Wrath of the Shadow General

Chapters

Chapter 1: Origins
Chapter 3: Ponies vs. Bronies
Chapter 4: Martinet's Machinations
Chapter 5: WAR!
Chapter 6: Eclipsing Celestia
Chapter 7: We're the Princesses
Chapter 2: Prepare for Battle

Chapter 1: Origins

"Daddy, my tummy hurts." Walking into Ponyville was a little pink Earth filly with a rather large blonde mane and tail. She was accompanied by a dark-colored unicorn stallion with a wavy brown mane and tail. His horn was slightly curved and he sported a pair of black shades.

"You're just nervous, sweetheart," said the stallion, trying to comfort her. "Ponyville is new to you... and to me as well. I've heard that it may not be the greatest place in Equestria, but it's the only place I could book us into on such short notice."

"But I've heard that kids around here do terrible things to anypony without a cutie mark!" the filly squeaked. "I think I'm scared."

"Don't worry," assured the stallion. "I promised that I would protect you from harm. And I will. Nopony will lay a hoof on you." But somepony was watching the two of them. It was the mischievous Diamond Tiara, and she had an evil plot behind her sweet and innocent-looking face.

"Heh heh heh..." she snickered, rubbing her front paws together gleefully. "Another blank flank to become my victim!"

Meanwhile in Canterlot, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna were inside the castle's throne room when a royal guard rushed in, bowed respectfully, and removed his helmet.

"Your Highnesses," he spoke. "I regret to bring you most unfortunate news. 'He' has been sighted." Both princesses gasped in horror.

"Sister, what can we do?" asked Luna.

"Luna, please hurry to the Crystal Empire and inform Princess Cadance and Shining Armor," replied Celestia. "They both must know about this. I will summon Princess Twilight Sparkle."

"As you wish, dear sister." After Luna departed, Celestia looked worried.

"Oh, my dear Twilight," she thought. "I'm so sorry I will have to put you through this..."

Back in Ponyville, Cheerilee was organizing her desk inside the schoolhouse in preparation for the start of a new school year. She then came across an old card that had been given to her by the Cutie Mark Crusaders, three of her students. As if remembering it, she had a look and the card read "We love you, Miss Cheerilee!". The card had a photo of the Cutie Mark Crusaders hugging while posing for the camera attached to it and the card itself had been signed by all three of them. It made Cheerilee smile, but at the same time, tears came to her eyes and she seemed saddened. Not long ago, the three fillies had been wrongly accused of an accident they didn't commit. And although things had been settled, as a steep price to be paid, they had fallen into a state of anxiety and depression and it seemed that they wouldn't be their cheerful selves for a long time, if ever again. It also didn't help that at one point Rarity had initially believed Sweetie Belle was pulling a prank on her back when Discord's chaotic vines were steadily taking over Ponyville. Now that Cheerilee thought of it, she realized it wasn't fair for other ponies to accuse the Cutie Mark Crusaders of being silly pranksters. They had only been trying to find out their special talents, albeit the hard way, but they had just been going at things the wrong way as if they were being misguided, nothing more. They obviously never intentionally wanted to bring harm to anypony.

Soon, there was a knock at the classroom door. Brushing hair out of her eyes, Cheerilee went and answered the door. It was the dark-colored stallion and his little pink filly daughter.

"Ah, hello!" said Cheerilee. "Do come on in." The dark stallion nodded and removed his shades, exposing his bright blue eyes. He then put on a friendly smile.

"My name is Shadowstealth," said the stallion. "This is my daughter, Thick."

"Oh, you must be the new transfer student!" said Cheerilee, addressing Thick. "It's nice to meet you, sweetie." Thick smiled and blushed. "My name is Cheerilee and I will be your new teacher."

"Miss Cheerilee," said Shadowstealth. "I am most sorry to have to tell you this, but... my daughter is very nervous, particularly with the unsettling things she believes are happening here in Ponyville."

"Such as?"

"She heard that some kids can be cruel to those without cutie marks."

"Oh... that. I'm afraid so." Cheerilee winced. "But believe me, I've tried everything. But nothing seems to get resolved. Just recently, three of my students who also don't have cutie marks have become too afraid to even leave their homes. And I'm deeply worried about them. However, I think that they will love your daughter and welcome her with open arms."

"That is at least comforting to know," said Shadowstealth. "However, it is also my job to tell you that Thick is a filly with special needs. She's had a rather dark past and as a result, she has become frail."

"So she needs protection?"

"That's fair to say," replied Shadowstealth. "And because of this, I'd like to ask you a favor."

Elsewhere, standing on a cliff, a tall, dominant-looking crimson red unicorn stallion looked out at the view from up on high. A torn cape hung from his back, blowing in the wind. His horn was frighteningly sharp, looking like it could run a pony through. An angry look soon crossed his face. That's when a rather rugged-looking male pony approached him and saluted.

"Status report, sir!" said the pony. The tall stallion said nothing in response, but continued staring into the distance. "All of Canterlot knows of your presence," the rugged pony continued. "Soon, everypony in Equestria will know that you are here!" The stallion drew in a deep breath through his nostrils and then snorted, but yet at the same time, he seemed to be perfectly confident knowing this.

"Excellent," he said. "It's about time. Just as I planned."

"Sir?"

"With my presence acknowledged, fear will course through the veins of everypony in the land. Fear will make them all bow down and submit to me! They will know who I am and what I stand for! And with that, I will rule Equestria and establish my empire once and for all!"

Chapter 3: Ponies vs. Bronies

Meanwhile in Ponyville, Cheerilee led Shadowstealth and Thick to the clubhouse where the Cutie Mark Crusaders hung out.

"This is it, right here," said Cheerilee. "Applejack's old clubhouse. Apple Bloom told me that it used to be a wreck until she repaired it and gave it a makeover."

"Sweet!" said Thick. "That must be her special talent!"

"Well, she has yet to realize that. Otherwise, she would have received her cutie mark some time ago."

"That doesn't seem plausible," said Shadowstealth, rubbing his chin. "How can a pony be so good at something and not realize it's his or her special talent. There must be more to it than just that."

"Well anyway," said Cheerilee. "Shadowstealth, I believe you wanted to introduce Thick to these three fillies."

"Certainly," he said. Inside the clubhouse, the Cutie Mark Crusaders sat around looking somewhat bored, but mostly sad.

"Maybe everythin' we ever did... this whole Cutie Mark Crusaders thing..." murmured Apple Bloom. "Maybe it was all a mistake."

"All we wanted was to find our cutie marks," said Sweetie Belle. "We never imagined that we would take things the wrong way."

"This stinks," sighed Scootaloo. "Now look at us. We're total wimps hiding in our clubhouse expecting somepony to come along and do something bad to us again."

"Well, ah reckon nothin' can go wrong if we just stay right here," assumed Apple Bloom.

"Except that those snotty bullies Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon know where we are," said Sweetie Belle, shaking slightly. "And that they pick on us especially."

"And if we fight back, we'll only get into trouble ourselves," said Scootaloo. "It's not fair!" There was suddenly a knock on the wooden door, making the three fillies cringe and grab hold of each other in fright.

"Hello?" It was the voice of Shadowstealth. "Don't be afraid in there. I'm a friend of Miss Cheerilee. I want you to meet a new friend. Can she come in?" The Cutie Mark Crusaders were puzzled. Someone wanted to see them? The door opened and in came the adorable little filly Thick, who looked just as nervous as they did. She slowly walked over the Cutie Mark Crusaders.

"A-are you the Cutie Mark Crusaders?" she asked.

"We are!" said Apple Bloom, starting to light up.

"At least we were," mumbled Scootaloo.

"We still are," insisted Sweetie Belle. "Looks like you have yet to earn your cutie mark as well. Would you like to join our group?"

"C-can I?" asked Thick.

"Sure ya can!" said Apple Bloom. "Hey, Scootaloo! We got a ceremony to set up!"

"I don't feel like it," murmured Scootaloo.

"Why not?" asked Apple Bloom.

"What's the use? We're just a bunch of silly fillies who only get into trouble and it's never worth it."

"I wouldn't be quick to give up like that if I were you." Shadowstealth himself walked into the clubhouse along with Cheerilee. "The problem is that instead of even trying for your cutie marks, you actually enjoy yourselves doing daily activities and having fun as little fillies. If you really want to earn your cutie marks, then as a start, you can't just try out for the same thing. Every pony has a different special talent. It's what makes us all unique."

"Really?" said Scootaloo.

"Why else do you think you haven't earned your cutie marks yet? Because you haven't yet figured out what has been destined for you. In other words, you need to think back to not just things that you like doing, but things that you are good at."

"What if we don't have any special talents?" asked a worried Scootaloo. "I can't even fly and Diamond Tiara decided to have everypony in Ponyville acknowledge that I was just a useless Pegasus. I imagine she and Silver Spoon are probably forming their own secret society dedicated to stamping out blank flanks or something like that."

Meanwhile, at the Rich's manor, a group of young ponies with cutie marks had gathered in Diamond Tiara's room.

"Welcome, friends," said Diamond Tiara. "Welcome to our first meeting of... the Diamond Cutters!"

"We'll do anything for mistress Diamond Tiara!" said Snips. Apparently, he and Snails were part of this group.

"Yeah, Diamond Tiara knows best!" Snails agreed.

"Excellent!" said Diamond Tiara. "As you all know, our organization is to ensure that those ponies who are blank flanks stay blank flanks! After all, what good is a pony without a special talent? What good is a pony who can't even figure out his or her special talent might be? So it's our job to keep things that way... especially for those Cutie Mark Crusaders!" The group of young ponies chuckled, except for one... Twist. Instead, she looked guilty, as if to say that the only reason she joined Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon was because she was too afraid of them to stand up for her friend Apple Bloom any longer. "Soon..." Diamond Tiara continued. "This town of Ponyville will be divided in two. There will be ponies with cutie marks and ponies without cutie marks. And they will be divided... forever!!" She laughed maniacally.

"Uh... Diamond Tiara?" asked Twist, feeling slightly brave enough. "About that."

"Hm? Yes, Twist? You have something to say?"

"That doesn't make any sense."

"It doesn't, huh? Well, what doesn't make sense?

"Remember what we learned in Miss Cheerilee's class? All ponies are born without cutie marks and they earn them in their youth days. I think your proposal means eventually separating even foals from their parents. Is that what you really want?" All the young ponies except for Diamond Tiara gasped. Diamond Tiara looked like she definitely had something to think about, but she seemed determined not to let it bother her.

"You know what I think?" she finally said. "Why should foals even be born without cutie marks?! Our special talents are meant to be destined for us! So why shouldn't foals be born with them?"

"Now, l-let's not be too hasty, mistress Diamond Tiara," said Snails.

"Yeah," agreed Snips. "Wasn't there a time when you didn't have your own cutie mark yet?" Diamond Tiara growled at this.

"Me? A blank flank?! I will never accept that! Blank flanks are useless! That's why we're all here! To prove it! As Diamond Cutters, we will torment them. We will smash their dreams to pieces! We will divide them from ponies with cutie marks! Because they deserve it! Cutie marks are everything! Does anypony else want to disagree?" There was silence. "No? Good. Because our mission... begins now! And we'll start... with those Cutie Mark Crusaders!"

Back in Canterlot, after Shining Armor and Cadance went back to the Crystal Empire to round up their guards, the royal guards serving Celestia and Luna were preparing to make their first move, willing to do whatever it took to keep Equestria's throne safe from tyranny. Inside the castle, Twilight and her friends remained with Celestia and Luna, trying to figure out a way to go around Martinet's high magic level.

"This is gonna be Trixie with that Alicorn Amulet all over again!" complained Rainbow Dash. "It was bad enough that we were unable to stand up to her and protect Twilight, but now this?!"

"It's okay, Dashie," said Twilight. "We'll find a way together. Remember, no magic can break the bonds of our friendship."

"Well, I'm not sure what good that's gonna do. Oh, man! Discord had better get his act together and help us for pony's sake! Agh, I can't believe those words came out of my mouth!" Despite the dire predicament Canterlot was facing, Twilight had to let out a small laugh at that. Celestia then approached Twilight to talk with her.

"Twilight Sparkle," she said. "Again, I'm most terribly sorry for having to put you and your friends through what could be the most dangerous mission of your lives."

"Princess," insisted Twilight. "My friends wanted to do this with me. You didn't force them or anything. And besides, I love Equestria as much as you do. And I want to help protect it. It's not because I'm a princess and I feel that it's my royal duty to do so. It's because this is my home. It's everypony's home! I don't want to think about what horrors Martinet will do should he win."

"We can't let him win no matter what," said Celestia. "Because Martinet does not understand friendship like you do. And now, I'm afraid he never will."

"We'll do what we have to," answered Twilight. "For Equestria."

"Twilight," said Spike. "I'm scared."

"Oh, Spike," murmured Twilight. "So am I. I'm hoping that things will be all right in the end."

"I just don't want to lose you." Twilight and Spike hugged, with Spike not wanting to let go.

"C'mon, Twi," said Applejack. "Let's go get the Elements of Harmony back. Ah reckon the Tree of Harmony wouldn't mind if we just borrowed them momentarily, 'specially fer a noble cause."

"Yeah," agreed Twilight. "We'll be right back, princesses!" Twilight and her friends left the castle, intending to take the next train back to Ponyville.

"Going somewhere?" A gruff, masculine and angry voice suddenly spoke to them. No sooner did Twilight and her friends leave the castle gates, they found themselves surrounded by a group a rugged-looking ponies, sniggering diabolically.

"Wha... I don't... How did they...?" stuttered Twilight. And then, 'he' appeared before the eyes of Twilight and her friend. Martinet, the Shadow General himself, made his way through the crowd of his own ponies to confront the six friends personally.

"Well, well..." he boomed. "What have we here?"

"You're him!" shouted Rainbow Dash. "Martinet! What do you want with us?!"

"Rainbow Dash," muttered Twilight through gritted teeth, hoping that Martinet wouldn't hear what she had to say. "Don't make any sudden moves."

"What's going on?" said Celestia, stepping outside the castle. She gasped upon seeing that Canterlot was already being invaded, with Martinet right at the castle gates. "Martinet!"

"Princess Celestia," sneered Martinet. "You tyrant scum! Your reign is officially over! Equestria belongs to me, a more worthy ruler!"

"I don't understand," said Celestia. "What happened to the guards? What happened to Luna's guards?" The dark-coated ponies snickered.

"Guards?" one of them said. "What guards?" Twilight's friends and Celestia all gasped.

"No... you couldn't have... There's no way... What have you done?!" bellowed Celestia.

"You mean these guards?" said another roughneck pony, revealing that Celestia's guards who had been preparing were turned into either infants or old geezers clad in armor, unable to even fight back.

"You snake!" roared Rainbow Dash.

"SILENCE!!" shouted Martinet, with a voice ten times louder than Rainbow. "I will have your head!" Without warning, he fired a blast of crimson red magic at Rainbow, but she easily dodged it and it struck a part of the castle, leaving a gaping hole in its wall. "Foolish girl! I will rule the world! Equestria now belongs... to the bronies!!" He then cut loose with an evil laugh that grew louder and louder, making Twilight, her friends, and even Celestia cringe. This could be the end for all of them and all of Equestria.

Author's Note

The Diamond Cutters is actually a group name here and on deviantART dedicated to Diamond Tiara and the slim chance that she can be redeemed. The way the group is portrayed in this story shows a perspective from Black Kyurem's opinion that thinks otherwise. Black Kyurem is not a member of Diamond Cutters and claims no original rights whatsoever. Only the group name is used here.

Chapter 4: Martinet's Machinations

Martinet had Twilight, her friends, Celestia, and Luna backed against the castle gates. He then started to advance towards the drawbridge.

"Move aside," he hissed. "The throne is mine. One move... one hoof out of line... and I will make you croak!!"

"I will allow you to speak first," said Celestia. "What are you going to do to Equestria? And why?"

"Ha!" snorted a brony. "You think General Martinet is gonna tell you that?"

"Yeah!" sneered another brony. "What good is it gonna do ya when you're all dead?" Martinet raised a hoof and pointed it sideways, gesturing for the two bronies to stand down.

"Very well..." he said to Celestia. "Since you put it that way, I will tell you my ambitions. For my whole life, I lived in the Hollow Shades with my people. Then one day, my family and I paid a visit to Canterlot to witness the Summer Sun Celebration. It was thirty years ago today. And I remember quite clearly the speech that Princess Celestia gave to us that day."

"Equestria is a land of peace and harmony," said Celestia during Martinet's past memory. "Let us help to keep it that way. All ponies should be equal, regardless of who we are and what our special talents turn out to be. The way we are different makes us all unique."

"All ponies are equal," repeated Martinet. "Is that not what you said, Princess Celestia?"

"Yes, that is what I believe," sighed Celestia.

"Well, I beg to differ," said Martinet. "Your guards, princess... Do you know what they have done to me?"

"What?"

"As a young colt, I was creative. My imagination ran wild and I dreamed of ways to make the Hollow Shades a better place to live. I wanted to improve the lives of my people. But then along came your guards to stop me and spoil my fun! They threatened me. They pointed their spears at me. They demanded me to stop what I was doing or face... the penalty! Nopony living in the Hollow Shades liked that, so I had no choice but to allow myself to be suppressed by the rules laid out... by your guards, Celestia.

"You swore that all ponies were equal and free! But my people were not! I wanted to improve the Hollow Shades, but your guards would not let me make things better! They suppressed us! I had to run away from home! So I swore I would be stronger than the guards so I could resist them. I learned magic and after years of hard, grueling, and torturous practice, I finally was better than the guards and so I set the Hollow Shades free!

"So at last, I was able to freely improve the lives of my people in the Hollow Shades, but it wasn't good enough for me. I knew that there would be ponies who would resist me and my creativity and good intent. And when other ponies rallied to me and my fruitions, I began to spread my town's establishments. I wanted all of Equestria to bask in the glory of the Hollow Shades. But then you, princess, you came along and suppressed me and my people! You never even knew my plans, nor did you give me a chance!"

"You're right," agreed Celestia. "I didn't know, but I had my reasons for stopping you. I sensed that you were becoming corrupted with power and I hoped to stop that from happening. I was trying to save you from yourself!"

"And you think that sacrificing my dreams was the answer?!"

"No. But what I did was considered doing the right thing for all of us, not just for me, and sometimes it does mean giving up our dreams. I hoped that you would learn something and move on to something more peaceful. But I couldn't have been more wrong. You weren't willing to learn from your mistakes. And now, you insist on taking over Equestria just so that you can satisfy yourself, your beliefs, and your dreams!"

"You hypocrite!" bellowed Martinet. "As long as you breathe, you insist on running Equestria the way you want! Why else were you allowing your guards to push me and my people around?"

"I would never...!"

"But you did! I looked up to you! I thought you were the kind of pony who would treat us all fairly! But in the Hollow Shades, we were treated as if we were living in slums! I tried everything to improve our lives! I built shops to avoid traveling to marketplaces. I grew plants for food. But everything I ever did, I was forced to destroy. Your guards made me destroy my own creations! All because your guards owned the town! And their rules were surely your rules as well!

"So, princess, now that I've made my point and explained everything, you will give me what's rightfully mine! It is now my turn to suppress you and put an end to your farcical regime! Do you have any last words you wish to say before I cut you down to size?" Celestia remained silent, her eyes hidden behind her flowing colorful mane.

Meanwhile, back at Sweet Apple Acres, Diamond Tiara led her Diamond Cutters group to the Cutie Mark Crusaders' clubhouse.

"You're not gonna hurt Apple Bloom, are you?" Twist asked Diamond Tiara nervously.

"Oh, don't be silly, Twist," answered Diamond Tiara. "You heard of sticks and stones? The body can heal, but the spirit is more vulnerable. In order to suppress the Cutie Mark Crusaders and all ponies without cutie marks, the trick is to break their precious spirit. By destroying their confidence in themselves, they'll never be able to figure out their special talents and never get their cutie marks."

"So what's your plan?" asked Silver Spoon.

"We are going to destroy their clubhouse!" grinned Diamond Tiara evilly. Twist gasped.

"No!" she cried. "You can't! Apple Bloom worked so hard to fix it!"

"Twist!" Diamond Tiara snarled. "You agreed to join the Diamond Cutters, remember? You're one of us! That means no backing down for you! So you are gonna take part in our little sabotage! Got it?!"

"I never wanted to..." Twist started to say, but she was cut off by Diamond Tiara glaring at her and scowling. "Yeah... Got it..."

"Good." But when Diamond Tiara and the others arrived at the clubhouse, they found it completely surrounded by a pink-colored shield. Diamond Tiara frowned at first, but did not believe that Sweetie Belle's magic was strong enough to create a whole force field. "Oh, come on! A little shield isn't gonna stop us!" She walked right into the shield, but couldn't advance any further. It really was a shield and it really was keeping her and her group out. She growled. "Cutie Mark Crusaders!" she then shouted at the clubhouse. "I know you're in there, so listen up! This is your worst nightmare! You can't keep this shield up forever, so you might as well accept your destinies... as failures! You'll never get your cutie marks no matter what you do! Your only special talents are being the most useless fillies in all of Equestria! Everypony hates you! Blank flanks! You hear me?! Blank flanks! This isn't over yet! I'll see to it that you and the rest of your kind are thrown away with the garbage where you belong! You're nothing! And that's all you'll ever be!!" And with that, Diamond Tiara started to leave. "Diamond Cutters, dismissed! For now..." All the young ponies left, but Twist stayed behind. She placed her hoof on the shield and saw that even she couldn't walk through it.

"Apple Bloom?" she said quietly. "I'm so sorry. I tried to stand up for you. I really did. But Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon both threatened me and said I didn't deserve to because I have my cutie mark. I was too scared to tell anypony. Diamond Tiara is just being more horrible than she's ever been. I don't know if she can even be stopped. ...Please forgive me." There was no response. Twist started to cry, so she turned around and walked home in tears. Inside the clubhouse, Scootaloo was watching from the window to make sure Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon were gone.

"All clear!" she said, and the shield came down. "Thanks for putting up that shield, Shadowstealth."

"No problem," said Shadowstealth, revealing that he too was in the clubhouse along with Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom, and his daughter Thick. "Now I know what those rich bullies are up to. I never imagined a little filly would want to go so far as to discriminate against ponies without cutie marks so much that she wants to cut Ponyville in two."

"Actually, ah don't understand that at all," said Apple Bloom. "Even for Diamond Tiara, this is going too far. Ah think there's somethin' we don't know about all this."

"Are you thinking that there's possibly a darker power at work here?" asked Shadowstealth.

"Ah've been bullied by those two time and time again, enough so that ah know somethin' about them. And ah think somethin' unusual has gotten into Diamond Tiara."

"What about Silver Spoon?" asked Sweetie Belle.

"She just seems to go along with Diamond Tiara," said Apple Bloom. "Although, with Diamond Tiara in her current state, ah wouldn't be surprised if she's doin' this just 'cause she's scared of her."

"Whatever the case, Cheerilee and Filthy Rich must know about this," said Shadowstealth decisively. "Diamond Tiara is dangerous and she's becoming a threat to Ponyville. It doesn't matter what she thinks of anypony who tells an adult. She has to be stopped no matter what it takes. And I promise all of you, I will help see to that. Ponyville is meant to be a safe place for young ponies to grow up, not for them to live in fear of being an outcast for not having a cutie mark. Apparently, Diamond Tiara does not understand at all that things like these take time."

Back at the Canterlot castle gates, Martinet clearly had the upper hand before a possible all-out war could even begin. He had everyone right where he wanted him, but Celestia still had something to say.

"I strive only to help keep peace throughout Equestria," she said, her eyes hiding behind her mane. "I sent my guards to watch over the Hollow Shades because pony criminals used to run the town and make its denizens live in fear. I admit that those guards might have believed that the Hollow Shades would continue to harbor a bad reputation, so they didn't want any ponies to create things or such, believing they would rise against them one day if they were allowed this chance. Alas, they did not stop you, Martinet, from your magic training. My guards stationed at the Hollow Shades were defeated, all because you wished to cast away this bad reputation of your home. But you were becoming corrupted by your own power, so I had to save you from yourself! It didn't work. I would apologize for all that happened to you in your past, but I can sense that you are far beyond reasoning with. So as princess of Equestria, I will do what I must."

"You fool!" bellowed Martinet. "You have no hope at all whatsoever! I have an army! And my magic is far superior than any unicorn and alicorn that ever existed! I am the highest level unicorn in the world!" Celestia growled.

"Princess," murmured Twilight. "What do we do now?" But Celestia hung her head and said nothing. Martinet roared in fury and triumph.

"I AM INVINCIBLE!!!! AND I WILL NOT LET ANYPONY STOP ME NO MATTER WHO DOES WHAT!!!!"

Chapter 5: WAR!

Things looked bleak for Twilight and her friends. They knew that Martinet was gloating instead of just unleashing his fury on them because if they tried anything, they'd be taken down in ten seconds flat.

"Once Equestria belongs to me, I can do whatever I want!" declared Martinet. "The bronies and I will have all the power in the world to share and use it however we see fit! And if any of you dare to defy me and my regime, I will crush you into nothingness!"

"We can't allow ourselves to stand for this!" said Celestia.

"Are you sure, princess?" asked Martinet. "I don't have to destroy all of you... if you join me! You'll find that being a subordinate under my command and being alive will be much better than the suppression you bestowed to me and my people! I simply wish to rule Equestria the way I want! We bronies will be the supreme dominant force that controls this land! All I ask for in exchange is your cooperation. Do this for me and I will spare your lives."

"You're lying!" accused Celestia. "I know what you plan to do! Anypony who isn't you or your people you will stamp out no matter what we do! You're a coward, Martinet! All you ever did growing up was seize power from the backs of others by intimidating them with nothing but your stature!"

"HOW DARE YOU!!"

"I'll die before I allow you to get away with this!" Celestia's words made Twilight gasp in horror.

"Yes, princess, yes!" Martinet agreed. "You will DIE!!!!" Martinet raised his front hooves, preparing to strike first, but before he could, he was suddenly hit by a speeding force and knocked to the ground. It was an armored griffon, leading a pack of griffons that started to attack the bronies. The army from the Griffon Kingdom had arrived just in time!

"The griffons are here!" exclaimed Rainbow Dash. But the griffons weren't alone. Princess Luna was leading an assault with her bat-pony guards all over Canterlot. While the guards struck with magic and weapons, Luna was also unleashing her powerful magic to defeat the enemy bronies. Celestia then fired off a wave of golden magic, restoring her own guards to normal so they could join the fight. Also, charging into Canterlot came the buffaloes from Appleloosa, led by Chief Thunderhooves and Little Strongheart, plowing through bronies left and right.

"Come on, girls!" shouted Rainbow Dash. "Let's take 'em down!" So Twilight and her friends joined the fight against the bronies. Twilight fired bursts of magic, Applejack and Rarity used their rear hooves for kicking, Pinkie Pie fired rounds from her party cannon, and Rainbow Dash performed a Sonic Rainboom at a point blank range, right near a group of bronies. Even Spike fought a few bronies by breathing green fire at them and torching their fur.

"Now is the time!" declared Celestia. "Twilight, let us summon the Changelings to fight for our side!" Both Celestia and Twilight got their horns glowing green and by opening a portal in the sky, the Changelings came swooping down and relentlessly attacked the bronies, trapping them with their green goo. Several Changelings transformed into perfect copies of Martinet, confusing bronies and gaining the upper hand. Queen Chrysalis herself took a shot at the real Martinet, clashing horns.

"Nopony conquers Equestria but me!" she hissed. And finally, Captain Shining Armor arrived, leading the Crystal Pony guards. As they charged, Cadance entered the scene and the couple touched horns, lighting up and transforming into an embodiment of pure love. Their shockwave spread across Equestria, sending many of the bronies packing. After being hit by such a force, the bronies started to flee.

"Cowards!!" Martinet bellowed furiously, still trying to hold off Chrysalis. "Get back here and fight! This is nothing! We will stand together until Equestria is ours! Until Equestria is mine!" But then he saw the shockwave of Shining Armor and Cadance coming straight for him. So he activated his own magic and surrounded himself in a powerful shield, throwing Chrysalis off of him and protecting himself completely from the shockwave. After the storm of love subsided, many of the bronies were down and out. Martinet's shield had been broken, but he had emerged unharmed. Chrysalis attempted to take another shot at Martinet by firing green magic from her horn, but when Martinet fired his own crimson red magic at Chrysalis, it easily overpowered her, taking her down for the count.

"Imbecile!" he roared. "Changelings don't scare me! They are nothing but mindless imposters! Begone! Back where you came from!" With another flash of his magic, the Changelings were hurled up into the air and they vanished instantly, including Chrysalis.

"Girls!" Twilight called to her friends. "We need to get the Elements of Harmony now!" Twilight and her friends dropped what they were doing and prepared to flee Canterlot.

"NO!" bellowed Martinet. "NO YOU DON'T!!" His next magic trick raised himself aloft in the air, protected by a shield so nopony could hurt him while he was charging up. From up on high, Martinet released a stream of crimson red rays from his horn in several directions, hitting just about every single one of Celestia's allies and taking them down in the process. Chief Thunderhooves, Little Strongheart, Shining Armor, Cadance, Luna, and Twilight's friends were all struck down along with their armies.

"Spike!" screeched Twilight. "Look out!" She tossed Spike off her back just in time before she and Celestia got hit by Martinet's magic rays and falling to the ground. Spike hurried over to check on his best friend.

"Twilight?" he murmured, trying to shake her awake. Twilight groaned in pain and she couldn't move. "Twilight?!" Tears came to Spike's eyes.

Meanwhile, back in Ponyville, Shadowstealth was escorting his daughter and the Cutie Mark Crusaders to the schoolhouse. And Cheerilee was happy to see Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo again.

"Oh, my little darlings!" she cooed, hugging them all. "I missed you."

"I'm sorry, Miss Cheerilee," Shadowstealth regretfully interrupted. "But this isn't a visit on good terms. I came to inform you of something serious."

"What is it?"

"Diamond Tiara has threatened to somehow seperate ponies with cutie marks from ponies without cutie marks."

"What?! But that can't be! Even Diamond Tiara wouldn't dare to go that far!"

"Yes, I myself find it hard to believe, but I have proof." Shadowstealth's horn glowed and projected an image of what had been seen when Diamond Tiara and her group came to the protected clubhouse.

"Your only special talents are being the most useless fillies in all of Equestria! Everypony hates you! Blank flanks! You hear me?! Blank flanks! This isn't over yet! I'll see to it that you and the rest of your kind are thrown away with the garbage where you belong! You're nothing! And that's all you'll ever be!!" Cheerilee was horrified.

"How... how could she..." She started to tear up.

"Either she's been spared too long," suggested Shadowstealth. "Or it's possible that she might be under some kind of influence."

"I hope it's the latter," said Cheerilee. "I just can't stomach even Diamond Tiara deliberately wanting to harm other ponies."

"I will inform Filthy Rich immediately," said Shadowstealth. "These fillies are sticking with me so I can protect them. Diamond Tiara could be anywhere, so I fear they might not be safe walking alone. Miss Cheerilee, Diamond Tiara is dangerous. We must be prepared to do whatever it takes should the worst be realized. Are you willing to do so?" Cheerilee shed a single tear.

"Yes," she said decisively. "Whatever it takes, this all has to stop."

Chapter 6: Eclipsing Celestia

"Martinet! Over here!" A young Martinet bounded his way over to his friends, three other male ponies, happy to see them.

"Hey, guys!" he said. "Ready for today?"

"Oh yeah!" said one of his friends, a unicorn.

"Can't wait to get started!" said another, a chubby Pegasus.

"So, what'cha got?" said the third, a small but slightly buff Earth pony. Martinet put down a sack he was carrying and showed his friends what was in it.

"Watermelon seeds!" exclaimed Martinet. "And I'm gonna plant them here at our hideout!"

"We're gonna have our own little garden!" said the unicorn.

"Of course we are, Marshall," said Martinet. "And someday, they're gonna grow into big, plump, juicy watermelons all ready to eat!"

"And how's your shop coming along?" asked the Pegasus.

"It's almost finished, Briar," answered Martinet. "Once it's all built, I can sell all kinds of foods that I've planted so other ponies won't have to travel all the way to Fillydelphia to go shopping. We can get our own food here!"

"I hope it's worth the wait!" said the Earth pony.

"Oh, it will be, Black Belt," assured Martinet. "Someday, the Hollow Shades will be much better than it is now. It may take a very long time, but I'm willing to see it through till the end."

"I will, too," said Marshall. "Martinet, we're your friends, and we're sticking together no matter what."

"Yeah."

"I wanna be there when the Hollow Shades are better," declared Briar. "And I hope that maybe we can be remembered for this."

"I can see it already, Briar," said Martinet. "Just think. 'Four young ponies stand through trials and tribulations to improve the lives of ponies living in the Hollow Shades'. It'll be great."

"Come on!" shouted Black Belt. "What are we waiting for? Let's plant these seeds! The sooner the better!"

"Yeah, let's," agreed Martinet. Black Belt used his strength to dig a hole in ground as Martinet and Marshall used their magic to place the seeds in the hole.

"We're best friends, right?" asked Marshall.

"Of course we are," said Martinet. "The years may go by, and destiny may see us leaving in separate directions and we may not see each other as much as we used to, but nothing changes the magic of friendship. Not even time itself."

"That's forever," said Marshall.

"Maybe someday, we can go and visit the Neighagra Falls," suggested Briar. "I've always wanted to go there and fly to the top of the mountains for the majestic view."

"We'll go one of these days, I'm sure," said Black Belt. "Right, Martinet?"

"Yeah," answered Martinet. "I promise." And before burying the seeds, the four friends shared a small group hug.

"You!" They suddenly heard the shout of somepony they hoped would not find them. "Halt!" It was two Pegasus guards who normally served Princess Celestia back at Canterlot, but were on duty in the Hollow Shades.

"What do you think you're doing?" asked the second guard angrily.

"Nothing," said Marshall, trying to keep an innocent grin on, which obviously didn't fool the guards.

"Nothing?" said the first guard. "I don't think that hole in the ground is nothing." Martinet decided to be truthful in hopes of taking a stand to the guards.

"All right," he said. "I'll tell you what we're doing. We're planting melon seeds! And when they grow, we'll have our food for ponies living here!"

"No you won't," said the second guard. "This is property you've dug up here. You've caused some damage to property that doesn't belong to you."

"Whose property?!" argued Martinet. "No one comes round here anyway!"

"This is town property!" said the second guard. "And you've vandalized it!"

"By what?! By just digging up the ground?!"

"Yeah!" said the first guard. "You kids aren't supposed to be doing this!"

"By whose authority?!" snarled Martinet.

"By our authority!" shouted the first guard. "And by decree of Princess Celestia herself!"

"The princess?!" gasped Briar.

"But why?" asked Martinet. "I don't understand. She swore that she treats us all fairly! We're all supposed to be equal! But not around these parts! You guys are always making life difficult for all of us!"

"That's enough!" ordered the second guard.

"I've seen the things you do!" retorted Martinet. "You push us around and treat us poorly. We're living in poverty! We have very little money! And you show no signs of caring for us! Princess Celestia would help us!"

"We have orders!" claimed the first guard. "And those orders are to keep you ponies in line!"

"We just want to help!" protested Martinet. "We want to make our lives better!"

"So you can do what?" asked the second guard. "Put a shop or two in Fillydelphia out of business?"

"No! It's not like that! Please!"

"We're not taking our chances with you kids," said the first guard. "By tearing up the ground, you've vandalized town property and as long as we run the town, you're gonna face the consequences!" Martinet realized there was no way out nor reasoning with Celestia's guards. At this point, he only had one idea left.

"Run, you guys!" Martinet shouted suddenly. "Get out of here!" Marshall, Briar, and Black Belt took off without question.

"Get them!" shouted the first guard to the second.

"Wait!" said Martinet. "Please! Let me take the responsibility for this! It was all my idea! Just don't hurt my friends!"

"Hah! Nice try, kid!" said the second guard. "But if you want punishment so badly, we'll be glad to dish it out!" Martinet gasped and activated his magic, covering himself in a puff of smoke, using the distraction to run past the guards and into the woods before they could seize him. He ran, feeling like it was for his life, even though we had no idea where he was going. He fled the Hollow Shades, not caring which direction he was going. He just wanted to be safe and not spend the rest of his life taking chances with the princess's guards.

Soon, Martinet ended up at the beautiful Neighagra Falls and stared in awe at its splendorous waterfall. He then discovered a hidden passage that took him to a cave beneath the waterfall. I hate those guards, thought Martinet, sniffling from homesickness. And I hate Princess Celestia. Someday, I'm going to get even with those guards. I'll be stronger! And when I am, I will be the one to set the Hollow Shades free!

Martinet cornered Twilight, Celestia, and Spike right where he wanted them. Twilight and Celestia struggled to get to their feet, but Martinet kept knocking them back down with his crimson red magic.

"Stay down!" he ordered. "It's over for you!" Celestia winced in pain, but also glowered up at Martinet.

"You've turned into a beast!" she snarled.

"Oh, I'm the beast?" retorted Martinet. "For your information, ex-princess, I never hired those guards to suppress my innocent home. You're not a princess! You're a witch!" If anything stung Celestia, it was that. As tears rolled down her face, she tried to activate her magic again only to take another full blast of Martinet's magic ray, which sent her skidding across the ground and crashing into the castle wall. "At last..." Martinet went on. "All four princesses of Equestria have fallen to my might! Now that Equestria is mine, I shall have my revenge at long last! And the first of you to go... will be you, Twilight Sparkle!" Twilight's eyes widened and she gasped in horror. "To ensure that my reign will never be overthrown, I will make sure that you will never have your own way! Begone!" Martinet then shot lightning bolts from his horn, which tortured and electrocuted Twilight with excruciating pain. She writhed and shrieked as her body cycled between flesh and skeleton. Tears fell from Spike's face and he covered his eyes, unable to look at such a horrifying sight. Celestia felt a surge of adrenaline rush through her and she rose to her feet. She then blasted Martinet with the most powerful magic ray she could muster, causing him to release Twilight before he was sent flying from Canterlot. Afterwards, she quickly used her best healing magic and Twilight was miraculously fully recovered from her injuries. Spike threw his arms around her and sobbed loudly.

"Oh, Twilight," cried Celestia, hugging Twilight tenderly. "I'm so sorry for putting you through this."

"It... it wasn't your fault," panted Twilight. "At least... it's over now..." But Celestia didn't look so sure. Twilight rose to her feet. "I've got to heal my friends," she gasped in between breaths.

"No, Twilight," said Celestia. "I'll do it. Don't weaken yourself any further." But just before Celestia went to tend to Twilight's friends, Martinet reappeared in front of her with his teleportation spell, looking extremely livid.

"You've crossed me for the last time, you monster!!" Martinet cast a shield around himself and then used more magic to levitate Celestia into the air. And then suddenly, wrinkles began to appear on her white coat. Martinet was casting his deadly age spell on Princess Celestia!

"N... no!" gasped Twilight. "Martinet! Please!"

"SILENCE!!!!" Martinet roared in fury. Twilight and Spike stared in horror as Celestia grew older and older by the second. Princess Luna appeared from behind Martinet and tried to penetrate Martinet's shield, but to no avail. Martinet's eyes glanced evilly behind him and he snagged Luna in the same magic he was using on Celestia, but in a flash, Luna grew younger, soon having transformed into her weaker self.

"What are you doing?" cried Luna. "Leave us alone!"

"NEVER!!!!" bellowed Martinet.

"Please!" begged Luna, still growing younger rapidly.

"I'VE HAD IT WITH EQUESTRIAN ROYALTY!!!! I'M BRINGING FORTH A NEW RULE!!!! THE GOLDEN AGE OF GENERAL MARTINET!!!!"

"No!" cried Twilight. Celestia's body soon turned old and gray while Luna was transformed into a crying foal. "Martinet, stop! No more!" Twilight succumbed to tears, feeling helplessly defeated. "You win. You can have Equestria. It's yours. We... surrender. Just don't harm the princesses." Hearing this, Martinet released both princesses and transformed them back. He then grinned evilly.

Meanwhile in Ponyville, Diamond Tiara was preparing to have her group make their first move towards separating the ponies. But to her surprise, when she led her group to the Cutie Mark Crusaders' clubhouse, she found a group of young ponies without cutie marks, looking like they were ready to take a stand. But Diamond Tiara wasn't really intimidated.

"Well, well," she sneered. "Look what we have here. A bunch of blank flanks!"

"Humph," snorted one of them. "We've had it with you, Diamond Tiara!"

"We're tired of being bullied!" said another.

"And letting you just walk all over us!" said a third.

"Today, we're taking a stand!" said a fourth.

"You won't take us away from anypony!" said a fifth. Diamond Tiara just smirked.

"So, you know what I'm gonna do to you, huh?" she said. "Big deal!"

"Oh, it's a very big deal alright!" said the voice of Apple Bloom. She stepped out of the clubhouse along with Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, and Thick.

"So, you've finally decided to show yourselves, Cutie Mark Losers! You'll be the first!"

"Actually," said Snails. "I've had it with you as well." Snails went over to the ponies without cutie marks and stood with them.

"Yeah, same here," agreed Snips, doing the same.

"Me too," said Twist, joining the others.

"Hey, don't overlook my little gal!" said a familiar wacky voice. Muffins stepped in along with a little unicorn filly named Fire Chief. "I heard you pushed this little one," said Muffins. "I'd say my little Fire Chief has had enough." She then pulled out a muffin. "Muffin, anyone?" Soon, only Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon were left standing. That's when Cheerilee, Filthy Rich, and Shadowstealth arrived from behind, cornering the rich bullies.

"It's over, Diamond Tiara," declared Shadowstealth. "I knew what you planned to do to my daughter and I swore that no harm would come to her. To keep my word, I lured you into a trap and now everypony in Ponyville knows your plan. So we'll see how Filthy deals with you now."

"Uh," said Filthy Rich. "I prefer Rich."

"Oh, my bad."

"Grrrrrrrr..." Diamond Tiara was furious. "I won't let this happen! Blank flanks! All of you! I won't let anypony stop me!" Suddenly, Diamond Tiara's body was engulfed in a purple-colored flame, surprising the crowd. "Nopony will stop me! Nopony!!" Diamond Tiara's body then turned into a shadow and grew to the size of Princess Celestia, surrounded by an aura of dark pink, purple, and blue colors. The sky above Ponyville turned dark and looked as though the world was hurling through the cosmos.

"What's... going on?!" cried Scootaloo.

"I don't believe this!" gasped Cheerilee. "Diamond Tiara really is evil!"

"No..." stammered Filthy Rich. "Not my daughter..."

"That's not Diamond Tiara," said Shadowstealth. "A fragment of the evil nightmare formed from Princess Luna's negative emotions has somehow taken control of her body and will. She's being controlled by a nightmare!"

"What?! Then... where's my daughter? Where's the real Diamond Tiara?" Shadowstealth activated his horn's magic.

"I sense that she's trapped inside that thing," said Shadowstealth. "The real Diamond Tiara is locked in sleep, suffering from a horrible nightmare. We must set her free!"

"And how do think we're gonna do that?!" said Snails.

"Yeah," said Snips. "Twilight and the others are in Canterlot and they haven't come back yet!" Diamond Tiara's eyes then reopened, glowing white with light blue irises in their centers. She laughed maniacally.

"You little foals!" said Diamond Tiara. "You thought you could defeat me?! I am a nightmare! I will feast on your harmony! Ponyville belongs to me!!"

"Leave this to me!" said Shadowstealth. "I'll take Diamond Tiara! Everypony, take shelter immediately until this blows over!"

Chapter 7: We're the Princesses

Martinet made the four princesses of Equestria escort him to Celestia's throne. Twilight's friends came along as well and the guards did not bother to stop him from sitting on the throne.

"At last..." said Martinet with glee. "The power is all mine. Now, I will reshape Equestria to my own liking and in my image." He then suddenly grew very angry and once again, cast himself in a shield and used aging spells on Luna and Celestia, instantly turning Luna into a foal and Celestia into a wrinkled old mare. Twilight gasped.

"No!" she cried. "You have Equestria! Leave them alone!"

"And you were a fool to surrender to me!" growled Martinet. "You should have known that I would spare nopony from my wrath! Not even mares and foals!" And Martinet's age spell kept on going. Luna was now a newborn foal swathed in a cloth and Celestia's body started to decay from extreme age. Twilight broke down and cried.

"Please..." she whispered through her tears. "Somepony... help us..." Twilight's friends were crying as well.

"Ah only want Equestria... to be safe..." sobbed Applejack.

"I want nothing bad to happen ever again," Fluttershy whimpered.

"I only wanted ponies... to smile..." cried Pinkie Pie.

"I want to help others..." wailed Rarity.

"My friends..." murmured Rainbow Dash. "I'll do anything for them. I'd give my life for them." Just then, her chest glowed in the shape of her cutie mark and she gasped. And this was happening to all of Twilight's friends. Martinet glared and them and growled and Celestia's body started to crackle, losing a small piece from one of her legs. Twilight closed her eyes and her chest also glowed in the shape of her cutie mark.

"Now I understand," said Twilight. "We don't just represent the Elements of Harmony. We've had their powers all along! Honesty... kindness... laughter... generosity, and loyalty. They are a part of my friends... and part of me too! Even before we found the elements..." The glows then brightened and in a flash, five of the six Elements of Harmony instantly appeared as necklaces around the necks of Twilight's friends.

"What?!" said Martinet, staring wide-eyed and surprised.

"What in tarnation?" said a very surprised Applejack.

"The Elements of Harmony!" said Rarity.

"They're back!" said Rainbow Dash.

"But how?" Fluttershy wondered. Twilight's element then appeared in a flash on her head, the crown of the Element of Magic!

"Our hearts..." said Twilight instinctively. "And our desire to save Equestria and everypony else... We've summoned the Elements of Harmony right to us!"

"Impossible!!" roared Martinet. "This doesn't make any sense!"

"Making sense?" said an all-too familiar voice. "What fun is there in making sense?" Martinet's shield suddenly shattered into pieces and Luna and Celestia were released from his magic grip. Standing there with the decrepit princesses was Discord, not looking too happy.

"It's Discord!" squealed Fluttershy with happiness. Martinet attempted to activate more magic, but Discord reached out and by simply touching his horn, the magic went out. Martinet tried to activate his magic again, but could only shoot sparks.

"I've disabled his magic," said Discord. "He's all yours, my little ponies!"

"All right!" squealed Pinkie Pie. "Now let's blast that buff buffoon!"

"With pleasure!" said Twilight. The six ponies levitated into the air, activating their elements one by one. Martinet looked unable to contain his shock. When the Element of Magic went off, a rainbow beam was shot in an arc-like pattern down towards Martinet, blowing through his small shield, and his body took the full blast of the elements' power.

"GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHH!!!!" A rainbow-colored shield then enclosed itself over the city of Canterlot and in a white flash, all the damage Martinet created was reversed. Celestia and Luna were restored to their former selves and all the ponies and griffins who helped were all fully healed and restored to normal. Martinet himself lay slumped in front of the throne as Celestia descended back onto it and sat. And even though he was suffering from fatigue, Martinet still tried to stand back up and use his magic on her. But his horn wouldn't even glow and he fell back down.

"What... what did you do to me?"

"We took away your magic," said Twilight. "You can't use it to harm or threaten anypony ever again." Fluttershy gave Discord a big hug.

"Oh, Discord!" she cried. "You saved us all!"

"Come now," said Discord. "Don't look at me. I didn't bring the Elements of Harmony to you. I think we all had a hoof to play in saving the day."

United Equestria

Back at Ponyville, Shadowstealth confronted the shadowy form of Diamond Tiara. The rich filly was being controlled by a nightmare as an explanation behind her apparently evil behavior.

"Diamond Tiara!" shouted Shadowstealth. "Is this really what you wanted?! You truly wished to separate innocent ponies over having no cutie marks?! You truly wished to bring them harm?!"

"Shut up!" said the nightmare-infested Diamond Tiara.

"Answer me! What is it you truly wanted?! Was it per chance... a true friend?!" Hearing this, Diamond Tiara grabbed her head with her front hooves and twitched. "You could have real friends," Shadowstealth went on. "If you are willing to give others a chance! But that's not what you've done, is it?" The nightmare form writhed and screamed, while inside, in a dark place, the real Diamond Tiara was trapped in a nightmare, sweating and screaming.

"I never really wanted to hurt anypony," said the voice of the real Diamond Tiara. "I just... I just wanted attention for myself." Shadowstealth then activated his horn's magic and started to absorb dark wisps into his horn.

"I too possess powers of darkness," said Shadowstealth. "So I will absorb your powers and set you free!" As Shadowstealth absorbed more of the nightmare's energy, Diamond Tiara held her head and shrieked, writhing uncontrollably, until finally, she collapsed to the ground as the sky around Ponyville returned to normal and emerging from a shadowy pillar vanishing into thin air was the real Diamond Tiara. She stumbled and then collapsed.

"Diamond Tiara!" Filthy Rich hurried to her daughter's side in tears. "Diamond! Are you all right? Speak to me!" Diamond Tiara's eyes opened slightly.

"Dad..." she muttered. "I'm... sorry..." And then her eyes closed again.

"She's just sleeping now," said Shadowstealth. "The nightmare inside her was keeping her awake every night and with each sleepless night, it twisted her mind little by little. She should be just fine when she wakes up."

"Thank you," said Filthy Rich. Watching this was Cheerilee, Silver Spoon, the Cutie Mark Crusaders, and all the young ponies from Diamond Tiara's group and the ones she bullied. Silver Spoon was shedding tears. Muffins and Fire Chief were also present.

"M...muffin, anyone?" asked Muffins, nervously holding out a muffin and letting out a squee.

In a Canterlot dungeon, Celestia came to visit the newest prisoner, Martinet, no longer wearing any of his clothes. But he was the only prisoner in the dungeon. He sat there inside his cell and when Celestia came to him, he just gave her a sideways glance.

"You surprise me yet again, princess," he grumbled, looking away from her. "I expected you to be merciless like the tyrant you always have been once more by putting me out of my misery. Now you will regret keeping me alive."

"And you will regret judging me for who you think I am," replied Celestia. "I sentenced you to life in prison because I wanted you with live with yourself and pay for your crimes against Equestria. But I could be wrong yet again. Perhaps your time in here won't change the way you are." Martinet did not respond to this.

"You may have imprisoned me," said Martinet. "But my followers will carry on. There will always be a resistance... especially to the likes of you. There will always be those who threaten the peace."

"And it's not just my job to take care of," said Celestia. "But all of us. We are all one circle of pony friends, learning to work together in harmony. That... is the magic of friendship." But Martinet just snorted.

"Friendship is magic," he sneered sarcastically. "What a farce."

Twilight and her friends returned to Ponyville, mainly unaware of what had happened while they were away. However, the Cutie Mark Crusaders eagerly told their older sisters and Rainbow Dash what had transpired and they brought this up with Twilight, who pondered on this nightmare that infused with Diamond Tiara.

"How did the nightmare born from Luna's evil and hatred in her heart possess Diamond Tiara?" Twilight wondered rhetorically.

"I don't think we'll ever know," answered Spike. "But at least it's all over now. So I don't think we have to worry."

"I wouldn't be sure of that, Spike," said Twilight. "Shadowstealth had to absorb all that dark power to save Diamond Tiara. He might just be that nightmare's new herald someday. And don't forget, we gave the Elements of Harmony back to the Tree of Harmony again." Back at the Cutie Mark Crusaders' clubhouse, the Cutie Mark Crusaders held an induction ceremony for Thick, welcoming her as the fifth Crusader. Shadowstealth had also decided to attend the ceremony.

"We, the Cutie Mark Crusaders, elect Thick to join our group as a sister, friend, ally, and fellow Crusader!" said Scootaloo, reading a document she had revised since they had inducted Apple Bloom's cousin Babs Seed. "You are solemnly sworn in as an honorary Cutie Mark Crusader! Congratulations!" Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle then slipped a cape on Thick, which Sweetie Belle had made, and it was an exact replica of the capes the groups wore. Shadowstealth was happy that his daughter made some wonderful new friends.

On the first day of school, the Cutie Mark Crusaders and Thick, escorted by Shadowstealth, walked to the schoolhouse and found Diamond Tiara sulking with Silver Spoon trying to comfort her.

"I have nothing more to say to you blank flanks," said Diamond Tiara. "Just let me be."

"Well," said Scootaloo. "Be that way. You don't want any friends? Fine." Diamond Tiara just snorted. Shadowstealth looked at her and lowered his shades.

"One day..." he said to her. "I'm sure of it." Perhaps maybe one day she would change her ways and decide to befriend the very fillies she taunted and threatened. And then again, maybe not. Only time would tell.

Back at Ponyville's library, Twilight was sitting and reading a book with a somewhat blank expression on her face. Her eyes then narrowed a bit and suddenly slits appeared in both her irises, exactly like Night Mare Moon...

TO BE CONCLUDED...

Chapter 2: Prepare for Battle

A train arrived in Canterlot and Twilight and her friends dashed out, breaking into full gallops towards Princess Celestia's castle, save Rainbow Dash who was flying instead. Spike was riding on Twilight's back.

"Ah reckon this must be important if the princess has summoned all the other princesses of Equestria," said Applejack, the ponies still running.

"Or perhaps it could be serious," suggested Rarity.

"Maybe it's both!" said Pinkie. "Maybe it's seriimportant!"

"Pinkie Pie," said Applejack. "That's not even a word."

"She's just being Pinkie Pie," insisted Rainbow Dash.

"I still don't see why you all had to come with me," said Twilight. "The princess has only called on us alicorns so far, so I think this is part of my royal duties."

"Twilight, honey," said Applejack. "It's us. Do ya honestly think we would miss out on this?"

"Not to mention we want to be there to back you up," Fluttershy added.

"And there's no way I'm leaving Twilight's side!" said Spike proudly.

"We're your friends, Twilight," said Rainbow Dash. "If you're involved, we're all getting involved, whether you like it or not."

"We're all in this together, darling," said Rarity. "Never forget that." This made Twilight smile warmly.

"Thank you," she said. They soon barged into the throne room finding the other three princesses waiting for Twilight. Shining Armor was present as well. He greeted her first along with Cadance.

"Twiley!" said Shining Armor as they hugged. "Good to see you again!"

"Same here, big brother," said Twilight. Then, she and Cadance did their little chant from their youth days.

"Sunshine, sunshine, ladybugs awake! Clap your hooves and do a little shake!" And they laughed.

"I wish we could have met on better terms," said Cadance. "But unfortunately, Equestria is in peril again."

"It is Discord again?" asked Twilight.

"We wish," said Shining Armor. Twilight's friends gasped.

"Is it that bad?!" asked Rainbow Dash.

"I'm afraid so," said Princess Celestia. "This new threat is much greater than any foe you have ever faced. Twilight, I'm sorry to have gotten you involved, but we need your help. This involves all four of us princesses of Equestria. We have to protect the royal throne from a coup d'état." Twilight gasped.

"Who could possibly want to do such a thing?!" asked Spike.

"We know who," answered Celestia. "Unfortunately, we thought he left Equestria years ago, never to return, but we were all deceived. He was actually in hiding, gaining power and rallying other ponies to his cause. Twilight Sparkle, we must prepare to face... Martinet, the Shadow General."

"Shadow General?" repeated Twilight. "You mean..." She gasped. "We have to lead Equestria into... war?!"

"I'm afraid so," concluded Celestia.

"But... Equestria is peaceful! Why would anypony do this?!"

"I'm afraid that I might be partially responsible," Celestia admitted. "But I did what I thought I had to do."

"What happened?"

"It all started in the distant Hollow Shades," Celestia explained. "Martinet grew up living his life as a proud pony, yet he believed that his home was secluded from the rest of Equestria. So he wanted to spread his nation far and wide, but it was obvious to a lot of ponies, particularly Canterlot, that he wanted to be in charge of all of Equestria and run things his own way. Ultimately, we had no knowledge of what ambitions Martinet had if he were to run his regime, but I did not wish to take any chances. I did what I believed I had to do. I had to suppress Martinet and his followers. We then believed that he fled from Equestria, but we were wrong. Now we know he's back, his heart stained with revenge. Since you became a princess, he grew more furious than ever before and now believes that you will start a reign in which the denizens of Hollow Shades will be suppressed under a tyrannical rule because of what he almost did."

"But I wouldn't!" said Twilight. "I would never!"

"I know you wouldn't, dear," said Celestia. "But I'm afraid that it is impossible to convince Martinet."

"If he wants to stage a coup d'état, why would he want all of Equestria to know that he's back?" asked Twilight.

"Fear," answered Celestia. "He wants everypony to fear him. He believes that if we show fear and are terrified of him, we will be that much easier to subdue."

"Unfortunately," added Luna. "Martinet's time in exile has permanently solidified his heart with hatred and twisted his mind beyond insanity. He now cares about nopony except himself. Once he strikes, he will spare no one. Not stallions, not mares, and not even foals." Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie were wide-eyed and horrified.

"Yeah, that!" said Rainbow Dash to her friends. "Look at your faces! That's what he wants to see! Don't you see? We can't let him scare us! We'll fight back! If he wants a war, we'll give him a war! Who's with me?"

"Unfortunately, Rainbow Dash, that's another problem," said Celestia.

"Huh?"

"You see, Martinet isn't just all talk and stature. He's a master unicorn, one of the highest level unicorns of our time. Rumor has it his power is said to match that of Star Swirl the Bearded himself." This shocked Rainbow Dash to her core as well as Twilight and her other friends. "Yes, he's even mastered the age spell," Celestia went on. "If he leads his army, I fear we will be no match for him."

"Hold on a second!" said Rainbow Dash. "You mean to tell us that he's invincible?!"

"Well... almost."

"What a terrible thought," cried Rarity dramatically. "To be aged to death! What a way to go-o-o-o-o!" She then keeled down to the floor in a dead faint.

"So how are we supposed to stop him?" asked a very worried Applejack.

"Ooh, ooh!" said Pinkie Pie, bouncing up and down. "Why don't we just use the Elements of Harmony? That'll solve everything!" The other ponies just stared at her. "What? What'd I say?"

"Pinkie," said Applejack. "We don't have them anymore. We gave them up, remember?"

"Oh... Okay, we're doomed."

"We must not give up hope," said Luna.

"But if we try anything, he could use that deadly age spell of his!" insisted Twilight. "Plus, he probably has an army or something."

"So that's it, then?" said Rainbow Dash, somewhat disgusted. "We just quit?! Right here and now?! Let this jerk walk all over us?!"

"Well, what can we do?" said Applejack.

"We fight back! I'd rather go down fighting instead of just sitting here scared!"

"Honey, we don't have a chance."

"Oh yeah?! Well answer me this then! Why did the princess summon Twilight in the first place?! If she knew this was a fight we couldn't win, she wouldn't have even summoned Twilight and gotten her involved, much less all of us!"

"We chose to follow Twilight!"

"Right! So we're gonna choose to fight then!"

"Ah don't think this bully's gonna let us even make our first strike!"

"Fine! I see how it is! So why not just hand over Equestria's throne to Martinet right now?! Huh?!" All the other ponies, including the princesses, looked downcast.

"What are we supposed to do?" asked Twilight sadly. "Martinet will spare no one, not even mares and foals. He's definitely going to try something. We need help."

"I know," said Celestia. "We must form factions. Princess Cadance and Shining Armor will lead the crystal pony guards. My sister, Princess Luna, will lead her bat-pony guards. And I will lead my own guards. Also, I established contact with the Griffon King. He has agreed to form an alliance between the griffons and the ponies for this one time. And... we may to enlist the Changelings to help us as well."

"What?!" said Twilight, aghast. "But... princess... the Changelings are evil! Not to mention their queen turned my friends and you against me! You think I want anything to do with that maniacal bug queen?!"

"I'm well aware that the Changelings have brought terror to Canterlot in the past," said Celestia. "But I'm afraid desperate times call for desperate measures. I have already cast a reform summoning spell on Queen Chrysalis and her army, so when we call on the Changelings, they will fight for us."

"Let's hope so," said Twilight.

"What about Discord?" asked Fluttershy. "I think we could use his help."

"I have discussed the situation with him as well," said Celestia. "Unfortunately, all he told me was that he would only consider helping. Apparently, he's still having a hard time adjusting to using his magic for good."

"But my dear Celestia, I'm reformed," insisted Discord as Celestia had remembered him saying earlier. "Certainly, I'll consider your request to save Equestria... if you really need me, that is."

"Well, if he doesn't bother, then I won't be friends with him anymore," said Fluttershy sternly.

"Fluttershy, that might be a problem."

"Oh? What do you mean?"

"You see, if all you do is warn Discord that some of his actions put your friendship on the line, he might just think that you're using your friendship with him as a tool." Fluttershy bit her lower lip, seeing exactly where Celestia was going with this. "And if that's the case," Celestia went on. "Discord might not find friendship to be as valuable as he thought it would be and return to his evil ways with nothing to lose. And without the Elements of Harmony, nopony would be able to stop him, not even Martinet."

"Oh dear..." murmured Fluttershy. "I wish things were more simple."

"It's okay, dear," assured Celestia. "I know it's hard to keep a leash on Discord, but he is trying to change. And it's because of you."

"M-me?"

"Yes, Fluttershy. As I had hoped, you were the only pony of your friends willing to give Discord a second chance, and I sense that alone meant a lot to him. You were even willing to consider him a friend, something that your other friends found very hard to do because of how miserable he made them. And it's not just because you represent the Element of Kindness. It is because kindness is a part of who you are. And as much time as it will take, it will be rewarding in a long run. I am certain that Discord will lend a hoof should we need his help." Fluttershy smiled at Celestia, feeling the same.

And so, it was decided. The four princesses of Equestia prepared to lead their factions to civil war against Martinet the Shadow General. Even if they were fully aware that they might not win, they would at least show Martinet that they were not afraid of him and that they would not just let him walk all over them like dirt on the ground. Seven factions were formed.

Solar Empire

New Lunar Republic

Crystal Empire

Griffon Kingdom

Changeling Swarm

Order of Discord

Twilight Alicorn