ponyville since he was reformed. I knew it would be a special day, because Twilight had sent me a letter from Canterlot saying so. Apperently, Discord was going to start a new regiment where he visits the town once a year to clean up any major chaos that comes around and that I was to prepare the accomedations for him, ranging from the places he would be staying, setting up stands where he could recieve requests of chaos to fix, prepare all the refreshments for the opening ceremony of his return, and finally write her a note when I had finished. Even as a princess, she still treats me like her little worker. You would think she would bring me to Canterlot with her so that we could be together, but no, she has be a princess on her own. I nulled these feelings, as wanted to still do what was asked of me. It wasn't every day I got to see Discord, and from what I'd heard from the others, he's seemed pretty cool now, so I was going to make sure he has a good visit.

I was on my way to the location Discord was supposed to arrive at when I ran into a recent friend of mine; Derpy Hooves. We had met after Twilight's coronation when she went off with her friends to bask in her recent status change. She was in the crowd and I was wandering around when she spotted me and said, "Hey, arent you Spike?"

"Yes"

"Arent you Twilight's pet baby dragon?"

"No, I am not. I'm her assistant. Not her pet."

"Oh, well you're still pretty cute."

"Really?"

"Yea. I don't know why somepony as cute as you has to work for someone."

"Sister, you and me both."

It was then that our friendship began as we continued talking back in Ponyville in Twilight's home, or Twilight's old home. We talked about ourselves and opened up to each other. I told her my angers about Twilight treating me like her servant and that she never showed me the gratitude I deserved unless it would make her look bad if she did not do so. She told me about her eyes, and that it was a rare condition where the effects of poison joke don't go away. You see, she used to be an eye doctor, and a very good one at that. She used to be able to see better than anypony could, even on the level of dragons, but sadly, she encountered poison joke, and her eyes got messed up. She also used to be very memorable and intellectual, but the poison joke had lowered her IQ to a klutz. We became very close during that time in Twilight's library. Now it's mine because she went off and left me, but anyway. We were simply walking along when we saw each other and started to bring up some light conversation.

"Spike!"

"Derpy, hey! What's up"

"Nothing much? What are you doing out and about?"

"Oh just getting ready for Discord's arrival."

"Wait, isn't he the guy who made Ponyville all messed up? Why are you bringing him here?"

"Well, he's good now and I'm not bringing him here; he's coming here."

"Oh, so what are you doing?"

"Setting everything up, per Twilight's instructions."

"Still getting bossed around."

"Eeyup."

We laughed but then Derpy became more serious. "Spike, I don't know how you do it."

"Do what?"

"Put up with Twilight. I mean,ya, she hatched you from your egg, but that doesn't make you endebted to her. You deserve to be able to tell her what's up and stand your ground. Promise me you will."

I looked down, as her hoof was extended, waiting for the promising claw/hoofshake confirming that I would one day defy my theoretical mother. I raised my claw, and shook her hoof. She smiled as I accepted her command.

"Deal."

She accompanied me in my duties, and actually helped me in places where I would need to hang something up. What normally would have taken me hours took Derpy and me about and hour and a half. At the end of it, I invited her over for some cider before the ceremony started, of which she gladly accepted. When we arrived at my home, we saw some bright lights coming out of the library windows. I knew his could only mean that Twilight had sent me more instructions or had reminded me of how to do things or something of the like. We went inside to see a letter on the floor.

"Is that from Twilight, Spike?"

"Isn't it always?"

She giggled as i picked up the note and started reading:

"Dear Spike,
As you know Discord is to visit Ponyville in four hours. Right now, he is preparing his speechs, as well as readying his mindset with Princess Celestia to be patient with the ponies' smaller problems. I have seen your setup from the telescope in my tower and I am content with the arrangements you have put up. I have also seen you talking to a certain grey pegasus by the name of Derpy Hooves. I must let you know that she is not the brightest of ponies, but that she can be a good friend, and I am glad to see that my departure has not deeply affected you. I would lastly like to inform you that neither I, nor either of the other princesses, will be accompaning Discord to Ponyville, so once he arrives, go ahead and get everyone at the location where he will appear at. Hope all goes well.

Princess Twilight Sparkle

Author's Note

Hey guys. Hope you enjoy this new story. If there are any questions about this story, or even Awoken or my other stories please ask me. Thanks for reading.

Alliance Across the Races

Disclaimer: The following chapters will sometimes have swear words, so if anyone is uncomfortable with that, just know that that will occur because I feel it lets the story show it's colors better. Thank you.

After reading that letter, I was mad. No, I was pissed. No, I was very livid. I was seeing red at this point. Twilight has the gull to tell me mine and Derpy's work was acceptable,even though we put our hearts into our work, but then she tells me that the good friend who actually helped me through alot of it is not a smart mare? Plus, on top of all the cake, she won't even show her face to the ceremony. She wouldn't just a little time out of her "busy" schedule just to see her friends, if not me.

"You ok, Spike?"

"Yea. I'm good."

"You don't look it."

"..."

"Look, Spike. So Twilight isn't the most considerate mare. She doesn't have to be. There are others like her that are much worse with their insul..."

She never finished, as she begin to bawl. I could tell that she was deeply hurt by a princess, a PRINCESS, making fun of her. She was used to the insults of regular ponies, and I'm guessing the aliens she saw in her adventures with Time Turner, but it wouldn't even cross my mind that a princess could be so low with her opinions, and even lower by stating them directly.

"Derpy, it's ok."

"N-no it's not"

"Derpy, I'm here for you. I want you to know that it'll be ok, and I will always be here for you."

She sniffled."P-promise?"

I rapped me claws around her neck, ensuring that I would show my promise in action.

"Promise."

She sniffled again, dried her tears, cleaned her face and we went off to the ceremony cite. On the way, we met up with an old friend; Lyra Heartstings. She may be a regular unicorn, but society has put her out on the curb, as she has an obsession with the creatures that I think are called humans. A lot like me apperently, except they can't breathe fire, grow wings(mine aren't developed yet, but will come soon; I can feel it), and they dont have spines or claws. Oh, and they are taller than me. She laughs at this. I don't find it as amuzing, but anyway.

On our way to the ceremony, we bumped into her and started to chat with her. Derpy's face still had the image of a breakdown, so Lyra asked if we had an arguement.

"No, no. Spike and I didn't have an arguement, Lyra. He got a letter from Twilight that was kinda mean, especially because it, I mean, she called me dumb. I cried a bit, but Spike comforted me, so I'm all better."

"Oh that's good to hear."

We were about to head on to the ceremony, but then a grand idea came to my head. "Girls, hold on a second."

They both responded with, "What's up?"

"Well, first off, jinx on both of you...Derpy, Derpy, Derpy, Lyra, Lyra, Lyra. Second off, why don't we start a revolution."

"A revolution?"

"Yeah, a revolution. I'm sure there are other ponies and maybe even other races who have had enough of the princesses' bullshit and would be willing to help us."

"Well, Spike; I would be the first on your train to liberation, but how will we do it? We are just two ponies and a baby dragon. Who in Equestria could help us?"

"Well, we got Time Turner and I'm sure he'd be willing to..."

"Actually Spike; his name is the Doctor." She blushed a little, acknowledging that she had feelings for him. "Wouldn't want you to get his name wrong."

"So we can ask the Doctor and I think we can get one of our greatest supporters right here in Ponyville?"

"Really? Who?"

"Why, our guest speaker, of course."

We sped over to the ceremony site as quick as we could, as we were late after talking of rebellion, and I got my throat nice and clear to announce the arrival of Discord. I also knew that I would have to give Discord a good rep if it was that he would be able to accomplish his initial plans for his venture to Ponyville. The ponies of Ponyville trusted me, so it was easy to calm their nerves after telling them Discord would be coming. As I approached the edge of the stage, I began my part of the ceremony.

"Fillies and gentlecolts. It is my distinct honor to announce the arrival of Discord the Risen." Apperently since he had been reformed, he got a new title when he was using his magic for good instead of evil. Apparently, the princesses' thought that since he used to be bad, that because he has changed and become more positive with his magic, that he has "risen" from his evil ways to a more constructive and good way of using magic. In my opinion, I think it's just another way of putting tags on him.

He did not disappoint with his entrance, as he poofed in and made it to where candy went just about everywhere.

"Hello everypony. For those who have not heard of me, I am Discord, the previous god of chaos, but as of late, I have seen the error of my ways and have to see magic as something other than way to create chaos. In fact, that is why I am here today; I am here to announce a new regiment worked out by the princesses. I will be popping in now and again to make sure that everything here is fine. Meaning, if there is any chaos running amuck, whether major or minor, I will be here to fix it. I hope that we can let the past be just that, the past, and that we can work together to make Ponyville, and maybe all of Equestria, a better place to live."

At the end of his speach, there was a good long session of applause, which both surprised me and relieved me, as I would not have to protect Discord from those he was trying to help. After the ceremony, everypony went back to there regular schedules, except Derpy, Lyra, me, and the newly appeared Time Turner, or the Doctor, if I were to quote Derpy correctly. It seemed as though Discord was expecting everypony to return to their normal day, so seeing the four of us just looking at him must have been unsettling.

"Um, you know I will be fixing chaos nonchalantly. You don't need to make requests. I will sense the chaos and fix it. Unless you have some questions for me," he turned his body to face Canterlot," I will returning to Canterlot to recieve my..."

Something told me he sensed our hearts and our feelings and sensed the chaos in them.

"Oh, I see. What is troubling you four so?"

I decided to make our first words. "Discord, we know that you think the princesses have at least something wrong in the way they treat people, right?"

"Yes, Spike. I have. I have been thinking the same things for ages, when it was just Celestia and Luna. As many rumors go, Celestia and I were a couple; the immortal pair. We had many adventures, and we had a very good relationship. Back then, I was the god of equality, as my body represented the perfect allocation of the major animals in Equestria. We were going good until she became princess. Her and Luna both. She didnt have time for me anymore. She had her royal duties to attend to, and I could only wait for her to retire, but as soon as she did, she went to sleep, leaving me with no time for her. Eventually, I got tired of the cold shoulder, so I went into her throne room during broad daylight and I told her I wanted her back. She said our relationship was not as important as her duties. After she said this, I got so mad that I just let all my magic loose. Windows broke, curtains tore, letters burned, hearts shattered. It was then that Celestia and Luna both used the Elements of Harmony against me and turned me to stone. Celestia then announced to all of Equestria that I was no longer the god of equality, but the god of chaos. She also said I was to be shunned from the ponies' good intentions, as she put it to where it sounded like I was trying to kill her, so the ponies naturally became scared of me. It wasn't my fault she rejected me, but I went ahead and played the part. Or I did once I broke out. What I did to you was to mess with Celestia. I only wanted her to suffer for breaking my heart those millenia ago. I hope now to fix the wrongs I did."

Once he finished, everpony was in tears, including myself. After a long silence, it was the Doctor who spoke first.

"Mr. Discord, I know that I may seem like just an ordinary pony to you, but I am actually a Time Lord. I have been alive 915 years, and though this holds almost no weight to the years you have seen pass by, I have seen you as a young draconequus, back when there was more of your species. When I saw you there with your kind, I cried a little because it reminded me of my people. The peace and serenity I saw there was very much that of my people. I hope we can be good accomplices in the future."

"I hope so too...wait. Accomplices?"

I then spoke up. "Yeah. We want to start a revolution against the princesses. I know you have hurt us in the past, but now you have a chance to help us. Please Discord. Help us change this broken way of life; help us live in equality."

He took a while to think. I am sure this was because he was trying to do the right thing and be nice to both sides. It wouldn't surprise me if he said no. I just hoped he didn't. When he looked at us again, he stared at each of us...then smiled.

"I would be honored to join your revolution."

Stories of the Harmed

After the ceremony and our meeting with Discord, us Ponyville folk got to planning.Well, actually we didn't plan anything yet. What actually happened was we had decided that, since we were going to rebel against the most powerful ponies in Equestria, we should at least know who were fighting with and why we were fighting for them. We met at my house everyday, and during our time together, we firstly got to know each other better by saying how the princesses and the society they made has negatively influenced them. I went first by saying that Twilight was pretty much the pony I looked at as my mom. It was because of her magic that I had been hatched, and she treated me like a little filly treats her dolls; with love and kindness, but as soon as I grew out of my newhatch phase, she went straight to teaching me how to write and how to use my breath to send letters to Princess Celestia and how to clean and how to cook and other stuff so that when I got older, I would be able to do this stuff without her help, and most importantly, without being told. She was priming me to become the dragon who basically did everything so she could have more time for herself; so she could study. It feels she was planning from the beginning to make me her assistant, but the servitude that came with it was developed as a side product.

After I had gone, Derpy went next and she told us everything about how she used to be a very intelligent mare; how she had a rare occurance with poison joke to where there was no chance of her removing its effects,even with Zecora's cure. In Derpy's case, it was her eyes(as she used to be a prestiege eye doctor from Canterlot) and her intellect's downward fall that were affected by the poison joke. It wasn't that she was dumb. She just had a lowered intellegence limit. Basically, she could only know and remember a limited amount of information.After she realized the cures around her couldnt help, she asked the princesses if they could fix her ailment. They didn't. She talked about how she lost her job, her reputation, her friends, and eventually, her home. She couldn't pay for her home in Canterlot, so she moved back home to Cloudsdale, where she had her own home that was free to her. She took up a lot of odd jobs here and there, trying to find a steady job, when she found a posting for mailmare. She had decided anything was better than nothing, so she took the job and has been mailmare ever since. Ponies still treat her wrong by making fun of her eyes and her clumbsiness, but she always "remembers the good life she had to distract her from the bad life she has".

The Doctor went after her and his story was fascinating. Apperently, he used to be a Time Lord. Well, he still is, but in a different sense. He described his old look as what most would call human and he even went on to say he had adventures with humans. Lyra, eagerly trying to prove humans existed, inquired about almost anything you could think of in terms of knowing what humans were. We all spent a whole day listening to the Doctor's stories about humans and how there are other species that have human features, but aren't human. He told us about his companions from the past. He talked about a girl named Rose Tyler, and how she was his favorite companion until he met Derpy. He described how, even though she was a simple human, she had been the person to save her life multiple times, both physically and emotionally. He told us about how his time machine which he called a TARDIS had gone screwy and landed him in Equestria, as well as turned him into a pony. That's when he met Derpy. The two walked together, talked a bit, he took her on some adventures, and that became that. He told us that he did miss his old life a little, but that he was willing to participate now. He had used his TARDIS to see the past of Equestria and he saw what it used to be like before the princesses, and he was willing to make it the haven of good intention it originally was.

Lyra was to go next, but she told us that her story wasn't that important. After a bit of encouragement she told us her story. Apperently, she was addicted to the thought of humans since she was a filly. She had found some books in a library that talked about the "human race" and how they originated in Equestria, but were magically moved to some planet called Earth because they were a hinderance to Princess Celestia. She put it that Celestia moved them because they weren't ponies and that she did it out of pure selfishness rather than out of protection for the ponies she ruled over. Lyra said she felt sorry for them because they weren't where they belonged. The Doctor was actually astonished with this information, as he had seen humans in the past. As he put it, the far past. The humans had some theory about evolution, apperently, and it said that they derived from monkeys. Lyra said she had talked to Twilight before she became a princess about humans, and Twilight didn't know much about them, but she gave Lyra books to read about humans and that's where she had learned her information.

The stories shocked me. The Princesses had done so much harm to those around us. They had made life comfotable for them to the point of moving a whole race of creatures to a planet they had no knowledge of. The Princesses had corrupted the morals they try to portray in the actions they have taken in the past. I knew I had a nagging feeling of doubt in the Princesses leadership,and I used to ignore it, but now I see why I should have given into it: The system was broke. The sad thing was that now Twilight had to be grouped there. Sure she had worked him into servitude, but they still had a few good times.

It was then that Discord came in and asked if he needed our assistance with anything. I just thought to ask how Canterlot was going.

"The Princesses have no idea about our revolution, though as of now there is no true revolution. This has me antsy and begs the question, "When are we going to revolt?" We have been waiting for a good week or so to hear from you, Spike. It all comes down to your decision."

All down to me? The pressure was building in my head. I started to freak out knowing one wrong move could screw us all, but I let my head clear, and I went to work.

"Discord, I need you to gather everypony in the central square where I can announce our plans. Lyra, I need you to gather all the information you have on the Princesses' decision to move humans elsewhere and bring it when I go to speak. Derpy and the Doctor, I want you to wait for me here. We gonna start this thing, and we gonna start it right."

Arrival of the Heroes

Discord did not disappoint, as most of the ponies of Ponyvile gathered in the square. Of all the ponies there, it was Rainbow Dash that seemed the most confused.

"Yo, Spike. What's going on? I've got some clouds to clear."

"Ah would also like to know what's goin' awn. Apples don't buck 'emselves, ya know."

"Nor do my dresses sew and embroider themselves."

"My little critters also need my care. What's wrong, Spike?"

"Yeah, Spike. What's the matter? You seem down."

All these ponies; all five of them. They are friends with Twilight, but I hope that my reasoning will show them that their friend is anything but friendly.

"There is something wrong, Fluttershy. Something very wrong. You see, I have come to reason with myself and my inner thoughts about our mutual "friend", Twilight. I have seen and heard of hers and the other princesses' nerferious deeds towards those of Equestria. I have had stories of the royalty of Canterlot commiting misdeeds to those who used to be residents of Equestria. As many of you know, there is a certain pony by the name of Lyra Heartstrings, who claims the existance of a race called humans to be factual. As many of you also know, it was many of you who taunted her about having such outlandish thoughts about creatures who could walk on two legs; that have fingers and no horn or wings and had no cutie mark. I am here to tell you that the reason humans seem outlandish is because the Princesses have fed you...a...lie. Humans have actually existed and probably still do on a planet called Earth. Time Turner, whose name I have recently come to find is actually The Doctor, used to be a human. A different species, but still human in a sense. He has told us stories about his time with them; the adventures he has had with them. Everyone, as I remember, didn't trust him, as he was a new pony to Ponyville. He also had no records, but soon it came to pass that he was allowed to make a new record. He did so and went by the name Time Turner to remind himself what he really was; a Time Lord. The evidence that was given to Lyra by Twilight told of Princess Celestia's decision to send the humans somewhere else because they were a hinderence to her. I believe it was out of selfish purposes than the protection of the ponies she ruled over; that she did it for her instead of you. If I were to be honest, I feel like this is something very detestable, as it would seem to be. The information on humans never put them as agressive or violent. They weren't even territorial. They just existed. They ate plants and berries and roots and such, but they never harmed anypony. Celestia used her magic to move them from their home here in Equestria to an unknown place.

I know my opinion won't be the same as everypony else's, but you must see something wrong with this right? A whole race of creatures that were not even harmful were banished to a place they did not know about, and it was all because Celestia wanted to have a pony-only society to rule over. Well, ponies and other creatures, but the point still stands. I say we raise a protest against the princesses to show that the denizens of their lands are not just animals that she can toss out; to show that all life is sacred. Who's with me?"

Silence. Nothing came from the ponies before me but silence. It was so quiet that it hurt. It wasn't until Rainbow Dash spoke up that the silence continued.

"Spike, I know you're probably just tired and cranky, and maybe you just miss Twilight for leaving, so I think it would be best if you just took a nap. I mean you are just a baby dragon.

"Just a baby dragon?"

"I mean, ya. Just a..."

"JUST A BABY DRAGON?!"

"Spike, calm down!"

"No, I will not calm down. Do you know how old I am Rainbow Dash? I am 13! It has been 5 years since Twilight became a princess. In case you haven't noticed, time passes by. I am not just that little tiny dragon who everypony came to cherish as puny and innocent. I am mature. I can make my own decisions, and I am making one now, but now you must make a decision: join my revolution and be for me...or fight against my revolution and be my enemy."

I could tell she was hard hit by this, as I was asking her to choose between two of her friends that she was loyal to, and she even went over to the others to ask what she should do, but when she came back, the others followed her and encircled me.

"Sorry, Spike, but this is for your own good."

They all attempted to grab me, but something inside me became known to me. It was almost like an chained power was now able to be released. The next thing I know is one by one, I am taking ponies down like they are nothing. Here's how I saw things going. Rainbow Dash and Applejack started enclosing faster than the others. They were followed by Pinkie Pie and Rarity, and Fluttershy had not moved from where she stood. I had hit Applejack in the gut, sending her a few feet back, I hit Rainbow Dash's joint on her right wing, which disabled it as I could infer from her then inablility to fly. I smacked both Rarity's and Pinkie Pie's heads together, causing them to pass out, and in her final charge, Rainbow Dash lunged at me, only for me to bend over backwards, and punch her right in the muzzle as she passed by. I saw Fluttershy standing there with a look on her face of both amazement...and horror. I went over to explain, but she just shuttered.

"Leave me alone Spike. I haven't harmed you. Just leave me aloh-hone."

"Fluttershy, I need to explain. They were trying to keep me down and I had to..."

"Had to hurt them? No Spike. You are right. You aren't the innocent dragon we used to know. You're just a big...mean...monster!

I was hurt by how she could place me amongst monsters of all things. No, I wasn't just hurt, I was deeply saddened by that. I had no response to that.

"Lyra, Discord; let's go. We have work to do!" We all sprinted/flew to my house where the Doctor and Derpy were waiting. Turns out, the Doctor had saved us a trip by bringing the TARDIS to the house. We all got inside, but it seemed everyone was still confused as to why.

"Ok Spike. We're in my TARDIS. What now?"

"Yes Spike. It interests me to know as well, and by the way, nice job. Those ponies never saw it coming. High five!"

I didn't feel like doing it, but knowing he is the god of equality, as our group would refer to him as, I wouldn't want to leave him hanging. I had thought about what to do when it comes to getting new allies in our revolution. The Doctor said he used to be human-like, but then his TARDIS got all crazy, and somehow it ended up in Equestria and he was a pony.

"If we use Discord's power to reverse the effects done by the TARDIS, we can get to the human world, and maybe even turn you back into a human, Doctor."

"Well, I would be a Time Lord, but I love the idea. And for all I know about magic, your theory just might work. What do you think, Discord?"

"Any plan to get equality is fine with me."

Discord got the Doctor to open up what I think the Doctor called the heart of the TARDIS, and he cast some sort of spell on it. Immediately after, the heart closes and something in the center of the TARDIS that looked like a bunch of tubes started moving up and down and this noise that sounded like me when I'm snoring, or so I've been told.

"Is this supposed to happen?"

He looked at me with the biggest grin on his face. "Oh, yes."

"Are we going to see humans?"

"Oh, yes"

"Awesome!"

Humans were sounding cooler and cooler every second that had passed. Soon, I would be able to meet creatures who were a lot like me, but different. It seems childish to think of it that way, but that how I was feeling. "Doctor, where exactly are we going to land?"

"Well, with Discord's help, I was able to get the TARDIS to lock on to the biggest rally of humans that would be most likely to help our cause, so wherever we land, we are going to meet a bit of human race, so just try to...AAAARRRRRGGHHH!"

He fell over in pain, as I could assume. "Doctor, what's wrong? Do you need any hel...Doctor, why are you glowing?"

"What? I'm glowing? Oh. Oh, right! Your theory was right, Spike. I get to look normal again. And you wouldn't believe how much I've missed it...argh."

"Missed what, Doctor?"

He stared right at me and smiled. "Being human in appearance, of course." It was then that he put all his limbs out and stood on two hooves, and, in that same moment, light and sparkles went flying from his head and what I would guess to be arms. Slowly, he began to get taller, grow claws, which I would later know as fingers, lose his tail and coat, and get a more rounded face rather than a more blocky one. Once he finished, he wasn't brown in color, but a pale-ish brown, almost a light tan. His hair was messy, but interesting. It was brown too. His eyes were brown. He seemed very...different. He looked like the pictures of humans from Lyra's books, so I could never tell that this was the Doctor; the Time Lord.

"Well, that was interesting. I must ask one question."

"Ask away."

"Am I...ginger?"

"What?"

"Is my hair red or orange tinted?"

"No, and though I don't know normal human hair colors, I am sure red isn't a normal color."

"Dang it! Why does the universe always make it to where when I regenerate, I can't be ginger at least once."

His accent was very reminiscent of the ponies that came from Trottingham, but, of course, that might just be normal for humans.

"You were saying I should try to do something."

"Oh, yeah. Just don't flip out."

"Right." As I finished saying this, all the noises stopped and everything was quiet for all of three seconds, when the Doctor said, "Oh, boy. Time to meet my favorite race of creatures...besides you guys, of course."

We all went to the doors and prepared to charge out, but the Doctor assured us that we did not need to worry. After all, he was the Doctor and he knew what the humans would do.

"Is everybody ready?"

"Every...body?"

"Oh sorry, human term. Is every...PONY...ready?"

"Yes, I think so."

"I am."

"Come on , come on, come on. Let's meet the humans already."

"I agree. Let us meet our apparent allies."

"Alright then. Well in that case...I've been dying to say this forever...

"Allons-y!"

and he stepped out the doors, unafraid of what was to be seen. I, on the other hand, was very stunned by what was to be seen on the other side of those doors. Hundreds, maybe even thousands, of these humans. Some looked like what might be "regular" humans, but a large group of them looked like the ponies back home; Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash...Twilight. It was amazing how much they seemed to know about us, but we knew very little to nothing about them. A few of them tried to impersonate me, and I will say that some were actually pretty accurate. As I was taking this in, the Doctor decided to make a public announcement, loud and clear to all the humans that were further back in the room.

"Hello, I'm the Doctor! May I ask what year it is?"

There were some other humans on stage that were most likely female, due to their different figure, one of which answered his question in a voice that I had come to hate.

"Well I know the princess will want to know about this, but it would be the year 2012 good sir."

I was getting mad. Was Twilight here too? I went straight towards her with anger making every step feel like fire. "Twilight! How did you follow us here? I swear if you try to poison the minds of these innocent humans, I will..."

"Spike? Oh my God! Cathy, look who's here!"

Another female human looked at me and got all big eyed and then...she smiled. She came over to give me a hug. I flinched. The human wanted to hug me and she didn't even know me, but the thing she did next scared me to no end.

"It's alright. I ain't gonna hurt'cha.

She sounded just like I did when I was younger. "Woah. What kind of magic is this? You sounded just like I did when I was younger. Doctor, where in the name of Celestia are we?

He looked at me, astounded, apparently by the intro I gave, but he gained his composure and said, "Ah, a good question, indeed? Where might we be, my fair ladies?"

A "lady" that sounded a lot like Rarity said, "Well, you're on Earth, in the United States of America...at BroNYcon.

Author's Note

Tried to play it safe with this chapter, as it starts the climax(or at least of of them). If I hit any cliches, someone please P.M me, so that I can try to avoid them in the future. Thank you.

Telling of the Stories

"Bro...ny...con? I don't understand. Is this some sort of ritual for normal humans, Doctor?"

"Well, actually, I don't know. The only time I've every heard of the term brony was when...Oh. Oh, yes! I remember now! Bronies! Oh how could I have been so stupid, or course!"

"Doctor, what's wrong? What are bronies?"

He looked at me, smiling, then he raised his arms high and shouted, "Them! Oh, one sect of the human race I have heard of, but never got the time to explore, and here they are now. One of you tell me, are all of you here, or is this a meeting of the higher bronies, or what?"

One of the humans in the crowd spoke up. "Only a few of us. The rest are out across the..."

"I'm sorry. I can't hear you. Can you please come here to tell me?"

Sure enough, the same human came running, no, sprinting down to where the Doctor was to answer the question that was asked of him. "I was saying that only a few of us are here. The rest are spread across the U.S. No, the world even. What you have here is a small sample of what we are as a community."

"And exactly how many are in your community?"

"I have no idea, sir. I'd say about a quarter million, maybe even more."

"A quarter million? Fantastic! And you said how many are here?"

"I'd say about a thousand or two."

"Wow. That's amazing. A thousand bronies all crammed in one place to celebrate the thing they love most."

I had lost all hope of trying to keep up, but this seemed like a good time to catch up. "What exactly do they celebrate, Doctor?"

"Well, you guys, of course. I've also heard some rumors that I got caught up in that mix, which reminds me."

He went back inside the TARDIS for something. Probably to get the other ponies, but I took this opportunity to continue my assault on this human who had obviously been Twilight.

"Twilight, how did you follow us here? Is it your sole intent purpose to make all my work fall to nothing?"

"Woah, woah. Hold on, Spike. I'm not Twilight. I just voice-act for her."

"What? Voice-act? How can you not be Twilight and have her voice? Urgh! Stop trying to confuse me! I won't fall for your princess magic, or whatever you're using. I'm ending this...now." I got ready to blow the hottest fireball I could muster, when I heard the other humans scream in unison, "No!" I was confused as to why they wanted me to stop.

"Why should I stop? She is our enemy! You may not know it, but she is an alicorn who has become corrupted by Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. She was, is, and probably always will be a pony that only uses those around her to get what suits her. She used her friendships to lead up to her becoming an alicorn. She used to be a unicorn. For those who don't know, unicorns are ponies that..."

"Yes, Spike we all know what unicorns are," said a voice that sounded a lot like Rainbow Dash.

"Ok, first Twilight, now Rainbow Dash. How many ponies were able to sneak on the damn TARDIS? Lemme guess; Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy got on there too? Which of you is it? There are only five of you here, one of you sounds like me, one is Twilight, one is Rainbow Dash, so it's either you with the yellow hair or you with the orange hair." The one with yellow hair spoke up.

"I'm not Fluttershy, but I do do her voice."

"Ok so you're Pinkie Pie, right orange?" More of their insipid magic pursued as the next thing that happened made my blood run cold.

"No, that's me again, silly. I do both Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie. Wait, wouldn't that mean that I have two ponies inside me? That would make me loco in the coco." The bronies started laughing at this but all I could do was just stand there in shock. Fluttershy...AND Pinkie Pie? Together in one body? What did that TARDIS do to them? First, the ponies that had tried to stop me had crept onto the TARDIS, then they became humans like the Doctor, but somewhere in the process, they fused together? My mind was just running at this point. Whatever happened either as a result of the TARDIS's powers or because of Twilight's magic, it wasn't very pretty.

"How can you humans laugh at this? This combination of ponies is wrong! I don't know what you know about them, but in Equestria, they were two separate ponies. Not some conglomerate of ponies in one single human body. I swear, you humans think everything is normal, when it's really freaky." They laughed at this too. "That wasn't meant to be funny!"

"Calm down, Spike. It's BroNYcon. Have a good time.Enjoy your fans. We know we do."

"Look, Twilight, I'm not going to fall for your lies and...fans? You ponies have been here all of 2 minutes and you already have fans?"

"Spike, we aren't ponies. We are regular humans that use voices that sound like the ponies from Equestria in a television show called My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. We are not the ponies you know; we are just humans that can make voices like the ponies back in your home."

"How can I trust you? Even if you aren't Twilight, which you are, how exactly would I have proof that you aren't who you say you aren't? There is no way of knowing if you are telling the truth."

"Quiz me on things only Twilight would know."

"You could play dumb."

"Notice that I am using human vocabulary instead of pony vocabulary."

"You could have caught on quick, as usual."

"Trust me anyway?"

"Ok, now you're just getting desperate, Twilight. I won't believe you no matter what test I can put you through." The human I had thought was Twilight really started to try to conceive some way of proving herself. It seemed like forever, when I heard a loud shout from one of the bronies in the crowd. He ran up to Twilight, whispering something in her ear, only to smile and giggle a little bit, and after saying a quick and quiet "Thanks", she looked at me and asked me to do something Twilight would never think of.

"Test our personalities."

"What?"

"Just as I said. Test our personalities. If I am Twilight, and I have a certain spot where I am ticklish, then you should be able to tickle me there and get a laugh out of me. Sound like a fair deal."

"Hmmph...fine. But I'm sure you're gonna burst out laughing." Twilight had one spot where she could not resist laughing when I tickled her there; her forehead, where her horn used to be. I climbed up on the table in front of her and tickled the best I could to make her laugh, but it seemed like she wasn't even phased by my attempts to make her laugh.

"My forehead? Twilight Sparkle is ticklish on her forehead? Lauren, if you are seeing this or if you can hear me, I think that this information is canon, whether we like it or not." Laughter and applause followed her comment, as I am guessing Twilight being ticklish on her forehead was comical.

"Ok, so you're clean. The others could still be the ponies from Ponyville."

"Well then, test them too." I went on to do so. Pinkie Pie couldn't resist laughing at me talking in a Trottingham accent, so I did so. The woman didn't laugh, so she was clean. Rarity would faint at the sight of rare gems, such as the rare dragon's eye, and I so happened to have one because I had packed for the trip; I didn't know if humans had any gems, so I thought I would pack some in one of the TARDIS's many rooms.

"I'll be right back."

"Ok. We'll be here."

I ran in to get one, but as I came in, the Doctor, as well as the other ponies and Discord, looked at me with...disappointment.

"What's wrong? Why is everypony giving me the stink eye?"

"Because you're making us Equestrian folk look bad," Lyra said.

"Yeah, Spike. I know we don't know much about them, but at least give them a chance to explain themselves."

"Equality used to be my specialty, so I know when it is not being given. Spike, if we want them to be on our side instead of the princesses' side, then we need to make them like us, and the more they like us, the less likely they are to turn on us. From what I've heard and seen, these women voice act for a show called "My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic." The show describes yours, as well as everypony's, adventures in Equestria. The fact that they sound identical to the ponies they voice-act for is something even I can't explain, but they are not the ponies from Equestria. They are just normal humans." This took a long time to accept, but I couldn't argue with Discord. If he trusts them, then I can too. I wanted as many people to help our cause as possible, so I decided to give these women a proper apology, but I also included a gift. I went to my gem room, grabbed five of my best gems, and brought them out to each of the women at the table.

"I want to apologize to you ladies. I have had a hard time trusting the ponies that each of you represent, so I ask that you please excuse my actions. None of my actions are based on what you have done, but what those of Equestria have done. I hope these gems can suffice for the grief and trouble I have given you." They all looked at me with happy faces, like those of mothers who look into the face of their newborn fillies.

"Spike, we forgive you. We don't know what you have been through, but we would like to know. We want you to feel comfortable around us. What can we do to make you most comfortable?"

I was touched. The human who I had most disrespected had offered herself to make me, the offender, more comfortable. I couldn't hold back my tears and the urge to ran to her and hug her. The resounding "Awww." from the bronies was expected, but I didn't care. I just needed a hug.

"There, there, Spike. It's all ok now. You're safe here. We are your friends here. Nothing can hurt you." I let go of the woman's shirt and wiped my face.

"May I ask what your names are? I feel compelled to call you by your real names."

"Well, I'm Tara, and that's Andrea, and that's Cathy, and that's Tabitha, and that's Ashleigh."

"Hello."

"So Spike, what's wrong? You said that the ponies we represented we acting up. What are they doing?"

"Well, actually, it's a longer story than just, "They're being mean."

"We have time." A human with things that looked like earmuffs came out and told her that the panel was over and that they didn't have time. She answered him with, "Spike is here on the stage, and he's about to tell us his story. I think that the rules of the panel don't apply here." The bronies went into an uproar, as if to agree that my story is more important than rules set by those who run the "panel", whatever that is. Again, I was touched by their desire to break any form of rule to listen to what I had to say. "Go ahead, Spike. What's got you in a tizzy?"

"It actually started from my early dragonhood. Back when I just been hatched. I heard that you use your voices on a show called My Little Pony. Have you made a part of her hatching me?"

"Yes."

"And did you also make a part about her treating me like her little doll?"

"We haven't."

"Well, that's when life was good. Life was simple. Playing with Twilight was my only duty. After she got home from school, there I was to play with her. Celestia didn't mind me being there in her castle. Most dragons are released after they are hatched, but Twilight wanted to keep me. Whether it was out of love or childish possessionsisms, I still don't know, but Twilight took me to be her playmate after her schooling. I had it easy. Got fed the best gems, got to relax for as long as Twilight wasn't at school; life was great. That is, until I learned to breathe fire. One little belch and fire came out. Twilight didn't know what to do, so what did she do? She went to Celestia. Celestia told Twilight that she wanted to take her to the next level of her studies, and once Twilight finished school, Celestia did just that. She assigned Twilight a new part of the castle; one that was closer to her. From this new study, Twilight would do research on things that Celestia asked her to do research, which where I came in. Celestia had studied my fire breath and had concluded that she could make a telepathic link between the fire, and whatever it burned, and her. She then told Twilight to write her letters of whatever she studied and learned. That is when my burdens started. Every minute of every hour of everyday, Twilight was sending letters to Celestia. 'Dear Princess Celestia' this and 'Dear Princess Celestia' that. Day in and day out that was all I wrote. Even if it was a simple hello, I had to write it out because she was always too lazy to, and after she had finished telling me what to write, she made me send her damned letter, no matter how important it was."

I started to cry at that point, because of all the memories that were coming back.

"The ponies around me only looked at me like I was a joke; like I wasn't important. I had been the one who saved Rarity from the diamond dogs. I had been the one who had sent Twilight's thousands of letters to Celestia. I had been the one who did all of Twilight's shit, and what do I get? Nothing! Not even a thank you!" One of the humans with earmuffs came up to me and told me that even though I was mad, that I should keep my "language" PG. "I don't know what that means! How do I make the way I talk PG? What does PG mean anyway?"

"It basically means keep you language appropriate for children."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I did not mean to offend. I'm just...so mad and frustrated and..." I couldn't talk anymore, as the grief had gotten to me, and I fell to my knees and started to bawl. I couldn't see what was going on around me, and as I had later learned, all the bronies came close to the stage, so as to show comforting intentions towards me. It wasn't until Tara had touched my shoulder that I had stopped crying. When she did, I looked up at her to see a smile on her face.

"Spike, your story was touching and for that we wish to help you. Let's go have a little talk with those mean old ponies that are bullying you." The bronies gave a second outcry; not only of agreement, but one of war. Tara had made it sound childish, but I knew what she meant.

Revenge was going to be mine. And it was going to be sweet.

Author's Note

Well, here we go.

Change of the Hearts

We had all loaded up into the TARDIS, and I was to give a rousing speech about what we were to do, but I was pulled aside by the ponies I had come to Earth with.

"Hey guys. What's up? I need to tell the bronies what I need to do."

Lyra looked at me with concern. "Spike, are you sure this is the right thing to do? I mean, yeah, the princesses have messed up and have done horrible things, but do you really think bringing these...bronies, who love the ponies we are about to fight, to do just that; fight them? Think for a second. If they really love those ponies, then wouldn't they had back? If we want to fight the princesses, as well as the Elements of Harmony, because you know Celestia will get them, shouldn't we get allies that will not hold any punches?"

"I have thought of this. It has occurred to me that fans of a show that has the ponies I am asking them to defeat might not give it their all, which is why I was going to pump them up, which you have interrupted me from doing, Derpy."

"I'm just saying. This could blow up in your face."

"I understand that already. The fact that you have to constantly remind me shows that you doubt me. Let me tell you that no matter what it costs, no matter what I have to go through, I will get my justice. I have lived under tyranny's boot for as long as I can stand, and now that I have a way to fight such tyranny, I'm going to do what any living thing would do and take the opportunity to be free. Now if you will excuse me, I must address those who want to listen to me." I went off, not looking back, not caring what those who had helped me achieve my goals had to say or what they felt for my actions. As I had finished my business with my friends, I went to the room where all the bronies were relaxing, and as they saw me they took their attention from what they were doing and looked at me. It was then that I addressed them.

"Bronies, male and female alike, hear me. I know next to nothing of you, but I know you know more about me than even some my peers. Remember your knowledge of me. Remember those times when Twilight pushed me around and told me to do things not out of simple innocence, but out of tyranny and laziness. I tell you that she would be nothing without me, and yet she still has not learned this fact to be evident. I ask you know to become scholars, so that we may be able to teach her such things. Who will stand for me?" A shout of agreement and of verocity graced my ears. "Then let's go!" Another uproar ensued as I went to the Doctor to ask him to bring us back to Equestria. He did so, but had a vey solemn face while preforming his art. What surprised me was what he said.

"Spike, I will not fight in the battle."

"What? Why?"

"Because the battle that is about to ensue...is Time Locked. That means that it can not be interfered with by those who are not involved. I know now that this battle will take place without me, but Spike I want to tell you something. No matter the outcome, you will win this battle."

"How do you know?"

"I've seen a lot of your timeline, even your future. It is a good one...and one not alone."

I didn't know what he meant, but when he finished, he turned one final knob, and we were off. The ride was a bit bumpier than the last one, but I had guessed that was because we had about two thousand more passengers than we did on our way to the human world.

When we landed, I rallied the bronies,and we all stepped outside to see nothing but seemed like a giant patch or hard dirt, almost like a moon spot. It was not five minutes after we landed that Twilight, Celestia, Luna, and about four to five hundred of the Canterlot guard ponies were about 50 meters away from us. Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and even Rarity were there in full armor, as if they meant to go to war.

"It seems you have amassed an army of your own, Spike," said Celestia while keeping her distance.

I thought I would open some old wounds since my respect for the princesses were gone. "Well, it must sting to see a fraction of the race you banished, now doesn't it?" This got everybody and everypony confused. Everyone but me and Celestia.

"Spike, what do you mean "the race you banished?" said Ashleigh with a sense of curiousity.

"Hey! That thing sounds a lot like me!" Rainbow Dash said with alarm.

"I reckon she sounds a bit like me as well." Applejack said in agreement.

"Will both of you be quiet? I will explain to all of you the things that are confusing you. Firstly, yes Applejack; this woman does sound a lot like you and Rainbow Dash. That is because she uses her voice to voice-act for a show back on Earth, the world she comes from, called My Little Pony. In such show, everypony you've ever met has been seen by these wonderful people behind me. They know more about you than most ponies would, even to the point of knowing even about your personal and secret life. This woman, however, is not the only one. May I ask Tara, Tabitha, Andrea, and Cathy to come forward and show these ponies what I mean?" Sure enough, the four women I had called forward came and stood beside me. "Rarity?"

"Yes, Spike? What seems to be your question?" Tabitha answered with a grin.

"That creature...just used my voice." Rarity said, which was followed by her fainting, only to be quickly revived by Rainbow Dash. I continued.

"Pinkie Pie?"

"Hey, Spike. How are you doing? I'm doing fine today. How about you?" Andrea said.

"Oh my gosh. That woman sounds just like me. That's loco!" Pinkie Pie replied

"Rainbow Dash?"

"Yea, Spike? What's up?" Ashleigh asked.

"Woah woah woah. Did that lady just sound like me? That is not awesome." Rainbow Dash answered.

"Fluttershy?"

"Yes, Spike?" Andrea replied.

"Oh...my." Fluttershy said timidly.

"Applejack?"

"What can I do ya for, Spike?" Ashleigh said again.

"Hold your horses. Now I know my accent is seen a bit around Ponyville, and most of Equestria, as my family is very wide spread, but how is a human gonna imitate me?"

"And finally,last, but not least...Twilight?

Tara did not disappoint in delivering a very unsettling resemblance to Twilight's voice, as she did her voice flawlessly."Dear Princess Celestia, Spike asked me to do my voice for the other ponies so I think I'm going to do just that. Signed, Your Faithful Student, Twilight Sparkle." Twilight made no noise, but instead had her eyes closed and her eyebrows furrowed. I knew that even though she made no noise, my little trick had had the same effect I wanted. Once she opened her eyes, she spoke.

"Spike, I do not know the depths of what you have had to do to get these...humans...to copy me and our friends voices, but I have heard of what ponies DID see you do. You recklessly harmed our friends, even though they were trying to help you. You openly declared a rebellion against Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, and myself, which as you know is an act of treason, which is punishable by banishment to the moon. We will forgive you this sin, however, if you stop this nonsense and take these humans home.

"No."

"What?"

"No. You don't get it Twilight. They are home. That was my second point; the explanation to the humans. They came from Equestria. Your oh-so fair and kind ruler, Princess Celestia, sent them away because to her, they were an eye sore; a hinderance. The humans, however, were innocent in every manner. They were not near her castle, they were not eating her subjects, they were not harming any animals; they had done nothing wrong. They lived a calm life in the Everfree forest, eating only berries and plants, but Celestia, in her righteous glory, decided to banish them to a planet, which I have come to learn is Earth; a planet that they knew nothing about, and Celestia thought nothing of it. My guess is that these humans, though few in number, have realized that this is a place they like, they just didn't realize it was their home."

Luna was the next one to speak. "Is this true, sister? You banished an innocent race without reason?"

"Yes. That is true, my sister." Luna looked at her sister for a long time, then she closed her eyes and said something and did something I would never expect.

"Then we now know where our loyalties lie," and she walked over and stood by my side, which caught Celestia, as well as everypony and everybody else, including myself, off-guard.

"Luna, what is the meaning of this? You are SUPPORTING his treason?"

"No, sister. We are supporting TRUE harmony. If that is wrong, then may we be damned, but we will stand against this cruelty. Had we known that these humans had met the fate they did, we would have done the same thing sooner. We used to believe that you had truly wanted us home, but it seems that we are not the only ones banished."

"Have it your way, Luna. Twilight! Now!"

"Yes, ma'am!" Her crown stared shining, and as I looked around, I saw they neck braces on the other ponies begin to light up too. It took me a second to realize it, but when I did, I almost cried. They were going to blast us with the Elements of Harmony! When the plethora of colors came at us, I had expected pain and stiffness, but to my surprise, none of that occurred. In fact, nobody was affected by the Elements. It was as if nothing happened.

"What? Why are they entombed in stone?" Celestia pondered aloud.

Luna, who wore a smirk on her face, went to answer Celestia's question. "Oh, my dear naïve sister. Did you not think that we would know our losses when we saw them? We knew you had intentions to bring the Elements of Harmony. There is one thing, however, that you did not know of the Elements that we have known since our banishment. The Elements only work on those that are filled with evil and negative purposes. When we were Nightmare Moon, we had negative purposes. When Discord was bad, he had negative purposes. This baby dragon, and the walks of life that support him, however, have only positive intentions. They want equality and stride with righteous anger. They only wish to right wrongs. The only reason the Elements did not backfire on their wielders is because they did not know they were fighting positive intentions. They believe they are doing good, so the magic of the Elements saw that they had positive intentions. However, now that I have said all this, we would not suggest having them launch another assault in this manner, as they now they would be in the wrong to do so."

"So how do you suggest we do this? How do we end this conflict?"

"A small conflict. One champion from each position. Spike will be his champion and you may choose..."

"I choose myself! Now fight me, dragon!" Celestia shouted, which followed by her charging right at me, her body encased in a funnel of fire."

Luna, covered in a funnel of shadow, blocked Celestia from her target, which in this case was me. "How barbaric, sister. Trying to destroy a young dragon willing to fight, and even die to be free of oppression. Not to mention fighting for equality for others."

"I will do whatever it takes to keep the order I have worked so hard to obtain, and not you, nor Spike, nor anypony else is going to stop me!" She looked down at me, which was about a 20 feet distance stare, and glared at me. "You poor excuse for a dragon! Do you want to know why I really banished the humans? They were interacting with my little ponies! Do you know what that might lead to? Interbreeding! Pony-human hybrids running around the place as if it's perfectly normal. I didn't want that, so I sent them away. Do you feel satisfied knowing that?"

"Yes I do, but I still wish to fight, if not for the sake of fighting, then for an honor bound debt. I made a promise I would rise against the forced that were pressing me down and I will. I am fighting for my friends, for the humans you banished, and mainly for my promise to Der..." I couldn't believe my eyes. My heart shattered as I saw a sight I would never have guessed or even wanted to imagine. Standing by Celestia's forces was Derpy, Lyra, The Doctor, and Discord. The ponies and human that once stood by me were now changing their sides right in front of me. "Derpy? Lyra? Doctor? Discord? What are you doing over there? What happened to fighting the princesses' tyranny?"

Derpy was the first to respond. "Spike, what you said on the TARDIS really told us something. This isn't about the princesses, or even about us, your friends...It's about you. It was from the start. Sure we weren't treated as well as the other ponies were, but we still were able to carry on. It wasn't until you came and started to talk about a revolution that we really cared about what the princesses did. We were able to live normal lives, until you went haywire and started to use us to solve our problems. I'm sorry, Spike, but I won't be a part of your plans."

"Neither will I."

"Nor will I."

"You may fight for equality, but I will not be a part in a killer's schemes."

Celestia chuckled at this. "You see, Spike? Even your allies believe you shouldn't do this. Why not stop this futile effort and quit?

Luna quickly discouraged the idea. "No, Spike! Fight onward! Remember the people you are fighting for!"

"No, Luna. I'm tired." Celestia smiled, while Luna only looked at me with sadness and woe, but luckily for Luna, I wasn't done. I'm tired...of being given the losing hand! I'm not going to just fight for the humans, but I'm fighting for every race or creature that has felt the sting of tyranny. If we want to play this be the book, then by the laws of war in Equestria, I declare the fight unclear and hearby take advantage. You have not yet chosen a legitimate champion for your side, so I get to choose one for myself. The champion I choose to fight will be...Princess Twilight Sparkle! I also am allowed to choose the weapon with which we fight. I may have heard it from the humans but I trust them enough to use it. my weapon of choice is...lightsabers!" Discord used his magic to bring such things into existence. It looked like a cylinder of metal, but as I pushed a red button, a green sliver of light protruded from a hole in it. It was truly a saber made of light. Twilight's saber was a solid purple, fitting her purple color scheme. She used her magic to allow herself to stand upright on to legs. This would have been a disadvantage for me, but I soon found myself feeling magic's touch upon me. I looked at Luna and saw that the full extent of her magic was keeping Celestia at bay. I looked around and saw that no horn was lit except those of Twilight, Luna, and Celestia. This unknown magic confused me, but I then heard a call from a female human saying, "We believe in you, Spike. We always did." It was their love and affections towards me that spawned this new magic; the Magic of Belief. They truly believed in me, which gave me the ability to use magic of my own. I used this magic to give me the knowledge that the humans had of how to use a lightsaber. Twilight only gave a cocky smirk.

"I'm sorry it has to end this way, Spike, but I will be glad to be the one to satisfy your pains."

"How ironic that your also the one that started them." Her smirk went away, and as it did a quiet and lonely voice cried,

"Duel of the Fates!"
and yet, more and more, it got louder and stronger as the chant went on. "Duel of the Fates! Duel of the Fates!" I did not understand any reference, if there was any, but this truly would be...a duel of the fates.

Author's Note

Next chapter is the big one; the ultimatum in this story. Be prepared for it.

Duel of the Fates

The sounds coming from my light based blade were enough to unsettle anypony that was not used to them. The sense of battle was also unsettling. For a minute or two, all that occurred was Twilight and myself staring each other down and the bronies chanting "Duel of the Fates!" in succession. Their chanting did die down, but it was only replaced by a new chant; one of a more...musical...nature. The way it sounded was gibberish, but it gave out a sense that the fight should commence; a song of battle. It sounded a lot like...

Korah. Matah. Korah. Rahtahmah.

and continued with a steady but low beat. It filled me with power; filled me with a longing to fight, and so I gave in to my longing. With a purposeful roar, I charged full speed at Twilight, my blade at my side;her doing the same, and upon reaching her, our blades met at last. Screeching and sparking like fire, we were locked in a hold; a test of power. We separated, only to clash again. The bronies that were not chanting were cheering. The feeling of battle, which I had not felt before, was intoxicating. It could only be described as intoxicating, as the cadence and rhythm of our parries become almost metronomic. One stance after another. Another fixture of holding the sword only to be countered by the other's. Clash after clash. We could not best the other. Only tire them out. The duel of the fates become more than that. It become a duel of determination; of who's will was stronger. The first to tire would be the first to fall; I just hope it wouldn't be me. Purple and green struck each other countless times. I thought it would never end.

We had been clashing for what seemed like hours when I felt it. The unrelenting power inside me. Most would have called it cheating as the field on which we battled had changed. I called it Lady Justice's way of telling me to win, and giving me a gift to help me do so. That's right. My wings finally came! They weren't some puny baby wings you would expect for new wings. They were size-proportional, dragon-sized, strength-filled wings. With these new wings, I was able to take the field by advantage. She did have wings, yes, but even after having them for five years, she had still used magic to get around. Those wings became only a symbol to her; a symbol which defined her as royalty. Next thing I see is Twilight looking at me in shock and as I looked closer she was...crying. My foe, which at this point was fighting me to the death, had realized her demise. "Ha! You see, Twilight? Wings aren't so bad. Maybe you should have learned to use yours." What she said next both moved me and shocked me.

"I'm so proud of you, Spike."

"What?! Is that what you have to say? Draw your sword, Twilight! Let's finish this! You may be proud of me, but I'm not. I'm just a lowly dragon in a society of ponies. This is my time to prove I can be a dragon. This is my time when I...will...rise!" and with a thundering roar, I charged at her head-long, willing to risk it all to prove myself. I struck with ferocity, unrelenting in every blow I delivered. She was not even trying to gain ground, she was only parrying my blows. She was trying to tire me out, letting me give it my all, then as soon as I stopped she would strike. I broke from my assault, panting as I had put everything into my blows. "I see your tricks, Twilight. Anger me then chop me down once I cool. Very clever."

"I wasn't attempting that, but it could have worked. Spike, why are you so mad?"

"You bitch! The fact that you have the gall to ask me that shows how naïve you are. You are the reason I am mad! The fact that you have treated me like a slave all these years. Who wrote your letters? Me! Who cleaned your house? Me! Who did a lot of your chores when you were a filly? Me! Who did all that, Twilight? I did! Alone! You thanked me only when my duties were public, and you never once thanked me if your friends weren't around, and ever since you became a princess, you haven't even been speaking to me. What am I to you, Twilight? Am I just your little servant? Your little Spikey-Wikey that you can get away with pushing around? Well, let me do a little report of my own. Dear Twilight, he died years ago, five to be exact! You showed me kindness and cherishment, yes, but only so that I didn't see what you were really doing: buttering me up to so that I would serve you forever."

"You seem to know everything Spike. Tell me, have you forgotten that I was the one that hatched you; the one that gave you life?"

"Ha! You didn't give me life. You only cracked my shell. The one who gave me life was my mother, my real mother, who I was stole from by your princess. Have you ever thought about that, Twilight? I could been a regular dragon, with dragon friends and a dragon family, possibly a dragon girlfriend, living a dragon life. I could have had all that, but you tore that away from me. Now do you know why I am mad? Your kind has never seen my kind with respect or kindness. It's about high time I did something about it."

"Am I the bane of your existence then? Well then, let me finish my job!" With this she charged at me, blade ready to kill me, but she fell short of her goals, as with quick reflexes, I had pierced her in the stomach. I looked...and she looked and we knew the deed was done. She fell grasping her gut, trying to stay alive for as long as possible. The other Bearers of the Elements did not waste a second as they all came charging at me head long, and in what I can only describe as a dragonic rage, I cut them all down, one by one. Each was mercilessly carved. Dying as they came in range. Once I awoke from this rage, I saw before me six dead ponies, each of which I had a special connection to. I only stood in shock of my actions. "What have I done? They weren't supposed to die. They were just supposed to see that I didn't plan to take any more of Twilight. They weren't supposed to die. Nooooooooooooooooooo!"

Celestia looked down from her conflict with Luna, and saw the ghastly sight of six dead ponies and one dragon, who had killed them. She had fire coming out of her eyes, and whatever balance their was in her and Luna's strength was obliterated. "You have killed my subjects, now I will crush you!" As I anticipated my death, a familiar whirr came to my ear. One that I had only heard when I was with The Doctor. Celestia was only inches from me, when she was stopped. She came close to me, but never enough to touch me. I wondered at this as she tried to utterly destroy me, but then I looked behind me and there stood the TARDIS. Apperently, it has the ability to protect those in it's range. Its doors flew open and I, along with Princess Luna, were sucked into it. It then began its whirring once again, meaning w were getting a first class trip somewhere.

Luna, being new to the TARDIS, had a lot of questions. "Spike, what is happening? Where are we going?"

"Believe me, Luna. I have no earthly idea."

"Earthly?" Her lack of knowledge of human words could only put a smile on my face. As the whirring stopped, the doors of the TARDIS opened, revealing a new scenery. Now it was my turn to be unknowledgable, and for Luna to know everything. She looked around in wonder of where the TARDIS had landed us. "We don't know how that box did it, but we are in the past in the land of Veros."

"Umm, Luna? Where and when are we, exactly?"

"Oh Spike. Don't you see? We are in your homeland!"

"My...homeland?"

"Yes, Spike. We are where your specific species of dragon live and breed and, back in the day, we loved getting to know every dragon's name."

"Really? That's really interesti..."

"What? What is it Spi...oh. Oh! I see... Love at first sight."

She knew exactly what was going on, because my eyes were on one really cute dragon who was getting gems from a deposit nearby. "What's her name?"

"We know it, but why don't you go learn it, Romeo?"

I didn't think twice about it. I went right over to her and started to look at her up close. I couldn't think of what to say, but, "Hi."

"Hello."

"Umm, uh."

"May I help you with something?"

"No, no. I just wanted to tell you that you're very pretty."

"Really? You think I'm pretty?"

"Yeah. Has no one told you that?"

"Not really, no. Are you sure Jura didn't put you up to this?"

"No, not at all. I don't even know a Jura. You are really pretty though."

"Thanks. You're pretty cute too."

"Oh, gosh." And I blushed so hard, it was visible, and I knew so because then this very attractive dragon began giggling. My name is Spike. What's yours?"

"I've been called many things, but you may call me...Vakim."

"And that's how I met your grandmother." Spike said with a face of reminiscence.

"Grandfather, what happened next?" his grandson asked eagerly.

"Well, that my dear boy, is a new tale all on its own." Spike said with a grin.

Author's Note

Hope you guys enjoyed Differences. There is an upcoming sequel, so the story isn't over. I am looking for a co-writer, so that the story can have more than one opinion, so if you are interested, P.M me so that we can start discussing the story. Thanks for reading and Long Live The Dragon!