Chapters

I Will Not Risk Losing You.
Do Not Say This Is How It Has To Be.
Your Eyes Shine Just Like Mine.
Step Into The Light.
I've Given Everything I Can.
We Are Their Hope.
You Are Our Hero.
How the World Fell Under Darkness.

I Will Not Risk Losing You.
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Hope Rides Alone

I Will Not Risk Losing You.

"Ring Capacity: 0%"

"I heard you the first dozen times..."

The night sky sits open overhead, but you couldn't even tell. No stars hung in that sky, it was pitch black and all encompassing, the planet could be alone for all it knew. Solitary.

You squint your eyes and look ahead at the buildings coming up. "Is this it, Spike?"

The sack on your back, one you found in a mud hut in the woods, rustles.

"Yeah, that's it. The borders of Ponyville."

You turn your head back as you walk. "What can I find in Ponyville?"

Spike pokes his head out of the sack. "Everything, it was where pretty much everyone lived before Discord showed up."

"And now? Where do they live now?"

Spike shuffles. "Not here..."

You nod and drop the subject. "Where am I headed?"

"The orchard is on the other side of town, we have to cross through to reach there."

You adjust the sack. "Alright. Climb back inside, my little friend. I'll get us there."

Spike grumbles. "Should be out helping you..."

You shake your head.

"According to you, Discord knows what you look like, and if he were to get word that you were helping me, it'd be..."

"Bad." Spike says, completing your sentence.

You smile a bit to reassure the boy and nod your head. "Yes."

Spike grumbles again and descends back into the pouch on your back. At the same time, you begin crossing into Ponyville.

-Music-

This town...didn't follow any sense of logic at all and that was just the buildings. Some homes were turned upside down, another had its roof turned to cotton candy by the looks of it. One house that was designed after a collection of sugary sweets was turned -into- those sweets, a murder of crows now roosting on top of the building as a pony who looks like he hasn't slept in days try to clear them off.

You decide to help.

You bend down and pick up a rock that flashes into a cookie with raisins in it in your hands and chuck it at the roof. One of the birds takes the projectile in the head and instantly flies off in a panic, its brethren following suit.

The pony turns around in apparent shock that someone would help him, you offer a wave and move on.

The rest of the town wasn't much better...

Ponies ran through the streets acting like cattle or were accosted by angry mail from the mailboxes. You did what you could to help, but you felt that you were but a drop in the pool at times. It wasn't helped when you saw a group of young ponies running through town, apparently unaffected by this madness, use a spray bottle to tag a building.

After that you had seen more and more tags in the town, as if the very streets echoed the thoughts put up on them.

An entire town chanting "We are the dead."

But still you press on.

You follow Spike's instructions to the letter, crossing through the town from one end to the other until you reach your destination.

Sour Apple Acres, although you're sure you can read "sweet" underneath the still wet red paint.

"Onwards and upwards, Spike..."

You start into the orchard.

"We're here, Spike." you say to your backpack.

"Lemme out!" he shouts wriggling.

You remove the pack and let it near the ground, allowing Spike to crawl his way out and shake his head.

"Buh! It smells in there..."

"Do you see your frie-"

"Bark bark!"

You and Spike jerk your heads to the side in time to see a rather large pony hopping and bounding down the tree-fields towards you.

He prances around happily a few times before he licks your face.

You reach a hand up and pet his mane. "Hello there my sizable friend..."

His tongue rolls out happy.

Spike doesn't share your enthusiasm. "Big Macintosh, what'd he -do- to you!?"

"You know this guy, Spike?"

Spike is now fending off his own assault of licks. "Yeah, he's Big Macintosh! He's the brother of A-"

Spike's eyes go wide and he grabs Macintosh' face. "Mac! Where's Applebloom? Is she alright?"

Spike gets a lick for an answer.

"Euch!" He runs past Macintosh wiping his face, you give chase after.

"Hold on, Spike!"

Spike hops up the stairs and rattles the doorknob.

Go away! We aint buyin'!" shouts a voice form inside. Even your universal translator picked up that drawl.

Spike hops down. "Applejack!?"

That was the name of the pony Spike sent you here to meet!

You knock on the door. "Applejack? Can you please come outside?"

Muffled hoofsteps come from the other side of the door until it opens, a muted orange female pony on the other side.

You smile and wave. "Hello, I'm here with a friend of yours? We'd like to talk to you."

Her eyes drift to Spike. "Never met him in my life."

Spike looks hurt and confused while you look her over.

She was muted to the same degree as the rest of the town...curious. You kneel down and sit, crossing your legs and meeting Applejack on eye level.

"Spike says he's known you for a long time, are you sure you've never met him?"

Her eyes shift between you both and she bits her lip. "Nope! Never seen y'all in my life."

You lock eyes with Spike for a minute but look back at her. "Do you know what happened here? To the town?"

"What're you talkin' about? Town's always been like this!"

Spike stares open jawed. "Applejack! What about Rainbow Dash and Rarity? What about your friends? What about the Princesses?"

"Now I aint never heard any of them names before and I certainly don't know 'bout any "Princesses" Discord's been in charge'a Equestria for ever and he's doin' a right fine job!"

Behind you, the entire west part of the field of apples turns into lollipops.

You look from that back to Applejack and cock an eyebrow.

"Right fine job." she says.

"Of course."

You look over your shoulder back at Macintosh. "Can you tell me about your family?"

"Oh we always been here, like this, all of us right as rain."

"Your brother thinks he's a dog..."

Applejack chuckles. "Oh, that, Discord did that a while ago. I like it! Makes him a hoot."

You see her eye twitch a tiny bit.

"...Are you sure?"

"Sure I'm sure! Why wouldn't I be sure?"

"I don't know, why would you be?

"I'm sure, I aint lying."

"You aren't?"

"Course not! If I was, the family'd be taken awa-" Applejack clamps her hooves over her mouth, having said too much.

Your smile turns to a small frown "Applejack..."

"I didn't say nothin'."

"Do you need help?"

"No, there aint no problem."

"You care about your family, is that why you're lying?"

"I never said that."

"You're trying to protect them..."

"They don't need protecting from nothin'! Everything's fine!"

You see that twitch again.

"Applejack..." You reach your ring hand out and put it on Applejack's cheek, she locks eyes with you and for the first time you catch a hint of something beyond falsehoods from them.

Desperation.

And although you may be without your light, hope could still bloom.

"You don't have to be afraid anymore, Applejack."

Her eyes dart between the ring and yours.

"Being confined on this farm...it isn't living, you have no room to grow, to spread your roots and see new things, not if you're locked in a house or think you're a dog."

"But Discord-"

"I know that the thought of your family being taken may scare you, but you have to be brave, for them and yourself."

You feel your own heart swell as the blue ring on your finger that rests on Applejack's cheek flickers and glows a faint blue.

Applejack closes her eyes, tears seeping out of the edge.

"And that's the truth."

The flickering grows more solid, stronger.

"Hope detected."

The glow intensifies and under the soothing blue light Applejack becomes less and less muted, her tears drying and lips no longer quivering.

The light dies down and recedes back into your ring and a bright colored Applejack now stands in front of you.

She opens her eyes in shock "What the!?"

Spike latches onto her as you remove your hand. "You did it! You did it! I don't know what you did but you did it! You made her back to normal!"

You hold your ring to your mouth. "Ring, status report please."

A monotone voice answers. "Hope detected, absorbing ambient hope from surroundings."

You smile again. "Spike, our mission just got easier. Come on, we have work to do."

Spike lets go and heads over to the bag, you stand up and look at Applejack.

"We need your help, Applejack. The people need to tell this story, to each other, around the camp fire, to their children as they sleep. They need to know to -never- give up. Can you help us do that?"

She blinks a few times but a steely determination takes hold. "I will. I can't thank ya enough."

You smile and head over to Spike who's climbing into the bag.

"Thank -you- Applejack, your help is invaluable."

You pick up the bag and start down the way out.

"Wait!"

You turn back and face Applejack.

"What do I call you? When the ponies I tell ask."

You throw a warm smile again. "My name doesn't matter, call me anything."

You turn back and continue to walk off the farm, the world just a little bit brighter as you do.

Do Not Say This Is How It Has To Be.
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Hope Rides Alone

Do Not Say This Is How It Has To Be.

You unfurl the bandage and wrap it around the pony leg in front of you. He winces and instinctively tries to pull back, but stops himself. "Thank you..."

"It's nothing, it's the right thing to do. You can call me Anonymous, what's your name?"

He winces once more. "Time Turner. Resident clockmaker."

"A quiet profession."

You finish wrapping and pat the bandage, the crimson blood underneath barely showing through the cloth.

"There you go. All fixed. Do you feel better?"

He puts some weight on it and smiles. "Yeah, actually...I'm feeling fine now."

You smile back at him.

"I'm glad. That was a nasty cut."

The stallion flexes his leg. "It was a nasty way I got it..."

"What happened? Did you fall?"

He shakes his head. "There was a...fight at the watering hole down the road near the rock farm."

"Oh my. Was it a large one?"

He shakes his head. "Not really...this pink mare just...snapped and started attacking everypony!" he exclaims. "It was all I could do to get out of there."

You feel your backpack rustle.

"I see...well, thank you for the information my friend. Please feel better, Time Turner."

He smiles. "Thanks to you I think I will."

As the stallion trots off, you take your backpack off and open it, letting Spike pop out. He's got his hands on his face in worry

"What's wrong, Spike?"

"The pink mare! I -know- her! That's Pinkie Pie!"

"Is she a friend of yours?"

"Pinkie Pie is a friend of -everypony- Anonymous! She's the Element of Laughter!"

You nod. "Alright then, fasten yourself in."

Spike does as he's asked and closes the backpack. You throw it on your back again and start down the road.

Finding someone apparently pink would be easy in this dreary place...

Your journey takes you further down the path into town, past the saloon where this fight apparently happened. Door wide open, ponies still sprawled out, no police at all.

You rush up to the door. "Is everyone okay in here?"

A chorus of moans is your only answer.

You set your pack down and spy Spike peeking out of it with wide eyes as you go help some patrons up. Many of their wounds were superficial. Shallow and non-threatening but bloody and painful.

"Is there a running hospital in this town?" you ask.

One older patron coughs. "Doc Holiday's is still open..."

You nod and put his foreleg over your shoulder.

"Then we must get you all there. Come, lean on me."

The patron says nothing.

"I'm Anonymous, what's your name?"

He coughs. "Royal Lace...

"You're going to be alright, Royal Lace. All of you are."

You get Royal to the doctor's office and rush back to the bar, helping the other patrons there and learning what you could about them.

Over Ture loved cooking for her grandmother, Willt Blend was an inventor in his spare time, Muted Tone had a little brother. For their sake and everyone else's, you hurried them along to the doctor and let them heal.

Further along the path, you come up on a barn.

"This is it?"

You feel your sack nod. "It's just like all her stories."

You walk around the structure and look out over the fields. According to Spike, they farmed...rocks here. Broke them down for the gemstones inside.

Straining your eyes, you see a blob of pink off in the center of the field.

"There we are..."

You walk out into the center of the field, drawing closer to the figure the blob belonged to and making out details. She, like Applejack and the rest of this world, was of muted color. Her hair hanging low over her face and covering one side.

As you near, she lashes out with a hoof and knocks a pile of rocks over violently. "I can hear you walking, what do you want?" she says.

You pause for a moment, thinking about your responsibilities. You set your backpack down and walk closer.

"Anonymous!" Spike whispers from it.

"Just watch, stay hidden." you whisper back.

You get closer to Pinkie Pie. "Good day."

She huffs. "What's so good about it?"

"Well it's not raining for one, that's always good."

She kicks a rock. "It won't last, it never does. Clouds roll in and make the day nasty sure as anything."

"That's a negative attitude."

"That's life." she says.

You take a seat, folding your legs. "I disagree."

She turns and looks at you, face chipped out of the hardest stone and eyes small. "Hey! Who said you could sit on my dirt farm!?"

You hold your hands up. "I didn't mean to offend."

"Yeah well you -are-!" she shouts, snorting.

"Why are you so angry?"

"I AM NOT ANGRY!" she screeches.

Yes. Clearly.

"You seem distressed."

She snorts and trots a few steps away from you. "What do -you- know?"

"I know when someone needs help. What's wrong?"

"What's wrong? What's WRONG? What's wrong is that everyone is laughing!"

Wait a minute... "Aren't you the Element of Laughter?"

"They're laughing AT ME!" she shouts.

"Is that why you hit them?"

She walks over and sticks her face in yours. "Have you ever been laughed at? Had everyone laughing at YOU instead of a funny joke or something you told?"

"I know a funny joke, would you like to hear it? It may make you feel a bit better."

"Answer the question!" she demands.

You sigh "I have, yes. Everyone has, that's part of life."

"WELL IT'S NOT FAIR!" she screams. You actually flinch at that.

"When we leave home- When ALL of us leave home, we're told that the world is this great magical place where friendship solves everything! But ponies only want to be your friend if they can put you down and make themselves feel better!"

"So why shouldn't they feel as bad as I feel when they do it unless LIFE ISN'T FAIR!" Pinkie Pie shouts with tears in her eyes.

You sit silent for a brief moment. "You're right."

Pinkie Pie looks up. "Huh?"

"You're right when you say we all leave home wanting to save the world. And sometimes we do."

You look out to the starless sky. "And...sometimes we don't. So we don't think about saving the world, we think about saving one person."

With your ring hand, you gently take up Pinkie's hoof. She doesn't fight you. "Because sometimes that's enough."

You meet Pinkie's still teary eyes.

"All I know is that we have to try. That's what life is, we try. We push back against the darkness."

Pinkie Pie sniffs. "B-but...how can we if we don't know? How can we push back if we don't know if the ponies we're pushing with aren't laughing at us?"

"I've heard stories about you, Pinkie Pie, and people really -are- laughing with you, not at you. It's never as bad as it seems."

Pinkie looks you in the eye again.

"You're so much stronger than you think you are." you smile. "Trust me."

Pinkie hangs her head sniffling again.

"I had a friend like you...once."

You play with your ring.

"She had one of these, like mine, except hers was...yellow. She was so scared Pinkie...and she let it consume her. And one day, she knew, without question, that she would never have another happy day again."

"So I guess you could say she...clocked out early."

Pinkie covers her mouth.

"I understood. I did not approve, and I still don't. But I understood. So if you honestly believe in your heart that you'll never have another happy day, tell me, and I will leave you here."

Pinkie shudders in front of you, tears flowing down her cheeks. "But if you think there's even the smallest -chance-..., I still have that joke."

Pinkie looks about ready to break down when she nods.

"Okay...knock knock."

"Wh-who's there?" she replies.

"To."

"T-t-to wh-who?" she asks.

You stop her and raise a single finger. "To -whom-."

The field is silent as that sinks in, Pinkie Pie's eyes darting around wrapping her head around the joke.

Until-

"Hope detected."

"Aha. Ahaha. Ahahah. EhehehehahahHAHHAHAHAHAHAHEHEHAHAHAHA!" Tears roll down Pinkie's face now. Not out of sadness, but mirth as she rolls around on the ground laughing.

"BWAAHHAHAHAHEHAHAHAHOHOHOHOHHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

As Pinkie has her giggling fit, her muted color vanishes, bringing her to a loud popping pink against the grey of the world.

"T-TO -WHOM-! I GET IT! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

She rights herself and her hair goes from straight and down to poofy and sticking up with an audible "Sproing!" Pinkie wipes a tear from her eye and grins wide. "Goo-good one, guy!"

You smile back to her. "I'm glad you liked it."

"Liked it? I LOVED it!"

She zips over and wraps her hooves around your in a hug. "I haven't felt this good in forever!"

You chuckle and pat her on the back. "...Pinkie, can I ask you a favor?"

"Oh! Oh! I love favors! What do you need? I can do anything!"

You smile and look her in the eye. "I've seen the frightened people in this kingdom. There's an evil that holds them here, but they won't try breaking it's grasp. Can you travel around and remind them what it means to be happy? With songs or jokes or just listening to them, can you make this place better again?"

Pinkie salutes with her hoof. "You can count on me General...uh...OHMIGOSH! I didn't learn my new friend's name!"

You chuckle and get to your feet, walking back to Spike-in-a-bag. "My name doesn't matter, call me anything."

You scoop up Spike and throw him on your back. "Anonymous!" he whispers.

"Yes?"

"Tha-that was -AMAZING-! How'd you do that!?"

"I just listened, Spike. It was simple, really."

"...Really?" the boy asks.

"Of course." You turn around and wave to Pinkie, glad to see a grin on her face. "Everyone likes to smile."

Your Eyes Shine Just Like Mine.
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Hope Rides Alone

Your Eyes Shine Just Like Mine.

-In Canterlot-

You're Discord and all is wrong with the world.

And that makes it oh so right.

You walk through the city streets, these frightened ponies watching you pass, leading your art around. Two animated stone statues walked behind you on their leashes, their faces frozen in expressions of shock just as you left them. The citizens of the city watched in either continued fear or tired acceptance at the fate of those statues. You didn't get the looks, it was only fair that you repay the kindness bestowed upon you, after all.

You continue your jaunty Sun-Monday walk. You grew tired of only having seven days, so you made a new one. The streets you pass have been gratified in their new state. Not that you minded, it added a bit of color to this drab city. They stretched on for seemingly miles, repeating the same lines. "WE HAVE CONTROL. WE KEEP YOU SAFE."

It had been put there by your hounds, a collection on ponies you drummed up to go around and make sure that you were causing as much chaos as you could. They were the ones who told you which building would look best as cheese or which family could stand to be split up for a decade or two. It made you so proud.

As luck would have it, you come up on now in the middle of the road. "Hellooooo there~ my little friend. How's chaos?"

She kicks the ground. "The dragon on the mountain got thrown out and he'll be going over the land for a while now."

You cup her chin. "Awwww...are you sad that it wasn't you who did it? Fear not, mon frère, we all have our moment in the spotlight. Unless you're me and you just -live- there."

You leave her behind and continue your walk. A dragon? You wouldn't have thought she'd do it, that was so grand.

Yes, all was wrong with the world. And that made it oh so right.

-Dragon Mountain-

Your hand finds purchase on the jagged rock underneath as you climb the mountain before you. Not the easiest task when you had a heavy weight on your back.

You grunt. "Spike, are you wearing your armor in there?"

The little dragon pokes his head out of the backpack. "No? You made me leave it, remember?"

You grunt and keep climbing. Spike would have to cut down on the pie.

"Hey...Anonymous?"

"Yeah Spike?" you ask while grabbing onto another ledge.

"What if we fall?"

...That had occurred to you, yes. But, like all things-

"I hope we don't."

You can almost hear Spike roll his eyes. "That's your answer to everything."

"Sometimes it's the only answer you need."

You continue up the mountain as you had been for the past hour. Spike and you had been eating a lunch of caught fish when you saw a dragon the size of a town block rocket out of a nearby mountain. While you may not be as disciplined and trained as your green counterparts, you had some wits about you, and in situations like these you found it paid to head closer to where things were happening. And so you packed little Spike into your bag and began scaling the mountain, all in the hopes that it would help your mission in some way.

"...Are you sure about this, Anonymous?" Spike asks.

You cant your head and climb onto another ledge. "Not entirely, Spike. But we have to try, it's the right thing to do."

Even you would admit that the chances that this wasn't just a risk were small. But then again, they always were with you."

You haul yourself up one last ridge and crawl a few paces on your hands and knees, panting. Spike crawls out of the backpack and heads in front of you. "Are you okay, Anonymous?"

You gasp for air. "Yeah!...just...give me a few seconds...to catch my breath."

You take a deep breath and picture a perfectly still lake of water, just like your mentor Brother Walker had taught you, and rise to your feet. "Alright, let's go."

You lead Spike away from the sheer cliff edge and along the mountaintop. Along a flat side of the peak, you lay eyes on a hole large enough for a house to be moved through.

"That's it!" Spike cries.

You look down at him. "What?"

"Dragons make their homes on the tops of mountains in caves where they can hide all their treasure! Twilight told me! Whatever scared off the dragon is in there!"

"You're sure?"

Spike nods his head, you smile down at him. "Good enough for me, let's go."

Spike and you run towards the cave opening, but pause at a peculiar sight along the way. A collection of animals, some large, some small, hiding behind a rock near the entrance.

Spike skids to a halt. "Angel?"

A bunny rabbit among the pack turns to look at Spike, but stays rooted in place.

"Who's Angel, Spike?"

"He was the pet of one of my friends...does that mean that Flu-

"Who's snooping around my cave!?" someone inside shouts. Echoed hoofsteps meet your ears as whomever this person is walks to meet you. She steps into the light, yellow coat as de-saturated as all the rest, and brow furrowed, she first scowls at the animals and then at you both. "Was it you!?"

The animals behind the rock cower at the wrath of the yellow pony while Spike jumps behind your legs.

"Fluttershy!?" Spike shouts.

She stamps towards you both. "Who are you!? Did you come to try and steal my cave?"

You hold your hands up. "Hey now, we didn't come to steal anything, we just came because we saw that dragon fly away."

"Hmph!" she says. "He couldn't take a little bit of staring, the big baby flew off and left this cave to me, so that makes it mine!"

She jumps forward and scrapes her hoof. "Get out of here! Nopony comes here -period-!"

You keep your arms raised. "Why?"

"Because -I- said so?" she answers.

"And your word is law?"

"It is now." she grumbles. "Everypony else, all my friends, they just walked all over me, never listened to me or what I had to say!"

Spike winces at her words, you just watch.

"Well...no more! From now on, everpony's going to have to deal with me and if they don't like it...well then they'll end up the same as that dragon!"

You look down at your hand. "Ring?"

"Readings anomalous from previous specimens, Lantern Anonymous. Exterior force detected."

"What's that mean?" Spike asks you.

"It means someone did this to her."

Spike turns from you to Fluttershy. "Someone...did this to her? How?"

"If he can make the sky diamonds, Spike, I'll bet Discord could do this."

Diamond sky day was a weird day.

"Who cares if someone did it! This is who you all have to deal with no, like to see you ignore me like this!" Fluttershy shouts.

Silence falls as you nudge Spike forward a bit, the boy looks up at you frightened.

"She knows you better than me, try talking to her."

Spike gulps and walks towards Fluttershy, fiddling with his claws. "Uhmm...Fluttershy, you gotta stop! You're scaring everyone!"

"Good! Maybe then they'll get what's coming to them!"

Spike's face falls. "You can't mean that..."

Fluttershy turns her back on Spike. "Why wouldn't I?"

Spike looks back at you, the look on his face pleading for any advice. All you can do is give him a thumbs up.

But Spike's eyes drift to the animals behind the rock and harden with purpose. "W-well...what about them?" he asks.

"What -about- them?" Fluttershy answers.

"Why would they come here if you were really this cruel person you say you are, Fluttershy? Wouldn't they stay away if that were true? I think it's because they know that there's a tiiiiiny little sliver of the -real- Fluttershy still inside. The Fluttershy who'd never say those hurtful things to people and would lend a hoof whenever anypony needed it. The Fluttershy who's my friend."

That's it boy...

Spike takes a deep breath and runs at Fluttershy. "Come on, everyone!" Fluttershy reels and looks about to fly away before Spike wraps his arms around her chest in a hug. To the surprise of her, it seems. That act serves as the go signal for all the rest of the animals to run up and join him, wrapping Fluttershy in a cocoon of warm embraces that leaves only her face revealed.

"I can help you beat him, Fluttershy. But you have to let me."

"I-I-I...uhh..."

Spike just turns to you. "Do it, Anonymous! While we have her in a hug!"

Good enough for you. You raise your ring and bathe the area in a blue glow.

The cobalt glow from your ring extends and bathes over Fluttershy and the animals. To anyone looking, it just looks like you're shining a strange blue light on her, but you were mentally linked to your ring.

You could feel a sort of...otherness that was blocking Fluttershy from her normal thoughts and putting something else in their place, something that she couldn't break on her own. But the one thing it couldn't do was stop her baser desires. Desires for friendship, kindness, and for things to get better.

A desire for hope.

You feed this desire on her and amplify it through your ring, pushing against the mental barrier set in place by Discord.

"Hope detected."

The barrier shatters and the real Fluttershy's thoughts pour forth like a flood as you recede the light. All is silent in front of the cave as the moment sets in, but only for a moment. After that moment, a wail that starts low pitched but steadily rises emanates from the hug pile, punctuated by occasional sobbing. "I'm...ssssooo-o-oo-o-o sorryy-yyyyy..." you hear as the pile shifts and shudders and tightens.

"Is everything alright, Spike?"

Spike separates and nods. "That sounds like the Fluttershy I know."

You smile, that was good.

Fluttershy's face-hole was a little higher than Spike's level, so you kneel down to it. "Are you feeling better?"

She sniffs and hitches. "I-I feel so terrible for all the things that I did...but I'm glad I feel like myself again."

You reach out and pet her with your ring hand, she doesn't flinch. "That's good...can I ask you a kindness?"

She perks up at you.

"I want to help everyone here like Spike helped you, can you go out from here and try and help everyone you can in your own special way while we do it in ours? Every little bit helps."

Fluttershy nods slowly. "If it can make up for the awful things I did here...then yes, I will."

You smile. "Good, thank you very much. Spike, let's let her and her friends reconnect."

Spike runs over to his bag but waves to Fluttershy before jumping in, she waves back with a small smile.

The climb back down the mountain was easier.

-Back in Canterlot, the next day-

You skipped walkies this morning in favor of a small fly over the city to take in the sights. The Lord of Chaos surveys his domain and you liked what you saw. Some ponies ran from carnivorous food, others had their sense of direction totally discombobulated, and the wave of Synesthesia seems to have spread as well.

Beyond the city walls was the daily parade of ponies just trying to leave that always seemed to stop at Ghastly Gorge. You telescoped your eye and saw them each wink out of existence once they met a blind turn, ready to be deposited back in the city the next day to consider starting all over again.

Oh come on now, don't give you that look, you weren't a total monster.

Besides, less ponies around would mean less chaos to have.

"Discord!" A mare with magenta fur and a beanie hat putters over to you, spiraled eyes wide in shock.

"Hello there Screwball! What do you need, my dear?"

"It's bad news!"

"What? Why bad?"

"The dragon from Dragon Mountain is back in his cave! The yellow one left yesterday!"

WHAT?

"But how!?"

"Screwball asked the rocks, they said there was a monkey with a magic blue ring that changed the yellow one back!"

That wouldn't do at all, you had plans for that dragon once it got to the Gryphon lands.

Grumbling, you pinch your snout. "Look, it's morning and I can almost hear the Hound, go tell her what you told me and then tell her to fix it."

She was the one who told you about it in the first place, she'd be raring to fix this orderly mess. Screwball wordlessly salutes and putters off while you continue you flight.

That news very nearly destroyed your mood and ruined your day!

But the sonic boom and rainbow trail that shot out of the city to go fix the problem made it a little bit better.

Step Into The Light.
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Hope Rides Alone

Step Into The Light.

"Will that be all, Mister...?" the pony before you asks while looking at you over her glasses.

You take the bag of apples and pour them into your backpack, sure to avoid Spike as you do, and hand a gem over to her.

"That will be all, Wheat Grass. Thank you very much."

She smiles at you, a warm smile that you're seeing more of in these lands. "Now how can I let it stand that somepony knows my name, says such nice things, and buys my fruit when I don't know theirs?"

You chuckle.

"Oh my name doesn't matter...I'm just a traveler, really. Traveler and...delivery boy."

She raises an eyebrow. "Delivery bo-"

"Hey! Hey Wheat!" someone shouts.

Another pony, Flax Seed, you had learned, Wheat's husband, came running up to her. You suppressed a chuckle at how these two would look right at home in the Summer of Love.

"Flax? Flax, what is it?"

He points to a caravan riding away from you. "Like, the mare in there just told me this awesome story! See, she was told by someone that there's this guy, right? And he goes around Equestria helping everypony with a magic blue ring!"

Oop. You slip your ring hand into your pocket before they can see.

"Magic ring?" Wheat asks.

"Yeah! And he travels alone so no one really knows anything about him, but everywhere he goes, things get better. They say he's gonna kick out Discord!"

That time you can't suppress your chuckle.

Wheat grass turns and eyes you. "Something on your mind, Mister...?"

You shake your head.

"No no, just...that sounds like a nice story. I'm going to head on my way now. Be well, Wheat Grass and Flax Seed."

You turn on your heel and quickly walk down the road, letting the couple converse amongst themselves.

As you walk down the forested road, you feel a dragon peek out of the backpack. "Hey Anonymous?"

"Mmhm?"

"Those ponies back there knew about you."

"They knew a legend, Spike. Legends are so much more grandiose than the reality, I feel."

"Yeah but in this case it's true! You're a legend in Equestria!"

You hike the pack up. "And?"

"So why didn't you tell them that it was you?"

"Because that's not what I want, Spike. I'm not doing this because I want to be a legend or because I want to be known by everyone."

The boy remains silent.

"I don't want to enthrall or entrance anyone, I would simply like to help everyone - if possible."

You re-adjust the pack and smile back at him "We all want to help each other, sentient beings are like that. We want to live by each other's happiness- not each other's misery."

"And how do you do that?"

"Many people have it in them to help themselves, they need to only be shown how to do it."

The sound of flapping wings and breaking air calls your attention upwards.

"And what about the ones that...can't help themselves?"

Your eyes track a rainbow trail flying across the sky. "Well...then I try to do what I can."

A rainbow trail that was headed for you.

"We have company, Spike."

You stop in your tracks and set the pack down, letting Spike walk out. He looks up at the trail and his eyes shrink. "Oh no..."

You look to him as you sit down on the ground and cross your legs. "Someone you know?"

He nods. "It's Rainbow Dash! The Element of Loyalty! When Discord came, he made her turn to his side!"

The pony in question continues to race towards you both. You can see her determined expression now if you squint.

"Hmmm...stay close to me."

You usher Spike behind you and adjust your ring on your finger.

Rainbow Dash keeps coming straight at you and when she looks like she's just about to ram your headfirst, pulls up into the air and into a large loop.

She dives to the ground and lands, kicking up a cloud of dust with her wings and the draft she carried with her. You remain as still as you can, hands resting on your knees, and meet her cold, magenta gaze with your own.

"Hello there, Rainbow Dash. Can I help you?"

Rainbow Dash jams her face against yours. "I'm here to stop you."

"I believe I am already stopped, it'd be hard to move while I sit here."

She growls. "I mean I'm here to take care of you."

"I'm fine, thank you though."

"DON'T PLAY DUMB!" she roars at you.

"I'm not playing anything, you and I are simply having a talk."

She lowers her head and stares daggers at you, panting out her nose.

"You seem upset."

"Yeah I'm upset! Discord sent me to fight somebody but all I get is some lame-o who sits around and talks!" she shouts.

"The word is mightier than the sword, and I heard you worked for Discord these days."

She scoffs. "Better than the alternative..."

"And that is?"

"Being stuck with those...quitters again!"

Something behind you catches Rainbow's eye, Spike you assume, and she steps towards you. "Like him!"

You raise your arm and block her.

"Please, you and I are talking, let's leave him out of this."

"Why!? It's his fault!" She looks around the woods and at the cotton candy clouds. "All of this is his and the other's faults because they just rolled over!"

"What do you mean?"

"With Discord! They would not stand! They would not fight!"

You raise an eyebrow. "There -are- alternatives to violence...is that why you work for Discord now? Because he will fight?"

She glares back at you. "Because when Discord wants something done, it gets DONE."

All is silent as Rainbow Dash's eyes drift between you and Spike.

"We're fighting."

"Yeah? Well I'm -not-. I'm through with all that elements saving the world crap, I'm lookin' out for numero uno from now on." She looks you in the eye. "Numero uno is me, by the way."

"Yes, I got that. Is that all you aspire to? A life of ease?"

"Hey, I don't think it's that bad a wish, huh?" she says with a grin. "What -else- is there?"

"You used to stand for something, I believe you could again."

Rainbow Dash rolls her eyes. "Oh puh-leeze. Who -stands- for stuff these days?"

You lift your arm and show Spike.

"We do."

She rolls her eyes again. "Yeah, big whoop, a monkey and a baby dragon."

"If we're so minor, why are you here to try and stop us?"

She has no answer for you.

"It's alright to be afraid sometimes, Rainbow Dash."

She laughs. Laughs so hard that she rears up and falls backwards. "Afraid?! Of -what-?"

"Losing."

That quiets her again.

"I think that's the reason you joined with Discord, because you were afraid to lose the biggest competition ever and you wanted to be on the winning side."

She scowls and gets to her hooves. "Yeah, well, what do you know?"

"I know that any fool can win a fight when it's easy, and any idiot can take a cause when the odds are in their favor. But it's when the chips are down and your back is to the wall that the real victories matter."

She looks between you and Spike again, but not in anger this time, more...desperation? "This...isn't some race you can just lose and go home over. It's real life. Losing -matters- here and I just..."

"It's okay to be scared sometimes, Rainbow Dash..." Spike says.

"But- losing means-" she begins.

"Hey." You hold your ring hand out. "We won't lose."

Rainbow dash stares hesitantly at your hand. Spike comes around and puts his claw in your palm, looking up at Rainbow smiling.

"We can take the fear away."

Beads of sweat pop up on her forehead before she quickly jams a hoof into your hand.

"Hope detected."

Rainbow Dash, you, and Spike become awash in blue light that warms your heart and sends you to a place of absolute peace even now.

As the light washes over Rainbow, her color returns to her, and her eyes gain a spark that they had been missing previously. She recoils back from you. "Whoa! That thing's got some pep to it..."

"Yes, it can be a bit daunting the first time...welcome back."

"Welcome back, Rainbow!" Spike says, running up to hug her around the chest.

She chuckles and pats his back. "Hey Spike...good to be back."

You grunt and climb to your feet, dusting off your pants and pocketing your hands. "I'm glad we were able to help."

She pulls away from Spike and flutters up to you. "Did you mean what you said...? About taking it to Discord?"

"I'd like to stop him, yes."

Rainbow hits a hoof into another like you would your fist. "When do we start?"

"Right now, we need something from you."

"Name it."

You present the land behind you with your hand. "Fly. As fast as you can and as far as you can and tell as many ponies as you can about what happened here. Spread the word of hope to anyone who will listen and get them -believing- again."

She looks confused. "-That's- how we beat Discord?"

"I've seen it work on a hundred worlds before."

Rainbow nods and takes to the air, stopping a ways. "You know we heard, even in Canterlot we heard about you."

"Legends never die, Rainbow Dash."

She smirks. "He's on edge about you, Discord. He doesn't like that you keep pulling his legs out from under him."

You usher Spike into the backpack and throw it on your back.

"Should I be worried?"

She shakes her head. "Discord's paranoid but vain, he thinks no one can touch him."

"We'll put that to the test. See you, Rainbow Dash."

She salutes and flies off down the road away from you.

"That's all but two of my old friends..." Spike says.

"We'll save them, Spike. Every last one of them."

You feel him shift. "Promise?"

"You can count on it."

All will be well.

I've Given Everything I Can.
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Hope Rides Alone

I've Given Everything I Can.

You bring your hands up and splash a glob of ice cold water onto your face as you scrub some dirt out.
"If there's one thing I miss here, it's showers..." you mutter to yourself.

The mountains are quiet as you scrub away at the dirt and grime collected on your person in the small stream you found. Spike was off...somewhere. You had let him wander in the wilderness for a time, to get out from that knapsack and to stretch his legs a bit. You knew a growing boy when you saw one, and you knew when they needed space.

On cue, you hear the clattering of rocks to your right and see Spike walking down from higher up the mountain. "Hello buddy. Did you have a nice walk?"

"Hmm?" Spike puts his claw and something in it behind his back. "Oh, yeah, it was nice."

"What have you got there?" you ask.

He turns his back to you to protect it. "Just something I found."

"May I see it?"

Spike walks over to you and holds his claw out, inside it rests a single small ruby. "Impressive, my friend...where did you find it?"

Spike gestures up the slope. "Underground a ways up. It reminded me of a...friend. Lucky find, too."

"Why is that?"

Spike shrugs. "All the gems around here have been mined out, I guess we're not the only ones who stopped here."

Your ears perk up at the sound of a twig snapping. "...Yes...stay close."

You scoot back to where you set your ring down to wash and paw for it.

"Uh...Anonymous?" Spike says.

You turn around and spot your ring floating in a silver telekinetic glow. "Hey!" Before shooting off at high speed into the forest. "HEY!"

You jump to your feet and take off after the ring.

"Anon!" you hear Spike shout before giving chase.

You pump your arms and legs as you race through the trees, keeping a stern eye on your ring in the silver glow. You needed that, saving this land and the people in it would be a hell of a lot harder without that ring. You hear a strange noise behind you and start running faster. The last thing you needed when you were ring-less was to get eaten by some monster in the woods.

You weave around a few trees and leap over a log until-

There's no sign of the ring to the left. No sign right. Nothing straight ahead.

...Damn.

You hear the growling again, this time from behind you. You reach down and grab a stick, raising it to prepare and defend yourself. Hope must not be lost, even without your ring. You were going to defend yourself, find and get your ring back, and continue on with Spike to-

Spike leaps out from behind some bushes and looks up at you smiling. You release the breath you had been holding.

"Oh...Spike, thank Adara it's you."

His hopeful eyes turn to one of confusion, he opens his mouth to speak. "Dtay wonna wanga?" he says.

Your face falls and you sigh. "You don't have any idea what I'm saying, do you?"

He tilts his head to the side. "Eechuta?"

Being outside of the range of the universal translator made this a lot harder than it already was...

You sigh and run your hand through your hair. "A whole hell of a lot harder..."

Spike walks closer. "Apoo?"

You steel yourself with a sigh and turn to him. Okay, Spike? We can't understand each other until we get my ring back." You point to your empty ring hand. "Do you understand?"

Spike sniffs at the ground and his eyes shrink. "Radoosame!"

And off he bounds further towards the mountain.

"Spike! Wait! It's dangerous!"

You throw the stick and chase after him.

You keep Spike in your sight better than you did your ring as you give chase. Forrest gives way to barren mountain edge as Spike continues to run ahead at a speed you've never seen from him up the mountain.

"Spike, wait!"

He doesn't slow, he probably can't understand you.

You hurry up the mountain, dropping to all fours as the incline increases. Getting close to the top, you hear voices speaking in a language you cannot understand, but you recognize one as Spike.

"Bars mato r'aas iish, Radoosame!" he shouts.

The other one speaks. "Fo untam nar gek, Sposs! Futalla mek shir noteluas!"

You keep climbing, spotting jagged gems sticking out of the mountain as you make your way up and the voices continue to bicker.

"Mes itam nu!"

"Mek all teem yiss daw, Sposs! Gram nwo an thgr-verything I see is mine, mine, mine, mine!"

You understood that. But that would mean you were close to-

You reach the top of the cliff and pull yourself up onto a ledge. Spike stands defiantly on all fours in front of you and past him, in the mouth of a cave, is a golden throne surrounded by glittering coins, shimmering jewels, and rich tapestries. Sitting in this throne, gowned in purple and white furs and with a golden jeweled crown on her head, sat a pale white unicorn.

And on her horn rested a blue ring.

"Ah...that makes sense..."

She looks to you and scans you with her sapphire eyes. "Tell me now, Spike, have you brought me another possession?"

Spike shakes his head. "People aren't possessions, Rarity! You know that!"

...This is starting to take on a very orange hue.

"Spike...you know this pony?"

Spike turns and looks back at you. "Th-this is Rarity, Anonymous. She was the...special one I told you about."

...Ah. That explains the skittishness.

You get to your feet and dust yourself off. You look over the riches that shine in the afternoon sunglass wearing sun. "Hmm...I'd hazard a guess that she represented altruism before everything?"

"GENEROSITY." Rarity corrects from her chair. "You will do well not to forget -MY- title, you ape. Now on your knees! I will not have my possessions acting as such to me."

"Oh but I much prefer to stand. The view from here is spectacular."

Rarity's horn glows silver and you feel immense pressure pushing down on you from above as your shoulders glow the same color.

You grunt as you're pushed to your knees by the magic.

"Rarity!"

"Silence, Spike! I'm disciplining!"

Spike shakes his head. "This isn't you!"

Rarity continues to stare steely eyed at you. "Well it is now."

Through gritted teeth, you speak. "Can I ask...what...changed?"

Rarity's eye twitches. "Do you think I didn't see what they did? I gave everything to my friends, my time, my kindness, my designs, and yet every time I saw it thrown in my face! Rejected! They vacated to that Maybelle mare once they were done with me!"

"May...belle...?"

"Don't ask..." Spike says, rolling his eyes.

"From then I decided that it may pay a bit more to -take- things as opposed to give them away." Rarity scoffs and turns her head. "Honestly, I cannot believe I was so naive."

Spike's eyes dart between you and Rarity. He holds up his claw with the small ruby in it and clamps his eyes shut. "It's like you don't even remember..." A glint from the gem catches Rarity's eyes, she turns her head and looks to Spike with...hunger. "-What- might you have -there-, Spikey~?"

Spike perks up and turns away. "N-nothing. I don't have anything." he says, but Rarity is already circling him like a shark.

"Oh ho ho ho don't lie to me, Spikey Wikey~." she says in a sing-song voice. "I saw the most -magnificent- reflection there in your claw...what is it, let me see, give it to me."

You crawl a bit towards them in the silver grip. "Let...him be..."

Spike turns around and around, keeping his back to Rarity while she eyes him like a steak dinner. "Oh! Oh! Give it here, Spikey. Give that beautiful shiny thing here." she says.

Rarity gets around Spike and gasps, grabbing Spike's claw in her grip and levitating it up to her face. "My -WORD-! look at all the fractals and facets! Oh I -must- add this to my collection! I want it! I need it!"

Spike jerks his claw back, or tries to. "Rarity!"

Some sense returns to Rarity's eyes. "Ah, of course...you'd want to keep it. What if we were to trade?" Rarity floats your ring off her horn. "I'll trade you this...lovely little trinket for that stunning jewel."

Spike blinks and looks to you. Getting the ring back could be just what you needed.

Through the field pinning you, you nod to him.

Spike look up at Rarity. "P-promise?"

"Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye." she says.

Spike shakily extends the claw out to her and opens it.

Rarity smiles and floats the gem up to her eye, examining the facets and seemingly being drawn into them, she tears herself away with some reluctance and looks down at Spike with a smirk. "Sucker."

Spike's eyes shoot wide open. "Wh-wha-"

"AHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Rarity leaps back from Spike with the ring and the jewel, examining it again up close. "First rule of business, Spikey. Never give up something you don't have to."

Spike hangs his head and grits his teeth while Rarity looks to the jewel over him. "I got that...because of you..." Spike says.

"Hmm?" Rarity looks over her shoulder at him.

Spike looks up at her with tears in his eyes. "I picked that gem up...because it reminded me of the one -I- gave -you-...the broach you asked for so long ago..."

"Hmmm...well hopefully this has been an object lesson for you, Spike."

Spike hangs his head again. "I-I got it for y-you because...because I-I..." Spike doesn't finish and just hangs his head, his light sobs coming above the high wind.

Rarity looks at him cocking her eyebrow before she looks between the gem and the ring on her forehead. "I...see... What's so important about this trinket, anyway?"

"We're using it...to make...everything better." you grunt out.

Rarity looks to you and the pressure that stopped you from talking dissipates, but you're still locked in place.

"Everything better -how-?" she asks.

"We hope to oust Discord and turn the land back to the way it was before him..."

Rarity blinks. "B-before him? This little thing can do all that?"

"And more."

She floats it off her horn and looks at it, eyes drinking in the symbol. "If it can do all that, why don't I just keep it? Use it for myself?"

"I don't know...I hope you're better than that."

She turns away from you and looks to Spike. The boy looks up at her for a moment but tears his crying eyes away soon after. Rarity...looks displeased.

"...Are you?" you ask.

She turns back to you, the pressure lifts some more. "I-I don't rightly...know. I don't...everything before now is so...fuzzy..."

You lift your arm and open your palm. "I know one way to find out."

Rarity looks to Spike once more and then back into your eyes. "Oh...I suppose I can let you...hold it for a moment."

Rarity releases her silver grip on the ring and lets it fall for a moment before it catches itself and flies right onto your finger. "Hope detected."

You hear Spike gasp as the azure glow from your ring washes over Rarity. She stumbles back a few steps in surprise but then lets out a sigh as the light washes over her. As the blue field fades back into your ring, Rarity rights herself, not a stark white and rich purple as she looks herself in a nearby gold plated mirror.

"My -WORD-, a few days out in the rough and tumble will certainly ruin ones mane."

"Rarity!" Spike shouts as he runs up to her and throws his arms around her. "You're back!"

Rarity gasps in surprise but instantly warms to the dragon's touch. She wraps her hoof around him and gives him a kiss on the head. "Thanks in no small part to you, my brave knight..."

Spike visible reddens. "Aw...I-I didn't do anything special..."

You walk over and rub his spines. "Don't be so sure."

He reddens some more.

Rarity turns to you. "And you mister...Mystery, I suppose I should thank you for your part in this as well."

"No thanks are needed...it's what I do."

"Now the only one left is Twilight..." Spike says.

Rarity perks up. "Twilight? You're traveling all the way to the Crystal Kingdoms?"

Spike grabs his forehead. "Crystal Kingdom's!? That's half the kingdom away!"

You grimace. "Rarity, you're sure she's there?"

"Why, there's no other place she could -be-, darling."

You hold your ring up. "Ring, status report."

"Ring capacity: 10%."

Ten percent...that might do.

"Spike, grab a hold, we're headed to the Crystal Kingdom."

Spike cocks his eyebrow but grabs your leg, he's learned to trust you.

"Rarity. It was a pleasure meeting you. We must as a favor."

"Anything, dear." she answers with a warm smile, you can see why Spike likes her.

"Please, travel as far as you can and tell everyone you can about what happened today. Help them believe."

Rarity bows. "They will not be able to quiet me!" She turns and begins to trot down the hill.

"Uh...Anonymous? Shouldn't we go get our stuff?" Spike asks.

You smile down at him. "No need, Spike. We'll be there soon."

You squeeze your hand and cover you and Spike in a soft blue aura before you rise off the ground. You hear Spike gasp as you re-orient yourself.

It was only 10%, but it'd do.

"Alright, now which way is this Kingdom?"

"N-north!" Spike says.

You extend your arm out and start flying north, picking up speed as you go until the trees below were just a blur.

We Are Their Hope.
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Hope Rides Alone

We Are Their Hope.

You hug Spike close to your chest as you fly along the snowy mountains. You could feel the boy shivering in your grip even through the life support field. The blizzard you were in was unnatural, seemingly assailing you for miles and miles of your journey and making it that much harder to spot the railroad tracks you were following to ensure you didn't get lost.

“Is it much further now, do you know?” you ask.

Spike shivers and takes a peek out ahead of you both. “Y-y-y-yeah! J-just over that m-mountain!”

It dawns on you that Spike, being a dragon, would probably be cold blooded and thus not used to the cold. You clench your fist and double your speed over the mountain Spike pointed to. As you clear the mountain, the temperature rises to normal levels and you see the fabled Crystal Kingdom. Grey crystal growths dotted the landscape and stretched all the way to the should-be glimmering city itself. Rising high above the splotched crystal buildings of the capital city rose a single imposing spire that caught the hazy sunlight and shone a pure white reflection out over the land and a beam into the sky.

”A-are we sure she's here?” Spike asks.

“If we believe Rarity.”

You gently float yourselves down to the ground at the city limits. Citizens walk around in a fog of confusion, their eyes lidded and cloudy as they aimlessly shuffle from one house to the next in a macabre imitation of activity.

“It's worse here, whatever it is...”

Spike climbs down onto the ground. “What do we do?”

“First we need information...and I learned from an emerald compatriot of mine the best place to go for that.”

Spike looks up at you. “Where?”

“A bar, come on.”

You start down the road at a leisurely pace, enough for Spike to catch up to, and look out for a watering hole.

Music

You and Spike approach a tavern made of diamond with a bipedal canine outside playing a lute and sitting on a stool. You give him a nod of acknowledgment and receive a wide eyed grunt of...was that disbelief?

Spike mirror's the look you give him, he noticed it too.

...Odd, you guess.

You push open the door and enter into the tavern. Ponies of all shapes, sizes, and levels of radiance sit around their tables nursing mugs of what you smell as cider. Behind them are winged creatures and large ox-men who's horns scrape the ceiling above your head.

And all of them were staring at the two of you with the same stare the one outside had. ”The Rider!” “It's The Rider!” “The Rider's here!”

It seems your reputation precedes you.

You blink a few times and wave non-threateningly. “Hello everyone, it's nice to meet you.”

They all blink once, twice, three times, and then cheer a cheer so loud it shakes the building. “THREE CHEERS FOR THE RIDER!” “A DRINK FOR THE RIDER!”

Hands, claws, and hooves reach over and pat you on the back, pushing you towards the bar where a drink rests for you. Spike hops up on your back. “What is all this, Anonymous?”

“I think they heard about us, Spike.”

One pony smiles at you. “Everyone's heard of you! You're the guy who's going over all of Equestria helpin' folks and makin' em feel better!”

Another pony pops forward. “You got the Elements of Harmony themselves tellin' your story! We all heard it here a million times!”

The bartender places the cup down on the bar surface. “All but one.”

Spike looks ahead at the pony and gasps. “Shining Armor!?”

You look the pony over yourself. Mangled fur, sunken and bloodshot eyes with dark circles, he hadn't slept in a while. You hold up a hand asking for silence, the bar obeys. “Now sir...what did you mean?”

Spike looks at you from your shoulder. “This is Shining Armor, Anonymous. He's Twilight's older brother!”

“A brother?” you ask, eyes cocking.

Shining Armor nods. “Mhm. As well as the Prince Reagent, Captain of the Guard, and right now? Bartender.”

Spike looks around. “Where's...Cadence?”

Shining armor looks at the mug he's cleaning without tearing his eyes away. “...Under Canterlot.”

Spike reels back in disgust at that, whatever it may mean.

“...I see. We're sorry for your loss. What did you mean about “all but one” my friend? Did you mean Twilight?”

Shining armor nods and points out the window up to the glowing spire. “She's up there, at the top. She's the source of that light and every day it grows brighter. Everyone's afraid of what'll happen when it's brighter than the sun.”

“Why do you not leave?”

”You probably saw the blizzard on your way in? She made that. Frankly I'm surprised you made it here without being frozen solid.”

You look up at the glowing spire “She's up there, you say?”

Shining Armor nods. “Then we have our heading, come on Spike.”

You turn on your heel and walk out the front doors, Spike right behind you.

The bar patrons look on in disbelief. “You're going up there!” “She's gonna tear you apart!” “What'd we ever do for you?”

You look back from outside and smile. “Nothing, but it's the right thing to do.”

Shining Armor speaks up. “The only way in is through the castle, and there's still traps in there.”

You raise your arm. “That's fine, we have a shortcut.”

Spike jumps on your shoulder as the two of you are shielded in blue light and begin to rise into the air.

You and Spike rise and rise up the side of the Crystal Castle until you reach a small belfry below the brilliant white light where you touch down. The room was open on all sides looking out over the Crystal City, a set of stairs running down nearby. In the center of the room was a circle of crystals that glittered with power, all pointing up towards one black crystal above where some...beast of black smoke and green eyes thrashed about trapped inside.

Spike hops down from your shoulders and looks up at it.

“What...is that?” you ask.

”His name is Sombra.” a voice from inside the crystal circle says.

From the interior of the circle trots a muted purple unicorn, her violet main separated by a single streak of pink. Her head is down and her face in a frown as she looks at you.

”Twilight!” Spike exclaims, jumping off and running over to her. When he gets close, however, Twilight grabs him with a pink glow and pushes him back.

Spike looks hurt. “Twilight...?”

”Go away, Spike...go back to Ponyville...you shouldn't have to be around a failure...”

”Twilight...you're not a failure!” he shouts.

Twilight sighs and looks out over the empire. “How can you say that, Spike? This kingdom was once the jewel of Equestria, and now it's like this because I couldn't stop Discord...”

So it's penance...

Twilight's coat and mane shift to an even more muted color as she levitates up a box. “I can't stop discord on my own and I don't have anyone to use these...” She tips the box and several necklaces and a crown fall out. “And I'm totally alone...”

The chill wind from outside blows into the belfry.

“...No one is alone, Twilight.”

She looks up at you. “They tell legends of me, that I alone am helping your kingdom, but I've always had help.”

You gesture down to Spike who, to his credit, has his claws clenched in concentration. “Yeah! And you can't give up! If you get knocked down seven times, well you...you get up eight!”

Twilight sighs. “What's the point?...I let my friends down when they needed me the most and they were...changed.”

You hold your ring in front of you. “You're right Twilight...they -were- changed.”

You fire a beam of blue light out of your ring into the jewel on the crown-like object, it reflects your beam into the gems of the other five necklaces which in turn fire off into the thrumming crystals nearby.

In the crystals, images begin to form. One by one, old friends arise in the facets of the crystals. An orange pony who had to hide the truth from even herself, a pink pony who found no joy in the world, a yellow one who decided to hurt the world before it hurt her, a cyan one with a brilliant rainbow mane who had lost her way, and a pure white one who had once only thought to take.

Their images now all stood surrounding Twilight and smiling down at her. "Ya can't give up, Sugarcube!” ”Why, can you imagine the scandal if we simple gave up here? Preposterous?” ”Yeah! The six of us together can go to Canterlot and kick Discord's flank in, you watch!” ”We all believe in you ever so much, Twilight.”

Pinkie Pie didn't say anything, instead she waved some pom poms she had gotten from somewhere around with a shirt that said T on it.

You decided to roll with it.

Twilight looks around, mouth agape, at all her friends now gather from all corners of the kingdom. “You- but- you're all back to normal!”

Pinkie nods her head. “Yep! That guy fixed us up!”

”But- How did you break away from Discord! It's impossible!”

“Impossible is nothing."

Twilight looks over her shoulder at you as you hold your ring aloft and fill the room with a soft glow. “If a shadow blots out the sun, if it stays till the sun is set...if the sun were to -never- show it's face again, there would be light.”

The other mares besides Twilight smile and close their eyes as they take a slight blue glow to them.

“All will be well.”

Twilight closes her eyes in the midst of all her friends...as he color starts to improve. ”Yes...yes! We'll keep trying! We'll never give up and we'll always stand together against trouble!”

”Yeah!” the other girls and Spike say in unison.

”Hope detected.”

Twilight's color returns naturally, either by the effect of what you were about to do or her own will, as you raise your arm into the air. A massive blue beam shoots from your ring through he tower, covering the entire kingdom with blue light as it magnifies the beam and shoots one of proportionally massive height into the air to be seen the world over so all could know the power of hope.

You take a few steps towards a now smiling Twilight and address her friends. “Girls? Follow the blue light and bring everyone you can along the way...we have somewhere we need to go together.”

Music

It took a few weeks for all the girls to make their way to the Crystal Empire with the ponies they gathered. You had waited patiently for them all to arrive, this was something that everyone needed to do together. The city below helped shelter the masses that they brought with them even as their numbers grew from the hundreds to the thousands and beyond.

When all were gather, you marched out of the city to the south, to Canterlot.

For a solid week, a herd of ponies as far as the eye can see walked behind you as you lead them to the place where they would finally be free. You didn't need your ring to feel the hope for a better future emanating off of each and every one of them, so strong that it supercharged your ring just being near them.

With a wave of your hand, you materialized your old uniform. Your head covering, your boots, even your poncho, the herd beneath you following your glowing self as you flew above them and shepherded them away from danger and onwards towards opportunity. When Canterlot was in sight, you stopped at the edge of a nearby gorge and a chant started. You didn't know where it came from, but you didn't stop it, seeing it galvanize the crowd as they recited it over and over like a prayer.

Ponies on the other end of the gorge stopped walking to it and looked at you with confusion, no doubt thinking that the massive swarm of differently colored ponies standing behind the blue biped were mad. And from Canterlot castle, you saw a serpentine shape worm its way out, followed by two large winged statues by the looks of it. It began levitating towards you a moment after you caught sight of it as a leisurely pace.

You hear Spike gulp next to you despite the roar of the crowd. “He's coming...”

“I know he is, Spike...but believe in yourself. That belief will see us through this.”

Spike nods and waits by your side as Discord draws ever closer and the flock of ponies chant becomes louder.

”WE-HAVE-CON-TROLL!”

“WE-KEEP-YOU-SAFE!”

"WE-ARE-YOUR-HOPE!”

”WE-ARE-IN-CON-TROLL!”

You Are Our Hero.
View Online

Hope Rides Alone

You Are Our Hero.

Music

Discord lands on his mismatched legs on front of you and your host. A pair of moving statues landed behind him, their crowns and raiment earning a few gasps from the crowd along with their vacant, dead eyed expressions. You could feel some of their hope wane seeing them.

You raise your ring hand and silence them. Discord sees that and gawks. “Well well well, what have we here? Is it a little hero come to defeat me?” He snaps his fingers and makes a pair of boxing gloves appear on his hands, sending a few test jabs in your direction. “Well if it's a whuppin' you're a' wantin'...”

“I will not fight you.”

”You have no choice.” he answers. The boxing gloves disappear as he floats over the crowd. “Or did you plan to beat me with good feelings and smiles?”

“Sometimes the will of one can change the whole world.”

”And you think that one is here today?”

“I like to think so, yes.”

Discord rolls his eyes. “Oh please.” he turns to look over the crowd. “There are no heroes here.”

A rock is thrown and gently bounces off Discord's back, a rock thrown from next to you. “That's not true!” All eyes turn to Spike who stands his ground snorting smoke. “Everyone -here- is a hero! They're a hero because even when you took away their homes and friends and what made them who they are, they still grabbed onto it again as soon as they found it! And they still helped each other get here so we could take Canterlot back from you!”

You nod down to him. “Well said, my friend.”

Discord raises his paw to his mouth and stiffles back a chuckle “Re-heally? -THAT- is the best you have? Alright then “Spikey Wikey”-”

Discord snaps his fingers and he and Spike vanish for a split second, reappearing in the middle of the host and blowing dozens of ponies away form their epicenter of impact.

Spike rises to his feet in the circle Discord made as the Draconequis spreads his arms out.

”Let's see what you're made of then, “hero”.”

-Spike PoV-

You step to your feet as Discord leaps into the air and snakes his way around you giggling.

“What's so funny?”

”Why -you- are, my little Spikey Wikey! All grown up and in your big pony pants...the other dragons won't be making fun of you now. Probably.”

“Shut up!” you shout to him. “And don't -call- me that!”

Your heart beats out of your chest but you can't let Discord see that. Can't let Anonymous see how scared you really were. You'd tried to be like him these past months. He was always so serene and collected whenever the two of you had faced a problem and it was always him who ended up saving the day.”

Without him, you were...You shake your head, clearing those thoughts away and turning your attention back to Discord who's feigning regret. “Oh I'm so -sorry-, is only Rarity allowed to call you that?” he floats up higher and looks around, shielding his eyes with his paw. “Where -is- that delightful pony anyway? I've got a friend by the name of Tom who's -dying- to see her again.”

“I SAID SHUT UP!” you cry.

Discord spirals down into your face faster than you can blink. “Or you'll what, shout and cry again? Don't make me laugh.”

Your claw curls into a fist and winds back. “Or I'll do this!”

You swing your fist as hard as you can, but Discord blinks away to your side and sticks a finger in your ear. You feel him pull something out and when you look back, he's floating there with a long sheet of paper and wearing a fez and glasses while he smokes a pipe. “Hmm...so this is what you've been up to these last few weeks? I see...”

You right yourself from your missed swing and glare at him.

Discord throws the paper up into the air and snaps it on fire. “Boring! Who -writes- that crap, anyway!?”

Discord snaps closer in a flash and puts his mismatched hands on your shoulders, spinning you around to face the crowd. ”Look at them all, Spike.”

Discord peels your eyelids back and makes you look over the ponies crowded around watching you. They all looked back with mixes of fear and doubt at the monster who'd torn their lives apart.

”Look at them...standing there dumb struck. Can't they see you're in trouble? Why don't they help?”

“It's not their fight to-”

”Not their fight?” Discord interrupts. “Then who's is it? Aren't you doing this for -them-? Why shouldn't they fight if their freedom is on the line?”

That...actually made some sense. You had spent the hardest months of your life trying to save these people and... And they wouldn't even help you do it...

”Take a good long look, Spikey Wikey...they aren't helping because they don't -want- to help.” Discord's mouth gets closer to your ear while you keep staring. ”They -want- to be conquered. Want to be crushed under the will of someone stronger than them so that aaaaaalll those little worries that come with their free will can just poof away and leave with the wind...

“Th-they wouldn't stand...”

”They wouldn't FIGHT. They never will...They expect you to do -all- the work...even your friends had to be saved by you.”

You spot Twilight, Rarity, Pinkie Pie all in the crowd with the rest. Staring and watching, but not moving at all.
Discord raises his head up and looks over the crowd with nothing short of contempt. ”They. Are. The. DEAD, Spike.”

Your head hurts. You continue to look over the crowd as Discords words fill your mind and your heart sinks. They wouldn't help, they never would, they didn't even have the will to do that. Discord smiles and raises a sparking finger, he begins to reach out to your forehead.

It wasn't fair. It felt like such a farce, these last few months.

“None of it...mattered...”

”That's right...” Discord says, his finger centimeters away from your forehead and sparking with magic.

“I-I don't...m-ma-”

A snake of blue energy shoots out from between the crowd and wraps around Discord's claw, yanking it back away from his face and distracting you.

”Do -NOT- give up on yourself.”

-Anon PoV-

-Music -

Spike blinks his eyes several times as you pull Discord's arm back further away from him. ”Anonymous!” he shouts.

“We must never give into despair, Spike. The minute we give up, it's over.” You lock eyes with him. “Without hope, there is no light in the future. We must create the destiny they seek.”

The clouds over Spike's eyes fade away and give rise to the fire behind the emerald orbs. “Yeah!”

Discord snaps his fingers and disappears from your grip, re-appearing a dozen feet above you. “No! No! No! You ruined everything! Why don't you just leave well enough alone!”

“Hope is eternal.”

”OH COME -ON-!”

Discord disappears and re-appears in front of you, hands covering his face. “Do you say -ANYTHING- that doesn't sound like a cat poster!?”

You raise your arm up into the sky and bathe what seems like the entire hemisphere in blue light. “Believe in one another! And let others carry hope for you!”

The crowd galvanizes and cheers, a chorus of aspiration that echoes across the entire world.

”Like that!” Discord shouts as he walks up in front of you waving his arms. “You big, fat, ugly archetype! You're a walking generality out of a child's book!” he shouts over the cheers and jeers, he knew he was losing the crowd.

“I think that's a strength.”

”How is being -VAGUE- a strength, you ignorant monkey!?”

“Because I might do something that could surprise you.”

Discord rolls his eyes and crosses his arms. “Surprise -me-, really, that's a lau--” Discord doesn't get any further as you cock your ring arm back and slam it into his lower stomach. Blue light quickly flashes over him and the crack of thunder marks your contact before he rockets out over the host at high speed and lands in a heap far beyond you across the gorge.

The crowd erupts in a cheer, the impenetrable layer of cotton candy clouds that's hung over Equestria since you arrived starts to break with setting sunlight.

You start to float into the air. “Spike, get the girls to the edge of the cliff, quickly. Tell Twilight to bring the box.”

Spike nods and runs off as you float closer and closer towards Discord.

Discord has himself in a Gordian Knot as he untangles himself and stars daggers at you with blood red eyes. It seems that the fun was over.

”WHY YOU-” he roars. Unsurprisingly, his voice seems to shake the ground with its power. ”DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHO I -AM- YOU MISERABLE CRETIN?” he fumes.

You can feel the hope waning behind you, so you amplify your voice. They all needed to hear this part.

“You're nothing.” you say calmly.

The air hangs silently. No one expected that response.

You continue. “What you and your world are are an idea that only a child would find cool. You're just another bully who obtained the power to project his will over others and you use it to hog an imaginary spotlight. No one is watching, Discord. No one but you, and you're clearly bored of yourself already. Any play-write can write you and any actor in that play could play you, all they'd have to do is make up their own version and people will applause it.”

Discord's eyes widen and lose their red glow, but he still stars at you.

“But no one will actually ever applaud -YOU-.” you say.

Through your ring, you hear sounds behind you. Twilight ordering others around and the opening of a wooden box.

Discord fixes his knot. “You...you think you have it all figured out, don't you? Have -me-all figured out!? There are areas of this kingdom that are -still- quarantined because of me! And you think you have me all figured out! Do you have -any- idea who you're dealing with!?”

Discord rises into the air and spreads his arms apart. As he does, a great tear in the sky beyond which a maddened cacophony of indescribable arcs of energy and power surge through their own pocket universe. “I am the spirit of disharmony and chaos! There is NOTHING I can't do!” he cackles.

“What you are-” You float to your side and let Discord see what was behind you. Twilight and the rest of the girls are floating in the air, necklaces and tiara's adorned and glowing with magics of their own “-is a bad memory.”

Discord's eyes open wide in surprise and he breaks from where he was to lunge at you.

You raise your arm and fire a beam at his chest as Twilight and the others fire their own cross-spectrum beam that reminds you of the War. “You can't hold back the light, Discord.”

Your beam catches him square in the chest and slows his advance down momentarily. And that moment is all you needed. As the rainbow beam strikes Discord, his body rapidly transforms from kaleidoscopic flesh into dull gray stone. The process completes when Discord's fingers are inches from your face and you exhale the breath you had been holding in. The entire world seems silent for the briefest of moments as the ponies behind you wrap their heads around what just happened. But past that moment, the clouds part and go from pink to white, the ground changes from checkered to it's healthy green, and the soap along the roads seeps into the ground to be forever lost. In front of the host, where they had stood for the entire ordeal, twin statues break free of their stone bonds with their proud wings and resplendent horns. And the crowd cheers, oh do they cheer. From here to every corner of the globe and beyond, their cheer is heard.

The cheer of a world saved.

You stop Discord's statue-form from hitting the ground with but a thought from your wing and turn back to the cheering populace where you let yourself smile.

“All is well...”

-Music-

You deposit the statue safety on the ground and return back to your friends. Everypony is embracing and rejoicing in their new-found freedom and you can't help but smile.

Spike leaps out of the crowd and embraces your chest. “Anonymous! You did it!”

You chuckle and pat the spines on his back. “We all did it, Spike. We all did it.”

”Anonymous!” you hear Twilight call over your shoulder.

You turn and see her leading two larger ponies, the ones who were statues, up to you. “I'd like you to meet Princess Celestia and Princess Luna.” she says with a smile.

Heads of state? You bow your head. “Your Highness's.”

To your surprise, they bow theirs equally low. “Sir Anonymous...we will never be able to properly thank you for what you've done for us all here today.”

You let Spike down and fold your arms behind your back. “Thanks are not needed, your Highness’s, and I did not act alone. Spike here was with me from the moment I landed on your world.”

They all turn to eye Spike who's got some red coming into his scaly cheeks. “Aww...it was nothing.”

The blue one, Princess Luna, you gather from her markings, turns to you. “Thou sayest that thou hast crashed on our world? Please, as some small restitution, allow us to lodge you in the royal palace whilst we construct you a home worthy of the savior of our world.”

You cock your eyebrow. “A home?”

She cocks her own. “Thou art stranded, art thou not? We understand that our worlds be different, but you will find no kinder land than Equestria now that Discord is banished again.”

You smile and nod. “Your offer is kind, your highness, but my ring allows me to leave any time I desire.”

Luna and the others nod their heads in understanding.

“...And I believe that time is upon us.”

Spike reels back in shock. “What!? You can't leave now! We just won!”

“Yes Spike, we won, and now my purpose here is fulfilled.”

Spike looks around anxiously. “B-but what if Discord comes back!? What if he gets out?”

You smile and look up into the sky. It was dusk and the stars were just coming out...one star closer and more blue than the others.

“I believe that will be taken care of.”

The others gathered around you turn their gaze upward to the cobalt star falling to the earth. It turns on an angle and races towards the hilltop you were all gathered upon, slowing itself as it got closer and closer. Once it floated above your head and came down, they could see what it was.

A blue power battery.

”Wh-what is that?” Spike asks, never taking his eyes off it.

“This is what the Blue Lanterns use to recharge our rings normally, Spike.” you say. The lantern lands on the ground and a single blue ring floats out from it in its own glow. “And...I believe it's yours.”

Spike gasps as the ring hovers in front of his eyes. It speaks in a voice all can here. ”Spike of Equestria. You have the ability to instill great hope. You are welcomed into the Blue Lantern Corp.”

Spike takes one step back. “M-me?”

You nod. “I knew once you were able to save Rarity on your own...you have great hope inside you, Spike, and you can share that hope with others. I've seen you do it before and I know you can do it again.” You extend your hand to him. "Do you accept?”

The boy looks about and twiddles his claws. “I-I don't...” he releases a heavy sigh. “I...can't. Not right now, anyway...I almost let Discord trick me along with everyone else. Maybe...in a few years, when I'm older?” he asks.

You can tell from his tone he expects to be rejected, but you smile down at him. “Of course.”

The ring that once floated in front of him now moves to his side where it stays stationary, pulsing with a soft light.

“It will wait for you.”

Spike smiles at that.

You send a mental command to your ring and begin to float off the ground, taking to the sky above the ponies.

Spike takes a step forward. “Will we see you again?” he asks.

You smile one last time at him. "If you have hope in your heart, anything is possible. Never forget that.”

Spike smiles back at you and gives you a thumbs up, which you return.

You float higher into the air to address the entirety of those gathered. “Equestrians...Your hope shines brightly, and even more brightly when you work together to overcome. It will ever light your way, in even the darkest of places. I must leave you now, for there are more out there who need hope in their lives to carry onward, and it is my duty to bring it to them.”

You see some sad faces in the crowd as you rise up further.

“But, I will leave with you a gift of words. Words that have calmed my heart and given me strength since the day my ring chose me. Please, I ask you to join me.”

You close your eyes, bow your head, and raise your ring up to your chest. Below you, every last pony does the same. You clear your throat.

“In fearful day, in raging night,”

“With strong hearts full, our souls ignite.”

You continue to rise up, gaining speed as those below mirror your words.

“When all seems lost in the war of light, look to the stars-”

You rocket up through the atmosphere, projecting your words across the entire planet as you blast off into space, becoming one more twinkle among a universe so bright, you almost had to materialize shades.

“For hope burns bright.”

-End.

How the World Fell Under Darkness.
View Online

Hope Rides Alone

How the World Fell Under Darkness.

"Ring Capacity: 5 percent."

"I know, I know..."

You clench your fists and pick up speed towards the planetoid that slowly inches closer, a blue streak across the cold of space. It had been days since you last saw another life form. On your last interstellar voyage you had gotten a bit too close to a black hole that must have tossed you halfway across the galaxy, draining your ring in the process just to keep you alive. You were now too far out of range for communications, and far too far out of range to call your power battery.

"Nice going, Anonymous..."

"Ring Capacity: 2 percent." the little piece of jewelry on your finger says.

You take a deep breath as you enter into the planet's atmosphere. "All will be well."

Your personal shields flare as the friction of your descent turns you into a fireball streaking across the sky for a few minutes. Once you enter into the atmosphere proper, the flames give way and you get a good look at the world you find yourself on.

Muted green fields and mountains stretch across the land, pockmarked with blue lakes resting under...pink clouds?

Well, you've seen weirder in the Corps.

"Ring Capacity: One percent."

No time to sightsee, it seems. You increase your pace down to the surface, directing yourself near a small lake nearby a town.

"Ring Capacity: One percent."

"Come on, come on..."

The lake gets closer and closer to you as the glow of your personal shields flickers.

"Ring Capacity: .5 percent."

You can make it. You can make it. There is always ho-

Your personal shields drop and with it goes your ability to fly. Your stomach lurches and flips end over end as you drop from the sky.

"AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

You hit the water with a harsh splash and sink down underneath.

Darkness surrounds you in the lake, a darkness so strong you couldn't see your own nose. Until you looked up, that is.

Peeking through the murky surface of the water, you could see the sun shine through. It filled your heart whenever you were on a planet and you looked to their sun. It was something that was different for each world, but still brought everyone in the universe together in having one.

Your direction assured, you swim to the light and surface, taking a deep breath of fresh air once you do.

"Ring Capacity: .1 percent. Shutting down all non-essential functions." your ring says.

"Non-essential functions" basically boiled down to the universal translator and that's it.

You sigh. "Ah well..."

Hopefully it could gather enough charge to get you home or send out a distress signal. You swim to the shore as your clothes transform back to their original state before you put on your uniform, a side effect of the system shutdown.

As you haul yourself out of the water, your ears detect a sound. It was far off, but it sounded like...someone walking, and they were grumbling to them self as they did. An indigenous then, this was always an important part of first contact.

You fold your legs and sit yourself down on the ground, resting your hands and making sure to look as non-threatening as you possibly could.

If only your new guest were sticking to that.

He jumps out of the nearby bush shouting "HIYAAAH!" and brandishing what looks like a broken broom. He had pots, pans, cups, and plate tied to his body as makeshift armor. He was a little guy, reptilian in nature with purple scales and green spines.

"Halt! Who goes there!?" he shouts at you.

From the sound of his voice, he was quiet young.

"Hello there, my little friend. My name is...Anonymous. What's yours?"

It was -technically- a code-name, but it would do.

He falters a bit. "You speak Draconian...?" his boyish wonder coming through.

You can't help but chuckle. "Sort of. You see, my ring translates what I say into any language it knows." You hold up your ring hand for him to see.

His eyes sparkle at the thing but he shakes his head and goes back to his fighting stance. "Yeah, well who are you!? Why are you at my lake?"

"Is this your lake? I'm sorry for trespassing, I crashed here after my ring ran out of power."

He huffs. "Yeah right, does that thing let you fly too?"

"Yes."

The wonder comes back. "...Really?"

You nod. "Now, I am Anonymous and you are...?"

He hardens his face again. "Spike. My name's Spike."

You nod and smile. "Hi Spike."

You reach out and slowly lower the broom. "You can put that away, I mean you no harm."

"Oh yeah? Then what are you doing here?" he asks, eyes still hard but keeping the broom down.

You show your ring again. "I'm a Blue Lantern, Spike. We're an order of people from all over the universe dedicated to spreading the word of hope."

"Hope in what?" he asks.

"Anything. Everything. Hope that tomorrow will be better than today or even just hope that we will see old friends again soon."

Spike goes "Tch." and turns to walk away, the broom resting on his shoulder. "Yeah well you're wasting your time. There's no hope in Equestria anymore."

That makes your smile falter, little boys shouldn't believe that.

"What did you say?"

"I said there's no hope here, it went away a long time ago." he calls back over his shoulder.

That...couldn't be allowed to pass.

"How did this happen?"

Spike stops and looks back at you, his eyebrow arching. "You really -are- from far away if you don't know abou-"

He pauses as the sun in the sky seems to rotate on an axis and immediately change to the moon, drowning the forest in darkness.

Spike hisses and jumps. "Look, I'll tell you about what happened, but you have to follow me, it's not safe at night!" He takes off into the woods and you have no choice but to follow.

Spike hurries you along through the forest and into a nearby cave. Inside sits a slowly going fire, a burlap sack used for what you assume is bedding, and some knickknacks laying around.

"Is...this where you live, Spike?"

He looks out the cave entrance before slowly backing over to you. "Yeah, why?"

"It's just that I saw a town on my way in, surely you could live there?"

The boy's face falls. "It wouldn't be the same..."

Looking at him, you could tell...he really was almost hopeless.

You sit down cross legged again on the cave floor. "Would you like to tell me what happened now, Spike? What you couldn't tell me out by the lake?"

Spike sighs and sits down. "Where do I even start...?"

"Do you know about Discord where you came from?" he asks.

You shake your head no.

Spike curls up a bit. "Yeah well...you're lucky. He's...he's the worst! He's an ancient spirit of disharmony and chaos. The Princesses turned him into a statue a long time ago but he got out a while back..."

"And he made everything..."

You gesture outside to the sudden night where it's now raining chocolate. "Like this?"

Spike nods.

"Did no one stand up and try to fight?"

He curls up a bit more. "Some did...my friends, but Discord did something to them and now they're...different."

"Different how?"

"Different like they're not themselves anymore!" he exclaims, throwing his arms up into the air. "They're acting totally the opposite of how I knew them!"

"And everything else...?"

Spike lets his arms fall to his side. "After they couldn't stop Discord, he took over and everything just...ended up like this."

You look out to the outdoors and the insanity it is.

"So...everything is like this?"

Spike nods. "Yeah...nopony knows what to do, we can't stop it and every time we try, things change again."

You look down at your ring.

The duty of the Blue Lantern Corps was to spread hope to the hopeless, to make the universe a better one person at a time if you had to.

And never in your life have you seen a place so in need of hope as this Equestria.

"Ring, what are the mathematical odds that I will be able to stop this "Discord" and free Equestria?"

"Zero point zero-zero-zero-zero-zero-zero-zero-zero- five percent, Lantern Anonymous."

"Well that's that, then."

You rise up to your feet and start to walk out of the cave.

"Whoa, wait a second!" Spike shouts behind you.

You pause and look back.

"Where are you -going-?" he asks.

"To do what I can to stop Discord."

"And you -really- think you'll be able to?"

You simply smile. "I hope so."

"But you heard what your ring said!"

You look down at it, you had heard the odds. "To me, that's as good as a hundred percent. Hope makes anything possible, Spike. Hope and hard work."

"But...you might get hurt." he says quietly.

"I might not."

Spike stars at the ground for a long time. "What if...I come with you? How much will that help?"

You hold your hand up. "Ring?"

"Odds rise to zero point zero-zero-zero-zero-zero-zero-zero-zero- six percent, Lantern Anonymous."

You smile down at Spike. "Every little bit helps."

Spike's face hardens and he grabs his broom, marching over to you.

"I'm ready...I have to try."

You place a hand on his head and smile, you surprisingly get one back.

"Then let's go find your friends."

You leave the cave entrance and walk down the beaten path, Spike behind you.

You would save this world, you -would- save these people.

All will be well.