MLP: The Fight for Friendship

by sapiking

Rating: teen
Tags: Crossover, Twilight Sparkle, Main 6, Gore, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Dark, Adventure
Length: 81731

After the events of Equestria Girls, Twilight is glad to be with all her friends back in Equestria, where everything is back to normal in her life. Or is it...?

After returning from her adventures in an alternate world of bipedal creatures with 'hands', Twilight struggles with the reality of becoming a princess. And fears that it might be a burden greater than she could bear.

Unbeknownst to her and her friends, a great evil has arrived to the peaceful lands of Equestria. An evil that threatens to wipe out all that they hold dear in this world. And the little ponies will be forced to come to grips with the discovery that they are not alone in the multiverse...

Will the bearers of the Elements of Harmony be able to face this new enemy, or will their circle of friendship be broken... forever?

(cover done by bakki from DeviantArt, click on image to view the artist's gallery or go to this link = http://bakki.deviantart.com/ if you'd like to see more of bakki's art)

Published 2013-08-12 13:50:01 UTC
Last updated 2015-03-23 06:36:56 UTC

The Coming Storm - Part 1

“Twilight… Twilight!”

“Hmm…?” The lavender mare was shaken from her reverie at the sound of her name being called out enthusiastically by a familiar voice. She turned her head away from the magnificent view of Canterlot city where she had been spending the better part of the week at. Just in time to catch the sight of a pink-hued pony bouncing her way past Twilight’s bedroom to join her outside on the balcony where Twilight was just gazing out into the city.

“Well, there you are Twilight! We’ve been looking all over the place for you! You’re missing out on the Canterlot Garden celebrations! Just what are you doing up here all by yourself anyway?”

“Pinkie Pie! I… er… I’ve just been distracted, that’s all.” Twilight replied hastily to her hyperactive friend. Though one could hardly blame her, the sight of a pink-colored mare bouncing ever closer with each sentence can sidetrack anypony’s train of thought. Pinkie Pie came to a halt just a hoof away from Twilight’s muzzle.

“Distracted? By what?” questioned Pinkie Pie. But before Twilight could muster another reply, Pinkie’s gaze veered away from her towards the balcony and she zipped off in a pink blur past Twilight.

“Oooooh…” the pink mare exclaimed. “Rarity was right, you do have the best view of the city!” Pinkie scanned Canterlot from the edge of her advantageous position taking in the sights and sounds of the city night as it's citizens went about in a festive mood, their uplifting jubilee filling the atmosphere of Canterlot. She could hardly contain her excitement, but then again, it’s not hard to get excited when you’re Pinkie Pie.

“Oh look! I can see Pony Joe’s donut shop from here! Oh, oh… there’s the spa Rarity took us to this morning! And isn’t that Photo Finish and her posse on their way here to the castle? I bet she’s coming to vwerk zer magiks!”

Pinkie giggled amusingly at her own attempt at mimicking Photo Finish’s accent before gazing downwards closer to the castle grounds. In the lavish garden where the celebration was being held, ponies were mingling around. Those in charge of organizing the event hurried about to ensure everything was in order and hopefully, to avoid any unnecessary catastrophes from happening. Trouble had been known to find its way to Canterlot when the bearers of the Elements of Harmony came a visiting, and the ponies were well aware of the fact that should anything out of the ordinary occur, they would have to be ready for the worst.

Pinkie’s eyes suddenly caught sight of a particular group of ponies massing around the garden and gave a squeal of joy.

“Eeek!!! It looks like the cosplayers have finally decided to show their stuff!”

“The who-and-the-what now?” Twilight’s face was a picture of confusion.

“Oh silly Twily!” Pinkie chuckled. “Everypony knows cosplayers are ponies who come dressed up as their favorite character from real life or comic books or television! Basically, it can be any character who is popular enough to be recognized in an instant when somepony comes dressed up as one. You know, like us!” Pinkie finished the last words with her front hooves pumped into the air enthusiastically with a big smile on her face.

“Right…” One of Twilight’s eyebrows rose in a quizzical manner. “So it’s like Nightmare Night, but without the scare factor. I guess that kinds of make sense, ever since Rarity influenced Fancy Pants on his views of common ponies, the Canterlot Garden Party is no longer just an event for the sophisticated and posh ponies of Canterlot; now everypony can be part of this great festival but…” Twilight puts her hoof to her chin and pondered. “This is our first ever Canterlot Garden celebration with the change implemented, how do you know so much about…”

Her question was cut short by Pinkie’s short attention span as the pink mare stretched impossibly far over the ledge of the balcony and exclaimed.

“Oooh!!! I see several other Pinkie Pies down there! Gee, those are some really good costumes those ponies have on. A little too good… what if, what if those are not costumes?” Pinkie gasped in realization. “What if they are all me? But, if they are me, then who am I? Am I the real Pinkie Pie? Did I go back into the Mirror Pool and come out not me? If that’s true, then how will I know who is the real me? Awww… I’m not sure if I can watch paint dry all over again!”

Pinkie slapped her front hoofs to her head in exaggerated frustration while Twilight could only smile and shake her head in affection at her friend.

“Oh Pinkie, I’m not sure I’ll ever understand you, or if I even want to!” She chuckled knowing Pinkie was just being the Pinkie she had come to love and appreciate. She was the pony who could bring laughter and smiles to anypony, and Twilight was very grateful to have a friend like her. Celestia knows she could use some laughter right about now…

“There you are darling!” a melodious voice proclaimed. “I knew we would find you holed up in your own room.”

A white mare entered the princess’s door and trotted gracefully through Twilight’s chambers. She was the picture of perfection with her sleek white coat and glossy, deep purple mane that fell luxuriously around her unicorn horn which was crowned with a jewel-encrusted tiara. Her long eyelashes fluttered ever so slightly over her striking blue eyes that were complemented by a golden necklace hanging around her collar with a large heart shaped fire ruby at the center. She was wearing a magnificent gown that draped over her body splendidly while leaving a tasteful slit near her rear, revealing her cutie mark, her signature three blue diamonds. Following closely by her side was another mare, one of an orange hue with three red apples for her cutie mark. Her blonde mane was tied in a ponytail with a patch swishing under her ever-present farm hat, her gait was less graceful than her classy friend but it had the surety of a pony who was no stranger to physical exertions. As opposed to Rarity, she did not have any makeup or fancy dresses on but she was by no means an ugly pony, in fact her freckles and bright green eyes gave her a natural beauty anypony would find attractive. Plus which pony could resist that country accent she spoke with?

“Howdy Twilight! Like Rarity just said, we’d reckon if ya’ll weren’t at the garden, ya’ll would be back up ere’. Looks like Pinkie Pie beat us to ya though…”

Applejack spotted her pink friend as she hopped over to greet the newcomers with Twilight in tow.

“Yup, yup, yup! What took you girls so long? I totally want to head down there and Paaaar-tie!” Pinkie looked as if she was about to explode with excitement.

“We might ave’ gotten ere sooner if it weren’t for somepony who took their own sweet time in front o’ the mirror.”

Applejack rolled her eyes and turned accusingly at Rarity who let out a little gasp.

“Well, Applejack darling, you know how important it is for a lady to look fabulous especially on a night like this.” Rarity flipped her mane in pride. “And after all the shopping we did earlier in the city? My mane was a complete mess! I simply had to make myself more presentable for all my fans out there tonight.” Rarity closed her eyes and swooned at the idea of having many adoring ponies surrounding her at the garden celebration. Applejack just stared at the fantasizing Rarity, somewhat unsurprised at the reaction she got.

“Uh-huh… if ya say so sugarcube.” She playfully nudged Rarity out of her dreamy state while Pinkie and Twilight giggled at her annoyance from Applejack's disruption.

“Ha-ha, oh Applejack, I never thought I would see the day Rarity would be able to drag you along on one of her shopping sprees.” Twilight chuckled. “I thought you hated shopping with a passion.”

“Ah do!” Applejack confessed. “Ah just wanted to see Spike do all that heavy liftin’ for Rarity, its mighty fun watching em’ both head in and out of em’ fancy shops with Spike’s load getting’ bigger each time.” Applejack grinned remembering the afternoon she had with Rarity and Spike. “Heck, da best part was when we were back at Rarity’s room. Spike just kept starin’ at her puttin’ on all that make up like a luv struck puppy!”

“Speaking of Spike, where is he?” Twilight suddenly came to realization that she had not seen her loyal friend and longest companion since he left with Rarity earlier in the day.

“Ah thought he was right behind us.” Applejack glanced behind instinctively but Spike was definitely not behind her. “Rarity, did ya’ll misplace Spike or sumthin’?”

“Why I never! I would never do such a thing to my little Spikey-wikey…”

As if on cue, a small purple dragon with green spikes running along his back appeared at the door carrying a bundle of clothes.

“Hi guys! Sorry I missed a corner, I er… kinda got distracted by the royal jeweler and his glass case of gems.” Spike shamefully admitted. “Oh and here are your clothes, Rarity. I did my best not to jumble them up too much.”

“Aww… my Spikey-Wikey,” cooed Rarity as she used the magic emitting from her horn to levitate the clothes from Spike’s claws, laying them out orderly on Twilight’s bed. She turned back to Spike and battered her long eyelashes at him lovingly, which caused his little dragon heart to beat twice as fast.

“Thank you for being such a dear today and helping me with all those shopping bags, what would I ever do without you?”

She gave Spike a wet smooch on his cheek. The little dragon blushed hard in the cheeks, went all lightheaded, and could hardly contain his pleasure from being kissed by the pony of his desires.

“Anything for you most beautiful one,” Spike blurted out.

Spike went weak at the knees and swayed dangerously from side to side. When it looked as if he was about to topple over, Applejack put her hoof out to steady the little dragon before that could happen.

“Hoho there loverboy, ya might wanna take a seat and cool off that heat wave.”

Applejack chuckled while helping Spike lower himself to the floor. He sprawled out with his front claws supporting his face with his eyes still fixed on Rarity as her attention was now turned to Twilight.

“Isn’t she just the most beautiful thing in all of Equestria?” Spike muttered in adoration. Applejack just shook her head at Spike’s never ending crush on Rarity.

“Twilight darling, these clothes are to be your ensemble for the evening. How could I ever allow my friend, a princess no less, to attend a Canterlot Garden event without looking ravishing? And no, not a single word about sticking to simple and practical, I will not hear of it.”

Twilight sighed in defeat, she knew it was a lost cause to convince Rarity not to pamper her with the dresses she had made specifically for Twilight. Usually she would just let Rarity work her magic on her; after all, the six of them would enjoy the occasional fancy party that Rarity loved so much. Hay, even Applejack would relent every now and then and allowing Rarity to doll her up a bit for an event. Then why was she feeling reluctant about tonight’s event? She did not want her friends to worry about any of her personal feelings; tonight was a night they all deserved to enjoy together as friends, as family. She hid her inner turmoil behind a smile and simply nodded at Rarity to proceed. The white mare began to help Twilight with her dress without any suspicion of her thoughts.

“Ah-ha! I knew I’d find you up here egghead!”

The little group of friends looked up at the source of the voice. Making a dramatic flyby entrance was a cyan pegasus with a rainbow colored mane as a cloud with a rainbow lightning striking out of it was apparent on her flank. She landed onto the balcony of the princess’s room with a blast of wind exploding from the impact, showing off her impressive wing power. Following her lead was another pegasus, fluttering gently behind her. Her pink mane flowed down her head, gracing her yellow coat as she timidly planted herself beside Rainbow Dash.

“See Fluttershy, I knew we should have started searching at Twi’s place first instead of going through the entire castle area,” Rainbow Dash proudly declared to her yellow companion.

“Um… actually, this was the first place I suggested we search for her,” Fluttershy replied in a soft, hardly audible voice. Rainbow Dash didn’t even hear her as she walked towards the rest of the ponies.

“Hey Rarity, what’s taking so long for you to get Twilight all fixed up and ready? I thought you’d be done by now.”

“Really Rainbow Dash, you hurt me,” Rarity jokingly replied while she adjusted a headdress to Twilight’s crown. “We had just arrived barely moments ago, give me a few more seconds and then I’ll be done, darling.”

“Oh! Dashie, did you see all those ponies down there dressed up in costumes? There were even quite a few who decided to come looking like us!”

“I know right? I managed to spot them while I was flying around, and I saw some really cool costumes of myself! It was, totally, awesome!”

“Don’t encourage er' Pinkie, now we’re neh-var gonna hear the end o’ it.”

“Don't be jealous Applejack, I'm sure there are ponies who would love to dress up as a strong, scruffy workhorse. Of course if they wanted to be one of the coolest ponies of the night, then they'll be turning up with rainbow-colored manes and blue wings like your's truly.”

“Hey, who ya callin' scruffy?”

Twilight couldn't help but smile at her friends' antics. Now they were all together, six best friends who have been through so much in the past few years. And despite their differences, they have remained steadfast companions through thick and thin, facing enemies like Discord and Chrysalis, going through challenges that have tested their bond together, and still they come out on top even closer than ever. And was it surprising? As the bearers of the Elements of Harmony, it felt like nothing will ever separate their friendship, even Twilight's recent journey to track down her crown from Sunset Shimmer in the other world proved that the magic of friendship could overcome any obstacle. Then... why did she feel that becoming a princess would put that friendship to the test even more-so than before? Sure, any serious responsibilities that came with being a princess of Equestria were not imposed on Twilight as her coronation was still just very recent. Plus Princess Celestia seemed to be preoccupied with business outside the castle as of late, but distractions can only hold off reality for so long; sooner or later, Twilight would have to face her destiny. Destiny... a word Twilight never thought she would come to dread so much these days. She felt a slight nudge against her wings that brought her out of deep thought. She faced the pony who did it and she found herself looking at Fluttershy's kindly muzzle.

“You look really pretty Twilight, I mean, um... not that you usually aren't... but oh, you look really, really, really good in that dress Rarity made for you. I don't think think anypony tonight will be as pretty as you are! Er, but that’s just my... personal opinion.” Fluttershy blushed slightly at being so outspoken.

“There! All done.” Rarity made a final adjustment to her new masterpiece. “And I must say Twilight dear, I have to agree with Fluttershy, in all my years of fashion designing, even I have rarely seen a pony as ravishing as you look now.”

Twilight certainly did look every part the princess with her purple gown inlaid with gold, silver, and shimmering stars that seemed to move and flow along with the dress, seeming to give it a life of its own. It closely resembled Princess Luna's mane. The dress had sapphires and diamonds adorning the length of her train, while ruby-encrusted golden horseshoes graced her hooves as her legs were veiled by the finest velvet. And on top of her now swirly and rolled up mane sat her crown with a complementing headdress that had multicolored feathers caressing the sides, giving it the majesty of a peacock's tail. Even Rainbow Dash couldn't help praising her friend.

“Wow, Twi, even I have to admit you look pretty amazing.”

“Ab-so-lutely duper lookey!”

“Well dont'cha look just swell Twilight. I'd reckon this da best job Rarity's done with ya'll. Ain't that right Spike?”

“Ugh... I think I'm gonna be si... I mean yes! Yes Twilight, you look simply, uh colorful!” Spike quickly changed his tune after a sharp hoof to the tail by Applejack.

“Still not as gorgeous as someponyelse...” Spike muttered under his breath as he turned his eyes towards Rarity.

“Aww... thanks guys.” Twilight blushed hard. “I guess we should be heading down to the garden now...”

“Whoopee!!!” Pinkie leaped into the air and zoomed out the door. She popped her head back in with a jester hat and clown makeup on her face while holding a giant pop-gun in her hoof.

“C'mon girls! I don't want to miss a single moment more than I have to!”

“Right behind ya, Pinkie!”

Rainbow dashed out after the party mare. The rest of the ponies trotted after them equally excited to enjoy the Canterlot Garden celebration. As Twilight was about to follow her friends, Applejack raised a hoof barring Twilight from leaving.

“Is there somethin' botherin' ya Twi? Ya'll seem a bit... off lately.”

“Wha... whatever do you mean Applejack? I'm perfectly fine.”

“Horse feathers! Ah might not be the smartest of ponies, Twi, but ah know when somepony is tryin' ta hide sumthin' from er' friends. Ya'll been awfully quiet ever since we got ere' earlier this week; ya won't hang out with us, play with us, hay ya didn't even join us fer dinner last couple o' nights. Tha others might not ave' noticed it, but ah have.”

“It, it... it's just, I've been so busy learning about being a princess and reading up on various books to get ready for my next level of studies, you know, before princess Celestia returns from her important business.”

“Uh-huh, right before she told ya ta relax an' have fun with yer best friends while she was gone? Ya'll do remember dat, right, Twilight?”

Twilight sighed. She did remember, Princess Celestia had bid them farewell before leaving Canterlot just as the ponies had arrived from Ponyville. She had reassured her most faithful student Twilight that she need not worry about anything regarding her royal status and just have fun preparing for the Canterlot Garden celebration. However, her kind words were not enough to put Twilight's mind at ease. But she could not bring herself to confess her inner thoughts to her friends, not just yet, they had been so supportive of her it would be selfish of her to ruin their night at the gardens.

“Look Applejack, I don't know what to say.” She hung her head in reply to her blonde maned friend. “I guess I've just been really tired lately. All these public appearances as a princess does get to a pony after-all. You need not worry, Applejack, like I said, I'm perfectly fine.”

She gave a nervous smile as the orange mare studied her face. She wasn't sure Applejack bought her story; it wasn't a particularly good one at that. But Applejack didn't press the matter further.

“Au-right Twilight, I supposed its non a' ma business ta snoop on yer personal life, but just so yer remember, 'princess'...”
At the last phrase Applejack wrapped a foreleg around Twilight's neck and gave her a reassuring smile.

“We'll always be ere' for yer sugarcube.”

It was a small gesture, but it was all it took for all of the pent up emotions Twilight had kept inside of her to come swelling up. And it took all of her will to keep herself from bursting into tears. But as she looked at Applejack's face with her warm smile and freckled muzzle staring lovingly back at her, she could not hold her feelings in any longer. Here was the face of the pony anypony can depend on, the pony that would be honest and true to those around her even at her own expense, who would never let her friends down when it mattered most. But even Applejack could not be there for Twilight forever...

Twilight's eyes moistened and a single tear rolled down her cheeks as she blinked back the pain. Applejack saw this and assumed that her friend was just touched by what she said.

“Whoa there Twi, if ah knew dat was gonna make yer emotional an all, ah would've kept ma mouth shut.”

She went behind Twilight and put her head to her friend's flank and pushed Twilight out of her room before using her hind legs to close the doors.

“C'mon 'yer majesty'! Ah know just the thing to put a smile back on those royal lips of yers.”

Later that night...

“Phew! I'm beat! That sure was some party, eh, Twilight?”
“It sure was, Spike.” Twilight replied him with a tired smile on her face.

Applejack was right, the party had lifted her spirits, even if it was just for the night. It was a crazy blur but Twilight still managed to remember a few details here and there. She was overwhelmed by the amount of fans her little group of six had. There were so many ponies and fillies who came in costumes resembling Twilight and her friends, and they all wanted auto-hoof-graphs while showering the princess and the other ponies with gifts and flowers. Rarity and Rainbow Dash basked in all the attention they were getting, little surprise there. Rainbow showed off her flying moves for everypony to see and even performed a short stunt show for the cheering crowd. Though she did not quite pull off the Sonic Rainboom that she braggingly said she would do for the first time at night, but the everypony did get a taste of her famous Buccaneer Blaze and that was satisfying enough. Rarity had a chance to meet Fancy Pants and a group of Canterlot ponies who were at first very unused to the rowdy nature of the party, but soon got over it with Rarity's help. She even managed to get a few of them to join in on some of the more rough and tumble games which in its own was a small miracle. Spending all that time together with her other five friends had managed to rub off some of Rarity's phobia of getting messy, and now in turn she was doing it to the elite of Canterlot's society, what was the world coming to?

Fluttershy surprisingly had found herself a group of ponies who adored nature and animals and had viewed Fluttershy as a role model of sorts, though it would be more accurate to say they found her as Fluttershy was constantly trying to avoid all the attention she was getting. Applejack had brought her banjo along and had played alongside the other music talents who were there at the party. Speaking of which, MC W1SH and DJ PON3 sure do know how to put on a show, everypony went wild when they came on stage together to perform. But things really went out of hoof when Pinkie Pie decided she wanted to up the ante, and when Pinkie decided that a party wasn't party enough for her, you know you were in for a night of your life. Dear Celestia, the things she did with that party cannon of hers...

Twilight's horn glowed as she mused about the night she had been through, the doors behind glowed a slight purple color as they closed behind Twilight, manipulated by her magic. In a burst of magical energy Twilight disappears from the front of the doors and reappears at her dressing table. She levitated her headdress from her mane and gently placed it on her desk as she watched the reflection stare back at her from the mirror. She could still hear the laughter of her friends in her head as they had parted ways to their respective chambers for the night, all that fun she had, reminded her of all the good times they spent together in Ponyville, when she was just a regular old unicorn. She wished the night could go on forever, but she knew that could not happen.

“It sure was...” she whispered to herself.

“You say something Twilight?” Spiked asked as he was climbing into his bed on the floor that was besides Twilight's own. He had surrounded himself with the many gifts that he got from the Canterlot Garden party, Spike had a fair share of fans as well.

“Oh it's nothing Spike, just thinking out loud.” Twilight gave a long pause as she continued to look at herself in the mirror, the purple star glittering slightly on top of her crown, a crown that she was beginning to feel the weight of its significance on her brow.

“Sigh... Spike, you remember the talk we had a while ago, about Celestia giving me my own Kingdom to rule one day? I know you mentioned that you believed in me, and how I would make a good ruler and, and I really appreciate it Spike I really do. But, that’s not the only thing on my mind, its not just the new responsibilities I'm afraid of it's... our friends, what if I had to leave them behind? What if I'll never be able to spend time with them as I used to and our friendship just fades into obscurity? What if something happens that will separate us forever? Wha... what if... Spike... Spike?”

Twilight turned her head around, she saw Spike had already fallen asleep snoring in his little bed with his arms and legs sprawled out. Twilight did not get upset, instead she trotted carefully over to her childhood friend who had been by her side ever since she was taken in by Celestia to be her prize student. As she reached Spike she gently tucked him in and pulled the covers over him with her mouth before getting undressed for a quick shower.

As she got ready for bed, Twilight switched off the lights with her magic and got under the plush covers of her bed. She had managed to get use to her wings and they no longer irritate her as she tried to get comfortable, at least not as much as they use to. If she could get used to 'hands' and walking bipedal then she was not about to let wings stop her from having a good night's rest, Celestia knows she could use some right now.

“Good night Spike, sweet dreams...”

Twilight snuggled her pillow and drifted off to Luna's domain, the land of dreams...

“You know Celestia, this wasn't exactly what I had in mind when you said you had need for my powers.”

Discord had his arms stretched out, energy cackling from the tip of his one scaled, one pawed fingertips. His slender awkwardly colored body, a sharp contrast to the snowy landscape of the Frozen North, formed ghostly shadows flickering around him as the magical energies he conjured up danced and flowed through the night's sky striking a mountainside where a black gaping rift had made its presence on Eqeustrian soil. Standing slightly behind him was non other than Princess Celestia herself, with a look of serious determination on her royal visage. Surrounding them was a company of her closest ponyguards garbed in their gold armor with spears that bear the royal insignia just below the tip. And even though on the outside they were unfazed by the situation, deep down they were deeply troubled by the event they currently bear witness to.

“As I said Discord, the situation is grim and certain... alternatives were required of me to gamble on.” The Equestrian ruler stood unwilling to be intimidated by the seriousness of the matter at hand. Her eyes were fixed on the black rift that Discord was aiming his magic at. It seemed to have gotten bigger since the first time she discovered it a few moons ago.

“And if Fluttershy had not been successful at, ugh, reforming me... what, pray tell, would you have done then?”

“I would have done everything in my power to harness the chaos energies you so enjoy using, and if not, I have other means at my disposal like those black crystals over there!”

Celestia snapped, pointing with her right hoof at a semi-circle of black crystals positioned in front of the rift. They glistened with a darkness blacker than the blackest night with swirling energies with the color of rust and mold flowed in and out of the crystals and onto each other, creating a sickly picture against the purity of the snow covered lands. They were absorbing the foul tendrils of darkness that seemed to be emitting from the rift and distributing among themselves, their effectiveness at holding back the rift from expanding beyond eight feet and all directions was amplified by Discord's power. Celestia had taken great risks in creating them, by applying magic similar to the deceased King Sombra's in corruption. If it were not for the help and magic of her younger sister Luna combined with hers she could have fallen under the influence... but now was not the time to think of such things, what was important was keeping the gaping darkness at bay before she could come up with a solution to seal it off for good. If it could even be achieved...

“Well, I was just asking a question princess, no need to get all snappy about it.” Discord faked his offense at Celestia. “This is what I get for turning to the good side...” sighed dramatically and closed his eyes in phony sadness. Whether Celestia was really fooled by Discord's usual prankster humor or she merely didn't notice we might never know, as she looked up to Discord apologetically.

“I'm... I apologize Discord.” she managed to admit while remaining composed and regal as was becoming of a pony of her stature.

“However this IS serious, in all my centuries of ruling Equestria I have never come across such unbridled evil as such emitting from this rift. It was fortunate that Luna and myself managed to discover its existence when we did. Other than the three of us and my most trusted ponyguards no one else is aware of this rift. And I intend to keep it that way.”
Discord was genuinely surprised at Celestia's sudden honest admission to him. Of all the creatures of Equestria she had chosen to share this closely kept secret with him, Discord, the spirit of chaos. Though that was probably out of necessity as he was the one being that possessed this much chaos power at his command, and it seemed to be the only thing holding the rift at bay.

“Apology accepted.” Discord flinched a little as he zapped a particularly large tendril that tried to make its way out from the rift and escape into the night's sky.

“I am curious though... now hear me out first, when do you intend on informing your precious student Twilight and her friends regarding this... mess? No offense to your royal pride but I suspect the Elements of Harmony might help us a teensy-weetzy bit here in our dilemma. I should know, after all I have personally tasted its power, twice... and it tasted like cotton candy with chocolate! Just, more painful.”

Celestia would normally chastise Discord for making jokes at such a perilous hour, but she found his mischievous humor strangely comforting in such a dire time. For many months she had to put on a mask and face her subjects daily with her usual routine to give the impression everything was fine and in order, while every night she would secretly check on the rift while her sister guarded the night. She had almost lost all composure when Sunset Shimmer had snuck into Twilight's room and stole her crown, causing her to have Twilight go to the other realm on her own in search of her Element of Harmony. All the sleepless nights and the power required to hold the rift in check had drained her considerably, and she would have broken down in front of her little ponies had it not been for Luna, who reassured her older sister and gave her strength in her hour of need. She had offered to charge the crystals and watch over the rift during the day as well since its powers seemed to wane during that time. It would theoretically have a greater effect on stabilizing the rift even more, but Celestia forbade it. She wanted her sister to be rested and ready, should it ever come to pass that Celestia herself could not survive the coming darkness... at least her sister Luna would be there to care for the citizens of Equestria, and her faithful student, a pony she had come to love and care for just as much as her own sister, Twilight Sparkle.

“No.” Celestia firmly protested, but there was benignity in her voice. “No, Twilight and her friends cannot know unless absolutely necessary. Not even princess Cadence and Shinning Armor are aware of the rift's existence. I cannot risk the Elements of Harmony and their bearers until I am completely sure of what this stain on my land is. They will be the last line of defense should we fall... not even you can hold it forever Discord.”

Celestia's voice trailed off as Discord scoffed at this remark.

“Pffft... Princess puh-lyz, I used to rule all of Equestria on my own in case you've already forgotten. I'm the spirit of Chaos, I can manipulate reality at a single thought. Compared to a thousand years of boredom trapped in stone, this is a piece of cake!”

Celestia looked at Discord, and despite his attempt at humor, she could see that he was strained with the task at charging the crystals and keeping the darkness at bay. The days were taking its toil on him and even Discord in his heart of hearts, knew that the princess spoke the truth. He may have been able to wreak chaos on Equestria without so much as breaking a sweat but this was something entirely different. Though chaos energies seemed to be the only thing capable of pacifying the rift, he wasn't so sure that it wasn't feeding off of his magic as well. And despite his haughty exterior towards the princess, he too was afraid of the fact that in all his experience, in his darkest moments in history, he has never come across anything that gave him such dread as this black hole did. And part of him was glad that Celestia did not want Twilight and her friends to be here, because that meant Fluttershy would have to come along. Fluttershy, the one pony that cared enough to be his friend even when her own close friends would not even try. The thought of his only friend being here in the icy desolate wasteland of the Frozen North at the mercy of that miserable excuse for a black hole, stirred up something inside Discord, did he really care what would happen to Fluttershy? Discord was't very good at this friendship thing yet but he knew if somepony tried to harm Fluttershy he would...

“Aaaaaarggggggghhh!!!”

“Discord!”

Celestia had a look of horror on her face as Discord was knocked back by a sudden surge of energy from the black rift back-lashed against Discord, the most powerful she had seen thus far. Ripples of dark magic shot across the night's sky from the initial blast as the rift began to violently convulse and contort. A giant black oily tendril launched itself from the middle of the rift towards the fallen Discord at a frightening speed. Celestia leaps in front of him and creates a blazing trail of magical energy from her horn to counter the tendrils. Both energies collide and the struggle on who would prevail began. Sweat broke from Celestia's brow as she gritted her teeth in agony, closing her eyes as she did so in hope of keeping her focus. Time seemed to slow around her and noises muted to a drawl. She could barely make out the sound of her guards calling after their beloved princess as they rushed to her side, but even if they were to reach her, there was nothing they could do to aid her against such an enemy. No, Celestia had to win this on her own.

The black tentacle pushed ever closer to her as she battled with all her might, but it was a lost cause as the dark energies drew ever closer to the princess. She would not have it, she would not lose to this vile entity that had cost her so much just to see it triumph over her. But she could not fight it, not alone, she needed help but it was too dangerous... the oily mass was already closing in on Celestia and would engulf her at any moment, memories of her battle with Chrysalis began to resurface, the image of her falling, the look of fear and disbelief on her subjects, the mocking laughter of the Changling Queen, the bearers of the Elements of Harmony rushing to save their princess, Twilight Sparkle...

“Never again!”

Celestia let out a word of power and streaks of magical energies branched out from her horn to connect with the black crystals near the rift, the affect was nearly instantaneous. Celestia's felt the boost of power throughout her entire body, and it felt rejuvenating, addictive even. She concentrated her magic once more, her eyes glowed covering up her pupils in a bright light as she unleashed her powers. Her energy beam tripled in size, the force of her new momentum pushed the writhing tendril back to whence it came and it reentered the rift with a sickly squish and eerie moan that faded into the wind. Celestia's energy beam now thundered against the rift as the hole was covered in the bright shining spectrum of her magic. She halted her assault and through watery eyes saw that the rift was now stable once more, it might even be slightly smaller than it was before if the princess dared to hope. She did it, it was a hard fight but she did...

“Cough! Ugh... splutter!”

Celestia felt a sickening pull in her abdomen as she fought back the urge to hurl. She coughed harder before clearing her sore throat, looking down she saw in horror deep red almost black splotches on the white carpet of snow beneath her, her own blood.

“Your Majesty! Are you alright?”

Celestia quickly kicked up some snow to cover the fact that she had just coughed blood from her approaching ponyguards. They did not need to see their princess like this.

“I'm fine, I just need... to sit down for a while.”

Celestia lowered herself, her rear legs trembling with fatigue and despite her protests, was aided by a couple of her royal guards. She thanked them before requesting that they turn their attention to the still out cold Discord.

“Uggggghh...” Discord grunted as he opened his eyes. He was wrong, he would sooner go through another thousand years in stone than get hit by another blast of from that black rift. 'Blasted cheater.' he thought to himself as he remembered how the sudden eruption had come out of no where and caught him off guard despite having poured out all his powers into controlling the darn thing. Though he couldn't really hold a grudge against it as it was something he would have thought of as well, if the opportunity presented itself that is...

He suddenly realized many eyes were watching him as lifted his head to see members of the royal guard surrounding him, with Princess Celestia sitting in the snow just a few hooves away from him with a look of concern on her face.

“Heya, Tia' did we win?”

Discord managed to muster a grin as Celestia sighed with relief that her ally was well, or at least well enough to be joking about matters that one wouldn't normally be joking about, but than, that’s Discord for you. She watched him sit up while trying to shoo away the guards helping him, insisting that he didn't need any assistance on standing on his own two feet. He took a moment to stretched himself before taking a good look at Celestia, as if noticing her for the first time.

“You look terrible.”

“I've been better yes...” she chuckled, coughing involuntarily as she held up a hoof to gesture her guards away. “Nothing a little hot tea and some cake couldn't fix.”

“Done!”

Discord snapped his fingers and a cup and saucer appeared in front of Celestia with a teapot suspended in the air automatically pouring tea into the cup. Beside it was another plate with a slice of strawberry cake with icing and cherry on the top. This caught the princess by surprise, but was grateful at the gesture of kindness. She looked to Discord who was now laying stretched out on a levitating hammock in mid air with one arm behind his head and the other pouring what looked like chocolate out of his thumb and into his mouth.

“Thank you.” was all Celestia said, and Discord waved away her gratitude with one arm.

“Ah feelings shmeelings, this is our well deserved break after what we've been through. Now drink up your tea princess before it gets cold from all this snow.”

Celestia simply nodded and tried to levitate her cup to her mouth. But the glow of her horn dimmed before she could lift the cup. What had happen? She decided not to make a fuss by exerting herself in front of Discord and her guards by simply putting her muzzle down to the cup and drinking directly from it. One of her guards mustered up the courage to interrupt her.

“Your majesty... we must get you back to the Canterlot royal castle, or to Princess Cadence and Captain Shining Armor in the Crystal Empire, you need medical help.”

Before Celestia could reply, the skies crackled with thunder and lightning. Dark clouds formed in a circle above the group spinning around with an opening in the middle that revealed the moon at its center. A flash of magic burst forth from the opening and a dark silhouette of a chariot being pulled by two pegasi came rushing downwards at top speed. As they closed in the pegasi were now visible, they had grey-brown coat and were clad in black, dark purple armor. The carriage behind them was streamline and had dragon like wings adorning its body. The passenger was covered in a cloak with a hood hiding the face from view. Before the carriage could even come close to landing the pony inside the carriage threw off the cloak and hood and jumped out of the chariot while spreading her wings to soar towards Celestia. Her mane a flowing starry blue that pressed against her dark blue coat as she flew faster than the chariot she had just jumped off from. As she landed in the middle of the little company with loud thud, kicking up a shower of snow as she did, it was apparent who this newcomer was. Princess Luna, guardian of the night. She rushed over to her crouching sister ignoring Discord and her sister's royal ponyguards.

“Sister! What happened? I felt a great rip in the astral planes as I was traversing the dreams of ponies. It felt like a sharp spear piercing my hide, its like nothing I've experienced before.” She took a quick glance towards the rift and folded her wings in relaxation to see that it had calmed, for now.

“I'm glad that its over now, but whatever happened earlier might have affected Equestria, we must ready the...” Luna stopped as she gazed at Celestia, her sister's condition now becoming apparent to her. She lowered her head next to Celestia's and nuzzled her.

“We must get you home sister, whatever needs to be done here I can handle it in your absence, but you must rest to regain your strength.”

Celestia didn't argue with Luna and slowly rises to her hooves. She flapped her wings a little and composed herself the best she could.

“Very well, I supposed Discord and I do deserve some rest, and the rift should be stable enough for at least one night. Let us return to Canterlot sister.”

Luna nodded and turned to command the royal guards to fetch her sister's carriage. Celestia took a single step forward before all her legs gave way as she collapsed to the ground, her vision fading away as the world around her blackens. The last thing she heard before the darkness completely overtook her was the voice of Luna crying out.

“Sister!!!”

Author's Note

Finally! after 15 years, I've started writing fanfiction again, who would've thought it would be about ponies?

This chapter was originally supposed to be longer, as I have encountered a massive writers block when it came to writing dialog, so I decided to upload the first half and hopefully the rest of it will be done soon.

I have just started watching MLP: FIM for less than a month and already I have been captivated by both the show, and the crazy awesome fandom. With any luck, I hope to finish this story before season 4 comes out, or at least before my attention span gets cut off.... I welcome all criticism in order to help me brush up on my writing skills as I have mentioned, its been a while since I wrote anything fanfiction related...

So... enjoy and I hope to see ya'll in the comments section.

The Coming Storm - Part 2

“Gah!”

Twilight woke up gasping for breath, her lavender coat was wet with her own sweat. Her horn was glowing in the dark and it took Twilight a few seconds before she realized it and reduced the glow before turning it off completely.

“Spike... did you feel that? Spike...”

She looked over to where Spike was sleeping, he was still snoring away oblivious that Twilight had suddenly awoke in the middle of the night. She sighed and laid back on her bed not quite sure what caused her to awake so abruptly. Funny thing was she couldn't remember any dream or nightmare that could have cause it, yet the feeling was very real, it felt like something sharp had just stabbed her in her soul. The tingling sensation registered in her mind made her theorize that the cause could be magical, perhaps something in the physical and astral realm had occurred to cause this sudden influx of energy. It had felt similar to the time when she lost control of her own powers during her entry exam for Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns. But while back then she had Princess Celestia to calm her down and take Twilight under her wing, now she felt drained and uneasy, as if some intruding force had violated her privacy. She shivered at the thought and contemplated on telling the guards about what had happened.

She wasn't sure what to make of her situation but as she laid there under her sheets she noticed how no one else in the castle seemed affected, or at least bothered enough to create a panic. There were no sounds of guards galloping through the corridors coming to the aid of scared unicorns, nor alarms ringing in the night's air warning the occupants of any threat. It seemed that whatever had happened, Twilight was the only pony who reacted to it. She buried her face in her pillow in frustration, perhaps she was going crazy she thought to herself. For all she knew she could have involuntarily cast some sort of spell in her sleep . Well it was not worth worrying over now. She was too exhausted after the night's Canterlot Garden Celebration, not to mention the whole of last week preparing for it, mostly mentally on her part. Twilight forced herself to sleep by thinking of the various constellation of stars she had memorized through the years, she comforted herself with the promise that morning will bring.

'Tomorrow I'll be returning to Ponyville with all my friends, everything will be fine then, everything will be just fine...'

Next Morning

“Yeeeee-Haw! Ah can't wait ta get back home on da farm, and back ta buckin' apples again.”

The little group of ponies had all assembled in the royal courtyard ready to head back to Ponyville after their lengthy stay at the royal palace, and despite having such a good time together in Canterlot it was time for them to return to their respective homes and responsibilities. The night had felt especially long, almost as if Celestia had forgotten to raise the sun in time. But such thoughts were preposterous, not once in a thousand years had Princess Celestia forgotten to raise the sun, even during when Luna was banished from Equestria for transforming into Nightmare Moon she still managed to run both night and day for all her subjects. To think that the princess had lax in her duties was almost laughable.

Than why wasn't Twilight laughing? She had woken up to complete darkness when it should have been time for dawn. It wasn't until quite a while later that the first rays of sunlight stretched from the horizon to greet the new day, but Twilight knew they were already way past their schedule. Twilight can't help but feel that the magical surge she experienced last night had something to do with Celestia raising the sun late. As the other ponies chattered excitedly about their time in Canterlot, Twilight pulled Rarity aside to share what was troubling her mind.

“What seems to be the matter darling?”

“Rarity, I have something to ask you, and it's important. Did you feel anything last night, any... magical disturbances?”

“Well, no dear nothing of a sorts. Why, did something happened?”

“Um...” Twilight nervously pawed the ground with one fore-hoof. As she explained her suddenly awaking in the middle of the night and how she felt that the prolonged hours were somehow connected to princess Celestia and that something terribly wrong might have transpired while they were asleep. Rarity merely observed Twilight as she talked and much to the lavender mare's annoyance, Rarity gave one of her classic chuckles that she did when she found what somepony said to be amusing but trying to sound polite at the same time.

“Oooh-ha-ha... Twilight dear you are simply overreacting. This isn't the first time you have worried over something trivial and blown it out of proportions.”

“B-b-b... but...”

Twilight's protest was cut short by Rarity's left hoof to her muzzle.

“Hush darling, before you continue I want you to think, is this the first time you have ever experienced a magical anomaly? All unicorns and, I can safely assume, Alicorns are bound to have occasional outbursts of magic every now and then, its not uncommon to have these horns of ours to do things out of our control. You of all ponies should know this.”

Twilight looked as if she was about to say something but Rarity continued.

“Even if the sun was raised later than it should have it's not like nothing like it has never occurred, why during the winter seasons the sun always has less day-time than normal. Besides if anything, Anything at all had happened to the Princess wouldn't we know by now? Why, the whole castle would be in an uproar! You'd think they would inform us if there was something serious. Not trying to brag here darling but we ARE the bearers of the Elements of Harmony after all.”

Twilight wanted to say something in her defense but she had nothing, there was no proof on her part, no concussive evidence to justify her worry over the matter. Was Rarity right, was Twilight the only pony in all of Equestria to be aware of some dark secret that underwent during the night, or was she just being paranoid? She didn't know what to think of anymore. Rarity must have sensed the gloominess in Twilight because the posh mare softened her tone for what she had to say next.

“Look dear, I know all this...” she waved her hoof in a circular manner encompassing Twilight's form that included her recently acquired wings. “Can be really stressful for somepony to handle, but that doesn't mean you have to bear all that weight alone, you have us! We are your... now how did Appejack put it, PBFF's! Pony best friends forever remember? Tell you what, once we reach Ponyville I'll schedule a day at the spa for us tomorrow to get all that tension out... how does that sound? Oh and after that we can have a Maaaake-over!”

Twilight smiled at Rarity's excitement, it has been a while since her last spa trip with her friends, Celestia knows she could use the opportunity to relax before her majesty returned with a new assignment for Twilight.

“Very well Rarity, you win, I'd love to hang out with my, 'chuckles' PBFF's!”

“YES! So it tis' settled than, hmm... I must make sure we get hooficures, and massages, bubble bath... but not too long or we'll get wrinkly...”

“Look everypony, our ride is here!”

Pinkie points up to the sky where a carriage was heading towards them.

“Woo-hoo...” even Fluttershy's cheer was quiet and restrained.

“Alright! I can finally head back to Cloudsdale! All this fancy-pantsy-stuff in Canterlot is starting to bore me.”

“Beg yer pardon' Rainbow, but couldn't yer just, Ah dunno'... fly there by yourself if yoo wanted to?”

“Are you kidding me? And miss out a chance to ride with style to Ponyville? It's not everyday somepony gets a chance to fly around like royalty, right egghead?”

Rainbow Dash had trotted up to Twilight and rubbed her own mane against hers winking at Twilight as she did so. Twilight just blushed embarrassingly at the not so subtle hint that Rainbow had displayed. She pushed the cyan mare away playfully with her head.

“That's 'princess' egghead to you Dash. Besides I don't always travel in a carriage all the time, only when its on official business for Princess Celestia.”

“Yeah, yeah... I get it, just messin' with ya Twi'. I mean, it's not like you have your own personal chariot to secretly chauffeur you to the Crystal Empire to meet up with somepony behind our backs...”

Rainbow Dash could hardly control her urge to burst out in laughter as she said those words to bait Twilight. Even the other ponies were giggling at Twilight's expense which made her blushed even harder.

“I... I have no idea what you mean.”

“Don't you remember? You totally bumped into this guard at the Crystal Palace that reminded you of this other guy whom you met in the other dimension who asked you to dance at this big dance and you totally danced at that big dance with him because you had a crush on him and he had a crush on you and even though you only knew him for a few days you totally dig him and whatever little time you spent together was totally worth it...” Pinkie gasps fro breath. “...but now that you're back here... Uumphh!”

Pinkie's prattle was cut short by Applejack's hoof stuffed up her mouth, mercifully sparing the rest of the group from her continuing on for Celestia knows how long.

“What Pinkie ere' is tryin' ta say is... yer a lousy liar Twilight.”

“Darling, you really must stop with the pretense. Why if I recall you were practically falling head over hoof for the colt. And I don't blame you either, he is one handsome stallion...”

Rarity drew close to Twilight as she mentioned the colt in question and battered her eyelashes suggestively at her, making the lavender mare back away and bumping into Fluttershy who was nodding her head in approval.

“I really think you two would make an adorable couple. Ooh... won't you give him a chance Twilight? You haven't seen him since our last visit to the Crystal Palace, don't tell me you don't even want to get to know him a bit more?”

“Fluttershy not you too? I told you girls there is nothing between us.”

The carriage landed near them and Twilight flipped her saddle over her body and started trotting towards it complaining with an air of contempt as she went.

“I seriously do not get why all of you are so obsessed about this... can't somepony meet a guy without all her friends making a big deal about it? Since the lot of you seem to be hard of hearing, let me repeat myself one more time... I do not have a crush on...”

“Good day your highness, I hope you are ready for your journey back to Ponyville.”

“F, f, f... Flash Sentry?”

Twilight stared flabbergasted at the orange colt with a frizzy blue mane, her jaws wide open in shock. He had his guard armor on and was one of the two pegasi who pulled the carriage meant for the princess and her friends. It might just be Twilight's imagination but Flash Sentry's eyes seemed to gleam with joy at the chance of meeting with her again. Rainbow couldn't hold her amusement in any longer.

“Bwahahahahahahaha!!! Gee Twilight, it looks like your secret is now... all Flashed out! Ahahahahahaha!!!”

Rainbow Dash was rolling on the grass laughing uncontrollably, tears falling from her eyes as she kicked the air with her hooves. It was obvious she was very tickled by Twilight's awkward situation. It didn't help the fact that the others sided with the laughing mare by expressing their enjoyment with 'oohs' and 'aahs' while giggling at the same time.

“Ehehe... get it? Flashed out... 'snort'!” she was gasping for breath from all the laughter, wiping the tears from her face with a hoof as she did so.

“B, b, b... why, how, who... huh?” Twilight gulped before struggling to form something coherent to say. Not very easy considering the other guard pony was looking at her peculiarly at this point, and her friends chuckling behind her back was not helping in the slightest.

“I mean, what are you doing here? Aren't you assigned to the Crystal Palace?”

“I am. There was some rescheduling done last night at the castle. They were assigning job rotations with some guards from Canterlot with those of the Crystal Empire. And well, my name was on the list to be chauffeuring the new princess around for the day! Lucky me I guess?”

“Heheh...” Twilight nervously laughed. “Lucky you indeed...” she clopped both her front hooves together anxiously, trying her best to ignore the continued muffled guffaws coming from her friends.

“Are your friends alright?” Flash Sentry asked concernedly as he noticed the other mares staring and giggling at him and Twilight.

“Oh don't mind them, they're just being... well, friends that’s all. I guess you'll be my sentry now right? Hehe... er, I mean, because you're called Flash Sentry and that’s what you've been assigned to do... eh, heh...”

Twilight trailed off trying badly to conceal her attempt at a failed joke. By now her cheeks were so red they looked like tomato cherries glinting in the sun. Flash Sentry merely smiled at Twilight's adorkableness, not minding her blundering ways at all.

'By Celestia, she is beautiful...' Flash thought to himself as he tried not to stare too hard at Twilight. But he need not worry as the princess was too busy trying not to do the same at him.

“Ahem... Ah hate ta break up such a touchin' moment between ya'll but someponies would like ta get outta ere' before ta next moonrise.”

Applejack teased them as she trotted pass twilight and tossed her bag onto the carriage before leaping on it. Rainbow took to the air in a multi-colored streak and dashed towards the front of the carriage and landed with a thump.

“I got top spot!”

“Excuse me miss, but that seat is reserved for the princess.” the other guard sternly told Rainbow Dash.

“It's okay good sir, she can have it,”

Twilight reassured him and he just dropped the matter. The rest climbed aboard the carriage until it was the princess's turn. She turned her head to look if Flash was still looking at her, he was...

“Move it Twi'!” Spike pushed a surprised Twilight from the rear into the carriage. “We can save the lovey-dovey stuff for later!”

“You're one to talk...”

Twilight mumbled under her breath as Flash Sentry gave one last call of caution before lifting off into the air with his co-flier, towing the carriage along as they ascended into the clouds towards Ponyville.

Twilight sat in the middle of her friends as they traveled across Equestria, leaving the city of Canterlot behind them. The ponies found ways to occupy themselves during the journey. Rainbow Dash and Applejack were having a friendly hoof wrestling match, Rarity groomed Fluttershy's voluminous pink mane while discussing the art of preening pegasi wings. Pinkie Pie had awaken Spike from his nap and the both of them started giggling, no doubt sharing an inside joke or hatching up some prank for later. Though glad that she was on her way back to Ponyville with her closest friends, Twilight still could not shake off the feelings of the previous night even after her talk with Rarity. But there was nothing she could do now except to try to enjoy the ride. She looked up to the two ponies flying with grace and precision in front of the carriage. Her eyes settled on Flash Sentry, the pegasus that reminded her so much of his otherworldly counterpart she had met in the other dimension. It brought back memories of her time in Canterlot High, and despite the short but crazy adventure she had, Twilight will always remember the friendships she made there...

*flashback*

“Would... now, be a completely awkward time to ask you for that dance?”

Twilight giggled as she blushingly offered her hand to Flash Sentry...

The princess shook her head, getting rid of the image in her mind. That was a different world, a world she had left behind to return to her responsibilities as a princess of Equestria. She had felt so confident after her victory at retrieving her Element of Harmony and saving the alternate realm, it seemed that she could take on anything the world threw at her. And while she wasn't sure anymore if that is how she felt now, the following days had kept Twilight distracted from many things, and one of them was thinking about Flash Sentry. Twilight sighed. How can she think of him right now, she knew her friends wanted what was best for her and that they all would like the idea of her getting to know a special-some-pony but Twilight simply had not considered anything of a sort simply because her mind was wrapped up over a matter that had constantly haunted her thoughts and dreams for a long time.

As she sat there thinking, Rainbow Dash suddenly stood up on all fours flexing her wings and loosening her neck muscles. Her rainbow mane and tail blowing in the wind as she turn to address her friends.

“Alright girls, I'm gonna ditch the ride. Gonna go clear some clouds over Ponyville in about... ten seconds flat! See you slowpokes on the ground!”

With that she gave a salute and fell from the carriage back first, leaving a shocked Fluttershy who squeaked in horror as she saw her fillyhood-friend disappear from view. The rest of the ponies knew what was going to happen next and deep down, Fluttershy knew too. She was a timid and easily frightened pony after-all, and sometimes instinct tend to get the best of her. As the carriage continued on without even slowing down at Rainbow's dramatic departure, a deafening boom ringed through the ears of the ponies in the carriage and a sudden streak of rainbow colors shot upwards and forwards to the collection of clouds in front of them. The clouds disappeared with a poof as Rainbow continued her clearing of the skies in a circular motion, kicking and charging through clouds as she flew. By Rainbow's effort, a clear view of the town hall was visible to the passengers on the carriage. Twilight was so engrossed in her thoughts she hadn't realized that they had arrive at Ponyville.

The carriage touched the ground in front of Golden Oak Library where Twilight had lived and studied during her time here in Ponyville. The library was carved into a giant tree with windows and balconies visible on it's woody exterior. The brown bark accompanied by an abundant amount of green leaves blanketing it's top gave the library a very homely feel. It was good to be back. Just as the ponies were about to disembark their royal transport Rainbow Dash descended from the skies leaving a blazing trail in her wake, she pulled the brakes just in time to avoid crashing into the carriage but she still landed rather violently causing the whole thing to rock dangerously much to the annoyance of Flash and his co-flier.

“Ta-da! What did I tell you? Still the best cloud clearer in all of Equestria!”

“An' da least modest Ah reckon'. Wat was da point in landin' back on da carriage? Ya nearly knocked us all off like leaves on a Fall's day!”

“The point Applejack, is that!”

Rainbow Dash raised her right hoof and directed her friend's gaze towards the crowding denizens of Ponyville. Most of the ponies here knew about Twilight and her friends as their many wacky adventures in the town have made them quite famous. And now that Twilight was a princess? Every colt and mare wanted to have a glimpse of the Alicorn who was once but a normal unicorn pony under the tutelage of Princess Celestia. And to be graced by her presence was indeed quite the honor.

“I told ya riding in style was sooooooo worth it.” Rainbow boasted to Applejack.

Twilight stepped down from the carriage with Flash coming to her aid. She didn't know how many times she had blushed that day but now was another one of those moments as she placed a hoof on Sentry's extended one. He lowered her down just as a group of ponies gathered around closer to the little group.

“Presenting her royal highness, Princess Twilight Sparkle!”

Spike announced before the crowd in his loudest voice and the assembled ponies gladly bowed before Equestria's newest princess. Twilight hastily gestured for them to rise and thanked them for honoring her arrival. She waited for them to depart out of earshot before shooting a glance at the little purple dragon.

“Spike! You didn't have to do that, by Celestia that was embarrasing...”

“Sorry, I've always wanted to do that.”

He leaped off the carriage trying to catch up with Twilight, barely missing Fluttershy on his way down.

“Whats the matter Twilight? You didn't seem to have a problem at the castle when the guards did it.”

“It's not the same Spike, this is Ponyville. I've known most of those ponies for quite a while and frankly, it was kind of awkward having them bowing down before me ever since I was crowned a princess.”

“Twilight darling, your modesty is admirable. But you are a princess now, and a princess must learn to accept the adulation of her fellow ponies, while doing so graciously of course.”

Rarity tipped her head backwards and stretched out a hoof in mock acceptance towards a non-existing crowd. She blew hoof kisses to the air while mouthing silent 'thank you's' to the admirers of her imagination.

“Why, if I were a princess I would be attending to every gala from Vanhoover to Manehattan! And you should be doing the same dear. After all, you are the type of pony that every pony should know.”

Rarity smiled sincerely at Twilight assuring her she meant every word. Pinkie Pie suddenly hopped right next to the lavender princess and whispered loudly into her ear.

“Psssst... Twilight! I think somepony is waiting for you to say good byeeeeeeee...”

She used both front hooves to hold Twilight's head and turn it in the direction of the carriage where Flash Sentry was contemplating to leave, but the agitated tapping of his hooves gave away his heart's desire to speak with Twilight one last time before taking to the skies. Twilight was not sure if she should go over, but while she was busy making up her mind Pinkie hop to her rear and pushed her from behind. Her hooves making a trail in the dirt as she tried resisting Pinkie's propelling her forward, but Pinkie kept at it until finally stopping Twilight right in front of Flash Sentry.

“Just pretend we're not here...”

Pinkie whispered again to Twilight though she was sure Flash had heard her too. Than the pink mare bounced off to join the rest who were doing their very best pretending not to eavesdrop on Twilight and Flash. Twilight just glared at them while trying to smile at Flash Sentry at the same time. The orange colt spoke first to break the silence between them.

“We should be returning to Canterlot, if you ever need us just let send us the word and we'll be here.”

As he and the other pegasus spread their wings readying themselves for the flight back, he paused and looked at Twilight.

“So I guess I'll be seeing you around? I mean... your highness.”

“Erm... of course we will be seeing each other... I mean, you'll be seeing me! No, that's not what I meant, not that seeing you is a bad thing... I mean... what I'm trying to say is, I... yes.”

As Twilight fumbled with her words she twirled her own mane awkwardly with her magic, her horn sparkling with a glow that brought out the color of her eyes. Flash Sentry smiled and said nothing, content with the princess's answer. Just as he turned away she continued on.

“Oh and Flash... please call me... Twilight.”

“Twilight it is, princess.”

With that the royal pegasus guards lifted off into the air pulling the carriage along. As they head for the clouds leaving Ponyville shrinking as the distance grew, Flash Sentry's co-flier made his thoughts known to his blue mane partner.

“Does Shining Armor knows you're hitting on his sister?”

“Hey! What's that suppose to mean? I'm not a feather brain you know, the captain will have my flank if he so much as suspected me of putting the moves on his sister. Besides I was just being nice to her, she is a princess after all. And a bearer of the Elements of Harmony... and Princess Celestia's prized student...”

Flash's eyes widened in realization that he might have bitten off more than he could chew.

“This isn't exactly going to be easy is it...”

“Understatement of the bucking century bro.”

Twilight stood staring at the fading speck in the sky, not realizing her lips were upturn in a picture of blissfulness. She snapped out of it as Applejack brushed past her with an equally happy but somewhat mischievous smile on her muzzle.

“Well, Ah best be getting' back ta Sweet Apple Acres. Dem apples ain't gonna buck themselves ya know? See ya'll around!”

“Hey AJ wait up! Mind if I follow ya? I won't have to go back to the Wonderbolts Academy till tomorrow and my visit to Cloudsdale can hold.”

“Sure thing sugarcube, Ah could use some company on mah way home.”

Applejack trotted off in the direction of her farm on the outskirts of Ponyville with Rainbow Dash hovering above her leaving behind a tongue tied Twilight Sparkle. The sound of all too familiar giggling made Twilight turn towards her remaining friends, narrowing her eyes at them.

“I bet you all find this whole crush thing very amusing.”

“Tee-hee! Oh silly Twilly, we're so glad to see you smile again that’s all! You've been down in the dumps for quite a while now its kinda depressing!”

“Pinkie.. you... you knew?” Twilight gasped.

“Of course, like duh... this is the one and only Pinkie Pie you are talking to remember? I figured out that with all the princessy stuff you have to do and all those books you have to study and all of those parties you have to attend you must be really, really, really busy. Too busy to even make time for your Flash Sentry! But don't worry, you know your friends have your back and we'll do our best to make sure you two get together!”

Pinkie Pie made a little squee sound as she ended with a big grin, looking at Twilight with big hopeful eyes. Twilight sighed with relief at Pinkie's naivety and opted to humor her good friend.

“Uh, yeah that's exactly it Pinkie. Heheh... I guess I can never hide anything from you and your erm... detective skills!”

“Thaaaaaaat's right! You should know by now not to keep things from your bestest friends ever in the whole wide world! Hmm.. now that you and Flash are officially together, we have to celebrate it somehow. What should we do...”

“We're not tog...”

“Oh I know! I'll throw a PARTIEEE!!!”

Pinkie flung her front hooves into the air and confetti mysteriously appeared from them and flew in every direction much to Twilight's shock.

“I'll bake a cake! No, two cakes! One for each of you, and, and candy canes! We'll invite everyone in Ponyville! Oh wait, Flash doesn't stay in Ponyville, well I'll have to invite him over as well right? Won't it be silly if he didn't turn up for his own welcome-to-the-herd-now-you-are-one-of-us party? How funny is that? Now I'll have to thi...”

Pinkie's exuberance was cut short as Rarity used her magic to tug at her puffy pink mane and pulled her away from Twilight.

“Why would look at the time, it has passed mid-day and if I remember correctly, I have a certain reservation to make at my favorite spa. We'll see you tomorrow Twilight dear, do try and consider what we've mentioned today! Come Pinkie Pie let's leave Twilight to rest after all that excitement she had.”

“Bye Twilight! I'll send you your party invitation!”

Pinkie waved goodbye at Twilight furiously as Rarity continued with pulling her along. Twilight was unsure on how to feel about the past few seconds that had just happened so randomly. Now the only mare left other than Twilight herself was Fluttershy. The yellow pegasus seemed to be waiting for something as she looked at Twilight shyly.

“So... Fluttershy, er... Spike and I are going to retire to the library now, would you like to come inside for a drink? It'll be a good time to catch up, we haven't really been able to spend much time together over the last week and I'd like to make up for it.”

“Oh no, I wouldn't want to impose. Besides, I need to get back home, Angel bunny must be missing me. I was just wondering when would be a good time for me to drop by and give Owlowiscious back to you.”

“Ah yes! Owlowiscious... you can bring him whenever you are ready Fluttershy, I know how much he enjoys staying at your cottage with all your animal friends. You sure you don't want to come inside? My offer still stands.”

“Um... I'm sorry Twilight, but I simply must get back to my animal friends. Minuette and Lemon Hearts have already been kind enough to helped me take care of them while I was gone. It's best I get back as soon as I can. Bu... but if you want, I can come by tonight for a short visit, if it's okay with you...”

“That's alright Fluttershy.” Twilight shook her head lightly. “We can meet up tomorrow at Rarity's favorite spa. Than we'll have plenty of time to chat, just like we used to.”

“yay...” Fluttershy cheered softly, looking forward to spending a day with her best friends.

She was about to trot off when she stopped in her tracks remembering something she needed to do. She lifted a wing and poked about her bag with her muzzle before bringing out a neatly wrapped package. Fluttershy held the package in her mouth and offered it to a surprised but delighted Twilight.

“I nearly forgot, I wanted to give this to you Twilight.”

“Thanks Fluttershy, what is it?”

“It's... it's nothing really. Just some pictures from last night's party, Photo Finish was very generous for helping me take them. I told her I wanted our pictures taken while we were having fun together, and she agreed! She even offered to get them developed right after the celebrations. I guess she wanted to return the favor for the time when I posed for her photo-shoots. Anyway, I hope you like them, see you tomorrow Twilight.”

The princess gazed after the yellow pegasus before regarding the package in her hoof.

“Hey Twilight! Are you coming in already?”

Spike was at the door of the library, he had gone in ahead of Twilight and placed both their bags inside. He stood at the doorway impatiently waiting for Twilight to enter, he wasn't pleased at the wind blowing fallen leaves through the library doors.

“Thanks Spike but I think I'm going to stretch my wings a bit, haven't been really using them lately.”

Spike acknowledged her request and shut the door behind him, aiming for the closet to get a broom to sweep the library floor. Twilight spread her wings and stretched them a bit, remembering the theory lessons she learned from books on pegasi aviation. Though in all honesty, tips and practice lessons from Rainbow Dash did help her a lot, even if she was a bit impatient with Twilight. She crouched low and with her hind legs propelling her, leaped into the air and started to flap her wings. Twilight soared around her library for a few minutes, enjoying the breeze against her face before settling on the highest balcony. Energy glowed around her horn and the door opened by Twilight's magic and she entered her study room, placing the parcel on her desk with her mouth. She used her magic to untie the strings and unfold the wrappings. Underneath it all was a box. As Twilight removed the lid and levitated the contents out from the box, a smile slowly formed itself on her quivering lips.

The pictures that Fluttershy told her about were perfect in their capture of the memories she and her friends shared just the night before. There she was in the gorgeous dress Rarity had made for her, the moon casting a light that caused it to sparkle just like namesake. The next picture was a photo of Aplejack bouncing an adorable filly on her head with what Twilight assumed were the parents by her side looking on with happy expressions on their faces. Another picture had Twilight confused as it was nothing but a flash of blinding light with bolts of lightning streaks, than it hit her. It was Rainbow performing her Buccaneer Blaze, and Photo Finish had caught it at the precise moment the pegasus pulled it off. The next photo made Twilight chuckle, it was a picture perfect shot of Pinkie Pie attempting to gobble down an entire five tier cake. She wasn't sure which was funnier, the poor audience who were staring in disbelief or the fact that Pinkie looked absolutely sure she could do it with her jaws gaping wide open. Come to think of it, she probably did. It wouldn't be the first time that Pinkie went on a sugar-rush craze. As Twilight sorted through the photos enjoying the memories captured in picture form, she came across one that caught her attention more than the rest. Twilight manipulated the other pictures to move behind it so she could get a better look at the photo. Her eyes widened when she recognized the scene and let out a small gasp, her hoof involuntarily covering her mouth.

It was a picture taken of Twilight and all her friends together in the garden, after the party had ended and most of the guests had left. Things had gotten a little out of hoof during the night, and everypony was either drenched in punch, stained with dirt, had decorations in their mane or covered in confetti. Even Rarity wasn't spared from the chaos with her dress torn in several places. But it wasn't the condition of the ponies that mattered, it was the fact they were in one big group hug together despite what they may have been through. Applejack and Fluttershy were on the right next to each other, their muzzles frozen in continual laughter. Rarity had her eyes closed as she snuggled up to the group with a smile, not caring about her frizzy mane. Above her was Rainbow Dash smiling gleefully and with her wings spread vainly trying to cover the small group. At the bottom was Pinkie Pie as cheerful as ever, her blue eyes glittered with joy under light of the moon. Spike was between her and Rarity with his claws clenched and pumped into the air shouting with enthusiasm. And in the middle of it all, was Twilight Sparkle. Her face wore an expression of happiness she had not felt in a long time. Indeed, last night had made Twilight remember what it meant to have great friends to be with you through thick and thin, friends like those around her in the photo. Her eyes drifted to the words that were near the lower left of the photo, it was in Fluttershy's hoof-writing.

'Always remember Twilight, our Friendship... is Magic...'

Twilight closed her eyes as tears rolled down her lavender cheeks. The glow of her horn disappeared, the photos fell to the floor as the magic holding them up vanished. She did not hold back her emotions any longer and began to cry...

“Hey Twilight, what are you doing up there? I thought I heard something.”

Spike walked up the flight of stairs to the room where Twilight was.

“Twilight...?”

Spike got a shock as she saw Twilight sitting on her haunches sobbing, her face buried between her front hooves. He quickly ran to her side concerned for his friend.

“What's wrong Twilight? Why are you crying?”

Twilight couldn't respond to him as she was gasping between her sniffles and tears. Spike suddenly realized the fallen photos on the floor around Twilight and picked them up. After looking at them, he turned to Twilight with a baffled look on his face.

“Twilight, are you crying because of last night?

“Oh no Spike... 'sniff' I...”

Twilight got up, wiping the tears from her eyes as she walked slowly towards one of her many shelves of books. She stopped in front of a shelf with her head hung low.

“I... I've been keeping it inside of me for so long Spike, it hurts... so much. I thought they would go away, I thought I could make them disappear by going about everyday life and pretending everything's okay. But it's not Spike... 'sniff'”

“What... WHAT?”

Spike was getting frantic at seeing his friend in such despair. Twilight turned to him with fresh tears forming in her eyes.

“Dreams Spike... the dreams that have been haunting my nights for weeks now. It's always the same thing... I see them Spike... all of us being together, Applejack... Pinkie Pie... Rarity... Rainbow Dash... Fluttershy, dear Fluttershy... and you too... enjoying the good times, going on adventures, we were so happy it felt like we would be friends forever just like that photo...”

'sniff...'

“Then nothing... nothing but endless night. I'm left all alone in the darkness... I can still see them, I can still see their names clearly. My friends still surround me except... except all that's left of them, are crudely carved stones...”

Twilight's voice cracked with sorrow as she described her pain to Spike.

“And I couldn't save them... all that I've learned, all the magic I had, and I still couldn't stop it...”

She looked down at her own open hooves and stared accusingly at them with swollen eyes, as if they were responsible... as if SHE was responsible for the death of her friends. Twilight felt a light tap on her shoulder and looked up to see Spike's concerned face looking back.
“What caused this Twilight? What made you dream of such things? Your friends are still here, you can talk to them anytime about your problem.”

Twilight didn't answer him, instead she activated her magic. A book from the shelves glowed and moved through the air guided by Twilight into Spike's claws. The book wasn't particularly big nor was it heavy . Spike could gather from the pictures and some of the description in the book as he flipped through the pages that it was about Alicorns and their remarkably long lifespan. He took a look at the title displayed on the front.

'Eternity's End'

“Where did you get this book Twilight? There's no mention of an author in here.”

“It was among Princess Celestia's private collection Spike, I stumbled across it while looking for books on dimension crossing. I think it might have been written by her...”

“You believe that Princess Celestia wrote this? But, why?”

“I don't know Spike! I don't know anymore, who else could it be? The book talks about the possibility of Alicorns living for eternity, and the heavy price that comes with it... no normal earth, unicorn or pegasus pony would have been able to describe the things in that book unless they know what it's like to be an Alicorn...”

“I remember Spike, it was long ago when I was still a filly when Celestia took me under her wings to be her student... sometimes during late hours of studying I would end up falling asleep by her side, and she would stay with me during the night. What she didn't know was that sometimes I would wake up while she wasn't noticing me, and I would catch her staring out into the night's sky with tears in her eyes. Those regal eyes filled with such wisdom and knowledge... and so much pain... I can't imagine the loss of love ones she had to endure throughout her thousand year reign.”

“But I think I'm beginning to understand, why Celestia chose me, why she said she had never seen a pony with such raw magical powers like mine, why she made me a princess and... and I'm scared Spike... I'm so scared.”

Twilight was now leaning on her bed with her hooves grasping at the covers and clutching them to herself, soaking them with her tears.

“Is this my destiny? All I ever wanted was to study magic and make my parents proud, make Shining Armor proud, make Her proud...” 'sniff'

“I never wanted to be a princess, I never asked for this!”

Twilight choked a bit on her tears as she felt the rage of frustration build up inside of her.

“I never wanted... to be all alone...”

Her voice trailed off as her sorrow and fears overpowered her anger. She felt something holding her sides and as she looked down, she saw Spike was hugging her tightly with his own eyes filled with tears.

“You are not alone Twilight! I'll always be here for you, no matter what I'll always be your loyal assistant!”

“Aww... Spike...”

Twilight wrapped her front legs around her little dragon. The both of them sharing the tender moment together in tearful silence. And even though her mind was still tortured by the images of her friends passing on... leaving her behind to face eternity by herself, she did not regret the day she met them when she was sent here to Ponyville to learn about the meaning of friendship.

'I used to wonder what friendship could be...'

'Now I know...'

Applejack cantered along the path towards Sweet Apple Acres, her hooves making a clopping sound with each step she took on the well worn dirt road she so frequently traveled over the years. Her mind was so deep in thought that she didn't even hear Rainbow Dash overhead telling her about a joke she heard from somepony else.

“...and then I said, you really need to be twenty percent cooler to pull that off! Heheh... am I right? Applejack... Applejack? Yo AJ!”

“Huh wha'? Oh Rainbow, sorry bout' that, Ah was just thinkin bout' sumthin. Yoo were sayin'?”

Rainbow swooped down and landed in front of Applejack. A questioning look on her face.

“Forget that, it's not important. What I'd like to know is what has gotten you daydreaming in the middle of the, well... day!”

Applejack prodded the ground with her hooves contemplating whether to share her thoughts with Rainbow Dash.

“Ah dunno' Rainbow, Ah'm not sure if it's any of our business...”

“Aw, spill it out already AJ! I can tell it's really important if it has gotten even you thinking like an egghead!”

“Fer da record Ah take offense ta dat. Just because we're such good frens Ah ma let yoo slide just this once. 'sigh' Alright, Ah be honest... It's about Twilight.”

“Twilight? What about her?”

“Well, fer starters she's been actin' all quiet like these past few weeks. It ain't like er' ta go n' keep things to er'self without tellin' er' friends. Ah can't put mah hoof on it but sumthin's botherin' that filly. Ah tried talkin' to er but she won't tell me nuthin'. Ah'm worried fer er' Dash, ya'll may not see it but Ah sometimes catch er' lookin' at us with such a sad look on er' face it'll make a Timberwolf cry! And she'd always pretend ta look the other way if she caught me eyein' er' at all.”

Rainbow Dash listened to her words and seem to be considering something in her head before coming closer to Applejack, until she was looking at the workhorse in the eyes.

“Look Applejack, what I'm about to tell you is something real personal. And you can't go telling anypony else, alright? I don't really know what she's going through or why she decided not to talk to us about her problems but I do know, that mare is afraid... Something's got to her and it's scaring her pretty badly.”

“And how'd ya'll know this exactly?”

“I know because that’s exactly how I feel when I'm in a high pressure situation. When I have to prove to the world I'm the best and everypony is watching, just waiting for me to fall and fail. It makes me push harder, drives me to do better than everypony else, that’s why I hate losing...”

“And when I see my friends in danger, I'm afraid I won't be able to save them... like that time at the Wonderbolts Academy when you guys were falling from that hot air balloon... I was afraid, I'm still afraid, I would never see my best friends ever again...”

Rainbow turned away from the astonished Applejack, fighting back her urge to cry.

“But Twilight? That’s a whole new ball-game. She's a princess now, can you imagine what it would be like in her horseshoes? All those ponies looking up to her, all that responsibility... what if Princess Celestia wanted her to help rule a kingdom like she did with Princess Cadence? Then she'd be away from all her friends... from us. That sounds plenty scary to me...”

“...and I'm afraid I'll miss that egghead...”

Rainbow hung her head as she remembered all the times they had together, and despite their personalities being polar opposites, she loved the lavender mare just as much as the rest of her friends. She suddenly felt Applejack nuzzling her mane, she hadn't notice the workhorse had come closer and pressed her body close to her own.

“Ah always knew there was a softie under all that rough n' tumble exterior. It wouldn't hurt for ya ta show it more often.”

Applejack smiled warmly at the cyan pegasus causing Rainbow Dash to blush. She pushed herself away from Applejack's side and shook away the tears from her eyes, sniffing loudly as she did so.

“Darn it Applejack, see what you've done? You've gotten me feeling all sappy.”

“Well, I'd reckon' it was for a good cause.” Applejack replied cheerfully while Rainbow continued sprucing up her mane.

“I hope you're happy, its not like we can do anything about...”

She suddenly stopped mid sentence in a moment of epiphany and leaped into the air with her wings beating joyously while exclaiming loudly at the top of her lungs.

“YES! That's it! I'll get the Wonderbolts together and perform a grand show in honor of Twilight! We'll perform a play that will tell the journey of Twilight's life with her best friends, us!”

“Ya'll really think it could work?” Applejack tapped a hoof to her chin in ponder.

“Of course it will! The Wonderbolts would love to perform for the new princess! We can hold the performance in Cloudsdale and invite all the princesses and all of our friends, and guess who will be leading the play herself?”

Rainbow placed a hoof on her chest in a show of pride as she hovered right above Applejack. But the orange mare was too busy coming up with an idea of her own to notice her.

“Well, Ah could do up a batch of home made apple cider for such an occasion, but I'm a gonna need some help with all dat cider makin'...”

“Did you say apple cider?” Rainbow Dash landed in excitement at hearing the words.

“Applejack, even if it takes me day and night I'll help you get that apple cider ready if its the last thing I do!”

“That's alright Rainbow, Ah can rope in some help from ma Apple family. And if dat ain't enough, Ah can always ask my extended family!”

Applejack reached over with her right hoof, placed it around Rainbow's neck and pulled her closer till both mares were nuzzling cheek to cheek. After the short embrace the two ponies broke their hug and Rainbow raised an eyebrow in expectation at Applejack.

“So does this mean... you're game?”

“Ar ya'll kiddin'? Ah'm game as Ah'll ever be, put it there partner!”

She spat on her right hoof and offered it out to Rainbow Dash, the pegasus copied her gesture and they both knocked hoofs in a hoof-bump chuckling in merriment as they did so.

“Race you to your farm AJ! Tag, you're it!”

Rainbow tapped Applejack on the snout catching the workhorse by surprise before galloping off in a rainbow colored blur.

“Last one there is a rotten Timberwolf!”

Applejack recovered from her initial shock and stared after the rainbow maned mare who had covered quite some ground ahead. 'Oh no you don't Rainbow Dash...' Applejack merely grinned at the promise of challenge and reared up on her hind legs and kicked the air wildly with her front ones.

“Yeeeeeeee-haw!!!”

And with that, she galloped off after her best friend...

Late afternoon at Sweet Apple Acres.

Apple Bloom was tidying up her room when she passed by the window and gazed out into the farmlands of her family. Big Mac was still out in the orchard bucking apples, he was handling the farm chores well on his own in Applejack's absence. Apple Bloom did her fair share by helping out with the house chores as well, but she was starting to miss her big sister. Just yesterday Granny Smith had gone off to visit Uncle Strudel and won't be back for a few days. But Applejack was coming back today and that cheered Apple Bloom up. Her big sister and her were like peas in a pod, they did everything together ever since they were little fillies. Apple Bloom was really proud of her big sister and looked up to her a lot. One day, she hoped to be just as popular and loved by all ponies as she was.

She turned around and looked at her blank flank and sighed. 'Ah ain't even got mah cutie-mark yet...' She went back to to dusting off the sides of her bed. 'At least Ah got Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle, they aint got their cutie marks neither.' She recalled the fun times she had with her fellow Cutie Mark Crusaders group and all their antics at trying to get their cutie marks.

'BLAM!'

Apple Bloom nearly jumped out of her coat from the loud bang caused by the door slamming shut. She faced the intruder who had entered her room and standing at the door was an orange mare with a blonde ponytail for her mane. Her cowgirl hat casting a shadow on her features making it hard to see her face, but Apple Bloom already knew who it was.

“Big sister'! I'm so glad yer back!”

Apple Bloom pranced forward to meet her big sister, but Applejack didn't say a word. Instead Applebloom heard a distinct clicking sound, she stopped a few hooves away from her sister as she realized Applejack had locked the door behind her. Now that she was closer she could see the mare in front of her was holding a piece of wood in her mouth that was the length of a baseball bat. The end of the bat were cruel looking nails jutting out from all sides. Slowly, the mare that Apple Bloom thought was Applejack took a slow but menacing step forward with one hoof. The bat swaying dangerously as she did so. Apple Bloom backed away confused and suddenly very, very frightened.

“Ap... Applejack... what are ya'll tryin' ta do?”

The little filly's voice was quaking with fear. As the orange mare walked pass the window, the light revealed her face to Apple Bloom. She definitely looked exactly like Applejack, the same muzzle features, the same freckles. But there was something about her eyes, instead of the cheery bright green eyes Apple Bloom was used to looking into, the eyes of this mare were a bright fiery orange. The light from the sun made them glow with an unnatural light, almost as if they were... evil. Her lips twisted into a smile that was as cruel as the bat in her mouth. And she spoke through gritted teeth with a voice that sent chills crawling down poor Applebloom's back.

“Wat's da matter Apple Bloom... don'cha wanna play with yer big sister?”

Applejack closed in on her and raised the weapon high above the young filly. Apple Bloom let out an ear-piercing scream...

Author's Note

There you go folks, took me longer than it should... shameful really. Though I did learn something when I was writing this, it's hard for me to come up with proper, not-overly-cheesy dialog. And what's harder than that? Coming up with emotional, not-overly-cheesy dialog. That's why I had er, inspirational help from these youtube videos:

Eternity's End by Galaxyart
and
Eternity's Home by 3Ragnu3

Man, the feels of those vids. Anyway I hope ya'll enjoy this chapter, I haven't even started on the draft for the next one so it might take a while... in the mean time, any criticism on how to improve are all welcomed!

Uninvited

“Big Mac! Ya'll holdin' up okay with dem apple trees?”

“Ee'yup...”

The big red stallion calmly replied his younger sister as he raised his rear and kicked backwards, bucking an apple tree with his hind legs. The apples fell from it's green canopy and landed into baskets surrounding the trunk. Applejack trotted up to Big Mac nodding with approval. Her big brother may be a stallion of few words but his hardworking nature more than made up for his lack of conversation. He had handled the farm well while Applejack had joined her friends for the Canterlot Gardens celebrations. She helped him heave some of the baskets onto his back before lifting a few on her own. She nudged the bottom of an apple filled basket with her snout, dug her entire head underneath the load and swiftly tossed it into the air. The whole basket landed squarely on her back balancing perfectly despite being loaded above the rim with delicious red fruits. She joined Big Macintosh on his way to a wagon nearby that already had baskets of apples in it. The both of them loaded their burdens into it without a single word being exchanged between them, there was no need to. They have been apple-bucking for so many years that the routine had become second nature to them.

“So Big Mac, has Granny gone off ta see Uncle Strudel yet? She mentioned sumthin' bout that before Ah left fer Canterlot.”

“Ee'yup.”

The harness fastened in place with a 'click' around Big Mac's back as Applejack did some last minute checking.

“All ready ta go Big Mac! Ya'll don't mind if Ah go ahead and meet Apple Bloom back at da house first do ya? It's just that Ah promised ta see her da first thing Ah got back.”

“Nn'ope...”

“Swell! Well, Ah'll catch ya back at home. Maybe Apple Bloom and Ah'll have dinner ready on da table too, see ya!”

Applejack galloped off in the direction of the farm house while Big Macintosh trotted along behind with a cart full of apple-baskets in tow. He had to unload his cart at the barn before heading back out to buck a few more apple trees before calling it a day, the promise of his sisters preparing dinner lingering on his mind.

The wind blew against her blonde mane as Applejack galloped along the beaten path across her family's farmland. Her cowgirl hat staying leveled on her head the whole time as she recalled her race earlier with Rainbow Dash. It was good to have a friend who always kept her on her wits when it came to athletic activities. Despite just having ran a good race against one of the fastest mares in all of Equestria, Applejack still didn't show any signs of fatigue as she kept a steady pace. And even though the both of them were very competitive, they have learned a long time ago not to let it get in the way of their friendship.

She could hardly wait to get back and tell her little sister about the fun time she had in Canterlot with the other ponies. Apple Bloom meant the world to her big sister, she had cared for her ever since she was a little filly. And though sometimes they had their differences as all sisters would, it never stopped them from being the closest siblings in all of Ponyville, or even Equestria if Applejack wasn't being modest. Together they were, as Applejack likes to put it, as close as apple-pie. One would be the crust, the other would be the apples, but together they make the perfect apple-pie. She suddenly caught sight of the unmistakable red apple weather vane at the top of her farm house, coming home filled her heart with joy every time. She could soon spot the chicken coop, the hay laid aside for the cows and the fields of vegetables adorning the landscape. All that was lacking was the sound of barking from Winona greeting her as she returned. 'She must be playing with Apple Bloom.' Applejack thought to herself. She cantered faster, passing the leafy decorated arc that marked the entry into the farm house compound. She reached the front door of the house and called out for her sister.

“Apple Bloom... Apple Bloom! Guess who's back? Yer big sister!”

As she pushed against the door she realized it was slightly ajar. Curious, she poked her head in around the edge.

“Apple Bloom... Winona?”

No one, no pony answered her call. Applejack entered and tossed her bag onto a nearby table, a feeling of suspicion crept into her mind. She decided to go upstairs to Applebloom's room to check on her sister. 'Maybe she's asleep? Those Cutie Mark Crusader fillies sure know how to work themselves out.' Applejack assured herself. She suddenly froze in her tracks, her eyes widening in panic at a sight that gripped her heart. Near the foot of the stairs was a motionless brown and white form, it had a red collar with a bell around the neck. It's usually wagging tail now flopped lifelessly on the wooden planked floor, but what caught Applejack's attention the most was the red substance trickling down it's head from a wound just above it's brow.

“Winona!”

Applejack rushed over to her beloved pet and lifted her gently from the floor. She gave a sigh of relief to find she was still breathing. Her hoof ran across Winona's head checking the wound, it wasn't as bad as she had feared. The Apple family had been through enough injuries on the farm for her to recognize a none life-threatening wound when she saw one. Whatever had hurt Winona, it wasn't enough to kill her. But it did leave a nasty bump and a cut on the poor collie's head.

“Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!”

Applejack jolted at the piercing scream. It had come from upstairs, and there was no mistaking it... it was Apple Bloom's voice. Applejack laid Winona rather hurriedly but carefully on the couch nearby while muttering a quick apology to her pet. She galloped up the stairs as fast as all her four hooves could carry her.

“Ah'm commin' Apple Bloom! Just hang in there'!”

Applejack made it to Apple Bloom's door and pushed with her front hooves, the door didn't budge. She could hear her... her sister in the room crying out in terror.

“P, puh, p... please... 'sniff' please don't hurt me!”

'CRACK!!!'

“Applebloom!”

The sound of something being smashed had Applejack fretting for her sister's life. She had to get to Apple Bloom now. Applejack turned around positioning herself as if to buck an apple tree, her hind legs lifted and recoiled. With a mighty kick her hooves impacted the wooden barrier and the hinges of the door cracked and gave way completely, bursting into pieces of planks and splinters. She wasted no time and dashed into the room, the sound of crunching wood cracking beneath her hooves.

“Ah'm here lil' sis'! Ar ya...”

Applejack stopped in her tracks. In a corner was Apple Bloom cowering in fear, her face buried in her tiny hooves as tears streamed down from her closed eyes. Her little body curled into a ball, trembling as she sobbed and sniffled uncontrollably. Missing the pink bow on her red mane by a hair was a piece of wood that had gouged into the wall, cruel looking crooked nails were jutting out randomly at the tip. The wielder of the wooden bat stood over the yellow coated filly, her shadow covering Apple Bloom in a foreboding manner. She tugged at the cruel bat with her mouth and it came loose from the wall, leaving behind deep gashing cuts. The mare spun around to face Applejack as the workhorse gasped at the sight of the intruder in her home. She had the exact same coat color, the same mane, the same stetson hat and even the exact same cutie mark as Applejack did.

“What in tarnation's...”

“Well lookie ere'.” The doppelganger sneered, her teeth grating on the piece of wood in her mouth.

“Decided ta come back home and join da fun?”

Without warning, the orange mare charged at Applejack with the bat raised and ready to strike. Applejack dodged just in time as the intruder brought the bat crashing down onto the floor, sending wood fragments into the air. Applejack kicked out with her hind legs at her but the mare was too fast, ducking the workhorse's legs at the right moment. Applejack faced her enemy and tried ramming the mare with her head. To her surprise, the doppelganger casually side-stepped Applejack's charge as if she was anticipating it... it was almost like she knew what the farm pony was thinking. The momentarily wavering was all the intruder needed to use the head of the wooden club and drove it into Applejack's side, causing her to stumble from the impact.

A cruel grin manifested on the intruder's lips and she made another attempt to swing her club at Applejack. The weapon barely missed her head as she tried to avoid it from caving her head right in. One of the nails scratched against her left cheek as the bat passed by her head, leaving behind a thin rosy red line across her face. Before the intruder could recover from her attack, Applejack swung a fore-hoof at her, smacking the club out of the pony's mouth. Unfazed by the lost of her weapon, she lunged at Applejack knocking her on to the floor. She pinned the workhorse down with both hind legs pressed on hers and her right fore-hoof stepping on Applejack's own left fore-hoof. The intruder had her left fore-leg bent and pressed against the workhorse's throat and right shoulder, suppressing Applejack's flailing attempts to hit her. An ugly smile spread itself across the mare's muzzle as she bent over Applejack's body, bringing her face within an inch of the workhorse who was struggling under the intense hold the intruder had on her.

“Ain't this fun Applejack? Ah'd say it's better than buckin' apples anyday!”

“Who... in da hay... are ya?”

“Why can't ya'll see? Ah'm yoo!”

Her flaming orange red eyes seemed to glow with an unnatural light as they gazed intently into Applejack's own green ones. Out of the corner of her eyes, she spotted the wooden club just a couple of hooves away to her right. If only she could reach it.

“Horse feathers! Ah ain't nothin' like ya! Ah'd never try ta hurt ma own family!”

“Oh but we did... don't ya'll remember da good times we had, beatin' da lil' pest close ta death with our... with yer bare hooves?”

“Dats a Lie! Ah nevah did dat ta Apple Bloom! And Ah nevah will!”

“Really? Remember all those years when ya wish ya could just strangle da life outta dat pesky vermin? She ain't nuthin' but a burden to ya Applejack an' yoo know it. All she evah did was whine and complain while ya'll did da hardwork round ere'... why should ya'll be the one ta suffer? Don't tell me ya nevah once wished she was gone from yer life fer good?”

The orange duplicate was so engrossed in taunting Applejack she didn't realize that her hoof was reaching out for the club. Applejack was disgusted by the words of this intruder who looked like her in almost every way, but she knew if she kept her talking she might have a chance of getting out of this choke hold.

“Ah don't know who ya tryin' ta kid, but ya'll don't know a thing bou't me!”

A little closer...

“Oh but Ah do... see Applejack, I know everything there is ta know about yoo...”
Just a bit more...

“Cause' Ah am yoo, Ah know yer memories, yer feelings... Ah know what yer really think bout' wat happened ta Ma an' Pa... and most of all...”

The blonde mare leaned in more intimately until her lips were right at Applejack's ear.

“...Ah know just how much of a monster ya'll really are...”

Got it!

Applejack tightened her grip around the club and swung it at the mare's head.

'Thunk!'

The hit never made it's target, instead the orange mare had blocked it with her left hoof without even bothering to look away from Applejack. She pushed back Applejack's fore-leg and pinned it back on the floor, the club falling from her hoof as the desperate workhorse fought against her foe. She cocked her head slightly to one side, gloating at the frustration on her victim's face.

“Now why do ya have ta go an' do sumthin' silly like dat. Looks like Ah'm gonna have ta tea...”

'Smack!'

The mare reeled back from a vicious head-butt to the chin from Applejack, freeing the workhorse from her clutches. Applejack rolled across the floor towards the bat and grabbed the nasty thing with her mouth. She yelled out in anger as she rushed the evil duplicate still recovering from Applejack's earlier attack.

“Nopony comes in ere' an' threatens ma family!”

Applejack swung wildly at the other orange mare. The urgency of the situation made the doppelganger aware she was in trouble and quickly reacted to it. As the club came close, she feigned being hit and fell backwards fooling Applejack that she had succeeded in tackling her. She was back on her hooves in a split second and bolted for the exit where the now broken door used to be. She spared a moment to look back at the workhorse with a challenging smile on her muzzle before galloping off leaving behind a stunned Applejack. The orange workhorse looked down at the nail covered club in her mouth and flung it aside, the horrid weapon hitting the wall before falling to the floor with a dull thud. Applejack turned her attention towards Apple Bloom who was cowering beside her bed, still sobbing with fear and confusion. It didn't look like she was physically hurt but Applejack didn't want to take any chances.

“Apple Bloom! Ar ya hurt? Talk ta me sis'...”

Apple Bloom flinched and recoiled as Applejack tried to touch her.

“Go away! Puh... please, just don't hurt me...”

The orange mare backed away a bit, grieved that her own sister was so traumatized by what had happened.

“Apple Bloom... it's me, yer big sister. Ah'd nevah evah do anythin' ta hurt yoo... Ah made a promise ta keep yer safe no matter what, and Ah intend on keepin' that promise. We're Apples forever remember?”

Applejack lowered her voice to a soft volume like the tune of a lullaby. She lifted her right hoof in offering to Apple Bloom who looked up at her big sister with watering eyes as if recognizing her for the first time. She gingerly reached out with her own hoof and bumped it against her big sister's before continuing what Applejack started.

“...Apples together...”

“We're Apples, to the core...”

The both of them finished in unison. And as Apple Bloom gazed up into the familiar kind green eyes of her big sister, she embraced her in a tight hug sobbing into her orange coat. Applejack wrapped her fore-hooves around the little filly nuzzling her red mane as a single tear strolled down the side of her cheek.

“There, there... everythin's gonna be just fine.”

“Oh Applejack! Ah was so scared! 'sniff' Ah thought yoo really... 'sniff' yoo really wanted to... yoo said... she said such horrible things! 'sniff' She... she, said we were gonna play a game...”

Apple Bloom's voice trailed off into a whimper. Applejack's features hardened as she sensed the fear in her sister's voice. She gently pulled her away from her chest and wiped the tears off Apple Bloom's face.

“Listen sugarcube, Ah need yer ta be brave right now yer hear.” She held her hoof to Apple Bloom's chin and lifted her head so that both their eyes met with each other.

“Ah need ta find this mare who tried ta frame me and hurt our family. Ah can't let her get away and try ta hurt somepony else. Ah gotta leave yer here with Big Mac alright? Can yoo be brave, fer yer big sis'?”

Apple Bloom nodded and shook away her tears determine to be brave like her big sister. Then she noticed the cut on Applejack's cheek and her bright orange eyes widened.

“Applejack! Yer hurt!”

“It ain't nuthin' ta worry about, Ah'll be alright. Now how bout' let's get yoo ta Big Mac?”

Applejack gave her a smile of encouragement and placed the filly on her back, letting Apple Bloom hang on to her blonde mane as the both of them rushed out the room and down the stairs. Upon entered the living room they spotted Big Macintosh trotting in the front door with a dazed look. The left side of his face was red and starting to swell, he gave a confused look at his two sisters as he tried to get his bearings. If Applejack had to guess she would bet her hat that Big Mac had met her double on his way in to the farm house. And not suspecting a thing about his supposed sister, got a surprised buck to the face as the intruder was escaping from the real Applejack.

“Big Mac! Ah can't explain everythin' right now but yer gotta keep Apple Bloom and Winona safe, Ah have ta catch that pony who was impersonatin' me before she does more damage!”

“Winona!”

Apple Bloom cried out as she saw the brown and white collie laying on the couch and scrambled off Applejack's back, rushing to the poor dog's side. She was relieved when Winona awoke as she checked her for signs of breathing. She gave Apple Bloom a lick on her snout and whined with gladness at a familiar face. Big Mac took all of this in with the words of Applejack and what had happened to him just moments ago. He added the two together and understood what needed to be done. He regarded his younger sister and simply nodded in agreement.

“Ee'yup...”

“Thank yoo Big Mac...”

She was about to head out the front door when Big Macintosh called out.

“Applejack...”

She stopped and looked at her big brother. And despite the passive demeanor on his face, she could see the look of concern in those green eyes of his.

“...be careful.”

Applejack nodded solemnly and disappeared from Big Mac's view.

'Who in da hay was dat mare?' Applejack thought to herself while frantically searching to and fro for signs on where the intruder had run off to. 'Which pony could have pulled off something like that? Was Trixie back in town? No... it can't be, she had done awful things before but even she won't resort to downright murdering some pony.' A thought suddenly crossed her mind as she thought of the one enemy she and her friends had faced before. Could the Changelings and their Queen have made a return?

Applejack dreaded the thought. Chrysalis had overpowered Celestia before, and if it were not for the combined power of Shining Armor and Princess Cadence she could have taken the throne of Canterlot and become the new ruler of Equestria. Now after her defeat there was no telling what kind of revenge plan she might have hatched for those who opposed her. Applejack caught side of some hoof marks on the beaten down path she was on, she followed them forward thankful they were at least leading away from the farm. As she cantered after the tracks it suddenly occurred to her where the tracks were leading to... Ponyville.

'Ah have ta warn them... Ah have ta warn mah friends an' da rest of Ponyville...'

Driven by purpose, Applejack picked up the pace and galloped even faster than before...

She galloped past the green trees, leaves smacking against her body, the humid hot air smothering her lungs as she raced against time to her destination. She stopped to take a breather and wipe the sweat from her forehead. As she stood there thinking of her next course of action she suddenly noticed something dangling from the tip of her hat. She looked up and saw a light greenish-yellow spider hanging on to it's own silk thread, the little thing seemed shy and rather harmless. The mare raised an eyebrow at it and lifted the spider with her hoof from it's silk thread and carefully placed him on a nearby leaf. The spider appeared to be surprised at this gesture and continued to stare at the pony with large beady eyes.

The mare gave it a grin before looking around to make sure nopony was there besides her. She than tipped her hat aside and a scroll fell from her head to the ground. She spread it open with her front hooves and began to carefully study it's contents. Taking a moment only to glance at the spider which and spun another thread to lower itself beside her as if it was interested in the scroll as well. After briefly running through the strange symbols on the scroll she turned her gaze upwards.

Through the leafy thicket she could see under the rays of the sun a pyramid like structure not too far off in the distance. The pony narrowed her eyes, those rosy red irises glinting with anticipation as she spread her wings getting ready to fly. She hardly noticed the little spider had decided to become her new companion and hitched a ride on her hat as she lifted off into the air. She flew for a short distance somewhat glad that she could be out of the thick jungle flora for a while. She soared through the air, her dark-multi-shaded mane flapping lightly in the wind. She landed closer to the pyramid structure, but still kept a reasonable amount of distance from it as she knew caution was the best approach in these types of situations. Just right next to her was a large stone set into the ground, it was her clue that this was the right place. For carved into the stone were the symbols, XIII...

'This... is... so... Awesome!'

Rainbow Dash paused her reading to hug the book close to her chest and squeaked with glee. She always enjoyed Daring Do's adventures and often saw a part of herself in the fictional mare. How could she not? Daring Do was a fearless and courageous pegasus who was undoubtedly, unquestionably, unstoppable! Kind of like Rainbow Dash herself, though Rainbow always did have a high view of her own abilities. She owed Twilight for introducing her to the joy of reading. Not only was she dead wrong on her opinion that reading was for eggheads only, but was glad she could also enjoy it while staying the competitive athletic pony that she is. And now she was reading her favorite heroine's next adventure, The Secret of XIII.

Who would have thought a cool mare like her would spend a late afternoon in her bed reading fictional adventure stories? As she held the book in her hooves, her mind lingered back to the workout she had with Applejack. It was fun to race with her, she always did give Rainbow a run for her bits when it came to these athletic challenges. And today, Rainbow felt the thrill of the race after being in the city of Canterlot for a week. There was probably no other mare in all of Equestria who could match Rainbow's thirst for competition while having so much fun like Applejack could.

'CRASH!!!'

Rainbow Dash jolted up from her bed at the sound, the book falling from her hooves and landed with a thump on the floor. She was now in the air hovering over her bed as she flapped her wings nervously wondering if somepony had intrude into her house. The sound came from her living room, it sounded like something had smashed through her windows. She swiftly flew from her bedroom to the source of the noise. A piece of rock laid on the floor among the shattered pieces of midnight blue glass. The dimming sunlight shone through a hole in one of the windows betraying the cause of the disruption to Rainbow's private moment. She hovered over the mess and lowered herself, careful not to touch any of the sharp glass surrounding the rock before picking it up with her mouth. She dropped the rock into her front hooves and saw there was a folded letter tied to it. She ripped off the strings binding the letter to the rock and spread the letter out.

'You are a sellout Miss-Wonder-Dolt... you don't even know what a real Rainbow is made of...'

Rainbow stared at the words on the flimsy paper. It wasn't so much the insult to her Wonderbolt status, or even the challenging tone the message ended with; it was the fact that the words were written in her own hoof-writing.

'What the hay...'

Something in Rainbow's gut told her to look out the broken window. She turned to face the clouds outside her home, and there staring back at her was the culprit... And though the distance was too far for Rainbow Dash to identify the pony as a colt or a mare, she could make out the tight black and purple suit the pony was wearing. The sun's dying rays causing a flare to reflect off the yellow goggles covering the pony's eyes. However, it was the exposed cyan wings along with the rainbow colored mane and tail that had Rainbow Dash fixated on this mysterious pony. 'Was this somepony's idea of a sick joke?' Rainbow Dash squinted her eyes at the pony, not quite sure what was the motive of vandalizing her home while dressed up in a Shadowbolt outfit. Even going through the trouble of dyeing the mane and tail to match hers.

The Shadowbolt raised one hoof to it's chest before slowly pointing towards Rainbow Dash menacingly. With frightening speed, the pegasus rushed forward in a burst of multicolored spectrum, aiming for Rainbow Dash at an alarming rate. She was hardly able to react in time as the pegasus crashed through her already broken window and smashed right through another one across the room with blazing speed. Rainbow Dash felt the force of the Shadowbolt's passing knocking her back to the floor as she lost control of staying up in the air. She quickly recovered and looked back at the Shadowbolt who was now disappearing off in a distance, a contrail of vapors trailing behind. The cyan pegasus gritted her teeth in anger at this wanton invasion of her home.

“Oh... it... is... On!”

The furious mare got back on her hooves, stretched out her wings and gave them a quick flex. She focused herself and with a burst of colors that shattered the light spectrum, launched out of the same window the Shadowbolt had gone through. The explosive take off was accompanied by the colors of the rainbow blazing behind Rainbow Dash left in the wake of her amazing speed. She propelled herself forward with sheer wing-power determined to catch up with the other pegasus. Soon she could see the familiar multicolored mane filling her vision as she covered the distance quickly with her legendary speed. It wasn't long before she was right on the tail of the Shadowbolt. She had her front hooves stretched out in front, impatient to grab on to the pony who ruined her afternoon.

'I've got you now...'

But before she could even lay one hoof on the pegasus, the pony did a side barrel-roll in mid-air avoiding Rainbow's clutches thus catching the confident pony off guard for just a second. This was enough to throw her reaction time off as she collided with a particularly big cloud sending white puffy cottons dispersing in every direction. She was just in time to spot her rival instantaneously switching directions and flying straight up, climbing vertically at high speeds. Rainbow Dash kicked away what remained of the cloud still stuck to her body and zoomed off after the escaping pegasus.

As they both duck in and out of clouds at great velocity while climbing ever higher, Rainbow soon realized that this pegasus was just as fast and agile as she was. Not many pegasi could claim such a feat, even the fabled Wonderbolts did not have many members who could challenge Rainbow Dash when it came to flying. None except...

'Lightning Dust?'

Could it be her? Could the pegasus in front be her former lead-pony during her entry trainings at the Wonderbolt Academy? No, it didn't make sense. Surely Lightning Dust would not hold a grudge over what had happened back then. It wasn't Rainbow Dash's fault she had to report to Spitfire about Lightning's reckless behavior that nearly cost the lives of her friends. Was the opal colored mare trying to get back at Rainbow Dash for costing her a place as a Wonderbolt? She had to catch up to the pegasus to find out, she must know whether Lightning Dust was indeed so bitter towards Rainbow that she would go to such lengths to challenge her in her own home. As they zigzag across the darkening sky, she contemplated on the best way to end the chase when suddenly, the Shadowbolt made a sharp dive creating a u-shaped outline against the sky. This time however, Rainbow was alert for any sudden tricks. She did a back-flip and allowed her body to flow with the arc shaped contrail left by her prey. She realigned her direction back towards the ground and dived after the pegasus, following in it's slipstream. Clouds and colors blurred at the side of Rainbow's vision as her only focus was reaching her target. This time, she knew she had the advantage, she was about to show this Shadowbolt what nopony has been able to do in recent time... besides her. As the air around her front started to bend into the shape of a mach-cone, she gritted her teeth as the stress of the speed increased on her frame. Her eyes watered, her wings flapping at an impossible pace, everything else didn't matter to her except achieving what she needed to do...

'BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!'

She shattered the light spectrum in a thunderous explosion of rainbow colors accompanied by the supersonic shock-wave that echoed throughout the skies and the valleys below. A Sonic Rainboom. Her speed instantaneously doubled allowing her to reach the other pegasus within mere seconds. A smirk covering her face as she reached out to grab the pony by the tail.

'Aw, yeah...'

Her victory was short lived. She was knocked aside by a huge force knocking the wind out of her lungs, her eyes briefly blinded by the blazing colors overloading her senses. The other pegasus shooting off in a trail of the same multicolored light that Rainbow Dash had just created herself moments ago. Another Sonic Rainboom.

'Th... th-thats impossible!'

Rainbow Dash's jaw dropped in shock as she stared in disbelief at the pegasus streaming off with her signature rainbow colors in it's wake. Another pegasus performing the legendary Sonic Rainboom that only she had done in recent history? Confused, Rainbow Dash gave chase after the flier, her mind trying to process what had just taken place. She doubted whether it was possible to catch up with her rival now, but she was not about to give up. She didn't care how fast that pegasus could fly, even a Shadowbolt would eventually need to rest. Rainbow just needed to out-last the other pony until fatigue took it's toil and tiredness overcomes the flying menace. Rainbow Dash flew on, this time determined not to let the Shadowbolt out of her sights.

The pegasus had now changed course and was flying straight for the horizon while leading Rainbow in a merry chase through the air. After dodging two colliding puffs of clouds, she followed the pony into a clearing in the sky. She recognized the massive pillars and multiple arcs of the complex cloud structure that now loomed before them. Dark puffs of clouds hanged around a giant sphere at the peak of the highest tower, creating a rather somber tone that contrasted with the rainbow waterfalls that flowed throughout the place. It was Cloudsdale's Weather Factory.

As the pegasi were packing up to return home from their hard day's work at the factory, many had paused to stare at the early evening's sky. They had all witnessed the shock-wave of colors from the double Rainboom that had occurred just before their shift ended and were overcome by curiosity as to what may have caused it. Then they spotted a rainbow mane pegasus with a fitting black and purple garb flying across the skyline towards them.

“Look guys, it's Rainbow Dash!” One of the workers exclaimed while pointing at the oncoming pony with his hoof while the others gasp in wonderment, thrilled that one of Cloudsdale's most celebrated pony was visiting them.

“Wait... why isn't she stopping?”

Another mare asked out loud when the pegasus in question did not seem to be decelerating. The pony that they all mistook as Rainbow Dash flew through an opening among the high arches, and smashed into the many supporting beams holding up the great cloud construct together. The gasps of awe were soon replaced by the sounds of screaming as the crowd of pegasi frantically tried to avoid the chunks of falling debris of the collapsing structure.

Rainbow Dash witnessed the horror unfolding before her eyes as parts of the great Weather Factory came apart threatening to crush any pegasi unlucky enough to be underneath. She yelled in frustration and dived in to help her fellow ponies, temporarily forgetting her chase. Some of the pegasi were galloping around in the factory floor, so fear-stricken by the destruction that they forget to use their wings. A green-hued mare huddled in a corner crying as huge machinery toppled around her in a deafening crescendo. She noticed the dark shadow beneath her hooves was widening and looked up only to be greeted by a large pillar piece falling towards her. With her wings locked in a panic, she could only close her eyes and hope that the pain would be quick. It never came. Instead she heard a loud 'thunk' followed by a crash near her spot and she mustered the courage to open her eyes. The huge piece of rubble that was once a part of the pillars was laying close to her, she looked up and saw a familiar cyan pegasus with her rainbow colored mane and tail flying off to intercept more falling debris. It suddenly hit her that Rainbow Dash had saved her life by knocking the pillar aside preventing it from crushing her. She stared teary eyed at the pegasus and softly cheered her on.

“Go Rainbow Dash!”

“Hai-Yah!”

Rainbow Dash gave an uppercut to a large hardened cloud piece that used to be part of the roof, smashing it to bits. She swiftly dodged a few more falling debris before giving one a kick with her hind-legs, saving three pegasi who were trying to maneuver their way through all the chaos. Rainbow waved at them madly, signaling them to evacuate the area.

“Go! Get out of here! I'll hold off these pieces of junk!”

She didn't need to tell them twice as they flew out the nearest exit as fast as they could. Rainbow Dash scanned the room in utter disbelief at the damaged done to such an iconic and important part of Cloudsdale. The building was still falling apart and if all of the occupants didn't make it out in time, there was a chance they would end up being buried under the rubble. She swerved to the side, avoiding another piece of roof that whizzed past her, crashing through the floor and leaving behind a gaping hole that opened out into the sky. She turned her attention back to the room for one last check, and spotted a stallion desperately trying to open the main doors to the factory but the partially destroyed thing would not budge. He seemed to think it a better idea than risking the collapsing factory around him to get to the newly opened gaps in the walls and roof. He did not realize a piece of the roof right above him had detached and was now falling at high velocity, with the stallion as the intended mark.

“Look out!”

Rainbow called out in exasperation but the stallion did not hear her, his entire attention was focused only on getting the doors opened. Rainbow Dash made her choice. The air around her erupted with a brilliant flash of rainbow colors as she launched herself towards the endangered pony. She agilely avoided all obstacles on her way to the stallion, her mind instinctively counting down the seconds when the impact would occur. She could make it, she had too...

With a violent shove she knocked the stallion from the broken doors and ironically rocketed him into the air through a gap in the walls, sending the shocked pegasus into relative safety from the crumbling factory. Rainbow Dash wasn't so lucky.

'CRASH!'

The poor pony felt the blunt trauma against both her back and wings as the debris slammed against her body. The impact sent her crashing through the factory floor and out into the open sky. For a few seconds all she could hear was loud ringing in her ears as all other noises went mute. Her vision blurred as flashes of light and stars danced around her head.

As her vision slowly returned, Rainbow realized she was falling away from the once glorious Weather Factory. The sad sight filled her eyes as she witnessed clouds of dust hanging around the ruined pillar columns. Despite the fact that most of the entire factory complex remained untouched, the damage done to that one section was significant enough to interrupt weather productions for weeks. It spelled disaster for the rest of Ponyville... even all of Equestria if the damages weren't repaired immediately. As she kept falling with her back towards the ground and her hooves flailing upwards in the air, the distance between her and the factory grew. Rainbow knew that she could not could not continue her chase after that mysterious Shadobolt. She had to help them, she had to help her fellow pegasi rebuild the Weather Factory.

Rainbow Dash shook her head clearing the rest of the ringing in her ears away and tried flapping her wings. She cried out in excruciating pain as the muscles rejected the command her brain was sending to them. Her senses told her something was terribly wrong. As she turned her head around far enough to look at her wings, her eyes widened with fear. Her wings were misshapen and bent in an unnatural way, the pain coursing through her when she tried to move them was an indicator that they could very well be broken. This was not a very pleasant thought to Rainbow.

'This is bad... this is very bad'

She turned her gaze back to the factory in the clouds, it was slowly disappearing from sight. Did anypony see her fall? Would any one of them come to her rescue? Or more likely, would they all be preoccupied by the catastrophe that had just hit Cloudsdale to even notice a single mare missing from the scene? Rainbow concluded the latter was the more likely scenario. Her body ached from the stress she had put it through all afternoon, maybe racing with Applejack earlier wasn't such a good idea after all. Now she couldn't even fly to save herself due to her crippled wings. Rainbow closed her eyes tightly, the feeling of rushing air blowing against her face, it would soon be evening and nopony would even think to look for her until the next day. She mouthed a word of prayer to Celestia hoping against hope that this would not be her end. It was not death she feared, but being failure. A failure to Cloudsdale, to the Wonderbolts, to her parents... a failure to her closest friends...

'WHOOOSH!'

Rainbow Dash felt herself being carried away from the rapid fall by a pair of hooves clinging on to her. The sudden change in direction and velocity made her gasp a little before opening her eyes to see who her savior was.

The sight that greeted her gave her a mixed feeling of surprise and hatred. It was the Shadowbolt pegasus. And being a mere hoof's length away from her face, Rainbow could clearly see she was a mare. The mocking grin she had on her mouth stirred up feelings of anger inside Rainbow Dash. What was this mare thinking, recklessly putting the lives of so many ponies in danger, and for what? Just so she could proof herself better than Rainbow Dash? Rainbow didn't care if the mare had saved her life, she had to pay for what she had done to Cloudsdale. With seething rage she reached out with her fore-hooves and grabbed hold of the Shadowbolt's yellow goggles and black mask, yanking them off from her muzzle.

“Let's see who you rea...”

Rainbow Dash stopped mid sentence when she saw now who it really was behind the costume. It was herself. Rainbow couldn't believe her own eyes, her rescuer had the exact same cyan fur, the same rosy red pupils... if it weren't for the scars and discolored patches of hair Rainbow would think she was looking into a mirror. Plus the doppelganger looked as if she was older, by decades even, than Rainbow Dash herself. If she had any questions for her copy she did not utter a word of it. For her gaze had suddenly locked onto the eyes of her flying duplicate. What she saw behind those rose red irises chilled her to the bone. Those eyes revealed no joy, no love, no care... only malice and hate. The spiteful grin never left her face as she relished Rainbow Dash's confusion and fear.

“Nighty-night squirt.”

And before Rainbow Dash could react, she felt a massive blow to her skull. The last thing she was aware of was the trickling of blood as her mind drifted off into the blackness...

Author's Note

There we go, another one where I had to split in half because it was becoming too long for one chapter methinks... hope ya'll enjoy this one as much as I enjoyed writing it. Finally, some action scenes! Hopefully the next half won't take as long to be done.

Evil Applejack based on the 'remember what you are' art by MetaDragonArt on deviantart.
Daring Do: the secret of XIII by AIStiff on youtube.

And the 'other' Rainbow Dash? Well... I can let you guess in the comments section. ^_-

The Grim of Dark

“Of all the worst things that could happen, this is the... worst... possible... Thing!”

Rarity flopped on her bed moaning pitifully. She had a hoof across her forehead as she dramatized her own sorrow, even though there was nopony other than herself to witness the display. She lifted her head up and looked at the mannequins across the room, they were all outfitted with unfinished dresses. Each one had a different design with several color schemes contrasting each other. And though they were by no means terrible to begin with, Rarity was not pleased at any of them. She slumped back and continued wallowing in misery.

“This simply will not do! How can I present the... these uninspiring atrocities to Sapphire Shores? Why, she needs to look fabulous, she needs to look spectacular, she needs to look... Sensational!"

Rarity's eyes sparkled as she held both front hooves together below her chin, emphasizing her last word with exuberant flair. She could picture the Pony of Pop in her mind wearing a simply magnifique dress designed by Rarity herself. The pop-star had approached Rarity during her time in Canterlot, and the both of them had discussed about a new ensemble line for Sapphire Shores' upcoming Equestrian Tour. Rarity knew she had to come up with something much more stunning than the previous undertaking she did for Sapphire Shores. The only problem was she couldn't seem to find the inspiration to bring her new creations to life. Every line, every color combination, every fabric choice just didn't feel right to her. She had hoped the fun time she had with her best friends at the Canterlot Garden Party would stimulate her passion to create amazing fashion. She was less than thrilled to discover she had developed a creativity block when she got home. Rarity sighed to herself, acknowledging that she won't be getting anything done if she continued moping in bed. She got up and trotted to her dressing table and sat down in front of the mirror.

Rarity pouted at her own reflection in the mirror. She needed inspiration if she was to even get pass the sketch stage of her designs; she literally had dozens of unfinished drawings scattered across the floor. Her horn started to glow a light blue and the pieces of roughly sketched portraits were encased in the same luminous color. Rarity lifted them from the floor and dexterously arranged them neatly in mid-air while levitating a pair of red framed glasses onto her muzzle at the same time. She brought the sketches down into her hooves and stared at them through her spectacles intently as if to gleam some sort of revelation from them.

'Too frilly, too bland, too many feathers... Ugh, this one, what was I thinking? Too boring...' She flipped through the many artworks shaking her head from side to side with disappointment at each of them. The lid of a nearby bin suddenly raised up, glowing with magic. Rarity tossed the stack of drawings into it, guiding them with her unicorn powers as they glided through the air. If she wanted to create art, she had to start afresh. Maybe some tea would help? The thought sounded tempting, she hadn't had anything to soothe her senses ever since she got back from booking the next day's appointment at the spa. It didn't really help that Pinkie Pie was with her the whole time. And being Pinkie, she just wouldn't stop talking about everything. Though most of her conversation was about preparing for Twilight's party; Rarity wondered if the hyperactive pony really believed that Twilight and Flash Sentry were an item, or she was just milking an excuse for another one of her crazy parties. Not that it was a bad thing. Rarity, like her friends, had come to love Pinkie's parties, excessive at times though they may be. Besides, it was for a good cause. And Rarity was all for it if it meant distracting Twilight from fretting over her 'princess' problems.

She levitated a jar of her favorite 'Plum & Pear Withers Cream' off the dressing table and unscrewed the cover before allowing the contents to flow out with her magic and applying the cream to her muzzle. 'Oh, that is simply divine!' She thought to herself dreamily. 'Flax and Wheat certainly haven't lost their touch.' Rarity remembered the country earth ponies that she had helped saved their business from going down the water trough. It was good to know that they were still keeping to their au natural policy with their beauty products. After she finished applying the cream to her face, Rarity placed the jar back with her assortment of cosmetics. She looked back at the mirror and smiled, feeling much better after pampering herself a bit.

'Now, about that tea.' Rarity opened up one of the many drawers of her dressing table with her magic and started sorting through her items inside. She was looking for her favorite comb to brush her mane before she head down to the kitchen. She would take no chances of somepony catching her with her head in such a terrible mess through her own windows. Some ponies may be able to stand looking scruffy in their own home but not Rarity, she had to be fabulous where ever she was. She had an image to maintain after all. Out of a sudden, she came across a familiar sight. A bright heart-shaped fire ruby framed in gold.

Rarity lifted the jewel tenderly from her drawer, the glow from her magic making it sparkle prettily. She placed it on her left hoof and gently caressed it with the other one. She had not realized that her mouth had curved upwards by itself into a loving smile. It was a special gift from her dear friend, Spikey-Wikey. While it was true many ponies had given her all sorts of presents and offered her jewels with extravagant promises. The little dragon had given her something no other stallion has ever truly given to her, his heart...

*flashback*

"Rarity! I need to tell you something! Just in case we don't make it! I've always sorta had a crush...”

Rarity stopped Spike before he could continue, her hoof pressed against his lips. Tears welling up in her eyes as she smiled in understanding at her Spikey-Wikey. Spike returned her smile, not a word was needed to express their feelings...

To her surprise, Rarity could feel her own eyes starting to water. She gazed into the fire ruby, memories began to flood her mind with the many times Spike had sacrificed whatever free time he could get just to help her with something particularly nasty, like taking out the trash or cleaning the gutters. The little dragon didn't mind helping Rarity with any task, nothing was beneath him when it came to the pony of his dreams. Even risking life and limb to save her from the Diamond Dogs... She had to admit it, Spikey-Wikey had won a special place in her heart.

Rarity closed her eyes and started to think rationally. No, Spike is a dragon, and she is a pony. The idea of them being together was impossible. In the long run, the relationship wouldn't make any sense, Spike would outgrow this crush of his eventually. It was just filly love, nothing more. Rarity just hasn't met that special-some-pony of her dreams yet, when that day comes she will need to break Spike's fantasy about her, it was for his own good. Rarity was sure that even Twilight, the closest thing to a mother, or a sister that Spike has, would agree with her. She would still cherish Spike as a good friend of course, he will always be dear to her. Just not in the way he might have hoped.

She opened her eyes with a more stony look in them, and thought she had made up her mind about the matter... when suddenly she intuitively gazed downwards. The fire ruby was still in her hooves, glimmering softly in the light. Rarity wasn't completely sure, but she thought she could see Spike's adorable face reflecting on surface of the red gem, her stony demeanor was gone in an instant. If she truly treated Spike no more than just a good friend, why was this one gift from him always bringing out such feelings in her every time she held it? Why was love such a mysteriously complicated thing...

Rarity's bright blue pupils widened and she cried out in sudden epiphany.

“I got it!”

She pushed away from the dressing table and turned to her mannequins with excitement dancing on her muzzle.

“Sapphire Shore's new line of dresses will be known as... Amour de Mystere!”

Rarity painted an invisible line in the air with one hoof as she announced the title of her soon to be reality idea. She simply must get to work while her motivating vision was still fresh in her mind. She gave the fire ruby one last look and lovingly placed it back into the drawer she took it from, reminding herself to thank Spike the next time they met. In fact she decided that she would make a gift for her little Spikey-Wikey. Rarity wasn't entirely sure what it would be yet but she knew it should be something adorably fitting. She enjoyed dressing the little dragon up as cute as possible, even though he would openly object to the notion of 'looking cute', not that it had stopped Rarity in the past.

She than proceeded to begin her task of redesigning her dresses, starting with sketching on the drawing board. Her horn glowed brightly as she manipulated multiple objects simultaneously, guiding them towards her from their different places of origin. She furiously drew her sketches on blank papers, letting her art naturally flow with her inspiration. Cloth, gemstones, threads, and all kinds of sewing materials swirled around her in perfect co-ordination. Rarity may not be a mistress of spells, but her mastery of dress-making had it's benefits. After honing her craft for several years, Rarity could levitate several items at once and manage them with acute dexterity, from suspending bulky cloths to seaming a pattern with a needle down to the last detail. All this required a lot of her attention however, therefore she did not realize it when a certain unicorn entered her inspiration room.

“Now, for a touch of sensational, some lovely star sapphires...”

“Rarity! You're back!”

“Gaaaaaaah!?!”

Rarity nearly dropped all of her equipment in alarm, but she manages to maintain control of her magic and save her precious works from a terrible fate, one of her sketches was not so lucky. It was an extravagance in the making, until a stroke of chalk ran across the surface marring her design. One of Rarity's eyes twitched at the damage done to her art. Frowning, she huffed and turned to face the unicorn who had entered her room. She was greeted by the sight of a smiling muzzle on a young filly with the same fur-coat as Rarity's; her mane and tail a lovely blend of mulberry and light grayish rose, her greenish eyes glinting with joy.

“Sweetie Belle! How many times do I have to tell you not to interrupt me when I'm having my... inspiring moments?”

“I'm sorry Rarity but, it's been a week since you were gone and it's so good to finally see you again. I was really starting to miss you. Don't you miss me too...”

Sweetie Belle walked up to Rarity with her pale green eyes looking longingly at her older sister. Rarity saw Sweetie's face was turning into a picture of sadness, the glow of her initial joy disappearing after being yelled at by her own sister. The older mare sighed before lowering all the levitating items in the air down; and with careful swiftness, placed them on any available space for the time being.

“Please forgive me little sister, I just had this amazing idea for my current project and I really want to take advantage of the momentum. You understand right Sweetie Belle?”

“But you just got back! Can't we at least spend some time together?”

“We can... just, not now alright dear? Maybe some other time? Why don't you go, er... Cutie Mark crusading with Scootaloo and Apple Bloom! I know how much you fillies love discovering your Cutie Marks together. Who knows, maybe this time you might actually get it!” Rarity tried to sound encouraging.

“Rarity! I just got back from Sweet Apple Acres. Apple Bloom, Scootaloo and I just went crusading this morning trying to catch rabbits. We stopped because I knew you'll be coming back today, and I thought of seeing you first before heading back home.”

Sweetie Belle hung her head and turned away from Rarity.

“...but if you're busy, I understand... I guess I'll see you tomorrow.”

Rarity was torn between wanting desperately to finish her work, and deciding how to not disappoint her little sister after she had so eagerly come all the way to Rarity's Carousel Boutique just to welcome her back. There were many occasions in the past that she had to sacrifice time with Sweetie Belle in order to meet a deadline for her dresses. Was this going to be another one of those moments? She glanced back at her unfinished works of art and than back at Sweetie Belle who seemed ready to leave as soon as Rarity gave the word.

Sweetie Belle felt a hoof around her shoulders and looked up, her older sibling smiled affectionately at her as she pulled the little filly into an embrace.

“Sweetie Belle darling... why don't you go back home and inform mother and father that you will be coming over tonight for a sleepover with your big sister?”

“Tonight? Really?” Sweetie gazed hopefully at her sister.

“Yes, really. All I ask is that you give me the afternoon to work with. And I promise by evening, it will just be 'us' time, regardless the condition of my endeavors...” Rarity nervously twitched her curvy tail at the thought of another creativity block if she could not finish her work, but didn't retract her offer to Sweetie Belle. “We can cook dinner together, and after that, we can give each other new hoof polishes, try out some of this month's latest fashion trends, and...” Rarity paused, realizing she was prattling on.

“...or we can do what you want to do.”

“I don't mind what we end up doing Rarity, as long as we do it... together.”

The simple, but earnest answer from her little sister melted Rarity's heart, bringing new tears to her eyes.

“Aww...Sweetie Belle...” As emotions filled her up, Rarity remembered something odd her sister had mentioned earlier.

“Sweetie darling, why were the three of you trying to catch rabbits on Applejack's farm in the first place?”

“Well... Apple Bloom told us that they would occasionally have vermin trespass on their land, and that Applejack would end up spending hours chasing them off. We thought of giving it a try and see if we could get our cutie marks as exterminators!”

The two of them laughed in unison, and Rarity squeaked with joy as both sisters hugged each other lovingly.

Rarity awoke with a jolt. She found herself in bed wearing her favorite pair of silk pj's, not quite able to remember how she ended up falling asleep. Darkness covered the room, it seemed that evening had arrived without Rarity even realizing it. “Opalescence!” Rarity instinctively called out for her pet, the Persian cat always made Rarity feel more secure when she was alone. Then Rarity remembered, she had left dear Opalescence at Fluttershy's before they all left for Canterlot. Maybe she should have retrieved her darling pet right when she got back instead of waiting another day.

As she sat there in bed trying to recall what she was doing prior to her nap, a sudden chill crawled all over her body. She shivered from the cold and wrapped her front hooves tightly over her chest, rubbing both shoulders. Thinking that maybe she had left a window opened, Rarity surveyed the glass panels of her room, but all of them were shut tight. Yet she could not shake off the eerie iciness that gnawed at her ever so faintly. She gasped, suddenly remembering her promise to Sweetie Belle earlier. Goodness, had Rarity slept through her sister's return from their parent's as well? She quickly got out of bed and flipped the light switch... nothing happened...

After a few more tries, it was clear that either the switch was not working or the lights had blown a fuse. Rarity frowned to herself, disliking the idea of having to wait until morning to get somepony to come fix her problem. She would have no clue on where to start if she were to attempt to fix it on her own, hardware maintenance was more of Applejack's field. She did have a more immediate solution however, and all it required was a touch of magic. Rarity's horn produced a light blue glow and the rays emitting from her magic lit up the general area around her. 'Much better.' She thought. The sounds of rumbling in the evening sky, betrayed first by a flash of lightning striking across her window, startled the mare slightly. Was a thunderstorm about to arrive? “How splendid...” she sarcastically muttered under her breath. In hindsight it might have been a good idea to have requested Rainbow Dash to make sure the skies were clear for the night, no doubt the pegasus was snoring away in her cloud house by now. Rarity was now genuinely worried that Sweetie Belle might get caught in a storm if she had not yet arrived at her Carousel Boutique. As she trotted by her dressing table, Rarity felt something compelling her to look in the mirror. She turned to see herself staring back from the familiar piece of glass, only this time there seemed to be something odd about the reflection. The glow from her horn could be playing tricks on her vision, but Rarity thought she saw something different about her in the mirror, something on her face that shouldn't be there, something that resembled... scars...

She must be seeing things, how could she have scarred herself in her sleep? Maybe she was just still hazy from having just woke up, yes, that was probably it... Than why was her mind screaming that something was very wrong about the whole situation? The room suddenly felt quiet to her, unearthly quiet... Rarity nervously approached the mirror, she wanted a closer look, even if only to comfort her fidgeting senses. She now was directly in front of the looking-glass and the light of her magic gave a clearer view than before... nothing, she looked just as beautiful as she normally would. Rarity sighed in relief, but her solace was replaced by spine tingling chill that shot up her back, freezing her with fear as she heard an unnatural voice being whispered in her ears...

“...don't worry... Mommy's still pretty...”

Just at that moment, a flash of lightning across the windows lit up her room with a bright flare of white light, and Rarity shrieked in terror at what she saw in the mirror.

Her reflection was peering back at her, with a twisted toothy grin on it's mouth. It's face was like her own, except for the scars that ran across it's muzzle, notably the three cat-like scratch marks on the left eye. In it's front legs held a slumped figure, a doll. It was the most horrid doll Rarity had ever seen with it's greyish pink coat sewed in patches and it's sickly flattened mane. But it was the black button-like eyes and deceptive smile that gave Rarity a feeling that the thing in the reflection's fore-hooves was a far more sinister creature than just a mere doll. And while it only lasted but a second on the mirror, the image Rarity saw had been burned into her mind like hot searing iron.

The indigo maned pony stumbled away from the mirror, gasping frantically. She turned her head around her eyes darting at every direction fearing that the thing from the mirror was in the same room with her. Nothing. The glow from her horn was casting creepy shadows all across the room that danced around the half clothed mannequins she was working on earlier. But other than that, Rarity could not see anypony else. However, it did not make the dreadful feeling of fear inside of her go away. Rarity decided it was best she got out of her Boutique and head for one of her friend's place. Pinkie Pie was the one who lived the closest to her, and the thought of having the happiest pony in Ponyville by her side was a much more comforting thought than staying in her own home right now. And the sooner she got out of the room and find Sweetie Belle, the better. Rarity galloped out the door and called out for Sweetie Belle as she aimed straight for the spare room reserved for her sister when she came over to Rarity's Boutique.

“Sweetie Belle! Sweetie Belle! Are you here?”

Rarity didn't wait for any answer before pushing the door open with her head and rushing in. No Sweetie Belle. Rarity had to make sure no room was spared before she ruled out that her sister had not returned from their parent's house. As she left Sweetie Belle's room, Rarity heard noises coming from the main showroom where she entertained all her customers, could it be her sister? She raced towards the source of the sound, as she got closer she could recognize Sweetie Belle's voice, it sounded like she was having a conversation with somepony. Rarity reached her showroom, and was about to call out for her sister again when she stopped in her tracks. In the middle of her Boutique was Sweetie Belle sitting in the dark, and besides her was the creepy looking doll from her nightmarish reflection in the mirror earlier. She also noticed something else, near the pedestal surrounded by three mirrors where Rarity would have her clients pose, was a tripod; and on top of it was a camera that had it's lenses pointing in the direction of her sister and the doll. Sweetie Belle seemed oblivious that anything was wrong with this whole scene and just turned her gaze to Rarity, as if just realizing her sister standing by the stairway.

“Oh hi Rarity. I was wondering when you were going to play with me.”

“Sweetie Belle.. What are you doing?” Rarity gingerly took a step forward, she remained calm externally, but on the inside she was starting to panic. All of her instinct told her to get Sweetie Belle away from that doll.

“Why, I was just talking with my new friend here, Pinkamena.”

Sweetie Belle gestured towards the doll as it continued to stare at Rarity with that unmoving grin on it's face. And though in her eyes it looked like a lifeless doll, Rarity felt as if it was watching her every move. There was an unnatural aura surrounding the doll that made Rarity feel physically ill. 'Pinkamena...' why did that name sound so familiar? She crept closer, inching her way to Sweetie while keeping an eye on her sister and the doll at all times. She was ready to use her magic and everything at her disposal, if she had to fight to pry her sister away from that sinister looking puppet whom Sweetie Belle was now cooing at and stroking it's head with one hoof.

“Don't you just love her mane?”

“Sweetie Belle, dear... get away from, that thing... and come to your big sister.”

“Wh-why? Don't you want me to have a new friend?”

“I do, darling... I'm sure she's... interesting, but you have to trust me on this, don't you trust your big sister?”

“I.. I..” A look of confusion suddenly covered Sweetie's face as if she was awakening from an enchantment.

“It's alright Sweetie, just hold my hoof and everything will be alright...”

Rarity was now a few hooves away from her sister as she reached out towards Sweetie. Her horn was like a beacon of light for her little sister to focus on as she released her hold on the doll and stretched out her front hooves, longing to be in the embrace of her big sister...

All of a sudden, the Pinkamena doll reached out and grabbed Sweetie Belle by the hind-legs before Rarity could react. A black hole appeared beneath the doll and it began to sink through it. It's limbs slithered around Sweetie Belle, dragging the screaming filly down with it as the darkness grew, slowly encompassing the floor in a bottomless, oily, black pit. Everything in the room was gravitating towards the black hole as if being pulled down a water sink. The doll was no longer visible save for it's coiled limbs around the young mare, whose body was quickly disappearing into the floor along with it.

“Rarity, help!”

Two hooves grabbed a hold of Sweetie's outstretched ones, a shimmering blue aura covering her body parts that was still visible above the black ground. Huge beads of sweat streaming down her brow as Rarity fought with both her physical and magical might to pull Sweetie Belle out of the swirling darkness. Her frame and back legs pressed against the floor trying to resist the pull of the growing darkness. She was gritting her teeth around the ends of pink curtains that acted as an anchor to the room for her. Though they were stretched beyond what they normally should be able too, Rarity was not going to give up. It didn't matter that her jaws were hurting badly or that she felt the throbbing pain of pounding hammers on her skull from the stress of dueling with the black hole; she will not let her sibling be taken from her. Celestia as her witness she will not lose her one and only sister! Rarity will save Sweetie Belle from this monstrosity or die trying. Her sister looked Rarity in the eyes, almost emotionless as her sister battled to save her.

“It's okay Rarity, you don't have to fight it...”

“Don't you let go! Don't you dare let go!”

Rarity cried out through the tearing curtain sheets in her mouth, tears falling from her eyes from the pain the ordeal was causing her, but she would not give up.

“I won't... mommy...”

Sweetie's voice sounded unearthly childlike, as if a dozen voices were speaking through her at once. But Rarity didn't pay much heed to it, all her concerns were directed at preventing her little sister from being swallowed alive. But she was fighting an uphill battle, she had not gain even an inch back from the blackness and already her entire body was trembling with fatigue. She could feel herself losing ground as her hind-legs struggled to keep in place. She wasn't even aware that the camera, somehow avoiding being sucked into the void, had repositioned itself nearer to the two ponies. As if wanting to capture their struggles together.

'SNAP!'

The curtain tore away from the scaffolding that held it in place and smacked against the unicorn pulling it tightly on her end. Rarity lost her balance from the abrupt backlash and fell forward together with Sweetie Belle. The little filly dragged her sister down with her as she uttered her last words before falling through the black hole completely.

“We can all be together now...”

“SWEETIE BELLE!!!”

Rarity's scream was cut short by the looming blackness enveloping her entire body. The last light to be extinguish was the glow of her horn as all her other senses went completely numb. And the last thing she felt was the feeling of overwhelming sorrow that gripped her heart for failing Sweetie Belle, before her mind entered into oblivion...

The glow around the unicorn's horn dimmed as she powered down her magic. The mare exhaled a deep breath, relaxing her tensed body after exerting her abilities. Creating such a powerful mind illusion was no small feat, but it was well worth the effort. A thin smile spread across her scarred features as she gazed down at her handiwork. Laying at her hooves was another unicorn, unconscious, but still alive. Her glossy indigo-mane and tail spread out around her body on the bedroom floor. Her three blue diamond cutie mark visible on her flank, betraying her identity as she lay on her side... Rarity.

The unicorn standing over her slowly studied her victim, in many ways she was just like Rarity. They shared the same greyish white fur, the same fabulous indigo mane and tail, even the same cutie marks. What Rarity did not share with this mare were the visible body scars. And while the obvious ones were on her face, it was the heart-shaped carving on her chest that was the most prominent. She reached out and gently caressed Rarity's face with her right hoof, slowly running along the fur of her muzzle. She used to be perfectly pristine like Rarity, with no scars on her face or body. Now they were a part of her, they represent what she had become.

The unicorn used her other hoof to touch her own scarred muzzle, as if trying to remember a time before she had the scars, and the horrible acts she did that will forever serve as a remainder to her loss. She turned her head to face the doll that was sitting on her back, it's body in a slumped posterior while it's button eyes stared back at the mare, it's mouth in a perpetual smile. She used her magic and levitated the doll off her back and brought it by her side.

“Oh darling, Mommy's still pretty isn't she? You love mommy don't you?”

The doll did not respond, but the unicorn acted as if she the doll had answered her, and was pleased by it. She nuzzled her plaything affectionately, cooing at it as she did so.

“Yes, Mommy loves you too... Pinkamena...”

On the outskirts of Ponyville, near the edge of The Everfree Forest...

Fluttershy held an unfinished sweater in her hooves, knitting it while humming a familiar tune as she worked skillfully with the needles. One could almost make out what she was singing as she mouthed the words to the song softly.

“My little pony... my little pony...”

She paused to take a look at all her animal friends gathered around in her cottage. They were all enjoying a nice meal that Fluttershy had laid out for all of them. Squirrels and rabbits, mice and chipmunks, every creature was busy munching on nuts and green leaves in bowls that they shared among themselves. With her usual company of animals were a few welcomed guests, the pets of her closest friends. They had been sent to Fluttershy's cottage to be looked after by Minuette and Lemon Hearts while the six of them left Ponyville for the Canterlot Garden Party. The two ponies had done Fluttershy a real favor by taking care of her cottage and animals for her, she must remember to repay them for their kindness.

The yellow pegasus took in the scene of her friend's pets mingling with the other animals. Tank the tortoise was slowly munching on his bowl of leaves, Rainbow Dash's pet was a little sweetheart. It's no wonder the cool mare was so fond of her beloved pet, though saving Rainbow's life when her wing got stuck under a boulder in Ghastly Gorge might have something to do with it as well. Rarity's cat, Opalescence, was stretched out on top of the fireplace. Haughtily gazing at all the other animals while she cleaned herself; taking slow, unhurried licks to her own paws. A form flew past Fluttershy startling her a little, and landed on a stand besides the pegasus.

“Hoot... Hoot...”

“Oh Owlowiscious, you startled me.” Fluttershy professed to Twilight's pet owl with a smile. “I do hope you don't mind spending another night here with me. I'll bring you over to Twilight's library first thing in the morning after breakfast, I promise.”

“Hoot...”

“I knew you wouldn't object, I enjoy your company around here as well Owlowiscious.”

The owl replied with another hoot as Fluttershy continued her knitting. She had spent quite a bit of her afternoon on her little hobby. She made up her mind to create some clothing for the animals under her care because she thought it was a cute idea. And she wanted to do it as a little gift for the pets of her friends. She will have to visit Applejack and Pinkie Pie to get the measurements of Winona and Gummy though, as the two pets were not required to be sent to Fluttershy's place. She enjoyed making little gifts every now and then for her friends; as they have always been an inspiration to her. They have all helped Fluttershy when she was being too meek to stand up for herself or when she needed to be more assertive in a situation. And like Rarity and Pinkie Pie, she enjoyed being generous and happy as the two things went hand in hand with love and kindness. Her thoughts drifted back to Twilight Sparkle, she was so glad that the newly crowned princess had enjoyed herself at the party in Canterlot. Fluttershy had felt that Twilight was hiding behind a smile for weeks now, though she did not have the bravery to ask Twilight what was on her mind. Things didn't seem quite right ever since she returned from that other strange world; maybe a little reminder of how much Twilight meant to her friends would cheer her up. Fluttershy really hoped that Twilight would like the present she gave her earlier... With one last loop, the sweater she was working on was finished, and she held it up to approve with a satisfied nod.

“There, all done!” She looked around, her blue eyes searching through the animals in her house. Fluttershy spotted the creature she wanted to find, a white bunny rabbit. She lifted herself off the sofa with a soft flap from her wings and hovered daintily across the room over the rest of the animals. She planted her hooves down right next to the rabbit that was wiping it's mouth after munching on his meal of carrots and celery. With one swift move, Fluttershy plopped the sweater over the surprised rabbit and squealed with joy at the perfect fit.

“Aww, Angel, you look simply adorable in that sweater. Yes you do!”

The mare fawned over her special pet while Angel, not looking too pleased at all, tried to wriggle his way out of his new attire. Fluttershy bent her face closer to the rabbit and patted him on the head. Angel crossed his front paws and folded them across his chest as he stood on his hind legs and glared at Fluttershy while tapping a foot rapidly on the floor.

“Oh, I must show the girls how cute you are with that sweater on. And I can dress up the rest of your little friends as well! Why, I can make a whole set of sweaters just for you, one for each day. You'll love that, won't you Angel?”

'Smack!'

Angel slapped Fluttershy across the muzzle, bringing her out of her wishful state. She rubbed the spot on her snout where the bunny had hit her while her pet turned his back on her in a huff. Before Fluttershy could say anything about the rabbit's rude behavior, there was knocking at her front door. She left Angel to be irritable on his own and trotted over to the door. As she opened it, two female unicorns stood before her. One was lemony yellow with light-blue mane and tail, with three hearts as her cutie mark on her flank. The other mare had a light-blue coat that contrasted with her half gray, half blue mane. She had beautiful sapphire blue eyes that sparkled as she spoke first.

“Hi Fluttershy, glad to see that you're back. I hope everything is the way you like it, quite a task having to take care of so many animals in one week.”

“Oh yes, everything is just perfect Minuette, both you and Lemon Hearts did such a wonderful job helping me take care of all my animal friends. I really must repay the both of you somehow.”

“Nonsense Fluttershy, after all those times where you helped us with our own pets? We were happy to help out. After-all, the years of winter-wrap ups we've done together did teach us a thing or two about animals. Learning from the way you work with animals is amazing, Fluttershy. Frankly, I'm surprised that you're not a vet!”

“Well, it is my special talent to work with animals...” The pegasus blushed shyly at the compliment. “I supposed I'm just happy to be out here among all my animals rather than being in Ponyville. I feel closer to them this way.”

“That's really sweet dear. Oh, and before we forget...”

Lemon Hearts rummaged through her saddle pouch with her muzzle and pulled out a letter and gave it to a surprised Fluttershy.

“That's the bill from the construction company for your new shed. Amazing how they managed to get it done in such short notice really...”

“B-b-but... I never asked for a shed to be built...” The puzzled yellow pegasus stared at the letter in her hooves, thinking that it was some sort of prank.

“Really? The construction ponies came over in the morning with a request form they received from you last night saying you wanted a shed built before you came back from Canterlot by afternoon, it even has your signature and hoof-writing.”

“Um, where exactly did they build this shed?”

“Over there...” Minuette pointed with one hoof in the direction of the Everfree Forest. “Right at the edge of the forest. We haven't been in there yet, thought you might want to examine it yourself.”

Fluttershy stepped further out of her doorway to look at where the blue unicorn was pointing at, and true enough there it was. It was a little ways down the small path from her backyard, situated just at the mouth of the forest entrance. She didn't know what was going on but it all seemed rather strange to her.

“Well, we'd better get going, I have a business proposal over dinner that I have to prepare for. Don't want to be late for something so important.”

“You're never late Minuette, and that’s why you have that cutie mark. You are always on time!”

Lemon Hearts prodded Minuette's flank where the picture of an hour glass was. And the three ponies giggled together.

“Alright, but the both of you have to promise me that we will at least spend some time together for all the help you've done. How about we'll at least go out for a nice lunch sometime soon?”

“Lunch sounds good, looking forward to it. Bye Fluttershy!”

“Bye girls!”

Lemon Hearts and Minuette left Fluttershy to be with her animals, and the both of them started engaging in conversation as they trotted along the small bridge in front of Fluttershy's cottage.

“...and what did you say this business dinner of yours was about?”

“Well, I'm working on getting my idea for a new flavor of toothpaste off the ground, and I'm thinking that a meet up with the local dentist in Ponyville might be a good start.”

“Toothpaste? Really Minuette, what possessed you to come up with such an idea?

“I'm not sure, it was just so... sudden. Who knows, this might just actually work out, right? By the way, what do you think if I named the toothpaste, Cold Gate...”

Fluttershy pondered for quite a while before deciding to go take a look at the shed just outside her property. She took wing and fluttered lightly in the direction of the shed. When she reached it, Fluttershy could see that it was just a small structure with no windows and only a single door as the entrance. She landed just outside the shed and walked closer to analyze it. It was made entirely of wood that was a dull grayish color, and the vibe that Fluttershy got from it was not a pleasant one. Why would anypony build such a thing right next to the Everfree Forest? And why use her name to authorize it's construction? As Fluttershy puzzled over these questions she thought she heard something coming from inside the shed. She carefully pressed an ear to the door to hear better, she could make out that there was somepony inside talking, no, singing... albeit very softly and slowly. It was hard to catch what was being sung but Fluttershy could almost make out the words to the hauntingly familiar voice.

“Hush... now.. quiet now... it's time to lay your sleepy head...”

“Hello?”

Fluttershy called out but there was no response. The voice she heard was strangely familiar, it was almost as if it was, her own. Fluttershy wanted to run back to the cottage, to the warmth and safety of her animal friends. She would just treat this as somepony's idea of a bad joke and maybe in the morning the shed would no longer be there? But she couldn't shake the feeling that she needed to see who was inside the shed, she felt a strong pull to open the door and find out. Nervously, she turned the handle of the door and poke her head in.

“Who's in here?”

The room was dark, Fluttershy couldn't make out the walls of the shed without more light, though she could still hear the mumbled singing. She pushed the door further in, allowing more light to stream into the forlorn shed. Now she could just make out the outline of a figure huddled at the end of the shed, she couldn't see the face as it's back was facing Fluttershy. She involuntarily took a step inside, her eyes widening with anticipation. The shed felt unnaturally more spacious than it looked from the outside, maybe it was the fact that the corners of the room seemed to blend into the darkness, swallowing what little light there was. She crept closer to the figure who was still mumbling words, but Fluttershy could make out what the pony was singing, a familiar lullaby.

“Hush... now... quiet now... it's time to go to bed...”

“Um, excuse me... are you okay? Why are you all alone in here...”

Fluttershy was now close enough to identify the the ragged pink mane and tail on the pony, a mare. The fur on her coat was a light yellow, like Fluttershy's. She even had wings, a sign she was a pegasus as well. There was something placed in front of the mare, but Fluttershy was not able to determine exactly what it was as the pony blocked her view. She was thinking of placing a hoof on the pony's shoulder when her head began to turn slowly around to face Fluttershy. She let out a small gasp and stepped back from the mare.

Her face resembled Fluttershy's, her eyes, her snout, even the mane fell around her face the same way Fluttershy's did. However, there were dark circles surrounded her eyes as if she had not slept for a long time. And it did not help that the disturbing grin she had suggested she was a little deranged. Fluttershy was trying to decide whether to stay and help this strange pony or to run out the door, when the mare in front of her pulled up the thing that was on the floor, and caused Fluttershy to freeze up with terror. It had a blade full of jagged cruel teeth that was held together by a chain which ran through the mechanical handle being held tightly in her hooves... a chainsaw.

“Hey... welcome to my shed...”

'WHROOOOOM!!!'

The chainsaw came to life with a thunderous roar and the mare pounced towards her victim with the weapon raised as the air filled with the sound of Fluttershy's piercing scream...

Evening in Ponyville...

'Ah got ta get ta Twilight!'

The workhorse thought to herself as she galloped along the streets of Ponyville. She had not seen any signs where her duplicate had gone to, Applejack's only hope was that she had not caused anymore trouble by impersonating as Applejack. She knew the mare could be anywhere by now, and she dreaded to think that somepony had invited her into their homes. And why wouldn't they? The imposter looked exactly like Applejack, and every pony in Ponyville trusted the orange farm horse. The townsfolk would have no reason to think that Applejack would even hurt them, never mind kill them...

Applejack shook off the last thought and focused on her mission at hoof. Twilight's library, that's where she needed to get to now. She knew if there was any pony who could help figure out what was going on, it was Twilight Sparkle. Before long, Applejack could see the green top of the Golden Oak Library, she had made it. The workhorse picked up speed for the last lap of the journey and galloped harder to reach the front door. The lamp hanging outside gave off a light that flickered around the bark of the tree structure, casting a welcoming glow around the library as the sun slowly descended on the horizon. The last rays of sunlight slowly fading away, introducing the night's sky. Applejack braked hard and kicked dust into the air as she skimmed to an abrupt stop in front of the library. She hammered her hoof on the door, calling for her friend.

“Twilight! Twilight! It's me, Applejack! Ah got ta speak with ya'll, it's important!”

A purple glow encased the door and it swung inwards. Applejack quickly went inside and saw Twilight was reading one of her books on a tree stump stand with her back towards the orange mare. She didn't turn around but instead continued flipping the pages of her book with her magic as she answered Applejack.

“What seems to be the problem Applejack?”

“Twilight, Ah gotta warn ya... Ah think maybe the Changelings are back. When Ah got back home on da farm, there was dis ere' imposter who looked exactly like me! Cept' she was up to no good and tried ta hurt ma family, she tried ta hurt Apple Bloom! Ah managed ta chase her off of mah farm, but when Ah realized dat she was making her way ta Ponyville, Ah knew Ah had ta get ere' lickety split. Yer gotta help me look fer dat pony Twilight, before she causes any more trouble round' ere'...”

“That's all very... fascinating Applejack, I'm glad coming here was the first thing you did. But I wouldn't worry about her if I were you...”

“Huh? What do yer mea...”

'Slam!'

Applejack snapped backwards at the slamming of the door and to her utmost shock, saw who the it was that did it, her double...

“Well howdy pardner...” She smiled mockingly at Applejack as her orange-red eyes glinted with devilish glee. “Ah guess yer found me.”

Applejack took a few steps back away from the mare, her eyes not leaving the duplicate for one second. Her body tensed up as her mind told her something was very wrong about the whole situation. She afforded a glance towards the still pensive Alicorn.

“Twilight... what's going on?”

“Why my dear Applejack, I... we have something very special in store for you...”

The lavender Alicorn casually turned from her book, closing it with her magic. Applejack now noticed her friend wasn't quite the same mare she once was. Her irises now glowed bright red, and her features twisted into a manic smile that reminded Applejack of the time she had almost lost her mind over not being able to send her letter to Princess Celestia. A gray pendant in the shape of a winged unicorn hanged around her neck, a red gem decorated the center of the amulet that shimmered with the same light as Twilight's eyes did. Applejack recognized it as the Alicorn Amulet that Trixie once used to terrorize Ponyville. But what caught her eye the most were Twilight's wings, they were a different color, almost shimmering blue. They did not look natural, it was almost as if they were... grafted on to her back... The Alicorn levitated a flask of strange looking fizzy drink to her mouth and downed half of the contents with one gulp, trickles of the liquid dripping from her still grinning lips as she advanced towards Applejack.

“...in fact, we are all going to have a wonderful time together, and rediscover the meaning of, friendship...”

Her horn lighted up with a blaze and dark energies swirled over Applejack, growing and twisting around the orange mare as she yelled in defiance before her entire world fell into a black void...

That evening, at Sugarcube Corner...

“Here you go Mrs. Cake, my latest batch of Chimi Cherry Changas! I promise this time I left out the chipotle chilies.”

The blue-hued, crimson mane mare looked at Pinkie Pie's treats with skepticism, remembering the last time she had tried one of her wacky recipes. Having to dip her muzzle into a bag of frosting to kill the heat burning in her mouth was an experience she'd rather not go through again. Mrs. Cake was considering declining but than she saw the eagerness on Pinkie's smiling face and sighed. She took a whiff at the pastries, they didn't smell too bad, though they could use a little touch up in the presentation department. Mrs. Cake gingerly bit into one of the chimi cherry changas and closed her eyes while she chewed carefully, letting the flavors swim in her mouth.

“So... SO? What do you think?”

Mrs. Cake opened one eye and looked at Pinkie while swallowing the pastry down.

“It's... actually quite good Pinkie Pie, definitely better than your last attempt at making them.”

“YES!!! I knew I could pull it off! So these go on sale tomorrow right? Oh, how about a free sample for the next few ponies who walk through the door? They can be our lucky latecomers!”

“Now, now Pinkie, I never said anything about selling these yet...”

As Mrs. Cake tried persuading the excited Pinkie Pie to calm down, a light-gray pegasus with yellowish-green mane and tail trotted through the doors of Sugarcube Corner. Neither ponies noticed her as she approached the counter, they were still busy discussing the fate of Pinkie's pastries. The pegasus seemed to stare off into space as she stood there, but in actual fact it was her walled eyes that gave her an unfocused appearance, she was just trying to spot her favorite confectionery that she usually purchased from the Cakes. Then she saw a wrapped up package on the counter, and gasped with delight while mouthing the words 'muffins'. She stuffed her muzzle into her saddlebag and brought the exact bits for the sweets she so often bought, and tossed them on the counter before snagging the bag and headed for the door. Mrs. Cake managed to noticed the mare in time to give her thanks.

“Thank you for dropping by, see you again tomorrow!”

“Wait, wait! You haven't tried my chimi cherry changas!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed, leaping over the counter with tray in hoof trying to reach the gray pegasus in time.

But it was too late, she had already taken wing, flying off into the evening sky. Pinkie's enthusiasm turned into disappointment as she was unable to get one of their most loyal customer to try her creation. Now that they were going to close up, it was unlikely there would be too many ponies dropping by at Sugarcube Corner. Mrs. Cake placed a hoof on her back, comforting the pink mare.

“Don't worry dearie, you can always make more tomorrow, I'm sure there will be more time in between orders.”

“You're right Mrs. Cake! I could just make more tomorrow, I'll even ask all my bestest friends to come over and try it! Wait, does this mean I get to sell them?”

“Heheh, not just yet Pinkie.” Mrs. Cake chuckled. “We'll talk about it tomorrow alright?”

“Okie-dokie-lokie!”

Pinkie flung the remaining pastries into the air and opened her mouth, each of the chimi cherry changas landed inside her gaping hole and she gave them a quick munch before gulping them down her throat. She licked the sauce and crumbs off her lips thinking, '...needs more cherries and whipped cream...'.

“Are you ready to go honey bun? We have to get the twins from the foalsitter.”

A stallion with a brilliant orange coat walked in from the kitchen. He hanged his apron on a stand and trotted up to the two mares. Pinkie Pie perked her ears up at Mr. Cake's mentioning of a foalsitter. It seemed just like yesterday that Pinkie herself foal-sitted the twins for the very first time. And though she learned the hard way just how tough it was to care for young foals, it was all worth it to hear the little ponies speak their first words in their sleep, her name...

“Ready when you are sweetie.” Mrs. Cake replied her husband. “Alright Pinkie, I'm so sorry we have to leave in such a rush, are you sure you're okay with closing up the shop all by yourself? I know you just got back from Canterlot today yet you still helped us with running the bakery. You must be exhausted by now.”

“I'm A-okay Mrs. Cake! This isn't the first time I've done it you know. Don't you and Mr. Cake worry, Pinkie will take care of everything for you guys.” She confidently told her employers and landlords.

“Very well Pinkie, I know we can trust you.” Mr. Cake affirmed. “We'll see you in the morning.”

“Um... there is this one thing I wanted to ask you guys about...”

The pink pony rubbed her front hooves nervously as the couple gazed at her, listening intently.

“Can I foal-sit Pumpkin and Pound Cake the next time you need a foalsitter? It's been a while since I spent time with them... and I really want to be around as much as I can during their young years before they grow up and forget about me. Then they wont want to play with their 'aunt' Pinkie anymore...”

Mrs. Cake understood Pinkie's concern and laughed at the pink pony, but her laughter was not a mocking one. Rather, it was comforting and warm. The older mare wrapped her hooves around Pinkie, reassuring the pony whom she treated as if she was her own daughter.

“Of course you can, and don't you worry about our precious Pumpkin and Pound Cake; no-pony, filly or colt, can ever forget a mare as special as you, Pinkie Pie...”

Pinkie hugged Mrs. Cake back before pulling away, wiping her teary eyes with a hoof.

“You had better go get them, wouldn't want to be late for your family dinner right?”

“Okay Pinkie, take care, see you tomorrow. Bye!”

“Byeeeee!!!”

Pinkie Pie saw the Cakes off, waving goodbye at them until they were out of sight. She closed the door and turned to face her task ahead. 'Time to get to work...' she firmly told herself. Pinkie Pie began the mundane task of cleaning up the bakery, starting with putting away all the edible goods and making sure they were stored well. Then she moved on to the washing, such as scrubbing and mopping. If anypony saw Pinkie Pie right now they might mistake her for some other pony, as this was not what they would expect to see from her, they were used to the hyperactive party animal with that she was famous for. However, this was a side of Pinkie that few ponies have ever seen... the restrained, responsible side. After a good few hours of cleaning, Pinkie was finally done. She rubbed her forehead with a fore-leg, wiping off the sweat from her brow.

'Done and done...'

She put away her cleaning tools and climbed the stairs slowly up to her room, exhausted after the excitement of the day; well, the week of fun spent in Canterlot did contribute to her tiredness as well. She reached her room on top of Sugarcube Corner and slumped against her door after closing it behind her. She let out a long sigh before getting up slowly and headed to her bathroom for a shower. As she sat in her bathtub letting the shower-head above her rain droplets of water upon her dripping mane, her mind drifted back to all the fun she had with her best friends during their time at the palace. She was happy that all her friends managed to enjoy themselves just being together and spending some time off from their personal lives and commitments, especially Twilight.

Pinkie Pie may have a reputation for being a crazy party pony with a few apples short of a bushel, but the truth is, all she wants is to see everypony with a smile on their face, even more so when it came to her closest friends. She understood that life can be harsh, sometimes unfair, and that is why she made it her purpose in life to bring what joy she could to the ponies around her. And if it required her going all out to make somepony feel a little happiness in their lives, than that is what Pinkie Pie would do... but now she had to think of the friends closest to her, particularly Twilight... Princess Twilight. The rest of her friends may have not taken her seriously when she told Twilight about being nervous-cited, yet Pinkie meant it from the bottom of her heart. She couldn't imagine how life would be like if Twilight had to leave Ponyville for good to assist Princess Celestia; and after all that time together, things would never be the same again with their little circle of friends if she left. But Pinkie Pie was determine to stay happy and joyful in front of her friends, for Twilight, for their friendship. Come what may, Pinkie will be the same happy pony that everypony loved and enjoyed being around with. And if this meant she had to throw as many parties for Twilight as it took for her to realize that her friends will never leave her side, princess or no princess, than so be it.

Suddenly, Pinkie Pie felt something clamping on to her hind-hoof underneath the water in the tub, she screamed and lifted the leg where she felt the bite. Her eyes bulged at the thing that was hanging on to her hoof, Gummy, her pet baby alligator. He had clamped his toothless jaws onto the ankles of Pinkie Pie, and even if it didn't hurt her, it still gave her a pretty good shock.

“Oh Gummy! You really gave me a good fright there!”

The little alligator had a distant look on his face as he stared unblinkingly at Pinkie who just proceeded scooped him up with her front hooves and hugged him tightly. She remained in the bathtub together with Gummy, lingering in a state of bliss with her pet as the water cascaded down her dripping mane and coat, a precious moment of peace for the pink party pony...

Pinkie Pie warmed herself by the fireplace, her mane now puffed up in it's usual bouncy character. The sun had finally set completely and it was already night time. She was going through her family album that she kept safely in her room. The pictures in the album were mostly of her family and their time back on the rock farm that Pinkie grew up on. She smiled softly as she ran her hoof through a couple of pictures of her sisters and herself when they were just little fillies. She wondered how Marble and Limestone were doing, it had been a while since she last saw them...

'Creak!'

Pinkie jumped at the sound, she turned around to see what had caused it. There was nothing unusual in her room, Gummy was in his little bed laying immobile and occasionally blinking his trance-like eyes.

'CREAK!!!'

There it was again, it sounded louder this time, like a wooden plank croaking under the weight of something very heavy. Pinkie was sure it had came from downstairs, were the Cakes back for something they forgot? Pinkie took a lamp and candle from underneath her rug and lit it before going down the stairs. It was dark, and the only source of light was her candle flickering against the walls and angles of the bakery.

“Hello? Anypony there?”

The pink mare slowly made her way down the stairs, her every hoof-step making the same creaking sound she heard earlier, just not as pronounced. Pinkie began to think she was hearing things and decided to forget about it and turn in early for the night, fatigue can do weird things to a pony. She was about to go back upstairs when she picked up another sound, one with a more scraping tone in nature. She gingerly walked to the base of the stairs and listened intently, it was coming from the basement...
Pinkie draw near to the door leading down into the basement and pressed an ear to it. The screeching sound resemble an object being dragged across a hard surface, Pinkie was sure she had heard something like it from somewhere, it sounded very much like what she would accidentally do in the kitchen at times as she sliced against the chopping board... a knife. More-so, Pinkie picked up a voice of somepony singing a strange haunting tune...

“One... Two... Pinkie's coming for you...”

Pinkie Pie wanted to call out to whoever it was downstairs, but she couldn't bring herself to utter a single word. Instead she placed the lamp in her mouth on the floor and turned the doorknob, pushing it open with her head before picking up the lamp again. The stairs leading down into the basement ended in pitch black, Pinkie took a step down, the lamp shaking in her quivering lips. What in Celestia's name was she doing? Pinkie was starting to question herself in her head. She didn't have to go down into the basement at night where her imaginations could run wild. All she had to do was gallop back to her room and she'll be safe there, all this could wait until morning.

'Screech...'

No, she would not be scared witless like some young filly, she was Pinkie Pie! The happiest, craziest earth pony in all of Equestria! She had to do this, it was just the darkness playing silly games with her mind. Pinkie strengthen her resolve and continued down the stairs, not minding the screeching sound so much. But she nearly froze as she heard the singing voice again, this time... even more audible than before.

“Three... Four... Lock the door...”

The voice was now recognizable, it sounded like, like... herself. Pinkie gulped and forced herself to continue on, the darkness of the basement threatening to swallow the dim light of her miserable candle.

“Five... Six... You've just got picked...”

The voice was even closer now, and Pinkie wasn't sure whether it was because she was approaching the source... or the source was approaching her. If she remembered correctly, just a few more steps and she would reach the main lamp that would light up the basement. Her hooves automatically picked up speed at the promise of ending this weird dream like state.

“Seven... Eight... Gonna bake cupcakes...”

It was close, very close... the last verse had rung in her ears as if it was right beside her. In the dim light she could barely see the outline of the main lamp, and Pinkie was shaking uncontrollably now as she desperately tried to light it with her candle.

“Nine... Ten..."

'WHOOSH!'

The basement lit up with a bright glow from the main lamp and Pinkie saw... Nothing... Not a thing other than a few cabinets filled with stock items and random party decorations scattered across the room. Pinkie had almost forgot the many party hats she had chucked down here for future use. She stared at the room as silence filled the air. Then suddenly, a small giggle, than a restrained chuckle, and finally... outright laughter.

“Heheh, Hee-hee... Ho, Ho... HAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!”

Pinkie rolled on the floor of the basement with hysteria. She couldn't believe how silly she had been. Why, if Rainbow Dash was here she would have been dying of laughter by now if she saw her pink friend getting so scaredy-terrified of a couple of weird noises in the dark. She picked herself off the floor and wiped away the tears of laughter streaming down her cheeks, stifling a sniffle as she blew out the main lamp. The room went back to darkness with only her own candle to illuminate the way. But now, she was not afraid in the slightest and began to trot merrily back up to the bakery. As she reached the door, Pinkie Pie recalled back what her grandmother had told her all those years ago about laughing your fears away.

'I guess Nana Pie was right as always, you just have to laugh at the ghosti...'

'BLAM!!!'

The basement door slammed behind Pinkie as she was grabbed violently from behind, her lamp falling on the floor, it's clattering noise echoing through the walls of Sugarcube Corner. She felt the unnatural tight grip around her throat and nearly choked when a pink hoof that she almost mistook as her own, came from behind and roughly stuffed a piece of pastry into her mouth while holding her neck in place. It tasted like... cupcakes. By the dying light of her fallen lamp, she caught the glint of a sharp object that was brought dangerously close to her left eye, held by her assailant's other hoof. It was a scalpel... and it looked like there was, dried blood on it.

Pinkie was now truly scared, all her previous feelings of triumph lost as she tried to comprehend what was happening, when she felt a muzzle pressed closed to her left side. Out of the corner of her eye she could get a glimpse of the face that was grinning maniacally at her. It was like staring into a mirror, except this reflection was not pleasant at all. Those familiar light blue eyes had a look of insanity about them, and despite the fact she was smiling, Pinkie had never seen a smile more sinister than the one her replica was wearing on her face right now... Pinkie wanted to think of how to get out of this mess, but her mind seemed dull, slowly shutting off, as if she needed to fall asleep right there and than. Her captor spoke in a voice that Pinkie recognized as her own, but even though the tone was cheery and high pitched like her's, it sent blood curdling chills coursing through her body just to hear every syllable being said...

“Nine... Ten... Guess how this ends?”

At those ominous words, Pinkie fell into a deep... dark... sleep...

Author's Note

...I must say, this was my favorite chapter to write thus far... ^_-

though it took me twice as long as I'd like, but that's life for you... and a thing called work. >.<

Anypony who can guess who these imposters are gets a sugar cube!

Comments, anyone?

p.s.: As usual, criticism on how to improve are always welcomed...

Sinister Six

There was only darkness, an endless stretch of black that encompassed her. Where she was, what had happened to her, were all unimportant questions. Right now she felt nothing, no pain, no emotions, not a care in the world to bother her usually turbulent mind. She could sense the hooves of oblivion slowly stretching across her body, beseeching her to leave reality behind and join the darkness once and for all. She welcomed it, she embraced it... It was like she had finally found peace, and her wretched existence could finally come to an end.

Peace... she did not deserve peace, not after all those bad things she had done. If anything, she deserved to suffer, to continue on living as a punishment of her crimes, her crimes against her fellow ponies, her crimes against her closest friends... No, that was just silly, all she ever did was made every pony happy right? Everypony enjoyed all of the parties she threw for them! Though they were sometimes rude to her when she had worked so hard to make those parties to last as long as possible. Why, if she had not made such special parties for each of her friends, how else could she keep them from leaving her? But they did leave her, they all did eventually. As their life fluids drained from their bodies, she knew that their time with her had come to an end. It was a pity, it was so much fun to hear them scream and sob as she enlightened them to the joys of, harvesting. Even those who were rude and shouted profanities at her soon learned to accept the fun, to enjoy the experience along with her until they had completely tired themselves out, and left her alone with an empty husk of a body. This made her a little mad sometimes, she wished that the majority of her friends could last just a little while longer. But she couldn't stay mad at them, after all they did provide the most vital ingredients for her delicious cupcakes, themselves...

But things changed when she figured out a way to keep her friends with her. It all started with her bestest of friends, Rainbow Dash. She was so excited when one of her best friend's number came up, she knew the two of them were going to have a great time together. Sadly, Dashie didn't last very long, but it was alright, she still enjoyed her little party with dear old Rainbow Dash... After she had her fun with Dashie, she figured out a way to always keep the cyan mare by her side; she had stuffed her former friend, sewed back the bits and pieces together and, Ta-Da! She will always have her dear Dashie to keep her company. In fact, she planned to do this with all of her closest friends once their numbers came up. Oh how much fun they would have as one big happy family! And the best part is, they will never ever have to leave her parties ever again. They would be together as the best of friends, forever...

The weird thing was, she couldn't remember anything else after she had made Dashie into her personal plaything. Any memories after the event seemed blurry and scattered; she could make out bits and pieces of images but nothing more. Was she captured? Did she kill all of her friends? Or... did she suffer the same fate all of her 'guests' did? That would explain why she was unable to feel anything, and that her mind is slowly fading away. Was this Tartarus... is this where all the bad ponies go to when they die? It can't be that bad, who knows... she might even meet some of her friends here. After all, none of them could have been all that perfect. She allowed the final tendrils of nothingness envelope her last thoughts, the promise of eternal rest just moments away. Then, something stirred inside of her, something that told her not to shrug off the responsibilities. To pull herself up and meet this challenge head on, she needed to get ahead in life again, because the party isn't over... She fought back the darkness, her resolve strengthened by the will to live. Slowly but surely, her consciousness shook itself from the grip of oblivion. Every limb tingled with life as the stream of senses returned to her body, and she started to feel her own breathing vibrating between gulps of air. As she began to become aware of her surroundings, she could hear a voice ringing through her ears.

“Pinkie... Oh, Pinkie Pie...”

Pinkie's eyelids opened sluggishly, her vision still blurred and hazy. But her her eyes focused on the familiar face that was staring down at her. She recognized that cyan muzzle, that multicolored mane... As her eyes adjusted on the figure, Pinkie could now clearly see who it was, Rainbow Dash.

“Get up sleepy head.” the cyan pegasus sniggered at Pinkie Pie.

Pinkie Pie was now fully conscious, and now realized that there was something a little, off about Rainbow Dash. It wasn't the fact that she was alive, but that she looked much older than Pinkie remembered. From her grizzled look, Pinkie guessed she probably had at least a good ten to twenty years added to her age. Discolored patches of fur and hair on her body suggested that she had been in violent fights in the past; which just seemed to accentuate Dashie's matured appearance. Pinkie's eye's wandered off from Rainbow Dash, and noticed the background behind the pegasus; there was no background... only the same endless night that stretched out just like when she was slipping away from life. She turned her head to see the same darkness everywhere, including the ground she was laying on. Pinkie moved a hoof to test the surface, it was solid; even though the descending blackness gave an illusion that there was nothing to stop one from falling all the way down. Pinkie's mind snapped back to Rainbow Dash, it didn't matter if nothing made sense to her in this place, she now had a friend... a friend to keep her company. Pinkie got up to her hooves and gave the pegasus in front of her a wide grin, her pupils reducing to small circles as she placed all of her attention on Rainbow Dash.

“Why fancy seeing you here Dashie! I thought I'd never see you alive and well again after the little... party we had last time!”

The cyan mare cocked her head to one side, and gave an unimpressed snort as she replied Pinkie.

“Hmmph... I haven't seen you, nor any of our friends since...”

Rainbow Dash paused and drifted off, her eyes half closed in thought. As if she was searching for a distant memory that did not want to be found. But all that was left in her mind seemed to circle around one thing only, the dreaded Rainbow Factory... She didn't take long though, and looked back at Pinkie Pie, the red irises of her eyes widening as she glared at the pink party pony.

“I'll be the one asking the questions here, Freaky Pie,” Rainbow snapped at Pinkie. “I was the one who found your sorry flank on the, uh... floor! And judging from the look on your miserable muzzle just seconds ago, you owe me for saving you from slipping off to Luna-land for good. Now, I want to know is how the heck I ended up in this Celestia forsaken place with you! And for that matter, where the buck 'here' even is!”

“My, my... you're just as rude as ever Dashie!” Pinkie shook her head in disappointment. “I thought our last party together taught you to be more polite. I guess I'll just have to teach you how to be a good mannered filly all over again.”

“I don't know what you're rambling about... but I swear, you even try something stupid I'll rip you apart quicker than a stray cloud!” Rainbow Dash hissed at Pinkie as the crazy mare just continued smiling at her maniacally.

“Hahah! Oh, Dashie, I was only teasing you because you looked soooooo grumpy! Besides, take a look around you, I don't think we're anywhere. In fact it all feels like some sort of weird dream, it's like when you've eaten so much candy and your head just want's to light up in an awesome display of fireworks! Speaking of fireworks, this place could really use some of it right about now. Why, even the color is depressing. Just plain boring old black, at least the sky had stars shining at night! This place needs a little professional decorating. Now, if only I had my party cannon...”

As Pinkie explored the thought of how her weapon of mass decoration could improve their current ambiance, she felt something in her hoof she had not realized before. Looking down, she saw that her hoof was holding the handle of a fine-toothed hacksaw, a smile crept it's way onto Pinkie's mouth. Memories of the times she had used the tool on her 'party' guests flooded her head, especially images of Rainbow Dash's wings... Pinkie Pie turned her grinning visage towards Rainbow while holding up the hacksaw.

“Say Dash, I never really got to know why they call this a hacksaw... hacking is done with a knife and this, is a saw.” Pinkie brought up her other hoof to her chin, tapping it shrewdly. “I wonder, if this place is like a dream... does that mean we won't actually be affected by whatever we do here?”

With the smile never leaving her face, she took a step forward while juggling the hacksaw between both front hooves.

“I want to be smart like Twilight and find out! Would you mind volunteering to be a good test subject Dashie? There's no harm in giving it a try... after all, you can't really hurt somepony when they're in a dream, right?”

Rainbow Dash lowered her torso into a crouching position, her flank in the air, poised and ready to strike. The fur raised on the back of her neck like an angry animal. She growled ferociously at the pink mare, but on her lips was a smile of anticipation; she relished at the thought of conflict.

“Bring it on, diaper rash!”

“Um... excuse me. It this a private party or can anypony join?”

Both ponies turned to face the newcomer emerging from the shadows. The darkness slowly melting away from her body as she stepped into their view. It was Fluttershy, their usually meek and docile friend. However now, her bloodshot eyes were wide opened and surrounded by dark circles; she had a glazed look over them that made her seem deranged. The slight sliver of drool dripping from the side of her mouth betray the deceivingly welcoming smile on her muzzle. And despite her voice sounding just as serene as before, somehow it just added to the creepiness of Fluttershy's entire demeanor.

“Oh, I do hope I'm not interrupting anything personal going on between the both of you.”

“Hee-hee... not at all Fluttershy!” chuckled Pinkie Pie. “The more the merrier! Why don't you come closer to your aunt Pinkie, and let her take a good look at you?”

“Stay out of this Clutzershy, if you know what's good for you...” growled Rainbow Dash. “But if you feel like throwing your life away, be my guest!”

“Oh my, such hostility! I'm not looking for any trouble, honest... I'm just feeling a little peckish and was kind of hoping that you girls could do me a favor...”

Fluttershy reached behind and pulled out something neither Rainbow nor Pinkie noticed earlier, a dangerous looking chainsaw. The yellow pegasus stood on her hind legs and held up the weapon in the air; her eyes wide with fervor and grinning with psychotic glee. Saliva dribbled off her tongue as she spoke ecstatically.

“...and let me eat your brains!!!”

Pinkie beamed even wider at the sight of Fluttershy's new demented persona. It seemed almost ironic that while she had done things to her friends that most ponies would consider monstrous, she ends up in a strange place with her friends who seemed to have become just as terrible as she was. Maybe this was Tartarus after all...

The three ponies stood but a few hooves from each other, the tension in the air was palpable as excruciating seconds passed while they each waited for the other to make the first move. Fluttershy revved up the chainsaw and it came to life, whirring with a loud buzzing noise.

“Rainbow Dash...” Fluttershy turned towards the cyan mare who was growling like a rabid dog, barring her teeth while her eyes darted between Pinkie and Fluttershy. “If you don't mind... I think I'd like to start with you...”

“Hey, no fair! I had dibs on her first!” Pinkie Pie pouted while Rainbow Dash snarled aggressively.

“I don't care what the buck is going on here anymore, but if you two feather-brained fillies think you can just have your way with this pony you're sorely mistaken! If you want to do this the hard way... we'll do this the hard way!”

“Girls, girls... now this is no way for ladies to act...”

There was no mistaking that melodious voice, it was Rarity. Once again the darkness peeled back to reveal a light-grayish-white unicorn with an extravagant indigo-colored mane and tail. Though she was easily recognized by the three ponies, the scars on her face and body was something new to them. Notably the claw marks across her left eye and the heart shaped carving on her chest. And emerging from the shadows right beside her was another unicorn, the dark sapphire blue mane and tail with streaks of violet and rose contrasted with her lavender coat; the symbol of a purple six pointed star surrounded by five smaller white ones represented her cutie mark. It was Twilight Sparkle. Rarity trotted gracefully towards the little group with Twilight casually following her.

“...besides, we are all friends here aren't we?” Rarity batted her eyelashes at the other ponies, a wickedly playful smile on her lips.

“Uh, hi Rarity... hi Twilight...”

Fluttershy lowered her chainsaw, the sound of it's grinding teeth slowly dying off. Her initial psychotic disposition somewhat calmer, but the insane glint never left the bloodshot eyes of hers. She faced the two ponies whom she had threatened to eat their brains just moments ago.

“I'm sorry about that, it's just... sometimes I can get really, really, really, really, hungry...” Fluttershy licked her lips, saliva moistening her muzzle. “...and a pony has to do something about her cravings right? I hope we're still friends...”

She smiled innocently, but her glazed stare and maniacal expression only made her look more disturbing.

“That's okay Fluttershy, I forgive you!” Pinkie giggled, tossing the hacksaw behind her. “I think I'm starting to like all of you even more than before!”

She than noticed that Rarity had something riding on her back, it looked like a doll. She zipped towards the unicorn and inspected the inanimate creature. It had a greyish pink coat that was sewed in patches; it's sickly flattened mane reminded Pinkie of herself when her own puffy hair would deflate during her depressed moments. But it was the black button-like eyes wide smile that had the pink mare mesmerized.

“Oh... she's really pretty!”

“You like?” Rarity smiled proudly as Pinkie admired the doll on her back. “She is my precious baby... I named her, Pinkamena.”

“You named your baby after me?” Pinkie gasped with exaggerated joy. “I'm an aunt? Wee!!! I'm so happy I could literally die!”

“yay...”

Fluttershy moaned eerily. She was now sitting down on her rump, her head bobbing slightly with her eyes staring out at nothing. Occasionally, she would mumble inaudible words and giggle to herself amusingly.

Rainbow Dash had relaxed her aggressive stance a little, but still eyed the rest of the group with suspicion.

“This is all really sweet and touching... but it still does not explain what the hay are we doing in this place! Is anypony here not interested in the slightest at knowing where in Equestria are we? ”

Twilight, who had been silent throughout the entire spectacle, stepped forward to the middle of the group.

“Allow me to enlighten all of you, my little ponies...”

Twilight's horn sparkled with mystic energies, she closed her eyes to concentrate as the the glow around her head grew brighter. Suddenly, her eyes shot open and flared with a radiant red light. A beam of magical power shot upwards from her horn and lit up the darkness around them. Bright lights filled the once endless black space, forming into the shapes of individual rectangular screens that flattened out and circulated around the ponies. Soon, the group was surrounded by countless bright projections; each with what seemed like moving pictures playing on them while slowly rotating in a ring. The ponies realized that on these hovering sheets were displayed scenes from places they recognized from all over Equestria; more specifically, scenes of them living their lives. But they noticed as well there were some screens that showed events that were unfamiliar to them, situations and memories that they do not remember having. One showed Equestria in a desolate wasteland where a female unicorn was trudging through it's barren wastes. Another showed the denizens of Equestria interacting with strange two-legged beasts from another universe, and these were but a few of the many different worlds that the bright floating projections displayed. Twilight stood with a smug expression on her muzzle, drinking in the gasps of wonderment from the awe-filled ponies who were gazing at the magnificent display around them. She found it amusing how a group of sociopaths and mentally unstable ponies, were still able to appreciate a little magical demonstration long enough without succumbing to the urge to go for each others throat's.

“Oh... sparkly...” Pinkie Pie reached out trying to touch one of the screens.

“Beautiful... isn't it?” Twilight cooed almost reverently. “The windows to our very existence, every one of them tells a different tale of what has been, what could have been, and what is to come. No two are exactly the same, there is always some variable no matter how insignificant, that divides and determines the outcome of each individual continuity. The theoretical concept alone answers so many questions about our actions and purpose for existence, yet raises so many more...”

Twilight did not hide her growing enthusiasm explaining the reason for existence of these moving pictures. Rainbow Dash however, did not look satisfied with Twilight's answer. She impatiently stomped her hooves and snorted.

“Would you mind repeating that again? And this time, Egghead, take the fancy talk down a notch...”

Twilight turned to her rainbow mane friend with a wide mad grin on her face. The iris of her eyes still glowing a faint red. She could hardly contain herself as she answered Rainbow Dash in exhilaration.

“Alternate dimensions! Entire worlds spanning hundreds upon thousands of universes... Each with their own history and events, yet still connected on some basic level. You saw for yourself how some worlds, Equestria looks almost exactly the same while others are entirely different...”

“For example... This one, Equestria was never founded and the three tribes of ponies remain separate and at odds. Over here, The dragons and wild monsters roam the lands and no civilization was ever started. While this one, Celestia is a tyrannical ruler where-else Luna is the head of a rebel force. Here, Discord rules over the land... and ponykind live under his reign of Chaos. In this one, our parents never met and thus we were never born...”

Twilight stopped to faced her little congregation, pausing long enough for the right dramatic effect.

“And likewise, all of us here come from separate worlds. Alternate versions of Equestria where each of our lives play out similarly. We all had each other for friends, had the same beginnings to our lives and experienced the same script of a generic existence that we so blissfully followed. Until a single shift in our respective realities caused a chain reaction that rippled throughout the cosmos... bringing us to this inescapable conclusion...”

“Huh? Uh... I don't get it.”

“You lost me there Egghead...”

“Tee-hee... brains...”

Rarity did not respond, instead she was holding the Pinkamena doll in her front hooves, caressing it's mane while smiling deceptively. She already had an idea to what Twilight was going to do. The displayed screens around them started to move, Twilight shifted them away and brought forth five others. One for the lives of each pony present.

“Though we may have been separated by the gulf of time and space, we all share one thing in common, the heinous acts and monstrosities we have committed...”

The ponies gazed at the luminous displays before them, each one recognizing their own story being exhibited for their friends to see, and the horrors they had subjected upon one another in their sepearate worlds. Pinkie jumped in glee as she saw Rainbow Dash being strapped to a backless frame, her wings and cutie marks were missing. Pinkie witness herself reaching for a can that contained burning hot coals, and on top were several large nails. The Pinkie Pie in the screen approached the sobbing pegasus and the focus zoomed in on Rainbow's fear filled eyes as she screamed in panic when the pink mare grabbed a hammer and one of the nails, preparing to perform a very painful act on the frightened pony.

“Wow... this is my favorite part! No, wait... the harvesting is my favorite part! But this is a close second. Or was it the electrocution? Oh well... either way, those cupcakes were delicious Dashie! I never got the chance to thank you for you generous contribution!”

If Rainbow Dash was in any way disturbed by the events on the screen or by Pinkie's unsettling cheerfulness about the ordeal, she did not show it. Instead choosing to ignore Pinkie's question and continue watching along with the rest.

“Oh my... you make cupcakes out of ponies? That sounds... delicious.”

Pinkie Pie hopped besides Fluttershy who was staring at the scene with a dripping mouth; she plopped herself down dangerously on top of the chainsaw and stretched an hoof around Fluttershy's neck.

“Of course silly! You are what you eat right? Hee-hee! I promise if I ever get a chance to make some again, you'll be my first customer!”

She winked at Fluttershy who was still gazing at the image of Pinkie cutting up something that looked like flesh.

“I must say Pinkie, I'm loving your sense of style. That dress you wore with the cutie marks and pegasus wings, I assume it's hoof-made?”

“Why thank you for noticing Rarity! I've always wanted to show it to you but oh... I thought it would be better to make you a part of it, but I never got the chance to do that...”

“I'm flattered dear that you would think of me that way... what?” Rarity cocked her head slightly towards the doll in her hooves. “Yes baby, mommy's listening... of course I'll tell her. Pinkie dear, baby wants you to know she loves what you've done with the dress as well.”

“Thank you Pinkamena! You are too kind.”

“Mmm... yummy...”

The ponies turned to see what Fluttershy was moaning about. They behold the sight of the yellow pegasus on one of the projections in what seems to be a small morbidly decorated hut filled with animal corpses. At the center was a chair with a scared looking Rainbow Dash strapped to it. Right behind her was a crazed Fluttershy singing a strange song about brains while holding her chainsaw just above Rainbow's mane. The jagged metal teeth of the weapon hovered dangerously close to her head, the chainsaw activated and the whirring noised drowned out the frightened shrieks coming from the cyan pegasus as her demise was at hoof...

Pinkie Pie burst out laughing hysterically.

“Hahahah! Hey Dashie! Looks like everypony wants to taste the rainbow! I think Twilight should find a spell to make more of you to go around! Won't that be super duper fantastically awesometacular? Say... Fluttershy, why did you have Rainbow Dash strapped into a chair anyway?”

“Well, because she went into my shed... um, that's my reason, I guess...” she answered with a sickly grin.

Pinkie continued laughing as Rainbow Dash looked on, a small upturn curve on her lips. She was not the least bit disturbed by the images she saw. In fact, she enjoyed the violent and bloodthirsty nature her friends reveled in; or more accurately, her new friends. Since everypony here most likely came from a different reality than the other. Either way it didn't matter, she couldn't remember her original friends all that well anyway. Decades working at the Rainbow Factory had hardened her heart and fractured her psyche. Outwardly, she still manages to maintain a facade of her old self. But there was no telling when she could snap at any moment and allow her violent nature to take over completely, turning her into a berserk wild beast. Her gaze wandered to her own life story being displayed and her smile widened.

“Hey guys, want to see something way cooler than your lame attempts at being brutal?”

Rainbow Dash pointed to a projection that showed a scene of her inside a factory. She was standing on a scaffolding and witnessing a light brown pegasus being stretched by chains atop a huge machine. The colt screamed in agony as the shackles twisted in opposite directions, breaking bones and warping tissue. Until finally, the mangled body of the colt was released and dropped into the gaping maw of the device below. His body slowly disappearing from view and only the sound of the great machine at work could be heard. The great vats of green and red that were connected to the device started spewing forth brilliant colors, the magical spectrum extracted from the pegasus...

“I don't know about the Equestria you guys come from but back at my place, that's how rainbows are made...”

She gave them a fearsome smile, her eyes glinting with evil glee. Pinkie gasped in delight at the sight of the carnage.

“So that's how you make rainbows? It's so... Awesometacular!”

“Pinkie darling, you do realize that's not a real word... in any case, I do appreciate that all my friends are so enthusiastic about the art of causing pain... even if you are a little, uncouth in the execution.”

“What? Uncouth? Just in case you haven't noticed, we're a bunch of psychopathic ponies from different dimensions who butcher others for amusement trapped in some Celestia forsaken realm, and you're concerned about being uncouth? Seriously Rarity, why am I not surprised...”

“It's, Lil' Miss Rarity thank you very much. But yes, even inflicting pain requires a certain... finesse. Allow me to demonstrate.”

Rarity used her own magic to summon one of the moving pictures closer for them to see. It showed multiple scenes of Rarity indulging in the carving of her own skin, savoring every stroke and cut. Like an artist she applied the knife with precision and grace, never going too far as to cause any permanent damage to a limb or sever any important blood vessels. Then they were shown what Rarity did with her friends. She introduced them to her dark little hobby, sharing her pleasure for masochism and sadism. But the worst of it, was that she had involved her own sister... Sweetie Belle...

“Voi-la! The art of the flesh!”

“Huh, never thought you had it in you Rarity. I guess we're all monsters here after all.”

“Yes... Rainbow Dash, in our respective realms, each of us would be treated as an anomaly, a freak... unfit to dwell amidst the normal members of Equestrian society. But here, among each other... we are equally, monsters.”

Twilight snuggled up to Rarity's mane as she delivered her monologue, giving the unicorn a lick on the cheeks that surprised, but did not displease her.

“Mmm... I miss having the taste of you on my tongue, Miss Rarity...”

“My, my... if only the Twilight from my world was more like you, darling. What delightful deed did you commit in your world? It must have been something simply, to die for...” Rarity's voice was like honey coated venom, sweet and subtle as sin.

“Take a look for yourselves...” Twilight nodded her head towards her own personal history show.

The location was in a cavern underneath the Golden Oak Library, it was a gloomy place with only the lanterns embedded in the walls for light. Machinery of all kinds decorated the walls and ceiling of the room with tree roots sticking out at odd angles. The lavender unicorn, while wearing a white surgeon's apron, was performing horrifying experiments on her five friends who were bound to steel tilted tables. Twilight's eyes gleamed red with dark pleasure as she relived the experience of subjecting her closest friends to the greatest test their friendship had ever demanded of them... and they did not disappoint.

“Awww... I didn't even last that long.” Pinkie pouted after seeing her alternate self passing from the living, her lifeless husk hanging on the metallic table. “Hmmph... I bet I would be much better at lasting longer than she did! But you were marvelous Twilight! Couldn't have done it better myself. I especially enjoyed the part with the alcohol and the organs. And look at the rest of them, shouting at you so rudely, you'd think they would be grateful that you invited them to the party at all!”

“Hee-hee, brains...”

“Mmm... such sweet mental torment you have bestowed upon your friends Twilight, forcing them to watch as you kill them one by one in front of each other. Why it's almost as delectable as the physical pain itself. Though I must ask, what was the purpose of this experiment of yours again Twilly dear?”

“To better understand the elements of harmony each of us represented!” Twilight replied fervently. “To see just how far our beliefs and talents can be pushed before submitting to the cold, unbiased truths of the universe! Pinkie learned that giggling at the ghosties does not always make the monsters disappear; Applejack discovered that honesty is but another lie in grand scheme of existence; Rainbow Dash's loyalty got her nowhere but her own demise; and dear Fluttershy, even her kindness had it's limits in the end. But you, Rarity, your generosity provided me with your own body for the ultimate sacrifice... the expansion of my Looktrogon in the name of science!”

Twilight's entire frame was shivering with excitement, her voice breaking in several places during her intense speech. She seemed to be suffering some sort of withdrawal, and couldn't stop shaking and grinning wildly for a while. Twilight shut her eyes tightly and tried to control her hard breathing and compose herself. When she seemed more stable, the unicorn opened her eyes and realized everypony was looking at her.

Rainbow Dash had a bored expression on her muzzle, and was the first to address Twilight.

“Look egghead, I'm glad we had this trip down memory lane with you and all but I'm still not getting any answers.”

“Patience Rainbow Dash! Can't you see dear Twilight's just getting started?”

“Thank you Rarity... as I mentioned, each one of yo... them, provided me with so much insight and revelation from those experiments. And all of it, was to aid me in my conquest of Equestria...”

She dramatically opened her front hooves wide in gesture to the new scenario being played out on screen as Twilight explained to her audience the imagery that was before them.

“You see, unknown to anypony, I had constructed a massive laboratory beneath my library with the aid of enslaved Diamond Dogs and Parasprites. Not quite as hard as one might have thought, though I won't go into detail on how just yet... The glorious experiments I conducted there was to prepare an army of genetically modified Alicorns and mutants that would obey my every command. I was even prepared to subject myself to, improvement... both genetically and magically so that my power and wisdom would surpass even that of Princess Celestia, Luna, and the Elements of Harmony combined! Not even Discord or Chrysalis would be able to stand in my way! And with this new found power I would commence a glorious take over of Equestria. I will destroy The Elements of Harmony and wipe out all who resist me from existence... Then, I shall immortalize myself as the supreme ruler over all of Equestria for eternity!”

The image on the screen faded into nothingness, the brilliant light on Twilight's horn slowly dimmed as the ecstatic unicorn calmed herself down after exhibiting her deepest, darkest desires. One of her hoof instinctively clutched her chest without her knowledge, the withdrawal was taking a toll on Twilight's body despite her ignoring it.

“Darling! Such inspiring vision... I really admire your ambitiousness for such an undertaking.”

“So... you did all of this?”

Pinkie Pie inquired curiously as she waved a hoof in a circle indicating the strange environment they were in. Twilight didn't answer immediately. She wasn't even sure if all she had just explained had occurred or was just a fragment of her imagination, some residue of broken memories lingered in her mind. Twilight couldn't remember if she had been successful in her conquest, or that she failed. Did Celestia and Luna managed to stop her? Did she lose the war before the battle ever started? Was everything she had done in vain? She hesitated for a bit, a look of confusion glossed over her face for a split second before she regained her usual visage of madness.

“No.” she replied regrettably.

“No, this place was not my doing. Like the rest of you I found myself in this realm without prior memory as to how or when I got here. All I know is that I was the first to arrive, before I figured out that I could command these floating images that surrounded me with my magic. I used them to study the various different worlds depicted on them. And eventually, came across all of yours. But even though I had excess to all these worlds, I could not will anything from them into this place. The fact that I met up with Rarity first was not orchestrated by me, though I have my suspicion on the amount of influence one is able to exercise on these other-worldly windows... However, I did take the time to study magical qualities of this surreal realm. And my theory is that this place serves as a nexus for all the alternate worlds; a limbo between realities if you will... this is both everywhere and nowhere at the same time. As to how we all got to be here, I have concluded that a certain phenomenon involving the constellations aligning at just the precise moment, and as the flow of cosmic magic had reached a peak in the energy spectrum, followed by a collision of opposing... Ahem, what I am trying to say is, this meeting of ours was... Destined...”

“Gee, Twilight believing in something she can't measure and control with magic or science? Now I know you've really gone crazy!”

Pinkie Pie did a twirl with her hoof next to her head while rolling her eyes in opposite directions. The rest of the ponies giggled and snickered at her mockery of Twilight. But the unicorn showed no signs of being insulted as she paced up and down in front of them, wearing a wild grin on her muzzle.

“Think about it girls! The possibility for even two of us crossing paths outside of our respective worlds is less than one percent, the chances for all of us to assemble at this exact point in time is mathematically infeasible! I believe we are united here by a common bond... and that is our antithetical nature to our original Elements of Harmony. In a world where our friends are innocent and gullible like little foals, we stand alone as the anarchists, challenging the established order... it's just perfect! All this while I thought by destroying the Elements of Harmony it would secure my position as the most powerful being in all Equestria... but now I see, only together can we be strong... only as one can we bring true revolution to this universe! That it is our fate to dispense with the old and wretched elements, and take our rightful place as the true elements of power!”

Twilight stopped her pacing and pointed at the pink party pony.

“Pinkie... instead of bringing laughter, you terrorized your own friends and reveled in their confusion as they spend the last moments of their lives horrified and hopeless... Pinkamena Cupcakes Pie, you represent the element of Fear. Dashie... the citizens of Equestria entrusted you and your pegasus kind with the charge of maintaining the weather and creating beautiful rainbows. Imagine the shock and disbelief when young fliers discovered the truth behind those sky factories in Cloudsdale. Especially Scootaloo, who took you as her own sister, how tragic it must have been that the idol of her fillyhood betrayed everything she believed in... Rainbow Slash, you represent the element of Betrayal. Fluttershy... your unbridled blood-lust cost you all of the animals you hold dear. Eventually they were not enough to satisfy you, and you turned on your own friends, murdering them as they entered your shed... Slaughtershy, you represent the element of Carnage. And Rarity... your selfish desire to satisfy your craving for pain led to the death of Opalescence, and caused misery for all who hold you close to their hearts. You even allowed Sweetie Belle to be corrupted and scarred for life, dragging her along into your dirty little hobby. So deep were you inside this monster of yours that not even the Princess could save you from yourself. Lil' Miss Rarity, you represent the element of Malevolence. As for myself... I have achieved what no pony can even begin to imagine, my intelligence and cunning has already surpassed everypony I know! I represent... I am... I...”

“Insanity?” Pinkamena Cupcake Pie suggested with a hint of sarcasm.

“Yes! Of course! The only sane way to live in an insane universe... is to be insane! From now on I shall be known as, Twilight Psycho... element of Insanity! Hehehe... Hahahahahahaha!!!”

Twilight threw her hooves into the air laughing maniacally. Lightning and flame spewed forth from her horn as it blazed with energy, creating a spectacle that lit up the darkness in the dimension they were in. The other ponies shielded their eyes from the glaring blaze, and waited for Twilight Psycho to finish with her hysteria. Finally she stopped the fireworks display and powered down, panting hard and sweating profusely from her exertions; but that wild grin never left her face.

“Not trying to rain on your parade here Twi, but unless forgetting how to count is part of the power package, I think we're missing somepony from the team.”

“Yeah... what about Applejack? We can't be the Sinister Six without her!”

“Oooh... I like the sound of that Pinkie... heh, hehe... if you don't mind me saying so...”

“Neat huh? I just made it up.”

“Darling, I'm afraid I have to agree with the rest of our friends, or do you plan only to have those of us gathered here who will bear these new elements?”

“Ah... worry not my faithful followers, I haven't forgotten about our honest farm pony.”

The floating screens that were slowly hovering around them suddenly scattered and reorganized as Twilight manipulated them like shuffling files in a cabinet.

“Oddly enough, it was nigh impossible to find an Applejack that would fit our, sociological requirements. Most of the none prototypical Applejack’s were either depressing drunks, obsessed with apples or bent on being rich. Hardly the stuff of nightmares.. though I supposed I'm not surprise, she was always the most steadfast of us all... Ah-ha! Here it is, this particular Equestria holds an Applejack that seems very promising.”

The lavender mare isolated a single screen from the rest and focused the image on an orange pony who was standing in the middle of a shallow pond at night, staring at her own reflection. The image was identical o the workhorse in almost every way... except instead of green, it had orange-red irises in it's eyes, and an evil smirk on it's face.

“Observe...” Twilight instructed her friends.

"...leave me alone!"

“Why should I? Somepony's gotta help ya remember it...”

"Shut up! Ah don't wanna remember... "

“Why would ya wanna forget how much fun ya had all those years ago?”

"Fun? Ya'll thought ah had fun?!?"

“Ya sure seemed to be... remember that cute lil' scream fo' help she would make every time ya hit her?”

"Shut up!"

“...or how ya'll would go and hogtie her whenever she interrupted your apple buckin, and tie her high up on a branch of the closest apple tree, leaving her alone up there for hours on end...”

"Ah' said... Shut Up! Ah'm not like that, not anymore!"

“...ya'll tortured an' bullied her everyday fo' years... and ya'll enjoyed every minute of it... and ya know what? Ya'll miss it...”

"Ah.. p-please, stop it! A-ah can't take it no more! Why can't ya'll just leave me alone?”

“...because... you're a monster, Applejack, and ya'll always be one!”

"Puh... please, just get the hay away from me!"

"Applejack... sis', are ya'll okay?"

“Oh look, it's her... Ya'll should really stop talking to yerself... Ya just lucky she don't remember any of it after ya'll gave her that last concussion there a few years ago...”

"Wha-what? Apple Bloom, what are ya doin' out ere' so late at night?"

"Ah could ask yoo the same thing sis'. Why were ya'll yelling at that pond?"

“...if Ah remember correctly, this ere' pond is where ya'll tried to drown the annoying lil' pest...”

"Oh, um... Ah guess Ah was just er... sleepwalkin'... er, shoutin'! Dat's all, hehe... hey, why don't we head on back home Apple Bloom. Ah'll read ya a bedtime story."

“...tell her the one about how ya'll left her alone in the Everfree Forest... such a shame that dem' Diamond Dogs weren't hungry in the slightest that day...”

"Okay! Ah'll race ya to the house! Ready? Three... two..."

"Hold on a sec Apple Bloom..."

"What is it?"

"Ah love ya Applebloom. A-ah just wanted to let ya'll know that... that Ah really am happy to have ya as mah' lil' sis."

"Yeah, Ah know ya love me Applejack, and Ah love yoo too. Ya'll the best big sister in all of Equestria! Now c'mon, lets race home together. Three... two... one... Go!!!"

“...if only she knew... if only she could remember... just how much of a monster ya'll really are...”

Twilight looked at the rest of the ponies with a devilish expression. And they all understood her, because the same thought was going through their minds as well.

“Girls, it's time we introduced to the world, the new Elements of Blasphemy... starting with this one. It should be a simple matter of coaxing the monster within our dear Applejack to surface and join us.”

“You really think this would work don't cha' egghead... Hmmph, I'm game if you all are. Can't say I'm not curious to see where this little freak-show of ours ends up. Lead on Twi!”

“Hooray!!! We're going to be together as one big-happy-crazy-insanely-fun family! Oh, I plan on throwing so many parties to celebrate this occasion! Do you think that the other Pinkie Pies, and Rainbow Dashes, and Twilight Sparkles, and Rarities, and Fluttershies in this world would like my parties? I know! I could follow what Twilight Psycho did and have them all together in one big party! I've never been able to that before... now with you girls, I can start planning on...”

“You talk too much Pinkie.. um, that is... you don't have to stop if you don't want to...”

Twilight closed her eyes and searched for the magical focal points within the limbo world. She concentrated her own magic to align with the invisible grid of power and focused on the enchantments she needed for her spell to work. Red lightning flickered around the display screen, black tendrils surrounded it and writhe around like snakes as the image twist and contort into a swirling pool. Twilight Psycho had opened a portal into the unsuspecting world.

“How did you know that was possible darling? And are you sure that it is... functional?”

“Of course it is!” Twilight confidently stated. “Now Miss Rarity, I'll need that doll of yours as an anchor while we travel through the portal. Don't worry, I am not going to consume it for a spell... besides, we both know that thing is no ordinary doll. And I'll need your magic to work with mine as well... now, just follow my instructions...”

The Royal Palace in Canterlot...

“Ugh...”

Princess Celestia struggled to stand on her hooves, pain wrecked her body like a thousand wasp stings. The loud rhythm of her heavy breathing echoed through her ears while she tried to get a little respite. The ambient noise around her muffled, like time itself was slowing down. She felt every thump her heart made as the seconds passed by agonizingly. She was a sorry sight from her once regal pose. Her flowing mane had lost it's glitter, and was now torn and frayed with scorched ends. The large sparkling blue wings on her back hanging awkwardly by her side. Patches of pink hair were missing from her body, replaced by many deep wounds. She could smell the scent of blood as it trickled from her snout and gathered at the tip, before falling to the floor in droplets of crimson red. Through watery eyes, she took in the mournful scene before her.

Her throne room was in ruins, signs of battle was evident everywhere. Pillars were toppled, walls were crumbling, dust and debris hovered in heavy clouds around the Princess. Though she could not see far past all the dust, she knew that many members of her royal guard ponies were there, laying on the floor lifeless. She grieved for them in her heart, they had given their very lives to protect their beloved Princess, but it wasn't enough. And she did not need to see the chaos going on outside to know that her precious Canterlot was being laid to waste outside her castle walls. If only she had known sooner, she could have sent word to her Griffon allies to the East... maybe if the army was more well equipped, if they had been better prepared... They were never prepared, not for this... not this... betrayal.

From beyond the haze, six shadowy figures slowly trotted through the dust wall in front of Celestia. Six ponies that the Princess herself entrusted with Elements of Harmony to protect their world. The very same elements that were now used to cause death and destruction throughout Equestria. It was a stab through Celestia's heart that hurt more than any mortal wound could accomplish. And the deepest cut of all, was dealt by her own beloved and faithful student... Twilight Sparkle...

The lavender unicorn was at the head of the group as they made their way casually to the broken monarch. Her eyes blazed with red and black infernal energies; the six pointed star on her tiara that once represented her element of harmony, was now replaced by a pentagram within a circle. Around her neck was a gray pendant in the shape of a winged unicorn, with a red gem decorating the center of the amulet. She gestured for her entourage to stop a little distance from Celestia, just close enough to make sure that the Princess could see Twilight's gloating countenance.

“Well, well... it looks like the student has become the teacher, my Princess...”

“You... aghh... are no student... of mine...”

Celestia attempted a surprise strike by unleashing a blast of sun-light beam from her horn at Twilight. But the power mad unicorn simply deflected the feeble attack with a swat from her hoof without batting an eyelash.

“Tsk... Tsk... such bad behavior cannot go unpunished Princess.”

Her eyes, tiara and amulet lit up with dark mystic powers. Twilight let loose a ray of twirling black and red from her horn, returning the favor to Celestia. Her body collapsed to the ground from the force, and she laid there writhing from excruciating pain as the dark energies swirled around her. Twilight stopped the onslaught, laughing with glee while watching trails of smoke rising from the Princess's body.

“I must admit, it has been a fun time taking Canterlot from underneath your snout. I doubt I'll ever be this entertained by anything else compared to this achievement. And I truly wish this game could go on for much longer but unfortunately, there is just so much left to do, I think it's best to say our farewells now. But before we do, is there any last words the former ruler of this land would like to say before she retires... permanently?”

“Y-ye-yes...”

“Oh? This should be good... what would you like to say, pray tell?”

Celestia forced herself up despite the grievous wounds she had suffered. She stared straight into her former student's eyes with as much dignity as she could muster. Of all the things she had hoped for Twilight, she never thought that it would come to this tragic end. Tears streamed down her cheeks as the weight of sorrow overwhelmed her feelings. She took a deep, blood-choked breath before uttering a single word.

“Why...”

“Why? Why, you ask? Wahahahahaha!! Why not? Somepony was eventually going to do it, might as well be me.”

Twilight summoned crystal-ball like spheres into the air, and levitated them for Celestia to watch in dismay at the events that was transpiring throughout Equestria. Genetically modified Alicorns were invading the major cities like Cloudsdale and Manehattan, raining down unholy magic from the skies. The normal pegasi and unicorns were no match for their raw power. Many of the smaller towns had mutants of all kinds terrorizing the poor denizens, looting and killing as they went. Many dead ponies were strewn across the streets. The ones who were alive or dying had worse fates in store for them. Celestia could not hide the despair and hopelessness from her face at the sight of the citizens she had sworn to protect call out her name in vain in their last moments of life. Twilight savored every bit of her suffering.

“It took months of preparations, but it was all worth it. I used to only dream of such vast untapped power at my hoof-tips to command, and manipulate at my will! And now, it's a reality, and I shall scour the world for any opposition and crush it! None will stand in the way of my glorious ascension to godhood!”

“You... will never... argh... be a god...”

“Well one can dream right? How about this, you kneel and acknowledge me as your god... and maybe, just maybe... I'll allow you to live as my lobotomized puppet.”

“N-n... never... b-b-but know this, ack... you'll always be... my beloved Twilight...”

Celestia stood defiantly on shaky legs, she was determined not to beg for her life like a coward. If this is to be her end, she will meet with it on her hooves, not on her knees. Twilight waved her hoof angrily and the spheres disappeared from view.

“Enough sentimental talk! It's time to end your millennial reign right now! But first, let me reintroduce you to my friends. That was what you had originally intended for me right? To learn the true meaning of friendship? Well, I have a little report for you... Princess, I've learned that true friendships stretches beyond the limitations of time and space, and that embracing each others inner demons is the only way you can truly learn what it is like to be, the best of friends. After all, none of this would be possible without them. Let's start with... Slaughtershy, element of Carnage. Lil' Miss Rarity, element of Malevolence. Rainbow Slash, element of Betrayal. Pinkamena Cupcakes Pie, element of Fear!”

Each pony stepped forward as Twilight announced their names. They all had their Element of Harmony necklace on, but like Twilight's, were all corrupted into twisted new forms.

“And the final member of our group... Applewreck, element of Hatred!”

Applewreck moved in front of the rest, dragging a cruel looking club in her mouth, with rusty, bloodstained nails jutting out from the head. Her fiery irises and black slit-like pupils staring evilly at Celestia. She spoke through gritted teeth with nasty growl.

“Howdy, Princess...”

“Hahaha... there you go Celestia, the new and improved element bearers.... The Elements of Blasphemy!!!”

Twilight magically conjured iron chains to grow out of the floor and shackled themselves around Celestia's hooves. Their tight grip bruising the pink-colored Princess.

“Now, I'll let you get acquainted with one another. She's all yours girls, just do me a favor... save the wings for me...”

“Ah just wanna beat her with mah stick... make er' squeal like a hog...”

“Well that makes two of us Applewreck. Only difference is all I need are my bare-teeth to get the job done. Too bad we can't save her for the Rainbow Factories, I bet she would've made some really brilliant color spectrum...”

“Darlings, the two of you simply must allow me to cut her, so that I may savor the delightful sensations of pain she will experience. My baby, Pinkamena is really looking forward to it too.”

“Oooh... since Twilight called dibs on her wings, can I have her horn and cutie mark? Can I? Can I? Can I? It would make the ultimate contribution to my dress! And can we stuff her after we're done? Like you know, put her on display so that she will be with us forever and ever?

“Her brain... it will be mine! Mine! Muahaha... Muahahahahaha!!!”

As the ponies drew close with murderous intent, Celestia closed her eyes and hoped that perhaps in death... she would be able to see her sister Luna again...

Many weeks later...

“Twilight darling, what are we doing here in the Crystal Palace? Your subjects are going to offer their sacrifices to us in Canterlot next week, and I hardly have had the time to prepare for the festivities.”

“That can wait Miss Rarity, this... is far more important than any celebration of victory.”

Twilight Psycho had led her friends into a room where a huge mirror stood in the middle. It was guarded by two of Twilight's monstrous Alicorns. The lavender mare walked up to the mirror and activated it with her magic.

“I discovered this mirror during our occupation of the Crystal Empire some weeks ago. Thinking it might prove useful in the future, I had guards stationed here to alert me the moment there was any magical activity from it. And it turns out, there was.”

The mirror's surface shimmered and moved and an image of a celebration in Canterlot appeared.

“So... what, it's just another portal to another Equestria?” Rainbow Slash hovered above the group, a quizzical look on her face.

“At first I thought it was just another gateway to other worlds just like how we arrived to this realm, however I sensed a different aura emitting from it compared to the rest. I suspected this world could be special so I spent some time pouring through old tomes and scrolls for ancient spells that could help me determine whether my theory is correct... and as always, it is. This, my insidious friends... is Alpha Equestria, the source of all our existence.”

The mirror zoomed in on the reason for the celebration, the coronation of Princess Twilight Sparkle. She looked so happy with all her friends and family surrounding her as ponies all around showered their new Princess with adoration and song.

“Won't cha' look at dat... she's actually got her own pair of wings...” Applewreck stated bluntly.

Twilight Psycho instinctively flapped the pair of shimmering blue wings that were grafted to her own back, a parting gift from her former teacher. She didn't care for Applewreck's blatant comment. Her mind was already racing through nefarious plans upon nefarious plans for a whole new level of possibilities this unexpected opportunity presented.

“Girls... clear your schedule for the foreseeable future. We have a date with destiny...”

Author's Note

And that's why the Celestia in the cartoon is white, because the pink toy version has been killed! Yup, that's my story and I'm sticking to it!

This took almost a month, hope it was worth the wait! ^_^

It was quite hard for me to write this, maybe it's because I was trying to get into the minds of how the grimdark version of these ponies would interact with each other. I had to re-read some of the more disturbing fics just so I could get a better understanding of the mind of a psychopath...

Here are the Grimdark fanfics and their authors so you can look them up IF YOU DARE!:
Cupcakes: Seargent Sprinkles
Rainbow Factory: Aurora Dawn
SHED.MOV: hotdiggedydemon
Lil Miss Rarity: Lil Miss Jay
The Experiments of Twilight Sparkle: smawzyv (MyLittleBrony324 on FimFiction)
Remember What You Are: MetaDragonArt

Give yourself a cupcake if you managed to guess correctly during the story without reading these details.
Eeyup... I'm a sick twisted individual, and I'm gonna need lots and lots of bleach for my brain after this... hopefully the next chapter won't take as long.

Foreshadow

“Sister... sister wake up...”

“No! Twilight!”

Princess Celestia awoke from her vivid dream panting in distress, cold sweat trickling down her brow. It took her a moment to realize she was not in her own room. Instead the walls surrounding her had crystals embedded unto the structure, shimmering delicately as the rays of dawn shone upon them through the windows. It was a beautiful morning to wake up to. The Princess blinked at a bright lens flare that hit her eyes, only then she noticed the deep-blue muzzle gazing at her from the side of the bed. Celestia glanced back and was greeted by the loving face of her sister, Luna.

“Tis' alright dear sister, it was just a dream.”

“L-Luna... I feel... are we in the Crystal Castle?”

“Yes, sister.” Luna nuzzled her sister's mane gently.

“And you should rest, you over-exerted yourself last night. It was good fortune I arrived in time to aid the guards in bringing you here.”

Celestia laid her head back on the pillow and closed her eyes. Her luxurious mane flowed underneath her head and across the silken sheets. Indeed, the pleasant softness of the bed had provided her body with much needed rest and comfort. A small smile settled on the Princess's lips as a thought occurred to her.

“I'm proud of you Luna, it's such a beautiful sunrise...”

The Princess of the Night blushed slightly at the compliment.

“It is not as magnificent as any of your sunrises... I, I was even late with the raising... maybe I should have awoken y... 'sigh'... Thank you, sister...”

Luna held Celestia's right hoof, gently squeezing it between her own. Just hours ago Luna witnessed her sister collapsed in the snow covered wastes of the Frozen North. She had feared the worst when they realized that there was no sign of her sister breathing. But thankfully, she managed to revive her sister with a little magic by coaxing her lungs to take in the cold northern air. And with the aid of her subjects, brought the wounded Princess back to the Crystal Empire. It was nearer than the city of Canterlot, and Luna did not want to waste anymore time she could afford. And though they managed to keep their arrival to the Castle relatively unannounced, alerting Princess Cadance and Shining Armor to Celestia's condition was unavoidable. However she had to credit the royal couple for their competence as Cadance had prepared a bed chamber for Celestia as quickly and with little fuss as possible, allowing only her most trusted maidservants to tend to her aunt. While Shining Armor ensured that the guards kept any rumor from being leaked and spread throughout the castle; and being both a prince and the Captain of the Royal Guard, his command carried much weight with those under his authority. Truly Luna could not think of a better two to be entrusted the leadership of the Crystal Empire.

Both of the royal pair were tactful enough not to ask too many questions while taking care of the Princess. However once they were sure that Celestia's condition had stabilized, Princess Cadance began to question Luna about what had happened to her aunt. She was understandably worried about the Princess, neither she nor Shining Armor had the slightest clue that the ruler of Equestria was hiding such a heavy burden for so long. Cadance was distraught when she heard just how dire the situation was, she almost couldn't believe that her aunt had been under so much strain for that long without even her noticing it. Shining Armor was more calm and composed, taking in all the information that the Princess of the Night was giving. He provided a leaning shoulder for Cadance as Luna revealed what the Royal Sisters had been keeping from the rest of Equestria for many moons.

Before the dawn, outside Celestia's bedchambers...

“So that was why she needed Discord free and reformed...” Cadance thought out loud, understanding dawning on her muzzle. “Why didn't she tell us? The Frozen North is just right at our doorstep! We could have offered help!”

“Sweetie, I think Princess Celestia wouldn't want that burden on you... on us. Not after what happened with King Sombra.”

“B, but... we defeated him right? With the help of Twilight and her friends... if we had pooled all our powers together with the Elements of Harmony, we could have closed this rift before waiting for Celestia to get hurt!”

Shining armor gently placed a hoof on his wife's shoulder to soothe her; feeling Shining Armor's touch, she realized that in her emotional state she had raised her voice against The Princess of the Night. She touched her lips in shock at her own gall. Yet Luna did not chastise the light-cerise-colored princess, her face remained pensive while she answered her niece's concern.

“It is not that simple, young one... we know not yet how this fissure appeared nor the nature of it's true purpose. All we know that the power radiating from it is beyond even what any of us have ever encountered in our long existence. It seems to be pacified when Chaos magics are applied to it, and the crystals that are placed around the rift have to be continually charged to prevent anything from getting through...”

“Anything from getting through...?” Shining Armor perked his ears up as he echoed the Princess's words. He carefully formed his next sentence.

“My Princess, are you implying that something has indeed pass through this rift before? That it is a portal to another world like that mirror here in the castle?”

Princess Luna paused, but her face gave nothing away on what her thoughts were. She turned her gaze towards the nearest window, staring out into the starlit night.

“That is our assumption yes... however nothing has come through the rift... yet. Though that possibility may change after what happened tonight. That last surge from the portal rippled throughout the astral plane like a tidal wave.”

“But how is it that we have not felt anything by now? Something that radiates that much magical power surely must have been noticed by unicorns across the land, especially the ones with magical affinities!”

“We... have no answer. The properties of this rift does not seem entirely magical, and only Discord's chaotic powers have any real affect when dealing with it's violent outbreaks. It being unnoticeable by regular unicorn magic is what kept it unknown from the general population for so long.”

“Does... does that mean we have no way of preparing ourselves against this, thing? Surely there must be something we can do?”

“We were planning on holding off informing you or Twilight Sparkle until we were absolutely sure that by using the powers of the Elements of Harmony or the Crystal Heart, this rift could be closed. But now it seems that fate, has decided that we are out of time. And even though my sister had managed to calm the rift before any major catastrophe, there is no telling what effects those energy surges might have caused throughout Equestria...”

She looked back at Shining Armor and Cadence, her tone serious and foreboding.

“I fear we now stand at the precipice of a monumental hour... that could spell certain doom for Equestria.”

Shining Armor walked into his bedroom, yawning as the night's news weighed on his shoulders. He wanted to just slip under the covers of his bed, it looked very welcoming at this point. But something was missing from it, or somepony... He glanced around and saw his wife sitting by a window, a doleful look on her muzzle as she stared out at nothing pass the stained glass. Shining armor went over to her side and wrapped his left hoof around her mane, pulling her gently to his side. Cadance sighed softly and leaned on Shining's turquoise white coat; pressing her body closely as she snuggled intimately within his embrace. Nothing was said between them as the seconds passed, both content to just cherish the presence of each other.

“Shining... do you think everything will be alright?”

“Everything will be fine dear, we will fight this new evil and as always, we will prevail. Nothing is impossible when our love and friendship will see us through.”

“Oh Shining... I'm so worried about Princess Celestia, I've never seen her in so much pain, not even when Chrysalis and her changelings attacked us in Canterlot. When they brought her in, she looked so powerless, so... fragile.”

Cadance perked up, her eyes wide with sudden realization.

“What about Twilight? I know Princess Luna mentioned that Celestia doesn't want her involved but that was before tonight. I... I just have this bad feeling that something horrible is going to happen. What if she's in danger... what if...”

“Shhh...” Shining Armor bent forward, his muzzle touching Cadance's. He nuzzled his wife lovingly, calming her down. Their horns rubbed against one another as Shining Armor reassured Cadance.

“Don't worry, Twilly can take care of herself. She has grown strong over the last few years and has learned many powerful spells. Besides, she and her friends have the Elements of Harmony with them... Heh, I wouldn't worry too much about my little sister... frankly, I think she's better off than we are!”

The Captain of the Guard lifted a hoof and caressed the side of Cadance's face in reassurance. She accepted the gesture with a smile, and raised her own hooves to hold Shining Armor's tightly to her muzzle.

“But just as a precaution... I sent an order that there will be a reshuffling of ponyguards from here to Canterlot. I want all those under the Princess's finest Royal Guards who know about this issue to be transferred here. While I send off a few under the guise of roster rotation, to be in charge of escorting Princess Twilight Sparkle back to Ponyville after her night at the Canterlot Garden Party. Don't let it be said that Shining Armor isn't the best BBBFF to his little sister!”

He gave Cadance a warm smile, and despite knowing that he was mostly putting on a brave face and covering up any anxieties with wit, Cadance felt better all the same.

“Thank you, dear...” She kissed Shining Armor on the lips. “You always knew how to make me smile.”

“Hey, that's why you married me right?” He winked playfully at Cadance who batted him on the nose softly, giggling as she did.

“Now come, you should get some rest, you want to be there for Princess Celestia when she wakes up right?”

Shining Armor began to move towards the bed, but before he could take a step Cadance clutched at his foreleg and held on to him.

“No, please... I don't think I can sleep with Princess Celestia in her condition. I just need... a little time. Will you, stay with me?”

Shining Armor nodded and embraced his wife again, squeezing her shoulders fondly. Cadance rested her head on her husband's sapphire-blue mane as the both of them closed their eyes and continued to bask under the light of the moon.

“I'm so glad you decided to send some royal escorts over to Canterlot for Twilight. I do hope you included that castle guard... what was his name? Ah yes, Flash Sentry, to be part of the team. I'm sure Twilight would be happy to see him again, poor dear just seemed so stressed over her princess responsibilities lately. It'll be nice for the girl to have a little company from her colt friend, even if it's just a crush.”

The Princess of Love cuddled her Captain, forgetting for a moment the troubles of the world. Shining Armor grunted contentedly, before opening his eyes in sudden alarm.

“Did you just say Twilight has... a colt-friend?”

Princess Luna trotted slowly towards the balcony, finally convincing herself to leave her sister's side. Everypony had done their part, now they can only wait, and hope for the best. It was time, maybe even past it... but Luna decided that it had to be done, and ready or not she was going to face this challenge.

“Well it's about time you showed up... I was beginning to wonder if there was any chance of us seeing the light of day.”

“Oh... Discord... it's you.”

The multi-featured Draconequus stood near the edge of the balcony, his arms crossed over his chest as he overlooked the Crystal Empire from his lofty view. He turned his head only to acknowledge Princess Luna when she approached him.

“Don't you love the wee hours of the day before the dawn? A little too dull for my taste, but after what happened tonight, I could use a bit of dull.”

Luna did not entertain Discord's attempt at conversation, choosing instead to trot towards the balcony's edge and stand a little distance away from him. She diverted her gaze upwards at the dark sky with determination in her eyes. And once again Discord decided to lighten up the mood with his unique brand of humor.

“Oooh... what are we going to witness today? Do you have anything grand planned out? I have a few ideas I'm willing to share with you that I've always wanted to do when I had the opportunity. I'm sure your sister wouldn't mind us having a little fun with raising her pretty sun right? Come on, what do you say Princess?”

“Forgive me if I withhold my enthusiasm, Discord...”

“Hmm... like sister, like sister. One would think you royal siblings would cut loose a little more once in a while. Don't tell me after all these aeons neither of you have had even a little fun with the two bouncy balls in the sky? Come on, just this once... It's not like you haven't done this before, right?”

Luna kept silent, than a possibility dawned on the Master of Chaos.

“Are you telling me that you have never raised the sun before? What, didn't Celestia think she might take a vacation one of these days? Or maybe something bad could happen like, oh I don't know, an emergency?”

Doubt crept upon the Princess's features, she continued staring at the moon trying to block out the inner voice in her head. Discord was right about one thing, she had never done this alone before.

“I... I never needed to. My big sister... she was always here for her people, for us... no matter the burden, it was always her duty to bear it. Even while I was gone for a thousand years she...”

Luna's voice faded away into silence as she recalled her time as Nightmare Moon. And the drastic measure Celestia had to take to imprison her on the very object she was tasked with handling. It was moments like these, that the Princess of the Night would shed a tear out of sorrow and regret. A thousand years was a long time to be alone...

“Ah... I... understand.”

Discord shared Luna's sentiment as he too, was once imprisoned for a millennium encased in stone. And though he may not have the same amount of regret and guilt as Luna has, he still understood the empty feeling that loneliness brought. He just never realized it before, until Fluttershy showed him how much having a friend meant to him.

“Look, Luna... this isn't my usual schtick, but if you want... I could probably help you with raising the sun by sharing the load. No tricks I promise.”

“No! I mean... no, I need to do this on my own. But...”

Luna turned to Discord, and behind her determined expression, was a hint of gratitude in her eyes.

“...you could stay near to me, just in case.”

Discord nodded with a friendly smirk on his mouth as he stood back to allow the Princess to perform her task. Luna closed her eyes, and concentrated all her magic into bringing daylight to Equestria. A blue aura surrounded her horn as she focused hard on her goal. Magic flared and spluttered around her crown due to her exertions. After an agonizing attempt, she opened her eyes and saw that the moon had lowered... but no sign of the sun at all. She heaved a sigh, pondering for a moment whether she should continue. She waited for a witty remark from Discord regarding her failure, but none came. Luna thought maybe if she had a little help... she then made her decision, and tried again. This time, she searched her memories from a distant past. She remembered the first time she saw her sister perform the raising of the sun; she could feel the first rays of light touching her muzzle like it was yesterday, the sight of a glorious day had filled her eyes as the sun lifted into the sky, it was an image as beautiful as her sister.

Drawing strength from her memory, Luna summoned the will to continue with her duty. Magic glowed around her horn again. But instead of turbulence, this time it was calm and controlled. The princess stretched her wings and began to rise into the sky. A look of surprise crossed Discord's face, but was soon replaced with a smile of approval. As Luna raised into the air above the balcony, she felt a sensational warmth pass over her. And though her eyes were closed shut, she could feel the first rays of sunlight touching her muzzle...

'Knock, knock...'

Luna stirred from her reverie beside Celestia's bed, and gave permission for the pony to enter. The doors pushed open slightly and a pink muzzle poked through. It was Princess Cadance, who hesitated on entering the room.

“May I enter, aunt Luna? I would like to see how the Princess is doing.”

Before Luna could respond, Celestia opened her eyes and called out to her niece.

“Of course you can enter Cadance, I was hoping the next pony I saw would be you.”

“Aunt Celestia! You're awake!”

Cadance cried out with joy and rushed over to the side of Celestia's bed opposite of Luna. Her eyes tearing up at the sight of her aunt awake and well.

“Oh, I was so worried about you. I've been up all night hoping you would be okay...”

“And why wouldn't I be?” Celestia chuckled. “I'm perfectly fine my dear Cadance... Seriously, why does everypony thinks that I'm so fragile? A little tussle isn't going to k... 'cough' 'cough' 'Cough'!!!”

Luna immediately responded by patting her sister's back while Cadance hovered a cup of water from a nearby table with her magic, and brought it close to Celestia. She accepted their comfort gratefully.

“Maybe I spoke too soon.”

Cadance waited for her aunt to finish drinking before placing back the cup for her. She continued to stay by the Princess's bed, keeping rather silent and to herself while Luna continued to fuss over her sister. Celestia saw the sullen look on her niece's face and suspected something was bothering her.

“Cadance dear, is something the matter?”

“Princess Celestia, I... what are we going to do about the magic rift?”

“Ah... I assume my sister Luna has told you everything by now.” The Princess sighed deeply before continuing. “Yes, it is true... the rift is indeed a threat. And we will do everything in our power to stop it. That is why I want a meeting with you and Shining Armor, Discord, Luna and myself to be held this afternoon. We have very important matters to discuss...”

“But sister, you need to re...”

Celestia cut her off in mid sentence before she could finish.

“Luna, you know this has to be done. After last night's event we simply cannot take anymore chances. With every hour that passes we risk allowing this evil entity to achieve it's goals. I want word to be sent to my most trusted council members as well, they deserve to know the gravity of this situation, and prepare for the necessary.”

“Aunt, are you saying that we must prepare for... war?”

“I had hoped not to... however in the past months that we have had to deal with this, thing, I have felt it's evil and it's power. Whatever lurks within that black abyss cannot be underestimated. Even Discord knows this and though he may never admit the truth, it terrifies him as well.”

“Speaking of Discord, where is he?”

“The last I saw of him was after I had raised the sun. I just assumed he went off to rest, maintaining the rifts stability has drain much of his usual... eccentricities.

“That's true... though I was expecting him to surprise me with one of his usual antics when I woke up. I suppose even the Spirit of Chaos needs his respite. No matter, I'm sure we will find him when the time comes for the meeting to commence.”

The three Alicorns continued their morning as they enjoyed breakfast being brought in by servant-mares. Celestia had her breakfast in bed, the other princess's insisted it despite her protesting that she was well enough to sit at the table. Both Luna and Cadance had their meal beside her, enjoying the company they were in. Cadance tried to create an uplifting mood by chatting with Luna regarding the finer arts of mingling with the loyal subjects of Equestria, while having fun at the same time. While they talked, Celestia remained generally silent. She was still concerned about one more thing on her mind, her faithful student... Twilight Sparkle. Or rather, Princess Twilight Sparkle. Amazing how the young mare had grown up so fast. It seemed just like yesterday Celestia had picked the young, scared foal to be her personal student. And like Twilight's parents, Celestia was very proud of the new princess and all that she has accomplished in her young life. Celestia contemplated whether leaving Twilight out of this meeting was a wise decision and entertained the idea of summoning her and her friends. She decided against it, there's no need to inform her just yet. Best to wait until the meeting to decide anything further.

Afternoon, just before the Council Meeting...

“A report from Canterlot your majesty, Twilight Sparkle and her friends have reached Ponyville safely.”

“Thank you messenger, carry on.”

The pony bowed and exited the hall where Celestia, Luna, Cadance and Shining Armor were gathered. However, Discord was not present among them.

“Curses, where is that draconequus when you need him?” Luna muttered under her breath.

Celestia turned to Shining Armor and gave him a questioning look, but he shook his head.

“I'm sorry your majesty, but none of the servants or the castle guards have seen Discord since Princess Luna performed the sunrise.”

“Do you think something might have happened to him?”

“I do not think it likely Cadance, do not be too concerned. If need be I will cast a srcying spell to pinpoint his locati...”

“There is no need for that thank you, I'm right here.”

A nearby pillar suddenly sprouted paws, claws, antlers and a snake's tail. The body of Discord started oozing away from the pillar like sticky glue until he emerged completely with a loud 'plop' and tip-toed his way to the round table where the ponies were.

“Sorry to just, squeeze in at the last moment. I was busy... what are you all looking at?”

Everypony was staring at Discord's face, or lack of it. There was nothing but a blank greyness on his countenance where his features should be. And the Master of Chaos seemed to have gotten the hint as he groped around his face with a paw.

“Oh-Haha! Silly me, forgetting to put on my face again... 'sigh' typical.”

A pair of yellow eyes with red pupils popped up from the middle of the table followed by a snout with a single tooth jutting out. Discord's body reached for his face and peeled it off the table like a pancake and slapped it back on his head.

“There, much better! Now before you start berating me for crashing your little group therapy session...”

“We were about to have an important meeting Discord, one that included you. Where have you been?”

“That's what I'm trying to tell you... After Luna raised the sun, I felt this sudden hunch in my gut and decided to go back to the rift to do a little check up... and a good thing I did too.”

Discord snapped his fingers and a small pouch appeared in the air above the table. The string at the top untied by itself and the pouch flip over, and from the opening tumbled out a big object that landed noisily in the middle of the table startling everypony present.

“I found this... thing... and it's friends flocking around the rift.”

The Princesses and the Captain of the Guard studied the awful looking thing in front of them. It was larger than a normal stallion, about the same size as Princess Luna but with more mass. The creature was covered in some sort of gold-yellow-colored armor suit that looked mechanical in nature. There was a pair of similarly colored metallic wings sprouting from the back. It had a pair of arms and legs, each ending with razor sharp claws. What skin that was left visible had a sickly dark-green hue to it. However, for all it's hideousness, it was the creature's head that disturbed the ponies the most. Most of it was a gaping maw of spiky teeth, and where the eyes were supposed to be, they were replaced with circular red lenses.

“Wha... what is it?”

Cadance voiced out what the rest were thinking. Discord just shrugged, genuinely ignorant himself.

“Beats me. What I do know is that they're not from any part of Equestria I'm aware of...”

“It looks like a cross between an ape... and a bat...” Shining Armor gently moving parts of the monster with his unicorn magic.

“Wait, you mentioned this thing had friends? What happened to the rest?”

“Oh, nothing much. I just turned them into various inanimate objects like rocks and jumping beans...” Discord casually answered while picking his claw-nails. “Though I have to admit... the breathray-of-death thingy that they shoot from their mouths, do not let it hit you. Trust me you don't want to know how it feels.”

“This is grave news Discord... if those things slipped through the rift last night, there's no telling what else might have come through... or how many!”

“Well, I have even more bad news... unfortunately before I arrived these guys managed to disable the black crystals.”
Celestia gasped in shock, horrified at the news.

“Disabled? How? If the crystals were destroyed I would have sensed it!”

“Not destroyed, more like... inert...”

Using his powers, Discord shook the floating pouch and a strange box like device fell form it on top of the strange monster, clattering as it tumbled off and onto the table's surface. And though nopony had ever laid eyes on this mysterious technological device before, it had been damaged enough for them to conclude that whatever the box once was, it no longer is capable of functioning. At least not by the looks of it.

“I don't know exactly what they did with the crystals with this thing but they're little more than boulders now. Shame really, after all that hard work we placed in keeping them operational.”

“Discord... what of the rift? Neither Luna nor myself have felt any magical repercussions from these developments you describe. Surely”

“Now calm those royal wits of yours Princess, did you really think I would be dense enough to just casually allow an evil rift of unknown powers go out of control? Under a different circumstance maybe I would... but the point is that the rift itself is surprisingly calm, no wild activities and magical disruptions. I did sense strange shift in it's chaotic current however, but that's about it. I decided to come back here before trying to zap it with anymore magic, don't want the nasty thing to suddenly blow up Equestria.”

“That's odd, before we erected those crystals the rift would always grow in both size and turbulence... now these creatures turn up after the worst magical surge we've ever experienced and ruin months of work we've put into it? I do not like this at all...”

“Hmm...” Shining Armor pondered while staring at the creature on the table. “You mentioned they were near the rift, and that they did not venture further from the Frozen North?”

“I made sure to check the entire area within a hundred miles for more of these flying baboons and there were none.”

“Why... what's on your mind dear?”

“These creatures are wearing some sort of armor that if I had to guess, is militaristic in nature. Also they came in a relatively small group bearing some sort of device that most likely caused the malfunction of the crystals. Just like an infiltration team...”

“Are you saying that there's going to be more of these things coming through the rift?”

“I'm saying that if the purpose of this small group was for reconnaissance and disruption behind enemy lines... than there is a military agenda behind this entire ordeal. And whoever is in charge isn't interested in any diplomatic relationships. I fear that this may be the first signs of...”

“An invasion...” Celestia concluded the dreaded words that Shining Armor wanted to say.

“Yes, your majesty. And by the looks of it, unlike anything we've faced before.”

“Hmmph... if these things think they can just waltz in and take Equestria from under my nose, than they're sorely mistaken.” Discord huffed and crossed his arms haughtily.

“Sister, what do you propose we do?”

Luna looked at Calestia who regarded the alien creature on her table with a stony gaze. She feared it would come to this, that something would come through before she managed to find a way to close the rift. Now it seemed that option is closed to her. And unless her top scientists and wizards can decipher the strange metallic box in time before the inevitable happens, there was only one thing left to do...

Raising her head to full height, she addressed the ponies and draconequus in a voice that made even Discord feeling a little awed.

“We prepare for war.”

That evening, in Ponyville...

“Rarity! Rarity!”

Sweetie Belle called out for her sister to no avail. She had entered Rarity's Carousel Boutique when her sister didn't answer her when she knocked on the front door. Sweetie suspected that Rarity might have been concentrating on her work and decided to let herself in and give her sister a surprise. But it seemed that nopony was home, and Sweetie Belle had already searched the entire Boutique. Disappointed, she sat down in the middle of Rarity's room inspiration room; confused as to why her sister would be gone when she had promised Sweetie Belle to spend the evening with her. She looked around the room and spotted the half made dresses on the mannequins. 'I thought Rarity would've been done with those by now... she was really enthusiastic about finishing those dresses.' Sweetie Belle wanted to wait for her big sister to return to the Boutique as she figured out maybe Rarity had just gone out to buy some last minute ingredients for dinner or maybe some beauty product. Knowing her sister, Rarity wouldn't rest until everything was absolutely perfect under her scrutinize eyes. But if Rarity had gone out to buy something, wouldn't she had left a note? The more Sweetie thought about it, the more she felt that she needed to go out and look for Rarity. She had better do it soon too as it was getting dark pretty fast. Before leaving, she wrote a note and left it for Rarity just in case she got back before Sweetie did. She stepped out from the Boutique and shut the door behind her as she headed off in search of her big sister.

The streets were rather quiet, and Sweetie Belle only saw a couple of hurrying pegasi who seemed to be flying in the direction of the Mayor's house. As Sweetie Belle trotted across Ponyville hoping that her sister wouldn't be too hard to find when she heard a familiar voice call her name.

“Sweetie Belle! What are you doing out here by yourself?”

Sweetie Belle turned to the source of the voice and saw Scootaloo, a fellow Cutie Mark Crusader and her best friend along with Apple Bloom. She was riding her signature scooter and coming towards Sweetie Belle.

“Scootaloo? I could say the same about you.”

The light-gamboge-colored pegasus came to a screeching halt beside Sweetie Belle; slowing down by flapping her small wings to decrease the momentum.

“Haven't you heard? Some kind of disaster happened at the Weather Factory up in Cloudsdale. I was just on my way to the Library, I'm pretty sure that Rainbow Dash and the others are there planning on helping the pegasi. After all, Equestria can't go without it's weather, and I wanna be there to offer my help. I may not be able to fly, but I'm still a pegasi!”

“Erm... are you sure you're not doing this just to impress Rainbow Dash?”

“No! I mean, yeah... No! Ugh... look, either way I don't want to be the only pegasus who isn't up there helping Clousdale, I need to do this. Besides, I'm sure they'll need every hoof they can spare.”

“Okay, that sounds very noble of you Scootaloo. I was just looking for my sist... Wait! That's it! Rarity must have gone to Twilight's library as well! With something this important she has got to be there! Scootaloo, we could go together!”

“Sounds like a plan, hop on!”

As Sweetie Belle positioned herself behind Scootaloo, the pegasus pulled out a helmet exactly like the one she was wearing and offered it to Sweetie.

“Here, I even have an extra helmet for you. Safety first right?”

“Huh? Where did you get...”

“Hang on to your horses!”

With a kick to the ground, Scootaloo launched both of them off in the direction of the library. The evening wind blowing against the two filly's muzzles as they propelled through the streets.

“Alright! If I get a chance to help out at the Weather Factory, I may even get my cutie mark!”

“Yay! Cutie Mark Crusaders are go! Too bad Apple Bloom isn't here with us as well...”

The Mayor's Office...

“This is troubling news indeed... how bad is the damage?”

“The good news is, most of it seemed to be contained to one general area of the factory. The bad news is, that area is a very important section. If Cloudsdale doesn't get it fixed soon, Equestria could suffer from global warming.”

“Global what?”

“Global warming Ma'am... Er, you know... weather imbalance, natural disasters and such.”

“Oh good heavens! That sounds terrible.”

“It is Mayor Mare... and we'll need every pegasus we can spare here in Ponyville to help with the damage if we want to get the weather producing machines back on track again.”

“Of course Blue Skies, but there is no need to spread panic. We can do this subtly, inform the pegasi here without kicking up too much fuss. I'll come up with a speech in the morning about how everything is under control.”

“Excuse me Mayor Mare?”

A pegasus-mail-stallion with a light-yellow coat stood at the Mayor's door.

“Sorry to interrupt Mayor Mare, but I have a letter here that’s urgently addressed to you.”

“Let me see...”

The Mayor relieved the mail-pony of his task. The mail-pony was about to leave when he noticed Blue Skies giving him an inquiring look.

“They've got you delivering the bad news huh?”

“Yeah... bunch of us doing overtime across Equestria. The ponies need to know what happened, then hopefully we'll get everything fixed up pronto.”

“I know it's not much but, thanks.”

“Heh... well you know the saying... neither rain or shine, snow or sky and all that good stuff...”

“Oh my...” The Mayor blurted out, causing the other two stallions to turn their attention to her.

“What is it Mayor Mare?”

“It's a letter from Princess Twilight Sparkle... its says that she and her friends will be investigating the incident that happened at Cloudsdale. And that in her absence, the library...”

“...is closed until further notice?”

“Huh?”

“It says, library is cl...”

“I know what the sign says Sweetie Belle. I just don't believe it.”

“But... how can they close the library? They just got back today!”

Scootaloo stretched her neck upwards trying to get a glimpse of any signs of life from the windows of the tree library.

“Spike! Twilight!”

“Um... do you think we should start calling Twilight, Princess from now on?”

“Don't be silly, of course not! This is the same geeky Twilight we're talking about. She probably wouldn't want us being so uptight around her anyway.

“If you say so...”

Scootaloo continued calling out until she gave up.

“Argh! It's no use, there's nopony home.”

“What do we do now?”

“Hmm... any other places where they might meet...”

“Oh! Oh! How about Fluttershy's cottage?”

Scootaloo gave Sweetie Belle an unimpressed glare that made the filly unicorn go all sheepish.

“So... no?”

“We could try Sweet Apple Acres!”

“But, that's quite far off, and it's getting really late...”

“Oh don't be such a scardy-foal. Besides, it'll give us an excuse to drag Apple Bloom along with us if they're not there, right?”

“I suppose... woah!”

Scootaloo yanked Sweetie onto her scooter and began to speed all the way to the Apple Farm.

“Come on! Time's a wasting!”

In the Everfree Forest...

“Oh no, no, no, no, no... how could this be? I can't believe this vision that I see...”

Zecora peered over her cauldron as smoke rouse from it's murky contents. There were mystical books and scrolls surrounding the zebra, the aftermath from her search for answers to the recent phenomenons that were occurring in the Everfree Forest. Monster activity was on the rise and they were becoming increasingly more aggressive. The enchantress usually had no problem with the more fearsome creatures of the forest before, as she respected the laws of nature and knew how to avoid coming into conflict with the creatures of the forest, great and small. However today she had to defend herself from a rampaging manticore while she was outside looking for herbs. She barely made it out with her hide intact. She had seen hydra, water serpents and even a large dragon attacking the local wildlife savagely and wreaking havoc in the forest. Zecora sensed that there was something unnatural at work here causing the monsters to go out of control, and she needed to get to the bottom of it. This eventually led to her brewing a magic concoction that would give her clues as to what was affecting the monsters. After hours of working with her ancient charms and totems, she managed to conjure up an image from her brew. One that foretold events that will come to pass, events that do not bode well for all of Equestria...

“If there is a chance to change this fate... then I must warn Twilight, before it is too late.”

Zecora tossed her cloak over her body and grabbed a few necessities and stuffed them into her saddle bag before leaving her hut. As she closed the door, an awful stench passed through her nostrils.

“That foul smell is familiar... I know of only one creature, who's breath is similar...”

A low rumbling growl behind her confirmed her suspicion, as she turned around and saw about fifty hooves away was a menacing... timberwolf. It was a giant wolf-like monster that had a body made out of dead tree matter that came with sharp fangs and claws. It's huge mouth salivating at the sight of a promising meal presented before it. The timberwolf let loose a loud roar and charged at Zecora. But the mare was not so easily preyed on. She tumbled and rolled out of the way of the charging timberwolf, but not before throwing a few small pill-like objects that burst into a cloud of thick smoke that covered the timberwolf. Unable to see past it's own snout, the monster thrashed and howled, swiping randomly around hoping to land a lucky hit on the zebra. But Zecora was already galloping away in the direction of Ponyville. She glanced back with a smirk on her muzzle, pleased that she managed to outsmart the wooden monster.

“Aha! You wish to make a meal out of me? It is not so easy, as you can... Oooof!!!”

Zecora crashed into a tree trunk and fell backwards and landed on the forest floor, stars flying around her head. She shook herself back to her senses and saw that the tree she crashed into was peering at her with glowing yellow eyes. It lowered an elongated head filled with sharp fangs, drool seeping out of it's mouth. The tree was in fact, another timberwolf...

“...see?'

Zecora gulped in fear as she finished her rhyme. The smell of the timberwolf's breath filling her nostrils even before it let out an earth shattering roar.

“RWAAAAAAAAAAAR!!!”

“Uh...”

She struggled to open her eyes, fighting against the heaviness weighing down her eyelids. Numbness plagued her body, but she was slowly starting to feel the aching touch of pain in her muscles. As she finally managed to open her eyes completely, she was greeted by darkness. She could not see two hooves in front of her muzzle.

“Whe... where am I?”

She felt the cold touch of metal against her back. She wondered why, as she did not feel like she was lying down on a bed, more like suspended upright... this sudden realization told her something was seriously wrong. She tried moving her legs, they did not budge... all her limbs were cuffed down tightly onto the metal slab. Panic gripped her and she started thrashing against her bonds but to no avail. The bonds were too tight and secure for her to break free. Her wings scrapped against the metal table uncomfortably as she had moved them out of place with her earlier struggle.
Than she remembered, her magic, how silly of her not to think of it first. She closed her eyes and concentrated. Her horn started to glow faintly and sparks of magic spurted out from the tip and then, nothing. Her magic died down and the glow dissipated. 'How is this possible?' She tried again to activate her magic but the result was the same. She panted hard, tired after straining herself. 'There has to be a way out of this...' But before she could formulate any kind of plan, she heard a voice coming out from the darkness. And it frightened her not just because it sounded eerily joyful yet menacing, but because she recognized it as her own voice.

“Well, well... the Princess has finally decided to grace us with her consciousness. What's the matter your majesty? Magic not working very well?”

Twilight heard the click of a switched being turned on and the light bulb above her came to life, providing just enough light to illuminate her immediate surroundings. And what she saw horrified her. All her friends were unconscious and strapped to metal tables just like she was and they all formed a semi-circle facing each other with herself in the middle. She also recognized the floor and parts of the room that she could see with her limited line of sight and poor light source; they were underneath the library in her own basement where she conducted her experiments. As she tried to process what was happening a figure stepped into the light and Twilight gasped at the sight of a duplicate of herself. She was like Twilight in almost every single way, except her wings were sparkling blue. She also wore a crown that resembled the Element of Magic crown. But instead of a six pointed star, this one had a pentagram in a circle at the top. She also wore the dreaded Alicorn Amulet around her neck. The duplicate gave Twilight a wide, creepy grin. And stared at her so intensely it made Twilight feel even more uncomfortable than she already was.

“And now, my dear Princess... the real fun begins...”

Author's Note

Alright! Finished just in time for Halloween/Nightmare Night. And though it's more of a filler chapter, I hope you guys enjoy reading it.

Also, I realized rhyming is not as easy as it looks... kudos to Zecora for pulling it off every time she speaks!

See ya'll soon and don't forget to comment! ^_^

Face to Face

“Who are you? Why are you doing this?”

Twilight questioned her captor angrily as she fought against her constraints. Her doppelganger simply ignored Twilight's protesting and walked nonchalantly into the darkness; bringing out a strange fizzy drink in a volumetric flask similar to the ones Twilight used in her experiments. The mare held the concoction in her right hoof, swirling the contents around gently like one would do with fine wine. Twilight stared in fascinated horror as the duplicate lifted the flask to her muzzle and downed the contents into her throat with one noisy gulp. Once she had finished her drink, the mare made a sour face as if she had taken particularly bitter medicine. Her features contorted into a grimace, and closed her eyes as if in pain, which did not go unnoticed by Twilight Sparkle. After a moment, the clone relaxed and reopened her eyes to reveal her red pupils glowing eerily, and the same insane grin back on her lips. She tossed the empty flask aside into the shadows causing it to clatter loudly in the darkness. She fixed her gaze on Twilight who had stopped her questioning and struggling for now; instead she was catching her breath, panting angrily as she did so. Twilight met her gaze challengingly even as the duplicate trotted slowly towards her.

“Such behavior is so unbecoming a princess, my dear Twilight Sparkle... didn't your precious Celestia teach you any royal etiquette when she decided to crown you as princess? Or was she too busy giving out menial tasks for her little pet dog?”

Twilight gritted her teeth at the insult not only to her but to her mentor as well. She wanted dearly to snap back at this imposter but she had to control herself. She knew that this mare, whoever she is, is just trying to bait her into losing her temper. Twilight was not about to give her the satisfaction of seeing her lose control so easily. Plus she would need every advantage she could get if she were to break free from her bonds and save her friends. And her best option now was to keep this imposter talking while she formulated a plan in her head.

“You still haven't told me who you are.”

“My, my... persistent aren't we? It seems you have more self control than your, predecessor. You should have heard her, squealing and screaming like a little filly... and that was before I started the experiments on her.”

“I don't know what you are talking about. Maybe you care to enlighten me? Or are you afraid that I might use it against you?”

“Do you really think that I fear you... princess?”

“If you weren't afraid of me, you wouldn't have needed to ambush me in my home without a chance for me to defend myself. Nor would you have the need to bound my friends and I so securely. And if I had to guess, you placed a sort of silencing spell on the area... annulling all magic so that nopony could find us through means of scrying spells, and oppose you! If that's not a sign of somepony who is afraid than I don't know what is.”

“Hahahahah!!! Oh, you really amuse me princess... so you managed to come up with that conclusion all on your own did you? You must feel really smart, deducing me in a single glance with those condescending eyes of yours.”

The mare stepped closer menacingly, her eyes boring through Twilight's own. Twilight did not look away, she had to show this pony that she did not fear her, that she would not be so easily intimidated by some copycat who might just be a changeling in disguise. Yet something in those cold demented eyes told her that this was no changeling. And underneath that familiar exterior, a very sinister persona lies just below the surface, yearning to break free and show it's true colors. Deep down, Twilight knew that this pony was a very dangerous threat. The mare was now right in front of Twilight gazing at her, and a bead of sweat trickled down the side of her head. She prayed that her evil clone had not noticed it.

“It is more likely, princess... that you are the one who is afraid...” she hissed smoothly at Twilight. “Your attempts at provoking me, while adorable, will not work. See I know everything about you, every thought, every emotion, every secret, simply because... I am you.”

“That's not possible!”

“Denial, such a predictable response... just like the last Twilight.”

The pony's cryptic speech was starting to annoy Twilight. She tried to figure out what all of this meant. Was this duplicate from the future? If so what could have caused her to become this way? Maybe she accidentally cast some spell that caused all of this. But Twilight couldn't for the life of her imagine what kind of spell would be this malevolent. The imposter seemed to enjoy watching her struggle to unravel the puzzle of her current situation.

“Ah... how frustrating it must be for you, not being able to understand your own predicament with that vast intellect you think to possess... It kills you doesn't it? Having your one and only talent for living fail you in your most desperate hour... I wonder, just how many theories and conclusions are running through that brain of yours right now?”

Frustration was the right word to describe Twilight's inner thoughts right now. Surely this wasn't somepony disguised as her? Could it be Trixie? She has used the Alicorn amulet before and it drove her mad with power... maybe she found out where it had been kept safe and couldn't resist herself from using it again, thus causing her to completely lose control over it? Or perhaps more likely, something else entirely... Twilight tried to remember the last thing she was doing before waking up to this nightmare. She vaguely recalled confiding in Spike about her insecurities and how she was upset over reading a book called Eternity's End... 'Spike!' Twilight's thoughts snapped back to her loyal friend, he was not among the rest of the ponies being held prisoner here. Where could he be? An awful thought crept into Twilight's head.

“What have you done with Spike?” she questioned the imposter aggressively.

“Oh, the precious little assistant? You must be worried sick over the poor baby... after all, you are responsible for his well being. What kind of a guardian, or friend, or sister would leave a child all alone to fend for himself?”

“If you've done anything to harm Spike, I swear I'll...”

“You'll do WHAT!?!”

The psychotic mare reared up on her hind legs and slammed her front hooves against the metal slab on both sides of Twilight's body, bringing her muzzle but a breath away from Twilight's own; shocking the lavender princess into silence. It felt like staring into a twisted reflection of herself. She saw the cunning, the intelligence, the ambition, behind those glinting eyes... but most of all, the dark malevolence that surpassed any evil she could possibly imagine.

“Let me make myself perfectly clear to you Twilight Sparkle... you are in no position to be making threats. Without magic and the Elements of Harmony, you and your friends are completely at my mercy. All of you are merely puppets, to be used as pawns in my game of chess, lab rats to be dissected and experimented upon for the benefit of my glorious design! Any plans of escape that you could ever think of is not going to work because I already know every single possible outcome to every single one of them... because I am simply better...”

Twilight gritted her teeth as she attempted to challenge her evil self.

“At what?”

Despite the brave face Twilight attempted to put on, it vanished almost immediately when her evil self leaned in close to her ear and whispered in a low harsh tone.

“...everything...”

A dead silence followed, Twilight gulped hard as she looked at her clone straight in the eyes. Her words dying in her mouth before she even uttered them, unsure what the proper response was for this confident adversary. The face off was interrupted by the sound of a waking Applejack.

“Uh... mah head...”

“Ah... I see that one of your friends has decided to join us in the land of the living.”

“Wha... what in tarnation?”

Applejack was less than thrilled to wake up and finding herself being strapped to a metal slab, she reacted instinctively by fighting against her restrains. She knew instantly that they were too well secured for her to break free. Looking around the room, Applejack saw her friends in the same dire position as she was; and the moment she laid eyes on two Twilights, she put two and two together and realized what was going on. She turned her head the best she could to face Twilight as an unconscious Rarity was in between them.

“Ah'm sorry Twilight... Ah tried mah best ta get ere' as fast as Ah could. But it looks like Ah was too late...”

“It's not your fault Applejack...” Twilight reassured her friend. “As long as we're all here together, everything's going to be alright...”

“Yes, comfort her... lie to her Twilight... tell her that friendship will see you all through.”

Twilight's clone moved away from the bound ponies into the shadows with an air of superiority. She did not know what to expect next but Twilight was glad to get a little respite from that pony, even if it was for a short while. Applejack took the opportunity and whispered to her friend.

“Twilight, yer got a plan ta get us all out of dis?”

“I'm... working on it.”

“Dats a relief ta hear...” Applejack heaved a sigh. “But Ah gotta warn ya Twi'... that mare ain't alone.”

“You mean ther...”

Their conversation was interrupted by the sound of hoof-steps approaching. The foreboding implication of Applejack's last words filled Twilight with dread anticipation. She hoped that her friend's words didn't mean what she thought it meant... Unfortunately her fears were confirmed as not one, but six ponies entered into her sight. All of them were a twisted mirror of Twilight and her own friends. They all had their Element of Harmony necklaces on, but harmony wasn't the word Twilight would describe them now. Each was an ugly version of the Elements that she was familiar with. Beautiful shapes and colors were now replaced with dark, black tones; along with scary imagery of skulls, teeth and ugly jagged shapes. Their bearers, though may look like her friends at first glance, have enough subtle differences for Twilight to identify them to be like her own clone, interlopers. The one that resembled Fluttershy had a maniacal look in her glazed over stare, and it didn't help that she had dark circles around her eyes and seemed to be drooling at the side of her mouth as she gave Twilight a disturbingly hungry gaze. The cyan pony with the signature rainbow mane and tail had a gruff outlook and seemed much older than the real Rainbow Dash strapped to her left. Applejack's duplicate had bright orange-red pupils that shone savagely under the light. The pink mare looked exactly the same as Pinkie Pie, and if not for the sinister glint in her eyes Twilight would not be able to tell the two apart. However, the clone with the most obvious differences was Rarity's... the physical scars on her body were alarming enough to raise questions Twilight wasn't sure she wanted answers to. But it was the heart-shaped scar on her chest and the three claw marks across her left eye that really caused Twilight to fear the sanity levels of these ponies. And Twilight couldn't really believe it, but she swore there was a strange doll riding on the back of Rarity's clone.

“Oh my...” was all that Applejack could muster as she helplessly lay strapped to her metal slab.

“Aw... little Applejack feelin' scared? Don't worry sugarcube... here, I'll wake up yer friends to keep ya'll company!”

The orange mare trotted to the slab on Applejack's right, turned around and reared her hind legs into position before giving the metal table a hard kick. The impact shook the slab violently waking up Pinkie Pie who yelped with surprise from the rude awakening she received. She took one look at the scene before her and started panicking immediately as her mind tried to process everything at once.

“Where am I? What's going on? Why can't I move? What has happened to everypony?” The pink mare started screaming as she struggled wildly.

Rainbow Dash's duplicate laughed cruelly at Pinkie's bewilderment, and the evil Applejack joined in on her glee.

“Hahaha! Nice one Applewreck!” The pegasus gave Applewreck a hoof bump to show her approval.

“Heheh... Thanks Slashie, Ah thought yer would like dat.” she replied while grinning savagely.

Twilight Sparkle and Applejack both tried to calm the distressed Pinkie Pie who was still going on with her incessant screaming.

“Pinkie please calm down, you're becoming hysterical.”

“Twilight's right sugarcube, yer got ta keep it together, we can all get through dis... somehow...”

Pinkie Pie stopped her clamoring almost as abruptly as she started. She faced her friends, giving them a weak grin, but it made them feel relieved nonetheless to see their usually happiest friend smile.

“Thank you guys, I'm sorry I lost it for a moment there but I can't help going a little crazy when some meanie kidnaps me in my own home!”

The added tone to her last words were emphasized as Pinkie Pie snapped back to glare at the bunch of ponies looking at them from the floor. Her attention focused especially on the one that looked identical to her. She had the same creepy smile on when Pinkie first saw her in Sugarcube Corner, except this time Pinkie Pie was determined not to be scared by this filly who thought she could impersonate the one of a kind Pinkie Pie.

“And you! You're the biggest mea...”

Pinkie Pie stopped dead in mid sentence and made a sick face as if she was about to throw up.

“Pinkie! Are you okay?” Twilight called out in alarm.

“Oh Twilight! I don't feel very good...” Pinkie's face turned into unhealthy green color. “It must have been tha... that cupcake... it didn't taste right.”

“What's wrong? You don't like my sweet treats?”

Pinkie Pie's duplicate hopped over towards her, bouncing cheerily around the metal table Pinkie was strapped to.

“Everypony loves my sweets! I baked them all by myself. Yup! Yup! Yup! Pinkamena Cupcake Pie's very own cakes and pastries! I make them way better than Mister and Misses Cake ever did! Especially my cupcakes, I put a very special ingredient in each and everyone of them... but unfortunately I don't have that ingredient here, not yet, that must be why you didn't like the one I gave you earlier! All it had was some boring formula to make you really sleepy. Oh! I can't wait for the chance to start baking my signature cupcakes again!”

She hopped right up to Pinkie's side and held her head with both front hooves while pressing both their snouts together.

“You should try them, they are simply to die for...”

Pinkie Pie couldn't hold it in any longer, and just as she was about to hurl, Pinkamena produced a paper-bag out of nowhere and shoved Pinkie's muzzle down the opening. She threw-up instantly, making sickly noises as she did so while her friends watched helplessly on. It wasn't long before Pinkie was done emptying her stomach, and Pinkamena simply sniffed at the contents of the paper bag before hurling it over her shoulder.

“Well, that brought back pleasant memories!” She exclaimed cheerfully as she bounced back to her own group of friends. The sound of groaning was a sign of awakening from the remaining three ponies who started stirring from their slumber, seemingly roused by the commotion going on in the room.

“Aughh... I feel like I've been hit by a train...”

“Swe...Sweetie Belle?”

“Um... (gasp) Oh my!”

Being the first among the three to realized their peril, Fluttershy began breathing irregularly. Naturally panicking from the sight of all her friends, including herself, being held captive in such a frightening manner. Both Rainbow Dash and Rarity were quick to piece together the situation.

“Such barbaric behavior! This is no way to treat a lady! I demand to be released!”

“Let me out of here!”

Rainbow Dash thrashed against the straps that held her secured on to the metal slab.

“You think you're all so tough keeping us tied-up like this? I'm not afraid of you cheap ripoffs!”

Rainbow glared angrily at the gloating ponies, she snorted especially loudly at the sight of the one with the same multicolored mane as hers.

“Come on! Cut me loose, I dare you! I'm ready for round t... Ow!!!”

Rainbow Dash yelled out loud, her face wincing in agony. She strained her neck downwards to look at the root of her affliction, her wild thrashing had caused her wings to slam against the metal table. She had completely forgotten about the condition her wings were in, and it was bad. They sprawled awkwardly across her sides, and each time she shifted her body to ease her discomfort, a jolt of pain would hit her like lightning from the back. Rainbow bit her lip, pushing back the tears that were threatening to flow out for everypony to see. Despite all that however, Rainbow didn't withhold her challenging gaze at the group, her stare lingering on the pegasus Applewreck referred to as Slashie. The mare returned Rainbow's gesture with a snarl, not fooled by her covering up the fact she was hurting from a pair of damaged wings.

“What's the matter runt? Can't take a little pain? Maybe I should go over there and fix those wings for you eh? If somepony doesn't attend to those wings soon, you'll never fly the skies again...”

The rest of Rainbow Dash's friends were shocked at Rainbow Slash's alarming words.

“Rainbow, wat is she sayin'? Are yer hurt?”

“Darling, if there's something wrong, do tell us!”

“Oh no Dashie, did those meanies do something to your wings?”

“I'm fine guys, don't worry about me. That crazy pony is just trying to psych us out! I just got into a little rough aerial race with her that's all.”

“A race which I won!” Rainbow Slash snapped.

“That's because you took the fight to Cloudsdale, and destroyed half of the Weather Factory up there! Do you know how long it's going to take to fix all that damage?”

Loud gasps of horror broke out among the other ponies, shocked by the sudden news they just heard from Rainbow Dash.

“The Weather Factory got WHAT?!?”

“That is simply awful! How could such a horrendous disaster occur?”

“But, but the weather changes... it's goin' ta affect mah crops, it'll affect all of Equestria! There ain't gonna be enough food ta go around!”

“Oh no... the factory, those poor ponies! How terrifying it must have been to be there. Oh Rainbow Dash, was anypony... hurt?”

“I... I'm not sure Fluttershy, I did my best to help most of them escape. No thanks to her... Those ponies could have been killed you maniac!”

“They knew the risk of their jobs! You should have been more concerned with your own hide.”

“They needed my help! I couldn't just let them die!”

“If you ever had any hopes of beating me you would have stayed focus and kept your head in the game... but your soft heart has made you weak! If I had known the Wonderbolts would accept a pathetic loser like you I would never have dreamt of becoming one...”

“I don't know who you think you are, but the Wonderbolts would never allow a crazy reckless mare like you with no regards for her fellow ponies to enter their ranks!”

“Ah think she just insulted ya Slashie. Looks like somepony needs ta be taught a lesson. And Ah know just the type of lesson she needs.”

As Applewreck took a step forward eager to administer her brand of discipline, Rainbow Slash blocked her path with a hoof to her chest; growling menacingly while shaking her head.

“No, you had your fun the last time. This one is mine...” Slash turned her head to face Rainbow Dash and gave her a venomous glare. “It's personal...”

“Now, now Rainbow Slash... you'll have your fun later, business before pleasure remember. Than everypony can do what they do best...”

“Boy, oh-boy, Oh-Boy! I can't wait to show off my new dress!”

“Yessss... more brains...”

“Ah've always wondered what it'll be like to beat up my own goody-two-horseshoe side... Now Ah'm gonna get that chance...”

“What are you saying? Who the hay are you ponies? Will somepony tell me what is going on!” Rainbow Dash shouted in anger and frustration.

“They are us...” Twilight Sparkle said with a quiet certainty in her voice. The others picked up on her tone and faced her the best they could with their constraints, expecting some revelation from their diligent friend.

“Like the alternate world I went to, they come from a different dimension. One similar to ours, yet with obvious differences. They came here because they want to conquer our world... And judging from their vague speeches, this isn't the first time they have done something of this nature, isn't that right... Twilight? Or do you go by a different name as well?”

Twilight's clone clapped her two front hooves together slowly, a smirk of mock approval on her muzzle. The pony that resembled Rarity, who had been observing everything in silence, gave the lavender mare beside her a suggestive nudge.

“She's very good darling, I suppose that's why she's a princess here in this... Alpha Equestria.”

“Hmmph... being turned into royalty does not mean competence Lil' Miss Rarity dear, I would like to see how far she can deduce her way into my plans without my aid.”

“This is all just a game to you isn't it? You just want to see us squirm under your hoof so you can show off your superiority. That makes you nothing more than a bully!”

“Oh Princess Twilight... you'll soon learn that's the least of your worries...”

“'Sniff' ...this... 'sob' ...this isn't happening...”

Fluttershy was breaking down into tears, the reality of being held prisoner awaiting some unknown and surely unpleasant fate took it's toll on her fragile psyche. She could hear her friends trying their best to pacify her. Across the floor from her was Pinkie Pie who was shouting words of encouragement telling her that it was going to be okay; while Rainbow Dash beside her kept telling her to be brave and not let the bad ponies get the satisfaction of seeing any of them scared. But to Fluttershy, their voices were turning into muffled noises between her sobbing and sniffing. She could not help herself, all she could think of was one day she and all of her friends were having a great time in Canterlot, and the next they were bound to metal tables being held like prisoners by evil duplicates of themselves. It was like a horrible nightmare from beyond her darkest dreams, and Fluttershy wished dearly she could wake up from it. She closed her eyes tightly hoping against hope that it was a dream, but she could still feel the pain on her hooves where the straps were biting into her skin due to the tightness. And the ambient noise all around her, along with the shouting from her friends... this was indeed, real.

Suddenly, she felt a slight breeze, as if something was flying past her. The familiar sound of flapping wings entered her ears. And though she had her eyes closed, she knew that something was hovering in the air really close to her. Her heart skipped a beat as a hot breath of air descended on her face. Against her better judgment, her eyelids popped wide open. Fluttershy was petrified at the sight of her own blood-shot eyed clone, grinning away with the same creepy smile when she last saw her in that awful shed. Fluttershy was frozen with fear and could not respond until the duplicate took a huge wet lick off of her forehead causing the poor pegasus to shriek in terror. The evil duplicate smacked her lips longingly before she felt a firm tug on her pink tail.

“Slaughtershy darling, come now, didn't you hear what Twilight said? You'll get to enjoy your... cuisine dèlicatesse, later once she's good and ready.”

Slaughtershy floated down and planted herself beside Miss Rarity and gave her a sheepish look.

“I'm sorry, but they taste especially good when their experiencing fear... you know, the brains...”

“I know darling, but you really do have to learn to control that ravenous hunger of yours. It's really unladylike... after all, there are more refined ways to indulge in one's desires.”

Hearing their conversation did not help the already upset Fluttershy. She started weeping once again, shaking her head in denial and crying out about wantng to go home. Her friends were equally disheartened by her sorrow; and for Rarity, this was the last straw.

“You leave Fluttershy alone you... you ruffians! Can't you see you are traumatizing her? You all are really horrid lot for making the nicest, sweetest pony in Ponyville so miserable! And you! Insinuating that you are a lady in the slightest is a terrible notion! No true lady would commit such, such... such atrocities! And especially not on their own bodies!”

Her attention piqued by the sudden outburst from her pristine other-self, Miss Rarity trotted gracefully over to the angry unicorn. The ever present strange doll riding on her back silently, yet seemingly watchful... She stood before a fuming Rarity, pouting her lips while batting her eyelashes innocently. The scars on her face and body invoking a mixed feeling of disgust and pity from Rarity, who dreaded to imagine what manner of circumstances could have led her to this point.

“Are you claiming moi to be unladylike?”

“Spare me your pretentious niceties. Where is Sweetie Belle? What have you done with her!”

“So it's straight to business now? And here I was expecting a proper, ladylike introduction was in order. But I suppose this will have to do hmm? Well, first let me begin by assuring you that Sweetie Belle is quite unharmed. In fact, she and her friend Scootaloo dropped by earlier looking for you... it's too bad the library was closed, so the sweet things took off into the night. You should have heard them calling for you though, they could have woken the dead screaming and yelling as they did.”

“How do I even know you are telling the truth?”

“It's unladylike to lie to oneself, Rarity darling... besides, that entire experience you felt was nothing more than an illusion. A most impressively fabulous one if I might add but an illusion nonetheless...”

“You closed my library? Than what about Spike? He must have heard the noise if he was upstairs... what did you do to my friend? Did you put him under a spell too? Tell me!”

Twilight counted on the affections she hoped this clone shared with Rarity for Spike. And that her goading would cause her to reveal the truth of what had happened to her faithful assistant, and friend. Rarity reacted exactly the way she predicted.

“'Gasp'! Spike? What did you do to my Spikey-Wikey! I swear if you harm one scale on his little head I'll... what is that?”

Her evil twin took out something that caught her attention, something familiar, something that was in the shape of a heart, framed in gold... it was the fire ruby Spike had given her on his birthday. And now this duplicate was stroking and turning the gift, admiring it as if it were her own. The fury that gripped Rarity's heart was so intense that she almost choked on her words.

“You... took... my... Spikey-Wikey's gift!?!”

“Magnificent... isn't it?” Miss Rarity replied dreamily, ignoring Rarity's angry tone. “I can see why you adore it so... and why little Spikey-Wikey would part with it gladly for you. Or should I say... for me now?”
She turned her gaze away from the gem and looked at Rarity coyly, letting her words sink in.

“What... did you do...”

“Remember that illusion spell I just told you? Well, it's amazing what a little extra magic boost from Twilight can do. Oh not you darling, I meant my Twilight... Dear Spikey-Wikey is now living in his ultimate fantasy world where I rule as the most fabulous queen in all of Equestria, with him by my side, as king. Once the night is over the spell would have run it's full affect. Spikey-Wikey would be so enchanted that he will no longer differentiate reality from fantasy, he will follow and obey my every wish... till' death do us part...”

With that, Lil' Miss Rarity clasped the fire ruby necklace around her own neck and trotted back to join her own friends; cooing to the strange doll while taking her own sweet time as Rarity screamed after her.

“You give that back! It's not yours! Do you hear me? I won't allow you to take it away! You give it back! You give it back!”

Rarity hung her head in despair, eyes moistening from raw emotion. The feeling of defeat creeping over her as she continued on in a small still voice.

“...you give him back...”

The atmosphere changed for the worse for all the captive ponies, the thought of losing Spike was not an encouraging one. Rarity and Fluttershy were both overcome with despair, Rainbow Dash tried struggling again, jerking at the straps longing to break free and kick somepony in the teeth.

“Arghh! If only... I could... ow! ...twist a bit more... ow!”

“Ya'll won't get away with dis! Princess Celestia and Princess Luna will discover about yer plans, Ah'm sure of it!”

“This isn't right! I thought you all were meanies... but I was wrong... you're all super-duper-nasty-basty-stinky grade O' meanies!”

Though Twilight was just as upset to hear about Spike, she was at least thankful that they had not... No, no point in thinking of such things, it wouldn't do Spike any good. The important thing is to continue getting information, they'll stand a better chance of getting out and rescuing Spike if she kept a level head at all times. If only she could get under her evil-twin's skin, without provoking her into doing something overly violent.

“So what now? We're completely at your mercy... surely there's more to your ingenious plan than to just torture us?”

“I suppose you thought a little more coaxing would lead me to reveal more of myself to you? So you can fuel your pointless desire to be free of your bonds? Be careful what you wish for Twilight Sparkle...”

She gave Rainbow Slash and Applewreck a nod that both ponies understood as they responded in kind. They cantered into the shadows, after some loud clanging noises, they reappeared with metallic bowls in their hooves that had wires, gems and other devices running through them. They proceeded to attached them to the heads of all the main six, even if some did struggle a bit more, a heavy hoof to the gut usually took care of it. Soon, all of the ponies had their headgear attached, not one of them liking where this was going. Applewreck and Rainbow Slash attached the last headgear to their own Twilight, which had more wires and gadgetry than the rest of them. She received it with her fore-hooves and wings spread out, as if she was receiving a glorious crown. Once attached, Pinkamena gave her a device that looked like a switch, with a green and a red button on it. She dramatically stretched her hooves towards her subjugated audience, preparing herself for a grand speech.

“Now the moment you have been dying to know. The revealing of our purpose, and the truth of your future! But instead of simply telling you, I've decided that it would be better if I showed it to you. Once this machine is activated, our minds will meld, then I will be able to share every glorious memory in such detail that you will wished you had not known such horror existed!”

“This was your plan all along!” Twilight Sparkle lashed out.

“But of course, princess... and it is only the beginning...”

“Bring it egg-brains! I'm not afraid!”

“'sob' ...I don't want to do this...”

“It's alright sugarcube, we'll get through dis... just hang in there Fluttershy.”

“I'm not getting a nervousited feeling, I feel nervous, but I don't feel excited... this is bad, this is really, really, really, really bad...”

“This is definitely... the worst... possible... thing!”

“Darling, do you think it's wise to... join minds with them? They could...”

“Do not fret Lil' Miss Rarity, I know what I am doing. This Cerebral Amplifier can handle more than anything their mental capacities are capable of... magic or not, I still have the upper hoof.”

She returned her focus back on the hapless ponies and lifted the boxed switch with one hoof in position just above the green button.

“Now, shall we begin?”

Author's Note

That... took too long! XD

I've learned that balancing 12 main ponies at once can be quite the affair... which makes me dread for upcoming chapters that I have planned out... in any case so much for finishing this fic before season 4, guess it'll be a while before I get this done.

In any case, I hope everypony enjoys the new season of MLP:FIM, I sure hope I would! Cheers!

(again, comments and criticisms are always welcomed! ^_^)

Happily Ever After

The early rays of the sun passed through stained glass windows and gently kissed the silky bedsheets, caressing the surface with their warm touch. Filling the air were the smells of scented perfumes and exotic herbs that were pleasing to the nostrils; sounds of birds singing their melodious song danced merrily through the walls and floated freely around the room. Though continuing to slumber in bed was very tempting, the morning atmosphere felt too good to pass up.

“Yawn!”

That was the best sleep anypony had ever had, It was a feeling of bliss that could last for an eternity... eternity, why did that word ring a bell?

'Knock! Knock!'

The polite knocking was followed by a voice requesting entry into the room.

“Come in.”

One side of the double door opened and in walked a mare with a maid's outfit. She was an earth pony with a pale yellow coat and slanting eyes that had an oriental look about them. Her thick wavy brown mane hid half of her face as she gave a little bow before speaking.

“Good morning, Lord Spike. Would you prefer having breakfast in the dinning hall, or in bed?”

Spike pondered for a moment. Having breakfast in bed sounded like a wonderful idea, he never had the pleasure of being served breakfast in bed by royal servants before. Well, before he was king that is...

“Where is Rarity? Is she awake?”

“Her majesty is currently dressing up in the royal make up room. She should be ready shortly.”

“Really? Um... you know what, I'll have breakfast with my lady Rarity in the dinning hall!”

“As you wish, milord.”

“Wait, one more thing, please prepare a bouquet of the finest roses you can get. I want to give them to Rarity, as a token of our love!”

“Of course, your majesty.”

'Heheh, Rarity is going to love them!' Spike thought to himself as the servant-mare left the bedroom. He leapt out of bed and was about to go out the door when it occurred to him that it would be nice if he got dressed in a fancy outfit. Sure it was just breakfast but now that they were royalty, he wanted to be on his best presentation for his lovely queen. Spike walked over to what he assumed was the wardrobe and opened the sliding door. As he rolled the wooden door away, it flew wide open revealing a huge closet of clothing that spanned several hooves in length. There were shirts, pants, hats, and footwear of every color, shape and size. Spike stood there dumbfounded at sheer amount of clothes available at his disposal. Perhaps he shouldn't be so surprised, Rarity would want him to always be ready to look his best. This entire wardrobe was probably her idea to commission in the first place, Spike wouldn't put it past her after all, she may be a queen but Rarity will always be a fashionista at heart. Now the problem was finding the right set of clothes, only it could take him hours even days to figure out what to wear with such a tremendous variety.

“Oh brother, I could really use the help of some royal dressers right now.” Just as he finished the thought, the sound of knocking vibrated from outside.

“Knock! Knock!”

Spike gave permission to enter and wondered who it could be this time. Two ponies entered, one was a stallion that had an air of haughtiness about him that suggested he was a pony with very high confidence in himself. The other one was a mare who carried a saddle on her back with whole bunch of items sticking out, such as measuring tape, scissors, sewing kits, and the like. Like the maid before them, they gave Spike a bow of reverence before speaking.

“Your royal eminence.” The stallion started. “We are your assigned royal dressers. And we are here to aid you in whatever fashion necessities that you may have.”

“Huh...” Spike scratched his head questioningly. “Talk about good timing...”

Twenty minutes later...

The royal dressers had done quite a commendable job at helping Spike with his attire; dressing him up in a suit of red and gold with plenty of frills. He had his crown tucked under one arm while his other claw was holding the bouquet of roses he had requested from the servant-mare earlier. Spike couldn't wait to show off how smart he looked to the love of his life. He witnessed the main doors to the hall opening and heard the announcer herald the arrival of the queen.

“Presenting her royal highness, Queen Rarity!”

Trumpets blew as Rarity entered the hall, walking gracefully along the red carpet while being accompanied by an entourage of hoof-maidens and servant-mares. Spike's eyes popped wide open and threatened to fall out of his head at the sight of her. He could hardly form a proper sentence as she approached him in all her radiant glory.

“Wow... Rarity, you... you look...”

“Fabulous?”

Rarity tossed her indigo mane majestically and it fell in luscious curls around her head. Covering her body was a purple and white cloak embedded with rare jewels, it rested on her back and trailed off into a long train behind her. A magnificent golden crown of pearls and rubies adorned the sides of her head in tall arches, resembling a lucrative laurel that accentuated her brow and horn. But the most special thing to Spike, was the gold-framed fire ruby that was clasped around Rarity's neck.

“A-absolutely amazing...”

“Aw... why thank you Spikey-Wikey. You look simply adorable yourself. 'Gasp!' are those for moi?”

Rarity gestured towards the flowers that Spike didn't even realized he was holding up. So captivated he was by the beauty of his queen. Rarity took a sniff at them and cooed lovingly at Spike.

“They are simply marvelous! Thank you Spikey-Wikey!”

Rarity leaned down and planted a long wet smooch on Spike's cheeks. Spike froze, his heart fluttering with joy as the bouquet of flowers fell from his claw and was caught in time by Rarity; who used her magic to levitate the flowers and pass them over to one of her many hoof-maidens.

“I believe it's time we had our breakfast yes? I'm sure the chefs have cooked up a delectable spread fit for royalty. And we wouldn't want to miss that now would we?”

And with that, the retinue of ponies followed their queen to the dinning hall, with Spike still head-over-heels from the kiss he received.

It turned out to be a wonderful breakfast, in fact it was the best Spike ever had in his entire life. He never thought there were that many different varieties of gems he hadn't seen before, never mind being able to taste all of them! The chefs had outdone themselves with the creative dishes they were able to create; there was a cake made with turquoise, salads of greenstones and rubies, puddings encrusted with topaz, a sapphire chocolate fondue, and many, many more dishes Spike could not bring to mind right now as his thoughts were mainly focused on the one memory that surpassed even the most delicious of gems... having his Rarity spoon-feed him each mouthful adoringly. She had been by his side all morning, insisting on pampering her Spikey-Wikey, who was he to deny such an offer? Their laughter and merriment continued throughout the morning meal while musicians played soothing tunes on violas.

'Sigh...' Spike heaved a sigh of contentment. It was a good morning, and things were only getting better. Spike was laying front down on a massage table, his front claws folded under his head as a rest while slices of cucumbers covered his eyes. A light yellow masseuse pony masterfully knead his back firmly and meticulously; another pony filed the claw-nails on his feet before applying a sleek shine to them. Queen Rarity had announced that there was going to be a grand ball in the evening at the palace, and everypony who was anypony will be attending. Naturally, the Queen was adamant that a day of spa treatment for herself and her Spikey-Wikey was a necessary requirement as part of the preparation process. If all evening balls required this kind of royal servicing, Spike could live with it.

After a final rub from the masseuse, Spike hopped off the massage table and stretched his now relaxed muscles. He than walked over to the sauna room when Rarity came out from it's steamy interior, her mane bundled up nicely with a fancy robe wrapped around her body. She proceed to head in the direction of a bubbling pool that had a mini waterfall at one end, and several water spouting statues surrounding it. Spike tagged along beside Rarity as she engaged him in conversation.

“Enjoyed your massage Spikey-Wikey?”

“Are you kidding? It was wonderful! I think I dozed of a few times while I was on that table.”

“Quake is simply the best at what he does isn't he?” Rarity chuckled. “That's why I decided to relocate his services from Ponyville to the palace here. One of the many perks of being queen.”

“I'll bet...”

“In fact, I decided to move the entire staff of Ponyville's spa to my own personal one here!” Rarity squealed with joy.

“Excusez-moi, your highness... the aromatherapy bath is ready for your enjoyment.” a light blue mare with pale rose mane addressed Rarity with a bow.

“Very good Lotus, carry on.”

Rarity allowed the mare to remove her robe and towel. She flickedher mane back ever so slightly, approached the pool and dipped a hoof in gingerly. Satisfied with the temperature, she daintily stepped into the pool and eased herself elegantly towards the edge near the mini waterfall. Bringing herself right beneath the fall, Rarity gave a gasp of delight as the sensation of flowing water cascaded down her mane and rear. She did a small dive under the surface of the pool and emerged with her soaking mane clinging to her face and neck. The world slowed down considerably for Spike as he gawked at Rarity tossing her head from side to side. Her wet locks streaming exquisitely through the air, spraying droplets of water like little raindrops in a globe around her. Spike didn't even care if he was hit by some of the water, he was too busy enjoying the captivating sight before him. Lifting both front hooves to her head, Rarity pushed her mane back lavishly and gave Spike a dreamy look that nearly stopped his little dragon-heart.

“Spike... aren't you going to join me in here?”

“Wha... Bu-but of course your gorgeousness!”

Spike was all too eager to dip himself into the pool to be by his queen's side, though his entry into the pool was less graceful than Rarity's. Leaping two feet into the air, Spike hit the water with a big splash near Rarity who squealed out in alarm. Spike broke the water surface next to her, spewing out a fountain of water and gave an apologetic look to Rarity who glared at him in annoyance. But her glare didn't last long and eventually, the sides of her lips turned upwards into a smile. They both burst out laughing together, Rarity patted Spike's head playfully before wading off to the edge of the pool where a groove had been sculptured for the purpose of relaxation. Rarity laid stretched out on her back with her front hooves on the edge for support; her hind legs paddling in slow, elegant strokes just below the water surface. Sending out ripples of waves outwards Spike. The little waves broke against the dragon's body as he quickly waddled to Rarity's side. Spike snuggled comfortably next to her, mimicking her laying position and placed his arms behind his head. While he settled down comfortably, Rarity casually wrapped a hoof around his neck, pulling him closer and pressing his body against hers. Rarity moaned softly while fondling Spike's ear and head. Spike was taken aback by the sudden act of intimacy she displayed and shifted uneasily trying to pull away. This didn't go unnoticed by Rarity, and she looked at him questioningly.

“What's the matter Spikey-Wikey? I thought you enjoyed getting all cuddly-wuddly.” Rarity perked up her lower lip forming a pout and her eyes widened like those of an innocent puppy's.

“I...”

Spike hesitated, he wasn't sure how to answer Rarity, he didn't even know why he had reacted that way. They were the royal couple after all weren't they? Then why did it feel like it was his first time being this close with Rarity?

“...I was just surprised by how sudden it felt, that's all. It's not like we do this in public... Do we do this in public?”

“Tee-hee! Aw, my little dragon-king is feeling shy is he? Gasp! And that blush is sooooooo adorable!”

“I, I'm not blushing!” Spike protested, his cheeks red like cherry tomatoes.

While Rarity had her fun at Spike's expense, a pale-rose mare walked up to them with a silver dish in her mouth; on top of it were a pair of elegant glasses filled with a light-cream-colored drink. The pony placed her load by Rarity's side before bowing courteously.

“Your pineapple, coconut, and hay colada, your majesty.”

Rarity nodded her thanks and the mare left them be to continue her work. Rarity lifted the glasses of the silverware with her magic and offered one glass to Spike who took it gladly, forgetting his fumble earlier. She raised her own glass in the air as a sign for a toast.

“To my Spikey-Wikey. The kindest, sweetest, most generous dragon-king in all of Equestria!”

Spike gave a moment of thought to figure out what to say at Rarity's impromptu toast.

“To, my reason for living, the queen of my heart.” he said with an earnest smile.

Rarity squeaked delightfully as their glasses connected with a 'clink' sound.

That Evening...

The entire great hall was filled with ponies made up from Canterlot's elite, from the rich and influential, to famous celebrities, and even the acclaimed Wonderbolts were here. Everypony was dying to have a chance at being in the presence of the king and queen, and it made Spike feel a bit nervous. It was not the crowd per say that freaked him out; he had been to many formal occasions with Twilight before so it did not bother him. But the attention was always on somepony else and not him, this time however was different now that he is king. Thinking about Twilight made him feel a little gloomy, it was too bad she couldn't attend the ball which was a shame, she was a princess after all. It just didn't feel right not having his closest, oldest friend not being with him for such a grand event.

Two ponies broke his train of thought as they came up to him to pay their respects to the new king. Spike did the usual formalities while smiling. As they left, Spike sighed to himself, that was probably the hundred and one pony he had to 'socialize' with since the ball started. He and looked over to Rarity's, at least she appeared to be enjoying herself immensely. After the initial greeting session at the start of the evening, it was customary for the royal family to mingle with their subjects, and Rarity ate up the role eagerly. She basked in the adoration of ponies who showered her with praises of her boundless beauty, and they were right, Rarity's regal attire was quite a thing to behold. Spike swore every time he thought Rarity couldn't get anymore perfect, she surprises him with each new and fabulous dress she revealed. Her shimmering platinum-purple-gold hued gown drew the attention of every eye that looked upon it. And even though she had a ton of jewelry on, the heart-shaped fire ruby still stood as the most impressive of all. She seemed to be wearing it more often now that she was Queen, not that he was complaining of course. Again, he was torn from his reverie by somepony looking for his attention. Spike turned to see who it was this time, he came face to face with a mare in a Wonderbolt uniform. Her coat was a brilliant-gold and her combed back mane had streaks of orange and amber in it.

“Excuse me your highness, but I don't believe we have been formally introduced. My name is Spitfire, Captain of the Wonderbolts. And I would just like to say that my team and I are at your back and call whenever you need us.”

“Spitfire? Hmm... I know you, I've seen you on numerous parades in the past. Plus my friend Rainbow Dash always bringing up your name whenever she was fangirling over you guys.” Spike's unintentional mentioning of his friend made him realize something. “Wait, didn't Rainbow Dash joined the Wonderbolts? Why don't I see her at the ball?”

“You're friends with RD? Well she never said she was in the circle of royalty! Ahem, excuse me your highness. Rainbow Dash is back at the Academy, she has been given charge over a new batch of cadets we recently recruited. I'll admit, she's really dedicated to her job. It's her first gig and she is determined to bring out the best in those fillies and colts.”

Spitfire saw the depressed look on Spike's face and tried to rectify her words.

“But, I could relieve her of her duties for a day if you have need of her. I'll make arrangements for somepony to be her temporary replacement... tomorrow in fact.”

“No! no... that's quite alright. We could always meet another day, I'm sure she will have time in the future.”

“As you wish, your majesty.”

After the chat with Spitfire, Spike didn't feel like entertaining anypony else. As soon as he saw a chance to slip away from the crowd, he took it. It wasn't very hard to escape, most ponies were to bewitched by Rarity to take notice of the missing king until it was to late. Spike soon found himself atop a balcony of one of the castle spires. He stood at the edge, reached for his crown and took it off his head. After staring at it in a moment of silent reflection he tucked it under one arm and looked out into the night's sky. It was a pleasantly blissful night; the stars shone from their respective constellations, bringing back memories of endless nights he would spend with Twilight when she stayed up late studying about them... well, the nights he didn't fall asleep from tiredness at least, or from Twilight's ramblings about a new constellation she had just learned. He never thought that he would miss hearing those ramblings as much as he did right now.

“Spike...?”

Rarity's voice caused him to turn and face his queen who was standing at the doorway with a concerned look on her muzzle.

“Why did you leave? We missed you at the ball. ...I missed you...”

“I'm sorry Rarity, it's just... I've been thinking about a lot of things lately...” Rarity slowly trotted to Spike, who was trying to find the words to describe how he felt.

“Go on.”

“All this royalty business, it's really great, all the perks, the authority, the attention... but somehow, it just doesn't feel right.”

“Why, whatever do you mean Spike?”

“I know we were just crowned as Equestria's royal queen and king but... why?”

“Gasp! Oh Spike, don't you remember? All those heroic deeds you did to save us all from those dastardly devious villains?”

“I know we defeated Chrysalis with our love when she and her Changelings attacked us again, and discovered Discord's secret plan for world domination so that you guys could use the Elements of Harmony to seal him away forever this time, and... I guess those are pretty good reasons.”

Trailing off, Spike tried recalling back the time when his life change. He seemed to remember events, images in his head that popped up as he searched for answers, but most of them did not seem to fit or make any sense. He saw his coronation, and Rarity's; he remembered the dangers and victories they went through, Discord's betrayal, Celestia and Luna's ascension, he saw Fluttershy getting married, Pinkie Pie traveling throughout Equestria with her family circus, Applejack leaving Sweet Apple Acres to be a star in Applewood, and Twilight... why couldn't she stay? The more Spike thought about everything the more confused he felt, and became quite agitated.

“But it still doesn’t explain why Princess Celestia and Princess Luna had to leave Equestria and become one with the sun and moon! Couldn't they just have stayed on and be Princesses? I never understood the whole 'it was their time' excuse, there was no real reason for them to go! It's just not fair...”

Spike was quivering with emotion, and only stopped his ranting because of Rarity's hoof to his lips. He looked up into her big blue eyes and calmness washed over him from her loving gaze.

“This is about Twilight isn't it? I know how much she meant to you... and how painful it must have been when she decided to leave the physical world and enter the plane where dreams and magic in it's purest form co-exists. She said it was her destiny Spike, to learn the very secrets of magic and master them all.”

“But did she have to go so soon? Everything just seemed to happen so fast, team harmony just isn't the same anymore...”

“Everypony is still around Spike, we're just not living in the same town anymore, that's all. All the excitement that has happened recently may have just gotten to you a little. I have no doubt we will have plenty of chances to get together again. As for Twilight... I may not be her, but Celestia as my witness, I will do my best to fill the gap in your heart that she left behind...”

Her sincerity and the emotion on her countenance melted Spike's heart, making him blush bashfully. His eyes caught sight of the fire ruby glinting beautifully under the light of the stars and it brought back memories of the very first time he gave it to the love of his life. He took Rarity's hoof in one claw, and kissed it tenderly.

“Being with you is the single greatest thing that has ever happened in my life. You are right, our friends are still around and that's what matters, I don't know what came over me. I guess... I guess I was afraid that I might one day lose you too, and I don't know what I'll do if that ever happens.”

“Aw... Spike...” Rarity started to get teary eyed.

“And maybe it's not so bad that Twilight gets a chance to live her destiny right? If it makes her happy that she can learn more about magic in another world, than I'm happy for her... Hey, that gives an idea! What if I can send her letters like I did with Princess Celestia? I mean, it's a magical realm isn't it? I haven't done it before but it's totally worth a sho... Mmmph!”

Rarity's lips locked tightly with his, stunning the little royal dragon. The crown under his arm fell to the floor with a clutter. But the sound didn't reach his ears, nothing else in the world mattered other than those few precious seconds with his Rarity. She broke away from the kiss and smiled enticingly at Spike who wasn't quite done yet as he nearly toppled over from trying to hold on.

“Wow... I... Rarity... letters... diamond cupcakes... love you...”

“Shhh... no more words my little Spikey-Wikey, let me take your worries away...”

Rarity knelt down to Spike's height and used her magic to gently pull him closer. This time however, he didn't resist. He wrapped his claws around Rarity's neck and embraced her tightly. Spike closed his eyes as Rarity closed hers, and the royal couple shared a passionate kiss under the moonlit night...

The End...?

Author's Note

A short one folks! This was supposed to be part of one entire chapter, but it was taking too long and I'm still working out the details.

And I thought a separate title would be a nice for this particular part of the chapter.

Poor Spikey... well, at least he got his lady right? ^_-

Breaking Point

“Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!”

The sound of screams filled the underground room. Everypony strapped to her metal table was writhing in agony from the mental torture raging through each of their minds. Every horrid memory, every cruel and evil deed the sinister six ponies had committed in all their existence was channeled from Twilight Psycho's mind into those of the main six. Their minds were assaulted by a barrage of information and imagery, some more excruciatingly vivid than the others, though none of them were particularly pleasant at all. The level of torment they were experiencing was like no other, and never have they seen the depths of depravity that they were now witnessing in their heads. The Cerebral Amplifier was merciless in it's execution; every sensation was magnified and heightened so that the ponies could feel the raw emotions their counterpart's experienced while committing their vile acts. Seething hatred for life, murderous joy, perverted obsession, all these were foreign to their innocent minds. However, the worse part was when they were experiencing the fear and pain, as the victims themselves... especially when the tormentor was one of their own friends.

“Pinkie please! No! Please stop!” Rainbow Dash cried out in pain and disbelief. Her mind unwilling to accept that one of her best friends was torturing her, and doing unspeakable things to her body. Those bright eyes that brought so many smiles to everypony, were now a representation of horror for Rainbow. The energies swirling around her headgear flickered intensely, and cold sweat ran down her head. Her loud, noisy cries soon turned into a pitiful whimper... “Please... 'sniff' I want to go home...”

“Sweetie Belle! Don't cut yourself! Darling, No!!!” Rarity pleaded with the air, her eyes staring off into the darkness of the basement tricked by the illusion of the mental device. But in her mind, it felt real. She could not belief the depraved hobby she had gotten into, causing pain to others and to herself, it was unthinkable! But despite hating it with a passion, Rarity could also feel the tremendous joy and pleasure of committing these horrendous acts. It made her sick. Though it pained her much more to see that her sweet, innocent sister had followed in her hoofsteps by taking up her new hobby, and was enjoying every nasty bit of it... “Sweetie please, please don't do it! I promise I'll spend more time with you! I'll always be there for you! We'll do whatever you want darling please just stop!”

“I'm so sorry! I c, ca, can't stop! Please forgive me!” Fluttershy screamed and cried, tears gushing down her cheeks as her body quivered from shock; her mind reeling from the horrendous act that she was about to perform on her fillyhood friend, Rainbow Dash. The cruel chainsaw in her hooves was held precariously above Rainbow's head, who was strapped to a chair in a room that was surrounded by walls plastered with animal carcasses. If only she was able to look away, or shut her eyes and pretend that none of this was happening before her, but she could only helplessly experience all the sensations while the grisly story unfolded in her mind. Her sobs only got louder and more desperate as the play reached it's climax... with the death of Rainbow Dash. What followed after, made Fluttershy shriek till her voice was hoarse. She saw herself bent over the split cadaver of Rainbow, and started gnawing on her freshly spewed brains on the floor. Poor Fluttershy could not bare it any longer, back in reality her natural reflexes kicked in and she hurled uncontrollably. She vomited her stomach contents out and rolled her eyes back, her head hung in exhaustion as she slipped into unconsciousness. The darkness offering her respite from the torment even if just for a moment...

“Nooooooo! Apple Bloom! Big Mac! Granny Smith!” Applejack tossed frantically from side to side, trying in vain to halt a mentally stimulated event. She knew this was all made up, she knew that everything that was happening was just in her head. And that she would never harm her own family, not in a million years. Yet she couldn't help but grit her teeth, eyes watering with tears of emotional pain as she stared into Apple Bloom's confused eyes. The little filly showed no hatred, only an unspoken 'why' as she choked on her words, unable to speak because of her sister's hooves tightening around her neck. Applejack just kept apologizing between sobs, shaking from the trauma of strangling Apple Bloom with her own bare hooves. However, the thing that made her sick to the core was that she could feel what her doppelganger felt when she was committing the act, a deep seething hatred for her sister and a twisted ecstasy at taking her life; and it filled Applejack with shame and self loathing.

More sobs and cries of denial came from Pinkie Pie. From torturing others to being tortured herself, Pinkie experienced multiple memories and events just like the rest. And being the Element of Laughter, it struck her especially hard that she would be the cause of misery for anypony. Party items that were was once her tools of making everypony smile, had been warped into twisted instruments of horror. The stretchy nature of balloons and banners used to give her such joy, now with their blood-stained surface she dared not guess what they were made of. She recognized every pony, every betrayed look on their faces, every voice of fear and cries of mercy haunted her mind. She wished and hoped that the gory images of their deaths would go away, that those blood covered hooves that brought so much pain and suffering were not hers. But it was no use, every vile act her alternate self enjoyed inflicting upon others was now being re-lived by Pinkie. The worst surprise to come, was when she realized what she did with her victims after she had her way with them; and it involved something that Pinkie in her wildest nightmares never thought possible... cupcakes... Pinkie banged her head against the metal table she was on, causing power sparks to fly off her headgear. She didn't care if it hurt her, she was just desperate to get the images out of her head and end the torment. Her yells of denial joining those of her friends: “This is not right! This Is Not Right!!!”

Twilight Sparkle fought hard with all her might, hoping that somehow that she could use her magic through the machine to get all of them out of this predicament. She searched for something, anything that could help her overcome Twilight Psycho's hold on them. Her efforts, however gallant, were in vain as her mind was thrown into a swirling chaos of horrific imagery. She could not belief what she was seeing, the experiments she... her evil counterpart conducted upon her friends, the twisted concept of friendship that she had as she killed them off one by one in the name of power. The unholy union of the Sinister Six, the abominable creations she had let loose upon Equestria, the death and destruction of countless innocent lives. She could feel it, taste it, the ambition that drove this Twilight, she was not satisfied with merely killing and taking over a single world, her plan was far grander than that. It was at this moment Twilight saw through the eyes of her counterpart's memory, the first step to achieving her evil goal. It was inside the royal chambers of the Canterlot Castle, and the place was in ruins. The rest of the Sinister Six were surrounding a wretched figure, and though she was a different color, there was no mistaking who it was... Princess Celestia. If the images before had not broken her, what she was about to witness, completely shattered her resolve. The sight of Princess Celestia being mercilessly cut down by her 'friends', and the way they defiled her body burned itself into her psyche. The last image she saw was Applewreck and Rainbow Slash presenting her with a pair of sparkling blue wings, still dripping with blood...

Then, it all stopped. The low humming of dying machinery filled the basement as energy from the Cerebral Amplifier dissipated steadily; but the sound of crying and senseless mumblings could still be heard from it's unfortunate victims. Twilight Psycho removed the device from her head reluctantly, she had savored every moment of the ordeal, wallowing in their misery and pain. It was over almost too quickly, oh the delight she had watching them squirm with but a thought of her demented mind. The most satisfying of all was hearing the Princess finally scream as she broke her, it took a while but it made the sensation all the more delicious. Now, seeing all of them whimpering in the real world, Twilight Psycho could continue with breaking them in both mind, body, and soul. She licked her lips in anticipation and tasted... blood? She put a hoof to her muzzle, blood was indeed trickling from her snout down to her mouth. She wiped it away and caught sight of Lil' Miss Rarity giving her a curious look, she was the only one who had noticed her do so, the rest were to busy mocking and gloating at their goody-two-horseshoe counterparts. Twilight Psycho waved her hoof dismissively at Miss Rarity, if there was something she wanted to say it was silenced for good. Ignoring her scarred friend, Twilight Psycho turned her attention back to the captive ponies.

Traumatized and drained, none of the ponies were in any condition to protest as they were taunted and jeered at by their alternate copies.

“Wake up! Time to get up!” Slaughtershy whispered loudly into Fluttershy's ear before throwing an entire pail of water into her face. The yellow pegasus jolted to life gasping for breath, hoping against hope that she had awoken in her own cottage with a leak in the roof and that everything she remembered was just a very, very, very, very bad dream. Unfortunately, she opened her eyes and stared into those of her doppelganger.

“I'm really sorry for waking you... but I couldn't sit back and let you miss out on all the fun, that would be terrible of me.”

“I... I... 'whimper' 'sniff'...”

“I wish I could have seen what was going on in your head, could you possibly consider telling me which memory you saw?”

Her words caused Fluttershy to recall the horrors she had seen making her gag and throw up once more.

“Heh, not so tough now huh runt?” Slash hovered in front of Rainbow Dash, who weakly lifted her head up to confront Slash.

“Not... afraid... of...”

'SMACK!' Slash struck Rainbow Dash hard across the mouth with a back-hoof slap, grinning maliciously as she did so.

“You talk when I tell you to talk.” she snarled.

“Ya killed them... Ah can't believe, ya killed them all...” Applejack muttered, dazed and in shock.

“Dat's right... 'sugarcube', Ah offed dem like vermin on a farm.”

“How could ya? They were your family!”

“Wat can Ah say? Guess Ah'm da rotten apple of da family tree. Guess what Ah'm gonna do to yours?”

“How could you do that to her! How could you allow Sweetie Belle to end up as depraved and twisted as you?”

Lil' Miss Rarity nuzzled her doll lovingly, ignoring the infuriated unicorn. She cocked her head as if listening to an inaudible voice.

“Yes baby? Why of course we are a happy family darling!” she turned her attention to Rarity. “At least we enjoyed our activities together, like real sisters should. You couldn't even keep a simple promise for a sleepover.” Her voice dripped with venom, and her false smile got under Rarity's skin. “Maybe... I should show your Sweetie Belle some of my more, exotic pastimes? Perhaps she'll even take a liking to it! Then I can replace you as her sister, a real sister who will always be there for her.”

“You leave Sweetie Belle alone!”

“I-I was wrong...” Twilight stammered in anger, the traumatizing events still fresh in her head. “You're not a bully... you're a monster.”

Unfazed by her accusation, Twilight Psycho returned her angry gaze with a condescending smirk.

“Monster, is such a... misrepresenting description. I prefer the term... visionary.”

If there was ever a time that Twilight knew hate, it was now. The mere sight of this mad-mare sickened her to the bone. She longed with all her heart that she could teach this mare a lesson, and make her pay for all the suffering she and her ilk have caused. The crimes against ponykind she had committed were beyond anything Twilight thought possible and she wished that she had never discovered that such evil existed. She felt her heart ache knowing her friends were suffering beside her, and somehow can't help but feel responsible for allowing this to happen to them. Is this how their lives were going to end? Twilight could not allow it, not after what she saw the Sinister Six do to the previous world. She believed that she had perceived something during the whole ordeal that might give them a fighting chance of turning the tables on their captors. But she needed to play her cards right and wait for the right moment, making a mistake would mean she could lose the one hope they all had of getting out of here alive. As Twilight was going through her own thoughts, she heard Pinkie's voice singing a familiar song.

“...giggle at the ghostly... guffaw at the grossly... crack up 'sniff' at the cr... creepy...”

All the other ponies listened to their dear friend Pinkie Pie with a heavy heart. It was the first song she sang when they all went looking for the Elements of Harmony, and it was a cheerful and uplifting song that helped them overcome their fears in the Everfree Forest. But now, hearing Pinkie's voice crack as she struggled to sing her fears away, really crushed their spirits. She was the one pony who was always optimistic and positive regardless of the danger they were in, and it was disheartening to see even Pinkie Pie breaking down from fear... but in the face of such wickedness, it was unlikely anypony could hold on to their sanity for very long. As she persisted in singing her song, a cheerful second voice joined her in an eerie duet.

“Whoop it up with the Weepy! Chortle at the Kooky! Snortle at the Spooky! Woopee! Hahaha! Hee-hee!”

Pinkamena Cupcakes Pie bounced in front of Pinkie, giggling and snorting as she sang a long with her. Until she realized Pinkie wasn't singing anymore, but had turned up her nose refusing to participate in the mockery of a song. Pinkamena came to an abrupt halt in front of Pinkie and tilted her head curiously.

“Come on Pinkie! Why aren't you singing and smiling? This is a happy song isn't it? See, I'll start with one verse first. So, giggle at the ghostly... There, now it's your turn!”

“'No! I am not going to do it. Especially not for a rotten meanie like you!”

“Aw... don't be a not-wanna-do-it-filly. You do know nopony likes a not-wanna-do-it-filly right? Come on, at least smile for Pinkamena!”

“No...”

“Please?”

“NO!”

“Hmm...” seeing as how she wasn't going to get anything out of Pinkie Pie, Pinkamena pondered for a moment before an idea lit up in her head making her beam with eagerness. “I know just the thing that would turn that frown upside down!” Pinkamena stretched out and patted Pinkie on the head. “You just hang in there!” and with that she bounded off into the darkness leaving everypony wondering what she was up to. The sound of rummaging could be heard and soon Pinkamena returned, but was still mostly shrouded as she maintained a little distance away from the single light source in the middle of the entrapped ponies.

“Is everypony ready?”

Pinkie began singing the laughter song again, not because she wanted to feel comforted, but as a sign of defiance against this demented clone of hers.

“Pinkie you gotta stand up tall! Learn to face your fears, you'll see that they can't hurt you! Just laugh to make them disap...”

The lyrics died on her tongue as Pinkamena stepped into the light, her hooves spread outwards in a grand revealing for all to see. Everypony was shocked silent by the macabre scene before them. Draped around Pinkamena's body was a multicolored dress that was sewn together from dried skin, and emblazoned with the cutie-marks of ponies... many were hauntingly familiar. On her back were three pairs of pegasi wings, all seemingly taken from a different pony, and adorning her neck was a chain of severed unicorn horns. They clacked together as Pinkamena showed off her dress proudly, doing a little twirl like a model on a catwalk for her audience.

“Ta-Da! What does everypony think? Kinda neat huh? I made it exactly like the one you all saw in your dream world. This time, I had a little help from Lil' Miss Rarity putting it together, don't you just love the the hoof-work?”

The ponies wanted to turn their faces away from Pinkamena, yet they couldn't take their eyes off of her. They could recognize many of the cutie-marks displayed, but what gripped them the most were their own cutie-marks sewn into the dress save for Applejack's. Taking note of Twilight staring in horrified silence at the middle part of her dress, Pinkamena looked down and grinned. She skipped closer to Twilight on her hind legs and stretched her dress outwards to give the lavender princess a better view. Occupying the middle section of her outfit, was a patch of pink hide with a familiar symbol of the sun on it.

“Like what you see? I was so happy she lasted for such a long time before leaving us. In fact I believe she holds the record for lasting the longest of all who got my special party treatment! And that's more than I can say for everypony else who mostly were disappointing little fillies. You know what the best part was? That I had all my new bestest friends here joining in on the fun with me! Oh you should have seen the really creative things we did with her... before and after she left us... I remember it like it was just yesterday! Each of us wanted something from her Pinky-Pink-Highness, 'gasp' and did I mention that this Celestia was pink? How silly of me! And pink is totally my favorite color too! Anyway, I got her cutie-mark and horn. See? Together with everypony else! Well, except for Applewreck because it was her world after all and since she joined us I couldn't get her cutie-mark, but that's okay, I can have Applejack's! Oh don't look so shock sillies, I'm doing this so that you will be remembered, and that we can all be together! Friends till the end...”

Unable to stand it any longer, Pinkie Pie burst out into tears.

“Stop! Stop it! Make it stop! Please... make it stop!”

“What's wrong? Don't you want to be with your friends...” Pinkamena stretched her front hooves apart to indicate a great distance. “...For-Ever?”

Pinkie didn't answer her, she couldn't, her will had been broken. The weight of sorrow and hopelessness crushed her heart and soul. A loud pop was followed by the sound of hissing as her mane and tail deflated like a balloon. Her once fluffy and puffy hair now fell in straight lines around her head, and her coat darkened into a dull grayish pink; turning Pinkie into a picture of misery that reflected her inner torment. She kept sobbing softly to herself with both eyes closed, mumbling incoherently. In contrast, Pinkamena's mane and tail were as puffy as ever; she was now skipping and hopping in front of Pinkie Pie, amused at her suffering. Pinkamena positioned herself in front of Pinkie and raised an arm, tenderly touching the underneath of Pinkie's chin, allowing the tears to running down her cheeks to trickle onto her hoof.

“Don't be such a cry-baby! Doesn't the thought of being preserved for eternity with all your friends make you want to smile?”

“'sniff' ...no...” Pinkie whimpered quietly.

“Well it should! Now smile Pinkie...”

“...stop... 'sniff'”

“Smile!”

“...please...”

“STOP IT RIGHT NOW!”

Surprised by this sudden outburst, Pinkamena and everypony else turned to witness a fuming Fluttershy. Despite being strapped and having had to endure through this entire ordeal, she was now trembling with fury. Her angry eyes fixed on Pinkamena and the other doppelgangers with her infamous 'stare'. Her pent up emotions exploded within her and empowered the yellow pony into a ball of rage that only happened ever so rarely, usually only during times of peril that involved her friends. This, was one of those times...

“Now you listen up! ALL OF YOU! You should be ashamed of yourselves! Committing such terrible crimes on ponykind! Have you forgotten about your friends! Your families! You could have used your talents for good! Instead now you are nothing more than a bunch of sick, twisted ponies whose miserable purpose in life is to cause agony to others! You have no place here in our world! Now you let us go, and leave this world the way you found it, and don't you ever let me catch any of you back here again!”

The intruders, and her own friends, stared dumbfounded at Fluttershy. Amazed by her boldness and commanding tone. Her eyes widened even further as she continued to intensify her stare, focusing especially on Pinkamena.

“Eeek! The stare! Not the stare!” Pinkamena squealed and shielded her eyes dramatically. But no more than three seconds passed before her whole body shook as she started giggling behind her shielded face. She collapsed to the floor chuckling and snorting with amusement, her friends cracking up along with her while a despairing Fluttershy persisted on, unwilling to accept defeat.

“Oh what a riot! You really thought your 'stare' would work?”
Pinkamena hopped her way towards Fluttershy. As she drew closer, Pinkamena produced a wicked scalpel and gripped it in the cleft of her hoof. Sweat trickled down Fluttershy's brow, struggling to maintain her stare on Pinkamena; but the menacing waving of the scalpel and the spooky smile on her face was disconcerting. Pinkamena now stood face to face with Fluttershy, unflinchingly returning her gaze. With a flick of the hoof, the scalpel was brought right under Fluttershy's eye, threatening to cut into her iris.

“Let's see if you can stare after I'm done with you! Hee-hee!”

Fluttershy almost stopped breathing, she did not show any signs of fear but it was likely she was too shock to squeal or scream out a response. Her friends on the other hoof, were freaking out over Pinkamena's intention with the blade.

“Fluttershy! No!”

“Dagnammit! Don't hurt her!

“Eeek! I can't look!”

“Stop! Please stop!”

Holding her breath anxiously, Twilight could only gaze in dread at the crazy pink mare hoping she would not hurt her dear friend Fluttershy, and bring the horrors from what they saw in their minds into reality. She was about to blurt out her own protest when surprisingly, and to Twilight and her friends relief, Pinkamena lowered the scalpel. She placed a hoof on her puffy mane as if in sudden realization.

“You know what, you're right... I can't do this to Fluttershy, it would be wrong...”

With a quick stretch of her arm she reached out and dragged a deranged mare to her side, who was grinning with anticipation, saliva dribbling down the side of her mouth.

“...especially without inviting Slaughtershy to join in on the fun! Now what kind of friend would I be if I did that? A rude meanie, that's what! Come on Shy-shy, do your thing with the thing!”

With one arm wrapped around Slaughtershy's neck, Pinkamena gestured grandiosely towards Fluttershy in an inviting fashion. Slaughtershy was only too happy to oblige...

“Yessssss... brainssssss!!!”

Lifting her ever present chainsaw, she gave Fluttershy a horror inducing stare of her own that overcame the poor pony. Then, she turned the switch on bringing the tool to life with a fearsome roar. The screams and shouts of protesting ponies filled the air together with the sound of buzzing as Slaughtershy prepared to bring down the chainsaw on Fluttershy's cranium. Fluttershy let out a small squeak of terror and closed her eyes tightly, bracing herself for the pain to come.

“STOP! That's enough...”

Freezing in mid-motion, Slaughtershy glanced over at Twilight Psycho with her glazed over eyes. The ring-leader of the group had given her order in a commanding tone. Pinkamena, disappointed that her fun had been interrupted, pouted at Twilight Psycho.

“Awww... why are we stopping? And I was just about to see Slaughtershy do her thing too!”

“Because we are not going to kill them. Nor are we going to do any severe harm to their bodies, and that includes the removal of their eyes.”

Rainbow Slash flew over to Twilight Psycho, and hovered right in front of the lavender unicorn, holding up a hoof signaling a pause.

“Hold on there egghead, you said that once you were done with whatever it is you did with them, that we could have our way with them. What's with the change?”

“Ah agree... ma hoof's been itching fer a clubbin'. And yer promised us that we'd get our way with em' vermins after all dis ere' fancy-smanshy-sciency stuff.”

“And I did... I just need them alive for now.”

“But whatever for darling? We already have their Elements of Harmony, what else is there to gain? And sensibility dictates that it is not prudent to delay from disposing them. It will only increase their chances of escaping!”

“I'll tell you why!”

Seizing the opportunity, Twilight made her move and got the response she hoped for. Everypony now had their attention on her, even her friends. Though they were clueless on what Twilight was going to say.

“I felt her mind searching for answers when she connected herself with us. She won't let you all kill us because she found out that you can't... not without eliminating yourselves from existence and throwing all of reality into chaos! So whatever plans she had prior to this has already failed on this fundamental level, and there is nothing she can do about it. That means all of your efforts have been in vain.”

Twilight Psycho tossed her head back and laughed arrogantly.

“Hahaha... Princess please... just because I have encountered a few... setbacks, hardly means my cause was in vain.”

“You can pretend all you want! While you tortured us with your Cerebral Amplifier, the neural link established a mental highway between our minds... allowing access both ways. That means I saw what you were searching for inside our heads! I know you're keeping our Elements of Harmony back in the library because you didn't want to corrupt them like you did with your own Elements. You wanted to know if absorbing the Elements of Harmony belonging to this Alpha Equestria would give you unlimited power... but you found out you could never obtain their powers without destroying the original Bearers of Harmony first, and in doing so your own lives will cease to exists!”

“Bah! Your discovery of my plan means nothing! It will only be a matter of time before I solve this insignificant matter. And before that happens, I'll be keeping you lot alive... then you will discover that there are far worse fates than death.”

“You wouldn't dare do anything drastic! If anything happened to one of us, that means the same result will befall one of you ponies as well! And you can't allow that to happen when sacrificing your own friends is part of the plan.”

Hearing this, Rainbow Slash perked her ears up and glared at Twilight Sparkle, giving her a questioning and demanding look.

“What do you mean, sacrificing her own friends?”

“You didn't know? Not only does she plans to merge with the Elements of Harmony, but with every single one of you as well...”

Inside Spike's fantasy...

“Now your Lordship, would you prefer the jasper tartare or the cream of pearls with obsidian shavings?

“Huh? Oh, erm... anything Savoir Fare, I can't really decide right now.”

“Jasper tartare it is than.”

Spike sat alone at the overly long dinning table, Rarity was visiting the Crystal Empire on royal business, something about discussing the Equestria Games with Princess Cadance and Shining Armor. He was supposed to go with her as well but he decided not too, even after being admonished by Rarity about how it was his royal duty to attend such events as king. She finally relented after he explained that seeing Cadance and Shining Armor would be too strong a reminder of what happened to Twilight and drag up any suppressed emotions he might have; Spike wasn't sure that he was quite ready for that yet. Rarity grudgingly agreed to let him stay in Canterlot but she expected him to be ready for her return, and to travel with her to Saddle Arabia as compensation. She promised it would be a hot and steamy trip for the both of them, whatever that means. Though he promised her wholeheartedly at the time, he couldn't help but feel down in the dumps for most of the day, even though Rarity was just gone since morning. Spike decided he needed to vent his frustration and called out to the cream coated waiter before he left the dinning hall.

“On second thought Savoir Fare, cancel that meal, I'm not really hungry.”

“Very well milord, would you like me to make preparations later for tea instead?”

Spike shook his head. “Nah, I really can't think of food right now... I gotta do the, er, thing at the... um... place.” Spike mumbled on with uncertainty, leaving the hall and a confused Savoir Fare behind.

Spike walked aimlessly for a while across the familiar corridors of the Canterlot Palace, greeted and saluted by the many servants and guards along the way. He was still trying to get use to all the attention and reverence usually reserved for Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, and more recently before her departure, Princess Twilight. Spike heaved a loud sigh and came to a halt in front of what used to be Princess Celestia's personal chambers. However it now belonged to Rarity, no doubt it had been heavily renovated to her taste. Come to think of it, Spike could have sworn he had never been inside since Rarity and him were crowned Queen and King of Equestria. It was always Rarity who would visit him in his room to tuck him in at night, which was odd as Spike always thought that married couples always shared the same room together. Even Twilight shared the same room with him his entire life. After a bit of pondering, he decided to enter the room.

Opening the doors and stepping into the room, Spike was greeted by surprisingly mostly unaltered room. Aside from some color scheme changes, there was little alterations made to the room. The fireplace was in the same place, and the purple-gold cushion was still in the middle of the room as usual. Perhaps Rarity didn't want to mess with perfection. Looking around the room, something on top of the dressing table caught his eye among the vast array of beauty products, and he went to examine it. As Spike came closer to the object, he realize that it was the fire ruby that he had given Rarity on his birthday so many moons ago. It warmed his little dragon-heart to know that Rarity still treasures it dearly to this day. Despite everything that has happened in his life, finally being able to have her by his side, was worth every bit of sorrow and heartache he had to go through. Spike reached out and picked up the gold-framed jewel in his claw. He gazed into it, recollecting the memories he had with Rarity and all their friends.

'...Spikeeeee...'

Spike dropped the jewel in alarm. In the brief moment that he looked into it he saw shocking images flash before his eyes, images of his friends held captive. He saw Twilight in peril, strapped to what looked like an operating table, her screams of fear and pain echoing in his head. The one thing that struck him the most, was an image of Rarity staring straight at him, with horrendous scars across her face and body. It took a while before Spike realized that he was shaking from the sudden fright he got. He stared at the fallen ruby, thinking about what he just saw and trying to figure out what it meant. He did know one thing, that it had felt very real.
Spike made up his mind. He snatched the fire ruby up and left the room in haste, heading for the royal chariot...

“...she'll take your identity, your memories, your very existence... she believes that by becoming both the Elements of Harmony and the Elements of Blasphemy, it will turn her into the most powerful being in the universe!

“If you are trying to drive a wedge between me and my group you are even more pathetic than I thought princess.” Twilight Psycho scoffed at her counterpart. “Mind games won't save you now.”

“Is it true?”

“What?” Twilight Psycho's attention was distracted by Pinkamena. The cupcake killer forgot all about her fun time with Fluttershy after hearing everything that the Princess had said; instead now her curiosity was directed at her own lavender friend.

“Is it true what she said? That you don't want us to be friends anymore?”

“That is preposterous! She is just trying to save her own hide by whatever means she can muster. Now come, let us be off. I... We, will need to go over our plans for this world if we are to successfully subjugate it.”

The lavender unicorn turned to leave, only to be stopped in her tracks by a cyan hoof to her chest, and found herself looking into the rosy red eyes of Rainbow Slash.

“I believe you haven't answered Pinkamena's question...”

Twilight Psycho batted Slash's hoof away angrily.

“What has gotten into you? A few words from a desperate mare and you all fall for it?”

“Maybe it'sss because you aren't denying what she said. And what she just said, isn't very nice...” even Slaughtershy mustered the sanity to question Twilight Psycho's intentions. “I mean, if you all think so that is...”

“Ah do think so! Ah may not mind taggin' along fer da fun and all but Ah will not be used like some worthless shed tool only to be thrown out!”

“Girls! This is abhorrent behavior! Such unfair accusations without basis is uncivilized.”

“Oh shut it Lil' Miss Namby-Pamby! All you do is defend her every single time! You're always on her side whenever there's an argument! What, is she paying for you for your nasty services?

“'Gasp!' The gall Rainbow Slash! I'll have you know that I am not some cheap harlot for somepony to misuse! Twilight is our friend, and has been our leader since the beginning and I put my trust in her, we owe her that much.”

Twilight Sparkle knew that she needed to keep the momentum going, and continued to feed the fires of dissent.

“Think about it! Has she she ever told you anything about her plans other than the scraps of information she feeds you before ordering you around? What kind of leader is that? What kind of a friend does that make her?”

“You've gotta admit, the hanging princess does make a very good point...” Pinkamena chipped in.
Lil' Miss Rarity hesitated, not sure what to say.

“Look, Twilight has done nothing but given us all the opportunity to go beyond our petty confinements and become what might be the greatest achievement in all of history!”

“Yeah... and that achievement comes with a price-tag with our names on it. I didn't sign up for this freak-show just to be erased out of reality!”

“Neither did I. Shoot... Ah was hopin' ta be kickin' a whole lot more skulls before Ah end up pushin' daisies from da ground.”

“Maybe it's best if we went left this world and look for somewhere else to embark on our quest for global genocide? It would be nice if we could possibly reconsider...”

“What the hay is wrong with everypony? Have you all lost your buckin' minds? You should be rejoicing at the fact that you will have the honor in sharing the existence with the most brilliant genius the world has ever seen! What other meaning is there to your lives if not to unite under one supreme entity!?! Uggh...”

Twilight Psycho clutched her chest spontaneously, a sharp pain surged through her body and it took a second for her to recover. When she did, she noticed all of her own friends were eying her with mistrust. Even Miss Rarity took a few steps away from her, and the doll on her back seemed to fixed it's gaze on Twilight as well. She realized what she had just admitted in blind anger, she knew she had to make amends so Twilight Psycho tried to reconcile with her friends.

“Look, obviously everypony is feeling a little tensed right now, let us just calm down and remember why we are all here.”

“I remember all right... I remember that this whole group up thing was your idea, now you want it to be just about you. That's no fun... how are you going to be the Sinister Six with just one member?

“It's true I may have fantasized about ascending to god-hood but it was always about all of us being together. Imagine ladies, the power to reshape the universe in our image! Pinkamena! You're always talking about how by keeping another pony's cutie-mark is like keeping them with you forever? Well this is even better! And Rainbow Slash, don't you feel age catching up to you? If we are all truly one, you will never have to worry about death... ever!”

“I don't know... I still can't trust you after having to find out about your fantasy from somepony we're trying to kill.”

The sound of Applewreck snorting to contain her laughter made Slash snap around and glare at the orange pony.

“And what are you laughing about Applewreck?”

“'Snicker!' Oh my, the element of Betrayal talkin' bout trust! Hee-hee, 'snort!' wat a laugh...”

“And you have a problem with that Apple-Flap? You wouldn't know betrayal if it came up to ya and bit you on the flank!”

“Hah! Ah have dead relatives dat would beg to differ. And Ah don't have a problem with ya'll at all. Ya think yer so tough? Ya just prey on handicapped pegasi who can't even fight back.”

“Says the filly-beater! If it weren't for us, you'd still be stuck on that farm with your little brat of a sister. And what makes you the element of Hatred? You're just a cowardly mare who gets her kicks from bullying feeble fillies.”

“Call me a coward, one more time... Ah dare ya...”

“You... are... a... cowar...”

'BAM!!!'

Applewreck rammed Rainbow Slash so hard she flew backwards into the dark and knocked into what sounded like a table with a lot of items that fell unto the floor with a loud crash. She got up, shook her head and snarled at Applewreck before launching herself at the orange mare, tackling her to the ground. Pinkamena, excited by all the action, clapped her hooves together shouting 'Fight! Fight! Fight!'. The captive ponies watched with bated breath as the drama unfolded before their eyes, this was what Twilight hoped that would happen. Her timing and careful choice of words gave her the chance to sow discontent among the enemy, now to wait and hope for the other part of the scheme to work. However, it would require no small amount of luck for it to work...

“Will you two stop this nonsense!” Twilight Psycho instinctively tried to use magic to stop the two mares, but when she concentrated her power she just remembered that her anti-magic field was still in effect. By then it was already too late. The initial spark of magic combined with the intensity of the Alicorn Amulet backfired into her already strained physique. The internal influx of energy raged across her system causing her to drop to the ground in pain. Miss Rarity immediately rushed over to her side and tried to help Twilight up, only to be berated by the delirious unicorn who was clutching her heart.

“The potion! I... need it! Arggh! Get me my potion!”

Twilight raved wildly, mad from the agony tearing through her. Miss Rarity, driven by her friend's frenzied demands, scoured the room. Applewreck and Rainbow Slash were still fighting each other with hoof, teeth and nail. Pinkamena was announcing the various results of the fight with enthusiasm while Slaughtershy cheered on with soft moans of 'yays' and 'woo-hoos'. It suddenly occurred to Miss Rarity what might have happened to the potion and her suspicions were confirmed as a trail of liquid slowly flowing across the flow came into view. The table that Rainbow Slash crashed into just moments ago was holding the last batch of the concoction that Twilight Psycho needed to stabilize her condition. The liquid made it's way towards Twilight, who's eyes widened in horror. Letting out a shrilling screech, she lunged forward and tried to lick the substance off the floor. But it was no use as the fizzy mixture was already evaporating rapidly into the air and soon there was nothing left for the unicorn. Miss Rarity watched as Twilight's body started convulsing, muscle spasms spread from her face to her legs; her mouth frothed with white foam followed by uncontrolled mutterings and random swears. Knowing that this was a terrible development, Miss Rarity desperately tried talking to Twilight into calming down.

“Er... Twilight dear, it's not really that bad... We can just brew more of the potion, right ladies?”

Miss Rarity's nervous question thrown at the other ponies went ignored. Unable to control herself, Twilight Psycho finally succumbed to the stressful powers inside of her and erupted with a dreadful scream. Her eyes rolled to the back of her head as the amulet around her neck flared bright red. Yet restrained by the silence spell, it's energy had no where to go except inside Twilight Psycho. The pentagram crown above her head rippled with dark eneregies spreading black tendrils into her skull, contorting her face causing extreme pain. Her unearthly wailing made everypony, including Rainbow Slash and Applewreck to stop what they were doing and take notice of her. This was the opportunity Twilight Sparkle had been waiting for...

Since the fight broke out between the two mares, she had been focusing her senses to feel for the slightest shift in the magical currents surrounding them. The moment her counterpart experienced the energy feedback, it affected her hold on the spell that was dampening the use of magic. Sending out negative waves into the air like ripples, causing small cracks in the metaphoric magic wall. And this was all Twilight needed. Concentrating her powers, she applied overwhelming pressure onto the weakest part of the silencing spell and pushed with all her magical might. The result was a blinding flash that lit up the entire underground room; the sound of something shattering signalized the spell had been broken. The magical energies rushed back into Twilight Psycho and detonated into a magical blast that knocked her, and the rest of the Sinister Six clear off their hooves. Twilight tried to use her magic and to her relief, managed to unlock the uncomfortable restraints on her hooves. She dropped to the floor, grateful to feel the ground beneath her hooves again. With a glow of her horn, the straps on all of her friends were released and they too touched the ground and tasted freedom. But not a word was exchanged among them, no cheer of victory, nor comments of praise. The horrors they had just endured was too jarring, and had left everypony uneasy. Rainbow Dash looked awkwardly at Fluttershy who dared not look back, or at anypony else for that matter. Pinkie's face was expressionless, her hair still straight and her coat still dull. It almost seemed she had lost the will even to stand. Applejack holding her up was the only thing that kept her from collapsing. Twilight glanced at her friends, what does one say after going through what they did?

“Um... is everypony okay?”

No sooner did the words leave her mouth, Twilight kicked herself for asking such a dumb question. But if anypony thought so, they kept silent; understanding that now was not the time to be critical of each other. Rarity broke the silence first.

“We're... fine dear.”

“thank you twilight...”

“Yeah... you were... awesome Twilight for saving us and all... I really mean that... I mean...” Rainbow Dash trailed off, unable to figure out an end to her sentence.

“Pinkie... how are you feeling?” Twilight was concerned for her friend as Pinkie showed no emotion. “Everything is going to be alright Pinkie, I promise... Pinkie promise...”

Pinkie Pie lifted her eyes at Twilight and gave her a small nod. Even though her expression didn't change, it was reassuring to know that at least she was still responsive.

“'sigh'... at least everypony is safe. Now we had best get out of here and save Spike. Then, Princess Celestia must be informed immediately of what happened here.”

“Gals... Ah hate ta be dat pony, but it looks like we've got bigger problems right now.”

Applejack was pointing in the direction of Twilight Psycho, who was slowly but surely getting up on her four hooves despite the convulsions attack every part of her body. Her visage was glowing with the swirling energies of the crown and the amulet; lighting up the blood oozing from her facial orifices for them to see. Despite her frizzled mane and singed fur, her face was filled with seething rage, no doubt hungry to exact terrible vengeance upon the ones responsible for her foiled plans. But her darting eyes had not yet focused on the little group of ponies yet. Twilight knew they wouldn't stand a chance against her foul sorcery, if only they could reach the Elements of Harmony...

“YOU!!!” Twilight Psycho's harsh voice echoed threateningly throughout the basement. “You will all... PAY!!!”

“Everypony duck!”

Twilight Sparkle kicked Rarity, Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash aside while shoving Applejack and Pinkie Pie away before activating her teleport spell. And not a moment too soon as Twilight Psycho unleashed a twirling beam of black and red at them. The Princess reappeared in front of her evil twin tackling her to the floor, missing the deadly beam by a hair's distance. As she fell, the stream of energy followed suit; scorching the walls and making a snaking line. Until finally it hit a soft spot in the roof and blasted straight through, creating a natural skylight. The night's sky became visible as the soft light of the stars and moon shone through the new opening. Twilight Psycho hit the ground with the Princess on top of her, her head faced the floor and was pinned down by Twilight Sparkle who created a tight force field around them both hoping to prevent her target from teleporting away. But more importantly, keeping her horn facing down so that she won't be able to use any deadly magic without hurting herself as well. Now to see if she could at least pry that crown away from the psychotic pony...

Laying on her back, Fluttershy shook off some gravel and dirt that had fallen on her. And when she opened her eyes, she found herself staring into the scary gaze of Pinkamena Cupcakes. The pink mare wore a sinister grin on her mouth and held up her scalpel to Fluttershy's face.

“Twilight may say we can't kill you ponies... but I wanna see how long we can play before we reach a breaking point... let's continue where we left off, shall we?”

Before Pinkamena could do anything to Fluttershy, something launched itself at her and knocked Pinkamena off the yellow pegasus. Before she could get up, Pinkamena found herself being held down by an angry and hysterical Pinkie Pie.

“I won't let you hurt my friends! I won't!”

“Ooooh... looks like somepony wants to play! Alrighty than, let's play! First one to die loses!”

“I'll be taking back what's mine now.”

Rarity was in a stand off with her counterpart, both waiting warily for the other to make a move.

“Tsk, tsk... not even a please? How rude...”

“Give me back my gem, and nopony has to get hurt.”

“Sorry, but I like it too much. I'll be keeping this precious gift along with dear Spikey-Wikey. If you'll be a good filly I might even let you borrow him occasionally.”

“I'll rip you to pieces if you touch one scale on his head!”

The area around her feet glowed with magic as Rarity lifted a pile of debris in the air and flung them at her counterpart. But Lil' Miss Rarity managed to dodge most of the projectiles and caught the rest with her own magic. She levitated an array of objects, magically forming them into spear like missiles and other viciously sharp forms, then she aimed them all at Rarity.

“You're making mommy very angry darling... and that means mommy has to punish you for your own good...”

Slaughtershy was creeping around the shadows, waiting for the right opportunity to strike. She homed in on Rarity, who was busy avoiding projectiles to guard her own flank. With her chainsaw in her hooves, Slaughtershy poised to take off into the air to land a blow from above upon Rarity. But just as she took her first couple of flaps, she felt a sudden tug on her tail that prevented her from flying further, and was pulled back causing her to land roughly on her rump. Slaughtershy looked back to see what had prevented her from taking off, it was Fluttershy. The normally timid pegasus was biting down on the murderous mare's pink tail and holding her back.

“Oh no you don't! Nopony is ever going to be hurt by you again!” Fluttershy growled through gritted teeth.

“Tee-hee-hee... I'm sorry, I didn't realize you volunteered yourself ...”

Slaughtershy raised her weapon and it gave a hair-raising roar as she prepared to bring it down upon Fluttershy. But before she could hit anything, a furious Fluttershy forcefully yanked Slaughtershy by the tail in her mouth and lifted the mad mare clean off her hooves, sending her soaring across the room. She smashed into a cabinet causing it to collapse on her, her chainsaw clattering dangerously on the rubble.

“I... said... NOPONY!”

Fluttershy charged towards the crashed spot snorting fiercely, stomping her hoof kicking up dust and dirt. She grabbed the chainsaw in her mouth snarling, holding the tool right above the rubble pile. Her glaring eyes looked over the debris, ready to drive the chainsaw into anything that shows itself. Her pupils widened when she suddenly realized what she was doing, and her aggressive demeanor disappeared. She dropped the chainsaw, stepping back looking at her own hooves in disbelief. But before she could contemplate on her actions, Slaughtershy burst through the heap, screaming wildly and baring her sharp teeth. Her glossy stare shifted between her chainsaw and Fluttershy. With a manic howl Slaughtershy reached for her precious chainsaw with murderous intent. Fluttershy squealed and bolted in the opposite direction.

Reeling from a fierce blow, Applejack rubbed her cheek while backing away from her evil counterpart who slowly walked towards her, those orange-red eyes glowing maliciously.

“Dat scar kinda looks good on yer mug. Ah'm gonna help spread it all across yer face, and dat's just da start...”

Applejack did not bother to reply, she was more concerned on how to take her evil twin down while staying alive in the process. She continued backing away until she felt a bump on her flank. Risking a quick glance behind, she saw it was Rainbow Dash who had bumped into her. She too was backing away from her own adversary, Rainbow Slash, who was in the air getting ready for an aerial dive at Rainbow Dash. Pressed up against each others back, both Applejack and Rainbow Dash seemed to have nowhere to run from two savage ponies.

“Psst... Hey, yer wanna exchange dance pardners?” Applejack whispered to Rainbow Dash, who nodded in agreement.

“You got it AJ...”

“Arggggh!!!”

Yelling her battle-cry, Rainbow Slash swooped down intending to bite into her counterpart just as Applewreck charged towards Applejack. In one swift move Rainbow Dash switched position with her friend and drove a mighty uppercut with one hoof aimed squarely at Applewreck's jaw. The punch connected... knocking the orange mare so hard that her head tossed back from the impact, stopping her mid-charge. Applejack only had to lift her hind legs when Rainbow Dash moved out of the way for her to deliver a sharp buck to the diving pegasus's muzzle. Sending her tumbling to the ground. Applejack and Rainbow Dash both shared a brief look of triumph at the success of their impromptu plan. But they understood that the battle wasn't over as their adversaries were already starting to recover. They wasted no time in re-engaging their respective foes, hope now high in their hearts that they could win this fight...

Back in Spike's fantasy...

Spike stood at the door, looking around the abandoned library. He tried to scan for something, anything that might give him a clue about the truth about what was going on in the world. He now knew that his suspicions that something was terribly wrong with his world was correct. He just couldn't put his claw on exactly what it could be. Even during his chariot ride to the Golden Oak Library, Spike remembered every detail from the images he saw in his vision very clearly. He knew the library was the source, that he would find his answers here. Spike walked around the library, not quite sure where to start when his legs seemed to instinctively lead him upstairs. As he reached the top, he approached Twilight's old bed. It was as he remembered, carved wooden posts, crescent moons and stars adorning the blue covers... and a book on top of it? Spike drew closer until he could pick the book up. The book wasn't particularly big nor was it heavy, but it was the title that drew his attention the most.

'Eternity's End'

Suddenly, like light filling a room at the flick of a switch, the images from before began to fill his vision, only this time they were more intense. Spike dropped the book back on the bed, staggering backwards. To his surprise, the book sank into the bed, but it didn't stop there. The bedsheets were drawn in as well, and the actual bed itself soon followed, creating a whirlpool effect where the center-point was where the book had landed. Something inside of Spike told him that by entering the whirlpool, he would get his answers. Taking a big gulp, Spike gingerly took a step towards the swirling black mass.

“Spikey-Wikey?”

The voice stopped Spike dead in his tracks. Looking behind him, Spike saw Rarity appearing at the top of the stairs. She wore a look of innocent concern on her muzzle.

“Rarity? I...”

“Spike, I came as soon as I heard from the guards that you had left the castle. What do you hope to find here?”

“Answers Rarity! I want answers! I can't go on pretending like there's nothing wrong with the world because there is! It's not real, nothing is!”

“Am I not real to you Spike?”

“I... I've made up my mind, I need to know what's going on Rarity. And if going down that black hole is the only way I'll find out, than I'm going to do it.”

“And what about me Spike? What about us? Our love? If this world means nothing to you, than why are you holding on to the one thing that brought us together?”

She was right, Spike had almost forgotten about the ruby he held in his claw. He looked at it, remembering all the memories of them being together, it almost felt like it was just yesterday when he laid eyes on the most beautiful creature in all of Equestria for the first time. Spike hesitated, doubt about his mission creeping into his mind. Rarity was down on her hind legs with her front hooves stretched out longingly, tears falling from her eyes like crystal beads.

“I love you Spike, I need you.... please... don't leave me.”

Her broken voice melted Spike's heart. He stepped away from the whirlpool and entered into Rarity's embrace. She clutched him tightly to her chest, sniffing with joy. Using her unicorn magic, she removed the fire-ruby from Spike's claw and brought it around her own neck, gently clasping it in place. She gave her Spikey-Wikey a sly smile and licked his nose tenderly. Spike felt like he was in a trance as Rarity nuzzled him lovingly. Feeling her lips coming ever closer to his, Spike closed his eyes in anticipation.

“Let us go home and pretend non of this ever happened. I promise, as your queen I will make you the happiest dragon alive. And we will be together... forever...”

She sealed the promise with a kiss on Spike's lips and the dragon relented. After a few passionate seconds, Spike broke the kiss by pulling away gently from Rarity. And they both lingered on, eyes fixed on each other. Spike held up a claw and caressed one side of Rarity's cheeks, and she accepted his touch by cooing softly. But she then realized a sad look in Spike's eyes.

“Spike...?”

“I'm sorry...”

With his other claw, Spike held up the fire-ruby snatched from Rarity's neck and threw it into the middle of the still twisting whirlpool, leaving Rarity gasping in horror. The ruby shattered upon contact, and the swirling intensified to the point of engulfing the entire room. It was consuming everything, the walls, the floor, furniture and even light itself were all being pulled into the black hole. Spike himself was torn from Rarity's hooves by the powerful force, though the unicorn stood unaffected by the catastrophe. As the little dragon was being swept into the heart of the whirlpool, he could still catch glimpses of Rarity through the chaos.

“Spike! Spike! Don't go! Please! I'll always be yours! Spike... I love you!”

Spike closed his eyes, too emotional to look at the Rarity anymore. A single tear rolled away from the corner of his eye as he whispered back sorrowfully.

“I love you too...”

And then, Spike's world was consumed in complete silence...

“Take off that amulet! Or I swear by Celestia I'll knock you out with one blast from my horn!”

Twilight Sparkle was still keeping Psycho pinned down and had somehow managed to forcefully removed the vile crown from her adversary's head. And though she was violently trying to shake Twilight Sparkle off of her, the Princess did not give in to her struggling and kept Psycho's head on the floor facing down. Despite her magic being boosted by the Alicorn Amulet, her turbulent mind made her unable to overcome Twilight's magic. Only the ceaseless angry growls and vulgar curses were her weapons and they did nothing to sway Twilight from concentrating on her magic.

“AGGGGGGGGGGGH!!!”

The loud scream sounded like it came from Rainbow Dash, then Twilight heard a similar voice but was more raspy, threatening her.

“Let the egghead go, or this filly gets whats coming to her...”

Rainbow Slash stood over Dash with hind hooves against her back and front hooves holding her injured wings.

“Don't listen to her Twilight! Don't worry about me, I can take care of my... UGGGGHHH!!!”

Rainbow Dash gritted her teeth, her eyes started to tear up from the pain caused by Slash tugging at her wings.

“I'll give you three seconds before I rip her bucking wings off... I mean it princess!”

Twilight surveyed the scene around her, Pinkie Pie was struggling against Pinkamena who seemed about to cut into her face... Rarity was trapped by Miss Rarity in a dense swarm made out of razor sharp debris ready to slice her at the sign of movement. Applewreck had Applejack in a headlock, slowly choking the life out of the farm-pony. And poor Fluttershy had been backed against a wall by Slaughtershy, with the chainsaw at her throat. It was a bleak situation, but Twilight theorized that with some precise calculations, she could teleport her friends out of harms way just before...

“E... NOUGH!!!”

The distraction was sufficient for Twilight Psycho to break the Princess's magic shield holding her down. Her sudden eruption knocked Twilight Sparkle off her back, catching the Alicorn by surprise. And before anypony could react, Twilight Psycho had the Princess and all of her friends encased in dark magical energies and lifted into the air. With a flick of a hoof the little ponies were sent flying back onto the operating tables, their limbs now locked to the metal tables not by straps, but with magical rings of Twilight Psycho's design. Even unicorn horns were sheathed in her magical energy. Twilight Psycho levitated her crown off the floor and re-placed it on her head, the pentagram glowed brightly as it's energies merged with that of Twilight Psycho and the Alicorn Amulet.

“No more games! This time when I'm done with you, you'd wish that you were dead!”

“Whoo-pee! Does that mean I get to play with them? Does it? Does it?”

“Yes Pinkamena, yes it does... go have your fun...”

“Tee-Hee! This is going to be so exciting!”

“Ah thought if they died, one on our side would die too.”

Twilight Psycho's companions slowly gathered around her, though a few were a bit sore that their prey had been snatched from their hooves. Particularly Rainbow Slash, who was really looking forward to hurting Dash a whole lot more.

“Really? Let's put that to the test shall we?” Psycho's voice dripped with malice. “Even if it's true, I know techniques on keeping a pony alive while still being able to bring unspeakable pain upon her body...”

Twilight and her friends struggled, not willing to give up after having just barely escaped the last time. But it was no use, Twilight Psycho was not taking any chances this time, and they knew it. Pinkamena hummed happily as she drew closer to Pinkie Pie, scalpel in hoof. She reached the struggling Pinkie Pie and held her jaw with one hoof, despite her muffled protests. She placed the scalpel against Pinkie's cheek, almost cutting into her flesh.

“Now, let's put a smile on that face...”

Pinkamena halted and took a few steps back, she noticed something about Pinkie Pie that seemed a bit odd. It wasn't only her, every other pony noticed it too. Pinkie Pie was puzzled as to why everypony was looking at her weird when she realized what it was and glanced down. Her tail was shaking furiously... She looked back at everypony, her face showing them that she was just as surprised as they were.

“What the hay...” Rainbow Slash started before being interrupted by something falling from above.

Several small round objects fell from the newly made opening in the roof, and when they hit the floor, burst into thick black clouds of smoke that encompassed everything in darkness. Coughing and cursing filled the air as everypony's line of sight was obscured by the smoke.

“Cough! Wat da hay?”

“This... cough! Isn't fun! Cough!”

“Curses! Cough! What is going on now?”

The smoke disrupted Twilight Psycho's hold on her magic and her victims were freed once again. Though as they too were affected by the smoke, they had a hard time trying to find each other in the dense fog. Slaughtershy swung her chainsaw wildly, the blinding effects of the smoke only making her more frantic and manic. Then, she felt something land beside her. And out of the corner of her eye, she could make out the outline of what looked like the Princess, Twilight Sparkle...

“I've got you now!”

She swung hard and hit her mark, but it did not feel like she had hit the soft body of a pony, instead it felt very much like hitting steel. The sound of her chainsaw died down as the teeth stopped grinding, as if failing to cut through whatever it was that she had hit. The smoke cleared a little and Slaughtershy found herself staring straight at the chest of her target... a chest with the symbol of a red 'S' on it...

Author's Note

Huzzah! I know it's been a long time since my last update and I apologize deeply to my readers. I took a holiday back to my hometown and the place where I was staying, had poor internet access. But that didn't stop me from writing! (or typing...)

In any case, I had a fun time during the holidays and I can't wait to continue my fanfic on a more regular schedule now. And to catch up on some MLP:FIM! ^_^ seriously... the last episode I saw before uploading this, was Flight to the Finish... 0_o yeah, yeah, I know, I got some catching up to do... so for now, hope you enjoy this latest installment! And if you're thinking about that last part, it's exactly what you think it is! Unless it's not, than in that case nevermind...

Cheers!

Crisis on Infinite Equestria

On the streets of Maretropolis...

“Saberspark! Look out!”

The blue-mane, white colored pegasus turned just in time to see a spinning horse-shoe flying through the air, aimed squarely at his head. Saberspark ducked just in the nick of time to avoid the incoming projectile. The horse-shoe flew over his mane and lodged itself into a nearby building. Saberspark quickly scanned around for his attacker, who wasn't very hard to find...

Just several hooves away was a gray-amaranth pony with the mark of three horse-shoes on his flank. He wore a light blue trench-coat complete with razor-sharp horse-shoes attached in rows like ammunition. The pony grinned slyly at Saberspark as the blue-maned hero muttered his assailant's name.

“Captain Horseshoe...”

“In the flesh, Saberspark! And today will be the day I finally get my revenge for all the misery you've put me through in the past.”

“Put you through? I'm not the one who turned to a life of crime!”

“A guy's gotta do what a guy's gotta do for a living.”

The voice came from above, the blue-maned hero spared a glance upwards knowing who he was going to see. Circling into Saberspark's view was an unshaven, gruff looking pegasus; with a coat of light brown and a black cap on top of his blond mane. It was Skyquake, the villain Saberspark was engaged with before Captain Horseshoe interrupted their fight. He did not have any visible weapons, because Skyquake's hooves were capable of generating tremors and dangerous shock-waves whenever he hits a surface by landing hard on it. Saberspark had barely avoided Skyquake's last attack, and now with Captain Horseshoe added into the mix he was going to have his hooves full. Luckily, he had somepony to watch his flank for him. Or in this case, some gryphon...

Swooping to the pony's side in spectacular fashion, the half-eagle half-lion hero planted his clawed legs next to Saberspark; gray feathers with hints of light blue poking from underneath his black spandex as he posed heroically next to his friend. Black Gryphon always knew how to look good on super hero duty. Though he could get overly confident at times, there was nopony else that Saberspark would have watching his back. If it wasn't for Black Gryphon's warning, Saberspark could very well have a horse-shoe buried in the back of his skull right now. Black Gryphon flexed his wings and pointed a clawed finger at the two villains before addressing them in a dramatically deep and resonating voice.

“The only thing you criminals are going to do is time in jail!”

“Dude, seriously... you had to go there? That was embarrassing!” Saberspark muttered under his breath suppressing the urge to do a facehoof.

“Chill man, relax! Besides, don't all superheroes have catchphrases? We're in the big leagues now which means at some point what we say is going to be the center of media attention, we have to start building our public image.”

“Well I don't want to be known by everypony as the hero with a mouth who died spewing catchphrases.”

“Unless it's an awesome catchphrase!”

“Oh my goodness! I can't believe we're talking about this in the middle of a fi...”

“Watch out!”

Black Gryphon kicked Saberspark with his hind legs away from the trajectory of three incoming horse-shoes while diving for cover himself.

“Sorry to break up this lover's quarrel, but we don't have all day.” Captain Horseshoe smirked as he readied a couple more horse-shoes in his mouth.

“Yeagh! It looks like we're gonna have to break you apart!”

Recovering from his crash into the sidewalk, Saberspark cleared his vision with a shake of his head. And did so just in time to catch sight of Skyquake flying into a position right above Black Gryphon, rubbing his hooves together to generate enough kinetic energy so that when he came down on the hero, there would be a shock-wave strong enough to shatter solid road and bone alike.

Reacting without a second thought, Saberspark lifted his front hooves and aimed squarely at Skyquake. Two beams of energy shoot out in streaks of blue, racing across the air at supersonic speeds. The beams found their mark. Knocked out of the air by the concussive force, Skyquake let out a yell of pain and surprise as he landed hard on the ground. Though Saberspark had saved his friend from trouble, he wasn't out of it himself just yet. Taking advantage of Saberspark's distraction, Captain Horseshoe flung a quartet of horse-shoes at him, determined to end the hero's life. But his actions did not go unnoticed by Black Gryphon. With a swing of his wing, Black Gryphon unleashed a volley steel blades that make up his feathers. The steel projectiles collided with the horseshoes throwing them off course, preventing them from reaching Saberspark. Realizing Captain Horseshoe's attempt at his life, Saberspark launched himself at his would be killer; his wings flapping hard, propelling him straight into the Captain's gut. As they both crash to the floor, Saberspark rolled on top of Captain Horseshoe making sure he couldn't get away. Recovering from his hard landing, Skyquake opened his eyes and found himself laying sprawled out on the street with a smug looking Black Gryphon standing over him with both his wings pointed at Skyquake's face.

“I'd stay down if I were you tough guy.”

Skyquake snorted angrily in retort but he did not try anything, not with rows of metal feathers pointed at his face. He may not be the smartest villain in the business, but he had enough sense in his head to know when to stop pressing his luck. Confident that they had won the fight, Black Gryphon called out to his friend.

“Hey SS! Looks like we got em' all...”

'SHHHHZZZ!'

A ray of freezing condensed air blasted Black Gryphon off of Skyquake. Pinning him to the side of a building and freezing his body and limbs against the wall, leaving only his head free to squirm and struggle.

“Black Gryphon!” was all Saberspark managed to yell out before he too was hit by a blast of freeze ray himself. He was nailed to the wall beside Black Gryphon, unable to move any part of his body from the neck down. As they struggled in vain, a newcomer approached them with an icy smile on his muzzle. Wearing a blue winter coat and protective goggles around his eyes, the unicorn was levitating a freeze gun at head level and pointing it at the two heroes. Captain Horseshoe and Skyquake helped themselves off the ground to join their new comrade.

“Frost Mane...” Saberspark muttered shakily under his breath, cold vapor forming as he exhaled. “Figures that you would show up and back-stab us at the last minute.”

“Oh I didn't just show up Saberspark, I was here the whole time.” Frost Mane waved his gun callously. “You see, my friends here thought they could take you two down by themselves and lured you here by staging a bank robbery. But in the off chance that they were wrong, I was waiting for the opportunity to take a clear shot at both of you.”

“That's right runts, we had everything planned out from the start! Wasn't expecting that now was ya?”

“You three actually managed to-to-to come up with a plan?” scoffed Black Gryphon through chattering teeth. “I'm im-im-impressed...”

“Always the smart mouth aren't you?” Captain Horseshoe whipped out one of his horse-shoes, the sharp edge glinting under the rays of the sun. “Any last words before I shut your beak up permanently?”

“As a m-m-matter of fact, I do... This i-i-is your l-l-last chance to surrender!”

Laughter broke out among the villains as they heard Black Gryphon's idle demand.

“Er... Gryph... I don't think they're taking you seriously...”

Watching the three prepare to finish them off, the two heroes knew they had ran out of options. Things weren't looking too bright for their heroic careers. Frost Mane primed his freeze gun and chose Black Gryphon to be the unfortunate victim of his next shot.

“It's been fun guys. I'd like to say we will miss you after you're gone... but I would be lying.”

Black Gryphon closed his eyes and braced himself for the inevitable... it never came. Instead, he heard a yelp of astonishment from Frost Mane.

Before Frost Mane could pull the trigger, a line of gold fell past his face. It took him a second to realize that it was part of a rope that had fallen neatly around his body, and tightened like a noose. “...what the hay...” were Frost Mane's last words as he was yanked off the ground. His freeze gun fell clattering on the pavement, his two partners in crime staring at the empty spot where he used to stand. Twisting around to see who was responsible, they were just in time to watch Frost Mane being dangled in the air by the hooves. Surprised by this turn of events as the villains were, Saberspark and Black Gryphon lifted their eyes in the direction of the shrieking Frost Mane and beheld a magnificent sight.

Hovering under the bright rays of the sun was an orange mare, proud in stature. Even though she did not have the wings of a pegasus, she still possessed the ability to fly. The wriggling crook was held up by her lasso while the other end was secured firmly between the grip of her teeth. Her thick yellow mane flowed from her head ending in a ponytail that fluttered ever so slightly at the coaxing breeze. A gold tiara rested on her forehead, glinting under the glow of the sun which illuminated her in a radiant wreath of light as she graced the sky with her majesty.

“It's Wonder Mare!” Captain Horseshoe exclaimed, a tinge of fear in his voice.

“She's so... wonderful...” Saberspark mumbled, raising a curious look from his friend. Black Gryphon could see a dopey look of admiration on his friend's face and smiled to himself in amusement. His attention was grabbed by an authoritative voice talking through gritted teeth.

“You have one chance to stand down... right, now.”

Wonder Mare's commanding voice gave the villains pause. Surrendering seemed like the smart thing to do, and the two of them might have done so if Frost Mane hadn't yelled at them.

“What are you guys waiting for, help me!”

Acting more on instinct than rational thought, Captain Horseshoe flung several of his horse-shoes at the airborne heroine. Unfazed by the incoming horse-shoes, Wonder Mare lifted her hooves and deflected the projectiles effortlessly as they bounced off her metallic bracers. Thinking that he could catch Wonder Mare off guard, Skyquake launched himself into the air ready to use his shock-waves on her. The heroine did not show any signs of avoiding Skyquake's imminent attack. And just as it seemed that Skyquake was about to strike Wonder Mare, she spun around with supernatural speed and kicked out with her hind legs. Her hooves slammed into Skyquake creating a loud boom upon impact that sent the rogue hurtling back to earth. Panic now gripped Captain Horseshoe, both his accomplices had been incapacitated and things didn't look good for the lone criminal. It was either fight or flight at this point. It didn't take him long to make up his mind... flight it was.

As Captain Horseshoe took a single step to flee, Wonder Mare swung her lasso in a semi-circle yanking a screaming Frost Mane through the air before hurling him towards Horseshoe. The ensuing collision resulted in both ponies being knocked out on the pavement. And just like that, the fight was over.

'SMASH!'

By striking the ice casings with her hooves, she released the trapped heroes with little difficulty. Both Saberspark and Black Gryphon were grateful to be free from their icy prison, and thanked their rescuer while rubbing their own bodies for warmth.

“T-thanks Wonder Mare.” Black Gryphon showing his appreciation while flapping the leftover frost off his wings. “I really thought we were done f...”

“I just want to say how much I admire your, er, work! Ms Mare... I mean Wonder Ms! Um...”

Saberspark had pushed Black Gryphon aside interrupting his friend in the middle of his conversation, inciting a look of annoyance from the gryphon. Wonder Mare chuckled softly, amused at their obvious adoration.

“You are welcomed, I'm glad I arrived in time to help. Saberspark and Black Gryphon right? I know of you, you both do good work here in Maretropolis.”

“You heard that? She... Wonder Mare knows who we ar... Ooof!!!” A sharp nudge from Saberspark's elbow to his gut stopped Black Gryphon short.

“We, do what we can for the city. But our efforts can't be compared to all the wondrous feats accomplished by you... I mean... the Justice League.”

“When it comes to the safety of the world, every hoof makes a difference. Your deeds here are no less important than ours. Maybe when the League decides to recruit more into our numbers again, you could come and try out for membership?”

“Maybe I could...”

An awkward silence fell among them as Saberspark stared dreamily at Wonder Mare; who raised an eyebrow in puzzlement as to why the pony in front of her was suddenly struck dumb, while staring into space with a silly look on his muzzle. Standing between them, Black Gryphon's eyes shifted from one to the other. He was figuring out an excuse to save both himself and Saberspark from looking too embarrassing in front of Wonder Mare when the sound of sirens blared in a distance. 'Phew, saved by the boys in blue...' he heaved a sigh of relief.

“Ah, here comes the authorities.” Wonder Mare announced breaking Saberspark from his reverie. “And just in time, I'm running late for an important gathering I need to attend to...”

“You go on right ahead Wonder Mare! We'll make sure these goons are wrapped up nice and cozy for the guys in uniform.”

Black Gryphon gave a wink of assurance to Wonder Mare who nodded back in gratitude.

“Than till' we meet again.”

With a graceful leap she took off into the air. Her amazing speed took her out of sight within moments, but it did not stop the two heroes from continuing to admire her from the ground.

“Well, that was quite an experience.” Black Gryphon cheerfully stated.

“She certainly was...”

Saberspark replied dreamily, earning another look from his friend. Black Gryphon brought the lovestruck pegasus back to reality by using his wing to slap Saberspark on the back.

“Hey Romeo, you can daydream about your girlfriend later. The perps are starting to come around...” a small groan coming out of Skyquake confirmed his words. “...and we don't want them to get away before the cops show up, that would be just sad!”

“Sh... she's not my girlfriend!” Saberspark blushed, his white cheeks turning bright red. “I... just admire her form... I mean skills, er... work! That's all.”

“Hey you don't have hide anything from me bro, I know a love struck stallion when I see one. And because we're such good pals, I'll even be willing to give ya dating advice!”

“Gee... thanks million.”

“Imagine, Saberspark and Wonder Mare! Superhero couple of the century! Together with their best friend and ally Black Gryphon, they are the Trinity! Equestria's greatest heroes!”

“Now who's the one day dreaming? Come on, lets get these lunatics wrapped up for the police.”

Saberspark grabbed Skyquake by the tail and tried dragging him off the road and onto the pavement. The crowd of civilians were already filling up the streets and taking pictures of the aftermath. “Ugh... man this guy weighs a ton!

“Sigh... I know it's a stretch, but it could happen right?” Black Gryphon expressed his thoughts out loud. Despite his outward confidence and easy going nature, on the inside he really did want to be part of the legendary Justice League. “We just have to make sure next time, we do the saving. Instead of being the ones who need to be saved.”

“Heh, like that's going to happen anytime soon. Besides, the title Equestria's greatest heroes has already been taken...”

On a secret space station orbiting Equestria...

The wide glass panel facing out into the cold vastness of space reflected the silhouette of a dark shadowy figure, standing alone on the command deck of the space station. Energy conserving low lights lit the room just so, casting fleeting shadows around the mysterious character; who stood almost motionless in front of a monitor that was broadcasting the news from Trotham City...

“...a crowd is gathering as Trotham's most eligible business mare Rarity Belle, attends the Trotham City Hospital opening which her company had helped fund in it's construction. And there she is, cutting the ribbon with the mayor of the city officially declaring the hospital open to the public. Let's see if we can get a word with Miss Belle...”

“Now mayor, I must simply thank you for joining me here today. It is most auspicious that the Hospital managed to meet the six months opening deadline, thanks to the honest hardworking ponies of Trotham city.”

“Why Miss Rarity Belle, you are too modest . None of this would have been possible if it wasn't for your generous contribution to the hospital's construction. Trotham City is once again in your debt.”

“Oh, hahaha... I don't know about that Mayor, it has always been a practice of the Belle family to invest in the healthcare of this city. I am simply continuing that tradition.”

“And for that the city is grateful... I, am grateful. With these... supervillains and masked heroes popping up everywhere, goodness knows we could use more ponies like yourself Miss Belle.”

“Like myself?”

“Somepony who does the right thing... without hiding behind a mask.”

“Mayor I...”

The conversation between Rarity and the mayor was cut short by a sudden swarm of reporters surging around them and asking questions. The only thing stopping the two mares being mobbed by the reporters were a handful of police officers holding the crowd at bay.

“Excuse me Miss Rarity! Now that the Belle Foundation has the hospital added to it's list of charity works, what will be your next project?”

“Rarity! When will the next artistic creation appear in your Art of the Dress fashion line?”

“Um, er... Miss Rarity Belle and the mayor won't be taking any questions. Thank you.” The police-ponies did their best to escort the mayor and Rarity Belle back inside and keeping anypony from getting too close. As the two mares trotted towards the entrance, a yellow pegasus with minty hair managed to push her way close enough to ask a question that stood out from the cacophony going on.

“Miss Rarity Belle! Everypony knows of your financial involvement with the police force. So what are your thoughts on the Trotham police department cooperating with their former vigilante suspect, the Batmare?”
Rarity stopped right in front of the glass doors and whisked her head around regally. Camera flashes went off in all directions and silence fell on the crowd as everypony eagerly anticipated her answer.

“Oh I have every confidence in our local police department that they will do what is necessary to keep us safe. As for the infamous caped vigilante... well, I don't want to be rude but anypony who dresses up as a giant bat clearly has issues.”

“Can I quote you on that?”

The dark figure turned away from the monitor screen as a pony drifted into the room on wings of lavender. An emblem in the form of a red 'S' stretched across the front of her chest proudly. She landed gently in front of the stoic character with a warm and friendly smile on her face. Her wholesome 'good filly' image a stark contrast in comparison to the pony clad in black; whose serious demeanor remained unchanged.

“I'm surprised you weren't there among the reporters Twilight.” She stated bluntly, ignoring Twilight's playful question. Her voice almost cold and unfeeling. “Didn't Cherry White assigned you to Trotham City recently? You're usually not one to miss out on a story for the Daily Planet.”

“Well... visiting Trotham City was just the official reason.” Twilight hesitantly stated. “I requested for it, and Cherry White agreed to let me go.”

There was a pause, the darkly-dressed pony waited for Twilight to continue as she adjusted some controls beneath the monitor with her unicorn telekinesis. Realizing that Twilight wasn't going to reveal anymore information without a little prodding; and gleaning from Twilight's demeanor, her evasive attitude and nervous tapping of hooves, she knew what was bothering her. Without turning around, she asked Twilight one question.

“This is about that Flash Sentry, isn't it?”

Letting out a tired sigh, Twilight confessed her thoughts.

“I don't know Rarity. It's... confusing being around him. He can be a nice guy, and does say some rather sweet things about me. Like how he constantly talks about how heroic I am, how I am the savior of Maretropolis and that I am a role modal for everypony to look up to. But Flash Sentry is infatuated with Supermare, not Twilight Sparkle. To him, I'm just the nerdy co-worker who takes her job way too seriously. He just sees me as a friend.”

“But the feeling is not mutual.”

“I'm... I'm not sure. It was amusing at first when he had no clue Supermare and Twilight are one in the same. Now it's getting complicated. The other day he poured out his heart to me after that whole ordeal with Sombra. He got so emotional and nearly kissed me if I hadn't stop him in time! Needless to say it was very awkward the next day at work to have him confide in me on how he acted like an idiot towards... well, me...” 'sigh' “With everything that has been going on lately, from Flash Sentry, to the Justice League, and my cousin suddenly appearing back in my life... I just need a little time away from all the drama to clear my head.”

Twilight noticed Rarity's shoulders relax slightly. The cold, brooding hero suddenly gone for a brief moment. And in a rare instance, revealed a side of herself that precious few have ever gotten to see.

“Twilight... if you ever need somepony to talk while you are in Trotham...” Rarity glanced back, and even with the white lenses covering her eyes, Twilight could see she was being sincere. “...the manor doors are always open, for a friend.”

“Thank you Rarity.”

“Not that you ever needed an invitation.” Rarity turned back to her computer, the short lived tenderness replaced by her usual dour self. “With that speed of yours, you could get in almost anywhere you wanted.”

“I don't think Pennyworth would appreciate having me barge in whenever I feel like it.”

It didn't bother Twilight that Rarity often seemed cold and distant. The red cape heroine was well aware of Rarity's tendency to harden her heart from others, even from her friends. Though she shrouds her activities in shadow and mystery, Twilight knew she could trust her friend to pull through when the occasion arises; no matter the circumstances her presence was always welcomed.

A stream of pinkish light streaked across space outside the glass screen, ending the banter between Twilight and Rarity as they observed the mare outside manipulate sections of the space station with what looked like rays solid light.

Swooping around in all directions, the pink mare could be seen giggling to herself occasionally as she adjusted blocks of machinery, some which were the size of a small house. She was wreathed in a blazing pink glow emanating from a ring on her foreleg. The pony gestured with her hooves, and beams of flowed outwards transforming into constructs made out of pure light. Some were of simple, effective designs like pistons and articulate arms; others turned into more complex mechanisms like drills and soldering guns. It seems that anything that she imagined, could be made into reality by the power of her ring. Even as she worked, the pony conjured up headphones around her ears and suspended screens broadcasting channels from the planet to keep her entertained.

“Looks like Lantern is keeping herself busy.”

“I offered to help her while I was on the way in. But Pinkie said she could handle it on her own. Besides, she seems to be having fun.”

“Isn't that always the case.”

“Attention, teleporter activated. Recognizing: Wonder Mare; Recognizing: Rainbow Flash; Recognizing: Aquamare.”

A computerized voice resounded across the room, announcing the presence of the newcomers having arrived on the space station. Rarity switched off the monitor and backed away from the controls she was fussing over.

“Time for the meeting.” A faint glow appeared around her horn and her pointy ears; the hidden communicator inside activating through her telekinetic manipulation. “Lantern, get in. It's time.”

A cheerful voice replied over the comm set.

“Okie, dokie, lokie!”

Minutes later, at Justice League council meeting...

Near the pinnacle of the Justice League Watchtower space station, the core members of the team are seated at their council table in a circle. This is where all the important League issues are discussed; before deciding the best course of action on how to deal with them.

“...I think with the escalating threats rising up everyday, the Justice League could use more ponypower among our ranks.”

“Agreed. There are many heroes now who have decided to risk their lives in order to protect others, but most of them are inexperienced and lack restrain. Having them organized as a team under proper guidance would be a wise decision.”

“Than this brings up the next logical question. How, and who, do we approach. Not all of these heroes will be keen on joining an organization, especially if it means they will have to answer to somepony for their actions. And to the rest of the world, it may seem like we're conscripting ponies into our own personal army. That can cause sensitive political parties to question our motives.”

The team could always rely on Batmare to be the voice of reasoning. Even if her words do often come off as, harsh.

“But we're the good guys!” Pink Lantern protested in a high shrilled voice. Many would view Pinkie's constant optimism as naïve and idealistic, but it is hard to deny that her cheerful nature was almost contagious. “If we explain to everypony that we're not just doing this for our own benefit, I'm sure nopony would have a problem with us looking for more members! After all, who wouldn't want to join our super-duper-awesome team?”

An audible 'squee' sound accompanied Pinkie as she lifted her hooves in the air out of jubilee. Huge pink neon letters appeared above Lantern's head forming the Justice League words and emblem. Albeit a little cartooning with it's big puffy letters and shimmering glitter dancing about. Twilight, who was sitting beside Pinkie, reached out to gently lower her hooves. The light show dissolved back into the power ring, but curbing the wide grin on Lantern's muzzle was out of her hoof.

“I believe what our esteemed colleague is trying to say, is that with the proper steps taken, we can conduct a controlled recruitment without raising any cause for alarm.”

“I'm all for having new members joining us. But whoever joins this team had better be able to live up to my awesomeness!”

Rainbow Flash leaned back in her chair, emphasizing on the last word with a wave of her hoof; somewhat oblivious to the stern glares the other members were giving her.

“I mean, we do have a reputation to keep up! Can't have background ponies weighing us down while we pick up the slack.”

“Aren't you the model of heroic virtue.” Wonder Mare's words laced with sarcasm.

“Hey! Don't hate the player, hate the game.”

“In any case...” Supermare chipped in, determined not to let the usual rivalries between Wonder Mare and Rainbow Flash steer them off topic. “...I believe it is at least worth giving a shot. We can start small, perhaps a group of around four to five? You can't deny the logistic advantage of having a few extra hooves as backup in case of an emergency.”

“Fine... it's your call anyway.”

“It's your space station.” Twilight responded amiably, without any malice in her voice.

“Alright, so spooky here isn't objecting to the idea, but are we gonna let ponies start coming up to the Watchtower? This place isn't exactly the local book club ya know.”

The Justice League Watchtower was a secret that the heroes did not make publicly known to the rest of the world. Not only was it important for them to be able to operate in a location away from the vendetta of villains, but also to avoid scrutiny from any government body. After all, knowledge of a weaponized space station orbiting the planet isn't likely to sit well with global leaders. Especially one that's not under their control. The League decided it would be best if the Watchtower remained anonymous for now.

However, the space station wasn't their only option as Wonder Mare offered an alternate suggestion to Rainbow Flash's query.

“Perhaps... we can hold our recruitment in the Hall of Justice? So far we have only used it to serve as a superficial cover to the world while we sit up here in the heavens like the gods. Maybe it's time for a change of environment.”

“That is a great idea Applejack! That way we don't have to reveal the Watchtower to anypony before they become part of the League! And we have been underusing the Hall of Justice. With a little renovating and brushing up, I'm sure it can be converted into a secondary base.”

“Besides, Cyborg spends almost all of her time stationed there, I'm sure she'll appreciate the company.” A gentle voice entered the conversation. Aquamare had been a silent participant in most of the topics the League discussed that evening. Only very rarely does she voice out her thoughts and opinions on a matter without being asked directly. Yet her docile demeanor belies the bright orange and green garb that bear the hallmark of Atlantean heritage, a once thought mythical race of ponies that have thrived under the seas. A golden trident that leaned at her side was a symbol of Aquamare's royal status as queen of Atlantis, the underwater city of her people the mer-ponies. Her activities as a hero among the surface dwellers is an attempt to strengthen and reassure relations between both the surfacers, and Atlantis.

“Alright, Cyborg! That girl spends way too much time being the pony-internet-router all alone down there. Awesome ponies like her and I should be spending more time together kicking bad-guy-flanks!”

“Then it is settled, I'll inform Cyborg of our decision. She can start planning out the necessary modifications to the Hall while searching and listing out potential candidates.”

“New members welcome party!” screamed Pinkie Pie, popping glowing confetti into the air with a blow of her construct trumpet.
“I might have a few recommendations. There are a couple of colts who show great promise and are eager to be part of something bigger.”

“I'm afraid the details will have to wait. For now, I have something to show everypony.”
Motioning her hoof to the center of the seated council, Batmare brought their attention to a holographic projection that expanded above the Justice League logo on the table. A faint glow surrounded her exposed horn as she used telekinesis to operate the computer. The image displayed showed numerous readings and flashing highlights across the screen, indicated activity within a section of space that was numbered: zero, zero, three, eight.

Mouth agape, Pinkie stood up exclaiming in alarm.

“Is that where I think it is?”

“Yes Lantern... Apokolips...”

Sounds of faint beeping from the electronic components in the room magnified a hundred fold as dead silence befell all the ponies present; any news that had to do with the planet Apokolips usually doesn't bode well for the galaxy at large. After several seconds passed that felt more like half an hour, Wonder Mare pointed to anomalies that stood out among the rest of the data on the hologram.

“What is that? The signature looks familiar.”

“Boom Tubes...” a steely tone underlining Supermare's voice.

“Not quite. When the Watchtower sensors picked up the signal three hours ago, that was my original assumption. However after running through some data analysis, it's confirmed these aren't regular Boom Tubes residue.”

“Than what the hay are they? No way they can mean anything other than bad news!”

“I crossed referenced the signal with the feedback the tubes are generating. The standard function of Boom Tubes is to overlap across space thus creating a wormhole that connects two points in space, allowing access between them without having to travel vast distances. These Boom Tubes however, have been modified. To put it simply, instead of opening a door and entering in another room, you open into the same room that you are in. Except it is already occupied by another version of you.”

“In other words, these Boom Tubes open to an alternate universe?”

“Parallel dimension, to be exact. Which would explain why galactic entities like the Green Lantern Corp haven't responded to these activities, policing other dimensions isn't exactly within their jurisdiction. To make matters more complicated, each tube is a gateway to a separate parallel universe. And without investigating them all individually, it's impossible to know exactly what they are trying to accomplish on the other sides.”

“That's insane!” Rainbow Flash slammed the council table furiously. “We have to stop this! There can only be one guy behind this and we all know his obsession with finding that stupid anti-whatcha-ma-callit for whatever dumb reason he has!”

“Anti-life-equation... he believes it can give him the power to wipe the galaxy clean and remake it in his own image.”

“See? What did I say... Insane!”

“To think he would go so far as to invade other dimensions.” Aquamare muttered. “Imagine the horror he will cause...”

“There is more.”

By adjusting the controls, Batmare zoomed in closer on the cluster of energy residue. Focusing on one that has fluctuating data surrounding it.

“This particular tube has recently seen increased activity. Judging by the positioning of the massive spaceship armada, whatever his plans are they seem to be accumulating here.”

“Than we go over there and shut him down! If we act fast, we can stop whatever he's planning before it gets worse.”

“Hold on. Rushing into a sector of space that has entire fleets of spaceships stationed there is suicide. And we cannot ignore the possibility that this could very well be a trap.”

“But what if it isn't a trap? What if there is something really, really, really bad going on and we didn't stop it in time before that bad thing happens, than everypony in every sector will be in big trouble and it will be all our fault?” Pinkie questioned earnestly. “But... if it really is a trap, we can be prepared for it! So when we arrive there they will think that they have a surprise for us but in fact they are the ones who will be surprised by our surprise because unlike their surprise they won't be expecting our surprise!”

Taking a deep breath, Pinkie grinned widely, making a 'squeeing' noise.

“Uh, what Lantern said.” With a flap of her wings Flash was airborne, hovering over her colleagues. “So lets do this! We strike fast, and we strike hard, they'll never know what hit them!”

“I can't believe we're having this discussion. Of course we are going!”

“Applejack is right, trap or not, we're heroes. We can't just sit idly by and wait while ponies suffer the consequences. It is our responsibility to protect those who can't protect themselves.”

“We won't be protecting anypony if we rush in head first. We need a plan.”

“Fair enough. I assume you have one already?”

“As a matter of fact, I do.” Batmare points to the aforementioned tube residue on the screen. “Instead of engaging in a direct confrontation with their full force here, we counter their plans on the other side, in this parallel universe.”

“What? Can we do that?”

“The Zeta Beams we use for our teleportation platform system can be reconfigured to act as a dimensional doorway.”

“And since when were you working on a inter-dimensional teleporter?”

“I have been experimenting with the Motherbox computer we salvaged since the last invasion on Equestria by Apokolips. It was inevitable that another global threat would occur in the future, so I took the precaution of studying their tech in preparation.”

“Of course you did...” Rainbow crossed her hooves as-a-matter-of-fact-ly.

“Um... how long will it take to convert the teleporter? I mean, it's not going to take days right?”

“It should take no more than two hours. That's enough time for everypony to prepare before the mission.”

“Alright, you heard the mare. Everypony do what you have to do. We assemble back at the Watchtower in two hours...”

It didn't take Pinkie long to reach her apartment. She slipped in through the window stealthily, making sure she hadn't been seen by anypony; least of all by Mr. and Mrs. Cake who ran the sweet shop at the base of the building. It was there where Pinkie worked as their assistant in her normal pony life. Although having grown close with Pinkie, they were unaware of her heroic activities outside of her working life with them in the shop. And she preferred that it stayed that way.

Pink tendril constructs closed the curtains before returning to her ring. Pinkie settled down in the middle of her living room and after a quick inspection, satisfied that everything was exactly the way she left it. She walked up to a dressing table that had a pile of stuffed toys, party horns and confetti strewn across it. Lifting her right hoof, Pinkie pressed her ring against the mirror. With a low hum the dressing table split in half, each side moving away from the center to reveal a secret compartment. And inside was a pink lantern shaped object; a Pink Lantern Power Battery.

If Justice League were going into another universe, Pinkie knew that she had to be fully prepared for the challenge ahead. And that meant a fully charged power ring. The pink mare pressed her hoof into the side of the lantern battery, connecting the ring with it's core. A gentle glow emitted from the device that steadily grew into a brilliant light as she uttered the oath of her corp.

“In saddest day, in bleakest night. The hope of joy will always shine bright. Let those who live in dread and fright... Hear my laughter... Pink Lantern's light!”

Power surged throughout her body enveloping Pinkie in a fiery blaze of light. And in a pinkish streak, Lantern flew out the window with construct appendages rearranging the room and closing the window behind her while she exited. Nopony was the wiser that a superhero was living among them in their little community.

Skyscrapers towered high above the city's landscape; on the streets below ponies went about their daily lives, each minding their own business. A group of little fillies and colts were having a field trip to the local park with their teacher, a cerise colored mare who was explaining the importance of flora to her students when one of them noticed something soaring across the skies and looked up. His jaw dropped at the sight before allowing excitement to overcome him.

“Look guys! Look Miss Cheerilee! It's Pink Lantern!”

Loud squeals and shrieks rang throughout the park from delighted fillies and colts as they realized that it really was Pink Lantern. And their teacher did nothing to stop them because she was admiring the hero herself. Soon, everypony in the vicinity turned their gaze upwards to witness this little interruption of their daily routine. And though super powered ponies appearing in public has been something that the citizens have grown accustomed to, it was still a sight to behold as one of them makes a spectacular flyby on occasion; case proven the many gasps of awe and wonder.

Just when it seemed Lantern was disappearing off into the sky she made a hundred degree flip backwards towards the ground, flying straight for the park. The closer she got the more ponies wondered whether she was going to hit the ground muzzle first. Twenty hooves above their heads, Lantern exploded into a flash of bright pink light. When the flare cleared, there were numerous constructs floating around the park of different shapes and sizes. Balloons, pinatas, slinkies, bouncing bubbles, and all other sort of party novelties brought out gasps from the crowd and joyful squeals from the young colts and fillies. Pinkie waved to the cheering crowd and left them to enjoy the constructs she created. Everypony waved back until the Lantern was out of their sight, then they went back to marveling her handiwork. The adults soon returned to their normal activities while the youngsters continued to enjoy playing with the light constructs.

“Okay my little ponies, that would be enough for today. It's time to head back to school.”

“Aww... but we haven't even started to with all this stuff Pink Lantern left behind!”

“Can we play just a little longer Miss Cheerilee? Please?

Two dozen beady eyes stared at Miss Cheerilee with such hope and longing their teacher chuckled affectionately before nodding in agreement.

“Oh, okay. Just a little longer.”

Back on the Watchtower...

“Are you sure about this?”

“Almost certainly. That would explain his interest in this particular reality, and the extent he went through of shielding his actions from the rest of the universe.”

“Shielding what from the universe?” Rainbow Dash said as she entered the room at subsonic speed creating a gust of wind blowing both Supermare and Batmare's cape in the breeze. The rest of the Justice League were already present before Rainbow had arrived. Wonder Mare shook her head disappointingly at Rainbow for her usual tardiness despite being the fastest pony alive, but the pegasus didn't notice her displeasure and remained oblivious to the disapproving stares she got.

“Our objective.” Batmare clarified herself while straightening her cape. “As we've learned before, alternate dimensions spread out across the multiverse in an infinite number of worlds. However, like branches hanging off a tree, there has to be a single source for the rest to exist. And after a little more researching by Supermare and I, we suspect that the reason why the forces of Apokolips are converging on this parallel dimension is that this could be that source, I call it, Equestria Prime.”

“For the record, I wanted to go with Alpha Equestria.” Pinkie waved a hoof around suggesting her idea could still be used, but conceded to the majority who chose otherwise.

“Right, fate of the universe is at hoof. Odds are stacked against us. We may never come back once we step through that teleporter... sounds like just another day for the Justice League to me.” Flash clapped her front hooves together in enthusiasm.

“Thankfully, Cyborg will be monitoring from the Hall to ensure the Zeta teleporter remains operational. Or should we call it dimensional jumper now? Um, I guess it doesn't really matter as long as it works right? Oh dear, I hope they won't malfunction right before we need to return...”

Rambling off with her sentences was a sign that Aquamare's fidgety nature started to kick in. Despite being a ruler of an entire nation under the seas she wasn't always part of that world. Her early life on the surface had shaped her into a timid and reclusive pony. Even after having to accustom herself to Atlantean nobility and being able to present herself in public to address the people, her subservient personality can manifest from time to time; which in extreme circumstances have been known to incapacitate her. An orange hoof wrapped around Aquamare's neck offering comfort. She stopped rambling and looked at Wonder Mare who was smiling reassuringly.

“We will overcome what lies ahead the same way as we always have... together.”

Aquamare smiled back, her confidence returning. She took a deep breath and nodded, signaling that she was okay. Seeing her team prepared to face the challenge before them, Supermare decided that it was time to proceed with their plan.

“Alright, now that everypony is up to speed, let's not delay any longer. Batmare, ready when you are.”

Upon Supermare's confirmation, Batmare opened her comlink.

“Cyborg, we're going in.”

Whirring sounds indicated that the now converted teleporter had started up. The circular gateway lit up as the interconnecting plates gathered up speed, multiple layers spinning clockwise and anti-clockwise. At the center of the gate reality seemed to bend and warp out of place, distorting the clear view of the hull of the Watchtower right behind the device. The low hum emitting from the machine built up to a defeaning crescendo. And with a sudden 'Boom' the empty space in the middle exploded in a burst of swirling light. The inter-dimensional portal was now active. In excitement, Lantern took one step forward before Batmare extended a hoof to block her.

“A moment. I am triangulating the exact coordinates for the best possible location for us to arrive at.”

“Yeah, wouldn't want to teleport straight into the heart of a volcano. That would be uncool.”

“Here...” Batmare pointed on her holographic map display of the location. “...that's our exit spot.”
The swirling pool of energy cleared in the middle to reveal a glimpse of the world before them. It looked like a dark forest with a heavy, permanent shadow blanketing the land. And pass some of the trees, there seemed to be some sort of commotion in a small clearing.

“And it seems like we're just in time...”

The Everfree Forest...

The earth shattering roar of the timberwolf shook Zecora to her soul. She fully expected her end to come when a thunderous 'Boom' behind the timberwolf caught both it, and her attention. As the wooden beast turned around to face this new potential threat, Zecora peered between it's legs the best she could; what she saw almost made her jaw dropped. Appearing from a large circle of twirling energies were six figures whom were unmistakeably Princess Twilight and her friends, albeit dressed in some rather strange outfits. The bright circle evaporated behind them and the group stood there in the middle of the forest assessing the situation. The timberwolf that initially chased Zecora had reunited with it's partner, and now both of them inspect the little group with hunger in their eyes.

Without warning, the two timberwolves charged the ponies from two sides, howling with ferocity determined not to let their new found prey escape from their clutches. But unfortunately for them, these were not their typical everyday ponies.

Thinking they had their victims cornered for sure, the timberwolves lunged towards the ponies determined to disembowel them. With lightning fast reaction Supermare flew off the ground and delivered a mighty uppercut to the wolf sending it crashing into the trees. The second timberwolf barely had any time to comprehend what was going on before it felt the full brunt of Wonder Mare's hind legs to the chest. It too ended up crashing through trees and foliage before landing roughly on top of the previous timberwolf. Shocked speechless by the destruction of the environment around her, Zecora didn't even notice Rainbow Flash had zipped past the action and was yelling in her face trying to get her attention.

“Hey! Vixen? Is that you? You alright?”

Zecora finally managed to focus on Flash and slowly started to regain her senses.

“I... I am fine, but this Vixen name... it is not mine.”

“Well you sure look like Vixen. But you definitely don't sound like her. I guess that's alternate dimensions for ya.”

“From what what I see, you look and sound like Rainbow Dash...” The rest of the League reached the two mares while Lantern flew overhead to lock the beasts in a cage construct. “...but it seems to me, I may have judged too fast.”

“Oooh, she rhymes!”

“Whoever you think we may be, that's not us. We are not from your world, but one that parallels your own... though with how many differences is yet to be determined.” Batmare calmly explained to Zecora who, all things considered, took the news rather well.

“Oh my...” Zecora looked at each of them, confounded by their eerily identical resemblance to her friends. “I do not think you lie. But tell me please, and I do not mean to be rude, have you come to cause harm, or to do good?”

Supermare offered Zecora a hoof to help her up, and with a friendly beam on her face reassured the cautious zebra.

“To do good.” Supermare said gently as she help Zecora to her hooves. “But I'm afraid we bring dire news to your world. Is there any authority or government we can speak to? We fear everypony here could be in grave danger.”

Sensing the earnest tone of her voice, Zecora looked at Supermare and her group with a million thoughts racing through her head.

“If you truly wish to help our world, than first I need you to bring me to this girl. She is our princess and she with her friends must be now be sought, for I fear that their time is short.”

A monstrous roar grabbed their attention and it echoed throughout the forest sending many birds and animals scattering away from the source. The sound seemed like it came from behind the group of ponies, and it sounded near. Supermare turned to Zecora with urgency in her voice.

“Tell us everything...”

Author's Note

It's been far too long. I'd like to give a shout out to Kathleen who has become a recent supporter of mine. And if it wasn't for her constant support and encouragement, I might never have been able to get back on the writing wagon again.

And if anyone else is still reading my fic, I thank you sincerely for not giving up on me. Hope to see you guys in the next chapter soon!